☽☽☽
"Athena Sinistra?"
"Yes"
"You're the one who will see how the war ends?"
"Yes"
It was dark and cold. No source of light could cast a shadow on the already desolate space. Yet there he was. Different to how she'd once seen with snake like features casting a gruesome picture into her mind. Her hands were shaking. Flashes of images were all she could see as she tapped the side of the wooden chair where she was sat.
"How did I get here?"
"How does it end?"
"I don't know" she shook her head through tears, "I haven't seen—"
"How does it end!"
"Please" she sobbed, "please just let me go, I've already told you I have no idea how this ends, I can't tell you anything"
"You lost in the first war" the voice continued, "you lost more than you could imagine"
"I know I did"
"You will lose in this war too"
Athena looked up in confusion. The war had already begun yet it was raging on outside every window, striking fear in every home.
"How do you know?"
"I have my own sources" he hissed, "it's not only you who can reach into the future"
"Sanders" Athena blinked harshly, "you're still using him then"
"He joined me willingly—"
"He did no such thing!" Athena yelled, "you kill and you torment the lives around you, innocent lives like—"
"I don't care for your loss, it's been a year Athena"
"He didn't have to die" she cried, "why did he have to die?"
"That's not the loss I'm talking about"
"I can't lose anymore" Athena sobbed, "I can't... lose anyone else"
"Then tell me how the war ends, simple as that"
"I told you... I don't know"
"Hope" he whispered.
"What?" Athena looked up with a snap, her hands still gripping the seat beside her.
"Hope" he repeated, "is that not the name you're planning on giving to your daughter?"
Athena woke up terrified. At first she couldn't remember anything, where she was or what had scared her so much that her heart was racing ten times the average rate. Slowing her breathing, she turned to see Remus asleep beside her.
She hadn't been asleep long and now she wondered if she ever wanted to sleep again. A dream. That's all it had been. However the memories seemed so real as though she wasn't recalling a faint vision but events that had actually happened. Or more accurately, events that were going to happen.
It was morning. Athena would have woken Remus. Maybe he would have comforted her but right now she didn't want to hurt anyone else with her own thoughts. What had it all meant?
Athena hurried downstairs in the chilling cold contrasting against the month of august. She wanted to write down what she had seen. His face at the centre of everything. Since when did he look that cold, that sick. Less than human or some sort of monster. The image wouldn't stay in her head forever, the words that he had spoken. She had to write them down.
However as she paced into the kitchen her eyes caught sight of the daily prophet already sat waiting in the small crack of golden light pooling in from the window.
SCENES OF TERROR AT THE QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP
Athena had almost yelled out upon reading the headline. She jumped up straight away with the newspaper in hand, not even reading what the printed words said.
Harry was there. He'd gone with the Weasleys and he'd been so so excited about it. Athena was well aware how much the boy adored quidditch. This was for good reason, he was incredible at the sport. Many renowned him as one of the best seekers ever seen.
"Remus!" Athena yelled as she made it to the bottom of the stairs, "Remus come quickly!"
There was a scattering of footsteps and Remus appeared from around the corner looking concerned and wary. Athena had insomnia which meant she didn't sleep at regular times and was therefore awake at seven in the morning having coped with less than an hours rest.
Remus on the other hand managed to sleep just as anyone else would do. However he hadn't dawdled or complained about having to get up out of bed. Instead he'd ran as soon as possible, hearing the evident panic in Athena's voice.
His hair was a mess as he hurried downstairs, staring at the newspaper which was clutched in Athena's hand.
"What's going on?" He asked,
"I don't want to read it" Athena began, "Harry's there... what if—"
"If something had happened to Harry we would know by now" Remus assured her, taking the paper out of her hand and placing his arm around her. They walked into the living room as Remus read the newspaper with fast intent.
"Go on" Athena sighed,
"Death eaters... that's what they're saying"
"Death eaters?" Athena gasped, "at the quidditch World Cup... what does that mean? If they're all getting together surely—"
"Well the ministry are denying it... the involvement of Voldemort I mean. This was definitely the work of death eaters, one of them cast the dark mark but that doesn't mean that he's back"
"Well it certainly doesn't look good... who was injured?"
"No one drastically, some muggles working at the gate were humiliated but their memories have been wiped"
"That's sick... you said someone cast the dark mark, do they have a suspect?"
"Well there were loads of them" Remus turned the paper and Athena caught glance of the black and white photo on the front. Dark shadows surrounded by moving flames. Athena could almost hear the screams of terror as they wrecked havoc on everything around them.
"With this and the dream Harry told us about... Remus we know he's coming back at some point I think this is a clear sign that it's sooner than we expected"
Remus sighed hesitantly as he slid his hand into Athena's grasp.
"Or maybe this was a few idiots taking opportunity of a lot of people being together at a given time"
"The dark mark Remus, he told his followers how to conjure it"
"We know that there's still death eaters out there... ones who aren't in Azkaban"
"Lucius Malfoy" Athena muttered bitterly,
"He wouldn't be this stupid" Remus shook his head, "Lucius is calculating, everything he does has a method and thought out consequences... that's how he gets away with so much"
"That and the fact that he has enough power to convict anyone of anything"
"That too" Remus nodded as he turned back to the paper, "the ministry aren't saying much at all... article is by Rita Skeeter that's no surprise"
Athena went slightly stiff at this name. She'd never met the reporter but she didn't think much of her. Her stories were always sour and twisted, often this was completely obvious yet people would drink up her words like fact every time.
