Notes:

Allen Pitt: I'm not thinking about a sequel yet. This story is tough enough but thank you for the idea and if this story turns out well I think that would provide a good storyline for a second one. I don't know how well I could write Whedon's characters though. His dialogue is a lot to live up to.

Apachep: I really wanted to have Snape involved in her wizard training because I like the dynamic he provides but if her slayer identity wasn't a secret then Voldemort could use him to get at Ava and Harry. I gave her the apprentice identity because then other characters wouldn't question why they were spending time together. Also, I've seen some stories where Buffy is able to defeat Voldemort with her slayer abilities alone but Ava isn't as experienced as Buffy and while it is an advantage I don't know if she could actually defeat him without using magic if both universes were to actually cross. I wanted her to be able to delve into her wizard side before she became a target or had to take him on. Thanks for the question, I didn't mean to make it unclear.

Chapter 9

Hermione and Ron were seated at their favorite tree waiting for Harry. The trio had recently discovered it was the perfect place to sit and have a conversation without being heard because their backs were facing the lake and they could monitor the long stretch of grass in front of them allowing them to see any newcomers well in advance. They had finished their potions class with Snape and were enjoying the break in between classes before they had to go sit through Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins. The early Autumn day was warm and slightly breezy and both the light jackets they had brought just in case lay abandoned beside their book bags.

"I wonder where he is." Ron queried Hermione. He was leaning with his back up against the tree, a long piece of grass dangled from his lips and one arm was propped against his bent leg. It was a pose of pure relaxation and it was meant to cover the fact that he was worried about his friend. Harry had been acting odd ever since he had found out about Ava and he wasn't confiding in his best friends like he usually did. Ron wished they had had more of chance to talk to him about what was going on and now would be the perfect time if only he would show up.

"I know where he is." Hermione was cross-legged and bent over her Potions homework that they had just received not ten minutes ago.

"Care to fill me in?"

"If I'm right, which I usually am, he went to go look for Ava. I know he was expecting to see her sitting in on Potions this morning. Don't you think it's driving him crazy that he hasn't been able to talk to his twin sister that he just found out existed?"

Ron marveled at how Hermione could do her homework and hold a conversation at the same time. It took all his attention just to do one of those tasks. "Yeah, I guess he must have a million questions for her. Though there's something to be said about knowing too much about one's sister. If I have to watch Ginny flirt with Harry one more time when they think I'm not looking my head is going to explode. Do you think he found her? He's been gone a while and he promised to meet us here before class."

"She's in McGonagall's office. I overheard Cho complaining that she need to ask her a question but her office has been shut for a private tutoring session all morning." Hermione set the parchment she had been working on aside and her face became very serious. She looked at him intently, "Listen, Ron. I need to talk to you about Harry and Ava. I think he's really going to get hurt-"

Ron cut her off before she could finish, "Harry's coming." He threw the piece of grass away and straightened up.

Hermione looked up and saw that she had a few more seconds before Harry was in hearing range, "I'm going to bring it up to Harry and I want you to help me."

But Harry was walking faster than she anticipated and he was upon them before Ron could give her a reply. "Hey guys!" He plopped down on the grass next to Hermione and noticed the parchment and quill on the ground. "Potions homework already? Good, you can help me with mine later." He smiled good-naturedly but it was obvious that he was covering for being frustrated at not finding Ava.

"Erm…. Yeah." Hermione pushed the homework a little farther away out of nervousness. "Harry, we wanted to talk to you about something."

It wasn't easy to pry Hermione away from her homework so he gave her his full attention, "Sure 'Mione. What's up?"

She fidgeted with the hem of her pants and avoided his eyes, "It's just… well… I've been reading that book Dumbledore had you give to me and it was the journal of a watcher. You know, they train the slayers…" He nodded so she continued, "Anyway, he says that slayers should be brought up to not care about their families. They're conditioned to block them out of their minds and just concentrate on honing their abilities to fight. He says that it should be easier for them to do that because of the dark magic that was used to create the slayer line…" She faltered when she noticed that Harry's eyes had gone dark, a sure sign that he was mad. She looked to Ron for help but he was staring at her like she had just polyjuiced herself into a cat again. She instantly tried to appease Harry, "I'm sorry… I just… I just don't want you to be upset if your sister is… hard to talk to."

Hermione and Ron practically hurt their necks watching Harry stand up so fast. He faced them both with his hands clenched in anger and exploded his mornings frustrations at them, "You don't know what you're talking about Hermione! She's my family, not some random guy's job and there's no reason why she wouldn't want to be my sister. Of course she'll want to get to know me, we're all we have left in the world! You don't know what it's like to not have a family so stop acting like you know more about my own sister than I do!" With an angry swipe, he picked his bag up off the grass, leaving a smashed imprint.

"Wait Harry! Please don't go! I didn't mean-" But Harry ignored her pleas and turned his back, stomping off in obvious fury. In shock they both watched him leave. "Well, that didn't go so well," Hermione lamented, looking down at her own hands in disappointment.

