Happy New Year Everyone! I rang in the new year with a mouth full of chocolate flavored whipped cream and listening to my neighbors shoot their guns. Good times.
Maharet13: I think I will incorporate what you and dancetdplc said and keep Jordan single but have a mutual attraction between her and Draco. You're right I can't overlook the fact that Draco is a jerk, but he can change his ways. I for one picture him as a very sexy guy and it would be a shame to make him evil.
dancetdplc: Thanks for the advice on the pairings and you're right about Jordan, she doesn't seem like the type to be in a relationship (not now anyway). Really the only guy she needs is Aidan. I think I will keep her single but not without the love interest of Draco. Buffy and one of the Weasley twins; that is very intriguing. It would be a bit interesting to see how she fares with the younger men, no? And this story will be looong, considering they haven't even made it to Hogwarts yet and it's the 10th chapter. I have the whole summer and the school year to write up. How many chapters it will be I do not know.
Gabby: Always happy to serve as a distraction. I am happy you and lots of others like Jordan and Aidan. I am quite proud of them. Orlando Bloom ::stares off into space, stuck in fantasy land::
Jillian Ryn: Yeah I thought that would be cute too. Glad you liked it.
wyredsisters: It could have been worse; I could have killed her. I just hated her. She is, erm was, totally wrong for Willow. I do not think I can create a character as good as Tara and I'm not going to try. I said I was going to create someone like Tara. Aidan is probably going to end up with Ginny.
Silver Warrior: Christ if that had been me digging my way out of my own grave after being ripped from heaven, I'd probably be in an insane asylum. That is my worse nightmare, being trapped in a casket six feet under. So yeah I think it's safe to say that that was super-traumatic and a touchy subject.
becks89: Well as you will read they're meeting Ron this chapter and Harry next chapter. They're going to Phoenix HQ first and then some will go to rescue poor Harry from the Dursleys. Then it's off to Hogwarts finally. I don't know if I'm bringing Spike back. I have to contemplate (I love that word for some reason) on that idea. Like I said above, Aidan is going with Ginny. That was a weirdly fast update. I surprised myself with it.
Chrios: Yeah Dawn would be sore on that subject and I'm glad everyone seems to agree. How sweet of you to comment on my grammar. I try to make it as correct as possible, but alas, no one is perfect.
Kristy Marie: I think everyone knows what would happen if Hermione slipped about Buffy's resurrection which is going to get out sooner or later to the rest of the characters. It will not be pretty.
Thanks to CF28, Dudet, and Imp17 also for reviewing. Sorry if you guys were hoping for the Draco, Hermione, and Ron love triangle but after much contemplating (hehe I love that word) I decided that the angst will have to come elsewhere. Possibly from Buffy and the Weasley boys (excluding Ron and Percy of course).
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The smell of buttermilk pancakes wafted into Jordan's room rousing Dawn from her sleep and her rather strange, but pleasant dream. She had dreamt of that boy, Harry Potter. After he winked at her from that photograph she couldn't seem to stop thinking about him. Oh great Dawn, you're lusting after a guy you've never even met yet.
She noticed that Hermione and Jordan were not in the room. Must be downstairs digging in. I can't believe I slept late. She stood up and walked towards the source of the delicious aroma. Jordan was sitting at the kitchen table reading what looked like a letter and Hermione was reading one too. Aidan was seated beside his sister eating his breakfast and a similar letter lie beside his plate.
Dawn took the seat next to Hermione and Springer instantly appeared at her side with a plate full of pancakes, eggs, and bacon.
"Here is your breakfast Miss Dawn. Is this to your liking?" he asked with large hopeful eyes.
"Um yeah. Thanks." she said taking the plate.
He smiled and bowed to her, which made her feel a bit awkward towards him.
"Would you cares for something to drink?" he asked.
"Um I'll have some orange juice thanks." she said.
"Right away Miss Dawn!" Springer squeaked.
