Chapter 8 "I suppose I should collect my books"

Chapter 8 – “I suppose I should collect my books and get on back to school.”

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harry Potter are owned by Joss Whedon and J.K. Rowlings and their respective corporate masters. I own nothing except the children, which are figment of my overly fertile imagination.

There might be hope yet, Abby thought on the train ride back to Hogwarts. The Nanny seemed like a nice enough lady even though Sarah and Robbie were rather rude to her. She told Robbie, who was now sitting across from her, “Daddy is not trying to replace mummy. He’s just getting help for Eleanor and Emily.”

Robbie huffed back, “She is way too pretty to be just a nanny. You just wait and see I bet he replaces her for Mum.”

Abby shook her head, “I just think you’re being pigheaded, you and Sarah both. Daddy is much to upset about Mummy to even think that way. You should really give her a chance.”

Robbie just shrugged and returned to his studies. He told her that he had fallen behind in his studies for his O.W.L. s. This confused Abby since Robbie was always several chapters ahead of everybody else and usually finished first or second in all his subjects. Abby wished she was so lucky, as it was she was going to have to struggle to keep up. She should probably follow Robbie’s example and start studying but she was just too tired.

Her father reentered the compartment with some snacks. He passed them out to the two of them silently and returned his attention to the book he was currently reading. Abby shook her head, as her father was also eerily quiet during this whole ride. Abby decided then and there to ignore the men in her family. It was still fascinating every time she rode the train seeing the city pass into suburbs and finally to farm, then repeat the process as the train traveled through smaller cities and towns on the way from England to Scotland. She must have fallen asleep, for the next thing she remembered was her father gently waking her.

“Abigail, dear, we’re here how.”

She looked up and gave him a sleepy smile. He smiled back at her. It was the first time in two weeks she had seen him smile, since before mum left two weeks ago. Two weeks, she thought, it had only been two weeks. It felt like two years. Two weeks in which her world had turned upside down. She shook her head trying to clear it from her thoughts. At least she was able to rest without dreaming on the train ride. Her dreams of late had been haunted by images of strange girls and monsters. What did it all mean? She would have normally have asked her mum about them, since her mum used to stress the importance of dreams. But her mum was no longer around and Abby did not want to bother Daddy about it, since he looked so lost these past two weeks. All the adults in her life seemed lost that Abby didn’t know who to talk to about her dreams. So she kept them to herself. She adjusted her glasses and followed her father and brother to the horseless carriages waiting to take them back to Hogwarts.

Her dorm mates were at least more sympathetic to her now. In fact, Jeremy and Al gave her this giant stuffed kneazle, expressing their sympathy for her loss. Later, they sat down in the common room to give her the assignments that she missed for the last two weeks.

“You didn’t miss too much since both your father and your uncle were not here.” Jeremy explained. “And although the Headmaster taught Defense, no one was around to teach Potions.”

“Yes, but even then, Professor Snape was so distracted that he couldn’t concentrate on our class. Do you know why, Abby?” Al asked her.

Abby shrugged “I’m not sure, but he was rather close to my mum. Mum used to say he saved her life once but I don’t know when. I bet my sister Sarah knows, I’ll owl her later.” Her two friends nodded, both curious about Abby’s mum and her strange effect on the Headmaster. Abby was eager too, for stories were all she had left of her mum.

Stories were all Robbie had left of her, but that was not enough. He needed her alive and in the flesh, telling him her stories. He remembered his conversation with Sarah before Father brought that Woman into their house. He needed to get to the restricted section in the library. He would work on that later but for now, he needed to reassure his friends that he was okay. Maybe he could even recruit them into his cause. No, that wouldn’t work, they wouldn’t understand, they still had their mums. So he bides his time and followed Abby into the Gryffindor Common room.

Nicole was waiting for him by the Gryffindor Table the next morning. He looked at her questionably before she spoke. “I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted at your house last week.” She paused and looked down at her hands shyly, “I was wondering if you still wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend.”

