Chapter One — The Whisper of New Mornings

~ My earliest memory was of grass. An endless field of it stretching into the horizon in every direction, with the sun washing over me out of a cloudless sky. I just stood there, a child of four in clothes too big and glasses out of prescription, unsure of what had happened. ~

The train whistle cut through the murmur of the crowd on the platform like a dagger through paper, and wisps of smoke spiraled from the engine. Students poured into the cars, floating or dragging their luggage in a convoy of suitcases and chests. Families milled about, chattering like a flock of birds singing their morning prayers. The scents of a thousand perfumes drifted in the air, clashing with each other and mixing into one chaotic blur.

Harry turned back to Mom and hugged her.

"Goodbye." He sniffled and buried his face into her embrace. "I'll miss you."

"Hush, my sweetling." She pulled back and smiled at him. "We shall see each other on the holidays. Now is not the time for tears."

"It..." He wiped his eyes. "It is."

"Oh, my sweetling…" She hugged him tightly and ruffled his hair. "How fast you have grown..."

He nuzzled into her stomach, and her silk dress caressed his cheek and forehead. She radiated heat, enveloping him in a cocoon of warmth and the scents of grass and saltwater. She rocked him back and forth and hummed a lullaby as she stroked his hair.

"All Aeaea holds its breath, waiting to see your days in Hogwarts." She squeezed him and kissed his forehead. "Now is not the time for sadness. Go."

"I..." He stepped back. "I love you."

"And I you." She grinned and pinched his cheek. "Now, off with you."

He trudged his way to the train through the surrounding cacophony. Eyes burned into him, and whispers thrummed in his ears, a chorus of sounds scrambled together into static. Each step he took scraped his boots on the platform's brick floor, and the heavy fabric of his cloak dragged behind him as if it was trying to root him in place. The stench of metal smashed into him as he entered the train, and pressure pushed on his shoulders.

He found an empty compartment.

The train whistled and churned.

The wheels started turning.

Harry went to the window and waved at Mom.

*Bye, Mom...*

~ Swish ~

The train started moving.

*I'll miss you...*

The platform shrunk as they raced down the track. Mom grew smaller and smaller, and the people behind her blurred into a haze of shapes and colors. Wind blew in through the open window, brushing through his hair as if combing through a field of grass and caressing his face as if she was tucking him into bed at night.

*Don't worry, my sweetling.* Her thoughts echoed through his mind. *I will always be with you.*

He smiled. *Thanks.*

~ Swish ~

She faded out of view.

The scenery rushed past as if water was pouring by him, and trees and hills swayed outside in a wave of greens and browns. A flock of birds flew overhead in a stream of cawing and flapping. As the train rushed over bridges, streams and rivers twinkled under him. The tracks shuddered beneath the wheels with each passing second, their rumbling running through the floors and seats and vibrating in his bones.

Harry sat down and drew his wand.

He traced his fingertips over the engravings on the wood and the vine running around it. Threads of magic sparked as he skimmed over each symbol, whispering to him of winds sweeping across Aeaea, dancing and jumping with deer through forests, swimming in rivers, and standing before the massive columns of the Palace. Voices filled his mind with memories of cooking with Mom by the fire, sewing clothes, playing with Pegasus, and training with the wand and the sword.

"Are you going to do magic?" A girl's voice came from the compartment door. "Let's see it then."

Harry glanced up at her and put his wand away. "Can I help you?"

"Well... Um..." She blushed and came in to sit down across from him. "You were waving your wand about, and there was this light, and I... I just thought..."

"Sorry to disappoint you." He chuckled. "But I would happily see whatever magic you want to show me."

"Will you really?" She bounced on her seat. "I've only been able to practice on the train, you know, with the restrictions on magic in muggle neighborhoods, and I've only done simple charms, but I did read all our textbooks cover to cover. Twice. Did you read them cover to cover? Because you should, you know. It'd help prepare for our first year. Where did you get your wand by the way? I didn't see anything like it at Mr. Ollivander's."

