Domino One

And that goes for everyone: THANK YOU and ENJOY!

CHAPTER FOUR:

"All is Right"

"If I could take you in my morning light

And hide you from this dreadful night;

To take you light straight to the day

Where you could see and fly away….

But this sad night I'll hold you tight

And hope you see that all is right."

Ana sat on the edge of Remus’s trunk in the boy’s dormitory, flipping through the pages of one of his poetry books with interest. "Who is Lawrence MecDogget?" she said, frowning in confusion. "I’ve never heard of him before…"

Remus’s jaw dropped as he stared at her over his elementary Charms book. "Only the most famous Wizarding Poet of the Romantic Era!" He shook his head and smiled. "You’ll rarely see two of the same poems by him twice. Every time you turn the page, the words in his poems rearrange to form new ones. Really rather brilliant…"

He watched as Ana flipped back through the book, smiling in delight. "Amazing!"

"Here," he said, picking up his wand, "Accio Book." Ana had, of course, seen this charm a few times, but it still startled her as the book flew out of her hands and into his. He paged through the book swiftly and held it open to a certain page. "I’ve always loved this one, no matter what order the words are in…" He handed back up to Ana, but she smirked at him as she made no move to take it.

"What are you smirking at," he said, smiling himself.

"I haven’t learned that one! What is it? Accio?"

He nodded. "A summoning charm."

Ana reached for her wand, and aimed towards the book. "Accio book!" The book remained in Remus’s hands.

"You’ve got the wand movements a bit mixed up," he said trying to analyze what had happened. "It’s really more a diving flick."

"A diving flick?" laughed Ana.

"Yes, like this," he said, holding out his wand, and moving it in slow motion.

"Like this?" she asked, trying again.

"No…" he said, "you’re not bending your elbow."

"I am too!" she argued with a protesting laugh.

He shook his head. "Come here," he sighed, getting off his bed and heading for his wardrobe. He opened the door, exposing a full-length mirror on the other side. Ana could see his robes folded neatly on the shallow inner shelves. All soft, faded browns, grays, greens and perhaps a color that once was black. She walked up to him, and quite suddenly, he grabbed her, and pulled her in front of the mirror. He was standing behind her, perhaps closer than he realized, and he reached out to take her wrist.

"Now watch," he said, his head just over her right shoulder as he guided her arm through the motion. "A diving flick." He did it a few times, and Ana tried to watch, but his proximity distracted her. She could see the tiny white scars on his hands, and through the reflection of the mirror, on his neck and face as well. His hazel eyes seemed to gleam in the sunlight that poured in through the stained glass window. It was only a short moment until she realized that he had stopped, and was staring back at her. She turned around to face him.

It was really indescribable, the feeling that swept over her. She stared up into his eyes, feeling a dull ache in her chest as her heart beat quickened. And for a moment, she felt like she could see into his soul, and that he was experiencing the same thing. But it didn’t last long.

Blinking, as if coming out of some daydream, Remus stepped back quickly. "Umm.. why don’t you try summoning the book…" he said, his voice cracking in a very amusing fashion.

"Where did you get those scars?" asked Ana, stepping closer to him again. Knowing perfectly well what she was doing, she ran her fingers gently across his neck, brushing one lightly with her fingertips. For the moment before Remus pulled away again, she could feel his pulse racing.

"Quidditch," he said nervously, paling to the shade of the white bed sheets.

"You said you weren’t good at it," smiled Ana.

He thought for a moment and held out his scar-covered hands. He smirked. "The scars are the proof." She glanced up at him, her laughing eyes showing every possible expression of doubt, but she didn’t say anything more. She turned to the book.

"Accio book!" she said firmly, moving her wand in a diving flick. The book sailed through the air with such force, that in catching it, Ana was thrown back about three feet, stumbling to the floor. "Ow," she muttered, as Remus stepped over to look down at her.

"You okay?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

"Peachy. Help me up," she grunted as he pulled her up. He looked at her silently for a moment before his face cracked into an amused grin.

"And what are you grinning at?" she asked, unable to keep a straight face herself.

He shrugged vaguely, still grinning as he took the book and sat back on his bed. He flipped through it, and opened it to the page. "As I was saying-"

"Accio Pillow," she interrupted. The pillow from Remus’s bed sailed towards her, hitting Remus soundly in the process. Before he could say anything, Ana smirked a dangerously playful smirk as she raised her wand again. "Accio Pillows." Before Remus could duck or even get out of the way, every pillow from the room came flying at him as Ana dove out of the way. It didn’t take long for him to be immersed in a pile of feathers.

Ana was laughing so hard, she had tears running down her face. A four-foot high pile of pillows with legs and arms sticking out collapsed as feathers still floated to the bed and ground. Remus’s head eventually emerged, wearing a crown of goose down. He raised his eyebrows at her questioningly.

"Hey," she shrugged, still laughing, "You’re the one who taught me that!"

He smirked as his head dropped back to the bed. "Remind me to never become a teacher…"

* * * * *

It was by Friday of that week that Dumbledore couldn’t wait any longer to call the faculty into a meeting.

"I’ve called you all together because I think it is important to discuss the progress of Miss Anblick while everyone is here to listen and be informed." A few of the teachers nodded. "How have things progressed? Minerva?"

"She’s still on schedule. Granted I’ve only had her for two lessons, but she appears to be handling my course work all right."

"Quite the memory that girl’s got," added Professor Stickupas, frowning. I made her take her test again when I thought she was cheating."

"Cheating?" frowned Dumbledore in concern.

He nodded. "Had to name the 100 most common potion ingredients and their chemical abbreviation. Got every bloody one right. No possible way to cheat- I gave her the test orally the third time."

"Three times?" asked Dumbledore, amused. He nodded.

Professor Flitwick spoke up next. "I think I may have an answer to this puzzling matter… She came back to her charms lesson not only with memory of the charms I requested, but the girl knew about ten others."

"How does that explain anything?" asked McGonagall.

"She knew how to make things glow in the dark," he chuckled. At first the Professors stared blankly, but realization slowly dawned on them. "I believe she has been enlisting the help of Mr. Black."

"I noticed her wand movements were similar to those of Mr. Potter," nodded McGonagall with a small smirk on her face.

Dumbledore just nodded, his royal blue eyes twinkling brightly.

* * * * *

Remus, greatly pale, stared straight ahead as he was dragged through the corridors. James and Sirius, apparently having a change of heart, looked downright guilty as they led him. They knew that they could say that they were wrong, and that Remus didn’t have to do this- they had already tried before they left Gryffindor Tower. But Remus shook his head, and refused to let them. "You gave your word. You wouldn’t want your integrity compromised, would you?" he had smiled at James. James didn’t push the issue any farther; Remus had made his decision.

"You know," smiled Sirius weakly, as they approached the door, "You should really try to enjoy yourself!"

Remus thought for a moment before turning to them. "James, Sirius, you two are honestly my best friends. But there are just some things about me that you don’t understand." With that, he turned, and walked into the room.

It was an abandoned classroom- completely empty except for a few telescope platforms and a teacher’s podium. He could still see some faint astronomy equations scribbled on the board. He was very relieved, however, to find no sofa, no loveseat, and no desk. At least that was on his side.

Berenice was waiting, of course. And naturally, she looked absolutely gorgeous- sky blue robes playing nicely off her light blonde hair and dazzlingly soft blue eyes. Not one flaw on her- or at least that he could see. She was absolutely stunning.

"Hey Berenice…" he croaked, his voice cracking slightly. She smiled alluringly as she approached him, but he held up a hand to stop her momentarily. Pulling out his wand, he summoned an eraser from the chalkboard, which flew into his hand. Berenice watched with interest as he transfigured it. And had he not transfigured it into a ten minute egg timer, she would have been impressed.

