Author: Slytherin

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I profit from any of the fiction that I write. I write purely for my entertainment as well as for those who wanted a reason to point and laugh at me. (Here's your reason! J ) I'm in no way associated with J. K. Rowling or Warner Bros.

Summary: Persephone Potter is an ordinary girl, as ordinary as a young witch can be at least. She's got an older brother, a mum and dad… That's all about to change. We have appearances from the Marauders, several familiar Slyths, some new people and our favorite villain, Voldie.

Persephone Potter and the Ring of Hope

Chapter One: An Introductory Chapter

"Persephone, dear! We've got to go, James was supposed to be at Sirius' house five minutes ago!" Marianna Potter called out to her daughter from the living room on the first floor of the Potter mansion.

"One second, mum!" the eleven year old responded before rushing down the stairs in a black, knee high skirt.

It was the second week of July, 1972. The place? The Potter Mansion in Godric's Hollow.

The Potter Mansion had over sixty rooms, but around fifty of them were hardly used. You see, only four family members lived there.

The father and man of the house was Jeffery Potter. He was a thin man, though not too skinny. Black messy hair covered his head while a pair of black, thick framed glasses rested on his nose. Of course, there was the occasional slip up, or slide down rather, but nothing the man's index finger couldn't take care of.

Then there was the mother. Marianna Potter, previously Marianna Melrights, but after the couple's marriage over fourteen years beforehand, she'd become a Potter. Like her husband, she was tall and had black hair, though not short nor messy. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Her hair reached well down her back, straight and neatly. She was one of those types that could wake up in the morning, forget to brush their hair and you wouldn't suspect a thing upon seeing her. One other difference, and definitely as noticeable as their different hair types, was their eyes. Both of them, usually, had warm, caring eyes. But the colors were completely different. While Marianna had black eyes, Jeffery had an unusual yellow color.

Continuing with the occupants of the Potter Mansion, we move onto the older sibling. The Brother. James Andrew Potter. Like both his parents, he was tall. Not out of the ordinary tall, but tall. His hair was almost an exact replica of his father's with the exception of lacking a small amount of gray hairs. However, his eyes were most definitely like his mother's. They were black, and usually had a gleam of mischief or happiness in them. Either way, they were a precious sight to behold. They weren't exactly like his mother's though, he inherited his father's bad eye sight. As well as taste in glasses, for they had the same frames. Though his were a bit smaller in width, to fit perfectly with his face shape.

Now, onto the youngest sibling. Persephone Marie Potter. Simply 'Seph to her friends though. Like all her immediate family, she was tall. But like her brother, she wouldn't stand out in a crowd. She, however, had hair and eyes nothing like the other three occupants of the Potter Mansion. Her hair was a light brown color. It could be described as chestnut colored, or golden, maybe a bit lighter. Now to hair length. It was very much like her mother's. Straight and long, though not as long as her mother hair. But she was doing a fine job catching up considering how old she was and how old her mother was. And her eyes. They had the warmth that her parents and older brother had, but not their color. Her eyes were a grayish color. Almost blue, but shifting more towards the gray side.

"Let's go, Persephone!" James urged as he jumped up and down in front of the roaring fire, "Sirius is going to set off the fireworks without me!"

"Fireworks? Why would you do fireworks now?" Persephone asked, pulling back her hair.

Their mother scowled slightly, but it was obvious that her scowling didn't help as James continued to enrich Persephone with details of blowing things up.

"James Andrew Potter," Marianna said softly as she pulled out a pouch of Floo Powder.

It was a known thing that they were in some sort of trouble when their mother said their full name. And as both the children stopped bickering, their mother raised an eyebrow.

"You'll do no such thing, James. If I find out that you do blow something up, the slightest thing, you'll have a very cruel reminder of who pays your allowance." She grinned. "Used to, rather."

"I was just joking, mum. You know I'd never blow a tree or muggle mailbox up," he gave the most innocent smile he could muster up.

It wasn't convincing. Not to his mother at least. It would have been to someone who didn't know him. But since she had raised him, with her husband, both parents knew every trick the children had to offer. At least that's what they liked to think.

"Told you," Persephone stuck her tongue out playfully.

