Lupin sat comfortably in his chair. He projected comfort, anyway; inside he was a bit nervous. He glanced around the table at his friends; this was the last meeting of the Order of the Phoenix before the school year began at Hogwarts.
"I believe that the giants have accepted Voldemort's offer," Snape was saying. "The Death Eaters have received orders recently to begin building enormous shelters in the Albanian forest. It seems as though the Dark Lord has decided to use the forest as his base of operations.
"That's all," Snape said. "except for one thing. I've noticed a lot more vampiric activity in and around wherever Voldemort chooses to be. I don't know what that means exactly, but it can't be good."
Snape stepped down from the head of the table. Dumbledore got up.
"Thank you, Severus. That is all for today. Thank you for your attendance. Remember, as always, to be careful."
The meeting broke up. Lupin reflected on Dumbledore's earlier speech about the Slayers. They were already gone -most of them, anyway - but he still believed that they would be back, and that they would play an integral role in the war.
Lupin scratched his head. He wasn't sure of any of it. The Slayers...they were incredibly powerful, and it seemed like they had showed up just when they were the most needed.
But that fit, too, didn't it? The prophesy said that good evil would be balanced until Harry and Voldemort could kill each other. Voldemort was building an army; they knew that. So the good guys were getting the balancing benefit.
Lupin got up to leave. He didn't have anything planned for the day; indeed, he'd been looking forward to the time after the meeting when he could relax with a book, and not think about the war.
Dumbledore approached Lupin. "Remus, I have a request to make of you."
Lupin shelved his disappointment before it could show. "What do you need, Professor?" he asked.
"I was wondering if you might come to Hogwarts for this year."
Lupin froze for a second. Then he smiled. "In what capacity would I be operating, Headmaster?"
Dumbledore smiled back. "Since Mr. Fudge's kind reversal of his decision to ignore Voldemort, he has, through means uncertain to me at the moment, found out about the existence of the Order. Now he's insisting that a member act in the role of military adjunct to his forces at Hogwarts -"
"I'll do it," Lupin said.
Giles sat in a small bar, reminiscent of Willy's Place, sipping a drink that he hoped was espresso. Shannon sat in the corner, watching Giles' back.
He glanced to his left. The Masjon demon sidled closer, though it was still several feet away and trying to appear completely uninterested in Giles.
"Well?" Giles asked.
The Masjon shifted uncomfortably, still staring straight ahead. "Yeah," he said. "I've heard stories. We all have. Some girl fighting vampires. It's been going on now for a couple of months."
Giles nodded. "What is her name?" he asked.
"You think I just strolled up to some demon killer and asked her name?" the Masjon nearly cried. Its tentacles quivered.
Giles remained silent for a moment, then indicated Shannon. "That girl back there? She could tear you limb from limb and strangle you with your own tentacles. So I think it would do your health a world of good to answer my questions."
The Masjon once more shifted in its seat. It didn't look back at Shannon, so the Slayer cracked her knuckles to make sure that he got the message. The Masjon cringed at the noise.
"Okay! Okay! Fine! Her name is Jennifer Dane. She lives over on Oak Street."
Giles nodded. He had enough of this place, and by the way his drink was changing colors, it was certainly not espresso. He regarded the large Masjon demon.
"Go home," he said. "In fact, go back to your own dimension."
Giles got up to leave, motioning for Shannon to follow him. The Masjon whimpered again, his tentacles moving up to wipe tears out of his eye.
"We have the info?" Shannon asked.
"Enough to start formulating a plan," Giles said. "Her name is Jennifer and she lives on Oak Street. And she's been killing vampires, so at least she already knows about the demon world."
Shannon nodded. "Okay. We know who and where. So now we have to worry about how."
Giles looked at her and, not for the first time since they left Hogwarts a week ago, admired her intelligence and directness. "Yes, indeed," he said. "Do you have any suggestions?"
Shannon considered. They turned the corner, the lights of London guiding them towards Oak Street.
"When my Watcher arrived, he just told my parents straight off that I had the potential to become a super powered vampire killer. My mom freaked and called the hospital, trying to find a cure."
Giles cringed. "Yes, the previous Watcher's Council wasn't very good at subtlety."
Shannon grinned sardonically, but stayed focused. "I think it would be best, in this case, if we could catch her in the middle of a fight. Maybe give her a hand."
Giles smiled. "That sounds good."
They continued on and reached Oak Street quickly. The place seemed fairly ordinary; houses on both sides, street lamps glowing faintly. Shannon was reminded forcefully of the home she'd inhabited in Arizona.
"Now all we need to do is find this Jennifer Dane," Giles said.
"No problem," Shannon said. "If she's killing vampires, then she'll be out wherever they are tonight. So we find the vampires -"
"And we find the girl," Giles finished.
Shannon nodded, her face a mask of confidence and determination. "This way," she said, leading Giles down Oak Street.
Giles followed, keeping his eyes and ears open in case of ambush. Of course, the Slayer would sense a vampire long before he would hear it, but it never hurt to be cautious. Usually, it hurt to not be cautious.
Shannon looked around as she walked, keeping her weight on the balls of her feet. She stopped. Giles, too, stopped.
"You hear that?" Shannon asked.
