A/N: Wow. That was a lot of reviews…thanks guys!

Okay. Lessee. Cookies for Sharia*Earthborn! Congrats to you. Everyone who threw in a couple names and got it right gets half a cookie ^_^

Tituba gets a cookie for taking a crack at the second number and getting it right though ^_^

Chapter 4

Giles and Buffy walked into the restaurant two hours later. It was not particularly busy. Buffy could feel eyes on her. A casual glance around showed two people who were studying her without looking like they were studying her—one young with red hair and one around Giles's age or a little younger.

"Mr. Giles?"
The voice of an older man made the pair turn, and they walked over to the booth where the owner of said voice was sitting. Giles nodded. "Yes, I am Rupert Giles."

The man was on the elderly side, with long white hair and a matching beard, bright blue eyes and half-moon spectacles. He wore a cloak over his clothes, which Buffy found odd but—considering life on the hellmouth—not too odd.

"Please, join me," he said, gesturing to the booth across from him. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Albus Dumbledore."

Dumbledore looked at Buffy quizzically, waiting for her to introduce herself. At a nudge from Giles, she started. "Oh—sorry. I'm Buffy Summers."

"It is a pleasure to meet you both," Dumbledore said with a smile. It quickly faded though as he continued. "You were inquiring about Lily and James Potter, if I remember correctly."

"Yes," Giles said, as Buffy asked, "They got married?"

Dumbledore nodded, studying her. "Yes, they did, right out of school. If you don't mind my asking, why are you asking about them?"

Buffy glanced at Giles, hoping he would help her out with this, and he did not disappoint her. Giles explained, "Buffy's mother died recently and in going through her papers, she found a set of adoption papers."

"Adoption papers?" Dumbledore repeated, frowning slightly.

"Yes," Giles agreed. "It seems that they gave her up for adoption when she was an infant. We were hoping to find them—"

"Adoption?" Dumbledore murmured, looking at Buffy. There was shock in his clear blue eyes. He looked back at Giles. "My apologies—but are you saying that she is the daughter of Lily and James Potter?"

Giles nodded, a little surprised by his surprise. "Yes. We brought the papers—"

"Would you mind if I saw them?" Dumbledore asked, politely, but not leaving any room for argument.

Giles hesitated, watching him, then took out the folder and let him see it.

Dumbledore looked at the papers, at the birth certificate, at the adoption records, then he looked up at Buffy.

Buffy shifted slightly under the deep, searching gaze. What was left of the Slayer in her—what she cared to acknowledge for the moment—snarled a little at the power in the man's eyes, demanding to meet that power. Buffy looked away.

Dumbledore looked at Giles. "Well, I must confess that I am stunned," he admitted. "Lily and James—I am startled."

"That they had a child?" Giles asked dryly.

"That they succeeded in keeping it hidden from me," Dumbledore said, a touch of humor in his voice. "Although I really shouldn't be—not after finding out about—hmmm." He pondered that for a moment while Buffy and Giles watched him, nonplussed. He chuckled. "Lily, I never would have thought you to be quite that sneaky, child."

"If you don't mind my asking," Giles said curiously. "What is your relationship with them?"

"I was their headmaster while they were in school," Dumbledore said. "And once they left school, we were very close friends."

"Were?" Buffy asked, latching on to the past tense.

Dumbledore looked at her, filled with sadness and sympathy. "Yes. I am afraid I must pass on bad tidings. The Potters were killed fifteen years ago."

"Death," Buffy muttered. "What is it with me and death?"

Giles squeezed her hand then looked at Dumbledore. "Well, thank you for your time I suppose—"

"Killed," Buffy interrupted, frowning. She looked at Dumbledore. "You said they were killed. How?"

Dumbledore hesitated, unsure of how to present the facts. On the one hand, the girl was the child of Lily and James—she had to be a witch. On the other, she would have known who they were if she was a witch. And Harry—did she know about Harry? He finally decided to keep it vague.

"They were murdered," he said softly.

The expression on her face did not change as she asked just as softly, "By who?"

"Whom," Giles muttered.

"Giles." Buffy cast her Watcher a glare and turned back to Dumbledore. "By whom then?"

"A man named Tom Riddle," Dumbledore said calmly. "He is also known as Voldemort."

Buffy just looked at him. Dumbledore queried, "You haven't heard of him?"

"Should I have?"

"No—Miss-er-Summers, what school did you go to?"

The seemingly random question made Buffy blink, stumble for a moment, then finally get her voice to work. "Sunnydale High School. Why?"

She had been raised Muggle. That was the only thing that was possible—but how had one of the American schools not found her? Unless she was a squib—no, not a child of Lily and James. This was certainly a puzzle.

"Why?"

Why? Why what—oh. Dumbledore shook himself out of his musings and looked at Buffy. "Why did Voldemort kill the Potters?"

Buffy nodded.

Dumbledore sighed. "It is a bit of a story—much of which I am not at liberty to say."

Buffy's eyebrows went up. "Can you give me the Cliffs Notes version?"

Dumbledore looked at her and realized—"Dear Merlin, I'd forgotten you don't know."

"Know what?" Buffy asked, irritated now. She didn't know a lot about her parents, for obvious reasons she thought.

"Harry," Dumbledore said.

"Harry?"

"Harry?" Giles frowned.

Buffy's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Dumbledore. "Please do not tell me I have a little brother."

Dumbledore nodded.

"Bugger," she muttered, borrowing one of Spike's words. She never used it, had never intended to use it, but right now it seemed to be an excellent word, the best word invented. She looked at Giles. "What is it with me and siblings this year?"

