author: Lucinda

rating: pg 13-ish

no pairings at this time

Disclaimer: Any Character that you recognize will belong to either Joss Whedon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or JK Rowlings, author of Harry Potter. I have no legal ownership of any of those characters.

Distribution: unless I said so, please ask first.

note: I am setting this post HP5, and I do NOT know what is going to happen in that book. I'm assuming that V will be making more trouble, and running with the idea.

Gingerbread was s3 BtVS.

Severus Snape was in a foul mood. The school year had ended, which was pleasing to most of the teachers, certainly to most of the students. Unfortunately, the school year had ended on a very drastic note. Voldemort had caused an attack. Technically, the attack had been caused by a group of reassembled Death Eaters, who were the followers of the Dark Lord, but they wouldn't have attacked Hogwarts unless their master had commanded it of them. He was gaining in power, reassembling his followers from the years before, and gaining new ones as well. Things were not encouraging.

Most would have been glad to have the summer to plan what to do unencumbered by classes. He wasn't, but then, he had more complications than most people. He'd once belonged to the Death Eaters, although that had ended up becoming a means of spying for the Ministry of Magic. The mark on his arm had burned from the attack, reminding him that he would always be marked by his dark past. Most of his students despised or feared him, and he wasn't particularly close to any of the faculty.

There was the further complication that he visited his sister every summer. His sister Sheila, the squib of the family. She had been something of an embarrassment before, and when she had grown to adulthood, she had moved away to America, vowing never to look back. She had even gotten married to a muggle, and had become a psychiatrist. If it weren't for the fact that his grandfather, the patriarch of the family had decreed that someone would stay in touch, she would have been easily forgotten. Severus had drawn the short straw, and was the one relative that still visited Sheila. It also meant that he was the only Snape that had actually met Sheila's daughter, Willow.

Sheila had absolutely forbidden him to speak of anything related to the wizarding world to her daughter, insisting that as her husband was a muggle, and she had 'no magical talent what-so-ever' that there would never be a reason for her daughter to need to know of the wizarding world. Her daughter was a bright girl, and amazing with computers, and as far as he knew, she hadn't been approached by any of the American wizarding schools, which meant that Sheila could have been right about things. However he'd promised his grandfather, so he visited every summer, regardless of the magic or non-magic of the family.

He worried about Willow, there was something that wasn't right about the town they lived in. Things felt slightly off, definitely leaning towards the dark side of things. Although, the weather in Sunnydale was usually sunny, and overall typically southern California. Most places that had a feel of the Dark to them tended to have weather that reflected this, frequent storms, lots of mists and fog, many overcast days, that sort of thing. He felt glad for once, that Willow didn't know what was out there in the world, that she only had muggle concerns. That she didn't know about Voldemort rising to power again, that she didn't have to worry about curses, vampires, rampaging trolls and monsters in the basement.

He had just returned from the owl post, sending a letter to his sister that he would be visiting, just as usual this summer. He knew it drove her crazy that he sent her letters by owl, that he didn't use the muggle mail system. He found a letter, saying that Dumbledore wanted to see him, immediately, about a matter of great concern. He was to meet him at Hogwarts, where they would not be overheard. Something told him that this would only be more disturbing news.

His meeting with Dumbledore... well, while it wasn't quite what he'd expected, it was still bad news. Apparently, one of the Death Eater that had attacked Hogwarts had been Lucius Malfoy, and Dumbledore feared that if Draco went home, he would be in danger. Tactfully, Dumbledore didn't speculate on exactly who Draco would be in danger from, but Severus could imagine plenty of possibilities on his own. Draco could be in danger from other Death Eaters, trying to unbalance Lucius. He could be in danger from Lucius as some sort of dark action or ritual. He could be in danger from Voldemort, or some nasty thing working for the Dark Lord.

Which was why Albus Dumbledore had asked him to take Draco Malfoy with him on his summer visit. Take the boy to America, far from England where the Malfoy family had their power base, far from the dark corners of Europe where the Dark Lord was hiding. Severus had argued against the plan, but it hadn't worked. Dumbledore had possessed more arguments about how it would be safer for Draco than Severus had arguments on how miserable the trip would be.

Which was why he now needed to change his travel plans to include a teenage boy. He would be going across the world to visit his non-magical sister, and taking with him the talented son of one of England's oldest wizard families. He couldn't imagine how the trip could possibly get worse.

end part 1.

Willow was frustrated and bored. Xander had left to take a summer road trip. Oz had gone on tour with the Dingos, they were opening for another band, and hoped that the exposure would be good for them. She and Oz had never got back together after the dreadful incident at the factory, but they had managed to rebuild their friendship. Buffy had gone on a cruise that her father had bought her as a graduation present. Obviously, he'd given it to her before they'd blown up the school.

Blown up the school...Willow could barely believe that she had actually helped to blow up her school. Granted, the only reason that she would have ever considered it was that they couldn't come up with a better way to get rid of the mayor that had turned into a giant snake-demon. She still felt incredibly guilty.



All her friends had left, going ... somewhere that wasn't Sunnydale for the summer. The school that had come to feel like a home to her, or at least a safe place in an unsafe world was gone. She had been spending many hours wandering around town, and at the public library or Joyce's art gallery. It was incredibly boring.

Normally, her uncle Sev would visit at some point in the summer. He was her mother's brother, and the only one that had stayed in touch. She'd asked once why her mother had left her family, but the only answer she'd gotten was something about needing to go on her own... needing to stand on her own feet in her adult life. She had been quite certain that her mother didn't want to tell her the real reason why she'd left her family. Willow had always thought it had to be something big, after all, normal people didn't just move out of the country, across an ocean, and to the other side of the world from their family, cutting off almost all communication without some sort of reason.

But, her parents had gone on some sort of tour to promote her mother's latest book, and they didn't plan to be back until sometime in November. They'd left back in May, and had consequently missed the whole mess that was graduation. Willow had wondered if they'd even realized that she had graduated that year. Surely they'd be home if Uncle Sev was planning to visit, right? Even her parents wouldn't just let him come all the way from England and not show, right? Well, her mother HAD tried to burn her at the stake... HAD not realized that Jesse had died several months ago... still called her friend Buffy 'that Bunny girl'.

Willow walked down the sidewalk, kicking at the small stones that had found their way out of the flowerbeds. She was doomed to a summer of complete loneliness and boredom. Her friends all had somewhere else to be, except for Amy, who had turned herself into a rat. Her school was gone.... there were two people on her front step.

Willow stopped, trying to figure out why there would be people on her step. It was a bright, sunny afternoon, so they couldn't be vampires. They had a small pile of luggage, so they weren't travelling salespersons... There was a blond boy perhaps a few years younger than she was, and he was glaring at the door as if it had somehow offended him. The other person was... her uncle Sev.

"Uncle Sev! You're here... oh, this is wonderful!" Willow was delighted. She bounded up to the porch, and gave her uncle a big hug, absolutely delighted to see him. He was her favorite relative, the only one that didn't try to make her 'be more normal'.

After a few moments of hugging, Willow let go of her uncle. "I didn't think you were coming this summer. Mom and Dad didn't say anything. Here, let me get the door. You might as well come in, no reason to stay out in the sun..."

Her uncle Sev frowned, and that expression was particularly effective on him. His dark hair and dark eyes, paired with his tendency to wear dark clothing had always made Willow think he looked like he should be cast as the villain in some theatrical production. He pulled of the brooding and mysterious as well as Angel did, although her uncle was clearly alive.

Sev and the boy followed Willow into the house, bringing the luggage with them. It was obvious that there would have to be some explanations. Willow hadn't expected her uncle, and surely hadn't been expecting him to bring a guest, which could only mean that she hadn't known.

end part 2.

"You didn't think I was going to visit this summer? Why not?" Severus couldn't understand. He'd tried to make certain that Willow knew he thought well of her. Surely his sister hadn't forgotten to mention that he would be coming.

