Disclaimer: I own nothing. I claim no rights to any television show, movie, or book. I write for fun not profit. All television show, movie, and book characters are owned by their production studios, television stations, and authors. No copyright infringement is intended. Again, I write for fun not profit. I am not getting paid for this. This goes for all chapters past, present, and future.
A.N. Wolfgirl asked: Willow is a wand witch, as well as an earth witch why didn't she make her own portkey?
Answer: That's because Willow and Dawn are still learning wizarding magic. Willow sometime even forgets she has a wand to use. But in this case Willow and Dawn haven't progressed onto traveling spells. Apparation and portkeys are beyond them at this point. They've been too busy with everything else to learn more than the basics.
A.N. I was also wondering if anyone figured out the answer to my question at the end of Chapter 51. In this story, what was Hermione Granger's mother's 'full' maiden name?
After this there are two more chapters to go.
Chapter 53
Day One, Month one, Year one.
It had been a long day and an even longer night. Because of all the crying, moaning and even screaming of the survivors loss the wizard had taken to putting up silencing charms on the tents. This didn't mean they were insensitive, they were just trying to keep the noise from waking other people who had finally been able to at least pass out from exhaustion otherwise they would wake up crying and screaming themselves.
This morning was the light of a new day. Most people weren't ready for it. They weren't very optimistic that this was a brand new start. They were only concerned with loss.
Xander and the rest of the Guardian Council were up all night in shifts to render aid where need be. Xander However was now up for more than twenty-four hours. Harry woke from his sleep shift and tried to relieve him but Xander just kept on going after a few more hours Giles notices how Xander was forcibly dragging himself form aiding one person to the next and told Katie that it would be in Xander's best interest to slip him a sleeping potion. Katie had to agree and so Xander was now slept in his tent.
/Scene Break/
Gwen cooper had had a terrible night. She heard all the crying and was aggravated that the people around her readily fell for the lies that these Guardian Council people were telling them. There was no way that the earth lost all its lands to the ocean or that Africa was the only land left. She didn't see how she got to Africa but she couldn't deny it. Between the heat and humidity and all the African animals and foliage she knew she wasn't in Cardiff anymore. Yesterday one of the women she had tried to arrest somehow broke Gwens hand. She had herd that some junkies had unbelievable strength but her hand had been crushed. The fingers that hadn't been were pointing in unnatural directions and it hurt like hell. Her mind had blocked out the fact that the girl had crushed her gun, because that was just impossible. But then they gave her an amulet and some weird drug that gave her such strange hallucinations about her hand not having any bones at all and a painful night of re-growing them. She looked at her hand now and wondered if she hadn't hallucinated that her hand had been broken because it looked and worked fine now. Just when did they drug her? She wondered. She would need to get away from these people as soon as possible and bring back reinforcements.
/Scene Break/
Harrison Davies and his sister Tru had argued all night about everything and anything. Harrison didn't like the fact that Tru had the witches take his memories. He argued about magic in general being strange and unnatural. That they should leave this place as soon as possible before they were made the slave of the witches or turned into frogs or something. And they really needed to get away from the werewolf. He didn't want to be bitten or killed.
Tru on the other hand argued every point. Not that Harrison listened to any of it. He wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. He didn't care that they were the ones to save his and his sisters lives he was just too against magic. He just needed to convince his sister to come with him.
/Scene Break/
Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles awoke to a new day. They both had head injuries and were given some kind of drink that seemed to have some form of drug within it because they had both slept a long time. All their injuries seemed to have healed so they had to believe they were unconscious for a week or more they found a girl within their tent who had Jane's nephew in her arms feeding him a bottle. When Daisy noticed that they were awake she introduced herself and told them that she had been taking care of the baby's needs since they couldn't. They couldn't believe Daisy's explanation that they had only been asleep for one night because of the evidence of their healed injuries. They looked at Daisy as if she was insane when she told them about magic and potions and Jane immediately asked to take the baby in her arms away from her. Daisy didn't mind she knew what they thought and what they would soon see. She gave them the baby and excused herself. Jane turned to Maura and asked if she had any idea of where they were.
"We were told that we were in Africa when we were last conscious. The heat and humidity tells me we are someplace tropical." Maura stated.
"How is that possible?" Jane asked.
"I'm not sure. Heck, I'm not sure that it's the truth. We'll need to get out of this tent and have a look around."
"Jane peeked out of the tent flap and said. It doesn't look like we're prisoners I'm all for checking it out. Just let me get the baby and get my shoes." Jane replied.
As Jane was putting on said shoes Maura started remembering other things from yesterday.
"Jane, do you remember that we were headed to your brother's apartment to take T.J. home yesterday?"
"Yeah, why?" Jane replied.
"Do you remember the radio announcing that Yellowstone erupted?"
"Oh my gosh. Yes I do. We were trapped when something fell on our car from the truck in front of us."
"Then the overpass collapsed trapping any cars from getting out from under it. But then…" Maura started and paused in contemplation.
"Then, what? I don't remember anything after that because I hit my head on the dash." Jane explained
"It's nothing, never mind."
