Domino One

Chapter Fourteen

"Possibilities at Shinar"

"Have you seen it with your eyes,

Infinite above the skies,

That founds what man desires most

By reaching towards the heavenly host?

Righteous in its glorious cry

To reach the realm of the Most High."

"Want some pumpkin juice?"

"No."

"Cheese danish?"

"No, thanks."

"Butter beer?"

"No."

Lily blinked in thought. "Hot sex?" she offered.

Remus smirked, "Not particularly."

"Damn right you don't!" frowned James, putting a protective arm around Lily.

"Some other time, maybe," Remus shrugged, sending Lily a wink. Everyone was relieved at the joke. Remus had been far from himself for the week after the dream. Ana was still out of sight, but never out of mind.

"But there must be something we can do to cheer you up!" cried Peter. "C'mon! Professor Pyrre is leaving! This is a celebration!"

It was true. Professor Pyrre made a very melodramatic speech that day that she was going to take what she deemed an "early" retirement. Sirius personally mentioned to anyone who would listen that had she retired twenty years ago, it still wouldn't be considered "early." Regardless, the whole school was game for celebrating, though within the confines of their own dormitories.

Yet, Remus was in no mood for celebrating. For between the attitudes of Ana and his best friends, he was beginning to feel the strain of his missing girlfriend.

"At least have a chocolate frog, or something..." begged Sirius. "This is the happiest day of your life!"

"It is?"

"Yes. Trust me. Now eat the damn frog." Sirius threw a package at his friend who caught it, sighed, and opened the chocolate amphibian.

Amphibian. He sighed. Ana was a frog once. One particularly inconvenient time... but regardless...

Peter observed him as he sat on his trunk, downing a few Cornish pixie sticks. "Remus, why don't you just go to her."

"It's not that easy, Peter," answered James as he gave Peter a very firm look. "She'll probably be too busy or occupied, or whatever it is that she does."

Remus didn't even look at James as he answered Peter. "And what would I do? Offer her a butter beer? Congratulate her on saving Professor Pyrre's life?"

"Give her chocolate. Girls like chocolate better," insisted Sirius, earning him a wary look from James.

"I think you should just let her be," shrugged James.

"And I think you all are quite pathetic!" snorted Lily. "Remus, if you want Ana's attention, here's what you do..."

It was a stupid plan. Of all the things that Remus had done throughout the years, including some of the Marauders' worst pranks, this had to be the dumbest. He certainly would have expected an idea of this caliber to come from Sirius's twisted mind, but Lily... "Head Girl Lily"... "Head Girl and James's Girlfriend Lily"..... this certainly was crazy. And it was only because of his respect for Lily's intelligence that he listened to her. That, and he liked the plan.

Stealthily, he peaked around the corner of a main level corridor pillar, able to just see out the front windows to the small crowd that had gathered to wish Professor Pyrre blessings and farewells. Ana was among them, standing now at equal height with Kezia Dopelle in size, grace and maturity. Remus noticed the similarities in their smiles and the way they spoke, though they looked completely different. Yet the similarities remained that he wished he could put his finger on...

He waited for nearly a half an hour until Ana came out of the sunny fall afternoon into the dim corridors. She ascended the main stairway with a few other students without noticing him. He was not surprised; he had counted on her doing so.

Swiftly and smoothly, he followed behind her. Most people turned off towards their dormitories, but Ana looked as if she was heading toward her Divinations tower. He was glad; he had counted on this, too.

He followed at a distance in the curving corridors, walking as silently as only a dark creature could. With ease, he gained on her, and remained within reaching distance for some time. Ahead in the hall way, he saw his destination, and as they approached it, Remus replayed how his plan would work in his head. With the destination growing closer, he moved just one step closer to Ana, ready to grab her. And just as he was about to do it, Ana spoke up.

"Do you realize that you're trying to sneak up on a True Seer?" Her voice was full of amusement as she turned around and smirked at him, her eyebrow raised in a very mischievous fashion.

He groaned and glowered at her as she held her position in the hallway, looking at him with her characteristic expression. He had missed that look. "Well, maybe I wanted you to know I was coming!" he insisted, refusing failure.

"In that case, you won about twenty minutes ago," she laughed, sending him a very intriguing look over her shoulder as she turned to continue down the corridor.

A wave of panic flushed through him as he stared directly at his destination. Reaching out with slick reflexes, he grabbed Ana's wrist and pulled her back to him, wrapping an arm around her as she toppled back, and he guided her into his destination, closing the door behind him.

He could feel her shaking with silent laughter as relaxed in his arm. "Moony, its pitch black in here." Not saying a word, three bright blue flames sprang into his hands, illuminating the room in a soft seawater light that illuminated Ana's skin in a silver shade and made her sapphire eyes gleam with the depth of the early evening sky. She was smiling at him as she pointed out what was most obvious.

"Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Are you aware that we are in a broom closet?"

Like he said. Lily was a genius.

"Uh huh," he said distantly as he brushed his nose against her, bringing his lips dangerously close to hers. For a moment they froze there, their eyes half shut as they rested in each others' arms, toying with each others' emotions as they lingered just inches from a kiss. But there came a point when Remus remembered what this was like, for it had been a while. Slowly, he fell back into the memories and let his lips caress hers. With a flick of his wrist, the blue flames were gone, leaving them in darkness as he raised his hand to the side of her face, tucking her hair back as he kissed her, bringing himself back to the time they had been together. It would be two years, that December. But he could still remember those first electrifying kisses at the Yule Ball.

Yet as he kissed her, an odd feeling washed through him. It was not love. It was not need. She was kissing him back, but her hands remained at her side. Her heart did not speed up, nor could he feel her smile as she always did when he kissed her. The feeling was anger. So he broke off the kiss, still lingering just a pause from her lips. He waited for her for several moments to kiss him back, but he grew impatient before she could act.

Sighing, he tucked her hair behind her ears. "Where are you?" he asked her quietly. He rested his forehead on hers as he viewed her in the darkness.

She laughed a silly laugh at a silly question. "Right here, Moony. You're running your hands through my hair!"

He closed his eyes, matching the blackness of the broom closet with his closed eyelids. He knew that he was hurting, but it seemed so far behind everything else. "Where's the old you? Where did my Ana go?"

Ana hesitated for a moment - a very brief moment - but everything is noticeable when all you can do is hear. "I'm still here, Remus," she insisted. "I'm just busy... distracted..."

"Avoiding," he replied simply.

She did not respond. Slowly, he reached out and started playing with her hair again. But she shook him off, opened the broom closet door and stepped out into the corridor.

Remus followed quickly, pursuing her as she headed toward her Divinations Tower. He caught up with her easily. Grabbing her wrist, he spun her around and held her by the shoulders. Suppressing his rage and hurt, he glared at her with soft, pleading eyes.

"Ana, please talk to me. What is going on with you? Why are you abandoning your friends like this?" He ignored her rolling her eyes. She always did that when what he said was true, but she didn't want to admit it. "Why are you doing this to me?" he added, his voice shaking slightly. "Don't you know I love you?"

Furiously, she shook out of his hold and ran down the corridor, but he followed her again.

"Credyn," she said frantically as she reached the portrait, but Remus was right behind her and followed her into the room. She glared at him. "Remus, I really have work to do..."

"It can wait!" he insisted.

"No," she said with wearing patience as she stood by the open portrait, "it can't. Please leave."

"ANA," he nearly shouted, "I LOVE YOU! Don't you hear me?" Her shoulders tensed as she glanced away. Remus could not have even comprehended how his words wounded her. "Does that hurt you?" he asked, stepping towards her. "Talk to me." Taking his hand, he gently brushed her chin upwards so that he could look in her eyes. It was only a brief look, because as soon as he viewed the bright blue irises, Ana backed away. He reached out, but she dodged him and moved to the other side of the room.

"You're frightened of me?" he asked, now truly hurt. But Ana did not respond. She looked confused as she folded her arms across her chest. But she did not respond, even once.

