Okay here is the first half of my update. My chapter got so long I had to split it up into two chapters. I will upload the other one shortly as soon as I finish tweaking with it. Hopefully as soon as school's out I will be able to update more frequently. Thanks to my reviewers! You guys kick ass! And to all the Draco lovers his time has finally come. I put reviewer responses at the end of this chapter if you're interested.
Platform 9 and ¾ was a blur of multicolored robes and mingled voices saying goodbye to loved ones as a new year of Hogwarts was about to kick off. Amidst the blur of robes Jordan ran a quick check through her handy bag of supplies for the trip.
"Let's see: wand, stake, dagger, cross, holy water, book, makeup, mirror, hair ties, quill, parchment, and HOLY CRAP!"
As her hand grazed against something small and slimy she dropped her bag while swinging her other arm back coming in contact with a person who had been walking behind her. That person let out a nice little "oompf" and flew back on his ass a couple of feet behind her. Jordan, for the moment had not noticed and instantly spewed out a number of curses as two very familiar boys started guffawing in obvious amusement.
"Fred, George, care to tell me what the hell you put in my bag? And if it starts with the letter 'w' I will personally see to it that your appendages move in completely new and unique fashions," she stated through gritted teeth while wiping her hand against her jeans.
Her nascent tirade against the offending twins was interrupted by a very offended and angry "ahem" behind her. She whirled around about to tell the person to back off and mind their own business if they planned on keeping their appendages moving normally when she noticed that the boy was sporting a split lip which was leaking a thin line of blood and a reddened area that held the promise of turning black and blue by this time tomorrow under his right eye. She noticed all this and one other thing. This boy was hot.
With a shiny mop of white-blonde hair that seemed to go perfectly with his porcelain skin and icy blue eyes that were staring at her with indignation and rancor written in them he was quite possibly the best looking creature she had ever seen. Well, except maybe for Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. He tied with them, but as it was looking quite towards the impossible side that she would ensnare one of them without resorting to something illegal he was a little ahead of the game. Right at the moment when he pulled himself to his feet and wiped himself off with a scowl still set in his handsome face she recalled the back of her fist hitting something, or rather someone. Whoops.
"Why don't you watch where you're going, wench!" he exclaimed stalking up to her.
"Oh, I'm real sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. There…there…was a worm in my bag and well it startled me and I sorta freaked. I'm real sorry," she apologized while gathering her stuff into her bag.
"You're American? What are you doing here?" he questioned carrying the distinct authoritative tone that she found quite disagreeable.
"Well, yes I am American. But if you get wanna get technical the Firewells originated in Ireland and my mom's the French side. And, well, I'm here because I decided transferring would be the best course of action." Jordan let the lie fall easily from her mouth wanting to keep her slayer identity under wraps until the feast that evening at Hogwarts.
Firewell. She was a pureblood; albeit an American, Muggle-loving, traitorous, back-stabbing one at that. The Firewells were just like the Weasleys, only a hell of a lot richer and with more powerful connections. Draco Malfoy was rather curious as to how she managed to throw a swing like that with so much force behind it. He studied her carefully as she gathered up some random knickknacks into her bag. She was really rather pretty with auburn hair tied up into a messy bun and clear, pale skin. His eyes traveled down her body and he found himself nodding in acute satisfaction. He wondered if a good punch was the only talents she carried.
"Um, well, I guess that's everything and where the hell did those two go? Merlin, I'm going to dismember them. I bet that little bastard is still in there. Anyway, I'm Jordan," she said while holding her hand out.
"Hey Malfoy! Love the new look you're sporting. Get in a tiff with your boyfriend?" Ron Weasley drawled.
Draco bristled and was about to send a retort on its way when,
"Jordan! What did you do? I swear, school hasn't even begun and you're already attacking people," an older woman who looked rather similar to Jordan scolded while grabbing her by the arm and pulling her away.
"Mom! It was an accident. It was all their fault. They stuck the damn worm in my bag!" she cried while pointing to the redheaded twins who were still doubled over in laughter. They wisely straightened up as the young slayer-witch advanced upon them.
"Come on Jordan, it was just a bit of fun. Really you shoulda seen the look on your face," one of them (she wasn't sure which) began.
"Absolutely priceless," the other agreed heartily.
"And now I'm thinking we should run," the other pointed out noticing that Jordan was getting redder and redder in the face.
"Excellent idea, Fred," George replied while scampering off with his brother.
Even though she was quite capable of running after them and catching them she decided to just let them go. For now anyway. Those two might be clever little wizards as far as nifty trick trifles go, but she wondered if the two could brew a shrinking potion meant for some very specific parts of the male anatomy.
"Bugger off Malfoy! Go clean up your black eye—or not. I think it looks pretty good on you," Ron told Draco.
For the sake of carrying on a tradition of insult trading the boys were already starting up a heated fight.
