Of Amber Dragons and Prophecies:
Chapter One
"Hush, little baby, don't say a word
Momma's gonna buy you a mocking bird.
If that mocking bird don't sing,
Momma's gonna buy you a diamond ring…"
Natalie Ashland choked, tears pouring down her face. The song that haunted her night after night…the last thing she had ever heard her mother say. Natalie was a seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and she, one of the few students at the school, had faced the fact that Voldemort had killed her parents. Only Natalie and her baby brother, Quinn, had survived.
She thought back to two years ago, when, over summer vacation, Natalie was home again with her parents. The Ashlands were an old wizarding family, and their blood was nothing but pure. Unfortunately, they were strong allies with Albus Dumbledore, and with that came the sad fact that Voldemort would do everything to kill the Ashland family.
Natalie had been sitting in the kitchen with her mother and Quinn, when they heard Mr. Ashland's screams from outside. Mrs. Ashland immediately grabbed Quinn and Natalie in her arms, pulling them into the broom closet. Quinn started crying as the door banged open, and Natalie's mother cuddled him, cooing and softly singing.
"Hush little baby, don't say a word,
Momma's gonna buy you a mocking bird.
If that mocking bird don't sing,
Momma's gonna buy you a diamond ring…"
Mrs. Ashland had hesitated when she heard walking coming closer to the broom closet. She put Quinn in Natalie's arms, and told her to run out of the secret passage in the broom closet. Just as Natalie had closed the trap door, she heard the broom closet door swing open, and a cackling, cold laugh rang through the air.
"Mrs. Ashland. We meet again!" the voice that the laugh belonged to said, cooly.
"Stay away, Voldemort. We Ashlands will never join your side." Mrs. Ashland had replied, her voice shaking as though she was crying.
"Pity." Green light filled every crevice in every wall of the broom closet, and some of it leaked through to the secret passage. Natalie gasped as Mrs. Ashland's screams were silenced. "They've got to be here somewhere," the voice pronounced, and someone started knocking along the wall, checking for hollowness.
Natalie's big brown eyes grew wider than ever as she shakily stood up and ran out of the house through the passage way. Unfortunately, Voldemort had realized that there was a passage way from the broom closet, and opened it up, following Natalie and Quinn.
Natalie ran faster than she had ever had in her life, over dark moors and through fog. She stopped, gasping, and pulled out her wand. "Accio Nimbus 2001," she whispered, beckoning to her broom. It flew out towards her and Quinn, and she jumped on, flying the hardest she ever had, and away from her precious house.
Natalie knew not where she was when she landed in a tiny town in England. She could tell it was a magicking town by the wizards and witches walking around in all different colors of robes, many of them flying around on brooms. She was lucky to not have landed in a Muggle town. Natalie dismounted her broom, still holding Quinn for her dear life, and walked quietly down the streets of the town. When she found a shop called "Fred and George's Wizard Wheezes Shop," she stopped and walked in.
"How may I help your mischief making, ma'am," said a red-haired man, who looked about twenty in age.
Natalie spoke for the first time in what seemed like ages. "I-I'm Natalie Ashland…and I'm in a bit of trouble, I believe," she said softly, her eyes filling with tears.
George Weasley scanned the young girl. She was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with big brown eyes and shoulder-length, wavy, dirty-blonde hair. Natalie (as she said her name was) had a pointed sort of face, that looked extremely sad, and she was wearing slightly tattered crimson robes. She was a tad shorter than George, and the most peculiar thing about her was that she was holding a little boy, who looked about two years old. "Nice to meet you," George said cautiously. "My name's George Weasley…my brother and I own this shop. Ashland…Ashland…where have I heard that name before?"
Natalie's tears came faster, her body wracking with sobs. "My-my father, now deceased, is-was a Minister worker. He was in the Wizard Control department."
George's face suddenly lightened. "Yes! Now I remember your father! But…wait. Why are you here? Doesn't your family live near Devonshire? By the moors?"
"Yes…yes we do. Or did. Can you please tell me where I am now?" Natalie replied, hugging Quinn, petting his brown-haired head.
'You're in Ottery St. Catchpole. It's a small village…mostly Muggle, but there's a small wizarding alley that they can't get into. Now, when you first got to the shop, you said you were in a bit of trouble. Care to tell me what that's all about?"
