The Eighth Weasley

It was almost eerily quiet. The chilly wind rustled the silver-hued leaves, night birds calling to one another. Light slanted between sinister, looming trees, picking out indistinct shadows and shapes.

Between them, something was moving erratically, flickering between sharp silhouettes and behind him, some distance but gaining fast, a swell of darkness seemed to be writhing across the ground.

The young man ran through the forest, branches and bracken whipping at his face and bare arms. He stumbled between the trees, streaks of blood trailing from scratches that were scattered on his skin, his features flushed.

Every breath was catching raggedly in his lungs and he crashed to the ground as a root snagged his foot. Wet soil soaked through his jeans, his feet scraped and bloody as he pushed himself upright, staggering on.

Behind him, the sound of dozens of footfalls and the snarls of strange beasts could be heard, only making him increase his pace.

Shielding his face with his forearms, he broke through a thicket of bushes and onto open grass, half-choking on a relieved breath at the sight of a castle sitting ahead and a small, tumbledown house less than a hundred meters away.

Leaving a dull smear on the silver-sheened damp grass, his body forced him the rest of the short distance and he fell against the door, panting horribly, one hand weakly slapping at the wood.

"Help me... help... me..."

A barking within heralded the owner of the house's approach, the huge door jerked open. Bright black eyes peered out from a massive hairy face, surprise in his expression as the young man all but fell into the house.

"You gotta help me..." he panted, as a huge hand caught him by the shoulder and hauled him upright. "They're coming..."

"They?"

Earnest and frenzied brown eyes stared up at the giant. "Demons!" he croaked. "I saw them cross the boundaries... they're coming..."

Those black eyes went wide. "Ri'... ri'!" the giant nodded quickly. "Have ter let them at the school know..." The young man was released as the massive man swung up a huge crossbow in his hands. "They'll get yer patched up all ri' at the school. Are yer goin' ter be able ter walk?"

The young man nodded, swallowing hard, lowering his head. "Yeah... yeah, I think so," he said breathlessly, still leaning heavily against the broad doorframe. "We have to hurry... we have to get there before they do..."

"A' ri'," the massive man said, nudging the young man down the steps and pulling the door closed behind him. "Don' worry. We've got protection there an' all. Ye'll be safe as houses here... er... 'ere, where did you come from anyway?"

Brown eyes stared up at the castle as they hurried towards it, the smaller man's steps quickened to keep up with the giant strides of the other. "I was a prisoner," he mumbled faintly. "I got out."

"Good thing ye did, eh?" the giant beamed down at him. "What's yer name, then?"

With a faint, almost bemused smile, the young man looked up. "Ben," he replied.

***

Pulling her sword out of a demon's belly, Buffy swayed on her feet for a moment, panting. Blonde strands of hair were darkened to honey shades with perspiration, clinging to her cheeks.

Turning, she surveyed the battle ground, where a last handful of demons were being taken care of by her companions. "Everyone okay?" she called out, loudly enough to be heard, her voice breathless.

"Someone's bleeding a lot," Angel dropped the carcass he was holding, whirling to stare at Giles, who was standing upright and methodically whacking the blade of his axe on a demon's head at his feet. "Giles..."

"Flesh wound," Giles said, though his face was pale. The cut on his temple was no longer bleeding, but it had left his cheeks mordibly striped with dark red. "Nothing too serious."

"Red Two got a knock on the noggin," Spike growled, pulling a spar of wood out of his shoulder and nodding to Percy, who was being supported by Amy. "And Minnie's probably sloped off to have a tipple."

His words were belied by the fact his eyes were scanning the room, relief crossing his face as McGonagall rose from the rubble like a vengeful demon, shaking dust off her hat. Her face was white with dust, save for the bloody trickles rolling from her hairline. "Do shut up, Billy."

Spike grinned faintly. "Likewise, you cow," he said, though he held out an arm, which she gripped for support at once.

"Will?" Buffy sought out her friend. "You okay?"

Willow blinked, then nodded as she was helped upright by Hermione and Oz, both of whom were looking bloodied and more than a little the worse for wear, but even more than that, furiously angry.

