AN: CHAPTER SEVENTEEN HERE. I AM NOT GOING TO WRITE A LEMON FOR BUFFY AND ANGEL, COS I CAN'T PUT IT UP ON WITHOUT LOSING MY ACCOUNT LIKE ON OF MY FRIENDS DID. HOWEVER, IF ANYONE WANTS ONE, LEAVE ME YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IN A REVIEW AND I WILL SEND IT OUT TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
ON A FURTHER NOTE; ENGLAND SUCKS AND MY BEST FRIEND HAS GONE OFF TO FRANCE WITH BOTH OF MY ANGEL SANCTUARY MANGA.
DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN IT, GRUMBLE, GRUMBLE, MOAN, MOAN, MOAN.
RATING: PG-13, BUT A LEMON IS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST FOR THOSE WHO WISH SUCH A THING OF ME.
JUST ON A FURTHER NOTE: THERE IS NO CURSE ANY MORE. THERE, I'VE SAID IT. BUFFY AND ANGEL CAN NOW DO WHATEVER THEY WANT. SCREW YOU JOSS WHEDON.
Chapter Seventeen
Giles say in the headmaster's office, smiling. He could not help himself. He was very glad for Buffy and Angel. He was also glad for the rest of them as well. The tension between vampire and slayer had been getting to such levels that even an idiot, otherwise known as Xander Harris, could feel it.
He knew that Buffy had expected him to be angry about Angel coming back. He knew that his slayer had expected them all to be angry about it. He had been slightly angry at first, but more hurt that she had not confided with him immediately. He had been very hurt by Jenny's death, they all had, but Giles most of all.
But he knew that Angel had not done it. He had developed a strange friendship with the vampire before the loss of his soul and knew the difference between man and demon. His reticent British nature had stopped him from openly showing any emotion about seeing Angel again, yet he had been glad for Buffy. Without her lover, Buffy had been only half there. Even when he was Angelus, Buffy had relied on his constant presence.
The only other person whose reaction he had worried about was Xander. Yet the boy had proven himself to be more sensible than he appeared. But, maybe it made sense. Xander had been the one always telling Buffy how different Angel and Angelus were from each other. The boy had many faults, jealousy being one of them, but he was no hypocrite and was loyal to his friends up until death.
Despite Xander's protestations, he knew that the boy considered Angel one of his friends. On many other occasions previously, the boy had asked the vampire's help and opinion. In reality, the two worked well together, brought together by their common love of Buffy. And Xander's relationship with Cordelia was certainly making an improvement in the situation of the jealousy the boy held for the vampire.
Giles was glad of this. He knew that the skills and experience Angel provided to their team were invaluable, as was his relationship with the slayer. It was more than likely that, if Angel left now, then Buffy would follow. But Xander was important to them as well and not just because of his borrowed military experience that had helped them so in defeating the Judge. Xander could make them laugh. It might have seemed inappropriate for them to laugh, but there was a graveyard humour about it, laughing so that they didn't cry.
Giles stared at the prone forms of the minister and his cronies and scowled. He felt himself returning to his old, Ripper mindset. The fools had had no idea what they were doing. Administering the Dementor's kiss to a vampire was idiocy and suicidal in Angel's case. And attempting to capture a Master Vampire with only six assistants… He almost wished Angelus had drained them dry.
Professor Dumbledore also looked unimpressed with the actions of the bumbling idiot who was the minister for magic. But the headmaster was concerned about other things as well. The man was obviously attempting to cover it up, but Giles prided himself upon his ability to read people's expressions. Well, people who weren't American teenagers, anyway. Dumbledore spoke, his voice deliberately neutral,
"I must confess to being somewhat curious as to what exactly occurred in the Great Hall."
The words were carefully chosen and worded so as to not sound like the order of an explanation that they were. But Giles had grown up in the duplicitous environment of the watchers' council and knew, and had used, every trick in the trade. Keeping his voice non-committal, the watcher answered.
