Disclaimer: Buffy characters are the property of Mr. Whedon. Harry Potter characters are the property of Ms. Rowling. I do own the story that I am writing, but I'm just borrowing the characters for a little while. So, yeah, if you decide to sue... I'm uber-broke.
Through the Looking Glass
Author's Note: Here it be! Sorry it took me a little while, but I'll always update! Also, I broke up this chapter into two, since I thought it fit better to have Chapter 12 be the chapter where you find out what exactly is going on.... :) ENJOY!
Chapter 11
And Thus They Meet
"Willow?" Cordelia reached out and touched her shoulder, just to make sure that it wasn't a dream Willow.
"Cordelia?" Willow also looked surprised. "Wow, you were the last person that I expected to see... here."
Cordelia was taken slightly aback. Of course Willow would be shocked... the 'supposed to be dead' factor and all.
"Last time I heard, you were in a coma," Willow said casually.
"Oh," Cordelia shook her head and waved her hand. "Yeah, came out of that."
There was a silence that came between the two. Finally, Cordelia yanked Willow towards her, breaking the awkwardness with a huge hug.
"It's really good to see you," Cordelia let go of Willow and sat back down on the bench.
"Yeah," Willow smiled. "You look..."
Cordelia and Willow both looked down at Cordelia's rather witchy attire.
"Different?"
"No, you look... good." Willow finished as she sat beside Cordelia. "How'd you get ... here?"
"In Diagon Alley?" Cordelia pointed around her. Willow nodded. "Er..."
Cordelia thought about telling Willow the entire story right then and right there. Though, that made for a lot of talking, which Cordelia wasn't in the mood for. For once...
"Been here for a few months," Cordelia smiled and looked down at her shoes, "I thought a change of scenery would do me."
Wait, Cordelia thought. What IS Willow doing here? Different world thing, and all.
"Oh," Willow interrupted Cordelia's thoughts. "I touched a glowing rock."
"What?" Cordelia's eyes shot at Willow. "All hail the mighty queen of all things random."
Willow laughed. "I mean, that's how I got here... see... I was in France with Buffy and Xander, then next thing I know, I touch a rock, and POOF." Willow's hands flared up with such gusto that Cordelia jumped a little.
"Poof, eh?" Cordelia noted.
"Yeah... then I met this guy... then I met these other two guys, twins... then I talked with this other guy... okay, so he was a painting... but... what?"
Cordelia blinked, "What?"
"That look," Willow pointed at Cordelia.
"I had a look?"
"Yeah, it was weird," Willow pursed her lips together.
"Sorry," Cordelia shrugged. "I think when you said 'twins' I had a short fantasy..."
"Yeah, that's when the look started," Willow nodded and smiled.
"Oh," Cordelia motioned towards Willow, "Go on."
"The painting guy actually told me to head on over to Diagon Alley, by Floo."
Interestingly enough, Cordelia happened to know exactly what Floo was. She felt rather priveledged. And that's when she noticed that Willow did have a bit of soot on her chin...
"The painting guy?" Cordelia tried to get back in on the story.
"Yeah, he-"
"Cordelia!"
Cordelia looked up. Harry walked briskly to where she was sitting and let out a sigh.
"I am so sorry," Harry apologized, still breathing heavily. "Emergency thing..."
Cordelia looked at the clock tower, "You're only thirty minutes late." As soon as she had said it she wished she could take it back. It had sounded rather harsh, and he did look like he'd just been through hell.
x x x x x
"Eugh!"
"You big baby!"
"You'd make that sound too, if you'd've just stepped in... that..."
"Xander!"
Buffy had found Xander sitting Indian-style, waiting on her after he had fell through the hole in the street. She knew he was okay when he spat up another rock and said a few incoherent curses.
"Sorry," Xander coughed a little. "Look! No rocks!"
Buffy shook her head, "Looks like we won't need that potion stuff after all."
"Yeah, no thanks to the Evil Overlord of Grease," Xander's nose flared. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he did that to us on purpose."
"Probably," Buffy agreed.
Xander hacked another cough, and cursed when a small pebble flew from his mouth. "Damn!"
The two turned down another passage in the unending array of tunnels.
"Think we've made it to Timbuktu, yet?" Xander mumbled.
"Xander," Buffy pulled Xander ahead. "Look!"
"What?"
"A ladder!"
"Oh, great, let's walk underneath it and increase our ever wonderful luck." Xander adjusted his eye-patch and continued on. "Don't happen to have a mirror I can break, or some salt to spill, do you?"
"Xander, do you want me to hit you?"
"If it'll help us find a way out of here quicker... hey... I'm all game."
Buffy checked to see if the ladder was sturdy, "Come on."
"Right behind ya, Buff."
Buffy saw that the ladder lead up to a sewer covering. She pushed up on the covering and slid it out of place. Light filtered onto the two of them, as Buffy climbed out, then helped Xander. The two just sat beside the opening for a moment, to take in their surroundings. Before they could actually digest what was going on, someone pointed at them.
"Intruders!"
x x x x x
"Sorry, there was a problem over at Town Hall." Harry, then realized where his manners had been, he held his hand out to Willow. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Harry."
"Willow." Willow took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you."
"Like-wise." Harry then sat down, beside Cordelia, "Still want that ice cream?"
"Nah, too fattening anyway." Cordelia muttered. "Willow might want some though."
"Oh, no, I just ate." Willow shook her head and stood up. "I have to go, anyway."
"Why?" Cordelia stood up and grabbed Willow's hand. "You don't have to leave."
"I have to keep looking for Buffy and Xander." Willow shook loose her hand.
"They're here too?" Cordelia's eyes widened.
"I don't know, but I guess the rocks got them too."
