Author's Note: Chapter Nineteen. One chapter away from the end. This chapter is mostly filler to get to the end and wraps up the loose ends of chapter eighteen. It's hard to believe this is almost over.
If you liked my fic, be looking for small 1,000 word one shots to start going up. I'm still hosting the challenge at my fic journal, so check it out if you'd like to submit one. I have four Big Bang fics coming up, including a Draco/Buffy fic for the Draco Big Bang, but that will not be posted until June per the challenge rules. I have other fics that I'll be posting though, featuring Draco.
Something I'm really excited about is Scriptificus—a collaborative Buffy/Harry Potter collective writing effort between myself and five other authors: Jo Anne Storm, BrendanM, camperx, myself, and echo. We will be posting scenes to a livejournal account found a href=.comhere/a, but archives will be posted at the Twisting the Hellmouth site. The link is a href=.here/a. We start posting scenes February 1st. Echo and I have done many scenes already. My two main characters are Blaise and Buffy, while she has the well-known Willow, Draco, and Oz. We both have other characters, and the other three writers are fantastic, so check us out and leave us feedback!
Enough shameless plugging. On with the fic!
………………..
He was in the same dream area as the last time Tara had come to him, except this time he was in a lot of pain. Draco groaned and rolled over onto his side, gripping his head. He knew that he was still healing from the ordeal with his Aunt Bellatrix and the Dementor, but this shouldn't have happened.
"Bloody buggering hell, this hurts."
Draco felt a warm hand on his head and it brought a bit of relief, but it still felt like someone had used his head to bash open a steel door.
"I'm so sorry, Draco. I wasn't sure if it was going to work, but I just had to try. I had to make sure she was okay."
He blearily opened his eyes, trying to protect them again the harsh lights around them. "What the hell are you talking about? We've done this before and it didn't feel like this."
"Tara?!"
Draco's eyes widened at the sound of the shocked voice, despite the light acting like pinpricks in his eyes. He grunted and sat up, the surprise clear in his voice. "Willow? But, but you're unable to…"
His words trailed off as he watched Tara stand up slowly over him, her eyes glued on Willow. The red head was in shock, staring at her dead lover.
"How?" Willow asked softly. "I didn't ask…"
"I did," Tara replied quickly. "I had to use Draco to be a buffer but…" she trailed off and took a great, gasping breath. "Willow—"
They both to each other and once they got close enough, both women reached out and held each other tightly. Both were crying in each other's shoulders and running hands up and down arms, as if not believing they were here.
"I'm so proud of you, sweetie. Look how much you've grown," Tara said, finally pulling back and running her hands over Willow's face.
"I'd give it all up to have you back with me."
Tara just smiled. "You've offered up your life and your magic once. It's enough."
"Bloody hell, you did it!"
Draco almost got whiplash from turning his head around so quickly. "Sirius? What the hell are iyou/i doing here?"
Tara and Willow were looking at Sirius, but it was Tara who figured it out first. "Sirius, no. It's hurting Draco too much as it is."
With her words, he looked up at Sirius in panic. "I swear I'll bring you back just to kill you if you even think—"
His words were cut off as he felt pain akin to the Cruciatus seize his body. Sirius was using him as a buffer the same way Tara was, and it was just about to kill him. He was not supposed to be a shock absorber for spirits. If anything, it was Pansy's job.
Willow rushed over and put her hand on Draco's head. Reaching inward, he accessed the small pinpoint of Osiris' pathway and chuckled nervously. iI bet you're tired of having to use me to keep Draco alive. Is he like a cat? Does he have nine lives?/i
Amusement washed over her as she felt the magic Sirius was trying access flow through her instead of Draco.
"Sirius, I swear to Salazar and every other founder that I'll kill you!" Draco shouted once he caught his breath, but Sirius wasn't listening or even paying attention to him. He was looking past Tara, where his disgruntled and sleepy godson was blinking at him in shock.
