The Sacrificial Forever

Notes- Devi is a completely fictional character. If you want to know more about her or have any questions, email me.

Songs- The list of songs I used as inspiration for the scenes is sort of long. If your that interested, email me and I'll tell you.

* * * * *

Devi Mercedes Murphy was bored. No. Scratch that. Bored doesn't even begin to describe the state I'm in, she thought to herself as she tapped the wooden table before her with her wand. The final exams were tommorow, and her professor had decided to spend the day attacking her instead of helping her fellow classmates, who had no clue as to what they were doing. They had slept through much of the class.

She hadn't.

So why was Nimbleton doing this? He had already asked her three questions, each harder than the last, trying to stump her. It wasn't helping anyone. Anyone that is but her. And she didn't think it was helping her much at all, considering she understood Potions. With every right answer she gave, Nimbleton's mood got worse and worse. She didn't want to contribute to the collective failing of the class, but she couldn't say no to a challenge. Especially when she knew that she could do it.

She continued to tap her wand as she waited for him to try again. Thank goodness the class was almost over. She was going to go nuts if she didn't get out of there and soon. She needed fresh air. And the smell was starting to bother her. She almost wished she had caught that nasal virus that had been going around. At least then she wouldn't have had to smell the classroom.

Sighing, she put her wand down and glanced around the offending room. No, she definitely would not miss this place. Not at all. But no one could blame her for hating the room. The only natural light came from a huge sky window in the center of the room. It barely lit the room, so each student had a candle to illuminate their work area, which consisted of a cauldron, and whatever ingredients were necessary for the day. The room was filled with crooked wooden benches and tables, four students to a table. And all around the room there were rickety wooden shelves on which Nimbleton kept jars of strange looking things. Devi assumed they were herbs, but with Nimbleton, you never knew. In one corner, he kept his desk, which was made of the same rickety wood of the benches. Behind it, he kept his books. Books on . . . well, she guessed they would be about potions. They were very big, very old, and very dusty.

All in all, the room was dank, dirty and dark. And it always smelled. She had even considered bringing a clothespin to class for her nose. The smell was so bad. So she hated the room. With good reason, obviously.

As for her teacher, he was just as bad as his room. He was young, but he was one of those younger adults that seemed to be 28, approaching 60. He had shaggy, oily dark brown hair, which he never combed, along with a ratty dark moustache and beard to match that he rarely trimmed. The man was rather scary looking, just from that alone. But it was his eyes that scared her the most. They were a dark, dark brown, almost black. And they had so many dimensions to them. They were evil. She couldn't really explain it, but she just instinctively knew they were evil. And it was his the look in his eyes made him look older than what he was. They reflected the old age that lived inside of him. He might have been in his late twenties, but inside, he was very old.

She glanced over at him. He was still sitting at his desk, looking in one of his precious books. He's finding some completely obscure potion that no one has had to use for 300 years to try on me, she decided as she picked up her wand again. She could hear her classmates whispering around her. Something about study groups. Devi held back her laughter. They weren't going to be able to learn an entire year's worth of potions class in one study session. Her brain almost hurt, thinking about how many of them were going to sneak into her House common room that night, looking for help. She decided not to think about them, and instead concentrated on a rhythm for her wand tapping. Tap, tap, pause, tap, pause, tap, tap. Pause. Tap, tap, pause, tap, pause, tap, tap. Pause. Tap, tap, pause, tap, pause, tap, tap. Pause. Tap, tap, pause, tap . . .

Devi was distracted from her wand tapping as Nimbleton cleared his throat and stood up from his desk. Great. Here we go. I can't wait to hear this one, she thought, setting her wand next to her cauldron. She nudged the end so that it was perfectly aligned with the cauldron.

"All right. If I want to make a potion for protection against a River Troll, what would I use?" Professor Nimbleton asked.

Devi watched, half-interested, as his lips twisted into the same evil-like smirk she had seen all year. The same smirk she had already wiped off his face three times that day already. This was getting ridiculous. She resisted the urge to just roll her eyes and ignore him. That would be letting him win.

And Devi Murphy never went down without a fight.

There was silence. The only thing that could be heard was the collective brain of her classmates trying to figure out the answer. Devi glanced around the room at them. What was the point? They didn't know the answer. In this case, the wheel was turning, but the hamster was dead.

Upon hearing nothing but the silence, Nimbleton was quite satisfied with himself. Devi could see it in his dark, cold eyes. God, she hated his eyes.

"Well, if no one knows . . . " He said, a happy tone in his voice.

