The First Storm
Episode XXVIII
The Gathering
"Harry, don't just stare at me," Ginny complained as they had gone out with some friends to do some flying. Harry had even bought some extra brooms so everybody had a decent one to fly. However, Harry was somehow lying on his broom on his back in a raised position just watching her and some friends playing catch.
Though, Harry had only been paying half attention he zoned in on her face with a sheepish smile. "Oh… did I make you feel uncomfortable?" he asked her teasingly.
She just rolled her eyes trying to hide her smile. "Not really but you could come and play too."
"How do you just do that on your broom?" asked Colin Creevey as he and his brother had followed them with their own brooms, but they weren't very good or confident in the air so asked way too many questions.
"Its not that easy," Cho Chang piped into the conversation. "I can kind of do it if I don't move," she said as she grabbed hold of Ginny's broom to keep from falling with a sheepish smile as Ginny rolled her eyes.
"You do realise he's not actually flying the broom?" Ginny asked in good humour. They all just stared at her like she's crazy.
"Sure I am," Harry interrupted. They all looked back, everyone but Ginny gasped as he was standing on the very tip of the broom with one foot without the slightest wobble. "I'm just super awesome, but don't try this at home kids," he said winking to an imaginary camera, which only the muggle borns got and laughed at.
"Potter, stop showing off…!" Astoria Greengrass unsurprisingly turned up on her broom glaring at him. "I want you to take me back home right now!" she demanded heatedly. "I thought I could escape on my broom, but every time I try to leave the grounds it just turns around."
Harry chuckled in amusement. "I'm not taking you back to the UK, Tori," he said smiling wide as she flinched at the nickname and now she's stuck with it. "If you're that keen to get laid I can always sort you out," he laughed while the others, though some blushing snickered, even Ginny was amused as her eyes scanned her old, now new classmate. "And I'm young and fertile. Though, I would secretly be using contraceptives you'll be having too much fun to care."
She was burning bright red as they all laughed, but surprisingly it wasn't the hurtful kind she's used too. "Shut up Potter, my father would have rescued me and Daphne!" she said it quieter than she would have liked and refrained from the grimace as she heard the doubt in her own word.
"Yea yeah, whatever," he replied shrugging. "You know, instead of complaining and trying to get me to drop you off in the Kingdom of the Bitches you could be making friends and hanging out and doing fun stuff rather than trying to escape my 'your not going anywhere Tori' ward."
"Wait… you made a ward just to keep me prisoner?" she demanded in shock.
He shrugged. "Well, you and Tracey are in my protective custody, and even under whatever bull-crap outdated Western European law you are both my wards, so you can call me daddy if you like."
Tori's eyes widened impossibly as they all laughed again. "N-no way…!" she gasped out.
Harry just shook his head. "Just messing with you, but you believed me," he chuckled as she pouted. "Hey. I have an idea. How about we make a deal, so if you win I'll drop you off anywhere on the planet you want to be, even with your parents, deal?"
"Yea… wait, what if I lose?" she asked worriedly.
Harry just shrugged in thought. "As you and your sister are now considered protected wards of the US. If you lose you have to agree to become my little sister and never mention returning to your parents again."
"WHAT!" they all cried out in shock.
He just shrugged sheepishly. "Hey I've already adopted Abby and Vanille into my family, so why not," he shrugged. "After all, this way I can look out for her better."
Astoria looked away as she realised he actually does seem to care about her welfare just as much as Daphne does. "O-okay then what do I have to do?"
"You have five hours to hit me just once," he said smilingly as he flipped his wand out and shot a giant glowing red digital countdown timer in the air and it started counting down from five hours. "You can use anything not too deadly from magic, a stick, or your fists. You have to get a clear hit. I'm allowed to defend and reflect only. You can recruit whoever you can to help capture me but if they hit me it doesn't count, and no flying allowed making it fairer on you."
He then laughed as he jumped back gaining more gasps as he floated and took his broom in hand. "An alarm will sound to signal the end… well, later guys. And Tori, I wish you luck little sister!"
She blushed as he flew down and landed by the Entrance Hall doors and disappeared inside. She then turned her attention to the others to see whether she could get some help from them.
"Don't look at me little sister," Vanille mocked smilingly. "I have guard duty in an hour, and I like the idea of another sister."
