Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Harry Potter and the canon characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am only borrowing them to write for my and other people's enjoyment, without any intention of profiting from it. I thank this talented lady for blessing us with such a rich ground to build up our creativity on!
It was dark, with only a lonely candle providing any light. The orange flames were dancing lazily, their blue hue reflected on the glossy bronze tint of the goblet standing proudly amidst scattered stacks of haphazardly arranged papers.
There were several pots of ink, and an assortment of quills lying atop the disorganized piles of parchment, which were filled to the brim with neatly shaped symbol–, and number sequences. Some of the equations slightly glowed, while others had a colour so gloomy and dim, that they resonated a sense of foreboding.
The figure robed in deep vermilion was distressed by her calculations and what they would mean for the future. She pulled out a fresh roll of parchment, and dipped the sharp end of her quill into scarlet coloured ink, gliding the tip across the smooth surface, furiously scribbling her discoveries.
The witch's warm brown eyes were glowing with a golden colour as she let the magic of sacred Arithmancy flow through her. These were not merely numbers to her, but words of truth, wisdom and foreshadowing cleverly hidden and disguised in the magic of numbers and runes.
Her hands trembled slightly, gasping as she finished a particular sequence.
"This cannot be–," she whispered in shock, quickly repeating her process, only to end up with the same results.
"I have to warn Albus," the witch muttered to herself, and hurriedly made her way towards the fireplace, mumbling a silent spell, and dipping her head into the green flames.
The Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was having a jolly good time, enjoying a goblet of frothy Butterbeer, while his fingertips were gently caressing the feathers of his fiery familiar.
His eyes twinkled madly as he thought about how peaceful the past couple of years were, now that Harry Potter had vanquished the Dark Lord. It was rather unfortunate that he had to leave him on the doorstep of his muggle family, but he had faith that he had made the right call. It would not do for the young saviour of their society to grow up in the throes of fame.
Albus shook his head solemnly at that thought. Even grown adults struggled with the concept of acknowledged distinction, and to raise a child in such an environment would have been detrimental to his character. He simply could not allow the boy to harbour such sentiments that would have shaped him to grow into an entitled, egotistical surly ponce, or Merlin forbid a fanatical bigot with a case of megalomania and a thirst for ruling the world.
Dumbledore shuddered at the thought, and Fawkes affectionately nuzzled his wizard's cheek to soothe him.
"Thank you, my feathered friend," he smiled, glancing at the fireplace as it flared to life.
"I apologize for the intrusion, but may I have a few moments of your time, Headmaster?" Septima Vector's floating face inquired. "I have something troubling to discuss with you," she explained with haste.
The elder wizard furrowed his silver brows and nodded. "Of course, Professor Vector, please indulge me, and step on through, so we may examine your concerns in a more comfortable fashion," he said kindly.
The Arithmancy Professor's face disappeared, and a few moments later, she gracefully stepped out of the hearth.
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Albus," she said softly, clutching a rolled up piece of parchment. "I wouldn't have bothered you, if I didn't have such a pressing need to review my recent calculations."
The Headmaster nodded and made a small gesture with his hand. "Please take a seat. Would you fancy something to drink? You look parched," he noted with concern laced in his voice.
Septima blinked in surprise, and had to admit to herself that her throat did feel rather dry indeed. "Some elf-made wine would be lovely," she said gratefully, and before she could even finish her sentence properly, her beverage appeared out of thin air, and floated into her hand.
Albus' eyes twinkled with mirth. "Hogwarts always looks after her own," he said fondly.
The witch smiled. "Indeed," she hummed, and took a few sips of the burgundy brew, sighing with pleasure. This particular drink was her favourite. Whatever the general opinion on elves might have been, their magic was more ancient and intricate than witches or wizards liked to acknowledge, and they definitely knew their crafts.
"Well, Professor Vector, what troubles you?" The Headmaster's voice turned serious, curious about the reason behind the witch's sudden visit.
Septima Vector had put the goblet down, clearing her throat, and gently unrolling the scroll that she was still clutching tightly onto. "For the past few weeks, I've been looking into the past, the present, and the future of Wizarding society, and I've noted several disturbances in the number and rune patterns," she said with a frown.
Dumbledore absentmindedly stroked his beard, and hummed. "Please continue," he gently nudged the witch to elaborate.
