Hey guys! Welcome to the third chapter of Burning Wax Roses.
Chapter Two: Scooby-Doo, What the Hell?
Harry had never really had a job before in his life, but he was glad that he was working at the Magic Box. It was usually a rather busy place full of people buying their things, most of it just so they could say they did own it and not use it (he hoped, some of the crap those guys bought was dangerous and he didn't want to be there when it all went wrong) and chatting with anyone who seemed to know what they were doing.
Harry spent his free time looking over the books the store had in stock when it came to potions. He knew they didn't have very many, but he did remember a hand-written notebook that Hermione had written full of spells and potions they had used during their search for the Horcruxes.
Harry smiled, realizing how helpful the potions from his home could be here. Sure some of them no one would be able to use, but maybe...well, Anya said that she and her group of friends normally wound up in trouble so maybe some of the potions would come in handy to just have around if not to sell some of the more common ones.
The next day Harry came in carrying a cardboard box labeled "Caution" on all four sides. Harry smiled at Anya, nodding to her as he set down the box on the counter. "Hey Miss Anya, I brought in some things for us to sell."
Anya looked up, obviously intrigued and came to the other side of the box on the other side of the counter, trying to look into the box.
Harry opened up the box and slowly began taking out the bottles. He'd bought the little glass bottles from a glass-blower down the street who sold them to him for a bought-by-bulk discount so they'd been relatively cheap. Some of them were rather common-looking, clear glass with a cork stopper but others were a bit more intricate, depending on what they held.
As Harry unloaded the bottles, trying to be as careful as possible, the bell above the door rang, signaling the entrance of customers.
Anya grinned at the customers and then her grin widened, seeing three people coming in. "Xander!" she ran out from behind the counter and gave the tall, dark-haired man a hug.
Harry turned slightly, glancing at the group behind him.
The dark-haired man known as Xander had a lopsided and very friendly smile, one that made you either want to hug him or be his best friend just by looking at him. Harry gave a soft smile of his own, seeing the obvious affection they showed for each other.
Next to Xander was the redhead that he'd seen in the picture, Willow. Her red hair was up in a twist with chopsticks keeping them together, looking rather spiky and wild in her soft and friendly face. She looked like she spent either half her time scared or perpetually happy. Beside her was a girl with dirty-blonde hair, smiling fondly at Willow with warm eyes.
Unfortunately for Harry, his movements of taking out the bottles 'clinked', bringing their attention to him. Harry looked suitably sheepish when their attention turned to him.
"Um...hi." He said nervously, running a hand through his hair, ruffling it even more than it already was.
Anya grinned. "Oh yeah! Xander, Willow, Tara, this is Harry, my employee."
Xander glanced at Anya then at Harry and Harry had the distinct feeling he was being sized up. Then the brunette grinned. "Well hell, Ahn, wish you told me you like 'em that young."
It took Harry a moment to realize what the man was insinuating and then the poor wizard turned a rather enchanting shade of red and he stuttered. "N-No! I mean...not that Miss Anya isn't pretty, she's just...I mean...Oh merlin..." He said as he realized he was being made fun of.
Xander laughed, although it didn't quite meet his eyes. "Ah I'm just messing with you big guy." He reached over and ruffled his hair again. "Well I'm the Xan-man, nice ta meetcha." Xander shook his hand and Harry nodded.
"Likewise."
Tara's eyes were on the bottles and she headed over, randomly picking them up and putting them back down. "What are these?" She asked, eyes inquisitive.
Harry blinked, heading over to the many bottles he'd managed to get together. "Um, potions, actually." He said, slowly unloading them. Some of the potions were left over from the war, as he'd only managed to make two different potions the night before. They were rather quick to make, thankfully as they were usually the most-needed. Pepper-Up Potions and their ilk.
Willow came over, looking at the bottles too. "Potions? I've never seen ones like this before."
Harry looked at her and then realized what it was that he felt around them, the feel of electricity. "Oh you're witches!" Harry smiled, "Oh thank Merlin, I didn't think I'd find any real witches here."
Tara looked up at him. "You're a witch too?"
Harry blinked, "Um...last time I checked, no. At least I hope I'm still male."
Xander laughed, wrapping an arm around Anya's shoulders. "C'mon Witchy Ladies, don't make the guy insecure in his masculinity." Xander then blinked. "Whoa wait, you're a witch? Dude...Never met a guy witch before."
