There is a saying that fate is set in stone. No matter what is done to avoid it, fate is always the same. Unchanging. Unmoving.
The saying is wrong. As most things humans say, sayings are wrong or they leave out the important parts of sayings. Curiosity killed the cat. Blood is thicker than water. A leopard can't change it's spots.
Fate is set in stone.
Look back at history, through the mythology mortals have believed in and, almost always, fate is a tapestry. Stories woven in fabric, with threads shimmering and beautiful. Wars and strife, but love and hope too. The thing about tapestries - threads can be unpicked. Rewoven into something more splendid than what was once there. The same theory applies to tapestries of fate, apparently, and for that Hecate was glad.
She may not have permission exactly for what she was planning on doing, but she was the goddess of magic itself, of crossroads and pathways. If she unravelled threads to weave a future to benefit the children who fought in a war which shouldn't have had to be fought in the first place...well, the Fates may protest, but they could not stop her.
This was what Hecate had decided - change the future, warp it into something better. And maybe - just maybe - provide two of her children who had the most rotten luck with a better life than the one that was woven for them in the near future.
XoooX
Alabaster's luck had always been pretty terrible, but things were looking up finally.
Three fucking years late, mind you, but still, it was better than nothing.
He figured his refusal to just die like the gods who'd banished him from the only safe haven for demigods probably wanted him to do was the best payback he could think of. It was like sticking up both his middle fingers to the entirety of Olympus and telling them to go fuck themselves, except it was less likely to end with him as a pile of ash or a bug of some sort, so in a way it was even better.
He had a boyfriend who was probably the best person in the world (though he may be biased a little), a half sister who wasn't in camp constantly and an awkward, mismatched family of people who he had met when he was sixteen, young and bitter, but now he was older and wiser and...ok, still bitter, but he didn't have the urge to kill Percy Jackson anymore, so he supposed he had improved slightly.
Slightly.
Still, as previously stated, Alabaster's luck was abysmal, so when he found himself engulfed in a light and then dropped in the middle of a huge room, swarming with children, well...to say he was exhausted by the direction his life had taken would be an understatement. Fortunately, Topher, Fahra and Cassandra were with him - Topher and Fahra could defend themselves and Cassandra had a scream that would put a banshee to shame, so if worse came to worse they could kill everyone and scram.
Hands were raised almost immediately, all holding pieces of wood, and only then did Alabaster feel the power in the room - the raw magic, it made him feel almost dizzy at first, and he caught sight of Fahra ducking her head, letting out a weak groan. Then instinct kicked in, and Alabaster withdrew the sword at his hip, turning and pointing it at the old man who was holding his wand at the group. Alabaster's hands were trembling, and he bit the inside of his cheek in a desperate attempt to not let out a panicked noise. He heard Fahra let out another weak noise, Topher's breathing pick up speed and Cassandra letting out a muffled cry of distress. "On the count of three, we lower our weapons." Alabaster was proud of how his voice didn't shake, how his sword remained steadily pointed at the old man. He strongly suspected that the only reason that the immense strength of magic hadn't targeted them was Cassandra, who was definitely much too young, who had moved to grasp the sleeve of Alabaster's jacket that wasn't aloft. The man nodded.
"One...two...three." All weapons were lowered, and Alabaster felt the other two of his group move closer to him. All back to back, ready in case someone hadn't got the memo. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" The old man asked, and Alabaster felt something probing at his mind. He had never been so relieved that Topher had that skill, to poke into people's minds, and slammed down the doors to his mind before the man could get any farther.
"I should be asking you the same question."
"Al." Fahra's voice sounded weak, and Alabaster's head immediately turned to her. She looked paler than she should, a hand still at her head. "Please, just...gods, my head."
"I wanna go home." Cassandra whispered, and instinctively Alabaster put a hand on top of her blonde hair, like he used to do when she was little and barely reached his shoulders. Alabaster put aside the sudden urge to just kill everyone and leave because that would probably not work, and also because of Cassandra.
"My name's Alabaster Torrington. This is my half-sister, Fahra." He jerked his head in Fahra's direction. "This is Cassandra Fairweather and Topher Bell." His eyes narrowed. "Why we're here? No clue. Maybe you can answer that - and why you were trying to read my mind."
