The Light Within

MisCard

Rating: PG13
Genres: Drama, Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 5
Published: 24/01/2005
Last Updated: 18/06/2005
Status: paused

The sequel to "The Fear Within" and last installment of the 'Within' trilogy. Conlan Potter is about to start his fifth year at Hogwarts, but his life is anything but perfect. Harry and Hermione's marriage is seemingly falling apart and a long forgotten prophecy is coming back to haunt the Potter family. Will they survive the trials and tribulations, or will it end up tearing them apart?

Chapters

1. Prologue

2. New Beginnings

3. The Past Returns

4. Lillian's Dream

1. Prologue

~A/N> Finally, here's the third installment of the "Within" trilogy and the sequel to "The Fear Within". I hope it lives up to your expectations and remember, no matter what bad things may happen in a chapter, there will always be a happy ending in my stories.

The days of peace since Harry and Hermione Potter helped defeat Voldemort in the summer before their seventh year had been wonderful. Hermione had given birth to their son Conlan Sirius during their sixth year at Hogwarts, their daughter Lillian Jane two years after that, and then little two years after Aemilia Cherelle was born. Now, eleven years later, Harry worked as an Auror and had been hunting down the remaining Death Eaters and individuals still loyal to Voldemort, while Hermione worked as a healer and ran her own clinic in Diagon Alley giving witches and wizards an alternative to St. Mungo's when they were sick or injured. The only downside to the Potters' jobs was that they were hardly home. They also saw very little of each other, since Hermione worked during the day and Harry worked mostly at night. At times when Harry didn't arrive home on time and Hermione had to go to work, Molly Weasley would come watch the kids for them, insisting that it was no trouble at all since she thought of them as her own Grandkids. Harry and Hermione rarely spent any time alone either.

One night, about a week before he was to return to Hogwarts for his fifth year, Conlan had gone upstairs after their mandatory nightly dinner as a family, unable to sit at the table and watch his parents pretend that everything was all perfect and fine. He and his little sisters knew their parents weren't getting along and it was starting to become very uncomfortable at home. Starting to feel angry with his parents at their behavior, Conlan walked over to his Muggle stereo and cranked up the volume as one of his favorite songs started to play; thankfully his Mum had insisted they live in a Muggle neighborhood, which meant they had electricity and he had the ability to lose himself in music any time he was angry or upset.

"Conlan Sirius Potter, get down here RIGHT NOW!" came the very angry voice of his Mother. Conlan turned the music down and left his room to answer his Mum's summons; she must be really mad to use his full name and shout over the loud music like that, instead of coming to his room to talk to him like she usually did.

As he stepped off the bottom stair and made his way back to the kitchen, the first thing he saw was the very irate expression on his Mother's face. She had this way of glaring at someone and making him or her immediately afraid; Conlan knew he was in big trouble.

"Did you do this?! What have you done?!" Hermione shouted, gesturing towards his youngest sister. He tried not to laugh at what he saw; her hair was turning from green to blue to yellow every few ticks. When he looked at his Dad he really had to stifle his laughter; Harry was still sitting at the table, battling with himself to keep the smile from forming on his face. He knew his Dad would appreciate the prank, but he didn't think his Mum would overreact like this.

Resigning himself to his imminent punishment, Conlan sighed and said, "Yes Mum, I did it. I used one of Uncle Fred and Uncle George's Rainbow Hair Tonics that they gave me for my birthday. It should wear off in about five minutes."

"I like it," stated Aemilia, smiling up at her big brother, "How'd you do it anyway?"

"A couple of drops in your water when I refilled it for you," Conlan replied, smiling down at her. Out of his two sisters, Lia, as he affectionately called her, had always been his favorite; she was fun loving, carefree and loved to go flying with him, very unlike Lillian. She was starting her first year at Hogwarts this year, and he hoped that she would be in Gryffindor with him. He had been surprised when Lillian had been placed in Ravenclaw; a part of him felt guilty when he remembered how relieved he had been that she wouldn't be in his house.

"How mature Conlan," stated Lillian, it was as if thinking about her brought her into the conversation. Out of the three of them, she was most like her mother; about the only things to occupy her thoughts were reading, schoolwork and following the rules, all the things that their Mother held dear. Conlan thanked Merlin that he had ended up, as his Mother so often reminded him, "just like his Father".

His Dad was his hero; he knew it was corny to call him that, but it was the truth. Harry would come home from work, very early in the morning, and grab about five hours of sleep. After that, he spent the remainder of his time with his children, and loved every minute of it. Conlan and his sisters often sat on the couch with him, listening to the tales of the trio's adventures at Hogwarts. He and Harry had spent many Sunday afternoon's at Grandma and Grandpa Weasley's; Harry had taught him all there was to know about flying and being a Seeker even before he had started Hogwarts. He already knew everything there was about Quidditch since Harry had been taking him to matches since he was five. Conlan had gone out for the Gryffindor house team, and just like Harry, had been selected as Seeker in his first year. When he had owled his parents to tell them the good news, Hermione had sent a letter that said, "Better let Madam Pomfrey know that she will have another Potter to patch up soon."

