Her scream pierced the room like a needle pierces ears.
"Cordelia!" Gunn cried as she fell to the ground clutching her head. He ran over to her with Wesley a few steps behind.
"Did you have a vision?" Wesley asked her eagerly. The three of them were at Cordelia's apartment. They had spent the afternoon there discussing their plans for the future with Angel.
"No, she just screamed for the fun of it," Gunn said sarcastically while helping Cordelia stand up.
"What'd you see? A demon?" Wesley asked, ignoring Gunn's sarcasm.
Cordelia's eyes looked terrified. "Angel-" she started. "We have to go to Sunnydale."
* * *
Professor McGonagall paced back and forth across her office. Hermione sat in a chair watching her. It was almost 9.
"Where is she?" McGonagall asked. "She should have been here an hour ago."
"Maybe she forgot," Hermione said hopefully.
"Perhaps." Her voice sounded doubtful. "Well, I suppose we should begin your training. I was hoping Buffy would be here. I've never actually trained a Slayer before."
"Right. You were just a secretary," Hermione said without thinking. McGonagall stared at her in shock. "I mean-"
"How do you-" McGonagall began. "How much do you know?"
"Not much," Hermione lied. Her teacher glared at her. "I just read some things in the 'Vampire Slayer Chronicles'."
McGonagall shook her head and said, "I guessed as much when you were in the library today." Hermione blushed. "Well, it does not effect your destiny. I just felt it would be easier for you if you did not know about Lily." Hermione agreed with that statement.
"What kind of training does it take to become a Slayer?" Hermione asked.
"First of all, there is one thing you must understand. You already are the Slayer. The essence, knowledge, and strength are in you. The training we will start tonight will teach you how to use the powers you already have, but do not recognize yet. You also must realize that being a Vampire Slayer is very different than the sort of life you are used to. It does not involve magic on an everyday basis. Instead of a wand, you are the best weapon you will have. Now that you are the Slayer, your body is stronger than it was before. You have the ability to jump over tall objects and bend steel. You also heal faster than the average human and, as you may have guessed, you do not become injured as easily." She paused a moment to breath and pulled an object out of her desk. "This is a stake. It is the most common weapon Slayer's use. You push it through vampires' hearts and they die. There are other ways to kill them, but for tonight we will just start with this." McGonagall walked toward a door in the back of her office and motioned for Hermione to follow. "Remember, go for the heart."
McGonagall handed Hermione the stake and pushed her through the door.
The night was darker than usual as a cloud covered the moon. Hermione could barely even see her hand. She heard something move behind her. A vampire.
* * *
Buffy struggled in Angelus' grip. She tried to hit him, but he held her tighter. She tried to scream, but her voice would not come out. She tried to reach for a stake- or anything that could help her- but there was nothing.
She felt her life being drained from her as he drank her blood. Buffy swung her leg around to kick him, but was stopped by Darla. Buffy watched in horror as Angelus lifted his teeth out of her neck and handed her to Darla and Drusilla. The other vampires happily bit her and more blood was consumed. Buffy felt her heartbeat slowing. She welcomed the feeling with a strange emotion- joy. Then, the darkness came upon her.
* * *
"Hey, Harry," Ron said. "Do you get this homework?"
Harry looked up from the Potions assignment Professor Snape had given them. "It's impossible," he replied despairingly. "Where's Hermione when you need her?"
Ron glanced around the Common Room. The rest of the Gryffindors were there doing homework or talking. "She's not here."
"She has detention," Neville said as he and Ginny sat down next to Ron. "I heard her talking to Professor McGonagall about it after class today."
"Detention?" Harry said.
"Hermione?" Ron asked in shock.
Neville shrugged. "That's what she said."
"Expecting a letter?" Ginny asked Ron as Pig soared through the window and landed on their table.
"Not that I know of," Ron said while trying untying the letter of his owl's leg. "Stay still!" he ordered Pig, who continued to bounce around the table hooting happily.
Neville looked around at the papers strewn across their table. "I guess you don't understand Potions either?"
