LUCRETIA
THE SEER, THE SPECTATOR AND THE LISTENER

       THERE WAS SOMETHING THE PHANTAMAGORICAL ABOUT SCOTLAND'S LANDSCAPE. Ancient tales of wizardry, fabled bards, and voyagers always eulogized its land for the miracles it was concealing before muggles' agnostic eyes. Stories about fearsome creatures, deceitful witches, and deadly curses haunted every child's dream, converting them into a living nightmare.

Lyrists chanted about their twisted nature regarding beings such as kelpies and selkies who rule in the waters of rivers or terrifying ogres and bloodthirsty bugbears who roamed in forests and swamps. Muggles knew about these creatures only through fairy tales with swashed letters upon parchment which became fantasy books, but for wizards and witches these were their reality; coexisting with these kinds of creatures was their norm.

The journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was, in a few words, an exhausting ordeal that stretched from noon until evening. Students hailing from southern England were required to catch the morning train from London, bound for the Scottish Highlands. Meanwhile, those who lived closer to Scotland or Ireland had their routes to follow.

When the train departed, the students who were there seemed more than any other school year. In past years, many parents trusted no place other than the safety of their homes to protect their children from the ravages of war. However, because the tide had turned back into the wizardry world, not to a great but a reassuring degree, the trust in the ministry's ability and effectiveness to protect its citizens had been restored. 

The train was more crowded so it was difficult for the students to find seats. In a wagon, two students were sitting in total silence. Well, almost total, because the titian-haired witch who was holding a pile of card deck was grumping to herself. The boy across her gazed at her somehow annoyed and with a rasped voice he exclaimed "Lucretia! You can not foretell my destiny, cease that,"

The witch, whose name seemed to be Lucretia, frowned and while she fixed her glasses back to her nose she responded "Juan Chang, you are a pureblood wizard, are not you? I simply cannot understand how you do not have a bit of faith in divination— it is a respectable art, after all,"

Lucretia Tonks had a shrill voice echoing with the same force as the crystals do when they are clinked together inside a cave. She had also small freckles around her cheeks and nose. Her round eyes were shadowed behind her glasses, although it was impossible at times because the hazel color could not be annihilated by darkness so easily.

Usually, she liked to tie her hair up because at home her family used to make fun of her for looking like a sheep that had been bathed in red paint. Still, she preferred them loose and carefree, watching her hair form waves out of the corner of her eye. Moreover, she was born in autumn so anything associated with shades of green, brown, yellow, or orange was automatically considered mesmerizing according to her judgment.

She lived in a forgotten village in England, where her parents had a small pub, while they were also making their living from working in the fields. They were farmers, her father a muggle but her mother was a witch, from a nearby village, who knew the art of magic without having attended Hogwarts. Not everyone had the same opportunities to go to school. Commonly, the children of wizards from the big cities of Great Britain had an advantage over children living in the villages. The fate of the latter lies in labor and household affairs— to find a wholesome and respectable husband to raise their family together and all over again.

Lucretia was fortunate, and she knew it well. She was deeply grateful that her parents, despite their limited education, had done everything in their power to ensure she had opportunities they never had. Their lives had been shaped by manual, practical work, but from an early age, Lucretia showed a natural eagerness for learning, a hunger to expand her mind beyond the boundaries of the world they knew. They saw a purpose in her.

It was a shame to let her rot in this place.

Her friend crossed his arms and mocked her by saying "As if they were not enough the occult activities from your lover, now we have your intimation into futurology,"

She had known Juan Chang since her first year at Hogwarts. From the very first minute, she got on the train she sat next to him and they became instant friends. Unfortunately for her the Sorting Hat had singled him out for his bravery and sorted him into Gryffindor while it had not found any specific attribute in her— Hufflepuff was the only option that was left for Tonks.

Juan was a gentle boy whose hair was always uncombed and he always adored to be in the company of a book. Despite his frequent contact with reading, he did not wear glasses. His eyes were shaped like almonds, dyed in a deep black color akin to olives, velvety and sharp, and his face was elongated with his cheeks shining like a ray of moonbeam whenever he smiled. He was more studious than Lucretia. It seemed like he was born to be a diligent and meticulous student. Perhaps the loyal blue color of the Ravenclaw house would have been suitable for someone like him more than the Gryffindors', but at the same time, the Sorting Hat never mistook someone's placement.

