A/N: Yes, SereniteRose, I also would like a stronger Hermione. She is such an awesome character. In this situation, I think Ginny would only be jealous if Harry gets too interested and Ron would always be jealous of anything Hermione might achieve. Can you imagine an overachiever like Hermione marrying someone so insecure? True, Ron has his good qualities but I think that match is straight out of Dr. Phil's. By the way, Sereniterose, you are the best! You are an awesome! I really appreciate it! :D
Thank you for your reviews too, pianomouse and tnecni! :)
Thank you for everyone who've enjoyed reading, left reviews and added this story in your favorite or follow list. I will be editing the first chapter to include at least a year in its setting.
Flight
1994
It shouldn't come as a surprise for him, no one's perfect. While other Watchers grumble about having semi-literate or in older days illiterate Slayers, his Slayer can't be kept out of reading anything she gets her hands on. Thus, she had read enough materials for any beginner Watcher to cover even though they are just a few months on her training. She did her training religiously and uncomplainingly, considering these trainings as another one of her classes. (She uses a time turner to fit it in her schedule) No, his problem did not lie in her thinking capacity, her reflexes nor even her physical abilities. His problem lies in her inability to listen to her instincts.
Slayers should be instinctive and it is in this capacity that they fight demons more effectively. The problem is while he can teach her how to fight and what kind of demons or monsters she's up against, he can't teach her how to feel; when to duck or when to jump and step away. She is as strong as one expects a Slayer can be and more, seeing the weight of the swords she's been practicing with, but her fighting is mechanical. Even the way she uses magic to enhance her blows is mechanical.
He realized that nothing is more instinctive than flying. It would help her to rely on her gut feelings. Initially, he even had Harry and Ron join them for the first "flight tutorial" session. But it couldn't continue given how Ron groused on why he, Zekun, had to be the one who flies with Hermione. He didn't say a word as he rode his broom and zoomed past them, performing maneuvers he'd honed from playing quadpot in his younger days. He couldn't help but grin when Harry whistled and Ron muttered that he was a "show-off" disgustedly.
This brings him back to Hermione who was standing with him in the lone solitary cliff he'd apparated them to. "I hate you…" Hermione practically growled at him. He only grinned as he handed her his broom. "I have your time turner here." Zekun told her smugly, she wonders how he got it from her neck without her noticing. "You still have a lot to learn my Slayer." He answered her unsaid question. "You have only 18 minutes until your Transfiguration class and as I understand it, Professor McGonagall hates it when students get late." He said before apparating below.
"Fly back to Hogwarts!" He shouted, magically enhancing his voice.
Hermione frowned; she was more scared of Professor McGonagall than she is scared of flying. She gripped the broom with both of her hands, steadied it between her legs and tried to remember Madame Hooch's instructions in their first year. She then opened her eyes and kicked at the ground determinedly.
It was easier than she thought. She flew with ease back into the Hogwarts grounds and flew to her designated classroom and told her classmates to open the window for her as she flew in. Zekun was happily watching as he flew some distance away watching her revel in the freedom of the wind.
Genuine Friendship
1993
Something snaps inside him as he heard his Slayer sniffle in her room once more. He left their suite of rooms and asked where he could find Harry and Ron. It only took him a few minutes but he found the two hanging out under a tree near the lake.
"I would like to thank both of you for making my job easier." He told the two surprised boys. "The Watcher's Council wanted to take Hermione away from this magical community from the start seeing how prejudiced it is to someone of her blood status. I expected such jealousy from you Ron, seeing that she now finds herself in a position of honor as a Slayer even though you only see her as a Mudblood." Zekun drawled.
Ron was aghast at the suggestion and tried to retract but Zekun wouldn't let him. "I can understand. You are the pureblood in your group and nobody has to be better than you." He pointed out.
Ron tried denying and arguing but Zekun ignored him as he moved on to Harry next. "I expected more from you. Not because you are the Chosen One, but because I've heard of how much she did for you. I've also heard about James Potter and how loyal he is to his friends even at the price of his life. I think he would be so proud of the way you stand by and let people step all over the person who had been nothing but loyal to you. She's only staying here out of that sense of loyalty for you."
Harry looked down in his shame. "Maybe the next time I convince her to leave, it would be much easier." Zekun finished as he smiled and walked away. He could hear the boys talk it over and come to a realization that they have been treating Hermione horribly since it was announced that she is the Slayer. As soon as Zekun walked back in their shared rooms, he called a house elf and asked for some of chocolate ice cream to be sent to Hermione as he left to go the school clinic for the rest of the day.
Independent
1993
He only needed to teach her a few offensive spells and how to wield a sword at first, and now she is fighting the undead at a London cemetery like she's been doing it for years instead of for the first time. He had even been surprised when she used a spell that Watcher's used to enhance their hits. She learned it off of one of the books he brought with him.
