Disclaimer: I am not Joss Whedon, nor J.K. Rowling.. I am me.. I own nothing, but some of the plot and saying.. lol
Author's note: Thanks for all the positive response to this so far. Also, there is a reason that I have Buffy in the sixth year and it will all be revealed. I promise! Little hint.. timeturner and advanced aging.
Chapter 4
"What did you do to him?" Dumbledore asked, Buffy absently noticed that the twinkle in his eye was no longer there.
"What did I do to who?" she asked, staring at him dumbly. She wondered who had told him or what he knew. She knew better than to admit to anything, years on the hellmouth had taught her that.
"Severus," Dumbledore said, "I know that you removed the spell that I had on him." He wondered if she knew what she had done, without that spell he might not be as remorseful as he should be. She wondered how long it had taken him to debate whether or not to confront her. Although, given the alternative, a truth potion or the spell, neither one worked on her. Since her encounter with the mind demon no one had been able to penetrate her mind, unless she allowed it and it seemed that the slayer did not like being poisoned and that's what it considered the truth potion, poison.
"You mean your little spell that made him feel so much guilt that he did not want to live?" she asked, "That one? Or the one that made him go crawling back to his "master"? What gives you the right to place this spell on him? Are you afraid that if you didn't, he wouldn't be going back to Voldemort? That he would feel he had finally repaid his debit?" Dumbledore flinched and she realized that she was right. She felt the fury well up inside of her and the house began to shake.
Snape felt uncontrolled magic swarm through the house seconds before the house began to shake. He wondered briefly if Potter had returned, when he realized it was too powerful for Potter and had to be Buffy. Getting to his feet he rushed up the stairs and found her yelling at Dumbledore. "Do you think so little of him that you need him to barely function, sleep, exist?"
"Don't," he said, stepping up behind her and placing his hand on her shoulder, she jumped and he wondered if that was a smart move to startle a slayer that was controlling that much power, but she did nothing to hurt him. She seemed to relax under his touch, but he simply chalked this up to his imagination.
Although Snape was willing to forget about it, Dumbledore saw this and wondered if this was the reason she removed the spell. He watched them silently, as some sort of communication flowed between the two, intimately, and he almost felt guilty for watching, almost. He didn't understand what she hoped to gain from this removal of the spell. Snape was easier to control with the spell on. But as her eyes flashed to his, he realized that until she was done with school he would not be able to return his little spell to Severus. Silently, he turned and left leaving the two of them alone.
"Why?" she questioned, she had been waiting for Dumbledore to confront her and it had been building for days. No one had been able to talk about it and Molly had no idea what was going on, but everyone could feel the tension whenever Dumbledore and Buffy where in the same room together. The house would still, as though waiting for blood to spill, traitor blood, before getting loud whenever they walked away from the confrontation. Buffy also wanted the confrontation, she wanted to lash out at the man who had put this curse on someone, who never deserved to feel this curse.
"He is just one man trying to fight a war," Severus said slowly, he had not removed his hand from Buffy, afraid to be cold again, "and he wants to assure himself of his people's loyalties." Buffy made a face at him and he laughed, it was times like these that he was reminded of how young she was, although it never seemed that she was that young, but was a general in the army. "We are picking up Potter tonight."
"And?" she could tell that he wanted to change the topic to a less explosive one and she had to give him a brownie point for that. She could tell that he was struggling to keep her age in balance, but with the both of them thinking of her as eighteen it was hard to do this.
"Just wondering if you are going?"
"To meet my long lost little brother?" she said sarcastically and Snape winced, Dumbledore had once again tried to manipulate the slayer into the war and she knew it. "Would I give up such a chance?"
"I'll take that as a yes," he said, before they could discuss this any further they heard a racket down the stairs. Buffy watched as the change over took him, he seemed to get older and sighed deeply, she looked at him questioningly, "The rest of the Weasley's and Hermione Granger." Buffy had continued her education and had surpassed what had been expected of her, she had studied hard on self-defense spells and potions and taken everything else on in stride.
"So, let's go meet the Weasley's and Hermione Granger," she laughed softly when he gave her a disgruntled look. She could tell that he did not want to do that, but instead wanted to run and hide in the library, but he forced himself to lead the way down stairs. Before they had even reached the bottom of the stairs Dumbledore came rushing down spouting something about going to the Ministry. When the elder Weasley came down, Buffy stopped him.