"W-won't any of you h-help me?" she asked desperately.
"Do you even want to win?" asked Abby curiously. "I may not be too bright but I know about all the olden times houses stuff that you like, and you would go from a third rank house to first rank with me… I was in the lowest, which is seventh rank. Though, I don't think Harry cares about house status."
"I… I… of course I do…" she said feeling weird about saying so she shook it off. "I-I'll get Daphne to help me then," she said flying off to the ground.
"I would have helped," said Ginny getting some weird looks she shrugged. "She still wouldn't win, but it would be more fun, and maybe we could have become close friends. She isn't all that bad, she really just doesn't know any better."
0oo00oo0
Harry wasn't really hiding but he had flopped down at Dumbledore's desk, which the Salem Headmaster had set him up with in a classroom office. It had been quite the relief to Salem Academy to have most of the Hogwarts faculty to be able to split most classes, so Dumbledore had taken up part of Defence against the Dark Arts to be helpful and useful.
"Say Old Man, I have a dilemma," he said to said old man after he burst in without knocking and claimed a seat.
Dumbledore nodded his head trying not to let his twinkle eye charm start. "I believe we all have some very large dilemmas on our hands," he agreed smilingly. "But how may I assist with yours?"
"Demons are attacking heroes all over the planet," he spoke looking over towards where Fawkes sat at his perch. "I don't really know what to do… I just know a lot of them may have been killed but there are more."
Dumbledore gave a sad sigh looking into his empty fire in thought. "I'm afraid I don't know what we can do to help them, but I don't think you came here to really get my advice about that as I have no doubt you already have a plan."
Harry shrugged sheepishly. "Soon… I won't tell you how soon, but lets just say real soon I'm taking a large group of people away with me without so much as a goodbye."
Dumbledore sighed rubbing his eyes. "And you want me to keep people… say Molly Weasley in line and inform the Headmaster and Minister that you all left voluntarily?"
"Exactly," he agreed smiling. "With your control over Molly Weasley she shouldn't cause some poor guy unnecessary bother."
Dumbledore chuckled silently. "Yes, Molly does seem to concern herself with things she does not understand. However, even if you try to explain these things she doesn't understand, believing that she has to be right. She doesn't know how to deal with new concepts."
"Stuck in her ways," Harry replied with a long sigh. "But that was only a minor thing I wanted to pass by your ears. It's slowly getting to a stage where… the rest of the world is going to notice the monsters and people fighting them."
Dumbledore grimaced with a small shiver. "A-are you getting to what I think you are?"
Harry smirked with a shrug. "Yes… and no… not right now anyway. However, the nemagus military will most likely join in eventually. I want you to use that cunning little mind of yours and start building bridges starting with Magical USA and The USA."
"B-but Harry…"
Harry raised his hand and Dumbledore trailed off. "If the nemagus come into this fight without allied relations with us they may not feel inclined to fight with us. If the nemagus fight against us as well as the demons we will be screwed!
"Start off slow with the President. He seems like a reasonable guy with a good head on his shoulders unlike that dick before him. I have no doubt that soon the nemagus police will start noticing if not outright getting into a fight with them. It would also help to keep this as low profile as we can for now."
"Cover ups?" the old man asked grimacing as Harry nodded.
"Just modifying memories won't cut it," Harry agreed tiredly. "Well, I'm sure you and the Minister can come up with something, and with the Presidents help we can hopefully protect as many people as we can."
0oo00oo0
"Hey, Buffy, what you thinking…?" Willow interrupted her staring off out of the living room window, wrapping her arms around her from behind and looking over her shoulder into the evening outside.
"Nothing much," she replied smiling and leaning back into her embrace. "Just wondering about Dawn and how schools been going. I'm glad she's out of here. I would hate to send her to Hellmouth High. You would think with all that's gone on there they would rebuild it somewhere else."
"Yea, if they didn't all share a brain cell," Willow replied laughingly nuzzling Buffy's neck.
Buffy was just starting to enjoy the feeling when they were interrupted by a strange female voice. "Nice, can I have some next…?" she asked giggling.
They both spun around in shock to see a black haired woman leaning up against the wall in the lounge. Her eyes pitch black and sparkly even where there should be whites. Her skin was so pale in contrasted greatly with her hair and eyes giving her a creepy vibe.
