When It's Time To Change

by Sheilynn

HP/BTVS xover. Some changes are good, some bad - it's all a matter of how one perceives it. And death doesn't necessarily mean you're finished. Follow the journey of a young woman's adjustment to the greatest change she never asked for, life. Mix in a n

9. Several Brands of Control

Note to Reader's, The Full Title is:

When It's Time to Change, You've Got to Re-Arrange, Who You Are and What You're Gonna Be

(The title also end's with a lot of Sha na na's, and if you understand this, you've must be as old as I am. LOL)

A/N: Oh God! I am so terribly sorry about taking so long in getting this chapter out! If you remember from my last chapter, I told all of you that I was taking a chemistry class which was already kicking my assets two weeks into the semester – well guess what…it kept kicking, and kicking, and kicking. Eurgh! After spending 60 hours studying for the final, I managed to get it all done, and pass the class with a 'B' – I don't know whether to be happy that I got a 'B', or grumble that it just screwed up my 4.0 GPA. Oy!

In any case, after letting my brain recover from my last final, I was back at my computer typing away at this chapter. You'll be extremely happy to know that it's about twice as long as any of the other chapters!

Thank you for being so patient with me!

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Several Brands of Control

Always behave like a duck--keep calm and unruffled on the surface but paddle like the devil underneath. Jacob Braude

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Willow screamed in fury.

'Buffy belongs to me!! Me!! How dare he take her away!!"

At a loud roar, Willow looked up to see the demons riding around her and the other three young adults, who were still kneeling around their friends' grave.

Yelping, Anya jumped to her feet. Xander and Tara also stood, and the three clutched each other. Looking around at the demons, they searched for an opening to escape the ring of circling motorcycles.

Willow was still on her knees by the shattered Urn of Osiris, her back to the others, which is why they didn't see her look of fury.

Seeing an opening, Xander yelled out, "Take off! Go! Go!"

They jumped through a large gap between two motorcycles, scurrying into the trees to keep the demons from following. Running, they quickly tried to put as much distance between them and the group of mobile demons, sticking to areas with heavy foliage.

"Willow!" Tara yelled, panicked when she didn't see her girlfriend following them.

Xander and Anya stop running as they too notice the red-head's absence.

"We have to go back! Willow's still there!" Tara panted frantically.

Hesitating for a moment, Xander nodded in agreement, but Anya was reluctant.

"But the demons are back there!"

"We have to Ahn…we can't just leave her to handle it by herself…they'll kill her," Xander said as he moved to begin retracing their steps.

Tara quickly followed, leaving Anya to stand by herself…alone. She huffed, then unenthusiastically followed the two retreating backs.

========================================================

Willow slowly stood, a deep anger causing her entire body to vibrate with her fury. Her head snapped up, eyes darkened to a solid obsidian. Seeing the demons who circled her, her fury deepened.

"You! All of you! She was mine until you came! It's your fault! You did this!" Willow shouted.

The demons laughed at her, edging their motorcycles into a tighter circle.

Willow crossed her arms over her chest, fists pressed against her shoulders, and bowed her head. Taking a deep breath, she screamed 'Obtero!', and flung her arms out as her head whipped up.

A violent ring exploded out from her, savagely shoving the demons from their bikes and into various trees and headstones. None of them got up.

Taking a look around her, a smug expression crossed Willow's face as she saw that all the demons were…dealt with…the wheels of their motorcycles still spinning.

Hearing more motorcycles and primal screaming in the distance, the red-head moved in that direction…a vicious sneer crossing her lips. If anyone had been nearby, they would have seen several strands of her hair changing from red to black.

=================================================

The three Scoobies ran back to the place where they had left their fourth member, but skidded to a halt on catching sight of the bodies left in the small clearing. Willow was nowhere to be seen.

They didn't know whether to breathe a sigh of relief, or gag in horror. If Willow wasn't there, but the crumpled carcasses of the demons were…what the hell happened to their friend? Or should they say, what the hell did their friend do?

"Oh Goddess…" Tara softly croaked in fright.

"There she is!" Anya shouted, pointing a finger at a red-headed figure some distance away.

Xander took off after the retreating figure, Anya right on his heels.

"Willow…what did you do?!" Tara said, fear in her voice. She quickly ran after the couple.

Just as they were about to leave the cemetery, a motorcycle appeared out of nowhere, the demon quickly steering toward the figure of Anya. The demon grabbed the woman as he rode by, and pulled her onto his bike.

"Anya!" Xander and Tara yelled.

Tara stopped running. Holding a hand out, the blonde woman muttered a sharp 'Dissolvo'. A ball of blue light flashed from Tara to the motorcycle, knocking Anya free.

As the motorcycle continued on, Anya hit the ground and rolled, her headlong tumble only ending when she crashed heavily into a tree. Xander ran to her side, and gently helped her to a sitting position. After taking one last glance at the retreating figure of her girlfriend, Tara quickly moved to the other side of the ex-demon.

"Xander…the world is spinning…make it stop," Anya moaned before fainting.

"Ahn? Ahn?! Come on honey, wake up."

Xander lightly tapped his girlfriend's cheeks, but there was no response.

"Tara…Willow…I-I can't leave Anya like this, and we can't take her with us…"Xander gave the blonde woman a pleading look.

"T-take her to the M-magic Box…I-I'll g-go after Willow," Tara stuttered, giving the young man an understanding look. "W-we'll meet you there."

"But…"

"I-I'll be OK, Xander. I'll s-stick to the shadows."

Xander gave his fiancé a worried look, then turned back to Tara with an uncertain expression.

"If you're sure, Tara…" Xander trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"I-I'm sure. G-go, before the d-demons come back."

Xander gave a sharp nod, then carefully stood, bringing his unconscious fiancé with him. After giving Tara another concerned look, he wished her luck, then made his way to the Magic Box.

Tara turned and ran in the direction she last saw her girlfriend heading.

=======================================================

Willow approached the loud crowd of demons, arriving to hear the lead one giving some kind of inspirational…speech.

"…what better way to kick off our...semi-settling-down, than with a little christening?"

The crowd of demons cheered.

Willow saw a couple of them attaching chains to their motorcycles. The demons grinned at each other as the cheering continued. She walked closer.

"A symbolic act commemorating the new order around here...and ridding ourselves of any not-so-pleasant reminders of the old," the leader roars out, holding a gun in his hand. He raised it up and theatrically put a bullet in. "All in one quick, really, really violent fell swoop."

Willow came right up behind a couple of the demons, still looking very angry. They didn't notice her.

Holding up the gun, the leader said, "Gentlemen, start your engines."

The demons start up their bikes, and the engines rumble as they waited for the signal.

Willow caught sight of the buffy-bot, and her eyes widen in shock.

"Bye-bye, slayer!" the leader said, firing into the air.

The bikes begin to move.

Willow screamed out, "No!" but it was too late.

The demons nearest the red-head heard her scream and turned around.

Four motorcyles begin to drive off in four different directions - each one attached to one of the buffy-bot's limbs. Her arms and legs were ripped from her body and her torso went flying.

The lead demon grinned.

The demons near Willow move aside so that all the demons could see her.

Seeing the red-head, the lead demon grinned and said, "Another one for the fire boys…tear it up!"

Willow's head whipped up, a sneer appearing on her lips. The demons near her noticed her black eyes and felt the power rolling off her. They back away quickly.

"You think you're tough, little demon? Puppy want to play violent games?" Willow mocked. "So be it."

The young woman raised her arms, calling out a sharp 'Obrigesco' before any of them could do anything. The demons froze, unable to make any movement.

Willow sauntered among them, sneering at their frozen forms, until she finally reached the leader.

"Puppy is a bad little demon," she pouted, her lips forming a cute moue. "You interrupted my spell, demon, and it cost me my best-friend!"

Walking around the lead demon, whose eyes were rolling wildly, Willow ended up in front of him again. She leaned forward, her face just inches from his.

"So, guess what…it's gonna cost you your friends," she whispered in a chilling voice.

She stepped back and turned to a group of five demons. Pointing her finger, she said, "Contrucido," and watched as they were cut into pieces by some invisible force.

To another group of demons, she said, "Perfigo," and watched as several object pierced their flesh.

'Retrorsum,' and a group was turned inside out. They fell to the ground screaming, their entrails spilling around them.

'Erumpo,' and a group of demons exploded.

The demons were systematically destroyed, each method more gruesome than the previous one, until only the leader was left.

Giving him a mocking smile, the red-head said, "Bad little demon…you know you're going to hell, don't you? Well let me give you a taste first…"

With a sharp 'Exustio', the lead demon screamed as flames licked his flesh. The fire burned higher and hotter, until it suddenly went out, leaving a smoking corpse at the red-head's feet. She laughed.

"W-willow? What have you done?! What…?!" Tara whispered in horror as she looked around at the carnage.

"I took out the garbage," Willow laughed harshly.

Tara stared at her in terror, backing away slowly before turning and running towards the Magic Box.

===================================================

After dismissing the Golden Trio, assuring them that Elizabeth would recover, Snape began to make his way to his quarters, the petite woman firmly held in his arms. He was thankful that Elizabeth was unconscious, fearing that his touch would hurt her if she was aware of it.

Making straight for Elizabeth's room, he sat her carefully on the bed, and gently removed her cloak and veil before arranging her comfortably on the pillows.

Snape moved to the fireplace, setting it ablaze with a soft 'Inflamar', to reduce the chill in the room. As he moved to hang the cloak in the wardrobe, he heard a whimper coming from the bed.

"Elizabeth?!" Snape called out, dropping the cloak to the floor as he rushed to the bed.

Her eyes shot open, and her face contorted in pain. Opening her mouth, she let out a scream, arching her back in pain.

"Elizabeth! What's wrong?!"

"OhGodOhGodOhGod…it hurts, Severus, it hurts," Elizabeth cried out.

"What hurts, Elizabeth? Tell me what I can do?" Snape's hands fluttered over her, wanting to help her, but afraid he may hurt her instead.

"The bonds have been broken…the restraints removed…," Elizabeth muttered through gritted teeth. She curled up into a ball.

"What are you talking about, Elizabeth? What restraints?!"

"I'm trying to hold on, but it hurts, Severus. It's tearing me apart," she whimpered.

Elizabeth rolled to her hands and knees, arching her back again as she screamed.

A bright glow surrounded her, and something began to emerge from her back…something he had seen before…

Wings.

Snape fell back from the bed, tumbling ungracefully to the floor.

"Oh Merlin! What have we done to you, Elizabeth?! What have we done?!" he whispered hoarsely.

By now, wings had fully sprouted from the young woman's back – the same gossamer wings they had seen in the infirmary…the ones they thought had disappeared as she gave up her heavenly aspect to return to the mortal world.

But they hadn't disappeared, Snape thought harshly – she hadn't given up anything…they had trapped an angel into the flesh it had abandoned upon death.

Elizabeth's cries had mellowed to soft whimpers.

"Severus…help me," she begged.

Snape crawled to the bed and drew himself up onto his knees. He watched as her hands clutched at the covers, the blonde head bowed in exhaustion.

"Oh Merlin, Elizabeth," Snape softly spoke. "What can I…how can I…"

"Help me, Severus…hold me," Elizabeth tearfully said.

The dark-haired man reached out to her, the sleeve of his robe falling back to reveal a forearm…the forearm. Snape snatched his arm back, clutching it to his chest.

"I am not worthy of touching you, Elizabeth…I am tainted by darkness," he said in self-loathing as he looked shamefully away from the glowing figure.

"Please Severus…I can't…I…help me."

"But…"

"Your heart is good, Severus," Elizabeth panted out. "Your flesh may still…carry the mark,…but you have…turned away from…what it represents. You are…no longer tainted…by it."

Snape felt something shatter deep inside him at her words – an ugliness he never knew he carried.

"What can I do, Elizabeth?" Snape asked softly.

"Hold me…talk to me. The bonds that…held me to my body…have been broken…by Willow's spell. My soul longs to return…to the heavens,…though I know…I must stay," Elizabeth gasped out. "Hold me…talk to me…Let your touch…give me something…to hold on to…Let your voice…drown out…the voices…of the choir."

