Finally an update! However I will admit that the updates will be shorter then the original as I have told Canon to get lost and am now creating a new time-line, also the PJO time-line has been sent back a few years in order to match up.
The tone of this chapter is a bit strange, as it will show several facets of Athena's personality as well as the fact that yes, she is a shrewd politician (Thank you Walburga Black) and a master diplomat. But that she is also a ten year old girl with a desire to be a mother.
Which leads me to a point which no-one has mentioned yet, that is that Athena was aware of her womb and it's purpose in the prologue, this is due to the fact that in order to escape her uncle she spent a lot of time at the library and (based upon personal experience) when you are looking through the library and have immense curiosity you'll eventually stumble across the biology books which will often tell you that yes your parents lied and that the stork has absolutely nothing to do with how babies are made.
Something I doubt that Athena was told anyways.
More at the bottom! For now it's time to not only meet the Ninja, but Daphne, Michael and Astoria as well as Neville and Tracey will be making an appearance.
I've started to toss up whether or not to have Michael in a relationship with Tracey or not.
Also answers to reviews are at the bottom.
-TBH-
Chapter 3
Lady Black's Growth
-TBH-
Of course things weren't all smooth sailing for Athena from there onwards, not long after her ascension to High Lady a certain meddlesome old headmaster tried to use her age as an excuse that she should not be trusted with the responsibility of being a member of the Wizengamot.
Dumbledore was shouted down before he could even finish making his proposal to the Wizengamot. Even Cornelius Fudge knew that Athena was untouchable thanks to the ancient laws of the Magical Nobility (Most of which were plainly violated by the Death Eaters during Voldemort's rise).
Over the next three months Athena quickly made a name for herself (other then that of the Girl-who-Lived) and was well known for her neutral, but slightly light side slanted politics.
Athena was quick to argue points that would help first generation witches and wizards and those who were considered 'beasts' by the current set of laws. The expected opposition to her political stance never appeared, most likely due to the fact that Athena was quick to point out how having more working taxpayers that actually stayed in the Wizarding World would help the economy (And subsequently the pockets of the noble families that made up the Wizengamot). Athena might only be ten years old, but she had been made well aware of the nature of politics and of the Wizengamot by the portrait of Walburga and had an incredible ability to sway others to her cause, regardless of what they originally said or supported.
When she wasn't working as a member of the Wizengamot, Athena was busy learning to use magic from various tutors. She was fair at most of the branches of magic, but she seemed almost inhumanly fast at picking up Potions and the Dark Arts.
Athena's most powerful spell was actually learned on a whim when she wanted to try casting Fiendfyre. To her utter surprise she was able to cast it with moderate success, she could easily douse it if she needed to, but her ability to aim the spell was limited to basically blasting everything three feet or further away that was directly in front of her.
In the fourth month of Athena's training she was forced to act as a cold head of house in order to fulfill a generational debt, this act however didn't even last twenty four hours before Athena revealed that she truly was just a ten year old girl at heart.
-TBH-
"Excuse me?" Athena asked in shock as she tried to process what she had just been told.
The man opposite her nodded sadly "I'm afraid there is no other choice, during the war with Voldemort my family was forced to break our ancient oath in order to remain neutral in the conflict" The man bowed deeply, behind him his wife and daughters curtsey to Athena with a slight expression of fear on their faces.
Athena nodded solemnly, she understood the necessity that had driven the family, unfortunately breaking their oath meant that they had to punished by her or lose their magic now that she had officially taken Ladyship of House Black (Something Walburga never did) So Athena put her powerful mind to work trying to find a way out of this, or at least a mutually beneficial ending. Then it hit her "Ladies in Waiting"
The man frowned "Ladies in Waiting?"
Athena nodded and then rapidly worded her idea in the proper legal speech to allow her to alter the magical oath "Yes as a way to lessen your punishment as you were only trying to protect your family, I Athena Artemis Potter-Black do declare that in lieu of the stated breach of oath payment which consisted of the entire wealth and the life of the Head of House Greengrass will instead be replaced by having your two daughters act as my Ladies in Waiting, they will be oath-bound vassals to the House of Black and will be granted the full rights of an unbound witch. Do you Damien Felix Greengrass accept these terms?"
Damien Greengrass only asked one question "Will they have a good life?"
Athena smiled "The best I can give them, now I repeat and request the thrice-bound response, do you accept this alteration of the Ancient Oath of Houses Black and Greengrass in response to the circumstances of your broken oath?"
Damien stood up and raised himself to his full height before bending down on one knee with his wand clasped to his chest in his right hand with it's tip facing his left ear "I Damien Felix Greengrass, do accept this alteration of the Ancient Oath of Houses Black and Greengrass, So mote it be, So mote it be, So mote it be!"
