AN: Again, I do NOT own anything. Really, I have nothing.
Timeline for Buffy is obviously after season 1, beginning season 2. As for HP, I'm going to make it after 5th year, as I don't want a certain character to be dead yet and because when I originally started this story HBP wasn't out yet. I will probably incorporate it though. Unfortunately, I do not have my Harry Potter books with me, so if I get details wrong, just go with it. Point it out to me if you want. Harry and the gang will be just turning 17, instead of 16, which is what I think Harry turns in the the 6th book to help the ages go along. AKA they are the same age as Buffy and the gang. Please review, it makes me happy. And I am open to ideas from reviews too.
Chapter 1: Escape
"Buffy!" Giles looked up startled as the blonde teen entered the library.
"Hey," she said. "So what's the what? Any new baddies in town for me to kill? It's kinda been dead lately. Not dead dead. Dead as in no undead hanging around..." she trailed off and briefly frowned at her words. "This means something big is happening doesn't it?" she asked with a tilt of her head.
The doors of the library swung open again as Xander and Willow walked in.
"G man! Buffster!" Xander greeted with enthusiasm while Willow plopped herself on a chair and gave a hesitant hi to Buffy. Her friend had not been herself lately. She'd been out Cordelia-ing Cordelia.
"Please do not call me that, Xander. Ever," Giles said before turning his attention to his charge. "Now Buffy, I have no reason to believe anything... big is happening any time soon. The only concern I have is over your recent behavior," Giles told her.
"What? What do you mean? You should be happy! I have been dutifully kicking bad guy ass wherever I can find it!" It was true. She had been venting her frustrations with everything slay related, and life related for that matter on the local vamp and demon population. They were probably just avoiding her or something. She really had been devastatingly deadly lately. She'd avoid her too if she were an evil undead. And hey, she just used alliteration! Devastatingly deadly! And Willow didn't even give her kudos. Totally side tracking now. "I've been super slay gal!"
"Um Buffy," Willow interjected. "Giles is right. You're not acting yourself." Seeing the glare the angry slayer was now giving her and not wanting to upset her friend any further, she continued. "I know this has been hard for you, but you can't face this yourself. Let us help you."
Buffy interrupted with a laugh. It sounded girly and harsh at the same time. Then she immediately turned serious. "No Willow. That's the thing. I'm dealing. I'm fine." She paused. "And anyways, you don't know what it's like. You don't know what it is like to be killed, to die. Alone. You don't know what it is like to fight every night for your life, never knowing when it will be your last." Her voice kept rising as she talked. "You don't know what it's like to be told you have to die to save the world, and nobody will ever even know what you sacrifice. You don't know what its like not to have a future, to have your mom look at you the way my mom does with such disappointment. Or what it's like to have people look at you like you're some kind of delinquent, or freak or, or insane," she said closing her eyes remembering what it was like to be locked up that brief time in the mental institution. Something she had never told them and never will. It had been awful, to be so desperate and afraid and to have no one believe you and lock you up instead. God, one more craptacular chapter in Buffy's life. She looked up, her eyes like steal. "And I can face it myself. I always have and always will. In the end, a slayer is always alone. Chosen one. She alone. It's always me. Take away everything else and what's left? I am. Just me." Buffy abruptly ended her rant, glared and took a breath, and stalked out of the library.
Everyone was quiet for a moment. "Gee that went well," Xander commented. Willow just stared. She felt horrible for her friend. Giles rubbed his glasses. He had wanted to talk to her about the new slayer coming and her possible leaving but it seems it will just have to wait. If she could even go, that is. He was sure however that it would be fairly easy to convince Joyce to let her leave. He was planning on telling her it was a special study abroad program and that it would greatly benefit her. It was convincing Buffy that would be difficult. In her present state, he had no idea how she'd react.
Meanwhile, Buffy ran into her math class, barely making it on time and earning a none-too-nice look from her teacher. She sat down and promptly proceeded to space out. What was the point? It's not like you need math to kill vampires. And she'll most likely never make it out of high school, much less Sunnydale ever anyways. At least not alive. She raised her hand.
"Miss Summers?" her teacher asked, surprised at her participation.
"Yeah I feel sick I need a pass," Buffy answered not even bothering to put on a fake sick act. Her teacher didn't care either way anyways and wrote up the pass and Buffy left school. She spent the rest of the day wandering around town trying to sort through her thoughts. She paused when she came to where the Master's bones were buried. A chill rose up her spine.
"Loser," she said, repeating the words she had said that night. She definitely needed to patrol tonight. Strange as it was, ever since she had come back she felt stronger. She never could hide from her destiny, there was no denying it. She actually liked pummeling the vampires and demons. She was good at it. Nothing had ever come to her so naturally before. Her destiny seemed all she had going for her, even if it did lead to another early death. Buffy stopped her line of thinking. Brooding was Angel's job anyways. She was overreacting. She stopped the Master and was dead for like what, 5 minutes? Big deal, just another dead Big Bad. But it was different to her. She didn't want to die again, no matter how tired of everything she was sometimes. Dying was scary and it hurt. And she was only 16. She sighed. It was hard trying to be a friend, a daughter, a student, and a Slayer. Not to mention whatever she had with Angel. She needed to get away, that's what she needed. It was tiring having to pretend to be someone she was not. Yes, she needed to escape.
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