Athena's Help
:::SUMMARY:::
Aubrey is finally left alone for seven days at his relatives house. Fortunately they left him with a long list of responsibilities. But an extra responsibility comes flying to him in the form of a wounded owl. Unfortunately he has to work to heal her himself. Oh boy, here we go!
::::NAMING SYSTEM::::
First Name: Aubrey means elf council.
In my story The main character (An OOC Harry Potter) has this name to show that he loves and listens to his elves. Not only will this show that he is a good person but it will show that he cares about everyone.
Middle name #1: Ezra means help.
Harry is going to be very kind and helpful in my story and I wouldn't have it any other way. I am also a very kind natured person and I'd like for my characters to have some semblance of me inside of them even if they are nowhere near the same.
Middle name #2: Gareth means Gentle.
As he is helpful he will also be gently. He has been abused and he doesn't want to be so harsh as to hurt another even if by accident so he is very gentle natured as well.
Middle name #3: Jason means heal.
Harry's skill set is going to be focused on healing. Though it would be silly if I said that he didn't want to help others and since he heals 'Athena the owl' just fine with little help from his elves, not that he notices, he surely would be fair at healing others.
:::REALLY LONG & THOROUGH DISCLAIMER:::
I do not own anything at all in terms of characters unless stated outright in either the ending or beginning of the chapters individually.
I do not own Harry Potter at all.
I do not own Percy Jackson or any other related or similar Rick Riordan (SP?) books.
I do not own the concept of 'discovers magic early' for the Harry Potter fanon franchise.
I do not own any story that is related to in this fanfiction by having similar items/skills/equipment in them.
I do not own things that are real, historically true or that have come from the two and been altered by myself. For instance, there was a town named gaunt that the gaunt family could have been named after.
I WILL SHOUT AND DANCE!
*\(^_^)/*
GO TEAM POTTERMORE!
*\(^_^)/*
I WILL SHOUT AND DANCE AGAIN!
Chapter 01: The Owl
Life has never been normal for one Aubrey Gareth Potter, the unknown boy living at number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whining, Surrey.
For starters, the Dursleys didn't consider him to be part of the family, treating him as a burden for taking advantage of their hard-earned money and kindness. With this in mind, the Dursleys made sure that he 'pay' for the kindness they unwilling bestowed upon him so he was put to work doing chores when he was old enough to do so – cooking, cleaning, washing the dishes, laundry…all chores were under Aubrey's domain and the Dursleys considered it beneath them to help out.
Of course, one would expect Aubrey to be rebellious to being treated as a slave; but Aubrey was not a normal boy so it didn't apply to him.
Aubrey was also intelligent, very intelligent, which fortunately for the lad, eluded the Dursleys attention. The boy learned to read at the age of two thanks to the many books that Dudley found useless or boring. After the story books, the boy upgraded his reading to the many books around the house that the Dursleys seldom touch, learning everything he could, absorbing the information within like a sponge.
When the boys started school at the age of 5, Aubrey found heaven in the school library, spending his snack breaks, lunch breaks, or even a few minutes after school hours to peruse many of the books within. His mind continued to crave for information, any information that was considered either useless or mundane. While his peers were starting on story the alphabet and story books, Aubrey Gareth Potter was already reading books on Science, Mathematics, English Literature, and the likes.
With the increase in Aubrey's intelligence, comprehension dawned on him about his life.
Even at an early age, he noticed that he could easily recall anything he read. He eventually discovered that he had a photographic memory and used it to his advantage by inadvertently discovering speed reading and rereading them later in his mind.
Using this newly discovered skill, Aubrey Gareth Potter used his vaunted memory to analyze his life, a mature thinking even for a 6 almost 7 year old boy.
He discovered at an early age that the Dursleys weren't family though he was related to his aunt by blood, and by extension, Dudley. His Uncle Vernon, fortunately, was not a blood relation.
Aubrey didn't consider the Dursleys as family because he wasn't treated like one so why should he treat them as such. Besides, a normal family wouldn't even consider a cupboard under the stairs a bedroom, a family wouldn't put you in a compromising position just for kicks, and a family would never turn you into a slave to cater to their whims.
No, Aubrey didn't consider them family. In Aubrey's mind, they were acquaintances and nothing else.
Since he wasn't family, he didn't bother to rebel against the house's rule – never question the Dursleys, always be polite, disappear when you're not needed, and most importantly, do all of the chores without question.
Aubrey considered it his 'obligation' to serve the Dursleys despite the fact that they barely fed him or provided him clothes that fit. After all, despite their treatment of him, they gave him a roof to sleep under since Aubrey knew how kids with no home are treated out in the streets or at orphanages.
Logically, running away was a solution to his problem. However, seeing that Aubrey was gifted with intelligence and common sense, he didn't have any place to go if he did succumb to the temptation. And technically, the Dursleys were a lot better than surviving out in the streets – finding shelter if the weather got worse or diving into dumpsters to look for something to eat. No, Aubrey wasn't stupid enough to do that.
Unfortunately there would come a day that his relatives do something very stupid...
(*)
The Dursleys are scheduling a vacation to southern Japan in the peak of the typhoon season due to a nearby Grunnings meeting. Such stupidity, I bet they won't last the first day without trouble. Aubrey thinks. They leave later today and Aubrey has been ordered to withhold from cleaning just yet. That is why he is in the attic looking at their junk in case some of it might be fun to study.
