Elladora's funeral was odd. Gemma felt uncomfortable going, but she went for Regulus' sake. Just like Edward's, there were too many people, most of whom hardly even knew the girl they were burying. 

Her parents had brought her a silver coffin, and had even placed emerald gemstones along the edges and intricate ornaments on the top, designing some peculiar serpent form that did not truly fit Elladora Hargreaves. 

Cassiopeia Hargreaves, her mother, wept over her child's casket, grasping at the edge as she sunk to her knees and lowered her head until it touched the edge of the coffin. She wailed Elladora's name in the stone-built chamber, and it echoed through every attendees' soul- the cry of a mother that was burying her second child.

Regulus stood in the back, hands trembling as he fought back anxiety, and through his ears, the mother's cry played on repeat. His skin had turned grey from lack of sleep and malnourishment. The guilt was devouring him from inside out, and there was an abyss of desolation in his stomach that he could not entirely fill. The only other person in the room that seemed to be more devastated than Regulus was Remus Lupin, who also stood near one of the walls, gripping on a chair until his knuckles turned white, and his skin had blanched as he stared at the casket.

Albus Dumbledore was also present, eyes downcast. He couldn't wipe this one out of memory, Gemma though bitterly, half the school had seen it happen. She swallowed a lump that was forming in her throat. Iz deserved to buried. Gemma didn't even know what had become of her best friend's body. Ice cold fury settled into her bones and feasted on her marrow as her hand wrapped around the letter in her pocket. She'd gotten it this morning, and it weighed heavily on her mind. 

'I want to leave,' Regulus said suddenly. 'This is all a façade; nobody here is worthy of even speaking her name.' Gemma remembered feeling the same way at Edward's funeral- it seemed so long ago.

'Okay,' she said. 'If you're sure that's what you want.' Her gaze fell once again on Dumbledore. She had a million questions to ask him, but Regulus needed her just then, and she decided, for once, not to be selfish. 

He nodded, and they left the little chapel together. It was an open-casket ceremony, and they'd placed Elladora in a small chapel down in Hogsmeade, because Hogwarts did not have a proper burial ground.

As they walked through Hogsmeade back to the castle, each was absorbed in their own thoughts, and to the Black heir, the once lively street seemed to have lost all its jovial light. 

'How have things changed so much?' He asked in a low murmur. His eyes wandered to the Shrieking Shack, and he could almost hear their puerile laughter from so long ago. 'We were so happy, and now... how can we ever go back to that?'

'Time heals,' she responded carefully. 'It takes forever, but it'll get there in the end.'

'Maybe,' he said, but she could tell from his voice that he didn't believe her. They stopped outside the Shrieking Shack, leaning against the wire fence and staring at the structure. 

'Maybe I'll become a necromancer,' he said, smiling humourlessly. 'And I'll summon her spirit, with bread rolls or something. She'd definitely leave the afterlife for bread rolls.'

'You could,' she hummed thoughtfully. 

'I could,' he repeated numbly. 'Or I could go to a pub and get drunk.' She didn't think he was being serious, but not the first time, he surprised her as he pulled away from the fence and headed towards the Three Broomsticks, to drown out his misery with alcohol. 

.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.•*•.

Gemma climbed the stairs to Dumbledore's study mindlessly. It was barely 8 p.m. but she'd returned to Hogwarts in a rush after Regulus had started sobbing in the middle of the Three Broomsticks after downing three firewhiskeys. He'd never cried before, and she'd had no clue what to do, so she'd settled for dumping him in his dorm and forcing him to go to sleep. 

The familiar route to Dumbledore's office that she had walked many times came easily to her and she was in front of the stone statue in no time, saying the password and watching as it twisted around and moved out of the way to reveal the stone staircase that lead up to her destination. She walked painstakingly slowly to the top, knocking softly a couple of times until the professor's voice beckoned her in. Holding her breath, she pushed open the door.

'Miss Aston,' the headmaster greeted warmly. 'Please, have a seat. Would you like a pepper imp?'

'I've been seeing things,' she said hollowly. A silence ensued, and Gemma wondered if she'd been rather too blunt. 

