Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter is not mine and never will be, but the OC's are and so is the plot concept. I do not own any Buffy stuff either, cause if I did I wouldn't have ended it at season 7.
Notes: A crossover between BtVS & HP. Just an idea that has been pressing on my brain for what seems like forever. This story actually started out as a plain old HP fic, but when the idea to bring in the Buffy cast jumped into my head I couldn't resist. This fic takes place at the beginning of season 7, right after Willow was about to destroy the world. As for the HP time span, this takes place as though they were in their 7th year just to make things run smoothly plot wise. I apologize beforehand for any OOC scenes, and please feel free to critique and comment. I understand that many of you might not understand the story because you don't watch Buffy, but I do suggest you read the fic anyway. I will try my best to answer all sketchy areas, and if you would like to know more about the plot line please feel free to email me at Ladymioneaol.com.
Quick Summary: He was tired of living his life for his father, and when the opportunity became available he formed new loyalties. Now he must battle his seventh year and his father, but if that wasn't hard enough he must now battle his dreams. He must battle his future. She was tired of feeling like a void after the destruction she caused. Her punishment was to attend proper training in the most prestigious wizarding school known. Yet the dark power that coursed through her veins continued to resurface; beckoning her to join them. What happens when these two worlds collide? And what happens when the Slayer has no control over the outcome? In one world everything has depended on the Slayer, and in the other everything has always depended on the boy-who-lived. What happens when the future of the world resides in two people who are trying to redeem their ties to dark power? A story of friends, foes and fiascos.
I do not own Ethan Haddock, but sometimes I wish I did.
Chapter 4 A Whisper in the Wind
Dear Buffy,
Oh Buffy, it's so good to finally sit down and write you a letter. I hope the school owl that I sent it with wasn't too much of a problem. He seemed a little feisty but I figured he'd be able to make a long journey without a problem.
Buffy held the parchment in her hands and glanced over at the tawny barn owl. It flew recklessly around the living room while Xander and Anya tried desperately to get it under control. Dawn thought it was simply hilarious.
Things here have been going well, or at least well enough where I could find these few extra moments to actually write this letter. I have been studying so hard that I cant believe its only been three weeks since I left you all in Sunnydale. It feels more like three months. Between homework, class work, study sessions, and the constant avoidance of Draco Malfoy (whom I will eventually tell you about) it's a wonder how these kids have done this for seven years.
I think out of all the things I am required to do, study sessions are perhaps the hardest of them all. I need to take these mandatory classes in order to catch up with the work the seventh years are doing. Oh by the way I was sorted into Gryffindor, its one of the four houses you can be sorted in to. Anyway, the worst study session's by far are the ones with Professor Snape. Buffy, if there were a demon in Sunnydale who was as down right nasty as him, I'd rather deal with the demon then this greasy old man. Ok, so he's technically not that old, but he surely has something against me. In his eyes everything I do is completely wrong, and half the time I'm really doing it right! Take this for example.
Last week I went down to the dungeons (that's where his class is) and got my cauldron and ingredients ready for a potion he wanted me to make. I had done everything he wanted me to do, and even a little bit more so maybe he wouldn't jump down my throat
"Would you please get that owl to stop tearing up my curtains!" Buffy looked up from the parchment as the barn owl shredded her new white lacey curtains.
"Hey Buff, this-this-creature," Xander tried batting it down with a rolled up magazine, "Is definitely a spawn of the underworld."
"Ooohhh ohhhh Xander….its in my hair…its in my hair…get it out" Anya jerked in so many directions that she bumped into the table and fell over onto the couch. " Get it out- get it out!"
Dawn, rolled up into a ball of hysterics, continued to howl out her giggles as the two continued to fight the demon owl. Buffy, however, went back to reading her letter.
Now just as I was about to add the final piece of manticore hair to the mix, he came storming over and grabbed my wrist. Screaming with such fury that I almost wet myself, he proceeded to tell me what an idiot I was. He said that I had been going about everything all wrong, and my punishment, though I still don't know what I did wrong, was to clean out forty cauldrons on my own! Forty! This guy is a complete goober! I think he's just incredibly lonely and hasn't had a good lay in awhile. Remember how cranky Anya used to get when her and Xander didn't…yeah…you know.
