The champion of Hecate.
Chapter 1
The hype for Harry Potter
Harry Potter, the boy who lived, the child that had surprised and amazed the wizarding world like few people ever had. The hero, their savior meant many things to many people. To some, he was just that, a hero that saved them from an evil so terrible that people did not dare speak his name, even years after he had been gone. To some, he was an object of pure fascination. How did he survive when many other powerful, strong wizards failed to do so? How could a mere toddler destroy the greatest Dark Lord there ever was? To some, he was the object of their fury. He had after all vanquished their master and left them to rot, some to Azkaban and some to the infuriating mundane life. Be it as a friend or foe, Harry Potter was the object of conversation of many.
Harry Potter was a celebrity even if the boy in question was not aware of the full detail of his fame. There were books written about him, ranging from texts pertaining to the dark arts to the fiction novellas that everyone loved. There were merchandise sold relating to him, they all showed a boy with the famous Potter hair and the lightning bolt scar. There were bed-time stories about him even, filling the minds of young impressionable wizards and witches about the dashing powerful hero. Many even tried sending him letters, but those letters somehow found their way back to the writer, unopened and exactly the same as they were sent.
While not everyone was a Harry Potter fan, the ones on the other team hid it well. They had to, lest they be named a supporter of the tyrannical You-know-who. The supposedly imperuised supporters did not want to get back on the boat they'd only just narrowly escaped upon, so they left their fury and true beliefs inside locked rooms and plotted. Many attempts were made to find the location of one Harry Potter and to finish the job their Master had started. But they always failed. Nothing worked in their favor, it was as if the boy had vanished from the very face of earth.
But of course, they were wizards who'd simply assumed that the farthest Harry Potter could go was muggle world, which to them limited only to Britain. One daring member had suggested that he could be in other magical nations, but so far the search had yielded nothing.
Even Albus Dumbledore did not know where Harry Potter was. He'd given the boy to the grieving Petunia Dursley and had never heard of them since. Her husband, Vernon Dursley had explained that they would be far away for the child's safety and had left without giving a clue about their whereabouts. Albus had the impression that Lily had made contingencies in case the worst happened he did not comment on it. He was still puzzled about many things considering the Dursley household, so much was a mystery to him. He eventually let things go, the most vital thing was that he was with Lily's sister. The blood magic would be in effect, Lily's protection would not be damaged.
As the boy's eleventh birthday drew near, the people's anticipation grew. This would be the year the boy who lived would follow in his parents footsteps and attend Hogwarts. This would be their chance to see and admire the boy wonder.
In the years prior many had assumed that the story about the boy who lived was false. For how could a mere boy survive and vanquish an enemy so powerful that grown men, powerful men cowered before them. The Society of Scepticism, was thus formed centering those beliefs. The Society was still young but included many impressionable wizards and witches, and some with considerable power in this world. It is of course one of the best kept secrets of the British wizarding world, many things a secret to even the members themselves.
The Society was just what it claimed it was. It was a group of people who were sceptic to many a things that was happening in the wizarding world. It was a group of people who did not take many a things for granted and instead chose to look at things from different directions. It was a group of people always questioning things, always adamant in their belief that there much of what they see is not what it looks life. The people who believed that there is an underlying secret to everyone and everything. It is a group of people who believe that there is a conspiracy afoot, and it is vital that everyone was aware of it.
The main belief the Society had was the fact that there was no boy who lived. They believed that the entire thing was a conspiracy of the Ministry to brainwash the general public and make them weaker. Since they were wizards, the only way they could be brainwashed was through subtle methods like these. They believed that the point of the entire thing was to increase their dependency in one person, which would open the doors to many more things to come. Otherwise what other explanation was there?
The Society members disagreed on many things beside that. Many believed that You-know-who was not dead and would strike when they would be the weakest, years after his supposed defeat. Many years prior, when he-who-must-not-be-named was just starting to be a threat, many of those conspiracy theorists had thought that he was working with the ministry to bring them down but as his methods got more and more darker, they had to relent.
