"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: I surmise that was a rhetorical question you asked LOL. Did you also notice the Game of Thrones reference? Meh, I'm sure you did.
WhiteElfElder: Oh, yeah, when Hermione gets her memories back, the excrement is going to hit the spinning blades …
Sparklesandsunshine: Yes, there was a Chronicles of Narnia reference.
Chapter 41
Harry felt someone shaking his shoulder. "Hey, Bolt Head, wake up! Mum's here to visit."
"Five more minutes, Annabeth … I'm too comfy here next to Hermione ..."
"I have no doubts of that, Harry James Potter," said Athena. "It is for her sake that I have come."
Harry's eyes opened as he yawned. "Is it morning already, Lady Athena? I feel like I have been sleeping for days."
"I feel much the same, Harry," said Percy with a yawn. "It was quite the battle last night."
"Now that you are all awake, you need some breakfast," said Madam Pomfrey. "Shall I ask the House Elves to make You some, Milady?"
Athena shook her head. "No, but thank you for asking."
"Well, what kind of a host would I be if I did not think of my guests? Lord Potter, when he first came here, was one of the scrawniest first year students I ever saw. I suspected his Muggle family must have been starving the poor lad of food, so I encouraged him to eat while I sneaked some Nutrient Potions into said food."
"Nutrient Potions? I never would have guessed, Madam Pomfrey."
"Would you expect any less of me, Lord Potter? Look at yourself now: your physique has improved by leaps and bounds since those days."
She brought them some breakfast, and they ate together.
"Open wide, Hermione! Here comes the eagle for a landing!"
"Harry! There's no need for that!"
"Although it is adorable," said Annabeth, "she is right, Harry. She has lost her memories, but the basic bodily functions are still there."
"Oh, fine! Spoilsport ..."
Hermione leaned over and bit the food off of his fork.
"Hermione, I thought you said ..."
"I know what I said, Harry, but it is adorable."
Harry rolled his eyes. "Cheeky minx. Well, Madam Pomfrey was not far off in guessing the Dursleys starved me at first," said Harry. "They fed me enough in my later years, lest the cops or other adults should become suspicious, but they fed my cousin Dudley more."
"How much more did they feed him?" said Percy.
"During the summer between first and second year, he looked like a pig in a wig. The next summer, if he lay down on a beach, Greenpeace would mistake him for a whale and try to toss him back into the ocean."
"It must have been something in the genes," said Annabeth, "if we consider how fat Vernon was."
Percy shuddered at the thought.
Hermione listened to all of this without saying a word, then she said, "So, what is this place?"
"We are in the Hospital Wing of an ancient castle of Magic called Hogwarts," said Harry. "Four Founders, known as Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin, built it in the Middle Ages – about a thousand years ago – to educate wizards and witches: people who could manipulate a force known as Magic. People who are unable to manipulate Magic are known as Muggles."
"So, I would be a witch?"
Harry grinned. "Oh, you are not just a witch – you are one of the cleverest, most loving witches I have ever met."
"Harry, you introduced Annabeth to me as my sister."
"I did, and that is because you two have the same Mother: Lady Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. You did not discover this until the end of our third year."
The image of an owl appeared over her head. Lady Athena said, "You see, Hermione, the owl is a bird that is sacred to Me, so that is why I use its image to show that I have claimed a demigod as one of My children."
"Demigod?"
"Half mortal human, half god: demigod," said Percy. "I am one, Harry is one, you are one, Thalia – the unconscious young lady in a bed near you – is one, Loki – another friend – is one … there are a fair number of us, at Hogwarts and elsewhere."
"I am one of a group of twelve immortals on Mount Olympus," said Athena. "Harry and Thalia's Father is another one: Zeus the Thunderer." Thunder shook the sky. "The Father of Gods and Men seems to be a bit … antsy about the use of His name. Percy's Father is the God of the Sea: Poseidon. As for Loki's Father, the ancient Greeks feared mentioning Him by name, for the Rich One rules over the Underworld, where the souls of mortal humans go when they die."
"Harry, where did we first meet?"
"It was September 1st of three years ago that we met on the Hogwarts Express. You came across me and Ron Weasley – my first friend –"
"– Stinking traitor," said Percy. SMACK! "OW! ANNABETH!"
