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!
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH! You have been warned.
Thanks to Princesakarlita411 and Ida Blake for your lovely reviews! Sorry it took so long to update, but I hope that it was worth it!
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Buffy stormed out of the Fudge's office half an hour later, absolutely furious. Honestly, she had no idea how that spineless, worthless little man had been appointed Minister of Magic. After she had told him what was going on, all he was able to do was sit there with his mouth open, staring at her and stuttering out some unintelligible words. Then again, he had never been one for conflict. She had no idea how he had gotten the job. There had been no change when she tried to ask him what he could do to help; he had only snapped out of his state when the Slayer practically yelled directly into his ear. Then, he simply rambled on about how there was nothing he could do, and she finally settled on him sending out a warning to the public, as well as to the Muggle Prime Minister, that the big fight with Voldemort was going down that night and to stay in their homes. Even then, she practically had to hold his hand as he put the word out.
Walking back to the elevator, she jabbed the up button, still muttering about incompetent world leaders. Almost immediately, the heavy metal doors opened with a bing and she stepped in, once again receiving odd looks at her attire. She made a mental note to change first thing when she got back to Hogwarts. Pressing the "2," she waited patiently as the lift rose a floor, a cool, female voice announcing "Department of Magical Law Enforcement: Auror Headquarters, Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, and Wizengamot Administration Services," as it came to a halt. Sweeping out of the elevator she took a left, another left, and a sharp right, immediately finding herself in the Auror Headquarters. Dozens of familiar faces, Mr. Weasley, Tonks, Kingsley, and Moody included, turned to look at her.
"Hey, guys," she greeted with a small wave. Several "Hi, Buffy"s greeted her back. "Mr. Weasley, did you..." She trailed off, but he knew that she meant had he told them about what was going down that night.
"I did, Buffy," he answered with a nod. Looking over at Tonks, she smiled at the girl's excited wave. They had formed quite a bond, even though they hadn't known each other for long. She almost always accompanied Buffy to the Ministry when she had a meeting or simply wanted to see how things were going. "They're all yours."
"Just wanted to make sure that everyone was on the same page," she said, smiling at him. "I don't have anything new. Fudge didn't do anything, so I guess it's up to us." There was a murmur of confusion; everyone had thought that the Minister would have some sort of trick up their sleeve. Oh, how wrong they were. "Grab all the protection you can... I hear you guys have hundreds of those Weasley shield cloaks?" She looked over at Mr. Weasley, and he nodded.
"The boys have several at their apartment as well."
"Good. Have them gather up everything they think will help." She turned back to the rest of the people in the room. "Decoys, distractions, anything. Alright?" Dozens of heads nodded. "Everyone meet at Hogwarts as soon as you can. We have no idea when he's going to attack." Without another word, she exited the room with Mr. Weasley, Tonks, and Moody on her heels. Kingsley was to stay behind and make sure everyone got to Hogwarts on time. After a quick elevator ride and walk through the atrium, the four stopped by the various fireplaces. "Go back to Hogwarts. Tell Dumbledore to gather the Order in his office. I'll be less than half an hour. No one leaves until I get back." With three identical nods, Mr. Weasley, Tonkds, and Moody disappeared into emerald green flames, leaving her looking into her own fireplace. Grabbing a handful of silver powder from a jar on the mantle, she threw it into the fire, watching as the flames turned bright green. "1630 Revello Drive, Sunnydale, California!" Stepping into the fireplace, she tucked her elbows close to her and closed her eyes, feeling extremely sick as the world around her continued to spin rapidly until...
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" A high-pitched scream echoed around the room, and her eyes snapped open as she stumbled out of the fireplace. "Buffy! You almost gave me heart attack!"
"Sorry, Mom," the Slayer apologized with a small smile as the older woman pulled her into a tight hug. Apparently she had been sitting on the couch watching TV when her fireplace had erupted in flames and her daughter had tumbled out of it. "It's happening tonight," she continued, getting right down to business.
