Rating:
R
House:
Schnoogle
Genres:
General Crossover
Era:
Multiple Eras
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire
Stats:
Published: 11/02/2002
Updated: 11/04/2007
Words: 363,688
Chapters: 65
Hits: 101,532

The Eighth Weasley

Fyre

Story Summary:
Set post-book seven. Voldemort is long gone and the dust is settling. So when the Weasleys are informed that a missing family member has been located, there is a great deal of excitement and nervousness as contact is made with said absentee from the family. However, when it transpires that the missing Weasley has connections with a certain Vampire Slayer, it goes without saying that Hogwarts will never be the same again!

Chapter 61

Posted:
08/13/2005
Hits:
991
Author's Note:
Yet again, apologies for the delay (and technically, for the terrible habit of cliff-hangers, but I can’t stop doing them ;D) but things are chaotic still. Part-time employment, possible new college courses and computer restrictions do not a happy Fyre make.[p]

Falling against the wall, Glory stared at her assailant in shock. She could feel something trickling down her back, the stain that coloured her fingers informing her that - for the first time in her memory - she was bleeding.

"What...?" she mumbled, squinting through singed lashes. "Your toys don't work on me."

"Guess again, Glory," the Slayer was standing in front of her, a silvery sword gripped casually in one hand. The pommel was studded with deep, blood-red rubies, shimmering oddly by the light flickering through the windows. "You come to magic-ville, you gotta be ready to play with magic toys."

A sharp jab of the sword caught the Hell-Goddess under the ribs and she screamed as the blade penetrated her skin.

"Xander," Buffy said calmly, without so much as a glance back at her friend. "I want you and Gunn to get Snapey to the medical wing. Me and Dawnie are going to go for a little walk, after I show this bitch who is boss."

No questions were asked, the half-conscious figure of Snape caught up between the two men, who immediately started down a staircase, which seemed to have materialised obligingly for the purpose of escape.

Shielding Dawn with her body, the Slayer's eyes flicked sidelong as the trio faded out of sight, her attention leaping back just in time to block a savage blow from the golden-haired woman in front of her.

"You won't take my key!"

"That key," Buffy growled, twisting the sword in her hand, forcing it deeper and harder, until it emerged from Glory's back. "Is my sister."

"Buffy..." Dawn whispered, "She's too strong..."

Despite blood rolling down her chin and the wildness in her eyes, Glory laughed mockingly. "See, Slayer," she laughed, blood spattering them both. "Baby sister knows when she's in trouble."

Buffy's smile was far from pleasant. "She's right," she agreed quietly, withdrawing the sword, fresh torrents of scarlet flowing down Glory's belly. "You're stronger than I am. You can't be killed, even with a magic sword through your guts."

"Then why fight, little girl?" The Goddess' teeth were stained pink and she was smiling.

Buffy grinned at her. "Because I just love being a pain in the ass."

Straightening up, though swaying slightly due to the still-bleeding wound in her torso, Glory smoothed down the tattered remains of her clothing; an incongruous pair of pants and T-shirt.

"What's to stop me swatting you like a bitty bug and taking her?" she murmured, her eyes fixed on Dawn, who was clinging to Buffy's arms.

"Well," Buffy rocked on the balls of her feet. "You can't reach her."

"Can too." Glory moved to grab the girl, but the Slayer caught her wrist.

"Nuh-uh," she said, eyes gleaming. "We're up here and you..." Her other fist swung and caught Glory in the middle of her slashed chest. The Goddess hurtled into the air with a scream and plummeted over the broad banisters, dropping like a stone down the opening between staircases. "Well," She leaned over, waving as Glory dropped into the darkness. "You're waaaaaay down there."

Behind her, Dawn made a sound that sounded like a combination of sob and laugh, hands over her mouth.

"You okay, Dawnie?" Buffy turned to her sister, stumbling back a step when the teen crashed into her arms. "Whoa... easy..."

