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, especially for awhile. 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: For some fanart inspired by this, check out the link in my profile to Twisting the Hellmouth.

January, 2005

New Orleans, Louisiana

The New Orleans branch of Scooby Central was quiet, the only noticeable sound being the rustling of pages as Harry flipped through a book and jotted some notes down. Faith and Robin had taken Ash out to show her a particular hot spot they had found that earlier that week while Harry stayed in to figure out where the amulet he picked up the other night came from.

He slammed the latest of dozens of books shut, removing his glasses and rubbing at his eyes tiredly. The search was quickly turning up empty, and knew that his limited occult knowledge wasn't going to be sufficient. Resigning to his actions, he picked up the digital camera and snapped a quick shot of the amulet, moving to the computer in the corner of the library.

Half an hour later, Harry rose from the cursed machine, grumbling. He finally got the picture away to Rosenburg back in Bath, and hoped that she and/or Giles would be able to determine what the amulet was or did. "It's time like this I wish they taught a bloody computer class at Hogwarts."

He was just leaving the kitchen with a cup of tea, ready to head to bed, when something happened that hadn't happened for almost five years. Hissing in pain, his hand instinctively pressed against the scar on his forehead, he crumpled to his knees. Struggling against unconsciousness, he could barely sense the intense dark magical force rising in the city. He knew it wasn't Voldemort, but the amount of dark magic alone was playing havoc on the old curse scar.

"Great, just what I need. Thanks Voldy, you gave me a built in magical warning system," he muttered just before slipping into darkness.
Bath, England

Willow Rosenburg's eyes widened as she felt the magical force reverberating through the earth. She hadn't felt anything like this since, well, herself. Scrambling up from her desk, she dashed down the hall towards Giles' office. Bursting through the door, Giles and Buffy looked up from the papers they were looking at. "Willow?" Buffy asked, worried about the frantic look in her eyes.

"I just felt a huge increase in the magical ether. It felt like it came from New Orleans." Buffy's eyes widened, and turned to Giles. The Watcher had already moved towards the phone, punching in a number and waiting for a minute. He placed the receiver back down and shook his head.

"No one answered. They may all be on patrol right now..."

Buffy interrupted him quickly. "Or something could have happened. How long will it take me to get there if I left right now?"

"You'll probably get there sometime tonight. Willow, book Buffy a flight. Dawn and Vi will come in a few days as planned. I'll keep trying to reach someone." Buffy left for her office as a ping came from Giles' computer, and he moved to look at the email. "It's from Harry." He scanned it briefly. "It says nothing about this force, so either they don't know, or this was sent before anything happened."

Buffy returned, holding the scythe in one hand. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

Willow groaned. "You just had to say that, didn't you?"
New Orleans

Harry awoke to a cool cloth being pressed against his scar, which was still throbbing painfully. He blinked his eyes to see a concerned Ash dabbing at his forehead, Faith and Robin standing behind her. "Been awhile since I had one of those." He sat up quickly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as Ash scrambled back. "How long have I been out?"

Robin answered. "About fourteen hours. I had just gotten back, the girls were going to finish the last leg of patrol, as I had an early staff meeting in the morning about the transition when Faith and I leave for Cleveland. I found you convulsing on the floor, your hand pressed to that old scar of yours. You stopped thrashing soon after, so I moved you up here to your room."

He rubbed his scar absently, picking his glasses up and sliding them on his face. Faith was practically twitching, and Harry knew she was about to burst with the questions she had. "Yes, Faith?"

"What happened? And what's the deal with your baby scar throbbing like it was?"

"I felt a powerful magical force, a very dark one. It's near, and it's not going to be pretty." He ignored the second half of the question, silently thanking Ash as she handed him a glass of water. He gulped it down, and made to move from the bed only to be restrained by the Slayers.

"Hold it there, Brit-boy. You rest, and Ash will watch over you. B is coming early, and Robin and I will pick her up at the airpot. Apparently Red felt whatever it is that knocked you out."

