Chapter 13 Chapter 1

Dumbledore appeared outside the bar with a soft pop. He tugged at the collar of his mundane suit. It was unseasonably warm for early November. He wished the Stevensons would've agreed to meet at Hogwarts, but they'd insisted on meeting at this pub. He stared at the brass sign.

Delia's had been roughly carved into the metal.

As he approached the door, a man stepped into his path. He wore a cowboy hat, t-shirt, jeans, and boots. "What you doin here partner?"

"I'm here for an interview."

The man nodded. "For a job? Gotta warn you, this place can be mighty rowdy."

"No," Dumbledore said. "I'm here to interview some people for a job at Hogwarts."

The man nodded. "Not gonna start any trouble, are you?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No sir."

The man stepped aside. "Come on in then."

The rune etched silver door swung open. As he stepped inside, Dumbledore turned back to the man. "I didn't catch your name."

"Taranis," the man said. "My name is Taranis."

Dumbledore's eyes widened as the door swung shut behind him. He turned back to the bar and looked around. The tables and chairs were cheap wood. The bar was a large slap of oak. Soft flute music played from the overhead speakers giving off a relaxed and soothing atmosphere.

As he looked around, Dumbledore noticed the bar was full of magical creatures. A satyr sat at a table drinking a beer from a bronze cup nearly as tall as he was. A nymph leaned against the bar, drinking what appeared to be a piledriver. A tall elf nodded to him as he sipped a glass of wine.

A young woman wearing a long white dress approached the bar. "Help you?" she asked smiling brightly.

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "I'm looking for Siofra and Philip Stevenson?"

The woman nodded and pointed to a table in the back of the bar. "Over there dear. Would you like anything to drink?"

"Do you have mundane soda?" Dumbledore asked.

The woman brushed her blond hair out of her face and giggled. Her green eyes sparkled. "Dear, I have any drink you can think of. You name it, we've got it."

Dumbledore thought for a moment and decided to test her claim. "I had a drink a few years ago. I believe it was called cream soda. Can you get me some of that?"

The woman nodded and a large glass bottle was suddenly in her hand. "Ice or no ice?"

"No ice please," Dumbledore said.

The woman nodded and a frosted mug appeared out of nowhere. Pouring the mug to the brim, she pushed it towards Dumbledore.

Taking the mug, Dumbledore thanked her before taking a sip. As the sweet taste covered his tongue, he closed his eyes in pleasure. "How much?" he asked as he opened his eyes.

"Mm," the woman hummed. "A galleon will do."

Dumbledore paid her the gold and turned to look for the Stevensons.

"Come," the woman said stepping out from behind the bar. "I'll take you to them."

She led Dumbledore through the tables, dodging groping hands with a laugh or a slap. She stopped in front of a table where a short stocky man and a tall slim woman sat.

"Philip," she said brightly. "This man is looking for you and your daughter. Do you know him? If not, we can have him dealt with."

The last sentence was said in the same cheerful tone as before. Dumbledore tightened his grip on his mug, but he needn't have worried.

"No thank you Hebe, this man is offering us a job."

"Oh," Hebe said. She shot a glance at Dumbledore. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but I can't let anyone mess with my customers. You understand? Neutral ground and all that."

"Quite," Dumbledore said as Hebe pulled out a chair. "No harm done my dear. This is your establishment after all, and you must protect it."

"Great," Hebe said as he sat down. Turning to walk away, she glanced at Siofra who was drawing on a piece of parchment. "Nice picture of my dad. Have you met him?"

Siofra jumped slightly as if she'd been woken from a deep sleep. "Your Dad? she asked looking down at the picture she'd drawn.

"Zeus," Hebe said. "I haven't seen him in a thousand years or so, but he always had his favorites, and I wasn't one of them. My ex-husband was his most favored son."

Siofra stared down at the picture of the old man she'd drawn. "I never met your father. I'm only a hundred years old or so and the Olympians have been gone a long time."

Hebe shrugged. "Probably for the best. I love my dad, but he never could take no for an answer." She turned to Dumbledore. "Enjoy your drink."

Without another word, the woman turned and headed back to her bar. The sound of crumpling parchment drew Dumbledore's attention.

"It was supposed to be Father Christmas, not that old pervert," Siofra said setting the parchment on fire.

Philip chuckled. "I think you need to meet Father Christmas before you can draw him."

Siofra stuck out her tongue at her father. "If the Europeans can draw Jesus as a blond haired blue-eyed European, I can draw father Christmas any way I like."

Philip grinned. "In there defense, the European artists probably never saw a Jew from the middle east before. I've seen pictures of Jesus in Africa where he was drawn to look like an African. It all depends on how much the artist has seen other cultures."

Siofra grunted. "You're not helping."

"I'm sorry Luv," Philip said putting an arm around her, "but father Christmas would never wear a toga."