"I believe that any explanations would better be saved until Buffy and Angel are ready to join us."
Dumbledore's expression was perfectly schooled, but his impatience was obvious as he asked,
"And when will Angel and Miss Summers be able to join us?"
Xander snorted and Cordelia and Willow elbowed him. It was obvious that they only did this as reflex, because their amusement was also plain. Cordelia answered the headmaster in her typical blunt fashion,
"Romeo and Juliet are off celebrating the fact that they no longer have curse problems. They won't be down for ages and I really wouldn't want to be one of these ministry idiots when they do get here."
The others nodded their agreement and Willow said,
"Yeah, Hurting Angel, good way to get into the slayer's book of bad very quickly."
The others smirked and imagined what interesting punishments the highly pissed-off slayer would come up with when she arrived down here. Even Giles smiled slightly as he considered the ideas his slayer might come up with, Buffy was not sadistic or vindictive under normal circumstances, but where Angel or any one of her friends was concerned, she had no qualms about what she did and could be highly inventive.
The watcher leant forward and said calmly,
"I doubt Buffy and Angel will be along for a while, so we may as well find ways to distract ourselves while we wait for them to arrive. Professor, do you play chess?"
Professor Dumbledore stared at him for a moment, then smiled and brought out a chessboard. The two men set up their game and began to play. The others shrugged slightly and then arranged themselves comfortably on the floor and began to trade ideas about what Buffy and Angel would do to the minister and his cronies. 'Professor' Umbridge made the mistake of regaining consciousness as they discussed this and promptly passed out again.
Buffy had lost track of the amount of time they had been there.
She didn't really care when she thought about it, though. All that mattered was Angel's hard naked body wrapped around hers. They were in Angel's room now. The crimson silk sheets were pulled from the bed and the many pillows were scattered around the room. They lay naked in the dark room, on the floor in front of the large fireplace. The only light was from the fire glowing in the grate and from the silver moon pouring in through the open window.
The flickering shadows cast by the flames danced patterns across Angel's naked back. Buffy watched them and traced them with her hands, caressing every inch of her lover's body as she did so. She pressed her head against Angel's bare chest and felt a rumbling vibration echoing from his lungs. She heard the rolling rumbling noise and wondered what it was for a minute before she realised.
Angel was purring.
Buffy fought hard not to laugh. It was just so unusual. She had heard Angel growl many times, especially when someone tried to attack her, but him purring, it was just so outrageous. But the rumbling purr made her insides tighten again and she rubbed her head against his chest, licking her tongue out to slash across his hard muscles.
She yelped slightly as Angel's hard arms wrapped around her waist and his cool lips settled in her hair. Then she shivered as he began to work his way down her face, pressing feather-light kisses on her ultra-sensitised skin. He continued his trail of kisses down her neck, leaving a moist path behind him as he moved down her body, his strong hands pulling her closer to him.
Angel paused at the base of her throat, then flicked his tongue out to lick at the raised mark on her neck. It had been so perfectly natural for her to invite him to feed from her. Buffy shivered, half with the memory of that intoxicating kiss and half because of Angel's wondering hands coming to rest on the inside of her fangs.
Angel kissed the scar softly and lovingly. Buffy knew that she would bear that scar for the rest of her life, slayer-healing factor be damned. The scar from when the Master had drained her had healed within the week, but instinctively she knew this was different. This hadn't been about killing or feeding; this had been about claiming her. She knew she could never leave Angel now, that a part of her would always belong entirely to him. Although her mind rebelled against that control, her soul longed for it, in the same way that her body arched into his touch; she longed for him to posses her entirely.
Then Angel's mouth moved lower as his hands moved up and Buffy couldn't have cared if every vampire in the world was in the castle, as long as Angel never stopped touching her.
Later the two of them lay curled up in front of the fire, boneless and content. Buffy's hair was wet from the shower she and Angel had taken together, but the fire warmer her and she felt utterly safe in Angel's arms, safer than anywhere else did in the world.
