Domino One

Chapter Nine

When Gna'adig, Keeper of the Stars, first created the heavenly bodies, he created stars of all ages, for this was not beyond the powers of the Keeper. He created young stars for their energy, middle-aged stars for their perseverance, and elderly stars for their wisdom and perspective. The stars shined brightly with the light of the Keeper's Fortress, and their light shone to every place in the universe Gna'adig had created. The stars carried the Keeper's words, thoughts and will to every planet and heavenly body, singing the song that their Maker had taught them. And together, the stars formed the great Celestial Court of Gna'adig, Keeper of the Stars.

"A little repetitive, isn't it?" inquired Ana with a frown.

"It's to be expected with Centaur literature," muttered Kezia before she continued.

Vee Amad was the eldest of the Keeper's stars, and was loved by all who dwelled in the sky. None among the stars could sing more sweetly, or guide the planets more gently or with more wisdom than the eldest star. The light of the stars grew more beautiful each time a planet passed by, and every star in the heavens yearned for the day when they would be as old and beautiful as Vee Amad, eldest of the stars.

But as the planets passed, the beautiful light of Vee Amad, the very light that gave cheer to the youngest of stars at the far ends of the universe, began to dim. The stars spoke amongst themselves, wondering what was wrong with Vee Amad, for all the stars in the heavens shone with the light of the Keepers Fortress, and none carried such a dismal, disgraceful red glow as the eldest star now had. But no star could tell what was happening to Vee Amad, not even Vee Amad, eldest and wisest among the stars.

So the stars cried out in their sweetest song. 'O Gna'adig, Keeper of the Stars, whose power and wisdom is beyond all knowledge, surely you can calm our worries.'

And so came the Keeper's reply. 'Beloved stars, peace be with you. What are your concerns? For I will not turn a deaf ear on those whom I have created.'

'Look! Look at Vee Amad, eldest and most beloved of the stars! O Gna'adig, he no longer carries the light of your fortress! Has he offended you, Gna'adig?'

And the Keeper looked pityingly to Vee Amad and saw that the eldest star was dwindling. 'No, my children, Vee Amad has committed no wrong. This star's work is nearly completed. Soon the planets will move that this star's light will not shine at all.'

'And what will happen to Vee Amad then, O most gracious Keeper?' cried the stars in despair. 'For Vee Amad is the eldest and most beloved of the stars, and surely you will not cast him away as the asteroids and the meteors.'

'Peace to you, stars of heaven,' came the Keeper's reply. 'A time shall pass when all of you must walk in the shadowy ways of Vee Amad. But I have created you out of love, and out of love I will bring you back to the light. Come with me now, Vee Amad, and I will take your spirit to a planet by the name of Erthryn. The stars of the heavens were created with half a thought, but the planet Erthryn was created by my own hands. O how glorious is the beauties of Erthryn, and how blessed are the stars who will dwell there when their work is completed.'

The stars watched in amazement as Gna'adig reached out, and took the spirit of Vee Amad to the far reaches of the universe, to a distant galaxy, and to a quiet and not too terribly extraordinary star known in the Celestial Court as Sol. Sol was an average star of average light of average age and of an average number of planets. But the third planet in Sol's rings was anything but ordinary. It was the great planet Erthryn. Great in size and soft in color, the planet was unlike any other in the entire universe, and the stars stared in amazement as Gna'adig placed Vee Amad upon the velvety green land.

Vee Amad was very startled indeed. Looking down, the star's spirit had taken on a new shape, remarkably smaller than its previous form. In a moment, the star realized that it could move freely, and go anywhere it wanted to go, for now it had legs, very much like Gna'adig himself. And the star realized that it could bend down and touch the green earth, for it now also had arms and hands.

The stars marvaled from their heavenly thrones. 'See how Vee Amad looks like Gna'adig! And see how glorious the planet Erthryn is!' And the stars of heaven could not wait until it was their time to have their spirit taken.

But Gna'adig was not so ready. 'Vee Amad, you are no longer a star, but a mortal creature I have created. From now on, your body is to be called man, and you shall be the guardian of this planet. For unlike any other creature that dwells on Erthryn, you shall be given the power to listen to the stars, who shall be my messenger to you. But there is much to be done on this planet before it is ready for the rest of the stars to join you here in this paradise, and I shall tell you all that you must accomplish. Are you willing to take on this task?'

'Oh yes, Gna'adig, Keeper of the Stars!' cried out Vee Amad at the top of his lungs, hoping to be heard from his tiny form on the planet Erthryn. 'I shall do whatever it is you ask!'

And so it was. Gna'adig gave the man a list of things to do before leaving him, and Vee Amad went to work immediately. He was to build himself a shelter, and to farm the land, among other things. And then, when evening would come, the stars would sing to him, and tell him what more to do. (All the stars sang, except for Sol, who was too close and too loud that Gna'adig had forbidden the star to speak.) The man had a wonderful time exploring what he now knew as forests, and mountains, and rivers, and how he did marvel at the great body of water known as the ocean. Never before had a star or man seen such things, and all were astonished at the beautiful planet of Erthryn, created by Gna'adig, Keeper of the Stars.

And when evening came, and Vee Amad had build himself a shelter, he was delighted to see the curtain of light removed from the sky and for him to see his fellow stars looking down upon him. And though they could not hear him (for he was so small and they were much too far away) they could sing to him, and tell him of the plans of the Keeper. But as Vee Amad sat in his shelter, a strange feeling washed over him. His limbs became heavy, and his eyes began to burn, and he wanted nothing more than to stretch out on the soft ground. And so he did, and the next thing he knew, it was morning.

In despair, Vee Amad jumped up and said to himself, 'What is it that I have done?' Now I have missed the message of the stars, and I do not know what it is that Gna'adig, the blessed Starkeeper, wants with me!'

So Vee Amad cried out at the top of his lungs. 'Gna'adig! Gna'adig?'

And Gna'adig heard him from his fortress at the center of the universe. 'Yes, Vee Amad? Speak, for I am listening.'

'Glorious Gna'adig, who blessed me with his shape, I do not remember what happened last night! For one moment, I listened to the song of the stars, and the next, it was morning! What is this new power you have given me?'

'Not a power, Vee Amad, but a weakness' replied the Keeper, his deep voice so loud that the ground shook, and everything on the planet Ethryn. 'For the creature man, whom I have created, is not like the stars, and he wearies after his work. You fell asleep after building the shelter, and doing the things I have requested of you.'

Vee Amad apologized profusely to the mighty Keeper. 'What shall I do, Gna'adig, if I should fall asleep tonight?'

'You shall not,' replied Gna'adig. 'For you shall have help. For from my breath and yours, I shall create another creature. And we shall call her woman. And she will help you with the things I have requested of you, and then you will not tire so easily.'

And a mighty wind blasted through Erthryn, knocking Vee Amad to the ground, and covering him with the leaves of the trees and the grasses of the fields. But when the wind subsided, and the man picked himself up off the ground, he found a glorious creature standing before him.

'This is the woman I have created, and she shall be called Medavae,' said Gna'adig. 'And together, you two shall complete the tasks I have assigned to you, and you will work by day, and listen to the stars by night, and all will be well on the planet of Erthryn. But take note, Vee Amad, son of the Heavens. Medavae is not a spirit of the stars, as you are. She is a daughter of Erthryn, and she will not hear the song of the Celestial Court. But as she was born of Erthryn, so shall she know its ways. She will know its powers, and she will use them, and together, you will be complete.'

Vee Amad thanked the Keeper from his knees and the Keeper told him and the woman what to do. The entire day they worked, side by side, and when night came, Medavae slept, and Vee Amad listened to the song of the stars. But as he watched the woman sleep, he felt himself growing weary, for the work was hard, even with the woman who helped him, and he soon fell asleep as well.

The next morning, Vee Amad awoke with such a start that Medavae awoke as well. 'What is wrong, Vee Amad, son of the Heavens? You are as white as the clouds that shadow us from the stars.' Vee Amad explained what had happened to the woman. She told him, 'Go speak with Gna'adig. For he is patient, and shall not forget you, Vee Amad, blessed among the stars.'

So Vee Amad went to the fields, and called up to the Heavens, 'Gna'adig! Gna'adig!'

And Gna'adig, Keeper of the Stars, heard him. 'Yes, Vee Amad. What is it now?'

'Blessed and patient Star Keeper!' he exclaimed. 'It has happened again, and I have lost another night to sleep! Cursed be the creature you call man, for he is weak, and unable to follow your commands!'

'Peace, Vee Amad. For I know the weaknesses of man as I know his strengths, for all have purposes in my mind. And I know you fell asleep once more, and will continue to do so when the sky is dark and your work is trying. But take heart, Son of the Heavens, for in your spirit, I give you dreams. And in your dreams, while you sleep, the stars shall speak into your mind with pictures. And you shall know what it is that I command.'

And so as evening came, Vee Amad felt no guilt as he drifted off to sleep. For he had been assured that something called dreams would enter his mind, and show him what must be done. And sure as the might of the Keeper, pictures filled his mind, and he was able to see many things. But nothing seemed to make sense. He saw random things, but was never told to do anything. And to make matters worse, Vee Amad awoke the next morning, and remembered very little of what the stars of Heaven had shown him.

Now, the stars of heaven were watching all that was occurring on the planet called Erthryn, and they wondered amongst themselves, 'What has happened to Vee Amad? For he was the wisest among the stars, but no longer does he seem like the brightest crayon in the box!'

Ana snickered. "Brightest crayon in the box?

Kezia smiled. "I was just checking to see if you were still listening. But they said something along those lines."

"They have a point," Ana shrugged.

"Just listen."

So the stars asked the Keeper. 'O Gna'adig, who can make and destroy a universe in the blink of an eye, surely you could make Vee Amad more intelligent? Stronger? Give him the ability to overcome sleep?'

But Gna'adig replied to the stars. 'I could indeed. But the creature man is not able to be as smart as the stars, though he is as smart and as strong as he needs to be. For man is a weak creature in mind and body, but especially of heart. And if he were to obtain power, then a time may pass when Vee Amad, eldest and wisest of the stars, would commit some terrible acts.'

'Not Vee Amad!' insisted the stars. 'Surely he would not do anything against your will.'

'We shall see, my stars,' replied the Keeper.

And so Gna'adig, in his patience, gave Vee Amad creatures of the field and birds of the air, and he said to him, 'See? I have given you a planet full of splendid creatures who shall serve you only after they have served me. For in them, you shall find the message of the stars.'

Vee Amad praised Gna'adig, and saw to it that he hunted the animals and the birds of Erthryn. But he found that he could catch neither a beast of the field, nor a bird of the air.