Snape stared at her uncertainly as he thought 'How can I compete with heaven?'

"Please Severus," Elizabeth whispered, raising her head to giving him a pleading look, as she reached out a hand to gently touch his cheek with her fingertips.

He gently covered her hand with his as, with one last moment of hesitation, he stood, then carefully sat on the bed. He lay back against the pillows in a half-reclining position, and opened his arms to allow her to curl up to him.

Snape thought the wings would get in the way, but when he cautiously wrapped his arms around her, he found them to be soft and malleable, molding around her slight frame. Her body trembled as she curled up to him like a small child.

"Talk to me Severus." Elizabeth whispered brokenly as she clutched the front of his robes, placing her cheek on his chest.

His mind raced as he tried to think of something to talk about, until a poem came to mind. Snape opened his mouth, and began to speak the words in a soft voice. It was rough at first, as the dour potions master still wasn't used to speaking for any length of time, but as he continued, his voice became smooth, and he relaxed, stroking her hair as he spoke.

The hours passed as recited poetry, told her children's stories of the wizarding world, and spoke of the history of Hogwarts. When the words would no longer come, he began to softly sing old Gaelic songs his grandmother had taught him when he was young.

It was some time later that Snape noticed Elizabeth had fallen asleep. And it was with great relief to see that her wings had retracted at some point, though she still glowed with a faint luminescence.

He wondered if he was damned even further for what they had done to her.

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Tara fled to the Magic Box as if the very hounds of hell were right on her heels. She was afraid…afraid of her own lover. The Willow she knew would never have been so callous in the destruction of life, regardless of whether or not they were demons.

No. Something must have happened with the spell they attempted – it must have done something to her sweet Willow. Her Willow would never ever devise such malicious ways of killing demons – glorying in their pain and destruction.

She was by no means naïve enough to think that Willow wouldn't kill a demon if she had to. Tara herself, who was much more of a pacifist than her girlfriend, could muster the courage to kill demons, if necessary.

Tara sobbed as she ran, wondering if there was some way of bring her Willow back.

She burst through the back door of the magic shop, startling the couple who was taking refuge in the back room. The weapons they held were lowered as they saw who it was.

"Where's Willow?!" Xander exclaimed.

"She…she…Oh Goddess…" Tara said, collapsing to the ground.

"No! She can't be dead! No!" the dark-haired young man sobbed out, falling to his knees in disbelief.

"N-no…she's alive. B-but I don't know if s-she's our Willow a-anymore," Tara stuttered as she cried.

"What happened? What did she do?" Anya asked bluntly.

"S-she killed all the d-demons."

"And what's wrong with that? That's good, isn't it? Xander…that's a good thing, right?"

"It's a good thing, Ahn…at least I think so. What's wrong with killing the demons, Tara?" Xander asked shakily as he stood back up and wrapped his arms around his confused fiancé.

"T-they w-weren't just k-killed…s-she t-tortured them," Tara sobbed out. "Oh Goddess…they were in pieces, Xander. H-her eyes were s-so dark!"

"Black magic. She used black magic," Anya stated bluntly. "Anyone who touches that type of magic is someone to watch out for. Are we going to have to kill her?"

"Ahn! We can't kill her…she's Willow!"

"Depending on how much she's allowed it to take over, she may not be Willow anymore. Black magic is dangerous, and if the person wielding it isn't strong enough, the magic will consume them."

"I-I think W-willow is in there s-somewhere. S-she didn't t-try to hurt m-me…j-just the d-demons," Tara offered tentatively.

"See Ahn…Tara thinks she may still be Willow!" Xander stated, as if that was the end of the argument.

"Fine! But if she kills us, then I'm not going to speak to you ever again, Xander. And your penis will just have to have orgasms by itself," Anya huffed, stalking out to the front of the Magic Box.

The others quickly followed. All three abruptly halted as they saw their red-headed friend standing just inside the public doorway of the main shop.

"Now why would I want to kill you Anya…I need all of you to help me find Buffy," Willow arched an eyebrow at the three nervous-looking young adults.

While her eyes were no longer black, the hard expression on her face made them hesitate. She may look like their friend, but she sure wasn't acting like her usual self.

"What do you mean 'find Buffy'? She's still in the ground where we put her over 3 months ago," Xander said carefully.

"No she's not," Willow responded, her expression becoming even harder.

"How do you know?"

"Because I just dug her up, and she wasn't there," Willow said harshly.

===============================================================

Snape carefully extricated himself from the sleeping young woman, and laid her gently against the pillows he had just vacated. He pulled up a chair, removing the blanket draped over it, and used it to cover Elizabeth, before taking a seat next to her bed, watching her gentle slumber.

The house-elves were back, quietly watching the two humans, but making no sound. Dobby carefully crawled up onto the bed, near enough to Snape for him to see the sadness in the creature's eyes.

The small house-elf turned his gaze towards the potions master and said, "You cannot unmakes an angel, Master Snape, sir."

"How could they allow this to happen? After all she's done, did she not deserve her final rest?" Snape said harshly as he dropped his head into his hands.

"She is neededs here, sir…to saves us."

"Could no one else complete whatever task is required of her?" he asked, raising his eyes to look at the small creature.

"No."

At the small house-elf's simple response, Snape abruptly stood and made to leave the room. His hand reached out to move the tapestry aside, but he paused a moment as the house-elf spoke again.

"Theres are many reasons why Miss Elizabeth is heres, nots just to saves us," Dobby said quietly. He wished he could tell what little he knew, but at the very least, hoped to calm the moody man.

Without turning to look at the small creature, Snape softly asked, "I know you cannot reveal anything specific, Dobby…but can you at least tell me if any of the other reasons are for her?"

"Yes," Dobby responded just as softly. "Nothing cans replace Forever, buts there ares many things thats can makes losing it easier. She will haves some of those things."

With a soft 'Thank you, Dobby', Snape exited the room.

He stood for a moment on the other side of the tapestry, then left his chambers all together. He thought only to wander the darkened halls, to take solace in the quiet night, but his feet took him to where he always ended up when he needed to find peace.

"Come in Severus."

The dark-haired potions master entered the room and took a seat across from the older, and far wiser, man.

"I would offer you tea, but from your expression, I think you are in need of something far stronger," the Headmaster said gently, waving his wand to a decanter on a far shelf, along with a tumbler next to it.

Quietly pouring a good amount of scotch into the glass, he held it out to the silent man, who took it, then tossed it back with nary a cringe. The man held it out again, and it was immediately refilled.

Placing his elbows on his knees, Snape held the tumbler in one hand, twirling the contents silently as he brooded. Dumbledore sat quietly, waiting for the younger man to speak when he was ready.

"Do you ever wonder what awaits us upon our death, Albus?"

"My dear boy, at my age, that is something I think about often."

"And what have you concluded?"

"No one knows for sure what happens after death, and I have often thought that death would be the next stage of my adventure, as soon as I finished with what this life asked of me. At other times, I wondered if I would quietly go on to oblivion, ceasing to exist as I used up all the energy that made me who I was – to be extinguished like a flame…to be no more."

The headmaster took a sip of his ever present tea as he contemplated for a moment.

"But opinions are made to be changed or strengthened, and with the appearance of Miss Elizabeth, I have begun to wonder if there is another destination in store for us – one that, in our haste to rebuild our world outside of muggle influence, we have purposely forgotten."

Snape sat quietly, staring deeply into the amber liquid as he thought upon his mentor's words.

"Is it possible to be damned by that which we do not believe in?" Snape choked out.

"What troubles you my dear child," Dumbledore asked worriedly.

"We have done Elizabeth such a great disservice, Albus. I cannot help but wonder why it was allowed to happen, and if we will be condemned for our actions," the dark-haired man bit out before he tossed back the contents of his glass.

He held the empty tumbler out to be refilled once again, but a gnarled hand covered the top of the glass, and pushed it down to the surface of the desk.

"The answer cannot be found at the bottom of a glass of scotch, Severus," the old man said gently. "What's done is done. And if you remember, we were guided, by powers far greater than us, to the answer that brought about the return of Miss Elizabeth. It was meant to be."

"They shouldn't have let it happen! She deserved her rest!" Snape growled, abruptly standing as he threw his glass at a distant bookshelf, where it shattered upon impact.

After his short burst of temper, the dark-haired man slumped back into his chair – the older man was unaffected by his actions, having witnessed it before.

"But I cannot help but be glad that she is here," Snape choked out softly.

"And what has she done that has changed your opinion of her so drastically, Severus? It was not so long ago that you wished her care to fall upon another's shoulders."

As the dark-haired man looked up into the eyes of the Headmaster, the older man saw a look he never thought he'd see there…wonder.

"Her words, alone, have allowed me to begin forgiving myself."

"Then Miss Elizabeth has already done us a great service."

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"What do you mean she wasn't there?!" Xander shouted out, alarmed.

"Just that…she wasn't there. Her body wasn't there – her coffin was filled with splintered wood."

"Is she a vampire?" Anya asked with interest.

"No – there would have been evidence that she had risen, but her coffin was perfectly intact," Willow replied stiffly.

The red-head moved towards the shelves of books, and began to pull several of them out.

"Hey! What are you doing? Are you going to buy those?" Anya yelped, ever protective of her merchandise.

"I need these to help locate Buffy, Anya, so deal with it," Willow said sharply, not in any mood to deal with the blunt woman. "Xander, can you get me an atlas?"

Xander hesitated a moment, fluctuating between Willow's request and comforting Anya, who was hurt by the red-head's harsh words.

"Ahn?"

"Oh, go ahead Xander, leave me to my pain. Go, jump through hoops for her like she was your girlfriend," Anya sniffed out before heading to the cash-register to count the money in order to make herself feel better.

Xander followed her immediately, concerned by her apparent unhappiness. As he whispered words into her ear, the ex-vengeance demon relaxed, eventually giving the young man a small smile.

Happy again, Anya reached under the counter and gave Xander a good sized book. As he saw what it was, he gave her a gentle kiss, and stroked her hair before taking the book and walking to the central table.

Placing the large book in front of his red-headed friend, Xander quietly said, "You didn't have to be so harsh Willow."

"I'm sorry Xander, but I don't have time for Anya's greed right now. We need to find Buffy."

"Well excuse me, Mon Commandante!" Xander said sarcastically. "I thought you were friends with all of us, not just Buffy. And what makes you think she's alive?! The last time we saw her she was nothing but a dead body on top of a pile of broken rubble!"

Xander slammed his hands on the table in both anger at his best-friends attitude, and pain at the loss of his other best-friend.

"She is alive, Xander!" Willow stood up abruptly, facing the young man in her own anger. "While you and the others were cowering in fear, I was facing the man who took our best-friend from us! I had to watch as he made one of those demons run over the only chance we had to bring her back!"

"That still doesn't mean she's alive, Willow!"

"He taunted me with it! He said that I should not have sought to return that which has already been restored! What else is that supposed to mean?!"

Xander's anger deflated at that, and he fell into one of the chairs, his legs no longer able to hold him up. "How can you be sure?"

"Why else would her coffin be empty? Why else would he make his own claim? Why would he say that she had already found her place at his side? She's alive, Xander, and he has her!" Willow replied fiercely.

They stared at each other before the young man sat up straight in his chair, giving her an indomitable look.

"What can I do?" Xander asked determinedly.

"Help me go through these books. We need to look for locating spells. That man probably has ways to hide Buffy, so I don't think the easy ones are going to work."

As Xander pulled one of the books towards him, he softly said, "Tara left, Will."

"I know," she said, just as softly. "She's upset over what I did to the demons."

"I kinda am too, Will…she said they were in pieces."

"I was mad."

"Are you still our Willow?"

Willow hesitated a moment before answering, "I feel myself changing every day, Xander. I don't know if that's because I'm just growing up and letting go of my insecurities, or if it's because my magic is getting stronger. But I can't think of that right now. We have a best-friend to find."

Xander wasn't satisfied with her answer, but knew that it was time to drop the subject for the moment. He opened his book and began to search for the locating spells Willow requested.

