Chapter 3: Prophecies and Chosen Ones

Albus Dumbledore is an old man. He had held the bastion of light for a long time already. For over a century, he had been aiding the betterment of masses who did not even acknowledge his help. But he knew the reason why he must continue. He shuddered thinking of his ideals and plans that he made along with a mad genius in his younger years – Gellert Grindelwald. It was the death of his one sister that has brought him crashing back to the reality.

From that day on, he had fought the very ideals he helped formulate. The cost of undoing this was too much to bear. Lives of innocent humans could not be brought back... Families broken could not be unmade. All he could hope for is the day when someone, anyone, could forgive his mistakes. But, being over a century-and-half old, there were not many remaining, who could see him eye-to-eye. No one saw him as an old man, or even a man prone to making his own share of mistakes. He was looked at as the leader of light, and the greatest wizard of current time. They take his word as a law. No one was left to argue against his choices on equal ground. This is a responsibility he was most scared of.

After the war with Grindelwald, he retreated from the public eye. It was, after all, a victory that left sour taste in his mouth, which could be felt even now. He decided to dedicate his life for the molding the young minds attending Hogwarts. He looked over with prideful eyes at all the achievements his one time students had made possible. He considered his life's reason for existence fulfilled. That was until he taught one student over thirty years ago. Tom Marvolo Riddle. He was ashamed to have not seen the signs of danger young Riddle had shown, during his time at Hogwarts. Later, he failed to see the evil-incarnate he became, fashioning himself as Lord Voldemort.

Driven by hate and greed for power, young Riddle had delved deep into the forbidden dark and black arts of magic and was lost beyond redemption. To Albus' most disappointment, he took up the very ideals he had made along with Grindelwald, but towards a different goal. While Dumbledore had wanted the wizarding world to be better than the non-wizarding world, and thus the rightful rulers, Riddle concentrated on the aspect of power. He was always in the quest of power. Power to rule and decide the fate of every being. He chose to ignore the concept of right or wrong, and redefined them in his own twisted sense of morality. He did not realize that what had been right or wrong in the past, remains the same, and does not change with time.

And now, Albus Dumbledore has been forced to lead the campaign of light against his once favored student. But the question that plagued him was "How?" In the war against Grindelwald, he knew what the enemy was after, and his weaknesses (Albus was, after all, once his best friend). Grindelwald may have been looking for power to rule, but he was driven by the ideas of greater good, and so quite unwilling to take life unnecessarily.

But Riddle was far more devious and cruel than Grindelwald; and he played his hands very close to his heart. His rise to power is the evidence for that. Within no time, he rose from a no-name dark wizard to the ruthless dark lord. He struck when least expected, with a viciousness never before seen. His fear tactics were absolute. He did not leave any enemy or a potential enemy alive. Families with many members, including women and children, that opposed him met their end at the hands of Lord Voldemort or his minions. Albus had lost many friends and students to the hands of this monster. Cruel, unthinkable things done to not just the enemy, but to their families had struck terror in the hearts of many. The fear was so absolute that people shuddered to utter his very name, resorting to minor epiphanies like "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" or "You-Know-Who". To fear for ones life is one thing. But to fear for the lives of the family members is something nobody can get over. Albus did not know how to retaliate this fear.

On this cold wet day at the beginning of spring, Dumbledore was making his way to his brother's old pub in the village adjoining Hogwarts. The Hog's Head of Hogsmeade had been home to Aberforth and his goats for almost a century now. He had received an owl from a lady named Sibyll Trelawney. The name immediately rang in his mind. He found that she was the great-great-great-granddaughter of the famous Cassandra Trelawney, whose very predictions were said to have saved the future of wizarding world during the end of dark ages. Steps taken with the guidance of the seer had ensured the survival of wizarding kind from extinction.

It is due to the respect for such an accomplished seer, that Albus agreed to meet the candidate for the post of Divination at Hogwarts. With an exception of a handful, Albus knew that the art of divination is most coveted yet least accomplished of magical arts. It is Albus' private hypothesis that only when a higher being or sentinel Magic decided to share a glimpse of what to come, would an oracle give out the information. Such an oracle must have a deeper connection with magic, or blessed with the gift. But, in all his research, Albus could not even prove that there is something called sentinel Magic. Hence, that direction of study was snubbed.

