The Nightingale (Predestined Trilogy - Bk2) (A HP FanFic)

Chapter 9: I'm the Chocolate Chip Cookie

"You're waving your wand wrong," Harold scoffed from his seat underneath a tree.
Cora's ears burned red. "No I'm not! This is how Professor Flitwick showed us."
It was Friday after a pretty mild first week back at Hogwarts, and the weather was too perfect to stay indoors. I joined Cora and Harold out to the grounds by the Black Lake to get a head start on my weekend homework. Harold was leisurely sitting against a tree, with one of his Defense Against the Dark Arts books laying open on his lap, but completely forgotten as he watched Cora practice her wand movements for the cheering charms. The poor girl was already thrown into OWL reviews and she was already stressing. Not that I blamed her. OWLs made standardized testing look like child's play. After all, those tests narrowed down what kind of jobs you can apply for on a much more intense level.
"You're being too dramatic with your movements," I told Cora. not looking up from my Transfiguration book as I strummed my guitar softly. "You're doing the motion correctly, but the cheering charms don't require exaggerated wand-waving."
"Told you," Harold whistled.
"Go chew on a fanged frisbee, Johnson," she muttered.
"I'm just trying to help."
"You're doing the complete opposite!"
I stopped strumming and sighed. "Easy, kids." I looked up at them. "I'm trying to read here."
Cora pouted. "Is whatever you're reading teaching you how to turn him into a ferret?"
"Hey!"
I shook my head. "No. But I do want to learn that spell." I glanced down at my watch. Zendaya and Arthur should be finishing their classes shortly, but not soon enough. If Cora and Harold were going to continue acting like children, then we're going to need an adult, or Zendaya.
"Aimee, can you please help me," Cora begged. "I remember you practicing this last year and even Zenna said you had perfect form."
"That's because I had him hounding on me every time I practiced," I answered, jabbing my thumb at Harold, who grinned victoriously. "Wipe that stupid smug off your face," I added, throwing a twig at him. "You were such a pain in my backside."
"Hey, but you passed, didn't you?"
I rolled my eyes and turned back to Cora. "Just breathe. You're stressing too much and overthinking it. There are a lot of spells that require a calm, level-head."
"So how to I get a 'calm and level head'?"
"Practice, for starters, and patience."
Cora pursed her lips and nodded. She took a deep breath and made the wand motion.
I nodded in approval. "Much better."
Harold pulled out blades of grass from the ground and sprinkled them over his bag. "Speaking of a level-headedness. I heard an interesting rumor. Well, I heard this last year, but I overheard a Ravenclaw talking. Is it true that Potter taught you how to use defensive spells last year?"
I pursed my lips and returned to strumming my guitar. "And if he did?"
"You can't answer my question with a question."
"I just did."
He snorted. "Fine, whatever. But is it true that you know how to do the Patronus Charm?"
Cora spun to me, her eyes wide. "What? Is that true?"
I rubbed my head. I have a feeling this is going to open a whole new can of worms. "Don't go spreading it around, alright? But yes, I know. Now, can I go back to my book?"
Harold ran a hand through his black hair and gave me a devious smirk. "Nope. Let me guess: Potter taught you? I've already heard that he can do it, and considering how much buddy-buddy you are with him and his friends..." He gave me an expectant look.
I pursed my lips. I need to find out from Hermione if that jinx on that D.A. list still worked. I really don't want boils all over my face like Marietta Edgecombe, who was still more or less recovering from when she blabbed to Umbridge about it, enacting the jinx.
But there are other ways of saying the truth without enacting that jinx, if it's still active.
"If you must know, yes, Potter showed me how to do the Patronus charm."
Cora's eyes were practically bugging out of her skull. "That's so wicked, though! Do you think you can pass on some of that to us? I've always wondered what kind of corporal Patronus I would have. If I can produce one."
"I don't think I would be a good teacher."
"That's rubbish."
We jumped and spun to find Neville Longbottom walking over to us, carrying an empty jar.
I raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"
"You helped me a lot last year, remember?" He came to a stop and grinned down at me. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have gotten past Expelliarmus."
"I told you: you would have. Sure, I helped you get it faster, but you still would have learned it. You're a lot stronger than you think, Neville."
