Chapter 10

Meddling with Misfortune

Harry Potter was relaxing in his office in Olympus in a July evening. He found himself spending more time in Olympus during summer, since he had much greater freedom here. Unshackled by the laws of underage magic, he could practice his magic as well as other divine arts here. He could also make use of the library, although it was slightly redundant due to the existence of his D-phone and computer. Of course, reading a book still held the charm of attracting his attention to topics that he didn't even know existed.

Thus, he would spend a good six hours of his day in Olympus. He had met a few other gods and deities. Most of them were quite pleasant. Some were a little condescending, as they struggled to take him seriously due to his age. But most were welcoming or at least polite.

Sirius travelled a lot during the day, a desire to see the world having gripped him. He had graduated during the war, gone into hiding shortly after, and imprisoned for the rest of his adult life. He had seen very little of the world. Harry and Peitho had encouraged him to travel. Sirius was torn, since he thought it would be unfair as he had not been a proper godfather to Harry yet. He wanted to take Harry along. Peitho had rolled her eyes and pointed out that Harry could go halfway across the universe thanks to Hermes' portals and was likely to travel a lot. Sirius had relented, promising Harry that they would spend some quality time together in the weekends. This was perfectly fine with Harry, who, although overjoyed at the prospect of having someone to care for him, wanted to enjoy his newfound independence and almost limitless freedom.

Surprisingly, Sirius and Peitho had gotten quite close. Sirius had wishfully suggested that Peitho could come with him to travel sometime, and she had happily taken up his offer. She split her time between travelling with Sirius, helping Harry and performing her other duties. Harry suspected she had some ability to be in multiple places at once.

Harry was currently leafing through one of the books in the Olympus library, which gave a broader and clearer insight into magic than anything he had seen in the Hogwarts library. He was surprised to find that it was authored by Dimitri, whom he recalled was the last Atlanteans. Being perhaps the sole surviving member of a great magical race, he had an incredible wealth of insight on magic. Although the book was a very difficult read, with him sometimes spending days on certain pages, the process was quite rewarding. Harry often found himself immersed in its pages in his free time.

Harry was startled by a loud crack. Right in front of him, he was astonished to find the last thing he had expected to see in Olympus. A house-elf.

The elf swayed where he stood and fell unconscious. Alarmed, Harry immediately rushed forward.

Harry used Healing Hand on the elf and consulted his D-phone to get an idea of what was happening.

'This is Dobby, the house elf of the Malfoy family. He was subject to the Cruciatus curse from the human wizard named Tom Marvolo Riddle, currently possessing the body of Quirinus Quirrell. He had discovered while eavesdropping on a conversation between Lucius Malfoy and Tom Marvolo Riddle. He has transported himself to Olympus to find Harry Potter and warn him of danger.'

'How did he get here?!' Harry thought in surprise.

'Magical transportation.'

'No,' Harry thought exasperatedly. 'How could he transport himself to Olympus?!"

'You have not set any restrictions on those who can enter your office. Thus, anyone without an intent to harm will be let inside by default.'

Harry took a deep breath. He remembered his D-phone asking him if he would like to set restrictions for entering his office. He hadn't thought much of it back then. He thought that only the inhabitants of Olympus could enter his office. It looked like he was wrong.

'D-phone, please only allow friendly residents of Olympus to enter this office. If anyone else tries, please notify me immediately.'

'Affirmative.'

Harry looked at Dobby, who looked much better after his use of healing hand. However, he had not woken up yet.

'Why hasn't he gained consciousness?'

'Dobby the house elf is suffering from magical exhaustion due to the extreme difficulty in transporting himself to Olympus. Healing Hand cannot cure this.'

'Will anyone here in Olympus heal him?'

'You may go to the house of healing, situated to the left of the library and east of the entry to Mount Olympus.'

Harry created a portal and picked up Dobby. He stepped through the portal and arrived at what appeared to be the reception area of a hospital. Looking around, Harry found that the place appeared to be quite busy.

Now that he thought about it, why would a city of gods require a hospital? He put that question aside for now.

"Excuse me," Harry walked up to a man who appeared to be the receptionist. "This house-elf is suffering from magical exhaustion. Can you direct me to someone who can help?"

