Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) own none of the characters from either Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the Harry Potter series. They belong to the geniuses, Joss Whedon and J.K Rowling. I am not trying to take credit for their works, I am just a poor college student amusing herself by writing some fan fiction!
For the timeline and changes I made to both the Buffy and HP fandoms, see Chapter 1!
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Locathah: Thanks for the correction, I haven't read book 6 for a VERY long time, and I guess I was getting it mixed up a bit with book 5. I'll make this correction in an author's note for this chapter, as I haven't figured out how to go back and change things in a chapter that I've already posted. As for ignoring some of the best parts of season 3, you've got to just wait and see. I plan to address some of these things later on in the story.
Allen Pitt: Thanks for the suggestion about making Giles the professor and Buffy the assistant professor, but I actually have a little something up my sleeve about this particular situation. It should be explained within the next few chapters! About the issue with Wills not being invited to Hogwarts and Giles' connection to the wizarding world, that should be addressed in this chapter. As for the appearance of Spike and Dru, you'll just have to wait and see!
Thanks for reviewing!
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Author's Note: As pointed out by Locathah, I got a bit mixed up on the events of book 6. Spoilers for books 1-5 of Harry Potter; I'm just sort of skipping over book 6 and moving right along to book 7 to fit with my story. Sorry for the confusion and on with the story!
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A sharp knock at the door signaled the Scoobie gang to Giles' arrival. Still laughing at a joke Xander had just finished telling, Buffy made her way to the door to let her Watcher in.
"Hey, Giles," greeted Buffy. "Come on in."
"Buffy," nodded Giles warmly, stepping past her into the entrance hall and then into the living room to a chorus of "hey, Giles" and Xander's "hey, G-man."
After settling herself down on the couch between Xander and Faith, Buffy gestured for Giles to sit down on the plus chair next to the couch and handed him the piece of parchment from the coffee table. Settling back into a comfortable position, the Scoobies all stared at Giles intently while he read over the letter in his hands. After several minutes of rather uncomfortable silence, Xander couldn't stand it anymore and started fidgeting with the stale, half-empty bowl of popcorn in his lap before proceeding to dump it all over the couch and the floor. All eyes snapped toward him and he grinned sheepishly.
"Uh... sorry about that..." he mumbled before scooping up as much of the fallen popcorn as he could and placing it back in the bowl. Now that the distraction was over with, everyone turned their gaze back to their mentor.
"So..." Buffy tried, also rather uncomfortable with silence, "...Giles... say something!"
"Oh, sorry," replied her Watcher, "I assume that you have questions regarding this letter?" After getting five identical 'well duh' looks from the teenagers in the room, he continued rather hastily before any of them could say anything. "Before you lot ask any questions, I'd like to give some background on the situation." Silence, "Right then. By now, it's obvious that you know that magic exists. In fact, there is an entire magical community situated among our own. Great measures have been taken to ensure that the non magical community would not discover it and-"
"There's a magical community? Like everyone in it can do magic?" blurted Willow, turning slightly pink as everyone shifted their gaze to her. "I mean um... how could we not have known about it? We're in contact with magical things every day! Buffy and Faith are slayers! Oz is a warewolf! I'm a witch for Pete's sake! How come I never got invited to a magic school?" When she was done, all eyes returned to Giles to see what he had to say.
"I am aware of this, Willow. However, the magic that these communities practice is different than that of the magic that we practice. Wiccan magic draws its power from the earth, while these witches and wizards harvest power from their own beings and channel it through wands. You were not asked to attend a magic school for this reason. Additionally, the Slayer has never been introduced to this world, as the Council feels that the Slayer was created to deal with problems in the non-magical world. While the Watcher's Council has contact with this community and its government, it was not important for me to share my knowledge of this world with you, as there are matters here in Sunnydale that take priority over those of the wizarding world." Seemingly satisfied with this answer, the Scoobies stayed silent and allowed Giles to continue. "Lord Voldemort was the most powerful dark wizard the magical community has ever come in contact with. While it was assumed that he was destroyed sixteen years ago, by a young boy by the name of Harry Potter, it has recently been reported that he his back at full power and on a mission to finish what he started."
"What does this Dubbledorne guy want us to do about it?" Buffy asked after a pause, causing Giles to roll his eyes slightly at his Slayer's butchering of the Headmaster's name. "I mean he wants me to teach? At a school? With kids? What is he thinking?"
"I second that, B. Why the hell would he choose you? I mean, you're just out of high school yourself. Aren't you a bit young to be teaching kids?" came Faith's reply, accompanied by a few nods from the rest of the gang.
"Professor Dumbledore," said Giles, emphasizing the name, "obviously has his reasons for coming to you with his concerns. You are the longest-living Slayer, after all, and with the upcoming war on the horizon, it is wise for him to gather as many allies as possible. As you are no longer the only Slayer, it is now possible for you to leave the hellmouth to offer your assistance."
"I guess that makes sense. I did just graduate high school and save the world from yet another apocalypse. I deserve a break. Mom'll be pissed that I'm not going to go to college right away, though," Buffy replied with a sigh.
"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll understand. I mean she knows that you're the Slayer now," remarked Willow, trying to ease her best friend's worries. "It's about time you got a break from the slayage anyways. We can handle the hellmouth for a while. It's been pretty quiet since the ascension, anyhoo."
"True. Hey Giles, where is this school anyways?" asked Buffy, raising an eyebrow. "Neither you or Double-D said anything about it."
"The school is at an undisclosed location, but we will be leaving for London if you decide to take Professor Dumbledore up on his offer," replied Giles, getting up to find a pen and paper in order to respond to the Headmaster's letter.
"Wow... London! You're so lucky, Buffy!" squealed Willow. Jumping up and down and clapping her hands as well as she could sitting down.
"Haha! The Buffster's going to the land of mini-Giles' and tea and crumpets!" laughed Xander, resulting in a withering glare from said Watcher.
"Excellent, B," remarked Faith appreciatively.
Oz, as usual, sat in silence and smiled at the news.
"Buffy, what are you going to do?" asked Willow curiously, stopping her jumping and clapping to peer at her best friend.
"Guess I'm going to London," replied Buffy with a smile.
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Author's Note 2: I don't really know how to write "English" like people usually do for Giles, but I gave it a shot. Hopefully it's not too distracting.