"Continue, Harry."
"Thanks, Annabeth. Well, Hermione, you met us in a compartment, and you asked us if we had seen a toad anywhere – a boy named Neville lost one."
"Aw, Harry!" said Annabeth. "Was it love at first sight for you?"
"Hmm … sorry, Annabeth, I am not sure one way or the other … she was cute, sure, but I did not feel any romantic attachment towards her at that time. After watching Ron fail at a spell to turn his stupid rat yellow, Hermione came inside, noticed the sorry state my glasses were in, and repaired them. You all should have seen my face … I think my eyes crossed watching her wand at work."
"Aw, that's so sweet!" said Annabeth, while Percy chortled.
"The three of us ended up in the same House of Gryffindor, for the Noble and Brave, but I didn't come to have you as a close friend until Halloween night. You hung around with Ron and me, sure, but we were not sure what to make of you at the time. We could not deny you were smart, and, for some reason, you knew more about me than I did … Ron thought that was a bit frightening ..."
Annabeth smiled. "Was she your number one fan?"
Harry shuddered. "Not in that sense, Annabeth. The idea of Hermione like Annie bloody Wilkes of Stephen King's Misery is so many levels of creepy I don't want to contemplate it."
"Stalker?"
"NO, PERCY! As far as I am aware, she read a lot about me, that's all."
Athena held up Her hands. "I had nothing to do with that, Harry. While I found you as interesting as she did, I told her to make up her own mind about you. Besides, what kind of Mother would I be if I fanned her into a state of artificial obsession with you?"
"No comment, Lady Athena."
"Wise choice. Continue."
"Now, if she showed up in my bed in the middle of the night at this time period, I might have given that idea more thought, but she did not. Let's see: one day, the three of us found ourselves in a forbidden third floor corridor, and with Argus Filch about to catch us, we went into the only door available. Behind that door was a three-headed dog named Fluffy. After bolting out of there and running back to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione said to us, Now, if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed, before the both of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed – or worse, expelled!"
Percy and Annabeth laughed at this. "She needs to sort out her priorities."
"That was what Ron said, Percy. It seems everything bad happens to me on Halloween night, starting with the death of my mother to Voldemort when I was one year old ..."
Hermione rubbed Harry's arm. "I'm so sorry, Harry … what happened during our first year on Halloween night?"
"Professor Quirrell, who had Voldemort in the back of his head, let a troll into Hogwarts. Somehow, it ran across you and it would have killed you if I did not distract it by jumping onto its back while Ron levitated its club and knocked it out. Since it was his fault you were there, Magic credited me with the honor of being your hero that night."
"How was it his fault I was there?"
"You tried helping him in his Charms class, telling him that he was pronouncing Wingardium Leviosa all wrong. Irony of ironies, it was the Levitation Charm he was having difficulty performing. I say irony because that was the same Charm he mastered that night. Well, after class, he mocked you, and you knocked into me, tears in your eyes."
"Why did Professor Quirrell let a troll into the castle?"
"He wanted a diversion so he could get his hands on the Philosopher's Stone: an artifact that could make the drinker immortal. With help from you and Ron later into the year, we rescued it from his clutches. Down in that corridor, after you helped me to solve a logic puzzle, you said to me something I would never forget ..."
"What was it, Harry?"
"You said: Books and cleverness! There are more important things … like friendship, and bravery, and … oh, Harry, be careful! For the record, you gave me my first hug there as well."
"I'm loving this story … young love ..."
"Ανναβεθ, ειχον ενδεκα ετη! Περι του χορου ερωτος ουχ εσκεπτομην!" (Annabeth, I was eleven years old! I was not thinking of the dance of love!)
"So … you beat Voldemort, you saved the day ..."
"Gryffindor won the House Cup for the first time in years, thanks to some last minute points that Headmaster Dumbledore added at the end of the year … ten of them to Neville Longbottom as he noted: it takes a great amount of bravery to stand up to one's enemies, but even more to stand up to one's friends. It was wonderful … even the Houses of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw joined in the celebration."
"What happened during the summer?"
"I went back to the Dursleys, and a mysterious house guest showed up to my bedroom: a House Elf named Dobby. House Elves are short creatures that serve their Masters by helping them with matters like cooking, cleaning, you name it. Some Masters are kind, while some Masters are not. Dobby's Family, the Malfoys, was the latter."
