Title: Aude Sapere

Summary: As Buffy and the others pan out at Hogwarts, four men stay behind at the Ministry  to discover new meanings and uncover a secret that not even the Minister of Magic knows  exists. Addendum to "Harry Potter and the Slayer's Crusade".

Title Translation: Latin for 'dare to know'... which is basically why HPatSC is all about.

Author's Note: I wrote this because three of four characters have been left in the dark.  Giles, Wesley and Xander have all been doing important work and research for the Ministry.  My beta Grace actually requested more information about their "mission", so here it is.  Imagine it as an appendix to a book. I don't know how long it'll be.. it'll be as long as  the imagination takes me. And since my first emphasis is still on the original story, this  should only be updated when I have the time to write it and ship it to ms. beta upstairs.

Rating: I'll keep it at PG-13. Some adult language, etc.

Disclaimer: I don't own Joss Whedon or J.K. Rowling. I just borrow their characters for my  own maniacal pleasure and return them for good use the next day. This story is completely  AU and if any of these events have occurred in cannon or in any other story, forgive me  father, for I have sinned. Just let me know, okay?

If you do review, be critical. There's nothing I love more than people writing how much  they love my writing without telling me I've done something wrong.

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Chapter 1

Four Men Went Off Into the Sunset...

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"Well, here we are."

Xander put down the laser scalpel he'd been using to mold a plaster piece and glared at  Andrew, who stood next to the door, arms and legs both crossed, looking bored.

"You're late."

"I didn't expect that you'd be waiting for me," Andrew complained, shaking his head. "If  you had superpowers on the other hand, you could--"

"He doesn't, but I do," Wesley said, sweeping in from behind Andrew, sending the younger  man a scathing look. "If Xander says to show promptly at noon, you show up at noon. And not  in the middle of the afternoon."

Andrew looked as though he were about to mumble some ill-attempted excuse but instead  glared over their shoulders.

Xander placed the mask on top of his working table and brushed the dust on his hands onto  his jeans. "Wesley, would you care to accompany me into the next... er... office? Andrew,  stay here and don't touch anything."

Andrew glared at them both as Xander lead Wesley down a hall, shaking his head in  irritation. "I just wish that he'd show either one of us a hint more of respect," Wesley  finally said as Xander paused at a doorway and bent down to unlock it.

"I have a feeling that his respect for us will be earned when we start dealing in illegal  pocket protectors and Nintendo cartridges," Xander sighed as he pushed the door open and  flicked the light on.

Wesley walked inside and looked around. "Very impressive."

"I figured that since the four of us share that little flat, we could do ourselves a favor  and use my office to unwind," Xander said, gesturing at the enchanted window, which showed  a beautiful sunset on the horizon. "I get two of these a day at no extra charge."

Wesley chuckled and glanced at the squishy sofas and tables that Xander had placed around  the room. "Where did you get all of this?"

"Most of it was in the 'take not, want not' box," Xander replied, walking over to the full  bar on the opposite wall. "And they're installing a fireplace in here tomorrow so I can  keep up with full Hogwarts correspondence."

"You're good," Wesley said under his breath when Xander handed him a glass. "What is it?"

"Firewhiskey," Xander said, cheerfully pouring what remained of a bottle into a third  glass. "I think Giles will get here as soon as he's done doing... whatever it is he's  doing."

"He went to see Buffy today," Wesley replied, risking a sip of the scarlett liquid. The  moment he swallowed, it burned his throat but returned a cool, calm sensation. "That  actually hit the spot."

"I need to get a few more bottles," Xander replied, glancing mournfully at the few  remaining bottles. "A trip into Diagon Alley should cure that."

"You might need a wand for that," Wesley scoffed just as a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in!" Xander called out as Giles opened the door, looking moody and exhausted. "Giles!  Come on it, have a seat, your liquid is at the bar!"

Giles have a hasty smile and set down his briefcase before taking the glass and sniffing  it. "It smells dreadful."

Wesley took another long sip and grinned. "But it tastes something otherworldly."

"It probably is," Xander said suddenly, holding the glass at a length and staring at the  little firewhiskey that remained inside. "Scary."

"What is new with our friends at that lovely institution?" Wesley asked Giles, moving over  to make him a spot.

"Buffy is still unable to determine who the Hogwarts Slayer is," Giles said, finally taking  a sip of his beverage and relaxing somewhat. "Seeing Tara alive again is a bit of a shock,  I must say..."

"It would be a shock for anyone to realize she was still alive," Xander said quietly. "I  wonder how Wil is holding up. Maybe I'll talk to her tonight..."

"You'll have to use a Muggle phone though," Wesley said. "Buffy has one in her suite, I  imagine."

"Right," Xander nodded.

"Dawn has apparently made first contact with a boy, too," Giles said with a sigh. "She's  fallen quickly and fallen hard."

"The Dawn has a boyfriend?" Xander asked in shock. "That's fantastic!"

"Don't break out the parenting books just yet," Giles advised him as he set his drink  aside. "I'm not sure how long it will last. The boy is pureblood... and Dawn is... you  know... a Muggle."

"Does he know?" Wesley asked curiously.

"He does now... Dawn told him the truth about everything, or so it would seem."

"And what exactly did you tell Buffy of our operations here?" Wesley asked, his voice  dropping cautiously.

"I told her we're holding out," Giles said with a sigh. "But it'd be better if she knew  what was going on."

"I can't believe the Ministry started their own Initiative," Xander said in a bitter voice.  "I'm finding it so hard to believe that Oz is involved."

"She'll know soon enough," Giles replied, standing up and walking over to the enchanted  window. "Cordelia is on her way... she's awoken from her coma. And apparently Spike and  Angel are also in the country."

"This is good," Xander said, his voice low and serious. "Because we are going to need all  the help we can get."

"We are," Wesley agreed as he, too, rose and stood next to Giles. Xander drained the rest  of his firewhiskey.

"Until then, what do we do?"

"Whatever we can do," Giles said, smiling serenly as the window faded into darkness. "It's  all we can do for now, I'm afraid."

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So that's the rhythm of the new story... set up like an all-boys club with visits from  Cordy, Faith, etc. Other chapters will be longer... this is just an introduction!