Chapter 34
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The Cleveland branch of the Guardian Council was in turmoil. One of their slayers disappeared the night before. Teams of slayers witches and watchers were sent to the Scene of her last known whereabouts. Buffy was at her wits end. It was one thing to lose a slayer when they died but it was nerve racking to believe they disappeared and may still be alive. She would do everything she could to find her. If she were sucked into a hell dimension the slayer in question may only have hours. Hell dimension usually ran faster than it did on earth so if they found her alive she may be very old. That wasn't something Buffy wished on anyone let alone one of her slayers. Just as Buffy was sending out another team to see if their informants knew anything Willow had finally arrived.
"Has there been any word?" Willow asked.
"None, I was just sending out some slayers to the non-hostile demon bars to see if anyone knew anything. Do you think you could do a location spell and find her?"
"That's what I'm here for." Willow replied.
"Becky and June have the blood and hair we collect from the slayers upon their first slay outing in case one of them goes missing. They're in the map room." Buffy informed.
"Then I'll head right up. Don't worry we'll find her Buffy." Willow said trying to calm her friend.
Just then a team of slayers burst through the door out of breath from running which halted Willow in her tracks.
"Sorry for running in like this Miss Buffy but the G.C.'s phone lines are all tied up. Our watcher sent us back. We found something."
/Scene Break/
In a cemetery on the outskirts of Cleveland, Buffy, Willow, and the watcher in charge of last nights patrol for this area were staring at the scene of the attack. The watcher was inconsolable and had to be led away to be questioned later at the G.C. The G.C.'s doctor was being asked to act as a Forensic scientist, a roll he was ill-equipped to take on but as he was the only doctor around with the knowledge and belief in demons for miles he would do his best.
"How did this happen? Why did this happen? She was one of the best. She was always willing to learn new things. She was always trying to better her techniques." Buffy said in frustration. The smell of the blood was turning her stomach. Not that she hadn't smelled this much blood before but this one was from one of her slayers.
Willow had seen it in the past. When one of the slayers got badly hurt or died Buffy took on a roll that was very much like a mother. She may not have given birth to them but she did give them strength and a place in the world. It was her idea and her strength that made each of them a slayer after all.
The doctor walked over and began explaining what he found.
"There's just no indication of where they took the body."
"Not the body!" Buffy announced. "She's a slayer and there's no indication that she's dead."
"I'm afraid that's not true. Between the arterial spay and the pool of blood where the body rested I have no doubt that she died right here."
"You don't know that." Buffy stated in worry of the doctors next words.
"Miss Summers there is over three pints of blood on the ground. Even a slayer needs almost two and a half pints to live. I'm sorry but she's gone."
Willow watched as her friend did what she always did when such news came. She went numb, a form of shock in Willows opinion and she was glad she was here so they could help each other through this crisis because as much as she was one of Buffy's slayers she had been one of Willows favorite students. She was never going to be a witch. That wasn't what she strived for. She had just wanted to know how to safely handle magical items and throw off magic that might have hit her. Now all of that was over.
Just then one of the slayers cried out. "This is my fault."
Buffy, Willow and the doctor looked in her direction.
"Beth, what do you mean?"
"She told me at the cemetery gate that she wasn't feeling well. She didn't tell me in what way but I told her to tell our watcher or that I would if she wanted. She said she would just finish tonight's patrol and call off tomorrow if she got worse. Now because I didn't say anything she's dead." Beth cried.
"Not feeling good could mean anything Beth, from a head cold to having a few aches or pains. I'm sure it wasn't what got her killed." Willow said.
"She's right, I knew her pretty well. I spent a long time training her and talking to her when she first joined us. I know if she felt that bad she would have taken herself out of the game until she felt better. This wasn't your fault Beth, don't blame yourself. I don't." Buffy comforted.
"There is no indication that her not feeling well is what brought this about. A demon could have simply got lucky or snuck up on her. But from what I've seen here it was more than likely that they attacked in mass overwhelming her." The doctor announced. "At the moment your watcher is a mess, Sarah needs you to be strong."