"Sirius, what are you doing?" Tara whispered as she walked over to Draco and Willow. Willow immediately grabbed Tara's hand and squeezed tightly, and the residual power made her skin tingle.
Everyone was silent as Sirius and Harry just stared at each other.
"I thought it wasn't possible?" Harry whispered. "I thought I couldn't see you because of my mind?"
"It's not," Draco said sharply. "You're taking a huge risk, Sirius, and you nearly killed me. What is it with my relatives wanting to kill me? Is Father going to pop out of the woodwork and strangle me next?"
"Let them have their moment, Draco. They both deserve it. You know how antsy Sirius has been since I last visited."
Willow glanced between Draco and Tara in suspicion. "Wait, last visit?"
Draco sighed. "That's what I was going to tell you, Willow, when we were going to the park. When spirits build up enough power and can walk the dream plane, they can visit us. Because of your broken aura, it wasn't possible for her to visit you, and because of Harry's permanently distorted essence, spirits are more likely to get lost in his mind."
He glared at Sirius. "But since he used me as a means to communicate, he's able to stay grounded, or as grounded as a dead spirit can be."
"I don't know what I did, but I think I'm the means to communicate now. Because of my nifty alliance with Osiris, I can tap into his power, which I've only done to save Draco's life, and I think you're a cat now."
Draco rolled his eyes at Willow's rambling and sat up. He was tired of being put on the ground. "Speaking of your last visit, why the hell were you so cryptic? 'You might receive another visit from a Black relative'? What the buggering hell is that shit? Why not say 'oh by the way, your crazy aunt Bella is going to come kill you'?"
Both Tara and Willow laughed lightly at Draco's sour face.
"You know the Powers would have stopped me as soon as I tried to be detailed. I attempted to give you as much as I could."
Draco glowered a bit but looked between Harry and Sirius, who were whispering to each other, and Willow and Tara, who were now ignoring Draco and smiling at each other. He wasn't needed here, and felt like he was invading a private moment.
"I hate to interrupt your staring contest," he said dryly to Willow, "but can you handle keeping Tara and Sirius here? I need my sleep since I was recently dead and magically drained by a Dementor."
Willow smiled at Draco and nodded. "I can. Not for long, but long enough. Thank you, Draco."
One moment he was in a white nothingness, and the next he was in the bed he shared with Pansy, wide awake. "So much for sleeping again," he muttered. Pansy stirred next to him, but as usual, she didn't wake unless there was someone jumping on top of her screaming.
Wincing as he sat up and threw his feet over the side of the bed, Draco looked over at Harry. A small smile was on his sleeping face, and his features were more relaxed than Draco had seen in a while. He just hoped that Harry could stand the heartache of not being able to visit with Sirius once they left America, because Draco sure as well wasn't going to be a walking ball of pain so dead relatives could visit.
He slowly made his way out of the bedroom and to the hallway. Tea sounded lovely, but the stairs looked rather daunting. "Bugger," he said. Tripping down the stairs would have been a lovely end to the week he was having.
Buffy appeared directly beside, nearly making him fall down the stairs when he jumped. "I'm getting you a bell to wear around your neck."
She just grinned at him. "Promises, promises." Her joking manner left and she stared at him as if she were studying a painting.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
"I thought I had you all figured out, but I don't. Going downstairs? We don't have to whisper there." He nodded, but going down the stairs still worried him. Draco didn't know if his strength had completely returned.
"I got you," Buffy said simply before grabbed his elbow lightly and starting them down the stairs.
Even though her grip wasn't brutal, he still knew if he fell, she'd catch him. The thought made Draco roll his eyes. He was turning into a big girl. And not just any girl, a big iHufflepuff/i girl.
They made their way into the kitchen. Draco sat at the island and before he could tell her what he wanted, Buffy was grabbing a tea cup from the cabinets and pulling out the special tea Pansy brought for Draco when she arrived. They were both silent as Buffy filled up the tea pot and waited for the water to boil. Once she was finished with her task, she turned to Draco.