She sighed, longingly. "Do you really hate me that much?"

Remus was startled. The look on her face was so much different than when he had first seen her- it looked pained. "Er… No… Berenice, it’s not that I hate you… um… It’s just that I don’t like you –"

She broke into tears.

"-LIKE THAT. I don’t like you like you like me. I don’t hate you! Honest!"

Berenice sniffed a few times, dramatically. "No one likes me."

Remus looked down at the egg timer. ‘One minute gone… nine to go.’ "Oh, see, now that’s not true," he said, trying to elongate his words and speak slowly. "I know about twenty guys who are pretty jealous of me right now…"

She looked at him. "Twenty people know about this???"

"UH… err.. no…Okay, I take it back," he laughed nervously, "But I know of at least twenty guys who would like to be in my position…"

A small smile played on her lips. "I’m part Veela, you know…"

"Really," he laughed again, still quite nervous. "Well isn’t that something…"

She grinned alluringly as she approached him and circled him slowly, eyeing him up and down. He just stood there, holding his breath. "…I can’t say I’m surprised twenty guys would want to be here with me… but I am surprised at you, Remus Lupin…You know I’ve had my eye on you for some time?"

Remus thought of all the times she had greeted him in the hallway and ignored James and Sirius- two guys who were far better looking than he. "Really? I hadn’t noticed…" ‘two minutes gone…’

"That, is exactly my point," she grinned, dragging a finger along his back, shoulder and chest as she circled him. "You didn’t notice. It takes a rare man to ignore the powers of veela."

"Well, I’m a one-in-a-million kind of guy," replied Remus.

A crooked smile played on her lips. "Indeed." She examined a small scar visible on the side of his ear with her thumb. "Which leads me to believe that either you’re part veela too," her eyes shot him a dubious glance, "Or," she whispered softly, "that you have some sort of dark power that I’m not aware of…"

Remus swallowed hard, but ended up choking on his own spit. Coughing hard, Berenice jumped back, started hitting him on the back. And by the time he could breath normally again, he was pleased to see that four minutes had passed. But that still left Berenice six minutes.

"So what is it about you?" she said, smirking, as she leaned against the wall her chest raised ever so slightly. "How can you ignore me?"

"I’ll have you know that I am part veela!" he said with a defiant nod.

She raised an eyebrow, staring. "Really?"

Remus grinned. "Nope."

She shook her head. "You gay?"

Remus cracked up, amused. "No."

She was growing impatient, and her hands set themselves firmly on her hips. "The what is it?" Traces of her accent were peaking through with her frustration. "Vampire?"

Remus heart stopped. "No, sorry."

She was beautiful, even when thoroughly confused. Or maybe it was the fact that Remus realized that he was halfway done. Either way, things were going very well.

She shook her head again. "You can’t be that good of an actor."

He smiled. "Can’t I?"

She stopped short, before her face grew into a devious smile. "I don’t know," she replied approaching methodically. Her hands grazed on his shoulders and chest muscles as she stared up into his eyes, her mouth just inches from his. "Are you?"

* * * * *

Ana stared at the astronomy charts in concentration as Professor Sinistra went into depth on moon alignments, among other things. Every once and a while, she would adjust her model to what Professor Sinistra was lecturing about. But overall, she was bored. She was almost excited to see Peter show up in the doorway at the end of the lesson.

Stepping out, she noticed that his robes looked a little neater than usual, and that his mouse brown hair was combed to the side. Flustered, Ana assumed from climbing up the stairway, he grinned at her. "Good Evening, Miss Anblick," he grinned suavely. It would have been cool, had his voice not cracked. He reached behind his back and pulled out a white rose.

Ana, surprised, looked at Peter, taking the flower. "What is this for?"

"Congratulations," he stammered. "-For making it through your first week."

Ana sniffed the flower. It technically wasn’t the end of her first week- being on a four-month-plan didn’t give her the luxury of weekends off. "Thank you, Peter," she grinned, touched. He blushed furiously. "How did you know they were my favorite?"

"Remus told me," grinned Peter.

"How did he-?" she began, smiling in confusion, but then she remember. ‘The memorial service…’ Somehow she felt like she should thank him too… She suddenly realized that she was lost in thought and that Peter was talking.

"…And I was just kinda wondering if you needed any more help with your work?"

Ana smiled. "You want to spend your Friday night helping me memorize the DADA book?"

Peter shuffled, sheepishly. "Sure. What else is there to do?"

"Party? Raid the Kitchens? Get in trouble with James and Sirius?"

He just grinned. "I’d rather spend it helping you."

Ana returned his smile, but looked away. She was not an idiot. She knew what was going on, She just wished she knew how to let him down lightly. She looked into the empty classrooms curiously as they passed. Astronomy equipment of all types cluttered the rooms. Occasionally, she would see an empty one.

"Those are the places people go to snog and stuff," muttered Peter, trying not to sound insinuative. They came to one that had the door mostly closed, but with the light on, they could see into it, and see the two people inside. "Like that," added Peter. A few steps passed the room, Peter stopped short. Ana gave him a questioning look. He spun around, and went to peak in the door.

"Oh, you perv-" she groaned, turning to continue down the hallway, but Peter hissed after her.

"No no no.. it’s Remus and Berenice!"

Ana turned at stared at Peter, who was staring in the door quietly. Slowly, she approached, and peaked in the door. Sure enough, it was Remus, smirking down at the beautiful girl who was gazing up at him, her arms toying with the idea of wrapping themselves around him. And as the girl’s head tilted up towards his as they gazed into each other’s eyes, Ana spun on her heels and walked down the hallway swiftly.

Peter gazed after her. "Ana?"

* * * * *

Remus looked down at the girl gazing at him, and debated his choices. He could kiss her, and destroy his system of beliefs, but make her think that he was a normal guy… He didn’t feel anything in regards to her Veela powers. Of course he didn’t. He was a dark creature. He was desensitized. She seemed to know it too… He couldn’t let her find out. ‘Maybe another coughing fit…’ he pondered, but opted that the idea wouldn’t work twice.

But in the back of his mind, something kept him from going through with it. He turned away.

"Look, Berenice. Let’s not do this, okay? Do you really want someone who doesn’t want to kiss you kissing you?"

She looked disappointed, bridging on ticked. "It’s not marriage, Remus. It’s just kissing."

Remus was going out on dangerous ground. "Which is something I think should be reserved for people who are dating…"

"And you don’t want to date me."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because we’re completely different! You’re a sixth year, I’m a fifth year; You’re a Slytherin, I’m a Gryffindor; Not to mention that you’ve got twenty guys after you. I’m not one for competition. It just wouldn’t work!"

She stared at him for a moment, before glancing at the egg timer. There were three minutes left.

"You wouldn’t leave before the time is up, would you?"

"If I had to, yes," he replied.

She frowned. "You can leave if you want. But I demand payback with interest for the three minutes."

"With interest?"

"Take me to the Yule Ball."

"It’s September!"

"I know."

Remus just stared. "It’s ONLY September and you’re asking me to the Yule Ball?"

"I schedule my dates in advance. And besides, you owe me."

Remus looked at the egg timer. If he stayed, he would end up kissing her. If he went to the Yule Ball, James and Sirius and Peter would bail him out if he got in a bind. He nodded. "All right, then. Yule Ball it is."

She grinned, alluringly. "I’ll keep you informed," she smiled as she walked out of the room.

* * * * *

Ana burst into her dormitory, and dropped her books on her bed. She was happy that McGonagall was talking to some students in the Common Room; it prevented Peter from following her. And with an empty room, she had time to think.

‘He has a girlfriend. Of course- that’s what he was hiding from me…"

Ana recalled the last few days. Remus was hardly comfortable being alone with her. They still talked and joked like they had, but something was different. And now, everything made sense, no matter how disappointed Ana was.

