Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince…And Others
Chapter Four Hog's Head
With Dumbledore's consent, a wand was purchased for Buffy, and she spent the weeks training in both magic and Slaying. Though there was little to nothing to Slay, she came in handy plenty of times- rounding up the scorpion-like creatures the Care of Magical Creatures teacher called Skrewts, breaking up fistfights – which were more common among First Years than the older students and extremely easy to pull apart.
There was a sort of schedule Buffy had mentally planned through her first few weeks as a student/ teacher at Hogwarts. Throughout the week, her time was divided between studies, fighting and Spike. Little contact was made with her friends – who had all settled down in L.A. to help Angel, though a few owls came from the broody vampire with news of Dawn's insistent whining about her sister, and it was then that Buffy felt pangs of guilt, and she confided nearly everything to Spike, who was yet to be ensouled.
It was now, resting before the fire, curled around a pillow and a sleeping Nibble, that she was disturbed by insistent knockings, and finally the portrait swung open. Buffy looked up and froze.
"Buffy," Dawn greeted, looking furious. Behind her, Angel shrugged.
"Atta Girl," Spike roared as Hermione pounded into the punching bag. It was a Monday night, and she'd come to him for extra practice. Ron and Harry were settled in the corner, looking highly amused as Hermione pounded into the bag, making it swing hazardously from it's chain. Sweat licked her face; her bushy hair was damp in its floppy bun.
Her taped hands fell against the bag and she slumped against it, panting. Spike, too, ceased to egg her on. Turning to Ron, she smiled.
"I'm beat." She panted as Spike unwound her hands. He smirked and pat her on the back as she fetched her stuff.
"Hey, Spike?" she asked. They had long since been on first name basis, building a steady friendship as she put all efforts behind her studies and her newfound liking of training with the vampire. "Do you know much about Fenrir Greyback? The Werewolf?" she asked, heaving still. Spike stopped, studying her face.
"Snape set you an essay on 'em, then?" he asked, frowning at the thought of the D.A.D.A teacher. Hermione nodded.
"Evil Git is what he is. Knows quite well that we can't write a five-hundred word essay on a character there's only one passage on in the whole bloody textbook! And the library's closed since they've been remodeling the place. Bringing in new books apparently." Ron spoke up, Quill poised over his parchment. Harry had a thoughtful moment of silence.
"There's something going on with him. Malfoy to." He said, thinking to the odd behavior the two had been exhibiting. "I mean, Malfoy's not been to one of the Quidditch matches, and he's been disappearing on the map as well. And Snape…Snape is Snape."
Spike, who had been listening intently, knew all of what they were saying. In the events that he could help Hermione – Or Pidge, as he liked to call her – with her essays and homework, they would sit on the rubber mats and he would tell her what he knew, and she would take notes while he talked, and then they'd talk some more before Buffy came in to train. It was at that time that Hermione was happy she was with Ron.
"I'm not disagree'n with you, mate." Spike said slowly. "But if Dumbledore trust's the slimy git, then – "
"But Dumbledore makes mistakes! He's said so!" Harry interrupted fiercely. Spike looked at him with a cocked brow, tutting quietly.
"Listen, Potter. If you really think Snape is guilty, prove it." At Harry's angered expression, Spike became graver. "I'm not saying this to put you off. You're strong, talented, and smart. You'll figure Snape far long before Dumbledore sees the truth."
Harry stared intently at the vampire for several moments before nodding slowly. Turning to Ron and Hermione, he gathered his things and stood.
"C'mon guys, lets go." Ron grabbed his things as well, but Hermione excused herself to the changing rooms first.
"Meet us in the Common Room, Herms!" Harry called, slipping his pack onto his shoulders.
Spike watched as the two boys turned from the room, and a second later Hermione emerged from the changing rooms, letting her hair down from her ponytail.
"Be careful around Snape, Pidge," Snape said quietly. "I know he's not especially a goodie. Heard him conversing with a Death Eater about Voldemort when I first got here. And we can't be sure what side of the court he's playing until he throws the ball."
Hermione nodded quietly before waving Spike goodbye as she left. Spike watched the empty doorway for several moments before grabbing his own bag and locking the classroom behind him.
"Hey." Hermione turned at the sound of the familiar feminine voice. Anya was standing behind her, arms crossed over the muggle clothes she had chosen over black robes.
"Yeah?" Hermione asked, a little uneasy around the 'reformed' vengeance demon. Anya sighed and uncrossed her arms.
"I'm sorry if things got a little...uneasy. I'm not usually like this. I just... But I'm going in to London this weekend. Dumbledore's orders and I just wanted to say I'm sorry. For what happened." Hermione nodded, smiling.
"Yeah, It's good."
"Okay then." Anya said, waving shortly before turning away.
Upon entering through the Portrait Hole, Spike was confronted by the spat of Buffy and Dawn. Angel was looming nearby. When the door closed behind him, the two sisters turned to him. Dawn glared at him, and Buffy looked slightly relieved.
"What are they doing here?" he asked, looking over to Angel, who looked no happier than he. Buffy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before gesturing the situation with flaying hands.
