Finding Love

I changed a few thing about the Harry Potter series. First, Harry can speak Parseltongue without Voldemort's soul shard.

Secondly, I had to mesh the stories so I hope I don't piss any Harry Potter fan's by doing this, I had to explain the different magic's and well the Witchcraft muggle side can become more powerful than a Wizard. I mean after serious thought and the fact that I think that Dark Willow would totally kick Voldemort's ass. I decided to make earth magic more powerful. Plus if were going with the whole drawing energy from the earth idea and there is a Hellmouth, and everything's supposed to be connected then there is every chance that earth magic is more powerful.



Anyway that's all for now. Hope you're all still with me and thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews.



Special thanks to spikelissa for he beta job.



Disclaimer: Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Harry Potter belong to Joss Whedon and J.K Rowling. This story is for entertainment, not for profit.

 

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Chapter 2



Tom took in his surroundings. It appeared that he and Buffy were in what looked to be a library. They were sitting in the center of a candlelit circle, with a dark haired woman on one side and a red haired girl on the other, both looked exhausted. He then noticed the rest of the occupants in the room, two of which were scowling at him with loathing. The eldest gentleman in the room had an annoyed look but seemed to also be relieved. There was also another girl who simply had an expression of boredom. She was the first to speak, “I told you she would be fine.”



There was an amused chuckle from behind Tom, one that he would recognize anywhere. He quickly pulled Buffy to her feet as his eyes widened. He looked at her wondering if he was hearing things, but her eyes were locked on the person behind him with barely contained curiosity. “What’s with the dress,” she asked as Tom slowly began to turn around.



Giles sighed, giving Dumbledore an apologetic look.



“See,” Cordelia said, “I’m not the only one that thinks it’s weird.”



Giles scowled at Cordelia before turning to Buffy, “This is Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts. A student disappeared without a trace some fifty-five years ago. When I informed him of the need to take Amy’s mother into custody and the particulars of the spell that was used, he felt it necessary to come and see if this was where the student had disappeared to.”



“I must say Tom you did give us all a fright. We spent two years searching the castle for you before we finally gave up.” Dumbledore said kindly with a twinkle in his eye and amused look on his face. “Though now I see the reason behind your disappearance, I am not at all surprised.”



“Dumbledore looked at Buffy smiling sweetly, “You must be the lovely Miss Summers I’ve heard so much about.”



“Buffy held out her hand in greeting, “Your presumption would be right.”



Dumbledore chuckled softly and took her hand patting it lightly, “Charmed my dear.”



Albus then looked to Giles, “Would it be all right if I talked to Tom in your office? I have some things to discuss with him.”



Giles nodded, “Of course Albus.”



As the two Wizards made their way into the office all eyes turned to Buffy, before the room was filled with chatter.



“Hello, salty goodness,” was Cordelia’s ineloquent response.



“Yah Buffy, that kiss was like wow, and…and… just wow.” Willow chimed in.



Buffy glared at Cordelia, “Back off She Bitch.”



“I think he’s evil,” Angel grumbled.



“Look who’s talking Dead Boy,” Xander replied. “At least she’s moved on to the living.”



“She is standing right here.” Buffy pointed out as Xander gave her an apologetic look.



Angel glared at Xander, “Watch your mouth boy.”



“Boy, did you just call me boy!” Xander yelled.



Giles sighed, beginning to polish his glasses. “Please save me from hormonal teenagers,” he muttered.



Miss Calendar walked next to Rupert putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder before turning to the children and letting an ear piercing whistle out. “All right that’s enough.”

 

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“Please sit down,” Dumbledore said motioning to the chair. He hated that he had to do this, but it was for Tom’s safety and for the safety of the students at Hogwarts.



Tom took his seat and waited patiently for Dumbledore to begin.



“I know where you were when you found Miss Summers.” He held up his hand to forestall any reply. “Since there was no harm done you are not in trouble, though I am taking the possibility of what could have happened very seriously.”



Tom looked down not raising his eyes to meet Dumbledore. “I understand,” he whispered.