"What?" Joyce asked, clearly confused. Shepherding the small blond to the kitchen, she pushed a plate of cookies and a glass of milk from the fridge into her hands before pushing her down at the kitchen table. "What's happening?"
"Voldemort's coming tonight," Buffy elaborated, shoving a cookie into her mouth and draining half of the glass of milk in one gulp. She hadn't eaten all day, and it was finally getting to her. Her mother's amused look at her actions disappeared completely at the words that were coming out of her mouth.
"W-what? Tonight?" Buffy nodded. "But you're not ready!"
"I know," she agreed. "We're not, but we don't have any choice."
"But-..." Joyce started but was quickly cut off.
"Mom, if something happens to me... to Giles, Xander, and Willow... If we loose... You have to get out of here." The older woman made to interrupt, but Buffy held up a hand to stop her. "No. No objects. No arguments. If we loose, if Voldemort takes over, you'll be in danger. Everyone will be in danger. He doesn't care who he hurts, and he'll show no remorse in blowing the whole world to hell. Go somewhere... anywhere that's not here. Get out a map and point. No one can know where you're going."
"But, Buffy-..." Joyce tried again, but the blond refused to listen.
"No, Mom," she stated vehemently, shaking her head. "Promise me. If something happens, you'll leave. Get as far away as possible. I'll send someone who I trust to tell you."
"Buffy, please." The older woman looked almost hysterical. No matter how many times her daughter jumped head-long into a dangerous, and potentially fatal, situation, she'd never get used to it. No parent would. And Buffy didn't expect her go without a fight. She did, however, expect her to follow her orders. She was right, and Joyce knew it.
"Mom," she ordered firmly. "Promise me." There were a few moments of silence before Joyce nodded.
"Alright. I don't like it, but... alright."
"Thank's, Mom." Buffy smiled softly before getting up from the table and walking back into the living room. "I have to go." Joyce knew better than to argue with her, and she gave her daughter a tight hug before letting her go and allowing her to walk over to the now lit fireplace.
"Be careful, honey."
"I will." With one last look, the Slayer grabbed a handful of silver powder out of the jar on the mantle, which she had left the last time she visited home, and tossed it into the fire, watching as it turned green. "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Buffy Summer's quarters!" With that she was gone, and a few seconds later, she stepped gracefully out of the fireplace into her sitting room. Quickly shedding the pajamas she had been wearing all day, she walked into her bedroom and over to her closet and slipped on a pair of jeans, a black tank top, a pair of boots, and her favorite black leather jacket. She tucked her wand and a stake in to the waistband of her jeans before exiting her suite and making her way to Dumbledore's office. After telling the stone gargoyle the password, ascending the winding staircase, and reaching the small landing, she knocked softly on the door and entered at his soft "come in."
"Ah, Buffy. Excellent," Dumbledore greeted. The large office was packed with people. Members of the Order, every single Hogwarts professor, and the Scoobies all turned toward her when she stepped into the room, and her eyes widened slightly at the sudden attention. Everyone was seated and had arranged the many chairs into a circle so that they could all see and talk to each other. Quickly waving it off, she crossed the room to the Headmaster's desk and dropped into the empty chair in front of it. Someone was missing.
"Where's Snape?"
"Severus has just returned from his visit with Lord Voldemort." Several people flinched at the name, but both Buffy and Dumbledore ignored them. "He's on his way right now." The Slayer nodded.
"Alright." Sure enough, the Potions master burst into the room a few seconds later, panting and slightly out of breath. "Well?" she prompted when he had sunk down into the chair next to her. "What happened."
"He will be attacking as soon as the moon rises," Snape answered. He looked slightly disheveled. His robes were wrinkled, his face was flushed, and his greasy hair, which was normally completely slicked back, were gathered into strands that fell into his face.
"Okay," she said, thinking. "That means we still have a few hours to get prepared. Good..." She was talking more to herself than to the others. "Giles." The older man's head snapped toward hers when she addressed him, and he gave her an encouraging smile. "Where's Angel and Spike."
