Harry Potter and the Vampire Slayer
Diagon Alley
Chapter Four
by: Miss Witch
Rated PG
Summary: Dark forces are afoot. (Gee, that never happens!) Giles receives an unusual request and has to leave Sunnydale. This request has to do with the protection of a certain young boy with a lightning scar on his forehead. A BtVS/Harry Potter crossover story.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even my car. BtVS belongs to Joss (all hail), Mutant Enemy (grrr argh), Fox, UPN, WB…. whoever. Basically, it belongs to someone who is not me, no matter how much I whine and beg.
Disclaimer 2: I so don't own any of the Harry Potter stuff. If I did I'd be J.K. Rowling and well on my way to being the first billionaire writer ever. I lay no claims on any of the characters or what will happen after book 4, so please don't sue!
Spoilers: This takes place before Season 4 of Buffy, and after -Goblet of Fire
Distribution: Just ask. If it helps, I'm going to say yes. I just like the thrill of knowing someone wants it.
Feedback: Pretty please.
Notes: [ ] means thoughts. Oh, and for the sake of argument and my sanity in writing this… Faith did not go bad, just to L.A. (granted, some would argue that it's the same thing)
Disclaimer 3: As we enter the Harry Potter world, I would like to make clear that these stories are my interpretation of the Harry Potter books. If it doesn't jibe with your interpretation, I'm sorry. But, just go with it. Who knows, you might learn something you didn't notice before.
"Yikes!" Xander shouted as the wall in front of him began to move. A small hole appeared as the bricks seemingly folded in on themselves, growing larger until finally it grew into an archway. An obvious doorway.
"Wow." Buffy breathed. "That was amazing." Giles grinned.
"Oh, that's nothing." he assured them. With a slight bow, he gestured them through the doorway.
Buffy was the last of the gang through. She instantly collided with Willow, who bumped into Xander, who narrowly missed knocking into Oz, all of whom were gaping in amazement. Even Oz couldn't hide his surprise at what he saw.
Buffy had no problems figuring out what they were gawking at. Everything. The street was lined with shops the likes of which Buffy had never seen. Cauldrons, cloaks, potions, owls, broomsticks and lots and lots of things Buffy couldn't identify. And the people!
Buffy could've spent hours sitting on a bench and watching the people on the street. She didn't think there was a single person wearing a dull color. Just lots of jewel tones and bright colors everywhere she looked. Buffy's fashion sense rebelled at the sight of a young woman wearing a florescent pink robe with a lime green hat. She whirled to face Giles, who was standing behind all of them, watching their reaction with amusement. He was obviously enjoying their discomfiture.
"There's not a chance in hell I'm wearing that outfit." she told him. Grinning, Giles took her by the arm and began to drag her down the street. The rest of the gang fell in step behind them, trying to look everywhere at once.
"Ok, so, you do know where we can buy all our stuff." Buffy admitted.
"I told you." Giles smirked, as Buffy swatted at him. Stopping out of the way of foot traffic, he gathered the gang around him. Out of his pocket, he pulled several small cloth bags and some paper. Buffy, Oz, Willow and Xander all got one of each.
"Now, I have to buy things myself, so I'm giving each of you some money and a list of supplies you'll need. I made notes as to where I recommend you get them." he told them. Xander dug eagerly through the bag of money.
"Um, Giles," he said, looking at the coins. "These aren't…"
"It's wizard money." Giles interrupted. "The gold ones are Galleons, the silver Sickles and the bronze are Knuts." he explained showing each as he named it. "Galleons are worth seventeen Sickles. Sickles are worth 29 Knuts." The gang gaped at him.
"Oh perfect sense there, Giles." Buffy retorted. Buffy held up one of the gold coins. "Where did you get these?" Giles pointed at the huge white building down the street.
"Gringotts, the wizarding bank." he explained. "While you were sleeping off your jetlag, I went and exchanged some money." He smiled at the group. "Go explore. Just make sure you get your school supplies before you buy anything frivolous." He gave Xander a hard look with this statement.
"Ok, ok. I get the message." Xander said, looking rather sheepish. Giles strode toward a side street, leaving the group to wander where they wished. Buffy watched him walk away.
