The Prophecy
Dante Stirling was lying in a bed on the fourth floor at St. Mungo's hospital. The ward was one of the biggest. It had plenty of windows to let in the sunlight once the sun was up. Sunlight was good for various injures caused by Dark Magic. James remembered writing that in his Defense Against the Dark Arts NEWT exam.
There were a few of them from the Order watching over him. Lolita wanted to see her husband, but they thought it best that she wait in hiding until the morning. There was no telling whether Ascanius would come back to finish his duel. Besides, Dante was still resting.
Ascanius had nearly finished him off using that curse of his, the one James witnessed Ascanius kill Notus with. But Dante conjured up water to soak himself with to fight off the dehydration. He disarmed his son and when his son tried to ring his neck, he was forced to use his pocketknife on him.
"I can't believe it," Lily said, "How can a son hate his father so much?"
She was standing over Dante, checking his pulse for the thirteenth time. James was sitting down; his own arm was wrapped with a bandage. He had been the first one on the scene to help. "Ascanius is a psycho, so you can't really explain the stuff he does," James replied.
Lily looked at her young husband, "How can you joke at a time like this?"
"I'm not joking, Ascanius Stirling is a madman!"
"It was in the tone that you said it."
"Unconsciously inappropriate of me, Lily. I apologize for my unconscious."
She shook her head, but she smiled faintly. James was happy whenever he managed to make her smile. "Thinking about Ascanius just makes me that much more nervous about having children," she laughed.
"No offense to Dante or Lolly, but they didn't really do very well raising their kids," James said. "Lying to them about something that big, come on, how could they have thought that was good parenting."
Lily had to agree. "I always wanted to ask them why. But it would be rude, I'm sure they already blame themselves for it."
"Then again, at least now Dante and Lolita are on our side. They've been great help."
"Can you imagine how difficult it must be, going against their own son like this…"
"They're not against Ascanius, just against Voldemort."
Lily nodded. They were quiet while a nurse came in to check on a patient at the other end of the ward. The nurse gave the couple a lingering stare. James wondered if it was because she was concerned about their presence in relation to the patients, or if she was concerned about their presence in relation to who she can past this news onto next. James held her stare until she turned away and left the ward. "Do you think we have to worry about that?" Lily picked up on what James was thinking.
"It's not like they can get us in here."
"They might set up watch outside."
"We'll wait until Dumbledore decides what we should do next."
"Fine, though we can think for ourselves every once and a while."
James frowned. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," she sighed and tried to shake herself from whatever was bothering her. "It's just some times I feel like Dumbledore forgets…"
"Forgets what?"
"That we're all human."
"What? He knows we're human."
"Yeah but some times his plans sort of… never mind, James."
He got up to comfort her. "Listen, you're just tiring yourself out, Lil. I mean just last week we had our third run in with Voldy, we're tied with the Longbottoms now."
Lily chuckled and leaned into James. It felt good to be in his arms. "I think when I married you I got some of your dumb luck, Potter."
"Hey, hey, don't take it for granted."
They slowly drew their lips together in a light kiss. A loud crack of lightening shook the windows. The storm also interrupted their kissing.
"It's real bad out there, huh?" Lily commented.
"Perfect night to be visiting a hospital."
Someone burst into the ward and hurried towards them. James and Lily both stood apart, their hands on their wands in their pockets. But it was just Sirius. "You won't believe who's coming up the hallway right now," he said urgently, looking over his shoulder at the door. He was breathing heavily as if he had raced someone.
"Who?" Lily demanded.
"The bloody power couple of the year," Sirius hissed.
"Me and Lily are already here, mate," James couldn't resist.
"Regulus and Leandra."
"What?" Lily gasped, "They're here? Do we know why?"
"I don't know… but they brought their kid with them."
"They can't be here to attack then," Lily decided. She crossed her arms and started to pace. "Did they see you?"
"No, I mean they saw Padfoot, but that's about it. The second they entered the reception I split."
"It's so late and the weathers horrible, and they brought their son?"
"Yes, Lily, I just said that. And why does the weather matter?"
"Listen, I think they came to visit him, Leandra's probably scared for her father," Lily told them. James knew this was good news for Lily. She had been worried about Leandra ever since she broke up with Sirius. The younger girl was wrapped up in something dangerous. "That means they must have spoken with Ascanius, how else would they know?"
"Her mother could have told her," James said.
"No," Sirius answered with his lip curled, "Lolita and Dante swore never to contact her. They reckon she's safer swimming with the sharks alone."
The door opened again. They all turned. Leandra's face was tear-stained and she was holding Corvus though she looked exhausted, as if she might collapse. Holding the door open for her was Regulus, who spotted them first. His face paled and he froze in his place. Leandra followed her husband's stare.