Conlan snapped out of his thoughts as Hermione shouted, "Are you even listening to me?!"

Conlan sighed and resignedly said, "Yes Mum."

He knew Hermione hadn't bought into his lie when he saw her lips had formed a straight line; he just wished she'd dole out his punishment and be done with it.

"Maybe you shouldn't go flying this weekend," she suggested, turning towards the sink, handing out the worst punishment possible.

"What?!" Conlan almost shouted, "It's the last weekend I get to fly with Dad at Grandpa Weasley's, you can't do this to me!"

"Yes I can," Hermione replied, turning back to him with an even angrier look on her face, "You are too old to be pulling these juvenile pranks on your sisters Conlan; when are you going to grow up?"

"Hermione," interrupted Harry, "Don't you think that's a little harsh?"

"No I don't Harry," she replied, turning her anger on him, "Don't you think it's time to act like his Father and not his friend? If you weren't so irresponsible..."

"And if you weren't so damn strict and lightened up a little maybe you would see that it was just a harmless joke!" Harry stated, standing up from his chair.

Hermione turned and stormed out of the kitchen, waves of anger practically radiating off of her as she left the room with Harry close behind. As he passed Conlan he put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't worry son, we WILL be going flying this weekend."

Conlan watched him leave the room and then turned back to his sisters. Lillian sat there glaring at him as she said, "Just brilliant Conlan, you caused yet another argument. Mum's right, when ARE you going to grow up?"

As he watched her stalk out of the room too he felt Lia grab his hand and turned back to see a sad look on her face. "Why do they fight like that all the time? Is it because we are bad?"

"I don't know why they fight Lia, but I'm sure it's not because we're bad" Conlan replied, wrapping his arms around her small body as she hugged him. He had no idea what was going on with his parents, or if their marriage was in trouble; all he knew was that he couldn't wait to go back to Hogwarts and get away from all the tension. Unbeknownst to him, a horrible evil was waiting for him to return to Hogwarts, and soon something would happen that would either tear his family apart or finally bring them back together; something that had been foretold years before in a prophecy, which had been foolishly forgotten by all.

2. New Beginnings

Harry walked into his study and closed the door quietly, his mind clouded with thoughts as he relived his argument with Hermione. They hadn't been getting along at all lately, and it was really starting to take a toll on their marriage. He loved Hermione, he would do anything for her, but he had no idea what to do to make their relationship the way it used to be.

He sat down in his chair and lay his head in his hands; 'why couldn't things be the way they used to be?' he thought. Granted, their relationship wasn't always easy, but their love had always won out in the end. Nowadays, it seemed as if nothing could patch the rift between him and his wife.

He stayed there for quite a while, remembering all the good times that had happened between them over the years. He thought back to the first time they had slept together, the moment when Hermione had told him she was pregnant with Conlan, the day he was born, their adventure in Greece, and so many more good memories they had made together...Harry sighed heavily and wiped at his now-moist eyes. He had everything he had ever wanted...a beautiful wife and three wonderful kids...and it all seemed to be falling apart right before his eyes.

He couldn't figure out what was wrong with Hermione; she had changed a couple of years ago. The sweet, loving Hermione was gone, and she had been replaced with a bitch of a woman. He knew he was horrible for calling her that, but that was the word that came to mind when he thought about her lately. She went to work happy one morning and when she came home she just wasn't herself anymore.

A brown tawny owl flew through the window, interrupting Harry's thoughts; it was a bird he'd never seen before and he wondered whom the letter could be from as he removed it from the owl's leg. After handing out a few owl treats, Harry opened the letter and saw that it was from Headmistress McGonagall. Dumbledore had given up his position at Hogwarts shortly after he and Hermione had finished school, gladly handing it over to the transfiguration teacher so that he could enjoy the rest of his days. Professor Snape had been made Deputy Headmaster...thank Merlin he was no longer in school.

As Harry read the letter, he almost dropped it in surprise; McGonagall wanted him and Hermione to be Professors. Hermione would take over the Transfiguration class and he would be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts...this was just what they needed; the entire family would be together and they could work on their marriage.

Forgetting about their earlier argument, Harry rushed out of his office and down the hall to their bedroom. He burst into the room to find Hermione laying on their bed, crying. His heart broke at the sight of her so upset and unhappy; he walked over to the side of the bed and kneeled down so that he was eye-level with her.

He reached out gently and brushed the tears off her cheeks, watching as her eyes slowly opened. "Hey Luv," he said quietly, rubbing his thumb lightly across her cheek, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she whispered in reply. She sat up sniffling and Harry reached over to her bedside table for a tissue; handing it to her he said, "You and I have something we need to discuss."

"Harry, if it's about before, I really don't want to talk about it right now," she said, not meeting his eyes. "I am so tired of arguing with you...I just..."

Harry watched as she started to cry again and sat next to her on the bed. He gathered her into his arms and held her tightly, trying to comfort her the best he could. "It's not about before, luv. I just got an owl from Headmistress McGonagall and she's offered each of us a teaching position at Hogwarts."

Hermione's head snapped up and she asked, "We've been offered teaching positions at Hogwarts?"

