An old and wise wizard, who has rarely visited the mundane world since the 1960's, steps back from his work on a cookie cutter suburban house in a small town outside London. As he steps back from his work a tear tracks down his cheek, as the enchantments will temper the love for the child that has come into his care, while also ensuring that the family will not wish to discard the baby keyed to the protections.
With a pop he turns on his heel to return to the safe house in Wales where he had a trusted aide take the boy to be seen to by the school healer.
With a pop he appears outside a non-descript thatched cottage in a backwater village. With sure steps he sweeps his way through the front gate and into the cottage. "How's the boy?"
"Headmaster, he needs to be seen by a healer trained in the soul arts."
The elderly wizard sags as though his age caught up with him, "Madam, if only I could, I would. While the Dark Lord has been defeated, his followers are still at large. Where could we take him that he could be safe while he is treated? If you cannot think of anywhere, will whatever you found cause him any problems?"
The healer shakes her head, "It shouldn't, but the longer it is left the harder it will be to resolve."
The wizard nods solemnly, "I will endeavour to have the boy seen to before it's too late then. I have done the initial work on the protections that will keep him safe. Will you remove some blood so that I can key the boy to the protections, and allow his mothers sacrifice to strengthen them further?"
The healer just points at a tiny vial of blood sitting on a table, "That is what's left of what I needed to draw to check his health. It's not safe to draw more for a few weeks."
The wizard nods, "It will have to be enough, we can't afford to wait for more. The boy needs to be with his blood relatives before the politics start. I'll have him sent for later tonight."
The healer shakes her head, "So soon?"
"Word's already out that the Dark Lord is dead and that the boy survived, and people are celebrating. No doubt one of the Potter's extended family tried to claim their estates already. If we're lucky we have days for the sharks to start circling, though I suspect we only have hours."
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A handsome, strongly built man is holding a large suitcase in one hand as he calls up the stairs, "Sweetums, the taxi's here and we need to hurry otherwise we'll miss our flight."
"Can you take the pram out, and I'll be down with Dudley in his carry cot in a minute. He just needed burping."
"Of course, anything for you snuggleplum."
As he puts the suitcase in the boot of the black cab, he calls over to the cabbie, "Thanks for doing this for us Rupert."
Rupert calls from the drivers seat, "No problem, I just live around the corner so it's no skin of my nose if you're paying me when I'd be heading into London already. I didn't know you had twins though, but as well behaved that one's been I'm not surprised you never mentioned it at the club. Mind you, it explains why you're heading off for an off season cruise now before they become toddlers."
The man doesn't have time to collect his thoughts and exclaim before his wife has carried Dudley out of the house and entered cab with Dudley in his carrycot.
At her yelp of surprise, he hurries with fitting the folded up pram into the boot, and hurries into the cab.
As the cabbie is driving off, he's handed a hand written parchment letter, and he looks at his wife grimly as they both look down at the baby in the wicker basket next to their own baby.
A few days later, far from the coast of Greece a small wicker basket is dropped overboard under the cover of the night. The baby inside stirs and begins to cry, but the cruise ship powers on uncaring of the sound of the crying baby.
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Kirke makes her way down to the beach of the island Aiaia following the sounds of seagulls squabbling over something that's washed up on her island. As she rounds a large rock, the piercing cry of a baby becomes audible and causes her to pause with a sigh.
Looking up at the sky, Kirke calls out, "Father, I thought the mortals had stopped doing this centuries ago."
Shaking her head at the expected lack of response, she flicks her fingers in the direction of the squabbling birds, sparks flying out from the tips of her fingers to drive them away.
As her steps bring her to the baby, she can see that the gulls have already taken 3 toes and 2 fingers, as well as multiple gouges from the babies face. Though the woollen blanket, dyed the colour of a clear afternoon sky, that's nearby, along with clothing made from the finest cotton has protected the rest of their skin.
