Chapter 29.
They were calling it the Final Battle. Buffy could only shake her head at their optimism.
They were back at Grimmauld Place the day after Voldemort had been killed once and for all. It wasn't really an Order meeting, more of a gathering of those who survived. They were missing some others, mainly those who were seriously wounded and were still in St Mungo's.
Dumbledore was there, beaming at the group assembled before him, his bright violet robes adorned with green stars. Buffy hid a grin at his complete lack of colour coordination. Lupin was there, too and Tonks, both looking relieved to have made it this far as they held hands in a secluded corner. Snape scowled at anyone who tried to entice him to join in the celebrations. There were a few others whom Buffy knew only by sight. They were all –apart from Snape- laughing and joking and having a good time.
Buffy's friends were there too. Giles was smiling politely with Willow and Xander staying close to him. None of them had really been touched by this war, they wouldn't even have known about it were it not for Buffy. They may share the Wizarding World's happiness of Voldemort's passing, but they, like Buffy, were bemused by the optimism for a better future they were surrounded with. Harry, Ron and Ginny were enjoying the celebrations as much as anyone, but they seemed aware of Buffy's distance from it and were concerned. Kendra stood at the very back of the room, out of sight as much as possible with her head bowed low. It was a submissive pose and one Buffy would have to talk to her about. She was a Slayer and should stand strong and proud, not cowed like a scolded puppy.
Buffy approached the place where Dumbledore spoke quietly with Giles. She had been meaning to ask them something since yesterday.
"Professor?" she asked quietly when a lull came in their conversation.
"Yes, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said amicably.
"I wanted to ask you about something," Buffy began. "Yesterday, when Harry killed Voldemort, the house collapsed."
Dumbledore merely nodded.
"Why?"
"I have been wondering that myself," Giles said at once. "There are well documented cases of wiccans losing their lives in the course of a spell. As you know, Buffy, they take the power directly from the Earth and when they finish a spell they release that power back to where it came from. However, if killed that power cannot be released safely and, in some instances small tremors have been caused as the power is ripped away from the wiccan's body and pulled back into the Earth. Although I am not sure what happens when a wizard is killed and I must confess I have never heard of anything on that scale before, the precedents are there."
"I believe I can shed some more light on this," Dumbledore said, taking a sip from the goblet he held in one hand. "Wizards hold their magic within their bodies and use a wand to access it. Normally, if one were to die, their magic would leave the body with their soul. No one truly knows what happens to it after that. Voldemort was a rather unique case. He split his soul into many pieces and scattered them, splitting his magic along with it, although I am sure that was not his intention. To remedy this he subjected himself to a great many dark rituals which amplified his power. He was then cast from his body just over sixteen years ago and was forced to build a golem of sorts to house the part of his battered and torn soul that he still possessed. That body was not meant to house magic of such magnitude, he would have been required to perform more rituals to keep everything in place. Furthermore, the spell that Ms Rosenberg used to return his soul to one piece would have united his original power with this unfamiliar body. What I believe is this, the body, made by magic, but not meant to house it, was already struggling to contain everything before Harry used his sword to kill Voldemort. When he did this the power was released far too quickly and all at once. That is what caused the earthquake."
Buffy thought about it for a minute. "So what you're saying is that we overloaded him and he exploded?"
"Crudely put, Miss Granger, but succinct," Dumbledore smiled down at her. "Now, before you rejoin your friends I wanted to assure you that I have spoken to Mr Giles about your plans and I will make the necessary arrangements."
Buffy smiled. "Thank you, Professor. That makes things easier. Now I just have to tell everyone else."
"You know, there's still one thing bothering me," Tonks said loudly from her corner of the room. She stood up and stalked over to Snape. "What's your problem with Hermione? You never did say?" Buffy detected a faint slur in her voice and wondered just how much the petite Auror had had to drink.
Snape spluttered. "I have no problem."
"You might as well admit it, Severus," Lupin intervened, pulling Tonks away. "We've all noticed how you are with her. It's like you're scared. And not just of her, but Kendra, too."
