Harry Potter and the Dream of Fate

Chapter Thirteen

*The Truth About Her*

She put her hands down as he turned around and luckily he didn't notice. Persephone could see that he wasn't in the mood for jokes. His face was stern and his eyes were distant as if he was planning on what to say. She gulped. If he was planning on what to say, then that must have meant that it wasn't great news. She braced herself. Now was the wrong time for chickening out. He sat down and pushed out a chair for her to sit, so she would be facing him. She sat and put her hands on the side of her chair. "Just tell me, Harry." she said reassuringly to him, and hoped it wasn't going to be so bad. No emotion. If she just showed no emotion everything would be all right.

"I'm not even sure about this," Harry began, "and it's just a hunch, really."

"You're right, I know you're right. Gut feeling are always the right one. I saw it in your eyes, Harry. You know, please tell me."

"All right," Harry said and cleared his throat. "Persephone, wizards are just like Muggles. There are good Muggles, and there are some, well... not-so-good Muggles. The same is true for wizards. Once there was a really, really bad wizard. Like as bad as it gets. So he wanted to almost rule the world, I guess. But, first he was obsessed with clearing out all of the Muggle-born witches and wizards, and Muggles; you see, he wanted the world to be run by Purebloods only. Which is really stupid if you think of it, since the race would die out, but that's beside the point.." he stopped and sighed, "Persephone, this guy's name was Voldemort, and he was extremely powerful and determined and he, I guess what you could say is, he liked to kill."

"Voldemort," she repeated slowly, "okay, go on,"

"Persephone, he killed a lot of people. And no one survived his attacks. Well, no one except," he pulled up his bangs and exposed his scar, "me."

"But, Harry, I.."

"Please let me finish," he said calmly. Now he knew what Hagrid must have felt when he was telling Harry about his past. "I believe, that since you have the same scar as me, that, perhaps... "

"Just say it, Harry.." Persephone pleaded.

"Voldemort killed your parents, and he tried to kill you, too. But it didn't work. For some reason you didn't die, but...your parents didn't make it." There, he said it. He sighed deep and long and stared at his knees. Then he looked up at Persephone.

She stared at him, her expression unreadable. At first she looked indifferent, as if she felt apathy. But Harry noticed things that gave her away. The fact that she didn't say anything, her eyes were open so wide and blinking very fast. And as for her posture: she sat as still as a board, her knuckles white because she gripped the chair so hard. Harry could tell she tried to keep it all in. She thought she could take it. After all, she had lived all her life and knew they were dead, but now it was different. Now she realized that they were people, they actually existed. And maybe, just maybe, she could still remember them, vaguely, just like Harry did. And maybe right now when she realized the truth, she missed them for all the years she didn't, and she felt that emptiness inside her ten-fold.

Harry got up and pushed his chair beside her. He felt for her; he realized what she must be feeling. Maybe not even. Then again, she didn't have any family left at all. At least he had the Dursley's. As much as he hated them, he could at least say he had family. And in the summer holidays, he had a place to go to. Even if it was Dudley's old hand-me-down room, it was all he had and at least it was his. She didn't have anything. She lived her whole life on her own and now she realized why. The feelings were showing up in her eyes now. Terrible sadness mixed with blind hatred. Harry put an arm around her shoulders. He didn't know why but it seemed like the right thing to do. As if on cue she collapsed from that spot, and rested her head on his shoulder, and Harry could feel how tiny she really was. The meals she missed all her life were apparent, even though she had a few good ones this summer and the beginning of this year. She trembled violently, and after a few minutes Harry felt something wet seep through his shirt onto his shoulder.

She must have noticed it too, because she jerked up and stared at the tiny puddle soaking into his shirt. As she did that, for the first time, Harry saw tears run down her face quickly, as new tears came to replace them. She wasn't just crying, she was sobbing. Silently, she sobbed, probably the only way she knew how. She took jagged breaths and tried to cover up her face from Harry, but it was no use. The mascara she had put on this morning ran onto her cheek. She simply gave up and let 15 years of depression out on that moment. Harry sat and watched, he didn't know what to do, and felt a strong urge to just cup her in his arms and just say he's wrong, terribly wrong, and that it was all a mistake.

But he knew, and she knew, it wasn't.

So he just patted her on the back and said, "I'm so sorry." She lifted her head up to face him. He saw compassion on her face as she frowned a bit.

"Thank you for telling me the truth, Harry. You're one of the very few that hasn't lied to me." She buried her face in her hands and breathed deeply. Then she looked up to see Harry was still staring at her. She tried hard to smile, but it came out crooked and bitter. "Hey cheer up, Harry," she said as brightly as she could, "I promise to do my best at the audition tomorrow!"