"No," Giles said, truthfully.
"We're getting close," Shannon said.
As they crept still further, Giles began to hear the sounds Shannon had already picked up on. Shannon began walking faster. "There's a lot of them; maybe five or six. Come on, Mr. Giles, we have to move!"
She broke into a run, which, catching Giles by surprise, left the Watcher behind. He nevertheless rounded the corner into an alley right behind Shannon.
As Shannon had predicted, there were five vampires engaging a girl in her mid-teens. The girl fought well - several of the vampires were already fostering injuries - but the girl was clearly out numbered. She was losing ground quickly, and soon she'd be pressed against the alley wall.
Without hesitation, Shannon joined the fray, producing a stake from her back pocket. She took the first vamp completely by surprise, staking it as it sought to strike the cornered girl. As its dust scattered, several of the vampires turned.
"Another one?" asked one of the vampires.
"Good guess," Shannon said, throwing a punch.
Giles pulled the crossbow off his back. The vampires had yet to notice him, and he hoped to load the bow before they did.
The cornered girl took a moment to register the fact that another teenage girl had come to her rescue. Then, apparently opting to shoot first and ask questions later, she attacked on of her vampire foes.
Giles worked at the crossbow. Just a second more. He raised the bow - and found nothing but two girls and a whole lot of dust.
"I hate it when you do that," he said.
The girl, who was breathing heavily and bleeding from a small cut over her eye, turned to Shannon. "Who the bloody hell are you?" she asked.
Angel stared out the window of his office. That he could stare out the window of his office still amazed him a bit. Since taking over Wolfram and Hart, Angel had become more and more acquainted with the sunlight. Part of him was scared of the sunlight that he could now look at from behind the windows of Wolfram and Hart; it was that same part of him that was still afraid of crosses and holy water.
Angel's phone rang, disturbing his thoughts. He answered immediately, having told his secretary to patch all calls through to his office.
"Hello?" he said.
"Hello, Angel," Buffy. Just what he'd been waiting for.
"What's up?" he asked, maintaining his cool.
"I was wondering if you could put up a couple of my people up for a while - Xander and Andrew," she said.
Angel nodded, then remembered that he was on the phone. "Yeah, sure," he said.
"Great," Buffy said. "How's LA?"
"Quiet," Angel replied. "It's getting me worried."
"Yeah, cause you never worry about anything," Buffy replied, sardonically.
"Where are you, anyway?" Angel asked, ignoring her quip.
"France," Buffy said. "I just realized that Xander and Andrew would be getting to LA today, and I thought I'd call."
"How goes the search?" Angel asked.
"Giles and Shannon met our first new recruit last night," she replied. "All good. The kid was already fighting vampires. She took a bit of convincing, but she's going to go to with them."
Angel grinned. "Great."
"I have to be going," Buffy said. "The hotel here charges ridiculously for long distance calls. I'll see you around."
"Bye," Angel said. They hung up mutually.
Angel sighed, and called his secretary and told her to set up some living quarters for two males. She assured him that it would be taken care of.
After a moment of relaxation, Angel got a call from his secretary. "Sir, you have a visitor here. She's insisting that she is an old friend of yours."
"Send her in," said Angel.
A girl in her mid twenties walked through the door of Angel's office immediately. The doors had never been touched; instead, they'd simply swung open of their own accord. Angel stood. He could barely believe who he was seeing.
"Bethany?" he asked.
"The one and only," she said.
"What are you doing here?" Angel asked, dumbfounded at seeing such an old friend back again after so long.
"I heard some rumors," she said. "The first one was that you'd lost your soul. The second one was that you'd become the head of the company that tried to drive me insane and turn me into an assassin. I didn't want to believe it. Now make me not believe it, or I'm going to destroy this whole building."
Harry awoke from his dreams and, for a moment, didn't remember what day it was. Then he sprang out of bed.
He was going to see Ginny again today.
Harry didn't know what to do with himself. He hadn't seen Ginny in nearly a month now...he was kept harboring ridiculous fears that she had somehow found another guy...even though the only guy she'd been in contact with that summer was Ron...and the disturbing imagery that invoked was enough to make him sick.
Harry shook his head. He was overanalyzing, something he'd always had problems with. He dressed, trying to keep his mind blank. It wasn't working, but he kept trying anyway.
After he was done dressing, Harry realized that it was nearly noon. He had taken four hours to get dressed. He hadn't been aware of the passage of any time; indeed, it had felt like time had gone and hid as he thought about Ginny.
The problem was that he thought she could easily find a guy better for her than him. It was the classic problem of the hero; the girl just isn't safe around him.
He shook his head. He exited the room and went quickly down to the Great Hall. He stopped briefly in the Common Room to appreciate the fact that it would no longer be perpetually empty after today. That thought, at least, cheered him greatly.
On his way into the Hall, Harry caught sight of Craig. Harry stopped. He hadn't gotten a chance to meet the elusive boy, not face to face. Harry had desperately wanted to after the fight with the spiders; Dumbledore's words stuck in his mind. Craig needed a friend.
"Hello," Harry said.
Craig looked at him. "Hi," he said.
"What's up?" Harry asked. He realized how inadequate the question seemed, but he couldn't think of anything better.
