<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Potter and Blacks looked around guiltily, trying to think of a way to get out of the hole they dug.
"Don't worry Persephone," Remus said as he looked everywhere except his goddaughter's eyes, "We don't have to get this all done today."
They only looked back at her when they were sure all her tears were gone and saw that it was replaced with a small hopeful smile; something they learned to love immediately.
"Really?" Her voice asked, full of hope and happiness.
"Of course pup," Sirius said as he stood from his seat and kneeled in front of the girl, "We'll take our time, go through everything, and then together we'll decide what to do next."
Persephone's smile only grew as she got out of her seat and into her godfather's arms, hugging him tightly.
Though they were happy that Persephone stopped crying, they couldn't help but be sad that they weren't going to be able to be with her for a while. But still, no matter what, they would never stop fighting for her; that they were sure of.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
It took a while, but James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus finally felt; though it did take much persuasion and a bit of acting from Persephone for them to even consider leaving. Of course, they didn't leave before scheduling another meeting in two days where they'd bring Harry and Leo [Persephone's actual brothers] with them.
But as soon as Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus apparated back to their homes, everyone began to panic.
"Two days," Death exclaimed after they had finally got everyone seated in the meeting room, "We have two days before they come back and most likely try to guilt-trip Persephone using the boys to try and take her back home."
Everyone nodded in agreement, it was clear that the Potter and Black were willing to do anything for Persephone. And honestly, they couldn't complain as they would tear the world apart for her as well.
But Persephone couldn't go back with them, no matter how much she wanted to.
Her powers were too strong, even with her training. Though they had taught her how to hide them, and she aced that, she still needed to let her magic out from time to time, and the Potter and Black homes were not a place she could do that.
Here, the home can change with the deities so that nothing breaks when she lets her magic out but other places can't do that. And should she have her magic caged too long, well, let's just say the consequences would be severe.
"Okay," Knowledge said after a bit of silence, "We need a plan in case they do succeed."
She, to no surprise, received weird looks when she said this.
"Expect the best, prepare for the worst," Persephone said, making everyone go back to thinking of ways how it could go wrong and how they would be able to fix it.
"They could try to tear us apart?", Time suggested with his hand in his palm.
"Or they make their kids ask you to go," proposed Beauty as her eyebrows furled in thought.
"We need to go through every scenario possible," God said before he rolled his eyes and looked at Persephone, "And no Persephone, we are not going to break down the door yelling, 'FBI! Open up!'"
To this God only received confused looks as Persephone sighed and slumped deeper into her chair.
"Look," Chaos said with his brows furrowed, "Obviously we're all too optimistic or too dumb to think up scenarios so, does anyone have a friend that's a pessimist?"
After several minutes of silence, the deities had given up, Hades and Persephone only knew each other, and Raguel was going through his notebook of contacts. This only left God, who knew what to do.
"Alright," God said as he got up from his seat and walked to the door, "Desperate times call for desperate measures. I happen to know a guy who is great at pointing out bad things. I'm going to call him, but you can't freak out or make him mad."
This got everyone to worry. Who was this mystery man? Why couldn't they get him mad? And why was it now Persephone and Hades' life mission to get him mad?
God just gave them a quick nod before he cleared his throat and opened the door.
Nobody expected to see the person who was behind the door, well maybe Fate but that didn't stop the shock at actually seeing him.
There, in all his glory, was a teenage boy around God's age. But this didn't fool the others; they knew who he really was. His hair was a mop of black and brown curls on his head. Dim green eyes and a natural blush on his cheeks were distinctive features.
The deities and Raguel all knew who he was; Persephone and Hades didn't. The two were left to wonder who the man was. But because the others knew who he was, they didn't react when the stranger gave God a quick peck on the lips. But the two children didn't know, which was why their mouths were open in shock at what they had just witnessed.
"Aaaahhh!!" Was the only sound that came out of Persephone's mouth as she jumped from her seat and charged at God.
He was knocked down to the floor with a soft groan as Persephone trapped him in a tight hug, leaving the stranger to just watch in amusement.
