I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or anything associated with it. It belongs to its creator Joss Whedon and whoever else owns it. This piece of literature is simply the work of a humble fan. I don't own Harry Potter neither. It belongs to J.K. Rowling.
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:::Author Notes:::
This takes place during Season Four of Buffy. It's after the episode Restless (Where the First Slayer killed all of them in their dreams). For Harry Potter it takes place after the events of book five: Order of the Phoenix.
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Some of you had questions in your reviews. I don't like people being confused so here are your answers.
Q&A
What do you mean ending? Are you gonna finish it fast? — I meant the ending of this chapter will be really exciting.
Where are Ron and Hermione? — There here in this chapter. I don't like to add the trio into every chapter. I hate stories where the three are glued at the hip.
When will Spike come in? — I'll just go ahead and tell you. Spike will be in the next chapter. Merry Christmas!
When will we see the Scoobies? — We'll see the Sunnydale gang next chapter. ^_^
Hey everyone. Thanks for the reviews. You know I love them. I know that being Gryffindors descendent is cliché as hell and overdone, but I had to use it for the plot. Plus, I honestly believe that Harry is Gryffindors descendent. There is just too many clues that make him the descendent. You notice I said descendent. I don't like Gryffindors Heir. That's just a little too tacky for me.
Stars Not in Heaven
Chapter Fifteen: Rise Up, O Men of God
By: Water Mage
As they entered November, the weather turned very cold much to Buffy's distaste. She was from California so extremely cold weather was something new. The mountains that stood near the school could be seen going from their usual brown color to a misty gray as snow piled up their steep, rocky slopes. Every morning frost coated the ground and a new first year everyday had to be brought into the infirmary for accidentally slipping on an ice patch that littered the grounds. Harry was started to get steadily better at his Occlumency and as long as he kept it up the Dark Lord couldn't invade his mind. Buffy was also coming along quite well in her magical studies. She sucked at almost every branch of magic except for Transfiguration. That was the only field that she didn't have to work hard to be good at. It just came to her naturally.
The Quidditch season had officially begun last Saturday. Gryffindor had played their first game of the season against Ravenclaw. The Gryffindors won thanks to Harry catching the Snitch early in the game. Dumbledore had lifted Harry's lifetime ban on Quidditch the first week of school much to the bitter Slytherins dismay. In fact Harry had caught the Snitch only three minutes after the whistle blew, which was some kind of school record. Gryffindor had won one hundred and seventy points to ten.
Everyone noticed a change had seemed to come over Harry suddenly early November. He became less talkative, secluded, and more withdrawn into himself. Buffy talked to Harry about it but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. He would just shrug off her attempts to help and storm away if she broached too much. He was acting more like the Harry of last year than the new happy one of the summer.
Ron and Hermione had noticed the change immediately. They all didn't have as many classes together this year because of their different placements they gained thanks to their OWL scores. Nevertheless the 'Golden Trio' of Hogwarts were still best friends and hung out all the time despite their growing changes they were experiencing thanks to adolescence. One class the three all shared was Advance Placement Defense Against the Dark Arts. Thanks to Harry tutoring them they all had done remarkably well on their OWLs.
"Harry, you okay?" whispered Ron out the corner of his mouth. They were currently in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Professor Lupin was up at the board giving a lecture on the most common ways to kill or thwart a Hellhound.
"I'm fine," replied Harry flatly, quill scribbling quickly as he copied the notes from the board.
"Are you sure because lately you've been kinda down or something," said Ron.
"I told you I'm fine! Now would you just leave me alone," snapped Harry not even looking Ron's way as his eyes flickered from the board to his parchment, which contained his notes, he was copying.
Ron wasn't phased by the outburst he knew it would come the second time he probed Harry. Ron backed off sharing a look with Hermione. The brown haired girl gave Ron a nod that signaled that they would talk. They both knew about Harry's sudden mood change and didn't know what to do about it. They tried last year to get through to him but if Harry didn't want to helped then he wouldn't. He was very stubborn when he wanted to be. The bell rang and the students, which was a mix of all houses since this was an advanced class, sprung from their seats and exited the room single file.
