Eyes of Sky

James rolled over onto his stomach, reached unsteadily for his glasses on the bed side cabinet, peering blearily at the clock next to him. It read 6 o'clock. "Bloody hell," he groaned and swung himself out of bed, knowing that now he was up, he would never get back to sleep.

Yawning and grumbling, he walked across the room to the bathroom, looking over to Remus' bed. If someone had been looking at him closely, they would have seen a look of concern flit across his face. But the concern passed, as he figured that Remus must have gone down to the common room for a while or to the Great Hall for breakfast.

As the hot water ran over his body, James thought back to the night before and what Remus had said. Even though he didn't know the girl, even though he had never even seen her, Moony's words had made him distrustful of the girl from the dream. He couldn't help but think that she was dangerous in some way. But James dismissed his thoughts as concern for his friend, and went back to having his shower.

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Remus sat alone at the Gryffindor table, chewing slowly. He, like James, was mulling over his thoughts as he stared into his pumpkin juice.

What had she meant - 'I'll see you soon'? How could she possibly know where to find him? Though they had only met in Remus' dreams, he got the distinct feeling that she was a real person, living, breathing right now. But HOW could she know where he was? She'd only ever seen him in his dreams...

He continued to poke his eggs around his plate, sighing every now and then, but was suddenly raised from his thoughts as he heard two voices pass by the slightly ajar Great Hall doors. He recognised one of the voices as that of Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster, but he couldn't place the other one, though he knew it was a girl's.

"...and you'll be sorted into your house this evening. I must say, though, your situation is a very...unusual one. Hogwarts has never had one of your particular...abilities before. You realise, we may have to keep this a secret from the student body? Your professors will, of course, be informed."

"I don't care who's told or not, Albus. All I want is to fit in have friends be a normal person."

The voices grew more distant as they passed the Great Hall. Remus sat thinking about what he had just over heard. A new girl, with special abilities...? He felt a sudden lurch of anticipation, and busied himself with his breakfast again; resuming the pattern he was pushing his food around in.

An hour passed before his friends made an appearance. James looked like he had been up for some time, but Sirius and Peter both looked like they had been dragged backwards through bushes several times. The three sat down around Remus. James started to talk to Sirius in low tones about their next prank, and Peter rested his head on the table grumbling about how it was far too early. Remus looked up amused as Sirius took a jug of pumpkin juice and tried to pour it over the table cloth instead of in the glass, being stopped just in time by James and his quick Quidditch skills.

"So, Moony, how are you? Have a good night sleep?" Before Remus could answer, James cut in.

"Like you ACTUALLY CARE Wormtail? Where were you last night whilst Padfoot and I were with Moony, eh?"

"I'm sorry, Prongs I was just really tired and..." Peter mumbled looking down at his hands in his lap, but was, like Remus, cut off by James.

"You were tired? YOU WERE TIRED? God Peter, look at Sirius! He's barely awake!" The three boys looked over to Sirius, who was trying and failing to butter a piece of toast. He groaned and tried to rest his head on the table, hitting the butter off the table into his lap instead. "You know Peter, I would have thought, after all we've helped you through, you could have at least come down to try and comfort your friend! And..." It was James' turn to be cut off, by a rare out burst of anger from Remus.

"Shut up! Shut up! I don't CARE he didn't come down James! I wasn't really noticing much anyway! Just STOP ARGUING!!!" Remus grabbed his heavy bag and stalked out of the Great Hall with many whispers behind him from the rest of the school, and a few jeers from overly cocky Slytherins, yet even they realised what a rarity it was for Remus to lose his temper, and every pair of eyes following the boy out of the hall held a glint of confusion, of intrigue.

As the heavy doors slammed shut behind him though, life returned to normal for the other Hogwarts students. James settled for shooting nasty glances at his 'friend', and Sirius, forgetting momentarily that he had a wand, tried to mop the butter up from his trousers with a slice of bread.

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For so many days, she had wandered aimlessly through the Forbidden Forest. She had eaten nothing. She had felt nothing, not even the deep scratches that made ribbons of any exposed skin that she had received from the thorny fingers of the menacing trees as she walked onwards. Onwards. Forever she walked onwards.

Her only thoughts were for her family. Or for what was her family. All she could see of them now were their dry, empty husks lying on the floor at her feet, all life sucked out by the figure before her. She remembered her mother's eyes, still shocked even in death. Her father's hands, reaching out for something, twisted and contorted. Her sisters five year old mouth, puckered into a tiny 'o'.

