WARNING: Corny speech ahead! A bit too mary-sue-ish for my liking, but I was stuck and it had to be said and someone had to say it, so i picked a name out of a hat!
Thanks to all the reviewers:
Vld: Your wish is my command! OK, so i'd already written that bit, but still...
Buffy the Slayer: Thanks for reading and reviewing.
Matt: Hermione is mentioned this chappy and more detail on the missing people
CHAPTER 14- WHEN WE NEEDED YOU
As Ron entered the Astrology tower, he noticed a lone figure looking out the window. The aurors had started arriving a while ago; but it was too little to late.
"Hermione?"
"What do you want, Ron?" She didn't sound annoyed or angry; just tired.
"How are you holding up?"
"Me? Oh, I'm bloody marvelous." He'd never heard her swear before. "I've just watched my classmates get murdered or kidnapped and I couldn't do a damn thing to stop it." Tears were trickling down her cheeks.
"None of us could stop it. Did you hear who was taken?" He asked gently
"No, I've been up here since breakfast."
Ron moved to sit down next to her. "They took Luna and Neville." She looked up into him shocked. "I saw Justin," Ron continued "they got his little sister; Emily or something. I couldn't help but think what I'd do if it was Ginny. She's on the front line. Robinette was killed, who's saying that Ginny's not next? She could've been killed by those death eaters."
"But she wasn't. She's not doing anything wrong. Look at it this way, would you ever stop helping Harry?"
"No but-"
"No buts. You should be proud of her." She spoke softly, but you could tell that she meant what she said.
Ron sighed. "I am...What's going on down there?"
"The aurors are arriving and snooping about." Hermione spat. "Do you know what time the first auror arrived? Not until gone 4am. The fight was over by that time!"
"They didn't know what was happening."
"Oh really? I heard McGonagall talking; Professor Dumbledore told Fudge about it the moment he knew. They should have been here earlier."
"They can't have known. They would've come otherwise; it would have been like condemning us to death."
Hermione didn't respond to that. She just raised her eyebrows and looked back to the window,
'I wouldn't be so sure, Ron.'
"Mr. Potter?"
"Professor Giles." The young wizard greeted wearily, not getting up for fear of upsetting the sleeping girl in his arms.
"Is that Dawnie? Is she OK?" A petite blond woman asked.
"Yea. She's just sleeping. Who are you?" He asked, too tired to be tactful.
"I'm Buffy; Dawn's sister. That's Xander, Willow and that's Spike over there in the shadows."
Harry nodded as Dawn started to stir. "Buffy?"
"It's alright, I'm here." Buffy gathered her sobbing sister into her arms.
"It's my fault; I killed her." Dawn sobbed. Buffy looked over to Harry in question.
"Harry, perhaps you and I could show our visitors around the castle?" Giles said, leading Harry away from the two sisters. When they were inside (for Spike's benefit) the Scooby's started questioning him.
"What's her fault?"
"Niblet killed someone?"
"What happened?"
"Is everyone OK?"
"It isn't Dawn's fault and she didn't kill anyone." Harry said, with a touch of venom in his voice that surprised the Scooby's. "Death eaters and vampires attacked the school during the dance. Voldermort cast spells so the teachers couldn't get in so Dawn and the rest had to stop him. She put up these shields around the slayers and most of us so we'd be protected."
"What kind of shield?" Giles injected.
"Umm Wicca? She didn't use a wand." The four Scooby's shared a meaningful glance. Harry made a note to ask them about it later.
"Anyway, the vampires separated and attacked the Gryffindor common room. Skylar and the professors stayed to fight the death eaters and the others took on the vampires. I don't know what happened there, but sometime around dawn, they can back to the hall to help finish it. Skye was hit by a killing curse and Dawn thought she was dead-"
"She survived an Avada Kedavra?" Giles was shocked; he was the only Scooby who knew of the danger of that curse.
"Yes; Dawn's shield protected her. But we thought she was dead and something happened to Dawn. Her hair went black and a green fire imprisoned all the death eaters. She didn't kill them, but it took a lot of energy and she passed out. From what I can gather she used dark magic."
Harry didn't see the worried looks passing between the Scooby's and Willow going paler than usual. "What happened when she came round?" It was Xander who spoke, his good eye fixed on Harry.