As soon as he heard his words her face matched her hair and immediately her card deck was hurled at him, scattering into the air with fury and embarrassment. The same emotions they adapted just as their owner.

"Button your lip! What if Avery is somewhere around us,"

"Do not be frightened," he scoffed "Probably he is somewhere else while thinking if he is next move should revolve around the the revival of a rabbit or a wild boar,"

"You have misunderstood him, Juan," she argued.

If one name could be imprinted on her soul it was that of Christopher Avery, the brooding Slytherin boy who could have been a vampire. Pale skin, dark hair as the abyss, and eyes dull, without any trace of emotion in them. She was fancy of him for four years or so. It was a fairly inevitable attraction that even Lucretia herself did not want to happen. But his energy drew her to him. That icy stare that hid so much and yet expressed even more won her over once and for all. Perhaps her always brittle heart liked to have someone close to shatter it.

However, Avery was a strange boy who certainly had more uncommon interests than any other boy of his age. He had never played Quidditch and as Lucretia was aware of he never had been into a relationship with a woman. After some point, she started thinking if he fancies the opposite gender, but this could not be the case. Not, this must not be the case. He was just distant and withdrawn, like a shadow fading in the twilight, his presence barely felt even when he was near. But Tonks would always be looking for him. Wherever she was, she would try to detect his magnetic aura.

Juan stared at her in a judgemental manner and quickly proceeded to make Lucretia come back to her senses "This is ridiculous Lucretia. I doubt if he is even aware of your existence,"

This would have left a nasty scar on her feelings, but Lucretia gave him a look that refused his statement "Alright Lucretia, he probably is aware of a British gal named Lucretia Tonks from Hufflepuff,"

He was more than aware of, Juan Chang.

"Do not expect me, you lunatic witch, that I will feed your delusions about this boy, while he has such questionable behavior towards you," he said strictly "What do you expect me to say? Oh, yes Lucretia, what a eulogy from God it must be being in the center of  Christopher Avery's attention. I truly wish he is mentally well, but with him lurking around your shadows without even exchanging a proper conversation with you is concerning,"

The witch accidentally let a small chuckle escape her lips "I found it rather romantic,"

He was disappointed with this friend "And I am disappointed for your intelligence. Honestly, woman you are unremorseful. Tread carefully, this is all I am saying to you,"

Silence fell between them and when the sound of the train's machine drowned it too Lucretia confessed "I just his existence to come to Hogwarts. And if something occurs as a result of these interactions then..."

Juan raised a hand in a motive to prevent the redundancy of her words "Do not say these things Tonks to me. He gives you attention when he is indifferent to his hobbies. However, the knucklehead you are, you have to accept it without cutting it,"

"I do not want to,"

"Then, you shall drown in the Black Lake so both Cassiopeia and I can find peace," his eyes flashed "And since I spoke about Cassiopeia where on Earth is she?"

Cassiopeia Greengrass was the third member of their little group. A pureblood witch who had not been sorted to be in Slytherin, but instead in Ravenclaw. Quite witty, sarcastic, and not as talkative as these two.

All three were united by their love of books and knowledge and though excellent students they could never match the spectacular performance of Tom Riddle, the boy who would be perfect this year and a close friend of Christopher Avery. These three students were not on good terms with the teachers, nor were they particularly clingy towards them like other pupils of theirs who preferred to gain academic validation through the cheap tricks of flattery and personal humiliation. 

"She said she is going to search for her cousin,"

Cassiopeia had told them about her cousin who would be continuing her seventh year at Hogwarts this year after years of being home-schooled and Lucretia was eager to meet her new classmate. She knew from her friend that her name was Althea Lynch, she was the daughter of a wealthy Greek immigrant family living in a London suburb. Unfortunately, the young witch had recently lost her mother, so she did not quite know how to deal with her, even though Althea would be a stranger.

Juan just shook his head in agreement.

It was not long before the soft whistle of Cassiopeia's shoes was heard outside their cabin door.

