What Best Friends Are For
Author: Orangethunder
Rating: 13
Warning: None
Fandoms: BtVS and Harry Potter
A/N: Set 5 years after ‘H.P. And the Deathly Hallows’ for H.P. and post-season 6 for BtVS.
Summary: After being freed from Azkaban for attempting to destroy the world, Willow is protected by Xander, they both go into hiding; back home, Giles attempts to defuse the situation.
Feedback: Yes please!
Disclaimer: BtVS and Harry Potter belong to Mutant Enemy and J.K. Rowling respectively.
~*~
“Why didn’t you leave me there?”
Xander closed his eyes, and pretended that his best friend hadn’t asked the question; he didn’t want to answer, not because he didn’t have one, but because he was afraid that if he voiced his reasons Willow would go over the edge again.
He knew that if she did, Xander might not get her back again.
Xander studied a squirrel intently as it scurried along a tree branch to their right, when the animal disappeared from his sight he turned his attention to the grassy fields that lay before them; the landscape, however beautiful, didn’t interest him in the slightest.
But, he pretended.
“Xan-
He did not want to answer that question, grappling for a way out- another topic of conversation- Xander opened his mouth and allowed the words to spill out, ordinarily it wouldn’t have been the best thing to do.
Thankfully, he didn’t stick his foot in it.
“The view’s really something,” he remarked evasively, “we should get a camera... or something.”
He heard her sigh and hoped- no, prayed- that she’d gotten the message; unfortunately luck was not on his side.
“Yeah, that’s what we need,” she muttered dryly, “a camera.”
Xander smiled, wondering when- if - she was going to come out of her funk; given the momentary humor, he allowed himself to wonder if his best friend was getting better. The last few weeks he had seen his best friend in the worst pit of depression he’d ever witnessed, worse than when Oz had cheated on her; which had been pretty bad.
Worse than when Jesse had died; what would he say, if was still alive?
“You should have left me there, Xan,” she said, heavily, “We don’t know if their kind of magic is as powerful as ours, but it might be. The first place they’ll try to look is in Cleveland, they know I live here... that we live here, now.”
Xander shook his head and sat down beside her, “They probably think we’re in Devon, Will. That’s where they located you in the first place.”
Located her, and then shoved her in Azkaban.
If Xander if got his hands on that jerk of a Minister, he’d strangle him.
No hearing or anything, no trial; just chucked in with those... things.
He’d helped to rescue her from that place; he hoped none of them ever had to go back to Azkaban...
The worst memories...
Xander swallowed hard as bile filled his mouth, it wouldn’t have been the first time that place had threatened to make him hurl, “You don’t deserve to be in a place like that.”
Willow laughed, but it was hollow; the emotion he could hear was of self-loathing, “Which part of my attempt to destroy the world did you block out, Xand?”
Xander winced, “None of it, but their brand of punishment isn’t exactly-
Exactly, what?
All he knew was that the idea of his best friend, who he’d known practically since birth, confined to a prison that forced the inhabitants to relive their worst memories made him want to throw up.
Had made him throw up.
“Exactly what?” Willow asked, giving him a desolate look, “Nice? I know you, Xander; no matter how many things I blow up, no matter how many magical boo-boos I create, you’ll always be there; even when I don’t deserve it.”
Xander stared at her, “And I don’t know you? Of course I do; you’re not a bad person, you don’t deserve to be in that place, and I won’t let it happen!”
Willow looked away from him, and a faraway look came into her eyes; she stilled again.
“Will?”
Xander nudged her, and then sighed when he got no response. He almost wanted to cry, or shake her out of the trance she was in, and then scream at her. Instead, he drew his best friend into his arms and hoped she could feel him with her.
She always got away from him; but he never left her.
And after being trapped in Azkaban prison for almost two weeks, she’d only gotten worse.
~*~
“I’m afraid she’s not returning to that... place,” Giles argued, a note of distaste in his voice, “you would do well to leave the girl alone.”
The house that would have been Willow’s retreat for the next few months was occupied by three men in cloaks, one of them; a dark haired man, brandished a wand; at the warning look on his companion’s face, the man lowered his wand.
“Mr. Giles, you have to understand our position, here,” a red-haired man beseeched, “Lord Voldemort was vanquished five years ago, but the Wizarding World is still very much aware of what the witch might do.”
The red-haired man’s younger friend spoke for the first time, “We have to be seen to be doing something; we don’t want a repeat of...”
Giles felt his face redden, “Of what?! I must say, I have heard many things of this ‘Voldemort’ character, and I can say for certain that Willow Rosenberg is nothing like that man; she was not, and is not, hungry for power; she was influenced by many things, and rage and magic are two of such-
The redhead shook his head, “Mr. Giles, you cannot deny that this girl has to take responsibility for her actions! The Minister for Magic-
Taking responsibility!?
Giles felt and heard Ripper slip into his voice, “Mr. Weasley, this girl of whom you are referring to is taking her culpability to excess; she believes that she deserves to be in Azkaban, but we, who know her better, believe otherwise!”