He turned his dark gaze on Devi. She shivered and looked down at her wand, avoiding his gaze. For some reason unbeknownst to her, the man hated her. Maybe her father had stolen his girlfriend or something, but the man hated her. Maybe it was because he knew of her suspicions. She had always thought he was in league with the dark arts. She had never told anyone, but that didn't mean he couldn't find out. Especially if he really was involved with the dark arts. He could have invaded her mind. Once again, Devi shivered at the thought of him poking around her head.

Focus Devi.

She brought her attention back to the question. OK . . . protection against a river troll. A river troll. Was that supposed to be hard?! That was easy. Ok, well, it was easy for her. She looked back up at him. So he thought he'd won, did he? We'll see about that. Better take down your victory flag, Nimbleton, she thought to herself

Devi laughed to herself silently as she stood up to face the class, and to put Nimbleton down for the last time that day. "That's easy."

"Is it really, Ms. Murphy?" He said.

The smirk was turning into a grin as he waited for what he expected to be a failure. You've got another thing coming to you, Nimbleton, she thought to herself as she returned his smirk with one of her own.

Devi's smirk turned into a smile. "Yes, it is, Professor Nimbleton."

"Then please share your thoughts with the class." Nimbleton was practically rubbing his hands together in happiness.

"I think I will." Devi said. "You simply put a Raven feather into a mixture of powdered horned toads and mugwort, then a freshly cut length of willow bark, a leaf from the same willow tree you extracted the bark from, and then add a pinch of wolfsbane."

"Is that all?" He asked.

"No." She said.

"By all means, finish, Ms. Murphy." Nimbleton said.

He still thought he could be the winner. That he had finally stumped her. That she had forgotten what needs to be done with the mixture once it was done. Silly man.

"After the ingredients have boiled down into the liquid, you need to pour the mixture into a crystal vial. Make sure it's a crystal vial, and not glass one. The potion will eat through glass. Then wear the vial around your neck at all times." She replied.

Nimbleton's smile turned upside down and his disappointment became obvious on his face. Poor thing. She almost felt bad for him. Almost. Devi chose to ignore him as the class broke out into applause. She loved praise.

Smiling, she took a deep bow. "Thank you, thank you."

"Devi, Devi, Devi." They chanted, laughing.

She joined them in the laughter. "No, sorry. No autographs. No pictures please. Thank you."

Devi sat back down, and impatiently began to pick at her nails. She could not wait to get out of there so she could go tell Katana about the class. Katana Jacobs was her best friend. They had been best friends since their first year, when they had both gotten lost and literally ran into each other in their panic to get to class. They had been friends ever since.

The bells rang then, interrupting Devi's thoughts, and signaling the end of the class. Happy to escape Nimbleton and his horrid classroom and his evil stare, Devi quickly gathered her things. But before she left, she stole one last glance at Nimbleton. Immediatly, shivers ran up and down her spine, and she could almost feel goose bumps coming up. He was . . . glaring at her. She had a feeling that if looks could kill, the glare he was giving her could kill not only her, but everyone else in his eye sight. He was glaring at her. This was unbelievable. What was wrong with him? Why did he hate her so much? Was there a particular reason? What had she ever done to him?

Wisely, Devi decided not to stick around to find out. She threw the sling of her knapsack over her shoulder, and practically ran out of the classroom, not looking back to realize she had left her wand on the table next to the cauldron, perfectly aligned to it.

* * * * *

Devi could hear Katana yelling from somewhere behind her."Hey. Devi. Wait up."

She dutifully turned around and glanced at her friend. Katana had waist-length brown hair, and sparkling green eyes that reflected the mischief that Katana was always cooking up in her head. Devi was quite proud to call Katana her best friend. She was gorgeous, and together, they broke a lot of hearts. Katana broke hearts because she dismissed any guy who wasn't Sean Braston, and Devi broke a lot of hearts because she was watched over by an insanely jealous Sean Braston. No guy would even come near now. A few bold ones had tried last year, but Sean had set them straight. Katana of course, was always making it quite clear that she was available as a Devi-replacement. Devi almost felt bad for her friend. Katana was completely in love with Sean, who was in love with Devi. But plenty of guys liked Katana, and no one threatened them, so she was fine. Devi stopped and waited as Katana ran up to her, her hair flying everywhere.

"Geez. Someone was in a hurry." She commented as she caught up to Devi.

Katana put her arm in Devi's and the made their way toward the courtyard for break. Devi smiled gently at her friend. "Sorry. I just had to get out of there." Devi replied.

"Don't worry about it. I've had Nimbleton before. I know what a pain he can be." Katana said.

"He glared at me, Katana." She said.

"Are you sure he just didn't get dust from his books in his eye? He does that a lot, you know." Katana suggested.

Devi shook her head. "No, it was a glare."

"But why would he glare at you?" Katana asked.

"Well, he did it again today." Devi replied.