So Gna'adig gave Vee Amad immobile creatures known as tea leaves, and showed him how to create a beverage and use the waste to see the message of the stars.

But neither Vee Amad nor Medavae liked the drink that was given to them, and chose to drink it no more.

This upset Gna'adig greatly, but Gna'adig, the patient Keeper, saw to it that Vee Amad was given a special, round crystal, sent from the heavens on a mighty meteor. The planet of Erthryn shrunk tremendously, and barren lands known as deserts were formed because of the meteor from the sky, but in the power of its rock, Vee Amad learned that he could see the message of the stars.

But Vee Amad dropped the crystal, and it crumbled as the dust of the ground.

"Oh good God," muttered Ana with exasperation.

Kezia laughed, but kept reading.

So finally, Gna'adig looked down upon Vee Amad, and said to him, 'Man of Erthryn, what more can I do, save change your being. For I have given you the stars, but you must sleep. And I have given you dreams, but you cannot understand them. And I have given you all the creatures of Erthryn, but you cannot catch them. And I have given you tealeaves, but you reject the gifts I have given to you. And then, while my anger still burned from that, I gave you crystal spheres from the heavens, in which you could see whatever the stars would show you. But you carelessly dropped it. What am I to do with you, Vee Amad, man of Erthryn?'

And Vee Amad shook with fear. 'Gna'adig, most patient Keeper, I beg your mercy. For the man you have created is weak, but the spirit of heaven, which dwells within me, lives on. Surely there is not something that you could give me, something that cannot be broken, or lost, or must be consumed, or caught, or that will take energy to read... surely there must be something you, in your glories, can give me.'

And Gna'adig looked down upon the man with pity and wonder. 'There is something, Vee Amad, that I may give you,' he replied slowly. 'But unlike the other gifts I have laid upon you, I hesitate to surrender it to you.'

Vee Amad exclaimed to the heavens, 'O Gna'adig, whatever it is, I will be very careful with it. I will neither drop it, nor lose it, and I will enjoy it, even if tastes like the mud of the earth! ... not that your tealeaves taste as such, O gracious Keeper.... '

A great sigh came from the lips of the Keeper of the Stars as he listened to the man. 'Vee Amad, there is much power in the thing that I shall give you. It contains more power than the others, and -'

'O Gna'adig! Please!' cried out Vee Amad. 'I am a weak creature in need of power! Surely this power cannot be bad, if it comes from you!'

'Indeed it can,' replied Gna'adig. 'For it is not I that may corrupt it, but you.'

Vee Amad's spirit sank. 'I am a weak man, Gna'adig. But if I destroy this gift, which you are to give me, then I beg you to spite man, woman, and the planet Erthryn, and destroy it. For never would I want to disappoint you. I take the responsibility of the planet on my shoulders, Keeper of the Stars.'

Gna'adig thought for a moment before granting him the power. 'Very well, Vee Amad. I have seen that you mean well, and I have granted you the power. But do not let this power control you. For on your hand, I have written all that you must know about yourself and your world, about what you must accomplish and avoid, about the creatures you will meet, and all that you must know. See? By the lines of your had, I have given you something that you cannot loose, or break, or consume. '

And Vee Amad praised the Star Keeper, and studied his hand. And by it, he learned the messages of the stars for him, and for his wife, who had also received the gift (but could not use it). And so Sol and Erthryn's moon passed many times, and Vee Amad used his gift wisely.

But one day, Vee Amad was studying the woman's hand, learning what must be in order for the world to be ready for the spirit of the stars to dwell there. And he saw a break in one of the lines of her hand that concerned him greatly.

'Medavae! I see terrible things for you on this day!' He pointed to the line on her hand. 'Do you see? You shall be injured during your work, and you shall have great pain.'

Now Medavae knew that the man could see things that she could not, so she asked him, 'Are you certain? Is that the wish of the stars?'

'No, certainly not!' replied Vee Amad. 'The stars love you just as much as I, Medavae, Daughter of Erthryn. But it must happen. For see here,' he pointed to another spot. 'You are to spend the time in the shelter, sewing new clothes for those who come.'

Pain was no secret to those on Erthryn, and fear began to grow in Medavae. 'I can sit in the shelter and sew new clothing if that is the will of the stars, but I see no need to be injured. Do you?'

And Vee Amad looked. He saw many things, but he did not see why she needed to be injured. So he shook his head.

So the woman replied, 'Gna'adig himself has given you this gift, as well as his own image, and rule over this planet, Erthryn. Surely there is no need for me to be injured. For if there were, you would have seen it, for you are blessed by Gna'adig, Keeper of the Stars.'

Vee Amad listened to her words in wonder, as if hearing them for the first time. 'You are right, Medavae. For no other star has been blessed as I have, and surely I have the ability to distinguish such matters.'

So Vee Amad and the woman avoided the injury, and Medavae sat in the tent, sewing the clothes.

The next day, the man looked at his own hand, and saw that he would have to carry many rocks from the top of the mountain down to valley to make another shelter. He sighed wearily. The day before he had planted in the fields, and the day before that, he had fished in the sea. His arms and legs were weary so he said to himself, 'Surely the stars want me to rest for a day.' So he spent the day lying in the green fields.

Life continued as such, with the man ignoring the will of the stars. Medavae bore her first child, a son, during this time, named Nacibl. Vee Amad added onto his house, and began to store up food for the family he had created. Neither the food, nor the family was ever written in his hand.

Meanwhile, the stars worked furiously, trying to correct the errors their friend was making. Every time Gna'adig asked them if Vee Amad had completed his tasks, the stars would say that he had, for they knew the promise that Vee Amad had made about his new power, and they did not want any harm to come to him, the woman, or Erthryn. So they would take Gna'adig's new orders, and change them, so that they could make up for what was lost by the man's errors.

But soon, the man, the woman and Erthryn were beyond help. The stars spoke to one another softly. 'What are we to do? For surely, this was not what Gna'adig had in mind.'

Suddenly, Gna'adig stepped forth from his castle in his mighty robes and said in a booming voice, 'Remember this time and record it in the histories of the universe, O heavenly children! For this moment has been chosen for all to go, and to commune on the planet I have created. As it is recorded, Vee Amad and Medavae have completed the preparations I have sent them to accomplish. And now is the time for all to be joyful and at peace. For though Erthryn is not as large as it was, it is large enough to suit every star spirit in the sky three fold. Come, my children, for the time of peace and rejoicing is at hand!'

But the stars did not move. All eyes were downcast, and no one said a word.

'Good stars,' asked the Keeper, 'why are you troubled?'

And the stars answered, 'O Gna'adig, merciful Keeper, the planet Erthryn has not been completed. The man has decided his own will, and has gone against what is written on his hand.'

Gna'adig's anger burned as he charged towards the planet to confirm the news. He looked down on Vee Amad and his family, and when they saw him, they rushed out to meet them, smiles on their faces. They shouted in greating.

'Welcome, Gna'adig, Keeper of the Stars! Let all who dwell on Erthryn rejoice, for the Keeper has joined us this day.'

Gna'adig's became overwhelmed with grief as he looked at the world the man and the woman had created. 'Vee Amad,' he asked quietly, 'Are these my plans for the world?'

And Vee Amad nodded. 'Yes, Gna'adig. The work you have requested is done.'

The Keeper looked at the man straight in his eyes, and Vee Amad trembled at the feeling. 'Are you sure, Man of Erthryn, that you have followed what you saw?' For Gna'adig knew what had happened, and he wanted the Man to repent.

'We did what we saw was needed,' replied Vee Amad. 'We overlooked the mistakes.'

And Gna'adig shook his mighty head. 'You are truly a Son of Erthryn, Vee Amad. For I have told you exactly what needed to happen, and you chose to do what you did not want to do. I should never have given you your palm, for then you knew my will, and you chose to ignore it.'

'But we improved it!' insisted Vee Amad.

Gna'adig was disgusted at how the man succumbed to his given power. 'Improved, Vee Amad? And tell me, how should I have improved the stars? And how should I have improved upon Erthryn? How should I have improved the rotation of the planets, and the elements of the universe? For since you seem to know so much about my ways, Vee Amad, why don't you tell me how much longer it will be until the spirit of the stars dwell on Erthryn?'

Vee Amad felt faint as Gna'adig's booming voice fell over the planet, and he realized what he had done. He fell to his knees, as did his wife and son. 'I don't know, most merciful Keeper.'

Gna'adig didn't speak for a long time. 'I am Mercy, Gna'adig. And I should never have given this power to you. For it, you family has lost their place with me, and generations will go by where no one will be able to hear the stars. But there will be a time when there will be people who will listen to them, and those who hear the stars, will hear me. And they shall lead the people, and succeed where you have failed, Vee Amad. And they will maintain my order by the messages of the stars. And when all have done their part, and all purposes have been fulfilled, then my court and myself shall return to here, to Erthryn.'

'How much longer will it be then, Gna'adig?' asked Vee Amad, horrified.

'That shall depend on the people, Son of Erthryn, and the guardians that will come from your woman's womb.'

And the Star Keeper censured the stars in the heavens for their carelessness, and blocked them from the view of Erthryn, and Erthryn could not see or hear the stars for many, many suns and moons. Even the planet Erthryn received a new name, Earth, which means 'sorrow.' The Keeper himself walked upon the ground of Earth in those days, directly guiding what must happen to restore order, but it was not easy by any means. But as soon as things began to improve, he found the population of Earth began to naturally follow his will. And there came a time, when the Keeper could leave Earth, and watch from his fortress, for the people would follow their fate blindly, not even knowing they were fulfilling their purposes.

And when the first person stepped out of their purpose, then came the time when the first guardian arose- the first offspring since Vee Amad that could hear and listen to the stars. And she took her place as the watcher of Earth. And from that time, because the World was following fate so blindly, and because the guardians were fulfilling their duties, up to the present day, there had been no need for a visit from Gna'adig, Keeper of the Stars.

Ana's eyes were glazed over as Kezia finished reading the passage from the Book of Time. "But if this is a Centaur book, why does it deal with humans?"

"Oh, the story continues," mentioned the Guardian, "for about five thousand more pages before moving on to the rest of the volumes. For Gna'adig tried, for a time, to take the spirits of other stars, and to place them in the form of creatures called Centuars, giving them limited powers in divinations, but excessive powers of logic to serve the creatures called man. But man did not accept the centaurs, and the centaurs did not accept man, so they lived separately. Because centaurs never would have existed without the folly of man, man has a place in the Book of Time."

"So what happened to the spirits of the stars if they could not go to Erthryn?"

"Some were put into centaurs, others, like the spirits of humanity after their passing, were brought to the Keepers Fortress until the Earth was ready."

