Note 1: thanks everyone who reviewed
note 2: I HATE JK ROWLING!!! dammit that was uncalled for!! Those of you who've read Order of the Phoenix will know what I'm talking about, those who haven't will hopefully be deterred from reading it. It was HORRIBLE!! Absolutely ABYSMAL!! Actually, it was pretty good cept for that itty bitty little detail... i cried... but im sure you don't care... what I'm writing this for is to say i plan to bring some of the things going on in book five into this story... ie - Umbridge...
And now, onto the fic!!
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Chapter 16
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"I don't think we're meant to figure it out," Buffy said dejectedly as another line left the workers stumped. "I mean, how are we supposed to know who they 'wish to save'?"
"Buffy, we've come this far," Giles reminded her, "we are not giving up now."
"But its too hard!"Buffy whined. "I'm not prophecy girl!"
"Maybe we all need a bit of a break," Angel suggested, looking over to the again sleeping forms of Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Sirius nodded. "I think so. It's past 2 am."
Dawn yawned and stretched out. "I'm all for some food right now. Who's with me?"
"I'll take you down to the kitchens, Bit," Spike offered. "Anybody want anything?" he asked the room in general.
"Get me some coffee" Xander responded.
"Same here," Willow replied.
"I could definitely go for some caffeine," Buffy agreed.
"Alright, alright," Giles cut in, "we could all use something to wake us up. But first I think we need to go over what we know already. Willow?"
"Right, well, we always knew the last line meant that Harry had to fight. The blossoming stag, Lily is a flower, and James was a stag. And then, starting from the top, the brightest star I'm assuming they mean the brightest to us, which would be the sun, and if it's buried it's probably night or an eclipse," Willow paused, allowing Anya to pick up the slack.
"We're assuming 'he' means Lord what's his name, and he's probably pissed and seeking revenge, hence the use of the word 'reprisal'" Anya looked over to Xander, letting him know it was his turn.
"The warriors of darkness and the light fight side by side, we're guessing they're Buffy and Angel," Xander recapped simply. He motioned for Oz to continue.
"They gain more power from higher beings. 'Up above the skies and all' would be the Powers that Be," Oz finished off the first verse flawlessly. It was the next verse that was going to bring trouble.
"The key is me," Dawn offered nervously. "And something's going to happen, I'll lose strength or something."
"And you'll be out of the fight," Sirius continued, trying not to let on what he thought about the line.
"And Voldemort will grow stronger," Giles continued.
"And I'll get knocked out of the running too," Spike spat bitterly.
Sirius cast a wary glance at the vampire and continued. "The werewolf could be Lupin, but judging by the fact that he 'belongs' to 'the witch' I'd say it was Willow and Oz."
Giles nodded. "And the brave could be anyone. Perhaps Gryffindor, as they are characterized by bravery, although it could simply mean anyone who is brave enough to fight against Lord Voldemort,"
"They're trying to fight him, and they're trying to save someone, a boy, we don't know who," Angel continued.
"And of course, the last verse means that unless Harry fights, we're all going down," Buffy finished.
"So basically, it's the same as before. Harry fights, we help, Voldemort goes down, we all go home happy!" Dawn recapped.
"Well," Giles began, taking off his glasses to clean them. "It would appear that many of the lines could mean a couple different things, and some we're not sure about, but i think we've gotten the basic gist, wouldn't you say?"
"In other words we have no idea," Buffy stated matter-of-factly. The rest of the conscious people in the room sighed in agreement.
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Sirius looked up as Professor McGonagall hurried into the room.
"Sirius! Hide! Fudge is here, and he's looking for Dumbledore! You have to get out of here!" No sooner were the words out of her mouth than was Sirius' form was a dog. At the looks from the others, she explained. "About three hours ago, a motion was passed that Fudge is allowed to appoint a 'High Inquisitor' for Hogwarts, to rate the level of education the students are receiving. Of course it's just an excuse to spy on the school, but that hasn't stopped anything. If Sirius is found here, it will be all of our heads on the line!"
Giles nodded. "Of course, Minerva. You must calm down. Things will turn out for the best I'm sure."
"Doubtful," came the voice of Spike, having just gotten back from his coffee run. "I'm assuming you've never met Dolores Umbridge, have you mate?" Giles shook his head.
"Lucky," Dawn grumbled. "She's an absolute bitch, with a capital B!"
"Make that all caps," Spike cut in. "Worse than you luv," he directed at Buffy.
Buffy glared. "Bite me, Spike."
"Rather not."
"Children please!" Giles cut in. "Now, the real issue is how we explain this massive dog."
"Simple," Buffy replied. "Will, conjure me up a dog collar." Sirius reared up onto his hind legs, clearly demonstrating his dislike of the idea. Buffy put her hands on her hips. "Do you want to go back to the Aztec barn?"
"Azkaban, Buffy, Azkaban," Giles reminded her.
"Close enough," she shot back. "My point is, it doesn't sound like an amusement park. And if everyone thinks you're my dog, you're off the hook."
"She has a point, you know," Angel added. "And it would also make it possible for you to stay here."
Sirius growled, but allowed Buffy to put the dog collar on.
"From now on, you answer to," Buffy looked at the tags, "Sinbad."
"What about to Snuffles?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Too obvious," was all Oz said.
"He's right. There are probably people who know that, or have overheard. We can't take the chance that they'll figure out it's him," Willow explained. "This is much safer, for all of us."
"I suppose you're right," Professor McGonagall agreed. "And perhaps we should get Mr. Potter and his entourage off to bed."
Buffy looked at the sleeping forms on the couch. "They're gonna have to get used to all-nighters."
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Harry woke up the next morning in his own bed in Gryffindor tower, though he had no recollection of getting there. He got out of bed slowly, and checked the time. 6:30.
Harry rubbed his eyes. That meant, in all, he had gotten about 5 hours of sleep that night, 6 if you counted the brief naps in Professor Summers' office. In any case, his body should not be awake right now. Harry tried in vain to go back to sleep, but it simply didn't work. Getting out of bed, he pulled on his uniform and went down into the common room.
Going over to a chair, Harry made on of the cushions float. Taking a deep breath, he started his homework for Muggle Defence, practising his punches.
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When Harry, Ron, and Hermione reached Defence Against the Dark Arts that afternoon, they received a shock.
"Class," Professor Smith began, "Meet Dolores Umbridge, the Hogwarts High Inquisitor."
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and thats the chapter... I'll try and work faster next time... i should have a lot of free time now that its summer tho, so we'll c! Toodles!