Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians belongs to Rick Riordan. Neither belong to me, nor I pretend to say that they do.
Amaryllis Potter, Amy to her friends, was walking to see the Headmaster of her school for the second time in two days. Only the previous evening did she embark on a perilous journey to rescue the sister of her friend, Ron, from the clutches of the Beast of Salazar Slytherin. It wasn't the most glamourous of quests, but Amy could safely say that it was a job well done, save for the fact that she gained a scar on her upper right arm, and one Gilderoy Lockhart ended up on the wrong end of a Memory Charm.
"Sherbet Lemon."
Invoking the password to the Headmaster's Office, Amy walked up to the door to knock, only for one Professor Dumbledore to call out to her.
"Come in."
Putting her hand down, Amy mumbled, "Why do I even bother."
Entering the office, Amy found the Headmaster sitting at his desk, while his familiar Fawkes stood at his perch. The phoenix chirped a welcome, to which Amy smiled in response.
"Ah, Amaryllis, come and sit," Dumbledore said, gesturing to a chair, "There is a lot that needs to be said, and little time to spare."
Amy was bewildered, "I'm sorry Professor, but what's changed since yesterday?"
Dumbledore's expression turned grave, "I'm sorry my dear girl, but I wasn't informed of the change until early this morning. And to answer your question: everything."
"Okay…that doesn't sound ominous at all."
"It's not life threatening my dear…well…not too life threatening, anyway," Dumbledore amended, but seeing his student's alarmed look, he hastened to continue, "What I have to tell you will change your perspective on the world around you, and I would like you to keep an open mind.
"To begin, I would like you to let me speak uninterrupted. I will offer you the chance to ask questions at the appropriate moment, but if you keep interrupting me, we will never get anything done," Dumbledore began, "Firstly, let us start with your parents' time at Hogwarts."
Amy nodded, and Dumbledore continued, "Your parents weren't immediately smitten with each other, oh yes, it was rather one-sided on James' part," Dumbledore chuckled, noticing Amy's incredulous look.
"But everyone tells me that they loved each other?" Amy said.
"And they did, very much so. However, they only started dating towards the tail end of their Sixth Year. You see, James liked to prank a lot, alongside his three friends; Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Sirius Black. However, this pranking was often to the point of bullying. It wasn't until early in his Sixth Year that James started to mature."
Amy smiled at the way Dumbledore described his father. It was nice to see that he was still human, but the way the Headmaster mentioned Sirius Black as if the words poisoned him, made Amy raise her eyebrow.
"Why haven't I seen any of them yet, or at all Professor?" she asked.
This caused Dumbledore's face to fall.
"I had not wished to touch upon this topic, but as you have asked, I shall answer," he replied, "Firstly Peter is no longer with us. He was killed shortly after your parents."
"Killed, how?"
Dumbledore hesitated, "He was killed by Black."
"WHAT!?"
"I'm sorry my dear girl," Dumbledore apologised, "Black was indirectly responsible for your parents' murder. You see, when your parents went into hiding, your mother placed a protective charm over your house. She was a very talented charms mistress and used a spell known as the Fidelius Charm.
"This charm acted as a barrier which effectively hid the location of where you and your parents were hiding, and only the Secret Keeper could divulge the location of cottage in Godric's Hollow," the Headmaster continued, "The Secret Keeper in this case was Sirius Black."
"And he told Voldemort," Amy stated quietly.
"Apparently so. Though in the immediate aftermath, I was willing to consider he was tortured into telling Voldemort, but when Black killed both Peter and twelve other muggles, even I was unwilling to think the best of Black," Dumbledore said.
"So where is he now?" Amy asked.
"Azkaban, the wizarding prison in the North Sea," Dumbledore answered, "He was thrown in without trial, for life."
"Isn't that a miscarriage of justice?" Amy queried.
"In some respects yes, but at the time, many Death Eater trials were occurring, and in order to 'streamline' the process, as distasteful as that sounds, many suspects were thrown into Azkaban without trial when the evidence was deemed to be beyond disrepute," Dumbledore explained.