Just then he felt guilt run through his veins strong and painful. How could he have been so selfish? This was what she deserved to know, he had made a deal with her to make her cry. What was wrong with him? He had to straighten it all out now.

"Persephone, I was stupid. You don't have to audition, I should have never forced you to it. If you ever need someone to talk to, I want you to know I'm here, okay? No strings attached. Ever." She looked at him hard and smiled. This time he could see that it was a genuine smile.

"You really mean that?" she said softly.

"Yes, of course," he said surely.

"Thank you so much," she said slowly and stood up, "that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. I know that sounds kinda corny but, it's true." She smiled and wiped her tears with her fingers. "And you know what? I'm gonna audition. It'll do me good to make a fool of myself, perhaps get me noticed in the she's-kinda-cool kind of way."

Harry nodded and got up himself. He signaled the door and helped her to it since she was still a bit shaky. As they approached the portrait hole she stopped immediately and pulled Harry back. Her face was about two inches away from his and she had a sort of glare in her eyes. "Don't you dare tell anyone about me crying, Potter. Or I'll make your life a living hell, and that's a promise."

"Glad to see your back to normal!" he said brightly and agreed before she punched his face in.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

After that night, Persephone and Harry had grown some sort of bond like friendship. He didn't mind her tantrums anymore, and since he helped her cope with her anger, she didn't have them as much either. She had let loose a bit, too, and stopped being so defensive whenever someone tried to be friendly. Even though she had lost some of the shield around her, she still didn't lose her spunk. Which, when looked at carefully, wasn't such a bad thing. Her sarcastic manner was basically a permanent part of her personality, and she just wouldn't be Persephone without it.

As for the audition, well, that's a story on it's own. More Gryffindors than expected decided to audition so it was a bit lengthy, and Persephone's bit was one of the last on the list. They had to sit through Fred and George's stand-up comedy, Collin's exhibit of various photographic art forms, Parvarti and Lavender's baton waving, first year Michelle and Sarah's dance act, and other performances that were just too lame to explain. One of them being Dean Thomas, who ran up on the platform and tried to thrill everyone by showing them a calculator and calling it "The Advanced Forms of Muggle Technology". Harry believed that Dean surely hadn't calculated the number of Muggle-born in the tower, not the mention the school, and just how many had already come in contact with a calculator.

To make a long story short, Persephone really didn't have much competition. Alas, when it came time for her to go up, she had succeeded in convincing herself that even Dean Thomas's laughable audition was better than her singing would ever be. So, as she dragged her radio along with herself onto the platform, things didn't go so smoothly. First of all, Dean Thomas raved on about how his calculator was a much better device than the radio. Once he had shut up by one of Persephone's rages when she accidentally let out a lip-locking charm, Fred and George had accidentally let off one of their fireworks and everyone had to duck for cover. When she finally got to performing, she turned on her radio, and no sound came out of it. The nervousness could be read all over her face, and Hermione ran up there and reminded her that it was her confidence that made it work, not any other magic. So after she pulled herself together, and kicked the radio about a few times, she started to sing.

It really wasn't a surprise when she won hands down. Harry had jumped up out of his seat along with Ron and Hermione to congratulate a very nervous and egotistical Persephone.

"Told you I'd win," was all she said after told how great she was.

Once her name was given to Professor McGonagall to be a candidate, everything went pretty much back to normal. The next competition would be all the finalists from each house competing against one another to see who would go versus the other academies. At this Harry was confident, but not as sure as he was before, about Persephone's victory. After all, he didn't know who she was up against. All the candidates were to be kept a secret from each house so that no one cheated.

Since the next competition was to be held on the last Thursday of November, it was much too early to get exited. So they just hung out around the Common Room on weekends, laughed and had fun and for Persephone, she was finally one of the gang. On Halloween, however, Hermione opened a can of worms.

"I figured it out! I figured it out!" she shouted and ran towards them, her hands waving in the air. Harry, Ron, and Persephone looked up from their plates full of candy and cake and stared.

"Figured out what?" Persephone asked through a mouthful of chocolate pie.

"I'm sorry, Persephone, but can I just talk to Harry and Ron for a moment, please?" Hermione was scared Persephone would get angry at her, but to the contrary.

"Sure, I was on my way out, anyway. See you guys tomorrow!" she said brightly and left.

Hermione sat down, and drummed her fingers on the table while she waited until Persephone was really gone before she broke out into another hysterical fit of excitement.

"Hermione, calm down," Ron said, "what is it!"

"I finally figured it out, you guys! Everything, well, not everything, but mostly everything, about Persephone!"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"The reason why she can do wandless magic, why she has that scar on the back of her neck, why her name is Persephone, everything!"

