A Look to the Future
Professor McGonagall looked over her class of third years as they took their seats and noticed that they all seemed rather tense. She assumed it was the stress of the upcoming final exams. The bell rang as the students quietly placed parchment, books, quills, ink, and their wands on their desks for the lesson. She stood and commenced her lesson about transfiguring tea kettles into a mug. When there was only five minutes of class left she noticed Sirius Black whisper into the ear of James Potter who looked back to him and grimaced.
"Honestly," she began "You all look as if you just left a burial service. Why are you all so worried looking? Exams aren't for another month."
"Sorry Professor, but we were all just in Divination and…erm…well Professor DuMaur said some weird things." Alice Deen, a usually vibrant young witch said.
"What do you mean? Surely nothing serious enough to make you like this."
"The lesson was normal all until the end. She suddenly started saying stuff about red people while looking at James." Gregory Dean added in.
"Mister Potter would you care to tell me what you were told?" She said hoping to get to the end of this.
"It was nothing really," James Potter, a be speckled boy with black hair replied silently. This was strange because he was one of the most outgoing students in the castle. "Professor DuMaur suddenly went all rigid and said in a hoarse voice to me 'Raven haired one, you must beware of the red haired one. Apart - your heart will hurt and beat alone. Together - Death will reach out and take because Death reaches out to take away what he cannot have'."
Professor McGonogall was not expecting this at all. As if on cue, the bell rang and the students filed out of the room. She made her way to leave the room to go to Headmaster Albus Dumbledore's office until she noticed that James was still sitting at his desk.
"Mister Potter, I understand this is a lot to take in," she began giving him a sympathetic look. "If you would like, you may accompany me to Professor Dumbledore's office to inform him of what has happened."
"Thank you, Professor. If you don't mind I would like to." James replied and followed her to the gargoyles protecting the Headmaster's office.
"Cockroach Clusters!" She said to them. The gargoyles moved and allowed the Professor and James to enter the spiral staircase that had begun to move. She glanced behind to see James un-phased by this, he obviously had been up here multiple times before considering how much of a mischief maker he was with his friends. James and Sirius Black, sometimes accompanied with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were the school trouble makers and prankers that were always in for a laugh. Or at least until now it seemed.
She opened the door into the Headmaster's office and after James followed her in she closed it in. She turned and found a seat while James moved over to the perch where Fawkes the Phoenix was standing. James gently pet him and whispered different things to the bird as if meeting with an old friend.
"Ah Minerva, what is it that has brought you here accompanied by Mister Potter? Perhaps another release bubble soap upon the Slytherin Table?" asked the entertained voice of Professor Dumbledore.
James chuckled and replied, "No Professor, it's a more serious matter actually. You see, I was in Transfiguration when I got to tell everyone about what they already experienced in Divination. Professor DuMaur told me something about red hair and death."
"Do you remember exactly what he said, James?" Dumbledore asked? James told him. "Yes, it seems to be that Professor DuMaur has made a prophecy about young James and possibly another student. However Mister Potter I must warn you that not all prophecies are fulfilled. Most do not so do not fret, if you want you can forget all about it and live your life as if you had been sleeping through that class and never heard anything. You may leave now, I believe the Gryffindor Quidditch team has practice in five minutes."
James looked into the blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore as if looking for more answers, however, he did not ask any. He left with a quick "Goodbye" to them both. As soon as they heard the door at the end of the staircase close Minerva McGonogall began.
"Albus, you surely cannot believe that this is a wasted prophecy! It clearly says that James Potter is in potential danger. Who do you suppose the 'red haired one' is?"
"I think you know perfectly well who, Minerva."
"Surely not. But Lily Evans is such an innocent girl, so studious and brave. I truly hope you were right in sending him off like that. Even though he is a lot of trouble he has a good heart."
"As do I Minerva. However, time will only tell." Dumbledore ended as he stared out the window to see rain begin to fall.