"And the Centaurs believe this?"

Kezia looked at her plainly. "The Centaurs and the Guardians know this."

Ana had never been greatly religious, and was consequently startled. "Know? It's true? How can you know?"

"Because completed circles have had conversations with the stars, Ana. They've spoken of Gna'adig by name."

Ana didn't know what to say. "Then why haven't I heard of any of this before?"

"Probably because most of the world doesn't believe it. Many people don't like to believe in fate, and that they take the view that they're just a 'puppet' in the works of some silent god. There are a few temples to Gna'adig in the world, mostly used by Seers and the like. But it all comes down to Vee Amad's children. There are thousands of pages in the Book of Time dedicated to the result of the powers to Vee Amad's children. Most had no power at all, as Vee Amad's most famous son, Muge'le (the root for the word muggle). Some had the power of their mother, such as the most famous wizard, Merlin. And only one had the gifts of Vee Amad, but not nearly to the same extent. Her name was Seare, root of the word seer. As time passed, disagreements emerged from the children of Vee Amad, causing the descendents of Muge'le to separate themselves from their relatives. As the ages past, these people remained so separated from the others that they didn't even know people with powers existed outside of the myths of their ancestors. Likewise, they also lost wind of Gna'adig.

"Many descendents of Merlin also lost this information, as the could not speak with the stars. The sons and daughters of Seare had weak powers (save for the True Seers), and therefore, the sons and daughters of Merlin had little respect for their gifts, advice and stories."

"Gna'adig must be pretty disappointed," frowned Ana.

"Well, from what I've heard about the messages of the stars, Gna'adig at the time, seems more relieved that the fate he layed out for us is running somewhat smoothly. He loves all who he creates, regardless if the know he exists."

Ana shrugged, though she found it remarkably unfair. Her eyes trailed down to the gloves in the silver box, which still lay in Kezia's lap.

"So the gloves... you're telling me not to look at my palm?"

Kezia nodded, but only slowly. "Yes and no. In the immediate future, Ana, you are going to learn how to do many things, including reading the futures of others and yourself. Just as anything else, this knowledge can be used wisely or improperly. More importantly, you must remember from this point on that what the stars have shown you as fate, whether it be for yourself or for others, it must be. The power of the Guardian is a great and terrible thing. I told you before, Ana, that the only person who can read your stars now is you. And I suggest to you that you don't."

"Because you think that I would go against my stars?"

"Because I think that you, like the rest of us, and like Vee Amad, are human."

"Vee Amad was an idiot," murmured Ana. "He got drunk on his own sense of power. You think I'll do that?" Ana stopped to laugh. "Kezia," she whispered, as if it what she were about to say was a deep secret, "I couldn't read my palm if I tried!"

"All in due time, Ana!" smiled the Guardian. "And, no Ana, I don't think you will directly fall for your own powers. I think you, like anyone else who has the power, may see things in your future that you're not going to appreciate, and you're going to fear those events. One of two things will happen. Either you will try to avoid them, or you will face them head on, and be overcome by paranoia or fear. I've seen it happen Ana. People have looked into their own stars to the point of their death, and have gone crazy because of it."

"Well, then they shouldn't look there," shrugged Ana.

"You're right," replied Kezia, "but they do. Involuntarily or voluntarily, they do. Sometimes, it cannot be controlled. More often than not."

"But wouldn't it be wasting my gifts not to read palms?"

"I'm not telling you not to read palms, though there are rules on how to go about it. I'm suggesting to you that you do not read your own."

"Then how will I know if I'm even going according to fate?" exclaimed Ana.

"Remember the story," Kezia spoke patiently. "Gna'adig could leave because people started following fate blindly in the pattern he had set up. You will follow fate blindly, and if you do slip up, the stars will quickly correct you."

"Follow fate blindly?" asked Ana. "How is that even possible? And if so, why are guardians even exist?"

Kezia smiled. "Abigail Harrington. You don't know her, but she is a girl not too much older than you who has recently decided to attend Cambridge next fall. It is her fate to go to Cambridge, but she is a muggle. She doesn't even believe in God, let alone Gna'adig, divinations or fate. But she is following the way the stars have set out for her. The trick is not what she did, but what others have done. Do you know why she's going to Cambridge?" Ana shook her head. "Because that's where her father went. He spent his life urging her to go there, and she went there. Do you know why he went?" Ana shook her head again. "Because he was forced to go by his mother. Do you know his mother forced him to go?" Ana shook her head yet another time. "Because she had been brought up in a poor, uneducated household and married rich. She knew the blessings of education and wanted the best for her son. She wanted the best for her son because she had loving parents who always put their children first. Her parents were orphans, and always went out of their way to make sure their children felt loved. Her mother was an orphan because her mother died of a terrible disease and his father drowned in a fishing accident. He drowned in a fishing accident because his partner accidentally knocked him overboard on the choppy, windy sea. His partner knocked him over because he was drunk. He was drunk because his wife had left him. His wife left him because she fell in love with another man. The man..."

"Okay, okay!" laughed Ana. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Abigail Harrington went to Cambridge because her great, great, great grandfather's fishing partner's wife cheated on him."

Ana's head throbbed as she tried to process these thoughts.

"Of course," Kezia continued off handedly, "it's not nearly that simple. Many other factors from many other influences played into Abigail's decision, but all in a similar manner. The easiest way to imagine this is to think of a thousand chains of dominos, all intertwining, some knocking down other dominos in other chains, some just falling and not doing anything, and some just falling for the sake of not breaking the chain. In the case of Abigail, think of those thousands of strings of dominos, made up of countless blocks, all falling forward until they all meet at one block. Abigail going to Cambridge. Of course the last domino to fall believes that it only fell because it was knocked over by another domino, or a group of dominos. But what's too often overlooked is that it was always planned for that last domino to fall when it did. Thousands of other dominos played into that domino falling. And the dominos didn't even have to think about their job. They just let themselves fall blindly, not even realizing what truly made them fall, or what their fall will do to others."

"So," Ana said slowly, "fate is like a chain of dominos. It is a chain of events."

"And the events we're talking about can be as big as world wars, or as simple as making eye contact with someone. It's something, anything, that will impact people later in life, whether they know it or not."

"Like dominos in a chain. Because the first domino falls, so will the second, and the third..."

"Oh, good, I think you're understanding," grinned Kezia. "I was dreading this conversation. I feared you'd be confused."

Ana was still lost in thought. "And if a domino is missed?"

"The guardians work to ensure that it doesn't happen."

"But if it does?"

Kezia was silent for a moment. "Then entire strands of dominos could be lost. The purposes of fate could all be lost, and Gna'adig would have quite a problem on his hands. For if one domino misses in the lot, that could mean that the last domino, the very last domino in which all the countless chains of dominos meet, would never fall."

"Has it ever happened before?"

"More than I even care to know," nodded Kezia. "Why do you think we've been here so long? Because the things that Gna'adig have planned have been accidentally (or at times, voluntarily) ignored at various points throughout history. Then, guardians came to right the wrongs of the planet, and start the dominos rolling again."

"You can see all that, then? You can see how the chains connect, and how to fix them?"

"Much of it, yes," nodded Kezia. "And, should you decide to join the circle, there will be nothing that we will question. For when all seven guardians are together, it will be like we have a "to do" list from Gna'adig himself. We will have the blueprints of the world, Ana. For I can do much as one true seer. But the world never experiences power like that of the completed Circle of Sight."

"So the completed circle can really set the world straight again?"

"Certainly. Keep in mind that the more Guardians that are living during an era, the more problems there are with the fate of the world. If the world is at a time of ease, there might be one or two living true seers. If the world is at a time of disorder and choas, all seven may be present to work together to correct society. Take the last time the Circle was completed, for example. It was hundreds of years ago, during the times of Black Death. You see, the black plague was never supposed to reach Ireland. A man from there was supposed to make the connection between the rats and living conditions to the plague. (It would have greatly increased British and Irish relations, too). But because a boat of certain aristocrats trying to escape the plague came to Ireland, the plague came with it, and Ireland was walloped with it at the end of the fourteenth century. Consequently, the man that was supposed to start the recession of the plague, among other things, died before anything could be done."

"Oops," muttered Ana.

"The end of the Black Plague is mysterious, as the history books say." Kezia smiled. "But it was thanks to the completion of the circle that the plague began to recede."

Ana looked shocked. "How? What did you do?"

"A guardian never reveals her secrets," shrugged Kezia with playful smugness. "But should you join the circle, all will be revealed to you in time. But do you see how important fate is?"

Ana nodded. She understood very well.

"Then I urge you to wear the gloves."

Slowly, Ana reached over and took the silver box out of Kezia's hands. Reaching in, she picked up the dark navy gloves, hardly able to distinguish any weight of the lace that brushed softly against her fingertips.

"What makes the palm so different than everything else? What's wrong with tea leaves?"

"Because the palm is like a book of everything there is to see. Anyone, even muggles, can read a palm and get information about the holder's personality and quality of life just by knowing the basic principals of palmistry. But a True Seer, knowing so much more, can put two and two together, and realize that they have the potential to see anything they want to see. All they have to do is "flip to the page." Every other divinitive apparatus has its limits. Most other means of divinations only show you one or a few things at a time, as chosen by the stars. Having all the information on such a convenient place as your palm makes it very easy to study."

Ana nodded. She supposed it was a lot easier than making a cup of tea and the like. She thought for a moment before slipping her hands into the gloves. As expected (though still shocking), the dark lace melted into her skin like butter on a hot skillet, sending a pleasantly cool feeling up her arm. The lace disappeared quickly, and when Ana turned over her hand, the lines of her palm were gone. She glanced up at Kezia, who smiled back at her.

"Right then. Let's begin."

It would be many years before Ana fully realized just how important the gloves were.

* * * * *

Charles Crouch sat, hidden behind a tower of papers and files in his office of the Caucus Resistance, wearing a look of pure exhaustion. Reports had come in from all over the world about Seer activity in the Far East, sending the few but fine members of the Resistance working overtime, and in his case, home from his vacation in Tahiti.

"More coffee?" offered a perky young intern as she poked her head into his office. She was too new to know that this was not exciting. Crouch shook his empty coffee cup in silent but affirming reply. She disappeared quickly, further enthused by her errand.

Reaching up, he grabbed the file at the top of the stack, which was clearly labeled with the date of February 16, 1974. He flipped it open and scanned its contents. Vespera de los Santos ... spotted entering the Imperial Tower of Phnom Penh... bored, he flipped to another file, this one marked the next day. It was the same thing, just a different Guardian. This time it was Kezia Doppelle. The next day, Vespera returned.

