Title: Finis

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Harry Potter, and all of the characters and places associated with it, is a product of the creative genius that is J. K. Rowling. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the mythos that I'm borrowing belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. The only thing I own is the plot and any original characters. India Cohen and Kit Bothwell were borrowed from Nancy Holder's Buffy tie-in The Book of Fours.

Distribution: If you want to post this anywhere else, ask first. I'll say yes, but I want to know. Also, give me credit for it.

Summary: India Cohen is dead, and a new Slayer has been called. Warning: HBP spoilers.

a/n: This is the latest in my Hermione-is-the-Slayer kick. Again, I'm BACK!After the first couple of chapters, this story is going to be moved to the Harry Potter category.

mya croft- thanks! I'm glad this hasn't turned out to be the crazy piece of badfic (of which I have a personal horror) that I expected it to be.

Allen Pitt- You got it pretty much right. I love insightful reviewers.

Ringo's Wildrose- Well, now you're seeing where I'm going with this. (see below). Hee hee.

Please Review!


Chapter One

A Night to Remember

Run. Keep running, There's nothing I can do but run. It's coming. I can hear it behind me. It's breathing hard. The sound of it is filling my ears. It's almost as loud as my heart, but only almost. I don't think anything could be louder than my heartbeat. It's pounding a rhythm into my ears, matching the sound of my feet hitting the floor. It's going to get me, I know it. It can't get me! Help! Somebody help me!

Everything is sharper. I can hear the blood pumping in my veins, I can feel it. It smells strange. Like something so sweet it makes you want to gag. It's overpowering. I'm going to die. I can feel it in my bones. This thing is going to get me, but I still keep running. I can't stop running. It's coming closer. Its footsteps are getting louder. It's getting closer.

The footsteps have stopped, but I'm still running. I can hear the slight whistle in the air as it jumps. It lands on me. I can feel it, but it doesn't hurt. I feel like I'm not in my body. It's strange. Somehow, I register that the claws are ripping through my back, but I still can't feel the pain. I'm more attuned to everything around me; so much that there is no me left. I notice everything but myself. I feel like this is all some crazy dream and I'm going to wake up any second now, but I know I won't.

It's burrowed almost all the way through me. I can feel the blood flowing down my back. It won't be long now. I'll be dead from the blood loss before it has a chance to rip my heart out. Is this what dying feels like? I always imagined it would feel different. More painful, for one thing. The only thing I feel is this strange conviction that someone will find me; not in time to save me, but I know I'll have a grave. And so, I have no fears. I will have my burial and the tomb will be magnificent. I can picture it in my mind's eye, clearer then anything around me. The priests will bless it, and I will have a good home in the Elysian Fields. They will know my name, as everyone knows my name, Tosia, the Vampire Slayer.

The claws close around my heart, and at last I feel pain. Little stars of pain dazzle my eyes. Zeus, help me, it hurts. The vision of my tomb fades and all I see is the darkness.

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Hermione Granger woke up, and sat bolt upright, clutching at her chest. The dream had felt so real; it had been as if she was Tosia. She'd been having these dreams for a while now. Once or twice a year she'd get them, but lately, it had gotten worse. The nightmares were coming every night. It had started about two weeks ago, a few days (or really, nights) before the Death Eaters had attacked the school.

Crash!

A loud noise from somewhere else in the house jerked Hermione from her thoughts before they could wander down the lane that Hermione had firmly repressed and labeled as forbidden. There was another crash, this one slightly quieter then the first. Hermione pulled back her covers and slipped out of bed. As she neared the door, voices drifted up to her.

"Leave them," someone whispered urgently; it was a woman's voice, although it was harsher and slightly deeper then average. "We have our orders. The girl is our priority."

Hermione tensed, her hand frozen on the doorknob. Death Eaters. They must be downstairs… where her parents' bedroom was located.

"Why can't we just have a bit of fun with them?" a whiny voice asked.

"Yeah, they're just lying there, all quiet and helpless," another voice agreed.

The teenager re-crossed her bedroom in seconds and pulled open her nightstand drawer. Enclosed inside was a large, heavy book entitled Hogwarts, A History, a brush, a hair tie, and other useful odds and ends, all neatly fit into the small space. Hermione moved all of these aside and withdrew a thin wooden wand.

"We need to find the girl. We can't risk her waking up," the woman's voice snapped.

Without bothering to put her things away or close the drawer- something she had never before failed to do- the witch silently opened her door and slipped along the dark hallway. She ran down the stairs as quietly as she could, frantic thoughts chasing their way through her head.

What if the other Death Eaters decided to ignore the woman? What if I can't fight them off? She wondered.

She jumped down the last two steps and landed in the kitchen lightly. There were no doors here, none except the back door which let you out into the garden. Using the back stairs let you enter the kitchen from one end; the hallway opened into it from another. Right across the hall was her parents' bedroom, chosen for the view of the yard. The Death Eaters were staring into the bedroom, bickering with each other on the advisability of a few extra murders.

Hermione silently prayed that none of them would turn around and notice her head poking out of the kitchen doorway into the hallway as she assessed the Death Eaters. Aside from the three Death Eaters Hermione had heard there were two others. Both of them were tall and thin, though one was considerably older then the other. The young one was about Hermione's age, with ghostly pale skin and white-blond hair that seemed to glow in the moonlight filtering in through the high window. The other was sallow-skinned and had greasy dark hair along with a large hooked nose that was visible even in the dim light. Hermione felt a sickening jolt of fear and anger in her stomach as she recognized them; Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy.

