ONE OF THE greatest, and most cherished, of the Olympian gods, ascendancy over: light, the sun, harmony, music, the arts in general, healing and divination, was Apollo. Born on Delos, to Zeus and Leto and twin brother of Artemis, earned him, one of his many, titles: Delian; he who reveals everything.
Amongst one of the first acts of the youthful Apollo was to explore the harmonious, and civilised, Greek grounds for the most suitable place for his sanctuary. In the foothills of Mount Parnassus, at the place that was supposed to be the navel of the Earth, belonging to Gaia and protected by one of her sons, found Apollo his worship: Delphi. Gaia's son, a huge snake named Python, was killed by the God of Light with his bow and flaming torch which emanated in an eight-year banishment from Delphi.
Besides having his temple, Apollo also had the Oracle. Fear of the future and of disastrous events awaiting time to come is common to all man- and wizardingkind. For that reason, people endeavour to find a way to foresee the future, and in some way forestall events. In ancient times, oracles were the main way of doing so and were of great importance, consulting them before making any important decisions. Grand decisions comparable to the one Pandora was torn over. Allegedly, she had been shown events from the future. Events that will shudder both the Wizarding, and Muggle, World to its core. Darkness will conquer over all, spreading like an infectious illness as it crawled within the mightiest of witches and wizards. A sense of prestige when the obscurity fulfilled and flowed through the red blood vessels as nothing would be impossible to the vigorous.
Though, one must not forget about the complication of the process of divination; a prophecy could nearly always be interpreted in two separate ways, often opposing one another as stark differences like day and night.
Pandora found herself wondering the lonesome streets of Athens whilst humming a soft melody she had picked up as she passed the houses of the city. One of the various houses and apartments that were not set afire, nor raided, as it also housed multiple households in the difficult times of war in the '40s. The song sounded like a new American tune as it had a more bright, and spirited, sound to it compared to the melancholy in Europe.
With her black, polished Mary Jane's she kicked a pebble several metres ahead every now and then as she sauntered to the Acropolis where several temples stood proud and wondrous against the darkened evening sky. With her hands pushed deep inside the pockets of the cropped, sage cardigan, her mind twirled for the umpteenth time with every alternative possible. It had been several days since the Transfiguration Professor asked for her to transfer to Scotland; away from her old school and attending one solely focused on witchcraft and wizardry, instead of mythology and mageia. But for what? The chances of making a difference seemed slim to nil, even the aged wizard was not too sure of the process. And then there was the prophecy. The dreams. The scarlet eyes that haunted every memory since June of that same year. The whole picture did not seem to fit. It missed details of great importance, information the Professor could provide, but wouldn't. Nevertheless, he took great pleasure in twitting those in need of his answers. His words always seemed to dance around the real definition, never telling the whole truth as one should acquire enough knowledge to work it out on their own.
Lost in thought, Pandora finally took notice in the collapsed architecture around her as her eyes focussed on her surroundings. She saw she had wandered off to a grimmer part of the ancient city, one should not stroll in near dusk. Buildings that had not survived the raids, rubbish on the sidewalks and hushed figures luring in every dark alley repelled the young witch as she carefully let her eyes examine the location. She detected two dark individuals, near a deli with broken windows, slowly approaching her, hood covering their eyes and each a hand near their waist. Pandora halted and swiftly looked for the nearest exit or escape route as she clutched the wand in her pocket with her right hand, a stance for a quick defence or offence. The figures had stopped as well, mumbling incoherent words towards each other as Pandora narrowed her eyes down at the two. There was a lot off about them: from the way they shielded their identities from her, to their nonchalant manner in which they talked to each other.
"Petrificus Totalus." She yelled out before either of the two could as much as utter a spell. The curse hit the smaller wizard of the two in his shoulder before temporarily paralysing the man. The taller male hid his surprise rather well, his dismay, on the other hand, showing when he shot her a curse which she simply countered. He shot curse after curse at the teenaged witch who only tired him out by either swiftly dodging, or casting a shield for his magic. His ego increased with every spell shot at the girl as she never sent a defensive spell. Though being oblivious to her disinterest as she did not care much to put up a fight against him.
The hood had slowly slipped off his head due to the aggressive nature of his defence, and she could see beats of sweat drippling down the temples of his gaunt face as to his effort in the one-sided duel.
It was when Pandora noticed the silver, triangular pendant slinging around his neck when she paused in her movements for mere seconds as a crease formed between her eyebrows; the men were acolytes of the dark wizard that terrorised, and loomed over, the Wizarding World.
"Silencio." Pandora finally jabbed, silencing the attacker who was unable to cast any spell as he was rendered temporarily mute. A sly smirk formed on her rose lips as his angered stance affirmed her conjecture of his inability to perform nonverbal spells. "Flipendo." She taunted him playfully, and with the whisk of her wand he was knocked backwards against the stone wall of the deli. A groan escaped from his lips just before his head hit the grey paving stones of the street, completely blacking out due to the head trauma. The duel didn't go unnoticed by the other creatures looming in the shadows, fading into night that quickly seemed to encapture the city in its obscure embrace.
Inky black cloaks emerged from all around, deserting their hidden posts as sinister smiles formed whilst they enclosed her. It was only then that Pandora discerned that the Deathly Hallows symbol not only appeared as a pendant on a necklace, but graffitied on every door of the street, a haunting image to her eyes. Within moments, the figures had their wands at the ready and curses of red and green lights were aimed at the girl. Her mind was quick to focus on her desired location before disapparating with a small 'plop', the feeling of going through a very tight rubber tube befalling her before any of the curses could hit. The red and green spells collided where the girl once stood, anterior to the realisation of her disappearance overcame the crowd of murky witches and wizards.
