TITLE: Harry Potter and Hand of Midas

AUTHOR: Becca

E-MAIL: lordsbecca@yahoo.com

RATING: PG-13

ARCHIVE: I'll need to approve it first. This is my baby!!! ::hugs story::

SUMMARY: The story of King Midas and the Golden Hand is true. And the Dark Lord, Voldemort, intends to find and use the hand. But there's only one obstacle preventing him from obtaining the ultimate power. It's name: Potter.

**DISCLAIMER: Roses are red, violets are blue, me no own, so you no sue! Ooh boy, do I love my muses. ::hugs muses like there's no tomorrow::

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Chapter One – Stories

"Prometheus," she continued, "was strapped to a mountain, with unbreakable chains. Zeus then called upon a vulture, who would eat Prometheus' liver. Every day, the vulture would feed, and every night, the liver would grow back, allowing the vulture to eat the next day, and so on."

Ron cringed. "Gross, Hermione. That's just gross."

Hermione smiled. "It's the classic story of how fire came upon the mortal man. And, of course, it all makes sense. If there were no fire, we couldn't survive. How could we have had primitive cooking? Heat? None of it would have been possible."

"But still, Zeus didn't have to torture Promechiwee like that."

"You mean, Prometheus."

"Whatever."

Harry smiled. "I like that story, Hermione. Where did you hear this?"

"It's a myth, Harry," she explained. She pulled a book out of her bag, and handed it to him. "Myths are much like fairy tales, or fables, but they were used to teach how things came to be."

Harry flipped through the pictures of the book. "Do you have anymore good stories?"

Hermione sat in thought. "Well, I could tell the tale of Persephone. Or..." she paused. "No, it's not exactly a myth, more of a moral story."

"Which story?"

"King Midas and the Golden Hand."

Harry smiled. "I love that story. Someone should tell it to Malfoy."

Hermione laughed. "It's a wonderful moral. Selfishness ends in misery."

"What?" Ron stared at them, completely confused. "What's the story?"

"King Midas, ruler of an old land, was greedy, selfish, and self-centered. He had a family, including a daughter, who he loved dearly. Some say, it was because she always gave him wonderful presents. Never the less, he cared about his daughter more then almost anything: he cared more about gold. Gold and jewels he could never resist, and would except them whenever he possibly could.

"During this birthday, he of course, received hundreds of gold and jeweled pieces from the kingdom. Each person had to present the gift themselves, that way, Midas could tell it to their face that it was horrible. When an old woman handed him a rusty old lamp, Midas glared at her, and demanded to know why he was given such a horrible gift.

"She said, 'Do not be fooled, Midas. Inside the contents of this lamp lies a genie, willing to give you one wish. That's it: one.'

"Midas, of course, was overwhelmed. To have anything he wanted, at the tip of his fingers! He accepted the other gifts, then rubbed the lamp, awakening the genie.

" 'Genie, I have a wish. It's quite simple: I want everything that I touch to turn into pure gold. I want my hand to turn everything to gold with just one touch.' The genie granted this wish.

"Midas touched his throne, and it became solid gold. He touched his robes, and they too became gold. And, just like his wish, everything he touched from then on became a valuable, solid, gold.

"But Midas was clumsy. At dinner, he'd touch his chicken, and it would become gold. When he wanted to wash himself, he'd turn the soap to gold. And, when his daughter gave him a new crown, he hugged her, turning her into solid gold.

"Midas was deviated. He stopped calling his hand 'his gift from God', and called it 'his curse from Hades'. He touched his face by accident, eventually, and killed himself.

"The servants and wife of Midas decided to cut off his deadly hand, and rid the world of it. They threw into the ocean, where it remains to this date."

While Harry just smiled at Hermione, and looked out of the window, Ron stared.

"Why would he touch his daughter?"

"He loved her, Ron. He wanted to give her a hug."

He stared.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's a father daughter relationship, okay? Something you wouldn't understand. Something that is special between a father and daughter only: sons could never appreciate it."

He just continued staring.

Hermione looked at Harry. "How much longer until we're at Hogwarts, Harry? This train is taking forever, it seems."

"Just an hour or so more; we're almost there."

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Draco Malfoy bit into his Chocolate Frog. "And as for her story of the fire, that's total rubbish. Not one person would disobey the King of the Gods, Zeus."

Goyle laughed stupidly. "And what about the gold hand story?"

Draco swallowed the chocolate, and put the rest down. "Now, that story was anything but foolishness. My father has told me the same story." He leaned in towards his two cronies. "And you know what? My father, along with the Dark Lord, intends to find that hand."

Crabbe laughed. "You can't be serious! Even I know that story is all a lie. It never happened, Draco."

"Did so!" Malfoy pouted. "My father would never lie. He's positive. Even Voldemort has heard the story of Midas. He believes it as well. And that hand is somewhere in the ocean."

Goyle gave a bewildered look. "But...but if the hand was in the water, then wouldn't the water have turned to gold? Wouldn't the oceans be pure gold?"

Draco smiled. "Now, that is the question, isn't it?"

Crabbe and Goyle just stared at each other, both very baffled with Draco's question and smug smile.

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"What do you mean?"

"I'm just asking where it is, Lord."

Voldemort had exploded. "I don't know where it is! You'll have to find it yourself! Petrificus Totlalus!" He shot the spell at Lucius Malfoy (the full-body-bind), and turned to Wormtail. "Drag this piece of insignificant shit to the dungeons. He can think of where the Hand of Midas is while there."

Wormtail, nodded, bowed, and grabbed Lucius' feet. He dragged him down to the dungeons, just as his master had commanded.

Voldemort was left alone, to think about the Hand.

This Hand, he thought, could allow me to become the most powerful again. To have the Hand of Midas! But where is it? He shifted in his throne, uncomfortable with not-knowing where his source of power was. I would need the answer. And that means killing Potter. Yes...but that's a problem within itself. I must get it...but first, Potter must go.

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Oh, please review! ::begs:: I love this story, and it's going to be great! Just give it a chance, k? KAY!