"It's impossible," Harry confirmed. "Exactly the type of assignment Snape would give us."
"This is for Hermione," Ron said, a confused expression on his face.
"Who's it from?" Harry asked.
Ron tore it open. "Her parents."
Ron placed the letter in the middle of the table and they read:
Dear Hermione,
We're glad to hear you made it to school safely. We hope your school year is going well. Are you still planning to come home for Christmas? We understand if you would rather stay at school, but Grandma is coming to visit this year and she would love to see you.
We're going to the Annual Dentists' Ball soon, so we have to stop writing now.
Write back soon with your answer about Christmas.
Love,
Your Parents
P. S. You're a Vampire Slayer.
* * *
"A Slayer!" the voice behind her snarled.
Hermione gripped the stake tighter behind her back. "A vampire," she said calmly. This was not a time to panic.
The vampire lunged at her and she jumped out of the way. Her stake flew across the lawn. The vampire took advantage of her nervousness and threw her against the school's wall. Hermione pulled herself off the ground. Then, she spun around and kicked him in the jaw like the heroine in a muggle movie she had seen over the summer. The vampire grabbed her arm and leaned down toward her neck. His teeth glistened as the clouds floated away from the moon. Using her other arm, Hermione punched the vampire as hard as could and sent him flying to the ground. Hermione stepped on his stomach so he couldn't move. Next, she reached into her pocket for her wand. "Accio!" she shouted pointing to her stake.
The stake flew across back across the lawn into her outstretched hand. She straddled the vampire and neatly shoved the stake through his heart. A second later, he exploded into dust and she fell to the ground.
"Nicely done, Granger," Professor McGonagall's voice said from behind her. Hermione stood up and faced her teacher. "A little slower than a Slayer should be, but not bad for a first attempt."
Hermione's eyes widened angrily. "Is that what you meant by training? Putting me against a vampire when I have no idea what I'm doing."
"I told you how to kill it. The rest was up to you. Only you can determine the best way to handle these situations. Even the Slayer Handbook will not tell you how to fight every kind of demon."
Hermione was about to answer when she heard a rustling sound near them. "Hello?" she called.
Professor McGonagall motioned for her to stay there and walked toward the sound. A moment later she reappeared looking furious. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Neville followed her looking scared.
* * *
Something strange was happening at Hogwarts. He had a feeling something was about to happen that shouldn't take place.
Albus Dumbledore sat in his office alone with his thoughts. He had not had a chance to do this since Voldemort's return at the end of the previous school year. Dumbledore glanced out the window and saw Professor McGonagall talking to five of her students. She looked angry about something. 'Potter and his friends must be sneaking around at night again.' Dumbledore thought to himself.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" someone asked from his doorway. Dumbledore turned away from the window and saw Tara Maclay standing awkwardly by the door where she had just apparated.
"Tara," Dumbledore said as though he were speaking to a close friend. "Have a seat. How's college going? I understand you are attending a muggle school now. That must be interesting." His eyes twinkled slightly.
Tara nodded. "It is. Very different from here. I like it though. The people there are very nice. I've made several friends."
Dumbledore smiled at this. Tara had always been an outsider when she was a student at Hogwarts. Her mother had left her family when Tara was still young to join Voldemort's followers. Tara was the exact opposite of her mother and had not fit in with her housemates in Slytherin. Dumbledore had never understood why the Sorting Hat had put her in that house.
"And, it has allowed me to keep a closer eye on Buffy," Tara continued. "I'm really um good friends with her best friend, so it works."
"How is Buffy?" Dumbledore asked.
"She's fine. She rejoined the Watcher's Council to get information on a god named Glory."
"Glorificus?" Dumbledore asked. His eyes widened in surprise.
Tara nodded. "Other than that she is fine. A little heartbroken, but fine."
"And, the other Slayer? Is she still in prision?"
A look of puzzlement crossed Tara's face. "Y-you don't know?" Dumbledore shook his head. "Faith died. The new Slayer is one of your students."
"Hermione," he said softly.
"You do know, then?"
