"I hear congratulations are in order Miss Clarke, Severus has told me you just made chaser on the Slytherin team," Dumbledore greeted Jessica warmly, offering her a bowl full of sherbet lemons out of his silver-grey robes. It was Saturday night, and Jessica was stood in the centre of Dumbledores office with himself and Professor Snape. She had arrived at 7 pm on the dot, aching to get her hands on any news regarding the order and get clarification on a few things that had been troubling her.
It had been her best day at Hogwarts to date. After spending hours away with Fred in the secret room the night before, Fred wanting to know how her first week had really gone now that the two had cleared the air, they snuck back out so he could walk her to the Slytherin common room in the early hours of the morning. She got back with no one awake, Pansy presumably in Draco's room, so she just crashed on her bed to sleep without any worry. By 9 am she was out on the quidditch pitch alongside the other students invited to tryouts, and when she got there she realised it was only her there alongside Crabbe and Goyle that were new. It was less of a tryout and more like having an initiation for a secret society.
For her initiation, she had to stand in the middle of a circle made by the other players and battle multiple quaffles being thrown at her (which she would have to catch and then pass on to another player) whilst also having to dodge two bludgers. Luckily, playing with Fred and George had given her some experience with dealing with spontaneous opponents, so she was able to handle it mostly with ease. She passed her test, as well as Crabbe and Goyle who got the two open beaters positions, and the rest of the time was spent following Adrian's training plan. Adrian and Blaise looked like they were going to be good teammates and she really enjoyed flying with them, they seemed to work in sync and know exactly when another was going to throw the Quaffle. Blaise particular was very smart and strategic, though he was quiet, Jessica looked forward to unpacking more about what was behind that model face. She surprisingly got on with all her team, and it was the first time she actually felt any house unity that felt healthy and clean. There was no slagging off of other houses and she even got along with Malfoy who praised her after she had been welcomed to the team. It was best not the day to let them know she knew they had spiked her drink with veritaserum, as she wanted to have one conflict-free day.
She had dinner with the Slytherins in the Great Hall, a given really as she had to celebrate with the team. Jessica sat as far away from Pansy as she could, having not spoken to her since their conversation at the Party. Every now and again she would flash a glimpse over to the Gryffindor table and see a friendly face looking back kindly at her. She knew they had all snuck in the stands to watch her after hearing a small cheer when Draco got hit by one of Crabbe's bludgers. Ron gave them away first, he was the most enthusiastic one. Even Fred did not return a disgruntled glare at her for who she was sitting with for once, but instead just returned a wink, as they had already arranged to meet each other after dark. They had agreed to not tell anyone just yet about them, as both of them didn't want to put any pressure on the other.
Now at Dumbledore's office, she wanted to get into things as quickly as possible, she didn't want anything to ruin her first good day. As she stepped into the grand room, filled with intrinsic gadgets and ornaments that she knew were concealed with the richest secrets of magic, she had greeted Snape and Dumbledore with much welcome. She was finally going to get some answers.
"Yes I did, I'm looking forward to the first match in a couple of weeks, though sir as much as I'd like to catch up I'd rather like to get to why I'm here," Jessica said politely, taking a wrapped sweet and putting it in her jean pocket, "I don't know why you wanted me here tonight Headmaster but I need to tell you something, tell you both actually, it's something important."
"What is it?" asked Snape, speaking out of Dumbledores shadow. His black robes swirled around his feet as he stepped forward.
"You might think I'm crazy, and trust me I thought I was going mad at first myself," said Jess lightly, trying to prepare them but doing her best to not sound mad, "but I've been having these strange visions. Visions of things I've never seen."
"Don't ever think you are crazy in my presence Miss Clarke," said Dumbledore immediately, gesturing her to sit at the chair opposite his desk. She obeyed and sat down, glad that they were willing to listen to her instead of dismissing it, and Dumbledore returned to his chair, Snape standing beside him. "How often have you been getting them?" asked Dumbledore seriously. She was amazed that he had accepted this so quickly. The only reason she could think of was that he had simply seen everything in the magical world so could not be phased.