=CRASH=

"Someone dug up the Slayer's grave!" Spike shouted out.

A crying Dawn followed the bleach-blonde vampire into the store. Xander immediately jumped up and took her into his arms.

"Hey there! It's OK, Dawnie…we know," the young man tried to soothe her.

"We tried to raise Buffy from the dead, but someone else stopped us and said that she's already been returned, so Willow dug her up and found out that her body wasn't there. She's alive little girl, and now we're trying to find out where she is," Anya stated cheerfully.

Once the words penetrated her mind, Dawn's eyes rolled up into her head and she fainted in Xander's arms.

"Way to go, demon-girl. Couldn't you have put it more bluntly for the Slayer's sister?" Spike snarked, retrieving the passed-out girl from Xander and taking her to a nearby couch.

"I thought she would be happy that Buffy's alive. Shouldn't she be happy, Xander?"

"I think what he's trying to say is that we could have broken it more gently to Dawn that her sister's still alive, honey. It was too much of a shock to have it stated so…so…"

"Bluntly," Spike finished harshly. "And what do you mean she's alive. And for that matter, what were all of you doing trying to play Jesus and Lazarus?! That type of magic is bad juju!"

"We thought her soul was stuck in a hell dimension, so we were trying to get her out. I think it would have worked too, if it wasn't for the scary-looking man with the big nose," Anya said frowning. "He said that she'd already been returned."

"She's alive?" A soft shaky voice came from the couch. Dawn had regained her wits during Anya's explanation, and didn't know whether to be angry that they had tried to raise her sister from the dead, or to be glad that she was alive, wherever she may be.

"Apparently so, nibblet, no thanks to the SOG wanna-be's," Spike scowled at the three young adults, pulling out and lighting a cigarette.

"SOG?" Anya queried, confused.

"Son of God, Jesus, man-who-turns-water-into-wine…neat trick that…you get what I mean."

Dawn stood up and moved to the table, and in a determined voice, said, "Tell me everything!"

The others hesitated for a moment, but at the stubborn set of the younger Summers' chin, they spilled out the whole story.

"So she's alive somewhere?"

"We're pretty positive, Dawnie," Willow said.

For a moment, Dawn was silent, then she lifted her head with an unyielding look, and said, "Hand me a book."

"Dawn, honey, I think you should go home to…" Xander began, but was cut off by the younger brunette's fierce gaze.

"She may be your best-friend, but she's my sister, Xander. Hand me a book."

Xander looked in her eyes, and could only see the maturity and sheer willpower of someone who had to grow up too soon…someone who had lost two members of her family in less than a year, of which said losses destroyed the last bit of innocence left in her – she would no longer allow them to treat her like a child. He handed her a book.

Spike snagged another, and took the last empty chair – be damned if he let the others brush him off…he was part of the team too, and he had a slayer to yell at for dying…when they found her.

===================================================================

It was several days later that Willow felt they had enough spells to help find Buffy, and made the call to start using them. She felt a moment's pang that Tara was still not speaking to her, but brushed it aside in order to concentrate on what needed to be done to save their friend.

Xander rolled out a map of the U.S., the first of many maps he had gathered.

Willow began with a basic locating spell, and when nothing happened, she tried three others. Still no results. Xander removed the map and replaced it with another.

They went through the same process for each continent, and finally got a result with the western Europe map, which included northern Africa, Iceland and the UK. Going through each country, they were able to narrow it down to the UK, but no further.

"I don't understand! We should at least be able to narrow it down to a city! No one can be that good at hiding someone's signature!" Willow fumed, tossing the plain silver crucifix that belonged to Buffy onto the map. It still vibrated with energy.

"He could be hiding her in the wizarding world…after all, he was wearing robes," Anya said in a distant voice as she counted the contents of the cash register.

"The what world?!" Xander asked bewildered.

"440…460…480…500!" Anya finished her counting, and reverently placed the money back into the till before answering. "The wizarding world. It's supposed to be some kind of large community that lives in hiding within the borders of Scotland and Britain…I think there's more of them in France and Bulgaria, but I'm not sure. I've never been there – I've only heard about it."

"And you were planning on telling us about this world when, Anya?"

"I'm not sure it even exists, Xander. I said I only heard about it, and I think the information passed through several hundred other vengeance demons before getting to me. From what was said, several of D'Hoffryn's previous employees were turned into flobberworms and nifflers, whatever those are, when they tried to wreak vengeance on some of the wizards and witches – and there were rumors of one who was even turned into a Yeti – well, after that, we weren't allowed to venture into the wizarding world, no matter how loudly one of them called upon us. Our necklaces were charmed to ignore them."

"Is it possible for them to hide a person to this extent?" Willow asked curiously.

"Of course it is…their entire community is hidden from regular humans, and they live right in the midst of them. Hiding one person is nothing."

"How come we've never heard of them before?" Xander asked.

"Entrance to their world is by invitation only, from what I was told. You have to be a wizard or witch in order to get that invitation."

"Uh…hello…witch here. I never got an invitation," Willow replied.

"You're not a witch, you're a wiccan. Apparently there's a difference," Anya stated matter-of-factly. "One of my previous co-workers mentioned that they use wands to focus their magic, and that it comes from within them. Wiccan magic uses external forces to perform magic. Hence, you weren't invited."

"Is there some way we can gain entrance into their world? Will a locator spell work once we get past their…uh…barriers?" Dawn asked tentatively.

Willow gave her a proud look, impressed by the intelligent questions.

"Well, first we would have to find one of their entrances, but that shouldn't be too hard for Miss Black Magic here," Anya scowled at the red-head, who had the decency to blush. "Regardless of what type, magic always leaves a mark that can be felt by those who are looking for it specifically. As for locator spells, I assume that once we're inside whatever barrier is keeping us from finding her from the outside, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Then it looks like we're going to England, kiddies. So let's get crackin' and do all our packin'…we're goin' to the Mother Land," Spike quipped, rubbing his hands together.

"Who said you're going with us?" Xander gave the vampire a look of disgust.

"Hey! He's part of the team too, Xander!" Dawn said, immediately jumping to the defense of her personal Buffy-approved protector. "Besides, he probably knows England a lot better than any of us."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Nibblet," Spike winked at her.

"But you're going to have to behave, Spike, or I'll give your ass a smack-down that would put Buffy to shame," Dawn gave the peroxide blonde a mock-glare.

"Awww, Nibblet. Spoil my fun."

Dawn giggled.

"Then let's go, everyone. Pack what you need for a few days stay, and meet back here in 3 hours," Willow said determinedly.

"But what about passports and plane reservations? I don't think we can get that all in 3 hours, Willow," Xander asked, a confused expression on his face.

"We aren't going by plane, Xander. We're going by portal," Willow said smugly.

"No, no! No portals! Do you know what they can do to humans if it's not stable? Take your DNA, rip it apart, then throw it into the void, and you have one of the gentler results! You might be able to open one, Willow, but your magic is so out of control it won't be stable. I'll take the big bucket of bolts with wings, thank you!" Anya said firmly.

"Hey! I resent that! I can create a stable portal! If a demon can do it, so can I!" Willow defended herself.

"Demon portals aren't stable, Willow. The only reason demons can safely travel by portal is because it's part of their genetic make-up. Their DNA is already fucked-up to such a large degree that the instability of portals can't screw them up anymore," Anya said smiling as she repeated 'fucked-up' several times, in some bizarre personal enjoyment.

"Don't swear in front of Dawnie, Anya," Xander chided gently.

"But I used it in the right context, didn't I Xander?" Anya asked.

"Uh…yeah, honey, but don't use those words in front of the Dawnster," the young man squirmed uncomfortably.

"At least I didn't use the word vagina, or scrotum, like you asked me not to…but that's because I couldn't figure out a way to fit it in to what I was saying," Anya replied, looking proud of herself.

Dawn cracked up as Spike spit out his beer at Anya's latest 'fun words'.

"All right…back on topic now," Xander hurriedly said. "It doesn't sound like portal is the friendly way to travel, so we're going to have to do this the mundane way. How soon can we get what we need to travel internationally?"

Willow scowled at her suggestion being shot down, but grudgingly said, "Well, it would normally take six weeks to get a passport, but…"

"Six weeks! We can't wait that long!" Dawn interrupted.

"…but," Willow continued, "I figured you might not want to travel the easiest way, so I started to make them a few days ago."

"Make them? Sounds…not quite legal, Will," Xander said uncertainly.

"It isn't illegal, per se. I…uh…borrowed the template to make them, and all we need are photos. I figured that, since we're going to make them ourselves, we don't need to deal with the red-tape of administrative processes. We can send them money, if it'll make you feel better, Xander."

"Whatever, Willow. How soon can you have them ready? And what about reservations?" Dawn interrupted again, ready to get going and get her sister.

"I can have them ready by tomorrow morning, if we take our pictures now. And I've already made…uh…arrangements for the tickets – we just need to confirm what flight."

"I don't want to know," Xander mumbled.

"And what about me, pet? Not exactly sunlight friendly, ya know," Spike drawled.

"The tickets are first class, and I made sure the airline knew you were allergic to sunlight, so we should be able to avoid that problem," Willow smirked.

"You sure you don't want me to turn you, Red? I could make unlife good for you."

"In a crypt? I think I'll pass, Spike," Willow said blithely. "Dawnie, you want to confirm the reservations while I start snapping photos?"

"Sure Willow…where are the tickets? And what time do you want them at? Oh! Do we need to make hotel reservations too?" Dawn practically danced with excitement.

"The e-stubs are on my hotmail account, and try to get a flight that will land at Heathrow early at night. Two nights at a small hotel, two rooms. Xander, why don't I take pictures of you and Anya first, then you can go pack and make arrangements for work. Try to dress a little nicer for the flight…remember, we'll be in first class, so we don't want to stand out. Spike, you have anything to pack?"

"Some stuff, Red. Will you be able to mojo somethin' at the airport to get weapons through? I wouldn't want to go into anything unarmed."

"That will limit us to carry-ons only. I can't do anything if I can't see it," Willow said thoughtfully. "Why don't we put all the weapons in one bag that you'll carry, Spike. It will make things a lot easier than it would to hide things in several small bags. You can put your clothes and other items into either Dawn's or my suitcase."

Spike turned to Dawn. "Need me to pick anything up at your house to pack away in my bag o' goodies, Nibblet…somethin' Big Sis might like?"

Dawn grinned. "Mr. Pointy…he's on my bedside table. And maybe a short-sword, if you can fit it? The weapons are still in the trunk in Buffy's closet. Take what you think she'd like, or what you might need."

Dawn bounced off in high spirits to get Willow's laptop.

Willow had finished snapping pictures of Xander and Anya, and moved to take Spike's.

"No need, luv…got my own – how do you think I get about?" the blonde man smirked. "Need help when I finish picking up what I need? I've got some know-how on puttin' together fancy travel papers…even the new ones."

"That would sure help, Spike…thanks."

"No problem, Red. I'm off – be back in an hour, pet."

Spike strolled out of the store, lighting a cigarette as soon as he exited the door. As he walked away, both Dawn and Willow could hear him belting out some unknown song about traveling…at least they thought that's what it was about – it was kind of hard to make out between all the swear words that were apparently part of the song.

=============================================================

Several days later Elizabeth finally stopped glowing and returned to normal, much to the relief of one potions master. But something had changed in her – she seemed to be more energetic, and couldn't keep still for more than a two or three hours at a time. It confused Snape when she excused herself several times, disappearing for up to an hour or two at a time.

It was during one of these disappearances that Snape's curiosity got the better of him, and he sought her out.

Whenever she left, she always went to her chambers, so the dark-haired man ventured there first, softly calling out to her. When he received no answer, he slowly entered Elizabeth's private quarters, and looked around.

The door was back…or maybe it was just a door – it was, after all, on the opposite side of the bed from the one that had led to her private bath.

Snape cautiously approached the slightly propped open doorway, not wanting to make the same mistake that he did when, in his panic at having thought he lost Elizabeth, he rushed into a private moment.