"How many did he ask this time?" Katana asked.

"Four." Devi said.

Katana shook her head. "And you got them all right?"

Devi nodded. "But he wouldn't glare at me over that."

"I don't know Devi. The man is really sensitive about his knowledge of potions." Katana replied.
"I know." Devi stopped.

She reached into the pocket of her robe, searching for her wand so she could conjure up some better walking shoes. Her feet were killing her. But instead of the smooth wood she expected to feel, all she got was an old jelly bean. She pulled it from her pocket at held it front of Katana.

"What? Why did we stop?" Katana asked.

"Look." She said.

"Yeah, it's a jelly bean, Devi." Katana answered. She took it from her hands and put it in her mouth. "Hmm. Toffee."

"Katana!" Devi shouted.

Katana looked at her defensively. "What?! Did you want it?!"

"No. You're missing the point." Devi replied.

"When do you ever have a point?" Katana teased.

Devi gave her a look. "Katana...."

"Sorry, sorry." Katana put her hands in the air. "Explain the jelly bean symbolism."

"You should know me well enough to know that I keep my wand in that pocket. I put my hand in to get it, and I got the jelly bean you are currently digesting instead of my wand. Which means that I left my wand in there." She explained.

"Great." Katana muttered.

Devi turned them around, and Katana followed, although quite unwillingly. She drudged her feet the whole way.

"Maybe he won't be in there." Katana said.

"Oh, he'll be in there." Devi replied. "And he'll tan my hide for leaving my wand in there."

They continued in silence. Neither of them wanted to waste a break on going into Nimbelton's room, but she couldn't function without her wand. She needed it. She just hoped by some stroke of luck that Nimbleton wouldn't be in there. She didn't want to face him after that glare. When they reached the door, Devi carefully opened it, half expecting Nimbleton to kill her right then and there.

As she opened the door to the room, Nimbleton glanced up from his desk. He was reading again. As usual. He had put his reading glasses on, so he couldn't stare her down as easily as before. For that, Devi was grateful.

"Hello Ms. Murphy." Nimbleton said, looking Devi in the eye.

"Hello." Devi replied.

"Hello Professor Nimbleton." Katana added shakingly. She was standing behind Devi, clutching onto her arms.

He simply nodded in her general direction. "Ms. Jacobs."

There was silence. The two girls stood in the doorway. They stared at Nimbleton. Nimbleton stared at them. Devi could hardly believe she was scared of the creep. But the way he had glared at her . . . she got the shivers just thinking about it. Devi took a step into the classroom, letting Katana occupy the doorway.

"How may I help you?" He finally asked, breaking the silence.

"I uh . . . " Devi's voice cracked. This was getting pathetic. Devi took a deep breath, and spoke louder and more definite this time. " I left my wand in here."

Nimbleton glanced around the room in a sarcastic manner. "I don't see it."

"I thought maybe someone had turned it in." Devi subjected.

"Well, you thought wrong." Nimbleton said sharply. "It is no matter. That wand was growing apart from you."

"Sir?" Devi was confused.

"It was time for a new one anyway." Nimbleton explained.

Devi nodded. "Sorry to bother you."

Nimbleton nodded and sat back down, returning to his books. Devi let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. He had let her go without any punishment. Not even a slap on the wrists. Maybe her day was taking a turn for the better. She turned around, smiling, and began ushering Katana out of the room, before Nimbleton could change his mind.

"Oh, and Devi?" Nimbleton said, from behind her

She stopped dead in her tracks as she heard Nimbleton speak her first name. He never called her that. It was always Ms. Murphy with him. Maybe she wasn't off the hook after all. She turned back around, her smile sliding off her face. She watched as Nimbleton took off his glasses and began cleaning them. She stared as his hands rubbed a small cloth he had produced from his pocket over the lenses. She pretended that it fascinated her. Anything but concentrating on him.

"Nice work today." Nimbleton stated.

He put his glasses back on and returned to his reading. Devi just blinked. Had he just praised her? He *never* did that. It seemed to her that this was a completely different man than the one who had taught her potions and had glared at her not even 15 minutes before. What happened to that man? She liked this one much better, but she was still worried. Had he taken the wrong medication that morning or something?

"Thank you." Devi said quietly.

"Hear what?" Katana asked.

"Nimbleton. He called me Devi than said I did 'good work' today." Devi replied.

"He did?" Katana asked.

"Where were you when all this was going on?" Devi asked. She looked over at her friend and laughed. "Never mind. I don't want to know those kinds of details about Sean."

"Now what makes you think I was daydreaming about him?" Katana asked.

"Because he's all you ever daydream about."

