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: Psst - I realized that I totally left out some bits of the Snape/Cordelia conversation. See, when I write, I write certain parts of the chapter before others. While I was writing that part... I remembered something that I had to add in the God/Gabriel letter convo. So, when I read back over it, I guess I just imagined that I already wrote what WASN'T there. Sheesh. Oh, well. 'Tis fixed now.
Chapter 14
Decay of Death
x x x x x
Cordelia had been taken to the hospital wing where Madame Pomfrey had bustled around her, asking her a million times if she was feeling okay. Finally, when Madame Pomfrey left her alone for two seconds, she remembered that she had a note that needed to be read.
Cordelia,
I'm sorry that I did not deliver this to you in person. Earlier this morning, I was called to duty. That's why I gave Lupin my letter to give to you. I trust him more so than any other professor, as should you. And if you have any problems, go to him.
I hope that Hogwarts is treating you well. Hopefully I'll be able to return to Hogwarts soon and give you a grand tour of the castle. I happen to know quite a few secrets about that place... like tickling pears and secret passageways.
Cordelia smiled. Tickling a pear sounded dirty...
I wanted to tell you that should anything happen where you had to protect Hogwarts... all you have to do is go to your room. Willow knows about this, but I think you both need to fill in Buffy and Xander. Oh, and since you've probably met Snape by now, he really is a greasy git, he wasn't just having... male PMS... as I'm sure you would say.
Well, I hope to see you soon,
Harry Potter
Cordelia furrowed her brow. That was probably the weirdest note she had ever been given. It seemed like Harry wanted to say a lot more than what he really did say. She shrugged and turned on her stomach, ready for some sleep.
x x x x x
Gabriel noticed that Cordelia had fallen asleep. He decided that in dreams would be the best place to give Cordelia some more information.
He took in a deep breath and whispered into her ear. He told her to trust Lupin and to not let his lycanthropy bother her in the least.
"Take what Harry said in his letter to heart," Gabriel sighed as he turned away from the sleeping Cordelia. His eyes fell on the window. The lake outside looked calm and smoke was steadily rising from the gamekeeper's hut. It could only be described as the calm before the storm.
x x x x x
Three weeks later.
Cordelia sat staring at the vanity mirror in front of her. She hadn't had a vision in over three weeks, and she was still trying to piece together her last couple of visions. None of them were making sense in the least. She had tried to send Harry an owl to tell him that she was a Seer and that she had visions, but Lupin had told her that sending owls at the present time was not a very good idea, since Harry was in hiding. And even though she trusted Lupin, there was no way that she was going to tell him that she had a vision about him. Nor was she going to tell him that she was a Seer, considering the fact that she had found out that most Seers in the Magical World were crack-pot fools. And, vain as she was, there was no way that anybody was going to think she was one of those crack-pots.
Then her mind began to wonder to a different aspect. Perhaps Dolohov had figured out that she did have visions and that he somehow found a way to keep her from getting them. Of course, the idea was completely stupid, considering that only a very select few actually knew she had visions. And none of them were a part of the Magical World.
Sooner or later I'll have to tell Harry that I'm a Seer, she thought.
BANG BANG BANG
Cordelia shook the thoughts from her mind and ran to the door to open it. She figured it was Lupin, but when she saw the Black Billowing Cape of Doom she knew exactly who it was.
"Severus?"
"Hello, Cordelia," he stepped inside her room and Cordelia looked outside, to make sure that no Ravenclaw girls had seen the Slytherin Head of House walk into her room.
"How'd you get passed-"
"I'm a professor in this school," he said. "If I want to visit you I can. I couldn't care less if your room is located within the Ravenclaw Girls' Dormitory."
"Okay," Cordelia shrugged as she realized that a lot of her undergarments were out in the open for all to take a gander at. Her cheeks quickly turned a slight shade of pink. She hurriedly threw a blanket over the bras and turned to face Severus with a slightly embarrassed smile.
"I didn't see them," he smirked, but then his gaze fell to the cup that he held in his hand. "I wanted to give you this. This morning, at breakfast, when you told me that you were having trouble sleeping, I made you this sleeping potion. It's not very strong; it's mostly just to help the body relax."
"Really?" Cordelia looked down at the steaming cup. "Thanks." She was slightly hesitant about drinking anything that he gave her, especially since she had read Harry's note. Though, Snape had taken a real liking to her, so Cordelia figured that he wasn't going to poison her. At least, not yet.
He held out the cup and Cordelia took it with a smile. She breathed in the scent.
"Ooh, peppermint flavored?"
"Your favorite, I understand?"
"Oh, yes!" Cordelia downed the potion in two seconds. "Oh, that was so good."
"I'm glad," he smiled and Cordelia was surprised again at how the smile actually made him look halfway decent. "Now, I'll leave you to bed."
"Cool, thanks." Cordelia sighed. "Severus?"
"Yes?"
"I really mean it too;" she felt her head starting to feel a little light. "Thanks. How many times can I get this potion?"
"Once a month." He smiled and then walked out of her room.
