Harry Potter and the Vampire Slayer
The Council
Chapter Fifteen
by: Miss Witch
Rated PG-13 for potty talking
Summary: The Council of Watchers decides to get involved.
Disclaimer: I know nothing, I own nothing. Blah, blah, blah. Don't sue!
Spoilers: This takes place before Season 4 of Buffy, and after -Goblet of Fire
Distribution: If you've had my permission before, knock yourself out. If you don't have my permission, you've just to ask.
Feedback: Feedback feeds my Muse. A well-fed Muse is a happy Muse. And a happy Muse means that I write more. So, the more feedback I get, the more I write.
Author's Note: Everyone stand and applaud Ness, who helped me get out of the corner I'd written myself into. Without her, this chapter would still be on my hard drive, mocking me.
Chapter 15 - The Council
Quentin Travers steepled his fingers as he studied the girl sitting across from him. She'd changed in the time since he'd last seen her, grown harder, somehow more mature. There was a world-weariness in her eyes that hadn't been there before. The Slayer stared back at him defiantly, as she held her ex-Watcher's hand tightly.
"Buffy, I believe you know Quentin Travers, head of the Watcher's Council." Professor Dumbledore said dryly. Buffy nodded stiffly. Dumbledore gestured at a portly man sitting next to Travers. "This is Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic and next to him is Lucius Malfoy." Buffy had nodded politely at the Minister by way of a greeting. Once Professor Dumbledore had introduced the Minister, Buffy remembered him from the article she'd read in Sunnydale. However, at hearing the name of the third person, her grip on Giles' hand tightened.
He could only be Draco Malfoy's father. Buffy glared at the pale pinched face, his cold gray eyes glowering back at her with disgust. [So that's what Draco will look like when he grows up.] Buffy thought, taking in the long white hair. [I'm not impressed.] Buffy stiffened her spine. [God, this is not going to be of the good.] Buffy realized.
Lucius Malfoy studied the Slayer. The sneer on his face told Buffy that he was as unimpressed with her as she was with him. Lucius' gaze moved to the clasped hands of Buffy and Giles and then stared at Giles, with a sneer of contempt. Giles stared back, unflinchingly, his face stone.
"I think we'd best get on with this." Lucius suggested coldly. Quentin nodded in agreement.
"Yes indeed." Quentin shuffled some papers on his lap. "I've gotten several disturbing reports about the Slayer's activities." Travers said finally after several moments of silence. Buffy glared at him.
"Then shouldn't you be in Sunnydale lecturing Faith about her behavior?" she asked snidely. Quentin frowned at Buffy, annoyed by her flippant attitude. Buffy met his stare evenly. Inside, she was seething. She desperately wished she could pummel him. Giles squeezed her hand reassuringly. Buffy squeezed his hand back, careful not to hurt him with her Slayer strength in her anger.
"Unfortunately, Faith isn't the one showing inappropriate behavior." Quentin said. Buffy feigned surprise.
"Really? Then I don't know what you're talking about, as you don't have any other Slayers." she said, hatred coloring her every word. Buffy hadn't forgotten the hell Travers had put her through, that he'd nearly gotten her mother killed or how he'd refused to help when Angel had been poisoned. Never mind the fact that he'd fired Giles as her Watcher. Travers gaze moved to Buffy and Giles' joined hands.
"You can not quit the Council." Quentin informed Buffy haughtily. Buffy raised her eyebrows.
"I can and I did." Buffy informed him. "So I suggest that you go to California and bother Faith, as she's the only Slayer you've got. I'm sure she'd love to see you." Travers bristled at the sarcasm in Buffy's voice. He wasn't used to being spoken to with anything less than respect and reverence.
"It seems that you have developed an inappropriate relationship with your former Watcher." Travers said, pointedly.
"Our relationship is none of the Council's business." Giles said coldly. "Especially since neither of us works for the Council." he pointed out.
"On the contrary, every thing about the Slayer is our business." Travers countered.
"I quit the Council." Buffy repeated slowly, enunciating every word carefully. "Which word of that didn't you get?" Standing, Buffy strode over to where Travers sat, leaning over him. "There's not a single thing about my life that's your business now."
