Title: A Broken Beginning Ch 14 (The boy who stood Buffy up)
Author: Nicki C.
Email: Nimacu@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: "It's all been done before"- Barenaked Ladies. I don't own Buffy. Nor do I own the world of Harry Potter. They both belong to Joss and J.K
Summery: Something happens that causes the Scoobies to head to England.
Feedback: I used to think that I didn't need it and it wasn't very important, but then I got some and I really liked it, in fact the more feedback I got the more I wanted. I think you get the idea.
Thank You
Dark Comet: I can guarantee you she'll never be rude to Lupin.
WhiteWolf 3: it's going to be somewhat Willow/Snape
Paz-54: Thank you for your wonderful compliments. I do enjoy the way the Scoobies speak. I've been trying to stay true to it. But if I try too hard it'll sound campy, I think I'm doing good so far in that regard. The Barenaked Ladies are Awesome. Here's another quote from them "If I had a million dollars I would buy you a monkey"Jeanne- Thank you, and your welcome
Mione Malfoy- thanks, glad to have a new reader.
Dawnlady- Thank you.
The sun was just starting to set when a traveling group of five made a large pop outside of the gates to Hogwarts. They only gazed around at first letting their eyes adjust to the twilight. But before long the screaming started.
"What's the meaning of this? Taking us out here to this… this shack?" Buffy yelled as her eyes took in the "No Trespassing" signs.
Xander who already had a sword drawn spoke "What kind of trick are you pulling?"
"This… This is badness" Dawn stared at the decrepit building with fear in her eyes.
"Yes, what's the meaning of all this" Giles made a sweeping gesture with his hands and then reached to take his glasses off and start cleaning them.
Dumbledore listened to them with confusion at first, but after a brief moment he realized his mistake. And just as he was going to explain himself and remedy the problem his group of travelers started walking away from him down the path that led away from Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.
Quickly following after them, Dumbledore cut them off. "Where are the lot of you going?" He asked them. He was met with a barrage of answers all given at once.
"Got something important to do!"
"Late for an appointment."
"I've got to get to work"
"There's research that needs done"
The four started to walk around him and head off again, when it a occurred to him yet again what had happened. "Wow, I'm really not remembering so well these days, I must have too much on my mind" Dumbledore thought to himself before he yelled for the group of travelers to turn around.
They all turned around and at that moment Dumbledore brought out his wand and as he waved it in their direction he spoke.
"What was carefully kept hidden can now be seen… Reveali!"
Rubbing her eyes, Buffy looked up at Dumbledore "What did you do?" Instead of verbally replying Dumbledore simply motioned to the Hogwarts Grounds with his hand.
"Wow" Dawn was the first to put it into words.
"Double Wow" Xander added
Buffy stared at the castle, the sheer size of it mesmerizing her. Like something out of a fairy tale, it wasn't there one moment and the next it was. She could sense the magic in the air, it was heavy; almost like a fog. It painfully reminded her of being near Willow. Again looking up at Dumbledore, this time with reverence in her eyes she spoke "Can we go in?"
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
"We'll have to tell Dumbledore." Harry told the two others
"Then he can kill her" Ron quipped
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed
"Just kidding," he laughed at her
"Seriously, though he needs to know this and right away too." Harry told them again
"I agree" Hermione answered
"Me too" Ron added
The three Gryffindor's put the books away and started to head to the statue that marked the entrance to the Headmaster's office. As they were walking Hermione started to share what she'd learned so far in her research.
"Well the Hellmouth isn't exactly what it sounds like, it's more or less an inter-dimensional opening, Sort of a door that opens between a Hell Dimension and our world. Sunnydale isn't the only one, there's another one in Cleveland, Ohio. And one in the Middle East."
"What do you mean our world? We're not the only world?" Harry asked her.
"No, not other worlds exactly; more like other realities. But I don't think that describes it accurately either. I'm not really sure exactly how it works, but they all run along side each other. And a Hellmouth is a spot in our reality where the walls between ours and another "less pleasant" world opens or is at least prone to open."
"Yeah that just made bundles of sense." Ron looked up at her and rolled his eyes.
"You know, I'm just trying to explain it as well as I can."
"Well don't pretend to sound knowledgeable about something when you don't have a clue about what's going on."
"Could you two stop it for just one minute, I think we have more important things to worry about. After all we're here at Hogwarts with a witch who's also a Malfoy and as interesting as it might be later, the Hellmouth is in Sunnydale, California; a place I might add, where we're not." Harry spoke loudly. Sometimes he felt so sick of their bickering. It was almost like a sport between those too, and he didn't like being the spectator all the time, or the referee.