"You better watch who you're talking to Weasel," Draco replied in a low and dangerous voice his hand in the pocket of his robes.
"Oh, I'm real scared. Guess what? Daddy's not around to bail you out anymore. Yeah, he's in Azkaban in case you didn't notice," Ron spat while stepping closer to the Slytherin boy.
Draco's face twisted into an ugly mask of hatred and he lunged for the tall redhead. In the nick of time someone grabbed the back of his robes and wrenched him back. The same person had also pulled Ron back preventing the two-man dogpile that almost occurred. Draco glared up into the face of a young man with glasses dressed in Muggle clothes with a stern gleam in his brown eyes.
"Now boys, it is neither the time nor the place for such antics befitting young men of your maturity levels, which I daresay are running rather low," Wesley chided in his crisp British accent after releasing the boys simultaneously.
"Ronald Weasley! Get over here!" Molly Weasley's voice broke out.
Actual fear now shone on the boy's face and he slunk over to his mother. Wesley, satisfied that Ron's mother would provide more than enough scolding, turned to leave, but then turned around and threw a white handkerchief to the boy.
"Your lip's doing a fair bit of bleeding. Might want to wash that off," he suggested before walking away.
Draco stood dumbfounded holding a white handkerchief with a bleeding lip and a developing black eye dealt by a girl. An abnormally strong girl, but a girl all the same. This was hardly the way he had planned starting his sixth year. And it wouldn't do for his fellow housemates to get a glimpse of him in such a predicament. If there was one thing Draco Malfoy had, it was dignity. And now it had been somewhat shredded thanks to that American bitch. With another death glare directed towards said American bitch who was talking with her mother and paying the boy she had hit no mind at all Draco threw the handkerchief to the ground and used his own sleeve to wipe the blood off his lip. Better to dirty his own garments than to foul his blood up with something used by a Muggle. He then waltzed off the platform and on to the train to find his minions.
Dawn ignored the pangs of bittersweet nostalgia that arose when Mrs. Weasley swept her up in a motherly embrace. She remembered her own mother hugging her like that; full of love and security and smelling faintly like spices and sweets from the kitchen.
"You and your sister come and visit us anytime at the Burrow. We'd love to have you," Mrs. Weasley told her while straightening Dawn's jean jacket.
"Will do. We wouldn't miss your cooking for the world," Dawn replied. It was no lie; the woman was a phenomenal cook.
Mrs. Weasley blushed at the praise looking quite a bit like her youngest son when he got embarrassed. She kissed Dawn on the forehead and moved on to say goodbye to Harry.
"You be careful this year especially Harry. And please don't get yourself into any more battles. Merlin knows that's the last thing anyone needs," Mrs. Weasley spoke softly.
Harry didn't know what to tell her. No matter what he did or where he went trouble always seemed to find him. That was the story of his life and from the stories Dawn had told apparently the story of the "Scoobies'" lives as well.
"Don't worry Mum. The slayers will be there to keep us safe," Ginny assured her.
"Yeah Molly don't get your knickers in a twist. I won't let anything get to them," Tonks said cheerfully.
Mrs. Weasley gave one last hug to her two youngest children and tearfully waved them off as the walked onto the train. After Fred and George made sure Jordan was on the train they ran up to stand beside their mother and waved merrily. Mr. and Mrs. Firewell were not far off waving at them with Jordan and Aidan's grandmother along side.
During the ride the gang from the States was introduced to many new Hogwarts faces including Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, and Dean Thomas. The three were delighted in having new students and were quick to ask them if they were going to join the D.A. or Dumbledore's Army.
The group exchanged conspiratorial grins as the boys told them all about it.
"It was Harry's idea here and I'm positive that Dumbledore will let us take it up again. Now that that bint Umbridge is gone we don't have to do it in secret," Seamus said.
"I can't wait to try some more jinxes on Malfoy and his cronies. That was bloody priceless last year!" Dean chorused.
"You know something I heard from Gram. I heard that there were a whole bunch of new people at Hogwarts. And there are rumors that say they're all vampire slayers!" Neville exclaimed.
Jordan and Hermione both shifted uneasily, but acted surprised along with everyone else. They still wanted to wait until the Welcoming Feast to let their identities be known.
"That's rubbish Neville. Everyone knows there's only one slayer and she's a Muggle. I heard stories about her, rumor has it she took on a hellgod," Seamus told them rather smugly.
"Actually I heard there were two slayers," Dawn spoke up trying to keep from laughing.
"How is that possible?" Dean asked with his arm around Ginny. Ron was glaring at the both of them.
"Well, it is possible for the Slayer to die and be revived," Xander said casually.
"And that would result in another being Chosen and since the first one is still alive poof! Two slayers," Willow joined in.
