Athena's Origin

Banishing the incident with the Mirror of Erised to the back of my mind, I threw myself back into my enchanting practice. I had a long way to go if I wanted to build firebolts for my friends.

I had so many ideas I wanted to explore. One of which would give me my own map of Hogwarts. Of course, I was planning to cheat to get my version. Now that I have a better understanding of charm-crafting, I am more impressed with the Marauders. James, Sirius, and Lupin, and I guess Peter went through a ton of effort in creating the map. I wonder what they would think about me piggy-backing off their hard work? Probably equal parts being annoyed that I was cheating off their work and happiness that their work would continue to bring more mischief to Hogwarts.

As the days rolled by, other matters were brought to my attention. My fledgling little company needed a name, and grandma was getting pretty insistent in her letters that I come up with one soon. My first act as CEO had been to hire her to handle all my negotiations while I was at school. Grandma was as sharp as they come, a real wolf in sheep's clothing.

She had already set a meeting with the Cleansweep and Comet Broom Companies. Always the overachiever, she had even snagged a meeting with Universal Brooms, the most prominent company across the pond in The States. All she needed now was a name.

"Mr. Fawley," a sharp voice cut in, gaining my attention.

Turning, I saw Professor Kettleburn, the professor who taught the Care of Magical Creatures waving his claw, motioning me to stay behind.

Today was a rare day in class. Most of the time, we did class outside. From what I could tell, Professor Kettleburn was a big believer in hands-on teaching. But, it was inevitable that there were days where we would be inside a class learning. Some of the creatures we learned about were either too rare or dangerous to bring into a school.

When I approached Professor Kettleburn, I couldn't help but notice that he radiated disapproval. Confused, I asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

Professor Kettleburn frowned, tightening the scar that ran from his forehead to chin. "I've been waiting months for you to come by with your Lamassu."

Before I could say anything, he went on with a disapproving frown, "I had hoped that you wanted to explore the bond that exists between the two of you. Your bond is extremely rare and precious. I hope you understand that it won't just benefit you to explore it, but your Lamassu as well."

A small pang of guilt shot through me. With everything that had been going on, I had pretty much pushed his offer to the back of my mind and forgotten about it.

Embarrassed, I replied, "I do. I've just been swamped lately."

My voice trailed off, and silence filled the room. Even I could tell my excuse fell flat. I should have made more of an effort. A wave of self-doubt welled up within me, was I taking Athena for granted? If our bond could be better understood, didn't I have the responsibility to do so?

Perhaps sensing my regret, Professor Kettleburn offered me a lifeline. "How about this Friday evening, you come by my office at 7:00 with your Lamassu."

After nodding in agreement, I soon left to catch up with my friends.

Later in my room, I found myself alone with Athena. She was lounging on my four-poster bed and looked worn out for some reason. Not for the first time, I wondered what she got up to when I wasn't around. She was definitely smart enough to get out of the tower if she wanted to.

"What do you think?" I asked. "Have I taken our bond for granted?"

Athena gave me a lazy yawn, rolled to her feet, stretching for a moment before coming over, and curled up into a ball on my lap.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight. Seeing Athena like this reminded me of when she was younger and smaller. Athena was now twice the size of an average cat. But, since Dad enchanted Athena's new collar to give her the ability to manipulate her size, she likes to shrink and curl up on my lap.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything. Not even in the Room of Requirement. It didn't help that Lamassus, like Athena weren't native to the British Isles and most Lamassu were wild and unbound.

One couldn't force a Lamassu to bond to a person. It didn't even matter if you got one when they were still in their egg. Lamassu have been known to refuse to hatch if they disapprove of whoever has their egg.

All this got me wondering why Uncle John gave me Athena's egg in the first place. I had never wondered about it before, but Looking back at the memory, he seemed confident Athena would hatch for me. I ended up sending him a letter asking why.

A few days later, I received Uncle John's reply during breakfast in the great hall. Rather than a letter, he sent a thickly padded brown envelope. Curious, I tore the top off and felt inside.

I pulled out a cool, smooth pane of glass that showed my reflection. It came with a small card that bore Uncle John's handwriting that was similar to mine. Clearly, Grandma had given him the same treatment when he was a child.