Their mother only smiled, "Behave yourselves, please…If Adrianne tells me that you've put a toe out of line, you'll have a big surprise come your birthdays. Clear?"

"As day-light, mum," James attempted again at an innocent smile, but to no avail.

"What about you, Sephy?" she smiled down at the younger sibling.

"Crystal clear. Oh, mum?" Her expression turned somewhat worried.

"Yes?"

"What if James or Sirius try to turn me into a toad?"

"They can't unless they want an official warning from the Ministry."

She gave James a knowing look, even as he returned a disappointed look. He very well knew that he was underage and wasn't allowed to do magic over the vacation. But his sister didn't. Until now anyway.

"Thanks, mum," he said dully as he sulked.

"Any time, dear." She smiled back at him before tossing half a handful of Floo Powder into the roaring flames.

"Jacob Black's house, 2, West Center Road."

And James was gone.

"Alright dear," she said, reaching into the pouch for more Floo Powder, "your up."

"I know mum."

Persephone stepped in after her mother threw in a bit more of the powder. "Jacob Black's house, 2, West Center Road."

Suddenly, Persephone felt a jerking feeling, as if her stomach were being ripped out of her body.

She gave a sick groan as she stepped out of the fire place. It wasn't as if she never used the Floo Network before. She just hadn't gotten used to it. (Nor did she think she ever would.)

"Persephone!" Sirius smiled as she slowly made her way completely out of the flames. "Y'know what? You've grown!"

She felt herself being hugged tightly by a cheerful and horribly excited twelve year old. "It's lovely to see you too, Sirius."

She felt a slight blow to her stomach. It was James elbowing her as he gave her a look. The look was one of those, 'Be nice. Or be dead,' looks. She'd received it from her brother plenty of times. Never her parents though. She'd been cunning enough to blame many of her mistakes or misbehaviors on James or someone else, without making her look the least bit suspicious.

She returned his look with a well placed glare.

"You've gotten very…er… tall," Sirius looked at the top of her chestnut, golden-brown hair, looking at her height.

Persephone felt herself to become very warm. Blushing? Surely not. It was just Sirius here. It was a rare sight indeed to see her cheeks nearing a crimson color.

"Er," James clearly didn't enjoy being ignored while his sister was the center of attention, "Sir, lets check out the alley way out back you were telling me about in your letter!"

'Thank you, James!' Persephone thought to herself as Sirius grinned, nodded and ran off waving his hand for a moment before disappearing through the door.

"Persephone!" Adrianne Black called as she made her way in holding a book. "It's wonderful to see you. How've you been, love?"

"Hullo Mrs. Black," Persephone smiled, somewhat relieved to see the older woman coming in.

"I'm doing alright. Yourself?"

She chuckled lightly, "Oh, I'm just fine."

"And Mr. Black?" Persephone said, politely.

"Raphael? Oh, he's fine. He's at work at the moment though, so you'll have to settle with me as a temporary companion." She smiled softly before continuing. "Here, let's go into the living room and I'll bring in some lemonade. Alright with you?"

Persephone nodded, "Of course. Want any help with the lemonade?"

"Oh that's quite alright," she shook her head before motioning her hands towards the living room and running them through her short hair, "Just make yourself at home, I'll be with you shortly and we'll be able to talk."

Persephone did as Mrs. Black said. She walked from the den where the fire place was located and made her way to the living room where she sat on the lavender colored couch. The Blacks didn't live in a house nearly as big as the Potter's but Persephone always preferred the Black's house to her own. In her own house, her mother had locked up all the books that related to magic of any sort. For you see, James' and Persephone's parent's worked for the Ministry and therefore had books containing information that no eleven or twelve year old should know. And their parents had no time to look through each book and sort out which were acceptable for the children's reading use.

At the Black's home though, the living room had book cases filled with books, free for anyone to simply walk over and pluck from the bookcase. At the moment, however, she needn't move from her seat as their was a book right by her side as she sat on the couch.

It wasn't that she was such an avid reader. It was more like she liked having one up on her parents. Many eleven year olds would understand it.