Natalie sighed, and nodded her head weakly. "Voldemort…he came to my house today…I just escaped…my parents are dead…" Natalie started crying ferociously again, Quinn following her lead. George sighed sadly and looked at Natalie mournfully.
"Come on m'dear, I'll take you to my family house. My twin brother and I still live there with my parents, nice people, and my sister Ginny, my brother Ron, and Ron's friend Harry will all be there. They're all from Hogwarts, as I suppose you are, too?" George questioned, carefully helping Natalie up, and leading her out the door of the shop. They began walking up a long hill to a big, lopsided looking house.
Natalie nodded. "Uh-huh. I'm in my fifth year, in Ravenclaw. Actually, now I think I remember you and Fred quite well…I remember one year when-"
"Yes, well now's not the time to dwell on the past! Here we are, let's get you inside."
Mrs. Weasley was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the book 100 Ways to Quickly Clean Your Kitchen, her light red hair falling across her forehead. When she heard George, Natalie, and Quinn come in, she looked up and gave George a questioning look.
"George…what's this?"
George smiled, and pushed Natalie forward. "Mum, this is Natalie Ashland, (I believe you knew her father, in Wizard Control department at the Ministry) and she's in a bit of trouble. Her family…" George gave Natalie a sad sort of look, and then looked back up at his mother. "Her family was attacked by You-Know-Who today. She and her little brother ran, and she ended up in Ottery St. Catchpole. I though it would perhaps be best if she came up to the house."
Mrs. Weasley gasped, hugging Natalie to her plump body. "I'm so sorry, dear! Come in, come in!" she said, Natalie wrapped in her arms. "You go to Hogwarts, don't you?" Mrs. Weasley pulled Natalie into a sitting lounge right off the main kitchen area, beckoning Natalie to sit down with Quinn on one of the voluptuous hazel futons.
"Yes…I'm in my fifth year, in Ravenclaw." Natalie said quietly, looking down at her hands.
"Oh, you're in the same year as my son, Ron, and his friends Harry Potter and Hermione Granger! They're in Gryffindor."
Natalie nodded, blond curls falling onto her face. "I know of them, but I don't believe I'm actually acquainted with them. No houses really get along that well with each other."
Mrs. Weasley patted Natalie's hands, looking at her with big cinnamon eyes. "I'm so sorry, m'dear, that you had to go through all of that. If you excuse me, I believe I'll go owl Dumbledore. He must know about this."
Natalie agreed, and laid down on the futon, tears once again reappearing. She just couldn't believe that her parents were gone…what would happen to her and Quinn?
So now, two years later, Natalie Ashland was a seventh year at Hogwarts. Over the summer of her going into fifth year, she had become acquainted with Harry and Ron, and then she met Hermione when the Weasleys took them all to Diagon Alley. Dumbledore decided it was best for her to stay at the Weasley's house for that summer, and that she and Quinn would come live at Hogwarts after the summer. She wasn't good friends with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but she was friends with them nonetheless…and she had decided that three more friends were better than three friends she mightn't have.
Natalie turned over in her bed, attempting to force herself to fall asleep. She fell in an out of light sleep for the rest of the night, having horrific dreams of what would happen if Voldemort finally did get his hands on the two children he missed out on.
When she woke the next day, Natalie's eyes were red and puffy, and she freezing cold. She stood up on shaky legs and looked around her dorm. Four other girls lay calmly in their beds, dreaming of perhaps good things. One of them, with black hair and oddly green eyes, was Sandra Svigos, Natalie's best friend. Sandra had gorgeous olive skin, and long legs, which made Natalie seethingly jealous. Natalie hadn't grown an inch since fifth year, leaving her shorter than most of the other girls, and her skin was a pale color that refused to tan.
Beautiful maroon tapestries hung in the room, adorning the white walls, and contemplating the maroon carpet. One wall had a door to the hallway, one wall had a door to the bathroom which they shared with the sixth years, one wall had a door to their handsome iron balcony, and the last wall had a stain-glass window. Sunlight was pouring in from all angles from the stain-glass window, sending beautiful rays of color to dance gaily off of every odd and end.
Natalie smiled, and walked quietly into the white-marble bathroom, as to not wake any of her fellow dorm-mates. She jumped into the shower, hot water tingling her cool skin and warming her to the bone. After the shower, she dressed in her favorite indigo robe, wrapped her black cloak tightly around her body, and walked out onto the balcony, where she summoned her Firebolt. Firebolts were now more common, and Natalie had received one from her good friend, Cho Chang, last year when Natalie turned sixteen. Natalie was sad to see Cho graduate from Hogwarts last year, but happy for her friend.