Hence, with a considerable research behind him, Albus decided the art of divination is too inaccurate to be taught at a school for children and young adults. After all, someone with a gift doesn't need the art to be taught, while someone without the gift can never learn it. Magic would not agree for everyone to have the gift.

He entered the dank interiors of Hog's Head, and made it to the counter to greet his brother. Aberforth was a simple man compared to his over-accomplished brother. He never showed an interest in any specific thing. Through his younger years, he wasted away in various misadventures, finally settling himself as a bartender at Hogsmeade. He never was interested in making fame or money. "You made enough fame and money for both of us" he would say to Albus whenever the topic was raised. Aberforth was content at where he was, and Albus was just happy for it. Besides, with the reputation that Hog's head has made over time, it was the best place to collect information that must not be uttered or heard outside. This helps immensely during the times of war or even peace.

"Hello Aberforth" Albus greeted his brother warmly.

Aberforth gave him a curt nod, and said, "You are good, I see" while filling a clean glass with amber liquid, and passing it to Albus.

Albus smiled at his taciturn brother. "How is the business doing? And your goats?"

"Both good" Aberforth replied, "though Bill's getting lonely"

It was his way of saying that Albus did not visit him for a long time, and he felt lonely. Albus got that information loud and clear. He took the glass of liquor from Aberforth, clinked it against his brother's glass and downed it in a gulp. He looked around and saw that there were not many patrons at the moment. There was one person in the far dark with a black robe and hood drawn that attracted his attention.

Albus realized a long time ago that even among the shady people, there are always some who stood out. One has to always look out for them, as they probably are the ones to cause the most mischief. Albus gave a look to his brother, who gazed at the dark figure once and nodded lightly.

The door opened and a woman donned in glistering robes, covered gauzy spangled shawl entered the pub. As she made way towards Albus, he saw that she was very thin, and wore large glasses that magnified her eyes many times. There were many chains and beads around her neck and bangles, rings adorned her hands. All in all, she resembled very closely to an over sized insect. A single look at Aberforth was sufficient for Albus to conclude that he was not the only one to be amused at the lady's attire.

"Sibyll Trelawney, I presume" Albus asked the lady politely.

She seemed startled at being addressed, and looked closely at Albus, gazed upwards as though seeing into the depths of the stained wooden ceiling for sometime, snapped back to Albus' face and exclaimed, "Albus Dumbledore. Yes. I am Sibyll Trelawney. The inner eye showed me that you were about to be delayed for a few minutes, and so I waited for sometime before entering this establishment"

Having been a Professor at a school full of children, Albus had heard explanations for being late on many occasions. This, by far, was the most unique one he had ever heard.

"Indeed Ms. Trelawney. I did have things to catch up with the dear bartender here. Now, if you please, we can proceed to the closed booth on the side, and continue our discussion"

He led Trelawney, who seemed to have bathed in her perfumes (quite a few at the same time) to the private booth on the side.

After closing the door, he seated the younger woman and sat in front of her. He knew that the lady was hopeful for the job, and judging by the condition of her shoes he caught glimpse of, she needed it badly. But, Dumbledore refused to bring a fraud anywhere near his beloved school. He needed to first ascertain the skills of their teachers.

"Now, Ms. Trelawney, You are the great grand daughter of the celebrated seer Cassandra Trelawney?" she nodded looking a little nervous for the first time.

"Then, I personally wish to offer my gratitude to your family for her help" Albus said in a placating way.

"You are welcome, Professor Dumbledore. Although I fear that your personal perils have not been over. Dark days await you Professor. Your very life is in danger" she finished solemnly.

"Ah. At this old age, I do not think I can take much excitement, Ms. Trelawney. I may not even survive these new tensions for long" Albus replied tentatively

She leaned over the table, and with a grim expression said, "Do not take this lightly Professor. My inner eye shows that there is a grim overhanging your head. The dark lord seems to mark you personally as an enemy. I gazed into the depths of my crystal ball before coming here, and saw a fate far greater than what you fear in your future. But your fate is not just yours to make, but shared with the soul closest to your heart."

After the duel he had with Riddle last November, it was no real secret that he was the only one Riddle feared and felt challenged about. He clearly knew that the soul closest to his heart was long gone, and hence the information about the crystal ball reading - a load of codswallop. It was becoming clearer by the minute that the gift of foreseeing has not been passed to this grandchild of Cassandra. Albus really hated this part where he has to reject the candidate.

He was choosing his words and was about to begin speaking, when Trelawney suddenly became rigid in her seat. Her eyes unfocussed, glowing dully and mouth sagging.

