Disclaimer: Ok, by now if you haven't figured out that i'm not J.K. Rowling or Joss Whedon, then you're even slower on the up take than i am.

Chapter 3: Explanations

"So let me get this straight. You were best friends with these two guys...Harry and uhh...Ron, right? Yeah and you went on all these adventures throughout your little wizarding school because this Voldy guy kept trying to either become immortal or kill Harry. Oh and you hated him but now you're friends cause you found out he wasn't willing to be tattooed. Then on graduation, you had to go and fight this guy and his army of Death dudes. Right?" Xander questioned two hours, thirty seven minutes and fifteen seconds after the mini battle in the waiting room.

"Yeah. That's the story of my life in nut shell. So how about you all. Finding out you're the Slayer at fifteen, having to fight demons and vampires for seven years, doing everything from killing your boyfriend to dying just to do your job. And then there are the rest of you, learning magic the hard way, sticking with your friends through all the hard times. That takes guts when you have nothing to defend yourself with." Hermione was blown away by these people's story.

"There's only one thing I don't understand. Why'd you leave? It sounded like you were ready to die for them."

"Well, I had seen too much. I saw Hannah Abbot fall to her death, the Creevey brothers fighting like men when the odds were stacked against them, Justin Flinch-Fletchery take the Killing Curse to save his friend. During the battle I didn't think, I just did. But afterwards, when I saw the carnage, I had to think about what I'd done, who I'd killed. I saw people's bodies mangled and bruised, so many of them were my friends, or at the very least my classmates." Hermione's eyes glistened with unshed tears but her resolve was firm, she had to tell her story. "I had gotten separated from Harry and Ron during the battle and I needed to find them, to know they were alright. I climbed over people, trying not to disturb the bodies, and when the smoke cleared, I saw a figure. He was on his knees in front of a fallen body. I knew it was Harry. I walked over to him and saw that his stare was vacant, his body hurt and his resolve shattered. I looked down and saw that the body was Ron's. The emotions were so overpowering. I felt lost and broken and afraid and everything all at once. I fell to my knees beside Harry and wept. I couldn't believe he was gone. I loved him and never got the chance to tell him." Hermione was openly crying now, and the room was silent except for her cries. Each was thinking about all their battles and what they had done.

"Once we buried the bodies of the fallen comrades, there was no reminder. The field was tarnished and burned in some places, but it could be used for Quiddich in a few years. The graves would be marked but it would never be like that day. I had let my emotions out about Ron, but Harry never did. It seemed that Harry had no emotions left. He was no longer the boy I once knew; he was the man I didn't want to meet. I couldn't take living in that world any longer. I had lost my best friend, and was watching the other fade before my very eyes. The day I left, Harry didn't even know it was me that was leaving. His eyes used to hold some spark, even at his lowest, but now they held none. All he ever did after the battle, was mope around his house, never seeing the light of day. Ginny, his girlfriend, took care of him, but his lack of feeling was slowly destroying her as well. Even if she wanted to leave, she never could. Her last promise to her brother was to take care of him, and she wouldn't take it back. I didn't want to be that person, so I left. I know it was cowardly but I couldn't do it anymore."

Hermione ended her speech, folding into herself, thinking about what she should've done, what she could've done. The room was silent. Draco was the first to break it. "Well...I know this is still tender for you but...umm...we need you back. That's why I came to find you. The Order sent me."

Hermione's head shot up at the mention of the Order. "Why? What's happened?"

"We have a new threat. Not Voldemort or Death Eaters, but worse. A group of people called the Keepers have decided to make it their initiative to create a new society run by themselves. They aren't large in number but have a lot of power. We think they may want to kill Harry because he stopped Voldemort, however Harry is in no shape to fight anyone. He is too shattered. We need you to come back and help him. Even if he isn't the deciding factor, he is still a moral booster to the wizarding world."

"How do you know about these people, the Keepers?" Willow asked.

"The Order have been keeping an eye on them for several years, and after the Last Battle, they made themselves known. I guess they thought that the wizarding world was weakened, and now was the perfect opportunity." Draco answered.

"The Keepers...the Keepers...hold on a second." Giles said before getting up to leave the room. He came back a few minutes later with a huge book. "I knew I had heard that name before. They are an occultist group that has popped up over the centuries. They believe that their way is the right way and try to impose their will on weakened societies. There have only been a few cases of them showing up in the real world, normally they work with demons and vampires. Napoleon and Hitler were members." Giles explained.

"They were demons? So that's why they were so difficult to defeat." Buffy commented.

"No, they weren't demons." Fred said. This was the first time she had spoken. "The Keepers have a society made up of people, demons, vampires, and wizards. What makes them so powerful is their unity. You destroy one of them, you hurt them all, and if you kill enough, you should be able to destroy them."

"Yes, well Mcgonagall won't let me explain to you everything until you are back at headquarters. Listen I know it will be hard for you but you are the most clever witch I know and it was really hard on all of us when you left. Perhaps giving Harry something to fight for will help him but he needs a familiar face, a reason to fight," Draco explained.

"You had me at 'we need you back'. Of course, I'll come. It's my duty as a witch but more so as a friend."

Gunn shifted from his position to stand in front of the door, blocking their exit. "As touching as your story is, and as much as I want to let him go, I can't." As Hermione and Draco opened their mouths to protest, he finished, "He's still a wanted man here. Until the girl's death here is cleared up, he's not leaving L.A."

Hermione and Draco looked at each other before Draco said, "Look, like I told you before, I can't lie. My father, and I use that term loosely, put a charm on me to prevent me from ever lying to him. When I got older and my magical ability heightened, he altered the charm so I couldn't lie to anyone ever. Even the smallest lie is like the cruciatus curse to me."

At the disbelieving looks, he muttered under his breath, "Weasley would've loved this," before stating in a loud and clear voice, "The slayer is nothing but a myth." Immediately after those words left his lips, his body began to contort with pain. He tried to curl into fetal position but even that was too much. His screams echoed off the walls, changing in pitch as the pain came and went from his body. Glistening tears dropped from his eyes and his face was one distorted. His cheeks were flushed and veins throbbed in his forehead. He gripped at his head trying to rip the pain from its source.

Everyone was taken aback by the scene before them, all except Hermione, who had seen this once before and the Torture Curse performed many times on the battle field that day. She ran to his side, gripped his hands so he wouldn't hurt himself further, and brought his head close to hers. She whispered words into his ear, and slowly the pain receded. His screams lessoned and the tears stopped until only harsh breathing could be heard.

The others' faces were a mix of fear and worry, but everyone understood. There was no mistaking the pain and torture that was in that man's screams. It had ripped through them all because each had heard those screams at least once in their lives, some physically, others only in their nightmares. Understanding shown in their eyes, and Gunn stepped away from the door.

"Thank you," Hermione said as she helped Draco to his feet and headed towards the door.

Just as they were almost to the elevator, they heard a female voice say from behind, "Wait!" They both turned and saw Buffy hurrying towards them. "Listen. I can't help you in your fight, not yet, but since you're going to England, could we join you? I need to reorganize everything, especially my life." There a pleading quality in her voice, and Hermione was able to see the desperation in her eyes. This girl had lost everything and yet she still wanted to fight, just not this one. She knew she was needed and that was enough. She, like Harry, needed a battle to be able to get up in the morning.

"I don't know why not. Just meet up at my place tomorrow."

Well, that's all for now. The story will pick up, i just needed to get some stuff out of the way. so stay with me...please.