•LAST TIME....•
•(She's 0 years and 1 month(s) old. It's June 18th.)•
•Fred & George are about 3-4 years old.•
•Hadrian is about 1-2 years old.•
• "Start from the beginning Lilly," James tells his wife. •
.
.
.
.
•CURRENTLY....•
•ALMOST 2 YEARS LATER....•
•(She's 2 years and 1 month(s) old. It's June 4th.)•
•Fred & George are about 5-6 years old.•
•Hadrian is about 3-4 years old.•
"Cherish." She manages to open her eyes and sees Hadrian. He has a bowl in hand along with a spoon. She's still sick from the trip they came back from 3 months ago. The Drusleys had to bring them.
"Open your mouth." She does as told and he starts feeding her the lightly colored broth. She barely manages to get a 3rd of the small bowl down. He frowns and sets it aside. He unties her wrists and catches her as she falls. He half drags her, half carries her on his back. He leaves the shed and runs through back yards. He hides her in a tunnel in a playground. He leaves for a bit and returns with a bag. He takes out a 1st aid kit and starts reading the instructions. He follows them to clean and treat her injuries.
.
.
.
.
•8 MONTHS LATER....•
•(She's 2 years and 9 months old. It's February 4th.)•
•Fred & George are about 5-6 years old.•
•Hadrian is about 3-4 years old.•
"No." Hadrian looks at Cherish, having heard her whisper. She looks at the bag and shakes her head.
"Not yet. Try school, see if anyone helps."
"How long?"
"I want a year, so 2 for you."
"What do we do until then?"
"Learn. Cook, money, stealing, control."
"Control?" he asks, confused. She cups her hands and closes her eyes. She seems to struggle before a ball of light appears over her hands. Almost as soon as it appeared, it disappears.
"I can't do that."
"Yes you can." She sets a sock between them.
"Close your eyes and will the sock to float. You have to truly want it." He closes his eyes and focuses.
"Open." He opens his eyes and sees the sock floating. He looses his focus and it falls.
"Magic. Petunia doesn't have any. Mommy did. That's why she hates mommy. Mommy wasn't a whore and daddy wasn't a drunk. Mommy broke curses. Daddy was a magical police officer. Mommy's name is Lilly Maria Potter neé Evens. Daddy's name is James Fleamont Potter. Daddy's a magical noble. Grandpa and grandma are alive. Bad old man took us away. He made the rat frame Paddy. So Paddy's in magic prison. Old man made Moony think he'd hurt us... Old man made Tommy kill daddy, then kill mommy." He's confused and not sure but she's usually, if not always, right. So he decides to believe and trust her. She's never led him wrong before. If fact, if he listened more it'd save him a lot of trouble.
"So if things don't change by the time you're 6, we leave." She nods.
"What are really important things we need to learn?"
"Reading, stealing, money, math, cooking, wild plants, acting, and writing. In that order."
.
.
.
.
•6 MONTHS LATER....•
•(She's 3 years and 3 months old. It's August 4th.)•
•Fred & George are about 6-7 years old.•
•Hadrian is about 4-5 years old.•
"Cherish." She looks at Hadrian as they weed the garden.
"This snake knows our names." She looks at the garden snake next to him.
"Do you know how to get information on magic?" she asks, slipping into Parseltongue like Hadrian.
"Of course!" the snake replies cheerfully.
"Will you show us later?" It agrees in return for mice.
"I'm not sure about mice but there's something under the shed. It's about the side of my fist, gray, and has a pink, worm like tail." It heads towards the shed. The siblings continue weeding. They help each other do all the chores. Later that evening they manage to sneak out. The snake wraps around Cherish's neck and starts giving directions towards a town.
"A wall?" Hadrian says, confused.
"It's a magic wall. It hides Creature Alley. It's a magical shopping place but it's mostly used by creatures. It's close enough for you guys to come here without magic or cars." Cherish thanks the snake and it tells her how to open the alley.
.
.
.
.
•A YEAR LATER....•
•(She's 4 years and 3 months old. It's August 4th.)•
•Fred & George are about 7-8 years old.•
•Hadrian is about 5-6 years old.•
"Leaky Caldron," Hadrian says as they spot the tavern. Cherish grabs him by the back of his collar.
"They watch that entrance. We put our hoods up and go around. Then we open and enter Diagon Alley. Recon only this week."
"What about Knockturn Alley?"
"Not yet. I want to focus where we're least likely to be recognized. Diagon Alley isn't watched by Aurors as much as Knockturn." He nods and they go around the Leaky Caldron. They put the hoods of their cloaks up. The hoods completely shadow their faces. Cherish touches the wall and it opens. They enter and slip into the shadows, watching and listening.
.
.
.
.
