Disclaimer: I am still not J.K. Rowling and your still in a therapy!!
It was a dark, wintry night. The snowflakes fell lightly covering the entire ground knee-deep. The snow decked the trees making the scene look like a picture out of a fairy tale. Couples and families walked down the streets chatting, shopping, or just enjoying the snow, while little kids played around. Christmas was well in its element.
In this festive scene, the young couple, walking past, looked conspicuously out of place. This little neighborhood rarely saw people from the outside, let alone such a striking couple. A tall, dark, handsome man accompanied by a woman with thick, shining dark hair and heavily hooded eyes. They wore rich, colorful robes, the sorts one wore to a fancy dress when dressing as a witch. They both also wore a condescending look, giving the impression that they would rater be anywhere else than in this shoddy little town. Unlike their fellow companions they walked purposefully, towards a small, dingy house at the end if the street. They spoke to no one, not even amongst themselves. The only one of them making any sort of noise was the baby girl in the young women's hands. The baby sneezed as the snow tickled her nose. She shivered as the freezing wind, causing passersby's to scurry home, whipped past. If she could think and form coherent sentences she would doubtlessly be questioning this nocturnal excursion. But since she was yet barely a year old, she had to contend with cuddling close to her mother, getting no answer to her unspoken question. Then again, with a mother like that, she probably wouldn't get an answer to a spoken question either…
"Sorry Ma'am!! Didn't see you" a little boy screamed cheerily, having just bumped into the tall, beautiful woman in his hurry to get home. The woman glared at him and her fingers curled around a wooden stick in her hand. A slight swish, a flash of green and the boy would never reach home. Never more would he wake up early in the morning and rush to the Christmas tree to open his presents. Never again would he clamor for more pudding at the dinner table and sulk when he wouldn't get it. It would be ridiculously easy to kill him. But the man restrained her. "Filthy Mud Bloods" she spat. "Now is not the right time" he whispered back.
Salena was a doting and sympathetic mother. And in one of her fanciful fits, she named her only daughter Nell, which literally meant 'of the Light'. (To this day Nell still shudders at the reaction of the wizarding community if they ever found out her real name…) A normally sharp woman, she was always politely incredulous whenever school authorities tried to complain about her daughter. So, 25 years before, if someone had told her that her only daughter, who still roamed around in pink skirts and ribbons, would one day grow up to be one of the most celebrated seer's and would be known all over the world as ' The Oracle', she would have laughed. As it is, she died long before the start of her story and her daughter did become the world's greatest Seer. But our story is not about her. Nor is it about her daughter, or the striking couple coming to see her on this dark, wintry night. It is, instead, about the little, sneezing bundle in the lady's hands.
"Why! What a surprise. I wasn't expecting you." said the woman, who opened the door.
Both of them knew that this wasn't true but they let the matter skip. The Oracle was often annoyed when people contradicted her. A short, fat woman with straggly hair and a warty face, she was often called a witch by the neighborhood kids. None of them realized the truth of their statement.
Nobody, not even her faithful clientele were aware of her real name, and she was called, by one and all, The Oracle.
"I know exactly what it is you want." she crooned." What your heart's desire is. You wish to know if she'll be a worthy follower to your cause. Isn't it?
"Yes, Oracle" replied the women eagerly. "Will she serve the master forever? Will she be as loyal as me?"
The Oracle stood on the portico, inviting her visitors to take a seat. She took her time consulting first this book and then that crystal ball. "Show me the girl's palm" she demanded finally. As she stood gazing at the baby's palm her eyes grew misty and her voice suddenly changed. As her voice became gruff and hoarse the couple stared at her in excitement. They knew that they were witnessing a prophecy. A prophecy that could well change the world. As they heard the prophecy, however, their countenance under went a drastic change. "How can this be?" muttered the man. The woman stared at him, to shocked to respond. At that moment the skies burst open releasing a torrent of rain. It seemed as if the skies were rejoicing at the prospect of the defeat of one of the most evil persona of the century. Or maybe it was as horrified as the couple it was at the moment drenching. You never know with skies…
Two minutes later the Oracle opened her eyes. She shook her hair free of the falling droplets and gestured her visitors into the house. Right then Nellie ( as we would like to call her) was fully aware that she had made a genuine, 25 galleon prophecy, cementing her fame in the Department of Mysteries as the most successful Seer. It was only as she screamed at her servant, Roger, to get them a cup of tea that she realized that, far from the look of wonder that was usually present on people's faces after her prophecies, a look of horror was still fixed on the couple's faces.
"What is it? What did I say?" she asked mystified. She stared at them as they repeated what she'd just prophesied and then let out a scream of despair and fear. "Take her away from here. Bringer of evil. Downfall of our time. Take her away from here before I kill her."
The mother was bewildered. "But she's a baby. What can she do?"
She locked eyes with the tear stricken lady. "It must be done. It must be!!" she hissed. She paused, knowing her words were having no effect. "For the Dark Lord… One cannot be unfaithful to the Dark Lord can one?"
The lady clenched her arm as if she had been burnt. "No… The Dark Lord's cause is more important than anything" she said; as if to convince herself.
"Yes" she said then, in a deathly calm voice. "I must!!!"
The child dozed on complacently; blissfully unaware of what had just occurred. She was unaware of the danger surrounding her and how perilous her near future was to become. How could she have known that one of the seven most important prophecies of the century had just been uttered? A prophecy that revolved around her… a prophecy that would make her life miserable , and a prophecy, that in no uncertain manner, would shape the destiny of not just her, her family and her friends, but also the entire wizarding community.
Author's Note: News Flash!! Nellie the Oracle just dropped me a hint saying that the one thing that you really want to do... is to hit that Review button right there and tell me if I should stop wasting my time or continue!!!!