Title: A Place For My Head
Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Buffy the Vampire Slayer. To those out there that had the creative juice to do so for our pleasure, thank you sincerely from those who have derived much pleasure from these characters and stories. I am not getting any kind of financial profit from this endeavor.
Timeframe and Spoilers: Through Season 7 for BtVS, OotP for HP. Takes place post-Hogwarts and post-Chosen. Harry will be pretty much the only significant HP character. Everything else will pretty much be the Scoobies.
Pairings: Harry/Buffy, others undecided (Note: Giles will get some lovin', I just like the ole chap too much to leave him single)
Rating: PG-13 for some potential language and sexual situations. Nothing too much, though.
A/N: Sorry about the delay! A combination of writer's block, a job change, and a week of a training retreat caused the delay. Hope it didn't effect the quality of where I'm trying to go with this. Guess we'll have to see.
===============================================================
Chapter 4
January, 2005 Bath, England A few days later
Rupert Giles sighed as he sunk onto the couch, taking a sip of his tea and flipping on the television. Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg practically pranced into the room, plopping on either side of him with way too much enthusiasm for 7 o'clock in the morning.
Sighing to himself as they started to babble incoherently to each other, Giles flipped the television on and sipped his tea watching the international news. Few items caught his attention until a news on a suspected terrorist strike on the US was mentioned.
He upped the volume, leaning forward while taking another sip. "....leans, authorities are baffled about the cause and motive for a suspected terror strike on a local night club just a few blocks from Bourbon Street. Witnesses say the building just exploded and that they saw nothing out of the ordinary before the explosion. No terrorist organizations have claimed responsibility. So far, no bodies have been found at the scene."
Buffy frowned at the TV. "Well, that seems weird."
Willow turned to look at the screen also. "Where did it take place?"
Giles adjusted his glasses and spoke just before sipping his tea. "New Orleans I believe."
"Oh! Then it's not a terrorist attack."
Buffy and Giles just looked at Willow in question.
"It's probably the vamp club that Faith's group was going to blow up."
Willow flinched away as Giles promptly spewed tea all over her nightshirt.
===============================================================
Faith stretched at the kitchen table as Ashley rushed around, gathering school supplies. "I'm sooo late! Who knew that arson could make you so tired?" Faith just laughed at the girl and took a bite out of her pop- tart.
"Better hurry there, mini-Scoob. Potter will have your hide if your Slayer duties interfere with school."
"Actually, I'm just afraid my friend Hermione will show up berating me for not insuring she gets a proper educatioin," Harry said as he handed Ashley her backpack.
"Bye everyone!" Ashley yelled as she rushed out to where Robin waited to take her to school. As a cover for the group, Robin had taken a job as a teacher in a nearby school, with Ashley attending classes there.
Harry plopped down at the table, plucking a banana from the fruit bowl. He had just taken a bite when the phone rang. Looking towards Faith, who was studiously ignoring the phone in favor of her pop-tarts, he sighed and moved to answer it.
"Hello?... Yes, Mr. Giles, it was us... no, we... Didn't Ms. Rosenberg explain anything about our plan?... That's correct, a magical explosive.... Something I picked up before Oxford... A little transfiguration, some charms, then pour a little energy into it... no, none of the others provided any magical power." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Who taught me the technique? A man named Albus Dumbledore... you've met him?... Yes, I am aware of the danger of certain magic, and am sure this didn't fall into that realm... Goodday, sir." Harry hung up the phone and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not some bloody amateur..."
"Was that Jeeves?"
Harry turned to Faith. "If you mean Mr. Giles, then yes, it was 'Jeeves.' He was worried about the effect of the magical toys we made, due to the experiences with Ms. Rosenburg." Harry sighed softly. "I'm just annoyed, him treating me like someone kid hopped up on dark magic."
"Well, G has been very cautious about magic ever since Red tried to make the world go 'boom,' and rightly so."
Harry just nodded. "Anyway, up for a spar later? I suddenly feel the need to burn some energy."
Faith just grinned wolfishly. "You sure a spar's the best way to unwind? I've got some alternatives."
Harry just chuckled, picking his plate up and moving towards the kitchen. "I'd be tempted Faith, if Robin wouldn't go a make a second go-round physically impossible."
===============================================================
Giles hung up the phone and turned to Willow. "Everything's under control. I still wish you had told me what he had planned before now."