"She hurt Snape!" Dawn whispered frantically. "I thought she was going to kill me."

"Not while I'm still standing, Dawn," Buffy's voice was firm. "Come on. We're going to get you out of here and away from her."

"But where... and how can we go anywhere? We're in Hogwarts!"

Buffy caught her by the hand and started pulling her down one of the hallways, glancing around, as if expecting demons to jump out on every turn. "I'm working on it," she said quietly. "But for now, we run."

8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.

Racing through the halls, jinxing suits of armour to serve as mace-wielding weapons, Sirius had split off from the main group, who were still fighting the demons on the lower floors.

Whatever they were, the demons had managed to breach the corridors leading towards the hiding place of some of the students. Sirius, however, had other things on his mind: Flitwick had told him Faith and Gunn had sprinted off some time earlier and most likely were in need of wizard aid.

Even so, if he hadn't been wielding his wand, he was unsurprised to realise he would have rushed off to help them anyway.

A difficulty, however, had arisen, in the way the castle seemed to be changing almost constantly. Perhaps it was using a series of mirage-like effects, but after taking half-a-dozen right turns down a straight corridor that he had walked more times than he could recollect, he stopped dead and looked around.

"Look!" he yelled at no one in particular. "Do I look like one of the demons? I'm trying to help!"

In front of him, a wall shimmered out of sight, revealing the long hall he knew well and muttering a thank you under his breath, he started to run again, heading towards the room where he been told Dawn and Xander were being put into hiding.

Taking the steps three at a time, his heart racing and lungs burning, he skipped the trick step on force of habit, reached the landing, only for his foot to catch on something and send him sprawling on the ground.

"Clumsy much?" the faint whisper made him jerk around, scrambling onto his knees.

"Faith?"

Sprawled bonelessly against the balustrade, her features bloodied and swollen, one of Faith's eyes cracked open fractionally. "Hey," she murmured, oblivious to the trickle of red bubbling from the corner of her mouth. "You okay?"

Sirius couldn't find words, staring at her and nodding.

"Where's B?" Her voice was getting fainter by the moment.

"I haven't seen her since we separated in the lower levels," Sirius replied, moving to ease her into a better position. Her hand flopped against his, pushed it away. "Faith, I have to get you to Pomfrey."

"Screw that," Fire flashed in her dark eyes. "Got something... need you to do..."

"But you're hurt."

"Had worse."

"Faith."

"Shut up!" Grimacing, as if every word was causing her fresh pain, she caught his hand, squeezed until he - too - winced. "You gotta get Dawn." She jerked, coughing harshly, fresh blood running down her chin. "Glory's here... find Dawn. Help B get her out."

"I can't leave you!" Sirius exclaimed, using his sleeve to wipe her chin gently.

"Sure you can," Faith's eyes were forced open once more, the effort to do so apparent on her tightly-strained face. "Cos if you don't... we're goin' to hell... cos Glory'll have D..." She swallowed hard. "And that would piss me off..."

Sirius could see the ferocity in her eyes, nodded. "Wouldn't want to see you getting pissed off now, would we?" he said with mock-cheerfulness. "Can you point me in the right direction?"

"B'll want her out," Faith was gradually sinking down the stone, almost entirely inert on the floor. "Find a way."

"Yes, ma'am," He caught her, laid her down more carefully. "Don't go anywhere."

Faith laughed faintly. "So not an issue," she whispered. "Go!"

With a last squeeze of her ice-cold hand, Sirius scrambled to his feet and headed back down the steps, his footfalls fading into silence as Faith sank into unconsciousness on the landing.

8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.

"How do they usually get out?"

Eight floors, twenty six corridors, nineteen flights of stairs, two hidden doorways and six booby-traps down, Buffy was still running as fast as she had been on the upper levels, utter determination on her face.