"What is going on?"
"Harry has been caught using underage magic," Arthur said, "I need to get to MoM, to help Dumbledore." He rushed on leaving a confused slayer behind. There was some brief yelling as Hermione and Ron were told not to tell Harry too much. They complained loudly that he was their friend and deserved to know, but no one was willing to tell them why he wasn't allowed to know.
"What?" she asked turning to look at Snape. Snape shrugged as to what magic and then realized that Buffy was asking about what underage magic had to do with anything, because she had been doing that for a while during the summer and they hadn't had to go to the Ministry of magic.
"Harry has been caught using magic outside of school which is strictly forbidden. If they convict him, then he will be tossed out of school no questions asked." Snape told her, Ron and Hermione were waiting for the sneer that was sure to accompany that statement and some sort of jabbing remark, but they found none coming, "Although, knowing your brother there is always a good reason."
"Well," Buffy said slightly impatiently, "what are you waiting for? Show me the way to my brother." Snape looked startled, "If Dumbledore is going to take care of that, then I am going to get my brother, so that he can defend himself." She started down the stairs and ran straight into a brown haired girl that had been listening in on the conversation.
"Umph!" the girl exclaimed as Buffy was going down the stairs. She looked chagrined as she realized that she had been caught listening in on Snape and Buffy. Buffy noticed that although the girl looked sorry, she also looked defiant and took an instant liking to her.
"So, sorry," Buffy mumbled pulling the girl up and into a standing position, deciding to pretend that she didn't realize Hermione had been listening in. Snape snickered when Buffy ran into the brown-haired know it all, "Shut up," she muttered to Snape and the brown haired girl gasped, causing Snape to laugh. He was waiting for the "You shouldn't talk to a professor that way" speech and decided that he did not want to hear it, so he put a stop to it before it even began, by introducing the two.
"Hermione Granger," Snape said still laughing, "meet Elizabeth Lupin-Black."
"How do you…" Hermione trailed off as the last name kicked in, "You're related to Sirius and Remus?"
"Way to shock the girl," Buffy said dryly, "No, Mom named me after them," Hermione looked intrigued, Buffy stuck out her hand, "My friends call me Buffy."
"Hermione," she said, shaking the blonde's hand, "So your mum went to school with Remus and Sirius then? But how, no offense, but you are American,"
"I was raised American," Buffy agreed, turning to look at Snape, "Ready?"
"Then how did you wind up here?" Hermione asked.
"Ms. Granger is our resident know it all," Snape told Buffy, "If you need any help, this is the girl to go to." Hermione looked shock at the almost compliment and Snape had to withhold a smile.
"Glad to meet you," Buffy said, "But I have an important person to meet."
"Who?" Hermione asked before she could stop herself.
"My brother." Buffy said with a smirk, while she grabbed Snape by the arm and lead him away. Hermione looked shocked that someone was willingly touching Snape and leading him off to meet her family. Shaking her head she decided she needed to drown out those thoughts with a book.
"I don't see why I need to go," Snape said as Buffy lead him outside. It had become a usual sight for everyone at the headquarters to see the two of them together. So no one thought anything of it when Buffy drug Snape outside.
"Because you know him and he's probably a little paranoid right now." Buffy replied dryly, while grabbing a hold of Snape and telling him, "Apparent us there." Snape was astounded that she trusted him so implicitly, he could just apparent the two of them off to the Dark Lord and she would not know until they arrived, but she trusted him to get her to her brother. Putting his arms around her he apparented them away to her brother, directly outside the Dursley's home.
"REMEMBER MY LAST, PETUNIA!"
"Nervous?" Snape asked as Buffy jumped, she glared at him and raised an eyebrow, "It's a howler. If you get angry at someone you can send one and it actually sounds like you are yelling at them."
"Well, let's go met my aunt and uncle," Buffy said as she moved to the door. She held up her hand getting ready to knock, slightly nervous about meeting her long lost brother. She jumped when she felt Snape brush up against her and knock in her stead.