"Okay," Ron said again, "calm down. Now tell us everything you know.."

"She's a sorceress," Hermione said simply.

"What?" Harry asked. "Explain."

"Alright, here we go... First of all, I didn't think it's possible, but I just found this book in the library, and it explains everything!" She held up a thick purple-leather bound book that looked like it weighed a ton. She dropped it on the table and the glasses shook while very disgruntled looks came their way. She put her arm on it and whispered, "Follow me." She led them out of the hall, then quietly into the library. She swirled through the book cases until they approached a tiny little table next to a large window with a huge squashy armchair beside it. "This is my favorite spot," she said quietly, "not too many people know it's here." She put the book down on the table and they all pulled up a chair.

She opened the book and flipped through the pages until she arrived at a section titled "Ancient Sorceresses and Enchantresses" where there was a beautiful picture of a fairy-like women with wings blessing children. Harry thought she looked like an angel, but Hermione practically ignored the picture. "Here we are," she started and cleared her throat.

"Sorceress, Key's to Telling Whether Someone is Magically Gifted." She looked up to make sure she had their undivided attention and continued, "A Sorceress is the second-highest form of a magical being. The highest is an Enchantress, however, Enchanters and Enchantresses were extinct in the late 16th century because of horrid Muggle activities that occurred: Muggles would execute Enchantresses from their lands. Because of the gruesome treatment, the Heir of Merlin, who was an Enchantress herself, decided to protect future generations of such misery and completely abolished the powerful forces of enchantment. However, she could not completely destroy all the advanced powers of an Enchantresses and let on to a new race of magical beings: Sorcerers." She took a deep breath and saw that both Harry and Ron were still looking attentively at her. So she continued.

"The first person to realize that they were more powerful than the average wizard, was a Muggle-lover, Sir Theodore Blair. He declared himself a sorcerer and decided that since he was more powerful, he would use his powers for good, and create a stable race of those like himself, making sure to blend in with other wizards as not to make a secluded culture. However, as much as he worked, he could not find anyone else that matched his magical levels, and in the end, decided to be like any other wizard out there. He married a Muggle woman named Margaret and had a child, a girl, which he called Athena. To his great joy Athena's magical ability mimicked him, in a variety of ways. She could perform simple as well as complex tasks with ease, without a wand. She could handle harsh attacks without being scathed. And when tested for her magical level, she proved to be well above even her father's abilities.

Margaret had two other children, both boys, and they also proved to be sorcerers. From that era on, there were more and more sorcerers and they all followed a similar pattern. Their names were all from mythological backgrounds, mostly Greek. Since not only Athena's name was Greek, but the boys were also. Percius and Prometheus were their names. Both married and kept the name Blair. Even though other generations and family names were created, the most common and respected was the Blair Dynasty. They are still held honored in the hearts of many today because of their righteous and duteous actions. Unfortunately, the Blair line has ended with the last heir, Helios Blair. Helios married a Muggle-born witch named Angellee, but had no children."

She stopped and looked at both of them. Harry spoke first.

"So, she's part of this family..." he guessed.

"She's not just part of it, she's Helios' daughter," she said matter-of-factly. Harry was quite surprised that she was so sure.

"But Hermione," Ron began, "the book just said that Helios had no children."

"That's what the book wants you to think, but it's wrong," she said simply.

She flipped through a couple more pages, and prepared to read again. "Just listen," she began. "You can trace a sorceress by following these simple guidelines. Number 1, the sorceress should have a name related to Greek myth. Persephone's name is mythological. The Goddess Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She was the goddess of springtime. She was abducted by Hades, Lord of the Underworld, and became his wife and Queen for 6 months out of every year. Mint and Pomegranate were sacred to her." Harry and Ron looked at each other and nodded for Hermione to continue, "Number 2, they sorceress should be able to perform magic simply without the aid of a wand. Their wishes become reality without them even knowing so. We've found that out with Persephone's, uh, well you could say fits. Number 3, the sorceress should have an alluring talent that is even more powerful than her magic. For Persephone, it's her singing. It's Veela-like. And last but not least, number 4, the sorceress should have a secondary form. The two most common come in forms of dreams and some even reside in the soul of the sorceress' lover/soul mate. If a sorceress is killed unnaturally, her secondary form shall return to her body and she shall live again. In order to murder a sorceress, you must kill her and her secondary form at the same time." She finished reading and took a deep breath. Harry looked perplexed, Ron looked bored and Hermione looked exited beyond belief.

"What does this all have to do with her, Hermione?" Ron asked exasperatedly.