"BEWARE PROTECTOR" she said in a harsh raspy voice.

"THE ONE TO VANQUISH THE DARK CONDUIT OF MAGIC APPROACHES…. BORN ON THE THIRD DAY OF THE THIRD PHASE IN THE SEVENTH CYCLE OF EARTHLY MOON…."

Albus heard a scuffle outside his booth but ignored it, totally focused on the person in front of him.

"BORN IN THE LINE OF THE MAGIC'S GIFT BEARER…. MAGUS EMISSARIUS FOR THE SECOND AGE APPROACHES…. AS THE HOLDER OF HALLOWS…. THE DEVOUT SOUL SHALL BE THE BALANCE OF THIS WORLD…. BUT HEED THIS WARNING…. AID TO AID EQUALITY, OR JUDGE TO BE JUDGED FOR EXISTENCE…. ONE TO VANQUISH THE DARK CONDUIT OF MAGIC APPORACHES"

Trelawney slumped in her seat, but Albus was too surprised to even act in her aid. He thought about the words spoken to him. He was sure that this was a real prediction. The gift, it seems, was not passed over Sibyll. But who was she talking about? Who was this devout soul? And who was the dark conduit? Could it be that the current dark lord is the conduit? If so, this is alarming news indeed. It has been told that the greatest sorcerer of magic, Merlin, never had to use a focusing device like a wand or staff. He was known to be a conduit of pure magic, and thus undefeatable. If Voldemort had such power at disposal, future of this entire world is at stake.

If he understood the words, this devout soul is the only one capable of stopping the dark conduit. He really hoped that Voldemort was not the conduit talked about, but the past experience with prophecies show that when no specific time was mentioned, it applies to the current time, Now. Most disturbing, indeed.

He snapped out of his thoughts when a cough alerted him to the seer's presense. She was looking at Albus with nervousness. She does not seem to realize that she just foresaw. But having seen her prophesize, Albus had already made the decision. He smiled and said, "Welcome to Hogwarts, Professor Trelawney. Your rightful place on our side had been vacant for a very long time, and is awaiting your arrival"

Soon after, the now ecstatic Trelawney left the pub, with a promise to move into Hogwarts by the summer time, settle in and come up with the schedule for her classes.

With a heavy heart and a lot on mind, Albus got into the main area of the pub to see that Aberforth had closed down the pub and was sitting with the black figure at his wand end.

"Aberforth?" He asked gently.

"Spy" is all he said pointing his wand at the figure. Albus immediately became alert. This did not bode well, if this spy had heard the prophecy. It is nigh impossible to predict what the dark lord would do, if he hears the prophecy. He looked deeply into the eyes of the spy trying to decide on the next course of action.

What happened in that pub that night was never known outside. But at the end of the evening, one Severus Snape became a spy for Order of Phoenix in the ranks of Voldemort. His loyalties however, were always in question.

Having heard the discussion with the new spy, Aberforth raised the question Albus dare not ask himself, "You trust him to do what is safe for his love. But do you trust him to do what is right for light?"

Albus went back to Hogwarts with a troubled mind. Troubled in many facets.

ooo000ooo

The months leading to the summer were filled with anticipation and shopping for the Potters, and the Longbottoms. To the surprise of Potter and Longbottom men, the wives seem to find time to do even more shopping together. After knowing that there were going to be twins, Lily began buying two each of almost everything she could get her hands on at the baby stores. There were items which James and Frank could neither pronounce their names nor figure out their purpose, but the ladies insisted that they were absolutely essential. Wisely, they kept their opinions in the matter quiet and let the ladies have their ball. After a few emotional outbursts due to pregnancy, the men gave up their figurative pants-of-the-house to ladies and began serving to their every whim and need. It was not uncommon for Frank and James to meet each other at the overnight food and beverages stores late into the nights.

On the bright blue morning of July the 30th, Alice gave birth to a healthy baby boy with brown hair and dark eyes. The parents proudly named their son Neville, after his maternal grandfather. The ground floor maternity ward of St. Mungo's was now brimming with friends and visitors of Longbottoms.

That evening, to everyone's surprise, Albus Dumbledore visited the new parents in the hospital. He took the baby Neville into his hands and looked closely, gauging the size of inherent magical core of the baby. He concluded that young Neville had a magical core that was above average, and with enough practice he would be a powerful wielder.