"So mote it be, So mote it be, So mote it be!" Came Athena's simple yet magically profound acceptance.
-TBH-
The next day Daphne Greengrass and her sister Astoria got to meet their new 'mistress', it wasn't anything like they expected.
Daphne and Astoria were both wearing their finest dresses, though Astoria was pouting because she wanted to wear a Gothic black dress instead and her mother had forced her wear a puffy pastel pink dress.
Daphne was expecting a stern adult woman who would make sure they knew their place, so when it happened she was completely blindsided.
Especially as a loud squeal filled the air and a black and crimson missile ambushed Astoria and started hugging her madly.
Athena might have been made into a shrewd ruthless politician due to the circumstances of her life, but like most girls her age show her something cute and she'll be all over it… literally in this case.
Daphne watched in amazement as this strange girl rubbed her sisters cheek with her own, hugging Astoria to her the whole time. Behind Daphne her father chuckled as he saw something any Prophet reporter would pay Galleons to see and get pictures of, Athena Artemis Potter-Black acting like your ordinary schoolgirl. Not something you see everyday.
Despite the… unusual way in which Daphne was introduced to her, she quickly learned to get along with her new 'mistress'.
-TBH-
In less then a month the trio of girls were chatting along like old friends, Daphne and Astoria never felt like the servants they were, at least they thought they were. They weren't aware that Ladies in Waiting were usually only for Female Royalty and were more akin to a hybrid of dress makers, outfit coordinators, spa workers, beauticians and personal assistants than servants.
They had become more like Athena's friends rather than her subordinates and that was exactly what Athena wanted.
It rapidly became common for Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor to have a trio of giggling girls eating ice cream and talking about what ever caught their fancy, while Lauren Greengrass the mother of Daphne and Astoria watched over the trio with a small smile on her face.
As the months passed more children started to join the group, first came Neville Longbottom, Athena had ran into him while walking through Diagon Alley on her way to the Ice Cream Parlor and had dragged him along, ignoring his protests. Augusta Longbottom had been highly amused by the actions of one of the only people in England capable of dragging off the heir to a Most Ancient and Most Noble House without serious consequences, also she was happy to see Neville getting along with children his age again.
Then Tracy Davis was dragged into the parlor one day by Daphne and kept coming back every time their was an outing, much to the joy of her parents who were happy that she was both making more friends but also making friends with two of the most politically powerful children in Magical England.
Michael Hemlock was pulled into this group when his father was forced to pay restitution for not supporting the House of Black during the Voldemort War, as such like Daphne he was forced into servitude of Athena, in this case as her bodyguard/butler. He took an almost perverse enjoyment out of wearing Mundane suits, specially tailored and enchanted to be professional, durable and comfortable regardless of the situation.
It really irked some of the darker Purebloods to see him in such an outfit. Especially when they were forced to admit that it was perfectly suitable and even practically (and literally) made for the purpose it was being used for.
Athena happily spent days playing around without a care in the world with her new friends. That wasn't to say she was abandoning her training, tutoring or her role in politics, simply that she didn't let them eat up all her time.
Six months after she had announced her self to the Wizengamot, Athena attempted a Familiar summoning ritual.
-TBH-
#12 Grimmauld Place, the Ritual Room in the Basement. Next to the Dungeon and Torture Room and across from the Potions Lab.
'Is this really a good idea?' Athena thought as she went through the final motions of the summoning ritual, while a good idea in theory she had begun to wonder what her familiar might be.
If she summoned a dragon then she might have a wee problem with the fact that it would be a tad large for the Ritual Room…
And the whole house for that matter.
But it was far too late for that, she had gone through too much trouble at this point to chicken out.
"Throughout all of creation I call" Athena carefully intoned the ancient spell words.
"With hope in my heart and magic in my soul" The words weren't exactly poetic, but the sense of power they held was undeniable. As both Daphne and Michael attempted to make themselves one with the back wall.
"I call for thee, my Familiar, my chosen"
"Come to me! So Mote it Be, So Mote it Be, So Mote it Be!"
A soundless thunderclap filled the room and smoke billowed out from the Ritual Circle.
-TBH-
Another Dimension
Three confused villagers all stared at one another as they wondered where the demon had vanished to.
"I vote we get drunk and forget this happened" One of the villagers said
The other two nodded in agreement.
-TBH-
#12 Grimmauld Place, the Ritual Room in the Basement. You know, the place with the Ritual Circle, the spider webs, the decade old bloodstains and the creepy ambiance.
Athena stared with eyes that could be called starry, in front of her was a six year old redhead with startling blue eyes, she had to force herself to not Glomp the poor girl.