Siofra blew a strand of black hair out of her face before turning to Dumbledore. "So, you want me and my dad to teach History of magic and Defense against the dark arts respectively?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Lugh is leaving to go back to his family in otherworld."

"I see," Philip said. "For how long?"

Dumbledore blinked. "Pardon?"

"How long would you like us to teach?" He pointed to himself and then to his daughter. "I might as well tell you now. I don't age like a normal person. I haven't in almost eight hundred years. My daughter has inherited that… ability. I don't mind teaching, but I don't want to be stuck teaching for eternity."

"I see," Dumbledore said. "Would fifty years suffice?"

"Fifty years?" Siofra said beginning to doodle on a fresh piece of parchment.

"That is the average time our teachers stay at Hogwarts. At least, those that stay permanently."

"Seems fair," Philip said. "I've been pretty bored over the past few decades. If the rumors I've heard is any indication, teaching at Hogwarts won't be dull."

"Rumors?" Dumbledore asked arching an eyebrow. "What sort of rumors?"

"Trolls, dangerous artefacts, and dark wizards to name a few things," Siofra said absently.

Dumbledore winced. "Yes, this year has been quite… eventful."

Siofra shrugged. "Sounds fun. I can't wait to see what happens next year."

Dumbledore winced. "I hope next year is less exciting than this one."

"Spoil sport," Siofra said drawing a circle on her parchment.

"May I take it that you and your father will take the job?"

Siofra glanced at her father.

"Sure," Philip said. "We will both start next year. I'd like to see Hogwarts before I begin teaching there. Is it alright if Siofra and I come with you back to Hogwarts?"

"Certainly, you can meet Lugh and talk to him about his classes. I can teach history for the rest of the year. Would you like me to apparate you and Siofra back to Hogwarts?"

Philip shook his head. "We'll make our own way. See you in a bit."

As he stood to leave, Dumbledore glanced down at the drawing Siofra was working on. He paused as he saw the long blond hair and the red cap on the person's head.

"Nice, that looks like someone I used to know."

Siofra smiled. "Thanks."

Waving to the duo, Dumbledore left the bar. As the door closed behind him, Taranis spoke.

"Be careful Dumbledore. Sometimes you don't see the thorns on the rose."

Dumbledore turned to ask Taranis what he meant, but he'd vanished. Shrugging to himself, Dumbledore made his way back to the castle, whistling cheerfully.

**ACC**

Harry groaned as he awoke. He felt as if he'd been hit by a train. "Did anyone get the name of that bus?"

"Voldemort," Lugh said. "Good job, you kicked his arse twice now."

"Lugh!" Argante snapped. Leaning over, she kissed Harry's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but fine. Where is the stone?"

"In Dumbledore's office," Lugh said. "He was pretty shaken up that Voldemort showed up here. He was only watching the stone until Nicholas repaired his vault. How the evil bastard found out about it is anyone's guess."

Harry lay back on his pillows. "So, when can I get out of here?"

"Assuming you don't use magic, we can spring you now. You still need a bit more time to recover from being drained by that spirit."

"Drained?" Harry asked, his eyes widening.

"Yeah, when Voldemort left Pettigrew, he syphoned off some of your magic. Don't worry, you've already regained most of what he took. You'll be right as rain tomorrow morning."

Harry glanced at Argante.

"He's right. You could probably go to classes today, but I'd rather play it safe."

"Deal," Harry said with a yawn. He slowly climbed out of bed and reached for the clothes on the chair beside the bed. Once he was dressed, he looked at his mother.

"Where are we going?"

"Dumbledore wants to see you in his office. You feel up to it?"

"Fine with me," Harry said with a slight grin.

"That makes one of us," Argante muttered.

**ACC**

"Harry," Dumbledore said as Harry walked into the office with his parents. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit tired and hungry, but otherwise fine. Mum said you wanted to see me?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "I thought you'd want to be here for this."

"For what?"

Before Dumbledore could answer, the door to the office opened. A man and woman stood in the doorway. As Harry looked at them, his eyes widened.

At first glance, the man and woman appeared to be a normal couple in their seventies, but their eyes told a different story. Their eyes revealed a depth of age and experience Harry had only seen in his parents.

"Nicholas, Perenelle," Dumbledore said.

"Albus," the woman said sounding like a normal old woman. "We heard you had some trouble."

"Yes," Dumbledore said gravely. "Had I known Voldemort was in the country, I would've moved more quickly to hide your stone. Is the vault ready?"

"I'm afraid not," Nicholas said; "however, we have been talking. We've had a long life, far longer than most men and women. We think it's time for us to give up the stone."

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "But that means you will die."

"Not right away," Perenelle said gently. "We still have a few decades left, but once that time runs out, we will die. Don't grieve for us young Albus, we've had a good life and seen more of the world than most people can dream of."