"Remember how you told us that Persephone was most probably hexed by Voldemort?" they both nodded, "Well, she didn't die. Which means that she was killed by an unnatural mean. Voldemort didn't know she was a sorceress and forgot to search for a secondary form, so when Persephone was hit, she was probably unconscious for a while, until her form came back to her, and now she's alive! That must be how she survived the attack! Her father was a sorcerer, but his second form probably was in the soul of her mother, and since they were both killed, there was no way for Helios to come back! It makes perfect sense!"

"Hermione, you have to admit, this is a lot to swallow," Ron breathed. "Maybe Helios isn't her father, maybe her name is just a coincidence, and maybe she got that scar from a New York mugger or something."

"Those are all possibilities, Ron, but it's just too many to be a coincidence," she said and put the book back. Harry recognized it as the book she was reading in the Common Room.

"So what now?" Harry asked.

"Well, I think we ought to let her know. That way she can realize how powerful she is, and she won't do anything...well, drastic."

"Right," Harry nodded and got up. "But don't you think we should wait a little while. I mean, she just got over the shock of her parent's death."

"Yeah, and you should tell her, Hermione. After all, you see her more often than we do."

Hermione reluctantly agreed and they both decided that she would tell her tonight, before they forgot to mention it at all.

As they entered the Common Room, Hermione planned on what to say. She decided to quote the book, and ran up to the dormitories. Harry and Ron decided to play wizard's chess and wait for either Hermione to come down and say it went peaceful and well, or for Persephone to run down the stairs screaming and ranting. Either way, they'd be prepared. However, neither of these possibilities happened. Instead, an anonymous hand checked Ron's king, and when Ron caught a glimpse of who it was he fell right off his chair.

"Persephone, what are you doing here?" he practically yelled, as he picked up his chair.

"Nice to see you too, Ron," she said sarcastically before noticing Harry, "I believe you won." was all she said before she turned back towards the dormitory stairs. But she didn't make it up there, because coming down the very same stairs was a very loud Hermione.

"You guys! Persephone's not up there!" she said as she ran down the stairs, and when she saw who awaited her, she almost fell forward. "Oh, hi," she said while she giggled nervously to Persephone.

"You're looking for me?" she said, "What is it?"

"Oh, just, nothing.." Hermione said as she tried to get Ron and Harry to help her out.

"Hermione has something to tell you," Ron blurted out, before Harry could cover his mouth.

"Well, it'll have to wait till tomorrow, you guys, I'm bushed," she said and took a seat on the couch.

"Bushed from what?" Harry asked, as Ron and Hermione decided to leave, they had caused enough trouble as it is.

"Flying practice," she said casually, then covered her mouth quickly. "I wasn't supposed to say that," was all she came up with as a witty retort.

"So that's what you've been up to after supper. Madame Hooch teaching you?"

"Well, she was. But then she said she was too busy, so they had a Ravenclaw second-year teach me, Kevin Reeves, but then he said I was too impossible. So they gave me another third year girl, but that didn't work out so..."

"Wow, going through teachers like going through water, eh?"

"Harry, that's not the point. My newest teacher is starting with me next week."

"Well, that's not too bad, at least their not giving up on you."

"It's Draco Malfoy."

Harry's face turned a bit sour and he took a deep breath. "Wow, that's unlucky," was all he could muster.

"Yeah, well, they say that if that doesn't work out, then I'll just have to pick up flying on my own. I'm not great at it, and it takes me a while to learn, but it seems so cool!"

"It is. I love flying."

"All my teachers suck, that's the problem. Madame Hooch is the only one with whom I got along with. Everyone else is so impatient, they want me to get it in a heartbeat. Ugh, is it just me or is this whole school made up of losers!"

"Not everyone. And besides, Malfoy's a good flyer. Maybe he'll be patient," Harry couldn't believe the words that escaped his mouth and he tried to smile to make his words believable. It didn't work.

"Yeah, and maybe little elves work in the kitchens and cook our food for us!" she said sarcastically. Harry didn't answer.

*Author's Note*

This chapter is pretty long. And it's probably the most boring chapter out of the whole fic, but the information is important for the rest of the fic so that my character doesn't become confusing, so instead of just spreading it out in chapters, I decided to get it done with in this one. Names to remember: Helios Blair, Money Fletcher. They become important figures in the end of the fic. Also, pick up on the details, because they will become important for chapters to come. Also, not everything is like it seems. So don't think that I make everything so obvious because I don't. I can be tricky too!

Thanks soo much for reviewing, it makes my work worthwhile. By the way, I write all my chapters in advance, so that's why no names are mentioned. For example, today is August 5, but this chapter might not be posted until three weeks from now, or whatever, so don't think I don't post names because I don't want to, it's just that right now I don't know who's going to post for twelve!

P.S. Thanks for reading, it's so great that people like my fic!!!!!!!! and please review!!! PLEASE!!