I know it's been awhile, and I'm really sorry! I'm having a lot of trouble writing this part and I have no idea why. It literally took me two weeks just to write a paragraph of this chapter. The problem is I keep getting these great ideas for this story, but they're all for later in the story so I end up getting bored writing these parts. Oh well, I'll push through this and hopefully finish first year by April, but I can't make any promises.

Chapter 9: A Son of Hermes

I honestly couldn't tell you how long I was out for, a day, a week maybe? But when I woke up I had absolutely know idea where I was. The room was white, with a semi circle of beds around the room. There weren't really very many other people in the room, except for a middle aged witch who was straightening the sheets on one bed and humming to herself. I recognized this place, it was the Hospital Wing. I really do seem to end up waking up in some type on infirmary a lot, don't I? Oh well, guess that can happen when you're a half- blood. No scratch that, it will most defiantly happen if you're a half- blood witch.

But why was I here? I let out a small groan of both frustration and pain, making the middle aged witch, who I now knew was Madam Pomfrey, look up at my bed. "Oh good, you're up dear. I was wondering how long you'd be out." She said.

I sat up, rubbing my head, and was shocked to feel that there were bandages around my head. "Wh- what happened?" I asked as I patted my head gingerly.

"Oh dear, don't you remember? You were attacked by that troll. Those three friends of yours have been worried sick! I'd say they would've stayed by your side for days, if I hadn't kicked them out about an hour ago so that they could sleep."
"My three friends? Oh, you mean Harry, Ron, and Hermione. How long were they here for?"

"They've been here all night! You gave all of us quite a scare, Annie." I smiled warmly at her. Madam Pomfrey reminded me so much of everything I loved about Aunt Charlotte. She just had that motherly kindness that made you like her.

"Was it really that bad?" I asked nervously.

Madam Pomfrey grimaced slightly. "It was horrible when you were first brought here. Blood pouring out of your- no I don't need to talk about things like that. The point is, it was a rather nasty blow to your head. You might've suffered from amnesia if you hadn't been brought up here quickly for me to tend to you."

I shivered despite myself. "How long do I have to stay here?"

Madam Pomfrey just shrugged. "We'll see how you're doing tomorrow morning. In the meantime, why don't you get some rest. No doubt Harry, Ron and Hermione will be up here the second classes get out."

At the time I just laughed off the thought, certain that the three of them had much better things to do than stalk my sick bed. It was only after I had just decided to close my eyes and attempt to go back to sleep that I changed that thought.

"Hey Annie! Glad to see you're up!" Came the cheery voice of Ron. I grunted painfully and rolled over.

"Hey yourself." I muttered, as I opened my eyes groggily.

Hermione cracked a small smile. "How have you been feeling?" She asked quietly, and by this I could tell that she felt like this was all her fault. Like I would have never been hurt if she hadn't been there.

I gave her a reassuring smile. "I feel great… well not great, but good for just being whacked in the head by a troll's club. I heard it was rather nasty."

Ron snorted. "If by rather nasty you mean absolutely disgusting. Merlin Annie, there was blood everywhere!" Hermione stomped on his foot, which made me giggle quietly.

"It's alright Hermione, honestly. The only thing that's really bugging me is the fact that I'm stuck here for the rest of the day. I hate feeling so useless."

The three of them managed sympathetic smiles and settled down around my bed. I noticed that the three of them seemed really friendly, and even more surprising, Ron hadn't said one tactless thing to Hermione since they got here. The thought that they might actually all be friends made me smile widely. "What are you so happy about?" Ron asked, eyeing my expression cautiously.

"Oh, nothing. So I suppose you guys are all friends now?"

Harry nodded. "Guess there's some things that you just can't go through without become friends. Fighting a troll's one of them." I laughed.

"I guess I know what you mean. I remember one time Travis, Connor, and I had to- you know what never mind. I'm just glad you guys are friends."

Just then Madam Pomfrey came over and shooed them away. "She needs her rest. Head injuries are very delicate and I don't want her straining herself. Besides, don't you three have class?"

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh my goodness, you're right! Ron, Harry we have to get going. You know what Professor Snape's like when people walk in late!" Ron and Harry looked a little disgruntled but didn't say anything and followed her out the door. I smiled happily as I lay my head down on my pillow. Some things will never change.

