It was chaos when Angel and I told our friends to stop digging. Well chaos may have been putting it a wee bit lightly. When we told our friends that we should stop digging into everything and let things calm down, there were mixed responses.
Ron was the most pissed out of everyone. This not only involved his friends, but his family too. Whatever was doing this to them messed with his Dad and that wasn't pleasing him. More than anyone, or so he thought, he wanted this thing dead. He figured it was the only way to avenge his Dad and stopping the search was just as good as giving up.
Harry was a little better about it. He was still pissed, but more so he was confused. After so much time and effort he simply didn't understand why they were just letting it all go to waste. Unlike Ron he didn't see it as vengeance, even though the thing attacked him on multiple occasions. He did see it as giving up though. To him getting rid of the threat was the only way to ensure his safety, and more importantly his friends' safety. Nobody, he or his friends could feel safe as long as this person or creature was roaming free.
What it did do was get Hermione off our asses. She agreed with everyone that we were giving up and wasn't going to stand it. Therefore she spent all of her free time away from us and in the library doing her own research. That was dine with me, I couldn't stand her and this way we got information and one less annoying leech.
For a few days after we broke the news Harry and Ron were very distant, so distant in fact that we didn't even talk to them. I could understand why they'd be miffed at us though. If it was the other way around I too would disagree with stopping all of our hard work, but who was I to ignore the PTB's advice. Well okay that's exactly what I would do, but this time it made a whole lot of sense.
Neither Angel nor I let our guard down though. We were both fully aware of every insignificant detail of everything so that we would know whenever something was going to be amiss. Nothing was going to escape us, or so we hoped. It is us we're talking about though and on the Angel and Buffy show something always went wrong.
We also had gotten into the habit of taking extra patrols. Every night we would walk around the castle and the grounds to make sure that no threats would escape them. Our friends and as much as I hate to say it even our enemies like Malfoy didn't deserve to die because of some stupid demon attacking us. I had enough of that back in Sunnydale.
Angel and I are tense, very tense, and that's just making the whole situation with Ron and Harry even worse. They know that we know more than we are letting on and they are not too keen about that. But really we don't know that much more about what's happening now, we just have other secrets that tie it all together.
About a month after our conversation with Whistler we were sitting in DADA, the class which rattles my bones. For one, I already know most of what first years are covering, and second I have to be in the same room as her. We still aren't sure how she's involved, but she definitely is.
"Okay class," she begins. "Today's class is based off of what you were supposed to read in your textbooks. And that includes you Mr. Finnegan. So would anybody like to tell me what the most important part of defending yourself is?"
No surprise, Hermione raises her hand, "Predicting what your attacker is key. In knowing what they are going to do it gives you time to calculate your next move and defend yourself."
No surprise it's an answer straight from the textbook. Angel and I glance at each other and try to stifle a laugh. "Is there something you two would like to share with the class?"
"The textbook's wrong," Angel shrugs.
"Than what do you believe is most important?"
"Being unpredictable," I tell her.
"Same thing," Malfoy scoffs. "Either way it's about predictability."
I shake my head, "It's completely different. One is offensive one is defensive for one thing. And second of all knowing what your attacker is going to do isn't helpful if they can gauge your reaction back at you. Like say you're battling a sluk, everything they do is instinct driven and all they want is water. Knowing their next attack isn't the problem."
"But in a case like that it all depends on if you follow instinct or your usual pattern. You cannot have a spell or attack become your signature. Spice your attack up. That is the key to Defense."
The entire class stares at us and I swear I feel my cheeks flush, "Angel did we make a mistake?"
"Not if it will save their asses," he shrugs."
"However our book says that it isn't about offense but about defense," Hermione points out.
"And the world isn't a book," I counter.
Kalderdash takes reign of the class, "Well interesting point, but I'm going to have to agree with the book. So what if expelliermus is the only spell you use, if it saves you then you continue to use it. And may I ask what a sluk is?"
