It felt strange with Faith not around. The house felt too big without the chaotic energy. She had some business out of town and wasn't supposed to be back for at least a week. Harry kept busy by training with Giles, his workout, and writing letters to his friends. He also had a phone installed so that people could get in touch with him. Things were going smoothly so of course something had to happen.
Harry was fresh out of the shower when he heard the doorbell ring. He went downstairs after he got a pair of pants on. Willow let out a sharp squeak when he opened the door. Buffy and Willow stood beside each other at his door. Both were rather interested in his shirtless body.
"Hello," Harry said stepping to the side.
"Muscles," Willow muttered.
"Thank you," Harry chuckled. "A healthy body does wonders for innate magical energy."
The duo followed him in.
"You've got a lot of scars," Buffy stated.
Harry nodded, "I like to keep busy. What brings you here?"
"Fundraising," Buffy answered.
"Fundraising?" Harry repeated.
"The school band needs funding so we're all selling chocolate," Willow added helpfully. "I thought about you and so did Buffy. Not that I think about you a lot. Not that we think about you a lot. You were just one of the people that might want to buy some chocolate. Some from me and some from Buffy."
Harry shrugged, "That works. I haven't had much American chocolate."
He bought a box from each of them. His funds were holding steady now that the standard purchases were out of the way. He didn't spend much money aside from groceries and the utilities. Harry made an effort to get out of the house each day beyond his morning jog. He had tried most of the local cafes and restaurants. The mundane bookstore was in a decently sized building. It had a large selection of fiction with a smaller portion set aside for non-fiction. He now had a stack of books to read when he had the time. Buffy hadn't asked him for help recently which meant he had plenty of free time.
"Do you often walk around half-naked?" Buffy teased.
"Would that get you to visit more often?" Harry teased right back.
"Are you two…?" Willow gasped. "Not that I'm saying that's a bad thing. You're a good-looking guy, Buffy is a good-looking girl, the two of you would look good together. Like, as more than friends. Even if you're more than friends with Faith. How does that work? You're friends but you are physically intimate with each other. Doesn't that make your friendship weird? What if you wanted to date someone? Would Faith get mad if you kissed another girl? Would you get mad if Faith kissed someone?"
Harry placed a hand on her shoulder, "Breath."
Willow nodded then started to breath. It was too fast and not nearly deep enough.
"Stop," Harry snapped.
Willow jolted in place.
"Slow and deep," Harry instructed. "Control your breathing. Let your thoughts settle."
She nodded.
"Faith knows that we kissed," Harry stated. "I told her after it happened."
"You two kissed!?" Willow practically screamed.
"You didn't tell them?" Harry chuckled watching as Buffy's cheeks went bright red.
"It wasn't their business," Buffy stated stiffly.
Harry nodded, "Fair enough. I would be a little discouraged if Faith kissed someone then lied to me about it. She's not my girlfriend so it's common courtesy. Witches and wizards aren't all that bothered by mundane diseases. The same sort of magic that extends our lifespan makes us hardier than we look." He shifted his attention to Buffy. "Are slayers like that too?"
"Kind of," Buffy said after a moment. "I've only been sick once since I became a slayer. You would have to ask Giles about other diseases. You don't hear a lot about slayers dying of old age or heart disease. I don't know if a slayer can even have children."
"Maybe there's like some magical contraceptives' ?" Willow posited. "It does make sense to though. You can't fight vampires when you have morning sickness or have to waddle."
Buffy shrugged, "I could always adopt."
"Ok," Willow piped up. "Time to go. Have you already sold some to Giles?"
Buffy smiled brightly, "He was my first stop."
"Do you think he would buy more?" Willow asked.
Buffy shrugged, "Bye, Harry."
"Bye," Harry smiled as the two left.
He opened one of the pieces of chocolate and ate a piece. It was actually pretty good. There was a slight tingle in the back of his head along with it. Magical chocolate, that made sense considering it was Sunnydale. He paused to see if it was doing anything alarming only to feel bit of an increase in energy and a desire to eat some more. Other than that, it seemed fine. They were unknowingly selling fundraising chocolate that made people want to buy more. Crafty.
Harry snapped off another piece. It tasted better than chocolate frogs. If he was completely honest he hated eating those things. The flavor was middling and the wiggling made him a little nauseas.
There was a nice little burst of energy with the next piece. He felt the tension in his shoulders ease. The only time he ever seemed to relax lately was in the afterglow of sex. He was going to enjoy this stuff. Neville had managed to come up with a special blend of mandrake leaf and ground nightshade. It was fatal to a muggle while giving magical folk a good high. The chocolate didn't hit nearly as hard. This stuff was still relaxing.
He had eaten three bars before he knew it.