“Unfortunately, time travel is much too unstable to try and send you back, and I am not willing to risk the consequences if you were to fulfill your plans.” Dumbledore looked at Tom sadly. “You disappeared in 1942 Mr. Riddle, I suggest you keep it that way. There would be far too many questions from the Ministry of Magic and I for one do not think you’re ready for someone else figuring out what you were up to.”



Tom had finally raised his eyes. They were wide with disbelief, “You haven’t told them?”



“No Tom, I haven’t. The only people who are aware of your whole story are me, Mr. Giles, and Miss McGonagall. Mr. Giles has been gracious enough to take you as his charge here in Sunnydale. I think meeting some muggles outside of that orphanage will do you some good.”



“Understand Tom, in a town such as this the muggles see the supernatural daily. They are far more concerned with keeping themselves alive than noticing a young man using a wand.”



“You mean you’re not taking my wand?” Tom asked surprised. Why was Dumbledore helping him? This didn’t make any sense at all. The Professor had always seemed rather suspicious of him.



“Actually,” Dumbledore smiled, pulling Tom’s wand from his robes, “I’m returning it.” He handed the wand to Tom, “A few years back a boy from Hogwarts discovered that he could speak Parseltongue. He and his friends went looking for the Chamber of Secrets. They were on the case of your disappearance. Hermione Granger a very bright young student was the one who stumbled on the engraving in the sink. When they went down there they only found your wand and assumed you had somehow tried to control the Basilisk and failed. What they could never understand is how a muggles fire axe had made its way down there, and not just any fire axe, but one that had an engraving in the handle that read: Made in the U.S.A.”



“I didn’t even realize we had left them behind.” Tom said, remembering how Buffy had tricked his wand away from him. He had simply forgotten all about it when they had started talking and of course there was that sinful kiss that had him completely lost. She had been so perfect and warm. He had known in that moment that he would never be the same. He had found himself wishing he could stay with her always.



Dumbledore chuckled at the dreamy look that came into Tom’s eyes, “Well you were a bit indisposed. A beautiful woman like Miss Summers would have most men forgetting their own name, so forgetting your wand is quite understandable. When Mr. Giles informed me of Miss Summer’s predicament, I suspected you would be joining her here and left immediately. We discussed at great lengths what the possible repercussions or consequence’s of your action’s, were the Ministry ever to find out what you were doing down there. It was Mr. Giles, who suggested you staying here as his charge and helping Miss Summers on the Hellmouth, rather than throwing you to the wolves back in London.”



Tom was reeling at the information that he was given. Why would a muggle want to help him or even suggest he stayed with him after what he had been planning? Wasn’t he frightened of him or at least angry with him? Perhaps Buffy was right, maybe not all muggles were as they seem.



Seeing the confusion on Tom’s face Dumbledore felt he should elaborate, “Mr. Giles is a good man and feels that everyone deserves a second chance. He too found himself drawn to dark power at a young age and feels that if he had not been given a second chance, he would not be the man he is today.”



“Mr. Giles is a wizard?” Tom asked.



Dumbledore shook his head, “No, my boy. Mr. Giles has the ability to become a very powerful sorcerer, though I do not believe he has exercised his power for many years. The trouble that he and his friends found themselves in was enough of an eye opener for him to see the error of his ways. He stopped his practice completely when it first happened, and now I only believe he uses magic when absolutely necessary.”



Tom’s brow furrowed, “I don’t understand Professor Dumbledore, why would anyone give up their power?” He sighed, “I do understand that whatever, he did as a younger man had its consequences, but why, if he could help wouldn’t he use it for the ultimate greater good?”



“Earth magic can corrupt the gentlest heart. There are some powers on this earth that should never be taped into. Mr. Giles and his friends taped into one of these, and before they even realized what was happening the power began to control them rather than them controlling it. Would you like to know the true reason behind the prejudice against muggles?”