Devi was indefinitely happy at that moment. Her life was going good. Nimbleton had given her praise, she had a great best friend, and her 5th year was almost over. Devi glanced over at Katana, who gave her an innocent smile. Yup, life is good, she thought to herself as they looped arms again.

Katana raised her arm to look at her watch. "Well, we just wasted a break over that."

"I think it was worth it." Devi decided.

Katana looked at her friend like she was completely crazy. "Did I just hear Devi Murphy not complain about missing a break?"

"Seriously. I think it was worthwhile." Devi said, defending herself.

"Come here. Let me check your head. You must be sick or something." Katana replied.

Devi playfully stuck out her tongue. "I'm fine."

Devi turned them so that they were heading toward the great hall. There were hardly any students out in the courtyard, so it was almost lunch break. She definitely did not want to miss that. She was ok with missing a regular break, but lunch? That was out of the question. Food was the primary thought on Devi's mind around that time of day. It was all she thought about during break.

"You know what? That's what they all say. And then before they knew it, they're in a hospital bed saying their last words." Katana said in a mock paranoid voice.

Devi laughed. "You're really twisted, ya know that?"

"Yeah, but that's why you love me." Katana replied.

"When did that happen?" Devi said jokingly. "I must have missed that memo."

"That's funny. I mailed it out last week." Katana replied.

Devi and Katana laughed as the entered the open doors to the cafeteria. It was a huge building, with the five house tables in a row facing the head table. Reacion, Sotianar, Ternisha, Goraphie, and finally Manshrin, which Devi and Katana belonged to. The Manshrin table was at the center of the five house tables, because they had won the house cup 15 years in a row. Everyone knew that the Manshrin's were the best, but the Sotianar couldn't get it through their hard heads that they weren't the top house. Devi hated them all. Especially Marc Thompson, the Sotianar prefect. In fact, she hated prefects in general. It wasn't anything personal, but most of them were very good at what they did, and that made them competition for Devi, who was nearly at the top of her class.

Devi and Katana quickly made their way to the front of their table, where they always sat. Devi laughed. At the beginning of the year, the first years had tried to sit there. Katana had gone off on them about superiority and respect. It had been great. As they sat, Devi glanced down at the other end of the table, where the first years all congregated. There was a system at Quintins. Every year, the first years started at the end of the table, and worked their way up. Devi looked to the other side at the sixth and seventh year students. Pretty soon, the seventh year's would be gone, and Devi would be one seat closer to the top.

The owls came flying in and Devi smiled as she saw Pother, her parent's owl. He dropped a wand-shaped package with a letter attached to it in her lap and flew away, toward the direction of the owlry. Devi picked up the letter wondering how her parents had found out about the lost wand that quickly. On the front of the envelope, in her fathers handwriting, were the words "DO NOT READ THIS IN PUBLIC. SAVE IT FOR LATER." Devi nodded, sticking the letter and the wand in the hidden pocket she had sewn into her robes.

She pushed back her curiosity about the wand and concentrated on what was going on around her. From the tables around them, Devi could hear students reviewing and studying for their final exams as they waited for lunch to be served. Owls were still dropping letters on very annoyed students who were trying to cram as much study time as possible before exams. Devi secretly smiled to herself. She didn't have to study tonight.

Of course, she would be helping Katana with potions and herbs all night, but she was surprisingly complacent. It was the mood that she was in. Raquel Williams could ask for help and Devi would say yes, even though she hated the girl and wanted to turn her into a horned toad. That was how good the mood she was in was. It was phenomenal. Devi felt like she was invincible. And she was very dangerous when she felt that way. Weird ideas would start to float in. Last year she and Katana had stayed up all night, thinking of end-of-the-year pranks to pull on their professors, instead of studying.

But that wasn't going to happen this year.

Devi let out a contented sigh as she sat at the table. She didn't have to study all night. The year was almost over. She had gotten a new wand, it was almost her birthday, and Nimbleton had called her by her first name and complimented her.

Yes, her life was definitely going good.

* * * * *

As soon as she got to her dorm room, Devi closed her door and collapsed onto her bed. She quickly pulled the package from her pocket and held it in front of her, smiling to herself as she turned it over and over in her hands. Just open it, she told herself, and she nodded. She carefully opened the paper around the wand, and gazed at it. It was made of two different woods. They blended perfectly. She had never thought that a hunk of wood could be as beautiful as this one. She ran her hand over it slowly, and the wand came to life. Her room was soon lit by red and blue sparks.

Well, the wand seemed to like her. She smiled. Was this an early birthday present or something?