Harry looked into her eyes and saw something that had been missing for a very long time...a spark of excitement. He smiled at her and said, "Yes, she wants you to teach Transfiguration and me to teach DADA."

He watched as she mulled all the new information over in her head and couldn't help it when his smile grew bigger; this was the Hermione he remembered...the one he fell in love with.

Her expression suddenly became serious when she said, "But what about my practice? And what about your job at the Ministry?"

"To tell you the truth, I would be more than happy to resign my position if it meant spending more time with you and the kids." Harry tightened his hold on her and said, "I've missed too many things over the years; I think I need to make up some of the time I've lost with my family."

Hermione sat staring at him for a while, obviously thinking everything over, and then a small smile broke out on her face. "I've been gone quite a bit myself and I think you're right; it's time I made up for lost time too."

Harry pulled her to him and claimed her lips with his, kissing her hungrily. He never thought she would even consider taking the Professorship, but she had considered it and even agreed to take it. They would finally be spending every day, every night together and he started to feel a little spark of hope for their relationship.

Hermione kissed him back fervently, relishing in the feel of his body pressed against hers; it had been so long since they had last made love. She pulled back slightly, breaking the kiss, and reached for her wand on the night stand. Casting silencing and locking spells, she returned her wand to the stand, turned back to Harry and said, "How about we start making up for some of that time now?"

Letting his beautiful wife pull him down on top of her, Harry smiled down at her and said, "Sounds like an excellent idea to me."

~*~

As soon as the silencing spell had been cast on her parents' room, Aemilia left her hiding place just outside the bedroom door and ran downstairs to find her brother. She had to tell him what she had just overheard...

"Conlan!" she yelled, bounding into the kitchen. When he wasn't there she checked the sitting room and her Mum's study, but she couldn't find him anywhere. Getting frustrated, she ran back up the stairs and ran to his room; knocking on the door impatiently she yelled, "Conlan, are you in there??"

The door opened and Conlan looked down at her, confused by her excited behavior. "What's up Lia?" he asked.

"I need to tell you something," she stated, pushing her way past him and into his room.

"Why don't you come in?" he asked sarcastically, closing the door and walking over to his desk chair. He watched his little sister bouncing up and down, a huge smile on her face, and asked, "What's got you so excited then?"

"Mum and Dad," she replied happily, "they're going to teach at Hogwarts this year."

"What?!" Conlan asked, surprised by this news. "And how do you know this?"

"I, um...I was kind of listening outside their bedroom door when they were talking about it," she replied sheepishly. When Conlan gave her a stern look she said, "It was by accident...I was walking by and I heard them talking about Hogwarts and being offered teaching positions...They're going to be at Hogwarts with us Conlan! Now we can spend more time with them!"

Conlan couldn't help smiling at his little sisters excitement, but he also couldn't help but wonder about his parents sudden decision to take the positions. There was either something else going on or their marriage was in more trouble than they let on...it would be great to have more time to spend with his Dad, but what if all the time his Mum and Dad spent together only made things worse between them?

~*~

"The green-eyed savior has failed

For evil still walks the Earth in disguise.

As the sixth month dies, evil will rise again

And seek out the savior of the world.

The Marked Savior must succeed

Where the green-eyed savior could not.

The Light will turn to The Dark

Unless the Sceptor's Twin is found."

Deucalion stood reading the prophecy that had been burnt into the wall. 'This is not right,' he thought to himself, re-reading it for the second time.

"What is wrong my husband?" asked Pyrrha. She walked up behind him and read the words on the wall; looking at him confused she asked, "I thought Zeus said the Scepter was found?"

"It was," Deucalion answered, turning to look at her, "This prophecy is incorrect."

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked, "How can a prophecy be wrong?"

"I believe that whoever gave it was being manipulated" he replied. "The Vessel was a descendant of Hera, and we both know how manipulative Hera can be when she wants something."

"So she had one of her own descendants give a false prophecy?" Pyrrha asked. "She is truly mad, that woman is."

"She is also cunning" Deucalion stated. "We must find this Vessel and we must give the box to her son, the Savior."

Pyrrha watched as he walked over to where the box lay and carefully picked it up. "Come my wife," he said, turning to make his way out of the room, "it is time to make our way to the school they call Hogwarts; we can not let the Evil get to him before we do."

~*~

It moved with purpose, consuming all happiness in its' wake; it had to find him before the others did, or there would be Hell to pay, literally.

It had been given orders to seek out the Savior and eradicate him, and he was to do it any way possible, no matter the cost. It walked through the town square, looking around the small wizarding town and realized it was very busy this time of day; it needed a place to hide until sundown, when it would find a proper host. Spotting a dark alley, it slipped in unnoticed and sank into the comfort of the dark shadows.

It thought about the prophecy and marveled once more at the Goddess Hera's greediness; she had planted a false prophecy in the world and had used one of her own descendants to do it. When Zeus had discovered her treachery, he had banished her to the Wastelands of Hades, where she would spend eternity suffering with the other greedy, treacherous souls that had been sent there.

