Here we are, we've just begun
And after all this time my time has come

ϟ

"Per—"

The woman no longer moved. Her eyelashes stopped fluttering, and her chest stopped rising. Her hands, her skin, her entire body still warm— although in her last moments she only remembered the cold.

Outside the room healers, assistants, patients, and visitors went mental. Running, screaming, disapperating. All these sounds. All these actions from different people due to their different stories. Some fought, some didn't. Some protected their loved ones, others left them behind. Tonight, some would die, some would live.

Even after being in labor for quite an amount of time, the woman was strikingly beautiful. She hoped that the newborn child might remember her face, but alas, the youngling would have no memories of the night this woman passed into the afterworld and a gap as wide as the ocean formed in the child's heart because of a woman whom they never got to know.

With the hospital in full panic, many healers didn't know what to do. The woman's assistant healer, whom had helped her in labor, watched and listened as the blonde woman took her last breaths. The woman's words had been unclear. With hope in her heart, she wrote down what she believed she might have heard.

Quickly she reached for the baby in the deceased mothers arms. A grimace found its way onto her lips as she did so, but a scowl replaced it as she heard the uproar of terror right outside the hospital wing.

After a quick glance at the beautiful woman, the healer quickly fled the room. An innocent, new life rested in her hands. She fled down the other side of the wing, content on hiding the baby in the only place she felt was secure enough. Would it be enough? There couldn't be an answer to that question in this moment. But was it the only place in the hospital that had a chance of success? She was damn sure of that.

Entering the room as quietly as possible she placed the baby on the counter. Whipping out her wand she casted a few charms and spells, making sure to disable the cooling mechanism that froze the bodies. She didn't want to do it. How cruel was it that a child had to be born in a world of life, surrounded by death.

She had no choice. These people are ruthless. They are sinister. Occasionally, they aren't the brightest. Maybe, with a little luck, the baby would make it out of this attack alive. Tear after tear streamed down the nurses face as she placed the infant onto the tables before casting a quick silencing spell. She tucked the birth certificate into the little pink blanket. She knew, as she stood in the morgue, that she would have to seal the baby in, but before she did so she whispered to the child, "Everything is going to be alright. I promise. You're going to be okay, Persephone."

ϟ

Breath.

Inhale; exhale.

Just breath she told herself. Breath, Persephone, breath.

She flailed her hand around by her side in search for his. At the same moment he was doing the exact same thing. You could think of it as a nervous tick the two adapted throughout their years spent together.

"You— You— You see him too, Ha—Harry?" she stumbled.

"Ye— Yes, yeah. I— I see him too, Pare-Bear," Harry stuttered, squeezing her hand a little tighter.

"An' there's Harry an' Persephone!" the giant boomed, causing the two frail children to squeeze each other's hand just a bit tighter. Neither could quite wrap their head around the fact the giant knew their names, and they found the tiniest fraction of comfort in the terrified silence they shared.

He then went on to explain the last time he had seen the two, but both children thought it was crazy that they had seen this man before and it had not been scarred into their memories. He spoke of how Harry looked so much like his father but had his mothers green eyes. Those eyes were one of Persephone's favorite things to preoccupy herself with, and Harry felt the same way towards her purple ones. With one look at Persephone, the giant sent her a small, sympathizing smile through his mass of hair that told her all to much that, just like every other person she'd been introduced to in her life, this man had no idea who her biological parents were. Persephone reciprocated the smile to the best of her ability, finding warmth and safety radiating off of the giant.

"I demand you leave at once!" the plump man that had taken "care" of both Perry and Harry said furiously. "You are breaking and entering!"

"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," the giant exclaimed, and with one swift— well maybe swift wasn't the right word— with one clambering, yet graceful motion he bent the gun her guardian was holding.

An outwards gasp left Persephone's throat as she watched the large man disfigure the weapon with such ease. This was not a man to be crossed.

He turned to Perry and Harry, reaching into his coat before pulling out a slightly crushed box. "Anyway— Persephone— Harry, a very happy birthday to yeh both. Got sumthin' fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."

