In this chapter- Hermione learns something more of her enchanted heritage, Ron discovers the joys of teenage movies and teenage girls ; ) , we get an inside look at a teenaged party, Lupin reflects, and Draco makes a semi-life altering decision.
Authors Note A lot of you have been wondering if this is a crossover fic between Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel and Harry Potter. In the literal sense, no, its not, but there are strong references and I am planning on having the Buffy gang make an appearance, they wont stay for more then a couple chapters though, and its not for a long, long, way away. I added spike for some background and to mesh Rain's history (no, Rain is NOT Angel, I can assure you! He's my original character) The Scooby gang isn't going to play a major role, mostly comic relief when things get dark (because kids, you're going to need some nightlights for how dark this is going to turn) Starting with this chapter, the Harry gang is going to grow up, and their going to grow up fast, buckle your seatbelts, it's all twilight from here.
~
Rain apparated on the street facing the Head quarters for the order of the phoenix- the Black house, and tenitivly walked inside. Lupin was waiting for him.
"They are still safe." Rain said. "And adjusting well, although Hermione pines for Hogwarts."
"Any word on her powers?" This is what Remus meant by the news, Hermione was due to change soon.
"Nothing." Sirius answered. "Either they haven't occurred, or she's keeping them to herself."
"It will come out soon, then." Remus said. "Maybe a little later then the norm, but she is only partial blood."
"Partial is something." Rain said, I knew her grandmother. "Especially with her, will any of us be able to look at her the same again?"
Remus gave a dry laugh. "Of course." He said. "Hermione is not a full enchantress, not even the daughter of one, for how extraordinary it is, her charms and powers will only effect the unexpecting and those who don't know her well enough, and of course those with particularly weak wills. I do believe we can hold our own against and enchantress."
"I know." Rain said with a sad look in his eyes. "But will Harry and Ron?"
~
"Brilliant!" Ron exclaimed. "Absolutely bloody brilliant!"
"Ron!" Jessica said, "Calm down, it was only a movie."
"Easy for you to say." Ron grumbled. "You grew up with it. Who would have thought muggles could be such comedic geniuses?"
Jessica hit Ron with her pillow.
It was that same Friday night, with the same group of people. Jared and Jessica had decided to stay the night, and to Jessica's surprise, her mom let her. Jared never had a problem with his father, he was always away on trips.
Right now the only people awake were Ron and Jessica. They were sitting on sleeping bags in front of the TV, in the far corner of the room. Hermione and Harry were on the floor near the fire, sleeping near each other, so close in fact, that they kept stealing each others pillows in their sleep, occasionally scolding an unnamed thief. Jared was on one of the couches, mumbling something about tofu.
"Hey!" Ron said, watch it!"
"Keep your voice down!" Jessica said, in no attempt at keeping her own down.
"So." Ron said, and an uncomfortable minute passed.
"So." Jessica murmured. "We're the only ones awake."
"I noticed." Ron grinned.
"This is very odd," Jessica said. "I've never gone to a sleepover with boys and girls, I'm amazed my parents let me come, although I believe I left out the part about three boys." She grinned wickedly.
"At Hogwarts." Ron started. "We would always have parties after we won a quiddich game, or when Harry was named champion, although I wasn't there for that, anyway, after the partying had died down, we'd all be so full of buterbeer and sweets we'd all just pick a couch, chair, or even a soft bit of floor and kip there till morning, it didn't really matter who was there."
"I wish I was a witch." Jessica said suddenly. "Lauren and Hermione went away when they were eleven, and it was just me and Jar, then Lauren came back and told us, and we were amazed, but we got used to it. Then Hermione actually brought us into your world, and it's amazing! Being surrounded by all that magic at your school, I was so envious of Hermione and Lauren, and I just wish I could be that special."
"You are special." Ron said in a caring voice. "So you can't turn a teacup into a turtle, or lock someone's legs together with a few words, it's not something to be ashamed of. I hear you're great at sports. And you're a great person to talk to, and be with, I like being with you, I have fun, just because you're not a witch doesn't mean you're any less of a person."
"You just now realized that." Jessica said. "About us, us muggles. You didn't really think that before me, did you?"
Ron turned a very unflattering shade of red. "You're right. I suppose deep down I was a little biased, not as bad as Malfoy, but a bit biased. I had never met a muggle before you, and although my dad is obsessed with him, I couldn't understand how a civilization and culture could really flourish without magic, but you proved me wrong."