Cordelia felt a nice sensation wrap itself around her. She felt warm and her head began to feel heavy. Before she knew it, she was out like a light, dreaming of peppermints.
x x x x x
The next evening, Buffy made it a point to sit next to Remus. She had spent about an hour in front of the mirror, making sure that every strand of her hair looked perfect. Finally, when it was time for supper, she had bounced merrily down to make sure that she did, in fact, get her desired seating arrangement. When she saw him as soon as she entered the Great Hall, he was already in a deep conversation with Cordelia. Buffy let out a sigh.
"What is it with her?" She said to herself, causing a few Hufflepuff's to wonder about her sanity. Buffy hurried quickly up to the table and sat beside Remus and smiled at him.
"Hello," he smiled back at her. "How are you tonight?"
"I'm great now," Buffy commented and then realized how stupid she just sounded.
God, could I be anymore obvious? she asked herself.
On the contrary, Remus didn't notice as much as she did, so she continued on with the conversation.
"How are you?" Buffy took in his appearance; he looked extremely tired and really weak.
"A trifle under the weather, I must admit, but I'll be right as rain soon."
"Have you not been getting enough sleep?" Buffy placed a hand on his shoulder and felt the warmth of his skin underneath the thin shirt. She tried hard not to think too hard about heat and skin... because that would only lead her into trouble.
"It's not that easy," he laughed slightly and looked at her hand, which Buffy removed slowly. "I always seem to get sick at the same time each month; I've been this way for as long as I can remember."
"Oh?" Buffy took a sip of her pumpkin juice and was about to continue the conversation when McGonagall had started talking.
Buffy really didn't listen, but she did hear something about a Hogsmeade trip. Which she knew that she and Willow would be going to Hogsmeade with all those in their third year or above on that first trip, to make sure that nothing happened to any of the students.
Buffy smiled as the food appeared on the plate before her. She dug in quickly and there was no more discussion between herself and Remus until about halfway through the meal, when Buffy looked over to see that all he was doing was picking with his food.
"Now, how are you supposed to feel better, when you won't eat anything?"
Buffy didn't notice that Cordelia nearly choked on her asparagus tips. Remus patted Cordelia on the back, and that made Buffy's face turn pink with jealousy.
"Lost my appetite, Buffy, please..." he stopped and noticed her reddening face. "Are you all right?"
"Fine." Buffy realized quickly that she was probably really giving herself away now and shook her head. "Just worried about you, is all."
"I'm perfectly fine," Remus shook his head at her, "You needn't worry about me."
x x x x x
Xander looked at himself in the mirror. He removed his eye patch and could see everything very clearly, in fact, he saw that he had two eyes. He then quickly replaced the eye patch and shook his head.
"Something screwy is going on here," he whispered to himself.
He took off the entire eye patch and then slowly began to touch all parts around his eye. Finally, when one of his fingers slipped and he poked himself in the eye, he realized that he was in fact able to see. He smiled, but then shook his head and ran out of his room.
He skipped down the stairs as quickly as he could and realized that he was late for dinner. He opened the Great Hall's double doors and slowly walked to the teacher's table. He ran up to Willow and pointed at his eye.
"Xander?" Willow asked incredulously as she looked at both of his eyes.
"Look!" Xander pointed again.
"Oh, my God!" Buffy's voice echoed off the walls. The students were starting to watch the scene unfold. Buffy ran across the room and turned Xander around to face her.
"I woke up like this!" Xander exclaimed.
"Why didn't you come find us earlier, then?" Willow asked as she smiled at Xander's happiness.
"I thought I was going insane," he admitted and then hugged them both. He then waved over at Cordelia. "Hey, Cordy! I can see!"
"It's about time you got over trying to be like Johnny Depp," Cordelia smiled and winked at him.
x x x x x
After dinner, Willow had decided to take a stroll around the Hogwarts grounds. It had become her after dinner enjoyment; which had stared as a group gathering. Xander was the only one who would still walk with her, but tonight Professor Sharpeston (the Muggle Studies professor) had wanted to interview Xander... again. It seemed that Buffy was too intent on following Remus like a lost puppy and Cordelia kept shutting herself in her room. Not that Willow minded, she enjoyed being left alone to her thoughts. Though, sometimes the thoughts would take her back to unhappy days; especially when Willow walked through the graveyard.
Willow had pretty much memorized every name on every gravestone, trying to figure out all of their stories. She knew about some of the deaths. Myrtle, whom Willow had met just recently - as she was a resident ghost in a girl's bathroom. There was Bingham Vlatz, who had been in his 5th year (a prefect, no less) when a lethifold had crept into the castle and taken his life. However, a lot of the deaths, Willow was told, did not even happen on Hogwarts soil.
Willow made her way to one of the graves that intrigued her the most. She had been told that it wasn't actually a grave, but a memorial for a student who had died in his seventh year.
"Neville Longbottom." Willow looked at the name on the gravestone and nodded her head. She had never thought that a school would have a graveyard, but then again, Hogwarts was no regular school. Willow placed her hand on the gravestone, but quickly withdrew it. She stared at the name and slowly felt pain creeping over her fingers. Looking at her hands, she saw that her fingertips were covered in blood.
"Will?"
Willow jumped and turned around to face Buffy. Buffy gave her a half-smile and knelt down beside her.
