DISCLAIMER
This story is in no way associated with, or makes any claim to, Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or any other fandom/celebrity/anything else you may recognize. It all belongs to their respective owners. No money is being made from this story which is purely written for entertainment.
28 March
Sirius was bored. When he had volunteered for the mission to shadow Lucius Malfoy, he had imagined it would be at least somewhat dangerous, not yawn-worthy. The man had done absolutely nothing interesting for the past two hours; for someone who had such high status in the Wizarding World and was also one of Voldemort's high-level Death Eaters, his life seemed spectacularly ordinary.
So far, Lucius had done nothing but shop in Diagon Alley. First, he had travelled down to his vault, presumably to get some money (that had been the only place Sirius hadn't been able to follow him to). Then, he had bought some potions ingredients in the Apothecary, none of which were the slightest bit illegal or suspicious. Thirdly, he had picked up a few female robes – that seemed to be in Narcissa's style – from Madame Malkin's. After that, he had joined a couple of people for dinner in a corner of the Leaky Cauldron – all of whom actually were upstanding citizens, and not just pretending to be.
It wasn't that Sirius wanted there to be danger – not really. Or, yes, he did, but that was completely understandable, Sirius told himself. After all, he wasn't allowed on active Auror duty, so he had to get his kicks from somewhere, right? Unfortunately, it seemed his attempt had failed. Miserably.
"Merlin, I need to get the fun parts of my job back," Sirius muttered to himself. "Doing paperwork sucks."
11 April
"Please. I'm begging you on my well-clad knees here!" Sirius exclaimed, looking up at his mind-healer, Clara Dermont, who only stared at him with raised eyebrows. "Please tell Moody I'm ready to return to active duty. I need some action, like right now, or I'm going to kill myself. I'm just joking about that, by the way," he hastily added. Having been seeing Clara for awhile now, he was pretty certain she'd take that statement all too seriously and start psychoanalyse him even further. "And I am ready. I'm beyond ready."
Clara stared down at him, face expressionless. "Please, stand up, Sirius," she said, and Sirius hastily got to his feet.
"I think I've made a lot of progress during these sessions of ours. I'm more than well enough to go back to work."
"That's up to me to decide," Clara said, crossing her legs and motioning for Sirius to sit. "Let's talk about Mandy Walker. She has always been difficult for you to talk about."
Sirius swallowed and looked away. "That's because what happened to her...to us...still hurts." He took a deep breath. "I miss her. Every day, and every second, and it is a constant battle for me to not just...stop caring about everything and everyone else. It's why I was sent to you, remember?"
"Yes, I am aware," Clara said, flipping the page in Sirius' file.
"Look...I was in a bad place," Sirius said. "And I might still fall back into it. But Mandy would have wanted me to live, really live, and that is more than incentive enough for me to try. But the only way I can, is if I go back to my life. And going to therapy didn't use to be an everyday occurrence."
"Is that your diplomatic way of saying you want to get out of my sight?" Clara's lips twitched, and Sirius threw his hands up.
"Yes!"
"Well, you have made a lot of progress, Sirius, I agree."
Sirius blinked. "You do?"
Clara smiled. "Yes. You have made quite a lot of progress, and as such, I am willing to tell Alastor you are ready to return to Auror-training. However," she leaned forward, "if you ever need to talk, to someone neutral, or find yourself slipping back into depression, you know where my office is."
"Thank you," Sirius let out a loud sigh of relief, and grinned at her. "And until then – if there is a then – I'll make sure to walk straight past it."
"I wouldn't expect anything less," Clara stated dryly.
14 April
Dorcas was slowly walking towards Voldemort's throne room to attend one of his Death Eater meetings, when she heard voices coming from ahead. She carefully paused in her steps, and began to listen to the conversation, hoping she would overhear something that could help the Order.
"…I'm telling you, the Dark Lord is hiding something big from us," a voice that Dorcas recognised as Rosier Sr. said. "And I don't like it. He used to confide in us all the time but now he's being very secretive."