She suspected there was some irony in a slayer feeling safest in the arms of a vampire, but she didn't particularly care. She rolled over in her lover's arms and said,
"Angel?"
The vampire opened his left eye a crack and gazed down at her,
"Yes, beloved."
Buffy felt a shiver of happiness rush through her as he called her this and reached up and kissed him. It was not a particularly ardent kiss, no more then a gentle brush of their lips together, but it was full of their love for each other, open and obvious. It was full of all the feelings they had that they had been desperately trying to ignore since his return in late August. It was open and honest and full of their love.
Buffy sighed and pulled herself reluctantly from Angel's loose embrace. Angel growled slightly at the denied contact, but Buffy rose to her feet lethargically and walked to Angel's wardrobe. She pulled the doors open and then turned back to her lover,
"Angel, can I borrow some clothes to wear for a while as my clothes from earlier are… unusable."
Buffy blushed slightly as she stared down at the torn remnants of their clothing scattered on the floor. She did not precisely recall how their clothes ended up like that but she could make a very good guess.
She discovered her bra and g-string under a black satin pillow on the floor and was glad to see they were still in one piece. She pulled them on, wincing slightly. At first, their lovemaking had been anything but gentle and she ached slightly. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and surveyed the contents of the wardrobe.
She pulled on a black silk shirt, delighting in the feel of the material against her skin. Then she searched through the wardrobe and found a pair of leather pants in her size and some stiletto healed boots she had left in the room earlier.
Angel couldn't help but growl softly as she turned back to him, dressed in his clothes. She was swamped in his shirt, even though she had rolled the sleeves up several times. A primal part of him rejoiced in seeing her in his clothes, though that part was more interested in ripping them off her and taking her up against the wall.
A more rational part of him argued that it was probably more important that they go see Dumbledore and that they would never get round to doing that. He marvelled in how quiet it was now. Angelus was muted. It was an amazing feeling, knowing that he was gone forever, knowing that what he felt for Buffy was no longer dangerous.
He reluctantly rose from where he lay in front of the fire and walked over to join Buffy in front of his wardrobe. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin in her soft honey-golden hair. He had managed to purchase a few pairs of non-leather pants while he had been shopping with Buffy. He slipped on a pair of black silk boxers and then pulled on a pair of black jeans and a black cashmere crewneck. He then slipped on a pair of black silk socks and slipped his feet into a pair of black leather boots.
It was indulgent, he supposed, but he loved the feeling of these materials against his skin and wore little else when he could. Most older vampires did, as coarse fabric soon becomes intolerable after a while. It was expensive, but Angel hadn't had problems with money since he was eleven. Technically he hadn't had problems with money for his entire life, but before he was eleven he hadn't known that he hadn't had problems with money.
In any case, wearing these expensive materials was one of the few indulgences he allowed himself. He loved the feeling of silk and leather against his skin and he also enjoyed finding them. Okay, so he enjoyed shopping, it's not like that's a sin or something, even if he was a guy.
He wrapped his arms around Buffy again. She leant back into his embrace and he rested his chin in her hair. They stayed like that for a long time, and then Buffy sighed and pulled herself out of Angel's embrace. She then turned back to him and said,
"We really have to go and face the music now Angel. I mean, who knows what the students are going to think."
Draco Malfoy sat in a window seat in the Gryffindor common room.
He had never imagined that he would be here. It was Malfoy tradition to be sorted into Slytherin. The only other acceptable house was Ravenclaw. For a Malfoy to even want to be in Gryffindor was unthinkable. Slytherin was his curse as a Malfoy.
He looked around the common room. It was cosy and far more welcoming that the black leather and stone of the Slytherin Common room. The fire crackling in the grate cast attractive shadows over the room.
However, at that particular moment, the atmosphere in the common room was anything but congenial. If the terrified guesses were anything to go by, the 'oh so brave' Gryffindors were not always as brave as they were supposed to be. He listened to the ideas with some amusement,
"…eat us all when we sleep."
