Beyond Good and Evil

Title: Beyond Good and Evil
Author: Darling Twisted Sister (darlingtwistedsister@yahoo.com)
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I merely own the plot and my OC (and I did my damndest to keep her from being a Mary-Sue). B:tVS belongs to Joss Whedon and the fine folks at Mutant Enemy, Fox, and some other people that aren’t me. All things Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended.
Category: B:tVS/Harry Potter
Pairing: Snape/OFC, others to be determined.
Spoilers: Season 6, ep 1 of season 7 Buffy. GoF, elements of OotP (this can safely be considered AU
Summary: Not all of the Potters were darlings of the wizarding world. Voldemort\'s return forces one witch to revisit a painful past in order to protect all that she holds dear--even if it means becoming the woman she left behind 15 years ago.
Feedback: Please, please, please.
Distribution: Sure. Just let me know where it\'s going.

~*~*~

Once the glue that held together the group of misfits that guarded the Hellmouth, Willow Rosenberg had tortured and killed a man in the name of vengeance for her murdered lover; she had unleashed havoc on an entire town, and nearly destroyed everyone she loved. But she had been granted forgiveness and a second chance. Despite the atrocities she had committed, Rupert Giles, her mentor and friend of seven years had offered to take her under his wing once more and give her the space, time, and tutelage to heal her soul and temper her magicks.

It had been one woman and one woman alone who had given Giles the power to battle his one time protege. There was only one person powerful enough to help him stop her and also to heal her. Hala was her name.

It was in the English countryside that Willow and Giles made their temporary home alongside the former Watcher’s old friend. It was she who taught Willow that her magical gifts weiveniven to her by the Goddess and that no one could take them away, no how much Willow wished they could. Those gifted with the powers of the Goddess were connected to all things, good and evil, light and dark.

“For with the good comes the evil, Willow,” the Englishwoman had told her in the very beginning. “That is the way of the world.”

If anyone knew the truth behind those words, Giles and Hala did. Both of them had fallen victim to the dark arts and found their way back. Willow was well away of Giles’ history, but not of her new tutor’s. It was a past that best remained hidden--in the best interests of her new charge. When Hala had taken her old friend and his protege into her home, she refused to let another soul go the way hers had almost gone. She’d had enough evil in her life.

But evil hadn’t had enough of her. Or Willow.

~*~*~

Years had passed since she’d had the dreams. They were always the same. She was back at school, wandering in the Forbidden Forest. That was where she had always met him, her Dark Lord. She found him waiting for her just outside of Aragog’s lair, just as he always had. Only now he didn’t greet her with the same sly smile she was so accustomed to. He had no lips to smile with. Her Lord had been reduced to a hovering wraith draped in a black cloak, red eyes boring holes into her skin.

“You were a very naughty little girl all those years ago,” he whispered, his voice washing over her like the caress of a lover. “You came between me and the child and now the time has come to make amends and bring me a new sacrifice, my love. Soon, very soon, you will be at my side once more, the blood of your little witch spilled to bring me back.”

With that he was gone, leaving her alone in the dark forest, but not without a touch of his presence that would stay with her in the waking world. For the first time in fourteen years, the Dark Mark burned her flesh as hot as the brand that had given it to her over twenty years ago.

The pain was severe enough to wake her and the screams of agony and fright loud enough to wake both Willow and Giles. In mere moments they were at Hala’s side, both shaken to see the perpetually serene woman weeping and trembling so. It was Willow who moved first and knelt at her new mentor’s side, taking Hala’s small hands in her own. Feeling the redhead at her side put Hala into a panic. The Dark Lord wanted this sweet girl and there was no way to protect her without bringing her into a world that Hala herself hadn’t been a part of for many years.

