Disclaimer: I am not JKR.

When Prophecy Gives a Choice

It'd been a hard day's night, and students were having a quiet dinner in the Great Hall. The last day of exams was too tiring for everyone. But the end of exams was not the end of the school year. And when most of the students were starting their desserts, the eyes of professor Trelawney had become glassy, she had dropped her fork and proclaimed:

"The time has come. The Chosen One will fight the Dark Lord as sixth month starts.
The Light can win if Chosen One will wed to Hogwarts maid whose names' first letters will not change.
The Chosen One will fight the Dark Lord as sixth month starts."

Then she took her fork and continued to attack her pumpkin pie.

Harry Potter fainted.

"I want to thank you for coming here." Dumbledore looked above his glasses at the people gathered in his office. "As most of you already know, it happened that a prophecy was made today. The prophecy that may bring us to the victory over Voldemort." Naturally some people cringed hearing the name.

"Albus, do you really think..." stared professor McGonagall.

"It does not matter what I think. It matters what the prophecy tells us. Harry Potter has to marry the girl whose initials will not change after the marriage. And it should happen as fast as possible, since tomorrow sixth month starts."

"Has to?.." Harry quietly asked.

Dumbledore looked at Harry with sympathy. "Harry, I understand that you are standing before very hard decision. But sometimes fate does not give as a choice. I know you will do the right thing. And think about bright sides."

"There are bright sides?" Harry looked at Dumbledore incredulously.

"Well, the first one is that you'll beat Voldemort. Think about the life you will have - the life without darkness."

Harry was shaking his head. "Does the life without Dark Lord necessarily means happy life?"

"The second one," continued headmaster, "is that you still have a choice. There is more then one girl at Hogwarts that matches prophecy description."

Harry scowled.

"And of course," Dumbledore shifted uncomfortably, "there are certain aspects of married life... of physical nature..."

Harry... well, let's say that his face became half red and half green.

"So," Dumbledore made a gesture to the audience. "You know all of the... girls here." Headmaster looked at the school librarian and nurse skeptically. "Padma Patil, Parvaty Patil, Pansy Parkinson, Poppy Pomfrey and Irma Pince. Harry, you need to choose."

Madame Pomfrey was the first to answer. "I don't like your interpretation of the prophecy, headmaster. But even if you are right, I'm not suitable anyway. I was married and I doubt you can call me a maid."

"I fear that there is only one interpretation, Poppy. Harry has to marry. As for the maid... You are serving the Hogwarts, Poppy, I think that it could count as Hogwarts maid. So we cannot allow you to leave."

Madame Pomfrey sniffed.

"Well..." Madame Pince did not like the looks some of the people were giving her. "I am suitable. And I don't plan to reject."

"What?" someone coughed. There was a murmur among the people.

"It may sound cynical, but maybe It's my only chance to marry." She held her head high. She was used to hold her head high.

Dumbledore sighed. The night was going to be very... full.

"What? Are you sure?" Headmaster had rubbed his eyes and looked at the silver instruments on one of the shelves.

"I knew we cannot trust the arrogant brat! We should have drugged him! At least he has not lost the last brains being Griffindor and realized that he had no chance against the Dark Lord."

"Severus, please..." Dumbledore continued to study his instruments.

"What happened?" Professor Flitwick entered headmaster's office.

"No one can find Harry. He had left to bed at 3 in the morning, just after the Patil twins started fist fight between themselves. But when I went to wake him twenty minutes ago to learn his decision, he was not at the dormitory. And it appears that no one has seen him."

"Have you tried to ask Ms Granger or Mr. Weasley, Minerva?"

McGonagall frowned. "Mr. Weasley was sleeping and saw nothing. It's strange, but I could not find Ms Granger. Though I've not tried too hard, Harry was more..."

She was interrupted with a low rumble from the outside. Snape winced, grabbed his hand and glanced at the headmaster. Dumbledore was standing still and looking at the wall without blinking.

"Albus..."

"Minerva, you may abandon your search. Harry has left the building. But Voldemort is here. He is trying to breach the wards."

Voldemort and several masked Death Eaters were standing before the gates of the castle.

"Did you really think your pitiful boy could fight me? You are insane, old man..."

Dumbledore was keeping his position in the gates with his wand ready. "Why are you here, Tom? You shall not pass!"

"We shall see, old man, we'll see..." Unknown Death Eater approached his lord and gave him a letter. Voldemort read the letter and frowned. Or scowled. It was hard to say since his resurrected face did not looked very fresh.

"Oh... So, your savior is not here? It is good to have devoted followers. Bella, I have a task for you. Potter has a tracking charm on him - thanks to our young assistants in the school. Take this portkey and bring him to me."

Dumbledore paled and raised his wand.

"No, old man, you will stay here. We will wait for the boy and you will have a chance to observe his death."

Half an hour later unknown wizard miscast Wingardium Leviosa and a pig had flown over the Hogsmead. It was the first time when Harry Potter had landed on his feet after portkey travel. He blinked, saw Voldemort raising his wand and pulled the trigger. And since Voldemort was starting to cast Crusio and not a shield, the bullet killed him without any problem.

"Uh..." Harry looked at the bodies of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. The Death Eaters have grabbed their hands and collapsed the next second after Voldemort fell. "I hope they are not dead. I mean, Snape is a git, but..."

"Poppy!" Dumbledore perked up. "Check Severus, please! Oh, and maybe some Slytherins..."

"Professor... Could you make a portkey for me? I didn't like leaving my wife fifteen minutes after we had married. And I need to return the shotgun to Mr. Granger."

"Wha... How?.. Your wife? Shotgun?..."

"Professor... Professor?.. Oh, good... Can anyone else make me a portkey, please?..

"Ms Granger... Sorry, Mrs. Potter, glad to see you. I want to congratulate you, but I still need to know what happened and why are you left the castle?" Professor McGonagall looked at her favorite student with a hint of a smile.

"Actually, you were almost right the first time. It's still Granger. In the muggle world it is not necessary for a bride to change her last name when she's getting married. And I wanted to keep my initials. As for what happened, you see, my father did not like the fact that Harry and I had eloped, so he brought his shotgun, but I did want my husband alive, so I cast Expelliarmus, then Harry summoned the shotgun. Then Bellatrix appeared and threw a portkey to Harry, and Harry was gone. Then my father snatched Bellatrix's wand and shouted that he will not allow attacking his son in law since it's his duty. Then I stunned Bellatrix and we waited for Harry. Then Harry arrived, then I stunned my father, then aurors arrived and tried to arrest Harry for underage magic, but since he is married, he's considered adult now. Then aurors saw Bellatrix and forgot about underage magic. Then professor Dumbledore arrived and ennervated my father. Then I stunned my father, then..."

"Stop here, Ms... Mrs. Granger. I think I need to visit Poppy and get some headache potions... Just tell me, why is Mr. Potter drunk?"

"Well, Harry and my dad wanted to reconcile... But don't worry, professor, I know a couple of sobering charms. After all I don't want my husband drunk on our wedding night..."