Checked: 5/3/06

Part 8- In the Forest

Friday, October 31st,

Breakfast

9.00- Double potions

Morning Tea

11.00- Care of magical creatures

12.00- Charms

Lunch

2.00- Double Defense against the Dark Arts

4.00- Transfiguration

Halloween Feast

Stop Voldemort from getting blood from Piper, Willow and Ron

This was Harry's schedule for Halloween. He had written it down in Hermonie's homework diary in Charms as a joke. After his talk with Paige, Harry was becoming more relaxed and less withdrawn than he had been for the past few months. Harry even spoke a little to Ron and Hermoine about Sirius's death. "I doubt if there's a battle they'll let you be a part of it" Hermoine told Harry as they walked out to Hargid's hut for 'Care of magical creatures'. Dawn had finished lunch early and was already down at the hut talking with Hargid. Although Dawn was a special case, she wanted to also learn about the creatures that her fellow classmates had learned about over the past two years. She had been seeing many of her professors outside of class in order to receive extra work to catch up.

Ron and Harry looked at Hermoine with open mouths while she was talking.

"Who's been training them to fight the Death eaters?" Harry asked the rhetorical question. "I've fought Death Eaters before, they haven't"

"That doesn't mean they're going to let you fight" Hermoine argued. "They have more experience. And don't start with how many times you've 'saved the day' because I know them already. I was there remember. I just don't think they're going to let four students fight Death Eaters."

-

"I suggest that if a battle erupts that we attempt to keep Harry, Ron and Hermoine away from it." Giles stated after that night.

"Dawn too" Buffy added. "I know she proved herself last time and was pissed when I tired to send her away, but if I have the choice I don't want her in the fight"

"She can look after Wyatt." Piper suggested. "That way I don't have to worry about him that night battle or no battle. Leo's not guaranteed to be around, but if he knows what's good for him he better be"

Halloween was only three days away now. Every chance they got the group were learning more about defense and creating new battle plans. The Order had discovered that Voldemorts prized Death Eaters were to be sent to Hogwarts with the important mission. It was something they had expected. Moody had explained over the floo network that Voldemort had a lot riding on the prophecy coming true so therefore only his best followers would do. Plus a lot of them wanted revenge for what happened at the end of the last school year.

They hadn't been able to find out any information on Warren or Jeremy, but Willow concluded that Voldemort would have brought them back, even if they were completely wrong, and simply killed them once he had their blood. An untrained mudblood was no use to him. As for a warlock, Voldemort had enough loyal Death Eaters. He didn't an independent warlock.

The only problem they had was that Piper wasn't allowed to blow the Death Eaters up. It wasn't the fact that Piper could be considered a murderer in the wizarding world (although she would plead self defence) but Dumbledore had requested that if possible they capture the Death Eaters. They would be useful to exact information from. Plus Dumbledore wasn't very favourable on killing other wizards. Demons, vampires and other beings that had human appearances however were a different matter.

- -

That night Buffy had to break the news to Dawn about the battle. Everyone had cleared out of the common room to give the Summers from privacy. Harry, Ron and Hermoine were working in the library that night, as they needed books for research for their homework assignments.

"Do you really think I'm going to lay down and not fight?" Dawn asked with her eyebrows raised and her arms folded. "I fought the Ubervamps in May"

"This is different Dawn. It's a different type of battle. It's magical not-"

"I'm better at magic than you. I can summon something about a mile away. You can only summon things a few feet away"

"I make up for it with physical strength"

"You said this battle was magical not physical"

"No I didn't. You cut me off!"

"You were going to say it!"

"Fine. You're still not being part of the battle. Neither is Harry or Ron or Hermoine or any Hogwarts students. You'll be in the common room watching Wyatt for Piper and Leo"

"What? I'm the baby-sitter now?"

"You should be happy. A few years ago you complained about being too old to be baby-sat. Now the roles have reversed."

"There are plenty of others to watch Wyatt. Lavender practically wants to take him home, let her do it!"

"Dawn we specially want you to do. Please just do as your asked for once." Buffy was no longer arguing with Dawn. She was pleading with the teenager to give in.

"Do what I'm asked?" Dawn continued to be stubborn. "What do you think I am a crazed rebel-"

"Forgetting that Halloween with the vampire so soon?"

"It was one vampire! You've been with two!"

"Don't start on that Dawn. You're going to baby-sit."

Upstairs in one of the dorms Willow and Paige were sitting on Paige's bed talking when they heard the squabble downstairs.

"Are they always like this?" Paige asked.

"They can be" Willow replied. "You know how opposites attract? Well Dawn was made from Buffy's blood, so they're so much alike. Which means they fight…often. But they're also very close too."

"Sounds like all sister relationships are the same" Paige said.

