A Place Like Home (A self-indulgent/self-insert fanfiction)

Part 12. Leaving, Loving, and the Uncontrollable Mind

Wilbur sat in the library, directly across from Jasmine and Ashley. They were sitting at a small table-only occupied by the three of them-in the corner of the large, book-filled room. The good thing about this library was that it was warm, and there was a librarian who wasn't Madam Pince, (Wilbur's parents had warned him about Madam Pince.) As Wilbur sat in the sturdy chair at the four-person table, he attempted to skim the book that Ashley had recommended they look through. It was a book titled "Occlumency and Mind-Reading Abilities Explained." While Wilbur found it very helpful, it also scared him how much he related to what was written in the book. Things like "Seeing people's memories," and "Having an easier time reading people's emotions." Luckily though, as he read, Jasmine was blabbering off in-front of him to Ashley-whom asked Wilbur's permission to see if she could write about his abilities in her HogWarts journal.

"So there's this person in my favorite movie who has the same name as you." Jasmine slurred, staring at Ashley as she wrote neatly in her journal. Ashley nodded, either not listening and pretending to be or being too occupied.
"His name is Ashley. He's from Gone With the Wind." She continued, her jacket buttons making scratching noises across the table.
"Anyways though. You want to know when the next Twilight book is set to come out? Next year! Like come on! It already came out this August we don't need another!" She complained, laughing to herself a bit. "You know they're making Twilight movies! This will only get worse won't it? I don't want to know if you're team Edward or Jacob because I don't care!"
Ashley nodded again, smiling slightly. She must hear a bit of what Jasmine is talking about.
"But also it's pimpin' knowing Twilight came from My Chemical Romance! That's an inspiration I find sick!" She said, a bit of a giddy expression in her eyes. Wilbur did not like her use of muggle slang. He wished it would die out sooner so he wouldn't have to hear her say those words ever again. Ashley closed her journal and looked directly up at Wilbur.
"Do you see anything in there?" She inquired, wearing an expression on her face to show that she was listening.
"I guess I do. I mean, the whole, looking through peoples' memories things." He answered, his hand lowering to scratch his neck. She nodded again.

"When does it usually happen?" She asked, fidgeting with the quill in her fingers. Wilbur had to take a second to think about it. When did it usually happen? He had to find some way to connect Caroline, Jasmine, and Professor Moreno. When he looked through Caroline's mind, she had just been called out by Helena for having an absent father. When he looked through Jasmine's mind, she was about to go audition for the HogWarts Orchestra. And when he looked through Professor Moreno's mind, he had just seen Sarah York inured in the boathouse. Maybe there was a correlation...
"Whenever someone is thinking about an intense event..." Wilbur thought, speaking out loud to Ashley. Ashley nodded again, still fidgeting with the quill.
"Who has it happened to besides Professor Moreno and Jasmine?" She inquired yet again. Wilbur took a second to realize what she asked. He didn't really want to tell anyone he had gone through Caroline's mind, since he felt the most guilty about hers. Seeing Caroline and her dad for-what could have been-their last time seeing each other, was like walking in on something you knew you weren't supposed to see. He shook his head, and lied, telling Ashley it hadn't happened besides those two.

"What made Jasmine's memory so intense though?" She questioned again, looking straight at Wilbur but seemingly directing her question to Jasmine herself. Jasmine looked up at her, looking at her dangly cat earrings as she spoke.
"Mrs. C had taught me for five years. I remember graduating from elementary marching band in grade 5, and when I shook her hand, she asked if I'd be coming back to her. And I said no." She answered, quietly. "It's times like then that you want to tell people you're a witch. She had taught me for years only for me to say no to her...and with no explanation either."
Ashley gave Jasmine a look of sympathy, but Jasmine turned away.
"It's fine though. She'd be happy to know I'm taking my marching band career to knew places." She smiled sweetly, retracting her eyes to look at Wilbur instead. Wilbur tried to look away, he tried to look away as fast as he could. But it happened before his eyes. Exactly what he tried to conceal, to stop.