"I suspected it, but was not positive."
"Do you have a plan?" Tara asked hopefully.
Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "I will go to Sunnydale with you in the morning. Until then, you will stay here for the night. I will need your assistance addressing the students tomorrow."
* * *
"Buffy?" a voice echoed in the distance. "Buffy? Can you hear me? Giles! She isn't coming around."
Someone placed a cold rag on her face. "Buffy?" Giles' voice said.
"Giles?" she muttered. Buffy struggled to lift her head up. She saw Giles standing over her looking worried and very flustered. Willow, Anya, and Xander were standing a few feet behind him looking nervous. Standing in the back of the room were Cordelia, Wesley, and someone Buffy had never seen before.
"Where am I?" she asked. It felt like a sledgehammer was being thrown at her head over and over and over again.
Giles patted her arm reassuringly. "You're at the hospital. You've had a rough night. We were afraid you weren't going to wake up."
"What happened?" Buffy asked, her voice sounded extremely weak and shaky.
Giles paused as though struggling for an answer. "We're not sure. I was working at the shop when I got a call from Spike saying he'd brought you here. Apparantly, you were at school this afternoon when-"
"Angel," Buffy exclaimed as the memories came back. "He's- he's back. I mean, Angelus is back."
"I knew it!" Cordelia exclaimed proudly. Everyone stared at her strangely. "Sorry. Go ahead, Buffy."
"I was at school when he pulled me into this closet. I tried to hit him, but he had help."
"Darla and Drusilla," Wesley informed him.
"Darla?" Buffy looked confused. "Isn't she?"
"Long story," the guy she didn't know said.
"Anyway, one of them hit me with something heavy. And, then I woke up here."
"You don't remember anything else?" Giles asked.
"Well, there is the part where I saved her life," Spike boasted as he walked in the room. "Don't worry, you don't have to bother thanking me. Your eternal love and gratitude will be enough."
"But, I was almost dead. And, you guys," Buffy pointed to Willow, Giles, and Anya. "were unconscious."
"That isn't what happened," Spike spoke up. "I was there and conscious the whole time. Your pal Angelus recruited me last night." Everyone glared at him. "What? You think I'd be here now if I met to help the poof? Anyway, he wanted me to help him even an old score- that's you pet." He nodded at Buffy. "The four of us went to your school where Angelus pulled you into a closet. Darla hit you on the head with a typewriter. Angelus bit you and just as he started to drain you drier than the Sahara, I saved your life. Risked my own bum in the process, mind you."
"But what about-" Buffy started. "It just seemed so realistic."
"That's because it is real," Whistler replied as he came in the room. "Slayers often have dreams which tell their future."
"What?" Buffy asked.
"Visiting hours are over," the nurse said as she entered the room. "You can come pick her up tomorrow."
"Wait-" Buffy started
"It can wait for tomorrow," the nurse said stubbornly and led the group out.
Buffy sank back into her bed. She needed to rest. The next few days were going to be exhausting.
* * *
Professor McGonagall led her students into her office and shut the door behind them. "Would any of you like to explain why you were wandering around outside when you should be in the Gryffindor house?" Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Neville looked down at the ground. "Very well. Potter, let's start with you. Why were you out there?"
Harry scratched his head nervously. "Well, erm, we were looking for Hermione actually. We were worried when we heard she had detention."
Hermione blushed at this.
Professor McGonagall's face softened slightly. "Weasley, did you see anything interesting while you were out there?"
"We saw Hermione stab a guy with a wooden stick!" Ginny exclaimed. The boys glared at her. "I mean, we didn't see anything."
McGonagall's expression showed this was exactly what she was afraid to hear. "Well, you see-"
"We know," Ron said guiltily. "Hermione's a Vampire Slayer."
To be continued...
Author's Note:
I'm sick now. I have a flu bug and a cold, so I'm not really sure how good this part is. I hope it makes enough sense that you could follow most of what happened. Thanks for reading it and sorry if it didn't make a lot of sense. I'm not really "with it" at the moment... Please write a review though. I would like to know what people think about it. Thanks!