"On the contrary, Miss Summers," Travers said, his words clipped. "Every thing about you is Council business."
"A dangerous weapon like the Slayer shouldn't be allowed to go wherever it pleases." Lucius Malfoy's voice was snide. Buffy swung around to glare at him.
"The Slayer is a person, not an object." Giles informed him coldly. "Buffy has the right to make choices and do whatever she feels is right."
"Such as sleeping with her Watcher?" Lucius sneered. Giles raised his eyebrow.
"I'm not her Watcher. I was fired from the Council." he replied evenly. There was no denial or guilt in Giles' voice. Just a statement of fact. Smirking, Buffy returned to her chair. Travers cleared his throat.
"Be that as it may, it is still unacceptable." he said firmly. The Minister of Magic leaned forward.
"Mr. Travers has requested that the Slayer be removed from Hogwarts, as she poses a danger to the other students. That coupled with the complaints that Lucius has made on behalf of his son, assures me that Mr. Travers' concerns are valid." Fudge said, somewhat nervously. His eyes moved constantly from Lucius to Travers. Both Buffy and Giles opened their mouths to protest, but never had a chance to speak.
"No." Dumbledore's voice was quiet but firm. "Buffy will not leave Hogwarts unless she wishes too." He stared at Quentin until the Watcher began to squirm uneasily in his chair. Dumbledore's gaze returned to Fudge. "Have there been any other complaints against Buffy?" he asked mildly. "Other than those lodged by Mr. Malfoy?"
Stuttering, Fudge didn't answer right away, his face filling with color.
"Well, none as such." he said finally. Dumbledore smiled knowingly, an almost gleeful gleam in his eyes.
"And how many parents are delighted that the Slayer is currently at Hogwarts." he asked, pouncing on the flustered man. Buffy could tell by the way Fudge looked everywhere but at them that Dumbledore had found a chink in the armor of Lucius' argument.
"Quite a few." Fudge blustered finally. "But that's not the point." he said quickly. "One complaint is more than enough." Dumbledore nodded knowingly.
"Especially when it comes from someone as prestigious as Lucius Malfoy." he said. Buffy suppressed a snort of laughter. Professor Dumbledore had made the statement sound like an insult. Giles gave Buffy a warning glance.
"Mr. Malfoy is a valued member of wizarding society." Fudge began, interrupted by Malfoy shifting in his seat.
"What does it matter who filed the complaints?" Malfoy demanded. "This girl has harassed my son since even before her arrival." he pointed out. Buffy opened her mouth to speak, but this time it was Dumbledore who sent her the warning look. Reaching down into a drawer of his desk, Dumbledore pulled out a couple of folders and dropped them onto his desk. One was relatively thin, the other quite thick.
"Did you know that every student at Hogwarts has a file?" he asked the men conversationally. "It chronicles the student's activities, " Dumbledore stressed the word 'activities' in a way that made it clear he meant 'trouble'. "throughout the year." Dumbledore picked up the thin file and showed it to them. "This is Buffy's file." Dumbledore set her file aside and picked up the thick one. "This is Draco's."
"Yes, well, Draco has been here for five years." Lucius pointed out uncomfortably. Dumbledore smiled.
"It's this year's file."
There was a momentary silence as the men took this in. Buffy grinned happily, until Lucius spoke.
"It doesn't change the fact that as the Slayer, this girl," Malfoy pointed accusingly at Buffy. "is a danger to the students here." Dumbledore turned his hard gaze toward Lucius Malfoy.
"Buffy only poses a danger to the dark forces that are at work in our world. One would be wise not to provoke her." Lucius bristled at the warning inherent in Dumbledore's words.
Dumbledore stood and walked around his desk. He gave each of the men a hard look.
"As long as Buffy wishes, she and her friends will be welcome here. Anyone trying to change that will not be." Dumbledore's blue eyes were sharp as diamonds as he stared at Quentin Travers. "Thank you for coming gentlemen. I'm sure you can find your own way out. If not, I'm sure Hagrid would be pleased to help you." Buffy grinned happily at the thought of Hagrid "escorting" Travers from the castle.
