Wowee lots of ideas for pairings, I think I have an idea now for Buffy but you'll have to wait and see for a while and I may send out false leads with what I have planned. Sorry to ppl who suggested Draco or snape-they don't tend to be good guys in my stories although Dawn/Draco is tempting-I dunno yet. Sorry it's been so long-I updated a couple of other fics (if you like Faith pls go read consequences-it's only short. Sorry I'm awful I know I shouldn't tell u to go read my own fics so go read Sam-453s as well!) I'm not trying to dumb Dumbledore down at all by having him not know about Buffy being the slayer etc I just don't want him to be super human and know everything although he is seriously cool and wise etc. He will find out soon though along with some other revelations so keep reading….
Kandice: Ages not very complicated here's ur explanation. Buffy is 19 nearly 20, Dawn is 14 (or just created whichever you prefer to think of her as) Sirius is Joyce/Lily's age so parentish age, Harry is 15 nearly 16. Can't think of anyone else.
Tanydwr: wow you have lots of questions. Firstly yes the tumour is about to be sorted (I no u've been waiting for that-here it is) Glory and Vol's relationship is very similar to Caleb and the First but I can't really say more without ruining what's going to happen hopefully in ½ chapters time if they stop running away from me. Ben isn't really going to feature mostly 'cos it just complicates things but also 'cos I actually have seen about 3 episodes from season 5 if that so I don't really know much about him. The curse bouncing back will be explained shortly but it's not very exciting-think about the order things happened that night.
Faith76: I love spike too. I'm not saying whether he's going to be with Buffy or not but I will try v hard to bring him in somehow!
The Who: Definitely fair point. I know it was a little unrealistic but there's a lot of explanations that have to be done and I need to get through them to get on with the story also Buffy and Dawn are going to be pretty curious about this whole world they've just found as well as worried about their mum.
AURAPreviously in Three's a Destiny
"Hiya Harry" Fred and George Weasley cried. "Long time no see." Harry sat up and stared at the twins.
"What are you doing here?"
Pretending to be affronted at Harry's less than warm welcome each twin launched into a babble of talk.
"Nice to see you too."
"Fine we'll just shove off then."
"Wont take you to HQ"
"C'mon Harry, Tonks, Dad and Bill are downstairs, we're missing all the fun."
"Why are they here?" Harry asked still in a state of shock.
"We're getting you out of here, we already said."
"Why?"
"Well now that's gratitude for you isn't it. We turn up to take you away from the muggles
who make your life hell and you want to know why."
Tonks and Arthur Weasley remained for one last warning to the Dursleys.
"Now see here you had better get out of my house…" Uncle Vernon started blustering but
Tonks cut him off.
"Shut up and listen. We're taking Harry, not to do you any favours. You don't know
where he is, why he left or who we are. Got it. What's more, you're best treatment for him had
better improve or it's not us you're going to have to face. I don't think Lily's going to be very
happy to find out how you've been treating her son." Tonks strode towards the door as Vernon's
mouth fell open and Petunia squeaked
"But Lily's…Lily's dead."
"Maybe not as dead as you think." Tonks called back as she stepped outside.
.
"I have reason to believe this woman is under a memory charm and I would like to see it removed
please."
"Certainly Professor but one of my junior healers can take care of it for you."
"I would very much appreciate it if you could take a look. The charm may be up to fifteen
years old and is becoming intermittent."
"That does not happen" the healer said with a small frown. "Fifteen years Dumbledore,
that's a long time, a spell is unlikely to start malfunctioning without a serious stimulus."
"I know. That is why I need you to work on this case, it is imperative the charm is lifted
and the stimulus neutralised."
"Very well. You had better come to my office."
"People never see the evil they don't want to believe is there" Buffy said wisely thinking ofthe ignorance of the people of Sunnydale.
"Indeed and now it cannot be ignored for Lord Voldemort is already increasing in strength
and no doubt has a plan to topple any order of justice and goodness we have."
"Plan? All evil has plans please it's not like plans always work. All we gotta do is stop it,
nothing too hard." Buffy missed the piercing stare Dumbledore gave her at that moment because
she was distracted by the healer walking towards them.