Running as fast she could to keep up with Buffy, Dawn was out of breath and shaking like a leaf. "Walking... floo powder..." she panted out, her hair clinging to her face with perspiration. "Can't just vanish out... too many security things..."

"Kay..." Buffy caught her arm and abruptly turned them into another hallway, leading towards the main staircase and out onto the grounds. "So I get you out of the castle... know anywhere safe? What about that foresty place?"

"Forbidden... dangerous... bad..."

"More dangerous than here?" Buffy countered, only pausing to see Dawn doubled over and panting. Her face was no longer flushed, but bone-white and she looked as if she was on the verge of collapse. "Come on, Dawnie..." Rushing back to Dawn's side, she lifted her sister's chin, stroked her face. "We have to get out of here..."

"Can't..." Dawn whispered, clutching at her. "Can't run... hurts..."

"Just a little further, Dawnie..."

Dawn shook her head, her legs sagging beneath her. "Can't," she croaked.

"Kay..." Buffy said just as firmly. She bent and easily flung Dawn over her shoulder, then turned in the direction of the main halls again. "You hold on. We'll get into the forest and hide out there until Glory is gone, okay?"

"Kay," Dawn winced and grabbed at her sister's waist as Buffy started to run as fast she she could. Leaping from the tops of staircases to the bottom, her feet clattering on the stone, she skidded her way around corners, passing several combating groups.

"Buffy!"

Throwing a glance back at Angel, Buffy shook her head tightly and kept running, calling back, "Finish here! I'll keep her safe!"

Demons were still battling members of staff on the broad staircase as she raced into the entrance hall, Dawn bouncing against her back. Jumping, she skidded her way down the broad marble banister, dropping and rolling out of a clumsy handspring and back onto her feet, Dawn uttering a quaking groan.

"Next stop for Slay-cabs, the great outdoors," Buffy quipped through gritted teeth, bounding over the fallen bodies of dead demons, as if they were parts of a morbid assault course, though her blood turned icy at a shout behind her; "Out of my way!"

"RUN!" Willow's scream rang out.

Buffy risked a glance back and saw the red-haired witch standing at the top of the stairs, hands spread by her sides, her hair billowing around her head. She was shaking and looked like every ounce of her strength was being used.

The target of it was clear: Halfway down the stairs, Glory seemed to have frozen, but - burnt, bloodied and battered - she was fighting against Willow's magical hold on her, her face a rictus of rage.

Her heart wrenching, Buffy found that extra burst of speed, breaking out through the door and hurtling down the staircase onto the grassy lawn, her feet carrying her as fast as they could across the night-dewed lawn.

Behind her, she could hear Glory's ever nearing shouts of anger, spurring her onwards towards the dark, shapeless spill of the Forbidden forest. Whatever was in there, it had to be a helluva lot better than the demon chasing her.

She didn't need to look back to know that Glory was gaining on her. Her legs were burning and her hold on Dawn was slackening, though she was dredging up every ounce of energy she had left.

"Hang on, Dawn..." she whispered breathlessly. "Just hang on..."

"Buffy!"

Out of surprise, she almost stopped dead at the very un-Glory-ish voice that was suddenly a lot closer to her than Glory's. "Sirius?" she yelled, still staggering towards the forest.

"Up here!" A sudden gust of wind from massive wings whistled passed her and a shadow flew across them. "Throw her to me! I'll get her out of here!"

A glance back told her that Glory would be on her long before she could reach the forest and Sirius was a wizard so he would be able to protect her as well as she could. She nodded, pulling Dawn into her arms.

"Get her to there!" she yelled with a nod towards the forest.

"Buffy... she'll kill you..." Dawn's eyes were wide with terror.

Buffy grinned and shook her head. "No way," she said, then pressed a kiss to Dawn's brow. "I'm going to be killed by someone who can co-ordindate their colours." She jerked her head up. "Catch!"