The note was fairly brief.

Alex,

This is a two-way mirror. Tonight, when the clock strikes twelve, look at the mirror.

Sincerely John Fawley

P.S.

Make sure you are alone.

I rolled my eyes at Uncle John's theatrics. Midnight. Really? This was so typical of him. Anytime he could make something more dramatic, he would do it in a heartbeat. I should have just written Dad. If it were really important, Uncle John would have told him.

But, even though it was a little annoying that I wouldn't be getting a full night's sleep, I stayed up till midnight, intent on having my curiosity sated.

As midnight approached, I let one eye on the mirror and the other on the transparent glass clock with shiny brass gears silently turning within that dad had given me.

The second the clock struck midnight, Uncle John's face appeared in the two-way mirror. I shook my head in silent despair. See what I mean, theatrics.

"Alex," Uncle John greeted with a smile. "How's school?"

Wagging his eyebrow, he added, "I hope you're putting down your books everyone once in a while and having some fun."

Ignoring his advice, I asked, "Where are you?"

Uncle John waved away my query, "Oh. Nowhere important."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously and angled the mirror, trying to get a better look. I caught a glimpse of white sand, and if I listened closely, I could also hear the sound of waves crashing against a beach. Uncle John was probably on an island of some sort. And judging from the sunlight, I could surmise that he was on the other side of the world.

Before I could question his location again, Uncle John changed the subject to what this meeting was about.

"So, you want to know about Athena's origins." He remarked.

Taking a deep breath, Uncle John dramatically. "There was a prophecy."

"Uncle John," I protested. "Be serious."

After faking a sigh, Uncle John's serious look faded away. "You're no fun." He whined.

Seeing that I wasn't in the mood, Uncle John said, "Fine. Have it your way. Years ago, I found myself deep within the Zagros Mountains exploring a lost and long forgotten magical stronghold."

"You were looking for treasure, weren't you" I accused.

Uncle John's face reddened. "No, I wasn't." He defended about as convincingly as a five-year-old who had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

Uncle John coughed and cleared his throat, trying to recover his dignity. "Anyways, As you know, many of these ancient sites are filled with curses or other ancient magics that have gone awry."

"Did you find Athena's egg within?" I questioned.

Uncle John shook his head. "No, we didn't find Athena in the stronghold. But, the event that led me to getting ahold of her egg began with our exploration."

"For safety concerns, we hired a local wizard named Karem."

"That was Aunt Nefret's idea, wasn't it," I interjected.

Uncle John shot me a reproachful look and defended, "I can be safety conscious."

Thoughts of how he let my five-year-old self get on a broom without any training surfaced within my mind.

"Sure you can," I sarcastically reassured him.

Giving me a suspicious look, Uncle John continued, "When we were exploring, we ended up unsealing an old room that contained a cursed fire that sought to destroy and consume us. It was almost sentient in the way it chased us through the ancient dwelling."

An old memory of reading one of Anton's books in the Fawley tower gave me a name.

"Fiendfyre," I whispered.

Uncle John shot me a questioning look as if he was wondering where I had learned the term. For a moment, I was sure he would ask, but he simply nodded and confirmed. "Aye. It was Fiendfyre. As the cursed fire chased us through the ancient stronghold, Karem and I got separated from the rest of our group, and we ended up being trapped within the stronghold deep underground."

The words, "How did you escape?" Left my mouth before I could stop them.

Uncle John preened for a moment shifting his pirate hat and smugly explained, "As destructive as Fiendfyre is, there is a counterspell that can dispel it if one is skilled enough."

The proud look Uncle John gave me clearly wanted me to ask him all about it.

I squashed the urge to roll my eyes. In a fake, exaggerated tone, I replied, "No way."

Ignoring my tone, Uncle John proudly tapped the tip of his nose. "Of course, no cursed fire is going to get the best of the Great Pirate Wizard John Fawley."

This time, I couldn't help it, I rolled my eyes. "What does any of this have to do with Athena?"

Uncle John deflated a little at my unimpressed look. "You used to be more fun." He complained.