And part of her was severely disappointed.

"Hey Ana?" a voice came from the door. Lily had stepped in. "Peter’s waiting for you in the Common Room- he said something about studying?"

Ana sighed, and fell back on her bed. "Can you make up an excuse for me? I think I’m just going to study alone tonight."

Lily came over and sat down on the bed. "Yeah, sure. But what’s wrong?"

Ana thought. ‘What IS wrong?’ She was simply overwhelmed by confusion. Normally, she would go to her mother. That was out. Otherwise, she would go to Remus. But that option hurt… she couldn’t explain it. And as she got to thinking about it, tears started welling up in her eyes. Lily grabbed some tissues.

"I’m just having a hard time right now, that’s all. I need to relax."

"What’s going on?" frowned Lily with concern.

Ana pondered what to tell her, but then chose the most obvious of answers. The truth. Enough time had passed that she could deal with everyone’s sympathies. "The day I came here, Lily, my mom died. She was my only living relative. That, on top of all this work I have to do, and now whatever’s going on with Re-" she stopped though. She didn’t want to mention the thing about Remus. She shook her head. "I’m just having a bad day… can you tell Peter that for me?"

Lily hugged her tightly. "I’m so sorry about your mom. I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better."

Ana accepted the hug. "Thanks…, but there’s not much you can do. Just keep being supportive and if you can, keep helping me with my charms stuff?"

Lily nodded. She turned to leave, but looked back. "Were you going to say ‘Remus’ before?"

Ana smiled. "No, why?"

"Just wondering," she shrugged. Ana could see the look in her eye, but made no comment. She just reached for her bag and pulled out her DADA book.

* * * * *

Remus walked into his dormitory both relieved exhausted and relieved that it was Friday. James looked up at him eagerly as he fished through his trunk. "Well?"

Remus smiled weakly. "Nothing happened."

James gawked. "Nothing ever happens with you Remus! You were there for ten minutes and you guys didn’t snog or anything?"

"Well, it’s not like she didn’t try," he shrugged, going into his trunk and pulling out a few books. James closed his trunk and sat on it, looking at Remus. "What?" asked Remus, noticing.

"Before you went into the room, you said something about us not understanding you." Remus looked back at his trunk, pretending to search for something. "What did you mean?"

"I meant, James, that there are things that you don’t understand about me. It’s pretty straightforward, if you ask me."

"Like what? " Remus didn’t answer. "Does it have something to do with Berenice?" asked James. Suddenly, something dawned on him. "Does it have something to do with Ana?"

Remus looked up, startled. "Ana? What? No!"

"Then tell me! Remus, seriously, I want to help!"

Remus fidgeted with his books as he closed his trunk. "It’s about the wolf," he said finally.

James sighed. "Not everything is about the wolf, Remus."

He gave James a sideways glance. "Yes, James, everything is." He immediately regretted his tone, so he tried to shake it off. "There are a lot of things people never think about when they learn someone’s a werewolf. It’s not just a difficult transfiguration every month. Did you know that werewolves can’t have kids without them being werewolves too? It’s passed through the genes."

James shook his head. "I didn’t know that…"

"It’s true. The werewolf trait will be active and it’ll cause the person great pain throughout their life, and the life of their children, and so on and so on… It’s the dominant allele that makes the difference." James gave him a questioning look. "Sorry. Genetics," he muttered.

"So you’re upset because you can’t have kids?"

"No, James. It’s more than that. I don’t intend to be in a romantic relationship, ever."

He looked astonished. "Why not!?"

"Because accidents happen, James," he muttered, growing angry. "And I will not have a child living with this trait on my account. Ever."

James nodded, comprehending. "But what does this have to do with Berenice?"

"I’ve never kissed a girl before, James. I don’t know what I’m missing, and I like it that way. Ignorance is bliss."

They both sat in silence for a long time. James seemed to be lost in thought; Remus just seemed exhausted. "I’m sorry I put you into that position with Berenice," said James finally. "Really, I am."

Remus nodded. "You didn’t know. It’s all right."

There was another pause before James asked, reluctantly. "Does Ana know about any of this? The wolf even?"

Remus shook his head. "It’s too soon to tell her anything."

"You two seem really close, Remus, and it’s only been a week. If we found out, she’ll find out too, you know."

"I know."

"You really seem to like her," said James quietly.

"As a friend, James."

James studied him before continuing, "As long as you’re sure," he sighed, getting up, and heading towards the door. "I’ve seen the look on your face when we talk about her. I’ve seen the look on your face when you two are together. More importantly, Remus, I’ve seen the look on her face when you’re around." James gave him a spot to object or comment, but Remus just stared at the floor in silence. "My point is, Remus, is that you’ve got to be careful."

"I’m always careful," Remus smiled slightly.

"Yeah," muttered James as he left. "But accidents do happen."

* * * * *

Ana sat on her bed, paging through her DADA book, highlighting random things with the highlighter Lily had lent her. She loved it. Ana decided that the magic world hadn't overlooked much. There were magic birds, magic beers, and even magic highlighters. Besides the fact that the emitted pleasant fragrances such as vanilla and country apple pie, the felt tips of the markers never grew black from the ink, nor did the highlighter smudge the writing. Above all that, they came in pretty colors that changed and swirled and sparkled at random.

She was really bored. She flipped through pages, highlighting information on vampires, dementors, banshees, boggarts, and a bunch of other things that would take her all evening to memorize. Turning some pages she couldn't help but grumble about Remus. 'Why didn't he tell me?' she thought repeatedly. Thinking about that brief moment in the kitchen made her smile… his eyes gazing down into hers… his mouth just inches away…. But now that he had a girlfriend… it's not that she hated him. She far from hated him. But it wouldn't have bothered her at that moment if she turned the page of her DADA book and saw a big picture of Remus wearing that annoyingly cute shy smile of his, accompanied by a few butt-scratching and belching slobs with a big title underneath: 'MEN'.

But all Ana saw when she turned the page was a picture of a threatening werewolf. Remembering her vision, Ana read with interest:

"Werewolves (aka lycanthrope) are among the most ferocious dark creatures who are disguised as normal men and women until the night of the full moon. At this time, they are forcefully transfigured into werewolves- not to be confused with the common wolf. Werewolves are larger, fiercer and remarkably more violent then the common wolf, who rarely leave their prey to survival. If a victim of a werewolf bite survives, he will be condemned to the curse of werewolfism, transfiguring every full moon. The only ways to become a werewolf are through a werewolf bite or to be descended from a werewolf. Dark lycanthropy is not reversible…

"Apart from the night of the full moon, those suffering from dark lycanthropy are rarely susceptible to disease and tend to be in superior in physical strength due to the constant deterioration and reconstruction of the skeletal and muscular system. Consequently, werewolves are tremendously hard to kill unless direct damage is caused to the heart or brain. According traditional legend, regardless of whether a werewolf bites human flesh during its lifetime, werewolves are said to be condemned to Hell after death…"

Ana stopped reading, grimacing. "That's horrible…" she whispered. She stared at the picture of the werewolf that would periodically transfigure into a rather scruffy and mean-looking man and back to a wolf. It was so realistic that she could almost hear the werewolf growling. In fact, she could hear the werewolf growling… but it wasn't coming from the book. Looking up, she found herself face to face with a live werewolf. It was the same werewolf as in the last vision- the same shaggy and uneven gray fur with the light brown tips, the same fierce yellow eyes, and the same scarred and scruffy claws. She could feel its hot, rancid breath - it was so close. But a sniffling sound from the room made both Ana and the wolf look over. Just like in the last vision, Remus's mom sat crying in the middle of the room. The wolf quickly approached her, and started licking her tears away. With a bright white flash of light, they both disappeared.

