Sorry about the mix up on Chapter 4. I had been reading Peter Pan at the same time I was writing it and the Darling's live at number 14 so they sort of just blended together.

Chapter 5: Angelic, Bronze Slaying, and more Guests

"Have you found anything?" a silky voice, that was at once as soft and as unobtrusive as the vampire himself, said.

Giles jerked from the Codex and found himself gazing on the one anomaly in the entire vampiric world. A demon with a soul, an Angel with a devil. The poetry was in the irony and it was only increased by the fact that the vampire with the soul happened to be in love with the Slayer. Although Giles could not help but feel saddened by the separation between Angel and Buffy, his relief at their good sense far outweighed any romantic ideals.

"Nothing," Giles said with a defeated sigh, not quite able to fully relax in Angel's presence. "It's like a wild bloody goose chase. I can't seem to decipher where this prophecy is going. The context is different then any demonic language I have ever run across."

"But you've had other things on your mind lately," Angel insinuated. "Or should I say one thing, one person."

Giles looked at him agape. "How do you know about Harry?"

"I lurk," Angel said with the cryptic tone that Buffy had once raged about. "There's more to him then just a boy." At Giles questioning look he continued, "Vampires can sense magic. He's very powerful."

Angel looked around, his brow heavy over his dark eyes, the pain of over a hundred years of slaughter weighing them down. Giles had also found this a part of the enigma that was Angel. From what he had learned about the vampire, he was hardly responsible for those horrors that Angelus had created, but it was the fact that Angel took that pain and made it his own that caused him to be more human in Giles' eyes.

The Watcher quickly realized what the furtive glances were meant to do. "She won't come here tonight. She's out with Xander and Willow."

"I know. That's why I came," Angel answered, though he still looked as though he half expected Buffy to barge through the door. "It's building Giles. Whatever the prophecy is to reveal, it's coming."

"Wouldn't happen to have a time frame would you?" Giles asked jokingly, but not quite able to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

Angel actually cracked a smile. "Fraid not. I just thought I'd come by and offer my help. Not that I'm much of that, lately."

Giles nodded, knowing that there had been the tiniest bit of hope in the Vampire with a Soul that the Slayer would be here and that he'd be able to catch a glimpse of her. Instead he had designated himself the Slayer's hidden protector. This tiny realization propelled the Watcher to indulge in one romantic notion.

"She misses you," he said softly. "I know that doesn't change anything and I can't express how much it relieves me to know that you both have decided to part ways. But..."

"It's better this way." He scoffed, a strange breathless sound. "She is innocence and light. All I could offer her would be shadow."

"She long ago lost her innocence. You should know that better then anyone," Giles admonished, thinking of those many that Angelus had destroyed. "No Slayer can stay innocent."

Angel smiled, but this time it was sad. "She holds her heart out for all to see. Once the vampires and the demons of this world realize this, they'll crush it."

"You won't stop watching out for her," Giles ventured.

"We share a common goal," Angel agreed.

Giles coughed, slamming his hands into his pockets. "I have a favor to ask you. One that seems quite unfair considering the circumstances. But would you cast a glance in Harry's direction. There is a powerful wizard out to kill him and Buffy nor I can be there always to watch him."

"I will keep my ears and eyes open. I still have a few contacts inside the demon world. Magic has it's own affect on us. If this wizard comes, I should be able to give you the heads up," Angel assured him.

"Thank you," Giles muttered with a bow of his head.

If anything, Angel's head seemed to dip lower but there was a flash of humble pleasure that struck those angelic features. "Translate that text Mr. Giles, for both our sakes."

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The Bronze wasn't like anything that Harry had seen before. He'd expected a quaint little pub, very much like the Three Broomsticks inside of Hogsmeade, but he was met with flashing lights and electric noise. Everywhere teenagers were dancing to what could only be marginally considered music, gyrating as though they had been cursed to insanity. Harry glanced curiously at his two hosts and found that neither Xander nor Willow seemed at all put off by the display before them. In fact, Xander was doing a paler imitation of those out on the dance floor while Willow swayed back and forth in time to the music.

