Monday, June 5 approached quickly. Juliette was snacking on potato chips, completely unaware of the importance of the day.
She was supposedly doing her homework but other things were occupying her mind. Cedric's experience at the last location of The Triwizard Tournament, for example. He said it was a huge maze and he seemed excited by it, and a little bit nervous. He also mentioned the appearance of Mr Crouch. He says he didn't see him but apparently Harry Potter was confident that it was him, looking disheveled and acting weird like a mad person. Juliette found it weird. It somehow triggered her worries about the final task of the tournament. She just wanted it to be over soon.
Besides that, she also spent her weekend with Professor Trelawney. To be honest, it wasn't as bad as Juliette had expected. Trelawney didn't want to rush her, so she thought Juliette how to meditate first. She said it was a key element of reaching the Inner Eye and that a Seer had to know how to detach herself from the real world to see. Juliette found it a bit boring at first, sitting on a red cushion while trying not to fall asleep. But she couldn't deny that she felt unexpectedly relaxed and stress-free when their session has ended. Of course, she didn't see any visions or anything but she was satisfied. It eased her worries, told her it wouldn't be so bad after all while patting her on the back.
On Sunday, Trelawney asked Juliette if she was reading The Dream Oracle. Juliette said yes, not revealing that she's only read the introduction. Then, Trelawney asked her to take out her wand, which was unexpected and surprising. Juliette didn't know Seers needed their wands to look into the future, but she obeyed her teacher anyway.
Trelawney took the wand from Juliette. It looked to be around 11 inches. It was a handsome looking wand, dyed completely in black; but as Trelawney lowered her hand, inspecting it closely, she realised that the bottom part looked like it was peeled harshly as burgundy coloured scales broke through the black surface very subtly, resembling the armour of a dragon, or the skin of a snake. They were almost blood red, blending beautifully with the colour black.
"What is the core of your wand?" Trelawney asked curiously.
"Dragon heartstring." Juliette answered, wondering why the professor was interested in her wand.
"And the wood?"
"Silver Lime." Juliette answered, knowing the answers by heart, and Trelawney's eyebrows shot up the same time.
What now? Juliette wanted to ask but she managed to hold her tongue.
"That's interesting. Do you know the story of Silver Lime wands?"
Juliette didn't answer for a moment. She could remember the day she held her wand for the first time when she was eleven. She fell in love with it, even before Ollivander told her about how the wood of her wand was very popular years ago, as well as how the wands with dragon heartstring were powerful, prone to learn quickly and they should also be handled carefully since they were easily responsive to dark arts.
"I know it was popular for some time." Juliette said unsurely.
"Yes, in the 19th century. Very attractive wands, these are." Trelawney put the wand on the table, pushing it towards Juliette. "The demand was so high that there was not enough supply anymore for those who wanted it."
Juliette glanced at her wand, not understanding why she was telling her about things that's happened years ago.
"They also have a reputation for performing best for Seers. Or for Legilimens, but that's beside the point."
Juliette frowned a little. She slowly reached out and grabbed the wand. Maybe she expected something different to happen. To feel a unique emotion run through her body. Nothing happened. It felt the same. She's been using it for years, after all, but the new information didn't affect the reality. Maybe her newly discovered gift was growing on her.
"Is your wand Silver Lime as well?" She asked curiously.
"Oh, no. It's not. Besides, not every Seer has to own that particular wood. But like I said, it does have a reputation." Trelawney answered.
It's also funny in a very ironic way, Juliette thought.
That day, Trelawney discussed dreams with her. Juliette learned that visions seen while asleep were more likely to become reality since the Seer who's experiencing it are standing in an abyss, not falling down but not climbing up either. It's the time when a person is most vulnerable and their bodies are limp, asleep, relaxed while their minds are wide open. They think or see nothing else but what's being shown to them.
Juliette got a little bit nervous, scared even. She's had very bad dreams. She didn't want them to become reality. She so desperately hoped that they would stay as horrible nightmares, left to be forgotten one day.
After Trelawney told her about another way to enter a trance by using your own will and power, they meditated again before ending the session. Trelawney said she should turn it into a habit because apparently it was going to be very useful when she started to learn how to see the future by will.
