The Tree of Blacks (English version)

Prophecies and Divination

2nd September, 1973. Hogwarts.

Alya had arrived at Hogwarts only the day before, ready to start her third year of school. That year, the first of September was a Saturday, and little Black had not resisted and had sneaked straight off to her favourite place, the Forbidden Forest. It was a bit of a risky move since there were no Quidditch matches to give her an alibi.

However, as it was the first day at the castle, most of the students were still intent on resuming their school routines, calmly settling into their rooms or more simply enjoying catching up with old classmates, exchanging anecdotes about their respective summer holidays.

Alya, who had initially gone with her friends to the large school park to enjoy the warm sun radiating across the landscape, felt a strong urge to enter the forest and visit Koboro, whom she had not seen for over two months. The more years passed, the deeper their bond became. More and more often, Little Black wanted to spend time in his company, intensifying her escapes to the Forbidden Forest. She made up an excuse to get away from her friends and ran towards the clearing where she used to meet the black cobra.

When the girl reached the clearing of grass, free from the tangles of branches and leaves, she lay down on the green mantle and pulled out from her bag the Muggle book, Treasure Island. Flipping through those pages, now worn out from too much use, was a habit he would not easily abandon. As always, Alya immersed himself in reading, in the company of her thoughts, awaiting the arrival of her snake friend.

A little less than an hour passed, and Alya perceived the familiar sound of Koboro's body slowly and sinuously slithering on the ground. She saw the shining black cobra snake through the grass, its dark eyes reflecting the brightness of a ray that had bounced off the thick, scaly surface of the reptile.

"You look thoughtful," the snake said in Parseltongue, flicking its thin, scarlet tongue in midair.

Alya hurriedly closed the book and abandoned herself lying on the cool earth.

''I was thinking about the day we met,'' she sighed. She looked instinctively at her palms.

"A day of rare importance. For both of us." Koboro hissed solemnly.

It was true. On that day, long ago, Alya had saved Koboro's life and he was now in her debt; the same event had caused a painful rift in her relationship with Sirius, which seemed to have been irreparably compromised when the young boy had discovered that his sister was a Parselmouth. Alya had injured herself, her brother had abandoned her in the woods, and, finally, she had been rescued by a Muggle family. To which, then, she had become inevitably attached. Unimaginable events had mysteriously blended into a single time span.

However, there was more. Another event had made its way into the child's soul on that strange day at the end of July, although Alya struggled to admit it. She fixed her gaze on her hands. A hoarse, distant voice boomed in her head. Words of hope mixed with ominous words.

Alya remembered the old Muggle fortune teller and her strange prophecy: Your nineteen years. Reconciliation. Love. A son. A family. United. Alya looked minutely at the grooves on her left hand.

Your seventeen years. Your death. The sentence on her right hand still sent shivers down her spine.

Two completely different prophecies. The fulfilment of one nullified the possible existence of the other. The impossibility of their coexistence was unimpeachable. And for that, it was more than logical to assume that the old Muggle woman was nothing more than a charlatan, dedicated to spouting false premonitions. Alya hadn't fallen for it. She hadn't believed her game.