"Easy there..." He shook his head. "Don't lose your breath."

"I'm sorry... I... I get carried away sometimes..."

"Don't worry about it." He winked at her. "Besides, weren't you going to show me some magic?"

"Yes!" She jumped up and pulled out her wand. "Alright, this is the first spell in the book. Lumos."

A ball of light appeared at the tip of her wand and floated in front of her. It glistened like a star with edges blurring into wisps of silk and a center as bright as the sun peeking through the horizon at dawn. It spread a faint glow around her, and the compartment's walls glinted. The hues shifted as she moved the wand, pulsing like a living creature bathing in the ocean of magic it was born in.

"Perfectly done." He smiled. "Helios himself would be proud."

"Thank you..." She blushed and sat back down. "I'm Hermione, by the way. Hermione Granger."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Harry."

"Just Harry?"

"We don't really use last names where I'm from." He shrugged. "Harry of Aeaea would be the most appropriate, I guess."

"Aeaea…? As in... Greek mythology Aeaea?"

"Yeah."

"Wait, if you're from Aeaea, does that mean you're a demigod?" Her eyes widened. "You are, aren't you! You're a real demigod! How come we haven't heard anything about you? Oh my goodness! Is Circe your mom? She is, isn't she? That's amazing! What does it feel like having a goddess for a mom? What is it like on Aeaea? Did you learn magic before Hogwarts? Are you really eleven? Can I see your wand again?"

He laughed. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm no demigod. My mom adopted me when I was four. I'm just as human as you."

"Your mom being... Circe?"

"The one and only."

"Oh... I'm sorry. I mean, I'm not sorry that she's your mom, I'm just sorry that you lost your birth parents..." She covered her face with her hands. "Oh my goodness, I'm saying all the wrong things today..."

"It's alright..." He smiled and nudged her hands away. "You're nervous. I understand."

"Thanks…"

As her hair shifted, auburn curls tumbled down her shoulders and back, framing her face like threads of burnished bronze in a stream of sunlight. Her eyes glistened with a deep brown, each shade of chocolate melting into honey and cinnamon. Her skin shone as if each pore was a pearl and each freckle a speck of gold on a canvas of porcelain. She fidgeted with the hem of her robes as she looked around, and her hands trembled.

Harry leaned back. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine..." She exhaled. "I just... I was so worried that no one would want to talk to me at Hogwarts, and I was afraid I'd spend all seven years alone..."

"Why wouldn't anyone want to talk to you? You're lovely."

"I... I don't really have any friends back home." She looked down at her robes. "Everyone called me a know-it-all and a teacher's pet... and... and made fun of my teeth and hair..."

"Hey..." He tilted her head up. "They're all idiots. You should never listen to what idiots say."

She blushed. "R-really?"

"Absolute idiots. Trust me. If they don't like you for being smart or because of your hair and teeth, they don't deserve your time." He clasped her shoulder. "And, for the record, I think both are lovely."

She blushed and twirled a strand of her hair. "Th-thanks."

Harry moved back and pulled out his wand.

She looked up. "What are you doing?"

"Hush..." He waved his wand through the air, and mist of silver and gold curled in front of them.

~ Whoosh ~

Ripples of white and green, orange and yellow rushed around them in a symphony of colors and scents. Wind rustled through their hair, and a scent of salt and spring flowers filled the compartment. As sunlight poured through the windows, each beam of light turned the compartment into a canvas of gold and silver, and the mist glistened like threads of liquid metal. The floor turned into grass, and the walls into towering trees with leaves floating in the wind. Their seats became rocks. Flowers danced along the forest, their petals curling and unfurling as if dancing in a spring breeze.

Hermione gasped. "What...?"

"You asked what Aeaea is like." He lowered his wand. "This is it."

"This..." She ran her fingers through the grass and peered at the flowers, kneeling next to them to examine each petal. "This is Aeaea?"

"This clearing is one of my favorite places." He raised his hand for a bird to land on it. "Mom and I would sit on these very rocks, and she'd teach me about herbs and potions."