With both arms, she threw Dawn upwards. The teen shrieked as she curved in an arc and started to drop back towards the ground, stopped in her fall by Sirius swooping down and scooping her out of the air, swinging her behind him on Buckbeak's broad back.

"Go!"

"NOOO!" The shout of rage rang across the grounds a moment before something impacted with the back of Buffy's skull and knocked her into unconsciousness.

8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.

"For a skinny guy, he sure weighs a hell of a lot."

"Maybe I shouldn't have hit him."

Gunn shook his head, shifting Snape's weight on his shoulder. "You needed to stop him runnin' off his mouth," he said firmly. "It's just damned bad luck that I ran into you guys with him."

"Did Glory..."

"Sucked him dry," Gunn confirmed.

Between them, Snape groaned faintly, one of his arms slung around each of their shoulders. His mouth and nose were bloody from Xander's punch and he was lolling limply, his feet dragging the floor beneath him.

"You know what happens to 'em after Glory gets 'em?" Gunn asked after several moments of silence only broken by the rasp of their breathing, as they carefully picked their way up a long flight of stairs. "They get better, right?"

Xander glanced at him, then shook his head grimly. "They're crazy," he said. "And they stay crazy. Haven't seen any one of Glory's victims who got better, no matter what they tried to do for them."

"Damn..."

They turned into another corridor, drawn onwards by faint sounds of battle, the logic being that if they could find someone who knew their way around the castle, then they'd be able to find someone who could take them to the medical wing.

A yell brought them up short. A massive figure was weaving its way towards them and Gunn swung Snape into Xander's grip fully, grabbing a switchblade from his pocket and a length of chain from around his waist.

"Do you always carry them?"

"Sure," Gunn threw a tight grin at the younger man. "No harm in bein' prepared, right?"

He swung out with his chain as the demon came within range. It whirled around the demon's head and a sharp tug pulled it off balance, wobbling as Gunn threw himself into a roll, coming up and slashing down one meaty thigh.

A rapid follow-up slash caught it across the middle of the torso, leaving a gush of black fluid puddling on the floor, but it seemed oblivious, turning black, glittering eyes on the human who was inflicting such damage on it.

A third lunge sent innards cascading over Gunn's hand. "Damn!" he exclaimed, trying to pull his hand free of the mess of guts. "That thing is tough!"

The demon uttered a bellow, reaching down with unnatural speed and catching Gunn by the throat, ignoring the slashes of the blade that were peppering its huge arm. It staggered forward, swaying, towards the unarmed Xander, as Gunn wrestled against its hold.

"Uh..." Glancing down at Snape, who was half-sagged to the floor, Xander dived forward, pushing the potions professor's body in a slow skid along the floor, where it tangled under the demon's feet.

Unable to direct itself, unable to see or disentangle its limbs from cloak and body of the human under its feet, it wobbled precariously, the tipped and fell forward. Gunn pulled free of its grip and bringing his knife around in a clean arc, lodging the blade in the back of its head. The spread of black goo increased, splattering both of them.

Half-sprawled, half-sitting, Xander stared at it warily. "You think its dead?"

"I think it's gonna have one helluva headache if it ain't," Gunn replied, panting and rubbing his bruised throat. "Damn thing nearly had me. Good move, usin' old creepy for a tripwire."

Xander smiled weakly, getting back to his feet. He nudged the demon's motionless head with the tip of one shoe. "Just saving my own skin," he said, offering Gunn a hand. "If I hadn't fallen over, I would have been outta here."

"Sure," Gunn laughed hoarsely. "C'mon. Let's get creepy to the meds."

With effort they hauled Snape upright, after disentangling him from the limbs of the fallen demon. He was still hovering in and out of consciousness and like the other two men, was liberally splattered in the black, viscous fluid that had spilled from the demon's body.

Shaking the gooey tendrils off, they started carefully along the hall, feet slipping a little as if their shoes were coated in ice.

