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.

Warning: Minor spoilers in this chapter for "A Whole In the World," "Shells," "Origin," and "Power Play."

Late one night, Cordelia crept silently down the stairs of the Dursley house and into the kitchen. She had been there for about a month now, and in that time she and Harry had become close friends. Since she already knew everything about Harry from her time in the white room, they spent a lot of time discussing the bits of her California life she had been willing to tell him about. Understandably, although still to Cordelia's disgust and slight jealousy, Harry felt a strong connection to Buffy, able to understand exactly how she felt about being chosen for a destiny she had no control over.

After her epic sofa-ruining, TV-breaking, flower pot-upending tantrum on her first night here, the Dursleys had smartened up and left both her and her young charge alone, so this was definitely the best summer Harry had ever had. However, that did not stop Cordelia from instructing Hedwig to leave owl droppings on Vernon's car whenever Harry wrote letters to his friends.

Yes, all in all she was very happy here, except for the nights, like tonight, when she couldn't sleep, which was why she was rummaging in the freezer for ice cream when Harry's voice interrupted the quiet of the dark kitchen.

"Hey, Cordy. Couldn't sleep again? I keep telling you, you should take the bed and give me the air mattress. Or, better yet, we could both share the bed," he said, grinning mischievously.

"Dream on, Boy Wonder. Besides, it wasn't the mattress."

Harry frowned, his teasing mood disappearing instantly. "Oh. Did you have your dream again? Are you okay?"

"No. Well, sort of. It was different this time. I mean, all that stuff about Fred dying and Illyria was still there, and the stuff about Wes remembering Connor. There was more this time though. They were planning to take out some group called the Circle of the Black Thorn, and I have this really bad feeling that it's a monumentally stupid thing to do. God, I wish I could go back, if only just to smack them all upside the head for agreeing to take over the stupid law firm in the first place. Morons."

"So you still think this is all real then?"

"Yeah. Damn Powers."

The room was silent for a long time before Harry finally cleared his throat and said, in a slightly strangled voice, "You're not going to leave me, are you? I mean, I know they're your friends, and you love them, but. . ." he trailed off, unsure of how to finish the sentence.

"I love you too, Harry. I know I've only known you for a little while, but you're still my family, and you're enough for me now. I'm not going anywhere." She smiled then and changed the subject abruptly, like she always did when he asked her if she wanted Angel and the others back. "And hey, who knows. Maybe when we go to The Burrow tomorrow for your birthday I'll fall madly in love. Snape sounds like he's just my type, tall, dark, and broody." Harry made an odd sort of choking noise and Cordelia gave him cheeky grin. "You are too easy, kiddo. That one works every time."

"You said that just to annoy me didn't you?"

"That, and to assault your mind with horrible mental images in revenge for the 'Or we could both share the bed' comment."

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The next morning Cordelia and Harry stood alone in the living room of Privet Drive and waited for the fireplace to be activated so they could Floo to The Burrow. The Dursleys were cowering upstairs in fear, probably recalling the last time someone had used their fireplace to travel, and the resulting mess.
"Harry, what time is it?"

"Thirty seconds after the last time you asked me that. What's wrong with you?"

"Sorry. I'm just nervous. I really didn't think I would be, but I'm meeting all of your friends that I haven't already met at once. There will be judging of the Cordy. That's a little nerve-wracking. Do I look all right?" She turned to face him and then grinned. "What am I saying? Of course I do."

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes, although he wasn't quite able to keep a smile off his face. "Yes, you look fine." Then, seeing the look on her face he quickly amended, "Great. You look great. Sorry. Great."

"Ah, I've taught you well. What time is it?"

This time he did roll his eyes. "It's 10:10 now, so the fireplace should be hooked up. I'll go first, so you can see how it's done. Don't forget to hold tight to your suitcase."

After Harry went through the flames Cordelia took a deep breath, stepped in the fireplace, threw down the Floo powder, and yelled, "The Burrow."

It was a sensation like she'd never felt before, but it lasted only a moment and then she was tumbling with absolutely no grace whatsoever onto a hard floor. She heard a sickening snapping sound and moaned, "Oh, no. That did NOT sound good. I can't bear to look. Harry, are my shoes OK?"

"Yes, Cordy, they're fine." Harry managed to choke out between his own guffaws and over the laughter of the room's other occupants.

"Well, then stop pretending to be a hyena and help me up, would you?"

A strong hand closed around hers and she felt herself being pulled to her feet. Her eyes snapped open and she grinned, "Hello, salty goodness."

Laughter filled the room once more and the red-haired man holding her hand blushed. "Hello, Ms. Chase. It's very nice to meet you. Harry's written a lot about you in his letters to Ron. I'm Charlie Weasley by the way."

"Charlie. Dragons. Right, I know who you are," she smiled briefly at him and then whirled to face Harry. "Stop laughing right now unless you WANT me to tell them about you falling into the tea display at the coffee house when that girl with the belly ring smiled at you! Whoops, sorry, too late," she said, giving him what Harry had come to recognize was her evil grin.

"Now, Cordy, if you did that, I'd have to tell all these nice people that you just met what your hair looks like first thing in the morning."

"You wouldn't!" she gasped, before grinning. "Oh, what am I saying? Of course you would."

Remus stepped forward from the crowd and said loudly, "If you two will please stop before this turns into one of your ridiculously long insult tradeoffs, we have a birthday to celebrate, not to mention there are quite a few people waiting to be properly introduced to Cordelia."

Harry and Cordelia shared a look, then turned to him with grins eerily reminiscent of Fred and George, and Remus knew immediately he should have just let them bicker it out.

"Geez, Cordy. Wonder what's the matter with Lupin? It usually takes at least twenty minutes to annoy him."

"I don't know Harry. Must be close to that time of the month though, cause someone is DEFINITELY suffering from Pre-Werewolf Syndrome. "

Remus blushed a bright red and hung his head, muttering something about, "Not until the end of the week," and Cordelia took pity on him. She marched over to where he stood, looped an arm around his neck and said, "C'mon Remus, you know you love us. Now introduce me to your wizard buddies since Harry apparently wants to do nothing but embarrass me."

"Right, of course. Cordelia Chase meet Molly and Arthur Weasley, their children, Bill, Charlie you know, Fred, George, though I'm not sure which is which, Ron, and Ginny. These four over here are Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Dean Thomas. Oh, and those two hiding over in the corner are Arabella Figg, whom I imagine you've met, and Alastor Moody. Everyone else you know. Dumbledore, Tonks, Kingsley, and Mundungus."

"What's everyone doing here? Is there an Order meeting?" Harry asked, looking around the room in surprise.

"Well, yes. Later," said Molly. "Really though, everyone is here to celebrate your birthday."

Harry's eyes widened. "You all came for my birthday? Wow, that's cool. I've never had a real party just for me before."

The room fell silent for several seconds after that until Cordelia finally shocked them by saying what they'd all been thinking. Well, sort of. "Damn Dursleys. Wish I could sic Angel on them for a sound thrashing. Harry, remind me to break Dudley's computer when we get back."

"Ah, yes. I believe that is my cue to give you your first birthday gift Harry," Dumbledore said. "I have decided that due to the presence of your new guardian, you may leave the Dursleys early this year. You are to spend the rest of the week with the Weasleys and then you and Ms. Chase will be traveling onto Hogwarts."

"Awesome! Wait a minute, why am I going back to school so early? Not that I'm not happy, 'cause I am, but why?"

"I believe that explanation can wait. As Remus said, we have a birthday to celebrate. Not to mention, I believe your friends are rather eager to spend some time with you. They were most insistent that they be allowed to attend your party. Although I suspect in Mr. Thomas' case, it might have more to do with a certain Miss Weasley," Dumbledore finished with a twinkle in his eye.

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Later that night Harry, the Weasleys, Cordelia, Dumbledore, and the Order members sat around the table waiting for Snape to arrive so the meeting could begin. Hermione, Neville, Luna, and Dean had already flooed home. At last the fireplace flared green and he stepped out into the room.

Dumbledore stood and clapped his hands together. "Ah, good Severus, you've arrived. Now we can begin the meeting. Harry, Ron, Ginny, if you could wait upstairs, we'll call you down when we are through."

Harry stared at Dumbledore in shock. After everything that had happened last year the headmaster was still not going to allow him to take part in meetings? Had he not learned that concealing information did no good? After the fiasco in the ministry, after Sirius, after the damn PROPHECY, he was still going to treat Harry like a child? "Professor, I really thi. . ."

"I will not hear any arguments Harry. Ms. Chase will be staying, and I assure she will inform you of all you need know."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but turned instead to his guardian who was staring at Dumbledore as though she would like very much to hit him. "Cordy?"

Cordelia stared at Dumbledore for several moments, trying to decide what to do. Finally, she turned her gaze to Harry and said, "Go. I'll take care of it, I promise."

Harry grunted in defeat and then turned and followed Ron and Ginny up the stairs.

Trying to break the awkward silence that had settled over the room since Harry's exit, Bill Weasley cleared his throat and said, "Ah, this is the woman we've been hearing so much about sir," he said, gesturing from Snape to Cordelia. "Professor Snape meet Ms. Chase, Harry's er, guardian."

Cordelia grinned at Bill. "You don't have to call me that you know. I'm not that much older than you. In fact, I may be younger. It's just Cordelia."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, well now that you've met everyone Cordelia, perhaps. . ." he never got a chance to finish whatever he was going to say though, because the young woman in question spun to face him.

"You, however, can call me Ms. Chase," she bit out angrily. At the shocked look on his face she softened a little and continued, "Look, I get that you're Wizard Giles or whatever, and I respect that, I really do. In all matters of Voldemort, magic, and Death Eaters I will happily defer to you. However, when it comes to Harry I'm in charge. Actually, scratch that. HARRY and I are in charge. I was sent here to take care of him, and that's what I'm going to do. You sir, have been replaced."

A shocked silence filled the room for several minutes. No one had EVER spoken to Dumbledore that way. Well, except Fudge, but he was a blustering idiot. This woman was something else. Surprisingly, it was Molly Weasley who broke the silence.

"You haven't the slightest clue what you are talking about. You don't know about what goes on in this world, or what the Death Eaters are capable of. It is not something a child should be exposed to."

"That's just it though! Harry's not a child. Not really. Sure, he's only sixteen, but he's faced Voldemort five times and lived through it. Not only lived through it, but thwarted his plans and set him back who knows how far each time. How many of you can say that? None of you."

Molly was getting angry now. "With all due respect dear, it's not up to you. You do not have the authority. . ."

"With all due respect MOLLY, do not tell me what I do or do not have the authority to do. And don't call me dear. Anyway, I won't tell you how to raise your kids, except that's not actually true, becauseI so would, but still!Don't tell me how to raise Harry. What happened last year might not have happened if Harry had had more information. That's not even the real issue though. No matter what you all do, in the end it all comes down to Harry. He's the one who's got to defeat Voldemort. The more information he has, the better prepared he'll be. If you won't let him in the Order then I'll simply report everything to him word for word."

Remus stood and laid his hands on her shoulders. "And if you will not allow Cordelia to join the Order now, then I will report everything to both her and Harry."

The room was silent for several seconds going over what Cordelia had just said. As much as they hated to admit it, they had all heard the prophecy, and they knew she was right. Dumbledore raised a weary head and sighed. "Very well. Harry Potter shall be admitted into the Order of the Phoenix."

"Brilliant!" came a shout from upstairs. Harry appeared at the head of the stairs looking slightly sheepish and holding a flesh colored string. "Sorry. Extendable ears. Couldn't resist. Thanks Cordy. Lupin, thanks."

"No problem, Boy Wonder."

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Later that night, Dumbledore sat alone in his office pondering the mystery of one very impertinent woman from California. He had watched her with Harry all day long and there seemed to be genuine affection there. Not to mention she had made friends, good friends with Lupin. She made the werewolf smile and laugh, really laugh. That was something that was rare to begin with, and something Dumbledore had feared he would never see again after Sirius' death. No matter how much he disagreed with her opinions or was hurt by her usurping of his authority she seemed to genuinely have the young boy's best interest at heart. He truly hoped, that for Harry's sake at least, Cordelia Chase was exactly what she said she was.

However, he couldn't help but feel that he had accepted her story a little too quickly. After all if Barty Crouch, Jr. could fool him into believing he was one of the Headmaster's closest friends, who was to say a total stranger couldn't pull one over on him as well? He wanted to trust her, he really did. But he had been wrong before, too many times, about Quirrell, Pettigrew, Sirius, Crouch. He couldn't risk being wrong again. Not now.

Therefore, when Cordelia and Harry arrived at Hogwarts next week he was going to have to take some extreme measures to find out just who this woman was, and if he could trust her.

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Note to reviewers: Whew! Did you think I was never getting this chapter out? I'm very sorry it took so long. However, it kept being too fluffy. Hopefully, I fixed that. Anyway, I'll try to have the next one out soon. Thanks to Damia-Queen of the Gypsi's, sibling, Pearl of the Moon, Story Book, EverAfter-01, Tap Dancing Widow, spacecatdet, c-wolf, sired-by-spike, Ped, The Lady Morgaine (twice), Ridea, thsutton, IsiwaruOfCkaloatia, tina7610813 (twice), Eternal Dragon101, hi, Night Essence, Boo, rcaqua, and AnimeHanyou39 for their wonderful and inspiring reviews. Wow! 23 reviews for one chapter. Hope I get that many this time. . . No, seriously, thanks.

Next Chapter: Molly and Cordelia have a heart-to-heart, the duo (and a few surprises) head to Hogwarts, and Dumbledore sets his mysterious plans for everybody's favorite "dead" half-demon seer into motion.