"Yes," an fat man answered and Buffy had to hold down the light supper that she had had, it was disgusting to look at him, "can I help you?" He then noticed how Snape was dressed and sneered in disgust, "Come to cart him off to jail?"
"Yes, sir," Buffy said playing along with the pig man and pushing her way inside.
"Of course sir," Snape sneered, spitting out the last word as though it would chock him if he said it. Harry heard the voice of his Potion's professor and didn't know if he should feel happiness or dread. "Come along, Harry,"
"How do I know you are Professor Snape," Harry asked warily, keeping his eyes on the shorter witch who had hair like his mom. "Tell me something that only Professor Snape would know,"
"Fine you obnoxious boy," Snape said with a sigh and Buffy realized how much the man despised her brother, "In your third year you and your cohorts created Polyjuice," Harry looked shocked, "what you thought Ms. Granger's adventures as a cat would be kept from me when I was looking for the person stealing my boomslang?"
"Alright, you are Professor Snape," Harry said before jerking his finger at Buffy, "whose she?"
"I am Buffy," she said before Snape could introduce her, that would not go over very well.
"Well now that this is all settled," the pig man said, "will you be taking the boy or not?" Buffy glared at the man, but decided he was not worth it.
"Yea and he won't be coming back," She said, "Harry get everything you need, because you will not be coming back to this place," Harry looked at her in shock, before turning back to Snape for confirmation, Snape nodded slightly and Harry quickly bound up the stairs, he was leaving and he didn't have to come back! He wanted to question, because he knew that the blood magic would have to be kept and if he wasn't coming back then that meant Dumbledore had found another member of his family!
"Good riddance!" Dursley said and Buffy rounded on the man. Snape winced at the look in her eyes. He knew he should interfere before something happened, but he knew that not even Potter deserved to be treated the way that he was whenever he was with the Dursleys.
"Good riddance?" she asked in a sweet voice, watching as he nodded briskly happy with himself, "You are happy of how you treated the boy?" she asked, her voice started to raise, she fought to control the magic that was flowing all around her, "How you beat him, ignored him, shoved him in a closet?" she looked at him in disgust, "He was sent to you, an only child, a child who had just lost both of his parents, but instead of raising him like he was yours, you ridiculed him and told him he was unworthy. He knew nothing of his parents, because of you. He has felt unloved and unneeded, because you are too bigoted and have your head so far up your…"
"Buffy," Snape said, "it is time to go. We need to stop wasting time." Buffy shook as she struggled to calm herself, but she glared at them, before turning on her heel and stalking up the stairs. He quickly followed the girl up the stairs to find Harry packing up the last of his things. "Let's go," he said, "Buffy you need to apparent on your own, as I can only apparent with one other person."
"Sure," she replied and allowed Harry to grab a hold of Snape, "See you at Headquarters," with a pop she was gone. Buffy reappeared in front of Grimmauld Place and waited. She was not very patient and the waiting was killing her, just when she was about to go back, they appeared in front of her. She smiled at Harry and handed him piece of paper. He looked at it and then looked up, jumping back when a house suddenly appeared, "Let's go in, before I explain." He nodded and slowly went inside.
"Harry!" Hermione yelled at the dark haired boy came inside, she pulled him into a hug, which Harry returned heartedly. Hermione was happy to have her friend back and released him into Ron's half hearted hug/hand-shake thing that boys did, when she looked at Buffy sharply, "I thought you were going to get your brother."
"I did." Buffy replied with a smirk, this was the part she loved, "We haven't been properly introduced yet," Buffy said facing Harry, "My name is Elizabeth Lupin-Black, my friends call me Buffy," Harry looked a little confused, she had his godfather's last name not his, "Known to your mother as daughter."
"No," Harry said shaking his head, "I am the only one, my parents had only one child, just me and they were killed!"
"Yes, your parents had only one child," Buffy said and Harry gloated for a moment, they looked nothing alike, besides Buffy's hair resembling his mother's, "But your mother had me before she married your father,"
"No!" Harry shouted he was shaking with anger, no one ever let him know about anything that was going on, "It isn't true! My mother only had me,"
"I know this is hard to digest," Buffy began and Harry stared at her, "But ask Lupin, Black, hell ask Snape," Buffy said pointing to the potions master who was trying to hide himself from view.
