After the three young wizards parted ways with their professors they returned to the Gryffindor common room. Though it was late, none of them were tired at all, the night’s revelations too fresh in their minds to contemplate sleep.
Ron and Hermione sat on a couch and Harry took an armchair across from them. “So Spike’s a vampire.” Ron said, trying to break the silence. Harry nodded, but Hermione was silent, and it almost seemed as if she hadn’t even heard him.
“And Miss Buffy is the Slayer.” Harry replied.
“How weird is that?” Ron and Harry laughed, and it felt so good to them. The whole night had been so intense. Hermione, however, remained in silent contemplation. “Do you reckon they’ll join the Order of the Phoenix?”
“They might.” Harry replied. “Though you don’t really have to be in the Order to be against Voldemort.”
“But the Order makes up a lot of the people who actually believe that He’s come back.” Harry nodded at Ron’s bit of logic. “I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, our Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors were never quite normal, were they.”
“That they weren’t.” Harry said, remembering the past professors, especially Imposter Moody and Quirrel.
“I’ve never heard of anyone being transported through a portal like that.” Hermione finally spoke. “Sure we use portkeys, which are very strictly controlled portals, but never loose, unpredictable and surely volatile portals. In fact, I’m sure I’ve never heard of it. Especially not for them to come out alive on the other side.”
“And what does that matter?” Ron asked, eyebrows to his hairline. “There’s a lot that they said tonight that I’ve never heard of happening before. It’s like a whole other sort of magic.”
“But what if it wasn’t an accident that they came here?”
“Then we should be thankful that this non-accident occurred. I think they can really help us, Hermione.” Harry didn’t understand why Hermione looked so concerned. “You’re over analyzing this. It’s good that Spike and Buffy are here. They’ll be able to help us.” Hermione nodded.
“Maybe I am thinking it over too much.” She conceded, though she didn’t believe the words that she spoke. Hermione just felt that there was something else going on. Something that she hadn’t thought of yet. She was shaken out of her thoughts once more by Ron’s laughter. “what’s so funny?” She demanded.
“If Snape ever finds out that Spike is a vampire, he is going to go berserk.” He said through snorts of laughter. Hermione and Harry laughed along with him.
“It would be rather priceless to see his face.” Hermione let her more serious thoughts dissolve away in the laughter.
The weeks passed quickly as Harry, Ron, and Hermione met with Buffy and Spike three times a week on top of their normal classes. Sometimes Spike and Buffy would take them out on the grounds, and other times they would stay in the DADA classroom. At the end of some lessons, Spike and Buffy would regale the trio with tales of triumph in the face of enemies.
During that course of time, Buffy was tentatively trying to prove to Spike that she really wanted him. That she was serious and wasn’t going to turn tail and run. It was hard for her to do, to not be afraid, but she knew that it was something worth doing.
Spike was also finding it difficult. He wanted to believe Buffy, believe that she wanted him. But he didn’t want to run into her arms, shag her senseless, and then have her change her mind and regret what happened. He wouldn’t be able to let her go after that, and it would kill him when he had to.
As it got closer to Christmas Buffy longer more and more to be able to return home for a visit. She finally broached the subject with Spike. “I want to go home for Christmas.” She said one night while they walked through the snow. Spike’s heart dropped in his chest. He had half deluded himself into thinking that she might want to spend the holidays with him. Of course she wanted to go home.
“The Bit will be happy to see you. She always says how much she misses you in her letters. I hope you have a good time.” Spike forced out. Buffy stopped in her tracks.
“You’re so dumb.” This stopped Spike too.
“What? Why?” Buffy giggled. “Why’re you laughin at me for?”
“Sorry, but that ‘why, what’ routine didn’t help your application to join Mensa.” Spike rolled his eyes.
“Oh, very funny Slayer. Get on with it, yeah?”
“I want you to come home for Christmas too, duh.” Buffy answered. “Did you honestly think that I would leave you here, alone, for Christmas?” Spike didn’t answer right away.
“Part of me did.” He said honestly. Buffy was angry that he still thought that she would just put him out with the trash.
“For Christ’s sake Spike!” She threw her hands into the air in exasperation. “How long is it going to take to get through that thick, chipped skull of yours? I like you. I want you. I’ll do anything to prove it to you. Now will you come home for Christmas?”
