Chapter 10

January 1, 1980.

Thanatos stepped onto Mount Olympus and looked around. The home of the Greek gods was still intact, but there was a feeling of long abandonment in the air. The only sound was the wind blowing through the neatly cut grass. Thanatos walked towards the closest temple.

A bronze statue was mounted on the top of the temple, holding a lightning bolt in it's right hand. The statue was void of any paint, but the bronze was as clean and fresh as the day it'd been cast.

"Zeus," Thanatos murmured. He wondered where the leader of the Olympians was now.

After the fall of the Roman empire and the rise of Christianity, the gods had scattered to the wind. Thanatos hadn't even seen his own mother in several millennia. Were they all gone? Those he'd once called family? Was he the last of the Greek pantheon? If so, it was fitting. After all, had moved on, all that remained was death.

He looked around. All the temples of the gods were still in pristine condition. It was as though the gods had merely stepped out for a while and could return at any time. A long wooden table caught his eye. On the table Thanatos could see a curved iron sword, a caduceus, and a brass helm. How was this possible? If the gods were gone, all their magic should've faded. Why had the sword of Cronus, the Caduceus of Hermes, and the helm of Hades been left behind?

"Cousin," a soft voice said. "Is that you?"

Turning, Thanatos stared at a tall woman. Her skin was pale, and her hair was as dark as night. Her eyes were a bright glowing gold. She held a torch in her right hand. Seeing his face, the woman beamed and took a tentative step forward.

"Can you drop your disguise cousin? I'd like to see your true face."

With a thought, Thanatos cast off the appearance of the average looking old Black man. As the disguise turned to dust and drifted to the ground, Thanatos stretched as if he'd just laid down a heavy burden.

"Hecate," Thanatos said his deep voice echoing across Olympus. "Are you the only one here? Why did they leave you behind?"

Hecate shook her head. "Look," she said a mirror appearing in her hand. She held it up so that Thanatos could see his reflection.

Thanatos looked, staring at a face he hadn't seen in over a thousand years. He was far taller than before, reaching nearly seven feet in height. He was slim and muscular, with the build of a professional runner or swimmer. His skin was the color of polished iron. His hair was as white as snow and his eyes were the same glowing gold as Hecate's.

"How long has it been since you've seen your true face, cousin?"

"Longer than I'd like to admit," Thanatos said. "I've had to hide my true form from the mortals."

"And the fae?"

Thanatos shook his head. "It was just easier. So long as I look like a harmless old man, no one bothered me. Why does it matter?"

Hecate reached out and laid one soft long fingered hand on his cheek. Her touch was soothing, like a cool cloth on a fevered brow. "If you hide you will never be home anywhere."

"My reason for having a home died centuries ago."

Hecate bowed her head. "Would they want you to hide yourself away? You haven't gone to see your descendant yet."

Thanatos shook his head. "It's hard. He is the last. Out of all the families that carried my blood, only one is still among the living."

"Family is more than blood."

Thanatos nodded. "Why are you here? Have you hidden yourself away?"

Hecate shrugged, glancing around at all the temples. "This was the home of the Olympians. Someone had to watch over it."

"Where are they? Why did they leave?"

Hecate shook her head. "You remember what our brethren were like. Arrogant, spoiled, argumentative, just to name a few qualities."

"They could also be kind, merciful, and generous."

"True, but they mostly let their darker qualities rule their actions. For those who claim to be gods, there wasn't much righteous or compassionate about them."

Thanatos nodded. "You don't call them gods."

"Being more powerful, either politically, physically, or magically doesn't make you a god. We were never worthy of worship. The mortals never loved us. They feared us. Recognizing those facts has helped me to live a peaceful, if lonely life."

"You could leave. Auberon would be happy to have you in the Seelie court."

"Perhaps," Hecate said, "but he may also fear having a titan in his court. What will you do?"

Thanatos smiled briefly. "I think I'll return to the court for now. I think I'll wait until this little squabble with Tom is done and then maybe I'll go see James. I'm not quite ready to rejoin the world yet."