Fortunately for him this allows him to clean a little. He is reaching for the last trunk when he hears Petunia calling for him. Walking down the stairs he meets the three of them on the steps. "Boy, if we come home and this house is a disaster you are going to get it. We have a business trip to Japan and while we are gone we want every last single thing cleaned from top to bottom. Understood?" Aubrey gives them the automatic reply and they are gone. Going to the kitchen he fixes himself a hot dog sandwich and eats it rather quickly before heading up the stairs back to the attic.
Entering the attic he goes back over to the last trunk and dusts it off. Reaching for the handle to look through its contents he freezes.
Lily Ann Evans
It belongs to his mother. While he has never met his mother he does know that his aunt is prejudice against her and his father for some reason that she shares with Vernon. He knows his aunt always lies about it since he can tell when people are lying. So he decides to open it despite knowing the family secret could be anything. With a resounding click, he lifted the cover and was quite amazed at what he saw.
Inside were things belonging to his mother, something the he would treasure his whole life. He was confused, however, when he saw parchments and quills, as well as full ink bottles. It was as if his mom lived in the Dark Ages. He was about to remove the items when he saw two sealed letters on top of the books. There on the front of the letters was his name, Aubrey Erza Gareth Jason Potter, in a cursive script that easily told him that this was from his mother addressed to him.
With a shaky hand, he took the letter and broke the wax seal before starting to read.
/.-.-.-.\
My Beloved Aubrey,
If you read this letter then what I fear the most had come to pass, your father and I are now dead and you're under the care of your godfather, Sirius Black.
By now, he would have explained everything you need to know about your heritage. If you're not with Sirius then you should be with Minerva McGonagall with her doing the same. There are others stated in our Will that will take care of you if both of them are unable to. But if you're not with them then you will surely be with my sister, Petunia. If you're under her care then you should read on my son and learn the truth of our family and our world.
That's right Aubrey. You're part of a heritage that started since civilization began. There is a world out there that is different from the norm.
This is the world of Magic.
That's right my beloved Aubrey, magic exists and our family is magical. There is a world out there separate and hidden from those without magic.
I'm a witch, a female with magic, while you're father is a wizard. And you're one too Aubrey, our little wizard, considering how much magic you've been doing since you came out.
Your father and I prepared this trunk for the worst case scenario that we are no longer in this world, to make sure that you're well-prepared when you enter our world. Inside are tools that you will surely need in order to acquaint yourself with the Wizarding World and not act foolish and ignorant upon your entry. It is a different world, my son, and hopefully these tools will help you learn and adapt to the change.
Before your father and I go into the items inside the trunk, you need to know what happened and why we died. Minerva or Sirius would have told you everything that happened before and after we died but if you're not with them then I'll do my best to explain it to you since I'm sure that your aunt lied to you regarding our deaths and I expected her to do so since she hated magic her whole life when she found out that I was a witch and she wasn't.
Jealousy reared its ugly head and since then, Petunia and I parted ways with little to no communication from each other.
Our death wasn't caused by an accident. We were murdered by the Dark Lord Voldemort, an evil wizard who terrorized the magical community during our time. Of course, we helped fight him and his minions, the Death Eaters, to free us from his actions.
There was a prophecy given by a seer that will be the cause of our deaths. This is the reason why he targeted us and one other family in hopes that his inevitable defeat is thwarted. The prophecy goes:
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..."
Your father and I never believe in prophecies since it is one of the most inexact studies of magic and the future is what you make of it. However, Voldemort was able to get his hands on the prophecy and believed in it. There was nothing we could do since it was his decision that made the prophecy valid and allowed Destiny to take control of our lives, mainly yours.
The appearance of this trunk in your Aunt's home means that Voldemort attacked our family which led to our death and that you, Aubrey, are the instrument of this prophecy. We are not sure what came to pass but we're sure that Voldemort is defeated; Destiny will make sure of that. However, we're not sure if he is truly dead but it is quite possible that he is still alive.
Don't be afraid, my son, for you are not alone in this. Your father and I are always watching you even if we're no longer a part of this world. This is where the trunk will be useful to you.
You're father and I attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and you will be attending it too when you reach eleven. A letter will be sent to you via owl informing you of your attendance to this school. It is a wonderful experience my son and I hope you will learn all you can while having fun at the same time.
Inside this trunk are the items that your father and I gathered to make sure that you're well-prepared when you enter Hogwarts.
Inside is my Diary, as well as your father's. These two chronicle our life starting from Hogwarts and beyond. The last entry there should be me telling the diary that I am planning to write you a letter while James is preparing the trunk.
Aside from the diaries, we also included books that will aid you in your quest to learn about magic. Books from our first two years of Hogwarts should be enough to tide you over until you enter the Wizarding World when you reach the right age. You can always buy more when you go shop for your school supplies. Since you're my son, I know deep in my heart that you will be following in my footsteps, as well as your fathers.
These books are the basics when it comes to magic so read them well my son and learn from it.
Included are parchments and inks so you can practice before entering school. Trust me, you need it. I had problems using quills during my first entry into the magical world and I don't want my son to suffer the same fate as me. Homework will be easier if you mastered writing with a quill. You might be thinking now why don't we use the standard pens and papers like normal people. Let's just say that the Wizarding World is living in the Dark Ages thanks to their love of tradition.
