My Eternal Curse

My Eternal Curse

By Mara456

Chapter Thirty-Two

The Learning Curve: Part Three - Manipulation 101

Professor Montgomery escorted Ginny, with Ix Chel encircling her left arm, to Herbology class. She couldn't drive away the images and tormented screams from the vivid, gruesome vision Harry had described to her and master Snape before class. A vision of the Dark Lord savagely beating Lucius Malfoy. During Harry's recounting of the nightmare, she couldn't help but read his mind, gently picking up on the images her friend had struggled to describe. Harry's vision was the worst confirmation she could ever have imagined. Lord Voldemort's appetite for power and support wouldn't be assuaged by her and Ron's gifts alone, but only by her entire clan. And who knew how many others? By surviving, were they somehow dooming everyone they loved-

"Don't you dare think like that!" Tom cut in. "We have suffered through far too much to fall apart now! Our goals have not changed, and I won't let our efforts go to waste because you allowed yourself the luxury of despair. Take Potter's vision as reminder of what you stand to lose, and let nothing deter you. Remember, the only way you stand a chance of protecting them is by remaining focused.

Ginny sighed softly.

"I wasn't planning to, but I can't help but wonder-" she thought.

"If your family would be better off if we were dead, or completely unreachable?" he asked, bringing her worst fears to the forefront. "If our plans are the cause of this nightmare? If this is somehow your fault?"

"Yes..." Ginny thought.

"Well, don't," Tom counseled. "This is not your fault, any more than it is mine. Voldemort is attracted to power in any form. In fact, I am surprised that your family has escaped his notice for so long, despite its impoverished state."

"That's a comfort, Tom," Ginny replied gloomily. "Why do you always have to be so abrasive?"

"I'm sorry that it's not comforting," said Tom quietly, "but what more can I tell you than what you already know? What comfort can I give, other than lies and useless, pretty words? How can I tell you its going to be all right, when I don't wholly believe it myself? When you would know that I was lying, before I even opened my mouth? When I'd rather face reality for what it is, instead of sugar-coating it?"

"I understand," Ginny thought.

He still felt surprised at her honesty in her words. Other than Ix Chel, his princess was the only other soul who ever understood what, as well as who, lay within his chaotic shell. She and Ix Chel alone fully shared in the miracles and doubts he experienced. As long as they were with him, Tom wasn't alone. There was a sick comfort in that.

They arrived at the greenhouse where the Slytherin - Ravenclaw class were gathering. The Divination Professor kept his distance from the others, while Ginny joined them, quietly conversing with the other students until Professor Sprout arrived. Professor Sprout soon entered the greenhouse at a brisk pace. She knew instantly that the Professor didn't want her here, but tolerated her because Sprout feared her master's wrath.

"The plants don't like Sprout at all..." Ginny observed in a distant voice.

Professor Sprout stopped in front of the class, glancing at her and Professor Montgomery. When the Herbology Professor looked at her, Ginny was certain that everyone had heard her comment.

"Good morning, class," Professor Sprout said. "I trust you've all read up on the set of plants I assigned last time. Follow me."

Professor Sprout led them to a huge raised bed, filled with a large variety of plants. Ginny recognized most of them as the plants they had been ordered to study. They could hear the plant's voices, feeling the awareness of every plant there, each singing of wondrous vitality in perfect harmony with each other in the cycle of existence. She would never tire of such beauty. Ginny and Tom tore her eyes off the remarkable sight, returning their attention to the teacher.

"...see the little, leafy, multicolored plants, with the yellow buds, scattered throughout the bed?" Sprout was saying. "They're called Altus. They are a common magical weed throughout England, which spawn by shooting minute seeds into the air from the buds when they open. Your job today is to remove them."

At Professor Sprout's words, the tension in the room increased dramatically. Ginny and Tom sensed a wave of abject terror from the little plants their Professor was talking about. The poor creatures understood what Professor Sprout was ordering the class to do!

"You're going to make us weed?" she blurted out, horrified.

"That is what remove means, Miss Weasley," Sprout replied, irritated.

"But you're talking about mass murder!" she protested. "They're terrified-"

"That's quite enough, Miss Weasley!" Sprout stated sharply. "I may not be able to take away house points in your case, but that doesn't lessen my authority! You will be receiving detention if I hear one more word out you! Is that clear, Miss Weasley?"

Ginny nodded. Professor Sprout continued with her explanation of how to kill the so-called weeds. A creeping feeling that refused to go away agitated Tom, as they were split up into groups of three. She reluctantly sat with Alexis and Mark on a patch of ground.

"Are you okay, Ginny?" Alexis whispered.

Before she could respond, Ginny and Tom heard a sickening high-pitched scream from one of the small plants across the room. They could perceive the plant's pain while it was callously ripped out of the ground and tossed aside, leaving only an unfathomable emptiness in its wake. Within a matter of seconds, the air was filled with agonized cries, obliterating the beautiful harmony that had been around them. A horrible lament took its place, as every plant in the Greenhouse mourned for the loss of their brethren. Tom closed her eyes and clamped their hands over her ears, in a futile effort to block it out. Tom and Ginny felt like they were suffocating, as they were immersed in the ever-growing suffering of the greenhouse. Each soul lost was like a physical wound opening, slashing away at their heart. She let out a blood-curdling cry of agony that seemed to go on forever. Finally, the stress they were under reached its peak, and the world slipped from their grasp.

*~*~*

As Neville rose from his chair to hand Professor McGonagall his homework, he was suddenly assaulted by a wave of severe pain and despair, unlike anything he had ever experienced. A torrent of high-pitched screams filled his ears, blocking out all other sounds. He cried out in surprise and anguish, faintly aware that he was falling. Without warning, the unbelievable flood ended, leaving Neville shaken and gasping for breath on the classroom floor. Harry, Hermione, and Professor McGonagall were at his side, while the others hung back, clearly afraid and confused.

"...hear me, Mr. Longbottom?" Professor McGonagall was asking him, extremely worried.

"Ginny..." Neville whispered.

"Ginny?" Hermione asked. "Do you want us to get her for you?"

"No," he replied, gradually sitting up. "Something happened... I think your class with her today is going to be cancelled, Professor."

"How could you know that?" Professor McGonagall asked, greatly distressed.

"I don't know," Neville said standing, his breathing slowly returning to normal. "It just sort of came to me."

"Perhaps, one of your classmates should escort you to the hospital wing," his Professor gently suggested.

"I doubt Madam Pomfrey could help me with this, ma'am," Neville replied, feeling oddly certain. "Don't worry, it's passed."

"Are you sure, Mr. Longbottom?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Positive," Neville answered.

"Very well, then," Professor McGonagall reluctantly replied. "But if you have any other problems, you are to go directly to the hospital wing, understood?"

"Yes, Professor McGonagall," agreed Neville. As the class continued, Neville couldn't stop wondering why he was the only one who had heard that unearthly wail.

