Edited to remove an offensive word… my apologies everyone! {night, 7/12}

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Chapter 6

My Sister

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Harry led Buffy into his room. She looked around, her eyes narrowing as she saw the tiny size, the unmade bed and, to her surprise, a cage with an owl inside of it hanging on a hook near the window.

"You have an owl?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," he said, moving to the owl's cage. Buffy moved to take a closer look at it. It was a beautiful owl, a brilliant white with eyes that seemed to settle on hers, as though trying to make sense of what was happening. "Her name is Hedwig."

"You named your owl?" she asked in a faint voice. "Your Aunt... err, our Aunt Petunia doesn't seem like the type to allow any pets..."

"She's wicked useful," Harry replied as he sat on his bed.

"She catches you dinner?" Buffy asked, still trying to understand it all.

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean, not exactly?" she asked, turning around to look at him.

"Hedwig's my owl at the school I go to," Harry replied. He was loving every minute of this. He was just building to the point where he would divulge the truth that he was really a Wizard.

"Oh," Buffy said, joining him on the bed. "Is that the school that cures the criminally insecure boys?"

Harry did something she wasn't expecting. He laughed. She looked at him in alarm, wondering if the rumors were true or not.

"Apparently that was funny," Buffy said, eyeing him as though she'd never seen him before. It was just then she saw that he had a scar on his forehead. It was the most curious shape.

He was shaking his head now, his hands on his frail stomach as the laughter died. "No, I don't go to that posh school... I'm apparently not even good enough for that," he sighed, wiping the tears behind his glasses. "No, I go to a very different school."

"Have I heard of it?" Buffy asked idly, spying his calendar on the wall, the one counting down the days to September first. This was her worst fear confirmed. He wasn't even fit to attend a school full of insecure boys.

"I don't think you have," Harry said seriously from behind her.

"Try me," Buffy replied, turning back to look at him.

Harry blinked. "Suit yourself. It's Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

The moment he'd been waiting for arrived. Her jaw dropped and her eyes lowered as she took in a sharp breath and sat down again, looking as though she might faint. "W-Witchcraft and W-Wizardry?" she gasped. "Are you saying that..."

"I'm a Wizard," Harry said simply.

Buffy stared at him a moment, convinced he was lying. "No... way... no way!" she breathed in disbelief. This was way better than a school for the incurably insane.

"You want a wager on that?" he asked, disappearing off the bed and out of sight. Buffy leaned over on her stomach and saw that Harry was wrenching up a loose floorboard. He pulled out a ratty pillowcase and overturned it on the floor.

"What is this?" she asked curiously as several textbooks, rolls of parchment, jars of ink and a few nice quills fell out.

"My books," Harry said, his voice still calm and rational as he handed her his Potions text. "This one is for Potions. This one," he handed her a second book, "is Advanced Transfiguration, and this one," he set it on top of the second thick textbook, "is the Standard Book of Spells."

Buffy leaned over and touched the textbook. It felt real. She opened the hard cover and stared at the soft pages inside. "Is this real?" she whispered. She looked at Harry seriously, who blinked at her from behind his glasses. "Is this real?"

"It's as real as I am," Harry replied just as seriously. He glanced down and began gathering up the materials he'd dumped out.

"Harry," Buffy said quietly as she handed the books back to him and straightened up, "were your parents... our parents... a part of this too?"

Harry gazed at her and nodded ever so slowly. Buffy blinked and looked down. "So you're saying that... this world you're a part of... is magical?"

Before Harry could reply, there was a tapping at his window. Harry turned and noticed a handsome tawny owl sitting there, knocking its beak to the window. His eyes widened as he pushed it open and the owl flew into the room, landing easily on his desk. "It's a school owl," Harry said, moving to untie the letter attached to his ankle. "Thanks," he said, watching as the owl left again.

Buffy watched the entire exchange, her jaw dropped. She blinked and turned back to Harry, who was unfolding a bit of parchment in his hands. "Uh oh," he muttered under his breath.

"What is it?" Buffy asked. "Is it from your school?"

Harry nodded. "Apparently my Headmaster knows you're here." He handed her the letter. Buffy took it and began to read.

Harry Potter,

It has come to my attention that you have a visitor at Number 4, Privet Drive. I must express my deepest concerns during this dark time. I will ask that your visitor present herself before me so we can see if the threat of deceit exists or not.

The letter continued, but Buffy was laughing so hard the parchment fell out of her hand. She fell back onto the bed, winded. "Who's that from?" she asked breathlessly.