The wand stopped its shannanigans as she set it down next to her. The sparks came flying toward her, and she panicked. What the heck was going on? She tried to get away from them, but they entered her body, like little energy sparks. She could feel a new power within her. Woah. This is weird, she thought as she picked up the letter, hoping it would explain what was going on. She ran her finger over the words her father had sprawled across the top. She missed him. She missed the whole family. It had been . . . 2 months. Yes, two months since she had seen them. She pulled at the envelope's flap until the wax seal gave way, pulled the letter out, and began to read.

Devi, This is a very special wand. It gives its owner the power of prophetic dreams. That was how I knew that your wand would get taken. So I sent this along after the dream, to replace the old one. Well, that's one of the reasons I have sent it to you.

Ah. That explains the sparks coming at her and this new power she felt. Under the first paragraph, her father had written a few lines, and scribbled them out. She peered at them, trying to see what they said. Danger . . . cautious . . . hope. She couldn't make out much.

This wand was entrusted to me by a very dear friend of mine, and I'm passing it on, to you. I know that it will be safe with you. You must protect it, and take special care of it. Also, you might want to record your dreams, considering your forgetfulness when it comes to dreams. This as much as I can tell you through a letter sent by an owl, so we'll talk when you get home. Best of luck with your exams!

Love, Dad

Devi shook her head and reread the letter. Hmm. But why was he passing it onto her? Was there a particular reason? Was someone after it? A million questions came to her mind as she glanced at the wand again. She glanced back at the paper, and noticed a small arrow drawn on the lower right corner. Sighing, she flipped the paper over and read.

PS- Remember, you must guard this wand with your life.

PSS- Is Katana coming home with you?

PSSS- Please tell Professor Nimbleton that he has my gratitude, and that your mother sends her love.

Devi rolled her eyes at her father. The traitor. How did he even know Nimbleton? And since when did her mother send "her love" through letters to her professors? My parents scare me sometimes, she thought to herself as she set the letter down and picked the wand up. She loved the way the smooth wood felt against the palm of her hand. It fit perfectly in her hand, almost like it had been molded for her and her alone. She carefully wrapped her fingers around it, looking around expectantly for the sparks to return.

When nothing happened, Devi smiled to herself and flished the wand to her left, then flicked it, saying "Orchidae."

A bouquet of soft red roses appeared from the tip of the wand, attached to the wand at the very tip. Devi smiled to herself. She liked this wand. She stood, carrying the wand and flowers with her and made her way to the small blue vase that was sitting on top of her shelves. She pulled the dead flowers from it and She carefully plucked the flowers from the tip of the wand and flished her now flower-free wand at the vase.

"Litrificus." She said as she flicked the wand at the vase.

The vase was now half-full with water. Devi set the flowers in the vase and watched them fall into a perfect arrangement. Other people spent hours arranging flowers so that they were just so. But Devi had found that if you just let them be, the flowers would arrange themselves perfectly.

Satisfied with the flowers, Devi made her way back to her bed. She collapsed onto it, and glanced at the clock. Where was Katana? She was supposed to be there by then to study for the Potions Exam. Sighing to herself, she picked up her father's letter and began to try to read the scribbled out lines again. I am in danger? Or did it say we are in trouble?

Devi let out a frustrated moan, wishing there was some way she could use the wand to get rid on the ink that he had scribbled over the words with. She ignored the thought and moved on. You must . . . be . . . cautious. Ok, so she could read that. But he had already told her that. She continued. It is . . . No. His hope? Did it say his hope? She peered closer at the paper as there was a knock at the door.

"You're late!" She shouted.

She quickly threw the paper and wand under her pillow and grabbed the first book she saw. She opened the book and started to read. It was Quidditch through the Ages. She glanced up from the book to look at the door. Why hadn't Katana just come in?

"You can come in." She said.

The door opened to reveal Sean Braston. He was the Quidditch captain and Keeper for her House, Manshrin. Tall and rugged, he was a great asset to the team. He was really cute too. He had inquisitive turquoise eyes and soft brown hair that fell into his eyes. Katana, along with every other girl at Quintins had fallen for him, but everyone knew he had taken a liking to Devi. She smiled gently up at him, wondering why he was in the girl's side of the House dormitories. If he got caught, he would be in trouble. But then again, it was the week of final exams. The teachers usually loosened the dormitories' rules around that time of year, as long as it was for studying purposes.

"Hey Devi." He said, quietly. "Are you expecting someone?"

"Just Katana." She replied.

She watched Sean turn a few shades paler, and fought back laughter. Katana practically stalked him, and Sean was almost scared of her. The only reason he even put up with Katana was because of his love for Devi. Because Katana was Devi's best friend that meant that he had to be nice to her, even though he would rather give up his position as captain and keeper. Devi knew this. Sean knew this. The whole school knew this. Katana probably even knew this, she just instead ignored it and interpreted his actions as a deep love he was in denial about.

