Author's Note: First, I would like to thank all of you who reviewed and my beta Chrisgrins...i get honorable mention! for editing. I was reading over this story and was trying to decide how many more chapters there were going to be. I sat down to outline the last chapters and I found out that I don't have many chapters left to this story at all. That can be seen as both good and bad. Bad for those of you who enjoy reading this story, and good because this is already the 47th chapter. As it is, there are only a few chapters left to be told, including this one. So sit back, read, and enjoy. I have a two stories lined up to write after this one is finished. I'll leave it up to you guys to decide which one I'll tackle first. They are listed below. I have more of the second one mapped out, but I want to see what you guys think. Let me know which one you would like to see first:

1) Buffy/Spike pairing. Non-crossover. Set both during both 6th and 3rd season of BtVS. When Buffy and Spike got together in S6 they mated/bonded and didn't hide it from everyone. They're relationship wasn't the violent relationship that Joss showed... it was only violent when they wanted it to be. but one night while patrolling, Buffy and Spike were thrust through a portal, only to find themselves in Sunnydale three years in the past. The question now is how do they return home without changing the future?

2) Buffy/Faith pairing. BtVS/HP crossover. Set during season 3 of BtVS and in an alt 7th year of HP. There is a prophecy against Voldemort involving twins. On the year the twins were foretold to be born, two sets were born instead of one. So instead of getting rid of one set of twins, Voldemort had one child of each set taken care of. 17 years later, both sets of twins are reunited and the prophecy begins to take action. It won't be long before Voldemort realizes this and tries to right his wrongs made 17 years ago.

A/N 2: I'd like you all to know that the battle I am speaking of in here is the war in the J.K. Rowling prophecy. It is entirely different because this universe is entirely different. And notice how I say battle, not war. I'l leave the actual war up to the all mighty J.K. Now on with the fic.

Previously on Phoenix Child:

"Spike's back?" Willow asked after everyone had stopped talking at once. And after Giles had finished cleaning his glasses.

"Yes... and no," Buffy replied, not sure of what their reactions would be.

"I don't understand," Willow asked. "How can Spike be back but not?"

"Two very good questions," Giles muttered, snatching a particular bottle of whiskey from behind one of the bookshelves.

"Spike's alive," Buffy said again, as if that would clear everything up.

"So dead boy junior's back," Xander said. "What's the difference?"

"No," Buffy said exasperatingly. "Spike's alive. He's alive."

For several moments not a word was said.

"Oh, dear Lord."

Chapter 47

Three weeks had gone by, and not much progress was made. The Scooby Gang and the Order had been researching non-stop, but to no avail. No one yet knew why and how Spike had become human again, no one knew just what Voldemort had up his sleeves, and Ron still hadn't asked out Hermione. The last one had nothing to do with the research party that had been non-stop for three weeks, but there was still no progress.

The Death Eaters and Voldemort had been constantly attacking Buffy and Faith. It could be said that he was attacking the slayers, but they were the only two who were being attacked by the likes of them. The rest of the slayers were practically ignored by His Uglyness and his followers. Harry hadn't gotten attacked as of yet, but his scar was hurting like hell and he had been having constant dreams about Voldemort and the upcoming war. Harry's dreams showed fragments here and there, but no solid scenes. From what Harry was able to piece together from his dreams, Voldemort was either going to give the wizarding world cake and sing karaoke, or he was raising a powerful army of demons. The Scooby Gang and the Order were researching and trying to figure out what demons were being brought together, but unfortunately Harry couldn't make out many clear descriptions from what he had seen. Or not seen in this case.

The only thing their combined organization had so far was that no Pagt'hcar and DuRounthian demons were involved. A handful of other demons were also scratched off the list, but that was only because they were either harmless, peaceful, or extinct. The only thing they could do right now was research, and lots of it. If only they could get more information out of Harry, then at least they wouldn't be trying to find a microscopic needle in all of Kansas.

"Harry," Dumbledore called his name. "Is there anything else you can remember about the demons that Voldemort is bringing together? Anything at all? It could be of great importance. Try to remember."

"I already told you," Harry told the headmaster. "They were a greyish-green color, skeletal, with black eyes, and looked about as big as Hagrid... Oh, and they kind of smelled like sulfur. Weird."

"That's almost as bad as Buffy's descriptions of demons." Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them... again. Then he added under his breath, "At least we can all be thankful he didn't use 'yuck' and 'gross' in describing them. Then it really would be the end of the world."

Unfortunately for Giles, Buffy heard better than most people. She was the Slayer after all.

"Hey!" Buffy shouted at her watcher, gaining everyone's attention. "I heard that."

"Well, you weren't meant to," Giles retorted.

"Um," Harry appeared confused, looking between the two. "Heard what? Am I missing something? I didn't hear anything."

"You wouldn't have," Xander said from his spot across the room, looking up from a large and dusty book. "She's got super hearing. Like Superman. It's all part of the slayer package. I'm still trying to figure out what she does with her cape."

"Cape?" Someone asked, equally confused, before turning to where Buffy sat. "You have a cape?"

"No, I don't have a cape," Buffy informed them, obviously irritated by Xander's comment as she turned to glare at him.

The room of mismatched people were quiet for a while after Buffy's death glare to her friend, but silence between this group of people was never meant to be. At least not for a prolonged period of time.

"You're right," Willow spoke up. "That's it."

"Excuse me?" Buffy turned to her. "I do not have a cape."

"No," Willow said. "Not the cape. Earlier. What Giles said."

"Okay," Buffy said. "Now I'm just taking offense."

"No, the first thing he said," Willow said, trying to clear the confusion up. "About what Harry said being like something you would say."

"Okay," Buffy drawled out. "And that's it how?"

"Well," Willow started to explain. "If anyone's going to find the demons Harry saw the V-guy bringing together then it's you. So start with the researching."

Buffy reached for a book and started casually flipping through the pages as if it were a children's book. She knew Willow's resolve face when she saw it and she knew it meant business. So for now she figured she'd humor her until someone found some useful information on the demons.

"Willow," Dumbledore said. "I don't think it will be that easy, as it is we hardly have any information on what to look for."

"I'm afraid he's right, Willow," Giles added. "That description can fit for many demons. And even if Buffy were to find it, there's no telling how long it could take."

Dumbledore looked like he was going to add on to what Giles had to say, but Buffy didn't seem to notice. She was too engrossed in her book.

"Found it," Buffy stated, holding the book up to Harry. "These your demons?"

"Um," Harry said, taking a good look at the picture. "Yeah. Wouldn't forget those faces anywhere."

"Cool," Buffy said, bookmarking the page. "Research is done. I say we party."

"How did you-" Dumbledore began.

"Buffy-" Giles began the same time as the headmaster.

Buffy effectively cut them both off.

"You're right," Buffy pouted. "Partying is for after the killing. Planning is before. So how do we kill these things? They're really gross looking and I never was a fan of lots of salt."

"What did the description say?" Giles asked his slayer. "There might be something in there to help us kill them."

"I don't know," Buffy said. "I didn't read it."

"Why didn't you? I know this isn't the first time you've helped research."

"The book's in some weird language," Buffy explained. "I can't make out a word of it."

"Then why were you looking at it?" Moody asked her, severely confused.

"There were lots of pictures," she told him.

"Oh," he said.

"Buffy," Giles said, getting back on topic. "May I see the passage on the demon."

"Yeah, sure," Buffy said, handing it to him. "Here it is."

"Thank you," Giles said, looking at the language.

"It appears to be some cousin of Sumarian," Giles informed everyone while taking out a pen and paper. "Give me a minute to translate this."

Everyone held they're breath while Giles wrote furiously while reading. Well, everyone except the Scooby Gang. They just chatted mindlessly among themselves. To them this was a natural occurrence. Finally, after what seemed like eternity for the Order and only a few minutes for the Scoobies, Giles stopped writing.

"Well, it was not a usual description," Giles said. "It's a prophecy."

"Damn it," Buffy groaned as the entire Scooby gang slumped in their chairs. "Not another one."

"Yes, well," Giles said. "That's besides the point right now. Here's what it says:

'Through seasons time and past,

The halfling shall come forth at last.

One warrior thrice times born,

Shall aid him of not yet scorned.

One the eve of 12 past 2,

The current laws will never do.

The lands of old will start to quake,

Leaving the Ooblungalds in it's wake.

One of light and dark will not fail,

And the side they fight will prevail."

Once again, all was silent as everyone took it all in. The problem was, hardly anyone knew what it was even about.

"So..." Xander began.

speak

"Yeah," Buffy finished. Willow just nodded her agreement.

The Order was completely lost.

"Mind explaining that to the rest of us who don't speak prophecy?" Galiana asked Giles.

Giles, of course, began to help. "It's fairly quite simple. It's just a puzzle really, a riddle. You just need to reword it. 'One warrior thrice times born' refers to Buffy."

"How do you figure?" Someone asked him.

"Because I've died," Buffy stated as if she were ordering a glass of ice water at a bar that served nothing but water.

"You died!" Remus was shocked as were most of the Order.

"Only twice," Buffy said. "It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal," Remus said.

"But two times, not three," another voice said.

"It's simple really," Giles started again. "She was born into this world and her soul was reborn into it after each time she... erm, died."

"And she is to help Harry in the war," Dumbledore added. "'Him of not yet scorned.' Voldemort has tried on several occasions to kill him but has never succeeded."

"Ooh!" Willow said. "And the quake must be an earthquake, which is right before those demons come out."

"And the 'one of light and dark' is..." Xander trailed off, realizing who it referred to. The rest of the Scooby Gang looked forlorn as well.

"What?" One of the aurors asked. "Who is it?"

"It's-" Xander started before Willow cut him off.

"It's me," she said with downcast eyes before turning to Giles. "That's too much pressure. You know I don't do well under pressure. I don't want to be the deciding factor."

"It's okay, Wills," Buffy said, putting an arm around her friend. "We'll all be there with you the entire time."

"Thanks," Willow told her. "Afterwards I want ice cream, and lots of it. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Wonderful," Snape barked at them. "Now can we get onto the matter at hand? We still don't know when this battle is going to take place."

"Actually, we do," Dumbledore spoke up. "'On the eve of 12 past 2' is..."

"Oh dear Lord," Giles said while cleaning his glasses once again. "That's..."

"Tomorrow night," Remus finished for him.

T.B.C.