Title: The Girl Is Black
Author: eenaangel2001
Email: R
Category: BTVS/HP
Pairings: Willow/Oliver Wood, Xander/Katie Bell, Cordelia?
Disclaimer: BTVS belongs to Whedon and HP to Rowlings.
Summary: Fudge and the Ministry sink to a new low in their attempt to capture Sirius Black . . .
Spoilers: S3 for BTVS, GoF for HP and some OotP as well. Head to the Notes for a better explanation.
Notes: All right, I should warn you all that this is going to be very AU for the HP world. I'm ignoring the bulk of the stuff that happens in OotP, and taking a few random things from it. Don't expect to find many of the new characters initially, because I want to finish the book entirely before I bring them in. But they will be brought in at some point. As for the beginning of this story, it takes place after the S3 finale for BTVS and the summer after GoF for HP. Also, no Willow/Oz relationship for this story.
Prologue:
They had won.
It was an exciting feeling. Kind of above her head if you really wanted to know. She knew on some level that they had in fact won and that the majority of her classmates had made it out alive. But it hadn't quite penetrated with her just yet. Her mind was trying to tell her wound up body that it was okay to relax but her body stubbornly insisted on remaining on edge. She was prepared to fight even now, even though the battle was over.
It that mean that the battle might not yet be over?
God she hoped not. Standing where she was, not twenty feet away from the lawns of her former high school, watching as the buildings burned to the ground while firefighters and rescue workers raced about trying to salvage any part of the school, she knew that she was in no way prepared for another fight. Yes, her body was still tense, as if waiting for the next surprise attack, but her mind was far from ready.
The actual truth of the matter was that she was mentally exhausted by what she had been through in these last few days. The end of high school and the thrill of graduating had been shoved to the backburner to accomodate the mind-numbing fear the idea of the Ascension had brought. Days of biting her lip and twisting her hands while waiting for something, anything to happen that would give them some sort of edge against the Mayor. And all they had to show for those days was a mortally wounded vampire with a soul and a frantic Slayer. Things certainly hadn't improved when Angel had called her to tell her that Buffy was in the hospital the day before she would have to fight against Mayor Wilkins.
But of course, her worrying had been somewhat in vain. Buffy had pulled through, like she always did, and she had come up with the most wild, destructive way of smacking the demon Mayor down. And her plan worked, the graduating class and the rest of Sunnydale more or less in one piece while the Mayor . . . well, he was in pieces, scattered about the burning grounds of the school.
The slightest touch on her back made her jump about a foot in the air. Immediately her body reacted, feet spinning her around while her other hand searched widely for the stake she had hidden in the pocket of her robes. Wild green eyes met tired and concerned brown ones, a thin smile stretching across the face of her best friend.
"Geez Wills," he clucked his tongue. "You really need to calm down. You're going to give yourself a heart attack."
She felt a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth, unwilling to let the ease her mind cried for wash over her completely. Willow merely folded her arms across her chest, turning back to face the burning school but this time leaning against the solid chest of her best friend.
"We blew up the school," she finally replied, her voice very matter-of-fact. "How can you expect me to be calm?"
"Because it's over now?" Xander suggested lightly, slinging one arm around her shoulders to give her a slight hug from behind. The taller youth sighed, resting his chin on the top of her head as they watched the school burn.
"I really hated that school," he murmured suddenly. It seemed utterly ridiculous for him to say that, though she didn't know why. Xander was always saying stuff like that, it was part of who he was. But for some reason, the statement caught her off guard and she let out a batch of giggles.
"I heard that," he teased her when she tried to stifle her mirth. "Come on Wills, just relax a bit. The battle's over. We stopped the Ascension, Buffy killed the Mayor, and I got to be key guy for once. All's well that ends well."
"But has it ended?" she murmured softly, turning her head to look up at her best friend. "Or maybe it's just me. I can't seem to calm myself down. It's like I'm expecting another fight to start any second now."
"Just the adrenalin refusing to wear off," he assured her, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her away from the site of the school. He pointed off into the distance, Willow following his direction to see Buffy sitting on a bench, watching idly as the firefighters tried to stop the fire. Cordelia was in the background, the brunette biting her lip in consernation as she tried to find some sort of reflective surface so she could fix her hair.
"Let's got sit with our buds and watch as the hellhole that tried to kill us for the past three years is burnt to the ground."
Willow knew she was smiling at this point, there was no way around it. Xander always knew what to do in order to cheer her up. It was one of the things that made him such a good best friend.
She followed his lead, allowing him to direct her to her other best friend. Buffy looked up at their arrival, flashing the redhead a wane smile as Willow sat down next to her.