Spinning in his desk chair to face the fireplace on the wall behind him, Crouch immediately reached for his wand. Clearing his throat, he muttered, "Joselyn Collins." The head of a darkly skinned woman appeared in the fire.

"Joselyn!" he snapped. "What the hell is going on in Cambodia?"

"Hello to you, too," she muttered. "And what do you mean what's going on in Cambodia? Where have you been? Famine, unemployment - both wizard and muggle - corruption in the magical government and uprisings galore. Which would you like to hear about first?"

"The part where Kezia and Vespera are making daily trips to the Imperial Tower."

"How many?"

"Enough to have me curious."

"It could be anything," she shrugged. "You know the royals. Always superstitious and paranoid about their powers. They probably just want their palms read."

"Well what sources do we have available to investigate the situation?" he inquired, knowing better than to consider her suggestions.

"None. The Caucus Resistance Station at Phnom Penh has been abandoned since 1970."

Crouch ripped the wad of files off his desk. "You see these? We could have a real mess on our hands, and your telling me there's no one who can speak.. what... Cambodian?"

"Khmer," she replied dully. "Look, I'll put a notice out to see what we can do. Meanwhile, when was the last time you left your office?"

He pondered this for a moment. "Is it still February?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then not too long. Thanks, Josie." And with a wave of his wand, she was gone. Turning back to his desk, he continued to sort through files. Reports were coming in from all over South East Asia of Guardian sightings, and as Crouch soon realized, it was not just Cambodia. Thailand, Malaysia... something big was going down, and it didn't take his years of experience and training to reach that conclusion. He quickly sorted through the stack and collected all of the current crisis files into a wire bin. In his quick scans of the files, many locations passed his way. Some were big cities, some he had never heard of, but most were cities of the Orient. Towards the end of the stack, however, he was so startled, that he stopped his mad crusade in a moment's time.

Charles frowned as he studied the file. He had received a report or two since his first visit that she had in fact visited Hogwarts. It wasn't easy to forget Ana Anblick, and he never actually did. But besides a few randomly spaced visits from Kezia Dopelle to Hogwarts, he had no evidence that there was anything to be concerned about with the young girl that had failed her Divinations Testing. He and Dumbledore had exchanged letters around the Christmas holiday, and he had been assured that nothing new had happened with the young American, and as far as Crouch was concerned, he had more important things to think about. He shook his head in amusement as he read the report of Kezia's visit. 'Still making visits. She just doesn't get it!" And he tossed the file aside. Reaching down, he picked up the next file.

A sick feeling washed over him as he glanced at the old file that he had thrown aside. It may have been rash, but somehow, his heart skipped a few beats in his chest. He glanced from that file to the one in his hands nervously as his eyes traveled slowly the remaining stack of unopened documents. Still holding the file from February 4, he reached to the next one.

And the next...

And the next...

And the next...

* * * * *

From what she gathered from her experience with muggle secondary schools, basketball was a winter sport, track was a spring sport, and girl's tennis was a fall sport. But as Ana sat, bundled in layers of clothing (both hers and Remus's) and still chilled to the bone, she realized that quidditch did not have a timeline. She shivered as she watched James and a Hufflepuff chaser zoom by over her head (sending a nice draft of icy air across her face).

Remus looked over. "Still cold, then?"

"Not as cold, but still pretty frozen," she shrugged. "You sure you don't know of any more warming charms?" They had tried several.

Smirking, he turned to her, and covered her mouth with his in a long and passionate kiss, which in its distant end left them both breathless. "How's that?"

Ana blinked dreamily, pondering for a moment. "Still cold," she muttered dully, though her eyes laughed with mockery.

Remus snorted as he cuddled her close to him as they watched the game unfold before them. Lily was up to her normal announcing antics, and Peter decided to keep Sirius company back at the castle. (Or rather, on the roof of Gryffindor Tower, where if they risked their necks, they could catch a few glimpses of the game).

Things were not well between Sirius and Remus, and Ana noticed that even Peter was acting a bit peculiar these days. James did what he could to maintain the peace the dormitory. But as Lily had reported, it wasn't the peace that concerned him. Tensions between Remus and Sirius had never decreased. Despite the efforts, Remus simply would not talk to his former friend. James tried everything. He tried organizing a low-key group therapy night, a duel, and even just plain calling them both immature and ignoring the situation. But it seemed for a very long time, nothing would bring back the friendship between the two Mauraders.

Ana wished that Peter and Sirius could have joined them, despite Remus's discomfort, but to be honest, they weren't missing very much. Not one point was scored in the game, as of yet. The snitch was no where in sight. It was outstandingly cold. Ana was almost ready to suggest they go back to the castle (as many of the other students had already opted for such). But just as she was opening her mouth, someone plopped down in the vacant seat next to her.

"Hello Ana!" came the cheerful voice of Charles Crouch.

Ana, startled by the visitor, stiffened in Remus's arms and sat up slightly straighter. She studied the middle aged man briefly. He was neatly dressed in a heavy black trench coat with a black and yellow scarf noosed around his neck. His green eyes sparkled as he grinned at her with rosy, wind blown cheeks. Ana couldn't help but smile slightly at his salesman intoxication, even despite her uncertainty of his motives. Even after his gift after the attack at Hogsmeade, she had reserved her suspicions of the popular Resistance Officer, but as she glanced at him now, for the first time in months, she wondered how she could ever have thought he would want to hurt her.

"You're wearing Hufflepuff colors, Mr. Crouch," she said disapprovingly.

"Yes, well, one must remain loyal to his house," he said, glancing down at his scarf with pride. His eyes drifted up to Remus who was watching him carefully, his arms still wrapped around Ana protectively. He extended a hand. "Charles Crouch," he introduced himself.

Still holding Ana with one arm, he reached to take his hand. "Remus Lupin," he answered shortly. Ana was sure that if she wasn't so cold, she would have been able to feel the chill in his voice. Crouch seemed aware of it as well. He quickly returned his focus to the well-protected girl.

"So Ana, what's new with you? How is your school year going?"

"Not bad," she replied as she glanced back at the quidditch game. "Making progress. I should be completely caught up by the beginning of next year."

"Oh, well that's fantastic!" exclaimed Crouch with open and perhaps honest excitement. "I'm sure your father would be right proud of you for such an accomplishment."

"I'm sure he'd be proud of her even if she were last in the class," replied Remus, glaring at him openly. He apparently did not feel Ana's ease around him.

Ana spoke up quickly. "So what brings you to Hogwarts?"

"You, actually," smiled Crouch in his charming manner. "I just wanted to check up and see how things were going for you."

"You could have owled," replied Ana, unfooled.

"But I would have missed this exciting quidditch match!" he said, waving a hand to the board that still read a score of 0-0.

Ana just laughed. "You want to know if there's been any change in my powers."

He sighed, and gave her a meaningful look. "Ana, I can tell that you are quite the clever witch, so I will be up front with you, if you don't mind. I've received many reports that Kezia has been visiting the castle on a regular basis. I know that Professor Dumbledore is around to protect you, but I want to understand that if she is harassing you in any way, the Caucus Resistance is here to help you! We deal with this sort of thing all the time... Guardians running around, trying to control the world and all. So, if there's anything going on that Dumbledore is unable to handle, you know that you can tell me, right?"

"But Mr. Crouch," she smiled politely, "I asked her to come."

He looked startled. "But, why?"

"Because she's helping me develop my powers."

His face fell into a horrified frown. "Oh, Ana..." he sighed as if she had done him severe wrong, "Tell me you of all people haven't fallen for the Circle of Sight.... Do you realize the complexity of your situation?"

"I'm just being tutored right now, Mr. Crouch. I haven't made any final decisions," Ana insisted quickly. She did like the disappointment in his face in the least.

"The Circle of Sight is a dangerous and corrupt organization, Ana. It the reason that your father- a great man, by the way - left. I doubt he would want you to get involved with them."

"All I know right now is that I have certain talents, that I'm in danger because of it, and that the Circle could protect me."

"There are other protections besides the Circle," replied Crouch quickly. "The Caucus Resistance could hide you and-"

"Force me to give up my powers? Mr. Crouch, I could be the completion of the Circle. Think of all the good it could do."

A look of sheer terror crossed his face as he heard of the completion of the Circle. Another sigh followed, just as long as the first. "Ana, I know that you think that you have powers, but to be honest-"

"Oh, you must be joking," laughed Remus darkly. "You're not really going to try to convince her that she doesn't have gifts, are you? Mr. Crouch, Ana has done things that no normal witch is capable. She has been inside my dreams!"

Suddenly, Crouch stopped short. He looked at the young gentleman who challenged him in a new light. A smile- though a small one- crept onto his lips. He glanced at Ana, who was still obviously cuddled in Remus's arms. "You two are together..." he said quietly, as if realizing it for the first time.

Ana gave him a mock-serious look. "Yes, Mr. Crouch. Since January."

Crouch almost laughed. The lines that had deepened in his face soon relaxed, especially those around his eyes, which twinkled once more. "And have you told..." but he cut himself off. He just laughed. Standing, he reached down and offered his hand to Ana.

"Ana, if there's anything I can do for you, or," he looked to Remus meaningfully, "for you, don't hesitate to owl. I can have an army ready for you in an instant. Remember that." And laughing silently, he turned, and left the stadium.

Ana and Remus watched him leave in bewildered silence. "That was odd," he muttered. Ana giggled in confusion, but nodded. She turned back to the game just in time to see Hufflepuff score the first point of the game.

* * * * *

"Mental telepathy, Ana," began Kezia on a morning in early March, "Is one of the most mistakenly coveted powers known to man, and that is why we must use it with extreme caution. For while it protects one from lies and deceit, it also grants unlimited knowledge."

Ana was unusually awake that morning, and was not at all fatigued by the heavenly warm sunlight that poured in the giant windows of the Divinations Tower. It was the day she had been anticipating for nearly a month. It was the day she would learn about mind reading. She didn't even grumble when she wrenched herself out of bed at seven in the morning- an unthinkable time for a Saturday, especially since the intensive portion of her tutoring had finished at the end of the previous semester. She took notes diligently, making sure to circle and star 'Unlimited Knowledge' after she had underlined it three times.

"And, mind you," continued Kezia, who studied her pupil's notes with a shadowed smirk, "knowledge can be a bad thing..."

Ana continued taking notes. 'Knowledge=BAD'

"...because what greater powers are granted to all humans than the powers of thought and self control?"

Meanwhile, Ana was still underlining. 'BAD.'

Kezia raised an eyebrow. "Ana?"

Ana looked up. "Yes?"

