Thicker Than Water
By Ammie Hawk
Disclaimer: It's snowing….
AN: And we have reached the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Happy to Christmas Eve to all. And if you're still with me, look for a special Christmas present tomorrow. Enjoy.
Chapter 2: We're Related How?
Hermione sat in the front seat of her mother's car. She had been rather surprised when her mother was the only one waiting at the station to pick her up, but hadn't commented don it, her father was probably really booked at the office. She also hadn't made a fuss about being hurried out of the station, as she knew they were supposed to meet her family members today.
"Hermione," her mother said, pulling into traffic from the parking lot, "your father is sorry he couldn't make it, he had a last minute emergency at the office and it couldn't wait."
"I understand, Mum," the bushy haired witch shook her head. "I'm not upset about it."
"Anyway, I thought it would be better if it was just you and I for this trip," Jean Granger continued. "First off, you remember how we explained to you that you were adopted?"
"Yes," she frowned, "but I don't understand what that has to do with anything."
"The terms of your adoption were such that if your father even deemed it safe, we would return you," Jean explained. "Well, we have been in contact, and it was decided that it was time for you to go live with him."
"But why would you do that?" Hermione started to hyperventilate. "Why would you agree to send me to a complete stranger? What if he's a psycho? Does he even know what I am?"
"Hermione, calm down," she reached over and took the teen's hand in her own. "He is not a stranger, he is your father. He is also not a psycho, your father and I have known each him for years, even before you were born, I grew up with him. And as for knowing what you are," here she gave a wry chuckle, "he is actually the one that explained everything to us when he dropped you off. He is a wizard himself. Why did you think we weren't that surprised when you got your Hogwarts letter?"
Hermione was thunderstruck. This was almost too much to take in. Not only was everything she believed a lie, but she had a wizarding parent.
Finally, nervousness settled over the young witch. What if she knew him? What if he didn't like her? What if she didn't like him? And what of her biological mother?
The silence they had fallen into remained for the remainder of the ride. They finally reached their destination, just as a four-door sedan pulled in next to them. As Hermione got out, she was shocked to see a very familiar head of tussled black hair emerged from the back of the car next to them.
"Hurry up, boy," the man, who could only be her friend's uncle, snapped, "I told you at the station, we're running late because of you, now get a move on."
"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry said, falling into step behind his family.
"Isn't that your friend, Hermione?" Jean asked quietly.
"Yeah," she shook her head slightly. "I wonder what he's doing here."
Jean and Hermione followed the foursome into the military like building and onto the elevator. The obese man punched the button for the fourth floor and then turned what he obviously thought was a charming smile on Jean.
"What floor, Ma'am?" he asked, his hand hovering over the buttons.
"Fourth," she smiled politely, only her extensive training in manners and customer service allowing her to do so.
"Very good," he stepped away from the panel and settled beside his wife, before turning to the raven haired boy. "Boy, tuck your shirt in. We have a very important meeting to attend and you'd better behave, or else."
"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry said, complying immediately with the order.
"What are you doing here, Harry?" Hermione scooted closer to him and hissed in his ear.
"No clue," he whispered back. "You?"
"I'm meeting my family," she answered quietly, not wanting to be overheard in the cramped space.
"I see," he nodded almost imperceptibly. "Maybe I'll get to meet them after all."
"Maybe," she shrugged as the doors slid open.
Outside the elevator, a woman with short dark hair was apparently waiting for them. She was dressed in a brown and black uniform with a tan shirt visible through the half zipped jacket.
"Welcome to the Preventers," she greeted them, her voice soft but firm. "I am Agent Fire. You must be the Dursleys, and the Grangers? It looks as though we're missing one. No matter," she shook her head.
"Vernon Dursley," he interrupted, stretching out his hand in greeting.
"A pleasure, I'm sure," she nodded, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake, then proceeded to shake the other adults' as well. "Now, if you will please follow me, Lady Une is waiting."