The next thing they heard was Dawn storm out of the room and Buffy coming up the stairs.

"Well I think that went well" Buffy said joining the two on the bed. "At least there was no shin kicking this time"

- - -

Dawn strolled close to the forbidden forest slowly. She was in no mood to head back to the castle any time soon after her fight with Buffy. Dawn had thought about heading to the Gryffindor common room, but something had drawn her to the forest instead.

Dawn couldn't believe that after what happened in Sunnydale Buffy was going to try and get her out of the battle again. Dawn thought she had proven herself to Buffy a number of times that she was a fighter.

IBaby-sitter/IDawn thought to herself as her feet scrapped along in the dirt. IThere's plenty of others to watch Wyatt. Buffy was just using it as an excuse/I

There was a crunch that came from inside the forest. Living on the Hellmouth had made Dawn edgy as she jumped at the noise. Harry had told her many things lived in the forest so the sound of a twig breaking wasn't anything to be alarmed about.

And then she saw it.

"Turok Han…in…forest" Dawn told the first person she ran into. She was out of breath from running. Luckily the person happened to be Willow who knew what Dawn meant.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Positive."

"How? I thought Spike killed them all." Willow was just as surprised as Dawn had at first been.

"What about the Cleveland Hellmouth? Maybe that got opened. Or maybe there's one in Europe that got opened. I bet Voldemort did it" Dawn spoke quickly, although she was pleased with her rational thinking.

"Well I'm not sure if all the Hellmouths contain Uber-vamps. C'mon we better tell the others about this." Willow said as her and Dawn headed further into the castle.

The whole group was gathered in front of the fire when Dawn and Willow entered. Giles was in the large armchair reading 'The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts'. Piper, grateful Leo had some time off, was cuddled on the couch with her family. Xander was looking at a bunch of moving photos of Qudditch players with Harry and Ron. Hermoine on the other hand was working on her Charms project with Paige and Buffy. They had finished researching and she was now writing it up. Phoebe was practicing Lumos with her wand in order to get a brighter light from it.

"I saw a Turok-Han in the forest" Dawn announced to the room.

"A what?" Phoebe asked as she put her wand, which had no more light, down.

"An Uber-vampire. They're an ancient form, a different race and very hard to kill. They were also all meant to be killed by Spike. Are you sure Dawn? You're not just making this up as some crazy way to get you in the battle?" Buffy was playing the skeptic, although she knew Dawn was unlikely to lie about something this serious.

"I'm not making this up. I saw one run past a few trees in the forest!" Dawn answered.

"It is plausible for her to see one" Giles announced. "Sunnydale and Cleveland aren't the only places with Hellmouths. They are just the two most active. There has been evidence leading to a Hellmouth in Northern Wales."

"Are you telling me that there's Hellmouths all over the world?" Buffy asked.

"Quiet possibly" Giles replied.

Buffy closed her eyes for a moment and tried to control her frustrated anger. She had just managed to close one Hellmouth for good only to discover there were more out there.

- -

Hargid arrived from the Forbidden Forest with about ten minutes before morning classes were to begin. He had volunteered to go into the forest to investigate how many Uber-vamps were exactly in the forest. Luckily Hargid managed to escape the wrath of Bane.

"There'd be 'bout ten of 'em vamps 'n there" Hargid told Buffy and Piper who patiently waited his return.

When they told Hargid they wanted to go into the forest he refused to let the pair go no matter how much power they had. If they went in alone it would be likely for them to get lost. With Hargid as a guide they would probably be in more danger as the centaurs would not be happy with two fully-grown human strangers in their forest.

"Only ten?" The numbers surprised Buffy. She had expected hundreds if not thousands.

"Yeh. Tha's what teh centaurs were saying. After I told 'em that there was a Slayer an' the Charmed Ones 'ere" Hargid explained. "Vamps don't like Centaur blood so Lysa, that's the 'ead female, got a good look at teh cave teh vamps are in an' she only saw ten"

"Do they know why they're in the forest? Are they under Voldemorts control?" Piper questioned, while Hargid jumped back at the mention of the dark lord's name.

"Lysa says she didn't know. Bane told 'em once to get out. He's like that ya know. Don't like other creatures in teh forest" Hargid explained. "Vamps don't really like teh forest. Nothin' to feed on in there. They'd have to be under You-Know-Who's-orders"

"I get to blow up something at least" Piper was unusually positive about the news.

The truth was she was feeling a little scared. While Piper had fought various demons, vampires had not been on that list. News of the most powerful vampires that a Slayer had ever faced was not good.

- - - - - - -

Piper was right. She did get to blow up something. A vampire attempted to jump Xander from behind while he cursed a masked Death eater.

"Thanks" Xander called as the vampire turned to dust.

The battle had begun.