The Scooby Gang
Book III: Settling In
Disclaimer: I have no property rights to any published or copyrighted material that is reserved to those that make money from ideas which I do not.
Summery: The third book on the now dimensionally stranded Scoobies. With the manor stuck in Yellow Space they utilize the doors to have a life outside the manor as the group grows closer to finding their personal place in multiverse..
Sequel to 'The Scooby Gang Book 1' and 'The Scooby Gang Book 2'
Warning: Multi Ship M/FFF ahead!
Crossovers: Harry Potter, Stargate, Honor Harrington, and Highlander
CHAPTER 2: Animal's Work Ethic
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Hell week! That was the first week Xander worked with Grayson setting up all the hellish paperwork not to mention the installation of the different additions to the Orbital. It was only luck that most of the employees of Orbital Four had been away with the holiday calibrations because the skeleton crew made some of the physical changes for the Orbital Processing Plant much easier to for Xander to install. As far as the paperwork went he lucked out on that too because Frank was 'kind enough' to explain everything in detail so at least he understood what he was looking at now. Add to that there was a stress, the trips between Grayson and Orbital Four held a type of a mixed bag from a relief from the technical and manual labor or paper work, to an anticipation and anxiety of dealing with more paperwork in person without Frank to rely on.
It was near the middle of the second week of work that Giles broached a subject with Xander, "Xander?"
Xander looked up; he was reading a hand held pad that Egeria and Wills put together. Some of the databases Egeria had from the Ra infested world had quite a bit of information but it was all difficult to sort through as if hiding technology was a part of every day life. The pad was a mix of that technology and the current technology Manticore and Beowulf had used. The subject matter was mostly on Naquadah and information on elemental processing from Blasedale.
His voice sounded as he caught Giles eyes, "Yea Giles?"
"Is there a reason you don't simply set up another Door to Grayson? I mean, I don't mind spending hours upon hours with you. This is the third trip this week. It might lessen when you're done setting everything up and find a rhythm but that won't be for another week at least. You might as well set up an apartment slash office there and leave a Door there."
The 'look' on Xander face had Giles fighting the inner Ripper to not burst out laughing. The young man looked a cross between constipated and like he wanted to slam his own head into the wall, hard… three or four times.
"Um, actually that's a good idea. I'll go talk to Dawn and set it up. I'm not sure if distance will matter but I don't think it will, especially if we use Dawn's blood like we did setting up the other Doorways." He paused by the door and looked back. "Just out of curiosity, how long have you had this idea and why didn't you share it earlier?"
Giles gulps at Xander's almost glare before he shrugs. "After flying here from Manticore, I thought it was too bad we didn't leave an additional Doorway on Manticore."
Xander sighs and nods on his way out of the bridge. Giles burst out laughing as soon as the young sod was out the door.
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The apartment was nice. He'd talked to Mayhew about it and the Steadholder liked the idea. It also was a way to have a local address for tax reasons. Setting it up took another day on Grayson and Xander was sure to add a rune to the collar to push away the heavy metals in the air so he didn't breathe them in.
Using the Door made him recall the VPs. Recalling how the scouts could be used to observe the gravity of the areas. The VPs weren't currently being used at all.
Xander spent an hour or so coming up with new methods of observation for the Scouts. The new scouts he'd named EG Scouts and had a wide gravimetric observation without any photonic refraction needed. In other words, it saw with gravity instead of light. The EG Scouts were all keyed to a large VP and had fewer joint controls. The reason it took so long to make was because these scouts were basically programmed to operate receptively with the same orbital pattern coordinated between the Yeltsin Star and each of the other scouts, meanwhile staying a distance away from any large gravimetric disturbance.
The advanced sensor net wasn't easily maintained, in fact Xander was halfway sure it was a flop because space was quite frankly too large to monitor it all and so he had to work at eliminating gravity sources that were constants. He left the Yeltsin Star, Grayson, and the platforms but the asteroid field made up of several billion asteroids needed to be individually cleared to see new gravities inside the asteroid field otherwise they were just a blur. The work was only able to be done by someone with a runes talent, he supposed the Hogwarts crowd might help with it but it was boring work that he'd do to just relax a bit. He really wished he could put it onto a computer and have the computer eliminate the asteroids and such.