Two years had passed, the small third years now were a bit taller and smarter. Professor McGonogall had just finished sorting through the O.W.L.s that had to be graded by Ministry officials and was walking down the hallway to her classroom. However, she abruptly stopped when she heard yelling and crying coming from inside an empty Charms classroom.
"You don't get it! He was my best friend, Potter and you ruined it!" came the screams of an angry Lily Evans who was fighting back sobs.
"You know it would have ended eventually! It is better it ended that way anyway, for all you know his lot and him could have gone after you and ended it in a more dangerous way." Replied the voice of an angry James Potter.
"You don't know that! You instigated him and now I can never go back to being his friend! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Lily's voice was at it's loudest and she finally let the sobs out.
"It's not and you know it! You just don't want to blame Snape because he was your friend and it's easier to blame me because the two of you hate me so much. But you know what, Evans? I'm not the one who started becoming interested in the Dark Arts. I'm not the one who's dream is to kill innocent muggles and muggle-borns. I'm not the one who wants to grow up to be a Death Eater with a muggle-born girlfriend. And I most certainly am NOT the one who called you a . . . . . a you-know-what. Sorry to break it to you but I'm not the bad guy here. Yes I may have instigated it and made it happen sooner but you know something was going to happen soon and you can't deny it. Just because you can't stand me does not mean that you can blame me for everything that goes wrong in the perfect life of Lily Evans! You may not know this but I actually care about you and never wanted to see you get hurt like this unlike that git who turned on you in a second. So next time I suggest that you think harder about your accusations before you do something that you regret."
With that James Potter stormed out of the room, ignoring the girl who had just collapsed to the floor sobbing and the Professor standing outside the door. She carefully walked into the classroom and walked over to Lily.
"Lily dear-" She was cut off as Lily's head shot up.
"Sorry Professor I-I-I-I'll clear this up later." and Lily sprinted out of the room leaving her behind.
Two more years had passed and the student were in their final year of Hogwarts. Lily Evans and James Potter were Head students together. During their sixth year they had a shaky relationship. Lily had begun to trust him because he had ultimately opened her eyes to new truths about herself but because of her past hatred of him she sometimes would lose it and he would be on the receiving end of her screaming and hatred. However, this year they were closer than ever and were actually civil to each other. It was a known fact, even amongst the teachers, that since their fourth year and even before James fancied Lily. Him asking her out to Hogsmeade constantly was one of the many reasons she used to hate him.
It was a still December night with a bright moon. Professor McGonogall was ready to head off to bed but the moon tonight intrigued her to take a better look. It was a thin crescent that let off an unusually large amount of light. She glanced out of her open window to the grounds covered in a layer of snow. However, there was something moving down there. With a closer look she saw Lily Evans and James Potter.
The couple were dancing and jumping around and she could hear the loud laughs of Lily. Minerva smiled to herself. She was glad that they could find happiness in the darkness of the world around them. Voldemort and his followers were becoming stronger and a smile was becoming harder to some by. She watched them for another five minutes as they slowed down and danced in a small circle, holding each other tightly. When she woke up that morning, she glanced out the window to see the two sleeping under the tree next to the lake holding onto each other as if nothing could ruin their peace and happiness.
She would not accept it and would not until made to, they could not be gone. Four years had passed and many things happened.
"Not Lily and James." Dumbledore's eyes told her that it was true. They were gone.
It seemed like yesterday that she was at their wedding where the they were allowed a break away from reality and darkness. And then everyone seemed in an even brighter mood when Lily had become pregnant. It seemed as though that little baby, who already looked like James other than for Lily's eyes, was a promise for a brighter future. How wrong they all were.
"It seems as if you were wrong, Albus. That prophecy from eight years ago was correct, together was the death of them." Minerva McGonogall said as sadness engulfed her.
"Ah but Minerva, there you are wrong. Yes they may be physically dead, but death is but the next adventure-"
"-yes but that will not bring Lily, James, and Harry Potter back." she snapped.
"But there you are wrong, Minerva," Albus said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Harry Potter lives."