Percy raised his hand. "Is Draco a member of this Family?" Harry nodded. "Rotten prick."
"Agreed, Percy. Dobby warned me that terrible things were going to happen at Hogwarts, and he wanted me to be safe, so he sabotaged my mail so I would not receive any letters. If I did not receive any letters, he said, perhaps I may not go back to Hogwarts. I tried to get them back, but he made my life tougher by dropping a pudding on Vernon's guest, Mrs. Mason. A letter from the Ministry of Magic – our Magical government – revealed to Vernon that I was not allowed to use Magic outside of Hogwarts due to the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Sorcery.
After he discovered this fact, Uncle Vernon put bars on my window and a cat flap on my door. I was a prisoner in my own room until Ron and the Terrible Twins, Fred and George, busted me out of there using a flying car that belonged to patriarch Arthur Weasley. Mrs. Weasley chewed them out for using the flying car, I met Mr. Weasley – a delightful man, he works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office – and when Ginny saw me, her face ran tomato red and she ran in the other direction. Another time when she was talking to me, her elbow slipped into the butter dish."
This brought up a roar of laughter from the group. "Did you think she was pretty?" said Annabeth and Hermione.
"Not back then, no! She was 11 at the time! Like Hermione at the time, yeah, she was cute, but what of it?"
"Interesting contrast we have here: Lust vs. Brains, Fangirl vs. Best Friend," said Annabeth.
"I think you dodged a bullet there, Harry," said Percy. "Has anyone noticed she looks like Harry's mom?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Thanks a lot, Seafood Breath. I just had a brief nightmare where I was married to her … not that she would be a bad wife, any bloke would be lucky to have her, the Irish Fireball Seamus Finnegan included … but anyone who thinks she and I would end up together … what do I look like, Mother-shagging Oedipus?"
Percy and Annabeth's faces scrunched in disgust. "That is nasty," they said.
"Where was I? Oh, yes … I took the Floo Network – traveling through a fireplace – from the Weasley homestead of the Burrow to Diagon Alley, but because I did not enunciate my destination, I took a wrong turn at Albuquerque and found myself in Knockturn Alley, the Dark Side of Diagon Alley. My giant friend Hagrid found me there, so he rescued me and brought me back to Diagon Alley, where I saw Hermione. She fixed my busted glasses yet again. She had become cuter than her first year by then."
"Wow, Harry, you sure have a talent for breaking your glasses," said Percy.
"And Hermione has a talent for fixing them," said Annabeth. "It's so sweet!"
"From there, we came into the bookstore of Flourish and Blotts, where the blowhard egotist Gilderoy Lockhart was holding a signing for his books. He saw me, so a photographer grabbed me, brought me up to him and took a picture of us. After that, Lockhart announced that he would be our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor for the upcoming year, and he would give me all of his collected works free of charge. Oy … he would turn out as a disaster … but I am getting ahead of the story.
Draco teased me about my fame, and when Ginny stepped up to defend me, he teased me about having a girlfriend. It was at that time that Lucius came on the scene, made my acquaintance, he made a brief reference to Hermione's parents being Muggles … in retrospect, he had no idea how wrong he was in that statement … though, even then, I glanced up into Your eyes, Lady Athena, and I heard You say something in my mind: Ει το σχημα αυτου την θυγατηρα Μου κακοποιει, ο ερως ον εχεις αυτη σε εν τη τιμωρια σου ηγησεται." (If his plan harms My daughter, the love that you have for her will guide you in your vengeance.)
"Your deer in the headlights look when I said that amused Me for days on end," said Athena. "It does not take the superior intelligence of a goddess to realize how much you cared for her, even in these early years at Hogwarts. Let's not forget the booming thunderclap your anger let off as he sneered at Hermione … for a few seconds, I was afraid your Father would burst out of your skin and fry the arrogant mortal to a crisp."
Harry let out an uneasy laugh. "I am glad He didn't. Imagine the terrible mess that would have caused."
"You may have your mother's eyes, Harry, but your temper is that of your Father."