"That stuff stinks," Gunn observed, then swore as one boot skidded in the goo.

"If we cut you open and spilled your guts on the floor, I don't think you'd smell of roses yourself," Xander countered, then went rigid, slowly glancing back over his shoulder.

"What?"

"Uh..." Xander slowly jerked his head. "Kinda not dead..." he noted. "Kinda more in the upright and walking towards us state of being."

"Goddamn!"

"Duck!" A third voice yelled from somewhere ahead of them, a blast of light passing over their heads as they threw themselves to the floor.

The beam of light exploded off a torch bracket on the wall above them, the flaming torch tumbling down and landing in the puddle of ichor at the demon's feet.

"You missed!" Gunn yelled. "How could you miss..."

His voice, however, trailed off as the crackling fire licked its way up the streams of blood pouring down the demon's body and the huge body was engulfed in flames. With an agonised howl, the demon staggered back, the fire burning brighter and hotter, until the massive creature toppled over, burning to ash in a matter of seconds.

"Damn..." Gunn whispered in admiration.

"Ditto," Xander picked himself up off the floor and peered further down the hall.

A smaller figure stepped out of the shadows in the light of one of the windows, wand in hand, looking pale and shaken by the moonlight.

"I heard them sayin' Dawn was in trouble," Duncan Cameron mumbled. "I wanted tae help." He took an unsteady step closer to them, staring at the lump of molten demon, then looking from Gunn to Xander. "You willnae tell them I did magic in the corridors, will ye? They'll take points off of us..."

Leaning onto the wall for support, Gunn stared at the teenage boy. "You snuck out into the school when you knew there were demons and monsters, to make sure Dawn would be okay?" he said in disbelief. "And now, you save our lives then get freaked about losin' points?"

Halfway through pulling Snape upright, Xander grinned. "I think we have a new Scoobie of the Willow variety," he said with a chuckle. "I don't think they'll take points from you for defending the school."

Duncan looked both relieved and pleased, then noticed the bedraggled bundle that was being negotiated between the two men. "Is... is that Professor Snape?" he asked, the newly-returned colour flooding from his face.

"Yeah," Gunn winced as he pulled the man back up. "Hey... kid, do you know the way to the medical wing?"

"Aye..." Duncan mumbled, still staring at Snape. "Is... is he alive?"

"For now," Xander said significantly, remembering hearing from Dawn about how terrified the Scottish boy was of Snape. "We need to get him to Madam Pomfrey to get him fixed up."

Duncan nodded, still staring at Snape, then, he seemed to decide something. He pointed his wand at the teacher. "Leviocorpus!" Snape jerked from Xander and Gunn's grip, then hung suspended neatly in mid-air between them. "I'll get him there," he said quickly. "If you want to go and help the others fightin'. They... they need to know fire kills the things."

"How'd'you know that anyway?"

Duncan met their gazes proudly. "Professor Summers taught me," he said quietly. "Fire and not magic. You need to tell people."

Gunn and Xander exchanged looks, then nodded.

"Thanks, kid," Gunn said. He took off at a slipping sprint, but Xander hesitated a moment, looking down at Duncan, who was starting to nudge Snape along the corridor with his wand, the Professor bobbing oddly.

"I'll make sure no one takes points off you," he said with a warm smile. "You did the right thing." Duncan blushed beetroot, looking down at his toes. "Be careful, okay?"

The boy nodded. "You too," he said.

Xander threw him a salute, then took off, running, after Gunn.

8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.8.

With a shriek, Dawn clung to Sirius's waist, her hair whipping and slashing against her face in the icy winds as they rose higher and higher above the ground. She could barely breathe, her heart battering against her ribs.

Beneath her legs, she could feel every rise and falling stroke of Buckbeak's massive wings, her eyes squeezed tightly shut against the terrifying drop beneath them.

"Don't worry!" Sirius' voice carried back to her through the whistling of the wind. "We'll get you to the forest."

