Wolfram and Hart's New Guest
By jessebelle
E-mail: rogueaikorn.com
A/N: Wow, I'm really glad y'all like this story so much. So far most of ya guess that Fred's the relative, well, I'm not sayin' a thing, you'll just have ta read this chapter. Tell me what ya think of my brilliant idea, or so I think. Thank y'all for all your reviews. It's kinda odd when you first start a story and you're not sure what type of response you'll get. I'm really glad y'all like my idea. Well, enough with the chatter, here's the next chapter.
Gunn felt like an idiot, standing here, holding the way too bright sign that Harmony had made up. Why was he here again? Oh yeah, Angel had asked him to. Just because he was the only person that had nothing to do, he was forced to pick up their latest guest. :Sigh: The things he did for the team.
They'd gotten word of their newest guest the night before. Apparently, this older headmaster of a private boarding school in Scotland needed them to house a student of his, and that student just happened to be Harmony's cousin. He had to smile when he remembered his boss's reaction to the news.
:Flashback to the previous night:
"Boss, there's a call for you on line two. It's really important."
Angel nodded and pressed the intercom. "Thanks Harmony. I'll take it." He looked back up to the assembled group in his office. "You don't mind, do you guys?"
"Nah, take it. I could use a break from all this depressing talk." Spike was leaning on the wall close to Angel's desk. The depressing talk he was referring to was their conversation about what had happened to Fred. Luckily, they'd been able to stop Ilyria from taking over her body, but she was very weak and unable to do anything at Wolfram and Hart, at least until she got better. So she'd gone back to Texas to stay with her parents until she would be able to come back. They all waited for that day.
"Go ahead Angel, we can wait." Wesley was seated on one of the chairs. Next to him, Gunn nodded in agreement. Lorne was seated on the couch, humming to himself.
Angel gave them a nod and picked up the phone. "Hello, Angel speaking."
"Hello, my name is Albus Dumbledore. I'm calling to speak to a Liam O'Connell."
Angel's eyes widened at the use of his given name and he straightened in his seat. Nobody had called him that in years. The various members around the office noticed this and started to pay attention to what Angel was saying. Spike was able to hear both sides of the conversation and even he was a little surprised at the use of his grandsire's name.
"This is he."
"Well, Mr. O'Connell. I am calling you to ask for a favor. I am headmaster at a private boarding school in Scotland. One of my students is unfortunately, not going to be able to stay this year. At the moment, there is a political problem in our area and her parents have requested she get away from all of the stress and problems that could arise. They themselves have left the country in order to protect themselves. I am asking you to take care of her for the year and keep her safe."
Angel's confusion grew. Why on earth did anyone think he'd be willing to house a teenage girl for a year? "Mr. Dumbledore, I run a law firm, not a day care center or a school. I'm afraid I'm not quite sure why I should do this for you?"
"Simple my boy, it's because this young girl is your secretaries cousin."
Spike didn't think it was possible, but it seemed that the poof's forehead had gotten even bigger. His shock was evident and the look on his face was priceless. He would be laughing right about now, if he weren't choking from the surprise.
The rest of the office stared at the two vampires in confusion. This must have been some phone call. Angel took a few minutes to calm his surprise before he spoke again. "Why are you telling me this? Can't you just tell Harmony? I'm sure she won't mind her cousin staying with her.
Wesley, Gunn, and Lorne finally got why the vampires were so shocked. They all turned their complete attention to Angel and this mysterious caller that said Harmony had a cousin. One blonde bimbo was enough.
"Mr. O'Connell. When I spoke to the parents of Miss Granger, the young girl I'd like to stay with you, they mentioned that her cousin was, well, not so bright. From the impression they gave me, I don't believe that Miss Kendall would actually be able to take care of a pet, let alone a teenage girl."
Spike snorted loudly. Who ever this Dumbledore guy was, he definitely had Harmony pegged down to a T. Angel looked out his window to see his secretary painting her nails and reading one of those horrid fashion magazines. He had to smile; this guy was definitely right about her.
"I understand completely, but why did you call me? Isn't there anyone else who can take care of this girl?"
