A/N. Umm. yeah. did I forget to mention that none of these characters are
mine. BtVS belongs to Whedon, M.E. and Fox. Harry and company belongs to
J.K. Rowling. I bow and worship.
Oh yeah. you'll find one glaring flub here. Yes, in the last part I set this fic at the end of July and that's how it will remain. For those who know Buffy please do not flog me when you read of an event that should have happened 2 months before. Umm. youll see what I mean.
Lastly, I came up with this pairing (which will hopefully be obvious in this part) after figuring that with Harry being a year old in 1981, when Voldemort killed his parents, he would be about the same age as the Scooby gang. Thus.
Part 2
Rupert Giles looked through the partition into the living room as he busied himself by making tea for the group that had congregated in his home. It had been a most horrendous night and nobody seemed quite ready to part company. As tired as he was, Giles was just as eager to spend time with them. He was just happy they were all still alive.
Normally he and his students would conclude their slaying nights in the library before heading home. This night, however, the high school library was in need of major repair. The floor had been split open as demons from the hellmouth tried to escape into their world and the skylight had been shattered when his slayer had finally managed to defeat the Master.
Having sent Buffy upstairs to change into some dry clothes, he now watched as she curled up on his sofa under a blanket. He knew he had nearly lost her. If it had not been for Xander, the girl would be dead and the world as they know it would now be gone. He owed that young man a debt of gratitude that could never be repaid. But watching them all now, Giles knew Xander was just happy to know that Buffy had survived the night and counted that as his reward.
Finally done putting a tea tray together, the watcher made his way back to the group of young people he admired so much. He set the tray down on the table and Willow immediately poured a cup for Buffy as to warm her from the inside. Once they had all settled back to unwind, the tension finally seemed to lift.
Sipping his tea, Giles was about to ask what the teens had planned for the summer break from school. Interrupting his train of thought came a thud and a muffled exclamation of surprise from what seemed like the outer wall of his living room. Instantly the four occupants of the room were on there feet reaching for weapons.
Another thud followed by the sound of knocking came from the fireplace.
"Hello? Is anybody there?" The voice was definitely coming from the closed fireplace and the group surrounded it quietly to determine what was going on. "Oi! Is anyone here? If you can hear me, can you please open your floo so I can get out of your bloody chimney?!"
Realization came to Giles in a flash. It had been so long since he'd used the floo network he'd had no idea how someone had gotten into his chimney. and why. The watcher signalled for the group to back off but stand guard as he reached forward and opened the floo.
In a cloud of soot, a body came falling into the room. Landing with a thump, the stranger quickly stood up and brushed himself clean before noticing he had four weapons pointed at him.
"Bloody hell!" The young man standing in front of the Sunnydale gang huffed. "Can't I get a bloody break!"
Stepping forward, Giles sized up the teenage wizard and motioned for the weapons to be put down before speaking.
"No need to worry, lad. Just a bit of a surprise having someone fall from the fireplace. May I ask your name and why you have come?"
Calming a bit when he realized he was not in immediate danger, the young man exhaled with relief.
"Right. Sorry about that. Got a bit turned around in the floo network. I can't even *guess* how far I am from the Burrow." Reaching out a hand, in greeting, toward Giles, he continued. "My name is Harry Potter."
Giles had been reaching for the proffered hand when Harry announced his name. His eyes shifted immediately to the boy's forehead in search of the famous scar. To Buffy, Xander and Willow, it appeared that he had been frozen where he stood.
Raising her weapon back up to Harry, Buffy glared at the intruder. "Okay, who are you and what did you just do to Giles?!"
Realizing the situation, Giles forced himself out of his stupor. "No, Buffy. It's okay. Mr. Potter has done nothing to me. I was shocked to hear his name." Trying to dispell the obvious tension he added, "Why don't we all sit down and finish our tea. Would you care for a cup, Mr. Potter?"
Trying not to roll his eyes at the dumbstruck man, Harry gratiously accepted the tea and sat down just thankful he had not stumbled into a Death Eater's home. "Please. call me Harry." He still had no idea where he was but he knew he needed to contact the Weasleys as soon as possible so they would not be worried about him.
A thought struck him suddenly as he glanced at the blonde girl that was still eyeing him warily. "Are you American, then. er. Buffy, was it?"