The three men stood stiffly, nodding at Dumbledore as they left. Malfoy and Fudge filed out first. Buffy could hear Malfoy haranguing Fudge outside the door. Travers paused at the doorway, giving Buffy and Giles a hard look.
"This isn't over." he told them, before turning and walking out. Buffy waited impatiently until the door had closed behind them before turning to Giles.
"Did you know about this?" she demanded. Silently, Giles handed her a crumpled piece of parchment. Buffy smoothed it out to read it.
Mr. Giles,
It has come to our attention that you have removed the Slayer from the Hellmouth. When you were removed from your position, you were instructed not to interfere with the new Watcher. Clearly, you have disobeyed that order.
I will be arriving promptly to remove the Slayer from your custody. Please have her ready to depart for the Watcher's Council. Be aware that we will use whatever means are necessary to achieve this goal.
Quentin Travers.
Buffy looked up from the letter in horror. Giles reached out and caressed her cheek.
"I won't let you go." he said. Buffy knew the words were meant to comfort her, but they didn't. She turned to look at Professor Dumbledore.
"They came to take me." she said. Fear began to creep into her voice. "They were going to force me to leave." Buffy looked back at Giles. "Just because we've become romantically involved?" she asked him. Giles shook his head.
"I doubt that's the only reason." he said. "I would think that our relationship was the final straw."
"Buffy, you must be vigilant." Dumbledore advised. "You will be safe on the Hogwarts grounds." he assured her. "But I can't guarantee your safety elsewhere." Dumbledore's face was a mask of seriousness. Buffy nodded seriously as she stood.
"Head back to my quarters." Giles said softly. "I need to talk to Professor Dumbledore." Turning, Buffy saw the angry glint in his eyes.
"Ok." she said softly. She squeezed Giles' hand and gave Dumbledore a quick smile before slipping out of the room.
Giles turned to Dumbledore, his anger barely restrained.
"I won't let them take her." he said harshly. Bursting with angry energy, Giles began to pace the room. Dumbledore waved his wand at a shelf on the wall. A teapot hopped down from the shelf onto his desk. Another wave of the wand and a pitcher was pouring water into the pot. A tap on the pot brought the water inside to a quick boil.
"Sit down, Rupert." Dumbledore said quietly. Because it wasn't an actual order, Giles sat. The two men were silent as Dumbledore fussed with the tea. After a few minutes, he handed Giles a steaming cup. Giles held the cup, but didn't drink. Still silent, Dumbledore returned to the chair behind his desk. He studied Giles for a moment.
"You won't do her any good like this." Dumbledore said over his teacup. Giles looked at him questioningly.
"Like what?" Giles asked in confusion.
"Angry. Enraged. Emotional." Dumbledore clarified. "Buffy needs you calm and detached about this." Dumbledore saw Giles struggling with his anger, to control and contain it. "Buffy makes you emotional, understandably so, considering your relationship. But it will hinder you here." Giles placed his untouched tea on the desk and surged out of his chair.
"I should have expected this." Giles said, berating himself that he hadn't. "When they didn't come after her after the Ascension, I thought her safe." Giles paused in the middle of the room, his gaze falling on the phoenix preening itself in the corner. "I thought bringing her to Hogwarts would make her safer." he admitted softly.
"She is safe here." Dumbledore promised softly. "But it will be take some time to thwart the Council's efforts. Buffy will need to stay on the school grounds for a time." he pointed out. Giles nodded.
"She won't be pleased." he muttered. Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, smiling.
"No, she won't. Which is why I'm delighted that it's your chore to tell her, not mine."
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Buffy strode angrily down the corridors, heading for the teacher's hallway. [They had no right!] she fumed, stomping her feet as she walked. She couldn't believe the Council had shown up. [No,} Buffy thought, coming to a halt. [I can totally believe it.]
"Buffy!" Buffy turned as her name was called from down the corridor. Turning, she saw Harry hurrying toward her. Buffy took a deep calming breath as he drew close. "What happened? Are you ok?" Buffy smiled. His concern was sweet.