"My Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore," Harry said, gently setting the letter on his desk. He looked troubled about something and his sister noticed it immediately.

"Why would he be concerned about me? And what threat was he going on about?" Buffy asked, her eyebrows knitting in concern.

"There's something you need to know," Harry finally said, turning around to address her properly. "I don't know how to tell you this..."

"Harry," Buffy said, reaching for his hand, "please. We've spent maybe half an hour together. I don't want to push you, but you are clearly in distress about this..."

He nodded mutely.

"We're not going to talk about this now," she said, shaking his hand slightly and releasing it. "Okay? I just feel that before you start spilling out your secrets, I think I have enough to deal with. After all, I come from a family of Wizards and I'm not even sure if I can begin to comprehend this. I don't even want to think about what you're planning on telling me will do to me... I couldn't handle it." She turned to the letter and finished reading it. "You should write him back and tell him that I would be happy to meet him."

"Are you serious?" Harry asked in disbelief.

Buffy nodded. "I really am."

Harry opened his desk and pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment. Buffy collected a quill and a jar of ink from his dirty pillowcase and handed it to him. As Harry started writing the letter, Buffy found herself asking more questions.

"How did you come to stay here?" Buffy asked softly. "You clearly don't like it here and from what I can tell, they really don't like you."

"It's all in that bit of information you didn't want me to tell you," Harry muttered as he continued writing.

"Can you just tell me why they don't like you?" Buffy asked behind him. She was going through his books again, full of curiosity.

"My mother... our mother didn't really get along well with Aunt Petunia. You see, Mother wasn't an ordinary Muggle. She came from a non-magical family, even though she was a non-Muggle, and although our grandparents were proud of her, Aunt Petunia thought she was just a freak."

"Okay, back up," Buffy said, glancing up from the Potions text she was flipping through. "Muggle?"

Harry put down his quill and began reading over the letter to Professor Dumbledore. "It is someone who has magical powers from a family of non-magical powers. A Muggle is someone who doesn't have any magical powers. Someone like you thought you were."

Buffy held her tongue. She didn't want to tell him about being a Slayer. Not yet. It was tempting to open her mouth and talk about her own superpowers, but there would be time enough for that later. "When did you tell him we could meet?" she asked instead.

"Tomorrow for lunch, if you don't mind," Harry replied, standing up and moving to open Hedwig's cage. He attached the letter to her leg and bent even closer to her. Hedwig's amber eyes were reproachful as she stared at Buffy, as though trying to figure out who she was and why her Master was spending so much time alone with her in this room. "Can you take this to Professor Dumbledore?" he asked quietly Hedwig hooted softly and soared out the open window.

A voice drifted up into the room from down in the parlor. "Elizabeth! Tea!"

Buffy jumped slightly and turned to Harry with a guilty smile. "I guess I should really get used to that being my name."

Harry quickly stuffed the pillowcase under the broken floorboards and stood up. "Did you want us to call you anything else?" he asked, curiously.

She shook her head. "Elizabeth is fine... unless you'd like to call me Buffy."

"Whichever you prefer," he replied, opening the door as they both walked down the stairs. Buffy was surprised to see that the entire kitchen table had been filled with sweets and other snacks. Aunt Petunia turned sharp eyes to Harry but blanched slightly when she saw the challenging look from his sister.

"Help yourself," she said, stepping away. "Harry, there you go." She pointed coldly at a plate of a hunk of bread and two slices of cheese.

Buffy sat down in Dudley's usual chair. "where did Dudley go?" she asked her Aunt Petunia kindly.

"I sent him out with his Father to get us a real feast for dinner," Petunia said, her voice full of excitement as she took her usual seat. Harry scowled and sat down with his plate of bread and cheese. Buffy eyed the table before selecting a sandwich that smelled deliciously of cucumbers.

"This is wonderful," Buffy said, taking a bite. It really was wonderful. She reached for the cup of tea, rolling her eyes slightly as she took a sip of the bitter liquid. "Just great," she choked.

Harry grinned at her as he finished his quick snack. When Aunt Petunia had gone upstairs, she passed him a few sandwiches and even a couple of tea cakes. There was a dark look in her eyes when she realized how much mistreatment her own brother had to endure. Taking a second sandwich for herself, she nibbled on it as Petunia walked back into the Kitchen, a dusty photo album in her arms.

"Harry, go finish the plants," Petunia said, her voice cutting. She turned sharp eyes to her nephew. "Please."

Harry shrugged and stood up. Buffy reached out though and caught his arm, turning around to look at her Aunt. "Can he not stay?"

