Roads Travelled
Part 1 - Road of Innocence
Written and created by Ida (ladyvisionary) || Betaed by Joahn (CharmedChick)
DISCLAIMER
Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon, and Harry Potter to J.K. Rowling. No money is
being made from this story which is purely written for mine, and others, entertainment.
EPISODE RATING
PG-13 (T).
TIMELINE
Post BTVS season 2, and during the marauders last year at Hogwarts.
STORY SUMMARY
BTVS/HP crossover. Life had never been kind to Buffy Summers, and she thought she had earned a
break. Boy, was she wrong. Stuck in another dimension, with no way back, Buffy must learn to leave
her past behind her, and look to the future: New friends, new enemies and new relationships are just
the beginning of what will prove to be the longest journey and perhaps the biggest trial of her life.
EPISODE SUMMARY
Secrets are revealed while Remus recovers in the Hospital Wing. The results of the Quidditch trials and
a conversation with Sirius makes Buffy realize what should be an advantage might actually turn out to
be an issue.
CENTRAL PAIRING
Buffy/Remus
OTHER PAIRINGS
James/Lily, Sirius/OC, Peter/OC
THE CAST
STARRING
Sarah Michelle Gellar.........................................................................................Buffy Summers
Bradley James......................................................................................................Remus Lupin
Isla Fisher.................................................................................................................Lily Evans
Henry Cavill….......................................................................................................James Potter
Johnny Depp..........................................................................................................Sirius Black
Sam Troughton..................................................................................................Peter Pettigrew
ALSO STARRING
Michael Gambon
Gemma Jones
Jim Broadbent
Episode 6 – Slayer
28 September
Buffy let the tears fall freely and she bowed her head over the werewolf’s body. The
blood had stopped flowing, but the creature was so still. He was still breathing, but that
was that – the movements of his ribcage were almost unnoticable.
There was a sudden rustling from the bushes, and Buffy looked up, in surprise, as a stag
– with a rat on its antlers - and a dog burst into the clearing.
Her surprise multiplied ten-fold, as the rat scurried down, and then, the three animals
became…human.
”Oh my God!” She exclaimed, staring at James, Peter and Sirius in shock.
”You’re…you’re…you can turn into animals?”
”Yeah,” James said. ”It’s not exactly legal though, so don’t go spreading it around…” He
glanced at his watch, groaning. ”I forgot all about the time - Lily is going to kill me!”
That’s when he saw the werewolf by Buffy’s feet, and he paled, as he realised who,
exactly, it was that was lying there.
”Holy Hippogriffs,” Sirius gasped, having seen him too. Peter rushed to the closest tree,
were he proceeded to throw up.
”Who did this?” James asked weakly, kneeling down by the creature and lifted up an
eyelid to check the reaction of the pupils.
”I-I…” Buffy stuttered, ”I did.”
Sirius, Peter and James’ heads swirled around to stare at her.
”What?” Sirius breathed out, and he grabbed her shoulders and shook her, angrily.
”I-It was in self-defense!” Buffy cried out. ”I didn’t realise it was only a werewolf until it
was too late! If I had, I never would have hurt him!”
It didn’t seem like they were listening.
”What were you doing in the forest anyway?” James demanded to know. ”Do you have
any idea how dangerous it is?”
”I’m the Slayer!” Buffy exclaimed, and James and Sirius froze, though Buffy only rambled
on, not noticing. ”I got permission from Dumbledore to patrol the forest! I thought he
was a demon! Or a vampire! I – ”
”…You can’t be the Slayer,” James interrupted, rubbing his head. ”It’s not possible.”
”What’s a Slayer?” Peter wondered.
”A myth,” Sirius stated, glaring angrily at Buffy. ”You expect us to believe that?!” Peter
didn’t look much the wiser.
”It’s the truth!”
Sirius snorted. ”You’re clearly delusional.”
”We don’t have time to argue!” James said, interrupting the argument he realised was
coming. ”We have to get help, before Remus dies!”
