PERSEPHONE POTTER POV :

When she had decided to move onto another dimension, she had not expected it to be so…easy. Of course, she was aware that the Goblins were capable of almost the impossible, but just thinking of the economical ramifications they had been able to make onto one world without anyone being aware…It was almost scary to see how unaware the Wizarding World was about the magic other creatures used and how dangerous they could be. But still, she knew she was on thin ice with them and that they had gone above and beyond to accommodate her once she was ready. When she had been at Gringotts the first time accompanied by Hagrid, she had seen her trust fund and had been pleasantly surprised. Seven years later, she was submerged by accountants and did not know what to do with her investments and her money. Aside from inheriting everything from the Potter and Peverell vaults, the Ministry had confirmed her status as the Head of House Black with all the benefits of the position - but in her opinion, the title belonged to Teddy. Persephone was adamant about her decision of raising him, and she could only hope Dora would be happy that her son would raise their house from the ashes and transform it into something they could be proud of. In another life, they would have been raised as siblings or very close cousins, but in this one, he would probably consider her as his mother.

Even though Molly and Hermione were trying to dissuade her from adopting him in an official capacity, she had decided not to heed their concerns and to take matters into her own hands. Dumbledore had done a number on her and she was not sure she could trust anyone with something as remotely as important as Teddy's happiness.

Moving away was a necessity at this point : she would never live a normal life if she stayed. People had expectations she was not ready for and she was not about to fight with her entourage : she had learned her lesson. It was better to apologize rather than to ask permission, which was what she was planning to do. Persephone was good at keeping secrets and at being organized - her life at Hogwarts had just been too chaotic to keep track of anything. It was easy to focus for Hermione since it was out of choice that she followed her into her escapades, but for the young heiress, it was a matter of life and death. She would be grateful for their friendship her whole life since she was conscious she would not have made it very far in her mission if not for her genius friend. But Hermione was used to micromanaging every aspect of her own life and if Ron was not bothered by the invasion of privacy, Persephone was. After a year on the run, the new Lady was appreciative of every mark of comfort she could find.

Coming back to study at Hogwarts was not even an option : the school was reminiscent of too many bad memories and too many lost lives so she would never set foot back there. Voldemort and Dumbledore had completely ruined her perception of the establishment and aside from some items she would send Kreature to retrieve, she would be happy to erase the location from her mind. Even if everyone protested her choice, she was adamant on leaving and had enrolled in a private wizarding school in a forgotten island in Athens. Laying low and not getting noticed was a delight - and Teddy had been a welcome guest throughout her studies. It had been a surprise to discover that she actually had a real passion towards potions and that she had improved her methods in less than a few weeks. Ultimately, it had been Snape's hatred and lack of professionalism that had doomed her in that subject - one she would desperately need to master if she was serious about moving away.

The longest endeavor had been to install a secret portal within mirrors in 12 Grimmauld Place and her new manor in the United Kingdom. Instead of summoning Thanatos everytime she needed to move between dimensions, she could just use her solars for privacy. Besides, her house elf would need the passage to buy the essentials they would need.

When her new identity had been created by the Goblins, the only left to be done at the bank was a complete inventory of her possessions and her newly opened bank accounts. She hadn't known that sending so many Death Eaters she had arrested or getting rid of the Darkest wizard alive to this day would make her rich - but the rights of conquests were a bit different and archaic in this society. Instead of pocketing Malfoy's wealth, she found a way to transfer it into a secret bank account for her former bully and his mother.

Narcissa might have been a passive memory in her brain from her youth, but her help during the Final Battle had changed everything. Her love for her son had pushed her to lie to a dangerous man in order to hold Draco in her arms - she would not let them rot in prison or beg for scraps. They were related, even if it was distantly or by Sirius' adoption, it was her responsibility to take care of her, as her Head of House. Lucius was not a bother anymore, like most of Voldemort's posse. In his last moments of defiance, he had decided to forfeit the lives of his disciples in order to come back in the same banner as before.

Tom Riddle had lived a long life, too long even. He had run away from Death with a unique fervor, ready to do what must be done in order of being at the top of the food chain - it was only fair that its Mistress would get her revenge after the serpentine wizard had decided to mess up her life.