"She was controlled by the Dark Lord for months," Snape said quickly. "It is only natural for me to be wary of her. For all we know some lingering effects remain. She could kill us all in a moment."
"Voldemort's dead," Harry said bluntly. "There's no way he could be possessing her. Even if he wasn't we all saw what happened. Willow and Hermione got rid of him."
"Besides," Buffy said with a cheeky grin. "That doesn't explain why you're scared of me."
Before Snape could come up with a scathing reply a throat was cleared, causing everyone to turn to the back of the room where Kendra stood, eyeing the floor as though it were doing something interesting.
"I am sorry to interrupt," she said haltingly. "But I think I know why."
"What is it?" Buffy coaxed gently. Now Voldemort was gone Kendra had become painfully shy. Part of it, Buffy knew, was due to lingering guilt for what she had been forced to do, the rest most likely came from her upbringing.
"I… Maybe you do not see. He was your teacher first." Kendra shifted, uncomfortable with so many people looking at her.
Buffy frowned. "See what?" She turned to gaze at Snape. He looked exactly the same as he always did.
"Do not look at him as a student looks upon her teacher," Kendra advised quietly, still studying the floor, "but as a Slayer."
Buffy knew exactly what she meant. She closed her eyes for a moment, calling her inner Slayer to the surface and then opened them. It was Snape's turn to fidget as she stared at him in disbelief.
"You're part demon," she gasped.
"No…I…"
"I can't believe I never noticed that before," Buffy continued as though he hadn't spoken. "Sure, there's human in there, too, but the demon part should have been obvious."
"Buffy, are you sure?" Giles asked at once. "Kendra, you sense this, too?"
"Yes, sir," Kendra said softly.
"Yeah," Buffy agreed.
"Severus, is there something you wish to tell these young ladies?" Dumbledore asked knowingly. "Before they take it into their heads that you need Slaying."
Snape hung his head, a gesture so un-Snape-like that Buffy blinked in astonishment.
"My father was not a muggle as everyone believed," he said in an emotionless tone. "He was a Gladr demon."
Buffy looked at Giles sharply.
"The Gladr are a fairly harmless species of demon," Giles told her. "They aren't particularly remarkable. I seem to recall that they excrete an oily substance from their skin that can be useful in some darker rituals, but other than that…"
"I was fortunate that I inherited most of my appearance from my human mother," Snape said briskly. Now that his confession was out of the way and no one seemed too disgusted he was regaining his usual demeanour. "To this day I do not know what possessed her to take up with a demon and have his child. I know only that her family disowned her for it and she spent the rest of her life as an outcast. My father, if you can call him that, had long since abandoned her." He looked around at all their curious faces. "Now if you have all finished interrogating me I will take my leave of you." He swept towards the door without waiting for an answer.
"Ha!" Ron said loudly. "I always knew there was something off about him."
"Ronald!" Mrs Weasley chastised. "That is no way to talk about one of your Professors. Even if he is part demon."
"Sorry mum."
Buffy couldn't help but stare at the door Snape had just departed through. No wonder he was such a snarky git. Her eyes met Kendra's and they shared a long look. Both knew that whatever his disposition Snape wasn't a full demon and would not be harmed by either of them. He was too pitiful and had helped too much in the war.
"I can't believe it," Harry said from her side. "He's always having a go at Lupin because he's a werewolf, but he's half demon. That's way worse."
"Neither one of them can help what they are," Buffy said sadly. "They just have to deal with the consequences." She shook her head to bring herself out of her reverie. "Speaking of, can you get Ron and Ginny? We need to talk. We can use one of the bedrooms upstairs."
"Ok," Harry said, giving her a curious look and hurrying off.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Giles asked, not disguising the fact that he had been listening.
"No," Buffy said after a moment's thought, watching as Harry led Ron and Ginny out of the kitchen. "They should hear this from me. It'll be easier if it's just us. Can you keep Xander and Willow here?"
"Of course," Giles said, moving to find the two teens.
