Illyria found herself slightly annoyed as she read the front page of the latest wizarding paper. She had snagged it from the kitchen table where Hermione had left it. She glanced at Spike who was lounging against the side of the house avoiding the last rays of sunlight. She briefly glanced across the yard where Gabrielle and Willow were huddled around a drawn map of the Granger's place. Her whispered words barely carried to Spike as she absently crushed the paper in her right hand. "How am I supposed to make a name for myself when the ministry blames my artwork on Voldemort?"

Spike chuckled a touch before nervously glancing over at Willow, "It's for the best Illyria, though really I don't think you should go around claiming to have ripped the skull off a ministry employee and used their blood to write 'I must not tell lies' on the wall of their office. It wouldn't do to upset certain people."

She nodded absently as she unfolded the crumpled paper and poked at it savagely, "It says Ministry of Magic employee savagely killed by dark wizards, it could at least give the details. I mean I ripped her whole damn spine out…" She tilted her head slightly as she looked curiously at Spike, "What did you do with the skull anyways?"

He grinned, "Oh that, well I sent it to Draco Malfoy with a note saying it was his dear old mother's."

"Was that your twisted idea or hers?"

He grinned, "Mine, let's not share that though."

Willow glanced up from the blueprints for the wards on Hermione's parent's house. "Any idea what Blue and Spike are talking about?"

Gabrielle chuckled, "Maybe they are just trying to figure out what to get you for the holidays."

"Oh, so are you going to give me any hints?"

Gabrielle smiled up innocently at Willow, "Oh please mommy, you always tell me that eavesdropping is wrong."

Willow shook her head, "Where did I go wrong?" She chuckled at the frown on Gabrielle's face. "We should get back to figuring out how to ward the place."

"What you don't trust all of the wards auntie Hermione placed on this place?"

"For her age she's one of the best witches around but she is still limited in that her magic comes from books in this world." Willow waved a hand around idly.

Gabrielle nodded, "I've been doing some reading. Some of the new dark arts books Spike picked up for me talk about breaking wards. It mentions various ways the ministry has to slip past wards or to outright break them. It might be a good idea if we helped auntie's wards a bit."

Willow glared at Spike until a shiver went down his spine. "Do I want to know where he got the books, or if they are dangerous?"

Gabrielle rolled her eyes, "Give me a little credit mom. I had uncle Bill go through them first for dangerous hexes and enchantments. He found a few, he made me look them all up and write out the counter curses to them all. I could have just ripped the spells apart and he knows it but he said that looking things up and writing them out is good practice." She tapped her foot idly. "Why do adults do that?"

Willow nodded, "So that you'll learn. I'm glad you thought of going to an adult at least. So I guess I shouldn't be too upset that you talked Spike into getting you more spell books. How come you didn't ask me?"

"Ah sure mom, can you get me some potentially dangerous dark arts books because I want to do some illegal research into wards and experimental charms… Yeah that would have went over well. Normally I would ask Auntie Hermione about books but well she is a bit too straight laced about rules sometimes."

"I'll feel a lot safer when we strengthen the wards. Erm, wait what did you say about experimental charms? Hold it young lady." Willow pasted her resolve face on as she glared at her daughter. "Just what are you working on that requires experimental charms?"

Gabrielle let out a overdramatic sigh, "Rats, I was hoping to slip that by you. I was seeing if I could find any information on golems."

Willow blinked, "Golems? Okay now you lost me."

"I was going to see if I could figure out how to enchant a golem in such a way as to let someone in a painting control it."

"So that someone like Lily, James or Sirius could have some freedom outside their painting? You know that's going to take years to get all of the details right?"

Gabrielle shrugged, "I have plenty of time, besides I need a new project now that Wolverine is finished torturing me."

"He wasn't torturing you. He was helping you fine tune your senses."

"Same difference."

"You sure you aren't just sad because a certain cat girl had to go home?"

Gabrielle nodded, "Maybe so, I mean we traded email addresses, pictures and such things but it was nice having someone else to talk to. Plus she gave me some really nice paintings that she did while she was staying with us." She just hoped that her mom wouldn't find out about the types of photos they had exchanged.

"Maybe you do need a bit of a project to distract yourself with. Just be sure to include your siblings."

She smiled and was already planning her next project, "Maybe they could help with some of the research."

Willow ran a hand through Gabrielle's red hair and smiled, "Maybe so, but we have some long hours of work first. That is if you want to help?"

"Sure mom, how can I help?"

"Take the plans around with the your siblings and make sure all of the new crystal torches you all worked so hard on are placed around the perimeter of the property. We're going to use them to tie the wards too."

"Is that why we had to work so hard on carving the bloody things?"

Willow chuckled, "Watch you're language missy, and yes."

