The meeting was being run by the Wist family and the current head of the Wists was Willamina. She was a happy woman and she had a smile on her face for the entire meeting. She had a round face with puffy cheeks and with large dimples and kind smiling eyes.
The main table had the heads of all of the families. Adam Ambrose and Willamina Wist were at the center. Next to Willamina was Carrie Clarkton, then Millston Meyers. Next to Adam Ambrose was Samuel Sawp and then Townston Timms.
None of these leaders had the jovial look of Willamina but Carrie had beautiful, kind eyes. The men all looked stern and ready for business. The direct family members of these six families sat at tables positioned to the sides of the main table on the central platform with special guest and friend tables positioned amongst them. Hazel and her mother sat at one of these, friends and families tables.
Professor Sing was seated on one of the upper tiers and Hazel didn't really see her much but she and her mother were allowed to speak with her when they wanted trusted confirmation. Professor Sing was not even of a branch family. She was just a powerful seer and thusly invited to all such meetings.
Finally Rosa sat at a family table on Adam Ambrose's side. She continually stared hard at Hazel and it wasn't until Adam Ambrose noticed Minerva McGonagall staring at her with a frown did he realize the situation. He sent warnings to the family three times before Rosa could stop staring maliciously.
"Now. We have a new potential fatetress with us today. She is of En Dimension and she is currently enrolled at Star Academy of Magical Practices."
"Leader Willamina did you say she is from En?"
"Yes Leader Townston. It has been thoroughly documented. And it is also known that En hasn't had a powerful seer or diviner since Seer Trelawney. But the fact remains that we do have a new fatetress in our midst and this has been verified by Leader Adam. Now in the tradition.."
As the meeting continued Hazel clearly saw Samuel Swap and Townston Timms speaking about obtaining Shyla and discrediting Adam Ambrose. She felt Shyla tremble with anger and sighed. She could not keep things like this from Shyla yet and it was slightly annoying.
She continued listening to Leader Willamina already knowing what was going to happen.
… Of our families to test those thought to be fatetresses. We will now do this with young Hazel McGonagall."
When everyone learned her name she felt many people try to read her. There was a lot of mumbling and grumbling and she felt like that had been a good enough test as it was.
"Miss McGonagall please step forward."
Hazel stood and she felt her mother give her a pat on her back but it was a soul touch only between the two of them. She approached the table and stood where she was told. Both Leaders Adam and Willamina smiled broadly at her, actual greed clear on both their faces.
"Miss McGonagall thank you so very much for attending this meeting. We just wish to verify your status and then invite you to our competition if you qualify."
"I understand ma'am."
Leader Willamina nodded with her same broad smile.
"We would need a demonstration of your abilities."
"Can I please understand what level of ability you are looking for."
Her smile actually widened when she responded. "just perform your most advanced magic related to seer or divination."
"First I would like to introduce you to my Star bird Shyla. She is a little upset with you so she may be rude."
Bright Starlight erupted on her shoulder and as the light died down Shyla was there.
"Do not apologize for me Hazel." As Shyla spoke everyone gasped. They could not understand her song as speech but the mere fact of a true Star bird before them excited many of them.
Hazel also took out the 18 focus crystals and placed them all on the presentation table. There were more gasps.
Shyla continued speaking and Hazel merely smiled. Finally Leader Adam spoke.
"And what is Shyla saying now?"
"No one can understand a Star Bird Leader Adam."
Adam smiled coolly at Leader Samuel. "Miss McGonagall can."
Samuel had a smug smile on his face when he noticed that Shyla had stopped singing. When he saw how she was looking at him he could only swallow hard.
"Shyla made these focus crystals for the families. There are three per family."
"How long have you had Shyla dear."
Hazel looked to Leader Carrie. "Shyla found me when I was two and I am now twelve." There were more gasps around the room. Which Hazel ignored. "I would like to speak with my mother and Professor Sing about my demonstration for you."
"Of course dear of course." The truth was there was no longer any need for a demonstration. They all knew the truth. They just wanted to see visual proof of what Adam Ambrose reported.
She spoke with her mother and Professor Sing and she was not feeling good about it. She did not like the idea of showing too much but both her mother and Professor Sing insisted. She felt that a part of them wanted to know as well.
She came back before the leaders. And she took a deep breath. "I am ready Leader Willamina."
"Okay. Would you like a person to divine?"
"No ma'am. My demonstration has to do with the dreamscape."
Everyone frowned and there was murmuring.
Before anyone could say anything the dreamscape around them rippled and suddenly it changed. All of the terraces were suspended above a far reaching tranquil blue green sea. A dolphin type animal jumped near the terraces causing some to jump and giggle. Then the sky began to change and they saw the most beautiful sunset followed by a beautiful blue moon. The scene rippled again and they were back in the meeting place.
There was silence for a long time.
After the meeting Hazel was walking silently down a Hogwarts corridor with her mother, Professor Minerva McGonagall. Her mother erected a silence bubble around them.
"Hazel. Never do anything that powerful again. All those people are now trying to figure out how to have you. And that wicked girl." She shuddered.
"I know mother but I am protected by Shyla and I am studying illusion magics with Professor Adder and I am practicing defense against the dark arts spells with Harry and the others."