As he stood listening for any noise that would indicate just what was behind the door, a faint tap-tap-tapping was heard, coming closer to where he stood.

Something hit his foot and he looked down – a small yellow-colored ball rolled around the floor by his foot. He bent to pick it up.

Examining it closely, he noticed that it was light, and made out of a somewhat familiar semi-flexible material. 'Plastic,' he thought. His head whipped up as he heard more tapping sounds.

Snape cautiously opened the door and stepped through. He was brought up short at the unexpected sight that greeted his eyes.

Elizabeth stood in the middle of the room, wearing one of the trouser outfits she had fought to have made, and a blindfold across her eyes. Her head was cocked as if listening for something – a few house-elves were up against the walls, and several colored balls floated around at the edge of the room.

As the dark-haired potions master watched, he saw several of the balls fly towards the blindfolded woman. Just as he was about to shout out to her, she moved with a speed that astounded him.

He watched in amazement as Elizabeth jumped about, and moved with a grace he'd never seen in anyone before, as she either avoided the bright colored balls or knocked them away from her body…all without actually seeing them.

Snape stood there watching for over an hour, stunned at both the expertise of Elizabeth's fighting skills and her show of stamina. The small woman jumped, flipped, punched, and kicked her way through the flying missiles, and the silent man saw the tight muscles flexing across the visible portions of her upper body.

Finally, she was done. As she stood panting lightly in the middle of the room, she turned her still blindfolded face towards the door.

"Hello, Severus."

"Hello, Elizabeth," the dark-haired man responded. "That was…incredible."

She smiled at him as she removed the blindfold, then grimaced. "No, not quite incredible. It would probably be incredible if the balls still didn't hurt so much when they hit me."

Snape chuckled. "I'm sure it's only temporary, Elizabeth."

"I certainly hope so – it wouldn't do for my opponent to be able to take me down by slapping me on the wrist," the small blonde woman shook her head in disgust. "You should have seen me a couple of weeks ago, the house-elves were throwing balls of cotton…and even they hurt."

"It takes time to heal, Elizabeth, but you are making great progress," Snape replied in a conciliatory tone.

"Not fast enough, Severus," Elizabeth replied, worried. "Something is going to happen soon, and I need to be ready."

"Do you know what it is?"

She shook her head in the negative. "No, I just have this feeling that I need to hurry up and heal as soon as possible – that someone's life depends on it."

"Then you will find a way, Elizabeth," Snape said, giving the young woman a small smile.

Elizabeth smiled in return, then grabbed the dark-haired man by his forearm, pulling him to her side.

"In the mean time, you are going to join me for my warm-down."

"But I don't know how to fight like that!" Snape exclaimed.

"We aren't going to fight, we're going to do a meditative exercise called Tai Chi…it's good for the circulation, and helps your muscles loosen up," the small woman explained, then grinned at him mischievously. "Besides, it would be good for you to use as an 'anger management' tool."

Snape looked at her with a mock-offended expression, "I do not get angry."

Elizabeth smirked at him. "Then why do I constantly see that vein popping out of your forehead?"

"It's just a tick," he responded blandly.

She laughed, then pointed to the wall opposite them, where the house-elves had transfigured the surface of the walls into one long mirror.

"Just follow what I do as best you can, and don't worry about perfecting your form – just keep your muscles loose and let it flow," she instructed. "You'll be surprised how relaxed you feel afterwards."

Snape did as instructed, and he was pleasantly surprised to find that, in the end, she was right…he was a lot more relaxed, and even the constant knot in his neck was gone. He made himself a promise to join her in this…Tai Chi…as often as possible – he could easily get used to this feeling.

=============================================================

"So, are you going to write back to him?" Harry asked.

"Hmmm?" Elizabeth said distractedly as she observed a transfigured flower that didn't quite look right…at least she had never seen a lime green iris before.

"I said, are you going to write back to him?"

"Who?"

Harry dropped his voice to a whisper, even though they were alone. "My godfather…the man who wrote all those letters I gave you."

"Oh!...uh…I kind of forgot," Elizabeth said in an embarrassed tone. "Things have been a little busy lately, with everything I have to learn and relearn. I suppose I should, huh? But…what would I say? I don't know him, and I can't tell him anything about myself…"

She trailed off as she waived her hands helplessly in the air.

"It doesn't have to be a five foot essay, Miss Elizabeth…just tell him how you are, that you're getting better, and that he has a wonderful godson who walks on water," Harry responded, giving her a cheeky grin.

"Walks on water, huh? More like walks through cow manure and trails it behind him wherever he goes," Elizabeth gave a short laugh.

"Hey!" Harry gave her a mock-affronted look, then pointed his wand at her flower and whispered a word. The flower melted into a puddle of lime goo.

"Brat! That was the best flower transfiguration I've done so far!" She exclaimed.

Elizabeth then pointed her wand at him and said a charm that gave him purple spots.

Harry started laughing as he looked at his spotted arms. "Think I can get out of potions class if I claim these spots are a rare form of chicken pox?"

"You can try, but I guarantee that Professor Snape will make-up some fake cure that tastes awful, just to get back at you."

"Darn-it," Harry looked mildly disappointed, then said the counter-charm, making the spots disappear. "Oh well, I guess I'll survive…I have for the past 3 ½ years. So…the letters. Are you going to write him back?"

"I guess so."

"How about doing it right now? I'll help, if you get stuck on what to say," Harry offered. "Besides, if you write it now, I can take care of getting it to him this weekend."

"You aren't going to leave me alone on this, are you?" Elizabeth said in amusement.

"Nope. My godfather really likes you, and he'd be very happy to receive a letter from you…I'd like to see him happy, because he's had so many bad things happen to him in the past," Harry said solemnly.

"OK, OK…I'll write to him," Elizabeth smiled softly at the young teen.

She called up Dobby to request writing utensils then, after thinking a moment, began to write…

.

Sirius,

I apologize for taking so long to respond to your letters, and for the untidiness of this letter – I'm not used to writing with quill and ink. Things have been quite busy for me as I learn new things, and re-learn old, but I am recovering quickly – though most of the time it seems like it's not quick enough.

Harry and his friends have been a great help to me…

.

.

.

.

.

…and I've learned quite a lot from them already. Your godson has quite the makings for a great teacher, should he choose that profession in the future.

I've regained my memories, but there isn't much I can tell you at this point, except to say that I think I am a good person – at least, the knowledge of who I truly am tells me so.

Harry wanted me to tell you that I think he's the most perfect guy on the face of this earth, but he's a little busy right now picking the pillow feathers out of his hair. So, while he's distracted, I should probably tell you that he's really an uptight little troll……

Sirius laughed as he saw the sentence trail off with a messy trail of ink. The next couple inches of space held more inked scratches, as if there was a fight over the quill, before the letter began again.

Sorry about that, Harry took exception to my comment. But, since he's busy playing 'dodge-ball' right now, I can continue…

Harry's a good kid, and you should be extremely proud of the man he's growing up to be.

I'm sorry that I can't tell you more about myself, but there are reasons. I hope I can tell you someday soon, but for now, just know that I'm on the side of good.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

.

Sirius re-read the letter several times, until the waning light outside the mouth of the cave made it too hard to see clearly. It was only as he was carefully putting the letter away that he noticed the short note on the back of the letter, written in Harry's hand.

.

Sirius,

She's just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

Harry

.

With a happy sigh, Sirius placed the letter carefully away, and lay back to sleep. He drifted off with dreams of a beautiful blonde woman smiling at him.

============================================================

Inside his head, Draco was swearing, but he schooled his face to show only boredom and indifference – it wouldn't do to have the other Slytherins know he was bothered by the contents of his father's most recent letter to him.

The young teen sat in a high back chair contemplating the flames in the fireplace, which gave him no warmth andno answers, wondering how he was going to get himself out of this mess.

"Draco, darling, are you going to tell us what your father wrote? It's unlike you to keep us waiting for so long," Pansy drawled, draping herself over one of the arms of the blonde teen's chair.

"It's a private matter and none of your concern, Pansy," Draco said shortly, carefully folding the parchment and placing it into an inner pocket of his robe.

The female Slytherin pouted. "But Draco dear, your father's words are as good as gold around here…you've never kept his letters secret from us. Why now?"

Draco stood abruptly, and began stalking towards the entrance of the Slytherin Common Room as he bit out, "I said it was a private matter, Pansy. I'm sure you understand the concept of privacy – or have I mistaken your level of intelligence?"

As the blonde teen exited the room, the female Slytherin called out, "You don't have to be so touchy about it…and don't forget about curfew!"

Draco ignored the voice of his house-mate as he stalked down the dungeon corridors, heading towards less used hallways. When he finally walked far enough that he wouldn't come across any other students, he leaned up against the wall and pulled out the letter to read it again.

Draco,

Find out everything you can about the woman residing with Snape, and send the information to me via the family charm.

In addition to the protective actions of those filthy creatures, the Headmaster's unwillingness to speak about her tells me that there is a secret to be found out.

Find it. Use whatever means necessary.

Don't disappoint me.

Father

.

Draco swore out loud, crumpling the letter in his fist. Banging his head back against the wall, he couldn't help the wave of misery that came over him.

He wanted to please his father, but he also liked Hogwarts, and didn't want to endanger his position as a student.

Father wouldn't take no for an answer.

Snape would definitely take spying on Elizabeth as harming her, and promptly kick him out of the castle on his arse.

He was screwed.

=============================================================

"It's good to see you up and about Minerva. How are you feeling?" the Headmaster asked with a pleased smile.

"I still get a little weak now and then, but other than that, I feel well, Albus. Thank you for asking," Professor McGonagall responded with a slight smile as she eased herself carefully into a chair. "How is Elizabeth?"

"Severus tells me she is fully recovered, and has had no lasting harm done to her," Dumbledore said. "Ah, Severus…we were just speaking of you and Elizabeth. How is she?"

Snape had entered the office during the Headmaster's discourse. He closed the door behind him and approached the two figures sitting around the Headmaster's desk.

"She is well, Headmaster, and recovering more quickly than I thought possible. I believe she will be fully healed within the next few weeks," Snape responded.

"That is good to hear…very good," Dumbledore looked happily at his potions master. "May I ask why you are here? Is there something I can do for you?"

Snape shuffled his feet for a moment before he cleared his throat and spoke. "Elizabeth heard Minerva was up and about, and she asked me to give her something."

The dark-haired man moved his hand from behind his back to reveal a beautiful flower in full bloom, a purple iris, which was placed in a plain, yet lovely crystal vase.

"Oh Severus…it's exquisite!" McGonagall exclaimed as she reached out to take the gift, taking in its sweet fragrance. "Did you get this from one of Professor Sprout's greenhouses?"

"No…Elizabeth transfigured it for you. She wanted to let you know that she appreciated your help in keeping her friends from taking her from us," the dark-haired man explained uncomfortably.

"She transfigured it herself?!" McGonagall said in surprise, exchanging glances with the Headmaster. "But this is a fourth year transfiguration! Didn't she only start the practical application of magic just over a month ago?!"

Snape looked both smug and proud. "Yes…she's quite bright, Minerva, and Ms. Granger has been spending a lot of her free time helping Elizabeth to understand the different concepts behind each transfiguration and charm. She catches on extremely quick for someone who is basically a beginner."

"How is she with other subjects, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, curious.

Snape thought about it for a moment before responding. "I would say she is about the level of a third year in charms, and between fourth and fifth year in DADA…which is, by far, her best subject."

"And potions?" the Headmaster asked, eyes twinkling mischievously.

The dark-haired man scowled at the laughter he could see the Headmaster holding back.

"She's just finishing up second year, Headmaster. Her slower pace is due to her co-studies of Herbology…she wants to understand the connection between the different ingredients before she starts throwing them into a potion together. An intelligent action I wish even a handful of students would follow."

"Her progress is astounding, Severus! Was she a child prodigy like you were?" McGonagall asked.

"I don't believe so. But Elizabeth, though still young, is an adult, and doesn't have the number of distractions, nor the raging hormones, that the little monsters we teach have," Snape smirked. "Most of her time is spent actually studying."

