Title: Rebellion
Author: Wildecate
Email: wildecate@hotmail.com
Summary: Draco Malfoy rebels.
Notes: Set post BTVS S7 and post ATS S4 and definitely post OOTP.
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine.
Notes 2: Hey there, should apologise now for any HP ref that I’ve got wrong – I’m afraid I had to do it from memory.

Grimmald Place was, it turned out, part of a terraced old fashioned Victorian street, grimy, badly lit in the late afternoon sunlight. There was rubbish blowing down the street and a couple of cars parked badly on the side of the street. Giles, Dawn and Willow had walked from the Underground station. A taxi would have stood out here and they were trying to avoid any kind of recognition.

Giles stopped halfway down the road in between numbers 11 and 13 and Dawn stared at him.

“Way to go Giles, take us to a house that doesn’t exist.”

Giles rolled his eyes. “Concentrate on what you read at Ethan’s.”

Willow concentrated hard on the elegant handwriting, picturing it in her mind. To her surprise, numbers 11 and 13 Grimmauld Place slid aside and another house appeared, blowing up like a massive balloon, the door and windows forming. Dawn raised her eyebrows but said nothing, hefting her bag and following Giles up the path.

The house looked well kept, the front door painted a cheerful green colour. There was a door knocker in the shape of a twisted serpent which Giles grasped and gave a solid knock to the door. The noise echoed and eventually the door swung open.

Dawn and Willow peered around Giles to see a girl standing there. She was tall, red haired and freckled, her green eyes cheerful. Her clothes were covered by what looked like black robes and in her hand she held what looked like a slender stake.

“You must be Rupert Giles” the girl said, holding the door open and allowing them entrance to the house. “I’m Ginny Weasley.”

“Nice to meet you Ginny. This is Dawn Summers and Willow Rosenberg.”

The girls all smiled at each other as Ginny closed the door behind them.

“My parents are here – I know they’d like to see you, Mr Giles.”

She gestured for them to leave their bags and led them down the corridor, painted in fresh yellow paint with pictures on the walls. Dawn looked at them as she passed by, sensible enough not to comment on the fact the occupants of the pictures were moving. There seemed to be the same people in most of the photos, the girl Ginny laughing with what had to be her parents, perhaps her brothers as well. A girl with curly hair, delicate features and intelligent eyes, with her arms around a boy, dark haired and green eyed. They were laughing and giggling as Dawn and Willow walked by.

“Who lives here?” Dawn asked.

“I do” Ginny said, opening the door to the kitchen “I live here with my brother Ron and our friends Harry and Hermione. It’s Harry’s house. It used to be all grim and dusty and horrible but since we started living here we painted it and cleaned it up.”

“It’s nice” Willow followed the others through into the kitchen. At the long scrubbed pine table sat who could only be Ginny’s parents. They rose at the sight of the three visitors and the man could not take his eyes off Giles. Giles looked equally wary but held his hand out.

“Arthur” he said cordially.

“Rupert. It has been a long time.” Arthur Weasley shook Giles’s hand quickly and then introduced his wife. “You remember Molly?”

“Who could forget her?” Giles shook her hand as well before introducing Willow and Dawn. Arthur Weasley’s eyes lingered on Willow for a moment and looked as if was debating whether to ask a question but then decided against it.

“Ginny will show you to your rooms. Make yourselves comfortable.” Molly smiled at the girls, her motherly nature coming through.

Arthur was still regarding Giles uncertainly until Giles spoke wryly.

“Don’t worry Arthur. We’ll be gone in three days, we won’t be here long enough to endanger your mission.” He managed to make his words sarcastic, as if whatever he, Willow and Dawn were doing was far more important that whatever Arthur Weasley was doing.

Willow could feel the vibes flowing around the room, not distrust exactly more like…dislike. Arthur Weasley did not like Rupert Giles. Not at all. And she would guess that Giles wasn’t particularly fond of Weasley either. That surprised her. Most people liked Giles and she had never known him to actively dislike anyone really – especially people who were on their side. She could see Dawn was getting defensive, picking up on the atmosphere and Willow spoke quickly to try and defuse the tension.

“Gosh, Mrs Weasley, I could sure do with a cup of tea.”

“Of course dear” Mrs Weasley smiled at her “why don’t you and settle in and come down in about twenty minutes. I’ll have a spot of food on the table.”

