The Girl Who Saw Tomorrow II » Harry Potter

2.54 | Phoenix Volare Altum

Days passed by quickly as February marched on. The passing of time did not come as much of a shock as the increasing number of disappearances reported in the Daily Prophet.

Four weeks of suffering through constant visions had also put Margaret on the edge.

There was a sort of numbness that overtook her anytime she blinked and saw destruction around her. She felt herself dissociating from her surroundings, staring off into the distance until the vision passed and she returned to the present once more. Yet it did not make them any less exhausting to see. Even Margaret had her limits, and she felt as if she was slipping off the edge.

So, with no other choice left, Margaret decided that she would become her own teacher once more. After all, she had taught herself Occlumency and Legilimency long before she even knew what they were. Seeing was quite close to her mind-related magic as well. At least she had to try.

So, one of the days, Margaret summoned her bird friend and asked for a favour.

"I need you to find a clearing in the Forbidden Forest that's not near any dangerous nests or colonies of beasts, somewhere off-path where Hagrid won't stumble across accidentally."

The raven nodded and took off without question.

And that was how Margaret found herself on the edge of the treeline an hour before dawn - supposedly the darkest hour of the night. With a deep breath, she trudged into the forest after the raven, feeling a sense of déjà vu wash over her. Not long ago in the forest of Broceliande, she had refused to follow the ravens into darkness. Now, she had commanded one to lead her.

Interesting how times change.

The clearing was deep into the forest and the sky above was beginning to get bluer, but Margaret did not mind the time it took them to reach it. She would be teleporting there next time anyway.

The ancient trees loomed above in the foreboding darkness, their roots reaching up to Margaret's shoulders. She always felt the size of a liliput in this forest, but for once the darkness calmed her. Here, there were no visions to plague her mind. Here, she could catch a break.

"I'm unsure of setting up wards," she says quietly, almost to herself, as she looked around. "What if the centaurs detect magic and take an offence to it? I'd rather not take the risk..."

"They don't come this way often unless they're hunting," says Jasper in her mind. "Don't worry, I'll keep a lookout while you're doing... whatever you're doing."

Margaret shot a quick smile at him. "Thank you for all your help, Krow."

The raven merely tipped his head as opposed to croaking indignantly at the nickname as he usually did. He flew up and disappeared into the canopy of large leaves, but Margaret knew he would warn her should there be any disturbance.

Alone at last, Margaret sat down cross-legged in the middle of the clearing. Her glowing eyes aided her sight, but she promptly closed them, taking a deep breath, rolling back her shoulders and straightening her spine.

When Margaret had first started learning how to keep her mind closed off to unwanted whispers of thoughts, she had turned to meditation. It was a discipline that was difficult to master, especially for Margaret whose brain refused to ever shut up.

Overtime, however, she had found control over her mind by gently redirecting her thoughts. She often did so by focusing on her other senses - what could she hear? Or smell? Or feel? Sometimes, she levitated things in the air, making her hairbrush do gymnastic tricks to redirect her focus. Other times, she sucked on a candy and pictures fireworks bursting with every new flavour.