Harry just grumbled, feeling like he was back in the Hogwarts hospital wing. "I'm fine, I've had this happen before." He wanted to get out, see if he could track the power he felt. "I know, why don't you take Ash with you. I'll be fine on my own, and she really hasn't had a chance to get out between Slaying and homework. It's only the airport, but still."

Ash grinned. "Yeah, Faith, can I go?" She turned the puppy dogs on the brunette, pouting a little.

"Oh, no, mini-Scoob. If B and Pip's puppy eyes didn't work on me, there's no way yours will." She just continued to pout, and Faith just arched her eyebrow in response. It was actually Robin that caved.

"Come on, Ash. Go get your jacket. We need to head out and get there early, due to security." Ash squealed quickly, and dashed out of the room. "Harry's right, Faith. She's been too cooped up lately. And she seems like she could really use a brief respite, even if it's just the airport. We can get dinner while we're there."

Harry just grinned to himself. It's time to go hunting.
Several hours later

Harry strolled down Bourbon Street, his magical senses stretched out as much as possible. This was a little trick Dumbledore taught him, one that the former Headmaster had used liberally to help him always know what was going on in his school. Well, this trick, and a lot of knowledge of just how teenage witches and wizards thought and acted.

He absently rubbed his hand against the wand strapped to the holster in his left sleeve, eyes darting around for danger. He also kept aware of the weight of the sword strapped to his back under his trench coat, ready to draw either at a moment's notice. He really wished he had either Ash or Faith with him, but he knew neither would have let him out of the house for this recon mission, and he knew he was the only one that could find this threat, at least without Rosenburg herself here.

His magical 'radar' pinged, and he suddenly turned down an alley, tracking the sudden magical signature that he had picked up. Moving quickly through the shadows, he pulled his wand and cast a quick Disillusionment spell on himself. He shuddered at the sensation of a cracked egg running down his body, then picked up his pace, continuing several blocks over.

He cursed himself as he kept moving, sensing the power he was approaching. Since the battle with Voldemort, Harry hadn't wanted or needed to truly tap into his power, and suddenly wondered if he still had what was needed to take down someone this strong. That part of him that doubted just how powerful a wizard he was apart from Riddle's powers that were transferred to him railed at the thought of fighting what was up ahead.

Pushing those thoughts away, Harry continued to moved forward and finally saw the person he was hunting. Disengaging the Disillusionment charm, he moved forward swiftly to the cloaked figure as it turned and whipped out a wand of its own.

Wands were pressed into each other's foreheads, and emerald green eyes raged against the familiar cold grey staring back. Practically snarling, Harry ground out a single word.

"Malfoy."

The blonde sneered, his drawn face pulling unusually taut against his skull. "Well, my, my. Could it really be Potter? And what pray tell are you doing here, O Holiest of Holies?"

The pair circled each other slowly, wands not wavering. "I could ask you the same, Ferret-face." Harry internally grinned at the snarl that insult produced.

"Watch what you say, Scarhead. You have no idea what you're up against, of what I've learned since we last met."

"And you have no idea just what I'm capable of Malfoy. If I remember correctly, you fled Tommy's service before the war ended."

Malfoy just glared daggers at his old rival. "I knew the half-blood twit was going to lose. Everything was going down hill, had been since our fifth year. I always looked out for number one, and I knew his was the losing side. But I'm better; I'm pure. You'll get yours, Potter, and all those who you called 'friends.'"

Harry suddenly struck out with his boot, catching Malfoy in the stomach and knocking him back. A quick flick of his wand, and Malfoy was sent tumbling head over heals into a pile of garbage. The blonde rolled to his feet, dropping into a dueling stance with his wand thrust forward. "You'll pay for that, Potter!"

Harry just grinned, dropping into his own stance, wand raised over his head and left hand thrust forward. Making a come-hither motion, Harry just calmly replied with, "Bring it."

TBC