Hope you like it!!!
Chapter 1 – England
Buffy Summers fell over as the portkey deposited them in the Department for International Magical Co-operation in the Ministry of Magic, London. As usual, she complained.
"Ow."
"Aww, c'mon, Buffy, you're the Slayer, can't hurt that much." A boy grinned.
"Just because I'm the Slayer doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." Buffy retorted.
Her friend gave her a hand up.
"Where's Mom and Giles?" Buffy asked.
"They're sorting everything out. Since they're British anyway, it shouldn't be too bad. Specially since your Mom kept her maiden name and you kept it too." A redheaded girl explained.
"Oh, okay then." Buffy grinned at her and flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "Y'know I've been a Slayer for two years in a few weeks."
"Yeah, you came into your powers on your birthday. How weird is that?" The boy asked.
"Oh, I don't know. We're witches and wizards who know about the nastiest Magical creatures, a.k.a. demons, alive, I'm a Slayer, Willow's got some wandless magic and you're a top chess player and you think the fact I became a Slayer on my birthday is weird?" Buffy grinned. "Yeah, Xander, real weird."
The three teens had been friends since they had entered Salem Institute for Magical Learning.
Buffy was blonde, pretty and petite. You could even stretch to call her beautiful. Her hazel eyes were warm and her bone structure was delicate. Her mouth was apt to smile or pout and her teeth perfectly straight. She was very alike to her mother, when her father had been around, people used to say there was little of him in her. She had always worried it was her fault her parents had divorced. She knew it wasn't. Her parents had divorced when she was seven. Her mother was a witch and her father a Muggle, and clearly he had been unable to cope when Buffy had displayed some accidental magic. Buffy knew now that he had cared a lot more for his long-legged, platinum blonde secretary than for his honey-blonde wife and daughter.
Willow was Muggle-born. She was redheaded with light brown eyes and a friendly demeanour. She had lived with Buffy since the summer after her First-year, her parents were archaeologists and constantly exploring. They had died in a rock climbing accident in the Himalayas, trying to get to an ancient Nepalese tomb. Joyce had since been declared her legal guardian. The girl was taller than her friend, but had a child-like innocence when she wanted. She was also extremely intelligent and was developing a skill for wandless magic.
Xander was a pureblood wizard. He was raven-haired and brown-eyed, with a long, sharply chiselled face. He was good-looking in an almost puppyish way that he attributed to his puppy-like eyes. He was always one with a joke or a laugh, and knew a lot about Muggle culture for a pureblood wizard. That was partially because Lord Voldemort had murdered his parents when he was very young. Since then, he had lived with Rupert Giles, a wizard with a fondness for reading, but also for Muggles and their way of life. Xander had grown up being home taught by Giles and watching the TV, both of which had made him a very singular individual. While he was not as intelligent as Willow, or as strong as Buffy, he was a good wizard and was an extremely good Quidditch – and chess – player.
"Okay, kids, time to go." Joyce Summers smiled.
"Mom, we're hardly kids. I'm nearly sixteen." Buffy pouted.
"We'll unshrink your trunks when we get there." Giles informed them. They had always called him Giles, never Mr or Professor even though he had taught as DADA teacher at Salem Institute for the last five years.
"Get where?" Willow asked.
"To where we're staying until term starts." Joyce explained.
"What about the owls?" Buffy asked. The owls were now in cages, and not especially pleased.
"Don't worry, it won't take long. Our escorts are waiting for us in the Atrium." Giles chivvied them along, and they soon entered the lift to go up to the Atrium.
Once in the Atrium, Giles and Joyce voiced surprise. They spotted their 'escorts' and went over to them.
"What happened to the fountain?" Giles asked.
"What? Oh, it got destroyed las' month when Voldemort and his Death Eaters broke in. Albus brought it to life. If you want details, you'd best ask him or Harry. They were there." A man with a gruff voice and a swivelling electric blue eye that shocked Buffy and Willow explained.
"Harry? Harry who?" Willow wanted to know.
"Potter, o' course. It's his kind o' scrape. You'll be in 'is year when you get to Hogwarts. Prob'ly in his house if what Albus told me is true." The man explained.