"Oh." Cassandra said, and then was bent almost double. Alabaster cursed, hands moving to support her when she nearly collapsed to the floor, only to straighten up. Her eyes were wide, unseeing, and he cursed again when she opened her mouth and the words were in an airy, not completely there voice.
"Four brought back by magic's gift,
Shall help repair an ancient rift,
And to see what the future holds,
A hero's story shall unfold.
One long lost by what pride had wrought,
To the present they shall be brought,
Wizards and halfbloods together will stand,
Or all shall fall by the false heir's hand."
Her eyes regained their usual look, and she stumbled, falling against Alabaster's side. "What did I say?" Alabaster shushed her, trying to glare at every eye in the hall as they stared at Cassandra. "Al?"
"Not important." He murmured. "So. Wizards, huh?"
"So much for 'wizards aren't real, Toph, don't be ridiculous.'" Topher muttered and Alabaster resisted the sudden, overwhelming urge to roll his eyes. He was spared from having to counter that comment by a flash of light that temporarily blinded him.
When it cleared, there was a man on their knees, coughing up water.
It was almost instinct that Alabaster's sword was raised again, but Topher held up a hand, eyes roving over the man, who seemed to be regaining their bearings - even if that meant heaving in gulping breaths of air, hacking and coughing still.
"One long lost, to the present shall be brought." Topher murmured. "He's supposed to be dead - in a matter of seconds, I'm guessing."
"This is so fucking weird." Fahra managed to hiss out, earning a snort of amusement from Alabaster. "Seriously, who has the right to fucking...I dunno, raise the dead?"
"They haven't raised the dead - they've brought him forward in time." Cassandra didn't keep her voice quiet, considering the fact that no one seemed up to speaking other than the four demigods. "Someone please repeat what I said so I can at least try and make sense of it."
"Like you've had much luck interpreting what in Hades' name you say most of the time?" Alabaster retorted and Cassandra scowled at him, which with her blonde curls and pretty blue eyes was about as intimidating as a bunny rabbit. "That's not going to work, Sunshine."
"Don't call me Sunshine." Cassandra snapped back, and the inevitable argument that would have started was cut off by a cough from the old man Alabaster had considered stabbing a while back.
"Your friend...she's a seer?" He asked and Cassandra went stiff. Alabaster reconsidered his 'no killing anyone unless we can secure an escape' policy.
"She has prophetic tendencies." Alabaster answered. "She also has a name and would prefer for you to not use the term 'seer'."
"Al, it's fine." Cassandra murmured. "They don't know and you can't go and kill everyone who inadvertently offends us."
"I can make a good go of it though." Alabaster retorted and he could feel Topher's exasperation rolling off him in waves.
"Ok, let's explain to the newcomer what's happened, have a nice, long talk about what is inappropriate in a school setting - considering the fact there are lots of children here, and yes Fahra that means no swearing - and then work out what's going on. Good? Good."
"That seems the most sensible course of action." The old man finally agreed.
"Good." The voice that spoke came from the man who had been coughing up water, raspy and sore. "Because last I checked, I was being drowned by inferi, and I wasn't supposed to find myself back here."
"Regulus?" One of the men at the head table had risen to his feet, one with a scarred face and amber eyes, and was staring at the man. Another, one with sallow skin and a hooked nose, looked like he'd seen a ghost - which, Alabaster suspected, was actually what had happened. "Merlin's beard, but you're…"
"Dead? Surprisingly, I got that." The man, Regulus Alabaster supposed, said dryly. "But I'm not. And if I'm sent here because I'm supposed to be…" He trailed off, looking at the older man. "I need to speak to you. It's...it's important. Not for all ears."
"I think," Topher started, eyes flickering to the stares around the room, the slight desperation that touched Regulus' eyes. "That maybe we should take this somewhere private."
XoooX
Cassandra wasn't sure why the people in the classroom were deemed important, but she supposed it would be revealed soon enough.
Thankfully, she'd quickly made nice with the girl with curly brown hair, who had been brought in at a dark haired boy's insistence, and she told her that, apparently, she'd gone into a trance and said a rhyme.
"It's not a prophecy though, right?" She'd kept her voice low, sounding skeptical. "It's all...all poppycock, right?"