"I do wish you would stop calling the children monsters, Severus," Dumbledore chided gently. "As for Elizabeth, is it healthy for her to be cooped up so much? Studying with such diligence is all well and good, but you should take her out onto the grounds to get some fresh air – I'm sure it would do her recovery a world of good."

"I will see if she wishes to do so, Headmaster," Snape responded stiffly. Turning to the older woman sitting next to him, he said, "It is good to see you up and about, Minerva."

The dark-haired man strode to the door, but turned back as he remembered something else he wanted to say.

"Headmaster, Elizabeth has recently felt some urgency to recover as quickly as possible – that someone's life depends on it. She knows no details other than a general feeling. I'm not sure what eyes and ears you have out and about, but you may want to let them know to keep their wits sharp."

With a sharp nod, the potions master bid them good night.

================================================================

With long groans that faintly resembled 'mooing', five adults stumbled from a long stagnant-smelling tunnel. They followed the other mass of bodies that had traveled with them into a high-ceilinged area that was cordoned off into a relatively narrow chute that pushed them out into an even larger mass of bodies.

They grabbed hold of each other as irritated people pushed passed them, and almost through them in a couple of cases. Not wanting to lose each other in the unfamiliar territory, they quickly maneuvered to a relatively empty area to catch their breath.

"Oh God…if that was First Class, I am so glad we weren't in Coach. I feel like a Gumby doll that someone twisted into a pretzel," Xander moaned as he flopped onto one of the cheap plastic chairs in a fairly empty waiting area.

Three other bodies flopped down around the young man, moaning just as loudly. Mutters of 'Cirque Du Soleil', 'backwardly bent Barbie legs', and 'we paid money for that?' could barely be made out by the smirking vampire.

"You all are such poufs…me, I had a good lie-down whenever one of you ponces weren't kicking me in the kidneys," Spike snarked.

"You normally sleep on a slab of concrete, Spike – anything else would feel like a feather-bed to you," Xander said petulantly.

"Yeah…simple livin' makes everything seem posh, Wonderboy," Spike scowled at him. "Now, 'less you're all plannin' on campin' out here, we best be movin'…don't want to be late to the hotel, or they'll give away the rooms – trust me on that."

Four people groaned as they dragged their tired bodies up and began to make their way carefully to the baggage claim area.

"So what's the plan? Eat, sleep, shower? Or are we going to start looking for that door you mentioned?" Spike asked.

"I think we all could use some rest and real food. And I don't know about everyone else, but I feel really, really icky, so showers too," Willow said tiredly.

All those with a heartbeat nodded their heads emphatically. Spike looked at them in disgust.

They retrieved their bags as quick as they could, and grabbed a cab to a small, yet well-maintained hotel.

After checking in, they dragged themselves to one of the rooms. Dumping their suitcases haphazardly, the four humans inelegantly fell into a pile of arms and legs on the two beds, while the blonde vampire looked on in amusement.

"Wimps. Well, while you all putter about wasting time, I'm gonna see some of the nightlife…maybe get a line on these hocus-pocus people."

There were tired yawns and a, 'Bye Spike' as the four humans drifted off.

Shaking his head, Spike closed the door quietly behind him as he left to see if he could find a few demons with some information.

=============================================================

Elizabeth cocked her head, listening to something only she could hear.

"What is it, Elizabeth?"

"It is sadness…fear. Someone is troubled," the young woman responded, eyes unfocused. "The castle is calling me…it feels his uncertainty."

"You can speak to the castle?" Snape asked, shocked.

"Sometimes, but only when it wishes to. It wants me to help him."

"Who is it?"

"Someone who walks a fine line…someone who must make a choice very soon," Elizabeth responded in a distracted voice. She stood up abruptly, and began to walk towards the door. "I must go."

"Where? I'll go with you," Snape said, standing up from his chair.

"No, Severus," Elizabeth turned her head to give him a small smile. "I have to go alone. Please trust me on this."

The dark-haired man hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly nodded his head.

"Be careful, Elizabeth, and make sure the house-elves know where you're going."

The young woman nodded her head and gave him another smile before leaving. The door quietly closed behind her, leaving a worried man ensconced in the chamber it protected.

============================================================

Up in a high tower, a young blonde boy sat in silent contemplation, his mind buzzing around in a panic, trying to figure a way out of his current predicament. His hands gripped a crumpled piece of parchment – the reason for his current state of mind.

"You are troubled."

Draco jumped to his feet, whipping around, wand drawn. When he saw the small cloaked and veiled woman, fear raced through his blood, and his eyes darted around the room, looking for her usual entourage of protectors. Seeing no house-elves in sight, he relaxed slightly, but not by much.

"They are not here, Draco Malfoy. I came alone."

"Why are you here?" Draco asked harshly. "I'm sure you've been told to avoid me by now."

"Perhaps…perhaps not. Though I would not care to judge someone by another's words," Elizabeth responded, a hint of humor in her voice.

"Maybe you should, Miss Elizabeth. I'm not known for my kindness," Draco said tonelessly.

"Ahhh…but is it because that is who you are?" Elizabeth paused before continuing, "Or because that is who your father wishes you to be?"

Draco paled a moment before hardening his expression. Putting his wand away, he turned back to the ledge and returned to his seat, gazing out the window.

"Why are you here, Miss Elizabeth?"

The young woman took in the tense set of the young teen's shoulders, and moved to sit on the other end of the ledge.

"You are troubled."

"And what does that have to do with you?" Draco said sullenly.

"Your worries were brought to my attention, and I was given the impression that I may be of some help," Elizabeth responded gently.

Draco sat up straight and spat out, "By who? Do you have spies here? Who are you?"

"I can't say who, but they are concerned with the welfare of all who reside here, including you. As for who I am, that is not for you to know yet."

The blonde teen glared angrily at her before slumping back against the window frame, and crossing his arms in annoyance.

Elizabeth sat quietly for a moment, her hands clasped in her lap as she observed the moody young boy. She could see that his actions were just a cover for the worry he felt.

"Is there something I can help you with, Draco Malfoy?"

Draco looked at her expressionlessly, then with a sigh, his shoulders drooped in defeat – he knew he was screwed either way. Leaning forward, he dropped the crumpled parchment onto her lap.

Elizabeth smoothed out the paper, then lifted it up. She tried to read it, but the light had begun to dim, making it impossible to make out the words.

Turning he gaze to the young man, she said, "I could use some light, if you would be so kind, Mr. Malfoy."

Giving her a disgruntled look, he said, "You have a wand, don't you?"

"I do. But I'm afraid my magic is occasionally a little…unstable. Some spells still give me some trouble," Elizabeth chuckled. "I tried to use 'Lumos' a few days ago and nearly blinded everyone in the room."

Draco snorted out a laugh, saying, "At least it wasn't 'Lecarnum Inflamar'."

"Oh! With that one, I set the table on fire…a big one!" she laughed.

He gave her an incredulous look before asking, "What did Professor Snape do?"

"He just lifted an eyebrow and said, 'I didn't bring any weenies for a roast, but I guess Mr. Potter will do'," Elizabeth giggled.

Draco cracked up laughing, bending over his legs as he tried to catch his breath.

"Oh Merlin, I needed that," Draco gasped out.

"A light, if you will, Mr. Malfoy?" Elizabeth chuckled.

The young boy whispered the spell and held his wand aloft, allowing the glow to light the parchment the woman held. As he gazed at the paper, his smile faded away.

Elizabeth read quickly, then lay the parchment softly on her lap as she looked up at the blonde boy.

"Do you know what will you do?"

As he looked at her, he realized it should feel eerie that he couldn't read her expression, but it wasn't. He could tell by her body language that she wasn't angry – only waited calmly for him to give his answer…regardless of what that answer would be.

Draco normally read a person's expression or body-language, and answered according to how he wanted them to react. But with Miss Elizabeth, something about her made him feel that it was important not to lie about this. She had asked him if she could help, and maybe she could – after all, it was about her.

"I don't know," he answered simply.

Elizabeth kept silent, waiting for Draco to explain, knowing he wasn't finished.

"It's just…I…it…," Draco took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he started again, "I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. If I do as my father asks, I'd be expelled from Hogwarts. If I don't...well…my father isn't exactly…pleasant…when his wishes are defied."

Agitated, the blonde teen jumped up from his seat and began to pace the small area.

"All my life I've tried to do what he wanted – study hard, Draco, a Malfoy should always be the top student…dress elegantly, Draco, you never know what important person you might meet…be condescending, Draco, you are better than everyone else…do this, do that…be a carbon copy of your father, Draco."

The teen slumped back into his seat, drawing his legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his knees, and looking very much like the young boy that he was.

"And are you, Draco? Are you a carbon copy of your father?" Elizabeth asked softly.

"That's what everyone sees," he replied harshly.

"But are you?"

Draco leaned his head against the window frame and looked out to the grounds, not really seeing anything in the fading light.

"No. No, I'm not," he whispered. He was silent for a moment before he continued, "I don't know who I am anymore, but it's not a mirror image of my father, though that's the façade I have to keep up. I've outgrown the little boy who takes his father's word as law…but into what? I don't know if he'll ever let me find out."

The young woman saw a light sheen of tears in the young boy's eyes. She gave him a moment to pull himself together before addressing him again.

"What do you wish to do about this?" Elizabeth said, lifting up the wrinkled letter.

Draco blew out a shaky breath, "I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from sending the letter to my father that started all this."

"Hindsight is always 20-20, Mr. Malfoy," Elizabeth said with a smile in her voice.

"What does that mean?"

"That when one looks back on past actions, it always seems to be perfectly clear what one should have done," she explained. "But would changing the past really have prevented the situation you have now?"

"I suppose not. He would have found out about you by other means," Draco sighed.

"Then let us forget about what caused this, and focus on what can be done to satisfy both situations."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"I may have, but any answer is going to require one important element."

"And what's that?"

"Chocolate, Mr. Malfoy," Elizabeth chuckled. "Many a problem can be solved at the bottom of a good cup of cocoa. Would you care to join me?"

Draco gave a small shaky laugh, but agreed to join her. He was relieved that Miss Elizabeth wasn't angry, since that would create even more problems, especially with one cranky potions master.

As they both stood, Draco gave her a nervous smile as he said, "So, where shall we go? I don't think I would be welcome in the kitchens after…uh…"

"No, no…you are, unfortunately, correct. The house-elves are still a little upset about our first meeting. But don't worry – you're making steps in the right direction in making things right with them."

"So, where shall we go then?"

"How about Professor Snape's quarters? I believe we should go somewhere private to discuss this matter. Besides, as I understand it, he knows your father pretty well. His advice in this would be extremely helpful."

Draco paled at that. "But…but…he's even more mad at me than the house-elves!"

"He's not as mad as you think, Mr. Malfoy. Your apology went a long way to alleviating his anger…especially when it was obvious that you meant it," Elizabeth said gently. "And if you approach him for advice on this matter, well…let's just say that things will probably become better for you in his class."

The young boy still looked uncertain.

"Is this the part where I start pointing out that you're acting like a Hufflepuff?" Elizabeth chuckled slyly.

Draco looked affronted. "Bite your tongue! I'm a Slytherin through and through, Miss Elizabeth. My hesitation is only due to my Slytherin survival instincts kicking in."

Elizabeth laughed in delight at seeing the young boy's spirit return. "Then suck it up, young Slytherin – we don't have all night."

"Very well, Miss Elizabeth." Draco said aristocratically, before he held out an arm to the small woman. "Shall we go, my lady?"

Elizabeth threaded her arm with his, saying, with a smile in her voice, "At least you have more manners than your father, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco choked on a laugh.

===============================================

"Elizabeth! Is everything well?" Snape asked in concern, as he stood up swiftly from his chair upon hearing the door open and seeing his charge enter.

Elizabeth just smiled at him, opening the door wider to allow someone else to step through.

Snape took a look at who it was, then quirked an eyebrow at the diminutive woman. "And what, pray tell, is Mr. Malfoy doing here, Elizabeth?"