Jessica smiled. "Are you glad I did.?"
Instead of answering, Ron did something that matched his rash temper, he leaned in and kissed Jessica, and to his pleasant surprise, she didn't back away, but rather returned his kiss, as unsurely as if it were her first time up to bat and a big baseball game.
Ron leaned in more, and lifted his hand to her cheek, moving her face even more to his, his thumb stroking her cheek softly, like he was coaxing her to never stop.
But it did stop, and Jessica moved back slightly. "Ron, I-" She stopped, unable to really explain.
Ron looked genuinely sorry, but also eager to continue. "I'm sorry Jess, if I made you uncomfortable, I didn't mean to."
Jessica relaxed and smiled. "No, that's not it." She said.
Ron gave her a questioning look. "Is it me?"
Jessica shook her head and kept her smile. "It was my first kiss."
~
"Oh do hurry up!" Harry said impatiently for what must have been the millionth time that night. "Hermione! We're going to be late!"
"You can't be late for these kinds of parties." Hermione's muffled voice yelled to him from inside the bathroom. "It's an open house party!"
Harry wordlessly rolled his eyes and tapped his foot impatiently. Finally Hermione emerged and all Harry could do was gawk.
Something definitely changed in Hermione. Here she was, the same girl he met five years ago, and somehow not. She was not the busy haired- bucktoothed little eleven year old of their youth, but standing in front of him was a beautiful girl that he had no right even breathing the same air as her.
She wore a simple black dress. It was short, coming to about mid thigh, and short sleeves. The neck was a very casual V, but Harry wished he was just a tad bit taller. Her hair had gone curly for the evening, bouncing around her face and catching all the light in the room. Her makeup was minimal, and her smile was true.
"How do I look?" She asked Harry and did a turn for his benefit. Harry was really hating how nice that dress fit her, really, really hating it.
"You look fantastic!" Harry finally said. "I'm going to have to start beating the boys off you." He offered her his arm and they walked down the steps together, to meet Ron.
Ron had not quite divulged his little secret to his friends, not quite knowing if these were 'kiss and tell' circumstances. After admitting to Jessica that it has been his first kiss as well, she smiled and nearly hugged the life out of him, which he returned just as strong. They then lied down on the soft carpet and shared a blanket, and that's how Hermione and Harry found them the next morning, both with amused looks of understanding in their eyes.
"You guys look great too." Hermione said. "You won't have a chance to sit down all evening."
Harry smiled and Ron blushed, he didn't want to dance with anyone but Jessica.
Hermione led them to the old warehouse, which most teenagers around there just simply called it 'the house'. It was already packed and Hermione could hear the music blaring. She still had her arm in Harry's and the followed Ron inside.
"Wow! This is amazing!" Ron said, trying to be heard over the noise.
"What?" Harry and Hermione asked, unable to hear, but soon their ears adjusted, and they simply shouted their conversation.
"I'm going to go look for Jess." Ron said with a smile. "See you two later."
Hermione and Harry waved, and grabbed a couple of chairs.
"What do you think?" Hermione said to her companion. "I used to be afraid of this place when I was little, they never used to throw parties here."
"It's aright." Harry said. "But I wish Lauren was here."
Hermione grinned. "I know what you mean, but don't worry, knowing her we'll never be able to get rid of her." Hermione winked.
Harry sighed. "That Amanda chick has been following me." He said with a grimace. "She won't leave me alone."
"Well, Amanda Decon is used to getting what she wants." Hermione said with a shrug. "You were right, she is like a muggle-version of Pansy Parkinson."
"That isn't very reassuring." Harry said with a grin. "All the Slytherins want us dead, remember?"
Hermione smiled. "Don't worry, I think Amanda's bark is worse than her bite."
"Speaking of which." Harry said looking over Hermione's shoulder. "There's the dog herself."
Hermione turned around and there was Amanda walking towards her, this time alone, although there was a table of her group close behind her.
"Ah, here we go." Harry said under his breath. "Hi Amanda."
"Harry!" Amanda said in an excited and pleased voice. "Hermione, I'm so glad you could make it!"
"Well, I didn't have to coax them a bit." Hermione said with a tired smile. "You know how boys can be."
