*Get ready for a super long chapter!! Before you read just know there's no Draco in this chapter. This one is more focused on Karina, the Dark Lord and his snake attack, Harry and his visions, etc.*

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3rd Person's POV

"So why can I not remember anything?"

"I'm not quite sure my dear. It could be stress, it could be a mental issue, it could very well be a spell from You-Know-Who."

"Why?"

"He could possibly be trying to block your vision. Shield your eyes from what's to happen soon. Keep you from stopping him."

Karina nods taking a sip of tea from the China glass in front of her, "Well sounds like he's doing exactly that."

Professor Trewlaney frowns before placing her hand gently on top of Karina's trembling one, "Breathe my child. You are a strong girl."

Karina scoffs, "Am I? Doesn't seem like it."

"Believe in yourself. I can see your future too remember?"

Nodding Karina then freezes, "If you can see you can tell me what I have been seeing and forgetting."

Trewlaney frowns, "I can't tell you what you've seen in the past. You have to focus really hard and try to remember. Try to push through the wall that has been put up."

"Professor... you've seen my future?What happens?"

"I'm sorry child I haven't seen everything yet. Honestly the only thing I've seen when it comes to you was getting a vision that you were a seer."

"But what about the Draco and Potter drama..."

"That my darling was me seeing through your vision. I have been given visions of everyone here and there. But you... you're very special. I've only been able to see one sight from your future."

"Will I be okay?"

"Eventually..."

...

Harry arrived early in the Room of Requirement for the last D.A. meeting before the holidays and was very glad he had, because when the lamps burst into light he saw that Dobby had taken it upon himself to decorate the place for Christmas. He could tell the elf had done it, because nobody else would have strung a hundred golden baubles from the ceiling, each showing a picture of Harry's face and bearing the legend HAVE A VERY HARRY CHRISTMAS!

Harry had only just managed to get the last of them down before the door creaked open and Luna Lovegood entered, looking dreamy as always.

"Hello," she said vaguely, looking around at what remained of the decorations. "These are nice, did you put them up?"

"No," said Harry, "it was Dobby the house-elf."

"Mistletoe," said Luna dreamily, pointing at a large clump of white berries placed almost over Harry's head. He jumped out from under it. "Good thinking," said Luna very seriously. "It's often infested with nargles."

The room started to fill up as everyone enters. They all stand waiting for Harry to begin.

He clears his throat, "Okay," he said, calling them all to order. "I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far, because it's the last meeting before the holidays and there's no point starting anything new right before a three-week break —"

"We're not doing anything new?" said Zacharias Smith, in a disgruntled whisper loud enough to carry through the room. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come..."

"We're all really sorry Harry didn't tell you, then," said Fred loudly.

Several people sniggered.

"Alright fine we'll do something new but simple then get back to the basic stuff. We'll start out with the impediment jinx-"

"Oh how wonderful! Isn't that the jinx Karina used on you and George?"

Harry slaps his forehead sighing before nodding, "Yes, Luna it is."

"She's quite smart isn't she? I'm sure she knows about many spells that we haven't learned yet... I miss her."

"I'm sorry Luna but she's not coming back." Harry frowns.

"Plus she's not the only one who knows a lot of spells..." Hermione smiles sheepishly.

Luna pouts shaking her head, "It's not the same."

Hermione's mouth drops. Even when Karina wasn't here most people chose her over Hermione. Why was this? They both knew the same amount of information and both were over achievers when it came to learning spells. Karina was soon to be part of the bad side so why did people still want her around.

Harry ignores Hermione's surprised face and shrugs, "We can practice in pairs, just for ten minutes, then we can get out the cushions and try Stunning again."

...

Harry lay in his bed dreaming a nice calm dream until it begins to change.

His body felt smooth, powerful, and flexible. He was gliding between shining metal bars, across dark, cold stone. He was flat against the floor, sliding along on his belly. It was dark, yet he could see objects around him shimmering in strange, vibrant colors. . . .

He was turning his head... At first glance, the corridor was empty but no... a man was sitting on the floor ahead, his chin drooping onto his chest, his outline gleaming in the dark...

Harry put out his tongue. . . . He tasted the man's scent on the air. . . . He was alive but drowsing . . . sitting in front of a door at the end of the corridor . . .

Harry longed to bite the man . . . but he must master the impulse. . . . He had more important work to do. . . . But the man was stirring . . . a silvery cloak fell from his legs as he jumped to his feet; and Harry saw his vibrant, blurred outline towering above him, saw a wand withdrawn from a belt.

He had no choice. . . . He reared high from the floor and struck once, twice, three times, plunging his fangs deeply into the man's flesh, feeling his ribs splinter beneath his jaws, feeling the warm gush of blood. . .

The man was yelling in pain . . . then he fell silent. . . . He slumped backward against the wall. . . . Blood was splattering onto the floor.

Behind a corner nearby, a figure stands watching in shock. Harry looks over to connect eyes with Karina as she gapes at the scene.

"Harry! HARRY!"

He opened his eyes. Every inch of his body was covered in icy sweat; his bedcovers were twisted all around him like a straitjacket; he felt as though a white-hot poker was being applied to his forehead.

"Harry!"

