CHAPTER 2: WHO YOU ARE
"James! Sirius! This is not funny!" Buffy said, her blonde pigtails hanging down as she floated above the ten-year old boys laughing up at her. "Get me down!"
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Buffy sat at the kitchen table eating breakfast excitedly. She was unable to contain her enthusiasm and was bouncing up and down.
"What's got you so happy this morning?" her dad asked, eyeing her over his copy of The Daily Prophet.
Two screams could be heard from down the hall and Buffy's grin grew wider. "Buffy!" James yelled from his room, his door muffling the sounds slightly, very slightly.
"Buffy we're sorry! Now could you please let us out?" Sirius' voice added.
A tall, blonde witch standing at the sink turned toward her daughter. "What did you do?" She asked slowly.
"Me?" Buffy questioned innocently with her eyes wide.
"Yes, you," her dad said, not believing her angelic look, knowing she was a devil in disguise.
"I didn't do anything to them, exactly. I just wanted to help them out, because you're always yelling at James to make his bed." Buffy said sweetly. "I guess my good deed backfired slightly and the covers tucked themselves in tightly with them still in the bed."
The screams kept coming and her parents laughed. "You should go let them out, don't you think?" her dad said, picking up a piece of toast from the table.
"No, they should stay like that for a while. It might be good for them; besides, their breakfast isn't ready yet," her mom said with a wink, sitting at the table and making no move to finish up their meal. Buffy grinned happily and sipped her juice.
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"I don't want you to go!" Buffy said, near tears. "What am I supposed to do?"
"I'm sure you can find something to do," James said, hugging his sister goodbye as the scarlet train whistled behind them. "Start thinking of new pranks… er… spells," James corrected quickly after a scowl from his dad.
"Soon you're gonna have to live up to our legacy," Sirius said proudly, ruffling the blonde's hair.
"We'll see you at Christmas!" James yelled, running to the train.
"Don't worry, we'll send you something cool from Hogwarts!" Sirius added.
"Do you want a knight's helmet?" James asked from a window, his black head sticking through the frame. Buffy half-laughed, half-sobbed as she ran after the train, waving goodbye to her brother and his best friend.
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Several brown owls dropped a large brown box in front of Buffy, squashing her breakfast and splashing her juice.
"What in the world is that?" Buffy's mom asked, startled at the arrival of such a non-descript package.
Buffy quickly picked up the box from the table and ran into her room, calling out over her shoulder, "It's something from James!"
On her bed, Buffy broke open the box and lifted the flaps, revealing a shiny metallic helmet: one from the knights at Hogwarts.
She placed it on her night stand and it soon became a treasured possession.
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"Where's your letter, Buffy?" James teased his younger sister.
"It's not here yet," she replied grumpily from her spot on their porch. She was looking at the sky expectantly, like she had for the past week.
"Didn't we get our letters in July?" Sirius asked James. "And isn't it August now?"
"Yeah, looks like you're not getting a letter. They don't want a runt like you," James teased, referring to Buffy's incredibly small frame.
"I think I see something!" Sirius said, pointing at the sky. "No, wait, it's just a cloud, sorry." Buffy smacked him on his arm, which Sirius promptly grabbed. "Ow! Violent one, isn't she?" he asked James.
James' reply was drowned out by Buffy's excited squeals as the owl carrying her Hogwarts letter came into view.
"Looks like we're gonna get stuck with you at school next year." James said good-naturedly. "We had two years of peace," he added, referring to his younger sister's continual shadowing of him and his friends since they were younger. He didn't mind, not really; he loved his sister, but since Hogwarts he had his own group of friends that grew closer every day.
"Like I want to hang around you and your friends!" Buffy huffed. "I don't want to get into trouble like you guys. You're just a bunch of troublemakers. A bunch of marauders!" Buffy said, opening her letter carefully.
"Marauders? Where'd you learn that word?" Sirius asked, surprised at the younger-girls vocabulary.
Buffy blushed and muttered, "In a book I read."
James looked alarmed and said, "A book? You read? But you hate books!" His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "When did you read?"
"While you two were at Hogwarts." At their outrageous looks she continued, "There wasn't anything else to do!"