"…turn us all into vampires."
"…betray us all to you-know-who."
Draco snorted at this last one. The other ideas had been born from paranoia, but this was ridiculous. Even many of the Gryffindors had refused to admit that Voldemort was back, and now they immediately thought the worst. But the idea that Angel would betray them to the monster who had killed his parents was so ridiculous that he had to deny it,
"How stupid are you people. Angel would never betray us to the Dark Tosser. For Merlin's sake, the bastard killed his parents."
The Gryffindors turned to glare at him. Weasley spoke to him, his voice a snarl that would have impressed most Slytherins,
"What are you doing here Malfoy?"
Draco shrugged as if it should be obvious, which it should be, but one could never tell with Gryffindors. He spoke condescendingly, as if speaking to a very young child, instead of someone of his own age.
"Well, here's the thing. I was supposed to spy on Angel and Buffy for the Dark Tosser. But there was this thing with me not wanting to work for a murderous bastard who's not even really human. So, I told my father where to shove his dark lord. Therefore I was summarily disowned and it was considered too dangerous for me to associate with any of my father's friends and their children. Therefore, I moved in with Buffy and Angel and people. And I'm not exactly keen on playing fly on the wall in there at the moment."
Ron looked confused while Hermione blushed crimson. In complete confusion, Ron asked,
"Why wouldn't you want to be there, Malfoy?"
Hermione blushed even more brightly as Draco answered,
"I would have thought that was obvious Weasley. With all the tension between those two recently I doubt they'll be out of there for hours."
Ron finally worked out what Draco was talking about and flushed the same colour as his hair. Then someone else, Draco thought it was Finnigan, said,
"How do you know Angelus won't hurt us, everyone knows what kind of vampire he was before?"
Draco shrugged,
"Weren't you listening to Buffy at all? Vampires are only so bad because they have no souls. Angel has a soul, from when he was cursed with it. He's in love with Buffy and fights for the white hats. He'd never hurt anyone who doesn't fight for Moldywarts. Of course, I can't say what he'll do to Death Eaters or to those idiots from the Ministry. I almost wish I was there to watch."
Hermione and the Weasleys nodded their agreement. From the time that they had spent with Angel since his return they knew that he wouldn't hurt anyone unless they deserved it. Of course, they knew that no power in the world could protect the idiots from the ministry from the vengeance of Buffy and Angel now. They also wished that they could see what happened. Professor Umbridge was a joke and they all wanted to see her go down. It wasn't malice, but just for once the Gryffindors were feeling something highly unchivalrous.
Buffy and Angel walked along the corridors towards Professor Dumbledore's office. They stopped in front of the Gargoyle that concealed the entrance to the Headmaster's office. Angel swore softly,
"I don't know the password, but it's normally some sort of sweet."
Buffy smiled and said,
"So, we just guess different sweets until we get the right one?"
Angel nodded,
"Something like that."
Buffy smirked and turned towards the Gargoyle,
"Hershey's Kisses."
Angel shook his head,
"Sherbet Lemons."
The Gargoyle creaked to one side, revealing the spiral staircase that led up to the headmaster's office. Buffy scowled at Angel and followed him up the stairs.
When they reached the top of the stairs, they heard voices coming from the inside,
"…make them clean out the entire castle using toothbrushes."
"No, no, they'll make them become Snyder's slaves for the rest of eternity."
This suggestion was greeted with groans from the others in the room. Then the two outside the door heard another voice. This voice made a low growl rumble from Angel's chest. Buffy scowled at the nasal voice of the Minister for magic,
"You can't do this to me Dumbledore. I'll have you out of here for this. I'm the minister for magic… you have no right to do this. Head's will roll for this, I promise you that."
Buffy pushed open the door and stepped inside the circular office of Professor Dumbledore.
"Heads will roll, Fudge, but I promise you. They will not be ours."
Buffy and Angel fully entered the office, pulling the door closed behind them. Minister Fudge shrieked when he saw Angel.
