CH14: Destiny Written
Hogwarts ......
Neville threw his quill down on the table. He was fed up.
Okay, pop quiz time:
Was this because -
A) He had a lack of sleep,
B) An evil, evil, Potions assignment (Snape's got to have some kind of sadistic streak),
C) One of his best friends was gallivanting around the world, doing who knows what, and he hadn't received a bloody letter from him in a month,
D) All of the above.
If you chose D, then congratulations! Come down and collect your prize!
He glared at his essay, wishing it burst in to tiny flames.
..... not really because that would mean he'd have to do it all over again, but you get the point.
Neville was incredibly frustrated. Harry hadn't responded to anyone's letters in weeks and there wasn't a trace of him anywhere.
And frankly, it was making him anxious.
'Bloody hell, Harry,' he thought furiously. 'If you're alright, I'm going to kill you.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunnydale, California .......
The Boy Who Lived (and was most likely going to be hexed by an irate Longbottom) in question was currently working through homework as well in his own school's library.
"Okay, what is the Denouement of a Doll's House?" he muttered to himself. "Well, first, what does 'Denouement' mean?"
"It's the resolution," said a dreamy voice behind him.
"Thanks, Odd."
"Either that, or it means the origins of the characters."
"Meaning?"
"Their pasts."
"How are we supposed to know that?"
"You aren't."
"The what - ?"
"You have to look for them."
Harry sighed and flashed back to the day he met this strange girl.
*********************************************************
One month earlier .....
"Huh - what - why did you do that?" Harry stuttered. "Stick up for me in there, I mean."
She gazed at him with wide, unblinking blue eyes. "I know who you are."
Harry stared back. "What?"
"You're Harry Potter," she stated bluntly. "The Boy Who Lived."
"Who are you?" he demanded, going back on guard. "How do you know that?"
"I'm a Squib. Maria Oddment to be exact. But everyone calls me Odd."
"Oh."
"Well, aren't you articulate."
"Hahaha."
"You don't strike me as the hero type." She circled around him, studying. "I always thought you'd be taller."
"Sorry to disappoint you."
She laughed. "I like you." She turned towards the door and said over her shoulder. "There is something different about you, Harry Potter. I think we can expect great things." And with that, Odd left the room, leaving a very confused Harry behind.
************************************************************
Harry sighed, pushing the work way from him. He was too preoccupied to think. It had been a month since his trip to Hogwarts and he hadn't received replies to any of his letters. Quite frankly, his thoughts tended to drift towards the worst.
If the idea that some horrible evil was looming over his English friends wasn't enough, the nightly patrols were starting to grate on his nerves. The Hell Mouth was finally living up to its name: there were at least 5 attacks a night and the number was steadily increasing.
His inner musings were interrupted when Draco bounded into the library, plopping down in the seat across from him. "So how's the English homework, Har?"
Harry just dropped his head on the table top.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neville rushed down the hall, knowing it was futile and he was going to be very late for Potions. He cursed under his breath when the bell rang. But he stopped short when he caught a bit of conversation.
"Why didn't you tell us, Albus?"
That was Sirius. And he sounded angry. Neville leaned in closer to hear more.
"I had my reasons, Sirius."
"I think we have a right to know if there is a prophecy out there about Voldemort and my godson!"
The boy's breath caught in his throat and his faced paled. These things always happened to Harry.
"I know. It was a mistake - "
"What exactly does this prophecy say?" Remus' voice said.
There was a long pause before .....
"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."
"Oh my God."
"Does that mean what I think it means?" Sirius sounded panicked.
"Yes. Harry has to kill Voldemort or he'll die."
Neville slowly backed away from the doorway, eyes wide open with shock.
'Harry. He. what. somebody's got to tell him. And he's not answering his letters. he could already be. no, I won't think like that. Harry's fine and.'
It was then Neville knew what he had to do.
He always wanted to visit America anyway.
Hogwarts ......
Neville threw his quill down on the table. He was fed up.
Okay, pop quiz time:
Was this because -
A) He had a lack of sleep,
B) An evil, evil, Potions assignment (Snape's got to have some kind of sadistic streak),
C) One of his best friends was gallivanting around the world, doing who knows what, and he hadn't received a bloody letter from him in a month,
D) All of the above.
If you chose D, then congratulations! Come down and collect your prize!
He glared at his essay, wishing it burst in to tiny flames.
..... not really because that would mean he'd have to do it all over again, but you get the point.
Neville was incredibly frustrated. Harry hadn't responded to anyone's letters in weeks and there wasn't a trace of him anywhere.
And frankly, it was making him anxious.
'Bloody hell, Harry,' he thought furiously. 'If you're alright, I'm going to kill you.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunnydale, California .......
The Boy Who Lived (and was most likely going to be hexed by an irate Longbottom) in question was currently working through homework as well in his own school's library.
"Okay, what is the Denouement of a Doll's House?" he muttered to himself. "Well, first, what does 'Denouement' mean?"
"It's the resolution," said a dreamy voice behind him.
"Thanks, Odd."
"Either that, or it means the origins of the characters."
"Meaning?"
"Their pasts."
"How are we supposed to know that?"
"You aren't."
"The what - ?"
"You have to look for them."
Harry sighed and flashed back to the day he met this strange girl.
*********************************************************
One month earlier .....
"Huh - what - why did you do that?" Harry stuttered. "Stick up for me in there, I mean."
She gazed at him with wide, unblinking blue eyes. "I know who you are."
Harry stared back. "What?"
"You're Harry Potter," she stated bluntly. "The Boy Who Lived."
"Who are you?" he demanded, going back on guard. "How do you know that?"
"I'm a Squib. Maria Oddment to be exact. But everyone calls me Odd."
"Oh."
"Well, aren't you articulate."
"Hahaha."
"You don't strike me as the hero type." She circled around him, studying. "I always thought you'd be taller."
"Sorry to disappoint you."
She laughed. "I like you." She turned towards the door and said over her shoulder. "There is something different about you, Harry Potter. I think we can expect great things." And with that, Odd left the room, leaving a very confused Harry behind.
************************************************************
Harry sighed, pushing the work way from him. He was too preoccupied to think. It had been a month since his trip to Hogwarts and he hadn't received replies to any of his letters. Quite frankly, his thoughts tended to drift towards the worst.
If the idea that some horrible evil was looming over his English friends wasn't enough, the nightly patrols were starting to grate on his nerves. The Hell Mouth was finally living up to its name: there were at least 5 attacks a night and the number was steadily increasing.
His inner musings were interrupted when Draco bounded into the library, plopping down in the seat across from him. "So how's the English homework, Har?"
Harry just dropped his head on the table top.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neville rushed down the hall, knowing it was futile and he was going to be very late for Potions. He cursed under his breath when the bell rang. But he stopped short when he caught a bit of conversation.
"Why didn't you tell us, Albus?"
That was Sirius. And he sounded angry. Neville leaned in closer to hear more.
"I had my reasons, Sirius."
"I think we have a right to know if there is a prophecy out there about Voldemort and my godson!"
The boy's breath caught in his throat and his faced paled. These things always happened to Harry.
"I know. It was a mistake - "
"What exactly does this prophecy say?" Remus' voice said.
There was a long pause before .....
"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."
"Oh my God."
"Does that mean what I think it means?" Sirius sounded panicked.
"Yes. Harry has to kill Voldemort or he'll die."
Neville slowly backed away from the doorway, eyes wide open with shock.
'Harry. He. what. somebody's got to tell him. And he's not answering his letters. he could already be. no, I won't think like that. Harry's fine and.'
It was then Neville knew what he had to do.
He always wanted to visit America anyway.