When Phoebe and Hadrian Potter were born, no one could have foreseen what would happen.
One was the reincarnation of Merlin himself, born again to bring the magical world back to greatness.
The other was the reincarnation of Morgan Le Fey, Merlin's rival. Born to bring the world to it's knees.
Hadrian Emrys James Potter, and Phoebe Morgan Potter were polar opposites at birth. Born to hate and eventually destroy each other.
But Fate intervened. For they were born on a prophesied day, in the middle of a war of light and dark. Had the Dark Lord not found out about the prophesy, the twins would have been set against each other when they reached the age of seventeen.
But Voldemort could not afford to let an infant grow up to bring about his downfall.
So one Halloween night he came to the Potter house and killed Lily and James Potter. He then set his magic against the twins, sleeping in cribs. He first went after Hadrian...but something happened.
Phoebe protected her brother. The deadly curse rebounded on the Dark Lord, turning him into a wraith, for he had created seven soul carriers to prevent his death.
The twins survived that horrible night, bound together by death. Phoebe and Hadrian received a pair of odd scars on their foreheads, in the shape of crossed lightning bolts.
Dumbledore, leader of the Light, sent the twins to live with their mother's sister, a horrid woman who despised all magic. Out of jealousy of her younger sister, she loathed her niece and nephew with a passion.
Instead of being driven apart by destiny, they came together from love. For each year they were abused by their family, the bond grew stronger. Harry protected Phoebe, and Phoebe protected him. Their family feared them, and for good reason.
When both twins joined hands, their magic grew until it could overpower both sides of Dark and Light with a single word.
There was a reason why Morgan and Merlin were never meant to join forces. With both magics combined they could change the world into paradise or encased it in permanent darkness.
The twins had just turned eleven when they received their letters. Phoebe and Harry went to get the mail when they saw them. Phoebe, the clever one, hid hers in their cupboard.
Harry decided to read his later.
Their uncle discovered Harry's letter in his clothes, and ripped it up before he could read it.
Vernon was terrified that the twins would learn of their magic. It would spell disaster for his family.
That night Phoebe opened her letter and they read it.
"Dear Ms. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry..."
"I got a letter exactly like this. Does that mean...?"
"I think our dear...family...has some questions they need to answer for us."
They never got answered. Until the shack, when Hagrid rescued them. Phoebe, unlike her brother, did not trust this man. The reason was simple. She remembered him from her past, specifically the ride to their aunt's house. So she asked something that had been bothering them for years.
Who had put them in Petunia's care, and were they aware of her hatred of all things magical?
"Hagrid, who left us at our aunts?" asked Phoebe.
"That would be Professor Dumbledore. Great man, Dumbledore, great man."
Phoebe scowled. Dumbledore was the name of the headmaster of the school they would soon attend. If he was in fact the fool who left them with Petunia, he would have to suffer the consequences of his error. Normally the twins got revenge through pranks and minor jokes.
But after the ten years of hell they had endured at the hands of their...family...pranks and jokes wouldn't suffice.
She brought up her conversation with Hadrian, and found he agreed completely. Depending on what Dumbledore said about the decision, and his reasons for making it, the twins would make his life hell.
It was only fair after all.
They stopped at the bank, and Phoebe asked an intelligent question about their vault.
Had she not, Hadrian would never have found out about the other vaults, or that someone had been stealing from them for years. They sealed off the ones they couldn't go into just yet, and withdrew enough funds for both of them to buy their supplies and a pet each.
While at the pet shop, Harry looked at the owls, and Phoebe the other birds. She found an interesting crow which shared a dark look with her. She bought him immediately and named him Quoth as a joke. (She's a fan of the Discworld series.) Harry bought a snake since none of the owls caught his interest. It was a rather unusual snake, with odd patterns on the scales. The eyes were an amber-gold color, and drew him in.
The snake left the shop not in a cage, but hiding under Harry's new robes as a tie. No one paid the least attention to it. All eyes were drawn to their scar instead.
They headed for their wands last.