Amy sat in silence as she processed the new information. Calling it a shock would be understating the issue. On one hand she was furious at the man who led to her parents being murdered, but on the other hand a gut instinct was telling her something was wrong. Supressing this feeling she looked up, and saw that the Headmaster still had a troubled expression.
"Professor?" Amy asked, looking puzzled.
"There is more you should know, lest you find out by more unsavoury means," Dumbledore said slowly, as if trying to piece out how to explain, "James and Black were as close as brothers, in their school years, so much so that…when you were born, James had no problem as to who to name your godfather."
"No…"
"I'm sorry my dear, but Black is your godfather."
Amy snapped. Or rather, her magic snapped. However, before she could lash out, she fell into darkness.
Amy woke up with a jolt. She was on a bed, but the surroundings were unknown to her. A quick glance told her that is was the personal quarters of a teacher, and not the Hospital Wing, that she almost frequented on a regular basis.
An opening of a door captured her attention.
"Ah, you're awake," said the voice of Dumbledore, who lit a few candles, bringing light to the room.
He sat down in a chair beside the bed and looked at Amy.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, "I am so sorry, but your magic was flaring, and I had to stun you to prevent any damage to yourself."
Amy flinched. She started to panic a little, as she remembered why her magic acted out. A goblet entered her field of view, which caused her a settle down a bit.
"Here, a calming draught," the Headmaster said, "I dare say you need it."
Amy drank the potion in one go, and instantly felt more at ease, but started to feel guilty at her reaction.
"It's quite alright, my dear. It is understandable that you would have the reaction you did," Dumbledore said, raising a hand, "I wouldn't expect anyone to take the information I shared with you easily.
"Now, as callous as it sounds, I need to continue with my explanation, as we were waylaid by the topic of your parents and their friends," Dumbledore began, "Before you ask, however, I will tell you that Remus Lupin has been out of touch with the Wizarding World for the last decade or so. Fortunately, I managed to contact him, and he will be the Defence against the Dark Arts teacher next year."
Amy nodded and motioned for the Headmaster to continue.
"Right, where was I? Ah! Your mother," he said, "During Lily's Seventh Year, she was often the target of a lot of Blood Purists who didn't like the fact that she was in a relationship with James, who came from a notable Pureblood family.
"It is detestable, I know," Dumbledore continued, upon seeing Amy's aghast look, "It was so severe that a few months before the N.E.W.T exams took place, Lily was struck with a dark curse."
"What?" Amy yelled in alarm.
"Calm yourself, my dear, there was no physical harm to your mother," Dumbledore stated, to which Amy breathed a sigh of relief, "However, the curse did leave its mark."
Amy tensed as Dumbledore explained, "The curse was such that it affected Lily's ability to carry a baby."
"What? But?"
"How are you here?" Dumbledore asked, to which Amy nodded, "Well, the curse didn't leave Lily sterile or infertile. Rather the curse allowed for a baby to be carried to term, but made it so that the baby would be stillborn, or the mother would suffer a miscarriage."
"That still doesn't explain..." Amy was horrified to the point that she couldn't finish her sentence.
"I am getting to that, however for this next part, you need to keep an open mind," Dumbledore explained, "Now, to my vast knowledge, there was no way to break the curse. And so, your mother despaired at the fact that she couldn't have children, as any mother would. However, I presented them with a solution."
"I'm not adopted, am I?" Amy quietly asked, dreading the answer.
"Oh heavens no!" Amy's head snapped up, meeting her Headmaster's gaze, "You are very much the blood daughter of James and Lily Potter."
"But then…"
"Let me explain. Firstly, magic did not simply come into existence," Dumbledore began, "It is a gift given to mortals, by the gods."
"God?" Amy repeated, tilting her head.
"No, my dear, not God, singular. But gods. The Pagan gods."
Amy snorted in disbelief, "What? Like Thor, Zeus, and the like?"
"Well, I wouldn't know about the Norse Pantheon, but yes, the Greek Gods, Lady Hecate, specifically, granted some mortals the gift of magic, and it sprung from there, into the wide cultures we have today."
"But, how does that work? Surely someone would have said something?" Amy asked in frustration.