The nausea hadn't started right away and she had been oblivious for a few months, but Fate always finds a way to catch up to her. Her whole life, she had dreamed of a full household. She had cried at night, begging to finally have a family, people who would love her come hell or heaven. She loved her friends but she was completely aware of the fact she could not count on them for much longer because they deserved some calm after the storm : she had uprooted them enough throughout the years. Luna had been the first one she had considered as a sister ; both girls had understood each other's losses and the blonde girl had been detrimental in her mental health after Sirius' death. Their relationship had always been different from others and it was mostly due to the Ravenclaw's ability to guess Percy's needs before she could find a way to voice them. She had not predicted she would follow them when they burst into the Department of Mysteries and had not expected her to withstand several weeks of captivity within the Malfoy's dungeons without losing her mind.

Even though people were hasty to condemn her for her unique views and lifestyle, Persephone was persuaded that Luna was a Seer, or had proclivities towards a form of Divination at least and that she was talented in Occlumency. That's the only way the Gryffindor could explain some of her blatant traits in hospitable words.

After her, came Edward Lupin, her dear godson. From the first time she held him in her arms, she promised him she would never make the same mistake as Sirius. There would be no vow of vengeance or plight for revenge : she would focus on his growth, education and happiness. Nothing would matter more than his safety - and since he was the son of a werewolf and discarded Black daughter while being raised by the Girl-Who-Lived, he would never be sure of anyone's interest in him. Moving away was the best solution, even for him. Of course, if he wished, she would send him to Hogwarts so he could experience the school or enroll him in another magical institution of his choice, but his childhood would not be spent running away from crazed paparazzis with no concept of private space and personal issues.

Persephone had relatively known she would bring children to this world one day, but she had not foreseen her young age. It reminded her too much of her mother, the intelligent Lily Evans, who had laid down her life in favor of her daughters'. Nothing she could do would amount to the same sacrifice for the life growing within her, but she could damn well try. Her upbringing had been horrendous at best and traumatizing at worst, but she knew exactly what to avoid so her children would have a relatively healthy life.

Regardless of her predilections for attracting trouble and her penchant for chaos, she had not expected Narcissa Malfoy to come traipsing through Grimmauld Place a few months before she would be giving birth to her daughter. Apparently, she had had access to the house for the last twenty years and had never deemed it fit to inform anyone - not even Kreacher was aware of it. It had been a very panicked and trigger-happy Persephone that had spoken with the regal looking woman. Her Black tapestry had changed those last few months and had notified her of an upcoming birth, something she had thought impossible since the last remaining Black female who had been in age to procreate died a few years prior during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Narcissa had not expected to learn that her cousin had blood-adopted the young girl in front of her and it was pretty easy to recognize the Black family traits once she was aware of their existence. And it wasn't only from the adoption after all since her grandmother had been a full-blooded Black daughter, which many people seemed to forget about Dorea Potter. Oh, she had shocked her family with her choice of marrying a popular blood-traitor but he was still the only Potter heir and one of the few men available for courtship at the time. Her love story with Fleamont was scandalous and everything she had wished her marriage had turned into.

Persephone felt for the pureblood witch. Her son refused to be seen with her and had started cutting on his visits since he wanted to prove people's expectations wrong. The war had messed with his head and his beliefs and often blamed his mother since he had made sacrifices on her behalf. The brunette bit back her words full of anger, and in a fit of righteous anger, exposed her plan to her "aunt" who then managed to surprise her by her decision to follow her.

So yes, nothing about her life was conventional.

But Narcissa's presence in her life had greatly improved her mood and the prospect of a daughter of Black blood twice over being born into the family tree was too enticing for the older witch to turn away from. Persephone had not even noticed the lack of guidance she had with her pregnancy and her longing for a mother figure who would help her navigate those tumultuous times. Her emotions were heightened and she felt like a petulant child half the time. Still, if the older woman wanted to know the father's identity, she had not right out asked.

Thinking about her soulmate hurt half the time. Since she was pregnant, she could not move between dimensions without causing any issue. She thought she would have been gone for two months before seeing him again at most, but a pretty important obstacle had wormed itself into their lives. If she had to be honest, she was particularly anxious about the fact he surely did not want kids. She knew his type and even though he was attractive and most likely her "perfect half", she refused to settle for a life she did not wish for. She would not hide her existence of course, but it would be his choice to be involved or not.