Ron was standing over him looking extremely frightened. There were more figures at the foot of Harry's bed. He clutched his head in his hands; the pain was blinding him. He rolled right over and vomited over the edge of the mattress.

Taking great gulps of air, Harry pushed himself up in bed, willing himself not to throw up again, the pain half-blinding him.

"Your dad," he panted, his chest heaving, "Your dad's . . . been attacked. . . ."

"What?" said Ron uncomprehendingly.

"Your dad! He's been bitten, it's serious, there was blood everywhere..."

"I'm going for help," said the same scared voice, and Harry heard footsteps running out of the dormitory.

"Harry, mate," said Ron uncertainly, "you . . . you were just dreaming. . ."

"No!" said Harry furiously; it was crucial that Ron understand. "It wasn't a dream... not an ordinary dream... I was there, I saw it... I did it..."

He could hear Seamus and Dean muttering but did not care. The pain in his forehead was subsiding slightly, though he was still sweating and shivering feverishly. He retched again and Ron leapt backward out of the way.

"Harry, you're not well," he said shakily. "Neville's gone for help..."

"I'm fine!" Harry choked, wiping his mouth on his pajamas and shaking uncontrollably. "There's nothing wrong with me, it's your dad you've got to worry about — we need to find out where he is — he's bleeding like mad — I was — it was a huge snake. . ."

He tried to get out of bed but Ron pushed him back into it; Dean and Seamus were still whispering somewhere nearby.

Whether one minute passed or ten, Harry did not know; he simply sat there shaking, feeling the pain recede very slowly from his scar. . . . Then there were hurried footsteps coming up the stairs, and he heard Neville's voice again.

"Over here, Professor . . ."

Professor McGonagall came hurrying into the dormitory in her tartan dressing gown, her glasses perched lopsidedly on the bridge of her bony nose.

"What is it, Potter? Where does it hurt?"

He had never been so pleased to see her; it was a member of the Order of the Phoenix he needed now, not someone fussing over him and prescribing useless potions.

"It's Ron's dad," he said, sitting up again, "He's been attacked by a snake and it's serious, I saw it happen."

"What do you mean, you saw it happen?" said Professor McGonagall, her dark eyebrows contracting.

"I don't know... I was asleep and then I was there."

"You mean you dreamed this?"

"No!" said Harry angrily.

Would none of them understand but the one person who he pushed away?

"I was having a dream at first about something completely different, something stupid... and then this interrupted it. It was real, I didn't imagine it, Mr. Weasley was asleep on the floor and he was attacked by a gigantic snake, there was a load of blood, he collapsed, someone's got to find out where he is..."

Professor McGonagall was gazing at him through her lopsided spectacles as though horrified at what she was seeing.

"I'm not lying, and I'm not mad!" Harry told her, his voice rising to a shout. "I tell you, I saw it happen!"

"I believe you, Potter," said Professor McGonagall curtly. "Put on your dressing-gown, we're going to see the headmaster. Weasley, you ought to come too..."

They followed Professor McGonagall past the silent figures of Neville, Dean, and Seamus, out of the dormitory, down the spiral stairs into the common room, through the portrait hole, and off along the Fat Lady's moonlit corridor. Harry felt as though the panic inside him might spill over at any moment; he wanted to run, to yell for Dumbledore.

"Give me one moment."

Ron and Harry watch Professor McGonagall disappear down some steps.

"Where is she going?"

Harry shrugs, "I have no clue."

Within a minute or two, McGonagall arrives back infront of the two with someone at her side.

Harry mouth gapes open as he stares at the girl, "Karina?"

Ron crosses his arms over his chest, "What is she doing here?"

Karina rolls her eyes at Ron before glaring at the two boys, "That's what I would love to find out."

"No time right now. Come along."

Professor McGonagall continues on down the hall with Karina on her heels as the boys both look at one another in concern.

A few minutes they had reached the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Fizzing Whizbee," Professor McGonagall whispers.

The gargoyle springs to life and leaps aside; the wall behind it splits in two to reveal a stone staircase that was moving continuously upward like a spiral escalator. The four of them stepped onto the moving stairs; the wall closed behind them with a thud, and they were moving upward in tight circles until they reached the highly polished oak door with the brass knocker shaped like a griffin.

Though it was now well past midnight, there were voices coming from inside the room, a positive babble of them. It sounded as though Dumbledore was entertaining at least a dozen people.

Professor McGonagall rapped three times with the griffin knocker, and the voices ceased abruptly as though someone had switched them all off. The door opened of its own accord and Professor McGonagall led Harry, Ron, and Karina inside.

The room was in half darkness; the strange silver instruments standing on tables were silent and still rather than whirring and emitting puffs of smoke as they usually did. The portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses covering the walls were all snoozing in their frames. Behind the door, a magnificent red-and-gold bird the size of a swan dozed on its perch with its head under its wing.

"Oh, it's you, Professor McGonagall... and... ah."

Dumbledore was sitting in a high-backed chair behind his desk; he leaned forward into the pool of candlelight illuminating the papers laid out before him. He was wearing a magnificently embroidered purple-and-gold dressing gown over a snowy-white nightshirt, but seemed wide awake, his penetrating light-blue eyes fixed intently upon Professor McGonagall.