Harry jumped when Ollivander snuck up on them, but Phoebe didn't.
Harry tried out the wands first, and quickly had a pile half as tall as they were.
"Holly and Phoenix feather, eleven inches."
Red sparks emitted from the wand before it blew up in his face. The wood was turned to ash, and the feather was missing. (Phoebe saw the feather get absorbed into her brother. She said nothing.)
Harry took another wand, this one an elder with sky phoenix core, thirteen inches. Sky blue sparks emitted from the tip, and this time didn't blow up in his face.
"Curious. Very curious."
"What's curious?" asked Phoebe, already knowing she wouldn't like the answer.
"The holly wand that was ruined had a core who's brother gave you two those scars. The phoenix who donated that tail feather only gave one other."
"And the one which chose my brother?"
"Only gave the one, though there is an odd rumor about it. According to legend, Merlin had a Sky Phoenix for a familiar. Rumor had it that it never died with him, but lived on to find his reincarnation. The phoenix which donated the feather for your brother's wand is believed to be that phoenix, for there are none left."
"Did Morgan Le Fay have a familiar?"
"A soul-eating crow demon. But it supposedly died with it's master. I wonder..."
Ollivander went into the back and brought out a box. Phoebe could hear something calling to her from within, and drew out the wand in the box.
Black sparks erupted from the tip, and she felt a connection.
"Now that is even more curious. The core of that wand is the only remaining feather of the soul-eating crow demon. The wood is ebony and elder, the darkest combination I have ever created. I never believed I would live to see the wand take a master."
They paid for their wands, and Hagrid found them. Behind his back was a cage containing a snowy white owl. Clearly he had seen Harry looking at them earlier.
"Happy birthday Phoebe and Harry!"
The fact that Hagrid had cared enough to get them the owl gave Phoebe enough reason not to go after him later.
After all, it was obvious he was only following orders when he brought them to Petunia.
Harry named the owl Hedwig. His new snake was called Ciel. Hagrid went to return them to their aunt's home, Phoebe kept aside several gold coins. There was no way they were going to stay at Privet Drive until it was time to leave.
A few hours later Phoebe was meditating with her brother, something they started doing the moment they read her letter. Feeling the odd pulse within them, they had experimented secretly at night for the past week. So far only Phoebe was successful at getting the pulse to do anything constructive.
Which is why she was the one to open the door, shrink their newly bought trunks and cages, and pull out her new wand.
A violent purple bus appeared with a bang, not that anyone but the twins saw it. Harry was the lookout for watchers, which Phoebe had noted months ago. It was three in the morning, so no one was about.
The vehicle read 'The Knight Bus'.
"Where to then? My names Stan and I will be your conductor this evenin'."
"Leaky Cauldron."
"Three sickles per rider, four if you want hot chocolate and a toothbrush."
Phoebe paid six sickles, and they were off. Soon they were in front of the same pub they had left hours ago. Phoebe had anticipated this, since she had ducked out while Hagrid was talking to Harry to buy two baseball caps. Both twins had one on, and went into the pub.
"What can I do for you two?"
"A room with two beds please."
"Five galleons for the room, breakfast is in three hours."
Phoebe handed over the coins, and Tom lead them to their room. Within minutes the twins were asleep.
Four hours of sleep later, they headed down to breakfast. With their caps on no one realized that the Potter twins were there. They ate as much as they could handle, feeding their familiars at the same time.
After breakfast they went to Gringotts to get either some more coins or better yet the location of a house where they could crash.
In the end they found out about five vacation houses where they could stay without the old goat knowing, and refilled their available funds.
They went on a minor shopping spree, loading up on books and buying a weightless bag to carry them all. Phoebe was in charge of the bag.
The other half was converted to muggle funds, and they went straight to the nearest mall to get some clothes that actually fit for a change.
September first...
Phoebe followed the other first year who had stayed with his parents in the Leaky Cauldron. The grandmother was more than happy to show them how to get on the platform, all they had to do was keep up. Her grandson Neville was thrilled to make some new friends before he even got on the train.