Jordan lifted her eyes from her letter from Dumbledore and smirked. No one seemed to know how to react after being bowed to.
"Sleeping beauty! Have sweet dreams?" she asked mischievously.
Dawn's face reddened to the color of tomato and she looked down at her plate.
Jordan was unprepared for that reaction. She hadn't really meant it in the sense of Dawn actually having sweet dreams. It was just something she said normally.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'." she replied slyly.
"Sorry we just left you up there. We didn't want to wake you." Hermione said apologetically.
"That's okay. I probably needed the extra sleep anyway." Dawn said.
"This came for you from Dumbledore. Supplies list and everything else." Aidan said while handing her an envelope that had written in green ink,
Miss Dawn Summers
Firewell Manor
Katsmorn, Montana
USA
Dawn read the letter inside. It had her letter of admission into Hogwarts and her supplies list and a train ticket for the Hogwarts Express on Platform 9 ¾ .
"Platform 9 ¾?" she looked at Hermione and Jordan with a raised eyebrow.
"That's where we get on the Hogwarts Express. Although I don't see why we would need it, we will already be at Hogwarts during the summer." Hermione said.
"You're coming to Hogwarts too?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah, for training in the ways of the slayer so she can protect Harry Potter as well." Jordan told her.
"Oh cool." Dawn said.
Jinx fluttered down onto the table and perched herself on the edge beside Dawn. Dawn looked into the phoenix's large amber eyes and felt the most glorious sensation. It was like looking into the eyes of Professor Dumbledore; so full of wisdom and kindness. She petted the lovely bird.
"She is so beautiful." Dawn breathed.
Jordan smiled at Dawn in understanding. Jinx was positively the most beautiful thing Jordan had ever seen and she had been to lots of places. Well those elves from The Lord of the Rings movies, which she had watched at the Summers house during her stay, came in an extremely close second.
"Professor Dumbledore has a phoenix as well. His name is Fawkes." Hermione said.
As soon as she said that there was a popping sound and the said professor was standing in the kitchen. Dawn jumped in surprise at his sudden appearance.
"Don't worry you'll get used to it. And you won't have to worry about that at Hogwarts. I don't think people can apparate there." Jordan said.
"They can't. Have you read Hogwarts, A History?" Hermione inquired.
"Don't need to. A lotta magic schools are the same and have the same basic rules." Aidan told them.
"Good morning to all. I trust you slept well?" Professor Dumbledore greeted cheerfully.
"Yeah it was okay." Jordan said.
"I have just been to the Hyperion Hotel and Miss Summers and some of her associates will be here within the hour. We shall be traveling to London, England via portkey. Then I will take you to the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. The members are very excited about meeting you all." he announced.
"What's a portkey?" Dawn asked wanting to know more of wizard transportation.
"It's a trinket of sorts that transports witches and wizards from one spot to another at a prearranged time. It is especially useful for large groups. It is usually a small object that wouldn't attract much attention so an unsuspecting Muggle would be less inclined to touch it." Hermione explained as if she were reading it out of a book.
"Oh. Cool." Dawn said.
"I like it better than flooing." Jordan said.
"I don't. It feels like something just grabs onto you and jerks you. I really don't like that feeling." Aidan said.
"Are Ron and Harry going to be there?" Hermione asked.
"The Weasley family is already there, but Mr. Potter is still at his aunt and uncle's house for the time being." Professor Dumbledore answered.
Hermione had told Dawn, Jordan, and Aidan about how horrible Harry's Muggle relatives were to him. It made Dawn especially angry because the boy had suffered so much and didn't deserve to be treated like that.
"I suggest that you, Miss Firewell and your brother have your things packed. Am I right in assuming that you shall be staying at Hogwarts during the summer as well Master Firewell?" Professor Dumbledore asked Aidan.
"Yep. I got packed last night." Aidan replied.
"Guess I should get cracking then." Jordan mumbled.
"I already have clean laundry on your bed Jordan." her grandmother's voice sounded from the stairs.