"Professor Dumbledore, Potter has had a . . . well, a nightmare," said Professor McGonagall. "He says-"

"It wasn't a nightmare," said Harry quickly.

"Of course it wasn't..." Karina mumbles to herself frowning.

Professor McGonagall looked around at Harry, frowning slightly, "Very well, then, Potter, you tell the headmaster about it."

"I . . . well, I was asleep..." Harry thinks back to his dream, even in his terror and his desperation to make Dumbledore understand, he felt slightly irritated that the headmaster was not looking at him, but examining his own interlocked fingers.

"But it wasn't an ordinary dream-"

"It was real and you saw it happen... that sounds familiar." Karina states as she crosses her arms over her chest.

Harry takes a deep breath, "Ron's dad, Mr. Weasley, has been attacked by a giant snake."

The words seemed to reverberate in the air after he had said them, slightly ridiculous, even comic. There was a pause in which Dumbledore leaned back and stared meditatively at the ceiling. Ron looked from Harry to Dumbledore, white-faced and shocked. Karina freezes trying to think back to the reason she woke up screaming just a few minutes ago.

"How did you see this?" Dumbledore asked quietly, still not looking at Harry.

"Well... I don't know," said Harry, rather angrily, "Inside my head, I suppose-"

"You misunderstand me," Dumbledore interrupts still in the same calm tone. "Professor Trewlaney and Miss Grey here see things. They see things as visions. Where they are standing by watching it happen."

Karina raises an eyebrow at Dumbledore. She knew quite a few people knew she was a seer. She didn't go around telling it to the world but most people knew. How come did? Did Professor Trewlaney tell him?

"Can you remember... er... where you were positioned as you watched this attack happen? Were you perhaps standing beside the victim, or else looking down on the scene from above?"

This was such a curious question that Harry gaped at Dumbledore; it was almost as though he knew.

"I was the snake," he said. "I saw it all from the snake's point of view..."

Nobody else spoke for a moment, then Dumbledore, now looking at Ron, who was still whey-faced, said in a new and sharper voice, "Is Arthur seriously injured?"

"Yes," said Harry emphatically.

Why were they all so slow on the uptake, did they not realize how much a person bled when fangs that long pierced their side? And why could Dumbledore not do him the courtesy of looking at him?

But Dumbledore stood up so quickly that Harry jumped, and addressed one of the old portraits hanging very near the ceiling.

"Everard?" he said sharply. "And you too, Dilys!"

A sallow-faced wizard with short, black bangs and an elderly witch with long silver ringlets in the frame beside him, both of whom seemed to have been in the deepest of sleeps, opened their eyes immediately.

"You were listening?" said Dumbledore.

The wizard nodded, the witch said, "Naturally."

"The man has red hair and glasses," said Dumbledore. "Everard, you will need to raise the alarm, make sure he is found by the right people."

Both nodded and moved sideways out of their frames, but instead of emerging in neighboring pictures (as usually happened at Hog- warts), neither reappeared; one frame now contained nothing but a backdrop of dark curtain, the other a handsome leather armchair. Karina noticed that many of the other headmasters and mistresses on the walls, though snoring and drooling most convincingly, kept sneaking peeks at her and Harry under their eyelids, and she suddenly understood who had been talking when they had knocked.

She snorts looking around, "They're not very good at acting are they?"

Dumbledore glances over at Karina with a twinkle in his eye before approaching the magnificent sleeping bird that was perching beside the door.

"Everard and Dilys were two of Hogwarts's most celebrated Heads. Their renown is such that both have portraits hanging in other important Wizarding institutions. As they are free to move between their own portraits they can tell us what may be happening elsewhere."

"But Mr. Weasley could be anywhere!" Harry yells frantically waving his arms.

Karina rolls her eyes, "Could you be more dramatic?"

Harry opens his mouth to respond but is interrupted by Dumbledore.

"Please sit down, all four of you. Everard and Dilys may not be back for several minutes... Professor McGonagall, if you could draw up extra chairs..."

Professor McGonagall pulled her wand from the pocket of her dressing gown and waved it; three chairs appeared out of thin air, straight-backed and wooden, quite unlike the comfortable chintz armchairs that Dumbledore had conjured back at Harry's hearing.

Harry sat down, watching Dumbledore over his shoulder. Dumbledore was now stroking Fawkes's plumed golden head with one finger. The phoenix awoke immediately. He stretched his beautiful head high and observed Dumbledore through bright, dark eyes.

"We will need," said Dumbledore very quietly to the bird, "a warning."

There was a flash of fire and the phoenix had gone.

Dumbledore now swooped down upon one
of the fragile silver instruments and carried it over to his desk. He sat down facing them again, and tapped it gently with the tip of his wand.

As the instrument tinkers to life, Karina clears her throat gaining the attention of everyone.

"Not that this hasn't been a thrilling way to start the day. But I'm kinda tired. Kind of confused at why I'm here."

Professor McGonagall sighs, "I figured because you have been seeing things more frequently that maybe you could help clear up some confusion."

"No can do. I can't help you."

"Seriously?! You're that stubborn and selfish that you won't help." Ron glares as he spits out angrily.

Karina stares at Ron blankly, "Weasley I never said I wouldn't help. I said I cannot."

