Chapter 10 – from day to night
May. 23rd, 2005 03:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fpb“What happens to the world, if all the heroes lose?”
(Jack Kirby – Captain America 211)
It may have been right or it may have been wrong for Moody to manifest himself in Knockturn Alley as he did. The watchful eyes in the hollow buildings and in the ragged crowds would not long have missed the reality of the Slayer, if any of them had done what they were nerving themselves to do and assaulted her; but the fact that he proclaimed his and her identity in a crowded place, full of beings of many races who had plenty of bad reasons to hate and fear them both, just focused the watch. Soft feet and disguised faces came out of Knockturn Alley after them, and little, chittering things managed to keep within their shadow even into the Leaky Cauldron. Many died trying to cross the wards that protected that surprisingly fortified place of meeting; but the intelligence that drove and controlled them had no thought of their deaths, so long as one of the insect-like watchers lay within sight of the two great warriors, and heard their conversation.
It was not worth as much as they hoped. There was nothing in their talk that could help the hidden master greatly, and while the sudden apparition of the celebrated and dreaded Willow Rosenberg was news of absorbing interest, the fact that she was apparently devoted to the Slayer did not encourage any great hopes. As the heroines were followed to Ollivander’s, it became clear that something important had happened in Oxford; but when Giles, Buffy, Willow and Moody returned to the Leaky Cauldron with the girls’ two new wands, they headed for a room that was doubly protected; and not a single creature, however little, followed them there. Which was as Moody had meant it; for he knew as well as any wizard the myriad ways in which enemy eyes can watch, and he had long since perfected methods to let them know only what he wanted.
…………………………………………………………………………………
Still, he was disappointed in his cleverness. The outbreak of magical civil war in America was and could be no secret, however secret its preparations. The only thing that could interest the enemy was, perhaps, what Buffy, Willow and Giles would decide about returning to America.
“Perhaps,” rumbled Moody, “I should leave. I should not interfere with your own affairs, Buffy.”
“I don’t know… It’s not as if we are guarding the secrets of the universe.”
“Nah… or even the formula for Coca-cola.”
“Or the plot of the next Star Wars movie.”
“Which is probably not worth guarding anyway.”
“Probably features Jar Jar Binks again. Bleurch!”
“Ewww!”
It was at times like this that Moody felt the generation gap gape most widely. The two girls seemed intent on dealing with a serious issue by a committed display of formation frivolity. Giles caught his expression and smiled; after all, he had had several years to get used to their ways. He decided to take the conversation in hand.
“So, Buffy, I take it you are not seriously thinking of going back to America and taking part in the war?”
“Well… I don’t know that I am. It’s Willow’s decision anyway.”
“Well…” Willow stuttered, then gained confidence, “I… I don’t see that it makes much sense, really. It was just something I said because I was mad at the Minister. I don’t know who is involved and… and I don’t think we really owe anything to the American Ministry. Until a day or two ago, I didn’t even know it existed…”
“Yeah,” answered Buffy. “I thought so too. Besides, I do owe the Pentagon a favour or two. And – have you thought about it? If we fight them, there’s a good chance I might have to fight Riley and his wife.”
“Yeah, I’d thought of that, too. Only thing is… I wish I had a better reason to stay out than just that we don’t know anything about it. I wish I knew.”
“Yeah. And, Riley or not, favours or not, I don’t trust the Pentagon as much as Budgie-Wudgie does. Maggie Walsh was a Pentagon operative too.”
“OK. But you’re staying out of it?”
“We’re staying out of it. We’re the ‘just say no’ girls,” answered Willow.
“In that case, let’s tell the Minister.”
“You call him, Giles. You’re his friend.”
……………………………………………………………………………………………
“I must say I’m relieved. I think you’ve made the right decision, Miss Rosenberg. No hard feelings? Surely you see I had to act as I did.”