Dorcas eyes narrowed.
"It's got something to do with his trip to Italy last month and that cartographer," Travers said.
"Yeah, what was that all about? And what else does he need that man for anyway?" Avery Sr. was the next to speak. "Travers, you're in charge of guarding the man – haven't you found out anything?"
"Nothing," Travers answered. "At all. I believe Rosier is right – this is regarding something big. Have you heard anything, Lucius?"
"No," Lucius Malfoy said, sounding quite displeased about that. "The Dark Lord is being unusually tight-lipped about all of his plans, even to me. Has he confided in your wife, Rodolphus?"
Dorcas eyebrows rose. Well, this was interesting...it seemed nearly all of the top Death Eaters had gathered for some sort of secret council.
"No, Bellatrix knows nothing, and that is more than strange," Rodolphus said. "She had a hissy fit about it just last week." The Death Eaters all chuckled. "But perhaps the Dark Lord is right to remain silent," Rodolphus continued. "Loyalty isn't what it used to be."
"Surely you aren't accusing one of us – " Avery exclaimed, offended.
" – No," Rodolphus interrupted with a snort. "But after Regulus Black's betrayal, it is no wonder he is being more cautious than usual."
"Hmm…yes. His death was well deserved." Lucius spoke, and Dorcas eyes widened. She knew Sirius had suspected his little brother was dead, but now, it was proven. She really didn't relish telling him that, but he deserved to know.
Footsteps approached, and Dorcas tensed. "Ah, Severus," Lucius greeted and Dorcas swallowed. "We were just talking about Regulus Black's demise. You were rather close to him, were you not?"
"Somewhat," Severus said coldly. "Of course, I had no idea he was planning on betraying the Dark Lord. I am astounded that he thought he could get away with it. It seems I was wrong in thinking he was actually of some worth, unlike his brother."
Lucius chuckled. "Ah. Sirius Black. There is no love lost between you to, is there?"
"None whatsoever," Severus agreed.
"I've heard the Dark Lord has given you the honour of getting to be the one to kill him," Avery said, and Dorcas barely held back a sharp gasp.
"You would be correct," Severus said.
Several seconds of silence commenced. "And?" Travers asked. "What are your plans?"
Severus tutted. "Do not be so impatient, Travers. It is important not to be too hasty. And since revenge is a dish best served cold, I want to savour the thought of it, and am taking my time in planning his final demise. However, my plans have been temporarily put on hold. Black is so torn up over his girlfriend's fate that death would probably be a mercy at this point. No. I will want to strike when he has recovered from his loss and when he least expects it."
The Death Eaters laughed cruelly. "You're one mean bastard, Snape," Rodolphus said appreciatively.
"I will take that as a compliment," Severus said dryly. "Still, as stupid as Black can be, he is not to be underestimated. Nor the Order he's a member of."
Dorcas could hear the Death Eaters make murmuring sounds of agreement.
"And speaking of that darn organisation," Lucius said, sounding disgusted, "I can barely go anywhere without an Order-member trailing me. For example, Black tried it two weeks ago. He thought he was being discreet, but I knew he was there."
"You didn't do anything to raise his suspicions I hope?" Travers asked.
"Who do you take me for; a fool?" Lucius asked derisively. "Please. I only let him follow me around Diagon Alley, shopping – like I would normally do something so utterly mundane." The Death Eaters sniggered. "Still, it is annoying, for I always have to look over my shoulder. It makes it darn difficult to actually do the things I'm supposed to do."
"Those Blacks," Rosier shook his head. "More trouble than they're worth."
"Excuse me?" Both Lucius and Rodolphus chorused, their voices icy.
Rosier chuckled weakly. "With the exception of the lovely Narcissa and Bellatrix, of course," he hurriedly said, and coughed uncomfortably. "We should probably get to the Death Eater meeting. It is supposed to start soon."
