Yay! An actual chapter! So I'm back from Wyoming(: and when I came back I saw that my brother had been kind enough to leave his laptop at my house for me. He works from 6 in the morning to 8 at night, Monday-Friday, and he has a phone that plays Netflix for him so he doesn't need a laptop. So Yayyyyyyyyyyy! And the McDonalds by my house has free wifi. Haha, so I'm literally gonna be walking (it's a minute walk) to McDonalds to help me upload until I'm able to buy my own internet, which won't be until September sometime.

A Pug-Nosed Partner

"Hermione! Hermione!"

Groaning as she bit into her forkful of scrambled eggs, Hermione looked up just in time to see Harry and Ron running straight for her. "It's too early to deal with them now."

Chuckling, Ginny shrugged her shoulders, "If you returned back to the Gryffindor towers last night you could have dealt with them then. Now you must suffer the consequences."

"Hermione!" Harry gasped out, noticing the quick scowl that Hermione gave the smirking Ginny. "Where were you yesterday? Lavender said that you didn't sleep in your room at all last night, and Ginny and Luna wouldn't give us the password to get into Tyler's tower, and Professor Pratt said that you were sleeping all day, and we didn't see you at all last night either."

"Well I was sleeping in Faith's tower all day," Hermione calmly replied, not understanding why Harry and Ron were still questioning her if Spike had already filled them in on a story. "I drank too many butterbeers the night before, and I had a terrible headache. I stayed in one of the guest rooms, and as for Ginny and Luna not giving you the password – William doesn't exactly want everyone knowing it."

"But we're not everyone, are we?" Ron said dramatically. "We're your best mates."

"Sorry," Hermione shrugged her shoulders, "No one can know the password. So how was your day?"

Harry and Ron both stared at her, causing Hermione to shift uncomfortably in her seat. Ron looked at her as if trying to figure out what she was trying to hide from him, and Harry stared at Hermione as if he already knew what she was trying to hide. "I didn't get anywhere," Harry finally said, sitting next to Hermione.

Ron sat across from them both, looking aroud and sighing in relief when he didn't see Lavender anywhere in the Great Hall. "How did your date go, Hermione?"

Kicking Ginny underneath the table when she started to snicker, Hermione made sure not to glance across towards the Slytherins. Ron probably wouldn't have noticed anything at all, but it seemed like Harry had been getting better at paying attention to things that he normally would have been naïve to before. "It was fine," she said. "So, Harry, what do you mean you didn't get anywhere?"

"Slughorn slammed the classroom door in my face before I could even greet him. I ended up staying in the library going over McGonagall's homework with Neville," he looked distraught at the idea of not getting anywhere with the Horcruxes.

Ron shoved toast into his mouth, "So what did you do on your date, Hermione? Who was your date with? I didn't see you anywhere in Hogsmeade after…"

Tuning Ron out, Hermione felt Ginny bump her leg underneath the table. "What is it?" she asked.

Nudging her head towards the Slytherin table, Ginny whispered, "Looks like it's starting now."

Turning around to see what Ginny was talking about, Hermione saw that everyone else in the Great Hall had stopped what they were doing to watch the scene as well. Pansy was flying her arms over her head in a very obvious argument with her usual group of friends. Draco said something harshly, and Pansy's hand connected to his cheek with a loud sound that echoed throughout the Great Hall. "I wonder what that's all about," Harry muttered in confusion.

Seeing the darkness flash in Draco's eyes, Hermione could also see the bright handprint that Pansy had created on his cheek. "Didn't you hear?" Ginny said to Harry, not taking her eyes off of the scene across from them. "Parkinson and Tyler are dating now. I guess Malfoy doesn't approve."

McGonagall and Snape were both running to the Slytherin table to prevent everyone from killing Pansy. Hermione would have jumped up as well if it weren't for Ginny's hand holding her down. "What?" Ron turned to his sister, "Why is Tyler dating Parkinson? It seems a bit suspicious, don't it?"

Hermione didn't hear Ginny's reply because Pansy was soon running towards the Gryffindor table. She had her face hidden in her hands, trying to hide the tears caused by being thrown out from her group of friends. "Granger!" Pansy cried loudly, "Where's Tyler?"