It was Buffy’s time to freeze. ”Is that…Remus?” She asked weakly, pointing in shocked
disbelief at the barely alive werewolf.
The boys didn’t get the chance to answer, however, for in that moment the werewolf
started to turn back, and Buffy watched in horrid fascination as she heard the creaking of
bones, and tearing of flesh, as the wolf turned back into human, confirming that is was,
indeed, Remus. A dirty, bloody and deadly pale Remus, with blue-tinged lips, Buffy’s
jacket the only thing covering him up and giving him some – but almost no - modesty.
Sirius quickly conjured up a blanket and wrapped it around Remus’ body carefully, his
grey eyes dark with worry.
”…Remus,” she breathed, her heart beating quicker. If he died…
James conjured up a stretcher. ”We have to get him to Madam Pomfrey, quickly.” He
sounded grim. ”We don’t have much time.”
Lily rounded the corner frowning deeply, arriving in the corridor leading past the Hospital
Wing. She was not happy with James Potter – she shouldn’t be surprised that he stood
her up though – after all, patrolling was all work and no play. But still, he had promised
to take the whole Head Boy-business seriously, and during their first patrol, Lily had
thought they had connected. They’d had a civil conversation, and James had handled the
situation with Sirius beyond her wildest expectations. The fact that he seemed to have
forgotten all about his promise only a few days later, well, it hurt.
Suddenly, Lily saw the boy in question come running. ”Well, it’s about time!” She
snapped, glaring, putting her hands on her hips. ”Though it would have been better if
you had shown up, say, hours ago.” That’s when she noticed Sirius, Peter and Buffy in
tow, with Remus floating behind them on a stretcher, and she gasped in shock as she
saw how bad he looked. Her anger faded away and was quickly replaced by worry for her
friend. She had forgotten the full moon was tonight. ”What happened?!”
No one answered; they only pushed straight past her, yelling for Madam Pomfrey.
”What’s going – ” The nurse froze as she got sight of Remus. ” – What is the meaning of
this?”
”We found him like this in the Shack,” James lied, not really knowing why he was
covering for Buffy. But then again, they were covering their own arses as well – they had
no reason to be in the forest during a full moon. ”We have no idea how he got hurt,” he
added as Poppy lifted up the blanket, only to drop it in shock and gasping as she saw the
gaping wound.
”He can’t have done that to himself,” she spat out, eyes spitting lightning. ”That is no
wound from claws or teeth – that is a sword injury, mark my words!”
Buffy winced, something that didn’t escape Lily’s notice. What was going on here?
”Everybody, out!” Poppy said. ”Shoo! If I am going to be able to save him, I need peace
and quiet! Someone, tell Horace to get here with every healing potion he can think of!”
Peter rushed off.
”And you,” Poppy added, pointing at Sirius, ”get the Headmaster.”
”I’m already here,” a voice said from the door opening, revealing Dumbledore, in pink
bunny slippers and a red and gold silk pajama with snitches. ”I had a feeling I might be
needed. Come now.” He gently led Buffy, Lily, James and Sirius outside.
”She should be locked up in Azkaban!” Sirius exclaimed, the moment the door closed,
pointing at Buffy, who winced again. ”She did this! She tried to murder him!”
Lily’s jaw dropped.
”There is no need for such accusations, Sirius,” Dumbledore said, not seeing the need to
use their last names in a situation like this. ”I would very much like to hear what
happened,” he added looking at Buffy.
”I-I was out in the forest, patrolling,” Buffy got out. ”And I heard a noise, and then he –
Remus – jumped out and attacked me. I-I just reacted – I thought he was a demon, or a
vampire. It didn’t hit me that it was a full moon and that it could be a werewolf.”
”Like that would have mattered to you,” Sirius spat.
”Yes, it would have!” Buffy glared, raising herself to her full height. ”I don’t kill humans!”
”Many don’t see the distinction between wolf and man,” James cut in. ”Why are you any
different?”