"Thanks Grandma!" Jordan yelled. "I'll just go and pack then." she added as she stood up and left the kitchen.
Dawn and Hermione followed her.
"You can take a shower if you want and pick out any outfit you want." Jordan told Dawn.
"Thanks. I could probably use a shower." Dawn laughed.
"We'll have to go shopping in London for some new clothes for you." Jordan said her eyes lighting up. She loved to shop.
Dawn nodded in agreement, excited about the prospect as well. Hermione just shrugged. She wasn't a big time clothes shopper. She was more into shopping for books.
After Dawn had her shower and got dressed and Jordan finally managed to decide which shoes to bring and which to leave behind after much debating and shakings of the head and "honestlys" from Hermione the three girls walked downstairs bringing Jordan's luggage with them. They saw that the Buffy, Giles, Willow, and Xander had arrived and Faith had joined them. The dark haired slayer gave Jordan and Dawn a little wave.
"So B, is this the new recruit?" Faith asked Buffy pointing to Hermione.
"Yeah that's her. Hermione Granger." Buffy said.
"Nice to meetcha. I'm Faith. One of the original chosen two." she shook the girl's hand.
Jordan spotted her parents and her brother and joined them.
"You know Jordan, since you got super strength now you wouldn't mind carrying my luggage too would you?" Aidan asked slyly.
"Yeah like it all would fit in my arms." Jordan replied.
She had her sticker covered mahogany chest filled with her school supplies and her books. She had her suitcase filled with her clothes and shoes and her Firebolt safely tucked away in its case. Aidan had an identical case under his arm.
"Trying out for a team too?" he asked.
"You know it." she replied patting her case.
"Alright everyone seems to be here. Everyone gather round." Professor Dumbledore beckoned towards where he was.
"Now before we leave I am going to tell you where we are going. And I am only going to tell you once so you had better memorize it quickly. Listen carefully, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place in London." he told them all.
After a beat he then clapped his hands together.
"You all have it memorized?" he asked.
After a chorus of nodding heads and yeses he then deposited a medium sized cardboard box on the coffee table. The Scoobies eyed it in confusion, but each laid a hand on it as Dumbledore instructed. Dumbledore looked at his watch and began counting down from ten.
"Three, two, one." then everyone was jerked forward into a swirling mass of colors and hit the ground with many "ompfs!"
Jordan, Hermione, Aidan, Professor Dumbledore, and Jordan's parents managed to stay on their feet. Everyone else had fallen down from the momentum of hitting the ground and were busy trying to get up.
"Whoa. What a rush!" Faith said breathlessly.
"I think I like flooing better." Dawn said as Jordan helped her up.
"How come you guys didn't fall down?" Buffy asked indignantly.
"Everyone falls down the first time around." Mrs. Firewell said.
Professor Dumbledore led to them to a street full of ominous looking houses that were in dire need of renovation. It had been ten in the morning back at Firewell Manor, which made it late afternoon here. He stopped them in front of two houses labeled eleven and thirteen. Jordan guessed that number twelve was concealed in between the two decrepit houses and she really hoped it looked better than these two. A weather-beaten door suddenly appeared between houses eleven and thirteen. Filthy walls and smudged windows accompanied it. Okay so it looks like crap on the outside, doesn't mean it looks like crap on the inside too.
Professor Dumbledore walked up to the door and tapped on it with his wand. Everyone heard little clicks from inside and the clatter of chains.
"Won't people see?" Dawn whispered to Aidan.
"We're probably under a concealment charm of some sort." he assured her.
The door opened and Professor Dumbledore beckoned to them to come inside. They all stepped into what seemed to be a house right out of the movies. Gas lamps came to life and shed light on the gloomy hallway. The wallpaper was faded and pealing and the carpet was worn. Old portraits lined the hallway and a serpent shaped candelabra rested on a table nearby.
"Depressing." Faith remarked.
"Very." Buffy agreed.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway and a tall, freckled redhead that Jordan and Dawn recognized as Hermione's friend Ron came running towards the group.