"I'll catch up in a minute." Buffy told the gang, and ran down the street. "Giles!" she called. Giles stopped at the sound of his name. He watched her with curiosity.
"What is it, Buffy?" Buffy held up the bag of coins he'd given her.
"This money." she said. "We can't take this. It's too much." Giles smiled, touched by her concern.
"Buffy," he said, placing his hand on her cheek. "There's no need to worry. I will not go bankrupt paying for your school supplies."
"But…" Buffy began to argue. Giles interrupted her.
"If it will ease your mind, Buffy, I can assure you that being a Watcher pays quite well." Buffy still looked uncertain.
"Giles…" Giles shook his head.
"Buffy, go shopping, spend the money." he ordered softly, pushing her toward her waiting friends. Giles watched as Buffy took a few steps and stopped. He thought that he was in for another round of arguments about the money. Instead she turned quickly on her heel and darted back to him. Standing on her tiptoes, Buffy pressed a kiss on his check.
"Thanks Giles." she said, before running back to the gang. Giles watched her move lithely through the crowd back to her friends. Giles sighed as he turned away. [Get a hold of yourself, man.] he thought as he walked down the street. [She'll never see you that way.] Giles chastised himself. With one last look over his shoulder, he took one last glimpse of Buffy before he turned the corner.
Willow, always the scholar, insisted that they buy the school supplies right away. Which meant Buffy had to suffer through a fitting for her robes and had to buy the strangest stack of books she'd ever seen. When they requested four copies of "The Monster Book of Monsters" the shopkeeper nearly cried. Buffy soon understood why.
The cage that contained them rattled as the books threw themselves at the bars. They attacked and snapped each other, the stronger ones ripping apart the weaker ones.
"Are those the books?" Buffy asked, as the shopkeeper put on protective gloves. At his nod, she walked over to the cage and opened the door, much to the manager's horror. He watched in amazement as she shot her hand into the cage and pulled out a book, tossing it on the floor and stepping on it before it could scuttle away. She repeated this three more times. The manager stared awestruck at the pile of books under Buffy's foot.
"H- H- How did you do that?" he asked. Buffy shrugged, stomping her foot down when the books tried to toss her off.
"It's a gift." Grateful, the shopkeeper helped her secure the books so they couldn't cause any trouble. He even gave them a discount because he was so thankful for not having to get the books himself.
"That was so cool, Buff." Xander said. "I thought he was going to pass out when we said we needed four books." Buffy giggled.
"I know. That's why I decided to get them for him. Poor guy had bites all over his arms." She turned to Willow, who was in charge of the shopping list. "Where to next?" Willow consulted her paper.
"Um, we just have wands left."
The group made their way to Ollivanders, the wand shop that Giles had recommended. Pushing open the door, they found themselves in a tiny dark shop. Buffy peered into the darkness, looking for the owner.
"Hello." a voice said from behind, causing everyone to jump. They turned to find an old man moving toward them. "Welcome to Ollivanders. I am Mr. Ollivander."
"We need to get wands." Buffy managed to tell him.
"Ah, yes. The Slayer." Mr. Ollivander said. Buffy gawked at him in shock.
"What? Am I wearing a sign?" she asked Willow. Mr. Ollivander smiled. Buffy wasn't quite sure if she liked the smile. It was kind of creepy.
"Rupert Giles was in earlier and told me to expect a group of people in Muggle clothing. And as I happen to know Mr. Giles is an active Watcher, one of you had to be the Slayer. Most probably the most daring one." Buffy was pretty sure there was a compliment in there somewhere. "Let's get started then." he said, placing boxes in front of them.
With the exception of Buffy, there was a collective step backwards.
"Thanks guys." Buffy muttered, giving the group a nasty look as Mr. Ollivander gazed at her expectantly. She endured yet another set of measurements, although this one was a bit different than the last, as the measuring tape did all the work on it's own while it's owner rummaged through the back.
Mr. Ollivander had Buffy try a series of different wands, having her wave them in the air. Buffy felt pretty stupid doing this until finally one sent a shower of gold sparks in the air when she waved it.