Harold made a strange noise, resulting in Cora kicking his shin.
"Don't mind him," she told Neville. "He's an arse that doesn't know manners. What brings you down here, Longbottom?"
Neville's smile turned uneasy, but he kindly answered her question. "I'm getting some water from the black lake. Part of an Herbology experiment."
"Nice."
Silence fell, and the air suddenly turned awkward. I bit my tongue to keep from saying something that could possibly make it more awkward.
Safe topic, Aims, safe topic.
I cleared my throat. "Speaking of Herbology. Got any advice for Sprout's essay?"
As I had hoped, Neville's face brightened. "Yeah! Sure ca- ah!" He went to take a step forward, but he ended up tripping and fell mercilessly forward. However, I was already a step ahead. I had swiftly slid my guitar and book to the ground and jumped up to catch him before he could fall on me.
"Thanks," he murmured.
"Dang, Aimee," Harold whistled. "You were fast. Nice catch."
I made sure Neville was fine before letting him go. "You good?"
"Yeah. Don't know where that came from." He frowned at the ground where a vine was sticking out of the ground. "Thanks, again."
"Anytime. Now, about that essay..."
Neville gave a few ideas for my essay before collecting his lake water and returning to the castle. Then shortly after his departure, Zendaya and Arthur arrived. As the five of us sat around, talking about classes, with Zendaya giving some notes and tips to Cora, I leaned back against the tree and soaked in the lake as I aimlessly strummed my guitar.
The dark water reflected the clouds above almost perfectly. The weather really was nice, but I knew it wouldn't last as we delve further into the school year. Fall was just around the corner. I've always enjoyed fall the most. It was hoodie season as that miserable summer heat gets kicked to the curb, the leaves changed color, and, of course, I can't forget about pumpkin spice latte's.
Sadly, last I checked, there's no Starbucks in Hogsmeade to fulfill that coffee desire. I'll have to settle on pumpkin juice, but without the caffeine.
It's not the same. Far from it.
I miss my coffee.
Maybe I can ask Sirius to send some coffee beans my way and I'll have to make it myself.
My eyes landed on one of the clouds. It looked a lot like a bird in flight. It was actually strange to see a cloud look so much like-
It flapped it's wings.
I blinked and rubbed my eyes.
I did see that, right? That bird-cloud actually flapped its wings?
It flapped again, then turned as it morphed and changed colors until it actually was a bird then shot off into the sky.
Reason #56 why I need coffee. Was that exhaustion causing a hallucination, or was it-
"Hey!"
I looked into the trees to see two seventh-years running to the lake, with the girl a few steps ahead of the boy. They were the same kids from my vision from summer.
Wrenna and Sirius.
"Wait up, Wren!" Sirius called.
"You should know by now that I never 'wait up'?" She chuckled.
He gritted his teeth and picked up the pace. They sprinted ahead and came to a stop at the edge of the lake. Sirius had his hands on his knees, breathing heavily while Wrenna, also breathless, was staring up at the sky.
"What's this about, Wren?" Sirius asked through the gasps. "Why did you drag me all the way out here?"
She pursed her lips and turned to him, her smile turned sad before she adverted her gaze to the ground.
"Wren?" Sirius reached out and took her hand. "Is this about what Quinn said earlier?"
She bit her lip, but didn't answer. He reached over and brushed back her strawberry blonde hair. "You can tell me," he told her quietly.
"That's why I brought you here," she whispered. She met his eyes. "There's something you need to know about me."
"What is it?"
"You can't tell anyone, Sirius."
"I won't."
"Not even to James or Remus or Peter."
He opened mouth, then closed his. His brows furrowed. "What's going on?"
She gripped his hands. Her big brown eyes started pleadingly up at him."Sirius, if I tell you, you can't tell anyone. It will put me and my family in danger if you do."
Sirius bit his lip, but then nodded. "Alright. I won't tell. I'll even do an unbreakable vow, if you want."
Wrenna sighed with relief and smiled at him, but returned her gaze back to the side. "I'm... not exactly what I say I am. I'm more than just a witch, Sirius. I'm a Seer."