"Good luck on your travels. If you need any assistants, just call for me and I will come."

As Thanatos turned to leave, he paused. "You never did tell me what happened to the other Olympians."

Hecate waved a dismissive hand. "I don't really know. As I said, I am the only one here. They left to wander the worlds a long time ago. Perhaps I shall take my own advice. A museum to our departed family is not a home. It is a tomb"

Thanatos turned to face the temples that lined the mountain top. Gesturing with one hand, he watched as a wave of shadow swept over the temples. When it faded, he turned to Hecate.

"That was a preservation ward. You don't need to stay and keep this place up anymore. Even if something happens to me, the ward will remain until one of the twelve return."

Hecate leaned forward and kissed Thanatos on the cheek. "Thank you."

"It isn't your job to be the guardian of Olympus. I hope you find a new purpose."

"And I hope you find peace."

Hecate vanished in a burst of green fire.

Thanatos took one last look around. Unless something changed, he knew he would probably never come back here. Speaking to Hecate had been good for him. He hoped to meet her again someday. Taking a step forward, Thanatos's shadow rose up to cover him. When the shadows faded, he was gone.

**ACC**

October 31, 1991.

On Halloween morning, Harry woke to the smell of pumpkin spice pancakes. He hurriedly made his way to the Great Hall. As he sat down, Lily grinned.

"Flitwick said we're working on the hovering charm today."

Luna sat down beside Harry. "Remember, no elemental magic. You have to do it with magic alone."

"Yeah yeah," Harry grumbled. "It's been a while, but I think I can still manage a hovering charm."

"We'll see," Luna said in a singsong voice as she served herself some chocolate pudding.

Harry arched an eyebrow. "How did you get that?"

"The Brownies like me."

**ACC**

Half an hour later, Harry watched Flitwick bounce on the balls of his feet as he looked at the excited faces before him.

"I assume you are all ready to study the hovering charm today?" he squeaked.

The students began chattering excitedly.

"Quiet please," Flitwick called loudly. "You must all pay attention." He drew his wand. "Remember, swish and flick and the incantation is Wingardium Leviosa."

As he spoke the incantation, Flitwick flicked his wand. A piece of parchment on his desk rose into the air and hovered a few feet above his head. "The incantation is very important. Get it wrong and bad things can happen."

"What sort of things?" Harry asked.

"Just trust me," Flitwick said, his brown eyes twinkling. Brushing his brown hair out of his eyes, he stood up to his inconsiderable height. "Ready to begin?"

Everyone nodded.

"Okay," Flitwick said. "Let's see what you got." With a flick of his wand, a feather appeared on each desk.

"Partner up."

Terry partnered up with Luna while Harry partnered up with Lily.

"You go first," Harry said.

Lily flicked her wand. "Wingardium Leviosa."

Their feather rose into the air and hovered above their heads.

"Cool," Terry boot said. "Wingardium Leviofa."

He screamed as a buffalo fell out of the air, smashing his desk to pieces. The buffalo bellowed and charged at Terry.

"Professor," Terry screamed as he was knocked to the ground.

"That is why you pronounce the incantation correctly," Flitwick said chuckling. With a wave of his wand, the buffalo vanished. "Dobby," he called.

A brownie appeared and grinned at Terry. "Ah, another one mispronounced the incantation, did they?"

Flitwick nodded. "Yes, can you take him to the hospital wing please?"

Dobby walked over and laid a hand on a trembling Terry's shoulder. "Alright, but you owe me money."

"I know," Flitwick said exasperatedly. "A galleon, I remember."

"P-professor," Terry stuttered. "I'll be fine."

"Better have you checked out, just in case."

Dobby vanished, taking Terry with him.

"Will he be alright?" Lily asked.

"Yeah," Flitwick said dismissively. "It was a small buffalo. Luckily, he wasn't a full grown wizard, it would've been bigger. Now, back to work please."

Harry waved his hand. A gust of wind lifted the feather into the air and sent it drifting across the room.

"Mr. Emry's," Flitwick called. "No elemental magic."

