Glamours

Revelations Part Two

"My name is not Lucy Emerson. It's Willow Rosenberg." Willow explained in an automatic voice. "About six months ago, I faked my own death in an attempt to save my friends from Voldemorts wrath." She took in the groups reactions so far. They looked shocked, but the shock was gradually being replaced by curiosity. She continued. This part was going to be the hardest. "You may remember from reading the "˜Daily Prophet' of a Willow Rosenberg that went a little nuts over the death of her lover and tried to end the world?"

Ginny, Draco, Hermione and Ron nodded, their eyes widening at the mention of such a person. Indeed, it had been all over the wizarding world when it happened but no one had ever actually seen a picture of this witch and therefore had no idea of who she was. Now, at least judging by the looks of the situation, they were not only going to see her, but meet her as well.

Willow paused a moment. Angel, sensing her hesitancy, took her hand into his own comfortingly. "That was me. I'm the one who tried to end the world." She cleared her throat. "My skills in wandless magic had been building since I was about 16. I got hooked on the dark arts after high school though," Willow purposely skipped over what she had accomplished magically in high school, and the reasons behind her addiction in the first place. She didn't want to scare anyone quite yet. "Anyway, to make a long story short, I got some help for my dependency on the dark arts," she smiled gratefully at Molly, "from a coven here in England." She turned her gaze to Ron. "That's where your Mum comes in. Molly was one of the members of the coven, she offered to help me with my disappearance and plausible alter ego when I started plotting my own death." She cleared her throat. "But that's where things get a little dark. My friends and I"¦we closed the Hellmouth in Sunnydale, levelled it really, it's nothing but a hole in the ground now. In the process of this, I activated all the slayers in the world."

It was at this point that Hermione gasped. "That takes a lot of power! How did you ever pull it off?"

Willow smiled lightly. "I'll tell you about it sometime. It's an interesting story."

"But that doesn't explain why you had to fake your own death"¦" Ginny said, inquiringly. She wanted to hear the rest of the story.

"Yes well, I'm getting to that," Willow responded ruefully. "This power that I have"¦it attracted some dark creatures to me," a small smile graced her lips. "I was actually offered a place as a vengeance demon after my little "˜end the world' stint." She looked up at the amused and shocked looks she was getting. Some of the information that she was giving about herself even Albus, Minerva, Molly, Arthur and Severus didn't know about. "Then Voldemort caught up to me in L.A." A gasp went through the room. "He wasn't a bad sort at first, just butt ugly." The group laughed at this. "But I could tell he was evil. When he offered to make me his second in command, I turned down the offer flat. I don't do that kind of magic anymore. But then he came after my friends"¦." She and Harry shared a look. They had this, among other things, in common. Voldemort had tried to kill those they loved in an effort to coerce them into joining him. "Buffy, my friend the Slayer, couldn't even fight him. She nearly died, would have if Xander and I hadn't shown up and found her." She sighed. That had also been the night that Xander and Buffy had gotten together and she, Angel and Spike had had their ill-timed drinking binge and roll in the proverbial hay. "So, with the help of my friends, we faked my death."

"How did you manage to do that?" Ron said curiously. He didn't know how one would go about doing something that enormous and complex.

Willow shrugged. "Well, I hacked into the birth records here in London, and several other institutions to give myself new identification, forged new birth certificates and a new history. Then, I got Spike here to act crazy for a bit, thus when my body turned up drained in an alley, it was more believable."

Ginny gave Spike a funny look.

"Cor love! I'm not REALLY crazy! And the body was one Willow charmed to look like her. Does she look dead and drained to you?!" Spike countered Ginny's look with a snarl.

"So why'd you come to Hogwarts Will"¦er, Lucy er"¦what do we call you now?" Ron asked in an attempt to diffuse the tension now in the room.

Willow shrugged sadly. "Willow Rosenberg is dead. I'm Lucy Emerson now. I have to be otherwise I might as well sign my friends lives over." She sighed. This next piece of information had to be given, however reluctantly, if they were to understand and ultimately trust her. "You might as well know now. My control over my dark side is still in progress. That kind of power"¦.it calls to you. It's calling to Voldemort. That's why I'm here at Hogwarts. It's the safest place for me to be." She looked at Harry. "It also seems that my being here has benefited the cause as well. Harry's great with the wandless magic now, and Voldemort won't be expecting that."

The room was silent a moment, each member mulling over this what Willow had told them.

Draco broke the silence. "Speaking of Harry sweets, why do you call him "˜dear' now?" He asked smugly.

Willow blushed. "Well, we've been spending a lot of time together. What with his lessons and"¦"

"Uh Huh. How long have you two been shagging for?" Ginny piped up, dismissing the excuse quickly, a grin growing on her face.