"I don't know! They just turned up. But someone had to let them in. The security around here is needle eye tight." Buffy said exasperatedly. Spike, then, rounded upon Angel.
"Why did you bring her here?" he said angrily. "Do you not understand how much danger we're in?" Angel's eyes turned hard at the accusations, and he jammed a finger at Spike.
"Hey, Back off, Spike!" He shouted. "I didn't bring her here for no reason. I figured she's better off here than at Wolfram and Hart. And Dumbledore asked me to come either way." Buffy looked to Angel, sidling towards Spike.
"Why does he want you?" she asked. Angel rolled his eyes shrugging.
"The Hell if I know. Said it was important, that he'd need me around when he wasn't." Buffy groaned, flopping down onto the couch, almost landing on Nibble, who squawked in annoyance.
"Oh," Dawn cooed, bending down next to the jumpy hippogriff. "She's so cute!"
"And a little bugger…" Spike mumbled, earning a defensive slap from Buffy. For a moment, they watched as Dawn played with the little bird-horse before Buffy turned to Angel.
"What'd Dumbledore say to Dawn being here?" Buffy asked quietly.
"That he'll gladly let her stay. She's welcome to attend classes with the others if it's what you need." Angel said. Buffy looked from one vampire to another.
"What I need is to actually talk to the man."
"Good, Good work, Harry M'Boy," Slughorn praised Harry on his veriterserum. He then turned to the rest of the class – who had all failed to complete the assignment – and said loudly, "Twenty-Five points to Gryffindor for Harry's outstanding potions skill!"
Hermione glared darkly at Harry, who shrugged, emptying his cauldron.
"Before long I'll be the one to report you, Harry," Hermione said in a low undertone. Harry's grin faltered, and he dropped his book into his bag. Ron, who'd come up behind Hermione, grabbed her around the waist, pressing his lips to her temple.
"Oi, Harry, there's a Hogsmeade trip tomorrow. Comin'?" he asked heartily. Harry thought for a moment, remembering what Hermione had said Spike had told her about Snape.
"Yeah, I think I will."
Saturday morning proved to be a fruitful lesson to the sixth years that attended Physical defense. It witnessed the arrival of two faces – one old, one new; Angel and Dawn. While the boys nodded at Dawn's appreciatively good looks, the thought that she was eighteen barely put a damper on their teenage hopes, while the girls giggled over Angel's darker looks.
Harry, for one, was besotted by the tall, dark haired girl that stood in stark contrast by her older sister. Her brown eyes watched with a slight smile as the boys tried impressing her with their blows to the defending dummies, while she herself fought hand to hand with her sister, who had several advantages.
Harry, who had been held in a headlock by Dean Thomas, watched as Dawn's hair swished around her face as she fought her sister. Nearby, a strengthened Hermione was cornering Lavender Brown, and Spike was laughing openly as his Sire missed his mark time after time again.
Too soon, class was over, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were straggling behind, Hermione wanting a word with Spike. Harry took the opportunity to step over to Dawn, who was giggling as she watched Spike and Angel fight verbally.
"Hi, Dawn, right?" Harry asked dropping his pack at his feet and leaning back onto the windowsill. Dawn looked to him, water bottle raised to her lips. She smiled, and Harry felt his heart jump a foot in his chest.
"Yeah. You must be Harry." When Harry's hand went to his forehead, she shook her head. "Oh, no, I've heard of you. You hang with the redhead and the bushy haired chick."
"Er, yeah. I do." He said, a bit uncomfortable.
"Oh, it's cool. I mean, they look cool. But, don't y'all have something to do around here? Or do y'all hang here?" Yes! This was his chance.
"Yeah, actually. There's a trip into town today. Maybe you'd like to come?" he asked hopefully. Dawn nodded, smiling.
"I'd love to."
After passing past Filch and walking down the grassy lawn, Dawn eased her hand into Harry's, smiling at his surprised expression. A hand to her stomach, she laughed at the rumble that echoed from it.
"I'm feeling hungry. You?" she asked as they entered the small town. Harry could see a bubblegum haired woman slip away from the gates as they entered, and a tall man in a set of maroon robes walked a couple feet away, his eyes watching Harry. He saw the packed candy shop to his left and smiled to Dawn, glad for the bulge in his pocket that was his invisibility cloak.
"Sure. I've got something to show you…c'mon."
Dawn giggled as she looked down to see her feet were invisible. Harry smiled at her obvious amusment and grabbed her hand, guiding her through the crowd. She squealed once or twice, and the people who heard this looked around for the source, but the two were well hidden.
Outside, the fall season was turning to be quite nippy, and Harry wrinkled his nose at the burning the cold caused, nearly sniffing once or twice, but when the two entered he Hog's head, he was fine. Sitting at small round table, Harry could quite plainly see Snape in the corner with a tall Blonde woman with glossy red lips. He nearly laughed at the thought that she may be his girlfriend- or some equivalent.
Listening hard, Harry managed to pick up on a few words...
"...Stubbborn...won't tell me anything...oh, I'll get to him...No, Eileen, your help is not needed, I belive I am quite...Malfoy will suceed, he must...Or I will do it myself..."