The book on her right was a dark red color on the cover. Maybe a brick red. On the cover in gleaming silver letters, it said, 'Magical Talismans, Rings and Stones' by Warren Case.

The pulled the book onto her lap before she quickly skimmed through it. Some of the rings and talismans were said to date back to 685 B.C.

She quietly read several pages aloud. "This stone, when ground up and digested with the right potion, is said to enhance a witch or wizard's powers three fold. However, since it has yet to be found or made, it isn't for certain in existence…" That was read from the page describing the Crodin Stone.

She flipped through book again, only stopping when she saw a beautiful ring that caught her eyes. "The Ring of Hope," she started whispering to herself, "…It's last known position was in south Romania…" She skipped a few passages. A ring's origin didn't mean much to an eleven year old, after all. "…The Ring of Hope was made -ugh, skip that…Let's see…The ring is said to bestow extraordinary abilities to the one who wears it when first holding their first wand… Ugh, don't care about that either. What kind of abilities?" She asked herself. Or perhaps it was the book. Who knew? "With proper instruction and meditation, the ability to make others see what the Bearer wants them to as well as Telekinesis (moving objects with your mind) and the ability to focus on an elemental po-"

Persephone quickly closed the book and shoved it aside as Mrs. Black returned from the kitchen with a tray of Lemonade and some cookies.

"Thanks Mrs. Black."

"Oh, you know me well enough to call me Adrianne," the older witch laughed.

"Alright M-Adrianne." Persephone smiled.

"So, you're eleven, right?" she questioned.

Persephone immediately knew where this was leading up to. She nodded and answered, "Yep, but I've yet to get my Hogwarts acceptance letter though."

"Ah," she nodded, "Have you given any thought of to what house you'd like to be in yet?"

"I'll most likely be a Gryffindor like my brother and father or maybe a Ravenclaw like my mother." A pause. "What house were you in at Hogwarts?"

"Oh, same as Sirius and Raphael, Gryffindor."

There was a temporary silence. It was the unspoken quiet that occurred when neither party of the conversation knew what to say, so they both looked from the floor to the lemonade, to the cookies, then to the other person. There was the timid smile, then their gazes moved right back to the floor to start over again.

The cycle was interrupted, though, by a rapping sound hitting against the window. There was an owl there, a barn owl with an envelope in it's talons. Adrienne quickly went over to the window and opened it, expecting the owl to drop the letter and leave. But much to both Adrianne's and Persephone's surprise, the owl flew into the room, dropped the letter off into Persephone's lap and left.

Adrianne walked over to Persephone with a large smile while Persephone simply looked at the letter, her eyes glistening.

"Oh my," she whispered.

"Go on," Adrianne said, having not heard Persephone, "go on, open it. Nothing to be frightened of."

"I'm not," Persephone smiled up at the witch towering over her, "I just can't believe I got it!"

Her hands quickly enclosed around the letter before she tore the top flap off. She unfolded the paper and read, "Dear Ms. Potter, we are pleased to inform you, that you have been accepted at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The new term will begin on September the first though your train will leave a day before that, September first at eleven o'clock. The Hogwarts Express will leave at eleven A.M. sharp from platform nine and three quarters at King's Cross Station. Your ticket is included in this letter, we expect to see you here unless otherwise noted by your legal guardian. Deputy Headmistress, Professor McGonagall."

"Congratulations!" Adrianne gave Persephone a hug, which she really wasn't expecting.

"Er-thanks." Persephone returned the hug, then quickly let go hoping Mrs. Black would do the same. "My mum's going to be so proud!" she beamed as she read through the other pieces of parchment included in the envelope.

"Of course she will!" she smiled and clapped her hands together, "You know what?"

"What?" Persephone looked up from her letter.

"You, James and your mother should come to Diagon Alley with Sirius and I. We'll be going with Sirius' friends Remus and Peter."

"I'd love to! James would surely agree and my mum shouldn't have a problem with it!" Persephone smiled back.

"Excellent!" and Mrs. Black was off to find the two boys and tell them of the news.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I do hope you enjoyed it. Trust me, it'll get long and hopefully, better!

Questions, comments, flames are all welcomed and I'll do my best to respond!

~Slytherin