"Agent Fire," the tall blonde woman spoke up, biting her lip nervously, "is what the letter said true? Have you truly found my son?"
"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss that," the agent shook her head. "Lady Une will explain everything in just a few moments."
Petunia just nodded and remained silent. The agent led them down the hall to the very last door. There she knocked twice before being granted entrance. She held the door open for the others and, once they were in, saluted and left.
Inside the room, a stern looking woman with dual buns on either side of her head was seated at the head of a long table. She rose elegantly to her feet as they entered and moved to greet them.
"I'm so glad you could make it, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, Mrs. Granger," she extended her hand, which they all shook in turn. "Now, I know my letters were probably rather surprising for all of you, however, with the new Family Reconstruction Act going into effect, we had to contact you. I feel the need to explain before I bring the boys in, that whatever you are expecting to find, I'm sure you'll be disappointed. These are not your average teenage boys, they have lived a very hard life up until this point and are not very trusting of outsiders. Please, try not to startle them, let them come up to you.
"I was going to start with you first," she indicated the Grangers, "however, as Mr. Snape is not yet here, I should probably come back to you."
"No, that's not necessary," Jean shook her head. "I completely forgot, I have a letter regarding that."
She reached into her purse and pulled out a slightly rumpled piece of parchment. Lady Une took the letter and quickly read through it. Once she was done, she nodded and looked back at Mrs. Granger.
"That seems to be in order," she motioned for everyone to take a seat at the table. "Now, before we begin, which one of you is Harry Potter?"
"I'm Harry," the raven haired wizard raised his hand slowly, unsure of why this woman was asking for him.
"Excellent," she smiled reassuringly at him. "I feel the need to warn you, Mr. Potter, apparently, two of these boys have been searching for you for quite awhile now, and one of them is exceedingly excited to meet you, and may just jump you when he sees you. However, we have a few other things to get through before we get to that."
Harry sank down in his chair, sharing a confused look with his fellow classmate. Lady Une proceeded to press a button on the phone in front of her, which caused a loud buzzing to emanate throughout the room.
"Waters, would you please send in 01?" she said into the intercom.
"Right away, Lady Une," a female voice answered back.
A moment later, the door opened and a shaggy haired brunet with startling blue eyes walked in.
"Heero, so good of you to join us," Lady Une smiled fondly at the teen. "Now, your father could not make it, but he sent his representative, Mrs. Granger, to retrieve you. On that note, allow me to introduce you to Mrs. Jean Granger, and your sister Hermione."
"Sister?" the bushy haired girl frowned.
"To put it simply, dear," her adopted mother smiled kindly, "you are a twin. I had hoped your father would be here to explain, but he did send me that letter just in case. About a year after you were born, your fathers decided it would be safest for the two of you to be separated and sent away. It was for your protection."
"Protection?" Lady Une interrupted.
"Around the time they were born, a terrorist here in Britain was targeting children born in late July and early August," Jean explained. "As their birthday is August 7th, they fell into that category. Their parents were not the only ones who felt hiding their children was the best course of action. I'm sure their father can provide more details when he comes to retrieve them."
"I see," Lady Une nodded, it made some sense. "Very well, moving on. The next teen will also be accompanying you." She hit the buzzer again and a raven haired teen walked in, "This is Wufei Chang, Heero and Hermione's cousin. He decided he would accompany these two over closer relatives, and we decided to honor that. We already cleared it with Mr. Snape. Though if you would let him know that he does need to come in and sign the guardianship papers."
"Of course," Jean nodded.
"Before we move on: Mr. Potter," Harry looked up, startled at being addressed like that. "Wufei is also your half brother. The two of you share the same father, James Potter. I felt you should know so the two of you can get to know one another. Though, we should probably continue, as we have a few more to get through before we are done." She hit the intercom again, "Please send in 02 and 03."