Harry kept the toad Neville owned from escaping, while Phoebe people-watched.
They had arrived two hours early after all.
Meanwhile Harry and Neville chatted, comparing the life of a muggle raised wizard to a pure blood raised one. Harry was a bit concerned when he learned Neville would be using his father's old wand. Phoebe had gotten out a book about rituals to read while the boy's chatted.
A girl with bushy brunette hair walked in and asked, "Mind if I sit with you? A few of the Prefects threw me out up front."
"Go for it. I could use some girl talk," said Phoebe.
"Hermione Granger."
"Phoebe Potter. This is my twin brother Hadrian."
"Neville Longbottom."
Suddenly he did a double take.
"Wait, did you say Potter? As in the Twins who lived?"
"Why do you think we were wearing caps all the way here?" said Phoebe.
Both twins removed their caps, revealing the blood red and black scars. This set off Hermione who had apparently read up on them.
"Look, I don't know what drivel they've written about us, but it's not true. Do any of your books talk about our muggle family who despises all things magical?" said Phoebe once she was finished.
They looked at them, startled. Harry nodded in confirmation of Phoebe's words.
"Our aunt and uncle hated us because we have magic. And their son used to chase us to the school rooftop. Every time we did better than him, we got beaten."
"Blimey. You should report them to the Department of Magical Child Care!"
"They actually have one of those? Every time we alerted an adult the reports would go missing and the adult would be replaced," Phoebe informed them.
Soon they discussed houses, and which they thought they would get. Neville thought he might be a Puff, or a Gryffindor if he was really lucky. Hermione voted for Ravenclaw or Gryffindor, which she informed them was Dumbledore's old house.
Definitely not Gryffindor for us then, thought Phoebe.
A red head entered the compartment, asking "Do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full."
"So is this one. And I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the train is spelled to add compartments when needed," said Phoebe.
But the red head was persistent, until Phoebe literally threw him out...into a card tower that exploded.
A pair of red haired twins smirked, and gave her a ghostly ten from their wands. Phoebe gave them a Victory sign and they grinned wider.
"I despise pushy people."
The third time the door opened, an a pale platinum blond boy came in, with a pair of muscles.
"They're saying all down the train that the Potter twins are coming to Hogwarts."
"And what if they are?" asked Harry.
"My name is Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. These are Crabbe and Goyle."
"Draco, as in the Latin word for dragon. Or were you named after the star constellation?" inquired Phoebe.
He looked startled.
"I...honestly have no idea."
"Well, I'm Hadrian and this is Phoebe. That's Hermione and this is Neville."
"Neville...as in the Longbottom heir?"
Neville tried to become smaller, which was impossible.
"You aren't going to be as pushy as that red haired kid are you? I had to throw him out into a card tower that exploded."
"You mean someone made a card house of Exploding Snap cards? Must be the Weasly Twins."
"Weasly?"
"There are four Weasly brothers currently in Hogwarts, three are Gryffindors. Percy, Fred and George. How old was the one you threw out?"
"About our age."
"That would be Ron then."
Phoebe grinned.
"Hey Draco, if you can ditch the Crabby Gargoyles you can sit with us. Maybe you can tell us more about this school."
"I'll be right back."
Five minutes later Draco was sitting next to Harry and Neville.
"So Draco, what can you tell us about the houses?"
"There's Slytherin for the cunning and ambitious, Ravenclaw for the brilliant and bookish, Gryffindor for the brash and brave, and Hufflepuff for the loyal and hardworking."
"Sounds like you belong to the Puffs, Nev," said Harry.
That seemed to bring him out of his shell a bit. Clearly Draco wasn't going to pick on him while he was trying to befriend the Potter twins.
"Yeah, I would rather be in a house known for loyalty and hard work than one known for getting themselves killed," said Phoebe.
"I hope to get into either Ravenclaw or Slytherin. My godfather is in charge of Slytherin house."
"Who's your godfather?"