Beth nodded her head and silently walked in the direction of Sarah Jane.
"We're going to have to notify her mother." Buffy mumbled to Willow.
"Oh god. That's going to be a nightmare. She scares me. Maybe we can get Giles to do it. He's the one who sent us to tell her and her daughter that she was a slayer. And that was a time I'll never forget. I thought she was part banshee demon."
"No. I'll call her personally. She was my responsibility. I let Jacky down and now her daughter's dead. In her short life as a slayer she accomplished a lot. Her name will be in a place of honor among the G.C. We must make sure we never forget her." Buffy stated.
"And I'll do the same within the witch's coven. I think I can even swing it so that she'll be remembered as the ambassador among the wizards too. Their first contact with any slayer was when Harry and Hermione met her."
Buffy simply nodded.
"Don't worry Buffy, Rose Tyler will be remembered." Willow confirmed.
/Scene Break/
The week they had stayed at the Hyperion Hotel had been comfortable but it would soon be time to leave so it was time to have the planned meeting between Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, Nina Ash and Angel's biological son Connor. Vampires having kids, how does that happen? Oz wondered. He decided it didn't really matter. They came here for a break and the break was over. They needed to have this meeting and continue on to their next location. Jim and Blair called Simon to see if he thought it would be alright to come and see him. They spoke in code of course but Simon told them that he believed he was still being watched. Disappointed they agreed that it was too dangerous so they would stay away. But continue to their next destination up state to see this Caine fellow. He almost suspected that Caine would probably tell him of yet another person to talk to when he saw him. That's usually how these things work. Oz walked into one of the Hyperion's conference rooms and found everybody had arrived ahead of him. Jim told him that everyone signed the forms Willow left with them. Blair hung the talisman the Cherokee showed him how to make and the room became sound proof as confirmed by Jim and Oz. This startled Nina because she was used to hearing the sounds of the hotel outside her door due to her heightened senses. Connor had no where near the others sense of hearing but reacted to Nina's alarm. She calmed after a moment so Connor calmed as well. Lavender had no such problem as she hadn't progressed that far in her studies to actively use her senses while not in her wolf form but she was progressing nicely nevertheless. The two witch's were wondering what was going on but before they could ask any questions Oz started the meeting by simply putting the DVD into the player and turned on the big screen TV. As they watched what Charlie Frost had to say a vibe of disbelief filled the room. Oz, Blair, and Jim confirmed all the information they just witnessed. Nina and Connor had no reason to disbelieve them. They have obviously seen much in their time and knew when someone was trying to con them. The witches however needed a little more convincing. Oz brought up the program that the governments were using to measure the Earths temperature since the two thousand ten that showed it's steadily increase from then to now. Everyone in the room became alarmed as they could now see its progression. Even Oz, Blair, and Jim hadn't looked at this information and it only gave them a new sense of urgency to contact the rest of the people that needed to be informed.
"Well I don't suppose I'll get anywhere in teaching Lavender with this information hanging over us." Nina stated.
"There is a safe land that the G.C. has a lead on, and they feel they're close. Once they find it they give all of us the information and we can all go there using a portkey which Lavender and Parvati can tell you about. But we should have word soon." Oz said.
"Does my sister know?" Parvati asked.
"From what Willow told me everyone that was in what you guys called the D.A. and some of your old professors knows about, are already actively collecting things to make a new community where ever we end up." Blair told her.
"Does the head mistress know?" Lavender asked.
"Yes, I'd ask her or Hermione about the other professors or students involved before you approach any of them." Oz warned.
"What about my family Oz." Nina asked. "I know my sister can never accept me but I don't want to see her die and what about my niece?"
"All I can say is that anyone you wish to bring with you, you will be responsible for. In the aftermath they speculate there might be some difficult time because of disease, dysentery, polluted water, food shortage, and thieves among other things. With that said if you can smooth things out with her enough for her to be here when it starts maybe you can get them to come along."
"Well on the bright side I now know that I won't have to sink anymore money into this place." Nina said.
"However, the others couldn't think of a bright side and were too stunned to be constructive at this point."
