Willow stepped through the wall, marveling at the seamless transition to Platform Nine and Three Quarters and glad that she had stepped through walls before. Still an eerie experience, but not terribly frightening, aat least.
The train and passenger cars seemed to have been plucked right from one of her grandfather's model train sets. She walked up to the locomotive and ran her hands along the smooth paint. Then she saw someone in the distance and called out.
"Hey, Giles, look, somebody else! Hey, over here, hey …" Her enthusiasm trailed off as the black clad figure came closer.
"Red. Nice to see you. Rupert," the blonde man nodded.
"Spike." Giles said to the vampire. "I guess that explains the night run. What are you doing here?"
The vampire lit a cigarette and savored the smoke leaking out of his nostrils.
"Albus and I go way back. He asked me to come, look after things a bit."
"You know Professor Dumbledore?" Willow asked, surprised.
"Yup. We've been on the same side o' some nasty tussles over the years. Plus, I needed out of Sunnyhell for awhile after … things, you know?"
Willow could certainly sympathize with that. Giles knew about the affair and didn't approve, but he hadn't had a great deal of say from across the pond. He and Willow traded a look that screamed 'it's for the best.'
"Perhaps we should finish this on the train?" Giles suggested. The three of them grabbed their luggage and climbed aboard; Spike surprised Willow by wordlessly hefting her largest bag and bringing it with him. Giles settled in to his own cabin, content to grab a few hours sleep during what was certain to be a long night.
The flight to England and two days of sightseeing with Giles had nearly worn Willow out, but the battle between anxiety and excitement had her all wound up. She sat awake, restlessly staring out the window.
Spike silently smoked in the seat across from her, watching the redheaded witch think about the trip. Her evident sadness didn't surprise him at all. Glinda had given her a rough time over the magic. She had, he supposed, been pretty reckless, and he was still right pissed that she'd endangered the nibblet with her addiction, but she hadn't meant any harm. Same thing, he figured, with bringing Buffy back, a disaster that he knew hung around her neck like a thousand-pound ball and chain. She certainly had enough reason to get away, but he knew it must be hard for her.
And he could relate to that.
They were both pretty much alone, both cast out suddenly by people they cared for, both riding a train to a place that might not hold some answers for them. Then again, it might not have any.
"Red?" Startled from her reverie, she turned and looked at him warily.
"Yeah, Spike?"
"Do you … want to talk about it all?" He asked tentatively, knowing it wasn't really his place. The Big Bad should not be asking something like that, his demon thought. But the demon had lost control sometime over the past two years, and what was left of William remembered Willow's endless kindness and patience with his chipped self, and besides, he was bored out of his bloody mind not saying anything.
"With you?" She responded in a less than friendly tone.
"Sorry, pet. I just thought … you look so sad." His voice actually sounded sympathetic. Is he serious? Her mind found that reasonably easy to accept, once she considered it at all. He had changed, and he had to be miserable about being away from Buffy. I can empathize with that.
"I just miss home, you know?" All of a sudden, her real feelings blurted out in a rush. "And the way it used to be. Me, Buffy, Xander, Giles, save the world and watch bad Indian t.v. and all that and doing research in the library and even hacking the coroner's office, thinking a single vampire was serious danger and avoiding Cordelia at the Bronze a-and …" She cut herself off, her face flushed from the speech. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling."
"I know what you mean, Red. The last few years have been more complicated than the whole century before them. I miss … not the killin' and rampaging and feeding so much as the simplicity of it. Now I think about everything. It makes it harder, you know?" He realized as he said it that it was the truth. He didn't mind being the white hat; he hated the complexity of it, but not the role itself.
"You don't miss the killing and feeding?"
"It's been so long … want to hear something odd?" Probably shouldn't tell her this, he knew. What the hell, though, might as well. He was what he was.
"S-sure."
"Remember when Dru came back last year?" She nodded, also remembering that Spike had chained Buffy up 'for love.' "We went out, to the Bronze. She killed two lovebirds that night, gave me one to eat. I knew then that we could be together, that everything could actually be how it was if I wanted it to."
"Boy, that's romantic, Spike. Thanks for sharing." She turned away, disgusted.
"No, you're not listening." He grabbed her shoulder and gently turned her around. "I didn't want it. Didn't want her. Thought at the time, a'course, that it was because of Buffy. Maybe it was, or is. But I just don't want to." Not that Buffy sees that, he added mentally. "When Dru handed the girl's body to me, I wondered what she had been like, wondered if she liked the bloody Ramones, would you believe? Now, I look at humans and see … people, not food."
"It makes sense, I guess," the redhead said. "You've had no choice, living with us for so long."
"I know, but it's a bloody enormous change for a vampire, luv."
"Yeah, I guess so." He could see she didn't understand his point. Well, they had plenty of time. At least she had listened to him. Maybe he could help her, eventually. He lit another cigarette and joined her in staring out the window.
Spike and Giles knew the enormous bearded man that met them at the train station was part giant. Nothing else could explain his size. Giles seemed a bit taken aback, but Spike, who had known more than a few giants, remained unfazed. Willow was simply overwhelmed.
"Rubeus Hagrid's tha name, folks. Keeper o' the Keys and Grounds and whatnot here at Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore sent me down ter get yeh. Don't worry 'bout yer bags, we'll have 'em sent up ter yer quarters special. You must Professors Giles and Rosenberg, eh?" He looked first at Giles and Willow, who each nodded. "Right then, that makes you the vampire," he said to Spike. "Been awhile since I seen one, and he wasn't too friendly. 'Course, Dumbledore trusts you. Good enough for me. Great man, Dumbledore."
"I'll agree with you there, mate," Spike said. "Call me Spike."
"Mos' people here jus' call me Hagrid. All'a you might as well." They nodded. "This way, then." He led them to a set of boats without oars, motioning them to get in. Willow stumbled and nearly fell in the lake, but Hagrid picked her up with one hand and deposited her in a seat. She smiled her thanks, then let out an 'eep' when the boat began to move on its own.
"That is so …" Willow said, words not forming in her mind. The enormous silhouette of Hogwarts came into view, dark against the night sky except for the lights of individual rooms. The giant turrets jutted defiantly into the night, giving the entire fortress a sinister appearance. "Like a fairy tale," she finished.
"Indeed," said Giles. He had never seen its like either, and gaped in awe. Spike and Hagrid, having been here before, merely watched as the outline grew and details began to emerge. The sight left them speechless as they landed and made their way to the school's entrance.
"Dumbledore's waitin' for yeh in his office. I s'pect he'll have someone show ya ter yer rooms an' all." Hagrid pointed out the directions to Dumbledore's office. As the three newest staff members turned to go, Willow patted Hagrid on the arm and thanked him sweetly. Embarrassed, the half-giant stuttered out a 'Yer Welcome' and headed off to his home. Spike knew the way, and they headed out to meet their new boss.