Uncomfortable Meetings

A/N: Disclaimer's in the first chapter. Thanks to Coffeeninja from TtH for betaing the Giles/Dumbledore meeting.

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July 25, The Cottage

The next week was ... rather interesting. For everyone.

The Cottage crew spent their time between physical training, learning spells, and research. Harry soon became a real threat with a knife. He didn't hit the bullseye blade first every time, but by the end of the week, he was consistently able to hit wand, hand, or arm with some part of the knife every time he threw. He was, however, having less success controlling his tendency to flinch and curl up protectively when deprived of the ability to use his wand. He was getting better, but he still had a (rather disastrous) tendency to hesitate before going on the offensive. He was also putting on weight, much to Dobby's evident pleasure. Xander suspected the poor kid might even gain some inches this year, now he had a proper diet under his belt.

Hermione was turning into quite the little firecracker. She'd had a solid punch on her right from the get-go, and proved more than willing to learn the various moves and put them to good use. Sadly, her aim with a knife left much to be desired.

Sirius, despite being a pureblood, seemed to catch on to the whole 'punch the crap out of people' thing pretty fast. Xander decided it had something to do with the 'turn into a dog' trick. He'd certainly been wholly willing to try to rip Xander to shreds, when they first met, and he approached the sparring lessons with a grim, fierce determination. His aim with a knife at first was pure crap, but he was improving rapidly. Actually, of the four, Xander found himself becoming friendliest with Sirius. They shared a fairly similar sense of humor ... and a rather similar outlook on protecting them and theirs. Sirius was also starting to fill out and look healthier, much to his (and everyone else's, to be honest) relief. His progress was slower than everyone else's, but Xander didn't push. The poor guy practically fell asleep standing up every evening as it was.

Remus proved to be a bit of a problem at first. He didn't have a problem sparring with Spike, but he was ... rather highly reluctant to spar with Xander or even Sirius, the time Xander tried that, hoping their friendship would make Remus more comfortable. It took Xander losing his temper, cornering Remus and honestly trying to beat the man senseless before Remus finally lost his reserve and started fighting back. Xander could understand the hesitancy ... werewolf strength was nothing to laugh at, the risk of infecting someone was very real, and hurting people you cared about royally sucked, but that hesitancy had no place in a fight, and Remus' strength would be a huge asset. He was far more comfortable with the knife throwing, and proved to have remarkably deadly aim. Consistent access to the amount of calories he needed was also doing the man wonders ... he was the only one of the four who, at the end of the week, wasn't crashing into bed not to move until forcibly rousted out of it in the morning. Despite all the exercise, he actually had more energy, not less.

They also spent time learning how to take a fall, take advantage of any junk that happened to be lying around the battlefield, whether to use it as cover or as weaponry, and situational awareness. Spike had a lot of fun with that one, as he got to spend a good part of the week trying to sneak up on everyone. He got everyone at least once, even Remus, though thanks to Remus' senses, he'd had to work a lot harder for that one than he'd had to for the others.

On the spells side of things, Remus and Sirius were taking their cue from Xander, and teaching Harry and Hermione quite the range of devastating spells. The mock duels were kind of scary to watch, but in a totally 'Harry is so going to kick ass and take names' way.

The research was going slowly, but they were gaining ground. They'd dug up quite a bit about Tom Marvolo Riddle when they went digging in the Muggle world, an idea triggered by the fact that Tom had had a muggle father. Details wizard-side were sketchier, but there was at least the start of a trail to follow, since he'd had a job at Borgin and Burkes shortly after graduating, and he'd evidently tried for the DADA job before disappearing for a good number of years, only to reappear as Lord Voldemort. The Death Eaters were a lot easier. Sirius knew great chunks about some of them because they were 'close' relatives of the Blacks or had run in the same social circle as his parents. Pureblood mania being what it was, the Blacks had a number of books that detailed various family histories for the last couple hundred years or so, which provided insights as well. Dobby did indeed prove to be a gold mine of information on the Malfoys, though they had to tread gently with the questions lest they cause the little guy too much distress.