"Oh, it was a laugh a minute." she told him, shrugging her shoulders. "The Watcher's Council showed up and announced it was going to drag me off by the hair."
Harry stared at Buffy for a moment, not sure if she was serious or not.
"They wanted to take you away?" he asked. Buffy nodded, walking once more. She was much too angry to stay still for very long. Harry kept pace, matching his stride to hers.
"Malfoy ratted me out." Buffy spat. She grumbled something none to flattering about the entire Malfoy lineage. Harry grinned.
"I've always thought that about them myself." he said, pushing his glasses higher on his nose. "Look, Buffy," he said, halting her by putting his hand on her arm. "there's no way we'd let them take you away. No matter what Malfoy said." Harry shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "Well, mostly because of what Malfoy said." Buffy couldn't help but grin back at Harry.
"Thanks."
"You're our friend." he said, shrugging. "Before I came to Hogwarts, I didn't have any friends." he confided. "Now that I have some, I'm not willing to let them go without a fight."
Buffy felt tears of gratitude prick behind her eyes.
"Thank you, Harry." Buffy repeated, her words heartfelt. "I can't tell you how much that means to me." Harry simply nodded, having caught sight of Professor Giles' figure at the end of the hallway.
"I'll talk to you at dinner." he said to Buffy, giving a polite nod over her shoulder. Buffy nodded, surprised at his abrupt departure and confused by his nod. Turning, she found Giles striding down the hall toward her, and Harry's actions became clear.
"You scared Harry off." she said accusingly as Giles stopped in front of her. To take the edge off her words, Buffy stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Giles' waist and resting her cheek against his chest.
"He doesn't know me like you lot do." he said, holding her close. "Probably for the best that he doesn't know me like you do." Giles said dryly. He was rewarded with a muffled laugh against his sweater.
"Probably." she agreed. Giles pulled away and took Buffy by the hand.
"Come on." he encouraged. "We need to talk, and I'd prefer not to be in the corridor when you yell at me."
++++++++++
Buffy grumbled as she shifted in the overstuffed chair. The Gryffindor common room was empty except for her. Everyone, including Willow, Oz and Xander had gone to Hogsmeade for the day. Willow had offered to stay behind and keep Buffy company, but Buffy had urged her to go and have fun. There was no reason for anyone else to suffer from the specter of the Watchers Council.
Buffy had wanted to go, assuring Giles that she'd be safe with the gang. She had pointed out that it had been weeks since Travers had made his visit to Hogwarts, and there hadn't been a peep from the Council since. Giles had fixed her with a stare that instantly stifled that argument.
That was usually the way their arguments about the Council went after the short, vicious one the day Travers had been at the school. The second Giles had told her that she had to remain on school grounds at all times, she'd launched into an angry tirade against Lucius and Draco Malfoy, Travers and the Council in general. Giles had let Buffy rant until she'd begun to run out of steam, then he'd taken her into his arms, pulled her close and whispered one word in her ear.
"Please."
Buffy studied the picture of a rat being turned into a teacup as she grumbled at the memory. [Just like Giles to play dirty.] she thought. He'd known that ordering her to stay on the grounds would only make her more determined to leave them. But she was helpless against a request.
Buffy harrumphed as she turned the page of her Transformation book. [I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself.] she thought. Sighing, Buffy turned another page, not really seeing the print there. She was bored. No one was around, and even Giles had had a meeting with Professor Dumbledore, leaving her to find her own entertainment.
Frustrated, Buffy slammed the book shut. Tossing it to the side, Buffy got out of the chair and began prowling around the room, restless with energy. She was just about to head to her training room when a silver puff of smoke, that looked a lot like a hummingbird, shot into the room and hovered in front of her face. With a poof, the smoke arranged itself into a string of words.
Buffy, come quick! it read. We need your help! We're trapped in the Shrieking Shack. Come quickly. Please. Willow.
Adrenaline surged through Buffy's body after she read the smoky message. It dissipated with another poof, leaving no trace of ever having been there. Snatching up her heavy cloak and a stake, Buffy rushed from the room, pulling on the cloak as she ran through the castle.
