After That - 2

Timeline Note-
Start of Season 3 which is September 1998, the dates just lined up too perfect to ignore.
~

Xander knocked on the door. An older, handsome man opened it and stepped aside. Greeted him as they entered. Harry was the only one still outside. The man, Giles, turned his attention to him.

"May I come in?" Harry asked.

The four of them went tense at his words.

"Oh," Harry chuckled. "Vampires, right."

Harry entered staying on the little patch of tiles by the door. Giles closed the door, locked it, and turned to face the trio. He also happened to keep a line of sight on Harry.

"No joy at the cemetery?" Giles asked Willow.

"No, he got away," Willow pouted. "We still have some glitches in the system, like vampires getting away."

Giles flashed a small smile.

"But I think we're improving" Willow added quickly.

"For god's sake be careful," Giles said. "I appreciate your efforts to keep the vampire population down until Buffy returns, but if anything should happen to you, or should you be killed, I would take it somewhat amiss."

"You'd be cranky?" Willow asked.

Harry had the sudden urge to pat her on the top of the head.

"Entirely," Giles replied with more feeling in it than the trio could sense.

"We try not to get killed," Willow said. "It's part of our mission statement."

"Good," Giles said as he turned his attention to Harry. "Who is this?"

"Harry Potter," he offered. "They said you might have a room available?"

Giles didn't seem to recognize the name. He doubted he was not as famous in other parts of the world, but there wasn't even a flicker of recognition.

"A room?" Giles scrunched his forehead.

"The hotels are owned by vampires," Oz clarified.

"Or just nasty," Xander added. "Plus, he's British. That makes you guys like cousins."

"Cousins," Giles took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why would you think I have a room to rent? Who even is this person?"

"He knew about vampires," Willow offered. "And he was able to come in when you didn't invite him."

"There are other threats than vampires, Willow," Giles grumbled as he put his glasses back in place.

"I'm a wizard," Harry said.

"A what?" Giles asked.

"I'm a wizard," Harry repeated.

"Like pointy hats, wands, and potions?" Willow asked with a new spike of energy in her voice.

"The pointy hats are only for special occasions," Harry said. "Who are you? Are you part of MACUSA? Or a task force?"

He held up his hand and flourished his fingers. The Elder Wand appeared spinning expertly along his digits.

"What is MACUSA?" Xander asked.

"The American version of the Ministry of Magic," Harry opened his hand, the elder wand dropped just below his palm before it vanished to wherever it went when he wasn't using it. "We're talking about two different things, aren't we?"

"I believe so," Giles said slowly. "I know of some insular magical communities, but I've never heard of MACUSA."

"You fight vampires but don't know about magic?" Harry asked.

"We know about magic!" Willow said, her peppy energy still full in her voice. "I've done a few rituals too!"

"There are more than just vampires," Giles said, his voice slipped into what Harry considered a 'professor' tone. "Demons, mythological creatures, mummies, and others."

"Mummies?" Harry said. "Wicked."

"What brings you to Sunnydale?" Giles asked. "This place isn't known for tourism."

"The magical signature," Harry shrugged. "It's strong enough to lay low."

"Why would you need to lay low?" Giles asked.

Harry didn't miss the fact that the older man positioned himself closer to a wardrobe that was open just a touch.

"Short version?" Harry looked around at the others. "I wanted to disappear for a while."

"You aren't planning on staying?" Giles asked.

"I haven't decided yet," he replied. "Vampires, demons, mythological creatures, and mummies weren't in my plans."

"You could ignore it," Xander offered. "You'd fit in with the rest of the town."

"Not an option," Harry shook his head. "My friend told me I have 'saving people thing' and I can't argue with that."

"You'll help us?" Willow asked. "We could really use the help with Buffy gone."

"As illuminating as this conversation is, the first day of school is tomorrow," Giles spoke up. "Do you have your crucifixes?"

The three each held one up. Harry stepped out of the way as they approached the door.

"It was nice to meet you," Willow said with a smile.

