WordCount: 59,918
A/N:- I know I'm useless. I got a job and uni restarted so I suddenly had very little time. I'll try to do review replies tomorow. I hope everyone still reading this enjoys it. Reading over the review replies I realise I might have to rewrite Ch 28 and maybe parts of the previous ones... I don't think I've explained the stairwell so that it makes sense... I might try just making a picture of it to put on my website... hopefully that'd help.
Allen Pitt - Hermione could (perheps) find out about the murder charge, but she wouldn't necessarily be able
to find out about Buffy's school record - that's not exactly public knowledge and remember, though Hermoine
may be immensely clever, she's spent her formative years in a computer free zone - there's no reason to
believe that she'd be good enough on computers to find anything about Buffy. Yes, her staying with Joyce will
give Faith a low opinion of Buffy... I'm still undecided on Angel...
XinnLajgin - let me know what you found confusing and I'll try to clear it up for you.
Sarah - yeah, so far she hasn't done much to change what the HP group would be up to at this point in the book
(well except that they're suspicious of Buffy as well as Umbridge)... it will begin to change as I go through.
Darklight - I take it you're not a fan of Giles? or at least his treatment of Faith in S3 anyway. I do agree
with much of what you've said about his actions towards her, but remember that then he was very concerned with
Buffy, not only because she had run away and wasn't dealing with her issues, but also because he knew that she
was about to turn 18 and all that that entails. now for all purposes, they think that Buffy's dead so I think that, having given up on Buffy he would devote more time to not making the same mistakes with Faith. I cant have made this clear, but you can't do wand magic with just the slayer power, it's more because Buffy already has this outlet for power the slayeness uses it to escape when it builds up...
Just Me Prime - I hope what I write lives up to your expectations and theories.
Rebecca Pierson - hmmm... rowena a slayer? where would you get that idea from? lol. you'll just have to wait and see...
Selene12 - it wasn't so much logic as brute force that meant Buffy could do what wizards couldn't, but yeah the magical world relies on... well magic.. far too much. Buffy wont join the ravenclaw team, but she will go out on a broom a bit.. just caus i love the idea of flying too much not to write it.
Anne - I know I need longer conversations... I just don't relish writing them so they tend to become short... also buffy's mood at the moment would, I feel lead her to being reclusive. I'll try to remedy that in future as she becomes less upset.
Running Free
She set off at a sprint away from the lights of the castle that shone out onto the grounds around it and was soon safely encased in the dim light of the moonlit night. Slowing to a light jog that still managed to exceed most peoples running speed she passed by the dark hut that seemed to have remained empty and neglected despite the recent influx in people at the school. Once she passed under the tall trees that obscured any light coming from the fading moon or distant stars, she slowed, sending out her senses as she wandered further into the darkness, away from the dim light that was the exit from the trees.
At first there was nothing that resembled what she was hunting for but as she walked further along a path that went slightly north into a part of the forest that she hadn't yet ventured into she began to sense various creatures coming closer, then darting away as she focused her senses on them. As she continued she could sense something following far behind. They were surrounding her. She paused for a moment, trying to hear them sneaking up on her, but the sound of a breeze rustling in the treetops was all that could be heard.
She turned from the narrow track in the woods that the once substantial path had become and set off at a jog through the trees, leaping the various thorny bushes that barred her path. The sudden change in direction and pace surprised the things that had been closing in on her and she came upon one unawares as it jumped between the trees leaving a trail of silver behind it that reflected non existent light.
It was only when the gigantic spider paused in its spinning of the web and crouched down over the strings that Buffy noticed the webs covered a far larger area than she had noticed, after they had been spun they faded from the bright silver to almost translucent, becoming invisible in the night; and in her last step she had knocked against one of them.
With a voice that sounded like the creaking and hissing of a strong wind through the boughs it called to its brethren "Come quick! It's here"
It looked about it as Buffy slipped behind a tree and leapt up into the branches above slipping through the limbs until she reached the top high above the ground. The beasts collected below her hissing and spitting as they conversed.
"Where?" millions of glowing eyes swung around as all the spiders started searching for the morsel they had been chasing, then one of the larger ones turned back to the spider that had originally been in the clearing and rasped "You let it escape." It jumped onto the accused that tried to deny any fault even as the others ripped into it. The other beasts, denied of their prey leapt joyfully into the fray and were soon engrossed in the battle.
As they were distracted by the skirmish, Buffy slid out of her tree; landing with a slight thud on the leaf strewn ground and almost making her way through the many strands of webbing that crisscrossed between the trunks when one of the smaller arachnids, escaping from the scuffle that had soon become a battle for dominance, came straight towards her and stopped, the multitude of eyes sweeping hungrily over her body.
The thing moved quicker than its size would suggest, pouncing on Buffy before she could react and knocking her off her feet. She rolled out of the way as it attempted to sink it's fangs into her and struck out at one of the thick hairy legs that supported its massive body. Scrambling to her feet, she turned to face the thing that was still looming down on her. It stumbled slightly as it moved hissing towards her and she noticed that the leg she had hit was hanging at an awkward angle. Immediately she realised the weakness of the creature and attacked the thin, at least in comparison to the huge body, legs.