"Yes sir," Harry said.

The feather drifted back to the desktop. Harry waved his hand again. The feather rose into the air and hovered near the ceiling.

"Very good, Mr. Emry's, Ms. Evans, five points each to Ravenclaw."

Harry turned to Luna. "Need to practice?"

Luna flicked her wand, murmuring the incantation. Her feather shot into the air and stabbed into the ceiling.

"Professor," Harry called. "Does that count?"

A giggling Flitwick shook his head. "No, it does not. Very impressive though, Ms. Lovegood, you're going to be a very powerful witch."

Flitwick waved his wand, conjuring a new feather. "Now, try again."

Luna swished and flicked, saying the incantation as she did. The feather floated into the air, hovering just above their heads.

"Excellent," Flitwick said, "and on your second try to. Great control. Ten points to Ravenclaw."

Harry turned to Luna as Flitwick began helping other students.

"I didn't know you were that powerful."

"I am like pudding."

"Pudding?" Lily asked. "How is that?"

"I'm full of many flavors."

Harry glanced at Lily. "Does that make sense to you?"

Lily smiled at her two friends. "It's Luna. What she says will always make sense… eventually."

**ACC**

As they exited the classroom, Harry felt a hesitant touch on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Hermione standing behind him.

"Can I talk to you?"

"You came all this way. It'd be mean to say no. What's up?"

Hermione pointed at the charms classroom. "We have charms next anyway. I just wanted to apologize for blaming you about the Brownies. I should've done more research before jumping to conclusions."

Harry shook his head. "Your heart was in the right place. No group should be enslaved. Your only mistake was assuming that they were enslaved before getting all the facts. We're only eleven. Screwing up is how we learn."

"You should put that on a fortune cookie," Lily said.

"What? Screwing up is how you learn?"

"No, it'd have to be something like 'if you learn from your mistakes, a better person you will be.'"

"Nah, sounds like something Yoda would say."

Hermione laughed. "So, you forgive me?"

"Not me you have to ask forgiveness of. Have you apologized to the Brownies?"

Hermione nodded.

"And?"

"They forgave me and even thanked me for looking out for them. They said I was still a foolish child and was bound to make mistakes. There was one, Dobby I think his name was, that told me I needed to make sure I considered both sides of an argument in the future, not just that which matched my own point-of-view."

"Dobby is a good person."

Hermione nodded.

"We've got to go," Luna said softly. "We're gonna be late for transfiguration."

"Right," Harry said. "Good luck with the hovering charm."

"Thanks," Hermione said as she entered the classroom.

As Harry and the girls walked down the hallway, Luna turned to him.

"She's definitely different."

Harry nodded. "She's more willing to admit her mistakes and learn from them. I think that's something we could all do."

Luna nodded. "She could go far in this world."

"I just hope she gets the chance," Harry said gravely.

**ACC**

Thanatos slipped into the museum. Thanks to the invisibility spell he'd cast, there was no way anyone would see him. Reaching out with his senses, he could feel the resurrection stone was close by. Following the pull of the stone, he walked down several corridors and passed many exhibits.

As he walked, he caught glimpses of the objects on display. A battered glass case held a half-rusted sword supposed to be the legendary Excalibur.

Another case had a cracked and rusted spear supposed to be the Spear of Destiny.

Thanatos snorted. "There's one born every minute." The two artifacts held only the slightest suggestion of an enchantment. At last, Thanatos stopped in front of a glass case. There was no sign on this case, only a pillow with a ring on it.

Thanatos reached out, testing to see if the case had any protections. Once he'd found them, it was the easiest thing in the world to nudge them aside, reach through the glass of the case, and grab the stone out of the ring. Holding the stone in his hand, he examined it closely.

The stone was nothing special to look at. It was just a piece of quartz worn smooth with the passage of time. Reaching into his pocket, Thanatos took out a similar piece of granite. Staring at the stone, he concentrated. The quartz shifted until it was an exact copy of the resurrection stone down to the symbol of the Deathly Hallows carved into it.