"Nothing," I mumble. "Please continue."
As she gets into a deeper conversation I notice my friends laughing at us. I curse them under my breath. The normal human kind, not the magical kind. Hearing me they blush and Ron mumble unintelligible responses under his breath.
"Would you like to tell us what the emotion is that leads all attacks Mr. Weasley?"
"Um, power hunger?"
"Mr. Potter what do you think?"
He ponders it for a moment, "You could say power, or love, or insanity, or greed along with the other deadly sins. But I believe passion is the underlying cause."
"Did you not do the reading Mr. Potter?"
Before he can answer Hermione interrupts, "Our books describe it as the lack of emotion Harry. A psychopathic disposition that causes a lack of humanity."
"I agree with passion," Angel announces. "Passion is the source of our finest moments along with the ecstasy of grief, the clarity of hatred, the joy of love; it's in all of us even though it's unwanted and drives us towards everything. And we obey, for we have no choice. Harry is right."
"This has become a little too deep for a first year class," she tells us. "Now back to the homework."
We all tune her out. I look at Angel and it looks as if he's about to burst into something. Not tears, but something else.
As class ends the four of us walk towards lunch. Sitting down Ron turns towards us, "What the hell was that Angel?"
"The harsh reality of the world," he laughs dryly. "We are all ruled by the same primeval force, it's how we channel it that matters."
"Are you sure you're 12?"
"Sometimes I wonder," he sighs and I kiss him as an attempt to cheer him up. Today he'd been broody, typical Angel, but he's been extra broody and cynical.
"Harry," I whisper so no one else can hear.
"Let em guess," he whispers back. "Another dream."
I nod, "Could you make sense of it?"
"I got one thing from it."
"Me too,"
"Death," we say together. And that really was all it was. I saw death, not who or where or why, just death.
We all stare at each other gloomily. Classes end for the day and all of us, meaning Angel, Harry, Ron, and I, retire to the room of requirement. Research or not, the boys still need to be able to defend themselves.
Today we are teaching them defense tips when you are stuck in death's clutches. Like how to get someone off of you when you're pinned to the ground. Neither of them have superhuman abilities, so the agility it takes to do the flips and other tricks Angel and I are used to wasn't an option. So we work on basic ways which anyone can learn with proper training.
In the middle of training there's a sudden boom echoing across the room. We ignore it. A few minutes later it happens again and Angel and I instantly drop into defensive positions. The banging gets louder and louder until with a sudden crash a mirror next to us shatters and out walks four cloaked figures along with an array of demons.
I run to the closet and grab my scythe after I throw Angel his broadsword. Growling I attack with all I have. Slashing and dashing the vampires was not a problem. What became a problem were the demons that had some kind of spell on them so that we couldn't reach them.
Without thinking I grab Ron and Harry and take them to the closet and hand them each their wands, which we keep away from physical training just to be safe. I too drop the scythe and pick up my wand. As a first year none of us know many useful spells, but we try our hardest.
Our attempts are futile and the demons creep towards the four of us. Strategizing in my head I come up with all of the possible scenarios and how to deal with each. But just my luck, the one thing I didn't think of happens. Out of nowhere one of the cloaked comes up to us. They disappeared as we were fighting and I couldn't be sure where the others were.
It grabs Angel and snickers, "My Master will be pleased."
Walking closer to us Harry screams in pain, this is it the female in the dreams, "Hand him over," I growl.
"Or what? You'll hit me with the stick? My master has me under his protection and as soon as I deliver the final ingredient he will rise," she laughs. "And thank you for disposing the demons. We need their body parts and could have done it, but this was so much more fun."
Before any of us can do anything everything disappears, leaving me with Harry and Ron who are both on the verge of a mental breakdown.
We stare at one another, all thinking the same thing. This is it, we need to get to Gringotts and fast. Angel's life and the world depended on it.