"Granted. Dobby blocked my and Ron's way to Platform 9¾, but Ron came up with the idea of taking the flying car out to Hogwarts. We made it, but we crashed into a Whomping Willow that damaged the car, Ron broke his wand … and Professor Snape caught us outside the castle. Mrs. Weasley sent Ron a Howler – a Magical letter that sounds its message at a deafening level of decibels – for his trouble."
"That sounds horrific," said Percy.
"It was, Percy, it was. Thank the gods Father didn't send me one. Ron and I also received detention, which I served with Professor Lockhart on Halloween night, signing his fan mail. He was worse than useless as a professor. During our first class, he gave us a quiz on his books – his books were all about his many feats – and then he set loose a cage of Cornish pixies in the classroom. The devilish blighters stuck Neville on a chandelier, and it was thanks to Hermione that we stopped them.
That night, I heard a mysterious hissing within the walls, and I was trying to find the source, when Ron and Hermione came upon me. We discovered Mrs. Norris, the cat of caretaker Mr. Filch, had been Petrified, and somebody left a message in blood on the wall:
THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.
ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.
"The Chamber of Secrets?" said Percy and Annabeth.
"According to legend, Salazar Slytherin left Hogwarts over a disagreement with the other Founders over the people whom they should allow to study in Hogwarts. He felt that Muggle-borns were unworthy to study Magic. One day, the Heir would come back and use the monster within the Chamber of Secrets to purge Hogwarts of all unworthy students.
During my first Quidditch match of the season – Quidditch is a sport played on brooms, Percy – a Bludger was chasing me around the pitch. Now, Bludgers are these heavy iron balls that the Beaters knock around with bats to distract players on the other team. The rogue Bludger in question broke my arm, had a close call with the Family jewels, and Hermione saved my tuchas once again by exploding it. Lockhart tried to help, but rather than mend the bones in my arm, he made them disappear."
"Like I said before, they should have brought Potter to me straightaway," said Madam Pomfrey. "He was in for a rough night re-growing his arm and hand bones."
"It turns out Dobby was behind the rogue Bludger, and when he suggested to me that I go back home, I grabbed him by his pillowcase shirt and said, Dobby, if you think I am going home and leaving my dear friend Hermione in danger, you have another think coming!"
"The more I watched you, Harry Potter, the more you impressed Me," said Athena. "Continue, please."
"Uh … thank You, Lady Athena? The monster Petrified my fellow Gryffindor Colin Creevey, so there was some additional confirmation that the Chamber of Secrets was indeed open. Hermione came up with a brilliant idea to disguise ourselves for a temporary amount of time with a complicated potion called Polyjuice Potion. She brewed it in an abandoned girl's bathroom that belonged to a depressed female ghost named Moaning Myrtle. Ron and I turned into Crabbe and Goyle – Draco's dumb sidekicks – but Hermione's potion got cat hairs, so she turned into an adorable human-cat hybrid ..."
Percy and Annabeth could not help laughing at the thought, while Hermione blushed.
"Harry's right, Hermione. You were adorable … Harry couldn't resist petting you," said Athena with a grin.
"Aye," said Madam Pomfrey, "her purring was so loud, I thought the castle must be shaking. I could hear it in my office. Thank the gods this was during Christmas break."
"Ron and I discovered from Draco that it was 50 years ago that the Chamber of Secrets was last opened, and a Muggle-born died then. He hoped Hermione would be next, and I may have hurt him for that remark, but a Voice – in retrospect, it was my Father's – said to me, Μακροθυμησον, Χαρι. Συ και Ρον θρεξαι χρειαν εξετε ... νυν!" (Have patience, Harry. You and Ron will need to run … now!)
"So, did you and Ron get out in time?" said Annabeth.
"Oh, yeah, although it was a close call," said Harry. "Draco Malfoy was not the Heir of Slytherin as we had suspected, but later came a disturbing discovery about myself during the Dueling Club that Professor Lockhart led. When Draco conjured a snake to attack me, I talked to it and tried to calm it down. It turned on Hufflepuff Justin Finch-Fletchley, and I told it not to attack him. Justin got upset at me, even though I saved his bloody life. The discovery of my ability to speak Parseltongue, or snake language – a well-known ability of Salazar Slytherin himself – made me a social pariah to many within the castle, since they feared I was the Heir of Slytherin. Ron and Hermione stayed with me at the time, while Fred and George thought it was hilarious.
