Chapter 81
A Prophecy Revealed
Note from J.M. Jackson: So I was told out of the last two chapters, one was a tear jerker, and the other was deep. I'm glad, because that was the intention, though I still feel bad about Arthur. Still, it was an important plot that will be revealed later.
As for this chapter, I've had people ask a lot of questions over the last year, about the prophecy, about Lily living with Sirius, about so many things. This is a major chapter because it's going to answer a lot of questions. It might leave you with some, but this is gonna be a big moment.
As Lily opened her eyes, with Ginny still in her arms, it took her a moment to recall everything of the night before, but as she remembered it all, it began to hurt again. She held onto Ginny, who was snoring softly, and looked up, seeing Dumbledore sitting at his desk.
"Good morning, Lily," Dumbledore said. Lily looked around, seeing Ron and Lavender on sleeping bags near the fire, with Hermione and Fleur on another set of sleeping bags, and lastly Sirius and Remus asleep in two chairs near to Dumbledore's desk.
"We all… slept in here?" Lily asked. Dumbledore rose from his desk and walked over to Lily, conjuring up a chair and sitting in it next to Lily.
"You did. I wanted you all to rest, and so decided against waking you when I returned last night. I can only imagine the pain you are all going through right now," Dumbledore said.
"What about Mrs. Weasley?" Lily asked, worried.
"Right now, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Nymphadora, and Bill's fiancée Sophie are all with her. She is struggling, as expected, but in time, perhaps, she will be able to move forward slowly. I hope all of you will be able to do so, although I understand it will not be easy to do so," Dumbledore said.
"Especially since…" Lily began, then looked at Ginny.
"Lily, it is natural for you to blame yourself, but from what I understand, no one, especially not Molly, blames you for what happens. I believe Ginny made her point more… poignantly last night?" Dumbledore asked. Lily unconsciously rubbed her cheek.
"That's one word for it," Lily agreed.
"Lily, there was a time when I lost someone close to me, and I blamed myself for a long time. People who knew me told me not to blame myself," Dumbledore said.
"How were you able to not blame yourself?" Lily asked. Dumbledore flashed her a sad smile.
"When I find out how, I will let you know," Dumbledore replied. In that moment, Lily could sense something between the two of them, a connection, of shared pain; they had never talked about Dumbledore's past, but here he was, opening up a little to her. Lily knew she would still blame herself, but in that moment, she felt like she wasn't alone in her blame.
"What… what's going to happen next?" Lily asked.
"Well, there is a new Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, who has publicly alerted the people that Voldemort is indeed back, and former Minister White, who is now in Azkaban, was a Death Eater, as was Dolores Umbridge. For that reason, your uncle's use of the killing curse was deemed as justified," Dumbledore explained. Lily let out a sigh of relief.
"I… sir, so much happened last night, and it… it was because I thought I was doing the right thing," Lily said.
"Lily, you were doing the right thing. The right path in life is often the hardest, and last night, you led the Order of the Dragon into battle. I would have preferred that you not be exposed to such an event, but sadly, this is a war," Dumbledore said, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I fear this is my fault, leading you to sacrifice your childhood."
"No, sir," Lily felt horrified at the suggestion. "I was the one who chose to go. I shouldn't have taken anyone with me."
"And yet, your friends were willing to fight alongside you. When I first created the Order of the Phoenix, I wasn't sure about asking my friends to fight with me, but they insisted. I was fortunate to have so many willing to help, and in this, you and I are very much alike," Dumbledore told her.
"I never understood why people were willing to learn from me, or fight with me," Lily said. Dumbledore smiled at her.
"It is because of your heart and your soul, Lily. Lord Voldemort has followers who want power, and those who are afraid of him. He engenders fear and anger, where you, Lily, inspire love and engender confidence in others. People follow you because they know you are the light this world needs, and I am sorry for promoting that with you, Lily," Dumbledore told her. "I always knew that the world would look to you, but I never shared that with you, or the reason why."
"Something to do with the prophecy?" Lily asked. Dumbledore nodded.
"It has everything to do with the prophecy. I know it was destroyed, but it is only the official copy. I can tell you everything, since the Prophecy was revealed to me," Dumbledore said. "I am about to tell you something I should have told you long ago but have been afraid to do so."
"Shortly before your birth, I met with Sybill Trelawney. You haven't had lessons with her, but I understand your friend Miss Granger did, at one point," Dumbledore said.
"In her third year, but she dropped it. I don't think she believed her to be a seer," Lily replied.
