Fortune Teller
By: Wonderfall
I don't even know why he wanted to walk into the shop in the first place; it was spooky and appalling- even to a wizard. It looked like the kind of place you would walk into and never walk out of, it really was that horrid. I mean, would you walk in it? Doubt it. I surely wouldn't have if it wasn't for the soon-to-be-very-dead-and-buried-in-the-gardens friend I refer to as Theodore Nott. He literally grabbed onto my arm between my wrist and elbow and dragged me in there.
As soon as he opened the door, I was assaulted with BEADS!!! They were hanging down from the ceiling like some sort of trap. Honestly! After fighting with the wretched little things for a lifetime, I actually stepped further into the shop, instead of following my instincts and getting the hell out of there. God help me. It had an awful smell, like Snape's old ingredient closet times a million. It just didn't mix and it was overwhelming, a bad combination. I felt like I was going to throw up. Wouldn't that be just lovely? Throwing up all over the place, I'd be in the papers, again, for my idiocy.
Theo continued to drag me further into the place, when we finally found what he had been searching for: the fortune teller. What a load of utter crap. Who would believe in that rubbish? Not me.
She was draped with these eccentric blue and silver robes, surrounded by the tidal wave of purple and red curtains and, ugh, more beads. Her hair was red too, almost blinding and, dare I say it? Familiar. Almost. Just a little, actually. But whatever, I still felt like throwing up. It was disgusting!!!!
Theo went first, thankfully. I waited outside the curtain fort, praying that Theo would get his kicks and we could leave, quickly. I was Draco Malfoy, I had much better things to be doing that hanging out around some cheap fortune teller's store. It was already killing me that I could now say I actually went to the fortune teller. It sounded so foolish in my head, and I was sure it would sound even worse when I said it out loud. What would my father say? Ugh.
Theo came out a few minutes later, looking dazed yet sated. I didn't want to argue, so I grabbed onto him and started for the door.
"Uh huh." He said to me, deviously. He pushed me into the curtain fort and then I was trapped. So I had my fortune read.
I sat down, defeated. The familiar red head looking at me expectantly, knowingly. It was annoying, how could any of this be real? This chick was just making money off lies and slander. Needless to say, I didn't know what to tell her, not a single thing to say. What could I say? I had a horrible past, a sordid present, and a gloomy future. Why would I want to know it? But looking at her, the wave of vivid red hair that almost hurt my eyes, her creamy skin, the big brown eyes. She was a trap in herself. I didn't want to throw up anymore, but I had a dizzy feeling in my head, dizzy in a elated kind of way. Her eyes bore into me, she saw me for everything that I was, exactly how I was, and nothing else. I felt naked and displayed just for her, with one look from those intense eyes.
She leaned forward then, invisible wind in her hair and her eyes shining, and reached out with one up-turned hand. I didn't know what I was doing, I was dizzy!!! But I too reached out with my hand and laid it on hers, palm up, as if I knew what to do. The whole thing was becoming an out of body experience for me. She tilted her head to the side, and took a look at my palm. And even though her eyes were at a downward angle, they still sparkled.
After observing for moments she spoke for the first time, her arcane voice ringing out as if in song. She said, "You got a woman?"
I didn't know what to say, my throat seemingly gone, because I couldn't find my voice at all. Her eyes lifted up to mine again, radiant as ever, and she smirked. Then she looked into her crystal ball, a crystal ball!!! I didn't even notice it until her eyes went to it. I should have been screaming about how fake she was, but I couldn't.
The ball was round, smoky and glittering. She leaned forward even more so and gazed deep into the ball and then spoke again. Her voice was becoming my favorite sound. But even the sound of that voice couldn't distract me from what was actually spoken.
She said, "You're in love."
WHAT??? How could that be so??? My mind went into overdrive. I have never been in love before, not once. I would have no idea how it felt, the signs, nothing. Only one night flings, passionate hotness, chicks drooling over my money. That surely wasn't love, but it was all I had. Then I thought of all the girls I knew. I couldn't put love with their names, none of them. But the fortune teller spoke again, her voice filling my head, clearing it, forcing my eyes back to told me when the next one arrives, I'd be looking into her eyes.
I stood up as fast as I could. She was either fooling with me or... could it be? The next woman I saw, was the woman that I loved? It was terribly irrational to believe it, but I almost did. Instead, for that moment, I reverted back to my persona, having lost myself in the short time I had been in that shop. I dismissed what she had said and I left there in a hurry.
But while Theo and I continued running our errands and shopping that day, I didn't see any women. Secretly, I was looking forward to my big surprise. Underneath my beautiful surface, I truly was looking forward to seeing who I was supposedly "in love with". But, like I said, we didn't see any women. None. When I went home that night and got into bed, I felt defeated. Love. It was a totally new concept to me, one I had never pondered, not a single thought wasted on such a thing as love. Why should I? With my parents being, well, my parents, I was never exposed to such a thing as love.
I fell asleep thinking about the intoxicating smell of the shop. The next day, when I woke up, I discovered that the fortune teller told me a lie. It had to be! I realized it the moment I opened my eyes. She had to have lied. How would she have known who I was in love with when I didn't even know???!!! And her being so beautiful, using me and my feelings just to get money out of me, of course I was mad! I got dressed quickly, ignoring my duties for that day. I was so angry with that fortune teller, that wench. How could she play me like that, fool me into thinking I was in love? Ha!
I hurried back down to that woman. I had to confront her, I was almost blinded with rage, as mad as I could be! There was no one, I didn't see any women! I walked back into that shop, straight into the curtain fort and began to raise my hell. I said I didn't see no body!!! Why had she made a fool out of me????? I stood there pointing at her, accusing her of her crimes against my soul, she played with my emotions and made me feel like an idiot. How could she??!!
But then something struck me, as if it came from up above. But I knew, it was mostly the smell of the shop, it was so intoxicating, so wonderful. I had rushed into the shop so quickly, it was only just reaching me. My hand dropped and I felt dizzy again, looking at the fortune teller. Her robes a lush, royal purple that contrasted insanely with her red hair, her wild red hair. And her eyes, still boring into me, those giant brown eyes and a knowing smile blessing her features as she looked right back at me.
And it hit me.
While looking at the fortune teller, I fell in love.
Author's Note: I know I'm an awful updater. I know, you can kill me later though. I have a lot of these crazy one shot ideas floating around in my head, I just want to get them out and then I can start finishing what I already started. I know what I'm going to do! I just have to get it down on paper.
This story is based loosely on the song "Fortune Teller" by Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, the album "Raising Sand" is really awesome. I'm in love with it and this song in particular appealed to me.