We came upon a diary that belonged to Tom Marvolo Riddle, and through writing in it, I discovered that he framed Hagrid for opening the Chamber of Secrets. Hagrid was too kind to hurt even a fly, however, so there was a problem with that idea. A fellow Gryffindor broke into the dorm and stole back the diary.
Later, the monster Petrified Justin Finch-Fletchley and the Gryffindor ghost Sir Nicholas. Mr. Filch ran for Professor McGonagall, and she led me to the Headmaster's office. It was there that I met his phoenix, Fawkes. Professor Dumbledore did not think I was responsible for opening the Chamber of Secrets, so he allowed me to go.
Then the day arrived when the monster Petrified Hermione. At that point, I WAS PISSED!"
A grim brass and woodwind chorale played in the background [Mahler, Symphony 6, 4th movement, rehearsal number 106 in the score, marked Schwer, Markato]. As it reached a climax, timpani strikes thundered with a trumpet chord that was major, then minor as the music faded.
"I had to keep Potter here for the rest of the day, not so much for his safety, but for the safety of everyone else," said Madam Pomfrey.
"An angry Harry on the loose?" said Percy. "We know Loki has a madman's temper, but Harry would have blown Slytherin House out of existence, I bet."
"That is what the staff and I feared, Mr. Jackson. One look into Potter's eyes was enough to silence Severus from teasing the poor lad. Even Minerva herself needed a stiff drink after witnessing Potter's reaction."
"We stopped by Hagrid's to talk with him, but Minister Fudge arrested him to look like he was doing something. Lucius Malfoy showed up as well, with an order of suspension for Dumbledore. Dumbledore, for his part, said he would step aside, but help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it. Hagrid gave us one more hint before he left: follow the spiders."
Annabeth shivered as she turned into Percy's chest. "Spiders … I'm scared of spiders ..."
"So was Ron, Annabeth, but the spider in question was an Acromantula, or a large spider –"
Annabeth whimpered.
"– named Aragog. He told us he was not the Monster of the Chamber, for he had seen no other part of the castle than the small room in which Hagrid kept him. When I asked him about the Monster, he said, We do not speak of it! It is a creature we spiders fear above all others. When a girl died in a bathroom, Hagrid sent me out of the castle as fast as he could.
The sight of more and more spiders arriving was terrifying Ron, so I told Aragog we would be leaving. He suggested that even though his Family does not harm Hagrid on his command, how could he deny them fresh meat? Thanks to the flying car Ron and I took to Hogwarts, we got out of the Forest in one piece.
After discovering Hagrid's innocence, what was next? When I visited Hermione, I noted she had something clutched in her hand: a piece of paper describing the Basilisk: a large snake that can kill with its gaze. Spiders fled before it … it fit everything! Moreover, Hermione solved the question of how it had been moving around the school: the pipes. How did the Basilisk not kill anyone this time? Everyone saw its reflection, even Hermione, who had a mirror on hand. Now, Aragog said the girl who died fifty years ago died in the bathroom. What if she never left? Could the victim of 50 years ago be none other than Moaning Myrtle?
Then Professor McGonagall called the staff together. Ron and I overheard that there was a new message:
HER SKELETON WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER
The Monster had kidnapped Ginny and taken her into the Chamber of Secrets. Ron and I had to act. We came to Professor Lockhart's office to give him support, but he was in the middle of packing. You see, he was a coward who took credit for what other wizards and witches had done. The only spell he could perform was the Memory Charm. After we disarmed him, we marched him up to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, where she confirmed that she was the victim of 50 years ago.
You see, the ability to speak Parseltongue is rare in the Wizarding World, so if Salazar Slytherin used Parseltongue to lock the Chamber of Secrets, it would make sense that nobody else could find it. When Moaning Myrtle pointed out the sink through which she had seen the Basilisk's eyes, I knew this had to be the entrance … so with an §Open§, the sink opened up to show a tunnel.
The three of us slid down this tunnel – Lockhart first – and he fainted during the walk. Percy, do you remember me saying that Ron busted his wand at the beginning of second year?"
"Yeah ..."
"Well, Lockhart grabbed Ron's wand … tried to Obliviate us ..."
Percy, Annabeth, and Hermione laughed as Harry grinned and wiped a tear from his eye.
