|
|
The ProphecyBy Stormy Waters and Kiri Cutts
Chapter 1 The First Dream
By Kiri Cutts
Zippy fluffed her pillow and flopped onto
her bed with a yawn. "Night, Lily,”
she said sleepily.
"Night, Zippy," Lily replied.
Zippy closed her eyes. I'm so lucky, she thought. A four-poster is much better than seaweed...I'll miss Hogwarts. I still can't believe I'll be leaving in June. She drifted off to sleep. Immediately she began dreaming.
At first she was happy, because dreams are helpful, but this one was different. Her eyes watered, and she smelled smoke. As she emerged, coughing and choking, from the thick haze, she came upon a horrible sight.
There was a ruined house, totally consumed by flame.
With wide eyes, Zippy staggered among the debris. Then, looking down, she saw two bodies at her feet.
They were almost burnt beyond recognition. Zippy knelt to try and identify them. She gasped with horror as she realized who they were. One was James...and the other was Lily.
"NOOOOO!"
Zippy woke up screaming. Her hair was plastered to her face. Cold sweat mingled with tears. In an instant Lily was awake and by her side.
"Zippy, what happened?"
"I had a dream. And you were there...and so was James...and you were both-both-" Zippy broke off, shuddering.
Lily stroked her hair. She had always felt protective toward the small girl. "It's all right," she cooed. "It was only a dream."
"I know," Zippy said. "But it was so real..." She began to weep.
Lily held her until she quieted. Looking closer, she saw that her friend had fallen asleep. She laid Zippy gently on the bed, then went back to her own four poster and climbed in. She closed her eyes, but couldn't fall asleep. Zippy was an unusually accurate divinator. Had this dream been a warning?
Chapter 2 Sirius’s Dream
By Stormy Waters
"James?" Sirius whispered.
"Yeah?" James answered.
"What are we gonna do when we get out of school?"
"Dunno. We'll find out," James said, yawned and then fell asleep.
That's just like James. Fall asleep when I'm really bothered by something. What a goon! Sirius thought before he fell asleep a few minutes later. He started to dream. First he was walking across Platform 9 3/4, then, the scene changed to a house which had been destroyed by fire. A black cloaked figure walked in the opposite direction, away from Sirius. He wandered around, and then, his foot hit something. He looked down and jumped back from what he saw. Two bodies and a pile of blankets next to them. He looked closer and realized who it was. Lily and James. They looked older though. Then, he turned around and saw Zippy. She saw him and they started to run towards each other. They collided and Sirius woke up. But he was not in his bed. And he was not alone. He was in the common room, next to Zippy.
"Sirius?”
"Zippy?"
"I...I had a horrible dream. And you and Lily and James were there and they were..."she trailed off.
"And a pile of blankets next to them and they were...dead," Sirius finished. "and…”
"Peter had something to do with it," Zippy said suddenly.
"Huh?" Sirius was confused,” What do you mean?”
"I don't know...I just feel it," Zippy replied and started to cry.
"Shhh, shh," Sirius said, putting his arm around her shoulder," It'll be okay. it'll be okay.”
Chapter 3 The Second Dream
By Kiri Cutts
Zippy straightened up and wiped her eyes. "No," she said. "No, it won't be okay. Nothing's going to be okay. Not anymore."
Sirius looked confused. "Why?"
Zippy gave him a strange look, as if this was something he ought to know. "Oh, you just don't understand! No one understands!" she suddenly exploded. "Grrr!"
Sirius stared at her for a moment, then stood up. "Come on, let's go to bed."
"I think I'll sleep out here tonight, if that's all right," Zippy said, stretching out in front of the fire. "Good night."
"Night," Sirius said, then turned to go up the stairs. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zippy fell asleep almost immediately. She had the dream again. She was back at the destroyed house. She saw the corpses of Lily and James, gulped, then started towards the tiny pile of blankets. As soon as she got there, Sirius appeared beside her. With a trembling hand, Zippy pulled off the top blanket just enough to see what was inside. She gasped. There was a sleeping baby inside, with black hair and a lightning-shaped cut on his forehead. Suddenly the baby opened its eyes.
They were exactly like Lily's, bright green. The infant spoke, "Find him. You must find the rat. You must find Pettigrew." As he spoke, a cold laugh echoed around them, and a silhouette appeared. It was short and rather chubby.
Zippy sucked in her breath. She knew Peter had something to do with this. Now if she could only find out what...