"Maura, I'm kind of freaking out right now. If that poison cloud was headed toward Boston… What about ma? What about my brother and TJ's mom? What about our friends at the precinct?"
Maura didn't want to say any thing at the moment. She didn't want to think about anything like that happening to the people she knew and trusted, people she called friends.
"We need more information. Let's go find out what's going on."
Jane agreed and they headed out of the tent. Maura was ahead of Jane when they exited and turned to look back at Jane. She wanted to ask if TJ was alright when her eyes went wide and she gasped.
"What?" Jane asked worriedly.
Maura pointed behind her and Jane tuned around. She was stunned to see that the tent with the huge interior was smaller on the outside.
"What the hell?"
"Jane. Do watch your language around TJ. What would your mother think? There has to be a logical explanation for this. Maybe it's an optical illusion. She said taking another look inside." Maura suggested.
"Nope, not an optical illusion." She confirmed. "But I have no idea how this is even possible."
They took several minutes walking around the tent and going in and outside of it. Before they gave up to look for answers elsewhere. They weren't going to like the hard to believe answers but they would eventually accept them.
/Scene Break/
Dona Noble had accepted Arthur Weasley's invitation to stay with him in his tent only when she realized how big the tents were on the inside. It was kind of embarrassing when they each realized what it must have seemed like to Donna and what Arthur was ignorant about. She must have thought him a dirty older man to have suggested sleeping together in such a seemingly small tent. But Donna accepted the guest room with the queen sized feather bed. It was very comfortable but Donna, like everyone else didn't get any sleep. Misery was everywhere. She got out of bed when she not only heard Arthur had reluctantly begun his day but when the smell of coffee filled the air.
"Morning Arthur, Did you sleep at all?" she asked.
"I don't see how anyone could." He replied.
"Your right, it was a silly question. Do you have any idea what time it is. I left my watch on the night stand."
"Nearly nine."
"Hum, I lay there longer than I thought I did. What do we do now?" she wondered.
"I'm not sure. What do you think is the proper English thing to do the day after the end of the world?" Arthur said trying for humor.
"Keep calm, stiff upper lip and move forward I would say. That's easier said than done though." she said in monotone with a far away look
Just then Vincent called Arthur's name and Arthur went to the tent flap.
"Yes?"
"You have visitors." Vincent said revealing Bill and Fleur Weasley.
"Oh thank god. He said hugging them both."
Donna who had been sitting at the kitchen table got up to meet whoever Arthur was fawning over.
"Danna this is my son Bill and his wife Fleur. I may have mentioned yesterday that they lived in Africa."
"Yes, I remember."
"Bill Fleur this is Donna Noble formally Prewett."
"It's a pleasure, Wait a moment did you say Prewett?"
"That's right; do you remember your mother talking about her squib cousin who worked as an accountant?"
"Yes… you mean?"
"Yes, I found her and brought her here to save her life."
""Father, you broke some very heavy laws you should wipe her memory now and leave her to the muggles.
"Oy! That wont be happening sun shine, ever. You understand me? I'll bust some heads before that happens again and you'll be the one with amnesia"
"Now Bill you might not want to say that within this new city. The Guardian Council who run things here of which I'm a part, will establish our own government and our laws will include working alongside muggles or mundane as they would rather we call them."
Bill looked at his father as if he were insane.
"It was the Guardian Council that has been fighting darker magical elements for years. Things you probably didn't even know existed."
"Like what?" Bill asked skeptically.
"I know this will be hard to believe but demons and such."
Bill turned white.
"What do muggles know about demons?" He protested
"You surprise me. You sound like you already know about demons." Arthur stated.
"As a curse breaker we see many demons guarding tombs and such, but how can a muggel…"
"Mundane." Arthur corrected.
"Alright. How could the mundane deal with demons."
"That's because the Guardian Council is actually the Council that trains the slayers." Arthur said.
Bills and Fleur's eyes got wide before Fleur said with fear in her voice.
"We must leave here immediately. Slayers have been known to hunt and destroy many Veela villages in the past."
"Relax Fleur. That was when the watchers council was in charge of the slayers. The slayers are better educated these days thanks to the Guardian Council. For heavens sake if they were about destroying every creature they came across they would have slain Vincent, the person who brought you to our doorstep. There's actually a friendly family of Macboon out there somewhere."
"Macboon?" Bill sighed in disbelief as he sat back in his chair.
I had thought I saw children wearing the Beauxbatons Academy uniform? Fleur wondered.
Yes, we were able to get word to Olympe and she was able to bring many of the students at the last minuet. We tried to inform The Durmstrang Institute but the headmaster was unreasonable. Luckily Victor Crum was the flight instructor this year and we were able to talk him into saving as many children as he could. Unfortunately he was only able to save the class he was teaching as well as one of the schools quiddich team that was practicing on the nearby field. There's much we need to talk about Bill, Fleur. Why don't you have a seat and begin this talk by you apologizing to Donna who is obviously still upset about how you greeted her?" Arthur asked.
