Chapter 18: Revenge in Motion

*****Hogwarts*****

Willow didn't hear about Buffy's adventure in the Forbidden Forest until the next day because she and Luna were busy working on their own special project.

"This is the right spell!" Willow told her younger friend with excitement.

Luna nodded as she read it. Willow was a fine addition to their house as she radiated both power and intellect in a way no one else quite did. Hermione had the potential, but she was often distracted by the shenanigans that seemed to always surround Harry Potter. Hermione wanted to know everything and took a lot of classes that she excelled in. However, it often stemmed from a desire to not feel less as she was raised muggle or by muggles. Hermione didn't want to push the boundaries of magic or use her will to create new spells. Willow used her incredible mind and grasp of magic to figure out new ways to do things. It was both exciting and a bit terrifying.

After Professor Giles' coven had destroyed the horcrux that was attached to Harry's scar, Willow had Luna help her research everything they could find out about horcruxes. Giles speculated that Voldemort had probably put pieces of himself into various objects and hidden those objects. Of course, it could be a person or even a familiar as Harry had proven with his own experience. The school forbade any study of horcruxes, and no books in the school library gave them much. However, Giles had gotten hold of a few Council sources. One book, Secrets of the Darkest Art, had detailed information on the method and consequences of creating a Horcrux.

Willow then used various spells that helped the caster find things or link things. She was convinced that if she could locate one of the horcruxes, then she could use their spell to destroy all of them at once. Luna appreciated that she used their when speaking of the spell even though she had very little to do with it. However, Willow had become like a big sister to her in a very short time. She didn't dismiss Luna like so many others, but she seemed to really care about what she had to say. In return, Luna answered all of her many questions about the world of magic she was raised in.

"We need to go to the hellmouth," Willow told her. "There's ingredients I need that I know I can get at the magic store there. Getting them to take us to Diagon Alley after what happened to Ron is unlikely."

"True," Luna acknowledged. "But they won't let us use the fireplace in the headmaster's office."

"We won't ask permission," Willow said, showing a rebellious side that Luna had not seen before.

"Any chance you were nearly sorted in another house?" Luna asked.

"Well, I am ambitious enough to be Slytherin and brave enough to be Gryffindor," Willow admitted. "But I need to learn more than anything. This house is definitely the best fit."

Luna nodded, understanding what she meant. "I agree. So how will get past Dumbledore's Phoenix?" Luna asked.

"Are you sure he won't be in the headmaster's room at this time of night?" Willow asked.

"It's possible," Luna replied.

"Well, I've been working with Cordelia on this invisibility spell. We can use it when we open the headmaster's door," Willow said.

"What about the portraits? You know they'll rat us out," Luna pointed out.

"That's not a problem. I can put them to sleep easily enough," Willow shared. Since coming to Hogwarts, Willow found magic to come easier and easier to her. Professor Snape had said that she had a lot of natural power, and the more time she spent using her wand, the more she thought he was correct.

This was the most exciting thing that had happened to her since meeting Buffy.

The two girls took just their wands and slowly crept out of their dorm. Most of the portraits were already sleeping, which made the journey to Dumbledore's office easier. Since London was seven hours behind California time, they should get to Sunnydale well before dark and plenty of time to get to the magic store before it closed.

When they made it to Dumbledore's office door, they paused. This was the tricky part because he could be in his office. They had no way of knowing. Luna had mastered an unlocking spell that Willow had shown her, so she worked to open the door while Willow cast the invisibility spell on both of them just in case he was in there.

They moved quickly as Willow could only hold the invisibility spell for a few minutes. Once she learned it from the twins and worked with Cordelia, she spent more time alone working on it as was her nature. Much to Luna's dismay, the Phoenix was in the room. She wasn't even sure of the extent of the old familiar's powers. Could it see through the spell? Did the bird even see the way humans did? She was occupied with these thoughts as she followed wordlessly after Willow.

Willow wasn't taking any chances, however, and threw some sleeping powder she'd acquired onto the bird as they went past. If she calculated correctly, the bird would stay in a deep sleep for three hours. She planned to return in two hours, so they should not be busted when they returned to the floo.

Faith was watching TV in the Summers house, which Buffy and Joyce insisted they stay in, when the fireplace turned green. It startled her at first until she remembered the bit about the magical fireplace being turned into some type of portal. Buffy Summers had both a tragic life and one of wonder.

Luna stepped through first and saw the beautiful brunette eying her suspiciously. She grinned. "You must be a slayer. "I'm Luna," she said.

Faith stood. "I'm Faith," she said. "Who's with you?"