"The teachers have requested my presence to assist in preparing the school for the arrival of the students," Craig said.
They both fell silent. Eventually, Harry decided that it would be best to just go. But Craig stopped him.
"Wait," Craig said. "You fought really well against the spiders."
"Thanks," Harry said. "But you did better. That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen."
Craig shrugged at him. "It wasn't all that great," he said. "I could have done better. Perhaps that man wouldn't have been hurt if I'd been quicker. I'm always just a bit too slow..." he trailed off, listening to the yelling of his former classmates.
Harry, seeing the pain in Craig's eyes, reached out and put a hand on the boy's shoulder to calm him. Instantly, Craig jerked up straight as a board. His eye's rolled back into his head, and he began to twitch uncontrollably.
"James! James, he's here!" screamed Lily Potter.
"I know! Take Harry and run! Now!" James said, drawing out his wand. "I'll hold him off!"
"I don't want to go without you!" Lily yelled.
James grabbed Lily quickly, hugging her quickly. "Lily, you have to do this," he said. "It's Harry's only chance. Just go! Quick!"
He shoved her quickly away, taking one last, tearful look at his son. "Good-bye," he whispered, so that none could hear.
He turned and stood, straight-backed, and stared down the approaching shape...
Craig twitched one more time and came out of it, panting. Harry looked at him in horror, having been about to dash into the Hall for help.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked.
Craig nodded. "I just need a second," he said.
Harry knelt down beside the other boy. "What was that all about?" Harry asked.
Craig, whose breathing was slowly returning to normal, regarded Harry for a while. "You know about my...gift...don't you?" he asked.
Harry hesitated. "Yes," he said.
"Sometimes, physical contact with someone causes the voices to overwhelm me," he explained. "It hasn't happened for a long time."
Harry now hesitated further, waiting until Craig had pulled himself to his feet. "Whose voice was it?" Harry asked, his curiosity finally overcoming his fear of the answer.
Craig began to open the door to the Great Hall. He stopped, but didn't turn. He didn't think he could face Harry now. "Your parents," he said, simply.
Harry's fists clenched. He made a concerted effort to keep the vomit down. "And what did they say to you?"
Craig once more took a long time to answer. "They loved you very much."
He entered the Hall, still a bit shaky, leaving Harry, newly shaky.
Harry eventually entered the Hall as well, though Craig was gone by then. Harry had never noticed the boy leave. Dumbledore sat in the hall with a cup of tea.
"Harry! Just the man we've been waiting for," he said. "Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher needs some help unpacking."
Dumbledore motioned behind himself, and Harry's jaw dropped when he saw who stood before him.
Ginny was nervous as a...well, very nervous person. She hadn't seen Harry in nearly a month, and...
You can probably guess the rest, right?
She sat with Ron and Hermione on the Hogwarts Express. Somehow, defying all the laws of nature that Ginny was used to, they'd arrived at King's Cross with plenty of time to spare. It was a first in Weasley history that Ginny attributed to Hermione and Lupin, who had roused the two redheads with enough time to get to the station.
Now, she sat slumped in a chair. The compartment was empty but for the three students and Lupin, who had gotten them to station full of energy and then promptly fell asleep.
"He must have something about trains," Hermione offered.
Ginny got up. "I have to use the loo," she said. "Be back in a minute."
She left. Hermione looked at Ron. "Your sister is a wreck and you haven't said a single word!"
Ron looked aghast. "She's...what, exactly?"
Hermione shook her head. "You can't tell? What kind of brother are you? She's obviously worried about seeing Harry again! You remember that look she always used to get!"
Ron's angst faded into anger. "She's fine, Hermione," he said. "You're just making this up. I don't know why you're always making people seem so..."
"Three-dimensional?" Hermione asked, sarcastically.
"Over emotional!" Ron yelled. "And don't call me two-dimensional!"
"I didn't call you two-dimensional!" Hermione yelled back. Lupin stirred, unnoticed by the two teens.
"Well, you as good as did! I hate it when you do that! You should be -"
Ron was unable to finish the sentence, owing to the fact that Hermione had practically jumped on him, kissing him.
He returned the kiss, neither of them fully comprehending what was going on. They were making out, moving there bodies against each other in rhythm.
"Oh my God..." Ginny had gotten back.
Ron and Hermione pulled apart. Now both of them looked aghast. "We just -"
"But I didn't mean -"
"Oh, my -"
"I leave for two minutes!" Ginny said. "You two are prefects! You should be setting a good example for the younger kids!"
"I know," Hermione said, regaining some of her composure. "We just...lost control, I guess."
Ginny shook her head. "We're going to be at Hogwarts soon...I think that you two need to be as far away from each other as possible when you're changing..."
Both Ron and Hermione blushed, and Ginny grinned. Hermione and Ginny left the compartment to get changed.
"Hermione, what was that all about?" Ginny asked, when they were alone.
"I don't know," Hermione said. "We were arguing..."
"Yeah, I could hear you," Ginny said.
"...and I just sort of grabbed him, and I kissed him, and he kissed me back..."
Ginny shook her head. "I cannot believe that you made out with my brother."
Hermione looked strangely meek. "I can't believe it either."
Ginny decided to be the dutiful friend. "Well, did you really want to?"
