Harry Potter and The Key, Chapter 8
By: PepperjackCandy
Disclaimer: All things Buffy are owned by Joss Whedon, Alien Enemy, 20th Century Fox, etc. The Harry Potter universe is owned by J.K. Rowling. I'm just putting them in the same bowl and mixing them up a bit. 8-)
Once again, SPOILER WARNING for those who haven't seen the first five seasons of Buffy or read the first four Harry Potter books.
A/N: For those who pointed out that Snyder died in "Graduation Day," I say "show me the body and I'll believe it." ;-) I loved Snyder (though I was disappointed that he didn't turn out to be a leprechaun) and am in an advanced state of denial about his death.
I figured I'd better get back on this, considering that as I write, we're 16 hours and 15 minutes from the Season 6 premiere.
=========
Harry held Dawn's hand as they finished burying her sister and revealed the headstone, which Anya had paid for herself, which read:
Buffy Anne Summers
1981-2001
Beloved sister, devoted friend
She saved the world a lot
Harry felt humbled by the things he'd heard about Buffy. She literally had saved the world many times, and Harry was finding himself hard-pressed to save England three times, even with the invaluable assistance of Ron and Hermione.
They were an odd assortment who'd traveled to the gravesite - Giles, Dawn, Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, Spike, Angel, Cordy, Wesley and himself. Two vampires, two witches, two - no, Dawn said that Wesley was a Watcher, just like Giles was, so better make that three wizards, an interdimensional energy source, a vengeance demon, and Xander and Cordy. And Harry could see Oz in the distance following behind them.
There was something about him that reminded Harry of Remus Lupin, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He couldn't be a werewolf, could he? Harry wondered briefly, but noticing the full moon overhead* dismissed that notion entirely.
They walked back towards their cars, exchanging hugs and mumbled farewells with the visitors from Los Angeles. Oz silently got into his van and drove away.
His voice cracked as Giles spoke for the first time in what seemed like ages. "We will need to meet at Buffy's . . . at Dawn's house for a bit before we split up for the evening.
Harry found Giles's use of the word 'evening' amusing, since sunrise was only a few short hours away.
He and Dawn got into the back seat of Willow and Tara's car and the four returned to Dawn's house.
Soon, all eight were assembled in the living room. Giles paced restlessly back and forth. "I learned some . . . disturbing news while we were at the funeral parlor. It seems there's been a sharp increase in unexplained deaths recently."
"'Unexplained deaths'?" Xander quoted back.
Giles nodded. "Yes, as in the bodies-found-in-alleyways-drained-of-blood variety. It seems that the county coroner's office has run out of space and they're starting to store . . . incoming bodies in area funeral homes."
"Well, I guess the break's over." Xander said, standing. "Anyone else up for some patrolling tonight?"
"I just hope the new Slayer gets here soon." Willow responded as she stood to join Xander.
Everyone nodded their agreement. Everyone, that is, except Harry, who asked. "Do you mean the second Slayer?"
"No. She's . . . unavailable." Giles responded.
At Harry's look of confusion, Willow supplied. "She's in prison for murder."
"Oh." Harry wasn't sure what to say next.
Fortunately, Tara picked up on his confusion. "What is it?" She asked gently.
"It's just that I don't think there's *going* to be a new Slayer to replace Buffy."
Giles looked wild-eyed at Harry. "However did you get that idea?"
"It was the article in the Daily Prophet. The one that told me that Buffy had died. It said something about how Buffy's death took care of the 'superfluity of Slayers,' or words to that effect."
"They wouldn't!" Xander said.
"They couldn't!" Willow replied.
"They just might have." Giles finished up grimly as he walked into the kitchen, yelling over his shoulder, "May I borrow your phone, Dawn?"
"Go right ahead." An obviously-confused Dawn responded.
Willow sat back down and addressed Harry and Dawn. "You see, a few years ago . . ."
"Four years ago. Almost to the day." Xander interrupted.
"Right. Four years ago, Buffy, well, she died for a few minutes."
Dawn gasped.
"It's all right. She got over it." Willow hastened to assure her. "But she was dead long enough for the new Slayer to be called. Her name was Kendra. So for the next year, we had two Slayers."
"The next year?"
