AN: I offer sincere apologies to those who have waited so long for any kind of response from me. Yes, I took a very long break starting from July, 2019 up until now. It's just the first week of February in 2020!
I am well. I'm good. Hopefully, I can keep to a schedule. I will try my best, especially since there's a fresh character in this chapter and there will be some exciting scenes in the following update! Enjoy!
Previously: Nico reveals the presence of Roman demigods on the west coast of the States. Based on the Oracle's latest prophecy, he believes there may be a connection between them and the three demigods who went on a quest to Egypt in 1982 - Janet Kassidy, May and Mark Rohan.
Harry received a summons to attend a court hearing accusing him of non-Human magic, indirectly threatening Percy's presence in the UK. Rachel has an idea to thwart the Ministry.
Warning: Politics in the Ministry and the Underworld.
...
Hidden from you, safe in New Rome,
Together as a family, but far from home.
You seek them to find the Patron's name,
Go and find allies in search of the same.
Take your guide, the son of Hades,
Ask the warriors to remain at ease.
It's time you met, it's been too long,
If the Gods ask, give them this song.
Nico was standing in front of all the cabin heads and Chiron. They were gathered in the counselors' room. Percy only wished this was easy.
Clarisse folded her arms, glaring at Nico. "Do you have any other secrets you haven't told us about?"
"No. Look, I haven't told them about us," Nico defended himself. "There's a reason it was a secret, okay? Greeks and Romans never really liked each other in the past."
Annabeth sighed, "Chiron, did you know about this?"
The centaur leaned back in his wheelchair, hand propping up his chin. His eyes were trained on Nico so Percy couldn't figure out the exact emotion behind them.
"A relatively young secret, barely nine decades or so… the Olympians suffer from migraines when their children fight. It was safer to keep the two factions apart. Memories were removed, camps were displaced. There's a reason why you're on opposite sides of the country." Chiron shrugged. "But, if the Oracle believes that it's time you two meet, it may be a less violent future."
Katie groaned, "Oh gods. We just finished a war. We can't get into some cult fight now."
"I'll contact Lupa. She can help mediate. The Romans will listen to her."
Chiron left without explaining who Lupa was. Connor gawked for a moment before asking Nico, "How did you stumble on Camp Jupiter? Like, do they know who you are?"
"No… they think I'm a son of Pluto?"
"Great…" Travis complained. "what if they think we're planning something against them?"
"Lupa's the mother wolf who raised Romulus and Remus," Will recalled from an obscure history lesson. "She's been around nearly as long as Chiron, like an advisor. If she's on our side, we can make this work."
Clarisse narrowed her eyes, "And if she's not?"
"Then we use our trump card," Annabeth said, turning around to look at Rachel who was leaning against the wall, trying to stay out of the meeting.
Rachel made a face. But Percy figured Annabeth had a point. The Oracle commanded a lot of power and authority. The Romans might agree to come to a consensus with her around.
Nyssa looked towards Percy, clearing sharing a worried look. He sighed.
It was still too close to the aftermath of the Titan War. They'd suffered losses and had barely finished camp renovations. Annabeth was still busy with the restoration of Olympus.
And the fact that Beckendorf had stepped down as Head of Hephaestus Cabin in favor of Nyssa… they were all in very slow recovery mode.
If they needed to find the map to the temple that evaded all Gods… if they had to destroy the ritual Gaia was sorting after… they needed to be at peak strength.
Alice Cullen walked from the fireplace to the window and back again, silently running through Rachel's proposed plan.
The mansion of Frost hadn't seen so many people in it since Sally's interrogation. And before that, months ago, the party. Harry thought of the meeting with the Hogwarts students and the Half-Blood campers. That had been incredible.
Also, meeting a cute stranger who may have been a spy... whatever. One problem at a time.
Right now, he and Rachel were seated at the dining table, facing Alice who was pacing about. Rosalie stood by the side next to Sally, both of them cross-armed. Percy was holding up a babbling Kimmy who saw fit to fill a silent room with her little chatter. Dumbledore sat on an easy chair he'd conjured up. Remus and Tonks were by the stairs, and Harry's attorney, Lawrence Kettler, was at the head of the table, scribbling something down on a long parchment sheet.