Reaching through the glass of the case, Thanatos attached the replica of the resurrection stone back to the silver band of the ring. Once done, he tucked the stone into his cloak, being careful to keep it far from the Elder wand. With one last look around, he vanished.

**ACC**

Harry entered the great hall and looked around at the floating candles hovering above each table. "Wow, as good as I remember," he murmured. He smiled as he saw the skeletons walking between the tables ready to serve the students and staff.

"Harry," Argante said walking over. "Here's your cloak."

Harry took the cloak and handed her back the one she'd given him. As he ran his fingers along the fabric, he looked up at her. "This feels just like before."

"Trust me, the runes are sewn into the fabric, and they'll work just fine."

"Thanks," Harry said as he slipped the cloak around his shoulders. "Are you staying for the feast?"

Argante shook her head. "No, I'm meeting with someone."

"Anyone I know?"

"Just an old friend." She kissed his forehead. "Let me know if anything else happens."

Harry watched his mother leave the hall before looking around at all the students. He sighed in relief when he saw Hermione sitting with the other Gryffindors.

"Looks like Hermione won't get attacked by a troll this time," Lily murmured.

"Maybe wait until the evening is over," Luna said. She turned to Harry. "Are trolls different in this new world?"

"Different? What do you mean?"

"Are they still big smelly unintelligent things that like to smash stuff with clubs?"

Harry shrugged. "There's a lot of different breeds. I've only seen the trolls from Norway and Sweden and they're pretty diverse when it comes to looks and smarts."

"So, not all of them are stupid," Lily said as she sat down at the Ravenclaw table.

"No," Harry said sitting down beside her and accepting a plate of roast pork from a passing skeleton.

"Do you think those skeletons are real?" Lily asked.

Harry shrugged. "Maybe, I mean in the muggle world, you can donate your body to science. The magical world might have something similar."

"What?" Lily asked, arching an eyebrow. "I want to donate my body to be a zombie at a Halloween themed restaurant?"

"Or they could conjure them," Harry said.

"Either way," Luna said dishing herself a bowl of soup. "If you find a finger in the soup, don't eat it. It might belong to someone."

Lily snorted. "If they're dead they won't miss it."

The three laughed and joked as they dug into the Halloween feast. The desserts had just appeared when the doors to the Great Hall swung open.

A bloody Lugh stumbled inside. The hall fell silent as he limped up to the staff table. Stopping in front of Dumbledore, he coughed and then spoke.

"There's a pack of trolls in the dungeon. I took care of as many as I could, but I can't handle all of them alone. I'd appreciate a bit of help."

Harry sighed as the hall filled with the fearful chatter of the students. Dumbledore had to fire a cannon blast charm from his wand to restore order. "All students are to stay here with the doors closed and locked. Prefects, guard the doors until we return."

Dumbledore led the staff out of the hall, closing the doors behind them.

"So, did Lugh let them in?" Luna whispered.

"He's my dad," Harry whispered back. "I really hope he's not trying to kill me."

"Why would trolls come into the school," another student asked. "They don't usually like wizards."

Harry turned as a heavy blow caused the doors to shudder in their frames.

"Harry?" Luna said. "I think the trolls are here."

There was another thud and the heavy oak doors cracked from top to bottom.

Harry reached into his cloak and drew the knife Lugh had given him. To his surprise, the blade lengthened, and the handle widened. Harry stared down at the bronze sword in his hand. He made a mental note to thank Lugh later.

He hurried over to the doors where the petrified prefects stood.

"Emry's," Penelope snapped. "What are you doing?"

"Protecting the school."

Before anyone could say anything else, the heavy oak doors split in two and fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

A horde of trolls poured into the Great Hall. Harry stared at the variety in front of him.

Some were large and some were small. Some had tails and others didn't. Others had humanoid faces while still others had the heads of animals.

Harry whistled. "Wow, you guys are ugly."

One troll stepped forward. It was clear from the long dark hair and the barest suggestion of breasts that this one was female.

