Chapter Eight: Trust
"Harry," Marietta smiled, looking up at him through thick eyelashes, "how was your summer?"
It was the hundredth time he had been asked about those last months and he was honestly quite sick of it. The Wizarding World had finally woken up to the reality of Voldermort during 5th year when they could have accepted it earlier and now Harry had no family left. Yes, his summer was wonderful, thanks for asking.
Harry suppressed a shiver as she slid a finger gingerly down his arm, smiling up at the tall dark haired boy who had grown into a young man.
"It was fine Marietta," Harry answered and shifted away from her, "if the DA were still together then it would've been loads much better. It's good to see you again too".
The light brunette faltered, her smile slightly dropping. Harry lifted an eyebrow; he was more annoyed than bewildered. The snitch of the DA was flirting with him. Harry watched without regret while Marietta pouted, taking a book from the table and flouncing off. He muttered to himself while taking down another assigned book, cursing the three foot essay on a book discussing a complicated defense spell.
"Bloody book," Ava's voice drifted quietly from another aisle in the library. She reached for her wand and a blank look came about her face as she was speechless on what to say.
"Wingardium Leviosa," Harry offered reaching up to a high shelf, "that's the spell. We learned that in first year, mind you".
Ava laughed, "yea, Dra- I mean Drew, didn't teach me that one". At the vacant look he gave her she continued quickly, "Drew's my friend, actually a friend of the family. My father made him teach me a few spells so that when I came here to Hogwarts I wouldn't be that behind".
"We're in sixth year," Harry raised his eyebrows and handed her the heavy book, "don't you think that you ought to take extra classes?"
"I'm a fast learner," Ava held up her chin defensively, "I catch on quick".
She smiled up at him and after a second or two he realized that she hardly new any magic. Exactly where did she come from? Maybe it was a reflex feeling or an old habit that kept coming back. Wasn't it ironic that the first people she met were himself, Ron, and Hermione? That spark he felt when their hands touched wasn't Harry's imagination, he knew that for sure.
When Harry left Ava to her book, he looked around the library for a particular girl- one with mildly tamed bushy brown hair, brown eyes, and who held the attention of Ronald Weasley. He found her among an aisle crammed with big books. She was sitting against the shelf, flipping through one with over a thousand pages.
"Mione, what do you think of Ava," Harry asked bluntly, opening a random book and looking thoroughly engrossed to avoid Hermione's sharp look.
"What do you mean?" Hermione replied curiously, "why are you even asking Harry-"
"I dunno. . . she's strange," Harry remembered the previous encountered they had, "we have no idea of where she came from".
Hermione gave him a peculiar look, "what do you mean strange? Did you have another dream Harry? You do know that you're supposed to tell. . .," she closed her mouth realizing what she said, "tell someone. Like me for instance, so I can help you. . . with your Legimacy".
Harry had stiffened when his name almost left her lips, "it wasn't another vision Mione. It's just. . . I've never seen her before at the station when I went to talk with Dumbledore during summer. Then again, on the first day of school I saw her also".
Harry looked back down at the book, contemplating. He really didn't want to tell Hermione about the sparks when his and Ava's hands touched. It was a bit embarrassing.
There was an amused smile on the corner of Hermione lips, "you're just being paranoid Harry. If you want to know about Ava then ask her. I don't know any more than you do," she stood up, dusting off her skirt, "and you really should read this book here. It has loads of useful spells. Unlike what you're reading. . . how to tame a- well, I'll leave you to it then".
The Order of the Phoenix sat at the dining table at a house named Number Twelve. There was a silence, a tense and serious kind of silence. All were deep in thought, their minds processing the information that was just given to them. It couldn't be true. Was there really someone out there with a prophecy as great as Harry Potter's?
"One of my staff, more directly a teacher, found this prophecy while walking in King's Cross train station. She came to me immediately and reported it, word for word," Dumbledore's eyes were strangely curious, "the prophecy talks about an object, perhaps even someone".
"What does it say?" Moody asked gruffly.
"Whoever this prophecy is talking about says that it is the biggest kept secret, yet the biggest told lie. It talks of destinies being fulfilled, leading to another prophecy," Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling. This was a riddle, one he intended to solve.
They had found a prophecy. They had found a riddle. It was something important and he could feel it in his old bones. It was more wise to be patient, to wait. Rushing to solve the riddle wouldn't get the Order anywhere at all. The members were deep in thought, the thought of another sad tragedy on their minds. The last prophecy, after all, prophesized about a boy, in the end his parents were killed and he held a lightning bolt scar as a mark. This new prophecy could be another person connected to Voldermort.