"I don't know, it's hard to note down," Jessica explained, rubbing her arm nervously over the sleeve of her new Hogwarts Quidditch Jersey, "They've only happened at random times, mostly when I'm close to people or touching them."
Snape eased forward, his hands perched together at the fingertips. "Do you remember what you have seen?" He asked inquisitively.
"Yes," she answered, "but, they haven't made much sense, only three have really been long and clear enough for me to see anything, and those are the recent ones."
"So they're getting stronger...what were they?" Dumbledore asked as if lining up pieces of a puzzle before attempting to solve it.
"Well, the most recent one was last night. I saw Filch hang up an educational decree on a wall, I couldn't read it but I know I felt really uneasy about it in the vision. The first one..the first one..." she started telling them. In recent context, she found the first one even worse to think about now than she had the first time she had it. Oh, she prayed these visions were meaningless...part of PTSD or something.
"Yes..." Snape pushed her.
Jessica took a deep breath and exhaled out calmly, rubbing her knees out of anxiety. "In the first one Fred, Fred Weasley, was lying on the ground. Dead I think, or at least unconscious. I think it may have been at Hogwarts somewhere...I've been trying to see where but all the rubble in the vision made it unrecognisable."
"And you said this happened when you get into close proximity to people correct?" Snape asked sarcastically, though it didn't really come through much in his monotone voice, "So when was this Miss Clarke? Last night perhaps, sneaking around in the moonlight?"
"Severus..." mumbled Dumbledore.
"Yes, most of them have been when I'm near someone. How did you know I was with Fred last night?" Jessica asked, alarmed at the thought of Snape seeing her and Fred go into that room and only coming out two hours later.
"I am everywhere at all times," Snape replied warningly, his black eyes narrowing down at her.
"and the third Jessica," Dumbledore pressed on.
She had her back up now, wondering why Snape had been so petty to bring it up as he should've given them detention straight away if he had seen them. He hated most of the students and took pride in telling them off wherever he could, so why did he not do it with them?
"Well that's the weirdest thing, that one was like multiple visions at once," Jessica told them, her arms resting on the table as she leaned forward in urgency. This was the biggest wonder of all. "It was when I was being sorted. I saw loads of things, I can't remember all of them, it was a week ago after all. I definitely remember one though, it was a hand dripping blood, and I remember that one because it came true. A day later I bumped into Harry after he had detention and his hand was bleeding...it was the exact same thing I saw."
"You're absolutely sure it was the same thing?" Dumbledore asked.
"I'm positive."
There was a weighted silence and Jessica found herself being left out of a conversation that wasn't even happening. Snape and Dumbledore were side by side, staring at her, both saying nothing but sending messages in the mind.
"What do you think is causing it?" Jessica added, hoping the silence meant they knew the answer.
"Have you only been getting them since what happened to your aunt?" Dumbledore asked, completely ignoring her question.
"Yes, it's ever since I've been wearing this necklace," Jessica told him, lifting her necklace out of her top, "it glows and burns me when I have a vision but it won't come off, it's stuck to me."
There was more silence and with each second that ticked by Jessica's optimism for a simple solution plummeted downwards.
"Jessica, do you think you would be able to have a vision, on purpose?" asked Dumbledore eventually, curiosity in his tone, "Have you ever tried it?"
"No, I've never tried it, do you think I could do it on purpose?" she replied. They had always just happened, she never thought she could bring one on herself.
"I think we should try," said Dumbledore and he leaned forward in his chair. He looked sideways at Snape, who stepped aside cautiously. "Now Jessica I need you to close your eyes, and concentrate on emptying your mind."
"Okay, but do you really think it'll happen I mean, are you sure it's not just like a daydreaming thing?"Jessica asked desperately. She really didn't want to have another vision, they had always been bad recently and she didn't want to see Fred on the floor again.
"Miss Clarke if you please..." said Dumbledore, a slight persistence showing that this was an order, not a request.
