Chapter One:

Meetings Or The Escape To Neverland

She had awoken to screams. And if she was to be honest, she probably wouldn't have woken up if it wasn't for the shouting. In fact, it took her lying on the dirt for just a few moments longer to decide if she truly wanted to be awake— because what her eyes had opened up to wasn't exactly ideal. Lucia was half tempted to just continue lying there in hopes all the chaos of this world would just go away. She didn't have the strength in those few minutes to try and reason with herself.

Yes, people were running all around her and screaming in fear, but it wasn't her problem, right? There wasn't any context as to what was going on or why people were panicking, so she decided it wouldn't be something for her to worry about right away. No, the most pressing matter was how the fuck she ended up outside on the patchy dirt ground.

Lucia had to say "never mind" to that too when it became clear that her lying there would probably do her more harm than good.

Shakily, she made her way onto her feet and as much as she wanted to obtain a clear understanding, there was too much madness floating around her to piece anything together. Lucia was battling her own displacement and their herding to even try and attempt to stop someone to ask questions.

It wouldn't have done any good anyways.

When she finally decided to focus on everything surrounding her, it became all too clear there would be a lot more questions than just simply wondering how she ended up outside. The only positive thing she could take away in this moment was: one of those questions softly whispering in the back of her mind could be answered.

Everyone was running away from Death Eaters.

So following the crowd without a set destination in mind wasn't Lucia's smartest decision. The pushing, the sobbing, and the panic flitter through the air like background music. She could feel the muscles in her forearms begin to tense. There were bells chiming loudly in her ears. Water had begun to gently sprinkle from her eyelashes. Lucia didn't have a plan or a place to escape too. Everyone she had known didn't exist in this world. And the monster blanketing her heart with terror just wouldn't let go.

She was a sheep following the herd— a train traveling on a set of one way tracks. Death was chasing her down knowing Lucia had no means of protecting herself. She was the perfect soul for him to take and no one could blame him if he snatched up hers. But, Lucia didn't want for him to.

In the very deepest parts of her mind, Lucia knew this was an opportunity she would never get again. Gods know how she ended up in the world of Harry Potter, a question she would come back to later, but this was her stage and she was going to take this once in a lifetime chance and throttle it's neck. Thus, now was Lucia's time to figure out how to make it out of this mess alive. If she wanted to escape death's door and fully immerse herself in this dream, Lucia needed to survive.

And Death agreed with her too.

He wasn't here to take her away, to take her home. That was something he never even thought to do. Lucia's fate was someone else's responsibility and he dare not try to do someone else's work. Instead, Death had roped her fear to him and dragged her across the campground to the only thing, person, that would save her.

It was the perfect scene in a movie— a "lovers'" first meeting. Eyes made of emeralds and jades met eyes made of mahogany and chestnut. Two souls, imprisoned by a flock of flightless birds, had found each other. Harry was the very image of a cornered animal that Lucia had felt. They were drowning in a sea of people with no one there to rescue them. Yet, unlike her, Harry was a magnet that somehow always pulled those wishing him harm closer.

Something Lucia would think back on in the future and tease Harry about.

But now, in that instance of cosmic connection, she had made the best, worst mistake. Lucia had gone to him. Her body had stopped resisting Death's pull. She didn't mull over the thought of Harry being her saving grace or not. Lucia just knew she had to get to him. And in her haste to reach Harry, she ignored a curse dancing its way through the crowd to meet him.

It was another movie worthy scene. Lucia had saved Harry by throwing herself on him. Just, he might not have really thought so. And she might not have really meant to do so, clumsy as she was in this instance. Small details that The Death Eaters and the universe felt could be worried about later. Not that the quadruple had given it any thought at this time.

"I'm sorry," Lucia muttered before rolling off him.

She had moved to help him get up but Ron and Hermione beat her to it. They fussed and quickly checked to see if Lucia had damaged Harry in one way or another before turning their attention to her— the suspicious teen who had mowed down Harry. Lucia really hadn't cared for their opinion of right now, though. None of the teens, other than Harry, had noticed the curse aimed towards him.

"I didn't mean to. I just…"

Hermione shook her head and quickly moved in between both boys, grabbing onto them and trying to herd everyone back on course. "Sorry, but we really have to go."

"'Mione, hold on," Harry contested, "I'm...thank you, for saving me. I hadn't even seen that spell coming my way until the last second."

"Oh, uh, no. Actually, I really didn't mean to!"

Hermione groaned and gripped tighter onto Harry's arm in protest, "Harry, we have to go now!"

Lucia watched as Harry nodded his agreement and moved to leave with the others. There was no reason for her to hold him back any longer, especially with Voldemort's men chasing after him but she couldn't just let him go. Harry was her token into the Wizarding World. He was the lead that would help her discover all the answers swarming in her head. It was selfish though. Lucia couldn't just thrust that responsibility on him. This wasn't her world. She shouldn't be trying to force a space for herself in it.

What was she going to do? How was she going to get home? How was she going to survive this?

"Watch out!"

The world came crashing in around her again and Lucia's thoughts were quickly left forgotten. In her musing Harry had returned the favor— a targeted spell wasted and another life saved. Lightly toned arms found their way around her. An oddly firm, but soft chest cushioned her descent forward. Lucia was wrapped in the warmth of Harry's body, shielded away for just a moment from the horrors of the campground they were drowning in. A moment of awe had taken a hold of her, Lucia had experienced his heroism in words and pictures but to actually be the reason it had triggered him into action was surreal.

She would later blame her nerves for allowing herself to cling onto Harry like some sort of koala desperately holding on to a swaying branch in a tree. But, hey, details.

"Thank you," Lucia huffed out.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing," Harry replied quickly, "we've got to get out of here."

"But...I can't. I don't know where I'm going!"

Harry looked down at her, eyes slowly turning downwards. Lucia could see the sadness swirling behind thick lashes and that was the trigger for everything to bulldoze the barrier of shock she had been hiding behind. She really had nowhere to go. There wasn't someone at the end of this madness waiting for her. Any means of returning home were futile because her home didn't exist in this world. Or at least not yet. She still had another year before she was to be born, theoretically. Lucia was lost in this world, and if Harry left her behind she would be lost from her own as well.

"Come with me."

Such a simple sentence filled with decision, promise and hope. Lucia unraveled herself from his arms and laced their fingers together. The anxiety boiling within her ceased for just a second, content with her continued decision of wanting to live in this new world. The strings of fate had pulled her in and, just like death had decided earlier, who was she to deny them their will.

Lucia ran.

She ran and ignored all the screaming and cursing around her. She pushed and shoved anyone blocking the path to their destination. Harry led the way and she would follow, with hands intertwined and a sense of warmth shooting through her blood.