"Cordelia!" Gunn cried as she fell to the ground clutching her head. He ran over to her with Wesley a few steps behind.
"Did you have a vision?" Wesley asked her eagerly. The three of them were at Cordelia's apartment. They had spent the afternoon there discussing their plans for the future with Angel.
"No, she just screamed for the fun of it," Gunn said sarcastically while helping Cordelia stand up.
"What'd you see? A demon?" Wesley asked, ignoring Gunn's sarcasm.
Cordelia's eyes looked terrified. "Angel-" she started. "We have to go to Sunnydale."
* * *
Professor McGonagall paced back and forth across her office. Hermione sat in a chair watching her. It was almost 9.
"Where is she?" McGonagall asked. "She should have been here an hour ago."
"Maybe she forgot," Hermione said hopefully.
"Perhaps." Her voice sounded doubtful. "Well, I suppose we should begin your training. I was hoping Buffy would be here. I've never actually trained a Slayer before."
"Right. You were just a secretary," Hermione said without thinking. McGonagall stared at her in shock. "I mean-"
"How do you-" McGonagall began. "How much do you know?"
"Not much," Hermione lied. Her teacher glared at her. "I just read some things in the 'Vampire Slayer Chronicles'."
McGonagall shook her head and said, "I guessed as much when you were in the library today." Hermione blushed. "Well, it does not effect your destiny. I just felt it would be easier for you if you did not know about Lily." Hermione agreed with that statement.
"What kind of training does it take to become a Slayer?" Hermione asked.
"First of all, there is one thing you must understand. You already are the Slayer. The essence, knowledge, and strength are in you. The training we will start tonight will teach you how to use the powers you already have, but do not recognize yet. You also must realize that being a Vampire Slayer is very different than the sort of life you are used to. It does not involve magic on an everyday basis. Instead of a wand, you are the best weapon you will have. Now that you are the Slayer, your body is stronger than it was before. You have the ability to jump over tall objects and bend steel. You also heal faster than the average human and, as you may have guessed, you do not become injured as easily." She paused a moment to breath and pulled an object out of her desk. "This is a stake. It is the most common weapon Slayer's use. You push it through vampires' hearts and they die. There are other ways to kill them, but for tonight we will just start with this." McGonagall walked toward a door in the back of her office and motioned for Hermione to follow. "Remember, go for the heart."
McGonagall handed Hermione the stake and pushed her through the door.
The night was darker than usual as a cloud covered the moon. Hermione could barely even see her hand. She heard something move behind her. A vampire.
* * *
Buffy struggled in Angelus' grip. She tried to hit him, but he held her tighter. She tried to scream, but her voice would not come out. She tried to reach for a stake- or anything that could help her- but there was nothing.
She felt her life being drained from her as he drank her blood. Buffy swung her leg around to kick him, but was stopped by Darla. Buffy watched in horror as Angelus lifted his teeth out of her neck and handed her to Darla and Drusilla. The other vampires happily bit her and more blood was consumed. Buffy felt her heartbeat slowing. She welcomed the feeling with a strange emotion- joy. Then, the darkness came upon her.
* * *
"Hey, Harry," Ron said. "Do you get this homework?"
Harry looked up from the Potions assignment Professor Snape had given them. "It's impossible," he replied despairingly. "Where's Hermione when you need her?"
Ron glanced around the Common Room. The rest of the Gryffindors were there doing homework or talking. "She's not here."
"She has detention," Neville said as he and Ginny sat down next to Ron. "I heard her talking to Professor McGonagall about it after class today."
"Detention?" Harry said.
"Hermione?" Ron asked in shock.
Neville shrugged. "That's what she said."
"Expecting a letter?" Ginny asked Ron as Pig soared through the window and landed on their table.
"Not that I know of," Ron said while trying untying the letter of his owl's leg. "Stay still!" he ordered Pig, who continued to bounce around the table hooting happily.
Neville looked around at the papers strewn across their table. "I guess you don't understand Potions either?"