She had preferred to give birth at home since she would have no privacy if she ever stepped foot into a magical hospital. A muggle hospital was out of the question : her magical core was too strong and objects would be bound to fly around her and she did not want to risk the Statute of Secrecy over her pregnancy. She would soon be able to use her magic in broad daylight without even getting a disapproving look from the Ministry, but she knew she would need to find an explanation for her powers once there. Luckily, Fury had told her he had encountered aliens, super soldiers, enhanced individuals, so a witch might not be too far fetched. He had also recommended a sort of Sanctum in New York she could go to if she wanted to learn more about the magic in her new world and the differences between them.

"I will never have sex AGAIN !", screamed Persephone at the top of her lungs while furiously crushing Luna's hand who seemed unbothered by the sensation. "TONY STARK YOU'RE A DEAD MAN ! SOULMATE MY ASS !" she continued. Even Narcissa's disapproving glare and Kreacher's flush was not enough to hold her back from cursing every person she had met from the day she was born.

Holding Cassiopeia in her arms for the first time brought tears to her eyes and for the first time she had understood why Lily never hesitated when she put herself in front of the green spell in order to protect her daughter. And even though she would never voice out loud, she was happy her daughter had inherited Tony's eyes. It was the only aspect of her she shared with her own mother and she had to admit she was a bit selfish about it. She knew it was too soon to have a clear idea, but she was sure her daughter would look like her with Tony's lighter hair, straight to her knee…She could already imagine her.

Cassiopeia was born on October 31st at midnight.

Life found funny ways to be ironic. But at least, it would be her way to have a good memory of the day - to associate the day with a good memory and not the tragedy of her life. Instead of just being another chapter in her book, she had decided to just shred it and throw it. From now on, no one would dictate her actions and she would not be manipulated or controlled by the likes of Dumbledore. She had learned from his deceipts…of course, she was slow but she learnt nonetheless. He had been a greater foe then any other throughout the years and she had been blind to his obvious manipulations, always needing to prove herself, to just exceed expectations because she wanted them to know she deserved her spot. Not only because her parents died because of her. Not because she had survived them for some reason.

And she would rather not think about the Horcrux that he had let fester within her for eighteen years. If Voldemort had chosen Neville instead of her, the poor boy would have been dead. It was only due to her Peverell heritage that she had lived for so long and the prophesied Master of Death that she had survived the Killing Curse. She had been their Savior for so long, but none had thought of checking on her for more than ten years…It showed her exactly what type of community the Wizarding World encompassed.

Persephone and Narcissa were ready, each one of them holding one of the kids while Kreacher was taking care of moving what they had packed. The manor had already been finished by the Goblins in an impressive amount of time and the Malfoy matriarch had worked endlessly on designs from the moment she had decided to come along. But of course, Luna had to bewilder them when she apparated into the living room with her luggages and…Dobby ?

Apparently, she had found her own way to him on the beach of Shell Cottage after a vivid dream. Apparently, the Norns had not anticipated her decision to move onto another dimension and had decided the house elf's mission was not over and that he still needed to "help his Mistress Percy Potter, Mistress". The Potter heiress had not known how to thank Luna and hug Dobby at the same time, under the inquisitive blaze of Narcissa who did not understand why her former employee was so dedicated to her and how he came back from the dead.

The portal had been comfortable and easy with no sign of discomfort for the baby, which was a relief. She had checked over and over again each rune - the subject had not been her strong suit while in Hogwarts but she had flourished under the gaze of her Greek teachers and her constant lessons with Narcissa. The self-regeneration method had been taxing to use but the use of the Late Neolithic Chinese runes that maintained the magic and could rejuvenate themselves. She would be the only one able to affect them in a way and if she had used some illegal blood magic, well, no one had access to the Black family wards (not even Draco). Persephone knew she was on the verge of turning paranoid but she knew she always had to check her back and to make sure her plan stays on track. After all this time, no one seems to believe the curse that is the Potter Luck and she plans on using her free time to look for it.

Besides, she had taken every single book from her multitudes of vaults and had raided the Black, Potter and Peverell libraries. Even if she could just use the portal to have access to them, the idea of having a full-scale library within her own house was a long-lived dream. Some of the volumes she had found were several centuries old and would cost more than several manors - which both her and Narcissa decided not to comment on.