Dumbledore stops what's he's doing and looks at Karina in confusion, "And why can you not? Is something wrong?"

"I can't remember anything."

"Pardon?"

"Everything that I see... I forget. I can't remember anything... no vision... no dream... no nightmare... so no I can't help."

"But you were there..."

Karina's head snaps over to stare at Harry incredulously, "Where?"

Harry glares, "Don't act like you don't know."

"I just told you that I don't know. I'm not acting. What do I have to hide?"

"Maybe the fact that you're on Voldemort's side-"

"Enough!"

Harry stares at Dumbledore in shock. Never had he seen Dumbledore this upset and never had he been angry with Harry.

Dumbledore walks over to Karina who was now staring out the dark window. He whispers to her making her nod then sit down before staring at the floor blankly.

Harry wondered what Dumbledore had said to her. And why.

Suddenly, there was a shout from the top of the wall to their right; the wizard called Everard had reappeared in his portrait, panting slightly.

"Dumbledore!"

"What news?"

"I yelled until someone came running," said the wizard, who was mopping his brow on the curtain behind him, "said I'd heard something moving downstairs... they weren't sure whether to believe me but went down to check- you know there are no portraits down there to watch from. Anyway, they carried him up a few minutes later. He doesn't look good, he's covered in blood, I ran along to Elfrida Cragg's portrait to get a good view as they left —"

"Good," said Dumbledore as Ron made a convulsive movement, "I take it Dilys will have seen him arrive, then-"

And moments later, the silver-ringletted witch had reappeared in her picture too; she sank, coughing, into her armchair and said, "Yes, they've taken him to St. Mungo's, Dumbledore... They carried him past under my portrait... . He looks bad..."

"Thank you," said Dumbledore. He looked around at Professor McGonagall, "Minerva, I need you to go and wake the other Weasley children."

"Of course." Professor McGonagall got up and moved swiftly to the door.

Harry cast a sideways glance at Ron, who was now looking terrified.

"And Dumbledore — what about Molly?" said Professor McGonagall, pausing at the door.

"That will be a job for Fawkes when he has finished keeping a lookout for anybody approaching," said Dumbledore. "But she may already know... that excellent clock of hers."

Karina knew Dumbledore was referring to the clock that told, not the time, but the whereabouts and conditions of the various Weasley family members, and with a pang she thought that Mr. Weasley's hand must, even now, be pointing at "mortal peril."

But it was very late. Mrs. Weasley was probably asleep, not watching the clock. Karina suddenly felt cold as she remembered Mrs. Weasley's boggart turning into Mr. Weasley's lifeless body, his glasses askew, blood running down his face.

Dumbledore was now rummaging in a cupboard behind Harry and Ron. He emerged from it carrying a blackened old kettle, which he placed carefully upon his desk. He raised his wand and murmured "Portus"; for a moment the kettle trembled, glowing with an odd blue light, then it quivered to a rest, as solidly black as ever.

Dumbledore marched over to another portrait, this time of a clever-looking wizard with a pointed beard, who had been painted wearing the Slytherin colors of green and silver and was apparently sleeping so deeply that he could not hear Dumbledore's voice when he attempted to rouse him.

"Phineas. Phineas."

And now the subjects of the portraits lining the room were no longer pretending to be asleep; they were shifting around in their frames, the better to watch what was happening. When the clever-looking wizard continued to feign sleep, some of them shouted his name too.

"Phineas! Phineas! PHINEAS!"

He could not pretend any longer; he gave a theatrical jerk and opened his eyes wide.

"Did someone call?"

Karina snorts smiling as Phineas gives her a wink.

"Hello Karina darling how are you?"

"Fine. And you?"

"Exhausted."

Harry and Ron stand nearby confused. How did Karina know who this was.

"I need you to visit your other portrait again, Phineas, I've got another message." Dumbledore orders.

"Visit my other portrait?" said Phineas in a reedy voice, giving a long, fake yawn. hHis eyes traveling around the room and focusing upon Harry.

"Oh no, Dumbledore, I am too tired tonight."

Something about Phineas's voice was familiar to Harry.

Where had he heard it before? But before he could think, the portraits on the surrounding walls broke into a storm of protest.

"Insubordination, sir!" roared a corpulent, red-nosed wizard, bran- dishing his fists.

"Dereliction of duty!"

"We are honor-bound to give service to the present Headmaster of Hogwarts!" cried a frail-looking old wizard whom Harry recognized as Dumbledore's predecessor, Armando Dippet.

"Shame on you, Phineas!"

"Shall I persuade him, Dumbledore?" called a gimlet-eyed witch, raising an unusually thick wand that looked not unlike a birch rod.

"So dramatic..." Karina and Phineas murmur at the same time.

Dumbledore gives Karina a disappointed look making her huff in annoyance. She looks at Phineas with pleading eyes.

"Please help..."

"Oh, very well," Phineas replied, "though he may well have destroyed my picture by now, he's done most of the family —"

"Sirius knows not to destroy your portrait," said Dumbledore.

Harry realized immediately where he had heard Phineas's voice before: issuing from the apparently empty frame in his bedroom in Grimmauld Place.

