The Course of True Love

Seeing Souls - An Interlude

"So why are you dragging me to the library, it finally stopped snowing, we could practice some quidditch." Cecily could hear the exasperation in her friend's voice and she understood. She knew the library wasn't Eva's favourite place, but she needed the truth and she needed it as soon as possible. "What if your book is in the restricted section?" That was a very valid concern, but Cecily had thought of that too.
"If it's in the restricted section, you have to distract Pince. I mean how hard can that be, she's not older than Mu-, Professor McGonagall." Eva just sighed, she disliked the librarian because she seemed to be very harsh for no good reason. Supporting her friend in whatever endeavour she had was more important to her though, and so after some consideration she replied:
"Fine, I'll do it. I'll tell her Filch has been looking for her, he's fairly handsome and I noticed how she was looking at him." The girls both giggled. Argus Filch was a squib Albus had hired to support the main care taker and while he sure was a little odd, he was not bad looking and while he hadn't paid any attention to it, the students had soon noticed how the new librarian had taken an interest in him. So they walked to the library, Cecily actually felt a little uneasy, her brain was making up the oddest scenarios to explain what had just happened in her therapy session and for all the other weird things that had occurred over the past few weeks. She just couldn't ask Mina or Albus, they had done enough for her, they knew too much already. She knew Albus was still busy preparing her case for muggle court and even thinking about going to court made Cecily sick to her stomach. No, she didn't want to bother them any more than she already was. And what if this would be the final straw of Cecily-related oddities that would make them reject her? She just couldn't take that risk.
The library was fairly crowded with students, so they could set up their own research station by one of the windows. Luckily they found some books in the normal section but Cecily felt very drawn to the forbidden parts of the library. Of course she knew that she could just get a special permission, but that would require time she didn't have and it would lead to questions she didn't want to answer. So she sent Eva to the front desk, where she convinced Madam Pince that Mr. Filch had been looking for her. They had never seen the usually strict librarian blush and then quickly gather some things before rushing out of the library. Cecily couldn't believe her luck, it had been far too easy. She knew she didn't have much time and so she quickly slipped into the restricted section which was almost eerily quiet. Walking past seemingly endless rows of shelves, Cecily decided to let her intuition guide her which turned out to be the right decision. She soon found a tiny book, bound in pale blue leather. The title read: "The Secrets of Soul Seeing". It looked very promising and so Cecily hid it in her pockets before quickly leaving the restricted section. Not a second too early as it turned out because Madam Pince returned, looking rather sour and annoyed. Oh well, Cecily didn't have time to feel sorry for her, she needed answers, she needed clarity and she desperately needed to know whether there was something wrong with her and that was why she kept seeing dead people, or, more accurately, their souls. Eva and Cecily started their research, Eva was now just as curious as Cecily, mostly because she worried about her friend. They spent most of the afternoon in the library, not talking much but taking notes they would compare in the end.

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Meanwhile, Minerva was also working hard in her office. There were lots of papers too grade and she had gotten a little behind with all the events surrounding Cecily and being pregnant. She sighed deeply, she worried about Cecily, who in her mind was the sweetest, most gentle soul, but also deeply troubled. She loved the girl, fiercely and unconditionally, but it really wasn't easy to help her with all the baggage she had brought. Mina consciously tried to take some breaks and focus on enjoying her pregnancy at least a little bit. The baby was due towards the end of the school year, late May to early June, and she was very excited for her baby's arrival. She wondered how Cecily would take the (perceived) competition, but not even that could lessen her excitement. But back to the essays, they unfortunately weren't going to grade themselves. Minerva was so focused on her work that she didn't notice how the door to her office opened and someone entered the room.
Albus smiled warmly, seeing his future wife so focused and immersed in her work was always a lovely sight. He knew they hadn't spent much time as a couple lately and he wanted to change that. When Mina still didn't notice him, he cleared his throat, which made her jump a little, but she finally looked up.
Minerva wasn't sure whether he had come to see her in a professional matter or a private one, and so she sat up a little straighter before greeting him.
"Good afternoon, Professor, I didn't notice you at all, I'm sorry." He just chuckled and sat down on the chair in front of her desk, taking her hand and kissing it gently.
"Obviously, dearest, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Mina relaxed a little, now that she could see that he wasn't there to speak to her about anything work related or serious. That was good, very good actually.
"So what can I do for you? Would you like a cup of tea or can I get you anything else?" She smiled and him and Albus smiled right back which made her heart beat faster. His eyes twinkled a little and he suddenly looked much brighter and 'present' than he had in the previous days, where he had seemed tired, stressed and a little zoned out. This was definitely "her" Albus.
"A cup of tea sounds perfect." Albus said, but when Mina wanted to get up, he shook his head. "But you aren't going anywhere, dearest, what kind of husband and father would I be if I made my pregnant wife do something I can easily do myself?" He stood up and helped himself not only to a cup of tea but also a few ginger newts.
"But we aren't even married yet." Mina protested to which Albus just shook his head, which made her roll her eyes a little. Of course these formalities didn't matter, she knew that, He was hers and she was his, that was all that mattered. "And you still haven't answered my question, what brings you to my humble abode on this fine afternoon? Is something wrong?"
"No, dearest, not at all. I was just missing you because I realised we've been missing out on 'just us' time ans I wanted to change that. I miss you." He gave her an almost awkward smile, which meant something because usually, Albus Dumbledore was the master of his emotions. "And I thought, why not catch up and spend some time with the love of my life and our baby." The last sentence made Mina blush. 'Love of his life' sounded pretty good to be honest. But then she looked at the mountain of not yet graded papers that towered on her desk and she sighed. She didn't really have the time for this now, as much as she longed to spend time with him and be just Mina. Just his dearest Mina for a few hours.
"That sounds wonderful but I'm really behind on those papers, as much as I would love to..." But Albus just shook his head.
"Don't you worry about the papers, love, I will take care of them." He said with a smirk that made Mina raise her eyebrow. "Just... trust me."
"I always do."
"For some reason. Anyway, how about I take you home, I have prepared some sandwiches and I got a new record for us to dance to." Mina's eyes widened.
"Oh I love that. You're incredibly thoughtful, I don't know that to say." She finally got up and went to hug him and Albus hugged her back, burying his face in her hair. She smelled like home to him, to Albus, home wasn't a place, home was first and foremost Mina. He loved her so much. "Albus, I missed this." She whispered and he started caressing her back.
"Me too, dearest, we should take some time for ourselves more often." Mina agreed and they went home, spending a wonderful afternoon together, Albus fed Mina sandwiches, they danced in the living room and they talked about the baby, sharing their excitement and worries. Both felt a little guilty that they needed time off from worrying about Cecily, but they knew it was important to function as a couple as well as as parents. And it wasn't like they had sent her away, she was safe and sound at school, doing her assigned work and playing by the rules, just like any other student would at this time of day, right?

