Ginny awoke from the same nightmare she'd been having since Harry's departure. She was bathed in her own sweat - again - and could feel were her thrashing had caused the sheets to rip - again.
Damn, she thought. That's the fourth set this week. I'll have to have Mum...
Her thought ended abruptly. Repressing the dangerous torrent of emotions that her thoughts nearly triggered, Ginny got out of bed and moved towards the shower.
For a moment, Ginny was surprised to find that the shower was empty; then she realized that it was six in the morning and no one at 12 Grimauld Place was awake yet, besides herself. Ginny turned the water on quickly and, disrobing, jumped in.
She sighed as the warm water washed over her skin. For a moment, Ginny simply stood and basked in the refreshing feeling the water gave her. She felt her fear of the dream slip away enough for her to analyze it.
Her analysis drew a complete blank. Ginny was a smart girl...she knew what kind of creature turned to dusk when stabbed with a wooden object. Why, however, she kept seeing Harry as a vampire was still a complete mystery to her.
After washing herself, Ginny turned the water off, got out, and dried off. Wrapping herself in her towel, she crossed the hall and entered her room once more. She was mildly shocked by the owl sitting on her bed.
"Hedwig!" she cried, and bounded forward. Hedwig hooted softly in recognition and held out her leg. There were two letters attached.
One was, upon inspection, from Harry. The other was her school letter. Ginny opened the letter from Harry first.
Dear Ginny, How are you? Yes, I am aware of how clichŽ it is to open a letter like that, but I really do want to know how you are. I wish I was with you; at least then I could avoid clichŽ's easier...! Things here are...well...a bit spooky. I don't want to discourage you about school, but things are so different here now that the war is on. Look, I don't know how to put this. You should read your school letter. I'm sure Dumbledore mentioned something in it. I just don't know how to tell you. Just know that everything that's been happening to you will be explained there. I wish I could find the words, but I just can't. I love you. Harry
Ginny put down the letter. It was shocking. It was devastating. It was elating. It caused Ginny to experience several different contradictory emotions all at once. Admittedly, she was a bit angry at Harry for not being the one to tell her, but the last two lines stuck in her head as well. After a moment of thought, Ginny ripped open her school letter, which was a bit larger than usual.
Dear Miss Weasley, It has recently come to our attention that a very powerful magical spell has been activated. You may, or may not, have heard of the recent destruction of Sunnydale, CA, in the Untied States. The Hellmouth there was destroyed by a group of Vampire Slayers. They used the magic of an ancient scythe to give heightened powers to girls all over the globe, in order to aid in the fight against evil. You are one of these girls. You may have been experiencing larger amounts of physical strength, stamina, speed, and hand/eye coordination. These are all signs that you are a Slayer, a girl with the power to kill vampires. This year, at Hogwarts, a new Slayer training program is being offered for any interested. The leader of the Slayers, Buffy Summers, is currently at Hogwarts and is beginning to organize the program. The main goal of said program is to establish an army of Slayers to aid in the fight against Lord Voldemort. If you are interested, please contact us immediately. Participation in the Slayer training program will mean that you will be given a completely new schedule aside from your regular school one. Scheduling will be dealt with when you arrive at Hogwarts, as will living arrangements and such. Enclosed is your list of required books and supplies for fifth years. Bear in mind that no matter what your decision regarding your new powers is, you will always be welcome at Hogwarts.
Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster
Ginny read the letter once. Then she read it again. By the third time, she was simply seeing words and not comprehending their meaning. She wandered out of her room, lost without time. She still clutched the letter. At some point, a blurry figure - she couldn't tell who it was - took the letter from her hand and read it. "Ginny...? Ginny, what is this?" Hermione asked. "Read it," she said, her vision coming back into focus as reality reasserted itself. Hermione did so. She gasped. She looked from the letter, to Ginny, and back to the letter. "Ginny...I...well, we knew that something strange was going on, but this...." Hermione trailed off, lost for words. "Hey, everyone, Hogwarts letters are here!" announced Ron. He dropped his letter upon seeing the looks on the girls' faces. "What's wrong?" Ron asked, his mood changing in an instant. Hermione, wordlessly, handed him the letter. His eyes traced it several times, his facial expressions dancing between several versions of disbelief. The three stood looking at each other for a long moment, lost and confused. Hermione came out of it first. Shaking her head, she stepped into the center of their small circle. "So Ginny is a Slayer," Hermione said. "Are you going to do the program, Ginny?" Ginny was startled slightly. "I don't know," she admitted. Her voice sounded strange. Ron spoke up. "This whole thing seems a bit dodgy," he started. "Are we sure that the letter is really from Dumbledore? Couldn't it be an...imposter, or something?" Ginny shook her head. "Strange as it may seem, it does fit with what's been happening. And I got a letter from Harry, too...he didn't mention specifics, but it would hold with what Professor Dumbledore said." "Let's ask Lupin," suggested Hermione. Ginny considered. She liked and respected Lupin quite a bit, and with his experience with the Dark Arts, the idea seemed a good one. "Okay," she said. Lupin was, once again, indulging his new passion for cooking. Later on, the trio would find out that the burning mass of black gunk on the stove was a shepherds pie, but at the moment, they mostly ignored it. "Professor," Ginny began. "I have a problem...I need some help." Lupin looked away from his cooking and smiled. "Ask and I shall assist," he said, grinning with such force that Ginny was forced to smile back. Lupin took the letter from Ginny. As he read it, he turned grave. He nodded a bit near the end and handed it back to her. "That's a lot to think about," he said after a moment. "What it really comes down to is this: do you want to do it?" Ginny considered. Lupin, deciding that this was inadequate, cut in on her thoughts. "If it were me," he began, "I would do it. But that's just me. I would want to learn how to control my powers." "Like the werewolf thing?" Ginny asked. Lupin smiled. "Yes, something like that. My friends helped me control the wolf. This is something like that. Only you don't have a raging animal inside you." Ginny chuckled. "Why don't you go and do some packing?" Lupin suggested. "We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get some of your school things, and I figured that we might stay at the Leaky Cauldron." "That would be nice, Professor," Ginny said, smiling. "And thanks for your help." "Any time," Lupin replied. "Run along, now. Dinner's in an hour." Ginny eyed the pan, and, covering up the look of slight disgust, rushed from the room. Lupin looked down into the pan and wondered what it was supposed to be. Ginny began to ascend the stairs, but stopped. She could pack later, and she had an odd urge. She jumped back down the stairs and rounded the corner. She passed quickly into the training room. It was open. Ginny plucked a sword off the wall. She held it in front of her, unsure. She'd never held a sword before; but even as she thought that it felt strange and uncomfortable, and was about to put it back and leave, she felt something odd. She felt a memory. It wasn't much. Just a quick remembrance, rather like daydreaming, and it was gone in a moment. But the flash of iron, and the feeling of power and calm assurance...it stayed with her. She could feel a sense of power that she had never felt before. It felt good. It felt really good. "I just got a letter from Dumbledore," said a voice. "I figured I might find you here." Ginny didn't turn. "Hello, Professor Moody." Moody walked into her peripheral vision. He, too, carried a sword. "I actually met a Slayer once," Moody said. "Damn girl was stronger than could be imagined. Of course, I had no idea what she was at the time." Ginny looked at Moody intensely. "I want to learn how to use this," she said. Moody nodded. "Okay," he said. They fought. As soon as Ginny got a feel for the blade, which didn't take very long at all, she was mastering Moody quickly. "You kids learn quick," Moody said, breathing heavily. They delved back into the fight, Moody giving Ginny occasional instructions and encouragement. They practiced for the rest of the day.
