Darkness Falling
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me. All Buffy characters and fictional places belong to Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon, all Harry Potter characters belong to J K Rowling.
It was the last week of the holidays and Diagon Alley was packed with people buying their books and other supplies for the new school year. The family known to friends and enemies alike as the Weasley tribe were out doing the same.
Ginny Weasley and her mother, Molly, left Flourish and Blotts, the wizarding bookshop, and wandered down the alley to where they were supposed to meet Mr. Weasley, Ginny's brother Ron, Ron's friends Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, and the American exchange students that were living with them, Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg. Ginny did not like either of them, mainly because they treated her like she didn't know anything which only encouraged Ron, Harry and Hermione to do the same, and because Harry and Buffy were all too clearly going out. This annoyed her, to the extent that she had spent the majority of the holidays in her room, when she wasn't eating or playing Quidditch on one of the twins' old brooms. Ginny was not in the mood to spend the rest of the day with any of them. She therefore told her mother that she was heading back to the Leaky Cauldron and would meet them there for lunch.
Ginny got back to the pub and sat down. It was 12 o'clock. 1 o'clock dropped off the clock. Then 2 o'clock struck, with still no sign of any of the Weasleys or their guests. Ginny was beginning to feel forgotten when she was disturbed from her thought by a voice. "May I sit here please? Every other seat is filled."
The voice in question belonged to an older man, who was dressed in a Muggle suit. As Ginny started to move, having seen that there was nowhere else to sit, the man put his hand on her shoulder forcing her to stay seated. "There's no need for that. You were here before me and you are welcome to stay if you want to. In fact, you are just the person I was looking for. Now then, why don't you stay here with me, miss...?"
He looked at her questioningly. "Weasley. Virginia Weasley. But most people call me Ginny or Gin. And it's very kind of you to ask but I shouldn't stay, I really should go and look for my family."
He chuckled. "A pleasure to meet you, miss Weasley. Why don't you stay and have something to eat with me seeing as you haven't had any lunch? Do most of your family have red hair? Because if so, I think that they have forgotten about you. Especially seeing as they wandered past just as I came in."
Ginny's shoulders slumped. They had forgotten about her again. In that case, she felt rebellious. She was 17 after all. She could look after herself, despite what the rest of her family seemed to think. Besides, he didn't look at all threatening. In fact he rather looked like a Muggle...
"Ok. I'll have lunch with you, but only if you tell me who you are first."
"Splendid. My name when I was alive was Mayor Richard Wilkins III of Sunnydale. What will you have? Don't worry about paying either; I can afford a meal or two, so you can take your hand away from your purse. And please, call me Richard."
And so, they ate together. Or at least, she ate and he watched. At first Ginny talked, mostly about her family but sometimes about school. He interrupted occasionally, asking for details. She didn't know why she was still sitting there, let alone telling him so much about her life. There was something about the man, something that made him easy to talk to, a little like Tom Riddle in her first year (not necessarily a favourable comparison). Then later, he talked about himself and how he had been Mayor of a town called Sunnydale. He had talked about a girl he knew who was as sanctimonious and self-righteous as could be, and expected everyone to live up to her standards, disregarding that not everyone wanted to be a do- gooder like her. Ginny had laughed. "That sounds exactly like Buffy Summers!" she had said.
He had asked, "You know Buffy Summers? She was the girl I was talking about. She was the one who killed me. How do you know her?"
So, Ginny told him about how Buffy and Willow were staying with them, and how much she hated both of them. And how, at Hogwarts, she was going to have so much trouble with them. When he heard that, he had said "Look Virginia, may I call you that? Virginia, if the "golden wonder" or anyone else gives you any trouble, you can go to an associate of mine. Just talk to him. Tell him I sent you and he will either help you or contact me. Does that help or make you feel better?"
She had replied, "Yes it does, thank you so much."
He smiled. "Good. I am here to help. I have had problems with Buffy and friends before. Are they staying the winter holidays as well? If so, would you like to come to Sunnydale? It can be arranged."
At that moment, Ginny happened to look up. "Oh no!"
The door to the pub had swung open and there in the entrance was the rest of the Weasley group. Wilkins looked up as well. "Oh well, I suppose that this concludes our meal miss Weasley. Remember my advice and the offer still stands. Just talk to Lucius Malfoy. Take this message." He handed her a hand-written scroll. "He'll know it's from me. Good day to you."
She smiled nervously and resolved that it would be a cold day in Hell before she asked Lucius Malfoy for anything. "Good day to you Mr. Wilkins, or should I say Your Honour. Thank you for the meal."
As Mayor Wilkins stood up, Molly and Arthur Weasley stormed over to their table. They swooped down on Ginny and frogmarched her outside, yelling all the time, followed by the rest of the group.
At the abandoned table, the First watched them leave with a sneer on its face. Once they had left, Tom the bartender came over to clear up and to see if there was anything else the man wanted. But when he got there, there was no sign of him and yet no one had seen him leave.