And Remus could only think one thing, for it was it instinct to only think in such a way. "The wolf has finally gotten to you, then?" he asked, backing off himself with small, blind steps. Ana's eyes widened as she looked up urgently. But his mind was made up. With a snort, he turned, and in a very composed manner, walked out of the room before Ana could say anything more.

There was not one quiet soul on the face of the planet. In Ana's dreams, she saw many things. Hogwarts was a castle of shadows in her visions, and the only light she saw came from one person. It was James. Or someone who looked like James, but had dazzlingly green eyes and a scar across his forehead. And all that Ana knew was that his light would be the only light in the time of darkness, and the darkness would become so deep, that it would nearly swallow the light. This she saw time after time, but never saw anything promising; she always woke up to find herself in a time when the darkness had not completely conquered.

She wondered what was worse, living in the darkness or knowing that the darkness would come.

It amazed her, though, as she opened her eyes to see the sunrise in the far east. It had hardly cleared the horizon entirely, giving the world a soft, reassuring golden glow that blanketed the hills and the treetops, the pastures of Hogwarts, and even Ana, warm in her bed. 'The darkness is not here yet,' she reminded herself as she heard the snores of some of the girls in the room with her, exploring peaceful dreams and relishing the opportunity to sleep longer than usual. Saturdays were still a joy, even to Ana, though she had no wish to drift into her dreams any longer. But she did lay very still in the silent, golden dawn, and enjoy the peace and quiet for as long as she could.

But that wasn't long at all.

"Wake up, Ana."

The voice was soft in her head, hardly more than a whisper. It was Kezia.

"I'm awake," she spoke back to Kezia, though she imagined she sounded tired, even in her mind. She had found her psyche nearby, at Hogwarts. "What are you doing here so early?"

"Get dressed, and come down to the front gates. And dress warm, if you know what's good for you."

Such a meeting place could only mean one thing, and Ana knew so. Jumping out of bed, she showered and applied make-up in record time. Thanking the stars for magic, she was ready in twenty minutes, winter cloak and all. Racing through the barren hallways, Ana descended staircase after staircase until she arrived at the front door. Dumbledore met her there. Ana slowed to speak with him, but the only thing he did was hold the door open for her. "Enjoy yourself," he said, almost as if it was something to be commanded. Ana just smiled broader as she sailed passed him and down the marble stairs.

The golden hues of the morning were quite the mask for the bitter cold that cut through her winter cloak. She could see Kezia waiting for her at the iron gates, the morning painting her normally silver winter cloak into the colors of dawn. But Kezia's smile was bright enough for her to see from a distance, even if an icy cloud hid it as she breathed. Ana could hardly keep from running.

"You ready?" Kezia asked upon her arrival.

Ana nodded, her eyes watering from the whipping cold wind that rushed passed her eyes as she ran. "Show me the way."

Extending a slender hand, wrapped in a silken navy-purple glove, Kezia handed Ana a piece of paper. "Whenever you're ready." At that, Kezia stepped through the gates and disapparated before Ana's eyes.

Perhaps it was because Ana never ventured as far as the gates of the castle grounds, but as she stood along the edge of the iron curtain, she realized that she was inches away from complete freedom. She glanced back at Hogwarts, her beloved prison and protection and then to the golden pastures beyond the gates and drew a deep breath as she stepped passed the wards. The feeling was incredible. It was as if she had grown up in one step. She imagined what it would be like to walk to Hogsmeade, hardly a ten minute walk down the path. She imagined what it would be like to roam the slopes before her. She imagined what it would be like to return to the castle, where she would be safe. But as her eyes drifted to the pearly parchment in her hand, Ana imagined what she was about to see with wonder and excitement.

Boldly, she took a few more steps out onto the Castle road and unfolded the paper in her hands. The coordinates were clearly marked, with several stops as it appeared to be some distance away. (Ana figured Kezia did not want to take any chances with getting lost) One stop was in Scandinavia. The other was in the Middle East. The final stop was She took a deep breath as she concentrated on what she had learned from the summer. It was in the east - the Far East.

'India?' she nearly choked on her laughter. She had spent the years accepting her protection within the eye of Dumbledore, never stopping to imagine for one second that she could go anywhere, let alone India.

Smiling to herself, she disapparated to the first coordinates to find herself in the middle of a snow-covered field, surrounded by silent, echoing mountains. Taking a moment to compose herself, she disapparated once more to find herself in the middle of a bright, rocky desert. The heat was stifling under her winter cloaks, sending her quickly disapparating once more to her final destination. She had seen Scandinavia and the desert- two places she had never seen before. But as she opened her eyes, stunned by the blasting frigid air that surrounded her, nothing - not all the preparations in the world, not all the stories from her father herself, not pictures, not visions, not dreams - could have prepared for her for what she saw before her.

LeBab Tower, in all its wild splendor, rose among the blizzard that both it and she rested in with countless white towers of marble, ice, glass and crystal that sparkled with such radiance that no one had ever dreamed was possible, even in the light of the afterlife. Ana did not even acknowledge the snow in which she was sitting or the sub-zero temperatures that were chilling her beyond the powers of her cloak. Gazing around her from the impossibly tall mountain, she spun, tearing her eyes away from the glittering fortress before her to see the tips of the worlds highest mountains far below her, paying homage to the steeple on which she and LeBab stood; a mighty snow covered rock, untouched by the hands of the world. And LeBab, with its countless, asymmetrical but uniquely balanced design, stood ominous and watchful, as if it - the very structure - could determine who or what could pass through the entrance, which Kezia waited by, with powerful eyes. She stood firmly against the frigid towers, looking more magical than she had ever seen her. It seemed to Ana that the whole world had changed. And perhaps it had.

Kezia approached her gracefully, helping Ana out of her kneeling position and toward the translucent, white doors that glittered with the light of what lie on the other side. "Welcome to LeBab Tower," she whispered as she reached for a white cord of braided unicorn tails, which hung before the gates. Pulling it, a sweet chime filled Ana's ears that cheered her down to the darkest thought that had ever crossed her memory. It was almost as if she couldn't be upset, even if she wanted to be.

Two shapes could be seen moving through the doors, and Ana knew before they arrived that they were centaurs. Ana ran her hand along the slick, cold door. "Ice?" she asked, almost afraid to touch the surface.

Kezia smiled without looking at her as the two gates were opened. "Diamond," she said off handedly as the Centaurs bowed before them.

"Pontux Sabr, sabzen mêtri her," they said in unison.

"Stars be kind to you, too, Vasna and Tristyn," replied Kezia, removing her gloves, scarf and coat.

Ana was not startled by the sudden warmth of the room, or by the Centaurs, or by the spoken Centaur, but by the great hall that lay before her. Everything was white- everything. It was starting to see the towering columns that lay before her of polished marble blended seamlessly with twisting and swirling silver and crystal layers. High above her there was no ceiling- just pillars stretching and twisting upwards towards the heavens. Looking through the ceiling of the great entranceway lay a better view of the main tower of Lebab.

"How do you keep this place warm- no windows, no ceiling in the hall... And how do you keep this place a secret???" she asked, vaguely aware that she was handing her cloak and accessories to the waiting centaur. She was wearing some of her best robes, but she felt out of place, staring at the bright palace around her.

"All charms, Ana," replied Kezia, smiling. "Some of them haven't even been discovered yet- namely the one that keeps this palace secret. That one won't be discovered for another millennia or so..." She monitored the confusion on Ana's face, and let her through the great hall as she explained. "The last time the Circle of Sight was completed was in the Dark Ages. During this time, the Guardians built this palace as a safe haven from their opposition, namely the dark wizard of the time. They knew that they needed a place far from civilization, and with powerful protective spells. As there weren't any spells quite so powerful at that time, they combined their powers to look far into the future, and to barrow the spells from that time. There has never been anyone who has come close to defeating these spells, as no one knows they exist. If a muggle tries to climb this mountain, a fatigue will come over them, forcing them to turn back. If a wizard who is not a Seer tries to come here, they will see nothing. They will be able to walk unknowingly through the castle walls, and never see nor feel a thing."