"How can you be alive? Nobody survives the Dementor's kiss."
Buffy scowled,
"You really are an idiot. Firstly, what were you thinking, giving a vampire the Dementor's kiss. Any normal vampire would be completely unaffected by this. Angel has a soul and a demon. Giving him the Dementor's kiss was more foolish than you can imagine. Fortunately, Willow knows a soul restoration spell and was able to perform it before Angel's demon caused any more damage."
Fudge scowled,
"Don't take that attitude with me, young woman. I'm the minister for magic."
Buffy smirked,
"And I'm the slayer. Deal with it. There's only one reason that I'm not killing you and that's because Slayers can't harm humans, no matter how much we may want to."
The minister flinched. The others from Sunnydale smirked at the man's discomfort. Buffy and Angel sat down with their friends. Buffy then turned to Dumbledore and said,
"I am not accustomed to the usual methods of discipline in your society. Perhaps it would be better if you directed the appropriate method of punishment."
Dumbledore nodded,
"Yes, that would be best. Minister Fudge will be removed from office immediately as will all his associates. New elections will be arranged immediately. Dolores Umbridge will be removed from Hogwarts immediately and a new Defence teacher will be appointed in her place. All those involved will have their assets seized immediately and these assets will be transferred to the funds of the Order. An announcement will be made immediately to inform the public of Voldemort's return. Proper precautions will be taken to prevent Voldemort from gaining more power and support than he already has."
Minister Fudge spluttered indignantly,
"You can't do this, Dumbledore. You don't have the right."
Buffy smirked,
"Professor Dumbledore doesn't have the authority, but I do. As the Slayer I have ultimate legal and political power over the entire wizarding world. These powers are mostly unused, but I have them nonetheless. Professor Dumbledore has advised me as to the appropriate method of punishment and I will now enact it. With one difference. You wand will be taken and your powers removed."
Minister Fudge groaned as his fate was ordered. The punishment that Buffy ordained was the harshest punishment short of Azkaban. Some argued that it was the worst imaginable punishment. To have one's magic removed. But Buffy had not finished with the arrogant politician yet,
"You will be exiled from the wizarding world under pain of death. Am I understood?"
Minister Fudge shivered at the harsh tone in Buffy's voice, then he whimpered as he realised what he was being punished with. Buffy smirked then turned back to her friends, lover, watcher and the headmaster.
"So, now that's over with, are we done now?"
Xander snorted at Buffy's attitude, it was more than obvious that she wanted nothing more than to be able to leave the office and go back with Angel to his bed. Professor Dumbledore didn't seem to find this half as amusing as those who really knew the two. He scowled at the slayer as he spoke,
"I need to discuss the events of this evening with you."
Buffy scowled,
"I would have thought that was quite simple. This idiot had some Dementors suck out Angel's soul. Angelus gained control again. Willow used the new curse to return Angel's soul."
Dumbledore scowled back at her,
"I understand that. But what happened before that?"
Buffy sighed,
"Oh, that was Spike. He's a pain in the neck, literally. His girlfriend's Drusilla… Angel, you can explain this better than I can."
Angel groaned and leant forward to explain to Dumbledore,
"Drusilla is a vampiress I turned. She turned Spike into a vampire over a hundred years ago. Spike and Drusilla have had a relationship for quite a time. Drusilla has visions and Angelus used this fact to drive her insane before he turned her. She is incapable of feeling pleasure without pain and is now incapable of differentiating between the two. She was always obsessed with Dark Wizards and talked incessantly of Voldemort while Angelus returned earlier this year. She returned to him as soon as he came back, as I supposed she would. Spike went with her."
Buffy shook her head,
"Except it's slightly more complicated than that. I made a deal with Spike in May of this year. If he helped with rescue Giles and never showed his face in Sunnydale again, I would let him and Drusilla leave alive. Apparently, Dru thought he was going soft. She's now with a chaos demon. Spike's with Voldemort with her to try and prove that he hadn't gone soft. Voldemort sent him here to kill Harry Potter, not knowing that he and Angel were one and the same."
