Categories > Books > Harry Potter > A Change of Fate
A Change of Fate
Chapter 3
(Sunnydale)
Willow was bored as she worked on her computer, as with most of the gang missing she had fewer people to talk to then normal. Buffy was either busy with patrolling, training or spending time with her boyfriend Riley.
Oz was also busy with his band, so she did not see him as much as she wished. This annoyed her, as they were still slowly rebuilding their relationship after the Veruca affair.
Convincing him to stay in Sunnydale after he had killed the wild werewolf had not been easy and she sometimes had nightmares where instead of staying Oz left. She hated those dreams, as they scared her. Her relationship with Oz was important to her. All the more so, once she finally accepted she would never have Xander. She had been as surprised as the others had, when Xander and Jenny made their relationship public to the gang.
She had watched them hide their love for each other until it was no longer against the law. Accepting the truth had been hard, but she had done it and now Oz was her priority.
She wondered how Xander, Jenny and Tara were doing in England and she hoped Jenny was coping with the death of her friend. The ringing of the phone broke her out of her thoughts. She quickly picked up the phone and answered and was surprised to find Jenny on the other end. She listened as Jenny explained the very complex situation they were in and what she was calling for, Willow was shocked to discover Xander could do magic.
The admission from Jenny about the magical world and her and Tara's connection to it was even more shocking, but she promised to run the back ground check on Xander's family tree. She put the phone down and stared at the wall for a while, trying to come to terms with what she had just learned.
Xander, Jenny and Tara could do a form a magic so far unknown to her. She was intrigued and promised to find out as much about it as she could later on. She also felt a little let down by the fact this had all been kept secret from the gang for so long, but she guessed they had their reasons. She finally turned and began her research into Xander's family line, which she would try and match up to a list, Jenny promised to send through the fax later on that day.
+++
(12 Grimmauld Place)
Tara watched as Xander tossed and turned around, as he underwent the changes the release of his magic caused, from whatever blocks had been on it. He was clearly in pain and was suffering a heavy fever. Jenny had gone to phone Willow, as well as get some supplies leaving her to guard Xander, whilst he was incapacitated.
Harry sat off to the side with Hermione, both doing their holiday homework. Remus and Tonks were also in the room quietly talking about Sirius.
The events after Xander's accidental magical outburst had been tense, as some of the Order had wanted to get revenge for what they saw as an unprovoked attack on their leader. However the rest had agreed it was not intentional and defused the growing tension in the room.
Jenny and Tara had moved Xander to the top bedroom, whilst Dumbledore had been taken back to Hogwarts. The Weasley family remained in the house, but confined to the middle and bottom floors. Tara was very worried how things would play out, but she considered Xander being a wizard a very good thing and a big advantage in the threat they faced. She finally took a seat and hoped Xander recovered quickly.
"How is he?" Harry asked, looking up from his work.
"I can't really say Harry. I've never seen anything like this before, but I am sure he will recover and quickly," Tara responded, with what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
"If Xander is a wizard, how come he and anyone else didn't know?" Hermione inquired.
"The blocks must have been very powerful to ensure there was no leakage we could detect. Xander clearly knew nothing about it," Remus speculated, before Tara could reply. "I wonder if Sirius knew about this?" he wondered.
"I think he would have mentioned it to Jenny, if he even had a suspicion Remus," Tara concluded. "No, this was well hidden from everyone, including Xander. I hope Willow will be able to track down the connection Xander has to this world, no matter how well hidden it is," she explained with a hopeful smile.
"You actually think a search with what did you call it, a computer? Will locate that link?" Remus asked, as he was still unsure what a computer was.
Tonks shook her head at how backwards most of the wizarding world was. She had been raised in the muggle world and so she knew a lot more about muggle technology than most other witches and wizards.
Amelia Bones the head of her department found this useful, when she had to send people into the muggle world. She tended to discuss things with Tonks, so she knew what to order her people to avoid.