"They're on their way," he answered, glancing over at Willow.
"They were somewhere in France, but we've arranged for a Portkey to send them back any minute now," the redhead informed her. Buffy nodded.
"Okay, good. Spells and weapons?"
"We have the ones from your room and a few others scattered around the castle," Xander piped up, and she smiled at him.
"We found some spells that create sunlight," Willow started, frowning. "But they kill all of the vampires in the area. There's no way to isolate it." Buffy frowned at this, too. "There'd be no way to be sure that Angel and Spike wouldn't be caught in it."
"Alright, scratch that, then," the blond answered, and her friend nodded in agreement. "Can't risk anything happening to them. "Professor?" she asked, turning back to Dumbledore. "The students?"
"All of the underage students have been sent home with orders to warn their parents and relatives," he replied, peering at her serenely over his half-moon spectacles. "Though many tried to stay behind and fight. Mr. Filch has caught several trying to sneak back into the castle." A ghost of a smile formed on her lips, causing the Slayer to smile as well. She was sure she knew some of the kids that had tried to stay behind and help. But it was too dangerous. "Those who chose to remain behind can be found in their house common rooms. It was all Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs with the exception of Mr. Malfoy." His smile had lost some of his sparkle at this revelation, and Snape looked angry. Buffy sighed, but was not surprised. She hadn't really been expecting any Slytherins beside Draco to stay behind and fight Voldemort, not when so many of their parents were, or had previously been, Death Eaters who absolutely despised Albus Dumbledore. "I have been turning away people who have offered to fight along side us. It's better that we have complete trust in everyone." Buffy nodded. Anyone could come waltzing in and kill Harry in the blink of an eye.
"Good idea. Okay, everyone meet me in the Great Hall," she said, a plan formulating in her brain. "Severus, Minerva, Filius, and Pomona, grab your kids." Everyone started to scramble around, following her orders, and Buffy gestured for Giles, Xander, Willow, and Oz to follow her. She quickly led them down the hall to a deserted corridor, stopping when she was sure that no one had followed them.
"What's up, Buff?" Xander asked with a quizzical look on his face. Willow looked nervous, and Oz wrapped an arm around her waist in an attempt to calm her down.
"If anything happens to me," she started, her voice low, "go back to the castle, get Harry and disappear. Take my mom with you. I can't leave her alone."
"But, Buffy..." Buffy held out a hand to silence the redhead.
"No, promise me. We can't afford to loose him. You're the only people I trust with his life. If something happens to me... If Voldemort wins, you have to take care of him. You have to disappear. Anywhere that isn't a highly populated area. Go into hiding. No one can know where you're going. No one." They were all looking at her. Willow looked almost hysterical. She never liked to hear that he best friend could potentially die. Then again, who would?
"Buffy, please... You're going to be fine. We all are." Giles put a comforting hand on the redhead's shoulder and nodded, knowing better than to argue with his Slayer. Buffy sighed and tugged her best friend away from her boyfriend to wrap her arms around the taller girl and gently stroke her hair reassuringly. After a few seconds, she pulled away and let Oz embrace her.
"Of course we'll keep him safe, Buffy" Giles said. Oz and Xander reluctantly nodded in agreement, but Willow continued to stare and frown at her. But that was the best she was going to get out of her, so she moved on.
"Alright," she said softly, worried about her friend but knowing that she'd be alright. "C'mon, lets go downstairs." It was a quick journey to the first floor, and no more than ten minutes later, the five strode thought the heavy wooden doors into the Great Hall. Even with the hundred or so people who were filling it, it seemed quite empty in comparison to how it looked when it was packed with students. The entire Order, all of the teachers, quite a few students, and several other people that she didn't know but assumed worked for the Ministry were all staring at them. Dumbledore sat at the furthest end, and there was an empty seat next to him, presumably for her. Bidding goodbye to her friends, she made her way to the front of the room and sat down in the empty chair, giving the headmaster a small smile and watching as the Scoobies found seats in the very front of the group. "Is this enough?" she asked quietly, and the Headmaster looked at her for a second before nodding.