"Mom and Dad left in May to go on a promotional tour for her new book. I haven't seen them since then, and they've only left a few messages for me, none of which mentioned you or... umm who is your guest anyhow?" Willow's voice was filled with emotion, loneliness and something else that he hated to hear from her, a sense of resignation. As if her parents had abandoned her and she had concluded that there was nothing that could be done about it.

"His name is Draco Malfoy, he's on of my students. There was some concern for his safety over the summer, and it was decided that he should stay with me over the break." Absently, Severus answered, sweeping his gaze over the front room, looking for some sign that his sister hadn't completely abandoned her daughter. Upon hearing an odd noise from Draco, he hoped that his niece wouldn't misinterpret Draco staying with him. Glancing at her, he thought that it didn't look like she was taking it wrongly. "You're certain she didn't say anything about the change of plans? I sent her a letter explaining some of the details."

"Quite. There was weed the flowerbeds, make certain that the bills were paid... Umm if Samuel Draven calls give him mom's cell phone number... nothing about your visit or company. Umm are you sure the letter got to her? I know nothing came here from you..." Willow was clearly thinking, and only part of her attention was on the issue of her mother's non-communication. "I guess we'll put Draco in the guest room, you can stay in my parent's room. They took most of their stuff with them this time, so it's pretty empty. Here, follow me, I'll help you get your stuff to the rooms."

As they moved the luggage, Severus noticed just how empty the room was. It looked as if they had left hardly anything at home. He frowned again, trying to think why that would be. If they had left in may, shouldn't they be almost ready to return? "Willow, how long are your parents away for? Why did they feel the need to pack almost every item of clothing they own?" As he considered the idea of his sister and her husband leaving their daughter alone for the summer, another thought occurred to him. "Didn't you graduate this year?"

Willow was just pulling in his last item, a big trunk. She looked thoughtful for a moment before she answered. "Actually, I graduated as valedictorian of my class. They missed it, and they're supposed to be back sometime in the middle of November. Apparently, her career as a psychologist and author is much more important than seeing me graduate. It's debatable if they realized that I'm graduating this year or not, that might require them to pay attention to something about me for longer than five minutes."

Severus was appalled that his sister could do this. She had been one of the most vocal protesting about their father spending so much time with his career, insisting that she felt like he didn't pay any attention to her or the rest of them because he was to busy with his job. Now, he learns that she had just gone off to do a promotional tour over the summer... "Has she gone away for a long period before?"

"It's not really a new thing for her. This one's a bit longer than most, but she's been away for a long time before. She's been doing this since I was twelve and she decided I was capable of taking care of myself. I'm used to it. She probably wouldn't have been happy with graduation anyhow." Willow's words were resigned, as if she had long ago concluded that her life wasn't a high priority to her parents, and she had given up on trying to catch their attention.

"Why wouldn't Sheila have liked your graduation ceremony? From what I've seen of them, and I've seen many parents at their children's graduations, it isn't normally the sort of thing that people get upset over." He was feeling angrier with his sister with every answer. There were only so many ways a graduation ceremony could be done, how much of a problem could there have been?

Willow looked as if she were trying to choose her words very carefully. "There was a problem at the ceremony. Umm... well... there was an eclipse, which wasn't a problem but it did cause some... chaos, yes, I think chaos is the best way to describe that, and then umm the school sort of...well... it blew up. The fire department said it was some sort of major gas leak, and a stray spark...possibly a bad boiler system."

He could only stare in shock for a few moments. The school had blown up? Major gas leak and a bad boiler... that had to be one of the most pathetic excuses he'd ever heard. Something had to have happened at that school, and he had a sinking feeling that it was Dark. There had been an impression of... something that he'd sensed when he'd arrived in this town, but he'd dismissed it as his dislike of the area, a figment of his imagination. Perhaps he'd best be more alert in this town.

end part 3.



Severus was most unhappy.

Severus was still brooding over his sister's parenting skills – or rather, her apparent lack of them when he heard Draco moving around downstairs. The boy was stomping, and probably complaining to nobody – or possibly his owl about how miserable he expected his summer to be. He caught something about having no friends here... to much sunlight... Obviously, Draco was in a foul mood.

He would just have to get over it.

He would just unpack his things and brood over his sister. While it had been something of a disappointment to the family that Sheila hadn't had any magic, that hadn't meant that she had to leave. She had felt out of place among them, hadn't wanted to be the only non-magical person in a family of wizards. He hadn't been disappointed that she'd moved away, or that she'd married a muggle. Surprised, yes, and he still didn't understand what she'd seen in Ira, but it was her life, those were her choices. He'd actually been happy for her when she became a psychiatrist, it had meant that she had a career, she was doing something that made her happy. But she was abandoning her daughter. How could she... he would never understand his sister.

Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy was downstairs, looking for the best places for some of his things... well, actually, he was just poking around being nosy. He wanted to find out what sort of magic books his teacher's sister had in her house, what magical appliances or trinkets. So far, he'd found entirely non-magical furnishings, and no books on magic whatsoever. In fact, everything was pointing to the nasty idea that this... could it be possible? Could this actually be a muggle household?

"Hey, you with the red hair. Where the magical stuff? Where do your parents keep their spellbooks and potion recipes?" He might as well ask the young woman, what had her name been again? Some sort of tree...

"My parents don't have spellbooks or potion recipes. What sort of school did you go to anyhow?" She was giving him this odd look, as if he'd said something crazy.

"What do you mean no spellbooks? How would they work magic without spellbooks? I mean, I'd guess they'd be a bit on the second rate side, considering.." He looked around the house with a sniff of disdain. " surely they must have them somewhere. Even Weasley's have books on magic." Draco's voice had taken on this slightly petulant, sneering tone.

Willow looked at him, clearly annoyed now. "Look, my parents do NOT have spellbooks. I don't know who these Weasley people are, but I don't think they have anything to do with my family. No spellbooks for my parents. No magic for my parents. Stop snooping."

Draco's eyes grew wide as she spoke, and the words practically exploded out of him after she had ordered him to stop snooping. "No magic? I'm Draco Malfoy! I am not going to stay in the house of some bossy mud-blood muggle! I'm not going to stay in this miserable little house with some helpless ignorant mud.."

His words were cut off when Willow's hand connected sharply to his face. She was glaring at him, her eyes furious. Her words were practically hissed. "You are one of the rudest, most obnoxious spoiled brats that I have ever had the misfortune of meeting in my whole life."

Draco was staring at her in stunned disbelief. She'd hit him... she'd actually slapped him. He'd been insulted before, but this was different. His cheek stung from where her hand had connected. This wasn't supposed to happen to him! Draco turned and bolted out the door, his mind a turmoil of to many thoughts, both what had happened just now and the events that had caused him to be in America to begin with.

Willow watched him leave the house, her own metal state in turmoil. She'd slapped him. Oh, dear, she'd actually slapped the boy. She knew that it had been very rude of her to do that, and then she'd yelled at him, although it was quite true, he WAS rude and obnoxious, and probably quite spoiled as well.

Draco had just run off to sulk outside in Sunnydale. Willow realized that with a sinking sense of dismay. He probably had no idea what dangers were out there at night, well it wasn't quite nighttime yet, but if they didn't get him back inside where it was safe before dark... He probably had no idea about the nasties of Sunnydale. She'd better go tell her uncle.

end part 4.

Willow went up to talk to her uncle Sev. She had to tell him about Draco running out, and that meant she'd probably have to tell him about the argument. Maybe he could explain to her exactly what 'mud-blood' meant, beyond the fact that it was clearly an insult. They would have to find the blonde before anything bad happened to him.

"Umm Uncle Sev? There's been a bit of a problem." Willow spoke hesitantly, reluctant to admit the way she'd lost her temper.