"How quickly can we get back to the school?" the Slayer said, looking around. "Giles, can you..."

The Watcher pointed his wand at his left shoulder, his white shirt rapidly darkening with red. He muttered a quick spell, then threw a pained smile at her. "I should be able to get someone back with me."

"I can fly with someone," Remus added. Like Oz, his face was pale, but now, even though he was hairless and clawless, he somehow looked more feral. "That Goddess still after you?"

"Yeah. Hermione?" The witch nodded. "You take Will. Professor, you get Spike in there." McGonagall nodded, catching Spike's arm and heading for the door. "Giles, you and Wesley again. Remus, take Oz. Sirius..." Hazel eyes darted around. "Sirius?"

A shrill whistle from outside the ruin of the pub caught their attention, the Animagus already mounted on Buckbeak, brooms laid out on the ground, awaiting riders. "I can take two more!" he called. "Hurry!"

The Slayer nodded, darting out the door and flinging herself up behind Sirius, then motioned to Angel, who eyed the beast dubiously for a moment before clambering up behind her, arms tight around her.

Buckbeak snorted and bucked in protest, but a word from Sirius quieted him, the animagus glanced back. "I'm guessing you're the other vampire, mate," he muttered to Angel, who wasn't looking all to thrilled at his precarious position, slipping on Buckbeak's smooth back.

"He's a good guy," Buffy gasped out, as Angel held on even more tightly. "Useful in a fight."

"Good call," Sirius nodded, then dug his heels into Buckbeak's sides. "Hold on!"

"I'll keep Percy here!" Amy called, as the others took up their brooms, Remus snatching an abandoned one from the broomstick parking rack just outside the pub. "I don't think he could fly straight if you asked him to."

Buffy nodded tightly, her body pressed between Sirius' shoulders and Angel's chest, then clung to Sirius as Buckbeak surged off the ground, huge wings beating the air and driving them higher and higher. She heard the familiar faint hiss of broomsticks kicking off from the ground too and grit her teeth.

"We're coming, Dawnie..." she whispered.

***

"How the hell did they get in here?" Tossing a huge desk in an overarm, the demons beyond knocked down like skittles, Faith whirled on Dumbledore, who was casting hexes as fast as he could. "I thought you said this place was protected."

"Not from the likes of them," the old man replied, a spell knocking a flaming torch from its bracket. The blazing wood crumbled down and engulfed a demon, which whirled about, shrieking. "They're immune to magic."

"But not to fire," the tiny Professor Flitwick nodded shrewdly, casting a charm that drew the natural fire into a barrier which roared like a blazing curtain over the doorway, through which only a foolhardy demon would venture, if it valued its hide.

Faith had to admit she was impressed. As soon as the old guy had got word that the big G was on her way, the kids had been scattered to hidden chambers and the staff had rallied together as if it was something they did every day.

They had gathered in the main entrance hall, a huge room, perfect for picking a fight. Hagrid had arrived a few moments later, closely tailed by a young guy, who stumbled in the threshhold as demons leapt after him.

There had been way more of them than she had expected, big and ugly and freaky-lookin'. No wonder the guy Hagrid had brought had been running from them. All they'd had time to work out from Hagrid's garbled words were that the boy was an escapee of Glory and he had come to warn them that demons were coming, which wasn't exactly big news anyway.

Nice thought, but totally expected.

And then, there was the added twist that magic didn't work on the demons, which screwed the 'blast 'em to bits' plan, but the improvisation that had developed was enough to make her stop and stare.

It explained why she presently had an unpleasant sensation of blood trickling down the back of her neck. A glancing blow had struck her when she had stopped fighting long enough to watch some short, dumpy little professor throwing a handful of colourful beans across the floor, then saw the beans explode upwards into towering plants.

Not magic, just real quick, she figured, since the barbs seemed to cut the demons all the same.

Another professor, a grey-haired woman, had lead a small group on broomsticks, armed with things that looked way too sharp and deadly to be flyin' through the air in the hands of a buncha crazy witches and wizards.

Still, they had taken care of a lot of the demons still loose in the grounds, heads rolling. So what if the vehicle was magical and the person was too? The swords they were wielding to deadly effect weren't.

