Chapter One
"Hi! I'm Buffy, and this is Willow and Xander. Everywhere else is full, do you mind if we join you?" chirped the happy blond who had just slid open the compartment door. She smiled pleasantly, while the red head to her right and the slightly taller brunette to her left, waved at him.
"Ya, of course, have a seat." He offered. "I'm Harry by the way, Harry Potter." Harry replied, offering his hand to the trio.
"Buffy Giles." Buffy greeted, shaking his hand.
"Willow Rosenberg." Willow said, shaking Harry's hand as well.
"Xander Harris or Xan-man or the Hulk, whatever you prefer." Xander joked, shaking Harry's hand and patting him on the back at the same time. Harry laughed as Buffy and Willow rolled their eyes.
"Ya right Whelp, more like droopy-boy or delivery boy or lazy lad, what do you think luv?" Both Buffy and Willow were giggling as a boy around Harry's height strolled through the door with nearly blinding white hair and a smug grin on his face.
"Oh I don't know Spike, I like 'Whelp' personally, can't go wrong with a classic." Buffy laughed as Xander moved over to the side to sit beside a bemused Harry.
"You know luv, when you're right, you're right." He smiled, putting his arm around Buffy's shoulders.
"Uh, Spike? Where's Oz?" Willow asked, taking a seat beside Xander as Buffy and Spike took two seats across from Harry.
"No worries Red, Wolf-boy's just usen the loo real quick. Now, who do we have here?" Spike asked, turning his attention to Harry for the first time. "Name's William Jameson, but everyone calls me Spike." Spike introduced, holding out his hand to the boy.
"I'm Harry Potter, just Harry." Harry said with a smile, shaking Spike's hand.
"Harry Potter eh? You don't say." Spike grinned, "Well, well, Goldilocks, looks like we've finally met someone more famous than you." His grin vanished, however, when Buffy's body stiffened, and she turned her head away from him. "Oh, come on luv, you know I didn't mean it like that! I was just kidding. I'm sorry..."
"Just ignore them," Xander said, turning to Harry. "They bicker like an old married couple, but you'd be hard pressed to find two people as in sink as Buffy and Spike."
"But I don't get it, what did Spike mean by more famous than Buffy?" Harry asked, turning his attention to Xander and Willow.
Xander opened his mouth to answer when Spike interrupted; "not so fast Hero, first we find out about you, then we tell you about us."
Shrugging, Harry opened his mouth to start his story when the compartment door opened again.
"Oz!" Willow chirped, jumping up to great Oz at the door, "and a girl."Willow stopped for a second, before reaching out and grabbing Oz's hand as though declaring property.
The only visible reaction from Oz was a hint of a smile, and a slight puffing out of the chest.
"Sorry I took so long, but some kid lost his pet toad, and Hermione and I were just helping him look for it."
"What's this? The great and powerful Oz can't sniff out one little toad? What is this world coming too?" Xander mocked, putting the back of his hand to his forehead and pretending to swoon.
Oz gave him a blank stare and a shoulder shrug where Willow huffed. "That's right, one toad, on a train full of hormonal teenagers. I'd like to see you try to find it."
"Actually, I was just coming to find Spike, he's more used to having to sift through people than I am." Oz said, looking over to the pair of cuddling blonds.
Spike sighed before getting up, "sure thing Wolf-boy, you and the new chit just take a seat. One toad coming up."
"Oh, and try to bring this one back alive fang face." Xander quipped smugly, making Buffy and Willow chuckle.
"You keep it up Whelp and I'll let them have you next time."Spike snarked back as he exited the compartment.
"You know, when you get shot down every time, it's time to either get new material or stop talking." Harry said with a smart smirk, causing everyone to laugh out loud.
"Man, you know you've hit a low point when even the new guy is taking shots at you." Xander grumbled, slouching back in his seat.
Oz was still smiling slightly when he reached his arm out towards Harry, "Daniel Osborne, but everyone calls me Oz, nice to meet you."
"Harry Potter, nice to meet you." Harry said, shaking the other boy's hand.
"Harry Potter?" gasped the new girl who had entered with Oz, "I've read all about you! You're the boy who lived!"
"Boy-who-lived? Really? Well, Boy-who-lived, meet Girl-who-died." Xander smiled, motioning to Buffy.
Harry looked over at her in question but Buffy just waved him off, "I'll tell you later."
"Well go on, what can you tell us about Hero, Bookworm?" Spike asked, breezing through the door and plopping down beside Buffy who automatically curled into his side.
"The toad?" Oz asked.
"Back with its owner."Oz nodded, and looked to Hermione.