"Sometimes, but if I go like that, bits tend to happen." Cassandra explained. "Alabaster gets protective, though, so not many people hear it more than once and he never tells me anything." She paused. "I don't know your name."
"Oh, I'm Hermione." The girl said. "The others in the room - the redhead is Ron, the black haired boy is Harry. The man who your friend - Alabaster, was it? - was talking to is Professor Dumbledore, and with him is Professor McGonagall. There's also Professor Lupin, our Defence teacher."
"What year is it? If the prophecy is right, it should be different from what I expected, and the adults just seem to be arguing." Which was true. Cassandra could see Alabaster twitching, and the only reason he hadn't drawn his sword again was due to Topher's grip on his wrist, thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of his hand.
"You think it's real?" Hermione asked. "The thing you said?"
"They usually are. Although I normally dream about them." Cassandra bit her lip. "If they rhyme, they almost definitely happen, usually I just get...sort of impressions?" Hermione let out a hum that sounded skeptical.
"It's 1993." She said, and Cassandra let out a slightly hysterical noise.
"Al?" She managed. "Al, it's 1993." That led to a loud curse from Alabaster, and two equally panicked noises from Fahra and Topher.
"Fucking...20 years. Shit." Alabaster cursed.
"What did I say again? Four brought back by magic's gift?" Cassandra said. "That's us. To see what the future holds, a hero's story shall unfold - but, why would we be brought back? We're not the heroes." Cassandra stated.
"That's why young Harry has been brought in." Dumbledore said, and Harry shifted awkwardly in place, raising his head slightly to look at Dumbledore. "If what you said was a prophecy, then I believe Harry may be the hero spoken of."
"Great." Harry said, but he sounded like it was anything but great.
"Wizards and halfbloods together will stand obviously refers to us working together." Topher stated.
"Yeah, what do you mean by halfblood? Because you obviously don't mean wizard halfbloods." Ron asked, earning him an elbow in the side from Hermione.
"It's gonna sound crazy." Fahra decided, which Cassandra honestly understood.
"I think you landing in the middle of a school hall means we'll listen to just about any explanation." McGonagall said, and Fahra frowned, before sighing heavily.
"Half human, half god." Fahra said, with no tact, and Topher let out a loud, put upon groan when people just blinked.
"Way to ease them into it, Fahra." He said. The daughter of Hecate just shrugged.
"There's no easy way to say it, Toph." She stated. "Besides, if the dead are no longer dead, being half god can't be hard to take in."
"Makes you sound fucking pretentious, though."
"Al, if I can't swear, you're not allowed to, either." Fahra scowled at her brother, who raised an eyebrow in turn. "Look, I told you what the halfblood statement meant. If you believe me or not is another matter entirely."
"One that 'magic' can clear up." Alabaster muttered. "Mother is behind this...whatever this is."
"...Mother?"
"Hecate." Alabaster answered Lupin, voice short and sharp. "Hopefully, she won't show up."
"But...she's your mum." Ron was frowning. "Wouldn't you be happy to see her?"
"With demigods, our parents...don't really care." Cassandra kept her voice quiet. "My father tries, but...well, Al's had issues with Hecate."
"Parent issues are something I'm familiar with." Regulus murmured. "But that's beside the point - Dumbledore, Voldemort he...he made a horcrux." Dumbledore turned pale, but most of the room looked highly confused. Cassandra felt confused, too - a horcrux? What on earth was a horcrux? It seemed as though they weren't going to continue that line of discussion, as Dumbledore only managed a small nod to Regulus, before turning to Cassandra. She could feel the probing at her mind, and tentatively reached out for it, pushing it back. She'd had a visitor in her head before, and wasn't keen on having another. Dumbledore blinked, as though startled, before he plastered a small, pleasant looking smile on his face.
"When you have your...visions, Miss Fairweather, do you...see anything? Saw anything, I suppose, in regard to this one?" He asked, and Lupin turned to stare at him.
"Professor -" His voice sounded quiet, almost a gentle admonishment that he was unsure of giving, and only then did Cassandra notice her hands were shaking.
"You don't have to answer that, Cassie." Topher said, managing to keep his voice calm, but Cassandra answered anyway.