/Scene Break/
Sparrow & Nightingale investigates Cardiff Wails.
Sally and Kathy were having a friendly conversation with the four visiting teenage slayers when Sally noticed Gwen Cooper approaching from across the street.
"Oh no, here comes our friend slash nosy police officer Gwen."
Just then Lily's mobile phone rang so she dug it out of her pocket to answer it.
"Oh be nice." Kathy replied. "Gwen's just curious in a way that she worries about the girl's health and safety."
"And you can stand there and call yourself a detective." Sally said and the other girls silently agreed.
Outside just as Gwen put her hand on the door knob she heard a shrieking wail of a young woman screaming "NO!"
Gwen burst through the door to witness all five women rushing to Lily's side trying to comfort her and get her to calm down enough to tell them what the matter was.
It took several tries before Lily was coherent enough to be understood when she was finally able to belt out. "Rose Tyler was dead."
At this point the other girls began sobbing. Sally and Kathy stood there staring at each other as tears began running down their faces.
It was then that Gwens inner Police woman began to show.
"I'm so sorry for your loss sweetheart but can you tell me who this Rose Tyler is?"
It was one of the other girls who answered. "Rose was one of us. She and Lily were tight. They were in the same study group. She would have been here with us on this rotation if there weren't already three of the four girls already here. So Lily came to stay with us for a few months and Rose went to America. They were going to have new stories to tell each other when they came back together but now she's dead."
Lily wailed louder. And the girl apologized.
"Can you tell me how she died sweetheart?" Gwen asked.
"I don't think she got that far into the phone conversation before she broke it." Sally ground out.
"I'm only trying to help." Gwen replied.
"We understand that sweetheart." Kathy said grabbing Gwen's arm and guided her towards the door. "But everyone is very emotional right now and it could be a while before we can get anything more from Lily. I think it's best to just leave her to grieve for a day or two and maybe we can find out more by then."
"But maybe I can help." Gwen said.
"She died and we don't even know what from. It might not even be anything nefarious. For all we know it could have been a nasty fall off a skateboard. Besides it happened in America which is far out of your jurisdiction to do anything to help. Just give us a bit to find out the circumstances. It's what we do. We'll let you know in a couple of days." Kathy said as she shut the door leaving Gwen on the curb.
Kathy turned from the door disappointed not only in Gwen but in her own naivety about Gwen and how she conducted every conversation like an interrogation. She was supposed to be their friend but Gwen was just using them to further her career as a police officer. She had no doubt as to what Gwen's next move would be. She hoped she had bought the girls some time to get their stories straight.
Outside Gwen made it back across the street before she pulled out her pen and pad to write down the information she got so far and that she could look up information on the internet and call in a few favors to get the details on Rose Tyler's death. These people just set off alarm bells ever since they appeared just after that black out a few months ago. How many times had she caught these girls roaming the streets at night dressed for a night on the town in the middle of the week? Were they prostitutes? Drug dealers? Did this posh girl's school even know what they were up to? Or were they behind whatever it was these girls were up to? Perhaps it was some sort of white slavery thing and this school was just a front. She just didn't know but she was going to keep digging until she found out.
/Scene Break/
P3W-j91: a water planet in the Milky-Way galaxy. This is where the ancient city of Atlantis awaits to be deployed to either Earth for relief efforts or finally back to the Pegasus galaxy to continue their conflict with the Wrath.
In the conference room Dr. Rodney MacKay makes his report to the leader of Atlantis Richard Woolsey.
"Sam…I mean Colonel Carter just sent the last of the supply we needed. We are now fully and completely stocked. We have all repaires done and now our spare parts have spare parts and they are carefully stored away. We not only have our pantrys fully stocked but we have the seeds and live stock to grow further wherever we find ourselves. We have all the latest technology and Colonel Sheppard says the armories are so stocked up that they're over flowing. And with the city fully staffed, it is acting more like a city than a base of operations. We actually have fuctioning shops selling wares like a real city does. If we went back to Pegasus today we would be totally self sustaining." Rodney stated.
"Well it's nice to hear you're so eager to go to war Dr. MacKay." Richard Woolsey replied hiding a smile.