•A MONTH LATER, 2 AM....•
•(She's 4 years and 4 months old. It's September 4th.)•
•Fred & George are about 7-8 years old.•
•Hadrian is about 5-6 years old.•
"Yes, we can take a look at Knockturn Alley soon," Cherish tells Hadrian with a sigh. He cheers before covering his mouth.
"I'll meet you at the park near Leaky. I need to do something, it shouldn't take long."
"Stay safe."
"Always do." Cherish leaves the abandoned park they've made their HQ. Soon she's walking down a street. She passes a sign, 'Private Drive' it reads. She goes to Number 4. She puts her hand on the door handle. A light glows through the key holes before a click for each is heard. She enters and closes the door behind her. She goes up the stairs and down the hall. She stops outside the master bedroom door. She pulls out a box and opens it, showing 4 empty syringes. She quietly enters the room. She goes the much taller but skinnier sleeping figure. She draws blood from the unknown person. She puts the syringes back in the box and puts it in her pocket. Then she leaves just as easily as she entered. The key holes to the front door glow and the locks click shut. She seems to disappear into the dawn.
.
.
.
.
•A MONTH LATER....•
•(She's 4 years and 5 months old. It's October 4th.)•
•Fred & George are about 7-8 years old.•
•Hadrian is about 5-6 years old.•
"How do you feel about leaving London?" Cherish asks Hadrian randomly as they walk down a street.
"More distance from the Drusleys? Less risk of Aurors or Death Eaters finding us? Fewer people shaking our hands and staring? Sounds good to me." He glances at her in the corner of his eye.
"What do you want to do?"
"See the world."
"Well, wherever you go, I'll follow you." Her tense shoulders relax.
"How about we start with America?"
"No. That old ghost has too many good points there. An we don't know if we have any allies there yet. It's too soon to risk adult relatives helping us."
"How about France? Doesn't Paddy's family originate from there?"
"I think so but no. There's too much of a language barrier. We should stick to England or at least the UK until I'm at least 5."
"How about Scotland or Norway?"
"Scotland, then Norway. We might even be able to celebrate Samhain near Stonehenge."
"How are we gonna get there?"
"There's a shop in Creature Alley that sells Port-Keys." He nods and they turn around, walking back down the street.
.
.
.
.
•2 MONTHS LATER....•
•(She's 4 years and 7 months old. It's December 4th.)•
•Fred & George are about 7-8 years old.•
•Hadrian is about 5-6 years old.•
"Where to next?" Hadrian asks as they stand on a cliff. Aurors are searching the woods below the cliff.
"Greece. It should buy us some time. The second we get any clues of them looking there we go to America."
"Sounds good." He pulls out a stone coin.
"Demigod," they say in unison, activating the Port-Key.
.
.
.
.
•A YEAR LATER....•
•(She's 5 years and 7 months old. It's December 4th.)•
•Fred & George are about 8-9 years old.•
•Hadrian is about 6-7 years old.•
"Hadrian, truck." He follows Cherish's line of sight to a semi truck without a trailer. They get in and he hides in the back seat. He looks at her, confused as she opens the glovebox. She searches it and pulls out a screwdriver. She somehow ends up using the screwdriver as a key. Hadrian hangs on for dear life as Cherish drives like a lunatic.
"Can't you drive normally!?" he yells.
"I don't know how to drive and I can't really see much over the wheel! An there's Greek monsters on our ass!" He crawls into the front seat and has her sit on his lap.
"I'll press the gas and breaks, you steer!" he calls out.
"Gas!" she replies. He presses the gas.
.
.
.
.
•A WEEK LATER....•
•(She's 5 years and 7 months old. It's December 11th.)•
•Fred & George are about 8-9 years old.•
•Hadrian is about 6-7 years old.•
"Thalia!" Luke yells as she's cornered by a monster. Suddenly a semi-truck slams into the monster from the side. Thalia instinctually stabs it with her spear. Luke pulls Thalia to him as someone gets out of the semi.
"That is the last time you drive!" a boy's voice yells.
"Oh please, you've been saying that for a week. Besides, the monster's dead. An I think we just helped a demigod," a girl's voice calmly replies.
"This is the 3rd truck you've crashed!" he scolds the girl.
"I'm too short for it anyway. Now stop complaining and help me down." They hear a sigh before they hear walking. The unknown pair come around the truck.
"Bloody hell, her eyes are like your left when you cause thunderstorms," the boy says.
"Duh. I'm a child of Zeus through blessing. Old wing feet told us we'd run into another of my siblings." The girl rolls her eyes at the boy. She smiles at the young couple.
"Sorry about him, he's a bit of an idiot."
.
.
.
.
(Chater 1 Edited: 10/11/23.
Chapter 2 Edited: 10/19/23.
Chapter 3 Edited: 10/31/23.
Chapter 4 Edited: 11/01/23.
Word Count: 1,739.)
