Ahh, the disclaimer! Not my characters, I'm just borrowing them to satisfy my imagination, so have fun!
Also, this is just the prologue, and, while it provides critical information, it isn't as eventful as I'd like, so bear with me for a bit. After all, it will get better!
The Redwood ProphecyPrologue: The Redwood Prophecy Meets the Birthday List
Ginny sat in her chair, poring over documents, trying to find something that would be of use to the Order. However, she wasn't having much luck. The room was silent, except for the occasional rustle of paper. Ginny had to admit, this was not how she wanted to spend her summer, looking through millennia-old papers found in Sirius's house. She had planned to spend her last summer as a student doing something productive, and while helping the Order was certainly productive, it was also incredible boring. She wasn't allowed to actually go out and do something because she wasn't an official member, despite the fact that her entire family, save Percy, was involved, and she was good friends with the three people who were most likely to end this conflict. Yet she was still underage, and she was not Harry Potter, so they were not likely to bend the rules for her they way they did for him. Also, even if she was a member of the Order, she would still probably be sitting here, looking over these papers about the history of the Black family. Even people who were part of the Order were here with Ginny, in this room, looking for a tidbit of information that might tip the scales in their favor.
Ginny sighed. This was all about how Orlando Black had once proposed to Marianne Jones, how she had rejected him, and how Orlando Black had married Katrina Lillianhall instead. Totally useless information. Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny saw Hermione, the only other person banished to this room, get up and walk over to the case of bookshelves, get a book and return to her notes. Actually, Hermione hadn't been banished here, she had actually chosen to work here, pouring over documents that no one even knew still existed. But than Hermione was also good at studying, analyzing and dissecting information. Ginny wasn't. Sure, she got good grades, but that wasn't because she was brilliant or anything. Unlike her three next-oldest brothers, she actually put lots of effort into her work. But that didn't make her like Hermione, ambitious and constantly craving knowledge. As if she knew what Ginny was thinking, Hermione looked up and over at Ginny, before calling out, "Harry, Ron, Professor Lupin, I think you should come here!"
When they didn't answer, Hermione got up and, clutching the document in her hand, walked out if the room in search of them. Ginny stood up and followed her out of the room, not wanting to be left out of any excitement. Hermione walked quickly, obviously disturbed. Ginny ran to catch up with her and asked, "Hermione, what's the matter? What did you find?" However, Hermione just shook her head and continued walking resolutely through the Black ancestral house. She walked in on Harry and Lupin sitting in the Dining Hall, having an animated discussion and forgetting their afternoon meals, which were sitting in front of them, now cold.
"Good, I'm glad you're both here." said Hermione. "I've found something that you might think is interesting."
"What?" asked Harry frowning.
"It's another prophecy." Harry blanched. Ginny imagined that it was because the last time he learned about a prophecy, his godfather had just died, and his life had just changed forever. The prophecy had told him "Kill or be killed" and even now, just over two years later, Harry was still getting accustomed to that idea.
"What is it?" Lupin asked quietly.
"I don't know yet, I just had a chance to translate the title of the paper. Once I realized what it said, I thought you should know as soon as possible."
"It's unlikely that this prophecy has anything to do with you, Harry." Professor Lupin told Harry in a reassuring voice. "It's probably about some long-dead Black." But Ginny had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that this prophecy did not bode well.
Hermione spent the next week translating the prophecy. It was hard, and she was using up to three different dictionaries, trying to find the meaning of every word, and checking all the dictionaries to make sure they all had the same translation. It was Ginny's job to help Hermione, looking up words in the dictionary and dictating them to Hermione. People were always stopping in, seeing how it was going. Harry was the most frequent visitors, checking up on their progress every couple of hours. Ginny wasn't sure if his numerous visitations were due to his growing uneasiness about the prophecy or a desire to see Hermione. They were so cute together, Ginny thought, even if they didn't know it.
Parts of the prophecy were illegible, and patches weren't there at all. Then, after they had translated all that they were able to, Ginny and Hermione went in a frantic search through the rest of the papers recovered from Sirius's house for a more readable copy. They couldn't find one anywhere. Harry had stopped in when they finished looking through the last of the papers found in the house.