Sensing a presence nearby, it sank deeper into the shadows, waiting to see if the witch or wizard would make a suitable host. When the wizard passed by his hiding spot, he sensed the evil that lived within the man's heart and knew this one would be perfect.

Rising up out of the shadows, it moved behind the wizard and attacked, taking over the wizard's body. Overtaking his mind and heart, it moved on to his soul and realized that there was just enough good there

to keep him away. Deciding that he didn't need to take over the soul as well, it settled itself inside its new host and perused the wizard's memories. It felt a sort of triumph when it came across memories that contained Hera's descendant and then realized who it was that was with her...the descendant of Prometheus, the fire wielder. Knowing that it had much to do to prepare, it made its way out of the alley in search of the wizard's home.

The wizard, Draco Malfoy, never knew what hit him.

3. The Past Returns

On September 1 Harry and Hermione stood outside of Hogwarts, waiting for Conlan and Lillian to debark the carriages; Aemilia would arrive later by boat with the other first years. They had arrived at the school a week before so that they could prepare for their new positions; Conlan, Lillian and Aemilia had stayed with the Weasleys, who gladly welcomed them with open arms while their parents were away.

The week had been a much needed vacation for Harry and Hermione. They spent the days getting their rooms ready and their nights cuddled up together in their quarters. Their relationship was not 100 percent better, but it was well on it's way.

They watched as Conlan approached them, walking with Joshua Wells and Melissa Beal, two of his closest friends. "Hey Dad, hi Mum," he greeted as he stopped in front of them, "How was your week away from us?"

"Quiet," Harry replied with a smile, "You guys behaved while you were at the Weasley's, right?"

"Um, well . . . of course Lillian and I behaved ourselves but Aemilia . . . well, she turned Ronnie Jr. green," Conlan replied, obviously trying to stifle his laughter at the memory.

"Oh no," said Hermione.

"What happened?" asked Harry, trying not to laugh at the image of Ron's six year old son green from head to toe.

"Well, Uncle Fred and Uncle George came by to see us the day after we got there," Conlan started.

"Oh no," Hermione repeated, rubbing her temples to try to alleviate the headache that was starting to come on.

"They brought us some of their new products to try," Conlan continued, "They gave me some new and improved rainbow hair tonic, they tried to give Lillian something but of course she refused, and they gave Lia some of their new Fantabulous Imp Candy."

"What do they do exactly?" Harry asked with interest.

"The improved Rainbow Hair Tonic lasts longer and changes even more colors and I'm getting to what the Fantabulous Imp Candy does. Anyway, Lia had been trying to finish reading the book Mum told her to read, "Hogwarts: A History", and Ronnie kept going into her room to bother her. When he grabbed the book out of her hands and tossed it across the room she kind of lost her temper. She gave him one of the candies as a sort of bribe to get him out of the room, and about five minutes later Grandma Molly screamed," Conlan explained, "Ronnie had turned completely green, his hair turned yellow, he grew long ears and webbed feet."

Harry was laughing along with Joshua and Melissa, and even Hermione had a smile on her face. "Were Molly and Ron angry?" she asked.

"Molly was upset with Lia for giving him the candy instead of just telling her about Ronnie bothering her," Conlan replied, "Ron thought it was great, at least until Aunt Lavender got there."

"I bet she was livid," Hermione said amused.

"She was, she said that she was going to get even with Uncle Fred and Uncle George the next time she saw them," Conlan said laughing, "And she did, too; when they showed up two days later she was there visiting Grandma Molly. She slipped them two of the candies somehow and they turned into Imps, just like Ronnie did."

The five of them were laughing when Lillian walked up with her friend Jenny and asked, "Let me guess, Conlan told you what Aemilia did to Ronnie Jr.?"

"You didn't think it was funny?" Harry asked.

"No, I didn't," she replied, "Who knows what Uncle Fred and Uncle George's inventions can do, especially the untested ones. She's lucky he wasn't hurt or that it wasn't permanent. Bye Mum, bye Dad, I'll see you at the Welcoming Feast."

As they watched the two girls walk away Conlan said, "That witch has absolutely no sense of humor."

"I wonder where she got that from?" Harry mumbled, and as Conlan and his friends laughed Hermione hit him on the arm and gave him a stern look.

"We better get into the Great Hall," Harry said, rubbing his sore arm, "The first years will be arriving shortly and I can't wait to see Aemilia get sorted."

~*~

The boat ride had been the most exciting thing that Lia had ever done. She was in the same boat as her friend, Olivia Weasley, and the two were staring up at the looming figure of Hogwarts Castle. "Doesn't it look amazing Liv?" she asked her friend, "My Dad says that it always felt more like home than his real home did."

"My Dad told me some of the stories of the adventures they had here," Liv replied happily, "I can't wait to have some adventures of our own."

"Me either," Lia said as she stared dreamily at what was to be her home for the next ten months.

~*~

Harry watched as the line of first years entered the Great Hall and he spotted Aemilia immediately. Her unruly head of black hair was easy to spot as it was next to a bright red head of hair that belonged to Ron's youngest daughter, Olivia. The two of them were talking excitedly as they looked around the Hall and when they walked by Conlan they both smiled and waved at him. Conlan laughed, said "Good luck kiddos," and waved back as they went past.