Buffy was overwhelmed with a sense of panic at the thought that her friends were in trouble. It only took a few minutes for Buffy to navigate the empty halls. She burst out of the castle and kept running, following the path that had been tramped down through the snow.
It didn't take Buffy long to reach the magical town. Buffy skidded to a halt, narrowly avoiding a collision with several Hufflepuffs. All around her, Hogwarts students were milling around, moving into and out of the stores. Frantically, Buffy looked around for Willow and her friends, but they were nowhere to be seen.
Harry and Ron emerged from Honeydukes, munching on huge blocks of chocolate.
"Hey, isn't that Buffy over there?" Ron said around a mouthful of chocolate. Harry looked over to where Ron was pointing, surprised to see Buffy at the end of the street, apparently look for someone. "I thought she was confined to the grounds." Harry shrugged. In his experience, Buffy was least likely to do what she was supposed to.
"Buffy!" Ron called out, waving to get the Slayer's attention. Buffy rushed over gratefully.
"Have you seen the others?" she asked in a rush. She grabbed Ron's arm, causing him to wince as she squeezed it painfully.
"Bloody hell." he said through gritted teeth, trying to pull free.
"Oh, sorry." Buffy said, releasing her death grip. "Have you seen Willow?" Ron nodded silently, alarmed by the urgency in her voice. "She sent me this wispy messagey thing that they're in trouble. I have to find them. They're at the Shrieking Shack."
"The Shrieking Shack is over there." he said, gesturing in the direction Buffy had come from Hogwarts. Buffy whipped around to look.
"It's on an off-road." Harry added. "It's on the outskirts of town." Buffy nodded, remembering the path she'd passed as she'd run towards Hogsmeade. Taking two steps, Buffy spun back to the two boys.
"I need you to do something…" Buffy said urgently. "I need you to go back to the castle and get Giles." she said. "Tell him the gang's in trouble." Harry and Ron only had time to nod before Buffy ran off in the direction of the Shrieking Shack.
"Come on." Ron said, tugging on Harry's robes. "We better get Professor Giles." Ron moved quickly down the road towards Hogwarts. Frowning, Harry followed, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong.
"Ron! Harry!" The boys skidded to a halt as Hermione called their names. Turning, they were stunned to see her coming toward them, Willow, Xander, Katie Bell on his arm, and Oz in tow. "We've been looking all over for you." Hermione said, slightly out of breath. Harry and Ron started at the other, who were anything but in trouble.
Willow and Katie had obviously been shopping, several bags in their arms. Xander and Oz were also similarly burdened. Willow grinned at the boys gaze.
"I've been shopping." she admitted, blushing.
"You're not in trouble." Ron said suddenly, looking back and forth between them. Willow looked at him, puzzled.
"No." she said, looking from Ron to Harry in confusion. "Why would you think I was?" Ron turned to look at Harry as Harry turned to face Ron.
"Bloody hell." they said in unison, the blood draining from their faces.
"It's a trap." Harry said. Ron nodded.
"It has to be." he agreed. As one, the two boys twisted and looked in the direction of the Shrieking Shack.
"What on earth are you two talking about?" Hermione inquired sharply.
"Buffy." Harry said simply. Willow straightened at the sound of her friend's name.
"What about Buffy?" she demanded.
"She got a message that you lot were in trouble." Harry explained. "She's at the Shrieking Shack."
+++++++++++
Buffy crept closer to the infamous Shrieking Shack. Harry had told her that the rumors of it being haunted were untrue, that in fact, it had been used to house a werewolf years ago. Idly, Buffy wondered if this was where Oz was taken every month.
Buffy moved quickly, but silently around the perimeter of the shack, looking for a way in. She was frustrated to find that all the windows were boarded up as was the single door. Carefully, Buffy began to move around a second time, test the boards looking for a loose one. Three windows and one broken nail later, Buffy managed to pull a board off. The resulting gap was wide enough for Buffy to squeeze her slight frame through.
Noiselessly, Buffy dropped to the floor, barely disturbing the dust. Prowling through the deserted room, Buffy began to look for any sign of her friends. Finding nothing, Buffy moved into the next room. Immediately, she knew she'd made a mistake.