There was art and beauty in her every movement; it was like watching a professional dancer. Every hit and punch looks like a prima ballerina's step. She might still be a gangly teenager outside of battle but she is every bit a goddess in her fights. Her strength can be seen beyond the battle field as she planned all of her activities and managed her time to maintain a balance in her life.
As she grew into her powers and abilities, her magic held back the demon's essence that drives most Slayers to be almost savage in their personalities. What remains is just the demon's ability to do battle and strategize. He knew that she would grow into this inheritance and power as she matures but even now he can see her unparalleled strength.
As Hermione gloried in her power and gain confidence and self-awareness with each victory, Zekun grew to worship his Slayer, understanding and reveling in his place and duty in this lifetime. He has only one goal, and that is to equip his Slayer to be capable of handling every challenge she may come up against.
Jealousy
1995
It was inevitable that he would find himself amidst this blood purity war even if he is reluctant to participate in it. Although he refuses to follow Dumbledore's orders or join the Order of Phoenix, he still treats the injured members brought to his door. Just the previous week, he'd even accidentally saved Sirius black from falling into the veil after surreptitiously following his Slayer.
Despite all of these he absolutely refused to learn more about their plans or to help out in these other than in treating patients that he came across. Molly Weasley tried unsuccessfully to guilt trip him and even used his Slayer's blood status as an argument to prove her point.
That actually got him furious but he reigned his anger in by just shocking her, telling her that he didn't give a damn about the outcome of a stupid war fought out and started by distantly or even closely related relatives over something as a trivial as to what kind of family a person is born into. He said he'll talk to her about it if they started acknowledging their squib accountant relative. Molly had been flustered and because she serves as the mother hen of this group, his "rudeness" earned him the ire of many of the Order's members. Up until Kingsley reminded them that he is the only licensed and trained healer in their midst, that and they owed him for practically rebuilding Arthur Weasley's upper torso after he'd been attacked by Nagini and saving Sirius Black.
While he didn't like to be around the Order, he would always be found in the vicinity of where his Slayer is. Thus, he sat in Grimmauld's Place sipping tea with Remus Lupin whom the Council hired to be a researcher and his friend Sirius Black whom the werewolf is arguing with in terms of the matter they've found in the archive. They have been cataloguing and summarizing monsters and demons before creating an electronic archive of their work. Only Lupin had been hired but a bored Black is in for the ride as he has nothing better to do.
Zekun is reading from one of the books from the Black family library which Molly forbade everyone, including Sirius Black who is its rightful owner, from reading these books. Molly tried to forbade Zekun and even appealed to Hermione for help but Zekun merely told Dumbledore who had been present at that moment that to not use the resources they have at hand is foolish. The old man agreed and the restriction from reading those books had been lifted although only Zekun, Remus and Hermione read. The rest didn't want to hurt Molly's feelings or like Sirius had no interest in reading.
In all honesty though, Zekun is bored. Unlike in Hogwarts where he'd have an occasional patient or even an occasional night patient in the form of Severus, here he had nothing to do and even less to do at the Watcher's Council secret protected home he shared with Remus, Sirius and Hermione in London (Sirius had not wanted to spend more time at his parents' old home more than he had to). So he exercised his favorite hobby, one he'd learn to do from his time at Hogwarts, irritate Ron Weasley. It was childish but it was really fun.
He called Hermione over, interrupting her conversation with Harry and Ron. He pointed out that he found an interesting spell in this book, Hermione in her excitement squeezed in to sit beside him in the arm chair he occupied, both of their lean figures fitting snugly in the overly large chair. He handed her the book before removing her hair tie as she read. He then fixed her messy bun into a more presentable French braid. Hermione excitedly pointed out the practical uses of this spell while he only smiled indulgently and absent-mindedly played with the loose tendrils of her hair, glancing subtly at Ron who was getting red with jealousy.
He schooled his features to hide the grin he would have had when Ron stomped out of the room muttering followed by a sighing Harry.
Zekun had actually been doing this for more than a year, ever since Ron made Hermione cry during the Yule Ball for dancing with Viktor Krum. With him around, Ron could barely get Hermione alone much less pursue a romantic relationship with her.
He can also admit that his unnecessary meanness towards Molly roots from her stiffly greeting his Slayer sometime during the girl's fourth year when Molly believed Rita Skeeter's depiction of his Slayer as a scarlet woman.
The Watcher's Council pressured the Daily Prophet and Skeeter for that one and the woman was forced to issue an apology and a retraction about her portrayal of Hermione in her articles. But for now, he concentrated his attention on his Slayer who was still busily explaining that this spell has other uses than just for healing as she enumerated more, he continued playing with her hair even after Ron had left.
As busy as he was with his Slayer, he didn't notice the knowing looks Sirius and Remus paid him.
