Chapter thirteen! I was really quite flattered by all of your reviews. I know that this one is short, but it's a bridge. Besides, I'm attempting to defeat my superstition regarding the number thirteen. Hee, hee. Story time, peoples.
Harry felt vaguely like fainting. Ginny...was a Slayer? A Slayer?
She fit the description, he supposed. Tough, strong willed...beautiful, judging by the looks of the assembled Slayers.
He looked around the table, eventually focusing on Dumbledore. "It is Ginny, isn't it, sir?" he asked, in a more deferential tone than his previous outburst.
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Harry, it is Ginny. She is the final Slayer from Hogwarts."
Buffy nodded, and looked at Harry. "Can you tell us a little bit about her?"
Harry looked dazed for a second, but swallowed his amazement. "Err...sure, I suppose...well, she's about so high, red hair, brown eyes..." he trailed off. This, obviously, wasn't what Buffy wanted to know. "Right, then...she's very strong willed. Also very tough. Through it all, though, she's the sweetest...well, I mean to say, she's quite nice..."
Buffy nodded. The kid was in a state of mild shock. Now wasn't the best time to be inquiring about the source of that shock. "What about the other Slayers? The ones who don't attend Hogwarts?"
Dumbledore fussed briefly with the parchment, read from it briefly, and sighed. "They are, I'm afraid, from all corners of the Earth. And we can't easily send owls, as we usually do with students, because we simply don't have enough owls with the necessary range for these journeys. I'm afraid that the people will have to be contacted by other people."
Buffy sat back and let this sink in. Five hundred...it was nearly inconceivable that a group of thirty Slayers could ever manage to get in touch, personally, with that many people. She began to map out her plans for it, and immediately realized that there was no way she could do it all here.
She nodded slowly, looking up from the table at Dumbledore. "Thank you for your help, sir," she said. "I suppose that you'd like us out of your hair now..."
Dumbledore stood immediately. "I want no such thing, Buffy," he said. "You and your Slayers are welcome here as long as you like. After receiving this list last night, I began to think. You will need a place to train all of these new Slayers, and we desperately need an army. Evidence has shown that Lord Voldemort has begun to gather up and army of his own," he looked at Harry, who had shuddered at the word 'army'. "If we are to combat this, we will need all the help we can get, and then some, too.
"What I am saying is...once our wartime additions are done, would you like to set up a Slayer training camp here at Hogwarts?"
Buffy nearly fell back out of her chair. She looked around inquiringly at her friends. Xander seemed lost in thought - again, Willow was nodding fervently, Faith was grinning slowly and nodding, and Giles consented as well by not expressing dissent.
"We'll accept your offer," Buffy said.
Dumbledore grinned. "That would be most kind...now, if you'll follow me, we have a lot to discuss if this training camp idea is to become a reality."
As they walked out of the Hall, Dumbledore looked to a corner of the room and said, distinctly, "Quiet as a mouse...I can see why they picked you," and he was gone.
Harry stood, too. He was incredibly uncomfortable at this table of Slayers. Dumbledore was his only link to them, and with Dumbledore gone, he felt a bit lost and more than a bit out of place.
"Well," he muttered. "It was nice seeing you all..."
Harry moved to leave, but one of them stopped him. "Hey, you..." she said. Harry wasn't aware of her name, but her red hair reminded him faintly of Ginny. "You're girlfriend is a Slayer?"
Harry, deciding that this was an olive branch of sorts, answered the question. "Yes," he said. "Ginny...we haven't been together long."
One of the adults muttered, under his breath, "Those always work out so well..."
Harry was a bit alarmed. He didn't know what, exactly, would change in Ginny with the coming of the whole Slayer thing, but something in the man's tone unnerved him. "What's that about?" he asked.
A voice came from the corner. "Don't worry about it, kid," it said. "Your girlfriend will be fine. They're talking about other Slayer's and their really tragic love lives."
Craig stepped from the shadows. He was pleased to see that he had spooked everyone assembled. "Didn't notice me?" he asked.
Faith stepped up to him. "No, we didn't," she said. "And that makes me suspicious."
Craig looked her up and down once, considering. "Faith, right?" he asked. "Its good to see you so...good, I guess is the appropriate word. After all that evil, its really inspiring to see you fighting for the good guys."
Faith suddenly took on an expression that resembled greatly a deer in the headlights. She withdrew slightly, asking, "Who are you?"
"My name is Craig," said he. "I guess that I live here now. Anyways, I think I'll be going now. I've seen the meeting, and I'm sure that's what Dumbledore wanted me here for. I'll see you all later. You won't see me."
And he left.
The Hall was quite silent for a moment as everyone took in the strangeness of the young man who had just departed. Finally, Xander piped in with a joke. "Anyone else think that the 'wierdo of the year' award was just clinched?"
"Yeah," Willow said, faintly. She obviously wasn't paying any attention whatsoever to Xander.
"What is it, Willow?" asked Giles.
"That boy," she said. "He's different. He has magic...black magic...all about him."
"I knew I should have taken him down," Faith muttered.
"There's no need," Harry broke in. The assemblage turned, almost as one, to stare at him. "Dumbledore trusts him."
Harry left.
"Dumbledore trusts him?" Xander asked, speculatively. "And that settles it?"
"Looks like scar boy is suffering from hero worship," Faith said.
"You'll find that many at Hogwarts suffer from 'hero worship'," said a curt voice.
They turned. A woman in wizards robes had just entered the Hall.
"My name is Minerva McGonagal," the woman told them. "Though, after hearing that, I believe that I would prefer Professor better."
