Disclaimer etc. in part 1.

Notes: It's another short update. I know this. I also know that some of you have been waiting on tenterhooks for there to be something more. I owe you all an apology and a really huge update. Unfortunately, I only have what I have for you. More's the pity. Still, I have an offering and I hope it will appease the gods of fanfic. If any of you are still reading, thank you for sticking this out. For those who sent me feedback, thank you for the undeserved ego stroking. Before I let you go to read the story, I feel I should say that Nickle Naks were a real candy. Jelly beans if I'm not mistaken. I found mention of them on a website refuses to let me put up the address for. So there you go. Leave a review or harass me at my email address which can be found in the prologue disclaimer. Thanks to Whitewolf3 for pointing out my mistake. It's just been corrected.

Buffy had extracted herself from Angel with the hurried explanation that she had to get to her classes. Especially since she was still a little behind. After extracting a promise from her that she would explain everything over again in more detail later Angel let her go.

The moment she vanished out of the room Angel decided to have a look around. Aware that he was in a castle, Angel decided to stay around the interior and explore a little. After all, this was a school. Even if the teachers weren't happy with him wandering around it wasn't like they'd do anything to him. Angel glanced around the room and spotted a chest of drawers. He hurried over and was pleased, although surprised, to discover slacks, sweaters, and everything else in the colours he felt complimented him best and all in the right sizes. He quickly dressed and located the door.

It took much cursing and struggling but Angel finally dragged the door open and stepped into the hall. On the opposite wall there was a tapestry of some nutcase ballet dancing with what appeared to be trolls. Angel stared at in befuddlement and then decided to pass it off as modern art because otherwise his poor brain might have exploded.

Continuing on his way Angel passed several of what appeared to be moving, talking paintings, all of whom stopped once they noticed him and silently watched him pass in a deeply unnerving way. He slipped silently down the corridor until he reached a larger open area. He frowned slightly, then decided to head down one of the staircases in the centre. Just as he reached one it suddenly pulled away, swinging across the intervening space and reconnecting to another landing opposite.

Angel blinked.

This was already unbearably strange for words and he, Angelus the Scourge of Europe, had both dated and apparently slept with the current vampire Slayer. Heck, he'd seen two of them in the same room at the same time. He wondered idly if it was the fact that those other things had the benefit of at least having a sort of ironic humour to them, while this stuff appeared to be thoroughly random, that threw him so much.

He approached a second staircase with some suspicion, but this one remained nicely still. It wasn't until he had reached the bottom, carefully noted the location of the stairs so he could find his way back and turned away that he heard a slight grinding noise behind him. The stairs had just swung away, at the bottom this time, and Angel stared helplessly at the empty space where the staircase had been.

"And who might you be?" Came a smooth voice from behind Angel. "I believe students ought to be in classes, not wandering the halls like. . ."

The man trailed off as Angel turned around. He had heavily oiled hair, similar to the styles worn by men in the '40s and '50s. The difference being that it was long and stringy around the ends, and not the short, tight cuts popular back then. "As you can see," Angel said, "I am not a student."

His head inclined, conceding the point, and the man stepped forward. "My name is Severus Snape. Potions Master of Hogwart's. You must be . . ." he paused, as though searching his memory for something. "Angel." Severus Snape's voice held the same emotions Angel had felt when he'd first met a young woman named Candi.

Smiling slightly, Angel said, "It's short for Angelus."

"A Catholic bell ritual?" inquired the other man. He seemed startled. "I had thought it was some sort of pet name Miss Summers called you by."

Sighing, Angel began the tiresome process of explaining the tale of his renaming. Tiresome mainly because of the sheer number of times he had been forced to do so over the centuries. "When my sire changed me, she renamed me 'Angelus'. It was supposed to be the latinate form of 'angel'. Sort of a sick irony," he told Snape. "When I was human my name was Liam. Liam Shaughnessy."