"It's amazing..." Hermione reached out to touch the trees and slipped her shoes off to sink her feet into the grass. "It feels so real..."

He chuckled.

She clapped her hands when a squirrel jumped from a branch into a bush, and she spun around, giggling with each twirl. Her hair fluttered around her face, and the light gleamed in her eyes like a child looking at the stars for the first time.

Harry smiled.

The mist drifted away, and the compartment faded back to normal.

"You wanted to see some magic." He put his wand back in its holster. "There it was."

"That was beautiful..." She stared at him with wide eyes. "How did you do it? It couldn't have been an illusion?"

"The best illusions trick all five senses." He winked at her. "Magic can do a lot more than charms and transfigurations, if you know how to use it right."

"You didn't use an incantation..." Her jaw dropped. "You are brilliant! Really, you are! Our textbooks don't even mention nonverbal spells!"

"Nah, it's just a lot of practice. Any decent spell-caster can do it."

She snorted. "Says someone who learned magic from Circe."

"Fair point." He laughed. "But hey, I'm sure your parents helped you with something."

"Oh, my parents aren't magical." She fidgeted with the hem of her robe. "They're dentists. No one in my family is magical at all, so I was quite surprised to get my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course. I mean, it's the best school of witchcraft there is, or so I've heard."

"And I'm sure you'll do great." He squeezed her shoulder. "You're already really good at magic."

"Thanks..." She smiled. "What house do you think you'll be sorted into? I asked around, and I'm hoping for Gryffindor, it sounds the best by far. I heard Dumbledore himself was in it. Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad either, I suppose, but I don't think Hufflepuff or Slytherin are for me..."

"I'm not sure..." He chuckled. "I only learned about Hogwarts a few weeks ago."

"What do you mean?" She blinked at him. "Hogwarts is one of the most famous magical institutions in the world..."

"Well... Aeaea isn't really connected to the outside world."

"Right..." She frowned. "Wait, if you didn't grow up in Britain, how is your accent so good?"

He chuckled. "My mom is really devoted when she learns languages. For her, you cannot speak until you speak as the natives do."

"Wow... She must be amazing."

"She is."

"What—"

~ Knock ~ ~ Knock ~

"Come in." Harry leaned back.

The door slid open, and a boy leaned in. His blonde hair flowed around his head in an unruly mess of strands, and his shoulders shook with each breath he took. He panted as if he had sprinted through the train, and sweat glistened on his brow and forehead.

"H-have..." He cleared his throat. "H-have either of you seen a toad?"

"No." Harry shook his head.

The boy looked at Hermione, and she shook her head.

"Oh... Well..." The boy sighed. "S-sorry for bothering you."

"Nonsense." Hermione jumped up. "We'll help you look!"

"R-really?"

"Yeah!." She turned to Harry. "Come on, we're looking for a toad."

"Actually, I'm going to sit this one out." Harry waved at them. "You two go have fun."

Hermione frowned. "Are you sure?"

"I'll be fine." He winked at her. "Go make some new friends. I'll still be here when you come back."

"Alright... If you say so..." She dragged the boy out.

Harry closed the door and sat next to the window.

The train rattled on, racing across tracks towards the horizon like a comet weaving through the cosmos. Trees, hills, and rivers zoomed past him in a blur of greens and browns. The wheels churned down below, a constant rumble running through the floor as if it was a boat sailing across a stormy sea. Each beat of his heart drummed in his chest, and blood rushed through his ears, a pulsing melody of drums drowning out the whispers from outside.

He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" A massive man barely peeking out of his fur coat stared at the group of students, scanning over the crowd as if he were looking for someone. "All firs' years follow me."

Harry followed the group as they boarded a row of boats sitting on the bank of a massive lake. Their hulls rocked with each step, and water splashed on the bank. Moonlight glistened on the waves as they parted in front of each boat, and ripples spread like a newborn's first breath. Each splash sent shivers across the lake, a myriad of whispers on the wind like a legion of children whispering amongst themselves. The stars twinkled above him in a field of diamonds on a sea of black velvet, while a chill breeze blew through them like fingers dancing through sand.

