Disclaimer: Athena and all children during Athena's time belong to me. The rest belongs to J.K Rowling.

Note: Athena's owl, Bubo, belongs to creators of the movie "Clash of the Titans" (I think)

Thank you for all your reviews!

Chapter 9: Help! I am a monster!

"Die? What does Hagrid mean by that?" Elizabeth asked in shock when Athena told her and James later in the common room at night.

"I don't know. He refuses to say anything after that." Athena said softly and stared at her pendant.

"Well, whoever left the pendant must be a very important wizard." James said as he folded his arms. When Athena and Elizabeth stared at him blankly, he clicked his tongue impatiently and said, "I mean, think about it! Harry Potter is a well-known, powerful wizard. Sometimes he is like a prized trophy. Whoever catches him will have his or her name down in the History of Magic. So Athena's father is almost the same as Harry Potter. But he's dead, so Athena has almost the same value as her father."

"I think I understand now." Elizabeth said slowly. Actually she didn't understand but she didn't want to admit that.

"Wait, let me put it this way, you mean, whoever catches me will probably kill me because I might raise up to be a very powerful witch and defeat all the dark wizards and witches?" Athena asked.

"Not whoever, dark wizards." James corrected. "You know, like Grindelwald and Voldemort. I mean, if your father is a powerful wizard, the magical blood that is flowing your veins must be pretty supreme. If a dark wizard is formidable enough to catch you or kill you, he can easily move on to kill Harry and his family, then take over the wizarding world."

"Then I can't find out who is really my father?" Athena asked in great disappointment.

Elizabeth and James looked at each other uneasily. Then at Athena with pity. "Well.... I guess it will be all right if you find out and keep it to yourself..." Elizabeth said slowly.

"Great!" Athena said, clapping her hands, then frowned. "But I can't ask my mom, she would have already told me a long ago. Madam Hooch is too stubborn to say anything. Hagrid will not say anything again after what happened today. The Sorting Hat is in Professor Sprouts' office and we need the password. Professor Snape...err..."

No one dared to talk to Professor Snape about this.

"How are we going to find out?" Athena asked, throwing up her hands.

"We?" James asked.

"Of course. 3 heads are better than 1." Athena said seriously.

"I guess you are right." James said then snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute, if your father is a famous wizard, maybe he is listed in the Chocolate Frogs Cards. Wait here, I am going to get them upstairs." James said and rushed upstairs before Athena and Elizabeth could say anything. He came down with a stack of cards and put them on the table. Elizabeth and Athena spread them out and stared at them.

"Dumbledore, Morgana, Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, Merlin, Cliodna, and Harry Potter." Elizabeth read out. "Well, Morgana, Circe, Harry and Cliodna are definitely out."

The trio stared at the remaining cards. "Well, we can't find anything out of these." James said finally and gathered the cards. "Hey Athena, what else do you know about your dad?"

"Let's see...my eyes and hair colour is as same as his. That's what Hagrid said." Athena said then paused. "Wait a minute...Hagrid was just about to say my dad's name but then he stopped."

"What did he say?" Elizabeth asked.

"Great man..Dumb...then he stopped." Athena said slowly then she turned her head sharply to James. "James! Give me the Dumbledore card!" She demanded.

James flipped the cards and handed the card to Athena. She scanned the words carefully.

"You think that Albus Dumbledore is your dad?" Elizabeth asked in amazement.

Athena didn't respond. Then she groaned in disappointment. "The card didn't mention about him marrying someone. Maybe it is not him."

***

A few weeks later, Athena was reading her History of Magic textbook in the courtyard alone in a cool morning when she heard a nasty voice saying, "Hey there, Ateenay."

Athena looked up and saw Narcissus Malfoy with a gang of Slytherins looking at her. All of them had their broomsticks in their hands. "It's Athena. What do you want?" She asked calmly.

"Nothing, just curious about what you are doing." Malfoy grinned.

"Well I can't do anything while you are here so go away." Athena said darkly and bent her head down to read. The pendant caught the sunlight and shone brightly.

Malfoy looked at the pendant with interest, reached out his hand and yanked the pendant away from Athena's neck. "Hey, cool pendant!"

"Hey, give it back! It's mine!" Athena yelled, jumping up from her seat.

"No, I will not." Malfoy said, sticking out his tongue at her. He mounted his broom and zoomed to the sky. "Come and get it!" He yelled and laughed wickedly.

"Hey, look at her, she looks as if she is going to cry." A Slytherin said and laughed along with his friends.

Athena looked at Malfoy angrily and jumped high into the sky, glaring at him. "Give it back, Malfoy!" She demanded.

Malfoy stopped laughing and stared at her with his mouth dropped open. He looked paler then usual, so pale as if he had seen a ghost. "Here! Take it!" He said in panic, tossed the pendant to her and flew down with his broom as fast as lightning.

Wait a minute, flew?