The rest of the morning they covered many topics such as why Arthur couldn't save the rest of the family, too many topics about the slayers and the Guardian Council. All of which he had to exclude the knowledge that they knew about the end of the world for two years prior. As far as anyone else was concerned the Guardian Council only found out about it two weeks ago and took some time to cross check the information before a prophecy was found confirming it. The Council found that there would be a safe spot here in Africa and since the Council was already building a school here they rescued as many of their employees students friend family and allies as they could in such short notice. These were the stories the Guardian Council would tell anyone who asked.
"But I don't understand how the Guardian Council found out about the magical world." Bill wondered.
"That would be because of Document Zero." Arthur stated.
"What's Document Zero?" Bill asked.
"Document Zero was a document that was a written treaty between the Demons and the wizarding world that promised they would leave us alone as long as we separated ourselves from the muggles. What we didn't know was that the same treaty had hidden magical clauses that kept wizard kind from advancing. We are now centuries behind the mundane people."
"What!" They both said in unison.
"Have ether of you noticed yourselves becoming more open minded?" Arthur asked.
Bill shook his head while Fleur sat there deep in thought.
"Well actually I wouldn't expect you to Bill. The document had a clause that if you had seen and believed in demons the enchantment would be broken. You probably have been the most open minded of the whole family since you've seen one."
"Where is the document now?"
"It's been destroyed by the combined efforts of wizards and the Guardian Council." He hated not mentioning Hermione by name but was told to keep it generic.
"This whole Document Zero sounds horrible. How did the wizards not notice the clauses like that?" Donna asked.
"This was before the time Hogwarts was built. Wizard kind was still ignorant and trusted the demons when said demons translated the words of the document before signing it."
"You were tricked!" Donna said appalled.
"Yes we were." Arthur agreed before turning back to his son and wife.
"Did you know the mundane built machines that can nearly think? And that they've been to the moon and back. Pureblood and the death eaters thought that they could easily beat them into submission when actually they could have decimated us, had we attacked on a grand scale. It was only the muggle minister that kept his army from attacking us when the death eaters destroyed that bridge with all the people still on it."
Bill looked like he didn't believe him but Donna confirmed that they had computers and had been to the moon in the sixties the school/bank might even have computers.
"Yes, we should find out what's going on outside the tent. There's much we can help with. Perhaps you'll both learn a few things. I know I have."
Bill and Fleur turned out to be a big help and they did learn a lot about the mundane they never dreamed of. They both had time off from Gringotts as there would be no tomb raiding while there was still danger of earthquakes.
So, they would both help out during the day. Fleur's parents and sister who had been visiting for the Christmas hollows came as well, but they all would portkey back to Bills and Fleur's home at the end of every day. After a couple of weeks the Delacour's would feel they were overstaying their welcome at Bill's and their daughter's small place and because their home was gone they decided to stay and build a new life with the Guardian Council. They were actually excited about it.
Day three, month one year one.
Francis Cage and Sydney Cooke and Kristen AKA Running Zebra prepared themselves for the meeting. Last night they were able to find someone that could answer their one burning question. Where could they find the Cherokee? They were told that the Native Americans were building their village across the ravine. They were also told not to try to get there without help because they didn't have a bridge to cross it yet and the river was loaded with crocks. That had settled it they wouldn't try until morning, this morning and now they were confronted with the man from the train station, Draco Black.
"Good morning." Draco greeted. "I understand you need help getting across the ravine. I can get you there."
"Um good morning and thank you but what can you do." Sydney asked.
"How will you get us across?" Gage wondered.
"Do you remember how you got here that was a form of magic for traveling a long distance called a portkey. What I'm going to do is a different form called apparition. I'm going to apparate you three across." Draco replied.
"Um actually we have three kids that need to cross as well." Sydney explained.
Draco looked behind them and saw the children.
"Hmm. I'll need to make three trips then. The gentleman can hang on to one of the boys and the ladies can hang on to the last two children." Draco said.
"I want to go home." The young girl said.
"I'm sorry young lady but wherever you're from has been destroyed and covered by the ocean." Draco said.
"Hey! That's wasn't necessary?" Sydney snapped at him.
"I'm sorry but were you going to lie to her for the rest of her life?"
Sighing she just shook her head and asked. "Will you take us across please?"
"Sure, grab the children and we'll be on our way. Draco took Francis and the one of the boys and before he could say anything Draco went back and grabbed Sydney and the girl and then finally Running Zeba and the last boy. They were all on the other side now and were out of breath.
"What in the…" Gage began but looked at the kids and said. "What was that?"
"I told you, apparition." Draco said confused that they didn't understand his explanation about magic travel.
"I felt like I was being shoved trough a tube.
"It takes a while to get used to it." Draco said.
"I'd rather not." Gage replied.
"If we need to, I guess we'll have to. At least until they can put up a bridge. "Sydney replied.
"There's supposed to be wizards coming by here about three times a day to see if the Cherokee need anything. So if you find you want to come across again let them know." Draco said.
"Thank you Mr. Black." Running Zebra said.
"Don't mention it." With a loud pop he was gone.
They could see the Cherokee village up ahead. It wasn't much yet but there were more buildings and fewer tents than on the other side and they figured the kids would want to see familiar faces. Bob Flat Snake approached.
