For Eternity
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything else that J.K. Rowling created in her brilliant mind.
Chapter 1: The Prophecy
"At the beginning of the Second Great War the two enemies will come to an impasse. One cannot kill the other, and the other cannot kill one. There is only one thing that can be done.
One is unadulterated ice cold enough to freeze the warmest soul. Born at the beginning of the second war to a wealthy family with no brothers or sisters he is considered the prince for one side. The other has the spirit of fire, pure at heart and kind, born 223 days after the first as the youngest of many in a family on the brink of poverty; she is the other side's princess.
Two must become one. Each side must separate from a valuable pawn.
They must be joined by the evening of the day the youngest celebrates her sixteenth date of birth. The rules for the marriage are as follows: They remain together for the rest of their lives without the luxury of adultery, there must be at least to children. The first must be born by the time the youngest of the couple turns eighteen. The must remain in the same house and bed throughout all of that time.
If any of the rules are broken the war will remain at this impasse forever. The spouse who can turn the other to their view is on the side of the war that will win. If any of the rules are broken after the war is over a new Dark Lord and his enemy will be born from their children. There is no way of knowing who the winner will be. It will be the answer to the age old battle of which is stronger, fire or ice?"
Hermione finished reading. She put the dusty piece of parchment in her lap and looked cautiously at the other occupants of the room.
Harry was sitting on the floor intensely surveying his fingernails, obviously trying not to look at anybody else. Ron was staring at Ginny, open mouthed. He never had known how to be subtle.
Ginny was staring pensively off into space, feeling as though the bottom of her world had just been torn off.
"Shut you're mouth or you'll catch flies," Hermione snapped irritably at Ron.
They were in the attic of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, trying to find anything that would be of any help. In the last six months neither side had gotten any closer to finishing the war. In face there hadn't even been any battles. Ginny supposed that was what the prophecy meant by impasse.
It was exactly what they had been looking for. Something that would explain why nothing had happened. Ginny wished it had stayed hidden.
"Ginny do you think…….?" Hermione trailed off.
"It has to be," Ginny sighed dejectedly, "The prophecy wasn't exactly subtle. Youngest of a poor family, and only child of a wealthy one, although I never did think of myself as the Princess of the Light," she added thoughtfully.
"No!" Ron yelled, teetering comically as he had just been sitting on the floor and had jumped into a standing position, "I will not let my sister marry that…that thing."
"You heard the prophecy Ron," Ginny sighed exasperatedly, "I have to."
"How come you're remaining so calm through all of this Ginny?" Hermione asked. "If anyone should be freaking out it's you."
"I don't think any of this has really sunk in yet," Ginny admitted. "It seems like an awful dream."
"Pinch me," Harry spoke for the first time.
"Gladly," Ron obliged.
"Ouch!" Harry gave his friend a very nasty look.
"Will….will you do it?" He asked.
"We need to show this to Dumbledore before we make any decisions," Hermione put emphasis on the word 'any'.
Half a minute later the group was on its way downstairs. Luckily Dumbledore had been at headquarters that day so it wasn't hard to locate him.
After several minutes he finally looked up from the prophecy, his face was grim.
"Well….," Ron began.
"To answer your first question Mr. Weasley this is a real prophecy," Dumbledore said, Ron shut his mouth. "Actually it's a very famous prophecy the Ministry had been trying to find for centuries called The Prophecy of Fire and Ice. Whether it is to be fulfilled can only be decided by Miss Weasley and Mr. Malfoy. I assume you already figured out who the prophecy pertains to?"
"Yes," Ginny answered. She had to restrain herself from making some kind of snide comment like she always did when she was nervous. "It says I have to be married by the evening of my 16th birthday," Dumbledore nodded. "Well my birthday is in less than a month. That doesn't leave much time to plan does it?"
"I believe that if you choose to fulfill the prophecy no one involved will get a wink of sleep until this is all over."