"I'll have you know I'm quite beautiful according to my people," she said in a voice deep enough to cause dust to fall from the rafters.

"Well…" Harry stuttered. "That's good for you I guess."

"We're hungry," the female troll said. "Tell you what little fae, give us one of the humans to eat and we'll leave."

Harry shook his head and tightened his grip on his sword. "I won't do that."

A larger troll with the tusks of a bore protruding from his mouth lumbered forward. "I'll crush you little fae." He brought his massive club down towards Harry's head.

Harry brought his sword up, slicing neatly through the club. The top half of the club fell to the ground with a thud. With his free hand, Harry summoned a gust of wind that blew the broken end of the club up into the troll's face. There was a sickening crunch and the troll collapsed, shaking the Great Hall as he struck the ground.

Hearing a noise behind him, Harry spun slicing through the neck of the female troll charging at him. Another gust of wind blew her severed head into the face of the troll behind her hard enough to crush his skull. Both trolls fell and didn't move again.

Hearing a roar, Harry turned to see the remaining trolls charging at him. Harry calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of toothpicks. Throwing the toothpicks into the air, he snapped his fingers. Five foot metal spikes fell out of the air, skewering three more trolls.

There were still too many. Reaching into his other pocket, Harry pulled out a handful of sand. Taking a deep breath, he blew the sand at the trolls. A snap of the fingers and a twirl of the hand, Harry had conjured a tornado of broken glass that cut two more trolls into bloody chunks.

"Eight down, only a dozen to go."

"Out of tricks now little fae," a small troll said his upper lip curling up in a sneer.

A ball of compressed air punched a hole through his chest. The troll let out a gasping gurgle, and fell to the floor, blood pouring from his chest, nose, and mouth.

"Not quite," Harry said lowering his hand and wiping sweat from his forehead.

He was panting now. Trolls weren't easy to use magic on and he'd killed nine. His muscles ached and his head throbbed.

He ducked as a human-sized troll swung his club at his head. He wrapped a rope of fire around the trolls arm and tugged. The troll's arm came free in a spray of blood and bone. The troll let out a howl of agony.

"Wingardium Leviofa," Harry wheezed, gesturing at the one-armed troll.

A full grown buffalo fell out of the air and landed on the troll with a wet cracking sound. Enraged, the animal began stomping the troll with its sharp hooves and stabbing it with its horns.

Harry looked up at the remaining trolls, who'd frozen in shock. "Ten down. Whose next."

In answer, the trolls charged.

A blasting curse knocked one of the incoming trolls off his feet.

"Hurry up," Fred Weasley said. "If you've got a plan, I'd suggest you do it."

"I need a few minutes," Harry called back. "There's ten of them and their magically resistant."

More of the older students stepped forward, leveling their wands at the trolls. "Do what you need," George Weasley called. "We've got this."

"I'll kill all of you little humans," a troll yelled.

Harry drew back his arm and hurled his sword at the trolls head. The bronze blade snapped against the troll's skull, but the broken tip of the blade plunged into the troll's left eye, causing him to let out a whining cry of pain.

He threw his club at Harry, but Harry dodged feeling the club strike his shoulder as it flew by.

A flurry of spell fire caused the injured troll to turn towards the students. Forcing the screams, yells, and cries out of his mind, Harry forced his sight open.

Just like that, he could see the threads of luck around the trolls. With a twitch of his fingers, everything went wrong.

A few trolls hit each other with their clubs, causing those who were hit to turn and strike back. Others fell to the ground, blood bursting from their ears and noses. Still more tripped over thin air and fell, breaking their legs in the process. In a matter of moments, it was all over.

Harry relaxed and swayed on his feet, staring at the trolls lying sprawled over the floor of the great hall.

"What's going on here?" Professor McGonagall said striding into the hall. She stopped and gaped at the fallen trolls.

Before anyone else could speak, Harry heard Holly's voice.

"Help, Professor."

Harry turned with the rest of the students and froze. A girl lay crumpled on the floor. Her bushy hair was unmistakable, even stained with blood.

"Hermione," Harry said.