"Half Blood Harry Potter"

By Loki Palmer

Author's Note: Harry Potter and all related characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Percy Jackson and all related demigods (with the exception of Loki) belong to Rick Riordan.

DZ2: Yes, Moldy Voldy must be desperate … his allies are growing thin, aren't they? Even more desperate after Loki's surprise reveals itself … [grin].

Chapter 32

The next morning, Loki came into the Great Hall. He saw Thalia wave over to him from the Gryffindor table.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Well, look whom the Styx dragged in. Busy night, Loki? Thalia told me you were out, though for what, she didn't know."

"I was out, but I didn't want any of you to worry. Has the mail come yet?"

"Why do you ask about the mail?"

Loki grinned. "You will see … oh, you will see ..."

The owls swept in with the post, and among it was the latest issue of The Daily Prophet, the prime newspaper of the British Wizarding World. The front page headline read thus:

FENRIR GREYBACK DEAD

Below the headline was a picture of Sirius, Remus, and Loki holding up the severed head of Fenrir Greyback, along with a text:

"The British Wizarding World can breathe a large sigh of relief, now that Fenrir Greyback, infamous in past years as a Death Eater werewolf who ruined the lives of many innocent people by turning them, has suffered death at the hands of Remus Lupin, a former Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. He had support from Lord Sirius Black and Lord Loki, pictured above.

'While Loki could have been mad enough to take on Fenrir,' said Lupin, 'he allowed me to finish off this blight on our society. It is best that a werewolf kills off another werewolf, after all.'

I asked him if members of the werewolf packs were loyal to each other. 'As a general rule, they are, but like in any canine pack, there can be power struggles for the position of the top dog, or Alpha of the pack. Fenrir was the Alpha of his pack.'

I noted this would make him the new Alpha of Fenrir's old pack. He nodded. Wasn't he worried that someone else would fight him in turn for this position? 'I have no worries with Loki as my backup,' Lupin said with a grin.

This reporter has heard much of Loki – arrested on a charge of murder, though he added that the late Madam Dolores Jane Umbridge (Umbitch, he called her) trumped up the charge and sent him away to Azkaban – what was his motive? Was he a danger to our community?

The young wizard raised his eyebrows. 'A danger? Not in the least am I a danger, Miss Skeeter … though if someone happens to arrive on my bad side, may the gods have mercy on them, because I will not.'

What would be his pet peeves?

'Pureblood supremacist bigotry would be my number one pet peeve. My brother and his organization are crawling with it.'

His brother?

'Yes … perhaps you know him as He Who Must Not Be Named. His actual name is Tom Marvolo Riddle Junior. Since the gods can disguise themselves as mortals to mate with mortals … that could be the only way he can have that Junior moniker, since the Muggle Tom Marvolo Senior was not his Father.'

Merope must have thought the Senior Tom was the Father, then.

'That would be what I would think … you see, my Father tends to scare any mortals He comes across, so I doubt He would have revealed His identity to someone as frail as Merope.'

What does your Father think of him?

'Of my brother? He is sad that my brother could have become so Dark, but even more than that, He feels angry about him cheating Death for so long. The Underworld has at least one cardinal rule: Valar morghulis. All men must die. It is not a pessimistic statement, but a statement of fact.'

It is sad, but true. Would you have any words for your brother, if we assume he reads this newspaper?

'You can run from Death, brother, but you cannot hide …'

Chilling words, indeed. This is Rita Skeeter, writing for the Daily Prophet."

"What did I miss while I was gone?"

Harry drew a deep breath. "Well, Ron got all jealous, he insulted Hermione, he had a near miss with a lightning bolt I fired, he ran out of Gryffindor Tower, then Luke came by ..."

"D'OH! All the nights I had to be gone, and that traitor showed himself?"

"Yeah … he took Ron with him, though I did use another lightning bolt to make his landing rougher by knocking one of the wings off his flying shoes … they both ran once they landed ..."

"Aw, man!" said Percy. "I was asleep for all of this?"

"Don't fret, Percy –"

"– I'm sure we could –"

"– Rig up an alarm system –"

"– For the next time –"

"– Harry and Loki –"

"– Need you."

Percy looked up at the Terrible Twins with a shiver. "No, thanks."

"Wise move, Percy," said Loki. "Would you like me to rig one up for you?"

