A New Sibling
By Leon Steven Kennedy


I stared unbelieving at the letter in my hand, the paper crinkling in my fist as my vision blurred and the words on the parchment took on a reddish tinge. How dare he? I thought angrily. How dare he? Not a word from this man for over ten years and then.

This?

It wasn't enough to abandon me? But to abandon someone else? How could he? My jaw clenched angrily as the words cleared and then shifted out of focus again. Part of me wanted to crumple up the note and throw it into the fire to watch it burn. The other part of me wanted to find and protect this person.. to let her know that I was there for her and I wasn't going to leave her.

But who was this girl that supposedly shared my blood? And how was I going to find her? 'She's at Hogwarts.' Did not a good clue make. There were so many kids at the school. So many girls, so many faces and names to sort through. How was I supposed to find the one who was the same as me? The one with abandonment issues, who was resolved never to leave anyone ever.

The news brought a wave of pain over me, something I thought I had gotten over so long ago. My Father was an enigma that I would never be able to figure out. Why had he left us? Was I not good enough for him? Did I cry to much when I was little? The questions kept running through my head until they were forming in my eyes and running down my face. Splashing on the parchment and leaving smudges of anger and pain in their wake.

'She's going to need you.'

How in the hell would he know that she needed me and why would be care? He abandoned us, he lost the right to care when he walked out the door and never looked back.

The anger churning inside of me took sometime to ebb. My tears had smudged the parchment in places, but I was able to make out a birthdate. December 22nd, 2076. My brain began to work quickly, easily figuring the girl would be 14, therefore a 4th year. The task was getting easier and I turned my mind away from the roiling anger that was the thoughts of my father, and instead turned it towards this girl. I would find her, and I would protect her and I wouldn't leave her.

"Don't worry." I whispered into the still air. "I'm going to find you." Even if I had to ask every single fourth year who their Father was. And when I did I was going to be there for her. Perhaps together we could figure out why our Father wanted us to know each other. Or perhaps we could just go on with our lives together and spare our life giver one grateful thought. Just one.

Grateful that we weren't alone in this world.