And We're Off (9/?)
Summary: Post- Chosen, Willow and Xander have been invited to teach at Hogwarts. The two best friends on a new mission to teach teenage witches and wizards the finer points of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Xander discovers something important about his past. (won't be for a while and i don't want to give it away)
Spoilers: Harry Potter books 1-5, Buffy 1-7 and maybe a couple of Angel references (sorry just happens).
Parings: Willow/?, Xander/? Don't try to guess, i'm not even sure yet.
Rated: PG-13, still not sure yet, may get higher. It's only 13 for my tendency for having people curse and drink a lot.
Chapter Comments: First off everybody thank Heiress for betaing! Thanks, again! Okay notes: I haven't stopped writing. I love this fic to much and i would tell you first. Well i had finals and i had to moved back home from Iowa to Chicago but this is a long chapter to make up for it. Oh i also had to reset my computer a couple of times. Don't worry I always back up. I hope you like it all the chapter. Again the title came from nowhere again.
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Chapter 10: It's all about Snoopy
On Monday morning, Willow insisted on keeping the dog with her through classes. Of course when the students saw her with the puppy in her arms. "What's his name?" Asked Parvati and Lavender who had come up to turn in their homework.
"Her name is Snoopy." Willow told them, holding onto her tightly as the girl pet her.
"She's not a baby." Xander whispered.
"She is to me."
"You have no idea how sad that sounds."
"You love her too."
"Yes I do. At the hotel she slept on my pillow and I didn't move her. But I also let her walk. She's trained to listen to our voices she's not gonna run away."
"Meanie." Willow said and put her down on the ground. "See, I can do it." Snoopy sniffed the students' shoes then went and laid down in the dog bed next to the desk.
"She's very cute," said Hermione, bringing up her homework with Ron and Harry.
"She is," agreed Harry, petting her.
"Much better than a cat," said Ron.
"Hey!" Hermione exclaimed.
"I don't like your cat."
"I used to have one." Said Willow. "She ran away. I was never really was a cat person. What's your familiar?"
"I have an owl now, I used to have a rat." Said Ron.
"Yeah me too."
"Bet yours didn't turn out to be a person trapped as a rat."
"Actually she was." Offered Xander.
"Really?"
"Yeah she was a friend of mine from high school, turned herself in a rat to escape being burned at the stake. She kind of got trapped that way, wasn't able to get herself back. I managed to turn her back a few years ago." Willow explained.
"He was responsible for my parents getting killed." Said Harry gloomily.
"Oh, sorry."
Xander felt the need to quickly change the subject. "What assignment is this anyway?" He said looking through the assignments being turned in.
"Their paper topics."
"Oh, right. I completely forgot. Why did we give them such a pointless assignment?"
"So they could turn it in and still have plenty of time to work on their first paper."
"Ah, the paper I was strongly against?"
"Yep." Realizing he chose the subject change on purpose. "Well class is about to start, please take your seats."
----
A few days later…
Xander opened his eyes and let his memories flow naturally to him. He was getting up to go running but this would be the first morning since school started he did not Draco running with him. He's detention was over with and Xander that it was about time because it seems he was starting to find his detention enjoyable; something about it helping out with his Quidditch practice. However this morning he would be planning to go running with his long lost cousin, Neville.
Xander tried not to be to loud getting up in the morning but Snoopy had other plans. When he had gotten up, so had Snoopy. She followed him into the bathroom and wouldn't stop when he was getting dressed. When Xander closed the bedroom door she started barking. Willow hated being woken up early. When Xander opened up the door she stopped, but the minute he closed it she would start up again. He crouched in the doorway quietly pleading for her to stop.
"What's wrong?" Willow asked shooting up in the bed.
"Sorry. Every time I left…"
"Take her with you." Willow said turning over.
"Huh?"
"Dogs run, you take with. Exercise." She said in fragments trying not to wake up any further then she already was.
"Good idea." He said then turned to Snoopy. "Wanna go running with me?" Snoopy ran past him the chamber doors. "I'll take that as a yes."