Nor, she had noticed, amused, was the poker wielded by the librarian.

"Still doesn't explain how they got inside," Gunn's voice reached Faith. He was halfway across the main entrance hall, swinging an axe in one hand and machete in the other. "I know these kinda uglies. They're like vamps. They got some kinda manners - you gotta invite them in before they can kill you."

"Someone invited them in? But no one in here's that du..."

Immediately both of them looked in the direction of the young man who had entered with Hagrid, or at least the place where they had seen him collapse - bloodied and disorientated - on the stairs, when Hagrid had pulled him free of the demons' claws and dragged him to safety.

All that was left him was a trail of bloody footprints, which seemed to stop suddenly, about halfway up the white marble of the staircase.

"Oh, fuck!" Faith exclaimed and started to run.

***

"But I can't just run away!"

"Sure you can, Dawnie," Without further ado, Xander caught the slim teen around the waist, hoisting her off her feet and unceremoniously depositing her in the gaping hole that had been revealed when a panel of walling had slid aside. "You're going into the walls. It's the safest place for you."

"Xander!"

"It'll be safe for her in there, right?" Xander turned to Snape, who was muttering a series of protection hexes and charms around the room.

The wizard nodded grimly, glancing over his shoulder at the girl. "As long as she does as she is told, for once, and stays there."

"But Dumbledore said Glory couldn't get in! He said they had way big magics to keep her out!" The Muggle and the wizard exchanged looks, which Dawn interpreted easily, her face going pale. "She's found a way passed, hasn't she?"

"We are uncertain of the situation, at present, Miss Summers," Snape said, his voice low and curt. The lack of sharpness in his tone seemed to strike home how serious the situation was. "My advice to you is to follow the instructions you have been given and keep out of sight until it is safe."

Beyond the room, there were the distant blasts of charms, voices rising in anger and vehemence. Dawn bit her lip, staring at the half-closed door, then shrank back into the passage in the wall.

"I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me," she whispered.

Xander tried to smile. "Maybe they're just having an argument with each other?" he suggested, ignoring Snape's expressive eyeroll. The sounds of combat seemed to be growing closer and closer by degrees. "You okay with the hiding?"

Dawn glanced down the passages, shivering a bit. "Looks kinda old and creepy..."

"Want for me to come with?" Before she even had a chance to reply, Xander had eased through the low opening, glancing up at the wizard. "If you close that thing, you gonna be able to find us again?"

Snape arched a brow. "Why would I wish to do such a thing?" he inquired.

Xander stared at him. "You..."

"He's joking, Xander," Dawn said, a faint smile crossing her lips. "Dumbledore'll know how to find us and if he can't, I think Willow has something that'll get us out of here no problems."

As Snape started to slide the panel across, he heard the Muggle say "What? Blowing out a wall with the power of her mind?" and though he knew the youth was most likely making light of the situation, Severus knew that if the situation called for it, he was most certain that the youngest Weasley would do just that.

Slipping from the room, he pulled the door closed with a quiet click. Where that passage lead, he was uncertain, but he knew that if anyone from outwith the school tried to enter through the entrance used by Summers and Harris, they would be greeted by more than they bargained for.

Starting back down the corridor, he had covered less than two dozen paces when he heard the scuff of footsteps, froze. Tilting his head, he glanced down one of the corridors, lit only here and there by lanterns, saw a shadow moving, flickering. There was a muffled whimper, then silence.

Wand gripped against his palm, he directed it down the hallway, muttering "Lumos" under his breath. The passage was flooded with pale, shivery light, highlighting the figure which was pressed back against a wall.

"Don't hurt me!" the young man gasped, raising his hands to shield his face. His feet were bare, his clothing torn, hair matted to his brow and the visible patches of flesh marked with fresh, healing wounds.

Turning his wand in his hand, tightening his hold, Snape approached the trembling man warily. "How did you get in here?" he said, the impedimenta spell on the edge of his mind, his footsteps light, careful.

"The big... big, hairy guy..." the man gulped, his hands hovering around the level of his chest, eyes fixed on Snape's face. "There... there were demons after me... I... I escaped from them..."