"Sydney, Francis I'm glad your back. I worried that you went back to your destruction."
"We almost did. We're sorry that we left. Are we still welcome to stay?"
"That was always the plan". Bob said. "How are things across the river?"
"They are still grieving but the Council doesn't seem to need to render as much aid as they did the past two days so some of them seem to be getting some work done in the bank. They said it would be livable in a day or two and then people can move in." Running Zebra announced.
"There couldn't be too many people moving in. It's kind of a small building." Francis replied.
Sydney playfully slapped his arm. "Gage, remembered the size of the tents?"
Gage looked at her in awe. "You mean they can do that to a building?"
"We're talking about magic, Gage, I'm sure anything is possible."
/Scene Break/
Arthur had finished his breakfast with Donna, Bill and Fleur when a toucan flew through the tent flap and brought Arthur a letter. Donna jumped seeing the bird but didn't think it was dangerous. Arthur took the note and read it before he yelled in jubilation.
"Percy's alive!"
This brought on a short celebration.
"Where is he? How did he know to come here?"
"It would seem he was saved by Kingsly Shackelbolt. I had tried to tell him that the end of the world was coming and where the safe place would be but he didn't believe me and tried to have me committed to Saint Mongo's long term. Percy, being the minister's attendant was close enough to Kingsly that Percy was the only person he could save. They are at Kingsly's family home in Nigeria."
"That's a long way from here. If Percy sent this bird the day he got to Africa it's no wonder it took so long to get here." Bill said.
"He has sent a Portkey with the letter that Kingsly was able to make. It will take us to him and will make this the starting point it will come back to once activated. We'll need to make the starting point at the train station as agreed upon by the Guardian Council."
"Well then let's go." Bill said.
"Um, I have a question." Donna began. "What is portkey travel like?"
"It's the form of magical travel that brought you to Africa." Arthur explained.
"Oh, I thought so. Is it alright if I stay here then? I really didn't like that one either."
"You didn't know what was happening then. This time you do." Arthur assured her.
"Actually, I was going to find that man Xander. I still need to apologize for slapping him. And he's been looking for people to help build homes. I think I'd like to learn how to do that. You'll eventually bring Percy here so I can meet him right?" she asked.
"Of course and when I get back I'd be interested in joining you so tell Xander to save a place for me." Arthur said.
"Me as well, but tell him I can only help as long as Gringotts doesn't need me." Bill said.
"I'll tell him. Good luck." Donna replied.
"We don't know how long this will take but we should be back by dinner at the very latest. See you then." Arthur said as they exited the tent.
/Scene Break/
Day four, Month one, Year one.
While more and more people began to help out to build their new lives, Willow and Dawn roped Hermione into helping them with a special project that had nothing to do with their survival. Hermione listened to what they wanted to do and felt for them. She would help. The first thing she did was show them how a pensive worked. They were amazed to see that this could be done. Willow was instructed to remember in as much detail what had happened. She then pulled a silvery thread from Willows scalp and placed it into the bowl. When they entered the Pensive, Dawn and Hermione were confronted with the last moments of Buffy's life. When they left the pensive all three were very emotional. They cried for several minutes. When they were able to get some form of composure Hermione said she now knew what Willow wanted and Dawn agreed. They went out to the front of the bank and about twenty-five yards from the front door they began their work. Using scraps of metal and stone they used their wands to form what was in their minds eye, a statue to last for all time. A ten foot statue rested on a five foot pedestal. A likeness of the lynch pin of they're new city. The woman that brought everyone together, who was responsible for them being saved, and who brought the start of this new society to fruition. The statue of Buffy stood there with her fists raised ready to fight for what she believed in no matter how impossible the odds and no matter what the cost. Xander and Giles were in awe of it but couldn't keep their emotions from showing. Many slayers began gathering. Many fell to the ground crying for the loss of their savior, their hero, their friend as did Willow Dawn and Hermione once they finished.
/Scene Break/
On Ark four Samantha Carter and Vala Mal Doran had been helping pump out water for the past few days as well as helping with repairs. No one seemed concerned about where they came from. What they did notice is that they were in military uniform and figured that they would just accept being ordered around. As they didn't have any rank insignia Carter didn't bother to tell them she was a Colonel. She would rather have busy work which gave her access to many systems onboard the ship. Unfortunately none of them were close to the communications console but she then heard that there was still a lot of electromagnetic radiation around that was interfering with communications between the arks. She knew then that it would be fruitless to try and send a signal to the Hammond that should still be in orbit. She would need a radio telescope to cut through such interference. However, Vala seemed to be on constant mop detail following a brown haired woman who seemed to throw up every time she tried to eat something. She found out the woman's fist name and so called her duty 'Kennedy detail'. At first she felt sorry for her but after cleaning up after her so many times she lost her sympathy for her especially for how she treated others. It was one thing to be crabby and irritable but Kennedy was down right irritating and mean to others. She hadn't seen anything like it since she had been host to a Goa'uld. But Vala had been close enough to her to know she didn't have the parasite in her. Kennedy was just a spoiled bossy woman that thought the world owed her something. Vala had been working next to Sam and Sam relayed everything they were able to find out about the ark and the military on board, as well as the systems. Vala had relayed all the scuttlebutt between crew and passengers. Neither had any reason to do this except to give each other something to do. Knowing the people that surround you is just as important as knowing your surroundings. Just then they heard retching from down the hall.