"Professor" Healer Thinkly said quietly to Dumbledore who looked calmly up form his buttered scone. "I removed the spell."
"But?" Dumbledore asked reading the trace of anxiety in the woman's voice.
"But?" Buffy repeated. "There better be no but or yours is going to hurt like hell in the morning."
The healer looked at Buffy with the barest hint of pity but with eyes that had seen situations far worse that hers. "Would you come down to my office" she said gently increasing Buffy's fears. Dawn too was frightened and for the first time Buffy realised what Willow had tried to say and just how young and vulnerable Dawn was.
"It'll be ok" Buffy murmered trying to soothe herself whilst gripping Dawn's hand all the way back to the healer's office.
"So what's up doc?" Buffy asked lightly but it was obvious she was just putting on a brave face.
"The spell removal was successful but the stimulus proved to be more severe than I had anticipated. Had your mother been ill at all before you came here?"
"Yeah she had a rock group performing every night in her head for a while and blayed sleeping beauty for a bit." At the healer's raised eyebrow Dawn translated
"She had some really bad headaches and then fainted a bit." The healer nodded.
"That would fit, I'm afraid the stimulus was a growth of mutant cells in the cerebral cortex of the brain."
"A tumour?" Dawn squealed and Buffy looked at her in surprise. "What? I know some biology." The healer looked at Dumbledore who realised why she was confused.
"A tumour is a muggle word. They know what it is. Have you dealt with it?" Buffy was slightly confused by this question. She didn't know a lot about tumours but she was pretty sure it was more serious than an hour could take care of. Apparently for wizards it wasn't because the healer replied
"It has been removed and we expect a full recovery however it will be best for her to remain here for a few days so we can administer follow up potions and make observations."
"Oh my god that's so great. Whatever's best for her. Can we see her now?"
"May I have one minute first please" Dumbledore asked Buffy who frowned at the suggestion.
"This is my mom we're talking about."
"I know and I realise I am asking a lot of you but I really do need a moment with Lily."
"What're you going to do to her?" Dawn asked suspiciously. "And her name's Joyce."
"That is precicely what I am going to determine. I need to confirm that your mother is Lily Potter, I give you my word I will not harm her in any way. I would wait but this really cannot, it changes a large number of things."
"Ok" Dawn said slowly looking at Buffy.
"You do one thing to her and you'll be sitting on the pointy end of that hat." Dumbledore was impressed and slightly surprised by how intimidating Buffy could be.
"Believe her she can do that" Dawn said.
"I take your word for it and I expect you to hold me to mine." Buffy nodded and Dumbledore turned briskly to healer Thinkly. "Where is she?"
"In recovery at the moment. When you are finished Professor she will be moved to a ward. Unfortunately the only spare bed is in the Jnus Thickey ward but that shouldn't be a problem. Would you two wait for your mother there. I am sure Professor Dumbledore will not be long."
Buffy and Dawn did indeed go down to the ward where the many Gilderoy Lockharts were still waving and flashing dazzling white smiles at Buffy. The other occupants of the ward were also looking in their direction, one man wandered past where they sat and stared curiously at Dawn who gripped Buffy's hand a little tighter.
"Must fight it…bad…bad…chicken" he muttered then his tone shifted subtly to become more definite. "So brilliant, energy." The man walked up towards Dawn with a look on his face that said plainly he was overcoming some powerful deterrent in doing so. He walked right up to Dawn and Buffy found herself unable to move as he reached out his fingers and touched Dawn's face tentatively. "Not there, not there" he murmured and took another step forward as if to walk through Dawn but as Buffy knew from experience Dawn didn't give way quite so easily and the man's shoulder collided with hers. Unwittingly Dawn cried out alerting a healer who hurried over.
"Are you alright Miss? Oh Frank leave the poor girls alone. Come back to Alice Frank." The young healer gently pushed Frank away before turning back to Buffy and Dawn, pushing a floppy brown fringe out of his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I hope he wasn't bothering you."
"No…no...no bothering…bother free" Buffy stuttered still confused by Frank's attitude to Dawn.
"So can I help you two at all?"
"No thanks we're just waiting for our mom" Buffy replied distractedly.
"Say you're American" the healer exclaimed and Buffy worked very hard to resist the temptation to roll her eyes. "Your mum the American lady with healer Thinkly?"
