A Second Chance
Chapter 17 – Bring on the night.
DISCLAIMER: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon, and Harry Potter to J.K. Rowling. I don't own anything.
TIMELINE: AU. Set ten years before (Around 1988) "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone", during and after Harry Potter book 5, "Order of the Phoenix"(2003). During and after BTVS season 7, "Chosen". Pretend HP book one happened in 1999 during Buffy season three )
SUMMARY: BTVS/HP crossover. After James and Lily reappears, seemingly alive and well, mysterious things start to happen. New allies are made, prophecies revealed...and people keep rising from the dead. What's going on? And what has Voldemort got to do with it? Are the Scoobies and the Potter's second chance at life enough to stop the Dark Lord from spreading darkness across the country? Or is the world in need of more miracles?
PAIRINGS: Too many to count.
Thanks to my beta: Charmed Chick
Tara and Willow didn't notice that Xander, Anya, Dawn, Giles, Dumbledore and two or three of the Slayers came down to the pitch, running. They didn't hear Dawn's scream when she saw her sister on the ground - they were only aware of each other - until someone put a hand on Tara's shoulder.
"T-Tara…?" It was Xander. He had tears in his eyes…was it too late? Had she been too late after all? She hastily looked over to where Buffy was laying. Dumbledore had summoned up a stretcher, and Buffy was now laying on it...too pale…too quiet…too…still.
Tara shook her head. Buffy couldn't be dead - could she?
"H-how is she?" She asked, as she stroke Willow over her hair - it was now red again.
Xander just shook his head.
"I-I don't know…it seems pretty bad…but Dumbledore doesn't want to tell me how bad…"
A sob from Willow made Xander notice her for the first time, and helooked at her carefully. It was Willow…his best friend Willow, but…this time it was different from last time - last time she had 'only' killed Warren...sure, she'd tried - with both Buffy and Giles, but…it hadn't been this bad…it hadn't gone this far…Giles had been badly wounded, yes…but not like this…Giles' wounds hadn't been half as bad as Buffy's were right now. Xander didn't need to be an expert in medicine to know that. Buffy was a Slayer, yes, and the oldest one at that…but she had already gone through so much…and Xander wasn't sure even if a great deal of will and Slayer strength would help Buffy to be back to her old self, nor was he sure how they should deal with Willow this time.
"Will…" he said, slowly, taking a step forwards, but Tara stopped him.
"Go to Dawn - I think she needs all support she can get," Tara said. "I'll help Willow."
Xander just nodded - inside, he was grateful that he didn't need to deal with Willow right now - he wasn't sure how he felt about his bestest friend anymore. A talk about yellow crayons could not make it better this time. He walked over to Dawn, and lead the sobbing girl back up to the castle, following Dumbledore and the floating stretcher beside of him...but Willow and Tara remained were they where.
"Willow…" Tara mumbled after awhile. "We should go after the others…"Willow didn't answer, nor did she move. She only clung to Tara for all she was worth, not releasing a sound. It was like all the actions Willow had done during the last few weeks had come back to her, and she now saw the consequences. She was in a state of shock, in a state of denial.
"Willow, please…I need to get up to the castle…I have to see if there's anything I can do to help…help Buffy."
At the mention of Buffy's name, Willow winced a little, but apart from that, she didn't move.
Tara sighed, and stroked Willow's hair again, talking to her slowly, trying to make her come back to the now, and not lock herself inside of her own mind, like Buffy had that time when she lost Dawn to Glory.
"Madame Pomfrey!" The scoobies ran into the hospital wing, where madame Pomfrey where examinating a wound on Ginny Weasley.
"Yes, can I help - OH DEAR!" Madame Pomfrey shrieked, when she saw Buffy.
Buffy's body was covered with soot, dried and bleeding wounds, burns, cuts and other wounds.
Ginny's eyes widened noticeably at the sight.
"Weasley, you're done, get back to your common room now!" Madame Pomfrey said, and Ginny didn't mind - she hurried away as fast as possible.
'I have to tell Ron and Harry!'
Madame Pomfrey sprung to action, and examined Buffy closely, shaking her head almost at every wound that seemed even little bit serious.