"Yeah," Xander added. "It would be cool to see some hocus pocus next time."

Oz gave him a nod. Harry waited for them to leave before he turned his attention to Giles.

"You're not a wizard, what are you?" Harry asked.

"I'm a Watcher," Giles answered.

"A Watcher," Harry repeated. "Watching what?"

"The Slayer," Giles said as though that would mean something.

"The slayer," Harry waved a hand. "Slayer of?"

"Vampire slayer, but we handle other things as well," Giles studied him.

"Mind if I take a seat?" Harry motioned to the couch nearby.

"Please," Giles took a seat on a chair nearby. "I would offer tea, but it's a bit late."

"Thank you," Harry let out a little groan as he sat down. "Why does riding in a bus fell so different than sitting down?"

"No idea," Giles said.

"I'm sorry about intruding," Harry said. "I have a tent if the hotels aren't safe."

"I don't believe vampires need an invitation to enter a tent," Giles said furrowing his brow in consideration.

"May I set it up here?" Harry asked. "Hate to intrude, it doesn't take up much space, and I'll be out of your way."

Giles studied him for a long moment.

"Why are you really here?" Giles asked.

"You don't know anything about what has been happening in Britain lately?" Harry asked. "Magical Britain."

"Not Magical Britain," Giles answered.

"There was a war," Harry sighed. "It ended earlier this year. My friends and I fought in it, we lost a lot of good people. There was supposed to be peace. Merlin, I would have been happy with a single summer without some Dark Lord popping up. Instead, the Ministry keeps begging me to solve all their problems."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Giles said. "We are, unfortunately, familiar with losing people close to us as well. But why are they asking you?"

"Comes with being The Chosen One," Harry rolled his eyes.

"Chosen One?" Giles asked.

"It's an entirely different story," Harry groaned. "You truly don't know anything about this?"

"No," Giles shook his head. "I wasn't aware there was another chosen one."

"Another?" Harry furrowed his brow.

"Buffy, the slayer," Giles answered.

"The one Willow said is gone?" He asked.

"We had a rough year," Giles sighed. "I've been looking for her. No luck so far."

"It's going around," Harry gave a dry laugh. "They'll probably start looking for me soon enough. It will take them a while. I haven't used any magic since I left."

"And they could track your magic?" Giles asked.

"Possibly," Harry shrugged. "The MACUSA has more intense laws on wand use."

"Do you have any experience fighting monsters and demons?" Giles asked.

"Some," Harry flashed small smile. "About the tent? I'm exhausted."

"Sure," Giles said as he stood. "How much room do you need?"

"That should do," Harry pointed to a clear patch.

"By all means," the older man said.

A flick of the wrist set the tent in position then popped to full size. It was one of the smaller wizard travel tents, taking up a five-by-five square.

"Would you like to see inside?" Harry asked with a smile in his eyes.

"Inside your tent?" Giles asked.

"A wizard tent," Harry clarified.

Giles shook his head and blinked a couple of times. He motioned for Harry to lead the way. The young man did, holding the flap aside for the librarian to enter.

"What the fuck?" Giles muttered.

The interior of the tent was about the size of a studio apartment. It was an open concept complete with a kitchen, dining area, and bed. The bathroom had a separate smaller room for privacy reasons. It was a mid-level tent, which made it feel luxurious compared to the one he had used this last year.

"It's bigger on the inside," Giles whispered.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Magic."

"Do you have two hearts by chance?" Giles asked with a small smile.

Harry narrowed his eyes at the question then shook his head.

Giles said something under his breath. Harry caught 'pop culture references' among the words, but it didn't seem all that important.

"Well," Giles turned to face Harry full on. "It's late and I have work in the morning." He paused. "Are you a student?"

"Just graduated," Harry replied.

"Well, that is something," Giles took a breath and let it out. "I'm off to bed."

"Thank you for letting me stay," Harry said as the man left.

He closed the tent flap, secured it, and then added an alarm charm. Constant Vigilance and all that.