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Having a regular work schedule on Orbital Four helped to provide some consistency for Xander which he'd felt the need for. Xander hadn't ever held down a job and this new exciting experience was one he enjoyed. With Egeria's help he'd fully understood what he was doing and the goal of what was accomplishing not to mention the technical know how and operation of the processing nods. He knew them inside and out, the limits and how to push them and that was on their inventiveness not all of the information came from the Goa'uld technology. There was mixed tech in the over all product from Goa'uld, and Blasedale, to even filched general information from the Solarian League.
As the month turned with Xander working on Orbital Four he found he wasn't the only one that found an outlet for their time. Kendra and Buffy had taken to Sunnydale during the week when Buffy was in school, at least the evenings. They'd found patrolling the areas Buffy didn't get to was a boon and because of this Sunnydale was becoming less of a vampire central than ever.
The fact that Xander wasn't there and Kendra, though she liked girls well enough preferred Xander there had nothing to do with pent up energy, nothing at all. Three days into the routine the duo of slayers had eliminated close to a hundred vampires from Sunnydale. They were talking about visiting LA through the Doorways to patrol with Cordelia.
Xander was fairly sure when he heard about it that it was Buffy attempting to pull Kendra into a shopping extravaganza. He didn't mind.
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Both the Giles were both sitting together sharing a whisky; it was one of the more expensive kinds. The elder Giles shares with a grin, "There is going to be a shortage of vampires on the Hellmouth this year."
A fond smile came to his younger self's face.
He adds, "I don't know if Buffy, my Buffy that is, will be all that appreciative until she realizes the lives that were saved."
"Yes, our own Buffy is that way as well. How is the rest of the group? I haven't seen Xander and Anya come to the manor much."
"Anya dislikes having two Xanders around and being unable to make the most of it, and she knows that she dislikes sharing so would be jealous of his harem."
Giles the younger chokes at the use of that word as they'd avoided it so far but evidently the word was out now, "Yes, I can see that. And of course your Xander would follow her lead on that."
He agrees on that and asks after, "How are Joyce and Dawnie settling in?"
"Joyce has taken to mothering Dawn much to Dawnie's thrill. I believe she finds the freedom a bit… liberating. Joyce always seems to know when Dawnie is up to something." He shakes his head. "I have observed the two and Dawnie is quite a bit more mischievous, a healthy young girl, but Dawn is much more mature than her age should allot. Then again she was ignored by everyone most of her life and had to learn her own limits and rely on her own understanding of things early on." He growls, "I curse the Powers that did that to her."
Giles nodded at Giles. "I can understand that." He took a sip of the whisky they were sharing. "I too noticed she was much more mature but is it truly because of her conditioning by the Powers, or because Xander stepped up into the role he had the potential to be in while encouraging her to do the same?"
"You bring an interested point."
The elder Sunnydale resident shrugs and adds another observation, "Recently the group faced a Frankenstein creation of demon, human, and a machine of all things!" he shook his head in disgust. "We did an enjoining spell, Xander's idea actually, and he was the heart of the group."
He smirks at the surprised look the other Giles had. "For the spell to work I would have to say it was an accurate description, and that means much more than they realize."
Giles looked at the elder, "For it to work? I take it that it did work as you didn't say 'tried'."
"Oh yes, and it also brought us closer together. I can feel them at times in the magic. Well I could until your Xander gave us these wonderful straps of runic inscribed leather." He brushed his strap that was on his left shoulder. It was tasteful looking piece of apparel.
"I see, and you don't need the trumps to communicate I take it?"
"No, and I must also comment or ask; how do you know which one to communicate with?"
"Xander explained that to me. He shared that a major factor in the runic communication is intent. So long as you have a clear personal memory, then it will work as designed. It was one of the reasons the trumps don't work unless you've had physical contact with the actual person, not some video or communication relay of them. It also helps to have touched their mind; I noticed it was easier after the aspect of the demon. Have Buffy and Riley had their fight yet?"
