Freakazoid High

Part 4.

"Well, this is interesting." Albus Dumbledore rocked slightly on his heels and looked down at the shivering pile of wands on the floor. "My, my, yes. Very interesting indeed."

Harry shuffled his feet nervously, he'd rather been hoping that the headmaster would have something more to say than 'interesting' when he had finally been tracked down and brought to Ollivanders. His eyes shifted to Connor who had managed to produce a small, heavy looking axe from somewhere about his person and was eyeing the wood holding his girlfriend hostage with a thoughtful look and a slight tick in his jaw.

There was another yelp from under the pile of wands and then Dawn's voice said coldly, "Great. I'm happy that you seem to find this so fascinating. Meanwhile, I'm not getting any more wood free. A little help would be good." She yelped again. "And just so you know, the little white wand with the gold trim that keeps trying to disappear up my ass is fire bound when I finally get out of here."

Ron sniggered and then caught Mr Ollivander's eye and abruptly sobered. He fixed his eyes on a dusty, empty shelf and put his hands behind his back, concentrating on looking as innocent as he knew how. Which, as he was a Weasley and brother to Fred and George and best friend to the infamous Harry Potter, wasn't as innocent as it could have been.

Mr Ollivander shuffled forward. "Professor Dumbledore, I must insist, with all due respect, that you do something to alleviate this problem. I cannot understand what you were thinking of, letting such a volatile student wander around unsupervised in the first place." He glared at the pile of wands on the floor. "And to actually allow a student to threaten harm to one of my wands is simply beyond the pale."

Dumbledore nodded. "Of course, Mr Ollivander, I quite understand and I apologise profusely for any inconvenience and distress caused." He paused and stroked a thoughtful hand over his beard. "However, I'm afraid that we simply did not see such a situation arising. This really is most unexpected."

From under the wands Dawn sighed crossly. "Not helping!"

Connor moved and hefted his axe. "That's it, get out of my way."

Harry and Ron jumped forward, caught hold of Connor's arms and were alarmed to find that he didn't even seem to notice and dragged them along the floor in his wake. Dumbledore raised a hand and said calmly, "That won't be necessary Mr Angel. I said the situation was unexpected, not impossible to deal with."

Connor stopped two feet away from the wands and glared angrily at the white haired old man. "Get her out of there, right now, or we'll all be going home with a lot of spare stakes tonight." He raised the hand that held the axe and Harry swung forwards like the worlds largest novelty handbag. "I'm beginning to really lose my temper."

Dumbledore nodded. "Understood. Miss Summers, can you hear me?"

Dawn scowled under the heap of wood. "I'm temporarily buried under some insane sticks, I'm not deaf!"

"Capital! I believe you may be able to help yourself rather more than anything we might attempt at the moment."

Dawn winced as the little white wand tried to burrow lovingly down her pants again. "I think if I was in a position to do anything about the situation Professor, I'd have done it by now. Will you quit it!" She tried to shuffle her bottom forward as the wand disregarded her and managed to nose its tip under the elastic waist of her panties.

Connor growled and Dumbledore said hastily, "Miss Summers, I believe that the problem may lie in the residual mystical energy you are secreting without being aware of it. The wands in Ollivanders are dormant, waiting for their owners to come and claim them. As they have no bond formed with a witch or wizard as yet, they found themselves irresistibly drawn to yourself as a source of great magical power."

Dawn held her breath as the wand edged under her panties and then lifted her butt quickly then lowered it to trap the wand between flesh and floor before it could investigate further. Her eyebrows shot up as it wriggled in ecstasy against her skin. "No kidding." She scowled as another wand began to make its way up her pants leg. "So what do I do? These pants are only made for one, y'know."

Connor's eyebrows drew sharply together as Ron and Harry formed a mental picture of just what was happening under the wands. Ron grinned. Now that was an interesting image.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Quite. I believe you might find the problem resolves itself if you consciously try and draw your power away from the wands and try to lock it beyond their reach. I believe Mr Giles has worked with you on several different meditation techniques to allow you to open yourself to your power, perhaps if you used one of those but in reverse as it were?"

Dawn blinked thoughtfully and the jerked her head back as one enterprising wand tried to wiggle up her nose. "Ok, I'll give it a go." She shut her eyes and began to centre herself. "But if this doesn't work then Connor better be ready with something sharp and choppy."