"Not good…this is definitely not good…" She muttered.
"Ron! Harry!"
The trouble trio sat in Gryffindor common room when Ginny came stumbling through the portrait hole, panting heavily. Hermione was reading a book (not surprisingly: 'Hogwarts - a history'), and Harry watched as Ron and Charlie played wizard-chess.
"Ginny, what's wrong?" Harry asked, and Ginny tried to gain enough breath to tell them what had happened.
"I…hospital wing…Buffy…hurt…blood…I think…dead…don't know…what…happened…," she panted. Ginny wasn't able to say anything else, since Charlie had sprung up from his place, and overturned the table, with chess and everything, as he ran out of the room.
Charlie's heart was beating horribly fast as he made his way towards the hospital wing.
'No. She can't…Ginny must be wrong…She must've seen wrong…'
Charlie didn't want to believe that the blonde, spirited Slayer he'd barely gotten the chance to know, but still had instantly liked, was…gone…dead…
'How?' He thought. 'How could this happen? How did it happen…?'
He stopped in front of the doors to the hospital wing…it was so quiet…too quiet. Charlie took a deep breath, before throwing them open - and was met by…nothing…no one.
The only thing meeting his eyes, was a pool of blood on the floor.
He felt his heart stop.
Charlie ran down to the Great Hall next, waiting to hear the normal sound of pattering Slayers to meet his ears…but all was quiet. Everyone sat slowly talking quietly, and some had tears in their eyes.
Charlie swallowed and looked up to the faculty table. It was nearly empty.
The only people there was McGonagall, Flitwick and Snape, plus James and Lily, Remus and Faith. The rest where nowhere in sight. He slowly walked up, counting the steps until he reached the table, and he could find out what had happened.
One…two…three…four…five…
He took a deep breath.
…eleven…twelve…thirteen…fourteen…
Halfway there…
…eighteen…nineteen…twenty…twenty-one…
Almost there…
…twenty-seven…twenty-eight…twenty-nine…
Five steps left…
…thirty-two…thirty-three…thirty-four.
He stopped.
"What happened?" He demanded, trying to steady his shaky voice.
Lily was sobbing in James' shirt, and he shook his head.
"I don't know exactly…" he said quietly. "But from what I've heard, Willow showed up down the Quidditch pitch a few hours ago, thinking Buffy killed Tara…Buffy went down to stop her, slow her down…talk to her until Tara got there…but she was too late."
"Too…late?" Charlie swallowed.
"I don't know anything else…"
Charlie just nodded, and turned to McGonagall.
"Mr. Weasley, we must remain calm - " she began.
"- Calm? Calm! CALM!" Charlie said, his voice raising an octav higherwith every word.
"Yes, calm!" McGonagall snapped."We don't know what happened exactly, but Mr. Giles came down here and told us Buffy was badly hurt…possibly dying…they took her to St. Mungos."
"D-dying?" Charlie stammered. No. This wasn't happening. Why would it happen? The only girl he'd ever fallen in loved with had to be dying…?
Professor McGonagall gave him what she thought was an encouragingly smile.
"We must take it easy, and wait for them to retu - Mr. Weasley! Where are you going!" She asked, when Charlie turned around to leave.
"St. Mungos," he replied, without stopping.
"Mr. Weasley! Come back this instant! The poor girl doesn't need a crowd around her when - "she quieted down.
Charlie turned around again.
" - When what?" He asked, eyes blazing."When WHAT! When she dies? Is that what you're saying? That she doesn't need a crowd around her in her last seconds of life? That she doesn't need support!" Charlie yelled.
"I am just saying it would be easier if-if sh-she…got to die peacefully for once!" McGonagall said harshly.
"What do you mean, FOR ONCE!" Charlie screamed. "YOU ONLY DIE ONCE!"
"Buffy doesn't…" Faith mumbled, from where she sat in Remus'…lap? Charlie turned his eyes towards her. Faith and Remus? Huh.
"What do you mean, 'Buffy doesn't?'" He asked, a little calmer.
"Buffy has already died twice…the first time, she was drowned by a master vampire, but Xander revived her with CPR - a saving method muggles use. And the second time, she jumped through a portal to save the world from ending…and saving Dawn. She was the one who should've jumped, but Buffy jumped instead. And then Willow revived her with a spell…maybe..maybe…" Faith swallowed, as if she had trouble continuing.