He smirked and nodded. "Riley was taking meds still he'd received from Walsh." He'd spat the name. "It helped him build strength and speed but the damage it was doing wasn't a good thing, and the demonic poisons were building up. Even the treatment he was receiving on your ship wasn't enough to remove the demonic taint. She told him she didn't want to date demons anymore and that was the path he was taking. He's flushed the remainder of the pills down the toilet and is working with Tara and your Wills and Janna to help with a cleansing ritual. Willow is observing it as she has never done one and will do it after they have helped him cleanse his aura. Do I want to know what Tara and Xander spoke of on her birthday? She seems much more confident after that?"
"I don't know but he had a very pissed off expression on his face when he shared that Tara's family was no longer going to be an issue with their bothering her. He vanished for a few hours time to your world during her birthday celebration."
"I see. She didn't talk about it. Willow and Buffy seem to be tightlipped about what they know, even if Willow shared her worry about being asked to join his harem, much to Buffy's amusement. Buffy told me she wasn't sure if Willow was hoping for it or disparaging against it. Worse still Buffy was fairly sure Willow didn't know which either."
They both laugh at that.
"I don't think Xander invited them but I don't think he would turn them away if they asked either. I have come to believe that Xander, once he has claimed a girl, a young woman, as family, that he can never tell her no, unless it would cause harm to another of the girls he'd claimed as family."
He nods in agreement. "Our Xander hurt his standing and his friendships because of that, whereas your Xander turned that in to an asset."
"Oh it wasn't him, Miss Chase and Wills worked hard to do so" he licked his lips.
The older Giles blushed realizing what the younger Giles was saying.
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The processing station on Orbital Four had increased the output of materials by seventy-nine percent. The efficiency was increased by twelve percent on a pound by pound basis, or was it kilogram by kilogram. The Naquadah was pouring in but Xander was constantly tired as he felt had to monitor the newly installed processing nodes to check them against the handheld information and then check them again when they changed often making minor adjustments to improved the settings for the new changes. It was the end of the week before he had gotten a feel for it, by look alone and no longer needed the handheld to verify the settings configuration.
He wasn't alone in his daily work. He'd constantly been working with the others who'd returned from their Christmas holiday. They were mostly doing the labor but he didn't slouch on his share even if he wasn't paid to. That had worked in his favor, as it not only gave him a feel for the overall work, start to finish, but it also created some camaraderie and even a friendship.
"So speak up Xander, tell me about your women." One of the men, Tyler, was a bit more liberal than the others. He'd found a kindred spirit in Xander and became somewhat good friends with him as the weeks progressed. "You said you are not from Grayson, so how is that you have four wives?"
Xander sighs, "It really isn't like that. The planet I'm from didn't allow multiple spouses. So we had an agreement, a commitment that any planet would call marriage, but I got use to them being just 'my girls' and so when someone says wives I tend to freeze up a bit, don't want to end up in jail if you know what I mean?"
"I didn't think they were any planets like that left, some backwater mud-ball?" he asked glancing at the node Xander had installed, that sort of contradicted that idea.
"Maybe, but it was home. There is Cordelia, she's outspoken to the point that she can be down right rude at times. She's very confident and has a tendency to take charge when she feels the need. Willow, this shy, petite, redhead, and very slow to anger, but don't piss her off. She also has this Resolve Face for when she feels strongly about something. She'll use it until you give in. She's the smartest person I know, and I've known some geniuses in my time. She's also the most vulnerable when it comes to emotions. She seems to sometimes take things out of context and is hurt by this new definition that wasn't even close to what was meant. Kendra is very quite, she's seen and not heard but if you rile her she'd break any man in half, my-self included. She was instructed as a child and knows more about fighting then most ever could even with Prolong. Then there's Dawn."
He smiles slightly. "Dawn is younger than the others but she lost her mother before she became an adult and it matured her greatly. Dawn is needier than the others. She's also the one that is the doctor for the family; no she's not had any schooling but she's the one that we go to for general medical stuff. She's the one that handled the Prolong therapy."
