When Giles saw the parchment in its beak, he paled. Quickly removing his glasses to begin wiping their lenses before replacing them back on his head, he watched as Willow approached the window, with Xander protectively following her. She looked over in Giles and Rowena's direction, seeing their nod of approval she cautiously opened the window. The bird chirped, hop-flew inside the room before landing in front of Mrs. Ravendor. Her expression indicated distaste rather than surprise.

Wide-eyed, Willow watched as the bird leaned its head out towards Helena, indicating that it wanted her to take the envelope. Helena flickered her gaze around to first Edison, and then Giles and Rowena, who were still looking equally wide-eyed, until Giles removed his glasses again. Helena gingerly reached towards the bird, marveling at its beauty, and held out her hand, palm up as the bird deposited the envelope in her hand. She gently stroked the down along its head, the bird chirped again, and then took off towards the window, leaving its audience behind.

"I take it by your expressions that you have some idea what this is about?' inquired Giles.

"Indeed. The moment we land on British soil, the Ministry is notified. Chances are the current arse- Fudge is seeking a meeting."

Meanwhile Willow was wondering how she was never told about a Wizarding World. And they have schools! She noticed that Faith's uncle, Edison was staring at her. "If you are wondering why you were never invited to a Wizarding school, it probably has something to do with you growing up on the Hellmouth."

"Yes, well when a witch or wizard grows up on the Hellmouth, it hides them from Wizarding Authorities or magic," followed Giles.

However, Willow frowned. "But… you knew about it." Willow didn't want to jump to conclusions, which might lead to anger, even betrayal. Because they had enough… disillusion and mistrust between them.

This time Giles sighed, hoping to avoid this conversation. How could he begin to explain that the old Watcher's Council prohibited any contact with the Wizarding World, and since Willow as integral part of the Slayer's team, the Council 'claimed' her as theirs. It wasn't until during Willow's recovery at the Coven that he learned that they had… plans for Willow. She was too powerful for the Ministry to not have her apart of their organization – or more like too powerful for them not to use and manipulate. And if they could get her cooperation, they'd see her as a threat and act accordingly.

"You must understand, the Council would have never allowed you to become a part of that world. In addition, I was afraid what their authories would do to you once it was revealed about your actions regarding… Tara."

"What are you saying Giles?" Dawn had been quietly watching the proceedings, processing what was being said, and what wasn't being said. "Are you saying that might have… done something to Willow?"

"Considering what has happened to Faith, the fact that you may very well be the most powerful wandless-witch we've seen in ages, it is logical to assume that Ministry could not be counted on to act in your best interests. Your Council certainly didn't." with that Helena leveled a considering glare at Giles, who once again, removed his glasses for polishing.

"But you must tread lightly here. Britain's Ministry has been compromised by those with a more… repressive agenda, motivated by blood-status and fear."

"However their ignorance is our advantage. While we have a… tentative alliance with the Wizarding World, they do not consider Wiccan magic an equally valid form of magic. Hence the reason you were able to heal with our Coven unmolested." Rowena paused, letting that bit of information sink in. "It is also likely that they were unaware that it was a powerful Wiccan, wandless witch who was responsible for that incident." She stood up.

"I must go and call an official Coven meeting. If we are about to tangle with the British Ministry, they'll need to be prepared." She nodded at Helena and Edison. "It was truly a pleasure to finally meet you. Please pop over soon. I gather we have much to talk about."

Helena stood up and walked over to Rowena, capturing her hands in hers. "I gather you'll alert 'the troops'?"

Rowena smiled. "Indeed." She nodded at Giles and the rest of the Scoobies before walking out the door.

"So. Are you gonna tell us what the hell is going on?" Dawn pointed to the door, indicating Rowena's departure. "Including that."

Instead of answering, Helena handed over the letter to Giles. Xander, Dawn, and Willow crowed around him, attempting to read the note. "Dear heavens, I will summarize the letter momentarily, if you'd simply give me some breathing space," complained Giles.

Rolling her eyes, Dawn reached over for a Mountain Dew. "You have to admit, there's lots of wordiness going on here without actually saying anything, and you know how we hate waiting for info."

Helena meanwhile settled herself back in her chair and then began whispering instructions to Edison. "You'll have to forgive us. There are some things that Faith needs to hear first. But there is some information that we can share with you now, perhaps clear things up a bit."

"But first we must ensure absolute security." Edison pulled out his wand and was about to cast a spell, before Willow interrupted him.