"Well, well, well. Dragon heartstring and cedar, 13 inches. An excellent choice for a Slayer." Mr. Ollivander said as Buffy paid for her wand. The rest of the gang went through the same procedure until they too found their perfect matches. Buffy found the wands oddly reflective of their owners; Xander with phoenix feather and maple, Oz with phoenix feather and redwood. It was Willow's wand that everyone found the most amusing as she ended up with unicorn hair and willow.
The gang was very pleased with their purchases as they left the shop. Xander was busily counting his remaining coins. He figured now that they'd bought all their supplies, they could buy something fun. Like what, he didn't know, but he was sure there was something cool he could get.
"Giles!" Buffy called out, waving as her Watcher strode into view. He, too, was loaded down with purchases, maybe even more than the Scoobies had. He juggled his packages into one hand so he could wave back.
"Giles," Xander said excitedly, as they drew together. "we got the coolest stuff."
"Did you, now?" Giles asked. Xander nodded.
"You should've seen the books we had to get." he said. "I don't know why we had to get a book on monsters when we've been fighting them for 3 years."
"You've been fighting demons, not monsters." Giles informed him, giving him a stare. "Besides not all monsters are evil." he corrected in the tone that always made Buffy want to stick her tongue out at him. Of course, it was wasted on Xander.
"Whatever. The book tried to bite Buffy." he continued, undaunted. "You should've seen the guy's face when we asked for 4. It kind of reminded me of you when we tell you all the jelly donuts are gone." Giles cleared his throat.
"Yes, quite." he said, rather primly. Buffy patted his arm consolingly. She didn't notice when he jumped at her touch. She was too busy trying to see what he'd bought. Giles turned so she couldn't peek. "You'll see everything at Hogwarts." Buffy opened her mouth to protest, but never had a chance to speak.
"Rupert? Rupert Giles?" Buffy turned to see a red haired man hurrying down the road toward them. Giles stepped forward and shook the man's hand.
"Arthur Weasley! I didn't expect to see you here!" Giles exclaimed. Arthur shook his head in amusement.
"Three days before the start of term? Where else would I be? I have 7 kids, you know, Rupert." Giles looked astounded.
"Seven?" Arthur nodded. "Well, only four of them are at Hogwarts now." He looked pointedly at the Scoobies. "And you?" Giles followed his gaze and laughed.
"Oh, no, these aren't mine. Well, they're mine, but not my children." he explained. "This is Buffy, my Slayer and these are her friends." Arthur looked at the group.
"I heard you went to work in the Muggle world. Watcher to a Vampire Slayer." he said, obviously impressed. "I would have never believed it." Arthur looked at the packages everyone was holding. "Off to Hogwarts are they?" Giles nodded and put his hand on Buffy's shoulder. Buffy resisted the urge to lace her fingers with his and lean back against his chest.
"Yes, I'm teaching Defense of Dark Arts this year. They've been invited as special exchange students." Arthur nodded.
"Excellent. At the rate Harry's been going, he's going to need all the help he can get in that area." Buffy perked up at the sound of Harry's name. She looked up at Giles questioningly. Understanding her unspoken question, Giles squeezed her shoulder and nodded.
Willow watched this exchange and sighed. [It was so romantic.] she thought.
"And here's the lot of them now." Arthur said, watching a large group moving toward him. Buffy was nearly knocked off her feet as a rather plump woman grabbed Giles in a tight hug, scolding him about not keeping in touch at the same time.
"Molly." Giles laughed. "I'm sorry. I've been a bit busy." Molly humphed and looked over at her husband.
"And where have you been?" she demanded.
Meanwhile, Xander, Oz, Willow and Buffy stared in amazement at the group of teens that had been following Molly. The majority of them had red hair just like Giles' friends and two of the red heads were identical. The other two had dark hair. Buffy decided to introduce herself.
"Hi, I'm Buffy. This is Willow, Oz and Xander." Buffy said, gesturing to each in turn.
