Chapter 10: Prophecy Girl and the Boy-Who-Lived.

"I fancy beans on toast, do you fancy beans on toast?" Professor Lupin asked as he and Harry stepped out of Number 12's fireplace and into the entry hall.

Harry shook his head. After using a portkey that Professor Lupin had been given from Dumbledore to Remus's house, Lupin had been creating too many unauthorized portkey's for the minister's comfort, they had flooed to Grimmauld Place. A couple days ago, he probably would have felt overjoyed to be returning to the place that held his last memories of Sirius and to be with the Weasley's and Hermione, but now he felt a traitor. A cowardly boy that had to be stuffed away while another his age had to go to the front and fight for the world.

Lupin gazed at him intently. "This isn't you're fight, Harry," he said gently. "Your uncle and Buffy are trained to fight these things. They know what they're doing. You'd be a liability."

"Would you step back if it was me?" Harry asked pointedly.

"The wizarding world is different. We know how to deal with Voldemort," Lupin countered tightly. "This isn't our domain. Do you think it's any easier for me, knowing what he's about to...."

Harry wasn't a fool, even in his angered state, and he quickly caught on to Lupin's slip of the tongue. "What do you mean?"

The young wizard doubted he'd ever seen Lupin look more tired. "Nothing, Harry, it's nothing. Why don't you run off and find Ron and Hermione."

"Professor, if Uncle Rupert's in danger then it is my business. He's the only family I have left," Harry argued, jutting into the way of the werewolf's escape path. "What is he planning to do?"

"He's going to confront the Master to keep Buffy from facing the prophecy," Lupin answered quietly. "He can't let her die. No matter his speeches, he's still Ripper in there and despite his desperate attempts to show otherwise, he cares for Buffy deeply."

Harry hadn't expected that answer. All his anger sloughed off of him as though he'd been rinsed by an unseen shower. His uncle had sent him away not because he had feared Buffy would fail, but because he'd known he WOULD fail. "But, he'll die."

Lupin nodded. "Rupert was aware and he made me your guardian in the case of such an instance."

"I thought...," Harry started.

"By law, he can name me your guardian and the Ministry will have to adhere to it. We have our own government Harry, but it still has to conform to the muggle world," Lupin answered. "They won't be able to take you from me."

Of it's own accord, Harry's hand reached up to touch the crusted blood on his forehead. "What about Voldemort?" he asked, dazedly.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Lupin answered. He put an arm around Harry's shoulders and began to lead him through the hall to the kitchen. "There's little we can do."

For a moment Harry felt that Professor Lupin was right, that he had not ever faced a vampire or the sequence of events that would ultimately put the world hanging in the balance. It was all too tempting to accept his limitations and stay behind, but there was a tiny voice, growing louder and louder that suggested the opposite. He thought of his parents, Sirius, Cedric, and the number of people he had not been able to save. Could he actually let Uncle Rupert's life slip through his fingers as so many had before him?

Again a finger touched the blood, silently tracing the lightning bolt scar where the greater amount of the blood hand congealed. The power of blood had saved Harry's life the other night, could it not keep Uncle Rupert safe in the same manner? This wasn't just a man who'd been forced to take his nephew, not like Aunt Petunia had been. Uncle Rupert had wanted him, despite the mysterious estrangement between he and James. As much as he'd been feeling like an unwanted parcel, he should have known that Uncle Rupert was different from his mother's family.

"Professor, what if it was my dad?" Harry asked in a soft but intense tone. "What if it was my dad, that was there about ready to give his life? What would you do then? Would you expect me to stay behind?" His green eyes, the color of sparkling emeralds linked with the pale orbs of the werewolf's. "I can't loose anyone else."

Lupin groaned and Harry knew he'd won over the werewolf. "Rupert's going to kill me." Before Harry could run back to the fireplace, Lupin stopped him with a slim hand to his shoulder. "We have to go through the proper channel's. It may take us a while."

"Just as long as we make it before this evening."

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Buffy walked the grounds of Sunnydale High dressed in her beautiful prom dress and clutching a crossbow at her side. She hadn't been walking long when she spotted the Anointed. He had once been and was still a darling child. Round chubby cheeks, dark eyes, and a mop of straight hair. He wondered if the child whose body was now infested by a demon had felt much pain, if there had been a struggle. The fair skin showed no evidence of bruises or cuts, but those would have long healed with the strength of the demon.

The boy turned large eyes towards her. "Help me," he said in a quivering voice.

Buffy felt her stomach turn with the morbidness, but nodded. "It's okay. I know who you are."

Vampire boy held out a tiny hand and Buffy grasped it, feeling the cold seep through her skin. And the Anointed led her down to Hell.

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"She what?" Xander exclaimed.

Giles had reiterated the tale of the Codex prophecy to Buffy's friends, while Ms. Calendar pressed a cold pack to the bruised area of his skin where Buffy had planted her fist. It filled him with immense pride and aggravation that she had gone off to stand against the Master alone. There was also a sense of embarrassment that his Slayer had caught him so unawares. If he'd been better prepared, he might have seen her punch coming.

Willow shook her head mournfully. "I told you there was something going on with her."

"And she knew about this prophecy of yours?" Xander asked, ignoring Willow's statement. Giles nodded. "Aw, man, what do we do?"

"We stay calm, first thing," Giles said sagaciously.

He might as well have told Xander to do a toe dance, by the boy's reaction. "Calm?"

"I think he's right," Willow entered equitably.

Xander started to pace the length of the library. "I'm sorry, calm may work for Locutus of the Borg here," he gestured wildly at Giles. "But I'm freaked out, and I intend to stay that way."

"Xander!" the redheaded girl snapped.

"How could you let her go?" the boy accused, again oblivious to Willow's admonishments.

"As the soon-to-be-purple area of my jaw will attest, I did NOT let her go!" Xander was picking at his last nerve. Giles had meant himself to go to stop the Master, now that Buffy had defied him, yet again, he was lost on a plan.

Willow, however, did not loose sight of there goal. "Well, how can we help her?"

"Find out where she went," a new voice interceded before Giles could answer. The Watcher's brown/green eyes widened as his head snapped painfully to address the speaker. "Don't you think, Uncle Rupert?"

Remus stood behind Harry with not the tiniest bit of recalcitrance in his face. "And I think we have an apocalypse to advert," the werewolf added, pulling off his cloak.

"How come they're in the club?" Willow asked, sounding slightly perturbed. Perhaps due to Xander's repeated obliviousness to her person.

Giles barely heard her at all. He was looking at his very rebellious nephew and saw how much he and Buffy had in common. Harry was risking everything, not only his life but the possible lives of the wizarding world to come back here and Remus had let him.

Standing up gingerly, Giles glared at his nephew. "Do you have any inclination as to how much trouble you are in?"

Judging by the sudden uncertainty in Harry's eyes, Giles' menacing voice was doing it's appropriate task. "A lot," Harry ventured with a cheeky grin.

"We'll discuss it after we stop the end of the world," Giles said this as though it were a threat.

Xander broke into the tiny confrontation. "I'd hate to break up this family reunion but what about Buffy?"

"We don't even know where she's gone," Giles said, going into Watcher mode without a moments pause.

It was as though a light had been clicked on above Xander's head. "No. But I can find out."

Giles had a guess as to who he was thinking about and turned to the werewolf. "Remus, go with Xander. I'd like him to have a wand at his back if worse comes to worse."

"Right," Remus said, looking to Xander to lead the way.

Picking up the nearest book off the table, a index on Hellmouth's, Giles chucked it at his nephew. The young wizard caught it with the speed and accuracy of a Quidditch Seeker. "Harry, you're with me."

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Xander stood in front of the apartment's door and banged his fist into the hard wood. Mr. Lupin stood edgily next to him. Buffy was right, there was something different about Remus Lupin, though Xander couldn't put his finger on it. The guy looked as though he'd been through several boughts of cancer treatment but at the same time carried himself with the air that gave Xander a sense of a warrior.

The door creaked open and there stood the object of Xander's deep hatred. The Vampire with a Soul blinked at Xander. "Oh. Look who's here."

"Mind if we come in?" Xander asked, pushing through the door without waiting for an answered. Lupin followed him silently, no doubt wondering what they were doing here.

Angel closed the door. "Make yourself at home. Don't have much in the way of food though."

"She's gone," Xander informed without preamble. He didn't trust Angel, despite the blinders the rest of the gang seemed to don around him, and he wanted out of the vampire's domain as soon as possible.

Confused, Angel frowned. "Whaddya mean?"

It was Lupin that beat Xander to the punch. "Buffy's gone to fight the Maser."

Desolation quickly replaced the horror in Angel's eyes, but Xander refused to see it. How could a vampire feel after everything they had put Buffy, Xander, and Willow through? The young man couldn't just forget what had happened to Jesse.

"He'll kill her," Angel gasped.

"Rumor has it. Only we're not gonna let it happen." He couldn't believe his cocky tone. Adrenaline was pumping through him, making him better then he'd ever been before.

Angel's face shifted through a myriad of emotion, he settled on disbelief. "Well, what do you propose we do about it?"

Look, I know you can find this Master guy. He's underground, right? Take us to him," Xander waved and arm between he and Lupin.

"You're way outta your league, kid. The Master'll kill you before you can even breathe. If you're lucky," Angel explained and a tremor ran through the brave human. Who would know better the atrocities of the Master then one who had been created by his minions?

Still Xander couldn't back down. "How can I say this clearly?" From out of nowhere Xander produced a cross. Angel growled, backing away from the holy symbol. "I don't like you. At the end of the day, I pretty much think you're a vampire." Lowering the cross, he made to be diplomatic. "But Buffy's got this big old yen for you. She thinks you're a real person. And right now I need you to prove her right."

"You're in love with her," Angel deduced.

Xander gazed at him. "Aren't you?"

Lupin was now looking at Angel as though he'd seen a ghost. "You're a vampire? A good vampire?" The Englishman was rolling the idea around his tongue as though he were tasting a bitter sauce. "This doesn't make sense." Xander noted that the man's hand kept inching towards his vest pocket as though to pull something out.

"No all dark creature's hold darkness in them," Angel answered cryptically. "You should understand that better then most."

Looking between the vampire and Giles' friend, Xander said, "Huh?"

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"I have a question?" Harry interrupted the research-fest and Willow glanced up at him. "We know that the Hellmouth is to open tonight, but we don't know where. Seems an important issue?"

"Giles?" Willow asked, placing her finger into the book of spells she'd been skimming through to find a spell that might close the Hellmouth.

Giles placed his glasses back on as he focused past Willow's shoulder, thinking heatedly. "Good point." He rummaged through their pile of research information and pulled out a black leather bound book. "Harry, you take the Black Chronicles, Ms. Calendar, cross reference that with the local histories, we're looking for common denominators."

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"Welcome," the Master greeted her from the shadows, his voice a silky insinuation.

"Thanks for having me," she answered in the same gentile tone. The Master stepped out from the shadows and came into the dim moonlight. Buffy tried to steady her bounding heart. " Y'know, you really ought to talk to your contractor. Looks like you got some water damage."

A chuckle, that resembled a purr came emitted from the Master. "Oh, good. The feeble banter portion of the fight. Why don't we just cut to the... "

Suddenly, Buffy spun, bringing her crossbow to eye level and sending a shot into the direction of the hated bloodsucker. Like lightning, the Master's hand reached out and snatched the bolt, inches away from his heart. Buffy, quickly pulled back the bow to reload.

"Nice shot." He paused a human heartbeat. "You're not going to kill me with that thing."

Buffy gave him a cocky smile. "Don't be too sure."

"You still don't understand your part in all this, do you? You are not the hunter. You are the lamb," the Master opened his mouth wide to expose sharp teeth, died red by the constant of blood. "And I will devour you."

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If anyone had told him he'd be crawling around in the sewer's with a good vampire and an American teenager who twisted the English language, Remus would have thought they'd been zapped by the crucio curse one too many times. But that did not disrupt the reality around him. It only added the surreal atmosphere when the vampire and the teenage boy began to argue.

"This way," Angel whispered, gesturing down the corridor with a silent grace. He glanced back at Xander curiously. "What?"

"You were looking at my neck," Xander accused and Remus couldn't help but roll his eyes in dismay. Did these two want to telegraph their arrival to the Master.

Affronted, Angel couldn't believe his ears. "What?"

"You were checking out my neck," Xander said deliberately. "I saw that."

"No, I wasn't," Angel defended.

Xander kept himself as far away from the vampire as he could possibly getting, nearly hugging the disgusting sewer walls. "Just keep your distance pal."

"I wasn't looking at your neck," came the repeated defense.

"I told you to eat before we left," Xander admonished, following after the dark-haired vampire.

Remus was almost at his wits end. These two were worse then putting Harry and Draco Malfoy in the same room together. At least then you could keep a magical barrier around them, but here there was no end to the cruel banter. "Would you two desist? For claiming to love this girl, you're both acting rather immaturely."

"How much farther is it Dead Boy?" Xander asked after a moments silence.

Remus could only sigh. He suddenly wished for the simplicity of Hogwarts.

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Giles clutched the arm of his glasses between his teeth, pinching the bridge of his nose to stave off a headache. "Well, let's think about this, then. The vampires have been gathering, they know he's coming, they will be his army."

"Do you think they'll gather at the Hellmouth?" Ms. Calendar asked.

"Well, the last time the Master tried to rise was the Harvest," Willow remembered. "He sent a bunch of vampires to get him fresh blood."

Harry leaned closer towards her. "Where was that?"

"The Bronze," Giles realized.

"It is a weekend," Willow. "Lot's of dancing."

"We've got to warn them," Giles said, rocketing from his chair.

Ms. Calendar stopped him and pushed him back into his seat. "No, we'll go. You have to concentrate on demon killing. My car's in the lot."

"Stay close together, and for goodness' sake, be careful," Giles called after them as Willow and Ms. Calendar ran for the exit.

"We will," Willow yelled back.

Harry stood up. "Maybe I should go with them."

"NO!" Giles snapped and when he saw that stubborn glint in Harry's eye quickly continued. "I need you here, incase we find a spell. The other's won't be as much help." As soon as he said this, Giles wanted to kick himself in the pants. He had been working so hard to brush off Harry's previous attempts to discover how it was possible for a squib to do magic. He might as well have posted the subject in big flashing letters.

"Uncle Rupert, I wanted to ask you about that," Harry made another attempt to break into Giles' past.

"Later, Harry. We'll discuss it along with your overt disobedience," Giles hoped that reminding Harry that he was still in a fare amount of trouble would divert the boy's attention.

"I couldn't let you or Buffy die and not try to stop it," Harry told him quietly. "Too many people have died for me." Harry's green eyes locked on with Giles' and the Watcher fought to keep a hold of his anger. "Don't leave me alone to fight Voldemort. I can't do it alone."

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Willow walked alongside Ms. Calendar heading for the Computer Science Teacher's car. Night had fallen heavily and only slivers of silvery moonlight fell to illuminate their path. Willow had forgotten her previous fear, funneling it into action as they all worked against time. They came before Ms. Calendar's car and the beautiful teacher began rummaging for her keys inside a large tote bag.

"What if they get to the Bronze before we do?" she wondered out loud, glancing nervously behind them.

Ms. Calendar looked up from her bag and froze. "Don't need to worry about that."

Willow focused on her. "Why not?"

"Cause they aren't going to the Bronze," Ms. Calendar answered, nodding her head in the direction of the field before them.

Willow gasped and started backing away slowly, pulling Ms. Calendar with her. There had to be at least twenty vampires outside. Something hit her back and Willow looked up to see that even more vampires had come around behind them. They were surrounded.

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Buffy held her crossbow white knuckled, searching the shadows for the elusive Master. "You know, for someone who's all powerful, you sure do like to hide."

From beyond her vision, he answered, "I'm waiting for you. I want this moment to last."

She snorted. "Well, I don't."

Continuing her search, her ears strained for the slightest sound. She remembered the Angel could move into a room without her even noticing. If only she had worked with Giles more to hon her skills as he'd wished her too before the Harvest, perhaps she would stand a better chance.

A hush of sound whispered behind her and the Master was suddenly at her back. "I understand," he say.

She spins around read to shoot him but he grabs her by the neck. Swinging her arm, she knocked his hand away and made to run. But as though an invisible tether had been wrapped around her waste she felt herslef being tugged towards him. Buffy looked back at him and caught that his long talon's were reached out for her and he was using some power to hold her in place. Approaching her he twirled his hand slowly, as if conjuring the air. As his hand neared, he grabbed her leather coat and removed it from her shoulder's as a lover might.

Fear gripped Buffy and her breath tore raggedly from her lungs.

"You tried. It was noble of you. You heard the prophecy that I was about to break free and you came to stop me. But prophecies are tricky creatures. They don't tell you everything," he whispered, she could almost feel his fangs on her neck. "You're the one that sets me free! If you hadn't come, I couldn't go. Think about that!." His fangs pierced her skin and he drank her life's blood while Buffy was frozen by fear. "Oh, God! The power!"

He let her go and Buffy fell, crashing into the water. Her body would not obey her commands and water began to seep into her mouth and nose, clogging her airways.

"And by the way... I like your dress," she heard him whisper as the world shut out around her.

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The sewer tunnels began to quake and Remus could feel a thrum under his feets. :What was that?" he asked in a quite hiss, afraid to break the current silence.

Angel's face was contorted in pain. "It's too late. He's gone up." He and Xander exchanged worried looks before both broke out in a head long run towards the Master's lair. Being of supernatural speed, Angel got there first, Remus could only hear the sound of splashing water before he and Xander burst into the lair

Buffy was cradled in Angel's arm as she hugged her to him, rocking her back and forth as though to push life into her still frame. Xander stopped dead in his tracks, Remus nearly running into him

"She's dead!" Angel whispered but it might as well have been a howl. "She's dead," repeated the vampire and now it was a sharp painful keen.