Still, the ladies were determined to get used to their new household and to learn as much as possible from their new world. And it was…overwhelming. She had been lucky that the Goblins had recommended him and had given her his schedule to the minute so she could corner him and convince him of helping them. It had been relatively easy and left her with a sense of turmoil : had it always been this effortless to fool the best governments in the world ? Of course, she knew she would have to make contacts and would need to meet influential people whom she could share her story with (after modifying some tongue-locking spell if someone decided to run their mouth too much) and whom she could rely on push come to shove.

Narcissa was proud of the Slytherin Persephone had became.

While she was catching up on the History and its discrepancies with the one back home (HYDRA? well, she could vividly remember her lessons about WW2 and is positive the name of a mythical creature had never been uttered during this time period), superheroes, vigilantes and enhanced individuals were pretty common (And for some reason, were mainly located in the United States…it's not complicated to guess why. People keep messing up with matters they do not understand in order to climb the ladder which reminds her too much of Tom and his minion's fervor.) It did not take long to understand she would need qualifications if she wanted to make a name for herself - Narcissa insisted on becoming part of la haute societe and would not settle for less than she deserved. Getting a degree in architecture and interior design took less time than she anticipated, but for a student that did not have to pay house fees nor work to sustain a living, she knew she had been lucky. Furthermore, she had been used to a more hectic rhythm when she lived in Hogwarts - the amount of ink and paper lost because of her somnolence and her boisterous schedule.

Persephone was not a coward.

She was brave and admirable and always stood up for what she believed in.

But when it was time to inform Tony Stark of his daughter, the bravado left her body and she felt like the 22 year old girl she really was. For all she talked about a big game, there were many aspects of her childhood and teenage years she had missed. Milestones that she would never get back and she would have to live with that for the rest of her life. But she would be damned if she didn't at least try to bring the man into the fold.

All her attempts had been moot.

After long hours of phone calls and emails, she had been able to get through to Virginia Potts who refused to believe her recountings of events from a few years prior. She had been dating Tony for a few months by now and knew his body by heart and could confirm the soulmarks did not match. She also affirmed that the night before he left for Afghanistan, he had spent the night with a reporter, whom she had thrown out herself in the morning. She also told her she could fill in a request for a DNA sample but they were not taken seriously.

Persephone was prone to anger ; so after hearing the condescending tone from the CEO of Stark Industries, she had been ready to hex her into oblivion. "Just breathe Persephone. I may have not raised you, but I still am trying to turn you into a lady. Do not sink to other people's level when you can rise above them…and thwart them" whispered Narcissa after witnessing her reaction afterwards. This small moment had cemented their relationship and helped them in ways both women could not even imagine, each one patching up the other one's wounds without even noticing. The last living Black sister was sure Bellatrix must be livid from the other side, but well, she was a Slytherin. Could they fault her for her sense of preservation ? She may have to socialize with Muggles, but she could still hold her head high while being complimented for her expenses jewels and designer clothes, courtesy of the Black fortune. If Narcissa had stayed in her own dimension, she would have to erase herself from society as much as possible to make people forget about the shame that had befallen their family.

All in all, Percy had been disappointed by the fact her soulmate was taken. But no one could say that she was not the perfect embodiment of a phoenix ; from her ashes, she rises yet again. So what if she had been waiting for her soulmate her whole life ? She was a bit to blame since she had disappeared for a bit of time, but sincerely, she had an 11-pound excuse to shove into his face if he complained.

Her diploma in one hand and an almost unlimited fortune on the other…well, she could open her own architecture cabinet. Of course, she had a preference for landscaping design, but she knew she had to broaden her architecture firm if she wanted to make it.

Since people were impressed by the pictures of the new Black Manor from Vogue, she had started receiving calls and appointments from all around the globe - she had to employ Luna and Narcissa who had just been too glad to be involved in the process. They all owned equal shares in the firm since the money which started it officially belonged to the three of them : Persephone did not want to have a financial discussion and just awkwardly gave her found family some documents they could peruse and sign if they agreed.

Once the Potter heiress was finally established, she knew she had to start some baseline concerning her powers. She knew Fury would protect her to the best of her ability and had promised not to leave any proof of their cooperation to find later. First, she could not always rely on him, second, he was a good spy, a great one even and third, she did not want to put all her eggs in the same basket. Of course, working with SHIELD in an international capacity did not bother her, if she could at least keep her identity secret for the time being. The director readily agreed if she could try to profile some of his agents and to shadow others (the Cape of Invisibility fascinated him and she saw his greedy eyes on it whenever he caught sight of it).