At Tom’s nod Dumbledore continued, “It is not a widely known fact and only those that have studied both muggle and wizarding history could put it together. It is, in fact, something that we as a society try to keep from muggleborn and half-bloods and one of the reasons that the other founders of Hogwarts found it imperative to train these Wizards. Many muggles have the ability to control earth magic and this ability can make them more powerful than the most powerful wizard. It is for this reason that aside from Salazar Slytherine, the rest of the founders felt it necessary to train these types of Wizards because they have the ability to use both, and teaching them to hone their wizarding skills keeps them from ever trying to dabble into earth magic. Salazar Slytherine felt the opposite of the founders, believing we were only opening doors for muggles to become more powerful than us. It didn’t help that this prejudice was already held at Drumstrang Institute or that there was a massive cover-up already going on in the wizarding communities.



This knowledge that muggles have this power has been lost throughout the ages. Most of the Wizards believe that muggles are completely non-magical and earth magic is a hoax. They also believe that by marrying into them, we are somehow destroying are powers. This of course is complete nonsense, but fear of this type of magic has stayed the Ministry’s hand in releasing this information to the public.”



Tom was furious not only had the ideology of his house been based on a lie but his frustration and confusion on why Dumbledore was helping him had grown. He couldn’t understand it, why tell him these things after what he had done, why trust him with something so secret. “Why are you telling me this,” He shouted, “Why are you trying to help me after what I was going to do?” For the first time in so very long he felt he might cry. He swallowed hard and quickly reined in his emotions. “Why are you giving me my wand back,” he said in a much calmer voice.



“Because this place is not safe like Hogwarts is, you will be facing death and other unimaginable terrors daily. You will need your wand. I could not in good conscience leave you here unprotected. The dark energy I feel coming off this place is like nothing I have ever felt before. Most wizards try to avoid places like this, and now I understand why. I know you must feel it.”



He had but had simply chalked it up to being nervous about being in the future. Now that he focused on it, he felt as if his skin were crawling. Tom nodded, “Is this place truly the mouth of hell,” he asked.



Dumbledore nodded, “It is right under our feet. That is another reason I felt it necessary to inform you of the truth behind muggles. There is every possibility that you will see something you were told was impossible about them, and I didn’t want you to go on a rampage because you felt you were lied to. I also believe that when you actually see some of the horrors and true evil that lurk in the shadows here. You will be less inclined to dabble into the dark arts for fear of becoming like that. Trust me when I say there are some things here that are much more powerful than us, and the only one who has the power to stop them is that little girl in the other room.



From what I have heard from Mr. Giles, she has the ability to become one of the best Slayers the world has ever seen. I do not doubt this, and if that is the case, she will need all the help she can get. A Slayer is a remarkable creature. I have had the privilege of meeting two in my lifetime, and it was an enlightening experience each time, but the difference between them is Buffy was given something most of them lacked.”



“Which is?” Tom inquired.



Dumbledore smiled kindly, “A family and friends. This in turn gives her a reason to fight. The Watchers Council has had it wrong. They think that by taking a young potential away from her family and training her as a weapon, will make her a more obedient and better Slayer. In Buffy’s case, they didn’t know she was a potential until she had already been called. Mr. Giles has had to literally rewrite the entire handbook with her, but she has proven to be incredibly resourceful. There is a very high chance that if she hadn’t had any friends her number would have been up four months ago, but she has even managed to change her fate and come back from her early demise.”



“She told me she died. I guess it didn’t sink in at the time. She was really dead then.”



“Yes she was. Her friend Xander brought her back with CPR, and she destroyed the one who had killed her.” Dumbledore smiled, “You seem quite taken with her.”



A small smile appeared on Tom’s face, his cheeks becoming slightly red. He ignored Dumbledore’s comment, quickly changing the subject. “Will I be going to school here as well?”



“Yes, I am also sending you your fifth year school books. I will be expecting a twelve foot essay on each subject matter. I would like it to entail what you learned and how it helped on the Hellmouth. They will be due by the beginning of November next year. As soon as I have received the essays you will receive your sixth year books. I also suspect that Mr. Giles will ask you to participate in a few earth magic spells, probably simple banishment or binding spells. Please be cautious when you perform these, the power can be quite intoxicating. If you’re not responsible it will quickly become out of hand. Do you understand all I have told you?”



“Yes Professor.” Tom said with a nod.