Hagrid lectured his seventh year class on the habits of Manticores, even though he didn't have one to show them. He abruptly stopped when he felt a jolt of severe pain, making him see red, and heard unnatural shrill screams. After few seconds it stopped, as if someone had hit an off-switch. Hagrid took a deep breath. He knew that whatever had just happened, it had to do with Ginny. Like it was something she heard, or felt...

"Are you all right, Professor?" a seventh year Ravenclaw asked.

"'Course Connor," Hagrid answered. He continued the session, resolving to speak to Professor Snape about this later.

In Charms class a short Hufflepuff with chest-length, strawberry blond hair, and iridescent gray eyes, sat taking notes. Without warning, she was assailed with unbearable torment that was not hers, hearing desperate, earsplitting screams. She dropped her quill, rested her elbows upon the desk, and put her head in her hands, letting out a hardly audible groan. After a few agonizingly long moments, it passed. She knew instantly that it had come from Virginia Weasley, and that she would be needed soon. Composing herself, she hoped that none of her irritating housemates had taken notice. Luckily, they were just as oblivious as ever, except for Harris a gangly, dark-haired Hufflepuff boy who sat next to her, and much to her increasing dismay, Professor Flitwick. Their growing concern for her was stifling. She wished that she were anywhere but here.

"Is something wrong, Miss Kelly?" Professor Flitwick asked her quietly.

"No, sir," Kathryn answered quickly. She chided herself for answering him with such haste. Now he would definitely think something was wrong.

Please, don't worry about it.

"Good," Professor Flitwick replied with a dazed expression. Kathryn turned back to Harris and saw the same reaction. The other two went back to their tasks, as she breathed a sigh of relief, returning to the safety and comfort of her studies.

*~*~*

Zach watched Virginia's obvious reluctance as the class readied themselves for the tedious task at hand. He couldn't help but wonder why she was so afraid of a little weeding.

"Are you okay, Ginny?" Miss Levine whispered.

Without warning, Virginia's expression became one of unadulterated abhorrence and desperation. As she began trembling her friends called her by name, but she didn't respond. Ix Chel hissed loudly with that awful wailing quality he had only heard once before. Virginia let out a blood-curdling scream, and fainted. Zach rushed to her side, checking her for a pulse. Suddenly, he felt a wave of severe pain run through him, while the world around them seemed to warp. He heard dreadful high-pitched screams, and knew that he was hearing what she had, he was hearing the plants' deaths. Despite the terrible stress she was under, Virginia's pulse was strong and steady. It was good thing he was wearing gloves, or what she was sensing would have easily overwhelmed him.

Zach ignored everything around him, able to focus on only one task. He carefully picked her up, holding her unmoving form close to him. Then he ran out of the greenhouse without saying a word. He brought Virginia and Ix Chel back to the safety of her chamber, unsure of what else to do. He stopped in the center of the room, desperately trying to catch his breath. Zach knew that Poppy probably wouldn't even know where to start, what made matters worse, were neither did he. Virginia regained consciousness as he placed her on the bed.

"They're still crying out to me!" Virginia cried, clamping her hands over her ears again. "Why won't it stop? Please, help me shut them out..."

In a flash of insight, he realized what he had to do. He sat beside her, grabbed her shoulders, shaking her gently.

"Focus, Miss Weasley!" Zach yelled, ignoring the reflection that she was still projecting. "Block out everything but the sound of my voice. Wake up, damn it! Wake up!"

As suddenly as the attack had begun, it ended. Virginia put her hands down, gazing at him with a desolate expression as she continued weeping. Completely exhausted, she lay down and curled up into fetal position, unable to truly rest, or to do more than process what had just happened. Ix Chel left her arm, resting beside her on the bed, hissing softly at short intervals. He wrote a short note, and charmed it to find Severus. Once the note had left, Zach tried to comfort her, but he felt like he was talking to a brick wall. What they had heard was doubtlessly Sybil's first sign. He hoped that the second one wouldn't be as traumatic as this. Did Virginia even know that he was still there? The state she had fallen into was a disturbing reoccurrence of the catatonia that had been described to him. How long would she stay like this, an hour, a week, or a month?

"The most powerful ones are often the most cursed, and sometimes, the ones who are most in need of protection," Zach said. "How true that is your case, Miss Weasley. Would you give it all up just to be a normal witch again, I wonder..."

"'Want' has nothing to do with it," Virginia answered, weakly, her unfocused gaze still fixed on some random spot. "Would you give up your gifts to be a normal wizard, if doing so, meant the death of everything you ever loved?"

She turned her unfocused gaze on him.

"We share that in common, Professor," she said. Then she looked away and refused to respond again, leaving Zach to contemplate her words.

*~*~*

Ginny's tears began to taper off, as she struggled to pull herself together enough to work out what had just happened to them. She had no idea that they were so sensitive. There was no way anyone was going to make them go back to Herbology if she had any choice in the matter! She couldn't bear the idea of harming something so defenseless, of sharing its final moments. Everyone else had been deaf to the plants' cries for mercy, just like the first sign in Trelawney's prophecy, but she still hadn't figured out what the signs pointed to. The class had seen it as a basic task to be done, not the nightmare she perceived it to be. Ginny wondered what the other students thought of their attack. How were they going to handle the rest of their reintegration, if they couldn't hold it together in a class like Herbology?

"What did I tell you about despair, princess?" Tom reproved sharply. "It's useless, and it will get us nowhere. Now stop worrying about foolish doubts, and start behaving-"

"Start behaving like an overbearing control-freak, who is using me as a scapegoat to hide from his own fear and misgivings?" Ginny replied angrily. "The only one who is going to ruin our plans is you. You've got yourself wound up so tight, you can't think straight! You've been cruel to me, you've been nasty, you've been acting like our opinions don't count. You act like everything's all right between us, only so long as things are going your way! I'm sick to death of you treating me like some incompetent servant! I know you're scared, Tom, and Merlin knows I've tried to be understanding, but this has got to stop. In case you haven't noticed, you've been taking your frustrations out on me every chance you get. I've had enough of your bullshit! I'm tired of your black moods and constant panicking. I'm tired of being the one to pick up the pieces. Of being the one you hide behind. Of sticking my neck out, and getting nothing but grief in return for my efforts. I won't become your punching bag. I won't let you make me your Lucius!"

"I would never do that to you!" Tom exclaimed, affronted. "How dare you insinuate I'm that soulless freak of nature?"