His frown deepened. "What do you mean? Like you're good at Divination?"
She shook her head. "No. What I mean, is that I can see into the past, present, and future. I know things that have happened and what will happen. This war everyone is afraid of happening? I know what is going to happen. I know how it's going to turn out. Who is going to live and die, win and lose. I get visions, and I don't need a crystal ball or tea leaves or any of that. Remember when I had that 'seizure' back in the common room a few months ago?"
"Yeah?"
"It wasn't a seizure. None of them have been. I get visions of the future, and depending on the intensity, it looks like a seizure."
Sirius rubbed his head. "I hear what you're saying, Wren, but I'm not getting it. What does this mean? Why would it be a secret?"
"Because I know things. Things that can change the outcome of the upcoming war. And if it's not followed... there will be consequences. Big consequences."
"Aimee!"
Something jerked my shoulder. Sirius and Wrenna vanished, only to be replaced by Zendaya's worried face.
"What?" I stammered.
Her frown deepened. "Are you alright? You look rather pale."
I glanced around. That one cloud that turned into a bird was back to being a cloud. It wasn't a hallucination. It was a vision. At least I wasn't writhing on the ground like the previous times. Then again, Theodore did say that past visions were more 'peaceful'.
My friends were watching me curiously as a sat up and waved Zendaya away. "Sorry, just lost in thought."
They shrugged and continued their conversation, however, Zendaya kept glancing over at me. I had a feeling she knew I was somewhat lying. How in the world can that girl read me like a book? She knew I was hiding things from her when I snuck off to the DA meetings, and suspected I knew more about Sirius than what I let on when he was still the Ministry's Most Wanted.
She is one smart cookie. But more like an oatmeal raisin cookie. The responsible and healthy kind. One that you have to be careful about because you won't know what it is until you bite into it...
Wait, if she's the oatmeal raisin, does that mean I'm the chocolate chip? Well everyone does want me. My friends, family, boyfriend. Heck, even Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters want me.
I'm getting off topic and totally forgot where I was going with that analogy.
But it did remind me that Arthur likes eating oatmeal raisin cereal in the mornings.
Thankfully, Zendaya didn't push, but for the rest of the day, I noticed her studying me when she thought I wasn't looking. Nor did she push the following day when I made a quick excuse that I was going to go work out before making my way through the halls up to the seventh floor.
It was Saturday, and it was the start of my Seer training with Theo. I've been anxiously waiting to learn how to control my visions all summer, and now I'm finally learning how. I couldn't keep the grin off my face as I finally reached the Room of Requirement. I checked the halls to make sure I was alone before going in.
Like the last time I talked with Theodore in the Room of Requirement, it was small, about the size of a standard classroom. At least, small compared to the large room it generated for the D.A. meetings the previous year. In the corner a lit fireplace sat with two opposing sofas before it. Theodore was kneeling before the fireplace, stoking the fire.
"What excuse did you give your friends?" He asked without so much as a hello.
"Told them I was going to work out." I tossed my bag onto one of the sofas and plopped myself on it. "Not completely a lie, since I'm working out my Seer skills, but not the whole truth.
"Did they believe you?"
"Hard to tell with those guys. Zendaya probably knows better."
Theodore pursed his lips. "I see. I knew Zendaya would possibly cause issue. Especially with how close your friendship is." He shot me a look out of the corner of his eye.
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not telling her if that's what you're thinking."
"Not at all," he said matter-of-factly. He stood and brushed his hands against his pants. "So, have you had any more visions since we saw each other?"
"Just one." I told him about the vision I had at the Black Lake.
"And you were awake for that?"
"Yup."
"Interesting." He scratched his chin. "Normally the visions start off as dreams before affecting your daily life."
"Is that a good or bad thing?"
"Not sure, yet." He sat down on the couch opposite of me. "Although, I do find that vision of your parents quite interesting. Why would you have a vision like that?"
"Maybe because I was chilling at the lake?"
He frowned. "Perhaps. Well, in either case, you're progressing more than I had thought. Then again, you are a Seer in more ways than one. Your precognition ability could be a factor."
"You say that like I'm the only one that has it. Don't all Seers already have precognition powers?"