~

The tent had layers of protection and privacy spells. These days Harry found that he had a seemingly endless fount of magical knowledge. Subconsciously, he knew that it was a combination of the Edler Wand and Resurrection Stone. They worked together to give him the accumulated knowledge of all those that had wielded the wand. A lifetime of magical skills and abilities from every duelist, killer, Dark Lord, or Headmasters that had once used the Elder Wand was at his disposal. Thankfully, he didn't get their memories beyond the intuition of how multiple spells had been used through the years. His mind wasn't flooded with lifetime upon lifetime of academic and practical knowledge, rather the information only came when he reached for it. If he wanted a privacy spell, he would have access to a vast catalogue. The same with Wards, Arithmancy, and as well as esoteric magic either forbidden or lost to time.

That is to say, he knew exactly the moment Giles woke up and then the man came downstairs. He watched a through a one-way window as the man stared at the tent as he made tea. Jet lag sucked. He had learned to operate on next to now sleep through the years. It wasn't pleasant. For the first time in a while he didn't have anywhere that he needed to be. Harry settled back into his bed and went back to sleep.

~

He woke up a few hours later around noon. It didn't feel right to snoop around Giles' place after being welcomed as a guest. He also didn't know if the man would want him to come back.

Harry returned his trunk to size for some fresh clothes then went through his morning routine. He shrunk his luggage once more, tucking it into a pocket, before stepping out and packing the tent. The shrinking charm didn't play nice with the enchantments on the tent. He wasn't going to chance to blow up a house that didn’t belong to him.

A simple silent, wandless spell locked the door. He wasn't sure what to do now. Upon further thought, he hadn't come up with a plan beyond to get away. For starters, he decided to get to know the town a little better.

He paused when he got out to the street. With a shrug, he turned right and started down the road. The first thing he passed was a cemetery, directly across the street was a museum, which sounded interesting. He crossed the road then came to a complete stop as a sign with a pink pig surrounded by red came into view.

"Piggly Wiggly?" Harry whispered. "What in Merlin's name is a Piggly Wiggly?"

Harry felt slightly disappointed when he discovered it was just a grocery store. A relatively small shopping center nearby. He shrugged; it would pass some time. His eyes narrowed as he saw there was another cemetery nearby. He guessed it made sense with all of the vampires.

The shopping center, Sunnydale Mall, was an experience. He hadn't spent a lot of time in the Muggle world. Going from the Wizarding world to the Mundane one was strange enough, adding in another country made it even more. At least it was easy enough to find the food court. He settled on an old fashion hamburger and French fries.

Harry honestly couldn't remember if he had ever had a moment of comfortable normalcy. The closest he had to this sort of feeling was while he was on the run from Death Eaters. He let out a little chuckle at the thought. The sound brought some unwanted attention from the other people in the food court.

He took a moment to collect himself. It wasn't funny, but it was either laugh or go insane. He scanned the people around him. They were in the same spot. Go on with their life doing their best while dealing with the supernatural or panic.

It made him pause for a moment. These people obviously knew something was going on. He had been here one night and had already seen a vampire running down the street. It wouldn't be a big leap in logic for the locals to realize magic was real. The MACUSA didn't seem to be around to enforce the Statute of Secrecy. What was the point of keeping it then? It wasn't perfect, but it would be an interesting experiment.

Harry felt heavy once he finished the food. It was greasy, drenched in salt, and the soda was too sweet for his liking even if it was better than pumpkin juice. He walked the length of the mall again just to work out the lump in his stomach. Any further exploration of American Fast Food would require some research. Judging everything by something available in the food court of a smalltown mall wouldn't be a good idea.

He avoided shopping yet since he didn't have a solid place to stay yet. Sleeping in a tent in Giles' living room was a nice gesture, but not something long term. He had spent too many nights in a tent for his liking regardless of the upgrades this one had.

