"SWALLOW, my sister, O sister swallow,
How can thine heart be full of the spring?
A thousand summers are over and dead.
What hast thou found in the spring to follow?
What hast thou found in thine heart to sing?
What wilt thou do when the summer is shed?"
-Algernon Charles Swinburne, "Itylus," lines 1-6.
Description. Puella soror gratuitus is the sudden sister added to a canon character, often to a canon character whose genealogy has been carefully documented and does not allow for such a thing. The impulse that births her appears to be the same that creates Puella spawnificus, but in cases where the Suvian wishes her Sue to interact with the canon character at his or her present age instead of being a child years or even decades into the future, with the canon character as a parent. This might seem contradictory in terms, as the Puella spawnificus at least has a chance to outshine her parents in the "normal" process of growing up, while Puella soror gratuitus must compete against a character in the prime of his or her interest. However, Puella soror gratuitus solves this problem by the common subcanonica method of taking whatever is dramatic about the canon characters and making it even more dramatic.
Distinguishing Features
Instant Acceptance
Kelly looked at the door. "Alohomora!" she said waving her hand, the doorlock clicked open. Harry just looked surprised. "Thank God that He sent me a sister like you...!" he said hugging Kelly. "Where were you when mom and dad died?" He asked sitting on the bed. Kelly sat beside him.
-From the story "Harry's Sister," written by yoriko sakura-chan and set in the Harry Potter canon, as reported by Sueolgoist tviokh on Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings Sues.
Puella soror gratuitus usually appears out of nowhere, often from a complete blankness on the part of even the canon characters' knowledge. However, her new family does not ask her for credentials or act suspicious of her, but at once welcomes her into their homes. In this case, Harry instantly believes that Kelly is his sister, despite having been told all his life that he was an only child. He does not appear even to spring to the much more reasonable conclusion, that she is yet another plot of Voldemort.
Amazing Shared Abilities
Annoying Special Abilities: *grinds teeth* "wandless magic, apparation, animagi, high ranking healing, I have special permission on those things." Plus, she's a parselmouth.
-From tviokh's Report on "Harry's Sister".
Puella soror gratuitus will in all likelihood share the most powerful abilities in the canon world, whether they are magical, fighting skills, or some other peculiar adaptation. In this case, Kelly is an animagus even though there are only eleven mentioned in canon, and capable of extremely high-level magic that someone of her age (16) is not normally capable of in the Potterverse. Of special note is her sharing Harry's ability to speak to snakes, though Harry was only given that ability by Voldemort's magic and Kelly was not present when Voldemort attacked "their" parents. This is typical of Puella soror gratuitus, who absolutely must have the same abilities, and more, as her supposed sibling even if there is no logical reason for her to have them. Otherwise, how would she outshine her new, beloved brother or sister?
Improbable Backstory
"When Mom was pregnant of me, she and dad are still in their 6th year, I can't get mad at them, I'm thankful that they didn't abort me.... So when she gave birth to me near their summer vacation. She let Grandmom and Granddad take care of me. Although they are muggles, they heard about a magic training in the Philippines, they asked mom and dad for permission, they both agree that i could go to the Philippines for training. In the Philippines, they trained me everything they could..."
-From "Harry's Sister."
Puella soror gratuitus will have the usual highly dramatic background of the Sue, but her story will be even thinner than that usually offered. This is often because she has to account for her supposed sibling's total and complete ignorance of her existence, and this is not easy to do. In this case, Harry would surely have heard if his mother had borne a daughter out of wedlock; it would have been the kind of thing the Dursleys would have delighted in taunting him with. And why would her grandparents send her to the Phillippines? And how would they learn of such a wizarding school in another country, being Muggles from Britain? The Suvian in question does not provide the answers often, and when they come, they are as improbable as those already presented.
Suggestions for Coping
In many cases, these Sues announce their presence proudly. The keyword "sister" connected to any canon character who does not have a sister should warn off the astute reader immediately. If Puella soror gratuitus somehow does not show up in the summary, or the title as with the example above, then the reader can click the back button as soon as she realizes what she's getting into.
Beyond that, the creation of genealogical tables and the tracing of canon characters' lives to explain just why they couldn't have a sister is recommended. The obsessed will find pleasure in such things beyond the mere elimination of Sues, and may even become Mulier guardiana canonica, the most persistent and dangerous enemy of Sues.
On to Puella spawnificus prophesida.
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