Green eyes met deep blue and Willow’s heart broke as Hala’s expressive face belied the pain she was in. Out of nothing but the kindness of her heart, she had taken Willow and Giles into her home, intent on healing her body, mind, and spirit after her stint as the Hellmouth’s big bad. And the older witch had done her job. It wasn’t to say that she didn’t still feel remorse for her actions or that she didn’t miss Tara, because she did. Every day. Due to Giles’ and Hala’s loving natures and patience, she found herself beginning to heal. And she would be damned if she would let anything happen to the frightened woman before her.

“What is it, Hala?” she asked in a whisper as her hand made way to her tear-stained cheek. “What happened?”

Giles stood aside and watched Willow interact with his old friend. The moment he had entered the room he knew she had been visited by her old Master. He saw the mark on her forearm in all of its fiendish glory--the skull with the serpent‘s tongue. Voldemort was gaining power again and was surely coming to punish the woman who had taken that power away all those years ago.

Hala didn’t know what to say. This was a woman who was never speechless. Now she found herself looking to Giles for guidance, who in turn gave her a slight nod. “Tell her, love,” he whispered, knowing that a long-hidden chapter of Hala’s life was about to be exposed. Tearing her gaze from Giles, she looked back to Willow and lifted the full sleeve of her nightgown from her forearm. “Behold Willow, the Dark Mark of Lord Voldemort.

~*~*~

At number four, Privet Drive, Harry Potter woke with a start, a hand immediately going to the scar burning on his forehead. It was the first time since the Triwizard Tournament that he had felt the familiar, yet still very painful, sting. But as quickly as the pain came, ift aft again. After mentally commanding himself to write to his godfather the next morning and let him know of the occurrence, he fell into slumber once more, this time uninterrupted until his uncle banged on his door a few hours later, waking him far more effectively than an alarm clock would.

~*~*~

The sun was had begun its ascent into the heavens by the time Hala’s story was finished, one complete with wizards, witches, and a sinister sorcerer. It was a story as engaging as any fairy tale, but a fairy tale it was not.

It was the story of Justine Hala Potter’s life

Justine, the twin sister of the famed James Potter, sister-in-law to Lily, and aunt to Harry. But unlike the rest of her family, the name Justine Potter was rarely spoken. As a matter of fact, it was a name conveniently forgotten.

Before her fall from grace, the Potter family had been the pride and joy of the British wizarding world. It was when James and Justine were accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that that pride had taken a blow. She had been deemed a Slytherin and her brother a Gryffindor. Two houses that were the polar opposites of one another. One cunning and power-hungry, the other brave, benevolent, and bold.

Both Potter children had the strength and intelligence to succeed in life--they just went in different directions. James grew up to join the Order of the Phoenix and preserve life while Justine became a follower of the Dark Lord Voldemort, a Death Eater, and took life away. That had been the beginning of the end for both Potters, but while Justine’s end had been exile, James’ had been death.

In some ways, James was the lucky one. He and Lily both. Their deaths were quick and painless. Should the Dark Lord find her, she would not have that luxury. Voldemort was never gentle with those who betrayed him. And betray him she did. After years of being Voldemort’s second in command, she had become a spy for the Resistance.

Sadly, her change of heart had come too late. She had been unable to save her brother and his wife from Voldemort’s wrath, but she had been able to wrestle their son from Lily’s death grip. It was not only Lily’s love for her son that had saved Harry. It had also been Justine’s need for redemption. When Voldemort had cursed Harry, he had been in the cradle of Hala’s arms as she stood before the Dark Lord defiantly, ready to die for her sins if it meant saving her brother’s son.

Willow had been utterly spellbound by Hala’s story. It was no wonder that the older witch was so compassionate toward her. She had been there--she had taken lives and had managed to overcome her murderous ways. The woman who had become her friend and mentor was once one of the most powerful dark witches the world had ever seen. Hala had even shown Willow her scar. A lightning bolt just above her left breast, dangerously close to her heart.

“Voldemort tried twice to kill us. The first when I took him from Lily’s arms. The curse, Avada Kedavara, is one of the three unforgivable curses among my people. It instantly kills anyone faced with it. Except for Harry and meself. The first blow knocked me out; the second hit Harry straight on. And yet he lived.”

