The Watcher and the Wizards

Disclaimer: Most characters featured in this story are not of my creation. They belong to their respective creators, J.K. Rowling, Joss Whedon, and any and all parties related to Bloombury Publishing, Scholastic Inc., AOL/Time-Warner, Fox, and Mutant Enemy. Grrrr, arrgh.

Chapter 3

ãHi, Giles.ä

ãHmmm?Ê What?äÊ Giles suddenly noticed that he had been asleep at his desk.Ê His head had been resting on an open book, but his glasses must have fallen off sometime during his nap.Ê He grabbed his glasses and placed them back on as he tried to focus on his visitor.

Willowâs calm face stared right back at him.

ãW-Willow·ä Giles said, trying to place all of the scattered scrolls on his desk into nice neat piles.Ê ãWhat·how?ä

ãShush,ä Willow said, placing a finger on Gilesâs lips.Ê

ãYouâre still in Sunnydale,ä Giles said.

ãSort of.äÊ Willow gave Giles a friendly grin as she walked around his desk.Ê Her body was translucent, a bit more solid than any ghost.Ê However, she seemed to be able to interact with the things around her.Ê As if to show off, she picked up one of the books from the desk and flipped through it before putting it back down.ÊÊ ãSo this is Hogwarts.Ê Any chance Iâd get in?ä

ãWhat are you doing here?ä Giles frowned.Ê

ãOh, Amyâs showing me some new tricks.äÊ Willow winked.Ê ãArenât you?äÊ Willowâs eyes stared off to the side. Giles knew that she was looking at someone whom he couldnât see.

ãAmy?ä Giles repeated.Ê ãYou, you finally figured out how to change her back?ä

ãIt wasnât hard.Ê Once found the right spell, of course.ä Willow gave a slight shrug.Ê

ãDoes Tara know?ä Giles asked.Ê

Willowâs back suddenly stiffened, and she stopped walking around and around Gilesâ desk.Ê ãYeah·ä she said quietly.Ê ãShe knows.ä

ãWell, that must be interesting, having three witches living under the same roof.ä Giles took his glasses off and started to clean them.Ê Only, he forgot that he didnât have his handkerchief in his hands.Ê He was only leaving more fingerprints on the lens.Ê Sighing softly, he gathered up a corner of his jacket and began to polish his glasses.Ê ãAstral projection.Ê Willow, thatâs very powerful magic youâre wielding.ä

ãUh-huh,ä Willow said, sounding very bored.Ê

ãYou do realize that you canât keep this image tangible for very long.Ê Not from so very far away.ä Giles placed his glasses back on his face and looked in the same direction Willow was before.Ê ãAnd that goes for you as well, Amy.Ê Wherever you are·ä

The door to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom blew open with a bang, and Snape stormed in, his wand up in a defensive position.

ãSeverus?ä Giles said, staring warily at the wand.

ãI distinctly heard voices,ä Snape growled.Ê ãThereâs something in here that shouldnât be·There!äÊ He aimed his wand in Willowâs direction.Ê ãImpedimenta!ä

Willowâs image froze.Ê To Giles, it looked as if someone had hit the pause button on a VCR.Ê There were even horizontal interference lines running across Willowâs form.

ãYouâre no ghost,ä Snape muttered as he made his way towards Willow.Ê ãWhat are you?ä

ãSeverus!ä Giles scrambled from behind his desk and confronted the professor.Ê ãStop!ä

ãYou know this·apparition?ä Snape asked, frowning deeply.Ê ãWhat is she?Ê A poltergiest wanting to haunt the halls?Ê One is more than enough, if you ask me!ä

ãYes, I·I know her,ä Giles confessed.Ê ãBut she isnât acting like the same person I knew.ä

ãExplain yourself, Muggle!ä said Snape, his wand still aimed squarely on Willowâs frozen image.Ê ãI can do worse to your Îfriendâ.ä

ãShe·was·a student at the American Muggle school I used to work in,ä Giles said very slowly.Ê ãHer name is Willow.Ê Sheâs·sheâs a witch.ä

Snapeâs left eyebrow arched up.Ê ãA witch, you say?Ê Well, I know of no spell that would conjure up an image of yourself thousands of miles from your physical body.ä

ãThere are spells, incantations, curses, that have been lost to the Wizarding world,ä Giles explained.Ê ãMuggles wrote those down, in books.Ê She must have gotten a hold of some of my copies.äÊ ÎWhich is very strange since I thought I cleared out my personal library.â Giles thought to himself.

Snape grunted and called off the charm with a wave of his wand.

Willow unpaused, a look of severe shock upon her face.Ê

Giles rounded on her.Ê ãGo back,ä he told Willow quickly.Ê ãReturn to Sunnydale.Ê You are dabbling with forces you cannot begin to comprehend.Ê Donât go down this path, I beg you. ÊIt will only bring harm to you, and everyone you hold dear.Ê Do you understand?ä

Willow, on the verge of tears, nodded slightly and faded away.

ãA very interesting spell, Giles,ä muttered Snape.Ê ãQuite interesting indeed.ä

ãAnd something that can be abused if knowledge of it fell into the wrong hands,ä Giles said darkly.Ê

ãIndeed,ä Snape repeated as he started for the classroom door.Ê ãYour Muggle life appears much more interesting than I had first imagined, Giles.Ê I never would have suspected·ä His voice trailed off as the door closed.