"Hey, are you Mad-Eye Moody?" Xander asked excitedly. Suddenly he looked like a five-year-old. "The Auror? The one who always tried to bring in his victims alive and was always fair?"
Moody looked surprised. "Yeah."
"Cool! What sort of eye is that? Is it just a magical lens, or can it see through walls and the back or your head and invisibility cloaks as well?" Xander wanted to know.
"Who is this kid?" Moody asked Giles.
"Alexander Harris."
"The name is Xander, Giles. You know it, use it." Xander fixed him with a beady eye.
"Anyway, he seems to have a fascination for items like your magical lens. I think it runs in the family." Giles and Moody began walking away.
Joyce grinned. "Just like them two to start getting into conversations and leaving the rest of us behind." She remarked fondly. "Got everything? Good." She looked at the other two members of their escort. "Sorry, but you are?"
The tall black man smiled. "Kingsley Shacklebolt. This is Tonks. Don't ask about her first name. Both of us are Aurors."
"Wotcher, Joyce." Tonks grinned. The young woman had bright pink hair in spikes and violet eyes. The others stared. "Hey you lot. Come on, you'll be able to talk to the Weasleys and Hermione. They'll appreciate the company. Just don't accept anything the twins offer you. You're liable to turn into a canary or grow a massive tongue or something."
"Why?" Buffy asked curiously as they followed her.
"They've opened a joke shop, Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. And they're doing very well, already. So, of course, they have plenty of prank items on them."
"Cool!" Xander grinned. "Y'know, I think I've heard of them. One of the guys at our old school has a cousin who goes to Hogwarts. Didn't the twins create a swamp or something?"
Tonks grinned. "Heard about that in America, did they? Yeah, they created a swamp. Not to mention setting off a mass of fireworks, summoning their brooms and belongings and flying out of Hogwarts after insulting that toad Umbridge."
"Umbridge, Umbridge." Now Buffy frowned. Then her eyes darkened. "Isn't she that bitch who drafted some werewolf law that makes it almost impossible to get jobs? Because she convinced the Americans to take it on too. One of our friends is a werewolf, and it's completely unfair."
Tonks grinned. "You'll definitely get on with Harry and the others. One of Harry's dad's best friends is a werewolf. He also taught DADA at Hogwarts in their third-year, best teacher out of all of them according to Harry."
"All of them?" Joyce asked her, looking surprised.
"Well, and this is Harry's words, not mine, the first one didn't teach them much and tried to kill him. The second one didn't teach them much, was a fraud and tried to erase his and Ron's memories. The third one was a werewolf but the nicest bloke going and taught them loads. The fourth one taught them loads, but had the unfortunate problem of putting Harry into the Tri-wizard tournament, sending him to V – Voldemort and then, you guessed it, trying to kill him. The fifth taught them absolutely nothing worthwhile, tried to take over the school, sent Dementors after him, was going to use the Cruciatus Curse on him, oh, and got him a lifetime ban from Quidditch."
"A lifetime ban from Quidditch? That's terrible!" Xander gasped.
"I suspect that's what upset Harry most as well." Tonks grinned. "He can handle people trying to kill him, heck they've been trying since he was born, but take away Quidditch... Mind you, insulting his family isn't a good idea either. That's what got him into trouble in the first place."
"What?" Buffy asked.
"Well, I got this from Harry, but really you ought to talk to him. It's his story after all." Tonks grinned.
"And this is Harry *Potter* we're talking about?" Buffy asked. Tonks nodded. "Cool. I've wanted to meet him for ages."
"Why?"
"So we can compare what it's like to have people trying to kill you." Buffy grinned and ran up to bug Giles and Moody.
Tonks blinked. "Was that a joke or am I missing something?"
"You're missing something." Joyce groaned. "Sometimes I wonder about that girl."
"Where's her father?" Shacklebolt asked.
"Hank and I divorced when she was seven. He couldn't handle that she was a witch." Joyce told him. She didn't tell him the entire truth. About Buffy's father...
"C'mon, Joyce, we're back in England, liven your step or it'll start raining." Giles' voice broke through her thoughts.
She smiled at him. "I don't think the weather responds to *my* moods." She remarked with a sly look at her daughter.
"Hey, I only did that once." Buffy complained. "And it was a spell gone awry."
