*MINOR EDIT 10/27/15: Spelling errors again, feel free to ignore.*

Chapter 29: They Got Off!

August 12, 2003: "They got off! They got off! They got off! They got off!"

Grimmauld Place was full of the sounds of laughter and cheering as the entire Order and their kids filled the gloomy halls to celebrate Mary and Harry's successful trial at the Ministry. Willow and Cordy smiled at each other from their seats near the fire in the front parlor. They had talked while the twins were off at the Ministry and had decided to put aside their differences (at least for the time being) and meet their mutual niece and nephew together. They had worked all afternoon on pulling together what pictures they could find on such short notice of their sister and brother, creating an album to show Mary and Harry. Nessa and Bic had been a great help in that area, popping back and forth between Potter Manor and Grimmauld Place as needed, fetching and carrying photos and scrapbooking supplies to the (over)enthusiastic young women.

It took a while before the two Sunnydale alumni were finally able to corner the twin children of James and Lily Potter. "Hi Mary, hi Harry," said Cordy, flashing them her infamous mega-watt smile while Willow grinned uncertainly from behind her. "I'm Cordy and this is Willow. We've actually been wanting to meet you for a while."

"Really?" said Harry petulantly. "Wanted to gawk at the Twins-Who-Lived like everyone else, I suppose."

Mary elbowed her brother sharply in the ribs. "That was rude, Loser," she snapped. "Just because you're all moody and angry right now doesn't mean you have to take it out on our friends and whoever else decides to talk to you today."

Harry scowled. "I'm not all moody and angry," he snapped.

Mary rolled her hazel eyes. "Yeah, you kind of are. But you're a teenage boy so it's to be expected." She turned her attention to the two older women. "Sorry about him, but you know how boys can be. What can I do you for?"

Willow giggled. "We actually just wanted to talk to the two of you in private, if that's okay?" At the look of uncertainty on Mary's face, she hurriedly added, "Dumbledore knows all about this, I promise. A-and Remus and Molly and Arthur were the one who suggested we should pull you aside today."

"We're of the good, I promise," added Cordy.

Mary and Harry shared a look and a silent conversation. Harry shrugged. "Mary thinks you're good, that's enough for me," he said.

"Can we talk upstairs in one of the libraries?" asked Willow. "It's a bit loud down here."

Mary laughed. "That's one word for it. I think I would have gone with bedlam myself, but I've been told I have a flair for overdramatizing the situation."

"No," said Willow, taking in the cacophony of Grimmauld Place, "I think bedlam pretty much sums it up."

XXXX

Five minutes later, the quartet was happily settled into the quiet of the second floor library. With a flick of her hand, Mary set the fireplace roaring and sighed in contentment. "That's more like it," she sighed, sinking bonelessly into the depths of the plush emerald armchair she had claimed as her own. "Now, what was it that you wanted to talk to us about?"

"Well, you see, it's like this," began Willow fidgeting nervously, "we recently discovered that—it's not a bad thing, I think, I thought it was a good thing, actually, but—"

"Oh for crying out loud!" cried Cordelia. "We're your aunts," she said bluntly, in typical Cordy fashion.

"Our aunts?" said Mary.

"I thought we only had Petunia and Ana for aunts," added Harry.

"Not true," said Willow. "I'm actually the baby Evans. Lily was fourteen when I was born."

"James was my big brother," said Cordy. "We had that same huge age gap."

"Why weren't you around?" asked Harry.

"Why have we never heard about you before?" asked Mary.

"Well, I was left in the care of my mum's squib cousins who lived stateside when my parents—your grandparents—died," explained Cordy.

"I was sent to my godparents, who were America muggles," said Willow. "I know Alex and Ana and Lily and James and even Petunia fought it, but my parents' will was ironclad."

"Same," said Cordy. "I remember Jamie was devastated when he had to leave me with the Chases."

"I-I don't really know why Alex or Tuney never told you about me," admitted Willow. "I was always Alex's Pixie, so maybe it was too painful to him and I know Tuney never hated me, despite the magic thing, so I don't really know why she wouldn't say anything. Maybe it was just too much for her, losing both of her sisters like that."

"As for me, well, after Jamie died, there was only Remy left and I hear you two didn't meet him 'til you were thirteen already."