"It's all right, really," Harry said, detaching her hand.

"I'll see you before I go then," Buffy said, giving him an encouraging smile as he swept from the Kitchen, his footsteps echoing angrily as they faded. She sighed and turned to her Aunt Petunia. "I really wish you would treat him with more respect," she said, sounding tired.

"He brought it on himself," Petunia replied, handing Buffy the album and clearing the table. Buffy glanced at the immaculate Kitchen and sighed again, opening the album. Inside were images of two teenage girls.

"Is this you?" Buffy asked curiously, temporarily forgetting their spat. Petunia nodded as she started running dishwater. She glanced through the first few pages until she noticed something strange. The other woman, a few years younger than Petunia, was grinning and waving in the pictures. "Who's this?"

"Lily," Petunia said shortly. Buffy stood up and brought the album with her as she moved to stand beside her Aunt.

"She's pregnant," Buffy realized.

"She was," Petunia confirmed. Buffy glanced at her, as though asking her to elaborate. "I'm not going to pretend my sister was any good, no matter how many times you and Harry defend her, Elizabeth." She sighed as she glanced at the pictures. "I only kept this album because I promised my parents I would look after her when they passed away. This is a collection of the last images of them I have when they were still alive." She pointed one soapy finger at a smiling young woman in a hospital with a well-rounded stomach.

"I remember the day she came home from that... school," Petunia began. "She was already seven months along. It wasn't any secret of who had done this to her. We knew that she was head over heels for some Prefect named James. Apparently it was a spell they'd been working on together that went horridly wrong. She conceived and suddenly there was this baby. My mother died knowing that she had a granddaughter. It was one of my sister's strongest moments, in my mind. She may have been a freak, turning kittens into teacups and tadpoles into toads, but when she gave birth to that miracle... I no longer cared that it was brought on using magic. To me, it was as real as you are, standing here." There were tears in Lily's eyes now. She turned back and started washing the dishes. Buffy gently set down the album and reached for a towel, drying them as her Aunt placed them in the rack.

"You didn't like my mother much, did you?" Buffy asked softly as she began stacking plates.

Petunia shook her head. "I don't know why my parents were always so proud of her, with a magic wand and her perfect life... the perfect Evans, they'd say. Well, I don't pretend to know their reasons, but I tried to be the best daughter I could be. I tried to be normal, and nice, and courteous... but I guess they had their reasons to favor her more."

Buffy had a sudden impulse to comfort the older woman, but held back instinctively. "But you're alive today," Buffy said quietly. "She's not. All that remains of her and my father is Harry."

"You asked me why I don't treat him with more respect," Petunia said, turning to look Buffy in the eye. "Everytime I look at him, I can hear my parents asking me why I couldn't be more like Lily. And you know what? I never believed I had to be. I could have gotten rid of the boy, only I didn't. A wise Wizard told me to remember his last. Harry is what is left of my mother's home and I feel compelled to protect him. To protect, but not spoil him."

Buffy's eyes were brimming with disbelief. "I hope that doesn't mean you'd abuse him, would you?"

Petunia's eyes widened at the open-ended threat in her niece's voice. "Elizabeth, please understand..."

"How could you do that to him?" Buffy asked, her voice hushed. "He's your nephew... not just some homeless tart..."

Petunia backed up, her hands in the air, waving them as though to defend her actions. "Elizabeth, please..."

"I've heard enough," Buffy said, storming past the insidious woman. She grabbed her purse from the base of the stairs and nearly ran over Uncle Vernon, who had a large white package in his arms and was talking to Dudley loudly about his cousin coming to visit. Buffy glared at both of them as she stalked down the driveway, spotting Harry. She moved to his side.

He glanced up in surprise. "I thought you were staying for dinner..." he said, and then he noticed a very dark look in her eyes.

"I can't stay another minute around that woman!" Buffy exclaimed, pulling out a business card. "Your Headmaster is coming tomorrow at lunch, you say? Send him a message somehow and tell him to meet me in my Hotel room. The instant you wake up tomorrow, call this number. It's the number to my Hotel. They'll send a shuttle to pick you up." Her eyes darted to the doorway, where Petunia was shuffling towards her, sputtering. "And if they don't feed you right tonight, they'll have to hear from me." She hugged him quickly before dashing off.

Harry turned to see Aunt Petunia, her hands dripping off bits of liquid soap, a mortified look in her eyes.

He suddenly found he didn't want to know what had happened.