Connor gripped his axe handle. "Just say the word, sweetie."

Dawn allowed a small smile to flicker over her face and then made herself relax and try to ignore the wriggling bits of wood as they felt the tenseness leave her body and began to try and burrow closer. She felt mind leap gently into a warm abyss and float joyfully in the space it found there. Her hands uncurled as she opened herself up to the power that hummed along her skin and bathed herself in the glowing green energy. Slowly her breathing relaxed and she began to pull the energy towards her centre a piece at a time, visualising it washing backwards and forwards like an ocean against a beach. Instead of letting the energy flow from her in gentle waves as Giles had taught her she concentrated on the feeling of gathering it in and holding it as it washed through her body.

Harry nudged Connor as a wand fell to the floor. "I think its working." The three boys watched silently as one by one the wands fell to the floor and lay dormant once more. Slowly pieces of Dawn came into view as more and more wands fell away, until finally she was left kneeling on the floor in a small pool of shaded wood.

Professor Dumbledore smiled. "Excellent."

Dawn's face creased slightly with concentration. "Wait." The lines smoothed away again and then suddenly the wands rose into the air and began to resume their rightful places on the shelves.

When the last box lid had closed, Dawn's eyes opened. "Ok?"

Connor stepped forward and scooped her off the floor. "Are you alright?"

Dawn laid her head on his shoulder and gave him a gentle squeeze. "I'm fine. Sorry if I scared you." She frowned. "Ow!" With one arm still round Connor's waist she reached back and dug down the back of her pants. A moment later her hand emerged clutching a white, gold tipped wand. "I missed one." She handed the warmed wood to Mr Ollivander. "You might want to give it a clean before you sell it."

The shop owner received it with a look of distaste and held it between his fingertips like a dirty diaper. "I think under the circumstances you might consider it a gift."

Dawn took it back with a grin and shoved it carelessly in her back pocket. "Cool!"

Mr Ollivander winced. "Young woman, that is a ten and half inches of pure ash wood, tipped with the gold donated by a leprechaun, with the hair of a pure bred siren running through it."

Dawn cocked an eyebrow at the wizened figure. "Its also a lot more intimate with my butt than I allow on a first meeting and its damn lucky its not a smoking piece of charred wood." She leaned against Connor's chest. "Well, that was fun in the way of the type of fun that isn't. Is stuff like this going to be happening a lot?"

Dumbledore shook his head jovially. "Oh I shouldn't think so. Now we know of this particular problem we should be able to take steps to prevent it recurring." He beamed happily. "All's well that ends well, after all." Clapping his hands together, Dumbledore turned to Mr Ollivander. "Well, now that you appear to have the situation under control I think I'll get back to my meeting at the Ministry." He waved to the four teenagers and walked out into Diagon Alley whilst Ollivander was still spluttering indignantly.

"Not big with the explanations is he?" Connor stepped behind Dawn and pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her like a giant comfort blanket.

Harry grinned. "Its one of his more endearing qualities." He peered over his glasses and lowered his voice to a mystical whisper. "All things in the fullness of time, Harry. We must not try to understand today what will be revealed tomorrow."

Dawn smiled wryly. "And I think I just pin-pointed why you guys have had so many problems with Mouldy Wart. You really need to get a jump on these whole mystical dark power things, otherwise before you know it, its twenty years later and some girl you've never met is getting up close and personal with a bunch of wood."

Ron snorted. "Plus, Dumbledore's a bit mad." He shrugged as Dawn and Connor stared at him. "What? You must have noticed he's round the twist? We are talking about a man who sent three eleven year old kids to defeat a dark lord of magic, after all."

Dawn's mouth dropped open. "He sent you to fight Volleyball?"

Harry shrugged. "Well, not actually gave us a big sword and kicked us out the door, but pretty much, yeah."

Ron gave them a big grin. "S'alright, it builds character." He glanced out the shop window. "We'd better get a move on, its getting late and I'm getting hungry."

"Big surprise." Harry grinned as Ron glared at his muttered comment and then nodded at Mr Ollivander. "I think we're ready to fit Connor with his wand now."

The small, wiry man glared at the four. "Are you quite sure? You wouldn't like a few moments to plan another small piece of unadulterated mayhem before you leave?"