“No hard feelings, Mr.Fudge. Look: no dark eyes. I won’t blow up on you or destroy London with rains of fiery death or anything. I won’t even give you a wedgie for manipulating us…”
Fudge’s head abruptly vanished from the flames, there was a loud thump and the outcry of a creature in distress…
“… wait a minute,” said Willow, as Giles and Buffy clasped their hands to their mouths to stifle their laughter, “perhaps I didn’t quite mean that last one.”
Even Moody’s temper grew a bit lighter. Surely, a sorceress who went around giving wedgies to ministers was not going to run amuck and cause immense damage. Not, at least, in the immediate future.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
“Great,” said Buffy, “so for once Buffy and Willow do not go to war. So what are we going to do now?”
“I have a suggestion that involves ice cream,” answered Giles.
“Ice cream? In England? What do you do with it in this weather?”
“Well, mostly we use it for table tennis,” answered he with a perfectly straight face, “but when the weather is better we play golf with it.”
“Hunh. If I find a sense of humour somewhere, I’ll mark it for Giles’ use and send it along.”
They made their way out of their private rooms at the Leaky Cauldron and across the street to Florean Fortescue’s ice cream parlour. The little creatures that had been waiting for them caught that last bit of banter; and Moody’s magical eye caught sight of some, though not all. Who can spot every insect in the dark? Moody had to be satisfied with the certainty that none of the small watchers and listeners had been inside the room as they discussed matters with Fudge.
The creatures buzzed and flew, and images and words changed hand after hand. Finally, they reached a man called Sir Julian Riddle, who thought he had good reason to have an interest in what the Ministry, the Slayer, and Willow Rosenberg did. Evening passed. Moody, not in general a sociable man, left Giles, Buffy and Willow to their ice-creams; he had already broken several personal taboos because of the pleasure of the Slayer’s company. The three friends enjoyed them, finished them, got up, and went to their rooms in the Leaky Cauldron to sleep. And all the while, as the new moon spread a pale and phantom light over a benighted earth, Sir Julian Riddle stood like a pillar, silent and unmoving, in a filthy back-street garage in a poor quarter of London, listening carefully to the buzzing of many things in the shape of insects.
(Jack Kirby – Captain America 211)
It may have been right or it may have been wrong for Moody to manifest himself in Knockturn Alley as he did. The watchful eyes in the hollow buildings and in the ragged crowds would not long have missed the reality of the Slayer, if any of them had done what they were nerving themselves to do and assaulted her; but the fact that he proclaimed his and her identity in a crowded place, full of beings of many races who had plenty of bad reasons to hate and fear them both, just focused the watch. Soft feet and disguised faces came out of Knockturn Alley after them, and little, chittering things managed to keep within their shadow even into the Leaky Cauldron. Many died trying to cross the wards that protected that surprisingly fortified place of meeting; but the intelligence that drove and controlled them had no thought of their deaths, so long as one of the insect-like watchers lay within sight of the two great warriors, and heard their conversation.
It was not worth as much as they hoped. There was nothing in their talk that could help the hidden master greatly, and while the sudden apparition of the celebrated and dreaded Willow Rosenberg was news of absorbing interest, the fact that she was apparently devoted to the Slayer did not encourage any great hopes. As the heroines were followed to Ollivander’s, it became clear that something important had happened in Oxford; but when Giles, Buffy, Willow and Moody returned to the Leaky Cauldron with the girls’ two new wands, they headed for a room that was doubly protected; and not a single creature, however little, followed them there. Which was as Moody had meant it; for he knew as well as any wizard the myriad ways in which enemy eyes can watch, and he had long since perfected methods to let them know only what he wanted.
…………………………………………………………………………………
Still, he was disappointed in his cleverness. The outbreak of magical civil war in America was and could be no secret, however secret its preparations. The only thing that could interest the enemy was, perhaps, what Buffy, Willow and Giles would decide about returning to America.
“Perhaps,” rumbled Moody, “I should leave. I should not interfere with your own affairs, Buffy.”
“I don’t know… It’s not as if we are guarding the secrets of the universe.”