Your father also included some books from the Potter Library that you will need to prepare yourself further. I'm not sure why he included those books but I'm sure that he explained everything in the letter he placed inside the trunk. Read it as well since it might contain things that I might have missed.
Also, the trunk is enchanted to hold more despite its size. There should be a lot of books underneath the parchment and ink. I added around a dozen of them but I'm sure James will be adding more so prepare for a lot of reading.
Finally, my wand should be in the trunk. After we heard of the prophecy and planning for this trunk, James and I decided to enchant our wands to make sure that it is placed inside upon our deaths. Wands will be explained in the book "A Muggleborn's Guide To Witchcraft and Wizardry" so make sure that you read it first before starting with the rest. It is a great preparatory reading material for those who are new to the Wizarding World and Magic.
This had been a long letter to write but it is not long enough for me since I know that this will be the last.
Just keep in mind, Aubrey that we love you with all our hearts and will always be there to watch over you.
I apologize for dumping this on you my beloved son but it is a necessity if you are to survive in the world of magic.
Yours in love forever,
Lily Evans Potter
PS: I enchanted this trunk myself. Make sure that you activate its security feature. Place 3 drops of your blood on the lock to attune it to you. This will make sure that ONLY you can open this trunk and no one else. Others can touch it or carry it but they can NEVER open it. I made sure of that so that your secrets will remain just that secrets.
/.-.-.-.\
Aubrey cried after reading the letter. He was loved. Even if his parents were no longer in this world, he was loved and he loved them for it. He reread his mother's letter one more time, this time with a smile, before picking up another letter, which he was sure was from his dad.
/.-.-.-.\
Dear Prongslet,
I'm not really that fond of writing long letters but I'll do my best since I know that this will be my last.
Before I start with the trunk, let me first tell you that I love you. When you came out of your mother's womb, I loved you the moment I laid my eyes on you. Even if I'm no longer in this world, just remember that your dad is always watching and cheering for you. My son, my beloved Aubrey.
Your mother and I prepared this trunk in case that we are killed by the followers of Voldemort or by the Dark Lord himself. We don't know why at first but he always targeted our family. If you are reading this then what we expected have come to pass and the prophecy is now in motion.
After careful planning with your mom, we decided to prepare you with enough knowledge to make sure that you're not caught unawares upon entering our world.
This letter will contain two important instructions you need to follow as soon as you can.
First, you need to make your way to Gringotts upon entering Diagon Alley. Instructions to reach the alley are in the book packed by your mother. It is a guide for muggleborns (first generation magical children born to muggles – non-magical folks). Make sure that you read it before you go to Diagon.
When in Gringotts, you need to look for Griphook. He is our family's account manager. I left him instructions on what to do upon your arrival. Just show him this letter, he will know what to do.
Second, there are two books here that you need to study from cover to cover. First is the book "Occlumency: A Guide to Protecting The Unprotected Mind" and "Pureblood Custom and Etiquette". I'm sure that you have a lot of questions regarding these books and I stress that you read the two of them first. I'll try to give you an idea why it is necessary to learn them by heart.
The first book is all about protecting one's mind. In the Wizarding World, there are people well-versed in the magical art called Legilimency. It is the art of reading one's mind. Voldemort is a master of this art so it is necessary to learn this as soon as possible to protect yourself from mind attacks.
The second book is necessary due to your status in the Wizarding World. The Potter name is one of the oldest families dating back to the time of Merlin and has played a major role in the Wizarding World's conception. We are considered royalty, similar to other houses that are mentioned inside the book. It is necessary that you are familiar with your status as the Heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter to avoid people using you towards their own gains. The book should prepare you in terms of Wizarding Politics, Protocols, and Etiquette to avoid some blunder that is quite common with uneducated heirs.
Before I end this letter, I impart to you the words that generations of Potters consider as their creed.
"Trust no one but yourself. Let no words from others sway your beliefs.
Amass knowledge and prepare for Truth comes to an aware mind.
Face the world with a courageous and honorable heart. It shall not lead you astray.
Share kindness with the world, for you shall reap what you sow.
Potters forward to life and beyond."
I love you my son and I pray and hope that your mother and I will not be seeing you up here for a very long time.
Lord James Charlus Potter
Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter
Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Gryffindor
PS: The rest of the books, aside from the two I mentioned in this letter, are for general reading. Most of them are a bit complicated without the backing of theories taught at Hogwarts; but others are quite useful as you grow as a wizard. Just read them at your leisure since I'm sure that some of them will catch your fancy *wink wink*.
/.-.-.-.\
Tears were again shed as Aubrey read his father's letter. Seeing his parents preparing him even if they are no longer with him brought a steely determination to his resolve. He WILL make his parents proud and Voldemort will rue the day he crossed the Potters.
Picking up the first book, A Muggleborn's Guide To Witchcraft and Wizardry, he begins reading. An hour later he puts the book to the side and picks up the next book, Pureblood Custom and Etiquette, and begins reading it. By the time the second hour has passed Aubrey feels that he is slightly informed.
Occlumency: A Guide to Protecting The Unprotected Mind is immediately picked up and read. After the third hour has passed he feels refreshed. Closing his eyes for a deep breath his sighs. Then he look in the trunk for more books and blinks at the book with the mage of a tiny humanoid standing next to what must be a human. "House Elves: The Full Guide to Owning One... That sounds interesting." Reaching for the book he opens it up and begins reading it thoroughly. After forty five minutes he shouts loudly, "Potter Elves!"
