A/N: I am so sorry about the long wait but my internet has been fucked up for like five days! This is a big chapter because this is the TWENTIETH; I hope it goes of with a big bang! (However, it is not the last chapter there are more to come!)
Disclaimer: The song belongs to Muse; Time is running out.
Chapter twenty; Twinkles and Tinkles.
I think I'm drowning
Asphyxiated
I want to break the spell
That you've created
You're something beautiful
A contradiction
I wanna play the game
I want the friction
You
Will be the death of me
Yeah, you
Will be the death of me
Bury it
I won't let you bury it
I won't let you smother it
I won't let you murder it
But our time is running out
But our time is running out
You can't push it underground
You can't stop it screaming out
I wanted freedom
Bound and restricted
I tried to give you up
But I'm addicted
Now that you know I'm trapped
Sense of elation
You'd never dream of
Breaking this fixation
You
Will squeeze the life out of me
Bury it
I won't let you bury it
I won't let you smother it
I won't let you murder it
But our time is running out
But our time is running out
You can't push it underground
You can't stop it screaming out
How did it come to this?
Ooh ooh ooh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Ooh ooh ooh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Ooh ooh ooh yeah yeah no no nooo
Yeah, you
Will suck the life out of me
Bury it
I won't let you bury it
I won't let you smother it
I won't let you murder it
But our time is running out
But our time is running out
You can't push it underground
You can't stop it screaming out
How did it come to this?
Ooh ooh ooh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Ooh ooh ooh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Faye's lips curved into that cupid bow smirk, as she turned round to him. She let her hair swish over her back seductively, then fall like a river flow over rocky cliffs. Conroy quirked an eyebrow sticking his heavily studded tongue out at her.
Although the unexpected Qudditch match had finished weeks ago, still Draco Malfoy wasn't passing up a chance to brag and boast in front of any likely candidate. Faye watched without an ounce of trepidation as Malfoy swaggered over to her table. She new he wouldn't bother her, but instead head for one of the simpering girls giggling across from her.
The whole school was conquered with the lazy feel of the holidays approaching on the near abyss. The crisp scent of the Christmas break was only a week away; the students could almost smell mulled wine, roasting chestnuts, turkey and the excitement of presents.
Faye was not looking forwards to the holidays, Conroy and she had encountered a problem late last night. The malevolent supply of Heroin was running out, and if Conroy's dealer didn't turn up soon then Faye was going to be stuck with cold turkey all holidays.
Vanessa felt slightly sick as she walked yet again in front of the library door, contemplating weather to go in or not. She had been feeling more and more drawn to the handsome Aiden than ever. She loved the way his body wasn't overly bearing but still muscled, how his pale skin looked subtle but fragile and his dark hair flopped into his soulful eyes.
He was sitting in there now, reading. If she went in and told him, what she had rehearsed, their friendship could be ruined forever, or she would be happier than she ever could be.
Vanessa swallowed her fears and pushed open the foreboding library doors. She felt like all had gone echoingly silent; her heart thudded in her chest as she slowly walked towards a large round table. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, even the thud as the doors slammed shut.
Suddenly every thing was back to normal as Aiden turned to face her.
"Hay Nessa what's up?"
Vanessa's lips formed an o shape, she felt the words bubbling up and soon they spilled out in a rehearsed and painfully slow gasp.
"There's something I need to talk to you about," she said. Aiden motioned for her to sit and carry on.
"Well it's just lately I've been feeling…uhm…I…Aiden I really like you, like really like you. For ages now I have been wondering what's missing in my life, and I came to the conclusion that I needed a boyfriend and I want that boyfriend to be you,"
Vanessa bit her lip waiting for a reply.
When it didn't come, she deflated her eyes down cast and hollow. "Its fine I get it you don't like me and you just want to be friends…" but Aidens soft lips pressed against hers cut her off.
"Is it okay if we're friends that do this?" He said pulling away from the blond. Vanessa smiled a smile that would dazzle a billion Queens, in a sweetly fragranced rose garden.
"I can't believe this, after all this time we've finally found a clue," Buffy paced in front of Giles, as she spoke.
"Yes it's quite remarkable, under our noses all this time as well. I just can't believe that Professor Dumbledore didn't find out first," Giles spoke with the kind of pride that a little child has when he finds out the answer to a question, before his friend does.
Buffy stopped walking abruptly, swivelling round to face him. "But you're not going to tell them right? If we do then this whole thing will get blown out of proportion."
"No, telling the wizarding community that we've found one of Voldemorts hide outs, right by the school, will do no good at all."
Vanessa finally new what it felt like to be truly happy, she laid in Aidens arms contentedly. The soft duvet around her was her heaven, and Aiden was her protector.
