Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or anything else to do with Harry Potter. They are the property of J.K. Rowling. This story is purely out of my imagination and for entertainment purposes only.

CHAPTER EIGHT- MEETING FAMILY AND ENEMIES

Persephone tried to be quiet as she tiptoed through the long dark passageways of Hogwarts. She still couldn't quite believe that she was actually there in the school that she'd learned about but was never able to go inside thanks to Voldemort.

She continued to make her way quietly through the halls, taking in every detail and memorizing it since this would be the only year that she would be able to attend here. The only reason they were letting her attend was b/c they were positive that Harry wouldn't be attending final year until he found all of Voldemort's Horocruxes. Persephone intended to contact him before he left however.

She made her way up the stone steps to the owlry and whistled softly for her pet owl, Hermione. She still had no idea why she'd named her pet that name but she felt that it was an important name to Harry for some reason. Sticking the note in Hermione's claw she whispered to her. "Find Harry Potter." She lifted her arm and Hermione spread her wings and took off.

Persephone watched her until she was a black dot on the horizon. She turned to leave and looked down as she stepped out onto the steps only to immediately groan. Hagrid stood down below looking dead at her. She sighed and apparated down to where he stood frowning at her.

"Now just who were ye sendin' yer owl to lass?" He said with a scowl down at her. She grinned up at him. "No one Hagrid. I was just thinking that she needed some fresh air." Hagrid stared at her for a moment before nodding.

"All righ' then. Off you go. Better not let any of the other teachers catch ye runnin' around 'ere." She nodded and apparated back into her room. She got the feeling that Hagrid knew she'd been lying about the owl. Then why didn't he say something to her about it? She wondered as she lay down. Her head had barely been on the pillow before she was sound asleep.

Harry sighed softly and felt Hermione squeeze his hand as he looked up at the tall towers of Hogwarts. Hermione had somehow talked him into attending his last year at the school so that he will face Voldemort with all the powers and defenses that Dumbledore would have wanted him to know.

Harry finally agreed but warned her that if Voldemort was spotted somewhere nearby he would leave and go after him. Hermione still insisted that she would go with him, a topic they had argued over time and again. They made their way past the huge statue of a hog in the main entryway and through to the Great Hall.

As they entered, every single face in the room turned to them. Cheers erupted everywhere and echoed across the walls. Hermione looked up to see that Professor McGonagall looked as though any minute she might pass out. Even Hagrid and the other teachers looked pale.

Minerva thought she would expire right there on the spot. Harry Potter! Here! At Hogwarts! Frantically she looked around the hall for Persephone but didn't see her. She got up and walked around the table and down to where Harry and Hermione had taken their seats.

"Harry Potter. WH….Might I inquire as to why you are here? I was informed that you wouldn't be attending this year." She said quietly to him. Harry looked at her in confusion. "Well I actually started not to but Mione talked me into it." Minerva looked at their clasped hands and smiled softly.

She'd always hoped the two of them would end up together. She cleared her throat as she thought of what she could say to him to make him leave. From the look on Hermione's face Minerva could tell that if Harry left so would she.

She was happy that Harry had decided to come back as Hogwarts would have both he and Hermione to help them against Voldemort. But yet she was frightened at what would happen were Voldemort to get to both Harry and Persephone.

Persephone brushed off her new robe as she walked down the halls of Hogwarts towards the Great Hall. She turned the corner when she spotted a tall, rather adorable, redheaded boy coming up the stairs. She smiled and walked up to him. "HI!" she said. He looked up and his eyes widened slightly. "Ummm…..err……hello." he said weakly.

She smiled even bigger. "My name is Persephone. I'm afraid I'm a little lost. Could you help me find the Great Hall?" He nodded and blushed to the roots of his hair when she took his arm. Ron had never seen anyone like this girl. Yet she reminded him of someone somehow. They entered the hall and Ron led her to the Gryffindor's table.

Persephone didn't see the point in looking for Harry as she knew that he wouldn't be there so she sat down and looked up at where McGonagall was standing at the Phoenix podium where Dumbledore once would have stood. Persephone had only met Dumbledore a few times but had loved the elderly man dearly. There had been something fatherly in the way he'd treated her that had drawn her to him.

Minerva clasped her hands together and groaned when she saw Persephone enter the hall with Ronald Weasley. She breathed a sigh of relief when there weren't any seats near where Harry was sitting. She began with the usual announcements after all of the first years had been sorted into their houses.

Suddenly an owl came through the window and landed on the Gryffindor table in front of Harry. Harry frowned at the bird and Persephone gasped when her eyes fixed on her bird. Harry sat there frowning at the letter that the bird extended to him. He untied it and rolled it open to read it.