"It's not that… I just meant…"
"I know what you meant Rodney. I see after all this time you still need to work on your sense of humor." Richard said with a smirk.
"Yes well, I like to think I've gotten better. He replied a little embarrassed."
"Yes, I think everyone can attest to your remarkable growth in character since you last tour of duty. It seems to have come about just after your marriage to Dr. Keller. Being married to her seems to have a positive effect on you." Woolsey commented.
"Yes, I can honestly say my marrage to Jennifer has added a certain sense of completion in certain areas of my life." Rodney said with a smile.
"I'm glad to hear it. But you must understand that we may be deployed back to Earth to rescue and rebuild." Richard warned.
"Yes of course and we'd be ready to handle that as well. I guess that what I'm saying is that were ready. Wherever we're going we're more than ready for anything."
"Relax Rodney I understand."
"I'm just kind of ticked that it took something like this to get those bureaucrats off their fat asses to get us to this point. If they would have done it sooner our people wouldn't be taking the beating in the Pegasus galaxy. Sending one or even two ships there isn't a match for the ships the wraith can send at them all at once, now that a few of them are working together. I said this would happen. I said that if we waited too long that the queens would make alliances with each other and then it would be twice as difficult to take them down."
"I know, I said the same thing and I'll have you know that I was on that panel of bureaucrats." Richard informed.
"You were?" Rodney questioned with a little embarrassment.
"Yes, I may have been partly responsible for the long wait of our return; I was the one fighting the other bureaucrats who in turn made some things take longer. For two years I fought to get this place repaired, stocked, and staffed. When they finally agreed and gave in to everything I asked for I found them dragging there knuckles as well as their feet. They only sent a third of the people needed to repair the cities systems and the star drive. At that pace it would have taken several additional years to repair even today. But once they found out about the continental shift about to take place we got fast tracked. Everything got fixed within months and the rest you know."
"What did you mean you were partly responsible? Why were you fighting them?" Rodney wondered.
"They wanted to send us back almost immediately after our return."
"What? Then why didn't we go?" Rodney said in surprise.
"You know as well as I do the star drive wouldn't handle the return trip without repairs. Between the beatings we took from that over charged wraith ship and then the re-entry into the atmosphere and our hard landing, the city suffered quite a bit of structural damage. The problem was that the longer it took the longer the bureaucrats were going to keep us here. This is why several of the government leaders wanted us to leave immediately. Maybe I should have listened."
"No, you were right the city needed a major overhaul it couldn't wait. I don't think it would have survived liftoff. The whole thing sounds like it was just about power. The politicians just wanted to get their greedy little hands on the city to unlock her secrets but thanks to our people their people always had an escort keeping an eye on what they were doing." Rodney said.
"You may be right but only partially. I don't doubt that given the chance they would try to sneak off with some ancient technology but the real reason was more along the line of protection."
"Protection? Protection from who or what?" Rodney asked.
"You must understand what had been going on here on Earth while we were gone. Bal and his clones were everywhere trying to grab power wherever they could. And the Ori almost succeeded in conquering this galaxy. We almost lost everything and those politicians were scared and didn't want to lose the protection that this city afforded them even though the situations were then under control." Woolsey explained.
Rodney paused as he thought about that.
"Well when you put it that way I can see their point of view. To tell the truth I'm more comfortable knowing that I'm in the city or that it's near by. Even when we're off world heading into danger, Atlantis is only a call away." Rodney explained.
"Nevertheless the people of earth have done well in the past without Atlantis and they need to learn to stand by themselves. They have the technology to make formidable weapons. It wasn't a weapon built by the ancients that took out that super charged hive ship it was one well placed nuclear bomb and that was made on earth by humans."
"Yes, I suppose there is that. Funny I didn't think of it that way before. All the advances this city has given us, and it was a device we developed in the forties that took out that oversized space dirigible." Rodney replied with a smirk.
"Well one thing is for sure the weapons that have been installed on the new ships as well as the moon base will make certain that earth is well protected. If we're needed to help with relief efforts we shouldn't be there long. The moment our space fleet finds stable ground, they will guide the arks into any place they can call port and the efforts will get underway to further protect the planet from outward forces." Woolsey said with confidence.
