| Summer Crossover Series 2003: Potions 101 By Kuzibah |
| A Buffy/Harry Dresden (book series) Crossover Disclaimer: Giles and other characters and situations particular to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, The WB Network, and other individuals and corporate bodies. Harry Dresden and other characters and situations particular to the book series of the same name are the property of Jim Butcher. No copyright infringement is intended or implied. Introduction to the Series: Well, Buffy has at last come to an end, and while I will most likely continue to write Angel fanfic, it has been suggested that I expand my options. In that interest, my fanfic series this summer will give me an opportunity to explore other fandoms through a series of crossovers with Buffy and Angel characters. Some will be less serious than others... Introduction to "Potions 101": When Giles was last seen, he was headed away from the crater formerly known as Sunnydale. Harry Dresden is from the book series by Jim Butcher, the first volume of which, "Storm Front" was recorded as an audio-book by James Marsters. The series concerns the adventures of Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional Wizard. To get a taste of the series (and I recommend this for maximum enjoyment), read the first chapter here: Storm Front Rating: PG-13 (language) Archive- Please email request. Feedback- Absolutely. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* The taxi dropped Rupert Giles on a pleasant residential street, filled with grand old homes, most now converted to apartments and offices, and lined with trees. He checked his address again, then walked towards one of the houses. As he got closer he noticed a small, weather-worn sign with the names of the house's various residents. His contact had a private entrance, to the basement. Giles descended the cellarway and knocked on the heavy wooden door. Within he heard the sound of someone shifting around, and then the door cracked open. An enormous orange cat pushed out and past him with an irritated look, followed by the face of a tall, dark-haired man who looked as though he hadn't slept or shaved in a day or two. Giles recalled that on the few previous occasions Dresden had been pointed out to him, he always looked this way. "Harry Dresden? I'm Rupert Giles. We spoke on the phone..." "Yes, Mr. Giles. I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow. Day must have gotten away from me. Please, come in." And Giles stepped into the home of Chicago's only professional wizard. Inside it was dim, lit only with candles and a low fire in the fireplace, but the soft furnishings, tapestry-covered walls, and layers of carpeting on the floor kept the overall impression warm and inviting. Giles watched as his host, who was clad in a long, albeit threadbare, woolen robe, lit several more candles and cleared off a chair at the small dining table. "Have a seat," Harry said, as he continued to remove stacks of mail, magazines, hand-written notes, and what looked like rare, ancient texts from the table. "Can I get you a Coke?" "Um, yes, certainly," Giles replied, and Harry poured two tall glasses (discarding the extra in one of the cat dishes on the floor, for some reason), and took his place across from Giles. "I'm sorry about the mix-up," Harry said. "I do some work for the Chicago P.D., and I've spent most of the past week on a particularly nasty murder case. Unfortunately, I need to call Officer Murphy later and inform her this was normal murder one, nothing magic involved. �Well, that�s good, isn�t it?� Giles asked. Harry sighed heavily. �I don�t know,� he said. �Ritual mutilation and dismemberment of a five year-old for shits and giggles? I�d almost rather the devil made him do it.� He dry-scrubbed his face with the palms of his hands, then spoke again. �Ombra told me you needed a crash course in potion-brewing,� he said. �Did you bring a robe?� �I did,� Giles said. �It�s not anything special. Is it for protection from dark forces?� Harry gave a small smile, and the grim mood was broken by the openness of it. �Nah, just tradition,� he said. �Plus, it�s damn chilly down in the lab.� *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Giles stood on the ladder descending into the sub-basement, waiting while his host went into the utter darkness to light a lamp. The flame illuminated another cluttered room, although this one was more obviously a wizard's lair. Books and scrolls were crammed into bookshelves along with bottles and jars with various unidentified substances. Harry lit more lamps, revealing beakers and other ancient-looking lab equipment, a scarred and burned work-table, and various bric-a-brac. Harry stopped beside a human skull resting on a shelf. "Bob. Wake up," he said sharply, and Giles watched as two orange points of light ignited in the skull's eye sockets. "Oh, for heaven's sake, Harry," the skull intoned, its jaw snapping open and shut in a bizarre approximation of speech. "We just mixed potions three days... Oh, hello. Harry, you didn't tell me we had company. This is such a surprise. He never lets me talk to anyone. Tell me, are we expecting any ladies later?" "No," Harry said. "This is Rupert Giles, from the Council of Watchers." "One of the few," Bob the skull muttered. "Haven't you a Slayer with you? A young, nubile..." "Stop it," Harry snapped. "Have some pity," the skull said. "I haven't been corporeal in..." "I'm teaching Mr. Giles the fine art of potions," Harry interrupted. "Any good, basic ones you can suggest for a learner?" "Well, I do know a good vampire repellent," Bob said thoughtfully, and gave the recipe. Harry set up a Bunsen burner with a beaker stand above it. "Each potion consists of eight ingredients," he explained. "First is a