They both were doing quite well at keeping their faces neutral. Only a select few in the room actually knew that both of them had been the "revivers" of that particular slayer each time she died.
"There are two slayers! I heard of it from one of Gram's friends who works at the Ministry. And they're staying at Hogwarts! And there is supposed to be more," Neville reiterated.
"All right I can understand there being two slayers, but more than that is far-fetched," Dean told him.
Ron was itching to burst that boy's bubble mostly because he was dating his sister and he didn't like Dean very much at the moment, but one stern glare from his girlfriend kept him silent.
"This coming from someone who lives in a world where the main method of travel is through a fireplace?" Wesley quipped.
"Erm…well…I guess it could be possible," Dean mumbled in embarrassment.
"So, Professor Lupin are you teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts again? You were brilliant last time you taught," Neville inquired of Lupin hopefully.
"Afraid not Neville. Not to worry though, you won't get another one like Umbridge. This new professor is far more pleasant," Lupin assured him.
"She's kinda weird if you ask me," Jordan said.
"It's a lady? What's she like? And how do you know about her already if you just transferred?" Seamus asked staring at Jordan suspiciously.
"Well, um, me and my brother and Dawn were visiting the school during the summer and we met the teachers. Her name is Melissa Pennison. She's pretty young; early to mid-twenties I would say," Jordan informed him.
"So what's wrong with her?" Neville asked anxiously afraid the new professor would turn out like another Umbridge.
"Well, I guess she's nice enough and she's competent enough at the job. It's just that I think there's something strange about her." Jordan couldn't exactly tell all of them how Professor Pennison seemed almost afraid to look her in the eye. How the young woman seemed to distance herself from her student. She had spoken to Dawn about it and her friend had told she had experienced no such thing. The woman had been perfectly amiable towards her. Perhaps the woman was afraid of Jordan because she was a slayer and a witch. She never thought to ask Hermione how the teacher acted around her.
"Hmmm…is she pretty?" Seamus questioned.
Jordan shrugged her shoulders. "She's okay looking if a little thin and frail."
Dawn, Jordan, Aidan, Willow, Xander, Wesley, and Tonks were introduced to many other students who visited their compartments. Neville retold the story of the Ministry skirmish with a pride hardly ever seen in him. He had grown more confident over the summer and it shown brightly. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione had left to do prefect patrols and Harry was just counting down the minutes until Malfoy would show up and partake in his daily ritual of scorning and taunting. Harry found it didn't matter whether Malfoy showed up or not. Dawn looked impeccable in her pink shirt, blue jacket, and black skirt and that was more than enough to take his mind off his Slytherin rival.
"I can't believe you guys fought with Death Eaters. My parents have been fighting them for years and I still haven't had the chance to cross wands with one of them," Aidan remarked enviously.
"Well, I'm sure you will get the chance this year at Hogwarts. There is much excitement to be had," Dean replied.
"Isn't that the truth?" Harry mumbled dryly.
Dawn smirked at that remark. Much excitement was not anything new to her or her Scooby family. Just wait until you hear some of my stoires.
Their compartment door slid open and Ron, Ginny, and Hermione slipped inside. Ron and Ginny had their hands pressed to their mouths as they tried to stifle fits of laughter and Hermione was grinning in amusement.
"Guys you have got to see Malfoy's face! He's all bruised up in the face and his lips is swollen to twice its size. It was bloody priceless! Jordan, you are my new hero!" Ron cried jubilantly.
Everyone's heads whipped towards Jordan and she twisted her hands sheepishly in guilt.
"What did you do?" Harry queried.
"Well, I sorta back-handed him in the face and sent him flying," she mumbled in reply.
Hermione's jaw dropped and she was caught between slapping Jordan on the back on a job well done or scolding her deaf.
"It was an accident! I swear! I didn't know he was there and it was all Fred and George's fault! They put the fricken worm in my bag!" she cried.
"Wow, can't say the girl doesn't know how to make a first impression," Xander commented.
"Don't worry Jordan, Malfoy is a slimy git. He deserved it," Neville told her in a hopes of comforting her.
That didn't make her feel any better. She didn't know this Malfoy too well (although he had been rather arrogant and surly in character) and didn't feel like he deserved anything from her. She fumbled in her pocket with her drops of healing potion that she always kept with her.
"Jordan! Don't waste that! It's only minor injuries," Aidan protested when he noticed what she planned to do.
"Hey I made it! I'll do with it what I please and I can't just let him walk around looking like that when it was my fault," she countered.
"Awww come one. Let him keep his trophies," Harry whined.
"Hey, he's never really done anything to me personally. If one of you want to give him a black eye be my guest," she stated shortly before walking out of the compartment to find him.
"Spoil-sport," Ron muttered.
It didn't take long for her to find him as his compartment was not far from the one she was staying in. She slid the door open to find a huge, troll-like boy in her way.