Harry awoke from his dreams with a smile on his face. Ginny was a beautiful girl...but he wanted to see her in person...so badly...it was starting to hurt. The smile wavered. Harry got up and cast about the room for something to do. There wasn't anything in particular that he needed to do now; his homework was long finished. He was so bored these days that he had actually considered going to Dumbledore and requesting more work. His desperation for occupation was that great. Though he tried, repeatedly, to find Craig and talk with him, the American boy remained elusive. Harry desired Craig's company mostly on the basis of their proximity of age. Though he wasn't sure, Harry could have guessed that Craig was perhaps a year older than himself. Harry dressed quickly and exited his room, moving down through the deserted Common Room, and eventually to the Great Hall. The Hall was empty; he was ten minutes early, and breakfast wouldn't be up for another fifteen. Harry cursed. His feeling of uslessness was compounding itself by the second, seemingly. Why was it, that no matter where he was, he never seemed to be involved in what was happening in the world? At Privet Drive, he'd been completely out of the loop. Now he was at Hogwarts, and he was in the loop, but it was taunting him. He found that he disliked loops very much. "A bit restless, Harry?" said Dumbledore, who had entered the hall unnoticed by Harry. "Only a bit," Harry said, covering up his frustration. Dumbledore considered Harry. "Our Slayer friends will probably be here shortly. I wonder if you would be able to train with them for a while...?" Harry brightened up a bit. "I think that I would like that, sir," he said. Buffy and Angel entered then. They were already talking. "You know that I can't stay here long," Angel was saying. "Wolfram and Hart will only run itself for so long." "I know," Buffy said. "In fact, I need you there. I'm going to need serious resources to get in touch with all these Slayers across the globe. You can help me from Wolfram and Hart." Angel nodded. "I came to warn you about something, though." Buffy halted, short of the staff table where she had been dining since arriving at the wizards school. "What?" she asked, troubled. Dumbledore, seeing the concerned expressions of both, descended to see what was wrong. "This man attacked us on our way in," Angel explained, pulling out a picture of Rookwood. "He wasn't alone, either. He had a bunch of his friends with him, and they were all wizards. Lord Voldemort is building an army - an army of vampires." Buffy managed a grin. "Army of vampires - change the channel, we've seen this one already." Dumbledore, however, was not amused. "That is Augustus Rookwood," he said. "So he does have a name," Angel said. "He wouldn't answer any of my questions." "You asked him questions? And you expected him to answer?" Buffy asked, giving Angel a sideways look. "I asked nicely," Angel said, grinning. Dumbledore chose to ignore this. "What did you do with him?" he asked. "Beat him senseless," Angel said. "Then we locked him up in the cellar of Wesley's house. He's still there." "Magical authorities will be quite interested in apprehending him. Of course, we have nowhere to put him at the moment, since our prison system is rather...well, non-existent, at the moment." "I think that Wolfram and Hart could lend some assistance there," Angel said. "Solid containment; he'll never wake up. I can bring him back to LA next time I'm heading that way." Dumbledore nodded. The thought of infinite imprisonment in a dream world...he found it creepy. He also found it a bit cheesy. "Voldemort is raising an army of vampires..." Buffy said, trailing off. "Why?" "He is being cautious," Dumbledore answered. "Huh?" said both Buffy and Angel in unison. "Last time, Voldemort came very close to destroying the magical world," Dumbledore explained. "I believe that he wishes to be sure of it this time." "Well, in that case, we need to be sure ourselves, too," Buffy said. "Angel, I need you to get back to LA as soon as possible. I'll keep in touch. When I need something, I'll be on the phone straight off." Angel nodded. "My people are ready. If you need anything...Please call." Buffy nodded, smiling. She still found Angel sweet, despite all about him that was not sweet.
She turned to Dumbledore. "I'm holding a council after breakfast. The greater majority of us are leaving, with the exception of Faith and Wood. Faith is a wanted felon and Wood is injured, so they're staying here. The rest of us are going out in search of Slayers."
Dumbledore nodded. "I assumed this was coming soon," he said. "I'm guessing that this news, and the spiders attack last night, have spurned you on a bit?"
"Yes," Buffy replied.
They sat down to breakfast. When all was over, everyone gave Buffy and Faith their attention.
"What I have here," Buffy said, indicating a bulging manila envelope being held by Faith, "is the list of your assignments. Firstly: no one ever goes anywhere alone. We're in new territory here, and I don't need people getting caught without backup. Secondly: you have to remember that these girls have to make their own decisions about what to do with their lives now that they are Slayers. You can't force them into anything.
"Okay, here we go. Pairings are as follows..."
So it went. At the end, everyone sat silently. They were, once again, stunned by the enormity of their tasks. There were only twenty-eight of them going out on this mission. Since everyone were in pairs, there were only fourteen groups of people heading out to search for new Slayers. Fourteen groups were to contact five hundred teenage girls in varying parts of the world. Each group had thirty-five girls to contact.