Xander wouldn't know what they would do without the training spells. Snoopy would follow them anywhere with no leash, and would respond to her name being called anywhere in the castle. If she got lost from them she could either be found at their chamber portrait or classroom/office. This morning Snoopy almost led him down to the courtyard. She was excited walking two feet ahead of him, turning back every so often to make sure he was still there. Turning a corner Xander lost sight of her for a moment only to hear a blood-curdling yelp.
"Snoop?" Concerned, Xander quickly turned the corner.
Snape was standing there looking down at the puppy. "I didn't see her! She ran out of nowhere.
Xander went down to check on her. "You stepped on her?" Shocked, making sure the few week old puppy was alright. Xander picked up the puppy seeing that she was fine, was no longer worried. "That's a good girl. You need to watch out for people feet, Snoopy Prothos Rosenberg-Harris," he said in baby talk as he petted her. "Dear god, I'm turning into Willow." He put her back down on the ground. She was walking fine on her own, but stayed on the side of Xander away from Snape.
"It seems to be okay."
"You know her bark is worse then the pain of some stepping on her."
"I didn't intend to…" He step forward and Snoopy growled at him.
"Stop that." Xander couldn't say without laughing a little. He picked the dog back up so she would stop growling. "She must just be a little bitter."
Snape looked as if he was looking for something to say but nothing would come to him. Xander stood there uncomfortably for a moment. However when they heard yelling from just outside the courtyard door. They quickly went to investigate.
Draco and Neville were arguing. Well it was more of Draco insulting him and Neville trying to think of what to say next.
"What is going on here?"
"Nothing." Said Draco.
"What are you doing down here so early?" Snape asked both of them.
"They're meeting me." He gives Draco a second look. "I think."
"Oh." Said Snape. Xander wasn't sure how it happened but he was at Neville's side and Draco was at Snape's.
"What did you get detention for Longbottom?"
"I didn't." Neville said upset.
"Then why are you down here?" Asked Snape harshly.
"What, a student is not allowed to go running with his cousin?" Xander put his free arm across Neville's shoulders. Xander didn't like the way Snape tried to intimidate everyone and he was definitely not going to stand for him trying to do it to his cousin.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. It's one of those long-lost family things. Can you believe what two phone calls can do?" Xander joked, and then thought the better. "And I don't think any of you know what a telephone is?"
"I know what one is; I've even had to use one." Snape defended himself.
"Good for you." Xander put Snoopy down on the ground; she ran to Neville's feet and waited to be petted. "Well we better start our run before it gets too late. Wait…Draco what are you doing here? I ended your detention yesterday?"
Draco got a momentary look of embracement on his face but quickly tried to hide it. "Yes…but I thought…I was so used to getting up so early…" he faded off.
"I knew I should have ended your detention before you grew to like it." Xander laughed. He looked over and down at his cousin, who was petting the puppy, he knew Neville wouldn't like Draco hanging around. "Well, today's not good, but if you want to try tomorrow, you can join me." Xander reason out. "This is family getting to know you day. He could see Neville hide a small smile.
---
A few more days later…
Classes went on and so did the assignments. Willow and Xander were grading the sixth year's papers in their living room. Xander thought it couldn't get any worse then this until Willow reminded him that the 7th year's papers would be even longer. On the up side they had found the most comfortable position on couch to grade in. Xander was sitting on the right side of the couch, feet braced on the coffee table, and using the armrest as a grading table. Willow was lengthwise laying with her head on Xander's lap, feet braced on other armrest, using a clip board on her lap to grade the papers. Snoopy was asleep lying on Xander's lap, right near Willow's head. As the grading went on Xander's left was now laying across Willow's shoulders. They had no intention of ever moving.
They spilt the papers right down the middle. They'd grade what was in their pile, if they had any problems… well, if Xander had any problems Willow would help him.
"Hey, Will?"
"Yeah?" She said, Xander knew from her tone she was into the paper she was reading.
"Whose paper you got?"