The more Xander learned about these four, the more he liked them. He made a mental note to offer Sirius and Remus jobs once the hooplah wound down. Giles would salivate over Remus. Watchers were very, painfully thin on the ground after the old HQ got blown up, and Remus ... well, the man was a natural for being a Watcher. He had a good base of knowledge of 'things that go bump' already, though generally by a different name than Xander knew them by, and it wouldn't take him long at all to catch up on the more esoteric demon stuff. Plus, no one in the New Watchers would care about the werewolf thing. Better yet, he was a natural teacher. Sirius would be a godsend with the youngest 'wannabes', the under fifteen crowd. The ones not allowed to Slay, yet. Xander wasn't quite sure how he'd managed it, but despite everything the man had been through, he still had a sense of humor, fun, and mischief that would serve him well riding herd on the girls. Maybe even as full Watcher to one of their quirkier Slayers. Xander had amused himself imagining what would happen if they paired Sirius with Faith. The possibilities ranged from downright, outright terrifying to hysterically funny.

Xander was also seriously considering offering a position as a Watcher-in-training to Harry after the end of this mess. Poor kid had no chance at just being 'Harry' in the wizarding world. Nobody in the Watchers would worship/vilify him, and he'd still be able to use magic as he pleased. Plus, if they managed to convince Remus and Sirius to join them, Xander strongly suspected that where they went, Harry would follow. Hermione, well, the only problem with her was that Xander wasn't sure if she'd want to leave the wizarding world or not. Xander honestly feared what she and Willow would be capable of if they started collaborating. He'd lucked out thus far on that, as Hermione had been too tired after a day full of training and research to want to get in contact with Willow.

July 25, Hogwarts

The Cottage Crew weren't the only ones learning things. Dumbledore and Snape were, slowly, beginning to gather information on Xander, Spike, and Willow as well. Neither of them quite knew how much of what they learned to believe. Many of the stories were so wild as to beggar belief, but some things remained the same.

Mostly the sentiment, immediately offered, to not piss off, harm, or get in the way of the White Knight, aka Xander. The threatened results varied from tale to tale but never failed to be dire, and always featured not just Xander's retribution, but the Slayer and the Red Witch. Many threw in the Watcher and Souled Vamp into the bargain.

Late on the third day, one of Severus' contacts had passed on a message. Their inquiries had been noticed. If they wanted information, they would show up at a certain place at a certain time, and someone would tell them what they wanted to know.

There was no way Dumbledore was going to pass that up. Neither was Snape.

July 25, The Meeting

Their directions led them to a small, out of the way cafe in a London suburb. Dumbledore had chosen to wear something that at least wouldn't draw too much attention, having managed a suit (though he'd not been able to resist making it a deep purple). Snape simply transfigured his outer robe to resemble a duster and then glared at anyone that looked at him too closely.

The weather was fine enough to permit dining al fresco, and at one of the outside tables Giles sat watching the two wizards approach with tightly concealed amusement. Really. These people had rules about exposing their world to outsiders, and then they dressed like that? Oh, it wasn't blatantly obvious, but it definitely drew some amount of attention, particularly the man he knew to be Dumbledore.

"Headmaster, Professor. Please take a seat. We've quite a bit to discuss." Giles said, motioning to the two chairs on the other side of the small table as soon as the two men were within conversational range.

Both men sat at the little iron and glass table. Snape stared around them with a disgusted sneer. Out in the open, where anyone could walk past and hear their conversation? Clearly this man had no concept of the meaning of discretion.

After waiting for the two men to settle in their seats Giles began their discussion, "Now, I have heard you have been making inquires about Alexander Harris and Spike."

"We are merely curious as to who he is, and what his intentions are." Dumbledore replied, a nonthreatening smile on his face.

Giles smiled tightly. "I'm sure. Well, to that, I can put your worries to rest. Xander is ... one of the most remarkable young men it has ever been my pleasure to meet. He grew up in Sunnydale, California, which houses a hellmouth. Are either of you ... ahhh, I see you are familiar with the term, Headmaster." For Dumbledore's eyes had darkened at the mention of hellmouths. "In brief, for your colleague, then, hellmouths are foul holes in the fabric of reality that create doorways between our world and various ... highly unpleasant ... realms where demons of varying descriptions and strength reside, allowing them access to our world. They draw all manner of evil to them, corrupting that evil even further and giving it strength."

Snape gave a convulsive shudder at the concept ... and at the idea of Voldemort getting anywhere near one. He promptly decided to
forget he'd ever heard anything about such a thing.

Giles took a sip of his tea and continued, ignoring Snape's reaction. "Xander grew up under one's influence, and yet it did not corrupt him. He was unaware of the demonic world until he was fifteen, when the current Slayer moved to Sunnydale. Unfortunately, Xander lost a close friend soon thereafter. He was turned by a vampire and Xander was the one who was forced to stake him." However accidentally it may have happened.