"Now, my dear, need I remind you that until your eleventh birthday, magic wasn't real to you?" Dumbledore said, "As for why it isn't widely known, well, mortals are funny beings. They tend not to notice a lot."
"Mortals, you mean Muggles?"
"No, my dear, I mean mortals, as in those without a drop of divine blood."
"Divine blood? What, like demigods?"
"Yes! Just so!"
"What, but!? Professor, this has to be some sort of prank. I swear if this is Fred or George under the Polyjuice…"
Dumbledore laughed, "Come now Amaryllis, you know it to be true, the moment I said it. Though if it helps, you know of a demigod already."
"I do?"
"Quite so. Let me properly introduce myself; I am Albus Dumbledore, the eldest living child of Lady Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and Battle Strategy."
Amy owlishly blinked, "Oh."
A scant few seconds of silence fell between the pair.
"So, I'm guessing I'm a demigoddess?" Amy quietly asked.
"Indeed. I told your parents that if they prayed to the gods, or more specifically to the goddesses, then at least one will respond. As you are here, it clearly worked," Dumbledore explained, "What would happen is that the goddess in question would replace your mother's cursed eggs with their own. As such, you have three parents."
"Kind of like surrogacy, then."
"Yes, exactly!" Dumbledore agreed, "However, I do not know which goddess responded to the prayer, so I cannot tell you who your Divine mother is."
"Oh," Amy said in disappointment.
"Now, this brings me to why I brought you back so quickly."
Now, Amy looked curiously at Dumbledore.
"You see, when I left you at the Dursleys, I placed a blood-bound protection ward around the residence," Dumbledore began, "It ensured that no one with ill intent would approach the house.
"However, when you killed the Beast of Slytherin, it caused your divine blood to awaken, "he continued, "As such, your Scent which will attract all manner of Greek monsters towards yourself."
"I don't understand."
"When your mother found out that your family was specifically targeted by Voldemort, she prepared a ritual, one that required a sacrifice," Dumbledore explained, "The sacrifice of one's own life.
"When Voldemort killed her, it invoked a protection, the one that saved you last year," he continued, "However, this protection would only work on a purely mortal being, and as such, locked away your divine powers."
"And this protection broke when I killed the Basilisk, got it."
"Quite so, but the Beast was not a Basilisk, but an amalgamation of several monsters, including Medusa," Dumbledore correct, "Slytherin was a master alchemist, and transmuted the creature into a design of his choice.
"I must apologise, however. When I left you at the Dursleys, I did not think they would treat as terribly as I am led to understand. I knew you wouldn't be happy, but I knew you would be safe."
Amy was quiet for a few moments. She had always wondered why she was left with her Aunt, but at least now she knew. She wasn't happy, but she understood the reasoning. It didn't mean, however, that she had to like it.
"Why didn't you at least check on me?" she then asked.
"I had an old friend, Arabella Figg placed near you, to keep watch. If anything serious were to happen, she was to alert me as soon as she was able," Dumbledore explained, "I couldn't just come and go, as I pleased. It would have been noticed. Secrecy was your best protection, at the time, and I couldn't afford the chance that I would be followed if I were to visit you."
Amy nodded. It made sense.
"Now, with your divine blood awakened, we need to consider your training, both physical and magical," Dumbledore said.
"Training?" Amy's curiosity was peaked.
"Indeed, I will be formally taking you on as my apprentice, which will mean you will have lessons from me personally, on top of your two electives in Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures," Dumbldore explained, "However, for your demigod training, you will be living in the United States for your summer holidays."
"America? Why there?"
"Because that is where the gods of Olympus currently stay!"
What.
"What?"
"I'll let Chiron explain, but you will have to leave now, the summer holidays in America last from early June to early September."
"What? But? Hermione…"
"I'm sorry my dear, but we must move quickly. I will arrange for a message to be sent to Mr Weasley and Miss Granger," Dumbledore gently informed Amy, before rising from his chair, "Come we must go to Gringotts, in order to secure you a passport, and arrange for a VISA to the United States.