"Nothing to do?" Sirius said incredulously. "We told you to be creative and invent some new pranks, and you chose to read? After everything we've done for you."
"All we've taught you," James continued.
"This is how you repay us?" Sirius finished. To James he said, "I think we should take away her helmet."
"NO!" Buffy yelled. "I did plan pranks; I made some really good ones, but I had two years and I was bored and I had no one to test them on!"
"Why didn't you invite your friends over," James asked, worried that she spent too much time with him and Sirius when they were younger. He didn't want her to be a hermit.
"And play with dolls?" Buffy said indignantly. "The second I get caught only thinking about clothes and boys, please kill me. I am not one of the vain air heads like Marie and Melissa. All they do is giggle! And Becky moved away last year," Buffy pushed away thoughts of the friend she met the year James and Sirius started at Hogwarts.
"Well, I guess I can forgive you, as long as it stops by the time school starts. We have a reputation to uphold and it can't get out the my sister likes to read."
"If we're seen even associating with a goody-goody bookworm, we'll be ruined!" Sirius kidded.
"I'm not gonna be around you that much anyway. I'll make new friends with people my own age." Buffy replied. "And don't worry, I'm not a goody- goody." Buffy finished with a slight smirk.
"What did we do to that girl?" Sirius said, slightly awed and slightly scared at the look on her face as she walked away.
"Marauders, huh?" James said with a thoughtful look on his face.
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Buffy sat nervously on the stool, a tattered black hat covering her head and blocking her view of the hundreds of school children staring at her.
"Hmm, this is interesting," a voice spoke in her ear. "There's power, yes, lots of power, and a thirst to prove yourself. You're clever and resourceful... quick on your feet. Cunning. Brave… not afraid of risks... loyal… very noble... concerned about others… hmmm, where to put you? Any house would fit, but you'd be best in."
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted to the great hall and cheers broke out while Buffy walked happily to the house where her brother and his friends sat.
She chose an empty seat next to a redheaded girl with bright green eyes. "Hi," she said, offering her hand to the young blonde. "I'm Lily."
"I'm Buffy," she said, taking the outstretched hand.
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"Are you going to try out for the quidditch team?" Lily asked her, watching her survey the announcement posted in the common room.
The second year looked up from her thoughts to look at her best friend. "I'd like to be seeker, but James already had that spot. I think I'd make a decent chaser though."
At the mention of the fourth year seeker, a scowl marred the redhead's pretty features. The look did not go unnoticed by the younger blonde, who lifted an eyebrow in question.
"He's just so arrogant!" Lily said. "I don't know how you're related to someone like him!"
"He's not that bad," Buffy defended. "But he's definitely changed since he came to Hogwarts."
"He wasn't bad the first year, but the last two years of winning the Quidditch Cup boosted his ego in a major way. And it doesn't help that he gets away with everything," Lily ranted. It didn't help that she was a good girl; she always knew the answer, turned in her homework early and never did anything questionable.
"I wouldn't say they get away with everything," Buffy said with a slight smile. "The amount of detentions they've already had must have set a school record. I mean, James and Sirius have mirrors they use to talk to each other during their separate detentions." At the look on her friends' face, Buffy decided that she probably didn't need, or want, to know that.
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"Gryffindors Win! 420 to 30, destroying the Slytherins with outstanding flying from the Potters! I guess the talent runs in the family!"
Buffy flew toward the ground and hopped off her broom, meeting her team to join in the celebration.
"And the Quidditch Cup goes to the Gryffindor team for the third year in a row!" Buffy was ecstatic as she hugged her team-mates, all enjoying their victory.
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"James is such an insufferable prat!" Lily exclaimed, dropping her books on the coach by the fire and plopping in the seat next to Buffy.
Buffy listed to her fifth year friend rant and rave about her older brother, but she didn't say a word.
"You should have seen what he did to Severus today! It was awful."
Buffy listened to the story and felt that it was time that she said something to her older brother. She knew that he liked Lily, it was fairly obvious, but he wasn't going to get her by being such a jerk. Besides, she didn't want her brother to be labeled as a bully.
The more she listened to Lily's tirade, the more she felt that, maybe, the feelings were mutual, just hidden deeply in her case.
Yes, she definitely needed to talk to James.