Jessica controlled her breathing, taking long drawn out breaths to steady her heart rate. Dumbledore waved his hand and all the candlelight in the room dimmed to tiny flames, darkening the office to a cosy shadow. Her eyes closed, only focusing on the counts of eight she was using to regulate exhaling. She could feel the heat from the fire on the left side now her other senses heightened, and all noise in the room silenced after Snape spoke out an incarnation, stopping everything except a ticking sound that emitted from an unknown object placed in front of her.
"Now Jessica I need you to clear your mind, allow any random thoughts to come into your head," Dumbledore ordered her, "Do not think, let your inner voice guide you."
Clearing her mind was not as easy as he made it out to be, and every time she reached a blank something stupid was thrown into her head. Professor Sprouts' Herbology homework came to mind, she had to do that for next week...no no, concentrate, not now...had she forgot to lock her trunk before coming here? Pansy or Daphne could sneak in at any moment...no, Jess, concentrate, don't think...oh my god...she had completely forgotten...there was an owlery here...she could send a letter to her parents...why had she not done it sooner, the Order couldn't control her communication now...ouch!
She was no longer in Dumbledore's office, but in a setting, she knew all too well...her aunts living room. The smell of incense hit her as the particles of dust filled her lungs comfortingly, her eyes gazing up at the stained glass lamp on the ceiling that was the centrepiece of the room. The horrid bright green sofa set was pushed to the side of the walls, making way for the piles and piles of old books, papers and drawings scattered around the place. Everything looked in its place as she had known it, except for one thing.
She could see a pair of leather slippers on the floor behind the coffee table, attached to a pair of legs. Now looking at the scene around her a little more closely, the place did seem more disorganised and scattered than normal. Her aunt wasn't clean, but the mess always had structure around it. Jessica stepped forward closer to the table, hearing sniffles and little moans as she approached.
It was her Aunt Bethan. She was lying there on the ground in her evergreen tunic, blood pouring from a large gash in her cheek. Every inch of her was twitching, her legs uncontrollably shaking, and parts of her bushy hair were littered around her.
"Jessica.." her aunt whispered. Jessica ran to her side, it felt so real. She could feel her heartbeat as she pressed on her chest, and her faint breath escaping her lungs. It had been so long since Jessica had seen her, and it terrified her to see her in this state.
"Bethan, are you okay?" Jessica asked her, a tear streaming down her face. She knew it couldn't be real, Mr Weasley and Kingsley had confirmed her death, but why did that mean she couldn't pretend like she was?
Her aunt didn't respond, not even when she shook her shoulders. She just withered in pain and kept releasing a piercing scream. Jessica kept calling her name and trying to get her to notice her, but it wasn't to be. This was a vision, and her heart broke as noticed she had a strange glow around herself. She was immersed fully in the vision, a first. She could react to anything, but they couldn't see her.
"Where is she Bethan?" asked a voice as smooth as butter and as cold as ice. Jessica looked around her aunts living room to see who was talking. She couldn't see anyone around, which was scary as the voice seemed to be becoming from right behind her.
"She's not h-here," Bethan stuttered, her eyes bloodshot with fear.
"You're lying Davies," hissed the voice, booming over Jessica's head, "I feel her here...where is it?"
"It is with her," Bethan answered, "you can't get to her now, you're too late."
Her body convulsed upwards once again, her whole body now vibrating on the blood-stained carpet.
"No!" shrieked a voice, this time coming from the pine cabinet in the corner of the room. She quickly recognised it as her own. It dawned on her that this must have been her own memory...the one that she had forgotten, she was reliving it.
"Stupid girl," hissed the voice, "revealing herself. Well, you've kept it from me for too long Davies, and her for that matter. I must take her now, as she belongs with me, to serve the greater good..."
The cabinet door flew open, revealing Jessica crouched down in there, a petrified look in their eyes as she stared up at the invisible figure. Jessica was looking at herself, and she felt a surge of fear and hopelessness. This must have been what happened before Mr Weasley had found her...