"I remember hearing about someone doing that in Hogwarts too. Best friends with a troublemaker's brother." Joyce gave a wicked smile at Giles.
He shot her a look that clearly said, 'Don't you dare'.
They entered the lift up to the surface and proceeded to take a portkey to a park. They then walked for about half a mile until they got to one of those old-fashioned crescents of the London suburbs, large houses with actual gardens. They stopped between Numbers 11 and 13. Moody then handed a piece of parchment round to each of them and ordered them to memorise it.
"Now what?" Buffy asked.
"Think about what you've just read." Moody ordered gruffly.
As the five newcomers did so, Number 12, Grimmauld Place suddenly appeared, as though it pushed the other two houses out. Willow knew how this worked. Fidelius Charm.
The front was different to how another such newcomer saw it last year. The front was clean and neat, the door was a rich oak and a brass doorknocker with a phoenix on it greeted them. Moody opened the door cautiously.
The front hall looked friendly. The walls were painted an airy cream, and not a single house elf head was to be seen. Unfortunately, Buffy raised her voice.
"Where are we?"
Then the screaming started.
"BLOOD TRAITORS! FILTH, SCUM OF THE EARTH! NOT WORTHY TO WALK INSIDE THESE HALLS! TRAITORS, MUDBLOODS, HALF-BLOODS, JUST LIKE MY FOOL OF A SON! MAY YOU MEET THE SAME END..." A portrait began to rant as the curtains flew open.
Buffy didn't wince. She merely walked over and examined the portrait carefully. Eventually Mrs Black ceased and stared at the nearly-sixteen- year-old examining her.
"Who are you?" The portrait demanded.
"Buffy Summers. You?"
"Eleanor Black." The portrait looked at her suspiciously. "Why don't you run like everyone else?"
"What's the point? You're just a portrait of some dead woman." Buffy gave a feral grin. "And for all the sticking charms you've got in place, you can't beat a good old knife."
The teen pulled up her jeans-leg and pulled out a dagger concealed within her boot. The portrait began screaming once more, but did not have the sense to flee. Or wasn't able to. Buffy slashed the portrait viciously and then ripped it from the frame. She grinned.
"Anyone want Mrs Black served with chips?" Buffy asked.
Moody was staring. "W – why did you do that?"
"Even I can tell that no one wants an insane portrait in the Headquarters of a group that's fighting You Know Who." Buffy informed them.
"You're right." A voice from the stairs made her turn. A girl with bushy brown hair and cinnamon-like eyes was grinning. She wore a denim skirt and lilac blouse. "No one does. Still can't believe she birthed Sirius."
"Sirius? As in Sirius Black?" Buffy looked at her, surprised. "He's a mass-murderer!"
"He was innocent." The girl shrugged. She headed down the stairs and began examining the frame that was left. "And now you've removed the portrait, the frame," she gave a tug and it fell away with her hand, "comes right off. Hey, Tonks, you want the remains of your auntie's portrait?"
Tonks gave a disgusted look. "Yeah right, Hermione. Now we've got that off, how about we burn it and then you can introduce yourself and the Weasley brood to our new guests."
"Doesn't the word guest imply that they're new anyway?" Hermione asked as they headed into the kitchen.
Buffy gave a grin. "I can see the start of beautiful friendship between you and Willow. She's a nit-picker too."
"I am not!" Willow replied, annoyed.
"Are too!" Buffy stuck her tongue out.
"By the way, I'm Hermione Granger." The girl explained. "Should have said that before. You are?"
"Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenburg and Xander Harris." Buffy responded. "The blonde woman's my mom, Joyce Summers, and the man's Giles. Willow lives with me and Mom, and Xander's been in Giles' care since he was a baby."
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"My parents were murdered by You Know Who." Xander explained.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "If you get near Harry, don't say that."
"What?"
"You Know Who. He insists we call him Voldemort. He does have a point. If we don't say his name, it only increases out fear and his power."
"Yeah, things that don't have names are usually very powerful or very dangerous. Or both. We don't want him to get that far." Buffy frowned. "When you say Harry, do you mean Potter?"
"Yes. He's one of my best friends. We're still trying to convince Dumbledore to let him come early. But at least Harry won't be bored. He got me to send him some books on duelling and stuff. Soon as he turns sixteen, he can actually practise the spells."
