Day 27 - Dear Willow by Laney
Title: Dear Willow
Author: laney_1974
Crossover: BTVS/Harry Potter
August Fic-a-day Challenge Contribution Date: 27 August 2015
Verse Grandfather Paradox verse.
Characters: Dawn Summers, and others I don't want to mention here.
Word Count: 1090
Rating: 15
Timeline/Authors Notes: BTVS: AU Post Season 7. Harry Potter: AU from Book 5. Ignores Half Blood Price and Deathly Hollows. Cannon has now been thrown right out the window.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Buffy and Angel people belong to Joss and Mutant Enemy. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling
Please note: This fic explains how and why Willow sent a letter back in time to Nicolas Flamel asking him to go to Dawn in the London Library. A sort of "prequel" to The Problem with Time Travel. However, this is also a stand alone, so you don't necessarily have to have read the two others before reading this one.
7 September 1927
Dear Willow
I am not sure how badly I’ve messed things up but, if you don't know me, my name is Dawn and, I'm Buffy's younger sister. Al and Nic said they wouldn't arrange for this letter to be delivered to you unless it was safe and you were a witch working with Buffy, like you were in my time.
Hopefully you weren't too wigged out by Al’s robes (if he was the one who delivered the letter), and I really hope Buffy isn't freaking too badly. Anyway, I suppose I should give you some proof that it is really me and that I knew you in my timeline. Well, your best friends are Buffy Summers and Xander Harris (kind of obvious, I know), but before Buffy moved to Sunnydale your best friends were Xander and Jesse. You’re Jewish (again, an easy one), your first boyfriend (at least in my time) was Oz and you have frog fear.
Now that I've - hopefully - convinced you that this isn't some kind of joke, I guess I should get to the reason for my letter.
To cut a long story short, we screwed up. In the original timeline in 2007, you sent me back in time to stop a madman, Tom Riddle, from causing a war between magical people and non-magical people. Unfortunately, the spell you used to send me back went wrong. You sent me back to 1899 instead of 1996. It probably wouldn't have been such a big deal if the spell hadn't created a huge backlash and made my presence known to the wand-magic users in England. Will, the spell not only caused a backlash, but it left a magical taint in me, or on me. At least that's what Al and Nic say. Because of the taint, the people who govern the wand-magic users were able to find me. They tracked me down in the London Library a little over a week after I got here and took me back to the Ministry for questioning.
Will, I answered every one of their questions.
They have a potion that makes you tell the truth, and I couldn’t stop myself from answering anything they asked. They grilled me for weeks about who had sent me and why. Unfortunately, I told them everything about Tom Riddle and the future wars. Fortunately, they didn’t ask the right questions, so I was able to avoid mentioning anything about Slayers or the Council. Not that it really mattered in the long run, because they knew enough about the future to cause some serious damage.
They’ve already killed Tom Riddle’s grandparents to stop him from being born. I know it’s what we wanted but, when I realised how badly things went wrong, I was worried that killing Grandad Riddle would cause a paradox. It didn’t. At least I think it didn’t. I’m not sure if the reason I didn’t cease to exist was because they didn’t cause a paradox or because I’m the Key.
Although, I’m not sure if our biggest problem now is a paradox or wizards altering the future.
Unfortunately, news of my existence wasn’t kept a secret like it should have been. About a year after I was captured me I was kidnapped from the Ministry (and, yes, it was a Tuesday).
Will, if you know the name Gellert Grindelwald then we're in a world of trouble.
Back in my original time he wasn't around, or at least I didn't come across him in my research on Riddle. Gellert was the one who took me. If you know of him, do everything you can to avoid him. He asked far more questions than the Ministry did, and he wasn’t just interested in the wizarding world’s future. He wanted to know about our world. Well, not so much about slayers, but he wanted to know about the non-magical world.
I really wish I sucked at history like Buffy did.
Anyway, I still was able to keep the existence of the Council and Slayers safe, but he knows way, way too much. And, I'm so sorry, but he also knows your name. I'm so, so sorry. Hopefully, the fact that you are reading this letter, means Al is - was - able to stop him before things get out of hand.
But even if Al does stop Gellert, there is still too much risk that some wizard has changed the future for the worse, so we have to fix it - no matter what the price.
Nic seems to think that the only way for us to do that, and reverse any damage caused by Gellert, is for you to send a message to me from the future. Okay, that's a little confusing. You need to send a letter to the me in 1899, before the Ministry arrest me. It's the only way. Sending me (the future me) back in time again is too dangerous, and so is sending anyone else. For one thing, Gellert's people will know to look out for the signs, and another it might cause even more damage.
I’ve enclosed in the envelope instructions on where to find the book you located the original spell in (if you don’t already have it). The instructions are charmed so only you can read it. The password is the dance Xander used to do for you at Christmas. You need to send a letter to Nicolas Flamel at the address in the letter and at the time specified. Nic is the one who rescued me from Gellert, along with Al and a few of their friends (but you can’t send a message to Al… at least not in 1899. He was Gellert’s honey for a while, before he went evil. It's this whole big thing). Between the two of them, they should be able to help you work out how to make the spell more precise.
Well, I better go. They're going to put me and my husband into hiding so Gellert can't find me.
Yes, husband. It's a long story, but he was disowned by his family for supporting "muggle" rights, and it's kind of my fault - since he was fighting for my rights while I was being held by the Ministry. I ended up going on a pity date with him and the next thing I knew we were married. He's a good guy, Buffy would have liked him!
Anyway, be careful and I love you all.
Love
Dawn Black
P.S. Tell Buffy to stop wigging!