Willow nodded. "Well, the better part of a year, anyway. She was killed." Harry wondered what the full story was, by the way Willow pointedly did *not* look at Spike as she said this.**
"Then, we got Faith. She was the proverbial 'bad apple.' And that was *before* she committed the murder she's in jail for now."
Willow was interrupted by the sounds of Giles swearing floridly followed by cracking plastic. Giles emerged from the kitchen looking somewhat sheepish. "It appears that there will be no new Slayer. The Council have performed a ritual that will prevent a new Slayer from being called until after Faith's death."
"I wonder if we can pay off another convict to bump Faith off." Xander said flatly.
And no-one contradicted him.
Hours later, as the sun was coming up, Xander, Willow, Anya, Tara, Spike and Giles returned, looking much the worse for wear. They flopped down onto the couch and chairs in the living room and Harry and Dawn began to walk into the kitchen to put breakfast on the table.
"So, how'd it go?" Dawn asked hesitantly.
"It's like bailing a boat with a sieve." Giles responded, not opening his eyes. "I'm beginning to think that perhaps we should take Xander's suggestion of putting a contract out on Faith seriously."
Xander, too tired to argue, merely sighed heavily.
Harry couldn't shake the feeling that something that Remus had mentioned in one of his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes might make a difference. And Dawn had said something about it as well. If only he could remember what it was.
He and Dawn set out all of their bowls and glasses in the kitchen, along with every box of cereal they could find, and gallon containers of orange juice and milk. Neither could make coffee, but Harry had put a pot on for tea. The Summers family didn't have loose tea, but he doubted that Giles would want his tea leaves read anyhow, so a teabag would probably suffice.
As the exhausted vampire slayers filed into the kitchen, suddenly Harry realized what it was that was nagging at him. "Er, excuse me." He said to get their attention. "I think I have an idea how to bring Buffy back."
=========
*Actually the closest full moon to The Gift is June 6, which this most definitely is *not*, but you know it and I know it, but the moon in this reality evidently doesn't know it.
** For anyone who missed Season 2, Spike's then-girlfriend, Drusilla, killed Kendra, and Spike was glad she did it.
By: PepperjackCandy
Disclaimer: All things Buffy are owned by Joss Whedon, Alien Enemy, 20th Century Fox, etc. The Harry Potter universe is owned by J.K. Rowling. I'm just putting them in the same bowl and mixing them up a bit. 8-)
Once again, SPOILER WARNING for those who haven't seen the first five seasons of Buffy or read the first four Harry Potter books.
A/N: For those who pointed out that Snyder died in "Graduation Day," I say "show me the body and I'll believe it." ;-) I loved Snyder (though I was disappointed that he didn't turn out to be a leprechaun) and am in an advanced state of denial about his death.
I figured I'd better get back on this, considering that as I write, we're 16 hours and 15 minutes from the Season 6 premiere.
=========
Harry held Dawn's hand as they finished burying her sister and revealed the headstone, which Anya had paid for herself, which read:
Buffy Anne Summers
1981-2001
Beloved sister, devoted friend
She saved the world a lot
Harry felt humbled by the things he'd heard about Buffy. She literally had saved the world many times, and Harry was finding himself hard-pressed to save England three times, even with the invaluable assistance of Ron and Hermione.
They were an odd assortment who'd traveled to the gravesite - Giles, Dawn, Willow, Tara, Xander, Anya, Spike, Angel, Cordy, Wesley and himself. Two vampires, two witches, two - no, Dawn said that Wesley was a Watcher, just like Giles was, so better make that three wizards, an interdimensional energy source, a vengeance demon, and Xander and Cordy. And Harry could see Oz in the distance following behind them.
There was something about him that reminded Harry of Remus Lupin, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He couldn't be a werewolf, could he? Harry wondered briefly, but noticing the full moon overhead* dismissed that notion entirely.
They walked back towards their cars, exchanging hugs and mumbled farewells with the visitors from Los Angeles. Oz silently got into his van and drove away.
His voice cracked as Giles spoke for the first time in what seemed like ages. "We will need to meet at Buffy's . . . at Dawn's house for a bit before we split up for the evening.
Harry found Giles's use of the word 'evening' amusing, since sunrise was only a few short hours away.