Suddenly his head jerked up and he began looking all around the Great Hall. Persephone stood up and yelled. "HARRY!" She darted around the end of the table and began to run where Harry stared at her in complete shock. She reached him and flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly. The moment her arms came around him, Harry knew that this girl was his twin sister.

The whole Great Hall gasped, Minerva and Hagrid groaned, and Hermione was the only one cheering. By this time Ron had came up to where Persephone and Harry hugged with a look of confusion on his face. "She's his sister Ron." Hermione told him. A wide grin spread across his face.

Minerva was suddenly beside them and she took hold of Persephone and Harry's arms. "Come with me you two." She said in a voice that booked no argument. She led them out of the Great Hall and as soon as the doors shut behind them rampant voices spread throughout the room. Hermione and Ron quickly explained that Persephone was Harry's twin sister but that this is the first time they'd seen each other since they were babies.

"One of you will have to leave right now." McGonagall said as soon as they were safely inside her new office. Harry looked around in sadness at the sight of Dumbledore's things gone but his attention was jerked to McGonagall at those words. "WHAT! Professor you can't be serious!" Harry exclaimed.

Her voice was cold as winter. "No I am very serious Mr. Potter. Either yourself or Miss Potter will have to leave the school. We simply cannot take the chance of Voldemort finding the both of you." Harry scowled.

"I don't believe that Voldemort is strong enough to take on anyone right now. I can teach…..ummmm…..sorry but what is your first name?" He said with a laugh. "Persephone." She answered. "I can teach Persephone to defend herself against Voldemort." He said confidently.

Persephone quirked a black brow at him. "Umm I hate to tell you this brother but I am MORE than capable of defending myself. Froze you before you got to me didn't I?"

Harry gasped. "That was YOU! Why didn't you just show yourself?" Persephone frowned. "Because I was given orders by McGonagall not to." Harry shot a glare at McGonagall who lifted her chin, daring him to say something to her.

She then cleared her throat. "I hope that the two of you have enjoyed this reunion but until Voldemort is captured or destroyed the two of you will HAVE to remain apart. Now decide which one is going to go?" Harry shook his head. "Neither of us." He said firmly.

McGonagall sighed before whirling around and grabbing Persephone's arm. She suddenly apparated with a loud pop. Harry tried to grab Persephone but they were gone too fast. Harry yelled as he fell to his knees and hit the stone floor with both fists.

McGonagall suddenly popped back into the room and Harry shouted at her. "DAMN YOU! AS IF IT ISN'T BAD ENOUGH I LOST BOTH OF MY PARENTS, SIRIUS, DUMBLEDORE, AND NOW YOU TAKE MY SISTER AWAY! HOW MUCH MORE SUFFERING ARE YOU GOING TO PUT ME THROUGH? I HATE YOU!" With tears streaming down his face, he apparated.

McGonagall stood there quietly for a moment before sitting down at the desk and whispering. "Albus……why aren't you here when we need you the most?" the words echoed throughout the empty room and up to where Dumbledore sat dozing for the rest of eternity in his picture frame.

****

Hermione jumped when Harry apparated into her room. "Harry!" She said and got to her feet when she saw that he'd been crying. "What happened? Where is Persephone?" Harry shook his head. "I don't know…..McGonagall took her somewhere. I don't know where." Hermione frowned. "Why doesn't she just apparate back to Hogwarts then?"

Harry shrugged. "McGonagall isn't stupid. She probably put some sort of anti apparition spell on her to keep her where she is. Damn her." He said quietly. Hermione sighed and ran her hand through his hair. "Oh Harry I'm so sorry." Harry suddenly stood. "I'm leaving. I'm going to find her."

Hermione stood up to catch his arm. "How are you going to find her? McGonagall took her only God knows where…..WAIT!" Hermione said with a snap of her fingers. She ran to her trunk at the end of the bed and took out a small box. "It just occurred to me where McGonagall might have stored her for the moment just until she can put her somewhere else. She's either being held at the house Sirius left to you or at Godric's Hollow. Her first thought was that you wouldn't think to look there because it's too obvious. She didn't count on the fact that I would think of it though." She said with a smug grin.

Harry leaned forward and took her face in his hands to kiss her. "I love you Hermione."
She grinned at him. "I love you too. I'm coming with you by the way." Harry frowned. "I think that you should stay here. I don't want to take the chance of something happening to you." She grabbed his hand and wouldn't let go. "Either take me with you or I'll follow you anyway." She said with her eyes narrowed darkly. He sighed and she handed him the box. "Let's go." She said. He nodded and with a pop they were gone.

*****

Persephone kicked the dresser beside her bed in frustration. It wasn't fair! She thought as she felt hot salty tears run down her face. She looked around for the first time at the old room and wondered where she was at.