"He's in the tower still," Hermione said, making sure that a few lingering Ravenclaws could hear her. "I-I could take you to him?" she had to pretend she was still slightly frightened by the crying girl in front of her. Hermione knew that she had to show a little sympathy, some fear, and some hatred still yet. People would know something was wrong if Hermione instantly pulled the crying girl into her arms and comforted her.

Pansy nodded her head, still crying into her hands, "Oh, this is horrible. Dra-Draco said that I'm a traitor! He's turned everyone against me."

Ginny and Hermione both shared nervous glances. They could see the wheels turning in Harry's head. "I-I'm sure everything will be okay, Parkinson," Ginny ended up saying slowly, sounding unsure of herself.

Ron's eyes narrowed, "Oi, get away from our table, Parkinson! We don't want you here!"

Scowling at Ron for being so insensitive, Hermione jumped up and reached forward to pat Pansy's back but quickly moved it away; thinking better. "Come, Parkinson," she told the crying girl who still confused her. "I'll take you to Tyler."

"Hermione…" Ron whined.

Narrowing her eyes at the boy in a McGonagall fashion, Hermione grabbed her things off the table, "I'll see you both in class."

"Hermione, maybe I should go with you," Harry said, slowly starting to stand. His eyes shifted towards the crying girl who ignored everything happening around her, "She's still a Slytherin."

Ginny quickly jumped up, grabbing her own things as well, "I'll go. I need to ask Reid something anyway. Come on Parkinson."

Hermione and Ginny both stood on Pansy's sides, sandwiching her between them. They knew that she wouldn't have a problem with them placing a comforting arm around her, but Hogwarts seemed to have eyes everywhere. If someone saw Pansy Parkinson allowing a Mudblood or blood traitor to touch her skin, everything would be blown. Plus the two girls couldn't show that they were comfortable around Pansy, they had to still act as if they were walking on eggshells. Hermione was just glad that the Marauder's Map and Harry's invisibility cloak were still in Spike's tower.

"Where's Faith?" Pansy asked quietly, still keeping her hands over her face. Her tears were real as the realization hit her that she now had to keep her distance from her best friends, but the loud sobbing had all just been part of her annoying-obnoxious act.

"In the tower," Ginny replied softly, looking to make sure no one could hear them. "She's waiting with the others for us. Luna's there too."

"I saw Professor Pratt get up and leave," Pansy noted.

Hermione nodded her head, "He's going to meet us in the tower as well. We'll explain it inside," she added when Pansy peered at her in confusion from between her fingers.

Giving Pansy the password as they reached the portrait, Ginny and Hermione pulled her in. Pansy instantly ran straight to Tyler, burying her face in his chest. Hermione felt sorry for the girl – she turned her back on her friends and family. The only people she had now were the ones in that very tower, and Hermione made a silent vow to protect her at all costs. Pansy gave up everything for one of the boys that Hermione loved dearly, so she would make sure to help Pansy with anything she needed. She would see to it that Pansy didn't regret the choice she made.

After a quick explanation to everyone about the scene in the Great Hall, Pansy explained that she and the boys had planned their fight the night before, but that she would have to find some way to apologize to Draco later. The slap was apparently thought of on the spot when he loudly called her a blood-traitor-whore! Everyone in the room agreed that the slap was deserved, and it took Spike to keep Tyler from hunting Draco down to kill him. Pansy shuddered when she saw his eyes slowly start to darken, but with one touch of her hand she managed to calm him down quickly.

"We have something to tell you," Hermione finally said when she noticed that everyone was waiting for her to start the discussion. "But before we explain it to you, you have an option."

Pansy sat on the couch across from Hermione, looking at her in confusion. Her face was still red from crying, but she rested her head on Tyler's shoulder. Luna sat on Tyler's side, while Ginny and Oz sat next to each other on a separate couch. Reid and Faith sat on the floor, and Hermione sat on one of the couch chairs, with Spike sitting on the armrest. "What is it?" Pansy asked, wiping her tears away.

"What we're about to tell you must never be revealed," Tyler told his brokenhearted girlfriend. "There's a potion – it's safe, but it'll erase specifically everything we've told you. Once we tell you everything you'll have the option to drink it."

"If you think that you won't be able to keep it a secret, we'll give you the potion," Faith said seriously.

Pansy took in the serious looks on everyone's faces. She could see that they meant what they were telling her. "And I can't tell Draco?"