The Guardian's purple eyes twinkled with laughter, but her face was set in a serious manner. "Are you paying attention? This is very important."

Ana nodded. "I am! I swear! I'm taking notes and everything!" She held up her scroll book slightly in effort to point it out. "See?"

"Yes..." Kezia sighed. "But stop writing for a moment, and just listen, for this is vitally important."

Ana set down her pen in a humoring fashion, and stared Kezia pointedly in the eye.

The Guardian cleared her throat. "The mind is it's own place, Ana. There are no sensors, no regards to sensitivity, and it is the freest and most instinctive part of the human body. The way in which thoughts turn into spoken words is almost always the aftermath of serious filtering and restraint, even in the most loosely tongued individuals. Often times, secrets are kept and lies are told for the very reason that truth hurts. With the powers of mental telepathy come grave responsibilities. You must be able to abide by the Principles of Divinations, if you are going to use these powers."

"The Principles of Divinations?" inquired Ana.

Kezia looked startled once again. "Why, yes! Didn't your learn of them from Professor Pyrre?"

The elderly divinations professor piped up from her desk at the opposite side of the room. "I didn't feel a need to teach her. She wasn't showing any definitive signs of devinitive powers."

Kezia momentarily pinched the sides of her nose in agitation before moving on. "Well, we best start there, then. I think it would be best if we learned them as we go along. Anyway, these are basic laws that are set up only to protect seers from royally screwing themselves over. No one enforces them except the Circle of Sight, and even then, any action we take is usually a 'slap on the wrist' and a censuring. They were created long ago... by one of the Anblicks, I believe... and have been used ever since." Kezia reached into her hand bag and pulled out a tiny amethyst book. She flipped through the pages idly, before finding her place. "Ah, here we are."

"There's about fifty other points, of course, but they apply to specific situations. I'll get you a copy of the principles for study. But for now, remember those three."

Ana nodded, and scribbled a note on her paper, her mouth hanging open unnoticed beside her concentration. 'Don't be stupid with the powers.' "What did you mean about the 'deepest mind'? "

"The subconscious mind. You'll understand more once you start reading minds. But are you sure that you understand the importance of the rules?"

Ana impatiently insisted that she did, and so they began. Though Kezia was quite certain that her young pupil had no idea what she was about to tamper with.

"Very well, then. Let's begin. First, know that there are several layers of thought. The thoughts that you probably heard were the clearest and simplest of all thoughts, known as the Primary Cognitive Thoughts. Primary Cognitive Thoughts are one's conscious thinking, and what most people relate to as 'thoughts.' Problem solving, important observations, and any time you have to 'stop and think,' you are using Primary Cognitive Thoughts. However, there are more thoughts that lie beneath that, known as Perceptual Thoughts. These thoughts are connected with the senses, primarily the sense of sight. While taste and smell are limited to flavor and aroma, touch to temperature and texture, and hearing to harmonies and breakdowns of frequencies, the sense of sight is the most complex sense of the five. It measures light, color, depth, shade, shape, and perceived texture, often for several items at once. For example, I can look at that bookshelf there," she pointed the opposite side of the room, "and I can tell you that there are three shelves, approximately one meter between and one meter across, filled with books of all different colors. But that is only because my mind has seen this, broken down complex visual readings into thoughts. When I made a passing glance at the bookshelf, though I may not necessarily realize it, my mind saw three shelves of a lightly stained bookshelf, top shelf: red book, blue book, brown book, light brown book, skinny pale yellow book, light blue book, red book, red book (the same)... and so on."

"You saw all that with just a passing glance?" Ana asked doubtfully.

"Whether I realize it or not, my brain broke down all that information that quickly," nodded Kezia with a smile. "But that is what makes the difference between a person with a photographic memory, and someone who doesn't. They can look at the shelf for a moment, and they realize what their brain all saw, down to the tiniest details."

Ana sat back, intrigued. "And I'll hear these thoughts?"

"It's almost like filling the Great Hall with people at dinner time. There'll be much chattering - there usually is. But sometimes you can pick out one voice in particular. Imagine the Primary Cognitive Thoughts as one person, speaking loudly, and the Perceptual Thoughts as everyone else mumbling to each other."

"So Perceptual Thoughts are background noises."

"Precisely. They can get in the way unless you're able to focus on the Primary Cognitive Thoughts."

"So that's what makes mind reading difficult? Listening over the Perceptual Thoughts?"

Kezia smiled and shook her head. "Much, much more complex than even that, I'm afraid. Did you know that the mind never stops thinking? In reality, many people have several layers of Primary Cognitive Thoughts, especially when they're lying. On one hand, they'll be thinking of the lie, on another they'll be thinking about the truth, and furthermore, they'll be thinking about how convincing (or not) their story is, whether or not they're being believed, and so on."

Ana had never thought about that before. It made sense.

"In addition, there are the Involuntary Functioning Thoughts (that control the body), the Emotional Thoughts (that produce emotion), and a few others. You're already familiar with the Emotional Thoughts, as you've felt other people's emotions. This is largely connected to reading minds. In fact, I would say that it's the first step in the process, though the processes for mind reading and emotion reading are not that similar.

"Successful mind reading is like isolating the middle-most layer of an onion. But on the other hand, it's also as simple as riding a bicycle. Once you've practiced it and learned the skills, there will be nothing more I can teach you except the ethics," she said, holding up the little purple book.

And, as Ana found out, the bicycle simile was all too true. Kezia taught her all the things that could help her, such as deep breathing and closing her eyes. But when it came down to it, Ana could only write down one word in her scroll book. 'Listen.' Kezia compared it to musicians, being able to distinguish sharp and flat tones. "They know what they're listening for."

After an hour or so of lecture, Kezia opted for some practice. She instructed Professor Pyrre (since she was the only other one present who had a mind capable of being read) to pick an object in the room, and to concentrate on it. Placing her in the easy chair in front of Ana, she then told Ana to discover what the object is. It reminded Ana very much of the tests she had completed at the beginning of the year. Except that this time, she had a clue of what she was doing.

Sitting up straight, she took some slow, deep breaths. She stared at the professor, trying to forget all the ill feelings she had for her (for emotions blocked the psyche, as she had learned). Concentrating, she felt her mind both focus and let go at the same time, blurring her vision slightly as she began to hear some faint murmurs. Just as she was going to listen deeper, Kezia sneezed, breaking her concentration.

"Sorry," said Kezia sheepishly, shrinking under Ana's glance.

Ana turned back to the elderly Professor, eager to try again. 'Just listen,' she told her self ever and over again, until she felt her breathing slow, and her mind wander to where it was before. The murmur began, but they were so soft, Ana could hardly hear anything at all. She strained her own concentration until suddenly her body involuntarily inhaled in a short, jagged breath. Her concentration broke again, and she looked at Kezia questioningly.

"You forgot to breath," she smirked. "Quite literally. That'll happen at first, don't worry."

Ana rolled her bright blue eyes in annoyance as she turned back to Professor Pyrre. She sat back in her chair and let her head ease into the headrest. Willing herself to relax, she took special precautions in her breathing before she started. 'Credyn,' she whispered to herself. She almost felt as if she could have fallen asleep, had she not firmly willed herself not to. Then she began. She listened. Across the silence of the room, the murmurs began, almost too fast and slurred for Ana to grasp.

Ana nearly jumped back. It had only lasted a second or two (at most), but words echoed in her mind that were not her own. It was like a thousand different whispers, all jumbled up and spoken a rate which was hardly comprehensible.

"Goes fast, doesn't it?" smiled Kezia, her purple eyes gleaming with excitement.

Ana was still blinking. "You're joking. It's way too fast! I couldn't hardly understand any of it, though I think I head Professor Dumbledore's name, and maybe yours."

"Give it some practice," insisted Kezia. "Soon you'll be able to break it down into sentences... or I suppose mind phrases would be a better choice of words..."

Ana turned back to Professor Pyrre, who had regressed to her normal look of doubt. Swallowing her annoyance with a deep, concentrating breath, Ana glared Professor Pyrre in the eyes, and listened. The thoughts came much easier and louder than the first time.

Ana stopped reading her mind but continued to glare.

"Well?" asked Kezia eagerly.

Ana shifted uneasily, wondering if she should say what she thought she had heard. "I think she was thinking that she didn't think I would be able to do it..."

"Preposterous," sniffed Professor Pyrre haughtily. "I show nothing but support for the girl."

"Don't forget that I can read minds as well," Kezia reminded her before Ana could voice her rolling eyes. The elderly professor shifted uneasily but did not relent. "Did you pick up on what she was thinking up?"

Ana frowned. "I heard something repeating, but it was so fast... it sounded like el-oh-te-cup..." She shrugged and sat back in her chair. But Kezia's quiet snickers distracted her. "What are you laughing at?"

"Say it again," she prodded.

So Ana did, slower. "What-Are-You-"

"No, no," Kezia laughed openly. "The sound you heard."

"El-oh-te-cup."

"Again. Faster."

"Elohteup?" Ana frowned in confusion.

"Listen to yourself. Say it again."

"Elohteup. Elohteup. Eloh te up.... Eloh te up...-" Ana stopped short. In a flash she buried her face in her hands. "Yellow tea cup," she pronounced clearly (though muffled behind her hand-shield). Her laughing blue eyes peaked out. "I'm such a moron."

"By the time you've mastered mind reading," promised Kezia, "you will never have trouble understanding even the most incoherent mumblers."

* * * * *

Ana had great fun with her new found ability. No one could quite explain her sudden "talent" at chess, poker, or other logic games, though many had their suspicions. Though the majority of the students dismissed the rumors, it was very hard to forget the suggestion that a given person was a Guardian, especially when the person was a popular Gryffindor. Furthermore, Ana's bright blue eyes were hard to miss, even for a person who had never seen her with brown ones.

"What is it like?" Remus asked one day. It was a startling question, especially since there was no connection to Divinations in their current discourse. He and Ana were curled up on a newly transfigured settee in the Shrieking Shack, enjoying steaming cups of butterbeer they had smuggled from the kitchens.

"What is what like?"

"Reading people's minds," he replied simply, almost as if it were obvious.

"You know how quickly Jennalee White talks?" Jennalee White was a sixth year Hufflepuff who was the walking incarnation of the word 'loquacious.' Consequently, she found herself the victim of many, many muting charms.

Remus smirked. "Yes."

"It's listening to something a million times faster than her."

Remus made a face and let his head fall back to the cushion. "You're joking. And you can understand it?"

"I'm getting better," nodded Ana, taking a sip from her mug. It had been nearly two weeks since Kezia had given her the first lesson on mind reading. There was hardly a moment that went by where Ana didn't practice. She was beginning to break words down into 'mind phrases.' "I can beat Sirius at chess now," she said proudly.