Hermione looked scared. "Well, yes," she said, blushing anew. "I suppose I did. But now what? I mean, you've been through this sort of thing with Harry. What happened after you two kissed for the first time?"
Ginny looked away. "Oh, don't tell me..." Hermione said.
"Okay, so we've never actually kissed," Ginny said. "We slept together, Hermione."
Hermione blushed deeper. "Okay," Hermione said. "That'll work. What did you do afterwards?"
"We talked," Ginny said. "It was bit uncomfortable at first, but we got over it. Really, it'll all seem natural to you in a while."
Hermione looked sideways at Ginny. "You really love him, don't you?"
Ginny nodded. "I do," she said.
Harry stood with Hagrid awaiting the train. Hagrid had been gone until just an hour ago.
"Scoutin'," he explained. "Dumbledore's had me all over Europe, lookin' ter see if the giants were really joinin' You-Know-Who. Looks like they are," he added, scowling. "Too bad, too bad...how's your summer been, Harry?"
Harry looked vacant. "Long," he said.
Hagrid eyed him. "Yeh, you've got that look about yeh," he said.
Just then, the train rounded the corner and came up, halting in front of the platform.
"Here we go," Hagrid muttered.
A second later, Harry knew why Hagrid seemed apprehensive. Harry had always been a part of the wave of students descending off the train; thus, he had never been able to truly appreciate its size, or its strength.
Harry was immediately swept away from Hagrid, though he could still hear the big man's yells of, "First Years!" above the racket made by his class mates. A few of them even stopped to say hello to him. He greeted them back, attempting to remember his manners despite the fact that his brain was somewhere else entirely.
He spotted the reason for his distraction after a few minutes. Ginny was already striding towards him, having noticed him sooner. He pushed through the crowd as well, fighting the current to get to her sooner.
And then they met, Harry kissing Ginny fully, both of them forgetting their worries and insecurities as the moment froze and everyone around them seemed to disappear. Good thing, too, since Ginny would have blushed deeply to hear Hermione say, "And she told me off...", and Harry would probably have killed Colin when the boy's camera clicked.
It was a perfect moment, and when it ended, seemingly months later, Harry and Ginny pulled apart. "So...I guess you're happy to see me?" Harry asked.
"I've been miserable without you," she said.
"Likewise," Harry said, taking hold of her hand as they ventured up to the carriages. Harry looked at the thestrals with kindness and petted one. It didn't seem to notice. Harry shrugged, happy nevertheless, because Ginny's hand was still in his.
She was laughing. "What?" he asked.
"I just thought you looked funny," she said. "Standing there petting thin air."
"Funny, eh?" Harry asked. "Do I have to tickle you again?"
Ginny dropped his hand immediately and threw up her arms. "Oh, no you don't!" she said. "I'm qualified to defend myself now! After all," she said. "I'm a Slayer."
Harry smiled at her. "Yeah," he said. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about it, but I just couldn't think of anything that wasn't blunt and altogether not subtle."
"Its okay," Ginny said, retaking Harry's hand as they entered the carriage. "You're forgiven."
They traveled up to the castle in silence. Harry admired the looks on his friends' faces as they saw Hogwarts come into view. He turned to look too. He would never get tired of seeing the castle. Never.
With Ginny at his side, he entered the castle.
Once everyone was settled in, Ron began their customary start of the school year speech. It was somewhat of a tradition by now. "I wonder who our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be?" he asked.
Harry, who already knew, immediately clamped his mouth shut. He thought that he'd done impressively at not attracting his friend's attention. He'd attracted Ginny's attention anyway.
"Harry, do you know something?" she asked.
"Me? Oh, no," Harry said. "What would I know? I know nothing, that's what I know."
This, of course, gave him away, and everyone within ear shot turned to listen.
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," Harry said. "It would spoil the surprise."
At that moment, Dumbledore stood. "Hello everyone, and welcome back to yet another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I trust that you all managed the summer holiday's okay.
"As you can probably guess, there will be several rather large changes made this year. Firstly, a group of young ladies, called Vampire Slayers, will be coming to Hogwarts later this year. There will be upwards of five hundred of them, and I'd advise each and every one of you to extend them the utmost courtesy. The greater majority of them are new to the wizarding world. They are powerful, though, and will be aiding us greatly.
"Secondly, and most sadly, Professor Dolores Umbridge has declined my invitation to return as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Her response, and I quote: "Hell no." Due to this, we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, whom I will be introducing you to shortly.
"Third. Most of the rules here have been amended - again. I know that it isn't always easy to keep up with them, but the times are changing, and so must we. All students must be inside the castle before sunset each day from now on. After four in the afternoon, no student will bee allowed anywhere on the grounds without a teacher to supervise. This is for your own protection; and before you begin worrying, Quidditch has not been cancelled."
There was an audible sigh of relief. Just then, the doors to the Great Hall opened, and a tall, well built man walked in.
"Aha, here he is, at last," Dumbledore said. "Students, I would like you to welcome your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher...Viktor Krum."
Wholly bats and whistles, Batman! That was enormous. A great loud cry of 'Bunker shorts' from everyone who liked that chapter. It certainly took long enough to write, huh? I got writer's block whilst writing for Lupin. Sorry kids, but it happens to the best of us. And it happens to me, too. See you all next chapter...whenever that comes out.