"You're lucky the Dark Lord is expecting our presence, or I would curse you," Rodolphus grumbled. "Or have Bellatrix do it." Dorcas held her breath as she heard them began to walk away, Rosier muttering apologies, their footsteps slowly fading. She waited a few more seconds, before she followed, her heart thundering in her chest.
"Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!" Three stunning curses left Sirius' wand in rapid succession, each hitting the dead centre of the target: a round wooden board.
"Good aim, Black," Moody nodded approvingly.
"Thanks," Sirius said grimly, eyes focused as he flicked his wand, sending the targets back a few feet, increasing the distance. "Stupefy! Stupefy! Stupefy!" This time, his first spell missed the absolute middle of the board by half an inch, and Sirius' eyes twitched in annoyance.
"Don't get frustrated!" Moody called out to him. "You're doing very well."
Don Blake, the Head Auror, walked up to him and joined Moody in observing Sirius as he continued practicing his aim. "How is he doing?" He asked quietly.
"Good," Moody said gruffly. "He seems calmer. More focused."
"The therapy with Dermont was a success, then?" Blake raised an eyebrow at him.
"So it seems," Moody muttered. "Still, Black isn't completely the way I remember him."
"No? In which way?" Don asked with a slight frown.
"There's a kind of resolve in him that he lacked before, and a different level of ferocity," Moody observed. "He's darker. But not dark...just more purposeful...colder, perhaps."
"Well, some change is to be expected after what happened," Don said. "As long as he doesn't go over the edge again. You'll keep an eye on him, I hope?"
"Of course."
"Good," Don muttered. "The Ministry can't afford to lose any more good people if we're going to win this war."
Moody chuckled. "It's not the Ministry that's going to win the war for us, Donny. It's people like them." He nodded in Sirius' direction, watching as James Potter walked over and slapped Sirius on the back, wide grins on both their faces. "Mark my words."
"Hmm." Don glanced at Moody. "You like them."
"Of course I like them," Moody huffed. "Best potential I've seen since the Longbottoms joined us."
"That's not quite what I meant, even if I agree." Don's lips twitched. "You have a soft spot for them beyond just appreciating their abilities."
Moody let out a long sigh. "That I do, Donny. That I do. They remind me of myself at that age," he continued with a purse of his lips. "Lots of power and bravery that's sometimes bordering on foolish - and little common sense."
"Well, you turned out alright," Don said with a grin and Moody snorted.
"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer."
"Nice to have you back, Pads," James said, patting his best friend of the back, grinning.
"Thanks," Sirius said, grinning back.
"I take it the therapist finally gave you the go-ahead?"
"Would I be here if she hadn't?" Sirius asked.
James smirked. "Maybe. Authority hasn't really stopped us before, has it?"
"You have a point," Sirius drawled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to continue practice my aim."
James glanced over at the target boards with a raised eyebrow. "I doubt you need much more practice," he said.
Sirius smiled grimly. "You can never have too much practice."
18 April
"Hey, Sirius, could I have a word?" Dorcas wondered, touching Sirius' arm gently after the day's Order meeting ended. "In private?"
Sirius frowned at the pretty red-head. "Sure," he muttered, walking over to a corner. "What is it?"
Dorcas bit her lip, glancing around nervously. "Well, Dumbledore hasn't told the Order because he's afraid of a leak, but I'm the...spy in the Death Eater ranks."
Sirius' eyebrows rose. "Alright."
"Yeah." Dorcas smiled nervously. "Anyway, a few days ago, I happened to overhear some of You-Know-Who's top agents talking...about you and your brother."
Sirius paled and noticeably stiffened. "What did they say?" He asked through gritted teeth, his heart thumping wildly.
"Well...first of all, it seems Malfoy knew you were following him."
Sirius glared at her. It might be more important for the Order to know that he hadn't been cautious enough when he'd been trailing Malfoy, but that didn't matter to him. Not right now - he wanted to hear about his brother! "I don't care about that! What about Regulus?" Sirius asked with a hiss, and Dorcas flinched at his tone.