She was wearing all black; her arms folded under her chest opened her long and elegant black cloak/robe/coat to show the black clothes underneath. They were light and padded, form hugging goodness with black boots and gloves. Her hair was tied back with a silver bat on the tie.
"Well, finally I've found me a pretty Slayer," she said with a soft hue of crimson glowing where her irises should be, but when she smiled her teeth, her canines were sharp and pointed. "After I've finished with you Slayer, I'll take the red head as my prize before I find the other," she giggled as she moved one step forward.
Buffy grit her teeth in anger. "You won't touch her!" she cried out as she rushed forward. However, her eyes widened as her fist only connected with black smog that felt alive with the sound of squeaking she passed through a swarm of 'bats', her fist slamming into the wall.
Boom!
The shockwave from her punch crushed contrite and mortar and shook the house leaving a giant hole in the wall with a multitude of huge cracks.
Buffy was breathing deeply before calming as she had been just as shocked by her strength as when she passed through the woman, but quickly hid her surprise as she spun round.
Buffy's eyes widened as this… this thing licked her petrified girlfriends' face, even over her lips. "I could look after you so much better than this little Slayer."
"Get off her!" Buffy yelled as she kicked up. She was surprised that the strange young woman actually blocked with her right forearm. The kick boomed but she only skidded away several feet smiling. "W-who the hell are you?"
"Oh… my name is…" she giggled in excitement. "Roe, Roe Test," she said with a wide grin showing off her sharp and deadly teeth. "I'm here to eat me a Slayer, but since you're going to resist I'll have to tenderise you first!"
Roe moved in that moment and came in low in a sweeping Buffy's legs had been knocked out from under her. She had been falling when her ankle had been grabbed and she screamed as she was thrown not through the wood door, not even the window but threw solid brick out the front of the house.
Buffy groaned as she hit the grass outside and struggled to pick herself up to her knees trying to get her breath back, she could feel blood trickling down her forehead as Roe casually tore the door off and lobbed it to one side.
The Slayer grimaced as she looked at her house, a giant hole in the wall leading out with huge cracks. She had thought that Roe would capitalize and attack while she's down as fast as possible but the… woman was walking at an average pace.
"Get away from her!" Willow suddenly yelled out as thunder boomed and lightning captured Roe. It obviously hurt but she just grits her teeth before in one cry of pain she seemed to just throw it off before turning her eyes to the wicca.
"That wasn't very nice," she said softly. "You could have hurt…!" she trailed off dodging Buffy's fist before bursting into bats again and grabbing Willow. The bats dragged the screaming wicca over fifty feet into the air before letting her drop. She screamed as she fell and Roe re-emerged on the roof.
However, moments before she hit the ground Cassy zoomed in on the Nimbus cloud catching her arm as it's been proven that certain people aren't pure enough to ride. She managed to drop the shaken young woman off with Buffy just as they heard a huge crash.
Nanoha had her pole extended and it smashed into the roof tearing it up as she tried to hit Roe, but she was very fast. They paused after a minute where Nanoha put her pole back on her back watching her enemy warily.
"Your pretty good kid," Roe said admiring. "But are you good enough to beat me?" she asked laughingly and got a glare for her troubles. "Well, aren't you the feisty one… maybe you and Miss. Willow can both share the honour of being my pets after I have taken my fill of Slayer blood?"
"Precision Lights!" seven blasts of white light blast up at her but she didn't even move, each one hit an invisible barrier and fizzled out.
"That was amusing," she said looking down at the furious looking blonde girl. "Ahh, would you look at that, somebody likes little Nano-chan," she giggled as the blonde blushed brightly and Nanoha looked confused.
"How do you know my name?" Nanoha suddenly asked looking befuddled.
"Research little angel," she said smirking. "How about a game, Slayer," she said turning to Buffy. "If you can hit me just once in the next five hours then I'll leave. I won't even fight back, just defend myself. You can even recruit all of your friends to catch me, but it must be your strike. However…" she laughed positively evil here. "If you lose all of the females that participate have to give me a private strip show for the rest of the night!"
"Huh, didn't you want to eat me?" Buffy spat out in shock.