Gabrielle hurried inside to find the twins, while she got along well enough with the twin's grandparents, she sometimes wished that she knew her mother's parents better or that they were more grandparenty. They at least were grandparent age unlike Lenora and Lillian's. She had only met her grandparents once or twice in her whole life. She considered it once because according to her mother they visited them once when she was three. But by her line of reason, that didn't count because she couldn't remember. Still she tried to give the twins as much time as possible with their grandparents as time was sliding by slowly for her father's world. While summer was nearing the end of what was her father's fifth school year in his world, time was marching steadily by in her mother's home world. She had heard her mother explain why time moved strangely but it was more complicated than she cared to think about, besides Lenora had been playing footsies at the time and she was a bit distracted.

Hermione smiled at her parents as Gabrielle peeked her head in and politely held up a hand, "Sorry to interrupt but I could use the twin's help with setting up stuff for the wards."

Hermione smiled and made shooing motions, "Go on scat."

Hermione's mother's smile faded slightly as the children left the room. "I feel like such a horrible mother, grandmother even for not being around more. These last few weeks have been great, but it's shocking to say goodbye to the children one day only to have them appear the next day or the day after with months of new stories to tell."

Her father nodded slightly from his seat, "I knew that your letter from Hogwarts was going to make things interesting. I just wasn't sure how interesting. I'm proud of you for taking things in stride like you have, even if things aren't turning out like I thought they would."

Her mother nodded absently, "Like marry a nice dentist and have a bunch of children."

Hermione shrugged, "While I think dentistry is an honorable profession I think demon hunting has better stories."

Her father chuckled, "Dentistry is probably safer, though there was that one time we had to do some work on that rugby team after a particularly brutal round of pub hopping, it was a bit touch and go for a while there."

Her mother rolled her eyes, "So will the wards your friends are placing keep us safe?"

Hermione nodded, "They are at least as good at magic as my professors at school. Willow is placing enough wards around this place to stop an army of monsters."

Her father raised his eyebrow in question, "Are we going to have to worry about an army of monsters?"

She shook her head, "Of course not. I'm sorry that the wards are needed in the first place."

He shook his head, "Don't apologize for doing the right thing and standing up for what you believe in."

Hermione smiled even as she hugged her father, even if her parents couldn't spend as much time around as she would like, it was nice to be loved.

Outside, Illyria impassively watched the line of magic dance from torch to torch as Willow and Gabrielle worked their spell. She knew that it was soon approaching the time that her presence here would have a use. She glanced at Spike, "Perhaps you should test the wards first?"

Spike glanced at the rune etched torches that lined the exterior of the property. "There is no way that I'm going to cross that line. I don't want to burst into flame then turn to ash. Don't tell me you're afraid of a mortal's wards?"

Illyria frowned, "I am not afraid, were it anyone else's wards…"

Willow's voice could clearly be heard, "Try the wards Illyria."

She nodded briskly then reached out and pressed a hand against an invisible barrier. She pushed against it for a few seconds before it gave like Jell-o and her hand slid through it with just a touch of resistance. She stepped forward a few more steps. "The barrier does not do enough. Some one could walk right in and kill everyone inside."

Spike's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he noticed the whole line of torches near Illyria ignite with black and purple flames at her poorly chosen statement. He tossed himself backwards even as magical energy arced along the torches and slammed into the god king with enough energy to toss her like a rag doll twenty feet from the border of the property.

Illyria frowned as she regained consciousness. She found herself disconcerted by the fact that she had no memory of how she ended up flat on her back. She frowned as she tried to force her arm to obey her. She concentrated on getting her fingers to move. She didn't quite sigh with relief as the fingers slowly started responding to her directions. "Your wards should be sufficient to keep the muck of this world out of your friend's home. I was unprepared for such strong magics." She pulled herself off the ground. Her clothes morphed into her armor as she turned to leave.

Lenora and Lillian smiled at Gabrielle. Lenora grinned brightly as she rested a hand on Gabrielle's shoulder. "Gabi made sure all of the crystals that powered the torches were extra charged after we made them."

Illyria frowned even as she stalked off into the night, "I wish to do violence against something."

Willow glanced at Spike.

He waited until she was out of hearing, "I think the wards hurt her more than she thought they would, she should be her normal arrogant self by morning. I should probably make sure she doesn't get into any trouble."

Willow chuckled as Spike stalked off after Illyria. "I think they do a remarkable job keeping each other out of trouble."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes, "Just remind me to not spar Illyria for a while."

Lenora nodded, "She is a bit scary some times."

Lillian shrugged, "All of the adults are."

Gabrielle stage whispered, "I think that's what happens when you get old."

Willow swats playfully at Gabrielle's backside, "Get inside and have some ice cream before your bedtime."