Juliette sighed and put her History of Magic book aside. She hated that class so much that she couldn't even concentrate on its homework even if she forced herself to.
She grabbed another chip from the small packaging that was standing on the floor right next to her.
Draco was sitting by himself in the far corner of the room. The walkman Juliette had showed him the other day was resting on his lap. Headphones were covering his ears as he listened to a random song from Juliette's tape.
A smile appeared on Juliette's lips as she noticed how his eyelids were becoming heavier by each passing second.
She asked him not to sit too far away but he insisted. He thought the sound of the music would distract her while she did her homework. Juliette didn't say anything about how it was inaudible to her, thanks to the headphones. Even after one year of getting to know Draco Malfoy, she was still surprised by his capacity of being polite.
After a short while, Draco noticed that the girl in Hufflepuff robes was watching him. He lowered the headphones and the music became a beautiful background music as Juliette's smile grew bigger.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" She asked, motioning the device that was sitting on his lap.
Draco rolled his eyes, acting as if he was annoyed by the whole thing but the smirk on his lips were saying otherwise.
"I guess." He replied, standing up and walking towards Juliette while firmly holding the walkman. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he dropped and broke it. Evidently there would be curses and hexes flying towards him.
"I think I like this one." He said, sitting down in front of Juliette and putting the headphones on her head.
The familiar melody of Presley's song filled Juliette's ears.
Me too... She wanted to say.
"It's In The Ghetto." She said instead, taking off the headphones. "I'm surprised you like this one." The song was still audible and they could make out the lyrics if they listened very carefully.
"Why's that?" Draco asked, his frown was indicating that he was confused.
"Well, it's kind of about the inescapable cycle of poverty and violence." Juliette said as if it was obvious. And Draco was... well, how to explain... rich and proud?
"It's just a song. I don't have to relate to it." Draco answered with a shrug, still not losing his familiar frown.
Juliette nodded dismissively. Surely he would learn that it was inevitable not to put himself in the center of the songs as he kept listening more. That was, of course, if he was willing to listen more. He looked like he was enjoying it, which made Juliette happy in a strange way. She wanted to make him listen everything that was on her tape. She wanted to hear his opinions. She wanted to tell him that she would dance to most of those songs while escaping from the rest of the school and hiding in this room.
Instead, she turned off the device and put it in her bag.
"What are your plans for the summer?" Draco asked, distractedly playing with the hems of his robes.
Juliette paused. Plans? She didn't have any plans. She didn't even know if her parents had any plans. Now thinking about it, she couldn't remember the last time she heard from them. They didn't even send her a cheap, meaningless happy birthday card.
"I don't have any plans." She answered honestly. "I doubt it will be a pleasant summer with everything that's going on."
Juliette was looking forward to going home. This year has been exhausting for her, mentally and physically, but she had a feeling that it was going to be as dreadful as the school year.
Draco nodded, involuntarily thinking about the time they talked about their fathers Death Eater activities. He believed their summer holidays were going to be quite similar. Quiet, uncomfortable dinners and a tension between them and their fathers.
"It will be fine." He said, after a short moment of silence. Juliette's smile seemed forced. He didn't believe in his words and Juliette knew it, but she appreciated the effort.
"Anyway," She grabbed her bag, getting ready to stand up. "We need to go. Potions class will start soon."
They left the room together. Juliette realised a strange feeling fluttering in her stomach as she closed the door after exiting. She was... happy. A little bit. She liked spending time with Draco, alone in her secret room. They could sit there, teen feet apart without talking to each other once and she would treasure it. She also loved how he kept this whole thing a secret as well. It made Juliette eager to share more secrets, but she doubted she could tell him the whole Seer situation. She didn't even mention it to Cedric. Not completely.
While they were walking towards the Potions classroom, two girls with Slytherin robes passed them. Juliette felt like she was seeing them for the first time, they seemed a bit younger.
"Happy birthday, Draco." They said simultaneously, giggling together with faint blushes on their cheeks.
Draco didn't say anything, not really caring about their birthday wishes. He didn't acknowledge his house members.
But Juliette... she immediately stopped walking, causing Draco to hesitantly do the same.
"What?" He asked, looking at the surprised expression on Juliette's face while trying not to smile himself.