Buffy walked as discretely as possible from the room. She knew that Kendra had seen her, but hoped that the other Slayer would know not to follow her.
She trudged up the stairs and to the room Harry and Ron shared while they were here. She could hear their voices coming from inside. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
"Great party," Ron said with a grin as Buffy entered and took a seat on one of the two beds. She stood up again almost instantly and turned to face the wall. She had no idea how to begin.
A gentle hand on her arm made Buffy jump. Ginny was there, looking concerned as she studied her friends troubled face.
"Something's wrong," Harry said. It wasn't a question.
"What do you mean?" Ron demanded. "Everything's great. You-Know-Who is dead, Snape's dead scared of Hermione because he's a demon. What could possibly be wrong?"
"What about all the people who died yesterday?" Ginny said crossly. "We're celebrating, but so many people lost their lives, fighting."
"I feel bad for them," Ron conceded, "but we won. No one else has to die. Don't you get it? It was the Final Battle."
"No it wasn't," Buffy said, so quietly she wouldn't know for sure they even heard her if they hadn't suddenly gone so quiet.
"You don't think Voldemort's still alive do you?" Harry asked, fighting hard to keep his voice from wavering.
"No. He's dead forever. I'm sure of it." Buffy was still facing away from them, unable to meet their eyes.
"Then what…"
"Voldemort may be dead, but there are other things, vampires, demons, monsters, even more dark wizards. Some of them just want to kill a lot of people, maybe rule the planet, but some of them want to bring about the apocalypse."
"No," Harry said, a note of desperation in his voice. "It's over."
Buffy turned to face him. "Yes, it is. It's over for you," her eyes moved to Ron and Ginny who were staring at her disbelievingly, "for all of you. You can move on with your lives now, no more fighting, no more impossible adventures. You can do anything you want."
"So can you," Ginny said in a small voice.
"No," Buffy said, aware that her eyes were beginning to well up. "I can't." Buffy focused on Harry. "Your destiny was to kill Voldemort. You've done that and now you're free. Mine is to fight the forces of darkness. I've been doing that for over two years, but I'm not done. I'll never be done."
"I don't understand," Harry confessed. "We won. It's finished."
"You're finished," Buffy corrected him. "I still have work to do. A Slayer's job isn't over until she's dead."
Silence followed her pronouncement, the kind where everyone is searching for the right words even though they know they'll never find them.
"What does that mean?" Ginny asked finally.
"It means I have to go back to Sunnydale."
Ron laughed suddenly. "Is that all? Well that's alright. We'll see you next year at school."
"No, Ron, I'm going back to stay." Buffy absently wiped away the tear that had trickled down her cheek. "There's a Hellmouth there that needs its guardian. I've been away too long already."
"That's Kendra's job," Ron insisted. "She's a Slayer too."
"Do you really think Kendra could handle that kind of responsibility right now?" Buffy asked in agitation. They all knew what Kendra had been through, how did they expect her to cope with the Hellmouth all alone? "She's so torn up over everything that's happened, she's scared and the guilt is eating away at her. She needs me as much as the Hellmouth needs a guardian. She doesn't have anyone else, she killed her own Watcher remember. I will be there for her."
"What about us?" Harry asked brokenly.
"You don't need me anymore," Buffy said sadly. She held up a hand to stop them arguing. "I'm not saying you don't want me around, but you don't need me. Sunnydale does, Kendra does. The world needs me there to do my job, 'cos Kendra isn't ready to do it yet, not alone. I won't let everyone down no matter how much I want to stay and believe me I want to stay."
"What about school," Ron pointed out, with the air of someone who has detected a huge hole in the plan.
"Giles spoke to Dumbledore for me," Buffy explained. "The teachers will all set me work to do as a kind of self study programme. I'll be coming here once a month to make sure I'm keeping up and I'll be able to see you all then, but other than that I'll be living in California."
"It won't be the same," Ginny said bitterly.
"I know," Buffy agreed. "But it's the best we can do."