"I believe so," Dumbledore answered, holding up a hand to silence the excited mummers that had started when she had entered the room. "They are the ones that we trust." She nodded. She had expected more people, there was no doubt that Voldemort would have at least twice as many, but she wanted to keep Harry safe, and if this was the only way, then so be it. "Why don't you explain your plan for us, so we can begin to get situated," he prodded gently.
"Oh, yeah, right." She stood up and started pacing in front of her and Dumbledore's chairs, looking out into the crowd and deciding what she wanted to do. "Hi everyone," she greeted, shooting them a small wave. "I'm Buffy, if you don't already know me. I'm gonna be the leader of this little operation." The door to the entrance hall opened, and Angel and Spike slipped through. She gave them a nod, which they both returned, before continuing. "Alright, Voldemort" ‒ the majority of the people in the crowd flinched at the name, but she ignored them ‒ "is attacking as soon the sun sets completely. So that'd be around..." She looked over at Dumbldore.
"Seven fourteen."
"Right, seven fourteen." She flashed him a small smile before continuing. "So we still have about two hours to prepare. Ministry officials." Buffy turned toward a group of snappily-dressed witches and wizards sitting at the Ravenclaw table. She had no idea who they were, so she assumed that they were Ministry people. "I want at least one of you on a each student at all times. No arguments," she added, looking over at Harry who already had his mouth open to argue. He immediately closed it, and she gave him an amused look. "It's for your safety. You will remain inside the castle and only engage in combat if they get by us." The trio and Draco looked like they were about to argue, but all of the other students nodded without question. She didn't blame them. What teenager was willing to throw themselves head-on into a situation where they could get seriously hurt, or more likely, killed. To be honest, she was pretty surprised that so many of them had volunteered to help. "I want at least two people at any possible entrance to the castle... doors, dungeons, every tower. Anywhere they could get in. Everyone else, leave the vamps to us." She gestured between herself and her Sunnydale friends. "We can handle them, and I need you to concentrate on the people that can do magic. If anyone breaks through to the castle, send up green sparks and inform Professor Dumbledore and I immediately. Is that clear?" There were several nods and "yes Buffy's." "Alright, that's the plan. Meet back here at exactly six thirty exactly. No exceptions. Everyone grab a shield cloak from Mr. Weasley, Fred, or George." She pointed at three men with flaming red hair who had stood up at their names. "It'll protect you from basic spells and jinxes." She turned away from her audience and back to Dumbledore. "I leave anything out?" she asked, lowering her voice.
"No, my dear," the older man answered. "I cannot think of anything else to add."
"Alright, I'm gonna head back to my room and get things set up." He nodded and stood. With that, she hopped off the raised platform and made to exit the room, gesturing for her Sunnydale friends to meet her in her quarters. They nodded and continued to gather shield cloaks from the Weasleys. Pushing her way through the heavy wooden doors and up the the various staircases to the seventh floor, only to be stopped before she could reach her room.
"Buffy," a familiar voice called, and she spun around to see Draco running up to her. "I want to help." She shot him a quizzical look.
"What are you talking about? You are helping."
"No," he argued, shaking his head. "I want to be with you. On the front lines. I want to fight."
"Draco, please," Buffy started slightly impatiently, but her expression softened at the look on his face. "You know you can't. I can't risk your life like that."
"Please, Buffy..."
"Come on, come inside," the Slayer insisted gently, nudging him in the direction of the portrait hole to her suite. After giving Sir Charles the password, she led him inside and pushed him down on the couch before sitting down next to him. He was practically trembling now, and she wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. "Hey, are you alright?" She winced as soon as the words had left her mouth. The answer was so profoundly no that the question hardly applied. But he didn't seem to notice and answered after a few seconds of silence.
