Never • The Lost Daughter | A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Chapter 14 - Vision

The days turned into weeks in Hogwarts and Christmas holidays were around the corner. Every tower was dressed in a white cold dress and the halls were decorated with mistletoe and garlands.

Nothing could distract me from having a good time at this time of the year. Of course, that could be easier, if things hadn't gone all south with Draco.

After that day at Hogsmeade, I had decided the boy was not worth my time. Next time he had the audacity to sit down at our usual spot in the library I simply picked up my books and left.

As a reassurance that I had done the right thing, Goyle knocked my books down in a usual routine in a busy corridor. I seriously couldn't count the times this had happened this year alone. Picking up books was getting tiring. Draco and his friends laughed hard and congratulated Goyle.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" I turned to him.

"Yeah, I'm going to say you should watch where you're going next time," he said with a smirk and went on with his day.

In this manner, the rumours that he was infatuated with a muggleborn Ravenclaw, had disappeared before the snow got thick in the front yard.

I was struggling to wrap my head around this sudden change of faces. How could he be the same person that had almost kissed me a while ago in the Astronomy Tower? How could he laugh at me the next day he tried to approach me again at the library, (possibly to explain himself)? Well, if there was any trace of kindness in me that would let him explain himself, it had certainly vanished after all this.

I quickly went to my Divination class. Although I usually thrived at this particular subject, today, I felt tired. That week an unexpected wave of insomnia had rendered me useless for concentrating. 

"Let me see what happens here... I'm sure you're doing great, right Anne?" said Professor Trelawney with that dreamy and lost look in her, always excited to hear what I would predict.

"I can't see anything today; I don't know what is happening."

"Is that so? Why is that?" she asked. "Is there anything blocking your mind?"

"I have no idea. I guess I'm a bit tired," I answered lowering my eyes, even though the only thing that popped into my head was Draco.

"Oh, don't worry... The only thing you need to do is concentrate. And bear in mind that sometimes blocked minds are the ones to show you what the real problems are," she said.

I turned to look at the crystal ball again. I shook my head to get every thought out of it and then tried to lose myself into the misty content of the ball. In time, I managed to see something was moving inside, it was a good sign, but no more. I tried harder.

I closed my eyes while I was nearly touching the ball. I felt my lids heavier and heavier.

And that's when I saw my first vision.

I saw a woman. She was walking down a road on a rainy day, but with no umbrella, only a hood. She had brown hair falling in curls around her shoulders and her features looked familiar. Her eyes were brown and looking down as if searching for something.

The woman was holding something in her arms. It didn't seem big but she was protecting it from the rain as if it was worth so much.

She was heading to a house by the end of the road. This house seemed like one of the old houses that looked abandoned for a long time. The woman knocked on the door.

The door opened revealing a man I knew. It was no other than Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore was hardly younger than now; his face was still wrinkled with age. Dumbledore looked at the woman's face and he looked surprised.

"You shouldn't have come here by yourself," he said, opening the door a bit wider.

"He is coming today," said the woman, without even commenting what Dumbledore had said.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Absolutely," she answered. "I saw it," she confirmed.

"Then it is time," answered Dumbledore nodding.

"I know," she said.

The woman looked down at her arms. It was the first time that I would notice she was holding a baby in her arms. Still, under the rain, she looked at it and instantly burst in tears. The mother cried and cried for what seemed like ages. She kissed the baby and hugged it, hardly managing to brush its hair with her trembling hands. The baby was hardly older than a dozen of months, but it felt its mother's sorrow and started sobbing itself.

"Now, be a good girl," said the mother with the tears on her eyes falling to the little girl's tiny face. "We will meet again in many years." said the mother. "Mama loves you. Daddy loves you, too. Annie, you have such power. Be safe. Be brave. When we meet again, everything will be over."

Dumbledore, who was getting emotional himself, was looking upon the woman hardly holding his tears back as she was saying her last goodbyes to her daughter.

When the mother was ready, she took as much courage as she needed, and handed the baby, still crying hysterically.

"Here, let me take her from now on," said Dumbledore but keeping in mind that it is so hard for a mother to give away her child.

"Take good care of her," said the mother, still touching the little girl.

"Of course."

"And promise me you'll keep her safe. And that when the time comes, you will tell her about the thing. I know she will do the right thing; I know it. Never let her out of your sight," she cried.

"Never," answered Dumbledore steadily.

"And always remind her that I love her. And that I'm always watching her. Always tell her that when she looks into the sky, she'll see me. Always remind her." repeated the mother.

"Always," he answered. Dumbledore looked deep into the woman's eyes and waited until she would say something.

Dumbledore looked into the baby's eyes.

"She has her father's eyes," Dumbledore admitted.

"And her name is Annalise. Annalise Riddle. Don't ever change it. It is the name that he chose for her," sobbed the mother.

The girl that was taken away was me.

"Anne! Wake up!" I opened my eyes and saw Luna standing in front of me panicked. "Anne, what happened? You were out for almost... 5 minutes." I opened my mouth to talk but no sound came out. It seemed like 5 seconds.

I still couldn't sort out what I saw was. Was it only my imagination? Was it suppressed memories that I didn't know where they came from? I felt more shocked when I realized that what I just saw was not imagination. Whatever I saw was true. That scene I watched had happened before. But even if that was true, I could hardly think of what it meant. There was only one thing I knew I had to do. And that was, talk to Dumbledore.

It was a vision.

I stood up and ran out of the class without caring about every student's or Trelawney's reaction. I ran as fast as I could to get to his office. I opened the door without bothering knocking first.

"Anne, what a surprise. Shouldn't you be to your class?" Dumbledore stood up from his desk. He hadn't realized how worried I was and how the sweat was running all down my face.

"I HAVE TO KNOW THE TRUTH!" I yelled.

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This chapter is very important because it talks about Anne's first vision. One of Anne's many talents is vision seeing and being able to see the future and the past and predict what life has in store. This is only one of Anne's gifts so keep up!

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