He immediately regrets doing so as the room becomes quite crowded. Twenty or so elves are clambering for his attention before one screams suddenly. The rest of them turns and sees the huge mess and most of them go to work cleaning the attic. "Can you clean the whole house, please?" A chorus comes as his reply and all the elves but one goes to work. Looking down he realizes that no, there is not one remaining with him, there are two.
The taller elf clears her throat and takes a deep breath. "Mipsy is the Head of the Head Potter Elves and Mipsy is happy to meet Aubrey Sir. Does Aubrey sir need anything?" Aubrey sighs as he thinks about it before an idea clicks in his head.
"I think it would be wise to have a few of you enchant the cupboard. My relatives have been shoving me down there for years now and it is getting a little cramped. But I want it to look exactly the same to the muggles as it does now, same with squib sight." Mipsy salutes him and motions for him to lead the way. Aubrey quietly leads them to the first floor landing and opens the cupboard showing where he slept to the petite elf. The two who are still stuck to his side like glue growl somewhat before the smaller one asks a question.
"Is master sure that master wishes for us to only make it slightly bigger? We can make it big enough to fit sixteen master beds and furnish it as well if Master wishes for us to do such." The elf look up at him with her little doe eyes begging him to let her decorate the place. Aubrey smiles softly at her before a loud screech echoes from the back yard.
Aubrey darts for the back door and creaks it open to find an owl fighting off a weird hound with no fur on it at all. "Mipsy! Defend it!" Mipsy charges forward and her magic lashes out at the hound causing it to yelp in pain before it vanishes into shadows. Aubrey gently begins prodding the owl carefully and it just slumps onto the ground for a few moments before it sits up and looks at Aubrey. Aubrey has the sneaking suspicion that it is far more intelligent than it looks. Gently picking her up after she weakly hoots at him he cuddles her against his chest as he goes back into the house. Mipsy follows behind him and he allows the owl to be placed onto the table. The other elf beside him vanishes for a brief moment before reappearing with medical supplies.
Aubrey can't bring him to leave the owl alone even when he knows his elves will take care of her. "Is she going to be alright?" Mipsy nods to him as she finishes tying the right wing against her side.
"Athena will be perfectly fine once Athena recovers." Aubrey nods as he shuffles closer to the owl, he doesn't notice Mipsy freeze and glance at the owl in slight fear.
"So you know her, is it that she belongs to the Potters? Or does she just fly around a lot and show up at the Potter place occasionally for food?" Mipsy swallows and nervously looks at Aubrey again.
"Mipsy believes that she is a holy owl. Aubrey has seen her at a few of Athena's shrines so Mipsy decided to call her Athena instead." Looking at the happy owl she slags in relief. Aubrey gently places his arm on the table and Athena quietly steps onto his arm.
Lifting her up a little he allows her to climb onto his shoulder to rest a little. "Do you like fruit? I think there is a little fruit in the pantry that nobody eats. I'm sorry if it isn't good but they'll notice if I steal any of the yummy foods. I figure that you need the nutrition to get better though which is a win for you." Athena looks at him carefully with her gray eyes before rubbing her beak against his cheek affectionately.
Aubrey giggles as he walks over to the pantry and closes his eyes as he focuses on his magic. Feeling for it he feels it sluggishly respond. Willing for a tendril of it to attach to the box of fruit and carry it down into his arms he is happy when a heavy weight appears in his arms. Opening his eyes he grins as the box of fruit is in his arms.
Walking out of the pantry he goes over to the table and allows Athena to hop onto the table from her perch. Opening the huge box of fruits he sighs in relief, the fruit is in excellent condition and none of it is rotten. Quickly going over to the cabinets he pulls out a cutting board and a knife and brings them over to the table. Looking at Athena who is looking at the knife curiously he gently taps her beak with his index finger bringing her attention to him. "I want you to back up a little. I'm still learning how to cut food properly and I don't want you to get hurt if I drop the knife, okay?"
The owl backs up a few paces as she nods curtly to him. Aubrey pulls out the tomato first. He quickly dices it properly before setting the pieces closer to Athena, Mipsy takes them over to Athena and gives them to her. He reaches back into the box and pulls out a huge pineapple and carefully and slowly chops it up for her. After a few minutes he has it processed. Placing it in a bowl that Mipsy gives him he begins chopping up a few other fruits to make an assortment. After he has five of them, with different vitamin and nutrients in them, chopped up properly he gives the bowl to Athena.
When he turns to clean up the mess he finds the elves cleaning it up. For some reason he pouts at the lack of kitchen mess, the kitchen has always been his favorite chore since he loves cooking and is very good at it. Turning toward Athena he sees her eating with a dignity about her that just tells him she is special. Giggling at her he walks over to her side. "You are so sweet, I appreciate the fact that you are trying not to make a mess in your eagerness to eat. You have very good manners Athena. I am truly grateful." Athena tilts her head at him questioningly and hoots at him as if she heard things. Aubrey smiles at her as he gently pets her head.