"Oh, the times when I am grateful for a Comedy Relief like Ron. The resulting cave-in separated us, so I went on into the Chamber of Secrets itself.
Imagine, if you will, a room with statues of snakes lining up the sides of the walkway like knights guarding their king. At the end of the walkway, I encountered an unconscious Ginny and a younger shade of Tom Marvolo Riddle, or Voldemort, who was using his diary to drain Ginny's life out of her so he could come back to life. Fawkes came with the Sorting Hat and the Sword of Godric Gryffindor, Voldemort called out the Basilisk. Fawkes blinded the Basilisk so it could not kill me, but it continued to chase me as best as it could. Even though I killed it, one of its poisonous fangs stabbed me in the arm.
You have less than a minute to live, Harry Potter, the shade of Voldemort said to me. You will be with your Mudblood mother soon.
In that case, I said, if I'm going to die, I'm taking you with me!
And how will you do that? You are closer to Death than I am.
I grabbed the diary from Ginny's hands, opened it up, and held the Basilisk fang. Care to place a bet on that, Tom?
What are you doing?!
THIS IS FOR HERMIONE, YOU BASTARD! Having said that, I stabbed the Basilisk fang into the diary and sent his shade to the Underworld. I felt my life slipping from me as Ginny woke up
Then I heard a Voice say within my mind, Καλως πεποιηκας, Χαρι, και την λατρειαν σου παντοτε μνημονευσω. Μη φοβου. Σημερον ου αποθανησκεις. (You have done well, Harry, and I will always remember your service. Fear not. You do not die today.)
Before I could ask any questions of this Voice, my vision cleared to reveal Ginny and Fawkes before me, smiling with relief. Fawkes carried us all out. Headmaster Dumbledore gave Ron and me Awards for Special Services to the School, Hagrid made it back in time for the Leaving Feast, and Hermione –"
Before Harry could say anymore, Hermione leaped upon him in a fierce kiss. Though it stunned him, he returned in kind as the Magic shook the castle, thinking of all the other adventures they had together.
When they separated, he said, "As thankful as I am for that kiss, Hermione, I was not finished. I still had to tell about our third year."
"You mean the way you blew up Aunt Marge like a balloon for insulting your parents? Your first encounter with a Dementor? The night we went back in time? The night we met your Father and you killed the Dementors threatening yourself and Sirius? The adventure we had with Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Loki to find the Lightning Bolt and return it to your Father by the Summer Solstice?"
Percy's eyes widened. "Wait, Hermione. Who won my first Capture the Flag match?"
"Harry and I beat you when he inserted his sword into the river, Percy. It was a tough fight."
Annabeth raised her hand. "What nickname did I give Harry at Camp Half Blood?"
"You called him Bolt Head."
"Where did we meet Loki?" said Harry.
"We met him in Tulsa, Oklahoma, out at Oral Roberts University's Prayer Tower."
"Do you remember the Yule Ball?"
"Of course I do, Harry … you three looked so dashing in your robes … there was some news that Loki found out, but he promised not to tell you, because I wanted to tell you ..."
"What was this news?"
Hermione closed her eyes in concentration, then they opened in panic. "What else happened at the Yule Ball? I remember Sally Jackson accepting Sirius's marriage proposal. I remember I drank a sip of wine with everyone else, some pain ..."
"Where was this pain?"
Hermione put her hand down by her abdomen. "Harry … I am sorry to say this, but … I was pregnant."
"Was?"
Madam Pomfrey cast a diagnostic spell. "I'm sorry, Lady Potter; you are not pregnant at this present time."
"You were pregnant at the time, though, Hermione," said Athena, "that is, before you drank that wine. After that, a spirit fragment from Lord Baby Eater took over your mind and you tried to kill them. Loki held you down with some fiery chains, burst open a flask of water from the River Lethe, and Percy made you drink it. After that, Loki exorcised Lord Baby Eater's spirit fragment out of your mind and sent Fluffy after it. Last of all, he summoned the Furies to take Ron to the Underworld – though he claimed the right to torture him. Nobody has seen them since."
"Mother, I need to see Loki. Can You take me to the Underworld?"
"I can take you to the entrance and give you the drachmas you need for your passage."