"Especially not Draco," Hermione shook her head.

Sighing, Pansy nodded her head, "Alright then. What's the secret?"

"What have you heard about us?" Reid asked. "What do you know about us – about why we're truly here?"

"Only what Dumbledore told all of us, and what Draco told our own little group," Pansy shrugged her shoulders. "I know that you and Tyler are two-fourths of the Sons of Ipswich, and I know that Faith is the rogue slayer who turned good. I know that Professor Pratt-"

Spike growled, "Bloody hell, we aren't in the classroom. My bloody name is Spike!"

"Sorry," Pansy blushed. Lily and Ginny giggled while everyone else snorted. "Erm… I know that Spike has somehow become one of the good guys, and I know that Oz is a friend of Faith's and Spike's from Sunnydale. He used to be one of the guys that helped Faith and the other slayer keep the town safe, and he came to London for a concert with his band, but decided to stay back and check in on Faith and Spike. He thinks the whole magic thing is cool, so he's asked to stay for a while. I hear that Dumbledore is even thinking of asking him to help teach Muggle Studies."

Oz chuckled, "He asked, and I declined. I'm not exactly teaching material."

"Yeah," Spike scoffed, "And I am!"

Oz shrugged his shoulders, and Tyler looked down at his girlfriend. "Do you know how we met Hermione?"

"She was in LA the summer after third year, and she had some sort of stalker or something. She randomly bumped into you four Sons while looking for Angelus to help her. Then you all became really close when Reid discovered she was a witch at Hogwarts, and she learned he was Draco's older brother. Erm… then I know that Lucius tried killing her, and you all sort of fought against him or something. And you've obviously all kept in really close touch."

Looking up at the wall, Spike sighed, "Classes are starting."

"We'll skip it," Reid told Spike, settling in more comfortably on the floor. "We can just tell the other professors that we were all comforting Pansy or something."

Ginny nodded her head in agreement, "They all saw the argument, so they'll believe it."

"Very well, I'll tell Severus that you're filling Pansy in on everything right now."

Pansy gasped, "Professor Snape's involved?"

Faith smirked, "He's part of the secret, love."

"It's a long secret," Hermione sighed, rubbing her forehead. "So get comfortable. This will take until after lunch, probably. It all starts with a bloody prophecy fourteen years ago."

They told Pansy everything. They told her about the prophecy that was created about Harry, they told her about the Secret Keeper switch, and about Harry's home life with the Dursleys. They told her all about the golden trio's adventures since first meeting on the train, and they told her about what Hermione learned in LA. They filled her in on Lorne, Angel, Cordelia, Caleb, Pogue, and even Sarah and Kate. Pansy soon learned about Buffy, and about the truth of Oz and why he's truly in London. Hermione got teary eyed as she explained everything there was to know about Lindsey, and this mysterious Eve, and Pansy cried as she listened to everything.

"And you're all working in secret to save Draco?" she asked in awe.

Faith nodded her head, "He doesn't know that though."

"He knows some of it," Hermione said softly. "He knows that we want to save him, but he doesn't know how much people are involved, and how much we've been working behind his back."

"And you guys don't trust Dumbledore?"

Tyler snorted, "Are you kidding me? I don't even trust Harry Potter! It's better that we do this on our own. We've got enough people on our team, and we've got people in other countries that are trying to help us too."

"And Giles has information about the Horcrux for us."

"That does sound familiar," Pansy said, biting on her bottom lip. "I know I heard that before. But it isn't anything good. And I know there's more than one."

Everyone groaned, "We were hoping we were wrong," Reid muttered in annoyance.

"I remember hearing Father complaining about it once. He didn't understand why the Dark Lord would trust someone as incompetent as Lucius Malfoy with protecting it. And I remember overhearing Bellatrix Lestrange boasting once about how the Dark Lord trusted her enough to place it into her vault!"

Ginny suddenly gasped loudly, and Hermione's eyes widened. "What did you just say?"

"Yes, I know, it's nauseating, but Bellatrix has one inside-"

"No," Luna shook her head anxiously, "About Mr. Malfoy. You said that Mr. Malfoy is protecting one?"

Pansy nodded her head, "Yes. I don't know what it is though, but I know that he keeps it in the library in his manor. I remember because my father thought only a fool would hide something in such plain sight."