Ana listened, fascinated, as she looked at the balconies on either side of her. "Do you live here? India?"

"Nepal, and no," smiled Kezia. "We each live in the place of our choosing. Most of us tend to live in Muggle areas, where the people are less likely to bother us. Some of the same charms that protect this castle protect our homes. Our homes could never be found by any magic to date, and as long as we don't draw attention to ourselves, we all live extremely safe lives."

"Where do you live, then?"

"I live in Finland, not far from the Soviet Border.

Ana thought, truly puzzled, as the visions of the cottage on the sea that Crouch had promised her returned to her. She could see herself living there, and even Remus. "So," Ana began carefully, "if I join the Circle, I could live anywhere I want and expect to be safe from Voldemort."

"No disguises, no body guards, no 'direct-floo' connections," nodded Kezia, who had obviously done her homework, "and the added bonus of full coverage here, should you choose to stay."

Ana gazed down the long, Great Hall as they walked through it. Overwhelmed and fascinated by the dazzling white floors, pillars and doorways, she wondered how she had lived as long as she had without seeing anything so beautiful. The feeling was so intense, that Ana's mind quickly left any troubles she had from the outside world, and she was completely at peace. Part of her felt as if she had been her once, a long time ago. But this was not the type of place one would forget.

As they reached the end of the hall, Ana came face to face with a massive marble door. It was the door to Lebab Tower. Though the entire compound was entitled as "LeBab Tower," the actual Tower that held the name stood in the middle of the smaller steeples, a testament of its own glory; a castle of its own. Kezia smiled at her as two centaurs opened it from the inside. It was so bright on the other side of the door, that Ana had to take a moment to let her eyes adjust. The room was huge and round, with a diameter of at least 50 meters, and a height that Ana could only estimate roughly at 400 meters. The top was open air, with sunlight powering down through the tunnel-like room onto a large, white, marble, round table with seven marble chairs. The table was inlaid with diamonds and crystals that reflected the light with blinding intensity.

Around the room stood seven pillars, each one embedded in a different stone- one to represent each eye color of the seven Guardians. The one embedded with swirling blue sapphires shone brightly. Ana walked over it, and read the names of the Guardians with the deep blue eyes. With few exceptions, they were all Anblicks. Ana had known they existed, but never knew their names. And now she saw them: Heinrich Hans Anblick (922 AD-955 AD)...Annaliese Kathrine Anblick (1000 AD- 1015 AD)... Helena Maria Anblick (1092 AD-1128 AD)... Otto Martin Anblick (1128 AD-1165 AD)...

Ana followed down the list. One name was written in larger and more decorative letters. Ana Helene Anblick (1369 AD-1444 AD).

"She was the last Anblick to see the circle completed," Kezia said. "She assisted in the building of this palace, and served for a very, very long time. She grew to be over 100 years old, Ana, which was quite an accomplishment considering the time period, even for a witch. I believe you were named for her. If you want, you can read all about her accomplishments in the library- all the True Seers are kept there- we even have some records of the True Seers and their accomplishments before the Circle was formally put together."

Ana ran her finger across the last name on the list. Omri Phillip Anblick (1949 AD- 1957 AD). "His works are in there too?"

Kezia's smile faltered, but she answered. "You're welcome to come and read them at any time."

A feeling of unease - if it could be called that in such a place - crossed Ana's mind. "How angry is the Circle with my father?"

Kezia thought for a moment. "I'm not the one to ask, really. I suppose that we're not very pleased with what he did. He left right before my coronation. I never got a chance to meet him, but had he stayed, the Circle would have been completed years ago. But so goes the prophecy- a blue eyed seer with complete the circle."

"Oh, stop sugaring it up," snapped a voice from behind them. Ana turned to find a shadowy woman in flowing black robes and deep black eyes approaching them with fluid steps. "Yes, Ana, the Circle was very upset with your father. No one had ever renounced the title before, and it came as a shock to all of us. We went to several lengths to try and bring him back, but each time he refused, and went his own way." She paused, noting the look on Ana's face. She shrugged. "Sorry, sweetie, that's just how it is."

"Nice, Vespera," frowned Kezia. She turned to Ana. "Meet Vespera de los Santos. She's the Fifth Guardian, the Devinon Nyla."

"I'm not going to lie to the girl," insisted Vespera coldly, ignoring the introductions.

Suddenly Kezia burst out into rapid and angry Centaur, which nearly hurt Ana's ears in such a peaceful place. "Sol bex Truam dei luxan Vassa!"

Vesperah glared and replied in a similar manner. "Tus aleev vrishna dei pantho."

They argued quietly for few moments while Ana listened. She listened hard. It was almost as if she had known the language once and was relearning it again, like a song that someone had sung to her many years in the past...

Kezia had the last word. "Vespera bux demn!" she snapped. "Cscall mer danv."

To Ana's amazement, she understood the last part... "I am just doing my job...."

Ana wondered if she was dreaming. There was no way she could know the language, but she knew that she had understood. It was as if someone had asked her what her name was. The answer came immediately, and Ana, like most things psychic, put her faith in what she knew. "Your job?" asked Ana, rubbing the side of her head gently. A tired headache filled her unwilling mind. "What job?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Vespera grinned as she swore under her breath in a further disrespect to her setting. "I think we have a new record."

Kezia stared, wide-eyed, looking even paler in the white, white room.. "You understood? You know Centaur?"

Ana's head nearly pounded as it spun. It was the feeling she had after an intense vision. "I don't know, do I?"

Kezia grinned in complete astonishment. "You had to have studied it somehow..."

Ana shook her head. Vespera swore again, laughing a shallow laugh.

"Okay..." said Kezia, trying to move passed the shock. "Ana, all Guardians know Centaur. It's in their blood. They're born with the capability, just like they're born with their inner eye. They just usually don't know it until they're exposed to the language for a time...It's in their head, but they just don't know how to access it. The fastest I've heard of someone picking up the language was Kasek- he learned it in five days... I never expected you to start speaking it until after you had joined the Circle..."

"Well, I didn't understand everything..." said Ana sheepishly, trying to calm both Kezia's and her own shock.

"Well, try to say something!" prodded Vespera, still amused.

Ana closed her eyes tightly.

"Ana," interrupted Kezia, "don't think, just speak."

The words came slowly and with many questions. "Dox...mana... cesles.. meento...?"

"Good Heavens," sighed Kezia, finding her way to one of the chairs, and sitting wearily.

"You know what you just said?" grinned Vespera.

Ana nodded. "I said, this is really creepy..."

"Close enough!" approved the night-eyed guardian.

Kezia rested her head on her hand and looked up at Vespera, her purple eyes standing out against her pale skin and white marble background. "Are the others here?"

"A few. They wanted to see the New Addition."

"New Addition?" asked Ana. She hadn't gotten over the fact that she could speak Centaur. Now she was speeding headfirst into the whole heart of her visit. "I haven't agreed to anything, yet," she insisted unconvincingly.

"Of course you haven't," agreed Kezia reassuringly. She shot a quick but angry glance at Vespera, who was about to speak. Kezia didn't give her the chance. "Ana, would you like to meet the rest of the Guardians?"

After a brief moment to consider this, Ana nodded. Kezia spoke to the centaurs standing by the room. They left immediately, but seemed almost reluctant to take their eyes off of Ana. Ana sat down in a chair, but Kezia smiled. "You're chair is adjacent to the Sapphire pillar, Ana," she said, pointing to the chair next to her. Ana blushed slightly as she stood, and walked to the chair. She waited anxiously. But she didn't have to wait long.

The shuffling of feet on the other side of the room made Ana look up. Three men approached. Even from a distance, Ana could see their blazing eye colors- deep brown, green, and hazel. The one with the hazel eyes seemed like a cheerful fellow, and approached her eagerly.

"Hello, Ana! ...such a pleasure to finally meet you!" he chimed, shaking her hand tightly. He had an Australian accent, and Ana could smell wine on his breath. "I'm Michael Blake, the third Guardian... Good Heavens, your eyes are such a bright blue... just like Omri's..."

