After That - 5

"We're having a welcome back dinner tomorrow," Buffy said.

"And you have no idea how to face them, what to say, or how to act," Harry added.

She stared at him for a moment.

"I've been there a time or two," Harry shrugged.

"Do you want to go in my place?" Buffy offered.

"No," Harry laughed. "I've done that more than enough times." He paused. "I'll probably have to do another when I go back."

"You're going back?" Buffy asked.

"Eventually," Harry said. "Probably. Maybe. I don't know."

The two strolled down the dark streets of Sunnydale. Their casual conversation and stride were almost perfect bait for vampires. Almost on cue, one jumped out of a nearby alley. Buffy spun, kicked it in the stomach and followed through to sweep its legs. A quick stab and the vampire burst into ash.

"Any advice?" She asked as she stood once more.

"It will suck," Harry said. "They are feeling just as conflicted and horrible as you are."

A group of three burst from another alley. Harry's wand dropped into his hand. He raised his hand and snapped it forward. A flame whip flared to life, turning the trio into piles of ash. He found spell-work was faster with a wand. His magic didn't seem to lose any strength when not using one, but it was perfect for speed and delicate control.

"Are you sure that you need to learn how to fight?" Buffy asked.

"I'm useless if they get close," he answered.

A group of five emerged from yet another alley. Three on one side and two from the other.

"Why are there so many alleys in this town?" Harry asked.

Buffy turned toward the group of three. Harry flourished his wand at the pair, freezing them in place. He turned to support Buffy. She was bouncing between the three, trying not to get trapped while pushing them away at the same time. It sounded more complicated that it was. In action, she would punch one, kick another, and duck under a wild strike.

Harry froze the one behind her, then finished it off with an air-blade to remove its head. He paused for a moment to make sure she didn't need any support before turning back to the duo of frozen vampires. Their eyes were wide and full of panic. He knew how it felt to be under a body-bind spell. Harry turned the two to ash with another flick of his wand.

He turned back to Buffy online for something hard to smack him in the head. A wizard he may be, but Harry could take a hit. Still, a sucker punch was never fun. He stumbled a couple of steps to the side. His wand vanished into his wrist holster as it fell from his grip. To this day he did not regret the extra cost for that feature. The Elder Wand may be bound to him, but his Holly Wand could be lost, dropped, or disarmed without prior preparation.

Another vampire had appeared from somewhere. It didn't matter where it had come from. The important part of this encounter was the fact that the vampire had managed to take the wand out of the fight. Its iron grip latched onto his shoulders. The vampire leaned in, desperate to sink its teeth in his neck.

Harry struggled, but the vampire was too strong.

"Harry!" Buffy yelled from the other side of the alley.

Harry winced as fangs pierced his flesh and were followed by a strange sensation that he never wanted to feel again. He had lost blood plenty of times. Knives, spells, fangs, claws, and the occasional ceremonial dagger had added more scars to the patchwork on his body.

The vampire leaped back. It grabbed at its throat, trying to scream and get the blood out at the same time. Harry watched as the vampire turned to black ash starting with its mouth. He slapped a hand on his newest wound and cast a wordless healing spell. Something crashed against his mental shields. He could feel a dark entity trying to possess him.

"Amateur," Harry scoffed.

His magic took hold of the invader. It struggled, but this wasn't even in the top ten possession attempts. A humanoid demon with grayish-green leathery skin and a ridge of horns along its brow materialized in front of Harry. It started to scream as its form was torn apart.

"That was new," Buffy said as she carefully approached Harry.

"That answers the basilisk venom question," Harry said.

"How did that work?" Buffy asked. "You're supposed to be all vampy now."

Harry pulled his hand away from the now-healed wound on his neck. He sniffed the dried blood on his fingers before vanishing it.

"Venom," Harry said. "I'm guessing a mild paralytic and something to prevent clotting. Vampire venom is no match for basilisk venom."

"Ok," Buffy said. "Good to know. What does that have to do with smokey and the elephant man's uglier cousin?"

"I don't know about whatever that was," he motioned to where the demon-thing had died. "It tried to possess me, I banished it, and then it went poof."

"I saw that part," Buffy said. "Pretty cool, by the way, but you're not answering the basilisk venom part of the question."

"Do you know what a basilisk is?" Harry asked.

She gave him a flat stare.

"Don't look at me like that," he chuckled. "Vampires like this don't exist where I'm from. A basilisk to you could be something completely different."

"Fair," she sighed. "It's like a giant Gila Lizard, right?"