"Look at the way you're falling back into old patterns," Ginny pointed out. "Where's your sense of humor? Your sense of adventure? Where is the Tom Riddle we have come to know? You've been acting like a creep since we discovered who we're up against, and you know it! Don't lie to me, Tom. Don't lie to yourself! Look at how I had to fight with you to take the lead when we discovered Professor Montgomery's potential. Look at the way you treated me like some disobedient child, not worth your time, when I first asked you how we were going to handle becoming a double agent. Then, how actively nasty and cold you were to me, when I confronted you with it again. Look at the way you've been behaving like an ego with legs, and if some one gets stepped on in the process-" She started imitating Dumbledore. " 'It's fine, as long as it was all for the greater good.' With an attitude like that, one would think you were auditioning for the role!"

"I am not a weak fool like Albus Dumbledore!" he yelled.

"Well, you could've fooled me!" replied Ginny. "You say you don't want to become an extreme and yet, here you are doing every in your power to reduce yourself to one. If you think your way is the only way, you're no better than your other half."

"That's not true!" Tom protested.

"Yes it is, you just refuse to admit it," Ginny countered. "You refuse to deal with the real issues, you always have. What are you afraid of? What's holding you back? Holding us back? Is it Lord Voldemort and his plans for us? Is it the fact that, for first in your life, you're not alone? What's tearing you up, deep down? Why are you hiding from yourself? Why do you need to use rage and brutality as shields for your own inadequacies? Why won't you let me in?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," he fumed. "My personal demons are my problem - not yours. If you want to psychoanalyze someone, try Ix Chel. You've been awful quiet, Ix Chel. Why don't you take a stab at me too?"

"You don't really want my opinion, Tom," Ix Chel replied sadly. "You haven't for awhile now. You've been disregarding me even longer than you have Virginia. You still haven't forgiven me..."

"For what?" Tom asked.

"For not protecting you from yourselves," Ix Chel answered simply.

"Don't try to use Ix Chel to run from the issue, you coward!" Ginny mentally spat.

"You take that back," Tom demanded.

"Make me," Ginny challenged. "If you're going to continue to go backwards, instead of learning from Voldemort's mistakes, then maybe before the storm I should have carried out my threat to jump off the Astronomy Tower. It would have saved us a lot of misery!"

"You don't mean that!" Ix Chel exclaimed.

"I don't know anymore, Ix," Ginny thought. "I'm tired... and no one, especially you Tom, will give me a chance to breathe. I don't want you to retreat into the abyss out of fear and desperation, but I can't take your incessant, cold manipulations and prompting for another minute. You're hurting us and you're hurting yourself!"

"What do you really want from me?" Tom asked. "What are either of you really asking of me?"

At his words some dam deep inside of her gave way, and she burst into tears again.

"We need you here, with me and Ix Chel," Ginny answered. "I want back the person I've gotten to know these last few months, not the stranger I first fought with. I need your laughter. I need your humor. I need your support. I need your... I need you! Merlin, I need you to be here with me..."

"Why do you care?" Tom asked. "Why do either of you care?"

"After all we've been through, do you really have to ask?" Ix Chel responded. "You know the answer, you have only to look within, to see it for yourself. You are family, need I say more?"

"I won't let you become some miserable creature, some monster of convenience," Ginny continued. "I don't care what I have to do, I won't let you bully me anymore. I'm not your pawn or your plaything, I'm not your Lucius, I'm not your prize, I am your equal. I won't become your excuse and, if that's the way things are going, then I don't want anything to do with you! If you want to throw away everything we've accomplished, then you can become our silent partner, and remain that way until you come to your senses."

The rest of Tom's denials and arguments died as swiftly as he thought of them. His princess and Ix Chel were genuinely afraid that he was going back to being the person he once was, that they would end up back where they started. Her fears and accusations couldn't have cut him more deeply. Could he really harm them? Harm their chances of survival? Was he allowing his fears to rule him, becoming self-destructive in the process?

He went over every recent argument in his mind, hoping to find some proof that they were wrong, but he couldn't. He had been shutting them out, trying to prove to himself that he wasn't a mere shadow of a person, all the while allowing himself to succumb to a path he had turned his back on not too long ago. Sometimes, he hated it when they were right.

"So, you want me to admit I'm human..." Tom apologized, each word harder to utter than the last. "To... submit to the idea that I... need you... just as badly as you do me. Fine, I give in... I'm... sorry. I am not any more invincible, or hopeless than you are. Happy now, or would you like to continue roasting my heart over an open fire? I'm sure it'll taste exquisite with a little BBQ sauce."

"As long as we don't have to roast other internal organs the next time you get into a snit," Ginny replied.

"Hey, I said I was sorry," Tom said.

"Charming," Ix Chel commented.

"Promise me that you won't push us away in the days ahead," Ginny thought, beginning to calm down again. "Promise me that whatever time we have, we'll spend it together... as a family."

"I swear it," Tom promised, feeling as if some invisible weight had been lifted from him. How could those two rightly damn him one moment, and give him yet another chance he didn't deserve the next, he would never understand.

"You do deserve it, Tom," Ginny affirmed. "Don't underestimate the powers of your own heart, and its capacity for redemption."

"Do you know just how cliché and dorky you sound?" Tom asked.

"No one's perfect," Ginny shrugged. "Besides, it's true."

"I'm beginning to see what you mean," Tom replied.

"Master Snape is here," Ix Chel informed them.

Ginny and Tom looked up, struggling to regain their focus together.

*~*~*

Severus stood in front of his first year Gryffindor - Slytherin class observing their work. Suddenly, he heard high-pitch wailing, along with an all too familiar scream, inexorably coupled with great pain. He leaned onto his desk to steady himself, enduring the short-lived projection from Virginia. Something was very wrong with his apprentice. His first impulse was to rush to her aid, but he didn't dare leave his blundering students unattended, not even for a minute. Knowing these brats, they would probably destroy his classroom, not to mention themselves, the moment his back was turned. Besides, Zachary was overseeing Virginia's class, and he would be informed of how serious the problem was soon enough. Several minutes later a small note floated into the room, skidding to a halt in front of him. He picked it out of the air and read it.

There was an accident in Herbology. I brought Virginia back to her room. She is currently resting, but has been unresponsive. I'll explain in further detail when I see you.

-Zach

He wasn't surprised that she was unresponsive. In order to rest after whatever strain had occurred, she would need to defocus. Severus wrote a short response, reassuring Zachary that her vacant state was not a cause for alarm, and that he would arrive as soon as he could get away. Then he sent it to Zachary using a similar charm.

Severus was preoccupied by Virginia's plight, waiting impatiently for the end of class. He finally came up with a way to resolve his problem, sitting down, he sent a message to Sinistra. She finally made an appearance just after class had concluded.

"You need a favor from me, Professor?" Lydia asked.

"Something's happened to my apprentice. I need you to cover my next class for me," he replied. He loathed the idea of what she might ask for in return, but he needed to deal with this. "I understand that you're free until the afternoon."

"Your lesson plans are in your office, right?" Lydia confirmed.

"Yes," he answered.

"Don't worry about it, Severus, I'll take care of everything," said Lydia. "Just remember to inform me if you need to take the rest of day, so I can get Alicia to fill in for me."