Roe shrugged in amusement. "Oh, but my dear Slayer, I'm not stupid. I will lose if we play for your life. It will motivate you and your friends. However, this way… we'll see how much of a team you are… and I can always grab a pizza on the way home."
That just made them all grimace, and wonder whether she just like messing with people. "OK, but…" Buffy began, blushing and hoping she doesn't lose. "T-then I don't want you using any form of teleportation, or flying, or leaving the neighbourhood, and no more turning into bats."
"And no magic," piped in Willow quickly.
"Willow, you guys shouldn't help," Buffy quickly said.
"If we lose I'll accept the consequences, after all we're a team, and it's better than her eating someone."
"Yeah, we're a team, right Cassy-chan?" agreed Nanoha.
Cassy whimpered and nodded in agreement. "S-sure Nano," she replied sadly already picturing all of the humiliation.
"Well, OK, even with no magic, can you win?" she asked as she looked at her watch. "It's just gone seven, so you have until midnight. Goodnight sweet strippers," she said laughing as she jumped up over Nanoha's sneak attack and flipped up backwards to land in the garden before running off.
Roe giggled as she found a tree to hide in, in someone's garden having enchanted the neighbourhood to be ignorant of goings on earlier. "Aren't you supposed to be playing this game with Astoria?" she asked the shadowed figure under the tree leaning up against the trunk.
The shadow shrugged. "She never told me to stay at school. I just wanted to watch a little, and by the way Rose will be here at twelve. So don't you lose…?"
She rolled her eyes. "So I had a think about it and fighting for their lives makes it too easy. Though, I think Nanoha can take me now I agreed to no magic, Willow too now I think about it."
"You shouldn't have agreed to 'no magic'," he playfully reprimanded. "Well, I'll see you back here later."
"Ok, babes," she agreed as he disappeared.
0oo00oo0
Astoria was huffing and puffing with exhaustion as she swiped at Harry again only to hit air. Looking around she saw him sitting down at one of the many empty dinner tables with an ice soda in a glass with a pitcher of the weird black liquid beside him and another few glasses.
Astoria groaned as she pulled out her wand and barely managed the tickling charm that he flicked away. He flicked it with his finger and she had thought she stood a chance.
However, her hopes got up as Tracey had snuck up on him and dived at him only for her to freeze with her face almost in his crouch and her arms not quite around his waist. She just blinked several times in shock.
"A shadow capture technique, cool," laughed a young guy with light blue hair and dark blue eyes as he dropped from the ceiling and landed feather light on the table smirking. "Sorry boss but I have twenty galleons riding on her winning!" he said smugly as he went to capture Harry only for him and Tracey to burst into water.
"Nice try Trey," Harry called from the hall doors with both Astoria and Tracey struggling to free them selves from what looked and felt like webbing. "Do you think I'm stupid enough to trust you Ice Boy?"
Trey looked over with his hands in a seal with cold air breathing out of his mouth groaning. "Ah, come on. That's not fair; you're using magic to copy my tricks."
Harry just laughed and flicked each complaining girl on the nose before giving a mock bow and disappearing in a puff of smoke.
"Now that's just taking the piss," Trey complained sighing as he got around to helping the girls. Though, it took him a good five minutes getting them unstuck.
"Come on, we'll get him," Astoria said with a new wind. She went to leave only her left arm didn't want to. She looked down and groaned. "NOW I'M CUFFED TO TRACEY!" she cried out in despair. "Get these things off of us Trey!" she demanded while she and Tracey tried tugging at them.
He sighed sadly as he tried magic, but yep, he would expect no less than a magic proof lock so got out his lock picking tool kit every good ninja needs.
0oo00oo0
Crash!
Roe smiled as she laughed as Nanoha landed a jump from a house roof and crushed and crumpled some poor person's car when she landed on it. However, to Nanoha's credit she didn't slow down as her grinning face was soon in Roe's before Roe ducked falling back onto her hands she kicked Nanoha up into the air before flipping back onto her feet and jumping after her with a spinning kick.
Nanoha cried out as she hit the floor crashing along the road creating a small gorge as Roe landed. However, Roe was immediately dodging an attack from Faith and Buffy as they both tried to hit her, but she back flipped twice and stopped to catch her breath.
