Author Notes - Well, at least it didn't take me eight months to get another chapter out. Thanks for all the reviews last chapter. It pleased me to see that people were still interested in reading it even after I virtually abandoned them.

I got a couple confusing reviews, however. A few people seemed to think that Harry was stupid for not bringing anything. I thought this was strange because Whistler specified that he 'couldn't' bring anything. Perhaps they meant that Harry was stupid for coming along when he couldn't bring anything. I don't know, but I wanted to clear it up. A few of these reviews were from guests, who I couldn't contact directly.

Hopefully, the story will eventually explain just why this condition from Whistler and The Powers were put in place. Although as an Author, I wanted Harry to come without the benefits of a trunk filled with everything he could ever need, I also made sure The Powers have a very good reason for it.

I find the hardest part about writing Buffy Fanfiction is that every time I do research by watching an episode, I'm once again blown away at the dialogue and characterizations of the characters. It makes me feel completely unworthy when trying to participate in this world. Unworthy I may be, but here's Chapter Three anyway.


Chapter Three

Harry tried to get as much sleep as he possibly could just to try and offset some of the alternate dimension transportation jet lag that had occurred the previous day. Eventually, his body refused to rest any longer and he crawled to his feet. He proceeded to cast a few beauty charms at himself in order to make himself presentable. A Clothes Unwrinkling Charm, a Breath Refreshing Charm, and a Scouring Charm hit him in quick succession. They were a quick fix for some of the grime that had built up from the night before.

Harry gritted his teeth as he felt sharp blades scraping the surface of his skin. There was a reason wizards and witches still bathed and showered regularly. The Scouring Charm was not an enjoyable experience, it was not as instant as it appeared. Although most of the cleaning was done instantly, the Charm lasted far longer than that on the object it was cast on. The Wizard who had created the spell wanted to make sure that any item scoured would remain clean for a short period of time, so had added a self-cleaning component to the spell. Harry had to actively make sure his Scouring Charm was weak, or he'd spend well over ten minutes feeling as if his skin was being scraped off. Unfortunately, the magic wasn't active enough to respond to a finite.

Satisfied that his appearance was as good as it was going to get, Harry Apparated out of the factory and back into the library. The night before, he had been able to spot a small corner in the library that looked like it saw very little foot traffic. He had realized then that it would be a good Apparition point for him in the future.

His appearance was only occupied by a small popping sound; quiet enough not to attract any unwanted attention. He gave a quick glance around to make sure that he didn't shock anyone at his sudden appearance before casting a Disillusionment Charm upon himself. He eyed his work briefly. Once it met his approval, he rounded the corner and walked into the main section of the library where he and the group had sat down and talked the night before. He was being cautious for only one reason, and that was because he was aware that this was a school. He figured from the sun shining through the windows that it was during school hours, and he knew that technically he was trespassing. He could handle himself just fine if anyone were to discover this, but he would rather he didn't have to. Glancing around at the library, he realized that he didn't quite know where to look. He imagined that books on vampires, demons, and magic weren't located in plain view of the student body. Knowing where they weren't however, didn't tell him where they were. It was only a fraction of the size of the library at Hogwarts. However, after six years attending that school, he was sure he still hadn't seen portions of it.

His dilemma at not knowing where to look lasted only until he noticed Giles standing before a large old tome which rested upon a desk. He was sipping from a cup of tea and appeared lost in the book's words. Harry felt the urge to sneak up on the man for a harmless joke but thought better of it. Confirming that they were the only two in the room, Harry canceled his Disillusionment Charm.

"Morning," Harry said in what he thought was a soothing voice. Giles disagreed. His whole body jumped in fright and the cup of tea he was holding splashed all over the book he had just been enjoying.

Harry frowned. "Sorry," he apologized before making his way over to the desk.

Giles nodded his head with panic jerky movement as he looked around for anything to contain the mess. He gave up on finding anything suitable and instead grabbed some white blank papers and tried to soak up the large puddles of tea. Harry, feeling pity, waved his wand and all traces of the liquid disappeared. Giles looked up in shock before looking back down and studying the book intensely. Satisfied that no harm was done, he closed it and looked back up at Harry, "Fascinating."