"Perse, I know you're happy for me but that's no reason to break my back," God exclaimed once he got off the floor and set Persephone next to him.
She only grinned at him before turning to the stranger.
Everyone was amused when she started to circle him, summing him up. God even laughed when he realized that she was making the stranger nervous. Only when she had circled him three times did she stop and nod at him, her face void of any emotion. So she caught him off guard when she pounced and gave him a tight hug.
"I'm going to assume this hug means I have your approval?" Asked the stranger, his voice filled with relief.
Persephone just let go of him and with a big smile, flipped him off.
This shocked everyone; well everyone except Hades. He and Persephone planned this as soon as God told them he was having a guest. The deities and Raguel looked shocked, God was trying to hide his smirk, Hades was laughing his head off, and the stranger looked so scared and worried, he kept opening and closing his mouth in shock.
Persephone only smiled as Hades walked over to them and the two high-fived before laughing at everyone else's faces.
"Look at your face!" Hades said, putting an arm around Persephone as she did the same; making them both look like twins who just pulled a prank.
"No need to worry guys," Persephone said, a knowing smirk on her face, "Just wanted to shake the guy up a little!" To this, she received pointed looks from the others but a ruffle of her hair from the stranger.
"I like her," He said, looking at Persephone with pride, "She's got courage, I mean, she did just pull a prank on the devil."
"That's our Perse," God said with a sigh as he made his way to the table, making another seat for the guest next to him.
Hades followed, going back to his chair which only left Persephone and the devil standing.
"Persephone Peverell, your new best friend," Said the girl as she stuck her hand out to shake, ignoring Hades' groan at what she called the stranger.
"Lucifer Hel, now fully at your beck and call," Said Lucifer, a happy smirk on his face as he shook the girl's hand.
With those words, a friendship of sorts was made and they got to scheming.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Lily and James Potter apparated onto the island two days later, their only two boys next to them. But, that wasn't everyone.
Soon following, Sirius and Remus Black appeared, the former holding a basket full of stuffed animals. Still, not everyone.
The last and final guest arrived after the Blacks. He wore long deep purple robes and had half-moon spectacles resting on the edge of his crooked nose. This man was Albus Dumbledore.
The group made their way to the castle doors, only for them to be opened by Death; Life, Time, Fate, and Raguel next to him.
"Good to see you all again," Life said to James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus.
"Ah, these two young boys must be Harrison and Leo," Death said before he turned to face the other man, "Dumbledore, what a pleasant surprise. Now, let's make our way inside so the kids can meet."
They all followed Life as she led them to the same room the others had been in last time, the only difference was that the room was bigger and that the others were already there; well, all except Persephone and Hades.
Only once they were all seated did they introduce themselves to the others.
"Everyone," Time said to the others, "This is Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster at Hogwarts." Dumbledore inclined his head respectfully, but his mind was elsewhere, wondering where Persephone was.
Lily nudged the two boys she had next to her, indicating she wanted them to introduce themselves.
"Hello," The obviously oldest of the two said, "My name's Harrison Potter, but you can all call me Harry." The others just gave him small smiles before turning their eyes to the other brother.
"Hi," The boy with the red hair said shyly, "Leo Potter, happy to meet you all." The ladies cooed at his shyness, thinking it adorable, making the boy blush in embarrassment.
"Sorry but I've got to ask," Dumbledore said, stopping the others before they could embarrass Leo more, "Where is Persephone?"
Just as Death was going to answer, the door to the room opened, showing Persephone and Hades.
Persephone wore a black overall dress with a dark green turtleneck underneath, black boots, and her hair in a messy bun with small species of it framing her face. Hades wore black jeans with a dark green oversized dress shirt untucked and black tennis shoes on his feet.
Hades just gave the others a nod but his face was expressionless, much like Persephone's. The two made their way to the others but while Hades sat with the deities, Persephone sat in between God and Lucifer; the latter giving her a small wink for encouragement.
No words could describe how awkward and tense the situation felt; two families fighting over a daughter; two children about to meet their sister for the first time; a man trying to get the daughter under his control; and a girl who had a plan to put into motion.