"Just then Rodney got a call on the comm. link."
"Yes Radek, what is it." Rodney asked and there was a pause as he listend.
"Of course we're not going to get rid of it just because we cant interface with it yet. The Ancients put it there for a reason it's just one of those mysteries we still have to unlock. "Just a minute." Rodney paused. "Mr. Woolsy if we're done here I need to take care of this."
"Yes Rodney, I think we're done. Carry on." He replied dismissing him.
With that Rodney nodded his head and walked out the door in hyper babble in a languge only an advanced scientist could understand.
Woolsey pulled up the hollogram of earth and watched it spin wondering how long it would look this way and what form it would take in the end.
/Scene Break/
Within a week Harry made many floo calls and called in as many favors as he could but it didn't help Ginnys situation one bit. The only thing left was to show that she was mentally unstable so that she would spend her days in some place like St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies. But Molly Weasley wouldn't have her only daughter thought of a crazy. That would only make her upbringing look to be at fault. Which Harry didn't understand because he felt it looked better if she were mentally sick than a crook.
He supposed that Mrs. Weasley was too distraught and not thinking clearly but none of the men in the family could make her see reason. Harry was then quietly visited by Mr. Weasley. He secretly told Harry that Molly was frightened that her family secret would be exposed. Her side of the family known as the Prewetts worked very hard to bring their reputation out of the gutter and into the light. The Prewetts were known as a light family for at least three generations but it wasn't always so. Back then the families were blood purists and back then believed as other blood purists believed and practiced what other blood purists practiced. So for a few centuries they practiced inbreeding. It wasn't until the heads of house saw the effects of it that they started to put an end to it. Their children not having magic or being less intelligent then their peers, some were deformed and some even went mad while some were stillborn. In the end they turned their family around and had family members marry foreign wizards and even muggles. They found things had started to get better but every now and then one of the old afflictions would show up. That was why Molly didn't want her daughter to be put in St. Mungo's, someone might remember the way the Prewetts had been and claim those mental instabilities to be tagged onto the Weasley family. Molly simply didn't want Ginny's condition found to be inherited from her.
In the end the men found there was nothing they could do. Ginny had magically assaulted a wizarding bank manager in a foreign country and was subject to their laws. She had been found guilty and sent to Opismaw prison for five years. A prison that was very much like Azkaban but didn't have just Dementors but bogarts as well so that if the prisoners weren't reliving their worst memories they were being frightened by their worst fears. Harry stayed as long as he could after the sentencing feeling totally helpless. He may not want to have anything to do with Ginny but he didn't want to see her going to prison and being tormented by such creatures. It was Arthur who came to him and told him it wasn't his fault and he shouldn't burden himself with undeserved guilt.
"It was her fault and you did everything you could to keep her out of prison. That's more than anyone could ask." Arthur told him.
"Tell that to Mrs. Weasley she may not be saying it but I can tell by the way she looks at me she thinks I'm the one who brought her to this. And if Ron had his wand he'd be trying to curse me six ways from Sunday."
"Believe me Harry, the boys and I have witnessed all you've done to try and help her. We all saw how Molly tied your hands in trying to move her into a hospital even though we know that Ginny had been unreasonable to the point of driving you off. Except for Ron George, Percy, and I hold you in high regard and we know Molly is the one being unreasonable. I just wish my family never felt the stress of celebrity. It finally took a toll on them and I'm sorry you were dragged into it. As for Ronald he is the true disgrace of the family. Having to bail him out of that muggle police station was an experience I don't wish to repeat anytime soon. Getting the Aurors involved only made it worse for him. The situation may have been oblivionated from the muggles but now he has a court hearing at the ministry. The charge is conduct unbecoming of a wizard." Arthur said looking at the picture on the front of the daily Profit that showed Ronald's naked form covering himself with his hands at the three broomsticks.
"I must admit Miss Rosenberg has style though." Arthur commented.