Seeing my impatient look, he surrendered, "Fine. Like I told you before, the events of the exploration led me to getting ahold of Athena. Karen's family was grateful that I saved his life. So, they gave me Athena's egg, which they had been safeguarding for generations."

"Why did you give her egg to me? When I think about it, you seemed sure at the time that she would hatch for me."

Uncle John's eyes shifted for a moment. "Well, do you remember when I said there was a prophecy?"

Not liking where this was going, I nodded warily.

"Well, while there wasn't actually a prophecy, I did consult a seer. After handling Athena's egg, she suggested I give it to my nephew."

While I was a little unsure of how I felt about a seer directing Athena's presence in my life, I couldn't really complain. Honestly, I can't imagine my life without Athena. She had been there for me nearly all my life.

"Is that all the seer said?" I asked.

Uncle John held up his hand and crossed two fingers, "Pirates Honor."

"Wait," I said as a thought occurred to me. "I thought pirates weren't supposed to have honor."

Uncle John chuckled evilly, "We don't."

Before I could say anything else, his image faded from the mirror. Unable to get him to return, I put away the mirror to think about everything I learned.

To think that a seer suggested I get Athena. I wonder just how much she saw. Seer magic was notoriously tricky. Most of the time, the future was filled with constant shifting pathways. Sometimes just getting knowledge from a seer is enough to change the future that they saw.

Knowing that a seer put Athena in my path made me think that I should pay close attention to everything Professor Kettleburn has to say about our bond. I can't shake the feeling that it's going to be important.

Maybe it will be Athena who saves us all in the end.

I turned to study Athena, who was lounging on the edge of my bed, looking for any sign of magical prowess that the seer must have seen in her future.

Feeling my eyes upon her, Athena twisted to stare at me with her green eyes. For a moment, nothing happened, but then a look of surprise filled her face as she and my pillow slipped off the bed and crashed down to the ground in a whirlwind of fur and claws.

Deciding that the pillow was responsible for her fall, Athena started wrestling with it to prove her dominance.

Ok… maybe she wasn't going to be saving us all.

The rest of the week went by fairly quickly. Before I knew it, it was Friday evening and time for my meeting with Professor Kettleburn.

I grabbed Athena after dinner and started making my way down to the first floor, Professor Kettleburn's rarely used classroom was located. Ninety percent of the time, Care of Magical Creatures was held outdoors. It was a hands-on type of class.

As I approached the classroom, I noticed Professor Kettleburn leaning against the wall. He appeared to be having a conversation with himself. Anywhere else, this would be cause for concern. But, this was Hogwarts, with all the moving portraits here, it wasn't uncommon to see someone staring at the wall and having a lively debate.

As if sensing my approach, he murmured something to the nearest painting and turned to me.

"Mr. Fawley." He greeted, "I'm so glad you could make it."

With a much greater intensity, he glanced down at Athena, who was watching him with careful eyes. I couldn't blame her. Professor Kettleburn was nearly vibrating with excitement.

"This must be your Lamassu." He gushed, "What's her name?"

"Athena," I supplied.

Professor Kettleburn raised a scarred eyebrow, "Named her after the Ancient Greek Wizardess. Curious, I would have thought you would go with something more Persian, considering her origins in the Middle East."

"Athena seemed to like it," I defended.

"Forgive me," Professor Kettleburn murmured. "Sometimes I think out loud."

"Come," Professor Kettleburn said. "Let's continue this in my office."

I followed into the rarely used classroom and through another door in the back that led to his office. Once again, I marveled at how easily he moved despite only having one remaining limb. His two magical prosthetic legs allowed him to move swiftly, and his arm that ended with a magical pincher-like-claw gave him a surprising amount of dexterity.

His office was more cluttered than I assumed it would be. Along the walls were pictures. Most of them showed Professor Kettleburn posing with strange magical creatures. Others showed him smiling next to foreign witches and wizards.

"There was a lot more of me back then," Professor Kettleburn's amused voice rang out.

I looked closer at the pictures. They almost told a story of Professor Kettleburn's injuries. In his younger pictures, he was a blonde hair wizard with bright eyes. But, as he got older, he became closer to his current incarnation. First, it was a scar, then a leg. The older he got, the more injuries he acquired.