…

It seemed like forever before Madam Pomfrey left the hospital wing and retired to her quarters, which were unfortunately right next to the hospital wing. Other than that, I was alone. None of the other students had to stay overnight like I did, which was lucky on my part. I didn't really want to explain to anybody why I was sneaking out.

I stayed in bed for another hour before I was certain that Madam Pomfrey was asleep and wouldn't hear me get up. I stepped out cautiously and slipped on my tennis shoes that were laid neatly beside my bed. I wished I had a coat, as it was most definitely chilly outside, but I didn't have one with me and I didn't think it was smart to go back to my dormitory and grab mine. Oh well, I'd just have to suck it up and deal with it.

The walk out of the castle was absolutely terrifying to say the least. I kept stopping to hide behind a statue, certain that I heard footsteps, but they were in fact just my imagination. Once I had composed myself, I dared to step out from behind the statue and continue my walk to the Forbidden Forest.

As soon as I stepped outside my breath caught in my throat. I knew it would be chilly, but I never expected it to be this cold! It was only November. My teeth chattered noisily as I walked past Hagrid's hut and into the heavily wooded forest. Even though I hadn't been to the clearing in awhile, I was pretty sure I knew where it was. It was about a ten minute walk into the forest, past a strange looking boulder, and right beyond the moss covered log… I think. The truth was, I was just about as lost as the first time I dared to wander into the woods.

It took me about thirty minutes, most of which were spent wandering aimlessly around in a circle, but I finally found it. By this time my hands were numb from the cold and the only thing I could think about was staggering back to the hospital wing and snuggling up underneath the warm, toasty, comfortable covers. I shook the thought out of my head. It had been forever since I had last talked to Connor and Travis and I really missed them.

I fished around in my pocket for the golden drachma that I always kept on me, and was about to through it into the mist when a horrible thought struck me. It was night and there was no sun out. No sun meant there was no rainbow. No rainbow meant that there was no way I could IM them. "ARGH!" I kicked the tree nearest to me and promptly clutched my foot in pain. "Styx…" How could I have been so stupid? Of course I couldn't IM them at night! That blow to the head must have really messed with my mind. I sat down on the grass and slipped the drachma back into my pocket. As cold as I was, I didn't really want to go back to the castle just yet.

I had just leaned my head up against the tree and started to doze a bit when I heard the leaves rustling behind me. I shot up quicker than a satyr confronted with a dumpster full of tin cans and drew my bow. "Who's there?" I heard a quiet chuckle followed by another.

"C'mon out Annie. We're righ' o'er here." Came the all too familiar voice of Hagrid.

"Hagrid, what are you doing here?" I asked as I quickly hid my bow behind my back.

"Well Miss Greymann," said the second voice as he stepped out into the clearing. "Hagrid was just showing me something. I think that better question is, what are you doing out past curfew and in the Forbidden Forest?"

I gulped. This night could not get any worse. "Professor Dumbledore… I…"

"Come with me Miss Greymann. I would like to have a word with you." He said. I could only nod, too shocked to form coherent sentences. I twisted the sapphire on my bow in a way that I hoped neither of the two men before me would notice, but I could have sworn I saw Professor Dumbledore's eyes twinkling in my direction over half- moon glasses.

We walked out of the forest in silence and told Hagrid goodnight as we reached his hut, well Dumbledore did. I was too scared that I was about to be expelled to actually do more than walk quietly behind Dumbledore. The headmaster led me up through the castle and stood in front of a strange stone gargoyle. He gave me a small smile, his eyes twinkling behind his half- moon glasses. "Chocolate Frog." What? I stared open mouthed at him, but the gargoyle had started to move, revealing a spiral staircase.

"I-is this your office sir?" I muttered quietly.

Dumbledore nodded. "After you." He said, motioning towards the staircase as it spiraled upwards. I did as I was told and stepped onto it.

Dumbledore's office was fantastic. It was a large room, with portraits of snoozing witches and wizards lining the walls. Every nook and cranny was packed with odd little trinkets. Some were moving about, others were whistling some sort of song, and some were even shooting off sparks at odd intervals. I started to move towards a table with a peculiar looking object that was spinning around, when I heard a polite cough behind me. I jumped a bit, "Sorry Professor."

"That's alright Miss Greymann. Take a seat." Dumbledore motioned towards a cushioned chair that sat right in front of his desk.

"Yes sir."

"You're a demigod." He said simply as he lowered himself into his own chair.

My eyes widened in surprise. "What?" I said nervously. "No, that's absurd."