"It's impossible," Harry confirmed. "Exactly the type of assignment Snape would give us."
"This is for Hermione," Ron said, a confused expression on his face.
"Who's it from?" Harry asked.
Ron tore it open. "Her parents."
Ron placed the letter in the middle of the table and they read:
Dear Hermione,
We're glad to hear you made it to school safely. We hope your school year is going well. Are you still planning to come home for Christmas? We understand if you would rather stay at school, but Grandma is coming to visit this year and she would love to see you.
We're going to the Annual Dentists' Ball soon, so we have to stop writing now.
Write back soon with your answer about Christmas.
Love,
Your Parents
P. S. You're a Vampire Slayer.
* * *
"A Slayer!" the voice behind her snarled.
Hermione gripped the stake tighter behind her back. "A vampire," she said calmly. This was not a time to panic.
The vampire lunged at her and she jumped out of the way. Her stake flew across the lawn. The vampire took advantage of her nervousness and threw her against the school's wall. Hermione pulled herself off the ground. Then, she spun around and kicked him in the jaw like the heroine in a muggle movie she had seen over the summer. The vampire grabbed her arm and leaned down toward her neck. His teeth glistened as the clouds floated away from the moon. Using her other arm, Hermione punched the vampire as hard as could and sent him flying to the ground. Hermione stepped on his stomach so he couldn't move. Next, she reached into her pocket for her wand. "Accio!" she shouted pointing to her stake.
The stake flew across back across the lawn into her outstretched hand. She straddled the vampire and neatly shoved the stake through his heart. A second later, he exploded into dust and she fell to the ground.
"Nicely done, Granger," Professor McGonagall's voice said from behind her. Hermione stood up and faced her teacher. "A little slower than a Slayer should be, but not bad for a first attempt."
Hermione's eyes widened angrily. "Is that what you meant by training? Putting me against a vampire when I have no idea what I'm doing."
"I told you how to kill it. The rest was up to you. Only you can determine the best way to handle these situations. Even the Slayer Handbook will not tell you how to fight every kind of demon."
Hermione was about to answer when she heard a rustling sound near them. "Hello?" she called.
Professor McGonagall motioned for her to stay there and walked toward the sound. A moment later she reappeared looking furious. Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Neville followed her looking scared.
* * *
Something strange was happening at Hogwarts. He had a feeling something was about to happen that shouldn't take place.
Albus Dumbledore sat in his office alone with his thoughts. He had not had a chance to do this since Voldemort's return at the end of the previous school year. Dumbledore glanced out the window and saw Professor McGonagall talking to five of her students. She looked angry about something. 'Potter and his friends must be sneaking around at night again.' Dumbledore thought to himself.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" someone asked from his doorway. Dumbledore turned away from the window and saw Tara Maclay standing awkwardly by the door where she had just apparated.
"Tara," Dumbledore said as though he were speaking to a close friend. "Have a seat. How's college going? I understand you are attending a muggle school now. That must be interesting." His eyes twinkled slightly.
Tara nodded. "It is. Very different from here. I like it though. The people there are very nice. I've made several friends."
Dumbledore smiled at this. Tara had always been an outsider when she was a student at Hogwarts. Her mother had left her family when Tara was still young to join Voldemort's followers. Tara was the exact opposite of her mother and had not fit in with her housemates in Slytherin. Dumbledore had never understood why the Sorting Hat had put her in that house.
"And, it has allowed me to keep a closer eye on Buffy," Tara continued. "I'm really um good friends with her best friend, so it works."
"How is Buffy?" Dumbledore asked.
"She's fine. She rejoined the Watcher's Council to get information on a god named Glory."
"Glorificus?" Dumbledore asked. His eyes widened in surprise.
Tara nodded. "Other than that she is fine. A little heartbroken, but fine."
"And, the other Slayer? Is she still in prision?"
A look of puzzlement crossed Tara's face. "Y-you don't know?" Dumbledore shook his head. "Faith died. The new Slayer is one of your students."
"Hermione," he said softly.
"You do know, then?"
"I suspected it, but was not positive."