Harry smirked at that. "Ron got what he deserved as far as I'm concerned. But as far as your families celebrity I'll tell you I've had that status even before I entered the magical world. I wouldn't wish it upon anyone." Harry reminded him.
"In any case you've been here long enough. It's time for you to get back to work with our friend at the G.C. From what I've heard they can really use your help." Arthur commanded.
"I suppose your right. There really isn't anything else I can do here is there?"
"I'm afraid not. But you should keep in touch just the same." Arthur confirmed.
Then I suppose I'm going to have to do the one thing I swore I would never do.
What's that Harry?
Buy another Owl. He replied saddened at the notion of replacing his dear brave friend Hedwig.
"Even given the circumstances you shouldn't do that until your ready Harry. Just call Hermione on Xander's mobile with any messages and I'll give her any messages I may need to relay."
"Hermione is pretty busy the way it is. I don't want to burden her like that. She once yelled at me for treating her like an owl. It was very scary and made me feel awful when she pointed it out."
"Yes, that's not the first time one of my boys told me how scary she could be."
Harry always felt the warmth when Arthur referred to him as one of his boys.
"I guess we'll just have to relay messages through the G.C. then. I'm sure someone will get the messages through. But you need to go back. We're depending on you and Xander to secure a place we can call home. Xander knows what's needed but he needs your help. So get going and don't worry about the rest of us." Arthur said.
"I'll do that, and thanks Mr. Weasley."
/Scene Break/
After apparating to Hogwarts Hermione runs into the castle for an urgent call from the headmistress about a vague emergency that only she could handle. She ran up to the headmistress office. The gargoyle jumped out of the way without being given a password. This only worried Hermione more as she wondered what this emergency could be. Once she was at the top of the spiral staircase she knocked on the door and was immediately call to come in.
"Hermione thank goodness you've arrived." Professor McGonagall said.
"Minerva what's wrong? What's the emergency?"
"Why, you've been summoned child."
"What? By whom?" Hermione wondered.
"By one of the portraits and it knows." Minerva replied with worry in her voice.
Hermione was stunned. She couldn't mean what she was thinking could she? With a nod from Minerva confirmed that she did.
"Where?" Hermione asked?
"In there." Minerva said pointing to a side room where Hermione and the portrait could talk in private.
Hermione went into the next room and found an easel set up with a portrait set upon it, with its back to the door. Hermione came in and closed the door for privacy and walked to the front of the portrait gasping when she found out who it was.
"Good evening Miss Granger it said in a snide voice."
"Professor Snape? But how did you find out about what's going on. Do any of the other portraits know?"
"None of the others know. But the living Professor Snape had the foresight when he was alive that I could be kept informed of what goes on in Hogwarts. Had you and your friend failed in you attempt to defeat that dark wanker I would be in a superb location to continue to spy on him because he had hidden one of my portraits behind a bookcase with a powerful notice for me not to charm on it. It was that portrait that gave me the ability to listen in on your meetings."
"To what end? What do you want?"
"Don't be stupid. I wish to survive. I don't know if you've considered saving the other headmaster's portraits but I believe I could still be useful."
"Or what?" Hermione asked hotly.
"Or I suppose I'll have to accept my fate and cease to exist with what little dignity I have left. I will not beg Miss Granger. I'm not the man you once knew but even he wouldn't beg."
"But as a Slytherin he'd be compelled to stir up trouble by telling others if it meant he could survive." Hermione mocked with a glare.
"By thinking of me so badly, you begin to sound like that coward Weasley you used to be engaged to. But you haven't been listening. I said I'm not the man you once knew. I understand that most muggle born students don't realize what most purebloods have been taught at a young age. But portraits have the memory and personality of the person portrayed within its frame but we are not that person. We are simply created to pass on their wisdom without the prejudiceor fears of the person being portrayed. I am not in fact Severus Snape so therefore I was never in Slytherin but I have the memories of being so. Just as I have the memories of the smartest witch in her generation being unduly criticized by the greasy bat I portray. I also have memories of the admiration he secretly had for you."