"Simple, Mr. O'Connell, because not only is Miss Granger cousin to Miss Kendall, she is also related to a Miss Cordelia Chase."
Angel's heart would have stopped beating if it hadn't already done that 250 years ago. Cordelia, she was related to Cordelia. "Oh."
Over in England, Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling extra bright. "Yes, I know. I've heard of Miss Chases' condition and I found that she'd told her aunt about you. She mentioned that you were her employer and that if they needed anything and she wasn't available, to contact you."
Angel didn't remember Cordelia having family in England, but then again, while he'd known a lot about her, he didn't know everything. So, if Cordelia had told these people he'd take care of them, he'd take care of them. He did wonder how this girl, Granger her name was, was related to both Cordelia and Harmony.
He'd figure that out later. He did know that he better accept and inform everyone about their latest guest.
"I see. Well, if Cordelia was here, I know she'd want this girl to come stay here. So, I suppose that if it's the best thing for her, she can stay. I'm not sure how she'll complete her education, but we can figure something out. Uh, does Harmony know about this?"
"No, I'm afraid I neglected to tell her. Mr. O'Connell, I thank you for helping her out. Miss Granger is a bright girl and even if she wasn't involved in the middle of this chaos, she deserves a vacation anyway. As for her education, you needn't worry about it. I will be sending over a few tutors and they'll take care of it. Now, I know this is a bit soon, but she'll be arriving tomorrow." Dumbledore went on to give Angel the information about which flight she'd be on, what time, and things like that. Needless to say, they didn't have much time to prepare for this. God, he felt a headache coming on. After he was given the rest of the information and was thanked again, he hung up and faced his friends.
Spike was grinning and trying not to laugh. Angel knew he'd heard everything. Lorne, Wesley, and Gunn were all curious and waiting for him to tell them what was going on. Rubbing his head, he called Harmony in so he could tell her the news her cousin was coming with everyone else. The things he did for his friends.
:End Flashback:
Gunn looked around the airport. So far he didn't see any airheads. He shuddered to think of the combination of Harmony and Cordelia. This girl would definitely be high maintenance. On the other hand though, she was sure to be hot. He spotted a tall blonde in a mini skirt and a halter-top. He was about to walk over to get her, knowing how Harmony was, he would be surprised if she could even read, when a voice from his right made him turn around.
"Hello."
Gunn observed the speaker. She was tall, pretty pale, and spoke like Wesley. She was wearing a sweater and jeans. She was pretty, in an odd sort of way, but her bushy brown hair was definitely the thing that attracted his eye the most. "Uh, hi. Did you need anything? I'm here to pick someone up."
She gave a weak smile. "I know. I'm Hermione Granger."
Gunn's mouth dropped. This woman was Harmony's cousin and related to Cordelia. Of all the ways he'd pictured her to look, this definitely wasn't something he'd considered. "Oh, I'm Charles Gunn, just call me Gunn. You're Harmony's cousin?" He knew he sounded a bit, skeptical, but he couldn't help it.
She nodded. "Okay, um, why don't we go back to Wolfram and Hart? I'm sure your cousin is dying to see you."
The girl, Hermione's eyes widened and she looked at him in surprise. "You mean she's awake?" Gunn's face must have showed his confusion, so she clarified. "I mean, I was told that my cousin Cordelia was in a coma."
Gunn nodded. "Oh, your referring to Cordelia, yes, she's still in a coma. You'll be able to visit her if you want to. I was talkin' about your cousin Harmony."
"Harmony?" The look on Hermione's face showed how she felt about her cousin. "You mean stick figure Barbie with a brain made of plastic?"
Gunn burst out laughing. "Yeah, that's the one." He liked this girl.
Author's Note: So, did ya like it? I was gonna have her be related to Angel, but the idea of them expecting a Harmony look alike and it turning out to by Hermione just stuck with me. My friend, Christina liked the idea. But I discovered something while writing this. Do you know how hard it is to write, let alone type Harmony and Hermione again and again, and having them be a regular occurrence through out the story? It's really hard. And as for Hermione being Cordy's cousin too, I added that in there because I love Cordelia and I figure if they're going to be expecting a ditz, why not make it a double doozy? So, here ya go. Hope you liked it, please review! jessebelle