"I would like to preface this by saying I hate this plan," Harry intoned.
Rosalie massaged her temples. "You've made your sentiments clear, Harry."
Rachel scowled. "Very. And you only hate it because I came up with it before you did it."
Harry stared at her. "This is a terrible plan!"
"It's not! The Ministry is onto Percy, and if they figure out anything about the demigods, it's game over." She folded her arms. "Revealing a secret that's got nothing to do with anything will help us. It'll give us more time."
Percy winced. "It'll put you in the spotlight."
Rachel shrugged. Harry glared at her.
"Yeah," she agreed. "What overshadows a scandal? A bigger, more delicious scandal, something that involves a household name. Telling people that I'm alive would bring the focus on me, on Harry and take it away from you."
Alice finally stopped pacing. "It'll work."
Harry looked at the others, beseeching them. "That would put a target on her back! What d'you think Voldemort's gonna do when he realised he failed to kill two people that night?!"
Rachel sat up. "Does that make me the Girl-Who-Lived?"
"S'not funny."
"He's gonna be mad," Percy muttered, bouncing the baby in his arms.
Lawrence dropped the quill. "We can sort through the legalities easily enough. If we go through with this, Rachel's name and face will be plastered everywhere. But since she's living with Harry, security won't be an issue. Privacy might take a hit-"
"Might?" Harry muttered.
"It's doable."
"Great!
"No! Not - Rachel, don't you get what this means?" Harry burst out, standing up. "There'll be a target on your back, just as big as mine!"
Rachel leaned back. "I'm already in hiding. My mom is cohabiting with a super evil goddess, my dad is missing, my aunts apparently work for the same super evil goddess, I can't go anywhere on my own, I have to stick to camp or Frost or Dumbledore's house, I dropped out of school just to be safe. I'd rather step out on my own terms rather than get outted at the most inconvenient time. At least, this way, by focusing on me, it'll take the heat off of Percy. Would you prefer the Ministry find out about demigods?"
Harry bounced on the spot. "That's not it… we'd be offering you as bait."
She shrugged. "Not really. Not if we do this right. Since it's my choice to reveal myself, we can control what information gets out and how it gets spread."
Lawrence set his quill down and raised his stack of papers. "She has a point, Harry. If we introduce her to the world, we get to paint the entire story in a good light. We explain her trials and hardships in a way that favors her unequivocally. People will support her. Everyone wants a happy story, a hopeful ending. Finding out that both Potter twins are alive will bolster their spirits."
Rachel's winning grin was perfectly balanced by Harry's distressed scowl.
"What d'you think Voldemort would do when he sees the papers?" He snapped. "He'll switch tactics, try to strike where it would hurt the most. The news would put doubt in his reputation. He'll want to fix it immediately before the rumors can hurt him."
"But he'd already know she's alive," Tonks said. Everyone turned towards her. She looked at Remus and then the others.
"What?" Percy asked, wide-eyed. "How could he know that? No one knew for ages -"
"How could he not know?" Rosalie asked, head whipping around to face them. "He was the one who failed to kill her! He'd know that, surely!"
"Unless he'd forgotten that she escaped," Dumbledore chimed.
Harry gave a loud groan. Sally raised an eyebrow. "Is that the Horcrux thing you were talking about?"
"We know he's split his soul," Dumbledore explained, leaning back into his armchair. "We know five of them have been destroyed including the diary. There may be another or two left, though I'm inclined to think it's only one more."
"Only," Alice grumbled.
"One more?" Remus whispered.
Percy's shoulders went rigid. "So he actually got hit by the killing curse? I thought that was just a rumour."
Rachel knew he was talking about the day Voldemort had murdered Lily and James… and failed to kill Harry and her. Her thoughts drifted to the night St. Mungo's burned. When Ginny set the entire building on fire, inadvertently destroying most of Voldemort's Horcruxes - the locket, the ring, the diadem, the cup… all gone just like the diary.
And now one more was left, if not two.
"He didn't die, though," Alice added. "We don't know how much he remembers of that day."
Harry shook his head. "It doesn't matter if he remembers or not. He won't allow for any weakness on his part. He'll be furious."