"Indeed. The day that Peter Pettigrew escaped, Neville Longbottom came to me. He had been talking with Professor Trelawney, after his exam, and told your aunt Minerva that Sybill had gone into what he believed to be a trance. His quick thinking alerted her to some danger within the grounds of Hogwarts," Dumbledore said.
"Neville recited the prophecy to Minerva, and it said 'The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servant has been chained these twelve years. Tonight, before midnight… the servant will break free and set out to rejoin his master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever he was' and so, she went to your uncle, and they found you on your map of Hogwarts," Dumbledore explained.
"I did wonder how they had known to look at the map… but I guess I never thought much of it given what happened that night," Lily replied.
"Indeed. Minerva, Sirius, and I had a meeting the next day, and agreed we needed to keep you safe. We decided not to tell you as not to worry you. But that wasn't the first time that Sybill had made a prophecy," Dumbledore explained.
"I met with her when she applied for the role of Divination professor. I had been considering dropping the subject, not having any faith in it myself, but I met with her out of respect of her great, great grandmother, who was a celebrated Seer. It was a short meeting, but I did not believe Sybill to have the gift of foresight. However, before I left, she went into a trance, and spoke in an unusual voice," Dumbledore said.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark them as his equal, but they will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…" Dumbledore recited.
"I… I was always meant… to fight Voldemort?" Lily asked.
"Yes, although I wasn't sure at the time. The thing is, there was another born around the same time about whom the prophecy could have been about. You see, Neville Longbottom was born in July, and his parents also defied Voldemort three times. However, Voldemort decided that it meant your parents. You see, only part of the prophecy was known to Voldemort, as he had a spy listening in, who was thrown out before they could hear the whole thing," Dumbledore explained.
Lily felt a little lightheaded, but before she could speak or react, she felt Ginny's hand tighten around hers, which meant she was awake, and there for Lily.
"And with what he heard; Voldemort decided to go after Lily's parents?" Ginny asked as she sat up.
"Indeed. The thing I found curious at the time, although it makes sense to me now, is that no gender was mentioned. It said 'they' instead of he or she, and so, now, more than ever, I know the prophecy referred to you, Lily, because of your transition. Had it meant Neville, the prophecy would have referred to a boy," Dumbledore explained.
"Fifteen years ago, Lily, when I saw the scar on your forehead," Dumbledore continued, "I guessed what it might mean, as we discussed before, and that it was a connection between yourself and Lord Voldemort."
"You told us that before, yes sir," Ginny said softly.
"When you re-joined the magical world, Lily, it became apparent to me that I was correct, and a connection did, in fact, exist between the two of you. I confess I was concerned that Lord Voldemort would attempt to manipulate you, and misdirect your thoughts, and should he ever learn that our relationship was, or ever had been, more than that of headmaster and pupil, he would then put you to work spying on me," Dumbledore told them.
"But as Ginny and I got closer, he wasn't able to do that, was he?" Lily asked.
"No, thankfully not. It showed me, however, a new concern, as the two of you got stronger, and, I say this with as much respect as I can, more arrogant. The greatest concern of that was, naturally, after you both attempted to connect to Lord Voldemort's mind, in a desire for revenge and to find out what he was thinking. Had I known, I would have counselled you both much sooner, for that was a dangerous act," Dumbledore explained.
"You're not wrong," Lily agreed, as did Ginny, both looking ashamed of themselves.
"I should never have suggested, or even tried, doing that," Ginny said, her voice soft, and full of sorrow.
"Whilst you were able to prevent Arthur's death at that time, Lily, it allowed Lord Voldemort a glance into your mind, however brief, and allowed him to plan a new way of getting what he wanted. He learnt, we discovered from Elpenor White, from that glimpse, and from another source, that you had created the DA, and the Order of the Dragon, and that you would go to almost any length to stop him. However, your conversation with Sirius made you stop and reconsider before doing anything rash," Dumbledore told them.
"Another source?" Ginny asked.
"Yes. Before I left for the Ministry last night, I spoke to Kreacher, who you will remember, I'm sure. It seems, at Christmas, when Sirius told him to 'Get Out' meaning of the room you were in, he took it literally and left Grimmauld Place, and headed to the one member of the Black Family that he would respect, Sirius' cousin, Narcissa Malfoy, sister to Bellatrix Lestrange," Dumbledore explained.
"Who would have treated him really nicely, just to get whatever information they could from him," Lily said bitterly.
"Indeed," Dumbledore confirmed with a gentle nod. "He was still bound by House Elf laws and magic, and so could not reveal confidential plans or where we were, information he had been forbidden to reveal to anyone, but he was able to pass on certain pieces of information, including how much Sirius loves you, and how much we have all spoken about you, and your tendency to rush in where fools fear to tread, I believe the saying goes," Dumbledore said.
