A/N- Thanks for the reviews! Oh good, the Pansy-Slayer thing wasn't too obvious. I'm glad you liked that last chapter. Now, I see ::stares down at the notes she keeps on this story:: that everything is back on track. Including this chapter, I have only three left on this story. However, don't panic! There will be a sequel by the name of "One is Better Than None." And after that, I had a plot bunny for a story, but that is currently untitled. Okay, now, on to the next chapter!


Chapter 14- Knocking on Death's Door

"I'm never going to get this in time," June said, kneeling by Snape's side.

"Don't give up," he groaned, trying to get to his feet.

"I'm simply going to have to rely on Wand Magic and my Slayer abilities. Well, at least I'm one up on Buffy," she smiled, lifting Snape the distance he just could not make.

The Potions Master shook his head. "Then, maybe you should concentrate on another type of training? I could leave you be, if you'd like," he said.

Now it was June that shook her head. "I could use the company. And someone who can properly conjure a punching bag…please?" she said, batting her eyes playfully.

Snape let out a single chuckle, muttered a word at a nearby chair, and a punching bag took the chair's place. It was, of course, suspended from the ceiling.

"Thanks," June said.

"Not at all," he replied, pulling a chair around to sit in.

June began practicing round houses and such on the blue, stiff bag. Occasionally, she'd look over her shoulder…just to make sure Snape was still there. And he was. The thought of having someone constantly at her back, both literally and figuratively, made her smile. With a power shout, as the young Slayer called them, June let a hard right hook loose on the bag. It simply could not take it. The chain holding it up broke, and it flew across the room.

"Damn," Snape said, standing. "And that's without magic."

June turned, only very slightly out of breath, and said, "Thanks. You honestly don't know how good it is to hear you say that."

He smiled. It was always good to know that if June didn't have the power to control her inner strength, she at least always had the power to make the tight-ass Potions Master smile. And that was a great power, indeed.

Suddenly, that smile faded.

"June," he began, his voice dreary.

"Uh-oh. That voice is never good," June commented. "What wrong?"

"I…may not survive this," he said, turning away.

She scoffed. He whirled to stare at her.

"Don't give me that martyr bullshit," she said. "You'll make it. I'll make sure of that. Besides, you said you'd help me. I'm holding you to that."

"You don't understand. I've crossed a lot of the Dark Lord's followers. I'm not saying that I'll be number one on the hit list, but I won't be very far down it, either. And I don't want you to worry about me. Keep an eye on your brother this fight. He's the key to the defeat of the Dark Lord. He's the one you need to make sure lives. Not me. I'm not worth that trouble."

The Potions Master slumped back into the chair. Inappropriate posture really didn't suit this guy. June shook her head. She knelt before him and sighed.

"Not worth it, huh? Well, let me tell you something. Remember those horrible things I told you that I've done…well, they were pretty bad. I had a habit that, in big confrontations, that power would get the best of me, and I'd take out not only the bad guys, but some of the good guys too. In fact, I pulled something like that at the big battle in L.A. I killed so many of my own, accidentally, that Buffy and the other Slayers locked up away in a room in the Slayer HQ until I could stop my power before it got to me. Usually, I run out of a room, let out a loud scream, or turn it into my own pain. That's why my hurting Draco bothered me at the Order's Headquarters. I hadn't done it in so long, that I thought that my power had left me. In fact, that's why I know Spike, Illyria, Angel, and Willow so well. They were my trainers in that area. Now, tell me that you're not worth saving, and I'll tell you you're wrong."

Snape looked her dead in the eye. "I'm. Not. Worth. It." he said, emphasizing each word.

June opened her mouth to argue but was stopped as the door to their training room burst open. Spike and Angel rushed in.

"It's on, luv. Those Eater Death things are comin', ubervamps in tow. Illyria, Captain Forehead, and I saw them on our patrols," Spike said.

Angel gave him a long side glance for the forehead shot before adding, "We've barricaded Mrs. Parkinson in the Ravenclaw common room."

"These ubervamps carry the wands that the mortals here possess. Willow is still unsure about the use of their own weapon against them," Illyria said.

June and Snape stood and followed the group out of the room. They walked fast, for they had no time to spare now.

"What about that force field thingy that Willow was supposed to be working on?" June asked.

"Useless now, pet. They've passed the grounds' boarder. Instead, ol' Red's working on high powered fireballs from the roof," Spike said.

Angel, Spike, and Illyria appeared to be leading Snape and June to the entrance hall.

"Whatever works, but I would've liked that field," June muttered.

"Wouldn't we all?" Snape added.

"Albus and the Order are out front. Harry, Hermione, Draco, and Ron are itching to fight, but there have been members of the Order assigned to stay close to them," Angel said.