The boats pushed forward, gliding across the lake as if they were light as feathers.

The man kept turning his head around and looking over the crows. "Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec."

"What's going on?" A boy next to Harry frowned. "Why is he looking at us like that?"

"Beats me." Harry shrugged. "Maybe he's just checking to see if everyone made it in?"

"Hmm..."

A castle loomed ahead.

Its towering walls glistened in the moonlight as if each brick was made of silver and its roof made of gold. Torches blazed on every window and in every nook and cranny, illuminating the landscape in a halo of fire as if Helios himself was cradling his castle in his arms. Spires and arches climbed across the towers and bridges, each one an impossible feat of architecture that shouldn't have been able to stand and yet somehow did.

The boats halted at a massive stone pillar.

Students poured out and piled onto the stone platform. The man ushered them in through a low archway that led into an empty hallway. Each footstep echoed in the silence, and chandeliers fluttered under the breaths of the crowd. The walls glittered with moisture, and cold stone glistened in the candlelight like threads of melted gold on the walls and ceiling.

Harry stood next to Hermione, who clung to his cloak and kept peering around as if searching for him.

"Hey, how did your search go?" He whispered to her.

"Oh!" She smiled. "We found him! He was on the train, hiding in a luggage cart! Oh, by the way, this is Neville!"

The blonde boy from earlier smiled and waved. "Hi!"

"Hello." Harry grinned at him. "Did you two have fun?"

"Yeah, but..." Hermione frowned. "Why didn't you come? It would've been more fun with you..."

"I'm sure it would have." He chuckled. "I just wanted to relax a bit and had a nap."

"That's nice..." She yawned. "I could use one... Would've had one on the train if we hadn't gone searching for Neville's toad..."

"S-sorry about that..." Neville blushed.

"No worries." She squeezed his shoulder. "Being drowsy is worth meeting you."

He blushed even more.

"Besides..." She smiled. "It was pretty fun running around the train... I can't wait for Hogwarts..."

The man led them into an empty chamber and raised his hand for silence. "Welcome t' Hogwarts, everyone. I'm Hagrid, the keeper o' keys an' grounds here. Any questions before I call Professor McGonagall to take o'er?"

Harry raised his hand. "How come you keep looking at us like you're looking for someone?"

"I'm..." He looked around the crowd again, squinting at each face as if scanning it for imperfections. "I'm not lookin' fer anyone."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Ye' I'm sure." He gulped and glanced around again before snapping back to attention. "All righ', quiet down now. Professor McGonagall will be 'ere in a sec'."

He scurried out of the room and shut the door behind him.

~ Thump ~

The air stilled around them, and chatter faded into whispers and murmurs. Everyone spoke over each other in a cacophony of voices as they pondered their situation and speculated what would happen next. Their eyes darted around the chamber, tracing each wall and nook like a dog digging for its prey. Some cast nervous glances at the door while others stared around the corridor, as if its cold stone was whispering stories untold. Several ghosts showed up, and many of the other first years screamed, but the introductions remained unhampered.

'The Bloody Baron looks like someone Lord Ares would approve of.'

The door swung open, and the ghosts scattered.

An old woman walked in.

She smiled at the students, and her eyes shone as if sapphires were embedded in her face as she looked over them. Her brown hair billowed around her like a raging sea, framing her features and echoing her delicate stance. She twirled her emerald cloak around her in a swish of silk on silk, and its golden patterns glittered in the torchlight.

She clasped her hands behind her back. "Good evening, everyone. My name is Minerva McGonagall. I am the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts and Transfiguration Professor. In a few minutes, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates in the Great Hall, where you will be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin."

'She's looking for someone too...'

He frowned.

'Why?'