"What do you want?" he asked gruffly spewing his pungent breath in her face.
"Um, is Draco Malfoy by any chance in there?" she asked.
"What's it to you?" he spoke again. Note to self: give Troll Boy breath mints next time I see him.
"None of your business," she replied her patience running low.
The troll boy eyed her in a dazed, confused sort of way as if he never expected to be talked to like that. Jordan sighed in annoyance and tapped her foot impatiently. She could easily remove him from her path only it would lead to more questions she didn't want to answer yet.
"Hey, you, what's your name?" she asked.
"Goyle," he answered.
"Well, Goyle, aw screw it-" she pushed him through the doorway using only a fraction of her slayer strength and the troll boy stumbled back across the compartment. She pulled her wand out to make it seem like she had used it instead of her bare hands.
Draco was sitting away from the door Jordan was standing at. He frowned in anger and slight wariness at her. She shrugged and stepped inside twirling her wand in her hand. Sitting across from him buried in snack food boxes was another troll boy only a bit different looking than Goyle.
"You!" he exclaimed indignantly standing up.
Jordan was taken aback by his reaction, but figured he had the right to be pissed at her. She put her hands out in a gesture of goodwill and placation.
"Chill. I'm here to help. I figure I owe it to you since it's sort of my fault you're stuck in here," she stated.
"I've got a better idea—Why don't you sod off?" he spat.
Instead of taking offense Draco was stunned to see her smile in amusement.
"Man, you sound just like Spike," she whispered. "Look a good bit like him too."
Draco did not know who this Spike fellow was, but he was certain he did not want to be compared to him. Especially if the comparison was made by this wench. He sincerely hoped she wasn't in Slytherin. Realizing that his method of intimidation was not working on the Yank he resorted to sounding resentfully polite.
"Look, if you want to apologize just get on with it and leave," he said through gritted teeth.
Jordan sighed. He was making it really difficult to feel any sort of saintly feelings towards him. Perhaps he had deserved that punch. But she had been raised better than that so she took her vial out her pocket.
"Look, just let me fix you up and then I'll be out of your hair and we'll both be happy," she told him. "Just drink a few drops of this and your injuries will heal up before we get to Hogwarts."
Draco looked from the vial to her and then back to the vial again and then to her. He visibly scoffed and waved his hands in dismissal.
"You expect me to drink that? Do you take me for a half-wit?"
"I made it myself. It's a healing potion. It won't hurt you," she explained handing him the vial.
Draco took the vial and mulled it over. Her intentions seemed honorable, but he was disinclined to trust any daughter of a family of Aurors. After all he was from a family of Death Eaters and Death Eaters and Aurors really didn't get on well. His family had suffered a great humiliation when his father, Lucius Malfoy, was carted off to Azkaban a couple months back. Truthfully Draco felt no great loss at that. Draco and his father had never been real close. Lucius saw his son as an object to bend to his will and ever since Draco's elder sister betrayed them and got herself killed Lucius vowed that no other child of his would follow in her footsteps. Since Draco had been the only other child he had been subjected to his father's harsh dominance and beatings. Draco knew it had been his father that took his sister from him; the only person whom ever showed Draco any affection at all. But he still felt resentment and hatred towards Senna for abandoning him and finding an easy way out of their family.
"Well? Are you gonna take it or not?" Jordan inquired impatiently.
Draco scowled and hurled the vial across the room. It shattered and coated the wall in a sticky, purple ooze.
"You smarmy bastard! What did you do that for!?" Jordan cried angrily her honey eyes sparkling with ire.
"You really think I'm that stupid? Why would I take something from a girl who's been raised by Aurors? You must know about my father." Draco smirked at her outraged expression. He found himself thinking she looked quite fetching while angry, but banished the thought immediately. She was far below his league.
"God you are so lucky I decked you already cuz if I hadn't I'd give you another one! And yes, I do know your father is in Azkaban, but that doesn't mean I'll poison you. Why would I care who your family is? And why the hell would I poison you here where there are clearly witnesses however retarded they may be?" Jordan kept her hands firmly at her side and ignored the urge to bitch-slap the prick. Of course she swore she would never resort to bitch-slapping again after having learned how to fight properly, but it seemed appropriate for this situation. "I was only trying to help, but you seem to like carrying around a black eye dealt by a girl so I'll leave you to it." She stomped out of the compartment before Draco could respond.
Thank God she wasn't in Slytherin! She didn't know how Dawn was going to stand it.
As the daylight dimmed and they bore ever closer to Hogwarts all the girls filed into one compartment along with Willow and Tonks to change into their uniforms. The boys took the one beside it. Dawn sighed unhappily when she noticed the red and gold trimmings of Hermione, Jordan, and Ginny's uniforms. Her own uniform was decked out in silver and green, which while pretty served to remind her further she would not be able to have anymore late-nighters with her friends. And it was made all the more worse by Jordan's description of Draco Malfoy who was a renowned figure in Slytherin House.
