Disclaimer: See first chapter.

AN: I just want to say that i probably won't update this quickly in the future because i do have other stories i want to finish, and the restof my senior year but i'll try to update as fast as i can. the rating will be increased for this and other chapters because the content is more adult and there is more language. see the bottom for review comments.

Chapter 2

The next morning dawned bright and early for Ron as he awoke to the sound of a screaming alarm clock. I'll never understand her need to wake up to this monstrosity. It has to be the most annoying sound on the planet. Turning off the alarm to allow Hermione time to sleep while he took a shower, he got out of bed.

Going to the wardrobe to lay out his clothes for the trip, he thought about the information he had received last night and what this meant. He couldn't for the life of him decipher how this man could help them to get Malfoy. But at least something was happening with the case. For so long, the case had been stagnant and stale. Every trail led to something they already knew or dead ends. Ron himself had been about to admit defeat when Dumbledore had called, but nobody needed to know this. That was one of the reasons he had ceded defeat to Draco so quickly. He wanted to do something that might lead to Malfoy, even if it meant his friends had to come. Besides, he was starting to miss the little adventures he had with Harry and Hermione at Hogwarts.

He pulled on the nozzle that released the warm spray from its barrier. Ron ran his fingers through the wall of water, testing the temperature before setting into its warm embrace. His hair was immediately drenched, coloring it a deeper red so that it was more like blood than the copper it normally was.

Gathering some shampoo in his hand, he rubbed the substance through his hair turning it into a frothy mass that sat atop his head. This was his favorite part of the day. It belonged totally to himself and permitted him to explore the inner workings of his mind. He let the water run through his hair, chasing the suds from their hiding places in his strands.

Then, Ron took some conditioner and massaged it into his head. Hermione always teased him for spending as much time in the shower as she did, but knew that he needed that time alone to be able to get through his day without killing someone. Being an Auror was a stressful job; everyone expected so much from them, but they were only human as everyone else. During Auror training, Ron learned to deal with the rigors of the job and to not let it consume you. If you let the job consume you, then you became a hardened, callous person that only saw the harsh realities of the world. That's when the darkness would settle in and it was hard to get the darkness out. Everyone had a little darkness within, but it's about not letting it get too large to control.

He thought about the first time he had seen someone lose it, as he stepped out of the shower into a nice fluffy towel. It was his second year of training, and a man came running into the office with his wand pointed at his throat. He was one of the night workers, seeing the many horrors of the night. He said he couldn't take it anymore; he couldn't forget the dull, pleading eyes of the little witch that had been murdered because of a custody suit. He couldn't sleep without remembering the family that had been tortured to the point of insanity by Death Eaters. The other Aurors tried to disarm him, but even in his state, he was still one of the best, and avoided their spells with ease. He finally said the curse everyone dreaded, and ended his terror that day. Ron had been working hard without paying attention to how it affected him. He rarely went out with friends and almost never just did something for himself. After that day he vowed to never let his control get away from him. That was day he began his ritual in to the shower.

He walked into the kitchen, hearing Hermione start her own shower. He got out a bowl, milk and his favorite cereal, sitting at the table with his breakfast and the paper, forgetting about his memories for a time.

Hermione came downstairs shortly afterwards and grabbing a banana nut muffin, they both apparated to their destination.

At about the time Ron was stepping into his own paradise, Harry and Ginny were seated at their kitchen table enjoying breakfast. It was a rather cheerful kitchen, painting in yellow and white with red ceramic counters. Harry was adamant about the colors of the kitchen; that was the only part of the house he had any opinion about. He didn't want it to be like the kitchen at Privet Drive, where he had spent so much of his time. He had always felt that the kitchen was the heart of the home, and that kitchen was spare, sterile and indifferent, like the people in the house. He didn't want that to be how his house was, so he chose warm colors and got Mrs. Weasley to make curtains to go with the windows to give it that extra feeling of love. It was his favorite part of the house and was very glad he finally had the kitchen he always wanted.

Ginny was thinking about what it would be like to work with her brother again. She knew how sensitive he could be about his work. He had been working on bringing Lucius Malfoy in for pretty much his entire career, and now someone was telling him that he needed help. She hoped he would let them help and not make the entire trip miserable for everyone.