Connor shook his head. "No, we're good, thanks." He gave Dawn another light squeeze. "Maybe you should wait outside, sweetie."

Dawn was already on the move as Ollivander began to walk towards Connor with a fierce scowl and a tape measure. "Already gone." She snagged Ron's arm. "We'll meet you guys in that ice-cream parlour up the street."

Connor grinned after her as she towed a thankful Ron towards sustenance and then jerked back in surprise as the tape measure the dusty old man was holding began measuring him up with no apparent help from its owner. Harry smothered a laugh at the slightly panicked expression on the other boy's face and stepped forward. "Relax, its just magic."

Connor's eyebrow's shot up as the tape measured his inside leg. "Oh that makes me feel better."

******************************

Ron groaned with pleasure, as he tasted the first heavenly spoonful of chocolate and raspberry sundae. "Oh Merlin, thank you. If you weren't already taken I'd have to marry you."

Dawn grinned at him over her own mountainous sundae. "You do know that I just sprung for the ice cream, I didn't actually make it?"

Ron rapturously licked his spoon. "I don't care. One more second of shopping and I'd have handed myself over to Voldemort himself for the chance of a coke and a bag of crisps."

Dawn looked round at a crash from behind her, and saw a young serving witch staring in horror at Ron. She looked from the mound of broken cutlery on the floor back to the pale witch. "What's her deal?"

Ron glanced up and winced. "Damn it, I keep forgetting." He raised his voice, "Sorry about that!" His pulled an apologetic face that was somewhat marred by another heaped spoonful of ice cream being shovelled in. Dawn waited while he swallowed and then leaned in as he said in a lowered voice, "Most of the wizarding world are afraid to speak Voldemort's name out loud. If they have to talk about him then they call him he-who-must-not-be-named."

Dawn took another bite of ice cream. "Yeah? But not you and Harry?"

Ron shrugged and flushed as a group of giggling young witches went past and pointed delightedly at him. "There's only so many times you can defeat a dark, evil wizard and become afraid to say his name out loud." He hunched his shoulders up round his ears and winced as a particularly forward young witch gave a piercing wolf whistle. "Oh Merlin."

Dawn spluttered with laughter. "What's the matter with you?"

Ron cast a hunted look over his shoulder. "Ever since all the fuss about us going after Hermione a few months ago we haven't had a moments peace." He shoved another bite of ice cream in his mouth; "It was funny at first, now it's just..." He scowled darkly and licked his spoon. "Let's just say I used to be a bit jealous of all the attention Harry used to get and now I'm not finding it as wicked as I thought I would."

Dawn nodded sagely. "I here ya." She flicked her hair back over her shoulders. "So, you had a pretty rough time getting your friend back?"

Ron nodded, his red hair blazing under the late summer afternoon sun. "You could say that. Bunking off school, vampires, werewolves, a smattering of giants and then fighting off Death Eaters and whatisname." He frowned as he remembered. "Hermione nearly died and her parents were in a really bad way by the time we got them out." His eyes glazed as he remembered the final panicked moments of the battle and the decision to illegally Apparate them all out of Albania. "It was the toughest thing we've ever done and it wasn't made any easier that we also had Aurors from the Ministry after us, trying to bring us in. At the end we had to do something that could have killed us all anyway, just to get away from Vold...well. You know."

Dawn smiled. "Sounds like a blast. So." She wiggled her eyebrows wickedly. "This Hermione sounds pretty special."

Ron's face lit up at the mention of his friend. "She is. Far too concerned with homework and lessons, but she's absolutely brilliant." He choked at Dawn's smirk. "Not that way. We're best friends. It's not like you and Connor."

Dawn patted his arm. "No one is like me and Connor." Her expression flickered slightly. "To tell you the truth I'm a bit worried about that." She cast a quick look over her shoulder to make sure there was no sign of the other two and then lowered her voice. "This is the first time that we're actually going to be together without the imminent threat of demons and other nasties coming at us every five seconds, I'm not sure how we're going to deal with that."

Ron finished his ice cream. "How d'you mean?" He looked at Dawn's half eaten ice. "Are you going to finish that?" Dawn pushed it across the table to him with a grin and he continued around a mouthful of slightly melted ice cream. "I thought you and Connor were pretty solid."