'Ah,' Dumbledore, before falling silent again. 

'I had had a vision about the murder of my dad, and then another one which led me to the forest which was where- when Iz died,' she continued. He stayed quiet, so she continued on. 'And the person there he- he said something about my magic. He mentioned you. He- I didn't remember it clearly at first but... he said something about, and I knew it wasn't good. Now I understand it a lot better.'

'You trust the words of someone who murdered you best friend?' Dumbledore asked, tilting his head to the side. 

'I didn't. At first.' Gemma said. She pulled out a letter from her pocket with trembling hands, and handed it to him. 'A while ago, I read a book, about my visions, and then I wrote a letter to the author of it, Eden Alvarado.'

'I am familiar with her, a brilliant witch' Dumbledore said warily. 'But I do not see where this is going- '

 She said I'm... I'm like a Seer or- clairvoyant, or I could be... well no I could have been. If I hadn't been dulled.'

'Miss Aston- '

'She said that there's this potion. It's very difficult to make, only the most skilled wizards can do it. Miss Alvarado said that- if you give it someone in the early stages of their life... it represses their magic.' 

A minute passed. Neither of them filled it. 

'Did you give me that potion?' She asked in almost a whisper. 'Is that the reason I can never perform spells, why I'm so horrible at magic... because of you?' Finally, the headmaster spoke. 

'If you understood the circumstances under which I acted, you would understand my decision,' he uttered. He could have lied, but he didn't. He didn't regret it, and the urge to cry was almost overwhelming. 

'Then explain,' she said, sitting down and breathing in deeply. 'Please, Sir, explain the circumstances.' Dumbledore, whom she'd once regarded with respect, now held only the position of villainy in her mind, as he observed her over his half-moon spectacles before opening his mouth.

'Genevieve was already in the Order,' he said calmly. 'She was quite alarmed when her child refused to speak. Until, one day, it did. And do you know what it said? A prophecy. You were only ten months old and your first words were a prophecy.'

'What did it say,' Gemma murmured, but she was ignored. 

'Human Seers are incredibly rare, even today,' Dumbledore continued, 'We only know the name of one- Cassandra Trelawny, and her loyalty is unwavering. Lord Voldemort is ever amassing followers. Had he known of a Seer, or clairvoyant, he would have sought to either use you or kill you immediately. I could not allow your abilities to fall into the wrong hands.'

'So you condemned me,' she said bitterly. 'I suppose my mother was more than content with this?' The look on his face told her enough, and she nodded, standing up abruptly. 'Thanks. That's all I needed to know. You cleared that all up really nicely for me, thank you.' She turned to leave, but whirled back around at the last second. 'And screw the Order. I quit. Can't do magic anyway, it's just a bloody death wish.'

'You are allowed to be upset,' he started calmly. 'But everything I have done was for the future of the Wizarding World.'

'Good for you!' She snapped, although she quickly recovered her composure. 'Have a... bad day or whatever.' And with that she turned and left, slamming the door shut and wishing it would just splinter and break with the force. Of course it didn't, because it was backed with magic, something she couldn't do because of the old fool. 

She ran into Ted on her way, and cursed her luck; all she wanted was to mope in peace. 

'Hey,' he said, looking concerned at the the expression on her face. 'You look upset. Was it the funeral? You should eat something, come on...' He tugged at her arm but she batted him away. 

'I'm not hungry,' she muttered, and he frowned. 

'You haven't had anything since breakfast-'

'Not now, okay?' She said exasperatedly, finally meeting his eyes. He didn't know anything. Not about Iz, not about Dumbledore, nothing. And she couldn't even tell him, which made her loathing for the old man burn with newfound intensity. 

'Okay,' he said defeatedly. 'I'll bring you something later. Wait in the Common Room, or I'll break you door down,' he warned, and a smile managed to find its way onto her face. 

'Okay,' she said reassuringly, and he broke into a smile too. 

Only when he was out of sight did she finally let a tear escape. 

a/n- one chapter left until part 2! I hope this clears things up, feel free to ask any questions, because I'm very bad at 'revealing moments' (although there's going to be a lot more question answering in the next chapter).