"I have no idea what that is," Harry said.

"It's a lizard," Buffy said.

"The basilisks in the Magical World are giant snakes," Harry explained. "Supposedly, they are born when a toad hatches a chicken egg. No idea if that actually works, I never tried it. I fought one a while ago. It bit me, the venom got into my blood and there's no way to get rid of it. Basilisk venom is one of, if not, the strongest in the known world. The only thing that kept me alive were phoenix tears. That mixture makes me immune to all sorts of poisons."

"Phoenix tears?" Buffy asked, she quickly held a hand to stop his further explanation. "You, me, and Giles are going to have to sit down to compare notes."

"That would be a good idea," Harry agreed. "Now do you see why I need to learn how to fight? I'd rather not have to allow vampires to bite me to kill them."

"You were doing great until you dropped your wand," Buffy assured him. "Where is it?"

Harry rolled his fingers in a flourish. The wand appeared spinning along his nimble digits.

"It's linked to my holster," Harry pointed out the leather bracer on his arm. "The holster is enchanted to grab the wand if I let go."

"Sweet," Buffy said.

"Is it always this busy?" Harry asked.

"Sometimes," she shrugged. "They might be trying to take advantage of rumors of me not being here."

"Why wouldn't they attack somewhere else?" Harry asked. "You can't be everywhere."

"Same reason you're here," Buffy said. "The Hellmouth."

"To be fair," he said with a small smile. "I didn't know what a Hellmouth was until I got here. I just needed somewhere to mask my signature."

"Did you want to come to dinner tomorrow?" Buffy offered.

"Thank you, for the invite, but no," Harry shook his head. "It's not my place."

"You could be a great distraction," Buffy said.

"Listen," Harry paused. "It's going to be hard. You're hurt, scared, angry, and…" He looked her over. "Hiding something."

Buffy flinched.

"The thing to remember is that they are too," Harry said.

"What could they be hiding?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know," Harry shrugged.

"You're really easy to talk to," Buffy said.

"Thanks," Harry smiled. "Are you ready to circle back?"

"Not yet," she said. "I need to patrol the cemeteries."

"All of them?" Harry raised his eyebrows in question.

"Most of them," she corrected. "I try to hit at least two of them a night."

"How many are there?" He asked.

"Three on the North side of town, two on the south, and one on the east side," Buffy counted them off. "So, six."

"That is way too many for a town this size," he shook his head.

"You would not believe how many of the graves are empty," she sighed. "Probably one in three in the last year came back."

"I'll come along," Harry stated. "Maybe you can get home before sunrise."

"That would be nice," Buffy said.

~

The rest of the night was a learning experience. For one, there were more cemeteries than they had thought. This also meant that there were more vampires than Harry had expected. He learned for certain that he was great for crowd control, but not once they got closer. Getting bitten by a vampire was not something he wanted to repeat. Ever. It was not a pleasant experience.

They made it home before sunrise, which was nice. He was exhausted, but he couldn't sleep. There was an odd charge in the air like the moment before a static shock. Something wasn't right. There was something almost familiar, just like everything else in the town. He was too tired to look into the issue. It would still be there after a nap. Buffy being next door helped him relax enough to finally get some sleep.

Harry had been asleep for a few hours before he woke to the sound of screams. He was up and out the door before he realized it. His vision was still blurry from his sudden bout of consciousness. It was enough to see Joyce and Buffy in their living room.

He went over and knocked on their front door. Buffy was the one that answered it.

"Nice pjs," she teased.

He looked down to realize he was only wearing his sleeping pants.

"You're lucky I have pants on," Harry teased right back. "I heard screaming."

"Zombie cat," Buffy stepped out of the way to let him in.

"Is that code for something?" He asked.

An obviously undead cat zipped across the hallway toward the dining room. He could feel that same charge driving the feline. The Elder Wand appeared in his hand. A wordless spell levitated to the cat and brought it closer for inspection. True to form, the cat scratched and hissed at the invisible thing that was holding it.

"I called Giles to come get it," Buffy said. "He's going to do some research."

"Death Magic," Harry said more to himself. "I should have known."

Harry closed his eyes as he kept the cat in air-jail. He felt the flow of magic in the air. Focusing on the cat gave him something to follow.

"Oh, Harry!" Joyce said as she finally noticed him.

Whatever she was going to say died as she saw the cat floating as it trailed behind him. It had progressed from scratching and hissing to angrily hanging in the air.

