Chapter 6
"And All Shall be Revealed …"
The funny thing about seasons is that they often sneak up on you. You know they’re coming, but one day you turn around to find that they’ve arrived – no notice, no warning, no more leaves on the trees. I suppose the same can be said of secrets. When friends have secrets, you begin to notice things about them – stories that don’t quite add up, hushed conversations, intentional cover-ups. We tolerate these things from certain friends because we love them and we know that when they are ready, all will be revealed. But the time for such revelations is usually sudden, unexpected, and, most unfortunately, ill-timed.
October had quickly turned to November, which had an abnormal harshness to it. The air began to bite the day the calendar was turned, and the sky had failed to show any sign of color in weeks. The mood of most of the students had taken a turn for the worse as well. Professors had noticed an all-around idleness and had attempted to remedy the situation by intensifying the workload, which resulted in both a dramatic decrease in free time and a reciprocal increase in stress level.
Lily and Ophelia had begun to make appearances in the library every day, and they had staked a claim in the table in the rear left corner. Even though they were only first years, and thus very low in the pecking order, people stayed away from this table. Of course, this might have had something to do with the fact that Ophelia was usually the first person to arrive in the library and the last to leave. In between classes, she would charm her belongings with an anti-theft spell and leave them at the table, a gesture that silently warned passers-by not to try to steal her spot.
On this particular Sunday, both girls were working on an especially nasty Potions essay that was taking an extraordinarily long time to finish. Truth be told, both girls were nearly done with the essay, but Ophelia looked so frazzled that anyone observing her demeanor would swear she hadn’t yet started.
"Hey," came a whisper from above.
Lily turned to see Gabi standing next to her.
"I’m going to go check out a Quidditch practice. Do either of you want to come?" Gabi asked them.
Ophelia was the one who responded. "You know, Gabi, you really don’t have to flaunt the fact that you’re so much smarter than we are. We already know you don’t have to do any of these essays. We know you don’t care. But, some of us do have to work to get good marks and some of us actually do care about school."
Gabi paused for a moment, the reality of Ophelia’s statement settling in her stomach. She then softly said, "I actually just finished the essay up in the common room."
Ophelia would have normally apologized for the remark, at the very least. In the ordinary flow of things, Ophelia never would have made it in the first place. But, seeing as everyone says things they don’t mean at some time or another, most people jump at the chance to say they’re sorry when a prime opportunity is presented to them.
Ophelia, however, let the opportunity pass. She looked back down at her essay and continued writing.
"I’d love to come," Lily said, trying to cut the tension that had accumulated in the rear left corner of the library. "I definitely need a break."
Lily stood up and followed Gabi out of the library, neither of them speaking as they walked. Once they were outside of the library, however, the discussion began at a relatively heated pace.
"What was that all about?" Gabi asked, a definite coolness in her voice.
"I really have no idea," Lily told her. "I think she’s just stressed. I wouldn’t let it bother you."
"Well of course it’s going to bother me, Lily. Did I do something to offend her?"
"No," Lily said. "I really think it is just the stress. She puts such pressure on herself to succeed, and I think it’s finally catching up with her. I think she’s just a little resentful of the fact that you don’t have to work as hard as she does."
"Do I really flaunt it?" Gabi asked quietly, not entirely sure if she wanted to know Lily’s answer.
"Of course you don’t," Lily told her.
"Are you just saying that to make me feel better?"
Lily stopped walking. "Gabi," she sighed. "You are one of the kindest, most modest people I know. My God, if I had your gift, I would be broadcasting it to the entire world. You, on the other hand, pretty much keep it to yourself. Okay, the first Potions lesson was a bit of an overkill, but that was a one-time occurrence and Mortar deserved that."
Gabi smiled at this.
"Listen," Lily reassured her. "If you were ever doing something that made you look bad, rest assured that I’d tell you to stop. And I’d expect the same of you."
Gabi opened her mouth to reply, but Lily cut her off.
"And I swear to God, if you make one comment about Ariel Julian, I’m going to take back all the nice things I just said about you."
Gabi closed her mouth and smirked.