"So, you saved my life. Again. That's got to be irritating by now."
Draco's eyebrow rose. "It's not nearly as irritating as having to be led around like a lost puppy because everyone seems to be out for my blood."
Buffy just grinned. "You and I seem to be even. We've both died twice and come back from it."
"Even in death. How poetic," Draco snorted. "And if you're done with your pathetic attempts to segue into a possibly sensitive subject, can we carry on?"
"You killed two men for me. You didn't attack them when they had Willow. It was only when I was there that you… did whatever you did. It was brutal."
Draco stared back at her unflinchingly. "In school, we had a class called Defense Against the Dark Arts. I learned early on that both sides used the same spells, but it was the intent that set them apart. If I didn't kill them, they would have killed us. Besides, both men were murderers and wanted by the Ministry. I just did them a favor."
"They were human."
"They were monsters," he insisted. "They had souls which were tainted with evil. Did you forget I used to be in a league with them? I know all of their dirty, little secrets. I saw what nasty things they did and that they reveled in. Better they die by my hand than continue any moment longer."
Buffy nodded. "I know, but it was still a shock." There was a pause. "What did you do to them?"
Draco sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I hit Rabastan with a curse that split his front open. He bled out. Not a pretty curse and it certainly doesn't tickle. I broke Dolohov's legs and shattered his kneecaps. He died from internal bleeding."
"It's all about the blood with you, isn't it?" Buffy asked quizzically. "Harry told me it was your specialty, and that your father is obsessed with the concept too."
"Obsessed is one way to look at it," Draco chuckled. "But my choice in curses had nothing to do with the fact that spilling their blood would lead to their deaths. Those were the first that came to mind."
"So you know a lot of those curses, huh?"
Draco smirked at her, but she didn't look away like he expected her to. This was not an interrogation like he originally assumed he would be put under. Buffy honestly wanted to know his thoughts and the reasoning behind his actions. "I do."
"And you knew what the one headed for Dawn would do," she stated.
There was the statement he was looking for. "This isn't about what I did for you. It's about what I did for your sister."
"What person gives their life up for the kid sister of a person you've only know for a month?"
The way the question was worded stumped Draco, but he was sure in his convictions. "That curse was the death curse. The only person to survive it was Harry, and that's because his mother gave up her life and the love of his mother defied death and turned the curse back on Voldemort. If Bellatrix had successfully cast it on Dawn, my only thought was that it could release the energy of the Key. That in the hands of Death Eaters is a truly terrifying concept. I couldn't let that happen."
He was quiet and the kettle began to whistle. Buffy stared at him for a few moments before turning around to take it off the stove.
"Besides," he said, stopping Buffy in her movement, "You gave up your life for her once and were ripped out of heaven twice to protect her. The least I could have done was make sure you didn't make that sacrifice in vain."
Buffy finished her actions and poured Draco a cup of tea, leaving it to steep.
"So it was entirely selfless?"
He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or be insulted. "Are you insinuating I leapt in front of that curse because I wanted to die?" Draco blinked as Buffy looked down guiltily. His attitude turned towards insulted. "If I had a damn death wish, I wouldn't have given my aunt the satisfaction of finally killing me."
Before Buffy could say anything, he stood up shakily and started to leave the kitchen. "Your tea isn't done. Aren't you going to drink it?"
His gaze was icy cold as Draco turned his head to look at her. "I don't want it anymore," he said slowly, aware of how Buffy flinched away from him.
"I'm sorry. It's just when Willow brought you back, you seemed so angry. I didn't know."
"I was angry because she allowed herself to be manipulated by an evil and psychotic witch and then offered to be a magical gateway between here and the land of the dead, and then was willing to give up her magic to save my life, which would have eventually killed her."
