Augury [Harry Potter Fanfic]

i. one

A pair of dull, stormy eyes watched the wooden floor.

"Sawyer?" a voice shook her out of the almost trance-like state she was in. She turned a dark pair of eyes towards her friends, and after a moment she blinked, a smile on her face.

"Yeah, Freddie?"

George and Fred exchanged a quick glance as they both shared a thought; weren't her eyes a bright green just a few months ago? Weren't her cheeks fuller? When did she become haunted?

"Er, we're all going to eat dinner. Figured you should come since it's the last one." He scratched the back of his head, and for a moment Sawyer thought he knew the truth.

"Last one?" she wondered, standing up shakily. George's hand automatically went to catch her elbow, helping her in the hard deed of steadying herself.

Fred and George exchanged another look.

"Yeah, you know," Fred shrugged, wrapping an arm around her shoulder in what would seem a careless, friendly act. It was for support though, Sawyer somehow knew they realized she needed support to move.

They slowly walked down the stairs, and Remus offered a warm smile as they neared.

"Hands off my daughter!" Sirius suddenly called, stopping his chat with Harry. Fred took off his hand with a careless smile, showing they were free now. "No more touching her, George. Or Fred. Whichever you are."

"Yes, dearest Father in Law."

He had to duck to dodge the fork chucked his way.

"Sirius!" a shriek was heard, Tonks using her wand to quickly protect herself.

"Oopsy Daisy. Sorry," he shrugged.

Kreacher appeared with a crack next to them, and everyone turned to look at him. But he simply looked at Sawyer, offering an outstretched hand to her.

"See ya," she smiled at the group, taking Kreacher's hand. A moment later she found herself in the forest.

The place seemed familiar, and a shiver passed down Sawyer's back. It was not one of cold, nor was it one of fear. She blinked, expecting a fire somewhere nearby.

"Where are we?" she wondered, and Kreacher stood there silently, clutching her jeans in fear, looking for the protection of her.

"Ah, I have been waiting."

::

"Where is that bloody idiot daughter of yours?" Moody asked, his question directed to both Remus and Sirius.

"She just took off with Kreacher," Remus shrugged, concerned. "Last time she did it, she came back on the brink of death."

But that was not the case.

Just as he spoke that, Sawyer re-appeared.

She was even paler than usual, which made her almost as white as a chalk, and she seemed quite shaken, but otherwise, she was safe.

Kreacher was whimpering by her side, and she turned a cold pair of eyes to him.

"Kreacher, please go to my room and rest up, will you?"

He nodded silently, and hurriedly took off.

Everyone looked at her with wide eyes. They were gone for less than twenty minutes, but Kreacher and her seemed like they went through quite an ordeal in that short while.

"Are you safe?" Remus wondered, scrambling up and inspecting her for any wound.

Sawyer looked around, eyes meeting Harry's. "Yes."

Everyone looked at her expectantly, and she simply sat down at the table, filling her plate with mashed potatoes and peas.

"Yes?" Sirius repeated, walking up to his daughter.

"Yes," she said simply, looking around her. Everyone were still eating and she started chewing on some peas.  "Why?"

"Err, no reason...?"

Sawyer gave Harry a sharp look, one he did not fail to catch. A shiver went down his spine, but it didn't feel like his own body was shivering.

Cedric coughed, "um, Sawyer-- pass me the beef, will you?"

Her eyes passed over to him, glazed. She seemed confused for a moment, as though wondering how was this boy in front of her.

She passed him the beef silently, and spoke no other word the whole evening.

::

Dead Ron Weasley.

A sob wrecked the body of Molly Weasley, before a crippled image of a dead Fred, all alone, a ghost of a smile on his face, and an empty pair of bright eyes staring right at her.

"R-Riddikulus!" the woman announced, and Sawyer sighed.

Bags of exhausation were coloring the pale face of Arthur Weasley, and his eyes were open wide in horror, the reflection of a serpent in it; Molly's eyes shut as she could not wrap her head around the situation.

"Riddikulus!"

A dead Bill, scars coloring his whole body. A dead Charlie, burns covering his body. A dead Percy, face still as emotionless as ever. A dead George, an ear missing from his body. A vacant stare from Ginny's face as her broken body laid in an awkward angle. Harry-- peacefully laying in silence, chest not rising.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Harry gently called, and within a moment the room has filled with people.

But the Boggart changed a shape, turning to a cat.

"Meeko?" Hermione wondered, looking confused.

His green eyes shone bright red, and he turned to Sawyer.

No one moved, strangely enough. A moment later, it changed shape into a large, black dog. Larger than Sirius. Its shadow was even bigger.

Sawyer wasn't afraid of it however, and no one understood the meaning of the shapes it has been taking.

Another whiplash, and it changed to a mirror of Sawyer. That Sawyer had red eyes, and her hair was damp.

A smile was stretched over her pale lips, and Remus took a step closer, the only one who suddenly understood the meaning, attempting to somehow make everything resolve before the new form it's taken would make a comment that would cause anyone to understand, but it was too late.

Before the Boggart has exploded, it has managed its last words, in a raspy voice that reminded of Sawyer's soft, weak voice:

"Hello there, Grim Reaper."

And then, it was gone.

But the silence remained.