The man thought for a second. "Second floor, third door to the left of the main hallway."

"Thanks."

Harry saw a platform that seemed to function as an elevator. He stepped into the platform. "Second Floor." He said.

The platform moved vertically upwards, going straight through the ceiling without making contact with it. Harry guessed that it had a built-in intangibility function for itself and the passengers. He hopped off when he reached the second floor.

He moved through the hallway and stopped in front of a door that read,

'Hippocrates of Kos, specialist in earthly affairs'

He knocked, recognizing the name from some of the textbooks from his muggle schooling.

"Come in", an elderly voice boomed.

Harry stepped inside and saw an old man standing in a small but tidy room. He could see that one of the walls were filled with various medicines, while another was filled with anatomical drawings.

"Ah, welcome, fellow human." Hippocrates smiled. "I do not see my kin often. I see that you're carrying an elf. Please place him in the cot and tell me what you know while I examine him." He indicated a cot to his side.

Harry placed Dobby in the cot with great care. "He transported himself to Olympus with magic, so he has magical exhaustion."

Hippocrates nodded, checking a few vitals. "That can be remedied easily enough." He walked over to the shelf and took out a vial filled with a dark green liquid. Using a spoon, he carefully measured some medicine. He administered it to Dobby by gently opening his mouth and pouring it inside.

"That will help him recover magic faster. You needn't worry, it hasn't caused any lasting harm."

Harry smiled. "That's great to hear. Thank you, sir."

"Oh, no, dear child. The pleasure is mine." He smiled. "I am Hippocrates, as you have no doubt guessed. Whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

"I'm Harry Potter, sir." Harry shook his hand.

"And in what capacity do you work in Olympus?" He asked curiously.

"I'm a minor god -of glue."

Hippocrates' eyes widened in surprise. "Oh! Incredible. To have achieved godhood at such a young age!"

Harry blushed. "It was just a luck of draw, sir."

Hippocrates shook his head. "There is no such thing as luck, young Harry. Everything happens for a reason. And please, do not address me so respectfully. I did not realize that I stood before divinity." He gave a respectful bow. "I am but a humble servant of Olympus."

"Not at all! I've learned about you!" Harry protested. "They call you the father of medicine!"

"Quite an ambitious claim!" Hippocrates laughed. "I am but a link in a long chain. Neither the first, nor the last!"

A knock interrupted their conversation. Hippocrates asked the visitor to enter.

A young girl, who appeared to be in her late teens, limped into the room.

"Oh dear Atë! What happened this time?" Hippocrates moved over, helping her to a small seat.

"Fell down the stairs." She muttered, looking down.

"Let me patch you up." Hippocrates took out a jar of oil and rubbed it over the bruise in her ankle.

"Rest for a few minutes, you shall be fine." He said, finishing the application of medicine.

"Thank you." She whispered, looking down.

"Look at the time!" Hippocrates exclaimed, glancing at a clock that hung above the door. "I need to visit a few of my patients now, so I hope to see you both under more cheerful circumstances." Hippocrates told them. "Harry, your elf just needs a few hours of sleep. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." He nodded. He chose a few medicines from the shelf and ambled off.

An awkward silence descended on the room. Harry was sitting beside Dobby, and the girl, Atë, was looking despondently at the ceiling.

"Um, hello." Harry attempted to start a conversation.

Atë seemed startled. "Y-yes?"

"My name is Harry. Harry Potter." Harry introduced himself.

"Yes, I am aware." Atë said, seemingly a little confused.

"Uh…" Harry was lost. How did she know him?

Atë looked at Harry curiously. "Ah, you don't know who I am." She nodded to herself in understanding. "I am Atë, the goddess of misfortune."

"Oh!" Harry was surprised. He didn't realize that she was a goddess. She probably had restricted omnipotence like him, and thus knew who he was. "Nice to meet you."

Atë looked at him strangely. "Is it, truly? Not many people find meeting me a pleasure."

Harry frowned. "Why?"

Atë stared at Harry for a solid minute before it clicked for him. "Oh- because you're the goddess of misfortune?"

"Yes."

"Uh. Well, you can't help what you are a god or goddess of, right?"

"No, you cannot. That does not stop others from blaming me, though." She sighed. "Do you not blame me?"

