Hello all. Sorry it took so long to post, but real life was more of an interference than I thought. Good news is, I had all week off and got ahead on the writing of this fic. I'm actually almost done, so the next chapter will be up next week.

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btm452, John, melodieeidolem, harmoni, Thank you guys so much for your reviews!

Thanks to my beta, PuNKyCoWGiRL!

Chapter Thirty-Five

Solutions?

"Any luck yet?" Dawn asked once Willow had adjusted to the shift in her surroundings.

"Not yet," the redhead said. "Ron is trying to come up with a faster search method."

Dawn looked incredulously at her. "Ron? Coming up with an idea?"

Willow shrugged. "He keeps saying he's missing something. He wants Ginny home."

"Yeah, about that," Dawn said slowly. "Umm, there's a problem."

"What happened?" Willow asked worriedly.

"There was a battle and let me tell you, we kicked Sauron's big-bad ass," Dawn said. "He's not dead yet, but things are looking slightly up, sort of."

"And..." Willow prompted.

"Draco got hurt - shot with an arrow - but he's fine now."

"What about Ginny?" Willow asked in exasperation.

"Ginny and Éowyn, one of our friends here, the two of them went up against something like a dementor. They're ok, but Aragorn said they had to stay in bed and rest for ten days."

Willow's eyes widened. "What happened?"

Dawn shrugged. "I don't know. The thing was kind of like a big bad, sort of the big bad's head minion - could think for himself and had lots of power - you know what I mean?" Willow nodded and Dawn continued. "Something about being in his presence for too long can actually kill you. When Ginny and Éowyn struck him down with their swords, it sort of gave evil a direct contact thing. Both of them nearly died."

"But they're ok now?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, they just can't go anywhere for a while."

Willow sighed. "Alright, I'll tell Ron."

"No, no, no. Ron will freak. It's not like he can do anything about it now. Just don't tell him"

"Dawn, if he finds out that I knew and didn't tell him, he's going to be even more upset."

"Fine, tell him. But please stress the fact that she's ok," Dawn said.

"So is everyone back together?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, but I've got to go. We're getting ready to meet and decide what to do next. I'll talk to you guys soon. We miss you."

"Miss you, too," Willow said with a sad smile.

Hermione smiled in contentment as Lavender brushed her hair. Padma, Blaise, and Faith were also gathered in Hermione's living area. Once they had seen the benefits of taking Faith's order to relax, Lavender had taken it upon herself to make sure that the girls didn't get too run down with the research and she had suggested a sleepover.

At first, Hermione had offered her room so that they wouldn't disturb anybody else's sleep. It seemed the most logical and practical solution. But now that they were all there and giggling, she was glad on a personal, emotional level. Ginny and Dawn were her only two real female friends, and they had been gone for nearly two months. She discovered that she missed having girl talk.

"Has Neville kissed you, yet?" Padma asked Blaise.

The blonde looked up from where she was painting Padma's toenails. "A lady never kisses and tells."

"Oh, come on," Lavender said. "I shared my stories about kissing Wayne."

"Yes, because that came as such a shock," Padma said with a roll of her eyes. "It's not like none of us have seen you kissing in the hallways. That's not news."

Blaise bent back over Padma's feet and mumbled something so low that even Faith barely caught it. The slayer grinned. "I wouldn't take it personally, Blaise."

"What did she say?" Hermione asked.

"Neville hasn't kissed her yet."

"He hasn't?" Lavender asked in surprise. "But the two of you never go anywhere without each other. He's always carrying your books, holding chairs and doors for you. How could he have not kissed you yet?"
"I don't know," Blaise said a little sadly. "Maybe he's just being nice."

"No, he's just shy," Hermione pointed out. "You're his first real girlfriend. He's doing all of the good manners because that's what his grandma taught him, but he doesn't know how to initiate the other stuff." She giggled. "Really, who would want to learn about kissing from their grandma."

"I'll tell you what to do," Faith said. "Next time you're alone, just grab him and kiss 'im. That'll knock his socks off."

Blaise looked at the dark haired slayer with a horrified expression on her face. "I can't do that! What if he doesn't like me in that way!"

"Then he doesn't like you. But I don't see him holding doors or carrying books for anyone else."

"So is that how you got Professor Lupin?" Lavender asked with a mischievous grin.

"Wha?"

"Did you just grab him and kiss him?"

"No, he kissed me first. And you guys shouldn't be asking a professor about this kind of stuff."

"You're more like one of us than the other professors," Lavender pointed out.

"Yeah," Padma agreed. "Besides, tonight you're here as one of the girls, so kiss and tell."

The girls marveled at Faith's sudden change in demeanor. She went from the confident, headstrong slayer to an almost bashful, uncertain woman. "I've never met anyone like Wolfboy before," she said softly, taking a sudden interest in her hands. "He doesn't care about my past, he just cares about who I am now and who I want to be in the future. I didn't think I'd ever find someone like that."

"Ahhh, that is so sweet," Lavender gushed.

"He's such a wonderful guy," Padma said.

The next thing Faith knew, she was enveloped in a huge group hug - all four girls surrounded her. She held back the tears as she accepted the touches from her girls. She had never felt so accepted in her life and hoped that it would never come to an end.

"You are so lucky," Padma said.
"Definitely," Blaise agreed.

"And if he hurts you, we'll kick his bum," Hermione added firmly.

Ron smiled around the big piece of candy he had in his mouth. What had started off that evening as an annoyance had turned into a pleasant distraction from his thoughts of his sister. Seamus had noticed that while everyone seemed much more relaxed after their evening in London, Ron was the only one who was still frustrated over their lack of progress. So Seamus had dragged Wayne up to the room that the two teens shared with Neville in hopes that they could lighten Ron's heart.