End
Author: laney_1974
Crossover: BTVS/Harry Potter
August Fic-a-day Challenge Contribution Date: 27 August 2015
Verse Grandfather Paradox verse.
Characters: Dawn Summers, and others I don't want to mention here.
Word Count: 1090
Rating: 15
Timeline/Authors Notes: BTVS: AU Post Season 7. Harry Potter: AU from Book 5. Ignores Half Blood Price and Deathly Hollows. Cannon has now been thrown right out the window.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Buffy and Angel people belong to Joss and Mutant Enemy. Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling
Please note: This fic explains how and why Willow sent a letter back in time to Nicolas Flamel asking him to go to Dawn in the London Library. A sort of "prequel" to The Problem with Time Travel. However, this is also a stand alone, so you don't necessarily have to have read the two others before reading this one.
7 September 1927
Dear Willow
I am not sure how badly I’ve messed things up but, if you don't know me, my name is Dawn and, I'm Buffy's younger sister. Al and Nic said they wouldn't arrange for this letter to be delivered to you unless it was safe and you were a witch working with Buffy, like you were in my time.
Hopefully you weren't too wigged out by Al’s robes (if he was the one who delivered the letter), and I really hope Buffy isn't freaking too badly. Anyway, I suppose I should give you some proof that it is really me and that I knew you in my timeline. Well, your best friends are Buffy Summers and Xander Harris (kind of obvious, I know), but before Buffy moved to Sunnydale your best friends were Xander and Jesse. You’re Jewish (again, an easy one), your first boyfriend (at least in my time) was Oz and you have frog fear.
Now that I've - hopefully - convinced you that this isn't some kind of joke, I guess I should get to the reason for my letter.
To cut a long story short, we screwed up. In the original timeline in 2007, you sent me back in time to stop a madman, Tom Riddle, from causing a war between magical people and non-magical people. Unfortunately, the spell you used to send me back went wrong. You sent me back to 1899 instead of 1996. It probably wouldn't have been such a big deal if the spell hadn't created a huge backlash and made my presence known to the wand-magic users in England. Will, the spell not only caused a backlash, but it left a magical taint in me, or on me. At least that's what Al and Nic say. Because of the taint, the people who govern the wand-magic users were able to find me. They tracked me down in the London Library a little over a week after I got here and took me back to the Ministry for questioning.
Will, I answered every one of their questions.
They have a potion that makes you tell the truth, and I couldn’t stop myself from answering anything they asked. They grilled me for weeks about who had sent me and why. Unfortunately, I told them everything about Tom Riddle and the future wars. Fortunately, they didn’t ask the right questions, so I was able to avoid mentioning anything about Slayers or the Council. Not that it really mattered in the long run, because they knew enough about the future to cause some serious damage.
They’ve already killed Tom Riddle’s grandparents to stop him from being born. I know it’s what we wanted but, when I realised how badly things went wrong, I was worried that killing Grandad Riddle would cause a paradox. It didn’t. At least I think it didn’t. I’m not sure if the reason I didn’t cease to exist was because they didn’t cause a paradox or because I’m the Key.
Although, I’m not sure if our biggest problem now is a paradox or wizards altering the future.
Unfortunately, news of my existence wasn’t kept a secret like it should have been. About a year after I was captured me I was kidnapped from the Ministry (and, yes, it was a Tuesday).
Will, if you know the name Gellert Grindelwald then we're in a world of trouble.
Back in my original time he wasn't around, or at least I didn't come across him in my research on Riddle. Gellert was the one who took me. If you know of him, do everything you can to avoid him. He asked far more questions than the Ministry did, and he wasn’t just interested in the wizarding world’s future. He wanted to know about our world. Well, not so much about slayers, but he wanted to know about the non-magical world.
I really wish I sucked at history like Buffy did.
Anyway, I still was able to keep the existence of the Council and Slayers safe, but he knows way, way too much. And, I'm so sorry, but he also knows your name. I'm so, so sorry. Hopefully, the fact that you are reading this letter, means Al is - was - able to stop him before things get out of hand.
But even if Al does stop Gellert, there is still too much risk that some wizard has changed the future for the worse, so we have to fix it - no matter what the price.
Nic seems to think that the only way for us to do that, and reverse any damage caused by Gellert, is for you to send a message to me from the future. Okay, that's a little confusing. You need to send a letter to the me in 1899, before the Ministry arrest me. It's the only way. Sending me (the future me) back in time again is too dangerous, and so is sending anyone else. For one thing, Gellert's people will know to look out for the signs, and another it might cause even more damage.
I’ve enclosed in the envelope instructions on where to find the book you located the original spell in (if you don’t already have it). The instructions are charmed so only you can read it. The password is the dance Xander used to do for you at Christmas. You need to send a letter to Nicolas Flamel at the address in the letter and at the time specified. Nic is the one who rescued me from Gellert, along with Al and a few of their friends (but you can’t send a message to Al… at least not in 1899. He was Gellert’s honey for a while, before he went evil. It's this whole big thing). Between the two of them, they should be able to help you work out how to make the spell more precise.
Well, I better go. They're going to put me and my husband into hiding so Gellert can't find me.
Yes, husband. It's a long story, but he was disowned by his family for supporting "muggle" rights, and it's kind of my fault - since he was fighting for my rights while I was being held by the Ministry. I ended up going on a pity date with him and the next thing I knew we were married. He's a good guy, Buffy would have liked him!
Anyway, be careful and I love you all.
Love
Dawn Black
P.S. Tell Buffy to stop wigging!
End