Dawn rested her arms on the table and propped her chin on her hands. "We are. Its just we've never just spent time together with just us. We've always been about the fighting of the big nasty." She began to twist a lock of deep brown hair around her fingers. "Even when we were sneaking out to meet each other we were meeting up to grab a bite to eat, take in a movie and then go behead some unspeakable fiends. Hell, the first time we met we ended up fighting for our lives all night and rescuing a bunch of civilians." She fixed her newly green eyes on Ron. "I'm just worried that we can't stand up to having a normal day to day relationship. Just going to classes and hanging out." Her eyes shadowed with an old fear. "What if he stops noticing me or just forgets about me? I'll be on my own again."

Ron swallowed the last sticky mix of ice cream and strawberry sauce and eyed Dawn carefully. Up until now, he'd assumed that Dawn was the one in control of the relationship with Connor. He seemed to follow where she led without question and be content just to be in her company, but now a whole new perspective had been opened up before him. He had the feeling that Dawn had followed Connor's lead on the exterminating of evil every minute of every day, simply because she was too scared to stand still for a moment and see if they could just be normal kids enjoying being with each other.

Ron wiped his mouth with a paper napkin and grinned at Dawn. "You're pretty hard to forget, Summers."

Dawn gave a small smile. "Thanks." She sighed. "I love him. I love that he's so solid and loyal. And funny. Did you know he was funny?"

Ron laughed. "Oh yeah, I found him hilarious when he pulled a crossbow on Hagrid in one of the best guarded banks in the world."

Dawn grinned. "Made me laugh." Her face sobered. "He's just so uncomplicated and I'm worried that when he sees what else may be out there, all the stuff he's missed out on, that he might just...move on."

Ron stretched his arms out to the side with a sigh and tipped his head to the side as he said, "I don't think you have to worry." His arms came round to link at the back of his neck. "He's nuts about you, anyone can see that. And its not just because you're a bit of a knockout." Dawn flushed a light pink. "He loves all of you. When we were back in Ollivanders he dragged Harry and me across the shop floor without even noticing we were there just to get to you. That's not a bloke that's going to forget about you the minute he claps eyes on another bit of skirt."

It was Ron's turn to look worried another thought occurred to him. "That's a bloke that'll start chopping people's arms and legs off if they look at you the wrong way." He straightened. "Has it occurred to you that maybe he's just as worried about sharing you with other people? He might not like it at all." An image came to mind of Connor not liking sharing Dawn with other people and he was being not happy complete with a big axe and a very determined look in his eye. "Crumbs."

Dawn looked startled. "No. Why would he worry about that? He knows how I feel about him."

Ron winced, as his mental picture of Connor started swinging his axe with abandon. "All the same, wouldn't do any harm to mention it." Imaginary Connor produced a large sword and began swinging happily. "Fairly soon, ok?"

*****************************************

Harry and Connor wandered out of Ollivander's shop and paused on the pavement, ignoring the thinning crowd of shoppers around them. Connor fisted his hands on his hips and scowled thoughtfully at the floor. "Huh."

Harry swallowed nervously. "Are you ok?"

"How many wands do you think that old guy has in there?" Connor ignored Harry's question and turned to glare back through the shop window. "Hundreds? Thousands?"

Privately Harry thought it was more likely to be tens of thousands, but something told him that pointing that out might not be the most prudent thing at the moment. "Probably."

Connor's scowl deepened. "And I couldn't make one of them work?" He took a step back towards the shop doorway. "There's been a mistake. I want to try again."

Harry hastily grabbed his arm. "I don't think that's a good idea." Although they both stood at about the same height of five eleven, Harry was very aware that the boy who's arm was tense with frustration in his grip could quite easily throw him clear across the street if he wanted. He chose his words carefully. "Look, its not uncommon. Even in wizarding families, they sometimes have someone born that's not magical." He smiled reassuringly. "Just because you can't make a wand work doesn't mean you're defective or anything."

Connor's eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "I know that! But if I can't use magic then I can't go to that stupid damn school with Dawn and there's no way she's going without me."

"Oh." Harry let go of Connor's arm. "So you don't care that you're not a wizard? You're just bothered about leaving Dawn?"

