A/N- Okay, Chapter 12! Did you all like last chapter? I got some real nice reviews, so I think you did. Oh, Greenleaf, I'm glad you liked those other stories. To Meet History was my very first chapter fic, so it means a lot to me. Anyhow, on with the show!


Chapter 12- Despair

"What?" June asked, standing. The rest of the room stood also.

Moody hobbled into the room and took a seat.

"Voldemort's planning an attack, lassie. And soon. We have to prepare. The Order sent me here to find out what Dumbledore wanted us to do," he said, resting his leg up on the table.

"How did you find this out?" Karkaroff asked.

"We took out a Death Eater a couple of nights ago, and one of my Aurors took his place. Polyjuice, of course. Anyhow, I came here for orders. What are they?"

Moody's magical eye was swiveling around the room, resting for only seconds on each person there. It was almost as if he were trying to read the thoughts of his comrades.

"This Dark Lord is certain to use the Ubervamps against us," Illyria said. "We have virtually no defense against that."

Dumbledore nodded.

"But what about June? I thought she was our defense!" Draco said.

"Against a few of them, I am. But a whole army…we need backup," June said.

"But what about the actual Dark Wizards, these Death thingys…" Spike asked, waving his hand as he tried to recall the name of those who served Voldemort.

"Death Eaters. We should have enough Aurors and members of the Order to face them alone. However, the Order is no where near trained to face an Ubervamp," Snape said, looking to June. "June, what about your leader?"

"Buffy!" June said.

"But will she help?" Angel asked, turning his attention to Willow.

"To be brutally honest, I don't know. We can always ask, but this was your assignment, June," Willow replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked.

"Buffy likes her Slayers to try their best to finish what they start on their own. To show that if they had to, they could be the only Slayer. Like she once was," June explained. "However, even she had help. Surely she'll send somebody."

"You can always ask," Angel said with a smile.

June nodded. "That's what I intend to do. And then, I'm going to train. What about the rest of you?"

"I'll contact the rest of the Order, let them know what to expect and tell them to come here immediately," Dumbledore said.

Snape turned to Draco, Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

"The four of you get to Gryffindor tower. Start practicing any and every spell you know that you think could be helpful. Draco, you know more curses than Potter and his friends. Teach them. Hermione, the same goes for you and defensive spells. Do the same. Go!" the Potions Master ordered.

A bit shocked that the order was given almost politely, the four of them left quickly.

"Illyria, Spike, and I will go and get the lay of the land. We'll play lookout as well," Angel said.

Illyria and Spike nodded in agreement.

"And I'll work up a more powerful barrier around the grounds. Maybe I can buy us some time," Willow said.

June nodded in approval. Then, turning on heel and followed quickly by Snape, she left for the Owlery.

…………………

The letter hadn't taken long to write. It was short, sweet, and to the point. It read roughly like:

Dear Buffy,

I'm going to need backup. I've got a feeling that the thirteen that I've killed so far are not the only Ubervamps that Voldemort has recruited. Send me some Slayers, please!

June

After she had sent the letter via the fastest owl that she and Snape could find, they had returned to the empty classroom to train.

"Focus, June. You need to do this correctly," Snape said after about the seventh time she had plastered him up against the wall.

"I'm trying! It's difficult!" she said.

He sighed. "I know. But the fact remains. This power could be a great asset to our side. Perhaps we should try a different training method."

"Like what?" June said, exasperatedly.

She had been standing for twenty minutes with her arms straight out to her sides and her eyes closed. The only breaks had been when she had to rush to Snape's side to make sure she hadn't killed him. Now, she dropped her hands and moped over to a nearby window.

She was joined by Snape. He sighed and rested against the wall adjacent to the windowsill that June was all but leaning out of.

"I'm not sure. But I know you can do this. You just have too many distractions," he said.

His hand started out, then stopped, and then finally came to a rest on her shoulder.

"Are you worried about the outcome of the upcoming battle?" he asked, sympathetically.

June looked him in the eye. There was a deep pain there. But was that in his eye, or the reflection of hers?

"I worry constantly. I worry about what the next night will hold, and the night after that, and so on. I worry about the lives I'm endangering. I worry about if I'm cut out to do this. The biggest fight that I've ever been in, I was only second in command. I had someone else to answer to. Now, I feel like everyone is coming to me for answers. I don't know. Maybe I'm supposed to worry like this," June said, turning her back to the window.

"All I know is that you are young, June. Nobody your age should have this kind of responsibility on them. But you do. And I am sorry for that. But I think that there is a reason why you have it, and not anybody else. I think it is because you can and will pull us through this," Snape said, resting his other hand on her other shoulder.

June smiled. "I have a silly question," she said.

"Ask."

"How long will it take that owl to get to Rome?"

Snape laughed. "Just a few minutes really. The equivalent to a Muggle fax," he said. Then he shrugged, "Or so I've heard."

"A few minutes? Wow. Is it a charm?"

"Of course it is, you silly girl! Have you ever met an owl who could fly to Rome from Scotland in a few minutes!"

June laughed, realizing the stupidity of the question. Then, she shook her head.

"We should get back to training," she said, rather bashfully.

She had just completely opened up to Severus Snape. Why? She might never know, but she suspected that it had something to do with the fact that she often felt close to the people she worked with.

The Potions Master and the Slayer returned to the center of the room. June was about to close her eyes when an owl's hooting broke her thought process.

"A reply from Buffy!" She cried, snatching the parchment from the owl.

With an indignant hoot, the owl left. June ripped open the seal and read:

Dear June,

I'm sorry. I wish I could send you some Slayers, but, believe it or not, a Hellmouth is causing near-Apocalyptic trouble in the States. It's calling for all our forces. I can't spare anyone. Everyone I've sent already--I'm sorry--but that's all I can give you. Sorry.

Buffy

"What!" June screamed. "A Hellmouth! Now!"

In her anger and frustration, June almost tore the letter in two. However, Snape stopped her.

"We need that letter to show to the others. Come on, we'll gather them in the staff room," he said.

Tears streaming down her face, June nodded and followed Snape out the door.


End Notes: Okay, I did a little switching around as far as my original plan for this chapter went. I hoped you liked it. Please R & R! Thanks!