Robbie stared at her, unsure of what to say. This was totally unexpected. From her reaction at the funeral, he thought they were over. Now, here standing in front of him, she still wanted to go out with him, he replied “Okay, but I’ve fallen a bit behind in my studies and could use some help tonight, if that’s alright with you?”

She nodded and started to turn away, but instead, stopped and leaned over and planted a kiss on lips. Robbie was going to let it go, but his hormones got the best of him and he put his hands around her head, pulled her towards him and kissed her right back. His mates were making cat calls and hoots around him. He could have stayed kissing Nicole all morning except for the sarcastic voice that interrupted him.

“Mr. Potter, Miss LeStran, and need I remind you that this is the dining hall, not the Astronomy tower. If you insist on continuing this outburst of passion, I will be forced to take House points.” It was the Headmaster, Professor Snape.

The couple reluctantly broke off their kiss. “Sorry Professor Snape, it won’t happen again.” Robbie said. Then to Nicole “See you at seven tonight in the library?”

Nicole nodded and stumbled back to her House table, glancing back at Robbie the whole time. Robbie, still a bit dazed from the kiss, dropped his fork on the floor. Art bent over picked it up and gave it to him, exclaiming “Rob, mate that was some kiss!” Robbie nodded and looked down the table in time to see his little sister turn her head away in embarrassment.

Ron noticed this too, “Best look to the Pip. She looks a bit put out if you ask me. To tell the truth, we had thought you had broken up with Nic, least ways that is what Natalie told us when they got back from your place after the funeral.”

Robbie shrugged. “I guess I’m still hooked on her.” He glanced down the table again toward his sister. She was still trying to ignore him. Robbie sighed, picked up a piece of toast and walked down to where she was sitting and sat down next to her. “What’s wrong, Pip?”

“Nothing, lover boy, except the girl you left at the house in tears is the same girl you are now snogging again. Oh, and the PDA’s are so disgusting.” Abby replied with a snort. Robbie laughed and Abby smiled, looking up at her brother asked “Is that the first time…?” She left unsaid the painful portion of the question.

Robbie nodded, “Yeah, I think it is. It feels rather strange.” It also left him confused. He should still be hurting from his loss, yet how without his mum being there? Yet life kept on going, tugging at him, forcing him to deal with his grief and move on. He sat back down at the end of the table next to Ron and Art. He finished his breakfast quietly, listening to their conversations, quips and gossip, wondering when he will begin to feel whole again.

Harry wondered when he would feel whole again. He felt a pang of jealousy earlier this morning when he watched Robbie and Nicole kissing at breakfast. But that wasn’t right, he should feel glad that his son could find any kind of happiness at all; perhaps it would even derail Robbie’s thoughts about resurrecting his mother. Yet all he felt was emptiness and a bitterness that was hard to set aside. Harry’s classes resumed as normal, catching up on what his students learned in his absence, pushing the Fifth years and Seventh years to ready themselves for their O.W.L’s and NEWT’s respectively. But instead of the spark that he usually got from teaching, worry crowded his thoughts. Worry over the twins and the adjustment to the nanny, worry over his two older children and their anger over their loss and last of all, worry over Abigail, she had been too quiet as of late. He had always had Buffy to quell his worries in the past, now there was no one. He sighed and finished cleaning up the classroom. He was about to start grading some essays when a knock on the door interrupted him. It was one of his Third year Ravenclaws, Laurie Stanton. “Can I help you Miss Stanton?”

She hesitated for a second and then nodded. “Yes, Professor, do you remember when we were talking about Vampire Slayers?”

Harry remembered it was right before Easter Holiday. “Yes, I remember, why?”

He looked her over; she was about medium height for her age, a little on the skinny side, just now showing the signs of development. “Do you think you have been called?” He asked her with worry.

She nodded shyly.