"Sad, isn't it?" Buffy murmured.
Willow looked down at her hand, the blood was gone, but the pain still lingered. "Yeah."
"Weird, too," Buffy stood up and held out her hand for Willow. Willow took her hand and stood up beside her.
"How so?"
"No vampires popping out," Buffy smiled slightly.
Willow nodded. "Let's go back inside, huh?"
"Yeah," Buffy took Willow by the arm and they slowly walked through the tombstones and back into the castle.
Willow gave one last look back at the graveyard and sighed. She decided that one day she'd know what happened to the Longbottom boy.
x x x x x
It was one of those great Saturday nights. Everybody was lounging around, playing wizard's chess (which Xander was losing frightfully to a first year Hufflepuff), talking about the Quidditch match of Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw (which Willow was still bugging Cordelia about - 200 to 80), and, of course, gossiping about a new relationship between the Gryffindor Head of House and the Gryffindor Protector.
It wasn't that the Great Hall was a hangout of sorts, but on Saturday nights a lot of the students came in to mingle with the other houses and have a good time. Which the four Protectors didn't mind too much either, considering that that meant that they got to hang with each other every Saturday night.
"I miss the movies," Xander complained as the first year student beat him yet again.
"Oh, shut it, Xander," Cordelia rolled her eyes as she, Buffy, and Willow all laughed.
"You better call for your mummy, Harris!" The boy squealed as one of his knights overtook Xander's queen.
"Damn," Xander pouted and then ruffled the boy's hair with his hand. "You're just lucky, Charlie."
"No," Charlie disagreed; "you're just rubbish."
"DEMENTORS!"
The hall erupted into a fit of chaos, very quickly as everyone in the hall looked towards the double doors. A large man with a long fur coat had burst open the doors, and he didn't look too happy.
"Hagrid, are you quite sure?" Tiny Professor Flitwick's eyes widened and he ran to one of the portraits and told him to fetch the Headmistress, then he ran around trying to calm the students, telling them to hurry to their common rooms.
"Hundred's of 'em!" Hagrid exclaimed. "An' headin' straigh' for us!"
Willow looked around and grabbed Xander and Buffy. "We have to go to our rooms." But, before Willow could get a hold of Cordelia, she saw her running out of the hall.
Cordelia's thoughts flashed in her head. She looked up into the sky as soon as she slipped through a small door that led to the outside. Blood on the moon. Cordelia, then, automatically thought of Lupin. She whipped out her wand, knowing perfectly well that the only spell she could do well was a hair-fixing charm, but damn it, if she couldn't do it perfectly.
"Cordelia!"
Cordelia heard her name being called as she continued to run. She had thought that Remus had been locked up, but if in her vision he was there, then he had to be around here. Cordelia looked at her surroundings, and realized that she needed to be on the other side of the castle.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A blinding white light erupted all around the castle and Cordelia fell to the ground from the shock. The next thing she knew, three sets of hands were helping her up. Buffy, Xander, and Willow were standing around her as they all stared as the hundreds of cloaked figures flew off in the distance.
They were all rendered speechless.
x x x x x
"Dolohov," Harry muttered. "Dolohov probably sent the Dementors to see how strong the borders are."
"I quite agree," McGonagall whispered as she entered the room. A number of Aurors had arrived as quickly as the could. Harry had told everyone that he had apparated just outside of the grounds as soon as he had gotten McGonagall's message. Which, Xander had then opened his mouth asking if Harry had put on the fine display of light; while Harry had simply smiled and said that all he did was a Patronus Charm.
"Harry, I need to talk to you," McGonagall said as her stern eyes fell on everyone in the room. "I'll keep him only for a few minutes."
As Harry and McGonagall left the room, the place grew loud with excited talks and whispers. Xander, Buffy, Willow, and Cordelia didn't know over half of the wizards in the room, but knew that they were either Ministry Officials, Aurors, or Unspeakables. Buffy had quickly learned why they were called Unspeakables. When she asked them what their names were, their eyes had opened wide and they scowled at her as if she had asked them to dress in drag and do the hula.
"Y'know," Willow whispered, "I overheard one of the Ministry guys talking about the Dementors."
"What?" Xander asked as he, Buffy, and Cordelia all leaned in to hear Willow better.
"Seems, that they have more than one attack." Willow nodded.
"The kiss," Cordelia simply said, her vision replaying in her head. She then spaced off, remembering that nothing about the vision had come true.
Xander shivered, remembering the last time, anything remotely magical had kissed him. Buffy patted him on the back, knowing fully well why he had shivered.
"Now they have something worse than that... instead of sucking out your soul... they make you a living corpse. Your body literally decays as they suck away your life."
"Sounds peachy," Xander snorted.
"They call it the Decay of Death." Willow nodded.
There was a slight pause until Xander broke the silence, "Remind me again, why I chose to come and get my soul sucked out?"
x chapter's end x
After Thoughts: Read and review, please and thanks! Don't really have a lot to say! Just... wooh... quick update!
Look forward to Ch. 15 entitled:
The Auror's Message
The Phoenix Orb sends out an alert to all Aurors.