"With all of that information, Voldemort was able to concoct a plan to ensure you went to the Ministry to retrieve the prophecy. He believed that it contained information imperative to his plans of taking control of the world," Dumbledore explained.
"What about Umbridge? How was she supposed to be a part of it? Did she expect to lose or die?" Lily asked.
"No, from what I understand, her intention was to overpower you and deliver you to the Ministry," Dumbledore said softly. "You were always meant to be there tonight, although under different circumstances, I imagine."
"Then Uncle Sirius killed Umbitch," Lily said bitterly, before catching herself. "Sorry, sir."
"I would never chastise you for expressing your emotions, Lily, especially after the night you had. I do not like the language, but let us move forward," Dumbledore told them. He let out a sigh.
"I fear tonight would have gone very badly, if not for Barty Crouch Junior. He is here, in the castle, in the Room of Requirement, speaking with Alastor," Dumbledore explained.
"That… why did he help us? Just because he believed in honour more than Voldemort?" Ginny asked.
"In part, yes. I spoke with him, and he certainly has had a difficult life. When he joined Voldemort's forces, he believed that Voldemort was the right man to lead the world. I have said it before, and will do so again, Voldemort can be very charming and convincing when he wants to be. It was a skill he had when he was a student here," Dumbledore said. Lily could hear the regret in his voice, as well as… was it sorrow? Or anger?
"In part?" Lily asked. Dumbledore nodded.
"Indeed. It seems that around Christmas time, he was visited by the ghost of his mother, with whom he shared an interesting conversation," Dumbledore replied.
"Like a Christmas Carol?" Lily asked. Ginny looked at Lily for clarification. "A muggle novel by Charles Dickens. A man called Scrooge is very mean to people, and is visited one Christmas by three ghosts, well, four, technically. It shows him becoming a good man because of the ghosts."
"It is a story I have often enjoyed reading," Dumbledore chuckled softly as he spoke. "I suppose the idea of even a cold heart finding redemption has always been appealing to me, as it showed that some people believe that everyone can be redeemed. Sadly, that is not the case, but some can be, and I hope that Barty Crouch Junior is one of them."
"We're getting off track, sir, aren't we?" Lily asked. Dumbledore's eyes seemed to twinkle briefly as he looked at Lily.
"Indeed, but I believe this digression has been helpful, in a way. As you know, my original intention was to place you with your muggle relatives, your mother's sister, Petunia. She and her husband are so against magic that they would have not treated you as well as I would have liked, but the idea was to protect you. After all, that night at Godric's Hollow, after Lord Voldemort was defeated, his followers would certainly want revenge, and so I had to ensure that you were protected."
"But you did that spell at my uncle's house instead," Lily said.
"I had no choice but to do so. Your uncle was fiercely protective of you, and so I knew he would defend you with his life. In a way, I was, perhaps, meddling in your destiny when I decided how things should be, but that was the problem with planning quickly. I had so short a time to decide on a plan that I needed to act immediately, which meant I did not consider all the consequences of those actions. I dread to think what might have happened had my original plan gone ahead," Dumbledore said.
"I can understand that sir, but at the same time, I think I'm glad that Uncle Sirius got to me first, no offence," Lily said. Dumbledore allowed a soft laugh.
"None taken Lily, I assure you. I am thankful for your uncle's actions as well," Dumbledore assured her. "Five years ago, when you first arrived at Hogwarts, I was thankful that you were safe, and well loved. When your parents sacrificed themselves for you, I knew that only one thing would keep you safe. There is an ancient magic that Voldemort is ignorant and unaware of, and when your parents sacrificed themselves, they left in you a lingering protection. I thought of your mother's sacrifice first; if you had gone to the muggles, the bond would have been fully sealed, making the bond of blood the strongest shield I could give you."
"But when Uncle Sirius refused to consider that plan…" Lily began, and Dumbledore nodded, continuing.
"I stood over you, Lily, and I cast a spell that Minerva, Hagrid, and Sirius were unaware of. It was to confirm a hope I had. Whilst the bond of blood would work at your muggle relative's house better, I hoped that the bond existed from your father's sacrifice as well. Thankfully, it did, and with your father and your uncle being distantly related, I needed to perform a very tricky spell, one that carried great risk," Dumbledore confessed. He looked down at the floor for a moment, and Lily saw a tear fall from his eyes to the floor.
"Lily, I took a great risk in casting a spell on you. If I had failed, it could have hurt you. I told myself I had no choice in the matter; I needed to keep you safe," Dumbledore said, his voice almost weak. "It is a thing I have lived with for so long now and wasn't sure if anyone would ever understand."