"Clean up in isle five." Sam said.
"Back to Kennedy detail." Replied Vala as she grabbed her mop and headed down the corridor with her head down in defeat.
/Scene Break/
Somewhere in the ocean resting on a capsized empty oil tanker a lone human figure sits on the side of the ship pulling food from a pillow case sack. The figure had been dirty and sweaty before diving under water to check the ships galley for food, dodging dead bodies and finding small air pockets to replenish the lungs that strained and burned for another puff of air. The figure wasn't any cleaner after surfacing with three in tacked cans in a sack. One was a can of meat. That was believed to have been a big score. The next was a can of sardines, and the last was a can of French cut green beans. It would have been nice to have found something with more carbs like canned spaghetti or canned potatoes but this would defiantly do as the figure began to eat the beans first, saving the best for last. The figure stopped in the middle of eating and said to no one. "Hey, wait a minuet! Wasn't Don Quixote that crazy guy that attacked wind mills?"
/Scene Break/
On board the Hammond President Henry Hayes entered the quarters of General Jack O'Neill. He stood at the door and looked at the man who looked like he hadn't slept or eaten in a while sitting on a seat as he stared off into the space in front of him.
"I know what she meant to you Jack."
Jack had never acknowledged him since he entered. This would be a serious breach of protocol but Hayes knew depression when he saw it.
"Look there was always going to be casualties. I never once doubted that she would be one of the survivors. But even I was thrown for a loop and the words of my father came back to me. There is nothing you can do when your number comes up. You on the other hand still have people that are alive, people that are family. As far as I know your nephew Sean Malloy is still alive. Luckily we didn't need to beam him up and reveal everything to a journalist."
For the first time since Hayes entered Jack's quarters; Jack spoke.
"He likes to be called Sam and he's a photo journalist."
"Photo journalist then. Actually that would have been so much worse, photographic evidence and such." He replied not mentioning how the nick name had been ironic. "You should go visit him show him you're still alive."
"Maybe tomorrow." Jack groaned
"Actually I'm making it an order. I want to know If Sean Angus Malloy also known as Sam is still alive. It will take you several days just to organize the tech guys to fix the puddle jumper enough to get through the electromagnetic interference. I'm making it a matter of national security"
"What nation would that be sir?" Jack asked.
"Home world security then." Hayes growled.
With a sigh Jack stood up and rose to attention, with a crisp salute he barked a "yes sir." Never letting on that it was more in defiance and sarcasm but Hayes saw it for what it was and took it nonetheless. He wasn't going to let O'Neill ruin his own career because of depression, giving him something to do would help.
/Scene Break/
Buffy sat on the side of the tanker and had finished her sardines and was now opening the canned ham. Just then something feathery landed in front of her. The last thing she needed were seagulls trying to rob her. When she looked up she saw an owl and not just any owl but one carrying a letter. This was good. According to her sister owls always know where they're going. They have a great since of direction and can find a person like they had a tracking device. Buffy went to take the letter but the owl moved away. Buffy knew that if the letter wasn't for her then the owl wouldn't let her take it.
"Sorry, I thought you were here to deliver a letter to me." She lied. She knew it wouldn't be for her but she did wonder if it was for someone she knew. If so, she could follow it to Africa.
She felt kind of silly talking to the bird but Dawn had assured her that magical owls could understand what you were saying.
"Mr. Owl, how many licks…you know what, forget I said that. Listen; I'm trying to get to Africa but any land will do. I'll give you some of my ham if you at least let me follow you to land."
The owl hooted and bobbed. Buffy took that as good sign that hopefully meant okay.
Buffy broke off a piece of the processed meat and set it in front of the bird. When it hopped closer Buffy was able to see the persons name written in green ink.
"Harry Potter." She said to the owl. "I know him. He's at the place I want to go. Will you allow me to follow you there?"
The owl said nothing. But Buffy realized the owl was done with its piece of ham and was looking at the rest of the meat in Buffy's hand. So she gave him more.
"Listen, the only kind of fresh water we have is what the sardines and beans were packed in. You can have the sardine water and I'll take the stuff from the beans."
The Owl bobbed again. As the owl drank Buffy did as well. Then the bird seemed to sit there.
"Tired huh? That's okay so am I, but let me know when your ready. I'll just be over here meditating while you rest up."
Buffy sat with her back turned to the owl who sat there with its feathers puffed up to keep warm as it took a short nap.
Buffy stared out at the waves as the tanker swayed back and forth. She began remembering the gargantuan wave that almost killed her.
/Flashback/
"Goodbye Willow." Buffy said.