"Crucio!"
"Nooo!"
"Wake her up now, that's enough!"
Her vision flickered between the living room and Dumbledore's office, eventually remaining back where she had started. However whilst during her vision, Jessica must have acted out in the real world what she had done in there, as she was on the floor and hunched over in the centre of the room. She was screaming and shouting out for help, a combination of her current and past self convulsing together as if she had felt the torture curse once again. Someone was bending down over her and looked up to see Dumbledore staring at her in fright, his bushy eyebrows building a force field over his eyes.
"One more will do it, Severus!"
Jessica felt something like a hot rod poke in her back, and she was no longer in her vision state. The pain started fading away but the horrors of what she had seen were still ripe in her memory, burning into her mind like the pendant that had singed her skin. She continued to scream and lurched into a sob, tears streaming down her face. Snape helped her off the floor, lifting her up by her arms, and carried her over to Dumbledores old armchair near the fire.
"What did you see?" Dumbledore asked, hurrying to her side and kneeling down in front of her.
With the memory of what she just watched replaying on loop in her head, Jessica burst out crying. Teardrops fell on the crocheted chair cover. She couldn't speak, she couldn't breathe, every inch of her was in excruciating pain.
"What did you see?" He persisted, covering her hands with his aged ones and gripping them tightly.
"I saw her, I saw my aunt," she yelled, trying to get herself together. She had processed her grief and come to terms with her aunt's death, but seeing her in person had opened the wound all over again. She had been there, she could've done something to stop it. She couldn't remember anything from before, she didn't know why she was hiding. "It was at her house, I saw her in the floor, there was a voice-"
"A voice? What voice?" Snape asked quickly, his voice attempting to be more sympathetic and kind than what he had been to her before.
Jessica tried to remember, a pain shooting up the veins in both her calves to distract her. "I-I didn't see who it was, the vision was weird. Like half the details were missing. I could see my aunt but no other person. It was cold, no warmth to it at all...it was man's voice I think...he was asking her something."
"Asking her what?" Dumbledore asked.
"He was asking her about...me...where I was. I was there, I was hiding, I could've stopped it, I could've done something to save her I-"
"About you?" Dumbledore repeated. Snape and he shared a look that they probably thought was subtle. However, Jessica knew what it meant. There was a reason she was in witness protection.
"Yes, he was looking for me and found when he found me he-"
"Tortured you," Dumbledore interrupted, pulling a tissue out of thin air for her, "Yes I remember."
"But it wasn't just me," Jessica continued as she blew her nose, "he wanted something else, something I had. Something she gave me apparently."
Snape and Dumbledore's eye line both headed south at the same time to look at her necklace. Jessica, feeling uncomfortable, clutched the necklace in her hand. The metal was still warm.
"You think they wanted this?" she asked, "why?"
"I believe this confirms our theory Severus," Dumbledore spoke out darkly. His face had fallen into a grave expression, so dull it even made Snape look friendly.
"What is it?" Jessica asked as Dumbledore stood up, his hand's slipping away from her.
"Do I alert the order Headmaster?" Snape asked him quietly, the two turning away from her to have a private discussion.
"No, we must be careful, the more people that know the riskier it gets."
"But if it is them they need to know. The attacks are growing in numbers every week."
"We do not know for sure what is at play here and until we do we must assume anything is possible. We do not want to cause panic, she stays here where she is safe."
"What is it? What's happening to me?" Jessica asked loudly to interrupt them from talking about her. It was extremely irritating at the fact they were leaving her in the dark. "Why am I getting these visions, who is after me?"
"Jessica...," said Dumbledore softly, turning to face her, "the rest is still largely unclear, but what we think is definite is that your aunt was a seer. That necklace represents the eye of the seer, I noticed it the very first time we met. Usually, the pendant is just a symbol but this, no this contains the magical power of something I have never seen. I think this is the cause of your visions, it contains the power of prophecy."
"A seer?" asked Jessica, "What the bloody hell is a seer? You're telling me she was part of this world? The wizarding world?"
