A Plan from Heaven

Many men, students and teachers, stared as she walked past. She was clothed in the garb of war, a sword in it's scabbard and a shield at her side. Her hair shone like golden honey, curls falling across her face here and there. Her clear eyes flashed as she looked from right to left. Many people watched with curiosity, for she seemed to know her way around Hogwarts, though many were sure she had never been there before.

Her name was Athena, the fierce battle-goddess, born of Zeus alone, and she was looking for Dumbledore.

Stupid Humans,

she thought, shaking her magnificent head, they act as though they have never seen a goddess before. Why did Zeus send me here? Why me? Why not Hephaestus? They might not ogle at him. She gave a laugh. Clear and beautiful it rang out, and many others stopped to stare at her. Finally, she turned down the last corridor to find it empty. There were no doors, no people. Or so she thought. For at that moment, two young gentlemen, known as Sirius Black and James Potter, stepped out of the wall as if it were nothing.

Feeling someone looking at them, they looked up to see the goddess, regarding them with some interest.

'Hello,' James said. 'How may we be of some service to you, fine lady?'

They both bowed low, and the goddess laughed with mirth. She looked James in the eye, and he found himself unable to break the stare.

'Well, James Potter,' she said, 'it would seem that I have lost my way to the Headmaster's office. I am sure it used to be down this corridor, but I fail to see it. Would you mind showing me the way to Professor Dumbledore's office?'

James opened his mouth, but no words came out. Sirius, being the good friend that he was, covered up for him.

'Sure, we would. Follow us.'

Each Escorting the goddess by the arm, they led her down many paths to Dumbledore's office. Looks of contempt were shot at them whenever they passed anyone of the male sex, and many angry glares were handed to Athena as all the girls looked wistfully at James and Sirius, most likely daydreaming about being the girl between their arms.

They found themselves opening up to her, like they had never opened up to anyone before, including each other. They talked and laughed all the way to the Headmaster's office on the topmost floor.

'And here is where I must leave you,' she said, turning round to face them, the laughter still filling her eyes. 'Thank you so much for the small tour you gave me. I enjoyed it ever so much. We shall have to do it again. But maybe another time. You have made me late for my meeting,' she scolded lightly. As she finished saying this, she gave each a small kiss on the cheek, and, smiling, looked above James' head and gave a short wink. There was a small whimper, and turning, James saw a flash of red before whoever it was ran around the corner. But he knew who it was. Turning back, the two were astonished to see that the strange and mysterious woman had disappeared, the staircase to Dumbledore's study slowly revolving round and round.

* * *

'Athena! To what do I owe this lovely visit?' Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling.

'You know why I came here. I have to tempt him. You also know that if I don't, Voldemort will win. There will be no downfall if I do not. So, you must show me which of the students. Which boy and which girl must I play mind games with?' Athena looked around at the study. 'You were always favoured by the gods. Zeus granted you with wisdom and a good mind. I see your wisdom has grown larger than even he expected. But Voldemort was also favoured. The two twins who were favoured above all. Zeus should have known as I had; he should have known his plan would go astray, and Voldemort would turn evil. I wish I had known more . . . ' A tear then came both in the goddess' and the wizard's eye, and both simultaneously reached up to wipe it away.

'It was not your fault, Athena,' Dumbledore began, but she cut him off.

'I was supposed to have the gift of foresight! It would not have happened this way! Oh, if only I had seen!' She said, letting her tears run freely now, unchecked.

'You could not have known. Zeus could not have known! No one knew he would go over to the dark side! It was a risk we all took. Even me . . . '

She looked up incredulously. 'You knew?'

His eyes twinkled once again. 'Yes, I knew. Zeus thought it would be safe to trust me with the information, and I even helped him a little in the process. So it is my fault as much as anyone else's. But dry your eyes. It hurts me to look at you, so sad.' He handed her a tissue to dry her eyes with, and she smiled in thanks.

'When Zeus and I gave you both extra powers, I had a feeling something would go wrong. I thought that maybe, just maybe, you wouldn't work in harmony, and it would be the end of all mankind. I could hardly bear the thought of the race of men ending in a battle for ultimate power. So, I dismissed the thought from my mind, and continued to work on you and Tom, as Zeus commanded me. I should've known . . . ' the goddess trailed off, looking down at the floor, a shining tear dripping from her eyelash. 'Well, it does no good to sit here, idle. Show me the students.'

Even as she was speaking, Dumbledore was pulling out the infamous Penseive from its place in a black cabinet. He set t on his desk, and bade Athena look into it. With his wand, he extracted a single strand of memory from when he had seen the two students of his choice fighting near the lake . . .

'James Potter!' a voice cried. All talk was subsided. It was a favourite pastime of many to see Lily Evans getting angry with James Potter, and it happened about once a week, growing evermore frequent.

'Yes? How may I help you?' he gave a short smile, but stopped as he saw her face. She was in a terrible fury, and she had in her arms what had been a dozen roses, but was now a million petals.

'You may help me by throwing your trash in the garbage, and not my bed!' she snapped angrily, throwing the petals and stems into his lap, and storming off to her bedroom.

Athena gasped. This was going to be a little harder than she thought, but somehow she would manage. She was Athena, goddess in battle, daughter of Zeus, higher in status than even Hera. She would manage . . . somehow.

Dumbledore seemed to guess her thoughts, and spoke thus as he put away his Penseive: 'I know that you are thinking it will be hard. For I am thinking so as well. Yet, there is still hope. That image was from last Valentine's Day, Olympians call it Cupid's Day or the Day of Aphrodite. This last Valentine's Day, he gave her the same kind of roses, left them on her pillow once again, and she said nothing. But I know, for a fact, that Lily picked them up, smelt them, and sighed. Then she hid them in her closet, being careful to tear off the name tag. She has quite a reputation to keep up, this last afternoon being the seventy-fifth time for refusing James Potter her friendship and love.'

'Why does she contradict herself so?' the clear-eyed goddess inquired with a sigh of frustration. 'Why does she refuse him, and claim not to love him, if all she really wants is to have him love her forever. Though I am wondering, if Zeus actually chose the right person for the job. Why not choose Aphrodite, if he wanted to go on with the scheme he has in mind now. Or maybe Cupid could shoot her with an arrow. Why did he choose me?'

'Ah, now that I can answer,' Dumbledore replied with his eyes lighting up. 'Have you not heard the poem?

Golden Aphrodite who stirs with love all creation,

Cannot bend nor ensnare three hearts: the pure maiden Vesta,

Grey-eyed Athena who cares but for war and the arts of the

craftsmen,

Artemis, lover of woods and the wild chase over the mountains.

She is no where near as perfect as you in beguiling the heart of a warrior, and the heart of a warrior is James'. Athena, although Zeus is not all-knowing or all-powerful, he has his reasons for doing things in a way that is unknown to any other, divine or mortal, and they most nearly always work out in the end.'

Athena smiled in gratitude. 'All the hecatombs that have been offered up to me have never equalled such magnificence as the praise you give to me. But tell me, and plainly tell, why not Cupid?'

Dumbledore smiled, feeling as though he were a good fifty years younger. 'I will tell you why in a quote from the great writer Shakespeare. You have heard of him, no doubt?'

'Yes, but do go on,' the clear-eyed goddess prompted him.

'Shakespeare states in The Tempest:

Mars's (Ares's) hot minion is returned again.

Her waspish-headed son (Cupid) has broke his arrows,

Swears he will shoot no more, but play with

sparrows,

And be a boy right out.'

'I see,' Athena said, shaking her head. 'Well, what must be done, must be done. And for now, I must go.' She smiled, turned herself into a young woman, the age of seventeen, honey-coloured hair done up in a bun, curls falling here and there. 'I will report back to you when my errand is complete.'

'Go with the blessing of Zeus and all gods, and do not fail, great goddess Athena. Fate will be on your side, but you must help it along the way. Go now, and do not fail me!'

Athena bounded out of the room, practically flying, and went to find a certain messy-haired Gryffindor . . .