Love was the complete antithesis of everything Voldemort stood for and the love that surrounded Harry that fateful evening was enough to drain his power and leave him as a wraith, with no corporeal body to call his own. When she was satisfied that her nephew was in safe hands, she agreed to leave the world she had grown up in, not as punishment, after all, she had risked her life in defying her Master and providing the Order with invaluable information. She had been granted a second chance. The Watcher’s Council of Britain took her in, considering themselves very fortunate to be in the presence of such a powerful witch. In turn for her services as both witch and watcher, they guaranteed her safety from the followers of Voldemort that still remained. From the moment they met, she and Giles had become the best of friends. Their similar backgrounds the basis for a friendship that lasted several years. As per her request, her new contemporaries had taken to calling her Hala, as she had almost developed a brand new identity with her move.

For those several years she had counseled both Slayers and Watchers alike--some of them ready to go over the edge she had been saved from. In that time she had been blissfully unaware of the happenings in her former home, save letters from a friend to keep her up to date with her beloved nephew.

“He’ll be looking for me, Willow,” Hala stated as she concluded her story. “The burning of the Mark means nothing less than his return. And with the power that you possess, he’ll be looking for you too.” At that ominous revelation, a small grey owl swooped in through the bedroom window, dropping a scroll tied in a red ribbon in Hala’s lap and landing on her dresser. The witch looked up at Giles with a wry smile.

“Albus does have wonderful timing.”

~*~*~

Dearest Justine,

Much time has passed since we have last spoken and I apologize that this is the reason we speak again. As I’m sure you already know, the Dark Lord has risen once again. This time I fear he will remain until he is destroyed once and for all. The Muggle world is no longer safe for you and I would rest much easier if you returned to us at Hogwarts. Besides, we are in dire need of a Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor and who better to teach it than someone who knows what the students need to defend themselves from? As for Miss Rosenberg, you must realize that her safety is also at risk. After all, she is the first witch since you left us to join the Council to show so much, well, promise. I wish to bring Miss Rosenberg on as your teaching aide. Our students would be extremely fortunate to have the both of you as instructors. After the tumultuous events of this last year, we are all very pleased with the work you have done with her. James and Lily would have been very proud of you, dear. Never think otherwise.

I have informed the Council that you are needed here and Mr. Travers can promptly arrange for someone to fill your position should you choose to return. The new term starts in four weeks and I am able to send the Hogwarts Express at your earliest convenience. Hogwarts is the best place for the both of you, I’m positive. And you’ll finally be able to meet Harry. He’s ready to know the whole truth, Justine.

Please send your response with Ace.

Your friend,
Albus Dumbledore

~*~*~

Dear Sirius,

I seems like every time I write you I say this, but my scar was hurting last night. Only this time it wasn’t just a stabbing pain, it was a burning, like someone was branding my forehead. That’s never happened before. Have any ideas? Otherwise, everything’s pretty normal around here. My aunt and uncle are still quite beastly and my cousin is still an obnoxious prat. I’m sure that doesn’t surprise you.

School starts in four weeks and I’m counting the days. Maybe I’ll get lucky and run into Snuffles during one of our Hogsmeade trips. Or even in Diagon Alley. I’ll be staying with the Weasley’s during the two weeks before the term starts.

Uncle Vernon’s bellowing for me to come down for dinner, so I’ll be off now. Stay safe and say hello to Buckbeak for me.

Harry quickly signed his name and opened Hedwigs’s cage so he could tie the parchment to her leg.

It had been the first time since school let out for the summer that he’d had any pains from his scar. Ordinarily, he would’ve waited until he had returned to Hogwarts to tell anyone, but since Cedric’s death earlier that year, he had promised Sirius he’d be extra cautious.

Voldemort was gaining power. And Harry couldn’t rest until he stopped him.

~*~*~