"I believe that the giants have accepted Voldemort's offer," Snape was saying. "The Death Eaters have received orders recently to begin building enormous shelters in the Albanian forest. It seems as though the Dark Lord has decided to use the forest as his base of operations.
"That's all," Snape said. "except for one thing. I've noticed a lot more vampiric activity in and around wherever Voldemort chooses to be. I don't know what that means exactly, but it can't be good."
Snape stepped down from the head of the table. Dumbledore got up.
"Thank you, Severus. That is all for today. Thank you for your attendance. Remember, as always, to be careful."
The meeting broke up. Lupin reflected on Dumbledore's earlier speech about the Slayers. They were already gone -most of them, anyway - but he still believed that they would be back, and that they would play an integral role in the war.
Lupin scratched his head. He wasn't sure of any of it. The Slayers...they were incredibly powerful, and it seemed like they had showed up just when they were the most needed.
But that fit, too, didn't it? The prophesy said that good evil would be balanced until Harry and Voldemort could kill each other. Voldemort was building an army; they knew that. So the good guys were getting the balancing benefit.
Lupin got up to leave. He didn't have anything planned for the day; indeed, he'd been looking forward to the time after the meeting when he could relax with a book, and not think about the war.
Dumbledore approached Lupin. "Remus, I have a request to make of you."
Lupin shelved his disappointment before it could show. "What do you need, Professor?" he asked.
"I was wondering if you might come to Hogwarts for this year."
Lupin froze for a second. Then he smiled. "In what capacity would I be operating, Headmaster?"
Dumbledore smiled back. "Since Mr. Fudge's kind reversal of his decision to ignore Voldemort, he has, through means uncertain to me at the moment, found out about the existence of the Order. Now he's insisting that a member act in the role of military adjunct to his forces at Hogwarts -"
"I'll do it," Lupin said.
Giles sat in a small bar, reminiscent of Willy's Place, sipping a drink that he hoped was espresso. Shannon sat in the corner, watching Giles' back.
He glanced to his left. The Masjon demon sidled closer, though it was still several feet away and trying to appear completely uninterested in Giles.
"Well?" Giles asked.
The Masjon shifted uncomfortably, still staring straight ahead. "Yeah," he said. "I've heard stories. We all have. Some girl fighting vampires. It's been going on now for a couple of months."
Giles nodded. "What is her name?" he asked.
"You think I just strolled up to some demon killer and asked her name?" the Masjon nearly cried. Its tentacles quivered.
Giles remained silent for a moment, then indicated Shannon. "That girl back there? She could tear you limb from limb and strangle you with your own tentacles. So I think it would do your health a world of good to answer my questions."
The Masjon once more shifted in its seat. It didn't look back at Shannon, so the Slayer cracked her knuckles to make sure that he got the message. The Masjon cringed at the noise.
"Okay! Okay! Fine! Her name is Jennifer Dane. She lives over on Oak Street."
Giles nodded. He had enough of this place, and by the way his drink was changing colors, it was certainly not espresso. He regarded the large Masjon demon.
"Go home," he said. "In fact, go back to your own dimension."
Giles got up to leave, motioning for Shannon to follow him. The Masjon whimpered again, his tentacles moving up to wipe tears out of his eye.
"We have the info?" Shannon asked.
"Enough to start formulating a plan," Giles said. "Her name is Jennifer and she lives on Oak Street. And she's been killing vampires, so at least she already knows about the demon world."
Shannon nodded. "Okay. We know who and where. So now we have to worry about how."
Giles looked at her and, not for the first time since they left Hogwarts a week ago, admired her intelligence and directness. "Yes, indeed," he said. "Do you have any suggestions?"
Shannon considered. They turned the corner, the lights of London guiding them towards Oak Street.
"When my Watcher arrived, he just told my parents straight off that I had the potential to become a super powered vampire killer. My mom freaked and called the hospital, trying to find a cure."
Giles cringed. "Yes, the previous Watcher's Council wasn't very good at subtlety."
Shannon grinned sardonically, but stayed focused. "I think it would be best, in this case, if we could catch her in the middle of a fight. Maybe give her a hand."
Giles smiled. "That sounds good."
They continued on and reached Oak Street quickly. The place seemed fairly ordinary; houses on both sides, street lamps glowing faintly. Shannon was reminded forcefully of the home she'd inhabited in Arizona.
"Now all we need to do is find this Jennifer Dane," Giles said.
"No problem," Shannon said. "If she's killing vampires, then she'll be out wherever they are tonight. So we find the vampires -"
"And we find the girl," Giles finished.
Shannon nodded, her face a mask of confidence and determination. "This way," she said, leading Giles down Oak Street.
Giles followed, keeping his eyes and ears open in case of ambush. Of course, the Slayer would sense a vampire long before he would hear it, but it never hurt to be cautious. Usually, it hurt to not be cautious.
Shannon looked around as she walked, keeping her weight on the balls of her feet. She stopped. Giles, too, stopped.
"You hear that?" Shannon asked.
"No," Giles said, truthfully.
"We're getting close," Shannon said.
