Author's Note: So here's for a long installment, the second to last one! There's a little romance and a big revelation. I hope you like it!
It was three weeks after Halloween and just days after their second Hogsmeade visit of the school year when Hermione had a sudden realization. There were hidden passageways from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade and Apparition from Hogsmeade was perfectly legal. So Hermione and Draco started doing just that at least two or three times a week.
Patrolling after weeks of training and hiding their secret was particularly refreshing even though it took so long to sneak out of and back into the school that they were losing out on even more sleep than usual. But they were fighting so well. At least until the night when they weren't.
Hermione lost all sight of Draco when the demon smacked her across the face and sent her tumbling right on her ass. But the fall did give her time to pull out her wand and freeze him, or her (it was so hard to tell) and then the oogy boogy was no more.
And that just left the two vamps who were attacking Draco. She assessed the situation and her heart lurched. Somehow, some way, Draco's stake was in the hand of one of the vamps.
Hermione launched herself at the enemy and it was over in a matter of seconds but the heart pounding panic hadn't stopped. She spun around to face her Watcher. "How did they get the drop on you? I thought you had them!"
Draco brushed off his shirt. "I did. I still had my wand. And my fists."
"Your wand's not much help considering that it's still in your holster," Hermione pointed out. "So what's up? Why are you so off your game?"
"Because that beast knocked you down!" Draco exploded, pointing out towards the goopy remains of the demon Hermione had just taken out. "It's been awhile since we've had any problems. I guess I just forgot how dangerous this can be."
Hermione didn't say a word, not at first. Instead she just stepped towards him and wrapped him in her arms. "We're in this together," she murmured. "I've got your back if you've got mine."
Draco pulled back just enough to look her in the eye. "Of course."
And then their lips were meeting in a bruising kiss and their hearts started pounding for a completely different reason.
The kiss was still on their minds when nearly an hour later Draco helped Hermione out of the statue of the one eyed witch. That's why neither of them noticed they were being watched by the only man in all of Hogwarts who could smell the demon on them.
Spike didn't bring up his suspicions until the last Defense class before the Christmas holidays. They had started assigning students to fight in front of the class so that everyone, students and teachers alike, could evaluate techniques and discuss them afterwards. And it was going well, primarily because the kids were being paired based on their skill level.
Which was why everyone stared in shock when Spike called out the first pairing of the day.
"Dawn Summers and Hermione Granger."
"What are you doing?" Buffy hissed. Even Giles, who was sitting in on the class, looked concerned and he wasn't even fully aware of just how badly Hermione was doing in the course.
Spike watched as Dawn rushed over to the mat and started her stretches while Hermione moved much more slowly. Everyone else in the room likely thought she kept looking over her shoulder at her fellow Gryffindors for support but Spike knew she wasn't. No, she was sharing looks with Malfoy who sat two rows behind Potter and Weasley.
"Oh, there's a method to my madness," Spike finally whispered back.
Buffy's nod was curt. "Fine but you have to carry Granger to the hospital wing when this is over."
Spike smiled and turned to the class. "Dawn. Hermione. Ready?" Once both girls nodded he counted down from three and made certain he was in the perfect spot to see everything.
The fight started out just like everyone would have expected, with Dawn on the offensive and Hermione barely able to block any of the blows. And then Dawn knocked the Gryffindor to the ground and said the worst possible thing she could have said and she said it loud enough that everyone in the room heard.
"How's it feel to finally fail at something?" she gloated.
The last word had barely left Dawn's lips when her legs were swept out from underneath her and Hermione leapt to her feet. Dawn rolled with her fall and popped back up halfway across the mat. "Lucky shot."
Hermione adjusted her stance and her eyes narrowed. "I'm just getting started."
She rushed forward and everyone stared in awe at what had just become the second best fight of the class, second only behind the demonstrations Buffy and Spike gave. Both girls were swinging fists, kicking, ducking, and dodging like nobody's business.
It was Giles who first noticed something unusual. "Hermione's purposefully ignoring the openings Dawn is leaving."
Buffy's eyes widened and she turned to Spike. She didn't say a word but he took his cue and stepped forward. "Girls! Stop."
The brunettes did as they were told and turned to face their teachers. Dawn was panting and Hermione hadn't even broken a sweat but her eyes were wild. Clearly she hadn't been planning on revealing herself. But since it had happened, and in front of a class even, Spike wanted to take full advantage of the situation.
"Let's make this more of a fair fight," Spike suggested. "How about Buffy and I against Granger and Malfoy?"
The two teens shared a long look over the heads of their stunned and confused classmates. Then they nodded.
The fight between the blonde men and their partners started as the rest of the class stared on in shock. Then everyone gasped, Dawn the loudest, when Hermione's first punch landed and Buffy grunted in pain.
After that it was madness and those who knew anything about fighting knew the fighters weren't holding anything back.
And it was also clear to the class that it wasn't the first time Hermione and Draco had teamed up in such a capacity. They always seemed to be aware of one another in the same way Buffy and Spike were. That's why, when Giles commanded them to stop fifteen minutes later there still wasn't a clear winner. There were bruises and possibly broken bones but no one was really more or less battered than anyone else.
The California gang gave Hermione and Draco an appraising look while the class watched on.
Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "So we've had another Slayer around all this time."
Hermione nodded and Draco spoke up from his place beside her. "And her Watcher. Unofficially of course. How long have you known?" he directed towards Spike.
The vampire shrugged. "A couple of weeks. At first I thought you were just sneaking around to shag but then you returned from a late night excursion reeking of demon and that was that."
"It bloody well is not!" Ron shouted as he and Harry stumbled away from their classmates. He was visibly shaken.
Harry, on the other hand, just looked hurt and very confused. "Why didn't you tell us Hermione?"
Giles sighed and slipped his glasses off to rub the bridge of his nose. "Perhaps we should move this conversation elsewhere. And I will excuse you from your next classes," he said, indicating the rest of the class.
They all nodded and silently trudged out of the classroom.
Once they were in Giles's magically enlarged office, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall and Xander and Willow were summoned. Then Buffy turned to Hermione and Draco. "Explain. Now."
Hermione started in on how she'd first felt odd at the end of the last year then Draco picked up the story with his realization and subsequent training of his former enemy.
"What I still don't understand is why you didn't come to us," Harry said once they'd fallen silent.
Hermione and Draco didn't say a word but they did share a look. A look that made Dumbledore chuckle. When the others stared at him he just smiled in Hermione and Draco's direction before turning to face Giles. "Perhaps this wasn't the original excuse but are there restrictions on how close a Slayer and a Watcher can get?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.
The junior Slayer and Watcher in question just blushed as Giles looked at them in surprise. "Well yes, there are rules."
"That's putting it mildly," Buffy muttered.
"However the Watchers Council as it used to be is no more," Giles finished.
"Wait…Hermione and Malfoy are too close?" Ron squeaked then turned to his best female friend. "He can't mean…are you sleeping with the enemy?"
Hermione's blush deepened and spread down her chest. "No Ron, no sleeping. Not that that means we've been doing things other than sleeping." She fell silent before she could say anything else incriminating.
"Relationships aside, we need to start training you in an official capacity," Buffy announced. "And fight how you did with me, not what you've been doing in class. No holding back."