"Oh, that's no problem." She muttered a spell, waved her hand. A wash of yellow light swept around the room, before dissipating, locking down any sounds from escaping the room, preventing anyone or thing from listening or hearing.

Nodding, "Impressive," he uttered, causing Willow to blush at the praise. However Edison cast a Colloportus spell towards the door, locking it.

Meanwhile, Xander offered them some food and drink. After filling drink orders – including a whiskey for Edison, tea for Giles and Helena, soda for everyone else, they settled in for what was sure to be an interesting story.

"The popular history of the British Wizarding World began with Merlin and Morgana le Fay. I'm sure you've heard of both?" At everyone's nod, she smiled at the look of anticipation and excitement in the red-headed witch and the young woman named Dawn. "As you can suspect, it began much earlier. But that is for the Wizarding History books, so I won't bore you with the details. But it should be noted that Merlin was taught by even more powerful Witches and Wizards – the Founders of Hogwarts."

"It was around that time that some of our family history began. Unfortunately, some of that history was lost. But we think the answers lie in Hogwarts, which still stands today. What we do know is that some of that history directly involves our ancestors. Unlike many of Britain's original Wizarding families, our family has a mixture of pureblood and muggle-born. Powerful muggle-borns, mostly." She shared a look with Edison. "There were a few Squibs, a few magical creatures, some with a gift for communing with magical creatures, and others with a gift for potion-making. But in the end we've always believed that they added to the distinctiveness of our family lineage."

"Magical creatures?" questioned Dawn.

"Squids? Why would you want a squid?" Xander looked thoroughly confused.

Edison chuckled. "Squibs with a b. Not squids. A Squib is an individual borne from at least one magical parent with no discernable magic. A sort of Wizard-born-Muggle."

"As individuals who grew up on a hellmouth, you must realize that there are all manner of creatures out there that aren't necessarily evil?" inquired Helena.

"Oh! You mean, Oz-like magical creatures?!" exclaimed Willow, to which both Xander and Dawn nodded in agreement, while Giles simply removed his glasses for more wiping.

Frowning in confusion, the older woman looked towards a slightly exasperated Giles for Scooby-speak clarity. "My apologies. They have their unique way of phrasing things that I'm only just beginning to decipher. But I believe they mean creatures like our friend, Oz, who is a Werewolf."

This time it was Helena who chuckled. "That is correct." She paused to sip her tea before continuing. "We've always believed that their distinctiveness added to our family line, strengthened it, with the result that once every few generations a powerful witch or wizard would be born that exemplified that power, and the very best of our family lineage. A philosophy not shared by most of the older Wizarding families. So much so, that eventually we would be at odds with most of the Pureblood Wizarding families. This came to a head upon one of the first Wizarding wars."

At this, Helena's eyes grew distant and sad, as the memories poured in. "A lot of good people died in that war. It was at that time that we realized that to remain in Britain, particularly considering some of our… family heirlooms and ancestry, would be to endanger the family overall."

She took note that a flushed and winded Faith quietly slipped into the room, realizing that Edison had the foresight to set the spell to only allow the Chosen Slayers into the room. "So you ran?"

Helena shook her head, her eyes locking onto her granddaughter's. "No Faith. We survived. You have to understand that Voldemort believed that if you did not subscribe to his pureblood agenda, entire families were wiped out. Ours was too important to the Wizarding world to let that happen. And we were still recovering from Grindelwald. He was an earlier version of Voldemort. Not as… visionary."

"If certain… information or objects fell into the wrong hands, the Wizarding world would have been lost to Darkness."

Willow instinctively understood what they meant. "So what you're telling us is that the Wizarding community gave rise to two 'Hitlers' and anyone who wasn't pureblood were the Jews?"

"These objects. If they were so powerful, why weren't they used to turn the tide?" It seemed to Dawn that if they had a bigger 'gun' they should have used it. Unless that 'gun' was a Darth-Willow. "So these objects were ultimately of the bad?"

Sighing, Helena answered. "No, they were not. But they couldn't be activated neither. And yes, it was exactly like the Nazis. In fact, Grindelwald assisted the Nazis before he was finally taken down."

This time it was Faith that chimed in. "Because they could only be activated by someone special."

The older woman smiled in approval. "Correct. Like a special key to a lock, they could only be activated by a special someone from our family line. At that time, that person didn't exist."

Helena stood up and walked over towards a very tense Faith, who'd been standing near the doorway. Cautiously she reached over to gently cup the Slayer's jaw. "How are you my dear? Did you clear your head a bit?"