Harry sighed. "I'm not a witch, I'm a wizard. There's a certain genetic difference." He sighed, shaking his head. He took the little plaques they held in the back, writing out what the potions were and what they were worth before slowly putting them up on one of the racks. Anya normally put random stuff up so he didn't think it would be too bad for him to put stuff up too.
Tara watched him. "Pepper-Up Potions? Wart Be Gone?" She blinked, staring at the three different potions up on the shelves. "And...Dreamless Sleep?"
Harry glanced at her. "Oh, just three potions I thought would be a hit. They're pretty easy to brew so I didn't think it would hurt."
Willow continued looking over the bottles he'd left on the counter, some of the rather larger bottles. "Skele-Gro, Fever Reducer, and Blood Repleneshing Potion?"
Harry turned to Willow, feeling like he was getting pulled in a few directions between these two girls. "Um. Yeah, those are kind of a few months old but I thought having them would be good. Their shelf life is rather long."
Tara smiled at him, obviously trusting the dark-haired young man. "What do they all do? Or are they all kind-of s-se-self-explanatory?"
Harry smiled back at Tara, starting to feel at ease with the blonde witch. "Rather self-explanatory. Pepper Ups are used for when you don't feel good, they pep you up, pardon the pun." That got him a laugh thankfully from the two witches. "Wart be gone, well...again self-explanatory. It also works wonders on boils and acne. Dreamless Sleep is rather addictive so I have to put up a warning for that one. Pepper-Ups cause steam to come out of your ears, actually. Skele-gro grows back broken or lost bones. The other two are really self-explanatory."
Willow grinned. "Where'd you find this stuff? This is great! I've never heard of all of this."
As the three wandered the store, talking about this and that, the bell above the door rang again and a pretty-looking young girl with long brown hair came in, a backpack over her shoulder.
Xander grinned, getting up from the table where he'd been reading a comic book and drinking coffee. "Hey Dawnster!" He stood up and wrapped her in a big bear hug. "Glad ya got here on your own, squirt." He said, ruffling her hair.
Willow smiled, hugging the younger girl. "Hey Dawnie."
Tara did the same, but using only one hand as her other one was still rather broken.
Dawn glanced at Harry, who was up on a ladder putting some of the larger bottles up on a higher shelf. "Who's that?"
Willow grinned. "Oh, that's Anya's new employee. His name's Harry and he's British." She laughed. "His accent's actually really cute. And he's a wizard."
Dawn blinked. "A wizard? So he's a...male witch?" Dawn's eyes never left Harry as he climbed down, smoothing out the back of his black button-up shirt before he turned around, almost running into the young girl.
"Oh bugger. Sorry, ma'am."
Willow came over to Harry, apparently he'd been taken into the fold rather easily for an outsider. "Harry, this is Dawn, one of our friends."
Harry smiled at her, making poor Dawn slowly melt in her shoes. "Nice to meet you, Dawn. I'm Harry." He shook her hand, not really knowing what else to do. Everyone else had hugged her but he didn't think he should. He wasn't much of a hugger.
Dawn nodded, watching him. He was definitely attractive, albeit shorter than Xander with scruffier hair but the glasses gave him such a...cute look. You wanted to hug him and protect him from the world. But she got a feel off of him...like with Buffy. He felt like Buffy...
Over the next couple of days Harry noticed that Dawn seemed to gravitate towards him, helping him stock stuff and clean the shop.
Harry always stayed late in the shop, not like he really had anything else to do.
But after his first real week of working at the Magic Box, he was definitely surprised.
"Hey munchkin!" Yelled Xander into the shop, grabbing the British boy and hauling him over his shoulder, twirling them both around.
Harry yelped in an undignified tone, trying to stay still and remain on the shoulders that were currently digging into his gut. "Ack! Xander! Put me down!"
Xander laughed, a bit more genuinely than normal as he finally managed to put the shorter man down. "Hey we're all heading over to my place tonight to watch bad horror movies and gourge on popcorn. You in?"
Harry blinked, surprised. "You...want me to hang out with you?"
Xander lost his grin. "Nah, we're just messing with ya. Of course we want you to hang with us, guy! I mean c'mon! You're practically one of the gang now..."
Harry smiled, feeling touched. "S-Sure, I guess that'd be good. I have to close up, then I'll be on over, alright? Miss Anya already left."
"Hey man, you know you can just call her Anya, right?" Xander stage-whispered, almost as if sharing a secret.
Harry laughed, "I know. But I feel better calling my employer by an honorific...even if she is a bit..." Harry trailed off.
"Yeah, Ahn's a bit wierd, but she's great." He grinned, obviously smitten. "Of course, half the time she talks, do this--" Xander took both of Harry's hands and placed them over his ears, going "La la la la la la la."
