Three long months. Persephone was nothing if not patient, and outside of her initial call she had left the offer open on Illium's end.
Waiting tables was dead boring, but it made a simple living and it was honest work.
Even if she had to keep slapping the hands of horny vampires off her ass. She had only picked this particular restaurant because it was everything her 'aunt and uncle' hated.
Foreign, full of vampires and their lovers, and absolutely abnormal.
She loved it.
Sure the apartment was small, but she had warded it in a way that made it damn clear a witch lived there. A warning more potent than any spoken threat.
Angels would avoid a witch's home, and vampires knew better than to piss them off.
Magicals had long since learned how to make a ward that was set specifically to target the toxin that angels used to make vampires...and cause immense pain to anyone carrying it in their blood.
She might not know how to cast the ward, but they didn't know that. And the static shock ward was one all first years were taught. It was so simple and basic that it was mandatory for them to learn if they wanted to get to second year.
It was a precursor to a warning of worse to come.
However if there was one thing she would call a guilty pleasure, it was that she loved to see the night sky on a cloudless night.
Her love of the night did not diminish her common sense. Whenever she star gazed without a telescope, she made very, very sure that her wings were always covered by her father's invisibility cloak.
The only things she had to remind her of England were things she would actually miss. It was a lesson she had learned after Ginny deliberately broke into her trunk, and was only reinforced after she had to endure the memory of the graveyard.
Better to be prepared to run and never look back, then feel regret.
So when she saw an angel with feathers she recognized immediately, if not by word of mouth, by sight because of the gift Remus had given her, naturally she was wary.
Illium.
"So...you're the missing girl that Remus was so worried over."
Figured Remus would know to ask Illium. Wonder why it took him so long to contact the angel.
"I'm not going back to England," she said flatly. "I would rather be Made and under Contract than go back."
Illium hid his wince well, but she still caught it.
"I won't force you. Raphael would have my feathers, and Dmitri wouldn't be far behind."
Dmitri, as strange as he was, had a soft spot for children. And after having Jason look into the full story behind why the girl had left, he had been apoplectic in fury at the thought of sending her back if they found her in Raphael's territory.
The fact she had tried to talk to Illium meant she had slipped past several radars. Likely by using her broom.
Raphael wasn't about to send her back. And while the magicals would raise one hell of a fuss, she had come to them first.
"We can't take a witch under Contract," started Illium. He noticed her expression, so he quickly added "But granting Sanctuary isn't out of the question. One of the agreements we made with the magicals stated that if one came asking for sanctuary from their own, that we could grant it within reason."
"So..."
"You'll have to speak to Raphael, but he'll likely let you stay here under his protection. They won't be able to touch you without us raising one hell of a stink."
"When can I talk to him?"
Illium was silent, before he said "He's at the Tower now, but so is Venom. Dmitri's out on assignment and won't be back till morning."
Persephone had heard rumors of Venom. A vampire with viper eyes, he was extremely skilled with mesmerizing. Rumor had it that his fangs could pump his victim full of venom.
"I'm not afraid of snakes," she stated flatly.
Quite the contrary...it was hard to fear the things when she could speak to them.
"Well grab your broom witch girl...unless you want an express ride," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
She rolled her eyes at him, before heading inside to grab her broom. Her wings were much faster, but she knew better.
Hedwig looked at her, but went back to sleep. She had fed well earlier.
Persephone fixed her cloak around her shoulders. Unlike her father's cloak, this one was specially enchanted to hold things. The shop owner had thought it was for supplies and the like...she had no idea that the cloak was specially designed to hide her wings from view while flying.
Her wings fit into neat pockets inside the cloak, so they wouldn't drag. The hemline was spelled so that it always kept closed while she was walking.
It was an effective disguise.
The Tower was big, and she absolutely loved the open air plan outside. It was perfect for landings.
Then again, it was the seat of power to an arch angel.
Raphael was the sort of male that would draw your attention, angel or otherwise. There was a sense of coldness that would have sent shivers down her spine...but it wasn't a malevolent cold.
Then she spotted Venom. His infamous sunglasses were off for once, giving her a full unencumbered view of his eyes.
Unlike most who saw his eyes, she held his gaze without a second's hesitation or hint of being captured.
"Impressive. Most can't help but fall for the spell of my eyes."
Persephone had a fit of mischief in her.
"Most can't snake speak," she shot back. Venom's slitted eyes widened, before he let out a dark chuckle. She had had a feeling he would be able to understand parseltongue.