Harry smiled, pleased that he could help. He gave Giles a shrewd look. "Do people here not need much sleep?" Harry joked. He knew he hadn't been gone terribly long, yet Giles was already up and about when it was clear he had previously been almost dead on his feet with exhaustion.

Giles let out a short chuckle. "The Hellmouth is very demanding," Giles explained with a smile, "it seems to try its hardest at not allowing us much sleep."

Harry nodded in understanding before glancing at the book that he nearly caused permanent damage to. It was in a script that he didn't understand. Giles recognized his confused look; he must have seen it countless of times upon the faces of the students here. He took pity on the Wizard.

"It's a book about The Old Ones. The beings that now call themselves The Powers That Be," Giles explained. Harry smiled at Giles's due diligence, easily imagining Hermione in The Hogwarts's Library doing the same thing.

"Checking up on me?" Harry smirked. Giles shrugged.

"It's an interesting story," he said without explaining himself further.

Harry shifted his weight from one foot to the other with a frown. He did not like asking for help, especially not from near strangers, but he had no other choice. "I could use your help," he admitted.

Giles looked up in surprise but nodded, gesturing to the large table in the middle of the room. Harry waited for the man to take his preferred seat before sliding in across from him. "I am in the need of some components of a. . . magical nature," Harry explained hesitantly, trying to find the proper words to explain. "They would need to be organic, preferably from a magical creature of some sort. My world has dragons, phoenixes, and magical creatures of all kinds. Do you have anything like that here?" Harry asked with a glimmer of hope.

Giles frowned in thought for a moment. "Most being in our world are not magical in nature," Giles explained, "magic tends to be forced upon an individual or creature, causing them to become magical themselves." At seeing Harry's confusion, Giles continued, "We discovered an invisible girl once, but she wasn't born with the ability to become invisible. It took years of people ignoring her before she began to see herself as invisible, and even longer before magic eventually turned her invisible. It wasn't in her genes. Her parents didn't have the ability, and her children won't. Magic simply decided to make it so."

Harry frowned and tried to come up with a logical explanation of his own, "Perhaps she had a strong affinity for magic, and through willpower alone, she was able to turn herself invisible?"

Giles only shrugged. "Anything is possible, my theory is only a theory. Your theory is just as sound," he paused for a moment. "but what I'm trying to say is that besides some types of powerful demons, there aren't quite that many magical beings walking around that were born that way. Each magical being is unique rather than born into it because of its species. Usually, a being is created, for example, from a magical ritual or an accident. It would not be a simple thing trying to hunt something down. I hope that answers your question."

Harry's frown quickly turned into a grimace. It did answer his question, but it was not an answer he liked. He briefly thought of the possibility of collecting some hair samples from a demon to see if it was useable in a wand. However, Harry could safely assume that the kind of wand used with such an ingredient would not find him agreeable. It would most likely be attracted to a wand user with much darker intentions. Still, Harry filed the thought away; it wouldn't hurt to try. "What about magical spells?" Harry asked, returning to the conversation, "the ritual I stumbled upon last night seemed to have ingredients of some sort lying on the altar. Those weren't magical ingredients, from magical creatures?"

Giles shook his head, "No. Magical Spells in this world use many different components. Even ordinary household spices can be found in some spells, as well as ingredients from ordinary creatures. Newt Eyes, for example, can be extracted from any salamander in the world. It doesn't require a certain magical species."

Harry grimaced. That made no sense. He wasn't, however, going to claim that the man was a liar. Giles could simply be ill informed, or perhaps the worst option of all; he could be right. If he was right, then Harry's wand would be his only chance of helping in this world. If it broke or was lost, then Harry would be basically helpless. That itself didn't make any sense though. Why would The Powers bring him into this world if only one mistake would turn him into a worthless fighter? No. There had to be a way. That or The Powers had made a grave mistake.