He made a gesture for her to come in and explain, so she shuffled in, clearly embarrassed. "Draco and I... we... sort of had a bit of an argument. Umm what exactly is a mud-blood anyhow? Because I thought it sounded very rude and he's definitely a bit on the spoiled side, and Oh! he ran out of the house and we need to go find him, he has to be back inside before dark because it just isn't safe outside after dark, and I'm babbling again."

Her uncle looked very unhappy about the argument, and the fact that Draco had called her a mud-blood, although he didn't actually explain the term. They left the house, separating at her uncle's insistence to search more area faster. Willow urged him to be very careful, especially if it got dark.

Severus started searching the town, occasionally stopping and trying to sense the presence of another trained - or at least partly trained wizard. Unfortunately, the energies of this area made any sort of aura tracking incredibly difficult. The place was filled with this energy that acted much like static...evil static. He wasn't surprised to see numerous churches in the small town, or to see several cemeteries. He was also getting the strong feeling that this was the sort of place where the dangers after dark included a great deal more than rat infested allies or human gangs. He started walking a bit faster, hoping to find Draco before something terrible could happen to the boy.

Willow was searching for Draco as well. She felt terrible, certain that it was at least partly her fault that he had run out like that. She had made certain to pick up a jacket before she left, not for the warmth, but because it made it so much easier to hide a wooden stake and a squirt gun filled with holy water. How would he know to defend himself from the dangers out there? What if some demon or vampire found him? He'd been at the bronze, a pale skinned blond guy, about sixteenish, and dressed a bit oddly, but he'd left already.

She continued her search, hoping that nothing tried to eat him. That nothing had already eaten him. Especially since the sun had just set, freeing the nighttime hunters to stalk the streets. She turned in at one of the parks, having the idea that maybe he had gone somewhere quiet to think - or sulk, as the case might be. Looking around, she saw someone with pale blond hair sitting on a bench. Hopefully, it was Draco, so she started going closer. Unfortunately, there was another figure moving towards him, what looked like a big guy in dark pants and a lighter colored shirt. A vampire, and probably hungry. Willow started to run.

The vampire seized the figure on the bench, sinking fangs into the unfortunate, who screamed. The scream was partly fearful, but also angry. It had to be Draco. Willow pulled her stake, and plunged it into the back of the vampire, who promptly disintegrated into gritty dust which fell to the ground, as did the now bleeding Draco Malfoy.

Willow pulled a scrap of cloth from her pocket, and pressed it over the bleeding bite wound on Draco's neck, right at the place where the neck meets the shoulder. She pressed, trying to slow the bleeding, and looked at his color, trying to judge how badly he'd been injured.

"Best get you back to the house now. I've got real bandages there. It's okay, you're safe...well, safer now. Let's go." Willow spoke quietly, trying to sooth Draco. She could tell he'd been very afraid.

They made their way back to the house, moving quickly. They met up with her uncle Sev on the way, and all three of them went into the house. She could tell that her uncle was trying to figure out what had happened to Draco's neck.

"Here, Uncle Sev, you keep the pressure on right here. I'm going to go get the first aid kit, and we can get him bandaged up. Questions can come after bandages, that's the proper order of things." Willow spoke, hoping to buy a little time to try to think of a way to explain all of this.

end part 5.



Draco had been very quiet while Willow had bandaged his neck. Both he and Professor Snape had noticed that she seemed to have had a lot of practice bandaging, her hands moved quickly and confidently with the medical supplies. He'd been sitting on the bench, trying to figure out why he had to stay here, in some boring muggle town when someone had stopped in front of him. He'd looked up, and the face that had been looking back had been inhuman, with ridges and yellow eyes and fangs. The next thing he knew, as his mind was still processing that there was a vampire standing in front of him, the monster had grabbed him, and bit into his neck, and he had actually felt his blood being pulled from his body. He'd screamed, from pain, and fear, and from the whole indignity of it all. He was going to die, and the only one that would care would be his teacher.

That was when the vampire had suddenly dissolved into dust, and he'd fallen to the ground. Willow had been standing over him, holding a wooden stake in her hand. She'd saved him, and taken him home to tend his wounds. She hadn't seemed surprised to find a vampire... she had known exactly what she was going to do...

"That was a vampire. I was attacked by a vampire." His voice sounded a bit off, even to his own ears.

Willow looked at him, her expression slightly surprised by his words. "Yeah, that was a vampire. Not a very old one, but still a vampire. He didn't take very much, you'll be okay."

He looked at her putting the bandages and ointment away. She looked entirely to calm about the whole thing. "Why aren't you panicking? I was attacked by a VAMPIRE!"

She looked at him, and he had the oddest feeling that he was being measured. "Yes, we've covered that already. He was a vampire, he bit you. That's what vampires do. It's why people generally don't like them." Tilting her head thoughtfully, she looked at him. "You know, you're taking this better than most people do. There's usually a bit more screaming, and a few insistences that that really couldn't have been a vampire at all..." Her voice trailed off as she focussed on her thoughts.

Snape spoke, his voice worried. "Willow, is that why you were so insistent that we try to find him before dark? You knew there were vampires out there?"

She picked up the first aid kit, putting it over on an end table as she replied. "Well, yeah, of course I knew there were vampires out there. I've known about them for a few years now. But...we're safe now, a vampire can't enter someone's home without a verbal invitation. I just... didn't know how to tell you to be careful without mentioning that word... most of the time, if you say there are vampires, people start to think you're crazy."

This was all sounding to weird for Draco. "What kind of strange place have you brought me to, Professor Snape? There are vampires... and she's not surprised by it. How am I supposed to be safer here?"

Willow looked at him, her attention recaptured by his question. "This is the Hellmouth. La Boca del Inferno? Place of really bad magical energy that attracts nasty things with pointy teeth? Umm... it's a mystical place of badness, and it's right here in Sunnydale. It attracts vampires and demons, which are also real, in case you didn't know. Um... so are werewolves."

Draco's answer was quiet, he was still shocked by Willow's words and how calm she was about all of this. "I knew werewolves were real. We had one as a teacher a few years back. I know that demons are real too... Why do you live here if you know how dangerous it is?"

Willow gave a little half smile, an expression oddly devoid of joy. "I don't think my parents know what goes bump in the night. As for why am I here... where else would I be? I can't just move away, I can't afford it. Besides, Buffy needs me. She's the Slayer... umm it's her destiny to fight the dangerous things. What did you mean, how are you supposed to be safe here? What are you in danger from?"

Draco sighed, feeling all his anger and arrogance seep away, leaving only a mix of shame and helplessness. He should have known he couldn't hide from the facts forever. "My father. He's... he's a Death Eater, and he was going to give me to the Dark Lord for something. Dumbledore, the headmaster of the school, thought I'd be safer if I came here."

end part 6.



Carl had been at the Bronze, looking for an easy meal. To his surprise, his plans for the evening were disrupted. There was a boy, maybe fifteen or sixteen, that had come into the club. What made him different from the crowds of other teens was several things: he was dressed oddly, he looked like he wanted to be alone and left quickly, and he had a bit of the feel of magic to him.

Carl was a minion. He was turned as a minion, he would always be a minion. But he was no longer a minion to the Master, or one of his bloodline.

He now served Neeson. Neeson was quite different from the other masters that Carl had served, the man wasn't even a vampire. The man was something much less predictable: a Dark Wizard. Neeson had his own ambitious plans, but unlike the plans of the vampires Carl had once served, Neeson's plans didn't draw the attention of the Slayer.

Carl knew that Neeson had been making a big fuss about someone named Malfoy that also had followed someone he called the Dark Lord. There had been angry words about this Malfoy planning to offer a mage gifted boy to the Dark Lord. If it had been a plan that would work for this Malfoy, perhaps it would be good for his master Neeson. So he hurried out into the night, intent on informing his master that there was a stranger in town, a blond boy with mage gift, a boy that didn't seem to know the dangers of Sunnydale.