Well, at least it was a chance to get out of the house and England for that matter. Harry and Ginny had never taken a proper honeymoon because of their busy schedules and their careers taking off as fast as they did. Because of her father's eccentric hobby, she knew quite a bit about Muggles before entering into the Ministry, and had quickly escalated through the ranks to be one of the best Liaisons in Britain. Perhaps this would the chance she had been looking for to prove to her boss she was ready for overseas work. Ginny had always dreamed of traveling the world and learning about new places and cultures.

"Do you think Draco is really coming to help us, or to get away from Dumbledore?" Harry asked, breaking through her thoughts.

"I'm not sure. Probably wants to get out form under the nose of Dumbledore. You remember what it was like to always be protected and watched over even when you didn't want it."

"True. I just hope he doesn't try to do anything stupid in the process. Has anyone other than Dumbledore been into his house, anyway?"

"I don't believe so. I know he never let me enter, and I doubt he would allow you guys in…did you notice last night that he was wearing long sleeves, even though it's the middle of summer. I wonder why."

"I don't know. Draco's one of those people that are so complicated and introspective that it's hard to break through their shell. And growing up in the environment that he did doesn't help." Harry commented as he got up to clear the table. "Ahh, well we'll just have to keep an eye on him in America. Who knows…maybe this trip will be good for him."

The two left the house shortly after, arriving at the destination before Ron and Hermione. Draco was already there, talking with Dumbledore about something. He looked up as they approached, but soon averted his eyes. He had again opted for a long sleeve shirt, this time a navy blue, and black pants. His small knapsack was resting on the ground by his feet.

"Ahh…good, good. We are all almost here. I was just reminding Draco here of the time change. England is roughly eight hours ahead of California, so youwill be arriving in the wee hours of the morning, about one."

Just as Dumbledore was finishing, Hermione and Ron came into view. He quickly repeated what he had just said, before continuing. "Remember you are trying to obtain information, so do try to use your magic sparingly. We don't want to alarm anyone, or break any codes. Once you have verified that the man in question is in fact who we are looking for, please notify us, so that we can obtain the information without hindrance. There are spells that need to be cast so others can't receive the information at the same time we do and use it to their advantage. I believe that is all. Good luck."

Dumbledore stepped back from the group, leaving them with his last words and a deflated football. Each touched hold, anticipating, but not looking forward to, the unpleasant jerk around their navels that happened several seconds later.

With their connection to the football pulling them ever onwards, the group felt the climate changes and shifts in temperatures. They couldn't see anything distinct, simply colors and indescribable shapes blur past them, melding time and space until nobody knew where they were or where they were going.

Suddenly the ground was upon them quickly as their trip came to abrupt end, dropping them in the middle of a forest. The darkness crept around them, enveloping them with tension that was held within. It reminded them heavily of the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts, full of dark and dangerous creatures that only appeared in their nightmares. The trees were scraggly and loomed towards them, beckoning them into the heart of the forest where untold horrors awaited.

"I think we should find a way out." Ron stated rather bluntly. All nodded in agreement, but nobody took the first step forward. After several minutes of this, Harry and Draco broke away at the same time, heading for some reason in the same direction.

"How do we know we're going in the right direction?" Ginny asked as she followed closely to her husband.

"We don't," came the terse reply from Draco. "but it was better than standing in the middle of the forest waiting for the unknown."

"This is just a feeling." Harry explained better. "It just seemed like this way led to life."

They continued walking through the forest, using only the light of their wands, figuring that there were no people out at this time of night. It was a little while later when they came upon the outskirts of a town. It looked to be a nice quiet little town. The streets were well kept and all the shops were locked down for the night, as they should be. Hermione and Ginny thought that this would be the easiest mission they had been on until Ron, Harry and Draco each tightened their grips on their wands.

Harry pulled Ginny closer to him, while Ron did the same with Hermione. "What's--"

"Shh. Something's not right. Just stay close and keep a hand on your wand." Harry said quietly to the group. They nodded in affirmative.

