Blood of Enemies, Blood of Friends
Chapter 17 - Preparations
The euphoria from winning their first quidditch match against Slytherin was soon forgotten as the six teens and Scoobies dug into their research. Halloween was fast approaching, and they had yet to find anything useful.
Giles and Buffy decided that they needed to better prepare the Slayers and Watcher trainees for the possible battle ahead. Giles briefed the students during their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. "We are going to deviate from the syllabus today," announced Giles.
The class looked around in concern. Throughout the first month of classes, Professor Giles had never deviated from the lesson plan.
"We believe that there may be a threat to all the students at Hogwarts on Halloween night," he continued. "Therefore, we will spend the next several weeks focusing on curses and counter curses that may be useful if a battle should occur. You will notice that some of your professors will be attending this class to learn defensive spells as well."
Dawn noticed that Buffy, Faith, and Willow were sitting in the back of the classroom with their wands and some notebooks.
"We will also be stepping up patrol of the forbidden forest. You should practice what you learn in this class while on patrol. Are there any questions?" The students shook their heads. "Good, well then we will begin by reviewing the three unforgivable curses," said Giles. "Can anyone tell me what they are?"
All of the students, who had attended Hogwarts two years prior, raised their hands. The Slayers looked around the room, clearly feeling that they were missing something.
Giles called on Hermione. "The three unforgivable curses are the Imperius which allows complete control over the victim, the Cruciatus which causes horrible pain, and the Avada Kedavra which causes instant death."
"How is the best way to counter these curses?" asked Giles.
The students looked shocked. There were no counter curses for these. Dawn was the only one who raised her hand. Giles indicated for her to answer. "Don't get hit," responded Dawn.
"Precisely," stated Giles. "The unforgivable curses require a lot of dark energy from their casters. Often you can quickly disarm your opponent with an 'expelliarmus' before he can summon the power needed to curse you. If this is not possible, you should do whatever you can to get out of the way. You can use a 'mobilarbus' to move a large object in front of you to block the curse, or you can use your fighting techniques training to physically dodge the curse."
Giles had the students spend the rest of the class using the 'mobilarbus' spell to physically block minor, easily reversed curses placed by other students.
****************
Buffy, Faith, and Robin also stepped up training their students in Fighting Techniques. They alternated classes between hand-to-hand combat techniques and weapons training. The Slayers began training with short swords, while the other students learned to fire crossbows with an acceptable degree of accuracy.
The first day of hand-to-hand combat, Faith announced to the class that they should divide up into groups of two. As always, Dawn and Shannon immediately paired up.
"Want to be my sparring partner, Mione?" asked Ron. He was really hoping she would say yes. It was an excuse to be physically close to her.
Hermione blushed a little. She had been wondering how to get Ron to be her partner. "Sure, Ron," she answered.
The rest of the class had divided up leaving Harry and Draco as the final pair.
The groups began sparring. Buffy, Faith, and Robin were all pleased at the progress that their students were making.
After about fifteen minutes, a very loud argument erupted between Harry and Draco. "Come on, Potter, hit like a man," said Draco.
"As opposed to what, a ferret?" responded Harry.
"You will pay for that," promised Draco.
"Not if I knock you out first," countered Harry.
The whole class stopped their sparring to watch Harry and Draco. The two boys were really punching the hell out of each other. Both were too emotional to block the throws of the other. They each kept taking hits in between punching the other.
Buffy and Faith came up behind the two boys. Each Slayer grabbed one boy and pulled them apart. "We do not have time for your petty disagreements. Fifty points from each house," said Buffy.
Faith called over Shannon and Dawn. "Shannon, you spar with Harry, and, Dawn, you're with Draco." She then glared at Harry and Draco, "And if I ever see something like that in my class again, you will wish that the worst I could do is take away points."
"You better listen to her," whispered Dawn, as Faith walked away. "She has actually killed people." The boys looked wide-eyed at Dawn before Harry moved off to begin sparring with Shannon.
"Why can't you two just pretend to get along?" asked Dawn.
"It will never happen," answered Draco.
Dawn and Draco began to spar. Dawn had to admit that Draco was really good. With more practice, he would easily be able to overtake her. Her only advantage at the moment was an additional year of personal training by Buffy.
Initially Draco pulled his punches. He didn't want to hurt Dawn. However, he quickly realized that she was an experienced fighter, who could protect herself. Draco let himself go and fought Dawn as he would any other opponent.
Buffy, Faith, and Robin walked between the groups of students sparring. They made corrections when necessary and complimented the students on their strengths.