For Faith, the emotions washing through her were almost more than she could bear. The motherly-like action was resonating inside her. Aside from Joyce Summers and her own mom for the first few years of her life, Faith had never had anyone emanate such seemingly unconditional love and caring. If this had been the old her, the person she was before she went to prison, chances are she would have never come back to this room, to this woman, to her family.

That person, that emotionally immature and scarred person didn't believe she could be loved, that everyone should be viewed with suspicion until they could prove otherwise by some standard unknown to even Faith. Suddenly Faith felt the fluttering of fear; fear of what this woman represented, this woman who had a few of her own features, would likely leave once she found out about who Faith really was. This would have been enough to send the old Faith right back out of that door, never to return. Clenching her fists, a muscle bunched in her cheek, underneath her grandmother's soft palm.

Casting her eyes to the floor, she gruffly responded, "I think so." Faith could feel her magic bubbling up, hot and fizzily. She shifted, trying to calm down, a knot forming in her throat, as emotions threatened to envelop her. Suddenly warmth surrounded her as Helena finally engulfed her in a heartfelt hug.

"It's all right. It's going to be all right. Whatever it is, it's all right. You are a Ravendor and nothing will change that. Nothing." Helena felt her own swell of emotional release overwhelm her. After so many years, she finally had her granddaughter again. She managed to stifle a sob when she realized that the younger woman's face was wet with her own tears. "Whatever it is we'll get through it."

But Faith was feeling too vulnerable, too exposed; once Helena and Edison found out about who she really was, they wouldn't want anything to do with her. Tearing herself from the surprisingly comfortable… protective embrace, the Dark Slayer stood back.

"But will you wanna 'get through it' when you hear I've killed a man?! Or that I've been in jail?!" She sneered.

However Helena could only feel the sorrow welling inside her even more. So many people have failed her Faith. "You think we didn't know? You think I wouldn't have tried to find out everything about you, everything you've been through? Merlin, Faith, you've been so very alone, without…"

The sob she'd been holding back, escaped as she scrunched her eyes shut, even as it allowed more tears to escape. When a lamp exploded, startling everyone, they heard Faith curse, while Edison once again rushed to calm her magic.

Suddenly Giles stood up. "I think now is a good time for us to leave you Faith and her guests alone. We'll round up some dinner, as well as the some guest quarters in the event you'd like to stay for a few days," announced Giles, as he motioned to the rest of the Scoobies to follow him.

Each member of the long-time Sunnydale group paused beside their dark-haired friend to drop words of encouragement and support, before walking out. Xander turned towards Helena, Edison, and Faith. "I think I speak for everyone when I say, if you're legit – and I'm not saying you aren't, then I'm glad you found our Faith. She's about as awesome and brave as they come." With that he smiled at the look of astonishment on the Slayer's face, before closing the door behind him.

They met up with Buffy on their way to the kitchens, who immediately began pelting them with questions. Meanwhile, Edison and Helena finally coaxed Faith into a chair across from them, so they could really discuss her immediate future. "I think we should begin with you Faith. You're the last of the Chosen Slayer; a mythical legend thought to only exist in our dreams, and magical theory books. And yet my granddaughter is one." She clasped her hands together against her chest in excitement and pride. "How extraordinary!"

Faith smirked, rolling her eyes in amusement. "Tell me that when I come home with Xanarl demon blood all over me."

Helena's eyes twinkled before growing serious and solemn. "From what little we've read, I know you've had a very…," she swallowed down the emotion that was threatening to well up again, "difficult life. One that leaves me breathless with rage and grief that you've had to endure it mostly alone." She paused, gaining control of tide of anger, frustration, regrets, and even exhaustion. "But we, I, am proud of you. Proud that you somehow, someway overcame those obstacles to become the young woman you are today."

"You know the greatest wizard of our time, Albus Dumbledore had to overcome his own darkness to become the great hero of light he is today." Faith, still looking skeptical, only raised a neat eyebrow in response. "You see we know about the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor."

At the look of disbelief and rising fear; fear of rejection, of disgust, of disappointment, Helena reached over to warmly clasp her hands. Faith wasn't exactly the touchy-feely sort, but for some reason, Helena seemed to get past all her usual defenses. "You know, the story about Dumbledore is interesting because I firmly believe that part of his greatness is him being able to overcome his darkness. Our family moto is: scribe vincere tenebras lucem - to know the light, is to overcome the dark. You exemplify this extraordinarily difficult quality. I believe it makes you a fearsome Slayer and I have no doubt it will make you a great Witch."