"Sometimes. Usually I dream about them, you see, so I see bits of what they may include. Of what's important. I...I saw bits. Pieces." She managed. "Um...books? I think? A dog, too - black, shaggy. Freckles and pink hair and...and a green light." She shook her head, smiling slightly ruefully. "That's not very helpful, is it? Sorry."
"On the contrary - it may be more helpful than you believe." Dumbledore's eyes had a twinkle to them. "I believe these books may reveal a hero's story, and we have clues as to who should be involved in revealing it."
"If Harry's alright with it." Topher pointed out, considerate and calm as always. "If this is his story - well, then it's up to him if it is read."
"I mean, I don't know how reading about my past will help." Harry said, raising an eyebrow in question. "I don't know if I want everyone knowing...everything." Cassandra caught the cringe, and winced internally. Yeah, someone knowing everything about your life...not fun. Cassandra knew very well she would hate people reading about her past - about the foster homes and the streets, not to mention the dreams and the visions and the nightmares…
She couldn't blame Harry one bit.
"It'd be useful if someone would provide some more insight!" Alabaster called up to the ceiling, waiting almost expectantly. Topher let out a heavy, almost exasperated sigh.
"One day your mother will turn you into an insect." He said.
"One day she'll care enough to do so." Alabaster retorted. "Look, she dumped us here and Cassandra had a prophecy and left us with nothing -" Alabaster was cut off by a flash of light and it cleared to reveal a piece of parchment in his hand.
"It appears she answered." Lupin sounded amused. Fahra rolled her eyes when Alabaster scowled, but he skimmed the note.
"You have a day or two to gather those you want involved." He said after a few minutes. "That's when the 'books' will arrive - detailing past, present and future events. Hence the 'unfold' bit, some stuff no one will know the outcome of. That'll be fun, at least. Also, apparently because my mother hates me, some of our life will be shoved in too." Alabaster's expression turned sour. "Mostly mine. Because, as stated, my mother hates me."
"You remind me so much of my brother." Regulus said, and Cassandra noticed an almost entire group wince at that statement. "What?"
"Mr Black, your brother...he is a criminal." McGonagall appeared to try and break the news gently, but it looked as though Regulus had been slapped. "He escaped from Azkaban a few months ago."
"...Fuck." He said, with feeling, and Topher's brows furrowed.
"Wait, should we know about this?" He asked.
"Considering what you can do if he tries to kill anyone, probably not." Fahra hummed, stealing the note from Alabaster who tried to grab it back. "Oh look, Al, you've got a present for you on the school grounds. How nice."
"What does she mean, what you can do?" Hermione asked, brows furrowed.
"Nothing impressive." Topher said, like his ability to peer into minds and bring forth madness was as simple as making a sandwich. "Al?"
"I'm going, I'm going." Alabaster muttered, turning on his heel and stalking off. His head peered back around the doorframe a fraction of a second later. "How do I reach the school grounds?"
XoooX
Harry had volunteered himself to lead Alabaster to the grounds, needing time to think, and he supposed Alabaster wouldn't be one to start up a conversation when he didn't want to start one.
He wasn't sure what to think of the new people, to be honest. He had no reason to not believe them, and if they were going to lie it wouldn't be with something as ridiculous as being children of gods. The youngest, Cassandra, was nice enough, although she had gone into a sort of trance in the Great Hall, and then said she'd seen a shaggy, black dog (Harry was aware of the fact that he had seen that dog, that it may be the Grim) and a green light (And Harry still heard his mother screaming, sometimes, more often than he would like) and it set him on edge. If this...prophecy thing that Cassandra had was the real thing, then...then it felt like she had predicted his death.
"I can practically hear your brain whirring." Harry started at Alabaster's unexpected comment. "Can't say I'm not in the same situation, but sometimes a problem shared is a problem halved. At least, that's what Topher keeps telling me." The older man turned to look at Harry, and Harry almost startled at his eyes. Bright green, avada kedavra green, like the light that killed his father, his mother. Like Harry's eyes, only unobscured by the round glasses he wore.
"It's just...what your friend said. About green light?" Harry waited for Alabaster to nod. "It's a...a spell. It killed my parents." Alabaster paused, and Harry followed suit.