Frank seemed a little put out by Albus' proclamation of "Just above average". Albus was quick to appease the new father by saying,

"I had conducted the similar test on you as well as your wife, Mr. Longbottom, and compared one against the other, let me assure you that your son is more powerful than you as well as your wife. But really, the size of ones magical core does not mean a thing since many use only a fraction of power accessible to them."

"What do you mean by that, Professor?" James Potter, who was standing beside Frank, asked him

"Well Mr. Potter, typically, people utilize about 30 to 40 percent of their inherent magical core. In rare cases, such as myself with all modesty, use just over 50 percent of their magical core for casting spells. I am sure you youngsters must have used the phrase, 'it does not matter what the size is, but how you use it'" Albus asked slyly looking over his half-moon glasses at the men. Getting the expected smiles, Albus continued, "Well in the case of magical cores, it can be applied word for word. With training, Neville has the capability of becoming a great wielder of magic"

While the men were chatting amongst each other, the new mother, and the mother-to-be were happily talking about the babies. As Lily got ready to leave, she felt her water break, and loudly called, "James".

James, along with Frank and Albus came running into the room to find a small puddle of wetness at Lily's feet. It was a great fortune that Lily was visiting her friend at the exact place where she needed to be at the moment – the maternity ward.

Lily, along with the now ash faced James, was lead do the labor room, where James was promptly kicked out of the room.

"I do not understand. Lily's date is not due for another three weeks" James said outside the room.

The other men chuckled at the nervous father-to-be. Frank said, "Well, I was told that children operated on their own schedules. They begin setting the terms even before their birth and never cease until our hair goes white. I was told to be ready for such a premature birth as well. You need not worry"

Albus, on the other side of the room also felt an odd sense of excitement. He had calculated the date given according to the prophecy to be the next day for this year. But when young Neville was born a day before, and Potter's not expecting for a few weeks, he thought that there may have been some mistake as the precise calculation of time, and young Neville is the chosen one. Prophecies were after all very deceptive, and easy to misinterpret. Their meaning could be comprehended differently in different contexts. But Albus dare not discuss the contents with other experts due to the risk involved. Now, with the Potters expecting a child birth on this very day, many more things can change. Even the chosen one's identity.

Lily was in labor for many hours. After many nervous advances into the room, and many hexes being thrown at him by the hurting mother-to-be, James resigned to sit in the waiting room, half heartedly listening to the reassurances his friends were giving him. Having no real work to do, Albus chose to wait along with his one time students, discussing the old times when the Marauders had caused him to lose much of his hair. During the discussions, Albus found to his surprise that the invisibility cloak the miscreants had used in their schooling days was a Potter family heirloom, and is still active. Albus stored away this piece of information for later on, as he suspected this may be one of the legendry hallows of the Peverell brothers. If it is, two of the parts from the prophecy pointed towards Potters being the parents of the chosen one.

Sometime after Midnight, James was called inside to view the birth of his children. The others waiting outside, could hear Lily's cries of pain and James calming words. After what seemed like an eternity, the first cry of a baby was heard. It was proclaimed that the baby girl "Abigail Ephidora Potter" was born at a weight of 6 lb, and a healthy loud mouth. Her wails were ringing in the ears of people outside the labor room also.

Precisely after thirteen minutes, the baby boy named, "Harry James Potter" was born without a squeak. In fact, as soon as he was born, the midwife in charge had to ascertain that the baby was not stillborn. Before a startled James, she lifted and held him by his legs, which normally incurred an ear splitting wail from infants. But this boy just flailed his arms around and settled back. Certain that the baby was not still-born, the midwife had conducted all the necessary ministrations and laid him beside his sister in a crib. All through this, the baby boy had not even let out a peep.

Once allowed inside, the visitors gathered around the twins crib beside the new mother. They cooed and gasped at the little baby beauties as they congratulated the new parents. All the attention seems to have disturbed her, as Abigail began crying suddenly. She did not get quiet in the hands of her parents or friends. Lily tried feeding, or rocking her or cooing to her. Nothing seem to calm the baby down. Quite afraid that something could be wrong, James placed the girl in her crib beside her brother to go find a healer. As soon as the baby was laid down, young Harry Potter raised his hand and placed it on his sister's arm, which immediately seem to quiet her down. This came as a surprise to everyone in the room.

"Boy, you got an enforcer here Prongs." Sirius commented jokingly to relax the tense mood in the room "One loud mouth, and one enforcer. Quite a pair" he finished with a smile.