"Okay, Michael, give the girl some breathing room," laughed Kezia nervously. He stepped aside, and an older, huskier man with bright green eyes greeted her kindly.

"Welcome, Ana, my name is David- I'm the second guardian."

Ana listened for an accent, but didn't hear one. "American?" she asked and secretly hoped. It had been a long time since she had spoken with an American.

He smiled. "Heavens, no. Canadian. I live outside of Vancuver."

The last one to meet her was a very tall man with deep black skin and dark brown eyes. "Good Afternoon, Ana," he greeted her formally, in a slow and deep voice. "My name is Tomas, and I hold the position of Fourth Guardian." He seemed very wise and slightly intimidating. Ana just smiled, and shook his hand. She felt exposed under his steady gaze. He looked at her for a moment. "You have yet to make up your mind."

Ana nodded.

"What's holding you back?" David asked gently.

Ana glanced at the pillar of the blue-eyed Guardians. "My Father," she replied.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the group as they exchanged glances. "Well," Kezia spoke up quickly, "Why don't we go and retire to the dining hall. The centaurs have prepared quite the brunch for you, Ana."

Ana laughed uneasily. "It's like I'm royalty or something."

"Well," she shrugged, "you are. We're the most powerful witches and wizards in the world, Ana. Not because of power, but because of what we know. We have quite the following."

"And quite the opposition," mentioned Vespera, as they walked to an adjacent room. Before Kezia could say anything, two large doors were opened before them to expose a large, brightly-lit dining hall completely covered in every type of food Ana could imagine. All the centaurs, which had been busy serving the food, stopped and stared at Ana.

"You'll have to excuse them, Ana," said David. "They're not used to strangers. Especially when there's rumors flying around about a Seventh Guardian. They're just as excited as we are."

Ana smiled weakly in response, still feeling quite out of place. And as the centaurs stopped staring, stepped away from the tables and bowed low before her, whispering greetings and honors in Centaur, Ana didn't feel much better. She had the distinct feeling that they didn't think the rumors about the Seventh Guardian were rumors at all.

"Welcome to the real world," laughed Vespera.

* * * * * *

Ana listened to their own propoganda throughout the meal, trying to avoid the stares of the centaurs and Kezia's constant glances. She had to admit, they were putting on a good a show. But what really captured her heart was the castle. Everything was amazingly beautiful, and she felt oddly at home. Lebab Tower, with all its eerie grandeur, seemed to hold a sense of peace- almost as if Ana had seen Heaven itself- which David actually informed her, was a power that the Guardians actually had.

"We've waited a long time for the prophecy to come true, Ana," smiled Kezia after the meal.

Ana looked around the table to see them all looking at her. Even contemplative and quiet minded Tomas had a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

She was old enough now to be curious. "What is this prophecy?" she asked.

"It's a vision, Ana, that came when all six of us were together in Lebab Tower, many years in the past, and few years after your father's leave," said Kezia. "It was remarkably powerful..."

"What did you see? Did you see me?" Ana felt a sense of nervousness grow in her, much like the one she had tucked in the back of her mind since she saw the castle.

"In a matter of speaking," smiled Kezia. "I think Michael ought to show you- it's best if you see it for yourself."

"Michael? Why him?"

Michael smiled. "All Seers, whether Guardians or not, have specialties and strengths. Guardians are powerful in all areas of divinations, but we do have our favorites. Mine is clairvoyant telepathy. I can send images and pictures to people's minds. Everyone is different. Kezia is brilliant at picking up on emotion and auras. Vespera is quite the mind reader. We're all different. May I transmit the vision to you?" he asked.

Ana nodded nervously, as she rested her head against the back of the chair and closed her eyes. Immediately, her head was filled with a comfortable and refreshing warmth. Suddenly, brilliant stars shone in the darkness of her closed eyes. It was almost as if Ana was lying on the ground, looking at the night sky. But six stars were larger than the others, and streaked across the sky- each dragging a different colored tail: green, brown, hazel, black, silver and purple. They met at the center of her vision and formed a circle, -an eye- as they spun rapidly. Yet, in a split second, they all froze, and Ana had to wonder if there was something wrong with the vision, that it had stopped so suddenly. But something was still moving. In the middle of the eye, shone a very tiny star, but one that shined just as brightly as the rest. And as the circle started spinning, the star glimmered a terribly bright blue color, growing, and growing to the size of the entire circle, easily become three or four times as large as the other stars. The circling stars surrounded it, and continued to shine and dance, until finally, the blue star shone so brightly that everything was blinded, and the vision ended.

Ana didn't even realize that she was smiling. The feeling was lustrous; to have another person with such equal power interacting with her mind and psyche- she had never felt anything like it.

"I think she likes it," she heard Vespera say.

Kezia spoke up. "Did you understand it, Ana?"

"The circle will find the Seventh Seer," she smiled, her eyes still closed dreamily. "And the seer will have blue eyes."

"And is it fate or warning?" asked Tomas.

"Fate. Definitely fate." Ana had no idea how she knew. But the answer was simple, just as if she had a book in front of her, and it said that the vision she saw was fate. It was so firm that it was obvious.

When she opened her eyes, she saw them all smiling at her. "I think she just may work," said Michael, raising his wineglass in her honor.

* * * * * *

Ana shuddered as she walked across the front lawn of Hogwarts. She had always loved the castle, with its modest spires and steeples, but now, having seen the intoxicating beauty of LeBab Tower and the world it had to offer, she could only look at Hogwarts as a prison cell. There were no worries at LeBab Tower, but here life was somewhat more complicated. At Lebab she was a Guardian; at Hogwarts, she was a troubled seventeen year old girl.

It had been nearly sundown at Lebab, which Kezia told her was time for her to leave. But as she returned to England, it was hardly noon. As she stepped through the wide entrance way and into the shadowy corridors, she sighed to herself as she made her way up to Gryffindor Tower. And on her way, she met the person she most and least wanted to see. Dressed in his shabbiest robes, she knew where he was headed. Tonight was the full moon, after all.

"Hi, Remus," she said quietly as they came within earshot. He looked up at her briefly.

"Ana," he said in short greeting as he walked passed.

Ana watched him, hesitating, feeling the built-up emotion that surrounded him. She knew she was the cause of much pain in his life, and that hurt her. But for some reason, she followed after him, at a distance, like a young child tiptoeing after a forbidden attraction.

"I don't fear the wolf, Moony," she said, first checking to make sure no one was within earshot, then daring to call him Moony on the day of the full moon. "I honestly don't."

He shrugged as he kept walking as if he honestly couldn't care less. "Honesty's a good place to begin," he muttered over his shoulder.

Ana opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. In the back of her mind, she imagined Elisabeth Potter standing between them, as if she wanted to guard Remus as her own son. Ana looked away.

"I just want you to tell me that you still love me." Ana remembered her own words as she watched Remus continue down the corridor. He did not glance back. Her heart heavy, Ana stopped following him, and didn't push the issue further.

* * * * * *

Ana rarely slept anymore, and with the events of the past day dancing through her mind, that night was no exception. Madame Pomphrey kept a stock of an energy potion that Kezia had given her, so long as Ana got at least one night of sleep a week and ate four meals a day. Ana had used it for several weeks, and it appeared to be working well enough. It was nearly six in the morning when she descended the stairway to claim her day's vile of potion, and the weight of the world was still on her shoulders. It had never left.

She had almost entered the H-Wing, when she heard a clamor of feet scratching through the corridor. A feeling of urgency overwhelmed her exhausted body as she looked up and saw James, Sirius and Peter approaching her quickly. She frowned. "What time is it?" she asked.

"You have to get Madame Pomphrey," said James firmly.

"Why?" Ana asked, her eyes widening.

"Remus hurt himself again. We did what we could, but he had already hurt himself when we had gotten there. There was nothing we could do until the moon set, which it just has."

Ana's heart stopped. "We have to get help..." she said vaguely, heading toward the H-Wing.

"No," replied James steadily, "you have to get help. No one can find out that we were out there."