Roe now had lost her robe, her clothes filthy from sweat and dirt, and had a bruise forming over her left eyes from Nanoha and a bloody lip from… well Nanoha. Then there's her burnt right hand courtesy of Willow. She half felt like giving up but with only fifteen, maybe thirty minutes remaining she just couldn't.
She let her eyes roam the street to see cars and vans upturned and crumpled, and a few trees on fire, the road in pieces, and Buffy's house is a pile of rubble.
However, looking at her opponents they didn't look much better, they were all a mess and bleeding, tired, wrecks, and all of this because they don't want to dance for her.
Her eyes widened for a fraction as she threw a fireball. It zipped passed the startled fighters and smashed into a couple of vampires as they tried to drag off one of the wanabee Slayers she put to sleep.
"Kennedy!" Faith shouted and abandoned the fight to go check on her while the vampires exploded into dust.
Roe sighed sadly and placed her hands up in surrender. "Well, looks like I used magic so you win."
"No," Buffy said tiredly shocking her. "Y-you didn't use magic in our fight, just for those idiots."
"I must admit seeing us fighting like this would have most vampires and demons running for the hills," Willow pointed out breathlessly. "I say we haven't won yet."
Roe just chuckled shaking her head as her hair streamed from black to a fiery red, her skin darkened, but not by much, and her teeth became human and her eyes a chocolate brown.
"I lost fair and square," she said shrugging her shoulders. "Hi… my name is Ginny Weasley. I'm here to test your strength for a mission. If you refuse I reserve the right to spank all of you girls for disobedience!" she said with a wicked grin.
"W-wait, you weren't ever going to k-kill and eat Buffy?" Willow asked in relief as Ginny shook her head.
"I'm a sorceress not a demon," she replied rolling her eyes as Nanoha had finally pulled herself up looking at Ginny in curiosity. "I'm here to give you money and send you on a mission, but we wanted to see whether you were capable of fighting in a prolonged battle against what could possibly be hundreds of demons, and you passed."
"What makes you sure we'll go?" asked Faith as she had roused Kennedy and helped her over.
Ginny just smirked and shrugged as she threw two bank cards at the Slayers, they each caught one. "Zero nine one two," she told them the pin number for the cards. "As of yesterday Faith you are no longer a wanted criminal. Your prison records gone and you want to atone for what you've done. Well, this is a way to do that…
"As for Nanoha-chan, Cassy, and Alexandra, they are honour bound to protect the world," she replied shrugging her shoulders. "As for Buffy and Willow, I doubt they would let any of you fight alone."
"W-what about me…?" Kennedy asked whimpering about her sore ribs.
"I say we say wakey wakey!" giggled a beautiful red head from behind wearing a cute skirt and top with running trainers. However, in her hand was a short red scythe. "Slayer-want-to-be," she said sing song as the scythe glowed red and the red head slashed it through Kennedy but rather than cutting her she just gasped out as her eyes briefly flashed gold before falling to her knees breathing deeply and tiredly.
"W-what the fuck did you do to her?" Faith demanded getting up in her face before Nanoha moved fast pulling Faith away just staring at the red head first, then Ginny in confusion and reverence.
"No Faith-chan, she is a fight you could never win," she said with a small shy smile at the red head.
The red head smiled at her causing her to blush. "I am Rosette, but you can call me Rose," she said happily as she looked up to Faith. "I just awoke the Slayer; she will be fine in a short while, with a little rest is all."
"W-Wait, t-that thing can wake up Slayers?" Buffy asked looking at it in a new kind of respect. "W-we have more potential's that are with Giles, Evee and Xander, we could wake them too."
"Sure," she said shrugging as she handed it over. "I set the password as 'Slayer want to be', and while its glowing red slash it through the 'Slayer'. Though, it will work better in your witches hand… you know, magic and all that.
"Damn, I guess Gin lost," she said next. "That means I don't get to watch you girls strip," she sighed sadly as they all blushed.
"I-I'll strip for you if you want Mistress!" Nanoha quickly offered causing Cassy to grit her teeth and hope for one, Rose doesn't agree, and hope for two Nanoha doesn't offer her up too, and three that if Rose does agree that Nanoha offers her too so she can see Nanoha dancing naked.
Rosette just laughed and shook her head smiling. "As tempting as that offer is Nano-chan we did lose."