"For what?"

"For the fact that your life is filled with misfortune."

Harry did not have to think. "I blame Voldemort for that. And his supporters."

Atë looked at Harry thoughtfully. "Then you are one of a few."

Harry shrugged. "I mean, that's kind of how life is, right? No point in blaming luck or misfortune."

"That does not prevent me from blaming myself, though."

"Why?"

"I am not unaffected by misfortune even though I supposedly preside over it." She slowly placed her feet to the ground, wincing a little in pain as she did so.

Harry got up and walked up to her. "Please, let me try." He placed his hand on her ankle. He used healing hand, a little more confident this time than when he used it on Dobby. He was hesitant to do it while Hippocrates was present, since he was not a physician. It seemed like Atë herself did not possess this ability.

"Does it hurt now?" Harry asked, getting up. Atë looked a little surprised at his action.

"No, it does not." She stared at him for a long moment.

Harry fidgeted a little under her scrutinizing gaze. "What did you mean, when you said you are not unaffected by misfortune?"

Atë shook her head. "Nothing as bad as what you have faced, growing up." She looked embarrassed to have brought that up. "Let that matter rest. Thank you, Harry Potter."

As Atë moved towards the door, Harry realized something. She was unfairly blaming herself for all the pain in her life and the life of others. Caused by something as fickle as fate. He looked at Dobby.

'D-phone, will he be safe here?'

'Yes, he shall be looked after, You shall be notified when he awakens.'

His mind made up, he followed Atë out of the door.

"Please wait!"

Atë looked back, surprised that Harry was following him.

"I'll escort you back."

Atë considered his words. "You are a strange one." She said finally. "Why would you willingly accompany misfortune?"

"Because you are goddess Atë, not misfortune!" Harry said, a little hotly. He could identify with her, if only just a little. The Dursleys blamed him for anything bad that happened in their house, and treated him like an ill omen. It looked like Atë suffered from a similar fate, but things were much worse for her.

She sighed. "I'm sure you will change your mind in time. By all means, accompany me if you wish."

Harry took that as a challenge and walked with her in silence. They moved out of the hospital wing and into the street. At once, Harry could notice a drastic change in the atmosphere. As they walked through the streets of Olympus, its inhabitants parted to give them a wide berth, as if they were carrying some sort of disease. Shops ahead of them closed and people stumbled over each other in a rush to get out of their way. Harry was shocked, seeing an entirely different side of Olympus from before.

"It would do you well to keep a distance from me." Atë said, her voice almost breaking. "They will treat you the same if they see you in my company."

Harry shook his head, his mind already made up. He steadfastly marched by her side, unaffected by the looks they were receiving.

After a few blocks, Atë seemed tired of the drama. She grabbed Harry by his hand and formed a portal in front of them. In the next moment, they had stepped into an entirely different section of Olympus. They were now in the part of the city were the offices of gods were located.

"We could've done that a lot earlier." Harry said lightheartedly as Atë let go of his hand.

"I wanted to show you how they viewed me." She turned to face him. "I understand that you empathize with me, but life will be hard for you here if you continue to be seen with me. I advise you to avoid it."

"I'll handle it." Harry said stubbornly.

Atë gave a frustrated sigh. "Befriending me will not reduce your misfortune. I am unlike other gods -I have no control over my domain. If anything, it might increase it."

"That's not why I walked with you." Harry said hotly. "I know what its like to be treated like that, to be blamed for all the problems. You have it much worse, but I can understand. That's why I can't stand it, so I'll show by example that they're wrong."

"I told you, I cannot control my domain. I'm cursed."

Harry paused. "Who cursed you?"

Atë looked like she regretted bringing that up. "Hera." She said bitterly.

Harry looked startled. "Why would Hera, a deity, bother with a goddess? I mean, no offence, but they're the Olympians, the original deities, right? Not ones like us, who were chosen from mortals?"

"I'm sure the D-phone can tell you more about this, but I'll oblige you." Atë took a deep breath. "I am the daughter of Zeus and Eris."

"…What?" Harry froze, wide eyed. He had assumed that she was a goddess by selection, not one by birth. He felt stupid for not checking with his D-phone earlier and making assumptions.