"What? What do you mean what? Today's your birthday?"
"Well, yeah."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Juliette felt like stomping her feet like a child. She refrained from doing so, of course. She wouldn't want to embarrass herself in front of Draco.
"Why? Were you going to get me a gift?" He asked, a mocking smile taking over his blank expression.
"Well, obviously." Juliette said with slumped shoulders. She was honestly disappointed that he hadn't mentioned his birthday. When it was her birthday, he gave her a beautiful snow globe which was currently sitting on her bedside table. She wanted to give him something as significant.
"You don't have to." He said, turning around to keep walking. Juliette followed him. "There's nothing I can't buy myself."
Juliette rolled her eyes.
"There are things that you can't buy with money, Draco."
"Like what?"
Juliette paused for a minute. Obviously she wasn't going to say friendship or love or something similar along those cheesy lines. Even though it was true.
"I wouldn't know." She decided to joke instead.
Draco let out a short laugh, a sincere smile occupying his face.
"Now that's–" He started, but got interrupted when they came face to face with Professor Snape near the Potions classroom. It appeared that he was waiting for them, which seemed weird.
"Miss Avery, Mr Malfoy." He greeted, not really looking happy to see them.
"Professor." All the humour and sincerity drained from Draco's face and voice as he gave Snape a sharp nod.
Juliette didn't say anything. Her grab on the strap of her bag tightened as she avoided making eye contact with the Potions Master. She was annoyed by his actions with lying to her about the content of the potion she's been drinking.
Was it childish? Yes. Did it stop her from feeling annoyed? No.
"Mr Malfoy, why don't you go inside and prepare for the lesson?" Snape didn't tear his eyes from Juliette while his voice indicated that he didn't want any objections from Draco.
Draco sent Juliette an unsure look, noticing her shoulders becoming tense, but obeyed Snape anyway.
They were alone in the poorly lit dungeon corridor. Juliette was tapping her fingers on the leather surface of the strap, wondering what he had to say to her.
"You will not be attending today's class." Snape's cold voice announced.
Juliette immediately looked up, staring at Snape with a confused expression. She was definitely not expecting that.
"What? Why– Why not?" She asked, with a tiny bit of panic in her voice. She couldn't help but wonder if she's done something.
"Headmaster is waiting for you in his office." Snape answered, not impressed by Juliette's reaction.
The panic rose up till it grabbed Juliette's rib cages tightly and squeezed them in until her breathing became irregular.
What have I done? What have I done? I don't– I didn't do anything bad, did I? No, No I didn't.
"Did I do something?" She asked nervously, her voice sounding weak and hesitant.
"In a way." Professor Snape's answer was vague, not enough to ease Juliette's worries. "He wishes to talk to you about you know what."
Colour drained from Juliette's face as she realised what he was referring to.
"You told him." She stated, her eyes widening a little big.
"Of course I've told him. This is no child's play. Now go." He dismissed her with the wave of his hand.
Juliette didn't leave for a moment. She clenched her fist before relaxing her fingers over and over again until the heavy tenseness left her body. At least a little piece of it.
She turned around to leave, trying so hard not to stomp her feet with her duplicated annoyance. Then, she stopped, turned around and glared at Snape.
"You know the potion you gave me is useless, right?" She said, finding it hard to contain herself.
The corner of Snape's mouth lifted slightly but even then, he didn't look amused.
"It's not useless. It's whole purpose was to help you sleep better. You were beginning to look like a mess, it was pitiful." He said and turned around to enter his classroom without taking another glance at Juliette.
She wanted to call after him and say, You still lied! But she had to remind herself that he was her teacher and she shouldn't disrespect him or else, her visit to Dumbledore's office would be because of something else entirely.
▬ ▬ ▬۩▬ ▬ ▬
Juliette was standing in front of a stone gargoyle. This was the entrance to Dumbledore's office. She's been up there more than once during her first year because of her father's frequent visits. He kept demanding the Sorting Hat to be put on Juliette's head once again because obviously she was meant to be in Slytherin, not Hufflepuff. She remembered Dumbledore summoning her to his office, offering her some sweets which she'd refused out of nervousness, and asking if she wanted to try the Sorting Hat on one more time.