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Buffy wasn't sure what time it was when she arrived back at her Hotel. She went straight to her room without talking to anyone and was soon locked inside. Bitter tears were in her eyes and she was still shaking after discovering her brother had been abused by his own Aunt and Uncle.

She sat on her bed, hugging her knees tightly. It was bad enough to know that her parents were dead. She really didn't know the actual events leading up to their death and she really didn't feel like wanting to know why. All she felt was a cold chill every time she thought of looking in that woman's eyes.

And she was her Aunt.

Buffy reached for the room telephone. She quickly searched her purse for the number of Giles' apartment. She dialed quickly, not really caring what the time was on the other side of the world. After all, she hadn't spoken to him in nearly three days.

"Hello?"

She nearly burst into tears but held her emotions strong as she said, in a tight voice, "Giles, it's me."

"Buffy! Oh, thank God!" Giles was saying, sounding relieved.

"Is that B?" Faith's voice sounded like it was slightly muffled.

"It's the Buffster!" Xander's voice rang happily.

Buffy wiped her eyes. "Giles, you might wanna put this on speaker phone."

"Buffy, you know how I am at this pointless American techno-- oh, thank you Willow. Talk away."

"Hi, guys," Buffy said, trying to sound as friendly as possible despite the situation.

"Where are you?" Willow asked in a hushed voice.

"London," Buffy replied. "Where are you guys?"

"Buffy, did you turn up anything in your... search?" Giles asked tentatively.

All twittering behind him stopped as Buffy thought of how to answer.

"I did," she said, smiling. "I found my family..."

"Oh, Buffy, that's fantastic!" Willow enthused, followed by another round of enthusiastic responses from the rest of her friends.

"My parents are dead," she said bluntly. She smiled slightly when she thought of what their reactions would be.

"D-Dead?" Xander finally gasped. "Buffy, my God..."

"They died fifteen years ago," Buffy explained quickly, "but I do have some living relatives. I have an Aunt and Uncle... and a brother."

"A brother?" Giles asked curiously. "Have you met him?"

"I saw him today," Buffy replied quickly. "His name is Harry. I don't know how old he is, but my guess would be either fifteen or sixteen. He's a cool kid." She paused a moment. "He's also a Wizard."

"He's a... what?" Giles asked incredulously.

"A Wizard," Buffy said firmly. "For some funny odd reason, I believe him. I don't think a school for criminally insane boys would hand out books like 'Potions' or 'Advanced Transfiguration', do you?"

"God, Buffy," Giles said, and she could practically hear him remove his glasses for cleaning. "This is extraordinary!"

"It is?" she asked, her own voice stunned. "Why?"

"Did he say if your parents were Wizards as well?" Willow asked, seeming to think on the same lines as Giles was.

"Yeah..." Buffy said, now feeling even more daft and confused. "Why?"

"Because," Giles said, his voice slightly excited, "there is a good chance that the same blood in them runs in you. You could be a Wizard and you never would have known it unless you had met your brother."

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Chapter 7... Buffy meets Dumbledore. And Giles sends a care package.

Chapter 8... Buffy disappears from the Council's control.

To The Reviewers:

Yes, another short chapter, I know. The next one is much longer, I promise. Now that I've heard your opinion, I'm even MORE torn about whether or not to bring that character back. I'm trying to decide on whether or not it would help the story out at all to have this character back and I'm leading toward the "Yes" side of things... but I don't know. I might get my other beta involved in this.

Okay. One more thing. Buffy in a relationship? She can't even tell her brother she's a Slayer yet. And while I'm dying to put her in a relationship that will irk the rest of you (I'm thinking of a certain Potions Professor), I won't. I won't kill her AGAIN either, I promise. I could pair her up with Percy, you know... heh. I know of a much better person to pair her up with, and it isn't a vampire.

Allen, Quentin and the Council will soon realize they made a mistake doing that. Buffy's growing more and more clever and soon she will slip away from the tight grip of the Council. As for Faith, well, I'm thinking she would have quit when Buffy did IF she knew the world would be safe. She has a responsibility now to protect the Hellmouth. For now, anyway.

Susan, Mrs. Figg was just concerned about Harry... he just lost his godfather and with all the evil around... you can never be too careful about a stranger on approach.

Any more questions/concerns, shoot them my way. I'll answer them without giving too much of the story away. I have an idea of what I want to happen, at the very least in the short term. But I'm still torn about Sirius.

The next chapter will be posted Weds/Thurs, when I get it back from Grace. Thank you, dear beta, dear beta. And thank you reviewers! You rock my world! Drinks all around...