"We talked a bit and, um, she had to burn the bodies that might have been turned."
"What? You let her do that?" Harry couldn't help but feel intimidated by the angry bleached vampire that Dawn thought of as a brother.
"I didn't let her. She just did it. Madam Pomfrey, that's the nurse, gave me a sleeping draught so I was unconscious."
"How many?"
"What?" Harry turned to the softly spoken red head.
"How many were burnt?"
"37 died, but only 21 were... you know. There are 9 people missing. Some of the death eaters left early and took prisoners."
"Missing? That sounds like our area. We can help with that." Xander volunteered, glad to have something to do.
"Yes. Harry would you please take Xander, Willow and Spike to Professor Dumbledore. I must find Professor Snape."
"Wait!" Willow called. "Dawn said she killed someone."
"She didn't kill anyone." Harry snapped, feeling protective of his girlfriend.
"But she feels responsible for someone's death." Willow reasoned.
"Yes. One of the slayers didn't make it- Robin was killed by a vampire."
"Oh dear." Giles started cleaning his glasses absently, a stricken look in his eyes. He knew what it was like to lose a slayer and he knew how badly Dawn would blame herself like he did when Buffy died.
"It was my fault. I was supposed to protect her."
"No, Dawn, you can't believe that. I don't blame Giles for me dying."
"That was my fault too. You wouldn't have to have jumped if I didn't get kidnapped." Dawn was getting hysterical.
"Not this again. I don't blame you; it was Glory's fault and no-one else's. Just like this is Voldermort's fault and that vampire's fault, not yours. You remember the battle with the first? Well, 11 slayers died then. Was that my fault?"
"No."
"Why not? I lead them into battle. I trained them. I fought alongside them."
"Because they knew the risks and still wanted to fight. You didn't kill them, the uber-vamps did."
"Exactly. You didn't kill Robin and don't ever think you did." Buffy's point seemed to be getting across.
"Thanks Buffy."
"Hey what are big sisters for?"
Dawn smiled, the first since the fight started.
"I'm just sorry I wasn't here when you needed me."
"Buffy, you're here now, that's what matters. Besides, I had to fight without you holding my hand at some point; now's as good of a time as any."
"Miss Summers, Miss Summers!"
"What is it, Dobby?"
"Miss McGonagall says Miss Reiner is woken up! She says for you to go to the hospital ward."
Dawn was halfway to the castle before Dobby stopped talking. Buffy was running behind her, throwing two first years out of her path.
The first thing that met Dawn's eyes as he entered the hospital wing was Skylar lying on a hospital bed. Actually, "lying" wasn't quite the correct term; Skye was struggling to sit up while Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall attempted to make her lie down. Luckily the slayer still wasn't at full strength or else the witches restraining her would have been thrown into the hospital walls.
"Skye? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. But they won't let me get up." Skye struggled again.
"Maybe you shouldn't." Skylar sent her friend a death glare. "Well, you were hit with a killing curse."
"I know. Guess Harry isn't as special as he thinks!" She quipped.
"Did you hear what happened?"
Skylar immediately sobered. "Robin didn't make it. We knew this might happen, but it's still hard, you know?"
Dawn nodded. "I'm sorry."
"What for? It wasn't your fault."
Buffy smiled behind Dawn. She had only met Skye and Harry so far, but they seemed like good friends; like the Scooby's are for her.
"Who is it?" A high pitched but defiantly male voice called through the Slytherin portrait hole.
"I need to speak to Jaden Mormon." Dawn called back. She heard footsteps scurrying away and a minute later Jade appeared.
"I wondered when you'd be along." She said, too casually for Dawn's liking.
"Where've you been? It was bad enough you dropping training, but you missed a major fight."
"I didn't know OK? Would you just get off my back?" Jade rolled her eyes and sighed, more moody teeager than slayer.
"You didn't know that war was breaking out a few meters away?"
"No! I wasn't at the dance in case you don't remember."
"Why weren't you there?"
"I'm a Slytherin. I can't go to a muggle themed dance."
"And not one of your 'friends' mentioned what was happening?"
"Nope." Dawn didn't believe her at all, so she decided to change tactics.
"Robin's dead."