"Ah." He said, before hesitating slightly and nodding once. "With Cassie and her prophecies...there are lots of different ways they can be interpreted. Especially the ones without the words. She has a lot of dreams like that. You could be right, but you could also be wrong. If she knew about your parents, about the spell - she wouldn't have brought it up. We all have...issues regarding our parents, and Cassie lost her mother when she was very little. She wouldn't have mentioned it." His eyes flickered back to Harry. "In fact, if you told her, she probably would have hugged you. She's very…" Alabaster's nose wrinkled, much to Harry's amusement. "Tactile."
"And you're not?"
"I prefer to have a personal bubble." Alabaster decided, and Harry may have snorted slightly. "I grew up with a father who was...less than kind. Topher says I need to get used to touch meaning something other than hurt, so he touches me almost constantly. Little things, but I like to think I'm getting a bit better." Harry thought that 'less than kind' meant 'like the Dursleys', although Alabaster had never met them.
"The thing about this whole...thing, is that it will reveal my past and my home life." Harry began picking at the cuff of his robes, suddenly regretting even bringing it up. "And my relatives were...less than kind. I don't know if I want everyone to know what they were like. If they think I'm not...strong enough. Because I didn't stand up to them."
"If they care, they won't think that." Alabaster said, and Harry noted how his voice had gone soft, like how it had when he'd spoken to Cassandra earlier. "They'll be angry - not at you, at your relatives. When Fahra found out about my father, she threatened to kill him. That...will probably be her reaction to this, too, even though she doesn't know you very well." Harry caught the corner of Alabaster's mouth twitch up. "If she asks if she can adopt you, say no - I don't trust her with raising someone on her own."
"You wouldn't help?"
"I helped with Cassie." They walked in a comfortable silence for a while, before they left the inside of the castle and cool air hit their faces. Alabaster took a seat on the steps, tilting his head back slightly and closing his eyes.
"Do you want to wait alone?"
"Not particularly." Alabaster opened one eye and offered a sharp, toothy grin. "I need a witness in case my mother shows up. I might yell at her. I need someone to make sure I don't try to fight a goddess." Harry had the sudden vision of Alabaster punching a lovely woman, dressed in white and glowing faintly, in the nose. He decided that he didn't want that to happen, so took a seat next to him.
Apparently, the supposed gift wasn't a goddess, but a dog. In fact, a shaggy, black dog that had been following Harry since he blew up his aunt at Privet Drive. Harry blinked at the dog. The dog blinked back.
"I swear that dog's been stalking me." Harry said to Alabaster, who looked mildly confused. "I saw it at home, I swear I did."
"Dogs are particularly intelligent creatures. Why some of the most dangerous monsters are called Hellhounds." Alabaster said, and Harry decided to not comment on that. Even so, Alabaster held out a hand and made a clicking sound with his tongue. The dog loped over, nosed at Alabaster's palm and allowed the boy to stroke him. "Wonder why my mother sent you. Wonder why Cassie had a vision of you - but you must be very important."
"So he isn't a grim?" Harry managed, reaching out to stroke the dog too. He could feel ribs when he ran a hand down his side, and it made his heart pang a little in sympathy.
"No clue what a grim is, but far as I can tell he's a dog." Alabaster said, but there was something in his voice that told Harry that wasn't the entire truth. He decided not to question it, though. "You need a name, though, don't you? I'm shit with names. Fuck, I just swore in front of a kid."
"I've heard worse." Harry assured him, watching as the dog licked Alabaster's cheek and the older boy pushed him away, making a noise of disgust in the back of his throat. "Why do you think you're bad with names."
"I chose Alabaster, which is a type of rock, and Fahra picked on me for days about it. Though, I was ten at the time." Alabaster admitted. "It's why they use 'Al' most of the time - less odd." He tilted his head slightly at the dog, who mimicked the action. To Harry, this did not seem like normal dog behaviour. "I mean, I could just call him Dog."
"You're right. You are shit at names." Harry said and Alabaster let out a wheezing noise which Harry identified as him trying not to laugh. "Calling a dog Dog, such creativity."
"Better than calling him Cat." Alabaster stated, and Harry laughed.
