Dun, dun, dun... now is the time for disclaimers! As I am not Russell T Davies, JK Rowling, or gainfully employed by White Wolf Publishing, in no way do I own Doctor Who, Harry Potter, or the World of Darkness. I just like to play in their sandboxes for my own entertainment (and hopefully for others' entertainment as well).
...
The only sound in the room came from the soft strumming of an acoustic guitar. An attractive woman with short strawberry blonde hair played it absently as she watched another woman, her body practically vibrating with tension, staring out the window.
"That's what I was afraid of. The school's just gone into lockdown," Rachel Snape observed disgustedly, tossing a pair of omnoculars onto the sofa beside her. "It wasn't supposed to happen yet. We should have had time for our reinforcements to arrive!"
The strumming faltered for a moment, then resumed, accompanied by a derisive American voice. "It's gotta be that idiot - waltzing in there like he was James Bond, wearin' high-tops with a suit, an' all. I swear, that really is weird enough for him to be a wizard. Are we sure he isn't?"
"Yes, Venus, we're sure. You know that Ami would've gotten the magic vibe if he was," Rachel replied, waving a hand in the direction of the room's other occupant, a middle-aged, salt and pepper haired Chinese woman who nodded absently while she folded clothes. "And besides," Rachel continued, putting her long black hair up in a ponytail, "his wardrobe seems more geek chic than wizard to me."
Rachel quickly scribbled a note and folded it into a paper airplane. Tossing a handful of floo powder into the fireplace, she launched the airplane and called out, "Hogwarts." After the note vanished, she spun around.
"Well, we don't have a choice now; we'll have to improvise. Grab weapons, guys. We go in," Rachel ordered, hefting and twirling her favorite sword. "Oh, and Venus, no guns." She rolled her eyes at the disgusted grunt she received in reply, but was satisfied to hear Venus drop the shotgun.
"Just 'cause I like to keep my options open," Venus muttered, her voice sounding very like Jayne Cobb's for a moment. "Couple of axes okay with you, boss?" she asked in her usual northern Californian accent.
"Yes, that's fine. Honestly though, trying to take a gun into a school? I don't think we want to worry about what could happen if a shot went wild, or the noise attracting half the police in the city." Rachel had a good deal more to say about endangering children, but knew that Venus would just tune her out, so she let it go, and swiped angrily at the tears that formed as she imagined her own kids in the sort of danger that the children just across the street were in.
Ignoring the debate, Ami sheathed her own sword into the scabbard on her back and called into the next room, "Jasmine honey, we're taking care of the school now. We'll be back soon."
Almost immediately, a young girl of twelve or thirteen scurried into the room and wrapped her arms tightly around her mother's waist. "Be careful, mom. And Venus, did I hear you get reminded that there are kids in there? Try not to blow it up," Jasmine said with a grin.
"I'll do my best, Jazz," Venus drawled, ruffling the girl's hair before she returned to strapping her axes to her thighs. "I saw you the other day with the nocs, by the way. Checkin' someone out? That why you're all concerned? Does widdle Jasmine have a crush?"
Jasmine just glared and gave Venus a two-fingered salute.
Venus just grinned, but Ami said, "Jasmine, do try to be a bit more mature than your Auntie Venus; you know it's not that difficult."
"Hey!" Venus cried, affronted.
Jasmine smiled beatifically and kissed her mother's cheek. Once her mother's back was turned, though, she stuck her tongue out at Venus then flounced out of the room.
"I think that's enough. Let's head out." Rachel opened the door and led the party toward the school. Not one of them noticed the young man sulking in a car beside a little robot dog.
"We need to distract them from the children as quickly as possible, correct?" Ami asked as they approached the doors.
"Yes, of course we do. Why…"
But Rachel never got the chance to finish her sentence, for Venus had heard the unspoken request in Ami's query. A grin split her face as one of her axes arced toward the door, which gave way with an incredible racket. "Thoughtful of the architect to design such noisy, easily destroyed doors, huh?"
After clearing away the glass shards as loudly as she could, Venus entered the building with a spring in her step. "Ah, making it up as we go along. We may be in your personal hell, Rachel, but this is what I call fun!"
As Rachel and Ami followed more cautiously down the hall, one young boy ran down a nearby staircase and through the shattered door. His cry for help went unnoticed by the women charging into battle, but was acknowledged by the man who'd run from the car at the sound of breaking glass.