The girls made their way out to the Quidditch practice field and were surprised to find they weren’t the only people there. Gryffindor had the field this day, and there were several Gryffindors spread out among the bleachers. Among them were –
"James and Sirius," Lily said, pointing to where they were sitting, flanked by Remus and Peter.
Gabi and Lily made their way over to where the four boys were and sat down in the row in front of them. They all exchanged friendly hellos, and then the boys resumed their talk about Quidditch odds for the season.
"No," Sirius was telling Remus, "I’m telling you Hufflepuff is very strong this year. They’re going to give everyone a run for their money."
"Sirius, you’re insane," Remus responded. "Hufflepuff has never been a powerhouse and never will be. Come on, they’re ‘loyal and true,’ for God’s sake. They’re so concerned with fair play and good sportsmanship that they’d practically hand the other team the Snitch if it would make them happy. It’s going to be Slytherin this year."
"Oh no," Peter interrupted. "It’ll definitely be Ravenclaw. They’ve got Amy Elwood playing seeker this year. She’s amazing."
One thing they could all agree on was the hopelessness of the Gryffindor team. And if today’s practice was any indication, the four boys were probably right.
"I refuse to believe that I wasn’t good enough for this team," James said, a slight scowl on his face.
"Everybody stop!" Sirius announced. "James is pouting that he didn’t make the team again. Let us all turn our attention to poor Mr. Potter and join him in his grief."
With that, the three other boys silently hung their heads.
"Oh shut up!" James said. "I do not pout."
Sirius smiled and turned to his best friend. The incident between them the month before had been completely forgotten. "Come on, James," he said. "You know the only reason you didn’t make it is because they never let first years on the team. Next year, it’s you and me, and we’re going to turn this team around."
James smiled and leaned down to Lily and Gabi.
"Have you ever seen Quidditch before, Lily?" he asked.
"Yes," Lily answered him. "I came to a practice last week with Gabi. She’s a little obsessed."
"A girl after my own heart," James said. "I take it you’re trying out next year too?" he asked Gabi.
"Absolutely," she told him. "I have four older brothers, and I more than hold my own whenever we play."
"What about you, Lily?" James asked. "Another future member of the Gryffindor Quidditch team?"
"Probably not," Lily said. In all honesty, she found the game to be a little boring, but she wasn’t about to announce that, lest she be driven out of the stadium on a rail. To circumvent any further questions, she added, "Wow, it’s cold out here, huh? I probably should have brought my heavy cloak."
With that, James took off his top cloak and draped it around Lily’s shoulders. This surprised Lily a little, but she turned around and thanked him. She turned back around to say something to Gabi but learned Gabi had joined in the Quidditch odds conversation.
So, Lily turned back around to talk to James, the only other person sitting silently. Lily started thinking of something poignant to say, but when nothing came to mind, she asked, "So, who do you think is going to win this year?"
"Slytherin," James sighed. "Much as I wish it were otherwise, it’s pretty much a given. They have the strongest team this year, and there’s really no stopping them."
"So, I guess Remus is right?"
James smiled. "Of course he is. You weren’t here earlier. The three of them each bet 20 Galleons on the Quidditch Cup, which isn’t even for another six months. Sirius threw his money away, as far as I’m concerned, and Peter does have a point about the Ravenclaw seeker, but she’s only one strong person on an otherwise weak team. Slytherin, on the other hand, has seven strong members."
"So why didn’t you get in on it?" Lily asked.
"Nah," James told her. "I’m going to let Remus take this one on his own. It’s a bigger payout for him."
Lily smiled. How nice of him, she thought.
James stood up and stretched his arms over his head. "Well, this is way too much excitement for me," he told the group. The only person who heard him was Lily, however, as Remus, Sirius, Peter and Gabi were still involved in a rather heated exchange. "Are you staying here, Lily?"
Lily took one look at the remaining four and stood up as well. "Not a chance," she said. She tapped Gabi on the shoulder to say goodbye and left with James.
"So where’s your other half?" James asked her.
"If you’re referring to Ophelia, she’s still working on her Potions essay in the library," Lily said.
"Ah," James said.
