Isn't it funny how I get more responses on an author note than from a regular chapter? where are my favorite reviewers? I don't see you anymore. D,:

I hope you enjoy this chapter! im putting it up as chapter 26 so I don't confuse myself.

I have this…thing about Spike. He's one of my favorite characters and I can't in good conscious add him into this story. He would definitely take over. I'm thinking about killing him or having him run off lord knows where to find a way to get the chip out. Just know he definitely won't be a part of this fic. Dawn will make her appearance in a few chapters and so will joyce. Remember people I have no respect for timelines.

I do not own Harry potter or Buffy the vampire slayer

"thinking"

"talking"

Chapter 26

Harry didn't get much sleep that night. Maybe three hours or so before a nightmare caused him to jerk awake. He didn't remember it, but it caused him to break out in a cold sweat and cry out. He laid there for about thirty minutes before he realized that he was not going back to sleep.

He sat up in the bed and wrapped the covers around himself. He leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes, thinking.

He was glad that the wards on the house had kept Xander out. He wasn't sure if he would be able to hide how he felt about Dracula if Xander had stayed. He was sure that he would have spilled his thoughts to see if Xander felt the same way. To see if Xander still had some control. He didn't of course, so Harry was grateful that he was separated from the other boy.

Xander

His life had been different since he had met Xander. It still had the same main principles as Hogwarts: danger, magic and strange happenings, but it was different. Here he had a house, he could make his own choices, he could learn what he wanted to learn, nothing was expected of him and he had Xander.

"But I'm still not making decisions by myself."He relied on Xander too much. He looked to Xander for answers to his questions for his decisions, for his approval. Harry had chained himself yet again without realizing it.

With the Dursleys it was almost the same. They had controlled him and used him and nearly every action he took was dictated by them. At Hogwarts he was used, abused, manipulated. He thought he had some control over his life, his decisions but it was just another lie. He had yearned for his freedom; he would have broken away if he had just one opportunity. His aunt had given him his freedom. Harry just gave it away.

It seemed as if he had tied himself to the first person he had met. Xander. He took his cues from Xander, almost every thought or action revolved around Xander. He wanted to learn about wards and runes because of Xander, he wanted to be a Scooby because of Xander; he wanted to stay in Sunnydale because of Xander.

Xander. Xander. Xander.

Xander was not his master. He did not order Harry around, he probably had no idea of the power he had over Harry. He probably didn't know that Harry hung on to every one of his words. He couldn't know that his opinion about everything shaped how Harry looked at things.

Xander wasn't an obsession. It was nothing like that. He wasn't obsessed with the brown haired boy. He wasn't. He just wasn't.

Xander was fun and happiness. Light and dark. Comfort and safety. He was strength. He was everything.

"Oh god, I do sound like I'm obsessed."

"Or in love." The thought came unbidden. Harry ran his hands through his long black hair and gave the end a sharp tug.

Was this love? Could it be? He wasn't sure. He had never known love, didn't know what it felt like, what it looked like. If it was it would explain some of his actions, some of his choices. Love conquered all after all. Could it possibly conquer The-Boy-Who-Lived?

Harry gave a bitter laugh.

He wasn't The-Boy-Who-Lived. He was Harry, just Harry. Well, a very confused just Harry.

He wasn't angry at Xander, he couldn't be. This was his fault. His fault for relying on Xander so much, his fault for not trying to break Dracula's half-ass thrall on him. It was his fault because he had let it happen. He had let it happen.

"Hadn't that been a choice?" he whispered into the guest room that seemed to be devoid of any life, any color.

It didn't answer back. He hadn't expected it to. In fact, he hadn't wanted it to. He knew the answer now, had always known. Had always recognized it, but for some reason refused to acknowledge it.

Harry had been making choices the entire time he had been in Sunnydale. He had been making choices when his aunt had left him broken and distraught in the woods. He had made his first real choice when he had met Xander and decided to follow him to the Scooby meeting.

He was the one that decided to follow Xander. He was the one that decided to not break Dracula's thrall. He was the one that put him in a situation where he had been almost raped.

Being able to make his own decisions, being able to control his own life was both easier and harder than Harry had thought.

The thing is Harry had been in control of his life for a long time. He hadn't given his freedom away to Dracula. He hadn't given his freedom away to Xander. He had done this to himself for himself. Perhaps, it was done subconsciously or perhaps he had done it purposely to make himself understand that the only one that controlled him was himself.

He was ready to take the reigns and show everybody, show himself that he wasn't a tool or a pushover. He wasn't a freak, a wizard, a thrall or a love sick idiot. He was Harry Potter. Harry fucking Potter and he wasn't going sit back and go with the flow anymore.

With that thought in mind Harry leapt out of bed and headed to the basement. He would show Dracula that he was not someone to fuck with.

(Author note: where the –bleep- did this come from? I wasn't expecting this from Harry)

Harry spent the rest of the night reading books about defensive, healing and offensive runes. He needed to be ready for the confrontation. Dracula needed to be stopped and Xander and Buffy needed to be saved. He had known the moment he had woken up that Buffy was now under Dracula's thrall. He wasn't sure if she knew about him, but she would surely know about Xander. How would she get to Dracula after all?