"I don't suppose I could talk you into one more regeneration? There is still so much you haven't experienced."

Nicholas glanced at his wife. "I fear that one more regeneration would merely make our decision harder. No one is really ready to die, no matter how long they live."

Perenelle nodded in agreement. "If we're going to do this, best to do it now."

Dumbledore drew the blood red stone from the pocket of his robes and set it on the table in front of him. As he drew his wand, there was a soft knock on the door.

"Enter," Dumbledore said his voice shaking slightly.

The professors filed into the office one after another. Harry and Argante stepped further into the office as more and more people entered.

Professor McGonagall moved to the head of the group of staff. "You called Albus?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "As I suspected, Nicholas and Perenelle here have chosen to destroy the stone. I thought it best for everyone who'd protected the stone to be here to witness it's destruction."

Snape sneered. "How generous of you headmaster."

Dumbledore ignored the look on Snape's face and raised his wand. His hand visibly trembled as he pointed the wand at the stone.

"I don't know if I can do this," he whispered lowering his wand. He turned to Nicholas. "You were my friend and mentor. Destroying your stone feels like I'm murdering you."

There was a deafening crack, and everyone turned back to the desk. Lugh drew his spear out of Dumbledore's desk and tucked it away. "I'll get the desk fixed."

Everyone stared down at the Philosopher's stone. The red rock had been neatly cut in two. A small stream of golden liquid dripped onto the desk. Dumbledore gaped at Lugh.

"You… you…" he stammered.

"I destroyed the stone," Lugh said. "Your welcome."

Nicholas turned to stare at Lugh. "Fae," he said suddenly. "You are angry with us."

"I'm more than my race," Lugh said stiffly. "I'd appreciate it if you remembered that, but yes, I am angry with you. Putting your stone in this school endangered every child in the castle including mine."

"We never meant any harm," Perenelle said quietly.

"And that's supposed to make it all better," Argante said. "Let's just say Voldemort didn't come to the school. What if someone else found out about the stone and tried to steal it? A student was taken hostage and could've died."

"We just needed some time to construct a new vault to house the stone. Regardless, it won't be a problem anymore. Professor McCian has seen to that."

"And that's supposed to make everything alright," a new voice said as a man entered the office. "You never did understand people, Nicholas. You and your wife have always been so focused on your experiments you ignore everything else."

Nicholas's eyes narrowed as he stared at the short stocky redhead. "Philip," he muttered.

Philip nodded to him, a grim smile on his face. "You act so magnanimous about the destruction of that stone, but I'd bet my left eye that you have a spare one back in that palace you live in."

Nicholas's eyes twitched very slightly, but he said nothing.

A slender woman brushed passed them and picked up the pieces of the stone. Conjuring a rag, she wiped the golden liquid off the desk before carrying the pieces of the stone back to Philip.

"Thank you Siofra," Philip said taking the cloth and stone from her. He turned back to Nicholas and Perenelle. "I don't care if you have a stone or not, but if you two ever endanger children again to save your own lives, I'll make sure that your so-called immortality becomes a living hell, got it?"

Nicholas nodded stiffly. He turned to Dumbledore. "We'll be in touch old friend." He and Perenelle left the office without another word.

Dumbledore turned to Philip. "Was it really necessary to threaten them? They are good people, and I chose where to hide the stone. I did my best to keep the students safe. I never told anyone except the staff about the stone and never even implied anything was different this school year."

"It was their stone," Lugh said. "It was their responsibility to keep it safe."

Philip turned to him. "Lord Lugh," he said inclining his head. "A pleasure as always." Turning to Argante, he smiled.

"Fair Lady," he said bowing.

"Still seven hundred years older than you," Argante said smiling slightly. "Besides, you were my uncle and we're not Olympians."

"Can't blame a guy for trying," Philip said. "I was divorced from Autumn by the time I met you."

"I'd like to introduce Siofra and Philip Stevenson," Dumbledore said. "The professors of history of magic and defense against the dark arts respectively."

"You agreed?" Lugh asked grinning at Philip.

"I did. I needed something to do and teaching a bunch of snot nosed brats sounded fun." He glanced at Dumbledore. "I meant that in the most affectionate way possible."

"I'm sure," Dumbledore said his eyes twinkling slightly.

Harry turned to his mother. "If we're done here, I think I'm gonna go talk to Lily and Luna."

"I'll come with you," Argante said. "I don't work here, so there's no need for me to stick around and get flirted with by my creepy ex-uncle."

"I heard that," Philip said walking over holding out his hand. "So, your Harry."

"Yeah," Harry said as Siofra joined them.

"It's nice to meet you," Siofra said. "I'm looking forward to teaching you." She giggled. "I just hope you don't find me too boring."