"This seer who spoke of the prophecy has gone missing," Dumbledore spoke, "she was missing a day after she informed me of the prophecy. I daresay that somebody else has heard of foretelling and wanted no one else to hear it. Our main concern right now is to find Tabitha Opal and the people who tried to hide her".
'Tom Riddle is dead! I am Voldermort!'
Ava awoke with a gasp, startling only herself. She inwardly groaned, exhaling a rush of air to calm her nerves. It was the same dream and it certainly wasn't going away. She reached for the small notebook under her mattress and flipped it open to a random page. Ava took a quill and began to write, flourishes of ink soon filled up the blank page.
After she was through, Ava slipped the diary back into its hiding place while making a mental note to find a better place to hide it. She slipped out of bed after her eyes had adjusted to the dark. The stone floor was cold against her bare feet. All the other three girls in the room were asleep and Ava made her way quietly into the Common Room, startling the only other person who decided to come down for a midnight walk.
"Blood hell!" there was tousled hair, emerald eyes, and a lightning scar.
Ava held onto the side of the couch to prevent toppling over and pressed a hand to her heart, "what are you doing down here?" she hissed, "trying to scare me to death?!"
"I could ask you the same thing," Harry replied running a hand through the mess on his head. He looked at her expectantly to which Ava huffed.
"I'm hungry", she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
Harry shrugged, saying that the kitchens were closed. Ava turned away thinking of another place she could sneak food or at least a drink. She felt Harry's green orbs and did her best not to look back. Ava overheard him talking to Hermione in the quiet library. It wasn't exactly difficult to accidentally eavesdrop. He didn't trust her. Ava could see it whenever he looked at her.
That was fine, Ava thought as she tucked her hair behind her ear, she didn't need him to trust her. She was just about through with this task. Pretending to be someone she wasn't, isn't something she planned to do all year long at this magical school. Dad could take his tasks, his plans, his mind reading, and shove it up where the sun don't whine. And if he didn't like it, Ava could always run. It was something she was good at and she doubt that he would miss her.
"Where are you going?"
Ava turned her head to see him walking behind her with his wand alit. His jet black hair was tousled and sticking up at all ends. He was wearing a pair of pajama pants and looked like he had just thrown his t-shirt on. Apparently, he was one of those gifted people who looked good wearing anything. Ava averted her eyes to the dark hall in front of her.
"I said I was hungry, didn't I?" she asked dryly, quietly stepping down onto a staircase, "don't you have something else to do? Someone else to bother even?"
"They're all asleep," Harry easily replied and took out a blank piece of parchment, "if I wasn't bothering you then Filch would have stuck you in detention. He's coming this way".
"Who's Filch?" a cat meowed and Ava didn't have time to protest as Harry grabbed her hand.
There went those sparks again, invisible electricity jumping from his skin to hers. Harry pulled her the way they came from and whispered something to a door. It swung open and they hurried inside. Ava wrinkled her nose as she came face to face with a foul smelling mom, one that had mildew on it and who knows what else. Ava took a swift step back, tripping over the mop bucket and falling to the floor with the grace of a klutz.
"What's wrong my dear?" a man's voice purred to the cat, "did you see a student, dearie?"
Ava held her breath, cautious to even breath. What was that cat? A watchdog? Harry's eyes met hers warning her to be quiet. Ava finally made sense to why she didn't hit the floor when she tripped. Harry shifted so that her face wasn't exactly smashing into his chest. She felt her cheeks redden and was grateful for the dark.
"Come kitten, let's have a look downstairs, shall we," there were light footsteps that slowly faded down the hall.
Ava made to move but Harry grabbed her arm. He motioned to the blank parchment he was holding earlier. Ava blinked at the best magical map ever. There were two dots close together in a room labeled 'Cleaning Closet'. She saw her name and Harry's just above it. The two dots labeled 'Filch' and 'Mrs. Norris' were steadily moving down the stairs Harry and Ava just ran up.
"That was incredibly. . ." Ava trialed off as she stumbled out of the closet.
"Close?" Harry finished with a small amused smile, hints of embarrassment hiding behind it, "you have the worst sneaking tactics".
"I'm just a klutz," Ava admitted, closing the closet door and frowning when Harry started walking away from the Common Room, "where are you going?"
"You said you were hungry. Well, I am too," he gave a one shouldered shrug, "there's a kitchen downstairs. I can get Dobby to fix something up".
The look Ava gave him was dubious, "are you insane? We almost got caught and Filch just went down those stairs".
Harry was unaffected by those words. He held up the map with an eyebrow raised, "we won't get caught. Trust me".
Ava felt a smile touch her lips as she followed him. 'Trust me?' Wasn't it ironic?
ironic