"Why is the dead cat flying?" Joyce asked once her voice started working again.

"Right, sorry," Harry flashed her with a shy smile. "I'm a wizard. Magic wands and all that."

"Oh, of course," Joyce shook her head.

"It's a new one to me too," Buffy added.

"How does that explain the cat?" Joyce asked.

"I'm following the energy that animated it," Harry paused. "What's upstairs?"

"Bedrooms," Joyce answered.

"May I?" Harry motioned to the stairs.

"Do you have to take it up with you?" Joyce asked. "It smells horrible."

His Holly and Phoenix Feather wand appeared in his other hand. He transfigured yesterday's newspaper into a cage, then set the cat inside. It closed tight, sealing the corners together rather than relying on a lock. Joyce watched the casual magic with a mixture of confusion and wonder.

Now that the cat was out of the way Harry went up the stairs. He dismissed his Holly wand while keeping the Elder wand out since it worked wonders with death related magic. The charge in the air intensified as he reached a closed door.

"Can you open this for me please?" Harry called.

"Sure," Joyce hurried up the stairs. "This is my room."

Harry stepped inside. A wooden half-face mask with sharp teeth and red jewels for eyes hung on the wall. The energy rolled off it thick enough for him to see.

"That," Harry pointed at the mask. "That's causing it."

"It's a priceless artifact," Joyce said.

"It's a cursed artifact," Harry shrugged. "How do you want me to handle this?"

"What are the options?" Joyce asked as she braced herself for bad news.

"I can destroy it," Harry offered. "The jewels are the important bit."

"Do you have to?" She asked. "It's on loan from the art gallery."

"It's the quick and easy option," Harry said. "I can try to remove the curse, but I might still have to smash it if that doesn't work."

"Please try," Joyce asked.

"Is being half-naked part of the process?" Buffy asked.

"Buffy," Joyce gasped.

"I was in a rush," Harry chuckled.

Further conversation was interrupted as the doorbell rang.

"That's Giles," Buffy hurried downstairs.

He could hear them talking but it wasn't clear enough to make out the words.

"Sorry about this," Harry said to Joyce.

"It's no problem," she said. "It's not everyday you get rescued by a handsome wizard."

"Handsome?" Harry asked with a roguish smile.

"I should check on Giles," Joyce said before fleeing.

"Harry Potter, seducer of mothers," he muttered to himself. "I could live with that title."

He approached the mask. It called out to him. The magic whispered to put it on, to surrender to its power. Harry rolled his eyes. The magical energy reached out to him, trying to latch onto him for a stronger connection. Harry loosened the control he had on his magic. The mask practically launched itself from the wall aiming as far away from him as it could. Reflexes honed over years made snatching it out of the air as simple as breathing.

"Why are you running?" Harry gave a dry laugh as he held the mask.

It shivered in his grasp.

"I thought you wanted me to put you on," Harry teased the cursed artifact.

Harry could feel it desperately trying to escape. He turned the mask so that he could look into the jeweled eyes.

"I'm giving you one chance," a bone-deep chill seeped into his voice. "Move on to the next world and face whatever afterlife you find or be destroyed."

The mask stopped shaking. Its jeweled eyes flashed red one time before fading. Harry waited for a moment to make sure. The jewels were now clear instead of red. It didn't have any remaining energy coming off of it.

"And… it's dead again," Buffy said from downstairs.

"Technically," Giles said. "It was always dead, now it's no longer undead."

"The curse has been broken," Harry said as he came downstairs. "We will have to destroy it if the eyes turn red again." He handed the mask to Joyce. "Good morning, Giles."

The librarian smiled and nodded at him, "good morning, Harry. Did you stay the night?"

"I heard screaming," he replied shaking his head.

"May I take a look at that?" Giles asked Joyce. "Nigerian?"

"Yes," Joyce replied with a smile. "It didn't have any jewels before."

"How much is it worth?" Harry asked.

"It's insured for two-hundred thousand," Joyce answered. "Why?"

Harry snapped. Giles dropped the mask as it sparked into flame.

"I'll look for the bill in the mail," Harry said. "Anything else?"

"I don't believe so," Giles said.

"Do you want to help bury the cat again?" Buffy asked.

Harry pointed at the now re-dead cat. The cage shifted into a nicely sized coffin. He would have to go back to Willy's Place for another exchange if Joyce did send a bill.

"I'm going back to bed," Harry said as he left the house.