"That I heard."
"Don't you care?" She'd expected more of a reaction than that.
"Of course I do."
"It doesn't sound like it."
Jaden shrugged. The portrait hole opened again and Draco Malfoy jumped out. He pecked Jade on the lips and slung his arm around her shoulders before snarling at Dawn.
"Hey gorgeous. What's the mudblood yank doing here?"
"She's just leaving."
"I'll talk to you later, Jaden."
"Maybe." Jaden flicked her hair over her shoulder as she climbed back into the Slytherin rooms.
As the portrait hole closed behind Jade, Dawn knew what she had to do.
Later that day, Dawn, Flick, Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione and the visiting Scooby's were all sitting around Skye's bed.
"I spoke to Jade."
"What did she say?"
"Not a lot. She claims that she didn't know about the fight but she must have- half the Slytherin's must have known about it weeks ago. I mean, their parents broke out of the Azkaban!"
"You think she's lying?"
"She must be. She doesn't seem to care about Robin or anyone...And she's going out with Draco Malfoy!"
"What?" several voices exclaimed.
"Who's Draco Malfoy?" Buffy asked.
"Future death eater and all round pain in the ass." Ron filled her in.
"Anyway,"Dawn continued; "I think we should get Faith or Angel here to talk to her. The last thing we want is a rouge slayer."
"Do you think she's actually, you know, told anyone about us or killed someone or something?" Flick was scared and she wasn't ashamed to admitt it. This was her friend, afterall.
"No, that's why I want Faith or Angel to talk to her; they know what she's going through."
"I'll get on to LA right now and ask one of them to come down." Giles left the hospital wing and headed towards his office where he could floo to Wolfram and Hart.
"So, Dawnie, you're making with the wand waving?" Xander said conversationally.
"Yup. It's cool and easier to control than Wicca...ooh, you have to see my wand; it's so cool!"
Dawn took out her wand and handed it too Xander.
"Hey; I made this! It's one of the stakes I made a few years back!"
"I know. It's made of Willow wood with Buffy's and Spike's blood. As far as I can tell, Giles got all the ingredients and added the magic and then gave it too Oliviander that time when Willow was in England recovering."
"Cool! So we're like the source of your power!" Buffy said.
"Kinda, I guess. But the wand just channels the power."
"The power comes from her blood." Spike growled. "I ate a wand nutter once; the magic gave the blood an extra kick."
"Eww, Spike, that's gross! Don't worry, he's not gonna eat you; he's good now." Dawn reassured the three wizards who had only met Spike that day.
"Hey! I'm still the big bad!" Spike protested.
"Of course you are sweetie." Dawn reached over and patted his knee in a pitying way.
Spike was interrupted from replying by the entry of the Minister of Magic and his guards and Dumbledore.
"Is that them?" Fudge asked, but he didn't wait for a reply. He nodded the four guards' forward.
"By the order of the Minister of Magic, you are under arrest." Whilst one guard spoke, the other three each moved to stand by Flick, Ginny and Skylar.
"You can't arrest them!"
"On what charge?"
"Professor Dumbledore!"
"Get off me!"
"What's happening?"
"Professor Dumbledore has been telling me a... interesting story about the fight that took place at Hogwarts last night." Fudge said when it was quiet. "He insists that the three of you are vampire slayers. Now at one time the Ministry may not have believed this, but there has been evidence to support the legend of the slayer for a while now so we accept the truth. This is why we cannot allow such dangerous creatures to be left in a school, especially as they seem so keen to use violence."
"If they're so dangerous, then you won't be able to hold them." Dawn pointed out.
The minister's only reply was a nod to the aurors/ bodyguards holding the slayers who muttered stuperfy curses leaving the three surprised girls unconscious.
"You can't do that! They're not dangerous; they just defended the school!"
"That's what Professor Dumbledore claimed as well. But we have a reason to believe that the vampire slayer attracts monsters. They must have let the vampires into the building and then tried to cover their tracks. They should have waited for aurors and not have resorted to violence."
"Just 'cause they attract monsters, doesn't mean they are monsters!"
"If we'd have waited for the aurors, we'd all be dead!"
"Yeah. I'm a sl-"Buffy started, but she was interrupted by Dumbledore.