Whatever Hermione had been expecting the portrait to say this wasn't it. She felt her attitude deflate within her and replaced with a heavy heart upon realizing the plight of the portraits all over the school and not just the previous headmasters.
"I…I never knew that. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions. We really haven't discussed saving any portraits but I suppose we should. It's a valuable resource that I believe would be a great loss if left behind. You still retain the knowledge of potion brewing don't you?"
"Of course, I have all his memories and would be happy to give advice. That is what I was created for."
"Well, regardless of what the others think I'll make sure to take you along. Since you brought it to my attention I'll have to see what I can do to bring as many portraits as possible. Thank you for your help both in the past and in the future."
"You're already forgetting that it wasn't me in the past. It was him."
"But you would have continued his fight as a spy, had Harry and I lost. Voldemort would surely have used Hogwarts as his base of operations and you could have gotten intel to any resistance there was left."
The portrait of Severus Snape smiled as he said. "Thank you for believing in me."
"I believed in him too. I just wish he could have gotten over his childish hatred of Harry simply because he was James Potters son."
"It would have been worse had Lily not been his mother so there is that small blessing."
Hermione stood there mulling over the implications of that with wide eyes before putting it out of her head. It wasn't worth thinking about. There were more important things to be worked out and this wasn't worth the brainpower or the emotions it would stir.
"We have no place to store anything yet but once we do we'll be coming for you."
"So then you know where the safe land is?"
Hermione cursed herself for letting that slip but kept her face neutral.
"No, but we plan on staging items and materials for the move." Hermione said.
"It was a good lie but Severus Snape would not be fooled by it so therefore neither would his portrait. But he had no need to say anything about it and let it pass. He felt secure in knowing that he would be saved."
"I was just wondering, why exactly this was such an emergency." Hermione asked.
The portrait of Severus Snape rolled his eyes at the question. "Regardless of what Minerva suspected of me she needn't have worried you to make you believe I need to see you urgently. I merely stated that I wished to see you in private the next time you came by, to discuss my relocation before the world ends."
Hermione smiled before saying. "If you'll excuse me, I'll have a word with her and I really need to get back. I look forward to speaking with you again."
"Goodbye Miss Granger." The portrait said. And Hermione left the room.
Upon seeing the headmistress Hermione said everything was sorted and asked why she made it sound so urgent.
"I knew how Severus could be. Sometimes portraits act too much like the person they portray that they could act out."
"Well Severus's portrait seems to be very aware of who and what he is. He gave me the lecture of what it means to be a portrait and I honestly didn't know anything about it."
"Oh… well…yes I suppose one of the professors could have taught that at some point to the muggle born children that wouldn't have known. But I'm so glad that Severus is being reasonable."
Hermione smirked at her mentor slash friend for living the illusion.
"If you're going to take his portrait would you consider taking Albus's as well?" Minerva asked.
Hermione was bewildered at the request.
"Of course I would, why wouldn't I?"
"Oh that's right, you don't know." Minerva said nervously.
"I don't know what?"
"Albus Dumbledore gave everyone a chance. However some of those chances came back to bite him, such is the case of the man he had paint his portrait.
Alum Brant was a famous painter in his time but in his old age his magic became tainted by a magical disease that affects the elderly called cableboc. My first transfiguration had to retire in my first year because she suffered from it. She was the one that came up with turning a desk into a pig to impress the first years and show them what they will be able to do in years to come. However, when she showed our group the pig began writhing before it lay down and died."
"Died? What happened?"
"It's gills couldn't process the air and yes, you heard me right for whatever reason this pig came with gills."
"But how could it have died? It wasn't even a real pig."
"You're forgetting the laws of object to animal transfiguration. The animal acts and performs just as it would have had it been a real animal. Even though it wasn't supposed to have gills it acted the way it would if it did."
Hermione thought about that a moment before shaking her head to clear it.
"But I've seen Professor Dumbledore's portrait before and it looked alright."
"That was in the past. It took a while before the enchantments began to show signs of deterioration and I'm still holding out hope that someone can fix it but it's grown so bad that it can no longer be displayed."
"What do you mean? What could go wrong with a painting?"