The time-zone shift and staying up most of the night had messed up his internal clock again. Jet Lag: The Sequel – This time it's personal. A nice hot shower and a long nap got him mostly on track. He spent the rest of the day going through the house cataloguing what he needed to replace, everything, and what he could salvage, practically nothing. The only piece of furniture that was worth keeping was the bed in the guest room. Everything else belonged in a Longterm Care Home or a thrift shop. He didn't know how long he was going to stay in Sunnydale, but coming home to a house full of old lady décor was already getting annoying.

A quick look through the phonebook gave him the address of a local charity. It was one-part Food Bank and another part Second-Hand store. They took donations, which was what really mattered. He tried not to think about the fact that they only accepted visitors, and potential donations, before sunset.

Harry said a small thanks to McGonagall as he transfigured most of the furniture into marbles. He then changed one of the rugs into a bag to hold the altered items. It wasn't that far of a walk. A subtle privacy spell allowed him to return the items to their original form without causing a scene. He turned down the offer for a receipt and headed back home.

The place was nearly empty. From the downstairs he kept the dining table, couch, and old TV. Both bedrooms upstairs had been stripped of décor, with only the pillows and blankets on the beds remaining. Everything that had sentimental value had already been removed from the place, so he didn't feel bad about getting rid of things.

There was a crowd around Buffy's house. Live music was loud enough to hear from his living room. He didn't expect the 'welcome back' dinner to be a house party. Maybe it was an American thing.

Harry was just about to head to bed and get his sleep schedule back on track when he heard the mail-flap on his door clatter. There shouldn't have been any sort of mail at this time of night. Carefully, he approached the main hall. A stack of letters bound were bound together by a piece of twine. Stamps he recognized from various Owl Mail Services decorated the envelopes along with some that he didn't know.

He levitated the pack of letters into the dining room, then set them on the table. Precise manipulation via magic separated each one from the stack. A small smile crossed his face as he recognized the writing on the exterior of each one. The thickest letter of the batch had a couple of charms attached to it. He had basically told everyone that he was on vacation and would write when he had the time. Hopefully that would buy him some time before they started to track him down.

Harry,
I understand the need for a vacation. The Ministry has no right to ask so much of you. I'm enjoying Australia more than expected. The magical community is amazing! Please write more to let me know you're ok.
Love,
Hermione

The warmth he felt from the letter dimmed slightly as he finished. There was no mention of her parents. He knew Hermione enough to know that wasn't a good sign. It wasn't the sort of topic meant for letters.

Harry,
The Twins and I say that it's about damn time you took a vacation. Don't forget to bring us back something.
Ron

Harry chuckled and set that one to the side. The Weasleys were still mourning Percy's death. He had just come back to the family before the final battle. For one glorious night their family was complete once more, only for it to be ripped apart again. The fact that Fred lost an arm in the final battle was another reminder of how things had changed.

Harry,
Thanks for letting me know. We'll hold things down while you're away.
Neville

"Good on you," Harry whispered.

Harry,
The standard carry weight of an unladen African Sparrow is roughly fourteen grams. A Crumple Horned Snorkack, while half the size, can carry nearly double the amount. They truly are some wonderous creatures. Daddy and I have been studying them since I first told you about them. They are very food motivated though shiny objects seem to work almost as well.
I can't wait to show you one.
All My Love,
Luna

Harry felt himself smile again. It dropped as he saw the next letter. Unlike the others, this one was stamped by the Ministry of Magic. He had no desire to read whatever it was, but couldn't help himself. The only reason he did open due to the fact that it didn't have any charms or curses attached.

Lord Potter,
Your absence has been noted. In the future, provide an itinerary, destination, and travel arrangements so we may reach you.
Ministry of Magic

"As warm and understanding as ever," he muttered.

He knew that they would have bombarded him with constant requests if he had given the requested information. It was somewhat annoying. He had sent the letter to Tonks to let her know he was alive, not to Head Auror Tonks as a report.

The thickest letter was saved for last. He recognized Molly's handwriting. The charms attached were for space expansion and preservation. A wonderful smell of baked goods filled the room as he opened the package. The interior stretched deep enough for him to be able to fit his arm up to his elbow. Molly, bless her, had provided two different cakes, a treacle tart, and some misshapen cookies.

There was a small note attached.

With Love,
Molly, Teddy, and Arthur

Harry wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. Molly and Arthur had basically adopted Teddy as a grandson before Charlie and Tonks started dating. It was simply a matter of time for it to be official now that the two were engaged.

He was definitely going to need to write more letters.