They continued walking for a bit until they were back in the castle. Lily took off James’ cloak and handed it back to him.
"What was it like growing up in a magical family?" she asked him.
James just shrugged. "What was it like growing up in a Muggle family?"
"What do you mean?" Lily asked.
"Well," James said, "to me, growing up around magic was completely normal, and to you, growing up in your environment was normal. So I can’t really describe what it was like when it seemed so plain and ordinary. It was just a part of life, I guess."
Lily wasn’t satisfied with this answer, but she let it go. James could have told her something, and Lily wasn’t sure if he was intentionally being secretive or not.
They walked without saying another word for a while, until James said quietly, almost as if he were speaking to himself, "But things are changing."
"What?" Lily asked, interested but not quite sure what James was talking about.
"The magical world is changing," he repeated. "But you knew that."
"No, I didn’t," Lily said honestly. "What do you mean ‘changing?’"
James sighed. "You really have no idea, do you?"
"James, what are you talking about?"
James grabbed Lily’s hand and started walking her down the Transfiguration hallway, looking around as he went. He spotted an empty classroom and pulled her inside, closing the door behind him.
"James, what’s going on?" Lily asked, a bit of apprehension in her voice. "You’re starting to scare me."
James just sighed at sat down at one of the desks. "I forget that some people didn’t grow up in the environment I did, that they don’t know the things I know, and that they can’t see trends like I can. Well, like we can. No, like the community can … oh, never mind. You know what I mean."
Lily remained standing. "I have no idea what you’re talking about, and frankly, I think I’m going to go now."
Lily started for the door, when James called out, "Stop!"
Lily turned around, shocked at his rather fiery tone.
James sighed. "Sorry," he said. "Look, do you want to know why things are changing or not?"
"Okay James," Lily said, not moving, "why are things changing?"
"I really don’t know," James told her.
"Oh, enough of this," Lily said, turning and putting her hand on the doorknob. "I don’t find this amusing."
"Lily, wait!" James called. "Please. I’m sorry. I’m not explaining very well, but please stay."
Lily turned around and sighed noticeably. "What?" she demanded.
"What I meant was that I don’t know why things are changing, but they are. No one knows why or how. There’s just something going on that no one can quite figure out. Magic has changed so much recently. Over the past year especially."
"In what ways?" Lily wanted to know.
"That’s just the thing," James told her. "No one knows. No one can point to anything solid and say ‘There. That has changed.’ But there is definitely a movement brewing, and it’s not good. There’s some evil force at work, Lily. The Ministry knows it, Dumbledore knows it, My God, even I know it, so that’s got to say something."
"But what is it?"
"I don’t know, that’s what I’m saying. Magic is getting darker, Lily, which is why things are changing. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but according to my father, things are just beginning. Everyone knows that the situation is going to get a lot worse. "
"Are you making this up, James?" Lily asked, an edge to her tone. "Because, frankly, it’s starting to frighten me a little."
"I wish that I were, Lily," James told her. "I wish that I could tell you differently. Actually, by the look on your face, I wish I’d never told you this in the first place."
Lily didn’t know what to say. Reality can be sobering, and Lily wished she were back feeling the warmth of naivety.
"I’m sorry, Lily," James told her.
Lily opened the classroom door, eager to escape the room’s confines. James followed her out.
"Look, Lily," he started, a forced optimism in his tone, "I wouldn’t worry myself about this if I were you. I’m sure the Ministry will be able to weed out whatever this is and control it. After all, that is what they’re there for."
Lily turned around to face James. "I’m fine," she lied. "Really."
James just smiled. Whether or not he accepted Lily’s lie was going to remain unknown. "Heading back up to the common room?" he asked.
"No," she said. "I’m going to go check on Ophelia. I’ll see you in a bit."
Lily watched James disappear up the steps, then turned and began quickly walking to the library. Truthfully, she did want to talk to Ophelia, but not just to see how she was doing. Lily had never been one to take rumors at face value, especially when they were rumors she didn’t want to believe. ‘Always double-check your sources’ was a motto she had come to live by.
Ophelia was still sitting in the rear left corner of the library, but Lily was relieved to find she had finished the essay and was in much lighter spirits.