"May I ask why you are asking these questions?" Giles asked curiously.

Harry shook his head. "Sorry. It's a trust thing," he apologized. Giles seemed to understand, for he neither smiled nor frowned in response. Harry felt like he could trust the group of teenagers that Giles seemed to have collected around him. They appeared far too honest and innocent to pull one over on him, but Giles was far from that. The other Brit, Wesley could not be trusted either. He had not even tried to hide the fact that he saw Harry as a threat. For all Harry knew, Giles saw the same thing, yet simply hid it better. Harry wasn't about to tell them that if they broke his wand he'd be just another helpless mortal with only a fraction of the power that he currently wielded. Harry wasn't too sure about Angel either. The Vampire had to be older than he appeared because of his Vampirism, but Harry wasn't sure just how old. He was also annoyingly stoic during the whole conversation the night before which meant he was a much harder person to read.

"Perhaps another time," Harry offered, extending an olive branch. Giles nodded, recognizing the offer for what it was. "Do you have some of these magical ingredients that you use?" Harry asked, his interest mounting and a suspicion nagging at him. Giles gave him a curious glance, probably trying to figure out what he was aiming for, but respected his privacy and instead just nodded. He got up from the table.

"Follow me," he said. They walked into an office on the side of the library. Giles took a key from a drawer and walked towards a large cabinet on the far side. Opening it, he gestured for Harry to help himself and stepped aside. Harry walked up to the cabinet and took a look inside. Giles hadn't been lying. He could see things that no one would ever assume could be used in a magic ritual. Things like salt, rosemary, bird feathers, and a collection of other objects that looked quite plain to Harry. Harry wasn't even sure how a magical ritual could even be possible while only using the ingredients inside. Harry dragged his hand across the ingredients, absently trying to figure out how any of this could be possible. As he was about to step back in defeat, he felt a pull on his magic. It was very faint. If he hadn't been so focused on the objects, he probably wouldn't have even noticed it. He pulled out the offending ingredient. It was a bag of feathers with a few of them sticking out at odd angles. Harry turned around and gestured the bag towards Giles.

"May I?" Harry asked. Giles nodded with keen interest. Harry knelt down to his knees and spilled the bag's contents, watching feathers of different kinds fall to the floor. Again, he used his hand to feel around, touching each feather separately. It was in the middle of the pile that he felt it again, a very small reaction, almost as if he was touching a wand that wasn't meant for him to use. He frowned, grabbing the offending feather. He held it up to Giles with a questioning look.

"It's a hawk of some kind," Giles explained. "It looks to be one of a decent age, judging from the size . . ." Giles reasoned as he trailed off. Harry frowned as he stared at the feather. It shouldn't be possible. The feather would have to have some magical properties in order to get any sort of reaction from his magic. The only thing that made sense was that perhaps the hawk was cursed or infected somehow when it lost its feather, and Harry was reacting to that residual magic. Harry placed the feather to the side and went through the rest of the pile, finding two more feathers that gave him the same sort of small pull. They were both from a different species of bird, which confused him greatly. Harry looked up and took pity on Giles and his evident confusion.

"These feathers are magical," Harry stated plainly, looking at the rest of the feathers in thought, "which makes me believe the rest may be too."

"You can't tell?" Giles asked in confusion.

Harry shook his head, "No, it doesn't work like that. The only reason I can tell with these three feathers is because my magic seems to have a small affinity for them." He frowned as he looked at the feathers in his hand, "I'm not sure why I only reacted to these though. Perhaps the age of the animal increases its magic? It's possible these feathers came from an older bird."

They all appeared to all be on the larger side, but Harry couldn't be sure. He, however, saw other large feathers that he didn't feel anything for, which only made Harry's confusion grow. "This makes no sense," Harry stated plainly.

This brought a laugh out of Giles, "Welcome to The Hellmouth Harry."

