A/N: Just a general note. I know that my chapters have been a little short lately. There's just different place that I want to stop them. But I think that I'm putting them out fairly fast so don't hate me! I hope you continue to read, enjoy, and review!


"I don't see why you had to tag along!" Spike grunted as he walked briskly through the dark streets, trying to stay a fair distance ahead of his grandsire.

"It's not like I was anxious to travel with you Spike!" Angel retorted with a growl.

"Well you sure didn't protest when Dumbledore assigned you to baby-sit me." Spike glared. "I'm sure you just couldn't wait for an excuse to keep an eye on me and make sure I wasn't bothering your precious slayer."

"That's not it at all Spike!"

"Look Peaches, I don't need you to watch me." He couldn't help but infuriate Angel even more. "But in case you weren't aware, the slayer isn't exactly trying to keep me out of her life…"

Angel snapped. He lunged at Spike, pummeling him to the ground, instantly forgetting about the importance of their assignment that Dumbledore had sent them on. All that Angel cared about at the moment was murdering his grand-childe. He would never understood what Drusilla had seen in William the Bloody.

Spike reacted well, and was only briefly on the ground before regaining his stance and knocking Angel flat on his back.

"Do you really want to fight me right now Peaches?" Spike's face morphed and he glared at Angel with his lurid yellow vampire eyes. "Because I wouldn't mind it. Actually it might be kind of nice. I've been feeling cooped up in that school with nothing to do but lecture those bloody kids! A real fight might do me some good!"

Angel restrained himself wisely. It wasn't that he thought he couldn't take Spike, in fact Angel knew that if he really fought hard he could probably kill Spike, but after his moment's flightiness, he remembered why they had been sent to Paris in the first place.

"I'm not going to fight you Spike. There are more important matters then your pathetic immaturity." Angel let the words out before he thought through the effects they would have on the blonde vampire.

"My immaturity? I'm not the one who started this whole matter!" Spike insisted.

"If you would just leave Buffy and Dawn alone, then there wouldn't be a 'matter' at all!" Angel retorted with equal bitterness in his tone.

"You have no right to bring Dawn into this!" Spike demanded, but then he paused and an evil grin lit his face. "That's what this is about. It's more then just the insane jealousy that you feel knowing that Buffy has feelings for me, it's about the kid isn't it?"

"What are you talking about Spike?" Angel frowned.

"It kills you that Dawn trusts me. You realize that for the past couple of years I am the person that Dawn has trusted the most in her life. You've never managed to have a friendship with the kid like I have and that drives you crazy!" Spike grinned. "You understand that the most important thing in Buffy's life is her lil' sis, and as long as Dawn trusts me then Buffy has to as well!"

"I hate to burst your bubble Spike but I haven't noticed Dawn being all that friendly with you since we've been at school. In fact she doesn't seem to think much of you at all." Angel raised his eyebrows. He hated that Spike had finally read through his thoughts, and he refused to ever let the younger vampire know that he had finally uncovered the mystery of Angel's indignation.

"But she does trust me. You know it as well as I do. And no matter what she thinks about me at the moment the lil' bit and I are always going to have friendship that you couldn't dream of!" Spike's face melted back into his human form. "Now who's being immature?"

"Whatever." Angel could think of nothing better to say. He was too angry to even look at Spike. He started walking again, desperate to put space between himself and the victorious vampire behind him. "Let's just get this over with."

"Sure, whatever you say Sire. As long as we both agree that I'm right and you're an immature idiot, then I'll be content." Spike lit up a cigarette and followed Angel much more cheerily then he had previously been.


"Headmaster, I'm sorry but this is not going to work out!" Angel complained. He had gone to Professor Dumbledore's office the instant he and Spike returned to Hogwarts the following week.

"And what is it, specifically, that is not working Professor Angel?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"Me and Spike working together! I can't be around him any more!" Angel threw up his hands in frustration and paced the room bitterly.

"Professor, the assignment that I gave to you and Professor Spike is of utmost importance as I am sure you realize…" Dumbledore reminded Angel firmly.

"Of course it is Professor, but I don't need him tagging along and pestering me! I can do it just fine on my own…"

"Your independence is well known and your bravery is honorable, but in this particular case, slightly foolish. It would not be wise for you to continue alone. Which is why I assigned Spike to accompany you." Dumbledore folded his hands together and placed the tips of his fingers beneath his chin. "However, if it is entirely impossible for the two of you to continue together, I suppose I may find a way around the matter. Angel, I wish for you to continue on this assignment, accompanied by Mr. Gunn. I would send Mr. Wyndham Pryce with you as well but I believe he would be better suited remaining behind and assisting Miss Burkle with her lessons."