Oh hey! I almost forgot! Those packages that came with the owl, well those are presents for all of you. The large heavy one is for Dawn, tell her it's two books about the new world I'm in. The one is about my school, Hogwarts: A History, and the other one is a history book about the wizarding world. It's pretty interesting, and I know how much my Dawnie loves that stuff. The round package is for Xander, just a couple of jokes and gags I picked up in the local wizarding town we visited last weekend. Supposedly some strange side effects are supposed to happen when playing with them. I didn't actually read the labels, but I figured what the hell. The teeny tiny package is for Anya. Nothing special, just a few wizarding coins that I traded for. Apparently some of the kids here have never seen muggle-er- human money so they love a good trade. Those coins are pretty worthless, but its Anya after all.
"I will treasure these coins with my life." Buffy handed Anya the package.
"They're just coins An…"
"Just coins! Just…coins! Obviously you have no eye for pure value Xander." Swinging her hair over her shoulder she retreated to the kitchen in order to bask in her prize by herself.
The package with the gold ribbon is for you Buffy. Look, I know it isn't much, but my friend Ginny and I spent awhile brewing the potion and stealing a pretty vial. You see, the vial is filled with a dreamless sleep potion. Basically no matter how powerful of a dreamer you are, this potion will allow you to sleep without any dreams pressing down on you during the night. I know how awful some of those dreams you have can be, and I figured wouldn't it be nice if the slayer got a real night of beauty sleep. Not that you need it of course. There is enough in there for three nights of dreamless sleep. Use it wisely, but don't hesitate to ask if you want anymore. Ginny and I would be happy to brew it. Trust me, some nights here we are looking for anything to do.
Well, as you can see things here are going rather well. I didn't really get to tell you about the stupid little git that bugs me, but I suppose I can write about him next letter. It's not like things are miraculously going to change over night. Trust me though, you used to think Spike was a pain in the ass, this is miniature Spike, but not all dead-like. I hope to hear from you soon. Anything to keep me from feeling all bummed is rather enjoyable. Tell Giles I said hello, and give my love to everyone. Till next time.
Willow
Dear Willow,
It is so good to hear from you. Everyone thanks you much for the gifts, and a huge special thank you from me. As of the late I've been having some pretty strange dreams, and I could definitely do without them. I cant exactly say that these dreams are evil but they are definitely not of the good either. There's this strange, yet steamy guy, he shows up for a while and then disappears. Lately he's been saying some weird stuff, and I'm worried it might be about Dawn again. She's been getting along better then she had been, but she still sees herself as the key at times. It's hard to break that shell around her, sort of reminds me of myself.
But this is neither the time or the place to delve into my dreary slayer life. This is about you. It's good to see how positive your feeling about things. I can tell just from your writing that you are getting better. For awhile we weren't sure how things would go over there, but like I said you're a fighter, Will. You'll make it through. As for the nasties (your Professor and the kid that is) don't let them get you down. No reason to worry if your doing well overall. Which you seem to be all on the up and up with. Hold on, Dawn wants write something, and if I have to hear her whine any longer may I not be held responsible for anything that may happen to her.
Hey Willow! Miss me much? Ever since you left things have been pretty much the same. I mean Buffy goes out and patrols each night, Xander and Anya keep each other occupied all the time, and I'm usually here…alone. Which is totally fine by me, I mean hello sixteen and house to myself means kickin parties. Buffy totally just flipped. I love bustin her every now and then. No seriously, I'm glad to hear that your doing well. Its good to hear from you, and stuff. I think about your return home all the time. I've started to study up on some magic myself. Though I'm no where near ready to perform anything. I personally just like the reading, which is why I want to thank you for the two books. They will totally come in handy once I'm finished reading the Wicca book I borrowed from Giles. Please write again soon, and be sure to use the same exact owl. He's stellar!
Always,
Dawnie
Please do not send that owl ever again. It's cute and all, but I like my furniture in one piece. Even though it really is funny watching Anya run away from it. First it was the bunnies, now owls…
"You have a friend afraid of bunnies? As in bunny rabbits? Normal plain everyday bunny rabbits?" Ginny furrowed her brow.