"Nessa?" He asked.
"Yeah," she said lazily.
"You got any draw?" Vanessa laughed, that was Aiden he has a shag, and right after wants to get high.
"I think Tyler, Deon and Ginny are on the hill, they'll probably have some," she said as she sat up. The two dressed in silence, and started to make their way out the deserted dormitories.
"Hay," Aiden said grabbing Vanessa's arm, "are we gonna tell them?"
Vanessa licked her lips then shook her head, she placed a finger to his lips, whispering the single word…secret.
"So you understand Christian?" Buffy asked into the telephone. "Ok good I thought we should inform you of all our plans, make sure to tell Andrew. Ok then Bye." Buffy hung up, sighing deeply. She just had gotten of the Phone with training Watcher Christian. She had been telling him of their plans and discoveries.
The wary slayer walked into the living room, where Xander was sitting meditating with Willow. Willow had been helping him out by teaching him how to meditate and giving him various potions, in different shapes and shades, each one glowing or emitting vaporized sparks.
"Hay," said Xander, looking up briefly, only to get a playful slap from Willow, who chided the brunette to concentrate. Buffy smiled weakly, she wished this year had never happened; it was all a large mess that could not be sorted out. There was no remedy for the pain, no help to be given; they were dangling on the brink of hell.
"Hello all," came the sarcastically cheerful voice of Lola.
"Hi, are you all packed up?" Buffy asked croakily.
"Preety much, the parental units want me home for Christmas so I'm leaving on Thursday, JOY," Lola sneered, she had had a very heated discussion with her mother the previous evening, which resulted in a broken mobile phone.
Buffy sighed yet again, Spike and Angel had gone of that morning to investigate more of the clue they found on the out skirts of Hogsmeade. Lola was leaving, Giles was going to China on Tuesday and Dawn was always hanging out with some new friends. It was going to be a quiet Christmas.
Kaiya looked into the rusted mirror, fearing what she saw. Her face was gaunt, her lips chapped, dried blood coating them, her light brown hair was lank and greasy but it was her eyes that she feared the most. They were void of emotion; it seemed as if an old woman's eyes were looking out at her not the ones of a young girl.
Kaiya shook herself and splashed some cold water over her face. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and headed for the shower. Her clothes slipped down her thin body easily, stopping round her ankles. The witch stepped under the hot water recoiling slightly, before letting it beat down on her back.
She could feel the dirt of today being washed away with the water, she felt un-worthy un-clean. What she had done that day had been more awful than ever, she had not only betrayed the trust of her friends but the whole wizarding community.
She had not meant to hear the whispered conversation between Harry, Ron and Hermione, but new if she did not tell Ray what she heard, he would follow his threat through thoroughly. Kaiya wanted to cry in her mothers arms but she could not, she wanted to be held as if she was a little girl again. She wanted it all to go away she wanted to disappear.
The days passed until Thursday arrived, bringing with a frosty storm. Ice chilled the streets, sending breath up in smoke furls around you. The Scoobies house was covered in a thin layer of ice, which made a slippery imprint on ones hand.
Lola shuddered rubbing her hands together; she turned to the doorway of her new home, her friends stood waving at her and blowing kisses. Her cab beeped at her, the young slayer had been dilly-dallying around for ages trying to postpone what was waiting for her at then end of her journey.
"GO!" Faith shouted.
"Yeah I'm freezing my butt of!" Dawn shrieked. Lola laughed giving into the fact that she would be missing all the action. The brown-haired woman waved sending them all a big kiss she disappeared down the pathway, into the mist.
"Ye know I think I'll actually miss her," Xander said as he turned into the house.
"Yeah it'll be weird not having sarca…" The phone ringing urgently cut of Willow.
"Hello," Buffy said into the receiver. A crackling emitted from the other end, stopping after five long minutes. When Buffy put down the phone, her face was white as a sheet.
"That was Angel, him and Spike have found the hide out we suspected was near Hogsmeade, Voldemort's going to be there tonight alone. We're going to attack."
00000
The streets of Hogsmeade were coated by the cover of evening dusk, warm lighting emitted from the welcoming pubs and shops, but Spike and Angel had no business with butter beer tonight. The two bickering Vampires stalked over to the newly installed flew station.
Their faint shadows stretched out over the uneven paving, giants stomping towards their caves. Waiting for them outside the shabby Flew station, was Buffy, Willow, Faith and the recuperating Xander.
"Lo, wow I'm so glad you bought the cavalry with," Spike said sarcastically, "Where's everyone else; Lola, Giles maybe a few stray slayers!"
"We're keeping it low pro, and Lola's with her parents," Willow hissed.
"Fine, that's good, so let's get going!" Angel said agitatedly.