"Good," Severus said, standing. "...Thank you."

Sinistra was too taken aback by his sincere gratitude to reply. Severus left without another word. When he reached his apprentice's chamber, he entered without knocking. She was sitting up in bed crying, but wouldn't respond to Zachary's queries. "How long has she been like this?" Severus asked Zachary, coming to a halt in the center of the room.

"A few minutes, this time," answered Zachary, moving to stand next to him. "I'm not sure why she's so distraught. I bet it has something to do with what happened in Herbology."

"What did Sprout do to her to make her like this?" Severus asked.

"In class she seemed fine until Sprout mentioned that they were going to weed-" Zachary began explaining.

"They were doing what?" he asked, mortified.

"They were weeding," Zachary repeated. "She tried to object-"

"Don't you understand? Virginia felt every moment of their suffering," Severus said, his hands balling into fists. "She projected the pleas they made for mercy with their dying breaths. Do you have any idea how much more delicate Virginia is than the rest of us? How much stress she had to have been under, to have projected their deaths? Anything she sent out would have been only a glimmer of her true suffering, of theirs. Damn Sprout, when I get my hands on her..."

He started to wish with mounting fury that he could inflict as painful a death on Sprout as those plants had experienced.

"Stop it, master Snape!" Ix Chel cried out, alarmed. "You don't know what you're doing. If you continue focusing on Professor Sprout in that manner, you will kill her!"

Virginia quickly struggled to translate, as she wiped away her tears with the back of her sleeve.

"I can kill with a thought?" Severus asked, shocked. "Do you mean that directed intent can kill at a distance?"

"Haven't you learned anything about Gray magic?" Ix Chel answered. "It is intent based. With your immense power levels, you could easily murder in whatever way you wished, anywhere within the vicinity of Hogsmeade, perhaps even further, depending on the gifts of the wizard you're after. All you have to do is make the conscious decision, and want it badly enough."

"By Merlin!" Zachary whispered, stunned.

"Please, Professor Montgomery, no one must know anything of Ix Chel's role at Hogwarts," Virginia warned. "If this were to get out, the consequences of such a breach would be unimaginable..."

Zachary nodded, gazing at Ix Chel and Virginia.

If his gifts in the Gray were that destructive, then, if Virginia were motivated to kill... Severus suppressed a shudder at the thought. He hoped he would never have to find out, as futile a hope as that was...

"How do you feel?" Severus asked Virginia.

"Drained... focusing is much more difficult right now..." Virginia responded. "You're not going to make me go back that mass murderer, are you? I don't think I can bear another one of those attacks."

"I wasn't planning to," he replied. "I'll discuss the matter with Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, and look into finding you an acceptable tutor."

"Try asking Neville," Virginia suggested. "He has a wonderful gift for Herbology."

"I will take the idea under advisement," Severus replied. He would have to ask Minerva about the boy's capabilities after they worked out rescheduling the girl's Transfiguration class. "Now get some rest, Miss Weasley. If you need me, I'll be here for rest of the period."

"Yes, master," Virginia said, laying down and closing her eyes. Ix Chel slithered onto her stomach and curled up to rest, while Zachary left to inform Professor McGonagall of the incident.

Once Severus was sure Virginia was asleep, he addressed Ix Chel.

"You knew that I felt compelled to murder Zachary at the picnic, didn't you?" Severus asked her.

"Yes, I knew," Ix Chel explained in a low voice. "The reason why he is not dead is your conscious mind was fighting your gift. Your gift in The Sight wanted him silenced, not you."

"You make my gift sound like it has a mind of its own," Severus whispered.

"In a way, it can," Ix Chel said. "Sometimes, The Sight and the person are so divorced from each other that the gift can, to a degree, act without the individual's knowledge, influencing, or even controlling them. Keeping the person from discovering the truth, sometimes at any cost. Telling the conscious mind the truth can cause them to become unstable, even violent, until the gift is satisfied that its secret is safe, or that it can continue in its role with the person's knowledge."

"So, that day you were talking to my... gift," Severus whispered. "Oh great, I always wanted a schizophrenic power."

He definitely needed to tell Zachary later on about this little wrinkle in the man's plans to use Ix Chel's Seer detecting spell on the whole school. As if that Seer doesn't already have enough problems.

"Compared to my charges, you have it easy..." Severus heard Ix Chel's thought as she shook her head. Ix Chel laid back down and closed her eyes. Something told Severus that he didn't want to know what she meant by that.

*~*~*

Severus had to admit that Zachary had taken the news that his gift had wanted the Divination Professor dead far better than he expected. Bound for Virginia's chamber he and Zachary left his office to relieve Minerva. At least now, Zachary would be prepared to handle any panicked students, who attack him because their gift refused to be revealed. Severus had also been surprised that Minerva had already discovered that her class with Virginia would be cancelled from Neville Longbottom, who had experienced something similar to what he had. In addition the boy, Hagrid had also felt Virginia's projection this morning. He wondered if they were the only ones, or if others had perceived the projection, but just hadn't come forward. As for Virginia, she was no help in that area, since she hadn't even been aware that she had projected anything, much less who she reached out to on instinct. Instead of their planned session, Minerva had opted to watch over Virginia, spending some quality time with the girl. Severus knocked on the door. Miss Levine answered it, letting them in. Inside the room, Minerva and Virginia with Ix Chel resting on her shoulders, sat next to each other on the couch, conversing about The Sight over a cup of tea.

"Hello, Professors," said Minerva, setting her teacup down.

"I trust there have been no problems?" he asked.

"None at all," Minerva answered, and then she turned back to Virginia. "I'm glad that we had this chance to talk."

"So am I, Professor," Virginia replied. "I look forward to our first tutoring session."

"As do I, Miss Weasley," Minerva said, standing. "Come along, Miss Levine, we have a lot of work ahead of us."

"Yes, master McGonagall," Miss Levine replied. "See you later, Ginny."

"Bye," said Virginia.

Minerva and Miss Levine left, shutting the door behind them.

"How are you feeling, Miss Weasley?" Zachary asked.

"Much better, thank you," she answered.

"Do you think you're up to a little walk?" Zachary asked. "There's something I want to show you two."

"Sure," Virginia said, standing. She walked across the room, then put on her shoes, and a pair of gloves. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Zachary replied, smiling.