Angel nodded and continued the story,
"Spike hates me, but he also fears me. I am over twice his age and that's not including the years I spent in Acathla's dimension. I also drank from the Master while Darla and I were in his court. This blood made me more powerful than even my years would grant me. If Spike had known he had been asked to kill me while Buffy was around, well, he wouldn't have come. He'll take Dru and leave Voldemort now, if it means not fighting me and Buffy at the same time, especially now he knows that I am back from hell and fighting for the good."
Buffy nodded and added her own thoughts,
"Yes, Spike knew that I was willing to send Angelus to hell to stop the portal from opening. He allowed me to do this and even assisted me in this. Angelus was his grande-sire and he betrayed every piece of vampire lore in letting me send him to hell. He knows that Angelus will want to kill him and Angel and I have very little qualms about turning him to dust, particularly after what he did to you that night."
Buffy scowled as she remembered what Spike and Drusilla had done to Angel. She knew that Angel felt he deserved what Spike and Dru had done to him, but Buffy had no such issues about the two vampires. She finished off her explanation,
"Yes, Spike will leave and he'll take Dru with him. Likelihood is that he will try to go back to Sunnydale, and then Faith will get him."
Dumbledore accepted this explanation and then asked,
"Now we have to consider the appointment of a new Defence teacher. Mr Giles, I don't suppose you would consider filling in the post?"
Giles shook his head,
"There would be no point. As a squib I would not be able to teach to practical magic that the students require."
Everyone in the room turned to look at Angel. He stared at them,
"What? You can't be thinking I'm suitable to teach? I'm a vampire. I have no place teaching children."
Buffy shook her head,
"Who better? It's not like you can pretend to be a student now. Anyway, you know more than anyone else I can think of and you have experience. In any case, we know that you're not going to be working for Voldemort or the ministry."
It looked as if Angel was going to complain, but Buffy fixed him with a stern glare and he subsided in defeat,
"Fine, I'll teach defence. I also think that we may need to consider changing the curriculum slightly now that it has been recognised that Voldemort has returned."
Dumbledore nodded,
"Yes, you're right. What suggestions can you make?"
Angel considered this for a moment before he answered,
"Well, this should probably be discussed at a full staff meeting."
Dumbledore nodded his agreement,
"I'll call one immediately. Mr Giles, I think your suggestions would be invaluable, so if you would join Angel and Miss Summers at the staff meeting, that would be highly beneficial. If you others could secure the minister and his associates down in the dungeons that would be excellent."
Willow nodded and accepted her task with glee. She gestured to Oz and Xander to help her carry the minister and his cronies down to the dungeons.
Every member of the Hogwarts faculty sat in the Common room, waiting for Professor Dumbledore's arrival. The door swung open and four figures stepped in. Professor Dumbledore sat in his customary seat at the head of the large table, but Buffy and Angel sat in the shadows of the large room.
Giles seated himself at one of the empty seats at the table and frowned at Buffy and Angel until they reluctantly joined the others at the table. Buffy and Angel sat as close to each other as possible. Professor Snape then asked the question that was on all the other's minds,
"What are Potter and Mr Giles doing here?"
Dumbledore smiled,
"Mr Potter has agreed to take Dolores Umbridge's place as teacher of Defence against the dark arts."
Snape scowled,
"You're having a vampire teach Defence against the dark arts?"
Buffy scowled at him,
"Nobody asked for your opinion, greaseball. Anyway, you look like a bat on steroids, so you can't talk."
Smoke poured out of Snape's ears, but Dumbledore held up his hand to stop the fight that was obviously coming.
"I asked Angel to teach, he was reluctant but agreed."
Angel interrupted him then,
"It would be better, I think, if we used the name I used in the past. It has fewer connections and would therefore be better for public use."
Dumbledore nodded,
"Yes, just, what was the name you used in the past?"