Hermione blushed as all of the attention was turned on her, but continued as though reading it out of a text book.
"Harry James Potter, son of James Potter and Lily Evans is famous for his defeat of the great lord Voldimort. When Harry was just barely a year old, James and Lily were viciously murdered in their home, while trying to protect their son. After killing Lily and James, Voldimort went in search of young Harry. Though no one knows for sure, it is believed that when Voldimort tried to use the killing curse on young Harry, the spell backfired, there by killing one of the most feared wizards in history. The scar on Harry's forehead is the only physical evidence left of such a historic encounter."
The compartment was silent for a few moments, just taking everything in. That had been the first time Harry had heard what the text books said about him and he wasn't sure how he felt about it.
"So where are you living now Harry?" Buffy asked, breaking the melancholy silence.
"With my aunt, uncle, and cousin." Harry answered, not liking to talk about his relatives.
"And do you like living with them?" Buffy asked again, her voice taking on a soft musical quality that was somehow warm and comforting to all that heard it. The gang had seen Buffy use her hypnotic voice on people before, indeed, most of them had had the voice used on them when they had had nightmares and the like.
"No, I don't." Harry didn't know how, but he found himself confessing everything to the diminutive blond. How they had beaten, starved, and neglected him, and finally how he lived and slept in a cupboard under the stairs. When he was finished, Harry lowered his head, not wanting to see the pity on these people's faces.
With a deep sigh Xander broke the silence and clapped Harry on the back. "There's no need to be ashamed of anything Harry. Everyone in this room is a misfit in some sense, and all of us have something in our past that we're not proud of. Hell I'm the most ordinary person in this room, and that's saying something." Xander smiled, making everyone in the cabin chuckle.
Wrapping his arm around Harry's shoulder in a brotherly one armed hug, Xander turned to Buffy; "looks like we got another one, eh Buffster?"
"Maybe," Buffy said, screwing up her face in thought and surprising everyone but Harry and Hermione with her seaming reluctance to accept Harry.
"Why maybe, Buffy?" Willow asked, curiously. Buffy's intuition had never been wrong, so if something was holding her back, Willow would trust her decision implicitly.
"It would be easier to just explain everything once. And besides, you know the rules." Buffy replied cryptically.
A look of understanding donned on everyone's face except for Harry and Hermione's.
"Xander, would you please switch places with Hermione."Buffy asked. Without question, Xander stood, and Hermione found herself moving without consciously doing so.
"So, Hermione, what's your story?" Buffy asked, again using the voice to quell any nerves that the girl might have.
"We-well...my parents are dentists, and growing up, I had no clue that magic or anything mystical was real. Until recently I was living with my parents, then I got my letter, and everything changed. It started slowly at first; no hug in the morning, no goodbye as I was going out the door, then it turned into a missed meal, avoiding looking at me, then, all of a sudden they wouldn't talk to me at all, and eventually tried to pretend that I didn't exist. By the time it was time for me to come to Hogwarts, my mom wouldn't even walk past my room. I don't know why; what I did, or what happened, but it's like, as soon as I got my letter, they were afraid of me." By the end, Hermione had silent tears running down her cheeks, and Buffy pulled her into a tight hug.
"I know. Everyone in this room knows and understands exactly what it's like to be shunned, feared, or discarded because of what you are. People have always had an irrational fear when it comes to the supernatural. People fear what they don't understand. And a lot of the time, fear is an easier and more familiar emotion than acceptance or understanding. I know that it hurts now, but you have to trust me that there will come a time when it doesn't hurt as much, and every day it will get a little bit easier."
"Thank you." Hermione sniffled, then smiled sheepishly, "I'm sorry, but I don't know anyone's names except Oz and Harry."
"Oh, how silly of me, sorry, to my left is my boyfriend, William Jameson, but everyone just calls him Spike. Then we have Willow Rosenberg and her boyfriend, Oz. And lastly we have Xander Harris. Oh, and my name is Buffy Giles, it's nice to meet you."
"Hermione Granger, it's nice to meet you too." Hermione said, shaking Buffy's hand.
"Well, what do you think luv?" Spike asked gently, and everyone's attention was focused back on Buffy.
"Yes." She said clearly, with a beaming smile which everyone reciprocated.
"Both?" Spike pressed.
"Of course." Buffy said, as though affronted.
"The Watcher?"
"Are you kidding, all of them will be thrilled." Buffy shrugged.
"Well luv," Spike smiled.
"When I'm right, I'm right."Buffy giggled.
"Right then," Spike nodded, waving his hand as an indication for her to continue.