Harry gave him a grimace in response but eventually let up with a small smile. Although Harry didn't understand it, it appeared that this world did have magical components that could help him produce a wand. This meant Harry wasn't as helpless as he originally thought. Still, he had a lot of work to do. These feathers didn't have nearly a strong enough pull on his magic to be worth using in a wand. "Does this town have a shop where I could find more ingredients like this?" Harry asked before trying to be specific, "that is, organic materials from animals."

Giles seemed to understand and scribbled something on a piece of paper he ripped from his desk. He handed it to Harry. It read Uncle Bob's Magic Cabinet with an address on Maple Court. Harry nodded in thanks before frowning.

"Erm. Do you have a map?" Harry asked sheepishly. He did not remember passing a street with that name as they drove from the factory to the library. Giles smiled and nodded. He brought out a map from a drawer in his desk, pointing out where the school was, and where Maple Court was located. Harry thanked him and magically copied the map and folded the duplicate up, only briefly noting Giles's curious glance at Harry's casual use of his magical abilities. Abilities that Giles had previously thought to be impossible.

"Would you like to use my car?" Giles asked, extending his own olive branch.

"Never learned to drive," Harry explained with a blush. Giles nodded in understanding. In big cities, it was quite common for people to never bother learning to drive. He never expected that Harry's short distance Apparition could also be used to travel long distances, but why would he?

Harry thanked the man a second time and said goodbye, choosing to walk out of the library instead of Apparate. The magic shop was closer to the school than the factory, and Harry didn't have anywhere else that he could safely Apparate to without potentially causing a lot of panic. So, Harry began the long walk to this magical shop, only remembering halfway there that he had no currency to buy anything. He shrugged to himself. He only needed to do research, purchasing something probably wouldn't even be necessary.

During his journey, he found himself randomly going down alleyways and other hidden, random crooks that seemed far out of the way from anything else. He must have looked crazy and lost to anyone who spotted the strange behavior. Only another wizard would understand what Harry was doing. He was looking for and finding places that he could Apparate into without spooking crowds of Muggles. Unless Harry wanted to do a lot of walking, he needed places throughout the town that he could use for Apparition. Harry wasn't sure how long it took for him to arrive at the magical shop, but it wasn't a short journey. His calves were burning from the walk, and Harry wasn't in terrible shape.

It was a small shop, about the size of Ollivander's Wand Shop. It didn't look terribly busy either; in fact, it was almost deserted. Harry walked into the shop, not quite knowing what to expect, but he was pleased with what he saw. There were sections of books as well as from what Harry could see, shelves upon shelves of ingredients for spells. Harry noticed quickly that the front of the store seemed to hold quite a bit of novelty items and books aimed directly at tourists or beginners. However, as Harry walked deeper into the store, the magic contained seemed to become more genuine. Some of the more gruesome body parts required for this world's magic rituals were also located at the back. Harry thought it was smart not to scare away potential new customers with their rather large collection of jars containing eyeballs.

"Can I help you?" asked an older gentleman who sat behind the counter. He appeared to be in his fifties. He was of short stature and slightly overweight. Harry nodded.

"May I handle the ingredients?" Harry asked politely, gesturing to the countless of objects resting on the shelves. He knew that what he needed to do in that store would require him to do so, but he didn't want to take any unwanted liberties while in sight of the owner.

"Of course, just don't break anything. You break it you . . ." the man said, leaving the common phrase hanging. Harry nodded, choosing not to inform him that he wouldn't even be able to afford the cheapest of products. Soon after, Harry found himself standing in front a large section of loose ingredients. Along with animal feathers, there was fur and hair of all kinds from different animals, including even the appendages of a few unfortunate small creatures. This section was the most interesting to Harry. Most of the wand cores that were easier to handle and work with came from the external portions of a magical creature. Whiskers, hairs, and feathers were used far more commonly than an organ of some sort. In fact, Dragon Heartstrings were the only internal organ that Harry could remember being used in the various wand cores that he had encountered. Harry briefly wondered why that was, but brought himself back to the task at hand.