"Hello. I'm George, this is Fred," he said gesturing to his twin. "This is Ron," George pointed to another red haired boy, "and our sister Ginny." George pointed at the other two "These are our friends, Hermione and Harry."
There was a round of hand shaking among the teens.
"You're Americans, aren't you?" Hermione, a girl with rather bushy hair, asked. Willow nodded.
"Yes, we're going to Hogwarts as special exchange students." she explained.
"Are you taking the Hogwarts Express?" Ron asked. Buffy nodded. She glanced over at Giles. Seeing that he was safely engrossed in conversation with the Weasleys, she turned back to the twins.
"What's it like? Magic school, that is?" she asked. All of the youths looked at her in surprise.
"You've never been?" George asked. Buffy shook her head.
"Too busy kicking vampire ass." she told them, shrugging. Buffy figured that there was no point in trying to keep her Slayer status a mystery. Obviously enough people knew that Giles was a Watcher. All someone had to do was put two and two together and they'd figure out who she was. Ron was obviously impressed.
"The Vampire Slayer! Wicked!" he said. He turned to Harry. "Think maybe Snape's a vampire? Would you let us watch you slay him?" Ron asked Buffy.
"Who's Snape?" she asked, confused.
"One of our teachers. He hates me." Harry told her.
"Sounds like Snyder, the principal at my high school. If it makes feel any better, Snyder gotten eaten by a huge snake at graduation." she laughed. Ron closed his eyes, imagining the picture.
"I can work with that." he said. Harry looked over at Giles.
"Is that your dad?" Buffy followed his gaze.
"Dad? Giles? No. Giles is my Watcher. He teaches and trains me." Buffy looked at Harry thoughtfully. "He's going to be the Defense of Dark Arts teacher this year." she told him and Ron.
"Really?" Fred asked. "Does he know what he's about?" Xander looked at Fred in shock.
"Giles? Of course he does. Do you have any idea how many apocalypses he's helped us stop?" All heads swiveled to study Giles.
"Wow." Ginny gasped.
"I can't wait to get to school!" Willow said. "We just got our wands, and I can't wait to get back to the hotel to try it out."
"Sound like anyone we know?" Ron asked as they both looked at Hermione, who was currently pouring over books with Willow.
"Time to be getting back." Mrs. Weasley called. The gang made their good byes to their new friends.
"We'll see you on the train." one of the Weasley twins called as they followed their parents down the street. The gang waved as they left.
Despite all the excitement, Buffy was tired. The Scoobies willingly followed Giles back down the alley and through the pub, returning to the Muggle world, trekking back to the hotel.
"Buffy, once you've put your purchases away, will you come down and see me?" Giles asked as Buffy reached the door of her room. Buffy nodded, sighing at the thought of just collapsing on her bed. It looked so soft and inviting. Buffy dumped her stuff and went back down to Giles' room.
He answered her soft knock almost immediately and gestured her inside.
"What's up?" she asked, turning to face him. "Please tell me I don't have to go patrolling or something." The mere thought of having to drag her sorry self out onto the streets of London to patrol was almost more than she could bear. Giles took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Of course not Buffy." he said tiredly. Giles put the glasses on the table by the door. "I just wanted to ask if you feel any better about Hogwarts now?" Buffy smiled.
"Yeah, I do." Giles reached out and tucked a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"See, you were worried about not making friends, and you made some and haven't left London yet." he teased. Giles leaned down so that his mouth was next to her ear. "Feel free to say it." he murmured. Buffy smiled.
"You were right." she said wryly. "But…" Buffy added turning her head toward Giles. Whatever she'd been about to say was lost as she realized that Giles still had his head bent to hers, and his mouth was mere inches from her own.
Buffy's breath caught in her chest. Heart pounding, she looked up and met Giles intense gaze. Her tongue darted out and moistened her suddenly dry lips. Giles watched her tongue slide across her lips. She felt Giles' hand slide up her arm. Entranced, Buffy leaned forward, her eyes never leaving his.
Their lips were mere centimeters apart. Buffy could all but taste him. [God, I'm going to kiss Giles!] she thought excitedly.
"Hey G-man!" Xander yelled, pounding on the door. "When are we going to eat?"