Ooh, there's ice on the window.

Well guys, here's the first chapter of the fourth and final book. To everyone who's been here since Deer to Me, thank you so very much for reading and sticking with it. A year is a long time to be involved with one story, and you guys just rock.

Without further ado:

"But I know something is coming
I don't know what it is
But I know it's amazing."
-Feels Like Today, Rascal Flatts

Those Who Have Thrice Defied Him
Chapter One

Albus Dumbledore shook the rain off his coat and put it on the coat rack. His sparkling purple coat stood out against the dingy, black dirty coats, but he took no notice. The barman, holding a stark resemblance to Dumbledore, grunted and pointed up the stairs.

"She's up there."

Dumbledore nodded and made his way through the dirty bar which smelled strongly of goats and climbed the rotting, creaking stairs. Once he was out of sight, a cloaked figure began slowly edging towards the staircase, trying very hard not to arise the eyes of the bartender.

"Ah! Professor Dumbledore" Sybill Trelawney was a rather skeletal-looking woman with a stringy purple shawl wrapped around her boney shoulders. Her hair was frizzy and giant, and she was wearing giant glasses that made her look like she was a giant insect. Dumbledore, never one to judge, nodded politely and walked over to greet her properly.

"Miss Trelawney," he shook her hand, taking the seat across from her. "How do you do?"

"Quite well thanks, and you?" she said, very mysteriously.

"I was rather hoping you could tell me that," Dumbledore smiled.

"Ah, s-so the job interview has begun!" she said, stuttering a bit. She picked up a giant, torn carpet bag and pulled out a crystal orb. "The Inner Eye does not like to make itself known without invitation, you know," she said, eyeing him cautiously. "I, of course, know how you are doing..."

She peered into her crystal ball and kept shooting glances up Dumbledore's way. He was smiling pleasantly.

"Er...I see...something large happening in your future....er...something terrible," her voice dropped low. "Something that even...erm...the great Albus Dumbledore will not be able to escape..."

"Indeed?" Dumbledore asked, nodding.

"And...erm...moving on to tea leaves," she said, clearing her throat. She picked up a drunk tea cup and looked at the dregs, continuing to shoot Dumbledore looks. "I see...the...erm...duck, which means that you will get to know new people, and also the rabbit's foot, which is good luck..."

"I see," Dumbledore said, hearing enough. He really did not wish to continue the subject of Divination at Hogwarts, but when the "great-granddaughter of Cassandra Trelawney" sent in an application, out of courtesy, he had to meet her. "Unfortunately, I don't believe that we will require your teaching services," he said, gently.

"B-But!" Sybill said, waving the tea cup around. "I see here, in your future, that if you do not hire me, something horrible will happen to your school!"

"I shall take my chances then," Dumbledore nodded. "It was a pleasure meeting you." He turned to go to the door.

The tea cup broke on the floor. Dumbledore turned around, concerned and his eyes widened slightly when he saw that the woman was now sitting rigid in her seat, and was shaking slightly. Her eyes had rolled into the bag of her head and she was speaking in a low raspy voice.

"THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO DEFEAT THE DARK LORD APPROACHES ..."

"Pardon?" Dumbledore said, his mouth forming a straight line.

"BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM ... AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE THE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT ..."

"Oi! You ain't ‘posed to be here!" Dumbledore's eyes swept to the door as the barmen dragged away a man in a black clock, but he wanted to retain every bit of the information that this woman was saying.

"AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HANDS OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES ...THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO DEFEAT THE LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES..."

And then she let out an ear-splitting scream.

A scream, that mirrored one coming out of the bedroom of a woman at the end of her childbirth. Though there were wizards nearby with pain spells, she had been insistent that she wanted no painkillers. Even so, her baby was making it very difficult for her. She held onto her husband's hand as he helped coach her breathing, and he was looking worried at the screaming that was coming out of her mouth.

"All right, just push!" the healer said. "You're almost there."

"GRRAAH" she said, pushing so hard that tears streamed down her cheeks.

"I see the head!!"

"Isn't this just so exciting?" Lily said, bouncing slightly, as they heard another scream echo down the hallway. Once the alert had been sounded that Alice Longbottom had gone into labor, the friends of the family rushed over to the Longbottom home to wait for the joyous occasion.

"Exciting?" Sirius asked, eyeing her. "Pretty soon, you'll be the one screaming in pain."

It was true; Lily looked like someone had inflated a giant balloon under her shirt. Only she wasn't as big as Alice had been, as Lily's baby was due October second, and it was only July thirtieth.

"I still think it's exciting," Lily sniffed, folding her arms over her chest and resting them on her bulge. "Don't you think so, Honey?"

"Yeah, exciting," James swallowed. He had been looking green ever since Lily had burst into their flat chirping about how Alice had gone into labor while they were out shopping. Lily finally stopped buzzing long enough to notice his pallor.

"Are you all right?" she whispered.

"Yeah," he swallowed, giving her a slight smile.

"You don't look so...ow..." Lily said, grimacing.

"What?!" James' face went from sickly to scared in two seconds flat. "Baby?!"

"No, James-"

"Baby!" Sirius jumped up. "Now?!"

"Sirius-"

"What?!" Remus said, he had been chitchatting with Emmeline.

