𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝟐.𝟐𝟒 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬

 "Department of Mysteries," the soft disembodied voice announced as the elevator came to a sudden halt.

The steel doors parted and revealed the familiar dark corridor of the Department of Mysteries. It had been nearly a full year since you last stepped into the Ministry of Magic and doing so gave you the chills all over again.

Harry had done a good job of explaining all that had happened since you had been escorted out of Umbridge's office with Draco. He told you about the centaurs in the forbidden forest and how they captured her. He also informed you of how Ron tricked the Inquisitorial Squad into letting them go by offering them Fred and George's confiscated Puking Pastilles. 

 The image of Pansy doubling over and spilling her guts onto one of Umbridge's decorative cat plates put a smile on your face, but it didn't answer your biggest question of them all: What exactly was at the Ministry?

 Everyone stepped cautiously out of the elevator. First was Harry, then Hermione and Ginny. Close behind them followed Ron. You found yourself trailing between Neville and Luna who had also come along for the journey. All of you had your wands ready at your sides as you stepped further down the corridor. You prayed silently that Dumbledore's Army taught you enough to combat whatever it was you were minutes away from facing.

 Harry approached the single black door at the end of the corridor and twisted the knob until it fell open. Inside was a room that looked to be infinitely tall and wide. Rows upon rows of crystal balls were lined up skillfully on the shelves that divided the room up like bristles on a comb. The sign beside the entrance read 'Hall of Prophecies.' 

The space around you was pitch black and even with everyone's wands alight with the Wand Lighting Charm, you could only see so far in front of you. Harry wasted no time before rushing ahead of everyone else, reading aloud the numbered labels on the sides of the aisles as he went.

 Subconsciously, you wedged yourself closer between Luna and Neville as the feeling of eyes following you became more and more intense. Realistically, you knew that no one was there. The Ministry was completely empty. But the paranoid feeling still lingered. 

 Luna shined her wand in your direction with a gentle smile. "Don't be afraid, (Y/N)," she said. "Wrackspurts have a funny way of making you feel more anxious than necessary at inopportune times. The charm I gave you must not be working very well."

"That's alright, Luna," you said, though her sentiments were less than helpful at the moment.

  Harry stopped in front of aisle number ninety-seven and waved his wand around to inspect the floor. No one said anything as he did so, too afraid to break his concentration. 

In the corner of your eye, a flicker of light caught your attention and you turned your head to see a glowing sphere sitting on a nearby shelf just around eye-height. It pulsated brightly enough that you could read the brass plaque in front of it. 

 "Harry," you whisper, stepping back to point at it with your wand. "This one has your name on it."

 As quickly as you had called him, Harry appeared by your side and reached up to hold the crystal ball in his right hand. The second his skin came in contact with the mystical object, a face appeared through the swirling green wisps of smoke. You squinted down at it when you realized that it was the face of Professor Trelawney appearing to you through the glass. She spoke softly, her voice just as delicate as the smoke that surrounded her.

"The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches. And the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal, but he shall have the power the Dark Lord knows not. For neither can live while the other survives."