"Why?" Harry asked, he would talk to Lupin and Black later, what he wanted to know was why.
"Why now?" Buffy asked, "Because until recently I have been living on the Hellmouth and I have been protected from the wizarding world." Harry looked at her, waiting for her to go on and explain what she was doing in London at this point, "Let's start at the beginning. Into every generation there is one.."
"You're talking about the slayer," Hermione interrupted and Buffy nodded happy that she didn't need to explain, because it seemed the wizarding world was already aware of her.
"What's a slayer?" Ron asked, Harry was wise enough not to nod, although he wasn't sure himself. He saw the look that Hermione gave Ron and knew that lecture mode was coming, Ron was going to be lectured about listening during class.
"Really Ron," Hermione said, "Don't you ever pay attention during class? A slayer is a young girl, generally chosen between 12 and 18, to fight the forces of darkness, like vampires." Buffy smiled amused at their antics, it reminded her of Willow and Xander.
"I don't remember studying slayers." Ron said and Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Boys." She muttered in disgust.
"For the last three years," Buffy began interrupting the fight before it began, "I have been the slayer. Directly after I was called my mom, Joyce Summers, moved us to a place called Sunnydale. Now Sunnydale is on top of a Hellmouth, a mystical convergance of energy that will open a door directly into hell. My watcher came out here for a watcher retreat and invited me to go as a way of saying sorry. I agreed, but as I was leaving Watcher Headquarters to go shopping some blonde headed freak grabbed me and zapped us away somewhere. There I met Snape and came here," she decided to leave out meeting daddy dearest and fighting him.
"That doesn't explain how you are my sister," Harry pointed out and Snape took over from here.
"When she arrived she had some papers she had grabbed from Voldemort and Dumbledore had them translated." Snape explained, grinning when Ron gasped at the name, "They were her adoption papers, her watcher showed up and we had fun figuring out what happened."
"WHERE IS HE?" Dumbledore thundered as he strolled into Grimmauld Place, he interrupted any questions Harry or Hermione might have had for Buffy, which Buffy was grateful for.
"Right here, professor," Harry said confused. The professor sounded mad, but wasn't he the one that sent Buffy and Snape after him?
"You just couldn't wait!" Dumbledore said, Harry thought he was talking to him at first, until he realized that it was Buffy, "You just had to go off and do this yourself, what were you thinking? Do you even realize what the Dark Lord will do to you.."
"Yep," Buffy replied calmly, stopping his tyrant in the middle. "I realized that I couldn't let my brother stay in a place where he wasn't wanted while a bunch of people, who have no idea what happened and why he used magic, debated his fate. If he is going to trial, he is going to have a fair one," No one but Dumbledore and Snape felt Buffy's power began to rise, though her hair began to move as though a slight wind was blowing through the house.
"I'm going to trial?" Harry asked, trying to stop the fight that he felt was coming, he didn't know if he believed her or not, but she was telling him something.
"Yep," Buffy replied keeping her eyes on Dumbledore, "You are going to have your say before MoM tomorrow." She raised an eyebrow daring Dumbledore to correct her, "Then we are going shopping for you school supplies and robes,"
"That is completely unsafe there will be no.."
"With Snape and the Weasley family," she continued, "I assume that is safe enough for you?" Dumbledore nodded briskly. Hermione watched the interaction with interest, she had never seen the professor act this way for any one, not even the Minister of Magic.
"Is she my sister?" Harry asked.
"There is a spell you can do," Hermione told him, "If you don't want to take her word,"
"yes," Dumbledore agreed, "It would be best, this way we can transfer the blood magic to her as well."
"You'll excuse me if I have Snape do the spell won't you?" she asked sweetly and Dumbledore looked ready to disagree, but Snape already had his wand out and was saying the spell. The world spun for Harry as the magic flowed through him, he was allowed to see the truth in her words and the fact that she was his sister. He felt a mixture of emotions flow through him at this, anger and happiness being the top two.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry asked coldly, "All this time, everything I have endured, I could have been sent off with her and saved the pain.."
"I wasn't in the wizarding world, Harry," Buffy replied reminding the angry boy, once again, that she couldn't be there before, "He was trying to keep me out, but he needs you, the question is why?"