"Hey there's Buffy," Willow pointed out to a table near the stage. The lone occupant had her hair up and was wearing a leather jacket that seemed several sizes too large for her tiny frame. She was cradling a soda in her hands and looking mournfully at the horrid band without appearing to see it. "She's all gloomy gussed."

"Still jonesing for Angel," Xander said in disgust. "What does she see in him anyway?"

It was readily apparent that Xander fancied Buffy, though Harry couldn't imagine why. She was rather fetching with that blonde hair and her shifting eyes, but Harry also found her annoyingly empty. She seemed to care little about the duty placed upon her. Harry who'd recently been told that it was either his life or the life of another that would end a war found that he despised her attitude.

Willow smacked Xander in the chest. "Be nice."

"I'll be nicer then sugar," Xander assured.

Harry hung behind as they approached the table. Buffy smiled brightly at her two friends, missing Harry's presence. "Hi guys," she greeted.

"Hey Buffster." Xander moved from in front of Harry and the young wizard was made known to the Slayer.

"Harry," she said evenly.

"Buffy," Harry replied with equal tone.

Xander and Willow exchanged nervous glances. "So Buffy, want to dance?" Xander asked, too cheerfully.

"Sure."

Without a moments hesitation, Buffy abandoned her drink and headed off to dance with Xander. Harry felt the tension dissipate around him as he and Willow hiked themselves up on the high stools.

They sat in silence, Willow's gaze flicking from the dancing couple to Harry and back again. Harry was searching for a link to a conversation when a dark haired girl with engaging hazel eyes ambled up to the table.

"Hey Willow, want to introduce me to your friend," said the girl.

"Cordelia, Harry. Harry, Cordelia," Willow said with melancholy.

"So what bring you here to Sunnydale, Harry?" Cordelia said

Harry frowned. This girl didn't seem to be at all friendly towards Willow but was dripping all over Harry as though he were the newest broom model. "I'm spending the summer with my uncle."

"You're English," Cordelia said as though this was the greatest observation.

"Hey Cordelia isn't that Owen over there," Willow said, pointing out the guy that Buffy and Cordy had vied for early this year. "I heard he was really impressed with your end of the year cheer."

"Really," Cordelia bubbled.

"Yeah, I couldn't get him to shut up.

"Excuse me," Cordelia said, before bouncing towards the direction Willow had pointed. Harry grinned. "Thank you."

Willow grinned nervously at him. "So what part of England are you from Harry?"

"Surrey," he answered tersely. How he wished Ron and Hermione were here.

"Is it beautiful?" Willow continued to interrogate. "I've seen pictures of course, but the actual thing...wow. How does it compare to America? Never been outside Sunnydale myself, but I've always dreamed of attending Oxford once I've graduated."

Harry blinked at her. Had she breathed once during that entire line of sentences. However much Buffy irritated him, he couldn't help but find her friends amusing and oddly comforting. The way Xander pined after Buffy and Willow's stuttering speech.

Smiling now, Harry answered, "I'm not sure where to begin."

"At the beginning, a very good place to start." She blanched. "Don't worry, I won't start doing the Julie Andrews look-alike."

Again, he found it difficult to decipher the true content of her meaning. "Well, I..." he drew off as Buffy and Xander rushed up to the table.

Willow's brown eyes were lived on her friends. "What is it?"

"Duty calls," Buffy said shortly snatching up her small hand purse. She looked up from examining it's contents and met Harry's eyes briefly. "Bring him along. Giles would kill me if he got vamped."

"I'm not baggage," Harry cried indignant.

"Don't have time to argue," Buffy said. "Either your coming nicely or I'm dragging you."

Harry snorted but then caught the sincere glances all around him. "Fine, let's go."

Buffy stopped him with a hand to the chest. "You haven't seen this before, you don't know the score. So don't get involved. Stay with Xander and Willow. Or you're going to see the meaner side to Buffy."

For a moment Harry wanted to agitate her further, to see what all of them saw in this slip of a girl who had been called to fight vampires. But he did not. He had learned enough in Defense Against the Dark Arts and in his own studies to know that these vampires were no little danger. Buffy's urgency seemed to only indicate that this vampire had found a meal.

"I'll stay close," he said begrudgingly.

"Let's go," she announced.

It was then that Harry saw a change come over the empty girl. Gone were the flights of fancy that he had imagined running in her head and in their place stood a girl of steel. Her eyes brushed the crowd as they moved outside, analyzing them. It was a piercing gaze now, tunneled and not at all the opened gander she had carried moments ago. Her tiny body had changed too, it moved with lithe grace, one he had never seen before. For the first time he believed her to truly be a threat.

They came out into an ally, only then did Harry realize that they had not gone out the front entrance. A scream rented the air and Harry felt a coldness settle in his stomach. He had heard to many screams in his lifetime and many of them had been the high-pitch of a female. One of them his mother, protecting him as she was murdered.

Willow had to pull him foreword as he became lost in his past. They found the vampire and struggling girl, no older then Harry himself, down an adjoining alley, close to a chained fence. Buffy stopped her hurried pace at the entrance of the alley and ambled foreword as though she were walking through the grounds of Hogwarts.

"You know, love bits on the first date, not a really good impression," Buffy said, continuing her deliberate pace.

The face that turned to snarl at her, made Harry backpedal into Xander, his green eyes widening in fear. For a moment he felt as though Voldemort had been dropped right in the middle of Sunnydale, California, and had once again taking to draining the life's blood of others. But not a heartbeat later he realized the differences between this vampire and Voldemort. Where red snake eyes should have been there were beady amber lights, that glowed menacingly in the evening. The vampires face was contorted too, but not in the visage of a snake, but something more animalistic with teeth that were elongated to dangerous points.

"What is she doing?" he asked Willow, seeing that Buffy had no wand upon her. How else did she figure on destroying the vampire.

"Don't worry, she's done this loads of times," Willow explained.

Xander had a goofy smile on his face as the vampire uttered his threat.

"You will be next little girl," he said darkly. "I will go home full tonight."

"I don't think we're really your type. You definitely look as though you've backed on the years. Crows feet aren't as attractive as everyone claims," Buffy jibbed.

However, strange her banter appeared it did keep the vampire from sinking his teeth into the terrified girl. "And who are you?" the vampire asked.

Without warning, Buffy leapt several meters to land next to the vampire. "Vampire Slayer," she said, moments before she slammed her fist into the distorted face.

"Merlin's beard," Harry breathed.

In his ignorance towards the Vampire Slayer, Harry had assumed that she was a witch, and that she had used a wand to vanquish the vampires and demons. Never had he imagined that she physically pummeled them or that she would be forced to stand so ruddy close. It took his breath away as he watched her spin a kick at the vampire's chest.

While she kept the vampire engaged, Xander rushed to the girl side picking her up from the floor where she had fallen after the vampire had let her go. Tears coursed down her cheeks and she sobbed heart-wrenching. Xander picked her up from the ground gingerly and lead her away from the fight as fast as he could.

"You're alright now," Xander whispered to her. "You're safe."

He took the frightened girl to Willow and the redhead wrapped and arm around her comfortingly. "Go back inside the Bronze. We'll come back to walk you home."

"Thank you," the girl stuttered before running back towards the loud din of music.

Buffy still had her purse wrapped around her neck as she pummeled the vampire. Harry winced as she took a hit to the chin and staggered backwards. Without thinking he took a step to help her but Willow held him back. "She doesn't need help."

Buffy spun back to face the vampire this time with a strange piece of wood in her hand. It took a moment for Harry to recognize it as a stake and that it was the common usage for killing a vampire. She tossed a kick at him, her heal connecting with his solar plexis and the vampire stumbled backwards into the fence.

Raising the stake, Buffy pierced the vampire's chest with it and after a surprised screech the vampire burst into dust. It was silent for a heartbeat.

"Alright, Buffster. Down with the slayage," Xander crowed and offered a hand in the air.

Nonchalantly, Buffy slapped his hand, the look of the huntress gone from her features. "The best way to dust those hard to reach areas."

It had been brilliant. She had been brilliant. And Harry found his disgust for the Slayer to diminish by degrees.

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Remus stood inside his house with Ron and Hermione dressed in Muggle clothing. They were to travel by portkey, for Ron and Hermione could not yet apparate. Professor Dumbledore and Snape would be apparating later in the day once Remus had explained everything to Rupert. Taking a hold of dish towel, Remus indicated for his two former students to do likewise. Remus watched the clock as he waited for it to countdown to the fixed time for the portkey.

Despite his knowledge of it's ignition, it still caught him by surprise, and a gasp pushed it's way through his thin body as they were transported through space. They arrived in Rupert's bedroom, the one place Remus had felt it safe enough to port to, knowing that the Watcher spent little time in it save to sleep.

He had timed their departure so that they would arrive in Sunnydale at 12:00 in the afternoon, allowing Rupert and Harry time enough to get ready for the day. He heard them bustling about downstairs.

"I swear that girl takes nothing seriously," Remus heard Rupert say testily. "I tell her to keep you safe and she takes you on a bloody patrol."

"It wasn't like that at all, Uncle Rupert," came Harry's protest.

Knowing that this particular subject should be breached by Rupert, Remus quickly brought Ron and Hermione's attention to himself. "Let's go down, shall we."

They nodded and Remus feared that he could see Hermione's brain turning. She was all to clever for her own good. As they descended the stairs, he called. "Rupert, Harry, I've returned."

"Perfect timing we were just about to have lunch," Rupert called back.

Together they entered the small kitchen, Ron and Hermione itching with anticipation. Harry was facing the sink washing a apples, so he did not see them right away, but Rupert was fixing the table and caught them readily. Remus lifted a finger to his mouth to signal for Rupert to be silent. The Watcher looked curious but nodded.

"Harry would you mind handing me the plates?" Rupert asked casually.

Harry reached in to the cupboard and pulled them out. He turned to hand them to his uncle when he saw his two best friends and the plates fell numbly from his fingers. A silly grin spread across his face, the first one Remus had seen since Sirius' death. Hermione and Ron mirrored his reaction.

Suddenly, Harry realized the damage that he'd done and dropped down to pick up the plates. "Leave it, Harry. Leave it," Rupert said with a smile. "I take it these are friends of yours."

"This is Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger," Harry made introduction. "Ron, 'Mione, this is my uncle, Rupert Giles."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Giles," Hermione said with all the propriety of a fine English woman.

Ron, however, had been caught up in all the strange devices that sat inside Rupert's house. "So this is what a Muggle household looks like," he murmured as he made his survey.

Hermione looked aghast. "Ron."

But Rupert only chuckled. "Perhaps I could give you a tour, Ronald."

"Wicked," Ron said. "Dad would go bananas in a place like this.

"Ron is from a pure wizarding family, Rupert," Remus offered. "His father is the care taker of Muggle Artifacts and their misuse. Two of the Order members will be here this afternoon to discuss your concerns. They also want to connect you to the floo network for emergencies."

Rupert took a deep breath. "I'd like Buffy, Xander, and Willow to attend if that will be alright." He did not only check with Remus but with Harry.

It still threw Remus to see Rupert Giles, the Ripper of his youth, acting so gentile. Not only that, but he seemed to treat Harry as though he were a member of the Order of the Phoenix, although all of the members had found that Harry was still far to young to be able to handle the emotional upheaval.

"Buffy?" Harry asked. Apparently, Harry and the Slayer had yet to make amends from the previous morning. "Alright."

"So tell me, Remus, who is coming?" Rupert asked as he took down more plates and grabbed two more apples from the fruit basket.