They crept slowly down the street until they got to the hotel Dumbledore said they would be staying at. The feeling never passed until they were inside the building, walking over to the counter where a clerk was sleeping soundly at the desk. His clothes were rumpled and his hair was sticking out in all directions, he had a little line of drool going from the corner of his mouth to the desk's mahogany finish.

Draco walked up to the counter and slammed his bag above the guy's head. The guy jerked his head, bringing his hand up to rub the sleep from his eyes. He slowly looked up into the angered face of Draco. Seeing people before him, he quickly sat up, straightening his clothes and hair as he went. He tried to focus his eyes, and finally succeeded when he said, "Umm…Hello, welcome to Sunnydale. How may I help you?" The man had a very raspy voice.

"First of all, you could start by staying awake when people arrive at check-in." Draco bit out.

"I'm terribly sorry about that. You see we don't get people coming in here after the sun goes down. So, umm…do you have a reservation?" His fingers were poised over the keyboard waiting for their answer.

"Yes," Harry said, giving Draco a look, before continuing. Draco just shrugged and drifted to the back of the group. "We have three rooms, all under the name Neville Longbottom." He pulled out an ID for the man to see, one that Dumbledore had created so that there would be no problem for them.

"I see everything is in order." He handed Harry back the ID. "You have room 111, 112, and 113. Please enjoy your stay."

Harry thanked him, took the keys, and led them down the hall to their rooms. "So Ron, what do you think Trelawney would say to us having room 113." He joked, while he escorted Ginny into their room.

Before they all entered their rooms, Hermione stopped them. "Listen, I know that we all are wide awake but we need to get some sleep. How about we meet in the lobby at nine, and decide what to do from there?"

"Fine. Whatever." Draco said before closing himself into his room. The others shrugged before following suit.

After a few restless hours of tossing and turning, Harry got up and went to look out into the early morning sunrise. He watched the shops begin to open; the people began to take over the streets, very few at first, then more and more until they were congested. He noticed that people didn't start to appear until the sun was showing on the horizon, and he wanted to know why.

He was deep in thought, when Ginny came over to him with a cup of tea. "How long have you been here?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Only for a couple of hours," he replied. "Is it time to leave yet?" Harry began to get up.

"Yup. Ron and Hermione are downstairs already, eating." Ginny gathered her knapsack with her camera and notepads, while Harry went to change out of his pajamas.

Once they were all set, they headed out into the hall to see Draco starring at the elevator.

"Ya know, if you stare at it long enough, it will move." Harry told him as he walked past.

"What in heaven's name is this contraption? I have yet to figure it out." He quickly fell in step beside them.

"It's an elevator. Muggles use it to move between floors without using the stairs." Ginny explained, entering the dining room and taking a seat next to her brother. "You might want to at least look like you know what muggle appliances are. People will think you are completely nutters otherwise."

Draco just looked at her, before going to get his breakfast.

After the five of them were finished, they headed out into the bright Californian sunlight. They weren't sure where to start looking for this unknown man, but they figured that they should split up so that they could cover more ground in less time. Harry and Ginny decided to look in all the restaurants and places selling food, Ron and Hermione would look in all other shops while Draco would look in any outdoor gathering. He figured that this way he didn't need to know much about muggle things.

They went their separate ways, agreeing to meet back at the hotel at six, and if they found anything, to contact the others immediately.

Draco wandered the streets for a bit but found this quite boring. The only reason he had agreed to come on this ridiculous mission was to leave England for a while. It held too many bad memories. Some of his worst were of his family and ironically here he was, trying to find someone that might somehow be connected to his family.

If he did have to be in America of all places, this was a pretty nice place to be, he did have to admit. Nothing was out of the ordinary; no mad men trying to rule the world or kill people. Everyone seemed happy.

He rather liked this odd town. He didn't have anyone telling him what to do, or how to feel, or asking how he is. He was finally feeling free, and he loved it. It was almost intoxicating, and heaven knows, Draco loved being intoxicated. It took away all emptiness and replaced it with something. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was like he could say and do anything without consequences, or if there were consequences, they were unimportant.