"Do you know how she is?"
The healer gave Buffy a wry smile. "That was some procedure Thinkly had to do, a fifteen year old charm" he gave a soft whistle. "Well if anyone can get rid of it Thinkly can, her speciality, got an O for her thesis on memory restoral."
"So what's he still doing here?" Buffy indicated Lockhart who was sitting on his bed looking in a hand mirror and smiling at his reflection.
"Oh you've met Lockhart then. I don't know too much about him to be honest, he used to be some big heartthrob a couple of years ago then he had some kind of accident with a backfiring wand. There's rumours he was trying to jinx a troll."
"A troll?" Buffy repeated eyebrows raised and the healer looked at her curiously.
"Yeah and?"
"Nothing. Trolls. Ok." He was still giving her strange looks so Buffy cast around for a change of topic well away from supernatural beings. "What's your name?" was the question she settled on and the normal answer
"Adam what's yours?" soothed her slightly.
"Buffy…so…"
"Buffy…that's…unusual. Short for anything?"
"Nope. Just Buffy." There was a moments silence until Buffy decided she might as well make with the questioning. "So do you know about the Potters?"
"Well yeah who doesn't?" Adam said looking even more curiously at Buffy.
"Right of course I mean the Potters yeah who doesn't?" she tried to cover.
"We don't" Dawn said bluntly causing Buffy to let go of her hand and wish for the hundredth time that Dawn had been left on the hellmouth.
"How can you not know about Harry Potter?"
"Oh Harry Potter we know about him…ok no we don't." Buffy trailed off under Adam's scrutinising gaze. "We're American?" She tried hoping that the Potters' apparent fame was bound to England or at least Europe.
"I can't believe you don't know about the Potters. You know about…You Know Who right?"
"Major evil guy with the killing and torturing, yeah got the memo."
"Ok well sit down, this is still gonna take a while." So Adam began the tale of the Potters, or as much of the tale as anyone besides a very select group of people knew. "Well lily and James met at Hogwarts and got married a couple of years after they left. They ere pretty involved in fighting You Know who, I guess that's why he wanted to kill them."
"Did they love each other?" Buffy knew it was a random question but she wanted to know everything she could about Lily Potter, about the person her mother was about to become. Adam however didn't seem to find it strange.
"Definitely. My Uncle was friends with them at school. He said he'd never known two people so right for each other, never knew two people who bickered so much either. Apparently it took most of school for Lily to agree to go out with James but he was crazy about her for ages."
"Something special about Lily?"
"Must've been. Everyone loved Lily, Pettigrew had a serious crush on her, he was another of their friends and there were rumours Sirius Black liked her but James was his best friend so I doubt it. Anyway they got married and had Harry."
"Just Harry?" Buffy interrupted.
"yeah just Harry because a year later You Know Who turned up. So he killed James and Lily and tried to kill Harry but couldn't. Dah dah the Boy who lived, no one knows why but the curse backfired and You Know Who was…I don't know what exactly. Vanquished? Anyway he was gone or so we thought until the ministry said he was back, I should've known Dumbledore was right."
"Dumbledore?"
"He knew Voldemort was back, no idea how but the ministry discredited him, and Harry."
"What happened to Harry after Voldemort tried to kill him?" Ben winced visibly at the name.
"Don't say that name. He went to live with…oh no Frank don't do that!" Adam cried distracted by Frank pulling down the curtain around his bed. "Sorry." He muttered and rushed off.
~*~
The brothetr was at that moment standing outside number 12 Grimmauld Place staring at the front door. He carefully raised te serpentine knocker and tapped it against the chipped black paint on the door. Almost immediately it was opened and Harry was enveloped in a warm hug by Molly Weasley.
"Let us in Mum" Fred called to his mother who moved backwards along the corridor so the others could pile into the hallway. Tonks was last in and as she let the door slam shut curtains flew open and the shrieking began.
