A BtVs / Angel / Harry Potter / Sopranos / Highlander crossover. Minor spoilers up to season 7 of Buffy. Set after Season 7 BtVS, after Season 4 Angel, after Harry Potter graduates, and nowhere in particular in Sopranos / Highlander continuity.

All characters belong to their respective creators / film companies / etc. and are used without permission. This story may only be distributed on a non-profit-making basis.

Work in Progress. If you like this story, check out my other stories on the Fanfiction Net, Twisting the Hellmouth, and Fonts of Wisdom websites.

I'm British, so's my spelling. Live with it.

No, that was not a continuity error at the end of the prologue, all will be explained in due course! This chapter is from Dawn's point of view.


Bring Me The Head Of Harry Potter

by Marcus L. Rowland

II

I pulled the folding sword from my jacket, flicking the blade out as I said "I am Dawn Summers, daughter of Joyce and sister of the Slayer. I am immortal and I cannot die."

Sometimes it impresses people, once a headhunter laughed so much I was able to stab him before he recovered. The cute British guy said "What?" and looked confused, but he was holding the rod in his hand like some sort of weapon.

"I said, 'I am Dawn Summers, daughter of Joyce and sister of the Slayer. I am immortal and I cannot die.'"

"Err... that's handy."

"Okay, so you don't want to cut my head off, I take it."

"What?"

"And you really have no idea what I'm talking about?"

"Merlin, no, not the foggiest."

"Sorry, just checking. It's a ritual challenge." I slid the sword back into its sheath, and waited for him to get his act together.

"You're an immortal?"

"Yes. Damn, this shirt's ruined."

"That'd explain the coming back to life. Never met one before. Just a second..." he screwed up his eyes in thought then said "Accio camisia" and waved the rod... no, wand. A scarlet T-shirt with a red lion logo popped out of thin air, and he caught it in his other hand. "It might be a little big for you but I think it's clean."

"Wow. And you're a wizard, I guess, I've met a few. Thanks, now turn your back for a second..." It was roomy, but not ridiculously baggy. Thr lion opened its mouth and gave a little roar. "... okay, but can you stop it roaring, might be a little conspicuous."

"Just say Silencio camisia."

"Silencio camisia." It stopped.

I rolled the old shirt up in a ball and dropped it down a sewer, and hoped that the police wouldn't find it if they ever got here. Not that it could be traced to me easily, but things like that make them start looking for bodies.

Another car squealed round the corner, and for a second I thought it was the shooters, coming back for another pass. Then I recognised the Angelmobile, and said "It's okay, friend of mine" before mister wizard could turn it into a frog. In the distance I could hear sirens, but I judged it'd be three or four minutes before the first police cars arrived.

"Are you all right?" asked Angel, getting out of the car.

"Do I look all right? That was my favourite shirt I just threw away, and these jeans are going to need a good soak."

"Great sense of priorities, Dawn. Lorne called, said you needed help, good thing I was in the area."

"Yeah, well, drive-by shooting. No permanent damage, but I can't walk home like this."

"Who's your friend?"

"Dunno, but I think it was him they were after."

Mister wizard said "Me?" and looked horrified.

"He's some sort of magician, probably with that conference at UCLA."

Angel looked at him, and something seemed to click. "Harry Potter, right?"

"Err," says the wizard, "yes, I am. How did you know about the conference?"

"Two of our friends are speakers, and Lorne said you might be in town. He's a big fan, kept me posted in case your little war ever spilled over to the USA. I've seen enough pictures to recognise the scar. I thought Lord Whatsit was dead."

"Voldemort? We finished him last year."

"Looks like you have some new enemies. Better get in the car, we need to get out of here before the police arrive, and I think you could do with my help."

* * * * *

"So what type of immortal are you?" Harry asked as Angel drove us towards the Hyperion. "My class did it in Magical Beasts a couple of years ago, but I'm damned if I can remember much. There was the Klopta classification system, of course, let's see... natural, magical, magically-maintained, cursed, created and undead, with subclassifications for things like aging or unaging."

"Short version," I said, "someone who comes back to life if she dies, and heals ridiculously fast after the first time she's killed. There's also a long tradition of challenges, duelling and chopping off each other's heads to gain their power, that's what that 'daughter of' thing was about, but I won't go into that because it's pretty silly if you aren't involved."

I left out the part about the monks having made me immortal so that their precious Key could be used more than once, no way was a stranger, especially a wizard, getting that story.

"Then that wasn't the first time you've died?"

"No, think it's the fourth. No, fifth. First was about three years ago, just after I graduated high school. We were fighting demons, turned out they had guns. Luckily I recovered fast, before they did anything stupid to my body, and we worked out what was going on. Lorne has a couple of immortal friends, one of them showed me the ropes."