"Sixteen? I though coming of age was seventeen?" Willow looked surprised.
"Was. They changed it with the acceptance that V-Voldemort is out and about. Must have been kind of embarrassing since they've spent the last year telling everyone Dumbledore's gone senile and Harry's an insane, attention-seeking juvenile delinquent."
"Telling stories again, Mione?" A voice asked as they entered the kitchen.
"Nope, telling truths. Because Harry is not insane. Maybe a little mad at times, but not insane."
"Isn't that a paradox?" Willow asked.
"Ack, there's two of them!" The boy who had spoken jumped.
"And one of us is a redhead." Hermione grinned. "Intelligent women scare Ron." She informed Willow.
"They do not!" Ron gasped. "How dare you... Oh, you little..."
Buffy chucked the portrait in the fire. Hermione grinned. Ron stared.
"Wasn't that...?" He began.
"Yes." Hermione responded.
"And wasn't she...?"
"Uh huh."
"So she...?"
"Yep, she did."
"Cool." Ron grinned.
Buffy stared. "Are you aware you knew the questions before he finished them and he made sense of your answers?" She asked Hermione.
"Yeah, why?"
Buffy just smirked. "Well, the last people I caught doing that..."
"We will not go into that. It brings horrific images to mind." Xander groaned.
"What?"
"Teachers."
In that one words, he explained all. They groaned.
"Yuck."
"Uh huh."
As they sat round the table, Hermione got a better view of Xander, as did Ron. But it was when Ginny entered that the surprised sank in.
"Hey," Ginny looked at Xander, "Are you related to Harry?"
* * *
A/N: Ha ha! Attack of the evil cliffhanger! And what's the truth about Buffy's father? What is Joyce hiding?
Good? Bad? Completely freaky? I want at least one or two reviews. Might be a couple of weeks before the next chapter goes up. Revision and exams y'know. And I *really* need to revise if I want to get even semi-decent grades in my GCSEs.
Bye bye for now.
Lol, Tanydwr
P.S. Happy Easter.
P.P.S. REVIEW!!!
Chapter 1 – England
Buffy Summers fell over as the portkey deposited them in the Department for International Magical Co-operation in the Ministry of Magic, London. As usual, she complained.
"Ow."
"Aww, c'mon, Buffy, you're the Slayer, can't hurt that much." A boy grinned.
"Just because I'm the Slayer doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." Buffy retorted.
Her friend gave her a hand up.
"Where's Mom and Giles?" Buffy asked.
"They're sorting everything out. Since they're British anyway, it shouldn't be too bad. Specially since your Mom kept her maiden name and you kept it too." A redheaded girl explained.
"Oh, okay then." Buffy grinned at her and flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "Y'know I've been a Slayer for two years in a few weeks."
"Yeah, you came into your powers on your birthday. How weird is that?" The boy asked.
"Oh, I don't know. We're witches and wizards who know about the nastiest Magical creatures, a.k.a. demons, alive, I'm a Slayer, Willow's got some wandless magic and you're a top chess player and you think the fact I became a Slayer on my birthday is weird?" Buffy grinned. "Yeah, Xander, real weird."
The three teens had been friends since they had entered Salem Institute for Magical Learning.
Buffy was blonde, pretty and petite. You could even stretch to call her beautiful. Her hazel eyes were warm and her bone structure was delicate. Her mouth was apt to smile or pout and her teeth perfectly straight. She was very alike to her mother, when her father had been around, people used to say there was little of him in her. She had always worried it was her fault her parents had divorced. She knew it wasn't. Her parents had divorced when she was seven. Her mother was a witch and her father a Muggle, and clearly he had been unable to cope when Buffy had displayed some accidental magic. Buffy knew now that he had cared a lot more for his long-legged, platinum blonde secretary than for his honey-blonde wife and daughter.
Willow was Muggle-born. She was redheaded with light brown eyes and a friendly demeanour. She had lived with Buffy since the summer after her First-year, her parents were archaeologists and constantly exploring. They had died in a rock climbing accident in the Himalayas, trying to get to an ancient Nepalese tomb. Joyce had since been declared her legal guardian. The girl was taller than her friend, but had a child-like innocence when she wanted. She was also extremely intelligent and was developing a skill for wandless magic.