"Well, how am I supposed to know that he's hurt?" asked Ana, her head spinning with exhaustion and worry.

"Ana, you're a True Seer!" hissed Sirius, trying not to make too much noise. "You have some special connection to Moony, don't you?" he insinuated as he nearly pushed her through the H-Wing doors. She could hear them shuffling away in the corridor behind her.

Sighing, the pain flared in her neck and shoulders that reminded her that beyond the effects of the energy potion, her body needed to rest. But it was the stress that got to her. Closing her eyes, she only got a few seconds to herself before Madame Pomphrey stepped out of her office; only a few seconds to come up with a reasonable lie.

"Good morning Mr. Lupin," the medi-witch started, but she stopped, upon seeing Ana. "Oh, heavens Miss Anblick, I thought you were Remus."

Ana forced her eyes to get bigger in fret, willing the color to drain from her face as she spoke in choppy, distracted, worry. "Madame Pomphrey, it's Remus... he's hurt...." She shuddered. "I can feel it...." She gave Madame Pomphrey a convincing look. "I can see it."

The woman gasped, dropping the vile of liquid in her hand, picking up the skirt of her robes and sprinted out the door. Ana relaxed. Remus would be okay, she knew that. She let her mind wander to find Remus in the dark shadows of the Shack. He was there. He was crying. On the outside, it is hard for most to see boys cry. But once Ana began to see people from within, she realized that most people are the same. All people cried. Even herself. Even Remus. The wolf had gained control, Ana could see through flashes of visions, now more direct and concentrated than the random visions she saw a year ago, and there were enormous bite marks tearing at Remus's limbs. She could see him lying on the dusty wood floor, his arms and legs sprawled out around him as he sobbed in physical pain and emotional agony, and a lump came to Ana's throat. She wanted to hold him. Heal him. But he wouldn't even look at her. And rightly so, she reminded herself. A noise behind her broke her concentration.

"Ana?" It was James.

She forced all emotion out of her voice. It had become a game. She was expected to be strong. And so she was. "You can't be here. They'll know you were out there."

"No they won't," James said softly. "We can say that you contacted me telepathically when you learned of Remus."

Ana set her jaw, irrationally furious that she hadn't thought of that. Her head ached with stress.

"It was bad, Ana," James said, still speaking quietly as he joined her at the window side, watching the front lawns of the castle for any sign of movement from the Whomping Willow. "We did everything he could, but the wolf was horrid. Angrier than I've ever seen it, anyway. Damn near killed Peter...." He trailed off. Ana didn't have to be a guardian to know what James wanted. It was nauseatingly disgusting.

"You want to know if I upset him," she said coldly.

"No," said James evenly, and with the fairness and sincerity that irritated Ana more, "Ana I love you like a sister, and you know that." Ana could feel it just as she had felt if for years. She felt much older than she really was. "I know you upset him," he continued, "but I don't think you did it on purpose. I just want to know what happened."

Ana continued to stare out the window, her mind so tired that she couldn't even imagine how to begin telling James just what was "wrong." Silence consumed the two students as they watched for signs of life beneath the rising sun. It was another day, Ana noticed glumly.

"No, that's not what you want to know," Ana replied, still not staring at him, but her blue eyes as cold as ice. "You want to know if we're done. If we broke up."

There was nervousness in James's posture that had given him away. "I can't imagine anything that would upset him more. He tore himself apart last night, Ana! You wouldn't believe it if you saw it...."

Ana gave James a dubious look. "I see many strange and horrible things every day," she said simply. Too simply, and without caring for the abrupt change of subject.

James wouldn't have any of it. "If you two are off, Ana, I don't think it would be wise for you to be here when he gets here...."

Ana turned to look at him directly. Startled at the sudden move, James flinched, stepping a short way back. "We're not off, James."

She couldn't help but see tired anger in his eyes. "Well you're certainly not on then, are you?"

"What do you know about it?" she snapped back.

"I know," he said with angry patience, "that you have totally gone out of your way to ignore him this year." He paused, expecting her to say something, but Ana turned back to the window. Cautiously, he continued. "I know you don't mean it Ana, I know you're busy. But have you stopped to think that maybe this is how things are going to be? You're only going to get busier, you know. Once graduation comes and you decide to join the Circle - "

"-If I decide to join the Circle," Ana interrupted, sending him a short glance over her shoulder.

James blinked. "If?"

"If." Ana's eyes widened as Madam Pomphrey appeared on the lawn, escorting a hovering stretcher that cradled Remus's limp body.

"You're not acting as if it's a question of if."

"And you're really not acting like you love me like a sister."

James sighed, blowing air loudly out of his nose as he took off his glasses and cleaned them on his ragged green T-Shirt. For a moment, he said nothing, but continued, ignoring the question. "You don't have time for Remus," he said. "And even if you don't join the Circle, you will still be a True Seer, Ana, and you will still have a life apart from all of us. You will still be awake every night and be preoccupied with the problems of the world. Look at your life, Ana. Look at your future!" he pleaded, putting his back against the window glass in order to stare her dead in the eye.

As angry as she was, she could feel his sincerity. "You think I should leave him."

"I think you should open your eyes."

"Who are you to tell me my stars?" she asked weakly, but her chin still set in her Guardianship.

"I'm not telling you your stars. I'm your brother; I'm reminding you of the obvious."

A small smirk came over both of their faces at the comment. For a while, neither said anything, as if the conversation had never occurred. They stood there so long, Madame Pomphrey stepped through the H-Wing doors, Remus's stretcher with her. Nurses flooded the H-Wing, and all of them disappeared behind a curtain.

"He'll be okay," said James gently.

Ana nodded. "I know."

"But the longer his wounds are open, the harder they will be to heal."

Ana looked at him, her blue eyes questioning his dark brown ones. Numbly, she stepped away, walking to the cabinet where her energy potion was kept and stole a vile. Uncorking it with her thumb, she tossed it back easily and stepped out of the H-Wing, passing Sirius and Peter a she left.

"Is he going to be okay?" Peter asked hopefully as he saw her.

Ana continued to walk, not looking back. But she spoke in the echoey corridor. "I hope so."

* * * * * *

In the weeks and months that followed, strange people started arriving at Hogwarts with the intent of speaking not to its reputable Headmaster, but to one Ana Anblick. Members of the Caucus Resistance kept close ties on her. Kezia came every day. Sometimes she brought another member of the Circle with her: David, the kind green-eyed Canadian, or Vespera whose wit managed to make Ana smile from time to time. Centaurs would stargaze with them on the front lawns of the castle and Ana's language skills increased greatly. Centaur came quickly to her, just as Kezia had explained. She had always known the language, and now she used it freely.

But Remus did not come to see her, nor did James. Sirius would give her a kind nod in the hallway and Lily would be her friend in the end. But Remus avoided her at all costs, and she him. She was almost relieved not to have to look him in the eye anymore. Somehow, it was as if there was no one to be disappointed in her. It was Peter, in the end, who remained faithful to her.

"You really need to get out of this place," he sighed as he looked at her in her divinations tower. It was almost evening, and Ana was watching the sunset quietly over the frozen lake in the few minutes of rest she got between classes and stargazing. She smiled at him from her chair across the room.

"You're telling me! But I am heading back to LeBab Tower next weekend."

Peter nodded, his voice downcast. "I don't blame you. I wouldn't want to be here either. Unfortunately, I can't leave."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"The Yule Ball! That's why you're leaving, isn't it?"

Ana's shoulders sank. "No, Peter, I completely forgot about it. Is it really next weekend?"

His eyes widened with shock. "How could you forget? Of course it is!"

Ana laughed at his innocence. "I'm a busy girl, Peter. I don't have time for dances and balls."

"Even superheroes have to relax from time to time," Peter pointed out. "Take Superman, for example."

"Now how do you know about him?" Ana demanded of the wizard with another laugh. He was good at cheering her up, if nothing else.

He shrugged, proud of his secret. "I'll never tell! But see, he had two different lives! One as Clark Kent, and the other as a superhero. So he separated the two lives. You can do that too!"