Harry watched as Buffy skipped out of her house off to do something. Should he tell her about the enchanted chocolate? It wasn't his problem. Harry shook his head. He looked at the half-eaten bar in his hand. This stuff was sneaky. It wasn't just relaxing. He could feel some sort of enchantment start to dull his thought process. After a moment he grabbed the box of chocolate and took them up to his potion room.
The cauldron sparked to life as he entered the room. He cast a Bubble Head Charm as he tossed the half-eaten chocolate bar in. There was a chance that there would be fumes that weren't ones he wanted to breath. Harry stripped the wrappers from a few more then tossed them in as the cauldron reached the proper level of heat.
He poured a few ounces of a measured saline solution in to assist the process. It was an important step for breaking down a potion or enchanted item to identify the ingredients. Harry watched as the chocolate melted much faster than it should have. It evaporated leaving behind the components of whatever potion it had been laced with.
Harry tapped the edge of the cauldron making the components separate then drained into a set of vials. Four different liquids and a few powders were ready for inspection. He took the ingredients, moved them to his worktable, and hit each one with a diagnostic spell.
They glowed in familiar hues even if he didn't recognize what they were. Mental magic focused on reducing inhibitions and somehow regressing the mind to a younger state. Each bar would compound the effects. It was designed to fade after twenty-four hours at full power. This looked less like underhanded techniques for a fundraiser with each passing moment. It wasn't slipping booze in the punch or a contact high to drive up sales. Whoever provided the chocolate wanted people to ignore their responsibilities for the next twenty-four hours. That didn't exactly inspire confidence. He noted the ingredients as well as their properties before moving on.
Harry took a bite of chocolate. He didn't remember opening one or even having an extra bar nearby. A very soft voice in the back of his head reminded him that it was dangerous. Another slightly louder voice told him he deserved to relax a little. A couple of bars of chocolate wouldn't be that bad. He shook his head, then tossed the rest of it into the cauldron. Harry had faced mental magic before. The kind that kicked in his door and demanded his obedience. This subtle touch was sneaky. Regardless, he wasn't going to let it take hold again.
Harry was dressed and ready to go just in time to see Joyce leaving her house. She gave him a shy wave before hopping into her car. He thought about flagging her down for a moment before she pulled away. His eyes narrowed a little at how fast she had drove off. He scanned the other houses along the street. Loud music played from quite a few of them. He could almost track the route of chocolate sales by the slowly enfolding chaos.
Whatever this was had spread a lot farther and faster than he had expected. Buffy and Willow had mentioned selling him chocolate. Harry jogged toward the school at a steady pace. Giles may have already been exposed. Luckily, the chocolate would need some time to activate before the drastic changes took hold. He could feel the tug at the back of his mind telling him to relax. This wasn't his problem. He was on vacation. It was very, very tempting to listen.
Harry had to pay more attention than usual to the cars on the road. People weren't as careful as usual. It wasn't drastic, just a little faster and louder music. The kids he saw in the cars were either confused or excited at the change.
He made it to the school in time to see Buffy working with Giles. The Watcher seemed to be acting normally enough. That was until Giles started to eat a bar of chocolate. Harry slipped into the school. He didn't want to encounter Snyder with loosened inhibitions.
The duo turned to look at him as he entered.
"Hi," Buffy waved at him.
"Harry," Giles nodded. "Did we have a training scheduled for today?"
Harry shook his head, "How many of those chocolate bars have you eaten?"
Giles looked down at the bar in his hand. He shrugged before taking another bite.
"Why?" Buffy asked.
"They're laced with something," Harry replied.
Buffy snapped to look at Giles, "Are you ok? Do you feel anything? Thirsty? Tired? Is your vision blurry?"
"I'm fine," Giles chuckled. "It's good chocolate. I've got a good tolerance for controlled substances."
Harry and Buffy shared a look.
"It lowers inhibitions and makes people act younger," Harry explained.
"That doesn't sound so bad," Giles shrugged.
Buffy glared at her Watcher, "I don't want to have to deal with a teenage Giles."
"Why?" Giles scoffed.
"Why do you think, Ripper?" Buffy replied.
"Point," Giles nodded.
"We should keep an eye on things," Harry said. "It's subtle."
"Sounds like a plan," Giles replied.
"Well," Buffy said heading to the door. "I've got to go."
"Where are you going?" Giles asked. "We have to patrol."
"I can't," Buffy hardly slowed. "Moms in hyperdrive. She wants me home tonight. I told you."
"But… I…" Giles tried to argue.
"I know, I know, she's out of control," Buffy called. "Don't overdo it on the chocolate."
Giles turned to face Harry. He shrugged.
"I'll do some more research on the chocolate," Harry said. "I'm missing something. The potion doesn't seem dangerous enough to be the main event."
"Keep me updated," Giles said.
Harry paused, "Why did she call you Ripper?"
