Disclaimers etc, see part one.

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When Xander arrived back at the Scooby waiting room, he found that it had been turned into a living room, of sorts. Despite the many doors, the centre of the room now held several coloured chairs – testimony to Giles's skills with a wand.

They looked up as Xander entered. Willow closed the book she and Tara had been reading.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"He's a really sweet kid, I think," Xander said.

Giles drew him a chair out of the air and Xander sat with a smug smile. Dawn chuckled at the regal air he portrayed in his robes. Anya beamed. Xander ruined it by laughing along with Dawn.

"This place is fab," he said.

"It is," Giles said, slowly.

"You didn't like it?" Spike asked, shocked.

"I had troubles here," Giles said. "Between my father and the Defence professor's views of the Slayer, I never really had much of a chance. And I didn't like Quidditch."

Spike almost spat.

"I couldn't watch it. I was always worried someone would fall off."

"It's no fun if no one falls off," Spike said. "Although, I suppose I'll actually be able to play, now."

"Play what?" Xander asked.

"Fall off what?" Buffy asked.

"Quiddich, wizard football," Giles said.

"Played on broom sticks," Spike added.

Giles shuddered at the thought. Dawn grinned. Buffy looked at him strangely.

"You can face the real threat of torture, and torture itself, but you can't watch people on broomsticks?"

Giles didn't deign to answer.

"Leave the man alone," Spike said. "Tell us about the kid?"

"He's also pretty suspicious of the people who are meant to be looking after him," Xander said. "He doesn't like Snape, but then, he hates Harry, too."

"Then why was he there?" Buffy asked. "Weren't you supposed to meet the people who were going to help us?"

"Sirius did say he was with the good guys. And Dumbledore trusts him, I think that is enough recommendation," Xander said.

Spike and Giles both nodded.

"Anyway, you all get to meet him and his friends tomorrow. McGonagall and Snape are coming with Dumbledore this evening," Xander told them. "I told them that you were the Slayer," he added to Buffy.

Buffy nodded. She found that she was glad that a big deal wouldn't be made of it while she was there.

"What did they say to that?" she asked.

"Snape didn't think you'd do particularly well against either magic or strategy. He described you as 'a girl who can hit hard.' I didn't tell him that you weren't one to play by the rules."

Buffy grinned. "Well, we have to let him know," she said.

"Let who know what?" a smiling voice asked.

Dumbledore took in the group with a smile. None of them answered him. They stared at the three visitors with expressions ranging from curious to hostile. He drew three more chairs into the circle for the others. Snape glowered at the dark green floral pattern on his.

He ran an eye over the group before he sat down.

"Rupert," he said, with a sneer."

"Severus," Giles replied, equally friendly.

Snape deliberately dismissed Buffy, and earned himself a cool gaze. His eyes narrowed as he reached Spike.

"William?" he said.

"Snape," Spike said. He managed to sound amicable and relaxed.

Snape sat down heavily.

"This is Severus Snape," Dumbledore said. "He is the Potions master here."

He proceeded to introduce everyone else. He didn't seem as amused at Snape's griping as he had earlier. The eyes looking over the half moon spectacles looked very grave.

"What do you know of the situation that the Wizarding world currently faces?" he asked.

Giles gave him a succinct fun down of the information they had. Voldemort had risen again, thirteen years after being deflected by Harry Potter. He wanted to rid the Wizarding world of Muggle-born wizards, and generally rule the world.

"The Minister of Magic does not believe that Voldemort has returned," Dumbledore continued. "Most witches and wizards believe that Harry is somehow mad or anxious for the attention. Most of those who do believe are either Death Eaters, or members of the Order of the Phoenix, which is dedicated to his overthrow. Minerva and Severus are both members – it means that you can trust them. I cannot tell you who the others are, because they don't know who you are either."

"We don't know who they, Headmaster," Snape said. "We only know their names."

"Xander is Sirius's son. Buffy is the Slayer, Dawn is her sister. You know both Rupert and William –"

"And that gives me great confidence in their trustworthiness," Snape said.

Dumbledore sighed.

