Heart's Blunder

Title: Heart's Blunder


Author: eena_angel2001


Rating: PG-15, for language.


Category: BTVS/HP


Disclaimer: Rowlings owns HP, Whedon owns BTVS. All I own is my car . . . well the half of my car that doesn't belong to my sister . . . darn, I don't own much.


Pairing: Xander/Hermione


Spoilers: S7 for BTVS, OotP for HP.


Summary: The Wizarding World has some strange notions about joint custody . . .


A/N: Hey guys! Yes, I started yet another story. Sorry, but these damn muses are dancing around my head, some of them wearing pink tutus and well . . . it's not a good idea to ignore them when they're this hyper. This story is kind of a double shot challenge response: a response to Jinni's Parent Trap Challenge and Lucinda's challenge for a HP crossover that isn't Buffy/Willow/Faith/Dawn centric. Hope you enjoy!


Prologue:


"This isn't right."


Buffy sighed, pressing her lips together tightly and choosing not to speak at this moment. It wasn't like she disagreed with what Faith had just said, but Buffy knew this wasn't the time to be saying it. The last few days had been exhausting, a giant emotional roller coaster that pretty much wiped everyone out. And while no one was happy with what had gone down, having people voice it was just not something Xander needed at this moment.


"Not now Faith," Buffy murmured, peering at her best friend through the slightly ajar door to his room. Xander looked dead on his feet, dark circles under his eyes and brown hair more unkempt than usual. She wasn't sure if he even knew what was going on, watching silently as Willow fluttered about the room, hastily making up the cradle as she went. They didn't have a room prepared for the baby just yet. It was something that they would have to get to work on tomorrow because tonight they had other issues to deal with.


"Is he ever going to put her down?" Faith asked, peering over Buffy's shoulder and into the room. Buffy shrugged and sighed once more, watching Xander as he robotically swayed the agitated infant in his arms. Little Willamina Lily Harris had not yet started to cry though she whimpered frequently enough to make her aunt Willow twitchy. It wouldn't do for the baby to start crying, especially when it wasn't certain that Xander would snap out of his daze long enough to calm but he still refused to let anyone else touch her.


"She's all he has left now," Buffy answered simply, turning away from the door and leading Faith down the hallway. The brunette Slayer followed, an unhappy scowl on her face.


"Not true," she objected. "He still has us."


"'Us'?" Buffy repeated, her tone amused. Faith seemed to understand her slip-up and tried hastily to retrack.


"I meant you, not me," she stammered a bit. "And Willow and Dawn and Giles, but not me. I'm the Slay-girl. I don't do babies or, you know, caring."


"Liar," Buffy shot back, a small smile tilting her lips. It was her first smile in some time but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Her mind was still focused on her friend, sitting on his bed, absently rocking his baby girl in his arms as he tried to recover from the shock of having his life fall apart.


"This is all her fault," Faith growled viciously. "That stupid little witchy-girl he just had to up and fall for. Didn't I warn him that something bad might happen?"


"Yes, but that's because you're a hopeless pessimist," Buffy retorted, arms folded across her chest as she began to descend the stairs of the house that Dawn had dubbed Slayer Central. "Besides, if you really want to blame someone, blame those damn wizard judges or whatever. They have the most twisted sense of joint custody that I have ever heard of."


"I can't believe that they could just force this on them," Faith shook her head, scowl dropping from her face and being replaced with a touch of concern. "What are we going to do Buffy?"


"I'm not sure that we can do anything," Buffy replied. "I mean, it's over and done with. She seemed pretty damn sure that nothing could be done and that girl could possibly be even smarter than Willow-"


"It's just not right!" Faith exploded. "How can anyone just go along with splitting up a family this way? It's insane. They shouldn't have done this. Willa and Ronnie need to stay together-they're sisters."


"Look, I know what you're saying," Buffy said calmly. "And don't think that no one here feels the same way. But there's nothing we can do about it now. And Xander doesn't need to be reminded of how much those idiot judges messed up his life. He's going to need our help, not only with taking care of Willa, but also just getting himself through this. We need to be supportive, not raising hell over this incredible crappy situation. You get it?"


"I get it," Faith assented with a defeated sigh. "But I don't have to like it."


Buffy nodded and trudged her way into the living room, throwing herself onto the nearest couch and just letting the tension roll off her body.


"No one likes it. They just have to deal with it."


~*~


"I don't like it!"


Harry rolled his eyes, grabbing his best friend by the arm and leading him far away from the nursery where Ginny tried to console a heartbroken Hermione. Tiny cries came from the crib where Veronica Anne Granger lay, seemingly as distressed as her mother.


"No one likes it," Harry hissed at his friend, dragging him down the stairs and into Hermione's living room. "But 'Mione doesn't need you flying off the handle right now. She's a mess Ron, and if anything she needs us more than ever. We're her friends; we've got to get her through this."


Ron's face darkened considerably and he folded his arms over his chest in a stubborn manner.


"It's all his fault anyway," Ron stated vehemently. "You know that this is his fault. If he hadn't-"


"Hadn't what Ron?" Harry interjected. "Hadn't asked to be a part of his children's lives? If he hadn't asked then we would be here discussing how much of a sodding wanker he is. But that's not the case. Xander Harris is not that kind of man. We knew that when we met him."


Ron deflated and sank into an armchair in the corner of the room. Ronnie's cries were floating down the stairs, mingling with the sounds of her mother's sobs as Ginny frantically tried to calm them both. The tall redhead wizard cast a sad look up the stairwell.


"We all knew this would end badly," he moaned. "Why didn't anyone stop this before it even got started?"


"Because love is a funny but powerful thing," Harry replied.


"If it was really love then none of this would have happened," Ron countered harshly.


"I don't think we can be the judges of that," Harry shrugged. "Whatever happened, whatever went wrong, it doesn't change the fact that they were happy for a little while Ron. Hermione isn't one to go charging so recklessly into things, especially something like marriage. She loved him, probably still does in some way."


"If it was so grand, then how could it fall apart so badly?" Ron demanded. "Face it, even if they were in love, they obviously weren't compatible. They didn't last out their second year, and look at all the damage we've got on our hands. Hermione has been robbed of her daughter for Merlin's sake!"


"And Xander is robbed of his," Harry reminded him sternly. "It sucks Ron, it really sucks. But it's our reality now. Hermione is going to need us now more than ever. She's smart and strong, but even this hurt is too much for her to bear. We've got to be there for her Ron, and that means you're going to have to stop trashing Xander's name so much."


"Fine," Ron agreed, a scowl on his face. "But none of this changes how I feel. I still think this is all his fault."


Harry shook his head and sat down on the couch not far from Ron.


"Think what you like, just don't bloody shout it out loud like usual."


"Oh sod off."


~*~