Staring fixedly at the man, Snape's jaw tightened. He didn't even have to reach in beyond those brown eyes to find the truth. It was blindingly clear, like a bold, flashing sign raised above the young man's head.

He took a breath to voice the spell, crying out "Petrificus totallus!", but it came a heartbeat too late.

Short sandy hair cascaded outwards into blonde curls, brown eyes blurring into blue-green, rouged lips curving up in a grin. The spell washed over the now-female body and she tossed her head back with a pleasant shiver, as if indulging in a blast of water.

Retreating a pace, Snape's heart leapt against his sternum as he stared at her. There was no doubt in his mind of whom he was seeing; The casual sneer, the slight, girlish appearance, the coldness of her eyes all spoke measures.

"Glory..." he murmured.

The woman shook off the last flickers of the spell, reaching up to pat her hair into a more orderly fashion, then turned those piercing eyes on him. "Well, well, well," she purred. "Look what I found."

Almost on sheer instinct, his wand flared as he hissed out, the words laced with the bitterest of venom, "Avada kedavra!"

Green light splashed over the woman's slender form and she started to laugh outright, gleefully. "Mmm!" she exclaimed, taking a prowling step towards him. "Do it again, poodle. It tickles!"

Cold terror wove around Snape's mind, but he retreated no further, knowing if he could hold her here, for a time, it would grant Summers Junior and Harris time to find a safer haven. Canting his chin, he lowered his wand. "Magic does not affect you?"

"Ain't you a smarty pants?" Glory smiled like a snake.

She laced her fingers together, stretched her arms above her head, her knuckles crackling noisily. Suddenly, the sound of combat in the distance seemed to fade to nothing in the light of her presence.

Circling her, hoping to draw her away from the chamber where the secret doorway was, Severus's eyes never left her face. He considered - briefly - delving into her mind, but the madness on the surface was raw and savage enough.

"So, madame, what brings you to our school?"

The woman's fingers were twitching close to her sides, her eyes running over his face. "I think you know, poodle," she said. "Luce has told me all about you... never fitting in with anyone... always stickin' out like a sore thumb, he said..."

"This coming from that idiot?" Snape drew his best sneer onto his lips. "I'm amazed he didn't add a 'so there' onto the description."

"Don't exactly see you out there, playin' with the rest of your team, sweetie," Glory responded, her head jerking back towards the entrance hall. "Always on your own, hidin' away, never gettin' on with anyone..."

"Ah, yes," Backing slowly down the corridor, away from the door that lead after Summers Junior, he smiled coldly. "You have discovered my dreadful secret. I'm an abysmal coward."

"Don't think that's your only secret, poodle..."

Snape's smirk wavered slightly, consternation and confusion ripping through him. A touch of her mind with his own made him jerk back. He almost laughed bitterly. So... that was what they thought, was it? Good grief, Lucius was even more stupid than he had believed possible.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, madame," he said quietly. The moonlight and shadow cut across him in strips as he backed away down the long hallway, Glory prowling after him like a feral beast.

"Sure..."

His mind was working furiously, as he slipped his wand back inside his robes, his feet carrying backwards him down a broad stone staircase, bare glimpses keeping him on level footing.

So, magic didn't work on the wretched woman. Physical force was a possibility, but he doubted it. After all, if Summers had been unable to defeat the woman, with her inane strength, what chance did a mere human have.

Perhaps, if he could reach his compatriots, a dozen wands casting simultaneously would have the effect that a single wand wouldn't.

Beneath his foot, a step gave. Damn it all! He had forgotten about the trick step! His left leg sank to the knee in the pale stone, his other leg buckling under him, leaving him sprawled awkwardly, back on his hands, staring up at the Hell Goddess.

Glory laughed in delight, skipping down the steps towards him. "I love this building!" she said, malicious glee evident on her face. "All these neat little booby traps and no where to run!"

Without warning, she struck out with a backhand that almost threw him free of the step. Not quite. Snape's body lurched painfully, his head connecting with the banister, his knee burning in pain, still ensnared.

