Day 21: Secrets by Laney
Title: Secrets
Author: laney_1974
Crossover: BTVS/Harry Potter
August Fic-a-day Challenge Contribution Date: 21 August 2015
Characters: Dawn Summers, Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, George Weasley, Ron Weasley, Bill Weasley, Hermione Granger
Verse: Trans-Dimensional Refugee ‘Verse
Word Count: 1,100
Rating: 15
Timeline/Authors Notes: BTVS: AU from mid-season 7, specifically Get it Done (not that that impact this fics - just future ones). Harry Potter: after the books. The timelines are concurrent so, for example, Harry and his friends would be around the same age as Buffy and the gang give or take.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Buffy and Angel people belong to Joss and Mutant Enemy. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling
Author's note: I am no doubt mixing HP fanon with canon in this fic, but I really don't care.
Dawn sits at the table, her expression as meek as she can get it. She doesn't think anyone is falling for it, but she can't help but try.
Buffy was such a bad influence on her.
They're all here. Harry, Neville, Ron, Hermione, Bill and George. Harry's wife is apparently some kind of sports star and is off playing with shiny balls or something. They're all staring at her expectantly and she's not sure if they will believe her when she tells them that she's as surprised as they are that their magic doesn't work on her.
In a way, she kind of regrets the Buffy Offensive strategy she used at the cafe, it really makes using the Meek Defence all that much more difficult to pull off.
Considering the looks she's getting, and the fact that she knows Harry is a good guy and he knows so much already, she decides that the time for pretence has passed.
“In one of the books Hermione loaned me, the one about the second war, it mentioned that potions professor made an unbreakable vow to help his godson or something, and that's why he killed your headmaster.”
“That’s right,” Harry replies.
Darn bites her lip thoughtfully. “If you want me to tell you the truth, tell you everything, then I want one of those unbreakable vow thingies.”
Harry shakes his head. “An unbreakable vow is very serious. If we were to break it, even inadvertently, it would kill us.”
Oh. She doesn't want anyone to die. “What about a that fiddle charm? The one that hid your headquarters. Can you use that spell to protect what I'm going to tell you?”
It's Hermione who answers. “If we use the fidelus charm, we would have to cast it on you and from what Harry and Neville have told us, it probably won't work anyway.’
Damn.
“Dawn,” Harry began. “You don't need for us to do that spell. You can trust us.”
Dawn shakes her head. “Only kinda sorta."
They all stare at her.
She misses California. "You are trustworthy, but how do I know you’re not going to tell your boss about me?"
A funny look crosses Harry's face.
"You work for the government," Dawn goes on. Filing Harry's reaction away for consideration later. "The same government who royally fucked you over more than once, if that book is accurate. There's no way I want them to know about me, about what I can do. I know what governments do to people with powers they don't have. They send them down into sewers so demons can kill them. And I really hate sewers. It always seems like my hair stinks for days.”
“Is that what happened to you?” Harry demands, horrified.
While Hermione gasps, "Demons?"
“No, it was my sister, but don't worry she totally kicked ass.” She's not going to address Hermione's query... not yet.
“Dawn, that won't happen," Harry assures her. "The current Minister is a good man, he wouldn't hurt you.”
“Maybe not, but that book talked about three different ministers. This guy might be alright, but you can't guarantee the next one will be as good. Besides, he's a politician. That changes them.”
None of them look happy with what she's said.
Bill leans forward. "So you will only tell us if you know we will keep it secret?"
Dawn nods. "I'll walk out, if I can. You can't do magic on me, but you outnumber me so it's doubtful I could overpower you all. If it was only two or three of you, I'd probably manage it, but no more than that."
"You think you can take overpower three of us?" George asks, curious.
"I've fought things way stronger than you, and I've walked away." She waves her hand around the room. "By the looks of things, you use magic for pretty much everything. That makes you lazy."
"But you don't use magic for everything," Ron says. "Do you?"