"I've never had a friend who liked me for me. I really hope that we might be able to be friends. Either way I don't want you to hurt yourself any worse so when you need to go to places, like the bathroom, or to do something besides sit here, let one of the elves know and I'll try to help you out if I can. I doubt they know how to work the muggle appliances and all that." Athena gives her own birdy smile and nods her head deeply to him. Aubrey patiently waits for her to finish eating and he snatches the bowl before the elves could and takes it to the sink to wash it. Athena hoots at him questioningly as he continues washing the last of the dishes.
Looking back at her Aubrey has the decency to blush at his behavior. "The kitchen is my domain, I love to cook and I think I'm really good at it but I'm not really for sure about it. I'll have to make you a fruit salad one day so you can try it. Okay?" Athena hoots at him eagerly as a small piece of drool forms at the edge of her beak. Aubrey giggles at her and gently wipes the drool away bringing her attention back to him. "Sorry, you were drooling about the fruit salad." She grabs his arm and he holds it parallel to the table so she can climb onto him.
She stares at him for a brief moment before affectionately nipping his ear. Giggling again Aubrey knows it will be a very fruitful friendship that they have.
(*)
Aubrey stretches deeply after he has been allowed back into the refurbished cupboard. It has plenty of things to keep him occupied. Most of them includes scattered toys but he managed to keep the smile on his face. Athena is still perched on his shoulder. "Athena, is there anything you would like? I guess a perch with some entertainment would be a good start. Do you like books or toys more?" Athena hoots at him before motioning over to a small shelf where a few books neatly stand in very good organization from what he sees. "I like books too. What do you want to read about? I'd personally like to look at the runes or sigils myself but you may not like those."
Athena hoots as she tries to lean closer. Aubrey gently helps her to get close enough and she, oddly enough, picks out a very basic book on Ancient Runes used in the Norse areas. Aubrey smiles softly at her as he pets her head. "Let's read it together. I think that it will be interesting. Do you want for me to read it out loud?" Athena bobs her head happy with the thought and Aubrey begins reading to her about the runes.
"It says 'Oipo is formed of four lines in the shape of a diamond flag. It is associated with a fight. Inverted, it is associated with a dire deed. This is an important Sigil due to the good luck it brings in different fights and, when combined with out sigils, it wards off dire deeds done to the user.' Isn't that rather simple? Here is a picture of it." Aubrey shows her the picture of the first sigil and she hoots at him with appreciation. She gently nips his ears from where she is perched on his shoulder. Aubrey giggles as their reading time continues.
(*)
Five days pass in a similar manner, Aubrey learning alongside of Athena for all of three days before a real problem arose. Aubrey, being the sweet kid he is, has been feeding the elves and Athena with the family's food. "Mipsy, we are almost out of food... What are we going to do?" Mipsy giggles at him before she snaps her finger summoning a dirt encrusted elf into the kitchen.
Mipsy turns to the new elf and clears her throat. "We be's needing some food, Winny. Could you please fetch some for us?" Winny, as Aubrey has learned, is a gardener elf that the Potters have bred. Winny salutes Mipsy before he pops away silently. Moments later there is a huge pile of fresh foods packaged in front of them on the table. Aubrey smiles as he begins helping them put up the food and after a few moments it is as if none of the food had been taken at all. Somehow the store known as 'Wally-World' must have a magical side to it if they are able to get a hold of these foods.
Harry quietly picks out several fruits and some other stuff to make his Fruit Salad that he has the recipe for. Within a few scant minutes he has it inside of the fridge to set. Athena apparently loves grapes very much so he picks up the carton of grapes and heads toward his cupboard. Ducking his head to avoid hitting the doorframe he sees one of the elves allowing Athena to read quietly and he smiles, recently he has found out that she can read on her own. She is quite the intelligent owl. Quickly sitting in his chair he places a grape on the table in front of the table perch Mipsy found somewhere. Athena clicks her beak in excitement as she begins nibbling on the fruit.
(*)
Three weeks later and Aubrey is starting to get worried. His relatives said that they would only be gone for one week. They have been gone far longer. They also said that Auntie Marge would visit to check up on him. No such thing happened. He sighs as he goes into Dudley's bedroom and gets online. He reads through yesterday's email that he sent to Piers and told him that they had an accident and had to stay until at least September due to Vernon's injuries at the hands of a typhoon.
Sighing as he closes the computer down he goes back downstairs and checks on Athena. Her wing is almost completely healed and she will be able to try to fly in about a day or two, but today is when the bandage comes off. Thankfully Mipsy has taught him how to apply the bandage for her wing and he has been practicing a whole lot. She seems to be very fond of him and he can actually hold complete conversations with her, though they are one sided other than a hoot of encouragement, a nod or a shake of her head.
Aubrey carefully unwraps the bandage and sighs in relief when he wing moves without pain. She flaps her wings a few times and Aubrey grins happily at her. Then he frowns. "Athena?" She looks at him before flying up onto his taller shoulder from her former perch. "Do you want to stay with me, I love you like family but you probably have other places to be at and all that. I don't want to hold you down if you want to leave since that would be cruel so it is up to you, entirely." Athena hoots as she jumps into the air about three feet away from him. A bright light envelopes her and Aubrey watches with amazement as a Greek figure of myth appears in front of him.
Athena, the Goddess of wisdom, crafts and crafting, war tactics and owls stands before him in a toga like dress of some sort with an iron helm and a spear with a sword at her hip. Aubrey meeps at the sudden transformation and the truth that he may have offended a goddess of all things. He bows as low as it gets, kneeling on the ground he meekly responds, "Oh... Uh, I apologize for treating you like an ordinary owl, Lady Athena. Uh... Is there anything you want me to do?"