"I-I think I've seen pictures of you," Mary said to Willow, a far-off look in her eye. "I used to think they were pictures of my mother as a child until I saw her and you together in some of them. I suppose I just never thought to ask; I remember Uncle Alex would always get sad when he looked through those albums with me."

"No one ever mentioned our dad had a sister," Harry insisted stubbornly, addressing Cordy. "Surely someone would have said something. I've never even seen any pictures of you."

"On that note," said Cordy, nodding to Willow, "Willow and I came up with something we thought you two might like to see."

Taking that as her cue, Willow pulled a large album, bound in red leather and trimmed with gold, out from where she had stashed it behind the couch. "Cordy and I got to talking and we decided to pull together a little something to show you what your parents were like growing up."

The twins joined their newly discovered aunts on the couch to better see the album. "So this is, like, their lives before Hogwarts?" asked Mary curiously, staring intently at the cover of the book.

"Yup," said Cordy, popping the p. "A bit during too. Remy told us that you already have an album of them during and after school, so we thought we'd fill in the gaps for you."

"You have to understand," said Willow, "we're a lot younger than James and Lily, so we probably remember them differently than their friends and teachers do. Lily was my role model and my best friend when I was a kid."

"And Jamie was the best big brother in the world," said Cordy. "I thought he was the greatest thing since princess dresses and hot chocolate; I wanted to grow up to be just like him and his friends."

Mary and Harry were captivated. Sharing a glance, the twins made themselves comfortable next to their aunts. "Show us?" said Harry, emerald eyes full of longing.

"Of course," said Willow, smiling brightly.

XXXX

Elsewhere...

"The ritual circle is complete, My Lord," said Ethan Rayne, the chaos mage, bowing low to the pale, sinister form that was Lord Voldemort.

"Excellent," hissed Voldemort. "Wormtail, bring in the muggle."

A trembling man, pudgy and balding with rat-like features, entered the room, levitating a young, unconscious woman before him with his wand. "Put her in the circle, Wormy," said Rayne, not bothering to hide his distaste for the man formerly known as Peter Pettigrew.

"Gently, Wormtail," snapped Voldemort. "If she is damaged, the whole ritual could be compromised." Watery eyes wide with fear, Wormtail gently lowered the woman into the center of the circle; an evil thing painted red like blood on the stone floor, it was comprised of a strange variety of demonic and ancient symbols.

Once the woman was placed and Wormtail had scurried back into the shadows, Ethan anointed his own forehead with oil from a stone basin placed just outside the circle. As he did so, he muttered words of supplication in an ancient tongue; some demonic hybrid that was fused with Latin. That completed, he reverently picked up the wicked looking dagger that lay beside the basin. "We beseech thee, Pluto," he chanted, dark eyes fixed on the woman, "King of the Underworld, Lord of the Dead; accept this sacrifice. A soul free from evil's taint to grace your most revered halls. We ask in return that you release unto this earth one whose darkness has been banished to the abyss of your kingdom. Hear our prayer, o Pluto, and grant us your favor." He raised the knife high and without regret plunged it deep into the helpless woman's chest. She woke for a brief moment as the knife entered her heart, her eyes flying open and her breath coming in sharp gasps as blood trickled from her mouth. Then she went still, her life force spent. Ethan stepped out of the circle.

Voldemort edged forward in his seat, his eyes full of sadistic glee, and watched as the woman's blood flowed over the pattern of the painted circle, settling in the swirls and sharp edges of the symbols until it covered all the lines. The last drop settled into place and a sudden burst of blue flames shot from the circle of blood, engulfing the woman in radiant light and shielding her from view. It lasted only moments before it simply disappeared, the woman gone. In her place was a crouching figure, shrouded in shadow and cloaked in darkness.

Voldemort smiled cruelly. "You have served me well, Ethan Rayne," he said sinisterly. "The Potter twins won't know what hit them."

What's this? A plot? Gasp!

So it's taken me a while to write this because I've been lacking direction for this story. Finally it came to me: what better way to add conflict than to ressurect a villain from Buffy or Angel and team him/her up with Voldie-poo.

And here's where you, my readers, come in. I'm going to be posting a poll on my profile as to who this mysterious villain should be. I have to definite plans as to that yet and I would appreciate the input.

As always, reviews are very much appreciated (but flames are not).