Title: Silent Observations (1/1)

Author: QueenC

Feedback: queenc@HotPOP.com

Pairing(s): Willow/Harry (sort of)

Rating: PG (maybe)

Disclaimer: Not mine. Joss Whedon owns all things in the Buffyverse and J. K. Rowling is the goddess of the Potterverse.

Distribution: Anywhere I send it. Anyone else wants it just let me know.

Spoilers: Through Season Seven of BtVS and OotP in the Potterverse.

Summary: Love knows no boundaries, including death. *Spoilers for 'OotP'!*

Author's Notes: Okay, for those of you who don't read the spoiler lines and summary, let me say this again. There are SPOILERS for 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' in this fic. Primarily, it's about the character death in the book. But, it is there. So, don't read it if you don't want to be spoiled. Now, onto the other stuff. This fic is in two different first person POVs. See if you can guess who each is. (It's not too difficult to figure out, really. Lol.) Words in *'s are emphasized. Enjoy!

WARNING #4: SPOILERS FOR 'HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX' AHEAD!!!

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I love watching her sleep.

The way her red hair falls across the white pillowcase and her chest rises and falls with each steady breath she takes is the greatest sight in the world to me. Words can't express how happy I am to know that she no longer wakes up crying at night, with tears streaming down her cheeks as the guilt and pain becomes too much.

It's almost magical, to sit beside her, drinking in her pixie-like features all the while knowing that she is finally, *finally* going to be all right. That, at long last, she's getting the peace that she has fought so hard for. Her soul is cleansed of the mistakes she's made, the terror she inflicted in the name of vengeance.

I just wish I could tell her.

I can't, of course. Because, I'm not a ghost. I don't have the ability to communicate with the living since I'm no longer one of them. No, that right was taken from me a few years back.

But, it's all right. At least I can still watch her. I can smile when she's happy and cry when she's sad. I can prevent her from losing control again by whispering in her ear under the guise of her conscience. And, perhaps the best, I can watch her fall in love once more.

Granted, it isn't the same. And I won't pretend that it doesn't hurt sometimes to see her look at her new lover with the same tenderness she once showed me. I mean, I'm still human.

Or, at least I was.

The point is, I still have feelings. I still love her more than I ever thought it was possible to love another. She was my light, my heart, my everything. Just as I was hers.

However, that time has passed. Now, she loves another with the same intensity, if not more. When she looks at him, she sees her future. I can tell.

Of course, who wouldn't? With those shining green eyes so very much like hers and that adorable head of black hair that sticks in every direction, he's the picture of a little boy in a man's body.

And is he ever a man.

I used to wonder how she could have 'switched sides' once again. It took me a while before I realized that she had never belonged to either category. Male or female, it doesn't matter. She falls in love with the person, not the package.

That makes it easier, somehow. Knowing that I wasn't just a phase that she was going through. I mean, part of me was more than aware of that already. After all, how many people do you know that would go on a dark magic killing spree over a 'phase'?

But, I don't want to think about that now. The past belongs in the past. Right now, the important thing is that she is happy. Lying in her husband's arms, she's positively radiant.

I wonder what they're going to name their child. Provided, of course, that they get out of bed long enough to realize that they're expecting. Of course, with Willow's small waist, they're bound to notice sooner or later.

And, once their baby is born, I'll watch over it just as I do its mother.

******

It's strange, coming here.

Of all of the places I could choose to visit during, you would think I would pick something less...intrusive. After all, he's a grown man now. He certainly doesn't need me to watch over him anymore.

But, I do. I have to. And, even if I didn't, I still would because I *want* to. Because, as far as I'm concerned, he's the son I never had.

Granted, he looks exactly like his father. Except for his eyes, of course. Those are his mother's through and through.

However, none of that matters. I care for him, love him as if he were my own. So, when I get the chance, this is where I come.

I don't get to spend all my time with him, mind you. It seems that there are certain rules in the afterlife. Something about not being able to observe outside of your allotted time unless you're family.

I tried explaining that, as far as anyone was concerned, I *was* his family. But, it wasn't good enough. So, I just took what I could get. And, I just ask his parents about him every chance I have.

I also talk to Tara.

It seems that she has a connection to my godson's wife. They used to be lovers, in fact. But, because they were never married, she's forced to follow the same rules as me. So, we help one another.

Still, I guess I can't complain. At least I get to spend *some* time with him, even if he doesn't know I'm there.

I get to watch him while he sleeps, a smile on his face and his arm wrapped tightly around his beloved. I can see first hand how he's finally at peace, and I know that she's partially to thank for that.

And I know that my death wasn't meaningless.

Granted, it may seem that way to the casual observer. But, as far as I'm concerned, losing me gave him the strength to do what he needed to do in order to, at long last, be happy.

It's rather ironic, isn't it? How my death enabled him to live?

Yes, I know. Rather presumptuous of me. And, perhaps you're right. Perhaps I'm being my typical cocky self. Perhaps I'm reading much more into all of this than I should. So, how does this sound?

I don't care. Whether my death caused the tide to turn in my godson's favor or not, it doesn't matter. The point is, he's happy and he's in love.

And he'll always have me to watch over him, let the rules be damned.

The End.

******

A/N: Well, what do you think? This was just a little something that hit me last night and so I sat down and wrote it. Hopefully it's not too horrible.

How about letting me know? (That means REVIEW!!!)

QueenC