"What's going to happen to me?" Draco asked, and she frowned, not knowing what he was getting at. He seemed to sense this and continued. "If we win or if we loose. If we win... I'll have nowhere to go. I can't go back to my parents, and since I'm graduating, I cant stay here. And if we loose..." He trailed off, but Buffy knew exactly what he was inferring. He'd be killed for turning his back on Voldemort and joining her side.
"I promise," Buffy started, placing her hands gently on his jaw and forcing him to look at her, "I will never let anything happen to you. Ever. Anyone who wants to hurt you in any way will have to go through me first." He continued to stare into her eyes for a few seconds, cool gray meeting bright green, before leaning in and capturing her lips with his in a soft kiss. She made a surprised squeaking sound, her eyes wide, and he backpedaled immediately.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, practically shooting across the couch so that he was sitting at the opposite end. "I'm so sorry." His eyes were wide, and he had drawn his bottom between his teeth to nibble on it nervously. She had never seen him like that.
"It's okay," the blond said softly, scooting closer to him and taking his hands in hers. "I like you, Draco... I really do... But-..."
"It's Potter, isn't it?" Draco asked. He wasn't angry. He wasn't accusing her of anything. He was merely curious. She nodded slowly, and he sighed. "I knew it."
"I'm sorry..."
"No, it's alright," he interrupted gently. "Really." He gave her a small smile and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. "I'm fine. I just want you to be happy. Even if it is with Potter." He forced himself to grin, and she took this as a sign that he was trying to joke. There was a pause as he continued to look at her before he continued "I have to go. I'll see you soon." And with that, he was across the room and out of the portrait hole in the blink of an eye, leaving her staring at the spot on the couch he had previously been occupying. Still trying to figure out what had just happened, she got up and wandered over to the door leading to the Gryffindor common room and entered, seeing the person she wanted to talk to sitting in one of the squishy armchairs by the fire. The room was deserted; she figured everyone was still downstairs in the Great Hall getting their hands on a Weasley cloak.
"Hey," she greeted, walking over and dropping down into the chair next to him. However, he jumped up the second she had made contact with the cushions and rounded on her, causing her to raise an eyebrow at the look on his face. "What's wrong?"
"You've been leading me on all this time, haven't you?" She tilted her head to the side, wondering what the hell he was talking about. She had never seen him like this before. "I thought that you felt something, that you felt the same way that I did. I was obviously wrong." He got up and made to walk away, but Buffy immediately jumped to her feet, following him so close that she was practically tripping over his heels.
"What are you talki-..." He spun around so fast that she nearly walked right into him, only managing to stop in time because of her Slayer balance.
"I saw you two together!" Harry was practically yelling now, and she stepped back a few feet in alarm. "All this time, I thought we had something! But it turns out you'd moved on without even telling me!"
"Woah!" she yelled right back, causing his eyes to widen slightly. If he pushed her, she was damn well going to push right back. It was time he learned that. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"You and Draco!" he said, and something clicked in her brain. Her and Draco. The kiss. Shit. "How can you-..."
"I'm not with Draco," Buffy argued, but he shook his head, refusing to believe it. He started to pace and let out a humorless laugh.
"But I mean why not. He's evil, and you tend to go for that kind of thing." Her eyes narrowed at the implication, but she didn't push back, not wanting to get into this now.
"Draco and I aren't together," she started, decidedly ignoring his snort of disbelief, "because I love you, you idiot!" This effectively got his attention, and he stared at her, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide. Not the most attractive look for him, but hey, the kid was already so gorgeous that it didn't really matter all that much. "Uh, Harry?" A few unmoving seconds later, he had crossed the room and swept her up in his arms so fast that she barely saw him move and pressed his lips to hers. Like Draco's, it took her completely by surprise, but she dropped her guard immediately and kissed him back with equal fervor.
