Disclaimer: Athena and all children during Athena's time belong to me. The
rest belongs to J.K Rowling.
Thank you for all your reviews!
A little note to Aeryn Alexander: Hey, I didn't notice that I connected most of the questions to Dumbledore, McGonagall and Athena until you point it out. I just thought them up during when I was bored at work, : p
Chapter 13: Potions and the Last Chamber
As Athena stepped into the Potions chamber, golden and red flames appeared at the opening that led to the next chamber, burning furiously. She looked around and saw four bottles arranged on a small white marble stand in an odd way: The first bottle at the edge of the table, the second bottle a few centimeters behind the first, the third bottle a few centimeters to the second's left and the last bottle a few centimeters in front of the third bottle. A silver plaque was struck on the stand with the words:
4 bottles, only one can help you through the flames, to the last chamber. The rest are deadly poison. Choose carefully, stranger. The correct potion is the brightest star.
"What does it mean?" Athena asked exasperatedly and tiredly. Of course, no one was there to answer her. She forced her tired mind to think. Brightest star...which bottle is the brightest star? She walked around the stand slowly, looking at the bottles at every angle without touching them. Suddenly, she noticed something familiar about the arrangement, where had she seen it? She thought quickly. Of course! The bottles were arranged to look like the constellation Antlia! Brightest star...brightest star... what's the brightest star of Antlia? Athena trying to remember Professor Sinistra's lesson correctly. Antliae! And Antlia's position is...Athena turned her head slowly to the second bottle. She moved to the bottle and picked it up.
Nothing happened.
She examined the small bottle with a silver cork and a colorless liquid closely. Then she opened it, took a deep breath and drank it. She waited for the worst, but still hoped faintly that she got it correct.
Still, nothing happened. Athena turned, and stared at the flames. "Here I come." She walked slowly to the flames, reached out to touch the flames. She felt nothing. She put her whole arm through the flames and the flames didn't burn her. She smiled in delight and walked through the flames.
***
The last chamber was big and bright, there's nothing in there except for a long black coffin made of marble. It has the Hogwarts crest on top and the four houses' symbols on the four sides: The Gryffindor lion, Hufflepuff badger, Ravenclaw eagle and the Slytherin snake. It looked so new as if it was built yesterday.
"Is this Dad's coffin?" Athena asked herself softly. "If so, why are there Hogwarts symbols on it?" Athena wondered aloud and reached out to touch the beautifully embedded Hogwarts crest.
****
"Look, there's blood! This is definitely not good." Professor Snape said, pointing at the bloodstains on the floor. His face went as white as a sheet of Muggle paper.
"If she gets to the last chamber, she will definitely die there!" Professor McGonagall said hysterically.
"Wha's there beside Dumbledore's coffin?" Hagrid asked confusedly.
"Don't you remember?! Dumbledore is...." Madam Hooch yelled and stopped halfway. She dropped her voice into a whisper as they run through Professor McGonagall's passageway. "Dumbledore is buried somewhere else! There is nothing in that coffin. All these are just a scheme to distract the dark wizards away from the real burial ground."
"Nothin'?" Hagrid asked.
"Nothing except for a deadly curse." Madam Pomfrey said quietly.
"Curse?" Hagrid asked again.
"One of the Three Unforgivable Curses and the deadliest one." Professor Sprouts said seriously. ("More blood?! Oh no, this is bad, really bad!" Professor Flitwick said worriedly.)
"Which one?" Hagrid asked slowly but he had the faintest idea which curse was it.
"Avada Kedevra." Madam Hooch whispered with her voice shaking.
***
Once Athena touched the coffin, the lid sprang open and she heard a voice yelling: "AVADA KEDAVRA!" The green light shone and Athena ducked just as the light brushed on top of her. A second later, the coffin slammed shut. Athena coughed, suddenly she felt dizzy and weaker than before. The pain started to spread to the rest of her body rapidly and she felt much more pain than she had in the Transfigurations passageway.
"Athena, ATHENA!" Someone yelled.
Athena stood up and tried to keep her balance. Professor McGonagall dashed in with the rest of the teachers and put her arms around her daughter. "Oh my goodness, you are all right! I am so worried about you!" Athena opened her mouth slightly to speak but then Professor McGonagall said seriously: "I don't care if you are a mermaid or a vampire, no matter what you are, you will still be my daughter."
Athena smiled weakly and hugged her mother.
"Now let's go to the hospital wing and heal your wounds." Madam Pomfrey smiled but her smile faded when Athena said weakly: "Too...late."
"She opened the coffin!" Madam Hooch said in horror.
"Good...bye Mom." Athena whispered and slid out of Professor McGonagall's arms and onto the floor, leaving long bloody stains on her mother's robes.
"ATHENA!" Everyone cried, even Snape.