Lily felt dizzy, and lightheaded. She struggled to process what Dumbledore was telling her, and only the firm grasp of Ginny holding her hands kept her sane. She could hear what was being said, but she felt weak.
"What did you do?" Ginny demanded. There was no respect in her voice, just anger at Dumbledore. "What did you do to my Lily?"
To his credit, Dumbledore met Ginny's eyes, with regret and remorse in his own eyes, as well as several tears.
"I cast an ancient spell that would strength the bond of blood between Lily and Sirius. Centuries ago, it was used by ancient cults who wanted to give magic to muggles, and who wanted to control them, by kidnapping children and bringing them to magical families. These cults were led by those who felt muggles shouldn't exist, or that they were unworthy of procreating, but some of their own couldn't have children," Dumbledore explained.
"How is that possible?" Ginny demanded, holding onto Lily, who still felt lightheaded as she listened carefully to everything.
"It took someone of great strength to do so, and with a powerful magical core. Even then, it was dangerous and didn't always work. If it failed, it could sometimes prove fatal for the child or the person. However, the younger the subject, the greater the chance of success. For someone as young as Lily, there was a risk, but I felt she would have a better chance of success. So, I cast the spell, and was thankful when it worked. Because of that, Lily, you share the blood of your parents, but a part of you is also from Sirius. Not your genetics, as the muggles would say, but more… your magical core, and so, I was able to seal the bond of sacrifice and it was as powerful as if you had been left with Aunt Petunia," Dumbledore explained.
"You took a risk without talking to anyone? Without consulting anyone, and hoped you were right?" Ginny raged, her raised voice waking up the others in the room. Dumbledore gave them a few moments to fully wake before continuing.
"Yes, I did. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing. With the benefit of hindsight, I know I should have spoken to Sirius first, or Minerva, or anyone really," Dumbledore said.
"About what?" Sirius asked. "The spell you cast on Lily?"
"Wait, you knew?" Ginny asked, looking at Sirius, who was now fully awake.
"Not until later. Minerva did, and she told me what had happened. She heard the spell, but only as it was being cast," Sirius said. He walked over to Lily and held her in his arms as she was softly weeping. "The only reason I didn't stop Lily from coming to Hogwarts, or moving us both away in secret, was because Minerva researched why you did it," he said.
"I have never been able to hide anything from Minerva, in truth," Dumbledore said. "I think that was why I always appreciated her friendship and company; she was always able to help me see things the way I should, and not the way I wanted to."
"Would… what would have happened if you hadn't done that?" Lily asked weakly.
"In truth? I fear any of Voldemort's followers would have been able to locate Lily and harm her. I will not ask forgiveness, for I do not deserve it. I do not seek redemption, but I hope to give you understanding," Dumbledore answered.
"So, tell me the truth now," Lily demanded, feeling anger rising within her, but not at Dumbledore. She felt like she wanted to hate Dumbledore, for playing with her life, for putting her in danger. "Why make me grow up as a muggle? Why keep me from knowing the truth for so long?"
"That, Lily, I have only ever been truthful about," Dumbledore said softly. "Although I understand your question. I knew that your life would not be a simple one when you returned to our world. I knew that you would have hardships unknown, and so I wanted you to have as normal a childhood as possible. You deserved to have some measure of peace."
"Why did you get to decide everything?" Ginny demanded angrily. "You brought all of this about! You were the one who did all of this! For what? Some hope to stop Voldemort?"
"A fools hope, but a hope that Lily would be able to live a full life," Dumbledore answered calmly, although his face was still moist from his tears. "That was something everyone deserved. I could not foresee all that has happened, especially not the events of this evening, but you are not wrong, Miss Weasley. All of this… everything that has happened… the blame does, indeed, lie with me, and me alone."
"No," Ron's voice piped up, surprising everyone in the room. He was standing up, holding Lavender's hand. "Ginny, I… I don't always do things right or say the smart thing… but Professor Dumbledore has never been deserving of anger. I don't agree with what he's done, but… sometimes why we do things… is more important than what we do. Being friends with Lily has taught me that."
"That is a very wise attitude, Ron," Remus chimed in.
"I have my moments," Ron smiled softly. He walked over to the sofa and embraced Ginny in a hug. "Dad wouldn't want us being angry, would he? He'd be the first to tell us that being angry just leaves us empty inside," Ron told her, crying silently. Ginny sobbed as she held onto Ron, with Lily looking on, thankful for her friends, and for the family she had. There was so much to face, so much to deal with, but for the moment, as she embraced Ginny and Ron in a hug, she knew that she wouldn't ever be alone.
