Chapter Text
Seven Years in Hogwarts
Year 7: One of Us
Part 1
It happened very quickly.
One morning, during breakfast, the doors of the Great Hall banged open. Four wizards stepped in, dressed in golden and white. The leader didn’t spare a glance at the environment, but the three others were scanning the crowd, wands at the ready. Students stopped eating, and a deafening silence fell upon the room. Everyone recognized at once the particular symbol printed on the cape. The newcomers belonged to the Olympus coven.
Their reputation was well-known throughout Europe, as a group sharing the blood of Zeus of Olympus, one of the greatest Archimage of the past century. Their aim, or so they claimed, was to eradicate any leftovers of the man, to seal any powerful descendent and prevent the emergence of a new chaos. Zeus had been powerful, too powerful, and arrogant and proud. He had been a modern tyrant, using his power to cower everyone to accomplish his deeds, until he was assassinated by his own family. Eleven members had chosen to invade his palace, and put an end to his life. The leader had been his own wife, Hera, claiming she could no longer bear his oppressive reign.
Numerous rumors had followed Zeus’ murder, especially one that claimed that his death was mostly plotted by the Greek government who had merely manipulated Hera into action. In any case, the Olympus coven had been created and given permission to ensure no children of Zeus would follow his footsteps. A special international license allowed them to seal the powers of a witch or wizard without the authorities’ permission. Their presence in Hogwarts could only mean one thing.
Headmistress Finch stood from her seat, looking less than pleased.
“What matters brings the Olympus coven here?” she asked with clear irritation. “If you require a meeting-“
“We don’t want a meeting,” the leader interrupted with a strong accented English, and pulled down her hood. An ethereal-looking face appeared, pale and thin with beautiful eyes and dark blond hair falling like a cascade around her cheeks. The woman appeared in her mid-forties, although all knew she was far older. “We came to pick up the last scion of Zeus’.” Whispers echoed in the room at the presence of Hera herself. If the head of the coven had traveled so far from her original country, then the threat must be serious. “Just tell us what we need to know, and we will be on our way,” Hera spoke again, ignoring everyone but the Headmistress. “Where is the witch named Diana Prince?”
A loud chatter exploded from the ranks. The three others tables craned their necks to watch where the ‘Princess of Gryffindor’ was seated. They found her spot next to her usual friends empty.
“She’s in the infirmary,” Etta Candy, better known as Prince’s best friend, claimed uneasily. “She wasn’t feeling well last night.”
The Olympus leader’s expression turned grim.
“She is trying to avoid us,” she declared soberly. “We need to barricade Hogwarts-“
“Not at all,” Etta interrupted loudly, frowning in annoyance. “She’s allergic to peanuts and Charlie gave her a muggle candy that had peanuts in it. I went to visit her this morning; her face was still red and puffy. Not a pretty sight.”
Many of her classmates nodded in agreement; they had witnessed Prince’s alarming reaction after eating that innocent looking chocolate bar. The older witch glared at the Gryffindor. Etta held her gaze defiantly. Everyone knew that unless put under an Imperious spell, the girl would stand by her friend.
“It doesn’t matter,” Hera sputtered, losing a little of her composure in the face of such open hostility. “She is a danger to the world, we need to-“
“One moment.” All heads turned towards the Headmistress. She looked stony and angry, and for the first time, the fragment of her own power could be felt. Not many knew that Finch had been an Auror before becoming a DADA teacher and then taking over Hogwarts. While an injury had prevented her from ever entering fieldwork again, she still had skills earned through an impressive career that should not be underestimated. “This is a British school. The Olympus coven has no jurisdiction within these walls. I am the headmistress and Miss Prince is an excellent student who never gave us trouble. Now, unless you can certify she is responsible for a crime, and show up supported by our country’s Aurors, then I shall call for her.”
“You want another Zeus to emerge?” Hera hissed, narrowing her eyes. “We have to strike before she becomes too powerful.”
“You are a bitter wife who is determined to hunt down the consequences of her husband’s multiple affairs,” Headmistress Finch openly declared with uttermost calm. Hera glowered and her followers tensed. “If Miss Prince turns out to be Zeus’ daughter, I hardly see how that matters to you. There are many other known children of his who are causing far more trouble out there. I suggest you go after them instead of wasting your time on an uncertain lead, and ruin the life of an innocent girl. Now, leave on your own volition, or I will have you escorted out.”
The leader of the Olympus coven stiffened; her chin high. She had clearly not expected to meet resistance.
“You will regret this,” Hera hissed again. “I will return with a warrant, trust me on that.”