"No… no… no… no… no…" Ginny started to frantically shake her head. Oz wrapped his arms around the young girl, confused by her sudden fear. Faith frowned in confusion, and Hermione's eyes remained wide. Ginny looked up at her with tears in her eyes, "Hermione… no… please, Merlin, tell me it's not…"

Hermione shook her head, "I-I – I don't know, Gin. I'm sorry – I think it is though."

Ginny released a loud wail and she turned to Oz so she could hide her face in his shoulders. "What just happened?" Tyler asked, pulling away from Pansy so he could lean forward. "Is Ginny okay?"

"No," Luna said sadly, staring across at her first best friend, "She's not."

Seeing that Hermione didn't know what to do, Oz stood up and pulled Ginny up with him. "Come on, Gin," he said soothingly, "Let's go up to my room. I know a fun trick to make you calm down."

"Thanks Oz."

Oz nodded his head at Hermione, and softly said, "I'll be listening, but she won't hear a thing."

Hermione waited until Ginny was out of sight, then she sighed and turned to face everyone once more. "Do you remember our second year, Pansy?"

Pansy nodded her head, "Yes, the Chamber of Secrets had been opened and someone was petrifying all the students. You, Potter, and Weasley saved everyone once again… even though you were petrified for a while."

"Yes, well, what Dumbledore didn't announce to everyone was the name of the person that had been behind the attacks."

Faith stared at Hermione in confusion, "Yeah, and you sort of skipped that story today when telling Pansy the truth about everything."

"Do you remember the story I told you back in LA?" Hermione asked, "Any of you?"

Tyler gasped and turned to stare at a pale faced Reid. Pansy and Faith both watched them in confusion. Tyler's eyes widened, and Hermione could see him remembering the very first time they met and the next day.

"I'm Tyler Simms."

"Nice to meet you," Hermione grinned, shaking his hand. Then turning back to the blonde who was still staring at her, Hermione felt her cheeks heating up as she remembered snuggling in closer against his chest just moments before. "Sorry about freaking out like that."

"It's alright," he shrugged his shoulders, holding out the tiny black colored purse that she only now just noticed in his hand. "It's understandable; Malfoys aren't very well liked in the wizarding world."

"Thanks," Hermione muttered, taking her purse from him and pulling the strap over her shoulder. "And that's an understatement. Malfoys are the world's evilest gits. Well aside from Voldemort at least, but they're just as terrible – I mean they do work for the bloke. And they do make sure to take the time to make my life hell just because I'm a muggle-born, but that doesn't mean Lucius had to go and try to kill Ginny just because of it – what the bloody hell was he thinking giving her that diary? I'm glad that Harry set Dobby free after that, and that look on Malfoy's face was priceless when I slapped him; it felt good too, after being called a Mudblood by him for so long…" realizing that she was rambling on, Hermione looked up and saw they were all just staring at her. Blushing once again, Hermione flew her hands to her mouth, "Sorry. I have a tendency to ramble on. My best friends Harry and Ron are always telling me I should just be quiet sometimes."

…

Reid sighed. He always knew that Draco would end up in Slytherin. It was in the Malfoy and Black blood after all… especially with Lucius as his father. It seemed almost inevitable that Draco would be just as evil. But hearing it was different than thinking it; hearing it sickened him. "Yesterday," Reid's voice was low. He didn't want to know, but he had to know. He had to know everything. He needed to know everything. Some part of him did want to know everything. It wasn't his world anymore, but he still cared, "Yesterday you said that Lucius Malfoy almost killed a girl named Ginny?"

"Ginny Weasley, Ron's little sister," Hermione grimly stated. Her voice was just as low as Reid's, showing this was something she didn't want to address either. "He snuck Tom Riddle's diary into her cauldron over the summer holiday-"

"Tom Riddle…" Reid was tapping the table with his fingers, thinking hard. Tom Riddle? He knew that name from somewhere. Where did he know it from?

"Voldemort," Hermione verified, "It's his real name."

"How is giving the old diary of the Dark Lord almost killing a girl?" Tyler was interested, but confused.

"Ginny was eleven at the time. It was her first year at Hogwarts, and our second. The diary is blank, so Ginny started writing in it. The spirit of Tom Riddle was living inside the diary and it possessed her. He forced her to open up the chamber of secrets and release a giant basilisk into the school."