"I just can't wait to see the look on his face when Dumbledore makes the announcement of the slayers and everything," Jordan mumbled while hopping around on one foot trying to pull her socks on.
"You'll have to forgive my cousin. My aunt never raised him to have manners. Would surprise me if she had a hand in raising him at all," Tonks told her grimly.
"Is it too late to ask the hat to stick me in another house? Preferably Gryffindor?" Dawn asked.
"Sorry Dawn, from what I've read once the hat makes a decision it sticks to it," Hermione told her.
Dawn groaned. While she was excited about meeting even more young witches and wizards her spirits were slightly dampened by the prospect of having to live within the same area as people like Draco Malfoy. She hoped that he was as worse as it would get.
"But you'll be fine Dawn. After everything you've been through being in Slytherin should be as easy as pie," Jordan assured her. "Speaking of pie, will there be some at the Welcoming Feast?"
"I guess so. If not you could always go down to the kitchens and ask the house elves to whip up a few—argghhhh!"
Ginny's answer was cut off as the train went pitch black and lurched to a screeching stop throwing everyone off-balance and crashing to the floor.
"What was that?" Willow cried groping for Dawn in the darkness and finally muttering a spell to shed light.
"Oh no," Ginny whimpered remembering the last time something of this nature happened.
"Lumos! Is everyone all right?" Tonks asked, her wandtip alight.
Everyone declared themselves unharmed and those with wands lit them. The feeble lights shed by each wand put together with Willow's spell lit up the whole compartment in a eerie, white glow. Dawn felt like she was in a scene of some horror movie.
The boys clamored on the other side calling the girls' names out. The door slid open and Xander, Wesley and Lupin were there in front of the teens. The men's faces were grim and pale while the boys were slightly frantic. Harry, Seamus, Aidan, Ron, Dean, and Neville already had their own wands lit.
"Is anyone hurt?" Wesley asked.
"No, we're fine. You?" Willow replied her arm wrapped protectively around Dawn.
"We're okay. Any idea what the hell that was?" Xander questioned as the girls filled into the other compartment. Ginny instantly ran to her boyfriend's side her brother barely noticing as he was holding his own girlfriend at the moment.
"No, but the last time something like this happened a bunch of dementors had come onto the train," Harry said.
"Dementors?" Jordan eked out. She felt a shudder go through her and gulped. She never saw the grotesque creature personally, but heard enough about them from her parents and school to know they were things worth missing out on. She instinctively grabbed her brother's arm in comfort.
"Perhaps we should go investigate," Wesley suggested as his eyes went to the "bag of goodies" he and Xander had carried on to the train. It had been well guarded by Wiccan enchantments courtesy of Willow.
"Yes, I will go speak with the driver. Ginny, Ron, Hermione perhaps you should do your duties as prefects and try to keep the students calm," Lupin suggested pulling out his own wand and lighting it before he left.
"Maybe Hermione and I should go with you. It might be a demon," Jordan said forgetting that Seamus, Neville, and Dean were also in the compartment.
"Out there? Are you barking mad?" Dean exclaimed.
"She's right. We should go with whomever is going out there," Hermione agreed with false confidence.
"But-!" Ron began in protest, but Hermione quickly silenced him.
Wesley, who was technically in charge of the two slayers right at the moment, took a while to ponder over it and then nodded. "Only one of you though; one should stay on the train."
Jordan and Hermione exchanged glances and Hermione pointed to Jordan. "I hate to send her out there, but she has more experience in this than I do. I will stay here."
Ron breathed an audible sigh of relief and shot Jordan an apologetic look. She shrugged and picked up her bag.
"Aidan, Dawn, Harry, and you three boys help keep everyone else calm along with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny," Wesley instructed as he pulled a sword out of the bag.
"Merlin! Who are you people?" Seamus asked in awe.
"Um, well you know that whole thing about the slayers staying at Hogwarts? Well, we're sort of part of that. We'll explain later," Willow replied as Wesley handed her a crossbow.
Lupin returned to say that the driver had no idea what had stopped the train and only that there was something on the tracks. He had sent an owl ahead for assistance.
"Did you tell him to not let anyone on or off the train?" Wesley asked.
"Yes, and I told him that there were some people trained in this situation that were going to investigate and also there was an Auror on here. Who is going out there?" Lupin replied breathlessly.
"Me, Wesley, Willow, Jordan, and Xander are. You stay and keep Harry and the others safe," Tonks told him.
Harry scowled at the mention of his name. He hated when people fussed over keeping him safe despite the importance of his staying alive.