If I hadn't already determined that I would be dropping the subject once I received my OWL, the injuries would have convinced me.

Don't get me wrong. I love Athena. But she is the only magical creature that I wish to get acquainted with, as for all the other magical creatures, not so much.

As I took a seat, I couldn't stop staring at what looked like a stuffed hyena sitting on a shelf behind Professor Kettleburn's desk. In my defense. It was staring back at me. It even blinked once or twice.

"So," Professor Kettleburn suggested, "Tell me about the night you and Athena bonded."

Summoning the memory from the night of my fifth birthday, I began, "It was nighttime when she hatched. I'm not sure what time it was, but it was late, and there was no moonlight."

Professor Kettleburn nodded, "Yes, Lamassu only hatch during new moons."

Getting back to my story, I continued, "Once she hatched, she bit me."

I ran my fingers over a small, faint scar on my left hand.

Noticing my movements, Professor Kettleburn eyed my left hand. "Is that where she bit you?" He asked.

He held his hand out, "May I?"

I shrugged and showed him my hand.

Once he was satisfied that he had gleaned everything he could from the scar, Professor Kettleburn asked, "And the bonding, what was it like? How did it feel?"

I shrugged, "It was like…" my voice trailed off as I struggled to find the words."

"I felt something pass through me. I don't know how to describe it, like a wave of energy. Once it passed through me, it was like I wasn't alone anymore."

"What do you mean you weren't alone?"

Fidgeting with my fingers, I struggled to explain, "It's hard to describe. It's only something I became aware of after bonding with Athena. It's like only after we connected did it become apparent that I was previously alone.

Seeing Professor Kettleburn wanted more, I continued, "Imagine I'm in a dark room, I can't see or hear anyone. Anyone else in that situation would be alone. But, not me, Athena would be with me, even if she weren't physically with me."

Professor Kettleburn muttered something in a language I didn't recognize. Seeing my curiosity, he said, "It's an old Persian saying, it means Soul-Bond. That's what they would call it in the region Athena originates from."

As my mind chewed on the term soul-bond, I nodded thoughtfully. That wording felt right.

Eyes brimming with curiosity, he asked, "So you're always aware of one another."

I nodded, "it's like a faint touch in the back of my mind."

"Is it distracting?" Professor Kettleburn asked.

I shook my head. "No, I don't even really notice it anymore unless I actively concentrate on it."

Leaning forward, Professor Kettleburn asked, "Can you communicate with Athena through the bond."

I looked down at Athena, who was lounging lazily on my lap. "I don't think so. All I've ever really been able to do is have a sense of her direction."

"Are you sure? My friend in Africa has informed me that limited communication through the bond is possible."

I peeked up, "Really? Like with words."

Athena must have felt my excitement because she perked up as well.

Professor Kettleburn held up a hand, "I don't know if words are possible. I believe it's more along the lines of an idea or meaning."

Pointing towards Athena with his claw, "I imagine Athena here is already a few steps ahead of you. Think about it, have you ever needed to train her to do something? Or does she always just seem to know what you mean?"

I blinked at Athena, who was watching me with her big green eyes. "I just thought it was because she was so smart," I murmured.

Athena nuzzled my hand in appreciation.

Suddenly, a whole world of possibilities opened up. "How do we deepen our bond?" I questioned.

"Practice," Professor Kettleburn explained. "Start with small things. Now that it's clear that she is listening to you through the bond try to expand on that. Maintain contact at first. Your bond is strongest when you're touching. As you become more aware of your bond, try to sense what Athena wants and go from there."

"Will we always have to be in physical contact for it to work?"

"No, my friend tells me it's more than possible to communicate with his Lamassu at a distance."

Curious about who this mysterious friend was, I asked, "If you don't mind me asking, who is your friend. I would love to write to him."

Professor Kettleburn's eyes danced with mischief. "Oh, I think you will be meeting him before long."

Seeing my puzzled look, he explained, "My friend, Kasim, is a professor as Uagadou. I would imagine you will run into him next year when you are visiting his school."