"You are to give him the message that Arthur Weasley has been gravely injured and that his wife, children, Harry Potter, and Karina Grey will be arriving at his house shortly. Do you understand?"

"Karina Grey?" Karina states in shock.

"Arthur Weasley, injured, wife and children and Harry Potter coming to stay," recited Phineas in a bored voice. "Yes, yes . . . very well. . ."

He sloped away into the frame of the portrait and disappeared from view at the very moment that the study door opened again.

Fred, George, and Ginny were ushered inside by Professor McGonagall, all three of them looking disheveled and shocked, still in their night things.

"Harry — what's going on?" asked Ginny, who looked frightened. "Professor McGonagall says you saw Dad hurt —"

"Your father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix," Dumbledore states before Harry could speak, "He has been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I am sending you back to Sirius's house, which is much more convenient for the hospital than the Burrow. You will meet your mother there."

"How're we going?" asked Fred, looking shaken. "Floo powder?"

"No," said Dumbledore, "Floo powder is not safe at the moment, the Network is being watched. You will be taking a Portkey."

He indicated the old kettle lying innocently on his desk.

"We are just waiting for Phineas Nigellus to report back... I wish to be sure that the coast is clear before sending you —"

There was a flash of flame in the very middle of the office, leaving behind a single golden feather that floated gently to the floor.

"It is Fawkes's warning," said Dumbledore, catching the feather as it fell. "She must know you're out of your beds."

Karina shudders, "How creepy. Does she have a life?"

"Minerva, go and head her off — tell her any story —"

Professor McGonagall was gone in a swish of tartan.

"He says he'll be delighted," said a bored voice behind Dumbledore; Phineas had reappeared in front of his Slytherin banner. "My great-great-grandson has always had odd taste in houseguests... minus Karina of course."

Karina smirks as Ron and Ginny glare at her.

"Come here, then," Dumbledore says ignoring Phineas, "And quickly, before anyone else joins us..."

Everyone gathered around Dumbledore's desk.

"You have all used a Portkey before?" asked Dumbledore, and they nodded, each reaching out to touch some part of the blackened kettle. "Good. On the count of three then . . . one . . . two . . ."

Everyone's feet hit the ground so hard that their knees buckle, the kettle clattered to the ground and somewhere close at hand a voice said, "Back again, the blood traitor brats, is it true their father's dying . . . ?"

"OUT!" roared a second voice.

They had arrived in the gloomy basement kitchen of number twelve, Grimmauld Place. The only sources of light were the fire and one guttering candle, which illuminated the remains of a solitary supper. Kreacher was disappearing through the door to the hall, looking back at them malevolently as he hitched up his loincloth.

Sirius was hurrying toward them all, looking anxious. He was unshaven and still in his day clothes; there was also a slightly Mundungus-like whiff of stale drink about him.

"What's going on?" he said, stretching out a hand to help Ginny up. "Phineas Nigellus said Arthur's been badly injured —"

"Ask Harry," Fred says crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, I want to hear this for myself," said George.

The twins and Ginny were staring at him. Kreacher's footsteps had stopped on the stairs outside.

"It was —" Harry began; this was even worse than telling McGonagall and Dumbledore. "I had a — a kind of vision..."

Karina scoffs not saying anything. The boy wanted to lie... let him pick up all the pieces of the chaos he causes by his self.

Harry told them all that he had seen, though he altered the story so that it sounded as though he had watched from the sidelines as the snake attacked, rather than from behind the snake's own eyes.

Ron, who was still very white, gave him a fleeting look, but did not speak. When Harry had finished, Fred, George, and Ginny continued to stare at him for a moment. Harry did not know whether he was imagining it or not, but he fancied there was something accusatory in their looks. Well, if they were going to blame him for just seeing the attack, he was glad he had not told them that he had been inside the snake at the time.

"Is Mum here?" said Fred, turning to Sirius.

"She probably doesn't even know what's happened yet," said Sirius. "The important thing was to get you away before Umbridge could in- terfere. I expect Dumbledore's letting Molly know now."

"We've got to go to St. Mungo's," said Ginny urgently. She looked around at her brothers; they were of course still in their pajamas. "Sirius, can you lend us cloaks or anything — ?"

"Hang on, you can't go tearing off to St. Mungo's!" said Sirius.

"'Course we can go to St. Mungo's if we want," Fred replies with a mulish expression, "he's our dad!"

"And how are you going to explain how you knew Arthur was attacked before the hospital even let his wife know?"

"What does that matter?" said George hotly.

Karina sighs taking a seat. This was gonna be a long weekend.

"It matters because we don't want to draw attention to the fact that Harry is having visions of things that are happening hundreds of miles away!" said Sirius angrily. "Have you any idea what the Ministry would make of that information?"

Fred and George looked as though they could not care less what the Ministry made of anything. Ron was still white-faced and silent.

"Somebody else could have told us." Ginny whispers, "We could have heard it somewhere other than Harry..." Ginny's eyes sweep the room for a second before landing on the girl sitting at the table.

Seeing this Sirius shakes his head furiously, "Like who?" He answers impatiently, "Karina?"

"Let's leave Karina out of this please." Karina says looking down at her nails, "Karina still has no clue as to why she was dragged out of bed for this."

Fred and George flinch slightly as their old friend sits so nonchalantly as if she didn't care about anything in the world.

