Harry quickly caught his sister as she stumbled backwards from the huge silvery-gold Hippogriff in the vast backyard of the house.
"Thanks, Harry." Krysta said surprised and glad he had been there.
"No problem." Harry replied.
Regaining her balance, Krysta strode back up to the gigantic creature and placed her hands on her hips. "Buckbeak!" she said sharply. "That wasn't very nice!"
The huge creature squawked frighteningly at her, then instantly bowed his head, lowering himself on his front quarters.
"I should think so." Krysta stated. "I'm a girl – you can't be so rough with me. That's why that girl Griff didn't like you. You're being too rough."
Buckbeak squawked again, much quieter this time and with his head still bowed.
Krysta sighed and stepped closer to the animal that dwarfed her so easily and gently lifted his head to stroke his feathers.
"She's a girl, Buckbeak, you can't shove her around like you do with boys. Boys are bigger and stronger, they can take it. All you did was upset her. I even get to get her back for you and you managed to muck it up again." She smiled as the creature nuzzled his head against hers. "Look, next time you see a girl Griff you like, treat her the way you treat me – and assume that she will react the same way as me if you annoy her too."
The creature nuzzled her again, his squawks turning into what sounded like…purring.
Krysta pulled away from the beast and backed off from him. "Go on, Buckbeak, go let off some steam."
The hippogriff squawked again and flexed his huge majestic wings. Harry grinned in bliss as he raised his arms to shield his eyes from the huge gust of wind that almost sent him flying backwards.
Laughing, Krysta shielded her eyes from the glistening sunlight and watched the huge creature soar into the crisp blue sky over London.
"Aren't muggles going to notice him?" Harry asked curiously.
"No, there's a perception filter around him the same one that's over this house. No one sees anything they don't expect to see." Krysta glanced at him. "I'm quite proud of that. It's the reason why no one ever finds you when you're at a safe house, Harry. I can fuel it wherever you go even if I'm on the other side of the world so I know you're safe."
Harry stared at her, stunned. "You maintain the spells around the Sirius' house?"
Krysta shook her head. Taking his hand, she led him to an old garden bench in the corner by the back door and, before they sat down, she pressed a palm to the damp wood. Almost instantly, the bench dried out and the two of them took a seat.
"The others all cast the spells and charms around the house to protect it, Harry." Krysta said relaxing back into the bench. "I just maintain the perception filter around the building and all of the spells including Dumbledore's. should anyone magical or muggle notice anything out of the ordinary here, the filter changes their memory to something they expect to see and the suspicion fades. It actually works better on magical folk than on humans, which is why no one ever finds you when you're being protected. Except…"
Harry bit his lower lip as he watched his sister. Again, that brilliant light in her eyes seemed to dull, as if remembering something she couldn't bare to look at again.
"Except our house."
Startled, the siblings looked up at Ron and Hermione beside him as the back door slowly closed.
Scooting over on the picnic bench, the newcomers joined the others.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, vaguely noticing that Ron was wearing his jacket and then realising that he was wearing Ron's.
"When our house was destroyed just before school started." Ron said. "Your perception filter wasn't active, was it?"
Krysta shook her head sadly. "No, it wasn't. I was there though. I pulled your twin brothers out before they were crushed, but I couldn't save your house without revealing myself."
"You saved Fred and George?" Hermione repeated.
Krysta nodded. "The house was too heavily damaged. The smoke was too strong the twins couldn't get out and were falling unconscious already. I…actually smashed your house even more to give them a way out and blasted them into the field to your Mum."
Ron's jaw dropped open. "And Mum still doesn't like you?"
"She thinks it was my fault."
Silence descended.
Krysta folded her arms on the table and rested her head on it, gazing off into the distance at Buckbeak somersaulting in mid-air.
"Krysta…" Ron said gently. "Why doesn't Mum like you?"
"It's a very long story. Bottom line is, she doesn't want me in her house or near it or have my power protect the house from Voldemort and his followers." She closed her eyes. "That's why I'm out here and she's in there."
"But why?" Harry pressed. "Mrs Weasley is the nicest woman in the world – well, when she's not mad at you anyway – and she was holding a wand to your throat last night."
There was a long silence.
"You said you would tell Harry everything, Krysta." Hermione said quietly.
The silence continued.
"Molly wanted to adopt Krysta."
Startled, everyone save Krysta looked up.
Mr Weasley sighed deeply and took a seat at the table with the teenagers and placed his hat on the table top. "That's the main reason why she doesn't like Krysta."
Ron stared at his father incredulously. "What? You mean Krysta was almost my sister?"
The table jolted as Krysta abruptly stood up. Sweeping her hair over her shoulder, she looked at Mr Weasley. "Please tell Mrs Weasley I won't be here for lunch."
Harry bolted to his feet too. "Where're you going?"
Krysta squeezed his shoulder, dispelling that horrible stain of fear from his eyes. "You're coming too if you want."
Mr Weasley looked at her. "We should run it by the others first."
"I'm taking Buckbeak and we're going to the end of the garden."
The older man cocked his head to one side and then nodded. "I guess that's alright then."
Harry followed his sister to the middle of the garden. "Why do we need Buckbeak to go to the end of the garden? It's right there."
Krysta smiled and raised her hand high above her. "This garden is a lot bigger than it seems."
Harry gasped as her palm shimmered pure white for a moment. It looked like her hand was made of diamonds, but it only lasted a split second.
What happened next was so fast, his mind didn't even register it.
Wind rushed past them at a million miles an hour as Buckbeak swooped past. Grasping his harness, Krysta swung herself round, scooping Harry up by the waist and sweeping him up into the saddle before hauling herself up behind him.
Harry laughed blissfully as his sister cheered, her musical voice echoing through the icy winds as she held onto him and the beast and soared into the open blue.
"That was bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed unable to wipe the huge grin from his face.
"It really was." Hermione said just as exhilarated by what she had seen.
Mr Weasley chuckled. "She really does have a way with Buckbeak, that girl. Hagrid adores her for it. Charlie too."
Ron and Hermione looked at the older man again.
"What were you going to say, Dad?" Ron asked, sitting down again.
Mr Weasley sighed deeply and regarded the teenagers. "I expect Krysta wanted to tell Harry herself, so I may as well tell you the long story of it all. Your Mum will be upset, but if Harry knows, so should you."
"Yes." Said another voice. "You should know."
"Mum." Ron said.
Mrs Weasley smiled ruefully and sat down next to her husband opposite the teenagers. She looked at the older man sadly. "Oh, Arthur, I've made so many mistakes."
"Now, now, Molly." Mr Weasley said clasping her hand reassuringly. "Krysta is a strong, resilient girl. She understands why all of this happened and she has never held it against us. She's never been anything less than kind to you too."
"But I've held it against her." Mrs Weasley said, beginning to weep. "All her life, I've held it against her. I've been cruel and mean and I even took my wand to her – god, what must she think of me?"
"The same she has always thought of you, Molly – a very good mother doing the best for her children, and her baby brother. She knows exactly why you have acting like this to her."
Mr Weasley dew his wife closer and regarded the teenagers.
"It's a very long story," he began.