Professor Vector nodded, and slid the parchment towards the wizard, tapping it at a certain point with her fingertips. "See this rune here?" she asked, and received a nod in reply. "I've been working with Elder Futhark runes in my Arithmancy sequences, ever since achieving my Mastery in the subject. This rune is reversed Laguz. While in a healthy up-right position this would signify a cycle of Healing and Renewal, and the prediction of a harmonious flow of energy, in this reversed position this rune signals Fear, Madness, Obsession, Despair, and Withering."
Dumbledore peered at the rune, from behind his half-moon shaped spectacles, and frowned, "Yes, I know this, Professor Vector, and looking at your calculations, it clearly signals past events. Considering the war we had dealt with a few short years ago, there's not anything out of the ordinary about that."
Septima pressed her lips into a thin line, squaring her shoulders, and arming herself for what she had to say next. "Yes," she drawled dryly. "While you're correct about some of that, if you look at the parchment more closely–," she tapped the smooth surface a few inches down from the previous direction. "It will become clear, that for some reason, this rune also appears combined with sequences of numbers predicting the future. It's problematic, because it's paired with three more runes, one of which is reversed Mannaz, which signals Depression, Cunning, and Manipulation."
"Pairing the troubling runes with the numbers, it's foreshadowing that the near future is laden with another period of destruction and fear. It also seems to be tied back to the previous happenstances, namely the Dark One's reign of terror," she scowled. "Furthermore, the numbers tell me that there are several powerful individuals, who hold more secrets and cards that would be appropriate, and they slyly manipulate events to their own design, on the whole spectrum of Dark and Light."
Albus was getting alarmed at the direction this discussion was taking, and he thought it better to nip it in the bud while he was able to do so. He glanced at the witch, and spoke firmly. "Professor Vector, while I do not doubt your spectacular skills in your field of Mastery, please cease this nonsense at once!" His voice was smooth, but had a sharp edge to it. "It would not be wise to cause unnecessary panic when our society is finally experiencing a semblance of prosperity and peace."
Septima could not believe what she was hearing. "Headmaster Dumbledore, the numbers and runes never lie–," she pressed, but she was interrupted rather rudely.
"Professor Vector–, Septima, it would not do to meddle with such things that you could not possibly even begin to comprehend fully," he said in a condescending tone.
"Albus Dumbledore!" the witch raised her voice. "How dare you insult my intelligence? I'm well able to interpret what my field of profession is telling me, and it's also becoming crystal clear to me that for some reason you are up to your eyeballs in this matter, yet you have no desire to share or even entertain information that is not your own."
The Headmaster was flabbergasted at the audacity of his Arithmancy Professor as she showed a lack of respect that he was not used to.
"I apologize if I offended you, my dear," he said soothingly. "However, I do not wish to discuss this further, as I do not see the point of entertaining flawed calculations. If you would be kind enough not to share them with anyone, I would certainly appreciate it."
Septima was furious with the Headmaster, and only her use of Occlumency stopped her raging emotions to show on her face, however her eyes were blazing with the flames of her anger. "Very well, Headmaster," she grunted coldly, because she had just realized that her notion to share her findings with Albus was fruitless, and it was not smart to pursue understanding and support from such unresponsive sources. "I apologize for taking up your time," she said curtly, turning around her heel, and exiting his office.
The impassioned witch in the red robes stormed down the stairs of the castle, making her way towards the Dark Forest, leaving Dumbledore to his thoughts, and seeking an audience with the Centaur Herd, hoping to establish a foundation of alliance with the sentient stargazers.
A/N: This first chapter is more of a prologue of what's to come.
The premise is that Septima Vector, certified Arithmancy Mistress predicts the Dark One's return, however Albus Dumbledore is not having any of that, since he would prefer to hold his cards close to his person, thus she seeks out the Centaurs of the Dark Forest. They stargaze together, and combined with the runes that she mentions, but does not elaborate further on, as Dumbledore halts their conversation, they foreshadow the destiny of one Hermione Granger, thus she and a few other Professors take her under their wing.
There are several key-characters to come into play, with Septima and Hermione being obvious. Then there will be Professors Aurora Sinistra, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, aided by the Centaurs of the Dark Forest. Hermione's friends Padma Patil, Luna Lovegood, and Harry Potter. Not to mention her destined true love in the form of Viktor Krum.
Hermione has a lot in store for her, which I cannot talk about yet, because that would include spoilers.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and the premise. Thank you for reading!