Deputy Headmaster Snape stood next to the stool on which the Sorting Hat sat and glared down at the fresh faced group, silencing their excited chatter immediately. "When I call your name you will walk up, sit on the stool and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head," he said in a no-nonsense tone of voice.

As the first name was called, Aemilia looked up toward the Head Table and waved at her Mum and Dad. They both waved back with smiles on their faces; they had been remembering their first year when they were sorted and reminiscing about the Halloween that the Troll had trapped Hermione in the girl's bathroom.

When her name was called, Aemilia quickly made her way to the stool, sat down and could hardly sit still as the hat was placed on her head by a scowling Snape. "Ahhh, another Potter," said the hat, "Let's see, will you be in Gryffindor with your Brother, Ravenclaw with your Sister, or maybe you belong in a different house? Hmm, you have your Mother's intelligence, but you also possess both your parents bravery . . . better be . . . GRYFFINDOR!"

She jumped off the stool and Snape barely got the Sorting Hat off of her head before she went running to where Conlan was sitting with Joshua and Melissa. "I'm with you! I'm a Gryffindor!" she said happily, hugging him so tightly she was cutting off his air.

"That's great Lia, but you're choking me," he rasped, and then laughed when she let go, looking embarrassed.

When she looked to where her parents sat they both had huge smiles on their faces and her Mum mouthed, "Congratulations!"

She mouthed back, "Thank you," and turned so that she could watch as Olivia sat on the stool. She clapped loudly as Liv was also sorted into Gryffindor, and the two hugged when she walked over and sat down next to Aemilia.

Once the last First year was sorted, Headmistress McGonagall stood up to make her beginning of term speech. Just as she had gotten everyone quieted down the entire Hall went dark and the student's voices rose in a cacophony of fear and confusion. Harry and Hermione immediately grabbed their wands and lit them, casting a small amount of light, with the rest of the staff following their lead shortly after.

"Albus Accendo!" shouted two voices, and then the Great Hall lit up with a light so bright that many of the students had to shade their eyes to see around them.

Harry looked toward the doors, where the voices came from, and saw a man and a woman standing there. He had never seen them before, but something about them seemed strangely familiar.

"Everyone please return to your House table," shouted McGonagall, trying to attain a semblance of control. As the students made their way to their table, the two strangers started to make their way toward the Head Table.

Harry kept his wand close to his side as the man stopped in front of him and asked, "Would you be Harry Potter, descendant of Prometheus?"

"Yes," Harry replied, watching the man closely. "Did the two of you have something to do with the sudden darkness in the Great Hall?"

"I am afraid not," the man replied, "That is the work of an evil entity that I shall tell you about soon." Turning to Hermione he asked, "Then you would be Hermione Potter, descendant of Hera?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, "May I ask who you are?"

"I am Deucalion, son of Prometheus," he answered, "And this is my wife Pyrrha, daughter of Pandora."

"How is it possible that you are here?" Hermione answered, looking from Pyrrha to Deucalion suspiciously.

"Is there somewhere private that we may talk?" Deucalion asked.

Harry looked over at McGonagall and asked, "Headmistress, if there isn't anything you need us to do, Hermione and I have something we need to take care of."

"Go ahead, Mr. Potter, there is nothing else to be done right now," McGonagall replied, eyeing the strange man and woman suspiciously.

"Thank you," he replied, and motioned toward the doors that led out into the Entrance Hall, "We can go to our private quarters."

Deucalion and Pyrrha waited for them to lead the way, watching as the Potters paused to ongratulate Aemilia and say hello to Conlan and Lillian. When Deucalion saw Conlan he stopped; he knew instantly that he was the Savior the prophecy spoke of.

"What is it Deucalion?" Pyrrha asked, concerned by the look on his face.

"It is he, Pyrrha, it is the Savior," Deucalion replied in a hushed voice. When Pyrrha looked in the direction he pointed she gasped. He looked just as he had in her visions; their long journey was finally over.

"Follow us please," Harry directed and then made his way out of the Great Hall. The four of them walked silently through the corridors and up the stairs until they came to the Staff Quarters. Stopping in front of the fourth door on the right Harry waved his wand in front of the door and it swung open immediately.

As Hermione walked inside, she stopped and motioned toward their small sitting room. "Please have a seat and I'll get us some tea," she said cordially, trying to hide her nervousness at their sudden appearance and knowledge of whom she and Harry were.

"Thank you," Pyrrha replied. As she and Deucalion sat in the chairs next to the sofa, Harry followed Hermione into the kitchen.

"What do you think they want?" Hermione asked as she conjured up four cups of hot tea.

"I'm not sure, but I noticed that they both took quite an interest in Conlan when we were talking to him and Aemilia," Harry replied quietly.

Hermione felt the nervousness grow in the pit of her stomach when Harry said this and she levitated the tea; "Let's find out what they're doing here then," she said, walking with the floating cups of tea in front of her.

As she set the cups down carefully on the table between the sofa and chairs, Hermione smiled at them and sat down close to Harry.