Dawn wanted to go out and help, but she knew Xander, Wesley, and Willow wouldn't let her and neither would Buffy had she been here. She resigned herself to helping Hermione and the others staying on the train. At least she would be able to stay close to Harry.
"Right then," Lupin whispered.
"Come on," Tonks said to the group going outside.
Aidan grabbed his twin's arm before she exited the compartment.
"Jordan, be careful. Mom and Dad made me promise to keep you in one piece," he told her seriously.
The light from his wand cast his face in a dim glow making his worried features more pronounced. Jordan smiled in reassurance to her brother.
"Have I ever let you down?" she questioned while laughing slightly.
He didn't laugh back.
As soon as the five got outside they split into two groups. Willow, Xander, and Tonks stayed on the side they came out of while Wesley and Jordan circled the back of the train and up the other side. The sky was dark and cloudy and the night had a slight chill to it. Jordan let her senses expand as she searched the area for any demonic or vampiric essences. Willow could also do this which was why the two were in a different group. She looked at the tiny, but deadly dagger she held in her hand and back at the sword Wesley carried. She wished she had thought to bring a sword.
"Here. I don't have another sword since Xander took the other, but I have a crossbow for you," Wesley said is if he had read her mind and handed her a compact, black crossbow.
"Thanks." Jordan beamed and slung it over her shoulder.
"Explain to me if you will what exactly dementors are," Wesley requested in a whisper.
"They guard wizard prisons mostly and they're like big giant sponges of happiness. Meaning that they suck it all out of you leaving you with nothing but your worse memories even those you hadn't remembered before. They feed off of happiness and cheerfulness and drive you insane which is why no one ever escapes from wizard prisons; they're too crazy from their memories. Only one has ever done it, a wizard named Sirius Black. And apparently he was innocent as his name was cleared just a few months back. The worse weapon a dementor has is something we call the Dementor's Kiss," she explained.
"Kiss?" Wesley almost laughed at the irony of that.
"Yeah, they suck your soul out through your mouth and leave you a living shell," she told him bluntly.
"Oh, they sound….formidable," he shakily replied thinking of some memories of his own he couldn't bear to relive.
"I know I would never want to meet one," she said smiling sardonically. Her smile melted off of her face and she froze.
"What?" Wesley questioned anxiously searching their area. They were near the front of the train with the woods were on one side with towering, ominous trees that could hide any number of predators. The sounds of nocturnal animals created some comfort for Wesley. If there were a lot of demons or Death Eaters in the woods it wouldn't be so noisy.
"Someone's watching us. I can feel them." Jordan's voice was barely audible and she had shifted her crossbow to ready it to fire instantaneously.
Suddenly a popping sound made them both jump and Jordan let out a shriek as something landed on her back.
With her crossbow aimed and her magic fired up Willow was prepped and ready for any attack. Tonks, as small as she was, looked like quite the opponent with her lovely pixie-like face set in stern determination and her wand clenched tightly in her hand. Her hair was a spiked in a bright bluish-green tint and added more to her unique charm. She really was quite a woman. Willow berated herself for thinking such things. First off: it was neither the time nor the place and second of all: after her short-lived relationship with Kennedy she wasn't too eager to begin another one.
"God I really wish Buffy was here," Xander whispered gripping his sword close.
Willow had to silently agree with him, but Buffy was at the castle along with Spike, Faith, Giles, and the rest of the slayers so they had to make do with what they had. She was set on everyone getting to Hogwarts safe and sound even if there were demons or Death Eaters lying in wait. They would be sorry they ever crossed paths with this Wicca!
"Will, got anything on the magical radar?" Xander asked.
"Not yet," she replied.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Tonks queried.
"Not sure," Willow said.
A cry of fright caused them all to halt in their tracks. It came from the other side of the train and sounded very familiar.
"Jordan," Tonks whispered and all three set off at a run to help their friends.
Hastemire couldn't believe how exhilarating this was. He could practically feel the fear pouring off the occupants of the train and the five outside of it. He knew that Willow and the slayer-witch would sense his presence sooner or later, but he planned to stay as long as he could to watch. He must see their reactions to the present Voldemort had bid him to give to them. He had used his magic to stop the train and disable all the lights. It created the perfect effect and he relished it.
He watched the young slayer prowl like a cat alongside the Muggle man. Her body was tense and she gripped a wand and a dagger in each hand while a crossbow was slung over her back. The man and the girl were talking about Dementors. She was explaining what the creatures were and the man seemed quite perturbed by it and rightly so. Hastemire didn't care much for the creatures himself.
He stiffened slightly when the girl stopped and told the man that someone was watching them. Took her long enough, he thought lazily. It was no matter because he had his emergency portkey with him that would activate with a single word. It was made especially for him and needed words invoked with Wiccan magic to activate the portkey. To a wizard or witch it was useless. Even if the girl found him he could easily fry her and the man before Willow and the others could reach them and simply portkey out of there. Willow he knew he was no match for. Not just yet. He didn't plan on fighting her anyway. He planned on keeping her for his own.
His head jerked up in surprise and a frown formed on his face when the girl screamed.
"Jesus Christ! Jinx! Give me a fricken heart attack why doncha?!" Jordan held her hand to her chest, the matter of the something or someone watching them temporarily forgotten.
Her red-gold phoenix nipped her affectionately from her seat on her shoulder. Phoenixes had the ability to apparate and disapparate at will and Jinx had chosen to apparate right on her human's shoulder at that moment. Impeccable timing.
"Amazing," Wesley remarked after he calmed down quite a bit.
"Shut up," Jordan snapped still trying to bring her breathing back down to normal. "God I think she just cut twenty years off my life."
Wesley chuckled and ran his hands over the beautiful mystical bird.
"It's not funny! You freaked too!" Jordan cried.
"Jordan! Wesley!" came Willow's frantic voice.
She, Tonks, and Xander were racing towards the pair. They must have heard Jordan scream.
"Are you guys all right?" Xander asked worriedly between gasps for breath.
"We're fine. Apparently Jordan's phoenix decided to pay us a visit," Wesley explained while grinning good-naturedly while Jordan scowled.
"Merlin you caused us a fright!" Tonks exclaimed.
"You were scared?! She apparated right on my shoulder!" Jordan shouted.
"Um guys?" Xander spoke up.
"Really Jordan, you're a slayer now. Shouldn't you be used to this sort of thing?" Tonks asked.
"Guys?" Xander repeated more urgently.
"What the hell?! I've only been a slayer for like three months total!" Jordan bellowed.
"Guys!!!" Xander yelled.
"What!?" everyone shouted in reply.
"I think the reason the train is stopped is right there," he pointed shakily to a dark shape lying on the tracks.
Dawn held her wand in front of her to light up her face as she sat amidst a throng of scared first and second years. The young witches and wizards were nearly hysterical with fright at why the train had stopped so suddenly and the loss of light. So Dawn had seized upon the first anti-hysteric technique she could think of. She sat down and gathered the children to her and told them fairy tales. Her mother used to do that when Dawn had been younger whenever the girl had suffered from nightmares. Topic of choice was fairy tales. Most of the Muggle-born students were already familiar with fairy tales, but the familiarity gave them something to cling on to in their fear.
Harry leaned against the compartment door watching Dawn in admiration. She was telling them to tale of Jack and the Beanstalk and most of the kids had forgotten there was even a crisis going on. He wasn't very experienced in the area of comforting others during a crisis. It appeared as if that talent had attached itself to the X-chromosome because Ginny, Hermione, and Dawn were pros at it.
Aidan quietly joined Harry in the doorway to watch Dawn. While the young American wizard had done his best to comfort the other students (he seemed to have acquired far more female attention in this course of action than he expected) Harry knew he was too busy worrying himself sick over his twin.
"I'm sure they'll be back on any time now," Harry told him sounding far less confident than he meant to.
Aidan offered a smile, but it was half-hearted. Well, he definitely wasn't the optimistic type Harry concluded. Hermione entered from the other compartment side and navigated her way through the ten-, eleven-, and twelve-year-olds on the floor.
"How are things on your end?" she whispered.
Aidan simply gave her a thumbs-up in reply.
"I wish I knew what was wrong. I can't stand not knowing," Hermione whispered in frustration.
"I'm sure whatever it is the Jordan and the rest out there can handle it," Harry said his voice again sounding strained to put confidence in it.
Aidan looked away wistfully towards the exit and muttered, "I hope you're right."
Xander, Willow, Tonks, Wesley, and Jordan approached the thing lying on the tracks cautiously. They were all bunched together closely and not one of them uttered a word.
It was a boy; or what once was a boy. He looked about eleven or twelve in age from his body size and judging from his clothing he had probably been a Muggle child. His clothing was soaked with blood and he reeked of it. His body lay at an unnatural angle with his limbs all out of their normal positions and twisted around each other. His hazel eyes were open and stared at out the five people with the dull, blank stare of a corpse. Branded onto his face was an outline of the Dark Mark. This was Voldemort's work or if not him then one of his Death Eaters.
"Oh my God," Willow cried backing away from the body.
"That sick bastard," Xander cursed in mingled disgust, horror, and anger.
Tonks was not used to seeing this sort of thing. As an Auror she was far more accustomed to the invisible injuries dealt by curses. Seeing the result of physical torture displayed on an innocent child was far more than she could bear and she turned away from the sight. Jordan stood rooted to her spot unable to tear her eyes away from the boy's. She kept telling her treacherous body to turn around because her partially digested lunch from earlier was about to make a reappearance, but it was determined to remain where it was. Jinx had flown off of her shoulder and landed beside the boy's body. She prodded him gently and when he didn't move she began to gently trill a mournful tune. It was enough to break Jordan from her trance and she crumpled to her knees and retched up the contents of her stomach.
