Title: Buried Secrets
Author: Evafan89
Disclaimer: I did not create nor do I own any of the characters of Harry Potter or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I only own the story line (what isn't recognized from the Harry Potter/BTVS plots) and the characters that I make up. The only thing I make from this is the joy of bringing the characters back to life after the book/TV show has ended.
Summary: Harry Potter's journey isn't over yet for he has to win over the love of his life and dig up a secret that his parents had hidden from everyone. Voldemort may be gone but his journey was only beginning.
Prologue
Harry Potter stood in front of his parents graves holding some flowers that he brought for them. He knew that not a lot of people had visited his parent's grave in a long time. He often wondered if his first visit to their grave was the first one they had had in a while. He knew it must have been dangerous for people during the time that Lord Voldemort was ruling to come and visit the Potter's graves when they were known to be against the dark Lord. He knew this because it was just as dangerous in those times if you were a supporter of Harry Potter. But Harry was glad that he could say all those times were in the past, even if it was just a month ago, and Lord Voldemort was never going to hurt another being.
"He's gone," Harry told his parent's. He didn't know what else he was to say to his parents. He had wanted to desperately talk to them for so long. His entire journey to Godric's Hollow he had thought of a million things that were going to tell them, but as soon as he stepped in front of their grave he had forgotten each and everything.
"I love you both and I miss you terribly. For a moment I thought that I was going to be joining you. The funny thing I was ready because I knew that my sacrifice would have made a difference. Yet here I am still living. Now I guess I have the chance to live and I'm going to live, for you," Harry told his parents as the words just fell out of mouth in a way that he didn't know was possible. Suddenly Harry found himself telling his parents all about his life and his years in Hogwarts. He told his parents all about his best friends Hermione and Ron. He finished off the tale by telling them all about Ginny and how much he loved her. When he finished his story he felt a warm breeze on the back of his neck though it hadn't been windy at all that day. He knew that his parents had heard him and he felt loved by them in a way that he had never experienced. He placed the flowers on their graves and promised that he would be back to visit whenever possible. As soon as he had said his goodbyes he left the cemetery and headed towards the house that he had once lived in. As soon as his hand touched the gate in front of his old house a sign popped out of nowhere that read:
On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981,
Lily and James Potter lost their lives.
Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard
Ever to have survived the killing curse.
This house, invisible to muggles, has been left
In its ruined state as a monument to the Potters
And as a reminder of the violence
That tore apart their family.
Harry could see scribbled messages all around the words wishing him good luck in his fight against the Dark Lord in everlasting ink. It was almost like an everlasting reminder of the support he had. Harry Potter pushed open the gate and it was if the gate knew who it was for it creaked a little as it was pushed open. Harry didn't know what to feel as he made his first journey up to the broken house that he had once lived in for the first time since Hagrid had taken him away when he was only a year old. Harry made his way up the pathway and into the house. It was dark and musty in the house. Dust covered everything like a thick blanket. Harry could only imagine what his house must have looked like before because of the pictures he had seen. Harry closed his eyes and he could almost hear his Father chasing little Harry around the living room on Christmas day as little Harry played happily with his new broom. He could almost hear his Mother Lily's warnings that he would get hurt as she watched from beside the tree with a smile on her face. He could almost smell breakfast in the background. Harry was startled back to the present as he almost lost his balance on something that was lying on the floor. Harry peered down and pointed his wand at the object to clean the dust off of it. He could hardly believe his eyes when he found his old toy broom staring back up at him. Harry picked up the object with his hand and felt an overwhelming sense of joy. He had found something else that would connect back to his parents. It connected back to his life with his parents. He studied the brook looking for any sign that his parents had held it. He found what he was looking for because on the tip of the brook handle was engraved:
With all our love,
Mom and Dad
Harry spent the rest of the day combing through the house for anything that would tie him to the past. He didn't find much before he came upon a locked box in a place that no one thought to even look. It was only by chance he had decided it was worth a look behind his crib. He took the box that barely looked like it had aged a day since it had been created. Harry placed it upon the table that still stood in the room.
"Alohomora," Harry muttered with his wand and the lock clicked open. After putting his wand back into his pocket Harry opened the box and soon found himself immersed in papers and pictures. The first paper that he pulled out was what looked like a letter from his parents. He sat down on the bed and read it before rereading it to make sure he read it correctly. It read:
My wonderful son Harry,
If you are reading this than this means your Father and I have gone. Please do not be sad for it is because of our love for you that we would do it over and over again. You're Father and I love you so much. We are so proud of you for being our brave little soldier. By this time I'm sure you've found your inheritance, but that isn't all we have left you. In the box you will find the information of how to obtain the rest of your inheritance at Gringotts. It isn't gold but it's all of our wonderful treasures that you deserve to have. Please be the wonderful boy we know you can be and know that your Father and I are always with you.
Love,
James and Lily Potter
Mom and Dad
Harry held the letter close to his heart as a tear trickled down his cheek. He wondered how soon after they wrote this letter they were killed. He wondered if they had known all along that even their greatest efforts wouldn't prevent Voldemort from killing them. Harry hated them for their sacrifice and yet loved them for it all the same. He knew deep down that he would do the same thing for his child. Harry moved back over to the box and went through the many pictures of him and his family. There were even pictures of Sirius and the rest of his parents friends. They all smiled joyfully and moved around doing what they were doing in the pictures like there wasn't a care in the world. They didn't look like scared people who were hiding from an evil dark Lord. They looked like a normal wizard family having a good time with each other. Harry wished that had been the case, but knew that it wasn't true. He knew that the only reason they were doing that was to keep little Harry oblivious to the dangers that they were about to face and the many dangers that little Harry himself was going to face.
At the bottom Harry came across some adoption papers and it puzzled Harry for he knew that he wasn't adopted. He took those out of the box and examined them carefully. He read them from the front cover to the back. When he was finished he reread them at least four times to take in all the information until it had all sunk in. Harry was surprised to find that he had a sister out there that no one had ever told him about. There wasn't even any mention of it in his parent's letter to him. It would have been nice if they knew they were going to die to include a little explanation of why they had given up his sister. Than after doing the math he realized that they would have had to be sixteen at the time and still attending Hogwarts. Maybe no one but his parents knew about the baby girl that they had had together. The same baby they had given up for adoption together. Harry needed to know more about this for all he had was old adoption papers that said that James and Lily Potter were giving up their daughter Willow Potter up for adoption. Harry didn't know how he was going to find her but he knew he was going to. After stowing the locked box and his old toy broom away in his necklace that would lock away all things that he found important he departed from the house that he once lived in for the last time. By the time he left it was just getting dark and streaks of colors filled the sky creating a beautiful picture. When he came out from the gate he found a crowd of people waiting for him. One brave soul approached him coming away from the rest of the crowd.
"We just wanted to thank you Harry Potter," the woman told him.
"It was no problem really," Harry told them with a warm smile as he thought of Ginny, "I'd do it a hundred times over." He left out the part about how it was all for his parents and her. They didn't need to know that. He barely knew any of them.
"You are always welcome in Godric's Hollow," the woman told Harry.
"Thank you," Harry told them though he knew his home was no longer at the Potter house where he had lived as a child, but with the woman that he loved. Than with a bright smile Harry apparated away into the night. His journey wasn't done yet for he still had to find his long lost sister and finally bring him and Ginny together at last.