Chapter 13

Prophecy

Tom hadn't gotten the job as Verona predicted. She realized now that the ring was an indication of his emotions, and because Dumbledore's refusal had angered him so, she had had to remove it several times because it was causing her terrible pain and nausea. The brand on her arm burned like a white hot iron, stinging and throbbing.

She had heard his name in certain circles, just like he had said. Not Tom Riddle of course, but Lord Voldemort. He'd grown terribly popular and his word had spread like wildfire, gathering followers left and right. They were, of course, people you would expect to give into him – people blinded by hatred of the unknown, like the Malfoy family; people blinded by a love for something they didn't really understand, like the Lestrange family. She could sense that a storm was coming, but no one else seemed to notice.

Or perhaps they did, but the children she interacted with at Hogwarts were too naive to think much of it. She loved the children, all of them, and the brave ones loved her back. There was Lilly Evans, a very beautiful and talented young witch; James Potter, a rambunctious and almost arrogant little stooge; Sirius Black, who hung around with the Potter boy – enough said; Remus Lupin, who, as a vampire, she was sworn to hate – he had become a werewolf after being bitten by Fenrir Greyback, although she couldn't help but enjoy his company; and Severus Snape, although she wasn't quite sure what to make of him. Strange boy. Brilliant in potions, though.

The years flew by so quickly. The children grew into very talented witches and wizards, and she was quite proud of them – they were prepared to make a life for themselves in what was quickly becoming a very hostile world. You see, when Verona was off in the summers, she was one of the most sought after Aurors in the wizarding world, and she'd gotten a glimpse into what Voldemort was prepared to do to take power. He'd killed so many already, and it hurt her to know what her beloved had done…what her ONCE beloved had done. She had to keep reminding herself of that, although she got a stark reminder every time she witness one of his victims, their eyes unseeing, their bodies twisted into an inhuman position. Sometimes, there were no bodies – she'd heard he'd gotten into the habit of keeping a pet snake, one that would sometimes feed on the remains. She couldn't believe someone she had loved could possibly do something that ghastly. When she saw the scenes, she would twist the ring on her finger nervously and pull down her sleeve to cover what was becoming a very disgusting mark to have – the Dark Mark they called it, something he used to brand his followers. Her coworkers stared at it with suspicion, but all she could do was laugh nervously and hope no one ever caught on.

After their graduation from Hogwarts, Verona still kept in touch with many of her favorite students. James and Lilly had gotten married, and Sirius and Remus had gone on to bigger and better things in the wizarding world. Severus had unfortunately fallen into the league of the "Dark Lord" as they were calling him now – silly really, he'd always be that boy on the train to her – and she'd lost touch with him really.

When Lilly Potter became pregnant, Verona received one of the greatest honors of her life. The Potters had asked her to be the baby's godmother, a child to be named Harry. She had accepted with gusto, swearing to love the child as if it were her own. Perhaps they hadn't chosen her because they were the best of friends, but they knew that if you wanted to keep something safe, you put it in the custody of Verona Doringen, especially when the Dark Lord was hot on your trail.

***

One day, as Verona was prowling the corridors, she heard quite a ruckus coming from some lofty space in the castle. Keen not to let a disturbance pass her by, she followed her ears down the hallways, into the East Wing, up the stairs to the third floor, and into the hallway where Professor Sibyll Trelawney was quartered.

Verona rolled her eyes. Trelawney was crazy as a loon, breezing in and out of classes, predicting the death of some terrified student, and trying to validate her credentials in the "art" of divination.

Despite her first instincts – you could really only take what Trelawney said or did with a grain of salt – Verona decided to make sure she hadn't fallen or hurt herself.

She knocked on the door and said, "Sibyll? It's Verona Doringen. Is everything alright?"

There was no answer, just clattering and then a scream of pain.

Verona didn't hesitate. She took a flying leap at the door and broke it down, then looked around the room for any sign of trouble. Nothing – no Trelawney, no sign of a struggle, just nothing. She sighed and started to leave when she saw her out of the corner of her eye, just sitting in a window, staring at her.

Verona jumped and laughed a little. "Oh Sibyll, you scared me! I didn't see-"

"You who was loved by the Dark Lord, you and you alone who have the power to stop him…"

Verona stiffened. She couldn't possibly know any of that...there was no way…

"You who possess his soul, the last of his human form!"

The ring! Someone had caught on and told her!

"You who are the protector of the one the Dark Lord must destroy to survive, listen to this, and heed my words - The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."

Sibyll slumped down into her window seat, suddenly exhausted. As quickly as her vision had come on, it had ended. She stared at Verona, confused by her presence.

"I'm sorry, Verona," she began, "did I invite you here? I don't recall…"

Verona didn't stay to hear the rest of her words. She sped out of the bedroom and down the stairs, making her way to Dumbledore's office. Surely there was some truth to Trelawney's words this time – how else could she have possibly known everything about her and Tom?

When she finally reached the office, Dumbledore was already coming down the stairs in his bathrobe.

"Albus!" She panted, relieved to see him. "I believe the Potters are in very real danger. Please, you have to…"

He held up a hand to silence her. "Alert the Order of the Phoenix immediately."

She nodded, panting and noticeably in a panic.

He gripped her shoulders to steady her. "Verona, this is why the Potters wanted you as Harry's godmother. You are strong, you are daunting, and you're the only one the Dark Lord prizes more than himself. You have the power to stop this."

She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes, accepting the fact that he knew her story. He had always known, she realized in that moment. Everyone had always known.

"She said the baby would be born at the end of July. That gives them time to find a hiding place, somewhere nobody can find them," she said slowly.

"You're right," he began, "but they won't have time if you don't hurry!"

She nodded and hurried toward the open window, spread her wings, and flew towards the Potter residence as fast as she could.

So help me God, she thought to herself, if he even lays a hand on that child, I'll kill him myself.