Thank you, thank you thank you to the people who reviewed! It means the world to me (sad I know) but ask any of my friends how excited I get when I get reviews! Keep it up!
And so to put some of you out of your misery…
An even more familiar figure stepped through the portrait hole with a tentative look in her eyes and hesitant steps.
"Hey Buffy"
Buffy rushed forwards arms outstretched and then suddenly stopped short.
"Buffy?" it was a genuine question, of confusion at the slayer's reaction. There had been hints of a welcome but then a hollow, slightly scared look had come into Buffy's eyes.
"I, I have to go." Buffy muttered and pushed past her visitor, exiting via the portrait hole.
Willow looked around the bedroom, it was beautiful and yet didn't seem like a room of Buffy's. it was almost bare, completely tidy except for the strange shaped parcels on the floor and the owl hooting softly in its domed cage. Willow moved over to the bird and poked her fingers through the bars. The bird nipped at them gently and began to preen itself while Willow watched. Her eyes drifted to the open box beside the owl and the strip of wood inside. She cautiously picked up the wand and turned it over. She could feel the power it held, it felt like a cross between the power she could sense in Buffy and a magic that was similar to her own but there was something, a haze, separating her from that power as though she wasn't allowed to share it. Willow sighed and put the wand back in its box, it was probably best that she couldn't access the magic. Willow wasn't sure she wanted anything to do with wand magic, she'd caused enough problems with wicca not so long ago. To be honest Willow was still scared about doing magic of any sort, she had become quite fond of her red hair and her natural coloured eyes and had no desire to turn dark in the literal or slightly mystical sense. Sure she'd used magic in Wisteria Walk but it had scared the hell out of her to do even that relatively simple spell and dark roots had been a pretty nasty side effect. That had been the night she had met Dumbledore, he had somehow reassured her, talked to her in a way that very few people could, in a way that worked. Strange as it had been to see an old man dressed in robes and a pointed hat in an English backstreet the look in his eyes inspired not only trust but a feeling of being understood, really understood. The piercing blueness of his eyes made Willow feel as if Dumbledore could see everything, what she'd done, why, how she cringed at the memory and how she wanted to make amends. Then Dumbledore had offered her the chance to do just that. It had taken a lot of convincing, Willow knew she wasn't finished with the coven, that she still had work to do and Dumbledore had understood that.
Flashback"Miss Rosenberg I am not in anyway trying to make you leave your recovery incomplete, there is a teacher at Hogwarts who is most accomplished in surpressing the darkness within people."
"Uh Hogwarts?"
"A school, the finest school of witchcraft and wizardry in the country not that I am at all biased by my post as headmaster." Dumbledore answered his mouth twitching as he offered Willow a sherbet lemon.
"You're headmaster of a magic school..w-with real magic…a school. I uh maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea y'know controlling magic here is one thing but with it all around..students and books…oh books…you have books? See…I already want to…I can't. I want to go home…if they want me… oh G-d what if they don't want me anymore?"
Dumbledore's soothing voice cut into Willow's babble. "I am hoping that Miss Summers will also join us at Hogwarts with Mr Giles of course."
"How do you know them?"
"Mr Giles and I are old friends and I have heard from him a great deal about the slayer and her friends, you included. I think that he should be able to convince Miss Summers to come."
"But Buffy's not a witch..or Dawnie…or Xander…or"
"Miss Summers is a witch, not a wiccan witch like you or the coven here. Her magic is her own, it runs in her blood and Dawn's too. I hope that Dawn will become a student at hogwarts and Mr Giles should not require much in the way of explanations he is more than familiar with the shool as his brother attended it and"
"Woah" Willow held up a hand for Dumbledore to stop talking. "Too much information. Buffy's a witch but not wicca style..how is that possible? Can she do spells? What about the slayerness and Dawnie too? What about the whole key doo dah? And Giles has a brother?!" It was possibly the last part that shocked Willow the most and Dumbledore sensed that.
"Indeed, a charming man you may get a chance to meet him although at the moment he is a little busy with some personal matters. The magic that runs in the Summers blood I believe has been passed to them through Buffy's father although it is not unknown for magic to simply manifest itself in people with no history of magic in their family. There are many forms of magic they may perform the majority of which require a wand and all of which are taught to some degree at Hogwarts."
"hold up again…ok so Buffy's a witch and the slayer and Dawn's a witch and the key and they can do wand magic and it's all 'cos Hank Summers is magical."
Dumbledore shook his head slightly. "That part I cannot confirm. Both girls embody more than one form of magic which could in theory enhance their wandwork but I do not know about Mr Summers." Willow's frown of confusion deepened, she was sure Dumbledore had just said the magic came from Buffy's dad. He continued however. "There is some doubt as to whether he truly is Miss Summers' father. I am trying to make four from two and two but I am currently falling short of an explanation. To return to your original list of questions however Mr Harris is not a wizard. Though I would dearly love to invite him to Hogwarts the school is not accessible to muggles so at the moment that is impossible."
"Muggles?"
"Non-magic people."
"So there's no way Xander could come?" Willow unconsciously put on a puppy dog face that had no effect on Dumbledore.
"Not at the moment. I hope however that will not prevent you from joining us. Your presence in the wizarding world could be extremely valuable in our fight."
"Fight..oh you don't want me. Fight's kind of Buffy's specialty. I f you have the slayer and all your magic you wont need me."
"Believe me I would not pretend to need you if we did not. If you will permit me to accompany you back to the coven I will explain our position to you and the battle against Lord Voldemort that I fear is commencing."
Willow felt a prickle of fear pass down her spine although she had no idea why just a name caused it. She walked with Dumbledore away from the place where the dark haired boy had been attacked.
"And why that demon was in Little Whinging attacking people?"
"I will explain as best I can."
End of F lashback
Willow left Buffy's room through the portrait hole the slayer herself had exited through moments before onlyto find Dawn standing right outside. Both girls gasped and Dawn dropped the small stack of books in her arms.
"Hey Dawnie" Willow said shyly stooping to pick up the book but Dawn had squeaked and disappeared. Willow sighed and looked at the books she was holding. She sat on one of the sofas and had just opened 'A History of Magic' when a portrait on the wall behind her swung open. Willow looked up curiously and smiled when she saw a familiar bespectacled man step out from behind the painting. It was her first true smile in days and she almost cried with relief to see Giles return it. They embraced and Giles immediately began bombarding her with questions. As Willow answered and asked her own questions she felt a sense of familiarity and in the bizarre world of wand magic and pumpkin pasties Willow relaxed.
Ok only actually part 1 of this chapter but it was getting too long so I kind of had to finish it there. Any guesses as to who Giles' brother is? I keep wanting to write all the big revelation bits but they have to wait. They will come though I promise! Really really there are big events to come! Please review!!!!!!