Hermione hugged Harry. "Harry, you need to go to Professor Snape and find out what was in that wine. Did Thalia drink any before she went unconscious?"
Harry, Percy, and Annabeth shook their heads.
"So the mystery deepens. Keep in touch if you find out anything."
"Stay safe, Hermione."
"You as well. Let's go, Mother."
They disappeared.
~HALF BLOOD HARRY POTTER~
Charon looked up. "Why, Lady Potter! I was not expecting to see you back here so soon!"
Hermione handed him the drachmas. "No need for any formalities, Charon; I need to see Loki."
"Climb aboard, Milady. His Highness will be overjoyed to see you."
"I heard that he summoned the Furies to take Ron to the Underworld."
"Oh, They were more than happy to take that Troll Brained traitor, but They were unhappy that he forbade Them to torture him. It is a bizarre sight to see – a Fury who is half happy and half unhappy – but who are They to dare arouse the Prince's wrath?"
"More than happy," said Hermione. "That sounds like a dangerous mental condition."
Charon chuckled. "It does, doesn't it? Imagine somebody saying, We had to put Dave in the loony bin … he was more than happy …"
As they reached the other side of the Styx, Hermione handed Charon a couple more drachmas. "Thanks again, Charon."
"Such generosity … thank you, Milady. It was My great pleasure."
WOOF!
"Hey, Cerberus, can you point me in the direction of Loki's chambers?"
Cerberus kissed her and pointed his three heads in the proper direction. Hermione wiped the canine slobber off of her face and patted them while he wagged up a strong wind.
"Who's a good boy? Thank you."
WOOF!
"Now, please let me pass."
She heard Cerberus whine after her.
"I'm sorry, boy, but I don't have any treats. Another time, perhaps?"
WOOF! Cerberus wagged again.
"Okay, then." Note to self: I need to ask Loki what would be the best treats …
She came to a sign that said:
"Η οδος κλειεται. Αυτη εποιηθη υπο εκεινων οι νεκροι εισιν, και οι νεκροι αυτην φυλαττουσιν."
(The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it.)
She heard Loki's voice within say:
"Traitor Ron Weasley tried to sit easy,
Eating his curds and whey;
But along came a spider, who was drunk on some cider – "
Ron screamed, as Loki finished with a cackle:
"– AND SCARED THE POOR TRAITOR AWAY!"
Hermione knocked on the door. "Loki, I can hear you in there!"
"Do my ears deceive me? Come in, come in!" He grinned upon seeing Hermione. "Why, if it isn't Lady Potter come to grace us with her presence! I trust you remember yourself now since our last encounter?"
"Thanks to Harry and my Mother, yes, thank you, Loki. What have you been doing here?"
"Oh, some torture here, a little poetry there … I do so love poetry ..."
Ron said, "Hermione! Have you come to rescue me?"
Before Loki could make any response, Hermione punched the traitor in the face and kicked him in the groin.
"YOU KNOW YOU DESERVE WORSE THAN THAT FOR YOUR TREASON, WEASLEY!"
"Shall I chop out his larynx for speaking out of turn?" said Loki. "Or how about his tongue?"
"No, Loki. There is no need to go that far … if you did that, how shall you or I enjoy hearing his screams?"
"Fair point. Did you come to enjoy his torture?"
"While it would be enjoyable, that was not my primary reason for coming down here. Where did my child go?"
"Shall I guide you to him?"
"I had a son?"
"Well, there is little point in hiding the child's gender now, is there? Come; Weasel-bee is going nowhere."
~HALF BLOOD HARRY POTTER~
Upon seeing the son that she lost, Hermione glared at Loki. "Since Ron Weasley took something precious from me, Loki, I want you to take something precious from him."
"I took one of his hands; that is a start, right?"
"Yes, it is a start, but perhaps you can think of something more precious than that?"
"I think I have a brilliant idea what you mean, but I warn you: it will be gruesome."
"I don't care about that. I want to watch him crawl like the mutt he is. I want to hear his screams as he begs you for mercy."
"As you have commanded, so shall it be done … for you, Milady."
~HALF BLOOD HARRY POTTER~
As they came back, they could see Ron was in the middle of an erotic dream, and he was moaning in ecstasy as he was nearing his peak … but a blast on the trumpet from Loki awoke him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, was I interrupting a beautiful dream? Terrible timing on my part … here, let me bring you down from that cross so you can lie down for once ..." He brought Ron down and put him on a comfortable bed. "There … isn't this better?"