"Exactly," he agreed, looking over at her patiently over the top of his glasses, "a seer is a person who can look into the future, and make prophecies out of their predictions. They are observers of what is to come, it is one of the rarest abilities to possess in our world."
"But that vision, that was from the past..." said Jessica, "so she can't have passed it onto me...no, no, I'm just going mad, I haven't slept in weeks, that's all it is, I'm just getting crazy dreams!"
"Another benefit of the seer powers Jessica, you can relive memories as clear as what you have for dinner that day," said Dumbledore, trying to make her understand, "some say that's more beneficial than looking to the future, you can learn from your mistakes by going back."
"So I can tell the future? That's what you're telling me?" she asked, dangling her necklace in front of them, "because she gave me this?"
"If these visions have only occurred since you've worn it then yes, that is the most plausible cause," said Snape, "Obviously you have no training in the art, nor discipline, hence why you are having such random visions of such short timings, and the visions may not be accurate if you are not reading them properly."
"So...who is he? Who killed her? Why would anyone want to have an object that gave them the power of seeing the future?"
Dumbledores just looked at her, his mouth partly open. He was taking in all the information she had just given him, which she knew was a lot so she understood. She barely could process it herself.
"I'm not sure," he replied, his eye twitching, "but whoever it is they are not to be trusted. Someone who went out seeking this power only wants to use it for pure greed. Seers do not live celebrity lives for this very reason, people always try to take advantage."
"So why aren't you going to tell the Order, surely they'd want to know? Kingsley and the other Auror's could use this information, maybe they would know who might be after it-"
"They do not need to know just yet," Dumbledore interrupted, "we need to know the true extent of what happened with your aunt first. If we keep practising you might be able to remember more. However promise me that you will come to me or Severus when you have another one of these visions, day or night. As soon as it happens!"
"Yes, of course, I promise," Jessica replied quickly.
"Good, well if you've calmed down I think that will be all for today, we have made progress indeed and I don't think you're in the right frame of mind to carry on. Severus will accompany you back to the Slytherin common room."
"No I'm fine, honestly, I can go back myself. I need to be alone," she said, jumping up out of the seat. She was due to meet up with Fred soon, and she needed to shake off this feeling before she saw him.
"Okay, well off you go, but don't dawdle around, I gather you know not to tell anyone of this," said Dumbledore firmly. He gave her a look that gave the impression he could read into her mind, knowing that she was going to see someone else straight after.
"I won't sir," she affirmed him.
"Good, goodnight."
"Good night, Headmaster, Professor Snape."
***
Jessica slouched as she made her way down the circular staircase that led from Dumbledore's office to the main corridor, weighed down from the day and ready for bed. Bethan was a seer and she had never told her, there was never even any hint to it. She had been so close to the wizarding world all this time but had been blissfully ignorant for sixteen years. Why had she kept it a secret? Did she know Jessica had magical powers and just chose to ignore them? Why did she give her the necklace if she knew dangerous people were after it, why leave her with that burden?
So many questions swam around in her head, and she felt heavy under all the confusion. She had taken one step forward and three steps back. The only thing that helped her was knowing what the visions were, and where they were coming from. She could see visions from the future, scenes that could potentially happen. Snape saying that what she saw from the future couldn't be guaranteed to be accurate was the only thing stopping her from completely falling apart. She had just seen her dead aunt again, she couldn't rest knowing that Fred was going to end up in the same way. She had to have seen that one wrong.
"Surprise!" cheered a chorus of people as she reached the bottom step.
Jessica looked up gormlessly as her eyes adjusted to the new lighting. In front of her in a huddle underneath a floating colorful banner that read 'CONGRATULATIONS' stood Fred, George, Ginny, Ron, Harry and Hermione. They were all beaming up at her, though the faces twitched when they saw her red puffy eyes and her sleeves lightly damp.
"What's happened?" asked Fred, his face falling. He, George, Harry and Ron were wearing their quidditch jerseys also to show their mutual alignment.
"Everything alright?" asked Hermione.