Connor rattled the now firmly locked shop door and pounded his fist against the wooden door frame. "Well, yeah." He drew back his foot and kicked smartly on the base of the door. "What else would I care about? OPEN UP, OR I'LL KICK IT DOWN!"

Harry grabbed Connor's arm and yanked him back. "Stop that! People are looking." He pulled Connor up the street. "We'll come back tomorrow. We still have a day to kill before school." He hustled Connor up the street smiling weakly at the glaring faces around them. "For Merlin's sake, just leave it!"

Connor scowled and allowed himself to be pulled along. "Fine. But first thing tomorrow we come back here and get that old guy to give me a wand that works. Or else."

**********************************

Ron pushed back from the table in the Leaky Cauldron with a sigh. "That was great." The remains of a five-course meal lay on the wooden table before them; Dawn was privately convinced that Ron had eaten at least half of it himself. She groaned slightly as she sat back and rubbed her belly. Everything had been delicious but she was fairly sure that it wasn't normal to be able to put away soup, cheesy potato skins, steak and jacket potatoes, strawberry cheesecake and cheese and biscuits and still be able to move. At least, not without splitting at the seams anyway.

Harry caught her eye and grinned. "We'll soon have you fattened up."

Dawn looked horrified. "You will not!" She scowled. "And who says I need fattening up?"

Connor slipped an arm round her waist and hoisted her onto his lap as he snagged the last piece of cheese from under Ron's hand. "Not me. You feel just about right." He rubbed his face against her shiny brown hair. "And you smell fantastic. What's that you're wearing?"

Dawn snuggled against his chest and smiled at Ron as he raised his eyebrows pointedly at her. "Just some shampoo that Willow gave me. She makes it herself, I don't really know what's in it."

Connor looped an arm around her shoulders and tucked her firmly under his arm before stretching his legs out under the table with a happy sigh. "Well, you want to tell her whatever it is, it works."

Harry grinned and glanced around the pub. Filled with mostly wizards and witches up from the country for a day, they were attracting attention but nothing overly uncomfortable. Tom the landlord had become used to having the famous Harry Potter and the newly famous Ron Weasley as his guests over the summer and had taken it upon himself to warn off any over enthusiastic admirers that bothered the two boys. Harry sighed happily and slowly allowed himself to relax and enjoy the company of his best friend and the two strange new ones he had picked up. He had found a moment to have a word with Professor Dumbledore and pass on the information that Connor was as muggle as they came and therefore magical instruction classes may be more of a challenge than they thought.

Dumbledore had listened gravely and then reassured Harry that it made no difference to the plans for Connor and Dawn's safety. He had also taken Connor aside before dinner to explain that his magical inability had been anticipated by both himself and Giles and arrangements had been made to allow him to remain at Dawn's side wherever possible. And then he had asked politely that Connor refrained from re-visiting Mr Ollivander's shop in the morning and kicking in the door as threatened.

Ron sipped at a frothy pint of butterbeer and allowed his eyes to drift half closed as he listened to the casual conversation from the other three. Unwittingly his thoughts began to drift to Hermione, as they did so often these days, and he smiled as a picture of his friend formed in his mind. Of medium height, with her slight over bite and mass of wavy brown hair, she stood before his eyes smiling happily at him wearing understated robes in a soft rose pink that picked up the equally delicate flush on her cheeks. He allowed his gaze to drift down her body, grinning in appreciation as he lingered over her breasts that pushed against the soft material and the turn of her shapely ankles as they peeked put from under her robes.

He shifted slightly in his seat as his jeans began to tighten and allowed his eyes to skim back up her body to her face...which for some reason was flushed and now sporting an angry glare rather than the winsome smile that had previously adorned it. Ron frowned...that wasn't how it was supposed to go at all.

He'd had this fantasy many times since the now infamous rescue of Hermione and her parents and she was meant to start peeling the robes seductively off her shoulders and stand coyly before him in silk ivory lingerie, trembling like a nervous fawn. He felt a sudden niggle of worry...and weren't the usual fantasy robes a good deal shorter and made of a gauzy blue material?

"SHIT!" Ron sat bolt upright and sent his butterbeer flying as he realised he had been checking out a very real flesh and blood Hermione. Harry spun round as Dawn and Connor jumped up and Dawn flung herself across the table to tackle Hermione to the floor and press a wooden stake against her chest.