"Right so," Said Death, trying to lighten the mood of the room, "Now that Persephone and Hades are here, we can start with the introductions." Everyone nodded to this, all of them having things they wanted to do.
"Persephone," James said, getting the girl's attention as he got up and put his hands on Harry and Leo's shoulders, "This is Harry and Leo, your brothers."
The two boys looked at Persephone nervously while she got up from her spot and approached the two. They only had a second before they were caught in Persephone's arms as she gave them both a hug and they hugged her back. Once they let go Persephone spoke.
"Well, I sure haven't seen you guys in a while."
This got the two to laugh lightly at her before they gave her soft smiles.
"You know what?" Persephone said suddenly, getting the twos' attention again, "We're like the three musketeers!"
To this, she only received confused looks and they could all see the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.
"You don't know who the three musketeers are!?" She looked at the two then back to their parents, one was confused while the other just shook her head fondly.
"You at least know Good Omens, right?" Persephone said as she saw more confusion on the boys' faces and now both of their parents.
A small shriek left Persephone's mouth before she pretended to faint onto Hades. He only just rolled his eyes before he flicked the girl on the forehead.
"Don't mind her," Hades told the others, "She just expects everyone else to read the books she reads, even though she won't read the ones others tell her to read!"
He was looking down at Persephone at the last bit and she was having a hard time trying to keep the smirk off her face. But the rest of the room was just looking at the children amused, making the room have a happy attitude.
"How about we let the children get to know each other better while we wait in the gardens?" Suggested Life, making Persephone and Hades roll their eyes because of course, Life wanted to show off the garden she created.
The adults all agreed and they all got up, Life leading them to the gardens. They were beautiful, I mean Beauty did have a part in making them. There were many seating areas, hammocks, egg chairs, and swings. All types of exotic plants and flowers were there, each playing their part to make the whole place shine. There was also plenty of space, so while the adults all gathered around a table, and the teens all gathered around the swings, the children chose to sit on a blanket that was under a large leafy willow tree.
Now, time to see what each group was discussing.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The adults were at ease, Death and Time had gotten along with James and Sirius on their last visit. The same happened to Life, Fate, and Raguel with Lily and Remus. The only one they all had tension with was Dumbledore.
But still, they didn't want the whole thing to be awkward, so they all tried their best to get along with the man; for now at least.
"Dumbledore," Death said, a small smile on his face, "I must thank you for accepting Persephone into Hogwarts. She's talked non-stop about it since she got her letter."
The other deities and Raguel all nodded their heads, fond smiles on their faces from memories of Persephone talking about how she would murder the man filled their heads.
"Oh? Well, really it was no trouble, she's had her name down for the school since her birth," Albus said with a slight chuckle.
"How has she been?" Lily asked, eager to learn anything about her daughter.
"She's been doing great," Life responded, "Though lately she's been getting into this muggle band; Queen is what they're called."
This caught Sirius' attention, as well as Remus, James, and Lily. Sirius was known to blast the band's songs as loudly as he could, which is how the other three knew the band.
"Really?" Sirius asked excitedly, to which Life nodded, "Do you know which song is her favorite?"
"Yes," Raguel said chuckling, "It's 'Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy'. She often blasts that song in her room and anytime we tell her to turn it down, she just looks at us straight in the eye while turning it up."
This made them all laugh and the conversation continued to how the kids were doing or what they did, making Dumbledore a bit frustrated because he still hadn't found anything he was looking for. But no matter, he'd wait. Besides, all good comes to those who wait.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Over at the swings, Lucifer had God on his lap, while Destruction, Beauty, and Knowledge all had their own swings.
"Are you sure we didn't miss anything?" Knowledge asked again for the sixth time.
"Geez, Edge!" Exclaimed Destruction as he was tired of her questions, "We've gone over everything a million times, so yes, I'm one hundred percent positive we didn't miss anything."
To this, he only received a whack on the back of his head from Knowledge and a sigh from Beauty.
