Lord Voldemort had his fingers steeple on the desk in Malfoy Manor's library; his red eyes were wide with furrowing brows as he replayed what Francesca Zabini had told him just then.
There was a prophecy. A prophecy that sounded so outlandish yet so frightful that the Dark Lord couldn't help but to shiver upon knowing someone would bring an end to his reign that he had worked hard. And there was only about a month left for him to find out who the child would be.
He would need to discuss it thoroughly with his heir on what to do about it.
A faint, concerned hiss entered his ears and he turned to see his brown snake, Nagini was slithering slowly toward him. She had grown significantly larger ever since he, Severus Prince and Corvin Adrick had brought her home from America over four years ago and he smiled briefly upon seeing the intricate patterns on her scales.
"Are we going to Severus' home?" she queried.
"Not yet," he replied while scratching her head lightly, "Bellatrix will come over soon."
A few minutes later, the doors of the library were open and in strode Bellatrix Black-Lestrange, who held a small package in her hand.
"My Lord," she greeted sweetly as she bowed down and kissed the hem of his black robes.
"Rise, Bellatrix. I suppose there had been nothing wrong in Gringotts?"
The woman snorted, "Goblins don't care much about people; after all they hoarded the treasures of those who no longer had any heirs."
Lord Voldemort only hummed. How he wished his Gaunt ancestors had not squandered Salazar Slytherin's wealth merely for their rare Parseltongue heritage, but it had already happened and all he could do now was to cherish the only items he had (forcibly) possessed; the ring holding the Resurrection Stone (which was now his heir's) and Slytherin's locket around his neck.
When Bellatrix held out the package to him, he took time to unwrap it and his red eyes glinted with utmost delight at the golden goblet in his hand.
His time of working at Borgin and Burke's was certainly wonderful, seeing that he could find Helga Hufflepuff's cup through it. The Dark Lord focused his magical aura around the sacred item, and was very pleased to know the prize hidden within was still intact.
"You have made a wonderful work," he started and gave Bellatrix a genuine smile. The Blacks and the Malfoys were such a boon to his Death Eaters that he couldn't bear the thought of them betraying him in the future. After dismissing the woman, Lord Voldemort narrowed his eyes at the cup.
He would need to hide all his Horcruxes, and though Bellatrix Lestrange had done her job well enough, he was still rather paranoid that she could misplace it. After all, they were only humans.
Shrinking Nagini down, the Dark Lord then had her wrapped around his arm before summoning a small pouch and put his prized items into it before leaving to Prince Manor with a press of the family's Portkey pendant.
In the stone chamber nearby Prince Manor, the King of Snakes was having the time of its life as it swam across the enormous swimming pool.
It was nearly the time for the gigantic serpent to shed its skin, and it was utmost happy that it no longer had to scrap the old scales off its body by the rough, cold floor. The warm water soothed its entire body and as it breached the watery surface, it shook its head slightly before turning to its wonderful master, Severus Prince.
"Master, you should get in here too," it spoke, its movements causing huge ripples amongst the water. The great snake could sense the slight change in the young man's Animagus form and wanted him to experience it in a good, comfortable way.
Severus glanced at it with a raised eyebrow and a small smile. "You might squash or drown me with your size," he deadpanned to which the serpent quickly shook its head, horrified by such implications. It was a lucky thing that he retained his power to behold its deadly gaze, and it didn't want to subject its master to harmful occasions just like what that terrible, horrible Muggle had done to him.
Rolling his orange-red eyes in slight amusement, Severus mockingly sighed, "Alright, then." He then put down the book he was reading and slowly took off his shirt. The basilisk supposed it was a good thing; that Severus Prince now resembled Lord Voldemort in most of his physical appearance.
He was skinny and slender for a man, with his gangly arms and legs attributed a lot to his height. His visage however, had looked less aquiline and more angular; almost akin to its previous master's.
Severus dipped his toes slightly into the water and was about to get into the pool when someone knocked on the doors.
"Severus, Marvolo and Nagini are waiting for you," Septimus Prince's voice came from the other side and the two looked at each other.
"Another time, Salazar," he said with a weak smile and patted its head before walking out of the room with his shirt back on. The King of Snakes was slightly disappointed by the dismissal but was also happy that its previous master made an effort to visit Severus Prince on a regular basis.
With that, it continued to swim in the pool, already could feel some of its old skin loosen and peel off from its long body.
Severus tried his hardest not to show his fright upon hearing what Marvolo told him.
There would be a child. A boy would be born at the end of July from those who had fought against the Dark Lord, and he would kill the powerful man currently sitting beside him. And yet, what befuddled him was the prophecy felt… incomplete.
"She didn't get to hear all of it," Marvolo muttered with a sigh as he stroked Nagini's head, "apparently the owner was curious on why she didn't go down right away and had a fight over it. A lucky thing that she wasn't kicked out though; the other customers and McGonagall herself vouched for her presence."