"I'm getting to that. But before I tell you, there's something else you should know. You-Know-Who has given the all-clear for your death."
Sirius let an eyebrow rise, slightly more interested. "Really?"
"Yes. And he has given the honour specifically to an old...acquaintance of yours. Snape."
"Snivellus?" Sirius asked, incredulous.
"Yes," Dorcas said, frowning slightly at the derisive nickname. "I would watch my back if I were you."
Sirius snorted. "I'm not worried. I can handle anything that greasy bastard throws at me."
Dorcas shook her head in exasperation. "Sirius – "
" – You had news about my brother," Sirius interrupted, changing back the subject to what he really wanted to know, and Dorcas sighed.
"He's dead," she finally said softly, and Sirius' eyes closed.
So it was confirmed. His little brother was dead. "Do you know how? Or why?" He asked hoarsely.
Dorcas shook her head. "I didn't get any details. All I know is that he betrayed You-Know-Who somehow, and was punished for it."
"With death," Sirius shoulders slumped.
"Yes. I'm sorry," Dorcas said, eyes sympathetic.
"Yeah...me too," Sirius muttered.
2 May
"Hey, Padfoot!" James called over the rapid sound of spell-fire, eyeing the three duelling dummies Sirius was fighting against with narrowed eyes. The Black heir was dripping with sweat, his eyes flashing with anger and determination. The poor dummies were barely holding themselves together, their stuffing falling to the floor in droves whenever one of Sirius' overcharged spells impacted. "Could you take a break for a few seconds?"
Sirius waved his wand at the animated dummies, which immediately stopped moving, and fell to the floor in heaps. A couple of Aurors ran over to repair them. "What is it?" Sirius asked, walking up to James, who frowned at him.
"It's not that I'm not happy to see you so focused, but are you sure you're alright?" James asked him.
Sirius blinked in confusion. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't you?" James muttered to himself. "Look, it's great that you're taking your work seriously, but you need to get out a bit."
Sirius stared at his friend. "Get out a bit?" He repeated, laughing incredulously. "James, we're in a war. I don't have time for fun and games."
"Then make time," James said firmly. "Whenever you're not at work, or doing missions for the Order, you're sitting at home, alone, doing Merlin knows what. You need a night out: kick back and relax. What do you say? Just you and me, in London, hanging out... Oh, come on!" James exclaimed when he saw Sirius' frown. "You could use a night without responsibilities. War is no reason to stop living. It's been ages since we did something as friends, and not connected to the war."
Sirius sighed. "Alright."
"Great!" James grinned widely, slapping Sirius on the back. "I'll pick you up at seven."
"Wait, tonight?" Sirius sounded alarmed. "Prongs...a little more forewarning would have been – " James just waved a hand at him, already walking away. Sirius glared at his retreating friend's back. Then, a chuckle slipped out. "Does Lily know you're going out tonight?" He yelled after him, and James noticeably froze. Then, he slowly turned back around, giving Sirius a weak smile.
"Well, let's not tell her, alright?" Sirius let an eyebrow rise. "Please, Pads! I'm begging you – I need this night out just as much as you do!" James pleaded, hazel eyes wide and filled with desperation. "Lily has cravings and mood-swings and let's not even talk about the rest! I need a break from home. From her! I love her and all, but I'm a man. I need alone-time! Some man-time! Best friend time! Please!"
Sirius' lips twitched. "So...if she asks whenever I see her next, we were both working overtime tonight?"
"Hell yes!" James exclaimed.
"So...how have you been?" James asked, later that night. He and Sirius were in a muggle nightclub in London.
"I wasn't aware talking was a part of a kick back and relax night," Sirius drawled, sipping on his beer. "We're not girls."
James glared. "I am well aware of that. That doesn't mean we can't talk. You're my best friend, Pads. But lately... You haven't really been all that approachable since - "
"Don't," Sirius interrupted. "Don't say her name, Prongs. Please."