A sound of pain escaped him and he struggled to pull himself back upright. A tickle from one side of his mouth was caught on his tongue. Metallic. Bitter. Probably from the inside of his cheek.

Black eyes turned up to the woman, who was smiling icily down at him. "That was uncalled for," he said slowly, his head throbbing painfully. He had no doubts that he had an exceptional lump on his forehead too.

"Poor baby, all whiney," Glory pouted, bending over him and grabbing him by his upper arm, pulling him up until he was dangling from her grip. She licked her thumb. "Look how messy you are, poodle..."

Her thumb smeared and squeezed his lower lip, making him wince as more blood burst free, staining her pale skin.

She grinned at him. "Silly little key," she murmured. "Thinking you could hide here..." Lifting her hand, she laughed, then licked the blood from her fingertips. Her expression froze, blue-green eyes staring down into defiant black.

"Problem?" Snape inquired dryly, his bloodied smirk returning.

***

Somehow, the flight back to the school seemed to take even longer than the brief flight to Hogsmeade, the Slayer jerking herself from between the two larger men and leaping onto the grass.

Booted feet were running across the lawn as the brooms alighted and she didn't have to look back to know they were following.

"Get weapons!" she called back over her shoulder without even deigning to glance around. "Anything you can! If these things got passed the boundaries, they can't be good! Sticks, rocks, swords, anything!"

"Teeth?" Remus' voice rang back to her and she grinned in a way that was far from pleasant.

"Anything, Professor. And I mean anything." She threw a look back. "You got fangs, claws, inner bitch, everything. Spike, you can kill all you like. Will, if you can face it, unleash everything you've got."

Catching up with her, Angel looked down as they ran across the quad and up the stairs to the buildings. "That bad?"

Buffy's smile was terrifying in its coldness. "Not as bad as things'll be, if anything's happened to my sister." She sprinted up the long staircases from the lawn and into the entrance hall, where bodies were stacked all around, demon and a hanful of wizards and witches as well.

"This doesn't look promising," Wesley said, staring at the demons. "Those demons are resistant to magic..."

Buffy's expression said she had expected this. She drew a slow breath, then glanced around, raising a hand for silence. Wherever the fight was, it had moved deeper into the school.

Her eyes flicked around and she looked to Angel for confirmation, nodding towards the main staircase. The vampire nodded grimly.

"Okay," she murmured. "Sounds like they headed that way and split up. We got a lot of damage to do to a lotta people." Turning she looked at her group of friends. "We're going to have to split up too. Three groups. One vampire with each group. I'll take the main hall. The rest of you take care of damage control and find anyone whose left. Get as many as you can to either the medical wing or the locking dorms."

There were nods all round and they ascended the staircase, splitting off down the three hallways, Buffy taking the central one that lead up towards the classrooms and livings areas of the castle.

Passing a suit of armour, she snatched a sword, her lips compressing into a tight line. She could hear fighting ahead, could hear screams, her whole body taut as she ran on light feet.

One of the doors burst open, a huge demon staggering out. The Slayer's sword leapt up, but the demon tipped, crashing at her feet, half a dozen house elves scrambling off it, bowing and vanishing, leaving Dobby crouched before her.

"Dobby has to warn the Slayer!" he gasped. He was bleeding. "The Goddess is here, Mistress Slayer... she has someone... she found them..."

Buffy's face went white. "Which way?"

"BUFFY!"

The shriek came from further down the hall and Buffy broke into a run, which was halted when a gangly figure fell out of a hole in the wall and knocked them both flying. Whirling her sword around, Buffy froze.

"Dawnie!"

Her sister, snatched the sword and jabbed it into the hole, from which a perforated demon tumbled out. "Thanks," the teen said weakly, handing the gooey sword back.

"I tried to keep her hidden," Xander scrambled out of the hole in the wall as well. He was carrying an axe and looked unscathed. "But one came through the walls, so we kind of didn't have a choice."

"You're okay, though..." Dawn nodded, her face white as a sheet. "Dawnie, Glory's here." Blue eyes went wide with terror. "Dawnie, she isn't going to get you. We just need to keep you hidden somewhere safe..."

"Pr-professor Snape said the walls would be safe..." she mumbled.