"While you are at Hogwarts, your houses will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room. Diligent work will earn you house points, and rule breaking will lose them. At the end of the year, we will award the House Cup, a great honor, to the house with the most points. I hope you will all prove yourselves worthy of your house and of Hogwarts."

'Maybe that's why Lord Apollo insisted I come here?' He crossed his arms. 'Maybe I'm supposed to find whoever's missing?'

She stepped to the side. "The Sorting Ceremony will begin shortly. Please form a line."

They formed a queue, and she ushered them into another corridor.

Each step echoed like the beating of a thousand drums in their ears as they trudged behind her. Their shadows flickered on the walls and ceiling, each one dancing among the flames as if they were a part of them. Dust floated through the air as if particles of ash drifting off the sun's surface. Whispers traveled down from above as if spirits were lurking in the darkness above the torches.

They stopped before a set of massive double doors, each one taller than a giant.

She turned to look at him again, frowned, and opened the door.

'Weird...'

She led them inside.

Candles floated in the air in glowing orbs of light, hovering and moving with each breath of the crowd below them. Golden plates, cups, and cutlery lined the four massive tables in an endless trail of silver and bronze, shimmering in the candlelight like stars in a sky of fire. The ceiling blazed with an enchanted sky, casting an array of twinkling lights that swayed and danced on the walls and floors like a breeze on a grass field. As they made their way through the hall, whispers and chatter broke out from the students on the tables. Everyone turned to stare at them, hundreds of eyes peering from every table as they marched into the open space in the front of the teachers' table.

"It's enchanted to look like the sky outside!" Hermione pulled his sleeve and pointed at the ceiling. "I read about it in Hogwarts a History!"

He smiled at her.

Professor McGonagall stopped them in front of a stool with a hat on it.

'A hat?' Harry raised an eyebrow. 'A hat sorts us?'

~ Schwick ~

A tear opened on the hat's brim.

Its edges curled up, and its top flopped down as if the hat itself was eyeing them. It slanted forward as if leering at them, and its threaded stitches parted into a jagged smile. A patchwork of fabric shifted on the seat, rippling with each flap of the hat's brim, and its stitching shone in the candlelight like tiny gems woven into cloth.

The Hat started singing.

Harry looked at the man sitting in the center of the teacher's table.

His silver hair and beard shone like spun silk in the candlelight, while his robes glowed in the enchanted sky's reflections as if threads of molten gold were woven into them. His eyes glistened with a blue only matched by Helios himself, each orb peering out from behind his glasses like sapphire spheres glistening in the candlelight. The shadows clung to him as if smoke weaving through his body, clinging to him like his own shadow.

The man stared at him, and a probe attacked his mental shields.

He frowned and repelled it. *Can I help you?*

The man's eyes widened, and he leaned back into his chair.

*Well?*

The man shook his head.

*Can you not answer me?*

The man shook his head.

He frowned and looked away.

'What is wrong with this school?'

The hat finished its song and fell silent. Everyone clapped.

Professor McGonagall stepped next to it and opened a sheet of parchment. "When I call your name, you will sit on the stool and put on the Sorting Hat. It will sort you into your house."

She cleared her throat and scanned the first year's crowd before looking down at her list. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A girl with long blonde hair walked up to the stool and sat down.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Cheers erupted from the yellow-robed students, and she rushed to sat down with them.

Professor McGonagall kept going down the list.

Hermione leaned in to whisper to him. "The Sorting Hat never gets it wrong, or so I've read in Hogwarts a History.

"That's cool." He nodded. "Do you know who the man in center of the teacher's table is?"

"That's the headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. I read about him in the Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century. He's really famous! He defeated Gellert Grindelwald in 1945, discovered the twelve uses of dragon blood, and fought against Dark Lord Voldemort until Harry Potter defeated him in 1981."

'Harry Potter? Could that be the missing person?'

"Tell me more about Harry—"

"Granger, Hermione."

Hermione squeaked. "See you later!"

