Ok, new chapter finally up. Yes, this is going to be a Buffy/Harry pairing, but it's going to be kind of different.

magicscales- I did do a rather bad job with the reactions. I didn't really factor them into the story in my impatience to post that chapter. But I'm going to explain Harry's reaction in this chapter and probably Buffy's in the chapter after this one. I might do Willow's too, but only if I find a way to fit it into the story.

Tell me what you thought of this chapter! I had a hard time writing it, but hopefully it came out right.

Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite

Harry had tried to help Dawn set up the couch, but she was having none of it. "No, you're the guest, I'll set it up, thank you very much" she said as she swatted Harry's hands away. "Alright, you win" Harry said resignedly. "But if you really want to help me, you could explain to me this whole slayer deal.

"You don't know?" Dawn asked incredulously. "Buffy invited you to be our guest, but you don't know her job description? I mean, obviously you're a wizard and you know about demons, so what's the excuse?"

"Well, apparently she thought I was something called a watcher, so we didn't exactly hit it off. Buffy didn't really explain the whole slaying thing except to say that she's some sort of chosen demon hunter. I don't think she really wants me here," Harry said, suddenly uncomfortable.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Oh Buffy, ever the drama queen. I can't really blame her though, I mean, you are British."

"What does being British have to do with anything?" Was Buffy some sort of weird, anti-British person?

"Well, the guys at the Watchers Council are sort of Buffy's former bosses. And they didn't exactly end their business relationship on a good note."

"Obviously," Harry said, gingerly touching his neck.

"Wow, there's a lot Buffy hasn't told you" Dawn said. "Sit down, this is gonna take a while…"

An hour later, Harry still couldn't believe it. Of course, Dawn hadn't given him the whole story. She had left out or shortened the worst and most personal moments. How Angel had gotten his moment of true happiness, for instance. It was still hard for her to talk about Buffy's death and resurrection though. She didn't tell Harry about finding Buffy's broken body and knowing that it was all her fault she was dead. Or finding her after the resurrection, so lost and alone, her knuckles still bleeding from punching through her coffin. Or that Buffy had been in heaven. Ok, I left out a lot. So sue me. This wasn't my story to tell anyway.

After that, Harry lay awake thinking about what he had learned. God, this girl had been through a lot. And she died! Twice! Oh, and her sister is a magical key. Suddenly the things Buffy had said in the graveyard made sense. He remembered the pain and loneliness in her eyes, suddenly feeling a kindred spirit in her. How many times had he cursed that prophecy and his destiny, wondered if being Harry Potter was the thing that would get his friends killed.

Harry tossed uncomfortably on the couch. He couldn't seem to fall asleep. First he fluffed up his pillow, but then the blanket was too itchy, so he threw that off in irritation. Ouch! he thought as he became aware of something digging into his back. Sticking his hand between the cushions, Harry extracted the stake that Dawn had been whittling earlier. He tossed the offensive weaponry on the ground and got off of the couch all together. He couldn't sleep and he needed to gather his thoughts anyway.

Ok, so what do I know so far? Harry wondered. The hellmouth has its very own slayer guarding it. Why hadn't anyone at the ministry told him that? Harry smelled a rat. The Ministry had to have known about a force as old and as powerful as the slayer. By all rights, Buffy should have been well known. According to Dawn, she departed radically from the path of the traditional slayer. Harry made a mental note to owl Hermione and ask her what she knew about the slayer. And he wouldn't report his findings to the Ministry just yet.

Harry padded lightly across the floor, on the way to the kitchen for a glass of water. On his way, he noticed the pictures on the mantel and stopped to study them. One showed Dawn, Buffy and who he believed was their mother. All three were wearing santa hats and grinning lopsidedly at the camera. So this is what a happy Buffy looks like, Harry noted. Another showed Buffy, an older man with glasses and Xander barbecuing in the backyard. Xander was giving a thumbs up sign and Buffy had given him bunny ears while tossing her other arm out in a theatrical manner. In the last picture, Buffy, Willow and Xander all sat together, their arms across each other's shoulders. They looked so young, so happy…so innocent. He was struck by how much they reminded him of himself, Ron and Hermione.

"Those were the days."

Harry spun around, surprised and embarrassed. Buffy stood in front of him, a small smile on her lips. "I didn't mean…sorry" Harry stated lamely.

"It's alright. It's been a long time since I looked at these pictures. Buffy picked up the last picture and held it gingerly. "This was taken when we were sixteen." She laughed. "Let's see, that was after the Master, before Angelus and between apocalypses!" She wasn't bitter. The Master, Angelus, every big bad that came after them, tethered her to this world, gave her something tangible to fight. It was easy to kick evil ass. It was a little harder to kick post-post mortem depression.

Harry smiled back at her. "You and your mates…you remind me of my friends."

"Really?" Buffy asked. "That's nice. My friends have always been the ones to keep me keep me going, keep me alive (quite literally actually)."

"Of course" Harry said. He understood this. "My friends are probably the only reason I'm alive too."

"Our friends, our family, they're the reasons that we keep going, keep fighting. I don't know about you Harry, but that's my motivation. For them." A beam of light from a passing car fell upon Buffy's face, but came and went like a flickering candle. Her face was hidden in the darkness again, except for the glimmer of her eyes. "Keep them close, you never know when things will change."

Buffy pulled her black leather coat closer to her body, as if a chill had passed through the room. She bent down and picked up the stake that had offended Harry earlier. "Hey! I was looking for that" she said happily, tucking it into her pocket. She walked towards the door. "Patrolling" she said simply.

Harry stared after her. Buffy paused as she pulled open the door. "Goodnight, Harry." And with a flash of blonde hair and the click of a door, she was gone.