Using his hand as he did with Giles, he slowly glided it across the many items. The same thing happened now as before and virtually nothing stood out to Harry. He frowned, unhappy with the results. Soon, he found something unexpected when he came across two sections of bird feathers. One shelf held feathers of all sorts, Harry didn't bother to count how many. The next shelf held what looked to be similar looking feathers. There didn't seem to be a reason to separate the two piles. While one pile of feathers reacted the same as the bundle Harry found with Giles, the other pile was different. Harry could feel his magic reacting with almost every single feather and some with a much larger reaction than he had felt before. The difference was huge, far too noticeable to be a mere coincidence.

"Could you tell me the difference between these two sections of bird feathers?" Harry asked, hoping the answer would make things clearer. The man frowned before stepping forward to take another look. His frowned remained for a moment before seeming to remember something.

"Ahh yes," the man said, gesturing to the feathers that gave Harry a reaction. "Those were collected from local birds," he explained with a humorous smile on his face. "Some of my customers seem to prefer locally produced goods. Says they've been getting better results." the man shook his head before shrugging, "It lets me charge more, so I don't bother arguing." He finished. Harry thanked the man and turned back to the shelf. He frowned in thought for a moment before reorganizing the feathers on the shelf into sections. Although he knew next to nothing about the species of various birds on the shelf, some of the feathers were clearly from the same species. He did his best guess work and tried to keep feathers from the same species together. Unfortunately, no real pattern began to emerge. Some small feathers from small birds would give him just as strong of a reaction as a larger bird, and different feathers from the same species of bird would give him different results. There was no noticeable correlation between the size of the bird and the strength of the magic. Could it be the age of the bird that truly mattered?

Because of the fact that local bird feathers produced a much stronger reaction for Harry, it was likely that whatever was causing an increase in an animal's magical properties was concentrated more heavily around Sunnydale. However, magic was a worldwide practice in this world. It wasn't something only practiced in certain cities, or towns. Nor was it something only practiced in Sunnydale. This led Harry to believe that although magic had spread worldwide, it had a place of origin. Birds located around Sunnydale had feathers that contained stronger magic. Connecting the two together would mean that Sunnydale, or perhaps more accurately, the Hellmouth held an explanation on how magic worked in this world. One conclusion Harry could make was that Sunnydale was a source of magic. Another was that perhaps it drew magic in like a vacuum, causing an increase in potency. There could be another reason entirely, but Harry figured either one of those two possibilities was a safe bet.

Harry looked towards the other objects that he had received no magical responses from. He couldn't assume that they too weren't saturated with various amounts of magic, it was just safe to assume that Harry's magic hadn't reacted to it in any way. It wasn't as if he was a magic detector. An item with the most amount of magic could be sitting right in front of him, yet his magic could instead reach out to another item with only a fraction of the first. His magic only reacted to magical components that would make a good wand match. Harry spent plenty of his Wizarding years handling magical ingredients without feeling even a fraction of the reaction that some of these feathers were giving him.

It was rare to have a reaction at all when brewing because potion ingredients were chosen specifically because of their limited reaction to wizards and witches. If you wanted to try and craft a potion using a Phoenix Feather, for example, you had to make sure your magic wasn't going to respond to it. Otherwise, you could have an exploding cauldron on your hands. Your magic would quickly disrupt the balance of the potion because the Phoenix Feather would become more potent. It was also why even some Master Potion Brewers had trouble crafting specific potions. They either had to use less of a specific ingredient, or they had to find something with similar properties that didn't cause their magic to flare up in unexpected ways. Harry had reasoned that this was also one of the reasons Neville had such a hard time brewing in his younger years. His magic was actively rejecting his father's wand, and was instead searching desperately for a compatible match. This sporadic and rebelling magic might have been causing potion ingredients to react to each other in unintended ways. Once Neville bought a wand that didn't refuse to work for him, his potion work had improved immensely. At least when Snape wasn't breathing down his neck.

It was quite clear to Harry that he was going to have to look for the feather of a bird to incorporate into his wand or staff making. So far it was the only species of creature that he found himself responding to. It also meant that Harry would have to be careful using any type of bird feather if he decided to try and figure out what he could brew in this world.