"When you were human?" Asked Snape in some startlement. "Miss Summers had left me with the impression that you simply were not human." He frowned then, remembering something else. "You said your sire named you, but you also mentioned that it was a woman."

Another moment of exasperation. "I don't invent the terms popularly used. The vampire that changes you into a vampire is your sire. Whether or not they are a woman. I know dam makes more sense," he added hastily to forestall that point.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the point Snape wished to make. "You are a vampire? Impossible!" he exclaimed in sudden disgust. "If you feel the need not to tell me what you are that is your prerogative, but do not lie to me."

Blinking, the man who had been a vampire for the last two hundred odd years was slightly taken aback. "Why is it impossible for me to be a vampire?" he inquired.

The other snorted. "Firstly, every schoolchild knows that vampires cannot be awake during daylight except in extraordinary circumstances. Second, they have fangs. Third, even if you were one of those exceptions that would allow a vampire to be awake in daylight, you would have to be a master vampire and those are some of the vilest creatures I have ever laid eyes on and-"

He was cut off as the Angel interrupted. "What. . . that . . . " he sputtered. Finally getting ahold of himself he said incredulously, "What crappy monster B movies have you been watching? Not even Xander is that ignorant!"

They glared at each other, Angel convinced that this Snape person was either stupid or dangerously misinformed for someone living in the supernatural world, Snape convinced that Angel was a dangerous lunatic playing on the affections of his new favourite student.

Buffy sat down in her transfiguration class, feeling a tad worried. While it would be nice to be fully back on a normal schedule, the fact that Angel couldn't remember the past several months was a tad worrying. Although all things considered it was preferable to have this amnesiac Angel over the vocabulary-challenged one she'd been dealing with.

Class began with a lecture on conjuring. "As you are all aware, this term we will be studying conjuring both here and in your charms classes with Professor Flitwick. Can anyone tell me why it is this subject is being studied in both classes?"

Hermione's arm shot into the air with the promptness Buffy had come to expect from her friend. Buffy watched, slightly amused by the way McGonagall was desperately searching for someone that wasn't Hermione to answer the question. Finally giving in to the inevitable, the teacher turned to her and said, "Yes Miss Granger?"

"There are two methods of conjuring. One is charm-based, while the other is transfiguratively based. Conjuring in charms is, in fact, the creation of an elaborate illusion that convinces anyone who is in contact with it that the item conjured is real. In fact, it has all the effects of the item recreated, except that it will vanish in twenty-four hours, or less if so specified by the caster. There are means of making them last longer-" She halted her exposition abruptly as her teacher's glare reminded her that this was a tranfiguration class answer and not a graduate thesis defense on charms. "Anyhow, the transfigurative conjuration is simply a transfiguration of air into whatever one wishes to conjure."

Cutting her off before she could wander too far into theoretical discussion of things the class would find neither interesting nor helpful, McGonagall said, "Thank you Miss Granger. Five points to Gryffindor." Turning back to the class as a whole she continued, "The reason this will take up so much time this term is that air is so unlike the items we will transfigure it into."

A hand shot up from one Caitlyn Andrews. When acknowledged, she asked, "Why is that important?"

Buffy coughed to hide her amusement. Even she knew that and she sucked at transfiguration. She raised her hand and McGonagall nodded in her direction. "Because like we learn when we're starting transfiguration, it's easier to change things into things that are similar in some way."

McGonagall sighed and elaborated slightly. "It is not that it is theoretically any harder to transfigure a shoe into an apple than an orange into an apple, it is that magic is driven by our perceptions as much as it is driven by the power we put into our spells. It is because it is more difficult for most people to picture the change in form from one object to another when they are unalike than when they are alike. The great difficulty with transfiguring air is that one must force the air to gain a solid form, colour, shape and presence, a feat which is most difficult for the imagination as much as it is resisted by the air in its tendency to revert to its normal state."

And then they learned the incantation and began to try to make the air form into a needle. By the end of class only Hermione had anything even remotely solid. Harry had grouchily conjured a needle and McGonagall had given him points for his excellent charms work and then taken them away for trying to trick her into thinking he'd transfiguratively conjured. All in all it was a long and unproductive class.