They left Virginia's room and walked in silence to a previously disused part of the castle, which had been recently repaired. Severus realized where they were going. He had been wondering what Zachary's idea of a classroom would be like. Knowing the wizard, it would be the exact opposite of Trelawney's. They traveled up the long staircases, till they reached what appeared to be the highest level. Opening a large oaken door they went inside, the lights coming on automatically, welcoming them. Severus wasn't disappointed by the setting the Divination teacher had chosen. The classroom itself was an enormous, rectangular room, far larger than his own. The walls of the room were covered in beautiful, intricate tapestries depicting nature scenes. The tapestries told Severus that they were antiquated, several as old as the time of the founders, but all well preserved. The cherry wood floor had been recently varnished, and bespoke of its strength and joy at being able to serve again. The high ceiling had stylish, old-fashioned oil lanterns hanging from it. Small round tables were spread out in a semicircular design, with two comfortable chairs apiece. Zachary's elegantly carved desk sat at the center, facing away from the large, clear glass, bay windows, which took up most of the wall, the lights of Hogsmeade shining in the rapidly darkening landscape below.

"Beautiful..." Virginia said softly, awestruck. "I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it. This place hasn't been used in a hundred years... All the old objects are happy to be given purpose again. I can feel the charms you've woven into the room. Your wards are missing only one thing..."

Taking her gloves off, and placing them in her pocket, Virginia walked into the center of the room and turned to face them. She closed her eyes and bowed her head, concentrating intently, as she drew in minute amounts of power from the environment for her task. Severus wanted to stop her, but knew that he was already too late. She put her hands together, fingers unclasped. The temperature in the room began to drop as she pulled her hands apart, he saw an electric blue energy bubble forming between them. Virginia raised her hands over her head, as the bubble took on the shape of the room. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she carefully wove aqua strands of energy into the bubble, until it was covered in them. Then the bubble expanded and vanished in a blinding flash of light. Virginia collapsed to her knees, exhausted by her efforts. Severus knelt besides her, quickly checking her pulse and temperature. Her pulse was a little fast, but otherwise she seemed unharmed.

"No, not vanished... look closer, my master," Virginia whispered. "I guess, I wasn't as ready to try that as I thought. I still couldn't dissipate all of it."

Severus looked closer at the walls of the room and understood. His apprentice had woven her little spell into the very fabric of the room itself.

"It's so much quieter in here," Zachary whispered, bewildered. "What did you do?"

"Think of it as a gift," Virginia replied, smiling knowingly.

Severus noticed that the constant background noise that had been bothering him outside Virginia's room had ceased.

"The one in my room was forged instinctively," she answered his unspoken questions. "This is an ancient ward, going back to the height of the Gray. It's designed to block out interference in a localized area. The aqua strands were negative shielding, so even an extreme wouldn't be uncomfortable in here."

"Sections four and twelve in the tome of Initium," Virginia whispered in his ear. "I'll show you what I found later."

"Are you alright, Miss Weasley?" Zachary asked, concerned.

Severus helped Virginia up and into the nearest chair.

"I will be, just give me a moment," she replied. "The task was just a little too much for me after the shock this morning, that's all."

"I don't want you attempting anything like that again, without informing me first," Severus ordered.

"Yes, master," Virginia agreed.

He took a seat across from her and Zachary pulled up another chair to sit with them.

"Thank you for your thoughtful... gift," Zachary said. "It should help a great deal."

"What true Seer environment would be complete without it?" Ix Chel asked, with Virginia translating. "Your students will require the silence in order to function properly."

"In Diagon Alley you told Professor Dumbledore that you could teach Miss Weasley control; what did you mean by that?" Zachary asked.

"I can show her how to actively control certain aspects of the gift, such as hearing others' thoughts, or some random visions," Ix Chel explained. "But it takes a great deal of practice and time to master the skill. Virginia is only at the beginning of this difficult road. It will be a long time before she can control her formidable talents."

"Can you show me what you know about The Sight, Ix Chel?" Zachary asked.

"I will, but at a price," Ix Chel replied.

"Here it comes..." Severus thought. "Everything always has its price."

Zachary looked at him, and he knew that the other man had heard that. Not that it would stop him, such warnings never did.

"What do you want?" Zachary asked soberly.

"I will impart my knowledge to you, but only if you vow to share it with the world, and to never reveal where it came from," Ix Chel proposed. "Also, you mustn't turn away true seekers who are in need of your guidance and understanding."

"Do you know what you're asking of me?" Zachary responded gravely. "If I do what you ask, I will never have another moment's peace. I already have enough problems coping, without having to deal with people constantly at my doorstep. Don't get me wrong, it's always been my dream to help other Seers, but I doubt I can handle it."

"They will always be at your doorstep," Ix Chel argued. "The question is not whether they'll come, but what answers you'll have for them when they do. If I did not believe you could do this, I would not have asked."

"I would listen to her, Professor," Virginia advised. "Think about what you could do with the knowledge. You won't have to shy away from life any more. In time, you can lead a life no longer confined by your gift, and in time, so can others. This is your chance to be the hero of your own story. Don't miss it."

No pressure, Severus thought. Was I this reticent when they told me my price...?

He watched as Zachary considered the proposition for a long time, waiting patiently for the man to speak.

" 'And I have as much chance of it being that easy, as I do of ending up on the cover of the Daily Prophet because of breakthroughs I've made in Divination,' " Zachary quoted. "My own words... You are right, they will come either way... and I'm done with hiding. The least I could do is live up to the example people see. What do you want me to do?"

"Record my words, take my answers to heart, and never forget your vow," Ix Chel replied. "Take everything you learn and give it to the world, to those who need it most."

"What do you get out of making these deals?" Zachary asked. "Why work through others?"

"Protection," Virginia replied.

Zachary sighed.

"A few days ago, my apprentice had asked me a question, Professor Montgomery, a question you might be able to answer," Severus said. "Are dreams prophetic?"

"It is a general belief that dreams are the subconscious mind's way of processing the exorbitant amounts of information that we deal with on a daily basis, and its implications for us," Zachary explained. "To The Sight, dreams are yet another way to reach and influence our conscious minds; a way to tell us things we need to know, but are otherwise unable to process; which makes full-fledged visions in a Dream State rare, but quite possible.

"Now, there are two types of prophetic dreaming. One is when The Sight takes complete control of the Dream State. I believe that your first vision came to you in a dream, Miss Weasley. That was probably the first time your gift managed to break through to the surface, and it has been growing ever since. The second type is when The Sight usurps a dream that's already in progress, and introduces new elements, in an attempt to tell you something. These new elements appear strange, distinctive, out of place somehow; they stand out in a way none of the others can. These signs are what you must remain constantly vigilant for, because ignoring their warnings, if ignored can lead to disaster."

That describes my dream exactly, Severus thought, going over it in his mind.

Studying the crowd, he noticed that Granger sat in the back of the class with Arthur Weasley, and that wasn't the only strange thing. Black sat at Ron's feet in dog form. Ron smiled maliciously as he patted the mutt on the head. Severus turned his gaze to the Slytherin side of the class. In the front row Virginia sat next to a strange, raven-haired, teenage boy, who seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place him. Looking down, he saw that their hands were clasped, and that Ix Chel encircled their arms, joining them together.