Two hours later, Buffy was standing in the exact place she had dreamt of, on the hill directly in front of the main doors to the castle, surrounded by her friends and allies. A few minutes after her and Harry's second kiss, Ron and Hermione had barged into the common room, and the two had jumped apart, Harry blushing and Buffy with a deer in the headlights look on her face. The four then sat down together, talking and joking just like old times, desperately clinging toward this tiny shred of normalcy in such a stress-filled time. Harry had his arm wrapped around her waist, and looking over, the blond saw that Ron and Hermione were getting quite cozy as well. Smiling, she made a note to ask the younger girl about it if they ever made it through this. A short while later, Buffy had excused herself and went back to her room to prepare. After sending people to their posts, she had gathered all of her weapons and trekked outside with the entire Order, Hogwarts staff, and her Sunnydale friends. So here she was, the heels of her boots digging into the damp grass, clutching a scythe in one hand and her wand in the other. Her friends were standing directly beside her, Willow paired with Snape and carrying a stake and a cross, Xander with Moody clutching an ax, Oz with Lupin and a long sword and a stake, and Giles too with a sword and accompanied by Arthur Weasley. Dumbledore was standing right next to her, and Angel and Spike were directly behind her, fully vamped out and holding a weapon in each hand.
"You guys take out all the vamps and demons you can," Buffy, in full Slayer mood, called to her friends, and they nodded, already knowing the plan. "Leave the others to us. Stay out of the way of any spells, and stick with your partners." A few minutes later, just like in her dream, a tall, robed figure emerged from the Forbidden Forest with a large crowd of figures right behind him. The two leaders stared at each other for what seemed like hours, her gaze flickering occasionally to the brunette woman standing at his side but focusing for the majority of the time on the pale, red-eyed man standing fifty feet in front of her. A blur moved behind her, and she saw that Spike was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in glee with a huge grin on his face. She gave him a look, and he stopped bouncing but didn't loose the grin. Rolling her eyes in amusement, Buffy turned her attention back to Voldemort, and at the exact same time, the two shared a slow nod. "Now!"
Without another word, she threw herself down the hill and into the group of rapidly approaching, black-robed figures. Wielding her wand and scythe, the Slayer managed to decapitate a vampire and send a spell at a Death Eater at once, sending both of them crumpling to the ground, and in the vamp's case, disappearing in a cloud of dust. Voldemort had obviously told them that she was the biggest threat, and she had at least four vampires and wizards on her at all times. But she was too powerful for them, and soon, the floor around her was littered with bodies and piles of dust. She fought for what seemed like days, though it was probably only a few minutes, swinging her scythe and wand through the air and dodging spells and weapons left and right. Panting and gasping for breath, she ignored the burning feeling in her muscles and continued attack anything within ten feet of her. She lost track of her friends in the fray, and her vision narrowed to the space directly in front of her. She couldn't worry about them right then. Despite her Slayer obligations not to kill humans, she had no qualms about ending the lives of those, human or not, who threatened her friends and family. So she put her morals aside and instead cut or cursed anything that came at her. She had been steadily killing her way through the crowd toward Voldemort, who had stayed at the back of the group, content on having others fight his battle, when Faith stepped in front of her. The three vamps that were currently fighting her immediately backed off, obviously following orders from the Dark Lord. Perhaps he was hoping that the two would finish each other off. The blond sighed and took advantage of the small break in fighting to catch her breath, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth and tucking a stray strand of long hair behind her ear.
"Hey there, B," the other Slayer greeted, her eyes gleaming with something that Buffy didn't recognize. The girl had completely gone over to the dark side. She saw nothing that she recognized in the shell of a girl that was standing in front of her.
"Faith," she tried to reason, knowing that it wouldn't do any good. But she had to try. There had to be part of the Faith she used to know inside of this... lunatic. "Please, this isn't you. I know you!"
"Wrong again, B," the younger girl smirked. "You don't know anything. The girl you knew was weak. She had no idea how to take advantage of the power that she had been given. Slaying vamps, killing demons... there's so much more than that. Imagine what we could do together!"
"Faith, please..."