"But first, we must handle the corpse of the Beast. I suggest you sacrifice in honour of your divine mother. She will appreciate the gift, I am sure," he finished.
"Um…I guess. Lead the way Professor," Amy said, as she got up, "Um, sir, where are we?"
Dumbledore chuckled, "Why, my personal quarters of course. Poppy is liable to do serious harm to myself if I were to suddenly appear in the Hospital Wing with you unconscious. She is rather fond of you, you know. When you aren't injured, that is."
Amy flushed.
Entering the Chamber of Secrets was a much easier endeavour, considering that Britain's most powerful wizard was with her this time. It was still unsettling to walk past the old snake skin, however. Upon seeing the Beast, Dumbledore was stupefied by the size of it.
"I think you rather understated things, in your explanation, my dear girl," he said with a hoarse voice.
"Sir?"
"Amaryllis, killing a monster of that size is not something to downplay."
"I had help though sir, without Fawkes, I would be dead. Come to think of it. How did Fawkes find me, sir?"
"Ah, well. After I was unceremoniously ousted as headmaster by Lucius Malfoy, I knew you would eventually be in trouble, so I had Fawkes watch over you, in case you needed his help."
Dumbledore then moved to inspect the corpse, which had hardly decayed in the twenty-four hours or so since it was killed.
"Hm, interesting, interesting," the wizened old man muttered.
He continued to inspect the monster, uttering a chant or spell, here and there.
"Ah, most intriguing. Slytherin managed to use a basilisk for a base, but transmuted the properties of a manticore's poison into the snake venom, and making it lethal," Dumbledore began to explain, "On top of that, it seems to have the eyes similar to Medusa, but rather than turning victims to stone, the gaze can kill or petrify, depending on whether or not the inner eyelid is open or not.
"Fortunately, the skin is not poisonous upon contact, and it cannot breathe fire," he then finished.
He then turning to face Amy, who was on the brink of hyperventilating at the fact that she had come so close to death. Were it not for the presence of Fawkes who had fire-flashed in and onto her shoulder, she might have been in a worse state.
"Amaryllis, my dear. You are safe now, nothing here can harm you," the Headmaster said gently, as the phoenix softly crooned in comfort.
Amy eventually regained her bearings, and looked to the Professor, silently asking what to do.
"Ah, in order to sacrifice the beast, simply state that you sacrifice this monster in the name of your divine mother," Dumbledore explained.
"Ah. Um…I, Amaryllis Potter, hereby sacrifice the Beast of Slytherin to my Divine mother, whoever she may be," Amy declared.
The corpse suddenly caught fire, and almost instantly burnt to ashes. In its place were a pair of long knives that appeared to be made of bone or teeth.
"Interesting. It seems your divine mother has granted you some gifts," Dumbledore stated.
Amy gingerly went to pick up the gifts. As soon as she grasped the hilts of the knives, they turned into a pair of identical silver rings with an inlaid emerald. Each ring was styled by twin serpents intertwined with emerald eyes. The heads of the serpents met together at the apex of the ring, beneath a crown of silver flowers that one upheld, while the other devoured. Sitting on the crown was the emerald itself. Amy then placed each ring on the first finger of both hands. The rings then shrank to fit perfectly on each finger.
"Interesting. It appears the rings are a disguise for the knives, when not in use. I suspect if you wish to use them, simply think it," Dumbledore explained.
Amy did so, and the rings morphed into the knives once more. Almost immediately, Amy received a sudden influx of new information, regarding how to use her new knives. Willing the knives back into the ring form, she started to rub her temples.
"Are you well, my dear?" the Headmaster asked in concern.
"Yeah, just…storing away new knowledge."
"Ah. Yes, I suppose giving you dangerous weapons, and not telling how to use them isn't the wisest of ideas," Dumbledore said, "I would be careful how and when you use those knives, Amaryllis, they are made from the fangs of the Beast, and quite possibly contain the venom in the blade. A single cut would be very dangerous."
"Yes Professor," Amy obediently agreed.
"Well, at least I'm sending you to the States armed. Gods know what my mother would do, if I did otherwise," Dumbledore said.