If Malfoy was riding his broom high up in the sky, then how could she be up there too without a broom?

Athena looked down, and saw all the students, who looked like small dolls, looking up at her in astonishment. She heard a noise behind her and she turned her head slowly around. She gasped loudly at what she had seen.

Wings.

Enormous, soft and pure white wings on her back.

***

"Athena, remove the curtains and talk to us." Lethe said, with the Wood twins, the Weasleys, Eric, Madam Pomfrey, Sirius, Madam Hooch, Hagrid and Harry standing anxiously behind her in the Girls' Dormitories.

"No, go away. I am a monster, all of you saw me, I have wings behind my back." Athena said, trying to touch the spot where her wings used to be. Her wings were gone immediately after Athena had landed. She was now lying flat on her bed with the curtains drew shut.

"No, you are not. We don't care if you have wings. You are still our friend." Lethe said.

"And student." Sirius added and the teachers nodded.

Athena didn't respond.

"Err, Athena? There is one teacher who used to teach Defense Against Dark Arts here, he is a werewolf. And you know, everyone is scared of werewolves. But all the students like him. In fact, he is my favorite teacher." Harry said.

"What happen to him now?" Athena asked.

"He..err...resigned." Harry said. "But everyone still likes him, he left because he thought that he might hurt someone." He added quickly.

Athena went quiet again. Then she said, "Mom will probably disown me if she finds out."

"She won't. She is an Animagus herself. Athena, trust me, I know your mother." Madeline said.

Athena still didn't push the curtains aside.

"Oh well, I guess we have to leave her alone for a while. Come on." Poppy said, leading all the people outside.

"Sirius, do you know what's going on?" Harry asked when everyone was outside.

"Simple. She is a natural Animagus. She doesn't need studying or training to be one, her ability just comes with her when she was born. It is highly unnatural and rare. By the way, did anyone of you know about her parents? I don't know that Professor McGonagall is married."

"I dunno." Hagrid, Madeline and Poppy lied in unison.

****

Athena waited until everyone was gone and pushed her curtains aside. She sighed. She is now half-human. What's the point living?

****

"That's a strange ability Athena has." James said, lying down on the grass outside the school. "It sure is. And every wizards and witches will envy her ability. Remember what the author of "Quidditch Through the Ages" wrote? He wrote that every wizards and witches likes to fly but they don't like to ride a broomstick and a spell that helps them to hover only a few feet in the air. They want to fly high up like the birds. Although they can transfigure themselves into bats, but having a bat's brain, they are sure to forget where they want to go the moment they take flight." Elizabeth said.

"I prefer a broomstick. I wonder if Athena is all right? She didn't seem happy when she found out that she has wings on her back." James said worriedly.

Elizabeth looked around the place and noticed someone walking towards the cold lake. "Wait, isn't that Athena? What is she doing?"

James sat up and watched Athena, who had a sad look on her face. He saw her staring at the lake for a while and she just plunged into the chilly waters.

"Athena!" James yelled and jumped to his feet. Elizabeth was too shock to move. James ran to the lake as fast as he could. He searched the lake quickly.

No sign of Athena.

"Elizabeth, get Madam Pomfrey!" James yelled, took a deep breath and dived into the lake.

Elizabeth shook her head to clear it and run off. James searched for Athena in the clear water.

Still no sign of her.

But there was something that he didn't want to see.

A Grindylow.

"Uh oh." James thought and began to swim upwards. A Grindylow grabbed his ankle and dragged him down. "Let go of me!" James thought angrily and tried to pull the Grindylow's grip off but without much success.

The creature smiled as it watched James struggled and trying to hold his breath.

"Oh no, I am running out of air." James thought in panic. He shook his head, everything was getting hazy...

****

"JAMES! James, wake up!" A voice yelled.

James opened his eyes slowly and shielded his eyes from the sun. He saw Elizabeth and Madam Pomfrey looking at him anxiously. He was now lying on the grass just beside the lake. He sat up and looked around. "Athena, where's she? Is she all right?" He demanded, grasping Elizabeth's shoulders.

"Err..." Elizabeth started.

"What?! Tell me?!" James said.

"She is all right. In fact, she saved you from the Grindylow." Elizabeth said.

"And? Where is she?" James asked.

"She refuses to come out of the water." Poppy said and pointed at the lake.

James stood up and saw Athena with her upper body out of the water. "Athena, you are all right!" James said happily. "Come out of there."

Athena shook her head with a mixture of stubbornness and sadness. "I am a monster."

"No, you are not. We don't mind about your wings." James argued.

"It's not the wings." Athena said.

"Then what..." James started.

"Do you know why you didn't drown? Why the Grindylow didn't kill you?" Athena asked softly.

James shook his head. "I know that you save me. Now come out of there."

"No, I will not!" Athena said loudly. "Mom will disown me and all the people will freak out!" She said with tears in her eyes and dived into the lake, as she did, a fish tail flipped into the air before disappearing with a little splash.