"NO!" Ron flung himself across the table at Dawn and landed on his knees beside the winded Hermione. "Will you stop bloody doing that?!" He tugged her arm away and leant protectively over the gasping girl on the floor. "This is Hermione! Get off!" He shoved at Dawn's shoulder, sending her sprawling on the floor with an angry squawk, and looked down into a now almost purple face. "Hermione! Are you alright? Hermione?"

Hermione gasped for air as Ron pulled her off the floor and smothered her face against his chest as he patted her back frantically. She batted at his shoulder indignantly and finally managed to get some air into her poor abused lungs. "Ronald Weasley, what the HELL is going on?" She managed to turn her head to glare at Dawn as Connor pulled her up from the floor. "And who the bloody hell is that?"

********************************

Hermione turned as a soft knock sounded at her door. "Come in." She gave a cool smile as Dawn Summers poked a sheepish head into the room. "Oh. Hello."

Dawn winced and edged into the room, shutting the door behind her. "Um, hi." She twisted her hands nervously before her. "Look, I'm really sorry about earlier. I guess I'm still a little jumpy about everything."

Hermione sniffed. "I see." She turned back to her open trunk and began to sort through the things she would need to get ready for bed. "Do you normally try to stab people with bits of wood when you first meet them?"

Dawn gave a slightly uneasy laugh. "Actually, yeah. It saves time later." She shrugged uncomfortably as Hermione turned with raised eyebrows. "I come from a kind of rough area." She flushed under the cold look Hermione gave her. "Anyway, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I'll leave you to get ready for bed. Sorry."

Hermione watched as the girl began to turn towards the door and then her natural good nature came to the fore. "Wait." Dawn paused and looked back over her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude." Her shoulders slumped. "Well...actually I do. I'm sorry, its not you I'm angry with. Could we perhaps start again?"

Dawn gave a wide grin. "Sure." She walked forward and extended her hand. "Dawn Summers, pleased to meetcha." She shook Hermione's hand firmly. "And not a bit of wood in sight, see?" She held up her hands on either side of her head and smirked. "Who says I can't learn from my mistakes?"

Hermione's expression thawed slightly. "Hermione Granger. Its nice to meet you too." She waved a hand towards the bed. "Would you like to sit down?" She stood awkwardly in the middle of the room as Dawn sat on the edge of the bed and glanced around her. "I'm afraid I don't have any drinks to offer you."

Dawn waved an expansive hand. "Don't sweat it. I drank enough of that butterbeer stuff to float a ship. I drink anymore and there's a good chance I'll wake up swimming."

Hermione giggled and perched on the bed beside Dawn. An awkward silence fell as they both stared at the floor waiting for the other to speak. The silence stretched out and then they both opened their mouths at the same time...

"You really stab people as soon as you meet them?"

"So who are you angry with?"

Their eyes met and then they both laughed, Dawn leaned back on her elbows and said wryly, "Well, I'd say this bonding session is going really well." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not that great with the 'getting to know you' thing."

Hermione pulled herself further up on the bed and crossed her legs. "Me either. It took me nearly a whole term to make the two friends that I have." She sighed wearily. "People don't tend to understand me that well."

Dawn gave her a warm smile. "Me either. Back home all I have are two friends that are as socially untouchable as me and my family." She swallowed a sudden lump in her throat at the thought of Buffy and the others and continued brightly. "And they're even weirder than I am."

Hermione frowned. "And your boyfriend. The one downstairs. Connell."

Dawn laughed. "Connor. And I don't really know him that well." Her eyes clouded slightly. "Up till now we tend to kill things together and make out when we're done. I'm beginning to have a bit of a jelly-belly about it."

Hermione leaned back slightly and said uncertainly, "Oh." She glanced around the room looking for inspiration and finally settled for a cheery, "That sounds nice!"

Dawn choked back a laugh. "Don't worry, I'm nowhere near as homicidal as I sound. We're demon hunters." Hermione failed to look reassured and Dawn sighed. "Ok, this may take a while."