Remus looked away, not responding. Despite the warmth of the butterbeer, Ana felt a chill run through her. She let him take his moment of silence as she stared into her drink quietly. But it was her who spoke next.

"Are you ever going to forgive him?" It wasn't a demanding question. On the contrary, it was quite sympathetic. "Don't you miss him?" It had been just shy of a month since the two had spoken in the Hospital Ward.

Remus just muttered under his breath. "I can't believe he did it."

"I know, Moony," Ana sighed as she took his empty mug and set it on the floor. His emotions wafted over her like the early morning fog, chilling and weighing down every happy thought that she had ever had. Slowly, the harshness of anger flared within him.

Her sigh fell on Remus's ears. "Are you patronizing me?" he asked sharply, giving her a glare the likes of which Ana had never seen. He pushed her legs off his lap and stood up. "Disagree with me, Ana, but don't patronize me!"

"I'm not!" Ana insisted, standing quickly.

"I don't blame you, of course," he said, his soft voice twisted in some unnatural sneer, "But of course, the rest want to move on. Forget it ever happened. Who's been talking to you? James?" He gave a short laugh as he mimicked his voice. "He made a mistake, Remus, can't you at least try to move on?"

"Remus..." Ana began, but trailed off.

"What? Go ahead, Ana, agree with them! Speak your mind! Nothing's stopped you before!"

Ana tried to go to him. A hand reached for his face, but he spun around and out of reach. She rolled her eyes and went back to the settee, collapsing onto it wearily. Silence filled the room again as Remus stood in the choppy light of the boarded-up windows. Slowly, Ana could feel his anger dying down, and the tired, lost feeling return. She gambled with a comment.

"I wasn't patronizing you, Moony." He continued to stare out the window. "Look at me," she urged, getting up, and forcing herself into his line of sight in the small gap between him and the window. His eyes fell to hers briefly, only to fall to the floor apologetically.

"They don't understand, Ana," he muttered with frustration. "They just don't get it. It's a disease... a disability... except worse... In trying to cheer me up about it, I think they've convinced themselves that it's not that bad. But, it is that bad, Ana!" His voice became tight and choppy in desperation. His bright hazel eyes returned to hers, on the brink of tears. "It's that bad...it really is..."

Despite herself, Ana could feel tears as well. She threw her arms around him, and held him as tightly as she could, not caring about comfort levels. "I know it is Remus," she whispered softly. "I'll never be able to know exactly what it's like, but stars help me, I can feel your pain. You have every right to be hurt and angry..."

He hugged her tighter, and pressed his head into her shoulder. Ana felt him shaking in her hold. "C'mon, let's sit down," she whispered, taking him to the settee. He never pulled his face from her shoulder as they sat. She closed her eyes, and ran her hand through his hair softly. She fought the temptation to read his mind, resulting in visions passing before her.

And realization dawned on Ana as she held the quaking figure in your arms. "You've always been so brave," she said, not hiding her awe. "You don't need to be brave now..."

He shook his head as he pulled back. He quickly wiped what had amounted to only a few tears off his face, and took a deep, but choppy, cleansing breath. "I'm sorry," he said quickly, trying to snap himself out of it. "I'm just so..."

"Angry?" offered Ana.

He looked at her steadily. "Tired."

Ana nodded and brushed a damp spot on his face with her hand. Bringing his head down, she kissed his forehead. She reached for his empty coffee mug and transfigured it into a box. Remus glanced at it in confusion and Ana tried (successfully) not to blush. "It was supposed to be a pillow."

At least she made him laugh, even though it was short and shuddered. He took out his wand and changed it. Ana threw it to the end of the settee, and stretched out. She pulled Remus down in front of her (-he had to balance, not to slide off, but she held him close to her, keeping him on). A while passed without any conversation, and Ana thought Moony had actually fallen asleep (he was facing away, so she couldn't see). But he spoke, waking her from her catnap.

"I do miss him..."

"I know," she yawned. "He misses you, too."

Another pause. "...he is sorry, then?"

Ana nodded into the back of his shoulder. There was no doubt in him being sorry.

"But, does he know what he did was wrong?"

Ana was about to speak, but stopped.

"You don't know?" asked Remus.

"No," replied Ana. "But I think he knows..."

Remus sat up slowly, as if waking up after a long sleep. He looked down at her. "Ana, I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything," she agreed.

"I want you to read his mind. I want to know if he understands. It's the only way I'll be able to forgive him."

* * * * *

As smart as Ana was, she didn't realize the stupidity of her agreement until she was practically at Sirius's side, later that week. Why Moony shouldn't be able to decide in person for himself whether Sirius truly understood, was beyond Ana, though she held the hypothesis that if he and Sirius were alone in the same room, Remus probably wouldn't have the first clue what to say. This aside, Ana quickly realized that in order for her to discover what Moony wanted, she wouldn't have to read his mind, she would have to search it - a task far more complex than simply "listening." In quick adaptation, Ana discovered that she would have to get Sirius talking about that night, which wouldn't be much easier.

She knew exactly where to find him. On the northern side of the property, just feet of the western-most tower of the quidditch stands, tottered a rickety old shack that Ana guessed was held together by more charms than it was worth. Sirius was delighted when Professor Dumbledore let him dedicate his detention hours to the dingy, unheated facility, and every chilly afternoon, he worked with the dedication of a parent on its chipped paint, dusty interior, and most importantly, the building's components.

Of course, it was the Broom Shed.

Ana suspected that being around brooms helped Sirius through the quidditch withdrawal, as Dumbledore had meant what he said when it came to his punishment. No quidditch until the fall term. She also suspected that Dumbledore's permission to work in the broom shed was a gift of sorts. It was clear that Dumbledore was highly disappointed in Sirius- even moreso than he was with Snape. So why "the gift" was in order, she could not guess, though she was certain it had nothing to do with the punishment being too harsh.

After crunching through the icy snow, Ana arrived at the broken door of the shed (which was to be painted on the first warm days of spring, she had been informed). Reaching out, she opened the creaky door only to find it silent and loose.

"You oiled the door!" she smiled to Sirius, who was balanced on a broom about a meter and a half off the ground.

"It needed oiling," he said through the screws that he clenched in his teeth. In his eyes was an excitement one should never have during detention hours. Taking a screw out of his mouth, he held it to the wall and reached for the screwdriver and a metal bracket that hovered next to him. He attached the bracket to the wall as he had done for five others down the line. By the pre-drilled holes, Ana suspected four more would go up after this one. Broom hangers, she realized with a small quiet laugh.

"And what, my dear Miss Anblick, are you laughing at?" he muttered, sounding silly with the screws in his mouth.

"You're definitely enjoying this too much!"

Sirius spit the screws out of his mouth to have them hover in front of him. Falling backwards, he skillfully dismounted from the broom excitedly. "You have got to see this!" he grinned as he ran to the little shop and repair tables at the other end of the shed. Coming back, he held square plates of wood in his hands, painted in bright colors. "Name plates!" he said excitedly.

Ana took them with a curious smile. "Roxy... Jezzie... Felicity..." she read the top name plates. She frowned. "I don't know any Roxy or Jezzie, or..."

"-I wouldn't think so. You haven't learned to fly yet!"

Ana blinked. It took her a moment to comprehend, but when she did, she sincerely wished she hadn't. "You named the brooms?" she laughed.

"Oh, absolutely!" he grinned.

Ana continued flipping through the name plates, muttering on how he had officially lost his sanity. "Carrie...Kira... Sirius, these are all girls' names."

"You're surprised?"

Ana didn't pause. "No," she smirked. Finally, she came to the last one. 'Crusher.' "What's this one?" she asked, holding up the plate.

"One wicked broom," he grimaced and smirked at the same time. "The cushioning charm wore off a while back, and so riding it can be pretty uncomfortable for guys. Hence the name, Crusher. Damn well crushed my-"

"-Oh!" Ana snorted before he could finish as she handed back the name plates. She looked around the room admirably. "You're really doing a wonderful job."

He grinned and thanked her. "Never enjoyed detention more in my life. But what's up then, Ana? Don't tell me you came to help."

"Depends on how you define, help," she muttered grimly. He gave her a studying look before she settled down on the bench on the shed wall. "I guess I just came to see how you were doing."

Sirius seemed to comprehend the change in her manner. "You came to check, or you came to check for Remus?" he asked quietly.

"Both," she said honestly. "Sirius, he wants to forgive you, he really does."

"Then what's holding him back?" he groaned as he turned back to his project, and mounted the hovering room once more.

Ana didn't even mind that he had turned his back on her. She actually appreciated it. "I guess," she started gently, "he's not entirely sure that you comprehend what you almost did."

"Like bloody hell I don't!" he snapped, turning his head to the side, but still having his back to her. "Snape was asking for it, you know. I gave him a taste of his money, I did..." Ana was busy relaxing her mind as she searched his thoughts. She could feel the tired anger settling over him, and his thoughts were clear in his mind. He was not lying. Sirius paused before continuing. "Since when are you Remus's messenger? I know you're his girlfriend, Ana, but still, I can't believe you let him talk you into this."

"Well, personally, Sirius, I can't believe you let Snape get under your skin like he did," she replied evenly.

He didn't reply, and Ana didn't push it. He attached a few brackets to the walls and Ana watched with half-interest. She continued to listen to his thoughts as he continued down the line of drilled holes in the wall, most of them dwelling on his fury towards Snape. She even felt a twist of laughter in his mind- a very odd and frightening sound- as he recalled the triumph he had felt when he had entered the Great Hall after confronting Snape. But something, she slowly realized, was missing. Something so important that it should not be missed, and Ana's heart sank at its absence.

"Sirius," Ana asked when he was nearly finished, and the anger she felt from him was dying down, "I know you were angry -and are still angry, I should say- with Snape, but... where does Remus play into all of this?"

"What do you mean?" he muttered as he fastened the last bracket to the wall. "This is all about Remus. This is about keeping him out of trouble, and-"

"Sirius," she sighed sadly, "this may have been about Remus in the beginning, and you may still convince yourself of that now... but I think we both know that you telling Snape to go into the Willow was more about Snape than it was about Remus."

"I've apologized!" he half shouted as he dismounted the broom and went to the barrel in the corner. "I have apologized to Dumbledore, Snape, Remus, hell... even you and only Merlin knows why to Lily, Peter and James. But I am sorry! What more do you people want from me!" He hung brooms hastily and angrily, staggering around the dim room as if there was a method to his madness. (In fact, as Ana read his mind, she could pick up on enough to realize that he did have a method, but she wasn't particularly interested at the time).