”Why are you?” Buffy countered, and James fell silent at that. Lily was pleasantly
surprised – the James she knew would have begun ranting.
”I may not have known Remus for that long,” Buffy continued, more quietly. ”But he is a
friend. And even if he hadn’t been, I still wouldn’t want him dead. Werewolves might be
dangerous, but that’s only three days per month – for the rest of it, they’re just as
human as we are.”
”One day,” Dumbledore corrected.
”Huh?” Buffy blinked.
”One day per month, not three.” His eyes were twinkling. ”Things are a bit…different in
our universe, as you may have noticed.”
”Wait, rewind, please,” Lily said, rubbing her nose. ”Our universe? What do you mean,
Headmaster? And why was Buffy, eh, patrolling the forest in the first place? Isn’t it
forbidden?”
”Buffy, shall you, or shall I?” Dumbledore asked, sounding rather amused.
”You go ahead,” Buffy mumbled, crouching together and resting her head on her knees
miserably. ”I’d probably only mess up the explanation…”
Lily frowned, and she gave Buffy a worried look, though she was the only one.
”Of course. Simply put, Buffy is a dimensional traveller. She comes from the future – a
future that belongs in another universe, where there is no Wizarding World, but there is,
on the other hand, a Slayer. The same Vampire Slayer we only hear about in our
mythical stories, and I asked for her assistance in ridding the forest of any dangerous
creatures there. Except for the spiders, of course.” He chuckled lightly. ”Hagrid would
never forgive me.”
”So you weren’t lying then,” James mumbled, feeling guilty.
”Now,” Dumbledore smiled, clasping his hands together, and looking at James and Sirius.
”Why don’t you tell me the truth about where you found him, you two, hmm?”
James and Sirius froze, and they gave each other panicked looks.
”What do you mean?” Sirius forced out, putting on his best innocent expression.
”What I mean,” Dumbledore said, still smiling, ”is that while Buffy said she encountered
Remus in the forest, I heard James telling Poppy you found him in the Shrieking Shack.
So you two, James and Sirius, are not being completely honest with me.” His eyes
twinkled. ”Because I find it highly unlikely that Buffy is lying about patrolling the forest,
and was, instead, patrolling the Shack.”
Sirius and James blinked nervously.
”I carried him there,” Buffy blurted out suddenly, drawing Dumbledore’s attention to her.
”I-I James and Sirius had told me how to get inside, when we were talking earlier today,
and I thought…I thought that I should get the werewolf – well, Remus, I suppose – inside
somewhere, so he wouldn’t get cold, but I couldn’t very well take him to the castle until
he transformed back,” Buffy continued to ramble on, the lies flowing off her tongue
rather easily, despite the fact that she had no idea what this Shrieking Shack was, except
for a safehouse of some sorts, she supposed. That much she had been able to decipher.
Behind Dumbledore, she saw Sirius and James gawk at her, incredulously, shocked that
she’d cover for them, espescially Sirius, considering he’d called her…well, a liar, mental,
and, not to mention, a murderer. They quickly recovered though, and by the time
Dumbledore turned back around, their relieved expressions had turned blank.
”Yeah,” James nodded. ”And after sunrise, Sirius, Peter and I went to make sure Remus
got back to the castle alright, after his transformation, and we, well, found Remus hurt
like that, with Buffy beside him.”
”Indeed,” Dumbledore said, fingering his beard. ”Still, that doesn’t tell me how young
Remus got out of the Shrieking Shack in the first place. It seems I will have to reinforce
it. Ah, Horace, Peter, there you are.”
Horace Slughorn nodded towards the Headmaster, before hurrying into the Hospital
Wing, a large box of potions in his arms.
”I will see if Poppy needs any further assistance,” Dumbledore said, following him inside,
leaving three fourths of the Marauders, along with Buffy and Lily, alone, outside.
”So,” James said, sighing, turning to Lily. ”Out with it. I know you’re dying to ask.”
Lily frowned, confused. ”Ask what?”
”Why Buffy covered for us, of course,” Sirius exclaimed. ”It can’t have slipped your
notice.”
