Title: Empowerment

Author: Knife Hand

Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated

Spoilers: Nothing Specific, general for first few books.

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I do not own Hermione, or Luna, or Ginny, or Cho, or... I would buy them all but I am broke.

Summary: While waiting in the Forbidden Forrest during Third Year, Harry and Hermione meet a pair of visitors who change the course of… everything.

A/N: This story was inspired by a specific concept from the Buffy Massive Multi-Crossover Series The Wandererverse, started by Steve Pantovich.

"There we go." Hermione said, settling down on the ground as they watched their past selves go down into the tunnel under the Whomping Willow.

"And now we wait." Harry added as he sat next to his Best Friend. "So… nice punch on Malfoy."

"Yeah." Hermione agreed. "I did hurt my hand though."

"You need to lock your wrist and let your whole forearm absorb the impact." A female voice said from behind them. "Or do a palm strike."

Both Harry and Hermione spun as they rose to their feet, drawing their Wands in the same action and settling into their own preferred combat stance.

"Good instincts." The second female said.

Both women were tall, fit and had long dark hair. The woman on the left, who had spoken when they turned, was dressed in a long, flowing Greek style dress, with a half breastplate over the top. She had a spear in one hand and a helmet perched on top of her head and a large round shield resting against her shins. The woman on the right was dressed in a white linen blouse with stitched brown leather pants and vest. She had her hair pulled back in a braid and had a bow in her hand and a quiver of arrows strapped to her back.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded.

"My name is Artemis." The woman on the right said. "And this is my sister, Athena."

Hermione could not help but glance up at the constellation Orion.

"Yes, that Artemis." The Huntress said sadly.

"Can someone fill me in please?" Harry asked. "Hermione?"

"Artemis is the Greek Goddess of the Hunt and Forests." Hermione explained. "Athena is the Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War. She was also the Patron Goddess of Athens."

"She is bright enough to be one of yours, Sister." Artemis observed.

"True, but I don't think she would want to be a Vestal Virgin." Athena replied. "Besides you are claiming her."

"Claiming me?" Hermione asked, then a lightbulb went off. "You want to make me an Amazon? ME?!"

"Why not?" Harry said. "You are smart, brave, good with your Wand and throw a mean punch. Everything an Amazon should be."

"How do you know about Amazons and not know Artemis?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"My cousin used to read the Wonder Woman Comics." Harry said with a shrug. "I think he liked the skimpy outfits."

"Yes, I think I may need to have a serious word with you Aunt and her family." Athena growled. "A Myrmidon deserves better."

"Myrmidons… where have I heard that before?" Hermione mused. "Wait… Trojan Wars. Umm… Achilles and his men."

"Correct, dear Hermione." Athena said. "The Myrmidons were to be my version of Artemis' Amazons, but Achilles had too big an ego. Had to save his ass, what? Five times during the Trojan Troubles."

"Seven." Artemis replied.

"Right, seven." Athena said. "Of course, I made the mistake of selecting trained and proven Warriors for my Myrmidons. Made them arrogant. They spent themselves at Troy. Killed something like seventy percent of the Trojan army, but all fell prior to the Horse thing."

"How many Myrmidons were there?" Harry asked.

"Sixty-four, including Achilles himself." Athena replied.

"Not bad." Harry nodded.

"Harry, there were supposed to have been at least ten to twenty thousand Trojan Soldiers." Hermione informed.

"And you want to make me a Myrmidon? Exactly what kind of enhancements will that involve and what do you want in return?" Harry said. "I am slow but not that slow."

"No, you are not." Artemis said. "Just have an inferiority complex and are occasionally lazy. Both Athena and I admit that we made mistakes last time. I set down too many rules and did not support my Amazons enough. Plus, I selected abused women to start my Amazons, women who had every reason to hate men. I just wanted to give them a chance to defend themselves. The whole lesbian man-hating was their own idea."