Harry found a local newspaper machine. He didn't have exact change, and it didn't except bills. A quick look around made sure the coast was clear. The lock popped open with a silent bit of magic. He grabbed a newspaper and put a dollar bill on the stack.

The local news stories didn't appear all that strange, though the obituaries were almost as big as the sports section. He found the Real Estate portion on the back page. There were a few apartments and rooms for rent, but there were a lot of houses for sell for relatively cheap. So much so that he could purchase one without having to exchange gold for cash. He realized that he may have taken too much cash for this trip. It did remind him that he needed to find somewhere to swap out Gringotts gold for cash.

That could wait until he got a place to stay.

~

1628 Revello Drive was a two-story house with a basement and attic. It also had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and came partially furnished. The décor was on par with the Dursleys except it felt like real people had lived here. Personal items, family photos, and other little things with sentimental value had been removed while the big pieces of furniture were still in place. Harry wasn't surprised at all when he found the large stain on the floor that looked too much like blood. The house didn't have a residual magical energy, curses, or ghosts attached to it.

Harry paid in cash. The papers were signed less than an hour later. Harry chuckled as the agent left so quickly they practically left a dust puff. He went through the house once more with a liberal use of cleaning charms. It wasn't until the doorbell rang that he realized he hadn't been using a wand through the entire process. Harry flicked his wrist and just as before the Elder Wand appeared. He used a quick cleaning spell then another flick and the wand vanished. His magic didn't feel any different if he was holding it or not. The same power, effectiveness, and control.

He shook his head and went to answer the door. A woman that looked about old enough to be his mother stood on the porch. She held a plate of cookies. Harry didn't think people actually did that.

"Hello," the woman smiled. "I'm Joyce, your new neighbor. I saw the realtor take down the sign and thought I would say hello."

"That is kind of you," Harry replied with a smile of his own. "Would you like to come inside?"

It was a few hours yet until sunset which meant this woman wasn't a vampire. There was a chance she was something other than human, Giles did say they had encountered demons and other monsters.

"Thank you," Joyce stepped inside.

She headed to the kitchen and put the plate on the counter.

"Sorry," she said. "I knew the previous owner."

"It would make sense that you know the floorplan," Harry said as he followed her.

"You're younger than I expected," Joyce said. "The accent is a surprise too. What brings you to Sunnydale?" She paused and lowered her voice. "Are you an associate of Mister Giles?"

Harry laughed, "sorry. I'm not laughing at you. No, I just met the man last night. You're the second person to think we knew each other."

"You didn't know him, but you were introduced?" Joyce asked.

"I'm assuming you know about the vampires?" He asked.

Joyce's mouth pressed into a thin line. After a moment she nodded.

"I arrived last night around two in the morning," Harry explained. "Just in time to see a few people chasing a vampire down the street."

"A few people," Joyce repeated the words slowly. "Were they your age? A redhead girl and a boy with black hair?"

"Do you know them?" Harry asked.

"Willow and Xander," Joyce answered. "They were, are my daughters friends. It's horrible to say but I don't know the other boy well enough to get his name yet."

"How many children do you have?" Harry asked. "Just the one?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I always wanted to have another, but things didn't work out." Joyce put a hand over her mouth. "I don't know why I told you that. Sorry, you're just easy to talk to."

"Thank you," Harry said.

"What about you?" Joyce asked. "Any family joining you here?"

"No," he shook his head. "My parents died when I was a baby."

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Joyce sounded genuine.

"Thank you," Harry said with a small nod. "I have some good friends, but they have their own lives now."

"One of the downsides of growing up," Joyce said, giving a little sigh.

"Is your daughter in school?" Harry asked. "You could introduce her once she gets home. When does their school day end? I don't know how things work over here with that sort of thing."

"No," Joyce whispered. "She's not at school. She… she left a few months ago and I don't know where she is."

Harry could hear the pain in her voice. She was playing strong in front of a stranger.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Harry said.

Guilt needled at him. He should send a message to his friends. There had to be a way to get one through without giving away his location.