Xander was a pureblood wizard. He was raven-haired and brown-eyed, with a long, sharply chiselled face. He was good-looking in an almost puppyish way that he attributed to his puppy-like eyes. He was always one with a joke or a laugh, and knew a lot about Muggle culture for a pureblood wizard. That was partially because Lord Voldemort had murdered his parents when he was very young. Since then, he had lived with Rupert Giles, a wizard with a fondness for reading, but also for Muggles and their way of life. Xander had grown up being home taught by Giles and watching the TV, both of which had made him a very singular individual. While he was not as intelligent as Willow, or as strong as Buffy, he was a good wizard and was an extremely good Quidditch – and chess – player.
"Okay, kids, time to go." Joyce Summers smiled.
"Mom, we're hardly kids. I'm nearly sixteen." Buffy pouted.
"We'll unshrink your trunks when we get there." Giles informed them. They had always called him Giles, never Mr or Professor even though he had taught as DADA teacher at Salem Institute for the last five years.
"Get where?" Willow asked.
"To where we're staying until term starts." Joyce explained.
"What about the owls?" Buffy asked. The owls were now in cages, and not especially pleased.
"Don't worry, it won't take long. Our escorts are waiting for us in the Atrium." Giles chivvied them along, and they soon entered the lift to go up to the Atrium.
Once in the Atrium, Giles and Joyce voiced surprise. They spotted their 'escorts' and went over to them.
"What happened to the fountain?" Giles asked.
"What? Oh, it got destroyed las' month when Voldemort and his Death Eaters broke in. Albus brought it to life. If you want details, you'd best ask him or Harry. They were there." A man with a gruff voice and a swivelling electric blue eye that shocked Buffy and Willow explained.
"Harry? Harry who?" Willow wanted to know.
"Potter, o' course. It's his kind o' scrape. You'll be in 'is year when you get to Hogwarts. Prob'ly in his house if what Albus told me is true." The man explained.
"Hey, are you Mad-Eye Moody?" Xander asked excitedly. Suddenly he looked like a five-year-old. "The Auror? The one who always tried to bring in his victims alive and was always fair?"
Moody looked surprised. "Yeah."
"Cool! What sort of eye is that? Is it just a magical lens, or can it see through walls and the back or your head and invisibility cloaks as well?" Xander wanted to know.
"Who is this kid?" Moody asked Giles.
"Alexander Harris."
"The name is Xander, Giles. You know it, use it." Xander fixed him with a beady eye.
"Anyway, he seems to have a fascination for items like your magical lens. I think it runs in the family." Giles and Moody began walking away.
Joyce grinned. "Just like them two to start getting into conversations and leaving the rest of us behind." She remarked fondly. "Got everything? Good." She looked at the other two members of their escort. "Sorry, but you are?"
The tall black man smiled. "Kingsley Shacklebolt. This is Tonks. Don't ask about her first name. Both of us are Aurors."
"Wotcher, Joyce." Tonks grinned. The young woman had bright pink hair in spikes and violet eyes. The others stared. "Hey you lot. Come on, you'll be able to talk to the Weasleys and Hermione. They'll appreciate the company. Just don't accept anything the twins offer you. You're liable to turn into a canary or grow a massive tongue or something."
"Why?" Buffy asked curiously as they followed her.
"They've opened a joke shop, Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. And they're doing very well, already. So, of course, they have plenty of prank items on them."
"Cool!" Xander grinned. "Y'know, I think I've heard of them. One of the guys at our old school has a cousin who goes to Hogwarts. Didn't the twins create a swamp or something?"
Tonks grinned. "Heard about that in America, did they? Yeah, they created a swamp. Not to mention setting off a mass of fireworks, summoning their brooms and belongings and flying out of Hogwarts after insulting that toad Umbridge."
"Umbridge, Umbridge." Now Buffy frowned. Then her eyes darkened. "Isn't she that bitch who drafted some werewolf law that makes it almost impossible to get jobs? Because she convinced the Americans to take it on too. One of our friends is a werewolf, and it's completely unfair."