Rona regarded Chao-Ahn. "Looks like its me and you from now on, girl."
Chao-Ahn, whose English had improved greatly, nodded. "Yes," she said. "You and me."
Kennedy hugged Willow closely. They were heading out together, thought that was all but expected.
Xander looked at Andrew and stifled a moan of desperation. As the only two male 'civilians', he had feared that they would be paired together. He looked at Buffy with slight resentment that faded quickly.
Faith nodded; satisfied that she was staying with Robin.
Giles looked around at Shannon and thought how Buffy had chosen the most moderate girl from the flock to be his partner.
And through it all, Angel sat with his friends and wondered how even this girl, whom he had so much respect for, would accomplish such a task.
By nightfall, all who planned to depart Hogwarts, whether for Slayer or law firm, were gone.
Craig watched the Slayers go. He was slightly disappointed to see them go. He knew, of course, that they would be back eventually. But for now, he'd lost his only real amusement. Avoiding the Potter boy had been more for his sanity than anything else, and he didn't consider it truly fun.
The branch upon which Craig lay shifted slightly, but the young man didn't stir. Craig severely doubted that he would indulge Potter yet; school was starting in less than a week, and Craig had already heard of Potter's Defense club.
Craig would make his introductions there.
For now, he settled back into the curve of the tree and gazed out at the lake. It was so beautiful in the fading light. And soon, the stars would be out, and he would once more listen to their voices.
Rather than wait, though, Craig pulled out a small Huron flute and began to play.
The melody came to him as he played. It wasn't something he'd heard before, to his conscious mind, anyway. The song seemed to flow from the air around him, rather than from his own mind. Craig abandoned himself to the music and let it bathe him, slowly releasing the tensions of life.
Harry sweated, throwing up his axe to block another blow. "You don't quit, do you?" he asked.
Faith smiled, her short sword glinting against Harry's Hunga Munga. "Slayer stamina, kid...I could go all week, no stop."
Harry threw her sword away and sought to strike at her midsection. He'd given up holding back early in their training session; it wasn't necessary, not on his part.
Faith, fast as lightning, spun, and brought her sword down to deflect the axe. "Gotta be quicker, kid," she said. "You're thinking too much. Just do it. Without the Nike's."
Harry smiled at the muggle reference and ducked to avoid Faith's sword thrust. The thrust, if it had connected, would have disemboweled him.
Harry thrust at her again, seeking to slice her arm from her body. When she parried, he didn't stop to consider a new move, but simply went with the flow of the axe. Though his next blow wouldn't have caused much damage, it did make Faith have to lean awkwardly to block. He thrust one more time, keeping the same fluid motion of the Hunga Munga going. He would have connected if he hadn't pulled back at the last second.
Faith panted slightly, the blade of the axe a few inches from separating her left arm from the rest of her body.
"Good," she said. "You've got the flow down. Now I could use something to eat."
Harry nodded. Dinner was in five minutes, and he had skipped lunch to train with Faith. As it turned out, the Slayer was an excellent teacher, and Harry hadn't wanted to leave.
Now, thought, Harry craved food. They headed back to the castle, leaving the darkening grounds behind.
Faith looked at the young Potter boy. He had talent, there was no doubt about it. Once he'd found his flow, he'd been hard to stop. Of course, if she'd really wanted to, Faith could have broken both his arms off and fed them to him, but she had been holding back a bit for their first training session.
"This place is going to get boring without Buffy around," Faith said. "You want to keep training with Robin and me?"
Harry looked up, surprised. "Yes," he said. "I would love to."
Faith nodded. "Okay," she said. "You seem to be someone worth teaching."
They walked the rest of the way in silence, Harry basking in the compliment. When they arrived at the Great Hall, dinner was already out. Faith ate quickly and excused herself to bring some food up to Wood.
As soon as he'd eaten, some of Harry's euphoria from the fight wore off and he felt a bit wiped out. He decided to go to bed, but by the time he reached his room, it was no longer a matter of decision, but one of necessity. He fell asleep nearly at once.