"Indeed," called out a voice behind them.
Amy and Dumbledore both spun in the direction of the voice, wands up and aimed. The voice turned out to belong to a beautiful woman that appeared in her early thirties, but her grey eyes suggested a much older age. She had raven black hair styled in a bun and a piercing gazing, as if staring right into ones soul. She wore a creamy white chiton that accented her figure, and her right eyebrow was raised.
"Mother?"
"Albus, it's been some time," the Goddess of Wisdom imperiously stated.
"Ah, Amaryllis, let me introduce you to my mother, Lady Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom. Mother, this is Amaryllis Potter, my new apprentice and fellow demigod," Dumbledore announced, lowering his wand.
"Well met, Amaryllis Potter," Athena said with a nod of her head.
"Lady Athena," Amy greeted with a bow of her own and also lowered her wand. Since entering the Wizarding World, Amy made sure to learn the proper etiquette required of her station.
"Your mother is most impressed with her gift, young one. Tis not often one receives something unique as the Beast of Slytherin as a sacrifice," Athena told Amy.
"Oh, um. That's great?" Amy cursed herself for making her reply sound like a question, but the gentle smile from Athena took away most of the embarrassment, "I, um, take it that you can't tell me who she is?"
"I'm afraid not, child. Proprieties must be observed, but I can tell you that you will be claimed not long after you arrive in America," Athena explained, "Perhaps not right away, but soon enough."
"Ah, mother, not that I am unhappy to see you, but why are you here?" Dumbledore asked.
Athena turned her weighty gaze upon her son, who noticeably winced at the scrutiny.
"Can a mother not visit one of her favourite sons?" Athena rhetorically asked, "Well, in actual fact, I came to warn you both."
"Warn us?"
"Indeed," Athena began, "Since the Winter Solistice, my father and Poseidon have been at each other's throats. The reason being that the Master Bolt has been stolen, and my father has accused Poseidon of its theft. While Poseidon, of course, has denied any knowledge of the theft, Olympus still stands on the brink of Civil War."
Dumbledore was aghast, "Is it safe for Amaryllis to come to Camp?"
"Camp?" Amy asked.
"Later, but Mother, why do you look so unconcerned about this?" Dumbledore cried out.
"Because, my son, Apollo is also unconcerned," Athena explained, "He has quite obviously Seen something, and he isn't worried, hence I am not worried either."
Amy blinked in confusion, but Dumbledore clearly understood the implications.
"Once you go to your Bank, you'll find that a passport and a plane ticket are ready and waiting for you, courtesy of my brother Hermes, who I believe owed your mother a favour," Athena told Amy.
Amy nodded in gratitude.
"Well, I have done as I wished, I will take my leave. No doubt they are still arguing on Olympus," Athena bade a farewell to both demigods before vanished away as if she was not there in the first place.
"Well, I'm boned," Amy stated.
Dumbledore let out an exasperated sigh, "Let's try to be somewhat more positive, my dear?"
"You heard what Lady Athena said," Amy cried, "I'm going to be in the middle of another war!"
"Amaryllis, calm yourself. You also heard than Lord Apollo has foreseen events that will resolve the situation," Dumbledore said, "It will be alright."
Amy calmed down, but was still somewhat tense with the new information. To her, it felt she was jumping out of the frying pan, and straight into the fire. Quite frankly, he couldn't tell whether facing Voldemort or being caught in the middle of a Divine War was worse.
A well placed notice-me-not charm enabled Dumbledore and Amy to head to Gringotts unimpeded, and subsequently, the pair found themselves in front of the Potter Accounts Manager, Ragnok.
"Yes, we received the documents earlier today," Ragnok informed them, handing Amy an envelope, "In most curious circumstances, might I add. Now, Miss Potter, I will need to inform you that as you are moving your permanent address to the United States of America, you will need to open a new vault at the Gringotts Branch in Washinton DC.
"As I understand it, you will be predominantly living in New York, so you have access to any and all automated teller machines, to access both muggle and wizarding money," Ragnok continued, "The Americans are far more progressive than most other counterparts across the world. As such they use paper money, like the Muggles do."