When it was over they left class with Hermione badgering Harry the whole way about how he'd managed to do the charm conjuration so easily, especially when they hadn't yet covered charm conjuration. Harry was putting her off with one-word answers while trying to get out of Buffy what had happened that morning that had so upset Hermione.

Ginny caught up with them on her way from Charms. She listened for a minute to the two different conversations then broke in. "Hermione, we all know Harry is the best Charms student at the school-"

"Except for you," Harry put in. "Ginny taught me how to conjure."

Hermione squeaked. "I have to get to the library," she moaned.

"Hermione, face it," Buffy said, "You can't be the best at everything."

The brown-haired witch hmphed. "Says the girl that can do no wrong in potions."

Looking completely incredulous, Ron said, "Have you ever seen her in transfiguration 'Mione? She's worse than me." He suddenly realised what he'd just said and to who. "Buffy? Please don't kill me."

"Don't worry. I've heard worse," was her reply. As they turned the corner, they spotted a crowd and some shouting. Suddenly the students all ducked as a violently orange curse flew overhead.

"Chudley Cannon convention going on?" Ginny snarked as they weaved through the crowd to get closer to the altercation.

"Hey!" Ron said.

Buffy was about to break it up when she saw the problem. Angel was vamped out and snarling as he tried to avoid Snape's skilfully cast curses. Snape was clearly in his element as he threw spell after spell at the vampire. "I will not allow you to injure anyone in this school!" he shouted.

"Expelliarmus!" came the voices of Ron and Harry from behind her. The spells hit Snape hard and he flew through the air to slam into the wall.

Angel froze, noticing for the first time the gathered crowd and his girlfriend. "Buffy?"

"What is going on here?" demanded McGonagall imperiously as she strode through the crowd. "What – Severus!" she exclaimed as she hurried over to her colleague.

"Oh Merlin!" moaned a couple nearby Hufflepuffs, "He'll kill us all when he wakes up," continued a third.

Buffy ignored them. "What were you thinking?" she demanded of Angel.

He looked at her, bewildered. "Why doesn't he think I'm a vampire? How can he believe all that drivel about not being able to be awake during daylight? Next thing you know he'll say that the only sure way to identify a vampire is by his clothes-"

A wry chuckle escaped Buffy in spite of the whole messy situation. "Sometimes sweetie, it's the only way to pick 'em out of a crowd."

Angel looked like he was going to have a nervous breakdown. It had been too much. Temporal disconnect, waking up with Buffy, talking paintings, amnesia, a castle, witches and wizards, a disturbing and clearly disturbed man, it all pressed at boundaries of his tolerance until he was reading to run through the hallways screaming.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Summers. Why am I unsurprised to find you at the epicentre of the trouble." Oh. Right. McGonagall. Buffy suddenly recalled the older woman's presence as she glared down at them. "I'm sure you all know your way to the Headmaster's office?"

Five teens and one vampire made their way to the gargoyle that blocked the entrance to Dumbledore's office. Angel leaned over and whispered in Buffy's ear, "What now?"

She sighed. "We go up there and I convince him that demonically based vampires exist."

"What?"

Hermione leapt in ready, as always, with a complete explanation. "There are, according to Buffy, more than one type of vampire. The kind that you are, and are therefore familiar with, and the second kind which is known by the wizarding world. They are much like werewolves in that they are victims of a kind of magical viral curse." When Angel nodded attentively, she continued, ignoring the looks of utter boredom on her friends' faces. "I have little doubt that Professor Snape did not believe you precisely because he is unaware of the type of vampire that you are and is solely aware of the other . . . species, if you will. That group is the source of many of those things which you would consider to be myth. Those vampires which are created by curse rather than demonic infestation cannot even be awake in daylight until they have reached a particular age. At that point they become rather . . . erm . . ."