Chapter 1
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me. All Buffy characters and fictional places belong to Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon, all Harry Potter characters belong to J K Rowling.
It was the last week of the holidays and Diagon Alley was packed with people buying their books and other supplies for the new school year. The family known to friends and enemies alike as the Weasley tribe were out doing the same.
Ginny Weasley and her mother, Molly, left Flourish and Blotts, the wizarding bookshop, and wandered down the alley to where they were supposed to meet Mr. Weasley, Ginny's brother Ron, Ron's friends Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, and the American exchange students that were living with them, Buffy Summers and Willow Rosenberg. Ginny did not like either of them, mainly because they treated her like she didn't know anything which only encouraged Ron, Harry and Hermione to do the same, and because Harry and Buffy were all too clearly going out. This annoyed her, to the extent that she had spent the majority of the holidays in her room, when she wasn't eating or playing Quidditch on one of the twins' old brooms. Ginny was not in the mood to spend the rest of the day with any of them. She therefore told her mother that she was heading back to the Leaky Cauldron and would meet them there for lunch.
Ginny got back to the pub and sat down. It was 12 o'clock. 1 o'clock dropped off the clock. Then 2 o'clock struck, with still no sign of any of the Weasleys or their guests. Ginny was beginning to feel forgotten when she was disturbed from her thought by a voice. "May I sit here please? Every other seat is filled."
The voice in question belonged to an older man, who was dressed in a Muggle suit. As Ginny started to move, having seen that there was nowhere else to sit, the man put his hand on her shoulder forcing her to stay seated. "There's no need for that. You were here before me and you are welcome to stay if you want to. In fact, you are just the person I was looking for. Now then, why don't you stay here with me, miss...?"
He looked at her questioningly. "Weasley. Virginia Weasley. But most people call me Ginny or Gin. And it's very kind of you to ask but I shouldn't stay, I really should go and look for my family."
He chuckled. "A pleasure to meet you, miss Weasley. Why don't you stay and have something to eat with me seeing as you haven't had any lunch? Do most of your family have red hair? Because if so, I think that they have forgotten about you. Especially seeing as they wandered past just as I came in."
Ginny's shoulders slumped. They had forgotten about her again. In that case, she felt rebellious. She was 17 after all. She could look after herself, despite what the rest of her family seemed to think. Besides, he didn't look at all threatening. In fact he rather looked like a Muggle...
"Ok. I'll have lunch with you, but only if you tell me who you are first."
"Splendid. My name when I was alive was Mayor Richard Wilkins III of Sunnydale. What will you have? Don't worry about paying either; I can afford a meal or two, so you can take your hand away from your purse. And please, call me Richard."
And so, they ate together. Or at least, she ate and he watched. At first Ginny talked, mostly about her family but sometimes about school. He interrupted occasionally, asking for details. She didn't know why she was still sitting there, let alone telling him so much about her life. There was something about the man, something that made him easy to talk to, a little like Tom Riddle in her first year (not necessarily a favourable comparison). Then later, he talked about himself and how he had been Mayor of a town called Sunnydale. He had talked about a girl he knew who was as sanctimonious and self-righteous as could be, and expected everyone to live up to her standards, disregarding that not everyone wanted to be a do- gooder like her. Ginny had laughed. "That sounds exactly like Buffy Summers!" she had said.
He had asked, "You know Buffy Summers? She was the girl I was talking about. She was the one who killed me. How do you know her?"
So, Ginny told him about how Buffy and Willow were staying with them, and how much she hated both of them. And how, at Hogwarts, she was going to have so much trouble with them. When he heard that, he had said "Look Virginia, may I call you that? Virginia, if the "golden wonder" or anyone else gives you any trouble, you can go to an associate of mine. Just talk to him. Tell him I sent you and he will either help you or contact me. Does that help or make you feel better?"
She had replied, "Yes it does, thank you so much."
He smiled. "Good. I am here to help. I have had problems with Buffy and friends before. Are they staying the winter holidays as well? If so, would you like to come to Sunnydale? It can be arranged."
At that moment, Ginny happened to look up. "Oh no!"
The door to the pub had swung open and there in the entrance was the rest of the Weasley group. Wilkins looked up as well. "Oh well, I suppose that this concludes our meal miss Weasley. Remember my advice and the offer still stands. Just talk to Lucius Malfoy. Take this message." He handed her a hand-written scroll. "He'll know it's from me. Good day to you."
She smiled nervously and resolved that it would be a cold day in Hell before she asked Lucius Malfoy for anything. "Good day to you Mr. Wilkins, or should I say Your Honour. Thank you for the meal."
As Mayor Wilkins stood up, Molly and Arthur Weasley stormed over to their table. They swooped down on Ginny and frogmarched her outside, yelling all the time, followed by the rest of the group.
At the abandoned table, the First watched them leave with a sneer on its face. Once they had left, Tom the bartender came over to clear up and to see if there was anything else the man wanted. But when he got there, there was no sign of him and yet no one had seen him leave.