"Severus Snape, the potion teacher. McGonagall runs the Gryffindor house, she teaches Transfiguration. Sprout leads the Puffs, and she's the Herbology teacher. Flitwick heads the Ravenclaw dorm, he teaches Charms."
Phoebe raised an eyebrow.
"Is it just me or do all the heads of house teach a core subject."
"I never noticed that before," said Draco.
"Anything off the trolley dears?"
"We'll take the lot," said Harry.
Despite there being a mild argument over frog cards, the treats were more or less distributed evenly.
Phoebe opened her chocolate, and grabbed the frog firmly before biting it's head off in one bite. She looked at the card underneath and her eyebrows raised.
"I got Morgan Le Fey."
Harry held up his own two.
"Dumbledore and Merlin."
"I didn't know there was a Morgan LeFey card. They normally don't run Dark witches or wizards," said Draco.
"Huh. Wonder why they ran her then?"
Phoebe read the card, and felt something click.
"You know my middle name is Morgan."
"My happens to be Anne," said Hermione.
By the time they reached the castle, they had discussed odd topics like favorite books to the strange quirks that their families had.
The twins won the strangest, with their families 'normality' drive. The fact that they worked like made to seem normal was abnormal in extreme.
On the plus side, Draco found that the twins weren't as Gryffindor-ish as he feared. Everyone expected the twins to be Gryffindor role models, or to be disgustingly honorable and brash.
Which meant Draco could possibly become actually friends with them. Or at the very least Phoebe,who was clearly a bit more dark than her brother. Somehow he got the feeling that Phoebe was destined to be a Slytherin.
Hagrid called out for the first years, and they climbed into the boats, four a piece.
Neville, Harry, Draco and Ron all climbed into one, Phoebe, Hermione, Lavender and Padma in another. Harry leaned out and saw a squid tentacle swim lazily past. He grinned.
They entered the chamber to await the sorting. Harry really, really hoped he didn't have to share a dorm with Ron. He wouldn't quit staring at his scar, and it annoyed him.
The ghosts were a bit startling, and for some reason they gave Harry and Phoebe an odd look. The twins ignored them.
The sorting...
"Potter, Hadrian!"
Ah, so you've arrived at last. What's this? Neither you nor your sister wish to enter Gryffindor? Strange...you would both be suited for it. Or at the very least you would. You have a desire to learn, and a mind which can see past most deceptions. Shall I place you in Slytherin? Or perhaps Ravenclaw is more to your liking?
Which one suits me and my sister better?
Better be...
"Ravenclaw!"
Harry sat at the blue and gray table, ignoring the disappointed looks from the red and gold one.
"Potter, Phoebe!"
Eh? What is this? A mind unclouded by the preconceptions of the magical world, and knowledge of how to use your true power? And why do I sense a dark presence within you?
How should I know?
…Ah, that explains it. I wondered why your brother's mind was so bright. Both of you possess the spirits of age old rivals, yet you yourselves are closer than most. So you are the new body of Morgan Le Fey. Which house do you wish to be placed in? Ravenclaw with your brother or Slytherin?
While I would love to be with my brother, it would probably be best if I was in Slytherin. It's not like I can't give him the password so we can spend time together.
"SLYTHERIN!"
Phoebe sat next to Draco and gave her brother a thumbs up. He grinned, and knew his sister would bring that house to it's knees in no time. Besides, green suited her better than blue.
Hermione grinned at him from across the table, while Neville relaxed a bit with the other Puffs. Dumbledore on the other hand was hiding a frown.
Already the twins were ruining his carefully laid plans. They were supposed to be Gryffindors, not a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin! And why did that wench look so smug?
Phoebe quite enjoyed sitting with the other snakes. She was across from Draco, and between two other girls named Daphne Greengrass and Lythiel Moon. Soon she was discussing wizard fashions to muggle ones.
While his sister debated fashions with the Snakes, Hadrian debated fantasy novels with the Ravens. His favorites were the literary classics like Shakespeare, Dune, and Lord of the Rings. He had a copy of several of those series, and several of his fellow Ravenclaws were eager to share books with him.
