By four o’clock that morning, they were all settled in the Wolfram and Hart plane, ready to take off for England.
“How are we making this look like a business trip again?” Gunn asked.
“We are looking to expand the company into the world of the magical folk or something like that,” Wesley answered.
“Guess it doesn’t really matter.”
Angel grew more nervous as take off approached. He was, of course, sitting next to Buffy. For reasons beyond his comprehension, no one else seemed to care that they were about to hurtle insanely fast through the air hundreds of feet above the earth. Everyone else knew that it was the first time Angel was on a plane, and for the most part, they were really nice about it. Xander, however, still harbored some resentment and gave him a hard time about being scared. Then Faith threatened to make him ride with the luggage so he shut up.
Buffy offered Angel her hand, hoping to offer some comfort.
Ow! Big mistake!
“Angel, honey,” she said through clenched teeth, “You’re hurting my hand! You really don’t need to worry, it’s a very safe way to travel.”
He relaxed a little, but didn’t release her hand. For the next four hours, Willow, Fred, Wesley, Gunn, Giles, Andrew and Xander read the various Harry Potter books they were on while Cordelia and Faith slept and Angel and Buffy sat in silence, enjoying each other’s company.
******
Four hours later, they landed at Heathrow Airport in London, England and taxied into Wolfram and Hart’s private airplane hanger.
“I wonder if we’ll get to see platform 9 3/4?” Willow turned to Fred as they both giggled over the thought.
“Or Diagon Alley?! Or the Burrow?!” Fred added.
“Or Hogwarts!?! That’d be so cool!!” Andrew turned his seat to face the girls.
“Yeah, but I think I might have to seriously hurt Draco Malfoy,” Willow said solemnly.
“He is a little jerk,” Fred agreed.
“Willow, I thought England was rainy all the time and it’s not raining now. Color me confused.”
“Xander, if it had been raining, we couldn’t have landed. And it doesn’t even rain all the time in Seattle, so...”
“Okay.”
They all climbed down the steps into the hanger, looking around at the unfamiliar sights of London.
“Does anyone know where we’re supposed to go now?” Buffy asked.
“Well there’s woman over there who looks slightly familiar,” Willow said.
“She appears to be waiting for someone, and judging by our location she’s probably waiting for us. And now she’s
coming over here. I would guess that we’re supposed to go with her,” Giles answered.
******
Sure enough, a short woman with long blonde hair and striking blue eyes was walking toward them. She wore a crisp black skirt with a button down pin-striped blouse and black heels. She stumbled slightly and fell on her face as she approached. Giles stepped forward to help her stand and she straightened her hair, smoothed her skirt, and offered them all a dazzling smile before extending her hand for a handshake.
“Rupert! How are you?! You probably don’t even recognize me. Perhaps you will later. I’m so glad you all came though. I can’t tell you my name here, safety precaution.”
Cordelia looked to Xander who looked at Buffy, who looked at Willow, who looked to Fred who looked at Gunn who looked to Angel who looked to Wesley who looked to Giles for answers. Faith looked at Andrew, only for different reasons. He was still acting like Joey and she was annoyed, again.
“Oh, I’ll explain everything once we get in the car.”
“Not so fast,” Gunn said, suspicious of the whole situation. “How do we know this isn’t some trap set by... something.”
“Yes, is there any way you can prove to us you are who we are looking for without jeopardizing yourself or us?” Wesley asked the mysterious woman.
“Probably, let me see. Um, oh! I know. Your name is Wesley Wyndham-Pryce. You are head of magical artifacts for Wolfram and Hart’s LA offices. You do not get along with your father and haven’t spoken to him in years.”
“That doesn’t really answer my question, lady. We know who he is, I want to know who you are,” Gunn said, skeptically.
“How can I prove to you it’s safe to come with me without telling you who I am?”
“What about Lorne? Can he read people over the phone?” Fred asked.
“Yeah, I think so,” Angel replied.
Fred pulled out her Wolfram & Hart issued satellite phone and dialed Lorne.
“Hello?”
“Lorne? It’s me Fred.”
“Fred?! How are you, baby doll? Vegas is great, much better than last time. What’s up?”
“I need you to read someone over the phone and then tell me a little about her.”
“Sure thing, kid. Hand her over.”
“Okay, now just sing into the phone,” Fred instructed.
“Like what?”