James held up his hands in defeat. "Alright, I won't."
Sirius sighed. "Talking about...her is practically all I've been doing in my therapy sessions. I don't need to do it in my spare-time as well."
"Have they helped?" James asked. "I mean, Dermont cleared you for duty, so they must have, right?"
"Right," Sirius muttered, glancing over at a group of muggle girls he could see giggling and looking in their direction. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just a good actor who managed to fool her and myself. Some days are better than others. And some..."
"At least she's still out there," James commented. "She's still alive."
"Yes, well, I'm not so sure that's helping me any," Sirius admitted. "She's out there but I can't see her or talk to her. Not knowing if she'll ever get her memory back is...it's awful. There's no closure!" Sirius exclaimed, frustrated.
The two shared a few seconds of grave silence. "I worry," James said.
"Yeah, you've mentioned that," Sirius grunted and James glared.
"Not about you, you prat. Or well, you too, but mostly I worry about Lily and the baby."
"Well, Lily's not going to be fighting anymore, is she?" Sirius questioned.
"That doesn't mean she isn't in danger," James answered. "And that's not really what I worry about. I'm scared I won't be a good father."
Sirius blinked. Then, he burst out laughing.
"It's not funny!" James exclaimed.
"Yes, it sort of is!" Sirius said, still chuckling. "Why in Merlin's name would you worry about that? You're going to be a great father!"
James huffed. "I'm not so sure. I mean, my parents were great, but they also spoiled me. Sometimes, I think they loved me a little too much. I was an idiot at school, and I'm not saying it was their fault, but they never really disciplined me. They let me do whatever I wanted – they probably would have let me get away with murder."
"Well, you turned out alright. But no one's saying you should be your parents or anyone else. Just...do it your way. It's a learning experience, right?"
"Right," James muttered, frowning. "But what if I get a T?"
"As in T for Troll?" Sirius barked out another laugh. "No one is going to grade you! It might be a learning experience, but it isn't school!"
James glared. "Would you stop laughing at me?"
Sirius snorted. "Look, Prongs, I'm not an expert, but it's probably only natural that you're worrying. But you'll do fine. Just strive to find a balance. And you've got Lily. She'll keep you in line. There's two of you and only one kid. How hard can it be?"
James smirked. "Wasn't it you who doubted your ability to be a good Godfather? You tell me."
"That's totally different," Sirius scoffed.
"If you say so," James sing-songed, glancing to his left. "Oh, look sharp. You've got company."
Sirius straightened in his seat, turning to look discreetly at the group of approaching girls, the same group who had been giggling and looking in their direction earlier. "Don't you mean 'we?'"
"Married, remember?" James grinned, holding up his hand with his wedding ring. A couple of the girls looked disappointed when they spotted it, but they brightened just as quickly, their predatory glances now focused totally on Sirius.
Sirius grimaced. "Throw me to the wolves, why don't you?" He muttered under his breath. "Anyway, I'm not interested."
"I know you're not," James said. "That doesn't mean you can't be nice. Make some new friends."
"I doubt friendship is what they have in mind," Sirius muttered, forcing up a wide fake smile as the girls reached their table.
3 May
"Wake up." James groaned, putting his pillow over his head. Lily's green eyes narrowed dangerously. "I said, wake up. NOW James."
James winced as the pillow was ripped away and bright light reached his sight. "Lils...let me sleep. I worked overtime last night and I'm really tired."
"Oh, yes, drinking yourself into oblivion must be really exhausting," Lily said and James froze, blood-shot hazel eyes slowly blinking open.
"Eh?" He asked unintelligently.
"I am not an idiot," Lily hissed and James winced again, the sound of Lily's voice wreaking havoc on his eardrums, increasing the pounding in his head. "And even if I were, your activities last night would be more than obvious even to a total imbecile when you come stumbling in, SINGING – off-key, I might at - at the top of your lungs, barely capable of keeping yourself standing, at FOUR in the morning! And that's not even mentioning the alcohol I could smell on your breath or the pile of VOMIT on the bathroom floor since you missed the toilet you were aiming for."