"How was Quidditch practice?" she whispered to Lily.
Lily shrugged her shoulders. "I hope actual matches are more exciting than the practices because otherwise I think I’m going to be very bored."
"Don’t worry," Ophelia assured her. "You’ll like it."
"Can I ask you a question?" Lily asked her, abruptly changing the subject.
"Sure," Ophelia said. "We should probably go outside though so we can talk without whispering."
Lily agreed and followed her friend outside the library, all the while thinking of how she should phrase her question.
"Okay," Ophelia said, a smile now on he face. "What do you want to know?"
"Well," Lily began, "I was just talking to James and he was telling me about how magic is changing, how it’s becoming darker. It was starting to frighten me a little, and I was just wondering if you knew anything about that, because of your dad and all."
The smile disappeared off Ophelia’s face and her demeanor suddenly shifted from friendly and upbeat to distant and cold.
"Are you asking me about dark magic, Lily?" Ophelia demanded.
"I guess so," Lily began softly. "I just wanted to …"
"Well, don’t," Ophelia interrupted. She turned and walked back into the library. Lily wasn’t sure what to do, but she knew following Ophelia was not an option, so she walked back to her dorm room.
Gabi had returned from the Quidditch practice and was lying on her bed, the current issue of the Daily Prophet opened next to her.
Something on Lily’s face must have advertised her feelings because the moment she walked into the room, Gabi asked what was wrong. Lily repeated the conversations with James and Ophelia and asked Gabi if she knew anything.
Gabi paused. "It’s true," she finally said. "There is definitely a dark movement starting up, but like James said, I’m sure it will be quashed before it gets out of hand. Britain’s not the only one working on it, you know. I personally know Spain is involved, so that’s got to mean other countries are too. This whole thing is going to die down, I promise. There’s no reason to get worked up over it. I mean, I’m not getting upset or anything."
Lily wasn’t sure how comforting this was supposed to be. After all, Gabi never got herself worked up over anything.
"And don’t worry about Ophelia either," Gabi continued. "You saw how she snapped at me earlier. You were probably right about her being stressed."
"I guess you’re right," Lily said, although in the back of her mind, she wasn’t really sure.
"Of course I am," Gabi smiled jokingly. "But now I have to go find Remus."
"What for?"
"To give him my 20 Galleons. I’m getting in on the Quidditch pool. Someone has to defend Gryffindor, so I guess it’ll be me," Gabi said as she started out the door.
Lily closed her eyes and shook her head. She walked over to Gabi’s bed and sat down. She picked up the paper and started flipping through its pages, reading the headlines as she flipped. Most of the headlines were nothing out of the ordinary, but every once in a while, Lily’s eyes would stop of something like "2 Muggles Killed on London Street, Ministry Refuses to Comment" or "Goblin Uprising Injures 7 in Czech Town." Before talking with James or Gabi, Lily would have brushed these headlines off as normal, but now she wasn’t so sure.
Lily wondered to herself how worried she should be, but she soon decided on ‘not very.’ After all, James and Gabi were both from wizarding families and neither of them were too upset. Ophelia was also from a wizarding family, though, and her reaction was much different. But, Lily told herself, Ophelia had a tendency to overreact.
‘You’re overreacting too,’ she told her herself. She sighed and walked out of the dorm.
****
Ophelia didn’t return to the dorm until late that night, and she walked in and got into bed without saying a word to either Lily or Gabi. In a very short time, both Ophelia and Gabi had fallen asleep, but Lily laid in bed unable to fall asleep. Ever since she had gotten the Hogwarts letter, Lily had been battling with bouts of insomnia. Ophelia had assured her it was all psychological, while Gabi was convinced it had something to do with planetary movements.
After close to an hour, Lily still couldn’t fall asleep, so she got out of bed, grabbed her Charms book and headed for the common room. Lily sat in the far corner and turned her chair to face the wall, trying to disguise her presence to any prefects who might enter the room. After all, she technically wasn’t supposed to be in the common room this late at night, but she hadn’t wanted to wake her roommates.