"Thanks for the thought, but no. Any alarm system you three nutcases would create would be a loud prank that would anger me to the point of giving you a vacation to the Black Lake. Would you prefer I have the Black Lake drag you inside, or would you prefer I fire you from a cannon?"

The pale faces of Loki and the Twins drew laughter from the table …

~HALF BLOOD HARRY POTTER~

Lord Voldemort frowned as he finished reading the newspaper.

"Luke, are you back yet?"

Luke sped in with Ron. "Yes, My Lord. Allow me to introduce you to Ron Weasley, former friend of Harry Potter."

"Ron … you know who I am, do you not?"

Ron nodded.

"What would be your feelings about Potter?"

"He is an arrogant jerk who hangs around that bloody bookworm Hermione all the time."

"Ah, I see you are jealous of all the time they spend together!"

"It used to be the three of us, but since last summer, he changed."

"Hmm, quite. The changes in puberty can change much in a person, but I digress. I guess it is Hermione you want for yourself?"

"Well, of course … do I look like a sword swallower to you?"

"In many cases, it is the women that we men want, but in this day and age ..."

"My Lord," said Luke, "Harry and Hermione are married by a blessing of the Gods ..."

Ron's face reddened. "MARRIED?! HE MARRIED THAT BOOKWORM OF A MUDBLOOD?!"

"CRUCIO!" Ron fell to the floor and screamed before Lord Voldemort lifted the curse. "As you were saying, Luke?"

"Thank you, My Lord … as I was saying … are we sure this is a wise move?"

"I wonder if you have any more brilliant ideas, Luke, because I am wearing thin on allies and patience … CRUCIO!" Now it was Luke's turn to fall to the floor and scream. "Do you think I want to live in a world where the good guys thrash our hides and send our souls to suffer in the Underworld, while they have the privilege of living out their happy lives, making babies, watching those babies grow into children, sending those children out to Hogwarts – and/or to this Camp Half Blood – for an education, marrying those children off to other people's children, dying at a ripe old age – leaving this world in a better state than when they arrived in it – and the Circle of Life repeats itself again and again? Who wants to live in a sickening goody two shoes world like that?"

"I know I wouldn't … and this would be the fault of the gods ..."

"... And their goody two shoes demigod children, yes … and when the time is ripe, I will kill my Father."

"You mean, like Oedipus?"

"DO I LOOK LIKE SOME SICK FREAK TO YOU, CASTELLAN?! CRUCIO!"

From his tomb, Kronos said, "Grandson, as much as We enjoy hearing these screams of pain, We suggest caution when you use the Cruciatus Curse. Overuse can crack the victim's mind and We want Our followers to have their minds intact, hmm? Come out with this latest addition to Our forces so We may meet him ..."

"As you wish, Grandfather. Carry me, Ron. Luke, come with us and keep a lookout for trouble."

~WITHIN THE TOMB OF KRONOS~

The form of Kronos looked at Ron. "Approach, Ronald Bilius Weasley."

Ron did so, trembling under the gaze of the Titan King's golden eyes.

"Do you know who We are, Weasley?"

"From what I have heard so far, you are the Dark Lord's grandfather … sir."

"You are correct, though We are more than that. We are the King of the Titans, the Lord of Time Itself: Kronos. While We appreciate the small effort you make to show Us respect, you may address Us as Master, or Your Majesty, or – if you will accept Our offer – Father."

"What offer would this be, Your Majesty?"

"Unlike your siblings, Weasley, you are a mortal born of mortal parents. We would like to change this so you may have the ability to face Potter and his demigod friends if necessary – by adopting you as Our son. Since you have a strategic brain, you have the potential to be great. We will provide you with a proper push so you may achieve your goals and help Us in the process. What do you say?"

Ron knelt. "I will accept your offer … Father ..."

Kronos stood up from his makeshift bed and touched Ron's head in blessing. "Ronald Bilius Weasley, you have knelt before Us as a mortal. Now, you arise before Us as Our demigod son … go with Our blessing ..."

When Voldemort and Ron left his tomb, the King of the Titans laid back down and said, "For the night is dark and full of terrors ..."

Author's Note: Well, yet another twist in the story – and what an ironic reference! Can anyone guess what the reference is, and why it is so ironic? Read and review as well!

Smiles and laughter,

Loki Palmer