They didn't go more then twenty feet down the corridor when they bumped into everyone's least favorite Slytherin, Draco Malfoy. The platinum blond haired boy hadn't changed in the six years of attending Hogwarts. Still was an ass to anybody, still slicked back his hair, still was an arrogant git, and still went out of his way to pick on any Gryffindors in his sight.
"Well, well, well," sneered Malfoy moving in front of their path, making them stop, flanked on his left and right were his faithful servants… friends, Crabbe and Goyle. Built like gorillas and dumber than Cave Trolls, these two hadn't changed much either in their six years of attending the wizarding school. "What's wrong Potty did you finally go and figure out that Weasel and Mudblood only hang around you is because of that ugly scar!"
Ron started forward but Hermione grabbed his arm in time. Harry didn't even look up from the ground. He walked forward past Malfoy, but the Slytherin grabbed his swinging arm. Harry reacted instinctively and faster than they could follow, his arm extended and pushed Malfoy in the chest, knocking the other boy back into the wall. Malfoy gave a loud agonized cry as he felt like his back had exploded from the impact. Harry glared coldly at the hurt boy before again started forward this time unhindered. Ron and Hermione stared at the scene with identical stunned looks on their faces.
Hermione bit her bottom lip as she sometimes did when she was worried. "Should we try and get help for Malfoy?"
Ron looked at her flabbergasted. "No, he called you a mudblood. He deserves what he got and besides as long as he has his two whores, Mike and Ike, he'll be alright. They'll take him to Pomfrey if he's seriously hurt, which I doubt."
"What about Harry, should we go after him?" she asked, walking with Ron down the stairs to the Great Hall. "I'm really worried about him, Ron."
Ron looked ahead, his eyes gazing into the distance. "I am too, 'Mione. We'll get to the bottom of this. We'll find the answer. We always do."
Hermione nodded a smile playing on her face. "We do don't we? I never really thought about it." She let out a little laugh as they entered the Great Hall. The chattering of hundreds of other students filled the large room. "We might as well become detectives with our track record."
Ron grinned too. "You'll be the brains. I'm the muscle. Harry is the… soul."
At the mention of their best friend they glanced around the Gryffindor Table looking for him. They sat in the middle of the table and from their positions they could see him nowhere and since he took off quicker then they had, he should have beat them here; but he was nowhere to be found. Hermione sighed, dropping her fork onto her plate with a low clatter that was drowned out by the voices in the air.
"He's knows we worry about him!" she said, placing her hands on her face. "Where is he? I swear if I didn't love him like a brother, I would throttle his neck."
Ron placed his hand on her shoulder. "Trust me when I say, I know the feeling."
They ate for the most part in silence; each lost in their own individual thoughts. Lunch passed and still Harry had not shown up in the Great Hall. They departed the hall and went to the Gryffindor Tower to search for Harry. He hadn't shown up for lunch and their worry increased when they couldn't find him in the Gryffindor common room or in his and Buffy's quarters. Feeling they had no where to turn to for help they raced to Buffy's office knowing she would know what to do.
"Hey guys, what's up," greeted Buffy from her desk, as they entered her office. She put down the letter she had recently received from Willow, Xander, and Giles. In it was another check from her father.
Buffy had come to like Ron and Hermione very much during the time they spent together. Hermione was smart like Willow and ambitious similar to Cordelia. Ron reminded Buffy strongly of Xander during their high school years, awkward, tall, and somewhat clueless about what to do with the ladies.
"Its Harry," said Hermione, leading Ron to the session couch.
Buffy's smile slipped from her face instantly. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Ron shook his head negative. He pushed his now chin length red hair from his face. Adoring his older brother Bill's own long locks had inspired him to grow his fiery red hair out. He still had a while to go before he caught up with Bill's longer hair. "Its nothing like that Buffy. You know how withdrawn and moody Harry's been lately—"
"Tell me about it," nodded Buffy sighing heavily. "I'm this close," she held up her thumb and foreigner. "To enrolling that boy in anger management."
