Hermione paced worriedly by the body, doubly worried now she realised whom the wizard was. McNair, the man who had tried to behead Buckbeak in her third year. Her mother was fine, she had just freaked out slightly when the death-eaters apparated in. Her father had been called home from work, and was pacing with her, cursing the whole wizarding world, despite the fact Hermione had told him that it wasn't all bad, and that by cursing the wizarding world he was in fact cursing her.
A loud pop came from the entrance hall, her mother shrieked, and Hermione relaxed.
"Up here, professor!" she called. Dumbledore came up the stairs, to find Hermione stood at the top, her wand trained on him.
"Sorry professor." She said, "I didn't know whether it was you"
As Dumbledore walked over to the body he sensed a difference in Hermione, not just in the way she walked, and handled this situation but in the way she was acting very careful, and looked very worried.
"What's wrong child?" He asked kindly
"Oh professor!" Hermione cried and collapsed onto a chair, telling him all that had happened, her worries and fears. If Cameron hadn't trusted him before he certainly did now, seeing the way his cousin opened up to him. He had never seen her do that, even to her parents in the last few years.
"Don't worry Hermione." Professor Dumbledore said, "I have a good idea what's going on here, first let's sort these out" he waved at the bodies.
"Where will we put them professor?" Hermione asked, feeling much better now that Dumbledore was in control.
"We give the Ministry a surprise visit." Dumbledore said, picking up a china dog from the mantelpiece, and charming it into a portkey. Hermione lifted both of the bodies, and grabbed onto the portkey, and waited.
"Wait!" cried Cameron, "Can I come too?" Dumbledore looked at Hermione.
"Sure" she shrugged, secretly glad to have her cousin along, this was going to raise all hell at the Ministry!
Buffy whistled, so this was the watchers council's secret. Another world running parallel to their own. One full to the brim of wizards and witches nonetheless. To think, her batty old neighbour named Mrs Figg who bred weird cats and smelled of prunes could've been a witch and she wouldn't have been the wiser, except magic didn't work on a hellmouth.
"I know it's a lot to take in Buffy," Giles said, "But some of the slayers will be witches, so you really will need to know-"
"How long have you known about this?" Buffy demanded, she hated people keeping things from her.
"The letter only just got through now, it was instructed to go the senior surviving watcher should anything ever happen to the council, I knew nothing of this before then."
"Oh, ok" Buffy said, feeling slightly ashamed for snapping out at that, "So what do we do now?"
"We talk to this Ministry place, and try to make contact."
As predicted chaos reigned as the group arrived at the Ministry. Aurors and curious onlookers swooped in from all sides, thankfully for Hermione Mr Weasley wasn't present. The unconscious death-eater was taken in for questioning, and the vampire remaining was staked, as he was 'too much of a danger to have around the Ministry'.
Hermione snorted at that, it was obvious the thing scared Fudge witless; Hermione was surprised to find it didn't scare her that much, probably because she had just knocked it out cold.
Cameron was completely amazed with the Ministry, as Hermione was swept away with the crowd he found himself alone with a seedy looking man, wizard probably, with receding red hair.
"Hello, I'm Arthur Weasley, do you know what's going on?" the person asked.
"Weasley…Weasley, would you be Rom's father?" Cameron asked, warming to the man.
"Yes Ron is my son, do you know him?" Mr Weasley asked
"I know of him" Cameron replied, "I am Cameron Granger-Brown."
"Granger-Brown, are you with Hermione? I thought I saw her."
"Yeah, Hermione is my cousin."
"Why are you here? Aren't you a muggle?"
Cameron proceeded to tell Mr Weasley everything that had happened that afternoon, albeit slightly exaggerated. At the end Mr Weasley was looking extremely worried, and he took Cameron to go and find Hermione.
Buffy sat outside someone's office at this 'Ministry' place. It was in uproar, and not about them. There were people everywhere running around like headless chickens. It would be amusing if only she knew what was going on. Out of the chaos a teenage girl, presumably a witch, and an old man who looked suspiciously like Buffy's granddad sat down.
"So you're a witch then." Xander said in a lame attempt at a conversation, however the young witch had other things on her mind obviously, and merely nodded non-commitmently; trying to rescue Xander Buffy talked to her also.
"I'm Buffy Summers" she said, at that the old man looked up.
"Buffy Summers the slayer?" He asked.
"Yeah." Buffy said guardedly.
"You may be able to shed some light on out current situation." At that the teenage girl looked up also.
"Huh?" Xander asked
"Hermione, one more time please." Dumbledore said
"Ok." Hermione sighed, and proceeded with her story for the third time.
"I think we found us our first slayer," the unintroduced red-head "Welcome to the gang."
Hermione grinned, feeling lots better now she knew what was going on, she had read about the slayer in books, and the new spell in the papers, there had been a warning going out, but Hermione hadn't noticed it at the time.
"How about you come with us and we'll talk." Giles suggested "Everything is so chaotic around here I'm surprised anything gets done!"
"It's more organised normally." Hermione said, then something struck her "Cameron!" she cried. "We left him in the lobby."
"Don't worry Hermione, I have him here." Came a familiar voice
"Mr Weasley! I'm so glad you found him!" Hermione exclaimed and grabbed her cousin.
Before they left Dumbledore took Mr Weasley aside and talked to him quietly, Even with slayer hearing Hermione couldn't make out what he was saying, it had something to do with her though, she could tell by the glances Mr Weasley kept sending her way.
