Don't Touch!

Title: Don't Touch!

Author: Jinni (druscilla@cox.net)

Genre: BtVS/HP Crossover.

Disclaimer: All things BtVS belong to Joss Whedon, et al. All things HP belong to JK Rowling, et al.

Distribution: Moonlitpaths sites.

Author's Notes: TNL scenario #40 - http://tnl.moonlitpaths.com .

Warning: In the BtVS universe this takes place sometime after the gang graduates. In the HP universe it is in year seven and WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR OOTP.

~*~*~

"You don't want to touch that."

Xander looked up from the crystal he had been about to run his fingers along, eyeing the girl in front of him with a small measure of amusement.

"It's just a rock."

She raised an eyebrow. "And you find that everything in life is always exactly as it seems?"

That brought the dark haired young man up short. He ran a hand back through his hair, casting a glare her way before exhaling sharply.

"Fine. No."

"Good, then." She smiled. "Don't touch. The Headmaster would not be pleased if you were to injure yourself this soon after coming."

Xander shrugged, sitting back in the chair he had been offered when he was first shown into the office. He regarded the girl evenly. She was pretty, in a scary other-worldly sort of way. Long hair and wide, innocent eyes. No one around here was innocent, though. Not a single person, nor creature. Nothing at all.

It was a pure stroke of bad luck that had him here, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry instead of back in Sunnydale soaking up the warm end of summer sun. Giles needed something from an 'old friend'. The Headmaster was apparently that 'old friend'. And Xander was the only one that was 'free' to go get it. Likely story. Willow was making sure the Hellmouth didn't open, of course. And Buffy was patrolling. But that still left --

No one but him.

He sighed.

"You seem sad."

"I'm not." He argued with the all-too-observant girl. She was about his age he guessed - somewhere right after eighteen years of age. That would mean, if he understood Giles' ramblings about the school, that she was in her final year.

She shrugged at his denial. "Your face says otherwise. My father is doing an article on the effects living with magic has on Muggles. Do you think that it makes you sad?"

"What's a Muggle," he countered.

"A non-magical human."

Oh.

Well that was certainly him. He was lame-o boy, the ordinary one of the group. The one that could hardly raise a stick to defend himself. He sighed. Wasn't it bad enough that he was the outsider amongst his friends? Now there was this girl questioning him as well?

And what was she doing in here anyway?

"Were you waiting for the Headmaster, too?"

She smiled a secret smile, inclining her head in acknowledgement, but saying nothing on why she was there.

Xander sighed, frustrated, and stood again from the chair. He could feel her eyes burning holes into his back, that near-ethereal aura washing over him each time he paced close to her. He stopped in front of a large gold container, filled with little strands of writhing silvery substance.

"I wonder what this does. . ." He muttered, reaching towards the object with rapt curiosity before the girl could say anything to warn him otherwise. ". . . Oops!"

The words died on his lips as he felt himself sucked into the mass.

~*~

Xander looked around. Everything was shaded with muted colors, like watching a movie through a black screen. He shivered.

"She is a liability, Albus."

"Severus, I won't here any more of this. Miss Lovegood is no more of a threat to this school than Harry Potter himself." The man identified as Albus attempted to placate the other man gently.

"Ha!" Severus snorted. "And that whelp is about as much trouble as one can never hope to find in a child!"

"I'll hear no more of it, Severus. She will be staying."

Xander stepped forward, confused by the conversation almost as much as he was confused about where he was.

"Excuse me --"

But neither man turned towards him. He stepped closer, repeating himself - "Excuse me?"

Again, no recognition. Xander frowned, reaching for one of the men to shake him, only to have his hand slip right through the arm he had tried to grab. He backed up a step, suddenly quite scared. The girl had warned him not to touch things.

And he had done it anyway.

He opened his mouth to scream for help --

~*~*~

And found himself screaming in the middle of the Headmaster's office.

Xander jumped away from the object he had been touching, stumbling backwards a few steps before falling unceremoniously into a chair.

"You would do well to remember, Mister Harris, that not everything is safe for wandering hands to examine."

The young man turned, blinking sheepishly at the man that was now seated behind the desk. This was the same man that he had just seen in the vision. . .daydream. . . nightmare. . .whatever it was.

"I am Headmaster Dumbledore," the other wizard offered. "And I believe you have already met Miss Luna Lovegood?"

Xander shook his head, recognizing that name from the odd vision as well. "We didn't exactly introduce ourselves."

"Ah, well then - Luna, this is Xander Harris. Xander - this is Luna Lovegood. There. Introduced. Lemon drop?"

When the proffered candy dish was levitated to him, Xander took a candy without thinking, mulling over what had just happened to him. He popped it into his mouth, sucking at the sweet-sourness of it.

"Luna will be accompanying you back to Sunnydale."

Xander's head snapped up, eyes darting between the Headmaster and the girl.

"O-kay. Does Giles know?"

"It is she that Rupert sent you to bring back."

Well, that was unexpected. Xander closed his shocked mouth, nodding. He would be having serious words with Giles when he got back about the difference in picking up an 'object' as opposed to an actual 'person'.

"Miss Lovegood has never traveled via the Muggle aeroplanes before, Mister Harris. I trust that you will be able to ensure her safety?" Dumbledore continued on.

"Yeah," Xander nodded. He was going to have to spend an entire -long- plane ride next to this weirdo.

"Very well, here are your tickets. Hagrid will see the two of you to the train station."

Xander grabbed the bits of paper, shoving them into his pocket. He snatched up his overnight bag from the floor, muttering a goodbye to the Headmaster before retreating down the gargoyle-guarded stairs he had originally come up through. Not once did he turn to make sure that Luna was following him.

But she was.

In fact, when he reached the bottom of the stairs he found that she was directly behind him, her own bag in hand and a placid expression on her face.

"You shouldn't be mad at him, Xander," her soft voice managed to fill the entire hallway as now she led him towards the front doors. "This is for the best."

"Why?" Xander blurted out. "Why are you coming to Sunnydale?"

"So that the devil can't find me." She replied with soft sincerity. "His minions are out - searching, searching. Daddy says I must hide. And the mouth of Hell is a good place to hide from the devil."

Biting the inside of his mouth, Xander just followed. She was crazier than anyone he'd ever had the displeasure of meeting in his entire life. What Giles could want her for - he wasn't quite sure. But something inside of him said that it must have something to do with that weird vision and why she is a 'liability'.

Right now, though, listening to her ramble on and on, he really didn't want to ask any questions. Maybe if he was just quiet long enough she'd get the hint.

Or maybe not.

It was going to be a long plane ride.

~*~The End~*~