Willow came through next. "See. It all went perfectly!" she exclaimed, grinning at Luna. Then she noticed Faith. "Oh, sorry, for barging in. I'm Willow. Buffy's best friend."

Faith nodded. "I'm Faith. What brings you to Sunnyhell?" she asked.

"We snuck out of Hogwarts to go to the magic store in town," Willow said. "I'm working on a spell to help defeat the dark wizard that is always trying to kill our friend Harry Potter and is working with Spike and Angelus. He also killed Buffy's dad."

"Cool," Faith said. "I heard about what happened to Buffy's other dad, and that's some messed up shit."

"It is. We can at least tell you some good news. Spike is no more," Willow shared. "Last night, Buffy killed him when she was slaying in the Forbidden Forest next to our school."

"Spike is dead? That's great!" Faith exclaimed. "How did it go down?"

"The slayer turned into a dragon and set him on fire," Luna answered.

"Wow! I wish I'd been there. Why is there a forbidden forest by your school? Why is it forbidden?" Faith asked.

"Because it's full of dark and dangerous creatures like giant spiders," Willow told her.

"No shit? Giant spiders? I'd love to see that!" Faith remarked.

"Faith, who is here?" her watcher asked.

"Oh, this is Buffy's best friend Willow and Luna. Willow needs some ingredients from the magic store in town," Faith explained. "Guess what? Buffy killed Spike last night. Did you know she could turn into a dragon?"

"That is a relief. Now there is only Angelus to worry about," the watcher replied. "As for her turning into a dragon, I do not believe I knew that was a skill set she had. I look forward to reading her watcher's account of the battle." Rupert Giles had gotten lucky with his slayer, who not only had defied a prophecy and killed two master vampires in her first year of slaying, now she had killed a third and was a powerful witch. Of course, Faith was handling the hellmouth quite nicely.

"We need to go by my house and get some American money," Willow said.

"Faith, why don't you go with the girls? Make sure nothing happens to them," her watcher suggested.

"Oh, it's daylight. We'll be fine," Willow remarked.

"I don't mind—that is if you don't mind the company," Faith asked, wondering if they didn't want her around.

Luna gave the insecure slayer a bright smile. "Of course, we want you to come," Luna told her. "I'd love to interview you for my father's newspaper. Two slayers are unheard of. I don't have a camera, but I can probably transfigure something and make one."

The watcher watched with interest as the blonde witch used her wand to turn a magazine into a camera.

"That's cool as shit!" Faith exclaimed. "It will actually work and everything?"

"Not as well as a real one, but enough for me to take a picture of you," Luna replied.

"Let's go," Willow said, determined to get her spell working. If she could destroy any horcruxes Voldemort hid, then Buffy could kill the sicko wizard without any worry about him returning a third time.

The three girls went to Willow's home, and predictably, her parents were not there.

"Where are your folks?" Faith asked.

"They spend a lot of time traveling for work," Willow said. "They emailed me their schedule, so I knew there was little chance of them being here."

"Yes, I can see how it might be tricky to explain a sudden visit," Faith said.

"They totally know nothing about the supernatural," Willow said. She grinned at the image of her mom's face if she pulled out her wand and did magic in front of her. Most likely, she'd assume they both suffered from some type of psychotic break. She went to her nightstand and got some emergency cash that she kept there, and then they were off to the store.

A half hour passed by the time they made it to the magic store. Willow found Faith to be very different from Buffy. It was a bit disconcerting, but Luna liked her. Luna had a gift when it came to reading people and auras. She had been teaching Willow to read auras, but it was not something that came easily. If Luna liked the new slayer, then Willow knew the girl couldn't be too bad even if she seemed to flirt with both of them.

"So how old are you?" Willow asked her. She seemed older than Buffy.

"Sixteen last October," Faith said. "How old are you guys?"

"I'm sixteen and turn seventeen in another month," Willow answered. "Luna turned fourteen this year."

"Do they have what you're looking for?" Faith asked as Willow read some labels on some jars.

"Yes. This is it," Willow said, grinning. "I can do the spell that will destroy the horcruxes."

"What's that?" Faith asked.

Luna explained while Willow paid for her purchases. When they went outside, Willow groaned. "Harmony?" she said as she spotted one of her childhood tormentors.

"Willow? How are you in town? Is Cordelia here, too? She sent me some amazing photos of London," Harmony said.

"Oh, well, I needed to come home for a bit," Willow said, trying to come up with a logical reason. "You heard about Buffy's dad being murdered while he was in England visiting her over the holiday break?"

"Cordelia told me. That's gotta suck. Lots of murders in Los Angeles and gets it on vacation," Harmony said with a grimace.

