Can't breathe, must get out….
"Angel?"
"I don't!"
"You don't want to be with me?"
Flash
"Guns are bad, pretty eyes save me."
Come to me…seek and ye shall find…past and present will collide…Wings of ebony black as night…Harry Potter…
"Harry…"Flash
"It's alright, you'll be safe. My name's Darius, we're going to get you out of here."
Darius…
St. Mungo's…Angel and Harry were well aware of each other's presence but made no attempt to acknowledge it. They sat on opposite sides of the ward where Buffy was kept and watched her sleep from their respective corners in the shadows, though occasionally glaring at each other if one of them caught the other staring at Buffy.
Draco sat beside his sister's bed holding on to her petite hand like a lifeline forcing himself to fight the threat of exhaustion. Every twitch of her muscles sent Draco's heart racing, hoping that it was a sign that she had regained consciousness but every time he checked she was still in a deep sleep.
Black Mansion…Doyle sauntered over to the couch as Giles, Remus, Sirius and Tonks all took their seats around the fireplace. No words were spoken, just the overwhelming sense of relief that worst was over. Now all they had to do was wait for Buffy to wake up.
It was during this moment of silence that Doyle finally realised what had been bothering him. He looked around the room and asked no one in particular, "Has anyone seen Angel?"
Sunnydale, California…
In the darkness of the night, a lone hooded figure stood outside the house of one Joyce Summers. Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out a long, thin piece of wood and pointed it a small window where Joyce was staring out into the darkness, totally oblivious to the danger her life was in.
Darius shouted out, "Imperio!" The glass shattered but the curse did not deflect and went straight into Joyce's chest. Joyce Summers' mind closed off, her facial expression now eerily cold, she would have seemed dead to anyone who really knew her.
Darius smiled and walked towards the house, behind him Bellatrix obediently followed.
Wesley Wyndham-Pryce's Apartment, Sunnydale…
Faith was sound asleep after a night of slaying and Bronzing with Wesley confined to his room reading up on the doctrines and occult books that he had acquired from Giles a few weeks prior to the elder Watcher's sudden return to the motherland.
He was deeply engrossed in his readings when his thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the telephone, sighing, he placed the book on the table and walked over to the lounge room.
With a weary voice he picked up the receiver and whispered, "Hello?"
"Wesley?"
"Mr. Travers? What can I do for you?" asked Wesley in surprise. 'I don't recall reading anything suggesting an apocalypse anytime so soon,' he thought to himself.
"Wesley, your father…we don't know of the exact details but your father's name has been burnt out from the Watcher's Tapestry."
Wesley felt his body go numb, "B-but th-that would mean he…he…"
"I'm sorry Wesley, Roger's gone. We are currently searching for his…well…for him and I've sent the best of our people to find out what exactly has happened. Again, I'm sorry for your loss Wesley, I know your father and yourself have not gotten along well in the past but know this, he was good at his job, one of the finest Watcher's of my time."
"Th-thank you," said Wesley.
Silence…
Dead, he's dead, he's dead, he's dead…
No tears fell that night for Roger Wyndham-Pryce. After Wesley put down the receiver he casually walked into his room lay on the bed and closed his eyes. When sleep finally claimed him, Wesley Wyndham-Pryce did not have the look of a man who had just lost a father, his face broke into a smile as if dreaming one of the sweetest dreams you could ever have…
"One, two he'll be coming for you
Three, four better close your door
Five, six won't need your sticks
Seven, eight it's just too late
Nine, ten he'll be there again…"
Six year-old Buffy Summers sang to herself softly, she was sure she'd never heard that song before and yet the words just came tumbling so freely out of her mouth. She continued to play with her Barbie and Ken dolls in the sandbox at the local park. Her mom just got them for her birthday cause she had been a good girl all year. Mommy always said that good girls and boys get the bestest presents if they do what they're told.
"Green eyed boy, come and play
Brown eyed boy has gone away
Dark as the night count to ten
Little boy lost will come again
Shoot 'em with sparks and down they go
Boys with sticks fight to and fro
Magic in the air and all around
If he wins we all fall down…"
Buffy began to hum the rest of the song just as the sun went down. She hated everything that was bright, she always loved the dark, she felt like she belonged there…in the shadows.
"Buffy come on we have to go home now, your daddy's waiting with a house full of presents just for you."
Buffy smiled cheerfully and ran towards the car. On their way home Buffy's smile disappeared as she noticed there was something off about her mother. Buffy clambered to the drivers seat and studied her mother's features, there was no difference. Buffy sighed, she had nothing to worry about. Joyce was still Joyce, Joyce was still Mommy.
"Mommy?"
"Yes Buffy?"
"Never leave me 'kay?"
Joyce turned her head briefly to smile at Buffy. "Never. Even if you kill me."
Buffy's eyes widened in fear. Those haunting words echoed in the car. Then she screamed.
Summer's Residence, Sunnydale, California…
Bellatrix had just finished shaving off all of Joyce's curly blonde locks and was now in the process of placing them in a blue jar.
Darius kept his eyes on Joyce he smirked when he saw a brief change in her eyes. He even seemed slightly amused that a muggle was able to fight off the Imperius Curse even for just a millisecond.
"Stand up and walk towards the kitchen," he ordered Joyce as Bellatrix had placed the last of her hairs in the jar. Bellatrix pulled out a vial from her robes and handed it to Darius' outstretched hand.
"Sit on the stool and drink this."
Joyce did as she was told, the moment the last drop of the drink poured down her throat she convulsed and dropped on the floor clutching her stomach and screaming bloody murder.
Bellatrix and Darius smiled in unison as the effects of the polyjuice potion began to take effect. Joyce's hair began to darken to the colour of black and her curls more refined, her golden skin became a ghostly white and her figure became skinnier. By the end of the transformation, in Joyce Summers place lay the carbon copy of Bellatrix Lestrange.
Darius and Bellatrix gathered the limp body of Joyce as Bellatrix took out a toothbrush portkey from her robes. A few moments later they appeared in the middle of the Sahara Desert. It was night and the stars shone brightly in the sky.
Darius and Bellatrix dropped Joyce's body on the sandy floor as Darius placed his hands over her eyes and took out a vial of Bellatrix's blood from his robe, he then cut her wrists and poured Bellatrix's blood over her wrists and watched as their bloods mixed together. He then pulled out a parchment of paper while Bellatrix forced a healing potion down her throat.
Darius began to chant an ancient spell that passed on some of Bellatrix's magical essence unto Joyce. Bellatrix pointed her wand at Joyce and screamed out the last words that Joyce Summers would ever hear. "Avada Kedavra!"
Bellatrix then broke her wand and threw it a few feet away from where Joyce lay. Darius and Bellatrix portkeyed back to the Summers residence and began preparing new batches of polyjuice potion.
Darius knew this plan he was hatching was by no means perfect, but so far, nothing had gone wrong. Joyce was dead and in her place will stand Bellatrix Lestrange, the perfect actress, the deceiver of deceivers and his most loyal subject. He would have to wait for Buffy's return, but he had no intention of waiting too long, he would need her soon. She will be his.
In the dimly lit room where three men watched over a petite golden haired girl, her piercing scream and the sudden appearance of a blonde haired couple and a certain potions master shattered their peace.
TBC