Athena didn't respond. She split blood from her mouth and closed her eyes.
Thank you for all your reviews!
A little note to Aeryn Alexander: Hey, I didn't notice that I connected most of the questions to Dumbledore, McGonagall and Athena until you point it out. I just thought them up during when I was bored at work, : p
Chapter 13: Potions and the Last Chamber
As Athena stepped into the Potions chamber, golden and red flames appeared at the opening that led to the next chamber, burning furiously. She looked around and saw four bottles arranged on a small white marble stand in an odd way: The first bottle at the edge of the table, the second bottle a few centimeters behind the first, the third bottle a few centimeters to the second's left and the last bottle a few centimeters in front of the third bottle. A silver plaque was struck on the stand with the words:
4 bottles, only one can help you through the flames, to the last chamber. The rest are deadly poison. Choose carefully, stranger. The correct potion is the brightest star.
"What does it mean?" Athena asked exasperatedly and tiredly. Of course, no one was there to answer her. She forced her tired mind to think. Brightest star...which bottle is the brightest star? She walked around the stand slowly, looking at the bottles at every angle without touching them. Suddenly, she noticed something familiar about the arrangement, where had she seen it? She thought quickly. Of course! The bottles were arranged to look like the constellation Antlia! Brightest star...brightest star... what's the brightest star of Antlia? Athena trying to remember Professor Sinistra's lesson correctly. Antliae! And Antlia's position is...Athena turned her head slowly to the second bottle. She moved to the bottle and picked it up.
Nothing happened.
She examined the small bottle with a silver cork and a colorless liquid closely. Then she opened it, took a deep breath and drank it. She waited for the worst, but still hoped faintly that she got it correct.
Still, nothing happened. Athena turned, and stared at the flames. "Here I come." She walked slowly to the flames, reached out to touch the flames. She felt nothing. She put her whole arm through the flames and the flames didn't burn her. She smiled in delight and walked through the flames.
***
The last chamber was big and bright, there's nothing in there except for a long black coffin made of marble. It has the Hogwarts crest on top and the four houses' symbols on the four sides: The Gryffindor lion, Hufflepuff badger, Ravenclaw eagle and the Slytherin snake. It looked so new as if it was built yesterday.
"Is this Dad's coffin?" Athena asked herself softly. "If so, why are there Hogwarts symbols on it?" Athena wondered aloud and reached out to touch the beautifully embedded Hogwarts crest.
****
"Look, there's blood! This is definitely not good." Professor Snape said, pointing at the bloodstains on the floor. His face went as white as a sheet of Muggle paper.
"If she gets to the last chamber, she will definitely die there!" Professor McGonagall said hysterically.
"Wha's there beside Dumbledore's coffin?" Hagrid asked confusedly.
"Don't you remember?! Dumbledore is...." Madam Hooch yelled and stopped halfway. She dropped her voice into a whisper as they run through Professor McGonagall's passageway. "Dumbledore is buried somewhere else! There is nothing in that coffin. All these are just a scheme to distract the dark wizards away from the real burial ground."
"Nothin'?" Hagrid asked.
"Nothing except for a deadly curse." Madam Pomfrey said quietly.
"Curse?" Hagrid asked again.
"One of the Three Unforgivable Curses and the deadliest one." Professor Sprouts said seriously. ("More blood?! Oh no, this is bad, really bad!" Professor Flitwick said worriedly.)
"Which one?" Hagrid asked slowly but he had the faintest idea which curse was it.
"Avada Kedevra." Madam Hooch whispered with her voice shaking.
***
Once Athena touched the coffin, the lid sprang open and she heard a voice yelling: "AVADA KEDAVRA!" The green light shone and Athena ducked just as the light brushed on top of her. A second later, the coffin slammed shut. Athena coughed, suddenly she felt dizzy and weaker than before. The pain started to spread to the rest of her body rapidly and she felt much more pain than she had in the Transfigurations passageway.
"Athena, ATHENA!" Someone yelled.
Athena stood up and tried to keep her balance. Professor McGonagall dashed in with the rest of the teachers and put her arms around her daughter. "Oh my goodness, you are all right! I am so worried about you!" Athena opened her mouth slightly to speak but then Professor McGonagall said seriously: "I don't care if you are a mermaid or a vampire, no matter what you are, you will still be my daughter."
Athena smiled weakly and hugged her mother.
"Now let's go to the hospital wing and heal your wounds." Madam Pomfrey smiled but her smile faded when Athena said weakly: "Too...late."
"She opened the coffin!" Madam Hooch said in horror.
"Good...bye Mom." Athena whispered and slid out of Professor McGonagall's arms and onto the floor, leaving long bloody stains on her mother's robes.
"ATHENA!" Everyone cried, even Snape.
Athena didn't respond. She split blood from her mouth and closed her eyes.