”Oh, that,” Lily said, snorting. ”I suppose you’re refering to becoming Animagi to keep
Remus company during the full moon, when you venture out in the Forbidden Forest and
put us all in danger, in case you lose control over him.”
Sirius, James and Peter’s jaws dropped.
”How did you know?” Peter squeaked out.
”Well, I figured out that Remus was a werewolf, didn’t I? It wasn’t that hard to realise
there must be a reason for him suddenly becoming much happier and healthier in the
middle of fifth year, even around the full moon. I confronted him about it, and he
spilled.” She shrugged. ”He could never keep anything secret from me – I can read him
like a book, if not better.”
”So you know about the cloak and the map too, I suppose,” Peter said miserably.
”Ye-wait.” Lily frowned. ”I know about the cloak. But what map are you talking about?”
”Great job, Wormtail,” Sirius said, slapping the shorter boy on the top of his head.
”Never you mind,” James said smoothly, throwing an arm around her shoulder. ”I’ve
been thinking – I know you’ll never say yes if I ask you to Hogsmeade because that
would destroy your reputation as an ice-queen, but, say, you can ask me to Hogsmade,
and I’ll say yes, and we’ll both be happy!”
Lily blinked, for a second confused about the sudden change in subject, and, rather
pleased about James’ arm being around her, for some strange reason she couldn’t care
to figure out at the moment. Then, her brain caught up about what James was talking
about.
”You’re just too much, do you know that?!” She exclaimed, shrugging off his arm. ”First,
you forget about our patrol – though that is kind of my fault - I shouldn’t have scheduled
it during a full moon. But, then you have the nerve to ask me out on a date, when Remus
is in there, dying?” She threw her hands up. ”I can’t believe you!” She walked over to
Buffy, who was still on the floor, leaning against the wall, and sat down, muttering about
conceited Potters.
”Nice cover-up, Prongs,” Sirius said, nudging him in the ribs. James sighed, messing up
his hair, the bad habit making its way to the surface now when he was anxious and
fretting.
”I suppose,” he said. ”But was it worth it?”
”Sure it was,” Sirius said, patting him on the back. ”We need to have some secrets of our
own, right?”
”If you say so…”
The door to the Hospital Wing opened, and Buffy and Lily surged to their feet as
Dumbledore stepped out, along with Professor Slughorn.
”You’re still here?” Slughorn said as he got sight of them all, managing to sound
surprised and rather cheerful at the same time. But then, he always did, so they couldn’t
take that as a sign that all was well with the world... ”Go have some breakfast, and then
try and get some sleep before classes.” He disappeared down the corridor.
”How is he?” Lily asked Dumbledore anxiously.
”Is he awake?” Peter asked.
”Will he be alright?” James wondered.
”Can we see him?” Sirius demanded to know.
”Did I manage to kill someone else off?” Buffy asked, sounding rather bitter and
dejected, like she expected the worst having come to pass, and everyone turned towards
her, shocked.
”Buffy!” Lily exclaimed in astonishment. ”Don’t say that!”
”I will have to agree with Miss Evans,” Dumbledore said, back on last name basis. ”It was
touch and go for awhile – Mr. Lupin lost a lot of blood, but no vital organs were hit – if
that had been the case, he would have died long before sunrise. Also, it is very lucky the
weapon you used was not real silver, because then we would have to deal with metal
poisoning as well – again, if he had made it ’til after sunrise, which I doubt.”
”So he’ll be alright?” Buffy whispered, sinking down to the floor, the shock of what had
happened not really hitting home until now.
”Yes.”
Buffy could have cried in relief. ”So,” she swallowed. ”He’ll recover completely? No
permanent consequences? And are werewolves really allergic to silver?” Buffy asked. ”I
though that was a myth.”
”Only when in contact with the bloodstream, or when the werewolf is in its transformed
state,” Dumbledore corrected. ”And yes, Remus will recover fully, do not worry.”
