Disclaimer: The following story is not intended for profit. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.

CHAPTER TWO

Dear Lily

She's at it again. Now she's threatened to stop me from going to Hogsmeade. Can you believe that? I've had it with her. I just hope I can graduate soon, so that I can get out of here. Dad is cool about it though. He knows just how much of a git Malfoy is, to understand how difficult it is to restrain myself from hexing him. How does James and Albus get away with all the stuff they do? I'm really looking forward to meeting you guys this weekend. Send my love to James and Al. Could you ask Al, how many days until our owls arrive??

Hugs and kisses

P.S. I'm dreading my O.W.L.s. I know I messed up Arithmancy pretty bad.

Rose read through her letter once to see if she sounded coherent. She had, after all, written it in a fit of rage and frustration. She went to her owl's cage and spoke to her as she fixed the letter onto her.

"Its to Lily as always. I hope you're not tired," she said to Lyla as she took her to the window and flew her out into the evening sky. Once the bird flew away, her thoughts immediately returned to her mother. She was growing sick of her bossiness and couldn't wait till she left Hogwarts. Two more years to go and I can live on my own, she thought gleefully.

The red head looked out into the orange background, dreaming of a life - free from rules and obstructions, as she watched the rays of sunlight tailing her bird into the horizon.

Scorpius was walking towards a light, a perennial red light, the color reminding him of red roses in the spring. He could smell its fragrance inundating his mind and senses. He kept walking and so did the light, as though the distance between them was preordained and curtailing it was forbidden. But he kept walking without fear, for whoever was in front of him, brought him clarity and peace and a sense of understanding.

The light stopped and so did Scorpius. It was a person. He could tell that. It had arms and shoulders and legs. It might even be a woman, judging by its suave posture. He decided to be brave and took the forbidding step that brought her closer in view.

From a foot afar he saw it. Her hair, brown and rich as melted chocolate. It struck his eyes like a waterfall splashing on the rocks. She was laughing and it was music to his ears. Just as she was about to turn back and reveal a face, Professor Trelawny popped up from nowhere and obstructed his view, causing him to swear and curse at the old woman. Professor Trelawny was wailing and saying something inaudible, but he didn't care. By the time he shoved her away, the girl had gone and he was woken up by his bed side alarm.

Scorpius was left panting in his bed and not even the jug full of water by his bedside could quench his thirst. For the thirst was not for water, but to seek the true identity of the brown-haired girl that had been haunting him regularly for the last one month. Each time she was about to turn back, Trelawny would barge in and distract him. At one point he was so frustrated when the girl disappeared from view, that he tried to hex the old cow.

Scorpius tried every book that he could find on dream interpretation, to figure out the meaning of this recurring dream. Mean while he was getting increasingly obsessed with the brown haired girl and resolved to find her in the real world. He would find himself searching the faces of all those who had brown hair, whenever he was outside with his parents.

He also tried to recall the girls back at school and so far he could only recall two Slytherins and a bunch of girls from the other houses. But he was sure they were not the one he was looking for. He knew that with one look at her face, he would know - as rapidly as one experiences pain when hexed. He just hoped he would meet her soon enough, for he was sure she was the one - the one who would bring him the balance in his conflicted life.

Hannah Abbot was counting the money in the drawer, when Tom the barman came up to her and said that he was closing for the night and going to bed. Hannah nodded kindly and went into the pub to check whether there was anyone still staying up. As expected, she saw Professor Trelawny surrounded by a slew of empty bottles, drenched in a smell of sherry.

Hannah approached her apprehensively and spoke to her warmly-

"Professor Trelawny, maybe you should stop drinking and go to bed now. Its quite late," she said while removing the empty glass from Trelawny's hands.

Trelawny who was staying at the Leaky Cauldron after having attended her sister's funeral started weeping and replied-

"I can't believe she's gone...My baby sister..." sniffing loudly.

"There, there.." consoled Hannah, feeling sorry for Trelawny. She sat with her for a while, before finally convincing her to stop drinking.

Trelawny, all groggy and unsteady, tried to stand up from her seat. Hannah, mean while, took out her wand and returned the empty bottles back in its place.

"HE REACHES CLOSER..."

Hannah swirled around swiftly, terrified at the harsh voice she just heard. She was even more alarmed to see that the words were spoken by Professor Trelawny, who had fallen back into her chair. Shaking violently and eyes rolling around in their sockets, she looked as though she was having a seizure. Hannah, terrified, began calling her name, and dozing water on her face. But Professor Trewlaney was unaffected by Hannah's attempts to wake her up. Just when Hannah decided to run upstairs and get help, she started speaking again - in the same raspy, hoarse voice as earlier,

"HE REACHES CLOSER TO HIS DESTINY

THE DESTINY WHICH WILL BE IMPEDED BY LOVE

A CHOICE HE MUST MAKE

FOR THE GRISLY LANCELOT TO BE SLAIN

ELSE HIS TERROR WILL CREEP INTO OUR TIME

AND HAPPINESS AND PEACE WILL FADE

BUT THERE IS A PRICE HE MUST PAY,

THE ONE HE CHASES HAS PASSED AWAY

AND HE HAS WITNESSED HER DEATH AMIDST THE FRAY

HE REACHES CLOSER TO HIS DESTINY AT BAY"

At the exact same moment that Professor Trelawny finished delivering the prophecy, a glowing round globe materialized out of thin air and placed itself automatically on one of the shelves, in the hall of prophecies.

"McCormack," shouted a bespectacled wizard. "Looks like Sybill Trelawny delivered another prophecy," he said as he read the inscription on the globe.

"Accidentally, you mean," said McCormack, an erudite wizard, chuckling. He came up to the shelf with a clipboard in hand, and wrote down the inscription on the globe.

Prophecy number 1285

S.P.T to H.A.L

Scorpius Malfoy and Bernaby Lancelot

Once Trelawny finished delivering the prophecy, Hannah went to her aid, to make sure she was alright. Trelawny, mean while, seemed to have no recollection of the preceding event, whatsoever. She got back up and quietly went up to her room, sniffing and mumbling about her sister, leaving Hannah looking confused and dumbfounded at what she had just heard.

Did she just make a real prophecy? she wondered. Neville had told her about real prophecies that were stored in the Dept of Mysteries. Hannah, recounted what she heard to her husband when she reached her room and Neville seemed sure, that Sybill Trewlaney had delivered a true prophecy. But the contents of the prophecy baffled them both.

Even though it spoke of an event that was about to happen, the final words were in a past tense, as though some of these events had already taken place. As Neville and Hannah snuggled together in their bed, they had the same thought on their minds as the two wizards at the Dept of Mysteries. How could a prophecy be made of an event which had already happened, since prophecies spoke of events that would come to pass?

Even after her husband had fallen asleep soundily, Hannah kept her eyes open and wondered who the unfortunate pair were. And even though she didn't know who the prophecy referred to, she recalled their fate with pain, as the prophecy clearly stated that the girl was fated to die...

Author's note: Don't forget to leave a review:)