Summary: Denying Death has consequences. Buffy Summers discovers this as she is resurrected after drowning at the hands of the Master, awakening the memories of her first life as Acacia Potter, the Girl-Who-Lived. Now she has to reconcile her past with her present and be the Slayer Sunnydale needs, while dealing with Death's demands.
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, or anything else mentioned in this fic. None of it belongs to me.
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Chapter 1: What Is Lost Will Be Found When The Truth Hunts You Down
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"You tried. It was noble of you. You heard the prophecy that I was about to break free and you came to stop me. But prophecies are tricky creatures. They don't tell you everything. You're the one that sets me free. If you hadn't come, I wouldn't go. Think about that."
The sinister whisper filled her ears, drifting through the shadowy fog that enveloped her disorganized mind.
You think you can deny Death, child?
An ominous voice chuckled. Even if it was only in her mind, it sent ice through her veins, freezing her blood.
You are bound to me, Acacia Potter. Your soul became mine the moment you won the Elder Wand. It is only a matter of time before you decide to shed the mortality that you so desperately cling to. Then I will have my beloved Champion.
That voice was soft, a blade wrapped in velvet. It had her instincts screaming to run, to escape.
Yet, where could she run? How does one escape Death?
Glazed hazel irises stared into the mirror, not recognizing the girl that stared back at her.
Light feathery blonde locks had replaced the riot of solid black curls that she was accustomed to, bright striking green eyes absent, traded for softer hazel, nicely tanned bronze skin instead of the delicate pale shade she had before.
Sixteen years, instead of twenty-five.
The memories of a war-hardened full grown woman who had faced Death itself and denied it's demands clashed violently with the memories of the traumatized teenager that had held onto that childhood innocence, despite everything that she had experienced.
It was disorienting, to say the least.
She wasn't sure who she was now.
Acacia Potter, the Girl-Who-Lived, the Savior of the Wizarding World, the girl who had broken under the expectations that had been placed on her thin shoulders, who had been molded into the scapegoat and hero that they needed. The one who had faced Death, chose to return to save the world, and lost herself in the process.
Buffy Summers, the Vampire Slayer, the girl chosen to fight the vampires and protect the world from evil, the teenager who wanted to be normal, who defied the expectations placed on her, following her heart to do what was needed. The one who had embraced her destiny, who had walked to her Death, and lost the innocence that she had clung to.
A soft, bitter laugh escaped her as she realized that Death had certainly had its fun.
She had sacrificed herself in both lives for those she loved.
Always the hero, the martyr that died so that everyone else could live.
The only thing she had ever wanted was to live. It was a selfish wish but she wasn't willing to give it up. She refused to lose herself a third time.
It didn't matter how much balancing she needed to do. She was going to live this time.
"Prophecy or no prophecy, I'm going to live," she told her reflection, determined.
A flash of black caught her eye and she looked down at her right arm.
On the inside of her right wrist, directly over her pulse point, the symbol of the Deathly Hallows was tattooed in black ink. It contrasted starkly against her bronze skin. Unlike the memories of her first life, it had appeared smoothly, as if it had always been there.
She stared at the brand, her fingers shaking as she gingerly traced it.
You think you can deny Death, child?
The memory flashed through her mind and she looked at her reflection, giving a grin that revealed more teeth than necessary.
Her reply had not changed through lifetimes.
"Watch me."