He nibbles on his lips a little before Athena's hand gently guide him into standing up. She forces him to look at her and she smiles genuinely at him. Aubrey has always been able to tell when an emotion is genuine. "Aubrey Ezra Gareth Jason Potter... I am very grateful for your assistance. Should you wish for such, and since you said I am like family, I would like to adopt you in a sense of the word. Are you willing to have a blood adoption potion from me?"
Aubrey sways in a half swoon as Athena guides him over to the nearby chair. He lowers his head to think about it for a few moments. Looking up he is surprised to see someone else in the room. "Excuse me, but who are you?"
The new woman with black hair, wizarding robes, and rainbow, color changing eyes turns to glance at him with a small, weak smile. "Aubrey, I am Hecate, the Goddess of Magic. Since you are one of my people Athena has asked me if she can give you a blood adoption potion. I highly suggest that such is done. It will get you out of the reach of that vile Dumb ol' Door who thinks he is wizarding royalty. He has placed you here with the intention of making sure that you are abused so you would be very meek. I have no intention of letting that happen. He even went as far as to create a faux prophecy just to get you to destroy the person he created. However, I cannot command you to accept Athena's offer though I think it is the wisest decision that you could ever make." Aubrey nods to her and turns to Athena from where she stands next to him.
"I accept. But I don't want to be forced to stay here a moment longer. I want to go where the rest of the Greek Demigods are at and to live there." Athena smiles widely at him as she nods to him with delight upon her face. Reaching over to Hecate she takes a potion from her and pulls her shortsword out a little. Cutting her palm on the blade she drips five drops of her ichor, or godly blood, into the potion. She hands it to Aubrey who quickly chugs it down. Aubrey gags the taste down before a wave of pain overcomes him. Thankfully he passes out before the pain can escalate much.
(*)
Aubrey wakes slowly but he feels someone prod his side gently. Groaning and rolling away from the person prodding him he yelps as he falls out of the bed. Looking around dizzily he sees that he is surrounded by a few children. One of them gently offers him his mothers trunk, shrunken in his hand. He is a little older than him but for some reason Aubrey knows where he is at. Gently taking his trunk from the blond haired, blue eyed boy.
"Hiya, Athena dropped you off outside the barrier a few hours ago. Said to take care of you for her. Thankfully we have been patrolling the border for a few days. Monsters keep coming in waves after us and a few of them keep bringing us stuff saying 'Its for Young Master Aubrey' and the Hecate cabin kids told us she meant you. So just to be on the cautious side we told them about you and what you looked like and they said you are who they talk about. Whatever they are they are adorable." The boy's rambling tells Aubrey that he is nervous for some reason. Gently standing up Aubrey slowly approaches him.
"Did you heal me?" Aubrey decides that it is best to pretend he had been hurt somehow. Most people loved helping hurt children.
The boy's features dim somewhat as he nods. "You were hurt pretty bad when you came in, you had several dozen bones healed wrong and dozens and dozens of bruises formed over your whole body. Athena told us that you had been in the care of your Aunt Petunia and she told us she'd kill us if we ever allowed a guy named Dumbledore near you. Said he was the one who sent you to be abused after your dad died." Aubrey clutches his trunk to his side before a few campers outside begins chatting with excitement. One of them runs into the cabin and grabs him with a huge grin on his face.
"You know Thalia's Tree?" The boy nods and the new kid bounces in excitement. "Well, the golden thing has a side effect, Thalia is alive again!" The kid gapes at him and sighs deeply.
"Who's Thalia?" The two of them look at Aubrey and the new kid blinks at him.
"Is he healthy? He looks a little too skinny." The boy comments after his question. Aubrey looks down and shuffles his feet nervously as the blond whacks the black haired teenager.
"Scat, he is my patient and you will not make him depressed!" The boy scrambles for the exit as if terrified and Aubrey giggles at the obvious fear the boy displays. "Sorry about that, I'm Will Solace. It is nice to meet you Aubrey."
Aubrey looks up at him with a wide smile and nods to him in turn. "I like you, you scare people. Hehehe!" Will laughs at his happiness and gently takes Aubrey's hand in his own.
"Well I like you too, you and your 'friends' are very sweet. Mipsy even brought me some hot chocolate when she somehow managed to sneak inside of the ward protecting us." Aubrey looks around and begins following Will and he leads him away and into the sunshine. Aubrey looks around and sees a few wounded campers. Frowning at the fact that there is so many of them wounded he is distracted by a girl cooing at him.
He flinches away from her earning worried looks. The girl sighs and backs away. "You are so adorable! I'm Clarisse, head of the Ares Kids." Aubrey looks up at her and hums thoughtfully before smiling at her.
"Cool, I'm Aubrey, Athena is my new mom." He says without noticing the womans' confusion.
"Eh? New mom?" Aubrey nods and puts his trunk onto the ground. He taps the top of it and it grows to its regular size. He pulls out a rarer potions book and turns to a certain page telling about the Blood Adoption Potion. He hands it to her and patiently waits for her to read it. She glares at the pages before a weird goat man takes it from her and reads about the Magic Potion. He looks at Aubrey and grins at him.
"You must have done something especially good to convince Athena to adopt you. May I know what it was?" Aubrey fidgets nervously and shuffles closer to Will.