“It doesn’t matter, just sing.”
The strange woman took the phone from Fred and looked at it for a moment before mimicking Fred’s movements. She then began to sing a song none of them had ever heard before. Fred let her sing about four lines before she interrupted.
“That should be good. Let me have the phone back.”
She took it to hear what Lorne had to say about their mystery guest.
“She’s fine, kiddo. Nothing sinister. She’s supposed to pick you up and take you all somewhere safe. I can’t really say anything else other than she’s scared that this will expose her in some way and put you all in danger, so I would advise you go with her.”
“Okay, thanks Lorne. Bye,” Fred closed her phone and turned to everyone else. “She’s fine, let’s go.”
They picked up their bags and followed the woman across the hanger to a limousine.
“Are you really expecting all of us to fit in there?” Buffy asked, skeptically.
“It’s a short ride. Just trust me.”
“Okay, whatever.”
The limo expanded so they were all able to climb in. Willow and Fred could not have been more visibly excited unless, perhaps, they had exploded. As soon as everyone and everything was loaded, they started moving.
“Don’t worry, the glass is... oh what’s the word?” the woman was
“Necro tempered?” Gunn offered.
“Yes, that’s it. Anyway, now that we’re secure, I can tell you who I am, and who the drivers are, but that’s it for now. As soon as we get there, they’ll tell you the rest.”
Everyone one looked to the front of the car, noticing the two males sitting there for the first time.
“Willow, I’m surprised you haven’t figured it all out yet.” The strange woman screwed up her eyes in a strained expression as though she were struggling to remember something. A second later, her hair had become bubble gum pink and her face reverted to that of Nymphadora Tonks.
“Tonks! I thought there was something familiar about you!” Willow leaned over to hug the witch awkwardly before turning to the men in the front.
“Why, you’re Remus Lupin and Alastor Moody! I... I... I...”
“Willow’s having a seizure right now, but the rest of us are pleased to meet you,” Buffy interjected.
“Likewise,” said Lupin in his slightly hoarse voice as he carefully steered the car towards their destination. Moody only nodded at them before returning his eyes to the window keeping a close lookout for any suspicious activity.
“Please explain who these people are, preferably in terms I can understand,” Faith asked, feeling left in the dark.
Fred had to answer her as Willow was still grinning like an idiot staring blankly into space.
“Okay, well Tonks is the one Willow recognized in the book Friday night or Saturday morning or whenever. She’s... probably not wanting me to talk too much, so I’ll stick to the basics.” Moody and Tonks nodded furiously in agreement.
“Well, you’ve read how far?”
“Chamber of Secrets”
“You know how the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers seem to last for only one year? Well Professor Lupin was the teacher in Harry Potter’s third year. And Alastor or Mad-Eye Moody is a retired Auror, a dark wizard catcher. He was in book four. If I tell you anything else, it will ruin the books for you.”
“I’m an Auror, too,” Tonks interjected.
By now the sun had set and they had reached their destination, King’s Cross Station. They piled out of the car and unloaded all the baggage.
“I can’t believe we’re at King’s Cross Station! How cool is this?!” Andrew whispered to Xander.
Following the witch and wizards, they entered the train station and moved toward platforms nine and ten.
“We have to move through the barrier in small groups, yes?” Wesley asked.
“Yes, groups of two or three,” Moody answered gruffly, his magical eye scanning the crowd.
The scene that followed resembled something similar to what it would have looked like if the animals of Noah’s ark had been spies as they stealthily moved through the barrier two by two where they came face to face with the scarlet red engine of the Hogwarts Express.
“I told you Harry Potter’s real,” Willow whispered to no one in particular.
|
|
|
|
Rave
Barbie Girl (Becca)
biscuit07
Filmtheory (Jim)
Malice (Jess)
MebbtheScribe (MichaelB)
Reset (Allie)
Shay (Marrisa)
somnambulist29 (Shea)
Stephanie Loss
Wendyness (Wendy)
Questions?Contact Us
|
|
All stories on this site have been archived with the authors' consent. Do not copy these stories for your own uses without the express consent of the author themselves. Buffy the Vampire Slayer TM and Angel TM are © UPN, WB, Fox and its related entities. All photos on the site are © UPN, Fox, Warner Bros, and/or their respective owners. No profits are being made by use of these images.
Powered with the assitance of eFiction.
|
|
|
