UnExpected

Chapter 6

Joyce crumpled up the letter in her hand and gave a heavy sigh before lighting the thing on fire. "Is he really sure about this?"

"I believe he is," Remus answered.

"What's the big deal?" asked Buffy.

"The big deal is that you're fifteen and severely underage," Joyce told her.

"It's only a meeting, mom. It's not exactly horrifying, scary danger. Unless you're scared of the big bad words?"

Joyce glared at her and looked back to Remus. "Why would Dumbledore want her to join in the first place?"

"I think the answer to that is fairly obvious."

Joyce sighed. "Because she's the Slayer."

"He feels she would be an asset to our side. Even if she is only fifteen."

"So, he doesn't care that she's just a child?" Joyce bit out.

"Hey! She's , standing right here, and hello! I'm not just a child," Buffy asserted. "You said it yourself, I'm a slayer."

"I still don't like it," said Joyce. "Slayer or not, this is different, Buffy."

"Not to me it isn't." Buffy knew this was still a heavy thing for her mother, because she was still thinking like, well, a mother. Despite knowing everything Buffy had been through, and knowing how capable she was of defending herself, Joyce wanted to protect her – especially when it came to anything regarding Voldemort. Something Buffy appreciated but knew was not necessary. "It's nothing more than a bunch of people sitting around talking about the Big Bad, something I've become an expert in. It's like a Scooby meeting, except with more people and a shinier name," Buffy said trying to convince her about the lack of danger. "Something, I've been doing for like two years. The only difference is instead of talking about vampires and demons who are trying to open up the Hellmouth, and bring on the Apocalypse that could end the world, leaving me the only one who can stop them and face all kinds of – "

"Okay, okay," Joyce surrendered. "I get it. You're a big girl. You can handle yourself."

Buffy turned excitedly to Remus and smiled. "She was never one to argue against a good ramble."

"I can see that," he said with a grin. "Just don't tell Sirius about it."

"Are you kidding? Reveal one of my best kept secrets?" she asked looking aghast. "He'll only use it and then try blaming it on me."

Remus chuckled, and Joyce rolled her eyes heavily to accompany her exasperation. "I had to introduce them. Couldn't just bring her here. Oh, no, had to take her to meet Sirius. I must've been out of my mind."

Buffy and Remus watched her in amusement. The two of them slightly wondering how long it would be before they gave her a mental breakdown.

"Should I be worried?" Remus jokingly asked, turning a wary glance to Buffy.

"And she thinks we're the crazy ones," she answered out of the side of her mouth.

The two chuckled under their breaths before quickly putting an end to it when Joyce gave them the mom-death-glare she was so good at.

"So, when's the meeting?" Buffy cheerfully asked in desperate need of a subject change.

*****

"Albus, you can't be serious? She's just a child," Minerva said in outrage.

Buffy, Joyce, and Remus had arrived just as the meeting was about to start. Wizards and witches gathered around the long table in the kitchen, after all, it was the only decently clean room in Grimmauld Place. There had been a few introductions, some welcoming and others not so much. Actually, Professor Snape, was the not so much. Buffy had met Tonks whom she immediately liked, Bill Weasley who was charmingly crush-worthy, and Mad-Eye Moody who was able to get on her good side as well. There were a few others, but before she was able to meet the rest, Dumbledore had glided in and began the meeting by announcing that Buffy had been asked to join the Order of the Phoenix, leading to the now heavy protests.