"Are you crazy?" she heard herself scream, then shrieked again as the hippogriff went into a steep dive.

Arguing with Buffy had been impossible with the whole hanging-upside-down-over-her-shoulder thing, but now, she could argue and yell all she liked. Apart from when the hippogriff bucked, like he was doing now. She heard Sirius swearing, felt herself slipping and clung tighter.

"What...!?"

"Hold on!"

"Not planning on doing anything diff..."

The air lurched beneath them and Dawn felt like her stomach had suddenly leapt into her throat as Buckbeak's dive was suddenly cut short and he catapulted himself and his two riders back up towards the stars.

Practically bucked up off the smooth back, Dawn gasped as the wind struck her face again, vicious and bitingly cold. Clutching desperately at Sirius' waist, she pressed herself against his back, cheek between his shoulder blades.

Only then did she see why the hippogriff was wheeling around so wildly.

Half a dozen figures on broomsticks were racing towards them from the edge of the grounds and she felt Sirius fumbling for his wand, his other arm locked around Buckbeak's neck.

"Oh God..."

"Don't worry. Buckbeak's smarter than any old broomsticks."

As a jet of scarlet light sizzled passed her ear, Dawn flinched, suddenly thinking that Buffy's bumping and bruising run hadn't been nearly as bad as the potential falling-off-hippogriff-and-meeting-the-ground.

"Faster?" she squeaked.

Sirius threw of several jinxes and hexes over his shoulder at the cloaked figures who were bearing down on them, then leaned forward. Dawn could have sworn he was whispering something to the hippogriff.

Suddenly, he leaned back, pulled her even closer to his back and gripped her wrists in his wand hand.

"Hold on tight," he said grimly.

"What fo..."

The words trailed of into a breathless howl as Buckbeak shot into a steep-angled vertical flight, coming round, then up, up and over into a sharp loop, the forces of gravity racing against the huge beast's speed, as he rolled and sent himself soaring off in the opposite direction.

Behind them, their assailants yelled in shock and outrage that their enemies were making an escape.

Behind Sirius, Dawn was trying her best to keep breathing. Holding on didn't matter so much. She was pretty sure they would have to cut her fingers away from Sirius' waist. She was also real grateful that she hadn't stopped for dinner.

"Okay?"

"Mreh?"

Sirius laughed roughly, though she could see him glancing back down at her. "That was nothing," his voice carried down to her between blasts of light and charms. "You should see what I could do on my bike."

"Oh God..." Dawn whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut. "Oh God... crazy man... crazy, crazy man..."

Buckbeak lunged into a dive again and Dawn heard a voice that definitely wasn't Sirius and it was far too close by. One eye cracked open and she saw a broom shoot overhead. There was another close behind, one that Sirius couldn't have seen.

"Sirius!"

Her words were either unheard or far too late.

A blast of light from behind struck Buckbeak, the rapid beats of the wings freezing, the hippogriff's body jerking, then going rigid and starting - almost the second the light had hit it - to fall.

"Buckbeak!" Sirius screamed out, his wand shaking as he and Dawn were tossed into the air. "Finite incantatum! FINITE INCANTATUM!"

Buckbeak's descent, though, didn't slow, nor did his rigid form move.

To shocked to fight, Dawn felt Sirius turn, wrapping his arms around her, his body beneath hers, protecting her as they plummeted towards the ground. "Sorry," he growled against her hair, holding her as tightly as she was him.

Suddenly, something seemed to grab her, like a giant hand, jerking her out of the animagi's grasp and she screamed.

Below, she saw Sirius' horrified face staring back up at her, growing more and more distant by the instant, her own body dangling helplessly, upside down, in mid-air, as if caught on an invisible line.

A broomstick rose to her level, hovering an arm's length away from her, and Lucius Malfoy pushed back the hood of his cloak with a cold smile. "We meet again, Miss Summers," he murmured.