Zippy sat up straight. That was definitely one of her more unique dreams. She remembered what the child had said, "You must find Pettigrew..." Peter was a rat when he transformed. Was this what the boy had said, or was it a metaphor? Zippy felt a cold rush of air, and snuggled up closer to the fire. She'd investigate tomorrow.
Chapter 4 The Fight
By Stormy Waters
Sirius walked to the Gryffindor table somewhat drained from last night's dream and meeting in the common room. As he looked up, he noticed that James and Lily were not sitting next to each other as they normally did, nor were they staring lovingly into each other's eyes. Quite the contrary, they were sending malicious looks back and forth across the table. Neither one had touched their breakfast
"Oh, hello, Sirius, dear," Lily said scooting over to sit next to him. "How are you today?"
"Fine. Thanks," he replied, nervously.
"Would you like to meet for dinner tonight? Maybe in Hogsmeade, it's Friday," Lily said looking into Sirius’s eyes.
"Ummm, OK, fine, whatever," Sirius replied. "James? Can I talk to you?”
"Yeah, sure," James said standing up and glaring at Lily.
They walked out of the great hall and down the Corridor.
"What is going on with you and Lily?" Sirius asked, raising his voice.
"Oh, is that all? Miss O'Connor and I broke up last night," James replied casually.
"That does NOT explain why she's all over me!!!" Sirius yelled.
"She wants a date tonight. There's a party being thrown in Hogsmeade tonight by one of her older friends and she can't go by herself. She told them she'd bring the boyfriend she's always boasting about," James said with possibly a pang of jealousy in his Voice.
"Oh. I get it!" Sirius said. "You wouldn't go, so now I have to cover up for her and go to some party where the only person I know is Lily, my best friend's girlfriend!"
"Well, Remus and Zippy are going too. And, no. You're not covering up for her. Lily is making it clear who she want's her new boyfriend to be," James answered. His voice was getting on the snotty edge.
"Why are you getting on MY case? I didn't know she was going to ask me to go!" Sirius aid, more than a little peeved that James was acting this way.
"So?" James asked, speaking like Snape did to them; full of hatred.
"This is just great , James!" Sirius said and stalked off down the corridor. He entered the Great Hall again and said to Lily, "I would absolutely LOVE to go to that party with you tonight, Lily.”
Chapter 5 The Warning
By Kiri Cutts
Zippy had been quietly eating her oatmeal and thinking about her dreams when she heard Sirius say, "Sure, Lily, I would love to go to the party with you..." Her head snapped up, she dropped her spoon, and marched over to the other side of the table.
"Come on, Mr. Black," she said in a businesslike tone. "You and me need to discuss something." Shooting a withering glance at Lily, she dragged Sirius off to stand where he and James had talked just a few minutes earlier.
"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed once they were out of earshot.
"What do you think YOU'RE doing?" Sirius replied, straightening out his robes.
"Me? I am simply trying to let things happen the way they are supposed to happen. You are not going to that party. Not with Lily, anyway."
"Why not?" Sirius replied belligerently.
Zippy looked exasperated. "I DON'T KNOW!!! You just can't. Just don't. If you care enough about your friends, call off your date with Lily."
"Honestly, Zippy, you sound like a centaur with all that prediction junk," Sirius muttered.
He had struck a nerve. Zippy seemed to grow with anger, and even though she was a good three heads shorter than Sirius, he felt dwarfed.
"Fine. Go ahead. I don't care anymore. You just remember what happened last night. Don't forget that dream, Sirius Black. Don't even dare." Her whisper seemed deadly. Sirius quickly turned and headed back to the Gryffindor table.
"What was that about?" Remus asked when Sirius sat down. "Zippy looked pretty angry just then."
"Oh, nothing."
Lily leaned up next to him. "So, are we still on for Hogsmeade?" she purred.
"Yeah. Why not?”
He heard an angry growl and turned, but the only thing he saw was an otter's tail streaking up the stairs.
Chapter 6 The Betrayal
BY Stormy Waters
"What's been up with Zippy lately?" Remus asked, settling down in a large red armchair.
"Well, I know, but we need to talk without everybody overhearing," Sirius whispered to the rest of the group as he stood up.
"OK, let's go," Peter said, following Sirius up the stairs to the boy's dorm.
"I hereby call this meeting of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs to order," Sirius said, tapping his wand on a large spellbook. "That's much better. Now, since I'm the only one with any info, and I must be nominated as president, Somebody nominate me already!"
Peter raised his hand. " I nominate Sirius as president for this meeting."