She just looked at the young teen, cocking her head as if to say, 'You have the floor.'

"I was hoping that you could…I wanted to…," Draco stuttered before finally blurting out, "I need your advice, sir."

The dark-haired man stared at the nervously shuffling boy before he finally swept a hand towards the couch Elizabeth usually occupied.

With a sigh of relief, the blonde-haired teen quickly walked over and sat down, folding his shaking hands on his lap.

Snape regained his seat, crossing his legs and placing his arms upon the armrests of his chair. He looked silently at the bowed head of the boy who sat across from him, now nervously picking at the fabric of his trousers. It was very rare that something disturbed Draco to such an extent that he displayed nervous ticks.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy? What advice have you come to me for at…" Snape turned his head to look at the clock above the mantle, "…an hour past your curfew?"

Draco cleared his throat as he raised his head, once more clasping his hands together. His eyes darted anxiously at Elizabeth, who stood quietly in front of the fireplace.

"My father sent me a letter, sir." Draco said in a shaky voice. "Its contents have left me in a…quandary."

Elizabeth took the folded letter from her cloak and handed it to the dark-haired man. It only took him a moment to read the short missive.

Snape folded it back up and tossed it on the side-table. He raised an arm to lean his chin on his hand as he stared impassively at the young boy.

"Do you know what will you do?"

Draco gave a choked laugh as his potions master asked the exact same question Miss Elizabeth had, not ten minutes ago.

"No, sir," he answered honestly. "As I told Miss Elizabeth, if I do as my father asks, I'd be expelled from Hogwarts – if I don't, well, you know what my father is like, Professor."

"Indeed I do, Mr. Malfoy," Snape replied in a regretful tone as the two exchanged understanding glances.

"Before you ask, sir. What I want is to stay here at Hogwarts, but I also don't want to create…difficulties…for myself at the end of term," Draco said, face pale.

Having called up a house-elf to request beverages while the two were speaking, Elizabeth quietly placed a hot mug of cocoa in front of the young teen, and a cup of tea on Snape's side-table before sitting at the other end of the couch, her own mug of cocoa in her hands.

"Then the answer is simple…you tell him what you find out," Elizabeth said calmly as she rested the mug in her cupped hand on her lap.

The other two looked at her with shocked expressions.

"Elizabeth?" Snape asked, confused.

Buffy smiled mischievously at him as she said, "But Mr. Malfoy will only find out what we tell him he's found out."

Snape caught her meaning, and gave her a speculative look, as he smirked at her, "Feeding his father what information we will allow him to know. Why Elizabeth…we might just make a decent Slytherin of you yet."

"Oh hush…you know I'm a Hufflepuff through and through, Severus."

Snape choked on his tea when he tried to laugh at the same time he was taking a sip.

"You? =cough= A =cough= =cough= Hufflepuff?! =cough=," Snape choked out. As soon as he caught his breath, he continued, "With my luck, if we put the Sorting Hat on your head, it would scream out you were a bloody Griffyndor, and that it would kill anyone who said otherwise."

Elizabeth laughed.

Draco watched their banter in amazement…he had never seen his potions master so relaxed and…happy.

Snape caught the look on the young teen's face, and schooled his expression to a more stern one.

"So, Mr. Malfoy…will you agree to those terms?"

The blonde boy nodded his head emphatically.

"How often will he need to receive something from you?" Elizabeth queried.

"I think I could get away with not sending anything for up to a couple of weeks, but I should make sure to contact him in a sporadic manner, Miss Elizabeth."

"Very smart…makes it look like you just happened to come across something," the young woman nodded in agreement. She lifted her mug to take a sip of her cooling cocoa, but grimaced as she came up against a problem.

Snape caught sight of Elizabeth rolling her eyes as she placed the mug on the table before her, and smirked at her predicament.

As she lifted her hands to remove the veil, Snape sharply barked out, "Elizabeth!"

His dark eyes darted towards the young teen who sat quietly on the couch, watching the two silently as he felt the sudden tension in the air.

"Is that wise?" he asked tensely.

Elizabeth's hands dropped softly into her lap as she looked at the dark-haired man calmly.

Cocking her head to the side, she quietly said, "Sometimes trust is earned, Severus…but sometimes it must simply be given to a person who has never had it, so they understand why it is something to strive for."

Snape looked at her with a solemn expression before he sighed and nodded his head.

Elizabeth turned her gaze toward the silent teen and asked, "Do you wish to be trusted Draco?"

Draco gave her such a look of sadness and longing that it was almost a physical presence in itself – his hands trembled, and his drink threatened to spill over the rim of the mug. He carefully placed the mug on the table before turning back to the young woman.

He and his so-called friends were wary of each other, and even his father didn't trust him – to have Elizabeth offer to just give him her trust was…incredible. With a soft shaky voice, he simply answered, "Yes."

Elizabeth raised her hands to push back the hood of her cloak, revealing golden hair that fell past her shoulders. She then removed the veil, laying it in her lap as her eyes lifted to catch the widened gaze of the young teen. She gave him a gentle smile and he gasped.

"You're beautiful!" Draco blurted out.

Her smile widened as she gave a small laugh, "Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Malfoy."

The young teen blushed as he averted his gaze.

Snape thought he could see the beginnings of a crush, and smirked – causing the blonde boy to blush even more.

"Tell me, Mr. Malfoy, prior to my 'unveiling' – pun intended – what did you already know about me?" Elizabeth asked.

The ruffled teen picked up his mug of cooled cocoa and, taking out his wand, whispered a warming charm, which he also performed on the mug Elizabeth held out to him when she noticed what he had done to his.

Taking a sip, he thought a moment, then answered, "Well, I knew you were a young woman, somewhere between the age of 18 to early 20's and, as of last week, blonde – a lock of your hair fell out of your hood when you collapsed. Other than that, I couldn't find out anything more, since no one else was allowed near you – and there was no way the house-elves would say anything."

"So, what you're saying is…not much," Elizabeth replied, somewhat surprised. "How did you guess my age?"

"Your hands gave you away…they're very soft and young looking."

She looked at her hands curiously, not seeing what he apparently saw.

"And now?"

"Same age parameter, blue/green eyes…" Draco gently took hold of one of her hands and kissed the knuckles, giving her a rakish grin, "…very beautiful…"

Elizabeth laughed.

Snape watched in amusement as Elizabeth made yet another conquest of the male gender.

"…and definitely not British. If I had to guess, I would say either American or Canadian."

"You are a shameless charmer, Mr. Malfoy," she chuckled as he finally released her hand.

The young teen grinned at her unrepentantly.

Snape cleared his throat to get their attention. "So, Mr. Malfoy…I believe your father will be satisfied with what you have so far, but I would suggest that you only tell him about her hair color – we wouldn't want him to know you actually saw her face."

"Yes, sir," Draco said, taking on a serious look.

"Hmmm…you're correct in thinking that I'm not British, Draco, but I believe you should leave that out," Elizabeth said thoughtfully, then gave them a mischievous grin, her eyes dancing. "He'll most likely restrict his search to this continent."

"You are positively wicked, Miss Elizabeth," Draco gave her an impish grin. "Marry me?"

Elizabeth laughed.

Snape scowled.

'Cheeky little prat!'

===============================================================

=BANG=

"Rise and shine you little buggers! Time to get your lily-white Yank posteriors into gear – we've got a solid lead!"

Groans greeted the British vamp who was flicking the light on and off, irritating the four people trying to sleep off their jet-lag.

With one last flick, Spike left the light on. Stepping up to the first bed, he yanked the covers off to reveal the two love-birds curled around each other – Xander's hand was wrapped around one of Anya's breasts.

"Stop fondling the goodies, Whelp, and get moving…daylight's comin' in about 3 hours."

Walking over to the other bed, he could only see the tops of two heads – one red, and one brunette – he hoped to god the little witch wasn't in a compromising position with his nibblet.

Yanking off the covers, he was relieved to see that, while their heads were leaning against each other, Red had her hands tucked under her cheek. Little Dawn was curled up towards the wiccan, but her arms were wrapped around a small stuffed pig – Mr. Gordo.

Spike jumped on the bed and maneuvered himself between them. The two girls groaned at all the bouncing and attempted to push him away.

He watched in amusement as they struggled to open their bleary eyes, but lost the battle.

He crossed his arms behind his head, then said, "Come on ladies…time to get us a Slayer!"

Two seconds later, Dawn's eyes popped open and she jumped off the bed.

"Buffy! It's time to find Buffy!"

She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door, only to open it again and rush out. Grabbing her suitcase, she dragged it behind her into the loo, and slammed the door again. Shortly after, the shower could be heard.

Willow was the next to jump up as her brain finally processed Spike's words.

"Oh! Oh!"

The redhead ran to the bathroom, but found the door locked. After staring at it for a moment, she turned to look confusedly around the room. Her eyes lit up at a small plastic card on the dresser. She grabbed it and ran out of the hotel room.

It was only a short moment later that Spike heard a knock at the door. He walked over and opened it with a look of amusement on his face.

Willow pushed him out of the way, grabbed her suitcase and the other room key, and exited again.

Spike assumed she was going to use the shower in the other room.

"Oh Xander, your penis is so big…" Anya moaned, apparently in the middle of a naughty dream.

Xander mumbled, "Not now Ahn…too tired. Jet lag…"

Spike snorted out a laugh as he watched the bumbling idiot's brain finally make the connection.

The dark-haired young man shot up out of bed.

"Jet lag! Buffy!"

He then proceeded to run around the room…for no apparent reason that Spike could figure out.

Finally stopping in the middle of the room, he turned to Spike.

Where's Dawnie…and Willow?"

"Nibblet's in the shower here, and Red took the one in the other room. You were too slow, Whelp, so why don't you get us all some snacks like a good little gopher."

"Food…yes…food is good."

Xander shuffled out of the room, shoeless.

Spike sighed as he moved to stand next to the door, key in hand.

=Knock= =Knock= =Knock=

He opened the door to see the half-awake Xander who mumbled, "Forgot shoes…and money."

"Money? Did I hear someone say money?" Anya said, popping up into a sitting position.

"Go back to sleep, Ahn. Someone'll wake you when there's a shower free."

"Free? I like free things," Anya muttered as she flopped back onto the bed and buried her head under a pillow.

Xander slipped his feet into his shoes, grabbed his wallet, then snagged the room key from Spike's fingers as he exited the room once again.

.

.

.

.

"How can they not have donuts?!" Xander griped. "All they had were English muffins, bagels, and croissants! Damn foreigners."

"Hate to break it to you mate, but you are the foreigner here," Spike responded from outside – everyone had kicked him out because they didn't want a room full of smoke. "And if you lot don't hurry, there won't be time for me to take you where I was told to go."

Dawn gulped down her orange juice and stuffed the rest of her bagel into her mouth. Grabbing her jacket, she shot out the door with a muffled, "Mmmime weawy!"

"Easy there, nibblet…don't want to choke to death before we meet up with Big Sis now, do we?"

She shook her head in the negative and, with one big gulp, swallowed the mouthful of bread.

"Come on guys! Or we're going to leave without you!"

She and Spike began to walk towards the hotel exit, leaving the others to scramble behind them.

=============================================================

The cab pulled up to the Kings Cross platform of the London train station, and five bodies eagerly poured out.

"I can feel the hum of something magical here," Willow whispered excitedly. "This must be it!"

She hurriedly moved towards the pull she felt.

After Xander had finished paying the cab driver, they all hurried to catch up with the swiftly moving red-head.

The station was dark and deserted, giving it an eerie feeling – they all stayed close, and kept their eyes open for possible trouble of the pointed-teeth kind, Spike notwithstanding.

Willow walked as if she knew exactly where she was going, and the others trailed right on her heels, which was why they all collided when the redhead came to an abrupt halt…right in front of a brick wall.

"Uh…Willow? Why'd you stop?" Dawn asked nervously.

"This is it," she replied softly as she laid a hand on the stone barrier.

"It's a brick wall, Will," Xander stated flatly.

"That's what it looks like, Xander…but it's a doorway…the doorway," she said excitedly as she began to examine it for the answer of how to open it.