Surprised by the question, the slayer blinked twice before answering. "Well, yeah. Just you and Giles have the whole 'God save the Queen' thing going on."
It was Harry's turn to be confused as he looked back to the man who was still trying to accept that The Boy Who Lived was in his living room. "I take it you're Giles, then. Could you please explain what she just said?"
"Oh yes, I do apologize. My name is Rupert Giles. These are Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris." He point to each as he made the introductions. "And what Buffy was so eloquently trying to say is that, while you and I are British, they are American. If I may be so bold as to ask. why did you think they weren't American?"
Harry wasn't sure what was going on yet so he asked the most imposing question on his mind. "Mr. Giles, where. exactly. am I?"
"Well, you are currently in my home in Sunnydale, California."
Harry felt the color drain from his face. "C-California? As in. America? You're telling me that I flooed all the way to America. from Surrey?! That's *not* possible!"
"You are, of course, right Mr. Potter." Giles wasn't certain how this had happened. "The floo network is not meant to transport across the ocean. I- I-I mean we can use it to communicate but travel that far should not be possible."
"Um. can I just ask. what is a floo network and why do you keep calling him 'Mr. Potter' and acting like he was the second coming?" Xander had been baffled from the start and wanted to know more about this guy who had come tumbling in. "I mean. um. that came out rude but can someone tell us what's going on?"
Harry smiled at the other boy and tried to explain how he'd gotten there and who he was to the group. "The floo network is set up between chimneys in the Britain. We use it to travel and to communicate like a muggle would use a telephone. only we can see the person we are talking to. Don't you use one here as well?"
"Wait. muggles?" Xander became more intrigued by their guest with each passing moment. "What exactly is a muggle?"
Harry frowned slightly at this. "But I thought. Mr. Giles, why is it I can feel powerful magic here and you know who I am but they seem to be muggles?"
"That's actually a bit difficult to explain." The watcher wasn't sure how much information he should give Harry. It was obvious the boy was still in training and he didn't like the idea of divulging too much before Harry was ready. 'What am I thinking?! This is Harry Potter! The poor boy probably knows more than I do about the magical world!'
"As far as the magic you are feeling, that would be the center of mystical convergence located in this town also known as the hellmouth. I know who you are because I am part of an organization known as the Council of Watchers and we have made it our business for centuries to aide in the magical world as much as possible. And as for the muggles. I, myself, am a sourceror and Buffy is the current Slayer. Willow and Xander, while they have not shown an aptitude for magic as of yet, do assist Buffy and I in maintaining control of the demons who tend to be drawn to the hellmouth."
Harry had tensed at the mention of the hellmouth. He'd never heard of such a thing but he did know about demons. The young wizard didn't like the idea of being stuck in a place that attracted them naturally. He decided he needed to contact Professor Dumbledore quickly.
"Mr. Giles, if you don't mind, I'll need the use of your fireplace to contact my headmaster. I was actually supposed to arrive at a friend's house this morning but I obviously can't risk trying to travel through the network since I should not have been able to in the first place."
"Of course! My home is at your disposal, Harry. Would you like us to leave you alone to afford you and your headmaster a bit of privacy?""
"That won't be necessary. It's likely Dumbledore will want to speak with you as well."
"Dumb- You don't mean Albus Dumbledore, do you?" At hearing the name, Giles had perked up considerably.
"Er. yes, sir. Do you know him?" Harry asked this as he made his was back toward the fireplace.
"Actually, yes I do. After a.ahem. falling out between myself and the Warcher's Council, he helped me considerably in getting back on the path I was meant for." Giles smiled at the memory of the old wizard. "A bit cryptic, that old man, isn't he?"
Harry chuckled, "Cryptic would be an understatement, Mr. Giles. Perhaps he just got worse as he got older!"
The slayer and her friends had watched the interaction between the pair and they were all convinced that there was a lot more to this new boy than met the eye. They were all curious about him and, with a few glances and wordless gestures, agreed that they would try to get to know him as well as they could while he was in town.
Xander was glad he was not the only one who wanted to spend time with Harry but, curiously, he found himself hoping for a bit of time with him without the influence of his two best friends.
