something whispered
in an alleyway
or through a crack

ϟ

Dear Weaslings, and famous ones (if your there yet),
I hope everything with the great rescue mission went as planned. You'll have to tell me all about it, but I'm guessing Fred and George did something partially illegal. As for my summer, it's been interesting. I've been stuck with knuckleheads for far too long. Pansy has only dragged me along to the Malfoy's a few times. The rest of the times I've escaped to the village where a few other Hogwarts students live.
To answer your question, I can meet you all at Diagon Alley on Wednesday. Sadly, I won't be able to stay with you all for the last few days before term. I wish I could, believe me, but I have to travel to my grandmothers. I can't wait to see you all on Wednesday! A round of ice cream on me.

Your favorite,
Viktorija

"I can't wait to see her!" Perry exclaimed as she handed the letter back to Fred. "I've missed her so."

"You only have to wait a few days," Ron replied as he walked down the back stairs carrying his broomstick.

Perry stood outside with Fred, George, and now, Ron. The boys had decided they would spend the day playing quidditch, and Perry decided to tag along, wanting to get some fresh air. In her hands she held her new book and her kit of different inks and quills.

Harry came out the door holding his nimbus two-thousand, and they were ready to go. They began their trek up the hill to get to what the twins call their "makeshift quidditch pitch".

When Perry got to the top she looked down at the field that truly lived up to its name. The goal posts were three slightly curved trees whose branches happened to form circle like shapes. On the way down the hill, Fred explained they used apples instead of the real quidditch balls just incase a stray one ends up in the muggle village off wander. If one of the real balls did end up there it would be hard to explain.

Perry sat underneath a tree while the boys flew around in the air. She drew in her new journal. Since she'd gotten it, she's used it as a diary, sketch book, and all sorts of other things. The pages were endless and so were the possibilities. She tried to recap her entire last year in the book to ensure she'd never forget it.

She found herself drawing the Hogwarts crest. Her heart yearned to be within the walls of the dim-lit castle once again. Every time her quill hit the coarse paper she wished to be back with Viktorija, staying up too late in their beds.

She continued to draw the crest until the long drawn days finally came to an end and Wednesday was upon them.

ϟ

Perry came out of the fireplace knowing not of where she was. The room was lit by lamp looking mushrooms of all different colors. The ground Perry stood upon sank a little low with every step she took. Perry bent down to touch it. Standing up she decided she must be standing on moss.

Neither Harry nor Perry's first attempt using floo-powder had gone very well. Harry has said something incoherent, and in an attempt to follow him, Perry repeated what she though he may have said.

Seeing that Harry was not in the same place as she was, she concluded she hadn't done very well. Above her, crystals hung from the ceiling by the bunches. Perry recognized these crystals from her Potion classes and from the detention she served with Draco Malfoy and Adrian Pucey. She carefully avoided touching the different colored crystals, as she didn't want to suffer the consequences.

The room was filled with all different kinds of natural substances. Potion ingredients Perry had never seen or read about before were being sold for thousands of gallons. Each crystal cost more than one of Perry's school books. The mushroom looking lights cost just a little below the price of a crystal.

A young woman— looking to be in her early twenty's or younger— walked into the room carrying a basket of what can only be described to look like black, smoking golf balls.

She had burgundy red hair that blended into blue. Some of her hair had random brains in it, and half of it was pulled back by a crescent moon pendant. Her skin was fair, and her cheeks held a natural blush. Her ears were pierced in number of places, her lip had two piercings, and her nose had a ring.

"Hello, youngling," she said facing the opposite direction. "What brings such a young mind to these parts."

"I—I," Perry stuttered.

The girl set the basket on a shelf before turning to Perry. She smiled at her, places a little card in front of the basket, and walked over to the small blonde girl. She crouched down in front of Perry, still smiling. Perry didn't have an idea what to do as the woman stared at her.

"I'm Rune," she finally said, sticking out her hand to the small girl. Hesitantly, Perry took her hand and shook it.

"What's your name?" she asked with a turn of her head.

"I-I'm not supposed to talk to-to strangers," Perry said like a child.

"Ah, well your parents raised you well," Rune said.