*****************************

Ron, Harry and Connor sat in the bar of the Leaky Cauldron, hunched over fresh pints of muggle lager and scowled into their tankards. Every so often one of them would glance towards the ceiling with a worried look and then look despondently back into their drinks. Tom, once he'd got over the shock of someone nearly being staked on his pub floor, had restored calm admirably fast and had taken the unusual step of serving muggle alcohol in a doomed effort to cheer the boys up. After the first couple of pints he'd realised he was on a hiding to nothing and now just kept the drinks flowing thick and fast to the three morose boys in the corner.

Harry glanced up at Ron. "How do you think its going?"

Ron looked up at his best friend and shrugged, still wallowing in mortified horror that he couldn't tell 'real' Hermione from 'ready, willing and able' Hermione. "Dunno. You know what she's like when she's got a bee in her bonnet." He narrowed his eyes at Connor. "You two really need to stop attacking everyone we know."

Connor raised his eyes unhappily. "How were we to know she wasn't a threat? You looked terrified."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, he's right, mate. What was that about?"

Ron flushed. "Nothing. She just surprised me that's all." He directed a dark look at both unconvinced faces. "Just bloody drop it alright?"

Harry and Connor exchanged looks and then went back to staring into their pints. Harry sighed. "They're bound to hate each other now. Hermione hates anyone getting the best of her."

Connor nodded. "Dawn hates admitting that she's wrong." He chugged back his drink and then waved to Tom. "Let's have another drink and then go up and calm things down. Maybe they'll have got it out of their system by the time we get up there." He nodded his thanks as Tom whisked his empty mug away and replaced it with a fresh drink. "Don't worry though, Dawn wouldn't hurt a human too badly."

Harry hunched his shoulders up around his ears and thought of all the curses Hermione had learned over the years. He had a nasty feeling that Dawn wasn't the only one they had to worry about. He snatched at his own drink and sucked desperately at the bitter drink inside. Bloody hell, he had a really bad feeling about this.

*****************************

Dawn screwed up her nose and squealed with helpless laughter. "Ewww! Slugs? Real ones?"

Hermione nodded and broke into fresh giggles. "Yep. It was disgusting. Poor Ron, he was only trying to stick up for me." She shoved her hair back from her face and wrinkled her own nose as she remembered; "He was throwing them up for hours."

Dawn hooted with laughter. "Oh, that's gross." She propped herself up on her elbows. "So, are we cool now?" Her head tipped to one side and she grinned at Hermione's flushed face. "No burning desire to hex my ass into the middle of next week?"

Hermione shook her head. "Strangely enough, no." She plumped a pillow behind her head, shrugging before she laid back. "Must be something to do with the all powerful being thing."

Dawn nodded and let her head full back onto the bed, propping her feet comfortably against the wall. "I get that a lot. Not!" Her head turned to face Hermione, lying at the top of the bed. "So, now we're all kinds of good, can I ask you a personal question?"

Hermione looked at her warily. "What is it?"

Dawn smiled reassuringly. "Well, actually it's two, but one of them will keep. You said you weren't angry with me about the whole accidental staking thing. Who were you angry with?"

Hermione sighed. "I don't think you'd understand."

Dawn rolled over onto her side. "Try me."

Hermione glared up at the ceiling and then sat up abruptly. "Me. I was angry with me. And Ron." She made a fist and thumped it down on the bed. "And bloody, sodding Voldemort." He eyes closed and she said with a desperate weariness, "I am so tired of Ron and Harry saving me all the time."

Dawn raised her eyebrows. "I kinda got the feeling that if they hadn't come after you, you and your folks would be dead now."

Hermione nodded and opened her eyes. "I sound so ungrateful don't I? They risked everything coming after me the way they did, but...oh, sometimes I wish they hadn't."

Dawn grinned. "Ungrateful, no. Slightly insane, yes." She scooched round until she could sit up and cross her legs to face Hermione. "You do get that you'd be dead, right? As in not of the living?"

Hermione allowed the ghost of a smile to flit across her face. "I know." She sighed. "But they just seem to think I need them to fight all my battles. Its like I'm only good for finding the right spell or piece of information and then I should leave all the rough stuff to them." Her face screwed into a petulant scowl. "It's getting really irritating."