"Lead the way oh proficient," Buffy mocked. Therefore, the strange group set of across the green Scottish hills.
True loneliness, no one will ever no how that really feels, apart from one. A little girl with long dirty blond hair called Emma, lived in the mountains of Hogsmeade; she was a Squib and deaf.
The one thing she desired most in the world was to have a friend, just a companion to share the lonely days with. No one around her understood the language of silence she strived to conquer. The blond girl lived in a life of obscurity, she crept through the winding cobble lanes, silent as white, white that fills in the blank spaces of life.
That evening she played charades, with her ragged doll. She tried to express the loneliness she felt, she fell against the cold brick wall silent, peaceful, only her eyes cavities of raw despair.
Emma felt the sting of a tear behind her pupils, she hardly noticed as the bulky shadow of a man fell across her, when she did she looked up to meet the yellow eyes of another shadow creature, another lonely sole.
Emma new what they wanted, she pointed silently towards a dark cave, a lonely cave. And she watched as the tremendous group disappeared into its black mouth.
"This is it," Angel said. They stood on the other side of a brick wall, behind which lay the end of their sorrows the end to this never-ending war.
"So Voldemort's alone in there, on the count of three," Buffy said. "One…Two…THREE!"
In a masterful flourish, the two Vampires, two Slayers, one Wicca and skilful carpenter charged into the room of dread, there, where they expected to see an unprepared Voldemort, was a dozen Death Eaters all awaiting their arrival.
There was an eerie whisper from the corner "Kill them all, I have no use for them!"
"My pleasure! Avada Kadavra!"
Buffy dodged the well-aimed spell, throwing her knife in the Death Eaters direction. It barely got near the masked woman's face before she turned it into water. Spike and Faith gave each other looks and charged into the throng.
"Willow, do you think you lot can hold of the lackeys, I'm heading for the big guy!" Buffy shouted, Willow shot a freezing spell at a Death Eater in Buffy's way as an answer.
Buffy dodged through the mass of bodies, until she arrived in front of the snake like form of Voldemort.
"Well, well, well, it's Khan Noonien Singh. I've heard so much about you but we never truly met. You don't look all that tuff," Buffy jumped in the air sending a roundhouse kick on Voldemorts chest.
He stumbled back, giving Buffy perfect access. She swung her axe round determinedly, as if in slow motion it connected with Voldemorts neck, only to leave barley a scratch. Buffy pressed her weapon towards him yet again, however she could not, the more she strived the harder the invisible force resisted.
"W…w what," Buffy staggered back shock evident over her angelic face. "I don't understand you…"
"Immobilise" Buffy was cut short by the spell Voldemort uttered, she found herself paralysed and slowly drifting upwards at the flick of Voldemorts wand.
"You are a fool! Did you really think it would be that easy to kill me! I have power you can't even conceive of, look around you, your attempt was pitiful!" Buffy found herself starring at a foolish amateurs attempt at victory; the Death Eaters, proficiently out numbered them and had cornered her friends.
A clammy finger curled around her chin, forcing her to look Voldemort in the eye. In to his red eyes.
"Now what shall I do about you?" He jeered.
The students of Hogwarts sat at their respective house tables, full of scrumptious dinner and delightful desert, lazy murmurs drifted around the hall, as they waited patiently for Dumbledore to start his end of year speech.
"So what are you doing over Christmas brake?" Tyler asked Kaiya happily.
"Oh I dunno not much," she replied vaguely.
"Well I'm going Skiing!" Tyler said proudly.
"Yes Tyler we all know," Ginny laughed, her eyes briefly connecting with his before flitting back to boring into Dracos back. Further into the hall, Faye had swivelled her chair round so she could continue a heated discussion with Conroy.
"I can't believe you don't have any!" she murmured.
"It's not my fault his a dodgy guy!" Conroy replied defensively.
"Yeah well now I'm gonna have withdrawal all Christmas," she said snappily.
"I'm not the one who used up all my stash in two weeks!"
"Oh shut up!" Faye said turning round moodily. Conroy shook his head going back to staring blankly at the snowy ceiling. It had started to unexpectedly snow late that evening in Scotland, now the school grounds were coated in a soft blanket of white powdered ice.
"Good evening school," the hall went deadly silent at these commanding words spoken by Dumbledore. "I would like to wish you…"
The white haired wizard never completed that sentence, as just then the great halls doors banged open to reveal six soaking wet people, covered in blood and each carrying some kind of weaponry.
At the for-front was a petit blonde-haired person, Buffy, and bringing up the rear was Angel and Spike, glaring menacingly.
"You never said he couldn't be killed," Buffy seethed addressing a livid Dumbledore.