"Well, I just came by to say hi." Sean said.

"Hi." Devi replied.

She set her book down and sat up straighter on her bed, ignoring the wand that poked her in the back as she did it. It wasn't that she didn't like him, he was a great guy. Cute, nice, sweet, caring. He was every girl's dream guy. Yes every girl's dream, except Devi Murphy's. She knew that somewhere out there was the guy for her. And she also knew that guy was not Sean Braston. That didn't mean that she wouldn't see other people before she met the guy of her dreams. But it was a well-known fact that most people married their wizarding school sweethearts.

And she did not want to spend the rest of her life doing cleaning charms, as Mrs. Devi Braston. It just did not sit well with her. So she was very careful around him, making it quite clear that she had no interest in becoming his wife. It sounded funny, but it was common. And Devi just wouldn't stand for it. To think . . . Devi was interrupted from her thoughts by the loud sound of Sean clearing his throat. Looking up at him, she almost blushed. She had done it again. Devi had a little problem with going off on a thought tangent in the middle of conversations.

"Sorry." She said, realizing he was still in the doorway. "Do you want to come in?"

"Sure." He replied.

He came in and sat idly on her arm chair. "I've never been in here before."

She had completely forgotten that she had never let him in the room before. Devi sucked in a breath, hoping he wouldn't get any ideas about her letting him in the room. He had been actively pursuing her since their first year. It was amazing that he had never been in her room. But then again, he had tried. She had always thought of some sort of excuse. Anything to keep their relationship as platonic as possible. As he began to look around him, she quickly glanced around the room, making sure that nothing too personal was lying around. Like a pair of underwear or something. All she saw that was semi-personal was her journal, but Chanda was sleeping peacefully on it in the corner of her room, so it was safe.

"Yeah." She replied.

He had spotted the flowers. "Who sent you those?"

His voice sounded almost . . . mad. He was obviously jealous. That was another thing that upset Devi. A lot of guys were too afraid to even approach her because of Sean.

"I conjured them." She replied, coldly.

"Oh." He said, blushing a little.

"Yeah." She muttered.

"So . . . you're going to play Quidditch again next year, right?" He asked

"That's not why you're here, Sean. You know I'm playing next year. You took my name down yesterday." Devi replied.

She watched him gulp. Literally. It was like in the cartoons, when a character just realizes they've been caught in a lie or a bad situation. In this case, it was a lie. He looked down at the floor, and Devi looked at the back of his head. There wasn't much else that she could do, but sit and wait for him to spit it out. And she had a funny feeling that whatever he was about to say, she wasn't going to like it.

Sean looked back up at her. "Well, I was thinking . . . um . . . this summer, maybe . . . "

He was cut off by a knock on the door. Devi glanced toward the door. Saved by the Katana. Devi smiled gratefully at her friend as she glided into the room and sat on the bed next to her. Devi wasn't sure what Sean had been about to say, but judging from what he had said, it probably something she did not want or need to hear.

"Hey Sean." Katana said in a sicky-sweet voice.

Devi rolled her eyes at her best friend. She had half a mind to just accept the offer that Sean had given her many times to be his steady, just to save him from the obsessed girls of Quintins. But then she would risk marriage, and she did not even want to touch that subject. She shuddered involuntarily, and in the background, she could hear Sean mumbling a greeting back at Katana. She felt so bad for him. She wasn't sure what she had done to make him feel the way he did toward her, but it was almost as though she had, well . . . put a spell on him. Katana had actually accused her of that during their second year. Devi, of course, had been outraged, and the fight that followed had lasted three days. But then again, that was the only fight that she and Katana had in their four years of friendship, so . . .

Katana had grabbed onto her arm, and was shaking her from her thoughts. "You're doing it again."

"Sorry." Devi said, more to Sean than to Katana.

"I'll talk to you later, Devi." He replied.

"Bye." Devi said, absently.

"Bye Sean." Katana said in the same voice as before.

He stood and walked out of the room, casting one last look over his shoulder at Devi. "Bye."

Devi watched him walk away, as her curiosity got the best of her. What was he going to ask her? The thought would bother her until she found out. She pushed it into the back of her mind. She would deal with it later. Now she had a very enamored best friend to deal with.

"Mmm. Scrumptious." Katana said, not even caring that he was still in earshot.

"Honestly, Katana. The boy is not a piece of meat." Devi said.

"Whatever. So what was in the package?" She asked.

Devi debated in her mind if she should tell Katana. Katana had a tendency to blabber a lot. But then again, this was very important. Katana would keep quiet about it. "A new wand."

"A wand? But how did he know that yours was lost?" She replied.

"The wand gives the owner the power of prophetic dreams. I guess my dad dreamed about my wand being taken, and sent this ahead." Devi explained.