Tonks grinned. "You'll definitely get on with Harry and the others. One of Harry's dad's best friends is a werewolf. He also taught DADA at Hogwarts in their third-year, best teacher out of all of them according to Harry."
"All of them?" Joyce asked her, looking surprised.
"Well, and this is Harry's words, not mine, the first one didn't teach them much and tried to kill him. The second one didn't teach them much, was a fraud and tried to erase his and Ron's memories. The third one was a werewolf but the nicest bloke going and taught them loads. The fourth one taught them loads, but had the unfortunate problem of putting Harry into the Tri-wizard tournament, sending him to V – Voldemort and then, you guessed it, trying to kill him. The fifth taught them absolutely nothing worthwhile, tried to take over the school, sent Dementors after him, was going to use the Cruciatus Curse on him, oh, and got him a lifetime ban from Quidditch."
"A lifetime ban from Quidditch? That's terrible!" Xander gasped.
"I suspect that's what upset Harry most as well." Tonks grinned. "He can handle people trying to kill him, heck they've been trying since he was born, but take away Quidditch... Mind you, insulting his family isn't a good idea either. That's what got him into trouble in the first place."
"What?" Buffy asked.
"Well, I got this from Harry, but really you ought to talk to him. It's his story after all." Tonks grinned.
"And this is Harry *Potter* we're talking about?" Buffy asked. Tonks nodded. "Cool. I've wanted to meet him for ages."
"Why?"
"So we can compare what it's like to have people trying to kill you." Buffy grinned and ran up to bug Giles and Moody.
Tonks blinked. "Was that a joke or am I missing something?"
"You're missing something." Joyce groaned. "Sometimes I wonder about that girl."
"Where's her father?" Shacklebolt asked.
"Hank and I divorced when she was seven. He couldn't handle that she was a witch." Joyce told him. She didn't tell him the entire truth. About Buffy's father...
"C'mon, Joyce, we're back in England, liven your step or it'll start raining." Giles' voice broke through her thoughts.
She smiled at him. "I don't think the weather responds to *my* moods." She remarked with a sly look at her daughter.
"Hey, I only did that once." Buffy complained. "And it was a spell gone awry."
"I remember hearing about someone doing that in Hogwarts too. Best friends with a troublemaker's brother." Joyce gave a wicked smile at Giles.
He shot her a look that clearly said, 'Don't you dare'.
They entered the lift up to the surface and proceeded to take a portkey to a park. They then walked for about half a mile until they got to one of those old-fashioned crescents of the London suburbs, large houses with actual gardens. They stopped between Numbers 11 and 13. Moody then handed a piece of parchment round to each of them and ordered them to memorise it.
"Now what?" Buffy asked.
"Think about what you've just read." Moody ordered gruffly.
As the five newcomers did so, Number 12, Grimmauld Place suddenly appeared, as though it pushed the other two houses out. Willow knew how this worked. Fidelius Charm.
The front was different to how another such newcomer saw it last year. The front was clean and neat, the door was a rich oak and a brass doorknocker with a phoenix on it greeted them. Moody opened the door cautiously.
The front hall looked friendly. The walls were painted an airy cream, and not a single house elf head was to be seen. Unfortunately, Buffy raised her voice.
"Where are we?"
Then the screaming started.
"BLOOD TRAITORS! FILTH, SCUM OF THE EARTH! NOT WORTHY TO WALK INSIDE THESE HALLS! TRAITORS, MUDBLOODS, HALF-BLOODS, JUST LIKE MY FOOL OF A SON! MAY YOU MEET THE SAME END..." A portrait began to rant as the curtains flew open.
Buffy didn't wince. She merely walked over and examined the portrait carefully. Eventually Mrs Black ceased and stared at the nearly-sixteen- year-old examining her.
"Who are you?" The portrait demanded.
"Buffy Summers. You?"
"Eleanor Black." The portrait looked at her suspiciously. "Why don't you run like everyone else?"
"What's the point? You're just a portrait of some dead woman." Buffy gave a feral grin. "And for all the sticking charms you've got in place, you can't beat a good old knife."
The teen pulled up her jeans-leg and pulled out a dagger concealed within her boot. The portrait began screaming once more, but did not have the sense to flee. Or wasn't able to. Buffy slashed the portrait viciously and then ripped it from the frame. She grinned.