"Shall we leave?" Dumbledore asked
"We'll go to our place." Giles said
"We can meet you there, can you take Cameron with you?" Hermione said, then she apparated out closely followed by professor Dumbledore.
"Wow!" Xander exclaimed
Together Cameron and the scoobies walked out of the Ministry, they called a cab, and reached the watchers council HQ to find Hermione and Dumbledore waiting outside.
"Finally!" Hermione exclaimed. Cameron stuck his tongue out at her.
"Let's get into the warm, it's so cold in this country." Buffy shivered. Giles unlocked the door, and they all traipsed in.
"Tea, Coffee, anyone?" Giles asked. Everyone refused politely.
Hermione wandered around the council, amazed at some of the weapons they had here.
"Hey" came a voice from the shadows by the window in what was obviously the training hall.
"Hi" Hermione said, "Who are you?"
"My name is Dawn." came the voice, and out from the shadows stepped a tall long-legged girl of around 16, with long brown hair and big blue eyes.
"My name is Hermione." Hermione said, "Are you one of the slayers?"
"No, my big sister is Buffy." Dawn said
"So you've been around vampires and demons for a long time, could you please tell me about them?" Hermione asked, her curiosity overriding her manners, which were usually impeccable.
"Yeah." Dawn readily agreed, glad to be around another girl her age, and not wanting to lose her attention.
"So it's all settled then." Dumbledore said, after much chatting.
"Absolutely perfect." Giles, who was getting on very well with Dumbledore, said "Hermione's watcher will be at her house within a few days…
" If there are any problems please tell us, it's a real bummer to have a watcher you don't like." Xander said knowledgeably, Dumbledore and Giles laughed
"What?" Xander asked, and then muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "British!"
"I'm really sorry Dawn." Hermione said to her newfound friend, "I'm gonna have to go now, Dumbledore will be getting worried."
"Ok." Dawn said disappointed, "I'll show you the way."
"Thanks!" Hermione exclaimed, she had been dreading trying to find her way back to the main room.
"Ah there you are Hermione!" Dumbledore said, "I was about to send out a search party for you, we have everything sorted, if it's alright with your parents then your watcher will arrive within the week, and begin to train you immediately."
"That should be fine." Hermione said, "Thanks."
It was very quiet in the house now that Cameron had gone, she missed her cousin already. But that was overshadowed by her watcher's imminent arrival that afternoon; the watcher had a room in the guest bedroom closest to Hermione's, so they could train at any time of day or night and not disturb her parents. With that thought Bumblebee, her new owl flew in through the window, bearing a letter from Ron. It said:
Dear HermioneHarry is here already, and we are inviting you too. We are all (you know where) and you can reply saying when you are coming. See ya soon.
Ron
Hermione sighed; as much as she would love to she could not go that year, for obvious reasons, so Hermione sadly replied something to that effect.
As Bumblebee flew out through the window the doorbell rang. Excitedly Hermione ran downstairs, then composed herself and opened the door calmly. On the doorstep stood a woman in her mid-twenties with a couple of suitcases.
"Hermione Granger?" She asked when Hermione nodded she said, "I am your watcher."
With a smile Hermione waved her in, and left her in the capable hands of her parents as she took her watcher's things upstairs. Soon her watcher joined her.
"So rude of me" said her watcher, "My name is Alison, Alison Cane, you can call me Allie."
"Hi Allie." Hermione said, "Do you want the 'grand tour'?"
"Yes please." Allie replied with a grin. They were clicking already.
Later that evening Allie sat in her room with Hermione laying a few ground rules.
"You will get up when I tell you, and please do not question me too much. My methods will help you survive, so you need to remember that whenever you feel like whinging at me."
"Ok." Hermione replied, a little shocked at the brusqueness of her seemingly easy-going watcher. "I'm going to go to bed now, goodnight." She said.
Hermione slept badly that night, she dreamt of her friends Harry, Ron, and the Scoobies, as well as her parents and Allie, they were all floating round in her head, Bohemian Rhapsody style, and repeating one thing, "You are my pretty maids, all in a little row, row, row, and the queen of hearts is getting hungry", it was spoken in a lilting cockney accent that sent shivers down her spine.
"Hermione, wake up." Came Allie's voice, cutting through the fog of her nightmare, "Time for your first training session."
"What time is it?" Hermione asked groggily
"Half eight."
"I'm getting up."
"You have 15 minutes."
Hermione leapt out of bed, and pointedly suggested that maybe Allie should leave. Allie blushed and co-operated. Once she was gone Hermione charmed her clothes on.
She tied her hair in a ponytail and walked out the room
"Ready." she said
"That was quick."
"What now?"
"First I want to gauge your fitness, so you must run up and down the main stairs, floor one to five, then fun two laps of your whole garden."
Hermione's eyes widened, but she ran as she was told. She was out of breath at the end, but she felt that she could do the whole thing again easily. These slayer boons just kept on coming!
"That was very good." Allie conceded grudgingly. "Now, what training in fighting have you had in the past, if any?"
"My mum has had me doing these marshal arts classes, since I was about five. I got my black belt last summer." Hermione leaned in closer " OI think my mum has issues." Allie nodded.
"Kick this pad." Allie said, Hermione did, and Allie flew backwards.
"Oh, oh my, are you alright?" Hermione ran forwards.
"I'm ok, they breed us tough up North." Allie joked, "Not like you southern lot! Now I think we are safe to say you need no unarmed combat training. If you let me go get my things we can move on to weapons training."
"Yay!" Hermione said, she had been looking forwards to his part.