The next morning the castle was a flurry of commotion. And so were the grounds. Snow poured from the heavens as if by magic, and Buffy wasn’t certain whether or not magic actually had anything to do with it. All she knew was that it looked absolutely beautiful.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron were standing in the middle of the empty Gryffindor common room along with Fred, George, and Ginny. They were getting a special escort back to the Burrow on account of Harry and were waiting for Professor McGonagall to arrive.
Spike entered Buffy’s room, his bag packed and ready to go. They were meeting Dumbledore in his office and catching a portkey back to Sunnydale. Spike wasn’t very excited about going back to California, if he was completely honest with himself. He would be going back to a place where people hated him, where he hated Buffy half the time and loved her the other half, and where Buffy wanted him dead- all of the time.
Buffy didn’t turn around when Spike entered her room, just reveled in the feeling of him behind her. Watching her. Trying to read her thoughts as if the back of her head were see through. She felt him slowly come closer to her, to stand directly behind her at the window. With such thick and heavy snow there was no sunlight to harm him. When Spike was close enough to her, Buffy let herself gently lean against him.
They stood together like that for long stretching moments that neither of them counted. Spike feeling Buffy’s warm body heating his own, and smelling her hair, and wishing against all odds that these moments would never end. Buffy looked through the window at the snow covered grounds only half absorbing what was happening in front of her. She could only feel Spike’s hard body. Spike’s hands as they tentatively came to rest on her waist.
It was a beautiful scene, the two blondes standing there in the silence of a snowy morning. But it was a scene that was not to last.
“Spike, what’s that?” Buffy tilted her head to one side and squinted out the window, trying to see. At first she hadn’t been sure that she was seeing anything, she was so lost in sensations that there were spots in front of her eyes. But the spots were growing larger.
“What’s wot?” He asked. Spike was just as fuzzy in the mind as Buffy was at the moment. Feeling her so close to him was driving him mad. He wanted her so badly in every way and wanted her to want him just as much.
“There. Do you see? Is that…are those people?” Spike’s head snapped up and he looked out of the window. All he saw was snow, snow falling, and the Forbidden Forest. And yes, he did see them.
“Yeah, pet, those are people. And I don’t think that they are the kind that we should invite in for a cuppa.”
“What makes you think that?”
Spike didn’t answer, just made a dash for the door with Buffy at his heels.
“I wonder what’s taking McGonagall so long?” Ron asked. He had sunk into an armchair. “She said that she would be back in a minute. And it’s been more than just a minute.”
“Missing your dancing partner, Ron?” Fred asked.
“Will you ever let me forget that?”
“Never.” The twins said together, identical evil grins on their faces.
Hermione looked at her watch. “She has been gone for a long time.”
“Maybe something’s happened.” Ginny said.
“Like what?” asked George. “This is Hogwarts, there really isn’t much in the way of bad happenings here. Unless we’re behind it.”
“And we haven’t shoved anyone into that vanishing cabinet since that Slytherin git.” Fred and George laughed. Harry agreed with Ginny though. He didn’t know how to explain it. But there was something that didn’t feel quite right. He absently rubbed his forehead.
Spike and Buffy were running at full speed towards the Great Hall when they ran into Professor McGonagall. Spike narrowly avoided colliding with her as he skidded to an abrupt halt. McGonagall scowled. “Where are you off to in such a hurry, Spike?” She said his name like it was a bad taste in her mouth. And it was, for she hated being so informal with someone.
“Sorry, Minerva, but there’s a whole pack of people coming onto the grounds from the Forbidden Forrest.” He explained.
“The Forbidden Forrest? That’s impossible. There’s no way into the grounds through there, it’s protected as is the rest of the Hogwarts Grounds.”
“Then you have a serious security problem, cause they’re coming.” Buffy replied. She took the older woman’s forearm and led her to the large wooden doors and threw them open. She pointed into the not so distant distance. “Look. And they’re getting a lot closer. We have to do something.” Buffy watched the woman’s face as it tightened and paled. She flicked her wand and something silver shot out of the end of it.
“We must protect the students. We have to protect Harry.” McGonagall said.
“He’s still here? I thought that all the students that were leaving were gone early on?” Spike asked.
“Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, and the Weasley boys and girl are waiting for their escort to be ready. Harry needs to travel in a special guard, lest something happens to him.”
“Wot? Somethin like this you mean?” Spike asked sarcastically. Just then, Dumbledore joined them at the front doors.
“Death Eaters.” He whispered. “Minerva, alert the other teachers. We must evacuate the children who are still in Hogwarts.” McGonagall went off at once. Dumbledore then turned to Buffy and Spike. “You must get to Gryffndor Tower and to Harry. You then can take them to my office and take the portkey back to Sunnydale. I’m afraid it is the only option at the moment.” Buffy nodded.
“No problem, we’ll fit them all somewhere. And really, who’ll look for them in California?” As Buffy ended her sentence something whizzed over her head. She looked at the approaching figures. All cloaked in black with masks on their faces. Someone had shot a spell at her. Spike growled at the on comers.
“We’ve gotta go Spike. We have to hurry.” Buffy took his hand and tugged him away from the doors as another spell hit the frame. Dumbledore whispered the required passwords to Spike as they began to run.
Running to Gryffindor Tower, Spike and Buffy passed many other Professors and some students running in all different directions. Some were headed to the front to help Dumbledore hold off the troops, others were helping students get out safely.
They arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady in record time and Buffy shouted out the password. They crawled through the hole and came out of the other side to meet with surprised faces. “Plans have changed.” Spike hurriedly explained. “Take what you need, leave your pets, lets get out of here.” To their credit, the teenagers all rushed into action and were ready to go in seconds.
“We’re headed to Dumbledore’s office.” Buffy told them in case they were separated. “Stick close together, keep your wands out, and don’t stick your necks out.”
Back in the halls, making a mad rush to Dumbledore’s office, they met nearly no one. There was an occasional Professor still rushing around with the odd student or two, but it was far from quiet. They could hear yelling and crashes from somewhere in the distance, though it sounded like the fight wasn’t really advancing and the Death Eaters were being held at bay.
It was slower getting to Dumbledore’s office as not everyone was gifted with preternatural speed, but they all made it their safely. Spike gave the password and the stone steps began moving like an escalator that they all mounted. They ran through the door and touched a finger to a crumpled piece of paper on Dumbledore’s desk. They waited with bated breath for the familiar pull from behind their navel.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
oh my loyal readers and reviewers...i love you. i'm exhausted and kind of cranky, but posting another chappie makes me feel a little accomplished...like it? hate it? leave a review!!!!