Faith nudged Buffy and tilted her head in the direction of Dawn and Draco. The two Slayers watched the pair spar for a few minutes. "Damn, B., the kid really inherited some of your moves. She isn't as fast or strong, but she really can move."
"That Draco kid is pretty good too." Buffy couldn't help but smile. There was something about the way they moved together, that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
"They move together like you and Angel used to," commented Faith.
That was it. Buffy realized that they moved as if they were one. There would be no keeping them apart. Buffy sighed. Hopefully Dawn would get the chance at happiness she herself could never have. Draco wasn't exactly normal. He was a wizard, but at least he wouldn't lose his soul for loving Dawn.
Buffy looked back toward Faith. "You and Robin move the same way, you know. Like you are one person."
****************
Angel, Fred, and Gunn visited Hogwarts the week before Halloween to help prepare for the battle. While Fred helped the others continue to research, Angel and Gunn helped Buffy, Xander, Faith, and Robin to collect weapons that could be useful in the battle. They worked diligently to create several hidden weapons caches in the Great Hall and various other places around the castle.
As Halloween drew closer, Giles and Buffy convinced Angel to take Fred and Gunn and return to LA. They hoped that if Angel were halfway around the world, it would make it more difficult for Voldemort to combine his blood with Robin's.
****************
During the little bit of free time that the teens had, they planned their costumes for the Halloween dance. The girls were having a difficult time coming up with costume ideas that would look good, but allow for the movement necessary to fight.
Ron had asked Hermione on the day that the dance was announced. He explained that he was never going to make the mistake of waiting too long again. Hermione was absolutely thrilled. She had wanted to dance with Ron for the past two years.
Shannon wanted to go to the dance with Harry, but he seemed to be dragging his feet about asking her. She could tell that he wanted to go with her and not just because they had shared more than a few secret kisses in the past couple of weeks. She finally cornered him after dinner one night on their way to research and asked him to the dance. He was thrilled to go with her and agreed quickly.
Dawn wished that she could go to the dance with Draco, but he hadn't asked her. Shannon tried to convince Dawn that Draco was probably just nervous and that Dawn should ask him, but Dawn could not bring herself to do it. She knew that Draco considered her a friend, but she figured that he did not think of her as anything more. Dawn did not want to face the possible disappointment that would come from knowing.
Dawn was worried that she was going to be out of place among all the couples. Even Andrew had a date. Ginny had asked him almost as quickly as Ron had asked Hermione. Normally Dawn would have skipped the dance, but with the possibility of Voldemort making a move, she had to go.
The seven teens decided to dress in muggle fashions of various decades. Ginny and Andrew were dressing in twenties attire. Dawn planned to dress in fifties attire. Hermione convinced Ron to dress in sixties attire. Shannon and Harry agreed to dress in eighties attire. The girls set to work to borrow clothing from various people and transfigure items they already owned for their costumes.
The teens couldn't help but discuss their costume plans during their research sessions. The Scooby core wouldn't let on about their costumes other than to say that it was a surprise. Faith, Robin, Wesley, and Cat had nothing planned for their costumes, and decided to join the teens in their idea. Faith and Robin would dress in seventies disco attire, and Wesley and Cat agreed to dress in forties attire.
****************
Shannon felt bad for Dawn. She was really being a good sport about the dance, but it was obvious to Shannon that Dawn was miserable.
A few days before the dance, Shannon set out to make things right. She cornered Draco as he returned to his dorm after quidditch practice. "Malfoy," called Shannon.
"What could you possibly want?" spat Draco. "On a mission for your golden boy Potter?"
"I'm on a mission, but it's for my best friend. Dawn doesn't have a date for the Halloween dance," replied Shannon.
"And what do you expect me to do about it?" asked Draco. He was secretly pleased that Dawn wasn't going to the dance with anyone else. He had wanted to ask her, but he was afraid to ruin the only true friendship that he had.
"We are all going together, and you can come too," said Shannon.
"No way. The last thing I need is to take grief from Potter and Weasley," answered Draco.
"Fine, don't come with us. But if you are going to be at the dance alone, wear this." Shannon threw some clothing to Malfoy.
"What the hell is this?" asked Malfoy.
"Trust me, just wear it,"
"Why should I trust you?"
"Normally you shouldn't because I don't particularly like you, Malfoy. But this isn't for you, it's for Dawn." With that Shannon spun on her heal and started walking away.
Draco called after her, "I'll do it. Just explain to me what this costume is supposed to be."
****************
Draco owled a letter to his father. He had put it off as long as he possibly could. He informed his father that the professors believed there might be a threat on Halloween. He left out the part about the increase in training.
Draco then went to bed dreaming about dancing with Dawn on Halloween.