"Listen, your dad's been hurt while on duty for the Order and the circumstances are fishy enough without his children knowing about it seconds after it happened, you could seriously damage the Order's —"

"We don't care about the dumb Order!" shouted Fred.

"It's our dad dying we're talking about." yelled George.

"Your father knew what he was getting into, and he won't thank you for messing things up for the Order!" Sirius shouts angrily, "This is how it is — this is why you're not in the Order — you don't understand — there are things worth dying for!"

"Easy for you to say, stuck here!" bellowed Fred. "I don't see you risking your neck!"

The little color remaining in Sirius's face drained from it. He looked for a moment as though he would quite like to hit Fred.

"Enough!"

Fred freezes as Karina stands up and walks over to him, "Stop bickering and listen for once."

Nodding stiffly at Karina request Fred shuts his mouth.

Sirius nods gratefully to Karina before speaking in a determined calm tone, "I know it's hard, but we've all got to act as though we don't know anything yet. We've got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, all right?"

Fred and George still looked mutinous. Ginny, however, took a few steps over to the nearest chair and sank into it. Harry looked at Ron, who made a funny movement somewhere between a nod and shrug, and they sat down too. The twins glare at Sirius for another minute, then stomp out the room.

Karina sighs watching the two leave. She looks back at Sirius and shrugs, "I can go slap some sense into them... if you like."

"Of course you can-"

Sirius gives Ginny a stone cold stare, "Enough Ginny. Yes thank you Karina."

"Sure thing."

Karina skips out the kitchen making Harry, Ron, and Ginny all stare in confusion. What was wrong with her.

Knocking on the closed door, Karina stands with her hands behind her back. The door opens to reveal George looking down at Karina in question.

"Yes?"

"Move."

Karina pushes past the twin and sits on his bed as Fred turns around from staring out the window. Both twins now stand side by side looking at the Slytherin girl... their old friend, in pure confusion.

Karina sighs, "Look twinsies... I may be upset with you both. But I miss you two and I do care for you. I know you two are hurting and you worry about your father. But you can't take your anger out on Sirius. You know he would help and do his best to stop any bad from happening if he could leave."

Fred nods before sitting down beside her, "I know. I just... this whole Order thing... no offense to Harry but it's not fair. We could lose our family because they are protecting him. Everyone is protecting him. And they don't care if they die... as long as he is alive."

Karina smiles sadly bringing her hand up to rub down Fred's back, "I know."

George shakes his head sitting on the other side of Karina, "How? You know how this feels?"

"I don't know exactly how it feels to lose someone protecting Harry. But I know how it feels to lose multiple people because of him. Granted it's not his fault the dark lord wants him dead but... it still hurts. You're right it isn't fair. But is life? No... We'll get through this twinsies..."

The twins lay their heads on her shoulders as she strokes her hand up and down their back.

"I promise..."

...

At ten past five in the morning, the kitchen door swung open and Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen. She was extremely pale, but when they all turned to look at her, she gave a wan smile.

"He's going to be all right," she said, her voice weak with tiredness. "He's sleeping. We can all go and see him later. Bill's sitting with him now, he's going to take the morning off work."

Fred fell back into his chair with his hands over his face. George and Ginny got up, walked swiftly over to their mother, and hugged her. Ron gave a very shaky laugh and downed the rest of his butterbeer in one.

Harry hurried over to the stove to help. He did not want to intrude upon the Weasleys' happiness, and he dreaded the moment when Mrs. Weasley would ask him to recount his vision. However, he had barely taken plates from the dresser when Mrs. Weasley lifted them out of his hands and pulled him into a hug.

"I don't know what would have happened if it hadn't been for you, Harry," she said in a muffled voice. "They might not have found Arthur for hours, and then it would have been too late, but thanks to you he's alive."

Karina's hand clenches closed tightly. She feels her nails cut into her palm making her gasp inwardly. She shakes her head and mumbles, "I need to get out of here."

She pushes past Harry and into the nearby bathroom. Sirius watches her go then frowns looking back at the spot where she had been standing. She left a small few drops of blood on the ground behind her.

What was wrong with her?

Slamming the door closed she turns on the water and washes the small puddle of blood off her palm. She huffs gripping the sink as images flood through her head. She cries painfully as she sees Cedric, her grandmother, her parents, and herself.

Bringing her hands to her hair, she grips her hair tightly wishing the images would go away. It was as if she was triggered.

Hearing Molly thank Harry for saving her husbands life, made Karina feel a certain type of way.

She felt useless.

How come Harry a newbie to seeing things was able to get help and stop death from happening on the first try. It wasn't fair. Karina was always too late. Nobody listened to her when she told them of her visions. Like Professor Trewlaney explained, people thought she was crazy, no one truly took what she said as a warning. And in return... death happened. But this one time that Harry freaking Potter sees something in his dreams, he tells everyone and they all come running to his aid. They all listen to every word that comes out of his mouth. They saved a life. But no one helped her save Cedric's.

It wasn't fair.

As Molly goes on and on about how grateful she was and how they wouldn't have to mourn a loss so close to Christmas, Harry has a internal battle.

"Sirius," Harry muttered, unable to stand it a moment longer. "Can I have a quick word? Er — now?"