No, thank you. She recalled saying. I want to stay in Hufflepuff.
Dumbledore's smile was still fresh in her mind. There was an admiration behind his eyes, not very obvious to others. Maybe he expected her to say yes because of the pressure her father was putting on her shoulders, who knows?
Juliette blinked, putting the memories on a dusty old shelf before stepping forward. Gargoyle's big wings were surrounding her body as it started to move, taking Juliette upstairs with the unsettling sound of stones brushing against each other.
During the short period of time as she ascended, she thought about what might be the reason of Snape revealing this information to Dumbledore. Was it really that important? And even if it was, what was Dumbledore going to say to her?
The spiral stairs stopped moving when it reached its destination. Juliette stared at the wooden door waiting for her to knock on. She wasn't really excited for what was waiting for her on the other side. Snape's Potions class has never seemed more pleasant than now.
Juliette took a deep breath, stepped away from the gargoyle and knocked on the door twice before she talked herself out of this situation and ran away.
"Please come in." A tired voice sounded from the inside, inviting whoever was standing outside in.
Juliette pushed the door, not forgetting to gulp nervously before doing so, and walked in.
The room was as grand as she remembered. Maybe even bigger. Moving portraits staring at her curiously, shelves occupied with thousands of books from the floor to the ceiling, stairs from each side of the grand room reaching up to a different area upstairs... and in the middle, a lone desk was sitting with Dumbledore right behind it. He stood up when his eyes landed on Juliette's anxious form.
"Miss Avery, it is a great pleasure to see you. How are you doing this fine afternoon?" He asked, beckoning her to come forward.
She relaxed a little bit after hearing the headmaster's friendly voice, and walked towards him.
"I'm fine." She answered shortly while climbing the small set of steps. "How– How are you?"
"Wonderful, wonderful..." He sat down on his spectacular chair once Juliette was standing right in front of his desk. "Now, you must be wondering why I wanted to see you."
"Professor Snape told me you wanted to talk about me being–" She stopped when a sudden lump appeared in her throat. "About me being–"
"A Seer?" Dumbledore completed her sentence with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Yeah." Juliette nodded, avoiding eye contact out of bad habit.
Her eyes caught something strange near Dumbledore's desk. It looked like a bird stand, but it was empty with no creature to occupy it. But underneath it, there was a pile of ash and a small head peaking out of it staring at her curiously.
A small, distracted smile appeared on Juliette's lips.
"I see you've noticed Fawkes." Dumbledore said, standing up once again. He stepped towards the bird cage and caressed the baby bird's head tenderly with his finger.
"He's a phoenix, isn't he?" Juliette asked, admiring the magical creature.
"Indeed he is. In fact, today was his burning day. He came out of his ashes just before you walked in."
Juliette unconsciously squared her shoulders, even though the small noises Fawkes made almost caused her to melt out of adoration.
Dumbledore glanced at her before leaving his phoenix's side and walking closer to her.
"Miss Avery, I want you to know that what you have is a very special gift. One you must use very carefully." He said, regaining his composure.
"Professor Snape and Professor Trelawney remind me every chance they get." Juliette answered, trying not to sound rude. She didn't mean to be ungrateful, she was actually happy that they were taking time out of their busy schedule to help her out in their own way. She was just... exhausted and uncertain.
"Good. You mustn't forget it." Dumbledore said firmly. "There will be times when others are going to try to take advantage of your sight, which is why this must be kept a secret. From everyone, including your friends and family."
Juliette couldn't say anything for a moment. A question kept flashing in her mind, why?
"I don't understand why this is so important." Juliette said, finding her voice after experiencing a small amount of surprise. "Everyone knows that Professor Trelawney is a Seer."
Dumbledore looked at her with lowered eyebrows, sympathy taking over his expression. He put his hand on his desk, leaning on it.
"She is protected here." He answered after silently debating whether it was safe to be honest with Juliette or not. He didn't want to make her more anxious than she already was.
"Protected from what?" She asked, not sure if she was ready to hear the right answer. Did anyone have the right answer anyway?
Dumbledore hesitated. Even he wasn't sure what to reveal. It was still early to tell and Juliette's talent was scratching the surface only recently. Scaring a student was the last thing he needed on his long list of faults.