Giles let out a heavy sigh and sank into the nearest chair.

ãAre you sure?ä Ron asked, his eyes squinting as he stared at Harry.

ãPositive,ä Harry replied, his breakfast on his plate forgotten.Ê ãHe had the Dark Mark on his arm.Ê It glowed at the same time my scar burned!ä

ãThat doesnât make any sense,ä Hermione said.Ê ãHeâs a Muggle.Ê Why would a Muggle have the Dark Mark?Ê Wouldnât You-Know-Who not have allowed a Muggle in as a Death Eater?ä

ãMaybe heâs getting desperate.Ê Taking in anyone who asks,ä Ron suggested.

ãNo,ä Harry said.Ê ãItâs something more than that.Ê Heâs my motherâs cousin.Ê He knew my father.Ê They both trusted him.ä

ãThey both trusted Peter Pettigrew too,ä Ron added, frowning slightly.

ãBut he seemed alright, and heâs a great teacher,ä Harry said.Ê ãWell, until yesterday, that is·ä

ãThere goes another Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher,ä sighed Ron.Ê ãI swear, theyâre dropping off like flies here.ä

ãDid you get a really good look at it?ä Hermione asked.Ê ãThe tattoo on Gilesâ forearm, I mean?Ê Was it really the Dark Mark?Ê The skull and snake?ä

ãI guess I didnât see it closely,ä Harry said.Ê ãI suppose it could have been anything.ä

ãThere you go, then,ä Hermione said.Ê ãWe just need to get a closer look at his tattoo, and mystery solved.ä

ãHow willing dâyou think Gilesâll be to just show off that tattoo?ä Ron countered.Ê ãWhatâd we say?Ê ÎHello, Giles.Ê Would you mind pushing up your sleeves for us?âä

Harry shrugged.Ê ãWhat have we got to lose?ä

Hermione nodded.Ê ãYes, the worst thing that could happen is that heâd say no.ä

ãWhy do you two always talk me into doing these things?ä Ron said.

ãBecause weâre your best friends,ä Harry said.

Ron rolled his eyes.Ê ãOh yeah·ä

ãClass, I thought Iâd do something a bit different for todayâs lesson,ä Giles said, sitting on the edge of his desk as he addressed the Fifth Years.Ê He took off his tweed jacket and began to roll up his sleeves.

ãDidnât think itâd be that easy!Ê Full of surprises, this one,ä Ron whispered to Harry.

Harry would only nod back at Ron before turning his attention back to Giles.

Giles was drawing out a crude sketch on the chalkboard.Ê It was a familiar shape to quite a few in the room.Ê A clearly recognizable skull embraced by a coiling snake glared menacingly at the students.Ê Giles finished his sketch and wiped the chalkdust off his hands by rubbing them together.Ê ãNow, class, can anyone identify this icon?ä

A few cautious hands went up.

ãYes, Mr. Longbottom?äÊ Giles said, pointing to the boy with the round face.

ãItâs·itâs the Dark Mark, isnât it?äÊ Neville said, very softly.

ãGood, one point for Gryffindor,ä Giles said.Ê ãWho can tell me what it means?ä

Draco rolled his eyes as he lifted a lazy hand up.

ãMr. Malfoy?äÊ Giles asked.

ãItâs the symbol for the Death Eaters.Ê The followers of Voldemort.Ê Oh!Ê Iâm sorry.Ê I meant You-Know-Who.äÊ Draco winked at the Slytherins as the rest of the class winced to the pronouncing of the Dark Lordâs name out loud.

ãCorrect,ä Giles said.Ê ãOne point for Slytherin.Ê That is the Dark Mark.Ê During the dark times, it wasnât uncommon for wizards and Muggles alike to see this image.Ê I saw it more than I care to admit in polite company.Ê I was a young Watcher, doing my part in investigating the deaths of wizards in the Muggle areas around London.Ê Now·ä he said, pushing up his sleeves and making his way around the desks.Ê ãCan anyone tell me what this is?äÊ He pointed out his tattoo, and although a few Hufflepuffs shrank away from even trying to glance at it, most of the class was curious enough to follow Giles around with their eyes.

ãWhat is it?äÊ Hermione asked.

Giles looked directly at Hermione.Ê ãItâs·Itâs Etruscan in origin.Ê The Etruscans were a people who lived in Italy long before the Romans came to power.Ê They had a very rich culture, and religion.Ê Some Etruscans even worshipped demons.Ê Evil creatures who promised great power in exchange for·for·.sacrifices.Ê I fell in with the wrong crowd when I was younger.Ê I had this tattooed on me.Ê It is not the Dark Mark.Ê But it is a symbol of something that I regret to this very day. ÊI always keep it with me.Ê So I know not to fall again.Ê I suspect that a few former Death Eaters feel the same way I do about their own marks.Ê We shouldnât judge people by their past.Ê If we did, well, letâs just say Iâd probably be out of a job.ä

The class was silent, even the Slytherins had nothing snarky to say.

ãWell, now that thatâs out of the way, I hope you studied the chapters I assigned because weâre going to have a bit of a quiz·ä

The class groaned.

ÎThatâs a better reaction, I think,â Giles thought smugly to himself.