“Have you been having strange dreams? Has your strength suddenly gone off the charts? Has your hearing become more acute, your reflexes sharper?” He asked her.

She shook her head. “No, but I remember reading that girls were called around age fourteen or fifteen and I just turned fourteen and I seem to see a lot of strange things and…”

Harry put two fingers to her lips to quiet the girl, who was obviously upset about the situation. “Please Laura, calm down. If you have been called, these things I mentioned, the strength, the hearing, the reflexes, would show through. I need to ask you one last question, though, to determine if you still might have potential to become a slayer. It’s a rather personal question.”

“It’s alright, Professor, you can ask.” Laurie replied.

“Have you started your cycles yet?”

The girl reddened and shook her head. “My mother says that I’m just a late bloomer.”

“That’s alright Miss Stanton. I tell you what I will do. I will contact a representative of the Council of Watchers and ask them to test you for potentiality. It’s not foolproof, only after the onset of menses can we be totally sure. But it might put your mind at rest. Is that okay?”

The girl nodded. “Thanks Professor.” While running out she almost bowled over another student who was standing in the doorway.

“How long have you waiting, Miss McKinnon?” Harry asked the other girl.

“Not long sir, just long enough to hear your explanation to Laura.” Natalie McKinnon replied.

Harry waited for her to continue. She hesitated, and then plunged “I wanted to talk to you about becoming a watcher.”

“Did you miss them on Career Day? Or were you interested in something else at that time?” Harry asked.

“I was thinking of something else before, but that was before, well everything.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Did Robert set you up?”

“No. He doesn’t even know I’m here.”

“I imagine that is because he only has eyes for Miss LeStran.”

Natalie blushed and shook her head, “That’s not what I mean. I was at the funeral and I saw all those girls. I know what they are and I know what Mrs. Potter was.”

“So are you doing this out of pity?”

“No! Not pity, but respect. I want to do something with my life and if I can help keep just 1 girl alive, then that’s what I want to do.” Natalie replied.

“Being a Watcher is a difficult job. Are you sure you are up to it? It’s more than just understanding magic and weapons. You will need to continue your schooling at a muggle University. I would recommend Oxford or Cambridge. You need to study martial arts and fencing, all at a rather accelerated pace.”

Natalie nodded, “I can do those things. I’ve been taking fencing since Second year and mum had us all in martial arts since Primary. Although, getting into a muggle university might be a bit difficult to place since I haven’t kept up with my non-magical skills.”

Harry shook his head, “Don’t worry about that, my dear, if you have enough OWLs with either E or O, the Council can pull some strings for you when the time comes. But there is one thing that schooling cannot prepare you for and that is the death of your slayer.”

Harry reached out behind him and pulled down a slim volume and gave it to the girl. “Buffy may have changed the rules, but the fact remains that Slayers die young. This is a Slayer’s diary. It records her dreams, hopes and fights. I believe there might also be a prophecy involved.”

She took the book greedily from his hands and thanked him.

“If you still want to continue to become a Watcher after reading the diary, let me know and I will contact the Council and set up an interview.” Harry said to the girl as she left his office.

“Thanks Professor Potter, you’re the best.” She shot back as she crossed the threshold. Harry smiled as she left and thought about his two visitors. One wanted reassurance, the other a life goal. Harry liked to think he helped both girls. Soon he began to worry about his children again, but for different reasons. What if the Powers had plans for them? At least Sarah and Robert were clear, Sarah being too old and Robert being a boy, so no becoming the Slayer for either of them. But the Powers worked in other ways and being the children of two very powerful people, Harry doubted their lives would either be their own or normal. It was the younger three, though, that scared him the most. Abigail was close to the age that Slayers began to be called, and the twins… Well he really didn’t know what to think of the twins. Their dreams bordered on the fantastic and of course their whole existence is magical. Harry shuddered to think of the future of his babies and tried to banish the thought from his head. No, the Powers would not get his babies. He would make sure of that. He just needed to contact Willow to make sure.