"And how many people asked us if we were brothers?" Kingsley chuckled.

"I do not understand that just because you are both tall, black, and lacking hair." Viktor shook his head as
the group walked back towards the school. "Other than that the similarities in your looks are none."

Gunn grinned and exchanged a look with Kingsley.

"I think I'll just start telling people you're my little brother. It'd be easier than explaining that not all black
people are related."

"Well, you know white folks."

Kingsley started snickering. "Yes. I work with a ton of them."

"What's that supposed to mean, Shacklebolt?" Tonks snapped from behind him.

Bill and Charlie grinned at one another over the top of her head.

"Not a blessed thing, Nymphie."

Gunn knew something was off the second he walking into the school. Kingsley and Viktor stiffened next to
him. Tonks, Bill, and his brother Charlie Weasley stopped too. The six of them had been sent into
Hogsmeade to get the lay of the land. Ask around, see if people had noticed anything bizarre lately. They
hadn't gotten much, but after searching Gunn had gotten to see Rosmerta's place Three Broomsticks. He
had also gotten to have himself a butterbeer. He liked it. It was some good stuff, and not nearly as evil as
tequila could be.

Gunn squinted as he noticed something green-skinned and in a nurse's apron running his way.

"It's bad."

Gunn took of running after Lorne. The rest of the group was running after him.

*~*~*~*~*

Nothing could have prepared him for that infirmary.

Everyone was running all over the place. Faith and Gwen were out. Those were the first two he noticed.
Each woman looked like she had a sunburn. Anne was looking pale and drawn next to Gwen, and Oliver
was looking like someone had just told him he had cancer of the puppy next to Faith.

Angel, Dru, Spike, and some guy that looked a heck of a lot like Buffy's pal Xander were strapped down to
beds. Drusilla was screaming. Not anything particular, she was just screaming.

"Angel!" Gunn rushed to his side.

"Get me out of this."

"Don't touch him!" Fred yelled.

Gunn looked at her in shock. He noticed Dawn sitting on a bed with her boyfriend Harry who was holding
gauze to her collar. It was bleeding. The actual Xander was sitting next to Buffy's prone form. The man had
her hand and was caressing it, but the slayer wasn't moving. Giles was sitting next to Xander with his head
in his hands. Connor had his arms folded tightly to his chest and was pacing at the foot of the bed Lily was
in. There was a shivering blanket off in the corner that Gunn could only assume was Amy. That Cassie girl
was laid out in a bed with funny things hooked up to her that were swirling and beeping... magically. There
were tubes in her nose, but they weren't connected to anything. Lindsey was sitting next to her with a dazed
look.

Tara was asleep in a bed with Sirius, in Sirius form, sitting next to her holding her hand. Remus was sitting
with Anya on the bed next to them. He had an arm around the former vengeance demon and she was
crying all over him.

Cordelia, Wesley, and Oz were moving through people distributing water and vials of potions. Lorne was
now attempting to actually bandage Dawn.

There was a large group of people hovered around someone.

"Severus Snape, if you don't get out of my way and let me tend her, I am going to hex you!"

Gunn looked at Fred. "What in the HELL happened here?"

Fred was wringing her hands.

"Fred?"

"We did a spell."

"Uh huh. We all knew there was gonna be a spell."

Viktor and Kingsley moved in to hear this. Bill and Charlie rushed over to where their family and Hermione
was sitting. Well, their family, Hermione, and Draco. No one could seem to get him or Ginny, who as
shivering like she'd been placed ass-naked in Siberia, to let go of one another. Tonks had hurried over to
Madam Pomfrey to see if she needed help.

"Well, it went... bad."

"Explain."

"Well, I'm not real sure."

"Fred."

"It started out ok. Wesley did the Latin. Willow egged it on. And that Glory thing came out. Willow put her in
a jar. Then came Doyle and the baby. Jar again. Then that Rack thing came out and he had something with
him and everything was bad. They scared people and Angel lost his soul for a minute-"

"He's Angelus?!" Gunn shouted.

"No! Not now. He just... was."

"Well, if he WAS, why's he still tied down?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Angel snapped.

"We couldn't let go. The group of us chanting the protection, we couldn't let go, and that boy and Glory had
fused into one thing. She grabbed Dawn and cut her... and the blood made a portal... and that's how they
got away. There was this other guy... over there..." Fred pointed. "He tried to hex Professor Dumbledore,
and Buffy jumped in the way. And McGonagall fought Angelus. And then Lily showed up and Gypsy-cursed
everyone."

Gunn looked at her. "That sorta made sense. Kinda."

"Vhat happened to Faith and to Gven?" Viktor asked.

Anne joined them. "Cassie's heart stopped." Her voice was shaking with tears. "Gwen... jump-started her."

Gunn blinked. "Sounds familiar. Then what?"