"Oh, my Cassiopeia. Do you have a fever? You seem unwell,"

"My cousin is nowhere to be seen!" the witch announced.

Maybe Althea looked like her, Lucretia thought. Her childhood friend had curly unruly blonde hair, which was always adorned with various ribbons of all colors. Most of the time she wore ribbons in shades of blue to match her cloak, but primarily to match the colour of her eyes. She had a round face and sweet, bilious features. She emitted the same glow as that of a pearl just emerging from a clam, and at other times Lucretia liked to liken her to Botticelli's painting, "The Birth of Venus,". She had the same grace as the Greek Goddess had, and if she could she would say that half or perhaps all of her beauty had been given to her by Aphrodite. But now her face was contorted with anxiety and worry over her cousin's disappearance. Dread wore her features and the Ravenclaw witch could not hide it.

Juan closed the book he was holding "She has to be somewhere around here I would venture,"

He sounded logical and Lucretia could tell that this would be the case, as she had never seen before so crowded the King Cross Station. But this did not soothe the Ravenclaw witch's paranoia nor did she seem to pay attention to his words.

"No, I have a terrible foreboding about this,"

Cassiopeia tended to be the less logical person of them, so these kinds of outbursts with her walking up and down like a maniac or eating the nails and cuticles around her fingers continuously were not one of her strangest habits.

"I told her to meet me near the arch where we waited ourselves," Cassiopeia explained.

"Perhaps she confused the arches. I am sure that everything is alright," Lucretia tried.

The witch took a sharp breath with her eyes kind of threatening to wet her with tears "If anything has happened to her, my parents will blame me. What if she missed the train? What if she stayed at King Cross alone? Althea is not used to going out as often as we are,"

"I live in a village,"

"It is not the same. Her father is overprotective. I will be in trouble if anything terrible has happened," she scolded Lucretia "It is not that I see her as a burden. But I have a responsibility,"

Her hands dug into her skull and when she sat down next to Lucretia the witch could feel her negative energy pushing her to want to jump off the train as well. Cassiopeia could bring destruction with the slightest setback and difficulty and was quite a melancholy person to the point of being unbearable at times. Thankfully she was not always like that.

She was hard on herself and constantly denied things about herself that she knew were beyond her abilities and refused to admit it. Stubborn, but when involved in her honour she was resolute. A person who sometimes did not count others out when she got in the way. 

Lucretia did not want to call her selfish, but more as a person who truly cared about herself and her state of mind. Lucretia could sacrifice herself for her friends, while Cassiopeia would hesitate.

"I will get you some water," Lucretia said and stood up, "and you Chang, bring me the deck of cards you picked up off the floor,"

"She will look for Avery's shadow now," Juan scowled and gave her the deck, while she just rolled her eyes as she left her two friends alone.

The lady who passed by with the food and drink trolley always left a box of water and sweets at the end of the corridor for those who forgot to take something when she was there or for those who would get hungry and thirsty during the journey.

Lucretia started walking and began to mix up the deck of cards in her hands and before she knew it the door to the last cabin's door opened.

She felt her breath be caught in her throat and then come rushing back down to her stomach, delivering a scorching pain that could easily inflame her organs with the first of them being her heart. It started to pound. A sweet but familiar pain washed over her and as his eyes met hers some of the cards she held fell to the floor.

Christopher Avery looked at her and then a small smile spread across his lips "Good morning, Miss Tonks,"

He had forgotten his voice all summer. Merlin, she had forgotten how handsome he was.

What the eye does not see, the heart does not grieve over.

But the witch needed just one second to make a place for him back in her heart. A place where her affection would bleed her heart with spires.

At least two, to lose sleep again. Oh, how would he be if he was hers?

Three, to feel like a humiliated woman chasing a man who did not have the same feelings for her. She wondered if her questions would ever be answered.

Four to lose her words in front of him. A single syllable felt like it was thawed like an iceberg in her throat.

Five for her to be again able to utter a word.

"Mr. Avery, fancy to see you this morning. I trust you had an enjoyable summer," he surely had, he is the son of the Avery house after all. The cards were still on the ground and with his piercing eyes he noticed that only five of the deck Lucretia was holding had fallen.

