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.


Chapter 11

Avoidance 101


By a sort of silent agreement Buffy and Remus had agreed to pretend that the kiss had never happened, or Remus had initially ignored it, and Buffy didn't have the brass to bring it up.

One or the other.

Buffy tried to act as normal as possible around the lycan, even though the mere thought of the mind-blowing kiss made Buffy's heart race. The two of them were talking normally again even though nothing had actually been resolved. On the contrary, Buffy had more questions buzzing in her brain then ever before. Strangely, it was as if the whole affair had never happened. But the blond was quite sure it had, because the kiss had made its way into her dreams. On a few too many occasions already she had woken in a cold sweat, shivering in remembrance of dreams that drove her to distraction. Every night her mind supplied her with the possible events that could have happened if only the Slayer and Wizards embrace hadn't ended so abruptly.

The only other difference the whole thing had brought on was the fact that Buffy could not look Sirius in the eye for days without breaking down and laughing, or blushing beet red… or both. The dark haired man had been intensely surprised when, at dinner the same night after 'the kiss', Buffy had caught his eye… and broken down into helplessly mad giggles. Whatever he thought the reason for this was, he didn't ask, and she certainly wasn't about to enlightened him!

Now that the Slayer, Werewolf, and Animagus were on speaking terms again they'd begun delving into the Black library together. Their search had been mostly in vain though. For the next few days they spent every afternoon in a cluttered library with their noses tucked in dusty old books.

"What I don't get," Buffy asked suddenly one afternoon. "Is why I haven't ever come across a magic Vampire?" Remus glanced up from the thick tome.

"A magic vampire?" He asked.

"Yeah, you know, all wand having and stuff."

Sirius looked up from his own volume.

"Wizards can be turned, that's true enough." Sirius told her, "They just can't maintain their magic after becoming a Vampire."

Buffy looked surprised. "How's that?" She asked.

Remus scratched his chin. "To become a Vampire, you must, well, die. Many have hypothesized that the magic that we use is somehow released at that point which leaves the Wizard/Vampire barren."

"Or," Sirius interjected, "that something about the physiology of the undead body can no longer access its magic within"

"Either way, vampires cannot utilize Magics as we can." Remus concluded with a smile.

"Oh, that's good for me then, I guess." Buffy said.

It turned out that there was nothing even remotely helpful to the problem at hand though. Sirius and Buffy continued to make their rounds at night but the blonde was starting to suspect that they'd need to think of something else if they ever wanted to figure out what the hell was going on with the vampire population.

An Order meeting came and went with nothing new or interesting to share. Buffy cringed just thinking about the smug smirk on Snape's pale face.

And then finally something interesting happened. Hermione Granger a 'muggle born' witch arrived at Grimmauld Place.

Buffy didn't get the chance to meet her the night she arrived, as her and Sirius had been out on their regular patrol, but the next morning she got her chance.

Buffy walked into the kitchen, stretching and yawning as per usual. She snatched Sirius's cup of coffee that he'd just made, ignoring his grumbling, and sat down at the table. Across from her, instead of a smiling Lupin, sat a wide eyed, bushy haired, teenager that sat gaping at her.

Buffy blinked several times, trying to get the gears moving this early in the morning was a difficult task indeed. She cast Sirius a look but he was getting himself another cup of coffee.

"Hi." She said awkwardly to the teen.

Sirius sat with a thump beside her just a Molly and Ron Weasley made their way into the kitchen.

"Morning Dear." Molly said to the girl.

Ron sat down beside Buffy and grinned sleepily.

"Morning Buffy. Sirius"

Sirius grunted and but didn't look up.

Ron yelped suddenly and Buffy and Sirius both jumped. Molly whirled around.

"Ronald!"

Ron, whose face was as red as his hair, glared at the bushy haired girl. Buffy highly suspected he had been kicked under the table.

"Oh, honestly" The bushy hair girl huffed finally. Buffy suppressed a snicker.

"Hermione Granger," she said, offering her hand.

"Buffy Summers" The Slayer replied, taking the proffered hand.

Molly Weasley, having realized what all the fuss was about, hurried to rectify her breach in manners.