Perry looked to the ground. Rune's smile faltered for a second as she recounted what she said.

"Well," Rune said, "You already know my name. My favorite color is blue, my favorite animal is a chinchilla—" Perry smiled up at her when she said this— "I once threw up on a princes shoes—" Perry couldn't help but to giggle at this one— "Hmm, what else. Oh, I know, I was such a nuisance at my old school that I caused a teacher to quit—" Perry's eyes widened—not even Fred and George were that bad.

"Really?" Perry asked.

"Mhmm," she said. "I suppose you're in town to start shopping for school and lost your way?"

Perry didn't say anything. She again looked down at her shoes.

"Oh," Rune said, "You can tell me that much. After all, we aren't strangers anymore, are we? Tell me that much and I can help you get back to where you need to go."

"So," Perry started, "We're in Diagon Ally?"

"Well," Rune said, "We're close to it. I mean, if that is, after all, where you are trying to go?"

Perry let a small smirk creep its way onto her lips and she nodded.

"Well," Rune said. "Well, I can give directions, but I can't go with you because I have to stay at the store. If you wait around until my break I'll be able to take you to Diagon Alley."

"It's okay," Perry said, "I really have to get back, anyways."

"Well," Rune said standing up, "We can make a trade then."

Perry looked at her with confusion in each of her features.

"What's your name?" Rune asked with a playful smile.

"What are the directions?" Perry asked as she copied her smile.

"Hmm," Rune said, "How do I know you won't leave?"

"You don't," Perry said.

Rune smiled down at the girl. "I like you," she said. "You take a right from the front door until you come to a store called Borgin and Burks. Once there, take the alleyway to the left. If you make it through there without one of the old hags taking you, then you'll be back in the happy and lively Diagon Alley."

Perry smiled as she repeated the direction in her head.

"Thank you," Perry said.

"Of course," Rune said, "And now..."

There was a reason Perry didn't want to tell her what her name was. The second someone heard the name she was given at birth, they change. Nobody acts the same.

"Persephone," she said with a delicate smile.

Rune smiled at the girl. "I think your really cool, Persephone."

Perry smiled brightly as she walked over to the door. "Oh," Perry said, "By any chance did a raven haired boy with round glasses come through here?"

"No, I'm sorry, I haven't seen anyone matching that description," Rune said. "And, Persephone, be careful."

"I will be," Perry said as she left the store and made her way to Borgin and Burks.

ϟ

Perry held her hand over her mouth as she hid in the dark cabinet. Harry too held a hand over his mouth as he stood behind her. Their eyes followed the blonde headed boy in accompaniment to his long haired father. Both were dresses in dark colors.

Perry followed Rune's directions all the way to Borgin and Burks. Through the window she had caught sight of the exact boy she was looking for. She had entered to get Harry and then leave, but then the two children spotted a particular blonde twelve years old and middle aged man coming towards the store.

Perry's eyes followed Draco as he bent down to examine a sapphire necklace with a plaque that read: Caution: Do Not Touch. Cursed — Has Claimed the Lives of Nineteen Muggle Owners to Date.

Draco slowly stood up and looked away from it. His eyes landed on the dark wood cabinet that Harry and Perry hid within. A smirk painted his lips and he walk towards it. With every step he took Perry's heart pounded a little faster. He reached out his palm for the handle.

"Done," said Mr. Malfoy. "Come, Draco—"

Draco whipped around and ran over to his fathers side much like puppy does to its owner. Perry closed her eyes and let her shoulders relax. As Draco walked away Harry rubbed his sleeve across his forehead.

"Good day to you, Mr. Borgin," Mr. Malfoy said. "I'll expect you at the manor tomorrow to pick up the goods."

Draco and his father stepped through the door and let it shut behind them. Perry noted they walked to the left when exiting the store. Mr. Borgin's manner dropped the second the two Malfoy's had left.

"Good day yourself, Mister Malfoy, and if the stories are true, you haven't sold me half of what's hidden in your manor..."

Now muttering low enough that the two children couldn't hear, Mr. Borgin disappeared behind a curtain into the back room. Perry and Harry waited a minute or two before they creaked open the wooden cabinet and slipped out.