"This is Harry's; I'm right in the middle."
"Who's next?"
"Oh," she flipped to the pages behind the current paper, "Ron's."
"Trade you. I got Hermione's." He waved the paper in front of her face.
"Ooh!" She smiled and handed him Ron's. She took Hermione's with a smile. "I wanted to read that."
"I know and it would have taken me a year."
"No it wouldn't have."
"Yes it would have. I can't even figure out what she was righting about and its ten pages. I thought you said the limit was five." He looked at Ron's paper. "See here's Ron's; it's three pages about vampires, simple."
"You don't find trans-dimensional teleportation interesting?" She tilted her head back to look up at his face.
He looked down and raised an eyebrow.
"Never mind."
It was then that C.B. flew in from an open window. "Mail's here." Xander said unenthusiastically, he didn't want to move. C.B. had perched on Willows desk in the study area.
"I don't want to get up." She whined.
"I can't you're on top of me." He patted her shoulder.
She groaned and pushed herself up and off the couch. Xander felt a cold loss as she did so. She dropped the papers on the coffee table and went to get the letters from the owl. "We got three." She sorted through them and sat down on the couch. "Wolfram & Hart? Oh this is from Fred." She smiled. "We got one from Faith." She looked skeptical and turned to the last one. "Ooh, ooh Buffy!" She opened that one first.
"What does she say?"
Willow quickly read through it. "She's in Italy and she says she wants to come visit in a few weeks for Halloween."
"Cool."
Willow read on. "She needs us to set up a portkey for her; Giles told her we could ask Dumbledore for one." Willow burst out laughing.
"What?" Xander felt left out.
"Let me read then I'll give it to you. Open the one from Faith."
Xander took the envelope than handed it back to her. "It's addressed to you."
"Oh don't mope, I'm almost done."
Xander waited and smiled to himself. He couldn't wait for Buffy to come and visit. It would be like one big slumber party. He started to laugh thinking about his students being traumatized by her behavior. Just thinking of her wondering into class short, blond and Californian, they'd never believe she could kick their asses five ways from Sunday. Though he couldn't help but feel a little upset, he and Willow have been the closest they've been in years, he didn't want Buffy and Will's closeness to get in the way again.
----
Xander was sweaty and hot and felt greater than he had in months. For once he was doing physical labor. One of the fences around Hagrid's pumpkin patch had collapsed and knowing Xander used to be in construction, Hagrid had asked him to help repair it. Xander was having the time of his life; he didn't realize how much he'd missed building. Hagrid came out with water for him after he had finished one section of the fence.
"That's some quality wo'k." Hagrid tested the stability. "Won't fall down like the old one."
"We'll it used to be a career. Much easier with the wand." Xander smiled then looked at the wood for the last wall. "How did this happen?"
"I'm at the edge of the forest, sometimes the animals wander over to shake things up a bit."
Xander started sorting the reusable pieces of wood from the ones that had to be repaired. Some of the pieces were scattered up to the edge of the forest. Xander went to go check them out. He noticed that there was a pool of blue liquid at the base of one of the trees. "Hagrid?" Xander called him over.
"What is it there Xander?" Xander pointed out the strange blue ooze. "Err, that looks like Hitchagel blood." Sounding quite upset. "I 'ope 'e's not 'urt."
"What's a Hitchagel?"
"Err…it's like a dear." Hagrid looked out into the forest. "I'm going to go out now and look for 'em. There are lots of predators in the woods. See if I could 'elp the poor thing."
Xander expected Hagrid would have asked him to join him, if Willow hadn't come by. "Xander!" She called to him out of breath. She ran over from the castle. "You got a letter. I found it in our room. I don't know who it's from."
She handed him the letter, looking over his shoulder as he did it. "Interested, Will?" He joked. "It's from Neville's Grandmother. She wants to meet with me…Saturday in Hogsmeade and Neville."
"I guess she wants to meet you." Willow tried to give him a reassuring smile.
