Ok, time I think to respond to the reviewers of the last few chs. I also just realised that means all of the reviewers currently on ff.net. Keep getting confused each time they remove this fic!!
Here goes...
Kyra2: thanks for all the reviews you've left, I love it when people tell me how they think the story is progressing chapter by chapter, it's these people I really write for. In answer to the many qus you've asked (sorry if some have already been answered) yes, Draco is a good guy now, yes I'm probably still going to be very mean to him. (I'm a sadist, I know!) As for Parkinson, I have some plans for her. Slow painful plans! (Insert evil laugh here!) But, I am a romantic at heart- Draco will start having an easier life, honest!! Glad you liked the drunken slayer- don't know if you've seen season 6 of Buffy, but I love the time she went drinking with Spike and was introduced to the seedy world of kitten poker! My beta, WychFire was the one who suggested a Harry/Buffy drinking scene and I just couldn't resist!!
Maerihaana: Don't be too ashamed about not getting the Buffy season, it is quite confusing, I'll try to clear it up for you- when I first started writing this I'd only seen up to the 5th season, so I started writing from there. When I saw season 6 I decided to keep my fic AU. Willow and co DID raise Buffy from the dead, but to be honest I was kinda disappointed with the 6th season, the Geek Trio never appealed to me as villains. Also Buffy continually moping got boring, plus I'm a purist- Buffy/Angel all the way so I really didn't like Buffy/Spike. But I do love Spike's character though; so there will be smooch action for him, don't worry! As for where I am in Harry Potter, they're in the 6th year, but book 5 didn't happen. (Basically I wanted to leave it open, when I started this, in case I loved events in book 5, but I'm not going to include it. Also I wanted them to be a bit older, kiddies aren't so much fun to write!!) Glad you like Water, she's my personal fave of the elementals, closely followed by Earth. And, no, we haven't seen the last of Lucius; I have BIG plans for him, which I really hope will be surprising and original!!
SilvaraWilde: see what I said about Spike above. Does that answer your question?!
Harpling: Welcome to the insanity!! You never watched Buffy?! Go down to your nearest rental store and hire every single season now, I command you! But, for now, in a bid to clear up some confusion here is a very brief summary of the Buffy cast.
Buffy: the Slayer, one girl in all the world with the strength and skill to fight the vampires. (played by Sarah Michelle Geller)
Giles: Her Watcher, who trains and guides the Slayer. Has a past of dabbling in black magic. (played by Anthony Stuart Head)
Willow: a very powerful witch, Buffy's best friend, recently a lesbian. (played by Alison Hannigan)
Xander: Buffy and Willow's other best friend, the only actual human. Has raised Buffy from the dead twice (once by CPR and once with Willow, Anya and Tara using a spell) (played by Nicholas Brendon)
Anya: 1000 year old former vengeance demon who is now mortal and engaged to Xander. (played by Emma Caulfield)
Tara: Witch and Willow's lover, painfully shy, bless her! (played by Amber Benson)
Spike: blenched blonde punk vampire with a chip in his head, implanted by US government, preventing him from hurting humans. (played by the VERY gorgeous James Marsters!)
Dawn: Buffy's sister who isn't actually real. She is an inter dimensional Key which some monks transformed into a human the Slayer would protect with her life (her sister) rewriting history in the process so no one (not even Dawn) would realise the truth. (Played by Michelle Traughtenburg)
Thanks also go to:
Dark Comet
Tewks
Chelsea
Icedrake1
Slytherin's Silver Dragon
Lunar Scythe
i-miei-occhi-verdi
Becca
Specialphreak
Hope that covered everyone, if I missed you, I'm really sorry, but thank you for the review.
Ok, having written a well over a page on thanks yous, I better start getting on with the ch! As always PLEASE leave a review, letting me know what you think. I really need a lot of encouragement at the moment, things have been pretty tough lately, my bastard fiancé just dumped me. (Anyone wanting to send him a Howler, feel free!!)
And, majorly- everyone- go out and buy Firefly on DVD!!! It is one of the best series I've ever seen, but those evil at FOX cancelled it in favour of reality TV shows! But, seriously folks, it's amazing, Joss Whedon at his best, I cannot recommend it highly enough, the more interest shown in it, the more likelihood of a revival- there's already at least one film planned for release in 2005- there should be more!!
CHAPTER 14
Long moments slipped by as Draco became increasingly nervous by Harry's silence. Coughing slightly, he brought the shocked boy's attention back to the situation. As Harry shook himself, trying to focus, Draco found himself getting more and more uncomfortable, his eyes darting around the room, desperately seeking somewhere, anywhere, away from Harry.
"When?" Harry finally managed to get out.
"When I went home."
"Who?"
Draco inhaled sharply. This was the question he had been dreading, not wanting Harry to lose his temper. "Voldemort." He answered, softly, closing his eyes and waiting for the explosion. He wasn't disappointed.