As they crept still further, Giles began to hear the sounds Shannon had already picked up on. Shannon began walking faster. "There's a lot of them; maybe five or six. Come on, Mr. Giles, we have to move!"
She broke into a run, which, catching Giles by surprise, left the Watcher behind. He nevertheless rounded the corner into an alley right behind Shannon.
As Shannon had predicted, there were five vampires engaging a girl in her mid-teens. The girl fought well - several of the vampires were already fostering injuries - but the girl was clearly out numbered. She was losing ground quickly, and soon she'd be pressed against the alley wall.
Without hesitation, Shannon joined the fray, producing a stake from her back pocket. She took the first vamp completely by surprise, staking it as it sought to strike the cornered girl. As its dust scattered, several of the vampires turned.
"Another one?" asked one of the vampires.
"Good guess," Shannon said, throwing a punch.
Giles pulled the crossbow off his back. The vampires had yet to notice him, and he hoped to load the bow before they did.
The cornered girl took a moment to register the fact that another teenage girl had come to her rescue. Then, apparently opting to shoot first and ask questions later, she attacked on of her vampire foes.
Giles worked at the crossbow. Just a second more. He raised the bow - and found nothing but two girls and a whole lot of dust.
"I hate it when you do that," he said.
The girl, who was breathing heavily and bleeding from a small cut over her eye, turned to Shannon. "Who the bloody hell are you?" she asked.
Angel stared out the window of his office. That he could stare out the window of his office still amazed him a bit. Since taking over Wolfram and Hart, Angel had become more and more acquainted with the sunlight. Part of him was scared of the sunlight that he could now look at from behind the windows of Wolfram and Hart; it was that same part of him that was still afraid of crosses and holy water.
Angel's phone rang, disturbing his thoughts. He answered immediately, having told his secretary to patch all calls through to his office.
"Hello?" he said.
"Hello, Angel," Buffy. Just what he'd been waiting for.
"What's up?" he asked, maintaining his cool.
"I was wondering if you could put up a couple of my people up for a while - Xander and Andrew," she said.
Angel nodded, then remembered that he was on the phone. "Yeah, sure," he said.
"Great," Buffy said. "How's LA?"
"Quiet," Angel replied. "It's getting me worried."
"Yeah, cause you never worry about anything," Buffy replied, sardonically.
"Where are you, anyway?" Angel asked, ignoring her quip.
"France," Buffy said. "I just realized that Xander and Andrew would be getting to LA today, and I thought I'd call."
"How goes the search?" Angel asked.
"Giles and Shannon met our first new recruit last night," she replied. "All good. The kid was already fighting vampires. She took a bit of convincing, but she's going to go to with them."
Angel grinned. "Great."
"I have to be going," Buffy said. "The hotel here charges ridiculously for long distance calls. I'll see you around."
"Bye," Angel said. They hung up mutually.
Angel sighed, and called his secretary and told her to set up some living quarters for two males. She assured him that it would be taken care of.
After a moment of relaxation, Angel got a call from his secretary. "Sir, you have a visitor here. She's insisting that she is an old friend of yours."
"Send her in," said Angel.
A girl in her mid twenties walked through the door of Angel's office immediately. The doors had never been touched; instead, they'd simply swung open of their own accord. Angel stood. He could barely believe who he was seeing.
"Bethany?" he asked.
"The one and only," she said.
"What are you doing here?" Angel asked, dumbfounded at seeing such an old friend back again after so long.
"I heard some rumors," she said. "The first one was that you'd lost your soul. The second one was that you'd become the head of the company that tried to drive me insane and turn me into an assassin. I didn't want to believe it. Now make me not believe it, or I'm going to destroy this whole building."
Harry awoke from his dreams and, for a moment, didn't remember what day it was. Then he sprang out of bed.
He was going to see Ginny again today.
Harry didn't know what to do with himself. He hadn't seen Ginny in nearly a month now...he was kept harboring ridiculous fears that she had somehow found another guy...even though the only guy she'd been in contact with that summer was Ron...and the disturbing imagery that invoked was enough to make him sick.
Harry shook his head. He was overanalyzing, something he'd always had problems with. He dressed, trying to keep his mind blank. It wasn't working, but he kept trying anyway.
After he was done dressing, Harry realized that it was nearly noon. He had taken four hours to get dressed. He hadn't been aware of the passage of any time; indeed, it had felt like time had gone and hid as he thought about Ginny.
The problem was that he thought she could easily find a guy better for her than him. It was the classic problem of the hero; the girl just isn't safe around him.
He shook his head. He exited the room and went quickly down to the Great Hall. He stopped briefly in the Common Room to appreciate the fact that it would no longer be perpetually empty after today. That thought, at least, cheered him greatly.
On his way into the Hall, Harry caught sight of Craig. Harry stopped. He hadn't gotten a chance to meet the elusive boy, not face to face. Harry had desperately wanted to after the fight with the spiders; Dumbledore's words stuck in his mind. Craig needed a friend.
"Hello," Harry said.
Craig looked at him. "Hi," he said.
"What's up?" Harry asked. He realized how inadequate the question seemed, but he couldn't think of anything better.
"The teachers have requested my presence to assist in preparing the school for the arrival of the students," Craig said.