"I found a hurt owl being attacked by some hairless wolf or something. I had Mipsy attack the dog and it left but a few weeks later when the Owl healed it turned into Athena and I freaked. I never thought I'd meet a goddess of all things. Then the next thing I know Hecate is in the room telling me about the blood adoption potion and insisting I take it. I happily complied. I don't want to be a freak forever, Aunt Petunia told me that it what I am." He looks up at Clarisse and sees a smouldering look in her eyes. He squeaks and hides behind Will. Clarisse stomps away and Will gently picks him up as he buries his face into his side.
"Hey, she isn't made at you she is mad at Petunia. She should have never been given you and you are just too sweet for that evil old woman. I bet she doesn't even know how to love anything but herself and probably her status. I already hate the woman but all of us here care about you. Most of us thought you were adorable when Athena literally dumped you into my arms before she commented about you needing medical attention. I panicked at the though of such an angel being abused or hurt. Don't cry, we promise to take care of you and though some of us get mad at times we will always love you very dearly. Okay?" Aubrey sniffles as he mutely nods to him before someone walks up to him and Aubrey feels him staring at him as if confused. Turning around he sees a brown haired boy with blue eyes and he feels like water.
Blinking as he sees a few threads of water floating around him he reaches out and grabs one causing the boy to yelp as water spews out of the ground. Aubrey giggles at the sound the boy makes before reaching for another one. He dodges and backs away. Aubrey pouts and pretends to tear up. The boy panics, "Ah, don't cry I'll do anything!" Aubrey sniffs at him.
"Cartwheels." The boy begins attempting and failing to do cartwheels making him laugh loudly. Suddenly the boy whacks into a tree and groans in pain from his position on the ground. Wiggling to get free Will cautiously puts him down. He makes his way over to him and sees that his forehead has a bruise and a bump. Reaching out with his hand he focuses on healing the bruise and the bump and feels his magic react. Opening his eyes he sees Will beside him gaping at him.
Aubrey giggles at Will's stupid look along with a brown haired gray eyed girl who has been watching from the side laughing at her friend. "Hahaha! Will, you have a stupid look on your face!" He turns to her and clears his throat.
"Anabeth, meet your brother." The girl gives him a sharp look at Aubrey who laughs again before pausing and seeing the angry look in her eyes.
"Mipsy!" The elf appears rapidly as Aubrey hides behind her. She turns to look at Anabeth and summons two frying pans and growls at her. Will laughs at her own stupid look earning a swat on the head.
"What is that?!" The goat boy walks over from before and places the book into her hand. She begins reading before she gapes at the book and Aubrey begins giggling again and falls onto the grass. "So my mom gave a blood adoption potion?" Aubrey looks at her and nods to her deeply. She sighs even deeper then he nods and groans out loud.
(*)
Aubrey sighs deeply, he has this awesome cabin built just for him but it feels awfully lonely. In the past month he has been here it has been fun though so it is okay. Looking around he sees that there is at least a dozen bookshelves full of books telling him about magic that wasn't there before. Sighing he decides that it would be wise to go ahead and begin studying for school again, but the magical version again.
(*)
Another month passed without being noticeable until two demigod siblings appeared. Aubrey stares at the girl that sniffs disdainfully at the boy about his size. The two of them are both about ten years old and it makes him mad. His sister isn't even trying to make the others be nice to her full blooded brother. Stomping over to her from the edges of the ring surrounding the two groups, (one being Percy and his friends with the Di Angelo boy and the other being the hunters of Artemis with the Di Angelo girl.)
Clearing his throat causes everyone to look at him and glares hatefully at the eleven year old girl. "You meany! Why the on earth are you allowing these bullies to be mean your brother?! Are you so dumb that you need to be caged like an animal?! He loves you for who you are yet you are starting to hate him for being a boy like the rest of the girls of Artemis! What on earth do you think you are doing! Or would you rather the bond between the two of you be broken and you never have another brother ever the again?! Or would you rather I kill him right in front of you?!" The boy rapidly backs away and the woman in the group glare at him.
"What the do you even know about being a woman?! You won't ever give birth to any children by your own body so shut up!" The leader of the girls snarl at him. Aubrey looks at her confused before he starts laughing really hard.
"Oh gods, I pity you. Did you not know that Hecate has a technique, a potion to be exact, that can get a boy pregnant? Or are you too dumb to be taught anything. Besides that seeing as I am a descendant of Hecate's children myself I already have a bloody womb, you big meany!" Aubrey hears many of the children gasp at the news before one of the girls step forward out of curiosity.
"If I can find I womb on you I'll believe you. May I search you?" Aubrey blinks at the information before nodding curtly to her. She comes forward and lifts his shirt before pressing different spots on his belly. "GODS HE HAS ONE!" She screams before fainting for some reason. Aubrey just begins giggling wildly with amusement before he trips and yelps as he lands in the grass at the Di Angelo boy's feet.
Standing up as he start to calm he see every camper staring at him for some reason. "What? Is there something on my face?" He begins patting his face before he is tackled by the Di Angelo boy. Grunting as his pain flares up a little again he flinches. The boy doesn't notice.
"You are so sweet! Nobody has ever defended me against my sister before. I like you." Aubrey gently begins unwinding his arms from his waist before turning to him and smiling softly.