"Anyone want Mrs Black served with chips?" Buffy asked.
Moody was staring. "W – why did you do that?"
"Even I can tell that no one wants an insane portrait in the Headquarters of a group that's fighting You Know Who." Buffy informed them.
"You're right." A voice from the stairs made her turn. A girl with bushy brown hair and cinnamon-like eyes was grinning. She wore a denim skirt and lilac blouse. "No one does. Still can't believe she birthed Sirius."
"Sirius? As in Sirius Black?" Buffy looked at her, surprised. "He's a mass-murderer!"
"He was innocent." The girl shrugged. She headed down the stairs and began examining the frame that was left. "And now you've removed the portrait, the frame," she gave a tug and it fell away with her hand, "comes right off. Hey, Tonks, you want the remains of your auntie's portrait?"
Tonks gave a disgusted look. "Yeah right, Hermione. Now we've got that off, how about we burn it and then you can introduce yourself and the Weasley brood to our new guests."
"Doesn't the word guest imply that they're new anyway?" Hermione asked as they headed into the kitchen.
Buffy gave a grin. "I can see the start of beautiful friendship between you and Willow. She's a nit-picker too."
"I am not!" Willow replied, annoyed.
"Are too!" Buffy stuck her tongue out.
"By the way, I'm Hermione Granger." The girl explained. "Should have said that before. You are?"
"Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenburg and Xander Harris." Buffy responded. "The blonde woman's my mom, Joyce Summers, and the man's Giles. Willow lives with me and Mom, and Xander's been in Giles' care since he was a baby."
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"My parents were murdered by You Know Who." Xander explained.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "If you get near Harry, don't say that."
"What?"
"You Know Who. He insists we call him Voldemort. He does have a point. If we don't say his name, it only increases out fear and his power."
"Yeah, things that don't have names are usually very powerful or very dangerous. Or both. We don't want him to get that far." Buffy frowned. "When you say Harry, do you mean Potter?"
"Yes. He's one of my best friends. We're still trying to convince Dumbledore to let him come early. But at least Harry won't be bored. He got me to send him some books on duelling and stuff. Soon as he turns sixteen, he can actually practise the spells."
"Sixteen? I though coming of age was seventeen?" Willow looked surprised.
"Was. They changed it with the acceptance that V-Voldemort is out and about. Must have been kind of embarrassing since they've spent the last year telling everyone Dumbledore's gone senile and Harry's an insane, attention-seeking juvenile delinquent."
"Telling stories again, Mione?" A voice asked as they entered the kitchen.
"Nope, telling truths. Because Harry is not insane. Maybe a little mad at times, but not insane."
"Isn't that a paradox?" Willow asked.
"Ack, there's two of them!" The boy who had spoken jumped.
"And one of us is a redhead." Hermione grinned. "Intelligent women scare Ron." She informed Willow.
"They do not!" Ron gasped. "How dare you... Oh, you little..."
Buffy chucked the portrait in the fire. Hermione grinned. Ron stared.
"Wasn't that...?" He began.
"Yes." Hermione responded.
"And wasn't she...?"
"Uh huh."
"So she...?"
"Yep, she did."
"Cool." Ron grinned.
Buffy stared. "Are you aware you knew the questions before he finished them and he made sense of your answers?" She asked Hermione.
"Yeah, why?"
Buffy just smirked. "Well, the last people I caught doing that..."
"We will not go into that. It brings horrific images to mind." Xander groaned.
"What?"
"Teachers."
In that one words, he explained all. They groaned.
"Yuck."
"Uh huh."
As they sat round the table, Hermione got a better view of Xander, as did Ron. But it was when Ginny entered that the surprised sank in.
"Hey," Ginny looked at Xander, "Are you related to Harry?"
* * *
A/N: Ha ha! Attack of the evil cliffhanger! And what's the truth about Buffy's father? What is Joyce hiding?
Good? Bad? Completely freaky? I want at least one or two reviews. Might be a couple of weeks before the next chapter goes up. Revision and exams y'know. And I *really* need to revise if I want to get even semi-decent grades in my GCSEs.
Bye bye for now.
Lol, Tanydwr
P.S. Happy Easter.
P.P.S. REVIEW!!!