They both fell silent. Eventually, Harry decided that it would be best to just go. But Craig stopped him.
"Wait," Craig said. "You fought really well against the spiders."
"Thanks," Harry said. "But you did better. That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen."
Craig shrugged at him. "It wasn't all that great," he said. "I could have done better. Perhaps that man wouldn't have been hurt if I'd been quicker. I'm always just a bit too slow..." he trailed off, listening to the yelling of his former classmates.
Harry, seeing the pain in Craig's eyes, reached out and put a hand on the boy's shoulder to calm him. Instantly, Craig jerked up straight as a board. His eye's rolled back into his head, and he began to twitch uncontrollably.
"James! James, he's here!" screamed Lily Potter.
"I know! Take Harry and run! Now!" James said, drawing out his wand. "I'll hold him off!"
"I don't want to go without you!" Lily yelled.
James grabbed Lily quickly, hugging her quickly. "Lily, you have to do this," he said. "It's Harry's only chance. Just go! Quick!"
He shoved her quickly away, taking one last, tearful look at his son. "Good-bye," he whispered, so that none could hear.
He turned and stood, straight-backed, and stared down the approaching shape...
Craig twitched one more time and came out of it, panting. Harry looked at him in horror, having been about to dash into the Hall for help.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked.
Craig nodded. "I just need a second," he said.
Harry knelt down beside the other boy. "What was that all about?" Harry asked.
Craig, whose breathing was slowly returning to normal, regarded Harry for a while. "You know about my...gift...don't you?" he asked.
Harry hesitated. "Yes," he said.
"Sometimes, physical contact with someone causes the voices to overwhelm me," he explained. "It hasn't happened for a long time."
Harry now hesitated further, waiting until Craig had pulled himself to his feet. "Whose voice was it?" Harry asked, his curiosity finally overcoming his fear of the answer.
Craig began to open the door to the Great Hall. He stopped, but didn't turn. He didn't think he could face Harry now. "Your parents," he said, simply.
Harry's fists clenched. He made a concerted effort to keep the vomit down. "And what did they say to you?"
Craig once more took a long time to answer. "They loved you very much."
He entered the Hall, still a bit shaky, leaving Harry, newly shaky.
Harry eventually entered the Hall as well, though Craig was gone by then. Harry had never noticed the boy leave. Dumbledore sat in the hall with a cup of tea.
"Harry! Just the man we've been waiting for," he said. "Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher needs some help unpacking."
Dumbledore motioned behind himself, and Harry's jaw dropped when he saw who stood before him.
Ginny was nervous as a...well, very nervous person. She hadn't seen Harry in nearly a month, and...
You can probably guess the rest, right?
She sat with Ron and Hermione on the Hogwarts Express. Somehow, defying all the laws of nature that Ginny was used to, they'd arrived at King's Cross with plenty of time to spare. It was a first in Weasley history that Ginny attributed to Hermione and Lupin, who had roused the two redheads with enough time to get to the station.
Now, she sat slumped in a chair. The compartment was empty but for the three students and Lupin, who had gotten them to station full of energy and then promptly fell asleep.
"He must have something about trains," Hermione offered.
Ginny got up. "I have to use the loo," she said. "Be back in a minute."
She left. Hermione looked at Ron. "Your sister is a wreck and you haven't said a single word!"
Ron looked aghast. "She's...what, exactly?"
Hermione shook her head. "You can't tell? What kind of brother are you? She's obviously worried about seeing Harry again! You remember that look she always used to get!"
Ron's angst faded into anger. "She's fine, Hermione," he said. "You're just making this up. I don't know why you're always making people seem so..."
"Three-dimensional?" Hermione asked, sarcastically.
"Over emotional!" Ron yelled. "And don't call me two-dimensional!"
"I didn't call you two-dimensional!" Hermione yelled back. Lupin stirred, unnoticed by the two teens.
"Well, you as good as did! I hate it when you do that! You should be -"
Ron was unable to finish the sentence, owing to the fact that Hermione had practically jumped on him, kissing him.
He returned the kiss, neither of them fully comprehending what was going on. They were making out, moving there bodies against each other in rhythm.
"Oh my God..." Ginny had gotten back.
Ron and Hermione pulled apart. Now both of them looked aghast. "We just -"
"But I didn't mean -"
"Oh, my -"
"I leave for two minutes!" Ginny said. "You two are prefects! You should be setting a good example for the younger kids!"
"I know," Hermione said, regaining some of her composure. "We just...lost control, I guess."
Ginny shook her head. "We're going to be at Hogwarts soon...I think that you two need to be as far away from each other as possible when you're changing..."
Both Ron and Hermione blushed, and Ginny grinned. Hermione and Ginny left the compartment to get changed.
"Hermione, what was that all about?" Ginny asked, when they were alone.
"I don't know," Hermione said. "We were arguing..."
"Yeah, I could hear you," Ginny said.
"...and I just sort of grabbed him, and I kissed him, and he kissed me back..."
Ginny shook her head. "I cannot believe that you made out with my brother."
Hermione looked strangely meek. "I can't believe it either."
Ginny decided to be the dutiful friend. "Well, did you really want to?"
Hermione looked scared. "Well, yes," she said, blushing anew. "I suppose I did. But now what? I mean, you've been through this sort of thing with Harry. What happened after you two kissed for the first time?"