"I guess." He reread the short letter. It didn't say what it was about at all. He guessed that he could ask Neville when they went running in the morning. It was then that Hagrid returned seeming very upset. "What happened?"
"I was too late. The Hitchagel didn't make it, found it a little into the forest." He looked very sad, Willow gave him a hug. He was grateful. "Just odd, the Hitchagel have never had trouble in the forest. They wouldn't 'urt a fly, well that's not true, they eat flies."
"Maybe you should keep an extra eye out, just in case something new is out there."
"I'll be doing that." Willow gave him warm pat on the back.
---
"Let's take a break." Xander said on their third lap. Both Neville and Draco slowed down. He couldn't believe he was running with both of them. The trade off schedule he designed to keep the two teenagers from running together became completely marred by the fact Xander didn't think he could keep it up much longer. It was getting to cold out for Californian guy to go out running every morning. This was going to be the last week Xander would be running outside. For some reason in a flash of insanity he thought they could all go together.
"Why do we have to take a break, we never had to before." Draco barked rudely, talking to Xander but glaring over at Neville.
"Hey! Want to put on more detention," Xander scolded him. "And it won't be my nice detention, I'd hand you over to Filch, and make you miss practice."
Neville didn't say anything.
"We'll he's screwing up the rhythm. First we had to wait for him to warm up, now we have to take breaks? This is ridiculous."
Xander was about to declare him in trouble again when someone else spoke first. "Cut it out, Malfoy." Neville shouted at him. "I can keep going as long as you do."
Malfoy was shocked and couldn't speak. Neville never stood up to him like that. Xander had a goofy, proud smile on his face. He smiled at the progress his cousin was making, hopefully under his influence. Maybe that's why his Grandmother wanted to meet him.
"Actually the reason we stopped is I'm freezing and wanted to put on my sweatshirt." Xander finally added untying the sweater from around his waist.
----
"Erra!" Willow screamed in the middle of the night.
Xander next to her woke up with a start and turned on the light. "What happened? Are you alright?"
She look scared then started to laugh, not exactly laughing but giggling. She tried to speak but she just kept laughing and kicked her legs. Xander pulled the blanket down off the bed to find Snoopy at her feet licking them. "Sorry, tickles." She must have crawled under the covers once the two teachers had fallen asleep. They didn't know why but whenever Snoopy was alone in the room she would always burrow underneath the covers. It was her favorite spot.
He started to laugh too and pulled Snoopy off the bed and into her own unused dog bed. Xander pulled the blanket back on the bed. "Thanks," he said snuggling back into the bed and turning the light back off.
"Shhhh…Sleep."
---
Willow, Xander and Neville walked together into Hogsmeade but once they'd gotten to town they separated. Willow was going to go to hang out and pick up some things, while Xander and Neville met with Neville's Grandmother. They left Willow at Gladrags Wizardwear, where she was going to buy them warmer clothing and headed onto the residential district. It seemed that Mrs. Longbottom had old family friends whom she was staying with in the Wizarding town. Neville knew the way; he had been there before. As they walked through the shops Xander noticed the students around him, having fun in the town. He saw Hermione, Ron and Harry together coming out of the Apothecary shop, and if he didn't know better he would think they were up to something.
As they got past all the shops Xander went to the situation at hand. "So what am I in store for?"
"I don't know, she didn't tell me. She's very protective of me though. Ever since I wrote her about you she wanted to meet you. I suppose it's why should take a trip here so quickly." He lead them through the streets to the quaint little hut.
"Do I look alright?" Xander asked him. Willow had dressed him in some nicer Wizarding wear and he felt funny in it.
They both took a deep breath and Neville knocked on the door. A tiny, little house elf answered the door and led them into a nicely decorated sitting room. Mrs. Longbottom was already sitting around the small table with a pot of tea and snacks. She was wearing green robes and a fox-fur scarf. Even in the pleasant setting she looked very stern and confidant, just as the day he had first seen her in Diagon Alley.
"Hello, Gran." Neville greeted her then took the seat closest to her. Xander just stood there awkwardly. "This is Professor… this is Xander. Xander this is my Grandmother."
"Nice to meet you." Xander said not taking a seat.
"But we have already met." She told him. "Please sit down."
Xander did as told. He couldn't help but think her tone was a little harsh. He felt like he was in the middle of a job interview. She seemed to watch everything he did since he walked in. There was no sign of amazement of the first time she saw his face, but this time she guessed she was expecting it. "Thank you for having me over."
"It was nothing. I wanted to meet you properly, since my Grandson has written to me so much about you. Quite an amazing tale, Slayers, Vampires, hellmouths. Almost too much to believe. It is also not everyday I meet a member of Alice's family."
"Well I never met her. I didn't even know that my uncle was a wizard until a few weeks ago."
"You're mother was a squib then?"
"Yes." He tried to avoid it, but her questions made him go over the entire situation of his life to her. He had no trouble telling this all to Willow but Mrs. Longbottom seemed to be judging him. Neville stayed surprisingly silent. He tried his best not to let it bother him, but the more she delved into him, the more snacks he ate. He kept feeling that if she didn't like him, he wouldn't be able to spend more time with his cousin. They had only just met but he felt that he needed Neville in part of his life.
---
Willow didn't mind shopping for Xander. That morning when he asked her
to pick him up some heavier clothes that he didn't want to be a bother.
Willow just laughed and said she wouldn't trust him to go on his own
anyway, she was the one that had to look at him. She took her bags of
clothes and decided to stop by the Three Broomsticks for something to
eat.
It was packed with students for the most part, wasn't too terrible and she was able to claim a seat at the bar. The last time she had been here was before school started, she and Xander stopped for a lunch that was quite good. She looked around and noticed Hermione, Ginny Ron and Harry sitting in a seclude booth immersed in deep conversation, she couldn't help but keep watching them. "What can I get you, sweetheart?" asked Rosmerta.
"Oh, um, you wouldn't happen to have Diet Coke would you?" Willow asked hopefully. She was dying for the old taste.
"Oh that's that Muggle drink right? You asked for the last time you and your boyfriend where here." She smiled and went back to the bar and pulled out a bottle. "I decided to stock up, lots of Muggle-borns ask for it, since the two of you where professors I thought I might as well start carrying it."
Willow smiled wide. "Thank you, but he's not my boyfriend." She started to look at the menu.
"Oh, well give it time, dear. I'll be back soon to take you're order." Willow gave her a strange look as she walked off.
After Willow ordered she stared into space for a few minutes trying to think of something to make herself look busy. "Hi there." Said a voice next to her, "here alone?" Was that a pick up line? , Willow thought.
Willow turned to see a young woman no older than herself. She looked like a punk rocker with Purple hair but Willow couldn't help but find her attractive. Her voice was smooth and cool. She actually kind of reminded her of Faith, but she didn't want to read too much into what that meant. "Yep, just getting something to eat." Willow nodded trying to sound nervous.
"Well if you don't want to eat all alone, feel free to join me and my friend in that booth over there." She pointed. Willow looked over at the nearly hidden booth she could barely make out another person there, looking at them. She didn't know about all this, kind of creepy. "Don't worry, you know what they say: 'avis cinefactus'." The woman gave her a warm smile and went back to her table.
"Avis cinefactus", Willow translated in her head, stupid Latin, 'bird turned to ashes'. Willow felt stupid, she wasn't coming onto her, she was a member of the Order of the Phoenix trying to make contact, that was the current password. Dumbledore had Willow told Rosmerta she was moving over to the booth and picked up her things and did so.
She sat down on the side next to the women. The man was no longer in shadows. The man had light brown hair flecked with gray, though should could tell he seemed to young for it, he was still much older than herself. "Willow Rosenberg I presume."
"Yes." Willow said meekly carefully eying her companions.
"I am Remus Lupin and this is Nymphadora-"
"Tonks." She corrected, "Just Tonks."
"Just call me Willow."
"Then call me Remus."
"Well now that we've all got that straight," Said Tonks, "Lets get down to business."
"We have business?" Willow asked confused.
"Technically no." Remus smiled at her. "We just wanted to met with you and this seemed like the best time." Willow couldn't help but smile. "Harry wrote me about you, said you and your friend are the best DADA teachers since me."
"You're the werewolf?" Willow asked happily.
"Yes, and I've been told you dated one." He smiled back.
"I babble through one class and now everyone in Wizarding Britain knows about it." She said coolly.
"Well the letter Harry sent was passed all around Headquarters." Offered Tonks, and Willow assumed it was a joke and laughed accordingly.
They talked for some time. They really did just want to get to know her. She told them Hellmouth stories and was having an amusing time. She was all smiles and surprisingly Lupin smiled every time she opened her mouth. Willow felt a little uncomfortable by it, especially when he tried to confirm that Xander was just a friend.
"So, Remus, what do you do?" Willow finally asked.
"Um…I work for the Order." Surprised by the question.
"But what do you do?' Willow elaborated when he seemed confused. "I mean, I'm a teacher, well now, Tonks here is an Auror. And what do you do?"
"I, um, just work for the Order." He said with slight discomfiture.
"That's it?"
"I am a werewolf."
"So Oz was a werewolf and he was also a musician. Guitar player, he was in a band." She with the excitement she had when she talked out him when they first started dating.
"There isn't much work for a Werewolf in the Wizarding world. And I don't have any artist ability I could make a career."
"That's sad. I… at first I thought the Wizarding world was cool, now there is so much prejudice." She sounded so disappointed.
"I hope that's not all you see."
"No, I see the evil starting to take over with fear and no one standing up and rallying the troupes. I mean last year, towards the end Buffy's speeches were kind of long and boring but when the girls really needed it they help inspired confidence. But that's the way both worlds are going I guess," she mused, her mind wandering to current U.S. politics. "But that's another story."
There was silence at the table. Willow had succeeded at making the mood very uncomfortable. "We'll you're right," Tonks finally broke the awkward silence, "he does need a hobby."
---
"Willow?" Xander called as he entered their rooms. He really wanted to talk to her, he wanted to talk about his… well interview with Mrs. Longbottom. It was hours and hours of questions, that went beyond the time Xander thought it would. He thought it would only last a short time but ended up being at the house for dinner. He was too nervous to eat too much, though he felt the minute he settled down he would probably be hungry again. He could always go down to the kitchen.
"Hey, Xander." Willow called from her room. "I'll be out in a sec."
Xander, without thinking, went straight for her door. "I need to talk about-" He opened her door and jumped back.
"Xander!" she shrieked, picking up her shirt to cover her bare chest.
"Oh, sorry." Xander said after staring a moment and then quickly got out and closed the door behind him. Xander just started to laugh and didn't stop until Willow came out of her room now dressed in her pajamas.
She shook her head. "You never learn do you? What is this the fifth time you've done that since we got here?" She scolded him in a playful fashion.
"Six actually, remember that time in the bathroom." He sat down on the couch.
"Yeah," She said collecting a book from her desk. She and Xander have had this problem since Cleveland, besides the surprise it didn't even matter to either of them anymore, but it was fun to joke about. She had her share of walking in on him too. Once in the bathroom and once in a compromising situation in his bed, which they agreed never to speak of. "So, I starting to think you're doing this on purpose, you know maybe you have a crush on me or something." She joked.
"No, no… I mean Buffy will be here in a few weeks and if I start this pattern now when she's here, when I intentionally walk in on her in the shower it will look like an accident."
"Good plan." Willow smirked. "So how did it go?"
"I have no idea, she kept interrogating me. How did you're afternoon go?" he changed the subject realizing he wanted to forget about his night for now.
"Oh met some people from the Order." She told them all about it.
"Sounds like more fun than I had." Xander proceeded to tell her about his time. By the time they went to bed they were glad tomorrow was Sunday. They didn't want to have to get up to teach.
---
Xander woke up with a start. When he saw Willow had woken up too, he thought Snoopy might have ran under their covers again. "What's going on?" Xander asked, he wasn't sure what it was but Xander could feel some deep down inside of him. He couldn't describe it.
"I…I don't know." She looked as if she had the same level of confusion. "It feels… it feels…"
"Like there is a disturbance in the force." Xander helped.
"Yeah," Willow said distantly as she got out of bed and looked up to the skylight. "It's something familiar."
Xander agreed and got up too. There was a knock on their door. They both stumbled out to it, the room was still dark, they weren't awake enough to think of lights. The portal opened to reveal Neville outside of it. "What's wrong?" Xander asked getting even more worried.
"They're gone." He said sounding out of breath.
As the four of them, Snoopy came along too, made their way through the Dark Forest as Neville explained that Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny were planning to do something dangerous, he wasn't sure what exactly it was, but it was dark magic. No wonder Willow had woken up, she could sense something like that. Xander noticed he could too now; the more he fine-tuned his magic the more he was able to sense. Neville seemed really worried, that his friends could get themselves hurt. They also knew with Hermione's smarts and Harry's power they would be able to pull something big off. He had heard them making plans, he only decided now he would tell someone about it.
They didn't know exactly where they were going but they were confidant to walk through the woods in their pajamas, they didn't even bother with a robe as Neville had. Willow just had a blanket around her shoulders. The tracking system being used was Snoopy sniffing them out and Xander's eye, which at this point was displaying a heat sensor. He could see the other creatures moving about in the forest but he was sure up ahead that a big blob of heat was their missing students.
They were quiet as they approached the clearing. They could see the four sitting around a circle, candles lit and some quiet chanting. Xander and Willow were immediately overtaken with déjà vu, it was just two years ago they where in a position like that. Xander saw the urn of Osiris sitting next to Harry's side.
I thought that was the last one, Willow thought, trying to come up with a plan. They weren't planning to resurrect anyone yet, for now they seemed to be working on a summoning spell.
Xander was about to tell Neville to stay back while they quietly stopped them but Snoopy ran from their feet and into the middle of the circle. They had not choice they went out and surrounded them. Xander had his wand out but Willow felt no need. Harry's chanting stopped.
"What do you think you're doing?" Willow said in a dark tone as Xander went around taking the magical ingredients and objects out of their hands. He noticed the urn was filled with the same blue blood of the Hitchagel.
"We're studying!" Claimed Ginny. Ron just was quiet, Hermione seemed to be swearing to herself and Harry had the expression of his heart being broken.
Xander had to fight not to laugh. "I know what you where trying to do." Willow said. "All of you stand up now!" She ordered. They did as told.
Neville tried to stay hidden, Ginny caught him out of the corner of her eye. "You told on us?"
"This isn't about him." Xander defended. Neville merely picked up Snoopy and tried to stay away from his friends. Xander finished collecting the more important items and handed the jar to Willow.
She looked at the jar then over at Hermione. "How could you be so stupid? I trusted you to be smarter than this." Willow felt her mind going back to a conversation with Giles just after he had returned after Buffy's resurrection, at least she learned. "Whose idea was this? Who are you trying to bring back?"
No one would answer. "I know you think we're the nice teachers but if you don't tell us now you're all expelled." Willow knew, as Xander did, that they did not have that power, but they could bluff.
"It was me." Harry admitted quietly. "They, they didn't have anything to-"
"I know Hermione helped."
"I made her, I made Ron and Ginny too." Willow nodded and looked down at the jar in her hands. She though it up in the air and with a single gesture blew it into millions of tiny pieces. "No!" Harry screamed. "Now we'll never get him back!"
"Who?"
"Sirius. Sirius Black." Ron answered, the jig was up, not time for more secrets.
The two professors knew the story of Sirius Black. Dumbledore describe it all, to which Xander now realized he pointedly made sure it was said. He was killed by the unforgivable killing curse and fell into a mysterious magical arch. His body was never recovered. Xander watched Willow carefully; he knew she was seeing herself in Harry at that moment. He knew that everything surrounding Buffy's resurrection still haunted her. It haunted him to but he had less to beat himself up about. Xander had for the first time realized that Harry, the savior and hero, had much to fear with the temptation of turning to darkness to defeat darkness.
Willow looked at him and without words discussed what to do. "You three," Xander pointed to Hermione, Ron and Ginny, "pick up the rest of this stuff and we're going back to the Castle. You are in very deep trouble." Neville just waited next to Xander, starting to doubt having told on his friends. "Harry will stay behind and walk with Willow." Xander kept his wand out and the three students sulked and turned back to the castle. "Will you be able to get back?"
"Yeah, no problem." Willow said waiting back in the forest for the others to go ahead of them. She pulled out her wand and used it as a flashlight. Harry just sulked where he stood. Willow remembered that look in herself when she thought she had not brought Buffy back. "Tell me." She demanded, he looked up and gave her a confused expression. "Tell me exactly what you tried to do."
Harry explained in a stoic expression the plan that he and his close friends planned up to use a very powerful summoning spell to bring Sirius to the dark forest and then use the resurrection spell that Hermione had talked to Willow about at great length. Willow closed her eyes and silently blamed herself, she would defiantly watch Hermione more closely in the future. Willow felt her heart sink. She was in her shoes only a few years ago. She listened as he spoke the justifications she herself had used. When he had finished she looked around the forest, she had no idea if it was a good place to stop if there was one. She didn't realize how close they where to the forest's edge until Harry pointed it out. As they cleared the woods she had him sit down in the grass. She did the same putting the blanket under her, not caring Xander might get angry about getting it dirty.
"Never try that again." Was how started out .It was the best place to start. "It's not worth it. Even on the rare chance it's successful it's not worth the risks. I know."
"How would you know?" He said, bordering on a disrespectful tone.
"Because I preformed one a successful one and that's why the world almost ended last June!" She yelled at him, her voice was still low.
"Who?"
"The slayer. You know she died twice, right?" he nodded. "The first time her resurrection was clean and wholesome, CPR. The second was me jumping into dark magics. She died by jumping into a mystical portal and well…even then we had her body… I believed she was…" It was hard for her to say but she said it. Told him all about what happened to Buffy being in heaven and her life after that, she even alluded to the masochistic sex with Spike and the self loathing. She even managed to talk about what the magic did to her but was, well vague. She didn't want to scare him too much yet. She hurt people and went so far she never thought there would be a way back because her girlfriend died. She did indicate how Xander saved her. Then how they found out bringing Buffy back cause an imbalance which could result in the end of the world. Willow tried not to let herself tear up, but Harry seemed to connect to her more when he saw them. When she was finished Harry still wanted to speak. But Willow stood up so they would start heading back.
"But you don't understand." Harry jumped up and pleaded again.
"What don't I understand?"
"He came to me, he told me he needed to be brought back, that he was trapped!"
The hair on the back of her neck stood up on end. "He came to you like as in a ghost? Like the ones in the castle?"
"So…well he was, he was clear just like he was actually in the room with me. I was the only one who could see him, well once he showed himself to the others, so they would help." Willow watched him carefully, his eyes were focused but not on her but on something to her side. She looked there and then back at Harry. Harry was talking to Sirius's Ghost now.
"He's not him." She started to panic, as she realized. She graded Harry's arm. "He's not him…it's not his ghost. It's Evil." She knew she was just confusing him.
"You! I knew I should have had you killed." Said the now visible man standing next to Willow. She assumed the form was Sirius's. She jumped in front of Harry trying pointlessly to shield him. The tall dark haired man morphed into Buffy. "You may have won the last round, but you won't be so lucky again. The game has changed" The entity blink out of existence.
Willow and Harry were frozen. She took a deep breath trying to sort out what happened. The moment she got her wits about her she grabbed Harry's hand and ran to the castle. They needed to see Dumbledore now.
End Chapter 10.