"Oh, Buffy dear. This is Hermione. She goes to Hogwarts with Ron, Harry, Ginny and the Twins."

Buffy smiled at the teen again.

"Hermione, this is Buffy. She's a member of the Order."

"So you're an Auror then, like Tonks?" Hermione asked, having met Nymphadora Tonks the night before.

Buffy gazed that the girl confusedly, and then turned to Ron. "What's an Orer?"

"An Auror is like a muggle 'please men'-"

"Police man" Hermione corrected.

"-he or she is a dark wizard catcher," the redhead finished ignoring the bristling brunet.

"Um, no then, guess not." Buffy said, answering Hermione's previous question.

"Buffy's the Slayer!" Ron exclaimed.

Buffy swore she could hear the cricket signing in the distance. Ron's astonished voice broke the silence.

"You do know what a slayer is… don't you 'Mione?"

Buffy glance at Sirius, who was watching the proceedings dimly, as he was still half asleep.

"Well…" Hermione seemed to be wracking her mind for an answer.

"You don't, do you!"

Hermione huffed in annoyance. "Well, how am I supposed to know? Really, Ronald!"

Ron gaped. "But you always know everything."

"Nobody knows everything, Ronald."

"You do!"

Ron yelped again and Buffy grinned.


Buffy spent the rest of the afternoon answering endless questions about being the Slayer. What demons had she killed? What was the Hellmouth like? What was her Watcher like? What were Vampires like? Had she met any famous ones?

And just when she thought the girl would run out of questions Hermione found out about wandless 'wiccan magic' and the questions doubled in intensity.

Things came to an abrupt halt only after Hermione asked an uncomfortable Remus Lupin why they'd not covered Slayers yet at Hogwarts.

Remus had informed her, hesitantly, that;

"The topic is covered in the 7th year."

"Why so late?" The bushy haired beauty had demanded

"The ministry doesn't think it an appropriate subject matter for the lower years… because the history of a Slayer is a sad and most times gruesome one. Slayers can be called as young as 13 and most didn't live out their first year."

The sombre revelation had ended the question and answer period permanently.


That night Buffy invited Remus along on patrol. Sirius didn't seem overly happy about this and Buffy didn't really understand why. He sulked and pouted and had refused to admit it to the frustrated Blonde. So, when night fell, the three of them, Slayer, werewolf and Dog made there way into the seedier, derelict, demon district. It was the one area of the city that nobody visited. Over the last weeks Buffy had avoided the truly notorious places, not wanting to loose the stealthy advantage, or put Sirius into any real danger before she knew if he could handle himself. But a lack of leads had forced her hand into the open. This is why she had called upon the former defence Professor and current Lycanthrope to join them.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The alleys and streets in the area were darker then you'd imagine a city's would be; as if the creatures hiding in the night had tainted the very air, making it thick and black. Shadows lingered, dark and ominous, hiding fowl things from view.

Buffy however, did not need to see the foul things to know they were there. She could feel them on the edges of her awareness. Lingering in the dark, assessing her strength, skill, and competence.

The Slayer held her weapon in plain sight, her back straight and her head held high. To show weakness in an area such as this one would be a death warrant. The man beside her held his wand aloft in one hand, having been lit by a softly muttered "lumos," banishing very few shadows, but lighting their steps. Padfoot, the huge black dog, melted into the background effortlessly, it's hulking shape indistinct again the black sky.

A crash alerted these three unlikely companions of a fight in progress ahead of them; each of their hearing having been heightened to hear the distant sound, but for far different reasons. A cry of pain sprung the three into action. As she ran Buffy wondered what they would find. Citizens didn't visit these run down areas at night, they rarely even visited during the day. Snuggles rounded the corner first, Buffy second, and Remus third.

The Slayer took in the scene with careful detachment. A group of three Vampires and a Spol'tic Demon were surrounding a figure writhing of the ground. The Vampires didn't bother Buffy over much but Spol'tic's were mean and incredibly hard to kill. What one was doing with a bunch of Vampires in the middle of London she didn't know, nor did she have the time to think on it now.

The unlikely group of demons had spotted them.

