Harry Potter and the Vampire Slayers

Chapter 41 - Before Sunrise.

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. There are always 'what ifs', and what 'could've happened'. What if the supposedly dead James and Lily Potter find themselves lyingbeside a shattered hellmouth? What if Buffy Summers and the rest of the Scoobies had found them? Surprised the couple was when they found out that they had unknowingly traveled forward into the future and that they would finally get a chance to see their now grown son. With the Scoobies following them, they have no idea of the impact of what they will find out when they step foot into the Wizarding World after many years of absence. War, love, death, betrayal, happiness, and despair are just six of the many things they will stumble upon.

PAIRINGS: Buffy/Charlie, Ron/Hermione, Harry/Dawn, James/Lily, Oliver/Vi, Faith/Remus, Willow/Tara, Sirius/Amy, etc.

Reviews respond:

Superfan: Now that's an idea. But probably not. I have my hands full, and another fic with another authoress is just not a thing I've got time for. After I'm done with this, I'm planning on posting a HP fic I'm right now writing and focus on OOTB. Plus, I have a third fic in my mind, and a friend and I am considering writing a Star Wars crossover. Thanks for the tip though!

NixiNox: Yeah, I know. They are really short. But we are nearing the end, and I want to hit the fifty chapters line, so that's why. Angst? My speciality? NO! I think I suck at angst. (Although I'm worse at fluff and romance) I don't think I have a speciality, really. But if you think my angst is good, and gets inspiration - good for you! (Maybe I don't suck completely...)

laffinpebbles: I agree. KILL SNAPE. But I still hate Wormtail more. Damn little rodent...

Buffy-CrazyaboutAngel: I don't want them to break up either. LOL. But you know what they say...things must get worse before they can get better...

Thanks to:

SiriusSpikeLover

Chailyn Cole Runewood

...and my beta - Charmed Chick

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"Harry?" A quiet voice asked from behind him. Harry turned around quickly, coming face to face with Dawn. Ever since they had returned to Hogwarts after Christmas, people had taken to watching him, worrying about him. Harry felt exposed and vulnerable, and so he put on a cheery appearance in front of everybody, only brooding while alone. This seemed to work, and he had managed to fool everyone, including Dumbledore, even though he felt like he would burst. However, Dawn was still suspicious, and Harry knew she didn't buy his overly happy act.

"Are you okay?"

Harry forced up a bright, wide smile.

"Dawn! Didn't see you there!" He said, forcing the slight shake in his voice down. "So what are you doing?"

Dawn frowned. Harry actually thought he could fool her? He was a truly crappy actor. Harry was usually kind of quiet, and being this happy just screamed 'fake'.

"Coming to see you." Dawn said, and sat down on the window-sill in front of Harry.

"Talk to me," she demanded. "What's wrong?"

Harry put on a (what he thought) mildly surprised appearance.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Dawn."

"Oh, drop the act, Harry, please," Dawn said. "You may be able to fool everyone else, but not me. What's the matter with you? And don't come and say 'nothing's wrong' because I know something is," she hastily added, when she saw Harry had opened his mouth to protest.

"I'm just...excited because of the New Year, that's all. I'm always getting a little...eh...cheery close to it." Harry said. Dawn just raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Really. You never know what next year will bring!" Harry said. 'Death to the boy-who-lived...'

"Then how come I don't believe you?" Dawn asked. "Give the act up, Harry, you're a crappy actor, and a crappy liar."

Harry felt himself quickly grow mad, and he felt his power radiating off of him in pulsing waves, his green eyes sparkling with anger.

"And what would you know about it?" He hissed. "You don't even know me that well, you've only known me since this summer, so how in Merlin's name would you be able to tell whether I act like this close to New Year's?"

Dawn didn't back off, just kept looking at him calmly, eyebrow still raised. She had a big feeling that being angry was how he really felt. Angry, and sad over something.

"Finally," she said. Harry's anger changed into confusion.

"What?" He asked.

"Finally you're dropping the act," Dawn said. "What's bothering you?"

Harry took a deep breath. So Dawn thought he was a crappy actor? 'Well, we'll see about that', Harry thought, and put on a miserable expression, letting his head fall down against his knees.

"Harry?" Dawn asked, carefully touching his shoulder. Harry deliberately flinched.

"Don't touch me!" He hissed. Dawn didn't remove her hand.

"Talk to me, Harry, please." Dawn's voice was begging, and for a while, Harry considered telling her the truth.

"Everyone thinks I'm their hero," Harry said, sniffing slightly. "They all expect me to kill Voldemort because of that prophecy..." 'Well, at least that part's true...'