Harry pulled the tin of floo powder out of his pocket along with his wand. A quick charm and the empty fireplace was lit. He was aware of the eyes watching him and blushed at the thought of the dark haired boy watching his every move. Harry thought that Xander looked vaguely familiar but brushed it off. There was no way they had ever met before but there seemed to be something. Shrugging it off for further evaluation later, Harry tossed a pinch of powder into the flames.
"Albus Dumbledore," the wizard called into the fire. A moment later the face of his headmaster appeared.
"Ah, Harry! There you are!" It seemed the old wizard already knew Harry had not arrived at the Burrow as planned. "Did something go wrong when you left home this morning?"
"Yes Professor. I had a bit of an accident when I was about to leave the Dursleys."
Albus knew the boy had problems at home and from the look on Harry's face he could clearly see this was not an 'accident' he'd had any control over.
"Are you alright, Harry? Where have you landed?"
"I'm quite fine, sir." There was no way Harry was going to discuss details of his departure in front of strangers. "It seems as though I somehow managed to cross the pond through the floo network. I didn't want to try to floo back since I should not have been able to get here in the first place."
The headmaster looked surprised for a moment at Harry's words. "You are quite right, my boy! Where exactly are you that you found it safe enough to contact me?"
"Well, sir. I actually landed in the home of someone who appears to know you."
At this, Giles stepped up next to Harry and made his presence known. "Hello, Albus. It's been a long time!"
"Rupert! How pleasant to see you again!" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled happily at his old friend. "What on Earth are you doing in America?"
"All your help finally paid off, old friend. I was sent over earlier this year as watcher for the new slayer."
"Good for you, Rupert! I always knew you'd get your wish someday. Where are you and your slayer posted? I'll need to come and collect Harry sometime today so he can safely return to England."
"Actually, Albus. you may not want to wait until later. While I'm quite sure Harry can take care of himself, it really would be better for him to leave here as quickly as possible."
Harry was startled by this statement. He'd understood Giles' comments about the hellmouth and how it attracted demons but surely it couldn't be as bad as all that. He decided to question the headmaster about it once they were home.
Meanwhile, the mirth on the old wizard's face had deminished. "Where is he, Rupert?"
"Sunnydale, California, Albus." Giles answered somberly. "Harry Potter is on the hellmouth."
TBC
Oh yeah. you'll find one glaring flub here. Yes, in the last part I set this fic at the end of July and that's how it will remain. For those who know Buffy please do not flog me when you read of an event that should have happened 2 months before. Umm. youll see what I mean.
Lastly, I came up with this pairing (which will hopefully be obvious in this part) after figuring that with Harry being a year old in 1981, when Voldemort killed his parents, he would be about the same age as the Scooby gang. Thus.
Part 2
Rupert Giles looked through the partition into the living room as he busied himself by making tea for the group that had congregated in his home. It had been a most horrendous night and nobody seemed quite ready to part company. As tired as he was, Giles was just as eager to spend time with them. He was just happy they were all still alive.
Normally he and his students would conclude their slaying nights in the library before heading home. This night, however, the high school library was in need of major repair. The floor had been split open as demons from the hellmouth tried to escape into their world and the skylight had been shattered when his slayer had finally managed to defeat the Master.
Having sent Buffy upstairs to change into some dry clothes, he now watched as she curled up on his sofa under a blanket. He knew he had nearly lost her. If it had not been for Xander, the girl would be dead and the world as they know it would now be gone. He owed that young man a debt of gratitude that could never be repaid. But watching them all now, Giles knew Xander was just happy to know that Buffy had survived the night and counted that as his reward.
Finally done putting a tea tray together, the watcher made his way back to the group of young people he admired so much. He set the tray down on the table and Willow immediately poured a cup for Buffy as to warm her from the inside. Once they had all settled back to unwind, the tension finally seemed to lift.
Sipping his tea, Giles was about to ask what the teens had planned for the summer break from school. Interrupting his train of thought came a thud and a muffled exclamation of surprise from what seemed like the outer wall of his living room. Instantly the four occupants of the room were on there feet reaching for weapons.
Another thud followed by the sound of knocking came from the fireplace.
"Hello? Is anybody there?" The voice was definitely coming from the closed fireplace and the group surrounded it quietly to determine what was going on. "Oi! Is anyone here? If you can hear me, can you please open your floo so I can get out of your bloody chimney?!"