"What both the Miss Summers' is trying to say is that these three young ladies fought to defend the school, not to destroy it. And, as headmaster of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, I exercise my right to keep these students on the premises."
"Albus, you can't mean that. They are dangerous; are you willing to risk the lives of all the students?" Fudge spluttered.
"I would 'risk' my own life. I think that it would be best for you too take you aurors and go; you can't do anything here."
"Very well. We will return for a trial shortly. Good day." Fudge marched out of the room, his bodyguards trailing after him. Hermione muttered the enervate charm and the slayers came round.
"What was that all about?" Flick asked angrily.
"That's what I want to know!" Dawn turned to Professor Dumbledore.
"Minister Fudge had to be informed what happened. The whole school either saw or heard about who fought the vampires and there had to be an explanation given. The minister does not know of Dawn's special qualities or of Miss Mormon's. He is also unaware of other various 'talents' in this room." He aimed the last comment at Buffy and Willow.
"Well that's something. What should we do about the trial?"
"I think that you should go and tell the truth. The absolute and utter truth; be painfully honest, do you understand Miss Summers?"
Comprehension shone in Dawn's eyes and she nodded; a stubborn look on her face.
"Jaden?" The girl in question leapt up from where she was sitting near Hagrid's hut.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Angel; Dawn's friend."
"The vampire."
"Yes." It wasn't a question, but he answered it anyway. "Dawn asked me to talk to you before it was too late."
"Too late for what?"
"Too come back. Did she tell you about Faith?"
"Second slayer. Killed a man and went evil. Ended up in prison."
"Pretty much. But she regretted everything and is back to herself now."
"How do you she wasn't herself then."
"She hated what she was doing, but she couldn't stop. It felt fine at first, but then it got worse but she couldn't get out of it. She told me that it was like she had no control over her actions. She could feel the pain and just wanted it to stop."
"What's that got to do with me?" Her voice trembled a little.
"You were put in Slytherin. From what I can tell, that pretty much meant you had to stop meeting with Dawn and the rest, but it doesn't have to stay that way. You couldn't help them at the dance, but you can now. You should come to LA, get away from it all"
"Really?"
"Do you want to?"
"Yeah, I really do."
"Then do it. I'll arrange it with everyone. And Jade, don't worry. It'll be OK."
It was the day of the trail. The students were still missing, despite Willow's best efforts and Wolfram and Hart searching through all of their clients. Jaden was still in LA (doing well according to Angel) and Flick, Skye and Ginny were all handcuffed and sitting in the docks, much to Mrs. Weasly's indignation and Dawn's amusement- how would a little bit of metal stop a slayer if she really wanted to get loose? Willow was being questioned. Everyone was surprised when she was called as she wasn't even at Hogwarts when the fight happened.
"What is your relationship to the accused, Miss Rosenberg?"
"I've known Dawn for years and she knows them."
"But what is your relationship?"
Willow rolled her eyes. "They're my best friends', little sisters' students and friends."
"Would you say you knew them well?"
"I guess so."
"And there was an incident involving you a few years back, correct?"
"What kind of incident?" Willow narrowed her eyes looking at the wizard questioning her.
"You tried to destroy the world."
"Oh, that. Yup that's true." A shocked gasp sounded from the gallery. "I didn't actually do it!"
"And why not?"
"My friend, Xander, told me not too, so I stopped."
"That was good of him. Why did you do it?" No small not of sarcasm in his voice.
"Because my partner was murdered and my best friend nearly was. I lost control and overloaded on dark magic's."
"What's stopping you losing control again? NOTHING! There you have it! The accused are acquainted with and Wicca witch who admitted trying to end the world." The wizard went back to his seat, leaving an open mouthed Willow in the stand.
"Well that went well." Dawn muttered to Buffy who was sitting next to her.
The day didn't get much better. Flick lost her temper and started yelling and everyone thought Skye was mad when she claimed to have survived the killing curse. Ginny's telling of Robinette's death gained them the 'sympathy vote', but all in all it wasn't looking so good. Not that it really mattered; it they didn't win they could just break out, but that would be so much hassle. Dawn turned her attention back to Fudge:
"...bunch of dangerous delinquents who have no place in a school! You are a danger to the students at Hogwarts! Do you have anymore to say for yourselves before we pass judgment?"