"What is it?" Harry asked, seeing Hermione's crestfallen look.
"There are big chunks of the prophecy that I can't read, and I can't find a copy."
"Well," Harry said, looking over her shoulder. "Let's see what we have."
"'In times yet unknown, the greatest evil shall come to pass
Stricken once, yet reared again shall fight its brother to the death
They cannot live in the same world
One shall be extinguished, ere these conditions are...
Together in holy matrimony for all eternity
In the eyes of those destined to contest,
One embodies compassion, the other seems cold
Innocence mixes with corruption...evermore
...complementing each other in ways rarely seen
One as fair of face as fair of mind
The binds are strong, too strong for the four to escape
Destiny links them, and whatever the outcome, those ties cannot be broken
Corruption, hate, lies, death, pain, bewilderment, angst, violence and hurt
Trials and tests which all have passed
...four shall be reduced to three...
...love, hate, relief, terror, pleasure or pain
Take your pick'"
"Wow." said Harry quietly. "That's disturbing."
"Harry," Hermione was talking just as quietly as Harry. "I think that Professor Lupin was wrong. I do think that this has to do with you and V-Voldemort." Ginny cringed at the casual use of his name. "I mean, 'the greatest evil shall come to pass...' that's sure happened. 'Stricken once, yet reared again' that's Voldemort. He died, or went away once, but he came back. 'Shall fight its brother to the death' and Harry, you know that your wands have two phoenix feathers, the only that that particular phoenix produced. You could say that your wands are brothers, and you know that you'll have to fight him to the death. How is this not about you?"
"Then what's all this talk about holy matrimony? Because, I can tell you, I am not marrying Voldemort." A grin broke onto Harry's face despite his grave demeanor, though it did not reach his eyes. Ginny actually laughed, and even Hermione smiled.
"No Harry." Hermione said. "It talks about the 'four' several different times. I think it's two other people who have to be married."
"Well, I should hope so." Harry paused. "So how are you going to get the rest of the prophecy?"
Hermione sighed, a bone deep sigh. "I have no idea. It's not anywhere in this house. Maybe there's a copy of it in some of the other prominent, pureblooded households, but we aren't on the best terms with them." Hermione smiled again at her words.
Ginny snorted. "That's an understatement. Can you imagine going up to Malfoy Mansion and asking someone, 'Hi, can I go through your house to try and find an old, yet-unfulfilled prophecy to help us destroy your Dark Lord?'" Harry and Hermione smiled again.
"No, I have no idea what to do now." Hermione said, futility creeping into her voice. She looked over at Harry, whose brow was furrowed in concentration. She sighed, asking, "Harry, what are you thinking now?"
"Nothing." he muttered.
Hermione looked exasperated. "Harry, I've known you for seven years. I know when you're planning something. Now, tell me what it is."
"Well," mumbled Harry, not meeting anybody's eyes. "There is one place where they'll have the prophecy." When no one said anything, he continued. "The Department of Mysteries."
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Hurried visits were made to various members of the Order who worked at the Ministry in an attempt to see if there were very many unfulfilled prophecies. As it turned out, there were, but it was all but impossible to get a hold of them. Because there were not yet about anybody and had no names on them, the only people who could touch them were the workers in the Department of Mysteries. Luckily, there was one, and only one, witch who worked in the Department of Mysteries in the Order. They contacted her right away, and she promised a full copy of the prophecy next time she stopped by headquarters.
Less than a week later, they had a full copy of the Prophecy.