Dumbledore nodded quietly. Such an occurrence would have quite an effect on anyone, he knew after all.

Another sip. "Since then, Xander has fought tirelessly at the Slayer's side. He has no supernatural abilities, gentlemen, no magic. Yet this mere boy ... " Giles shook his head. "At the age of fifteen, he shattered a prophecy to bits because he refused to allow someone else he knew to die if there was anything at all he could do to stop it. The Slayer was prophesied to die ... yet she lives still, and is well on her way to being the oldest living Slayer on record. He has confronted some of the foulest creatures of creation with nothing but his courage, his loyalty, and an unbending determination to win. In many cases, he played a pivotal role in the defeat of those same creatures."

"A Muggle Gryffindor." Snape sneered in disgust. "But I suppose that makes sense. Who else to send when you need someone to act brave and be foolish?"

"Severus." Dumbledore scolded gently.

Giles stared at Snape for a long moment, then took another sip of tea. "I sent him to Harry because I knew Xander would ensure that what needed to be done got done, and keep Harry alive into the bargain. He will protect Harry by any means necessary, and give him the support he needs. I have no idea what you mean by Gryffindor, but if you think Xander a falsely brave fool, you will be quite surprised"

After pausing to consider this new information Dumbledore decided to move on with his questions "And Spike?"

Giles responded with a slightly bitter, ironic laugh. "Spike is, undoubtedly, the most contrary being in all of existence and very nearly defies explanation. He's a vampire who even before he arrived at to the hellmouth, broke all the rules. He's one of a handful of vampires to reach the status of Master before their fiftieth year. He possesses a cunning few can match, has bested two slayers in his time, and is utterly ruthless. Before his," Giles paused a moment, "change of circumstances I would not have hesitated at all in declaring him one of the most dangerous vampires currently existing. His ensoulment changed only the fact that he no longer killed to eat or for enjoyment. Nevertheless, if you are an enemy he will have no mercy on you whatsoever."

Dumbledore chose to ignore the implied threat, but his posture became somewhat more guarded, "And these others we have been warned will wreak vengeance on us if we harm Mr. Harris? The Slayer is self-explanatory, but The Red Witch, Watcher, Souled Vamp?"

"The Red Witch is Willow Rosenberg." Giles told them. "She and Xander have been friends since they were three or four years old, I do believe. They are very close. Willow also happens to be a rather powerful earth witch." Understatement, thy name is Giles. Giles could only hope these fools never hurt Xander. He honestly didn't know if there was anything ... or anyone ... that could stop Willow's response. "Watcher is myself. Souled Vamp refers to Spike." Well, it did in this case, though at one time it had referred to Angel.

"And the rather ... inventive threats?" Snape added, sneering at the memory.

That brought out a touch of the Ripper, Giles' eyes going cold and dead. "Quite real. Make no mistake, gentlemen. Xander, the Slayer, Willow and myself have fought side by side for over a decade. We have stopped more apocalypses than I care to recount, and faced some of the most heinous, evil creatures in existence. To harm any one of us will bring the wrath of the rest home to roost. The long and the short of it, gentlemen, is that your Dark Lord's days are quite numbered. He just doesn't know it yet."

Dumbledore and Snape looked at each other, then Dumbledore nodded. "I thank you for the information." He said finally.

"My pleasure. If you have need of further information, this is the address you can contact me at." Giles handed over a slip of paper.

"Again, my thanks." Dumbledore said, taking the piece of paper and putting it in a pocket to read once they got back to Hogwarts.

"As I have duties to which I must attend, good afternoon gentlemen." Giles left money for his tea, then got up and rose and walked calmly down the street.

July 25, Hogwarts

Dumbledore had much to consider once he and Snape returned to Hogwarts. Mr. Harris' employment with the Watchers had been confirmed, as had their commitment to interfering with the situation. While what, precisely, a muggle could do to assist Harry continued to elude Dumbledore, it had been made rather clear that such was possible. It would seem that Mr. Harris' presence at Hogwarts this coming year was unavoidable. Time to consider to what use the young man could be put.

Worse news awaited him when he sat down. A missive from Fudge demanding (not asking) that a member of the Ministry be placed as DADA professor. Dumbledore let out a tired sigh. Umbridge was a ... most unpleasant woman. He could only hope she was actually capable of teaching.

