The Endless Waltz
By: Julie Berg
The character and universe all belong to J.K. Rowling, not to me.
Prologue
It was dark, which was the first thing that he noticed about the place. Then he realized with a revulsion that it reeked of unwashed bodies and other unexplainable things.
There was a single light in the center of the small room, if it could be called a room. The light came from a floating orb above the table and he could almost make out someone sitting behind the
table.
"So you have come to hear your fortune, have you?" A raspy voice came out of the darkness and he almost screamed in fear. Straining against the darkness, he made out an old woman,
with long unwashed hair and deep wrinkles. It was hard to tell what age she was for she kept her head low and she wore a black cloak that covered half her face. Not knowing what to do he
swallowed and stepped forward, his hands were sweating and he wanted to run away.
"Well, I haven't got all day, what will it be. Past, future, or the usual…love life?" The raspy voice said again from the darkness and he nodded towards her. The old woman leaned forward until the
light hit her ugly face, which made him flinch but he didn't move.
"He he…well lets see what the cards have to tell me."
The woman took a set of old worn looking cards and started to shuffle them all the while looking at him with clear white eyes. He shivered, though not from the cold. Finally the old woman set
the cards down on the table and peered at them with her blind eyes.
Looking up from the cards the woman simply said in another set of raspy voice,
"You who will walk a dark path but also the light path.
Beware of many dangers in the past but also the future.
Many will judge but none as harshly as you.
Keep faith in the young one, who shines like a bolt of lighting.
For you are destined together, in the past, the present and the future.
He, who has defeated the dark one, will do so in again
Green will save you
Black will surround you
But together will bind you
Wait for the one loathed
Wait for the one loved
She with the green and he with the black
Together the right one will come
Potter is the name
Marry you must before reaching forty
Or death awaits you both and your demons
Life without reason but the reason is given
Potter is the name
Seek out the one who will bring you salvation"
The woman stopped and looked at him with milky white eyes. They seemed to see his souls and as he tired to turn away, she reached across the table and grabbed his hand.
"Remember child…Potter is the name, Potter is the names…remember that."
Terrified beyond words he nodded and jerking his hand from her gasp, he turned and ran from the building. He ran and ran and everything he looked back, he saw her milky eyes following him. Words followed him,
"Potter is the name…Potter is the name…Potter…"
With a gasp Severus Snape jerked awake, he was sweating like he had just ran a marathon and his long hair clung to his face and neck. Getting his breath back slowly he looked
around his bedroom to see if anything was amiss. The room was still the same as it had been the night before. His large bed was pushed against the wall in the center, both sides had
tables with books on them, the floor had a well designed rug on it. Across form the bed was the large walk in closet and the bathroom. The walls were decorated with well picked
pictures that he loved and the whole bedroom had a feel of peace to it. He had decorated it that way for that purpose and yet he didn't seem to have reached peace yet. Shaking his
head, Severus got off the bed and headed towards his bathroom, he was wearing a silk black pajama that some what clung to his well shaped body. As he washed his face he tried not
to think about the dream, it still gave him the shivers. Instead he focused on the mirror, he was not a handsome man by nature but he looked especially dead that morning. Sighing he
got into the showers and stayed there for couple more minutes than normal. After getting dressed in his usual color choice of black robes, he headed out to his living room. The living '
room was also designed in a way that allowed peace and relaxation. There were two large sofas in the center of the room with a large glass coffee table, which was decorated with
books; the fire hearth was right across from it. The walls were covered with books, some in glass frames and others in wooden shelves. Severus liked books, because they helped him
stay calm, he needed after what he did everyday. Walking past the living room he headed out of the large wooden door to the main hallway that lead to the main door out of the
dungeon.
He arrived at the staff table little later than usual and the other teachers gave him a glance, which he chose to ignore. He sat down and without giving anyone else a glance or a
greeting, started up his breakfast. It was after all a normal day in Severus Snape's life.