The woman who had first spoken was also a brunette, and her wasted looks slightly resembled Draco's. Unfortunately, Hermione recognized her, too, as she involuntarily clutched her wand a little bit tighter. This time the unpleasant jolt in her stomach was out of pure fear. There was no doubt in her mind that Bellatrix Lestrange would spare her, or her parents, any mercy. The other two wizards were both short; one plump, the other skinny. Neither of them looked particularly capable.

The petite pair, along with Draco, would probably be the easiest to take out. It was Lestrange and Snape Hermione had to worry about. Maybe if she just started screaming Unforgivables and jumped Snape, beating him senseless…

No, that wouldn't work at all. Hermione knew she had to think things through rationally or she, along with her parents, would be dead in seconds, but it wasn't easy when every instinct in her body was screaming for her to rescue her parents and hurt the Death Eaters. She didn't have much time to formulate a plan as the Death Eaters wouldn't argue much longer.

Bits and pieces of theories and information flitted through Hermione's head as she watched three of the people she hated more then anyone stand in her house and decide whether or not they had time for a bit of recreational torture. She resolutely pushed all thoughts of anything but her half-baked plan out of her mind as she attempted to think clearly.

Obviously, Snape and Lestrange would present the real challenge, especially Snape, who was a Legillemens, and could read minds. Somehow, she would have to get rid of them first. Perhaps if she hit Snape and Lestrange with a Stunning Charm first, before anyone knew she was downstairs? Yes, that would work, but she'd have to work fast or they'd have their wands out to block her. By the time that Lestrange was down the other three would have their wands out for sure, and they'd definitely try to kill her. If she could draw them into the kitchen and find a way to immobilize them, she'd be able to dash across the hall and use Side-Along Apparition to get to the Burrow. Except it was now impossible to Apparate to the Burrow, thanks to the new wards. Diagon Alley then. Hopefully, Fred and George would still be sleeping above their shop and would be able to help her.

Hermione nodded to herself, satisfied with her plan, and wasted no time in pointing her wand at the tallest figure in the hall and thinking, Stupefy!

Snape fell to the ground unconscious. She repeated the process on Bellatrix, and even managed to Stun the short, fat wizard before the other two had their wands out. Really, Hermione reflected, they were too slow.

Malfoy and the skinny wizard advanced on her, wands drawn. Malfoy fired a jinx at Hermione, but she quickly ducked back into the kitchen and sprang to her feet.

"Relashio!" she cried as the two Death Eaters ran into the kitchen.

The two of them staggered momentarily as the jet of sparks hit them in the chest.

"Ow! You crazy cow!" Draco exclaimed angrily.

His companion, didn't bother wasting his breath.

Instead, he gasped, "Diffindo!" causing a large gash to appear on the side of her arm.

"Explelliarmus!" Malfoy said, apparently recovered.

"Protego!" Hermione blocked the charm just in time.

She quickly followed up with, "Sectumsempra!", mentally cursing herself for using one of Snape's spells.

"Protego!" the short wizard blocked her spell.

Hermione edged towards the door and yelled,

"Impedimenta!"

She didn't bother to look back and appreciate the effects of her spell as she ran across the hall, jumping over the unconscious bodies of Snape, Lestrange, and the unknown Death Eater, into her parents' bedroom. She slammed the door behind her, muttered "Colloportus,", and ran to the bed, silently thanking God for her parents' habit of sleeping with earplug in; they hated the noise of the city street outside. She didn't want to imagine what could have happened if they had woken up and decided to get in the middle of her duel.

Hermione began to shake her father, trying to rouse him. It didn't work. Frantic, worried, and in an understandable rush, Hermione raised her wand, pointed it at him, and said, "Aguamenti."

A jet of water shot out and hit him in the face, soaking Mr. Granger soundly. That did wake him.

"Hermione?" he asked groggily, reaching up to remove his earplugs, "What's going on?"

She ignored him, choosing to turn around and point her wand at the slowly opening door, which had emitted a small click just seconds before.

"Reducto!" she shouted.

The door, and the people behind it, flew backwards with a loud splintering sound before crashing into the hallway wall. Hermione turned around to answer her father,

"We're in trouble," she said simply, "I can get us out of here, but we've got to get Mum up."

Ignoring his look of surprise, she reached over him to wake her mother up. This time she skipped shaking Mrs. Granger, but went straight to the "Aguamenti," Charm.

Once again, she had to answer questions they didn't have time for.

"Mum, Dad, get out of bed and grab my hand," she ordered, not sounding nearly as calm as she wished.

Both of her parents' eyes widened and they opened their mouths to say something. Hermione cut them off.

"We don't have enough time to ask-," she began, but stopped as both of her parents slumped forward on the bed, unconscious.

For what seemed like the thousandth time that night, Hermione whipped around and found two very bruised, bloody, and utterly revolting Death Eaters with their wands trained on her.

"Incendio!" Hermione yelled.

The curse hit Malfoy on the leg.

"Aguamenti!" he said, dousing his leg.

Hermione edged away from the bed, hoping to keep her parents out of the line of fire.

"Incarcerous!" she shouted.

"Protego!" the short wizard cried, effectively blocking her spell.

"Reducto!" he cried, seconds' later.

"Stupefy! Stupefy!" she yelled, right before the Reductor Curse hit her.

She flew backwards and crashed into the hand-made wooden desk her mother had gotten for Christmas years ago.

"Petrificus totalus!" Malfoy bellowed, trying to freeze the spell.

Needless to say, it didn't work. The Full Body Bind hit her at the same moment as a piece of wood splintered off the shattered desk and pierced her heart. She froze, eyes closed, unconscious and a split-second away from total death.