"But he didn't, Peter," Ana smiled. "He was always Superman, and he used his Superman powers even when he was Clark Kent." She stopped for a moment to think. "I wonder if he even slept..."

"Why wouldn't he?"

"There's always someone who's in trouble, somewhere. And he's the only one who can help them."

"That's not true. The Ministry could help them."

Ana blinked. "He lived with muggles, Peter."

Peter frowned, then shrugged. "Guess its not unheard of, for a wizard to live and work among muggles..."

Ana broke into giggles. "Superman was an alien, Peter, not a wizard!"

He flinched with shrunken-eyed absurdity. "Oh go on, then!"

"I'm serious!" she laughed harder. The mousy boy turned red all the way to the tips of his ears. But in the end he laughed too. When Ana calmed down, she nodded. "But you have a point. Police and the authorities can take care of certain things. But not everything. They don't know what Guardians know." She watched as the last of the sun crept below the horizon.

Peter had seen it too. "Time to save the world?"

She nodded, the corners of her lips creeping up in a tired and forced shadow of a smile. He stood, and she as well. "Why don't you stop by the Yule Ball after your trip to LeBab. It won't be the same without you. Everyone will be there."

Ana looked at the dark skies briefly before she shrugged. "We'll see how I'm feeling."

"Remus will be there," he said bluntly. Her stomach turned. "He doesn't have a date," he added with a small smile. Ana did not smile back. Sensing he had said the wrong thing (-he had grown quite accustomed to the feeling-), he backed up slowly, gave her a final wave and stepped through the portrait.

Ana realized that her fists were clenched. Frowning, she turned toward the balcony doors, but stopped upon her approach at the figure of a man standing before them.

Lord Voldemort stood there, a small smile on his twisted lips.

Ana froze, looking at him with amazing calmness. Her heart had skipped a beat, but oddly, she felt no fear. Part of her was happy. She had never seen the man in person, only in countless visions, and now he had found his way into the castle. She personally wondered, very matter-of-factly, what he was going to do to her.

Slowly, he raised his arms before him, as if he were carrying an invisible platter. But then they shot out, and stretched across the room at her, spanning the distance of twenty feet in an instant, and pelting through her. Gasping, she shut her eyes, but after a moment, she opened them again. He was gone. The vision was over.

So she had not seen him in person, she realized to herself. Just another vision. But she could still feel him watching her. He had disappeared from her visions for the longest time, but her apprehension had never left. He was very real, and very present. Ana knew her time was short.

She saw, to her delight and surprise, beautiful things that evening. As the stars shone brightly down onto the snow-covered lawn, Ana bathed in their light and their song, hoping that maybe their joy could distract her from the pain of the world. She saw James. James and Lily, in each others arms on some sunset mountain side, looking down on a small town far below them. Lily's hair was a blaze of fire in the gold haze that surrounded them, and James's dark eyes were as bright as Ana had ever seen them. She smiled to herself as she viewed them. They were so remarkably happy.

Then came their wedding, a splendid event that whirled before her. She could never see anyone's faces besides James and Lily. They danced, a figure in black and a figure in white, as the world of Monet blur swirled around them in bright complementing colors- figures dancing, laughing, celebrating. Two people had found each other, and they were meant to be. Ana knew they were meant to be.

And then the child. He had his father's everything, and his mother's eyes. The stars told her no name, but they did show them together as if they always were. And in they divine plan, they truly always had been. Ana tried to see more. She wanted to spend the entire night viewing the beauty of their lives, captured like a deer in the headlights on a dark evening, but shortly after the arrival of the child, the stars would show her no more. The visions faded, and Ana found herself gazing at the quiet skies with sounder silence.

She could almost feel Remus moving behind her. The gentleness of his hand would brush aside her flowing hair, and his lips would fall to her neck. She would smile, pretending that it tickled and that she wanted to get away, and he would wrap his right arm around her and hold her close. She could smell the scent of the sea on a gray and beautiful day on an ocean-front cottage outside of Whitby, and she could smell the distinct scent of Remus: a discrete scent of cinammon that could only be described as "Remus-smell." She could see children running around them, their smile substituting for the lack of sun, and she could feel happy.

But it did not due to dwell on dreams. Remus was not on the balcony of her tower, nor was he in her life. Wrapping her own arms around her, she braced herself against a breeze that skirted by her, evading her warming charm. The charm did not help anyway. Ana felt cold even in the warmest places.

The night was full of James and Lily, and memories and wishes of her and Remus. Lord Voldemort dared not enter her visions on such a night, and Ana wondered that even if he did, he would not have been able to hurt her more.

* * * * * *

Remus woke up, drearily, his eyes sticking to his eyelids as he pried them open unwillingly. It was a Tuesday. He hated Tuesdays. They reminded him that he wasn't even half way through the week. And it was horridly cold in his dormitory, chilling his already magically hypothermic blood to the bone. Shivering, he pulled the covers around him tighter. Sirius had opened the window again, insisting on "natural air-conditioning" in the stuffy tower. Remus himself insisted that there was no need for air conditioning in December. Sirius pointed out that it also aired the room of any unnatural smells that he and Peter put off during the night. Tacos had been served for dinner the night before. Remus did not argue with too much conviction.

Forcing himself out of bed, he went to the window and pulled it shut, taking a moment to view the sunrise. It was a beautiful morning, he would admit that. For a moment, he stood in his slippers and flannel pajama pants to see it creep above the horizon steadily. It was then that he heard Peter come into the room, just from the showers. Sirius was still asleep, as usual.

"Morning Remus," Peter piped up cheerfully.

"Mor-ning," he said, unable to suppress a yawn. Taking a moment, he stretched, cracking his back and his shoulders with long, steady arm movements. His bones cracked easily- a benefit of complete transfiguration.

Peter stopped to view him closely. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated before asking, "How are you feeling this morning. ...Did you... sleep well?"

Remus ceased stretching to raise his eyebrows at Peter questioningly. He did not remember any nightmares from the night before. But he had an intoxicating dream... Ana and himself... there were three children, and a cottage by the sea... and...

He stopped himself. He hadn't been awake for five minutes, and he was already thinking of Ana.

"I slept fine," replied Remus. "Did you?" he asked pointedly, monitoring his friend for a response.

Peter, sensing he was being watching, straightened up. "Yes! Fine! No troubles!" he said with a nervous smile and a laugh. He scurried over to his wardrobe to get changed.

"Wha's.... all da ...talking....." muttered Sirius into his pillow, half awake and half asleep.

"Morning Sirius!" grinned Remus, speaking with extra volume and perkiness for his friend's benefit. "Did we wake you? Peter here was just telling me I had another nightmare last night."

Peter dropped his tie, startled, but bent over to pick it up. "Well! I did not- I mean - well... you don't remember the dream?"

Remus shrugged, smirking to himself. "No, I don't suppose I do. In fact, I feel great!" And he did. The dream the night before had been so real. It wasn't, he reminded himself firmly as he went to the showers. But as he showered, he dwelled on the idea. Upon reentry to the dormitories, he found Sirius sitting up, his mouth hanging open in exhausted distraction as he fought to keep his eyes open. He hadn't made it out of bed, but he was working on it in his slow, methodical (though sluggish) manner. He grinned at Sirius with a glint in his eye that he could feel on his heart. Sirius regained consciousness quickly at the look.

"I don't like that look.... it's too early for that look...."

"What look?" inquired Peter, looking out from around his wardrobe door. He looked from Remus to Sirius.

"That look," frowned Sirius, sleepily jutting out his weak hand to direct Peter's attention to the careless grin on their roommate's face. "That's the look Remus gets when he's going to do something truly stupid."

"Remus never doesn't anything stupid!" commented Peter, as if it were a joke. "Sudden, maybe, but not stupid."

Sirius shook his head. "Sudden, then." He sighed as he threw the blankets off his legs and stood. Grabbing his robe, he looked at his friend, who stood, wearing a cheshire grin that he never wore. Surprisingly, it suited him well. "Well, what is it then, does it involve money, will someone shed blood, will Gryffindor loose points, will Lily smack me, will it mess up my hair, will it mess up Snape's hair, and do we need the invisibility cloak?"