"And you fight demons?"

"Angel does it full-time, I'm still in college. If it wasn't the vacation I'd be at UCLA right now. I help out at weekends and in the vacations, Angel pays me and gives me a free room. Beats working for Doublemeat Palace."

"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? I thought you were my age."

"Twenty-two, and I'll look this age when I'm two hundred and twenty. It's a real nuisance if I want a drink."

"Even so, you're young to be an auror."

"A what?"

"Sorry, you might call them magical police."

"Not exactly police. Angel's a private detective, helps the helpless, takes on the cases the police and the regular private eyes won't touch. Mostly they seem to have some sort of supernatural slant."

"If you're going to be spending time with us you might as well know I'm a vampire," said Angel. This didn't go down well with Harry, who reached for his wand.

"Don't worry," I said, "he's got a soul, doesn't kill people any more. Angel, next time try and break the news a little more gently, I think Harry got a little worried."

"I'm sorry..." said Harry, "I was a little off-guard with Voldemort out of the way, and I really don't want people getting hurt because they happen to be standing near me. Not again. Just give me a minute to get my act together, and I'm all yours."

"Promises promises" I muttered. He really was cute, especially when he was worried.

"What?" said Harry, and Angel snorted with suppressed laughter. I always forget how good his hearing is.

"Never mind. We're here."

* * * * *

"This is a detective agency?" asked Harry, "It looks like a hotel."

"Used to be one," said Angel, "we own the place now. Or rather about ten different finance companies do, they just haven't quite noticed yet."

Willow and Kennedy were in the lobby, chatting with Fred and Gunn and playing with their baby. When Harry saw them his eyes widened. Three guesses who he'd recognised.

"Guys," I said, "this is Harry Potter, one of the students from that conference. Harry, meet Willow, Kennedy, Fred and Gunn. And that's Alonna in the diapers."

"Professor Rosenberg, it's an honour." I knew he'd spotted her. Not that many witches around with her amount of power.

"The Harry Potter?" asked Willow. He nodded shyly. "The pleasure's mine. This is Doctor Berkel-Gunn, by the way, she'll be giving the talk on 'Reconciling Magic and Theoretical Physics' on Friday."

"Right, I read the synopsis. You're really going to disturb the wizards who think that they've nothing to learn from the Muggle world." Fred smiled self-consciously.

"What is all this 'the Harry Potter' stuff," I asked. "I've never heard of you, what's it all about?"

"It's a long story," said Harry, "and one that wears thin the fiftieth time you hear it. Briefly, I fought one of the most powerful sorcerers in the world, begging your pardon Professor Rosenberg, and managed to defeat him eventually. More by luck than judgement."

"He's being modest," says Willow, "everyone in the wizarding world knows him, knows what he's done. First thing I heard about when they contacted me after we closed the Hellmouth." Willow finally noticed my clothes, and added "Fighting again, Dawnie?"

"Drive-by. They were after Harry, I think."

"You're safe here," Willow said. "Three different anti-violence spells, as powerful as the ones on the new Caritas."

"The new Caritas?" asked Harry, "what happened to the old one?"

"The anti-violence spells weren't good enough," said Angel. "Shot up and fire-bombed."

"That's reassuring."

"I think we need to find you a room," I said, "I don't think it's safe for you to go back to wherever you're staying tonight. Most of this place still needs repairs, but there are a couple that are habitable down the hall from me on the third floor."

"That's a good idea," said Angel. "You guys get that organised, I'll go out and see if I can find out anything about the shooting. I'll start at Caritas, see if Lorne noticed anyone paying attention when you left. Gunn, you want to check with your friends?"

"Most of the guys I used to hang with are married with three kids now, but they might still have connections. Fred, are you okay with me heading out for a couple of hours?"

"Fine, so long as you're home for the four o'clock feed, I need to get up early for Willow's talk tomorrow."

"One thing," said Harry, "about payment..."

"That's okay," said Angel, "I know that money's tight when you're a student."

"Actually that's not what I was going to say. It's simply that I don't have much American cash with me, will gold be okay?"

"Gold," said Angel, "will be perfectly fine. Talk to you in the morning. Dawn, make sure that the bed is aired and there are towels in the bathroom."

He headed out, and Gunn followed. "I give it a day before he's matchmaking," said Willow, and Harry blushed.

"Come on, guys," I said, doing some blushing of my own.

"You know Angel thinks of himself as your stand-in dad. Harry's a good catch, he's rich and he isn't creeped out by our weirdness. A day tops."

I turned to Harry and said "I'd better get you out of here before she starts designing the bridal dress," and led him upstairs. Behind me I could hear them laughing, and the baby joining in.

* * * * *

"Have you known Professor Rosenberg long?" Harry asked as we were checking a room.

