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ATHENA STARED AT DUMBLEDORE, frozen on the spot as she realised what she'd been saying. She could hear Draco sniggering behind her and the anger was still bubbling up inside of her. Sometimes she really hated kids.
"Yes Professor?" Athena replied simply. Clasping her hands together to paint a picture of someone who was definitely calm. Snape was smirking too now and Athena could have cursed him then and there.
"I need to have a word with you" Dumbledore continued,
"I'm kind of in the middle of something" said Athena,
"I can see that" Dumbledore nodded, "this is important, I assure you"
Athena turned back to glare at Draco who immediately fell silent,
"You'll be serving a weeks worth of detention, I'll see what Filch can sort out for you" Athena faked a smile before she turned and strode out the office behind Dumbledore.
"I'd prefer not to find you threatening students" Dumbledore frowned as the two of them paced out of the dungeons,
"I wasn't threatening him" Athena said quickly, "he's been bullying people and he made some snide comments"
"You should know not to react as a teacher—"
"I'm not exactly a brilliant teacher" Athena cut across him, "I'm here for Harry not to deal with students jinxing my godson at every opportunity"
"Learn to keep your temper, it'll keep you out of trouble" Dumbledore sighed,
"Yes I'll do my best" Athena muttered, "is this what you wanted to see me about? I don't usually lash out at students if that's what you're—"
"No that's not all" Dumbledore spoke calmly,
"Are you sure you wouldn't rather speak to my sister, she'll be back in an hour... I could do without any—"
"This is not a conversation I need to have with Aurora"
"Is this about the mirror again?" Athena frowned, "I'm not stupid enough to go find it"
"If you stop guessing what I want to talk to you about we may be able to get this done faster"
Athena fell silent as she followed Dumbledore up the stone stairs into his office. She hated being here, it made her feel like a student again. She'd been in this office many times, for order meetings, to learn occlumency, to yell at Dumbledore and a few other reasons.
Right now, it must have been a couple of years. She tried to avoid the room at all costs if she could. It brought back memories of lies, war and lost hope. However as this was the office of her boss, she couldn't avoid it.
"Is this going to take a while?" Athena asked with a forced smile. Dumbledore took the seat behind his desk and left her standing with her arms folded sternly. Sometimes Athena couldn't simply slip out of the teacher role that she played the majority of the time.
"You're aware of who came to the school this year?"
"Couldn't exactly miss him" Athena frowned, "considering that I've been waiting ten years for him to show up"
"I'm not talking about Harry"
"Well then, a lot of students started school this year as they do every year"
"This student in particular is different, I assume the name may have brought back memories for you?"
"You're talking about Eleanor Lupin?" Athena asked, "yes it brought back memories, I don't teach her so I don't see how this is my problem?"
"Yes Eleanor Lupin started her third year this year" Dumbledore nodded, ignoring what she'd previously said.
"How come she joined late, did you make absolutely no effort to get her to the school? I thought you'd usually sent a teacher to explain to parents who may be less willing to see their child shipped off to a random Scottish castle"
"We sent a letter but they're house was under magical enchantments"
"Samson isn't magic" Athena scoffed, "Remus wouldn't try and prevent Elle from coming here, he was the one who advocated to them that they should let her go when the time came... I was there when he did it"
"Yes well maybe his enchantments weren't intended to keep us out" Dumbledore sighed, "this is what you're here to talk about"
"Enchantments over a squibs house?" Athena raised her eyebrows, "frankly I have more important things to be worrying about"
"Not about that" Dumbledore shook his head, "I've had an inkling for quite some time however recently this inkling turned out to be fact"
"Inkling?" Athena questioned,
"Eleanor came to me the other day saying she had a very peculiar dream, about Harry"
"Harry? A dream about Harry? I didn't know they knew each other?" Athena's words seemed to tumble over one another, whenever Harry was involved she seemed to panic. She was right to feel this way, Harry was always going to be in danger.
"She doesn't know Harry personally however she previously she had a dream about falling off her broom in quidditch practice"
"Is this relevant?"
"Eleanor did fall off her broom in quidditch practice"
"I'm sure a lot of people do, that's probably a coincidence"
"Eleanor saw visions of the mirror, of a large chess set and of flying keys"
"The stone?" Athena frowned, "how does she know about that?"