"In fact, that reminds me..." Zachary continued, getting to his feet and retrieving something from inside his desk. The wizard sat back down, handing them each a muggle spiral notebook, and a pen. "You'll need these. I've charmed them so they have twenty times the supply of pages and ink. The first thing any good Seer needs is a journal to record your speculations and visions. You never know when having a reference can be useful. Maintaining a journal, which works in conjunction with the self-protective habits you'll need when you can't block things out is also part of the discipline I teach. I'll show you a few good protection charms to use on it later."

"I am not one of your students," Severus declaimed. "I am merely here as an observer."

"You have The Sight, and all the problems that come with it," Zachary countered. "You've trusted me with your apprentice several times. Face it, you're not here as an observer, you're a seeker, you just don't like to admit it."

Severus opened his mouth to retort, but gave up when he realized that the Divination teacher was correct. That man was insufferable when he was right.

"And I suggest you start your journal with the unconscious prediction you made about Virginia earlier..." Zachary thought to him. Suddenly, he regretted even considering the possibility.

"I would recommend that you wear gloves, but I doubt you'd follow that," said Zachary.

"What gifts I have are a secret," Severus declared. "If your other students end up using such an obvious habit, it will become too noticeable. I refuse to be so obvious about it."

"When put that way, I understand why you would take the risk," Zachary said.

"Why don't you tell us more about the discipline you'd have us follow," Severus suggested.

*~*~*

"Negative shielding?" master Snape asked Ginny, as soon as they were alone in the safety of her master's Potions lab. He immediately tended both their potions, allowing her to focus on the answer.

"In section four I found a spell that the Gray had used to disguise themselves among the lesser extremes and moderates, so that each side would sense them as one of their own," Ginny explained.

"If it was so effective, then why were they slaughtered?" he asked.

"They couldn't overcome the spell's limitations," Ginny replied. "In the end, all it did was buy them time. It didn't work on greater extremes, like Dumbledore, and there were a lot more of them around in the past. Also, both sides had come up with counter-spells. The Light and Dark had instituted constant loyalty checks, and weeded out Gray strongholds with counter-spells. I think the spell could be useful, when dealing with lesser extremes."

"You may be right," he considered. "But I don't want you using it until we're certain there won't be side effects."

"Yes, master," she replied.

Ginny sensed that Master Snape desired to tell her something but couldn't find the words. She delved deeper, and was puzzled by her findings.

"You don't want me to call you master in private anymore?" she asked. "Why not? Have I done something to upset you?"

"No, of course not," he answered quickly. "I- it is just that... because of our unique relationship, I don't know if it is appropriate in private. Out there we have been master and apprentice, but when we're alone... I am learning from you and Ix Chel as much as I have been teaching. We are on a more even footing than I've ever been with an apprentice. I have even gone so far as to refer to you by first name..."

"You think I'm belittling myself, by calling you master in private?" Ginny persisted, reading him again.

"Yes," replied master Snape. "I would prefer it if we were on a first-name basis when we're alone. I would prefer you to call me Severus."

"Very well, mas- Severus," Ginny said, honored that he would think so highly of them. "Tell me something, why do you hide your real self when we're alone? You're a much better person than you know, just as Professor McGonagall is."

Ginny knew that mast-Severus didn't know what to say to that.

"I'll understand if it takes time," she went on. "I don't want to pressure you into anything you don't want... Just tell me one thing, do you resent your heart, now that you've found it again?"

"Resent it?" he repeated. Shocked by the question, he watched her for a long time. She refused to read his mind again. Mast- Severus needed to work out the answer for himself, and she would never intrude upon that. Just as she was beginning to believe that he wouldn't answer, Severus responded.

"I don't know," Severus whispered, shaking his head.

Ginny knew just how he felt, and realized that any answer she gave wouldn't assist him. There were just some things that you had to work out for yourself. When he was ready to talk about it she would be there for him.

*~*~*

Later, her master silently escorted Ginny and Ix Chel back to her chamber. He followed them into her room and shut the door. She pulled the tome of Initium out its hiding place and handed it to ma- Severus. She knew that there was one more thing she had to do.

"Your manipulation of Professor Montgomery today was masterful," he said. "You would have made a fine Slytherin."

"Ix Chel did the convincing," Ginny disagreed, surprised by the high praise. "I just told him my honest opinion."

"You underestimate yourself, and your effect on others," Severus replied.

"I think it's time we meet with Mr. Filch," she told him, changing the subject.

"Tonight?" he asked, surprised. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Yes, we have to," Ginny answered. "I just know we do."

"Very well, but I don't want you over-extending yourself again," Severus insisted.

"Yes, mast- Severus," Ginny corrected herself, sitting on the bed.

Severus left to find Mr. Filch for her assessment.

"He's right, you know," Tom said, prideful. "You would've been a wonderful Slytherin, the way you've manipulated everyone around you today. There are times you scare even me."

"I've just been doing everything I can to ensure our survival," Ginny said. "And if I can help them in the process, then that's all the better. Anyone in my position could have done it."

"Sure, and Voldemort didn't mean to kill all those people throughout his reign, he just wanted to scare them," he quipped, making her smile. "Think about it, you got to Professor McGonagall through her Gryffindor nature, Montgomery through his desire to help others, Snape through his emotional connection with you, me through our family ties, and now you're going after Filch... I'm proud of you, I couldn't have taught you better if I tried. You've truly unlocked your Slytherin nature, my princess!"

"May I intrude?" Ix Chel asked.

"You can never intrude, Ix, where did you get an idea like that from?" she asked in return, switching to Parseltongue.

"You both told me to stay out of it," Ix Chel replied, downcast. "I've just been following your directive."

Ginny and Tom realized how much they had hurt Ix Chel's feelings during their arguments, and both instantly regretted it. Neither of them had taken her feelings into account, nor what it meant for Ix Chel to have been caught in the middle of their power-struggle.

"We're so sorry, Ix Chel," Tom quickly tried to make amends. "We never meant to harm you, you were just-"

"In the way," Ix Chel finished for him.

"No, not in the way - never in the way," Ginny said. "We love you Ix Chel, we always will. You are a part of us and you always will be. We would be lost without you. Please, don't think of yourself that way. Please, forgive us for treating you the way we did!"

"I know neither of you are lying, and yet..." Ix Chel said. "I fear the next time-"

"There won't be a next time," Tom asserted.

"Please, let me finish," Ix Chel continued. "I fear the next time you two can't reach common ground, will somehow be our last. I fear that in the mists of disaster I will be forgotten."

"Alone in a crowd..." Ginny whispered, understanding what Ix Chel was trying to say. "We would never forget you, or leave you behind, surely you must know that. How could we exclude a part of our soul? I know I would rather die than let you go... I don't think I could go on without you at our side."

"As would I," Tom concurred. "I couldn't betray either of you, meeting you two is the best thing that ever happened to me."

"But if something were to happen to me-" Ix Chel started.