"Her power went all wild. It electrocuted her and threw her out of her shoes... literally. Faith tried to catch
her."

Gunn shook his head. "Well, that was dumb."

"She didn't think!" Anne shouted. "She just reacted. If I had been quicker, I would have tried to catch her
too!"

"Easy." Gunn said as he tried to rub her arms. "I didn't mean to make you mad."

Anne moved away.

"Hey, what's with you?"

"I just..."

"You don't actually LIKE electro girl, do you?"

"And if I do?"

"Anne-"

"You know Angel didn't ask me to come, I volunteered. I left Susie in charge at the shelter and came here.
Because this was big. There's even been murmurs of it underground all the way in LA. I wanted to help. But
all I can do is watch the girl I've had a crush on since I looked at her be in pain."

"Where's Professor Dumbledore?" Kingsley asked.

"He and Professor McGonagall went to make sure everyone was in the common rooms and knew to stay
there."

Buffy suddenly gasped loudly and sat upright.

"Buffy?" Xander was looking at her. "Buffy?"

She shook herself out. "Damn, I hate that getting cursed business. It makes me feel all oogy."

"Buffy." Xander hugged her tightly.

"Easy, Xand, surviving the death curse here."

"Right. Sorry." He stepped back a little.

"Is my hair sticking up ag-ooof!" She was cut off by Giles hugging the breath out of her. "Giles."

"Right. Sorry."

"Buffy, are you ok?" Dawn was standing near her.

"I'm.... what happened to you?"

"Glory."

"She touched you?"

"Yeah."

"Where's my fucking troll hammer?!"

"She's gone. She tossed some of my blood out, and it made a portal."

Buffy paled. "What?"

"It was really weird because it closed all by itself, Buffy."

Everyone who was awake looked up when Dumbledore entered with Aberforth and McGonagall behind
him. McGonagall was still asking questions apparently.

"And Slytherin?"

"Professor Sinistra is with them... who is with Gryffindor?"

"Professor Vector."

"Ah."

"And the guests?"

"Ms. Lockley, the Groosalugg, Landok, Ms Cooper, and Mister Miller are with Hagrid checking the
perimeter of the school. The demons Clement and Numfar are in a sitting room with Ms. Morgan, Ethan,
Narcissa, and Andromeda."

"And D'Hoffryn?" Aberforth asked.

"No one could locate D'Hoffryn."

Aberforth swore most foully under his breath. McGonagall raised a brow at him.

"Albus, do you think D'Hoffryn had a hand in this?" McGonagall asked.

"It is possible. He was most displeased when I informed him he would be without Anya's services for the
rest of her days."

Poppy walked up then.

"Willow?"

"Is going to be fine. She just took a beating. Miss Summers awoke."

"Ah good.."

Poppy moved over and started unstrapping Angel.

"Thank you."

"One false move, and you get hexed."

Angel raised an eyebrow.

"Oh bother, Poppy, he's all right." McGonagall said as she helped Angel sit up.

"Professor, I..." He started awkwardly.

She chuckled. "Tougher than most crones, all right."

"I am so... I would never..."

"You worry too much, Angel."

Connor started chuckling at that.

"That's our Angel." Cordelia said walking over. Then she ruffled his hair.

Angel gently batted her hand away and glared. "Don't touch my hair, Cordy."

She ignored him completely and threw her arms around his neck. "I was so scared." She whispered. "And
for Buffy, can you believe it? I saw you all Angelus-ified and she was just lying there.... and I couldn't let go
of Oz or Fred. Like our hands were fused together."

He patted her back comfortingly.

Buffy had shaken herself out and was taking stock.

"What in the hell happened to Faith?!" She said as she rushed over.

Oliver looked up at her with sad eyes. Buffy grabbed his shoulder in comfort.

"She won't wake up."

"No, she just won't be rushed. She'll wake up when she's ready, Oliver. She always does."

Tara sat straight up then. "Wow. I feel like I did mushrooms and then got eaten by a bear."

"Tara?" Sirius gasped.

She cupped his jaw and smiled. "Right here."

Tara swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood. She stumbled a bit. Sirius grabbed her arm.
Remus moved around and hugged her. As soon as he stepped back, Anya threw herself at Tara. Tara
grunted upon impact.

"Oh. Anya. Hey. Too tight."

"Oh. Sorry." Anya loosened her grip a bit. "You are just not allowed to harbor evil entities in you any more."

"I can agree with that."

Anya finally let go... well mainly because Remus and Sirius pried her off.

"Where's Willow?"

Then she saw. Severus was sitting next to the redhead. His head was down and he was gripping her hand.
Tara walked over there slowly.

"Tara..."

She held up a hand. She stood above Willow. The witch's face was bruised. Tara passed her hand over
Willow's face. The bruises vanished.