"What? I'll kill him!"
Despite the seriousness of the circumstances, Draco could not help the small grin that crept onto his face. "Weren't you going to do that anyway?"
"How can you joke about this?" Harry looked ready to burst, his face as red as Ron's hair. "Why didn't Water protect you?"
"She didn't know, there was a spell. And I can joke because what's the alternative? I stay crying, stay weak?"
"You were earlier!" As soon as the words came out of Harry's drunken mouth, he wished he could take them back. Draco's face shut down, any emotion hidden by the cold mask that slipped over his features.
"Well, maybe I've had a little perspective since then."
"Draco, I'm sorry." Harry sat down heavily on the large armchair. He looked up at Draco's cool features, his heart racing from both the shock and the alcohol. Blinking rapidly to clear his blurring vision and attempt to stop the room swaying, he prayed he hadn't driven Draco away permanently. After a while, Draco nodded, ruefully. "I suppose I did deserve that."
"Nnnnoo, you didn't," Harry stammered, wondering what he had done to offend the floor that seemed intent on lurching towards his face. With a small, sad smile, Draco slung an arm under Harry's shoulders, lifting him up until he was more or less upright.
"Come on, let's get you into bed."
"No, Draco, we can't. I mean, I want to, but we shouldn't," Harry mumbled.
"To get you to sleep," Draco, sighed, exasperated, as he started to half carry, half drag Harry to the sixth year dorms.
"I knew that."
"Idiot"
"I'm not. Mmmm fine, honest," Harry's head drooped forward onto his chest as he tried to convince Draco of his well being.
"Sure you are. How much have you had to drink anyway?" Draco laughed, fondly, the usual sarcastic bite gone from his voice.
"Not much."
"Uh huh." Draco raised an eyebrow as he surveyed the Gryffindor boys, snoring loudly. One of the few benefits of living in Slytherin was that the greater sense of decorum among the students, raised as aristocrats. Ron had been inelegantly dumped on top of his bed, his mouth wide open, lines of drool staining the quilt. Quickly identifying which bed was Harry's, he gently laid the moaning boy on his mattress. As he turned to go, he craned his head around to glance over his shoulder. Harry was looking blearily around, not quite succumbing to the sleep trying to claim him.
"You know, what I said," Draco murmured softly. "I don't expect anything, I don't want your pity, or for you to act differently. I just wanted you to know, that's all. Sleep well."
Harry's snores filled his ears as he wandered slowly and quietly out of the Gryffindor tower, towards the Slytherin Dungeons and his own bed.
For some reason Hermione wasn't where he thought he'd seen her fall when Spike got there. Instead he could hear the sound of a struggle moving off through the forest, and judging by the amount of noise, there were at least one or two creatures much larger than the human girl he now cursed himself for allowing to walk off alone just moments earlier.
Crashing through the monochrome shadows of the moonlit undergrowth, he followed the sounds gradually getting louder ahead of him. He could hear Hermione shouting, but couldn't make out the words. He slowed for a second to pin down the exact location, then quickened his pace, bursting out into a small clearing. It was at exactly that moment that a large arm slammed brutally into his head. Staggering temporarily stunned into the centre of the clearing, he barely noticed when Hermione violently pushed past him
"Stupefy!"
The demon that had punched him was suddenly stopped short of reaching him as the spell hit it. Aiming again, Hermione didn't spare Spike a glance as she cast the second spell.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
The demon froze, it's arms slammed into its sides. The spikes leading out of its wrists suddenly cut into the large thighs. A Polgara demon, Spike thought, vaguely, as the creature toppled over. He had not seen one alive before. Or even in one piece, he inwardly grinned, wryly remembering the Polgara arm used by the Frankenstein-like monster, Adam over a year ago in Sunnydale. He looked up, out of his musings, to see Hermione, looking impatiently at him, hands on her hips and her eyes glaring daggers at him.
"What?" He tried to look innocent, but over one hundred years of killings made it a hard look to pull off.
"You always this late?"
Spike looked around at the other two Polgaras lying petrified on the ground and shrugged his leather duster into place on his shoulders.
"Thought you were doing pretty well without me pet. Didn't seem like I was needed, so..."
"Oh yes, of course! That's what it was!" Hermione interrupted venomously "Well right, no you're not needed! So will you please just leave me alone!?"
"Alright, love, no need to get your knickers in a twist!" Spike grinned.
The young firebrand said nothing, but glared back at him, apparently waiting for him to leave. Unexpectedly an image of those 'twisted' knickers, being worn by Hermione with very little else, popped unbidden into his head. It had suddenly struck him what a strong and sexy young women she was when not wearing those daft school robes. He raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised at his own imaginings.
Hermione stormed towards him "Spike, what the hell are you smiling at? Are you going to go back to the castle or just stand there grinning at me like an idiot?"