Tyler nods, "It sounds like you have a full family."
Xander nods. He knew that information on his wives was no doubt going to be sent, as it was recorded, to Mayhew. He knew Captain Hill was recording all his movements on Orbital Four and would feel this information should be shared and perhaps celebrated as a plus
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Steadholder Michael Mayhew was a young man who appreciated the way the young visitor's beliefs or maybe behaviors were so similar to his own. He had not yet married, only recently coming into his majority and he'd spent quite a bit of time working on his studies abroad.
Michael wasn't sure which world Xander came from but he had to agree with the others' observations that the young man had indeed claimed the young women, or maybe the young women had claimed Xander. Regardless of how it happened the young visitor to their system had firmly committed himself to them and would no doubt protect them.
What Michael was sure of was that Xander was more likely to allow them to protect themselves overall when compared to most Graysons. Of course that too had become Michaels personally belief overall. It didn't protecting women to simply remove the test from their lives; in fact he was of the mind that it weakened them. He understood that where many Graysons did not feel that way.
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LeVelle Manor
Giles was relaxing with a good book loaned to him by his analog. He was interrupted when Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Susan, and Luna entered the manor.
Looking up he scrunched up his nose in consternation at an unexpected arrival, it was a habit he picked up from Buffy unconsciously, "Harry, kids?"
Harry felt relieved that someone was here for some reason, "Hey Mr. Giles. It's Hogsmeade weekend so we came as early as was allowed."
Giles recalled Sirius and Egeria talking about the legitimate Hogsmeade weekend being November 16 for Hogwarts. It wasn't that it would stop the two from sneaking into Hogwarts to visit with Ron and Harry or meeting them in Hogsmeade after the students used the Marauders' Map. He recalled the first Hogsmeade weekend a day before Tara's birthday which was a Wednesday for Sunnydale. Keeping track of the days for the different worlds was quite a task.
Smiling at the sudden understanding Giles finishes, "And you decided to forgo the weekend in Hogsmeade for a visit, I take it?"
They all nod.
The lanky redhead he knew was Ron asks him, "Is Egeria in or through one of the Doorways?"
Having to put up with Ron's constant talk about Egeria since summer, this had garnered a grin and chuckle from Harry and Hermione respectively. It was greatly surprising to Harry that Hermione hadn't felt an ounce of jealousy over the girl.
Gesturing to the room Giles shared with him, "She's in the old VP room, the violent one."
Ron rushes off.
Hermione sits, "What's going on in there?"
Giles closes his book realizing that they wanted to visit and gestures. "Why don't I put on some tea…" there was a pop and a tea set appeared.
Giles gave a sigh and says, "Thank you Dobby. Egeria is working on comparing and contrasting the designs for a Star Falcon like The Joyce with what she knows of shield generators and weapons systems."
Hermione shrugs, "Oh."
She supposed that she'd become a bit more use to personal gossip than status reports for projects. Giles seemed to smile at that and they started to talk about the Grayson and Masada conflict. Giles was of course carefully avoiding the issues of equal rights. He was well aware of her penchant for knitting hats.
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About three hours after the kids showed up, Frank arrived from Blasedale, which was doorway two.
At the way Frank plopped down, Giles smiled just a bit as he asks, "Long day at the office?"
"Unbearable, Dobby could you please get me my…" There was a pop and he smiles widely, "Thank you Dobby."
He pulled off his shoes and socks and set his aching feet into the tub of water that was just the right temperature.
Frank mutters conversationally, "We so need to get a hot tub outside."
Seeing the exhausted look Hermione asks, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing my dear." Frank smiles, "I seem to have forgotten the time." His voice took on that of a sage or wise man. "With attending to tasks in different worlds one must remember to pace themselves."