Realization came to Giles in a flash. It had been so long since he'd used the floo network he'd had no idea how someone had gotten into his chimney. and why. The watcher signalled for the group to back off but stand guard as he reached forward and opened the floo.
In a cloud of soot, a body came falling into the room. Landing with a thump, the stranger quickly stood up and brushed himself clean before noticing he had four weapons pointed at him.
"Bloody hell!" The young man standing in front of the Sunnydale gang huffed. "Can't I get a bloody break!"
Stepping forward, Giles sized up the teenage wizard and motioned for the weapons to be put down before speaking.
"No need to worry, lad. Just a bit of a surprise having someone fall from the fireplace. May I ask your name and why you have come?"
Calming a bit when he realized he was not in immediate danger, the young man exhaled with relief.
"Right. Sorry about that. Got a bit turned around in the floo network. I can't even *guess* how far I am from the Burrow." Reaching out a hand, in greeting, toward Giles, he continued. "My name is Harry Potter."
Giles had been reaching for the proffered hand when Harry announced his name. His eyes shifted immediately to the boy's forehead in search of the famous scar. To Buffy, Xander and Willow, it appeared that he had been frozen where he stood.
Raising her weapon back up to Harry, Buffy glared at the intruder. "Okay, who are you and what did you just do to Giles?!"
Realizing the situation, Giles forced himself out of his stupor. "No, Buffy. It's okay. Mr. Potter has done nothing to me. I was shocked to hear his name." Trying to dispell the obvious tension he added, "Why don't we all sit down and finish our tea. Would you care for a cup, Mr. Potter?"
Trying not to roll his eyes at the dumbstruck man, Harry gratiously accepted the tea and sat down just thankful he had not stumbled into a Death Eater's home. "Please. call me Harry." He still had no idea where he was but he knew he needed to contact the Weasleys as soon as possible so they would not be worried about him.
A thought struck him suddenly as he glanced at the blonde girl that was still eyeing him warily. "Are you American, then. er. Buffy, was it?"
Surprised by the question, the slayer blinked twice before answering. "Well, yeah. Just you and Giles have the whole 'God save the Queen' thing going on."
It was Harry's turn to be confused as he looked back to the man who was still trying to accept that The Boy Who Lived was in his living room. "I take it you're Giles, then. Could you please explain what she just said?"
"Oh yes, I do apologize. My name is Rupert Giles. These are Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg and Xander Harris." He point to each as he made the introductions. "And what Buffy was so eloquently trying to say is that, while you and I are British, they are American. If I may be so bold as to ask. why did you think they weren't American?"
Harry wasn't sure what was going on yet so he asked the most imposing question on his mind. "Mr. Giles, where. exactly. am I?"
"Well, you are currently in my home in Sunnydale, California."
Harry felt the color drain from his face. "C-California? As in. America? You're telling me that I flooed all the way to America. from Surrey?! That's *not* possible!"
"You are, of course, right Mr. Potter." Giles wasn't certain how this had happened. "The floo network is not meant to transport across the ocean. I- I-I mean we can use it to communicate but travel that far should not be possible."
"Um. can I just ask. what is a floo network and why do you keep calling him 'Mr. Potter' and acting like he was the second coming?" Xander had been baffled from the start and wanted to know more about this guy who had come tumbling in. "I mean. um. that came out rude but can someone tell us what's going on?"
Harry smiled at the other boy and tried to explain how he'd gotten there and who he was to the group. "The floo network is set up between chimneys in the Britain. We use it to travel and to communicate like a muggle would use a telephone. only we can see the person we are talking to. Don't you use one here as well?"
"Wait. muggles?" Xander became more intrigued by their guest with each passing moment. "What exactly is a muggle?"
Harry frowned slightly at this. "But I thought. Mr. Giles, why is it I can feel powerful magic here and you know who I am but they seem to be muggles?"
"That's actually a bit difficult to explain." The watcher wasn't sure how much information he should give Harry. It was obvious the boy was still in training and he didn't like the idea of divulging too much before Harry was ready. 'What am I thinking?! This is Harry Potter! The poor boy probably knows more than I do about the magical world!'