"Umm, we would like for Dawn Summers to say something."
Dawn stood and left her seat next to Buffy. She faced the court and began to speak:
"I'm not a slayer...but I've fought alongside them for years, most recently as a watcher. I am also one of the students at Hogwarts who is, apparently, in danger. Let me tell you something about danger; we were in danger when we were attacked by vampires and death eaters. There were hundreds of students in danger that night, but only 37 died. Why was that, Minister?
"It was because my friends, who you have on trial today for failing to protect those children; my friends and I, fought to protect them because we were the only ones that could. When Hogwarts was attacked last week where were you and the aurors?
"When we saw children dying all around us, our friends dying, where were you? Where were you when a vampire slashed open my stomach? Where were you when I had to watch one of those who had been fighting for the lives of the students get murdered? You are sitting there and calling the slayers a danger to those they fought to protect...a danger to those that one of them died protecting.
"You said we should have waited for the aurors before resorting to violence, but the aurors weren't there. We fought all night and in the morning the aurors still weren't there. When I had to burn the bodies of my housemates who may have been sired they still weren't there. How can you sit there and blame us for defending ourselves when the people whose job it is were miles away and oblivious of the problem?
"You talk about the students who lost their lives, but you forget that Felicity, Skylar and Ginny are students too. They're the same age as those who died, but you're treating them like adult criminals. We were forced into fighting for our lives and theirs because there was no-one else to do it.
"Why isn't the school better protected? Voldermort's two main targets are there yet there is no protection for them or the students. We needed you and the aurors, but you weren't there. You'll keep failing to protect them so you're punishing my friends for doing what you can't. We gave them that protection as best as we could. You are employed to protect them and you were afraid. You failed them, not us. You can't protect them; you don't have what it takes. We do. Every student that is still alive was saved by either a slayer or a teacher, not you. But you blame us for those we couldn't save, even though if we weren't there to protect he students then they would all be dead.
"It wasn't our job to protect anyone then, but we did it. And we'll keep doing it until we die. We'll do our best, but this is war and people will die; just like they did at Hogwarts. You can't save everyone, but we'll try which is more than I can say for you, Minister. Let us go, so that we can do the job you can't. We still have missing children to find."
The silence in the court was broken only by the muffled sobbing of some women. Buffy had tears running down her cheeks, as did Willow, but when her little sister looked at her anxiously for approval, Buffy gave her a watery smile and a nod.
A wizard stood up behind Buffy and shouted: "She's right! Where was the ministry when the children were dying?"
"Yeah! Why wasn't the school protected?"
"Why were the students left to fight alone?"
Minister Fudge squirmed under the angry shouts and death looks of the spectators, and, once again, tried to weasle the way out of the mess he created.
As Dawn and the slayers left the courtroom, they were stopped by one of Fudge's jury.
"For what it's worth; I think you were right and so did everyone else. We wanted to ask if you would consider joining forces. You need magic to defeat him, but we can't help but think that we should use some of your tactics."
"Team up? Fudge wants to team up?"
"Well the Minister resigned. And now we are going to protect Hogwarts better."
Dawn looked to Buffy for guidance, but didn't get any. "Umm, OK."
"Capital!" Professor Dumbledore appeared from nowhere. "But I must insist that you be confined to strategy meeting only, you do still have school work to catch up on! Professor Giles indicated that the elder Miss Summers would also be keen to help in our fight and that she may have some friends to help us."
"I don't know. There's still the monthly apocalypse in LA to take care of..."
"Please, Buffy, we need all the help we can get."
"OK, I'll stay. Is that ok with you Wills?"
"Hunky-dory!"
"Hunky-dory?" Buffy burst out laughing. "Actually I think you've already spent too much time in the mother country!"
"What are they laughing about?" Ginny asked having just come back from talking with her mother.
"Sunnydale-ian apocalypse stress relief." Willow giggled.
"What?"
"God knows. Could be anything with those two. Are you ready to floo back?"
A series of affirmations greeted her so Dawn stepped into the fireplace said "Hogwarts!" and vanished in a swirl of blue fire.
Another chapter done, yay! A very big chapter done! Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please Review!