"Do you have a plan?" Tara asked hopefully.
Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "I will go to Sunnydale with you in the morning. Until then, you will stay here for the night. I will need your assistance addressing the students tomorrow."
* * *
"Buffy?" a voice echoed in the distance. "Buffy? Can you hear me? Giles! She isn't coming around."
Someone placed a cold rag on her face. "Buffy?" Giles' voice said.
"Giles?" she muttered. Buffy struggled to lift her head up. She saw Giles standing over her looking worried and very flustered. Willow, Anya, and Xander were standing a few feet behind him looking nervous. Standing in the back of the room were Cordelia, Wesley, and someone Buffy had never seen before.
"Where am I?" she asked. It felt like a sledgehammer was being thrown at her head over and over and over again.
Giles patted her arm reassuringly. "You're at the hospital. You've had a rough night. We were afraid you weren't going to wake up."
"What happened?" Buffy asked, her voice sounded extremely weak and shaky.
Giles paused as though struggling for an answer. "We're not sure. I was working at the shop when I got a call from Spike saying he'd brought you here. Apparantly, you were at school this afternoon when-"
"Angel," Buffy exclaimed as the memories came back. "He's- he's back. I mean, Angelus is back."
"I knew it!" Cordelia exclaimed proudly. Everyone stared at her strangely. "Sorry. Go ahead, Buffy."
"I was at school when he pulled me into this closet. I tried to hit him, but he had help."
"Darla and Drusilla," Wesley informed him.
"Darla?" Buffy looked confused. "Isn't she?"
"Long story," the guy she didn't know said.
"Anyway, one of them hit me with something heavy. And, then I woke up here."
"You don't remember anything else?" Giles asked.
"Well, there is the part where I saved her life," Spike boasted as he walked in the room. "Don't worry, you don't have to bother thanking me. Your eternal love and gratitude will be enough."
"But, I was almost dead. And, you guys," Buffy pointed to Willow, Giles, and Anya. "were unconscious."
"That isn't what happened," Spike spoke up. "I was there and conscious the whole time. Your pal Angelus recruited me last night." Everyone glared at him. "What? You think I'd be here now if I met to help the poof? Anyway, he wanted me to help him even an old score- that's you pet." He nodded at Buffy. "The four of us went to your school where Angelus pulled you into a closet. Darla hit you on the head with a typewriter. Angelus bit you and just as he started to drain you drier than the Sahara, I saved your life. Risked my own bum in the process, mind you."
"But what about-" Buffy started. "It just seemed so realistic."
"That's because it is real," Whistler replied as he came in the room. "Slayers often have dreams which tell their future."
"What?" Buffy asked.
"Visiting hours are over," the nurse said as she entered the room. "You can come pick her up tomorrow."
"Wait-" Buffy started
"It can wait for tomorrow," the nurse said stubbornly and led the group out.
Buffy sank back into her bed. She needed to rest. The next few days were going to be exhausting.
* * *
Professor McGonagall led her students into her office and shut the door behind them. "Would any of you like to explain why you were wandering around outside when you should be in the Gryffindor house?" Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Neville looked down at the ground. "Very well. Potter, let's start with you. Why were you out there?"
Harry scratched his head nervously. "Well, erm, we were looking for Hermione actually. We were worried when we heard she had detention."
Hermione blushed at this.
Professor McGonagall's face softened slightly. "Weasley, did you see anything interesting while you were out there?"
"We saw Hermione stab a guy with a wooden stick!" Ginny exclaimed. The boys glared at her. "I mean, we didn't see anything."
McGonagall's expression showed this was exactly what she was afraid to hear. "Well, you see-"
"We know," Ron said guiltily. "Hermione's a Vampire Slayer."
To be continued...
Author's Note:
I'm sick now. I have a flu bug and a cold, so I'm not really sure how good this part is. I hope it makes enough sense that you could follow most of what happened. Thanks for reading it and sorry if it didn't make a lot of sense. I'm not really "with it" at the moment... Please write a review though. I would like to know what people think about it. Thanks!