Yes, his master would be interested in this news. Neeson might even be willing to give some small reward for bringing this information. Ahh, there would be wonderful things ahead, he was certain of that.

* * *

Willow looked at Draco, her expression showing a mixture of concern and bafflement. " A Death Eater? What's a ... never mind. Maybe I should start with why did Dumbledore think you'd be safe here of all places... or maybe what exactly would your father be doing to you or with you that would make you leave the country... oh. I don't have the right books to look up that sort of nasty evil ritual. We need research...we need old books on demons and blood sacrifice... Giles! We need to talk to Giles. He has all his books still, we had them moved out of the library..."

Willow's voice trailed off as she walked towards the telephone. She was taking the whole concept of danger rather calmly, as if she had practice with life threatening situations. Draco spoke at almost the same time as her uncle Sev. "Who's Giles and why would he be able to help? And what's a slayer anyhow?"

"Your friend Buffy is the Slayer... would that make this Giles person her Watcher? You had time to get all the books out of the library... did you have advance warning about the school exploding?"

Willow looked at them, seeing all the questions in their eyes as well as the one they'd actually spoken, and decided to give them a few answers before she called Giles. "Yes, Giles is Buffy's Watcher. He has a lot of big books about demons and vampires, and magical artefacts and rituals, and all sorts of things. A Slayer slays... umm fights the various vampires and demons that try to do horrible things like slaughter massive numbers of people or end the world. Honestly, I have no idea why so many nasties think kick starting the Apocalypse is such a great idea, I mean, where would they live afterwards, but do they ever think about that? No.... "

Willow then realized that she had been babbling again, and felt herself blushing. She studied her fingers for a moment before answering her uncle's last question. "Actually, it wasn't a gas leak. We blew up the school on purpose." Seeing the shocked looks on their faces, Willow hurried to elaborate. "It was necessary! The mayor was doing this big Ascension, and turned into this huge snake demon and he was going to eat the graduating class, so we had to lure him into the school and blow it up to kill him! We couldn't think of any other way to get rid of him!"

They were still looking stunned, and a bit alarmed, so Willow turned to call Giles. She told him that her uncle Sev was visiting, and that he'd brought a student with him because they were afraid that there was some big threat to Draco, and could they come over and try to find some information in the big books that could explain more details?

She turned to look at her uncle Sev and Draco, and smiled at them. "Giles says we should go right over, we might be able to find some useful information in his books. So, umm maybe this time we should drive? I have the old car in the garage."

end part 7.



The short drive to Giles' apartment was very quiet. Severus and Draco were both pondering the implications of Willow's very brief explanation of what was going on. Willow was already trying to think of anything she might have seen before that would give her an idea where to start looking. If Draco was in danger from his father, and since he'd mentioned magic books...

"Uncle Sev, exactly what sort of school do you teach at, anyhow?" Willow's question broke the silence.

"I teach at Hogwarts, a school of witchcraft and wizardry. It's a place where students who possess magical abilities learn to be wizards. I teach potions. Draco is one of the students at Hogwarts." Her uncle's voice was quiet, as if he was for some reason reluctant to mention this information.

Willow was considering that, but they had arrived at Giles apartment. She parked the car in the driveway, and they all got out and moved to the door. Giles opened the door, and looked at them curiously.

"Willow, I assume this is your uncle and his student? I have the books inside." He looked thoughtful, and wary. Giles then left the door open, and moved back into the room, giving no spoken invitation, but clearly an indication that they should come in.

They all followed him into the house, and Giles then noticed the bandage on Draco's neck. "Goodness, Willow, was he... do they... ahh..."

Willow had given a slightly sad smile. "Yeah, a vampire bit him. He was a bit shaken up about it. They know that Buffy's the Slayer, and you're her watcher, and that Sunnydale was built on a hellmouth. Can we pull out the big books of evil? I think we might want to look at blood rituals, possibly blood sacrifice... umm Giles, do you know what a Death Eater is?"

Giles froze in his tracks, his arms full of books. "Did you say a Death Eater? One of the followers of... oh dear. Oh dear this is very bad... He's a Malfoy, isn't he? Oh dear..." He began to move very slowly towards the table in front of the couch, still muttering 'oh dear's.

Willow was starting to get very worried. Giles was more upset than he usually got from invading packs of demons, or strange prophecies. He had only been this upset about.. well, the Ascension. Not only was Giles really upset, he seemed to know what was going on, what a death eater was, who Draco's family were.

Willow was quite certain that there was something going on, and she wanted someone to fill in the blanks. Her tone was, therefore, a bit sharper than usual. "Someone care to finish a sentence? Who are these Death Eaters following? What's the big deal about Draco's family? Why am I the only one in this room that doesn't know this already?"

Giles sighed, rubbing a cloth over his glasses as he tried to form the information into an orderly sentence. "The Malfoy family is a very old line of wizards, also traditionally quite wealthy. The Death Eaters follow a very powerful Dark wizard, and his name is not spoken. I would presume that you must come from a muggle family, or else you would at least know a bit about this. Ahh... muggle is a term for a non-magical person."

Sev spoke next, his words sounding as if they had been pulled out one at a time. "Sheila knew about this. She made me promise not to mention the wizarding world to Willow. She came from a long line of wizards, but Sheila... was a squib."

Giles made a noise resembling something between hmmm and aaahhh. Draco got this odd expression of shock upon hearing that Professor Snape had a squib in his family. Willow felt like her world had been turned inside out. Her face went ashen.

"She knew? She knew about vampires...and magic...and monsters? Knew since she was little? She knew that it was all real and... that magic wasn't necessarily evil? Oh, my god... she KNEW and she still..." Willow's voice was rising, and she was on the edge of hysterics. Suddenly, she turned and bolted out the door.

Willow wasn't thinking about Sunnydale being dangerous at night. She wasn't worrying about vampires or demons. She was to busy remembering how her mother had tried to burn her at the stake under the influence of the Hansel/Gretel demon.

end part 8.



Draco watched Willow run out, her face gone colorless with shock and something else. She had been upset about her mother not telling her about the wizard world, but there had also been something else her mother had done to upset Willow. Both Professor Snape and this Giles person were just standing there, clearly surprised by Willow's outburst and departure. Checking to make sure he had his wand, Draco went out after Willow. Someone had to, after all.

He caught a glimpse of red down the street, and followed, wishing that he had his broom with him. Willow could move pretty fast when she wanted to. He followed her, beginning to feel like he was in really bad shape. Why was she running outside in this crazy town with vampires and demons and a hellmouth?

Finally, she slowed down and came to a halt in what he would have thought the last spot to hang around at night, a cemetery. She collapsed onto a bench beside a large mausoleum and buried her face in her arms, half reclined on the stone. He could see her shaking with sobs, and he felt a twinge of... something inside.

Feeling incredibly nervous about being in the cemetery, Draco moved towards Willow, one hand firmly clutching his wand, in case there was another vampire. Still nervous, and definitely remembering their earlier argument, Draco sat down beside Willow. He wasn't certain that he liked her, but....she'd treated him like a normal person. It didn't matter to her that he could trace his ancestry though generations of wizards, or that his family was rich. She had looked at him and only saw Draco. Unfortunately, she saw him as a spoiled, arrogant brat, which he didn't really like. What made her assessment sting even more was the fact that it was true.

"Willow? Umm is it safe to be in a cemetery after dark here? There was that vampire... what if there are more of them?" He couldn't quite keep the tremor from his voice. It was one thing to consider vampires in the abstract, as a chapter in his Defense Against Dark Arts assignments, but it was entirely different to encounter one in real life. More unsettling, there was a bit of fog rising from the ground, making the whole cemetery look even creepier.

Her sobs lessened a small degree, and she made a small noise that might have been a reply to his words. Despite her possible reply, she didn't move from her spot, sobbing on the marble bench.