It never even occurred to him that with all his titles and power, he could easily have told Fudge to go take a hike. But then, it never had occurred to him to force the issue of adequate instruction at Hogwarts, had it?

In his dungeon, Snape was doing his own considering. Despite his snarky comment about Harris being a Gryffindor, he did not truly get that sense from the man. Oh, the boy had more than a few of that idiotic house's qualities, but there was a darker, harder edge to the boy than any dyed-in-the-wool Gryffindor ever had.

Snape was beginning to suspect that Harris, whatever his other qualities, had a healthy dollop of true Slytherin in him. And that was enough to make Snape cautious. In a conflict, Gryffindors would bluster and shout and pound their chests. Hufflepuffs would endure ,and if you pushed too far, mob you. Ravenclaws would try to settle a dispute with logic, but a Slytherin? A Slytherin smiled in your face and then destroyed you utterly when your back was turned. Quietly. Even if it took years to do it. Snape had enough enemies to be dealing with. Adding yet more was not high on his to-do list.

The coming year was going to be ... interesting.

July 26 The Cottage

That day featured a bit of a break from the pattern of the last week. Dobby approached Xander just after breakfast.

"Mister Xander sir? Dobby is talking to the house-elves at Hogwarts. They is telling Dobby that Dumbledore sir is wanting to contact Mister Xander sir."

Xander grinned. He'd been wondering how long it'd take. "Would you be willing to ferry letters back and forth? I really don't want to give him a chance to figure out where we're at."

Dobby nodded enthusiastically. "Dobby is more than happy to help Mister Xander sir."

"Cool. Tell Dumbledore to write a letter and give it to you. Whatever he gives you, make sure there's no wizard-magic on it before you bring it to us." Ink and parchment did not require magic, and Xander would not put it past Dumbledore, just yet, to try something sneaky.

Dobby nodded firmly, his expression saying that if Dumbledore was dumb enough to try something, he'd regret it, then popped out.

They'd been downstairs for about half an hour when the next change arrived.

"Hallo the house! Anyone home?" The voice was somewhat muffled by distance and the closed basement door, but it was unmistakably Willow.

"Downstairs, Red!" Spike yelled.

A few moments later, Willow came down the stairs, followed, much to Xander's shock, by Buffy. And ... some sort of ... thing ... Buffy was carrying. Big, made of metal, almost looked like a part of a wall frame.

"Willow? Buff? Not that I'm not happy to see you guys, but what the heck?" Xander asked, heading over.

Willow strangled him with a hug. "Full moon preparations." She said. "It's not until the tenth, but the sooner we get things set up, the better."

That was all the explanation she needed to give. Xander very nearly smacked his head against a wall. He'd forgotten about that rather important bit of information in all the busy-ness the last week. "Oh. Duh. Cage, right?"

"Yep. The sections are big enough to be unwieldy, hence the Buffster."

"Hey, I am so not a pack mule!" Buffy mock-complained. She set the section of cage against a wall, then gave Xander a hug of her own.

"Buff ... " Xander wheezed. "Need to breathe!" Buffy immediately loosened the hug a bit and Xander let out a whoosh, returned the hug, and then extracted himself.

"There's really ... " Remus started, clearly having heard them. He looked extremely uncomfortable.

Xander waved him off. "Remus, this will be far, far from the first time I've wolf-sat. We've got it down to a fine art these days." He walked over and gripped Remus' arm. "You really kinda need to get it through your head that the whole werewolf thing doesn't phase us in the least."

Remus' mouth twisted a little.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Wizarding world's full of asshats." Xander said. "Damnfool idiots. So you get furry a couple nights a month. So the heck what? It's no big. Not like you run around biting people or anything."

"Anyway, there's more panels for the cage upstairs. Shouldn't take more than an hour or two to put it together." Buffy said.

"I'm not sure something like that ... " Remus started.

Buffy laughed. "These bars are certified Slayer-proof. Trust me when I say you're not going to be able to get out when you go all wolfy."

It did indeed take them only about an hour or two to set the cage up in the furthest corner of the big basement. Remus remained highly embarrassed and uncomfortable the entire time, despite Sirius taking him aside and having a bit of a word with him.

Willow and Buffy didn't stay, heading out shortly after the cage was set up. It took until after lunch to get everyone's mind back on the program.