Albus Potter and the Elder Wand

Chapter 3: The Prophecy

The next few weeks seemed to fly by. Al learned which steps to skip on the staircases, and which paintings were actually doorways. While he wasn't as obsessed with his studies as Rose, he still enjoyed his classes.

He also grew closer with Harvey, and the two spent most of their time with Rose and Lydia.

It turned out Harvey was a brilliant student. Despite his lack of experience, he was always the second to complete a new lesson (Rose being the first). The only subject he didn't excel in was potions.

Meanwhile, potions was Al's best subject. He was about average in his other classes, but potions just felt natural to him. "The two of us make one perfect student," Al would joke to Harvey, "Maybe even better than Rose!"

On the downside, any hopes Al had clung to that Derek would get nicer had been quickly squashed. If anything, Derek was even meaner.

"I just don't understand," Rose grumbled as they made their way to Herbology, "he has no reason to be angry at us! I wrote to Dad, and-"

"You wrote to Uncle Ron?" Al exclaimed, "Great, now him and your mum and my parents are going to storm into the school and embarrass us all!"

"Oh calm down, I only asked where the name was from. Dad reckons that Derek must be the son of Gregory Goyle!"

She stopped walking and stared at them expectantly. Her friends stared blankly back.

"Don't tell me you forgot who Gregory Goyle is, Al."

Al thought about it. The name did sound familiar.

"Ohhh as in Crabbe and Goyle?"

"Yes! But our parents saved his life, so I don't see how that would make him angry."

"You're right. There must be some other reason."

***

"Your homework is six inches on modern-day vampires," Professer Kim said. She flicked her wand at the door, opening it, her long braid swinging across her back. "Class is dismissed."

Sighing happily, Al gathered his things and followed Harvey out the door, discussing how easy the essay would be.

He slammed into a mass of students, and dropped his books, startled. A huge cluster of third years was clogging the hall, and all of them were whispering with confused looks on their faces.

Perplexed, Al wove his way through the crowd and stopped when he reached his cousin Molly.

"Hey Molls," he said, "What's going on?"

"We were in divination," she replied, wide-eyed, "And all of a sudden Professor Trelawny's eyes rolled back into her head."

"Is she the old one with the glasses?"

"That's the one. Anyways, she started mumbling all this nonsense about 'the Chosen One' and 'the Dark Lord,' and-"

"What?" Al spluttered, "She was making a prophecy?"

"We're not sure," Molly said, frowning. "But I mean, she was the one who made the prophecy about your dad and Voldemort, and that came true. Maybe this one will also."

"But how can it be about Voldemort if he's dead?"

"I don't know! I don't even remember what she said, really. It was quite scary, we were all a bit freaked out to be honest."

The crisp voice of Professor Kim rang out. "What is going on here?"

Immediately, the hall filled with voices as everyone tried to explain at once. Professor Kim waved her hand, silencing them.