Ana didn't even realize that her mouth was hanging open as she sat in complete astonishment and bewilderment. She could almost hear Professor Pyrre's voice in her head. "How long until your ‘visions’ come to reality?"

"It has to mean something," Ana thought out loud as she glanced back down at her DADA book. She considered many possibilities. "Maybe his family or someone close to him was attacked by a werewolf… or is a werewolf…?" But of course the most obvious answer, as it most often is, was overlooked.

* * * * *

"You're late, Vespera," Kasek grumbled, looking up at her as she entered the Meeting Room at LeBab Tower. She made no reply only than to smile with mock sweetness and take her seat next to Michael, who was sipping a glass of champagne merrily.

"Now that we are all here," sighed Kasek as he shot Verspera another glance, his silver-gray eyes looking very old, "we have business to discuss. Kezia went to investigate Ana Anblick." Much of the circle glanced at Kezia, who sat very rigid in her white marble chair. "She has promise, but she has brown eyes."

David, his green eyes particularly dark, glanced at Tomas, who sat stone-faced as always. "But the circle will be complete while Tomas is here. We already have a Guardian with brown eyes, and his successor."

"Very observant, David," muttered Vespera, who was glaring at Kasek. "You brought us here to review the prophecy." Of course she knew. They were True Seers. They all knew.

Kasek nodded, ignoring the look Vespera was giving him. "It is necessary to be sure. Unless I am mistaken, this is the first lead we've had in finding the seventh Guardian in some time. We are all watching world issues carefully. We need to complete the circle to have our powers expand to the fullest."

Michael set down his glass of champagne, his hazel eyes gleaming- almost glowing, as he stared ahead in an almost trance like state. The rest watched silently as he completed his vision. "Speak of the devil…" he muttered as his eyes faded slightly.

"What is it, Michael?" asked Kezia.

"I'll just show you," he replied. Everyone lowered their heads momentarily and their brightly colored eyes reflecting light off the white marble table. Some of the centaurs who had been roaming around the outskirts of the large circular room stopped what they were doing, and watched with interest. Before all their eyes was a young girl with brown hair and brown eyes.

"Ana," Kezia informed the group.

"Indeed," nodded Michael, not breaking his telepathic connection.

She was walking in a town- a small town, decorated in Halloween decorations. Through signs in the window, it was evident that it was Hogsmeade. She went up to a window of a shop and looked in. She turned to flag over someone- they couldn't see who. But what was more important, was at that moment, a green beam of light hit the building behind her, and the brick awning of the building crumbled, falling on top of her.

"Someone's going to try to kill the Anblick?" muttered David.

"Again, David," snided Vespera, "You're powers of observation simply astound me."

Tomas glanced at Michael. "Michael, how much have you had to drink?"

He shifted slightly."Not enough to cloud my telepathic powers."

"But perhaps a bit to effect your memory or vision?"

"I believe he saw what he saw," replied David firmly.

Tomas just looked at him, deep in thought.

Kezia turned to Kasek nervously. "What do you think, Kasek?"

He nodded. "Someone will try to kill her in Hogsmeade.

"Should we inform Dumbledore?"

"I think it is most important to let this play out," he said quietly. "We will be there, of course, but we will be watching carefully."

"Will we let her get killed?"

"No," replied David, shaking his head. "This is not fate. But Kasek is right. We must find out more of who's behind this, or there will be many times when we will have to save the young Anblick." He looked pointedly at Kezia.

"Kezia, you will deal with this."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Again?"

"She knows you. She trusts you."

Kezia glanced at the group who was looking at her, nodding. She sighed. "Fine. If this is what you want, I will do it."

"Thank you, Kezia. And do be careful," replied Kasek, looking colder than normal. "And now, we have to discuss the prophecy…"

* * * * *

Dumbledore sat in the Divinations Room sipping his tea, unaffected by the sweltering October heat. Despite the great elevation of the tower, and the open windows, it was still extremely hard to breathe.

"So she has shown no improvement?" Dumbledore asked gravely. It had been weeks. Weeks of spotless and astounding records in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, Astronomy, Potions… etc… Of course, there were complaints from Professor McGonagall that her transfiguration skills were weak, and from Professor Jerik (the DADA professor that year) that she wasn’t too great at dueling, but she was doing the best she could considering the circumstances. On the other end of the scale, Professors Flitwick and Stikupas were most intrigued with the talent and promise that Ana displayed. Professor Stikupas had made it his personal mission to try and push Ana beyond her limit, giving her countless memorization projects and heavy reading material. Yet, she seemed to excel in Potions. Professor Flitwick, on the other hand, was so fascinated with her talent in charms that he stopped going through the book, and just told her to memorize ten assigned charms, and to go and find ten of her choice. She usually came back with twenty, many of them related to medicine. In all this success, however, her divination skills showed little promise.

"Honestly, Albus, I don’t know why you insist on such a heavy divinations course load for the girl. She does have a gift- she’s shown color sensitivity on countless ESP tests, but I’m afraid that’s all the girl has shown aside from claims of visions. She’s only missed one year of Divinations. She has little to catch up on. She probably already knows everything I can teach her. You know divinations, Albus. You either got it, or you don’t. And no, I’m afraid she has shown no improvement."

Dumbledore’s mustache twitched as he thought for a moment. "How was Kezia when she first began?"

The tiny , old professor beamed. "Outstandingly bright. She was correcting me by the end of the first month. By the end of the first year, she was already toying with sending clairvoyant images. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, aside from Omri. His was wildly intelligent not only in divinations, but in all subjects, I understand." Dumbledore nodded. She paused to look at the headmaster meaningfully. "Albus we have worked together for many, many years. I was here when you first started!"

"Oh come now Charlotte, it wasn’t that long ago, was it?"

She chuckled. "Long ago and then some, Albus. But my point is that I would not lie to you. I have the greatest respect for you as a wizard and as the headmaster of this school. "

"And I return that respect in the fullest."

"I also know how much the girl and her family mean to you. I can’t lie to you. I could tell you that she’s doing great, and that she shows promise, but really all I see is a gift for sensing colors at this point."

"Do you think there’s any more divinitive talent there? That she’s just having trouble learning to control her powers?"

The old professor thought for a moment, as she stared down into her empty teacup meditatively. "I would imagine, if she’s showing such a strong divinitive talent, and she stands so firmly by these claims of visions, there may be more power there than we’re seeing. But I believe that if she were Guardian material, we would have noticed by now."

There was a pause as Dumbledore considered this. "I want the lessons to continue."

"But at the same intensity? I spend hours with this girl a week. She hates the lessons with a passion! Is it really necessary?""

He nodded. "You’ve trusted me for many years, Charlotte, and I would like you to trust me once again."

Professor Pyrre opened her mouth to argue. She had an important argument, he could tell, by the gleam in her eye, but as Ana walked into the room, she had no choice but to keep it to herself.

"Am I interrupting something?" Ana asked, surveying the two professors.

"Not at all, my dear," replied Dumbledore, standing, so she could sit in the chair. I was just checking up on your progress with the divinations lessons."

Ana shuffled uneasily. "I’m trying.. really. But they’re not going good."

"Has anything changed for you? Have you been having fewer visions? Have you been noticing different things happening with your powers?"

Ana flinched slightly at the word ‘powers’. "I have been seeing less visions than before," she began carefully, debating how much she should tell them, "but they’re more intense. More realistic and more confusing…" Her voice drifted off as she thought of the vision of Remus’s mom and the werewolf. Dumbledore looked at her as if he expected her to say more. "Some of them are becoming repetitive."

Dumbledore glanced at Professor Pyrre who was looking at her, as she always did, with an analyzing eye. "Repetitive visions are often more important. They also allude to the fact that the Seer is not understanding them; they tend to come more frequently until the Seer comprehends or until the event they are alluding to finally occurs."