Willow grinned bashfully. "Oops?"
Giles pushed his glasses up his nose. "Anyway, it seems the technique that Mr. Potter used was taught by a friend of mine, Albus Dumbledore. It was actually Albus that recommended Harry to me as a potential Watcher."
Buffy turned slightly on the couch to better face her Watcher. "So, who's this Bumblebee guy? And how does this new Watcher know magic?"
"That's Dumbledore, Buffy, and Albus was one of the most powerful wizards I have ever met. There are stories about a dark wizard arising during the Second World War, and there were rumors of him assisting the Nazis when their aims were compatible. I met Albus after, well, Egyhon, and he had a major influence on me as I tried to find my way back. It was during that time that I learned that this dark wizard, known as Grindelwald, was killed by Albus."
Giles removed his glasses, cleaning them while gathering his thoughts. "Sometimes I wonder what drove Mr. Potter to Oxford, where I met him. Apparently, Albus helped arrange his admission there, and I could tell immediately that Harry felt out of place. Part of me wonders what Harry saw and did before I met him. Add to the fact that I now know Harry has had some training from Albus in magic, which I have no idea how in-depth or advanced, well... it just adds to my curiosity."
Buffy frowned. "Could he possibly be a threat?"
Giles shook his head. "No, I trust Albus' judgment implicitly. I wish the bugger was still alive so I could inquire more, but alas. And I feel awkward trying to get anything out of Harry himself. He holds his past very close to his chest, for the most part. He'll mention names, and events, but only in the vaguest terms possible."
While Buffy and Giles had been conversing, Willow had been fluttering over her keyboard. "Well, I found his records here in the Council archives from our standard background search on all recruits. Nothing major, grew up in Surrey, attending the local school until he was eleven. But, he then dropped out of sight until he was twenty and going to Oxford."
Buffy moved to stand behind Willow, staring at the screen for a second. "That must have been the time he got his training, but where did he get the schooling needed to get into a place like Oxford?" Her gaze perused the mug shot in the profile on the screen, and grinned. "Faith said he was cute, but I think she understated the case."
Giles groaned and rubbed his temples. "Females. Can't live with them. Can't shoot them."
===============================================================
A week later
Harry jammed his hands further into his trench coat pockets, watching his charge pound on a vampire about 10 yards away. He fought down the urge to jump to her aid, knowing she could handle herself. Didn't make it any easier to ignore what Hermione had called his 'saving-people thing.'
A 'poof,' accompanied by the follow up sneeze from Ashley, and the pair was moving through the cemetery again, moving to the next crypt containing a body that coroner's reports suggested might have been turned. "Finish your algebra?"
Ashley just rolled her eyes. "Of course I did. Not much else to do in study hall since its hard making friends when all my free time is taken up with killing demonic creatures and saving the world from being overrun by evil," she stated, trying not to let the sadness creep into her voice.
"Just checking."
Harry sighed silently as she moved to stand before the door of the mausoleum, tapping her stake against her thigh. He knew she was lonely, and felt cut off from everything around her. What was the point of her saving the world if she couldn't live in it? He didn't want her to develop the martyr complex he had carried around the last few years of the war. It was what had cost him Gin.
A few mintues later, the door of the crypt opened and Ashley emotionlessly staked the emerging vampire. "Ready to go home, Ash?"
With a tired nod, the girl started trudging towards home, and Harry started to follow when he noticed a glint of something on the ground where the vampire had been dusted. Picking up a small amulet, he frowned and pocketed it. Following his slayer silently, he frowned at the slight slump of her shoulders.
===============================================================
Faith turned from the TV in the living room at the soft knock at the entry way. "Hey there, H, whatcha need?"
Harry moved into the room, sitting softly on the couch with the Slayer. "I'm concerned about Ash."
"She's not fitting in at school, right?" At Harry's nod, Faith sighed and flipped the TV off. "Harry, I was never a normal teenage girl, but for several years now I've hung around them. Feeling like she's not fitting in at times is part of the package apparently."
"I know that, but this is different. With her calling, the feeling could grow to the point that she feels cut off from the world, that she's not a part of it. When that happens..." Harry removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly.
Faith frowned, acknowledging silently the truth of his statement. "So, what do you suggest we do?"
"If I knew, would I have come to you?" Harry snapped, then looked down sheepishly. "Sorry, didn't meant that. But my worry over Ash, combined with the strange amulet I found tonight makes Harry a mean puppy."
