Chapter six

September 9, 1993.     5:13 am

"Faelin, wake up." Someone shook my shoulder. I groaned. I'd had a stressful Quidditch practice the night before and was not happy to be woken up. I opened my eyes groggily. Ainsley leaned over me, a nervous expression on her face.

"What?" I murmured, reaching for my glasses. I put them on.

"Elissa still hasn't come back yet." We had gotten used to Elissa's unusual night pattern. She always left a midnight and was back before 3. I sat up quickly and scanned the room. Tempest and Dylan were sound asleep in their beds, but Elissa's was empty. I got up with a shiver, wanting to crawl back under my covers immediately. I pulled my robe from the post and wrapped up in it. I opened the door quietly, and Ainsley followed me out into the dimly lit hallway. "Where do you think she is?" Ainsley asked. I still hadn't told her about my first night encounter.

"I think she's with her sister. I followed her my first night and found them by the fireplace." We tiptoed down the hallway. We passed the heads and prefects' rooms. The sound of the crackling fire welcomed us as we entered into the common room. I quickly scanned the room. There wasn't a person in sight. "Looks like she isn't down here." I shivered. "Its so cold." Ainsley and I hurried down to the fire, wanting its warmth. We held our hands up against the light, our fingers like ice. "I'm still freezing. I'm going to grab a blanket before we go back up." Ainsley started up the stairs. I headed towards the small closet that held the blankets. Suddenly, I heard sobbing. I turned to my right towards the comfy benches I sat on for homework. There, huddled tight against the wall was Elissa. She was rocking back and forth, muttering to herself. Tears streamed down her face. "Ainsley!" I rushed to Elissa's side. Ainsley came around the corner, a confused expression. "Go find her sister. I think she is a sixth year." Ainsley ran back up the stairs. I hugged Elissa.

"Death. So much death. Pain. Sorrow. Half breed." She was muttering over and over again.

"Elissa?" She looked at me with wide eyes.

"There's so much death, Faelin. Death and love. Future. Your future." She said to me.

"My what? My future?" Just then, Ainsley and Elissa's sister came running down the stairs. I stood, and her sister took my place. She pulled Elissa into her arms, and Elissa immediately relaxed. Her sister sighed.

"I was up late with homework and forgot to set my alarm." Her sister explained. "My name's Erynne."

"Faelin, and she's Ainsley." I looked at Ainsley. I glanced back at Elissa. She was still muttering, but the tears had stopped. "She's a seer, isn't she?" I asked. Erynne looked at me in surprise and nodded.

"Her visions were this frequent until this year." Erynne said slowly, combing through Elissa's hair. It dawned on me.

"Me. It's me that is making her visions worse." Erynne started to protest. I cut her off. "No, it's me. When you were gone, she talked to me about death and my future." Erynne looked down.

"She never really talks about who. I only catch words here and there." Erynne looked down at an almost asleep Elissa. "Why don't you go back to bed?" We hesitated looking at Elissa with concern. Erynne smiled. "Don't worry. She'll be at breakfast and most likely wont remember much of this night." Ainsley and I stumbled back to bed and climbed under our warm sheets. My thoughts about what Elissa said never left my mind. But I eventually fell asleep.

The morning did not come gracefully. The day started off with gray skies and rain which didn't aid in my getting up. Elissa hadn't come back to the room so I guess she had stayed with her sister. Dylan and Tempest were up on time whereas Ainsley and I stayed in bed as long as we could. We walked sluggishly down to the Hall where I left Ainsley to sit with Saoirse.  After breakfast with the Lions, I headed to my first class, Potions. It was combined with Hufflepuff, and I always sat with Keaton. I plopped own onto my stool and put my head down on the desk.

"You look exhausted. Did you get any sleep?" Keaton asked with a laugh.

"Not too much. Something came up." I groaned. The door from Professor Snape's opened, and I sat upright. Snape wasn't my favorite teacher, but Potions fascinated me.

"Today, we will be learning about a hair washing potion. Open your books to page 463." Snape commanded, and the sound of flipping pages filled the room. The class seemed to pass quickly. I was the first to finish the potion and had done it correctly. The bell chimed for the next class, and the first years started to file out of the room. "Miss Potter, could I speak to you for a moment?" The professor called out. Keaton said goodbye, and I made my way to the front desk.

"Professor?" He looked at me with amused eyes.

"You did a excellent job today, Miss Potter. I see you received your mother's talent." I smiled in surprise.

"You knew my mother?" His expression grew guarded.

"That's enough for now, Miss Potter. I'll see you tomorrow at the game. Good luck." He said abruptly. I walked swiftly from the room and hurried down the corridor. Saoirse was waiting outside of Charms which we were combined with the Gryffindors.

"Where were you?" She asked.

"Nowhere. I was just had a chat with the professor." I smiled. "He even wished me good luck."