Natalie jumped on the broom, and flew to the Quidditch pitch, twirling in and out of amazing dives. One of Natalie's favorite things in the world was flying, because it made her forget all her problems and be one with the wind. Her now chest-length hair flapped behind her, and her robes whipped in the early morning wind. She was so intent on her flying that she didn't notice someone come and sit down in the stands until he yelled out to her.
"Oy! Natalie!" Ron Weasley called to Natalie Ashland, his hands cupped around his mouth to intensify the sound. Natalie looked around, stunned, and smiled when she saw Ron sitting there. She flew down to the stands, brown eyes glinting.
"Hallo, Ron! What brings you to the Quidditch pitch on such an early morning?" she said, voice full of amusement.
Ron laughed. "Well, I was standing on my balcony in the Gryffindor house when I saw a purple dot on a broom stick appear from nowhere and start zooming towards the Quidditch pitch. Curiosity got the best of me, and needless to say, I followed the color. Imagine my surprise when I saw it was you." He ran a hand through his orange hair and scrunched his nose.
Natalie giggled. "Care to join me?"
Ron pondered over this a moment, and shook his head. "Uh-uh. Knowing how well I fly, I'll probably kill myself attempting to out-do you."
"Okay, suit yourself!" Natalie said, shrugging, and jumping back on her broom, taking off into the pale blue sky.
Ron leaned back contentedly, his hands behind his head. It was beautiful morning, practically cloudless, and perfect in temperature. The grass was vibrant in color, and everything seemed so calm. It was hard to believe it was the beginning of fall already.
***
Dumbledore watched from his office window, blue eyes dancing as he watched the young girl fly around outside on the Quidditch pitch. He regretted to tell Natalie more bad news, but he couldn't help fate.
Two hours later, the same joyful Natalie Ashland that he watched on the Quidditch pitch was sitting in the office, directly across from him, a worried look pasted across her face.
"What…what is it, Professor?" she whispered, her voice dripping with fearfulness.
"Natalie…I didn't want to tell you this, but a prophecy has been made."
Natalie laughed incredulously. "Professor, you've got to be kidding! A prophecy? You know very well that I do not believe in divination."
Dumbledore looked at her with sad eyes. "Natalie, I would usually agree with you in this case, but once every while, Sybil Trelawney makes a correct prophecy. It's happened twice in her lifetime. And last night…it happened again. At least, we believe it happened again. But the thing that worries me most is that the prophecy…it's about you."
"About…me?" Natalie looked mildly amused as Dumbledore handed her a sheet of paper. She read over it once and then looked up at him with wide brown eyes.
The child with the amber necklace
The one with the chocolate eyes.
Will someday meet a fate,
Which she will strongly despise.
It is down to this child, the powerful one
Who escaped the Dark Lord's wrath
To harvest her powers and find it in her heart
To decide what is her path.
"That's…it?" she asked, glancing at the paper that was once again in Dumbledore's hands.
"That's it. We know there is more to it, but Sybil unfortunately woke up before she could say more. You see, don't you, why we all believe that you are the child in the prophecy?"
"Sort of…I mean, I did escape his 'wrath' a few years ago, when I ran with Quinn, and I do have brown eyes…but what about this amber necklace? I've never heard of such a thing!" she said, giving Dumbledore yet another skeptical look.
"Well, I believe, do to a prophecy once found by another, more powerful Seer, that somehow your mother gave you the amber necklace before she died. Do you know anything whatsoever about this necklace? Do you remember your mother giving you anything before you ran?"
"No…I'm quite hungry, may I please go to breakfast?" Natalie said, quite fed up with Dumbledore's questions.
"Fine…"
Natalie stood up, walking out of the office, and down to the Great Hall, where she sat down next to Sandra.
"Hallo!" she said to Sandra cheerfully, picking up a piece of toast.
"Hi…wait, Natalie! I found this this morning, and I figured it belonged to you," Sandra said, pulling on Natalie's hand and placing something cold and silver in it. Natalie looked down and picked at the chain of a necklace. She held it up, and gasped. The necklace was made of an ornate platinum, and dangling from the end was an amber stone with a dragon on it.
~Finis~