Disclaimer: see chapter one.
Ch. 3: The Meeting
Buffy, Willow and Xander were back at headquarters sitting around the round table waiting for everyone else to get there so they could begin the meeting and report the impossible.
"How are we going to explain this?" Willow asked, face in her hands.
"Not we, more like you." Buffy pointed out, leaning back in her chair smiling.
"Why me?" Willow whined.
"Why you what?" Giles asked as he walked in and took a seat next to Willow.
"I think we should wait for the others," Willow quickly replied, clearly stalling. "Buffy," she said giving Buffy a significant look. "I think you should go get those reference books."
But Buffy didn't catch on. "Huh? What books?"
"It's ok Buff, I'll get them." Xander offered and exited the room.
Then suddenly the rest of the gang arrived. Faith slouched into her chair and put her feet on the table. "What's up B?"
"You won't believe me." Buffy replied.
"Oh?" Faith raised an eyebrow with curiosity.
"Willow sighed and began her explanation. "You won't believe me, but here me out before you laugh."
"I didn't know which one you wanted." Xander said as he walked in with five books with varying thickness.
"The first one would have been enough."
Everyone looked at the books Xander put down, everyone looked a little baffled.
"These are the reference books?" Giles asked looking at the Harry Potter series.
Willow picked up the first and started flipping and stopping to read and then flipping again. Then she eventually put it down, while everyone stared at her expectantly. "I might be crazy but the place I saw… I think its Hogwarts."
Everyone except for Buffy and Xander momentarily stared at her before bursting into laughter.
"That's the news?" Dawn asked between fits of laughter.
"I guess all that magic finally got to you," Giles said, tears in his eyes. "Maybe its time you checked back into the Covenant."
Willow gave a pout at this and Giles only laughed harder. It took a moment for them stop laughing.
"That's better," Willow passes a deadly glare around the table, this took the smiles off the faces. "Giles, I'm serious. I think the castle was Hogwarts. And we may have been travelling through the Forbidden Forest."
"Hogwarts or not. Did you find the seal?" Giles asked.
"I didn't want to search the castle with their knowledge. And anyway if it is Hogwarts then we won't be able to find it without their help, for that matter, it might not even be the hellmouth."
Giles took off his glasses and began to clean them "Then we really need to get in there and find out."
"But what's Hogwarts? And who's this Harry Potter and what's he gotta do with Hogwarts?" Ask Faith.
This took Willow by surprise, "you haven't read the Harry Potter series?"
"No."
"Hogwarts is a school of magic. Harry Potter was a student there when he saved the world from the darkest wizard known to their world, or I'm assuming he saved the world from Voldemont because we don't see dementors flying around."
Giles looked confused at this.
"Never mind." Willow said.
"I suggest we go there now while its still the summer holidays, "Andrew said.
"Ok then. Willow, Buffy, Xander and I will go to Hogwarts. We'll try to established relations with Dumbledore." Giles order.
Willow was glowing at this. "We get to meet Dumbledore."
"Why can't I come?" Andrew whined. "I want to meet him." This got a glare from Giles. "This is not fair," Andrew mumbled and walked away.
"We should probably get some rest tonight. We'll leave at 9 tomorrow." Giles instructed.
"Hey G," Faith called out. "Since you and B have this thing under control you think I can split?"
Giles thought about this and nodded. "We'll call you if we need you. Where are you going to be, Brazil?"
"Yeah."
Xander, Buffy, Willow and Giles stood near the round table waiting.
"Andrew, are you going to let go?" Giles asked. Andrew had attached himself to Giles' leg.
"No. Not until you agree to take me with you."
Giles sighed and looked at Buffy significantly. Buffy took one of Andrew's hands and pulled the fingers back. "Ow. Ow ow ow…" he kept repeating.
"Let go." Buffy ordered.
"Fine but the next time…." He let go and Buffy let his hand out of the grip. He nursed his hand and backed away, a pout on his lips.
Giles, Xander, Willow and Buffy stood around in a circle. Willow mumbled some words under her breath and they were suddenly on a set of stair enclosed on both sides by walls. The stairs seemed to be spiraling down. They looked ahead at a door. Willow stepped forward and knocked.
"He's a legilemens, so don't let him hold your gaze if you don't want him to know what you're thinking."
"Oh god." Xander exclaimed. "Why did you have to say that."
Buffy laughed remembering the time senior year in high school when she had the ability to hear thoughts and heard Xander's. "Thinking about sex now?"
"Get out of my head," he slapped himself in the head.
Then they heard someone behind the door and the door opened. Behind the door stood a woman who looked to be in her fifties maybe. She had glasses on which she was staring at them through and her hair was pulled back in a tight bun. She was wearing heavy robes. "Yes?" She asked.
"Hi." Willow stuck her hand out for a shake. "You must be professor McGonagall. I'm Willow Rosenburg."
"Hello. Have I met you before?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Oh no…. I've read about you. Can we talk?"