Lily opened the book and began practicing the levitating spell they were going to attempt the next day. Lily hadn’t fail to perform one charm since the first day of class, and Professor Oberon had called her a natural. She had forgotten to bring her wand with her to the common room, so she was forced to practice with an old quill someone had left by the fireplace. For hours, Lily read the book and perfected her wrist movement. She soon began to feel very sleepy and felt her eyelids begin to droop. She still hadn’t mastered the charm, though, so she tried to make herself stay awake.
After awhile, Lily involuntarily dozed off in the chair she was sitting in and she began dreaming. She was having a very odd dream in which she traveling with a band of thieves who forced her to rob people on the street. Lily protested and told them she didn’t want to, but they told her they would curse her if she didn’t.
Lily awoke from the dream feeling very anxious, and it took her a moment to realize she was still in the common room. Deciding she needed to go to bed, Lily picked up her things and climbed the stairs to her dorm. She opened the door very slowly and quietly, not wanting to wake Ophelia or Gabi. Lily tiptoed in the room and noticed Ophelia’s light was on. Lily looked over and saw Ophelia sitting up in her bed, eyes closed, her hand placed over her right temple. Lily looked and saw the black satchel Sebastian had given her on the train sitting on her lap.
All of a sudden, the first night came rushing back into her memory. Ophelia had been doing the same thing back on September 1. Lily remembered how Ophelia had tried to hide the satchel on the train, how surprised Ophelia had been when Lily woke up in the middle of the night and caught her, and how Ophelia had deliberately failed to mention the incident.
Lily froze in her place, looking at Ophelia, unsure what she should do. Should she ask her friend what was going on? Maybe Ophelia was sick. She had been acting odd lately. Or should she quietly get into bed and ignore this? After all, Ophelia could just be meditating. ‘But at four in the morning?’ Lily thought to herself.
Lily chose the second option, still uncertain whether it was the right choice. She silently walked over to her bed and laid down, choosing not to get under the covers, as she feared it would make too much noise. Lily closed her eyes and waited until Ophelia had turned off her light before she got comfortable and settled into sleep, all the while wondering what to do with Ophelia.
The first thing Lily did the next morning was to talk with Gabi. Lily figured Gabi knew much more about magical objects and ailments than she did, and if anyone would know what was going on, it would be Gabi. Unfortunately, Gabi hadn’t a clue.
"You’re sure you saw her doing it before?" Gabi asked. Lily and Gabi had told Ophelia they would meet up with her in the Great Hall for breakfast, and they were still sitting in their dorm room discussing the situation.
"Positive," Lily said. "I saw her the first night we were here."
"Sunday," Gabi observed.
"What?"
"The first night we were here was a Sunday, and last night was a Sunday also."
"Do you think that means something?" Lily asked.
"I don’t know," Gabi told her. "I guess we should ask Ophelia what’s going on. I mean she has nothing to hide from us. She knows we’re her friends."
"But she’s been acting so strange lately," Lily pointed out. "We don’t want her to fly off the handle again about this."
Gabi paused. "Okay, that’s true," she conceded. "But I still think we should ask her. What if this is something serious?"
Lily still wasn’t sure, but she decided to follow Gabi’s lead. The two girls walked into the Great Hall and, most fortunately for them, found Ophelia sitting by herself at the end of the Gryffindor table, reading out of her Potions book. Lily and Gabi sat down on either side of her, and Gabi took her book and closed it.
"I was reading that, you know," Ophelia smiled.
Ophelia was in a good mood, Lily thought to herself. She took a deep breath and decided to go for it.
"So Ophelia," she began, "what’s going on with you?"
"What do you mean?" Ophelia asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.
"Well," Lily said, her tone soft and earnest, "I fell asleep in the common room last night, so I didn’t get back to the dorm until around 4. I saw you awake when I got in, and that made me remember of the first night we were here." Lily stopped talking, knowing she didn’t need to explain in further detail.
And from the look on Ophelia’s face, Ophelia perfectly understood what Lily was talking about. Ophelia’s lively demeanor suddenly vanished and her face fell to the floor. Lily could tell she was doing some very fast thinking.