Willow pulled Giles out of the door, taking Dawn with her and followed Ginny upstairs. Giles paused at the bottom of the stairs and flicked his wand at the bags, they rose obediently into the air and began to follow him up the stairs.

”Giles…” Dawn began.

“Later” Giles promised.

“These are your rooms. I’m sorry, I hope you and Dawn don’t mind sharing.” Ginny opened one door. “And you’re here Mr Giles”. Ginny swung another door open directly opposite the girls’ room.

“Um, question” Dawn said hesitantly raising a hand “There is no way this house is large enough for all of us. So how come these rooms are so big?”

“Magic” said Giles patting her on the shoulder.

Ginny left them to unpack and when Willow and Dawn had set their possessions in their room, they joined Giles in his.

Dawn sat down on the rose covered counterpane, and looked expectantly at Giles for an explanation.

“You and Mr Weasley don’t like each other, do you?”

“No” said Giles shortly.

“Why not?” she persisted.

Giles sighed – was he not able to have any secrets? “Arthur and I were in different houses at School. I was in Slytherin with Ethan and Lucius. He was in Gryffindor. There’s always been a chasm between them. Most of Voldemort’s followers were originally Slytherin students.” Giles spared Dawn a brief look. “Unsurprisingly Draco is a Slytherin as well. Arthur, all of his children, Harry and Hermione who you will, no doubt, meet later, are all Gryffindors. Arthur doesn’t trust me. Thinks I’m a turncoat, same as Severus.”

“Severus?” Willow asked.

“He’s a professor at the school, teaches potions. He’s a Slytherin, a turncoat as well. Having both taken the Dark Mark, neither of us are entirely trusted. I don’t blame them.”

“What’s the thing about the stake?”

“The stake?” Giles suddenly understood what Willow was talking about. “You mean the wand?” He took his out from his bag, a long, slim, well used, much polished piece of wood and handed it to Willow for her to examine. She swished it experimentally in the air and left black trails of smoke with it.

“It’s not your wand Willow, you wouldn’t be able to use it as effectively as if it were your own wand.” He took it back from her and stroked his fingers down it. “Oak, ten inches, a core of dragon heartstring. I’ve had this wand for longer than I can remember.”

“You have a wand?” Willow didn’t understand “I don’t have one. And I’ve seen you use magic without it.”

“Simple magic. Nothing that requires too much control.”

“You didn’t have a wand when…” Willow hesitated in what she had been about to say. He hadn’t had his wand when he had dosed her with the Wiccan white magic. Giles guessed what she was about to say.

“No, I didn’t. But I had the control of the group who gave me the magic. They had control and I had it through them.”

“I don’t use one and neither did Tara.”

“Tara had a wand, it was her mother’s. She used it occasionally but she was like you. A wildcard. Someone who has the ability to control the magic. But Tara was able to use her mother’s wand.”

“What was it?” Dawn asked softly but Giles was looking straight at the redhead.

“It was willow wood, 13 inches, a core of unicorn hair.”

Willow bit her lip and the tears welled up in her eyes. The pain of Tara’s death had eased but the thought of her lover wielding a wand made of her named wood sent a stab of longing through her. Dawn moved over to Willow and hugged her comfortingly.

“So we stay here for three days?” Dawn asked eventually “with people who don’t like us?”

“I’m afraid so Dawn. We can’t risk going out again, especially now that we know Voldemort knows there is a new power in London and he has people looking for it.”

“I’ll stay here then” offered Willow “If it’s me they’re looking for.”

“It might not be you they’re looking for, Willow. You’re not the only one with power here.” Giles looked at Dawn. “I believe they might be sensing the power that you have. I don’t want to take the risk that something might happen to either of you.”

“I don’t have any power” said Dawn in confusion.

“I believe that as the Key you were imbued with powers that have not come to the surface yet. You have a natural aptitude for handling magic, although I think that would be improved by using a wand.”

“I get a wand?” Dawn looked excited “Cool.”

“Your blood would still activate the dimensional lock as it were, it would still bring the dimensional barriers down. I believe that you have other powers as well which are as yet unexplored. It’s something we can talk about when we get back to Los Angeles. Perhaps there is someone at Wolfram and Hart who will be able to help you explore the extent of your powers.”

“But in the meantime, we’re stuck here?” Dawn said again and Giles shrugged and then nodded.

Ginny rapped her knuckles on the door and poked her head round the door, a cheery smile on her face.

“Tea, anyone?”