In his dream, Harry could see Ginny, though she was blurred at the corners. He reached out and touched her, feeling the sweet warmth of her face, and he pulled her into a tight embrace. He felt the overwhelming pain of his soul as he felt her heart beating through her chest. He kissed her, his cold lips meeting her warm ones.
The pain of what he was hit him, though Harry did not yet understand what he was. He wanted to be with this girl, but he knew that it was impossible. Not now. He'd done what had to be done, but he had given her up in the process.
"Your soul..." Ginny said, trailing off.
"I know," Harry said. It would have been so much easier for her if he hadn't had the soul... "I love you, Ginny."
He felt the stake enter him, and he felt himself turn to dust. Despite all of his good, Harry Potter felt Hell beckon him closer.
With a start, both Harry and Ginny awoke.
Dear Ginny, How are you? Yes, I am aware of how clichŽ it is to open a letter like that, but I really do want to know how you are. I wish I was with you; at least then I could avoid clichŽ's easier...! Things here are...well...a bit spooky. I don't want to discourage you about school, but things are so different here now that the war is on. Look, I don't know how to put this. You should read your school letter. I'm sure Dumbledore mentioned something in it. I just don't know how to tell you. Just know that everything that's been happening to you will be explained there. I wish I could find the words, but I just can't. I love you. Harry
Ginny put down the letter. It was shocking. It was devastating. It was elating. It caused Ginny to experience several different contradictory emotions all at once. Admittedly, she was a bit angry at Harry for not being the one to tell her, but the last two lines stuck in her head as well. After a moment of thought, Ginny ripped open her school letter, which was a bit larger than usual.
Dear Miss Weasley, It has recently come to our attention that a very powerful magical spell has been activated. You may, or may not, have heard of the recent destruction of Sunnydale, CA, in the Untied States. The Hellmouth there was destroyed by a group of Vampire Slayers. They used the magic of an ancient scythe to give heightened powers to girls all over the globe, in order to aid in the fight against evil. You are one of these girls. You may have been experiencing larger amounts of physical strength, stamina, speed, and hand/eye coordination. These are all signs that you are a Slayer, a girl with the power to kill vampires. This year, at Hogwarts, a new Slayer training program is being offered for any interested. The leader of the Slayers, Buffy Summers, is currently at Hogwarts and is beginning to organize the program. The main goal of said program is to establish an army of Slayers to aid in the fight against Lord Voldemort. If you are interested, please contact us immediately. Participation in the Slayer training program will mean that you will be given a completely new schedule aside from your regular school one. Scheduling will be dealt with when you arrive at Hogwarts, as will living arrangements and such. Enclosed is your list of required books and supplies for fifth years. Bear in mind that no matter what your decision regarding your new powers is, you will always be welcome at Hogwarts.
Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster
Ginny read the letter once. Then she read it again. By the third time, she was simply seeing words and not comprehending their meaning. She wandered out of her room, lost without time. She still clutched the letter. At some point, a blurry figure - she couldn't tell who it was - took the letter from her hand and read it. "Ginny...? Ginny, what is this?" Hermione asked. "Read it," she said, her vision coming back into focus as reality reasserted itself. Hermione did so. She gasped. She looked from the letter, to Ginny, and back to the letter. "Ginny...I...well, we knew that something strange was going on, but this...." Hermione trailed off, lost for words. "Hey, everyone, Hogwarts letters are here!" announced Ron. He dropped his letter upon seeing the looks on the girls' faces. "What's wrong?" Ron asked, his mood changing in an instant. Hermione, wordlessly, handed him the letter. His eyes traced it several times, his facial expressions dancing between several versions of disbelief. The three stood looking at each other for a long moment, lost and confused. Hermione came out of it first. Shaking her head, she stepped into the center of their small circle. "So Ginny is a Slayer," Hermione said. "Are you going to do the program, Ginny?" Ginny was startled slightly. "I don't know," she admitted. Her voice sounded strange. Ron spoke up. "This whole thing seems a bit dodgy," he started. "Are we sure that the letter is really from Dumbledore? Couldn't it be an...imposter, or something?" Ginny shook her head. "Strange