Pandora fluttered her eyes back open, blinking several times to adjust to the bright light from the kitchen, especially compared to the street in the perilous neighbourhood which seemed to lack any form of luminescence. Two pairs of blue eyes, twinkling with kindness in the candlelight, looked at the slightly distressed, only salient because of her shaking hands, witch from over their crescent glasses.
"Ariana, Professor." Pandora curtly nodded at the Dumbledore siblings who seemed to be wrapped up in a serious conversation, evaporation twirling up from the steaming cups of tea between the two. She could tell the Professor had arrived mere minutes before she did as he was still wearing his coat and his hair was dishevelled by the wind. "It has been less than a fortnight, sir, twelve days to be exact." She noted, controlling her trembling hands due to the thrill of the short duel she encountered. The thrill of overpowering acolytes from Grindelwald. Both Ariana and Albus noticed she hid her hands behind her back, deciding against questioning her, but the unease only increased when the two looked at each other.
"You have been keeping track." The Professor's eyes glinted with a hidden amusement when he returned to look at her, taking a small sip from the tea as he anticipated for her to make her next move. With a short pause in her act, she took the kettle of the stove and poured the heated water in a cup of her own, dipping a tea bag in.
"I have." She spoke firmly, yet again nodding as she bewitched the spoon to swirl in her cup with a swift movement of her fingers. With the aged wizard she felt the need to adjust to his refined behaviour, ridding of her sharp tongue and vulgar language, albeit the feigned smile and profoundly manipulative attitude was obvious to the both. The man seemed to keep an annoyingly close watch on her, overanalysing the Middle Eastern Hellenic.
Her next words left her lips rather impetuous, with self-loathe she would reminisce this moment as she wished to have given the Professor a different answer that night in October. "And I will do it. I will travel along to Great Britain and attend Hogwarts for a year." She clarified, two inquisitive sorcerers watched as the hormone of adrenaline still pumped through her blood from the earlier duel. "But I wish for you to answer one question before we leave." Pandora threw the tea bag away and placed the cup on the kitchen island, playing with the white steam from the tea as her magic seeped through the damp air and contorted it into a sphere, hovering centimetres above her palm.
"I cannot promise such things, Miss Hékatos." Professor Dumbledore replied, standing up from his seat across from his sister as he smoothed out his coat from any crinkles. "But querying will do no harm, will it?" A primitive smile formed as his hands wrapped around his back, a motion to display his alacrity. Pandora nodded to him as she carefully chose her words.
"We are not dealing with Grindelwald, are we? There is someone else who will recruit followers for their dark cause?" Her fingers tensed, the sphere of steam evaporating from her palm when he took his time replying to her. His eyes looked away, downcast as he slowly shambled to the broad and outstretched window, overlooking both the imperial city, as the temple of the Goddess of wisdom.
"I am afraid another will take great pleasure in seizing power; a wizard dominance, but by those lacking the responsibilities to rule. Might is right." He said, forcing out the latter with a sigh.
"For the Greater Good." Pandora mumbled the phrase Grindelwald uses to justify his horrific actions as she stared down at her tea, oblivious to the way the Professor stiffened due to the sentence. She looked back up at him after he regained his infuriatingly calm self, her almond eyes narrowing down slightly. "You seem so sure that my presence is required at Hogwarts right away, and I cannot help but question if the, new, dark cause is already emerging; within the walls of the school a dark sorcerer is developing their belief." Pandora spoke slowly, ignoring Ariana and her rigid glance. Her features graced a knowing look, knowing the Professor was withholding information from her. "Who is it?" She hissed sharp. "Sir."
Ariana opened her mouth to scold Pandora for her, out of line, behaviour to him. The Professor raised his hand, motioning for his sister to hold her words before nodding his head at Pandora.
"I have a feeling someone at Hogwarts is trying to—menace the students, especially the Muggle-born students." He answered the girl, a tension arising due to the revelation. The terrors that came with Grindelwald's thirst for a selfish and autocratic power over not only the Wizarding World, but also Muggles. Seizing for the control over all, for the greater good.
"And I have a feeling you already know exactly who this person is, maybe even recognise from my dreams." Pandora placed her hands on the kitchen island and leaned against the marble tabletop, forcing the suspicion out of him. If she were to endanger her life by altering the future and messing with a dark wizard or witch, she felt entitled to bug the aged man with impudent, but imperative, questions. He, like his sister, was bestowed with knowledge past his age, but was rather keen to keep it to himself.
"I will never recognise the man he will become." The Transfiguration Professor shook his head with incredulity as he looked out of the window once again. His gaze distorted in something contemplative before speaking his next words. "Tom Riddle." The name was unfamiliar to Pandora. Somewhere she expected for him to be part of a high-ranking, wealthy pure-blood family, though the name didn't ring a bell. His name almost sounded Muggle-like; Riddle. Nothing extraordinary, nor extravagant; Tom. Just plain and simply; Tom Riddle.
"Seems like we have a grand traverse ahead of us, Professor Dumbledore." Pandora nodded to the man after processing the information, a matter of seconds before her mind swirled with anticipation whilst thinking of every possible way to alter future events without changing either Fate or Destiny. "I will grab my suitcase and we may leave for London in a quarter of an hour." With a newfound adrenaline raging through her blood vessels, she dashed out of the kitchen to her dorm, taking two steps at a time on the stairs and barely making it without hitting her shins.
CHAPTER TWO: Apollo