Faith just looked at him funny. "Mean puppy?"
"Sorry, must be my lack of sleep."
===============================================================
"You wanted to see me Giles?" Buffy said as she poked her head into the Watcher's office, frowning a little at the sight of Dawn and Vi sitting there also.
"Yes, Buffy, we were just waiting for you. Please, sit."
Buffy slowly sat down, folding her hands in her lap. "So shoot. What's the what?"
Giles shuffled some papers, glanced at Dawn, then at Vi, then finally returning his gaze to the eldest Slayer. "I was about to give Dawn and Vi their information for their first field assignment."
Dawn and Vi both squeeled, bouncing in their chairs. Buffy's eyes widened, slumping into her chair. "What?"
"Xander's group has noticed an increase in activity on the Cleveland Hellmouth, and has requested reinforcements. I want to send someone with experience, so my first thought was you. I know you've said you're ready for field work again, but you've been out of the field for the past year or so, and I didn't want to throw you head first into that. That's why Robin and Faith will be reassigned to Cleveland, and Harry will take over as Senior Watcher in New Orleans."
Giles cleaned his glasses before replacing them and continuing. "I want to send Dawn and Vi there for their first official assignment, but with Harry being the only real adult there," Giles ignored the indignant protests from the Watcher/Slayer team, "I want to send you to help out, and to readjust to field duty. Plus, I know both you and Dawn would like to remain together if possible." Buffy glanced at her sister, who nodded happily, and Buffy smiled gratefully at Giles in return.
"Thanks, Giles. It's means a lot to us."
"Secondly, with the increased activity in Cleveland, that means both senior Slayers will be in America if anything happens. You won't be too far away to help out if needed." Giles pulled out an envelope and handed it to the blonde. "There's your tickets, itinerary, and other pertinent information. You leave in two days." Buffy nodded, and the three girls stood and moved to leave the office. "And Buffy?"
The slayer turned in response. "Yes?"
The Watcher smiled softly. "I'll miss you."
"Miss you too, Giles." She smiled, then threw her arms around her two young charges. "Come one girls. Let's get ready to return to the good ol' US of A."
Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Buffy the Vampire Slayer. To those out there that had the creative juice to do so for our pleasure, thank you sincerely from those who have derived much pleasure from these characters and stories. I am not getting any kind of financial profit from this endeavor.
Timeframe and Spoilers: Through Season 7 for BtVS, OotP for HP. Takes place post-Hogwarts and post-Chosen. Harry will be pretty much the only significant HP character. Everything else will pretty much be the Scoobies.
Pairings: Harry/Buffy, others undecided (Note: Giles will get some lovin', I just like the ole chap too much to leave him single)
Rating: PG-13 for some potential language and sexual situations. Nothing too much, though.
A/N: Sorry about the delay! A combination of writer's block, a job change, and a week of a training retreat caused the delay. Hope it didn't effect the quality of where I'm trying to go with this. Guess we'll have to see.
===============================================================
Chapter 4
January, 2005 Bath, England A few days later
Rupert Giles sighed as he sunk onto the couch, taking a sip of his tea and flipping on the television. Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg practically pranced into the room, plopping on either side of him with way too much enthusiasm for 7 o'clock in the morning.
Sighing to himself as they started to babble incoherently to each other, Giles flipped the television on and sipped his tea watching the international news. Few items caught his attention until a news on a suspected terrorist strike on the US was mentioned.
He upped the volume, leaning forward while taking another sip. "....leans, authorities are baffled about the cause and motive for a suspected terror strike on a local night club just a few blocks from Bourbon Street. Witnesses say the building just exploded and that they saw nothing out of the ordinary before the explosion. No terrorist organizations have claimed responsibility. So far, no bodies have been found at the scene."
Buffy frowned at the TV. "Well, that seems weird."
Willow turned to look at the screen also. "Where did it take place?"
Giles adjusted his glasses and spoke just before sipping his tea. "New Orleans I believe."
"Oh! Then it's not a terrorist attack."
Buffy and Giles just looked at Willow in question.
"It's probably the vamp club that Faith's group was going to blow up."
Willow flinched away as Giles promptly spewed tea all over her nightshirt.
===============================================================
Faith stretched at the kitchen table as Ashley rushed around, gathering school supplies. "I'm sooo late! Who knew that arson could make you so tired?" Faith just laughed at the girl and took a bite out of her pop- tart.