At her confused expression he explains, "It's only about three in the afternoon on Friday in San Dale and Blasedale, and I've been there most of the day. Before that I was in the Sunnydale's World which was a Tuesday. I was working to set up some accounts in LA. Before that I was with my cousin in Utah setting up some investments for LeVelle Industries. I started there early Wednesday it would be late Thursday there now. Before that I was on your world setting up the same, that Wednesday afternoon for you. I've been on the go for close to nearly sixty hours straight, and as I was constantly in the daylight. It was playing tricks on my mind. I'm use to working daylight hours you see."
Hermione was wide eyed as she was having flashbacks to her third year which this maniac schedule starkly reminded her of. She nodded with sympathy at his plight. However while third year was still fresh on her mind two Willows arrived from the Sunnydale's Doorway.
Seeing two Willows Hermione sternly asks, "Did someone mess with a time-turner?"
Hermione's thoughts were, 'There were reasons not to interact with your other self while using one of those cursed items.'
Both Willow's eyes light up and as one they ask, "Time turner?"
Harry burst out laughing as did Sirius who he was talking with at the moment.
Harry said, "I thought you knew about their doubles from Sunnydale, Hermione?"
She blushes furiously. "I… I didn't remember – I was thinking about how much I worked when I was using a time turner…" she shares before she then complains, "and then two Willows pop in."
Frank laughs nodding. "I see."
Changing the subject for the poor embarrassed girl, Giles asks, "How go your studies at Hogwarts?"
"Boring" Harry said blandly with a twinkle in his eyes. "I can see how my dad and Sirius took up pranking. I might have done the same if I hadn't had so many other things to occupy my time the first four or five years of Hogwarts."
Hermione huffs well naturedly, with a bantering tone she tells Giles, "He wants to be an Animagus." She turned to glare at the newly arrived Sirius who had entered while she was speaking with Frank, she adds, "He doesn't want to register."
Sirius lets out a whoop of thrill as he hadn't known anything about the former conversation. This earned him a glare from the huffy Hermione as he whooped and cheered, she knew that he was only catching up to what they were talking about halfway through the cheer, as his eyes lit up with mischievous understanding. Perhaps she shouldn't have said that last bit as she knew she'd lost before she could argue.
Giles curiously asks, "Animagus, that is what Minerva is, a cat I believe?"
Hermione sniffs, "Yes, but she registered."
Giles asks for clarification, "With your ministry… I take it?"
She nods and he smiles, "I can understand his reluctance. Those records are available to public and Mr. Potter has many more enemies than Minerva does."
Hermione sighs as that was entirely too logical. If she was going to lose argument she would much rather lose it in the heat of the moment than to cold logic as that made her feel stupid. Of course Harry was half way grinning and halfway smirking at her.
Sirius spoke up, "It is a load of work and I think Aura found some books that might help the selection process. I gather that there is an entire branch of magic from Sunnydale that is about animal magic."
Giles widens his eyes as he realizes what magic Sirius is talking about and offers up an idea, "Perhaps before you begin you might wish to speak to Xander about it. He was greatly affected by the hyena. It will also give you an idea of what can go wrong if done incorrectly."
They all nod.
"You might find the Xander of Sunnydale easier, as LeVelle is going to be gone for another seven hours most likely."
"What's he doing?"
"He is changing out another batch of Node Processors with an upgrade and double checking that they are working to specs. It is an arduous process, pun intended." He grins.
With Xander absent, it was Cordelia that asked them before they left if they wanted to take a Door to Hogwarts. She had been working on making one herself and Dawn was willing to give the blood to try. It didn't take too much time and Sirius Apparated it to the shrieking shack from Grimmauld Place. There they took it through to Hogwarts. The perfect hiding place was the collapsed tunnel to Hogsmeade as anyone that knew about it knew it was collapsed.
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The Hogwarts crew decided to do the Animagus. The primal empowerment that both Xanders suffered seemed to be very similar to the merging of the inner animal which was the first steps of the empowerment. However the empowerment ritual allowed you to select the animal and attempt the merger rather than trying to find your inner animal on the off chance you had one. Harry was fairly sure they could do both rituals. He wasn't completely convinced however but voices his strong desire to know his inner as well as merge with it.
