Work Text:
The first time Harry heard about Perseus was when Harry was having a tough week.
He was sleeping in his bed at Hogwarts when he dreamt of a giant snake attacking Arthur Weasley in a strange corridor.
It happened a couple of days ago, but the memory was still fresh in his mind. He feared that Mr. Weasley's screams would forever haunt his memory.
Harry really didn't want to think about that, but it's not like he had a choice.
It haunted him constantly when he was awake, but also in his dreams. And it seemed like no distraction was going to work. No matter what he did, the memory stayed at the front of his mind.
The worst thing was that he was the snake. He had hurt Mr. Weasley, and he didn't know how to cope with that.
It's not like he meant it, not like he knew how to control it. And that was the scary part, that he wasn't even aware he was doing it.
What if he'll do it again?
He didn't tell a lot of people about him being the snake. He was scared. Scared of how they'll react and honestly, he was scared of himself.
But the only person Harry trusted wholeheartedly with anything like this was Sirius.
He was an adult (by age) and he knew stuff. Sirius was never quick to judge and he had always protected Harry, when he could.
So Harry confessed to him about being the snake that attacked Mr. Weasley. Privately, he told him about how he was scared of himself and of what it all meant.
The two of them were currently in Grimmauld Place. In the room that had Sirius' family tree spread across the walls.
Harry already had tears in his eyes. He tried to make them stay there, but it became harder and harder to prevent them from falling down his face.
"Ohh Harry" Sirius put a hand on his shoulder and lowered himself to the same eye level. "That's not your fault" Sirius told him with certainty.
"But how can you know for sure?" Harry asked him quietly, trembling. "I can't sleep" he confessed "I can't relax. Every time I start to feel calm... my mind goes to that night and I... I start to panic and and I feel so lost..." Harry started crying quietly, and Sirius was quick to pull him closer into a hug.
"What can I do?" Harry questioned weakly. He didn't specifically aim it at Sirius, more at the world.
But to his surprise, Sirius huffed a quiet laugh "you know what...." he sounded considerate.
Harry pulled back to look at him quietly. But all Sirius did was smile softly at him.
He then got up and gently led Harry to the other side of the room.
Now, they were both standing in front of a wall that was suspiciously lacking paintings of Sirius' dead relatives.
Sirius winked at him and tapped his wand gently against the wall three times.
For a second Harry thought that the years in Azkaban were too much for him to handle.
But at the third tap, he was proven wrong when a part of the wall collapsed on itself and revealed a dark passage.
Harry couldn't help but gape in shock even if he wanted to.
He looked up at Sirius, dumbfounded, and back to the passage, just to make sure it was real.
Sirius seemed to enjoy Harry's reaction as he smirked and entered the dark corridor "follow me Harry, don't worry, it's relatively safe but I still wouldn't touch anything"
After that, Harry was quick to follow Sirius who had cast Lumos in the dark passage.
The corridor wasn't very wide or tall, but Harry was still able to walk upright, only occasionally bumping into the walls.
After a minute or two of walking, Harry found himself in a medium sized room that was full of cracked marble statues, tarnished bronze bowls, ancient tapestries, and thick layers of dust that suggested no one had stepped inside for decades.
Harry's eyes widened as he turned in place, trying to take in every single detail of the room.
"What is this place?" Harry asked in wonder.
Sirius put a hand on his shoulder to grab his attention and pointed at the statue placed at the far end of the room.
This statue was by far the biggest one in there and the most beautiful. It was a bit larger than a human sized statue and stood proudly in the middle of what Harry started to think was a shrine.
"Well.." Sirius seemed hesitant about where to start "I'm not sure if you're aware of this Harry, but some of the old pureblood families believe in the existence of gods"
"What?" Harry couldn't help but sound surprised as he blinked at Sirius.
His godfather huffed "yes" he looked at the statue "there are some in the magical community that believe that gods were the ones who gave wizards and witches their magic... my parents believed that at least..." Sirius scowled, he never liked to talk about his family.
After a minute of Harry processing the new information he decided to ask "and you? Do you believe in that?"