Hadrian went with the other first year Ravens to their dorm, but not before waving to his sister. She grinned and waved back.
Hadrian noted at least three times that the prefect had taken them in a circle before they were confronted by a suit of armor which spoke a riddle.
"To enter our dormitory, you must solve the riddle that the suit presents you. It will only speak this riddle to someone wearing Ravenclaw colors. If you want to let someone in from another house you will have to open the door yourselves."
Hady grinned. Phoebe and Hadrian shared that odd ability that all twins possessed. They could communicate without words.
Personally he couldn't wait to meet these Weasly twins that Draco spoke of on the train. Perhaps they would be interested in bothering the headmaster with them?
Meanwhile Phoebe had followed the prefect to...the dungeons?! She groaned.
Daphne looked at her oddly. Another girl looked at her the same way.
"I hate the cold. Had someone mentioned the Slytherin dorms were in the dungeons I would have gone to join Hady."
The other girl laughed.
"What's your name?" asked Phoebe, interested.
"Sally-Anne Perks."
"Phoebe Morgan Potter."
"So why did you choose Slytherin? Everyone thought you and your brother would go into Gryffindor like your parents."
"Maybe we would have, had that old goat with zero fashion sense and color coordination hadn't placed us at our aunt's for ten years."
Sally winced.
"Unless you think Dumbledore is wearing the latest fashion."
Sally-Anne and Daphne gagged at the thought.
"Passssword?" hissed the snake.
"Rise of the Dark."
The prefect turned to the new Slytherins and said, "If you don't give the password before you enter the dorm, you will walk into the stone wall."
"There are a few rules of the dorms. One, if you can't ward your stuff properly or you get caught stealing that's your own problem. Two, if you're going to turn on one of our own, do it in the dorm. Everyone is gunning for our house, as they believe we're Death Eaters in training. Three, our motto is simple: Admit nothing, deny everything, and make counter-accusations."
"A close second is if you can smile while everything is going to hell then you have someone else to blame," added the other prefect.
"Girls are allowed in the boys dorms, but boys aren't allowed in the girls. If you try to enter their dorm it will become a slide."
"Aren't we a bit young for R rated thoughts?" snarked Phoebe. She smirked at the blushes of many of the others, enjoying making people squirm.
It was her favorite pastime, and something her brother never bothered to prevent.
She turned to Sally-Anne and Daphne "So where exactly are the warming charms located?"
"Next to the window."
"Who wants to bunk next to me? Whoever gets there second gets a warming charm placed directly on the bed for free."
Sally-Anne and Daphne looked at each other, before Sally-Anne said "I'll bunk next to you."
"I hate having the sun in my eyes anyway. Can you do Lythiel's bed too?"
"Sure. Study partners then?"
They nodded, and Phoebe dashed up the stairs to their new room. Sally-Anne took the bed next to her, when they heard the sound of footsteps out the door.
Pansy was too late to get the best beds. She saw red and tried to charge Phoebe.
Unfortunately Phoebe had quickly become a master of wandless spells as she threw up a hand and said "Shield."
Pansy hit something that made a sound similar to a bell. Phoebe was smirking like the devil herself. Pansy kept trying until Phoebe finally drew her wand and said "Stupify."
She was out like a light then. Millicent picked up the annoying girl and put her on an unclaimed bed in the other room for first year girls. The dorm could only hold four girls to a room. Stacy Davis, Morag McDougall, Millicent Bulstrode and Pansy had the other room.
There was only one problem with this. The second room was considered second best because it had no windows. And the Parkinson clan prided themselves on always having the best.
Not this time. The only way Parkinson was going to beat Phoebe was to get up far earlier than was sanely normal for an eleven year old. And Pansy liked to sleep in.
To add more insult to injury, Phoebe had another secret weapon. Unlike the other girls in her year, she wasn't aiming for the title of Slytherin Princess. She was going to be a Slytherin Queen. A position of power and strength, whereas the princess girls were simply there to fill space and look pretty, the soon-to-be queen would rule the house with intelligence and power.
Hogwarts was doomed.