"I do Remus. One of the reasons I stayed away from this world is its complete isolation from its other half," Tara replied, refusing to use the term muggle. "Had they integrated a lot of what we have come up with, this world would be far more advanced than it is. Instead it is still stuck in the Victorian age," she explained. "Worse, their attitude to the rest of the world is so stupid that it will eventually cause a war. A war they cannot win," she stated darkly.
Harry agreed with this statement, as did Hermione who had seen all to well how war was waged in the muggle world. They knew just how advanced the weapons were and what they could do against any magical structure. If a war broke out, then nothing they did would stop the bloodshed. They doubted very much that magical shields would hold up against multiple gun shots.
It would make the war with Voldemort look like a game and neither of them wished to see such a war come about. However they had very little direct contact with the Minister of Magic and these days he was more off an enemy than a friend. He would not listen to them and so the attitude would continue, pushed along by Malfoy and his ilk it would continue to worsen the situation.
Harry was sure the muggles would strike if pushed too far.
For Remus and Tonks the situation was less clear, as they believed the magical world could hold its own should the muggles ever become a real problem. Even with Tonks knowledge of the world, she believed they could deal with the problem.
"Either way I do think we will find the answer," Tara's speaking again broke them all out of their thoughts.
+++
(Hogwarts)
Albus Dumbledore sat in his office annoyed beyond all reason with what had gone a few hours before. He had been humiliated in front of the Order and his friends. He had been shown up by what at first had appeared to be an arrogant muggle. However it seemed there was more to Mr. Harris that he had first thought. He had magic that had been blocked for some reason. That meant he was at best a muggle born, however a little research might help him discover if he had any family in the magical world, which he could use as leverage against him.
He looked up to where Fawkes sat on his perch, watching with a look that screamed he did not approve of his plans. He ignored this as he often did and set to work on making plans to visit the ministry to locate any possible useful information.
He would also have to regain the respect of the order somehow. There were even more cracks in it than they had been and so he also decided to plan a raid on a known Death Eater sanctuary.
+++
(London)
Jenny sat at the café she had found and finished her coffee, as she prepared to head back to Grimmauld Place. She was worried about Alex, as he had fallen sick once the blocks on his magic had broken.
She was also worried about some kind of retaliation by Dumbledore and his loyal followers in the order. Granted it had been an accident, but they knew the old headmaster was not someone to be underestimated.
The situation here was also much worse than she had feared, which is probably another reason Sirius had asked her and Alex to take up guardianship of Harry. He was most likely afraid that Harry would not make it out alive without some real help.
Dumbledore clearly had plans in place, which did not include Harry surviving the conflict to come. This was one thing about the magical world she did not miss, the constant back stabbing nature of most high ranking ministry officials.
She remembered a conversation she had overheard once between James, Lilly and Sirius on a similar subject. She remembered feeling so afraid, because what they had discussed had painted a very black picture in her mind.
She decided not to wait any longer and after paying the bill, she headed for an ally and once she was sure no one could see her, she used the special portkey that would take her back to headquarters. She just hoped things improved and soon.
+++
A few minutes after Jenny left, a group of thirteen black robed individuals, wearing skull masks, suddenly appeared close by and quickly began launching spells left and right.
The green lights struck down people, as soon as they hit a target. One or two of the attackers used more destructive spells to destroy shops and nearby cars. They didn't care who they hit, be it man, woman or child as they continued their rampage.
Two police officers tried to stop them, but they were quickly killed with two well aimed spells. It was only when they heard multiple wailing sounds they decided to leave, vanishing seconds before a horde of cop cars and vans pulled into the area followed by three ambulances.
What they found was a mess with many casualties. However what really confused them was that they could find no real cause of death. There was no blood on any of the bodies at all. Fire engines soon arrived to help put the fires out. Anger built up as bodies of young children were found and they hoped whoever had done this would be found and dealt with.