Mr. Weasley looked somewhat swayed, but then a shadow came into his eyes, “I lost a son in the Second War, Mr. Giles- I have no desire to watch a repeat unfold.”
Rupert Giles felt some of his rage at the man drain away, but Ripper was still at the forefront, “I am sorry, Mr. Weasley. But Willow is like a daughter to me, and I will not have her locked away in...in Azkaban.”
Silence filled the house they were in, a tense silence that was likely to be broken by the sound of a fist connecting with a face, but instead, Giles smirked and let Ripper into his features, “Willow will never set foot in Azkaban prison again; a friend will make very sure of that. The Watchers’ Council have been against your intervention from the very beginning...”
Mr. Weasley glanced at his companions, then his face steeled, “If that girl reverts back to what the Daily Prophet described the consequences will be on your head, also.”
Giles nodded, sure that Willow would be safe; even if the Wizarding World discovered her location she would be protected by the energy surrounding the Hellmouth, a newly-activated one that lay below a small town in Cleveland, Ohio.
That Wizarding world bore a different kind of magic, one that no one could be taught; wand magic was something people were born with, and it was exactly that distinction which meant that Willow had never been allowed to attend Hogwarts.
It was also a distinction that meant that people who used Wand magic could not enter a place of dark energies; a Hellmouth would warp their magic, affecting it so that no wizard would dare cross into a place like it.
“Mr. Weasley, I assure you that our worlds will never have the cause to collide like this again,” Giles remarked, hoping that the man believed him, “We have our own methods of dealing with dark magic, and Willow will learn to control hers.”
Just as he had learned to control his, he had thought of himself to be the last person who should be teaching the girl about the responsibility of magic, or magic itself. But, he bore some of the responsibility; if he’d only sent Willow to the coven in Devon earlier...
When she’d resurrected Buffy... that should have been a dead giveaway.
When she’d restored Angel’s soul... it had been then that he’d realised the potential within the girl, he just hadn’t been willing to open his eyes to it.
Four years after she’d completed the spell that had sealed her fate with magic, he’d had finally admitted that Willow’s power was potent, and that it needed better managing. It was a little too late, he knew that.
But Giles had been given a second chance in his youth, and so would Willow.
“I do not think that that will be enough for the Wizarding World,” Mr. Weasley commented, looking as if he might just be starting to believe Giles, “They will want something to be done about this.”
They would... and they could keep wanting, unless they wanted to chance losing their magic in a demon-infested town...
Willow was safe, and it would stay that way.
Rating: 13
Warning: None
Fandoms: BtVS and Harry Potter
A/N: Set 5 years after ‘H.P. And the Deathly Hallows’ for H.P. and post-season 6 for BtVS.
Summary: After being freed from Azkaban for attempting to destroy the world, Willow is protected by Xander, they both go into hiding; back home, Giles attempts to defuse the situation.
Feedback: Yes please!
Disclaimer: BtVS and Harry Potter belong to Mutant Enemy and J.K. Rowling respectively.
~*~
“Why didn’t you leave me there?”
Xander closed his eyes, and pretended that his best friend hadn’t asked the question; he didn’t want to answer, not because he didn’t have one, but because he was afraid that if he voiced his reasons Willow would go over the edge again.
He knew that if she did, Xander might not get her back again.
Xander studied a squirrel intently as it scurried along a tree branch to their right, when the animal disappeared from his sight he turned his attention to the grassy fields that lay before them; the landscape, however beautiful, didn’t interest him in the slightest.
But, he pretended.
“Xan-
He did not want to answer that question, grappling for a way out- another topic of conversation- Xander opened his mouth and allowed the words to spill out, ordinarily it wouldn’t have been the best thing to do.
Thankfully, he didn’t stick his foot in it.
“The view’s really something,” he remarked evasively, “we should get a camera... or something.”
He heard her sigh and hoped- no, prayed- that she’d gotten the message; unfortunately luck was not on his side.
“Yeah, that’s what we need,” she muttered dryly, “a camera.”
Xander smiled, wondering when- if - she was going to come out of her funk; given the momentary humor, he allowed himself to wonder if his best friend was getting better. The last few weeks he had seen his best friend in the worst pit of depression he’d ever witnessed, worse than when Oz had cheated on her; which had been pretty bad.
Worse than when Jesse had died; what would he say, if was still alive?
“You should have left me there, Xan,” she said, heavily, “We don’t know if their kind of magic is as powerful as ours, but it might be. The first place they’ll try to look is in Cleveland, they know I live here... that we live here, now.”
Xander shook his head and sat down beside her, “They probably think we’re in Devon, Will. That’s where they located you in the first place.”
Located her, and then shoved her in Azkaban.
If Xander if got his hands on that jerk of a Minister, he’d strangle him.
No hearing or anything, no trial; just chucked in with those... things.
He’d helped to rescue her from that place; he hoped none of them ever had to go back to Azkaban...
The worst memories...