"Not in the way you do." He sat back in his seat and crossed his leg. "As you know: a Seer's job is to See into the past, present, and future, so that we can understand it as it comes to pass. However, with that precognition ability, it allows the person to protect themselves in the immediate future. It's a very rare gift that only Olía's bloodline can carry."
"But what about you? If Olía was able to have this power and Kineen was a close friend, didn't he have a power too?"
He smiled. "Clever girl. You're right Kineen's bloodline was gifted with a small power of our own."
"Mind sharing?" I asked when he didn't continue.
He shook his head. "Maybe another day."
"Oh come on! You can't just drop a ball like that and leave it!"
"Tough. Now lay on the sofa and close your eyes. Let's see how far you really are in your Seer abilities."
I reluctantly did what he said. I folded my arms across my stomach and took deep breath to steady my heart.
"Good. Now, let's see... Let's focus on something peaceful, shall we? And something that I know." He hummed for a minute. "Let's go with something simple. Do you remember the Sorting Ceremony when Potter and the rest of us came to Hogwarts?"
"I do."
"Focus on that. Think about Potter and Granger or even Zendaya or Arthur. You can even use Weasley or Longbottom if you're that desperate. Use your connections to them as a latch."
"If you say so."
I did what he said. I remember reading the scene where Harry first entered Hogwarts, but the details were a bit hazy. I thought about what I could remember for a few minutes, but nothing happened. So then I thought about Harry and the others being amazed entering the Great Hall for the first time underneath the bewitched ceiling and the hall full of older students. Hermione studying everything and relating it to Hogwarts a History. Ron probably looking to his brothers and the twins giving him wicked grins.
Nothing.
Okay, what about Zendaya? I could only imagine what she was like when she was eleven. Same with Arthur. The thought of a small Arthur with his rough, but quiet demeanor and a small Zendaya with wide eyes set on the Headmaster seat almost made me chuckle.
Yet nothing came.
I don't know how long I laid there. I conjured up every thought and memory of that event, but nothing came.
"Nothing?" Theodore said some time later.
I opened my eyes and turned to him. He laid on the other sofa with a book in his hand.
"Nothing," I growled. I sat up and rubbed the bridge of my nose. "I've been meditating all summer, just like you told me to. I even cross my legs and did the humming! You said meditation helps control the visions."
He frowned and sat up. "I think you misunderstood. When I mean control your visions, I mean purposefully entering a vision. There are visions we can receive that are completely out of our control."
"What? Why are you just now telling me this?" I jumped to my feet. "Here I thought I could control when I get them!"
"There are times and places for visions to occur-"
"Ugh!" I threw myself back onto the sofa. "I'm really going to hate those words, aren't I?"
"But they are true."
"Sounds more like troll dung." I released a long sigh. "Well, I can't make myself See visions. Not yet, at least."
"You'll get there. You just need time and patience."
"Not sure if you've noticed, but we're short on time." I sat back up and faced him. "I talked with Dumbledore earlier this week." I told him how the meeting with Dumbledore went and his concerns about Voldemort's downfall and my help in that.
"We just need to make sure the other major events happen, right?" I asked. "Like Katie Bell being cursed and Snape killing Dumbledore, right?"
"But a lot of minor things happen that help lead to those major events." Theodore scratched his chin. "For instance, we need to make sure Draco succeeds in failing in his attempts to kill Dumbledore."
"That sounds like an oxymoron."
He shook his head. "There's a lot that leads up to those 'major events'. It's not something that just happens like that. It's going to be hard, especially since the key components are Gryffindor students. The only one we can have the best and biggest influence on is Draco."
I laughed loudly. "So I should have been sorted into Gryffindor! Can't wait to tell that old hat off now."
Theodore clenched his jaw. "I'm being serious."
"As am I. Look, I know we're in this mess because of me. I'm owning up to my mistakes and I do want to fix all of this. After all, I want Voldemort to lose just as much as everyone else." I went to stand, but pain flared across my chest, forcing me back into my seat and digging in my pocket for my potion.
"Is that from Johnna's spell?" Theodore asked.
"Yeah," I gasped. "You don't happen to know the counter spell for it, do you?"
He shook his head. Just my luck. "She crafted that curse from what I've heard her tell my father."
