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Summer of Redemption	By : vampmistress76 Category: BtVS Crossovers > BtVS/Harry Potter Views: 5517 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), or the Harry Potter world and/or series, nor any of the characters from them. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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- Chapter 2 -

(Willow's POV)

For a while now I've wondered where it all went wrong.
Was it when I figured out how to de-rat Amy? Or the first time that I messed with Tara's mind? Or the first time I went to the dark magic dealer, Rack?
No, I think that it began earlier than that. Before my experimenting with my sexuality. Before dating the perfect guy, or so I thought, and entering college. Before blowing up evil snake mayors who tried to eat you at your high school graduation.

Yeah, it was back in my high school days that it all went wrong. When I first found out about the magical arts. Back when I met Miss Calendar. That's when it all went to badness, although I didn't see it then. None of us did, not even Giles. I should never have gotten caught up in something like that. But me being who I was, I thought I could handle it. I mean, I was best friends with a vampire slayer. Buffy. The Chosen One. I helped fight the baddies that went bump in the night. I was research and the net girl. Yeah, right.

They say I became addicted to magic when I went to see Rack.
They were wrong.
I became addicted to it the first time I even attempted a spell. Yep, the first time I floated a pencil. You wouldn't think that something that little could be addicting, but it was. It had a sort of pull to it. Made me want to do it again, and again. Maybe even float something bigger next time. And then, I picked up the pace and actually did do something bigger.

I restored a vampire's soul.
Now that made me feel on top of the world. When Angel came back from Hell and we found out that I had actually succeeded...
I admit it; I had a bighead about it. That was my biggest mistake.
I let it go to my head. Made myself believe that I could do anything, and come out unscathed.

Oh, yeah. I got knocked down a few pegs along the way. But I never stopped climbing that ladder of magical achievement.
Then came college and Veruca. Then Tara. Dawn and Glory. Buffy's death and resurrection.

Buffy's resurrection�
An even bigger feat than restoring Angel's soul.

But then the fight with Tara, and the Lethe's Bramble spell, and the singing demon guy, and then the big revelation.
I, Willow Rosenberg, had single handedly pulled my best friend out of Heaven, just because I was too selfish to let her go. Ha! How's that for big accomplishments?
But I just couldn't stop there. Oh no, not me. I just had to do it again! Make things worse by attempting to mess with minds again. Only this time, I messed with everybody's, including my own. Not the brightest highlight of my Wiccan career.
And then came the breakup, and I thought my life was over.

But I thought, hey, I could make it through if I had my magic. Even though it had been the magic that had screwed me over in the first place.

Buffy had put her foot down then and ordered no more magic use in her house. She didn't understand. By that time, my magic had become as much a part of me as my arm was. I couldn't just turn it off like a water faucet or something. But I had tried to tone it down. Give the impression that I was quitting cold turkey. And it had worked... for a while.
Then Tara and I had made up, and everything was supposed to be peaches and cream again. It was not supposed to go down like it had.

But no, Warren happened. And Tara was dead. Oh, God. How could it have happened to someone as sweet as her. It should have been me that had died.
That's why I did it. That's why I tried to end the world. So I could go be with Tara.
But then good old Xan just had to show up. He's never given up when it came it me. Guess he was not the dumb lug I always took him for. And when Giles took me off with him to England, I thought, 'he's going to kill me'. There was just no way that he could possibly think that I was worth trying to redeem. I should have known better. This is Giles we're talking about after all.
The day he came into my room and told me he was calling in the Calvary, I thought he had maybe meant the firing squad, and that he really was going to just put me out of my misery.

But no, he said he was bringing me to a secluded cabin so that an old friend, his cousin and an honest-to-goodness Wizard, and himself could work with me in private. To bring life back into me, as he put it. Who says I don't have life in me? I do, I just don't have any reason to show it. My whole reason for life had been laid in the ground for going on two months now, and I just couldn't see anything else making me feel like living again. It probably would have been better if he had called in the firing squad.

Now, here we are on a dirt road cut through the woods, pulling up to what looks to be a log cabin.

Giles gets out of the car and comes around to open the door for me. Then takes my hand to assist me out, before leading me to the front door. He takes me over to the rocking chair by the window and leaves me to go retrieve our bags.

So, now we wait. Wait for this stranger to come in here and attempt to 'redeem' me. I don't know why Giles is even bothering. I'm not worth it. I don't deserve redemption.

~*~
It's been a few hours since we got here, and finally I hear the sound of a vehicle approaching. I'm staring out the window, but still can't make out the figure that exits the jeep and approaches the front door. Then there's a knock and Giles goes to admit our new roomie for the rest of the summer.
"Hello, Rupert. Heard you needed a hand with a little situation. Maybe if I come in, we can get down to it, eh?"
The voice is deep, but soft, a nice voice for a man to have. But there's something else in his voice. Something that makes the hairs on my arm stand on end. What is that?
"Yes, yes, quite. Do come in Remus. I would like to introduce you to someone.
Remus? Now that's a weird name.
They approach me and then Giles does the actual introductions.
"Willow, I would like you to meet someone. This is Remus Lupin, an old friend of mine. We went to school together for a while."
Nice to meet you, Remus Lupin. He moves to kneel in front of me now and uses his fingers to take hold of my chin and bring my head up. At the touch of his fingers, I jerk inwardly because for some odd reason there is a shot of electricity running down my spine. And the prickles that were on my arm have now worked their way up to the nape of my neck. I am trying to keep my eyes cast down, but it just isn't working. So finally, I just give up and look at him.