Willow chuckled "Yeah well Anya is a special case…"
Anyway Wills, I don't want to keep you any longer. If you need anything you know to owl us as soon as you can. And when I mean anything I really mean ANYTHING! I hope to hear from you soon, and be sure to keep that head held high. We all love you and miss you much. Even Spike, who has just managed to sneak into my house without any one knowing. Remind me why we keep him around?
All my love,
Buffy
Willow,
Meet me at the Quidditch Pitch after your session with McGonagall tonight. Make sure Granger doesn't see you leave. Come alone. I promise no tricks, just something that I need to address. I hope to see you there.
Draco
Draco sighed as he tied the parchment to the foot of the owl and sent it out his dormitory window. He hoped she wouldn't take his invitation as a joke, but it was common sense to say that she probably would. For two weeks he had gone along with his friends and forgotten about the red-headed witch. Still he couldn't shake the curiosity, he couldn't fight his fever to learn more about the American. So without discussing his plans with his friends, he sent out the letter in hope that she'd meet up with him on the pitch. It was a long shot, but the worst that could happen would be a no show. He'd take his chances and hope she'd show up.
Flopping back onto his four-post bed he stared at the canopy above his head for a long moment before taking out his wand and twirling it casually between his fingers. It slipped between each finger with such grace it barely looked like it was moving at all. Simple things like this always struck him as boring, but on a day like today it was this type of thing that could occupy him until he had to make his way down to the pitch.
"I completely give up!" Blaise came storming into the room, Lawrence directly on his tail.
Barely moving from his spot Draco turned his attention towards the door." What's the problem mate?" Lawrence shook his head as if to warn Draco what he had just got himself into.
"Mia, that's the problem. She's always a problem."
Draco kicked himself mentally. He had been doing such a grand job keeping Armina's dating life a secret, but tonight he had been far to caught up with his letter to Willow.
"Why, what happened?" He moved over so Lawrence could sit beside him.
"She's out with Caulfield again! Again! It's like she doesn't register the fact that he's only using her for one thing!" He punched the closest object to him which happened to be the wall, and cursed. "Bloody hell!" Nursing his fist he took a seat on the floor.
"Yeah, then he decided to go all dark wizard and proceeded to beat the hell out of Jack right in front of Mia. "
"Well good job Blaise, I'm pretty sure that didn't just tick her off, now we have to deal with…."
There was another crash at the door and all eyes snapped towards the figure that loomed over them. Ethan Haddock was another seventh year Slytherin, and he happened to be best friends with Jackson Caulfield. Needless to say they were all in for a very brutal ten minutes, and if Ethan didn't kill Blaise right here and now there was always the opportunity when the went to bed tonight.
"What the hell is your problem Zabini?" He took a few advancing steps, pushing Lawrence out of the way.
"Look Haddock, it doesn't concern you." Blaise, though usually full of composure stuttered slightly.
"Like hell it doesn't concern me. You beat the hell out of my friend, and for what?! Cause your bloody jealous that Armina wants to shag him and not you? Hell, she'd shag me as well before she'd lay a finger on you. Your pathetic Zabini, pathetic!"
If someone how counted out loud it would have been less then three seconds before Blaise had lunged at Haddock. Haddock knew it would be coming, but even so he couldn't avoid Blaise's fist from colliding with his face. Though Blaise was large against the average wizard, Haddock was larger, and even though the punch had knocked him back for a minute, Ethan had already begun to fire back with fists of fury.
There was a crash, and then another clatter, two tables falling over and glass shattering across the floor. Draco, not wanting to see this go any further, tried to pull Ethan off of an already badly beaten Blaise. This only angered Ethan more, and he clocked Draco in the face so fast that he barely had taken his fist away from Blaise. It was a tangled mess of fists, Ethan doing most of the hitting, and even Lawrence couldn't pry Ethan away from Blaises body. Draco, crawled across the floor towards his bed and reached for his wand. True he'd probably get the chair for using his wand on another person, but this was a matter that needed to be taken care of before Haddock really got carried away.
"Drop him Ethan." Draco's wand wavered in the air, and he wiped some dripping blood from his lip.