“Good, now why don’t you go back out there and meet your new friends,” Dumbledore said with a smile. “I believe they are all quite eager to meet you. I suspect Mr. Giles has already told them you’ll be staying.”

 

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Tom walked out of the office and all eyes turned on him. He smiled shyly giving a small wave as Buffy bounded over to him with a bright smile on her face. “So I heard you’re staying,” she whispered.



He found her smile infectious and couldn’t help but return it, “It appears I am,” he whispered back.



Her expression became slightly serious, “You’re not in trouble are you?”



“Let’s just say, it could have been much worse.” He said with a sigh.



She nodded beginning to smile again, “Giles said I can take you shopping for school clothes and supplies tomorrow. Though Xand says he should probably go with, if I do all the shopping for you, he says you might turn out looking gay.” At Tom’s confused expression Buffy clarified, “Homosexual.”



Both Tom’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, that wasn’t usually something people talked about in public. He had a feeling that would be happening a lot in the next couple of days. He smiled and whispered to her, “I believe we are both quite aware of my orientation. That is really all that matters.”



Buffy was about to melt into a pile of Buffy goo when she heard a familiar snort of disgust from across the room. Her head swiveled around glaring at the person. “Angel, can I please speak to you in the hall.”



Buffy turned back to Tom giving him a smile that didn’t meet her eyes. “Come on, I’ll introduce you, and then I’ll be right back, okay.”



He followed her over to the table, and she quickly introduced him to everyone then turned and left. Though the one named Xander had been glaring at him when he first arrived, he was actually quite pleasant with him now. Telling Tom how nice it was that he finally had another male friend he could relate to.



Tom was finding it increasingly difficult to pay attention to the conversations going on around him. He couldn’t keep his eyes from going to the door Buffy had walked through. Giles and Dumbledore had retreated to the office to speak in private. Miss Calendar was standing against the counter reading, and the other three were in a deep conversation of throwing insults at each other, especially Xander and Cordelia. Willow the little red head girl just sat there quietly letting them argue. She gave him a sheepish grin and got up walking over to him. “Sorry, they do that a lot.”



He smiled back, “Its fine, really. It’s actually quite amusing.” Tom’s eyes slowly went back to the door.



“You like her don’t you?” Willow asked.



Tom’s eyes shot back to hers, “I beg your pardon?”



Willow smiled, “Buffy, you like her.”



He thought about denying it for a moment, but decided against it, “Yes, I do.”



“Good, I know she feels the same way.”



Tom looked at Willow for a moment his expression unreadable, “How can you be so sure?”



“She’s my best friend. It’s kinda in the job description. Plus, she’s barely given Angel a second glance, since she got back. Believe me when I say that means something.”



“You mean her and that man were dating?” Tom asked a bit surprised



“Not so much with the dating and more with this will never work because he’s a two hundred and forty year old vampire with a soul and she’s the Slayer. I think after she died…”



But Tom was no longer listening. He found his feet carrying him to the door. He barely registered Willow’s, “hey wait,” as he walked through in time to hear the vampire say, “This has nothing to do with jealousy. There’s just something not right about him.”



She blinked at him before crossing her arms over her chest and saying, “As opposed to the evil vampire cursed with a soul. You know Angel; you really are a piece of work.”Buffy snorted.



“Buffy I really don’t think you get…”



“No, you don’t get it. The only thing that’s wrong here is this.” Buffy said all this while gesturing between herself and the vampire. “Look Angel, as much as I wish you, and me could work, I know deep in my heart that it will only end in badness. I’m sorry if I hurt you, but you have no right to take it out on Tom. If you can’t be civil then I suggest you should leave.”



“Fine,” Angel snarled before stalking down the hall, shooting an evil glare at Tom as he past.



Buffy walked up to Tom giving him a shaky smile, “Sorry you had to see that.”



Tom waved her off, “It’s quite all right.” He studied her for a moment before asking, “Are you all right?”



“Yah, I’ll be fine.” She grabbed his arm and tugged him back through the door. “It’s probably pretty late. We should wrap this up. Trust me when I say, you’ll need your sleep if you want to keep up with me at the mall tomorrow.”