Disclaimer: I don't own J.K. Rowling's universe, I just like to do really evil things with her characters, on occasion.

Chapter 4 - A Storm is Coming

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was awash in light. Headmistress McGonagall had graciously opened the Great Hall at the request of the committee that had planned the Anniversary Ball, and the wards on the school ensured that there would be no uninvited guests. A pair of Aurors at the gates checked invitations, double-checking the names on the list of approved attendees provided by Ginevra Weasley-Potter, who had chaired the committee.

Everyone who was anyone was in attendance, most prominently those from the Order of the Phoenix. Among this crowd, always on the fringes and rarely the center of attention, Theo was mingling. It had taken him the better part of the last decade to gain acceptance into this group, and while there were some who still questioned his place among them, his financial support had come in fairly handy on more than one occasion. His contribution to the newest Minister of Magic's election campaign, for instance, had ensured that the Minister's wife would insist on his presence at this affair.

"I can't thank you enough for your assistance this year, Mr. Nott," Ginny Potter was saying, sipping from a glass of champagne.

"There's no need to be so formal," he replied, managing a smile that he hoped didn't look as false as it felt. "Please, my friends call me Theo, and I'd be honored if you would do so, as well."

She smiled at him. "Theo it is, then. If I might ask, why /did/ you contribute so much to Harry's campaign? From what little I know about you, you try to avoid politics."

Theo considered her for a moment, as well as the possible answers he could give to her question. Finally, he settled for asking her a question in return, "Do you believe in fate, Mrs. Potter?"

"Oh, but you must call me Ginny, if we're to be such good friends. As to your question, it's rather hard not to, given the role it's played in my husband's life. Are you implying that the outcome of the election was foreseen?"

"There are some who would laugh at such a thing, but there are others who believe that everything happens for a reason, that there is some grand design behind all of our motives, and the signs are there for those who know how to interpret them." He paused, waiting to see what her reaction would be, but before she had a chance to respond, the doors to the Great Hall exploded outward, throwing the party into chaos.

"Stay behind me," Ginny commanded, stepping between Theo and whatever threat was coming through the door, her wand in hand. All over the room, the crowd was divided into those who were panicking and those who had kept their heads enough to assess the danger and assume a protective posture.

If Theo hadn't been so furious, he might have found it amusing that a woman who barely came up to his shoulders was offering to protect him. As the smoke cleared to reveal the tall, cloaked figure, it took every ounce of willpower not to curse the thing into next week. The hood of the cloak was pulled up to obscure the face, and additional glamours were also in place to conceal the person's identity as it glided into the hall.

"I bring a message from the forces of darkness." The deep male voice was unnaturally loud over the chaos of the hall, and many people who had been making noise stopped as the words sank in. "A storm is coming, the likes of which wizardkind has never seen before. You have disregarded the warnings you were given, refused to recognize the danger while you had a chance, and now it is too late. Soon, the endgame will begin." Several spells fired at the figure, but they passed right through; the figure itself shimmered and then disappeared altogether, revealing that it had been an illusion all along.

Theo was beside himself with rage, his jaw clenched so tight he thought his teeth might crack from the strain. He felt something touch his arm, and whipped his head toward whoever it was, fully prepared to deal a verbal lashing, only to soften at the last second when he realized it was Ginny.

"Are you all right, Theo?" she asked him, looking genuinely concerned. "You don't look so well."

"I'm fine," he managed to answer, after a moment spent reminding himself to relax. "That was... strange, wasn't it?"

"If by strange you mean creepy, then yeah, it was. Listen, will you be all right on your own? I should really go find Harry."

"Don't trouble yourself, Ginny, I'm fine. Family first, right? Besides, there's Blaise, he'll see to it that I make it home in one piece."

After she'd left, Theo hissed at Blaise, "You owe me an explanation, as soon as we're out of here." Whoever had pulled that little stunt was going to pay for it in spades.