"Hermione!" he said happily and swept her up into a hug.
Hermione hugged him tightly because she had missed him very much over the past few weeks they had been apart.
"Hermione! I*gasp* can't breathe *gasp*." he choked out.
"Oh dear! I'm sorry." she released her death grip and he sucked in some much needed oxygen.
"Blimey! When did you get so strong?" he asked.
"Well it's a long story. I'd rather we wait to explain it to everyone." she told him.
Ron led them into a large room where a dozen or so people sat or stood. Dawn saw many redheads that she guessed were related to Ron. A plump woman with a kind face came and hugged Hermione.
"How are you Hermione dear?" she asked.
"Very well Mrs. Weasley." she replied.
"We heard you guys come in, but we sent Ron out just in case you all might be Death Eaters." one of the redheads said.
"Fred!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.
Buffy and the others laughed at what he said which made him stand up and take a bow. Another boy, who looked exactly like him did the same.
"You two! It's bad enough that you dropped out of school!" their mother yelled angrily.
"Well I believe introductions are in order. I will start with the newcomers." Professor Dumbledore said.
"Molly, Arthur, Kingsley, Alastor, Remus I believe you know Gabriel and Aurora Firewell." he gestured to Jordan and Aidan's parents.
"How lovely to see you again. It has been a while." Mr. Weasley said.
"These two must be Jordan and Aidan. The last time I saw them they were in diapers. They certainly have grown into fine young adults." a tall black wizard with a gold hoop in his ear said while shaking the twins' hands.
"Kingsley Shacklebolt." his voice was deep and rich.
"That her?" asked the man who looked like his face had been run over with a sharp rake a couple times. He was pointing to Buffy.
"This is Buffy Summers. The slayer, or I should say a slayer now. And this is her sister Dawn, she will be attending Hogwarts this year." Professor Dumbledore said while pointing to the Summers sisters.
"Alastor Moody. Some call me Mad-Eye though. Heard a lot about you girl." he said in his gruff voice while shaking the small blonde's hand.
"This is Faith, another slayer; Xander Harris, a friend of Miss Summers'; Willow Rosenburg, another friend and a Wicca; and Rupert Giles, Miss Summers' watcher." Professor Dumbledore finished.
After everyone was properly introduced Mrs. Weasley fussed about making dinner. The group that had just came from America declined saying that they had just eaten breakfast. Ron wanted to know what this whole ordeal was about and everyone else seemed to want explanations too.
"Well you see, due to recent events, I am a bit different now." Hermione stammered.
Ron didn't like the sound of that.
"How are you different? You look the same." he said.
"Well I am a slayer like Buffy, Faith, and Jordan. They can explain how it happened better than I can." she told him.
"That's impossible. There is only one, well two in the case of Miss Summers and Miss-?" Remus Lupin said.
"Faith. Just Faith." Faith told him.
"Yeah there is an explanation to that. I'm not sure if it will make a lot of sense, but there is an explanation." Jordan said.
So the Scoobies told the story of how they had been fighting against The First Evil, a non-corporeal, annoying, taunting entity that took the form of dead people. They told how its minions had been killing off potential slayers in hopes of ending the line of the chosen forever and how many potentials were brought to Sunnydale, California; the hellmouth.
"Sunnydale? That was the name of the town over top of the hellmouth?" Bill Weasley asked skeptically.
"Yeah. Can't you just taste the irony in that?" Xander said.
The reactions to the story were a mixture of awe, admiration, horror, skepticism, and sorrow. They could tell that the Scoobies had lost some very good friends in the last battle even though they didn't come out and say it. When Buffy reached the part about Willow using the scythe she had found to activate all potentials jaws dropped all over the room.
"You have to be one damn powerful Wicca to do a spell like that." Mad-Eye said to Willow.
"She is a powerful Wicca." Giles said in her defense.
"So all that time Hermione was a potential?" Ron said in disbelief.