+++
(Riddle Manor)
Bellatrix Lestrange grinned madly, as she returned from the successful raid. This, she thought, would at least stem the anger of her lord for the failure to recover the prophecy that Potter had smashed. She had put all the blame on Lucius, but her lord had punished her anyway, as the only member of the ambush team to escape. She vowed she would have her revenge on Potter no matter what.
She knew her lord was already planning another mass breakout, as they needed the added firepower, as well as financial aid Malfoy and the others brought. Once they had a specific number, they would attack the ministry openly for the first time since the first war ended.
She looked forward to the carnage and slaughter to come. Finally she led her team into the throne room noting the unconscious body of Pettigrew nearby, clearly having been tortured by her lord for failing him again or annoying him whichever came first.
She and her team all bowed and waited, whilst Voldemort ignored them. Instead he read a book he held. Well used to her lord's moods she prepared for a long wait. Ten minutes later she heard the book snap shut and the command to rise.
Looking up at her lord she noted he did not look to be in the best of moods, so she made sure to do nothing which annoyed or angered him, as she did not want to end up like Pettigrew.
"Ah Bella, how did the mission go?" Voldemort finally asked, concentrating on his most faithful servant.
Out of all the Death Eaters he believed her to be the most loyal and to an extent he trusted her. She would do whatever he commanded, no matter how insane it sounded. She never argued with his plans and never did anything without his approval. She could also be relied upon to punish her fellow Death Eaters if they displeased him.
Her insane view of the world was very useful to him and made her just that more of a surprise when unleashed. Most Aurors did not know how to deal with the woman.
"It went well master. We killed at least thirty to thirty five muggles and destroyed a lot of the surrounding area," Bellatrix responded. "There was no response from either the Aurors or the order, just the muggle Aurors and their response was slow," she informed him.
Voldemort leaned back in his chair and smiled at this news, clearly even with the ministry now knowing of his return, they were not ready to face him. He was slightly confused by the order's slow response, but knowing the truth about Albus Dumbledore, the supposed great light wizard, gave him ideas on what he was actually doing.
The old man was a real threat and always had been. He was devious and could be just as evil as himself or his followers. Of course the old man concealed this from the public and like the sheep they were, they believed everything they were told or read in the supposed history books.
However Dumbledore was not the only threat he faced, as there was also his teenage nemesis Harry Potter. He had faced the teenager four times now and four times he had failed to kill him. Either by luck or, he had to admit, by the teenager's growing skills and power, Potter survived every encounter they had.
This made him wonder about what the prophecy had really said and he again felt the anger at Lucius and his group for failing to recover it. He needed to know what it said, before he went up against Potter again, as another failure could make some of his followers doubt him and that could not be allowed.
Information was one half of any war and he was lacking in it. Wormtail constantly failed to gather any worthwhile information. What he needed was someone who could get inside the inner circle of Harry Potter and gain his trust enough to learn the prophecy. Which of his junior followers could he trust with this? The young Malfoy heir was a joke, who could not control himself at all. His main followers were also useless, as they had made themselves clear enemies of Potter and his friends. No he needed someone who had stayed out of the school rivalries. He sat back and thought long and hard, ignoring his waiting subjects.
Finally a smile once again graced his features, as he thought of the perfect candidate to infiltrate the order and Potter's friends. She was just what he was looking for. Granted her family tended to only aid his cause in stalling the Wizengamot and stopping any serious threat rising to replace Cornelius Fudge, the incompetent Minister of Magic. However he was sure they would obey his order, as they knew what would happen if they did not obey him and he doubted they wanted to face his wrath.
He would put his plan into action later he thought, before he turned his attention back to his waiting followers.
"Well done Bella. I will have another mission for you soon, for now I want you and your team to rest," he said as he stood up. "We have much to do," he added, before he walked out of the room.