The thing shrank back from her after receiving the first few blows, not used to humans being so fast, strong and vicious. The confusion at this combined with the bursts of pain it was receiving from many of it's legs caused it to shrink up into a ball, adopting the death like pose used by spiders of all shapes and sizes. Buffy triumphantly turned, only to find that the high pitched shrieks that had emerged from the beast when she attacked it had caught the attention of the rest of its kind.
"You dare enter our forest and attack my people?" The largest of the creatures hissed at her as it approached, coming so close that she could see the greying of the hairs on long legs and the faded eyes that nevertheless stared at her with a fierce intensity. She glanced from side to side, seeing the rest of the spiders moving to surround her and the beaten creature behind her uncurling to block any escape. As a sense of dread washed over her she felt the power rise up within her readying herself to battle with the army of spiders that had now surrounded her.
From deeper in the forest a low rumble sounded the noise emerging from a gigantic chest. The spiders paused listening as the clamour that reverberated through the trees. The sharp sound of branches breaking started when the growl stopped, along with the rhythmic thumps of a huge creature running through the forest. As the sounds grew nearer the ground beneath the group started to shake with every thud that signalled a footfall.
The thing leapt into the circle of spiders snapping teeth seemingly everywhere as it forced back the gigantic spiders that were nothing in comparison to its bulk. The arachnids took off like ants from a shadow, scurrying back into the part of the forest that held their lair; leaving the dead to their smaller cousins that were already approaching to feast on the remains.
The slow grumble returned as three huge heads turned to face the girl, drool dripping from mouths that hung open; displaying sharp white teeth. The centre head paused sniffing the air before the body moved closer and allowed it to smell the air around her body. It nudged her with a nose, exploring her scent before all three tongues lolled out and it crouched down playfully in front of her.
The meeting ritual over, Buffy approached the beast tapping back one of the heads with a force that would break any normal creatures skull when it attempted to lick her. "Hey, Berus. Missed me?" One of the heads nudged warily at her hand and sounded a satisfied rumble when she complied and scratched his nose. The other heads satisfied themselves by drinking in the scent of the girl. Suddenly the huge dog jumped back taking off at a run into the forest, pausing for a moment to look back and wait for Buffy to start up in a jog after him, before turning and setting off in a burst away.
It was the same style of game that can be seen in almost every park on a Sunday; the untamed animal jumping back whenever Buffy came close and playfully nipping at her when she jogged away from him. They travelled sporadically into the forest as they chased after one another, taking immense pleasure in both the company and the exertion of playing the game with someone that could match their speed and endurance.
In her exultation she tried not to notice the itching feeling under her skin to do more; the slayer enjoying the use of it's powers but demanding more from her. She tried to ignore it, running from the huge creature with a smile on her face she suddenly heard her friend skid to a stop and whimper worriedly. She turned, planning to reassure the beast to find him staring wild eyed at something beyond her. It was disconcerting not only in the fact that she had never seen fear in the huge puppy dog eyes but also in that whenever they were together Berus' attention always seemed fixed on her until she forced him away.
He whined pleadingly before jumping back a few steps as if struck. He sent an apologetic look Buffy's way, then turned to crash through the forest. Buffy pivoted slowly, readying herself to face the thing that had so terrified a beast that could have rivalled the dinosaurs for strength and ferocity. Amongst the trees stood a number of strange figures, hiding in the shadows; even as she stood still she could see out of her peripheral vision other forms moving silently to create a loose circle around her. Once again she was being surrounded by the denizens of this accursed wood. She forced herself to relax and, feeling no animosity coming from the hidden beings, merely stood in a loose stance that looked passive enough to not incite a physical assault.
After a pause that merely served to rise the tension of the moment, a figure emerged from the shadows, only lightly rustling the fallen leaves as it stepped forward. She had thought that the great canine now trampling through the forest was the supreme creature, ruling over the lesser beasts in the wood. But now the guard dog had been sent away and the true masters of this forbidden land were standing around her, the power and ageless knowledge exuding from them mocking her belief that another lorded over their realm.
From the loose circle of centaurs around her one stepped forward looking her over with piercing blue eyes. He was a magnificent creature, his body built like a carthorse and his chest just as robust. His long hair was a multi-toned grey, streaks of deep ebony and white showing what had been and what was to come. The same hair covered his body and filtered up to warm his chest with a light down. Behind him standing just outside the circle but well back from the centaur that could only be their father were two younger creatures that resembled the one in front in all but age and build. Their postures slightly more threatening than the others as they stood defensively behind their spokesman.
"Slayer" the centaur bowed to her in a far more formal greeting than she was used to "May the stars shine brightly on you this evening."
"Slayer?" she asked in an airy blonde tone while inside she was going into a panic as she wondered how they had worked out what she was and contemplated how to prevent any of the wizards at the castle from finding out.