Buffy sat gingerly on the bed, once again averting her eyes. Ginny sat beside her and laid her head gently on Buffy's shoulder.
"When do you leave?" Harry asked with a hitch in his voice. Buffy could guess how he was feeling. Yet another person he cared for was leaving him behind and there was nothing he could do.
"In a week. Angel should be back to normal then and we'll all be able to portkey back together. I think mom's glad to be going home, she keeps talking about getting everything back to normal. I can't help but wonder if Snyder will even let me back in school."
"Can we come?" Ron asked hesitantly.
"NO!" Buffy surprised even herself by almost shouting. "You've fought more battles than anyone should have to, now it's time for you to rest and eventually become the people you're meant to be. You can't do that in Sunnydale."
"And you can?"
"The moment they Chose me they took away my right to choose for myself," Buffy said with forced calm. "I really do have to go back. At least this time I can say goodbye properly."
They sat together in silence for a long while, until the party ended and Dumbledore came to take them back to school.
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The portkey dropped them off just outside Restfield cemetery.
"Yup, nothing says welcome back to Sunnydale better than a graveyard tour," Xander quipped, eager to take his friends minds off the tearful farewells that had taken place in Giles' Hogsmeade home.
"I bet nothing's changed the whole time we were gone," Willow said hopefully. "Except Spike and Drusilla aren't here anymore. Unless this is where they came after the battle. I mean, when they took off they could have gone anywhere."
"Relax Will," Buffy said soothingly. "I'm sure after everything that happened Spike wants to be well away from all of us for a while. This is the last place he'd go."
"It feels like there should be a welcoming committee," Xander said hopefully. "Some kind of parade welcoming us home."
"Don't get your hopes up," Jenny said with a smile as she hefted her suitcase. "These lightening charms are really something."
"Oh, yes," Joyce agreed. "And now Buffy can use magic whenever she likes I'm sure she'll be very useful around the house."
"What am I? A kitchen appliance?" Buffy grumbled as she picked up her own luggage, which consisted of a shrunk trunk and a backpack. Angel took the backpack from her hands solicitously and put an arm about her, offering the comfort he was sure she needed.
Giles cleared his throat. "I'm sure your abilities will be most valuable, not only at home, but for Slaying. Now we can concentrate on using both your magic and your strength in tandem."
"Ooh," Willow cooed as something occurred to her. "Now Voldemort is dead you don't have to hide your brain anymore. We can be study buddies." The wiccan squealed in excitement.
"Great," Buffy shrugged unenthusiastically. Running through her head was the forlorn looks on her Hogwarts friends' faces as they'd said goodbye. She knew she hadn't been much better. No amount of weekend visits would ever be the same as seeing them every day, or having classes together. As they walked through the streets Buffy recognised the spot where she'd run into them last year. That was the moment Buffy had finally stopped deluding herself and admitted how much she needed them, how much she missed them. A fact she had been denying to herself since Merrick had taken her away from Hogwarts.
Now she had admitted it things would be harder. She'd have to accept that they weren't part of her life in the same way anymore and move on. There was no alternative. She had to be here, but they didn't. They deserved a chance to be normal kids for as long as they could, especially Harry.
Buffy was shaken from her musings by a growl off to one side. Before anyone else could react she had pulled out both her stake in her left hand and her wand in her right. "Look Xander, it's the welcoming committee."
"What kept ya?" Xander said with a straight face. "We thought you'd forgotten us."
Moving with the speed of a Slayer Buffy staked the vampire. As he exploded into a shower of ash she was horrified to realise she'd used the wrong hand.
"Oops," she said as she inspected her wand for damage. She looked up to the faces of her friends and family. She smiled ruefully. "Welcome to the Hellmouth."
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A/N: Well that is the last chapter. A little short I know, but it really was just to tie up loose ends and get the gang moving back to Sunnydale. I'm sorry it took so long, but I've had dance performances and work and just general not feeling like writing to contend with. Only the epilogue to go now and then I'll be concentrating on 'On the Run.'
Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Hopefully the epilogue won't take quite as long.
Nats.