"Oh I like her. Can I keep her?" asked Venom. She wasn't entirely sure he was joking.
Raphael shot him a look. It didn't entirely shut up his chuckles.
"As it stands, I have more than enough evidence to grant you Sanctuary. However there are certain rules you must follow."
Illium handed her a small booklet. Handwritten from what she could tell.
"Read over those. If you agree to the terms, then sign with this quill," said Raphael.
Blood quills were something only used in binding Contracts...or in this case, an agreement.
Persephone scanned the book, and found nothing that would be too much for her to tolerate. It was almost reminiscent of someone being granted citizenship, or being effectively declared a political refuge.
Considering what she left behind, the latter sounded more likely.
The second she used the blood quill though, her eyes narrowed in anger.
"Is something wrong?"
"The current Undersecretary for the Minister uses these and calls it detention. Though she makes those who she doesn't approve of write lines with this type of quill."
Her hand had thankfully healed over...for the most part...after she had finished those hellish detentions.
She wasn't afraid of a little pain, but she was absolutely not a masochist. It was something to be endured, not enjoyed.
"...Why would someone of the Ministry be in that school? Especially a mere Undersecretary?" asked Illium.
Persephone turned her eyes at him, and he had an expression on her face that said volumes on how she felt about the subject.
"The current Minister is an absolute idiot, and refuses to see the truth in his face. And since he's easily bribed, he's come to the conclusion Dumbledore (she spat the name out like a curse) wishes to take his position, despite the fact he had been offered the post and declined it repeatedly for years. So he sent the same toad who has made several laws that make it difficult for anyone who isn't pure blood and has no creature inheritance to get by. Remus has lost several jobs because of her," she said with enough venom it was almost like a hissing snake.
"You mean Delores Umbridge," said Raphael.
"Most of us call her Umbitch, or if we're trying to be polite, Toad," said Persephone.
Raphael's face didn't change, but it was clear he was not happy. Apparently the Toad's reputation wasn't just in England.
When Raphael spoke, she paid full and complete attention. Something about him commanded the respect Dumbledore never fully had from her.
Somehow, she always suspected he knew.
"Your...uncle...has been asked to keep an ear out for your whereabouts. I believe that the people he is currently working with intend to retrieve you, by force if necessary. Until they understand you're under my protection, I must insist you stay here at the Tower, or with one of my Seven."
"I'm not being grounded am I?" she asked.
Something in the way she said the word told the arch angel she had a different meaning.
"You will be permitted to fly...as long as Illium or another angel is with you at all times."
"You don't mind pets, do you?"
"As long as you clean up after it, no."
"Somehow I find your idea of a cage much less stifling than the one Dumbledore forced me to live with earlier."
She had officially moved into the Tower, and she found her stargazing was much more interesting when she felt so high she could almost touch the stars.
So long as she didn't fall off the ledge, the inhabitants of the Tower ignored her hobby.
What she didn't know was that Raphael had taken note of her 'pet', and was starting to put two and two together.
That she was the angel child that had evaded one of his men scant months ago.
The problem was that the girl had found a way to effectively hide her wings. If she was the same girl.
It baffled most how easily she got along with Dmitri, but then again he had a soft spot for children. And despite her 'age', she was still very much a child. Scared, afraid, and waiting for the next painful shoe to drop.
Venom was harder still to understand. The two of them could spend hours just talking about everything and nothing in that strange serpent language. He seemed to enjoy it, though no one could understand a word they said.
Illium though... there Raphael almost believed he had unleashed a pair of monsters. Persephone (or Seph, as she insisted some of his Seven call her) was a prankster, and she seemed to stir the angel into heights of mischief whenever it was his turn to fly with her.
Persephone was someone who's trust did not come easily...but when you had it, she stayed loyal until you betrayed her first.
Most of his Seven were like that. Raphael would not make the mistake of betraying her fragile trust.
But like all things, the peace did not last.
When the werewolf finally showed up at the Tower's doorstep, the arch angel had been waiting for him...and his 'friends'.
Raphael had been warned that the large dog with gray eyes was no dog, but one of the shape shifters they called an animagi.
Persephone had identified every single one of the people Remus had manged to 'sneak' into the city.
Nymphadora Tonks, a metamorph. Capable of changing her form at will. Alastor Moody, ex-auror and paranoid bastard. Kingsley Shacklebolt, auror and member of the Order. Arthur Weasley, head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office.
Remus Lupin. Werewolf, uncle...and one of the only two original Marauders left. The dog was immediately identified as Sirius Black.
However that didn't leave out the fact that thermal cameras caught another figure.