”So, can we see him?” Sirius said, repeating his question impatiently.
”Not at the moment. He’s asleep and needs all rest he can get – as do you, I believe.
Later that day, Lily walked into the Hospital Wing quietly, immediately spotting the
person she was looking for. ”Why aren’t you in class?” She asked, and Buffy, who was
sitting on a chair by Remus’ bedside, looked up.
”I don’t think I can concentrate.” She sighed. ”I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive
myself for this.” She grabbed one of Remus’ hands carefully, squeezing slightly.
”It was an accident,” Lily reminded her. ”You couldn’t have helped it. You reacted – it
was a natural reflex.”
”A reflex that could have killed him,” Buffy said bitterly.
Lily sighed. ”What if Remus had been a demon or something and you hadn’t reacted?
Then you’d be dead. You have those reflexes for a reson. You need them. You’re the
Slayer, correct?”
”Maybe I’d be better off dead,” Buffy said miserably, letting go of Remus’ hand. ”And if
being a Slayer is all that I am…” She trailed off. ”I thought I had accepted it, but all that
destiny crap has only brought death and misery to all I care about. Just take Angel for
example.”
”And I’m sure that same destiny-crap has saved far more,” Lily said, her tone of voice
making it clear that that was the end of the dicussion, and that she wouldn’t listen to
more of Buffy’s self-blame. ”And I am kind of curious about this Angel. In Diagon, you
said it was your fault he died, but I sensed there’s more to the story. I guess it has to do
with you being the Slayer, and that’s why you didn’t tell me everything, but now there’s
no reason to hold anything back, since I already know.”
Buffy squirmed in her seat. ”I don’t want to talk about it,” she said. ”Why aren’t you in
class, by the way?”
”I’m not because I skived off,” Lily said. ”It’s not like I need the Potions lessons anyway,
according to Slughorn.”
”You skived off?” Buffy repeated incredulously.
”Don’t be so surprised,” Lily said lightly. ”I happen to think there are many things in the
world far more important than school! And I had a feeling you needed a friend. So don’t
try and change the subject!” She scolded lightly. ”I think you need to tell someone about
this Angel fellow of yours. It can’t be easy, carrying so many things alone. And I’m here,
all willing and ready listen.” She grinned. ”And, since I skived off class for you, it’s the
least you can do.”
Buffy’s lips twitched. ”If you put it that way…” She sighed. ”I don’t know where to
begin…”
Lily squeezed her shoulder, conjuring up a chair for herself.
”The beginning usually works best for me,” she said softly, and Buffy let out another
deep sigh.
”Alright. I had just moved to Sunnydale, and was on my way to a club, when I realised I
was being followed. It turns out it was Angel, who gave me a cryptic warning - that was
our first meeting…”
”…I kissed him, and I killed him,” Buffy finished, tears runing down freely from her face.
”I-I don’t know what to say…” Lily stuttered out, conjuring up a tissue, giving it to Buffy
who accepted it gratefully.
”You don’t need to say anything,” Buffy said, sniffing slightly. ”You listened, and that’s
enough. I think I needed to get it off my chest. You were right, talking about it does
help.”
”I’m sorry,” Lily said sadly. ”For all that you had to go through…but I can honestly say
that you are sharing position number one on the list of the strongest and bravest people
I know.”
”Really?” Buffy asked, managing to grin slightly through her tears. ”So, who else is
there? Who’s sharing my spot? James?”
Lily rolled her eyes and she snorted. ”Merlin, no! He is.” She tipped her head towards the
bed. ”What Remus goes through every month – what he has had to deal with every
month since he was three, plus all of the shunning, fear and hatred that comes with it –
well, you must be very strong and couragous to handle all that.”
”Why, thank you,” a croaky and tired voice spoke up, and both Buffy and Lily jumped,
their heads turning to look at Remus, whose eyes were still closed. ”I think I’m flattered.”
”Re!” Buffy exclaimed, the nickname she’d given him in her head and only accidentqlly
let him hear once in the library. ”You’re awake!”