"Better hurry there, mini-Scoob. Potter will have your hide if your Slayer duties interfere with school."
"Actually, I'm just afraid my friend Hermione will show up berating me for not insuring she gets a proper educatioin," Harry said as he handed Ashley her backpack.
"Bye everyone!" Ashley yelled as she rushed out to where Robin waited to take her to school. As a cover for the group, Robin had taken a job as a teacher in a nearby school, with Ashley attending classes there.
Harry plopped down at the table, plucking a banana from the fruit bowl. He had just taken a bite when the phone rang. Looking towards Faith, who was studiously ignoring the phone in favor of her pop-tarts, he sighed and moved to answer it.
"Hello?... Yes, Mr. Giles, it was us... no, we... Didn't Ms. Rosenberg explain anything about our plan?... That's correct, a magical explosive.... Something I picked up before Oxford... A little transfiguration, some charms, then pour a little energy into it... no, none of the others provided any magical power." He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Who taught me the technique? A man named Albus Dumbledore... you've met him?... Yes, I am aware of the danger of certain magic, and am sure this didn't fall into that realm... Goodday, sir." Harry hung up the phone and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not some bloody amateur..."
"Was that Jeeves?"
Harry turned to Faith. "If you mean Mr. Giles, then yes, it was 'Jeeves.' He was worried about the effect of the magical toys we made, due to the experiences with Ms. Rosenburg." Harry sighed softly. "I'm just annoyed, him treating me like someone kid hopped up on dark magic."
"Well, G has been very cautious about magic ever since Red tried to make the world go 'boom,' and rightly so."
Harry just nodded. "Anyway, up for a spar later? I suddenly feel the need to burn some energy."
Faith just grinned wolfishly. "You sure a spar's the best way to unwind? I've got some alternatives."
Harry just chuckled, picking his plate up and moving towards the kitchen. "I'd be tempted Faith, if Robin wouldn't go a make a second go-round physically impossible."
===============================================================
Giles hung up the phone and turned to Willow. "Everything's under control. I still wish you had told me what he had planned before now."
Willow grinned bashfully. "Oops?"
Giles pushed his glasses up his nose. "Anyway, it seems the technique that Mr. Potter used was taught by a friend of mine, Albus Dumbledore. It was actually Albus that recommended Harry to me as a potential Watcher."
Buffy turned slightly on the couch to better face her Watcher. "So, who's this Bumblebee guy? And how does this new Watcher know magic?"
"That's Dumbledore, Buffy, and Albus was one of the most powerful wizards I have ever met. There are stories about a dark wizard arising during the Second World War, and there were rumors of him assisting the Nazis when their aims were compatible. I met Albus after, well, Egyhon, and he had a major influence on me as I tried to find my way back. It was during that time that I learned that this dark wizard, known as Grindelwald, was killed by Albus."
Giles removed his glasses, cleaning them while gathering his thoughts. "Sometimes I wonder what drove Mr. Potter to Oxford, where I met him. Apparently, Albus helped arrange his admission there, and I could tell immediately that Harry felt out of place. Part of me wonders what Harry saw and did before I met him. Add to the fact that I now know Harry has had some training from Albus in magic, which I have no idea how in-depth or advanced, well... it just adds to my curiosity."
Buffy frowned. "Could he possibly be a threat?"
Giles shook his head. "No, I trust Albus' judgment implicitly. I wish the bugger was still alive so I could inquire more, but alas. And I feel awkward trying to get anything out of Harry himself. He holds his past very close to his chest, for the most part. He'll mention names, and events, but only in the vaguest terms possible."
While Buffy and Giles had been conversing, Willow had been fluttering over her keyboard. "Well, I found his records here in the Council archives from our standard background search on all recruits. Nothing major, grew up in Surrey, attending the local school until he was eleven. But, he then dropped out of sight until he was twenty and going to Oxford."
Buffy moved to stand behind Willow, staring at the screen for a second. "That must have been the time he got his training, but where did he get the schooling needed to get into a place like Oxford?" Her gaze perused the mug shot in the profile on the screen, and grinned. "Faith said he was cute, but I think she understated the case."
Giles groaned and rubbed his temples. "Females. Can't live with them. Can't shoot them."