The secrecy of the Society was so strong that even Fidelius paled before it. No one knew what their leader had done or how he'd done it, but it was strong. All of them had felt the enchantment protecting them, protecting their knowledge envelop them after their first meeting. The enchantment was always there after that, protecting their identities inside the Society and their knowledge outside of it.
Their meeting was the first thing the members found shocking after getting into this elusive group. They would not have remained much of a secret if their meeting was conventional. Nosy neighbours, concerned family members, jealous friends, would be the first to notice when people disappear for hours on end, and especially if the disappearance is routine. But no one would find out about this easily, for the meeting only happened once people were snoring off to dreamland.
It was all interesting to the wizardfolk. There was a myth surrounding exceptionally powerful wizards. It is believed that many years ago there were a group of wizards and witches, all exceptionally talented in one or many fields. Among those, there were some who could control people through many of the people present did not know about this fact comma most of the purebloods present did. Regardless of their knowledge about something that could or could not be true, they accepted the fact that the leader was a powerful wizard nevertheless. Some even thought that it was not just the man that made lead them that was powerful but the entire group people that seem to orchestrate this were too.
Some of the bigger conspiracy nutjobs even thought this was a conspiracy. There was something about a secret group that just reeked of conspiracy to world domination. Never mind the fact that for the Society to be so, it'd destroy any and all conspiracy theory they had. They would not budge from their beliefs. Why would a group of powerful witches and wizards found this society then? Someone of course had an answer to that.
After a lengthy conversation that involved lots of sandwich waving around, and even bigger trade of insults, the general consensus among the fighting parties was that the Society had been around for a long time, and had dissolved partially due to the tyrannical rise of power of He-who-must-not-be-named. It solved many small mysteries the people had. Many things including the gemstone codenames of the main seven, the powerful enchantments, the robes masking any and all things that could be noticed about a person's real identity could be explained by the Society being as old and rich and powerful as they were. The seven people, who were sitting on the podium, twin looks of amusement evident in their hood covered faces, were believed to be the only survivors of the previous Society.
Obsidian smiled as he looked at the wide group of wizards and witches who were present in this dreamscape. The number was rising as was the hype for Harry Potter. Everything was going according to plan. Everyone was talking about Harry Potter, everyone was looking forward to his arrival, albeit with a more critical eye than endearing. No one expected him to be the second coming of Merlin. They all seemed to accept the fact that he was just a child who was roped into this and will be manipulated by the Ministry as the years go by. Petunia, as Ruby had done an exceptional job convincing the people that he was just a mere child, a victim of the Ministry as they all were. He didn't expect to change an entire decade worth of beliefs in just a few years but it will eventually. Rome wasn't built in a day, after all.
With the peoples perceptions on the Boy-who-lived and the greatest Dark Lord ever changing little by little, the wizarding world was changing, one person at a time. Riddle would be in for a surprise when he finally manages to reincarnate himself.
Obsidian would've complained about the Gods dumping an extraordinary load upon his shoulders and expecting him to do succeed in doing multiple things, but he was enjoying himself too much to do so. As were his friends, he observed as they looked on on the members of the little society discussing one farfetched conspiracy and others more like these.
The Throne Room
Hades' Palace, Underworld
Harry Potter was nervous. The fact that he was standing in one of the most creepy and ominous throne room was not helping matters much. The reason for his nervousness was the fact that he would be meeting Hecate, the Lady of Magic and Mist for the first time. It wasn't as if Harry hadn't met any Gods or Goddesses before. Mr. D at Camp Half-Blood was one, and a rather hilarious encounter with Apollo had left him with a beautiful mane of hair. But Hecate was different. He was his Champion and he did not know what he was supposed to do regarding that.
"You seem troubled, young champion." The ethereal voice snapped him out of his reverie. Hecate stood there, clad in a dark sleeveless gown, devoid of the two animals that typically surrounded her. "Lady Hecate." He immediately knelt down in the usual greeting.