"I second it," Remus said, wishing Sirius would just get on with it. "James, do you third it?"
There was silence. James sat in his chair with his head cupped in his hands, staring at the floor.
"James? James?" Remus waved his hand in James's face "You with us buddy?"
"Huh? Oh, sure whatever," James answered.
"Alright. Zippy and I had the same dream last night. I won't tell you what it was because it would freak you out. anyway, when she heard me tell Lily I'd go to the party with her, she went berserk and said the was against 'The Prophecy.'" Sirius told them while pacing back and forth.
"Sirius?" Peter asked. "What's 'The Prophecy'?"
"It would scare you to death and it would make James even angrier with Lily (If that's possible), but I can tell you Remus," Sirius replied, turning to face him. He took Remus aside and told him about the dream and why Zippy had been so mad at Peter.
Remus's eyes got wider and wider as Sirius told him about the fight with James earlier that morning.
"Golly!" Remus said, groping for another way to express his feelings. "She's got a lot to be mad about!"
"You got that right! Don't tell James or Lily or Peter though," Sirius replied.
"Don't worry I won't," and they walked beck to the rest of the group.
Chapter 7 Before the Party
By Stormy Waters and Kiri Cutts
Lily stood on the top step and started walking down. She was wearing a short lavender dress with a low neck and a v-back. her hair was tied up in two buns on either side of her head. A small white flower was tucked in the middle of each bun and she wore a matching scarf around her neck. the effect overall was stunning.
As she reached the last step, Lily tripped and fell into Sirius's arms.
"Thanks," she said, flashing Sirius a smile. "I always forget the last step is fake." She looked deep into Sirius's eyes as if searching for something. "That was a good catch."
"No prob," Sirius said as they walked over to Zippy, who was lounging in front of the fire, waiting for Remus.
"Hi Zippy. Do you want me to check on Remus?" Sirius asked.
"Sure, I need to talk to Lily anyways. Thanks," Zippy replied.
Sirius walked up the stairs leaving Lily
and Zippy alone.
"She only asked you because I didn't feel like going!" James answered, his voice just as loud.
"No! Because YOU'RE an insensitive beast!" Sirius countered.
James sent out a stream of insults which would be better not said said, after which Sirius gained some ground with some that were worse. When they entered the common room, still quarreling, Lily took one look, walked over and grabbed Sirius's arm.
"Come on, honey," she said, trying to pull Sirius away. He shook her off, but she would not be deterred. She kissed him on the check then glared at James as if to say "I dare you to protest."
"Lily, this isn't your battle!" James yelled, sending back an equally piercing stare.
"It is when my date gets involved! You leave us alone you...you...selfish slug!" she shrieked.
Everyone froze and turned to watch the
shouting match between Lily, Sirius and James.
"Trying to have some more weird dreams?"
Zippy jerked her head up in response to the voice. Remus was looking down at her with an amused smile on his face. Zippy flushed with embarrassment at being caught sleeping, then what Remus had said dawned on her.
"He told you," she said. She was torn between feeling either furious that Sirius had blurted out her secret or relieved that Remus knew. She decided on furious. Sirius had NO right to go talking about her private dreams, not to ANYONE.
"He told you! I can't believe him. How dare he!"
Zippy's tirade was cut short by angry shouts coming down the stairs. They were the voices of Sirius and James.
"Traitor!" James yelled.
"Insensitive slug!" Sirius shot back. Zippy cursed under her breath, then stood up as Sirius and James exploded into the common room and started screaming insults at each other. Remus watched interestedly, Zippy clapped her hands over her ears and squinched her eyes shut. After a few minutes, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Desperate times called for desperate measures, after all.
Concentrating hard, Zippy lowered her hands to her sides and started murmuring under her breath. This was a bit tricky. After about 45 seconds, she looked at her hands. Yes! She'd done it! They were engulfed in purple light! Zippy waited for the tension to mount in the room, then shouted, quite suddenly, "THAT IS ENOUGH!"
Everyone stared at her. "You both stop it!" she commanded. "I am not going to tolerate this! Sirius, how could you? It's none of their business. James, Sirius probably told you about my prophecy. Listen to me, I'm only going to say it once: Make up with Lily. You have to. Don't ask questions. Now, both of you, stop behaving like first years and show some dignity!"
She plopped down into an armchair. Five minutes elapsed in silence, then she grinned and said, "Thank you. I appreciate it."