Rachel thought of something else. Something inkling at the back of her head. She turned and met Percy's gaze.
'He'll remember you,' she thought.
Percy swallowed, giving a silent response. 'Germany. Nurmengard.'
When Tom had still been possessing Percy, they'd gone to meet Voldemort (Prime) in a forest outside the prison of Nurmengard. There was no way Voldemort would forget that.
Harry, almost sensing the shift in tone saw Percy and Rachel staring at each other.
They couldn't risk outing Percy, not while Voldemort was still alive and in power.
Rachel saw the vein in Harry's temple throb. Gods, his blood pressure needed to be checked.
'I'm doing this,' she told Harry. 'We're not leaving any room for suspicion on Percy.'
Harry didn't argue after that.
The next day, Lawrence wrote a letter on Harry's behalf. It was a reply to the claim form issued by Umbridge about 'unrecorded non-Human powers' and Harry's indirect involvement with 'unnamed persons'.
Addressed to
Minister Rufus Scrimgeour,
Minister for Magic
Madame Amelia Bones,
Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement
Kingsley Shacklebolt,
Head of Department of Aurors
Dolores Umbridge
Junior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic,
Ministry of Magic.
Subject: Re: Court hearing for the requisition on the 30th of October, 2013
(Please see attached letter sent by Madam Umbridge)
To all it may concern,
The accusation of 'non-Human' magic has been contested for its immorality for centuries. The fact that we still debate on the legality of existing as a non-Human displays the vulgar truth of the matter.
As stated by the Magical Declaration of 1407, "No one being may be accused of illegal matters without due concern and testimony…"
The above letter does not contain any particulars of what kind of magic has been detected and what laws this magic has broken. Mr. Harry J. Potter remains an upstanding citizen, very recently emancipated after crossing all valid examinations with congratulatory results. Addressing the source of magic 'unrecorded', this is not to be a cause for concern. But since the Ministry has seen fit to call my client, Mr. Potter, for a court hearing, I shall introduce to you the new participants in this case.
The 'unrecorded magic' as stated in the first letter, was a series of protective charms cast over one Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She is the living sister of Mr. Potter, born Rosalie Lillian Potter.
There has been no law broken. There has been no danger risked.
The court hearing for requisition on the 30th of October, 2013 will involve Mr. Potter, Ms. Dare, her temporary guardian, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, first-class, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry), and I, Lawrence Kettler, representing my clients.
We hope to address all concerns and clear doubts, as there will rise, in the court session on the aforementioned date.
Yours Sincerely,
Lawrence Kettler,
Head Attorney for the Potter Clan.
If that wasn't a wake-up call, Rachel didn't know what was.
Nico had reached the Fields of Asphodel hours ago. He'd made a mess of the meeting. Everyone knew about Camp Jupiter. Most weren't happy.
Percy, especially Percy. Nice had felt distressed by the look on Percy's face. He had been disappointed with Nico.
Things had to be fixed. Nico figured the best way to help them would be to do something right.
If he could find Janet Kassidy in the Fields of Asphodel… if she could somehow remember her map, then they wouldn't have to go to Camp Jupiter and cause a potential new war.
His plan to try and sense the effects of the Lethe in one of the billions of souls that roamed the fields… yeah, it wasn't working.
He should have called Bianca to help him.
The tall, dry trees with lifeless foliage drifting were tinted brown. The grass was sharp and harsh hay that stuck up in tufts all over the ground.
Nico stopped by a tall dead tree. It was a dreary place. He wanted to get out.
Nothing else for it.
"Janet Kassidy!" He called out, his voice tapering out immediately. Sounds didn't carry well here.
"Can anyone hear me?" Nico yelled. The air was dry, scratching his throat now.
"...hear you…"
Nico stopped, spinning in place. That wasn't an echo. Someone else had said that. But he couldn't see anyone looking at him. The dead souls roamed aimlessly, walking right by him.
"Hello? Did somebody talk to me?"
"...talking…"
Nico heard it from his left. He began walking towards the voice. It was a distant cry but solid enough for him to hear.
"Can you see me? Walk towards my voice," Nico cried out, pacing faster through the trees and souls.