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "Where is Snapey?" she demanded suddenly. She had passed some fighting groups in the halls, but had seen no sign of the Potions Professor.

"He-he was going back to fight," Dawn swallowed hard. "H-he said the walls were the safest place to hide... he said it... if we can't be safe there, what are we going to do?"

Buffy glanced around, then exhaled a sharp breath. "Get back to the Great Hall or one of the common rooms," she said, pressing her sword into Dawn's hand. "Don't use the main halls. Keep hidden..."

"What about you?" Xander asked softly.

"I'm gonna find that Goddess," Buffy said quietly. "And I'm going to make sure she knows not to mess with my place of work." She gave her friend a push down one of the long halls. "You keep Dawnie safe. These demons are nothing we can't handle."

"Gotcha," Xander nodded, grabbing Dawn by the arm and rushing off, as Buffy hurried in the other direction.

***

Rubbing her fingertips together, Glory stared at the reddish smear, her other hand tightening around the man's upper arm. His face went white, lips compressing, though he didn't make a sound.

"You're not my Key..." she mumbled, staring at the blood.

"Remove your hands from me." The words broke from behind tightly clenched teeth.

Glory's eyes narrowed. "You think you can talk like that to me, you miserable, slimy little worm?" She gave him a hard shake. "Like them all! Whining and yelping and snapping like a little bitty puppy, a baby dog all bark and no teeth..."

Black eyes stared at her, emotionless, no pain. His head tilted slightly to allow a sword tip to whirl passed and imbed itself in the wall behind him. "I repeat, remove your hands from my person."

"From your person?" Glory laughed nastily. "You're just so stiff upper lippy, huh? Just like my little Luce." Her hand tightened and there was a muffled sound, a dull, wet cracking. Black eyes went wide, broad nostrils flaring, but he didn't cry out. Glory grinned delightedly. "Whaddya know? Not a peep!"

"Remove... your... hands." His voice was tight, trembling.

"Ooh! Spunky!" Glory flinched when a blast from a wand hit her shoulder, her shirt searing away.

With her free hand, she reached out, tore down a painting, hurling it with terrifying accuracy. From the bottom of stairs, there was a cry, then silence. Her grip on the man's arm, though, only tightened. The man's face went grey.

"Tell you what; you tell me where my Key is and I'll just kill you. No torture. I'll be nice."

The dark eyes flickered. "No idea."

She squeezed. Hard. A shade of green washed over the grey. "Try again, poodle. You got lots of bones and I got time to kill."

There was a fleeting twitch at the corner of his white lips. "So sorry." he said flatly.

Glory's expression twisted, suddenly ugly. Her hand jerked and the man jerked with a sharp gasp, eyes wide, but still he was staring, staring like a crazy kooky little dog, all mad and staring.

"You knot it!" she shrieked furiously. "I know you know!"

"Sorry. No clue."

"Liar... liar..." she moaned, shaking him by the broken arm, mumbling it over and over, crescendoing to a scream. "LIAR!"

From the doorway across the hall at the bottom of the stairs, she heard a cacaphony of noise. Too many people! Too many trying to keep her precious key from her. She saw the almost mocking look in the man's freaky deaky staring eyes.

No way! She wouldn't lose this time!

Her free hand struck with viper's speed and only now, he uttered a strangled cry as her fingers penetrated his skull. She heard someone yell out behind her, ignored it. She felt the gooey warmth of his mind flood her, letting his body sag in her grip, her fingers slipping free as he hit the floor.

A groan of pure pleasure escaped her lips and she sucked her fingers for every last drop. What a mind.

"You bitch!"

Glory looked down the stairs, bemused, as a small, dark-haired woman started up the stairs towards, fury on her face. She was holding a sword and was the first of a small group, all of whom looked as angry as each other.

Damn, they were feisty little kiddies.

"C'mon, sweetcakes," she growled, hopping over the fallen man. "Show me what you got, before I pop your head like a grape."

She walked straight into the punch, startled when it threw her backwards. She hit something hard, a door, real old, and cracked it right down the middle, scrambling onto her feet as the girl charged at her.