"And I selected the wrong type of men to be my Myrmidons." Athena added. "You will both get enhanced speed, strength and an instinctive knowledge of fighting techniques and weapons. In return all we ask is you set up a small shrine, call our name in battle and tell us about your lives."

"That's it?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." Artemis added. "We have the power to help and we think it is time for us to get involved in the world again. This time we will be more selective, choosing individuals not groups."

"Plus, the idiot Dark Lord just pisses me off." Athena added. "He thinks he deserves Immortality. Moron can't even die right."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and, without another word, nodded to the two Goddesses and then knelt before their new Patron Goddess. The Goddesses laid their hands on their Chosen's head and a bright light flashed as the two Magicals were enhanced. When the light faded, things had changed around the pair of Students.

They were still wearing their normal clothes, but equipment had been added. Hermione had a light half-breastplate, that provided covered her chest without impeding her movement, alongside a pair of leather bracers and shin guards, on over her clothes. There was also a thin metal headband around her temples. Over the half-breastplate was a combat harness, that secured a quiver and bow-case to her back, while on her chest there was pouches for various items, and for pistol magazines along side a holster that held an automatic pistol. She also now wore a belt with thigh rigs that held a second pistol holstered at her right thigh and sheathed a sword to her left thigh. Resting on the ground by her right hand was a powerful recurve bow.

Harry was now equipped with a full breastplate, with metal bracers and shin guards, over his clothes. His combat harness, had a few clips at the back, and similar pockets, both for general items and larger magazines, along with a combat dagger hanging hilt down on the left-hand side. His belt and thigh rig had a sword on the left thigh and a combat sub-machinegun clipped to the right thigh. He had nothing extra on his head as he had a full Greek style helmet, with a crest. To his left rested a large shield, almost circular but with a small section cut out in an arc on the right-hand side. To his left rested a long spear with a sharp point at the forward end and a bulbus, blunt metal weight at the back end.

"Bloody Amazing." Harry said as he looked over his equipment.

"Umm…. Why the guns?" Hermione asked.

"Sometimes they will be the most effective weapon." Athena replied. "But be warned, we're not going to be doing all the work, so you will have to figure out on your own how to get or create more rounds."

"The breastplates, bracers and shin guards combined will offer you some protection against spells and attacks, and they are designed to be able to be worn under normal clothes, so get into the habit of wearing them." Artemis added. "Hermione, your armour won't offer as much protection as Harry's but it does offer a bit more of a speed and flexibility boost."

"Harry, your shield can take a lot of damage, up to a few shots from a fifty-calibre anti-tank gun or a couple of Killing Curses." Athena supplied. "And your helmet has a sophisticated communications system and an AI assisted battle computer with heads up display. It's based on tech the non-Magicals will invent in about one hundred and twenty years, so Magic won't overload it."

"Sweet." Harry said. "Why doesn't Hermione get something like that?"

"Hermione, toss your head like a horse." Artemis instructed.

Hermione did as she was instructed and the headband changed. A pair of lenses extended down over her eyes and earbuds down into her ears, with the earbud on the right extending down further into a microphone by her mouth. Using her usual brilliant logic, Hermione tossed her head again and the lenses and earbuds retreated back into the headband.

"Time for us to go, and for you to get ready." Athena said. "Trust your instincts. You will know your weapons, but training will help."

With that the two Goddesses disappeared, quietly and not with a flash of light. Harry put on his helmet and picked up his shield and spear while Hermione tossed her head to activate the headband and grabbed her bow. Turning back towards the Whomping Willow, to see the commotion as the moon rose and Professor Lupin transformed into his Werewolf form.

"We need to distract Professor Lupin." Harry said, his voice taking on a slight metallic timbre from the helmet.

Hermione cupped her hands to her mouth and mimicked a Werewolf call.

"Remember, don't kill him." Hermione said as she stowed her bow in the case on her back and drew her sword.

Harry nodded in response and rotated his spear around so the blunt end pointed forward, settling it into the cut-out section of his shield.

The newly forged Myrmidon and Amazon braced themselves for the charging Werewolf.

TBC….