"I see you."
Nico jumped, hand going for his sword. The voice was right behind him.
He turned around, drawing out the stygian iron blade to aim it at… a girl.
It was a girl too young to be Janet Kassidy. This person was just shorter than Nico, her hair falling in live curls unlike everything in the Asphodel Fields. She was a shade translucent like the dead souls but her eyes were bright with some kind of energy.
"You heard me," she said, in absolute amazement.
"You're dead," Nico responded, stunned. She wasn't acting dead like the others.
"You're… not?" She asked hesitantly.
Nico shook his head, lowering the sword. The girl followed the blade's descent and looked back up, curiosity lighting up her eyes.
"Your sword has a dent," she said, excited to have a conversation.
Nico nodded, looking down at the blade where Rachel's fingers had left a hand-sized dent in it. He really needed to find a good whetstone.
"My name is Nico di Angelo, son of Hades," he said, remembering to introduce himself.
She stared, "Son of… who?"
"Hades. I'm a demigod. Um, I get a feeling, you might be too. Since you can see me and talk to me…"
She just stayed silent.
"What's your name?" Nico asked, wondering if this odd soul could help him find Janet Kassidy.
"Hazel Levesque," she answered, swinging her arms nervously. "Daughter of Marie Levesque."
Nico grinned, sheathing his sword. "Wow. My mom's name was Maria."
"That's nice," Hazel said with a sweet smile.
Nico felt calmer. "Yeah. And you're right about before. I'm alive. I'm searching for a girl named Janet Kassidy. She's somewhere in these fields. Can you help me?"
Hazel looked overjoyed to just spend more time with a person who could talk to her. "I can try! What does she look like?"
Nico found his phone and pulled up the image of Janet from the Accorded Judgement Registry.
Hazel gaped at the device. Nico had to spend ten full minutes trying to explain what a cell phone was before Hazel could finally understand.
They went on their way, walking past the other listless souls in the vast field.
"She fell in the Lethe?" Hazel asked, horrified. She placed a hand on her chest which was apparently a 1940s sentiment to register shock. Nico could relate.
"Yeah. Not very nice, but I was hoping to talk to her here," Nico mumbled, looking everywhere he could.
"But the Lethe will make her forget everything," Hazel said.
"Yup. I'm still hoping for something."
Hazel didn't respond. She kept walking ahead and Nico followed her till they reached one of the edges of the field. The soul population dwindled in this area.
Nico slowed, wondering where Hazel had taken him.
"Can you climb?" She asked, holding onto a branch of one of the last trees.
"Uhh…" Nico started as she began to scale the dead, crooked tree. It looked dangerous in it that it was ready to tip over. But Hazel climbed with no fear, only a little hesitation of finding the next stronghold.
"Sure," Nico sighed and followed her. Every branch creaked and groaned.
She reached a high enough spot of the tree and relaxed against the trunk.
"You do this often?" Nico asked, reaching beside her with some strain.
"Not many things to do in the Asphodel Fields," she smiled.
Hazel looked over the edge, where the earth simply dropped off to reveal a deep cavern that no soul could hope to cross. She pointed at something far across the valley.
"That's the Lethe," she said.
Nico squinted. In the distance, there was a waterfall, steam raging down a tall cliff. The water did not look pleasant. Even Poseidon might avoid it.
"Okay, I didn't know that," he hedged. "Hazel, I was looking for Janet, not the Lethe."
She nodded. "You won't find her. She fell into one of the most dangerous places in the world, Nico. The river would have destroyed her body and soul. She's gone."
Nico gawked. "No, no. Janet is supposed to be here. Maybe she'll remember nothing, but her soul should be in Asphodel!"
Hazel frowned. "I don't know who told you that you'll be able to talk to her, but that's not true. The Lethe erodes everything out of anything that touches it. It starts with memories, then it pollutes your sense of being, the reason you are you, and finally your shell."
She lowered her voice, "There are forces in the Underworld that can destroy things and beings, make sure that there is no afterlife. Lethe is one of them."
Nico felt his stomach drop low. "But… it's on the Registry."