“Alright.”
On their last meeting before the holidays Buffy and Spike went very easy on the three teenagers. Buffy had convinced Spike that they would benefit way more from a little party complete with tasty treats borrowed from the kitchens than from anything else. Spike didn’t need very much convincing.
So the evening found the five some sitting on magically conjured sparring mats in the middle of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. “So what are you three doing for the holiday?” Buffy asked them.
“Harry and Hermione are staying with me and my family.” Ron answered. “It’ll be loads of fun.”
“Yeah.” Harry agreed. “Way better than staying here without my best mate. Besides, there’s nothing like a meal cooked by your mum.” The two boys slipped into a momentary reminisce of previous Mrs. Weasley feasts. Hermione could tell it was food they thought of by the bit of drool in the corner of Ron’s mouth. She shook her head, smiling a little.
“What are you doing for holiday, Miss Buffy?” Hermione asked.
“Spike and I are going back to Sunnydale for the vacation. Spend some time with the family and all that.” Buffy replied. Spike scoffed.
“Yeah, right. Spend time with family.” Hermione looked at Spike with interest.
“Do you have a family?”
“Of sorts.” He replied. “They aren’t in Sunnydale though. An’ I don’t rightly fancy seeing them none either.”
“Are they like you?” Hermione inquired further. “I mean, are they good?” Ever since they had first found out that Spike was a vampire, Hermione had become a little obsessed. She thought and researched day and night for happenings of vampires being good. She hadn’t found any. It was like they were a well kept secret.
“No they aren’t like me.” Was Spike’s short reply. He didn’t much feel like explaining the intricacies of his vampire relatives at the moment. Or ever, really.
“Angel is sort of like him.” Buffy supplied. But she knew the second that the words were out of her mouth that she had made a mistake in saying them.
“Angel is nothing like me.” Spike growled. The sound of his voice was deadly, making the hairs on the backs of the three teens’ necks raise. “That bloody poofter is only good because he got a soul shoved down his throat. And on top of that, it took a while for that soul to really kick in.” Spike was revealing things that he knew Buffy wasn’t aware of, but he didn’t care. She deserved to know.
“For years after he got cursed with that soul of his, he followed Darla around like a kicked puppy wanting to make its master love it again. He killed for her, on demand. He would do anything for her. It was only when she tired of him and sent him away that he started to eat from the sewer.”
“Eat from the sewer?” Ron couldn’t keep himself from voicing the question.
“Rats.” Spike said simply and effectively grossing out Harry and Ron too much for them to
continue thinking of food.
“But he has a soul? And he’s good now?” Hermione asked. She looked between Spike and Buffy. Buffy had her eyes averted and was looking at her hands folded in her lap. Spike was seething, but obviously trying to get his emotions under control. Hermione wished beyond all else that she knew the history behind these half glances between them and the high running emotions.
“He does good now.” Spike replied, his voice controlled. “He lives in LA routinely saving the day. Or night. Then walking off into the distance, long coat billowing. Using too much hair gel.” Hermione couldn’t help but smile at how Spike sounded very much like a jealous little boy. “But he is nothing like me. He loses that soul of his and he’s back with the head bashing and blood sucking fun that is Angelus.”
With that Spike walked out of the room. Buffy watched him leave. “I’m sorry if I said something wrong.” Hermione said quietly.
“It’s not you, really.” Buffy assured her. “Spike has a very complicated relationship with the vampires that he’s related to.” But she wished that Spike would see now that he had a good family. He had her and Dawn now. Buffy looked at her watch. “It’s getting late, you better get to bed or Filch’ll be on about hanging you up by your eyelids or something.”
Buffy hugged Hermione, Ron, and Harry before seeing them off. “You behave yourselves and practice everything that we’ve taught you over your vacation. There will be a test when you get back.”
“Really?” Ron asked, his mouth agape.
“Not really.” Buffy smiled. “But that doesn’t mean that I’m not serious about you practicing the moves.”
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Author's Chapter Notes:
i thought i should update for i have been a bad bunny with updating...and i cant sleep. thanks to my reviewers!!! you guys rock...and if you're reading, i'd love a review, just tell me what you think :)