"Rise young hero." Hecate said almost dismissively. He did so, and unsure of how to reply her comment, stayed quiet.
"Let's get out of this place now, shall we?" She started walking motioning for Harry to follow her.
Not daring to look and face the horrors of the Underworld, Harry did as he was told to. He fixated his eyes to the Goddess in question and followed her. They seemed to be going somewhere towards the edge of the Underworld, Harry mused, if he took the Throne Room to be the center of Hades' Realm. They seemed to be moving outward and outward with each turn. Half-expecting some demon to jump and try to kill him, he moved a bit faster.
Hecate stopped at a door, and waited for Harry to catch up. According to the map of this place, and the distance they'd travelled, Harry thought it was in the far end of Hades' palace, the rest of the Underworld, including the entrance to this place, just right around the corner.
He looked at the door when he finally halted. It was just an ordinary door, no different from the rest in this palace, but it felt different. There was something about this door, no something about the place that this door lead to that was evident to Harry. And besides this had to be important somehow or otherwise Hecate would not have lead him here.
Looking at the curious look in the child's face Hecate smiled. "This door is the entrance to my chambers." She informed him. Harry looked at her, his curiosity doubled, and the childish face urging her to continue. "Beyond this door lies many wondrous things. But before you go in, Harry Potter, know one thing. Beyond this door, magic itself lies. She is alive and playful, and she likes children particularly those with affinity to her. Do not anger her, Harry Potter, you will not like the consequences."
"Now." She said, her voice back to the ethereal soft tone, her face angled towards Harry, smiling a soft smile. "Go on in dear. She likes visitors."
Half parts nervous and scared, half parts curious and excited, Harry grasped the handle uncertainty. Everything sounded so cool and wonderful, but he couldn't ignore the warning echoing inside his head. What if he did something bad inadvertently? Will he lose his ability if he angered Magic? He couldn't bear the thought of that. He liked having magic within him, it filled him with such warm fuzziness. He liked it when he could perform amazing tricks, summon things when he wanted. He turned the handle, trying to clear his minds of thoughts like these. This was his first time meeting Hecate and he couldn't do anything to anger her. As he opened the door, Hecate's words filled his mind. Just what wondrous thing could be inside here? How amazing would it be to be able to interact with magic herself? Bracing himself, he took a step in what appeared to be darkness.
One second he was in the dark and ominous Underworld, with skulls on every five steps and everything seeming dark and gloomy and the next he was in the middle of multitude of colours enveloping them. It was awesome and the most wonderful place on all realms. A little voice inside of him told him that something this bright and this colourful shouldn't exist and that he should've have been affected by this level of intensity, but he pushed the voice of reason aside and instead chose to look at everything around him.
He couldn't describe everything that was happening even with the intensive vocabulary he had. Everything seemed awesome in this place. He turned around to look, he took steps back and front, he tried to take everything that was here. It was so soothing, so calming. The multitude of shapes and colours filled his heart with such ease and content. All his previous worries, the nervousness, everything vanished at this amazing sight. He felt such ease wash over him, the fuzzy feeling inside of him growing and making him feel so good.
This, he supposed was Paradise. What else could it be? It was everything and nothing he ever imagined before. It was wonderful, it was amazing, it was the very definition of Elysium. Harry could stay in this place forever, happy and content with everything. He took more steps forward, the ever changing atmosphere around him, swirling and moving, the bright colours filling his mind with such happiness that he wished lasted forever. Every happy memory he had filled his mind, joy enveloping his very essence. The Camp, the kids at the Hermes cabin, Dud and he pranking the Athena cabin, the fun times he'd had with his family and friends filled him as the brightness grew even more bright and fulfilling.