Wesley had slowly approached the boy and kneeled down beside him. His soul raged at the inhumanity of this act; at the outright barbarism. What sort of a thing that was supposed to have a soul would do such a thing to a child? He knew Voldemort didn't like Muggles, but this was beyond what the young watcher thought him capable of. He leaned over and gently closed the boy's eyes to hide the empty hazel orbs. Jinx's heartbreaking lament was close to reducing the man to tears, but he held onto his composure and draped his brown jacket over the boy. He hoped to God that wherever the boy was it was far better than what he had endured to get there.
"Willow?" he uttered turning round to see the redheaded Wicca weeping silently.
She looked at Wesley and he stood up and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm going to have to ask you to perform a spell on him to transfigure him into something else just until we get to Hogwarts and then we show Dumbledore and the proper authorities. Naturally we can't bring him onto the train in his current state," he told her softly.
She nodded and bravely approached the corpse. Xander was leaning over the boy shaking his head.
"God, seven years of shit like this and I'm still not used to the smell or the sight," he murmured.
"They've never been as young as this. None that I've seen," Willow whispered as she kneeled down beside the child. She tentatively reached a hand out to touch his brown hair. It was curly and hung down past his ears. While the rest of his body had been in some way mutilated or stained with blood his hair remained untainted. She focused on that particular aspect as she worked at changing his appearance. He shrank into the form of a tattered, brown cloak. Wesley gathered it into his arms and commenced the short trek back to the train. Willow rubbed her tears away and helped Tonks up who was looking quite pale and stricken. She led the small Auror back to the train.
"Wait! Shouldn't we search the area a bit longer?" Xander said.
"There's nothing here," Jordan replied shakily trying to stand up and not look at what had been in her stomach only moments ago.
"I think that was all he wanted us to see for now," Willow said bitterly.
"Too bad, cuz I would have gone for demons. Definitely demons," Jordan mumbled still not able to make herself stand. "God, he was just a kid. He was the same age as those first-years in there. He was innocent. I didn't think…I didn't think." Her voice tightened up and she shook from withheld sobs.
Xander pulled the girl up and held her up. Her reaction to all this completely surprised him. He figured that as a slayer she would be able to handle this, but in many ways she was still as fragile as the next sixteen-year-old girl. Jinx fluttered by and perched on his shoulder. The bird was silent now, but her very presence made Xander feel better as he helped Jordan walk back to the train.
Back at the Lord Voldemort's hideout Hastemire grinned in satisfaction to himself. It had been he who had introduced the benefits of physical torture to the dark wizard. Voldemort mostly used curses and the like, but he had quickly warmed up to his servant's idea.
"Oh what fun there will be to be had," he whispered his dark brown eyes gleaming maniacally before proceeding to his lord's chambers to tell him of their success.
Yeah, Draco is still an arrogant prick. Can't hardly change him so quickly.
lark277: Next chapter, which I should be finishing within the hour will show the Slytherin-Dawn reactions. Jordan probably will eventually end up with Draco, but that will not be for a long, long time because as you have read he is still a bigoted jerk. His sister might have more of a hand in changing him than Jordan will, however. That is if he ever finds out she's alive. I'm sorry you feel that way about Spike. But no he will not get with Buffy so I'm glad you're relieved about that. I look forward to hearing more from you.
Silver Warrior: You are absolutely right about Percy, Fudge, and Spike. Although I do hope to redeem Percy for Mrs. Weasley's sake.
vampy the choosen one: Well, I guess they could have. But don't worry. They will have their fun with Fudge. And hopefully the Weasleys will sew that little tear between them and Percy. Dawn-Slytherin interaction next chapter. Poor Dawnie.
Chaotic reign: Well thanks and I'm glad you like her. Perhaps some fights will occur and if they're against normal people of course she'll come out on top. I'm pretty sure the pairings you mentioned. Hermione/Ron, well of course them cuz they're already together and Harry/Dawn are the only for sure ones. Hope you liked how Jordan and Drakey first met.
matt: That fight over superheroes was inspired by own fight about them over one of my friends. I'm a spiderman fan and she's all for superman. I thought it would be funny.
NoAlias: Yeah believe me it has been hectic here. But with summer coming it should be a helluva lot easier to write and update. Provided my summer job doesn't get in the way too much.
lightdemondarkangel: Hehe. You'll have to wait and see.
Thanks also to Robin R. Smith, Raven-Padfoot-Marauder, A Watcher, and J Potter. And I have to get off the computer as soon as I'm done here because my sister is an impatient little brat. God I hate only having one computer working. Sorry I will update as soon as I get back on.