In times yet unknown, the greatest evil shall come to pass
Stricken once, yet reared again shall fight its brother to the death
They cannot live in the same world
One shall be extinguished, ere these conditions are met;
A powerful trio arises, death is in the air
A war, a phoenix plays a part
All key players know the hog, the world chooses sides
And most importantly, a disciple of each foe must be joined
Together in holy matrimony for all eternity
In the eyes of those destined to contest,
One embodies compassion, the other seems cold
Innocence mixes with corruption, tainted evermore
Yet the two together are a better blend
Different as a tree and a gem, walking contradictions to each other
Yet complementing each other in ways rarely seen
One as fair of face as fair of mind
The other striking and sharp in wit
They shall be close in age, 231 days apart
Young in face, heart and mind. Untried and uninitiated
Their blood is pure, untainted by the faults of others
And, despite prejudice, the lovers could not find a more perfect match
Ties link the foes to the disciples
The binds are strong, too strong for the four to escape
Destiny links them, and whatever the outcome, those ties cannot be broken
Corruption, hate, lies, death, pain, bewilderment, angst, violence and hurt
Trials and tests which all have passed
And what will befall if the lovers are not joined will be worse
One way or another, the four shall be reduced to three, at least
Then, one emotion will reign, be it love, hate, relief, terror, pleasure or pain
Take your pick
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Ginny sat back, slept, went school shopping on Diagon Alley and packed for Hogwarts while her brother, Harry, Hermione, Professor Lupin and Professor McGonagall tried to decipher the prophecy. "Body heat!" Ginny thought to herself, wishing that she was just a year older so she could cast a cooling spell on herself. She would have asked her Mum, but she was nowhere to be seen. The trio was gone, making last minute preparations for the conference, and none of her other brother were anywhere to be seen. Ginny sighed and sat down. At least they involved her in this meeting; she had been sure when she first asked to go that she would get a reply of "No, this is only for members of the Order".
Harry walked out into the center of the Living room in Sirius's old house, where a circle of chairs surrounded an opening that served as a dais from which the trio could talk. When he walked out, silence followed, because this was the only one of the Order who could actually do something, because he was the head of the Order, because Harry was the only one who would have to kill Voldemort. He commanded respect. Hermione and Ron followed him, his backup. Hermione stepped up forward and cleared her throat before starting.
"As you know, we've discovered a prophecy that may have something to do with our current situation. It reads: 'In times yet unknown, the greatest evil shall come to pass. Stricken once, yet reared again shall fight its brother to the death. They cannot live in the same world.' We believe this is talking about You-Know-Who, 'Stricken once, yet reared again'. Who else would that be? And, Harry and You-Know-Who's wand both have a phoenix feather, the only two that this phoenix produced. It is saying that He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named will fight Harry with wands and magic. 'They cannot live in the same world'. We already knew this, thanks to the last prophecy. One of them will have to die.
"Next, 'One shall be extinguished, ere these conditions are met; a powerful trio arises, death is in the air. A war, a phoenix plays a part. All key players know the hog, the world chooses sides. And most importantly, a disciple of each foe must be joined together in holy matrimony for all eternity.' It starts out saying that either Harry or You-Know-Who will die once all this cryptic stuff happens. I believe that the trio refers to Harry, Ron and myself, who will always be there to help Harry. Anyone who knows us knows we do things together. 'Death is in the air' is pretty straightforward. People are going to die, and we've always known that. 'A war, a phoenix plays a part.' We are in the middle of a war right now, and we are the phoenix, we are the Order of the Phoenix. We are unquestionably going to play a part in this war. Then, 'All key players know the hog, the world chooses sides.' I believe," said Hermione, stressing the last word. "That this means that most of the 'key players' as they are called, went to Hogwarts. And this makes sense. Harry, Ron, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, many of the Death Eaters and many of you here, including myself, all went to Hogwarts. Next, we're getting to the gist of this prophecy, because I don't think that this prophecy is about Harry and You-Know-Who, exactly. 'And most importantly, a disciple of each foe must be joined together in holy matrimony for all eternity.' That means that one of ours, and a Death Eater will be married. It's these two that most of the prophecy is about.