He was trying to be a nicer person, but he wasn't good at patience, and the cemetery was putting him on edge. "Willow! What could your mother have possibly done that's worth crying in a vampire infested cemetery over? Mock your favorite movie? Disapprove of your boyfriend? Can we get out of here before something tries to eat us?"

This actually had an effect on Willow. She sat up, tears still running down her face and looked at him. She managed to get enough control over her emotions to speak in words, although they were still interspersed with gasping sobs. "No... she doesn't know gasp what movies I watch. Sniffle... She didn't like Oz anyhow, ... but we...broke up after..." She had to pause there to wipe some tears away. "She... there was this Demon... and she and Mrs. Summers... they formed this group of angry parents... She tried... she was going to burn me at the stake!"

Willow dissolved into tears again, leaving Draco feeling rather awkward. He didn't know how to deal with a girl in tears. Rather hesitantly, he patted her on the back, trying to be comforting as his mind turned over her words. Her mother had tried to burn her at the stake? Oh, god, that had to have been incredibly horrible, even if it was because of a demon.

After far to long for Draco's comfort, Willow managed to get herself composed again, at least to the point where she could talk and hopefully walk. Looking at Draco, her eyes still glistening with tears, and her words filled with puzzlement, she spoke again. "Draco, what's a squib?"

Pulling her to her feet, he looked around, feeling nervous. The fog had gotten thicker, laying over the ground so that the tombstones jutted out of it like islands in the sea. There were clouds overhead, and the almost comforting feeling that it was going to rain. "Can we talk about this on the way back somewhere? Like a house where the vampires can't get us?"

Willow nodded, still sniffling a bit. They started walking back towards Giles house, this time moving more slowly than on the trip away. Draco thought about things for a bit, and came to a conclusion. "A squib is someone born to a magical family that doesn't have any magical ability. It's rather an embarrassment most of the time. Umm I shouldn't have called you a mud-blood. I'm... ahh... I'm sorry."

They walked a bit longer, now walking along the street, and he spoke again. "Your mother...she really tried to burn you at the stake? I mean, not just a threat, but..."

Willow's voice was still a bit shaky, but she'd managed to stop her sobs. "Yeah, really. They had me and Buffy and Amy tied to the posts, and they'd piled some wood and some books at our feet and they'd even lit the fire. It was pretty horrible. The next day, after the demon was dead... the only thing she remembered was that I'd said I was dating a musician. They met Oz, were unimpressed, gave me a speech about teenage rebellion, said it was just a phase that I'd outgrow, and went to Morocco."

end part 9.

Willow and Draco were almost back to the apartment complex that Giles lived in when the vampires attacked. There were four of them, and they had no subtlety. They simply came out of the shadows, and charged towards the two teens, eyes golden, and growling.

"Get the boy!" One of them shouted, a particularly stereotypical minion. Darkish, unkempt hair, battered clothing, large muscles.

Draco yelped, and pointed his wand at the nearest vampire, saying a few words, his voice only shaking a little. The vampire's legs suddenly locked together, unmoving. The vampire fell to the ground, and expression of dismay and shock on his face. Willow pulled her squirt gun, and shot a wide spray at the three vampires that were still on their feet. Screaming in pain, two of the vampires stopped, clawing at their eyes futilely. She pulled her stake, and tried to impale the third, but he managed to block her attack, and pushed her aside.

The vampire had just seized Draco's arm when a large branch floated up and clubbed the snarling vampire in the head. Stunned, his grip loosened just enough for Draco to pull his arm free. The branch then slammed into the vampire again, this time hitting him in the face and forcing him to stagger backwards. The next thing Draco saw, the vampire dissolved into ashes, revealing Willow standing there, holding her stake.

The large branch floated to the ground. Willow then looked at the remaining vampire, whose legs were still bound together by Draco's spell. Draco tried to figure out where the other two had gone, and noticed two piles of grey dust on the sidewalk. Willow tapped her lip as she thought about things.

"They were looking for you. That sounds like their master has a plan, which is generally a bad thing. I think we'd best take him with us for questioning." The vampire rose up, floating in the air as the branch had been doing.

She looked at Draco, who was now staring at her in shock. "What, you don't want to know who wanted to get you and why? I think we should keep going, it's not that much farther to Giles' apartment."

Draco followed her, his mind spinning. "But... how are you doing that? You don't have a wand?"

"It's magic, of course. Why would I need a wand? All I have to do is focus my will properly, and things move. Isn't that how you do it?" She sounded as if she really had no idea how unusual this was. He'd never heard of anyone, well, not anyone young doing controlled magic without a wand. The uncontrolled outbursts of power that talented children often displayed were something different, nobody could focus those.

They continued to the apartment of Giles, and Willow knocked on the door. "Umm Giles? Uncle Sev? We have a bit of a problem. There was this group of minions that tried to kidnap Draco... we brought one back for questioning."

The two adults quickly came out, clearly worried. The sight of the floating minion made them both stop, eyes wide. Giles let out a small hmm, and Professor Snape frowned at Draco.

"You do realize that you should keep magic to a minimum over the summer? The leg-lock curse and levitating the vampire... this could attract attention we were hoping to avoid."

"It's not me! Well, I did cast the leg-locker on the vampire. But, I'm not making him float." Draco protested, suddenly worried about someone detecting his small use of power.

The watcher merely sighed, shaking his head slightly in dismay. "Willow, please put the vampire down. It's easier to ask questions when they aren't panicking because they're floating. At least you didn't do anything particularly dramatic this time... you didn't, I hope?"

Professor Snape and Giles proceeded to question the vampire, who now appeared to be held to the ground. Willow was standing quietly, watching the vampire. Draco felt nervous, especially as the answers came forth.

The vampire worked for someone called Neeson, who was a mage. Another of Neeson's minions had spotted Draco at the Bronze, and had reported him to the Master. Neeson served someone called the Dark Lord, which could only be... Voldemort. Neeson had known that Lucius Malfoy had intended to offer Draco to the Dark Lord, and had decided to snatch up the boy to offer instead, which would not only prove that Neeson was more effective than Malfoy, but gain him favor with the Dark Lord.

They staked the vampire when they'd finished questioning him. After getting their answers and disposing of the minion, they all went Into the house, to consider the further unpleasant ramifications of the minion's words. There was also the surprising revelation that Willow had magic.

end part 10



Her uncle Sev was looking at her oddly. Willow could tell he had a lot of questions. They were probably more about the whole magic thing than the evil plans for Draco thing. Maybe she could head off that line if she asked if they'd found anything....

"So, umm did you find anything in the big books of spells and rituals that might explain why Draco's in danger? Prophecy? Evil ritual... bad astral alignment?"

Giles looked at her, clearly aware that she was trying to avoid answering questions. "We've found a few possibilities, none of which are pleasant. There's a ritual that would permit a wizard to steal the power of a blood relative through a particularly painful and fatal ritual, a few possible rituals that could be used to permanently bind Draco's will to the forces of darkness, possibly by way of an individual, one that could be used to essentially remove Draco's spirit and leave his body possessed by a non-physical entity... None of the possibilities are pleasant, and we do not yet have sufficient information to identify which dreadful fate was intended for him. I'm going to check for a few possible astrological references... perhaps that might narrow the options a bit."

"How long have you been working magic, Willow? Does your mother know that you can do this? Where is your wand?" Her uncle Sev had questions, and he probably wouldn't like the answers.

Willow sighed, and settled into a chair. "Ummm I did a potion my sophomore year, and helped with a counter charm... I actually started really doing things junior year, helping Buffy. I've done a spell to un-invite vampires, a few bindings and banishments. Let's see...there were a few divinations, but they didn't work too well. Oh, and I restored Angel's soul. I tried to tell mom with the whole Hansel and Gretel MOO thing... but I don't think she remembered any of that, she certainly forgot about the whole burning at the stake thing.... I don't have a wand. What's with the whole wand thing? Draco asked about that. Do you have a wand? I mean, do most people that work magic need a wand for their spells?"