"I can only ask you to trust them as far as they trust you, Severus. If you want them to prove their loyalty, you will have to do the same."

Snape glowered, but said nothing.

"I hope that we can agree that, whatever our pasts, we stand, now, as allies against a foe greater than any regression we ourselves may have committed. Severus was a Death Eater until he became a spy for us sixteen years ago. Giles summoned demons as a hobby. Spike is William the Bloody."

The cold reserve in Dumbledore's voice kept everyone's objections at bay. Minerva glanced once at Giles for his confirmation, and went back to watching the group in general.

"Harry Potter is the key to defeating Voldemort. There was a prophecy made before his birth, that a child was going to born who would be able to defeat the Dark Lord. Of the two candidates, Voldemort chose Harry, and went after him. The spell to kill him backfired, and fulfilled one of the criteria; 'the Dark Lord shall mark him as his own'. Harry bears the scar. The main gist of the prophecy is that either Voldemort will kill Harry, or Harry will kill Voldemort, and neither can live until that happens."

"There's always a prophecy," Buffy said. "But they don't have to mean what they say. There was one that said I would die and see, still here."

"Your friends brought you back," Snape said.

"Well, it was just Xander – wait, brought back?"

"From Hell," Snape said.

Buffy turned sharply in her chair to Xander.

"You told him that?" she demanded.

"Yes," Xander said, deciding on straightforward honesty in response to Buffy's scowl.

Spike took Buffy's hand. She gave him a cool look of his own, but he didn't back down.

"First time I died it was prophecy, the second time it was me or Dawn."

Severus looked at her sharply; he thought she was hiding something. Buffy however, didn't heed him in the least.

"This is not what we are here to discuss," Dumbledore admonished them. "Harry doesn't know about the prophecy, I haven't … yet had the heart to tell him. Severus, the potion please."

Snape took a small clear vial out of his robes. It contained a small amount of white liquid. He handed it to Xander, who looked at it warily.

"Drink it," Dumbledore said. "It will show us what spells have been used on you."

Everyone watched Xander intently as he uncorked the bottle, swirled the contents and eventually skulled them.

Nothing much happened. Xander screwed up his face from the taste. Dumbledore took out his wand and waved at the young man.

Those with magical talent could see a faint image around Xander. It was like someone had laid another copy of him over what was already there. To Buffy, Dawn and Anya nothing was any different.

Dumbledore waved Xander to stand up. He walked around, examining the image from all sides as it covered Xander.

"Very good work," he said.

He murmured a few phrases and jabbed his wand.

"I think that you can still learn magic with it in place," he said, peering at Xander's left elbow. "I think that it also protects you from being discovered. No one will work out who you are related to, they will have to be told, while you are there, I think. Even once you've visited the Ministry tomorrow, you should be circumspect. In case they don't accept Ms Jenkins's testimony.

"I'll arrange Floo powder for the both of you and Mr Giles."

"You're coming, too?" Xander asked.

"I am also going to the Ministry," Giles amended. "I would appreciate it if you didn't mention me while you were there. I have business to take care of, and relations between the Ministry and the Council are strained enough without putting Hogwarts's mad Headmaster in the middle."

He sounded very gloomy. Dumbledore smiled at the praise. Dawn yawned.

"I've very sorry, we missed night time," she said.

"My apologies," Dumbledore exclaimed. "I hadn't meant to keep you up so late. Please, take all the time you need to sleep. I'll have an elf wake you up so you don't miss your meeting, but there will be food available for breakfast at whatever time. Good night."

"Good night," McGonagall echoed, smiling at them.

Snape didn't scowl. Together the three professors left.

"I'm going to bed," Dawn announced. "We can have the discussion in the morning."

She left with a brief 'night.' The others dispersed fairly quickly with murmured farewells, leaving only Buffy and Spike.

"You're going to have to tell them where you were, luv," Spike said.

"I'm not your 'luv,' Spike," Buffy said. "And I'll be fine."

She pushed her own door open. Spike walked up to the cloaked portrait on his.

"She needs help," he said.

"Whatever you say, William," the picture murmured.