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A knock at the door awakened Buffy. She wondered who could be coming over at 1:00 in the morning and walked down the hall to find out.
Surprised, Buffy watched Sirius enter the house and talk quietly to her parents. Buffy could only hear scraps of the conversation, but understood enough to know that Sirius had run away from home and wanted to stay here for a while.
Buffy's heart broke a little for the black-haired teen, as her parents led him to the guest bedroom. She knew he hated his family, but to totally renounce them seemed odd to her.
Although, she was happy he finally got away from his horrible relatives, all whom had been in Slytherin and seemed very… dark. She had been over to his house a couple of times before, with James, and his parents didn't seem to like her much.
Yes, she was glad he got away from his family, and butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she thought of Sirius living with them the rest of the summer. A place where he can be loved.
By her parents, of course; like a new family. It's not like anything had changed, as he was here all the time anyway, but this was different.
It was.
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Buffy turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. She just wrapped a towel around herself when the door opened and a half-asleep Sirius stepped into the bathroom.
Buffy screamed and clutched the towel closer to herself.
Sirius, now fully awake, blushed and hurried out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
After Buffy was dressed, she stepped out and hit her boyfriend on the head as she passed him. "Next time, knock," she advised.
"Next time?" Sirius questioned with a brow raised as he grabbed Buffy by the wrist and pulled her to him, cutting off her reply with a kiss.
Buffy groaned against his mouth as his hand slid up the back of her shirt. She wrapped her hands around his neck and deepened the kiss, only to be interrupted by James' approach and sudden yelp. He was not informed of the relationship formed, and well hidden for a while, between his friend and his younger sister.
"Morning James!" Sirius said cheekily as he pulled away from his best friend's sister, and then ran the other way as James came after him.
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Buffy found out about the monthly transformations of Remus and his three friends, and, after many heated discussions, lots of arguing, several days of silence, and many make-up make-out sessions, Sirius was teaching Buffy how to become an animagus as well.
Secretly, of course.
No doubt James would think it too dangerous for his younger sister, and it would mean trouble for both of them if he ever found out.
Amazingly enough, Buffy caught on much faster than Sirius, James, and Peter had. Perhaps it was because she had an experienced teacher, but she had always been quick on the uptake. In any case, tonight she would find out what animal she could become.
All she had to do was drink a potion.
One that could have serious side effects if it was done incorrectly.
"It's a good thing I made this," Buffy said. "Otherwise, I don't think I'd be brave enough to risk it," she joked.
"You've always had a knack for potions," Sirius said. "Now drink it."
"Yes, Sir!" Buffy mock saluted, and at Sirius' glare, she chucked the horrid tasting potion down. She gagged at its awful taste and slimy texture, leaning on Sirius while it took affect.
Buffy started to glow slightly and a think layer of smoke formed around her. The smoke drifted away from her, condensing into an animal form.
Buffy and Sirius gasped at the smoke creation.
"I'm a phoenix!" Buffy said with wide eyes.
"Well, you've always had a thing for them," Sirius said in awe. "Now you can become one."
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"I told James I was going to the bathroom. Somehow I don't think he'll approve of me being in here," he explained.
"But it's my birthday," Buffy pouted sweetly.
Sirius couldn't resist and took a step forward, capturing her lips with his own. The kiss began to get more passionate when they pulled apart due to lack of oxygen.
Sirius pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket and handed it to Buffy. "Happy Birthday, Buffy."
Buffy's breath caught in her throat as she opened the box. Inside was a beautiful silver chain with a phoenix pendent hanging from it.
"Since you're obsessed with phoenixes, I thought you might like this. I transfigured it myself," Sirius said proudly. "It took a couple of tries to get it exactly how I wanted it, but I hope you like it."
Buffy was speechless, so she decided to thank him with another kiss. When they broke apart, she said, "I love it. It's absolutely gorgeous." Sirius helped put it around her neck, clasping it in the back while she held her blonde hair to the side.
"I love you," Sirius said, gazing into her twinkling eyes.
"I love you too." Buffy replied, kissing him again.
The phoenix glowed briefly and a voice said, "You think you know, who you are, what's to come? You haven't even begun."
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Buffy Summers opened her eyes and sat up with a gasp, remembering the familiar words.