"Unworthy blood traitors. Mudbloods, filth in my house besmirching the name of my family." Mrs Black was as shrill as Harry remembered and he was grateful that the Order had become more efficient in silencing her. There was only time for George to call back
"Your family doesn't need any more besmirching it only had one decent member." Before the sound stopped and the curtains were once again closed. The other people around Harry dispersed, Fred and george headed upstairs with Harry's trunk and other belongings levitating infront of them, Tonks, Bill and Mr Weasley made their way towards the kitchen and Mrs Weasley spared a moment to welcome harry before saying
"I'd better go and keep an eye on those two" and hurrying after the twins.
So harry was left in the dark hallway which despite all their efforts over the past year still felt musty and disused. Echoes of emptiness rolled towards him in vast waves despite the number of people in the house and harry knew that they were reminders of the person who wasn't there. He was as reluctant to stay in Sirius' house as he was pleased to leave the Dursleys, his godfather's death was too fresh in his mind, the wound it left still raw and irritated further by the familiar house. " He hated this house" Harry said to himself as he wandered into the living room. "Being shut in here helped kill him." 'You and me Dumbledore he thought. We did it together but more me, I killed him.' Harry looked at the places where the Black family mementos had stood and remembered how glad Sirius had been to get rid of the reminders of such a dark family. A single tear ran down Harry's cheek as he thought of the contrast Sirius made with his family, Sirius who was his father's best friend, harry's godfather couldn't even be compared to Narcissa, to Bellatrix. Harry felt a seething hatred towards Bellatrix Lestrange who had pointed her wand at Sirius and killed him, still laughing. She had taken down the second Marauder, that was two down, the two Harry cared about more than anyone else in the world. He would make sure that one more died, the one who deserved to die. Gone was the Harry who would spare Pettigrew, so what if it got him an IOU? Dumbledore said he had done the right thing in letting Pettigrew escape and until this year Harry had believed the wise old wizard. Now though Harry had seen what became of his actions and he no longer trusted Dumbledore. He had felt Pettigre drain blood from the crook of his arm, seen him use it to bring back Lord Voldemort. He still had the scar actually but it was nothing compared to the others, one that could be seen, many that ran deeper. There were two men in the world who could between them explain all Harry's scars to him and yet he hadn't been told, not for 15 years why he bore them, those two men who could tell him were the two men that Harry hated more than any others at that moment. Tom Riddle and Albus Dumbledore.
Harry's furious thoughts were interrupted by Ron's arrival in the living room.
"Harry! You alright mate? Good to see you, I wanted to come get you but they wouldn't let me"
~*~
"A brother." Dawn repeated. "That's so cool. I wonder how old he is."
"Must be sixteen I guess if he was one when old Voldy attacked. A younger brother. This is so…life turning upside down kinda stuff. Harry, Buffy and Dawn Summers, hmm sounds good."
"But its Dawn Summers, Harry and Buffy Potter."
"Eek." Buffy screwed up her face. "That just sounds so wrong. I still don't get why I'm still missing the memories though. I mean I do remember but not what I should remember. The five years I remember weren't the real five years."
"Maybe it's a memory charm like on mom" Dawn suggested but Buffy carried on talking.
"If they weren't real am I not real? You're real. You were after those not remembering years so you have to be real. You're actually who you are. I'm not making any sense am I?" Dawn shook her head. "Well it's just with mom not being who we thought she was it's good to know someone's the same."
"Do you think the person…mom…will know us when she sees us or do you think she'll forget everything since the spell?"
"She'll remember us. Don't stress." Buffy tried to reassure dawn but cut herself off when their mother entered the ward floating a metre off the ground and accompanied by Healer Thinkly and Professor Dumbledore.
"Mom" Dawn cried out and ran over to the trio.
"Careful. Your mother has just undergone a very complicated procedure, don't knock her." The healer warned but Joyce seemed completely fine and was enjoying the sensation of almost flying.
"Punkin' Belly, how're you?"
"Isn't she a bit perky for post brain surgery?" Buffy asked and Healer Thinkly explained.
"It was a magical procedure and whilst still very serious, removal not nearly so traumatic as a muggle operation. They actually cut the scull open, imagine how crude. It should only take a couple of days for your mother to make a complete recovery although there will be a bit of a shock as she realises how much she had forgotten."
"Oh my goodness, doctor, thank you, thank you so much!" Buffy exclaimed embracing the
healer who yelled in pain as she forgot her slayer-strength. Buffy gasped and pulled back. " Sorry. Sorry!" the healer put her hand to her back and gave Buffy a funny look as she said
"It's my job." Meanwhile Dumbledore had floated Joyce over to the spare bed in the corner of the spare bed in the corner of the ward and was sitting on it while Dawn bounced up and down testing the mattress springs.
"Mom, are you ok? Looks like they did a pretty good job on you huh? Do you need anything? Dawn stop bouncing." Buffy spilled out as she rushed over to the bed.
"I'm feeling pretty good honey…Oh my gosh it's Frank and Alice. I haven't seen them in so long. I have to say hello."
"You know him?" Dawn asked incredulously.
"They will not recognise you Lily." Dumbledore said sadly ignoring Dawn.
"No not looking like this they wont but that's easily explainable." Dumbledore shook is head.
"No. They would not recognise you even if you did explain."
"What happened?" Joyce asked curiously.
"They were tortured by deatheaters." Buffy was amazed at the bitterness in the elderly wizard's voice and asked lightly
"Anyone going to tell me who these deatheaters are? I mean apart from bad guys with major constipation, they're bad guys right?" neither Dumbledore nor her mother paid any attention, Joyce was staring at Dumbledore with questions written all over her face.
"The cruciatus curse, repeatedly. They do not even recognise Neville." Dumbledore said angrily and Joyce gasped.
"Then the prophecy is about him, about their son."
"No" Dumbledore replied the anger leaving his voice to be replaced with pity. "No the prophecy is about Harry."
"It can't be, no it mustn't be. Please don't let it be Harry." Joyce was almost crying, her eyes were wide and wet and her face was pale. "Please" she finished weakly.
"There is no doubt I am afraid. The night he came to your house, the night you lost your memory Harry was marked, as the prophecy said. He was chosen for it Lily it is his destiny."
"But…but it said such awful things." It was obvious Joyce did not want to believe what she was being told but Dumbledore could not deny any of it. He lowered his head and Buffy could see that he too was close to tears. "I'm sorry, I am so sorry but it is him, if I could change it I would."
"No, no Harry isn't dark, he isn't and he can't be made to fight…oh g-d every day. No please not two of them, I can't take that. He was mine, he was but…"
"barely." Dubledore finished. "It's Harry Lily and he does fight. He has fought every day and it pains me because he should not have to. He fights on the right side though, he has taken on more than most grown men and yet he survives. He is like James Lily. He will accept it. I hope." Buffy listened to these words with such familiar themes, destiny, fighting, darkness, chosen. They were words that were usually associated with her and yet it seemed they belonged to Harry too. Maybe she would like this little brother of hers, maybe she could help him with whatever he was meant to fight.
"Does he know?" joyce asked cutting into Buffy's thoughts.
"Not all of it. I should have told him but I couldn't bring myself to, not after what he has been through. It was all I could do to hear those words again myself. It is hard Lily but with you returned to him hopefully Harry will be more contented, he is rather disillusioned at the moment, he has suffered a great deal."
"Another one." Joyce murmured so quietly only Buffy heard and she stretched out her arms. "Hope."
"Can we get this sorted? I'm Buffy mom."
"But you're Hope as well." Joyce said frowning in confusion.
"Care to jump in with an explanation. It's what Giles generally does about now." Buffy informed Dumbledore but it was Healer Thinkly who answered her question.
"You may be under some kind of spell, perhaps another memory charm."
"And that's one for Little Punkin belly" Dawn cried jubilantly punching the air.
"How can you check?" Buffy asked.
"Same potion as I used on your mother. Accio." Healer Thinkly waved her wand and moments later a conical flask containing the red liquid Joyce had drunk flew through the door of the ward into the healer's hand. "Here." Buffy gingerly sniffed the potion and made a face.
"Eurgh what's in this stuff?"
"I would advise you not to ask." Dumbledore said jovially and Buffy looked at him suspiciously. "Really, you will not wish to know." Buffy drained the potion in one go and grimaced.
"You're right I don't want to know."
Healer Thinkly looked at Buffy scrutinisingly and a worried expression came across her face.
"Professor look." Dumbledore did indeed look piercingly at Buffy who frowned.
"Is there something in my hair?"
"She has no aura." The healer said softly.
"But everyone has an aura" Buffy said confused, "Will told me. That was mom's aura? Wiggy."
"What does this mean?" Dumbledore asked the healer who still looked worried.
"I don't know, it should be impossible, no one exists without an aura."
"Revelas" Dumbledore cried brandishing his wand at Buffy. A jet of purple light hit her squarely in the chest but nothing happened. "Legilimens." Buffy felt a faint pulse against her thoughts, a vulnerability as if there was a wall giving way to her mind and pushed against it. To her great surprise the pulse retreated and Dumbledore took a sudden wobbly step backwards. "I cannot penetrate, it is most peculiar. Can you find any spells without an aura?"
"No and it means I can't remove any spells, I have to be able to detect them in her aura to do so. Like I said though she should not exist without an aura."
"Not exist. Merlin's beard the old curse. It can't be. Who would use such a thing."
"What thing?" Joyce asked reminding Buffy of her presence.
"Do you remember my Defence against the dark arts classes at Hogwarts Lily?" Dumbledore asked in return. Joyce frowned.
"Of course, James sat right infront of me for those lessons, I used to stare at him…oh you mean the actual lessons. Yes I remember."
"Do you remember me teaching you about a curse, one that is not an unforgivable yet which I campaigned for many years to be labelled as one."
"Obsoletatus" Joyce whispered. "The only curse to carry the death penalty. You don't think, not Hope surely."
"I am afraid so."
"What curse, what's happened to me? Am I going to get a tail or something?" buffy asked panicked but the reply was not what she had expected.
"Obsoletatus is a curse which wipes a person's life from living memory. If you were put under this curse it would explain why no one recalls your existence. You do not exist, not as Hope Potter anyway. Who ever created your new lives for you both must also have erased you from this one although it is going to be extremely difficult to find out why."
"Can you remove it?" Joyce asked shakily.
"Do you remember why this curse carries the death penalty?" Dumbledore yet again answered a question with a question and Joyce's eyes widened.
"Because only the death of the witch or wizard who plants the curse will reverse its effects."
"Exactly." Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "And since we are starting from behind the very beginning that is going to pose quite a challenge."
"So who am I?" Buffy asked quietly confronted with a puzzling dilemma.
"Whoever you wish to be." Dumbledore replied launching Buffy into another set of deep thought. "Your life as Hope Potter may not exist at present but we will work to restore it should you wish however your identity as Buffy Summers may remain with a few adjustments. You, as a person are here and alive as is your mother and it is nothing short of a miracle for I cannot tell you how often I have wished to see Lily again. No matter what either of you are called, I am very glad to see you both."
"Not wanting to interrupt the wonderfully appreciated sentiments but how are we here? The last thing I remember was You Know Who sending the killing curse at Harry."
"Now that is strange. Dear me this is rather a lot of questions in one day and most of which I can't answer. How very puzzling. You see Lily we believed that Harry survived because you died to save him. You know of the ancient magic, of the power love brings and it would give Harry a protection so strong even Avada Kedavra would be unable to penetrate its defences however you are alive. I would not pretend to know what else may have saved Harry." Buffy listened curiously, she had not heard this part of the story, nor did she know that love could be so powerful. She knew of the agony it caused and the ecstasy it could bring for a while but not of the protection. There was silence for a moment until Joyce spoke quietly.
"It was love that saved harry, but it wasn't mine though I would have given my life gladly to save him. It was James. He killed James first. He died to save us all. To save Harry, Hope and me. He told me to take Harry and run, e said he would hold Him off." Joyce was talking through great sobs now. "He died to save us, James did it, oh g-d he's dead." Joyce lay back on her pillow sobbing and healer Thinkly pointed her wand at Joyce's shaking form.
"Dormiens"
"I think," Dumbledore said to Buffy and Dawn "it is time for us to return to Hogwarts."
Omg finally I finished. I have been so desperate to finish this chapter but now I can't wait to get the next one up, so much is about to happen. Still hope you're happy now some of the mystery is lifted. Was the way I did it ok? I couldn't quite create exactly the depth of emotions I wanted but I did my best! (and long again-I'm getting better!)Please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!