| HIDDEN IN SECRETS |

chapter thirty-two

FINDING COMMON GROUND

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Verena found Damien in the library. She was surprised when she found him with Daphne, studying. She sat across from them as if greeting good friends. The two looked up and stared at her – one with a smile, the other with a straight face.

"I'll leave— "

"Stay where you are," Daphne told him, pushing his shoulder to make him sit down.

"I want to talk to you, Damien," Verena said. "Daphne, could you leave us?"

"Finally," Daphne said, smiling. "I've been waiting for you two to have a proper conversation. Oh, and I want that essay finished by night, Damien," Daphne added before leaving.

"Is she helping you keep up with your assignments?" Verena asked him.

Damien nodded saying, "She's a bloody arse about it, too."

"Good," said Verena. "You'll be taking your O.W.L.s, of course, you need to take your studies this year seriously."

"Don't pretend you enjoy studying or has the Ravenclaws changed your views?" Damien remarked.

"No, I – I think I'll be in the same boat as you in my fifth year," Verena admitted. "Look, I didn't come here to scold you. I want a truce. And I want to tell you something."

For the next half hour, Verena told Damien everything about her Sight. From when she believed it started to the last vision she had. She told him how she had seen the Dark Lord in the Forbidden Forest in her first year, and how her feelings led to her discoveries of the petrified bodies in her second year. She told him about the Dementor and the screams that haunted her, as well as the history Professor Dumbledore had told her about.

After she finished her lengthy story, she let out a great sigh and said, "That felt really good."

"They do love each other then," Damien said, almost shocked. "If Father stood by her side against his father... "

"Yes, he was brave that day," Verena said with a small smile.

"That explains the fire," Damien realized, eyes wide.

"The fire?" Verena questioned.

"When you set your room on fire, you said some words in Greek," Damien explained. "You said the Boy Who Lived will die. Well, that hasn't happened yet, but it will, won't it? If you say it will?"

"No, no, it won't," Verena said, shaking her head. "I can see into the future, but there are millions of different paths based on the choices people make now."

"But it could happen," said Damien.

"Yes," Verena murmured.

"You never asked Mother about it?" Damien asked.

"Dumbledore said it should be kept a secret," Verena replied. "He thinks that if the wrong people know, they'll abuse it. I'm not entirely sure that they know I have it now, but... I can't go to them."

"But... who would use you?" Damien asked.

"Dark wizards, Damien," Verena said as though it were obvious. "The Dark Lord's followers would likely want me to see into the future and tell them when and how he'll come back. But I can't control it. I can't pinpoint a certain time I want to see."

There was a pause. Damien hadn't known what his sister was going through. All the secrets, the nightmares, and the visions. He realized he wasn't the only one who had a weight on his shoulders.