"That river can burn a God's skin," Hazel whispered. "A mortal will disappear into oblivion if they fall in. I'm so sorry about your friend, Nico. But you won't find her."
Nico leaned back. "Are you sure?"
"Very much."
It didn't make sense to him. The Registry had a page on Janet. That meant her soul had been judged and allotted lifetime access to Asphodel.
What if Harry was right, though? What if someone enchanted the page to have the wrong information?
Nico side-eyed Hazel who was looking at the horizon of the Underworld.
Or what if Hazel was lying?
Nico quickly typed her name into the Registry. There was probably a reason why she was in Asphodel after all. The page loaded and Nico read.
And blanched.
He was beginning to hate his father.
He looked back at Hazel who turned to give him a sad smile, her eyes full of that strange energy. It made Nico feel that… that the energy could give her a full life if all it took was someone to take her hand and guide her back to the surface.
Rosalie Potter Alive?
The-Girl-Who-Lived
The following days had an influx of newspapers, tabloids, radio channels, and rumour mills carrying the shocking news.
Potter Twins, Hale and Hearty
Halloween Court Session, Featuring Rosalie and Harry Potter
It was all anyone could say apparently.
Rosalie Potter Revealed to be Alive and Thriving
- Jesse Foghorn
The sun rose this thrilling morning to watch the Ministry in a harried mess. As you may have heard or read about the shocking news of the Potters and the reveal of Rosalie Potter, this article will encompass the necessary details of the entire baffling case.
A letter for requisition was mailed to Harry J. Potter on the busy morning of 20th, October, 2013. Potter had just achieved his emancipation papers and was immediately slapped with a court hearing! Whether that is despicable or expected, you be the judge, dear reader.
The claim form sent by Junior Undersecretary to the Minister, Dolores Umbridge, accused Potter of non-Human magic around his household. What this has to do with the reveal of his sister, we are yet to find out.
The same evening brought forth official statements from Madam Bones, Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Kingsley Shacklebolt, Head of Department of Aurors. Potter sort for his attorney to have a reply to the letter and it is in this parchment sheet where Lawrence Kettler officially announces the updated and stunning status of the previously considered late Rosalie Potter.
That's right, reader. The Order of the Phoenix (the direct opposition to You-Know-Who and his followers) allegedly revealed that the older Potter twin is, in fact, alive.
We know the famous story of Harry Potter, the only being to have survived the killing curse. When You-Know-Who broke into the Potter household on the 31st of October, 1997, intent on targeting the family, it was assumed that young Harry was the only survivor of the gory situation.
Sirius Black, known friend and ally of the Potters, had been misidentified as a perpetrator and convicted without trial for a duration of twelve years. In 2011, this was proved false by the confession of long considered dead, Peter Pettigrew (whose Order of Merlin, third-class, was subsequently revoked).
Are we meant to believe that there is more deception to the tale?
Madam Bones has submitted her contesting papers and will oversee the civil case on the 30th of October. Kingsley Shacklebolt will appear as a witness to the eldest Potter child's testimony. The case will feature many prominent figures, including Harry Potter, the alleged Rosalie Potter, Albus Dumbledore, Rufus Scrimgeour, and more.
The Potter twins will be backed by the Order of the Phoenix along with its founder. Personally speaking, I would like to see a case where the respected Headmaster of Hogwarts is bamboozled. Will this be it? Is the Rosalie Potter reveal fake?
What is the endgame of this maneuver? Do we truly have a Girl-Who-Lived? Why has she been hidden from public view? What has this to do with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? And what will this mean for the future?
Rachel read the papers with a resolute eye. Basically, without naming names, the Ministry had tried to catch Percy under due cause for suspicion.
And to counteract that, the Order would be sending Rachel in as the ultimate distraction. She wondered when her life took such a turn, before realising that she'd always been destined for a rough way. The years she'd spent in France had just been a break. Rachel was born during a war, to a family smack dab in the center of it. She'd been adopted by a couple both of whom were now apparently working towards the destruction of humanity. And now, she would set out to be revealed as one of the Potter twins to save Percy and the demigods from the ire of the Ministry.
At least the last one was her choice.
...
Shall we keep the question going?
Q: What d'you think of the Romans' roles here?
Cabba.