Not a moment later, the door was flung open and two teenagers walked in. If the lady hadn't told them they were both boys, Harry was sure he would've mistaken the shorter of the two for a girl, what with the chestnut colored braid swinging behind his back. The other was tall, with his auburn hair styled so it obscured half his face, leaving only one bright green eye visible to the people in the room, who he studied carefully.
"Ah, Duo, Trowa, so nice of you both to join us," Lady Une smiled fondly at the pair. "Allow me to introduce you to your family," she indicated the right side of the table where the Dursleys were seated with Harry. "This is Vernon Dursley; his wife, Petunia, your aunt; their son, Dudley; and your brother, Harry Potter."
As predicted, the braided teen bypassed the Dursleys completely and made a beeline for Harry. The young wizard tried desperately to sink into his chair, but, with surprising strength, the teen whipped his chair around and dragged him into a fierce bear hug and began swinging him around. Vernon was watching this display with barely veiled disgust, though his wife couldn't seem to take her eyes off the other boy.
"T-Troy?" she brought her hand to her mouth as tears pooled in her eyes, before they swiveled to the braided boy. "Daniel?"
The one holding Harry, now labeled Daniel, stopped spinning and shrugged slightly, not letting go of the smaller teen, "I guess. We were never told our first names, just that this squirt was our baby brother."
"It's not possible," Petunia began shaking her head, the tears now streaming down her cheeks. "He said you were both killed."
"Who said they were killed?" Harry asked, looking at his aunt in confusion.
"The note Dumbledore left with you," she sobbed, "said that you were the only one who survived the attack. That Lily and your brothers had all been killed."
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Harry slid out of his brother's arms and approached his distraught aunt, anger entering his tone. "Why did no one tell me I had two brothers out there?"
"Everyone thought they were dead," Petunia straightened up and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. "I felt it would be better for all of us if you never knew of them, since you would not have remembered them at all. Now, you are holding up this meeting, so have a seat, boy, and behave," she tried for her normal façade but it didn't come off well.
However, the three siblings complied and took seats at the far end of the table, Harry between his two brothers, at their insistence, which caused his aunt to gasp quietly. The three looked at her, but didn't say anything, the two pilots thinking they'd ask her later, while Harry knew he wouldn't get an answer anyway.
"Very well, let's get the final one introduced and then we'll get through the paperwork, and we'll be done," Lady Une cleared her throat quietly, pressing the button again.
The door opened once more and a small blond walked in. Petunia's eyes widened again and her hand flew to her mouth once more. Before any introductions could be made, she was out of her seat and throwing her arms around the new teen.
"Sorin," she sobbed, while he awkwardly returned the embrace, "I thought I'd never see you again."
"Why would you say that?" Une asked suspiciously.
"When he was just a baby," Petunia shook her head, refusing to let go, "his father took him away and I never saw either of them again. Till now."
"Okay, Aunt Tuney," Duo got up and gently pried the distraught woman off his friend and pulled him close to his side. "I think we should let Kitty Quat breathe. Besides, there's paperwork that needs done. And I kinda want to get the fuck out of here."
As Lady Une began going over the necessary forms with the Dursleys, Hermione began studying the new teens. She was sure she had seen the braided one somewhere before. A moment later, her hand flew to her mouth as her eyes widened in recognition, quickly darting between the other four as the pieces fell into place.
Once the proper forms were completed, Petunia pushed to her feet once again, "We should be going. I need to get dinner ready. Now, move along boys."
She began herding Dudley and Harry toward the door, leaving Trowa, Duo, Quatre, and Vernon to follow. Duo gave the other two a quick hug each and a promise to keep in touch before following his aunt out the door; Trowa shook Heero's and Wufei's hands before catching up to a braided teen; when it was Quatre's turn, the shaggy haired brunet pulled him into a tender, and lingering, hug. Vernon waited by the door, impatiently tapping his foot, as the blond said his goodbyes. Once the blond had finally left, he nodded in Lady Une's direction before heading out the door himself.