"Oh, that’s nothing," Ophelia said, her voice shaking. "It’s just … nothing. Really."
At that, Ophelia stood up and muttered something about leaving her Potions homework in the dorm. Lily noticed her hands were trembling as she walked away. She walked over to where her brother was sitting, leaned in and whispered something to him, then Sebastian stood up and followed her out of the Hall.
"Well, I’m glad to know it’s nothing," Gabi said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in her voice.
Ophelia didn’t show up for Potions or History of Magic, which Lily thought was surprising. Ophelia had never missed a class and normally wouldn’t think of missing one either. At lunch, Lily found Sebastian and asked him what where his sister was.
"She’s with Dumbledore," Sebastian told her.
"Why?" Lily wanted to know. "Sebastian, what’s wrong?"
Sebastian just sighed. "I think you need to talk to her about that," he said, and he turned and walked out of the Great Hall.
When Lily and Gabi walked into their last class of the day, Charms, they were surprised to find Ophelia sitting there. Apparently her meeting with Dumbledore was over. Both girls were unsure how to handle the situation, so they walked over and sat down, not saying a word. Lily figured that she would let Ophelia make the first move. She did.
"I need to talk to you both after class," Ophelia told them, not making eye contact.
Lily opened her mouth to say something, but at that moment, Professor Oberon entered the room and began speaking.
"I trust you all are ready to begin levitation," he told them, not really asking them if they were ready, but rather announcing that they should be. He handed each person a feather and launched into the speech he gave every time the class attempted a new charm.
Lily tuned Oberon out. After all, she had practically memorized his spiel. So, as Oberon droned on about how he was sure most of the class would fail to perform the charm, even though he could do it in his sleep, Lily let her imagination run wild. Something was obviously very wrong with Ophelia, and Lily envisioned everything from a tendency toward migraines to a full-on brain transplant.
Lily was forced to come back to reality when she realized Oberon had stopped talking and the class was busy attempting the charm. Oberon walked over to where Lily was sitting, as he did every time the class tried a new charm, and stared down at her, waiting for her to try it.
Lily had never let him down, so she picked up her wand, ready to attempt a repeat performance. A pang of worry flashed in her stomach, as it always did when Oberon was watching her. Lily looked down at her feather and concentrated. She raised her wand and flicked her wrist perfectly, seeing as how she had practiced the movement for hours the night before. She muttered, "Wingardium Leviosa" and watched as the feather rose in the air. Lily didn’t break concentration as she guided the feather through the air and around the room. By this time, the entire class had stopped what they were doing and were turned to watch Lily’s feather. Lily guided it back over to her desk and into a soft landing in front of her.
"Excellent work, Ms. Evans!" he told her. "You never let me down!"
Lily beamed and went back to try again. By the end of the class, only Lily, Sirius, and Ariel had managed to successfully master the charm. Lily was honestly surprised that she had managed to do it so many times, seeing as how her mind was on Ophelia and her eyes were on the clock. Finally, Oberon dismissed them and Lily noticed Ophelia was intentionally holding back, packing up her things slowly. Gabi and Lily followed her lead and did the same.
After the class had emptied into the hallway, Ophelia stood up and shut the classroom door. She turned around, took a noticeable deep breath, and walked over to her friends.
"I was hoping I would never have to tell you what I now am forced to tell you," Ophelia began, and Lily could tell she had rehearsed her words to herself. "For the past few months, I have considered you both as dear friends, and I truly hope our friendship will not be affected by this."
"Ophelia," Gabi said, "nothing you can say can change our friendship. And I know that I don’t know what you’re about to say, but rest assured, it’s not going to come between us."
"Yes, but …" Ophelia began.
"But nothing," Lily interrupted. "We are your friends, no matter what. There is nothing you could say right now that would change that. And I mean nothing."
Ophelia looked visibly relieved.
"Okay," she said. "Well, there really is no easy way to say this. What is inside that black satchel Sebastian gave me on the train is called a Rhine disk. I was born as a telepathic, and the Rhine disk prevents it."