When Deucalion noticed Harry and Hermione's strained looks of calmness, he cleared his throat and said, "I guess I should explain why my wife and I have suddenly showed up at your School today." When neither of them said anything, he continued, "Pyrrha and I have been sent by Zeus. We were told of your experience in Greece, of the Prophecy that Hermione gave, and we were sent to find the Savior . . . it is almost time for the Prophecy to come to light."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, "The Prophecy was fulfilled while we were in Greece; we found the Scepter, Zeus destroyed it . . . so why would he send you to find us now?"

"The Prophecy that your wife gave is a false one," Pyrrha replied, "Hera manipulated her into giving it, word for word, for her own purposes."

"What purpose would that be?" Hermione asked, a sense of dread washing over her.

"Hera had plans to unleash The Darkness onto the Earth, to destroy every honest, good mortal, so that she may rule once again," Deucalion answered, "The false prophecy was to give everyone the sense that when the scepter was found and destroyed, there would be nothing more to fear; it would give everyone a false sense of security."

"She must have known that Zeus would find out about her plans," Hermione said.

"She did, but she didn't think that Zeus would find out about them so quickly," Deucalion explained, "She was planning on him finding out after she had released The Darkness and taken over the Earth."

"So this 'Darkness' was supposed to irradicate the mortals that were good and leave only those mortals with Evil in their souls?" Hermione asked, intrigued.

"Yes, but she didn't plan on my Father finding out and telling Zeus about it," Deucalion said, "When Zeus found out her plans he banished her to the Netherworld with Hades. Unfortunately, she had already unleashed the Darkness when she was given her punishment."

"So it's here on Earth?" Harry asked alarmed.

"Yes, that is what caused the darkness in your Great Hall," Pyrrha answered, "Only bright light can make it go away. It should not bother you again now that it knows we are here, at least not until it has recovered from the light it absorbed." Pyrrha paused for a moment and then said, "There is something else . . . Hera also planned on using 'Pandora's Box' to take over the Mortal Realm. Deucalion and I were able to save it, but we have orders to give it to the Savior; he is the only one that can protect it from harm."

"And do you know who the Savior is?" Harry asked her.

"Yes we do, " Deucalion answered, "It is your son, Conlan."

Hermione stared at them in horror and suddenly the words Zeus spoke all those years ago started replaying in her mind . . ."make sure that the two of you take good care of Conlan; he will be very important to the Earth one day."

"It's true," Hermione whispered, "Harry, remember right after Zeus destroyed the scepter? He told us to take care of Conlan because he would be important to the Earth one day. This is what he meant, that Conlan is meant to protect Pandora's Box from Hera and the Darkness."

"But Zeus couldn't have known Hera's plans all those years ago," Harry said, "Otherwise he would have stopped her before she released the Darkness."

"He wouldn't have known her exact plan, but he must have sensed that Conlan would be needed in the future," Hermione replied vehemently.

"But he's only fifteen," Harry replied, "He doesn't have the knowledge to protect something that is so important to Mankind." He stood up and ran a hand roughly through his hair and said, "This wasn't supposed to happen to him, I swore he wouldn't go through any of the things I had to growing up. He's just not ready to face something like this."

"Then you must train him, Son of Prometheus," Deucalion said, his steely gaze fixed on Harry, "If he can not keep it from Hera, then all Mankind will be lost and Evil will rule the Earth until the end of days."

4. Lillian's Dream

~A/N> Thank you for all the great reviews on the last chapter, I'm glad you all like the direction this story is taking. This chapter is mainly about Lillian, I wanted to reveal a little more about her since I've kind of depicted her as a bitch so far. I also hope you like the part with Conlan, I think I'm going to have fun writing that part :)

Unaware of the serious discussion her parents were having, Lillian made her way back to the Ravenclaw common room with Jenny, intent on making sure all her summer homework was in proper order and separated so that it could be turned in the next day. Giving the password to the painting that guarded the door, Lillian walked into the common room and made her way up to her dorm. After organizing everything for the next day, she went back downstairs to catch up with some of her other friends that she hadn't spoken to much over the summer.

About an hour later she decided to turn in for the night; she didn't want to be tired on the first day of classes. After saying goodnight to everyone, she went back upstairs, went through her nightly ritual to get ready for bed, and was asleep thirty minutes later.

Deep in sleep, Lillian started to dream of how she would one day be the first woman Minister of Magic and happiness engulfed her as she saw herself being sworn in. In an instant, the wonderful dream turned strange as the image started to spin and twirl, the colors mixing into weird patterns. Dream Lily looked around at the swirling grey mist that now engulfed her, making it hard for her to see farther than her hands held out in front of her. While she squinted around, trying to figure out exactly where she was, she saw an outline of a person making its' way toward her.

"Hello?" she called out, her curiosity being overtaken by fear, "Is someone there?"

"Yes," said an airy feminine voice. Lillian watched in awe as a woman with long, curly brown hair, fair skin and huge, kind brown eyes walked out of the mist and stood before her. "There is no need to be afraid my child. I am not here to do you any harm."

Lillian watched her for a moment, and for some unknown reason felt as if she could trust the ethereal woman in front of her. Lillian looked around once more and asked, "Is this still a dream?"