"Goodbye Buffy." Willow replied and hurriedly turned to everyone and told them to hold hands to complete the magical circuit. Willow glanced back for one last look at Buffy who wouldn't look back at her and she still looked like she was going to get into a fight with a tidal wave. Willow and the group disappeared leaving Buffy behind to meet her demise for the fourth and last time. As Buffy stood there watching the wave approach she brought her legs together as she got out of her fighting stance and as she did she kicked a piece of wood that had been between her feet. She looked down and found the broom Willow rode up to the roof on. She looked at it as if considering something. She was told that brooms didn't work for slayers, only witches and wizards but she didn't want to die yet, and that tidal wave was almost on top of her. She wasn't sure if the magic used to make flying brooms made it even a little self-aware but there was no harm in trying. She picked up the broom and said.
"Listen I don't know if you can understand me but that wave is almost here and it will destroy both of us. Please carry us out of here." She said as she threw her leg over the broom stick and hopped on expecting to land right back on her feet. She was amazed that she and the broom were floating in mid air.
"Well, what are we waiting for let's go." She said as se leaned forward and the broom took off as an incredible speed.
They were now only several yards away from the wave and she could feel herself getting wet as she raced the wave at the same time climbing upward to gain altitude to get above the wave which was nearly a mile high. Once she was high enough she let the wave pass and watched it retreat into the distance. She couldn't believe her luck but would never question it.
Suddenly she felt talons griping her shoulder and was brought out of her thoughts.
/End Flashback/
The owl had landed on her shoulder letting Buffy know it was ready to move on. Buffy grabbed her broomstick and took flight.
Day five, Month one, Year one.
Willow Dawn Xander Harry and Hermione decided to get together in the mornings for breakfast and an informal meeting to figure out what they would need to do that day. They met at the half built Shaolin monastery and invited others with valuable ideas such as Blare Sandberg and Jim Ellison, Vincent, Dr Watson, Neville Longbottom Katie Bell, Oz and of course Peter Cain. They decided not to invite Giles because of the way he treated Xander. Giles would continue to render aid where he could. This get together was to figure out where to go from here.
"Katie, how are the injured?"
"Surprisingly there weren't many that came in during the displacement and the ones we did get are mostly healed. Madam Hooch and two others are the only ones left what will still take a while to heal. Madam Hooch is still in a coma but the others should be out and about in a couple of days. On another note Dr Watson has offered his help with the injured as much as possible."
"I was a medic in the military. I know nothing about magic but I can help monitor and give comfort." John said.
"Any help is appreciated. Uncle John." Hermione replied. "Jim, Blair, we wanted to ask you both if you would be interested in starting a police force. There may not be anything nefarious going on right now but once people feel less sorrow they may get angry at some of the smaller thing and decide to act out."
"In charge of? No. Work for? Sure. But we can look into it for you. There were others here with police backgrounds from here and there. I'm sure were can round some of them up and work out something." Jim replied.
"Mary Margaret and Kermit might be interested it'll be a step down from detective to beat cop but I'll ask them." Peter Cain said.
"Yes, that sounds like a good plan. Please do." Hermione agreed. "Do we still have someone monitoring the roads leading into town so we don't find ourselves occupied with a military force or terrorist?"
"Basically, that equals to the same thing out here but yeah we got that covered. Xander explained. Oz suggested that he and some of the other moon wolves take over at night because there stealthy, have better eyesight than most in the dark and can run back here fast to warn us."
"Yeah, we like night shift." Oz replied.
"That's brilliant; she then turned to the protector of the tunnel dwellers. Vincent, we can't thank you enough with how your people showed us so many new ways of doing things with nearly nothing at all. I know Mr. Weasley has found the common sense ideas as useful as magic."
"The smarter people get the more we lose common sense. The tunnels of New York were a testament to common sense out of necessity." Vincent replied.
"Willow, have you or Dawn been able to find out what's happening with the outside world."
"No, there's still too much electro magnetic interference from the displacement. There's no telling when it will subside." Willow said.
"It was then that Xander raised his hand to speak. Listen I realize we have a lot of food for now but eventually we'll need a continuous supply we'll need to grow our own and possibly raise animals. The sooner we start the better. My work crew can continue building the town and I'll still be there for them but I have ideas for farming I need to run past Harry and Neville first."
"That's probably for the best. I think we can all agree that we don't want to run into a famine in the coming years." Hermione agreed.
"Where can we get farm animals out here? We can really use eggs and milk for a start." Peter Cain asked.
If we had more time our next step would have been rescuing cattle. At first we were going to buy them but the military and the arks drove up the price when they bought large herds of several different bovine. Willow announced.
"Hmm, eggs and milk." Hermione pondered. "Listen, everyone, I've been working on my transfiguration methods. I had been in discussion with professor McGonagall before she died about this idea and she had agreed that this just might work but we didn't have time to test it. I've been going over mundane biology books about farm animals and well… hold on a moment." She then went to the building supplies in the next room and brought back a round-ish stone. She placed it on the table in front of everyone and waved her wand in front of it concentrating very hard. Very slowly it took shape. Harry Neville and Katie looked confused by the length of time it took for this transfiguration to take shape. In the end the stone became a simple chicken. Such a simple form should have taken any practiced witch or wizard seconds to complete but took Hermione almost a full minute.