Deciding on the next course of action, Harry thanked the shopkeeper and promised to return in the near future. The man seemed disappointed that Harry hadn't purchased anything but he remained courteous on Harry's way out of the store. Once he had created some distance between himself and the shop, he found the closest hidden alley and Apparated back to the library. He knew immediately that he wasn't alone this time, for he heard voices coming from below. Harry rounded the corner and heard only the last bit of conversation.

"What did he want with a bunch of bird feathers?" Willow asked with interest to Giles. Willow, Xander, Buffy, and Oz were sitting around the table looking towards Giles, who was standing on the opposite side of the room with a new cup of tea in his hand. Giles noticed his entrance immediately.

"Perhaps you should ask him," he said plainly, taking a sip of tea. Buffy noticed him soon after but seemed surprised.

"I didn't hear you come in," Buffy stated. Harry supposed she thought he had used the door. He merely shrugged in response. Willow spun around in her chair.

"So? What 'did' you need them for?" Willow asked excitedly, not even attempting to hide her interest. Harry smiled at the second reminder in the last twenty-four hours of his friend Hermione. Harry walked over to the table and sat down.

"It's a secret," he said mysteriously. Willow looked ready to protest but Harry continued, "I do need help though."

"Really?" she asked, noticeably perking up.

Harry nodded, "I need to find a bird that has lived a very long time, in or near Sunnydale. Preferably many birds, of various sizes."

The room was quiet for a minute in awkward silence before Oz broke the silence, "Well, it's not the strangest thing we've ever been asked to look into." There were a few chuckles for those in the know.

"Might not even make the top ten," Xander joked while leaning back in his chair and putting his feet on the table.

"Xander," Giles warned, narrowing his eyes at Xander's feet. Xander simply smiled and sat up, removing his dirty shoes from the table. It looked like a well-practiced motion to Harry. He wondered just how many times Giles had asked Xander to remove his feet, and just how often Xander did it only to provoke the older man.

"Why do you need an old bird's feather?" Buffy asked, repeating the earlier question that Harry had previously avoided.

Harry frowned. "If everything works out, I can tell you, but until then I can't. Sorry," Harry apologized. Buffy pursed her lips and leaned forward, folding her arms across her chest.

"Then we can't help you." she said stubbornly.

"We can't?" Willow asked, disappointed.

"Buffy," Giles scolded.

"We don't know anything about him. Perhaps he needs this feather for something evil. We don't know," Buffy said, remaining firm and defended herself.

"An evil ritual only requiring a bird feather?" Harry asked specifically, "I can find the information on my own, but I figured it would go faster working together."

"You could try the zoo," Xander commented offhand.

"Xander!" Buffy scolded.

"Sorry."

Giles rubbed his nose. "You're being ridiculous Buffy."

Buffy realized that herself but refused to back down, "he doesn't trust us, why should we trust him?"

"I have a reason not to trust you," Harry answered immediately. That got everyone's attention.

"Pardon?" Giles asked. Harry sighed.

"Your friend. Wesley," Harry explained. There were a few snorts. "As far as I can tell, if he had it his way, I'd be locked somewhere in a dark basement with no escape."

"He's not a friend," Buffy said.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "If he's not a friend, then why is he here? Is he an Ally?" Harry asked, genuinely curious now.

"He's Buffy's Watcher," Giles answered after a moment. Buffy didn't seem to agree but remained quiet. At Harry's confusion, Giles explained. Watchers were part of a council that existed since the first Vampire Slayer's existence, and possibly longer. Each Vampire Slayer was given a Watcher to guide her in her fight against all sorts of evil. Apparently, Giles had once been her Watcher but was fired by The Council. Giles had refused to abandon his Slayer, but she now had to answer to Wesley.

Harry nodded his thanks, but that didn't really change anything. "So the person who was pretty adamant that he didn't want my help and was afraid of my abilities is your guide, and technically your superior?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow, "that doesn't make me feel better."