Chapter 17 - Preparations
The euphoria from winning their first quidditch match against Slytherin was soon forgotten as the six teens and Scoobies dug into their research. Halloween was fast approaching, and they had yet to find anything useful.
Giles and Buffy decided that they needed to better prepare the Slayers and Watcher trainees for the possible battle ahead. Giles briefed the students during their Defense Against the Dark Arts class. "We are going to deviate from the syllabus today," announced Giles.
The class looked around in concern. Throughout the first month of classes, Professor Giles had never deviated from the lesson plan.
"We believe that there may be a threat to all the students at Hogwarts on Halloween night," he continued. "Therefore, we will spend the next several weeks focusing on curses and counter curses that may be useful if a battle should occur. You will notice that some of your professors will be attending this class to learn defensive spells as well."
Dawn noticed that Buffy, Faith, and Willow were sitting in the back of the classroom with their wands and some notebooks.
"We will also be stepping up patrol of the forbidden forest. You should practice what you learn in this class while on patrol. Are there any questions?" The students shook their heads. "Good, well then we will begin by reviewing the three unforgivable curses," said Giles. "Can anyone tell me what they are?"
All of the students, who had attended Hogwarts two years prior, raised their hands. The Slayers looked around the room, clearly feeling that they were missing something.
Giles called on Hermione. "The three unforgivable curses are the Imperius which allows complete control over the victim, the Cruciatus which causes horrible pain, and the Avada Kedavra which causes instant death."
"How is the best way to counter these curses?" asked Giles.
The students looked shocked. There were no counter curses for these. Dawn was the only one who raised her hand. Giles indicated for her to answer. "Don't get hit," responded Dawn.
"Precisely," stated Giles. "The unforgivable curses require a lot of dark energy from their casters. Often you can quickly disarm your opponent with an 'expelliarmus' before he can summon the power needed to curse you. If this is not possible, you should do whatever you can to get out of the way. You can use a 'mobilarbus' to move a large object in front of you to block the curse, or you can use your fighting techniques training to physically dodge the curse."
Giles had the students spend the rest of the class using the 'mobilarbus' spell to physically block minor, easily reversed curses placed by other students.
****************
Buffy, Faith, and Robin also stepped up training their students in Fighting Techniques. They alternated classes between hand-to-hand combat techniques and weapons training. The Slayers began training with short swords, while the other students learned to fire crossbows with an acceptable degree of accuracy.
The first day of hand-to-hand combat, Faith announced to the class that they should divide up into groups of two. As always, Dawn and Shannon immediately paired up.
"Want to be my sparring partner, Mione?" asked Ron. He was really hoping she would say yes. It was an excuse to be physically close to her.
Hermione blushed a little. She had been wondering how to get Ron to be her partner. "Sure, Ron," she answered.
The rest of the class had divided up leaving Harry and Draco as the final pair.
The groups began sparring. Buffy, Faith, and Robin were all pleased at the progress that their students were making.
After about fifteen minutes, a very loud argument erupted between Harry and Draco. "Come on, Potter, hit like a man," said Draco.
"As opposed to what, a ferret?" responded Harry.
"You will pay for that," promised Draco.
"Not if I knock you out first," countered Harry.
The whole class stopped their sparring to watch Harry and Draco. The two boys were really punching the hell out of each other. Both were too emotional to block the throws of the other. They each kept taking hits in between punching the other.
Buffy and Faith came up behind the two boys. Each Slayer grabbed one boy and pulled them apart. "We do not have time for your petty disagreements. Fifty points from each house," said Buffy.
Faith called over Shannon and Dawn. "Shannon, you spar with Harry, and, Dawn, you're with Draco." She then glared at Harry and Draco, "And if I ever see something like that in my class again, you will wish that the worst I could do is take away points."
"You better listen to her," whispered Dawn, as Faith walked away. "She has actually killed people." The boys looked wide-eyed at Dawn before Harry moved off to begin sparring with Shannon.
"Why can't you two just pretend to get along?" asked Dawn.
"It will never happen," answered Draco.
Dawn and Draco began to spar. Dawn had to admit that Draco was really good. With more practice, he would easily be able to overtake her. Her only advantage at the moment was an additional year of personal training by Buffy.
Initially Draco pulled his punches. He didn't want to hurt Dawn. However, he quickly realized that she was an experienced fighter, who could protect herself. Draco let himself go and fought Dawn as he would any other opponent.
Buffy, Faith, and Robin walked between the groups of students sparring. They made corrections when necessary and complimented the students on their strengths.