"Don't mind him Edge," Lucifer said soothingly, "I've looked through everything twice, and should anything go wrong, Persephone's tough enough to find a way out of it."
The others couldn't argue with that, Persephone was a quick thinker, and she dominated everyone but God at chess.
"All we can do now is hope that everything goes in our favor," Said God as he watched the children talking.
Everything was now on Persephone's shoulders; all they could do was wait.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The children all sat in a circle on the blanket. On Persephone's left were Hades, and Chaos, on her right sat Harry and Leo. They were all hidden under the branches of the willow, though you could still see them if you were really looking.
"Harry, Leo," Persephone said, already making sure she was in charge of the conversation, "I'd like you to meet my other brother, Acacius, and my best friend, Hades."
Chaos nodded his head while Hades put his arm over Persephone's shoulders as he had a grin on his face. But this brought confusion to her other brother's faces.
"Brother?" Asked Harry, his face scrunched in confusion, "How is he your brother?"
"Well, the Peverells, Araysh and Elona, blood adopted me, making Acaius and Sophia my siblings," Explained Persephone to the boys, who nodded in understanding.
"But enough about me," Persephone said, eager to set her plan in motion, "How have you two been?"
"We've been great," Harry said with a smile at how his sister was interested to know about their lives, "Though, sometimes I feel like having a sister would be better than this dork."
They all laughed at this. Well, except Leo, who playfully punched Harry's arm.
"I could say the same about you too, you know," Leo said, which made Hades snicker, Chaos smirk, and Persephone roll her eyes at how Harry pretended to get shot and fall into her lap.
"I know the feeling," Persephone said looking at Harry, who had decided to let his head rest on her lap, "I'm constantly surrounded by idiots. I mean, there's some next to me right now!"
Hades only looked at her offended, while Leo tried to hide his snickers by pretending to cough.
"What!" Exclaimed Chaos, "I mean this dummy, sure," To which he pointed a finger at Hades, "But me! And after all we've been through! Last time I ever save you the last cookie."
Chaos said the statement with such an offended face that after a minute of silence, it had the whole group laughing.
"You guys would fit right in with my friends," Harry said once the group settled down.
"Really?" Persephone asked, a smile still on her face, "What're they like?"
"My best friend, Ron Weasley, is a jokester and knows everything about quidditch. And Draco Malfoy, he's always trying to be posh like his father but he can be super sarcastic and witty. Then there's Luna Lovegood. She's a bit odd but in a good way. She always knows what to say and has an awesome fashion sense. And Neville Longbottom is quieter like Leo but he loves anything to do with plants. He'd probably faint if he saw your garden." Harry said.
"They sound like nice people," Persephone said, a fond smile on her face from how Harry talked about his friends lovingly.
"They are," Harry said excitedly, "We've told them all about you and they can't wait to meet you too."
"We'll have to schedule a day when you could all come over and visit," Persephone said, looking at Hades who nodded eagerly.
"Wait," Leo said, a confused look on his face, "What do you mean, 'visit?'"
"She means that you could bring your friends along so that we could all hang out here," Hades responded, the conversation suddenly having a serious aura.
"I thought you were coming home with us," Harry told Persephone, uncertainty clear on his face.
"Well, where is 'home?'" Persephone asked, all traces of a smile gone from her face.
"Back with us at the Potter Mansion; though during the school year we go with our parents to Hogwarts," Explained Leo.
And there it was; the key Persephone was looking for.
She only turned to face Death as she mouthed two words.
'Got It.'
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Everything always went her way,
As it should.
Everyone always listened to her,
As they should.
Everywhere she went she was feared,
As everyone should.
So this,
This wasn't new
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✨ 👑 ✨
{ hello, so, i know my schedule is super messy and i'm sorry about that. but i'm still going to try and update every Tuesday and Friday. but, if i ever miss a day or like i haven't updated a few days after, i will say so in the conversations on my profile (also, if you follow, it will notify you if i make any announcements) so yeah, that's it. bye!! }
- rea -
* word count excluding a/n(s): 3,428 *