When Hermione trailed off Ron cheerfully cut in, "Completely and totally disgusting?"

"Ron!" she said reprovingly.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Well it's true. Remember that one Hagrid asked to drop by for class?" She shuddered expressively.

Buffy winced. "Ew and ew again." She looked at Angel, "Just imagine the Master if he'd been a little more wrinkly and was slimy to boot."

"I didn't need to imagine that Buffy." The conversation stopped as they reached the gargoyle that stood in front of the entrance to the headmaster's office. There was a lengthy pause as Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny all exchanged glances. Angel looked on in confusion as they seemed to argue silently about something. Just as he was about to ask why they were standing in front of an ugly statue Hermione heaved an exasperated sigh.

"Bertie Botts Beans."

"Sherbert Lemons."

"Chocolate Frog."

"Fizzing Whizbee."

"Erm . . . Sugar Quills."

Angel leaned over as the four teenagers continued to spout off words and combinations he'd never heard before and whispered into Buffy's ear, "What are they doing?"

Rolling her eyes she replied, "They're trying to guess the headmaster's password to his office. It's apparently always a candy and the students aren't told it. So if you want to get in to see Dumbledore you have to stand around like an idiot and say all the candies you can think of."

"Humbugs," said Harry.

"That's . . . very odd." Angel said.

A wry chuckle escaped Harry. "Very true," he said to Angel as his friends continued rattling off all the candy they could think of. "There are betting pools on how much of it is an act and how much is that he's simply completely barmy."

Ginny leaned back, letting Ron and Hermione compete over which could come up with more candy names. "I think he's completely barmy and acts normal only enough to make people think he's not barmy." Then she grinned at Harry. "I've got galleons riding on the number of times this year he gets accused of being bonkers by the Ravenclaws."

Momentarily taken aback with the sheer strangeness of the whole situation Angel decided to join in with the two still trying to work out the password. "Nickel Naks," he said.

The gargoyle sprang open as was its wont and Hermione looked at Angel impressed. "I hadn't heard of that candy before," she commented as they rode the staircase to the office.

Angel shrugged, "Comes from being old," he replied easily.

They reached the top and before Harry could knock Dumbledore's voice rang out from behind the door. "Please come in." They filed into the room and stood face to face with the old headmaster. "Well, this is interesting. You appear to be fully recovered Mr. . . ." He paused, waiting for someone to fill in the blank.

Angel's eyes narrowed slightly and he concentrated, trying to recall what this man reminded him of. His eyes widened as he realised, and he responded finally with, "Liam Shaughnessy. But I'm called Angel now."

Dumbledore's head snapped up and his wand was suddenly trained on the vampire. "I don't know who you are, but my father made it quite clear that Liam Shaughnessy could not be alive today."

That was too much. "Angel, don't pick a fight with Professor Dumbledore. I don't care who in his family your evil twin killed making him cranky is a bad idea."

"Cranky?" Ron mouthed to his friends. There was an unusual concept. Dumbledore. Cranky. Not a descriptor used for the irritatingly optimistically cheerful man.

However, Buffy's statement had sufficiently interested the headmaster that he sat back down and inquired, "Perhaps, Miss Summers, one of you might explain who and what . . . Angel . . . is?"

Choosing that moment to burst into the office, Snape slammed the door open with his usual inimitable flair stating, "Headmaster, there is some . . . thing running aournd the school claiming to be a vampire. I believe that he is taking advantage of Miss Summer's inexperience to . . . You!" He whipped out his wand and was about to attack Angel again when Dumbledore stopped him.

"Severus, perhaps we might get Miss Summer's story before we act rashly."

Buffy looked at Angel, but he shrugged a little and said, "You're the one who has more to lose with exposure." Buffy huffed and rolled her eyes ar her boyfriend.

"You're no help." She turned to the two men waiting for her explanation. "Okay. So it's like this. There are two kinds of vampires . . ."

So it's a sort of cliffhanger. I'm evil. But I knew that.