Faith nudged Buffy and tilted her head in the direction of Dawn and Draco. The two Slayers watched the pair spar for a few minutes. "Damn, B., the kid really inherited some of your moves. She isn't as fast or strong, but she really can move."
"That Draco kid is pretty good too." Buffy couldn't help but smile. There was something about the way they moved together, that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
"They move together like you and Angel used to," commented Faith.
That was it. Buffy realized that they moved as if they were one. There would be no keeping them apart. Buffy sighed. Hopefully Dawn would get the chance at happiness she herself could never have. Draco wasn't exactly normal. He was a wizard, but at least he wouldn't lose his soul for loving Dawn.
Buffy looked back toward Faith. "You and Robin move the same way, you know. Like you are one person."
****************
Angel, Fred, and Gunn visited Hogwarts the week before Halloween to help prepare for the battle. While Fred helped the others continue to research, Angel and Gunn helped Buffy, Xander, Faith, and Robin to collect weapons that could be useful in the battle. They worked diligently to create several hidden weapons caches in the Great Hall and various other places around the castle.
As Halloween drew closer, Giles and Buffy convinced Angel to take Fred and Gunn and return to LA. They hoped that if Angel were halfway around the world, it would make it more difficult for Voldemort to combine his blood with Robin's.
****************
During the little bit of free time that the teens had, they planned their costumes for the Halloween dance. The girls were having a difficult time coming up with costume ideas that would look good, but allow for the movement necessary to fight.
Ron had asked Hermione on the day that the dance was announced. He explained that he was never going to make the mistake of waiting too long again. Hermione was absolutely thrilled. She had wanted to dance with Ron for the past two years.
Shannon wanted to go to the dance with Harry, but he seemed to be dragging his feet about asking her. She could tell that he wanted to go with her and not just because they had shared more than a few secret kisses in the past couple of weeks. She finally cornered him after dinner one night on their way to research and asked him to the dance. He was thrilled to go with her and agreed quickly.
Dawn wished that she could go to the dance with Draco, but he hadn't asked her. Shannon tried to convince Dawn that Draco was probably just nervous and that Dawn should ask him, but Dawn could not bring herself to do it. She knew that Draco considered her a friend, but she figured that he did not think of her as anything more. Dawn did not want to face the possible disappointment that would come from knowing.
Dawn was worried that she was going to be out of place among all the couples. Even Andrew had a date. Ginny had asked him almost as quickly as Ron had asked Hermione. Normally Dawn would have skipped the dance, but with the possibility of Voldemort making a move, she had to go.
The seven teens decided to dress in muggle fashions of various decades. Ginny and Andrew were dressing in twenties attire. Dawn planned to dress in fifties attire. Hermione convinced Ron to dress in sixties attire. Shannon and Harry agreed to dress in eighties attire. The girls set to work to borrow clothing from various people and transfigure items they already owned for their costumes.
The teens couldn't help but discuss their costume plans during their research sessions. The Scooby core wouldn't let on about their costumes other than to say that it was a surprise. Faith, Robin, Wesley, and Cat had nothing planned for their costumes, and decided to join the teens in their idea. Faith and Robin would dress in seventies disco attire, and Wesley and Cat agreed to dress in forties attire.
****************
Shannon felt bad for Dawn. She was really being a good sport about the dance, but it was obvious to Shannon that Dawn was miserable.
A few days before the dance, Shannon set out to make things right. She cornered Draco as he returned to his dorm after quidditch practice. "Malfoy," called Shannon.
"What could you possibly want?" spat Draco. "On a mission for your golden boy Potter?"
"I'm on a mission, but it's for my best friend. Dawn doesn't have a date for the Halloween dance," replied Shannon.
"And what do you expect me to do about it?" asked Draco. He was secretly pleased that Dawn wasn't going to the dance with anyone else. He had wanted to ask her, but he was afraid to ruin the only true friendship that he had.
"We are all going together, and you can come too," said Shannon.
"No way. The last thing I need is to take grief from Potter and Weasley," answered Draco.
"Fine, don't come with us. But if you are going to be at the dance alone, wear this." Shannon threw some clothing to Malfoy.
"What the hell is this?" asked Malfoy.
"Trust me, just wear it,"
"Why should I trust you?"
"Normally you shouldn't because I don't particularly like you, Malfoy. But this isn't for you, it's for Dawn." With that Shannon spun on her heal and started walking away.
Draco called after her, "I'll do it. Just explain to me what this costume is supposed to be."
****************
Draco owled a letter to his father. He had put it off as long as he possibly could. He informed his father that the professors believed there might be a threat on Halloween. He left out the part about the increase in training.
Draco then went to bed dreaming about dancing with Dawn on Halloween.