And...did it just get hotter in here all of a sudden?
He's attractive; I gotta give it to him. His hair looks to be soft and wavy. Brown flecked distinguishably with gray. He looks to be maybe a few years younger than Giles, so obviously they were not in the same year in school. But there is something off about him too. For some reason when I'm looking at him, Oz comes to mind. But he looks nothing like Oz.
And his eyes.
His eyes are so blue. Bluer than Giles'. Bluer than Spike's even. They are the bluest eyes I have ever had the fortune to gaze into.

And he is gazing right back into mine. He's looking with this strange expression on his face, and for some odd reason I get the impression that he wants to stroke my cheek. And Goddess help me, if he gave in and did, I don't believe I would complain.
What is wrong with me? I'm a lesbian, dammit. I'm not supposed to notice these things. At least not about a guy. Worse, a friend of Giles'.
"Has she attempted any magic whatsoever?"
No! Positively and emphatically no!
"What are you... why of course she hasn't attempted any magic! What makes you think that she could in the state that she's in?"
He looks at Giles now, breaking our eye contact.
"Because of the way she is looking at me right now. As if she is studying me. Trying to figure me out."
His eyes come back to settle on me now, and my heart picks up the pace. What is wrong with me? What is up with this guy?
Then he does it. He grins at me. That grin that I had seen so many times coming from Oz. That wolfish grin. I think it might be a trademark amongst his kind.

His kind!
Oh my Goddess! He's a werewolf!
"If I didn't know better, I would say that she knows something is different about me?"
I wonder if Giles knows what he is?
"I'm sure she would. After all the dark magicks she housed just two months ago, I assume she can sense a great deal of things. She just has never shown any reaction to those feelings."
I suppose he does.
"Yes, well something is fluttering around in that intelligent brain of hers."
You know it buddy.
He smiles gently again. And there goes that damn tingly feeling again.
"Hello there, Willow. I hope you don't mind me calling you by your first name."
Mind? With the way it sounds coming off your lips? Why should I Mind?
"If it makes a difference, you can call me Remus if you like."
For the first time in two months, I am actually having the urge to speak. Just to know what his name would sound like when uttered in my small voice. Probably not as good as my name sounds coming from him. It's been awhile, but I don't suppose a small smile would hurt anything. So I do it, I smile just a little at him.
"There now. Isn't that beautiful."
Oh, he's good. Nope, no doubt about it. He knows he's got the charm going on in his favor. He almost makes me want to answer him. Almost.
"Well, it looks like all hope is not lost yet."
"So it would seem."
Remus straightens and stands up from in front of me now. Wow, he's tall. Must be over 6 foot. And his body is lean and looks toned enough in all the right places...
Oh, bad Willow!
"You wouldn't happen to have some tea brewed up would you?"
"Getting a bit stiff in our old age are we, Moony?"
Moony?
"Probably as stiff as you feel, Ripper."
"I will go and fetch you a cup, then."
Okay. So, we're alone. Now what?
"Now, Willow. I bet you'd like to hear a little about old Rupes back in his school days, huh?"
Oh yeah. I think me and Remus Lupin are going to get along just fine.

~*~*~*~*~
In the past two months, I thought I had lost my ability to find humor in anything. To laugh would have been like a slight on Tara's memory. I shouldn't be laughing when the love of my life was lying cold in the ground, never able to laugh at anything ever again.
But here I am. Laughing.
And all because this endearing man is refusing to take no, or rather me attempting to ignore him, for an answer.

He started telling me this story of how he and Giles had played a prank on someone named Snape.
According to Remus, the guy had a problem with water. Be it he was allergic or what have you, they didn't know. All he said is that the guy was a 'greasy git' who never washed his hair.
Can we say, 'hygiene' people?

But apparently, this guy couldn't. So Giles and Remus had gotten together and summoned a Hydra Nymph... then proceeded to sic it on Snape. The thing had followed him around all day, spraying him at various intervals with sprits of water.

No matter where he tried to hide. The thing would pop up and drench him within seconds. The picture that Remus had described had been so vivid, that I could just see this poor man, weighted down by soaking wet clothes.

When I first felt the tickle of it in the back of my throat, I tried to stop it. I really did. But it just couldn't be stopped. And now, here I am, giggling when I really shouldn't be. I shouldn't be feeling this light-hearted. I have no right to be amused, but yet I am. And all it took was a few words from this wonderful man.

Amazing.
"What is going on in here?"
Uh oh, here comes Giles. And boy does he look surprised.
"Well it looks like we are on a roll here; I've already got her rolling in the isles. She'll be back to her old self in no time."
"Yes, I can see a hint of my old Willow in there somewhere."
I highly doubt that. I am not now, nor will I ever be the same as I was before... well, just before.
"Why don't you come out and speak to us for a bit, love?"
No. No, Giles. Not yet. Please? Laughing is okay. I can deal with that. But please don't make me speak words. Words hurt. Words make it real. As long as I don't speak the words, then I can make it not real. Just let it not be real for a little while longer, Giles?
"It's alright, Willow. Take your time. We will be here for you when you are ready."
Thank you, Giles. Thank you.

~*~*~*~

TBC�
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Summer of Redemption