"I'm afraid the very person you've been seing." He decided to say. "You're not the only one sensing his return."
Ice started to form under Juliette's feet before it began to climb up, covering her legs and waist and chest and arms and neck and face until she couldn't move. Invisible cold hands grabbed the nape of her neck and she shivered.
"I don't– I don't under..stand. Who else is seeing his return?" Juliette stuttered, immediately feeling embarrassed about it.
"I'm sure you can figure out who." He said meaningfully.
She couldn't think of anyone but a very disheveled looking Harry Potter waking up from his nap in classroom with a scream until Ron dragged him out. She thought of the way he followed her and questioned her after one of her visions.
She wanted to laugh it off. In fact, a laugh formed in her stomach and pushed its way from her chest to her pharynx but it never made it out. She swallowed it upon realising the seriousness of the situation. Harry was seeing the Dark Lord's return too. He had a direct connection to him thanks to his mark.
This is bad. This is bad. This is really bad.
"I want to tell Cedric." Juliette said, surprising Dumbledore.
"Mr Diggory? Why?"
Juliette frowned before she realised that Snape probably left out the part where Cedric was engulfed by the killing curse coming out of the Dark Lord's wand.
"Because I watched the Dark Lord kill him over and over again. He needs to be aware. Surely there is some way to prevent it." She said, being more honest than ever about her visions now that she was in the presence of someone who would take her serious.
Dumbledore was... stunned. His lips were parted and his eyes became distant as if he was lost in his own mind. It lasted only for a moment.
"That's impossible. Why would Diggory–" He stopped himself when he realised he was thinking out loud. Blinking a couple of times, he quickly gained his composure. "You must promise me that you will not share this secret with anyone."
Juliette couldn't believe her ears. She just told him about seeing Cedric's death and he's ordering her to keep this a secret? If she had such an important gift, why weren't they using it to prevent these horrible events from happening? Even though Trelawney said they didn't hold the power to change the future, there must still be a way to find a loophole. Otherwise this is just a curse, not a gift.
"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Juliette asked, disbelief dripping from her soft, meek voice. "I saw him die."
"Miss Avery, you must trust me. You can't share any of this with anyone and you certainly mustn't attempt to try to change the future. It will bring its own consequences."
Juliette stared at him with wide eyes and parted lips. He was telling her that what she's been seeing has a high possibility of becoming true but he wasn't letting her do something about it. Why?
"You can't expect me to sit back and wait for my friend's death."
"Of course not." Dumbledore said, trying to reassure her. "I will make sure to take caution and hopefully prevent any harm from coming to innocents. But you can't take matters in your own hands. You must trust me."
Juliette examined his face. He looked determined to pull out a promise from Juliette.
She gave him a barely noticeable nod, seeing his shoulders relax a little bit.
"Good." He said, turning around to walk back to his chair. His blue robe made out of silk was following him like a shadow. "You may leave. We will talk again later."
Juliette felt relieved. She didn't enjoy her time in this room but a small glance she took at Fawkes before turning around to leave eased her worries for a short moment, reminding her not everything happening around her was bad.
"Oh, one more thing," Dumbledore called after her. Juliette looked over her shoulder. "Do not register with the Ministry."
"What do you mean?" She asked, confused by his demand. Why would she register with the Ministry?
"Every Seer has an obligation to notify the Ministry once they've discovered their... situation. So their prophecies can be recorded in crystal orbs." Dumbledore explained.
Juliette understood why he would ask this. After all, he wanted her to keep this a secret, just like Snape.
"What if someone finds out? Won't I be in trouble?" She asked unsurely. Last thing she needed was Ministry workers chasing her around.
"That is why you shouldn't tell anyone about this. Your secret is in safe hands now. But once you reveal it to someone else, it will be out of control."
Juliette felt her shoulders getting heavy while an uncomfortable ache surrounded her joints. She hated the responsibility that was given to her. She didn't ask for it.
"Okay." She said, which was barely louder than a whisper, before leaving the headmaster's office.
▬ ▬ ▬۩▬ ▬ ▬
Sorry for the late update. University life has turned my life into Hunger Games lately.