Harry blinked, confused. "Huh? But why--"
"She says things inappropriate for young ears."
Harry glared. "Hey! I'm seventeen!"
"And I'm twenty, your point?"
Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed Xander by the shoulders, pushing him towards the door. "I have to close up, get going, Harris!"
Xander laughed, "Alright, alright, I'm gone, I'm gone. See ya in a few!"
Harry shook his head when Xander left, still feeling humoured by the man's jokes. He always knew just what to do to lighten a mood up.
Harry set to closing up shop, verifying the drawer and putting their daily earning in the safe under the counter, locking everything up. Harry picked up his backpack and walked out the front door, turning off all the lights and locking up the front door. He hummed softly under his breath, walking to the bus stop to catch a bus to Xander's apartment.
The night was very dark that night, overcast skies keeping the stars out of sight.
Harry took a seat on the bench, humming still a nameless tune he couldn't remember.
After a few minutes of waiting Harry heard movement but didn't think anything of it.
A shadow darkened his form and he looked up, seeing the man behind him.
"You waiting for the bus too?" Harry asked, bored out of his mind. The buses in Sunnydale took forever.
He didn't say a word, his dark crew cut hair messy and his clothes dated.
Harry shrugged, turning back to the street.
The man took the seat beside him, watching him.
Harry fidgeted for a few minutes, feeling uncomfortable with the man beside him.
He stood, starting to walk away.
After a few moments of strained hearing, Harry heard the sounds of footsteps.
The man was following him.
Harry picked up his pace a bit, trying to lose the man until his pace was a full-out run, dodging into a graveyard to lose him between the headstones.
Suddenly the man grabbed his backpack, sending Harry vaulting backwards into a gravestone near the newer area of the yard and Harry yelped, feeling the man grab his shoulders and keep his arms down as Harry began to yell.
"Get off of me! Let go!" Harry yelled, trying to squirm away. He didn't know what this man wanted but he had a feeling it wasn't good.
Then he chanced to open his eyes and saw the deformed face and the large fangs with glowing yellow eyes and Harry was silent, staring at the man in front of him.
A vampire...oh crap what was a spell for a vampire? Bugger bugger bugger....
Harry ran through his thoughts, feeling it when the man grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled his head to the side roughly, about to take a bite out of his throat.
Suddenly there was something protruding from the vampire's chest and Harry was frozen in shock, seeing the man suddenly explode into dust. Harry coughed, trying to clear his lungs as he looked up at the new shape that had appeared between the gravestones.
He blinked, staring at the leather-jacketed girl wearing a pink shirt with curly blonde hair and black jeans. "Wh-What?"
She smiled brightly, dropping the arm carrying what looked like a crossbow. "Hi! I'm Buffy!"
Harry stood up, recalling the name being spoken by the others. But what was she doing in a graveyard? "Um...hi." Harry turned to start walking away, not really sure what else to do. "Um, thanks for the, uh, save." Harry blinked, seeing the gravestone he'd slammed into.
Buffy Summers.
But...
"Um...ma'am, what did you say your name was?" He asked, seeing her creepy smile still in place.
"Buffy Summers!" She chirped, skipping off. "Have a nice night!"
In a daze, Harry walked back to the bus stop, getting on the bus when it arrived and getting off when he neared Xander's place. Harry knew he was in shock, knew he needed to sit down before his legs gave out.
A quick check of the doorknob told Harry it was open and he stepped inside, closing the door behind him to sudden exclamations of his name before he slumped back against the door, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor.
"Harry!" Willow exclaimed, heading over and kneeling beside him in her favorite blue sweater and blue jeans. "Harry, what's wrong?"
"....Buffy Summers is dead..." Harry said quietly, not really knowing what he was thinking or what had just happened. "But then why....I just saw Buffy Summers in the graveyard...what is going on?"
All of the Scoobies shared a look and Harry had the feeling that his 'long night' hadn't even really begun.
Well there's chapter three, peoples.
And a very special thanks to BrotherBludgeon for his very insightful and information-filled review. I would like to make one comment though: No, Xander and Anya are not married yet. Anya just says that because she can't remember the word 'fiancee'. Plus she thinks that if she tells everyone that they're married, then she won't have to worry about someone trying to steal Xander before they can really get married. And I loved the Amy idea, I'll really have to think about that.
There you have it, my friends. I hope you enjoyed this next chapter of Burning and I will have the next one up as soon as I can.
Blessed Be.