"Sounds useful. How would I go about opening a vault in the US, sir?" Amy asked.
"Surprisingly, not too hard. We will simply split your Trust Fund in half; one-half will remain here in Diagon Alley, whilst the other half will be situated in Washington DC, they will separately be refilled annually," Ragnok explained.
"Thank you for your assistance, Teller Ragnok," Dumbledore said, "We shall see you at another time."
"Of course, well met Miss Potter."
Amy nodded, "Well met Teller Ragnok."
The pair then left the bank and headed towards the Leaky Cauldron.
"Um Professor, where's my stuff?" Amy asked.
"Ah, I knew I was forgetting something," Dumbledore mumbled, "Do not worry, I will have one of Hogwarts' House-Elves deliver your belongings once you've settled into Camp."
"That's another time you've mentioned this camp. What is it?"
Dumbledore paused, "Have I not mentioned it?" At Amy's shake of her head, he continued, "Camp Half-Blood is a safe haven for demigods and demigoddesses such as yourself, where you can train and make friends. You can either stay for the holidays, or stay the year."
"You make it sound as if there are a lot of demigods," Amy commented.
"Ah, well. The Gods tend to get around a lot, as the saying goes," Dumbledore said, "Consequently, they tend to have a fair amount of children per generation. Some more than others, it should be said."
Amy nodded.
"Now, I ought to escort you to the Airport. I will ensure that there is someone waiting for you at the arrivals building in New York City," the Headmaster informed Amy as he transfigured his robes into a pinstriped suit.
Amy, herself, was wearing dark blue, slightly ripped jeans, a forest green shirt under a silver bolero jacket, and an emerald green hooded cloak. As she was out of school, Amy removed the glamour that hid her short black hair, with green highlights.
"Come along, Amaryllis, we mustn't be late for your flight," Dumbledore called out, to which Amy hastened to follow.
A short taxi ride later, and the pair found themselves in front of Terminal 4 at Heathrow Airport. After checking in at a specific desk for magicals, Amy and Dumbledore stood a little way from the Security checkpost.
"Now, once you disembark, you will be met by a member of the US Department of Magic, who will handle your immigration," Dumbledore explained, "Once you've cleared that, you'll meet up with a satyr, who are responsible for escorting new demigods to the camp.
"With regards to your official citizenship and the similar, I will handle it," Dumbledore finished.
"Oh, how?" Amy asked.
"Well, being the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW, which is the equivalent to the Secretary-General of the UN, has its uses," Dumbledore said, with a smile, "Now get going, and please contact me once you've arrive at camp."
"Sure thing Professor. And thank you! For everything!" Amy said, hugging the elderly man, "I'll see you in September!"
"Of course, my dear girl. Enjoy yourself, and remember to train hard,"
Amy nodded enthusiastically. Once she had gotten over the initial shock of the matter, she embraced the challenge. She thought it strange as she usually shied away from fighting, but chalked it off to her divine blood awakening.
"I will! Watch me, I'll become the best demigod of the era!" she said in exuberance.
"I'm sure you will. Goodbye, for now, my dear," Dumbledore waved her goodbye, as Amy approached the security officer.
"Is he your grandfather," the officer asked with a smile.
"Mhm, I'm going to stay with my mother for the summer, so he came to see me off," Amy explained.
"I see. Well, enjoy your flight, Miss Potter," the officer said, handing Amy back her passport.
The young demigoddess nodded, and she went through to security.
'Look out America, there's a new demigoddess in town!'
Author's Notes: Before anyone worries, I'm not quitting on my other story. This is just something I plan on writing whenever the dreaded writers block is inflicted upon me. This will therefore only get sporadic updates, maybe once a month. Sorry, but I want to spend more time on The Travels of the Master of Death series.
I hope I got want I want for my Dumbledore correct; a well-meaning mentor who is stuck in a hard place regarding his charge's safety. Like...I dunno, the way Richard Harris portrayed Dumbledore.
I'll be keeping the pairing a secret for now, but there is one.
Also, if anyone can make a cover picture for me, I would be very grateful.