"How did you know he was from Los Angeles?" Willow asked, surprised.

"I listen sometimes when people talk!" she exclaimed. "Who are your friends? One of them seems familiar."

"This is Faith. She actually lives here in Sunnydale now," Willow said.

"Really? Are you going to school?" Harmony asked, eying the beautiful brunette. "We could totally use some new talent on our cheerleading squad."

"Oh, I'm not much for the pep," Faith said. "Of course, I do like a cute football player or two."

"We have those!" Harmony assured her.

Luna could not refrain any longer. "We met before. Do you remember?" she asked.

Harmony looked at her closely, and then her eyes widened a bit. "You're that freak that told me I was going to die if I went to my own high school graduation! It's not even this year!"

"It's still there. I can see your death," Luna said somberly.

Willow glanced at her in surprise. "Really? You can see that?" she asked her friend.

"Are you psychic?" Faith wondered.

"I have some of the second sight, but I don't see things all the time," Luna said. "My mother was more gifted. I just sometimes know things about people."

"Willow, you're like the smartest girl at school. Do you think she's full of crap?" Harmony asked worriedly.

"Luna is not a liar, nor is she mean enough to make up something like that," Willow said. "If she says that she sees it, I'd believe her. We'll try to come back for our senior year and make sure nothing bad happens."

"I would really love it if you brought Cordelia back. It's super boring without her," Harmony said. "I still can't believe she's related to Buffy. Talk about small world."

"I know, right?" Willow said. It was very weird that another of her childhood bullies was being right down pleasant.

"We should go," Luna said.

"Yes, I have to get going. It was nice to see you, Harmony. I will tell Cordelia that you said hello," she said.

"Please do. Thanks," Harmony said. "Faith, you should come to school. It's not so bad."

"I've been homeschooling, but I'll consider it," Faith said. When they moved away from Harmony, she said, "She seemed nice."

"That's the thing—she's not normally," Willow said. "Next to Cordelia, she was the biggest meanie to me at school."

"She follows her leader," Luna remarked. "Cordelia is a leader and led her to be cruel. Without her there, Harmony is able to show the person she normally would be."

"That's interesting and kind of messed up at the same time," Willow said, smiling. "I hope you're not right about graduation being full of death."

"I don't know about the entire thing, but I see her being killed by a vampire," Luna said.

"That's wicked cool," Faith exclaimed. "I wish you guys could come slaying with me tonight."

"I would love that," Luna remarked.

"Unfortunately, we put our headmaster's phoenix asleep for a certain amount of time," Willow said. "The phoenix is in his office where the floo is located. We have to get back, so we aren't caught."

"Phoenix? Like a bird that flames and lives?" Faith asked excitedly.

"Yep," Willow said. "There are a lot of magical creatures out there."

"Did you know that slayers are considered to be magical creatures?" Luna informed her.

"No shit? That's so cool!" Faith exclaimed. "I like thinking of myself as that instead of just a slayer of monsters."

They were walking down the street about to leave the area where the shops were located and headed back toward Faith's current home.

Of course, they walked in front of a dark alley and heard a growl. Faith eyed the entrance. A human crying out, though, sent her down the alleyway.

"I better provide a light," Willow said, lighting up the tip of her wand with a word.

Luna had yet to take her picture for her father's paper, but she held up her camera and moved closer.

Two days later, The Quibbler had the exclusive.

"Slayer Faith Guards Hellmouth" was the article title.

Faith had been shocked to get an owl pecking on her window, but she opened it, spotting the rolled-up paper tied to its leg. "I thought you'd like a copy of your interview" was the note attached to it from Luna. She grinned as she saw the amazing moving picture of her staking a vampire.

"I am hot as hell!" she exclaimed and ran to find her watcher.

*****The Next Day*****

Lucius could not believe that his wife didn't return from her errands. Narcissa would never be so crass as to not let him know when something came up. He was very worried and frustrated that he could not leave the house to go search for her. Part of his punishment for allowing the Dark Lord entry into his home was to be confined to his home for five years and his wand taken away for the same amount of time. The night came and went, but he didn't get a wink of sleep. Breakfast had no sign of her nor did lunch. When dinner arrived and she still wasn't there, he knew it was time to panic.

"Where is mistress?" Pinky, their elf, asked him.

"I do not know," he replied. "I fear something bad has happened."

A short time later, there was an owl at the window.

His heard pounding, Lucius read the missive. I have something of yours.

It finally happened, his second greatest fear. His beautiful, long-suffering wife had been taken by the Dark Lord. Knowing what they did to the slayer's American father magnified his fear for her.