“Then I wish you a good day,” the headmistress replied sternly. It wasn’t until the four Olympus members had walked out the door that she turned her attention back to the students. “Carry on. You still have class today.”
A collective groan emitted from the four tables, but they complied nonetheless. In the midst of new gossip, a handful of students wondered where Bruce Wayne had disappeared.
SYIH
The answer was the infirmary.
“You didn’t tell Charlie not to give me those candies because you knew the Olympus coven was coming.”
Bruce tightened his grip over Diana’s hand, looking apologetic. She was still lying in a bed, the puffiness on her face almost gone by now. She did not remove her hand, but she still looked unhappy with him.
“I foresaw their visit yesterday, I didn’t have much time to act. The peanuts were an excuse so you wouldn’t be there when they came. No-one would suspect you’d deliberately take them, especially if one of your Gryffindor friends accidentally fed you wrong. It wouldn’t have worked with Slytherins.” When her expression remained crossed, he switched to their mental connection and added more seriously: ‘It was necessary. Someone tipped them about your father. They weren’t certain until they knew your mother was Hippolyta Prince.’
Last summer had brought their bound to another level. Mental communication had become a huge help in maintaining their relationship a secret, and useful for discreet conversations.
‘Of course, why suspect the witch who hates men in general?’ she retorted sarcastically.
‘Zeus would find her fitting for his bed, and she did have to sleep with someone to have you.’ Diana looked down. Bruce rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand in a soothing way.
“I know,” she whispered out loud. “I just –I’m not comfortable with all of this.” ‘I don’t know if she was willing,’ she mentally added.
‘I could try to find out,’ he offered.
She shook her head.
‘I will ask her eventually, but I won’t have you dream that. And we have more pressing matters to attend.’
He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingertips.
“They won’t get a warrant,” he went on quietly. “Hera will do her best, but the new Minister actually has a spine and is well surrounded. He won’t cave to her demands. She will return on the next Hogsmeade weekend instead, so we need to plan something.”
“You assume I will go now that you’ve told me,” she pointed out.
“Won’t you?” he asked rhetorically.
He knew she would rather confront them directly instead of hiding. Diana grimaced while he smirked smugly.
“When we started dating, I never realized you’d be such a mother hen,” she muttered.
“You won’t be able to handle them on your own,” Bruce pointed out. “And I am not letting them take you away from me.” He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed its back again. “You’re one of mine, princess, and I take care of my people.”
In spite of her annoyance, he felt the wave of fondness coursing through his body. He suddenly wished they were alone right now.
“Keep your mind out of the gutter,” she added, her cheeks turning pink.
“Of course,” he conceded with a wicked grin. He couldn’t resist planting a kiss on her forehead. When he met her eyes again, she had a pleased smile on her face.
“Who would have ever thought Bruce Wayne of all people could act like such a pile of goo.”
The two turned around, and were caught by an amused Lois. Behind her, Mera and Napi were staring in amusement.
“Says the girl who was caught making out with the Head Boy under the Quidditch benches,” Bruce replied plainly. Lois turned beat red. “Are they gone?”
“Expect the Headmistress’ visit sooner or later,” Mera declared. “She wasn’t happy.”
“She thinks it’s true?” Diana inquired worriedly.
“Whatever she believes doesn’t matter,” Bruce cut in. “She will protect you because you are a student here and she still has principles. If she doesn’t, you still have a place to go to if you need to lay low for a while.”
“But that won’t happen, because you have a plan.” When everyone glanced at Lois, she rolled her eyes. “Bruce, you always have a plan. Is this time any exception?”
His friends knew him too well.
“I’m brewing something, but I need Stone’s input.”
They didn’t push for more answers. There would only be one reason for Bruce to request Victor Stone’s help. The sixth year Ravenclaw was a master of spell crafting and both had been working on various projects ever since their collaboration in taking down Darkseid. Details would have to be spoken of in another environment, not in the open air of the infirmary.
“The Room then?” Napi spoke out loud what everyone was thinking.
Bruce nodded in agreement.
“The Room.”
SYIH
Hogsmeade was busy as ever. Students and inhabitants and travellers crossed the streets without paying attention to one another. Or rather, they were paying attention to one thing: Diana Prince and Bruce Wayne, making their way down the main street, holding hands.
“This is awkward,” Diana mumbled as she caught a sixth year gawking openly at them.
“Just ignore them,” Bruce shot back. “It’s their fault if they never saw it coming.”
“Bruce, we didn’t tell anyone we were dating. We didn’t openly spend time together in Hogwarts. No one saw it coming.”