Willow's blush deepened. "Look, this is not the time to be discussing my love life! I've just been made! Do none of you care?!" She exclaimed, trying desperately to be angry but failing miserably.

"Well Lucy," Minerva said quietly. "As you said, you're safe at Hogwarts and your friends are safe as well. Now seems a perfect time to discuss your love life."

"Minerva!" Willow cried helplessly. She hadn't been expecting this from the older woman. She should have though, judging by the way she, Albus and Severus were constantly teasing her about Harry and their would-be relationship. Little did they know"¦.

Harry, despite being supremely embarrassed, stepped in to save his lover. "Lucy," he said, taking her hand to calm her. "We might as well tell them. It's not like we have to pretend to hate each other around them anymore," he turned to the group, Ginny in particular. "About 3 weeks now," he said quietly. He wasn't sure how the people in the room were going to take this news. After all, a union between him and Lucy was not a joking matter. If Voldemort found out, he would not be happy, probably do something drastic, maybe kill someone either of them cared about. Indeed, Lucy Emerson was an extremely powerful witch, albeit with a very fragile alter ego while he, Harry Potter was powerful himself. If he and Lucy were to take it farther, get married, have children"¦it would be VERY dangerous for Voldemort.

The room went still with shock. Lucy and Harry didn't hate each other. They were in a relationship, had been for three weeks now, and had managed to keep it hidden from all of them.

Ginny's jaw dropped. She had been joking with the shagging comment"¦.but obviously she had been right. Beside her, Draco extricated a little black notebook from his jacket pocket.

"Right then," he drawled, all business. "And how would you define your relationship?"

Willow gave him a defensive look. "Its just sex. I least I think it is"¦what do you mean by "˜define your relationship'?"

Harry gave her a chastising look. It WASN'T just sex and they both knew it. "Now love, I think it's gone beyond sex at this point. Don't you think?"

Willow's eyes widened at what she saw lurking in Harry's eyes. It was almost as if he was trying to tell her he loved her. But neither of them was ready to say those words. That would make it real, and the inevitable loss when one of them died even harder. But there it was. That LOOK in Harry's eyes. He loved her. "Really?"

Harry nodded sagely, lovingly. "Really really."

She felt like she was melting, the love he felt for her and that same feeling she felt for him reflecting between them through their connected gazes. "Me too," she drew him down for a gentle kiss.

Draco looked nauseated. They OBVIOUSLY loved each other. There was no way that this relationship was just physical. "Now people please. I need dates and times."

Willow came up for air, still looking at Harry though and not paying attention to the intimate question Draco was positing to them. "Um, December 6th, about 4:30 in the morning I think."

"Ha!" Draco laughed loudly. "I won the pool!"

Harry turned sharply at this. "What? What pool?"

Draco continued to smile brightly, his happiness spreading about the room. "Knew you couldn't keep your hands to yourself Potter. We've all been betting on when you two would stop fighting and shag already."

"You couldn't have waited until the next day though, could you have Potter?" Snape broke in sarcastically. Willow could near a trace of humour in his dry statement. "I had the 7th."

Harry's jaw dropped. Snape was betting on his sex life? Hell had officially frozen over.

"Severus!" Willow said scoldingly, but extremely amused all the same. She turned on the rest of the group. "Who else was part of this pool?"

Slowly, every hand in the room beyond Angel, Spike and Giles rose.

"How much was it up to?" Harry asked nonchalantly.

"Harry!" Willow pinched his arm angrily. "We were being bet on! Do you not care?"

Harry shrugged. "I just want to know how much we were worth Luce." He turned to Draco expectantly, a twinkle growing in his eyes.

"About 500 galleons," Draco muttered, knowing that somehow, he wouldn't be getting to keep it.

"Well, I'm sure that the children at St. Antonia's will be glad to have it," Harry smirked, referring of course, to the orphanage that had been built near Hogsmeade to house children orphaned by the Death Eater attacks.

Draco's jaw dropped. "I may be on the light side now Potter, but how will it look if Draco Malfoy suddenly started making donations to orphanages?"

"Like you grew a heart"¦" Ron mused in a sarcastic tone of voice.

Draco shot him a withering look. "I have a heart Weasel. It just belongs to your sister."

"Awww!" Ginny crooned into her husband's ear. "Just when I think you've got that evil bastard thing down, you go and spoil it by sa som something like that to me."

"Yes, well," he stammered uncomfortably, resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to get to keep the money, instead, his hard won status of-what was it Ginny called him sometimes? - ah yes, evil bastard-would be soon a thing of the past if these sorts of things kept happening to him. He looked around the room, taking in his friends and family. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.