Dawn laid a hand on Hermione's arm. "First, I totally get where you're coming from. I wasn't always encouraged to be the way I am now. I had to fight for it and make people see the real me. Second, everyone needs rescuing once in a while; remind me to tell you about my sister getting her superhero ass captured sometime. Thirdly, I had you down cold. There was nothing you could have done to protect yourself."

Hermione snorted. "That's all you know. I had my wand in my pocket and you were about to find out what it feels like to be a rat."

Dawn's mouth fell open and then she tipped her head back and let rip with a belly laugh. "Really?" She laughed again at Hermione's nod. "Go you! Girlpower!"

Hermione looked pleased and then her face fell again. "They're never going to see me as anything but the brainy sidekick." She propped her chin up on one hand and said gloomily, "I bet they don't look at you that way."

Dawn snorted. "Hell, no. They think I'm insano weapons chick, remember?" She grinned at Hermione mischievously. "I'll make you a deal. I'm gonna need some serious help getting up to speed with the whole 'good witch of the north' thing, you give me some pointers and I'll let you train with me." She studied Hermione. "You look like you're pretty fit and from what you just said, you've got pretty good reflexes. I'll teach you to handle yourself physically and you teach me how to be a bad ass witch." She stuck out her hand. "What do you think? Partners?"

Hermione looked at the outstretched hand and then up at the young American. "Really? Are you sure?"

Dawn nodded firmly. "Absolutely. Besides, us social rejects gotta stick together, right?"

Hermione laughed. "Absolutely. Ok, partners." She shook Dawn's hand. "This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Dawn gripped the other girl's hand and said with feeling, "God, I hope so. I don't think I can get through the next few months with just three boys to talk to." She released Hermione's hand and waggled her eyebrows. "No matter how cute they are. Which brings me to my other question." She slanted a curious look at Hermione. "What's the deal with you and Ron? You guys are hot for each other, right?"

*******************************

Connor's head poked slightly unsteadily around the top of the stairs. "I can't hear any screaming."

Ron moaned. "Bloody hell, they've only gone and killed each other." His head sunk back against the wall as the stairwell swum due to the influence of several more lagers than was prudent.

Connor sniffed the air, weaving slightly on his perch at the top of the stairs. "Nope. Can't smell any blood."

Harry wobbled uncertainly and grabbed Ron's robes to steady himself before he toppled back down the steps and proved to the wizarding world not only was he the boy-who-lived he was also the boy-who-was-an-incredibly-cheap-drunk. "Don't even joke about that!" He stifled a belch and tried to focus through his smudged glasses. "Maybe they've hexed each other unconscious."

Ron shook his head. "Nah, Dawn doesn't know any spells yet."

Connor edged forward slowly. "Dawn was looking through some of those books you picked up before dinner. I think she's a pretty quick study."

Ron followed Connor slowly and heaved an unsteady Harry up behind him. "Oh brilliant. That's all we need."

They weaved carefully down the dimly lit corridor, bouncing off the walls and shushing each other loudly. Finally they stopped outside Hermione's room and Connor pressed his ear against the wood. "I don't hear anything."

Ron nodded in resignation. "They've killed each other." He looked faintly outraged. "And after all the trouble we went too to bloody save that girl as well." He glared at Harry. "That's gratitude for you!"

Harry put his ear against the door and listened hard, grateful for the chance to lean his body up against something and try and stop the world spinning. "They might be asleep." Connor put his ear back against the door and Ron tried to lean over the other two to see if he could hear anything through the ancient wood.

Which was of course the moment that Dawn chose to wrench back the door and allow them all to tumble to the floor in a tangle of drunken limbs in the very best tradition of the Three Stooges.

Hermione gasped in surprise as Dawn said triumphantly, "I told you I heard something." She poked Connor with her foot. "What do you think you're doing?"

Connor raised his head and beamed happily at her. "You're not dead!" He poked Harry in the ribs. "I told you I couldn't smell any blood."

Hermione walked over to stand by the slightly nonplussed Dawn and eyed Ron and Harry as they staggered to their feet. She leaned forward and sniffed their breath and then gave an angry exclamation. "Are you drunk?"

Ron pulled himself up to his full height and looked haughtily down his nose, the effect only slightly marred when he lost his balance and staggered against the wall. "Absolutely not." He gave Hermione a conspirital wink. "But I think the other two might be."

Harry groaned as cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "I think I'm going to be sick." And he was.