James winced. "Lily, please..."
"No," Lily said, incensed. "You are going to get up, right now, clean the bathroom, clean yourself up, and then, you are out of here."
"Out of here?" James asked weakly.
"Yes. You have a lot of grovelling to do, James, and you can start by buying me flowers, chocolate...the works. And I also have a craving for pickles and cream, so you can pick that up as well."
"Pickles...and cream?" James repeated weakly, his stomach rolling uncomfortably.
"Yes. And lemons, tuna-sandwiches and ketchup."
That was too much for James' stomach and he finally, stumbled out of bed, slamming the door to the bathroom close behind him. Lily smirked in satisfaction.
"Hey...time to wake up, gorgeous."
Sirius frowned at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and the strands of hair tickling his chest. Blearily, he opened his eyes, confused as he saw a brunette woman hovering in his line of sight.
"Hi," the woman said, grinning widely. "I just wanted to say that I had a really lovely time last night..." she let a finger slowly trail down his chest. "And I wouldn't mind a repeat performance. Or an actual date."
Sirius blinked as he fought against the massive headache impairing his ability to think. Slowly, he began to recall last night: drinking and talking with James...that group of women approaching...drinking some more...dancing...drinking...thinking one of them looked a lot like Mandy and taking her home... His stomach clenched and he swallowed. "You should leave," he croaked out, forcing himself into a sitting position as he pushed her up.
The woman pouted, pushing out her chest enticingly. "Not even a quickie?"
"No. Get out."
The woman huffed, standing up. "Well, can I borrow your shower first?"
"What part of get out don't you understand?" Sirius asked and the brunette muggle gawked at him in total shock. Shaking her head, she slowly began to dress, Sirius looking anywhere but at her, lost in memories.
"You're quite rude, you know," the woman said once she was dressed, crossing her arms.
Sirius slowly turned to look at her, blinking slightly, having completely forgot her presence. "Oh. You're still here."
Narrowing her eyes, the woman spun around on her heels, muttering under her breath as she left, the door slamming closed behind her with a loud sound as she exited the apartment. Sirius fell backwards onto the bed, tears blurring his sight.
21 May
BOOM!
The visitors to the Wizarding Library screamed as the doors were blown of their hinges and Death Eaters came storming in, led by Voldemort himself.
"Remember – I want all the information on the Slayer you can find." The Dark Lord commanded his followers. He turned to look at the cowering civilians. "Kill everyone who moves. I just want the books."
Unbeknownst to the Dark Lord, however, not all of the visitors were scared out of their wits. Sturgis Podmore was one of them and Benjy Fenwick was another: both of them were members of the Order of the Phoenix, in the library to do research for Dumbledore, and now, they both looked at each other and nodded. Benjy stood up to draw the attention away from Sturgis, who quietly sent off his patronus to the Headmaster, alerting him to the attack.
"Benjy Fenwick..." the Dark Lord breathed and then smirked. "Do you think to challenge me? Me, the Dark Lord, and live?"
Benjy shrugged. "Not really," he said honestly. "Why do you want information on the Slayer?" He asked, hoping to stall for time.
"As if you don't know," Voldemort sneered. "I am aware of your allegiances to the Order, and as such, I have no doubt you are familiar with one Buffy Summers."
Benjy pretended to look confused. "Yes. Why? Has she done something to you?"
"Do not play games with me, Fenwick," the Dark Lord breathed, before turning to look at his Death Eaters: the majority of them were keeping their wands pointed at the staff and visitors, while two of them were moving from bookcase to bookcase, gathering all the information about the Slayer they could see. "Do you see them?" He asked. "So eager to do my bidding. Do you know why?"
"Because they lack a brain?" Benjy suggested.