He and Dawn got into the back seat of Willow and Tara's car and the four returned to Dawn's house.
Soon, all eight were assembled in the living room. Giles paced restlessly back and forth. "I learned some . . . disturbing news while we were at the funeral parlor. It seems there's been a sharp increase in unexplained deaths recently."
"'Unexplained deaths'?" Xander quoted back.
Giles nodded. "Yes, as in the bodies-found-in-alleyways-drained-of-blood variety. It seems that the county coroner's office has run out of space and they're starting to store . . . incoming bodies in area funeral homes."
"Well, I guess the break's over." Xander said, standing. "Anyone else up for some patrolling tonight?"
"I just hope the new Slayer gets here soon." Willow responded as she stood to join Xander.
Everyone nodded their agreement. Everyone, that is, except Harry, who asked. "Do you mean the second Slayer?"
"No. She's . . . unavailable." Giles responded.
At Harry's look of confusion, Willow supplied. "She's in prison for murder."
"Oh." Harry wasn't sure what to say next.
Fortunately, Tara picked up on his confusion. "What is it?" She asked gently.
"It's just that I don't think there's *going* to be a new Slayer to replace Buffy."
Giles looked wild-eyed at Harry. "However did you get that idea?"
"It was the article in the Daily Prophet. The one that told me that Buffy had died. It said something about how Buffy's death took care of the 'superfluity of Slayers,' or words to that effect."
"They wouldn't!" Xander said.
"They couldn't!" Willow replied.
"They just might have." Giles finished up grimly as he walked into the kitchen, yelling over his shoulder, "May I borrow your phone, Dawn?"
"Go right ahead." An obviously-confused Dawn responded.
Willow sat back down and addressed Harry and Dawn. "You see, a few years ago . . ."
"Four years ago. Almost to the day." Xander interrupted.
"Right. Four years ago, Buffy, well, she died for a few minutes."
Dawn gasped.
"It's all right. She got over it." Willow hastened to assure her. "But she was dead long enough for the new Slayer to be called. Her name was Kendra. So for the next year, we had two Slayers."
"The next year?"
Willow nodded. "Well, the better part of a year, anyway. She was killed." Harry wondered what the full story was, by the way Willow pointedly did *not* look at Spike as she said this.**
"Then, we got Faith. She was the proverbial 'bad apple.' And that was *before* she committed the murder she's in jail for now."
Willow was interrupted by the sounds of Giles swearing floridly followed by cracking plastic. Giles emerged from the kitchen looking somewhat sheepish. "It appears that there will be no new Slayer. The Council have performed a ritual that will prevent a new Slayer from being called until after Faith's death."
"I wonder if we can pay off another convict to bump Faith off." Xander said flatly.
And no-one contradicted him.
Hours later, as the sun was coming up, Xander, Willow, Anya, Tara, Spike and Giles returned, looking much the worse for wear. They flopped down onto the couch and chairs in the living room and Harry and Dawn began to walk into the kitchen to put breakfast on the table.
"So, how'd it go?" Dawn asked hesitantly.
"It's like bailing a boat with a sieve." Giles responded, not opening his eyes. "I'm beginning to think that perhaps we should take Xander's suggestion of putting a contract out on Faith seriously."
Xander, too tired to argue, merely sighed heavily.
Harry couldn't shake the feeling that something that Remus had mentioned in one of his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes might make a difference. And Dawn had said something about it as well. If only he could remember what it was.
He and Dawn set out all of their bowls and glasses in the kitchen, along with every box of cereal they could find, and gallon containers of orange juice and milk. Neither could make coffee, but Harry had put a pot on for tea. The Summers family didn't have loose tea, but he doubted that Giles would want his tea leaves read anyhow, so a teabag would probably suffice.
As the exhausted vampire slayers filed into the kitchen, suddenly Harry realized what it was that was nagging at him. "Er, excuse me." He said to get their attention. "I think I have an idea how to bring Buffy back."
=========
*Actually the closest full moon to The Gift is June 6, which this most definitely is *not*, but you know it and I know it, but the moon in this reality evidently doesn't know it.
** For anyone who missed Season 2, Spike's then-girlfriend, Drusilla, killed Kendra, and Spike was glad she did it.