"Do you want to talk about your visions, Ana? Maybe we could help."

Ana wanted to tell them, but aside from feeling silly, something inside of her told her not to. She got the feeling that it was a personal matter with the Lupins and that she should really talk to them, if she wanted to understand. "I don’t think I should," she replied apologetically. "It kind of involves someone here at Hogwarts, and …"

Dumbledore just nodded. "-Enough said."

Professor Pyrre got up with great effort and hobbled over to a tall bookcase. She summoned a large book and hobbled back over to Ana. "Take this," she replied. "This is on loan until you buy it yourself when you get to your sixth year." Ana read the title to herself. 1,030,264 Symbolic Illustrations in Visions and Dreams. "I want you to start writing down your visions, Ana. I want you to write ever detail you can remember, and then, if you find that you’re not understanding the meaning, I want you to start looking up the things you see in your dreams- colors… animals… plants… numbers… words… This book could probably help you. But also understand the key to divinations is that the most obvious answer is usually the right one. Unfortunately, it is also the most overlooked."

Ana nodded. "Thank you," she replied, shocked at the interest the Professor was taking in her.

The elderly professor shrugged and moved on. "Let’s get on with the lesson."

"Oh wait. Let me guess," sighed Ana. "ESP cards."

"Absolutely," muttered the Professor.

Dumbledore smiled. "Who says her inner eye’s clouded!"

* * * * *

Ana walked into the Great Hall at noon to find everyone talking with loud excitement. Sirius was running back and forth along the Gryffindor Table, initiating ‘the wave.’ Ana smiled. She had completely forgotten about the first quidditch match.

"Place your bets for Gryffindor! Right here!" yelled Peter, who was taking bets. "No more than five canary creams per bet!" He smiled at waved to Ana who waved back. He walked over. "What do you think, Ana? Is Gryffindor going to beat Slytherin?"

"I hope so," she smiled, giving Severus Snape a glance. He actually looked somewhat royal in his emerald green quidditch robes. Ana made a mental note to tell him that wearing all black did nothing for his complexion. She went to sit down in her usual place where a group of girls were talking excitedly with James. (All except for Lily, who Ana thought looked rather angry.)

"Oh, James, I hope you do good today," grinned a third year Gryffindor, blushing.

"Of course he’ll do good! He’s the best chaser we’ve ever had!" added another third year, this one with short black hair.

Ana giggled at the look on James’s face. He was smiling with sickening suavity that would outdo any cheesy teen chick-flic. Ana knew he felt nothing for any of them, but he was a guy, after all. And Lily’s reaction just made the situation funnier.

"You’re jealous!" Ana whispered to her, grinning.

Her face changed immediately. "What? NO! I’m just disgusted at how arrogant he is."

"And jealous."

Lily just glared at her as Remus came and sat down. He smiled at Ana. "Ready to see your first quidditch match?" His hazel eyes shone brightly and Ana looked away.

"Yeah," she replied dully. She looked around for Jackie- she could sit by her at the game. Before she could find her though, Berenice approached the table. Ana watched as she flung her arms around Remus’s neck and hugged him tightly from behind.

"Going to wish me luck on the quidditch match?" she asked, positively beaming. Almost everyone at the Gryffindor Table stared in awe and shock at the sight of Berenice and Remus together.

Remus looked around nervously. "Good luck, Berenice," he muttered, unwinding her arms from his neck.

She giggled, and ruffled his hair as she walked out of the hall. James grinned at him. "I thought nothing happened yesterday!" Ana smirked dubiously as she looked up at him.

Sirius came over and gave him a slap on the back. "Way to go Remus! I think half of Slytherin is about to kill you!"

Remus leaned over to see the majority of the male Slytherins glaring at him threateningly. He smiled and waved before sitting down normally.

Ana just picked at her food. Feeling someone staring at her, she looked up to see Lily grinning at her. "Now who’s jealous?"

"Don’t start with me," she grumbled.

* * * * *

The quidditch stands were absolutely packed. Surprisingly, Ana estimated with astoundingly accuracy that about 3/4 of the spectators were wearing red, and the other fourth were wearing green. It was almost dizzying to look into the sea of people in bright red as Ana searched for a spot to sit, preferably by someone she had talked to before. The only place she found, however, was next to Remus, which he had saved just for her.

Having no other option, she set herself into the seat heavily. She looked around- they were terrible seats- way at the back. But they were at what Ana supposed was "mid field."

"Best seats you could get, huh?" she asked.

Remus looked shocked. "These are the best seats there are!" Ana shot him a confused look. He smiled. "They fly, remember? They’re going to be at least ten meters off the ground, Ana! I just saved you a neck cramp!"

Ana rolled her eyes at herself. "Sorry. I figured it was like soccer and stuff- the closer the better."

Remus’s face brightened. "Soccer? Have you ever played? I heard it’s a good game, and you don’t even have to fly!"

She giggled, despite her annoyance with him. "I’ll teach you sometime." She could have kicked herself for saying that. ‘I’ll teach you sometime??? Ugh, you moron.’

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out over the quidditch field. "Welcome one and all to the first quidditch game of the season! Today’s Match: Slytherin vs. GRYFFINDOR!!!!!!!" The crowed erupted into loud cheers and whistles as the players ran out on the field, mounted their brooms and did a lap around the field. Ana turned to Remus. "That voice… Lily?" she shouted through the noise. He nodded, grinning.

"She’s been begging McGonagall to let her do it for a whole school year. This is her big break!" he yelled back. He pointed toward a tower, where Ana could just barely make out a figure with bright red hair. – And McGonagall close behind.

Ana watched as the two teams lined up on the field. With a blow of a whistle, they soared into the air. Ana watched as streaks of red and green swirled before her. She could easily pick out Sirius and James. Even easier to see was Berenice. As Ana watched the game with excited interest, quickly figuring out the rules, she noticed Remus simply observing quietly.

Lily ignored her. "MALFOY GOES FOR THE GOAL…. ANNND…. OH! BLOCKED BY NATALIE JOHNSON, GRYFFINDOR KEEPER…"

The crowd relaxed slightly and Ana sat back. Remus was still observing silently.

"Don’t you like quidditch?"

He smiled at her. "You can’t be in the wizarding world and not love quidditch."

It was true. Ana was absolutely absorbed in it, and it was only her first game. "You look sad," she said. "This about how you aren’t the best flier?"

He grinned. "No, not really."

Suddenly, everything seemed to slow down. Ana looked around, confused. Everything came to an absolute standstill, including the snitch and the bludgers. People were frozen in half-standing positions, as if they had been jumping up, and they’re mouths were hanging open just as if they were shouting "Go." The colors faded to black and white, and there was no sound.

It was the oddest vision Ana had ever had. Then she heard a booming voice.

"CREDYN, Ana."

Ana looked around. Everything was frozen. She couldn’t see the source of the voice.

"CREDYN!"

It sounded like it was coming form above her. Looking up, the clouded sky had broken, and there were now two huge breaks in the clouds. They were eyes. Two very big, very bright eyes. Her father’s eyes.

Credyn!" the voice said once more, now hushed to a soft whisper as the noise of the stands came back, as well as the color and the movement. She found herself standing in the stands at the quidditch field. People were cheering, and rushing towards the field. The game was over. Remus was just staring at her.

"What just happened?" she asked.

"Melvin got the snitch. Gryffindor won," he said gently, still staring at her. A small smile played on his lips. "Where were you?"

Ana sank to her seat, stunned. "Remus, do you know what the word "Credyn" means?"

He blinked, slightly surprised. "Can you write it?" he asked, reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a sheet of paper. Ana spelled it. She didn’t know how she knew, but she did.

"Kreh-DIN" he said, reading it.