medium to hold the other ingredients. To repel vampires, the most obvious base is holy water." He opened a drawer and pulled out three bottles marked with crosses, then poured the water into the beaker. "We have to bring it to a simmer," Harry said. "Once you get some skill at this, you can do two different ones at once. That's what I usually do. But I don't want to give you too much right off." He began to gather jars and bottles from the shelves. "Is there any special skill involved?" Giles asked. "How so?" "Do you have to have magical ability, I mean," Giles explained. "Or is this something anyone can do?" "Well, yes and no," Harry said. "I suppose, theoretically, there are some potions that don't require any sort of magical skill..." "There are," Bob confirmed, "but they don't do anything particularly useful..." "But gathering the ingredients, and getting them into the medium, that takes a specialized talent," Harry said. "Okay, it looks like we're at a low simmer, now." He moved his other ingredients into a line. "A specialized talent? What do you mean?" "You'll see, Mr. Giles," Harry said, and he opened the first jar. A beam of light, blinding since Giles's eyes had adjusted to the gloom of the sub-basement, streamed out of the jar. Giles raised his hand involuntarily, and after a moment the light dimmed to a gentle glow in the beaker. "The next five ingredients," Harry was explaining again, "are tied to the five senses. That was a beam of sunlight, for sight. Now, hearing next." He opened a bottle of smoky glass, and the room filled with the sound of church bells. Harry added it in. "Remarkable," Giles said. Harry stirred the simmering beaker with a glass rod, then handed Giles a small clay pot with a lump of black incense in the bottom. "Light that and get the smoke going," he said. "I'm going to pulverize some of this dried garlic. For the taste, of course." "Of course," Giles said, blowing gently over the incense until it glowed. Harry moved his fingers through the fragrant smoke, drawing it through the air to add to the mix, then sprinkled the garlic in. "These are wood splinters," he said, opening another jar. "Ash-wood, for touch." He broke them into even smaller fragments into the beaker and stirred it with the rod again, then left it to simmer. "Now we let that stew a bit longer," Harry said. "But going back to your earlier question, you or any of the Watchers could easily learn to collect these things. It just takes an understanding of the way magical laws work and the will to affect the change. Have you done magic?" Giles gave a pause before answering. "I have," he said. "Plus living on the Hellmouth as long as you did," Harry said. "That much exposure to the Nevernever had to have sharpened all your natural abilities." "I'm sorry," Giles said, "but did you say the Nevernever? Like Peter Pan?" Now Harry looked a bit confused. "You haven't heard..?" "The Watchers call it the Hell Dimensions," Bob interrupted. "Just two different mortal names for the various psychic real estate." �At any rate, living in such a magically-charged area,� Harry continued, �I wouldn�t be surprised if there was a much higher than average incidence of manipulation of these forces. Probably not immediately apparent to the untrained eye�� He trailed off as he realized Giles was laughing at him. �I�m sorry,� Giles apologized, �but you really have no idea. I�ve seen things even my fellow Watchers find beyond belief. Vampires roaming the street so openly they have their own shops to cater to them. At my Slayer�s high-school graduation, the town mayor transformed into a giant demon-snake and attempted to eat the student body. A year ago, I battled one of my prot�g�s, and in losing that battle nearly lost the entire world. Harry blinked in surprise. �Again, I apologize,� Giles said, �but I wanted to make clear the level we�re operating on.� �No, I should apologize,� Harry recovered smoothly. �I forgot how deeply the Slayer gets involved with these things. It�s like having the third eye open all the time.� He shifted his attention back to the bubbling potion. �The last two ingredients are tied to the mind and the spirit, respectively,� he said. He opened another drawer and removed a scrap of paper crammed with tiny writing, crumbling it and dropping it into the beaker, where it dissolved at once. �For the mind, a psalm,� he explained, then consulted the recipe again, hmm-ing a bit. �It only asks for a piece of sacred music for the spirit,� Harry said. �Any preference?� Giles considered a moment. �I�ve always been partial to �Sheep May Safely Graze,�� he said. �Appropriate for a vampire repellent, as well,� Harry said, reaching for a tin from a shelf of similar tins. He unscrewed the cap and music of Bach filled the lab. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Later, after they strained and bottled the potion, cleaned up the lab, changed out of their robes, and shared another Coke, Giles was on his way out. �It was a pleasure to meet you,� Harry said. �I hope my lesson was useful to you; it�s been a long time since I�ve had a student.� �It was,� Giles said. �Would it be alright if I contacted you again? I may need more instruction, both for myself and the prot�g� I mentioned earlier. I think she, in particular, could benefit from the Wizard�s discipline.� Harry nodded. �It would be an honor, Mr. Giles.� �Thank you,� Giles said, and he opened the apartment door. The orange cat who�d exited earlier came in with a haughty glance in Harry�s direction. �And good morning to you, too, Mister,� Harry addressed it, then shrugged at Giles. �Safe trip,� he said, and smiled, and then closed the door. Giles climbed the steps to the street as the first rays of dawn painted the morning gold. Main Menu ~ Return to Crossover Menu |