After an attempt that resulted in failure, of trying to open the box with only one of his hands, Persephone rolled her eyes and lifted the top up. Harry sent her a sheepish smile before drawing his eyes towards the sticky chocolate cake within the box. Both the young girl and boy read over the five words with the same feeling as though everything they had ever wished for had come true.

"Happy Birthday Persephone and Harry." The words were smushed. The left hand side of the cake started with big letters that started to shrink as you made your way right. Persephone's name barely fit on the cake, even with its small and drooping letters. She was sure that any person who did not know her name would have a difficult time deciphering the letters. Harry's name was written at the bottom of the cake, barely a perfect fit, but still understandable. The color contrast was, possibly, worse than some of the outfits Mrs. Petunia and her sister-in-law would piece together. A light green on a pastel pink, and as awful as it was, the two colors found a new place in Perry's heart.

Perry, who had a more advanced vocabulary than Harry and excelled in language, found herself at a lose for words. Harry, whom ment to say, "Thank you," buckled last moment and found himself spitting out, "Who are you?"

Almost automatically, Perry's hand slipped from Harry's as she elbowed him in the side. It was a light push in his side. She knew how light the boy was from their constant neglect, and just as she knew that about him, he knew how that same neglect stunted her growth, making her a bit shorter than him.

"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."

He held out his enormous hand, ready to shake the children's hands. Perry enthusiastically shot her hand out to shake his. Instead of her hand getting grabbed, he shook her whole arm up and down. The same action happened to Harry.

With a bright smile he began to tend to the fire. Ever since he had entered the shambled building, he had brought up the idea of having a nice cup of tea. Now, he stood in front of the fire determined to make that cup since no one else would. As well as the tea, he started roasting— what Harry had described as "the most wonderful smell that had ever tasted"— sausages.

Once again, Perry let her hand snake around Harry's wrist to find his hand. He gave her a small smile, his eyes laced with a sense of security and concern. Persephone returned the gesture. Her smile was softer than his had been; her eyes were warmer and held hope within them.

Perry gave his hand a little squeeze as she turned back to the giant, who was now enjoying sitting back in the cushion of the sofa.
"Pardon sir, but we still don't know who you are exactly," Perry said stepping forewords just a snag.

"Call me Hagrid," he said handing the two children a sausage, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts— yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course.

Harry and Perry gave each other a look. One of those looks that stay with them for years to come. Eyebrows furrowed and pushed together, eyes squinted in confusion; lips slightly pursed out.

"Er— no," Harry piped up next to the blonde girl.

Hagrid, the giant, looked at them in shock.

"Sorry," Harry quickly added to his sentence.

In an instant he was up and screaming. Directed not at them, but at the Dursley's. He pointed fingers while screeching about some place— Hogwarts. He went on about Harry's Parents; how they died hero's. He went on about his world. Another work. Their world.

"Another world?" Persephone inquired. "Hagrid, I don't think we're the children you're looking for."

"We don't know about another world," Harry added.

"But yeh must know about yet mom and dad," the giant said directly to Harry . "I mean, they're famous. You two'r famous."

"What? My— my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?" he said mumbling the last part to only Perry.

"Yeh don' know... yeh don' know..." he mumbled. "Yeh don' know what yeh are?"

Uncle Vernon looked as if he could pop. "Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there! I forbid you to tell the children anything!"

Now Hagrid was furious. Well, that was an understatement. He already was furious; at this point he was boiling with rage.

Perry stepped closer to Harry as she watched the men bicker back and forth. Questions raced through the two 11 year olds minds. What letter were they talking about? Was it the letter? Who was this "Dumb-lord-er" Hagrid was going on about. What had been kept from them for all these years?

"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry— yer a wizard, and Perry you 's a witch."

Persephone didn't manage to hear the next few words exchanged between Harry and Hagrid. A warm aura filtered through her veins. She didn't even have time to question what Hagrid had said, her mind and body had already agreed. She smiled, finally feeling one of those missing pieces of her heart be put back together. For once in her life she thought to herself, maybe she'd be all right. Maybe, Harry and her would be alright.