Even in his extreme anger, Draco walked proudly over to Buffy. "I didn't work on her, pushing her, and forcing her to heal herself for a month, go to heaven for iyou/i, and jump through every bloody hoop I could have for her to toss it all away."
He threw his hands in the air. "What is with you lot? You're more self-sacrificing than Gryffindors! It's sickening! Look out for yourself for once!"
Just as Draco was stalking off, he heard a small chuckle behind him. "So says the man who gave up time to come to America, heal a witch, go to heaven and back with a Slayer, and give his life for said Slayer's little sister." Buffy walked over to him, despite Draco's back still being turned away from her. "I don't think hypocritical covers it."
Draco turned with a weary sigh.
"I'm just so very tired of people questioning my every move. And more importantly than that, I'm ready to stop dying."
"I know," she replied, taking his hand and leading him back to the island. "Drink your tea then go back upstairs."
Grumbling that he wasn't a little child, he drank the tea and relished in the burn that it created in his throat and stomach. A little pain that he could control was good for his ego. After glancing at the clock and seeing the early morning time, Draco raised his eyebrow as he started Buffy.
"And what are you doing up at two in the morning, Miss 'wake me before noon and die'?"
She shrugged. "Willow was having a dream and was talking in her sleep. She was talking to Tara, and it sounded a little too personal for me to feel comfortable listening to. She needed that moment with her."
"You knew she was actually talking to Tara?" Draco asked, taking another sip of tea.
"Not until I saw you coming out of your room. She mentioned Sirius, and I knew that something was going on."
Draco nodded. He finished his tea in silence and Buffy started absentmindedly cleaning the counters. When he was finished, she took the tea cup and put it in the sink, methodically wiping it out. He was not prepared for her question.
"Do you think I could see mom?"
Of all the questions she could ask, that was the one he hoped she never would have thought of. "No," he said sadly. "Tara has walked the spiritual plane before, and Sirius' death was… complicated, magically, that is. Your mother's death wasn't magical and she didn't have magical blood in her body. You'll be able to see her again, though."
Buffy turned and gave Draco a smile. "I know, and thanks for being honest. I just wanted to ask."
"Understandable."
Draco stood and was about to go upstairs when Buffy stopped him. "What will happen to your Aunt? She got away, and thanks to that stupid dead circle, or whatever, I couldn't get to her."
"Well, she's in England plotting. Now that she knows Willow can do a resurrection successfully, she's probably making plans to gather the remaining Death Eaters, grow the ranks in numbers, and plan a resurrection for Voldemort."
He could see Buffy was clearly worried about that concept, so Draco grinned and reassured her.
"But don't worry. Once mother and Aunt Andi finds out that she killed me, I daresay I will be down one relative. We Blacks are very possessive."
"And insane," said a voice from the hallway. Both Draco and Buffy looked at Harry as he yawned and stretched. When he was finished, he grinned at Draco. "Blacks are most definitely insane."
"Of course we are. We also like to kill each other. Aunt Bella has two down. She's gotten quite the collection."
Harry laughed. "I think your mother's will be growing soon. Tonks might even go after her."
"She'd trip before she got a curse out." Buffy and Harry laughed at Draco's dry statement. "Forgive me for wishing Tonks did not go on a revenge spree on my behalf."
Draco started to walk past Harry and was intent on going back to bed now that Harry was awake, but he was stopped by yet another question.
"What happens now, Draco?"
"Potter, I don't know." Harry knew Draco was truly irritated and very put out with him. He only reverted back to school habits when he was cranky. "It is early morning, I just had not one, but two spirits channel inordinate amounts of energy through my already injured magical core. A Dementor nearly made my magic bleed out of my pores and my lunatic aunt killed me. I'd like one night of sleep before I think of what the bloody hell I'm going to do next. Is that a possibility, oh my majesty of majesties?"
Buffy bit her lip in amusement as she and Harry shared a glace. Draco rolled his eyes and didn't wait for a response but continued towards the stairs.
"He forgot to curtsy."
"iPotter!/i"