Remus pondered. "No money, hopefully no blood shed, no lost points, Lily might smack you regardless, your hair's already messy, won't go near Snape, and no invisibility cloak."

Sirius stopped, quite puzzled. Never before had a master scheme produced such results, and he was very much intrigued. "No kidding? What is it then? Release the school owls? Switch the Hufflepuff and Slytherin laundry? Offer to help reshelf books in the library?" he grinned at his own suggestions.

"Nothing of the sort," replied Remus simply. "In fact, it doesn't even involve you."

Peter sent Sirius a wary glance. "What is it then?" he asked meekly.

"I am going to go talk to Ana."

* * * * * *

Ana had gotten to the Great Hall early for breakfast. Sitting mostly alone at Gryffindor table, she picked at some fresh fruit salad that she had piled into her white porcelain bowl. As people wandered in, Ana used it as an exercise. It was easy reading the thoughts of a few, but she loved to push herself, filling her mind with the thoughts of as many people as she could, sending their whispers through her mind as she sat silently and discretely, mostly alone at the table.

More and more people filled the hall. Their minds were on the Yule Ball, homework, each other, examinations, owls, parents, Voldemort, sex, sex, and more sex, but she could hear each one of them clearly, though they spoke to her all at once. Eventually, she would stop eating and stare down at her plate, her eyes half shut as she cocked her head to the side, concentrating deeply as ten students turned to fifty; fifty to one hundred; and one hundred until her breaking point.

She had not reached her breaking point that day. Instead, while stretching her mind that morning, she quite suddenly became distracted by a force behind her. She felt it enter the Great Hall and when she turned, all she saw was a young girl, a Hufflepuff first year, named Heidi Weathersby. There was nothing peculiar about the girl, who trotted over to her friends, already at their table near the center of the Great Hall. But Ana knew that something would be shown to her, so she waiting patiently.

She didn't have to wait long. In a flash, the windows at the end of the hall grew dark as the shadow of an owl soared by. As it flew from one end of the Great Hall to the other, a shadow was cast on Heidi that lingered. Even when the owl had gone beyond the sight that one could see from the windows, a dark shadow still lingered on the young girl, her color in complete graytones as she smiled and giggled with her friends, completely unaware of the two great blue eyes that watched her.

Ana knew the sight well. It was the shadow cast by an owl. It was the message of death, and Heidi was going to die. Without emotion, Ana felt her heart sink as she let more visions come. The chill came first, covering her entire body that would have made her quake with shivers if it was actual, physical chill and not the revelation of her vision. Then, all light seemed to fade from the great hall, dying into a brown, foggy haze. It suffocated Ana, and she knew the feeling well. She herself had almost experienced it so many years ago in the Atlantic Ocean. Heidi was to drown. That is what her vision showed her.

When the brown fog cleared, and the color returned to Heidi as she gossiped with her friends, Ana continued to stare at her in frozen horror. She was eleven years old. Ana knew her brothers - brothers that shared her white-blonde hair and glimmering hazel eyes. They had graduated last year and the year before. She got good grades, had a promising future, and... as Ana knew simply by looking at her, two younger siblings, whom she loved more than anything else. She wanted to call for Kezia. She wanted to jump up and demand to see Heidi's hand for more evidence. But Ana knew that she knew, and there was nothing she or Kezia could do about it. She forced herself to look away.

But she found herself looking into two familiar eyes.

"Morning, Ana," smiled Remus cheerfully as he filled his glass with pumpkin juice and did the same for hers.

Her mouth hung open in shock, horror, surprise, delight, and a thousand other emotions. She made a noise in her throat as she viewed him.

"So, I had this dream last night, and I want you to tell me what it means," Remus said directly, in horrid nonchalance.

Ana stared at him, but her thoughts were not of him or dreams. Her parents would put poinsettias at her casket. It would be just after Christmas, and the colors would be red....

"It was truly wonderful," began Remus as he grabbed a breakfast roll and tore it in half.

There would be a boy there.... Ana studied him. She knew him. It was Anthony Delance, the first year Ravenclaw who had had a crush on her since they met in primary school, so many years back...

"We were both there, by some cottage," Remus continued.

"Remus," breathed Ana, trying to form words from what little breath she had. "Stop... just for a second...."

But Remus did not stop. Speaking firmer, as if to be heard without option, he continued, "It was by the sea. I'd swear it was near Whitby..."

"Remus, please," said Ana, sitting back from her food and looking at it with disgust. She could almost hear water flowing in the background.

"I think there were children, and..."

"STOP!" she shrieked at him, louder than she herself expected possible as she pushed herself to a standing position. The entire Great Hall went silent as they turned to view her. But their thoughts were louder than screams. She tuned them out, as best she could.

Remus stared. His eyes seemed dead in color and energy as he leaned back in his chair and waited for her reply. But as Ana looked from him to Heidi to the rest of the Hall, all she could manage to do was run. And run she did. She ran out of the Great Hall, passed Dumbledore, passed Sirius and Peter, passed Lily and James, and much of the rest of the school. Straight up to her Divinations Tower she flew, without stopping. And once she was there, she did not stop. Slowly, she walked across the room, up the staircase, and went out onto the balcony.

Sunlight beamed down on her and her surroundings, casting a new light on the place that was so accustomed to dark starlight. Had Ana been calmer, she would have taken awe at the change in the place. The sculptures that laced the border of the doorway, frightening and nightmarish in the evening, twisted in grace and gentleness in the light of dawn. But all Ana noticed was the lake on the south lawn. It ran red with envisioned blood.

For a moment, everything was still. Ana stood - perhaps even holding her breath - as she viewed the sight, barely even conscious of the last moments of peace. Then rage, with its master crook, grabbed her by her back. Her muscles tightened, her jaw set, her hands clenched. Her eyes narrowed as they glared fiercely at the lake in which Heidi Weathersby would drown.

"Why..." she asked at first, her voice as icy as her winter eyes. Then louder. "WHY? Why are you showing me this! What could I possibly do with this knowledge? What on Earth do you want from me? What in Heaven do you want with me! With her?" She called to the stars that listened, as if they waited for her in the lake. "Why? If you're so smart, answer me! ANSWER!"

A voice came from behind her. "Ana?" it asked shyly.

Frustration pulled at her as she recognized Peter's voice. But she would not snap on him. "What is it, Peter?" she asked calmly.

"Who are you yelling at?" he asked. She heard him step out onto the balcony. "What were you saying?"

She saw him reach her side out of her peripheral vision. But she did not look at him. "You heard me; You heard the message."

There was a pause. "Yes," acknowledged Peter, "But it wasn't in English, now, was it. So what did you say?"

This caught her attention. She sent him a sideways glance. "It was in English," she insisted.

Peter frowned back. "No, Ana, it wasn't. The last word you said," he struggled with the pronunciation, "day Me-SAH?"

Ana knew immediately. De mysja. " 'Answer,' in the form of a command. Centaur." She looked away from Peter. "Was I talking like that the whole time?"

"As much as I heard," he said quietly. She could feel him looking at her with his watery eyes. "You didn't know?"

She shook her head, first distantly, then defiantly. Anger turned to sadness, which turned to confusion, as a hand rested on her shoulder. She looked up to see Peter wearing a very concerned look indeed.

"What is going on with you, Ana?"

Ana shrugged an honest shrug. "I'm becoming a True Seer, I guess." But her voice shook. She raised her head a little higher as she bit her tongue to keep from crying. She was supposed to be calm; a world ruler.

"That may be, Ana," nodded Peter, with a glint of sadness in his eyes, "but you also seem to be leaving yourself behind."

Wearily, she sat down on the stone floor, shivering against the December chill. "I'm doing the best I can."

There was a silence for a time as Peter stood and looked out over the frozen lawn of Hogwarts. Then suddenly, he knelt down in front of Ana. His voice came out in a nervous quaver. "No, Ana. No, you're not."