Angel grinned gratefully at the prospect of exchanging Spike for Gunn. "Thank you for understanding Professor! Gunn and I will manage fine!"

"Of course. Now I would prefer that Mr. Gunn and yourself leave straight away. There has been enough of a delay as it is, and school will be starting in only one week more." Dumbledore waved Angel out of the room and the vampire left immediately.

Professor Dumbledore was alone in his office for only a few minutes before the other vampire entered in a huff.

"How could you take me off of this assignment and leave soul-boy in charge with the human?" Spike demanded angrily.

"Please have a seat Professor Spike." Dumbledore suggested calmly.

Spike glared and did not sit down. "What am I supposed to do with my time? Just sit around here and clean the classrooms with the elves?"

"On the contrary," Dumbledore assured him. "I have another assignment for yourself, which I place at very high importance."

"Please let it involve beating something up!"

"Actually, I need for you to go on to the home of the Weasleys' where you will find quite a few of Hogwarts most, uh…mischievous students waiting to return for the school year." Dumbledore stood and walked towards the large fireplace in his office. "And tomorrow please accompany them to the train station and see that they arrive safely."

"What? Angel gets to go off and play the hero while fighting the big bad and I have to go and baby-sit a bunch of school kids?" Spike shook his head. "That's ridiculous!"

Dumbledore ignored his indignation. "And when you see the children off at the station, please find yourself a compartment on the express and monitor the entire ride to school, just to be certain that nothing dangerous befalls any of the students." He handed a small tin of floo powder to Spike. "Thank you for offering me your services Professor."

Spike glared and had to bite his tongue to keep himself from lashing out at the old professor. He stepped forward and roughly snatched up a handful of the powder and stepped into the fireplace.

"Take yourself to the Burrow then…" Dumbledore instructed.

"The Burrow." Spike let the powder drop into the fireplace and his body was enveloped by the green flames. A moment later his body reformed in the fireplace in the Weasleys' living room. He took one glance inside the room and shout out loudly. "Bloody hell!"


"It's about time they gave us some time alone!" Dawn whined as she followed Harry out of the kitchen after breakfast. Mrs. Weasley had gone to Diagon Alley to take care of their school shopping and left the children at home, deciding that there were just too many of them to bring along to town.

"I know. I usually love being here but this time she was starting to get to me with her constant nagging and reminders for being careful at school…" Harry agreed sulkily as he plopped down on one of the couches in the living room.

"At least she wasn't always glaring at you and judging you in her mind!" Connor offered.

Hermione smiled comfortingly. "She wasn't judging you…"

"Yes she was! I could tell! I swear that woman's eyes can burn!" Connor insisted.

Ron and Ginny grinned. "Well mum's definitely not someone you want to get on the bad side of." Ron informed the Slytherin.

"And you have to admit that it's not entirely unexpected for her to be a little apprehensive about you Connor. I mean, Hermione's like one of her daughters, and you're well, you are a Slytherin…" Ginny was trying to sound encouraging but she came out a little condescending.

"Well I'd sort of hoped that after living in her house for a couple of weeks she'd warm up to me." Connor shrugged. "Oh well, as long as I've got my girl, I guess nobody else's opinion matters!" He pulled Hermione into a hug and kissed her tenderly on the tip of her nose."

"Gross." Ron frowned. "Come on Harry let's go practice Quidditch." He moved towards the front door but turned around when he realized that Harry wasn't following. "What's the matter?"

"Umm, well…" Harry glanced at Dawn who was standing beside the couch looking at her boyfriend longingly. "We haven't had much time alone lately…"

"Oh come on!" Ron shook his head. "Fine. Ginny let's go."

"Ron, why don't you teach Connor to play? He's thinking about trying out for the Slytherin team this year." Hermione suggested.

Ron paused but couldn't say no to Hermione's demanding glare. "Sure, why not. Come on Connor you can play on Ginny's team and Hermione can play on mine. That'll make us pretty even." He glared at Harry briefly before leading the others outside and leaving Harry and Dawn alone in the living room.

"So, you said that you wanted some time alone…" Dawn grinned mischievously and joined him on the couch. "What did you have in mind?"

"I think you know exactly what I have in mind!" Harry wrapped his arms around her and she leaned down until she was more or less lying flat out on his chest. They instantly started kissing and then stepped it up to making out and were completely oblivious to the green flames awakening in the fireplace until they heard the shocked and furious voice of their professor.

"Bloody hell!"