Bellatrix and her team bowed low as he left, before breaking up into small groups, whilst Bellatrix herself headed for her quarters to rest, as had been suggested. She wondered what mission her lord had in mind.
+++
(12 Grimmauld Place)
Jenny entered the bedroom where Xander was, just to find there had been little change, except for a break in his fever which calmed her a little. She wondered if the breaking of whatever block has been on his magic had caused his illness. It seemed to fit the timing of things well enough. She just hoped that he recovered quickly.
"What did Willow have to say?" Tara's voice broke through her worrisome thoughts.
"She was shocked when I explained about the magical world and even more so when I stated what had happened to Xander. I think we can both expect to be heavily questioned when we return to Sunnydale," Jenny responded with a tired smile. "Of course that will not be for some time, but it is what I expect will happen," she added.
Tara could only nod in agreement. She knew when secrets came out in the Scooby gang they always tended to cause large arguments and explanations. Her own supposed secret had caused just as much a problem, but had quickly been dealt with. Seeing Xander and the others standing up to her family for her had made her believe they would always be there for her.
She knew the truth now. She and her mother and the rest of her female family members were not demons and she would ensure any children she had would know it too. She stood and checked on Xander again, to find his fever was rapidly falling and he was no longer tossing and turning around in pain.
"I think whatever it is he was suffering from is ending," she said, turning to look at Jenny and noting the relieved look that came to her face at this news.
Jenny didn't answer, but instead moved and sat on the bed and took one of Xander's hands in hers and just waited. The others looked on in silence, wondering what would happen once Xander was back on his feet.
+++
(Delacour Residence, France)
Fleur sat in her room again, running through the order meeting in her head and again seeing the strange actions of many of her supposed allies. This included Bill and the rest of the Weasley family. Something was very wrong she thought and it was centered on Harry and his new guardians. She just couldn't put her finger on it.
However she intended to return to Grimmauld Place and talk to Harry one on one and hopefully find out what the problem was. She just had to wait for her mother to return before doing so, as she could then look after Gabrielle.
Chapter 3
(Sunnydale)
Willow was bored as she worked on her computer, as with most of the gang missing she had fewer people to talk to then normal. Buffy was either busy with patrolling, training or spending time with her boyfriend Riley.
Oz was also busy with his band, so she did not see him as much as she wished. This annoyed her, as they were still slowly rebuilding their relationship after the Veruca affair.
Convincing him to stay in Sunnydale after he had killed the wild werewolf had not been easy and she sometimes had nightmares where instead of staying Oz left. She hated those dreams, as they scared her. Her relationship with Oz was important to her. All the more so, once she finally accepted she would never have Xander. She had been as surprised as the others had, when Xander and Jenny made their relationship public to the gang.
She had watched them hide their love for each other until it was no longer against the law. Accepting the truth had been hard, but she had done it and now Oz was her priority.
She wondered how Xander, Jenny and Tara were doing in England and she hoped Jenny was coping with the death of her friend. The ringing of the phone broke her out of her thoughts. She quickly picked up the phone and answered and was surprised to find Jenny on the other end. She listened as Jenny explained the very complex situation they were in and what she was calling for, Willow was shocked to discover Xander could do magic.
The admission from Jenny about the magical world and her and Tara's connection to it was even more shocking, but she promised to run the back ground check on Xander's family tree. She put the phone down and stared at the wall for a while, trying to come to terms with what she had just learned.
Xander, Jenny and Tara could do a form a magic so far unknown to her. She was intrigued and promised to find out as much about it as she could later on. She also felt a little let down by the fact this had all been kept secret from the gang for so long, but she guessed they had their reasons. She finally turned and began her research into Xander's family line, which she would try and match up to a list, Jenny promised to send through the fax later on that day.
+++
(12 Grimmauld Place)
Tara watched as Xander tossed and turned around, as he underwent the changes the release of his magic caused, from whatever blocks had been on it. He was clearly in pain and was suffering a heavy fever. Jenny had gone to phone Willow, as well as get some supplies leaving her to guard Xander, whilst he was incapacitated.