"Not a short ‘e’," said Ana, "And the accent is on the first syllable. CRAY-din,"

Remus shook his head. "It’s not English… I don’t think its Latin… why? Where did you hear this?"

"Does the library have books on languages?"

"Some mythological languages… and a few others… Ana’s what’s going on?" he asked, staring into her eyes.

Repeating visions… she thought to herself as she stared back into his hazel eyes. Suddenly she felt it. It was an emotion. It was concern. But she herself was not concerned… Remus was concerned for her. She could feel it as plain as day. And it scared the hell out of her.

"I’ve got to go," she gasped, standing and walking swiftly towards the isle.

"Ana!" Remus called after her. She didn’t stop. "You’re eyes are blue," he said in a just-to-let-you-know kind of tone.

She closed her eyes tightly as she turned to go down the exit. "My eyes are BROWN!" she called back before she left.

* * * * *

Remus sat down at the table the next morning at breakfast to find Berenice sitting with the rest of the Gryffindors. She beamed up at him. "Morning Remus! Happy Halloween!"

"Morning…" he muttered heavily. He had had a good night's sleep, but suddenly seeing Berenice there made him feel so very, very tired. He sat down, and looked around. "Where's Ana?" he asked, noticing the vacant seat next to Lily. She didn't come to dinner the night before- Remus had seen her busy in the library. She had a nasty habit of skipping meals, but rarely two meals in a row.

Berenice scowled slightly before smiling sweetly. "Who's Ana?" It was a small school. Everyone knew who Ana was. She was the American.

Lily was visibly restraining herself from throwing her breakfast roll at Berenice. "Ana's not coming to breakfast. She's sleeping in- she was up late studying."

Peter dropped his fork loudly. "Well.. she's going to Hogsmeade, right? I mean…" he laughed nervously, "she wouldn't miss that…"

"Don't worry, Pete," sighed Lily, still shooting glances at Berenice, "I'm sure she would want a break from studying. She looks pretty beat."

Remus glanced at Lily. "How late was she in the library?"

"Until it closed, and then she moved to the dormitory. You and the guys were so absorbed in whatever scheme you're planning next that you didn't notice."

"Oooooo, what are you planning Remus?" grinned Berenice, her eyes twinkling madly.

"I'd tell you," he smiled, "but I'd have to kill you."

"Then tell her already!" muttered Lily under her breath.

* * * * *

Ana awoke that morning when everyone was going to breakfast. Taking the opportunity to enjoy a quiet dormitory, she showered quickly, and spent the hour bent over her potions homework. Equations… endless equations. It wasn't hard- it was basically muggle chemistry. She liked chemistry in high school, This was a piece of cake, even after spending most of the evening in the library.

She had searched through endless dictionaries…Latin…Celtic…Old Welsh… Old English… Elfin… Goblin… every dictionary that she could get her hands on, and none of them offered anything. She even looked in the book Professor Pyrre had given her and that was little help. It just said that they dominant theme of 'eyes' in all the visions of her father showed that she was being watched, or watched over, and this was no surprise. She had not researched her vision on Remus, yet.

At around 9 AM everyone started coming back to the dormitories. Normally people would have slept in, except that it was Hogsmeade Sunday, and everyone was getting ready to go. Ana looked at her pile of homework wearily. She didn't have classes until the late afternoon and evening (divinations and astronomy). But she did have a lot to do.

Lily stepped into the room, chattering excitedly with Jackie. "Hey Ana! You ready? We're leaving in ten minutes!"

Ana looked up guiltily. "I don't think I can… I have so much to do… I kind of got side tracked yesterday and I lost a lot of time."

Lily looked over at her. "Oh come on, Ana! Your first trip to Hogsmeade! I'm sure Professor Dumbledore would want you to have a break!"

Ana just shook her head. "Sorry, Lily."

Lily shrugged. "Your loss. You want me to bring back some chocolate frogs or something?"

She smiled. "Not necessary, but thanks."

Lily gave her one last glance before heading out of the room. "All right, then. See ya."

Of course, it didn't take more than thirty seconds for Peter to come clattering into her room. He burst through the door, visibly flushed and out of breath from running up the tower stairs.

"Ana!"

She looked up, frowning. She had just found her place in her Potions equation. "What!?"

"You have to go!" he sputtered, still breathing heavily.

She gave him a suspicious look. "Why?"

His eyes shifted nervously. "You just have to!… you've never seen Hogsmeade!"

"I can see it at Christmas!"

He fidgeted uneasily. "You have been working too hard."

"I am doing fine, Peter. What's gotten into you?"

"Do you need to buy anything? Or don't you need to pick up anything at Hogsmeade? School supplies? Candy? Gifts?"

Ana thought of Professor Pyrre's request for her to start writing down her visions. She had wanted to get a book with a lock. Perhaps Peter had seen this thought registering because he seemed to relax. "Come on, Ana, we're leaving soon!" He walked over, grabbed her arm and pulled her off the bed. "Let's go, then! We'll be late!"

* * * * *

Hogsmeade was decked out in Halloween decorations and witches and wizards wearing what Ana sincerely hoped were costumes. But as she had quickly learned, anything was possible in the wizarding world.

The group walked together. Ana was most annoyed to find Berenice hanging disparately on Remus's arm, despite his being deep in conversation with Lily and Sirius and James. Peter, however, kept to the back, unusually quiet. Ana walked at the front of the group, looking around in amazement. It was almost better than Diagon Alley, although this certainly had a less metropolitan feeling.

But something bothered Ana. It was as if she felt nervous- although she didn't know of what. She tried to dismiss the feeling, but something in the back of her mind knew that all was not right.

Lily grabbed her arm, and pulled her into the biggest candy store Ana had ever seen. Everyone gave her his or her opinion on the best thing to buy- all except for Berenice, that is, who while attached tightly to Remus, seemed to be perfectly content to just glare at her with superiority. She made mental notes of all their favorites… except for Peter's, who was still oddly quiet. She turned. He was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Peter?" she asked, looking around.

"Dunno," replied James. "He said he'd be right back."

"Why don't you go find him?" asked Berenice condescendingly

Ana ignored this comment as she paid for her things and walked outside. While she waited for the other to pay for their things, she looked around. Again, that sickening feeling came over her that something was going to happen- that she was being watched…

But the rest of the group soon met her. Remus was the last one out of the shop.

"Let's go… quickly…" he said, looking over his shoulder, and seeing Berenice still paying.

"What's the matter, Remus?" asked Ana, a short wave of anger coming over her. "Berenice a little too clingy today?"

He looked at her questioningly, hearing the hint of anger in her voice. But he didn't get a chance to answer; Ana didn't give him one. James actually was the first to speak. "Check it out!" he gasped, pointing to a broom in the window three stores down. There were several students crowded around it. Ana read the sign. Just In: Falcon1000 -LIMITED EDITION-

Lily and Ana watched as all three of the guys sped over. Lily sighed as she followed. Ana was actually more interested in the gift store to her left. "I'll be right there!" she called to Lily, who waved, and kept walking.

Going up to the window, she looked at the vases, and other displayed items. But what really caught her eye was a leather-bound dairy with a gleaming copper clasp. It was perfect. She stared into the store, through the glass that reflected the village behind her. Vaguely, she could see dim figures passing behind her. She could see the candy store across the street and the pub next to it- with an alley between. And in that alley, Ana could see through the reflection, someone stood watching…

The feeling returned- the dreaded feeling that something was going to happen. Things seemed to go in slow motion as Ana turned to look, but halfway, she was distracted by something huge and white charging at her- it's feet sounding like thunder as it sped across the ground. She could vaguely hear people yelling in surprise as the thing charged at her, and hit her with such astounding force that her breath was nearly completely taken away. Just barely, as the thing carried her off at blinding speed, Ana could see a flash of green, and the building- the very place where she had been standing- crumble to rocks and dust with a rumbling 'BANG!".