He walked into the dark pantry and Sirius followed. Without preamble Harry told his godfather every detail of the vision he had had, including the fact that he himself had been the snake who had attacked Mr. Weasley.

When he paused for breath, Sirius said, "Did you tell Dumbledore this?"

"Yes," said Harry impatiently, "but he didn't tell me what it meant. Well, he doesn't tell me anything anymore. . ."

"I'm sure he would have told you if it was anything to worry about," said Sirius steadily.

"But that's not all," Harry says in a voice only a little above whisper, "Sirius, I-I think I'm going mad. Back in Dumbledore's office, just before we took the Portkey... for a couple of seconds there I thought I was a snake, I felt like one- my scar really hurt when I was looking at Dumbledore...Sirius, I wanted to attack him..."

He could only see a sliver of Sirius's face; the rest was in darkness.

"It must have been the aftermath of the vision, that's all. You were still thinking of the dream or whatever it was and-"

"It wasn't that," Harry replies frantically, shaking his head, "It was like something rose up inside me, like there's a snake inside me-"

"You need to sleep," Sirius states firmly, "You're going to have breakfast and then go upstairs to bed, and then you can go and see Arthur after lunch with the others. You're in shock, Harry; you're blaming yourself for something you only witnessed, and it's lucky you did witness it or Arthur might have died. Just stop worrying..."

He clapped Harry on the shoulder then points to the door. Harry sighs in frustration then storms out. Sirius watches him leave then frowns.

Turning to Karina who was hiding in the corner of the pantry, Sirius gives her a questioning gaze, "What's the look for?"

Karina squints intensely as she stares at the spot Harry had just left from, "I see darkness in him. I don't know when this started happening but he had this aura surrounding him. A black aura."

Sirius nods but doesn't know what to say.

Karina sighs, "Sirius I don't know what I'm doing here. I can't help anyone."

"You can help more than you think possible."

...

The next day the children and Harry had seen Arthur. He was fine still bleeding because of the poison in the snake's fangs. But he was alive.

As soon as the kids started to ask about what happened, why Arthur was where he was, and other things about the order, they were kicked out the hospital room.

"Mad-Eye and Tonks are outside, Arthur,
they want to come and see you. And you lot can wait outside," she added to her children and Harry. "You can come and say good-bye afterward. Go on. . . ."

They trooped back into the corridor. Mad-Eye and Tonks went in and closed the door of the ward behind them.

Fred raised his eyebrows.

"Fine," he said coolly, rummaging in his pockets, "be like that. Don't tell us anything."

"Looking for these?" George smirks holding out what looked like a tangle of flesh-colored string.

"You read my mind," Fred grins, "Let's see if St. Mungo's puts Imperturbable Charms on its ward doors, shall we?"

He and George disentangled the string and separated five Extendable Ears from each other. Fred and George handed them around.

Harry hesitated to take one.

"Go on, Harry, take it! You saved Dad's life, if anyone's got the right to eavesdrop on him it's you. . ."

Grinning in spite of himself, Harry took the end of the string and inserted it into his ear as the twins had done.

"Okay, go!" Fred whispered.

The flesh-colored strings wriggled like long skinny worms, then snaked under the door. For a few seconds Harry could hear nothing, then he heard Tonks whispering as clearly as though she were standing right beside him.

". . . they searched the whole area but they couldn't find the snake anywhere, it just seems to have vanished after it attacked you, Arthur. . . But You-Know-Who can't have expected a snake to get in, can he?"

"I reckon he sent it as a lookout," growled Moody, "'cause he's not had any luck so far, has he? No, I reckon he's trying to get a clearer picture of what he's facing and if Arthur hadn't been there the beast would've had much more time to look around. So Potter says he saw it all happen?"

"Yes," said Mrs. Weasley. She sounded rather uneasy. "You know, Dumbledore seems almost to have been waiting for Harry to see something like this. . ."

"Yeah, well, there's something funny about the Potter kid, we all know that." Moody replies.

Harry hears a familiar voice scoff, "I'll say."

Molly sighs, "Karina..."

Harry and the twins frown. They thought Karina had left and went back to Hogwarts. And why was she allowed to be involved if they weren't. Something fishy was going on.

"What? We all know it's true."

"Dumbledore seemed worried about Harry when I spoke to him this morning."

"'Course he's worried," growled Moody, "The boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake..."

"You think he-"

Karina interrupts Molly, "No... Obviously, he's totally clueless. Harry doesn't realize what that means, but I do... he's being possessed by the Dark Lord."

Harry pulled the Extendable Ear out of his own, his heart hammering very fast and heat rushing up his face. He looked around at the others. They were all staring at him, the strings still trailing from their ears, looking suddenly fearful.

...

Trying with all his might not to think how the Dursleys were going to react when they found him on their doorstep six months earlier than they had expected, he strode over to his trunk, slammed the lid shut and locked it. He then glanced around automatically for Hedwig before remembering that she was still at Hogwarts — well, her cage would be one less thing to carry.

He seized one end of his trunk and had dragged it halfway toward the door when a sneaky voice said, "Running away, are we Harold?"