"Oh, OK, Mistress," she said smiling brightly before grabbing Cassy in a cuddle and bringing her over. "This is my best friend Cassy-chan," she said happily introducing her. "Cassy-chan, this is our Mistress, we've finally found her," she said in absolute bliss.
"I-is she always that weird?" Ginny quietly asked Willow to only get a nod.
"And look, we're super extra special because," Nanoha said in so much excitement she might wet herself as she turned Cassy to Ginny. "This is our other Mistress… there are two Masters! How awesome is that?"
"So… what's this mission?" asked Faith edging her self and Kennedy from Nanoha encase she blows. She maybe open to experimenting but if she wants to try taking a golden shower it will be naked, and probably with Kennedy.
"OK," Rose cried out pumping her fist. "We're going to split you into two teams heads," she began smiling. "Team one will be headed by Nano-chan, Cassy, Buffy and Willow. Team two will be headed by Xander and Faith…" she said smiling.
"Wait!" Faith said looking appalled. "So team one has the mystic, super-witch, Slayer stroke training mystic and Celestial Knights. So one of you are coming with us to even stuff out right?"
"Hmm… well you and Xander can go with Cassy and Nano-chan if you want?" she suggested shrugging. "But I really wanted two knights on each team."
"Taloph is not coming," Buffy said quickly. "He's staying to look out for my sister."
"Of course he's not. He has school," Rose said rolling her eyes. "We have another knight with nothing better to do."
"Oh… well OK then," Buffy said sheepishly.
Rose shrugged. "Well, anyway, Nano's team is going to head for Tokyo since she's from Asia, and Faith's team is heading south west USA. Faith, I want your team to head to a town just south of the Sothern border of California called Heatherfield. Its sitting on the border between worlds and the Veil seems to be weakening there.
"Take the Watcher with you and investigate the Veil. Your other knight should be able to help with any normal sorcery whereas the Watcher should know enough Demonic sorcery. There are rumours that the town has its own Guardian Angels. Confirm it and protect them and take them with you."
"The more the merrier," Faith said shrugging. "So what do we have to worry about other than demons?"
"If your Watcher is as good as I've been led to believe by his file he'll know, or at least suspect," she said shrugging.
Faith just nodded as Rose turned to Buffy. "Japan has quite a lot of crazy rumours about freaky things 'not' happening. You are going to collect those people 'not' making it happen. If there is any and any potential hero on the way," she added on shrugging.
"What about passports?" Willow asked worriedly. "You kind of broke the house."
"Umm… sorry about that," Ginny piped in. "Rose said she'll pay for any property damage."
"Just think of it with a bathroom in every room," she agreed, which got Buffy happy when she looked at the card she's carrying.
"So what's our budget and how are we going to get our passports?" Buffy asked unable to believe all of this is happening.
"Have you ever seen one of those side ways eights on a bank machine before?" she asked as their eyes widened impossibly. "The cards are technically limitless, but won't let you use more than ten grand a week unless you need to, for example, your group out growing that much spending money or damage expenses etc., but that does not mean you can break everything you touch just because the damages will be paid. And travel and accommodation expenses will be paid separately."
"Sweet," Faith said pocketing her card. "But I don't have a passport and since you never said where we're stopping in the end… well, the US does lead into Mexico, which is a different country."
"Oh, right, I keep forgetting," she said cheerily. "You'll be issued… some special passports before you leave. They will allow you to carry weapons, walk passed queues… and you'll pretty much be treated like you're super wealthy James Bond Tycoons!" she laughed as they just stared at her.
"Well, we have to go," Ginny said after a moment of them staring. "Don't forget to do your best, and Faith, Severus Snape will be here for you tomorrow afternoon with your passport frames. They'll all be blank until they imprint on you. So that means you can take whoever else you want too. If you're going to wake the other Slayers I suggest splitting them up evenly, OK?"
"Yeah, thanks," Buffy said as Ginny jumped into Rose's arms giggling as they kissed, and then they disappeared in a flash of white light. "O-K," she said shaking away naughty images that brought up. "Well, I guess we should get plenty of rest before we leave tomorrow."
"The house is in pieces!" Cassy cried as she looked over to it with Nanoha comforting her. "Where are we going to sleep?"