"Ah hell." she muttered.
+++++++++++
Giles stood in the entranceway of the Gryffindor common room. He'd already been to up to the room she shared with Willow, his quarters and the training room. Buffy was nowhere to be found.
Buffy's absence bothered Giles. It could be something as simple as she was off getting something to eat, or she was out on the grounds. Yet, the fact that he couldn't find her still worried him.
Dumbledore had received information that the Council was planning something for the near future. None of Dumbledore's sources had been able to narrow it down beyond that. However, the warning alone was enough to set Giles on edge and want to keep Buffy close.
Moving into the common room, Giles turned in a slow circle. Leaning over, he picked up a stray Transfiguration text. Opening it, Giles smiled. [Most definitely Buffy's book.] he thought, staring at the doodles of 'Buffy -n- Giles 4eva' in the front. Giles closed the book and tossed it onto a chair. Giles froze suddenly, sensing outside magic in the room. Pulling his wand from his robes, Giles waved it in the air.
"Repeto." Giles was horrified as the smoky message rematerialized before eyes. "Damn it, damn it, damn it." he muttered, rushing from the room.
++++++++++
Harry and Ron had to waste precious time explaining to the others how they had met Buffy and that she had told them she'd received a message from Willow claiming to be in trouble.
"I didn't send any message." Willow said defensively.
"Nobody thinks you did, Will." Xander said, stepping forward. He focused his attention on Harry. "You're sure she went to the Shrieking Shack?" he asked. Harry nodded.
"She asked us to go get Professor Giles." Harry explained. Xander and Oz exchanged glances and without another word, unburdened themselves, dumping their bags in Katie's arms. Taking off at a dead run, they tore off towards the castle. Willow watched them go for a moment before turning her attention back to Ron and Harry.
"Take me to the shack." she demanded, handing her packages to Katie as well.
"Right, I'll stay here and hold the packages." Katie muttered under her breath as Ron and Harry led Willow away, Hermione trailing behind them. Sighing, Katie was about to plop herself down on a free bench, prepared for a long wait when she spotted Angelina Johnson across the busy path. Waving, Katie walked over to her. The two girls were chatting animatedly when a conversation to her side caught her attention.
"Father assured me that the Slayer won't be a problem after today." a cold voice was saying. Gesturing for Angelina to be quiet, Katie turned toward the speaker. Draco Malfoy was walking by, the ever present Crabbe and Goyle following behind. "It was laughably simple. All I had to do was send her a message that her friends were in trouble." Draco cackled with laughter, and Crabbe and Goyle laughed in response. "I don't imagine the Council takes kindly to a Slayer that doesn't follow orders. I hope they torture her."
+++++++++++
Giles had just left the castle ground when he heard feet pounding up the path from Hogsmeade. Wand at the ready, he moved forward until the runners came into sight.
"Xander. Oz." he said in surprise. Xander stopped in front of him, bent over as he tried to catch is breath.
"Buffy… Shack… Danger." he managed to gasp out. Giles nodded.
"I know. It's probably the Council. We have to hurry." Turning, Xander and Oz started back up the path, Giles close behind them.
+++++++++++
Willow surveyed the wooden shack, searching for an entrance.
"How did she get in?" Hermione asked. Harry came from around the side of the building.
"I found it." he said, "Buffy managed to pull a board off. It's pretty small, but I think I can get through."
+++++++++++
Buffy was getting tired. No matter how many Watchers she knocked out or down, there seemed to be two more to take their place. Buffy wasn't sure how much longer she could hold them off.
As soon as she'd been far enough in the abandoned room, the door had been slammed shut behind her and she'd known it was a trap. Watchers had come from all sides in the initial attack, attempting to overpower her. They'd soon learned that a Slayer was not easily overpowered.
[If only I could get to my wand.] Buffy thought wearily. The slim piece of wood was tucked safely in her robes. Unfortunately, Buffy couldn't pause long enough in her battle to pull it out without being overwhelmed by attacking Watchers.