"I was something of a hellraiser in my youth," Giles said with a half-smile. "Witchcraft, spreading anarchy, and fighting against the man." He paused. "What about you? Tell me about teenage Harry?"
"I am teenage Harry," He countered.
"You're more mature that most of the adults in town," Giles said.
Harry nodded, "Old habits die hard."
"And you have no stories of teenage rebellion?" Giles asked with a slight tease in his voice.
Harry chuckled, "My teenage rebellion was literally guerilla warfare against an oppressive government. Parties, drinking, and girls weren't an option when I was trying to stay alive."
"It sounds like you could use some actual teenager rebellion," Giles sighed handing him a bar of chocolate.
"Thanks," Harry nodded, opened it and took a bite. "This is my first vacation."
"And yet you're still fighting against the forces of evil," Giles pointed out.
Harry shrugged, "My longest stretch of a peaceful life was two weeks. Any more than that and I go stir crazy."
He paused, looking at the chocolate bar in his hand.
"Sneaky," Harry shook his head. "I'm heading back to my place. I will let you know if I learn anything more."
He set the chocolate bar on the counter before he left. The rest of the night was spent in his potion room. He researched the chocolate for hours. It wasn't until his hand scrapped against cardboard that he realized he had been eating throughout the process. He had unknowingly been eating half of each bar before tossing them into the cauldron. Part of him was impressed. He should have been worried.
Harry caught sight of the world outside his window. It was night. No wonder he had been so susceptible to the chocolate. He tapped the side of the cauldron to cut the heat. His hand stopped when he pointed it at his head. He hadn't used a Bubblehead Charm. The fumes. He had been exposed to the potion this entire time.
"Sloppy," He muttered.
A flick of his wrist aired out the room. He closed the door behind him as he headed to his bedroom. Sleeping it off sounded like a great idea.
~
Harry woke up to the sound of someone pounding on his door. He muttered and grumbled as he stumbled down the stairs. Buffy was waiting for him when he opened the door.
"You're not answering your phone," She said as she stormed in.
Willow, Xander, Oz, and Cordelia hurried in after her.
"Come on in," Harry muttered. "What time is it?"
"Three-thirty," Willow answered.
Harry looked out the window. True enough, it was afternoon. He had been asleep for more than twelve hours. Harry was annoyed at being interrupted. He felt like he could sleep for a few more hours still.
"Did you find out anything more about the chocolate?" Buffy asked.
Harry shrugged, "Not really."
"You've been eating it," Buffy stated.
"So?" Xander spoke up. "I have too. Nothing has happened to me."
Everyone looked at him for a moment.
"Right, already an irresponsible teenager," Xander muttered. "Why should Harry be different?"
"Does he strike you as an irresponsible teenager?" Oz asked in reply.
Harry flopped onto the couch, "I could use some Ogdens right about now."
"Ogdens?" Willow asked. "Is that some detoxification potion?"
"Whiskey," Harry replied. "Fire whiskey. The good stuff. Krum sent me a bottle of Transylvanian Vodka once the war was over. They say it's made by a vampire that has honed the craft for over a century. It isn't, the guy has only been a vampire for fifty years. He's got that classic Dracula look to him. The guy isn't even from Transylvania. He lived in Croatia."
"As interesting as that is," Buffy spoke up. "What did you learn about the chocolate?"
Harry shrugged, "It has a compound effect. The more chocolate you eat, the more it activates. It's on a countdown too. The potion will wear off around sunrise."
"Why?" Buffy asked.
"How the fuck would I know?" Harry scoffed. "I want some pizza. Do you guys want pizza? I'll order delivery."
"Pizza sounds good," Xander replied.
"Xander!" Willow gasped.
"What?" He asked in reply. "I can't help with this? The best I can do is stay out of the way."
"True," Oz added. "The smell of all the chocolate is giving me a migraine."
"Yeah," Xander snapped his fingers. "Dogs can't eat chocolate."
"I'm a werewolf, not a dog," Oz deadpanned.
"He can eat chocolate," Willow added.
"It's the potion fumes," Harry spoke up. "Be quiet, I need to order."
Xander sat beside him and turned on the television.
"You're hopeless," Cordelia muttered as she took a seat beside her boyfriend.
"Are you going to help?" Buffy asked Harry.
He shrugged, "If the chocolate is bag then track down the source. I have faith in you."
"Speaking of our other slayer," Xander said. "Where is Faith?"
"She had business out of town," Harry replied. "She has the number if she needs help."
Buffy groaned and stormed out of the house. Willow followed quickly behind with Oz at her side.
"Could you order some breadsticks too?" Cordelia asked.
Harry nodded.
~~NOTE:Considering Harry could throw off the Imperious some chocolate shouldn't be an issue. I thought a softer reaction would be more entertaining.