Willow spent the next 15 minutes trying different spells to unlock the barrier. She finally beat her fist against it in frustration.

"Open, damn you!!"

"Hey! What are you kids doing there?!" A voice called out. "This station is closed. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The group turned to see a uniformed man heading in their direction.

"Dammit," Xander muttered.

"No! I won't give up now!" Willow said harshly.

The others saw her eyes darken and exchanged worried glances.

Willow pointed her finger at the officer and yelled out, "Obtero!"

The man flew back as if a massive hand had thrown him. He hit the wall fairly hard and crumpled to the ground.

"Willow! What did you do?!" Xander shouted, dumping the bag full of weapons on the ground as he ran towards the slumped man.

He quickly checked the man's vitals and was relieved to feel a strong pulse, but was concerned that the uneven pupils were indicative of a concussion.

Spike knelt beside the young man.

"He's alive, though he's going to have one hell of a headache when he wakes up," Spike said roughly. "Red's losin' control, Harris – call the Watcher while I'll try to delay her."

The vampire shoved several coins into the young man's hand and subtly pointed to a nearby phone booth.

"Oh God! We never called Giles! How could we forget to call him?!"

"Too late to think about that now. Just call him now and tell him what's happening. With the type of magic Red's accessing, she's gonna leave a trail a mile wide…tell him to follow if he can."

Xander nodded his head as he shoved the coins into his pocket, then gestured the vampire to help him lift the man onto a bench that was out of Willow's view. The two maneuvered the unconscious man onto it and made him as comfortable as they could.

The dark-haired young man rushed to the pay-phone while Spike strolled slowly back to where the three women were waiting.

"Where's Xander?!" Willow demanded, her eyes still in a stage where they were fluctuating between her natural green and the obsidian black that was indicative of the use of black magic.

"He's cleaning up your mess and making the bloke as comfortable as possible, Red."

"Fine…but he better hurry, or I'll leave him behind," Willow said abruptly as she swiftly turned back towards the brick wall.

As the redhead took a deep breath, the others could feel a cold wind pick up, twirling around them like dead fingers. They exchanged fearful glances, and Dawn edged closer to the blonde vampire.

"If the door doesn't want to play nice, then Iwon't play nice," the wiccan growled.

Her hair started turning black as she lifted a hand.

===========================================================

"…so she gives me her puppy-dog eyes – you know, the look that could make even Satan himself melt – and says to me…'Can I hit him with my axe? Can I? Can I?'"

The two men laugh uproariously.

"Your little girl sounds like a right firecracker, Rupert."

"That she is, David…that she is. I miss the lot of them," Giles gave his friend a sad smile.

"Then why are you back here? It sounds to me like you made a pretty darn good life in the states, and picked up a right nice family to boot," David responded, shaking his head in disbelief at what his friend left behind.

=RING= =RING= =RING=

'Saved by the bell…literally,' Giles thought, wanting to avoid having to answer that particular question. He picked up his cell-phone and flipped it open, bringing it up to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Giles?! Giles! Oh God, Giles…it's Xander!"

"Xander?! What's wrong? What…"

"We're in England, Giles! I don't have time to explain, but Buffy's alive!"

Giles sat up straight in his chair, face pale, "Alive?!! Xan…"

"No time, Giles. Willow's on a bad mojo kick. She…we tried to bring her back from the dead, and to make a long story short, got yanked by the short hairs by some strange magic dude who said she was already returned. Her coffin was empty, so we did locator spells that told us she was in England."

"Slow down Xander, slow down!"

"I can't Giles, gotta spit it out quickly before she leaves me behind. We came to England, found out there's some magical community hiding smack dab in the middle of your spiffy country, but it's really hidden – we think that's where Buffy is. We found one of their doors that keeps normal folk out, and that's where we are now. King's Cross station in London, between platforms nine and ten. Something's wrong with Willow – I think she's going dark, Giles. Her eyes went all black and she tossed some police guy into a wall. Oh God, Giles…I don't know what to do! I can't lose Will too!"

Giles heard the young man choking back a sob.

"I'm in London, Xander – twenty minutes away…can you delay her?"

"I don't think…dammit…that's a definite no, Giles. Spike's calling me back over…I think Will found a way in. Call an ambulance for the police guy – I think he's got a concussion. I gotta go…remember, King's Cross station between nine and ten. Spike said Willow's gonna leave a trail a mile wide if you can follow it."

click

"Xander! Xander!" With a sharp 'Dammit' Giles flipped his phone closed. "David, I have to borrow your car."

"I'll drive."

"But…"

"I know shortcuts and can get you there quicker than 20 minutes. Besides, then you won't have to worry about finding parking."

"Then lets go!"

The two men ran out of the bar after leaving a hefty tip for their waitress.

=======================================================================

Willow raised her hand, fingers crackling with energy. Just as she was about to blast her spell into the disagreeable door, Spike grabbed her wrist.

"Hold up there, Red," the blond vampire said sharply. "It's one thing to blast open a door to a single home, but what you're doin' is gonna leave an entire community exposed. I know you're right pissed with the magic bloke, but that doesn't give you the right to take it out on innocents."

"Why should you care, Spike...it never bothered you before," Willow responded harshly.

"Still doesn't, pet, but you gotta ask yourself…would Buffy want you to do that?"

That brought the wicca up short, and she lowered her hand. Anya and Dawn sighed in relief as they felt the cold wind die down.

"Then what do you suggest, Spike? Knock?" she retorted.

"Cute, pet, but no," Spike replied as he lit a cigarette. He tapped his forehead, "Use your noggin', Red. If there's a door, there's gotta be a door-frame. And between the door and frame there generally tends to be a small crack. Find it, and you find your way in."

"How?"

"Magical version of a credit card, pet. Gotta think like a thief on this one," Spike gave her a roguish grin. "Slip the mojo juice into the crack, play with the tumblers 'til they fall into place, then voila…we're in."

"And you think that will work?" Willow said incredulously.

"Can't hurt to try it the sneaky way first, pet. What do you think would happen if you blasted your way in?" Spike lifted an eyebrow at her. "If there's an entire community of magic people, don't you think they'd have their version of bobbys? Are you willin' to get us all killed 'cuz you were impatient? Try it my way first, Red. If you're good enough, it should work..."

The vampire trailed off, giving the wiccan a challenging look.

Willow threw back her shoulders and gave him a haughty look. "Fine! We'll try it your way first. But if it doesn't work, I'm going to blast it open."

"Your choice, pet," Spike said, then gestured towards the brick wall. "Look for loose magic…energy not tied down, and that'll probably be it. The stuff that's locked in place is likely to be either the door or the frame."

The wiccan reached out a hand, letting it hover less than an inch over the surface of the stones. She closed her eyes, then began moving her hand across the surface, trying to feel what Spike had described.

Only a couple of minutes had passed when Willow gave out a triumphant shout.

"I found it! Now let's see about unlocking this puppy."

Spike took a couple of steps back, taking a peek to find where the Whelp was. Seeing that he was still on the phone, the vampire wiggled his fingers to catch the young man's attention. Once he was sure he had Xander's attention, he sharply gestured with his head that it was time to go.

The dark-haired young man quickly said a few more words into the phone, hung up, then quickly trotted back to where the group was waiting for Willow to open the door. He was just in time.

"Got it! I got it! Ow…dammit…hurry up and go through, guys. I can't keep it open for long!"

Dawn was the first to go. She closed her eyes as she walked into the barrier, hoping she wouldn't run into anything solid. She felt nothing as she stepped through.

Spike grabbed Xander before he moved away, and whispered softly, "Go last, Whelp. Trip and drop something American to let the Watcher know where we went."

The blonde-haired vampire brushed past the young man, grabbing the bag of weapons, and went through next.

'Something American?' Xander thought, confused. He dug his hand into his pockets and quickly rummaged around, but only felt coins.

Coins!

"Come on Xander, you're the last one! Hurry up! I can't hold it much longer," Willow called out.

The dark haired man rushed over, hands in his pockets, and promptly tripped at the last moment. As he pulled his hands out to catch himself, several coins scattered across the pavement.

"Dammit! Sorry Will…I'll just be a second," he said, kneeling at her feet as he scrambled to pick up the dropped coins.

"Leave it, Xander! I'm losing my hold on the opening. Go now!" Willow snarled.

Xander stood up and quickly walked through the invisible opening, coming out to the sight of the other three gaping at a…train? The young man joined the others in their staring.

"What are all you...Oh My God! That's a train!" Willow yelped.

She only took a moment to stare at the odd sight before getting down to business.

"OK, people! Time's a wasting! I don't know if we tripped any alarms when I opened the door, but I'm sure we don't want to find out. Let's get moving!"

The group moved into a more open area of the platform. Dawn pulled out a map from inside her coat and spread it on the ground, while Willow took Buffy's cross from her pocket. Quickly speaking the locator spell, they were all relieved to see an immediate response…a lot further north than their current position.

"Dammit!" Willow growled.

She quickly picked up the map and walked over to the train. Spreading the map on the ground again, she placed her other hand on the train tracks and chanted another spell. The others crowded around the red-head and were surprised to see a line being traced in a meandering manner on the map…directly towards where the locator spell had indicated their friend to be.

"Yes! Looks like we're taking the train, people," she said smugly.

"Uh…hate to break it to you Willow, but it doesn't look like the train is going anywhere for a couple of days," Xander said as he pointed to a sign that said 'Next trip, June 4th, Hogsmeade Station.'

Willow's lips tightened, "Then we'll just have to high-jack it."

The rest of the group exchanged glances.

"Willow?" Dawn said tentatively. "I don't think any of us know how to drive a train."

She gave an eerie laugh as she said, "Leave it to me."

The red-head stalked toward the head of the train and boarded the engine compartment. The others slowly joined her, a bit reluctantly.

As they boarded, they heard Willow call out, "Spike, you may want to find a compartment that has blinds – the sun's going to rise in another few minutes."

Spike took her advice and opened the door that led to the next section of the train. He was relieved to see that it was a passenger car, not wanting to be too far from the others.

The blonde vampire popped his head back in to the engine compartment and called out, "I'll be in the next car, nibblet…it's for passengers, and has blinds."

Dawn quickly joined him, saying, "She's getting scary again, Spike."

"Don't worry, Bit…Big Sis'll knock her down a peg or two if she gets outta line," Spike said consolingly as he pulled down the blinds in one of the compartments. "Just sit back and let Red get us there."

Taking a seat, he stretched out. Dawn quickly curled up next to him, finding security in the arms he wrapped comfortingly around her.

Xander popped his head into their compartment. "Good choice of cars, Spike…there's a food trolly here full of sweets. If you need anything, it's to the right of the back door. Anya and I are going to take another compartment so we can catch up on some sleep. Oh! And Willow's decoupling the rest of the cars so we can travel faster."

The dark-haired man disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

"Sleep sounds good to me," Dawn yawned, dropping her head on the vampire's chest and quickly dropped off.

Spike smiled in amusement as he gazed at the young teen's dark head. Giving her hair a gentle stroke, he slowly reclined back on the seat, hoping to catch a few winks of sleep himself.

And up in the engine compartment, a young woman's hair turned black as she accessed the power needed to run the train.

With a squeal of metal on metal, the train began to move, quickly picking up speed as it headed north.

================================================================

With a screech of tires, Giles arrived at the King's Cross station. He quickly jumped out of the car and ran towards platforms nine and ten.

"Damn!" he shouted, pounding his fist against a barrier. Xander and the others were nowhere in sight.

He was too late.

Taking a look around, he tried to find some indication of where the children had gone. It didn't take him too long to find the scattered coins…coins he knew could only belong to one of them, as they were mostly American. They surrounded the brick pillar that held the sign 'Platform 9' on it.

"Rupert! Over here!" David's voice rang out.

Giles stood from where he had knelt to look at the scattered change, and quickly made his way to his friend's side. He was alarmed to see a Bobby lying unconscious on a bench.

"He's got a great big lump on the back of his head, and his pupils are uneven – I think he's got a concussion," his friend said.