Xander swallowed hard as bile filled his mouth, it wouldn’t have been the first time that place had threatened to make him hurl, “You don’t deserve to be in a place like that.”
Willow laughed, but it was hollow; the emotion he could hear was of self-loathing, “Which part of my attempt to destroy the world did you block out, Xand?”
Xander winced, “None of it, but their brand of punishment isn’t exactly-
Exactly, what?
All he knew was that the idea of his best friend, who he’d known practically since birth, confined to a prison that forced the inhabitants to relive their worst memories made him want to throw up.
Had made him throw up.
“Exactly what?” Willow asked, giving him a desolate look, “Nice? I know you, Xander; no matter how many things I blow up, no matter how many magical boo-boos I create, you’ll always be there; even when I don’t deserve it.”
Xander stared at her, “And I don’t know you? Of course I do; you’re not a bad person, you don’t deserve to be in that place, and I won’t let it happen!”
Willow looked away from him, and a faraway look came into her eyes; she stilled again.
“Will?”
Xander nudged her, and then sighed when he got no response. He almost wanted to cry, or shake her out of the trance she was in, and then scream at her. Instead, he drew his best friend into his arms and hoped she could feel him with her.
She always got away from him; but he never left her.
And after being trapped in Azkaban prison for almost two weeks, she’d only gotten worse.
~*~
“I’m afraid she’s not returning to that... place,” Giles argued, a note of distaste in his voice, “you would do well to leave the girl alone.”
The house that would have been Willow’s retreat for the next few months was occupied by three men in cloaks, one of them; a dark haired man, brandished a wand; at the warning look on his companion’s face, the man lowered his wand.
“Mr. Giles, you have to understand our position, here,” a red-haired man beseeched, “Lord Voldemort was vanquished five years ago, but the Wizarding World is still very much aware of what the witch might do.”
The red-haired man’s younger friend spoke for the first time, “We have to be seen to be doing something; we don’t want a repeat of...”
Giles felt his face redden, “Of what?! I must say, I have heard many things of this ‘Voldemort’ character, and I can say for certain that Willow Rosenberg is nothing like that man; she was not, and is not, hungry for power; she was influenced by many things, and rage and magic are two of such-
The redhead shook his head, “Mr. Giles, you cannot deny that this girl has to take responsibility for her actions! The Minister for Magic-
Taking responsibility!?
Giles felt and heard Ripper slip into his voice, “Mr. Weasley, this girl of whom you are referring to is taking her culpability to excess; she believes that she deserves to be in Azkaban, but we, who know her better, believe otherwise!”
Mr. Weasley looked somewhat swayed, but then a shadow came into his eyes, “I lost a son in the Second War, Mr. Giles- I have no desire to watch a repeat unfold.”
Rupert Giles felt some of his rage at the man drain away, but Ripper was still at the forefront, “I am sorry, Mr. Weasley. But Willow is like a daughter to me, and I will not have her locked away in...in Azkaban.”
Silence filled the house they were in, a tense silence that was likely to be broken by the sound of a fist connecting with a face, but instead, Giles smirked and let Ripper into his features, “Willow will never set foot in Azkaban prison again; a friend will make very sure of that. The Watchers’ Council have been against your intervention from the very beginning...”
Mr. Weasley glanced at his companions, then his face steeled, “If that girl reverts back to what the Daily Prophet described the consequences will be on your head, also.”
Giles nodded, sure that Willow would be safe; even if the Wizarding World discovered her location she would be protected by the energy surrounding the Hellmouth, a newly-activated one that lay below a small town in Cleveland, Ohio.
That Wizarding world bore a different kind of magic, one that no one could be taught; wand magic was something people were born with, and it was exactly that distinction which meant that Willow had never been allowed to attend Hogwarts.
It was also a distinction that meant that people who used Wand magic could not enter a place of dark energies; a Hellmouth would warp their magic, affecting it so that no wizard would dare cross into a place like it.
“Mr. Weasley, I assure you that our worlds will never have the cause to collide like this again,” Giles remarked, hoping that the man believed him, “We have our own methods of dealing with dark magic, and Willow will learn to control hers.”
Just as he had learned to control his, he had thought of himself to be the last person who should be teaching the girl about the responsibility of magic, or magic itself. But, he bore some of the responsibility; if he’d only sent Willow to the coven in Devon earlier...
When she’d resurrected Buffy... that should have been a dead giveaway.
When she’d restored Angel’s soul... it had been then that he’d realised the potential within the girl, he just hadn’t been willing to open his eyes to it.
Four years after she’d completed the spell that had sealed her fate with magic, he’d had finally admitted that Willow’s power was potent, and that it needed better managing. It was a little too late, he knew that.
But Giles had been given a second chance in his youth, and so would Willow.
“I do not think that that will be enough for the Wizarding World,” Mr. Weasley commented, looking as if he might just be starting to believe Giles, “They will want something to be done about this.”
They would... and they could keep wanting, unless they wanted to chance losing their magic in a demon-infested town...
Willow was safe, and it would stay that way.