Ginny nods, "I agree with Harry, we should do both. The merging isn't part of the vision anyway we should be able to do the vision again to find the same animal if we don't merge after the vision."
Hermione huffs, "Fine!"
Of course that huffiness was lost the next moment when she turned and started to dig out sealed vials with potion in them from her mokeskin bag.
Seeing their looks she asks, "What?"
All the students with her were smirking but it was Susan that pointed out the obvious, all the while she was still smirking, "You had this planned regardless didn't you?"
Hermione turns red. "Okay, so I did. I have the potions to give to the others too."
"You think the Xanders will want to do it?"
"I think Xander LeVelle will, for sure. The other one…? Maybe not." She liked the older Xander just fine but he didn't seem complete somehow and she wasn't going to touch that thought.
"I know Egeria wants to try it, Giles and Giles will as well." Ron stated then added, "Angel is curious if it will affect his being a vampire in an alternative form."
Hermione couldn't help it the educated sounding Ron turned her on. She reaches over and pulls him into a passionate kiss that could have melted paint off walls. He was grinning when she let go only to have Luna reach up and gently as could be, kiss his lips. Luna's kiss wasn't hard with passion it was soft and pleasant but held the subtle promise of future long lasting pleasure.
Harry asks Hermione, "Do we have time to do it before curfew?"
Hermione nods with her excitement showing through along side the desire to know what her animal form is.
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It was the second half of November for Hogwarts and Sunnydale but January was half over for the new year of the other three realms. Just trying to keep the dates straight had been a chore they eventually had three calendars pinned up next to the Doors.
It was according to their old world's date and time, on Xander's old watch, October twenty-first, two years and eleven months behind the current Sunnydale, not accounting for hours or leap year. They had spent quite a bit of time in the different worlds and for some reason it felt as though it was late November to Xander even the watch said it was mid October
The portal was never going to take them to the world they always thought of as home so they decided that it just wasn't the date time calendar they were going to follow, The question was which one do they follow. Half the group was doing twenty eight hour days with a bonus four hours extra sleep. The only reason Xander wasn't participating in the extra slumber was because he was following Grayson's time schedule which ironically meant twenty four hour days.
If Xander had it rough, Frank had it worse. It was no wonder Michael was staying in Blasedale so much. Frank had been run ragged but he so enjoyed the challenge. Janet had taken to tying him down at 'night' to have her wicked way with him and then leaving him tied up to make sure he got rest, much to the amusement of the others' at the Manor.
Xander sat down for diner at the Manor, once a week, as it was agreed upon to sit and eat together at this 'time' no matter when it was through each Door. This was done on Sunday for Grayson, which was Saturday for Hogwarts, Friday for Blasedale, Thursday for Allen and Harriet, and Wednesday for Sunnydale. This was the only time that Anya and Xander were there too. Angel and Cordelia from LA would come up then too and they would have a large barbeque in the back.
Amanda and Duncan would come while Ritchey was sometimes there and sometimes not. He'd taken to spending quite a bit of time on the Chappa'ai's world, though not with the RV. He had his own bike and sidecar with supplies and had enough food and such, to just get away from the world, and not be recognized.
Kindly Amanda asks Xander, "How goes your processing station?"
Xander had the look of someone overworked and he wasn't the only one she could see that was. Frank had the same look.
"Good" he smiled widely. "They know how to work hard that's for sure. I have to admit I have been busy. They were off the week when I started but then they took another week off for New Years too. I think they normally only take an extended weekend for New Years Day, but regardless it was a godsend. If they'd been there it would have taken me a month to set up. That doesn't count the evil that is paperwork. Of course it went smoother when we finally put a Doorway on Grayson."
He glanced at Giles briefly. It was obvious who he blamed for not having one earlier. She couldn't help but smile at that half affection half aggravation.
"Everyone is there now working their butts off and it's paying off well. We hit the eighteen percent efficiency mark last week for the amount of material processed and we're getting thirteen point five percent better quality of the material on a weight for weight base."