"Your school was infested with a giant snake?"

"It kills muggle-borns," Hermione nodded her head. "It actually killed a girl back in 1943 when Tom Riddle first opened the chambers. She haunts the loo now that the chamber is in; we call her Moaning Myrtle."
"Was anyone killed this time?" Reid asked.

"No, thankfully not, although a lot of us were petrified by it."

"Us?"

"Yes, I was petrified as well. Luckily for everyone though, I was able to figure out where the chamber was and how to avoid being killed right before I was. Harry was able to open the chamber and rescue Ginny. If he went in only five minutes later, Ginny would have already been dead. He killed the basilisk and destroyed the diary. Everyone who was petrified was revived within a week after that."

"And that all happened because Lucius slipped the diary into Ginny's cauldron?" Hermione looked closer at Reid. He was sweating and he was paler than when she first met him. He reminded her right now of how petrified Malfoy looked when she held the wand up to his neck right before slapping him. "You look so much like him."

"The diary that Lucius slipped to Ginny," Reid said in a soft voice. Faith tensed as she finally remembered the story of that diary as well. "The diary that held the spirit of Tom Riddle in it, when it possessed her – that was the Horcrux!"

Faith's face fell, and she turned to stare at Hermione in fear, "If that's true – if the diary that Lucius slipped to Ginny was a Horcrux then…"

Hermione nodded her head soberly, "Then Voldemort had somehow managed to keep his soul in pieces of objects… and there's more than one."

Pansy's jaw dropped, "You mean to tell me that-?"

"Yes," Luna said solemnly. She had lost her dreamy attitude once again, something she did only when she was truly afraid, "Voldemort had possessed Ginny in our first year, and she was the one who had opened the Chamber of Secrets, releasing the basilisk. And it all happened because Lucius Malfoy slipped her a diary."

Pansy paled. She had lost all color in her body. She stared from one person to another, looking back and forth between them all. Finally she said, "I'll keep this all a secret. I want to help. I might know things that Snape hadn't filled you in on yet. And unlike Snape, I'm not a Death Eater. Get out a piece of parchment and a quill; write these names down."

"Are you – are you serious?" Faith asked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Pansy nodded her head. "That's one of the 'joys' of being a Death Eater's daughter – you're not forced to take the mark, but you're forced to sit through the lessons and learn the names of all the Death Eaters. Father planned on having me marry one of them, so he made sure I knew the proper etiquette of serving my future Death Eater husband. I want Marcus Flint to be the first name on the bloody list!"

It took only five minutes. Within only five minutes Pansy had named all of the Death Eaters that the group had been trying to figure out. They had the gist of who they suspected, mostly because of the letter from Lindsey that told them the senior Death Eaters, but now they had actual names. Now they had actual names of the people they needed to keep an eye on, and make sure they kept away from Draco as much as possible. Tyler sat next to Pansy the entire time, keeping one arm around her as she decided to betray the people she had grown up with. They could all see the fierceness in her eyes as she practically shouted the names at Luna as she wrote them down.

"What can we do this information now that we actually have it?" Oz asked as he reentered the area they were all sitting in.

Hermione lifted her head, "Where's Ginny?"

"When Willow's powers used to become too much for her to handle, I would sometimes lay her down on a bed or a couch and then I'd tell her to clear her mind. She taught me this neat little spell that would put her right to sleep. And it's handy because even I make it work. I used it on Ginny, and she's sleeping right now. Tyler, she's in your room."

Tyler nodded his head, "I figured. She always ends up in my room. But will she be alright?"

"Yeah. Willow gave me this one stone to place under my pillow for the nights that I can't sleep. I placed it under the pillow Ginny's using, and it'll make sure that she gets at least six hours of sleep without any nightmares or dreams," Oz said. Sitting back on the couch that he and Ginny were sitting on earlier, he looked back at Hermione.

Faith cocked an eyebrow as she stared across at Oz. She could see the stress on his face, and the worry in his eyes. She could also see the way his jaw was clenching. "We can go out into the Forbidden Forest tonight, Oz. You can slay then."

Oz chuckled, "Since when did you get so good at reading me, Faith? I remember when I used to be the only one in the Scooby club that not even Angel o Buffy could read."