The young girl was looking around in confusion, surprise and a hint of relief? Daphne and Michael both wondered why the girl appeared to be relieved to have been summoned.
Then they noticed the hole in her shoulder and they immediately knew, she had been under attack when Athena had summoned her.
Then they noticed the fact that not only was the girl's clothing sizzling where her blood was touching it, but also that the drops of it falling to the floor were melting through it.
Melting through a magically reinforced Dragon Bone floor with wards against everything from simple physical force to the power of a Fay Queen protecting it.
Yeah, that made them nervous.
The fact that Athena wasn't even hurt by the blood that she had touched while examining the wound as Michael and Daphne gaped in astonishment didn't even faze them.
They'd gotten used to the weirdness that followed Athena like an eager puppy looking for snacks.
-TBH-
It took several hours of gesturing, funny faces and sheer persistence to find out the girl's name, which was due to the fact that said girl couldn't speak English, but instead spoke a strange language that had similarities to several Oriental languages, with the biggest resemblance being Japanese.
In fact they only found out the girl's name when Athena gave up on the roundabout method of communication they were forced to use and on sheer instinct connected her mind to the girl's.
Athena found out something interesting that day, one that made her wonder just how powerful True Banshees really were.
Apparently she could read Genetic Memories, that is she could learn anything a person knew and what their parents knew at the moment of their conception.
Which in this case included seemingly impossible powers, giant summonable animals, hours upon hours of Shinobi Training… and the previous twenty-eight attempts of the girl's parents to have children.
From both of their point of views.
However this was all washed away when Athena asked a simple question of the young girl whose name was Kaede Uzumaki, or Uzumaki Kaede if you went by the proper order of naming used by her people.
That question was "Would you like to be my daughter?"
Daphne and Michael would later swear that the smile that dawned on young Kaede Uzumaki's face was more brilliant then the sun and more beautiful then the whole night's sky.
The fact that Kaede was screaming yes, yes, yes, repeatedly for at least a solid minute didn't change that observation a bit.
It took only a couple days for the paperwork to clear but before long Kaede Uzumaki had become Kaede Uzumaki Potter-Black, heiress of the Potter-Black line unless Athena had a child later in life or adopted an older child.
As long as she remained Athena's daughter Kaede wouldn't care a single iota.
-TBH-
Athena quickly made use of the memories she had gained from Kaede's parents, while the powerful Ninjutsu, subtle Genjutsu and outrageous Taijutsu were out of her reach (mostly) due to the fact that she did not have Chakra. She could still learn some of the more basic Taijutsu forms and Katas as well as almost everything about Kenjutsu or Shuriken and Kunai Bukijutsu (Weapon Techniques, I think?) Were possible for Athena as they simply required good or inhuman levels of strength, dexterity, agility and observation all of which she had due to being a True Banshee.
For the next six months it wasn't strange to hear the staccato clack, clack, clack of magically conjured wooden Bokkens clashing as Athena and Kaede trained together in a somewhat twisted form of (adopted)Mother-Daughter bonding. But then no-one ever accused Athena of being normal. Or to see the pair doing strenuous physical workouts with Michael keeping up somewhat and teasing Daphne who surprisingly had little stamina for exercise. Something that hurt a lot more when her little sister could out pace her with ease.
Twisted, genius, beautiful, original, unconventional and devious however were often used to describe her.
Sometimes with curses joining those lovely adjectives. Sometimes with blessings, Athena had a very forceful personality when she wanted something and she was never afraid to hit someone where it hurts (literally and metaphorically) if it got her what she wanted.
-TBH-
Near the beginning of summer for 1991 Athena received a letter in response to a inquire she had made several weeks earlier.
Salutations High Lady Potter-Black
We of the American Magical Ministry were surprised to see your request to study under one of our most successful mundane-born witches whose work on ancient Greek Magic and Mythology have awed many of our historians.
However despite our surprise we were quick to contact the aforementioned witch and ask her if she would like to take you on as an apprentice as you requested.
She was happy to oblige and we at the American Magical Ministry have thoughtfully prepared an indefinite Visa that will allow you to enter and exit our territory as often as you need to fulfill such an apprenticeship as well as your own duties in the British Ministry.
Sincerely
James Franklin
Senior Undersecretary for the American Minister of Magic
P.S. The witch you have requested an apprenticeship with had provided contact information in an accompanying letter, at her request I have not mentioned her name in this letter.
Athena quickly read the information and looked over the Visa, she had to get a Passport prepared, but that would be no difficulty.
After all she was a High Lady of the Wizengamot and therefore the red tape that so many applicants cursed would fail to materialize once she made her request, that and she had successfully passed a law that forced the ministry to minimize the amount of red tape they produced to the absolute minimum required.