James and Lily could not feel happier to find nothing wrong, and both babies healthy.

Sirius walked back to the crib and looked down at the babies. "I have not heard a peep out of this little guy. I hope he doesn't have as big mouth as his sister" he said poking his finger on the side of the infant.

To the immense surprise of the man, as well as the other onlookers, Harry opened his eyes showing their bright green color (brighter than Lily's) and gazed unblinkingly at Sirius for a few seconds. He then reached slowly to the offending finger that was poking, wrapped his small stubby hand around the older man's finger, and pulled it away from his side. He then quietly closed his eyes and seemingly went back to sleep.

"What just happened?" Sirius asked his friends uncertainly. Nobody, not even Albus, could explain what happened. Infants just after the birth are not known to be aware of their surroundings. Nor were they known to interpret a situation and take necessary action against it.

"It would seem that the intelligence of Lily at least was passed down to her son" Remus said making light of the situation.

James looked around trying to ease the tension in the room, asked Albus. "Well Albus, what do you think of the magical capabilities of my children?"

"Ah. I should have an answer for that in a moment" Albus said walking over to the crib. James sat down beside his worn down, but quite happy wife taking her hand into his.

Albus lifted the baby girl and looked closely at her. "The eldest Potter child, Abigail Potter" He said. "The bringer of joy and happiness around. I see that her core is quite big. At least a couple of times larger than the average wizard's core" he said in wonder. "You have a very powerful daughter Messrs Potter. She will be a handful when she begins to show her magic" He said gently laying her down in her crib with a smile.

He moved to the other side of the crib, and lifted the baby boy up. "The eldest Potter male child, Harry Potter" He said "The protector and heir apparent of the Potter line." He looked closely at the boy, a frown slowly forming on his face.

After what seemed like an eternity, but actually a little over a minute, Remus ventured, "What is it Albus?"

Albus slowly turned and said, "I have no idea about the magical prowess of this boy. I could not get a read out of him"

Fearing that their baby is unwell, Lily asked quickly, "What do you mean? Albus, he is not –"

"Quite frankly, I do not know, Mrs. Potter. Usually, every being has a bit of magic imbued into them. Even the Muggles and squibs have some, which is called the life force of the being." Albus paused. "In the case of young Harry here, I could not even get the reading of his life force"

All the adults paused for sometime, when Remus asked slowly the question that was on everyone's mind, "Could not even read the life force? But, how is that possible, Albus? I mean he is breathing"

"Yes Mr. Lupin. That is what I do not understand. It was written that sometimes, magic mutates to result in new forms that was never seen before. That may very well be the case here. I can not say much about Harry's magical prowess until he is older. For now, I think taking the word of your healer is the best option. You have a healthy baby boy".

James held tightly at his wifes hand, and looked deep into her eyes. After an unspoken communiqué was exchanged, James proclaimed,

"It does not matter if he is a squib or a magical sorcerer. We will love and care for our children in the same way. They are ours, and we will lay the right path for them depending on their abilities, but we will never follow the pureblood mantra of abandoning or neglecting children just because they did not show signs of magic" Lily nodded her head on the side with equal conviction.

Sirius and Remus looked down at the twins with the same determination. If they had been paying closer attention, they would have seen the boy's lips quiver as if in a smile. As such, Remus, with the werewolf enhanced senses, heard a quiet happy sigh emitted from the crib, and Albus, with enhanced magical senses, felt the shift in the ambient magic of the room. If he were to guess, he would have said magic was happy.

"And wisely spoken Messrs Potter. As your educator, I am happy and proud of your outlook in the face of this unforeseen circumstance" Albus said looking down at the baby boy. "But one thing is for sure. Harry Potter is quite different from normalcy, and I have a feeling that he plays a very important role in deciding the future of our world." He quietly added, "The only question now is, How?"


(A/N) I have read many wrong-boy-who-lived stories where Lily and James would not care for one child or lose him due to their negligence. I refuse to believe that it happens in reality. No parent would neglect their child enough to cause them harm or suffering. Sure, it might happen that one child is favored a little more than other(s) but not out of spite. This however, is just my opinion. The Lily and James Potter do not neglect Harry just because he seems different, or may not be the chosen one. They love and protect their children equally.

(A/N 2) I would love to hear your thoughts about my story. So don't forget to hit the review button below and drop in a word. It helps a lot more than you would think. Thanks.