"Since you decided to take it upon yourself to protect everyone here," Faith told him. Hermione could see the look in both of their faces. They were once old friends, then enemies, and now friends again. They fought together for the same team when they were both still only sixteen-seventeen years old. They had been doing this for such a long time, and Hermione could see the weariness in their faces. "This isn't Sunnydale, Oz. We won't lose anyone this time."

Oz shook his head. He had no laughter in his face, "It's always Sunnydale, Faith. No matter where we go, it'll always be Sunnydale. We know the truth, and we can't escape it. The people are different, but it's still the same plot. Give Hermione blonde hair, and she's Buffy. Give Luna short black hair, a mustache, and a deep voice, and she's Xander. If Ginny were a lesbian she'd be Willow, and Pansy is Cordelia to the tee. Then you got yourself, Spike, and me – we're still all the same people trying to fight the good fight. Then you've got Draco, who is very obviously Angel back when he still lived in Sunnydale and stalked Buffy. Then you've got Blaise, Theo, Reid, and Tyler – four more important members to our messed up group, who are on our side. It's still the same. A prophecy is involved, we're living on a magical hotspot, Buffy and Angel are meant to be together, Buffy killed Angel, Angel killed Buffy, people were killed, and people were saved. It's the same thing as being back in Sunnydale."

"But we're older now, Oz," Faith told him. She looked up at Oz as if he were the only person she could see, and Hermione could see the frustration in Oz's face as he stared back. "We're older, and we're wiser. We won't lose Joyce this time, and we won't lose Anya, or that Jesse kid, or Miss Calender, or Tara, or anyone else. I won't torture Wes, and Riley won't turn his back on us. We know what to do differently this time. You'll see that it'll be better. We'll make it better."

Dropping his face into his hands, Oz sighed loudly and rubbed at his face with both of his hands. "We don't have much time," Pansy finally said, not liking how eerily silent everything had gone. "The Dark Lord gave Draco a mission that he needs to complete before the end of this year. If he fails it, Narcissa will be killed."

Oz's head snapped up when he heard what Pansy had said. "Holy shit!" Faith's jaw dropped. Hermione stared so deeply at Pansy that she was surprised her eyes hadn't imprinted into the other girl's face.

Reid was grinning from ear to ear. Staring up at the girl that he had known from before he was tossed into Ipswich, he could have sworn that everything in the room got brighter around Pansy. "Oh please tell me that my idiot little brother vented to you about his mission!"

Pansy slowly nodded her head. Frightened by the way everyone was staring at her, she leaned in against Tyler. "Erm… yes?"

Hermione started to laugh loudly. Flying her hands to her mouth when she started to snort, Hermione continued to laugh out loud. Luna was soon laughing along with her, and within seconds Oz, Faith, Reid, and Tyler were all laughing loudly as well. Pansy was slightly frightened by everything going on around her, but the others in the room were all celebrating. It was working out now. Now that Pansy was on their side, and now that Pansy was involved with their secret work, things were getting better for them. They had inside information that Snape didn't have, they had inside information that Snape wouldn't give them, and they could start working hard now.

They couldn't do much before with the little they knew, but now they could get started. Hermione felt better. Her stomach was twisting in all sorts of awkward positions, and she knew that something horrible was going to happen, but she ignored that eerie feeling. Pansy would tell them what Draco's task was, and they would be able to keep Draco from killing whoever he was sent after.

Things would be better now.

…

Take a breath,

Take it deep.

"Calm yourself," he says to me.

If you play you for keeps.

Take the gun and count to three.

I'm sweating now, moving slow;

No time to think, my turn to go

There were people wearing black cloaks and silver colored masks. One of them was a woman. Her aura was blacker than black. Everything around her was dark, slowly withering in the presence of the death she carried around with her. She was the smallest of them all, but it was her who barked out the orders. The others feared her, all rushing to please her because they knew what would happen if they didn't.

There was another one of them. He was small as well, possible smaller than even the dark woman. He had no aura. He had no future. Everything around him was blank. There was something there protecting him, something around him that tried to keep the others from reaching too deep to him. He wore the black cloak like the others, clinging to the only other one with pale hair sticking out from a silver mask. His mask wasn't silver though, his mask looked like woven gold. He was different from the rest. There was a tiny spot on the golden mask, a speck that not even their master had noticed – a tiny little lion carved into a spot below his left eye. The lion was created with blood. It was created with the blood of his protector.

