Shadows Across Dimensions
Hazel had not slept much last night. It took much longer than either of them thought it would, but they had finally successfully created the potion they wanted for surveillance.
She shook her head as she thought about how many ingredients they went through and how sure Marcel was with every attempt. She looked at the small vial, they had only made enough for one of them so she had taken it for herself.
That was in the night, on the dreamscape, now she was up early with a new objective.
She clutched the cold ancient mirror in her hand, feeling the etched silver frame bite softly into her palm. It was an ancient talisman she found a long time ago. She said found but the truth was it was a gift from Shylah. It was Shylah's way to communicate with her until she learned to properly hear her.
She used it a little different now but the premise was the same. She carefully drew the sigil with the black ink. As soon as it was complete it flared silver. It was a hound.
The hound sigil pulsed faintly, as if it was building in power before her eyes. It shown brightly then slowly began sinking into the reflective surface like smoke. The Dreamscape around her shimmered with the residual warmth of breakfast chatter, but here, in this pocket of quiet, everything else fell away.
The surface rippled as the sigil seemed to move deeper and deeper into the depths of the mirror. First, the black dog appeared, massive and spectral, eyes glowing like coals under midnight. Then, with a slow swirl of silver light, it softened into Sirius's face, wavering as though caught beneath a hidden current.
"Hazel?" His voice came, roughened by years of worry, carrying the warmth and authority she had come to trust.
"Sirius. I need to talk to you." Hazel's voice trembled slightly, even as she held the mirror steady.
"What's happened?" His brows furrowed, eyes scanning her as if he could see the tension coiled in her chest even across dimensions.
Hazel took a deep breath. "It's Harry. I… I know you already know he was chosen for the Triwizard Tournament, but there's more. I performed a divination and I saw a black shadow, somehow associated with Dumbledore interfere with the Goblet of fire."
Sirius's face went pale. The spectral flicker of his expression sharpened. "This and He had a dream recently. He saw Voldemort. He saw him clearly. This is getting more serious than I thought."
Hazel held his gaze for a long while then words began tumbling out. "This is truly happening. Evervine already predicted a death eater was after Harry… it's tied to Voldemort trying to regain power."
Sirius's jaw tightened. "Hazel… you're saying the prophecy, the pieces… it's happening faster than we feared." He ran a hand through his hair, and the image flickered like heat over cobblestones. "We need to be careful. He's already in danger, and the Dark Lord will be looking for any opening."
Hazel's gaze sharpened. "Maybe I need to speak to professor Sybill Trelaweny. She does not remember the prophecy and she dies not a good hold on the divination arts but the prophecy came to her and no one else.
Sirius nodded. The shadows in his spectral image seemed to deepen. "And you are sure that the vision is tied to Dumbledore?"
Hazel nodded. "Yes. I've never seen anything like it. The shadow… it felt alive. Intentional. Dangerous. It's like… it was tied to Dumbledore and Harry both. And it directly influenced things dealing with Harry's name and the goblet of fire."
Sirius's tone lowered, a hard edge cutting through the warmth of his usual teasing. "Hazel, this… this is serious. I've never heard anything like this. If what you're seeing is real, it means there's an active force targeting both Harry and Dumbledore. We can't wait. We need to—"
Hazel interrupted, voice tight. "I know. That's why I wanted to speak to you first. You can help me understand, prepare… even protect him if it comes to that. But I also need to talk to Dumbledore as soon as possible. He deserves to know what I saw before the situation escalates further."
Sirius's eyes softened, though the concern remained. "I'll help you, Hazel. But be careful. Don't push too far, too fast. The threads you're seeing… they're dangerous, and you've already drawn attention. Keep your senses sharp, and trust no one outside of those you absolutely must."
Hazel exhaled, gripping the mirror tightly. "I will. Thank you, Sirius. I… I need to prepare. I'll contact you again if anything shifts."
"Good," he said, his image starting to waver at the edges. "And Hazel… don't forget, you are not alone in this. For one Lupin and I are here and there are many more."
She sighed. "I just wish you two were here and not in hiding."
"I know. But we will see this through and we will make sure nothing happens to either You or Harry."
The hound sigil flared and then slowly faded from the mirror as Hazel placed it once again in the small pocket space, its hiding place, the cool metal no longer there to comfort her. She felt the residual hum of power leave her, but the weight of what she'd seen lingered, pressing on her mind.
Shylah stirred. Her feathers ruffling as she preened. Hazel looked up to her expectant. Her song was a beautiful melody to the ear, and to the soul, as usual. But, equally as usual, Hazel heard the words buried within the melody.
"You should speak to your father. This war is not a simple thing. I see Sala and Lythera in conflict and Lythera is a Star Dimension. You know what that means little one."
Hazel's heart froze in her chest. A Star Dimension? A child slid down her spine as she that of it. Shylah and her kin were not kind gentle beings and they ruled all star dimensions.
She stood, frozen, staring at her oldest and probably dearest friend.
"I dreamed this last night Hazel.
Hazel slowly nodded and looked away. "I will go talk to him." She looked back to Shylah. "A night vision? Was my father in it?"
"No"
Hazel stared at the beautiful bird. The colors of her feathers sparkling for now apparent reason. She looked away when she realized she would say no more. Again she was nodding. She would go speak to her father now.
She knew what had to come after that: the conversation with Dumbledore. But for now, all she could do was prepare herself, and steel herself for the darkness that had already begun to circle.