"I don't use magic for anything," she says, crossing her hands over her chest.
Technically, she's not lying.
"A wizard's oath."
All eyes turn to Bill.
"We can't use an unbreakable vow, and the fidelus is out, but we can make a wizarding oath."
"What's that?" Dawn wants to know. "Sounds like an unbreakable vow."
"It's a little different, and it won't kill us. We swear on our magic not to reveal anything you tell us," Bill explains.
"And what happens if you make with the spill-age?"
"We lose our magic," Harry answers. "Unless you release us from the oath or give us permission to tell someone."
Dawn bites her lip. "Only if you willingly tell someone," she amends. If someone tortures the information out of them or forces it out of them with that potion that was mentioned in the book, the last thing she wants is for them to lose their magic.
After all, they'll be her only allies in this world.
"Bill, are you sure this is a good idea?" George asks.
Silence fills the room, and Dawn can see each of the people around the table thinking. Dawn actually doesn't like the fact that she's asking them this, but she doesn't know what else to do. She doesn't know that they will help her. She knows that they're good people, but after reading about their histories she's not sure that the rest of their society is as nice, and she's too scared to put her life in the hands of strangers who might decided that she's too dangerous. After all, their loyalty is to their world, not her.
They may not be able to hurt her with magic, but there's other ways to hurt her and she knows what could happen if a dark wizard gets his hands on her.
"No one has to take the oath if you don't want to," Harry says to his friends. "You can leave now."
Ron sighs. "What if it's bad? I mean, what if we're wrong and she's evil."
Harry looks at Dawn with a determined look in his eye. "We're asking Dawn to trust us. Whatever secrets she has, we all know that they're important... and dangerous. She's taking a big risk trusting us, and I think we have to trust her back."
Her lips slowly lift into a smile.
"I swear on my magic that I will not willingly reveal to anyone anything about this conversation unless you give me permission."
A bright light surrounds Harry.
And, for the first time since this whole mess began, Dawn relaxes.
End
Author: laney_1974
Crossover: BTVS/Harry Potter
August Fic-a-day Challenge Contribution Date: 21 August 2015
Characters: Dawn Summers, Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, George Weasley, Ron Weasley, Bill Weasley, Hermione Granger
Verse: Trans-Dimensional Refugee ‘Verse
Word Count: 1,100
Rating: 15
Timeline/Authors Notes: BTVS: AU from mid-season 7, specifically Get it Done (not that that impact this fics - just future ones). Harry Potter: after the books. The timelines are concurrent so, for example, Harry and his friends would be around the same age as Buffy and the gang give or take.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Buffy and Angel people belong to Joss and Mutant Enemy. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling
Author's note: I am no doubt mixing HP fanon with canon in this fic, but I really don't care.
Dawn sits at the table, her expression as meek as she can get it. She doesn't think anyone is falling for it, but she can't help but try.
Buffy was such a bad influence on her.
They're all here. Harry, Neville, Ron, Hermione, Bill and George. Harry's wife is apparently some kind of sports star and is off playing with shiny balls or something. They're all staring at her expectantly and she's not sure if they will believe her when she tells them that she's as surprised as they are that their magic doesn't work on her.
In a way, she kind of regrets the Buffy Offensive strategy she used at the cafe, it really makes using the Meek Defence all that much more difficult to pull off.
Considering the looks she's getting, and the fact that she knows Harry is a good guy and he knows so much already, she decides that the time for pretence has passed.
“In one of the books Hermione loaned me, the one about the second war, it mentioned that potions professor made an unbreakable vow to help his godson or something, and that's why he killed your headmaster.”
“That’s right,” Harry replies.
Darn bites her lip thoughtfully. “If you want me to tell you the truth, tell you everything, then I want one of those unbreakable vow thingies.”
Harry shakes his head. “An unbreakable vow is very serious. If we were to break it, even inadvertently, it would kill us.”
Oh. She doesn't want anyone to die. “What about a that fiddle charm? The one that hid your headquarters. Can you use that spell to protect what I'm going to tell you?”
It's Hermione who answers. “If we use the fidelus charm, we would have to cast it on you and from what Harry and Neville have told us, it probably won't work anyway.’
Damn.
“Dawn,” Harry began. “You don't need for us to do that spell. You can trust us.”
Dawn shakes her head. “Only kinda sorta."
They all stare at her.
She misses California. "You are trustworthy, but how do I know you’re not going to tell your boss about me?"
A funny look crosses Harry's face.
"You work for the government," Dawn goes on. Filing Harry's reaction away for consideration later. "The same government who royally fucked you over more than once, if that book is accurate. There's no way I want them to know about me, about what I can do. I know what governments do to people with powers they don't have. They send them down into sewers so demons can kill them. And I really hate sewers. It always seems like my hair stinks for days.”
“Is that what happened to you?” Harry demands, horrified.
While Hermione gasps, "Demons?"
“No, it was my sister, but don't worry she totally kicked ass.” She's not going to address Hermione's query... not yet.
“Dawn, that won't happen," Harry assures her. "The current Minister is a good man, he wouldn't hurt you.”
“Maybe not, but that book talked about three different ministers. This guy might be alright, but you can't guarantee the next one will be as good. Besides, he's a politician. That changes them.”
None of them look happy with what she's said.
Bill leans forward. "So you will only tell us if you know we will keep it secret?"
Dawn nods. "I'll walk out, if I can. You can't do magic on me, but you outnumber me so it's doubtful I could overpower you all. If it was only two or three of you, I'd probably manage it, but no more than that."
"You think you can take overpower three of us?" George asks, curious.
"I've fought things way stronger than you, and I've walked away." She waves her hand around the room. "By the looks of things, you use magic for pretty much everything. That makes you lazy."
"But you don't use magic for everything," Ron says. "Do you?"
"I don't use magic for anything," she says, crossing her hands over her chest.
Technically, she's not lying.
"A wizard's oath."
All eyes turn to Bill.
"We can't use an unbreakable vow, and the fidelus is out, but we can make a wizarding oath."
"What's that?" Dawn wants to know. "Sounds like an unbreakable vow."
"It's a little different, and it won't kill us. We swear on our magic not to reveal anything you tell us," Bill explains.
"And what happens if you make with the spill-age?"
"We lose our magic," Harry answers. "Unless you release us from the oath or give us permission to tell someone."
Dawn bites her lip. "Only if you willingly tell someone," she amends. If someone tortures the information out of them or forces it out of them with that potion that was mentioned in the book, the last thing she wants is for them to lose their magic.
After all, they'll be her only allies in this world.
"Bill, are you sure this is a good idea?" George asks.
Silence fills the room, and Dawn can see each of the people around the table thinking. Dawn actually doesn't like the fact that she's asking them this, but she doesn't know what else to do. She doesn't know that they will help her. She knows that they're good people, but after reading about their histories she's not sure that the rest of their society is as nice, and she's too scared to put her life in the hands of strangers who might decided that she's too dangerous. After all, their loyalty is to their world, not her.
They may not be able to hurt her with magic, but there's other ways to hurt her and she knows what could happen if a dark wizard gets his hands on her.
"No one has to take the oath if you don't want to," Harry says to his friends. "You can leave now."
Ron sighs. "What if it's bad? I mean, what if we're wrong and she's evil."
Harry looks at Dawn with a determined look in his eye. "We're asking Dawn to trust us. Whatever secrets she has, we all know that they're important... and dangerous. She's taking a big risk trusting us, and I think we have to trust her back."
Her lips slowly lift into a smile.
"I swear on my magic that I will not willingly reveal to anyone anything about this conversation unless you give me permission."
A bright light surrounds Harry.
And, for the first time since this whole mess began, Dawn relaxes.
End