"Oh, wow!" Lily exclaimed. "That is so amazing! I wish that I …"
"No, Lily," Ophelia said, sighing. "You don’t understand. This is not a good thing."
Ophelia glanced at Gabi, which caused Lily to do the same. Gabi had an odd look on her face, an almost worried expression.
"I don’t understand," Lily said.
"Telepathy is a very rare trait," Ophelia explained. "Only something like one out of a million people are born with it. It’s extremely rare among witches and wizards, which is fortunate."
"Why?" Lily wanted to know.
"Because every witch or wizard who has been born telepathic and has used the gift has gone over to the dark side," Ophelia said. "Think about it. Just imagine the power the gift comes with. You can read anyone’s mind. Know what they’re thinking. Know what they’re going to do before they do it. It is the ultimate invasion of privacy. You can actually control people. Even if a witch is good, once she experiences the power that telepathy brings, it’s hard to stop using it. It corrupts you. It ruins you. It’s only a matter of time before you use it for the wrong reasons, and once you’ve gone to the dark side, you don’t return. I refuse to let that happen to me."
"So that’s what the disk is for?" Lily asked.
"Yes," Ophelia said. "The Rhine disk is still a relatively new invention. It was invented only a few years before I was born."
She reached into her bag and withdrew the black satchel. She opened it and took out a small clear disk, roughly the size of a coin.
"I press this to my temple for a few minutes once a week, and it prevents me from reading anyone else’s thoughts," Ophelia said.
"Have you ever …" Lily began.
"No," Ophelia interrupted. "I’ve never read anyone’s thoughts. I’ve never missed a week. I’ve never considered not using the Rhine disk. Anything else?"
"No," Lily told her. "Why is it once a week?"
"I’m lucky it’s once a week. Up until two years ago, the Rhine disk had to be used every day. There have been major improvements on it lately, and there’s some talk that soon they’re coming to make one that’s once a month."
"Does it hurt?" Lily asked quietly.
"I’ve gotten used to it," Ophelia told her, a fairly affirmative answer.
"There can’t be that many people that use the Rhine disk, huh?" Lily asked.
"Three, including me," Ophelia said. "Although, statistically there should be five. Of course, the statistics could be off, or there could be two people out there who are reading minds."
"So I guess this explains why you weren’t too keen on me asking you about dark magic?" Lily observed.
Ophelia smiled. "I’m sorry about that. It’s just that I never want to be associated with dark magic, and especially now that there’s this dark movement brewing, I’ve been on edge lately. I really do apologize. To both of you."
Ophelia again looked over at Gabi, who had been unusually quiet ever since Ophelia revealed her secret.
"Gabi?" she asked, knowing she didn’t need to say anymore.
Gabi just smiled. "I’m glad you told us," she said. "It’s hard to hide things from the people you care about."
"Tell me about it," Ophelia said. "I wanted to tell you both from the beginning, but you just never know. I mean, thank God I never told Aurora. That’s why I always wait until I really know the person before I confide."
"You have to admit, though," Gabi said, "it is a pretty cool gift."
"I know," Lily interrupted. "I feel so useless next to the two of you. You both have these amazing gifts, and then there’s me."
"Oh stop, Lily," Ophelia said. "You’re really good at Charms."
"Oh, right," Lily said. "There’s something to be proud of. Gabi can remember everything she reads, you can read minds, and I can levitate a stupid feather. Watch out world."
Ophelia laughed, and then her mood suddenly turned serious.
"I only have one more thing to say, and then let’s put this behind us," she began. "And I’ve told this to everyone who knows I’m telepathic. I consider you to be friends, and as friends, I know that you will never ask me to stop using the Rhine disk. I know that you will never ask me to try using the gift, even once. It’s hard enough for me as it is, and I need support from those whom I confide in. I take it you understand what I’m saying?"
Lily and Gabi both nodded.
"The day anyone asks me to not use the Rhine disk is the day my friendship with that person ends. I take it that seriously."
Neither Lily nor Gabi said anything, but Ophelia knew they had pledged their support. The three girls walked out of the Charms classroom together, all secrets unearthed, all petty disagreements behind them. They had no way of knowing their toughest challenge to date was looming in the near future.