She had, many days ago, ceased to grieve for their deaths. The tears just couldn't flow any more. Her eyes were as dry as the bare bone, and that was the way she intended for them to stay. Nothing ever again could affect her as much as watching her family wither and die in the hands of that...that...monster.

Slowly, the girl became aware that she was no longer surrounded by dense woods. She had arrived in a clearing, a small stream bubbled silently by. She could see the sky! She opened her arms wide, ready to welcome the warmth of the day; stepped out of the shadows she was in, cast by the tall trees and tilted her head towards the heavens. How good the sun felt upon her cheeks! Her eyes were shut fast - she feared that if she dared open them, it would all be a dream. Yet the light on her face felt so real...surely this could not be an illusion?

She lifted her hands high above her head and, still with her eyes closed, spun around and around, faster and faster, until she couldn't bear it any longer, and fell down on her back into the soft grass. She inhaled the sweet scent of the new spring grass, bit her lip, opened her eyes and screamed.

She saw nothing but the pain. Like a thousand knives had been plunged deep into her eyes and twisted all at once. She screamed on and on, until she felt that her lungs would tear apart, and even then she didn't stop. The pain stopped as suddenly as it had come, but her screams carried on, echoing continuously about the grove, until they stopped, as suddenly as the pain had, leaving only a perfect silence in their wake.

"I can't see," the words sounded cracked and wizened, like an old woman's. They were the first words she had spoken in weeks. "I can't see! I can't see! I can't see! I can't see! I can't see! I can't see! I. CAN'T. SEE!" The world answered back with a total darkness, unlike any that she had ever faced before. Darker, even, than that which had washed over her as she stared for hours at the bodies of her family, lying cold and dead on their tiled kitchen floor.

Who are you?

The voice of a boy suddenly entered her mind, and she felt compelled to answer it, with an answer she didn't know why she knew was correct, all that she knew was that it was.

I'll see you soon...

As she lay in her reverie, she felt a force encircle and ensnare her, lift her into the air, and take her away from the clearing. Though, of course, she couldn't see where they were going, somehow she knew that this force would help her complete the final leg of her journey.

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"Well, Miss De Wilde, I must say you gave us all quite a shock simply turning up like that," as she slowly opened her eyes, hoping it was all a dream, Cleo was greeted with the voice of a kindly old man. She felt she knew him from somewhere but where...? Ah.

"Hello Albus. I haven't seen you in a long time."

Her birthday, 5 years ago: She was 11, and Albus Dumbledore, an old family friend, was visiting the family. She had never actually met the man, but had listened at the door for what seemed like hours hearing things about a wizarding school and protection, before being startled away as her mother (a fiery woman by nature) practically frog-marched Albus out of their home, forbidding him from ever returning unless his business didn't concern a certain school or her eldest daughter.

"Indeed. I don't believe we have actually ever been formally introduced though," he took her hand gently and shook it firmly, "My name, as you know, is Albus Dumbledore, and I am headmaster here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and you, my dear (though I know your mother never did quite approve of the idea) will be joining us here as a student for the remainder of your school career. Shall we go to my office? I must say, I would be much more comfortable talking with you in there rather than here in the Hospital Wing. Please excuse me, I must go and discharge you."

Cleo listened as she heard his footsteps retreating, then two muffled voices seemingly arguing. Shortly, Dumbledore returned, "Well, Madame Pomfrey seems happy to let you leave. Shall we?" Cleo swung her legs off of the bed, and felt Dumbledore take her hand and place it on his arm. She was lead out of the Hospital Wing, and he as they walked, he told her about Hogwarts and a little of its history. She listened for a while, but felt so weak that she just couldn't keep up her strength to walk and listen at the same time.

"...and you'll be sorted into your house this evening. I must say, though, your situation is a very...unusual one. Hogwarts has never had one with your particular...abilities before. You realise, we may have to keep this a secret from the student body? Your professors will, of course, be informed." Cleo sighed at his mention of her 'abilities'. For as long as she could remember, whenever she touched another skin to skin her mind became flooded with all their emotions and thoughts, often resulting in severe migraines or black-outs.

"I don't care who's told or not, Albus. All I want is to fit in, have friends and be a normal person."

For a moment she got a distinct feeling of recognition from inside the huge room next to her. As if there was someone inside that she knew...but she ignored it as Dumbledore lead her onwards and away from the feeling. She just wished she could do that with all her feelings...just walk away from every last one and be happy.