"Fine, Dog it is." Harry paused slightly. "Al? I can -"
"'Course you can call me that." Alabaster said. "What is it?"
"Can you sit with me? During...during the reading, I mean." Harry felt himself blush at the request. "You don't have to, I just...know people are going to want to comfort me and, and pity me and I don't want or need that. I know you'll probably get angry, but like...you won't try to coddle me. I don't want to be coddled."
"You do realise the three I call my family will definitely join us, right?" Alabaster said.
"But they'll listen if you tell them that I want to not be treated like glass, right?"
"...Topher may suggest therapy. Fahra will definitely consider murder as a solution. Cassandra will probably cry, because she is that sort of person. Think you can deal with that?"
"I think I can."
"It's a deal, then." Alabaster stuck his hand out, and Harry shook it.
XoooX
The next day passed quickly, the only thing of note was Alabaster and his friends getting bearings within the castle and much gentle rubbing at calling his new pet 'Dog'. Dog didn't seem to mind the name, though, nor did he mind laying under the Gryffindor table during mealtimes, especially when Cassandra took it upon herself to fill a plate with dog suitable food and place it on the floor in front of him. Lupin had given Dog an odd look when he'd first seen him, and Dog had returned it, but he hadn't commented on it. Alabaster suspected that Lupin maybe knew that Dog was not wholly a dog, but was trusting Alabaster's judgement in the matter, which was that his mother wouldn't have sent Dog to him if him not being completely a dog was an issue.
One thing Alabaster did note, while sitting in on a potions lesson, was that he did not like Severus Snape.
All four of them had circulated through classes, though usually stuck to one. Cassandra was having a ball in Divination, apparently debunking certain methods of fortune telling and that prophetic tendencies were something you couldn't learn. Apparently, Ron Weasley thought she was the best thing to happen to that lesson, especially when she'd scoffed at reading tea leaves. Topher had preferred hanging around the greenhouses, and Pomona Sprout had taken a vested interest in his ability to cause fruit bearing plants to produce fruit quicker and make it taste better than usual. Fahra much preferred Ancient Runes, claiming it was close enough to her spell casting than anything else, and therefore didn't need to worry about understanding anything.
Alabaster had dabbled in all, but had made a stubborn decision to stay at the back of every Gryffindor and Slytherin Potions lesson to call out people sabotaging others potions, and to glare at Snape whenever he made a snide comment directed at the Gryffindors in particular. Alabaster had seen the derisive way most of the school treated the Slytherin students, and had taken it upon himself to dissolve any picking on younger Slytherins by swooping in like an avenging angel, but that was no reason to favour the house so greatly and to belittle poor Neville, who had taken to working closer to the back, closer to Alabaster who would put Snape in his place if he so much as looked at him wrong. It didn't matter that Snape was older than Alabaster, and a teacher, Alabaster didn't like bullies, and Snape was definitely one.
So far, Alabaster's favourite teacher was Lupin, because he was humorous in a way that didn't hurt people, and knew what he was talking about. He did ask Alabaster if he was alright after his quick lesson on Grindylows and Alabaster's head had hit the desk with a thunk, much to the amusement of everyone else. Alabaster was expecting other creatures that shouldn't exist but apparently did to come up during this reading, and he wasn't looking forward to it much at all. Cassie would definitely be vibrating with joy, though. Cassie had adapted best to the whole thing, and was making friends left right and centre - but that was just how Cassandra operated. She couldn't say a bad word to anyone, and her disappointed tone made whoever it was directed at feel immediately bad about anything they had done.
Alabaster should know. After he'd been dragged back to New York by Fahra, he'd had the tone directed at him, and immediately regretted running away even if it was for the safety of...well, everyone but him, apparently.
Regulus, who Alabaster hadn't spoken to much, had stayed more out of the way of things, though he and Topher did have a long discussion about mental health. Apparently, brainwashing was a thing, especially during the first war that Alabaster did not ask about and did not want to know more about, due to his own war, and Topher had poked around a bit in his mind to see if anything was permanently damaged by spells or the time travel. According to his boyfriend, Regulus had minor PTSD, due to fighting in the war, but nothing that was permanently damaging and could be dealt with via therapy and medication. Which Topher had discussed with Madame Pomphrey, and proceeded to get into an intense debate with about the pros and cons of magical and mundane mental remedies. It meant that Alabaster still got his antidepressants, and Regulus was starting them, too, so it was better than Topher's suggestion being shot down immediately.