“Nah… or even the formula for Coca-cola.”
“Or the plot of the next Star Wars movie.”
“Which is probably not worth guarding anyway.”
“Probably features Jar Jar Binks again. Bleurch!”
“Ewww!”
It was at times like this that Moody felt the generation gap gape most widely. The two girls seemed intent on dealing with a serious issue by a committed display of formation frivolity. Giles caught his expression and smiled; after all, he had had several years to get used to their ways. He decided to take the conversation in hand.
“So, Buffy, I take it you are not seriously thinking of going back to America and taking part in the war?”
“Well… I don’t know that I am. It’s Willow’s decision anyway.”
“Well…” Willow stuttered, then gained confidence, “I… I don’t see that it makes much sense, really. It was just something I said because I was mad at the Minister. I don’t know who is involved and… and I don’t think we really owe anything to the American Ministry. Until a day or two ago, I didn’t even know it existed…”
“Yeah,” answered Buffy. “I thought so too. Besides, I do owe the Pentagon a favour or two. And – have you thought about it? If we fight them, there’s a good chance I might have to fight Riley and his wife.”
“Yeah, I’d thought of that, too. Only thing is… I wish I had a better reason to stay out than just that we don’t know anything about it. I wish I knew.”
“Yeah. And, Riley or not, favours or not, I don’t trust the Pentagon as much as Budgie-Wudgie does. Maggie Walsh was a Pentagon operative too.”
“OK. But you’re staying out of it?”
“We’re staying out of it. We’re the ‘just say no’ girls,” answered Willow.
“In that case, let’s tell the Minister.”
“You call him, Giles. You’re his friend.”
……………………………………………………………………………………………
“I must say I’m relieved. I think you’ve made the right decision, Miss Rosenberg. No hard feelings? Surely you see I had to act as I did.”
“No hard feelings, Mr.Fudge. Look: no dark eyes. I won’t blow up on you or destroy London with rains of fiery death or anything. I won’t even give you a wedgie for manipulating us…”
Fudge’s head abruptly vanished from the flames, there was a loud thump and the outcry of a creature in distress…
“… wait a minute,” said Willow, as Giles and Buffy clasped their hands to their mouths to stifle their laughter, “perhaps I didn’t quite mean that last one.”
Even Moody’s temper grew a bit lighter. Surely, a sorceress who went around giving wedgies to ministers was not going to run amuck and cause immense damage. Not, at least, in the immediate future.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
“Great,” said Buffy, “so for once Buffy and Willow do not go to war. So what are we going to do now?”
“I have a suggestion that involves ice cream,” answered Giles.
“Ice cream? In England? What do you do with it in this weather?”
“Well, mostly we use it for table tennis,” answered he with a perfectly straight face, “but when the weather is better we play golf with it.”
“Hunh. If I find a sense of humour somewhere, I’ll mark it for Giles’ use and send it along.”
They made their way out of their private rooms at the Leaky Cauldron and across the street to Florean Fortescue’s ice cream parlour. The little creatures that had been waiting for them caught that last bit of banter; and Moody’s magical eye caught sight of some, though not all. Who can spot every insect in the dark? Moody had to be satisfied with the certainty that none of the small watchers and listeners had been inside the room as they discussed matters with Fudge.
The creatures buzzed and flew, and images and words changed hand after hand. Finally, they reached a man called Sir Julian Riddle, who thought he had good reason to have an interest in what the Ministry, the Slayer, and Willow Rosenberg did. Evening passed. Moody, not in general a sociable man, left Giles, Buffy and Willow to their ice-creams; he had already broken several personal taboos because of the pleasure of the Slayer’s company. The three friends enjoyed them, finished them, got up, and went to their rooms in the Leaky Cauldron to sleep. And all the while, as the new moon spread a pale and phantom light over a benighted earth, Sir Julian Riddle stood like a pillar, silent and unmoving, in a filthy back-street garage in a poor quarter of London, listening carefully to the buzzing of many things in the shape of insects.