The three continued the walk in silence. But as they approached the door they realized they weren't the only ones in the hallway. With only faint curiosity they turned to look at the approaching people, they were surprised to see Dumbledore with a group of strangers.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
The hospital wing was crowded yet again. Snape sat on the bedside of the redheaded witch, while both Weasley brothers were sitting in chairs that were in opposite corners of the room. Snape could feel them glaring at him from behind while he sat there. When he'd gotten back he'd refused to tell them where he'd gone or what he'd learned and for the first time since they'd gotten to Hogwarts they were agreeing on something. They hated him. And they were saying everything but that as they made snide remarks and mumbled under their breaths. But even for a man that was used to being loathed it was starting to get to him. With everything else, it was just too much.
"You two have been in this room all day, I can handle watching her for awhile. Why don't you take a break? Stretch your legs or get something to eat?" He was using his nicest voice (which even he had to admit wasn't that nice) in attempt to get them to agree.
Charlie paused before answering. He knew he and Percy were acting childish but he couldn't help it, he was tired and worried and all of the tension of the last year seemed to be weighing down on him. And that girl in the bed seemed to be the catalyst for so much. For seeing Percy for the first time since that night and being back at Hogwarts together, and the fact that if she woke up and was on their side it could mean the end of Voldemort. Maybe Snape was right; maybe he did need to take a break.
"Yeah that sounds like a good idea"
Percy heard Charlie and Snape talking but he was too caught up in his own thoughts to reply. Where had Snape been? Why wouldn't he tell them? Weren't they supposed to be working together? He didn't trust Snape, he never had. Time hadn't changed that either, anyone who had a file at the ministry that was as confidential and top-secret as his had to be dangerous; no matter whose side he fought on. Percy's mental examination of Snape was halted when Charlie spoke.
"So what do you say Percy?" Charlie accented his name like it was dirty word.
"Should we take a break and leave Snape here to watch her?" He added
Percy thought about it a moment. He hadn't been out of this room since he gotten here this morning and it would be nice to stretch his legs a bit. Although he didn't really embrace the idea of leaving her with Snape, the man couldn't do too much damage with Madame Pomfrey in the next room.
"Sure, why not?" He answered in a tone that implied indifference either way.
The two Weasleys headed out into the hallway. Not saying a word they strolled along. It was the most time they'd spent alone since long before that fight. Both were lost in memories of Hogwarts when they noticed Ron, Harry and Hermione walking in the corridor ahead of them. Charlie and Percy looked at each other and looked at the trio, Charlie quietly whispered "Ron doesn't know we're here, let's sneak up on them. It'll give them a right scare" Percy thought for a moment, he was going to disagree; he'd never been much for scaring people, but it was Ron he was going to embarrass. And Ron always said he was too stuck-up, well maybe this would teach people to judge him. Percy nodded in agreement.
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"This really is quite a beautiful castle Mr. Dumbledore." Giles spoke to the man with out looking at him. His gaze; just like Buffy's, Xander's and Dawn's was drawn to all of the decoration in the halls of the castle.
Buffy could feel the same magical presence in the air in here as she could outside. Except in the castle it was almost like a basic sense. She felt it everywhere, and except for the constant reminder of Willow, it was fading in to the back of her consciousness as she focused on everything that was going on around her. Pictures moving, staircases disappearing. It was really almost too much… just as she was about to comment on that to Xander, Dumbledore spoke. "Ah yes, we're almost to my office now." And as he pointed the way to the end of a Hallway, Buffy notice a group of teenagers standing nearby. And it seemed that just as she was noticing so was everyone else.
"Ohhh…Boys" Dawn whispered in her ear.
"Down girl" Xander whispered in Dawn's
"Ah yes, why am I not surprised to find the three of you here? It seems like nothing goes on in this castle without you hearing about it." Dumbledore was speaking to the teenagers.
Just as one of the teenagers, a tall raven-haired boy with a scar on his face was about to speak two men jumped out from behind the corner the teenagers were in front of screaming. Chaos ensued.
Scoobies poised to tackle.
Wands were drawn.
Percy looked at the group around them and shrugged "Can't you take a joke?"
"Charlie? Percy? What are you too doing here?" Ron asked
"We thought we were sneaking up on you" Charlie answered him
But as he answered his brother his eyes rested on a short blonde-haired woman standing next to Dumbledore.
"Buffy?" He asked, not believing his eyes
"Charlie?" Buffy replied, thinking at the same time "What are the chances?"
"Who's Charlie?" Xander asked bewildered
"Me" Charlie answered
"And your?" Xander still didn't get what the connection between the two was.
Dawn decided to fill him in "He's the boy who stood Buffy up"