"Hermione, is something wrong with your magic. That took entirely too long." Katie asked.
"If this was a simple transfiguration I'd be worried too but this isn't a simple chicken form. I modeled it inside and out to be as exactly like a chicken as possible."
"I don't follow." Neville said.
"I don't think any of us do." Xander said.
"It's quite simple. If I've done it correctly then this chicken although not edible itself might be able to produce eggs."
"That's not possible, Hermione. Magic can't create food." Katie announced.
"Your right it can't, but if I made this right it can biologically create eggs from the food it eats. We just need time to tell us if it will work."
"Hermione, that would be amazing." Willow said.
"I must agree." Harry said.
"I got the idea from you Willow. You and that bird you made from a lamp. The one you made fly not by magic but by arrow dynamics. I thought if I knew enough about how the inside of a chicken works to make eggs than I could recreate the process. But there's no guarantee that it'll work, so we'll just have to see."
"Um I've got a question. Why can't we just eat the chicken?" Xander asked.
Hermione summoned another stone to the table and did a quick transfiguration on it to become another chicken.
"Sorry, the first chicken is a bit more special than this one but this one will serve the purpose for this demonstration." Hermione explained.
Hermione turned to Peter Cain and asked him to pull some of its feathers out to show everyone. Which he did without question but as soon as the feathers left the chicken they seemed to disappear. But Xander could see clearly what was happening.
"The feathers are turning to dust just like when you lop off a vampire's limb it turns to dust. Did you make a vampire chicken? That's kind of creepy."
Hermione knew he was being funny at least she thought so. So she elaborated by transfiguring a peace of wood into a meat cleaver and handed it to Peter.
"Would you chop the chickens head off please Mr. Cain." She asked
Peter grabbed the cleaver and then the chicken which was very compliant as it stuck its neck out and Peter loped off its head. Where there had been a chicken there was now the stone that Hermione had originally transfigured only it seemed to have a few scrapes and a chunk taken out of it.
"You see, when you take away small parts of it, it turns into stone dust but if you take too much away that it no longer looks like a chicken it turns back into a stone. So you couldn't possibly eat it. Its only purpose is to hopefully make eggs. I'll make as many as possible for that reason and if it works I'm going to look into goat biology to see if we can get a steady production of milk as well."
"I'm going to guess that this kind of thinking was only possible because Document zero was destroyed." Neville said.
"I think you may be correct Neville." She replied with a smile.
Hermione looked toward Dawn and saw she was writing something. Not that she felt Dawn should be paying attention as after all this was an informal meeting but she wondering what she felt was more important than discussing their future.
"Dawn what are you writing?"
"Oh, well, I know this is just informal stuff but I've been taking down the minutes I guess you'd call it. So far we discussed stuff about medical, police, security, recycling, farming, outside news and fake chickens for eggs.
"Wow. Did we really? And we haven't been here for more than twenty minutes. That's pretty good work for an informal meeting. Thank you Dawn, those notes could be valuable later on."
/Scene Break/
On the other end of town on a hill top there were four people in a heated discussion. Gwen Cooper and Harrison Davies were trying to convince Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles that they should ban together and leave this weird place.
"Don't tell me you don't mind all this magic crap. It's dangerous it's weird and these people should be watched by some government agency. They aren't natural." Gwen said.
"I think they're fascinating. And if it weren't for them we would have all died." Maura stated.
"Yeah well the day is still young. They have werewolves down there." Harrison announced.
"Really, I would very much like to meet them." Maura said curiously.
"Yeah well, what about your kid, TJ. Will you take him to see them as well? You left him down there with them you know." Harrison pointed out which worried Jane a bit.
"TJ is being watched by one of the young women from that New York community. I trust her." Jane said.
"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but aren't werewolves only dangerous on a full moon?" Maura asked.
"Yeah well, this one can transform during the day. I saw it." Harrison told them.
"Hmm, then I don't think you saw a werewolf. The Cherokee have a legend about a moon wolf. Those aren't supposed to pose any danger though." Maura said knowing the culture being the bookworm that she was.
"Werewolf, moon wolf they're both people that turn into dangerous monsters". Harrison said.
"Then there is that Vincent character from that New York community you were talking about." Gwen said.
"I've been told Vincent isn't even magical. He may have been some sort of government experiment or mutation." Maura wondered out loud.
"I don't care what he is, he's not natural, and what about all the other weird things we saw. Those tents that are bigger on the inside, things moving by themselves and those creepy little green elf things. I say we make a break for it and leave before we fall under their spell like everyone else seems to have. I bet that whole thing about the earth was just a lie to get people to become part of their cult out here." Gwen said trying to get her point across.
"I was in Boston when the buildings started to fall. I don't doubt what happened." Jane said.
"Magic isn't natural. These people shouldn't exist. If there really is a higher power then they might have been why the earth did this to itself, to rid it of this unnatural magic stuff." Harrison said.
"How dare you, you bastard. These people save our lives and this is the way you thank them?" A voice said from behind them.