"No, dear heart, it isn't a dream anymore. I have sought you out to give to you knowledge of something that will come to be, so that you may pass on what you know to others," the woman stated, "I have come with a warning Lillian, one that might save your family from the Evil that is fast approaching."

Lillian felt fear once again blossom inside of her, but tamping it down she asked, "Who are you?"

"I am Gaia, or Mother Earth," the woman replied, "I have come to warn you that your family and I are in grave danger...especially Conlan. There is an Evil hunting us, known as Erebus, that has been sent by Hera to erase us from this world."

"Gaia?" Lillian asked confused, "You-you're just a myth, made up by the Greeks to explain how Humans came to be in existence. You're not real."

Gaia watched Lillian intently as the young teenager continued to ramble before saying, "I am not a myth child, I am Earth and my existence is in peril if you do not help me . . . it will also be the end of your family, along with the rest of the human race."

Lillian's eyes grew wide as she took in every word Gaia said and then she asked, "But what can I do to stop Erebus? I am just a thirteen-year-old witch!"

"You're much more than that Daughter," Gaia replied, "Your parents have not shared your true Lineage with you yet; you are a descendant of Prometheus and Hera, Prometheus on your Father's side and Hera on your Mother's side."

"H-Hera? Didn't you say she was the one who sent Erebus?" Lily asked.

"Yes," Gaia answered, "The Darkness known as Erebus has been set forth upon the Earth. Hera had plans, that she put into motion fifteen years ago, to rule over the Earth as its queen; your parents stopped her though and she's intent on exacting her revenge."

"My parents stopped her?" Lillian asked, "Why haven't they ever said anything?"

"I believe they were trying to give you a normal upbringing," Gaia replied, "unfortunately, you and your siblings are anything but normal. The Darkness is coming and you and your brother and sister must work together to stop it." Walking up to Lillian, Gaia placed her hands on either side of her face and closed her eyes. "Now child, it is time I give you the information you will need to start the chain of events that will save us all."

Suddenly words and pictures started flashing through Lillian's mind, causing her to close her eyes at the dizziness it was causing. Trying to focus on the slide show that was furiously speeding through her mind's eye, Lillian felt the sensation of Gaia's hands on her face disappear and the next thing she knew, she was crumbling to the ground, blissfully free of thought.

What seemed like only moments later, Lillian sat up in her bed, breathing heavily and soaked in sweat; looking around frantically, she realized she was back in her dorm at Hogwarts. Snatching up her watch, she saw that it was only eleven at night, which meant she'd only been asleep for a couple of hours. Remembering everything that had just happened in her dream, she quickly put on her robe and slippers and went to see her parents . . . they had some serious explaining to do.

~*~

After the welcoming feast Conlan put his arm around Aemilia's shoulders and steered her toward the Gryffindor common room. With Josh and Melissa trailing after them, the two made their way into the maroon and gold room and with huge eyes Aemilia spun in a circle and said, "Wow! It's exactly how Dad described it!"

"I have something to show you," Conlan said, gesturing for his sister to follow him. He walked over to the table next to the cushy sofa and pointed down to a corner; "Take a look at this Lia" he said with a huge smile.

Aemilia walked over and looked down to where he was pointing; there, carved into the wood, were the initials HP, HG, and RW, along with the words, "The Golden Trio".

Feeling a bit of pride at the fact that she was in the same house her parents had been, Aemilia looked happily at Conlan and said, "That is just the neatest thing I have ever seen."

"They obviously wanted to leave their mark," Josh said as he walked up behind them. Looking at Conlan he said, "You, me and Lissa should add our initials to it someday."

"That sounds like a plan," Conlan said.

"Hey Liv," Aemilia called to her best friend, "Come here, you've got to see what our parents did!"

A little while later, the five Gryffindors sat in front of the fire, feeling tired after their day of traveling and the excitement of seeing old friends again. Just as Conlan was starting to doze off, a soft, feminine voice whispered "Hi Conlan," in his ear.

Conlan's eyes snapped open as he whipped his head around to find Lindsay McMurrey standing behind him, looking as beautiful as ever. "L-Lindsay," he stuttered, mentally kicking himself for letting her get to him like that, "How was your summer?"

"It was okay," she replied airily, "It could have been better though. How about you, did you have a good summer?"

"It was all right," he answered, unable to believe she was actually talking to him. He had crushed on Lindsay McMurrey since third year, but she had never even looked his way before. Now here she was, approaching him and starting a conversation . . . he was hoping he hadn't fallen asleep and this was some wonderful dream his imagination had conjured; he'd had many dreams about Lindsay, but none of them had been this tame before and he usually ended up scourgifying himself afterwards.

"Maybe you and I could go to Hogsmeade together some time?" Lindsay asked quietly, pulling him from his thoughts.

"Um, uh . . . sure, I'd like that," he answered with a huge smile plastered on his face.

Lindsay giggled at his awkwardness and then one of her friends called to her from across the room. "Well, I'll talk to you later," she said, giving him a smile that had melted many a wizard's heart.