Hermione nodded empathetically then rapidly told of the events of earlier, "You wouldn't believe what he did to Malfoy today…"
Buffy listened intently to the story of the events that had taken place earlier today. She herself had had her own run in with Draco Malfoy before today. The end result was Slytherin being deducted thirty-five points for excessive foul language and misconduct. Hearing what Harry had done to the boy was something that seemed unbelievable. Buffy would never have believed the story if anyone else had told her, but hearing it from Hermione and Ron she knew it was true. At the end of the story she sat back in her chair contemplating the information thoughtfully.
"This is getting out of control. He could be suspended for what he did to Malfoy," said Buffy solemnly. "I wonder what brought this on. Why did he suddenly revert back to the mood he was in last year?"
"It started at the beginning of November," voiced Ron anxious to contribute helpful information.
Hermione's eyes grew distant as if she was looking back on a memory. She started to speak, her voice coming out slow and thoughtful. "I remember the exact moment he started to change. It was at the end of October, we were in the common room and I was showing him my new day planner. He was smiling and seemed to be in a good mood. When he looked at the calendar inside, Harry lost his smile and his eyes grew a little sad. I asked him about it, but he put back on his smile and acted happy again. I didn't think much of it then…"
"Do you have the planner with you?" asked Buffy sitting up quickly.
Hermione nodded and reached into her shoulder bag beside her. She pulled out a small, blue book and handed it over to Buffy with no qualms. Buffy took it quickly and flipped to the calendar section. She scanned the dates not seeing anything of significance. Well she didn't see anything important, but she was never to good at seeing clues staring her in the face. There was someone though who was good at that sort of thing, but Willow was currently in Sunnydale. There was an another person she could call on…
Buffy went to the fireplace. Retrieving a jar from the mantle she lifted the lid and took out a pinch of glittering powder. Quickly she threw it in the roaring fire and called out loudly, "Remus, can I talk to you for a minute."
They stared at the fire watching as a large shape appeared in it, revolving very fast. Seconds later, Remus Lupin was clambering out the fireplace, brushing ash off his shabby robes.
"I see you finally got it right, Buffy. Last time you ended up with the power all in your hair," laughed Remus.
Buffy smiled at the memory of her first time using the wizarding words version of a telephone. That had gone exactly as Remus had said it had. Remus looked to Ron and Hermione for the first time. "Hello, Ron, Hermione."
"Hi, Professor," they greeted simultaneously like all students tended to do unconsciously when addressed directly by a teacher.
Buffy quickly informed Remus of their meeting topic and what she wanted of him. He sat down in the black plush armchair; taking the offered day planner and looking at the calendar the same way Buffy had minutes ago. They watched silently as Remus inspected each date and finally seemed to come to a conclusion about something the way his eyes widened briefly.
Remus looked up an intense expression on his face. "Harry started acting differently at the beginning of November right?"
"Yeah, that's right," answered Ron. "He seemed downright depressed."
"Yes, I would think so," said Remus mildly. "…November second was Sirius' birthday."
Everyone sat frozen a thousand different thoughts swirling in their heads. A common one shared by all was 'I should have knew'.
Buffy stood up a determined glint in her green eyes. "I'll go and find him. You guys might as well go. I think this will take a while. I'll tell you what happened later on."
They left the office going their separate ways. Buffy walked past the Great Hall and exited the entrance doors. If there was one place she knew where her brother was then it was the Quidditch pitch. Harry always said that when he flew he it felt as if all his troubles and worries just melted away. She walked onto the pitch and looked up into the sky. Sure enough there was Harry soaring through the clouds, his Firebolt allowing him to reach speeds he never could with another model broom.
Buffy pulled her wand from her pocket and whispered, "Lumos!"
The wand tip began to glow with a soft white light. Buffy waved her wand around like an Air traffic controller. Harry seemed to catch her signal for he started to slow down and start to descend. His feet touched the ground softly on landing.
"What is it?" asked Harry.
Buffy grabbed his hand and led him to a nearby bench. Harry looked at Buffy puzzled. "Wha…"
"I'm sorry," Buffy broke in. Harry just looked at her confused. "I should have realized what you were feeling."
"What are you talking about? I'm fine," argued Harry his face carefully guarded.
Buffy placed her hand on top of his. "Harry, I know what's been bothering you. I wish you would have told us what's been on your mind instead of bottling it up." A soft smile formed on her face. "Although I do the same thing, so I'm not one to talk."
Harry let out a breath of exasperation. "Why do I keep having to tell people? I'm fine!"
"Then why have you been so depressed and moody lately," she challenged. "It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you are depressed over Sirius' death. His birthday passing brought back all those feelings and emotions you've been harboring."
"That's not true," Harry said weakly, looking at Buffy wide-eyed. His whole body started to shake and tremble as the emotions and feelings he had been holding back since the incident started pouring out. Buffy circled her arms around Harry.
"It's alright to cry Harry. You need to acknowledge these feelings and realize it wasn't your fault. I had to do the same thing after Angelus was set free. Every person he killed I thought was my fault, because if it weren't for me he never would have been released. My friends made me see that it wasn't… none of knew us of Angel's curse, so it was no one's fault. It was an accident."
Harry furiously wiped at the tears that trailed down his face. It did no good for him to cry. Buffy grabbed his hand in a gentle grip. "It's alright if you cry. Xander entered a Vanilla Ice look-alike contest one time. He came in third and cried."
"Really?" questioned Harry a small smile on his face.
Buffy shook her head. "No. But at least you're smiling now."
"You don't understand, Buffy!" said Harry breaking free of the hug and walking away, his was voice loud with emotion, as he paced. "It really was my fault. If I had just contacted him with the magic mirror he gave me… I would know he was fine and I wouldn't have believed that evil little house elf."
Buffy stepped closer to the seething teen. "Harry, everything that goes wrong in the world is not your fault. You didn't ask to be tricked. You didn't ask the Deatheaters to be at the Ministry. So its not your fault!"
Harry rounded on her, eyes flashing angrily. "Sirius is dead! Because of me!"
Buffy was getting tired of this really fast. She knew that Harry was stubborn, but this constant self anger at himself was unhealthy. She walked up to Harry, glaring him in the face. "Harry Potter! I'm not one of your friends, so don't take that tone with me! Sirius is dead! I got that, but so are a lot of other people in the world! The woman who was my mother all these years is dead! Our parents are dead! They're aren't coming back and dwelling on it won't help! But you know what? They were good people and I know that right now they're looking down on us, watching, wanting us to be happy."
"How do you know there even is a heaven?" asked Harry softly, seemingly in control of his emotions again.
Buffy smiled at her little brother. His bright, shinning green eyes, so identical to her own stared at her. "Harry, I've been fighting beasties from Hell since I was fifteen. Its safe to say if there is a Hell then there is surely a Heaven and that's where our loved ones are."
"You really think so?"
"I know so."
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Harry and Buffy sat in Dumbledore's office. The old wizard was sitting behind his desk, his ever-present half moon glasses were perched on his nose. It had been hours since Buffy and Harry's talk on the pitch. They had spent much of the time talking about what Harry was feeling and better ways for him to let out his emotions other then drawing into himself or lashing out at others. There was no way he could get by in life if he kept that up and Buffy told him so.
Harry cleared his dry throat that was somewhat sore from the yelling he did earlier. "Sir, I was wondering if there was a grave for Sirius… I would like to pay my last respects."
If Dumbledore was surprised he didn't show it. He gave Harry a long look before a sad smile graced his face. Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him on the desktop. "I thought one day you might ask me this. Sirius didn't have a body, but I took the liberty of making arrangements for a gravesite. I wasn't able to put him near your parents like they would have wanted because Lily and James are buried among the Tomb of Heroes under Mount Ilidun, which are reserved for important magical heroes."
"Sirius was important!" said Harry hotly clenching his first angrily.
"Harry!"
Dumbledore held up a hand stopping Buffy. "Its alright, Buffy. I didn't mean it like that Harry. Sirius was a hero to those who knew him. But the magical world still thinks he was a servant of Voldemort. Until Peter Pettigrew is brought forward they'll still think so."
"He'll be brought to justice. I swear it," promised Harry.
"If you want to visit his grave, it's at Dagda Memorial Cemetery. I can arrange for you to go and visit it tonight if you wish. Your friends are welcome to come also."
Buffy looked to Harry and he nodded positive. "We'll go tonight then," said Buffy finally.
After dinner that night, Buffy, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Remus gathered at the front of the school. Their cloaks were wrapped around them nulling the effects of the chilly November wind nipping at their skin. Harry had apologized to his friends for the way he had been acting for the past month. Ron and Hermione accepted the apology quickly showing no grudges were being held.
Dumbledore came out of the castle rubbing his gloved hands together. A smile played on his face as he gazed at them. "Hello to you all. I believe here comes our ride."
They looked and sure enough the carriages that students used to get from Hogsmeade Station to school were pulling up to them. Buffy frowned at the two thestrals that pulled the carriage along. Their white gleaming eyes shinned in the night and their reptilian heads were bent low to the ground. As they trotted up the wind blew their long black manes wildly about them. Buffy thought these winged creatures were positively ugly. It was a good thing that most of the students couldn't see them or they would have a fit about riding in the carriages every year.
The carriage stopped in front of them and the door magically opened. One by one they clambered in and Buffy was surprised that the inside was bigger than it was outside. Vaguely she could hear Hermione whispering that it was charmed to enlarge to the number of passengers riding. Before they knew it they were in the air being flown by the thestrals.
"What's that?" Buffy asked Harry.
In Harry's hands was an object, carefully wrapped in gray cloth. She wouldn't have noticed it if Harry hadn't been fiddling with it. Harry put the wrapped object in the folds of his robes quickly. He looked at Buffy with a blank look.
"Nothing. Just something..." he trailed off, looking out the window a silent signal meaning he didn't want to talk about it.
Buffy wondered what it was but decided to let it drop since Harry seemed in no mood to talk with anyone. Everyone made talk about different subjects but for the most part Harry just sat at his window staring out at the passing scenery outside that was highlighted by the light of the crescent moon in the sky. Suddenly there was a light bump that jarred them from their conversations. The carriage had touched down on the ground and slowly it began to lurch to a halt.
"We're here," announced Dumbledore, opening the door and climbing out.
They followed him out and got their first good look at Dadga Memorial Cemetery. Buffy had to admit it was nicer then some of the other cemeteries she had seen. And she had seen a lot. Sunnydale itself had twelve. With the amount of killing going on in the town, twelve cemeteries were needed. White marble tombstones and angelic statures filled the area going in neat orderly lines the cemetery made a breathtaking sight. Tombs and mausoleums dotted the graveyard here and there. Their pristine whiteness contrasted with the dark green of the freshly cut grass.
Dumbledore led the way to the grave, which was in the middle of the rows of tombstones. Sirius' tombstone was white like the other ones and it was engraved with writing.
*Sirius Black*
November 2, 1965 – June 18, 2000
Beloved Friend & Noble Fighter
His Courage Was Boundless
"I think I'll start with saying a few words," said Dumbledore with a rare solemn tone. "Sirius was a good man. There was no doubt about that. He loved his friends and Godson with everything he had. I remember Sirius when he was a young boy and it was his first year at Hogwarts. Even a rebel at the young age of eleven... Instead of becoming a Slytherin like those of his family he took a different path and became a Gryffindor. I watched him grow from a mischievous boy to a courageous man who loved with everything he had. Sirius, I hope that you find the peace in Heaven that you sought these last days of your life…"
By the end of his speech Hermione was openly weeping. Tears ran down her face without any traces of stopping. Ron was beside her holding her hand, his eyes too were wet with tears. Harry was on her other side gripping her hand while Buffy was holding Harry's hand. They formed a silent line of mourners. Harry's eyes were wet but he kept blinking quickly, refusing to let the tears fall.
Remus smiled kindly at Dumbledore, stepping forward and taking his place beside the tombstone. He wiped the sleeve of his robes against his eyes before giving the gathered wizards a small smile. "I've known Sirius as long as Professor Dumbledore has. I loved Sirius like he was my own brother. After finding out I was a werewolf, he still stuck by me when others would have left. For that I thank him. I'm probably going to sound horrible but I would like to sing a lament for Sirius." Remus bowed his head and whispered, "This is for you, old friend."
Home is behind
The world ahead
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadow
To the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight
Remus' tenor voice was beautiful as he sang the words to the song. His melodious voice and the emotion behind the words of sorrow moved them all.
Mist and shadow
Cloud and shape
Hope shall fail
All shall fade
Harry couldn't hold back his tears any longer. The words combined with the memories going through his mind of his Godfather struck a chord deep within him. Slowly the tears that were held at bay started to fall steadily like twin waterfalls.
Home is behind
The world ahead
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadow
To the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight
Remus stopped and wiped a tear that fell down his cheek. Even Buffy was crying at all the emotions that radiated through the air. Dumbledore carefully lifted his glasses from his nose and wiped his cheeks with a handkerchief.
"Its time for us to go," said Dumbledore softly.
They heeded his words and started to depart, walking down the path that led to their carriage. Buffy looked back to see Harry was still standing at the tombstone. She watched as Harry knelt down and reached into the folds of his robe. He pulled out the wrapped object she had seen on the carriage. With slow movements he unwrapped the cloth and from it pulled out a hand mirror. Oddly the glass was broken. Buffy heard Harry say something but his words were too quiet for even her Slayer hearing to pick up on. Harry wiped his eyes and walked up to Buffy.
"I'm ready to go," Harry said smiling slightly.
Buffy knew what he was trying to say wordlessly. He was ready to move on by letting Sirius go and not blame himself for his death. She nodded and took his hand. Together they walked down the path and entered the waiting carriage. The thestrals pulled the carriage into the sky and soon they became but a speck in the sky and minutes later they disappeared all together.
A black raven sat perched on a tree near Sirius' headstone. Its head cocked suddenly as it sensed a stirring in the air. Suddenly the wind began to pick up till it became nearly howling. The raven gave a loud cry and flew off into the night. The air began to crackle like the sound of electricity being channeled through a conductor. The air above the grave started to shimmer with a silver light that shinned down from the sky. The light formed into a beam hitting the mirror lying in front of the headstone. On impact the light turned blinding white. Slowly, the light collected together into a spherical shape. Hypnotically the light started to move about like the waves of an ocean. If Buffy were here she would have recognized the phenomenon for what it was… a portal.
The portal flared brightly and a figure was hurled from it, landing on the ground near the headstone. The portal as if sensing it lost its cargo flashed again and then sucked into itself before winking out of existence. The figure on the ground was dressed in all white and two white angelic wings were pinned to his back. The man's whole body glowed for a moment and the wings vanished along with the white clothes. He now wore a dark blue midnight robe.
"Ow that hurt," muttered the man groggily. Slowly, he picked himself up from the ground, while picking leaves that got tangled up in his black hair.
The man looked around him with a frown not recognizing his surroundings. He reached down and picked up the mirror in front of the headstone. He touched it softly and looked at the headstone below him. His fathomless black eyes scanned the words quickly.
Sirius Black grinned, " 'my courage knew no bounds'?" he read chuckling. "Gee, that was nice of them to say."
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And this is where I say surprise. Surprise! Merry Christmas. Sirius is back so there's your Christmas present. This chapter even had Malfoy, Ron, and Hermione for those of you who need your fix. I've wanted to write Sirius' return for months now. He was so cool in the books then You-Know-Who had to go and kill him off because she wanted a good plot twist. I hope you all like this chapter. I know I did.
The song Remus sang is sung by Peregrin Took (Billy Boyd) in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Its on the soundtrack and is called, The Steward Song. Its really a good movie, I suggest everyone going and seeing it. It differs from the cannon of the book so that leaves some surprises for book fans. ^_^