"We could rule the world," the brunette continued. Even though her clothes and skin were splattered in blood, she looked like a kid on Christmas morning. She was practically gleeful. "We have the power. He'd take you back. You know he would. C'mon, B, this is where you belong! Together, we'd be unstoppable!" Buffy shook her head sadly before tucking her wand into the waistband of her jeans. If they were going to fight to the death, she wanted an even playing field. Even though she doubted that the other Slayer would have given her the same courtesy, but she liked to pretend that she would. Either way, she was too big of a person to point her wand at someone who didn't know a single spell.
"I'm sorry, Faith."
"It's alright, B." The other girl looked just as disappointed as she did, but clutched her sword even tighter in her hands and dropped into a fighting stance. "Just wasn't meant to be." With one last look at each other, they launched themselves at the other, and there was a clash of metal on metal as their weapons collided. Almost immediately, both girls were unarmed, and they circled each other, weapons forgotten. Faith, always the impatient one, attacked first with a punch to the older girl's jaw, but Buffy ducked and kneed her in the stomach, sending her to the ground as she groaned in pain. But she quickly recovered and rat at the blond, fists flying, and Buffy was unable to avoid a kick that collided with her knee, and she dropped to the ground wincing. This fight lasted longer than their last, but fifteen minutes later, both bruised and bleeding, the older Slayer had the younger pinned to the ground as she straddled her. She could have snapped her neck in a second, but she hesitated.
"Last chance, Faith." The brunette smirked and shook her head.
"Always looking for the best in people. You gotta know, B. You can't save everyone." With that, she grabbed the knife that Buffy had knocked from her hand so long ago and shoved it into the older girl's stomach, both watching as the blood pooled from the wound onto the brunette's stomach.
"No!" A second later, she was lifted off of Faith, her vision blurring at the edges, as Angel sent his own blood-covered sword into her sister Slayer's chest. The younger girl sputtered and failed for a few hysterical moments before going still, leaving Buffy staring at her in horror as the light drained from her eyes. "Buffy... Hold on." His voice was soft, and he set her back down on the ground next to her former friend, looking her over and finally stripping off his shirt to hold against her would. Letting out a small moan of pain, she closed her eyes as she felt the blood pour from her body, barely even noticing when he yelled for help. However, did did notice when Hermione ran up to her, with a cut lip and panic in her eyes.
"Oh my god, Buffy! What happened?" she screamed, hysterical, when she took in the sight of Angel holding a blood-soaked shirt to her stomach.
"Hermione, what are you doing here?" Angel countered. His former lover had enough to worry about with those damn kids not following her orders. "Get back in the castle!"
"It's Harry!" the girl argued. Buffy perked up at this. "Voldemort got inside the castle! He's going after Harry!" At this, the Slayer jumped to her feet after pushing Angel aside, completely ignoring his vehement protests that she was in no condition to continue fighting. Pushing her pain and light-headedness aside, she sprinted toward the castle, wrenching a sword out of the first dead body she came into contact with. Tearing through the front hall, she saw that Voldemort had managed to push him into an empty corridor and had cast some sort of shield around the pair so that no one could get in. Skidding to a stop in front of Professor McGonagall, Sirius, Bill and Charlie Weasley, and several other students and teachers who were trying everything they could think of to burst the bubble, she watched with a building sense of hysteria as the two threw and dodged spells. Then, at one of Voldemort's well-placed spells, Harry was knocked off of his feet with a gasp of pain, his wand flying out of his hand and skidding across the polished floor.
"Avada Kadavra!" two voices shouted at once, and two bolts of green light illuminated the corridor, sending everyone into a panic. Immediately, the shield was broken, and Buffy's wand clattered to the floor as she pushed several people aside, her vision narrowing on Harry. In a split second, she had forced her way through the crowd and was kneeling at his side, holding his limp body to hers and letting out a primal scream as she took in his blank features and lifeless eyes.
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Sorry for the cliff hanger, but I felt that this was a good place to stop. I know, I love Harry too and absolutely hate that I killed him, but it had to be done if I want to finish this fic how I want to. You'll have to wait at least a week for the next chapter because I'm going to be in San Diego for a little while. Loved it? Hated it? Drop me a review on the way out!