Ana couldn't see what was holding her- she grimaced in fear and the pain that was shooting in her abdomen from where the thing that had charged at her hit her. She was almost blinded by the sharp pains when she breathed and by her hair that had been knocked out of it's bun and was streaking across her face. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she felt the creature move to a stop, as it turned down into an alley.

"Dĕ hytne dya Nvalt," Ana heard a commanding female voice. Immediately, she was put down. She fell to her knees, grabbing her abdomen- not daring to inhale too deeply, let alone cry. Keeled over in pain, she didn't look up, but saw two expensive boots appear in front of her. She felt someone kneel down, and looking up just barely, she was met with two very large violet eyes.

"Kezia?" gasped Ana, trying to scoot away. Kezia looked passed Ana sharply. "Demy shĕ," she said firmly. Ana heard something moving behind her. Looking up carefully, she found herself staring at two very large white centaurs. One of them moved to the edge of the alley, and glanced out at the street, keeping watch.

Kezia reached toward Ana who slouched away, nervously. "What do you want with me?" she asked angrily.

"To help you, Ana. Thanks to Astrin," she nodded towards the centaur watching them carefully, "you're alive." Ana looked up at the centaur, who gazed back with pale yellow eyes.

"Are you all right, young Seer?" he asked in a very deep voice.

"I think you broke a few ribs," she muttered, gazing up at him nervously.

"My apologies," he replied distantly. Suddenly the centaur keeping watch spoke up in an equally deep voice, but in the flowing words of Centaur.

"Flўe Crouch."

Kezia's jaw became set as she glanced up at Astrin, who nodded. Suddenly, from around the corner, charged Charles Crouch. Astrin immediately swept him into an immobilizing hold with great ease- being perhaps twice his size.

"YOU!" he barked at Kezia. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" He looked down at Ana anxiously. "Ana, love, are you all right? Are you hurt?"

"ME? And don't you talk to her!" she said, her violet eyes flaring angrily. Ana looked between them wildly.

A mysterious man with graying black hair and piercing silver eyes was the next to arrive. Kezia looked quite shocked to see him; Crouch looked annoyed.

"What is this, a guardian convention?" sighed Crouch. He looked down again at Ana, who was cowering against the alley wall. "Don't move sweetie, I'll get you out of this." Ana didn't know what to believe.

"Kasek?" asked Kezia.

The man with silver eyes was staring at Ana as he spoke to Kezia softly. "Dĕv infir?"

Kezia nodded. Ana heard her whisper, "She thinks her ribs are broken."

The calm voice of the centaur spoke again. "Avrar Astrin, flўe sai Vžito."

Kasek removed his wand as Astrin dropped Crouch. With a strong spell, Kasek blasted him against the wall, where he was bound, perhaps a half-meter off the ground. Astrin went to go stand guard with the other centaur. Shortly thereafter, a whole crowd of people approached. Ana could see James as he stood tall against some of the other students, who peered anxiously, passed the centaur blockade.

"I see her!" he said back over his shoulder. Remus pushed his way to the front.

"You okay?" he called to her, anxiously.

She didn't quite know how to answer as she looked from Crouch to Kezia to the one called Kasek, to the pair of Centaurs shoving people back. Suddenly, she heard an all too familiar voice ring out from the crowd.

Lily ignored her. "MALFOY GOES FOR THE GOAL…. ANNND…. OH! BLOCKED BY NATALIE JOHNSON, GRYFFINDOR KEEPER…"

The crowd relaxed slightly and Ana sat back. Remus was still observing silently.

"Don’t you like quidditch?"

He smiled at her. "You can’t be in the wizarding world and not love quidditch."

It was true. Ana was absolutely absorbed in it, and it was only her first game. "You look sad," she said. "This about how you aren’t the best flier?"

He grinned. "No, not really."

Suddenly, everything seemed to slow down. Ana looked around, confused. Everything came to an absolute standstill, including the snitch and the bludgers. People were frozen in half-standing positions, as if they had been jumping up, and they’re mouths were hanging open just as if they were shouting "Go." The colors faded to black and white, and there was no sound.

It was the oddest vision Ana had ever had. Then she heard a booming voice.

"CREDYN, Ana."

Ana looked around. Everything was frozen. She couldn’t see the source of the voice.

"CREDYN!"

"Drop It," he commanded gruffly. Kasek immediately lowered his wand. Crouch fell to the ground with a thud.

"Let the man pass, Rynnyx," Kezia commanded as the Centaur obeyed, and the Auror moved to take Kasek's wand. Kezia gave him hers, as did Crouch. He reached down to Ana. She moved to take his hand.

He drew his hand back. "No ma'am, your wand, if you would." Glaring at him, she gave up her wand. He turned back to McGonagall. "You three- put away you're wands, I've got this under control. Would the headmaster mind if I questioned them at the castle?"

"I would think he would encourage it," she said shortly, conjuring a stretcher for Ana. '

Astrin looked at it, and shook his head. "She will ride on my back."

Rynnyx looked at him. "Dĕv de Menxa. Şard ľux ce Veete?"

"I would be proud, Rynnyx, to carry even a possible Guardian on my back. I would think you would be as well," he replied firmly. The crowd hushed and turned to look at Ana with shock, while Ana looked very intently at the ground.

"Ana, a Guardian?" she heard James whisper to Remus. She didn't hear him answer. She looked up at him. He looked like he wanted to go to her, but he did not dare approach- he stayed well away from the centaurs.

She watched as the centaur knelt down. "Get on, young Seer," he said to her gently. With much determination, she scooted over to it, and got on. She wrapped one arm around him, and the other she held close to her side.

"You three first," the Auror barked to Crouch, Kezia and Kasek. "And keep the conversation to common English."

The other centaur cleared away the crowd and the three led the way, followed by Ana, Astrin and the Auror, the professors, a whole bunch of students, and the stares of several bewildered onlookers.

* * * * *

Madam Pomfrey had never seen such a scene. Three people, whom she recognized easily from newspaper clippings, walked into the room, arguing bitterly and loudly. One of them appeared to be bleeding from the back of the head. Then entered a centaur, carrying a very tired and pained looking Ana Anblick on its back- a sight so shocking that one of her nurses fainted at the sight of it. Finally came an Auror, escorted by three professors, and perhaps 2/3 of the student body, all trying to get a better look at the scene.

It didn't take long for Professor Dumbledore to arrive on the scene, looking both fierce and old at the same time. Ana watched as he whispered something to McGonagall, who nodded, wide-eyed, and began to clear students away. Only a few people challenged her. Ana could hear Remus arguing angrily as she felt herself being lowered to the ground by the kneeling centaur.

"Thank you, Astrin," she sighed, giving him a weak smile.

He nodded. "Stars be kind to you, young Seer." At that, he turned, and exited the H-Wing, ducking to fit through the door.

Ana looked around dizzily at the argument that was pursuing between Kezia and Crouch, to Madam Pomfrey running around blindly, to McGonagall arguing with Remus, to the flurry of nurses assisting the unconscious nurse on the floor, to the strange silver-eyed man, who actually had turned to watch Ana. She quickly looked away. Things seemed to be spinning out of control, until she felt someone grab her. Looking up, Dumbledore was looking down at her anxiously. He led her to a bed, and made her sit down- something that unfortunately caused her a great deal of pain.

"Poppy," she heard his voice say firmly. Immediately the room went silent. She rushed over. She helped Ana to lay back as Dumbledore went over to Kezia and Crouch. "May I speak to you for a moment," he asked Kezia sharply.

The Auror who was nearby moved to object, but the look in Dumbledore's eyes silenced him immediately. Crouch didn't seem too happy either, but he didn't object. Kasek just watched the scene with quite observation. Madam Pomfrey reached into the curio behind her, and pulled out a vile of red liquid. She shook it before giving it to Ana. "Drink this," she said quietly.

