A Marauder's Guide to Falling Forever

Chapter Two

"You have?" Marlene was surprised. She herself had barely known that she was coming, she hardly expected the old woman to.

"I see many things," she said simply before gliding into the room to drop dramatically into one of the four armchairs that sat circling a small table in the center of the room. She sat two cups of tea on the table's surface, then she waved her hand towards a chair opposite her. "Please, sit."

Marlene took the seat without question. It was warm as though someone had only just been occupying it.

"I suppose you have many questions and we have such very little time." The woman continued. "Do go ahead, I'm afraid it's rather late."

"Sorry." Marlene felt embarrassed. Of course she should have waited until morning, but she was in a hurry. "You are Cassandra Vablatsky, right?"

"Yes." The woman leaned inward and smiled.

"I got your name from –"

"Eldritch Mopsus," she interrupted Marlene. "Yes, I know."

"Right." Marlene flushed. He had likely informed Cassandra that she was coming and that was why she was expecting her. "Eldritch said that you might be able to help me. I'm looking for some information regarding prophecies."

Marlene's eyes had wandered back over to the globe in the corner; the colors had changed into a blue green haze with dark wisps that swirled around like shadows trying to consume the colors within.

"That's a very curious request." Cassandra observed where Marlene's eyes had wandered and she waved her hand in the air. The orb darkened almost immediately as though all life from within had suddenly died. "That thing is very distracting. Now we can have a much more proper conversation."

Marlene reluctantly pulled her gaze away from the glass.

"Not many people come around asking questions about prophecies. Fortune telling and mind magic is of very little interest to most. Unless you are a muggle; they are quite fascinated with having their future predicted. Quite silly, really. They don't understand or appreciate the gift of the inner eye."

"I don't really know much about divination," Marlene admitted. "It hasn't been taught at Hogwarts for many years."

"Yes, that is very unfortunate." A deep frown entrenched itself into the age lines of her forehead. "It is a very powerful magic that is not possessed by many. However, it can be quite useful."

"How can it be useful?"

"You tell me girl, you're the one sitting in my living room."

"Recently a prophecy was made," she murmured with a cautious frown, not certain how much information was appropriate to reveal. "The information contained within it is extremely sensitive, and I want to know what happened to it after it was prophesized. How would one access that information at a later date?"

"Not very many people know the answer to that, I'm afraid." Cassandra leaned back into her chair and drummed her long crooked fingers along the arm rest.

Marlene felt her stomach drop. She had been searching for answers endlessly and she thought she was close to finally getting the information she had spent months working towards. She was itching to go home, but swore she wouldn't until she had secured the answers to her questions.

"Why do you want to know this information?" There was a slight smile playing about Cassandra's lips as though she were recalling a fond memory.

"I just find it very fascinating," Marlene lied, but even she knew that it was lackluster at best. She still hadn't gotten very good at deceiving people.