Harry felt the sneeze coming on, and tried to stop it, or hoping Dawn would, but it came. With a heavy wheeze, he sneezed into his arm, and turned shortly to Dawn, horrified. Snape had ceased his conversation, and was looking frightfully around at the drunk bar patrons. No one else seemed disturbed by the mysterious sneeze, but Snape was wary. Without so much as a goodbye, he swept out of the filthy pub. Harry pulled Dawn along with him, and they squeezed through behind Snape.
Once Snape had disappeared from with eyesight, Dawn let out a fitful giggle, and Harry swept invisibilty cloak off of them. Dawn slumped back against the wall, laughing. Harry, however, found no part of their predicament funny, and he rounded on her.
"That wasn't funny!" he told her loudly. "We could've been caught!"
"Oh, whew, sorry," Dawn said breathlessly as she eased down a bit, clutching her stomach. "It was just so funny, with the sneeze -" Again, she erupted in giggles, and still, Harry was struck by her ignorance.
"Yeah, real funny." He said dryly as he sat next to her, but she was rubbing her arms.
"Hey it's cold out here." she said as she grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. "Let's get something to eat."
Harry and Dawn met up with Ron and Hermione, who were sitting with Ginny. The youngest of the Weasley's was crying into her butterbeer, mumbling about her and Dean. For once, Harry did not feel that jump of excitment at the thought of Ginny single. The feeling of Dawn's body leaning into him settled that want as they sat and ordered drinks from Madam Rosemerta; even when Ginny turned her large brown eyes to him.
Seeming to have given up, Ginny excused herself, running off to the bathrooms. Dawn watched sadly as the younger girl eased her way through everyone towards the bathrooms.
"Excuse me, I'm gonna go see if she's okay. You all stay here." With a worried expression, Dawn excused herself, and followed after the girl.
"Ginny?" Dawn called as she opened the door to the women's bathroom. She heard a small whimper, and saw Ginny pressed flush against a wall, the bar matron's wand pointed to her chest.
"Hey!" Dawn called, moving towards the woman in red sequin shoes. The woman turned to her and pointed the wand at her chest.
"Imperio!" she cried.Dawn felt a warm sensation creep through her, and a small voice in her head...
"Go away, you've seen nothing!" It urged, But Dawn was stronger. She lunged at the woman, ripping her wand away.
"Oh, no. And yes, I have seen something." she said as she knocked the woman unconscious against the bathrrom stall; a silver necklace wrapped in brown paper skidding across the ground under a stall. Careful of handling it, she heard Ginny's whimpering, she turned to her and smiled.
"You okay?" she asked, and Ginny nodded feverently.
"I-I think she was being controlled..." Ginny said quietly as Dawn pulled the Madam Rosmerta flat onto the floor and checked her pulse.
"Well she's fine now." Dawn said, standing up. "I'll stay here; you go get Harry."
"I-I don't know Albus...Last I remember is that I was going to go put in an order..and then I woke up on the floor in the bathrooms..." Madam Rosemerta was fitfully shaken before Albus, cup of tea in her hands as she explained to Albus.
The Headmaster wore a grave expression. Buffy, Spike, Dawn and Harry stood in the backround. They had been the ones to bring the spooked woman up to the school – Albus had arrived moments later, returning from one of his mysterious trips.
"It's quite alright, Madam." Dumbledore said soothingly, pouring her more tea. "In fact, I've ordered for an Auror to guard the bar, if it's alright with you?"
"Oh, yes, Dumbledore." she said graciously, standing up and pulling on her enormous fur coat. "Thank you ever so."
Buffy watched as her heels clicked faintly down the stairs before turning to Dumbledore, who was looking sadly at the silver necklace on the desk, still wrapped carefully in brown tissue.
"You're back." she said simply. He nodded, moving to pour more tea for them all.
"That I am, Miss Summer's, and rather tired, as it is.But if we must." He drew up a few chairs with a wave of his wand, and Buffy, Spike, and Dawn took a seat.
"You may leave now, Harry. But I will expect you at eight o'clock tomorrow, as is scheduled, right?"
"Yessir." Harry said, catching Dawn's eye briefly before turning to leave. She smiled, watching him leave.
When the door to his office shut soundly, Dumbledore turned to Buffy and Spike.
"I presume you wish to speak about William's soul?" He asked, arching his fingers before him. Buffy watched him indifferently before performing a sort of half-nod.
"Yeah. Among other things." Buffy said hesitantly.
"Such as?" Dumbledore asked, leaning forwards.
"Why you're always leaving the school?"
Dumbledore smiled sadly. "Alas, that is a conversation for another time."
Buffy didn't argue, just nodded. For a moment the group sat in silence until a high wail rose up to the cracked window. Spike's eyes became wide and he stood and stumbled over chair legs to the windowsill.
"Oh, shit." he murmered. Buffy came to him, a hand on his arm.
"What is it?" she asked, unable to see what he saw for lack of enhanced vampire eyeballs.
Spike murmered under his breath, captivated with the twirling figure of white satin and black silk hair, and the crazed dancing of the figure it possesed.
"Dru."