After several hours of walking through the parks and the streets, he decided he needed to step into a shop to cool off. In England, it was much cooler in the summer than in southern California, and he hadn't counted on that.

He looked up and spotted a shop that caught his eye, He smirked as he read the shop's name, "The Magic Box." He thought he'd step in and see what the muggles thought was magic.

Draco pulled open the door and heard from up above a little bell. Cute. He looked around and didn't see what he expected to see. It held many ingredients and objects that he would be surprised to see in Knockturn Alley.

He went over to a display case to admire their collection of mummied hands, when a girl came in from the back room. "How may I help…you…What are you doing here?" The tone was not one he had expected. It mean incredulous and condescending. "You can't be out in the daylight."

Draco looked around, wondering if she was talking about him. He was standing in front of a window, but it had blinds, not letting any light in. Noticing there was no one else in the shop, he pointed to himself, just wanting confirmation he was who she was talking to.

"Yes you. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about, and don't think I won't call Buffy." The girl was a petit thing, with dyed blond hair and high cheek bones. She was currently going back into the back room, calling for the aforementioned Buffy. Not really caring, Draco went back to looking at the display case, curious if they had what he needed for a potion he wanted to make when he got back to England.

"Don't you know when to leave well enough alone?" Draco looked up at the now smaller woman that had just come from the back room. She had shoulder length blond hair, and was pretty in a way. She gave off an aura of strength; something triggered in Draco's mind, but he didn't know what.

"You're Buffy, I presume. Well, I don't normally leave well enough alone, except this time, I haven't a clue as to what you're talking about. And you, you are a shop owner and a very poor one at that. The way you treated me was very unprofessional. If I was anywhere but here you would certainly feel my wrath." As he gave his little speech, he stepped closer to the two women and tried to exude power and strength like he had been taught by his father so long ago.

"Is that a threat?"

"No, it's a promise." Just then, the little bell above the door rang, bringing light into the room. Not wanting to be seen threatening women, he shrunk back into the shadows.

"So then, my teacher completely flipped out. We were all trying so hard--" The voice coming from the door stopped abruptly as the girl saw Draco. She was with two others, a guy around Draco's age with brown hair and a girl, also around his age, with red hair. She reminded him of the Weasleys and wondered if Ron had any family in the States.

"What are you doing here?" The guy had stepped in front of the younger girl, blocking her from view.

"What is this with Americans? You people have absolutely no class or manners." Draco was getting pretty upset by this point. He didn't need to be spoken to like this; he was Draco-Bloody-Malfoy! "I come into this ridiculous excuse for a shop and get the third degree!" Once more the bell rang, indicating more shoppers. "And that is the most annoying thing I have ever heard!"

He was going to rip the bell off by the hinges when he came face to face with Harry. Seeing the man's pissed-off expressions, Harry sighed.

"You look ready to kill." He commented lightly.

"I am." Draco was trying very hard to control his anger, and seeing Potter so God-damn calm was driving him up a wall.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing, that's the point."

"Well, obviously you've done something."

"Fine, ask them. But do it quickly because I need a drink and I think it best if someone comes with me. Heaven knows I'm not a pleasant drunk." Draco went to stand in the back, sulking.

Harry noticed for the first time the other people in the room. "Terribly sorry for his antics earlier. Umm…what exactly has he done now?"

"Do you know who that is?" The smaller blond asked with a hint of disbelief.

"Yes," he replied uncertainly.

"Well, then you do know how dangerous he is, don't you?"

"Him? Dangerous? Please, he couldn't hurt a flea." He said jokingly.

"Watch it, Potter. I will no qualms with fighting you right now. I haven't had a good fight in a while and absence only makes the heart grown fonder."

For the fourth and final time the bell rang indicating a new presence. Draco turned to tear the bell to pieces when he came face to face with a mirror image of himself.

"Who the hell are you?" came the British tone from the man standing before him.

"Who wants to know?" Draco responded. They stared at each other, neither backing down until they had their answers.

"Well, it looks like we found our guy." Ron said. He and Hermione had come in with Harry and Ginny. The two groups were going to look for Draco when the heat had driven them indoors.