He shook his head. "I was approved for the patent on Grayson and LeVelle Industries is making quite the number of Austins, that's the currency Grayson uses. The profit isn't just for me but for the Mayhew Steading as well. They are also harvesting the Naquadah and selling it to LeVelle Industries, per agreement. I've been leaving the Naquadah stored in a rental on Grayson to stock up and plan to pick it up once every other month. I really don't want to run it through the door by the handfuls like that."
Amanda nods; then offers an idea, "You could just put a larger doorway outside."
Xander blinked and slowly nodded. "I could do that. We might just… the small one man craft Egeria wants to build and the remotes she and Wills are playing with could be built outside and if we had a large Door they could get them out of here." He looked around and shrugged, "Maybe I'll look at different Doors and see what I can find as far as good wood and such."
"It has to be wood then?"
He nods though unconvincingly. "I think so, wood or something that is from the living. I suppose you make it from a large animal bone."
She nods. "I heard the kids sent a potion for everyone to use if they wanted to try."
Xander shrugs, "There're about forty doses per cauldron for the Animagus ritual, and I think everyone here could do it or at least try."
"Are you going to?" That was the real kicker, she didn't care to try so much as she wanted to know if the young man was going to, she wanted to know if he was a hyena, which seemed to be what other's assumed he would be.
"I might. I think I will, but I just don't have the time to spend trying to achieve the form."
"Xander" Sirius said from down the table a bit, having been listening in. "The form isn't achieved quite the same as in the books. Not when you add a secondary potion after the form is merged. If you were doing it alone without a wizard there then you couldn't use the second potion, but I'm already brewing it and it should be done next week which…" he shrugged. "If you do the vision quest now or tonight then you'll have time to merge the animal spirit good and solid before the potion is done."
Xander sighed but nodded.
Xander H nods, "I'll do it too. I'm curious if we have the same animal spirit."
With that it was a done deal.
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That night Xander dreamed as the potion took hold while he slept. It was a shock to feel the cold of the dream. Running on six limbs as he swung from tree to tree, he knew it was a vision after a while, but it was so much fun being a Treecat. He never knew how arboreal they were, not that he knew the word arboreal before he'd read it in the description of the Treecats, he'd looked it up and it meant that they loved or frequented trees. How they could abandon trees for people he wasn't sure.
He woke with a start and smiled.
Dawn asks him, "So what was your form?"
Returning the smile he asks her, "What was yours?"
Dawn was beaming, "I'm a bird of fire like Fawkes but green fire instead of red."
Cordy glances over to Xander from halfway down the bed, "I didn't think magical animals were possible."
Xander groans as Cordelia took him firmly in hand.
Dawn shrugs, "Maybe it's the Key." She moves her leg to rub herself against Xander's hip so he could feel the heat which she knew was a turn on, "What are you now?"
Xander smirks and says, "I'm a Treecat!" Then he groans as almost instantly Cordy gave him a reward of her mouth around him and the tip of him pressed past her tonsils. It didn't quite distract him, "What are you Cordy?"
With her mouth full she mumbles and Dawn nudges her before asking Willow, "What about you, Wills?"
Willow purrs, "I'm a lynx!"
Xander noticed that she was glancing at him with a proud grin at the similarity between their forms.
Irritably Cordy took Xander out of her mouth and commented, "I'm a lion now leave me be!" Then she went back to trying to suck out her morning prize as though it was the fountain of youth. Xander had started to groan and Willow smirks at him. She moved down the bed and opened the trunk. Xander watched her as she put something on and then moved behind Cordelia whose eyes widen and he can feel her screaming shocked arousal at whatever Willow was doing.
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As it turns out Dawnie was the same as Dawn so they assumed it was the Key that allowed it, that was until they found out that Joyce was a hippogriff.
In unison the two Dawns smirk and offer, "So it's genetic then?"
Joyce was greatly flustered. She wasn't sure she'd been magical, as in wand waving but that really didn't matter. The only person at the Manor that didn't take the potion was Eric who was already put to bed and wouldn't be allowed until he was at least ten, and they didn't know if it would work for him.