"It's time for you to wake."

Willow gasped as her eyes opened.

"Hey, sweetie."

"Tara?" She tired to sit up a bit. "Tara, is it you?"

"Just me and Doyle." Tara smiled. "And the baby."

"It worked?"

"You don't remember?"

Willow made a face. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry I let the thing that sucked your brain out again."

"It's ok."

"It's really not, but thank you for saying so."

Buffy sighed as she looked around. "I think we seriously need a plan."

"I got a question." Fred said. "Why did that Rack guy split the Orb of Thesulah? That was an Orb of
Thesulah, right?"

"Oh yeah." Angel said, rubbing his chest.

"So why do that, why soul Spike, the other Xander, and Drusilla?"

Xander perked up. "Other Xander?"

"Think about it? Spike's a good fighter." Draco said. "If she's on our side, I imagine Drusilla wouldn't show
to shabby a performance either. And the other Xander, I'll be betting Lily could have gotten him around to
our way of thinking. This takes out three people who might have fought on our side."

"How do you figure, Malfoy?" Ron asked.

"Didn't you pay attention in Society of the Slayer, Weasley? How long did it take Angel to come to terms
with being all soul-having? Those three were just put out of commission for, oh say, the next century."

Giles looked at Draco. "Brilliant deduction, Watson."

"Thank you, Holmes."

"You two are really weird and off-putting right now." Anya commented.

"Other Xander?!" Xander yelled again.

"It's the vampire you from the same universe Lily was from." Connor answered Xander.

"Oh." Xander started pacing. "Oh gee, thanks for telling me my vampire doppleganger was hanging
around, guys."

"This is not the time for this, Xander." Buffy said.

"If it was YOUR evil vampy twin, I bet we'd have plenty of time."

"Xander." Lindsey admonished.

Buffy was looking at Xander. "You finished?"

"Yeah. Sorry. I'm just..."

"Freaked. I would be too." Buffy looked at Dumbledore. "So we need a meeting?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Minerva, round up the staff. Miss Summers, your second is..."

"Xander."

"Angel, yours is..."

"Gunn." Cordelia answered.

Angel looked at her.

"I'm staying here with the wounded."

He nodded.

"Abe?" Dumbledore asked his brother.

"Andromeda. And we'll want Arthur there. Molly as well."

Dumbledore nodded. "Let us get to gathering then. Mister Potter? Mister Malfoy?"

Draco looked down at Ginny. She nodded at him.

"I'll stay with Gin." Dawn offered. "Won't let her out of my sight."

Everyone started moving out.

"Vun question..." Viktor asked. "How vas it that Buffy vas to survive the killing curse?"

"I came back wrong."

Tara sighed. "This is what I think... when Willow brought Buffy back from the grave, Buffy came back
slightly altered. Some curses and hexes don't affect her the same way they do everyone else."

"Some curses are metaphysical." Fred added. "More than magical. The magic in the spell is designed to
attach itself to certain components of the psyche or the physical body. And if either of those are altered..."

"The spell is not the same."

Gunn looked around. "Can the rest of us get that in English please?"

"Buffy's human, but different." Tara said. "Something was altered in her when she came back from the
grave so certain things don't 'read' her as human. Certain magics... certain undead people's government
issued brain chip... they don't see her as joe average human girl anymore. Certain curses and magics are
designed in a way to affect the human... just as certain curses or hexes are designed to affect demons or
other dark forces."

"So because of the way the killing curse is designed and the way Buffy came back, the curse doesn't
affect her as it should?" Harry asked.

"Harry gets it." Tara said with a smile.

Dawn grinned. "My boyfriend's so smart."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You are SO gross sometimes, Summers."

Dawn shrugged as she sat next to Ginny... who was sitting on the edge of Lily's bed. Ron, Hermione, and
Neville were standing near them. Connor was still pacing. Madam Pomfrey said Lily should be waking up
soon. She'd just had a shock... and a bit of a magical drain.

Draco punched Neville in the arm.

"Ouch! Malfoy!"

"Good hexing earlier." Then he did a 'thumbs up' at Neville.

Connor made a face. "And they say I'm awkward with people my own age."

"No, Connor." Dawn said with a serious face. "You're awkward with people in general."

Gunn snickered. Connor glared at Dawn. She made a face at him complete with crossed eyes and
wagging tongue.

Buffy put a hand on Connor's shoulder. "Now you're in trouble. If she's picking on you like that, it means she
likes you."

Willow managed to get out of the bed. Her legs faltered, so Severus just swung her up into his arms. As
the group started leaving, Drusilla started screaming again.

"Why does it burn?!"

It was just chaos still. But they'd get it sorted.

Hopefully before classes resumed on Monday morning.

*~*

end part

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Mini Chaos One