To everyone's surprise they weren't as alone as they thought they were. Earlier in the day Tru Davies, Sally Sparrow and Kathy Nightingale decided to go scouting the area around them. As they came to this area they heard the heated discussion and listened to the rhetoric. They were just going to let it pass but then they heard these two trying to sell their point to two people that might be on the fence about magic. All this just so they could leave with like minded people of their own making.
"Harrison if you want to leave than leave don't go looking for people to cling to just because your afraid to go alone like Miss Cooper is." Tru said.
"I'm not afraid of anything." Gwen replied in anger.
"Well then just leave." Tru said.
"Oh like they'd let me." Gwen pointed out.
"Your not a prisoner here Gwen." Sally said. "You can leave just like that with no questions asked. I bet they would even help you get to were ever you want to go."
"That goes for you too Harrison." Tru said.
"I'm not going anywhere without you." Harrison replied to Tru.
"Well, I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to make my new life right here, so I guess you're staying as well." Tru replied.
"You're coming with me if I have to drag you out of here." Harrison demanded.
"That will be the day. Harrison when was the last time you and I had a physical fight, when we were ten maybe? I won then and I'm a lot better fighter these days so don't even think I won't beat the hell out of you if you think you're going to try it. Just back off and leave. I'm staying. Tru argued."
"How can you side with these magic… creatures?" Harrison asked in disgust.
"Did you forget that I'm one of the creatures? I have my own ability you know." Tru replied
"That doesn't count." Harrison said
"Oh really. What happens when you're kid shows the same abilities when you have one?" Tru asked.
Harrison paused, thinking about that.
"What kind of freak are you then?" Gwen asked in a hostel manor.
"Hey that's my sister you're talking about." Harrison said
"Well, we don't need their kind following us." Gwen said
"You know, people usually get angry at those they don't understand. We know a bit about some of the people down there. We worked with some of them." Sally said to the three women and one man. "The questions we can't answer… Well, we can introduce you to anyone you want and they can help you understand the things we don't know."
"I wouldn't dirty myself." Gwen replied.
"I think that would be fascinating." Maura replied. "I wonder if they would let me write a paper on it."
"I'm sure they have books you can study. They are a school after all." Kathy said.
"You two are traitors. If I was still a cop I'd arrest you both for obstruction of justice for lying to me about all those cases." Gwen said to Sally and Kathy.
"You got your man or woman. The people we pointed your way were always the ones responsible."
"What about all those unsolved ones? I bet you knew exactly what happened." Gwen accused.
"Yes, we did but we could hardly say it was a Bowgar demon or a vampire. You would have had us locked up in the loony been." Kathy said.
"So which one of them down there is this Bowgar demon then?" Gwen asked in anger.
"You don't get it do you. These people are the ones… the only ones that battle the demons. They aren't the evil ones they defeat it. They go out at night and slay vampires and demons so that you and I can sleep better at night with out finding the horrors of the night breathing down your neck." Sally said.
"Yeah tell that to that Oz guy. He's definitely a monster he's a werewolf." Harrison announced.
"He's not a monster he's a moon wolf you moron. He uses his abilities to find lost children." Tru told him.
"Yeah, to eat them." Harrison said.
"He always brings them back safe and sound and doesn't ask for anything in return." Tru said hotly.
"He still sounds like a freak to me just like you." Gwen said.
"Again, watch it, that's my sister." Harrison said hotly to Gwen.
"We don't need her." Gwen implored.
"And what happens if I have a kid that has abilities, Gwen?" Harrison asked
"I don't know, I guess you can send it to the government for study." Gwen replied.
"So the government can create a master race I assume." Sally asked.
"What if he actually loves his child?" Kathy asked.
"Shut it, you. No one can love a freak." Gwen said.
"Listen, my only problem was with the werewolf and still is. He scares the hell out of me but telling me to turn away from my sister or unborn child is over the top for me. I'd never turn my back on my family." Harrison said finally making his decision to pass on going anywhere with Gwen.
"Your all useless." Gwen said walking away. She had thought she had at lest one person in her corner and now she had lost him as well.
Tru turned to Harrison and said. "You know once you get to know him Oz isn't such a bad guy."
"Tru, listen to me. I will never be seen ten feet near that guy. I still say he's dangerous."
"And you would be right. He is very dangerous…to those who would put any of us in danger. He's a hero not a big bad as the slayers would say. And trust me they would definitely put him in his place if not destroy him if he got those kind of thoughts in his head." Sally said.
"So what will it be? Who do you want to talk to first?" Kathy asked
"I'd suggest someone from the Guardian Council first since they were the ones that saved us and seem to have the most knowledge about magic and the things that go bump in the night. Our friend Donna might want to join us. She's new to this and has decided that immersion into the cultures is the best way. So she might have answers for you already." Sally said.
"I thought you said you knew things as well." Maura said.
"We do, what do you want to know?" Sally asked.
"I'm a Boston cop, and Maura's a medical examiner dealing with dead people." Jane began. "What I'm wondering is…Where can we fit in."
Everyone looked at each other without saying a word trying to find an answer.
A.N. I've had Buffy's fake death scene planned before I even began writing this story. Hope you liked my trickery.
A.N. After this there are two more chapters to go.
A.N. Reviews can make the author feel even better.