"Ya think?" Ron asked, sarcastically. "Which part would you say pissed him off more? The part where you suggested his sister was evil or the part where she wanted nothing to do with him? Oh yeah, and thanks for adding 'we' in the beginning of your little speech there… that was really great Hermione. I had no idea you were going to do that but now he's going to be mad at me too! Really… thanks a lot! Just bloody brilliant!"

Hermione let him vent at her because she knew she deserved it but when he was done she tried to assuage him, "Ron, I'm really sorry. I wanted to talk to you about it before but Harry showed up. I really think I'm right though and you have to listen to me! I'm sure Ava is going to rebuff Harry and you know he's going to take it really hard. The two of us can't be fighting because we're going to need to be there for him to lean on. I don't want this to be like the Tri-Wizard tournament when we weren't speaking to each other. Please Ron?"

It was very rare that Hermione begged him for anything so even though he was still mad at her, he decided to take her seriously. Besides, he didn't want her to start crying like she usually did when somebody was mad at her. He hated that. "Ok, I get it. But you can't just include me in stuff I know nothing about."

He was weakening and Hermione nodded enthusiastically in the hopes of winning him over completely. "I am really sorry." She then noticed the time on the clock tower, "Oh crap! We're going to be late for DADA!" she exclaimed and hurriedly began collecting her belongings.

Ron started putting his things together too but when he looked at the time for himself he noticed they still had ten minutes and rolled his eyes. Hermione's idea of being late was not arriving five minutes early.


Harry was still mad when he arrived uncommonly early to their next class but it was forgotten when he saw Ava sitting in a chair in the corner, her wand twirling in her fingers like a drumstick. Professor Snape was in the front of the classroom getting some things together and wasn't paying attention so Harry took advantage of the opportunity.

"Hey," he said casually, going to stand next to her chair. He leaned against the wall facing her and hoping she wouldn't tell him to go away.

"Oh, hey," she replied. Her eyes did a sweep of the room and seeing that nobody was there she looked up and gave him a small, rare smile that somehow never reached her eyes. The truth was she was nervous about sitting in on her first class and she didn't need the distraction of Harry on top.

Encouraged nonetheless, he motioned to her hands, "You probably shouldn't do that. You might curse somebody on accident… though, I wouldn't mind seeing Snape getting turned into a cockroach." His joke awarded him a sheepish half-smile and he felt a small tug in his chest when it reminded him of a picture of his mother that he had in the photo album Hagrid had given to him. "That's a really nice wand. Is that where you went today?"

She considered the small wooden stick in her hand, mentally comparing it to a stake. "Yeah, I guess it's okay. Kind of hard to jam it through a vampire's heart but not impossible." She made little staking motions with the sharp end but immediately stopped when she noticed he was looking slightly appalled that she would even consider using her wand in that way. She finally realized her blunder in underestimating the connection between a wizard and his wand. She must have looked like an idiot to Mr. Ollivander for letting hers get broken in such a careless way and then rambling about it. "Don't worry," she said to reassure him, "I have actual stakes for that." Ava gestured to her seemingly innocent book bag. "This wand is for hexing only. No staking. Promise."

An uncomfortable silence fell over them and Ava silently hoped that somebody else would come in so she could have an excuse to make him go away. Not taking the hint Harry racked his brain for a question he could ask that was innocent enough for their location, "So… umm… Did you like Diagon Alley?"

"Yeah! I mean, it was cool. A little crazy. I wish I had been able to see more of it. That bank looked huge!" She let herself get caught up in the moment remembering the fascinating street.

Harry was relieved he had finally found a subject that peaked her interest and agreed, "You should see it from the inside. It's amazing but I still get a little intimidated by the goblins when I go visit my vault…." Harry trailed off, hearing his own blunder. He wondered if his sister knew that their parents had erased all memory of her existence and had left all they had owned to him alone. He knew how badly it would hurt him if their roles were switched and he was the one taken away at birth. He quickly glanced at her to see if she looked upset but her expression never changed. Then he remembered what Hermione had said about slayers being trained not to care about their families and he briefly wondered if there was any truth to that but as quickly as it had occurred to him he pushed the thought away. He didn't want to believe that someone so closely related to him could be that cold and unfeeling.

By this time, a few students were drifting in. Ron and Hermione were among the first and they had immediately sat down in their seats. Ron had almost waved, but Hermione had slapped his hand down and both of them were now sneaking looks in the sibling's direction.

"Well, I should…" Harry jerked his thumb in the direction of his friends.

"Yeah…" she agreed, silently relieved. Students were already staring in their direction, including the Malfoy boy, though every time she caught him looking he immediately turned away, his nose sticking slightly in the air and a haughty look on his face.

"Talk to you later?" Harry asked.

The question appeared casual to anybody looking on but it created a heaviness in the air between them and she knew he was hinting at a discussion that was years overdue. Though she wasn't looking forward to it, Ava knew it was inevitable. "Sure, why not," was her equally nonchalant reply.