Angel smiled,
"I was Liam O'Connor. My father was the Duke of Galway. He adopted me when I arrived. The family had a history of great magical talent and therefore there were few questions when I appeared with knowledge of what was then highly experimental magical theory."
Dumbledore smiled, then Professor McGonagall asked,
"If you were adopted by the Duke of Galway, who I presume is no longer alive, would that not make you the current Duke of Galway?"
Angel winced,
"Yes, theoretically, I was my father's sole heir. Therefore, all property and titles were transferred to me upon his death. Until recently I have not touched any of that property."
Professor McGonagall nodded, accepting this answer as well as Angel's unwillingness to discuss the topic of his family in the past. Then Dumbledore continued to speak.
"Upon advisement, I have decided to alter the curriculum taught at Hogwarts. The ministry will be announcing the return of Voldemort within twenty-four hours."
The other teachers gasped as they realised that Voldemort's return would now be public knowledge. Angel then began to outline his plans,
"There needs to be more practical magic and less theory taught. We need to emphasise on fighting and duelling techniques, both magical and physical. There must also be lessons in tactics and battle simulations. Students need to be instructed about how to tackle anything that Voldemort might try and use against us. All students must be instructed in how to perform the Patronus charm. They need to learn how to utilise all the magic that they know for fighting. They must also learn the basic hexes used for duelling. All students must know how to fly a broom under battle conditions and be able to cast spells whilst flying. There must be a daily physical regimen for the students to complete and diet must be moderated. There must be constant and heavy patrols of the entire castle. All entries and exits to the grounds must be guarded at all times and I don't care if they're supposed to be blocked. All owl post must be scanned and censored for dangerous information. All parcels must also be scanned to make sure that nothing dangerous is hidden within them. The whereabouts of every single student must be known at all times. No student may leave the grounds unescorted and fire-calls must be watched as well. There must be random searches and checks to make sure that none of the students are smuggling dangerous objects or are actually under the disguise of Polyjuice Potion. Students must learn how to resist the Imperius curse. Passes for the Restricted section must only be given out with two or more teacher signatures. All visitors must have their visit approved and must then go straight to the great hall. All students must have the right to stun any suspicious looking strangers on sight. Punishments must be more severe and metered out with greater frequency. All dangerous and immature pranks must be stopped, and their perpetrators punished. Mr Filch, I trust you will be able to inform all the current pranksters of their predicament and give them a warning that the punishment will not only be form the crime itself but for the consequences of that crime. Madame Pomfrey, it would be beneficial if you could chose from the most competent of the students and give them training as medi-witches. It must be ascertained as to whether any of the students' familiars are unregistered Animagi. It must also be discovered whether any of the students are attempting to reach this state or already have."
When Angel was finished, the entire faculty was staring at him, except for Professor Dumbledore. Giles and Buffy weren't either, but he had discussed some of these ideas with them previously. Buffy had often made it clear how infuriated she was with the students' incompetence in fighting situations. Finally, Professor Sprout said,
"Mr O'Connor, you make it sound as if the students are going to be involved in the fighting."
Angel snorted,
"You think Voldemort cares how old someone is when he kills them? He will kill everyone who does not directly support him and will have no qualms about using children for his own gain."
Professor Sprout paled and subsided at this. Dumbledore nodded,
"Thank-you, Angel. Now, The Christmas holidays begin tomorrow and there are only a few over a dozen students remaining at the school over the break. I will impose these new restrictions immediately after the Spring term commences. Now, Miss Summers and I must escort the former minister and his cronies to the ministry and make the final arrangements for announcing Voldemort's return to the general public, as well as orchestrating the minister's punishment."
Buffy groaned and rose from her seat. She kissed Angel on the cheek and said,
"There's a pile of essays on my bed. They're all about comparing the advantages and disadvantages of modern weaponry over traditional weaponry when combating demons. If you marked them for me, I would be really, really happy."
Angel sighed in mock distress and nodded. Buffy smiled down at him and then swirled out of the room after Professor Dumbledore.
Tbc.