It was the name Skeeter that caught a burn inside Athena. Not because of Rita but because of her younger sister Carol. Athena had too much history with that name. She'd corrupted her previous life, walking in like an unwanted presence and taking everything with her.
"Listen to this" Remus frowned, pointing to a section of the article "If the terrified wizards and witches who waited breathlessly for news at the edge of the wood expected reassurance from the Ministry of Magic, they were sadly disappointed. A Ministry official emerged some time after the appearance of the Dark Mark alleging that nobody had been hurt, but refusing to give any more information. Wherever this statement will be enough to quash the rumours that several bodies were removed from the woods an hour later remains to be seen"
"I wouldn't believe any of that" Athena sighed, "the ministry would have to say something if people had died"
"Maybe they will" Remus shrugged, "this happened mere hours ago... they haven't had time to say anything yet"
"The devil works fast but Rita Skeeter works faster" Athena laughed coldly as she took the paper from Remus, "she writes bullshit all the time... no ones dead"
"Ireland won" Remus added casually, "but Krum caught the snitch"
"In the nicest way possible, I really don't care about the outcome of the match" Athena yawned, "I don't see the hype—"
"This was the last stage of the quidditch World Cup" Remus exclaimed, "come on Rena this is big stuff"
"For you" Athena replied, "I don't understand how people can get so caught up about sports" she took the rolled up newspaper and dropped it in the open bin as she moved into the kitchen.
Her heart was still racing about what had happened. None of this seemed right. First Harry had a foreshadowing nightmare about Voldemort and now death eaters were causing chaos and fear at the quidditch world cup. These signs weren't questionable to Athena, in her mind they only pointed out the obvious. Voldemort was back or at least, he would be soon.
Remus followed Athena through into the kitchen as she rested her head into her hands.
"I know what you're thinking"
"Another war Remus" Athena turned to him, "another war and after the last one... I'm not sure I can do this again"
"We can" Remus smiled,
"I lost everything last time" Athena shook her head, "even the less obvious... of course I lost you and Lily... James... Sirius... Kennedy... Marlene... Dorcas but... well it's little things as well, the relationship with my parents has never been the same since the war, they moved away because of how much had changed and now I barely see them... my sister sometimes looks at me like I'm a stranger... the person I was once closest to and she can't rely on me because I can't even hold myself together"
"Rena—"
"This is all because of war and because of him. It won't be easier the second time and... well we both know what this means for me Remus. I've known for years that I have to see how this ends. After last time how can I do that? What if this time it's.... Remus what if it's Harry?"
"It won't be" he shook his head as he wrapped his arms a around her, "you're not going to lose anything... you'll always have me"
"How can you guarantee that?" Athena asked, greeting the wave of silence as confirmation of her thoughts. "We didn't expect anyone to die last time, we were completely naive but this time we know exactly what war brings and it's never anything good"
"This has to be the last war"
"That's no comfort... it could last years for all we know, it probably will"
"There's no point worrying about that now" Remus pointed out, "look, for all we know he isn't even back yet which means we have time"
"Time for what?" Athena frowned, "time to plan out how this isn't going to end as horridly as it did last time?"
"I meant time for us" Remus sighed, moving a strand of hair away from Athena's face, "we lost years of it"
"And now as soon as I find you again we're thrown back into war"
"Not yet" Remus smiled sadly, "we'll have our time not just after but now"
"After?" Athena scoffed, "what if there is no after?"
"There will be—"
"Remus I had a dream"
"You had a dream?" He asked sounding unconvinced.
"It felt so real... Voldemort was there asking me how the war ended"
"Are you sure this wasn't just a memory... he took you before—"
"Yes I remember" Athena interrupted, "he looked different... almost like some foul creature rather than a man and he told me I would lose more in the war... he told me he'd seen it"
"Voldemort isn't a seer"
"He's going to take Theodore again... someone's going to die... I asked him why he had to die"
"Athena" Remus stated calmly, "none of this is fact. You've had a nightmare"
"It was more than that Remus it felt real"
"Dreams often do—"
"I've predicted the future before" Athena pointed out,
"Not like this, foresight in dream form is completely different, it's what Elle has the ability to do and Theodore... what you have is completely different"
"Someone's going to die... a boy is going to die"
"We don't know that" Remus shook his head, "Rena, it was a dream"
"I was pregnant"
Athena wasn't sure why she had said it. The strange memory wasn't the fact lingering in her mind. Voldemort had talked of death and loss, war and rage yet the small simple statement at the end of the dream had lingered with her more than any other.
"It was a dream" Remus repeated more harshly than Athena had expected. The two of them stood looking at each other for a while before Remus moved forwards and wrapped his arms around her.
"Everything is going to be ok Rena, dreams happen and sometimes they feel real but I assure you it's probably nothing to worry over"
"That's not what it felt like" Athena murmured,
"You freaked out... rightfully so with everything going on. You're under a lot of pressure, you seem to think Harry's welfare is entirely in your hands"
"It is"
"It's not" Remus contradicted, "you have me, you have Sirius, the Weasley's, the old order members... everyone is looking out for Harry not just you"
"Ok" Athena sighed as she rested her head on Remus' chest, "you're probably right"
Remus sighed in relief as he held her close to him. Hugging her with all the comfort he could give.
"Hope" Athena whispered so quietly she wondered whether Remus could have possibly heard.
"What?" Remus asked with a small frown.
"Nothing" Athena replied, blinking away the remains of her tears.
Is that not the name you're planning on giving to your daughter?
☽☽☽
A/n
Words - 2320
Published- 28th May 2021
Finished school for good yesterday
I've also forgotten how to write