Chapter 8 That's all Water Under the Bridge
By Stormy Waters
Sirius fell to the ground and Zippy reached down. She took the
crown off his head and turned to Severus. They were performing Macbeth,
by William Shakespeare. Sirius had landed the part of Macbeth, Zippy;
Macduff, Lily; Lady Macbeth, James; Banquo and Severus Snape; Malcom.
Zippy put the crown on Severus's head and said, "Hail, king, for so thou art! Behold where stands the usurper's accursed head. the time is free. Hail, King of Scotland!" As much as Zippy hated to, she bowed to Severus as the remaining cast exclaimed, "Hail!"
The audience burst into applause as Lily came out from backstage and Sirius stood up to take center stage in a bow. Sirius could see James glaring at him from the back of the room.
As the audience filed out into the hall, Zippy walked to Sirius. "You have to make up," she said.
"Zippy, I can't," he protested.
"Hey, Trelawney predicted that you'd never make up. Therefore, you will."
Sirius laughed and walked to James.
"James, I'm sorry. Can we be friends again?"
James hesitated, then clapped Sirius hard on the back. "Of course, Padfoot old friend! You know, you were really good up there."
"Thanks. You were getting some really good glares worked up."
James started to growl, but Zippy narrowed her eyes at him. He sighed and laughed.
Chapter 9 "Azkaban Means Goodbye"
Sirius saw him, the rat. he marched
over, grabbed Peter's shoulder and pulled him away from the group of people
he was talking to.
"Peter, how could you?" he snarled.
Peter smiled evilly and yelled, "Lily and James! Sirius, how could you?!"
Sirius narrowed his eyes and muttered, "So that's how you want to play, is it?" He reached for his wand.
Suddely, the street blew up and Peter transformed into a rat and scurried away.
Sirius looked at the bodies strewn across the street and his wand in his hand. he laughed. they'd never beleive he didn't work for Voldemort now.
He was still laughing when people from
the minstry came to drag him away.
"Why, the same as you Sirius. Biding my time for working for Voldemort of course," Zippy replied irritably.
Sirius tossed his head back and laughed. Zippy snapped and he stopped abruptly.
"He's not dead Zippy," he said.
Zippy rolled her eyes. "Duh!"
"Well, you know what?" Sirius asked.
"Probably, what?"
"The dreams were right. And you know something else?"
"Shoot."
"I've been here five minutes and I've learned that Azkaban means goodbye."
Chapter 10 Twelve Years In Azkaban
Can Do Wonders
By Kiri Cutts
Zippy's throat burned as she swallowed
the elixir given to her by the Azkaban guard.
"What is this?" she said, looking doubtfully at the bottle in her hand.
"Stuff they give you to keep you from going crazy," Sirius answered.
Zippy's eyes danced. "Too late now," she cackled, and they both stifled sniggers.
Zippy suddenly began shuddering violently, drawing back to the wall and clutching her shoulders. Sirius quickly transformed into a dog, and a dementor passed by. After it had left, Sirius changed back.
"I hate doing that to you," he said, looking with concern at Zippy. She had regained her composure and was now taking several deep breaths. Her face was pale and sweaty.
"Doing what?" she asked hoarsely.
"You know. I can transform and not have to go through that, but once you sense a dementor, you can't do anything. You have to endure it." Zippy dismissed the apology with a wave of her hand.
"Don't be sorry," she said. "I'll get used to it."
"It's been twelve years, Zippy, and you still haven't gotten used to it," Sirius replied gently.
Zippy sat up straight. "Twelve years?" she said. She sounded frantic. "Sirius, what day is it? Tell me, it's important."
"Uhh...June something, I think. June 5th, maybe."
Zippy began laughing. She didn't stop for several minutes. "Tell me, Sirius, do you like to run?" she said mysteriously.
"Um, yeah, I suppose so," Sirius replied blankly.
"Well, you'd better, because tomorrow night we're going to be doing a lot of it," Zippy said, snickering. "We're gonna blow this popsicle stand."
Well, she's finally gone crazy, Sirius thought. "Zippy, are you suggesting we try to ESCAPE from Azkaban?"
"No, no, my friend. I'm not suggesting anything. We ARE going to escape from this hellhouse tomorrow night. No questions asked."
Zippy stuck a gaunt arm through the bars, beckoning Sirius to listen.She explained her plan. Tomorrow night, when the dementors brought dinner, they would transform, escape through the cell door, then swim to land.
"But where are we going once we get to land?" Sirius asked.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,"
Zippy murmured in reply. "Prepare to meet your godson, Mr. Black."