"Deal with the Vamps! Say away from the horny one, he's mine." The Slayer informed her companions roughly, trying to draw the demon away from the wizards.

Horny, who did indeed have three large horns growing from its noggin, grinned menacingly. When it spoke, its voice was hard and gravely.

"You dare to challenge me?"

Buffy rolled her eyes at the 6'11 demon that currentlytowered over her 5'3 frame

"Yeah, I dare."

With a roar the monster attacked.

Its arms were as big around as Sirius's neck was thick. It was big, it was strong, andit was fast. Unfortunately for Buffy, it wasn't even dumb.

She only had a moment to glance over at Remus and Sirius, who had transformed back into a man, as they began fighting back to back.

Horny lunged at her, quicker then his size should have allowed him to. Buffy kicked out but caught nothing but air. Shoot. Arms locked around her small frame, squeezing tightly. A well placed elbow released her from its grip. She threw herself into a flying kick before it could recover and planted a boot in its face. One of its razor sharp fangs broke free in a spray of blood.

The beast screamed and threw itself at her in a blind rage. They exchanged blows over the next few minutes. The fight was violent and deadly. One misstep and she would have her head handed to her.

A sudden sweep of its arms knocked her back several paces. She looked up again to find it had followed quicker then she'd anticipated. Its club like fist caught her in the chin, sending her flying until she hit a brick wall. The wind exited her lungs in a whoosh of air; blood trickled down her neck from a split lip. She tried to stand but her legs were like jelly. Its taloned hand wrapped around her throat and lifted.

Buffy choked, kicking her feet for purchase. Blood pounded in her ears, she was already half starved for air from the impact with the wall. She clawed at its hand, but her vision was already dimming. She heard it laugh and struggled harder, but it was no use. Her already fatigued limbs were growing weaker.

She really hated Spol'tic Demons.

Dimly she heard someone calling her name desperately.

"Stuptify!"

A foreign word she didn't know echoed through the darkness, a split second later a flare of coloured light flowed, bringing her world into focus for an instant.

The light flashed against that creatures back, but didn't phase it. Horny squeezed harder, causing Buffy's body to seize in pain.

More flashes off light followed the first, flashing against the night sky. A roar of sound buzzed in her ears. Two voices screaming strange words into the night, a sense of anxiety clinging to their tones. Finally one of the spells brought with it a flash of fire. The demon bellowed and dropped its prize.

"Buffy!"

The Slayer groaned and coughed, forcing her trembling limbs to work. She climbed to her feet, one hand holding to the wall, supporting her weight, the other rubbing her aching throat.

A yell of fright brought her back to the present with a jerk. Remus and Sirius were throwing curse after curse at the advancing demon, all to no affect. Buffy jerked away from the wall with a yell and leapt at the beast just as it reached her friends. She landed on its back and held on tight as it attempted to throw her off.

"Get away!" She choked to the lingering wizards. They did as she said, but they didn't go far. Her two shaking hands wrapped around its neck. It reached for her, but Buffy wasn't about to let go. With all the strength she possessed within her she twisted its head sharply to the left. For a second she thought it wasn't going to work, then with a snap its neck broke and it fell to the pavement.

Unprepared for the sudden decent Buffy hit the ground hard. She lay there silently for many moments, concentrating solely on pulling air into her abused lungs.

A dark head obscured her vision as Sirius appeared above her. His face was absolutely white.

"Buffy." He breathed. "Alright?"

Buffy tried to speak, to reassure, but all that came out was a wheeze. Sirius sat beside her, pulling her up to lean against his chest. Buffy sighed and surveyed her surroundings. Remus was watching her with a starkly frightened expression on his face, a dark haired girl at his side. Buffy blinked.

Kennedy Limon sat beside him, avoiding her gaze.

Buffy's breath quickened in her rage. Kennedy, one of the original potentials from the Sunnydale era, she had no reason to be in this area. Not without backup at the very least. The rage suddenly drained out of the blonde, as well as any of the colour she'd regained after the fight.

"Kennedy," She rasped, dragging herself to her feet. The younger Slayer continued to avoid her stare. Fear entered her heart. Had the dark haired Slayer already 'lost' her backup? The thought made bile rise up in the back of her aching throat. Willow very rarely left her girlfriend to patrol alone. Especially not in this area.

