As I stumbled down the hallway, a girl who I did not know in the slightest guiding me. And, blind as a bat, I couldn't help but wonder why all the weird stuff always happens to me. Attacked by pixies, yep, I don't like to talk about it, I mean who gets attacked by pixies of all things? Good friends with a werewolf, that's me, I mean, how many people (besides the other Marauders) can claim that? Poked in the eye by an enchanted walking stick, it's happened to me twice, unfortunately. Became an illegal Animagus, yes-sir-ee that's me. Attacked by pirates while sailing the Mediterranean? Well, actually, no. That's never happened to me. But those times were different, those things were, mostly my fault. Yes, I admit it, they were (mostly) my fault. But this is even weirder. Last thing I know I'm walking down the hallway on the way to the kitchens. Then I'm being shaken awake by some random girl I don't know and is not even slightly familiar, to a blinding, literally as it turns out, pain behind my eyes. I don't even know the girl, she could be anyone! I certainly don't recognize her, which is odd because I've dated my way through most of the female population at Hogwarts. And here I am walking through the halls with what very well could be an escaped mental patient, absentmindedly talking with her. What am I thinking? Why do I seem to trust her? Is it just because my only other choice is to wander the halls blind and bumping into walls in the hopes of stumbling across either the Hospital Wing or someone I knew, or is it something more?
After saying something about hopefully getting to the Hospital Wing quickly, this lack of eyesight thing really was getting quite annoying, I asked her, "So, what did you say your name was again," hoping I'd recognize her name even if I didn't have a face to put with it. But before she could answer, I heard James calling my name. Yes! James can tell me who mystery girl is! And also whether she looks like a psychotic ax-murderer who's about to strike me dead, not that I'm worried or anything. Actually, her presence has calmed me down quite a bit from the whole 'Oh no! I'm blind!' panic attack. All things considered, she seems quite nice, and only slightly insane; I swear I heard her muttering something about 'flippin' flapdoodle,' I mean, what the flippin' flapdoodle is that? OH NO, now she has me doing it!
"Hey there, Sirius, what's up mate?" Oh good, there's James, he can reassure me of my sanity!
"James? Where are you?" I asked, knowing that he was near to me, but not quite able to tell the direction his voice was coming from.
"What's wrong with you, Mate?"
"Um…well I woke up on the floor of a hallway, blind as a bat, and this girl…"
"Wait a minute! You can't see? Oh, this is going to completely trash our chances at the Quidditch Cup!" James continued to ramble on and on, making me feel guilty and generally being completely useless. I completely forgot how this would affect Quidditch. How completely horrible of me, eye roll. It sure made me miss the Girl: at least she wasn't completely obsessed with Quidditch like James is.
"Hey, Girl, where are you, Girl? I know you're around here somewhere and you promised me a trip to the Hospital Wing." I turned from side to side in a vain attempt to find the Girl.
"Um…Padfoot…who are you talking to?" James sounded worried for my sanity.
"The Girl, the one bringing me to the hospital wing. She's the one who found me passed out." I explained, "But she can tell you all that,"
"Not really, seeing as there is no girl here. I haven't seen any girl around here." The Girl left me? She left me alone to fend for myself in the dark? Ok, wait, when was the last time I "saw" the Girl? Well, probably when I asked for her name was only to be rudely interrupted by Prongs. So, she hadn't completely abandoned me, she only left when James found me. I don't exactly know why, but this comforted me.
"Are you sure you didn't see a girl, James? Is it possible that she slipped past you?"
"Mate, why are you so insistent? You probably just hit your head too hard. Besides, we have much more important things to think about, remember? You're blind, we have to get you to Madame Pomfrey." Oh yeah. Ohmygosh! I'm blind, I can't see!
"We have to go to Madame Pomfrey!" I exclaimed.
"Finally he sees sense," James muttered to himself. He grabbed me roughly by the upper arm and started to drag me off.
"Luckily you managed to make your way almost to the Hospital Wing," he told me, walking at a scary pace. I mean, come one, I can't even see where I'm going, a little consideration here?
"Prongs, this isn't a race, slow down," we stopped.
"Yes, oh great and wonderful Professor Padfoot," James mocked me, letting go of my arm or a brief moment, probably giving me a quick salute.
"What did you two do this time?" asked Madame Pomfrey disapprovingly.
"Nothing, Madame Pomfrey," James told her seriously, Madame Pomfrey snorted, "Sirius here was attacked in the corridors, he can't remember who did it, or why. And now he can't see to play Quidditch! What am I going to do with a beater who can't even see his own bat. But I'm sure it'll be pretty bad for him too," James added quickly, but then continued to bemoan our Quidditch Cup chances. Meanwhile, I had more important things to worry about.
"You can't see?" Madame Pomfrey asked worriedly, lifting my chin, presumably to look into my open, sightless eyes, "Nothing at all?"
"Nothing," I replied dismally.
"Well, not to worry," she told me, her tone belying the calming words.
"Mr. Potter, why don't you go back to your Common Room," she told James, shooing him out and leading me over to a bed despite James' protests. "Just leave, Potter," she sighed impatiently, and got to work, bumping and clinking potion bottles, presumably sight-restoral potions.
"Here," she said, handing me a bottle of potion, "let's try this one." Seeing my hesitance, she added, "come on, drink up. Okay," she went on after I had swallowed the bitter potion in one gulp, "so now you need to keep your eyes closed for five minutes and then we'll see how they are."