She rushed up to the stool and sat down, fingers drumming on her robes as if she was imagining the music playing in her head. Her eyes scanned over the tables, each movement of her gaze sending her hair bouncing around her face and shoulders. The hat sat on her head, and she rocked back and forth. Her mouth opened and closed as if she was biting back a laugh. The hat dropped on the floor next to her foot and roared.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

She squealed and ran to sit with the red-robed students, grinning when she heard their cheers.

Harry blinked. 'I... completely missed the meaning of each house.'

"Longbottom, Neville!"

'Lady Athena would be so disappointed'

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The names flowed by as student after student ran up to sit on the stool and hear the Hat's decision. The four tables started filling up with each new sorting, and soon each color was overflowing with students. Each time the Hat shouted a house's name, cheers erupted from that table as if their voices were a symphony celebrating their victory. The chatter filled the hall like a thunderstorm drowning out all other sounds.

"Potter, Harry!"

The hall fell silent.

No one stepped forward.

"Potter, Harry?" Professor McGonagall glanced around the crowd. "Come on."

No one stepped forward.

She looked at the Headmaster, who shook his head. She moved on with the list.

'He is the one miss—"

A mental sword jabbed into his shields. Sharper than the Headmaster's. Angrier. Less careful. The blade shoved against his barriers like a battering ram slamming against a door. Spikes and fragments scraped along its edges like chainsaws hacking away at his barriers, and a chilling aura radiated from the probe like a mist of bloodlust seeping from a decaying corpse.

He turned to the man sending it.

His eyes bore into Harry, and his sallow skin draped over his face like an unused canvas ready for paint. Greasy, black hair framed his face in oily strands that gleamed in the candlelight, and his robes hung over his bony frame as if he was an overgrown bat with its wings closed.

The man struck harder.

Harry scowled and pushed back with his own mental magic.

The world froze around them, and everything faded into darkness. Shards of light cut through the shadows as if ethereal beams were piercing through a black ocean of smoke, illuminating random spots in a canvas of night. The tables, students, and candles dispersed into masses of white particles floating in the air as if dust were scattering on the wind.

The ground turned into grass, while towering trees covered in moss rose around him. Their branches spiraled above him, forming a canopy that shielded him from the stars above and created a sea of shadows in his mindscape. Shadows crept along the bark, crawling down the trunks like streams of mist in the forest. Golden threads dangled from the branches, glowing in the darkness like sunlight leaking through clouds and glistening with specks of diamond dust.

Harry clenched his jaw. "What do you have against me? Why are you attacking my mind so ferociously?"

"What... what is this?" He took out his wand and darted his head around. "Where are we?"

"Why are you probing me?"

"What is this magic?" The man pointed his wand at Harry. "Tell me where we are!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He smirked. "We're still in the Great Hall."

"What?"

"Yes, our bodies are still sitting in the Great Hall." He flicked his wrist and sent out a bolt of lightning that charred the man's hand and wand, leaving only a pile of ashes and bone fragments in its wake. "You should watch your temper."

The man fell to his knees and clutched his burnt hand to his chest.

Harry walked up to him and loomed over him. "Now then, let's start over. Why are you probing me so aggressively?"

"How are you doing this?"

"Magic." He winked. "Why are you attacking me?"

"Because you are the same insolent, spoiled brat your father was." The man glared at him. "Strutting around here like you own the place. Refusing to be sorted!"

"Professor McGonagall hasn't called my name yet."

"Yes she has. Potter."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not a Potter. I'm not even British."

"Say what you want. I know how the penchant for petty pranks runs in your family." The man snorted. "The others may doubt it because you no longer have your scar, but I know. I know James Potter's face. Your face."

"What face I bear doesn't matter. Even if I am a Potter, as you say, my birth parents don't matter. I am Harry, the son of Circe."

"You reject Lilly?!" The man turned red. "You insolent, ungrateful—"

"You misunderstand." He chuckled. "I cannot reject someone I don't know. I have never met... Lilly. I have never met James. My mom is my family."

"She gave her life for you! She died protecting you!"