If she knew Dumbledore, it was likely Severus Snape.
When given the choice, Persephone asked to be kept out of the discussion, but in the loop. Dmitri agreed to let her watch the recording instead.
She didn't think she could handle telling Remus no. Or worse, Sirius. She didn't think he would understand the need to fly, her fierce desire to be sky bound.
None of her friends had understood. None of them.
Illium opted to keep her company. And then she soundly beat him at poker.
He was pouting for days, to the amusement of Dmitri and Venom.
She should have seen it coming. She had barely been in America for half a year when her secret was blown wide open. Riding a broom was a nice secondary outlet, but flying with wings was so much more exhilarating. And it wasn't the Order who had tried to ground her.
No, that blame lay solely on the head of a soon-to-be very, very dead Death Eater. Or he'd wish he were dead when Dmitri was done with him.
One moment she was chasing Illium on her broom, flying above a decent height over the river, the next the wood was cut from under her...destroyed by a well-placed curse.
She yelped as she began to fall, and Illium tried to double back to catch her.
However the second spell that almost hit forced her to act. She threw off the robe she used to cover her wings, and opened them up.
Illium barely withheld his gasp.
Like fire indeed. The description barely did Persephone's wings true justice.
And the way she was able to regain control of her descent spoke no little volume about her skills.
She was an angel born to the sky, and she knew it.
Still, he had a job to do. With her able to maintain her current flight without any assistance from him, he turned his anger towards the magical who had tried to kill her.
Their deaths would neither be swift or merciful. And Raphael would send a clear message now that they had publicly confirmed Persephone was angel-born, despite being half-magical.
Once they were back at the Tower, the Death Eaters captured by Dmitri personally, Persephone found herself in the gaze of Raphael.
He didn't look disappointed or surprised at her wings.
"How long have you known?"
"Since I saw your pet. The angel you sent crashing was one of mine, on assignment for something else when one of my vampires caught sight of your wings. Your glamour is good, but not good enough to hide from us."
She held his gaze far better than any other angel or vampire would have. Certainly no human could.
"Under normal circumstances, I'd send you straight to the Refuge. Our children are protected for a reason, and contrary to your 'age', you are still considered a child by our standards. However I am willing to give you a choice."
"What kind of choice?"
"You may stay here, at the Tower, but will have one of my Seven guarding you at all times. Or you can leave for the Refuge as one of my guests until we figure out how you were hidden from us, and which of your parents was angel. It's possible they may still be alive."
"My mother. It has to be. I always thought it was strange that my so called Aunt looked nothing like my mother, or even acted like her. And when I went looking into my family history two years ago, the information was incomplete, almost like she hadn't bothered to come up with one."
She had looked for the soul purpose of leaving the Dursleys once and for all.
"Do you know what the cause of death was?" asked Raphael gently.
"Killing curse. Riddle hit her with the killing curse as she tried to get him to spare my life, but he killed her anyway. He had already killed my father."
"We will find her grave and ascertain if she still lives. If she is an angel, we'll bring her back with us. We can't trust the magicals if they find out they had allowed an angel in their midst."
Angels as young as Persephone were still capable of dying. Especially if they didn't have a reason to fight the clawing grips of death to begin with.
And Persephone needed something to give her a reason to live if anything happened.
"What's Refuge?"
"It is the sanctuary of the angels. Only we, or our personal vampires, are allowed in. Humans and magicals alike would be killed or have their memory erased if they even came within distance of the place."
"What would happen if I went to this...Refuge?"
"You'd be protected. Children are our treasure, and to harm one, even if they appear to be of age like you do, is one of our oldest taboos. You would be trained in our ways, our history, and allowed to fly within reason so long as you don't cross a boundary of another arch angel without permission. You would still have to deal with having another angel fly with you, but you would be free to explore."
"So the only real difference between here and Refuge is the lack of humans and the fact that I would be given proper training with no fear of either the Death Eaters or the Order finding me."
"So long as you owl doesn't attack anyone, she would be free to join you as well."
What Raphael didn't mention was it ran the risk of her running into the Queen of Snakes, the arch angel Neha. And he knew if Venom's interest was any real indication that if she found out about Persephone she wouldn't hesitate to get her fangs in her.
Then again there were equal odds the girl might set the older angel on the man who killed her parents, considering what he heard about Tom Riddle.
"I think I would like to see Refuge, at least for a while."
"I'll have Venom and Illium escort you there."
He needed Dmitri, but those two would be able to keep her out of trouble. She had a strange bond with the three.