Harry suddenly stood up. "Who did you say you were looking for?"
"My friends, Buffy and Xan-"
"Friends?" Harry questioned.
"Yes, why-"
"Buffy and Xander?"
"Okay, Sherlock, enough with the instigation," Cordelia stepped up beside Willow. "They're my friends too."
"I think you two need to see something."
x x x x x
"I hate it here," Xander nodded his head. "Don't you?"
"Yep." Buffy licked her lips. For once she wasn't chained up or locked up, however she was in a new predicament with an enchanted circle. Step pass the line, go up in smoke.
Xander had given a funeral for a few beetles who had been stupid enough to pass the line. Of course, there was nothing left of them, so there had been a few words said...
Bob the Beetle. He was a good beetle, best ever, really. Always munched at his greens, laughed in the face of danger, and grossed out a few girls. The epitome of beetleness.
Xander had tried to get Buffy to say something in mourning...
At least he didn't get squashed.
Xander had stopped doing beetle funerals after that.
"Yes, sir!"
Buffy looked up, a wizard appeared beyond the circle and looked at the both of them. He held up a long piece of parchment and began to read.
"In addition to your crimes of breaking and entering. You are also charged with intent to kill, use of muggle explosives threat, and of using memory charms on each other, then destroying your own wands, before we could question you on your plans with Dolohov." He paused, took in a breath and continued. "You are also charged with creating chaos, lying to the Council, and you are charged with the most serious crime of being a member of the Death Eaters or of the Letum Essum. As such, the Council of Diagon Alley has seen fit to have a public execution as a warning to all Death Eaters and Letum Essum everywhere." He rolled up the parchment and looked at them, winking. "Have a nice day!"
There was at least a good minute of silence before either Buffy or Xander spoke.
"Buff?"
"Yeah?"
"Did he just say 'public execution?'"
"Yeah."
"So, that means we're going to die?"
"Yeah."
"What do you mean YEAH?"
"Just what it means."
"Don't say 'yeah' anymore! We're going to die!" Xander took Buffy by the shoulders and shook her. "Don't you realize that!?"
"Yep."
"AGH!"
x x x x x
"Today we hold the third of probably many public executions..."
"What?" Willow's eyes widened.
"Public executions?" Cordelia grabbed Harry's arm. "What do you mean?"
"They're going to hang two Letum Essum members..." Harry gulped, the look on Cordelia's face was rather intense.
"You have got to be kidding me?" Cordelia hadn't spoken to anyone. She almost hated it that she knew what the words meant... damn that education from above. Non-magical followers of Dolohov... Letum Essum... squibs and muggles alike were following the dark wizard into his world of lies. "Two innocent people are about to be killed!"
x x x x x
"Well, Buff, it's been real nice." Xander nodded his head as they wrapped the noose around it.
"Shut up, fool!"
"Yeah," Buffy sighed. "I mean, yes, it's been nice."
"Close that 'ole in yo' face!"
"Glad I'm being hung with you though..." Xander coughed slightly as the noose tightened.
"Are ye deaf?"
"Never died with someone before, glad I'm with you... too." Buffy had completely decided that it was better to go on ahead and die. There were two things that she had never been able to do right... have a relationship and die. At least she'd finally die good enough to not be brought back this time... hopefully.
"Stop yer talkin' befo' I chawp orf ya lips!"
"Well," Xander started.
"Stop!"
Xander and Buffy both began to search through the crowd; they saw a black head of hair pushing its way through the crowd.
"STOP!"
"Whats'a meanin' fo' all this?" The executioner yanked off his black mask and was also looking out in the crowd.
Buffy watched as a young man leapt onto the stage, his wand ready, she then looked out into the crowd, and was so very glad that she did.
"WILL!"
"Buffy!" Willow climbed up behind the man, and ran to Buffy. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
"Hey!" Xander hacked. "What about me?"
"You're just a bonus find," Willow winked at Xander.
"So, we're saved?" Xander cricked his neck, trying to get the noose in a comfortable position. No luck there.
"The prisoners are not members of the Letum Essum!" The dark-haired man announced to the crowd.
Xander shook his head, "Yet, he still calls us 'prisoners' and expects them to believe the story."
"Oh, they'll listen to him," Willow said confidantly.
"Riiiiight... OOF!"
Xander and Buffy were now both now on the solid ground. Their hands were undone and the nooses loosened from their neck.
Xander yanked his off and then looked up and the gallows behind him. He gulped slightly and then ran to Willow and Buffy.
"Oh, thank you so much, Will!" Buffy cried.
"Oh, don't thank me." Willow stepped back and nodded her head over to the side. Buffy and Xander followed her lead and saw a very familiar face.
"Oh, hey, Cordelia!" Xander went to hug Cordelia and then suddenly pulled back, he squinted his eyes and studied her closely. "Er... wow."
"Cordy?" Buffy blinked. "Wow."
"Yeah," Cordelia looked down at her robes. "Nice to see you guys too."
x chapter's end x
Please read and review. Muahahaha!!
Just look past Buffy not trying to break free. Remember that these wizards have really strong manacles and ropes... enhanced magically... and that she kind of gave up hope too. I mean, she had been through A LOT! :)
Roar at the evilness that was the beginning of this chapter. It really annoyed me to no end... but I think this version (of like 50 that I wrote) is the best. As long as the readers enjoyed it though, that's all I can hope for. Well, I'll leave you at that! And, I wanted to get this chapter up before my power goes out with all the ice and snow and sleet and stuff. Last time my power went out, it was out for 7 days during the ice and snow. I DEFINITEY don't want that to happen again.
Look forward to Ch. 12 entitled:
The Mirror Myth
Harry fills in everybody on what the Death Eaters are up to.