"If that's true, she has my deepest gratitude. If there was anything I could do to repay her, I would." He smiled. "But I don't know her. I cannot bear a name and an identity that are not mine to pay back a debt I don't even remember incurring."

The man glared at him and clenched his remaining fist. "You... You..."

"However..." He reached out to stroke the man's cheek, and his palm hovered by his skin, threads of light trailing from his fingertips to his face. "I do want to say 'thank you'. I didn't know my birth parents' names. I didn't know my former family name. Thank you for telling me who they were."

"I will—"

"Sorry, but..." Harry chuckled and stepped back. "Seems we're out of time."

~ Swish ~

Light cut through the darkness, and reality rushed back to him. Sounds flooded into his ears. Students chattering. Ghosts whizzing around the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall's heels clicked on the stone floor as she walked towards him. He blinked as each figure came into focus, and his eyes adjusted to the torchlight and chandelier's reflections on the tableware.

Professor McGonagall stopped in front of him. "You're the last one left, and there are no more names on my list. Who are you?"

"I must apologize to you, professor." He smiled. "I thought I was just Harry, but I just found out from your helpful colleague over there that my parents were Potters. I would've stepped forward had I known."

Her eyes widened. "You... You're Harry Potter?"

'Looks like I was the missing person all along...'

"Seems so." He chuckled. "Again, my apologies for delaying you."

"How..." She shook her head. "What do you mean you found out from my colleague?"

He pointed at the greasy man. "Your colleague over there tried to read my mind, so we had a rather nice conversation while the sorting was taking place."

"Read your mind?" She frowned and turned to the man as gasps exploded through the hall. "Severus, is this true?"

"Of course not. I would never dare." The man sneered at Harry. "The boy is simply as much of a menace as his father."

Harry shrugged. "Whatever."

Professor McGonagall turned to him. "Mr. Potter, you can't accuse a member of staff of something so serious and then immediately let the matter rest."

"Well, what am I supposed to do? He says I'm lying, I say he's lying, and neither of us has any proof."

The Headmaster smiled and stood up. "Perhaps now is not the time to sift the liars from the honest. We should sort Mr. Potter first."

"As you say, Headmaster." Professor McGonagall pointed at the stool. "Mr. Potter, if you will please come and sit."

Harry smiled at her and headed towards the stool, feeling all eyes in the hall burn into him with every step he took. Whispers broke out from the students, traveling across the hall like a wave of sound pulsing through a crowd at a concert. Candles flickered above him as if bows were grazing over strings to send waves of melody into the air, while flames on the torches blazed like embers fluttering in a sea of ash.

He sat down and looked at Professor McGonagall. "Ready when you are."

She placed the Hat on his head.

*Interesting...* A rough voice echoed in his mind. *Very interesting indeed.*

*Hey there.*

*You have a powerful mind for someone so young, especially for magic so alien to our kind. Even now, I struggle to comprehend.*

*I had a good teacher.*

*More than one, it seems, but we're not here for your divine teachers. What do I do with you? Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either, and a willingness to work hard. Loyalty to friends and cunning to enemies, and... Oh my...* The Hat chuckled. *Ruthlessness is mercy, is it?*

Harry chuckled. *It has proven so time and time again.*

*Slytherin and Gryffindor would serve you well, Ravenclaw would nurture your love of learning, and Hufflepuff would help curb your more destructive tendencies. A conundrum indeed...*

Harry shrugged.

*Do you have a preference? I do take those into account*

*It's as you said, Hat.* Harry smiled. *They all have their uses. I don't mind which one I go into.*

*Oh ho! Then we have a problem. I cannot sort you. You will not choose. How do we—*

"We shall settle this conundrum for you." A voice boomed through the Great Hall like lightning exploding through the heavens. "This is our mortal you are sorting."

Harry moved the brim of the Hat up.

Winds howled through the Great Hall, and lightning cut through the enchanted sky like shards of light piercing a blanket of shadows. The ground rumbled as if the castle itself was about to break and fall into Tartarus. The stars above blurred into streaks of light rushing across the sky, and the enchanted sky shifted into a palette of angry clouds and broiling storms. Thunder crashed through the hall, the windows cracked, and the students shrieked as they scampered under the tables.