"We want you to understand, Sirius. Remus knows that you know that you let Snape confront a werewolf. But he's not sure, and now that I've talked to you, I agree, that you should rethink-"

"LOOK, Ana," he snapped as he turned to face her, but his face immediately became twisted in horror. "Your eyes... you've been reading my thoughts, haven't you?"

As Ana grew to appreciate her powers, she soon learned to despise her eyes. The bright blue gave away her secret knowledge, and would continue to do so until they became permanently blue in her early twenties. "It was the only way, Sirius," she replied simply, but the horror and betrayal in his eyes pierced her soundly. She lowered her bright blue eyes to the ground.

Sirius fought for words. "I can't believe you did that," he choked angrily as he leaned on the last broom in his hands. A small, astonished laugh escaped him as he turned and slammed the broom to its place on the wall.

"Please, Sirius," Ana said, standing in her defense. "I just wanted to help..."

He whirled around. "Stay out of my mind," was all he said as he stormed out of the shed into the darkening night.

* * * * *

Another day or so passed until Remus's birthday finally arrived. March, as it almost always did, came in like a lion, though Peter pointed out that it was more like the lion from "The Wizard of Oz:" truly a lion, but not far from a lamb. But the weather simply did not stop them (though Remus did try) from making the most of the unofficial birthday party in the drafty Shrieking Shack. Indeed, strip poker was the name of the game.

Lily, James, Peter and Remus sat on the ground around a low table, while Ana watched from Lily's side. The young True Seer had been exempt from the game for obvious reason, though she would occasionally give Lily a hinting cough or nudge in the side. Consequently, James was down to his socks and pants; Remus was grateful to have his pants; but poor Peter was nearly bought out of the game. The loss of his socks would leave him left only in his briefs. (The rule had officially been set that one did not have to take off one's undergarments. "No one wants to see you naked, Peter," grimaced James. Everyone laughed, including Peter, though Ana felt a momentary sadness pass through him). Lily was having a great time, sending James taunting glances as she accumulated articles upon articles of clothing.

"What do you have, then?" she called as she set her royal flush down on the table. James grudgingly threw his belt on the table as Peter whimpered and gave up his socks, neither showing their previously promising hand. Remus sighed as he set out his pair of tens. Having lost his good leather belt in a previous hand, he grudgingly (and shyly) stood, undid his khakis and carefully stepped out of them, exposing his dark green boxers. Ana raised an eyebrow as she watched. She had never seen him without pants on, and was completely shocked. - Not by anything that a normal teenaged girl would be shocked by, but rather, by the dark white and purple ovular ring around the midsection of his right thigh. It was a scar.

Remus folded his pants delicately and handed them to Ana. "Take care of these for me- they're my good pants."

But Ana was still gazing in wonder. Lily did so as well, but James and Peter looked away. It was nothing they hadn't seen before, and if given the chance, nothing they would want to view freely. Nor would Sirius, who was not in attendance (though it was never said whether he would or would not be welcome).

Remus sat back down quickly under the weight of the stares.

Lily glanced at the pants in Ana's hands. "If you want them back, Remus, I'd understand," she said quietly.

Remus shook his head, but never got a chance to answer. Peter, breaking the ice, inquired, "Can I have my pants back, too?"

Lily smirked. "Sure, why not. I've got the lot of you beat anyway."

"No thanks to Ana," grumbled James not-so-quietly under his breath. Ana playfully threw a shoe at him.

Everyone (meaning, the boys) stood and started redressing. When all the clothes had been properly handed back, Lily went over to the knapsacks they had brought along and searched for her gift. Ana went and sat on the low table near Remus's side. He noticed her, but didn't say anything as he pulled a few layers of shirts over his head.

"That's the bite, isn't it?" asked Ana. The rest of Remus's scars were hardly noticeable, but this one looked as if no charm could ever hide it. James and Peter looked up briefly before collecting their clothes, and moving away to give them some privacy.

"Yes," he answered quietly. Ana knew it was his birthday, but she couldn't help asking. "Why is it still there? Doesn't it heal itself?"

He shook his head. "No, but I could have it removed if I wanted to. But the law says that if I do that, then I'd have to wear dogtags for the rest of my life."

Ana frowned at the sickening discrimination. She handed him his socks and shoes blindly, still studying the old, angry wound. She knew she was staring. It was similar to her transfiguration classes- she would always know that she was falling asleep, but she could never do anything to avoid it. Thinking about it just made it blessedly worse, like being wrapped in a warm blanket, straight from the drier...

She stared at the scar, not even aware that as she did so, her eyes were filled with such an unnatural color that Remus stopped dressing and was watching her carefully. She may or may not have heard him call her name; she would look back on the situation and agree that it may have been a figment of her imagination. Everything around her fogged out as she became lost in the shape of the scar, the stories in its lines, the pain in its wounds...

And the visions passed before her. She could hear the same words as she heard in the Shrieking Shack, nearly two months prior, but this time, it was accompanied by visual scenes...

Suddenly, like turning back an old record, the vision slowed, and sped backwards. She saw the events that led to the doctor's visit... the parents' concern... the doom of a young innocent child. She saw what she had always both wanted to know and dreaded seeing...

She saw the bite.

"Ana?" As simple as waking from a daydream, Ana snapped back to attention to see Remus kneeling in front of her, staring at her with concern. "Ana? Are you all right?" he asked again. The rest stood not far behind, lost somewhere between discomfort and worry.

Her mind was still whirling. She looked at him dizzily, fighting for words. She nearly had to force herself to breath under the weight of the visions that venomously filled (and continued to fill) her mind with years of tortures.

Lily blessedly interrupted, sensing the unease in the room. "Why don't we open gifts!" she asked with cheerful hurry. Remus glanced at Ana, who, though looking more ill than he had ever seen her, nodded vigorously. As he continued to look unsure, Lily nudged James solidly in the side.

He immediately jumped to attention. "Yes, Remus! Get your pants on and let's go!" James was just as excited to transform as to give Remus his gift.

"Me first!" insisted Lily, as she pulled a rectangular box out of her knapsack. It was covered in what had become her trademark wrapping paper: black with twinkling stars, charmed to look like the clearest and brightest of nights. The bow shone brightly with the charmed light of the moon.

Remus always smiled at her wrapping paper (though her gifts in the past had proven to be rather shocking). Sending a quick glance to Ana (who smiled weakly back at him), he stood, pulled on his pants, and took the gift humbly. He tore neatly at the taped edges and pulled out the box, thanking Lily that she had bypassed her notorious binding charms. Opening the brown box carefully (-perhaps apprehensively), he peered in, and gasped. He tore the cover all the way off, and pulled out the beautiful navy sweater. It was clearly hand made.

"Lily! Did you make this?" he asked in awe.

"Yes!" she insisted. James coughed conspicuously. She gave him a look before continuing, "Well, mostly, anyway..."

"She charmed her knitting needles to knit non-stop."

Remus just laughed as he ran his hand over the sweater and grinned. "It's beautiful, Lily! Thank you!" To be quite honest, it would immediately become one of Remus's nicest articles of clothing, save the suit his mother had bought him for the Yule Ball.

Lily blushed, but James didn't give her time to revel in her glory. "Okay! My turn!" he insisted, jumping up with the excitement he only displayed after quidditch matches. "Okay, now as you know, Remus, us 'gentlemen' have been preparing something extra special for you. We've been working on it for years, and I think we're finally ready."

Remus couldn't help but grin and shake his head. He already knew what was coming. "Animagi," he laughed. "I can't believe you became animagi..."

"Quite right, good sir!" noted James triumphantly. "Now, we already know about Sirius-"

"-A dog!" prompted Peter, trying to sound important.

"Yes, well," muttered James, trying to hurry past the subject of their absent friend, "Now it's time for Peter and I to show our animal selves!" Lily opened her mouth to say something, but James gave her a grin. "I walked right into about twenty jokes, didn't I?" She just giggled and nodded. "Well, who has bets on what we're going to be?"

"James is definitely a bird of some sort," insisted Lily. "The way he flies..."

"I don't know, Lily," shrugged Remus, "He also has a tendency to crash into the ground..."

"-I do not!"

"...towers, trees, other players, random flying animals..." continued Remus. "Maybe he'll be an ostrich. Their brain is smaller than their eyeball, you know, and don't fly very well, do they."

James mumbled something under his breath and Peter laughed. "What about me then?" asked Peter.

"A teddy bear!" sighed Lily lovingly.

"Yes," smirked Remus, "A nice, soft, cuddly grizzly bear with adorable razor-sharp teeth and claws ready to rip to shreds anyone who..."

"He wouldn't, though!" she laughed. Remus shrugged.

"Okay, the bets are cast! I'll go first!" announced James.

Everyone became very silent (and nervous) as they realized that one false move could prove catastrophic. But after literally three minutes of mumbling a charm under his breath and moving his wand in intricate wand movements, James's body melted into that of -"

"BAMBI!" exclaimed Lily, jumping up. The deer gave her an annoyed look. Peter and Remus stood as well, choking laughter and excitement as they circled him, making sure that no ear, hoof or horn was left human. But before them stood a flawless, beautiful stag. After a few minutes of excitement, James turned back, and grinned.

"Ha! I'll show you the next full moon who has a pea-sized brain!"

Remus just smirked and shook his head. Stepping up, he embraced James like a brother. Lily, making a girly noise of adoration, stepped in and made it a group hug (until James rolled his eyes and broke it off).

"Okay, okay!" he laughed. "Let's let Peter give it a go!"

Peter smiled nervously.

"You'll be fine, Pete. Just like we practiced," insisted James.

Peter nodded, and took a deep breath. His words were less pronounced than James, his wand movements more choppy, and he spoke almost almost as if his spell was a question. But in the end, he triumphantly transfigured himself into that of a mighty rodent.

"A rat..." laughed Lily nervously as she moved to stand behind James.

Remus knelt down and looked at his friend thoughtfully. "You realize," he said to James over his shoulder, "that our dear little friend here will find more secret rooms in Hogwarts than we ever dreamed possible?"

"That, and really scare the nerves out of Lily," he nodded.

With that, Peter gave a triumphant 'squeak!' and charged towards Lily. She shrieked and skirted across the room and jumped onto the table.

"PETER! I swear I'll kick your little rat ass across the room!" she cried, her voice trying to sound threatening.

"She likes spiders, centipedes, scorpions, snakes and all," commented James to Remus as he watched Lily crawl around on the table, and peer around for Peter (who had taken refuge underneath), "but she just can't handle rats."

Remus nodded. "It's the same with Ana, only it's water...." But he had to stop. He spun around, sending a searching glance over the room. "Where is Ana?"