as it may seem, it does fit with what's been happening. And I got a letter from Harry, too...he didn't mention specifics, but it would hold with what Professor Dumbledore said." "Let's ask Lupin," suggested Hermione. Ginny considered. She liked and respected Lupin quite a bit, and with his experience with the Dark Arts, the idea seemed a good one. "Okay," she said. Lupin was, once again, indulging his new passion for cooking. Later on, the trio would find out that the burning mass of black gunk on the stove was a shepherds pie, but at the moment, they mostly ignored it. "Professor," Ginny began. "I have a problem...I need some help." Lupin looked away from his cooking and smiled. "Ask and I shall assist," he said, grinning with such force that Ginny was forced to smile back. Lupin took the letter from Ginny. As he read it, he turned grave. He nodded a bit near the end and handed it back to her. "That's a lot to think about," he said after a moment. "What it really comes down to is this: do you want to do it?" Ginny considered. Lupin, deciding that this was inadequate, cut in on her thoughts. "If it were me," he began, "I would do it. But that's just me. I would want to learn how to control my powers." "Like the werewolf thing?" Ginny asked. Lupin smiled. "Yes, something like that. My friends helped me control the wolf. This is something like that. Only you don't have a raging animal inside you." Ginny chuckled. "Why don't you go and do some packing?" Lupin suggested. "We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get some of your school things, and I figured that we might stay at the Leaky Cauldron." "That would be nice, Professor," Ginny said, smiling. "And thanks for your help." "Any time," Lupin replied. "Run along, now. Dinner's in an hour." Ginny eyed the pan, and, covering up the look of slight disgust, rushed from the room. Lupin looked down into the pan and wondered what it was supposed to be. Ginny began to ascend the stairs, but stopped. She could pack later, and she had an odd urge. She jumped back down the stairs and rounded the corner. She passed quickly into the training room. It was open. Ginny plucked a sword off the wall. She held it in front of her, unsure. She'd never held a sword before; but even as she thought that it felt strange and uncomfortable, and was about to put it back and leave, she felt something odd. She felt a memory. It wasn't much. Just a quick remembrance, rather like daydreaming, and it was gone in a moment. But the flash of iron, and the feeling of power and calm assurance...it stayed with her. She could feel a sense of power that she had never felt before. It felt good. It felt really good. "I just got a letter from Dumbledore," said a voice. "I figured I might find you here." Ginny didn't turn. "Hello, Professor Moody." Moody walked into her peripheral vision. He, too, carried a sword. "I actually met a Slayer once," Moody said. "Damn girl was stronger than could be imagined. Of course, I had no idea what she was at the time." Ginny looked at Moody intensely. "I want to learn how to use this," she said. Moody nodded. "Okay," he said. They fought. As soon as Ginny got a feel for the blade, which didn't take very long at all, she was mastering Moody quickly. "You kids learn quick," Moody said, breathing heavily. They delved back into the fight, Moody giving Ginny occasional instructions and encouragement. They practiced for the rest of the day.
Harry awoke from his dreams with a smile on his face. Ginny was a beautiful girl...but he wanted to see her in person...so badly...it was starting to hurt. The smile wavered. Harry got up and cast about the room for something to do. There wasn't anything in particular that he needed to do now; his homework was long finished. He was so bored these days that he had actually considered going to Dumbledore and requesting more work. His desperation for occupation was that great. Though he tried, repeatedly, to find Craig and talk with him, the American boy remained elusive. Harry desired Craig's company mostly on the basis of their proximity of age. Though he wasn't sure, Harry could have guessed that Craig was perhaps a year older than himself. Harry dressed quickly and exited his room, moving down through the deserted Common Room, and eventually to the Great Hall. The Hall was empty; he was ten minutes early, and breakfast wouldn't be up for another fifteen. Harry cursed. His feeling of uslessness was compounding itself by the second, seemingly. Why was it, that no matter where he was, he never seemed to be involved in what was happening in the world? At Privet Drive, he'd been completely out of the loop. Now he was at Hogwarts, and he was in the loop, but it was taunting him. He found that he disliked loops very much. "A bit restless, Harry?" said Dumbledore, who had entered the hall unnoticed by Harry. "Only a bit," Harry said, covering up his