"Yes. I was once among the deities until Hera cursed me. Hera does not tolerate her husband's misadventures, so any child of Zeus' that did not come from her is an automatic target. You must have head of Hercules' life? I was cursed to never have control over my domain, and to be hated and despised. I was reduced to a goddess because of that curse, because almost no one would follow a deity who cannot grant boons to their followers. Some still follow me out of fear of invoking my anger, but none out of respect or love."

Harry wasn't sure what to say. Atë was unfortunate from birth. There was nothing anyone could do about it, bar Zeus or Hera.

"I… I don't care. I'll risk it then." He gave a tentative smile. "My luck isn't the best, usually, and I may have used it all up when I became a god. But I think I'll risk a little misfortune if you'll let me be your friend."

"Why?! Why risk angering a major deity just to prove a stupid point?"

"Because I think it's the right thing to do."

Harry was back in his office, waiting for a word from the hall of healing regarding Dobby's condition. His mind was also preoccupied with the fate of Atë, someone whose existence was a crime in the eyes of others. She seemed to have given up on trying to convince him and had silently walked back to her office after their talk. Harry had then returned to his own office, which was about five blocks away from hers.

'The house elf is about to wake.' Harry heard Hippocrates' voice inside his head, and promptly formed a portal back to the healer's room. As he reached the room, he could see that Dobby was slowly opening his eyes. He moved to stand directly in front of the little elf.

"H-Harry Potter?" The elf slowly got up, evidently still tired.

"Yes, that's me." Harry nodded.

The elf gave a squeak of joy. "Dobby is pleased to see you, Mr. Harry Potter sir." He gave a deep bow.

"A pleasure to meet you too, Dobby. Why did you come here?"

Dobby looked around, evidently confused. "Dobby is not sure where here is, sir. He wanted to meet Harry Potter and warn him of danger, but he did not know where Harry Potter was. Dobby was found, sir, by the bad wizard. Dobby was almost killed, but Dobby managed to escape in time. He simply wanted to see Harry Potter, and reached here as a result." He suddenly became fearful. "If master were to call me back now, Dobby would be killed! Dobby is a bad elf! He betrayed his master!" He suddenly started bang his head on the floor. On his second attempt, Hippocrates stopped him.

"I did not heal you to inflict further damage on yourself." He said sternly. "Cease this at once! Your master cannot reach you here."

Dobby struggled, but was rendered immobile by the physician.

"Why is he doing that?" Harry asked, alarmed.

Hippocrates sighed. "A house elf's bond with its master is a terrible thing. He was probably ordered by his master to hurt himself for disobedience."

"Can we remove that bond?"

Hippocrates nodded. "I am unable to, since I am not a powerful magic user or a god. But there would be gods or deities who can do it."

Harry thought for a second. "Maybe Peitho can help…"

"L-lady Peitho?!" Hippocrates stumbled back in shock. The next moment, he dropped to a deep bow.

Harry whirled around and found an amused looking Peitho waving at him.

"Hey boss!" She chirped. "Did you call your humble assistant?"

"A-assistant?" Hippocrates mumbled weakly. Harry sighed.

"She's joking. Well, technically, she is helping me transition into godhood smoothly, so she is assisting me…" Harry trailed off, unsure how to describe their relationship. Hippocrates seemed utterly dumbfounded.

"I'll help you with this," Peitho made a cutting motion in the air above Dobby's head with two of her fingers. Dobby looked startled, then his eyes widened to comic proportions.

"There. I've severed the bond. Gotta run now, in the middle of running an errand for Lady Aphrodite. But do call your cute assistant often, okay?" Peitho winked and disappeared, leaving an exasperated Harry, an astounded elf, and a dazed physician.

"D-Dobby is free!" The elf croaked, his voice trembling with disbelief. "Dobby is free!" He bounced in joy.

Harry smiled at seeing the elf's joy. Dobby's predicament left a bitter taste in his mouth, however, and he decided educate himself on how the house elves came to be slaves of the wizarding families. The D-phone readily answered his question.

'House elves were created after a series of experiments conducted by the dark wizard Azmack in the late eighth century A.D, human common calendar. He experimented on a magical creature called a hob and altered its behaviour to suit his needs. The magic he used for this purpose was such that it spread from one hob to another until the entire race was converted to the newly created race of house elves. Azmack then sold the house elves to rich wizarding families, assuring them of the creatures' obedience.'