"Geez!" Glory grumbled, ripping the remnants of the door off the hinges and throwing it at the girl, catching her in the midriff and knocking her, bouncing, across the landing. "Can't I just get my key and go?"

"You came to the wrong place, sister," the dark-haired girl was already on her feet again, approaching more warily this time. She ducked as the second half of the door whistled past her head.

Glory stared at her. "Why don't you people just die?" she inquired, circling the brunette. "I hit you, I throw things at you, I stab you, I beat the crap out of you, but you never just die."

The girl spread her hands in a mocking shrug. "We're bitches," she said, smiling coldly. "What can I say?" A punch caught Glory in the middle of the face, sending her skittering across the polished stone floor. "Big G! How is he?"

A voice floated up from halfway down the stairs. "Not good, Faith! You want me to help?"

"Help by gettin' his bony ass to the nurse!" the girl yelled back, grunting as Glory tackled her. "Get gone, G!"

Both of them tumbled end over end and colliding with the balustrade, the Goddess catching the girl by the throat, flipping her up and bringing her down with a sickening crack, across the broad marble banister.

Pressing all her weight down on the girl's neck, Glory grinned. "Too easy, sweetpea," she cooed, then screamed as one of the girl's steel-toed booted feet jerked up, full force, between her thighs.

"Ya think?" she gritted out, the heel of her hand snapping up and catching Glory below the jaw with enough force to toss her up, the Goddess body crashing through the candelabra above her.

Pushing herself back onto her feet, the girl rubbed her bruised throat as Glory swung back down from the candelabra. Swaying on her feet, the girl's dark eyes glittered, leaning heavily against the banister, one arm still dangling over the pale stone.

"C'mon, Princess," Glory smirked. "You think you can take me?"

The girl matched her smirk, though her expression was barely disguising the pain in her eyes, her body supported by the pale stone. "Try me, babe," she challenged softly.

With a mocking laugh, Glory dived at the girl, her laughter trailing into a scream as Faith swung her arm.

The metal torch holder she had worked free from the edge of the balcony smashed Glory across the face, embers and sparks leaping, the Goddess' golden hair bursting into a flaming corona around her face.

"Hot," Faith murmured faintly, a weak grin on her face as she sank down against the banister, her legs unable to support her any longer.

With a shriek, Glory whirled away, slapping furiously at her hair. Missing her footing, she stumbled, cascading down the staircase and, as she fell, the sickening crackle of bones and joints snapping out of place could be heard.

Her eyes closing, Faith winced, sagging against the stone. She couldn't feel anything beyond the pain in her back. She had felt something crack and it hurt like hell. Her legs, arms, even her head seemed to be fading, her vision going black.

"Damnit," she whispered, before everything went dark.

***

"C'mon... you got to be kidding me," Shifting his grip on the mace he had acquired, Gunn glanced around the halls, his brow creasing in frown. He could have sworn that he was heading towards the medical wing, but the dead end at the end of the hallway said otherwise.

On his shoulder, there was a faint groan, the dark figure he was carrying stirring from whatever realm of unconsciousness he had been visiting.

"Hold on, buddy," Gunn muttered, changing his weight from foot to foot. "We're gonna go back and try and get somewhere again..."

These kinda circumstances, he realised, made him miss L.A. more than anything. At least in L.A., you wouldn't get lost in a freaky great castle full of magic people and crazy Goddesses.

Making his way back down the hall he had just approached from, he couldn't help thinking that the night attack had been a good idea by the crazy psycho bitch leading the bad guys. He could barely find his way around the place in the daylight, but by moonlight, it was worse.

Taking a left, he stopped dead, his expression shifting into a far darker expression.

Okay, so it wasn't something he'd done wrong. He had taken the teacher-guy down one flight of stairs onto level storeys, that was all, which didn't explain how the hell he'd ended up at the top of seven flights of stairs.

"Goddamn magic," he growled, turning around to go back down the hall he had just emerged from. It was a dead end.

"Gunn!"

Whirling around, he almost smacked squarely into Harris and the Slayer's kid sister running up the flight of stairs, which hadn't been there five minutes before. "We got a major problem," he said flatly.