As far as Harry knew Xander would be taking Buffy to Dracula sometime today. He supposed it would be after Xander got off of work that evening so he had some time to research and plan. He needed to get to the Magic Box early in the morning so he could warn Giles and Tara about what was happening. He would tell them that he had run across an artifact that gave him some control, that way they would not be too suspicious. He hated to tell them that he was under the thrall as well, but it was necessary. They would ask questions and it was easier to stick closer to the truth then to lie completely. He wouldn't be able to tell Willow, the girl couldn't keep a secret to save her life. Her behavior would definitely give it away to Xander and Buffy that something was going on.

The plan was simple. All they had to do was bind Xander and Buffy, immobilize them that is. Once they were out of the way the rest would be free to go after Dracula without too many problems. With Harry's help Willow and Tara should be able to magically seal Dracula's lair. Giles would then burn it. Harry would do the burning himself, but he wasn't sure how much the sealing would take out of him.

It took a strange combination of offensive runes and defensive runes that would create a sealing ward. The sealing ward would not let anything in or out. If Dracula managed to survive the fire they would have time to find another way to kill him. Xander and Buffy would have to remain contained until they were sure the Master Vampire was dead.

There was a possibility that they would all suffer some sort of backlash from killing Dracula while being connected to him. That's where the healing runes came into play. Hopefully, he would be able to break his tether to Dracula before the backlash and he could help the others. He had memorized enough healing runes and their uses in order to heal or lessen the symptoms of magical backlash and actual physical wounds.

His plan was simple. It wasn't very satisfying, but Harry found no reason as to why it shouldn't work. As long neither Dracula nor Xander changed their plan up it should work just fine.

It's too bad for Harry that he forgot how unpredictable Xander was and his own forever changing luck.

(scene change & time skip)

Harry walked into the Magic Box only to see chaos.

One of the book cases was tipped over and papers were scattered across the floor. Two chairs also lay on the ground along with various pieces of merchandise. He stepped carefully into the shop, tense and alert. Almost immediately he spotted a few blood splatters on the ground.

Paling, he felt for Xander through the link. The other boy was pleased and excited, filled to the brim with a sense of urgency.

Morning or not it seemed as if Dracula had stepped up his plans. Xander had already taken Buffy to Dracula. Harry's entire plan went up in flames.

Taking a deep breath Harry used his magic sight to find the others. His eyes watered as colors bombarded him. Of course, he was in a magic shop. Joy. He endured the discomfort and searched out the others' magical signatures.

He found them in a closet. Harry knew for a fact this closet was quite small and they had to be very much cramped. He thought about leaving them, but he knew he needed them to help save Xander. This was not the time for jokes. He opened the door and stepped back as they all collapsed into a heap on the floor.

Harry wasn't laughing. Really.

Giles, Willow and Tara scrambled to their feet and Harry actually swayed back on his heels as a rush of babble hit him full force. Whoa.

"Buffy is gone! She was bitten by Dracula and under his thrall and we didn't know until Tara pulled her scarf off and then we tried to tie her up cause she kept saying that she had to get to Dracula! But then Xander came and untied her when weren't looking, cause well, he brought donuts and we got distracted. We didn't know that Xander was being controlled by Dracula! So we thought 'hey donuts yay' and then the next thing I know bam! Buffy is out of the chair and Xander looks smug and then-"

"They knocked you out and put you in the closet?" Harry cut in. no matter how fast Willow spoke he knew that her babbling was cutting time short.

"Yes! We need to get Buffy and Xander back! Dracula is bad news." She finally gasped for breath.

"Finally you're done. I know where they are and I know how to get in, but I don't know how we can get Xander and Buffy away from Dracula and take him out." Harry said before she could begin talking again.

Giles looked bewildered.

"How do you know where they are?"

"I'm under Dracula's thrall as well. At least I was, I recently ran across an artifact on my way home yesterday and it gave me my control back. I'm still connected to Dracula, but I no longer feel the need to do his bidding." Harry explained carefully, trying to seem honest. The girls gasped.

"Good lord!" Giles took off his glasses and polished them. "Well, it's a good thing you do and you found us. But why didn't you contact us yesterday?"

Harry frowned. "I needed to research, I had a plan to take him out, but I didn't count on Xander taking Buffy to Dracula this soon. If I told you last night then Dracula would have known that I wasn't under his control anymore. It was already too late so save Buffy."

Tara nodded and stepped forward to touch his arm.

"T-thank you. I'm s-sorry that you had to go through this a-alone." She turned to the rest of the group. "N-now let's go get Xander and Buffy."

Okay so maybe I lied. Outside forces are keeping me from typing the Dracula confrontation. It will be in the next chapter, mostly because this one is already way longer than my usual chapters. I hope you guys enjoyed Harry's new outlook on life.

Read read read. And if you really like me, review.