To the amazement of all, she was nowhere to be seen.

* * * * *

Sirius sat on his bed in the empty dormitory, flipping through a page of The Pitch, the leading worldwide quidditch magazine. It seemed that his team was always in last place, but he loved them anyway. No team could be named the "Shetland Chitlins" and not be overwhelmingly cool. He loved Minor League quidditch. He figured, realistically, that it would be all he was cut out for, if that.

He had been expecting a nice, quiet evening. The lot was out at the Shrieking Shack, and he finally had the peace and quiet to do his Potions homework (which was exactly why he had his quidditch magazines spread across his bed). Part of him wished Remus would bring him a piece of the french pastry his grandmother had sent and join him in his "studying," but he knew that wasn't going to happen.

What he did not expect was a half-conscious Ana Anblick to come floating unsteadily in his room, like a corpse on puppet strings. Even though he had not quite forgiven her, he stood quickly.

"Ana? Are you okay?" There was no color in her face except her eerie blue eyes. She was clearly not well.

"Sit down," she whispered. She rubbed her forehead therapeutically.

Sirius stepped towards her. "Ana, what's wrong?"

"Sit!" she hissed. It wasn't angry, or frantic. In fact, Sirius couldn't put an emotion to it, other than demanding. He stepped back, and sank to his bed slowly, never taking his eyes off her. The hair closest to her skull was damp with sweat, plastering it down. And her eyes... It was like something out of a nightmare. For the first time in his life, Sirius openly felt creeped out by the girl he considered his sister.

Slowly, almost floating, Ana found her way to his side. She turned to look directly in to his eyes. He felt a chill pass through him as he noticed that she was not blinking.

"Ana," he whispered, as it was all he could manage, "what is going on?"

Her head tilted slightly to one side. And she shivered suddenly. "I- I have to show you..."

"Show me what?" he asked, wondering where his wand was, and if he would need it.

"-I don't kn-now how..." she shuddered. Sirius was about to question her further when she suddenly pressed both her hands to her head firmly. She bent over and cried out slightly as she rocked, clearly in pain. As suddenly as it started, it stopped, and her eyes focused on something behind him. He turned to examine the focus of her attention, only to find a blank wall.

"Ana? What are you looking at?" She didn't seem to be listening, as sad and loving eyes stared at something that he could definitely not see. Smiling and gazing as if she was seeing a long lost friend, she nodded.

"Okay, but only if you help me," she whispered to the nothingness. Sirius stood to tear across the castle for Madame Pomphrey when he felt something grab his shoulder. Ana pulled him back to the bed, and gazed at him with steady, calm eyes. "You have to know," she shrugged as her face turned from one of emptiness to twisted pain. With a convulsive twist of her body and a flash in her already glowing eyes, visions entered Sirius's mind, as everything else went black...

In the very early morning hours, the six guardians stood on the balconies of LeBab tower, gazing at what dim stars were left before dawn took complete control of the skies. Michael and David were walking around the circular tower, taking notes on clipboards while Vespera stared vacantly at one particular place in the sky. Tomas spoke quietly with a few centaurs who were present, and Kasek gazed at the ground, his gleaming silver eyes lost in thought or vision (few could tell the difference with him).

It was Kezia who moved quickly and frantically. Though all the stars were well in their place, and all seemed in order, something within her twisted and flamed. Frustrated, she turned to Vespera, who almost seemed disinterested in her task. "Do you see nothing?" she asked.

"Should I?" replied the black-eyed Guardian vaguely, never removing her gaze from the sky.

"Something's wrong," muttered Kezia irritably.

"You're being paranoid."

"She's not," answered Kasek, who still appeared deep in thought. "There's great warning tonight."

All eyes turned to face him in surprise. He had not spoken all evening.

"It's not a worldly power," added Kezia, "or a natural disaster..." Her voice trailed off as all eyes turned back to the sky. One lone centaur moved around slowly, gathering empty glasses of tea and wine, and placing them onto the silver tray it carried. It stepped off the balcony, back into the hall, leaving only the quiet sounds of her hoofs upon the white marble walkway. Suddenly, her voice shrieked from within, echoing loudly off of the tall, open tower.

"Rynne ce Devya! Rynne ce Devya!"

Six heads turned from the balcony. Kezia was the first to enter the room. A large altar above the grand door way was lined with six large, glowing candles: one silver, one green, one brown, one hazel, one black, and one purple, all glowing around a message, that when translated, read, "The Stars Keep thee in Their Care, Good Guardians." At the end of the row of candles sat a smaller, simpler candle in a shade of deep blue. Smoke rose from the extinguished wick.

"Ana!" gasped Kezia.

"Another attack?" asked Michael, horrified.

"Can't be! Surely we would have been warned!" insisted David.

"She's at Hogwarts," said Kasek calmly, his eyes still unfocused.

Kezia ran for the door as if the wind of the stars carried her.

* * * * *

When Remus and rest had failed to find Ana anywhere in the shack, they immediately returned to the castle and split up. Peter went to the library and the H-Wing, James to the Divinations Tower, Lily to the Great Hall and Kitchens, and Remus to the dormitories. The girls had told him that she hadn't been in her room all evening, so on a whim, and for lack of better guesses, he lept up the stairway to his own room. Throwing open the door, he saw Ana and Sirius laying limply on Sirius's bed. If they hadn't been fully clothed and with their legs hanging over the edge of the bed, he would have been greatly upset.

Frowning, he stepped up to them and shook Ana's leg gently. "Ana?"

No response.

He did the same to Sirius, and again, nothing happened. Frantically, he looked around the room for something to help him. Finding nothing, he sped for the doorway, prepared to run for assistance from the Common Room. But blocking his way stood a very winded Kezia Dopelle.

* * * * *

Snape looked at Ana, who watched him with big, over-innocent eyes. "Yes! Surely you will not stand for such an interruption!"

The professor looked around the room quickly. "What interruption?" she asked in confusion.

Snape glared at the professor and the class openly. "Singing?" The class exchanged nervous glances.

"Mr. Snape, no one has been singing in this classroom! Now I don't want to hear another word unless it has to do with your presentation."

Snape took another glance at Ana before he turned back to the chalkboard in perplexity. It took him a moment to find his spot. "... the other stars, forming the body of the dragon..."

Remus was just as confused as the rest of the class. He looked over at Ana, who was looking as amused as ever. He got her attention only briefly, in the form of a dangerously excited smile.

And just as Snape was about to give the mythological history of his constellation, the voice rang through his mind again.

He dropped his piece of chalk as he spun around. He glared at Ana and almost spoke until he caught Professor Sinistra marking something disapproving on her clipboard. He quickly turned back.

"...after Cadmus slayed the dragon, it is said that Athena came before him..."

But Ana couldn't resist. "I NEVER UNDERSTOOD A SINGLE WORD HE SAID..."

The class saw Snape's shoulders set, but he did not turn around.

The handwriting on the board was becoming increasingly sloppier as he began to speak louder over the noise that only he could hear.

It was only as soon as Ana started the chorus, that he snapped.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" exclaimed Snape with hysteric fury as he reached for his wand. "ANBLICK, I SWEAR, ONE MORE WORD OUT OF YOU..."

Remus was instinctively on his feet, but was unnoticed as Professor Sinistra stood, and easily disarmed Snape. "Mr. Snape!" she bellowed, "What is the meaning of this!"

"Anblick!" he cried out. "It's all her! She's using her powers to sing in my mind!"

Professor looked at Ana dubiously and then back to Snape. "What?" she spat, taken back by the randomness of his claims.

"That 'Joy to the World' song! You know!" And to the horror and amusement of everyone in the classroom, Severus Snape began to sing. "Jeremiah was a bullfrog! He was a good friend of mine. I never understood a single word he said, but I helped him drink his wine..."

"Mr. Snape, please do desist," sighed the tired professor over the chortles of the students. She turned to Ana, who was sitting with innocent silence. But as Remus had noted for a while, Ana was well given away. Professor Sinistra realized it, too."

"Miss Anblick! What has gotten into you!"

"What!" gasped Ana, well acting out her surprise at such a shocking claim. "Professor I would never-"

"Your eyes, Miss Anblick. They are blue. That freaky blue that the entire faculty was warned about." Ana's eyes shut tightly as she made a quiet noise of being trapped. "Ten points from Gryffindor," muttered the astronomy professor. "That's all for tonight. We'll finish up on Monday."

The class got up in relief and excitedly piled out the exit. Remus remained in his seat, smirking at Ana who was just smirked back at him, laughing silently. Ana didn't even see Snape step between them, blocking him from view.

He grinned in supreme satisfaction. "The eyes are creepy, aren't they?" he chuckled (though darkly), as he exited the tower after the rest of the students, smiling as if he had just had a second Christmas.

After he had left, Ana stood and bowed at the completion of her performance. Remus just snickered and kissed her forehead.

"You're having way to much fun with your powers."

"My dear Moony," she laughed airily as she took his arm formally, "I regret to inform you that what you have just witnessed is only the beginning."

* * * * *

Several executives in business robes crowded in Crouch's headquarter office. Pouring themselves glasses of wine, they shook hands and congratulated themselves on the great work they had completed on a recent Guardian incident in Panama City.

"To us!" exclaimed Crouch as he raised his glass high in the air. Many people followed his lead, smiling. "...the protectors of choice and human freedom! May our eyes be as good as our friends at LeBab hope theirs are!"

Chants of "Here, here!" and "Cheers!" echoed through the room. Many moved to shake Crouch's hand, complimenting him on his good work. From across the room, one of the attendees called out.

"What's next on the roster, Chief?"

The room quieted to hear Crouch's answer. He pointed to a drawer in a filing cabinet on the left side of his office. "I have a whole drawer full of Seer activity in Bohemia. I think we have our work cut out for us there."

A person in proximity to the cabinet looked towards it curiously. The drawer in the very top corner caught her attention.

"Ana Anblick? You have a drawer on that girl at Hogwarts?"

"Oh yes," grinned Crouch.

"But why?" she asked. "You said she tested negative!"

"And so she did. But apparently, she really is a True Seer! Could be the completion of the Circle, too!"

Gasps filled the room. A few people dropped their wine glasses. Every eye in the room, save for Crouch's glazed over.

"Well... Forget Bohemia!" breathed an elderly gentleman, "We need to address this immediately! We need to counsel the girl, get her set straight and we need-"

"We are not going to do a bloody thing!" grinned Crouch. The room glared in horror and amazement.

"Is this some sort of joke?" one person questioned.

He shook his head. "Oh, I need you to trust me. I have her right where I want her. Ana Anblick will never join the Circle of Sight, and if you lend me your ears, I'll tell you why...."

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