Ginny looked away. "Oh, don't tell me..." Hermione said.
"Okay, so we've never actually kissed," Ginny said. "We slept together, Hermione."
Hermione blushed deeper. "Okay," Hermione said. "That'll work. What did you do afterwards?"
"We talked," Ginny said. "It was bit uncomfortable at first, but we got over it. Really, it'll all seem natural to you in a while."
Hermione looked sideways at Ginny. "You really love him, don't you?"
Ginny nodded. "I do," she said.
Harry stood with Hagrid awaiting the train. Hagrid had been gone until just an hour ago.
"Scoutin'," he explained. "Dumbledore's had me all over Europe, lookin' ter see if the giants were really joinin' You-Know-Who. Looks like they are," he added, scowling. "Too bad, too bad...how's your summer been, Harry?"
Harry looked vacant. "Long," he said.
Hagrid eyed him. "Yeh, you've got that look about yeh," he said.
Just then, the train rounded the corner and came up, halting in front of the platform.
"Here we go," Hagrid muttered.
A second later, Harry knew why Hagrid seemed apprehensive. Harry had always been a part of the wave of students descending off the train; thus, he had never been able to truly appreciate its size, or its strength.
Harry was immediately swept away from Hagrid, though he could still hear the big man's yells of, "First Years!" above the racket made by his class mates. A few of them even stopped to say hello to him. He greeted them back, attempting to remember his manners despite the fact that his brain was somewhere else entirely.
He spotted the reason for his distraction after a few minutes. Ginny was already striding towards him, having noticed him sooner. He pushed through the crowd as well, fighting the current to get to her sooner.
And then they met, Harry kissing Ginny fully, both of them forgetting their worries and insecurities as the moment froze and everyone around them seemed to disappear. Good thing, too, since Ginny would have blushed deeply to hear Hermione say, "And she told me off...", and Harry would probably have killed Colin when the boy's camera clicked.
It was a perfect moment, and when it ended, seemingly months later, Harry and Ginny pulled apart. "So...I guess you're happy to see me?" Harry asked.
"I've been miserable without you," she said.
"Likewise," Harry said, taking hold of her hand as they ventured up to the carriages. Harry looked at the thestrals with kindness and petted one. It didn't seem to notice. Harry shrugged, happy nevertheless, because Ginny's hand was still in his.
She was laughing. "What?" he asked.
"I just thought you looked funny," she said. "Standing there petting thin air."
"Funny, eh?" Harry asked. "Do I have to tickle you again?"
Ginny dropped his hand immediately and threw up her arms. "Oh, no you don't!" she said. "I'm qualified to defend myself now! After all," she said. "I'm a Slayer."
Harry smiled at her. "Yeah," he said. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about it, but I just couldn't think of anything that wasn't blunt and altogether not subtle."
"Its okay," Ginny said, retaking Harry's hand as they entered the carriage. "You're forgiven."
They traveled up to the castle in silence. Harry admired the looks on his friends' faces as they saw Hogwarts come into view. He turned to look too. He would never get tired of seeing the castle. Never.
With Ginny at his side, he entered the castle.
Once everyone was settled in, Ron began their customary start of the school year speech. It was somewhat of a tradition by now. "I wonder who our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be?" he asked.
Harry, who already knew, immediately clamped his mouth shut. He thought that he'd done impressively at not attracting his friend's attention. He'd attracted Ginny's attention anyway.
"Harry, do you know something?" she asked.
"Me? Oh, no," Harry said. "What would I know? I know nothing, that's what I know."
This, of course, gave him away, and everyone within ear shot turned to listen.
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," Harry said. "It would spoil the surprise."
At that moment, Dumbledore stood. "Hello everyone, and welcome back to yet another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I trust that you all managed the summer holiday's okay.
"As you can probably guess, there will be several rather large changes made this year. Firstly, a group of young ladies, called Vampire Slayers, will be coming to Hogwarts later this year. There will be upwards of five hundred of them, and I'd advise each and every one of you to extend them the utmost courtesy. The greater majority of them are new to the wizarding world. They are powerful, though, and will be aiding us greatly.
"Secondly, and most sadly, Professor Dolores Umbridge has declined my invitation to return as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Her response, and I quote: "Hell no." Due to this, we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, whom I will be introducing you to shortly.
"Third. Most of the rules here have been amended - again. I know that it isn't always easy to keep up with them, but the times are changing, and so must we. All students must be inside the castle before sunset each day from now on. After four in the afternoon, no student will bee allowed anywhere on the grounds without a teacher to supervise. This is for your own protection; and before you begin worrying, Quidditch has not been cancelled."
There was an audible sigh of relief. Just then, the doors to the Great Hall opened, and a tall, well built man walked in.
"Aha, here he is, at last," Dumbledore said. "Students, I would like you to welcome your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher...Viktor Krum."
Wholly bats and whistles, Batman! That was enormous. A great loud cry of 'Bunker shorts' from everyone who liked that chapter. It certainly took long enough to write, huh? I got writer's block whilst writing for Lupin. Sorry kids, but it happens to the best of us. And it happens to me, too. See you all next chapter...whenever that comes out.