Sirius laughed humorlessly "no"
He then looked at Harry, like it meant something "but I was forced to come here many times when I was not much younger than you. My parents made me kneel on the ground, right about there" he pointed at the front of the room, where an old dusty cushion lay "and pray to the God Of Loyalty"
Not for the first time that day, Harry looked at the place Sirius pointed to with wonder "the god of loyalty?" he asked quietly.
"Mhhm" Sirius spoke calmly "the Black family had always referred to him as their patron. The God Of Loyalty, also known as Perseus, has many other domains, but loyalty is why the Blacks liked him so much. They believed that loyalty to your house and legacy were the most important things... loyalty is probably the only trait that I shared with the rest of them" he shook his head.
Harry now stared harder at the statue "so... this statue... is a statue of the god of loyalty?"
"Indeed it is" Sirius smirked, clearly trying to lift the mood.
The statue was made of marble, and although it was full of dust, Harry could clearly see the face of a young man, wearing ancient clothes that Harry didn't know the name of, holding a sword and looking down at the empty cushion.
And although the man looked intimidating, with his sword at the ready and focused eyes, his expression was kind and his eyes seemed to hold emotion in them, even if it was just a statue.
Harry nodded "but why am I here?"
Sirius led him to the front of the room. "I brought you here because you've been struggling a lot," he said, crouching down again. "So many things have happened lately, Harry... I know how hard it's been for you."
He hesitated, then added, "And even though I never believed in the existence of gods when I was younger, there were times I felt overwhelmed. Praying helped me clear my mind and feel better."
He glanced at him. "Not because I thought some god was listening, but because I finally stopped ignoring what was bothering me. I said it out loud instead of denying it. I think it could help you too, even just a little."
Harry stared at his godfather for a long time. He didn't know exactly how to feel about it. It's not like Harry believed in gods... but if it helped Sirius...
"Okay" he finally nodded "I'll try it"
"Excellent" Sirius clapped his hands excitedly "I wouldn't come close to that cushion though..." he eyed the dirty cushion suspiciously.
"I'll wait for you outside" Sirius waved as he exited the room.
Harry stayed where he was and stared at the door for a long moment, not knowing what to do next.
After some thought, he turned to look at the statue from where he was standing just behind the dirty cushion on the floor.
He then nervously clapped both of his hands together and did what he thought could be considered a prayer.
"Ammm.... Perseus? The god of loyalty? If you hear this... I wanted to pray to you because I feel so stressed all the time... Last year Cedric died and it was all my fault." Harry wouldn't deny that there were small tears in his eyes from the confession "I... I know it is. I was the one that suggested we be champions together... that's how he ended up de-dead"
He took a calming breath "and I think it's going to happen again... that someone else will die because of me... I I almost killed Mr. Weasley in a dream I had. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's true! And Voldemort is rising... and he seems dedicated to killing me... and I just... I'm so lost... But I have my friends and Sirius... so maybe it'll be fine"
Harry took another calming breath. At the end of his prayer turned into a rant he closed his eyes. A feeling of calmness overtook the previous stress and anxiety.
A rare feeling of hope washed all over him, and for the first time that week, Harry felt like everything was going to be alright.
With the newfound positivity, Harry slowly opened his eyes only to immediately close them in shock as he stumbled backward.
Harry rubbed his eyes as he stared at the statue with confusion. When he first opened his eyes Harry could swear that the statue was looking straight at him, but now it seemed to have returned to how it was before.
What?
Harry probably just saw it wrong or maybe he opened his eyes too fast. Yep. It was because of his terrible eyesight. There was a reason he was wearing glasses...
Harry shook his head and turned around, going to thank Sirius and tell him that it actually helped.
What Harry didn't see though, was the soft blue glow that flanked him when he prayed, nor did he see how the eyes of the statue followed him as he turned around and left the room.
He had told Ron and Hermione about what happened a few days later. Ron nodded his head and said that in his house they still talked about the gods too, but only out of tradition. Not because they believed that gods actually existed.
Hermione, who had already read a few mythology books written by wizards, interrogated him excitedly about what he saw in the room and especially about the old statue.
But after a while, Harry forgot all about it. Umbridge became much more of a menace and Harry didn't have the time to think about anything else but "keep going".
Something that became much harder to do after he returned from the battle at the Ministry at the end of the year. After Sirius had died.
A year later, Harry and Dumbledore were sitting in his office.
Harry had just come back from Professor Slughorn with the unaltered memory that the headmaster had asked him to get.
Dumbledore told him it was time for them to go. He said that he'll only take Harry with him if Harry obeyed all orders without question, including running or hiding if needed.
Harry knew that it was going to be bad. He knew that it was going to be dangerous. He had never seen Professor Dumbledore acting this way, and in all honesty, it made him more scared than he was willing to admit he was.
Dumbledore seemed to notice that as his eyes softened. He put a gentle hand over Harry's shoulder "I will not lie to you, Harry. What lies ahead will not be easy... and it will not be safe."
Harry swallowed. Getting a confirmation of his concerns was not exactly cheering.
"But I have always found a short prayer to be a comfort. Especially at a time like this"
Harry's head snapped toward Dumbledore, eyes wide as he remembered what Sirius had shown him more than a year ago.
"You.." Harry was trying hard not to cry over his godfather's memory "you believe in gods Professor?"
Dumbledore chuckled "our magic had to come from somewhere..." his eyes twinkled.
But before Harry could ask any more about the huge statement his professor had just made "I suggest a prayer to the God Of Hope, Lord Perseus"
Harry remembered that name. Only barely, but he did. "Isn't Perseus the god of loyalty?"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled once again "indeed he is Harry, but gods can have more than just one domain-"
Harry blushed. Right... he remembered that Sirius told him about this...
"-and I think we all need hope these days" Dumbledore smiled at him.
Harry nodded and prayed, just like the headmaster asked him to. He closed his eyes and clapped his hands together softly, but this time, he did not speak out loud.
Dumbledore did not close his eyes. So Dumbledore could see the soft blue glow surrounding his young student.
It wasn't easy to surprise the old headmaster, but a blessing from a god would do the trick.
As Harry prayed, Albus Dumbledore stared at him with fascination. He hoped that Lord Perseus would hear Harry's prayer and aid them in their task. After all, Perseus was the Lord of Heroes, and Harry would be more than able to pass as a hero.
But a blessing was an entirely different level of aid, one the old professor had never even dared to imagine receiving from a god.
When the glow disappeared and Harry opened his eyes, Dumbledore said nothing. But he felt much more relieved now, knowing that Harry would have support even after he himself was gone. After he died tonight.
That night, in the cave, Harry tried so hard to hold on to Dumbledore, something that became harder and harder as more Inferi climbed out of the lake surrounding the small island.
But when it seemed that Harry was going to be dragged down there, unable to hold his own against the huge number of Inferi, some of them just vanished under the waves.
Harry thought that he had to be imagining that most of the Inferi were held back by the water itself, a barrier between him and death.
Harry didn't have time to think about it, as he and Dumbledore made it to Hogsmeade. And after that night, Harry completely forgot about the water. The death of Dumbledore dulling all other thoughts.
More time had passed and Harry had more serious things to think about than magical water and the eyes of a statue. He was at war. No, correction, he led a war.
The final battle was approaching with rapid speed. All the inhabitants of the castle were already preparing themselves for it or leaving if they were too young or not willing to fight.
But instead of doing what others did, Harry searched for a diadem.
He was on his way up the moving stairs of Hogwarts, his mind going a hundred miles per second, thinking about all that could be done to protect the castle, all that could be done to win the war, when-
When Harry stopped.
His mind cleared of every previous thought. All he could think about was the large oil painting hanging across from him.
There were so many moving paintings scattered all over the walls in the castle, that he never really seemed to pay attention to them anymore. Especially not one placed in front of the stairs, where there was constant movement.
But now, he noticed it. The familiar, even if barely, face of a young beautiful man, wearing ancient clothes that Harry didn't know the name of. A man who had a sword in his hand, but despite how intimidating he looked, his eyes were gentle and kind.
The painting of Lord Perseus nodded at him. And suddenly, Harry could recall the moving eyes of the statue and the magical water. He remembered the odd feeling of calm and hope within himself when he prayed to the God.
Harry gaped at the painting and slowly walked closer, until he was just in front of it.
"Will you help me?" he whispered.
The painting of the God Of Loyalty looked down at him, smiled and nodded once more.
Harry felt his heart beat faster and faster as he suddenly saw a soft blue glow surrounding him.
He looked at it with astonishment as he moved his arms to see if the glow would follow them. "Thank you" he whispered to the painting.
The God Of Loyalty smiled at him.
Harry quickly turned around and ran to where he said he'll meet Ron and Hermione to search for the diadem, his heart still beating fast.
In the Room of Requirement, he, Ron and Hermione met with the unpleasant surprise that was Malfoy and his two friends. One of them dumb enough to cast the Fiendfyre curse that made the whole room light up in magical flames.
Harry, Ron and Hermione ran, but they couldn't find the exit and couldn't find brooms to fly above the fire.
"There" Hermione shouted above the sound of the raging flames and pointed toward three brooms on top of an already burning pile of things people had lost.
"We can't reach it, the pile is already burning!" Ron panicked as they continued to run.
But unlike his two friends, Harry felt completely calm. He felt hope and courage, like he instinctively knew that everything was going to be alright. He felt like right now, he'll do anything to keep his friends safe and somehow, he knew he'll succeed.
Harry turned around and sprinted toward the burning pile of lost things, climbing it at alarming speed. The heat didn't bother him at all.
"Harry!" He could hear both of his friends screaming at him to come back, but before they finished their pleas he was already back with three brooms in hand.
"Blimey Harry! How did you do that?"
Harry didn't answer. He just gave them their brooms and flew off to save Malfoy. Malfoy was part of Hogwarts as much as Harry himself was. And Harry was loyal to Hogwarts. He had to save Malfoy.
At the fight itself, there were many times Harry was hit with a dark spell that was supposed to hurt him badly.
But somehow, all the curses thrown his way had less effect on him. Some even only tingled when they were supposed to break bones.
And Harry never felt better in a fight. He didn't get tired. He wasn't scared of death and he never, not even once, thought about giving up.
Harry sacrificed himself.
He had to. Snape's memory didn't give him any other way around it. If he wanted Voldemort to die, then Harry had to die as well.
So Harry died. Well kind of...
When Harry opened his eyes after he was hit with the killing curse, he was sure that he'll see all the people he had loved and lost, and the people he didn't have enough time to love before he lost them.
But when Harry opened his eyes, he found out that he was actually lying on sand.
He quickly got up and scanned his surroundings. And it didn't take a genius to understand that he was standing on a small island in the middle of nowhere.
"Hello Harry" came a deep voice from behind him.
Harry quickly turned around and gaped at the person in front of him.
It was the young beautiful man Harry had seen in the painting and as a statue, but now he was wearing jeans and a blue shirt instead of the ancient clothes Harry was used to seeing him in.
The man was tall, and something about him just made Harry instinctively know that this person was a God.
The way he stood, the blue glow under his skin, his eyes that seemed to be made of the sea itself, it all just gave it away... well... except for the jeans...
"P-Perseus?" Harry asked.
The god's eyes seemed to glow with kindness as he chuckled "indeed I am" he smiled. But it wasn't long before his expression changed to something more serious.
"I am sorry I wasn't able to help you more over the years. There are laws that restrict how much a God can meddle in mortal lives, and although I assisted when I could, I'm still sorry for not being able to save the people you lost"
The only thing Harry was capable of doing was nod.
"But you still have the chance to defeat the one who did all of this"
Harry perked up. Wasn't he dead?
"You aren't dead" the god answered without him asking "you have the option to go back to the battle and kill Voldemort once and for all. The blessing I bestowed upon you and the fact that you were a Horcrux prevented you from dying"
Harry nodded once more.
"Would you like to come back?"
"Yes"
Perseus smiled once more "good luck Harry" he snapped his fingers and Harry was no longer on an island.
They had won.
The war was over.
And Harry couldn't feel more exhausted. And the hope and the courage and the fierce loyalty he had felt since the beginning of the battle faded, not entirely, but just back to their original level.
Ron and Hermione found him after he had left.
"How are you feeling mate?" Ron asked.
"Tired. But hopeful" Harry smiled.
"You still didn't tell us how you did it?"
"Did what?"
"Survive the magical flames"
Harry chuckled "it's a secret I'm keeping between me and a painting"
"..what?"