"Do not toy with me, young one. The wizards may have forgotten their past but we have memories that go back far further than the segregation of your worlds."
"Wha…" She started to ask him what had caused that partition, but closed nature of his tone and face stopped her questions.
"Your enemy has followed you to this place."
She looked around them in shock, wondering why the centaurs were being so calm if the giant spiders were on her tail, sending out her senses when she couldn't see any of the beasts she eventually found what the centaur had been talking about. She paused somehow stopping herself from following her senses, and looked up at the centaur.
"Why?"
"They come because you are here." This caused some muttering amongst the circle of horsemen who obviously did not agree with their spokesperson saying as much as he had. "Just as you can't help yourself from seeking them out, so they feel a constant pull towards you, though only the older of their kind can recognise it as that."
One of the other greying centaurs trotted forward at this and accosted the one that had been talking "You, out of all of us, should know the folly of disclosing our readings Chrixon."
Chrixon turned sedately to the one that had interrupted him "None of the knowledge I've given her was obtained by gazing at the stars." Then ignoring the centaur still standing fuming at him he turned to Buffy who was only managing to restrain from running towards the creatures that her senses were fixed on by reminding herself how outnumbered she was by the beings that still surrounded them. "Go to them, Slayer, and restore your own balance."
With the permission to leave that from any lesser creature she would have taken as an insult given, she took off at a run into the forest, barely noticing obstacles in her way as she flew over them. She splashed through a stream, ignoring the shock of the sudden cold as the water made contact with her skin and continued as the terrain started to get rocky.
Slowing slightly as she approached a camp in a slight hollow in the rocky hillside she heard voices float down to her through the night.
"Why are we even here?" someone moaned "There's no-one to eat and…"
"Quiet fool. Just because you can't feel the power of this place…" he trailed off and Buffy saw a shadow come to the outer edge of the cave and look around.
She should have been disappointed that she had been noticed before her attack, loosing the element of surprise that would help her if she was too outnumbered but the Slayer had almost completely taken her over with the urge to fight and slay. Her brief exploits in London had only provided a brief respite to the yearning that she felt to slay whenever the sun went down and now she felt the full force of her desires hit her.
Stepping forward onto a branch at her feet caused a loud crack to echo back and forth among the rocks making the vampire on the look out jump but before he could shout out to his companions she had picked up one of the makeshift stakes that she had created and thrown in directly through his chest. Breaking off the excess from the other so that it rested nicely in her hand she headed forwards.
Closer to the edge of the cave she saw how many were remaining; three vampires sat awkwardly on the rocky floor while another, her senses told her the only one of a dangerous age, paced the back of the cave. Hearing them beginning to wonder where their companion was she decided to jump them before they prepared themselves for some sort of attack, rushing the cave and killing one of the youngsters before the other two had a chance to stand.
The older vampire held back as he watched his two minions loose a battle against the petite blonde that had appeared in their midst. She twisted and flipped, ducking punches even as she thrashed out with her legs, but she couldn't find an opening to stake either without giving the other a clean shot at her. Finally the urge to feel the addictive satisfaction of a slay overwhelmed her and she struck out at one pulling out her stake and twisting away from the other's attack even as he turned into dust. The punch landed squarely on her stomach, sending her flying to the back of the cave and knocking all the wind out of her lungs. Somehow managing to stay on her feet she stumbled back against the cave wall and got her stake up as the over eager vampire stepped in for the kill.
As he crumbled into dust she slumped back against the wall, her exhausted body reminding her why it was so necessary to train despite her natural abilities. It was only instinct that saved her from the hand that tried to pin her neck to the wall, ducking and rolling away she winced as she turned to face her foe.
"Hmmm… what do we have here?" the vampire looked her up and down lecherously "A Slayer?" he mused "and here was me thinking she was across the pond… you must be new." His demonic visage twisted into a grin as he approached her, thinking that a new slayer would be an easy target despite her showing against his companions.
Buffy edged back empty handed, having lost her stake when the last of the three youngsters was dusted, watching his grin get even larger as he saw her helplessness. He struck out too fast for her to react, swiping her legs out from beneath her and leaving her flat backed on the floor.
He sauntered towards her with a cocky smile "What are you going to do now little girl?" his thoughts so fixated on her blood that he didn't react in time to stop her flipping upright, kicking out as she did so to send him crashing into the wall.
"Slay you." Buffy answered pulling her wand out from behind her back "as I did The Master before you."
"But… She died" The vampire stammered. He realised that this was no new slayer he was facing just as she batted away his attempts to block her and thrust her wand into his heart.
"You didn't let that stop you… why should I?"
As she approached the castle the adrenaline that had kept her going started to leave her bloodstream making her realise the full extent of her already painful injuries. After pulling herself up the spiral stairs she crept along the corridor to the common room being as silent as possible so as to not disturb the slumbering paintings and alert the staff. Finally falling into her bed she didn't even have the energy to heal herself as for the first time in what seemed like decades she fell into a peaceful slumber undisturbed by the drives of a Slayer.
