Author: emptyfirefly

Summary: With her father's abandonment leaving fresh tears in her eyes, Buffy sets out to find the family that she never knew. But what she'll find in this journey goes far past blood kin, but to respect for life, pain, and understanding when the triumph is complete. Perhaps while defeating a baddy along the way!

Rating: PG13

Timeline wise: Just after "Dead Man's Party" in Season 3 of Buffy, and after book 4, the book 5 stuff is yet to happen!

Spoilers: Season 2, some for future seasons, on Harry Potter anything before book 5, however I am ripping the book to shreds; don't rely on anything!

Warnings: Violence, bit of language

Pairings: Buffy/Weasly(but which one. Which one.) Xander/Cordy, Willow/Oz, Ron/Hermione, Harry/wouldn't you like to know?

Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the plot (which rocks, by the way)

Empty Places

Prologue: Tough Love

1981

Severus Snape stared blankly at the bundle in his sister's arms. "What is it?"

Gillian scowled at him, then gazed down at the gorgeous baby. "'It' as you so fondly put it, is the newest addition to the Snape family!"

Severus frowned, "Don't you mean the… actually who is the father?"

"Someone that you know… Diggory Potter." Gillian finished the sentence quickly, waiting for the onslaught which inevitably came.

"POTTER! DIGGORY "PONCY" POTTER? Gill, what the Hell were you thinking?" Severus shot up from his seat and began pacing the room, throwing his hands around in the attempt to conjure up proof of how horrible it was.

Gillian rolled her eyes and put the baby back into the cradle, her hand lingering there momentarily, her silence bothering her brother highly.

"Don't you understand what you've DONE? What this will do? What this could mean to-"

"To what Sev?" Gillian interrupted, anger growing steadily in her veins. "To your precious position with 'my Lord'? Yeah, I heard about that!" she added at Severus's stunned expression. "And for your information… I'm not keeping the baby."

There was a pause as Severus accepted the information into his system. "It's that Potter's idea isn't it?" his voice came out very low and menacing, a far worse thing than his yelling in Gillian's eyes. "He's forcing you to give up the child."

"No he isn't Sev. Come on, you know the position I'm in! Mother and father don't want it, I'm only 20; I'm just starting to reach somewhere with my creations, and Diggory… he's dead. There isn't much of a choice!" Gillian shook her head, the memory of Diggory still sharp in her mind. "Anyway, the point is that muggle adoption is the best thing, the best life, that I can offer!"

Severus nodded and was about to sit down when something struck him. "Wait… Muggle adoption?"

"Yeah, muggle." Something outside the window caught Gillian's eye and she walked over to investigate. "Everyone knows me in our world, and then there's the whole danger of meeting…"

Gillian was about to walk away from the window when there was a flash and she looked closer.

Severus, on the other hand, was so busy with his own thoughts he didn't notice her strange behaviour. "You have had a lot of negativity around your discoveries."

"Exactly! Now there's something I wanted to do this weekend-"

However, what Gillian Jasper Snape wanted to do that weekend was never discovered, because at that precise moment there's was a shout of 'Jehanespra' and Gillian fell to the floor.

Severus ran over to her, his ice-y composure was once again broken by his older sister.

"Oh God, what should I do? Gill? I don't know how to counter it! Should I-"

"Sev, I need to ask something of you." Gillian whispered, her voice surprisingly loud in the leftover quiet. "Look out for the baby, just make sure it's happy."

"I will." Severus whispered, his eyes momentarily flicking towards the cradle.

"And give it a good name." Gillian suddenly lurched up and whispered two words in Severus' ear before collapsing, her heart stopped.

Severus stared at her body for minutes, which felt like hours, before walking to the cradle and taking the little baby girl in his arms. I'll see what I can do won't I, Buffy Anne?"