Manacles clamped Ron's arms and legs to the bed. "What are you doing?"
"This is for your own safety during my operation, of course." He ripped off Ron's pants. "My, my, my … what an impressive wedding tackle you have here … such a shame ..."
"What do you mean, a shame?"
"Oh, thank you, Hermione …" Loki held a heated knife near Ron, close enough to feel the heat, yet not close enough to burn him. "You see, Weasley, it is a shame that after this operation, you will never use your wedding tackle to please any woman ever again ..."
Horror dawned on Ron's face. "NO! PLEASE, MY LORD, ANYTHING BUT THAT! HAVE MERCY ON ME, PLEASE, HAVE MERCY!"
"This is a mercy from me, Weasley. I'm not killing you."
"HERMIONE, PLEASE! ARE YOU GOING TO LET HIM DO THIS TO ME?! I AM YOUR FRIEND!"
Hermione gave him a cold glare. "You were my friend once, Ron … but you brought this upon yourself ..."
She watched without pity as Loki performed the painful operation and cauterized the wound. Ron passed out yet again …
~HALF BLOOD HARRY POTTER~
When Ron awoke, he was on the cross watching Loki, Harry, Hermione, Percy and Annabeth at a table.
"Ah, the food is here," said Loki. "Let's eat."
"So, I take it watching Ron's torture was fun, Hermione?"
"Oh, Harry, you have no idea," said Hermione with a grin.
"She's right, Harry. I can't remember the last time I had this much fun, isn't that right, Weasley?"
Ron looked at Loki in horror.
"What? No insults? No snappy comebacks? What?"
"Loki," said Annabeth, "is that – on your plate – what I think it is?"
Loki pointed to his plate and chuckled. "Oh, you mean these? Pork sausage and meatballs. What do I look like, a savage?"
"Are you a madman? Yes, we know that," said Percy. "Are you a savage, on the other hand? The thought has crossed my mind for a moment or two."
Loki chopped a bit off of the pork sausage and lifted up the rest by his fork. "You see? There is no urethra within. As for the meatballs here ..." he did the same with a meatball, "you see no testicle within, much less anything within the testicle like an epididymis … where the maturing sperm wait. Nope, this is meat, nothing more. I did something else with Ron's wedding tackle."
"You used it to send a message to Voldemort, no doubt," said Harry.
"Right in one, Harry."
"Kill me," said Ron.
"What's that, Weasley? Speak up, now!"
"KILL ME!"
"Why would I want to do that? You could be so useful to us … but what shall we call you?" Loki walked up to Ron and thought for a few moments. "You are not worthy of the name Weasley anymore … you are nothing to me more than a lapdog of a servant … a mutt … that's it! That's what we shall call you – Mutt! So, what is your name?"
"Ron … Weasley ..."
SMACK! "What is your name?"
"Ron … Weasley ..."
SMACK! "If you continue having such a thick head, I may grow bored and put you out of your misery. What. Is. Your. Name?"
"Mutt … my name is Mutt … I am your Mutt … Master ..."
"Yes, that is right … I am your Master … so is Harry … so is Percy … and Masters will be friends to Mutt as long as Mutt deserves it, yes?"
"Masters are much kinder to Mutt than Mutt deserves."
"So shall it be, Mutt, as long as you serve your Masters well."
"I will be a good Mutt to Masters … a good Mutt ..."
Loki could not help but grin …
Author's Note: Another fun chapter done. Read and review!
Smiles and laughter,
Loki Palmer
P.S.,
The last movement from Mahler's Sixth Symphony, though bleak and terrifying to listen to, is still an amazing symphonic movement. I gave as best a hint as I could of where it is in the work, but since tempi can vary from recording to recording, it's not easy to give an exact marking for when it arrives in the symphony, except by the rehearsal number in the score and the associated direction with this excerpt. To say it briefly, rehearsal numbers mark off sections of a score and make it easier for a band or orchestra to find its spot within a piece, which is much easier than using measure numbers in a large scale work. Hope you enjoy all the references!
P.P.S.,
I added in some material to Chapter 11 to complete that chapter. [wink]