Chapter 31: Altered Destiny

After Taylor finished reciting the prophecy, she looked at Luke, but he wasn't reacting with the shock or excitement she had anticipated.

His expression was calm, even carrying a faint trace of pity.

An awkward silence fell between them.

"Aren't you… going to say something?" Taylor asked, puzzled.

"I have to say, Trelawney's prophecy was really quite clear," Luke replied, shaking his head with a resigned smile.

"Compared to your grandmother's, Professor Trelawney's prophecy, which even specifies a month, hardly feels like a prophecy."

Taylor hadn't expected Luke to focus on this aspect. Her lips moved, but she couldn't find a response.

He did have a point, after all.

Seeing her reaction, Luke shook his head quietly.

"So, why did you bring this information to me? Wouldn't it be better to tell Professor Dumbledore?"

Luke believed that destiny could be altered. The story was like this before he arrived, and if it remained the same after he arrived…

Than what was the point of him being here?

"My grandmother told me… not to tell any adults but to share it with the first student I felt I could trust after entering school."

"And besides, we don't trust Dumbledore, nor the Ministry of Magic," Taylor said with a bitter expression. "Years ago, when the Dark Lord was capturing and slaughtering my kin, they did nothing. Now they want us to give them a new prophecy? Keep dreaming!"

Luke looked at her tightly pursed lips and her trembling shoulders, feeling a pang of sympathy. He had never understood, even when watching the movies, why a younger and stronger Dumbledore didn't act more decisively against Voldemort.

If Dumbledore's goal was to mold Harry into a guardian of the wizarding world, he would likely be disappointed. Harry never harbored such grand ambitions. In the end, he only became an Auror.

Many of Dumbledore's actions years ago had diminished his influence and alienated some of those who once respected him.

While everyone in the Order of the Phoenix claimed to understand him, didn't they harbor some resentment deep down?

Luke had always wondered about this when watching the movies.

"Well, you've said your piece. Can we go back to sleep now?" Luke asked.

Although he didn't know exactly whom or what Taylor had lost in the war, he could imagine it was something or someone irreplaceable.

Taylor looked up at him in surprise. "You… don't have anything else to say?"

Luke shook his head and said calmly, "Since you know the first prophecy, you must realize that Dumbledore knows it too."

"His inaction might very well be influenced by that prophecy."

Taylor's face froze upon hearing this.

But Luke didn't dwell on it. He continued;

"And, as the first line of your prophecy says, 'The sealed fate will be broken.' If destiny can be altered, why should we cling to so-called prophecies?"

Luke shook his head and added, "If a prophecy can't be changed, then nothing we do matters. But if it 'can' be changed, then the prophecy itself loses much of its significance."

"If it were more detailed, it might help. At least, like Voldemort, I could forcibly alter it—say, by targeting children born at the end of July. But with a prophecy this vague and chaotic, what am I supposed to do?"

With that, Luke stood up and spoke to the still-stunned Taylor, "Thank you for trusting me. If you're open to it, I wouldn't mind having a Legilimens as a friend."

Then, with a wave of his wand, he cast a spell, disappearing from Taylor's sight.

Moments later, the door opened and closed, as if nothing had happened.

As he left the common room, Luke felt a bit resigned. On the one hand, Taylor's prophecy gave him some confidence that he might be able to change the world. But on the other, it provided no guidance whatsoever, making it pretty useless.

Still, Luke didn't dwell on it. Instead of obsessing over uncertain prophecies, he preferred to focus on the here and now. After all, he'd been looking forward to exploring at night for a while. The secrets Slytherin left in the Chamber of Secrets or Ravenclaw's Room of Requirement excited him.

However, tonight's mission wasn't about those places.

His main goal was to map out certain routes—like the path to the Forbidden Forest.

After all, from what he knew, the first major conflict would occur there.

And no, it was definitely not because he was eager to catch a glimpse of the magical creatures—unicorns, centaurs, Acromantulas, Hippogriffs, and so on—that roamed the forest.

He wasn't ignoring the risks of sneaking around at night just for that. Not at all.

He had made careful preparations, certain he wouldn't get caught.

As he reached the main hall, though, he spotted two familiar figures.

One was holding a map, and the other was carefully observing their surroundings. It was the Weasley twins.

Just then, the pair suddenly stopped. Fred, who was holding the map, gestured to George. George leaned over, looking at a spot Fred was pointing to.

Luke suddenly realized something was off.

'Damn. They're holding the Marauder's Map, aren't they…

Which means…'

Sure enough, in the next instant, George and Fred both waved in Luke's direction with friendly smiles.

Luke felt a sudden pang of frustration. Why had he been so smug about mastering the Disillusionment Charm?

Two times in one night his disguise had been seen through! And that was despite the expensive scent-canceling cloak and sound-dampening shoes he'd bought. If he'd only relied on the charm, even Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, might have sniffed him out.

On the other side, the twins were slightly perplexed.

"Fred, could the map be malfunctioning? If it shows Luke's there but we can't see anything, that must mean he knows the Disillusionment Charm, right? Since when does a first-year know that spell?"

"How should I know? Let's just keep smiling, keep waving, and see if we can lure him out. Whether we can... uh, secure some investment might depend on how well we pull this off."

*****

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