"Yeah. She was lucky. The Bringers, the First's minions, must've never found out. They found Jordan though and killed her watcher when she was at school and then they tried to kill her." Aidan said.
"Blimey." one of the twins said.
Jordan didn't want to get into the story, which Buffy picked up on so she quickly changed the subject.
"So anyway Professor Dumbledore asked us for an alliance and here we are." she said.
Jordan sighed in relief and gave Buffy a grateful look.
"Oh my you poor things. All those poor young girls." Mrs. Weasley couldn't seem to get over the horror of it.
"Molly dear, why don't you make our guests some tea? Unless they prefer something else." Mr. Weasley suggested.
"I'll have butterbeer if you got it. That's my favorite." Aidan requested.
"Me too." Jordan said.
"You let them drink alcohol?" Giles asked their parents.
"Oh it isn't real beer. No alcohol in it." Mr. Firewell assured him.
"In that case I'll try one." Dawn said.
Mrs. Weasley busied herself with serving drinks and making dinner. Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley, and Lupin spoke to Professor Dumbledore and Mr. and Mrs. Firewell about order business. Buffy and Faith were being kept company by the four older Weasley boys. Ron and Ginny caught up with Hermione and got to know Dawn, Aidan, and Jordan a little better. Mr. Weasley was asking Giles, Willow, and Xander questions about the Muggle world and Muggle magic.
"So you have a house elf? Bet Hermione blew her top on that one." Ron said smugly.
"Well I think she got over it." Jordan replied.
Ron snickered and Hermione felt her cheeks flame.
"So are you and Aidan twins?" Ginny asked.
"Yep. We're probably easier to tell apart than your brothers though." Aidan said.
"Yeah, sometimes Mum even gets them mixed up." Ron said.
"Would you all excuse us? I would like to speak to Ron privately." Hermione said.
"Sure, we'll keep Ginny company." Jordan said putting her arms around the girl.
Ron felt the butterflies flapping around in his stomach again. She wanted to talk to him privately?! Could this mean what he hoped it meant? Come on Ron, she only sees you as a friend. Hermione pulled him into another room and shut the door.
"Have you talked to Harry lately?" she asked.
His heart sunk. She just wanted to talk about Harry. Well he should have saw that coming. Harry was always the brave one of the group or so Ron thought.
"Well I wouldn't call it talking. He never writes much." he said.
"I'm a little worried about him. Do you think he should come here? So he can talk to people and get his feelings out. The Dursleys aren't exactly prime counselor material." she said.
"I don't know. He might wanna be alone." Ron said.
Hermione sighed and crossed her arms.
"Well we don't want a repeat of what happened when he was left alone with no one to talk to last year do we?" she said.
Ron grimaced as he remembered Harry's outburst directed towards the both of them. No that was definitely not something he wanted to see happen again and besides the guy was miserable at the Dursleys.
"Good point. We'll have to talk to Dumbledore though." he pointed out.
Jordan, Ginny, Aidan and Dawn stood outside the door. They had been chatting about their families and such when Jordan finally turned to the door and whispered,
"So what do you think they're doing, making out? They've been making googly eyes at each other ever since we got here and I don't think either of them noticed."
"Well I don't know about Hermione, but Ron has been talking about her non-stop. It does get a little tiring. Now that she's here he may change the subject." Ginny told them.
The door opened and the said couple exited looking very happy about something.
"I knew it!" Dawn cried.
"Knew what?" Hermione questioned.
Jordan elbowed the girl in the side.
"Nothing. She knows nothing." Jordan said to Hermione and Ron.
"Well I'd love to chat some more with you guys, but I gotta find Professor Dumbledore." Ron said taking Hermione by the arm.
"We're going to rescue Harry from the Dursleys." Hermione answered them before they even asked.
"Sweet!" Dawn exclaimed before clapping her hand over her mouth.
Jordan and Aidan just shook their heads and exchanged knowing grins and they followed Hermione and Ron to find Dumbledore.