"I hope so too," he paused and then examined the cards "Usually wizards with tarot cards try to predict the future," he said coldly as he bent down to pick them up "not with a muggle deck of cards,"

She did not know if he was teasing her or criticizing her for her choice of cards however Lucretia felt the words in her mouth melting and from the stress she was about to fall.

"It was the closest thing I had," she replied, a blush spreading across her cheeks "Odd you saw right to my hobby"

'I have my ways of seeing right through people," he admitted "Do you believe in the laws of divination?"

His voice was soft, not too heavy and resonant, but to her, it was as if his vocal cords had been embroidered with honey.

She shrugged "I think it is quite interesting as an art,"

Avery looked at the cards again and muttered, "Mm, I believe the future belongs to the future and we have no right to explore it,"

His hair was puffy and some of it fell over his forehead which he had a habit of pushing back with his fingers. This was a common habit of his. She had not spoken to Avery much through the years, maybe when they were younger, yes, but growing up their relationships were just formal.

"But that does not mean we are not allowed to have a taste for that one," he winked and motioned for her to follow him to a window that had a small table and a chair no one sat at there.

He seemed to possess no malevolent purpose in him, so Lucretia followed him sheepishly,  her face a kaleidoscope of variants of colors. Would she spend her time in Avery's presence? Lucretia stayed a little further away from him watching him bunter and then stir the cards. She watched him carefully as an angel looking after someone who swore that would always be under their gaze. The concentration he had in his movements. The amount of focus he possessed under the hazy sunlight. And how much she wanted at that moment to be tucked into his arms.

When he finished he turned to look at her, while she stood a little more uncomfortably behind him, her fingers twisting around the buttons of her cloak.

"Please, do not stand there. I do not bite," was all he said, and Lucretia with the delicate steps of a sparrow approached finding a place next to him on the left.

If only she had the same grit as the other girls her age had.

If she was not so reserved and did not act like such a puritan.

She hated how her mind constantly compared her to others, especially when it came to interacting with the opposite sex. Maybe she never needed the attention of men, because if she truly wanted to be with someone, she would logically find someone her age for her first relationship. It was irritating that, from a young age, she had been bombarded with the idea of getting married as soon as she finished school or if she found a suitable groom for it. They wanted to set her up as a matchmaker. Oh, Merlin, she wanted to tear down their house when she found out about it. If she were to start a family with someone, it would be out of true love, not some artificial arrangement to appease her parents' regressive fears of her becoming a spinster in the village. The shame, if there was any, was hers to bear— not theirs.

"I think the five number is a sign," he began, "draw five cards from this pile. Whichever ones you want," he said once he was sure that he stirred them correctly.

Wanting to engage in futurology was like walking in a stretched-long tent with a fire underneath. Lucretia felt the searing heat rise, her hands slick with sweat yet tingling with an almost feverish intensity. Every step required an exquisite balance, for dabbling too deeply in the mysteries of tomorrow could unravel the delicate threads of today, as if tempting fate to turn away, leaving one's fortune to wither and fade.

Nevertheless, she remained skeptical of her choices. Standing before the small window, where the trees of Scotland swept past like cunning thieves, their branches conspiring with the sky, she chose two from the middle two from the left and one from the right.

Avery deftly scattered the cards onto the table in a perfectly straight line, arranged so meticulously that Lucretia was certain no single one had slipped out of alignment. With a subtle nudge of his hand, he prompted her to select the first card.

"The Queen of Hearts," he mused thoughtfully about the initial card the witch had drawn. "This could hold some intriguing significance. What thoughts would you have?"

Lucretia held the card gently in her hands, her mind swirling as she pondered its meaning. The Queen of Hearts— an embodiment of love, deep and nurturing, yet often demanding in its intensity. Could this card be reflecting a woman in her life, or perhaps something that holds these qualities? Red impersonates the power someone holds, the ambitions they have, and most certainly the duration they want to give to their actions.

"I suggest it represents something—or someone—powerful, most likely a woman,"

"A woman with connections to something grandiose, perhaps powers rooted in ancient origins. If you have noticed the card is a little bit distressed. That is the energy I sense from this card," he continued his gaze meeting hers as he summed up his impression.