frustration. Dumbledore considered Harry. "Our Slayer friends will probably be here shortly. I wonder if you would be able to train with them for a while...?" Harry brightened up a bit. "I think that I would like that, sir," he said. Buffy and Angel entered then. They were already talking. "You know that I can't stay here long," Angel was saying. "Wolfram and Hart will only run itself for so long." "I know," Buffy said. "In fact, I need you there. I'm going to need serious resources to get in touch with all these Slayers across the globe. You can help me from Wolfram and Hart." Angel nodded. "I came to warn you about something, though." Buffy halted, short of the staff table where she had been dining since arriving at the wizards school. "What?" she asked, troubled. Dumbledore, seeing the concerned expressions of both, descended to see what was wrong. "This man attacked us on our way in," Angel explained, pulling out a picture of Rookwood. "He wasn't alone, either. He had a bunch of his friends with him, and they were all wizards. Lord Voldemort is building an army - an army of vampires." Buffy managed a grin. "Army of vampires - change the channel, we've seen this one already." Dumbledore, however, was not amused. "That is Augustus Rookwood," he said. "So he does have a name," Angel said. "He wouldn't answer any of my questions." "You asked him questions? And you expected him to answer?" Buffy asked, giving Angel a sideways look. "I asked nicely," Angel said, grinning. Dumbledore chose to ignore this. "What did you do with him?" he asked. "Beat him senseless," Angel said. "Then we locked him up in the cellar of Wesley's house. He's still there." "Magical authorities will be quite interested in apprehending him. Of course, we have nowhere to put him at the moment, since our prison system is rather...well, non-existent, at the moment." "I think that Wolfram and Hart could lend some assistance there," Angel said. "Solid containment; he'll never wake up. I can bring him back to LA next time I'm heading that way." Dumbledore nodded. The thought of infinite imprisonment in a dream world...he found it creepy. He also found it a bit cheesy. "Voldemort is raising an army of vampires..." Buffy said, trailing off. "Why?" "He is being cautious," Dumbledore answered. "Huh?" said both Buffy and Angel in unison. "Last time, Voldemort came very close to destroying the magical world," Dumbledore explained. "I believe that he wishes to be sure of it this time." "Well, in that case, we need to be sure ourselves, too," Buffy said. "Angel, I need you to get back to LA as soon as possible. I'll keep in touch. When I need something, I'll be on the phone straight off." Angel nodded. "My people are ready. If you need anything...Please call." Buffy nodded, smiling. She still found Angel sweet, despite all about him that was not sweet.
She turned to Dumbledore. "I'm holding a council after breakfast. The greater majority of us are leaving, with the exception of Faith and Wood. Faith is a wanted felon and Wood is injured, so they're staying here. The rest of us are going out in search of Slayers."
Dumbledore nodded. "I assumed this was coming soon," he said. "I'm guessing that this news, and the spiders attack last night, have spurned you on a bit?"
"Yes," Buffy replied.
They sat down to breakfast. When all was over, everyone gave Buffy and Faith their attention.
"What I have here," Buffy said, indicating a bulging manila envelope being held by Faith, "is the list of your assignments. Firstly: no one ever goes anywhere alone. We're in new territory here, and I don't need people getting caught without backup. Secondly: you have to remember that these girls have to make their own decisions about what to do with their lives now that they are Slayers. You can't force them into anything.
"Okay, here we go. Pairings are as follows..."
So it went. At the end, everyone sat silently. They were, once again, stunned by the enormity of their tasks. There were only twenty-eight of them going out on this mission. Since everyone were in pairs, there were only fourteen groups of people heading out to search for new Slayers. Fourteen groups were to contact five hundred teenage girls in varying parts of the world. Each group had thirty-five girls to contact.
Rona regarded Chao-Ahn. "Looks like its me and you from now on, girl."
Chao-Ahn, whose English had improved greatly, nodded. "Yes," she said. "You and me."
Kennedy hugged Willow closely. They were heading out together, thought that was all but expected.
Xander looked at Andrew and stifled a moan of desperation. As the only two male 'civilians', he had feared that they would be paired together. He looked at Buffy with slight resentment that faded quickly.
Faith nodded; satisfied that she was staying with Robin.
Giles looked around at Shannon and thought how Buffy had chosen the most moderate girl from the flock to be his partner.