"Please, don't dwell on the unthinkable," Ginny pleaded. "Just... keep going, and try not to think about the horrors of tomorrow."

Tom chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Ix Chel and Ginny asked in unison.

Tom laughed even harder. Ginny and Ix Chel had missed that sound more than they had thought possible. The simple sound of his laughter, although unexplained, was like music to their ears. They waited for him to stop, before speaking again.

"I accept your apologies," Ix Chel said. "I know now, that you didn't mean to hurt me."

"What are you planning to say to Filch?" Tom asked Ginny.

"I'll know when he gets here," she answered simply.

"Sometimes, I wonder why I even bother to ask," said Tom.

Argus and Mrs. Norris walked through the darkened corridors of the school, looking for impertinent upstarts to punish. How he hated the ungrateful cretins, who would never understand what it meant to be defenseless... Argus shook off the useless, weak thoughts as he continued in his never-ending search.

"Quiet night, huh, girl?" he whispered to Mrs. Norris. "Too quiet... Something's wrong with the air, something tense, just waiting to shatter..."

"Argus," a voice said behind him. He spun around, seeing that it was only Severus, he relaxed.

"I know the hour is late, but it is time that you met with my apprentice," his friend informed him. "She is anxious to see you."

"Severus running an errand for his apprentice?" Argus thought. "Makes you wonder which one of them is the master."

"Virginia has been... worn down by the events of the day, which you've no doubt heard about," Severus explained tersely. "As you, of all people should know, it's inadvisable to disregard a Seer's sense of timing."

"I only thought it," Argus protested. "So, what the kids used to say about you is now true. No wonder they've been even more scared of you lately, you've been treating them fairly."

"Perhaps, I'll tell you about it later," Severus responded. "Right now, my apprentice is waiting. She will need to see your familiar as well. Having your magical elements present is vital for an accurate assessment. If you're serious about meeting her, now is the time."

"Lead the way," Argus replied. He and Mrs. Norris followed their old friend and ally, feeling more unsure of this decision with each passing moment.

Ix Chel left Ginny's shoulders and coiled next to her on the bed. Ginny felt oddly invigorated by the upcoming meeting. She had always wondered what sort of person Filch was on the inside. Tom couldn't quite comprehend her obsession with seeing what lay beneath peoples' facades. It was just another part of her he would have to get know the old-fashioned way. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," she said. The first thing she noticed when they entered was Mrs. Norris. She observed the cat study her intently, trying to decide what this bizarre person wanted with her master. Mrs. Norris knew that, whatever designs the girl had on her master, she was much more powerful than others who had sought to take advantage of him.

"I would never do that to either of you, Mrs. Norris," she said in a sweet, disarming tone. "Read my intent, faithful familiar, and decide the truth for yourself."

Ginny allowed Mrs. Norris to read her, and sensed that the cat knew what she was hoping to discover. Mrs. Norris relaxed her guard, realizing that her true motives for seeing Filch could ultimately benefit him greatly. However, Mrs. Norris felt reluctant to approach, when the cat saw Ix Chel beside her.

"It's alright, you're our guests here with all the old responsibilities that lie therein. Ix Chel won't harm you, or your master," she promised. "Come, let me thank you properly for safeguarding him, most faithful familiar."

Mrs. Norris closed the distance between them and hopped onto her lap. She pet the striking feline, softly complimenting the cat for her valiant efforts to keep others from taking advantage of Filch in his magically isolated state. Mrs. Norris quietly enjoyed the attention, laying down in Ginny's lap and allowing her to pet the cat's soft, fluffy coat.

"Is there anything you would like me to impart to your master?" she whispered, just loud enough for the cat to hear.

"I have my own special ways of making myself known to him," Mrs. Norris whispered back. "There is no need, bizarre one."

"What is it with creatures and that bloody title?" Tom asked.

"You are a true familiar, Mrs. Norris, your intentions are both honorable and wise," Ginny whispered. "Always remember that."

She looked up at master Snape and Filch, who stared at the minor spectacle with varying degrees of bemusement and surprise.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Ginny said, as if taking notice of them for the first time. "Your familiar is very wise and perceptive. She's given me permission to proceed."

"Permission?" Filch asked. "Proceed with what?"

"With what's called you here..." she replied in an otherworldly tone, beginning to read Filch. Ginny gazed passed the layers of intent, looking for the spark of Gray magic that would mark him as one of their own. Instead of seeing a spark of electric blue energy, they perceived one of pure silver, accompanied by an intensity they hadn't seen with the others. She realized that what they were seeing was an extreme Gray. Squibs were the Gray extremes, who were so divorced from both sides that they couldn't even use the simplest Light or Dark spells!

For a moment they turned her gaze on master Snape and saw an aura of complexly interwoven magics, with white Light, impenetrable Darkness, as well as intense silver, constantly interchanging in an endless dance of submission and dominance. Master Snape and Filch were complete opposites and yet, here they were together. How interesting. Master Snape had a gift for attracting wizards with his enigmatic balance. She returned her attention to Filch, attempting to discover who he really was, and what it was she needed to unlock the potential that had driven him here, the potential that begged to be released.

Filch was very bitter and spiteful, as a defense against a world which looked down on him because of his perceived lack of power, a world that had cursed his very existence, for as long as he could rightly remember. Filch resented those around him who used their gifts with such seeming ease and took the simplest things for granted. The man's desire for revenge would become everyone's undoing, if it remained unchecked once his gift was unlocked. She could feel the innate loneliness and hopelessness that beset him, while he struggled to live out the painfully empty, pitiful hand that he'd been dealt. The only wizard who'd understood the nature of his suffering was master Snape. Being careful not to harm him by pushing too hard, Ginny delved deeper. She saw that within his hardened, tormented shell was a quick-witted, cunning, intelligent person with a sick sense of humor, which, oddly enough, reminded her of Tom. Filch was powerfully driven to prove his worth in spite of his Squib status. They would need that if they were going to draw him out of his shell.

Filch was a complex and cautious wizard but was untrained. He had a long way to go before he could begin to work with his powers without one of them there to keep an eye on him, and prevent him from making a mistake that the untrained wizard might not live to regret. Training Filch would end up being either one of their boldest and most brilliant moves, or a nightmare that Ginny wasn't sure that they would live long enough to lament. They needed every capable wizard in the fight ahead. There was no way she could pass up on this amazing opportunity, as potentially deadly as it was. She would have to choose the words she would draw Filch in with very carefully. Tom could understand his princess' reasoning, but he couldn't help but wonder if they were, finally, taking on more then could handle, by trying to recruit this harsh and dangerously destitute Squib.

"Permission to be explicitly honest, master?" Ginny asked in a gentle and comforting tone, never taking her eyes off Filch.

"Permission granted, Miss Weasley." Master Snape replied, reluctant to listen to their intensely personal conversation. "If you need me, I shall be outside."