He chuckled. The sudden display might have surprised a few. They were both popular students in their own way, and having them getting together would definitively feed gossip for the next few weeks. It wouldn’t escape anyone’s notice that they had chosen to come out in the open after the Olympus coven’s intervention, but Bruce was counting on their respective reputation within Hogwarts to keep students at bay. They would assume he asked her out after. Most would wonder why she would even say yes –or if she had deliberately chosen him to protect herself. Diana didn’t like them assuming she was just another damsel in distress but it did work in her favor. Her boyfriend suddenly tensed and she heard his voice echo in her head:
‘They’re here,’ and she hated how distracted she must have been for not sensing them. ‘Let’s get this over with.’
She squeezed his hand in turn, wand at the ready. It was a good thing he had warned her, else she would have never turned around in time to see Hera already casting a spell straight at her.
‘Reflexio’ Diana acted before anyone could move. Bruce might be subtler, but she was faster. That had been established during their very first duel. Hera’s spell bounced back at her. A flash of purple light caught the corner of her eyes and she summoned a shield right in time. Bruce cursed under his breath, which told her he had just blocked another coming from behind.
‘How many?’ she mentally asked.
‘Hera, Ares and Athena for now. I don’t see Apollo y-‘
She just had the reflex to extend the shield over their heads before a forth spell hit them from above.
‘-et. Nice save.’
‘Thanks’
The crowd had dissipated already, leaving running and screaming. Bruce fired back wordlessly, forcing Ares on the side. Another spell, coming from a dark corner, hit the wizard in the back. Ares cursed loudly, looking around in confusion.
Reinforcements , she thought as she spotted a glimmer in an empty spot. Another busting-out-of-nowhere spell hit Athena in the leg. Soon, a spray of curses were flying all over, hitting the Olympus coven in various places. They couldn’t move as freely as before.
‘They’re all here, Di ,’ Bruce said as he aimed at the rooftops, where Apollo was now trying to reveal the disillusioned students. ‘It’s going to be okay.’
A few days earlier
They had all gathered in the Room of Requirement. Arthur, Mera, Lois, Clark,Victor and Barry. Even the second years Richard and Barbara had invited themselves. Diana hadn’t wanted Charlie, Etta or Sameer to come. She trusted them, but they wouldn’t know how to take an order from Bruce –or just a Slytherin. Only Napi had agreed to show up , if only for moral support. She was on friendly terms with Bruce’s older friends, but didn’t know much about the younger recruits.
After tonight, she thought it would have to change. She wanted to be honest with them, and warn them against the upcoming danger. It would be up to them to stand alongside her, or not.
“You all saw what happened this morning,” she spoke quietly. “The Olympus came to take me away because they say my father is Zeus.” She swallowed and admitted: “They are right. I am Zeus’ biological daughter, and I have a huge magical power.” She paused, let the information sink in. None of Bruce’s friends were idiots; by now, they must have put the pieces together . “Last summer, at Gotham Manor, we tested my limits. My magical core is far larger than average, twice the potential of a fully developed adult, and it’s still growing. Zeus had the same…anomaly, which is why the Olympus coven wants to bind his children early on. In a decade or even less, I might be as powerful as he was.”
“Careful,” Arthur warned with a side smirk. “You’re starting to sound like you’re bragging.”
She glared at him while most of the room rolled their eyes.
“You do realize I could turn you to ashes with a snap of a finger if I wanted to,” she said, trying to insist on the risk. Last year, she wouldn’t have wanted to be bound under any circumstances. After last summer, when she had tested her limits against Faora, when the woman had nearly died under her assault, she thought perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
The Gryffindor’s grin remained.
“If you wanted to,” he echoed. “But you won’t. You’re not fooling anyone, princess. We all know you’d rather cut your arm than intentionally harm an innocent.”
She never got why Bruce and Arthur seemed to get along so well. Arthur was brash, bold, nothing like the cool and calculating Slytherin. But in those moments, when he spoke with his own brand of kindness and those genuine eyes, she understood. The slight building tension immediately vanished after his words.
Bruce took her hand, squeezed it gently again.
“We faced shitty situations before,” he said, addressing them in turn. “And this time, it’s the Olympus coven. They are strong. They have experience. We are just a bunch of kids who got lucky a few times.”
“And we’re gonna milk that luck for all it’s worth again,” Arthur piped in with an unhealthy happy glee.
“I just wanted to tell you the truth,” Diana interrupted, sensing a different atmosphere was brewing. “I don’t intend for anyone to get involved.”
Lois snorted this time.
“You are one of us, Di,” she pointed out. “Of course we’re getting involved. So, Bruce, the plan?”