===============================================================
A week later
Harry jammed his hands further into his trench coat pockets, watching his charge pound on a vampire about 10 yards away. He fought down the urge to jump to her aid, knowing she could handle herself. Didn't make it any easier to ignore what Hermione had called his 'saving-people thing.'
A 'poof,' accompanied by the follow up sneeze from Ashley, and the pair was moving through the cemetery again, moving to the next crypt containing a body that coroner's reports suggested might have been turned. "Finish your algebra?"
Ashley just rolled her eyes. "Of course I did. Not much else to do in study hall since its hard making friends when all my free time is taken up with killing demonic creatures and saving the world from being overrun by evil," she stated, trying not to let the sadness creep into her voice.
"Just checking."
Harry sighed silently as she moved to stand before the door of the mausoleum, tapping her stake against her thigh. He knew she was lonely, and felt cut off from everything around her. What was the point of her saving the world if she couldn't live in it? He didn't want her to develop the martyr complex he had carried around the last few years of the war. It was what had cost him Gin.
A few mintues later, the door of the crypt opened and Ashley emotionlessly staked the emerging vampire. "Ready to go home, Ash?"
With a tired nod, the girl started trudging towards home, and Harry started to follow when he noticed a glint of something on the ground where the vampire had been dusted. Picking up a small amulet, he frowned and pocketed it. Following his slayer silently, he frowned at the slight slump of her shoulders.
===============================================================
Faith turned from the TV in the living room at the soft knock at the entry way. "Hey there, H, whatcha need?"
Harry moved into the room, sitting softly on the couch with the Slayer. "I'm concerned about Ash."
"She's not fitting in at school, right?" At Harry's nod, Faith sighed and flipped the TV off. "Harry, I was never a normal teenage girl, but for several years now I've hung around them. Feeling like she's not fitting in at times is part of the package apparently."
"I know that, but this is different. With her calling, the feeling could grow to the point that she feels cut off from the world, that she's not a part of it. When that happens..." Harry removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes tiredly.
Faith frowned, acknowledging silently the truth of his statement. "So, what do you suggest we do?"
"If I knew, would I have come to you?" Harry snapped, then looked down sheepishly. "Sorry, didn't meant that. But my worry over Ash, combined with the strange amulet I found tonight makes Harry a mean puppy."
Faith just looked at him funny. "Mean puppy?"
"Sorry, must be my lack of sleep."
===============================================================
"You wanted to see me Giles?" Buffy said as she poked her head into the Watcher's office, frowning a little at the sight of Dawn and Vi sitting there also.
"Yes, Buffy, we were just waiting for you. Please, sit."
Buffy slowly sat down, folding her hands in her lap. "So shoot. What's the what?"
Giles shuffled some papers, glanced at Dawn, then at Vi, then finally returning his gaze to the eldest Slayer. "I was about to give Dawn and Vi their information for their first field assignment."
Dawn and Vi both squeeled, bouncing in their chairs. Buffy's eyes widened, slumping into her chair. "What?"
"Xander's group has noticed an increase in activity on the Cleveland Hellmouth, and has requested reinforcements. I want to send someone with experience, so my first thought was you. I know you've said you're ready for field work again, but you've been out of the field for the past year or so, and I didn't want to throw you head first into that. That's why Robin and Faith will be reassigned to Cleveland, and Harry will take over as Senior Watcher in New Orleans."
Giles cleaned his glasses before replacing them and continuing. "I want to send Dawn and Vi there for their first official assignment, but with Harry being the only real adult there," Giles ignored the indignant protests from the Watcher/Slayer team, "I want to send you to help out, and to readjust to field duty. Plus, I know both you and Dawn would like to remain together if possible." Buffy glanced at her sister, who nodded happily, and Buffy smiled gratefully at Giles in return.
"Thanks, Giles. It's means a lot to us."
"Secondly, with the increased activity in Cleveland, that means both senior Slayers will be in America if anything happens. You won't be too far away to help out if needed." Giles pulled out an envelope and handed it to the blonde. "There's your tickets, itinerary, and other pertinent information. You leave in two days." Buffy nodded, and the three girls stood and moved to leave the office. "And Buffy?"
The slayer turned in response. "Yes?"
The Watcher smiled softly. "I'll miss you."
"Miss you too, Giles." She smiled, then threw her arms around her two young charges. "Come one girls. Let's get ready to return to the good ol' US of A."