Professor McGonagal sighed and lowered her silence bubble. That was when Hazel noticed a male Professor staring at her with wide eyes. She sensed that he knew her mother.
Hazel, Hermione, and Ginny sat together as they waited for the Quidditch match to start.
"You did what?! That was very stupid and you are not stupid."
"Evidently I am when it comes to understanding a person. I asked both my mother and Professor Sing and they said do the most complicated and complete one I had."
"Did you really do the most complete and complicated magical process that you know?"
"No. So both Fred and George will play today correct?"
Hermione smiled "Yes they will both play. So what is bigger than changing the dreamscape for a massive group of people?"
"Divining an entire room full of people at once just with a focus stone, tarot cards, or discernment. Something like that"
Hermione sat staring at Hazel for a long moment.
"Ah Miss Granger, who is your friend here?"
"Oh. Professor Snape. This is Hazel McGonagall."
He tried to hide his surprise but Hazel saw it clearly. And when he nodded she saw him cast a doe Patronus at someone. She frowned not truly understanding yet but this verified that this professor knew her mother, Lily Potter.
"Professor McGonagall is your mother."
"Yes sir, she adopted me when I was a baby." She saw understanding bloom on his face before he schooled it again.
"It is nice to meet you Professor. I attend Star Academy in Tan and I have heard about your ability with potions formulas. I was hoping we could talk about a potion I created."
"You created a potion."
Hazel looked up perplexed for a moment. "Yes sir."
"The match is about to start! Professor Snape!" Ron almost fell off the seat that he was trying to sit in when he noticed the Professor.
"Mr. Weasley. Yes Miss McGonagall. I would love to see your work." And he left to sit in the Slytherine section.
During the game Hazel got her first look at Draco Malfoy. She found it rather interesting that he became a seeker. The game went well until the bludger began targeting Harry. Hazel was focused and looking at the bludger.
"What can you see?"
"It has been enchanted." Hazel looked around. "It looks like an enchantment to specifically go after Harry." Hazel's wand was in her hand before another word was spoken and she saw Fred and George protecting her brother. That made her smile.
She used her wand and cast "Repello!" She cast the spell on Harry while thinking about the bludger. The bludger came for Harry again and it hesitated but still hit him.
"They are powerful." Hermione and Hazel shared a knowing look. Hazel shook her head. "Your elves are insanely powerful."
Ginny narrowed her eyes but Said nothing
Hazel looked back at the game and saw Harry falling to the ground. She quickly cast. "Corpus Illustrant! Maxima Magnitudo!" just before he hit the ground.
Hermione, Hazel, and Ginny all held their breaths and when Harry got up they ran down to the field to see if he was okay. When they got there he was holding the Golden Snitch. Hazel shook her head.
"Are you hurt?!"
Harry smiled at his sister. "We won!"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, but are you hurt?"
"I don't think so. Ouch! I may have sprang my wrist."
Hazel was taking her wand out when Professor Lockhart burst onto the scene.
"Oh let me see that. Yes a slight sprang simple fix."
"Oh… well... We should let the nurse have a look." Hazel went to help Harry.
"No need young lady. I can fix this with ease." He raised his wand and said, before Hazel could stop him. "Brackium Emendo!" and Harry's arm went limp. Hazel closed her eyes and exhaled slowly to keep calm.
It was an eventful day for Hazel and when she went to bed she only thought about getting rest. But when she felt Michael beckoning her through her dreamscape she was there in an instant.
"Michael!…" her enthusiasm was cut short as she sucked in a breath. They were on the dreamscape so physical injury was not usually projected. She knew what she was seeing was soul injury and Michael was not a seer and the dreamscape did not work the same way for him. He would not see this.
His skin looked like someone tried to flay it from his bones and hung from his body in thick horrid strips. Both his eyes seemed bloody and swollen in their sockets in an odd way and his face was bruised and horribly misshapen.
"What's wrong?!"
She stared into his look of concern and felt her heart twisting. She fought back tears as the same realization slammed into her again. She would not be able to save him.
She took a deep breath and let it out, all without allowing him to see.
"Nothing. I just realized that if you called me here you are going to do what I asked you not to do."
He sighed. "I have to Hazel. I can not allow her to hurt you." He smiled. "Do you know I have loved you since the day we met?" He laughed out loud. "Three years old and in love. Is that not insane?! And you so serious and smart, I admired you from day one and I never had the courage to tell you." He smiled again. "But knowing how powerful you are I know you always knew."
He frowned. "Then Rosa came. I suspect if it weren't for my love for you I would be nothing but a husk like the others. She has six now. All of them walking dead. But I still hold on a bit even when my body is compelled to obey.
"She has set something up with two divination houses. Swap and Timms. They are going to sabotage things during a competition. These houses want Shyla and they want you destroyed. I am not sure how they will do it because Rosa is not sure."
"You know that you do not need to tell me this. I have been practicing a lot and my innate talent has more than quadrupled. No one can get past my discernment now. You are putting yourself at risk for nothing."
"Nothing? You are everything, absolutely everything. If I die it will be better than this. And I know you are the one who told my family. Rosa does too, as a matter of fact. But thank you. I don't want them thinking I had gone completely mental." He smiled the saddest smile she had ever seen and he was gone before she could say anything. He merely left a whisper in her ear.
"Be careful in that competition and make sure you defeat Rosa completely. I will always love you."