"...And they all say I'm going to do it, and that they are going to be there to help me. But I don't want their help!" Harry exclaimed. "Killing Voldemort...it's something I have to do alone. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me! I can't do it if everyone's trying to look out for me. I just...need to be left alone."

Dawn immediately felt guilty. She should have known it was something like this...

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Is that why you've been...distancing yourself from us?"

Harry nodded.

"Yeah. But it didn't seem to help. So I tried to be cheery so you wouldn't push me into telling you what was wrong...so I could...sneak away and finish Voldemort off when the time came, without you suspecting anything."

"Oh, Harry," Dawn sighed. "I'm so sorry...I...we were just all worried about you." She gave him a hug, which Harry returned. A small tinge off guilt for lying to Dawn was quickly pushed away. It was for the best. To say he was scared off facing Voldemort, that he didn't feel ready...well, that wouldn't bode well for the image of the brave and mighty boy-who-lived. If people didn't have someone to turn to, if people thought their supposed hero wasn't ready...it would rid them of all their hope. Harry wouldn't do that. Lying to his friends was nothing against that.

"Please, Harry, stop pretending. I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must be for you," Dawn said. "But if we want to help you, it's our choice. So if we get hurt on the way, it's not because of you, but because we choose to fight for what's right. Please, don't push us away...don't lie to us...me."

Harry looked down, slowly nodding, before looking up again, with a small smile on his face.

"Thank you, Dawn, I...I really feel a lot better. I'll...try...to act normal, but if I don't...please don't confront me again. I just need some time to get used to the thought of having such good friends."

Dawn laughed.

"Agreed," she said. "Well, happy New Year, Harry." She gave him another hug, and a kiss on his cheek before jumping off the windowsill, skipping away down the corridor.

"Yeah...happy New Year indeed," Harry mumbled, after she was out of hearing distance.

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Faith was pissed. As in pissed off, not drunk. The few vampires that had been in the forest tonight, had been acting like the Slayer's punching bag...and Faith was never nice to her punching bags. What the vampires hadn't found out though, was that they weren't the sourceof her anger, but a certain cured-werewolf. Remus had been...well, not avoiding her, exactly, but he sure as Hell didn't spend time with her.

Faith sighed. Guys...Are all one of a kind. She should have figured that out by now, but no. She just had to go and fall head over heels - again...even if she knew what risks that brought...and now she'd paid the price in the form of herbroken heart- again.

Suddenly, she heard voices, and she stepped into the shadows. She grinned evilly. She wasn't in the mood tonight, and if she caught students out of bed, she wouldn't let them go with a wink like she usually did - but strip them of lots of points and give them detention for the rest of the year...with either Snape, or Filch...or maybe herself. Then she could be truly evil...

"...know what's bothering him," Faith heard a female voice said.

"But I don't think I'm the right one to talk to him, James! You are closer, and I already tried..."

Faith frowned. James and Lily weren't students! Typical. Who were they talking about? Harry maybe?

"If he says he's fine, maybe we should let him be? Deal with it on his own..."

"But it's so obvious he isn't! Sirius, you agree with me, right?"

So Sirius was here also...right, both he and Amy had come back to Hogwarts after Christmas as well.

"Well...he was acting kind of down at Christmas," Sirius' voice said. "But he is never really...you know, social."

"Sirius!" another voice hissed. Amy. "Stop being such of an insensitive prat!"

"Sorry, Amy, but it's hard to help when you don't know what's bothering him."

"Are you thick?" Lily snapped. "Isn't it obvious? He KILLED someone, Sirius. With an Unforgivable! Of course he's depressed! It brings scars, and Remus who's such of a gentle person...he must feel awful."

Faith stiffened. Remus? They were talking about Remus? Suddenly, she felt a surge of guilt. She was so stupid! She should have known it was something like this! And she hadn't been there for him... Faith felt like and idiot. She took a look at the pointy stake in her hand, and seriously considered using it...on herself. But that would be even more idiotic. She had to talk to Remus!

"...felt awful after my first kill," James voice were heard. "I was really down - Lily snapped me out of it..."

Faith felt herself being filled with new determination, and she stalked off towards Remus' quarters, ignoring the other's calls when they noticed her.

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"Remus!" Faith banged on his door. "Open up! It's Faith, I need to talk to you!"

No answer. Faith sighed. Well, the clockreadthree in the morning...

"Okay, I'm coming in."

She opened the door and was met by...screaming.

"Remus!" She rushed off towards the not-anymore werewolf's bed, trying to ignore the bloody pictures that her mind came up with, and found...Remus thrashing around, covered in sweat, screaming. Faith let out a deep breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Thank God it wasn't something worse...but a nightmare wasn't good. And neither was the fact that he tried to hide it from everyone by putting quieting charms - or maybe it was silencing charms - on the door.

"Remus, wake up."

No reaction.

"Remus!"

Still no reaction. Faith tried every method she could think off - screaming, slapping, you name it. But Remus refused to wake. With a sigh she took out her wand - which she almost never used, except for when she lost her stake while slaying and, well, the pointy stick was of wood...it made for a good replacement. Fragile, but it worked. Especially if you used the very nice 'incendio'-charm right before putting the wand in the chest into one of the vampires. Result: Burning body, ash, burning ash. It was usually very pretty.

She lifted it, and let out a stream of ice-cold water - another handy charm - fall onto the sleeping figure. Remus woke up with a scream.

"Good morning," Faith said. Remus gave her a glare.

"Was that necessary?"

"Yep. I tried other ways, but they didn't work."

"Fine...now what is so bloody important that you feel the need to wake me up at...THREE in the morning?"

Faith winced.

"Well...we need to talk."

"And it couldn't wait?"

"Nope. No time like the present."

Remus sent her another glare as he cast a drying charm on the bed and himself.

"Fine. Talk."

"No," Faith said. "You're the one who's gonna talk. I'm gonna listen. So...talk."

"About what?" Remus muttered grumpily, as he put on a clean shirt.

"About the night you rescued me."

Remus visibly stiffened.

"What is there to say?" He finally said. "I came, I saw, I rescued."

Faith raised an eyebrow. Julius Caesar much?

"How did you rescue me?" She asked.

"Does it matter?" Remus said bitterly. "I did. Be grateful."

Faith felt strangely hurt by his words, but tried to ignore it.

"I am. I just have this feeling - call it Slayer intuition or whatever - that you need to talk. And who is better to talk to than me? Girlfriendá la weirdo."

No reaction. Faith sighed. Well, if he wouldn't, then she would.

"You're not the first one to have killed, you know," she said. "Almost everyone of us Scoobies have killed. Willow - she killed Warren. Giles - I heard he killed Ben a.k.a. Hell goddess Glory. Andrew - he killed his best friend. Spike - he's not here right now, but both he and Angel have killed a lot. And not only while being all grr and evil. Anya - she's an ex-vengeance demon - I think she has brought worse things than death on a lot of her victims in her days - "

"It's not the same thing. They can't know how I feel. They all have excuses for doing it."

" - And then there's me," Faith continued. "I have killed a lot, you know that. The first one was an accident, the rest weren't. And don't come and tell me that I don't know how you feel!" She hissed, as Remus opened his mouth.

"Whether you have an excuse for doing it - which you had, since you were defending me - or not, it doesn't make you feel any better. Believe me, I know. It took jail for several years, and lots of redemption to make me feel better, and deep down, I'm still suffering. For you, Remus, it doesn't have to go that far. Your excuse for doing what you did is a lot better thanmost of our Scoobies'. You killed someone to save another. That isn't bad. You saved my life. That is a good thing."

"I should have stunned him, I - "

"Should have stunned him? Remus, you didn't stun him, and you can't go back and do it all over again. And if you would have stunned him, he would have been woken up sooner or later. If you hadn't killed him, he would have continued to kill others. That would have been bad. The man you killed was a major bastard, and you did the entire world a favor by finishing him off. It might sound cruel, but it is the truth. I only have one more thing to say - get over it."

Remus' head snapped up.

"It's the truth. It may not be easy, but you have people who are ready to help you with that. Don't push us away. You're not the only one suffering. You're friends are worried about you. I'm worried about you. I was MAD at you... I thought you were leaving me."

Remus looked down again.

"I'm sorry..." he muttered.

"Don't be. I understand. But when you pushed me away, and I thought you were done with me...I have almost never felt worse. I don't know what I would do without you. You make me happy,strangely enough. You make me feel. (+) And now, I am gonna return that favor. I'm gonna help you get over killing that male-bitch..."

Remus let out something between a cry and a snort.

"...and then we are gonna stay in this bed for hours doing you-know-what."

Remus blushed beet-red. Faith smirked.

"So, open up, Remmy-boy. Talk."

Remus looked up with a smile.

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A/N: How do you like?

(+) Songlyric to Faith's feelings: Naked with Avril Lavigne. (Check it out, I really think it fits perfectly with her life.)