Jessica forced a laugh as she had to lie, "Me? Oh yeah, I'm fine, I think I'm allergic to the candles Dumbledore uses in there, made my eyes sting."
"Totally get what you mean," Harry told her, "don't ever tell him I said this but I have to hold my nose every time I get in there."
"Well I'm glad it's not just me," said Jessica with a friendly wink and she admired the banner, "what's this all about anyway?"
"Even though you've betrayed us to join the dark side," said Ron and Ginny jabbed him in the arm, "we wanted to congratulate you for making the team. You were happy for me making keeper so I wanted to be there for you now you're a chaser. It's going to suck to have to destroy you with our talent but here, catch this, we got you your favourite."
Ron chucked her a packet of something and she caught it in her right hand, training had really sharpened up her reflexes. It was a pack of Fizzing Whizbees, they had remembered. It was the simplest gesture, yet it meant so much. She found herself unfolding, feeling just that little bit brighter.
"Yeah, it's not every day a girl joins the Slytherin team," added Ginny, "maybe you can change them for the better."
"If you could injure Malfoy in training though, you'd really be doing us a favour," said Harry.
"I'll try just for you Harry. Thanks, guys, this really means a lot to me. How did you guys know I was going to be there though?" she asked, glancing at Fred. He was the only one who knew she had this meeting.
"I saw Fred hanging around here studying on my way back from the library," said Hermione and Jessica raised her eyebrows at Fred. Studying? He couldn't think of a better excuse as to why he was out on his own? "He said he saw you go in there so I thought what better time for a surprise!"
Fred just shook his head at her subtly.
Dumbledore's office door opened again and she knew Snape would be coming down any minute, seeing her with his number one undesirables.
"Should we go somewhere else? It's a bit cold here," said Jessica.
"Yeah come on, let's take this back to the common room!" said Ron and they all turned to the left to head towards Gryffindor tower. Jessica fell to the back of the pack where Fred was lagging behind, purposely walking as slowly as he could outstride all of them.
"Studying, really?" Jessica whispered to him as she pretended to look back over her shoulder.
"I know, I can't believe that she believed me, I think she was just stunned that I had a book in my hands, to be honest," he whispered back, a proud smile on his face. "Sorry though, I know we were meant to do something later, they just really wanted to do something for you."
"No it's lovely, really kind of them," she told him. Any time with Fred was enough, and who was she to turn down her friends when they had gone out of their way to support her. She felt a strong surge of affection towards all of them as they walked up the changing staircases, feeling lucky to have such great people who cared about her around her. If anybody was going to make her feel better after what she had just experienced, it was them.
"Oh and let me guess," she whispered, "the Fizzing Whizzbees..."
"Of course I remembered, you went through four packets a week at Grimmauld place," Fred said under his breath, "and you've got to be proud of Ron, he really refrained from opening them himself. I had to threaten to slip him a puking pastille when he least expected it mind you, but still, he refrained."
Jessica smiled and she felt a hand brush hers as Fred's fingers slid through to hold it. Shocked that he had made the move so boldly when they were surrounded by people, she hurriedly checked that no one was looking before holding his back. Their hands clasped together, Fred's on top, and they walked together secretly as pair whilst everyone else was none the wiser. Jessica was attracted to the fact that they were acting in secret, it made what was between them feel more unattainable, something forbidden by the others. As Fred's thumb brushed her hand gently, it created a tingly feeling down deep inside of her.
It was going to be hard not to give their relationship away, but boy did she want to have the thrill that came with the risk of getting caught.
She needed to let off some steam one way or another, didn't she?
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Hey! Just as FYI from me - I'm changing my uploading schedule to twice a week now, most likely on Saturday's and one weekday depending on how quick I can find the time to write.
The story will also be moving on quite fast time-wise now, so if there a big jumps of time that is why - I just had to get the foundations of the plot/characters first!
Question for you all, what's your Hogwarts house? I'm officially a Gryffindor but also a secret Ravenclaw deep down.
K xx