They moved to the second one and Lucretia had filled her mind already with questions.

"Ten of Spades," Avery announced, his voice heavy with foreboding.

"Trouble looms," Lucretia declared with a firm conviction, her eyes drawn to the card's double-faced spades "and likely peril on multiple fronts,"

"Indeed," Avery agreed, his tone somber "This card often portends misfortune, but in this instance, it suggests something far more dire—two forces, or perhaps two individuals, poised to unleash great disaster upon our world,"

They moved to the next one.

"Ace of Diamonds," she murmured, her voice tinged with apprehension. This card, she knew, signaled a need for caution, a warning wrapped in promise and risk.

"Choices," Avery said, "numerous decisions must be made that will shape the future in profound ways, but certainly one is the only one that should be considered,"

"Seven of Clubs," Avery revealed.

"Yet even with these choices, obstacles will arise. This journey will be fraught with conflict and questions for anyone who dares to confront them,"

Avery ventured, his voice a whisper of dread "Perhaps betrayal?"

"Possibly," she acknowledged.

"And the final card," Lucretia prompted, her eyes searching his for any hint of solace.

"King of Hearts," Avery replied, his expression softening.

So far everything seemed foreboding as if the future was dark as night and hopes like birds with no clear destination. The last one seemed comforting. Perhaps the danger lay in the person of a woman powerful enough to bring world-changing changes to the magical world. Perhaps again the cards Lucretia chose meant nothing and were just random cards that did not represent the future.

"A redeemer," a savior.

No, Lucretia Tonks was not a seer.

"Do you think it is connected to the Queen of Hearts?"

They were random cards that had no specific p.

"Perhaps they are connected to feelings of love,"

All her life, she had been the spectator, content to watch the world unfold before her like a fairytale. Cassiopeia and Juan, however, were exchanging the roles of the spectator and listener, though Juan's nature still inclined him more toward listening. And she, unlike the others, held no special gift—no foresight to glimpse the future, no power to alter what was to come. She was merely herself, grounded in the present, with no illusions of being anything more. Moreover, she was a Hufflepuff and a Hufflepuff never went outside the rules of the norm.

Avery looked at her with a surprised look and her eyes locked onto his with a not-so-sure look about herself. If her soul was connected to divination then she could only compare herself to Cassandra, because no one would ever believe her, even if she tried to predict that it would rain while the clouds overhead on the skies were dark.

But he gazed at her with quiet confidence, as if the answers to all her unspoken questions were hidden within the depths of his warm, brown eyes. Lucretia could not help but marvel at the absurdity of it all—how they had sat together for five lingering minutes, speaking with ease like they were old friends who had shared a lifetime of secrets.

"If any of this happens," he started "I will owe you a huge favor, Tonks,"

He was mesmerizing. His beauty is unreal, surreal, and untruly out of this world.

"For what?" she questioned.

He shouldered, standing up from the chair he was sitting in while handing her back the cards "It is the first time I have seen someone practicing cartomancy. Or even participating. I would be astonished if these predictions became reality,"

Lucretia was perplexed. Christopher spoke as if not a great threat was coming their way. As if her predictions, which were not stated entirely by her, were a game and not something serious. Two dark wizards. A woman who holds unmatched power. Betrayal. Love. Lies. He was more than anything ignorant if he was thinking that all of this was a jest.

"This is nonsense," Lucretia liked to call this event just a mere coincidence "You will owe me nothing. I would prefer to call me a doomsayer than a seer,"

He chuckled and Lucretia returned the gesture with her hand racing because of his intoxicating face and the brightness of his teeth "We will see, Lucretia. No rush,"

Lucretia Tonks was not a seer and if this was the case then it was a curse. A truly unfortunate curse.

a/n:: after this chapter, i will return to my tsop's authors block 🫥 smh this chapter is so terribly written but i liked the idea with the cards lol. also after reviewing it why lucretia act like an anime uwu girl around Christopher? i am so sorry about that, she acts like that because apparently she doesn't know she is being under the view of the readers. also what's your opinion about their odd predictions? WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING.