Order of Things
Summery: It's been 5 years since Buffy Summers and co. fought the First Evil in Sunnydale. So, maybe it's high time she wound up in another adventure. But the rules have changed without her realizing it, and where once it was the slayer's job to save the world, it now falls to another. Buffy will have to find out just what her part in this apocalypse is, before it's too late. Btvs/HP
Pairings: Remus/Buffy (the only pairing going at the moment.)
Timeline: Set before the beginning (during the summer) of the 5th book for the Harry Potter universe and 5 years after the final episode of season seven for Buffy.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Buffy belongs to someone other then me and even the plot of this Fic is intersected with actual dialogue and situations from the book "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." All I ask is that you don't sue me. Thank you.
Authors Note: This fic is a major work in progress. It is about 50 pages long and has a total (so far) of 9 chapters. I'll try and post once every other week, but I cant put up a chapter till it's totally finished. I have many scenes within the body of what I've written that remain unfinished, waiting for either inspiration or research. I also have scenes that I want to add too and places that need some serious tweaking.
Concerning the Buffy and Harry Potter Universes: Buffy is 27 years old, and Remus is (only just) 37, Sirius (who is the older of the two) is 37 as well. Buffy is spending the majority of her time in the Wizarding World, so the others (Willow, Xander, Giles, Dawn, ect.) aren't going to be around much. As for Harry, this fic takes place parallel to the fifth book, following the adventures of Remus and Buffy as they work for the order. At certain times the two 'stories' will connect and things will start sounding familiar as I start taking bits and bites out of book 5. Some things are going to change, others will stay the same. On an important note, I love Sirius Black, I love Remus Lupin, I love Buffy Summers and I love Harry Potter, these are my main characters. Lets all be clear on that from the start! Now, finally, let's get on with the fic!
Reviewers (!): Thank you so much for your kindness. I had this horrible fear that I'd post this and people would be like 'meh', so it means sooooo much that you guys like it! There's a real style behind this fiction, the stuff in italics that pop up every so often are sorta (kinda) like her (as in Buffys) inner voice… but not quite. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
So, thanks to:
vik: Thanks! Here it is!
Mama T: Im glad you like it!
goldenshadows: I know what you mean. I'm a huge Sirius/Buffy person myself, but for this fic, and for the way I want things to happen, it needed to be someone else. I was really inspired by 'echo' and her fic California and its sequels as well as the 'sonya' fics Stranger Things and its sequels all of which are on 'twisting the helmouth' Thanks for your review!
i-hate-mornings: Ya! Im glad you love it, I love writing it! Oh yeah, down with Malfoy. Buffy and Malfoy will meet again, and sparks will definitely fly! thanks for reviewing!
Catlimere: You know, I was really surprised when you talked about the swearing. I was like 'there's not really a lot…' then I went back and looked. You might have a point, but maybe Malfoy just brings out the worst in people! I think that Buffy would fall back on the 'cordy' speech when she's really pissed so yeah! I love the Buffy/Remus pairing; it's really grown on me. Thanks for your review, much appreciated!
Dreamweaver: thank you for your review! Im glad you thought it was fun... not funny? not even an itty bitty bit? Not even in the, 'ha ha ha she thinks she can write hahaha' sort of way? Oh well, maybe I prefer it 'not' funny after all. …. ... really? not funny all:)
feyechelon: Thank you! I am, and I will! Im glad you like it! I love writing Buffy, she says what she thinks, there's no filter between her brain and her mouth.
RedsLover03: I am going to continue! weee! Thanks for your review!
spk: Thanks, I love Buffy. She has that Slayer vibe thing going for her.
Blood Roses18: More! More! Yes here is more. And yes, kicking Malfoy butt is very fun… and therapeutic!
Chapter 2A Whole New World
Fudge had made many arguments as to why Buffy shouldn't go with Dumbledore and Lupin.
Many, many arguments, all of which Buffy had dutifully ignored.
Now the three of them were sitting in a little bar –or excuse me 'pub'- called, of all things, the Leaky Cauldron. The method of travel to the little pub had left her desperately longing for the cramped phone booth she'd used to reach the Ministry in the first place. The Floo, as it was called, had left Buffy with her lunch sitting nowhere near her stomach, which was alright considering her stomach was still somewhere back at the ministry.
The only good thing that had come from her near re-acquaintance with her lunch was the fact that she'd fallen right into Remus Lupin's arms as she'd tumbled from the fireplace. Lupin's arms had been surprisingly strong, as they'd supported her throughout her bout of dizzy nausea.
"You'll be fine in a moment" He's assured her in his soothing deep voice.
He'd smelled warm and sweet, like heated chocolate and spice. When she'd finally pulled away there had been a dazed look in his eyes that had told Buffy that he'd also been enjoying the little moment as well as she had.
Of course then he'd flushed a lovely shade of pink and let go of her entirely. Buffy had instantly missed the comforting warmth of his body, and couldn't have held back the little sigh of disappointment if she'd wanted to.
Dumbledore joined them only an instant later and had asked Tom, the bald toothless innkeeper, for a private booth.
When they'd sat, Tom came and took their orders. (Buffy was assured that, no, ButterBeer was not anything like regular evil muggle beer, and did not, point of fact, taste like butter)
When their drinks had arrived Dumbledore began to speak.
Now, finally, Buffy was getting the answers that she'd been after in the first place.
In a low voice Dumbledore told her about Tom Riddle's descent into darkness and the eventual emergence of his counterpart Lord Voldemort. With rapt attention Buffy learned of his rise, his ultimate fall at the hands of a one-year-old infant, and the tragic deaths of the boys young parents.
Buffy had felt a sting of sadness for the child that had lost his family long before he could have known what such a concept truly meant. Having lost her own mother just a few years ago herself- she, more then most, knew what it was to loose that. And to have never known it at all, to never have gotten the chance to know your parents… Buffy might dislike her father now, but not for all the power on this earth that she would trade those years of being her father's little angel.
Buffy made a sad sound and sighed heavily.
"What happened to the baby?" She asked softly.
Dumbledore looked away.
"Young Harry Potter became a legend that night, having been the only known survivor of the killing curse to date, as well as the victor over the Dark Lord… He became the Boy-who-Lived, the saviour of the Wizarding world. There isn't a witch or wizard that doesn't know his name."
"But he was just a baby. That's an awful lot of pressure to put on a kid!" Buffy exclaimed. If there was something she knew, it was unexpected, unwanted burdens of fate and chance. It looked as if this Harry Potter kid had pulled the short straw that was destiny. It was a burden that they shared.
Dumbledore nodded sagely, his eyes sad.
"With Voldemort's power broken, and his parents gone, he was sent to live with his mother's sister, her husband and their own child. Harry will be starting his 5th year in the fall.
"But if Voldemort is dead…"
"The Dark Lord has risen again"
Ah, well, that explained it.
With a moan Buffy pushed herself away from the table and stretched lazily, her shoulders and back stiff from the long sit.
"Why can't bad guys ever just stay dead"
"Indeed"
Buffy twisted her fingers in her lap, thinking quietly.
"He's after this Harry Potter kid, isn't he?"
Both men's heads snapped up, and Buffy shook her head.
"It wasn't really a big leap, Voldie squished every one but this one tiny baby, that's gotta be a major blow to the ego when you're a super villain. So now he's gotta prove that it's just a big fluke that little baby-turned-teen is still alive and kickin'"
Dumbledore nodded hesitantly, "That is part of it, yes"
Throughout the explanation Lupin had stayed relativity silent, his gaze had not been held by anything in particular, and only once or twice had Buffy seen him flinch deeply while talking about the little baby and it's parents sad fate.
"So" Buffy said, watching her two companions carefully. "When do I get to kick his evilness' ass?"
Dumbledore smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"As much as your help would be appreciated, I could not ask you to endanger your life for a fight that is not your own. I fear though that you may have already inadvertently made a target of yourself however, and for that I am sorry."
Buffy blinked, "Are you kidding? Sounds to me like this dude poses a big time threat to both our worlds cause I figure it'll only be a matter of time before he decides to broaden his horizons to the rest of the populous. Which, news flash here guys, 'does' concern me, I've been fighting the good fight for 11 flipping years now, I think it's time I started choosing my own battles."
"While that may be-"
"And anyway, what kind of slayer would I be if I just up and walked away from you guys and left you to fight slayer-less, not much of one, let me tell you! Plus," Buffy said teasingly "If I'm involved I'll expect certain compensation, 'cause this butterbeer stuff tastes way better than it sounds."
Lupin made an amused sound and hid his small grin behind his own mug of the sweet, warm beverage.
"Well" Suddenly Dumbledore's smile had reached his eyes, "if you insist Ms. Summers, far be it of me to discourage you. The order would certainly benefit from someone of your exceptional skills and wisdom. You are most welcome and will, if I may say so; make an interesting addition to the cause."
Buffy grinned widely at both of them and then took another long draw from her mug, not seeing the look of –something- that passed between them. Eyes wide, she surveyed the empty vessel with a mute dismay; then turned to look at Lupin with a pout, fluttering her eyelashes at him.
Lupin laughed outright then, a smile spread widely across his face.
"Would you like another Ms. Summers?"
Buffy pretended to think about it for a moment, her eyebrows drawing together in a comical gesture.
"Well… I guess… if I have to. And the names Buffy."
"Alright… Buffy"
Lupin smiled warmly and took her cup from her before he turned and walked towards the bar. Buffy watched him go with a silly grin on her flushed face.
"Hmmm"
Buffy started at the noise and turned to see Dumbledore watching her with a knowing grin, Buffy was sure she's come to hate that grin.
"What 'hmmm'?" she said defensively.
Dumbledore chose to ignore her.
"How very… intriguing"
Buffy scowled.
"Don't think I don't know what your implying buster!"
"Me?" Dumbledore asked, an innocent look on his wizened face. "Implying what, child?"
Buffy flushed a little more deeply but didn't comment; she did however stick her tongue out at him, which was precisely the moment that Lupin chose to join them. The confused, amused look that he shot them, as he passed Buffy her drink, was ignored by both.
"Did I… miss something?" He asked as he sat.
Buffy shot Dumbledore a venomous look that was greeted by a chuckle and shake of his head.
"No, no, nothing; Ms. Summers and I were merely discussing our next course of action."
"We were? … Oh, oh right, we uh, we were!"
Lupin seemed to take many moments of looking back and forth between the two of them, trying to suss' out what he'd just interrupted, but finally seemed to make the decision to let it go for the time being.
"And what is our next course" he asked politely.
Dumbledore smiled again, and Buffy was doubly sure she'd hate that smile before too long.
How, oh how, did she get herself into these things.
It surely hadn't been her fault!
She'd just suggested that –if she was to accompany them to some sort of base of operations- that she'd need to check in and pack a few essentials. But somehow Dumbledore had twisted her meaning around until she had been handed a chaperon in the shape of one Remus Lupin. Not that that was a bad thing, for the most part it was a good, a big good even.
And yet…
Buffy knew her friends and family well enough to know that they would make this… difficult.
She'd tried to tell Dumbledore that it wasn't necessary; that she'd make her way back to the Leaky Cauldron when she was done. But he'd been insistent, and she'd caved… badly.
So now Lupin and Buffy walked side by side down the street. By this time it was well after eleven O'clock, and the air was chilly and damp, making her cheeks red, and her hair frizz. Buffy sneaked a glance up at Lupin who was looking down at the same time. Both turned their faces away quickly.
"So…" Buffy said, floundering for a topic that would break the oppressive silence.
"So" Lupin answered back, sounding equally as flustered.
Buffy moaned softly to herself; darn it, this was just silly! She was a 27-year-old woman, not a 15-year-old schoolgirl! She should have been able to find 'something' to talk about! But every time she opened her mouth her thoughts would scatter like leaves caught on the wind.
I can usually make a few vowel sounds, and then I have to go away…
It was ridiculous; she hadn't even had this much trouble when she 'had' been a 15 year old. She moaned again, louder this time.
When Buffy felt his warm hand grip her shoulder she almost melted, get a grip, she shrieked into her own mind. This was not the time to be having a complete spaz attack! Holding herself in an iron grip she turned to him. His eyes were warm and concerned, his mouth pulled into a frown of puzzlement.
"Are you well?"
Buffy swallowed hard, she could feel her control ebbing away like water through a sieve. His worry for her was endearing, darn him!
"Uh..."
Buffy wanted to say something witty, or daring, or at all, but her brain refused to acknowledge her desperate plea for assistance.
"You sounded as if you were in pain."
Oh this was fun.
Buffy clamped down viciously on the impulse to moan aloud again.
"No, no. I'm good, fine even. Peachy - really. -"
Lupin raised an eyebrow at her, obviously not reassured by her confused ramblings. Buffy sighed, and smiled warily at him.
"Really, I'm just having a little internal debate. No big."
Lupin nodded and let her go. Buffy turned and began walking again, feeling his presence ever beside her as he followed.
"So, Mr. Lupin, how about this Vulcan guy, what can you tell me about 'his nastiness'?" Buffy asked after another few moments of awkward silence.
"Lord Voldemort." Lupin began with a smirk, "and please, it's Remus, or even just Lupin if you prefer." Remus looked hesitantly at her, but Buffy just grinned.
"Alrighty-then, Remus it is. So 'Voldemort" Buffy said, putting extra emphasis on the fact that she'd said the name properly. "How bad is he? And what kind of lame ass name is Voldemort anyway?"
"Bad, very bad." He answered shortly.
"So not just a little bad then?"
Remus remained silent, his light hair curling in the cool rain saturated air.
"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make light-"
"It wasn't just that he was bad," Remus said suddenly. "Or even that he was powerful, though he is. He was… death, fear, mistrust among friends; he was a disease that destroyed the lives of every one that lived during the first war. There wasn't anyone who didn't loose someone to him or to the horror his Death Eaters wrought in his name. It was the end of a culture; the Wizarding world was collapsing right out from beneath us. And by the time we realised it was happening, or accepted it was happening, it was already too late."
Buffy watched the emotions fly across Remus' face. Pain, anger, regret, loss… She knew those feelings intimately. The desperate fear of hopelessness, the mind numbing doubts, and the chilling clarity of hindsight. It was what war did to you. It was the price one paid to live in times such as those. Buffy had fought a never-ending war since she was 15 years old. Never winning, but always loosing.
If only just a little.
Being the slayer she had experienced all the symptoms time and time again, and knew how crushing they could be.
"Sunnydale syndrome"
"What?" Remus asked, looking curiously at her.
"Back when I used to live in Sunnydale –that's in California by the way- the residents never let themselves see what was right under their noises. Actually right under the School library to be exact." Remus arched an eyebrow. "You see Sunnydale was on a hellmouth- it's a mystical con-"
"Convergence of energy, I know, a hellmouth!" Remus exclaimed, looking shocked. "You lived on 'La Boca del Inferno?"
Buffy blinked, and then pouted. "Fine, ruin my moment of knowledge!"
Remus grinned sheepishly, "I'm sorry, it's just, La Boca del Inferno! It's a classic! I'm a bit of a dark art buff and that's just… and you lived on one! You slayed there!"
"Slayed, lived, died… Do you want to hear my insight or not, you can gush later, preferably to Giles. He'll love that."
"Giles?"
"My watcher"
"Ah"
"Anywho, now where was I before I was so rudely interrupted?"
"Sorry."
"shhhh! Ah yes, mystical convergence. So the residents would see a vampire and be like, gang on PCP or a dusting (oh, that's when I'd, um, you know, kill it) and call it a trick of the light. The whole town was almost ripped apart by a mystical portal and they just called it a freak electrical storm. But when things got bad, and I mean end of the world, no turning back, apocalypse now bad. They finally took action. Action was getting as far and fast away from Sunnydale as possible, but it was still action. My point is, that sometimes people just won't see what they don't want to see. But in the end, they will see it, even if it's too late. Most will eventually take action.
"But if it's too late, what does it matter if they tried? When they didn't for so long…" Remus had stopped and looked at her, his eyes betraying how much her answer meant to him.
"In my experience, it doesn't matter when you take action, as long as you do. Of course, the sooner the better, but courage doesn't have a time limit or expiration date. Sometimes it takes a truly momentous event to show us what we have to gain, or –maybe more importantly- what we have to loose."
Remus closed his eyes and took a long shuddering breath and then nodded. It was so obviously a painful subject for him, and she could appreciate how painful a subject like this could be. She had her own share of scary skeletons in her closet. Most of them buried so deep in her subconscious they were only a slight ache on occasion, but some… Some stung like barbed wire; constantly cutting, pulling at old wounds so that they never truly had a chance to heal. Some were still just as painful as they ever had been, even now, years after the fact. Such as her own resurrection, her mother's death, Spikes sacrifice, or Angels death at her own hand. Any of these could still take her breath away as surly as they could have years ago.
So when he turned away from her without a single word or glance she didn't take it personally. She just followed silently, letting the distressed man work through his troubled thoughts. His shoulders were tightly wound; straight and stiff, as if he carried some great weight across them.
And he probably did at that.
That is, after all, what war will do.
End Note: Yeah! Chapter 2! This was a 'lets tell the audience what's going on' type of chapter. I hope it wasn't boring! I know there was lots of exposition and explanations coming at you, but in the next chapter we'll see the Scooby's so hang on tight!
I have the constitution of goat cheese. I just had to put this out there. But this is it for a week or so, otherwise I'll get ahead of myself. Your reviewing splendidly, don't stop!