She walked to the door and checked the knob surprised to find that it wasn't locked or didn't have some sort of enchantment on it so she couldn't leave the room. She walked down the stairs and a sense of nausea began to build up inside her. She felt death all around and wondered again where she was.

She walked through the house and then went back up the stairs to check out the other rooms. She opened the door to one of the upstairs room and a lightning bolt of pain shot through her hand and up her arm. She fell to her knees on the floor and breathed hard as the pain threatened to consume her whole.

"HARRY! What's wrong? What's happening?" Hermione said in fear as she crouched beside Harry outside 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry held both hands to his head, trying to stop the pain going through his scar, down his arm to his hand. "I….don't know…..Persephone she's in pain. I know it. Give me the ring." He said.

Hermione reached into her robe and brought out the ring box. She placed the ring onto Harry's finger and gasped when he went limp in her arms. "Harry?" he asked. Harry could hear her but at a great distance. In his mind he saw Persephone on the floor beside a door but he couldn't tell where she was. Only that she was in pain. Persephone! His mind screamed at her.

Her head lifted and she looked around while clutching her hand to her chest. "Harry?" She asked. In that instant all of his memories and her memories filled each other. In that one moment they learned everything about each other. He felt himself going down the stairs and out the front door. He saw that he was at Godric's Hollow.

He felt a cold breeze blow by him and saw none other than Severus Snape walking towards the door. "NO!" Harry yelled and tried to grab Snape but couldn't touch him……

Hermione yelled when Harry's hand suddenly came up and grabbed her by the throat. "Harry……it's me…….Hermione…" When she realized that he couldn't hear her and thought she was someone else she grabbed her wand and pointed it at him. "Immobulous!!!" Harry's hand froze and she pried his fingers from around her neck.

She got up and caught her breath before turning back to him and muttering the counter jinx to free him. His eyes jerked open and he sat up. "Snape…at the Hollow…..Seph…" Hermione pulled him to his feet. He groaned and touched his head lightly. "Come on

Snape had hoped that it would be Harry Potter but nothing could have prepared him to see Harry Potter's missing twin sister lying on the floor trying to catch her breath. He knelt down beside her and couldn't help but admire her beauty she'd gotten from Lily. Her eyes began to open and he just looked down at her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He didn't expect her to recognize him so he was stunned when her eyes narrowed and her fist came up to punch him in his rather large nose. He fell backwards and down the stairs. He looked up to see Persephone standing a few feet away with her wand pointed at him.

"Very funny girl. Do you honestly think that you can do anything to ME with that wand? Come on then, give me your best shot." Before she could react he pulled his wand and called out, "Expelliamus!!!" Her wand was knocked out of her hand and slid across the floor.

"Now then, what are you doing here?" Persephone stared at him before taking a few steps forward. "This is where they died isn't it? This was our parent's house where old VoldeMUNCH killed them." Snape nodded. "It is not wise to make fun of Lord Voldemort my dear."

Persephone glared at him. "I'd SPIT on the son of a bitch if he were here and not think twice about it. Since you're his lackey I guess you'll do." She said and promptly spit in his face. He reached out and grabbed her by the arm to shake her. "Why you little…..AHHHH!" He yelled as her knee came up and jabbed him sharply between the legs. Her foot came up and kicked his wand out of his hand.

. Let's go." She said. She took his hand and stopped. "Harry? Where is your mother's ring?" Harry looked down at his hand and he knew where it had gone. "Come on. I know where it's at."

Snape smiled smugly as he opened the front door to the house. He paused at the bottom of the stairs and looked up to see black hair cascading over the top step. "Well well well….what do we have here?" he said as he started up the stairs. He'd come back at Voldemort's request to see who was walking around at Godric's Hollow.

Her hands became curled like claws and she dove at him, knocking him to the floor and clawing at his face. Snape felt the skin on his face burn and bleed as her sharp nails cut at him. He managed to grab her wrists and rolled her so that he was on top and was able to grab his wand. "Now you are coming with me to meet Lord Voldemort." He snarled at her. "Just let me grab my wand so that I can KILL the asshole!!!!!!!" She yelled as she struggled against him.

"STOP RIGHT THERE SNAPE OR SO HELP ME I'LL KILL YOU!!" Snape froze then slowly turned to face a furious Harry who stood in the doorway. Hermione stood to his side with her wand drawn. "Let go of my sister Snape." Harry said. Persephone jerked free of Snape and rolled out away from him to retrieve her wand.

She got to her feet and ran to the other side of Harry and grinned. "Good timing Harry. Thanks by the way." She said and held out her hand to let him see that she wore the ring.

Snape glared at Harry with a hatred that seared all three of them. "Fine then I will take all three of you to see Lord Voldemort!!!" He waved his wand high in the air and green light swirled all around them. Hermione gripped Harry's hand tight as blackness engulfed them…..