Harry felt sick. An entire race was experimented on and sold for profit by a dark wizard. Why didn't anyone stop this?

'The gods usually do not interfere with human affairs unless it directly affects their existence or their will.'

Harry pursed his lips. The gods could make the world a much better place to live in, but they were selfish and cared only for their existence. Atleast, this was what the D-phone was implying.

'Arbitrary interference in the mortal realm is heavily discouraged by the council of gods. If a problem appears in the human world, the god under whose jurisdiction the problem occurs can take the decision on handling it. Other gods are not allowed to interfere in normal circumstances. This is done to prevent conflicts of interest between gods, which would lead to much greater damage.'

Harry thought for a moment. This was a magical issue, so it would have been up to Merlin to stop this, since he was primary deity of magic to his knowledge. But from the little information he had about Merlin, the deity was notoriously lenient in what he allowed his followers to do. He allowed his followers to bend the rules of time and space, and even break the cycle of life and death. This did not sit well with any of the other deities, but there was little they could do. The power of a primordial or supreme deity like Merlin was apparently immeasurable. They were called aspects of the world because of this precise reason.

"Dobby," Harry called the celebrating elf.

"Harry Potter, Sir!" Dobby stood in attention. "Dobby does not know how you freed him, but he thanks Harry Potter from the bottom of his heart." The elf gave a low bow, his nose almost touching the ground.

"That's alright Dobby. You have Peitho to thank for freeing you. But can you now tell me what you overheard?"

Dobby opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. He shook his head and tried again. No matter how many times he tried, he could not say anything relating to what he heard.

'D-phone, what's happening?' Harry asked, alarmed.

'The house elf Dobby cannot provide information on the conversation he overheard because that information was later protected with a Fidelius Charm, which is a magic used to hide places, objects or facts.'

"It's okay, Dobby." Harry said, deciding to stop Dobby before he tried to somehow forcefully reveal what happened. "It's okay, you won't be able to talk about it because there was magic placed to hide that information. Please stop."

Dobby reluctantly stopped trying to voice his thoughts. He looked extremely frustrated at the lack of success.

"Dobby is sorry, sir." He said gloomily.

"That's okay, Dobby. I may be able to find out about it using some other method. Don't worry." He reassured the elf.

'What were Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort talking about, that Dobby overheard?' Harry asked the D-phone directly.

The D-phone paused for a second. 'The D-phone cannot access this information as it was magically concealed using a Fidelius Charm'.

'Oh come on!' Harry let out a frustrated sigh. 'What are the ways in which I can get this information?'

'The secret keeper of the information has to reveal it, in-order for a third party to access it. This magic is immune to all forms of divine abilities and divinations.'

Harry processed that for a second. Not a single deity could access this information because the Fidelius charm is apparently just that powerful. He was beginning to understand why Atlantis could pose a major threat to the gods. It seemed even gods could not overcome some forms of magic.

A thought occurred to Harry. What prevented Merlin from conquering the gods or the divine council, if he was truly that powerful? Did the other primordial deities stop him?

Harry kept that question aside for now. There was no way to know, of course. Unless Merlin told him, or he chanced upon another supreme deity.

Harry thanked Hippocrates profusely, and transferred two blessings as fee for the consultation.

"Dobby, what do you want to do now?" Harry asked curiously.

Dobby furrowed his brows. "Dobby is not sure, sir. Dobby would like to think about it."

"Where will you live, until you decide?"

Dobby scratched his head. "Dobby does not know, sir."

"If you want, you can live in my house until you find a place. Think of it as repayment for letting me know about the danger from Voldemort."

Dobby flinched at the name. "Dobby would be grateful if you allow it, sir. Dobby will help in the house however he can." He promised.

Harry protested, but Dobby wouldn't have any of it. Finally, he relented, shrugging in defeat. He formed a portal to Grimmauld place, scaring Dobby out of his wits.

"I'll explain, Dobby. But trust me. Just follow me and we'll reach my house."

Harry stepped into the portal, and a very nervous looking Dobby followed him.

A/N: All the reviews are appreciated. I'm sorry that I didn't get the time to reply to them individually.