Ginny knew that she needed master Snape to stay, but that the matter was out of her hands. She had no choice but to wait and see what Filch wanted.

"No, stay, Severus," Filch said. "Anything you have to say, Miss Weasley, can be said in front of your master."

"Are you certain?" master Snape asked Filch.

"I insist," Filch answered, desperately needing the support, for reasons he didn't understand.

"If you insist... continue, Miss Weasley," master Snape told her.

"I know how hard it was to follow your instincts onto this road, to come here in search of the impossible," Ginny began. "Though the truth of my words may hurt, you deserve full disclosure. Know that, master Snape and I only want what's best for you. Promise me, Mr. Filch, that you will listen to everything I have to give, and you will take what I tell you to heart. Promise me that you will allow me to finish, no matter what you might hear."

"...I will stay, and I'll allow you to finish," Filch swore gravely, fearful of what secrets she had seen that even he may not be aware of.

"You have great power..." Ginny continued, gently. "Within the Gray, you could become one of our finest! Unfortunately, your intent has been greatly poisoned by your bitterness and your hatred for people who you believe take for granted the beauty and wonder of their gifts. The gifts you have can potentially harm you, and who knows how many others, if you lose control. Which, I should warn you, means that you could literally explode if you couldn't regain control before your powers tear you apart from the inside - out. Also, some dark and twisted part of you hates every single one of us for being born with gifts you'll never know. That part of you would use any power you were given to kill every person who had ever humiliated you, who ever treated you like a second-class citizen, who dared to pity you, who merely took you in for their own purposes but never truly cared. It would see Hogwarts in ashes before it was satisfied. In the end, that extreme would become an all but unstoppable murderer, which would destroy me and master Snape, along with yourself. That is the risk we take in training you, the risk of becoming an extreme of the Gray, an extreme of corrupted intent and purpose, a creature like Lord Voldemort which will have to be put down. But that is only one possibility.

"There are others. There are wonders you can behold, which would make it more than worth the risks. As a Gray wizard, you will see the world as it truly is, and watch your gifts and perceptions develop in ways you can't even imagine. If you learn to listen closely, you will see hidden truths in the simplest of things, falling in love with the intrinsic wonder of the world, forever caught in the sway of the cycle of life. You could easily become the equal of any of those wizards out there. In time, even learn to surpass them. The doors Gray magic can open for you, if you let it, can be much more of a gift than a curse.

"What you have before you is a choice: you can either continue forward into a new world, or be left behind in a world of tomorrows, with no purpose and no way out. You could become a mindless extreme, or you could reinvent yourself, and rediscover the part of you that you've been missing for so many years. You can rediscover the world with new eyes... What I'm asking of you won't be easy, but believe me when I tell you that it is possible. You only have to want it badly enough, badly enough to work for it, to tackle your personal demons for it, to forsake your shield of anger and bitterness for it. If you want to use your magic, you will have to give up resenting other witches and wizards, along with yourself... for being born as we were. You must let go of a lifetime of misery and defenselessness! You must rise to the challenge, and learn to control your darker impulses, lest they consume innocent lives, including your own!"

Filch watched her with wide-eyed disbelief, his features twisted by his utterly sickened expression. Ginny knew that the untrained wizard didn't want to believe her, but the evidence to the contrary was enough to keep him from entirely discounting her words. It was a beginning.

"You're wrong, I would never hurt Severus!" Filch argued passionately, grasping at muggle straws. "So what that I've got a dark side, everybody does. That doesn't mean I'll turn evil at the drop of a hat. That doesn't make me some unredeemable monster!"

"True," she reasoned, calmly. "But there's far more to an extreme than Good or Evil, than Light, Dark, or Gray. Being an extreme is being closed to the possibilities. It's becoming so blind that, in your attempts to fulfill your own goals, you hurt other without realizing it. It's acting out, because you've allowed your baser emotions to rule you. It's a nearly irretrievable loss of perspective, where you feel justified in whatever you do, because it's necessary for your greater good. You may not mean to hurt anyone, but it can happen. The storm in Gryffindor Tower happened because I lost control. I never planned to hurt anyone, but when the time came I couldn't stop myself! If master Snape hadn't been there, no one would have survived. Gray magic is intent-based. If you can't act with directed intent, everything you seek to create will be poisoned by it. Master Snape and I are still learning, but that doesn't mean we can't share what we already know with you. What I've imparted to you is the worst that could happen, as well as the best. The choice of where you want to go from here is up to you."

"How can you be so sure?" Filch asked. "How do I know that you're not just guessing about the supposed risks?"

"Your path isn't set in stone," Ginny maintained. "What happens to you is in your own hands. I have given you my honest opinion, what to do about it is up to you. Neither master Snape nor I can make this choice for you. Tell me what you really want. Look into the depths of your soul and give me your honest answer. Are you willing to try?"

"Yes," Filch answered, fearful but determined not to let the opportunity of a lifetime slip through his fingers.

"Even if it means that it must remain a secret?" she persisted. "Even if it means staying your hand against those who wronged you? Even if it means letting go of the isolated person you are now?"

Ginny observed Filch looking to master Snape for guidance, lost in a sea of doubts and fears. Master Snape put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Is what she tells me true?" Filch asked her master in a secretive whisper, which he mistakenly thought she couldn't hear. "Is the girl serious about the training she's going on about? Would you be willing to teach me to use this Gray magic?"

"Virginia knows what she is talking about," master Snape replied in the same tone, not letting Filch know that she could hear every word. "I know what it's like to want something desperately, but to never have it within your grasp. I know how you feel, Argus... I am willing to teach you what I learn, if you're certain this is what you want."

"I still want to know," Filch whispered intensely.

"Then I will teach you what I can," master Snape said. "But there will be things that only Virginia can show you. Can you take directions from her without question?"

"Yes, I will," Filch answered. "I won't let you down, old friend."

Ginny smiled.

"I hope this meeting is only the first of many," she said.

"I'll arrange for you to take the next week off," master Snape told him. "You'll need some time to adjust to your new equilibrium, without worrying about dealing with the students."

"What about Patil and Brown?" Filch asked.

"One of the other Professors can handle their punishment for a little while," her master replied. "Don't worry, I'll make the necessary arrangements. Why don't we let my apprentice rest, and discuss the details in my chambers?"

"Very well," Filch agreed. Mrs. Norris hopped off her lap as Filch returned his gaze to her. "Thank you, young Seer. If you ever need anything..."

"You're welcome," Ginny replied.

They said their good-byes, then master Snape and Filch left. She looked around the empty room as she got ready for bed. This was their first real night alone since the storm. She turned off the lights and lay down beneath the covers. Ginny smiled slyly as an idea hit her.

"What's wandered into your scheming mind now?" Tom asked.

"I think we just found another potential member of the gestalt," Ginny thought, before falling into a peaceful sleep.

__________

TBC