A few more hours passed as he tried to figure out a way out of his dilemma. He was not supposed to leave his home, but if he did not, his wife would be killed. For a long moment, the Death Eater contemplated his next move. The total lack of faith he had in the competence of the Wizarding World made him hesitate to contact any of them. To some degree, he still trusted Severus. Also, the new Professor of the Dark Arts had shown himself to not only be capable but devious.

Quickly, he sent off a note to both men and sat peering at the fire as he sipped his fire whisky.

If he could save his wife, maybe his son would forgive him for all the ways that he had failed as a father.

If he could save his wife, maybe his family name could still hold some respect in this cursed world.

His only comfort was the knowledge that his son would be safe at Hogwarts no matter what. Losing Draco was not something he and his wife would ever want to survive.

******Hogwarts*****

Severus was asleep, his arms wrapped around his love when a knock at his door woke him up.

"What is it?" Joyce asked sleepily.

"I will see. Go back to sleep," he said, placing a slight kiss on her cheek as he slipped from the bed, grabbing his black silk robe.

"Forgive the intrusion," Professor Wyndam-Price said in a soft voice. "However, I was awoken with an urgent message, and there was one for you. As my room has a window, I took both of them."

Severus nodded as he took the rolled-up note that Wesley handed him.

Old friend, they have taken Narcissa. I must save her. Can you come? I fear we will both perish without your help. L. M.

"I assume that he knows where they want him to go to retrieve her," Professor Wyndam-Price stated.

"This will simply get them both killed if he tries to free her alone," Severus said.

"I believe he is aware of that," Professor Wyndam-Price replied. "We must give him aid."

"Of course," Severus agreed, trying to decide whom to involve.

"Should we alert the headmaster?" Professor Wyndam-Price asked.

Severus nodded. "Yes, and I will wake Buffy Anne as she will never forgive me if I do not allow her a chance to end this once and for all," he said, glancing back at her mother. Joyce, though, would not be pleased.

The group assembled, gathering in Dumbledore's office. Buffy, Cordelia, Xander, Willow, Draco, Hermione, Harry, and the twins all made their way to where the adults were waiting. Once Buffy knew what was happening, it was impossible for the rest to not know. An argument broke out as Minerva insisted Draco, Harry, and Hermione not go as they were not in The Order.

"Listen up!" Giles called, getting everyone's attention. "I do understand your hesitation, Minerva. However, Draco's mom may need him. We do not know the state she is in. Harry's presence assures that Voldemort will come out of hiding as it is Harry that he fears."

"The twins and I have just as much right to avenge their brother's death as anyone," Hermione said, glaring.

"I agree," Wesley said. "They are not children. How can they be?"

Minerva pursed her lips but argued no further. She would watch over them all and ensure none of them were harmed on this mad quest.

Remus and Sirius were able to make it as both were staying in nearby Hogsmeade out of concern for the children. Molly and Arthur showed up, which did not really surprise anyone. When Molly began arguing about the twins' presence, they glared at her.

"We ceased being children the day Ron was murdered on our watch," George said grimly.

"You cannot keep us from being a part of this," Fred said, looking equally resolute.

"Molly, there's no time to debate this," Arthur told her.

"If I lose either of you, it will kill me," Molly informed them, her voice breaking.

"No one will die but Angelus and all who are helping him," Buffy said, her determination peeking out for all to see. This was it. She was going to end this once and for all.

"I have sent a message to Kingsley," Albus announced. "He will meet us at Malfoy Manor."

"We are sure the fireplace is open?" Hermione asked.

"Father would not have asked for help and not opened up the house," Draco commented.

"Lead the way," Albus told him.

Draco did just that. A surprised Lucius saw him come through first.

"What are you doing here?" Lucius asked, noting the various bodies coming out after him.

Draco moved quickly to his father's side. "Mother is in danger. Of course, I am here," he said flatly.

Lucius pushed down his natural inclination to tell his son to stay safe in their home. There was no safety anymore. He had to save his wife and redeem the family name. If he lost his son, well, it was probably no less than what he deserved.

"Don't worry, Lucius," Buffy said as she came in after Draco. "No one will hurt Draco."

Lucius could feel the cold rage and power coming off the slayer and believed her.

The Dark Lord was going to rue the day he dared to hurt this particular slayer.

*****To Be Continued*****

If you enjoyed this update at all, please take a minute to review. What do you hope to see before the tale ends? Of course, I always reserve the right to write a sequel. Thanks for reading. I didn't get this beta'd, so let me know if there's some errors. I will fix.