Ana's demanding eyes shot up to his. "Excuse me?"

"You're not!" he repeated rapidly and with more nerves. "The Ana I know didn't have limits. She went to four years of Hogwarts schooling in less than a year! She saved my best friend from depression, and she beat out Snape to be the best Potions Master this side of graduation."

"Peter-" sighed Ana, not feeling the normal effects of her energy potion.

But she was not allowed to speak. "No!" he interrupted, silencing her. "Ana, I can't begin to imagine what life is doing to you right now. But you're not the only one with problems."

"Do you think I don't know that?" she demanded angrily. "Peter, what do you think I feel every day of my life? I feel the world's problems. I breathe the world's problems. I eat, sleep, court, tell -"

"So don't be the world's problem," remarked Peter firmly.

Ana sat, stunned.

"Remus loves you, Ana. And if there's things you can't tell us, fine. But don't shut us out completely. Not like this, Ana. Not like this. Not cutting of Remus when he tries desperately to win you back. Not when all he wants to do is love you."

Ana stared. Her mouth felt as dry as deep winter air Peter's words poured into her soul. And as she gazed into his eyes, she saw the look that she had always known from him. He loved her. She knew he did, even from the first moment they met in the Great Hall. And Peter - valiant, forgotten Peter - was more a friend to Remus than he was to his heart. And Ana admired him.

"You are a true friend, Peter." She managed a smile. Peter looked away. She could feel his heart wrench inside of him, and her smile faded. "But so much has happened between Remus and I that- "

"-True love lasts," he said, wide-eyed. "True love lasts beyond all things. That's what my grandmum used to say to me all the time." There was a distant look in his eyes as he studied the pavement. "No matter what you've done, or what Remus has done, Ana, love will find a way passed it. It's strong magic, you know - love is..."

"Then you, Peter," she smiled in awe, "are the strongest wizard alive."

He smiled at the ground first, and then met her gaze, his eyes bright with compliment. No one needed to tell Ana that he had never heard that from anyone before. And the stars whispered that no one would ever say it again... not for a very, very long time. To compliment him so made her smile. But her smile faded. She thought of everything that had happened. How she had treated Remus was beyond love. It was almost beyond hate.

"He shouldn't love me," she said quietly, her jaw suddenly growing tight with the suggestion of tears. "Stars know, he shouldn't love me."

Peter frowned. "Why not?" He watched her eyes drop and her jaw clench as she looked away. "Ana, just tell me. What's bothering you? What's so horrible that Remus couldn't love you?"

She shook her head in response, still looking away.

"You can tell me," he said quietly. "You can tell me anything, and I swear I won't tell a soul."

Ana shook her head again.

Peter paused. "Is it something that you did? Something that he did?"

"It always has been and always will be me," was her quiet and stable reply.

"Are you afraid that I'll tell someone? Are you afraid that I'll judge you?"

Ana froze for a moment before hugging her knees to her chest somberly.

"That's it, isn't it," remarked her friend. "You think I'm going to judge you."

"You will," answered Ana, as if she had seen it for herself.

"I won't," he retorted in a similar fashion. The thought for a moment before a small, unhappy smirk played over his face. He let himself fall back from his crouched position heavily, and scooted himself to sit against the outer side of the windows of the divination tower. "Look at my life. I'm a scrap of a wizard who would be a nothing at this school if it weren't for James and the rest. My family's broken, I am a bookie for the quidditch matches, and I can't throw a curse, charm or quaffle to save my life. I'm in no position to judge anybody, Ana, least of all my friends."

Ana rested her head against the stone balcony wall wearily. She sat in silence, letting his words penetrate her as she sighed. "Do you really want to know?" she asked quietly. "It would mean keeping a very important secret. You wouldn't be able to tell or hint or allude to anything related to this for the rest of your life. Do you understand this? Are you sure you want to know?"

"Of course," he answered.

She scoffed slightly at his easy answer. But she closed her eyes, and spoke. "Peter, what is it that the guardians do?"

"They look into the future and help people," he responded.

"How do they help people?"

He paused. "By letting them know their stars?" he asked.

Ana stopped speaking. "Not exactly," she said quietly. There was an oddness in her voice that seemed unnatural. "They make sure everyone follows the fate they are given, and they let those who need to know their stars, know them. But beyond all that is our mission to ease the unnecessary pain and suffering. People have many thoughts on their minds. They want to know what job to take, which man to marry, which home to buy... True Seers give reassurance."

"Sounds wonderful," shrugged Peter, very much curious where the fault fell.

"Then there are the people," she continued, "who have their fates. Life happens, death happens, shit happens," she said, swearing having become less common from her in the past year. "Sometimes," she said carefully, "it has to happen. Sometimes," she added, "we have to let it."

To this, Peter was silent.

"There are others still," she continued. "There are those who request knowledge of their future death. There are those who want to know about the ill fate that awaits them. You know why they want to know that?"

"To avoid it?" asked Peter.

"To avoid it. To avoid things that they should not know of and should not avoid. And do you know what we tell them?"

"Nothing?"

"Oh no, we can't tell them nothing. We lie, Peter. How do you think that divinations has gotten such a bad reputation for inaccuracy? There are things we cannot say. Especially when you are on the top of the pyramid. We ease pain and suffering, Peter, and sometimes the best way to do that is to lie."

Peter shook his head. "So you lie? Is that what you're so worried about?"

"Sometimes," Ana continued, ignoring the question, "People want to know things that have very little to do with their own lives. They want to know what someone thinks of them. They want to know if someone cheated on them. They want to know things like what really happened twenty years ago, or if someone is lying, or," she hesitated slightly, "how their loved ones died..." she trailed off.

Peter, expecting more, waited to respond. But Ana grew mysteriously silent. "So," he said gently, "you sometimes have to lie to them, too?"

"Sometimes."

"And this upsets you?"

"Sometimes."

"When?"

Ana looked him dead in the eyes, a certain weak ferocity glimmering from her cerulean irises. The wretched prophecy she had seen at LeBab Tower enclosed her mind; She was the completion of the Circle. It was where she belonged. "When I have to lie to people I know."

Silence consumed them. The wind whipped around them in the late December morning. Peter sat where the sun hit the wall while Ana sat across from him in the shade of the balcony rail. They sat for a moment, neither saying anything, but understanding much, especially when it came to Peter.

"What lie did you tell?" he asked, faintly horrified.

Ana stared. "Most horribly or most recently?"

"One that is bothering you?" Peter offered.

"James's parents died most unjustly."

Peter blinked. "And?"

"And I told him otherwise."

He frowned. Opening his mouth to refute her statement, he suddenly paused, and spoke nothing. He thought about her words and demeanor, and tried to say something helpful, but every time something came to mind, it occurred to him that this was a grave offense.

Finally, he returned to the conversation. "And this is what you can't tell Remus?"

"Remus deserves better. I am a liar, Peter, and as long as my psyche is open, I will continue to lie. It is who I am and what I do." Her voice shook with increase as she spoke. "I can't look him in the eye anymore. He can't love me, after all that I've done. He shouldn't love me."

Peter pondered this. "Doesn't seem to be for you to decide, Ana," he said gently. "Love is one mysterious art. You can't tell a person not to love you and you can't make feelings disappear. If he loves you, and he does, then you'll work through it." After a pause, he continued. "But gto him; I don't think he'll come to you any more."

The memory of the way Ana had treated him in the Great Hall haunted her, and her stomach turned. "We'll go where the stars lead us," she said, shrugging.

"And if the stars lead you away?" asked Peter gently.

The proverb that Kezia had spoken to her so long ago echoed through her mind. "Credyn mê stymmyn syn." Peter looked at her questioningly, and she turned back to the castle lawn, grimly.

"First, believe in thy stars..."

Peter stood then, and left her. He stepped through the balcony doors, and shut them behind him, leaving Ana on the other side of the clear glass. Stepping down the stairs, he turned to the figure who stood in the shadows of the doorway.

"You heard what you wanted, then?"

Remus nodded. He had what he came for.