"This is the point I am trying to make, there is no way that Eleanor could have known about the stone or how it was guarded. Yet she saw it in her dream"
"What so you're saying she's a seer?"
"It seems Miss Lupin has the gift of foresight, not entirely a seer as she has no seer blood, this gift is different... it means that she sees what is to come unconsciously in dreams and she often cannot control it"
"What has this got to do with Harry?"
"That I'm not sure" Dumbledore muttered, "fate will tell"
"Fate will tell?" Athena scoffed, "you're kidding? Harry could be in danger"
"You of all people should know that a path against fate isn't one that anyone would be able to take"
"To help Harry—"
"We've been through this before, this is not the relevance of the discussion"
"What the bloody hell am I here for then?" Athena snapped,
"Going back to the enchantments over the Lupin's house, I think there is another reason"
"Yeah?"
"There's only been one other student at this school who was known to have the same gift as Eleanor"
"Who?"
"Theodore Sanders"
"The death eater?" Athena frowned, "why would he go after someone with the same ability as him— oh... you're not saying, that wouldn't make sense"
"Why not?"
"I know Elle's parents, they wouldn't have... surely? Remus would have known"
"Were Remus and Samson ever close?"
"Well no but— ok fine say it is a possibility, what does this even mean?"
"That Theodore Sanders is actually a Lupin" Dumbledore replied, "that Elle is in danger, the reason why the death eaters wanted Theodore in the first place was because of his gift"
"So that's why there were enchantments on her house?" Athena asked, "does she know about this? About Theo"
"She knows about Theodore yes, however she doesn't know his relation to her"
"Don't you think she has a right to know?" Athena frowned, "I know from experience that having the truth kept from you never ends well"
"The news would not be good coming from myself" Dumbledore continued, "however I've sent a letter to Remus explaining the situation"
"To Remus?" Athena looked up in surprise, "you... still keep in touch?"
"Not usually no, I thought this was a matter for concern"
"You know where he is?" Athena asked tentatively before she immediately regretted saying it.
"In a small cottage in North London" Dumbledore replied, "not too far from where his brother lives, I presume he wanted to look out for Elle"
"Makes sense" Athena nodded, "not that it matters, I don't know why I asked... so what's this got to do with me?"
"What hasn't it got to do with you?" Dumbledore frowned, "fate, visions, Lupin, Harry... I thought you ought to be made aware"
"Right" Athena murmured, "so what's the vision got to do with Harry... the stone, he's been interested in finding out what's hidden in the school"
"Oh I'm aware"
"Couldn't you put a stop to it? I've tried" Athena explained, "I told him to stop trying to figure out, he thinks it's going to be stolen... worst part is he thinks Snape is going to steal it which is ridiculous"
"I would have thought a three headed dog would be enough to ward him away"
"Yes you would think" Athena frowned, "however it obviously didn't, in fact if anything it just interested him even more... it would have with James too"
"Harry is a curious child who has just been introduced to a world of magic that he didn't know existed. It's only right for him to want to know more"
"Yes I understand that but I don't want him being put in danger, if he goes after the stone"
"Why would he?"
"Are you even listening to a word I'm saying?" Athena scoffed, "he would because he thinks someone is trying to steal it, I imagine he fancies himself a hero like most eleven years olds would do"
"The stone is not in danger, it's guarded with everything that we could throw at it"
"Somehow that doesn't quell my worries" Athena drawled sarcastically, "anyway I don't give a damn about the stone, I care about Harry. Only Harry"
"There is no other way to protect Harry, we are already doing everything we can"
"I'm already doing everything I can and will continue to do so, I'll keep telling Harry to stop concentrating on this stone whether it disrupts fate or not"
"That was all I wanted to speak to you about" Dumbledore replied calmly and Athena felt awfully as though her time had been wasted. She wasn't sure what to do with this new information that Theodore Sanders might be Eleanor Lupin's elder brother. It didn't mean anything to her, the only thing this meeting had brought her was new anxiety over Harry.
Athena turned and went to stride out of the office when she heard Dumbledore's voice call behind her,
"Remember to keep your temper"
Athena felt like turning around and smashing something however she was sure that this would simply confirm his point. Instead she kept walking, pretending that she hadn't heard anything at all as she strode through the door and shut it curtly behind her.
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A/n
Words - 1750
Published 22nd April 2021
Sorry for the lack of updates
would love to come up
with an excuse but in reality
I've been playing snake on
my school laptop :)