Amanda grinned, "Oh yes."
Hermione heard Harry sigh under his breath and looked over. His eyes showed boredom but determination. "Would you like to dance?" He asked Amanda.
Amanda lit up. "Of course!" She exclaimed. When her back was turned Hermione saw Harry grimace but wink at her, Hermione winked back and mouthed. "It will be ok!"
About five minutes after Harry led Amanda away, Hermione felt someone tap her on her shoulder.
"Would you like to dance?"
Hermione turned around and came face to face with Ryan. "Oh hey!" She said. "Didn't even see you come in!"
"Well, you seemed pretty busy with that friend of yours." Ryan said in an unreadable voice."
"Harry?" Hermione asked. "Harry is just my friend, and as protective of me as five brothers, Ron too, don't worry about them."
Ryan relaxed slightly and offered his hand. "Well then, care to dance?"
Hermione giggled and let herself be led to some of the songs, but she couldn't fight a feeling in her stomach that something wasn't quite right.
About an hour later, Hermione was dead on her feet, she told Kevin she was going to sit down, and he went to hang out with some of his buddies.
Hermione made her way to a table, and was soon joined by Jessica.
"Hey." Hermione said as her friend sat down.
"Hey Hermione." Jessica said with a slight smile. "How is your night going?"
"Not bad." Hermione said with a smile. "Kevin is cute, but not much of a talker."
"Oh, he can talk alright." Jessica said, her face suddenly clouding over. "He can talk just fine."
Hermione cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"He was they guy I replaced as All-Star." Jessica said simply. "He had a few not-so-kind-words to say to the only girl on the team."
"Oh Jess." Hermione said, suddenly feeling terrible. "I'm so sorry. Jared said you had it rough, I didn't know people tried to make you feel bad about being so good!"
Jessica smiled. "It's alright, I'm used to it."
Hermione's eyes flashed. "But that's not right!" She said. "You're not the one with the problem! It's him! You shouldn't have to get used to it!"
Jessica put a hand up to stop Hermione's ranting. "Really, Mione, it is ok, you don't have to deal with it, I do, don't worry about it."
Hermione faltered for a minute, then smiled in spite of herself. "Jess." She began. "I have had to deal with being a muggleborn at Hogwarts for five and a half years, trust me, I know exactly what you are going through."
"They treat you differently there?" Jessica asked, curious."
"Some do." Hermione said. "You met a bit of both when you were there. Remember Draco Malfoy? The blonde on that Lauren knew? He's one of the worst. But my friends, like Dean and Seamus, aren't bad."
Jessica put her hand on Hermione's shoulder. "I'm sorry Mione." She said. "I know, it is rough, but it's easier for me to pretend that it doesn't bother me than mouth back, I bet I would be a Hufflepuff."
"Hufflepuff's aren't bad." Hermione said with a grin. "But you would make a better Gryffindor."
~
Remus Lupin was pacing in his study, as he had been for hours. He saw that his shoes where starting to wear on the old wood of the Black house. He stopped for a moment and looked around him.
It has been about a year and a half since the Order moved into the Black house, and many things have changed. The place was tidier, thanks to Molly Weasley, and most of the creatures living there were gone. But Lupin could feel the ancient family around him. The portrait of Sirius's mother was still up, but most everyone was about to be quiet around her, except for Tonks, who kept knocking over the Umbrella stand.
All around the study were ancient books and photographs. It was Lupins job to research the Prophecy about Harry and Voldemort, but in his search, he found so much more.
It seemed as though the ancient ones were a little prophecy-happy, predicting just about anything from drought to rodent infestation, to who the monarch of Britain will be in whatever year. The thing that made Lupin uneasy was that they were nearly always right.
He had found more on Harry's Prophecy, but not a lot more than what they already had. They knew that sooner or later, Harry would have to face Voldemort, but now, thanks to Lupin, they discovered that he didn't have to be alone.
In the ancient manuscripts of people who's names Lupin couldn't even pronounce, it stated that an ancient evil will inhabit a half mortal, making him more dangerous than ever before. It also stated that the warrior who will face the evil will win- if he knows his friends.
Everything that he read made Lupin grimace. Since when did these Prophecy things become so cliché? Know your friends? Does that mean Ron and Hermione? But that was only part of what he found.
Yet another manuscript adjusted Lupins mind entirely, something none of them had expected.