"Well I'm not a magical bird so…" Buffy said glanced at the other Buffy.
The other Buffy shook her head as if offended, "I'm not either!"
"So what are you?" Dawnie snapped.
"Patience Dawnie" said Dawn. "She's just winding you up and now she knows to do it again."
Both Buffys glared at the elder Dawn.
"I'm a wolf twice the size of large, as Willow would say." That was the Sunnydale Buffy; Dawn was half sure, it was so hard to tell sometimes.
"Really, what color is your form, I'm white like snow and…"
"Do you have a spot right there?" she said glancing at her chest and the other Buffy nodded excitedly.
"So you share forms?" Xander LeVelle asked them, glancing at Dawn, Dawnie, and the two Buffys.
They all nod. "I'm a Treecat and the other Xander is a panther, much larger than me and seems to be able to fade into the dark shadows much easier." He sniffed but they all knew he liked that they were different.
"What is Anya?"
"I don't know but she was babbling about rabbits and was pleased so whatever it is kills rabbits, maybe she's a fox. Janna is a red fox by the way."
"Anya is a ferret," Giles said with some humor. "My other self is a dog same as I; a Great Dane to be precise."
"Were the immortals able to show a form? They left before I… was out of the room." Xander said altering the word choice just a bit.
Giles smirks. "Duncan is a dog. He said it was a mutt that has some hound and some retriever in it. Amanda is a raven; she liked her form quite a bit and said she couldn't wait to try it out."
Cordelia approaches looking worried. "My double is a large bird she doesn't know if it was a hawk or eagle." She pouted, "Are your forms different too?" they shake their heads and she sighs.
"Angel has two forms. One is a bat, he thinks it's the nature of the vampire essence, and the other is a large wolf like mine but slightly smaller." Buffy said sounding pleased.
The other Buffy sounded less pleased, "Riley was a hedgehog and he was pleased for some reason, I gather it was his high school mascot." She turned to Xander and asked curiously. "What was Kendra?"
He shrugged. "She was in the shower when I woke up."
"I am a coyote" Kendra said approaching she was pleased with her form; it wasn't too aggressive but sneaky and fit in well with the others.
"Does anyone know if the other Angel has the same as Angel's forms?"
Kendra nods. "De Vampire form is a bat and a large Eagle."
Xander raises an eyebrow. "Sort of like Cordy's form instead of Buffy's; has he moved on I wonder."
Buffy sighs with relief and glares at him when he smiles at her. "What?!" she hisses, "Just because I'm not in a relationship with him doesn't mean I don't want him to be happy."
"What are the other forms, Janet and Frank went to breakfast with Michael through Doorway two, and Allen and Harriet are on the road again."
Buffy was smiling thinking of the cute couple, she shares, "Allen and Harriet, they are a Chihuahua and a squirrel."
Dawnie thought differently and it came out in her tone, "Frank was a guard dog, I forget the name, and Janet was poodle."
Buffy sniffs, "Dobermans are not cute."
"Michael was a Russian Blue house cat. Amy was a Persian," Dawn offered. "I don't know Nancy or Aura's forms though."
Dawnie tells them, "A red dog like that cartoon dog named Cliff, and Aura was a small all black Beagle, you know, a hound dog?"
"A basset hound dog" Buffy corrected Dawnie with a smirk.
Dawn rolled her eyes before Dawnie could go off on her sister.
Xander nods thankful at Dawn's intervention there and tells them, "Tara was a white snowy owl, what was the other Willow?"
"She said she was a cat but wasn't sure what kind but she was small, and wasn't a common house cat."
Xander asks, "What was Egeria?"
Dawnie shrugged. "We don't know, she wants to find out what creature it was but I think it was magical."
"Why would you think that?" Buffy asked.
Dawnie glared at her. "She was looking in the magical texts; she was on demons at the time and was frustrated because none of them matched up."
"I'm glad we don't have any demon Animagus, that wouldn't be good. Do any of you know what the six from Hogwarts are?"
"No" they all agreed.
"Harry did say he'd shared about it over Christmas," Dawn said.
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