Cousins 2

"Hello, I'm Sandra Tarnhelm," she introduced herself to the old Amerind wizard who was working on a motorcycle and smoking a cigarette, his old fashioned buckskin breeches stained black with oil and dirt.

"And?" he asked, not looking up from his work, the setting sun reflecting off the burnished metal and chrome.

"And I need to talk to you about training a natural necromancer," she explained.

The old man looked up, his kind brown eyes seeming at odds with his weather tanned skin and the uninterested expression on his face, they looked like they belonged on a much younger man, possibly a schoolchild. Brushing an errant strand of iron grey hair out of his face he replied, "I'm listening."

"I'm from the American Ministry of Magic," she said. "We've run across a young man who has no training, but has a very strong gift."

"Most of the kids today are worthless pussies who couldn't handle training with me," the old man said, "self entitled little pricks who faint at the sight of blood and don't have enough willpower to keep breathing when the veil is disturbed." Hopping on the Harley he'd been working on, he kicked it into life and revved the engine. The sound was almost a physical force as it roared around the garage like a herd of horses thundering past before he shut it down.

"Please, Mr. Rides-an-iron-horse, it's important," she begged.

He raised an eyebrow. "Haven't used that name in decades, call me Horse. I suppose I can take a look at him."

"You're not going to ask why it's important?" she asked.

"Nah, you got nice tits," he replied casually. "That's worth at least a glance at the kid."

"Erm, thanks?" Sandra offered lamely.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Xander took a bite out of his giant cookie, it was fresh from the oven and nice and hot, just the way he liked it. Hearing a muffled cry from a nearby alley he immediately ran towards it. Naturally it turned out to be a vampire attacking an attractive young woman.

Seeing the vampire bent over her and distracted, he staked it before it even knew he was there. As the vamp dusted, he saw the frightened young woman was bleeding and absently handed her his cookie to hold, while blessing Giles for his training, as he pulled out a handkerchief and applied pressure to her wound. "You'll be OK," he promised. "Looks like he was planning on making you a minion, so he was careful not to do too much damage, you're just a little low on blood."

A screech of feminine rage came from the other end of the alley. "You killed Frankie!" the vampiress growled, ripping a pipe off the wall and running at them.

The blonde girl's eyes widened and she shouted, "Flamare!" sending a bolt of fire out of the cookie to fry the demon who turned into a cloud of ash, the pipe falling to clatter to the ground at their feet.

For a moment the only sound in the alley was water pouring out of the broken pipe on the wall.

"Let's get out of here before they make us pay for it," Xander suggested, relieved things had gone so well, as he hadn't been prepared for any real battle at the moment, just having the one stake on him out of habit.

She looked at him nervously. "You aren't..." she trailed off for a moment. "I'm..." she fell silent.

"Mad about the cookie?" Xander guessed confused. "It looks fine," he offered and broke off a piece and ate it. "It's still good. Let's get you back to my room where we can bandage your wound and make sure you don't have a concussion."

"O-OK," she said quietly, allowing him to lead her off.

Horse spoke a word and dismissed the magic that had cloaked their presence, laying a hand on Sandra's arm to keep her quiet until the pair had left. "Let them rut in peace, I'll bug them in the morning."

"Rut?" she asked, before blushing.

"They're young and just went through a life or death situation together," Horse said. "Sex is the normal response. I'll talk to the kid tomorrow about training. For now I'll let the two enjoy the Heroes' reward.

"Hero's reward?" Sandra exclaimed upset. "She's not some prize to be won!"

"I said Heroes, plural," Horse said, not in the least upset. "She cast a fire spell using a cookie, and dusted a vamp. If that doesn't earn her a solid dicking, I don't know what does."

Sandra nodded slowly, admitting Rides-an-Iron-Horse may have a foul mouth and be as blunt as a hammer, but at least he wasn't sexist. "So he's up to your standards?" she asked, just to be sure.

Horse nodded. "I'll give him a shot and see what he can learn. She'd probably do a lot better with a traditional teacher. I'll probably pass her on to someone else."

"That's fine," Sandra said, relieved everything seemed to have turned out well and was proceeding the way she'd hoped.

"Let's go get a beer and you can explain what all John is expecting by getting me involved," he said before taking a pack of cigarettes out of his black leather jacket and lighting one.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Aren't I supposed to be going to the Dursley's?" Harry asked as he was handed a portkey.

"Circumstances have changed," Dumbledore told him. "I'm afraid it's no longer safe for you there. I've arranged for you to stay elsewhere."

Harry perked up immediately, he was still recovering from the basilisk's bite, but he barely noticed now as the possibility of escaping the Dursley's put a spring in his step. "Let's go!"

Dumbledore activated the portkey with a frown. This was going to cause no end of trouble, he could tell.

Typing by: Stephenopolos