"MAYBE WHAT?" Charlie got impatient now.
"Maybe we should just…let her go…?" Faith said weakly, and shut her eyes closed, preparing herselffor an outburst. And it came.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE SAYING!"Charlie exploded."JUST LET HER DIE? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BLOODY MIND!"
"Hey, back off!" Remus said, a little sharper than he'd meant. Charlie took a shaky breath.
"No. No. You're all mad. All of you lot," he said, shaking his head.
"Ch-Charlie…let me explain," Faith said quietly. "Buffy…the last time she died…she went to…Heaven…she had peace…and then Willow dragged her back here…she didn't want to be here…she…this was Hell to her…just…think about it…please…?" She begged.
"What?" Charlie's brain was almost electrocuting itself. This was too much. All too much. "Why…why didn't she tell me?" He said, weakly, feeling slightly sick. Buffy didn't want to be here? She..wanted to die?
"She…she hasn't told anyone…except…Willow, Xander, Dawn, Giles, Spike…Tara, Anya…and then it was because an accident…she was under a spell. They told me later…"
"Oh." Charlie sat down heavily on a chair. His brain was working hard. He came to a decision.
"I'm still going," he said, determined."I want to be there…I'm her friend…I'm sure she would…want me too…and maybe…she doesn't want to…die…" Charlie rose from his chair, and walked out of the Great Hall, very slowly, with heavy steps.
"Giles, I'm sixteen years old, I don't wanna die…"
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"You're the one that sets me free…"
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"We saved the world, I say we party."
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"Little Miss Muppet counting down from 7-3-0…"
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"You think you know. What's to come. What you are. You haven't even begun."
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"…I guess you're on your own."
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"Alone."
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"Death is your gift…"
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"…The hardest thing in this world is to live in it…"
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"Is this…Hell?"
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"I think I was in heaven…They can never know."
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"Every single night, the same arrangement…"
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"…Going through the motions, losing all my drive…"
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"I've got a theory, it doesn't matter…!"
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"I touch the fire, and it freezes me…I look into it and it's black. Why can't I feel? My skin should crack and peel. I want the fire back…"
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"So one by one, they turn from me. I guess my friends can't face the cold…"
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"…Still my friends, don't know why I ignore. The million things or more, I should be dancing for… All the joy life sends, family, and friends, all the twists and bends, knowing that it ends. Well that depends…on if they let you go…on if they know enough to know: That when you've bowed, you leave the crowd… There was no pain…no fear, no doubt, 'til they pulled me out…of Heaven…"
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"…Understand, we'll go hand in hand, but we walk alone in fear…"
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"…This isn't real…but I just wanna feel…"
"Where do we go, from here?"
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"Is that happy crying?"
"Yes, dummy! Do you think I wanted the world to end!"
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"I don't wanna protect you from the world…I wanna show it to you…"
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"From beneath you, it devours…"
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"Okay, I'm cookie dough…"
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"It slices, dices and makes Julienne preacher."
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"Oh, no. Ow! Mommy, this mortal wound is all…itchy. You pulled a nice trick. You came pretty close to smacking me down. What more do you want?"
"…I want you…to get out of my face…!"
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"I love you…"
"No, you don't. But thanks for saying it."
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"Looks like the Hellmouth is officially closed for business…"
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"We saved the world."
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"We changed the world."
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"The First is scrunched, so…what do you think we should do, Buffy?"
"Yeah, you're not the one-and-only chosen any more. Just gotta live like a person. How's that feel?"
"Yeah, Buffy. What are we gonna do now?"
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"How does it feel, Buffy? To be the victim. After all the years as a sidekick, I get to be the Slayer."
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"I hope you enjoy your trip to Hell, Buffy. Because I doubt your welcome in heaven anymore…"
A/N: Merry Christmas everybody! (I know, it's still one day or two left, but I figured everyone will probably be too busy to read on Christmas day, so...) How do you like? Tell me, tell me! I know, it was short, but…you'll get another chapter to the new year…!
/Ida