Harry's head snaps around before his eyes land on Karina who was leaning on the closed door with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Not running away, no," Harry replies shortly, dragging his trunk a few more feet across the room.

"I thought..."

Harry jumps at the voice before twisting around. Phineas Nigellus had appeared upon the canvas of his portrait and was leaning against the frame, watching Harry with an amused expression on his face.

Phineas smirks stroking his pointed beard, "That to belong in Gryffindor House you were supposed to be brave?"

Karina makes a pshh sound rolling her eyes.

Phineas chuckles to himself, "It looks to me as though you would have been better off in my own house. We Slytherins are brave, yes, but not stupid. For instance, given the choice, we will always choose to save our own necks."

"It's not my own neck I'm saving," said Harry tersely, tugging the trunk over a patch of particularly uneven, moth-eaten carpet right in front of the door.

"Oh I see," Phineas Nigellus says still stroking his beard, "This is no cowardly flight — you are being noble."

Harry ignored him.

"I have a message for you from Albus Dumbledore." Phineas states lazily.

Harry spins around, "What is it?"

"Stay where you are."

Harry frowns, "I haven't moved! So what's the message?"

"I have just given it to you, dolt," Phineas replies smoothly as Karina chuckles, "Dumbledore says, 'Stay where you are.'"

"Why?" Harry asks eagerly, dropping the end of his trunk, "Why does he want me to stay?"

Karina sighs, "Isn't it obvious Potter?"

Harry knew the answer. He was a danger.

He clenches his jaw and turns to Phineas, "What else did he say?"

"Nothing whatsoever," said Phineas Nigellus, raising a thin black eyebrow as though he found Harry impertinent.

Harry's temper rose to the surface like a snake rearing from long grass. He was exhausted, he was confused beyond measure, he had experienced terror, relief, and then terror again in the last twelve hours, and still Dumbledore did not want to talk to him.

"So that's it, is it?" Harry asks loudly, "Stay there? That's all anyone could tell me after I got attacked by those dementors too! Just stay put while the grown-ups sort it out, Harry! We won't bother telling you anything, though, because your tiny little brain might not be able to cope with it!"

Karina smirks while playing with the ring on her hand. She missed Draco. She hasn't even had a chance to say goodbye to him. Ugh Potter ruins everything.

Harry seeing this glares at her, "And you! You get to know everything. You get to be involved. Why?"

"You know," said Phineas Nigellus, even more loudly than Harry, "this is precisely why I loathed being a teacher! Young people are so infernally convinced that they are absolutely right about everything."

"You're telling me." Karina states.

"Has it not occurred to you, my poor puffed-up popinjay, that there might be an excellent reason why the headmaster of Hogwarts is not confiding every tiny detail of his plans to you? Have you never paused, while feeling hard-done-by, to note that following Dumbledore's orders has never yet led you into harm? No. No, like all young people, you are quite sure that you alone feel and think, you alone recognize danger, you alone are the only one clever enough to realize what the Dark Lord may be planning..."

"He is planning something to do with me, then?" Harry asks swiftly ignoring everything else Phineas had said.

"Oh geez."

"Did I say that?" Phineas Nigellus says idly examining his silk gloves, "Now, if you will excuse me, I have better things to do than to listen to adolescent agonizing. Good day to you..."

And he strolled into his frame and out of sight.

"Fine, go then!" Harry bellowed at the empty frame. "And tell Dumbledore thanks for nothing!"

The empty canvas remained silent.

Fuming, Harry drags his trunk back to the foot of his bed, then throws himself facedown upon the moth-eaten covers, his eyes shut, his body heavy and aching.

"Well that was quite dramatic."

Harry picks his head up and glares at Karina who was now leaning against the wall near Phineas' picture, "Why are you still here? To torment me?"

"Not everything is about you Potter. Seriously get that through your thick skull. The only reason I was here in the first place was to help Arthur and figure out what is happening. I'm not here for you, not Ron, not Hermione. I'm not here to help any of you. The only people I care around here are Sirius, Molly, Arthur, and the twins... on occasion Ginerva when she doesn't piss me off."

"What is wrong with you? Why are you so angry-"

"You turned your backs on me and treated me like a traitor. I was trying to help you all and you just pushed me away like I was your enemy. Now how does it feel being pushed away by your friends..."

Harry gulps looking down at his trembling hands as Karina smirks walking closer.

"Honestly... tell me Harold. How does it feel? To know that your friends are scared of you. Scared you'll hurt them... hurt their parents and friends. Scared that you're working with the Dark Lord. It doesn't feel good, does it?" Karina pouts jokingly.

"No... it doesn't."

"Good. Glad you finally see things my way." Karina giggles to herself, "Enjoy your night."

Harry watches Karina back away then disappear as she touches Phineas' empty frame on the wall.

Sorry no Draco this chapter. It was really important for me to show how Karina is doing with her seer abilities not acting right. And to show how her relationship with the good side is changing.

How'd we feel about this chapter?

Karina is no longer being the sweet helpful friend she was to the golden trio anymore.

Happy the twins and Karina are back on good terms?

How do we feel about Karina's visions being blocked? (Well blocked as in she can see them but she forgets them immediately.) You think she probably knows something important but can't remember what?

Fav character?

Duo?

Trio?

Future predictions?

Special requests...