Something that everyone was not only happy to support but also more then happy to see implemented.
Athena smiled as she read the name of the witch and her address.
She could wait to meet…
-TBH-
Who? Who is Athena meeting? Well give it your best guess, ahead of time I will say that it is not one of the goddesses in disguise, so no hidden Hecate or Athena (the Goddess) in the next chapter (not as Athena's new teacher anyways).
Now I will take this time to mention somethings about the story, if you don't want spoilers (weak as they are) or just aren't interested and want to keep it a surprise then skip down to the next slice of Vernon in Hades and the Review replies at the bolded line of text.
Some of the things I will mention.
Yes, Athena will go to Hogwarts, but she'll be a part-time professor and not a student. Bonus points to anyone that can guess what she'll be teaching.
Yes, she has her OWLs or will by the start of the Hogwarts school year, however she will not get her NEWTs for several years.
Yes, Athena can see what another persons parents knew, but she'll only have small tidbits of knowledge from her own parents, hence her ability with Potions and the Dark Arts. Lily has been mentioned to be a fair hand at Potions (although that is probably Fanon) and James as an Auror would have intimate knowledge of the Dark Arts, usually from them being cast at him, but knowledge none the less.
Next Chapter, Athena is visiting America to see her new master.
But what's this, wherever did she pick up a Chibi (mini) blonde girl with gray eyes, a sarcastic punk rocker with a tendency to shock things and a blue eyed blonde haired boy that reflexively flinches whenever Athena looks his way. To her immense amusement.
To top this all off three brothers square of in honorable battle.
AKA the three sons of Kronos have a childish brawl and the rest of the gods record it for blackmail and bragging rights.
And now for Vernon's first Punishment and then the answers to the reviews.
Although I do know a reviewer or someone who PM'd me suggested this, I can't remember or find who did, so thanks you know who you are. Also the Little Nicky Pineapple scene is priceless and will appear, eventually.
Vernon stared on in horror, above him was an absolutely tantalizing apple that would be the first morsel of food he'd eaten in what felt like months, but every damned time he went to eat it, it would move away. That freak had to be behind this.
As well as the fact that the water he was standing in would move away every time he tried to drink from it.
Which was a failure more due to the fact that he couldn't properly bend his stomach to reach said water.
More freakishness!
But the worst part was the skinny prick that was laughing his head off every time Vernon tried to eat or drink.
The torture of Tantalus, for Vernon it would be absolute hell. As for some of the other suggestions, they will probably be implemented but in different ways.
I'm thinking of altering the water torture so that Vernon's head is angled downwards and that the water is replaced with top quality scotch, so that Vernon can smell and feel it, but it doesn't go near his mouth, wouldn't want him to escape his torture by getting stone cold drunk now would we?
Now for Review Answers!
Raynisia – Yes, Annabeth will gain magic after being adopted by Athena, spoiler Annabeth will be adopted by Athena!
lucky15371 – Because then Rowling would actually have to have made a real government rather then the puppet one in Canon.
Penny is Wise – Neither, he's more like a likeable uncle that Death adores and is happy to emotionally blackmail from time to time. Thanatos is Death's quirky (and Lazy) father and Persephone her close and beloved auntie. Wishfull-star – None, Athena is home-schooled, as this chapter has mentioned!
Yukicrewger2 – Keep squirming, I'll always leave you hungering for more chapters and I will try my best to guarantee you get the best I can give.
Soul-Speaker – There is a good chance it'll be fem/slash, with who I'm still deciding and there might be rumblings of a hetero pairing, but aside from a one-night stand Athena (the Banshee) is unlikely to have a romantic relationship with a male. Michael Volkov will not be a possible lover nor will Neville Longbottom or Ronald Weasley.
Ranmaleopard – Yes, Athena can control the Dementors
Loll – Maybe, at the very least I will say that Luna is definitely a legacy of Apollo.
Also I would like to thank Leez for providing me with top quality reviews that were quick to point out plot holes (although some were placed in intentionally) and giving an honest opinion on the story. I hope you continue the trend with this chapter. Also thank you everyone for mentioning where the Cauldron Bottom Regulation came from, it will probably never appear in this story due to Athena's Mary Sueish streamlining of the ministry, but it'll never be forgotten. At least until I need a crappy Wizengamot meeting for Athena to attend.
Dragonsong2795 Out!
P.S: Out of interest and sheer morbid curiosity if you had the opportunity to swap genders for a month without any downsides or side effects would you do it? And why or why not?
As for me, I would and simply because it would be an interesting and surreal experience.
I'd like to hear some answers in reviews or PMs also if anyone has a similar question they'd like to pose to me I would be happy to answer. Although any personal details or questions on said details will be ignored and obscured.