"He's gone," the blonde whispered. Willow gave her friend a sympathetic smile before putting her arms around her in a tight hug. There was no need for Buffy to elaborate, Willow knew what she meant. Angel was gone. He said before that he would leave after this was finished and the vampire stayed true to his word.
Buffy leaned back into her friend's arm, resting her head on Willow's shoulder as her eyes wandered back to the fire. Behind them, Cordelia and Xander could be heard making some snarky comments to each other, but with warmth in their tones as they did it. Willow briefly heard Cordy explain that Giles had followed Wesley to the hospital to keep an eye on him.
"Buffy?" the redhead asked her friend softly.
"Hmm?" the Slayer replied, her eyes still on the fire.
"Is it over?" Willow asked hesitantly. Buffy frowned, turning her face up to look at her friend.
"The battle's over," the blonde clarified. "Why do you ask?"
"It doesn't feel like its over," Willow muttered. "It doesn't feel like the danger has passed."
Buffy looked hard at her best friend, her face eventually softening.
"I think its high-time that we all went home," the Slayer announced, shooting a look to Cordy and Xander behind her. "How about a We-Blew-Up-The-High-School sleepover? My house?"
"Well, it is the closest," Cordy assented.
"And Joyce filled up the cabinets in case we had the munchies after saving the world," Xander chimed in enthusiastically. Buffy grinned at him, turning back to Willow.
"How about it Wills?" Buffy asked. "Let's get you inside and away from this place. Maybe you'll feel better then."
Willow gave a half-hearted smile before nodding, letting Buffy pull her to her feet and lead her away from the school. Buffy kept an arm locked around her waist and Xander moved up beside the redhead to place an arm around her shoulders as they walked. Cordelia completed the quartet, allowing Xander to hold her hand as they wandered away from the smoldering ruins of Sunnydale High.
It wasn't that far from Buffy's home when the Slayer had heard the initial noise. It had sounded like a faint kind of popping noise, causing the blonde to falter in her step. This in turned stopped the other three, Willow immediately pulling out a stake as Buffy looked around them suspiciously.
"Vamps?" Xander asked, pulling a stake out of his pant leg. Buffy shrugged, turning around in a circle, her eyes focused on the dark shadows of the street. Cordelia began to hum nervously, a stake in one hand and a cross in the other. Willow moved up next to the girl, placing a reassuring hand on her left arm.
"I know you're out there, so just come on out already!" Buffy called out, her voice ringing in the dead silence of the night. Nothing, not a thing. Willow licked her dry lips, her eyes also trained on the shadows around them. The next popping noise that came was heard by all four of them and immediately weapons were raised and the Slayer on alert. The popping noise happened again, and then again, until there was a tiny chorus of them.
"Show yourself!" Buffy demanded of the intruders. Footsteps answered her call and Willow watched in amazement as a legion of people emerged from the shadows of the street.
"Why are men in dresses pointing thin stakes at us?" Cordelia asked Willow. The redhead shrugged, uncertain as to what they should do. Buffy looked hard at the arrivals, her face a mask of confusion.
"You're not demons," the Slayer announced.
"We're not," came the agreement, from a British voice. A small, slightly round man came into view. He was a shifty character, his greying hair pushed under a small bowler hat as he levelled a shaky wand at the four friends.
"But we have business with her tonight," the man continued. Willow felt herself arch an eyebrow. The man had been referring to her.
"Well, that's too bad isn't it?" Buffy snorted, stepping in front of Willow. "Because she's my best friend and you're not doing any sort of business with her."
"Way to tell 'em Buffy," Xander encouraged his fair friend. The man's eyes narrowed and Willow thought she saw them fill with fiery indignation. He made some sort of signal at the others, saw them comply by marching forward.
"I am Cornelius Fudge!" the man declared, his stick still pointed Willow's way. "And by the authority of the Ministry of Magic, I am putting that witch under detainment!"
"What the hell is he talking about?" Xander demanded.
"More like what is he on?" Cordelia snickered. "'Cause I'm thinking its seriously potent. Is he actually threatening Buffy with that stick?"
"This isn't good," Willow murmured to Buffy. The blonde tossed a smile at her friend before lashing out quickly, knocking down the closest two of the intruders.
"Authorize that!" the Slayer sneered at Fudge. Willow felt her eyes go wide as the man began screeching. She tried to warn Buffy, but it was too late. A chorus of voices broke out, weird Latin phrases being hurled their way. Willow winced, trying to pull Buffy back away from the strangers, but in vain.
A bright flash erupted in the middle of that street and Willow could think no more.
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