Harry sat off to the side with Hermione, both doing their holiday homework. Remus and Tonks were also in the room quietly talking about Sirius.
The events after Xander's accidental magical outburst had been tense, as some of the Order had wanted to get revenge for what they saw as an unprovoked attack on their leader. However the rest had agreed it was not intentional and defused the growing tension in the room.
Jenny and Tara had moved Xander to the top bedroom, whilst Dumbledore had been taken back to Hogwarts. The Weasley family remained in the house, but confined to the middle and bottom floors. Tara was very worried how things would play out, but she considered Xander being a wizard a very good thing and a big advantage in the threat they faced. She finally took a seat and hoped Xander recovered quickly.
"How is he?" Harry asked, looking up from his work.
"I can't really say Harry. I've never seen anything like this before, but I am sure he will recover and quickly," Tara responded, with what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
"If Xander is a wizard, how come he and anyone else didn't know?" Hermione inquired.
"The blocks must have been very powerful to ensure there was no leakage we could detect. Xander clearly knew nothing about it," Remus speculated, before Tara could reply. "I wonder if Sirius knew about this?" he wondered.
"I think he would have mentioned it to Jenny, if he even had a suspicion Remus," Tara concluded. "No, this was well hidden from everyone, including Xander. I hope Willow will be able to track down the connection Xander has to this world, no matter how well hidden it is," she explained with a hopeful smile.
"You actually think a search with what did you call it, a computer? Will locate that link?" Remus asked, as he was still unsure what a computer was.
Tonks shook her head at how backwards most of the wizarding world was. She had been raised in the muggle world and so she knew a lot more about muggle technology than most other witches and wizards.
Amelia Bones the head of her department found this useful, when she had to send people into the muggle world. She tended to discuss things with Tonks, so she knew what to order her people to avoid.
"I do Remus. One of the reasons I stayed away from this world is its complete isolation from its other half," Tara replied, refusing to use the term muggle. "Had they integrated a lot of what we have come up with, this world would be far more advanced than it is. Instead it is still stuck in the Victorian age," she explained. "Worse, their attitude to the rest of the world is so stupid that it will eventually cause a war. A war they cannot win," she stated darkly.
Harry agreed with this statement, as did Hermione who had seen all to well how war was waged in the muggle world. They knew just how advanced the weapons were and what they could do against any magical structure. If a war broke out, then nothing they did would stop the bloodshed. They doubted very much that magical shields would hold up against multiple gun shots.
It would make the war with Voldemort look like a game and neither of them wished to see such a war come about. However they had very little direct contact with the Minister of Magic and these days he was more off an enemy than a friend. He would not listen to them and so the attitude would continue, pushed along by Malfoy and his ilk it would continue to worsen the situation.
Harry was sure the muggles would strike if pushed too far.
For Remus and Tonks the situation was less clear, as they believed the magical world could hold its own should the muggles ever become a real problem. Even with Tonks knowledge of the world, she believed they could deal with the problem.
"Either way I do think we will find the answer," Tara's speaking again broke them all out of their thoughts.
+++
(Hogwarts)
Albus Dumbledore sat in his office annoyed beyond all reason with what had gone a few hours before. He had been humiliated in front of the Order and his friends. He had been shown up by what at first had appeared to be an arrogant muggle. However it seemed there was more to Mr. Harris that he had first thought. He had magic that had been blocked for some reason. That meant he was at best a muggle born, however a little research might help him discover if he had any family in the magical world, which he could use as leverage against him.
He looked up to where Fawkes sat on his perch, watching with a look that screamed he did not approve of his plans. He ignored this as he often did and set to work on making plans to visit the ministry to locate any possible useful information.
He would also have to regain the respect of the order somehow. There were even more cracks in it than they had been and so he also decided to plan a raid on a known Death Eater sanctuary.
+++
(London)
Jenny sat at the café she had found and finished her coffee, as she prepared to head back to Grimmauld Place. She was worried about Alex, as he had fallen sick once the blocks on his magic had broken.
She was also worried about some kind of retaliation by Dumbledore and his loyal followers in the order. Granted it had been an accident, but they knew the old headmaster was not someone to be underestimated.
The situation here was also much worse than she had feared, which is probably another reason Sirius had asked her and Alex to take up guardianship of Harry. He was most likely afraid that Harry would not make it out alive without some real help.
Dumbledore clearly had plans in place, which did not include Harry surviving the conflict to come. This was one thing about the magical world she did not miss, the constant back stabbing nature of most high ranking ministry officials.
She remembered a conversation she had overheard once between James, Lilly and Sirius on a similar subject. She remembered feeling so afraid, because what they had discussed had painted a very black picture in her mind.
She decided not to wait any longer and after paying the bill, she headed for an ally and once she was sure no one could see her, she used the special portkey that would take her back to headquarters. She just hoped things improved and soon.
+++
A few minutes after Jenny left, a group of thirteen black robed individuals, wearing skull masks, suddenly appeared close by and quickly began launching spells left and right.
The green lights struck down people, as soon as they hit a target. One or two of the attackers used more destructive spells to destroy shops and nearby cars. They didn't care who they hit, be it man, woman or child as they continued their rampage.
Two police officers tried to stop them, but they were quickly killed with two well aimed spells. It was only when they heard multiple wailing sounds they decided to leave, vanishing seconds before a horde of cop cars and vans pulled into the area followed by three ambulances.
What they found was a mess with many casualties. However what really confused them was that they could find no real cause of death. There was no blood on any of the bodies at all. Fire engines soon arrived to help put the fires out. Anger built up as bodies of young children were found and they hoped whoever had done this would be found and dealt with.
+++
(Riddle Manor)
Bellatrix Lestrange grinned madly, as she returned from the successful raid. This, she thought, would at least stem the anger of her lord for the failure to recover the prophecy that Potter had smashed. She had put all the blame on Lucius, but her lord had punished her anyway, as the only member of the ambush team to escape. She vowed she would have her revenge on Potter no matter what.
She knew her lord was already planning another mass breakout, as they needed the added firepower, as well as financial aid Malfoy and the others brought. Once they had a specific number, they would attack the ministry openly for the first time since the first war ended.
She looked forward to the carnage and slaughter to come. Finally she led her team into the throne room noting the unconscious body of Pettigrew nearby, clearly having been tortured by her lord for failing him again or annoying him whichever came first.
She and her team all bowed and waited, whilst Voldemort ignored them. Instead he read a book he held. Well used to her lord's moods she prepared for a long wait. Ten minutes later she heard the book snap shut and the command to rise.
Looking up at her lord she noted he did not look to be in the best of moods, so she made sure to do nothing which annoyed or angered him, as she did not want to end up like Pettigrew.
"Ah Bella, how did the mission go?" Voldemort finally asked, concentrating on his most faithful servant.
Out of all the Death Eaters he believed her to be the most loyal and to an extent he trusted her. She would do whatever he commanded, no matter how insane it sounded. She never argued with his plans and never did anything without his approval. She could also be relied upon to punish her fellow Death Eaters if they displeased him.
Her insane view of the world was very useful to him and made her just that more of a surprise when unleashed. Most Aurors did not know how to deal with the woman.
"It went well master. We killed at least thirty to thirty five muggles and destroyed a lot of the surrounding area," Bellatrix responded. "There was no response from either the Aurors or the order, just the muggle Aurors and their response was slow," she informed him.
Voldemort leaned back in his chair and smiled at this news, clearly even with the ministry now knowing of his return, they were not ready to face him. He was slightly confused by the order's slow response, but knowing the truth about Albus Dumbledore, the supposed great light wizard, gave him ideas on what he was actually doing.