"Right, Harry, Hermione, how would you like to live with us when the school year is out?" At their confused and startled looks Buffy went on, "You see, Spike, Willow, Xander and Oz, come from less than stellar home situations, and ever since mom found out what I was, she just started 'collecting strays' as Xander says. It was really tough for me in the beginning, knowing what I was but not being able to tell anyone and not being allowed to have any friends because I might put them in danger, mom saw how hard it was for me, and so she went looking for others who had been shunned by their families and the general public because of things that were out of their control. My dad fully agreed with my mom and so he built us a home that could house all us. Willow was the first, then Xander, Spike and Oz. It's not legally binding, you get to keep your last names, but if you accept, we do a really short spell that binds you to the family and gives you permission to pass safely through the security wards on the house. Both of you would have your own space, as we have tones of room, food, and warmth to go around."Buffy finished, smiling with hope in her eyes.
"Hey guys, she's not kidding about the food, Joyce is a great cook." Xander piped up, causing the other's the chuckle.
Everyone was quiet as Harry and Hermione took a moment to process everything and come to a decision.
Harry was the first to speak. "Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me. Yes, please, I would love nothing more than to join your family." Harry rasped around the lump in his through.
"That's great!" Buffy jumped up, giving Harry a tight hug that felt as though it could break his ribs.
"Easy luv, not all of us can take one of your hugs and walk away without something broken." Spike smirked while the other's chuckled and Harry rubbed his sore ribs.
"Hermione?" Willow asked, bringing everyone's attention back to the brown haired girl.
Hermione's head was bowed, but as she started to speak she lifted her head to look at Buffy. "Yes. Oh please yes!" she nearly sobbed, throwing herself into Buffy's arms.
Calming down, everyone took their seats again with Buffy, Spike, Willow and Oz on one bench, and Harry, Hermione, and Xander on the other.
Facing Harry and Hermione, Buffy pulled out the oddest shaped wand either of them had ever seen. It was oak, thick at one end then coming to a sharp point at the other. "This is Mr. Pointy," Buffy introduced before taking Harry's left hand and lasing their fingers. "Now, you might feel a little prick, but don't worry, that's just for the blood wards."
The small assembly watched silently as Buffy closed her eyes in concentration and started to chant long Latin verses. Hermione was astonished when Buffy and Harry's joined hands started to glow a brilliant white/gold light, and Buffy hadn't even used her wand.
Finally, as the light reached its brightest peak, Buffy picked up her wand and held it in a tightly closed fist with the point facing downwards and brought it down with force as though to impale their hands, causing the light to explode in a shower of brilliant gold.
"Congratulations Harry. From now on, your pain is our pain, your happiness is our happiness, your enemies are our enemies, and your friends are our friends. Welcome to the family."
Everyone hugged and clapped, welcoming their newest member, before they again settled down to watch Hermione's ritual. It was, again, the same Latin fraises, and the same white/gold light, and when Buffy brought her wand down again, there was a second shower of brilliant gold.
"Congratulations Hermione. From now on, your pain is our pain, your happiness is our happiness, your enemies are our enemies, and your friends are our friends. Welcome to the family."
Again everyone hugged and clapped until Willow's voice interrupted them, "um, guys, I think we're going to be there soon, we should probably get changed into our school robes."
"Sure thing Wills," Buffy agreed, "ok, the guys can get changed first while we go and get Hermione's trunk." Without question, everyone moved to do as told, and the girls filed out of the compartment in single file.
"This should be interesting." Buffy mumbled as they sat in the boats as they coasted across the smooth blackness of the lake.
It was four to a boat, but luckily, the gang had fallen back and it was Buffy, Spike, Willow, and Oz in one boat, and Harry, Hermione, and Xander in the one floating beside Buffy's.
"What's the matter Buffy?" Willow asked from her perch behind the blond.
Buffy sighed before turning in her seat to face the group. "Ok guys, listen up, every single one of us is prone to some kind of magical mishaps, and that's in the non magic world, now we're headed into a school for the supernatural. I want everyone to be cautious and on your guard at all times. We all have secrets, some personal, some deadly if found out. For that reason, don't make eye contact with anyone but the family for long periods of time. It's through the eyes that allow these bad guys to read your mind. Also, stay together. Dad warned me that some of us may be split up after or during the sorting. I'm not going to let that happen; we live, we work, we play together. My spidy sense is tingling, so be on guard."
Silence.
"Well, after that vote of confidence, who's hungry?" Xander asked, making everyone laugh, and lifting everyone's spirits. The rest of the trip was made with idle chatter of what they had heard about Hogwarts, and what this new adventure was going to hold.