"Most of my life. She and my sister were best friends in Sunnydale, and she and Tara looked after me when Buffy was killed."

"Buffy was your sister?"

"She still is, Willow raised her from the dead."

"Wait a minute... Buffy Summers? The Slayer? Your sister? Professor Rosenberg's biography in the conference notes mentioned raising her, I hadn't quite made the connection."

"I did mention it earlier, but I think you were more interested in my sword."

"And Tara is..?"

"Dead. She was Willow's lover, another witch. She was shot about as randomly as I was, but she wasn't immortal and Willow couldn't raise her."

"I'm sorry."

"So am I. We all still miss her."

"Both of my parents were murdered when I was a year old. I never really met them, and I still miss them."

"That's horrible," I said, and hastily changed the subject. "I think this room's okay, you just need some sheets and towels and soap. I think I've spares in my room."

He came along with me, and I tried to remember if there was anything too embarrassing on display. No, I'd tidied it that morning.

"So what's Angel's story?" he asked as I was going through my jacket for the key.

"Evil scourge of Europe for a couple of hundred years, then gypsies cursed him to restore his soul. Luckily it turned out that his soul didn't like what he's been doing, 'cos I can think of plenty of mass-murderers that functioned just fine with souls in place. Hitler, Stalin, that guy you were fighting have one?"

"As far as we know. I don't think anyone got round to asking him."

I found the key, and went inside. Harry waited at the door, and I glanced at the mirror to check. He had a reflection, so he wasn't a vampire, just polite. I said "Come in, let me find this stuff. You want some pizza?"

"Now you mention it... yes please, I'm starving."

"Me too, coming back to life is a little draining. Here's a menu for the pizzeria down the road, choose what you want and we'll send out for it."

"At this time of night?"

"No problem, the management are Drelnik demons. Nocturnal."

"Demons?"

"They're nature balancing demons, look a little strange but they're nice guys provided you don't mind a lecture about unleaded gas and organic food whenever you go near them."

"So, how do you come to know Angel?" he asked, leafing through the menu.

"He used to be Buffy's boyfriend, when that didn't work out he came to LA. They're still friends, but one of the nastier parts of that curse is that he loses his soul if he ever gets perfectly happy. And he was really happy when they were together..."

"Nasty. Is he the only vampire with a soul?"

"No, there's at least one other. Spike. That's a really long story, and he's somewhere in Australia with Buffy right now so you won't be meeting him."

"What are they doing in Australia?"

"If I know Spike, playing koala bear poker."

"What?"

"Never mind. Fighting an invasion from the Aborigine Dreamtime, according to their last few postcards."

"Weird."

"Damn right. Last I heard they were on the track of a giant wombat that was eating trucks. You ready to order?"

"I think the meat treat with extra pepperoni sounds about right for me, how about you?"

"Why not, and some garlic bread, juice. Okay, I've got sheets, towels, and soap. You dump them in your room, go down, see if anyone else wants anything while we're sending out. I'm gonna shower and change my clothes. Knock me up if the pizza comes before I'm done."

He blushed scarlet.

"What?"

"Knock you up... sorry, it's British slang, you really don't want to know."

"Is it dirty?"

"Well, if I knocked you up we would have done something dirty first. It means to make you pregnant."

"Okay. Fine. Go order pizza."

* * * * *

"The pizza was fine, but organic spinach and pumpkin juice does not get the Dawn Summers seal of approval," I said three quarters of an hour later.

"I think Alonna likes it," said Fred, giving her another spoonful and munching on a taco. "If not we'll soon know about it."

Willow said "She likes it. She's showing her happy face, and her comfy aura . Anyone else want this last piece of garlic bread? Kennedy? Harry? Dawn? Fred?"

Kennedy lolled back and said "I think I'm stuffed," Harry said "Me too," I shook my head and pretended to belch, and Fred munched the last taco and waved it away.

"Anyone else? Going once.. twice.. mine, all mine. Nah-ha-ha-ha!" She scarfed it down.

"Great cackle, Will," said Kennedy. "Practicing for tomorrow? It's getting on for midnight, you know."

"Better be heading up," said Willow. "Early start, and it'd be nice if I can stay awake during my own presentation."

"Works for me. Night, everybody." They went up, and I helped Fred get Alonna ready to go upstairs, while Harry cleared the mess. Another plus, he's reasonably house-trained. Eventually I said "Alone at last."

"Err..."

"Something I should explain. I'm not looking for any sort of long-term relationship, there are all sorts of reasons why it'd be a really bad idea. But I've died tonight, and I really want to do something to remind myself I'm still alive. I like you, and I get the impression that you're interested... so... coming to bed?"

He turned beet-red again, but he nodded.

TBC