Grabbing a broken chair from the corner, Buffy caught a Watcher in the face, knocking him to the ground. She smiled in grim satisfaction. She was going to cause as much damage as possible before they captured her.
++++++++++++
Harry grunted as he climbed through the small opening. His small Seeker's form had managed to get through about halfway, before it had gotten stuck.
"Push!" he hissed at Ron. Ron shoved at Harry's backside with his shoulder.
"I'm pushing." Ron hissed back. Ron leaned back and gave one more mighty shove. Harry popped into the dusty shack, none the worse for wear, with the exception of some scratches. Ron's face peeked up through the opening. "Are you ok?"
Harry stood, brushing himself off.
"I'm fine." he called back softly. "I don't think Buffy is though." Harry hissed. The sounds of fighting were coming from a room to Harry's left. Harry crept forward to the door. He could hear flesh meeting flesh and grunts of pain. Taking a step back, Harry raised his wand.
"Diffindo!" he shouted, pointing his wand at the door. Harry covered his face to protect it from the shards of wood that went flying through the air. Harry jumped to the side as a body was thrown through the now open doorway. The man landed at his feet, groaning.
+++++++++
Katie and Angelina were waiting for Xander and the others at the fork that led to the Shrieking Shack. Katie used her robe to wipe the sweat from Xander's forehead as she turned towards Giles.
"It was Draco." she told him breathlessly. "Draco sent Buffy a message that the others were in trouble." Gathering his breath, Giles nodded. He would deal with Draco Malfoy later.
Dashing up the path, Giles found Ron, Hermione and Willow outside the shack.
"Where's Harry?" Giles asked, looking around.
"Inside." Ron said.
"He was the only one small enough to fit through the opening Buffy made." Hermione added by way of explanation. She pointed to the side of the building, to the opening entirely too small for him to fit through.
"Damn it." Giles cursed heatedly.
++++++++++
The sounds of fighting were louder now, and Harry dashed though the door, ready to come to Buffy's aid. He had to duck to avoid being knocked out with the remains of a table. [Or a chair. It could've been a chair.] he thought. Looking around quickly, it didn't take Harry long to realize that Buffy was completely surrounded, with more ready to fight.
"Stupefy!" he shouted, pointing his wand at several men moving toward Buffy. They flew backwards, knocking into others. Harry began cursing the attackers as fast as he could speak.
Slowly, Buffy and Harry got the upper hand. Realizing that they were now on the losing end of the battle, the Watchers began scrambling away. Those that could walk grabbed those that couldn't as they made their escape.
Soon, Buffy and Harry stood alone in the shack, gasping for breath. Buffy swiped at her sweaty hair with the back of her arm.
"Thanks Harry." she said, when she'd gotten her breath back. Harry nodded, pushing his glasses back up his sweaty nose.
"No problem, Buffy." he panted. Slowly, Buffy began limping towards the door. Harry reached out a hand to support her, which she took gratefully.
"I think I need to step up my training." Buffy muttered. She looked balefully at the small opening that she'd gotten in through. "There's gotta be another way out." Harry guided her toward the boarded up door.
"Diffindo." Harry said, blowing out the door. Sunlight streamed in, followed immediately by their friends. Ron and Hermione rushed to Harry's side.
"Are you all right?" Hermione asked in concern. Meanwhile, Ron was looking around the shack.
"Bloody hell, Harry. Did you do all this?" he asked, looking at the destruction that surrounded them.
"Buffy!" Willow's hands were gentle as she checked for injuries. "Buffy, are you ok?"
"Wow! The Buffster, 1, Watcher's Council, zip." Xander said. Oz looked around the shack.
"Where did they go?" he asked suddenly. "They didn't come past us. Yet, they're not here." Struck by this question, Xander looked around in confusion.
"Good question."
The world had begun to swim in front of Buffy's eyes. Several Watchers had gotten in blows that would've taken out anyone who wasn't a Slayer. Now that she wasn't running on pure adrenalin, Buffy could feel every one of those blows. Pushing Willow's hands away, Buffy stumbled towards Giles, who seemed to tower over her.
"Giles…" Buffy mumbled, just before she collapsed in Giles' arms.