Harry Potter: 19 Years Later

Chapter 41: The Prophecy

Rose woke up, not in reality, but in a dream. She was sitting in front of a pond in the middle of a grassy field, the sun beaming down on her as if it were a spotlight. Rose felt vulnerable for some reason, then she looked down at herself and shrieked. She was a bird again, perched on a tree stump. Why was this happening again?

"Ah, you are an eagle. Magnificent creatures, aren't they?" said a voice beside Rose. She accidentally squawked, startled. Standing beside her was Severus Snape.

"SCREECH!" Rose tried to speak, but she remembered that she was a bird. And not just any bird, but an eagle! She chirped in defeat.

"I understand you must be afraid. If you do not wish to be an eagle anymore, then simply wish it. You can will yourself to change back into a human," explained Snape. He didn't seem the least bit surprised that Rose was an eagle.

Rose obliged and concentrated on being herself again. She pictured in her mind her fiery Weasley red hair, her pale face, her freckles splattered across her nose, and the rest of her human body. Almost instantly, Rose felt herself growing in size and her human features reappearing. Her vision became less overwhelmingly sharp like an eagle's and her body wasn't covered in feathers anymore. Even though this was only a dream, this all felt surprisingly real.

"Very good," Snape said. "You're handling this better than I thought."

Rose could thankfully speak again. "Handling what? What is happening to me, Professor?"

Snape sighed, and Rose knew he was about to give a long speech. "Miss Weasley, as you're already aware of, strange things are happening to you and your friends. There is a reason for this. The four of you possess great power that every wizard dreams of, that they are willing to do inexcusable things for. It is quite incredible that wizards as young as you and your friends have these powers. But let me warn you; these powers are not toys. Once you learn to control your ability, use it wisely."

Rose's mind was spinning as she was processing all of this. "So this power...what is it exactly? How is it triggered?"

"Think of your power as an enhancement in your normal magic," said Snape. "For example, your newfound ability to change into an Animagus form, the eagle. Usually it would take years to master changing into and out of an Animagus form, but somehow you mastered it in mere seconds. Then there is the events that occurred with Albus Potter and Holly Longbottom. Unexpected spurts of powerful magic can occur whenever the person is feeling strong emotion of some sort. The most dangerous is when the wizard is scared or angry. What happened with you in Transfiguration class was most likely caused by you experiencing immense happiness and tranquility."

Rose was silent, still taking in all the information the old Potion's master was telling her. Everything was beginning to make sense. Then Rose thought about the day before when she was in the hospital wing talking to Madame Carmine. She had shared a strange speculation with the nurse that left her flabbergasted. Now Rose was beginning to think it was very much possible.

"Professor," Rose said. "It was the coma that caused us to obtain these powers, wasn't it?"

Snape was silent as he gazed into the pond, clearly in thought. Then he nodded his head and replied, "You've always been wise, Miss Weasley. The comas you four were in, which was caused by Lucius Malfoy's killing curse, does play a major part in just how powerful your magic is and will be. You grow stronger each day."

"A major part? What else is the reason for this?" Rose asked eagerly. She was growing more impatient for answers.

"An age old prophecy, Miss Weasley," was all Snape said. Suddenly, Rose's dream was becoming fuzzier, and it was harder to see Professor Snape.