Remus slowly forced his eyes opened and looked at the two girls, who looked like they
were about to hug him, and then proceed to squeeze the life out of him.
”No embraces, please,” he forced out, throat dry. ”Your sappy adoration is almost too
much.” He tried to smirk, but it came out more as a grimace.
”Oh, you’re horrible,” Lily muttered. ”If you weren’t hurt, I’d hit you.”
Buffy smiled, glad that Remus truly seemed to be fine, all things considered.
”How much did you hear?” She then asked. ”Of my story?”
Remus seemed to think. ”All of it. I woke up when you squeezed my hand.”
Buffy blinked. Oh. That meant he had really heard everything. She swallowed heavily.
Which meant he had also heard the part when she told Lily about losing her virginity and
that that was the moment of perfect happiness that made Angel lose his soul – which
wasn’t something she wanted a boy to hear, and espescially not Remus, for some
reason. Perhaps because she felt she had grown closer to him than Peter, James and
Sirius and thought things would be awkward between them, whereas James and Sirius
would only tease her about it once or twice and then forget all about it.
Lily seemed to have realised too, for she suddenly giggled, and excused herself, saying
she should probably get to Arithmancy.
”So…the Slayer exists, huh?” Remus asked, the second the red-head was out the door.
”Yep,” Buffy said in a monotone voice, her mind trying to figure out if she had said
something else revealing and embarrasing…which she probably had.
”And you’re she.”
”Yep.” Buffy sighed, resigned.
”And you don’t kill werewolves,” Remus stated, looking confirmation.
”Nope. Or well, I try not to. I mean...” Buffy gestured helplessly towards the bed. ”But I
don’t seem to do a very good job of it.”
”I’m alive, aren’t I?” Remus asked, lips twitching. Buffy wasn’t smiling back, though, and
an uncomfortable silence followed.
”Do you think you could get me some water?” Remus begged, after several moments of
awkward silence. ”My throat feels like it’s made of sawdust.”
”Oh, right!” Buffy said, grabbing the glass on the nightstand and lifting it to Remus’ lips
so he could drink, as he was too weak to do it himself at the moment. Some of the water
dribbled down on his chest, however, and Buffy blushed.
”Sorry.”
”No problem,” Remus said, his voice a bit clearer now. ”I’m the one that should be
sorry.”
Buffy frowned. ”For what?”
”For attacking you. Dumbledore told me what happened when I woke up for a short
moment earlier today. I mean, I was kind of out of it, but I got the gist of what
happened.” He frowned as he saw Buffy’s shocked look. ”It is still today, right?” He
wondered anxiously. ”I mean, I haven’t missed days or something?”
”It’s still today,” Buffy assured him. ”But I don’t understand what you have to be sorry
about! It was my fault! You couldn’t help what happened! You were transformed!”
”Whether I was in control or not doesn’t matter!” Remus exclaimed. ”I still did it! I’m still
to blame!”
”No!” Buffy protested loudly. ”It was an accident!”
Suddenly, Remus guilty and despairing expression turned into a smirk. ”An accident
indeed. So we are clear that it was something neither you nor I could have prevented or
done anything about. Which means, neither of us are to blame.”
Buffy blinked. Then she scowled. ”You set me up,” she grumbled.
”And you fell for it,” Remus deadpanned. ”Seriously though – God, I love saying that
when Sirius isn’t here and can turn it into a stupid pun – if I, the king of self blame and
has always lacked confidence, isn’t allowed to think that it’s my fault, then you, who, as
far as I know, do not suffer from a lack of self-esteem – are not allowed to either.”
Buffy pouted, but then she smiled. ”Fine. We are both victims in this, I get it. I’d hug you
to seal the deal, but a handshake will have to be enough.”
Remus smiled, lifting his right hand tiredly, Buffy grabbing it and shaking it carefully.
That’s when Madam Pomfrey stuck out her head from her office, her eyes widening.
”You’re awake?!” She exclaimed loudly, stalking over to the two. ”Why didn’t one of you
tell me?!”