"Oh damn, not again," Emmeline rolled her eyes.

"Guys!" Lily laughed, standing up. "The baby just kicked me is all."

"Where are you going then?" James asked, still worried.

"Loo," Lily said.

"You just went?" Sirius stared at her.

"Yes, but the baby seems to like kicking my bladder is all," Lily leaned backwards to stretch. "He's getting heavy."

"You don't think the doctor could have been wrong, do you?" James asked. "Are you sure it's the second? It might be tomorrow-"

"James, the baby is not coming until October second," Lily sighed, waddling slowly to the door. "Which is nearly two months away. I'm not going into labor any time soon. But I do need to use the loo, so pardon."

With that, she waddled out of the room.

Not five seconds later, "I'm going to go make sure she doesn't fall over!"

"What is with him?" Sirius asked. "He's acting strangely."

"Can you blame him?" Remus said, getting up from the couch with Emmeline and sitting next to Sirius. Emmeline had a scowl on her face and glared out the window. "Wouldn't you be acting a bit oddly if you were expecting a baby?"

Sirius paused for a moment. "Yes, Moony, if I were pregnant, I would be acting strangely, I think."

James walked down the hallway, listening to his feet echo in the empty hallway. He looked up when a door opened and Lily walked out of the loo, looking quite put out.

"Cannot believe it! How can you have a false alarm to go pee?" she said, not really upset at all. In fact, Lily was rarely upset about anything these days. She was practically a beacon in the night with the way she was glowing when she walked down the street.

She noticed James' face and her smile slid a bit. "What's wrong?"

"Lily, am I ready to be a father?" he sighed, leaning against the wall.

"Bit late for that, isn't it?" Lily couldn't help but giggle.

"I think we should have waited."

"That was the plan, remember," she said, slyly. "And then someone forgot to use a condom New Years Eve..."

"Lily, I'm serious!" James said. "This isn't funny! I'm going to ruin this child!"

"Potter, come here," Lily grinned, pulling him over to her by the shirt. She wrapped her arms around him, quite a feat as the bulge between them was quite large. James reached down and placed his hands around the baby.

"I don't think I could live with myself if I ruined my own child."

"James," Lily laughed softly. "You're going to be a great dad, I know it."

"Pssh."

"Do you love this baby?"

"Of course I do," James said, pressing his forehead to hers and closing his eyes. "Which is why I'm so scared I'm going to screw him up."

"If you love the baby, there is no way you can screw him up," Lily smiled and her eyes popped a bit. James gasped and grinned.

"He kicked me!"

"He loves you too," Lily smiled, closing her eyes and smiling. "See?"

"Hey kiddo," James said, getting on his knees and whispering to her belly. "Do you hear me?" He brushed his hands over Lily's shirt and the baby inside kicked again. Smiling to himself, James leaned forward and placed a kiss where the kicking was.

"You're going to be a great Daddy," Lily said, running her hands through his hair. "And I think the baby agrees."

Hopping to his feet, James let out a shaky sigh. "I'm still nervous..."

"So am I," Lily said, rubbing her belly.

"You are?" James laughed, putting his arm around her, and walking back into the room. "You're practically over-ready to have this baby."

"What makes you say that," she giggled, when his hands found their way inside her overalls and brushed her skin.

"The baby's room is nearly bursting with things, and the kid is going to have enough booties to last him until he's thirty, and you're just...so ready..."

"That's only because I know I'll have you with me," she kissed him gently. "We should get back in there."

"You always make everything all right," he kissed her gently on the side of the head. The two of them walked back to the waiting room where they were surprised to see Frank there. He was holding a bundle of blankets.

"Hey," Frank whispered, seeing them in the doorway. "Come look at my boy."

The baby in his arms was pink and chubby and was crying his little lungs out. Even though his face was red and his eyes were squinched in a horribly upset expression, the resemblance to Alice was uncanny. His tiny hands were grasping the old quilt and Lily could see tiny, perfect, fingernails adoring each of his ten fingers.

Frank was rocking him as if he couldn't be prouder of anything in his life. He cooed at the baby and rocked him slowly backwards and forwards. The baby's cries slowly slowed until they were a small whimper and then he had fallen asleep in his new daddy's arms.

"Congratulations," Remus said, looking up at Frank. "How's Alice?"

"Tired," Frank admitted. "He came out kicking and screaming, that's for sure. She's resting now, but she wants to see you all."

"We need to get out of here," Lily looked to James. Her back was killing her, and she needed to get some rest. "But we'll come by tomorrow to see Alice, all right?"

"She'd love that," Frank smiled. "You two need to go spend more money on that baby room."

"That we do-"

"Frank, James, Lily," Dumbledore interrupted them, looking quite grave. He looked quite hurried, something very odd for Albus Dumbledore, and he looked most stressed, something also very odd for Albus Dumbledore.

"What is it?" James asked, putting his arm around Lily, fearing something horrible had happened.

"Where is Alice?" Dumbledore asked, hurried.

"She's asleep," Frank said, holding his baby closer to him. Seeing Dumbledore that way was frightening, even to him.

"Rouse her, quickly, and all four...five of you must go to my office, immediately." He paused to look at the baby and let a small smile come to his face. Then he Disapparated with a crack. "We need to talk in a very private place."