But not all was okay. There was a single dark spot that had appeared in the distance. Harry moved towards that spot, his smiling face dropping slowly. Things around him started to change, dim colours turned darker, the bright ones turned dim, some almost on the verge of disappearing as his worry grew. He was filled with dread and hatred at the dark spot for ruining everything. The hatred grew as he got near and the atmosphere turned cold. He was about to touch the source of his troubles when he was suddenly yanked out of there.
He knew he had done something wrong. He had angered Hecate and the Goddess wouldn't take too nicely at him for that. So, it was with an apologetic and sad face that greeted Hecate. Harry didn't know how he'd managed to destroy everything in a single instant. He knew the Goddess would be furious with him now. He didn't know the extent of his doing, but he was so sure it was bad. So when Hecate's soft smile greeted him, he didn't know what to do.
"It's all right young Harry. Do not fret, you did no wrong." Her words helped Harry considerably, it carried so much power within it. "You are too young for such darker magics now. It'd have harmed you considerably, destroyed you even." She explained, her face grim.
"I apologize for the inconvenience I caused you. Thank you, Lady Hecate for saving me." He bowed respectfully and sincerely.
It was only after that that Harry took notice of the room he was in. He was considerably calmer now, though not as much as he'd been after just entering this place. It was shaped just like an ordinary room, it looked just like any other palace but it felt more calm and peaceful here than any other place in Harry's opinion. The very air was soothing to him, and combined with all the extraordinary things in the ordinary room, it was easily the best place he'd been in.
Hecate sat down in one of the plush sofas lying around and tapped for the seat beside her. Harry sat down dutifully and faced her. "Now dear. You must be wondering why I asked you to come here and just what being my Champion entrails."
Harry nodded, she continued. "Before we go into the full details of that, tell me dear, what have you been told of the wizarding world and your destiny there?" She asked.
"I'm afraid I do not know much. Aunt Petunia told me that dark wizard who went by the name of Voldemort tried to kill me when I was a child because a prophecy spoke of his demise by my hands. After killing my parents, he tried to kill me but my mother put some protection around me and I ended up destroying him. Aunt Petunia told me that he is not actually dead and that as I was still the prophecy child, he would try to finish what he started and eventually I will have to fulfill the prophecy. She did not elaborate much on the prophecy or the wizard's death."
Hecate nodded. "The prophecy is a odd one, even among wizard kind. If I remember correctly it was delivered by one having Cassandra's lineage. They still retained the gift as well as the curse. The prophecy is a odd one, because it is transparent yet complex at the same time. If I could give you the prophecy in full detail I would but when I promised not to interfere too much on the workings of the world of wizards.
"You see I was curious how they'd grow if left alone. It was so long ago that I left them be. I was so very curious as to what few mortals with the power of magic would accomplish on their own. Now, they have an entire hidden society, with more and more people getting the power to manipulate magic than ever before. Magic herself favors those people, especially those who bring new blood into that world. I can go into the world, I can interact with wizards and witches but I cannot interfere much, even when I want to."
Harry understood, for the first time what being the Champion of Hecate meant. She couldn't interfere so it was his responsibility to right whatever wrong that had happened in the wizarding world. He was sure of the fact that the wizarding world wasn't perfect, no society was. Every light created a shadow somewhere.
"But that is not all." Hecate continued. "Petunia couldn't tell you the full details of this wizard's death. It is because she herself doesn't know. It is perhaps one of the best kept secrets. Only a few people know of it and they are working towards nullifying it. But since you are my champion, I will let you in the details. Do not worry about inadvertently leaking it, whatever is said in this place will be protected. It is in the very nature of Magic to protect its secrets."
Harry nodded, eager to listen to what Hecate was telling him. "People generally want to avoid Death. It is in their very nature to want to live on forever. While wizards do have a bigger life expectancy as compared to a normal muggle, it means that they go into much bigger lengths to avoid dying."