Five hours and twenty potions later I was no closer to having my sight back than before. But much closer to a panic attack. The darkness is really starting to freak me out. I wish I had Prongs here with me.
"I'm afraid you're going to have to sleep here tonight, Black," Madame Pomfrey told me, I heard the curtains around my bed close. "I fear that it's as I thought," she muttered quietly, walking out of my hearing range as she did so.
From the very ones who made them each who they are,
Will be provided the means to their ends and more,
He who they blinded will gain sight:
The ability to see she who is never seen,
The one who is unseen by all,
Will be found and given new life,
For a short time enjoying each other in peace,
Together they will change the fates soon prophesized,
And from them will dawn our world anew,
Never credit shall they gain through fame,
But happy they shall forever be, in life as in death,
But listener beware what is spoken here,
If certain events do not come to pass,
If the newly fated do not meet at last,
Though He-Who-Frightens-All will appear defeated,
And friends dead, outcast, betrayed, and beaten,
He will rise again, more evil by far,
Take this knowledge and direct,
Or for the worse, more deadly future exchange.
"What?" asked Minerva McGonagall nervously, she was never too sure of herself when it came to prophesies, or divination. She was the more down-to-Earth sort and didn't care much for this flighty sort of magic. And what Dumbledore had just shown her in his pensieve was obviously a prophesy.
"Well, Minerva, this is a prophesy," the Headmaster told her seriously and unnecessarily.
"Yes, yes, I know that!" she interrupted impatiently.
"I happened to overhear it in the Hogshead over the Summer," Dumbledore continued on as if she hadn't interrupted him, "that place tends to attract all sorts, apparently even seers. Care for a Lemon drop?" McGonagall dismissed the proffered candy dish with an impatient little flick of the hand.
"I simply meant, Albus, why are you showing me this now? If it was that important you would have undoubtedly told me at the beginning of September. So, seeing as it's not important, we should really get back to the issue at hand; someone tried to blind one of my students. Madame Pomfrey says it appears to be the result of some sort of Dark Magic. We should be out there trying to find the perpetrators, not sitting here talking calmly about prophesies."
"Yes, it is quite horrible. One of the students blinded another," Dumbledore emphasized sternly. McGonagall blanched, ashamed of her outburst and realizing the connection for the first time.
"You mean…"
"Yes," Dumbledore said solemnly, "Sirius Black is He who they blinded."
"Then who is…"
"She who is never seen," Dumbledore quoted,"the one who is unseen by all? I'm afraid that I don't know."
"If you don't know, then…"
"How are we supposed to help them?"
"That's getting really annoying, Albus. Please let me…"
"Finish a sentence?" Dumbledore chuckled softly, McGonagall rolled her eyes. 'Honestly, she thought to herself, 'sometimes it's like talking to a child.'
"This is no joking matter," McGonagall said sternly, and Dumbledore sobered up immediately.
"You're absolutely right, Minerva, but sometimes a little joke to lighten the situation…No?…Well, alright, to the situation at hand, then; no, I'm afraid I don't know who the Unseen One is. I suppose that's rather the point, though, isn't it? If we knew who she was then she wouldn't be the Unseen One."
"But it could be anyone!" McGonagall moaned in defeat, "Anyone at all, as long as we don't know them."
"No, whoever it is goes to Hogwarts," Dumbledore declared firmly.
"How could you possibly know that, Albus?" she asked, amazed.
"I'll never reveal my secrets," Dumbledore chuckled.
"Albus…"
"Okay, fine. From the first few lines, From the very ones who made them each who they are/Will be provided the means to their ends and more,/He who they blinded will gain sight," Dumbledore explained, "Both…students, apparently, were made who they are by the same group of people. Assuming from later lines that the two haven't met yet, they probably didn't know the people out of Hogwarts. Besides, the same people blinded Mr. Black, so they must go to school here, as it is nearly impossible to get in and out of Hogwarts undetected. So, all those mentioned in the prophesy probably go to Hogwarts."
"So, if the first part came true, that must mean that the rest…" she trailed off dejectedly.
"Yes my dear Professor McGonagall, that means the rest is true too. The parts about Voldemort defeated once but rising again, and friends dead, outcast, betrayed, and beaten, all true. It appears as though we must prevent that fate, now doesn't it? The prophesy even says that the other future, the one that occurs if the prophesy goes unfulfilled, is worse, more deadly. It all sounds rather dismal and hopeless, doesn't it?" Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, and closed his sad blue eyes.
"But what can we do? How do we help? We're supposed to 'direct' but how can we do that if we don't even know who the girl is?"
"As much as I hate knowing that there is a much overlooked and unseen student in my school," Dumbledore said slowly, "it must be true. As for finding her, that is not impossible. The prophesy basically says that she will be found because of what happens to Sirius Black. Already that is coming true; if not for the prophesy and Sirius' unfortunate blinding she may never have been brought to our attention. Now we can find her without fear of disrupting the prophesy. We must make a list of all the girls Fourth year and above, I can't see her being any younger than that, can you?" At McGonagall's nod he continued, "Then we simply cross off all those we can easily identify. Once we find her, we must give the Unseen One and Sirius little nudges together whenever possible."
"Doesn't encouraging romantic relationships go against all we, as educators, stand for?"
"This is a special case. Besides, who knows whether they'll even work out. Even the prophesy seemed to wonder whether they could make it together. We'll just do our best…and pray."