As she walked away from him Conlan watched the sway of her hips and her long, perfect legs and he thanked the fates for smiling on him. When she had joined her friend, he turned to Josh and said, "Can you believe it? Lindsay McMurrey wants to go out with me!"

"Quit rubbing it in," Josh said while giving him a mock glare.

As her brother continued to discuss his turn in luck Aemilia looked over at Melissa, who was staring daggers at Conlan's back. Acting on a hunch, Aemilia asked her, "Melissa, is everything okay?"

Hearing his little sister's question, Conlan turned around and looked at his female friend, who looked back at him angrily. "Lissa, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing that would concern you," she replied.

As she got up and quickly walked up the stairs to her dorm room, Conlan looked back at Josh and asked, "What was that about?"

"I have no idea," Josh replied, "Must be one of those girl things."

"Must be," Conlan agreed, his gaze on the door Melissa had just slammed shut. Melissa had never walked away from him before, and he had no idea what had happened to upset her so much.

Shrugging it off, he turned back to Josh and the two continued to discuss Lindsay and the possibility of getting one of her friends to go out with Josh.

Aemilia looked at her brother and then turning to Olivia she shook her head and said, "Boys are soooo clueless sometimes."

~*~

Harry sat on the couch in their quarters with his hands buried in his hair. Hermione had just left to show Deucalion and Pyrrha to their quarters while Harry sat worrying about how he was going to tell his children about his and Hermione's past, and the role they would have to play in preserving the future. Harry looked up and stared into the dancing flames in the fireplace, wondering what he should teach Conlan first, when a loud knock sounded on the door. Wondering who would be calling at that time of night, Harry walked up to the door and asked, "Who's there?"

"Dad, it's Lillian, please open the door," Lillian answered testily.

Perplexed as to why his oldest daughter would be coming to see them at eleven at night, Harry opened the door and upon seeing how upset she looked he asked, "What's wrong Lily?"

"Is Mum around?" she asked while looking around the sitting room.

"Your Mum will be back in a few minutes, is this something you could talk to me about?" Harry asked, concerned by the expression on her face.

"I really need to talk to both of you at the same time," she said shortly, "Is it okay if I just sit down and wait until she comes back?"

"Sure," Harry replied as he took the seat he had occupied only seconds before. Lillian looked at him for a moment, her shoulders losing their rigidity and slumping as if the weight on them had become too much, and then sat next to him on the sofa; to Harry's surprise, she laid her head on his shoulder and stared into the flickering fire. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, unused to her acting so affectionate and vulnerable, and he quietly asked, "Are you okay Lily?"

"Yeah," she answered, "I just need to discuss something very important with you and Mum."

Deciding to leave it at that until Hermione came back, Harry sat with Lillian, quietly staring at the fire and coveting this rare moment of closeness between them. When the door to the quarters opened they both looked up as Hermione walked in and asked, "Lillian? What are you doing here so late at night? Is everything okay?"

"I don't know Mum," Lillian replied as she lifted her head off of Harry's shoulder but didn't make a move to remove his arm from around her. Unused to seeing Lily act so unsure and frightened before, Hermione sat on the other side of her and placed her arm around her as well.

Lillian looked from her Dad to her Mum and asked, "Why haven't you ever told us that we were Descendants of Hera and Prometheus?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked warily, glancing at Hermione over her head.

Sighing heavily, Lillian stood up and started to pace in front of her parents. "I decided to go to bed early tonight, so that I wouldn't be tired for the first day of classes tomorrow, and I had this dream," she explained, "Well, I wouldn't really call it a dream I guess, it was more of a-a vision."

"Okay," Hermione said, "What happened in this . . . vision?"

"A woman approached me, she said her name was Gaia and that she had come to warn me that my family was in danger," Lillian replied, "She said that she was in danger also, that Erebus was hunting us, and that Hera is bent on revenge because of something you two did." Running her hand through her mousy brown hair Lillian stopped pacing, looked angrily at Harry and Hermione and asked, "I'm not sure what is going on but I'm pretty sure that we're all in danger; Gaia stressed that there was something special about Conlan, Aemilia and me . . . that the three of us were going to have to do something to stop Erebus . . . what does all this mean?"

Hermione looked at Harry with a sad, serious look on her face, knowing the moment of truth was upon them. "Why don't I go get Conlan and Aemilia, that way we can tell them all at the same time?" Harry asked.

"I think that would be a good idea," Hermione replied. Harry leaned over and kissed her lightly on the lips and then got up, walked up to Lily and kissed her on the forehead. She closed her eyes at the small amount of comfort her Dad's gesture brought and then opened them to see him walking out the door. Suddenly remembering the words that had ran through her head during the vision, Lillian rushed over to her Mother's desk and grabbed some parchment and a quill. Hermione, concerned by her daughter's erratic behavior, walked up beside her and asked, "Lily, what are you doing?"

"Gaia revealed something to me tonight Mum," she replied without pause, "The Prophecy that you gave while you were in Greece, the false one that Hera planted in your mind . . . I know what it really says . . . and I know that it's going to change Conlan's life forever."

~Next chapter: Harry and Hermione tell their children the truth and the true prophecy is finally revealed.