"He has a point," Oz stated helpfully.

"Fine," Buffy said, finally relenting. Almost as soon as the word left her mouth, Willow leaped up and sprinted to a computer. Harry raised an eyebrow at the energetic teen.

"Nothing but the temptations of magic and research could cause our Willow to move so fast," Oz stated dryly with an affectionate smile.

"A computer?" Harry asked skeptically, trying not to come too close to the object.

Buffy seemed to notice his hesitation and laughed, "What's with British men and computers?"

Harry looked at Giles who shrugged before he too eyed the computer warily, Harry smiled. "More like Wizards and computers," Harry corrected. That earned him the attention of Willow who paused in her typing. "My magic doesn't like electronics. The more complex the electronic, the worse it is. I wouldn't break anything by just being near it, but I try not to tempt fate on things that I can't afford to replace."

"I appreciate that," Giles said.

"You couldn't have a computer in your house?" Willow asked.

Harry shook his head, "My home would contain wards." Harry paused for a second in order rephrase at their blank looks, "Protection spells. They would encompass the whole house and any components inside. A computer wouldn't last long. I could use a computer in a room without wards, but I wouldn't want to cast anything while near it. However, Magic is such a natural part of my life, that I would no doubt accidentally fry it within a week."

"A life without electricity," Buffy said thoughtfully before she cringed, "No thanks."

Harry decided not to explain that magic could replace or surpass electricity in almost every possible way.

"What you asked for isn't that hard." Willow started to explain as she continued to type, "Xander was right, the zoo would be the best place to find animals that have lived in Sunnydale for a long time. Some were even born there, and the zoo was established 60 years ago." Willow paused as she read off of the computer screen, moving her lips slightly as she mouthed some of the words. "They have species of birds that don't normally exist in this part of the world, and that have very long lifespans," she paused for a second and frowned, "but you probably have to take a trip there to find out yourself. Their website isn't very good, and it would be hard to find specific dates and birds on here."

"Are they open?" Harry asked. She read something off of the screen.

"Uh . . . yeah, until five," she said before looking up, "are you going to head there now?"

"I'd rather wait until they weren't open," Harry said truthfully.

Willow frowned. "You aren't going to kill any of the birds, are you?" Willow asked worriedly, "sacrifice them?"

Harry curled his lip in disgust, "No, never."

She relaxed, "Okay good."

Harry frowned for a moment as he remembered where he was. He would be cutting it pretty close to when things started coming out to prey on the few people stupid enough to be caught alone after dark. He knew he could handle himself, but the thought of being sneaked up on, pushed to the ground and hearing his wand snap was not pleasant. If everything went according to plan that night, he wouldn't have to worry about that ever again.

"Now that I think about it," Harry said, turning slightly red. "I wouldn't mind a ride and perhaps an escort," he said with a pointed look towards Buffy.

She nodded. "Alright. But I'm coming more to protect those birds than you," she said it with a straight face, but Harry could see the amusement in her eyes.

"I'll drive," Oz offered.

Willow perked up, "I want to come."

Xander yawned, "Road trip?"

Harry was happy that the group all seemed interested in joining him. It was unlikely that a lone creature would try and attack a whole group of teenagers. As he thought about when the best time to make the trip would be, a thought occurred to him and he looked around confused. "Don't you guys have classes?" Harry asked, wondering why the students were hanging out in a library during school hours.

Willow's face turned red and she quickly grabbed her backpack before running out the library. Xander and Buffy swore before doing the same. Harry laughed and looked at Oz, who was watching his friends retreat in amusement. "Free period," he explained.

Giles, who had been silent for awhile now spoke up, "Perhaps you want to come back later?"

"I was hoping to read for a bit," Harry said. "any suggestions for someone who'd rather know what's about to try to kill him?"

Giles looked delighted at the question and wandered off into the aisle upon aisles of books. He came back with three large tomes. "These should be a decent start," he said with a bright smile. Harry groaned as he grabbed the first large book. The title, Vampyr was written in large bold letters. Harry opened it and began to read.