The professors jumped up and started casting spell after spell.

Mist exploded from the middle of the room and rushed outward like water bursting from a dam and flooding the village below. The tempest shifted with each movement of the vapors, swirled in the air like a hurricane, and frothed like a typhoon ready to collapse upon them all. The winds churned on the mist like a thousand swords shredding through flesh, and the sound echoed through the hall as if the dead were moaning and screaming at them all.

Harry stood from the stool and knelt.

The mist vanished.

White marble replaced stone. Fountains and statues dressed in vines and flowers stood among columns rising into the stars. Golden light bathed the chamber as if Helios himself was holding it in his embrace, and ethereal figures danced in the air, their forms shifting like smoke. A chorus of harmonies echoed around him, a blend of lyre strings, whispered singing, distant thunder, roaring waves, and the wail of the dead. Fragrances of ambrosia and nectar wafted through the air, mingling with the earthy scent of rain-soaked laurel leaves. Incense burned in braziers, sending up plumes of aromatic smoke that carried hints of cedar and cinnamon.

In front of Harry, the teachers, and the crowd of stunned students, stood a semicircle of twelve golden thrones.

They shone in the light like the sun reflecting against the ocean, and each throne bore a god upon it. The gods wore robes of ethereal silk and radiated a glow of the Sun, the Moon, and the color spectrum. Their auras burned like fire in the night, and oppressive power radiated from them. Each figure differed from the others, yet remained just as alien, as if each god embodied an aspect of humanity as a whole.

"Rise, Harry." The same voice from earlier boomed again. "We shall sort you."

Harry rose and bowed his head. "As you command, Lord Zeus."

That's a wrap for Chapter One.

This chapter is still pretty unedited by my standards, so I hope you can forgive me if you find any mistakes. I wanted to publish this as a form of test of concept before investing further into editing and writing new material. It's a plot bunny I had while listening to Epic the Musical, so I'm hoping you all like reading it as much as I liked writing it. That being said, if the response is good, you'll probably see an update in the chapter after I edit it and the cover image after I fix it.

This is not a crossover with anything, all the mythological elements are straight out of ancient Greece and not a part of any other fandom.

As I mentioned in the story description, this will be a completely different Harry. He grew up a prince, not abused, and he's had gods for tutors. Poseidon's "Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves" stuck with him the most. He will be kind to his friends, but ruthless to enemies. You can look forward to major character deaths by Harry's hand, I think. I say I think because I haven't really outlined this yet, I'm just going with the flow at the moment.

Also, if you think Hermione is too chipper, it's because she met Harry first on the train and made a friend, which eases a lot of her fears about Hogwarts.

No appearance from Ron or Draco, I'm afraid. My reasoning is that Draco doesn't show up because Harry doesn't have his scar, so no one talked about Harry Potter being on the train, and for Ron... Well, my headcanon has always been that Ron sought Harry out on the train because Mrs. Weasleys helped a lonely boy to the platform and instructed him to. Circe brought him to the platform here, so that didn't happen.

As for how strong Harry is... well, the way I see it, he learned different magic from Circe than Hogwarts has. He's super cool with esoteric forms of magic that the goddess Circe would know, but still knows nothing about the Hogwarts curriculum or regular magic. That being said, he can beat any student, but his teachers would kick his ass. His confrontation with Snape is just clever trickery and using magic Snape has never seen before. Also, Snape's hand and wand aren't really gone, that was all an illusion.

Finally, if it's not clear, ** indicates that telepathic communication is occurring.

Let me know what you thought about it in the reviews. I look forward to every single one.

Also, check out my p. a. t. r. e. o. n. at: user?u=53437875 (just paste that after p. a. t. r. e. o. n. / (don't forget to remove the spaces)). I'll be posting some cool stuff on there, and plenty of it will be free.

See you at chapter two!

Quack Quack