"Well I lived with abusive mundanes all my life so I don't like seeing others abused by their own kinfolk like I was." You could have heard a pin drop from the revelation. Aubrey gently takes Nico's hand into his own and drags him away chattering happily to the young boy. Thankfully the crowd parts around them. Aubrey knows that the rest of the campers who are male gays will be trying to get into his pants now but he felt that it is well worth it to prove a dumb Artemis girl wrong. "This is my cabin. It gets lonely here so if you ever feel like hanging out or crying just come here to talk to me about it. I will try to help you out whenever I am able to."
Nico smiles brightly as they two of them look around the rather large cabin. "Can I read your books? They look interesting, especially the one about familiars." Aubrey blinks owlishly before shrugging off the fact he can read English. Pulling it off the shelf he hands it to the boy and allows him to read the book. After a few hours Aubrey hears an almost silent pop that Nico doesn't notice. Seeing Mipsy looking at the boy warily Aubrey whistles shrilly at her startling Nico.
"Mipsy, come meet Nico!" Mipsy comes out of hiding and looks cautiously at Nico to gauge his reaction to her. She blinks when she sees delight. Before she decides to move Nico is at her side cooing at her adorableness. Aubrey giggles at the two who like each other fairly well.
"...and that is why Aubrey is so cool! Bianca wouldn't even let me read any of her books and felt that they weren't appropriate for me. If you like Aubrey as much as you say we will get along fine." Nico hugs Mipsy gently and his stomach rumbles at her.
"Mipsy brings Young Masters food!" Mipsy walks over to the table and snaps her fingers summoning a whole lot of food to the table. On the center of the table is an average sized bowl with flames burning brightly.
"Thank you Mipsy, you are dismissed if you wish to leave." Mipsy shakes her head at him, she has been sneaking him nutrition potions often and she is the one who helped him to glamor his scars so that nobody would see them. He has no doubt that the girl who found his womb discovered the scars even if she didn't know what they were. Hearing a knocking at the door Aubrey motions for Nico to wait and he nods. Rushing over to the flap opening to the tent like cabin he sees a few hunters of Artemis arguing over something.
"But it isn't even like he cares about us not wanting to get pregnant or losing our virginity!" One girl hisses in her whisper. Closing the curtain he clears his throat softly and they whirl to face him. He blinks when he sees food shoved at him from a few of them. Looking at it he doesn't try to hide his confusion. Looking up at them he tilts his head questioningly.
"A few of us thought that the two of you would be hungry. We also thought that since you have a girls reproduction part that you would need food to heal from the abuse you mentioned. A few of us don't see it that way and we've been arguing about it ever since you left Bianca with us. Once we realized why you were so mad we thought about it and seen that it made sense as they both have the exact same parents. We all loved our human siblings and though we don't associate with our halfblood siblings we do care that they will survive at the very least." Aubrey smiles genuinely at them and motions for them to wait outside.
Peeping his head inside he sees Mipsy cutting the meat up into bite sizes. "Psst! Mipsy! Come here cutie pie!" She uses a little magic to make the knives and forks continue cutting as she bounces over to him. He opens the flap and allows her to see the food. She blinks before tearing up.
"Mipsy wanted to feed Master Potter!" She wails pitifully as she begins crying.
"These are for Nico. They felt bad about his full blooded sister hating him and decided to gift him with this in hopes that he doesn't see them as badly as he does his sister." Mipsy stops her wailing before giving a hundred watt smile as she squeals happily. She begins grabbing the few plates there is and she carries them inside and Aubrey sighs in audible relief.
Looking at the girls who are still trying to look at her he giggles. "Mipsy is a house elf, or like the British Brownie Fae. She likes me a lot for some reason and decided to bond her magic to my own. Why I don't know but she could have chosen somebody stronger. She would die without the bond and that is the only reason I don't send her away. She is a good friend even if a little eccentric. She has pulled a pair of frying pans out and tried attacking Anabeth when she made me cry once. I thought it was very funny myself but I made sure she wasn't hurt, she is related to me and I don't want anyone hurt. I plan on learning healing magics myself but I'll have to finish schooling first." The girls stop glaring to nod in understanding after he mentions them dying and they frown at the elf currently entertaining Nico.
"Well, sorry for our earlier behavior, Aubrey. We have to go now but hopefully you heal well, we noticed that you flinched when Nico hugged you." One girl with blond hair says to him and he nods to them.
"I didn't think anybody noticed, I will forgive you if you refrain from mentioning the wounds to anyone." Hearing someone clear their throat from behind him he slowly turns around and comes face to face with Will Solace. "Hehehehe... Hiya Will. Um, what have you been up to?" Aubrey starts inching away as if preparing to run when one of the girls giggle distracting him long enough for Will to grab his shoulder.
"Aubrey... Take the illusion off, now." Will demands and Aubrey sighs as he waves his hand letting it drop. The girls flinch visibly at the crisscrossing scars that obviously came from torture and child abuse. A few of them are red and irritated from the scratching of his clothes and bandages on them. Aubrey sighs as he waves for the girls to leave and enters his tent only to see the dawning look of realization on Nico's face.
"Don't worry, Aubrey will be fine once I finish tending to his wounds again. If he'd sit still they would have already been healed by now." Nico looks at Will with confusion and Aubrey knows that it is going to be a long time before Will starts treating him like he knows what he is doing.