The old man was a real threat and always had been. He was devious and could be just as evil as himself or his followers. Of course the old man concealed this from the public and like the sheep they were, they believed everything they were told or read in the supposed history books.
However Dumbledore was not the only threat he faced, as there was also his teenage nemesis Harry Potter. He had faced the teenager four times now and four times he had failed to kill him. Either by luck or, he had to admit, by the teenager's growing skills and power, Potter survived every encounter they had.
This made him wonder about what the prophecy had really said and he again felt the anger at Lucius and his group for failing to recover it. He needed to know what it said, before he went up against Potter again, as another failure could make some of his followers doubt him and that could not be allowed.
Information was one half of any war and he was lacking in it. Wormtail constantly failed to gather any worthwhile information. What he needed was someone who could get inside the inner circle of Harry Potter and gain his trust enough to learn the prophecy. Which of his junior followers could he trust with this? The young Malfoy heir was a joke, who could not control himself at all. His main followers were also useless, as they had made themselves clear enemies of Potter and his friends. No he needed someone who had stayed out of the school rivalries. He sat back and thought long and hard, ignoring his waiting subjects.
Finally a smile once again graced his features, as he thought of the perfect candidate to infiltrate the order and Potter's friends. She was just what he was looking for. Granted her family tended to only aid his cause in stalling the Wizengamot and stopping any serious threat rising to replace Cornelius Fudge, the incompetent Minister of Magic. However he was sure they would obey his order, as they knew what would happen if they did not obey him and he doubted they wanted to face his wrath.
He would put his plan into action later he thought, before he turned his attention back to his waiting followers.
"Well done Bella. I will have another mission for you soon, for now I want you and your team to rest," he said as he stood up. "We have much to do," he added, before he walked out of the room.
Bellatrix and her team bowed low as he left, before breaking up into small groups, whilst Bellatrix herself headed for her quarters to rest, as had been suggested. She wondered what mission her lord had in mind.
+++
(12 Grimmauld Place)
Jenny entered the bedroom where Xander was, just to find there had been little change, except for a break in his fever which calmed her a little. She wondered if the breaking of whatever block has been on his magic had caused his illness. It seemed to fit the timing of things well enough. She just hoped that he recovered quickly.
"What did Willow have to say?" Tara's voice broke through her worrisome thoughts.
"She was shocked when I explained about the magical world and even more so when I stated what had happened to Xander. I think we can both expect to be heavily questioned when we return to Sunnydale," Jenny responded with a tired smile. "Of course that will not be for some time, but it is what I expect will happen," she added.
Tara could only nod in agreement. She knew when secrets came out in the Scooby gang they always tended to cause large arguments and explanations. Her own supposed secret had caused just as much a problem, but had quickly been dealt with. Seeing Xander and the others standing up to her family for her had made her believe they would always be there for her.
She knew the truth now. She and her mother and the rest of her female family members were not demons and she would ensure any children she had would know it too. She stood and checked on Xander again, to find his fever was rapidly falling and he was no longer tossing and turning around in pain.
"I think whatever it is he was suffering from is ending," she said, turning to look at Jenny and noting the relieved look that came to her face at this news.
Jenny didn't answer, but instead moved and sat on the bed and took one of Xander's hands in hers and just waited. The others looked on in silence, wondering what would happen once Xander was back on his feet.
+++
(Delacour Residence, France)
Fleur sat in her room again, running through the order meeting in her head and again seeing the strange actions of many of her supposed allies. This included Bill and the rest of the Weasley family. Something was very wrong she thought and it was centered on Harry and his new guardians. She just couldn't put her finger on it.
However she intended to return to Grimmauld Place and talk to Harry one on one and hopefully find out what the problem was. She just had to wait for her mother to return before doing so, as she could then look after Gabrielle.
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