”We have been making quite a racket out here. Is it our fault you weren’t listening?”
Remus said, lips twitching teasingly.
Madam Pomfrey huffed. ”Don’t get smart with me, Remus!” She said, but she was
smiling too. She had, after all, treated him before and after almost every full moon since
he was a tiny and unhealthy looking first year.
Because of that, their relationship went a little beyond that which normally transpired
between nurse and student, to something more resembling the attachment between
close relatives or confidants.
Pomfrey’s smile faded as he felt his forehead, and she glowered at Buffy. ”You have tired
him out!” She scolded, and Remus rolled his eyes, though Buffy frowned worriedly. He
did look a little warm – his cheeks were flushed on his otherwise pale face, and his blue
eyes seemed a little bit too glassy for it to be natural. Perhaps she had tired him out…
”I’ll be by later, probably with the others too,” Buffy promised standing up.
”Oh, no, you don’t,” Madam Pomfrey said. ”Remus needs to rest today – you can come
visit tomorrow.”
”Fine, tomorrow,” Buffy agreed dejectedly. ”Bye, Re.”
”Bye,” Remus said, lifting his hand tiredly to wave, only to have it slapped down by
Madam Pomfrey who told him to lie still, if he knew what was good for him.
The last thing Buffy saw before she closed the door, was Remus rolling his eyes again,
and mutter ”yes, mum,” the sarcasm in his voice unmistakable.
29 September
”Ow! You’re stepping on my foot!”
”So? You’ve been elbowing me the entire way here!”
”Guys! Stop trying to kill each other! With my luck, you’ll end up slaughtering me
instead!”
Remus blinked sleepily, waking up to the sound of bickering voices. The Hospital Wing
was completely dark, the only light coming from a charmed watch on his bedstand. For a
short moment, he looked around in confusion, but then he grinned. ”You can take off the
cloak, you three,” he said, coughing slightly. ”We’re alone in here.”
There was a sudden stillness…and then…a rustle, as Peter swept off the Invisibility Cloak
that was covering him and James and Sirius, who currently had each other in a headlock.
”Sorry about the ruckus,” Peter said, rolling his eyes at James and Sirius, who were now
trying to poke each other’s eyes out, from the look of it. He walked over to the bed,
carrying a box of chocolote frogs. ”Chocolate cures everything, right?” He stuttered out.
Remus smiled. ”Thanks. Prongs, Padfoot…?”
”Huh?” Sirius looked up, wincing as this made James pull on his hair harder.
”Did you say something?” James blinked, glasses askew and his hair an even bigger
mess than usual.
Remus smirked, rubbing the last of his sleep away from his eyes and sitting up. ”Are you
trying to wake Madam Pomfrey up?”
Sirius and James let go of each other sheepishly. ”Sorry.” They rushed over to the bed,
bouncing down on it, being careful not to land on Remus. ”How are you feeling?”
”Like I just got woken up by a horde of wild Hippogriffs,” Remus said dryly. ”What are
you doing here? It’s the middle of the night! Buffy said you weren’t going to come here
until tomorrow!”
”Well,” Sirius poked the shining watch with a finger. The hands showed that it was five
minutes past midnight. ”Technically, it is tomorrow.”
”And,” James added. ”Can you blame us for wanting to see our bestest friend who has
had a very rough night?” He pouted. ”I can’t believe Madam Pomfrey forbade us from
seeing you all of yesterday, because she said we’d be too loud!”
”Yeah!” Sirius added, huffing indignantly. ”Us? Loud? Never!”
Remus laughed.
“So tell me more about slaying,” Lily demanded to know excitedly. “I’ve read all about
the myth, of course, but I have no idea if they’re accurate. Is it true you can sense when
evil is near?”
“Well, sort of. Sometimes, my spider-sense tingles,” Buffy said, stretching out her legs in
front of the fire and wiggling her bare toes. “That’s what I call the tickling feeling I get on
my neck. It’s difficult to describe, but…it’s like a shudder goes through me, you know?