Dumbledore watched her. He could not tell whether it was the news that she had a brother that she was reacting badly to, or the news that something else that was new had just been thrust upon her. He actually wanted to talk to Mr. Giles—perhaps he could explain some of the reactions Buffy was giving.

Buffy grumbled for a minute then said, "I'll be right back."

She headed for the ladies room. Dumbledore could hardly believe his luck, but he jumped at the chance to talk to Giles.

"Mr. Giles?"

Giles looked away from watching Buffy leave, looking at Dumbledore. "Yes?"

Dumbledore hesitated then asked, "Buffy's reaction to Harry—I must know. Was it because of Harry himself or—"

"No," Giles assured him. "No, Buffy is utterly loyal to her family and friends. I have no doubt she'll take the boy under her wing immediately. No, Buffy has had a—hard year. And she was not expecting to find she had a brother. I think it was the news she was reacting to more than the fact that she has a brother."

Dumbledore nodded. "I had hoped that was the case. Harry has had enough problems to be dealing with—if she did not want to have anything to do with him, I did not plan on informing him that he has an older sister."

"I think that Buffy would be most put out if he was not told," Giles said dryly. "How old is the boy anyway? At least fifteen I assume."

"He recently turned sixteen," Dumbledore said. "Currently he is living at his aunt's, but I do believe he is going to be visiting with a friend soon."

"I have an aunt?"

The two looked up as Buffy slid into her seat. They had not heard her walk up.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, you have an aunt, on your mother's side."

"Well isn't that peachy," Buffy murmured. "More relatives. Is there an uncle to go with that?"

"And a cousin," Dumbledore agreed. "However, Lily and Petunia were not on the best of terms."

"Why not?" Buffy asked.

Dumbledore paused, reflecting on a way to answer that, then said, "Petunia did not agree with Lily's lifestyle."

Eyebrows went up. "Lifestyle? Like—okay, can't think of one. What kind of lifestyle?"

Dumbledore studied her for a minute, then Giles, then made what could be considered a rash decision. "What do you know of magic?"

"Magic?" Buffy repeated. She shrugged, glancing at Giles. "You mean like witches, cauldrons, magic potions type of thing?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Dumbledore looked at her seriously. "Do you believe in it?"

Buffy returned his gaze. "Yeah."

"Oh, good." Dumbledore smiled.

"Why? Are you going to tell me you're a wizard or something?"

Dumbledore nodded serenely. Buffy muttered, "This is too much."

"I am a wizard," Dumbledore said. "And I am surprised that you are not a witch. Lily and James were an excellent witch and wizard."

Buffy's mouth dropped. "Huh? Wait—what kind of school are you the headmaster of anyway?"

"A magic school," Dumbledore said, amused. "And Harry attends."

"Right. My parents and my brother are wizards and I'm the frickin' Vampire Slayer," Buffy muttered.

Dumbledore tensed. "Pardon?"

Buffy looked at him, surprised by the sudden wariness in his eyes. "Uh—Vampire Slayer? Heard of it?"

"Indeed I have, Miss Summers," Dumbledore said gravely. "The Slayer is known in the wizarding world as ruthless and, what some people call, manic killer."

Buffy just blinked at him for a minute.

Giles snorted.

Buffy snickered. "Manic killer? You guys really don't know what a Slayer is."

"On the contrary," Dumbledore said, reevaluating the girl. "The wizarding world and the Slayer have been at odds for several centuries."

"Ever since—"

"Ever since the Slayer killed several wizards in cold blood," Dumbledore replied. "And even before that, she was believed to be—unstable."

Buffy stared at him for a long moment then muttered, "Damn. Look—Mr. Dumbledore—you guys really have the wrong impression of what the Slayer is. Or at least of what I am." She frowned. "There was a Slayer who went a little crazy, but that's beside the point."

Giles spoke up, saying, "I believe I've read of the incident you spoke of. It was in the late fifteenth century, wasn't it?"

Dumbledore nodded.

Giles cleared his throat. "Yes—what apparently was not told was that the wizards in question were attempting to bring about the apocalypse by summoning a demon. And they were vampires," he added as an afterthought.

"Vampires," Dumbledore repeated. He mulled that over in his mind then chuckled. "Ah, the slant of history. But how do you know the story, Mr. Giles?"

"I am Buffy's Watcher," Giles said quietly.

"I'm not familiar with that term."

"A Watcher guides the Slayer, trains her in the hopes that she'll live longer."

Buffy looked away and Giles cursed. I put my foot into that one.

"And—a random person decided to do this?" Dumbledore queried.

"No," Giles said. "That is what the Council of Watchers is for. The Council trains Watchers so that one day one is assigned a Slayer and can train her. They consider the Slayer as their weapon."

Buffy snorted, muttering, "Stupid Watchers."

Dumbledore looked at Buffy, looking amused. "You don't seem to like them a great deal."

"They're a bunch of idiots," Buffy informed them. "I quit the Council a few years ago. Let them back in last year, for a couple reasons, but I still don't like them."

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "I can see that."

"Can I ask you a question?" Buffy said abruptly.

Dumbledore nodded.

"Why are there two people watching us?"

Dumbledore looked at her, startled, then let out a chuckle. "You are certainly observant, Miss Summers. Do not worry—they are friends."

"Why are they watching? You afraid of getting attacked?"

"Actually we were not sure of your intentions," Dumbledore said calmly.

Buffy nodded. "Makes sense. So, when do we go see Harry?"