"In the building-changing-every-time-we-try-to-go-anywhere sense?" Dawn offered bitterly, hands on her hips. She tilted her head, then stared in dismay. "Oh God... is that Snapey?"

Gunn nodded grimly, with a glance at Xander. "Glory caught him. Faith was fighting her when I got there..."

"Where's Glory now?" Xander demanded, gripping Dawn's shoulders. The teen's face was pale and she was reaching out to touch the pale, limp hand dangling by Gunn's side.

Gunn shrugged helplessly. "Damned if I know, Xan," he muttered. "Someone's playing with the mojo. The school ain't this bad normally."

"Glory..." Dawn whimpered.

"Could be," Gunn conceded, then noticed that Dawn wasn't looking at him, or Xander or even the unconcious wizard slung over his shoulder. She was staring at the spot where a blank wall had been minutes before.

Whipping around, slipping Snape from his shoulder, Gunn pulled Dawn behind him, recoiling at the sight of what had been a stunning blonde when he had left her fighting Faith, only moments earlier.

Her golden hair was a singed mess, her clothes smouldering on her body, her once-pretty face blackened, but the grinning red lips and gleaming blue-green eyes were unmistakable.

"Back off," Gunn growled.

The woman only grinned the wider. "You gonna try and make me, like your little bitch did?" she taunted. "I'll snap you in half too."

Xander moved to flank Gunn, his expression grim. "You bitch."

"You think you two can stop me from having my fun?" the Goddess laughed, the mocking sound ringing off the high walls and staircases. "I'm gonna suck you all dry and leave you dripping for the Slayer to find."

"She'll stop you!" Dawn piped up, her voice thin with terror. "She..."

"Can't beat me," Glory drawled, her toothy grin growing ever more unsettling. "And she let her little buddy mess up my face." A blackened, crooked finger was wagged. "That's just not fair."

"Who said anything about fair?" Gunn snapped, snatching the axe from Xander's hand and hurling it. It struck the woman full in the chest. Metal shards splintered, flying in all directions, the trio flinging themselves at the ground, shielding their eyes and faces.

"Good shot," Xander mumbled, lifting his eyes.

"For the record," Gunn winced, raising his head to find Glory standing less than a pace from them. He scrambled to his feet, pulling Xander with him. "I don't like Hell Goddesses."

Dawn was backing down the staircase, both men rising and shielding her with their bodies. "I'll make a note of it," she whispered, then froze. "Wait! Snape! We can't leave him!"

Looking down at the figure coiled at her feet, Glory raised her brows. She nudged him with her toe. "Got yourself a juicy piece there, sweetie," she said, smiling nastily. "Smart and sneaky. Ate him all up..."

Dawn went white, only Xander's arm catching around the midriff stopping her from lunging at the Goddess, clawed fingers extended, her expression twisted with hatred.

"Dawnie! No!"

"Nooo, Dawnie, nooo..." Glory laughed, prodding Snape's inert form again, his head rolling and squinting blankly up at her, black eyes vacant. "Whatcha gonna do, kid? I already took down your friends... you sister next..."

"I hate you!" Dawn screamed, tears burning in her eyes. "I hate you!"

Making a mouthing gesture with one hand, Glory rolled her eyes. "Blah, blah, blah... you whine a lot, sweetpea," she drawled.

"Shines..."

"No, dumbie," Glory planted a kick on Snape's body, which sent him tumbling down the stairs to crumple at Xander and Gunn's feet. "Whines. The kid whines a heck of a lot."

Black eyes squinted up, beyond the two men, thin lips moving, as if trying to form words, a pale, thin finger rising and pointing at Dawn. "Shining... beautiful..." he said faintly, distantly.

Xander's face went white, his fist lashing out, knocking Snape into unconsciousness, before he could say anymore, but barely had his fist connected with Snape's face than Glory's arm struck him across the chest, sending him flying.

Catching Dawn by the wrists, Glory's eyes were wide. "Shining... you..." Her voice broke off into a scream of pain, her body jerking in an arc, her hands leaping away from the Slayer's sister.

Yanking the sword free from the Goddess' back, Buffy smiled coldly. "Get your hands off my sister."