"Well, our last history professor was a ghost, and everyone fell asleep in his class, so you can't be worse than him."

Siofra grinned. "We can only go up from here then."

"We won't keep you," Philip said warmly. "All jokes aside, we just wanted to meet our family. Go on, go find your friends. We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other next year."

**ACC**

"Harry," Luna said nearly tackling him as he entered the common room. "How are you? Argante said you were unconscious until today."

"I'm fine," Harry said hugging Luna and then Lily. "Do I have a lot to tell you." He looked around the common room. "Maybe we should go somewhere else."

As they exited the common room, Harry spotted the grey lady lurking near the entrance.

"Thank you," he said softly. "You protected the students. The founders would be proud."

The Grey lady nodded and smiled before drifting away down the corridor.

"So, the rumors are true?" Lily asked. "She led you to the stone?"

Harry nodded. "If she hadn't, Hermione may be dead by now. How is she anyway?"

"She's a bit shook up, but Neville says she's doing fine."

"Good," Harry said stopping in front of an abandoned classroom. "This will do."

Once they entered and sat down, Harry told the whole story from start to finish. Once he was done, Luna shook her head.

"The question is did Dumbledore deliberately endanger everyone by hiding the stone here?"

"Better question," Lily said. "How did Voldemort find out about the stone. Did someone in the castle tell him."

"That would mean we're gonna have to watch our backs. He's gonna come back and we need to be ready."

"Your Mother and I will be taking over your training," Thanatos said appearing in a swirl of shadow. "You need far more advanced magical training than you've gotten so far." He looked at Lily and Luna. "You two are his friends. You'll need training to."

"What about Dad?" Harry asked. "Why won't he be training us."

"Your Dad has to go back to Elfame. Now that he knows where you are, he has other responsibilities."

Harry nodded, feeling hurt for some reason. He knew Lugh had other duties, but it wasn't something he'd really thought about.

"Cheer up," Thanatos said. "He'll still come to visit; You just won't see him every day."

"Yeah," Harry said quietly. "Yeah, you're right. Anyway, when will we start training."

**ACC**

The rest of the school year passed with out incident. Harry, Lily, and Luna passed their exams with flying colors. Hermione recovered from Pettigrew's kidnapping and began hanging out with the other Gryffindors.

Snape continued to mistreat the students and Harry never figured out why he hated him this time around. On the last day of term, Harry met Lugh in his office.

"So, you're leaving?"

Lugh nodded. "Yeah, I've been away from my wives and younger kids for ten years. It probably hasn't seemed that long to them, but I need to get back."

"Can't you just bring them here? I'm gonna miss you."

Lugh stood and came around his desk. Wrapping his arms around Harry, he hugged him tight. "I'll always be here for you," he whispered. "I'll always have time for you, but I have other wives to think about. I can't uproot their lives for you and your mother. Do you understand?"

Harry did. He didn't like it, but he understood. He couldn't be selfish and demand all of Lugh's time and affection when he had other responsibilities. He understood something else as well. This was why his mother had left. She didn't like sharing her husband with someone else. Harry thought that it would take a unique person to be in a relationship with multiple people and he wasn't sure he could do it.

"I'll see you around?" he asked Lugh.

Lugh grinned. "Count on it."

Harry left the office, wondering how much he would see his dad in the future.

**ACC**

The woman stared at the portrait. As the year progressed the rot had spread. Great chunks of liquifying flesh had fallen away, revealing the bone underneath.

As the portrait rotted, Voldemort began moving less and less. His image had begun to grow fainter. All his mother could do was watch him deteriorate.

The door behind the woman swung open. A figure stepped inside carrying a tiny fragment of red rock.

"You are lucky he didn't vanish this," Severus Snape said as he closed the door behind him. "I told him that I wanted it for potions ingredients."

The woman nodded to him. "Thank you, Severus, you have done well." She took the piece of rock and conjured a glass of water. Moving swiftly, she set the water to boil and dropped the stone into the glass.

As they watched, the stone dissolved and the water turned the color of pure gold.

"There wasn't much magic left," the woman said carrying the still steaming glass over to the portrait. "I hope this is enough."

Tipping the glass, she poured the golden water onto the portrait. For a moment, nothing happened. Slowly, the flesh began to nit back together. Voldemort's image grew clearer and more distinct. The patches of rot that covered the portrait faded and Voldemort opened his eyes.

"Mother," he croaked. "What's going on."

The woman wiped a tear away from her face. "You're going to be alright son," she said sniffling.

Severus watched the reunion quietly. Now that the damage to that abominable portrait had been repaired, it was only a matter of time before Voldemort returned.

Nodding to the woman, Severus turned and left the room. He had much to think about. Fortunately, he did not need to decide right now. There was still time for him to decide where his loyalties lay.

Exiting the hotel, Severus vanished into the night.