"Cool." Katana said.

"Yeah." Devi replied, absently.

"You ready to hit the books?"

Devi nodded absently, pulling her copy of the book from the stack of books she had piled on the night stand. Katana wasn't extremely bright, and was in remedial Herbology and Potions classes. And since those were the classes that Devi excelled at, Katana relied on her help to pass the classes. As Devi opened her old potion's book, which was the text Katana was using for her class, she looked up at her friend. Katana had already closed the door with her foot and settled into the bed. Looking back at the book, Devi suddenly felt very tired. The sounds around her started to fade. Somewhere in the background, she could make out the sounds of Katana flipping through the pages and asking her what form of Mugwort was best for a love potion. And then everything went black.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Devi. Happy birthday to you."

Her entire family was singing to her as they carried over a cake with the words 'Happy Birthday Devi' scribbled sloppily across the top. The color of the words changed rapidly, flashing from red to blue to green, and then turning rainbow colored. The fifteen candles on top had flames that danced to the sound of the singing. Her mother had conjured it up just for her.

Devi smiled at them all. "Thank you."

"Make a wish." Her mother said as she set the cake down in front of her.

Devi closed her eyes and silently said her wish. 'I wish I could go to Hogwarts.' She blew out her candles. The whole family burst into clapping, and somewhere in the distance, a small swooshing noise was heard, which signified a delivery from an owl.

"I'll grab that." Her grandmother said, leaving the room.

Devi grinned. Chanda jumped into her lap, and Devi pet her patiently while her mother took the cake away to cut it. Then Devi's grandmother burst back into the room excitingly, an envelope in her hands

"It's here!" She shouted, tossing the envelope at Devi.

Devi caught it, and all she could see was the wax that had the enveloped sealed. It was purple, and it had a seal of arms on it. A lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H. She flipped it over, and read the front.

Ms D. Murphy. 6 Gatsby Lane, London, England.

It was a letter from Hogwarts. She carefully opened the envelope, pulled the letter out, and read it aloud.

"Dear Ms Murphy, We are pleased to inform you that after much deliberation, you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry . . . "

She dropped the letter, running to her parents and hugging them. "It came! It came."

"Devi! Devi! Devi . . . " The family shouted.

"Devi . . . Devi!" Katana yelled.

Devi sat up and frantically reached for her dream journal. She had to write it down before she forgot the dream. A letter from Hogwarts, a letter from Hogwarts. She repeated it in her head as she groped around for the journal. Finally, she got her fingers around it, and yanked it over toward her.

And the pen dropped.

Devi didn't dare speak from fear that she would forget, so she pointed at the pen, trying to get Katana to grab it. But her friend had other things in mind.

"What was it about? Sean and I?" Katana asked eagerly.

Devi shook her head. It was about . . . what was it about. "A letter."

"A letter? Wow. That's informing." Katana said sarcastically.

"Well, if you had given me the pen, I would have been able to write it down before I forgot." Devi replied coldly.

Katana jumped off the bed. "Oh, so it's my fault then."

"You could have given me the pen. But noooo. All you cared about was wether or not the dream was about you. About you and Sean, when there is no chance in hell he would ever even consider liking you. Why can't you get that through your head? I needed to write down that dream, but you only cared about yourself. It's always all about you, isn't it? Isn't it Katana?!" Devi's voice was growing louder and louder with each word she spoke.

Katana's eyes went wide, but she stayed silent. Devi took in a shuddering breath, trying to calm herself down. For a second, they just stared at each other. Devi took in another deep breath. And then Katana started to cry. Devi instantly felt bad.

"I'm sorry, Katana." She said, rushing over to hug her friend.

"No, I'm sarry." Katana sniffled, her words barely audible through her sobs. "You ar wrights. I coulda gives a you de pen, ands I need ta get ova hims."

Devi pulled back and smiled softly at her friend. "Don't worry about it."

Katana sniffled one last time and stopped crying. "Les never fights again, otay?"

"Okay." Devi replied.

* * * * *

Exams went by quickly. She had taken all of them except for one. Potions. And that was the one that she was dreading. She wasn't quite sure how to act around Nimbleton. And she also wasn't sure which Nimbleton she would have today. Would it be the nice one, the one who had called her by her first name and complimented her? Or would it be the mean one who purposefully tried to make her fail?

When she entered the classroom, he was buried beneath his books as usual. There were slips of paper at the base of each persons' cauldron. The lit cauldrons, she noted. That meant that their exam would be to make a potion. She smiled to herself as she sat in front of her cauldron, and waited for the exam to start as the rest of her classmates trickled in. A bell rang, which was muffled by the sounds of panic coming from her classmates. As the bell rang, Nimbleton stood up suddenly and made his way to the front of the classroom.