Shaking her head, Kirke picks up the baby gently, a simple spark of magic from her finger sending it into a deep and restful sleep. She also picks up the blanket as well as the woollen underlay at the bottom of the basket. Though the parchment confetti that spills from the basket as she removes it makes her frown.
Shaking her head, she looks at the baby, "Who ever you are, you clearly had wealthy parents if they could afford to clothe you so richly. So why are you here? I suppose it matters not, as the island has long been hidden from the sight of mortals."
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Kirke grimaces as she finishes carefully removing the baby's covering after seeing to their wounds. Underneath the fine cotton clothes is something that feels like a cross between a long wood shaving and raw cotton held on by iron pins bent in an ingenious method to allow them to fasten to themselves.
After she's worked out how to remove the pins without breaking them, she carefully peels back the baby's cloth before covering her nose with a handful of dried flowers, as the smell of waste and infection escape the covering.
With her other hand she continues to peel back the cloth, even as the child's sex is revealed. Behind her hand, her expression once more turns sorrowful, "Oh you poor thing. If Olympus still stood I would take you to my cousin, but there's no way I can raise you here now. Especially not with the Gorgon sisters living here, Medusa especially given what happened to her. Well, let's get you cleaned up, and then we can find out what form you'll wear while you live here."
Kirke has just finished preparing the ingredients for her elixir when the Gorgon sisters return from the other side of the island as the sun touches the horizon.
As soon as Medusa sees the naked baby boy, she lunges for the baby with an expression of hate on her face, only to be held back by Stheno for long enough for her rage to turn to fear and tears.
As Stheno comforts her sister, Euryale demands, "Why do you have a male child here?"
Calmly Kirke replies, "Because the baby was carried to our shores and clothed in riches. You can see the blanket and bed clothes on the sill. His rags were fastened with the finest of iron bent into an intricate shape. I only found out the sex once I removed the rags, and I cleaned him up before starting the transformation elixir. I haven't forgotten my own rules, and he will live out his life as one of the animals."
Euryale nods and lays a few birds on the table, "We will be outside with our sister, inform us when the elixir is finished so Medusa can witness the transformation."
Kirke takes a wooden bowl and pours some steaming water, from a bronze kettle, into the bowl before swirling it around with some bound grass and pouring it down the wall outside a nearby window.
1/2 filling the bowl with water from the kettle, she adds the first few ingredients before moving to the other side of the fire and starting to expertly pluck the dead birds.
Once the last wisp of steam leaves the top of the bowl, Kirke moves back to the elixir and carefully removes the ingredients with a reed whisk, before slowly adding more ingredients while carefully monitoring the forming magic inside the bowl.
By the time the elixir is finished, Kirke has managed to finish dressing the birds ready to be cooked.
"Stheno! It's ready."
As the three gorgons walk in, carefully keeping Medusa under control, Kirke finishes rinsing a honey dipper off with hot water from the kettle. Picking up the bowl, she brings it around to the baby that's still in an enchanted sleep.
Carefully she opens the baby's mouth, and swiftly dips the honey dipper into the elixir and allows 4 drops of liquid to fall into the baby's mouth. Reflexively the baby swallows the elixir, though that's not enough for it to stir from the enchanted sleep.
A couple of minutes later the four goddesses watch as the baby's legs start to fuse together and lengthen into a serpents tail, at the same time the baby's tongue thins and forks.
Eventually, Kirke says, "Well, I suppose that after the Olympians were done with her, she was a creature."
Medusa smiles, "I'm going to gather the ingredients for ambrosia, who's going to act as head god?"
Kirke looks down at the baby that looks like Lamia, the old Libyan queen after her initial curse, and before the Olympian gods decided she was still too beautiful. "This is my home, and I only gave you sanctuary after Athena's curse was broken. Don't forget that I made the Ambrosia that allowed you to regain your sanity and disgorge your sisters."
Medusa nods, "I know, but she's so adorable, and I don't want her being used by them."
Kirke sighs, "Medusa, your curse was broken because the Olympians are dead. For that you can cook the dressed bird while I wake our little snake up and work out how to feed her."