"As far as the magic you are feeling, that would be the center of mystical convergence located in this town also known as the hellmouth. I know who you are because I am part of an organization known as the Council of Watchers and we have made it our business for centuries to aide in the magical world as much as possible. And as for the muggles. I, myself, am a sourceror and Buffy is the current Slayer. Willow and Xander, while they have not shown an aptitude for magic as of yet, do assist Buffy and I in maintaining control of the demons who tend to be drawn to the hellmouth."
Harry had tensed at the mention of the hellmouth. He'd never heard of such a thing but he did know about demons. The young wizard didn't like the idea of being stuck in a place that attracted them naturally. He decided he needed to contact Professor Dumbledore quickly.
"Mr. Giles, if you don't mind, I'll need the use of your fireplace to contact my headmaster. I was actually supposed to arrive at a friend's house this morning but I obviously can't risk trying to travel through the network since I should not have been able to in the first place."
"Of course! My home is at your disposal, Harry. Would you like us to leave you alone to afford you and your headmaster a bit of privacy?""
"That won't be necessary. It's likely Dumbledore will want to speak with you as well."
"Dumb- You don't mean Albus Dumbledore, do you?" At hearing the name, Giles had perked up considerably.
"Er. yes, sir. Do you know him?" Harry asked this as he made his was back toward the fireplace.
"Actually, yes I do. After a.ahem. falling out between myself and the Warcher's Council, he helped me considerably in getting back on the path I was meant for." Giles smiled at the memory of the old wizard. "A bit cryptic, that old man, isn't he?"
Harry chuckled, "Cryptic would be an understatement, Mr. Giles. Perhaps he just got worse as he got older!"
The slayer and her friends had watched the interaction between the pair and they were all convinced that there was a lot more to this new boy than met the eye. They were all curious about him and, with a few glances and wordless gestures, agreed that they would try to get to know him as well as they could while he was in town.
Xander was glad he was not the only one who wanted to spend time with Harry but, curiously, he found himself hoping for a bit of time with him without the influence of his two best friends.
Harry pulled the tin of floo powder out of his pocket along with his wand. A quick charm and the empty fireplace was lit. He was aware of the eyes watching him and blushed at the thought of the dark haired boy watching his every move. Harry thought that Xander looked vaguely familiar but brushed it off. There was no way they had ever met before but there seemed to be something. Shrugging it off for further evaluation later, Harry tossed a pinch of powder into the flames.
"Albus Dumbledore," the wizard called into the fire. A moment later the face of his headmaster appeared.
"Ah, Harry! There you are!" It seemed the old wizard already knew Harry had not arrived at the Burrow as planned. "Did something go wrong when you left home this morning?"
"Yes Professor. I had a bit of an accident when I was about to leave the Dursleys."
Albus knew the boy had problems at home and from the look on Harry's face he could clearly see this was not an 'accident' he'd had any control over.
"Are you alright, Harry? Where have you landed?"
"I'm quite fine, sir." There was no way Harry was going to discuss details of his departure in front of strangers. "It seems as though I somehow managed to cross the pond through the floo network. I didn't want to try to floo back since I should not have been able to get here in the first place."
The headmaster looked surprised for a moment at Harry's words. "You are quite right, my boy! Where exactly are you that you found it safe enough to contact me?"
"Well, sir. I actually landed in the home of someone who appears to know you."
At this, Giles stepped up next to Harry and made his presence known. "Hello, Albus. It's been a long time!"
"Rupert! How pleasant to see you again!" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled happily at his old friend. "What on Earth are you doing in America?"
"All your help finally paid off, old friend. I was sent over earlier this year as watcher for the new slayer."
"Good for you, Rupert! I always knew you'd get your wish someday. Where are you and your slayer posted? I'll need to come and collect Harry sometime today so he can safely return to England."
"Actually, Albus. you may not want to wait until later. While I'm quite sure Harry can take care of himself, it really would be better for him to leave here as quickly as possible."
Harry was startled by this statement. He'd understood Giles' comments about the hellmouth and how it attracted demons but surely it couldn't be as bad as all that. He decided to question the headmaster about it once they were home.
Meanwhile, the mirth on the old wizard's face had deminished. "Where is he, Rupert?"
"Sunnydale, California, Albus." Giles answered somberly. "Harry Potter is on the hellmouth."
TBC