Leandra turned slightly and whispered something to Regulus, but he shook his head and held onto her as he took the first step towards Dante's sickbed. Sirius made a growling noise; James nudged him to keep him civil.
"Leandra, Regulus," Lily greeted them. She stepped forward with a smile for a handshake. Leandra's red eyes kept jumping from face to face, then down at her resting father. She hugged Corvus to her.
Regulus leaned in to take Lily's hand. James was rather surprised by this. Lily had been right, they had come for Leandra. Regulus wasn't wearing his usual tailored robes; his hair was loose about his face, nearly as casual as Sirius's do. He also looked like someone without a clue.
Leandra's hair was pulled back with frizz haloing her face. Her bottom lip kept quivering. Holding onto her son was the only thing keeping her together. That and Regulus's hand resting on her lower back.
"Let me take him, Lea," Regulus said gently, "You go to him."
Leandra let Regulus take Corvus from her and she slowly inched her way to her father's side. She reached out a hand, timidly touching his. Once her fingertips brushed against his skin, she snatched up his hand and she fell apart. She cried over him. Regulus gently rocked his son, who looked drowsy and probably needed sleep.
Even Lily didn't know what to do. James checked on Sirius, he was pretty torn up watching Leandra, James never saw Sirius look so guilty and pained. Sirius had said some harsh things about Leandra when the news of her marriage broke out. He did the math. He never thought Leandra was the type. If there was one thing Sirius hated more than his family, it was someone who would lie and hurt those closest to them.
James tried convincing Sirius that it was due to the circumstance she was in. She was probably confused as hell, and Sirius did sweep her off her feet in record time. While Sirius claimed they were good when they were on, James and the others never thought it was a good idea. Especially not for her, and seeing her breakdown now, in hindsight, justified their reservations.
"So how did you find out, Reg?" Sirius redirected his attention at his brother, who he had no problem hating. He looked at the kid, his expression softening for the briefest millisecond, and then he looked back at his brother.
"Ascanius came to our house," Regulus said in a small voice. He clearly didn't want anything to start between him and Sirius, or with anyone for the matter.
"What did you have to do to get my twat of a brother here? This is very un-Death Eater-like of you Reggie, whatever will your friends think?"
"Shove it Sirius," Leandra said sharply. "You don't know anything, so shut the hell up and leave us alone." She gazed at Sirius spitefully. James actually feared she might do something to emphasize her warning.
Sirius held her stare, but he surrendered quickly enough. He turned his back to them, as if there was something outside the window more interesting to observe.
"Did they say anything when you brought him in?" Regulus asked, breaking the tension. "Is he alright?"
"He's being fed water, he's very dehydrated," Lily explained immediately. "Your brother couldn't hit him directly, he was lucky."
Leandra studied her father's face again. "I can't leave him again, Reg," she barely whispered. "I can't."
James turned to Regulus, to see how he'd react, but he was calm like before. His son was limp in his arms, asleep. "Listen, mate, I can hold him for a while," James offered. He didn't know why, but he sensed Regulus wanted to be closer with Leandra. She needed him too.
Regulus looked shocked by the offer. He fumbled with his words. James ignored the look of betrayal Sirius shot at him over his shoulder. Regulus let James take Corvus. The kid felt like a sack of lead weight. He smelt like baby powder and milk. Lily gave him a pleased look.
Sirius took a deep, shuddering and restraining breath. "Why don't we go get us some tea?" Lily suggested kindly to Sirius. She practically had to push Sirius to get him to move out with her.
As they headed for the door, James could hear Sirius say something, rather bitterly, and he looked back, this time to stare at Regulus comforting Leandra. He laughed curtly and stalked towards the door. Lily followed him, most likely ready to tell him off once they past through the door.
The ward felt a lot quieter when the door shut behind them. James didn't know what to do with the kid, so he just swayed with him. Regulus was holding onto her from behind, his lips on the back of her neck. She was gripping onto his arms, still shaking. James looked away; they really should be given some privacy…
"Lee?" a croaky voice rasped. Dante was wakening up. His thin lips pulled into a smile and his eyes focused on his daughter's face. She lunged forward to hug him. Regulus respectfully let go of her, stepping back. Leandra started to cry again, James was surprised she had more tears in her.
Dante's eyes blinked heavily, peering over Leandra's head to see Corvus resting in James's arms. "Corvus…"
Leandra sat up, sniffling. She waved James over with Corvus. "Look dad, look who we brought… your grandson…"
"Corvus?" Dante breathed. He smiled drowsily and he lifted his hand to touch Corvus. Regulus got up to take Corvus from James. He gently woke the boy up. "Ah, he's beautiful, Lee," said Dante as he held onto Corvus's little hand.