"Your exams will consist of making a potion and a verbal quiz." Nimbleton said.

The mummer of people whispering filled the room and Devi nodded to herself. This would be easy for her. But her fellow students were in trouble.

"Each potion is different, so there will be no cheating. And the questions I ask will change with each student. I hope you all studied."' Nimbleton continued.

A collective gulp came from the class.

"Turn your papers over, and let the exam begin." He finished.

Devi turned her paper over as Nimbleton made his way back to his desk. On her paper, in Nimbleton's distinct scribbles, were the words "Come see me." She glanced around the room at the other students as they gathered ingredients for potions and let out sighs and moans of frustration. Why hadn't he given her a potion to make? Did this have something to do with the new wand? Should she trust him? Either way, she had to go talk to him. So she stood and made her way to his desk. He never let students near his desk, and now she saw why. The books that he was constantly buying his nose in were books that no student should be reading. Books with recipes for potions that could hurt people. And potions that could help people. When she stopped in front of him, he glanced up from the book he was reading. It had no title, and it looked very old.

"Come around to this side, Devi." He said.

He had said her name again. What was going on? She quickly went around to the other side of the desk. There was a chair covered in books there. Nimbleton pointed his wand at the books and the rose up and over to his bookcase. He motioned for her to sit, and she did, rather reluctantly however.

He smiled. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

Devi didn't know what to say. "Ok."

"You have proved to me over the year that you understand the art of potions, therefore you will have no exam." He explained.

"Thank you, Professor Nimbleton." She replied.

"You can call me James." He replied.

Ok, this was getting weird. This man hated her. He had spent the past year trying to destroy her. Since when did they get on a first name basis? She fought the urge to ask him if he was sick or something. Nimble- James turned away from her from a second and opened one of the drawers in his desk. From it, he pulled out two vials. One of them was a purplish color, and the vial was hanging from a long silver chain. The other was seemingly empty.

"Ok, James." She said, glancing at the vials.

"I have a feeling you will need these." He said, handing her the empty vial.

"What is it?" She asked, looking at it.

"That potion will make you invisible for as long as you wish to remain invisible." He explained.

"But the vial is empty." She protested.

He took it from her and shook it. For a brief second, the liquid could be seen. "Or so it seems."

"Oh." She said, feeling rather stupid.

"And this . . . " He continued, handing her the chain with the vial. "You must wear this at all times."

"What is it for?" She replied.

"That I cannot say." He said.

"Well, how will I know when to use it if I don't know what it's for?" She asked.

"You'll know. Trust me. Don't use either of them until you are sure that the time is right." He explained. "And do not drink the whole invisibility potion. You need only a drop."

"What if I run out?" She asked.

"Write me, and I'll send more." He replied.

"So why are you giving me these?" She asked.

"They were originally going to your father, but in light of your . . . " He glanced around, and leaned closer to her, whispering now, "Ah . . . new wand, you will need them."

"Oh." She replied. "That reminds me. My father says that you have his gratitude, and that my mother sends her love."

Devi watched, amazed, as James smiled. This was just getting way too weird. What kind of spell was Nimbleton under? It was like he was a completely different man from the one she had known the last five years. The one who hated her.

"Tell them this, and listen, because it is important. The moon will rise after Mars has risen too." He replied.

Devi nodded, although she was confused. "The moon will rise after Mars has risen too. What does that mean?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." He said.

"Ok." She replied.

The bell rang again, signaling the end of exams. The students burst into cheers, and began to pack and clean up their spaces. Nimbleton shook his head, and Devi wondered how she had spent the whole class talking to Nimb-James. She was still having problems thinking of him as James instead of Professor Nimbleton. But if thats what he wanted her to call him, then so be it. Does that mean I call him James next year too? , She thought as she sat there.

"Your results will be sent by owl to your homes." Nimbleton said to the students.

The class took that as their cue to leave, and leave they did. They were gone in a flash, not saying a word to Nimbleton. That was rude, Devi thought to herself. She stood and made her way to her cauldron to gather her things. She put the invisibility vial in the hidden pocket of her robe, and put the chain around her neck. It seemed to glow. The color was gorgeous. She picked up her bag, putting it over her shoulder, and walked back to Nimbleton's desk. He was reading again.

"Goodbye Prof- I mean, James." She said.

"Bye Devi." He replied.

She turned and walked away, talking over her shoulder. "See you next year."

"No, you won't." He said as she walked out of the room.

She could barely hear him, but she understood what he said. Why wouldn't he be seeing her next year? That made no sense. Absolutely none. Unless she was going to die over the summer, or he was. Because she still had two years left at Quintins.

Or so she thought.