"The best hotel in town?" suggested Faith holding up her card smirking smugly.
Cassy immediately brightened, which made Nanoha happy. "Sounds good to me," she said excitedly. "Will you share with me Nano-chan?"
"Of course Cassy-chan," she cried out in happiness as she linked their arms and led the way. The group shrugged and followed after them.
"We'll phone Giles when we get there," Willow said sighing tiredly. "Do you think anyone is going to noticed all of that destruction?"
"I reckon most of it will be gone by morning," Nanoha called from the front. "Our Mistresses will get some nice people to fix it for them with magic."
0oo00oo0
Tiny Professor Flitwick wanted to smack himself as he looked around at the mess, well at least he and his volunteers won't have to fix the house. The road etc., that's all easy, but the cars. He looked to Sprout as she had overheard his conversation with Mr. Potter and decided to come and restore the trees and grass and help out too.
"I-its not too bad," she said looking around the mess. "At least Harry said the house doesn't need fixing anytime soon, so we can leave that for the builders he said he's hiring, and its under a few enchantments to hide it and for people to ignore it, but the cars… we could fix the physical damage, but unless we understand the basic inner workings that's quite impossible," she said looking to the students that volunteered when they asked.
"That's why I'm here," Hermione said with a sigh of annoyance as she looked over the cars with a check book and pen. "He wants me to leave compensation and for us to remove all personal belongings from the cars to return, and then get rid of them. I understand in this town they won't find that too odd."
"OK then, you do that," Flitwick nodded to her. "We'll all get to mending the street before daybreak. We should have asked for compensation too," he said chuckling as he led his students on.
"Oh, one more thing everyone," Hermione quickly said. "If a strange man or woman comes up to you for any reason blast them into oblivion without a second thought," she said just getting lots of lost looks. She rolled her eyes. "The vampire count in this town is off the charts," she said rolling her eyes as some of the volunteers looked to reconsider being helpful ever again. "Not to mention the demons and Hellmouth," she muttered under her breath not realising Flitwick and Sprout both heard and paled.
Both teachers looked to each other and nodded quickly. "O-OK, let's get this done quick and then get out of here!" Flitwick was quick to say. He's sure Sprout only knew what Hermione meant by demons, but being part goblin knows what the Hellmouth is and he doesn't want to spend too much time on it."
It turned out to be the quickest magical clean up in Magical-USA's history and when their backup cleaning crew arrived from the Ministry they were finished and all that was needed was the finishing touches. So with a quick warning about vampire activity they left them too it.
0oo00oo0
Astoria sighed as Harry smiled at her, the alarm for her challenge had gone off two minutes ago and no matter what she could not hit him once, but all things considered she isn't in a bad situation. Sure, she's gained a new family of sorts but… well honestly Harry has been looking out for her ever since Rose and Vanille brought her here.
"B-big brother," she said blushing. It felt awkward yet still… it also felt nice to see him smile at those words. "I've lost… and now I'm your little sister, what now?"
He just grinned and before she knew it he was hugging her, and before she could stop, she melted. She had never been held like this before, or held much at all… only Daphne had ever really hugged her. This felt so warm, so comforting, so like what home should feel like.
Harry laughed as he pulled back and kissed her check causing them to flame up more. "Welcome to the family Astoria Potter," he said, and she couldn't help but feel warm at her name with his. It fit better with someone who would really look after her.
"So are you going to adopt me too or what?" Daphne interrupted glaring at them from behind.
"Oh me too please?" cried out Tracey with tears of happy sadness at the scene she witnessed. "T-then Daph and I will be sisters, and that will be… awesome," she sobbed hugging her best friend tight to her non-comfort with such scenes. "Please be our brother too," she whimpered out.
Harry gave a small smile and a nod. "Of course the invite would be open to you too Daphne, and I suppose if you're that set on it Tracey, OK."
He almost squealed in shock as Tracey was then hugging him, Astoria, and Daphne squishing them crying her heart out. Harry chuckled nervously before hugging back.
'OK, so she's ADHD,' he thought fearfully to himself. 'I can deal with that… I'll look after her. She obviously needs it. Though, why can't more people look after me…? Oh, right, I won't let them… maybe I have my own mental disorder?'
To Be Continued…