Merging With Traffic

Disclaimer: All things Ats, BtVS, and Harry Potter belong to their respective owners, Joss Whedon and JK Rowling. However, the plot is mine as far as I can tell, so please ask if you want to use it.

Previously

Cordelia turned on her heel, grabbed Harry, and marched towards the door. She was reaching for the handle when it flew open and Dumbledore burst into the room, followed by Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mundungus Fletcher, Tonks, and a very worried Remus Lupin. The group skidded to a shocked halt when they saw Cordelia and Harry standing there. She had him by the arm and was scowling angrily, while he was looking at her with an admiring grin.

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Dumbledore was the first to recover from his shock, and when he did he sent ropes flying at Cordelia from his wand so that she was tied tightly up. He pushed her into a sitting position on a chair in the entry hall, and then he reached his hand out and grabbed Harry's, pulling him away from her. All of the wizards now had their wands trained on her, and she was looking decidedly uneasy.

"Hi there, boys. And girl. Would you mind getting the wands out of my face? Tied up here, there's not too much I can do. Jeez, Harry, call in the cavalry, why don't you? I thought you said you believed me. When did you owl them anyway? I could have sworn you'd been with me the whole time."

"Harry did not contact any of us," said Dumbledore. "Mundungus was on his shift when you arrived. At first he believed that you were someone he simply hadn't met, here to take over the guard. However, when you began to speak of being an agent of the Higher Powers, he became alarmed. He hurried over to Arabella Figg's house and proceeded to contact me through the Floo network. Naturally, I gathered everyone who was available at the time and came straight here." Dumbledore's voice changed then. He had been almost kind before, but now he took on a harsher tone and leveled Cordelia with a rather frightening glare. "Before Aurors Shacklebolt and Tonks remove you to Azkaban, I would like to know exactly who you are, and just why you seem to have taken such an interest in Mr. Potter."

At that moment the Dursleys all rushed into the room, having heard the noise when the wizards burst in. When they saw who had arrived they retreated to the doorway, fear and a little revulsion on their faces. They did not, however, leave the room completely and Vernon even managed to work up the nerve to attempt to scold Harry. "What are they doing here, boy? You ought to know better than to invite these sort of people into my home. I have half a mind to send you to bed without supper and take away that bird."

Everyone was surprised when Cordelia leapt from her position in the chair, despite still being tied up. She would have fallen over if Harry had not reached out a hand to steady her and then remained by her side. "Like hell you will," she yelled, practically bouncing up and down with anger. "I have had it with you people. For the absolute last time, his name is Harry. Call him boy or threaten him again and I'll make you wish you were living in a swimming pool with Jaws. Stupid muddles."

"Muggles," Remus Lupin corrected automatically, while trying to figure out what her threat meant. The Dursleys obviously understood it though, because they fled the room in fear.

"Yes, I KNOW that, Wesley the Older. It's a play on words, I was making fun of their intelligence." She turned to Harry then, leaving Remus to puzzle through that comment as well. "Harry, would you PLEASE tell your group of bodyguards to untie me? This is not really what I'd call comfortable."

Dumbledore gave Cordelia a long look and eventually nodded. He waved his wand and all the ropes around her disappeared. He did however keep his wand fixed on her, as did Kingsley and Tonks. "I suppose I can give you the benefit of the doubt, since you stood up for Harry. Would you care to attempt to convince me of your story?"

Taking in the looks the wizards were giving her, Cordelia sighed. She should have turned Doyle down, stayed with him, and watched over Angel and the others, because this was not going at all like she had planned. She could probably tell them every moment of her life since she first met Buffy Summers in Sunnydale eight years ago, and she'd bet good money they still wouldn't believe her, but would haul her off to Azkaban. She had to think of something, anything that would convince them she was who she said she was. Then, she had an idea and, praying it would work, she squared her shoulders, grabbed Harry's hand, and faced Dumbledore so she was looking him directly in the eyes. Then, Cordelia began to yell.

"Allan Francis Doyle, get your bony ass down here RIGHT NOW and help me out. I don't give a damn about rules either, just DO IT!"

A soft, white light filled the room. It changed slowly into a thin rope and began to weave its way through the people in the room. The rope then twisted itself around Harry and Cordelia, illuminating briefly their entwined hands, before coming to a stop in front of her and turning into a young man with pale skin, dark hair, and dancing blue eyes. He bowed to Dumbledore and the others, and when he spoke, it was with a lilting Irish accent.

"Hi there, my name's Doyle, and I'm head of the Hero Support division of the Powers That Be." Then he grinned and turned to Cordelia. "Should have known you'd need help. You've been here how long, and you're already in a jam you can't get out of?"

"I could've gotten out of it, it was just taking too long, and I really want to get out of the 'Hi, my name's Cordelia Chase, would you like fries with that?' pants before I turn thirty. By the way, thanks for that little shove. I always did like making an entrance."

"My pleasure. I had to get back at you for throwing that pillow at me after all. So, just what is it you want me to do here, Princess?"

She glared at him. "What in the hell do you think I want you to do, play the bagpipes? I had a nice, careful infiltration plan all worked out, and you ruined it, sending me here the way you did. So now I want you to explain your whole crackpot system to them, and I don't care if it's allowed or not. You helped make the rules, so you can break them."

"Excuse me," interrupted Tonks. "As entertaining as this all is, perhaps you could get on with it? Shacklebolt and I need to get back to the ministry."

Doyle sighed heavily and turned his eyes upwards, hoping the PTBs wouldn't kill him for what he was about to do. "All right. Can we at least go sit on the sofa then? This may take awhile."

Cordelia looked sheepish. "Well, here's the thing. The Dursleys were being mean to Harry when I got here, so I kind of ruined some of their furniture. Including the sofa."

This announcement caused several different reactions around the room. Kingsley looked shocked, Remus and Mundungus looked as though they rather wanted to burst into applause, and Tonks looked as though she wished she had thought of doing it. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling and Harry was grinning at the memory. Doyle just laughed and said, "Good for you. Is there anywhere else we can sit then?"

"In my room," said Harry. "I have a couple of chairs, and everyone else can sit on the bed or the floor."

The group marched up the stairs and arranged themselves around the room. Dumbledore sat in an old, worn wing-backed chair by the window, Remus took Harry's desk chair, Mundungus conjured a stool for himself, Tonks sat cross-legged on the floor and Kingsley leaned against the wall, keeping his wand pointed at the newcomers. Doyle plopped down on Harry's bed. Cordelia stretched out by Doyle with a yawn and grabbed Harry's hand again, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He sat down next to her with a slight grin.

Watching the two of them together Dumbledore couldn't help but hope that Cordelia was who she said she was and that this Doyle man could help her prove it. They had only known each other a couple of hours, but Cordelia very obviously cared a great deal about Harry and he seemed to like her as well.

"All right then. How to put this? Okay. Bein' the supernatural types that you are, I'm assuming you've all heard of The Powers That Be?" Doyle asked the group.

"It is rumored that there are Higher Powers in another diminsion, watching over and guiding those here on Earth. I have always believed it to be a myth," Dumbledore replied, somewhat uncertainly.

Doyle grinned. "Well, it's not. The Higher Powers, or PTB if you will, are very real, and I'm one of their agents. Originally, it was my job to keep charge of the lesser of the beings, the one's that spent their time time watching people they had left behind when they traveled to the PTB's dimension. However, I had spent a little time in this world myself, and I knew that WATCHING wasn't enough. These people needed help. So I went to my bosses and convinced them to allow me to experiment with sending in the flesh support systems. Basically, whenever I or my associates feel that someone has a good chance of changing the future for the better, that part's important, we send them hand-picked in-the-flesh back up, straight from the PTB."

"So, you're telling us that some sort of higher power thinks Harry is going to change the course of the future?" Mundungus asked incredulously. "That's a bit far-fetched isn't it? No offense Harry, but you're only fifteen."

Doyle looked at Mundungus in a way that clearly said, 'You are thick aren't you?' "Is it really? He's already done it once, at least. Defeating Voldemort was no small thing. Anyway, the Powers That Be know that Harry could defeat him again and they want him to have as much chance at it as possible. That's why Cordelia's here. She was chosen specifically to help Harry with the prophecy in any way she can."

Harry started. "You know about the prophecy TOO?" he said, with just a hint of anger. "Does EVERYONE know?"

"Of course not. The Powers know everything though, and they tell me what they think I need to know to do my job." Doyle said with laugh. Then he frowned. "It's kind of annoying, actually having someone else decide what you do and do not know."

"I know what you mean," Harry replied, with a glare at Dumbledore, who had the good sense to look slightly sheepish.

"Anyway, that's what's going on. And it's not just happening to Harry either. Right now we have over hundred people in the world who have people in their lives that were sent to them by us. In fact, just the other day I sent someone to a friend of mine and Cordy's."

Cordelia started and looked at Doyle. "You sent someone to Angel? Who? Oh, never mind. I know you won't tell me. So, do you all believe me now?"

Dumbledore nodded. "This is proof enough for me I suppose. Besides, as of yet, you have given us no reason to distrust you. I must confess, after watching you and Harry interact these past few minutes, I'm grateful that your story is true. You seem to fit together nicely."

"So I can stay then? And come with Harry when he goes back to school?"

"At the moment, I see no reason to object to that."

"Great. Then if you all don't mind we're going to go shopping, because I absolutely refuse to stay in these clothes until tomorrow," she turned to say good-bye to Doyle then and was surprised to see that he was already gone.

"Very well Ms. Chase, we will see you soon I'm sure. Mundungus, your shift is over now, you can go home."

"I can take the next shift. I'll see you at Headquarters in a few hours," Remus volunteered.

With that, Dumbledore, Kingsley, Tonks, and Mundungus apparated out leaving Cordelia, Harry, and Remus alone in the bedroom.

"Ugh. Thank the lord that's over. Now I can get new clothes. You and you wand had better come too, Professor, because I don't want Harry to have to go on trial again if we get into trouble of the magical variety. None of that invisibility cloak stuff though. I haven't liked knowing something was there and not being able to see them since that time with the freakazoid girl who tried to kill me in high school. Well, except for Dennis. Although his mother tried to kill me too, and I couldn't see her at first either."

Cordelia headed for the door, Harry on her heels, and then stopped so suddenly the boy almost ran into her. "I just realized the hole in my plan. If I want to get new clothes, that means me and my food covered butt have got to go out in PUBLIC looking like this. Unless. . ." She turned to Remus, and gave him a slightly flirtatious smile. "How about one of those scourgify charms?"

Cordelia, Remus, and Harry entered the living room. Harry had begged her to just leave a note, it wasn't like they would care anyway, but she was determined to make one last stab at having a polite relationship with the Dursleys. Dudley and Vernon were sitting in armchairs watching TV, while Petunia scrubbed furiously at the sofa. "Just wanted to let you know that Harry and I are going shopping now. We'll be back in a few hours. Oh, and Professor Lupin has guard duty, so he'll be staying here tonight as well," she said.

"Absolutely not!" Petunia bellowed, in a rather convincing impression of her husband. "I don't know who you think you are young lady, but you cannot, WILL NOT, come waltzing into MY home and take over as though you owned the place. That man is ill-kept and disgusting. He is a disgrace, and he ought to be ashamed of himself!"

Cordelia's eyes narrowed to slits and Remus and Harry took several steps away from her, knowing instinctively that this time she had been pushed too far. She picked up the object nearest to her, which happened to be Vernon and Petunia's wedding picture, and threw it with all of the force she could muster at the television. It hit so hard that both the frame and the television shattered. Then she lifted a potted plant from the table, and without a word, turned it upside down over Petunia's head. "I warned you. Nobody treats my friends, or Harry's, like that and gets away with it, even if it is their house. Oh, and call me 'young lady' one more time and I'll give you the face-lift you so obviously need anesthesia free. Got it?"

Later, as Cordelia, Harry, and Remus walked home from the mall, all loaded down with bags that mostly belonged to her, Remus pulled her aside for a quick word. "I just wanted to say thank you for earlier. It's been a long time since someone stood up for me like that."

"No problem. They've been pushing my buttons ever since I got here, and I just kind of snapped. Besides, I like you. You remind me of someone I used to know."

"That Wesley person you mentioned earlier?"

"Yeah, him too, but I was actually talking about Oz. He's a werewolf too."

Remus stopped in his tracks. "How did you know?"

"I found out when the PTBs were showing me Harry's life up in White World. I hope that's okay."

"It's fine, I guess. It's just, it doesn't bother you?"

"Of course not. Why would it?" she asked him, looking genuinely perplexed.

"It bothers most people. I can't even get a job anymore because of my condition."

"Well, that's just stupid. You're only a wolf for what, three nights a month, right? That's only about 360 hours a year. Like I'm really gonna judge you based solely on that. I mean, Angel was a vampire all the time, and I still lo. . ." Her voice trailed off and she got a far away look in her eyes. Then she cleared her throat and said, "I mean, he was still my best friend."

She sped up then so that she was walking with Harry. The two of them began to talk quietly, giving Remus a chance to think about what she had just said. Just who was this Cordelia Chase person that she knew a werewolf, multiple invisible people, and used to be friends with a vampire? And why had he gotten the distinct impression that she had been about to say she had loved said vampire?

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Thanks to: sibling, Imzadi, Pearl of the Moon, c-wolf, Story Book, Susan, TallieCat, sera, Lel, EverAfter-01, Feely, and Ridea for your reviews. I enjoyed getting each one of them and its because of you guys that I got through this difficult chapter and got it to you as quickly as I did. So, if you want to send some more reviews my way, I think I would be OK with that. . .

Next Chapter: Bonding time. Cordelia has a dream about the Fang Gang, the fabulous new dou heads to the Burrow, and Harry has his best birthday ever.