They arrived. It was as he had said. The Order of the Phoenix, headed by Dumbledore, were out on the front steps of the school, wands raised. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco stood just behind them, waiting for the call to battle. It appeared to be as if Moody was Harry's guardian, Tonks was Hermione's, Lupin was Ron's, and Karkaroff was Draco's. June stepped up behind Moody, a dangerous thing to do, so she had been told.

"I'll watch Harry," she said.

Both Harry and Moody turned.

"No can do, lass. Dumbledore and Harry both agree that you should concentrate on fighting, and not Harry's defense," Moody replied.

"He's my brother," June said sternly.

"Aye, but the brother of a Slayer, he is. You have other work to do. Don't worry. He's safe with me."

"But…"

"He's right, Junie girl," Spike said.

"Let him watch after Harry," Angel threw in.

June let out a growl of frustration but argued no further. They were all right. Harry would be fine under Mad-Eye Moody's protection. She would check in on him as she could.

"They're getting closer," Hermione said, although not fearfully.

The line of Death Eaters were clear, with Voldemort in the lead. However, in front of them, were hundreds of ubervamps, their wands drawn.

"They can use Wand Magic, but are they still impervious to it?" Lupin asked.

"Let's find out," June said, pushing her way to the front.

She drew her wand, aimed it at an ubervamp, and shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"

The ubervamp was dust. This caused cheering from behind her, and a war cry from the front of her.

"Let's do this!" Spike said, also rushing forward. The others weren't far behind.

June threw herself into battle, and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry do the same. However, she could tell that he had only two targets in mind. Bellatrix Lestrange, the woman who had killed Sirius Black the year before, and Lord Voldemort himself. Let's hope he doesn't get reckless, June thought as she dusted another ubervamp and dodged the killing curse as well.

The Order was working its way quickly through the Death Eaters. In fact, the only thing that seemed to be slowing their progress was the ubervamps, because every time a Death Eater saw that it was beginning to lose the battle with one of the Order's members, it would call, at the very least, three ubervamps to take up the battle. And they were too quick for the inexperienced Order. However, there were no losses that June could see yet. For that, she was thankful.

She rolled out of the way of a killing curse, leapt to her feet, and hexed the Death Eater that had cast it at her. When he had crumpled to the ground, June focused herself on the big picture. Ahead of her were a circle of ubervamps. They appeared to be toying with someone, whose figure was clawing the ground in an attempt to get away.

She ran toward the circle. She was within eyesight just in time to see an ubervamp raise their fist above the heavily injured figure of Severus Snape.

"No!" she cried.

The ubervamp stopped and turned, smiling. Snape lay there, one arm out in front of himself, bloodied, bruised, and beaten nearly beyond recognition. She knew that one more blow from an ubervamp could and probably would kill him.

"You bastards want to fight…then come take on a Slayer!" June shouted at the group of ubervamps.

"Little girl," the apparent leader of the undead group croaked. It was as if he had not used his voice in centuries, "you are barely an appetizer to me."

His groupies laughed. June withdrew a dagger from the sleeve of her shirt. The group stopped its laughing, but the smiles remained. June advanced on the leader ubervamp at a run--hearing a muffled protest from Snape. The ubervamp reached out and grasped her about her throat and lifted her easily into the air. He tightened his grip and smiled wider as June began to struggle for breath. With no effort at all, he hurled the young girl from him.

June felt her body flip three times in the air before finally landing on her stomach, facing the circle of ubervamps and Snape.

"Ru…run…" Snape croaked, coughing up a bit of blood as he did so.

"No," June whispered.

Somewhere deep within herself, she felt a strange tingling sensation begin. It seemed to be coming from her chest.

"Watch your friend die, Slayer," the ubervamp said, raising his fist slowly in the air.

"No." June said, just a bit louder.

The tingling wasn't in her chest. In fact, it felt as though it were coming from somewhere deeper. Her soul? The feeling was becoming more and more familiar as the moments passed. She had felt this before. This feeling…

"Fear this Slayer, we were told. This one has power. Bah. Now, as the helpless little girl you are, you'll watch your friend's skull shatter," the ubervamp boasted. The others began to laugh.

This feeling was diffintely familiar. She knew that she had felt it before. However, never this strong. Then, another, more physical feeling began in at the palms of her hands. She brought them up to stare at them. Pure, black magical energy was welling up. But there was no pain. There was no panic. There was only confidence…the confidence that she knew she could control her power for the very first time…and that feeling.

What was that feeling?


End Notes: You know, it kills me just as much as it kills you, my dear readers, to leave this chapter at this evil cliffy. However, the chapter must end here. Please R & R! Thanks!