Severus breathed out in relief that they still could have a spy in Hogwarts. With her alluring looks and friendly demeanor, Francesca Zabini might get a chance to uncover the Order of the Phoenix's secrets from Hogwarts' Headmistress and put a stop to the resistance group.
"But what power could this… boy have?" Marvolo then questioned what was playing in their mind; the most puzzling yet intriguing part of what Francesca had heard:
The Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not.
The two (three including Nagini) racked their brains over the matter, but could not find anything that might allude to the powerful man's weakness. "…I don't think you should go after him," Severus finally spoke reluctantly, "perhaps if you were to pursue him, that boy would have that unknown power at that exact time."
Marvolo tapped his chin thoughtfully. "…I suppose you're correct. But when we find him, will it trouble you if you are to kill the boy instead?"
Severus blinked. Killing the child that would defeat Marvolo; the only man who truly knew him? Who saw him at his weakest moment and stayed, helped him to exact his revenge and get him back to the world of living?
"No," he said, and he really meant it, "Of course not."
And so, when Marvolo asked him to keep all his Horcruxes in a safe place, Severus only heeded his words and put the given pouch in the secret room at Prince Manor's third floor.
Death stood by the fireplace quietly, observing as its Master mulled over the thought that plagued his mind ever since he received the news of his (new) father's possible defeat. Of a boy that would bring down the powerful man's dark reign, and that he would possess the power the supposed Dark Lord didn't know of.
The young man subconsciously ran his fingers along his blackthorn wand while rocking his chair back and forth, eyes shone like the fire before him in deep thoughts of what could happen in the future.
The Grim Reaper put up a silencing spell across the place before appearing in front of its Master, the slight gust of cold wind signaling its arrival nearly put out the blazing fire but it then remained flickering among the woods.
For a long time, there was only silence.
"…So it's true, then," the young man finally spoke afterward, "The prophecy."
The Dark Angel clicked its tongue, "It's neither here nor there; nothing more than another of Fate's playthings." It wondered what his reaction would be if only he knew of the full prophecy. But alas, as a Lord of Magic, it too was bound to secrecy alongside Life and Fate, and could only give him hints.
"But you are here," he muttered, "and that could mean one thing."
"Only you would say that," Death grumbled but it didn't dismiss his words. When he didn't reply, it went closer and saw he was slightly hunched in his seat, gripping his blackthorn wand tightly. His orange-red eyes looked both frightened and determined.
"It's not like it couldn't be undone," it supplied, narrowing its red eyes fondly at the wand that once bathed in blood, "and as I had told you before, death knows no one."
When Severus Prince's wide eyes met its own, the Grim Reaper inwardly smiled.
After all, a true Master of Death must be willing to cast death to others.
Meanwhile, Albus Dumbledore was both intrigued and afraid of the future.
He had just finished his usual lessons with James Potter about Tom Riddle's past when Minerva McGonagall came into his family cottage and told him of the prophecy Sybil Trelawney had made during her job interview.
"I don't know whether it was legitimate or not," she started after taking a sip of her lemon-laced tea, "I mean, a mere child defeating You-Know-Who was one thing, but that evil man also had a 'prince' who will kill the boy if he ever knew his identity? It's just madness, I tell you."
"Ah, but didn't Sybil say her grandmother was a Seer?" he commented, "perhaps Fate had blessed us through her; giving us hope to win this war." And he really had hoped so.
Sighing, he turned to the parchment where Minerva wrote the entire prophecy, which was:
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who had thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not… But he must beware of the Rogue Prince; for the Rogue Prince will cause utmost despair when he knows of the child's existence, and darkness will prevail… The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"
"…Did anyone else hear it too?" he asked.
Minerva sighed, "I'm not sure, but there was a ruckus outside the room and when I checked to look, your brother was fighting with Miss Francesca Zabini over thinking she was eavesdropping the whole thing. I should've asked her to come along first… Do we still need her?"
Albus stroked his long bearded chin thoughtfully. If he remembered well, the young Zabini lady had dated Severus Snape and from what he had heard from other people, they were still together. If she managed to convince Snape to join her at Hogwarts later on, it certainly would be a boon to them.
"If there is no one else applying for the Potions post, let Miss Zabini in," he said, already planning to change the Slytherin woman's views before changing the subject. "How's Filius?"
Minerva pursed her lips. "He's alright, but I can tell he's still not used to being the Deputy Headmaster. After all, with the chaos happening with the Dark creatures and such… I even heard the goblins are going to establish a new, better law with the Ministry too…"
Albus could only nod sadly. After Minerva left, he looked back at the written prophecy and narrowed his blue eyes at the latter half of it. The supposed Rogue Prince's role greatly worried him; could the mysterious man be Tom's actual child? Oh, Albus just couldn't imagine what would happen if Sybil's warning turn out to be true.
But the word 'Rogue' also puzzled him; was the Prince forced to be on the dark side or something else was in play? Could he be persuaded to join the Light side instead?
However, Albus Dumbledore must focus on what was in the nearest future first. Whoever the boy was, the entire Order of the Phoenix would have to protect him from both the Dark Lord and the Rogue Prince.