The Americans had been watching the exchange with growing confusion until the final buzzer, and saw Spike walk through the door. It had grown dark and they no longer questioned why he would be out in the street. Buffy decided to end to the confusion and said, "Alright which one of you is Spike?"

"What, you didn't recognize me? Buffy you wound me." The man at the door tried to look innocent.

"Well, if you're Spike then who are you?"

"Exactly what I'd like to know!" The man called Spike stepped around Draco and tried to make his way over to the Americans but seeing their faces, stooped and just stood in the middle.

"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

"What are you? Some kind of secret agent man or something." The man with the dark hair asked, jokingly.

"Of a sorts," came the encoded reply.

"That's Draco for you, always the kidder," Harry said, smiling at the group but glaring at Draco to shut up. "So…"

The awkward silence that followed was finally broken by, "Oh. My. God. They have ground cloven hooves. I have been looking everywhere for these." Hermione was looking into a display case. Everyone turned to stare at her. "What?"

"Only you could get excited about that," Ron explained.

"Well, I have." Seeing Harry's look, she added lamely, "Not that I know what ground cloven hooves are, of course."

"Right. Well, umm, I hate to appear uncultured," here the dark haired man snickered, who then received a death glare, "but who are you people?"

"Well, I am Harry Potter, and this is my wife Ginny. That's Ron Weasley and his wife Hermione, and you just met Draco." Harry finished the introductions, expecting some in return.

The small blond stepped forward saying, "I'm Buffy Summers; this is my sister Dawn. That's Willow Rosenburg, Anya Johanason, Xander Harris." She left the blond out of the introductions.

Noticing this he said, "I'm Spike."

"Is that short for anything, or are you just weird?" Draco asked with contempt.

"I wouldn't be talking. At least I don't have a name like Draco."

"At least, I have friends, even if they are a bunch of do-gooder Gryffindors. By the way that girl is staring at you, someone would think you were some kind of creature." As the argument progressed, the two stepped closer until they were staring at each only two inches apart.

The man called Spike pulled back his fist and decked Draco. Reeling back a bit, he put his hand up to his mouth and felt blood. He smirked before he said, "You all saw it. Self-defense." Harry knew what he was going to do but couldn't stop him before he pulled out his wand.

Spike stumbled back upon seeing the wooden object. "Aww…afraid of a little wood." Draco taunted. "Well, let's see how well you like this--"

"Expelliarmus." Draco's wand suddenly flew into the air and clattered at Harry's feet, who had his wand extended towards Draco.

"What do you think you're doing Potter?" This was said with the most contempt and loathing Draco could put into his words.

"Saving your ass. You know Dumbledore wouldn't be happy if you broke the rules on your first day out."

"Oh, but I bet for his precious Golden Boy, he'd be willing to make an exception."

"Hold it." Their quarrel was ended when the petit redhead cut in. "What was that?"

"Nothing. Just, umm…nothing." Harry was obviously at a loss. He had never needed to cover for his magic before.

"Real smooth Harry. That was just a bit of magic. We are in a magic shop, aren't we? We are a traveling group and will be in town for a few days. But if you will excuse us we really need to be getting back to the hotel," Ron said. He ushered the others towards the door being careful to grab Draco's arm so he didn't do something stupid.

The group left so abruptly that the Americans didn't have time to warn them of the dangers of walking Sunnydale streets at night. They quickly ran out into the street where they were met with an interesting sight.

ummm...oh, i know that anya's last name is wrong but i couldn't find it, so if anyone knows what it is, could you tell me. Also i alterations i made to buffyverse will be evident in later chapters, but don't worry, all will be explained.

Thanks so much for the reviews. it's very appreciated to know your work is liked. if there is ever something you don't like about or wrong with my work, just tell and i'll try to fix it.

dominus513: yes harry is very powerful. i didn't want him to become the cliched auror.i don't think harry likes war and death, i think he would ratherwantto use his power for better uses.

woodoftruthhunter26: i think i answered your questions in the story :)

Allen Pitt: hmm...perhaps my riddles aren't as well hidden as i wouldlike to believe.don't underestimate how much Hermione knows.

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