Gods, no.

"Willow…" That got the attention of the girl, because she finally met Buffy's eyes. Buffy searched her desperately for the truth.

Not Willow, oh please god. Let it not be Willow.

"She's fine." Kennedy answered as she stood, turning away again. Buffy sagged in relief.

"Not that you'd care."

The words caught Buffy off guard. The two Wizards stood on either side of them, confused by this sudden turn of events. Suddenly Buffy realized what the look in the younger Slayers eyes had been.

"You came alone!" Buffy hissed incredulously.

"I don't have to answer to you!" Kennedy snapped, and tried to walk past her. Buffy grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her back. A fist slammed into her cheek and Sirius and Remus cried out, but Buffy had been expecting it, and moved with the blow. It hurt, but not as much as the blow she landed in Kennedy's stomach had.

"You don't want to do that." Buffy warned darkly when the girl lifted her fist again. Even like this, half beaten and weak she could still wipe the floor with Kennedy.

And she knows it.

It wasn't the first time the brunette and Buffy had come to blows. The blonde knew that Kennedy hated the fact that she'd never been able to best the older Slayer in a fight. But instead of trying to learn from her mistakes, instead of spending her time finding out why she always lost, she sulked away, silently seething; cursing the blonde Slayers name. Buffy glared the other girl down

"Are you insane?" Buffy said hoarsely. Kennedy sneered at her, but didn't say anything.

"I can't believe you could be so reckless. If we hadn't come-"

"I'd have been fine!" The brunette screeched.

Sirius snorted, but it was Buffy who answered.

"You'd be in bite sized chunks. Not even Faith or I come here alone. You can't-"

"Don't tell me what I can or can't do."

"This isn't a game, Kennedy. You could have gotten yourself killed, haven't you learned anything that yet!"

"Oh, sure. But you come and go as you please, but I-"

"I have been a Slayer since before you learned the truth about Santa Clause! You have no idea how close you came to loosing tonight. How could you do that? Knowing what it did to Willow when she lost Tara, knowing it would kill her if anything where to happen to you…"

"Don't pretend to give a shit about Willow."

"What is that supposed to mean, of course I care about-"

"Right, and that's why you ditched. Again."

"You don't know what you talking about."

"I know everyone's glad your gone." Kennedy said viciously. "No more perfect Buffy telling us what to do. No more lectures, no more bitching…"

Buffy shook her head, her heart heavy.

"Does Willow know she's dating such a bitter woman?"

"At lest I never got caught bonking the undead!"

Buffy winced. She was so tired of this. Her and Willows relationship had taken its lumps, but Kennedy proved to be a continued sore point for the two.

"Are you finished?" She asked tiredly, unconsciously leaning into Remus as she rubbed her aching throat. "Is that it? Do you feel better now? You come out here, almost get yourself squished, forcing me to save your ass, putting all our lives in danger." Buffy sighed, closing her eyes in defeat. "You're Hopeless." She murmured sadly, and she turned away. "Go home."

"You're not so high and mighty now, are you?" Kennedy sneered at her back, earning a small grimace from Buffy. Not so great-"

"She is twice the Slayer, twice the woman, you will ever be. You are nothing but sad and bitter, with far too much power and not enough intelligence to use it, nor to see when someone is trying to do you a favour. Now go home."

Buffy inhaled in shock, turning slowly.

Sirius grinned wickedly at the dark haired Slayer, whom was looking at Remus Lupin with wide eyes.

"You heard the man, you stupid chit. Get!" Sirius growled. Kennedy jumped, and did as she was told.

Buffy gazed at Remus, a grin slowly forming on her lips.

Remus avoided both their gazes and studiously adjusted his robes.

It's always the quiet ones.

Note: Well hello, folks. I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter; it's my favourite so far! I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out because I've come down with a monster of a cold that's laid me up pretty well. Please, leave a review and help make a sniffily, dizzy, coughing, feverish, soar throat having (wannabe) writer happy for a few precious moments. –and after reading those wonderful reviews I will once again happily bury myself under a cocoon of blankets and pillows-