Back to the present
Diana kept her shield up while Bruce retaliated. They had prepared for this. They had trained for this. All week long, every single night in the Room of Requirement, they had met in anticipation of an encounter with the Olympus coven, and had worked on battle tactics brought by Barbara.
‘Cover me, ’ she ordered. She felt his shield take over hers and immediately blasted a spell at the wizard of the roof. Apollo yelped as he dodged and tumbled off his perch. The three Olympus on the ground had regrouped and were currently standing back to back.
“So you came with friends for an ambush,” Hera spat. “Such a brave face you show.”
“And you came after me with three trained wizards because of a groundless rumor?” Diana shot back. The witch snorted, pure hate written on her face.
“There is no mistake, little girl –you look exactly like him.”
As Hera yelled her next curse, Diana conjured the most powerful shield she knew. But Hera’s spell wasn’t directed at her. It hit the ground and spread over the surface, brightening whatever it came in contact with.
“Retreat!” Bruce shouted as he slammed his wand to the grown and chanted: ‘Tholus Summa!’
He created a shock wave that countered the light with darkness. It surrounded the Olympus coven, covered the ground they were standing on. And then shot up into the sky. Diana braced herself for what would come next, her eyes never leaving the trio in front of her. The barrier fell around them, trapping all five inside, like an enclosed arena. The wall did not remain dark. Instead, it instantly became translucent, allowing the outside light to clear the inside.
A dome, she corrected mentally. Bruce had just enclosed them in a dome.
“What have you done?” Hera whispered, while Diana wondered the same thing.
‘Hera is more determined than I thought, I’m buying us time for plan B,’ her boyfriend mentally whispered. ‘They can’t apparate out, can’t take us away either. The others are calling the big guns.’
‘And by the big guns you mean-?’
‘Auror Gordon. And your mother.’
Diana gulped inwardly. She had hoped to avoid this scenario. Her soulbind to Bruce still hadn’t been disclosed, as both believed it better to keep it secret from her mother until her majority.
‘She’s going to tear Hera a new one,’ she thought out loud, and more privately: ‘And Bruce too.’
‘Hera might get away from Gordon if she claims immunity. Your mother won’t pull her punches. That’s what I’m going for.’
‘And in the meantime?’
She felt him smile.
‘I can focus on maintaining the dome. You can go all out on them. ’ She froze, as she immediately understood what he intended her to do. ‘Victor and I designed this, it won’t break unless I want it to,’ he added when he sensed her hesitation: ‘I will bring you back, if you go too far.’
‘How do you know I will listen?’
‘You believe in me more than you believe in your sense of restrain. I believe we were made soulmates for a reason. And I believe you are your mother’s daughter ,’ he smiled a little as he spoke the following words: “You really want to kick their asses, and I really want to watch you do it. So go. I have your back.”
SYIH
The dome was settled firmly in the main street. The walls were white and opaque, with rippling little waves of electricity on the surface. Clark waited until other curious wizards had returned before he disillusioned himself and approached cautiously. So this was the infamous spell Bruce and Victor had been working on?
“I can’t believe he actually did it,” he heard the Ravenclaw whisper in awe. “I don’t care what they say about raw power, that guy is a prodigy.”
He glanced over his shoulder. Victor was standing by his side, disillusioned too. He was watching the dome in fascination.
“You never put the spell in practice?” Clark asked.
“Tis the first time he’s trying it,” Victor confessed. “I mean, we covered the theory together and our crafting is correct, but in practice –it demands a lot of concentration.” Clark snorted –multitasking without losing focus was Bruce’s best skill. “You have to feel the magic, focus hard enough not to be distracted. A simple ripple can make the balance tip and destroy the wall. He can’t afford to be distracted. Diana will have to hold the fort if they attack.”
“There are three Olympus in there,” Lois said as she suddenly arrived beside them. “Will they be alright?”
Clark snorted. His girlfriend had been knocked out early during the incident last summer, therefore hadn’t witness their duels. Diana was not the one he was worried about.
“Diana is a horsepower where magic is involved. You’ve seen her in Dueling, how she constantly has to hold back. I’ve seen her use that power in my ancestral home. Trust me, if Bruce has her back, they’ll be fine. Did anyone send the messages?”
“I took care of Auror Gordon,” Lois said. “Mera sent a patronus to the other big guns when the attack began. They should be arriving-“ A multitude of ‘pops’ echoed in the main street. Three witches wearing leather outfits under golden capes apparated nearby. Their wands were already out and ready. “-now.”
