Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter or any characters created by JK Rowling. Though I dream that I do sometimes :)

Chapter 1 – Into the Darkness

Air, Fire, Water, Earth

Elements of astral birth

I call to you, attend to me

In this circle, rightly cast

Safe from psychic curse or blast

I call to you, attend to me

This is my will, so mote it be

Tabitha stood out on her balcony and inhaled the fresh scent of twilight. It was a beautiful evening, not a cloud in the sky. And yet, the atmosphere was foreboding, promising nothing more and nothing less than a turbulant night. As was the norm for every other night.

Sighing, she stepped back through the eloquent french doors that led to her bedroom. She had led a priviledged life, but it was coming to an end tonight. 'The time has come' she thought to herself. 'I have waited long enough'.

Few people knew that the bloodline of the Peverells had survived. They had disappeared without a trace from England, only to resurface in America. There, the family enjoyed a life of luxury and solitude. As much as a pureblood family is entitled to, they had reasoned. Tabitha Peverell, heiress apparent. Or so they thought.

Tabitha's line of thinking was interrupted by a sigh from the small bed on the other side of the room. As very few people knew of the existence of the Peverell family, even fewer knew of the secret that lurked under the covers. Her son, Zachary, rolled over in his bed and was quiet, resuming his sleep. Tabitha smiled as she watched him sleep. Zachary was the ultimate betrayal to her family's pureblooded name, though they did not know it. Tabitha's heart belonged to Thomas Richardson, Zachary's father. Thomas was a muggle. This made Zachary a half-blood.

It was hard to pinpoint where exactly the Peverell's had picked up their pureblood supremacy beliefs. But Tabitha could pick out the exact moment she stopped believing it. The day, the moment she had met Thomas was the day she realized that the heart knows no boundaries. Sure, it had taken some time to change her way of thinking. But in doing so, she had endangered herself, and her son. Their place in the family was hanging by a thread.

And she understood, in her seventeen-year-old mind, that the thread would need to be severed in order to achieve her ultimate goal. For she harboured yet another secret, one that only she was aware of. And she planned on protecting that secret for as long as humanly possible. Until it was time, time to join the others.

Tabitha had been in contact with a group of people in England. The Order of the Phoenix. She had heard about the struggles of witches and wizards in Europe, and the fight against He Who Must Not Be Named. She had decided to take a stand, choose a side, and begin her quest. It was time to take control of her destiny.

She took one last glance around the room. She had packed only the essentials, and those items had already been sent ahead to headquarters. Only one task before leaving – she needed to take Zachary to Thomas. Thomas had begged for her to stay, but she knew that it wasn't an option. This was the only way.

Zachary woke up for a moment as Tabitha lifted him into her arms. She kissed the top of his head, and his eyes closed. With a flick of her wand, Tabitha conjured a ladder, and she climbed from her balcony to the ground below. A second flick, and the ladder disappeared. She lingered only long enough to bid good riddance to the life she was leaving behind, then turned and crept silently into the shadows.

A/N Just a short introductory chapter here. Not much dialog, I know, but its coming, don't worry :)

I do keep one chapter ahead of what I post. I have a second chapter, but won't post it until I have the third chapter completed. I'll probably come back now and again and edit chapters too. We'll see. I will update as soon as is humanly possible. Sorry if it takes too long. Hope you enjoy what I have to offer. No flames please, they won't be tolerated.