Poor Neville's face was redder than Ron had ever seen it. It seemed that everyone had noticed how close he had been getting to Blaise and were surprised that he hadn't kissed her yet.

"I'm tellin' ya mate, the girl bloody wants ya. Just reach out and take her," Seamus said.

"I'm, I'm not sure," Neville stammered. "What if I'm not that good?"

"If she likes ya, it won't bloody matter."

Wayne nodded. "Lavender was just telling me that she knows Blaise likes you. Go on, kiss her."

"I'll think about it," Neville said. Then in an effort to change topics, he turned to Ron. "What's it like?"

"To kiss a girl?" Ron sputtered.

"No!" Neville protested, his face going even redder in embarrassment. "To do magic other than what we were born with."
Ron squirmed. He wasn't used to people giving him so much attention, but ever since Harry had left and they began their search for the ring, people seemed to turn to him more and more. He was beginning to understand why Harry hated it, but he couldn't fault his friends for being curious. "It's unlike anything you guys have ever experienced," he said.

"I hear you're pretty good at it," Wayne said.

The redhead nodded. "I'm almost as good as Willow and Tara anymore."
"Then why do you practice all the time?"

"Because it's like our magic," Ron said, smacking Wayne slightly on the back of his head. "If you don't practice, you forget. And this magic can leak out at bad times and hurt someone if I'm not careful. Plus, practicing keeps me grounded so I don't go evil like Willow did. To help remind me of what my boundaries are as a person."

"So what's the coolest thing you've ever done?" Seamus asked.

"It's been a while since I've done this, but they taught me how to use the magic to search my surroundings."

"What do you mean?"
"Well, everything on Earth is connected by magic whether we can see or feel it, or not. Most muggles aren't even aware that it's there. Some of them can sense the connection, but don't always understand it. They taught me how to follow... that connection... to search... Merlin! That's it! You guys are geniuses!"

"Uh, Ron, ya alright there mate?" Seamus asked as he exchanged confused glances with the others.

"I'm more than alright! I know how to find Frodo and Sam." Then he leapt off the bed and ran out the door.

The other three boys just shrugged and began fighting over the last piece of candy.

"So what's next?" Dawn asked as she leaned back in her chair. It was the day after the battle on the fields below Minas Tirith and they were now all gathered in the throne room.

Aragorn was probably at least as weary as he looked, she thought. She knew he had not ceased in his efforts to help as many people in the House of Healing as he could. The man was continually pushing himself beyond the limits of any normal man and even Buffy would be hard pressed to keep up with him at times. The people of the city viewed him as their kind now despite the fact that he hadn't been crowned yet. But Aragorn refused the position for the moment and followed Gandalf's advice and leadership until the crisis was over. Not that he wasn't doing a good job himself, she thought.

Éomer sat beside Aragorn and it was the first time she had seen the new king of Rohan outside of the House of Healing. He had not left his sister's side since they had arrived. He had placed Spike and Draco in charge of his men who were currently camped out on the fields in front of the city. It wasn't that the men weren't welcome in the city, for in truth the people of Minas Tirith would have welcomed them with open arms. But the men of the plains felt stifled in the city and there was no place for all of the horses. So out of practicality they stayed on the field in tents.

Although currently both Spike and Draco were attending the meeting. They had even drug Harry away from Ginny for a brief while so the girl could rest. Gimli and Legolas sat next to each other while Elladan and Elrohir looked on in wonder. They had never seen an elf and a dwarf get along so easily before and they marveled at the unlikely pair's easy friendship. Even Merry and Pippin were present. Although they seemed to be more concerned with filling their bellies with food that had been brought in than discussing the next step.
"I don't think we've seen all of Sauron's army," Harry said softly.

"How many more orcs can he have?" Spike asked incredulously.

"Well, I don't know for sure," Harry replied. "But it's just something Denethor said as he died - You may triumph over the fields of Pelennor today, but against the power that has now arisen there is no victory."

Buffy ran a hand through her long blonde hair. "I think the big bad has something up his sleeve. Granted, that wasn't the easiest of victories, and we probably would have lost if it hadn't been for Éowyn and Ginny slaying the Nascar lord and Aragorn's timely arrival. But I think there's something more."

"But his power is weakening," Gandalf said. "I can feel it. The loss of the Ring from this dimension has weakened his power. You saw how before the battle even began that his control over the elements was slipping."
"What are you saying?" Buffy asked. "That we ride out and meet him? Are you nuts?"

"It would be suicide," Aragorn agreed.

"The men need rest," Éomer said. "They've been fighting an endless battle and have been on the move for too long."
"And yet," Gimli said, "while we gather our strength, the enemy can be gathering theirs."

"The orcs in Mordor have yet to see battle," Elladan said. "They are already rested. It would be wise to wait before making another move."

Spike nodded. "At most, attacking them in Mordor would be a distraction for a real plan. One, I might add, that we don't have. Our real goal is to destroy the stupid ring, which we don't have."

"He's got a point. I'm all for striking out against the enemy before they strike at us first," Buffy said. "But the men need to rest first. I think we should wait a few days before we decide what to do. Maybe we can think of something better than a hasty put together plan in that time."

"And who knows," Dawn said with a shrug, "maybe by then Willow will have found Frodo and the ring, and we will have a reason for a distraction."

Aragorn shared a long look with Gandalf. The old wizard grimly bowed his head and the king of Gondor sighed. "Very well. Let's tend to the people for now. Later we may choose our best course of action."