Anything from the Harry Potter books belong to JK Rowling
Gabby and Harry were sitting next to each other, laughing, oblivious to the other raven-haired figure watching them closely and smiling.

"You know, staring is generally considered very rude Elizabeth." Came silky voice beside her. Elizabeth, or Liz as her friends often called her, simply rolled her eyes, saying pleasantly, "I'm watching my family bond, there's nothing rude about that Severus." Here a snort escaped the Potions Master, and Liz slowly turned to face him, a warning flashing in her eyes.

"Enough Sev." She said, calling him by the nickname that, had she been any other person, would have guaranteed her poisoning.

"Don't you think it's time to let bygones be bygones?" Snape only gave her a cold glare before excusing himself. Liz sighed. They had been so close once.

Liz shook her head, forcing away the barrage of memories. She needed to pen a letter, so that she could meet the rest of her remaining blood.

Harry had only just finished his meal and was enjoying a rousing debate with Ron about Quidditch when a strange owl fluttered down to him, with a bit of parchment tied to its leg. Since the owl was facing him and staring at him, Harry took the letter, only to have it fly off immediately.

"Who's the letter from Harry?" Hermione inquired, though she thought she had a good idea. Harry quickly glanced at the signature.

"Professor Stanfield," He said, quickly skimmed the letter, which was very short and to the point, "She's summoning me to her office to talk later with her and Gabby." Gabby nodded.

"There's some important info that Mum needs to talk to you about." After that, she said no more. But a significant look was exchanged between her and the other two girls.


The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was waiting patiently for them at her desk, a smile on her lips. Harry had the vague feeling he'd seen her smile before, so he stared at her while trying to figure it out.

"In the mirror." Professor Stanfield said softly.

"What?" Harry asked, taken back a bit.

"My smile. You're wondering where you've seen it before."

"Yeah…

"You've seen it in the mirror." It took a minute before what she said clicked in Harry's mind.

"We have the same smile."

"All three of us do, actually."

"But!"

"How is that possible?" Liz filled in, eyes shining with pity. Harry nodded, getting a funny, pinched feeling in his gut as he studied the woman even further. Wild black hair, hazel eyes, same smile…

Then it hit him full force.

"You're related to my dad." The professor nodded.

"His younger sister by about three years." At this, Gabby slid a chair under Harry's rear about three second before it would've hit the ground.

"But how! Where have you been all this time! WHY WASN'T I TOLD!" Damn them and their secrets!

"Harry, I don't respond well to yelling." Liz responded coolly, giving him a look that said, "cool it or you get nothing." When Harry was silent for a few minutes, Liz began again.

"I've been living in America for the last fifteen years, Gabby was born there. I'd have claimed you sooner, but your father didn't leave me a choice."

"What do you mean my Dad didn't give you a choice?"

"We had a rather large falling out." Harry gave her a questioning look, so she elaborated a bit.

"It started out as yelling, then came to blows. I stormed out and we never spoke again. He even had a no contact order taken out, which I just recently had to have removed to work here." A poignant pause followed this statement. Liz gazed at the window, Gabby watched her mother, and Harry looked at his shoes, unsure of what to say.

"Idiot." Here Harry looked up, and was startled to see tears running down his aunt's face. Gabby looked as shocked as Harry was at seeing the tears.

"He wasn't supposed to die. We were supposed to spend a year cooling off, he'd realize what an idiot he was and I'd realize he was just looking out for me the way a brother should, and then we'd make up. You don't have a row like that and then just die before the make up." Gabby walked over to her mother, and made to put her arms around her, but Liz just shook her off, quietly wiping away the tears.

"I'm alright Gabby." Liz said, her voice suddenly very hollow and empty. So Gabby pulled up a seat next to Harry and, in true American style, straddled it backwards. A heavy silence filed the air. Each lost to his or her own thoughts, until Harry finally asked a reasonable question, but one Liz was rather reluctant to answer.

"What was the fight about? It must have been pretty big to come to blows." Liz let out a long sigh, before commenting.

"Gabby's fifteen, I'm thirty. Perform the correct mathematical operation." Here Harry paused, then his green eyes widened in shock.

"You were fifteen when you had Gabby."

"That would be correct. And that was what your father and I rowed over, among other things."

"But who would -" But the look on his aunt's face told him he would receive no answer.

"Sorry." Her face relaxed into a smile, and Harry found himself smiling back.

"It's alright, you didn't know. And if you have any other questions, please come to me, and I'll answer any that I can." With that, Liz stood up shaking a little. She looked very drained, but Harry could hardly blame her. She must have been at Hogwarts until she got pregnant. This place probably held many painful memories for his Aunt.

"Gabby is in Gryffindor too, would you kindly escort her to the common room. Still behind the Fat Lady, right?" Harry couldn't help but grin as he nodded.

"Good. It's been a rather long day, and I'm tired." Recognizing that as a cue to leave, Harry rose followed shortly by Gabby. But he was stopped just short of the door by Liz, who added almost as an after thought, "Just remember the only question I won't answer is who Gabby's biological father is."

"But why?"

"It's a matter of safety Harry, for both Gabby and myself, and I will not lie to you. Suffice it to say the jerk stuffed me and then ran, but not before threatening both me and my child." Leaving it at that, she gave Gabby a hug and a kiss on the forehead and then hugged Harry too, to his embarrassment.

But it was nice to be hugged.

So the two Gryffindors headed upstairs while Liz sank into her chair, emotionally rung out over seeing her brother again in the form of his son, and then having to half-explain to him why she'd suddenly appeared out of thin air.

And Liz wanted to tell Harry everything. But so much of it was still so painful, even more then a decade later. And then there was Gabby's "father." It wasn't an exaggeration that he was a threat to both herself and her daughter. And for that reason, he must remain a mystery.

Like some many other things.

Liz released a long breath as she wondered mentally, how did it come to this James? Me hiding in a foreign country behind my husband's name, our children strangers. What kind of siblings were we to allow this to happen?

Well, as to that, Liz had no answer, but she did know how it began.

On a crisp October day, right before Halloween.


A note from The Chica:
Interesting neh? As always, REVIEW please! And thank you to all my lovely reviewers. You rock!