Ana sniffed it. Professor Stikupas had tried to challenge her to identify potions by smell. She was pretty good at it, and this one was no surprise. It reeked of nightshade. "A sleeping potion?" she asked questioningly.

"Drink up," she nodded.

Ana was asleep within minutes.

* * * * *

Remus rested his head on the table of the library wearily, trying to ignore Lily's prodding.

"It's really a simple question, Remus- a yes or a no answer," she sighed. "Did you know that Ana was a Seer?"

"If I didn't answer you the first five times, Lily, what makes you think this time is any different?"

"Well, he's not denying it," mentioned Sirius, studying his face carefully.

"You think she's okay?" asked Peter meekly. He looked absolutely miserable.

Lily patted him on the back. "Remus says that she was conscious and looked fine. I'm sure she's absolutely perfect."

Peter just sat glumly.

"What time is it?" asked Remus anxiously.

"About five minutes from the last time you asked," replied James. "And no, Madam Pomfreystill won't let us see her."

Remus looked downcast for a moment. But suddenly his eyes gleamed in a mischievous way that was much better suited for Sirius. "James, I need a favor," he said firmly.

* * * * *

Despite the sleeping potion, Ana slept lightly. In the back of her dream she could hear Madam Pomfrey speaking distantly.

"…four broken ribs, a cracked sternum… heavy bruising … honestly, Albus, she's lucky she doesn't have a punctured lung…"

Ana opened her heavy eyes to find her curtained off section dim. Turning her head, she glanced out the window to her left. The sun was below the horizon, creating an orange and purple sky. It was only as the warm breeze flowed through the window screen, that she realized that she felt no pain. She raised her head off the pillowless bed, and tried to sit up- that was when the pain returned.

"Oww…" she grunted, letting her head fall back.

The curtain flew open, letting in the blinding lights of the H-Wing. Ana shielded her eyes.

"You're awake?" frowned Madam Pomfrey, coming over to take her pulse. Dumbledore walked in after her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Great, until I moved."

"No moving," commanded Madam Pomfrey, apparently baffled. "We're mending broken ribs- tricky business, that is..."

Ana sighed as she looked up at Dumbledore. "What happened? Where's Kezia and Crouch and everyone?"

Dumbledore looked at Madam Pomfrey, who rolled her eyes. "You have five minutes," she grumbled as she walked out of Ana's curtain. Dumbledore took a seat in the chair next to Ana's bed.

"I would imagine that Kezia and Kasek are back at LeBab Tower and Charles Crouch is having a quiet evening at home."

Ana frowned. "The Auror didn't take Crouch?"

"There's no evidence that Crouch did anything to try to harm you. The last charm that his wand performed was actually a summoning charm, and he passed truth potion tests."

Ana was quiet for a moment as she recalled the chapter on Truth Potions from her potions book. "Truth potions are unreliable… they can be overpowered."

"Generally, they are actually quite effective," replied Dumbledore to the contrary. "But there have been some cases which have come up where people have shown an ability to overcome the potion. This has made the ministry court system deem them questionable. But overall, truth potions are quite effective."

Ana thought some more, confused. "But Kezia seemed sure it was him… she can read minds, can't she?"

"Indeed," nodded Dumbledore. "But there are some minds that she can't read. A mind can only be read if it believes that it can be. Very, very few people believe so completely that Divinations is a false power- that it doesn't exist aside from coincidental events -that they can actually block the powers of the Guardians. Mr. Crouch is one of these people. Kezia believed what she did due to a 'gut feeling' and past prejudices. Even if she could read his mind and charge him with the crime, it wouldn't do much in the court system. The courts don't hold very much respect for True Seers, let alone any Seers."

Ana frowned. "If he didn't do it, who did?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No one is exactly sure. But the sentiment is that Voldemort is behind it somehow."

"He knew I would be out of Hogwarts?"

"It appears so," he replied gently, monitoring the shock in her face. "Voldemort has eyes everywhere, my dear."

"So I'm safe here?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"And if I leave the castle grounds…"

"I would not advise it, at least not until next year. It is your choice, of course, but keep in mind that there's only so much we can do."

A thought had been nagging at Ana for a while. "What about the summer?"

"The castle doors are always open to you, my dear."

"I guess I don't have anywhere else to go," she said quietly.

Dumbledore gave her hand a squeeze as he stood up. "Get some rest Ana. Madam Pomfrey said you will be better than new by tomorrow morning."

Ana smiled weakly as he left. He pulled the curtain closed a bit before disappearing. Ana stared out the window. The stars were now shining brightly as the last of the deep purple sky faded to black. Suddenly the outdoors seemed very attractive.

"Ana?" came a familiar voice. Ana looked around, but didn't see anything.

"Remus?" Ana jumped to see his disembodied head appear out of thin air. "That's really creepy…" she said, trying to whisper through the giggles she was suppressing.

He grinned as he pulled off the invisibly cloak. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, as long as I don't move," she said. "I'm stuck like this until tomorrow."

"I know, I heard."

"How long have you been here?" she frowned.

"For a while. I heard most of the conversation between you and Dumbledore."

Ana nodded as she took her arms and rested them under her head. She didn't know what to think about staying at the castle.

"You know…" Remus said nervously, "My dad's an Auror…. I'm sure you could come visit me during the summer…"

Ana blinked, startled. She couldn't help but smile slightly. But then she remembered Berenice. "Maybe," she said flatly, her smile fading. Remus looked shot. But before he could answer, a blinding light surrounded them as Madam Pomfrey tore back the curtain.

"Mr. Lupin! What on earth are you doing here! Ana needs her rest!"

Remus didn't argue. He just stood. "Goodnight, Ana," he said lightly over his shoulder.

She didn't answer him.

* * * * *

The Circle sat in a comfortable lounge room in LeBab Tower, sipping their tea and waiting. Vespera was sleeping by the fireplace and Michael was drunk off his ass, leaving David and Tomas to greet the returnees.

"How did it go?" asked David anxiously, monitoring the hard lines in Kasek's face.

"You have eyes, David, look for yourself," snapped Kasek. David, of course, already knew. They all did. It was just the polite human formalities that still controlled him.

"She is confused," sighed Tomas, staring out the window. "These things must stop happening, or she will loose faith."

"And if she does?" came a sleepy voice. Vespera had awoken. "We went over the prophecies for hours. It clearly states that the seer will have blue eyes. She's not the one."

"She's powerful," replied Kasek. "I saw her today. Kezia was right, there's something more to her than we're seeing."

"What about Crouch?" asked David anxiously.

"He's guilty," snapped Kezia.

"He's not," retorted Kasek quietly but firmly. "I believe him. He has no reason to want her dead."

"He does if he's in league with Voldemort!" she said angrily.

"Kezia, you're young," replied Kasek lightly. "You still let your emotions get the better of you, and it clouds your inner eye. Crouch is already very difficult to read. Don't let your emotions cloud your vision. It was not him." Kezia just glared at him and shook her head.

"Then why was he there?" Tomas asked.

"He was going to try to talk to Ana, I'm sure," replied David. "Get on her good side… earn extra points?"

Kasek nodded. "In a matter of words, that's pretty much his story."

"I think all of you are getting way too up in arms over this whole situation," muttered Vespera, standing. "She's not the one. It's nothing to worry about."

"You're more than welcome to leave at any time, Vespera," glared Kezia.

Nodding with a smile, and a small fake curtsey, she left.

"We've all had a long day," reasoned Tomas. "Why don't we all go get some rest?"

Kezia turned swiftly and left.

"Should someone take care of Michael?" David frowned at his passed out figure on the sofa.

Kasek just shook his head wearily as he left.