The leader, a beautiful woman with golden hair and hard features, was scanning the crowd with a fearful scorn, ready to strike. Clark thought he recognized Diana’s battle face in her. He watched as she discovered the dome, the astonishment, quickly followed by worry, on her features. When she approached, the crowd instinctively opened a path to let them through. One always shied away from powerful figures, the Hufflepuff inwardly remarked. The woman he assumed to be Hippolyta Prince did seem to show an aura of danger.
“What is this?” she asked out loud, her fingers barely brushing the wall. A sparkle stung her as she touched it. She hissed and stepped back, eyes narrowed. Her wand was raised, ready to strike.”
“No wait-“ Victor suddenly intervened. “You can’t force it down from the outside. It has to come down from the inside –“
Hippolyta Prince stared at the Ravenclaw. Her eyes were deadly cold.
“And what if I try to break it from the outside?” she asked, but her tone sounded more threatening than inquiring.
“Then the spell rebounds and hits you instead,” Victor said seriously. “This –this is a real fortress.”
The left side of the dome suddenly flared white. There was no sound, no visual, but the dome wavered slightly before stabilizing again. Another flash appeared on the other end this time. Clark swallowed heavily, remembering the little he had witness of Diana in action. Feora had never stood a change. Would the three Olympus members be the same?
“Are they that powerful?” Lois inquired absentmindedly. “I mean, Bruce made this whole speech of them being strong, but when we were attacking them, they seemed lost.”
Another strike of lightening illuminated the top of the dome. Clark winced, and privately thought that Bruce might be onto something when he claimed he might be the only one capable of reining Diana, should she ever lose herself in battle. Next to him, Hippolyta seemed more and more worried. One of the other Amazons conceded to answer Lois’s question:
“The Olympus coven is made of skilled hunters, but they haven’t chased a real prey in years. Diana was trained by our best,” the Amazon claimed with no little pride. “She will prevail against them.”
And that, Clark though, was exactly what Bruce feared. The dome flickered again, and he pulled out his wand. Victor did the same, biting his lower lip in worry. The Slytherin had left very clear instructions on what to do next. Now, it was up to them to be ready.
SYIH
Bruce had always known Diana was powerful. His foresight had given him hints, their dueling had more or less confirmed it –she still held back, afraid of hurting him, which still annoyed him. Watching her play with the three skilled wizards made him reevaluate her true potential, and feel glad that she actually showed some restraint against him.
Hera spewed a curse. Diana stepped aside to dodge and wordlessly cast her lightening spell straight in her chest. The intensity of the light nearly blinded him, and he nearly missed seeing the witch thrown back. He did feel the blow as her body forcefully hit the wall, slightly disturbing their stability. Bruce focused on strengthening the dome a few seconds before returning to the matter at hand. The three Olympus were desperately trying to find an angle of attack on Diana. With the shield protecting her power display and her lack of restraint, she was crushing them. The Amazon coven was famous for the brutality of their attacks, and after all the stress they had put Diana through over the years, he felt she deserved to unload her anger.
A spell narrowly missed his head. He used his free hand to conjure Ace and Titus, the two phantom dogs serving his family, and whispered: “Verum facti.” The canines became a lot more corporal and started growling. They had felt the threat against their master. “Get them,” he ordered, and the two Great Dane-like summonings closed the distance between him and Athena within seconds. They could not take down a witch of her caliber, but they would serve as a perfect distraction.
Athena cried out in surprise as Ace sank its teeth in her wand hand and Titus slammed head first in her stomach. Ares was behind, casting at Diana. Diana conjured another lightning bolt and viciously aimed at his face. The wizard wasn’t fast enough to dodge it and the scream that followed would haunt his dreams for a while. Hera got up again and attempted a physical attack. Diana ducked and slammed her fist in her ribcage. The expression of glee on her face suddenly alarmed him. He was losing her, he thought. He was losing her to the battle frenzy. So far she had only aimed to injure, no killing blow, but Bruce could feel she was dangerously teething that line. And if she crossed it in the heat of the moment, she would never forgive herself.
‘Diana ENOUGH’ he shouted through their connection.
She immediately froze mid-movement. The others saw an opportunity –Bruce didn’t let them. He broke the spell maintaining the dome and shouted:
“Novice hominem! ”
The switching spell was immediate. He felt himself being pulled forward, not unlike Apparating, and a blink of the eye later, found himself standing in Diana’s stead. Athena and Ares’ wands were glowing –he didn’t have time to prepare a counter spell –
He braced himself for what would follow. He had briefed the others in case this scenario occurred, and they knew exactly what they had to do. As he felt their spell hit him, he turned around to meet Diana’s eyes, widened in horror, and prayed she would forgive him for what he had just done.