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Wrong. Cecily and Eva had finally finished their research which couldn't be any further from what their assigned work would have been. The books had all been rather useful, but especially the small leather-bound book from the restricted section had proven to be incredibly helpful. Cecily had decided to keep it for now, simply because it was much too risky to sneak into the restricted section once again and of course because she was planning to consult the book in the future. She just had to hide it in her room at home, because she knew Albus and Mina would never invade her privacy and go through her things. Cecily appreciated that very much, for the first time in her life she felt taken seriously.
Did she feel bad about going behind their backs? Yes. But it was for the greater good.
After comparing notes, Cecily had finally managed to write down a small paragraph, containing all the important information she had found about soul seers. They went to a more secluded spot in the castle, near the transfiguration classroom, and Cecily started to read it out loud.
"Soul Seers have been known in the wizarding community since the beginning of time. While it's unclear what exactly gives a person the ability to see souls, it's widely suspected that experiencing trauma, combined with a certain disposition, such as muggle heritage, can be contributing factors. Soul Seers have also been known as wanderers between worlds or bridges. There's no harm in seeing souls, quite the opposite, but if it occurs in children, carers should make sure there hasn't been an upsetting event they might have missed." Eva nodded and crossed out some points on her sheet.
"I think you got that right, but what about the souls, did your book say something about them?"
"It did, listen up, it's actually really interesting." Eva sat down on the floor and started to listen as her friend kept on reading. "The souls are just what the name says. Souls, or soul fragments of lost loved ones who for some reason have decided to stay. They are very different from ghosts as we know them for they are deeply personal, often clinging to a person that meant something to them in their life, such as a parent, child or partner. They usually don't show themselves except through subtle signs such as sudden winds out of nowhere, rays of sunshine or just a warm feeling. They are often fuelled by an urge to protect and look after the loved one they are clinging to. In other cases they are bound to a place they love, but those cases are rare. They are usually happy and ready to communicate after a while when meeting a soul seer and deeming them trustworthy as not being understood by the person they are trying to protect can be rather frustrating. However, communication takes a lot of their energy and they don't have much to begin with, unlike ghosts, and so interactions with them tend to be rather short." Cecily stopped there, her head was spinning, it all made sense now. The little boy, Frederick, the old lady who sometimes was near Eva... just loved ones, making sure the people they cared about in life were safe. It made Cecily a little sad because she knew there was literally not a single soul concerned about her. But the sadness didn't last long because she knew Mina and Albus did and she was grateful they were still very much alive.
The two girls went to have dinner. Eva considered asking Cecily what had traumatised her enough to make her see souls, but she didn't want to pry or make her friend feel uncomfortable. She would tell her when the time was right.
"Uhm, Cecily?"
"Yeah?"
"Just so you know, whatever happened to you and whatever will happen, I want you to know that I will always care about you and be your friend." Cecily gave Eva a grateful smile. She had no idea and still managed to find the right words. What a wonderful friend she was. However, no amount of friendship and support could have prepared Cecily for what she was about to find at home. When she arrived at the cottage after dinner, her foster parents greeted her as usual, but this time they weren't alone. The soul of a young woman, not older than seventeen, was standing next to Albus and she seemed terribly upset. Oh dear. Cecily instinctively knew that this meant a lot of emotional work for her, but no soul should have to be upset around her and so, after greeting Mina and Albus, she addressed the soul directly.
"Hello, I am Cecily and I can see you, please don't be alarmed." But it was too late, the soul was startled and disappeared. In that very moment, Cecily realised that seeing souls would probably be a very tough business.