The Queen had been easier to reach than Stark, if anyone could believe it. Well, Fury had facilitated most of it and she had skipped most of the chain of command and gotten a private meeting. After discussing her terms with the Prime Minister and the Royal Family, she shared some memories with them so they could attest to the veracity of her terms. They were pleasant - and the eldest son of the monarch had been completely enamored with Narcissa's charm and elegance. The Gryffindor could not fault him : the older witch had been enchanting men left and right without even trying and if she did not know the stance of the Black family towards purity, she would have sworn she had some Veela blood in her.

Her short stay at Buckingham Palace with Narcissa while Luna stayed at home with the children had made the front pages and was amazing PR for their firm. The Queen was utterly pleasant and had given her the honor of remodeling a small part of the gardens for family use. To say that Persephone had thrown herself into the project would be a euphemism, but at least, they had discovered that Cassie shared the same love for art as her mother. There was no doubt in her mind that she would be tinkering in machines and circuit cables in no time if she took even a bit after her father, so she could bask on her attention for the moment.

Tony Stark had informed the world that he was Iron Man.

Persephone Potter could not have been prouder of him.

In a few years, Cassiopeia would share the sentiment, she would make sure of it.

Of course, his declaration to the world had not gone unnoticed and it was a frustrated and angry Fury that had gotten through her wards after the debacle with Stark ended. She had been angry about Natasha's report - but she knew how deep her manipulation went and would not be surprised if it was the final nail of the coffin. Make him work hard to be part of something he did not want to be a part of in the first place.

For the sake of honesty, she told Fury the truth about her relationship with him. There might not have been much to say, but there was still the issue that they shared DNA with a small human that would ask questions one day. It would change everything - and even some dynamics some presumed members of his Initiative would not like. At the end, the prospect had been scrapped but she knew the spy, and when he had a pet project, he could not let go. After all, he had never seen her use her powers outside of the house since she was mainly working on recon and healing potions when had time to spare towards SHIELD. She was a shadow consultant who no one knew about - until Fury deemed it necessary. Persephone had deemed it safe to give him some memories but added some runes infused with her magic in the Pensieve to make sure the Avengers would keep their mouths shut. Until now, he had only shared the contents of the vial with Phil Coulson only, a nice gentleman she had the opportunity of meeting when she needed babysitters for Cassiopeia and Teddy. The sight of two super spy agents saddled with children was too much for the witches and had to immortalize the moment for future purposes.

Persephone had hesitated for a long time before deciding to take her daughter with her when she went back to Grimmauld Place. She knew she was selfish in a way, but Tony was getting more popular by the way and his list of enemies will keep on growing at the same rate. One day, Cassie would be in the mist of the problem : she was not naive enough to refute the thought. So it was her duty to make sure her daughter was ready enough to be able to take care of herself. Particularly, her accidental magic.

Children are more attuned to their magic, which was why Persephone had been able to apparate unconsciously when she was younger and felt in danger. With a bit of training, she could make sure her daughter could do the same thing. By taking her to their original dimension during the week was a plan to make sure Cassie grew up faster due to the time dilation. She had been afraid the time difference would be too great, but three days on their original dimension for one day in this one seemed fair enough. At least, she had to make sure Kreacher would check on their mail and their finances back with the Goblins while she stayed at her house working on either her magic or her projects.

After two years of living in this delightful space-time continuum, a portal opened in the middle of the solar system and the three witches had been ready to attack before meeting the soothing gaze of a bald woman dressed in traditional Nepali robes.

"Lady, I don't know who you think you are…" started Persephone.

"You can call me the Ancient One" interrupted the trespasser.

"Okay? Is that supposed to mean something ?" retorted the brash brunette.

Narcissa stayed in her dueling stance while putting a reassuring hand on Percy's shoulder.
"What my niece means to say is that we did not expect visitors. Especially not of the…magical kind."

"Nice to finally meet you Tao" chimed in Luna in her usual silky voice.

Narcissa, Persephone and the Ancient One turned their heads towards her in unison, equally bewildered by her proclamation.