Was that short? Yes. Did it suck? My ego is keeping me from answering that particular question. Anyway, feedback! Feedback! And happy birthday...
Harry felt vaguely like fainting. Ginny...was a Slayer? A Slayer?
She fit the description, he supposed. Tough, strong willed...beautiful, judging by the looks of the assembled Slayers.
He looked around the table, eventually focusing on Dumbledore. "It is Ginny, isn't it, sir?" he asked, in a more deferential tone than his previous outburst.
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Harry, it is Ginny. She is the final Slayer from Hogwarts."
Buffy nodded, and looked at Harry. "Can you tell us a little bit about her?"
Harry looked dazed for a second, but swallowed his amazement. "Err...sure, I suppose...well, she's about so high, red hair, brown eyes..." he trailed off. This, obviously, wasn't what Buffy wanted to know. "Right, then...she's very strong willed. Also very tough. Through it all, though, she's the sweetest...well, I mean to say, she's quite nice..."
Buffy nodded. The kid was in a state of mild shock. Now wasn't the best time to be inquiring about the source of that shock. "What about the other Slayers? The ones who don't attend Hogwarts?"
Dumbledore fussed briefly with the parchment, read from it briefly, and sighed. "They are, I'm afraid, from all corners of the Earth. And we can't easily send owls, as we usually do with students, because we simply don't have enough owls with the necessary range for these journeys. I'm afraid that the people will have to be contacted by other people."
Buffy sat back and let this sink in. Five hundred...it was nearly inconceivable that a group of thirty Slayers could ever manage to get in touch, personally, with that many people. She began to map out her plans for it, and immediately realized that there was no way she could do it all here.
She nodded slowly, looking up from the table at Dumbledore. "Thank you for your help, sir," she said. "I suppose that you'd like us out of your hair now..."
Dumbledore stood immediately. "I want no such thing, Buffy," he said. "You and your Slayers are welcome here as long as you like. After receiving this list last night, I began to think. You will need a place to train all of these new Slayers, and we desperately need an army. Evidence has shown that Lord Voldemort has begun to gather up and army of his own," he looked at Harry, who had shuddered at the word 'army'. "If we are to combat this, we will need all the help we can get, and then some, too.
"What I am saying is...once our wartime additions are done, would you like to set up a Slayer training camp here at Hogwarts?"
Buffy nearly fell back out of her chair. She looked around inquiringly at her friends. Xander seemed lost in thought - again, Willow was nodding fervently, Faith was grinning slowly and nodding, and Giles consented as well by not expressing dissent.
"We'll accept your offer," Buffy said.
Dumbledore grinned. "That would be most kind...now, if you'll follow me, we have a lot to discuss if this training camp idea is to become a reality."
As they walked out of the Hall, Dumbledore looked to a corner of the room and said, distinctly, "Quiet as a mouse...I can see why they picked you," and he was gone.
Harry stood, too. He was incredibly uncomfortable at this table of Slayers. Dumbledore was his only link to them, and with Dumbledore gone, he felt a bit lost and more than a bit out of place.
"Well," he muttered. "It was nice seeing you all..."
Harry moved to leave, but one of them stopped him. "Hey, you..." she said. Harry wasn't aware of her name, but her red hair reminded him faintly of Ginny. "You're girlfriend is a Slayer?"
Harry, deciding that this was an olive branch of sorts, answered the question. "Yes," he said. "Ginny...we haven't been together long."
One of the adults muttered, under his breath, "Those always work out so well..."
Harry was a bit alarmed. He didn't know what, exactly, would change in Ginny with the coming of the whole Slayer thing, but something in the man's tone unnerved him. "What's that about?" he asked.
A voice came from the corner. "Don't worry about it, kid," it said. "Your girlfriend will be fine. They're talking about other Slayer's and their really tragic love lives."
Craig stepped from the shadows. He was pleased to see that he had spooked everyone assembled. "Didn't notice me?" he asked.
Faith stepped up to him. "No, we didn't," she said. "And that makes me suspicious."
Craig looked her up and down once, considering. "Faith, right?" he asked. "Its good to see you so...good, I guess is the appropriate word. After all that evil, its really inspiring to see you fighting for the good guys."
Faith suddenly took on an expression that resembled greatly a deer in the headlights. She withdrew slightly, asking, "Who are you?"
"My name is Craig," said he. "I guess that I live here now. Anyways, I think I'll be going now. I've seen the meeting, and I'm sure that's what Dumbledore wanted me here for. I'll see you all later. You won't see me."
And he left.
The Hall was quite silent for a moment as everyone took in the strangeness of the young man who had just departed. Finally, Xander piped in with a joke. "Anyone else think that the 'wierdo of the year' award was just clinched?"
"Yeah," Willow said, faintly. She obviously wasn't paying any attention whatsoever to Xander.
"What is it, Willow?" asked Giles.
"That boy," she said. "He's different. He has magic...black magic...all about him."
"I knew I should have taken him down," Faith muttered.
"There's no need," Harry broke in. The assemblage turned, almost as one, to stare at him. "Dumbledore trusts him."
Harry left.
"Dumbledore trusts him?" Xander asked, speculatively. "And that settles it?"
"Looks like scar boy is suffering from hero worship," Faith said.
"You'll find that many at Hogwarts suffer from 'hero worship'," said a curt voice.
They turned. A woman in wizards robes had just entered the Hall.
"My name is Minerva McGonagal," the woman told them. "Though, after hearing that, I believe that I would prefer Professor better."
Was that short? Yes. Did it suck? My ego is keeping me from answering that particular question. Anyway, feedback! Feedback! And happy birthday...