Title: Dancing By Candle Light

Author: Caliadragon

Catagory: AU/Crossover

Fandom: Harry Potter/Xander

Spoilers: Up to season 7 of Buffy and The Goblet of Fire, AU from there

Pairings: Harry/Xander and others.

Rating: NC 17

AN: To defeat the First and Voldermort, both the Fang Gang and the Scoobies joined together and with the contact of an old friend came to Hogwarts to learn to fight together. Dawn and Anya were killed before they left California. It was why they decided to go. I'm playing with the time line and making Xander and Harry the same age.

Warnings: Slash, Fluff, Character Deaths,

Archive: Yes to any list I send it to, those with previous permission and BC.

Summary: Giles remembers how things came to be and plans are made to return home, but not alone.

Thanks to Edi for the beta, any mistakes are my own.

Dancing By Candle Light
by Caliadragon

Dancing together by candlelight, music playing softly in the background, the guests watched as the six couples danced. It was sweet and amusing the way the pairs were so caught up in one another. The last year had been filled with death and violence. The twelve young people had lost people they loved, and had finally overcome the enemies that had worked so hard to try to destroy them.

Voldermort and The First were finally dead, but so were Connor, Fred, Dawn and Anya. They had also lost Poppy, Minerva and Lucius Malfoy. Not to mention the countless innocents that the two evil forces had taken out just for the joy of it. Only three of the potentials survived the final battle, and unfortunately Kennedy was not one of them.

In the beginning, the groups were unsure whether they could work together. The California group had struggled to get used to living in Scotland. The weather and the new people were only the beginning of the changes. When Dawn died, the energy of the key had entered the person closest to her. And unknown to everyone Anya still had power, and before she died she performed a spell that transferred her gifts as well. To the same person: Xander. D'Hoffryn was not pleased. Anya and Dawn were only the first of several deaths. Within a couple of months of their deaths, Connor was killed by a demon let loose in Hogsmede. Then Minerva and Fred were killed by Death Eaters six months later. Poppy and Lucius died in the last battle.

Buffy, Xander and Angel were the ones who took the deaths the hardest of the California crew. Angel and Xander seemed to retreat into themselves. For Angel, it was hard to accept the death of his son when they had only just made peace with one another. It was Spike who brought him back from the brink. The blond vampire had kidnapped his Sire. No one knew what happened in that time, but when they came back it was obvious that they were a couple again. Buffy threw herself into the fighting and didn't let herself grieve until Ron Weasley pulled her into his life and forced her to cry over the losses in her life. It was their wedding that everyone was celebrating.

It was Xander that seemed the most lost. Not only did he have new powers, but he gained them through the loss of two women that meant the world to him. He never really let go of the guilt over their deaths, even though there was nothing he could do to stop them. He trained and fought, but he stopped speaking. No one, not even Willow, could get through to him. Then Fred and Minerva had been killed and they all feared that Minerva's death would break the young man. It had been a surprise to everyone how the older witch pulled Xander into her life. Minerva became the mother that Xander never had.

Harry and Draco were the ones to bring Xander out of his gloom. The pair had been sniping at each other and generally driving everyone up the wall, the way he and Spike used to do before they called a truce, though not as entertainingly. It was getting to the point where everyone was ready to hex the pair just to shut them up.

\\Flashback//

Giles was ready to kill the pair, and from the looks of things so was his lover. Severus was very close to growling and his glower was getting darker by the second. Draco and Harry had been insulting each other steadily for an hour and, unlike Spike and Xander, the remarks did not vary and were not as amusing. Giles sighed; he really missed the sniping between those two. Before Xander stopped speaking, the two of them could keep everyone entertained, seeing who could come up with the best insult. Now they were the quietest of the group. With Xander it was grief, and in Spike's case he no longer felt the need to cover who he was behind insults. He had his Sire and his soul. Both of these had turned Spike into a combination of the sensitive man that was William and the confident vampire that was Spike.

Just when Giles was about to snap at the pair to shut up they were told off by the most unlikely source. "Would you two shut the hell up?! You're giving me a damn headache!" Xander yelled at the pair. Then in frustration he got up and walked out of the room. They all stared after him in amazement. Willow glared at the pair and snarled at them, "GO apologize for upsetting him." Draco glared at her in return.

"I think not," he sneered.

A few seconds later he was jumping to his feet, yelping. The room was resounding with the sound of a smack. Draco was rubbing his ass and glaring at Willow, who was smirking at him. "Would you like another?" she purred. Harry jumped to his feet, grabbed Draco and dragged him from the room.