His grin widened - he was enjoying baiting the young witch. "Yeah, sure, we'll just have a nice little wander back to the castle and wait for someone else to come by and deal with these cute little demons when your fancy pants spells wear off."
Hermione froze, and even in the moonlight, the colour drained from her cheeks as she realised what Spike intended to do. His expression softening slightly, he glanced down at the demons lying temporarily immobile on the rough ground. "You don't have to watch you know, I can kill 'em without an audience."
"You think I can't stomach it?"
"No, pet, I think you're about to be sick at the thought of it. Nice, pretty, well brought up girl like you, shouldn't think you're much of a one for the blood and gore scene."
Damn him! thought Hermione. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but the good-looking egotistical bastard was right. Not only did the idea of decapitating anything make her feel decidedly queasy, she knew that if it hadn't been for Spike distracting it, she probably wouldn't even have noticed the third whatever-it-was demon that had been about to attack her from behind. Still, there was no way she was going to let him know that now.
Hermione marched up to him until they were barely millimetres apart, defiantly meeting his gaze.
"I can do whatever has to be done."
"Yeah?"
"Yes."
Spike returned her stare, and for several seconds there was an impasse, her deep brown eyes locked with his of ice blue. As much as he tried to look tough, Spike found instead that he was acutely aware of her subtle scent, of her body heat radiating warmth to the cold of his vampire skin, of the vapour from her breath in the cold night air brushing like ghostly fingers across his face...
It was almost simultaneously that he relaxed his stance and Hermione broke the tension by asking "Okay, so how do you kill these, these... whatever they are?"
"Polgara demons," Spike grinned. "Nasty buggers, especially for vampires. Come handily equipped with their very own built-in stakes. As for killing, I was planning to go with nice and simple decapitation, unless you have any better ideas?" He laughed at the surprise registering on her face. "What, love?"
"So, got a handy sword or two stashed away in that over-priced coat of yours have you?" the young witch challenged with a sarcastic smile.
Spike's expression grew thunderous. "You can just piss-off! Now! No one disses this coat, you hear me?"
"Oh come on, getting all worked up over fashion are we?"
"This is not fashion pet, this is spoils of war, a sign of victory! It makes a bloody statement, you silly bint!"
"Whoaa! Okay, okay, calm down. Sorry I even mentioned the nice pretty coat," Hermione smirked, making Spike's blood boil even more. And reminding him once again, he suddenly realised, of the annoying Slayer he had once described as the bloody thorn in his bloody side.
Growing impatient with the vampire, Hermione folded her arms and scowled "So? Do you?"
"Do I what?"
"Have. A. Sword. . . . To.Cut.Off.Their.Heads."
"Don't talk to me like I'm some kind of bloody moron, I'm your bloody elder! You should treat me with some fucking respect!"
"And you shouldn't swear at a FUCKING STUDENT!"
"DON'T YOU BLOODY SHOUT AT ME!"
"I'LL BLOODY SHOUT AT ANYONE I BLOODY LIKE!"
"THEN FUCK YOU LUV!"
"FUCK YOU TOO!!"
Hermione glared at the vampire, blood rushing to her face, her heart pumping furiously as she gasped for breath. Every fibre of her being rang with deep and utter loathing of the arrogant bastard in front of her. But. But... Lifting one foot to step away from him, she instead found herself moving forward at the same moment that he reached for her. His arms snaked around her back, pulling her close, as he moved his head down, kissing her with an intensity which fed on itself, growing in passion with each passing second.
For a second she tried to resist, but the passion she'd been longing for overwhelmed her and a heartbeat later, she began kissing him back, bringing her hands to the back of his head, preventing him from moving away. After several long moments, she began to feel light headed, dimly remembering the human need for oxygen. She pulled away with a gasp as Spike started to kiss down the side of her neck, feeling the rapid pulse beneath her skin. Her hands moved down to his shoulders, entwining her fingers in the folds of his beloved leather duster, pulling it tight with a strength that threatened to rip it apart. Sliding one arm down, Spike lifted her up, as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He slammed her up against a tree, revelling in her moan as his lips found hers again, kissing him desperately.
They were both electrified with shock as the dying shriek of one of the Polgara demons echoed through the forest. Dropping Hermione, Spike moved away, making ready to fight but shaking his head as if dazed. She blushed furiously as she saw an equally scarlet Rupert Giles standing stunned in amazement, a sword in one hand, the severed head of the dead Polgara in the other. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but could only manage to stammer, as he suddenly found the area just left of her head infinitely fascinating.
"Well, er, yes, um, ok then, so sorry to intrude, err, well, carry on then, quite."
With the look of someone who had seen a sight more bizarre and disturbing than anything he could have imagined, Giles began to back away, pausing to distractedly remove the remaining demon heads. Spike turned back to Hermione as the dazed expression on his face turned to one of amusement and triumph.
"See, I told you they should have been decapitated!"