Her uncle's jaw dropped. "Soul restoration.... you did a soul restoration? Who assisted in this?" He turned to glare at Giles, another expression that he did extremely well. "How could you let Willow try something like that!"

Draco took advantage of the stunned quiet to answer one of Willow's question. "I thought all wizards and witches needed wands. Yes, Professor Snape has one, so do I. The idea that you're casting without one is... well, surprising. Can you teach me how? I could really use something like that..."

Giles had recovered from her uncle's words, at least enough to offer a few protests. "I did not intend for Willow to involve herself in that as much as she did! She was only supposed to assist in the ritual, and then, after it was...interrupted, she insisted on trying again. By herself. She succeeded, although the timing left a bit to be desired... I can only assume that you have not encountered Willow's resolve face?"

Her uncle and Giles started arguing about how dangerous that had been. Willow decided to let them shout at each other for a bit. She looked at Draco, and gave a small smile. "Maybe it was just that I didn't know it couldn't be done? I mean, if you focus on what you want to have happen.... You have a whole school that's devoted to teaching you magic for seven years and nobody ever told you that you could do magic without a wand?"

Draco shrugged. "Nobody mentioned. Who's this Angel anyhow? Why did she need her soul restored?"

Willow giggled a bit at that. "Angel's a he. He used to be Angelus, the scourge of Europe, but then some gypsies souled him with a curse that had this big, nasty loophole, and let me tell you, it was a really dumb clause... and it got broken, so his soul left... umm did I forget to mention that Angel's a vampire? Anyhow, his soul left, he went all evil and scary on us, so Miss Calendar translated the spell so that she could try to resoul him, only... umm... she was killed. We were going to try to cast it anyhow, but Giles got kidnapped and tortured, and I insisted on doing the spell anyhow, I wanted Angel back, not his scary evil self, y'know? So, I had Oz lay out the salt, and Cordy get the stinky herbs, and I did the chanting, and well, he had a soul again. Only, we didn't find out what had actually happened for a while, because, umm, well, that's actually all complicated."

"ANGELUS!!! This is the Angel that your friend Buffy was dating?!? You... does the name Scourge of Europe tell you anything, Willow? Where is this vampire now?"

Her uncle hadn't been quite as focused on arguing with Giles as she had assumed. Drat. Might as well answer. "Ummm yeah, it says he needs his soul to be a nice guy, so we gave it back to him. Buffy and him, yeah, and it was pretty crazy... He moved to LA after graduation. He's much much nicer with the soul than without. He killed my fish when he went all evil on us. Shouldn't we be more worried about Draco's current danger than a spell I cast last year?"

With a frustrated sigh, her uncle gave her a look that said this discussion would continue another time, and they started searching through the books some more. Maybe they would find something that would narrow the possibilities a bit more.

end part 11.

As the research continued, Draco had began to look at some of the other books, and he'd asked a few questions, which Giles or Willow had answered. Things about the demons they'd fought, about vampires, about how Willow had managed to stay safe in Sunnydale. The more he heard, the more both Draco and Professor Snape worried. Finally, it was Snape who spoke.

"Sunnydale is practically a course in Defense Against the Dark all by itself. You've dealt with vampires, a great many assorted demons, from minor to dreadful, hostile magic... the only thing missing seems to be werewolves." His voice was torn between worry and shock.

"Umm, actually... Oz was a werewolf. And a musician. We... sort of used to go out, but we broke up. He's on tour now with his band." Willow was blushing as she answered, and tucked her hair back nervously.

Snape just put his hand over his face and sank into his seat, muttering something under his breath. Draco's eyes got wide, and he couldn't stop himself from whispering "Did anyone else know about Oz being a werewolf? Was that why your mother didn't like him?"

Willow smiled a bit, and then giggled before answering Draco's question. "She didn't like the fact that he was a musician, or that his hair color changed every week or so. She didn't know about his wolfiness. I did, and Giles, and Buffy and Xander and... Cordelia. Angel did to, but... That's not really an issue anymore."

They continued searching through the possible rituals, trying to determine which were more likely, and the best ways to disrupt each of them. They were hoping to prevent things from ever getting that far to begin with, but it was always good to be prepared for the worst, especially over the hellmouth.

* * *

Meanwhile, Neeson had began to wonder what could be taking his minions so long. How difficult could it be to abduct one teenage boy? To make matters even easier, the Slayer was gone, having left the town after the failed Ascension. There was no Slayer, and the Malfoy boy, while partially trained, should not have been capable of defeating four vampires unaided. If they were inept enough that a single boy could defeat them, they would only be a hindrance to him anyhow.

He summoned the rest of his minions, ordering them to go and bring him the boy, to not return without him. After they had bowed and made their promises, they departed, leaving things quiet. Neeson began setting up the space for the first ritual. If he was to present the boy as a gift to the Dark Lord, a new body to use that would have years of strength and vitality, it would be best to dispense with any vestiges of free will that the boy had. Wouldn't do for him to fight and struggle until he could be given over, his body a vessel for the greatness of Voldemort. That could result in damage to his body.

Neeson began humming the victory march as he warded the room. He continued with setting up the thick black iron candle holders, setting them with dark green candles. Small bronze burners around the room were prepared with small lumps of incense and a few carefully selected herbs. He also placed a solid block of stone in the center, already fitted with manacles to hold an unwilling person down for the duration of the ritual.

The actual diagramming of lines for the spell itself could wait until he had the boy. There would be less chance of something smudging one of the lines then. If the lines were not perfect, if they were interrupted or erased in any way, the energies of the spell could escape his control. The results from such a thing could range from 'simply' painful to the searing destruction of his very mind and power. That was a chance he was not prepared to take.

He had seen others fall prey to their spells. The results had ranged from exhaustion from over extending their powers, to mood swings, to physical weakness from even a 'successful' casting where the desired effect took place. When the control shattered and the spell failed... the fortunate ones died, burned to death by the forces that they had tried to control. Others had lost their minds, or their power, being condemned to spending the remainder of their lives with no more power than a muggle.

end part 12.

Neeson's minions moved forth, trying to learn where the boy had gone. If all four of the minions sent earlier had failed, then there was obviously some sort of danger. Perhaps the Slayer had returned, perhaps they had been attacked by a demon, maybe the boy was more skilled than the others had expected, or perhaps he had not been alone. What was obvious was that the others had failed. They wanted to learn what the situation was before they attacked, otherwise, it would just result in their deaths as well.

They spread out, searching the town, keeping in touch with small radios. The boy wasn't in the club, or in the cemeteries, or wandering loose on the streets. That complicated things just a bit. They began searching every street, peering into windows in an effort to find the boy. It was an incredibly inefficient way to search. Finally, the youngest minion spotted the boy, sitting in a house drinking something from a teacup. There was a man in dark clothing, another man in a tweed suit, and a red haired young woman. Guessing from the books spread over the table, the house belonged to either a wizard, or the Slayer's Watcher.

Either way, the fact that the boy had help, and that that help was either the Watcher or a wizard, abilities unknown, meant that they had to be more careful. The allies that the boy had either found or merely been separate from at the club would make things more dangerous. That wasn't entirely bad. A bit of danger kept them on their toes, made certain they didn't loose their skills or their ruthless edge. They retreated to a small building to hide from the deadly light of day.

* * *

Inside Giles house, discussion had turned from what could be done to stop the rituals to what could be done when the next group of servants attacked. Nobody had disputed that there would be a next attack, they all had enough familiarity with how bad guys worked to know that there would be another effort made. They knew that efforts would continue until the bad guy got what he wanted, or was destroyed. There had been a great deal of discussion about what exactly could or couldn't be done to this mage, since it was considered very wrong to kill humans, even if they were evil.