And you can see my heart;

You can see it through my chest.

Said I'm terrified, but I'm not leaving.

I know that I must pass this test,

So just pull the trigger

There were two people in the room. The younger one didn't notice the third person hiding beneath the stairs. He didn't know that there was a witness to the curse that was being forced upon him. The younger one was crying. He lowered his wand because he couldn't do it. He was pleading with the older one – he wanted help. He wanted to get out of the life that had been thrust upon him. The older one laughed at him. The older one told him that him being saved wasn't part of the plan.

A fourth person ran up into the tower. The young one pleaded with her to leave, but the older one gasped in fear. He had never known true fear until that moment. She sneered at him. Familiar eyes stared back at him, but they were attached to a young girl that he realized he didn't know. He could see it in her dead eyes – she had played him the way he played all of them. Her wand was directed in his face, and he opened his mouth to plead with her. She knew him for the manipulative coward he truly was, and she had always known. He heard footsteps approaching them now.

The curse left her mouth before his mind could even process that he was betrayed by the one person he underestimated.

Say a prayer to yourself.

He says, "Close your eyes, sometimes it helps,"

And then I get a scary thought:

That he's here means he never lost.

They were on the run. People were hunting for them, and she was no longer the person she once was. She had been forced to grow up. She turned on the ones that had been depending on her. She sent the people she loved away, and she became something new. She was fierce now. She was a warrior. Her hair was ragged, her skin was filthy, and she could feel her insides turning as black as the enemies she tried to bring down.

There were hundreds of people surrounding her, but she saw none of them.

She was alone because her mind was starting to disappear.

And you can see my heart;

You can see it through my chest.

Said I'm terrified, but I'm not leaving.

I know that I must pass this test,

So just pull the trigger

There was a girl. Her hair was matted, and her eyes were bloodshot. She dressed in rags, and her body was scarred. She was fighting. A woman – the dark woman – had her pinned to a wall, and there were people screaming all around them. Flames from a fire were starting to taste their flesh, and broken glass shattered beneath their bare feet. She could taste blood in her mouth; both fresh and days old. The scent of burnt flesh and blood filled her nostrils.

The woman wanted an answer, but she refused to speak.

As my life flashes before my eyes,

I'm wondering will I ever see another sunrise.

So many won't get the chance to say goodbye,

But it's too late to think of the value of my life

The girl was crying. She was chained now. Her wrists and her feet were started to show bones from the way the heavy metal dug through her flesh. She was starving, and she was thirsty. It had been weeks since she slept last. The rags had started to slip from her body from all the weight she lost. Her color had started to bruise, and her hair hung messily like Sirius Black's had once done. She was covered in her own filth, and the blood taste had disappeared days ago.

She had been offered the promise of release, but she still refused to speak. Eyes haunted her – blue, green, black, brown, golden, amber, red, doe-like, cat-shaped, shut, open… they all watched her from the hidden corners of her mind. Voices called out to her, but she shut them all out.

"I'm sorry."

Her head snapped up, and she found herself staring at the person she had given up her own life for. A set of eyes stared back at her – the only eyes that hadn't haunted her mind, because she saw them die every day.

Silver eyes stared deep into the toffee brown.

"Lorne!"

Jerking awake when he felt someone shaking him, the green demon blinked his eyes rapidly. "Gunn?"

The dark colored young man nodded his head. He held a spear in one hand, and a crossbow in the other. He was dressed in camo. "Did you dream about her again?" Gunn questioned. "That young witch girl?"

Sighing, Lorne rubbed at his shaved red horns. He could feel that his face was drenched in sweat. "She's in trouble," he finally said.

I admit – the beginning was a bit slow, and I didn't really know how to add Pansy into the group. It had been a year and a half since I first thought out the plot to this story, and so long since I actually wrote for it, so I went slow for a while. But what do you guys think of it?

Do you guys like it? Do you like my return? Do you like that Pansy is now actually going to be helping them out? The way they found out about Horcruxes? What about the last part of the chapter? Lorne? Gunn? Bringing back flashes from AWILA? Hmm… please give me feedback; it had been so long that I want to know if you guys still love this story or if you're just over it already!

I'm just so excited to finally be back to you guys!(: