Disclaimer: I hear by disclaim, for all but Phèdre.
A.N: Ok, before you kill me for being ridiculously late, let me plead my case. I really thought I had posted this, but alas, it turned out not true. So, you have the please in knowing that while you are reading this, more then likely, I am working on the fourth chapter. Then I'm going to get my ass in gear with The Apprentice, because, damn, I left it hanging and I need to continue it.
Cheers!
Chapter 3: Explanations and Decisions.
Three days after the original visit, Phèdre shifted uneasily in her seat, before calming herself, and taking a deep breath. Mentally, she went over her checklist. Cleaned flat? Check. Readied spare room to the likings of a sixteen-year-old male? Check. Stocked up the fridge? Check. Received paycheck in advance from Charisma? Check. Gotten the VCR hooked up? Check, but need to pay/thank Jack for coming next-door, and helping out. As she heard the sound of footsteps out side Dumbledore's office, doubtless said owner of the office and her brother, Phèdre forced herself to calm down. Don't count your chickens before they hatch; a voice that sounded like her mother's scolded her.
Then the door opened, and the Professor and Harry stepped through the door. Phèdre could see right away that Dumbledore had not told Harry yet of her, as his face was confused as he noticed her.
"Er…hi." He said, looking at her warily. She realized her hood was still up, and she pulled it down, smiling at him reassuringly. He seemed to take a little comfort to the smile, and sat down beside her when Dumbledore bade him.
"Professor, sir, I don't mean to pry, but why am I here?" he asked, as soon as the tall man sat behind his desk. The professor rested his glance on her, and Harry followed it. Phèdre smiled at him again.
"Hello, Harry. How are you?" she asked him. His face took on a troubled look as he peered at her.
"Have…Have we met? I seem to remember you from somewhere." He said. Phèdre grinned at him.
"Here and there," she answered with a wink, leaving Harry confused and the elderly Professor frowning as he tried to recall her, before turning to the watching professor. "Well? You were the one who wanted to explain everything."
Dumbledore nodded slowly, before ignoring her presence, and focusing his attention on Harry, who was looking rather nervous.
"Harry," he began, "It would be best if you not interrupt me until the end." He waited for Harry's hesitant nod before continuing. "As you know, your father was quite a troublemaker in school, popular in studies and socially. But there's something that I have left out, perhaps for the best, about your father's sixth year. In the beginning of his sixth year, he got himself in quite a bit of trouble. He had…" Dumbledore trailed off here, as if searching for the words.
"Impregnated a poor helpless maiden, helpless against his raffish charm?" Phèdre offered, getting an irritated look from the Professor and a shocked look from Harry.
"In not so many words, yes. He got Lori Rowan pregnant, and gave birth to a girl later that year."
Harry looked flabbergasted. He glanced at Phèdre, who waved for Dumbledore to continue.
"Her name was Phèdre, and James took on his responsibility as a father quite well, after school, the girl spending every other week at your parent's house. She spent quite a lot of time there, and your mother became a second a mother to her. She got to know you, becoming the best possible older sister she could be."
Phèdre looked rather shocked to hear this from the old professor. For as long as she had known, Dumbledore had not liked her very much, but perhaps he was willing to put the resentment aside. She hoped so, as she didn't mind him as much as he had disliked her. Dumbledore continued.
"She was eight years old, Harry, the night your parents died. Only a few hours before she had returned home from trick-or-treating with you, your parents, Remus, Sirius and Peter, Voldemort struck. After your parents were killed she and her mother left England for America. Eight years after that, Lori was killed in an automobile accident, leaving Phèdre alone. Professor McGonagall helped her move back to England, and get a flat in London. For the last six years she has been here working in a muggle hair salon. However, she has always kept tabs on you, waiting to see if she could help you in anyway. Recently she asked me if, considering the circumstances of this past year, if you might live with her. I told her it was up to you." He finished, staring calmly at the astounded teen. He looked over at her, her smile apprehensive.
"And you are…?" he asked. Phèdre grinned at him.
"Sorry, hi, I'm Phèdre Rowan, your half sister." She said, smiling at his shocked eyes.
Two days later
Phèdre knocked on the Dursley's door, guardian papers in a manila folder in her hand. The horse-faced woman who opened the door fixed her with a wary and suspicious glance before hurriedly ushering her in. She was then faced with a huge beefy man, who looked at her as if she were the most horribly ugly thing on the face of the of the planet. Tad hypocritical, she thought as she inwardly shuddered at how ugly Harry's life must have been with these people. She forced her lips into a smile, and he stared at her aghast as she extended her hand.
"Hello, Mr. Dursley. My name is Phèdre Rowan, we spoke on the phone did we not?" she said, pretending to ignore the fact that the man had just stared at her hand as if it was something dead and decaying. "Let's make this as painless as possible, please, and get this over with, shall we?" she said. The man narrowed his eyes at her and grunted, moving towards the kitchen, where he took a seat, and, getting the impression he wouldn't ask her to sit down, did so anyway, and quickly handed over the papers.
"Do does this mean the kid is out of my hair for the rest of my life?" he asked her, abruptly.
"Unless I die suddenly, yes." She answered, watching him with suppressed giddiness as he signed and handed over the papers. She smiled calmly at him, inwardly doing a small jig.
"Thank you, Mr. Dursley. I'll have Harry pack his things, and we'll be off in a few minutes." She said, standing up and hurrying down the hallway and up the stairs, and knocking, just like he said, twice on the second door on the right. Harry burst open the door, looking at her with suspended eyes. Phèdre slipped into the room, closed the door, and put a silencing spell on it. She then proceeded unleash her pent up joy by dancing madly around the room. Harry grinned at her.
"I guess this means my packing was well founded," he said, laughing as the usually composed twenty-four year old did an all out jig, laughing triumphantly. She laughed, ran over to him, and kissed his cheek, wrapping him in a huge hug, before immediately composing herself, straightening her pressed red linen shirt and black jean Capri's.
"Ok, alright, woo-hoo, I'm ok now." She said, breathless with laughter, before checking out his room, and frowning at the small bare room, taking in with glee the packed trunk and possessions on the floor.
"This is your room?" she asked. He nodded.
"Yup, this is mine. Or, was, anyhow, since I'll be living with you now," he said, breaking out with a new grin. She winked at him, and checked to see if everything was indeed packed. She levitated the trunk and hefted a small cardboard box under her arm, Harry doing the same with a similar box and Hedwig's cage.
They came down the stairs to see three Dursleys' standing in the foyer, looking up at them. Mr. Dursley glowered at the two.
"I'm not letting you go out the ruddy fireplace, y'know." He growled. Phèdre could see Harry roll his eyes, and she grinned brightly at the scowling family.
"Nah thanks for offering though. I've got my own little car out there." She said cheerfully. The Dursleys stared at her in surprise, watching them take down the levitated trunk and pull out the handle, while balancing Hedwig's cage on top. They were almost out the door when Mrs. Dursley's voice stopped them for a moment.
"Why you, Mrs. Rowan?" she asked, curiously. Phèdre looked back at her, before grinning.
"Ms. Rowan," she corrected. "And I'm Harry's half sister." She said, leaving them in shock as she closed the door and raced to the car, Harry laughing breathlessly behind her.
Phèdre's Flat, Muggle London
"It isn't much, but I've cleaned the place up and expanded it to make it look good," Phèdre said, placing her key in the door and opening the heavy metal door. Stepping into the newly cleaned and expanded flat, she got to see for a moment just how it looked to an outsider, considering she had spent the last two nights at Hogwarts, and hadn't come home to appreciate her cleaning skills. The flat opened to reveal a used-looking medium sized kitchen to the left; the wall taken down. To the left was a coat closet, and straight ahead moved into a large comfortably furnished living room with a rather large T.V. and a larger movie collection. She led Harry to the living room, and dropped his stuff on the carpeted floor. Harry looked around the flat with wide eyes. Phèdre grinned at him, and spread her arms out.
"Home, sweet home!" she crowed. He rolled his eyes and smiled at her shyly, still getting used to the fact that he had a sister, and she had rescued him. She winked, and continued. "Let's see the grand tour, shall we?"
She walked him through the kitchen, living room, and off to the right side of the living room, was a short hallway with a door to the side and a door at the end, which was her room and bathroom, and then to the left of the living room, another short hallway and two door that was his bedroom and bathroom. There was another door as well; Phèdre explaining her need for self-done laundry.
Finally, she moved his stuff to his bedroom, opening the door and bowing with a flourish.
"I hope you like it," she said, seeing by his stunned look that he did. The room was painted a soothing tan with natural wood trim, wood brown blinds opened to let sunlight stream though the clean windows. The bed was large and comfortable looking, with white and green sheets. There was a small walk in closet and a bureau, with a TV perched ontop. A small credenza full of books waited beside the bureau.
Harry turned to her, the abruptly attacked her in a hug.
"Thank you," he said simply, in awe that someone would do this for him, in such a small amount of time in knowing. She smiled at him.
"No problem, kiddo." She said, pleased with his reaction. Then she nudged him. "Come on, why don't you get settled, then we'll go to the Kabob shop around the street, we can bring some Indian food in, then we, m'dear, are going to break out the junk food and classic movies, because I have heard that you have never seen such masterpieces as Star Wars, and Indiana Jones, not to mention Young Frankenstein and the Princess Bride." She said, sounding mock horrified, a teasing, but apprehensive look in her eye. Harry laughed and nodded grinning hopefully at the shorter brunette.
"You're on,"
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