Harry's eyes widened as the implications sank in. The chosen name of the dark wizard, the prophecy, many things made sense now. "As if said before, many are working towards neutralizing it. You are too young to get yourself involved into such darker magics. Despite saying that, there might be some information that you are privy to and some things that you might come across to. I trust that you'd relay this information to me should you come across it?" She said, her voice inquisitive and demanding.
Harry understood and nodded solemnly. "Of course Lady Hecate." His tone sincere and respectful. He could not imagine doing anything other than that. He was her chosen after all.
"Very well. Now that matter is finished, let's talk about the wizarding world. You are still very young, Harry Potter, I do not wish to burden you with weight you cannot carry. But in the time I've let it to flourish, the wizarding world has had its share of conflict that has left it in a much damaged condition. It is far from what I wanted it to be. The world you are about to enter is filled with bigotry and hatred. There are many people who want you dead. And on the other end of the spectrum, there are many people who think you are a powerful hero despite your age."
Harry had heard little about the state of the wizarding world and the darkness that had temporarily gone due to his mother's sacrifice but he understood. Aunt Petunia had told him that the wizards were desperate in needing a hero. Someone to oppose the great evil that Voldemort had brought. He did not think that the wizards were that stupid to believe that a mere child had accomplished where many had failed but nevertheless he understood.
"Although, many steps are being taken to dissuade people of the notion that you are so mighty hero, it will be some time before anything noteworthy happens. It will prove detrimental to the long term should we use the popularity that has befallen you, such fame and power has a tendency to fall back and destroy things when one needs it the most. In order to get your standing in the wizarding world, you will have to earn it and not rely on what happened to you as a babe.
"It will be a while for your popularity to fade however. So, you will need to navigate through this world that thinks so highly of you. You will need a constant companion, someone to help you do so. You are close to your cousin, yes?" Her eyes were smiling and playful.
Harry stared at her with his mouth open. Disbelief and shock and a twinge of excitement painted his face. "But he isn't…. I mean you technically could… But but but. I… I..." He was at a loss of words.
He took a few seconds to calm himself down and fully comprehend what Hecate was saying. He took a few deep breaths and said. "Thank you Lady Hecate. I really cannot thank you enough for this. I promise I will not let you down." He was smiling so bright that it would've blinded a mortal looking at him.
"It is the least I can do for you young champion." She replied her face soft and kind, the everlasting smile on her face growing at the child's excitement and his failure at concealing it. It was all too cute to see the young child try to regain his composure. He had been trying, and rather successfully at that too, at acting so mature at her presence that it brought the greatest of joys to her to see him behave like a child his age.
"Before I let you go Harry Potter know this. Knowledge is Power and it'd do you good to keep your strengths to yourself." Harry nodded, the message fully understood by him.
"I am afraid I can not let you with your guardians just yet young Harry. Lord Hades requires your presence and your help in doing a certain task for him. Something about wizards being able to escape death gets on his nerves and he requests your assistance. Do not fret young one, he is not as deadly and dark and evil as you seem to think he is." She looked like she wanted to laugh at the sour and panicky expression in the child's face.
Harry gulped, Hecate's words not really soothing him at the thought of his approaching meeting with the King of the Underworld. Suddenly a door materialized out of nowhere and Hecate motioned him towards it, telling him it would lead him right back to where she obtained him from and that Lord Hades was waiting for him there. He took a few deep breaths and braced himself as he opened the door and let the overwhelming darkness envelop him.
Author's Note:
All done. The Society thing kinda got out of hand. It was just a silly little idea that seemed to grow so much. but Obsidian's having a lot of fun, and so am I. This chapter was a bit haphazard and with the pov shifts, I apologize for that. The rest will perhaps focus solely on Harry. It's his story, after all.
Thank you for all those who felt intrigued by my was nice to know so many people liked it. I hope you like this chapter as well. I have decided to update this weekly, and on Sundays because I'm a poor student who only has Sundays off. But who knows, I might update this even sooner. I like writing this so much.
Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. I may have had more than a few mistakes, feel free to point it out.
Until next time.