"No Miss Greymann, what's absurd is that it took me this long to figure it out. I daresay Severus figured it out before I did."

I stared at him for what seemed like forever."How do you know? About demigods I mean…" I asked hesitantly. When Dumbledore brought me into his office I hadn't been expecting this, anything but this. Hermes should have told me that night he brought the present from my father. Somebody should have told me.

Dumbledore chuckled good naturedly and looked at me with sparkling eyes. "Haven't you guessed already? I'm a demigod, a son of Hermes."

I paused. Hermes? He was Travis and Connor's half-brother, but about as unlike the two mischievous brothers as I thought possible. Travis and Connor were pranksters, they failed most of their classes at school, and thieves (but of course in a nice, charming way). Dumbledore was wise, a world renowned wizard, and the headmaster of a school. He was the person people like Connor and Travis were sent to when they were in trouble, not the person who got in trouble himself. I stared at him a little while longer. The longer I stared the more similarities I saw. Dumbledore's bright eyes glinted mischievously, and his face had the unmistakable elfish qualities that is often associated with children of Hermes. The more I thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

"You don't believe me, and I don't really blame you. You are a daughter of Apollo, am I right?"

I nodded slowly. "How did you know that he was-"

"Your father? Well it was quite easy actually. Your necklace for one thing, is the symbol of Apollo, which to the trained eye is a dead giveaway. A few nights ago I found an arrow in the third floor corridor, yours no doubt. And Madame Pomfrey has talked to me about you, and the miraculous way that you have been able to heal people. It really wasn't that big of a mystery."

"Sh-she doesn't know about me, does she?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh no, of course not. Madame Pomfrey has no idea that you're a demigod. In fact, nobody here but Severus and I know, unless of course you have told anybody."

I shook my head. "No, I haven't. But who's Severus?"

"Professor Snape, Miss Greymann. He-"

"PROFESSOR SNAPE? Why would he know anything about any of this?" I exclaimed, but instantly noticed my rudeness and had the sense to shut up.

"Professor Snape is a demigod as well."

"Are we talking about the same person here? There is no way that Snape could possibly be a demigod!"

"Professor Snape, Annie. But I can assure you that he is. He's a son of Nemesis, goddess of revenge."

I stared at him awhile longer, not fully believing him. Snape? A demigod? "Are there any other demigods here, sir?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Yes there is one other wizard that I know of who is a demigod." He paused for a moment, looking troubled, but I nodded to encourage him to go on. "Lord Voldemort is a son of Hades."

I shook my head. "But that's impossible! Hades is one of the Big Three! They made a vow not to have any more children!"

"Yes, but Lord Voldemort was born before that pact was made."

"Is that why he became so powerful? I mean, he killed so many people and he had a huge following. Did he even know who his real father was?"

Dumbledore nodded grimly. "I can assure you that he did, and he used that to his advantage. He was able to do things that the ordinary witch or wizard could only dream of. A son of one of the Elder gods is very powerful, and Lord Voldemort is very powerful."

"Is? Why do you say is? He's dead, isn't he?"

"No, Annie. I don't think he is. He disappeared, but he is not dead. I don't even think Lord Voldemort is even capable of that."

"But that's impossible. He can't live forever! Unless he made some kind of deal with his father or something."

"I don't know for sure how he managed to survive, but I do have a few theories."

"Will he ever come back?"

"I believe he will, Annie. Maybe not for a year, or ten, or maybe even one hundred, but one day he will and we all best be ready when that day comes."

"Do you think Hades will help him, come back I mean."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Gods don't take a part in their children's lives. Hades is no exception. But I'm sure you know that."

I nodded my head. Of course I knew that, every demigod who ever lived knew that. That's the reason Hermes delivered my father's gift and not my father himself. I saw the effects of it everywhere. All I had to do was walk into camp and see the angry and depressed looking kids who wondered daily why their parents hadn't even shown a sign of recognition.

Dumbledore sat in silence for a moment. "Well Annie, it is getting late. Poppy will get very angry with me if I keep you out much longer. You should head back to the hospital wing."

"Yes sir." I said getting up and absentmindedly rubbing my forehead which had begun to throb painfully. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Annie. And if for whatever reason you feel that you must talk to me, feel free to visit my office."

"I will do that sir."

So, did you see that one coming? Tell me what you think in a review! Next chapter will be up in... I honestly don't know but soon!