"Anything else you can tell me about it?"
He shook his head. "It's a curse, that's all I know. One that brings pain to anyone who bears the spell's scar. The catch is, the scar is permanent."
"Great!" I shouted a line of swear words that earned a raised eyebrow from Theodore. "So, I'm screwed."
He pursed his lips. "There might be a way to counter the affects, or at least minimize your pain." He reached for his bag and pulled out a small, brown, leather-bound book. He opened it and started flipping through the pages.
"What's that?"
"My mother's potion book," he answered, still flipping through the pages. "There may be some potion in here that could help ease the pain. My mother was fantastic at making poisons as well as antidotes and other health potions. She used to act as a consultant for St. Mungo's whenever they got cases involving poisons." A small, sad smile spread on his face for a second.
That's right. Theodore's mother was some potion master, while tackling all the responsibilities of being a Seer, before she died. Heck, she died from a potion gone wrong. It really shouldn't be a surprise that he would carry her potion book or why he is amongst the best potion students.
I stood and stretched. "If you can find something, please send it my way." I glanced at my watch. "It's three already?"
"It is?" He glanced at his own watch. "Huh, I thought it was later."
"But I just got here."
"You can easily lose track of time when activating, or trying to activate, your Seer abilities," he answered simply. "It can also take some time to do. When I first tried to have a vision, it felt like minutes but it was really seven hours.
I crossed my arms. "That's stupid."
He shrugged. "It's a price we must pay for purposefully looking into the timeline, so make sure you don't plan things too close around these meetings." He let out a long sigh and closed the book. "I'm going to have to look through this thoroughly later. How about we call this a day?"
I crossed my arms. "That's it? No more trying for a vision?"
"Something as simple as a sorting ceremony should have come easily, given that it was peaceful and in the past and you're close to quite a few people that were there. I was expecting as much though. You did say your Seer lineage didn't fully come through until you came to this world, correct? Like I said, time and patience is all you need."
"And like I said, we don't have time. The war against Voldemort is happening now and gets into full gear this time next year. Technically at the end of this year when Snape kills Dumbledore."
He groaned. "Alright, fine. Until I figure out when we can meet next, try having the Sorting vision. Try it before going to bed. And keep meditating and calming your mind. Also, practicing patience will help."
"I have plenty of patience," I scoffed.
"Your 'plenty' and my 'plenty' are two very different things." He stood and snatched up his bag. "You're right on time being short, so you'll have to make up for it in patience. Remember what you learned today-"
"Which is basically nothing and that you're full of secrets."
"-and that we're trying to save lives," he finished with a serious tone. "You're not just a witch, Black, you're also a Seer. So you should start acting like one." He threw his bag over his shoulder and left the Room of Requirement without looking back.
I watched after him, completely lost for words. I hated to admit it, but he was right. We are trying to save lives. Save the people I care about. The other day, I was more than happy to channel my delinquent self and find distractions in the little things and in my friends. But I can't divulge myself in those distractions, nor let myself loose.
So this is what it means to be Amelia Black?
Responsible? Serious? Diligent?
I knew learning the ways of being a Seer were going to be tough and stressful, but it wasn't until just then I realized how much I need to change. Change so that me and everyone else can make it out of this war in one piece.
Amelia Holme would have shoved off this duty and found some way to make everything work. But she didn't have all these friends and family surrounding her. She didn't know the personal stakes in all of this, not like Amelia Black.
My fingers brushed against my necklace. It was a gift from Dad of a silver phoenix. He wanted me to have it when the time was right, but he never got the chance to give it to me. Mom had to pass it on to me.
"I could really use some words of wisdom," I murmured. "From either of you."

******

A/N:
Confession time: work and personal projects have broken my sanity over the weekend while writing this chapter. So I apologize (kind of) if the writing seems a little off or straight up weird (like comparing Zenna to an oatmeal cookie... I did have an analogy, but it crumbled before I could finish it and just rolled with it - don't ask stress-me. Stress-me has no filter and was just throwing things out there and it seemed like a genius move at the time.)

As always, happy reading! And I hope you are all doing well and staying safe. :)

Best,
SilverWolf555 (Court)