James awkwardly watched them tenderly reconnect. He was about to step back, when he saw Regulus flinch suddenly. "Are you alright?" he asked him. Regulus hissed and he dropped his left arm, shaking it like it was caught on fire or something.
"What's wrong?" asked Dante.
"You have to go," said Leandra, gravely. She stood up and went to Regulus. "Do you think… they couldn't already know, could they?"
"It's fine," Regulus told her as he handed Corvus to her. Corvus was getting grumpier by the second. His sleepy eyes were narrowed darkly. Regulus took something out of his pocket. James saw whatever it was glitter in the harsh light of the ward for a second before Regulus slipped it into Leandra's pocket. "Take it, I'll see you at home."
"Maybe you don't have to go," said Leandra. As if to prove her wrong, whatever had seized Regulus struck again. He winced and recoiled from her, holding on to his forearm.
"Something's serious is happening," he said thoughtfully. "I have to go."
"I love you," she said. He smiled at her.
"I love you too."
James blinked and Regulus was gone. "Voldemort summoned him?"
She paled at the name. "Yes," she replied. She looked guarded now. "Glad to see you're still sharp enough to point out the obvious, Potter. Now, could you please give my father and me a few minutes alone?"
I came to a forest clearing. I joined my fellow masked Death Eaters. Everyone formed a silent circle around the Dark Lord. He stood in the center, beside a tall, single black flame. His hands lazily cut through it. His red eyes glinted in the strange light. He looked troubled, his brow was frowned and his lips turned downward.
The storm that had been building all night was at its fiercest hour. We stood as the rains soaked us. The Dark Lord remained untouched by the elements. Why was he delaying?
Another Death Eater Apparated. It must have been Ascanius. He dropped to the wet ground once he appeared. He struggled to get to his feet, trying to make as little noise as possible. When lightening cracked above, providing its light for a split-second, I could see blood mingled in the rain puddle he stood in.
"Severus," the Dark Lord whispered. Severus took a step forward. The Dark Lord turned slightly to look at him. "Tell us what you heard."
"At once, my lord," he bowed. He turned to us. He waited until the roll of thunder past. "I overheard a prophecy told by a Seer who has been taken into Hogwarts."
What? A prophecy? All of this… for a prophecy? Was this a test or was this serious?
"The words, Severus, speak them, exactly as you heard them, now," said the Dark Lord, dangerously.
Severus bowed. Then he informed us; "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."
There were murmurs of disbelief. I could distinctly hear Bellatrix hiss, "Never!"
"A child," repeated the Dark Lord. He stepped away from the black flame. It immediately withered away. "You lord needs you more than ever, friends," he said to them. "Forget everything else. I want to know who will bore this child. All of you will watch my enemies."
"No one can defeat you, my Lord!" Bellatrix declared. "This prophecy is a trap! Dumbledore is setting a trap! Severus was tricked. Dumbledore must have known he was spying on him. Severus must have given himself away, made himself vulnerable to exploitation-"
"No, Bella, no," he interrupted softly. "I have been watching the skies. Ever since the beginning of my journey to this present greatness… I foresaw something like this."
"But, surely a child isn't the one to vanquish you, my lord," Lucius spoke up.
"Nothing shall vanquish me, Lucius," he said sharply. "I will find whoever this hero is and I will fulfill the prophecy. Did you not listen? Either must die at the hand of the other… Why did you all assume it was your Dark Lord that will die? Do you really think I can't defeat a child?"
Everyone quickly denied it.
"Silence!" he hissed. "Everything comes second to finding this child. I alone shall kill him."
He was sending us to hunt down an unborn child? I felt sick. We didn't need to do this. He didn't need to do this! How could he trust a prophecy? We were to murder a child! A child! A baby!
I thought about what I saw in the book detailing the creation of a Horcrux, Secrets of the Darkest Art. My father had the book. I remember feeling sick, just like now. A terror reached into me with every word. It touched my heart. It made me realize…
The Dark Lord was going to force us into a dark world.
What if Corvus hadn't been born yet? What if he was going to be born when the seventh month dies? He would have sent me to kill my own child. I knew. To him life didn't matter. It was something easily replaced by dark magic.
"All of you Death Eaters, what kind of sick order do you follow?" Leandra had demanded.
If this was a real prophecy, then nothing will stop it from happening. I already knew that with the Horcrux hidden in the cave, the Dark Lord was not going to die. When he does met his match, it won't be fair…
But I knew how to tip the scales back in balance...
A/N I'm not sure when the prophecy is made, canon-wise. On harry potter wiki it says 1980, but then it also says it might have been made the night of conception, on a stormy night sometime in the fall... So I went with that. I figured the prophecy was the final straw for Reg. 'Course he has plenty of other reasons to be disgusted with what he's been dragged into...
Three chapters left... pls R&R!