Harry shook his head as he dragged the blond haired boy behind him. "And I thought Mione was scary." Draco let out a snort of laughter. "Oh crap, if Mione or the other girls find out we upset Xander they'll do worse." Draco stopped laughing. They had all wanted the dark haired man to start speaking and the first words out his mouth were words of irritation.

When they finally caught up with Xander, the dark haired man was stalking through the school. Many of the students had stopped to drool over him. As usual, Xander didn't notice. He had reached Mione, Ron and Cordy as they caught up with him. The three friends raised an eyebrow as Xander nodded at them sharply and kept going to the Quiddich pitch. Both Draco and Harry flushed nervously as they rushed after Xander.

"What did you two do?" Cordy growled.

Xander spun to glare at the pair. "They won't shut up, that's what they did. I swear, they're worse then me and Spike ever thought about being." The three turned to look at Xander in shock, then suddenly Cordy squealed.

"Xander, you spoke!" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed both his cheeks. Xander's laughter filled the hall and he hugged Cordy back.

"Careful, Cordy, Wills will think I'm trying to get you back," Xander told her playfully. Cordy laughed and pinched him. He jumped and stepped back from her, covering his rear.

"What is it about you Yank females and aiming for the arse?" Draco asked.

The others all looked at him questioningly. Harry snickered and told them what Willow had done. The other four joined Harry in his laughter. It was wonderful to the others to hear Xander's laughter. Draco and Harry looked at one another in relief. They really didn't want everyone angry at them. Xander winked at them and turned to walk away. "I'll see ya'll later, I want to go watch the Quiddich practice." They all watched as he walked away. Each wondering if Xander would continue to show emotion and talk.

\\End of Flashback//


Xander had gone beyond the pain and the sorrow that drove him. In the process he had found love with Harry. Their relationship had taken everyone by surprise. Well, everyone but Albus. The old wizard always seemed to know what was going on with the two boys. Giles chuckled softly as he remembered the way everyone found out that the pair were lovers.


\\Flashback//

"Does anyone know where Harry and Xander are?" Cordy asked in irritation. She figured they were off somewhere hiding from everyone. It was a habit the two men shared, much to the exasperation of their friends.

"I haven't seen them, but I can do a revelation spell," Willow told her lover. Cordy grinned and nodded for her to do so. Willow closed her eyes and concentrated on the spell. It was one of those rare nights when everyone but Albus was gathered together, and Cordy wanted the two with them there as well.

As the spell took effect everyone gasped at the scene before them. Xander and Harry were kissing. Harry was naked and sitting in Xander's lap with his legs wrapped around the larger man. When they broke away from the kiss Xander arched Harry back and began to suckle and bite Harry's nipples as the smaller man rode him.

"Willow, stop the spell!" Buffy hissed.

"Why? I'm enjoyin' the show." Spike chuckled at the looks he received, though he noticed the others didn't argue. Draco grinned at the vampire. If there was ever a Slytherin it was Spike. Soul or no soul.

Willow looked over at Cordy and grinned at her girlfriend. "Harry's a goner. Once you've been kissed by Xander it's hard to forget," Cordy said with a sigh.

"Oh yeah." Came from several in the room. Buffy shook her head. She had to admit they were hot together, but still, she didn't want Xander mad at her.

"If Xander finds out we kept the spell going he'll be pissed," Buffy reminded them.

"Who'd tell?" Buffy looked at Oz in disbelief, then turned to look at Willow, who flushed with shame.

"I can't help it. Xander and I don't keep secrets. He'll tell me soon and then he'll know I already knew, then he'll want to know how and I can't lie to him, because he'll know I'm lying and maybe I should just end the spell now." They all blinked at the power of Willow babble and watched as the spell dissolved.

Xander and Harry were unaware of the spell, or anything else. Xander rolled them so that Harry was beneath him and, lifting Harry's left leg up over his shoulder, he began to thrust harder into the willing body. Both men would have been embarrassed to know that they had been seen together, but neither man had any intention of keeping it a secret, especially since it was Dumbledore that joined them an hour earlier.

They continued to make love long into the night, neither man wanting the closeness to end.

\End of Flashback/



Giles shivered as Severus wrapped his arms around him from behind. Now that the war was over and both their primary enemies had been defeated, they were all returning to Sunnydale. The Council and the Ministry felt it was imperative to get the Slayer back on the hellmouth. Not that any of the children really wanted to return, but they refused to be separated, and so their lovers were returning with them. The Weasley's had also decided to go to America to live. None of them could bear being in the burrow with Arthur gone. It was strange, and a little amusing, that the California contingent had managed to get so many of the world's top wizards and witches to come with them back to Sunnydale. With the help of their new allies, the vampires and demons didn't stand a chance.

The End
There will be a more detailed follow up to this. Just not for a while.