A/N: I'm sorry for those who have been waiting a while impatiently – I know I hate it when a writer takes forever to update (if you're reading WhiteWolf update The Slayer and the Dwarf!) The next chapter should be soon since I'm home for the weekend, and it get really, really boring on the farm.
Again thank you to all who reviewed, it's nice to know that there are still people reading.
Chapter 7 – Discoveries
Albus Dumbeldore arrived in Sunnydale just as the sun was at the peak of its path. The journey had been arduous; first using the floo network to Los Angeles before apparating outside of Sunnydale. The hellmouth made apparating impossible, and for similar reasons there were no floo ports in the city. In fact, all wand magic was nullified for weaker wizards, and even the more powerful found many of their spells misfiring. Very few wizards ever visited the hellmouth, even Aurors.
Before leaving England, Dumbledore had arranged a meeting with the Watcher's Council. There were few wizards that knew of the Council, just as only the board of directors knew of the Wizarding World. Not even the Watcher of the slayer of the time was made aware of the Wizarding World, unless there was an incident between a Slayer and a wizard. Even then both Watcher and Slayer were forbidden from mentioning the Wizarding World in their journals.
There wasn't much interaction between the Ministry and the Council; mainly due to their disagreement over the control of the Slayer. The Ministry believed that control over a magical being should be left to those with magical backgrounds – even though the Slayer was believed by the general populace to be a myth. There had been several deadly confrontations between the two systems over the centuries.
Dumbledore had gone to the Council for two reasons; if Rupert Giles was making inquiries regarding demons he was most likely a Watcher, since no wizard would live on a hellmouth; and if Voldemort was responsible for 'Harry's demon', then the services if a slayer would be invaluable.
The headmaster was surprised to learn that Rupert Giles was not only a Watcher, but the Watcher for the current Slayer. The Council, having lost members to Voldemort during his reign, agreed to re-assign the Slayer to Hogwarts temporarily. On the condition that Aurors be sent to the hellmouth. Even if their magic didn't work a hundred-percent, it was better than leaving the area unattended.
The Council had agreed to inform Rupert Giles of their decision and Dumbledore left for the United States.
An older woman with blond hair answered his knock.
"Yes?"
"Hello, I'm Professor Albus Dumbledore. I believed I am expected?"
"Hi, I'm Joyce Summers – everyone is in the living room."
The professor was brought into the room where three teenagers and a man in his forties sat. Though he was unsure of the identities of the other two, the power emanating from the dark-haired girl clearly indicated that she was the Slayer. The man rose and shook the professor's hand.
"I'm Rupert Giles, and this is the Faith the Vampire Slayer, and her friends Xander and Willow. The Council has briefed us on the Wizarding World, but they left the details to you."
Dumbledore sat down.
"There is a dark wizard, Voldemort, who tried to control the Wizarding World sixteen years ago. He was defeated temporarily, but now he has returned."
"So you want me to wack the guy?" Faither interrupted.
"No, Harry Potter, whom defeated Voldemort as a baby, is prophesied to be the only one with the power to defeat him. It appears that Voldemort has begun to recruit demons and since your specialty is demon slaying, I was hoping to obtain your assistance."
The Scoobies had started at the mention of Harry Potter, and when Dumbledore finished Willow turned to Giles and said, "Giles, didn't the boy looking for Dumbledore say his name was Harry Potter?"
Dumbledore sat forward, excited.
"You've seen the boy? Is he well? Where is he?"
"He did a Houdini and left with some demons," Xander answered.
The wizard frowned.
"Demons? I was only aware of the one."
Giles looked at the wizard speculatively.
"What did that demon look like?"
"Short, around sixteen, but very powerful. She had blond hair with hazel eyes and was carrying a sword and dagger, from what I could see."
Giles reached for the dagger that rested on the end table and handed it to Dumbledore. The wizard examined it, nodding.
"It's the same knife, I got a very good look at it the last time it was shown to me," the headmaster said bemused.
"This was thrown by Buffy Summers, the other Slayer, last night before she disappeared with the boy and four other demons. She was kidnapped a few months ago by those same demons – which your missing boy said was his friends. We thought she was dead, since it has been over a hundred years in the hell dimension she was most likely taken to."
The professor thought about this surprising news for a moment.
"The only way for us to get answers is to ask those involved directly. Harry will return to Hogwarts, it is his home. Being his 'demon slave'," Dumbledore paused at Faith's growl, "I'm sure the Slayer will be there as well. I do hope you will tell me the tale about how there came to be two slayers, sometime."
Dumbledore excused himself to allow the Scoobies time to talk.
"So, when do we leave," Xander asked rhetorically.
"Of course, we'll leave as soon as possible, but…" Giles pulled off his glasses and cleaned them. "We have to prepare for the eventuality that Buffy is no longer Buffy. I don't know how it's possible that she has existed in a hell dimension without aging, and her actions thus far haven't been those of the Buffy we know."
The Scoobies sat in silence as Giles went to inform Dumbledore of their decision.
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The demons and their master appeared in the lower bowels of Hogwarts. Harry looked around confused, not recognizing the rooms.
"Where are we?"
The demons shrugged.
"Don't know. The only way to get in is to apparate, and since wizards can't apparate in Hogwarts," Slayer snorted disdainfully, "it seemed like a good place to take up residence."
Harry shivered, and noticing Emrys began to chant. Suddenly the room was warm and the area was clean and decorated. Beds, furniture and sparring equipment appeared out of thin air. Harry and Slayer eagerly explored, while Emrys and Gawain went off and talked privately. After a few minutes they returned, looking solemn.
They found Harry alone sitting on the bed.
"Where did Slayer go?" Gawain asked, looking around.
"She said she needed to go kill something," Harry said uncertainly, not sure if Slayer had meant the comment seriously or not. Seeing the look, Gawain chuckled.
"Don't worry, Master. It's what Slayer does when she needs to think, and she won't attack any humans since you seem to disapprove." He hesitated for a moment, then sat on the bed.
"Master, there is something I need to discuss with you…about Slayer."
"What?"
"As you know, Slayer isn't from our home dimension. We've been able to determine that she is, in fact, from this one. When we arrived in the human settlement to retrieve you, we recognized a young woman was looking out the window. I needed to confirm my suspicions with Emrys, since it has been some time since I last saw her, but she is the same one."
"The same who?"
"I captured Slayer after injuring her while she protected her partner from my fatal blow."
"That partner was the dark-haired girl you were with."
Harry looked shocked and then suspicious.
"Why are you telling me, and not Slayer?"
The demons looked sheepish.
"We're pretty certain she won't kill us if she hears the news from you…Master."
"Oh."
TBC
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