And I get all these goose bumps, and my hairs stands on end – well, not really, but you
get what I mean.”
Lily nodded knowingly, her green eyes twinkling brightly. “That’s wicked,” she mumbled.
“Do you get any vibes when patrolling the forest? Why didn’t you sense Remus?”
“The ‘dangerous and forbidden forest’ seems to be a dead zone,” Buffy said dryly. “Not a
single vampire!” She pouted. “I haven’t even spotted the giant spiders or the Centaurs
that are supposed to be there. Apart from Remus, I haven’t run into anything. And no, I
didn’t sense him. Maybe that should have been a clue he wasn’t something – or rather
someone – I should kill. But he startled me, and my tingle-sense doesn’t always work.
Only when there is something really evil around, like a big bad who wants to bring about
the apocalypse or something.”
”Well, in that case, I think you should be lucky you haven’t sensed anything. Or run into
the Acromantulas – the spiders – for that matter,” Lily said. ”The same goes for the
Centaurs. James told me they don’t like students running around in what they see as
their territory.”
”James told you, huh?” Buffy said teasingly.
”Yes, James told me,” Lily said, rolling her eyes. “I suppose he’s talking from experience.
He’s probably run around in the forest several times, both in his Animagus form and
without. Still, his rule-breaking aside, he can be rather civil, you know. No one is more
surprised at that then I am, believe me.”
Buffy grinned. ”So, his plans of marrying you and having messy-haired, green-eyed
children aren’t completely a lost cause yet, then?”
Lily glared. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
30 September
“Hi,” Sirius said the following day, settling down beside Buffy. “Has James told you the
result of the Quidditch trial yet?”
“No,” Buffy muttered, not looking up from her book.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll be happy to know you probably made the team,” Sirius said.
“What makes you say that?” Buffy demanded to know excitedly. “Do you have the
results?”
“No, but I suppose it’s a given,” Sirius continued, stretching slightly. “As the Slayer,
you’re bound to have a great balance, great reflexes, strength in spades, a mean throw
and perfect sight - you’re guaranteed to be an awesome Quidditch player in any
position.”
Buffy smiled gratefully, but it faded quickly, as Sirius suddenly took on a grave look and
his eyes narrowed. "What you should consider, however, is this,” he said. ”Do you really
want to be on the team so badly that you’re willing to take the spot from someone who
has been practicing for this his entire life, and deserves this chance – has earned this
chance - while you got this idea on a whim, and still beat him and everyone else,
because you’re gifted? I realise this sounds mean, and brutal,” Sirius added, his
expressions softening slightly.
”But Quidditch means a great deal to everyone, and I know Gryffindor wouldn’t want
someone on it who doesn’t really want to be there. I’m just asking you to consider if
being on the team is really what you want – are you willing to put your soul into it?”
Buffy frowned. Sirius had made her reconsider – though he could have put it in a nicer
way, he had been honest, and his point got through…plus, she had a feeling he didn’t
really like her because of what happened to Remus – who was still in the hospital wing.
Still, he didn’t say anything that hadn’t already crossed her mind.
”Prongs is a slave driver as Captain,” Sirius continued. ”That’s why Gryffindor has won
the Quidditch Cup every year since he took over, and, since this is his last year, he’ll
probably be worse than ever. You will have to spend a lot of time on a broom, Buffy. Do
you have that time, if you really plan on passing all of your subjects?”
Buffy’s frown deepened.
”Just think about it,” Sirius said, walking away.
Published: 12/03 -08
http://www.tthfanfic.org/story.php?no=18061
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4760022/6/
The Rewrite Of The Rewrite and What Might Have Been
‐ Sirius originally didn’t have an “issue” with Buffy in the rewrite (I can’t remember
whether or not he had it in the original), but decided it made for a better plot –
not having everyone warm up to Buffy at once, despite the fact she ran through
Remus with a sword. It also gave me a chance to add some meaningful Sirius and
Buffy interaction.