Methods were discussed for interfering in rituals, from getting rid of vital herbs or powders, to extinguishing flames in braziers or candles, to breaking the lines of containment that would be inscribed for a major ritual. The various risks that were inherent to each method were also discussed. After some of the examples of how unraveled spells could affect people, it was agreed with a unanimous shudder that by far the best choice was to prevent Neeson from ever getting his nasty hands on Draco.

While Giles and Severus were discussing the more technical aspects of the possible rituals, Draco had pulled out his student spellbooks, and he was reviewing them with Willow. On the assumption that if she could levitate vampires and restore souls with no training, he figured that the magical textbooks, written for people to slowly learn magic would be useful for her. Willow would read a section on the theory of how to do something, and then she would skim over the spells, looking for what common features they had, trying to understand the underlying pattern to their construction.

Most wizards were content to simply memorize spells for various purposes, and not worry about how or why they worked. Willow wanted to understand. She wanted to understand the laws of how magic behaved, and the theories behind the various branches of magic, ranging from divination to transformation. Draco was amazed by the intensity of her study.

"Are you sure you've never had lessons?" He couldn't help himself from asking the question. He had to confess to being a bit jealous of her picking the ideas up so quickly.

"Real lessons? No, but... umm I've been helping fight demons and vampires for the past three years. We've dealt with stopping a few rituals, and after stopping a few attempts to kick start the apocalypse, you start to notice that there are some things that they all have in common. After helping with a few rituals to weaken nasty demons, you notice they use a lot of the same herbs, and a similar pattern. So, if those have similarities, other types should have similarities as well. But I've always been good at logic, and finding patterns. Plus, I learn quickly and have a good memory... I actually taught a few classes before..." Willow's voice was thoughtful before trailing away with the reflection of painful memories.

Draco looked impressed. "You taught a class? In what? When, and why? I mean, you can't be that old..."

"My junior year. I taught the computer classes for a few months... Miss Calendar, the computer teacher... she... got killed, and the principal had me cover her classes while he tried to hire another teacher. I think it was because I'd been approached for a job with this big computer corperation already... It was actually sort of fun." Willow had an expression of wistfulness on her face as she answered.

Concluding that if this Neeson had used vampire minions once, he was likely to use them again, Willow started explaining to Draco a few practical things that he could do if there were vampires after him. They couldn't enter a residence uninvited, and when he got his own house, he should remember to never put out a 'welcome' mat, because that just might count as an invitation, which would be really bad. Crosses would keep a normal vampire at a distance, and would burn a vampire on contact, holy water would burn them. After a few moments thought, she had mentioned that a sudden bright light would leave the vampire temporarily blinded, which would be a good time to run away. She also mentioned that if there was a sharpened bit of wood in the area, you could float it up and impale the vampire through the heart.

Draco listened, noticing that while she explained why everything would work against a vampire, she also aimed more towards how to get away from the vampires, rather than many ways to kill one. Willow also managed to do this without making him feel like she didn't think he was capable of more, especially since she mentioned that many of these tricks she was mentioning were things that she did on many occasions.

After a while of this, Draco started to feel a bit less panicked about the whole situation. He was still afraid, but not quite as badly. He felt like there were more options now, a few things that he could try to do to help his situation.

end part 13.

Draco had started to feel a bit more confident about the whole situation. They knew basically what this Neeson was up to. He was only acting through minions, vampire minions, which was pretty scary, but it also meant that they could only attack after dark. Confident that as long as the sun shone, he was safe, he decided to go check out the Sunnydale magic shop and see if they had anything useful that he could buy. He even called out to everyone else that he was headed to the magic shop as he left, just so nobody would worry. They had all fallen asleep at the Watcher's house anyhow, so the two adults and Willow had continued their research, although Willow was actually pouring over his schoolbooks instead of the books of dark rituals like Giles and Professor Snape.

To his surprise, the shop was actually not to bad, and had an interesting assortment of items, including some that he had always found very rare in England. There was even an Orb of Thessulah right out on a shelf! There were so many fascinating things that he entirely lost track of time, and was still looking at items as the sun sank in the west. Draco didn't realize that as this was a store, and therefore a public access building, vampires needed no invitation. He didn't know that the alley behind the store had a sewer access, which would permit a vampire that knew the sewer routes to emerge and enter the building before full dark.

He found out there was trouble when he heard a half strangled scream from the shopkeeper, which faded into a disturbingly wet gurgling noise, followed by a slightly soft thud. He spun around, groping for his wand as his heartbeat pounded in his ears. There were vampires standing behind and beside the counter, smiling evilly, fangs bared. One had blood smeared over his face, undoubtedly from the poor shopkeeper. They were looking at him, and Draco had a sinking feeling that this was the next wave of Neeson's minions.

They moved towards him, and Draco knew that no matter how fast he could try to run, it wouldn't be fast enough. If he was to accomplish anything, it had to be right here, right now. It was almost a comfort to know that they wanted him alive, except that he had been listening to Mr. Giles and Professor Snape as they had discussed the possible rituals. At best, the vampires wanted to take him alive so their master could ritually sacrifice him. At worst, his soul would be forced from his body and his form would be inhabited by Voldemort... or perhaps it would be worse to become a mind controlled puppet, forced to do Voldemort's bidding. There was still a bit of confusion on exactly which of those two fates would be worse, but neither was exactly appealing.

The first thing he did was to try to send of a brief, very noisy magical burst, something like static or a flare. It wouldn't do much to slow down the vampires, but it should let his Professor know where he was, and that he was in trouble. He started in on the most powerful immobilizing curses he knew, praying desperately that he could slow them down, that they would fall on something sharp and wooden, that he could get out of this. He flung curses, using half remembered spells as well as old favorites.

The last one fell, and he turned, bolting out the door, offering pleas to whatever powers that were listening that if he could just get out of this safely, with mind and soul intact, and all the parts of his body still attached, he would be a nicer person, would stop trying to make Potter and his mud- no, make that muggle born pal Granger's lives miserable... he'd even stop mocking the Weasley's if he could survive this.

Something struck him on the back of his head, and he gasped in pain as he crumpled, falling and turning to look at what had hit him as the darkness closed over him. One of the minions stood there, his left arm still stuck to his side, but his right.. Oh, his right arm was loose, and he had hit hard...

Nobody was there to protest as the vampire, his face ridged and snarling picked up the unconscious boy and threw him over his shoulder. He carried him off, headed toward the car. The others would either make it back on their own or perish, it really didn't matter to him either way. The master wanted the boy. The minions were expendable so long as that was accomplished.

end part 14.

Willow had been getting worried about Draco. He had said he was going to check out the magic shop, but that had been hours ago. The sun was starting to set, and he still wasn't back. Being late in Sunnydale normally meant that there was something wrong. She went over to Giles and her Uncle Sev, intending to share her concern with them when it happened.

Magic. Loud, panic ridden, noisy magic that carried the unmistakable feeling of Draco. Something was wrong. They rushed out the door, headed towards the magic shop, hoping that whatever was wrong, they could get there in time to try to help. Her uncle was muttering things under his breath, very vile sounding unhappy things that Willow really didn't think he had intended for her to hear. She had the feeling that whatever was wrong, they would probably be to late.

They arrived at the store, hearing the squealing of tires as somebody nearby drove away to fast. The door was standing wide open. Never a good sign, and they could hear voices from inside, swearing angrily. Carefully, they moved into the store. A quick glance at the back of the store revealed that there was none standing behind the counter, implying that the clerk was either gone or possibly dead. The voices proved to be coming from some vampires, one lying on the floor, his entire body rigid, another looking unconscious, and two more having pulled themselves up from the floor, despite their legs apparently not moving. As they watched, one sneezed so violently that he was flung to the ground again.

There was no sign of Draco anywhere in the store. Worried, they started searching the surrounding area. The frantic search came to a panicked halt when Willow found something laying on the sidewalk. A wand, laying next to a small smear of blood.