Over the day, others had gathered at Hogwarts. There were a few redheads with multiple freckles, who had to be Ron's family - mother and father and two older brothers. One of the brothers had a fang earring, which was really cool. The other had burn scars up and down his arms, which was less cool and highly worrying. It made Alabaster think of dragons, and, for once, pray to every god he could think of that they weren't real. They had been nice enough to introduce themselves, and with them the rest of the Weasleys.
Molly and Arthur and Bill and Charlie and Percy and Fred and George and Ron and Ginny. So many names to remember, and it took Alabaster a while to actually be able to correctly name Fred and George, especially since they kept switching their names around, an ongoing joke that Fahra thought was brilliant and Alabaster knew he would grow to accept but still be annoyed by it.
Apparently, they were bringing in government people, which Alabaster was not impressed with, especially with these so called Aurors, which Fahra had dubbed 'wizard cops'. He did note a head of bubblegum pink hair amongst them, and the woman it belonged to ('Dora -' 'Please call me Tonks') had greeted Charlie with a hug, so Alabaster supposed they may be slightly better than the cops they'd had to dart into alleys to avoid when they were younger and stealing food from shops. There was also a man in a bowler hat - the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge - a woman with a monocle - Amelia Bones, head of Magical Law Enforcement - and a bald, black man with a single gold earring - one of the higher ranking Aurors, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Apparently, Fudge had wanted to bring along another woman, but Dumbledore had stated very calmly that there were enough members of the Ministry here, and that anything of great importance that had to do with this woman's department could be handled by one of the others he had brought in.
One the morning of the third day, Dumbledore entered the Great Hall with seven books, and any chatter silenced as all heads turned to look at him as he stood in front of the head table and addressed the room as a whole.
"As you all know by now, for the next few weeks we will be having some guests accompany us about our day to day lives." He announced, and Alabaster watched as Cassandra resisted the urge to wave. "This has been for a reason, and this is because of these." Dumbledore held up one of the books in the stack. "We have been granted the privilege of reading about what is to come, to change what the future holds for us. Anything read cannot be punished, as it has already happened, or has not yet come to pass, and nothing shall leave the castle - apart from the people within it. Oh, and the animals, I suppose." He added at Dog's affronted bark. It was definitely not dog behaviour, but Alabaster knew it wouldn't be. Dog rested his muzzle on Alabaster's thigh, and Alabaster scratched behind his ears as Dumbloedore waved his wand, causing a voice to speak from the book.
"Harry Potter," it stated, calm and concise. "And the Philosopher's Stone."
XoOoX
The intro chapter is longer than the actual first chapter of Harry Potter (5681 here to 4583 there) hoo boy this'll be fun.
I have dabbled in and out of reading fics, I have only ever finished one book in one when I was young and my writing was horrible, I have fallen out of love with JKR after certain comments made earlier this year and yet, here I am.
Writing a reading the books fic and I am really, really pleased with this intro.
Yes, it is a crossover fic, and no, the only PJO related thing it may include is references to events and characters in the books and possible Son of Magic because I fell in love with Alabaster. Of course, this is an older Alabaster, so is different from him in the short story, but I am hoping to catch the main gist - a little older, a little wiser, still ready to fight but also protective and caring to those who earn it. Also, less eager to kill Percy Jackson, but that might be because he doesn't want Poseidon to kill him, who knows.
There are going to be references galore in this to multitudes of fandoms, but hopefully woven in well enough. I mean, there are two in this chapter, one of them purposeful, and one of them accidental but I loved so I kept it in. Kudos if anyone gets both.
Any questions regarding my OCs I am willing and eager to answer, but I am hoping to include their backstories more so as we go along. Any burning questions I will probably answer in author's notes if it isn't detrimental to plotlines and such. Yes, I have a plotline regarding this. Everything I write has some sort of plotline, even if I don't realise it half the time.
Any text recitation shall be minimal, but enough so you can follow it however you prefer.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and I hope to post chapter one of The Philosopher's Stone pretty soon.
Cheers! - Jazz xx