The Prophecy ~ A Tom Riddle Story

A Letter From Your Mother

You weren't able to sleep in your lumpy uncomfortable mattress until 3am, partly due to the snoring to your left coming from your dorm mate Cassie. When you finally did get to sleep, you were bothered by the other looming distraction in your life, the thought of that prophecy. You had a nightmare about the return of Voldemort, and flashes of your father screaming and writhing on the ground while your mother with a tear stained face stood by restricted by two other Death Eaters. You woke in a cold sweat after the images, but when you went back to bed, it was just blackness that greeted you.

When you woke up to your alarm at 7am you felt a strong pounding in your head, and immediately reached for the pepper-up potion you kept by your bedside. You had been known to have bad migraines for a while, and so Madam Pomfrey insisted on you keeping a dose of the potion near you at all times. Your roommate was still asleep, and so you refrained from burning more than a single candle as you got ready for the day.

By the time you had sorted yourself out it was already 8am. It was mid winter, it being the middle of January at the time, and so you were wearing your fur lined cloak and both your Slytherin cap and scarf. You grabbed up your bag and the blew out the almost burnt out candle you had been using before, heading outside into the common room, where Tristan and his girlfriend were waiting for you in the armchairs looking into the lake. They greeted you half-heartedly and the 3 of you headed to the great hall together.

You ate in mostly silence, only talking every once and a while to ask for the butter, or to wave hello to another friend. Eventually it was time for the post to come in. You were not disappointed today, for a large package and note came to you, along with your usual subscription of the Daily Prophet. After paying the owl for the delivery you scanned the paper then threw it aside, nothing interesting there. You then opened the package, dreading what the note might hold for you. Inside were some of the many home-baked treats your mother frequently sent you during the week. You gave Tristan some of the more nasty looking ones, and kept the rest for yourself, stowing away the box in your enchanted bag. You then move towards the note, you audibly gulped as you tore the emerald green seal off the back of the envelope. Inside there's a short note in your mother's handwriting:

My dear Aoibhe,

I understand your concerns about said prophecy, but do not worry about anything my dear. We have already thought through the return of the Dark Lord, and we are prepared for anything that comes our way love. Please do not dread upon this subject, but instead focus on your schooling and try to stay out of trouble.

P.S good luck on OWLS, hope for high scores!

Yours always,
Mother

You look down and read the letter again, that's all? Just keep to your schooling? She wouldn't even tell you the precautions they've set! You hand the letter over to a waiting Tristan and he reads quickly, having the same reaction as you in the end. You both were very used to getting what you want, and this letter was not what you wanted. "We should write her back," Tristan says determinedly "Demand more information!" But you shake your head at this, and bite your lip, thinking.. There's a reason your mother didn't tell you these details, and it would not do well to try and pry them from her. You tell Tristan this, and he's about to object when you hear a magnified bell chime signaling the 5 minute mark from the start of your classes, and you both drop the subject and walk together to your first class of the day.

You sit in your many classes that day as usual, taking your normal notes and listening the best you can. But despite your mother's warning, you can't help but let your mind wander to the subject of the prophecy again... Most prophecies have to come true, and so surely this one is no different? And if it did come true, are your mother's precautions strong enough? Or worse...- but no, she'd never go back, you were sure of this. You all suffered much by the hand of Voldemort, and therefore she mustn't want to go back, she'd be crazy to. You think over this possibility for too long, and don't realize you're being called on. "Mrs. Fawn!" You hear Mcgonagall's voice from the front of the classroom, and you look up guiltily at her "Yes, Professor?" "I asked you a question" she said pointedly "At what point do Animal Transfigurations become above standard level?" And you answered promptly, not even glancing at your notes. OWLs were coming up, and teachers expected students to be able to answer questions without hesitation.

At the end of your classes that day you have decided on what you plan to do about the prophecy. You wave off Tristan as you move the opposite way towards the library. You were going to learn as much as you could about the subject. When you arrived in the library the first section you went to was Divination, where you started pulling out every book you could find. You grabbed the first one on a stack higher than yourself sitting on the table before you and flipped through it to the table of contents. When you saw nothing of prophecy telling and it's accuracy you threw it aside (getting a scolding look from Madam Pince) and moved on to the next book.

You weren't able to find much at all over prophecies, only little bits and pieces here and there. Some detailing how there's not many seers in the world at the moment, and the ones who are true seers will rarely even make a prophecy. Others simply defined prophecy for you: "A Prediction" which, turns out, was not at all helpful. You sighed and put down the last book, sitting back against the cold window beside your table. You checked the golden watch you kept with you and saw that it was almost 6pm now, signaling the start of supper. You sighed and got up, grabbing your bag and putting your things back in it (you had been nibbling on some of mother's treats, hiding them every time the stiff librarian had passed).

You were heading out of the library when you passed by a section of library closed off by an enchanted velvet rope. You backtracked and looked in on the restricted section. You glanced only a moment before behind you Madam Pince gave you a scolding look and told you to run along, but a moment was all you needed. You knew immediately that that was the place you'd need to go in order to learn more of the prophecies in which you seek.

When you arrived at the great hall, Tristan and most all the other Slytherins were already seated. You had told Tristan your plans before going to the library, but he responded with a scoff and words of it sounding boring. He still insisted that you should ask your mother, but you ignored him, saying your could figure this out yourself. And so when you got to the great hall, you once again expressed your plans to the snooty boy "And how do you suppose you'll get in the restricted section?" He said, playing with his food instead of looking at you, his tone distinctly uninterested "You need a teacher signed note in order to go in there" "That's the thing," you say, whispering towards Tristan, an evil smirk forming across your face "I think I have the perfect teacher."