Out of the store they went, into a dark alley filled with stores that all looks to be dedicated to the dark arts. Perry held her small bag close to her, as did Harry with his broken glasses. The store they had just came out of, called Borgin and Burks, was the largest of the bunch. Feeling a burning gaze, Perry looked from the shrunken heads in the window display to the two men hidden in a dark corner of the alleyway, watching the two children.

Perry grabbed Harry's hand and took off down the alley Rune had said would be to the right. Perry now realized why Rune had wanted to go with her. She also realized why she asked her to be safe. The people in the alleyway wore shabby clothes and smiled at the two children grimly.

An old wooden sign above a storefront told them they were in an ally called Knockturn Alley. This information didn't help them much as they didn't have a clue where that was in retrospect to Diagon Alley. If Perry hadn't met Rune they would be in a very tough situation.

"Not lost are you, my dearies," said a voice right in their ears. Both children jumped and spun around faster than light.

An old, wrinkled witch stood behind them, holding a tray of what looked like charred human fingernails. They could only hope they weren't. The witch grinned a mossy smile at the two children as she leaned closer to them.

"We're fine, thank you," Perry said. "We're just—"

"PERRY! HARRY! What d'yeh think yer doin' down there?"

"Hagrid, We got lost!" Harry said. "The floo-powder—"

Hagrid grabbed them both and ushered them up the winding alleyway. He pushed them from the dark and grim Knockturn Ally into the sunlit pathway of Diagon Alley.

Perry's eyes landed on the towering, polished building of Gringotts Bank. Perry smiled at the entire area around her. She had missed the wizarding world so much. She watched kids—presumably first years— running around with their wands.

"Yer a mess!" Hagrid huffed as he brushed soot off both of the children. "Shulkin' around Knockturn Alley, I dunno— dodgy place, Harry; Perry— don't want no one ter see yeh down there—"

"We realized that much," Perry mumbled.

"I say, what were you doing down there, anyway?" Harry asked.

"I was looking for a flesh eating slug repellant," growled Hagrid.

"A whaty— what— what—what?" Harry said.

"A repellant for flesh eating slugs," Hagrid said.

"Obviously," Perry teased while elbowing Harry in the side.

"They're ruinin' the school cabbages," Hagrid sighed. "Anyways, yeh's aren't here on yer own, are yeh?"

"We're staying with the Weasleys actually," Perry said.

"And well, we get, Uh, separated, you could say," Harry mumbled.

"Well, I better get yeh back to them," Hagrid said.

Hagrid led the way up the alley, away from Gringotts. People cleared out of his way better than they would for two children. As they walked, Hagrid asked why they hadn't written back to him all summer. That led to a very long explanation about their eventful summer and a particular house elf.

"Hermione!" Perry squealed when she saw the girl running over to her.

"Perry!" she panted. "Harry! We were so worried!"

Hermione gave Perry a big hug before moving to Harry to give him one too. Once she moved Perry could see a group of red heads running at full speed over to them.

"Per— seph— on—e," Mr Weasley panted. "Har-ry. We hoped you'd only— gone one grate too far... Molly's frantic— she's coming now—"

"Where'd you come out?" Ron asked.

"Knockturn Alley," Hagrid replied grimly.

"Excellent!" Fred and George cheered in unison.

"We've never been allowed in," said Ron.

"I should ruddy well think not!" Hagrid boomed.

As Hagrid spoke, Mrs. Weasley pushed through her children to see Harry and Perry.

"Oh, Persephone— Oh, Harry— oh, my dears— you could have been anywhere—"

She was grasping for breath as she pulled them into a bone crushing hug. Then from her bag she pulled a large clothes brush and began to brush the soot off of the two children.

"Well, gotta be off," Hagrid said. "See ya at Hogwarts!"

Perry and Harry faced Hermione and Ron, about to tell them all about what they had seen in Knockturn Ally. Perry's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat when she laid eyes on a witch with a short black bob.

"Tori!" Perry exclaimed as she ran over to her best friend and engulfed her in a hug.

"Perry!" she squealed back.

After a minute of squeezing each other till their bones hurt, Perry said, "I have so much to tell you."