"Perhaps you should see for yourself." Minerva said.
With that she waved her wand and a long rectangular crate floated in from a storage closet.
"You do remember what was said in that horrible book about Albus written by that Skeeter woman don't you?"
"Yes I remember."
"Well I'm sorry in advance for what you're about to witness."
With that Minerva removed the silencing charms upon the crate and opened it. There within the frame was a wild haired crazy eyed Albus Dumbledore. Upon seeing Hermione he began yelling at her.
"What is this mudblood doing in my school? What do you think you're doing bringing your filth to stand before me? You should be drained of your magic and bound from ever doing more. Once I'm ruler of the magical world you'll be less than a house elf and those who don't serve will be cut up to feed the other lesser beings like centaurs and hippogriffs."
It was then that Minerva re-boxed the painting and put the silencing spell back on.
Hermione just stood there staring and the crate. She couldn't believe that that was the same man she looked up to. But then she realized that it wasn't. It was a memory. But this one somehow became twisted.
"As you can see he has reverted back to his days when he and Grindelwald were making plans to rule the world magnified by ten only his subconscious seems to be his super-conscious so there is nothing holding his fowl backwards twisted thoughts in check. He's become quite mad."
With a tear running down her cheek Hermione turned to Minerva and said. "I may not find a cure for cableboc but I promise you I'll find a way to fix this. Maybe Willow can do something with Wicca magic but I will make this right."
/Scene Break/
On a commercial jet over the Atlantic Ocean Rose Tyler contemplates with a bit of sadness at what she had done. A few months ago she had accidentally overheard a Scoobie meeting about the end of the world. She was scared. To hear them plan made her feel cold. But then she heard them take certain slayers off the list and when she heard the reasons why she found herself agreeing with them and that made her feel just horrible. She decided that she understood their reasons but she didn't need to keep listening. She would leave it to them. She got the information she needed. She now knew where the safe land was. She needed to start making plans of her own. Because even if they picked her to come along they wouldn't take her mum and Rose wouldn't loose her. The first part of her plan was to get as much money as she could. Firstly she took a page from a detective show she watched and using the G.C. credit card she was given, bought some expensive things within reason so the counsel wouldn't look too closely. Then she would return them for cash. Between that and mugging the vampires before staking them she was surprised at how fast she accumulated the money she needed. Then she slowly took her personal effects and made a big deal of how she ether broke them or lost them. She even took the time to scan her picture albums onto a jump drive she could carry them on her key chain. She then bought an I.V. setup, needle, tubing and a few bags to collect her own blood she would leave at the scene of her disappearance. But the one thing she thought she'd have a hard time finding was a magic user that dealt with the local black market. She need to obtain an amulet she had heard about that would mask your aura so no one could find her even if they did a locator spell. With no aura anyone would think she was dead. Oddly enough finding a witch was easy but she had almost given up hope on getting her hands on the amulet when the witch finally came through and found one for her. She was disheartened when she found out the price was more that she had so in order to get it she decided to exchange her information to make up the rest of the payment. The witch agreed to the deal. If the information was worth it she'd give her the amulet for the money and the information.
Once the witch was told she let her keep the money telling her that she couldn't put a price on saving her life. But Rose hung around for a bit to make her understand that the information shouldn't be spread around. "Take any family you have to the safe spot but don't let anyone else know." She said.
The witch assured her that she had no intention of spreading the word only to insight a riot. The secret would be safe with her and perhaps they would see each other again in Africa.
Rose looked out the window of the plane and realized that land was once again under the aircraft. It would be landing soon. She knew she wasn't going to be in time to be there when the Council called to inform her mother she was dead but maybe that was for the best. If Jackie didn't believe she was dead she wouldn't be convincingly upset when she got the news. She may even need to hold off seeing her mother for a week or so. She'd need to decide soon. She didn't want to let her mother become too depressed for too long. She was going to freak when she let her know she was still alive. Perhaps she could stay with her old friend Mickey and have him break the news to her. That would probably be best. As the plane touched down she was already planning on the things she would need to collect for their trip to Africa.
A.N. (Reviews can make a story even better.)