"Well, I believe we've lingered here long enough," Jean gathered herself together, "and I'm not sure when your father will be showing up this evening. Also," she glanced at Hermione, "we've planned a farewell dinner for you."
"Do you think we could invite Harry and his family as well?" the bushy haired witch pleaded, folding her hands in front of her. "Please?"
"You may, but don't be disappointed if they say no, they did just get reunited with their family as well," she shook her head, trying not to smile at the girl's antics. "Now, boys, if you'll follow me we'll head to the car. And thank you, Lady Une, for doing this."
"It's not a problem, Mrs. Granger," the head of Preventers smiled kindly. "Now, you boys behave. Damn it, I forgot to tell Duo that. Heero, be sure to tell him I'll be keeping an eye on him."
"Affirmative," the shaggy haired brunet nodded.
With that being said, the former pilots and Grangers walked out of the room.
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Once out at the car, Petunia climbed in the front passenger seat, while Dudley climbed in behind her. Harry wasn't sure how they were all going to fit in the car, which only had enough space for six, but wasn't going to ask questions at the moment. He waited by the back door on the driver's side, figuring Vernon would probably tell him where to sit once he got there, and didn't want to have to get out if he got it wrong.
As it was, the others came out the door not two minutes later. Duo bounded over to the driver's door, and, without a word, slipped in next to Petunia. Quatre was next, taking the seat beside Dudley. Trowa followed, sitting in the only remaining seat and fastening the seatbelt. He then turned to Harry with an expectant look.
"What are you waiting for, boy?" Vernon snapped, whacking Harry upside the head as he passed. "Get in the car."
Duel glared pierced the back of the obese man's head, but he seemed oblivious to them as he slipped in behind the wheel. After a few seconds, Trowa turned his gaze back on Harry and motioned for him to sit on his lap. The young wizard did so, not knowing what else to do at the moment
"So, Aunt Tuney," Duo turned to face his aunt, causing her to jump slightly at being addressed like that, "what we having for dinner? I'm starving."
"I don't know, Daniel," Petunia pursed her lips together in agitation, "I have to see what we have at the house."
"Well, damn, I was hoping for pizza," the braided boy flopped back in his seat.
"Duo," Trowa said quietly, giving the other a blank look.
"I know, I know, Tro," amethyst eyes rolled in annoyance. "Don't cause a scene. Don't make a fuss. Yeah, we went over this yesterday."
Vernon and Petunia were looking from the two new additions in some confusion. Vernon, however, quickly shook it off and went to put the car in gear. Before he managed to back up properly, a sharp rapping was heard on the back driver's side window. Seven heads turned to stare at the figure outside. Realizing it was Hermione's brother, Harry quickly rolled down the window so he could talk with them.
"Duo," Heero said impassively, "Lady Une said to behave, she's watching you."
"Fucking stalker," the former Deathscythe pilot crossed his arms over his chest and proceeded to pout. "Yeah, yeah, I got it, Hee-chan. Run along and pester your sister."
"Mr. Dursley," the bushy haired witch appeared beside her twin, "my mother wanted me to let you know that you and your family are more than welcome to join us for dinner. We're kind of having a little party, and since most everyone knows each other we figured it could be a good time."
"That would be lovely, dear," Petunia said with a smile, though Harry couldn't tell what she meant by it. "We'd be happy to join you."
"Score!" Duo threw his fist into the air. "We're going to Hee-chan's house!"
"Not exactly," Hermione shook her head. "Anyway, Mr. Dursley, if you'd like to just follow us, we'll lead the way. And would one of you like to ride with us? We've got an extra seat."
With a curt nod, Petunia motioned for Harry to get out and go with the others, much to the annoyance of his brothers.
Ammie: Okay, so final chapter for this, I'm so proud of myself. Anyway, let me know what you think.