Willow knelt down by the blood and wand, her eyes worried and glistening with unshed tears. "They need him alive for the ritual, right? Now, they have him, and we don't know where they are. We can either ask one of the vampires for directions or try to do a tracking or locator spell using the blood or his wand... umm maybe we should try them both?"

Between Giles and her Uncle Sev, they very shortly had directions to Neeson's lair, or maybe that should be base, since he was technically human? Willow had cast a seeking spell anyhow, hoping that it would help. She had put Draco's wand in her pocket, and she could feel a slight pull towards Draco, sort of a double check to make certain the directions the minions had given before they had been dusted were accurate.

They were driving off, pushing Giles' old car as fast as it's motor would go in hopes of getting there before the ritual could be completed. Willow could feel the pull towards Draco getting stronger as they got closer. She began to pray that Draco was all right, that they could get there in time.

* * * *

Draco came awake, his head throbbing, a dull steady ache through the whole of it, and tendrils of sharper pain radiating from the back, where he could feel a lump rising. He attempted to reach back, to touch the injury, only to hear a loud clattering clinking noise, and have the motion of his hand jerk to a stop. He was flat on some sort of cold hard object. He was chained at his wrists and ankles with what seemed to be heavy, black iron chains. Looking around, he could see wrought iron candlesticks, each almost as tall as he was, with dark candles on them. The room was made of gray stone and had no windows, and only one door. Unfortunately, this could only mean one thing. Neeson had him, and was either already prepared or preparing now for whatever terrible ritual he had planned.

He tried to struggle, hoping that he could somehow manage to get his hand free. Then, he could grab his wand and... his wand! Itwas gone! He had been kidnapped, chained to a block of stone by a Dark Wizard intent of either killing him or turning him into a pawn or vessel of the Dark Lord, and he didn't have his wand! How could he even try to fight back? Hot tears formed in his eyes, and for a moment, his vision blurred. Draco closed his eyes in an effort not to cry.

An image formed on the backs of his eyelids. Willow, looking at the vampire, causing it to float into the air. She didn't use a wand, didn't even have a wand, but he couldn't deny that she worked magic. Her words echoed in his head: 'All I have to do is focus my will properly. Isn't that what you do?' The wand was what focused a wizard's magic... could he actually control his magic without one? Draco gave that a few moments intense thought, and then concluded that if he tried something and his magic was unfocused, there was no way that he could possibly make his situation any worse. Almost anything would be an improvement, actually.

Draco gathered in as much power as he could, and was trying to think of what he could do when a figure walked into the room. It wasa tall man in long dark robes the same color as the candlesticks, embroidered with glyphs in dark colors. They were barely detectable, and he certainly couldn't tell what they were. Neeson's eyes were dark, and reminded Draco of bits of coal, and his hair was brown, streaked with gray at the temples. His face held a hard, cruel expression.

Neeson held a wand in one hand, and a knife made of some dark glittering substance in the other. It looked incredibly primitive, and very sharp. Neeson flicked his wand at four points around the room, and spoke a harsh word, and there was a sudden puff of heat, and there was a new scent of something burning, something that made Draco's eyes itch and left a harsh, foul taste at the back of his throat.

Draco could feel the power gathering, and knew that time was running out. Something fell outside the chamber, causing an echoing thud. Neeson began to chant, and Draco realized with horror that there must be more minions, their presence insurance against the ritual being interrupted. Help was outside, but could they reach him in time? Best not to assume so, best to try something, anything. After all, how could he make things worse for himself?

Draco gathered his power, and shoved forcefully towards Neeson. The man's chanting was interrupted as all the breath was forced from him in a huff, and he fell to the floor, being pushed away by unseen force. Draco could hear the robes hissing slightly across the floor, a part of him comparing the noise and concluding that they must be made from heavy and expensive silk. Neeson slid across the floor, colliding with one of the candlesticks, toppling it over.

His dragging robes also erased a swath of the carefully drawn elaborate diagrams. The power flared up, the elaborate containment snapped, and the air crackled as it became to thick to breath, heavy with power. He could feel the pressure building as the power spilled loose from whatever ritual that Neeson had been using.

The door burst open, and he could hear voices, shouting something. Everything went dark, and he could feel something pounding through his body, a pulsing throb. The room was spinning around him, and he could feel the power in the room, an angry buzzing that made him think of giant hornets. Draco sank into unconsciousness again. The faint thought formed that he really hoped he'd just been rescued.

end part 15.

Draco could feel the world spinning. Every single part of him,from his toes to his fingertips to the end of his nose and his hair ached. The back of his head throbbed in time with what at first seemed to be a very loud rapid drum, but then he realized that it was his heartbeat. Oh, his heartbeat... that meant he was still alive. He was also becoming aware of a cool cloth draped over his forehead.

"Draco? Are you awake?" A female voice spoke.

American accent... he should know that voice. The identity floated slowly to the surface of his mind. Willow. Professor Snape's niece. That meant that he was safe, he'd been rescued. Good.

"Willow? What... happened?" His voice was a weak croak, as if he'd had some sort of illness for a long time, or had screamed himself hoarse, neither of which he could remember happening. He felt as if the effort of the words had exhausted him.

"Shhh... Don't try to do anything just yet. You're exhausted. As for what happened... umm, I assume that you remember the whole getting ambushed and taken by the vampire, and probably something about the stone room. You left a big enough distress mark that we could follow you, and we tried to come save you. We opened the door right in time to see you use your magic and fling Neeson away from you... umm, he broke his lines and the magic was going to break, so we... umm, we sort of magicked you out of there and ran. The base exploded. Really good how you just tossed him... I have your wand here, we found it on the sidewalk." Her voice was soft, and she was trying to keep her tone soothing as she told him what had happened.

"Neeson's base just sort of... well, it looked like a nasty green fireball, except that nobody else but us, umm me, Giles, and uncle Sev, saw the green fire, they just saw the building fall in on itself. It was sort of interesting in a big destruction sort of way. Neeson is gone, we're mostly certain that he's dead. The minions are either crushed, dusted or ran away. Everything's settled as far as that goes, and the ritual didn't have any more lasting effects than the fact that your wrists are all bruised."

He could feel her fingers lightly touch the back of his hand, and realized that his wrists were sore in a slightly different way than the rest of him. No long-term effects from the interrupted ritual.. that was good. So why did he feel so horribly bad? Willow was still talking.

"... so Uncle Sev said it was mostly a bit of political nonsense going on, but you and Uncle Sev are both staying the rest of the summer. He said it would be good practice for your Defense Against Dark Arts, and something about a lot of trouble that your school had getting a competent teacher for that. You're probably feeling really tired right now. That's because it took a lot out of you to throw Neeson like you did, so you sort of used up all your magical reserves and passed out. You'll feel pretty weak for a while, but it will pass. I went through the same thing after I restored Angel's soul."

He'd exhausted himself just by flinging a man across a room? Ughh... he obviously depended a lot on his wand to focus his energy for him. It was very good to know why he felt so weak, even better to know that it was only temporary.

"When you go back to school in the fall, I'm going to be going with you. Uncle Sev arranged it. He said I needed to learn proper disciplined control. It should be interesting, I guess. Everyone else will either be older, like teachers and staff, or younger because their students, and learning everything, in the whole normal education sort of way that I didn't get. I'm still not quite certain how it's going to work. On the bright side, this does mean that I'll get to see one of those Quidditch games that you and Uncle Sev mentioned."

Draco could feel himself grinning. Willow would be going to Hogwarts this fall. That would certainly make things more interesting. He could hardly wait. Even better, he had a real friend. Someone that didn't care about his family money, or how many wizards were in his ancestry. She would also help him hold to that promise he remembered offering up to the heavens, to be a better person if he could just live through this ordeal. He had survived. Who better than Willow to teach him how to be a nicer, more forgiving person?

Sometimes, there was a happy ending after all.

end Dark Summer.