Ethan's fist froze inches from Blaise's face, and for a moment the boy looked scared at what Draco may do. Then, with one final blow he hit Blaise before dropping him to the ground. Standing he brushed his robes off, and adjusted the tie that seemed to be moved out of place.
"Tell him the next time he messes with Jack, or myself, or anyone whom I actually care about….tell him I wont just stop here." Kicking some of the glass across the room he smirked, before laughing maliciously, "Its been fun mates, see you later tonight." And just like that he was gone.
"God if there is anyone I hate more then Potter and Weasley its Haddock and Caulfield." Draco helped Blaise up into a sitting position.
"I definitely hate Caulfield and Haddock more." Blaise groaned, holding his hand to the side of his head.
"Yeah well as much as I hate them you deserved it mate."
"Deserve it? Are you mad?" All I did was try and protect the witch I love from some spineless, self absorbed piece of crap!"
"And you've certainly proved that point." Lawrence smirked, brushing the pieces of glass into the garbage can.
"Sod Off!" Blaise shot back as he leaned against Draco in order to gain some balance.
"Listen…"Draco huffed, "Since the three of us are here right now lets chat for a second without the constant interruptions, all right?" The two boys nodded silently, perplexed by the sudden change in attitude. "Look, we've already wasted two weeks without devising a plan to get out of the initiation. Personally I have only received one letter from my father and he has yet to inform me of the exact date, but its rapidly approaching…"
"I haven't gotten a letter yet, but with all respect to my father I could probably tell him straight out and he wouldn't torture me too much." Blaise glanced over towards Lawrence and laughed.
"Blaise I'm being serious. You want to joke about what we have been avoiding then do it on your own time…"
"Draco calm down I'm only poking fun at-"
"I don't care if your poking fun or not. I want to live. Now if you still want in then the best you can do right now is to shut it."
Blaise dropped his head and Draco knew it was either out of anger or out of respect. Regardless, there was a limit to Draco's patience and despite the fact that they were friends his patience was running thin. They had each sacrificed so much by creating that pact, and he would be damned before he dismissed it all.
"There is something strange going on. My dreams are plagued by some mysterious girl, Willow's name keeps appearing in my fathers study, and the best I can do is sit on my arse and pretend that everything is made of chocolate frogs and sugar quills." He sighed, pacing twice across the floor before coming to a complete halt. "Which is why….which is why I need to go talk with Willow. I need to know what is going on with her so I can figure out what's going on with me."
Lawrence opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it before any sound escaped.
Draco exchanged a harsh look with Blaise. "You know I'm right."
"But she's a Gryffindork." Blaise clenched his fist.
"Does it matter?"
"Potters a Gryffindor."
Draco nodded, his fingers running along the side of his chin. " Your right, he is, but I don't want to see the Potter Patrol. I want to see Willow. Completely different."
"How?"
"She has something that he doesn't." A smile spread across his face "She's danced in the ring of dark power…she's tasted the anger, the fury. She has been engulfed by all the dark magics in the world…and she's lived through it."
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"That one from Buffy? Ginny glanced casually over her shoulder at the figure sprawled out on the bed.
It was Friday and Willow had been excused from Transfiguration study session due to her quick grasp of the current material. Willow was pleased, well at least pleased enough to bullshit an entire letter to Buffy. It seemed as though she bought it too.
"Yeah…she said thanks for the potion."
Ginny smiled. "I'm glad she liked it."
There was a part of the letter that had been truthful, but most of it was a big fat ugly lie straight from the hell mouth. She loved Buffy and the more she studied here the more she realized her problems were just that…her problems. Buffy didn't need to be weighed down with Willows mistakes. So she wrote the letter with such sickening sweet sappiness that she almost believed that things were fine and dandy.
Hoisting herself up on the bed she placed the letter next to the framed picture of the Scooby gang. It had been taken one day before Glory came, before Buffy's death,
Before Tara…
They were all smiling, all fears and insecurities completely washed away for the moment. Life was so innocent then. They had never been burdened by too much for too long, and when they were it was always solvable.
Glory had been solvable, and even Buffy's death had been solvable. Tara was the only thing she couldn't solve. Willow failed twice. She had failed her lover and her friends. Despite every great thing she had managed to do within the time she knew Buffy there was nothing to nullify the heartless murder she committed.
Tears slipped down her cheeks and splashed down on the bed spread. Ginny knew she cried often, but she quickly wiped away the blotchy evidence. Her heart just wasn't in the mood for mending.
"That your owl?"
"Huh?" Willow flickered her gaze towards Ginny who was now reading a Witch Weekly.
"There's an owl at the window and its not mine."
"Oh…" Slipping from the bed Willow crossed the distance between her bed and the window.
"The latch sort of sticks so you may have to pull it hard."
"Ok." With a yank Willow pulled on the latch, but it didn't budge at all. Pushing a bit harder, she huffed and then smiled when it squeaked slightly. There was another squeak, a pop and a yelp as the pane of glass popped from the frame and fell all the way down to the ground. The owl, relieved to finally get inside, scooted into the room and perched itself on the back of the chair.
"Hah hah hah- you- hah you get the owl" Ginny giggled, " I'll fix that window."
"Thanks Gin." Willow shook her head." Geez, everything I touch I destroy." She reached out towards the owl which let out a frightened hoot. "Oh calm down its called sarcasm." She untied the note, rolling her eyes ever so slightly.
"Whose it from?" Ginny tapped the glass back into place with a grin. "Gotta love those repairing charms. " Brushing her hands clean she asked again. "So, what's it say?"
Willow had read the brief message once and then read it again. In fact she read it three times just to be sure that she wasn't seeing things. Hadn't she told him that she didn't want to speak to him anymore? Was he really that thickheaded?
"Has some hunky fellow asked you out on a trip to Hogsmeade?" She erupted into laughter again.
Willow glanced at her clock. If she had gone to her Transfiguration session it would be just about over. Gathering her things together she nabbed her cloak and shook her head.
"No, but something has come up." She fastened the clasp around her neck, " Don't tell anyone I'm gone, but I promise to be back soon." Before Ginny even had a chance to reply, Willow was out the door.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Whose there?"
"It is I sir."
"Very well, you may enter."
The wooden door swung open slowly, the screeching sending chills down the visitors spine. He was not fond of this manor, and in fact he wasn't very fond of the master of the house either. Yet he was there on a mission from his own master, and if he should fail this simple task his head would surely be placed upon a silver platter and served to the demons that lived in the nearest forest. Skulking towards the large oak desk he tried to recall the last time he had seen this study such a mess. Even last time he was here it didn't seem so cluttered.
"What can I help you with Pettigrew?"
Peter scowled under his breath, knowing quite well that the Dark Lord had told Lucius several times to refer to Peter by his first name. He deserved the honor! Hell he had done more for the Dark Lord then half of those blasted death eaters, Malfoy included.
"I was sent to see how your progress was with the witch." Peter approached the desk and took a seat across from Lucius.
Lucius sighed, tapping his fingers softly on the desk before turning towards a stack full of papers. He didn't utter a word while he searched, just sifted through the various papers as though Peter wasn't even there. His eyes settled on one piece of parchment and he cackled softly to himself. He had forgotten that he had taken the papers from the last muggle he killed. She had shoved them in her pockets when he pursued her, and although they were of no importance to him he loved to reminisce about the torture he performed on those stupid Mudbloods.
"Something humorous Lucius?" Pettigrew arched his eyebrow.
"Do shut up while I search."
He placed the papers back down and began his search again. This time setting aside a long roll of parchment and a few scraps of paper. Finally towards the very bottom of the pile was the parchment he was looking for. It was tattered on the sides, and the writing seemed to be slightly smudged in the center. No, bother. It was still readable and highly useful in the long run.
"So…"
Lucius snarled, slamming his hands down on the oak desk. "Do I have to repeat myself again! Keep that mouth of yours shut! Your reminding me very much of Narcissa right now, and I'm not finding it humorous." Spreading the papers out on the desk he pointed to the few scraps that littered the table. " Look," He began, "I was able to find out the girls full name through a couple of informants I have. Apparently Parkinson's kid hates the girl and has sent home various letters about her. Tell the Dark Lord that her name is Willow Rosenberg. According to these notes I have, and these scrolls of parchment that were registered with the Counsel and the Ministry, this girl was the girl who has summoned the Dark Cloud of Peril. She holds just as much power as our Lord. And now…" He smirked, pointing at another scrap of paper, " She's completely distraught…vulnerable. The witch is completely defenseless, and right at our fingertips. We could have her eating out of the palm of our hands within a day. Then our Lord will finally have what he needs."
"What does that paper say?" Peter leaned over and tapped at one of the smaller pieces of parchment.
"Those are the names of her contacts in America." He waved his hand around idly, " Apparently she knows the Slayer quite well."
Peter gasped. He had only heard rumors of the slayer, but never once had he believed the tales were true. " You mean the real Slayer….THE SLAYER?" He emphasized.
"Yes, the Vampire Slayer. Buffy Summers or so I believe that's what they call her. Quite a feisty one too. I hear she's the oldest slayer to roam our earth." He licked his lower lip, " I've always wondered what it would be like to rape and kill a slayer. Perhaps once the Dark Lord has destroyed everything here we could start our work on America. We could have a go with the slayer…"
"But do you think its wise for the Dark Lord to take his chances with this witch? Suppose the slayer hears about it? Suppose she comes here in order to save her? "
"Pettigrew you idiot." Lucius shook his head in disgust. " Even if the slayer came her in order to save her friend it would be useless. The slayer was born and raised a muggle, she has no magical training. One unforgivable curse and she'd be dead before even thinking about blocking it. You really are daft sometimes, Pettigrew. I do not know how the Dark Lord puts up with you at his side."
Peter mumbled, "Sod off Lucius."
"What did you say?" Lucius rose from his seat and narrowed his eyes. "Do speak a little louder Pettigrew."
"I didn't say a thing, Malfoy."
"Why you insufferable toad! I have every right to curse you into a pile of dust! You dare speak to me in such a tone again and I swear-" His voice was seething with anger.
"Lucius, Lucius please." Peter chuckled nervously, "I didn't say a thing."
Malfoy studied him, unconvinced that Peter had not told him to sod off. However he had bigger things to worry about then Peter Pettigrew. He needed to write his son another letter, and he needed to address his concerns about Willow Rosenberg. Perhaps if Draco wanted to prove himself early he could help arrange for Willow's 'disappearance.'
"Go back and tell him everything I have told you. Tell him that I will take care of the witch and she will be delivered as soon as I can arrange it."
"I'll tell him Lucius." Peter backed slowly from the table, his eyes fixed on those of his fellow death eater.
"In fact, perhaps I'll take a little visit to the school myself…" Lucius adjusted the cloak on his back. " In fact Pettigrew…tell him he might receive her sooner then he thinks."
"Do you plan on visiting the school tonight Lucius?"
"Perhaps…now hurry and leave. I have important things I must attend to."
"Very well. Goodbye Lucius." He inched out the door, closing it behind him with a deafening slam.
Lucius Malfoy stood in front of the large fireplace that graced his study. It would seem odd at first why he would be showing up at Hogwarts so late in the day, but he had done stranger things and gotten away with it. He could easily devise a lie and spin it to that old bat Dumbledore.
Reaching into the little dish that sat atop the fireplace Lucius stepped inside. Throwing the floo powder down around his feet he bellowed, "Hogsmeade." And in a flash of bright green flames he was gone.
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By the time she made it outside it was beginning to get dark, and with the hood of her cloak pulled up over her head there was no possible way to be identified. The wind whistled in the trees and the grass tickled at her ankles. It was cool but not to cool and in a way she was glad he wanted to meet outside. It was far to nice a night to be stuck indoors wallowing in her own misery.
"Willow…"Stopping, she turned towards the forest catching a glimpse of Hagrids hut in the distance.
"Draco?"
"Willow…."
"Hello?"
"Hello…"
The note had specifically said to meet at the pitch, but the voice was coming from across the grounds and into the forest. It felt as though the air around her grew thicker which each whisper of her name. It was eerie, frightening, and if this was what Malfoy had up his sleeve the whole time she'd risk the detention and beat the crap out of him. Which would be a really nice way to get rid of all the frustration she had been feeling lately. Reaching for her wand, Willow scanned the darkened grounds for any sign of movement.
"Lumos." she whispered, heading in the direction of the whisper. Sure she had learned from Buffy to never follow a voice you couldn't see, but she was armed. Or at least armed enough where she didn't need to worry about something she couldn't see.
For as far as she could see, however, there was nothing but grass, flowers and trees in front of her, and unless it was the flowers that had whispered her name she was beginning to feel that perhaps this wasn't the best plan after all.
"Willow…" This time it was so close the hairs on her neck stood on end.
"Whose there?" She whirled on her heel, "Draco? I know its you. Cut the shit all right?" She took a few more steps towards the forest. "Ouch!"
Her foot stung for a second and she looked down to see what she had stubbed it on. A stick? Still it was way to hard to be a branch from a measly old tree. A glint of silver flickered under the light from her wand, and she squinted while she reached down to pick it up.
"Lovely cane isn't it?" Out of nervous behavior she squeaked, dropping the cane back to the ground. "Now now…" the stranger began, " That isn't any way to treat someone else's property." He bent down to retrieve it.
"I-um- who-" bewildered wasn't even a word to describe her state, "Sorry."
"No need to worry my dear." He reached out and ran his bony index finger along her cheek.
She pulled away, glancing back at the castle in hope of seeing someone coming out across the ground. To no avail the grounds were empty, and Willow looked back to the stranger in puzzlement.
"Do I know you? You look familiar." There was a hint of something memorable about the stranger with the cane.
"Do you think you know me?" His words slipped delicately from his lips, and the hiss at the end of his sentence caused her to shiver.
"Well, no, not really, but I- I swear I've seen you before. Are you sure we haven't met before?"
"Do you always dwell on some things that cannot be explained?"
"Do you always answer a question with a question." Willow folded her arms across her chest, her wand still flickering its light from the tip.
"Silly girl, you shouldn't be so curt with strangers."
Dracula. This creepy guy totally gives off the whole Dracula vibe. Pale skin, white blonde hair…he could totally be a vamp Willow. Be cautious.
"What are you thinking about?" His lips tensed into the most uncomfortable smile she had ever seen.
"Oh, um, nothing. Well sorry about your cane but I have somewhere to be. Sorry again, and uh yeah, see you around."
Turning towards the pitch she had only taken a couple of steps before a hand clasped down on her shoulder. She shrieked again and tugged away from his grasp, or at least tried to tug away. His hold on her was firm, and she could feel the icy chill penetrating through her cloak.
"What do you want?" Her voice wavered.
"To-" but a humming noise over his shoulder caused him to stop. In the distance another figure heading towards the pitch had managed to foil his plan. If he tried anything now, and she happened to scream, the other figure would surely hear her cry. The chance was far to great. "To supply you with a word of advice of course." he smirked as she quirked her eyebrows, "You shouldn't walk these grounds alone at night. Terrible things have been known to happen."
Furrowing her brow even more she gave her shoulder a final tug and pulled from his grasp. "Thanks." she replied bluntly, taking another step away from the Dracula-esc fellow.
"Anytime."
She ran.
The hood of her cloak flew down around her shoulders, but she ran as though her life depended on it. Without a second glance back to see if he was following her, she had sped straight towards the pitch. She was stupid for complying with this letter. Some creepy guy had just appeared on the grounds and-
"Wait a minute. You cant apparate on the grounds of Hogwarts. Its not possible. And its not possible that Dumbledore would let some stranger onto Hogwarts property for no reason. I'm just paranoid. Calm down Willow. It was absolutely nothing. Probably some visitor to the castle that no one knew about. You've really made a fool of yourself this time Rosenberg….good job."
True, it was still super creepy, but Dumbledore would surely sense if something evil was lurking about the grounds. Wouldn't he?
"It's nice to see you've shown up." Draco's voice cut through her thoughts.
She hadn't even noticed that she had already wandered into the pitch. In a way she was grateful to be around someone who she actually knew, but in another sense she wished it was anyone but Malfoy.
"Just cut to it Malfoy. What do you want? I don't have time to pussyfoot around your snide remarks." She closed the distance between them, climbing up to the bench he was sitting on.
"Touchy Rosenberg, touchy." He sighed, stretched out his arms in front of him, and then smirked. " I'm in no rush to get back to the stuffy dungeons, so if you don't mind I'd like to take my time with what I am about to say."
Willow rolled her eyes, but sat down next to him instead of coming back with another wise ass remark. At that rate they would be there all night, and after her encounter on the grounds she felt it necessary to get back to her dormitory as soon as possible. The stars began to twinkle in the sky above them, and for a long while they both remained quiet, each waiting for the other to break the annoying silence.
"Look if your not going to say anything I'm just going to head-"
"Quiet."
"Why you little piece of-"
"It's not as easy as you may think."
Willow tugged her hood back over her head. " What's not easy? What are you getting at Malfoy?"
"God do I have to spell it out for you Rosenberg?" He ran his fingers along the trim of his robe. "I'm, well I wanted, geez I wanted to say I'm sorry. Ok! There I said it." He propped his feet up on the stands in front of him.
Her jaw dropped, "What? Did you just apologize? Hold on…" Willow shook her head, and stuck her finger inside her ear, "say it again, would ya?"
"Don't press it Rosenberg. I havent just come out here for a heart warming apology. You should know better then that." He smirked, " There's some other things we need to address."
Willow nodded mutely, for the first time since the train ride she was actually intrigued by what he might say to her. Hell he had surprised her with an apology the next thing he may do is offer her a bag full of galleons or something.
"I know there are many reasons why you shouldn't trust me. For Merlins sake I don't trust myself half the time. Still…ever since you showed up here at Hogwarts, ever since we met, I have been suffering from some strange dreams. Now I don't believe in all that mumbo jumbo Divination Seer crap that Trelawney feeds us, but I do believe that some dreams can tap into something that we can not explain. You follow?"
"Well my best friend used to have prophetic dreams all the time, in fact she still does." Willow propped her chin up in her hand, unsure of where this conversation was going.
"Then you'd understand if I told you that your name has appeared in my dreams many times over the last few weeks. And you'd definitely understand that these dreams are bugging the hell out of me. Now all I'm asking is that you give me some sort of clue as to who you really are, so I can decipher these dreams before they drive me insane." He kept his eyes locked with hers, the serious expression on his face proof of how serious this really was to him.
Willow felt her eyes widen slightly. The one thing she had been dreading, her secrets spilling across the school, it was all being laid right out in front of her. She could always lie, make up some silly story so that he would just leave her alone. Yes, that's what she would do. She'd spin some tales and bullshit the rest. Hey, Buffy had bought it, and if she could fool her best friend she could definitely fool Draco Malfoy.
"What do you want to know?" she folded her arms across her chest.
"Everything. I want to know where your really from, why you came here, how you found out about Hogwarts. I'm curious is all…oh and take this" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial.
She pushed his hand away from her face. " Do you think I'm an idiot or something. I drink that, and I start blabbing my entire life story to you. No thanks Malfoy, I'll be leaving." She rose from the bench and began moving towards the stairs.
"No you wont." Draco drew his wand. " You will take this potion, or I'll be forced to help you take it."
She stopped, "Get lost kid, you really don't know what your dealing with?" Continuing towards the steps she felt his hand reach out and grab her.
"I said TAKE IT!"
A surge shot through her body which such a sickening force that she doubled over for a second. The anger, frustration, the terror, every emotion that had been bottled up inside of her came rearing to the forefront of her mind. It was like everything fell into slow motion, and she threw Draco's hand from her arm. Blackness masked over her eyes, and she laughed maliciously.
"Silly child…" There were images flashing like a demonic slide show through her mind. All the pain she had caused, all the problems, and most of all the loss she felt when Tara was taken from her. It was then that Willow thrust her hands around Dracos wrists and smirked. "Silly silly boy…take this…."
She thrust her index finger to the center of his forehead and as her skin touched his, Draco screamed.
Dun dun dun……
What will happen next?
Here's a sneak peak at the next chapter:
"It was her Headmaster! I saw it with my own two eyes! She's the one who killed Ms. Ginny Weasley, it was her!" Filtch pointed his decrepit finger across the hall and scowled at the witch.
Harry's mouth went dry as he looked over at Hermione.
A big thanks to Miri for letting me use Ethan in here.
Anyway thanks for the reviews guys! Keep them coming! They totally give me energy to finish all my editing and crap quicker. Next chapter should be up soon. Thanks again!