In the midst of a great war an even greater evil will befall the earth, leaving it to be ruled by the immortals and the undead. But the heart and power of those stronger than the Great Dark Lord will rise in the attempt to defeat the chosen one, and suddenly the line between good and evil shall be blurred, leaving many at a crossroads. A worrier will rise, and if he knows his friends, shall vanquish the Dark Lord.
Another will rise as well, neither dark nor light, and only in the act of the truest love will he be saved from the darkness that will try to consume him.
"Argh!" Lupin said, throwing the parchment down. He was fed up with how vague everything was. He was close, but needed to break the codes.
Lupin got up from the worn desk and crossed the room to the window. He looked out to the empty grounds and saw the sliver of the quarter moon. Remus closed his eyes and went back nearly three decades.
Images and years flashed before the mans eyes. Images of his three best friends, James's wedding, Sirius's capture….trial, seeing him again that night. The last time he saw Wormtail before he knew who Peter's real alliance was with. He saw Lily, He saw Severus, Voldemort…He saw a baby Harry, then, years later he saw Harry again, with a strong friendship with two of the best people in the world, they just didn't know it yet.
Remus sighed and looked out the window once more. And then he cried. He cried for James and Lily, he cried for Peter, the lost Marauder, he cried for Sirius, he cried for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and then…he cried for himself.
~
Draco Malfoy was pacing in the Slytherin dungeons. Being plagued with insomnia was not on his to-do list, but unfortunately he had no power over it.
"Goddammit." He muttered. His last encounter with his mother had been reeling around in his mind since the night she died. It had been a quiet wedding, family and close friends, deatheaters, and Voldemort made an appearance. If it was one thing the old, pure blooded families prided themselves in, was appearance and tradition. Draco knew that when it was his father's time, and possibly his own, more than the majority of the people who show up only go to make sure the bastard is really dead.
Draco smirked. His father was never going to die, Draco wasn't that lucky.
Draco had read his mothers entries in the bewitched diary, but in doing so learned things about himself that disturbed him more than anything his father could ever do.
He learned things about Hermione's parents, and her grandmother. Narcissa had been best friends with Hermione's mother, and Hermione was the little girl in his dreams. And Hermione knew it.
Draco flopped back onto his bed in the Slytherin dungeons. Now he knew why she hadn't turned him in, what she meant when she said she helped old friends. He was the old friend, and that meant that she was having the same dreams that he was having too.
He also knew things that Hermione didn't, that didn't occur in the dreams. He knew what her future would have held if she hadn't been taken away by muggles. Voldemort wouldn't have killed her, then at least. He had plans for her and her powers, and so did Draco's parents. One of those plans was a betrothal to the heir of the Malfoy fortune.
Everything Draco had read in the diary conflicted with what his father had been teaching him for years. Narcissa wrote of friends she had when she was a girl, muggle friends, in a muggle neiborhood. Lucius believed that Narcissa had grown up in an all-wizard community. Narcissa was a pureblood, but stayed with friends during her youth. She didn't get along well with her parents, and yet she married someone who was just like them? A very respectable pure blooded marriage. Draco frowned, something wasn't right with any of this.
His mind began to wander. He wondered where the golden trio has gone. Dumbledore gave them a long speech about hoe they have to keep up wizard ties, and that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were at another school acting like ambassadors, but Draco knew that was a lie. Voldemort had a spy in every wizarding school in Europe, and they weren't at any of them. It was possible they had left Europe, but not likely.
So that must mean that they are at a muggle school. Draco had thrown around the idea that they had gone to those muggle friends of Hermione's school. In fact, it was probably the very thing Dumbledore did. Draco had gone to tell his father countless times, so many he lost count, but he couldn't, something always called him back.
"Why didn't you rat me out to everybody, you knew it was all my doing." His eyes were confused, but still dangerous.
"I would do anything for an old friend." Hermione said simply, and then twisted out of his grasp and out the door before he could say another word.
He finally decided that if Voldemort was as all-powerful as he claimed, he would find them on his own. Hermione had saved his skin once, he was keeping this information to keep her safe a little longer, he owed a debt to her, and Malfoy's always repaid their debts.
(A/N)
Ah, I'm having bad writers block, but the next chapter should be very, very interesting. Hopefully I wont take so lonf for that one! Thanks for reading, please review!