The Dark Lord chuckled. "No. Because we share a common goal. We all want a brighter future – "
" – And yet you're dirtying down the present," Benjy interrupted. "Yes, that makes total sense. Spare me the lecture of the glory of being a Death Eater. That's a glory I can do without. If I wanted to kiss someone's robes, I'd at least make sure they were attached to someone with better looks. If I were you, I'd lay of the rituals – they're not really doing anything for your appearance. You're looking a bit sunken, you know?"
Enraged, Voldemort blasted Benjy backwards into a bookcase, which immediately fell over, several books and pages flying into the air, destroyed. One of the librarians let out a whimper at the sight. "Enough of this," the Dark Lord spat. "Rosier, Wilkes – are you done soon?"
"Almost, my Lord," one of the Death Eaters gathering up books answered.
"That was the last one," the second one said.
"Good. I was going to spare you," Voldemort spoke to all of the assembled visitors. "After all, I can respect those in search of more knowledge. However, thanks to Fenwick over there – " he glanced at Benjy who was slowly sitting up with the help of Sturgis, looking dazed. "I am no longer in a gracious mood." He looked at his Death Eaters, who began to smirk. "Kill them all."
The helpless witches and wizards immediately began to cry and scream for mercy, and then, the Wizarding Library was thrown into chaos as the windows exploded inwards, making the Death Eaters look away in surprise. One after one, members of the Order of the Phoenix and Aurors streamed into the large room, from the destroyed windows and from the door-less entrance. Spells flew back and forth between the mask-clad wizards and the light side's warriors.
"The height of blasphemy," Remus muttered as he exchanged a spell with one of the Death Eaters. "Attacking a library...sacrilegious is what it is." He winced as one of the nearby bookcases was set ablaze.
James laughed. "That's what you're most upset about? The destruction of books?"
Remus glared. "Some of the books in here are priceless, James! I'm not saying they're more important than the lives of the people here – of course they aren't! – I'm just saying that attacking a place dedicated to knowledge and studies is completely disrespectful and a new low, even for Voldemort!"
"Well, to be fair, the majority of the books weren't destroyed before our arrival," Eliza pointed out from his other side.
Remus grumbled something unintelligible and James laughed again. "You know sacrifices are an unavoidable part of war."
"Yes, but did the sacrifice have to involve books?" Remus muttered and this time, Eliza and James both laughed. The battle went on.
Buffy paced back and forth in front of Lily's sofa, and the red-head stared at her in amused affection, one hand cradling her pregnant stomach. "You should sit down. Your pacing doesn't help them any."
"Well, it's making me feel better," Buffy muttered. "I hate not knowing what's going on!"
"Well, your lack of participation in the battle is completely voluntary on your part, Buffy," Lily said kindly. "Me and Alice on the other hand – " she patted her swollen belly meaningfully.
Buffy abruptly stopped her pacing. "You're right. Me staying out of things...it is voluntary. And I can stop it any time." She remembered the pep-talk Remus had given her after reading the story about the First Slayer. He had asked her then, if she was ready to be strong – she hadn't answered, still feeling slightly uncertain, despite feeling
Remus' confidence in her through their bond. And she still wasn't sure – but one thing she knew: she was done with being weak. She had the power to help, and to hopefully end the war quicker. And by God, she was going to do it.
Taking a deep breath, she forced the last remnants of her doubt and sadness away from her mind, and she smiled as she felt determination take its place. "I'll see you later, Lily," Buffy said calmly. "I am late for a battle." And then, she apparated away.
Green-coloured eyes glittered as Lily's lips stretched into a smile. "It's about time."
CRACK.
Buffy appeared a few feet outside the Wizarding Library, staring at the spellfire and moving people she could see through the broken windows. Breaking into a run, she launched herself through one of them, falling into a roll and standing up, quickly grasping a passing Death Eater with her hands and throwing him bodily at another masked man.
Adrenaline was filling her now as she looked around for her friends: James and Sirius were fighting back to back, as were Eliza and Caradoc. Dumbledore was duelling Voldemort, and Remus... Finally, Buffy spotted him duelling two Death Eaters at once, standing protectively in front of a dark haired woman, and she began to run in his direction. Before she could get there, however, a large Death Eater walked into her path, punching her in the face and Buffy stumbled backwards, surprised. "How do you like it when you're on the receiving end, bitch?" He asked.
Buffy fingered the bruise she could feel forming around her eye and she smirked. "I'm thinking I've felt girls hit harder than you." The amusing thing was, it was actually true. With a roar of anger, the Death Eater launched himself at her, but Buffy only rolled her eyes, easily avoiding his swing, elbowing him in the spine as he overbalanced, and he fell to the floor, dazed and he slowly turned around onto his back with a groan. "You should probably stick to magic," Buffy advised sagely as she turned her back on him, moving to get to Remus. "You can't possibly be any worse at it."
"DIFFINDO!" Buffy's eyes widened at the sound of the cutting spell leaving the felled Death Eater's lips and she jerked aside, the curse missing her with an inch. Unfortunately, it kept speeding on, towards the helpless woman that Remus was protecting.
Everything happened quickly: Buffy spun around, knocking the Death Eater unconscious with a swipe of her leg against his head, even as the woman let out a scream of fright. Buffy turned back around, while Remus moved, the spells thrown by the Death Eaters he was duelling impacting harmlessly onto a wall as he threw himself at the woman, presumably to get her out of the way of the spell.
Unfortunately, he wasn't quite quick enough, and the spell hit him instead. Blood splattered into the air and Remus let out a scream of pain, grasping his wounded arm in shock. Buffy ran forward, knocking out the Death Eaters he had been duelling, before she sank to her knees beside Remus.
"Remus!"
"It's not bad," Remus grimaced, but from the paleness of his face and the amount of blood dripping from his arm that was hanging limply, Buffy knew he was lying.
"Let me see it," Buffy demanded, pulling out her wand, and gritting his teeth, Remus removed his hand from the bleeding wound on his arm. Buffy paled as she saw the damage: the spells impact was so severe that his left arm was nearly completely severed.
Lena Page, librarian and manager of human resources, the woman Remus had been defending, stared in shock and confusion at the blonde man she now recognised from a job interview many, many months ago. "I-I don't understand. Y-you're a werewolf...why were you fighting against them?"
Remus grimaced as Buffy began to mumble spells under her breath, doing her best to stem the bleeding and to keep him from losing the limb completely. "Because being a werewolf does not automatically make me evil," he said through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the colours flickering in front of his vision, making his sight blurry.
"B-but..." Lena bit her lip. "Then why did you save me? I refused to hire you - "
Remus laughed weakly. "And because of that, you deserve to die?" His voice slurred slightly as he tried to focus on the conversation rather than the excruciating pain and dizziness he felt. "I'm not that petty."
"But you risked your life to save mine," Lena said, in utter puzzlement. "You didn't have to do that."
"I know," Remus said calmly, before he let his eyes fall blissfully closed. The sounds of fighting had died down. Voldemort had retreated and the Aurors were now going around, tying up the captured Death Eaters that had been unable to escape with him, while the Order members were healing the wounded.
"I need to get you to St. Mungo's," Buffy spoke up. "I've done what I can, but your arm needs more healing than I can give you here." Remus didn't answer, finally having passed out from the shock and pain.
"I don't know how to thank him..." Lena muttered, face pale.
"Well," Buffy said, with a tone of voice lighter than she felt, "you could give him a job."
A strangled sound escaped Lena's throat. "Yes, I suppose I could."
Published: 06/10 -11 (Should have been published on the 22 september, but I forgot to upload the chapter from the Doc manager. -sheepish smile- It was uploaded onto Twisting Hellmouth as usual though.
Trivia
- The library Voldemort raids is the library Remus applied for a job in Road of Carnage chapter 5. Lena Page is the person who interviewed him and turned his application down when she found out he was a werewolf.
