Chapter 9: Prophecy Of A Downfall.

The corridors were quiet. Too quiet. The people in the paintings stayed huddled together, and one person in the picture would be with at least two other people. The shining armours looked dull and dusty, and they kept unusually still, when they were normally walking all over the place, squeaking from time to time. The ghosts would hurry away quickly and the fiery lights looked dim.

"You've got nothin' ter worry about. Professor Dumbledore only wants to speak ter you two." Hagrid reassured the two walking behind him.

"Do you know what he wants to talk to us about?" James asked.

"Haven't a clue James. But all I can say, is tha' it's quite important." He replied and turned around a secluded corner. As they walked down that corridor, they saw the statue of a rather grotesque gargoyle. Hagrid stopped in front of it.

"Bumblebee," Hagrid said clearly to the gargoyle. With that, the two students and half-giant saw how the gargoyle sprang to life and stepped aside from its position, revealing a passageway. They travelled inside and saw the revolving staircase. They stepped up on it and they gradually reached the huge door, which would lead to Dumbledore's office. Hagrid thumped three times with the big brass knocker with the Hogwarts seal on it.

"Come in," they heard a voice from the other side.

They entered a circular room, with many paintings of past headmasters and headmistresses, books, shelves, and different instruments for wizardry. It was dimly lit and at the far end, they could see Dumbledore peering out of a huge window on the other side of the room. He turned to face them, and smiled.

"Ahhh, Mr Potter, Miss Evans, please take a seat. Hagrid, thank you for bringing them here, would you mind tending to Fawkes, he's been feeling a bot under the weather, I guess it's his time of year," Dumbledore said smiling at the half giant.

"Of course Professor Dumbledore sir." He said and headed out a different door into another room. Dumbledore sat behind his desk.

"Would any of you like some tea, there's plenty," he offered.

"No thank you professor." They both replied smiling a small smile. He acknowledged that and poured himself a cup.

"You're both probably wondering why I asked to meet with you," he said, a twinkle in his eye. They both nodded. He stood up and opened a few drawers with his wand. Old yellowed and ripped parchments flew out of them and were placed on his desk. The two students watched as the parchments that had been ripped lay to make all the writing clearer to them. But they couldn't understand it, as it was written in Latin.

"Profes…" Lily started.

"No need to ask, I will explain Lily." Dumbledore reassured her. Both the students walked over to his desk to get a better view of the old parchment.

"This old parchment, was retrieved by an old friend of mine, an Auror. It holds a story to it, remarkably similar to what is happening now." He said looking at the two.

"Well, what does the parchment say?" James asked looking at the complicated script.

Dumbledore sat down and looked at the old parchment. After a moment's pause, he looked up at the two and asked them to sit down.

"This is a few years after Salazar Slytherin passed away. He had taught many people, pure-blooded wizards and witches of the darker sides of magic. One of them grew so powerful, her name was Tabitha. She led many followers, and they grew more and more powerful by the day. They attacked muggles from all over the world, and then started to head for Hogwarts. One of her followers was very in tune with the powers of Divination, and he saw a terrible outcome to the way things were going. His name was Sven, and he always saw a small being, manage to overcome the powers Tabitha had. He warned her of this being, and to prevent this outcome, she decided to destroy the creator of the being. But she was half-hearted about the choice, because the creator was very powerful, and he also won her heart, even though he was half-blood. Tabitha could not destroy the man she loved, and was eventually destroyed by the being he had created."

James and Lily listened carefully as Dumbledore had told them the story.

"This in no ordinary tale, this is a prophecy." Dumbledore said looking at the two solemnly.

"If this is a prophecy, does that mean this is what will happen now." James asked Dumbledore.

"No it does not. It is merely an outline of what will become our future. This was written centuries ago, and in that long a period, a prophecy can change in a plentiful way, but that is not to say that some things written here will not happen." Dumbledore replied.

"So Tabitha, she's just like Vol…You-Know-Who, who or what is the being then?" Lily asked.

"Only time will tell, and I hope it comes soon, before it's too late." Dumbledore said.

"Professor, why did you tell us this prophecy, we are only 5th Year students after all," James asked.

"I'm telling both of you this story, because you are both wise in knowledge, and are willing to believe in such prophecies. The Ministry is a thick-headed lot, and will not take basic facts into action. But as for you two, I believe this information will become of some use for you." Dumbledore said with a glint in his eyes.

"Now, I guess it's getting quite late, I'll have Hagrid send you back to Gryffindor Tower," Dumbledore said about to call Hagrid.

"No! It's alright! We'll walk ourselves," Lily said. Dumbldore nodded and the two headed for the door.

"Oh and Miss Evans, feel free to call Voldemort by his proper name, all this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense can get quite annoying." He said. The two students nodded and stepped out of his office. They walked hurried back to Gryffindor Tower.

"I wonder how this prophecy will be useful to us?" James thought aloud.

"I don't know. I'd laugh if one of us were the creator like in the prophecy," Lily commented.

"As if that would ever happen." James said sarcastically.

How wrong they both were.