And through it all, Angel sat with his friends and wondered how even this girl, whom he had so much respect for, would accomplish such a task.
By nightfall, all who planned to depart Hogwarts, whether for Slayer or law firm, were gone.
Craig watched the Slayers go. He was slightly disappointed to see them go. He knew, of course, that they would be back eventually. But for now, he'd lost his only real amusement. Avoiding the Potter boy had been more for his sanity than anything else, and he didn't consider it truly fun.
The branch upon which Craig lay shifted slightly, but the young man didn't stir. Craig severely doubted that he would indulge Potter yet; school was starting in less than a week, and Craig had already heard of Potter's Defense club.
Craig would make his introductions there.
For now, he settled back into the curve of the tree and gazed out at the lake. It was so beautiful in the fading light. And soon, the stars would be out, and he would once more listen to their voices.
Rather than wait, though, Craig pulled out a small Huron flute and began to play.
The melody came to him as he played. It wasn't something he'd heard before, to his conscious mind, anyway. The song seemed to flow from the air around him, rather than from his own mind. Craig abandoned himself to the music and let it bathe him, slowly releasing the tensions of life.
Harry sweated, throwing up his axe to block another blow. "You don't quit, do you?" he asked.
Faith smiled, her short sword glinting against Harry's Hunga Munga. "Slayer stamina, kid...I could go all week, no stop."
Harry threw her sword away and sought to strike at her midsection. He'd given up holding back early in their training session; it wasn't necessary, not on his part.
Faith, fast as lightning, spun, and brought her sword down to deflect the axe. "Gotta be quicker, kid," she said. "You're thinking too much. Just do it. Without the Nike's."
Harry smiled at the muggle reference and ducked to avoid Faith's sword thrust. The thrust, if it had connected, would have disemboweled him.
Harry thrust at her again, seeking to slice her arm from her body. When she parried, he didn't stop to consider a new move, but simply went with the flow of the axe. Though his next blow wouldn't have caused much damage, it did make Faith have to lean awkwardly to block. He thrust one more time, keeping the same fluid motion of the Hunga Munga going. He would have connected if he hadn't pulled back at the last second.
Faith panted slightly, the blade of the axe a few inches from separating her left arm from the rest of her body.
"Good," she said. "You've got the flow down. Now I could use something to eat."
Harry nodded. Dinner was in five minutes, and he had skipped lunch to train with Faith. As it turned out, the Slayer was an excellent teacher, and Harry hadn't wanted to leave.
Now, thought, Harry craved food. They headed back to the castle, leaving the darkening grounds behind.
Faith looked at the young Potter boy. He had talent, there was no doubt about it. Once he'd found his flow, he'd been hard to stop. Of course, if she'd really wanted to, Faith could have broken both his arms off and fed them to him, but she had been holding back a bit for their first training session.
"This place is going to get boring without Buffy around," Faith said. "You want to keep training with Robin and me?"
Harry looked up, surprised. "Yes," he said. "I would love to."
Faith nodded. "Okay," she said. "You seem to be someone worth teaching."
They walked the rest of the way in silence, Harry basking in the compliment. When they arrived at the Great Hall, dinner was already out. Faith ate quickly and excused herself to bring some food up to Wood.
As soon as he'd eaten, some of Harry's euphoria from the fight wore off and he felt a bit wiped out. He decided to go to bed, but by the time he reached his room, it was no longer a matter of decision, but one of necessity. He fell asleep nearly at once.
In his dream, Harry could see Ginny, though she was blurred at the corners. He reached out and touched her, feeling the sweet warmth of her face, and he pulled her into a tight embrace. He felt the overwhelming pain of his soul as he felt her heart beating through her chest. He kissed her, his cold lips meeting her warm ones.
The pain of what he was hit him, though Harry did not yet understand what he was. He wanted to be with this girl, but he knew that it was impossible. Not now. He'd done what had to be done, but he had given her up in the process.
"Your soul..." Ginny said, trailing off.
"I know," Harry said. It would have been so much easier for her if he hadn't had the soul... "I love you, Ginny."
He felt the stake enter him, and he felt himself turn to dust. Despite all of his good, Harry Potter felt Hell beckon him closer.
With a start, both Harry and Ginny awoke.