Giles quickly pulled out his cell-phone and called for an ambulance, giving them directions to where they needed to go.

Turning back to his friend, he said, "David, stay with him. I need to see if I can figure out where the children are."

Without waiting for a response, the tall man strode back to the barrier where he found the coins, and examined the area.

Seeing no other clues, he faced the brick wall and closed his eyes. Opening himself up to the magic he rarely used, he reached out a hand to try and feel the doorway Xander had spoken of.

The magic hit him with a rush, causing him to stumble backwards. His eyes popped open as he let out a deep breath in a woosh.

Shaking his head to clear the magical buzz, he then tried to open the so-called 'door', casting several spells under his breath. When there was no result, Giles stopped, not wanting to open himself up to stronger magics that would certainly turn out to be dark.

Though it disturbed him to do so, he knew he had to leave the children on their own – there was nothing he could do that wouldn't turn out be a danger for himself…or them.

Pressing a palm against the barrier, Giles closed his eyes and prayed for their safety.

===============================================================

"Sir! Sir!! We have unauthorized activity at Platform 9 ¾!" Fudge's assistant burst into the Minister's office. "Someone forced their way through the barrier from the Muggle world, sir!"

"What?!" Fudge, Minister of Magic to the wizarding world, shouted. "How is that possible?!"

"I don't know, sir, but all the aurors are in an uproar…it's being said that dark magic was used," his assistant panted.

"Is the barrier still open?" Fudge said, jumping out of his chair.

He strode out of his office and began making his way to the Auror Division, his assistant struggling to keep up with his pace.

"No, Sir. It closed after a couple of minutes," he panted. "It gets worse, sir…they stole the first two cars of the Hogwarts Express, and are heading towards Hogsmeade right this moment."

Fudge stumbled to a halt in shock.

"What?!"

"Yes, sir…that's what I heard."

The Minister began striding down the hallway once more, his pace even quicker than before.

He burst into the Auror Division, his face livid.

"I want all available Aurors, fully armed, to go immediately to Hogsmeade station and await the arrival of those thieves," the Minister demanded. "Are we tracking the train? Has anyone tried apparating into one of the cars?"

"Yes, sir, and yes, sir, but there's some unknown magic protecting the train. Two of our aurors have already splinched trying to get access to either one of the cars, so we've stopped anyone else from attempting it, sir…and tracking has to be done at least 10 meters away, or we lose their location," one of the aurors replied curtly.

"Then our only option is to wait for them in Hogsmead?" the Minister growled out.

"Yes, sir…if they stay on the train that long. We have five potential locations of where they may disembark, sir, and we've stationed a few aurors in each place," the same auror replied.

"Is there anything else we can do?" Fudge asked in frustration.

"No, sir…not until the train comes to a halt."

The Minister of Magic glowered.

==================================================================

"Everybody up! Time to get off the train," Willow's disembodied voice startled the four people awake.

"But we're still moving," Dawn mumbled sleepily, rubbing the grit out of her eyes.

"The train's slowed quite a bit, Nibblet, has done for quite some time. I think she plans on having us jump," Spike said.

"Jump?!" the young girl said incredulously. "She's nuts!"

"Avoiding the magic bobbies is more like it," Spike said, smirking. "Wouldn't be surprised if they're waiting for us at the end of the line."

"Oh God, I'm already a criminal in a world where I haven't even met a damn witch or wizard yet," Dawn grumbled.

The two gathered their coats, and exited their compartment to see Xander and Anya standing at the opened back door.

"I don't want to jump, Xander! She can't make me jump!" Anya yelled out, firmly grasping the doorknob to keep herself from being moved to the narrow platform outside the door.

"Come on, Ahn…we're all going. You don't want to stay here by yourself and get arrested when the train gets to Hogsmeade, do you?"

"Nooo," she said reluctantly.

"Then you're going to have to jump," Xander explained with infinite patience. "Look, honey, the train's going really slow…you can almost step off."

Anya hestitantly looked out the door to see that, while the train continued to move forward, it was going relatively slow.

"If you're sure," she said, reluctantly letting go of the doorknob.

"I'm sure, honey."

Willow moved up behind the group crowded at the doorway. "Let's go, people! Jump off, and we'll meet at the bottom of the hill."

Spike elbowed his way up to the door, making sure to keep out of the sunlight.

"Problem, Red…there's this big shiny ball in the sky that has my death written all over it."

"Not a problem. I was thinking about that, and came up with a solution," the red-head smirked. She pulled a cloak out from behind her back and gave him a grin. "Found this in one of the compartments and made a few sun-light friendly modifications. It's only temporary, though."

The vampire took the cloak from her and put it on. Carefully stepping into a ray of sunlight that was shining through one of the windows, he was pleased to see he wasn't even smoking.

"Red…I really want to bite you right now, but I'll have to settle for this…"

Spike grabbed her around the waist, dipping her down as he planted a deep kiss on her surprised lips.

When he finally let her up for air, she gave out a drunken giggle, her cheeks were flushed.

Grabbing the bag of weapons, he stepped out onto the platform. Turning his head back to the other four, he gave a cocky grin and shouted, "See all you ponces on solid ground!" before jumping off the step. He stumbled a little before catching his balance.

Dawn shot out the door, yelling 'Bonzai!' as she jumped. She wasn't so lucky, tripping over her own feet and landing on her butt.

Xander, Anya, and Willow followed, each taking their own inelegant tumble.

The three walked back to meet up with Dawn and Spike, who were staring down the hill with looks of delight on their face.

Spike tossed the bag at Xander and yelled, "Last one to the bottom is a rotten egg!"

The vampire threw his body down the hill, letting gravity take over as he rolled down the grass knoll, but making sure to keep the cloak tucked as closely to his body as he could during his trip. Dawn followed with a delighted shout.

Xander looked at the bag in his hands, then at the two women who were watching the two rolling bodies in amusement.

"Hey Will, take care of this, will you?" he said as he shoved the heavy bag into the red-head's arms.

The dark-haired young man then dived out with a loud 'WooHoo', tucking himself into a ball as he hit the ground rolling.

"If you break your penis, I will be very, very angry Xander!" Anya yelled after him.

The ex-demon gave a longing look at the hill.

"Oh, go for it, Anya. When are you going to have another chance?" Willow said with a grin.

While the light haired young woman hesitated, Willow quickly levitated the bag to the base of a tree at the bottom of the hill, then followed her friends in the same manner, giggling all the way.

With a shrug and a muttered 'you only live once…ok, maybe twice', Anya took the plunge.

When she finally reached the bottom, she was grinning madly.

The others were in various stages of laughter.

Dawn was the one who finally got them moving.

"Come on everyone…let's get going. How much farther is it, Willow?"

"It's just over that hill, Dawnie. There should be a lake on the other side that we'll have to go around to get to a place by the name of Hogwarts. It looked to be about five miles."

"And how do you know all this, pet?" Spike asked.

"Found a map in the engine room," Willow said pertly, waving a piece of paper in their faces.

Spike grabbed a hold of it and looked it over. "Sweet. Now let's go get Buffy!"

The group shared determined glances before heading towards their final destination.

==============================================================

"It's HUGE!" Dawn said in a hushed whisper.

"Nothin' like stormin' the castle, kiddies. What's the plan, Red?" Spike asked.

The group was hunched together at the edge of a large forest, keeping out of sight for the moment.

"I say we just walk in," Xander offered. "There's pretty much nothing else we can do."

"I agree," Willow replied.

"And then…?" Spike said in disbelief.

"We'll take stock once we get inside. No visible weapons, though. We don't want to spook them into a fight unless necessary," Willow said firmly.

"I'm not goin' in there without a weapon to protect L'il Bit with, Red," Spike said firmly.

"Hide it in your cloak then, but keep the bag handy for the rest of us," Willow said. "I'll cover us with my magic if there's trouble."

Spike nodded then removed a sword before handing the bag to Xander.

"Need to keep my hands free, Whelp."

Xander nodded as he took the heavy item.

"Right…let's go then," Spike said. He stood up and began to stride towards the castle at a swift pace.

The others followed swiftly behind him.

They reached the opened castle doors with no problems and paused in the entryway as they looked about. Seeing no one, they stepped in further.

Muffled sounds could be heard from behind a large set of doors straight in front, and the group stealthily made their way towards them.

Taking hold of the large ring, Spike gave it a tug, causing the door to creep open a few inches. The vampire shot out a foot to stop it from opening further. He leaned up against the other door and cautiously looked through the crack.

"What do you see, Spike?" Dawn whispered.

"Bunch o' kids…hundreds of 'em lined up at four tables that run from the door to the end of the room. There's another table at the far end running from side to side with about 10 adults sittin' there – no sign of Buffy, 'less she's sittin' at one of the kiddie tables, but I don't think so…they're kinda young," the blonde vampire said quietly. "So what's the plan, Red. We can't just go in there guns ablazin'."

"Let me see," the wiccan said, taking Spike's place when he moved away.

The red-head looked in, seeing exactly what Spike had described. As her eyes roamed over the adults, her eyes fell upon a dark-haired man with a prominent nose…him…HIM!

"It's him! He's here!" Willow snarled in anger. Her hair swiftly turned black as she grabbed hold of the door and shoved it open, causing it to hit the wall with a loud bang. She strode into the room, walking straight down the path between the two central tables, her eyes locked on to the dark-haired man at the end.

"Aw, Hell! Break out the weapons, Wonderboy…Red's on the rampage," Spike said as he withdrew the sword from his cloak and followed the angry witch. Keeping an eye on the wiccan while he looked around for any sign of the Slayer.

Xander quickly took out a sword for himself and two axes, handing those to the two remaining girls. The three cautiously trailed the other two.

Several older children had pulled out their wands, but were looking towards the adults as if to ask what they should do.

The adults, most of who were standing, were looking at the older man seated at the center of the table. He stood and addressed the swiftly approaching woman who had black hair and eyes…both of which seemed unnatural.

"May I help you?"

Willow ignored him, still focused on the dark-haired man sitting to her left.

"You!" She ground out. "Where is she?"

"She is where she is meant to be," Snape smirked at the young woman. "Here."

"Give her back to us!"

"She is not a commodity to be handed over."

"She's mine! And you are keeping her from me!" Willow snarled out. "Give her back before tear through you and take her!"

Her four companions exchanged worried glances, and Dawn looked fearfully at the old man who had originally spoken. When he gave her a questioning look, she darted her eyes at the angry witch and shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

"Foolish child! You play with powers beyond your ken," Snape snapped out as he stood up abruptly. "Let it go before it takes you over completely."

"It's my power to do with as I wish!" Willow shouted.

"If you think the power is yours, then you are already too far gone," the dark-haired man said sharply, leaning his fists on the table before him. "Leave. She will have nothing to do with you now."

"Yes she will! She's mine! Give her back!"

"No."

The wiccan screamed in frustration.

The children cringed back at the sound and shivered as a cold wind blew through the room.

An ominous feeling fell upon the occupants in the Great Hall, and they watched as black veins crawled across the angry woman's skin. They shivered as she spoke again, her voice eerily deep.

"Then your life is forfeit."

Willow lifted one of her hands in front of her, splaying the fingers outward as lightening played over them. A dark swirling ball quickly grew within the confines of her hand, reaching a size that would not easily be held if solid.

"Die!" she snapped out, pushing the dark object away from her.

Snape watched expressionlessly as the ball of dark magic shot straight at him.

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I'm evil, aren't I? grin

I said I was giving you a chapter that was twice as long as the others…I didn't say I was going to end it nicely, did I? giggle

Sigh…I know there were a couple of scenes that could be classified as unnecessary or too long, but after spending 6 hours pulling weeds, digging up hundreds of bulbs of a very invasive plant (that spawned little mini-bulbs that also had to be dug up), building a small retaining wall, laying out weed barrier, and finally spreading out bark/mulch, I am very, very tired. So, instead of taking a lot of time to remove/revise them – and making you wait even longer for this chapter – I chose to leave those scenes as they were written.

Read…Review…Yell at me for leaving you hanging – I'm going to go take a couple of asprin and go to bed.