"'In the eyes of those destined to contest, one embodies compassion, the other seems cold. Innocence mixes with corruption, tainted evermore, yet the two together are a better blend. Different as a tree and a gem, walking contradictions to each other, yet complementing each other in ways rarely seen. One as fair of face as fair of mind, the other striking and sharp in wit. They shall be close in age, 231 days apart, young in face, heart and mind. Untried and uninitiated, their blood is pure, untainted by the faults of others. And, despite prejudice, the lovers could not find a more perfect match.' This segment is all about the lovers, as we'll call them. In Harry and You-Know-Who's eyes, one is compassionate, the other cold. And I'm assuming that ours is the compassionate one." This statement prompted a few uneasy laughs. "They're good together. They're very different people, but they complement each other. Both are good-looking, but one is kind while the other is smart. This is the most important part: 'They shall be close in age, 231 days apart.' This is probably our best way of finding these two, because not much more information is given. Also, they are both young. I believe that they are both pureblooded, and they go very well together. Any questions so far?" When no one commented, Hermione continued. "All right then. Let's go on.
"'Ties link the foes to the disciples. The binds are strong, too strong for the four to escape. Destiny links them, and whatever the outcome, those ties cannot be broken.' This just means that Harry, Vold- uh, I mean, You-Know-Who," Hermione corrected herself and refrained herself from using his name for the benefit of the people here today, most of whom were not comfortable hearing or using his name. "Harry, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and the two lovers are all connected, which makes sense if you consider that, since these people are 'key players', they went to Hogwarts and know each other." Hermione took a deep breath before continuing.
"'Corruption, hate, lies, death, pain, bewilderment, angst, violence and hurt, trials and tests which all have passed. And what will befall if the lovers are not joined will be worse.' It means that we all have been through a lot, but it will be worse if the lovers don't get married. And last, but not least, 'One way or another, the four shall be reduced to three, at least. Then, one emotion will reign, be it love, hate, relief, terror, pleasure or pain. Take your pick.' This is the most disturbing part. It means that one way or another, either Harry or You-Know-Who will die, if not one of the lovers, too. Then, depending on who won, everyone will be feeling one thing. Love, relief or pleasure if Harry wins, hate, terror and pain if he doesn't. The 'Take your pick' is just saying that we decided the outcome of this war by the decisions that we make. We are the ones who control our destiny. Thank you for your time." And with that, Hermione stepped back, leaving Harry standing in front.
"What we need to do, I think, is find these lovers. That's one of the most important things right now. We can assume that they both went to Hogwarts, are both purebloods, that they're still young and that they're born 231 days apart. That 231 days is the biggest clue that we have."
But by this time, Ginny had such a cold feeling in the pit of her stomach that she had to get up and leave. "Cramps," she thought to herself.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Three days later, Ginny was the only one in her family who boarded the Hogwarts Express, her assignment fresh and foremost in her mind; she was to make a list of everyone currently at Hogwarts and their birthday. And so she did.
Hogwarts seemed empty without Headmaster Dumbledore, but he was gone, never to come back. Ginny knew that he could have helped her and the Order with the birthday list. Headmistress McGonagall couldn't, because, as a teacher and headmistress, she could not talk to a student for a non-necessary reason. After Ginny's fourth year with Professor Umbridge, things had only gotten worse. If a Ministry spy was bad, imagine a Death Eater spy, people who did exist at Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall had to be careful if she wanted to keep her job, and avoided unnecessary conversation with both students who had Death Eaters as parents, and those who had parents in the Order. So it was up to Ginny.
When she came home at Christmas break, Ginny brought her list with most of the current students at Hogwarts, and even some of those who had graduated. "Thanks so much!" Harry told her.
"Ginny, you forgot yours on here." mentioned Hermione, who was quickly scanning the list. "Any luck?"
"No." answered Ginny, reaching over for the list and writing her name and birthday on it. "Dean Thomas and a Slytherin in my grade were 235 days, and another couple were 223, but no 231. Here you go." She handed the list back to Hermione, who spent the rest of Ginny's break looking over the list. It was not until after Ginny returned to school that Hermione found something.
"Harry?" she called out. He was just in the other room, so he came quickly.
"What?"
"Look at this." Harry's face turned white.
"Of course. Why didn't we see this before?"
A/N: Ooh, who could it be? Don't worry, it's at the beginning of next chapter! So, be nice and review. Please?