And if I say yes?

Disclaimer: This is a derivative work using characters and intellectual property belonging to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox Television, JK Rowling, her publishers and probably others.
Rating: See chapter 1

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[Late December cont.]

Hermione wasn't really sure what response she wanted to get from Ginny. If she agreed she would have to find someone else to share her flat while Ginny was gone. If not she was stuck with an almost impossible task. She waited as long as she possibly could before they both needed to leave for work before asking Ginny for her answer.

"Yes. I'll do it!" Ginny briefly enthused before coming quickly back to earth. "But I'll need your help with my family if this happens."

"Okay." Hermione sighed. Not something she was looking forward to but she'd expected something like that. Now that the easy part was over she really needed to get things moving. "I'll give Miss Greenwoode a call this morning. They are really in a hurry to find someone for this job. So you should know right away if she approves."

"Was that the woman from lunch yesterday?" Ginny asked.

"Yes. I think she's on the Wiccan equivalent of the Wizengamot though what she does for them isn't really clear. She does know about the wizarding world."

Ginny was surprised. "Wiccan? Like Buffy's friend Willow?"

"I'm not sure. Has Buffy ever told you what her friend does?"

"Not a lot. Just that she helps with research and that they travel together sometimes. You've probably noticed that Buffy doesn't really want to tell me too much about her work. I think she's afraid it'll scare me away. She sticks with personal things in her messages and avoids anything work related."

"I've noticed. I think she's wrong." This still bothered Hermione but there wasn't much she could do to change it.

"But you already know." Ginny grumbled. "Can you tell me anything else about this job?"

"There isn't a lot more that I can tell you. You should know that most Wiccans aren't really aware of the wizarding world and you can't tell them. Miss Greenwoode learned about us because a family member went to Hogwarts. And the other people involved don't know anything either, as far as we can tell."

"Really? So what do I say when I'm asked where I learned magic or about the kind of magic I can do?" asked a confused Ginny.

"Well... we'll think of something believable that you can tell them. And I really can't tell you anything else." Hermione frowned. "They'll tell you all you need to know. And I don't think you can tell me what you learn. Everyone involved has secrets they don't want shared."

"Okay. But what can I tell my parents if this happens?" a confused Ginny asked. "They aren't going to take 'I can't tell you.' as an answer."

"Ummm... nothing much actually. But we should wait until after meeting with her before thinking about that. Let's meet at lunch. Hopefully I'll have something more to tell you by then."

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They met for lunch at the same chip shop as the day before. After doing a privacy spell so they could talk freely they settled down to eat and talk.

"It's all set. We'll meet Miss Greenwoode and someone else from one of the covens tomorrow morning in the country. They'll explain what they want you to do when we get there. She said it might take all day. We can head to the Burrow after that."

"I'll let my mother know we probably won't get there until tomorrow evening." Ginny said. "Unless you want me to go by myself?"

Hermione wasn't sure if she would be allowed to watch whatever kind of testing they wanted to do with Ginny but she certainly wasn't going to let her go by herself. "No. I'll stay as long as I'm able to."

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They had an early breakfast the next morning before catching a train to Westbury for their meeting with Miss Greenwoode. It wasn't the fastest way to get there but it was the most convenient. The return trip would be a lot faster because they could apparate back to their flat and then on to the Burrow. There were times when being unable to apparate to a place they didn't know was more than a little annoying.

Miss Greenwoode met them at the train station. "I'm glad you agreed to come." she said to Ginny. "We're all looking forward to working with you." She motioned them over to her car.

Ginny looked at Hermione who just shrugged before following her into the car.
Miss Greenwoode seemed to be deep in thought as she drove away from the station. Hermione wasn't sure if it was the driving or the upcoming meeting that was causing this but just to be on the safe side she refrained from attempting to talk with her with Ginny following her lead.

Arriving at a small cottage, they were shown to a garden in the back.

"Ginny, Hermione, why don't you both have a seat and we'll explain what we're
going to do." She gestured towards a small bench under a tree. "Hermione, while the things we'll do today are intended to see if Ginny can do what we need, you can participate also if you wish." Miss Greenwoode smiled at her. "That way you won't have to get all the details to put in your file on us second hand."

Hermione blushed. She hadn't realized she was so transparent. "My being here won't interfere with your tests?"

"Not at all. In fact it will make it easier." She motioned over the two older women who had joined them in the garden. "Jenny and Bridgitte do most of the testing on new coven members. They'll let us know if you or I get in their way."

Ginny had been sitting quietly watching this exchange.

"Ginny, what we want from you is actually quite simple. One of our coven members is going on a long journey, a pilgrimage of sorts to one of our shrines, and we need someone to take her place with the people she works for until she gets back. So our tests will determine if you can take her place."

"Ummm... I don't know any wiccan magic. I'm not even sure I know what it really is." Ginny protested.

"The short answer is that it is what you've probably heard called nature or elemental magic. If you pass these tests we'll need to spend some time on what it is in more depth later."

"And if I don't pass these tests?"

"If you don't pass them Hermione can tell you what we've told her. It isn't really a secret but we don't encourage sharing it with outsiders." Miss Greenwoode explained.

"Okay. If I'm taking someone's place does that mean I'll also have to do this wiccan magic?"

"Not exactly. but don't worry about that now." Miss Greenwoode smiled at both of them. "Shall we get started?"

"Sure. What do you want us to do?"

"First we need to test your affinity with nature. Very important if you will be working with us. And then we would like to see what level of magic you are capable of. While you won't be expected to do true wiccan magic you will at least need to be able to accomplish the same things with the magic you do have. And then we would like to put you through the basic tests we give anyone just starting out with one of our covens."

"How long should it take?" a curious Hermione asked.

"It usually takes several hours but sometimes can last all day. It really depends on the person being tested."

--- --- ---

With a break for lunch they had actually taken four hours to run through all of the wiccan tests. Over tea when they'd finished, Ginny could tell they were pleased with the results. She hadn't understood most of them. Some of them left her feeling exhausted while a few of the others left her feeling like she'd spent the day drinking very strong tea. Maybe Hermione had an idea and could explain the tests to her later if the wiccans didn't.

"Ginny, you've actually exceeded our expectations." Miss Greenwoode said with a huge smile. "If you still want to proceed we believe you will do an excellent job."

"Yes! I would like to continue. What's the next step?" exclaimed an excited Ginny.

"Well, you are probably wondering why we made such an effort to test you."

"Yes." She had wondered. There wasn't much more she could say than that.

"I'm assuming you don't know a lot about Hermione's involvement in this?" At Ginny's slight nod she continued "Her Ministry committee has connections with a number of muggle groups in England, in addition to ours, who work with non-wizarding magic. We have a working relationship with one of those other groups."

Ginny glanced over at Hermione for confirmation. She just nodded while Miss Greenwoode continued.

"For reasons we don't need to get into, we don't normally allow coven members to work with outside groups. But in one particular case one of our members actually joined the coven after working with this other group for a number of years.

For personal reasons she really needs the kind of support a wiccan can only get from a coven but her work with them is important enough that we really can't take her away from them for long periods of time. So we have an agreement with them. If we ever need her to spend a long time away from them we'll provide a temporary replacement. And this pilgrimage she is going on qualifies."

"Why don't you have one of your coven members do this? Why do you need me?" asked a confused Ginny.

"None of them were willing to go. This wiccan deals with a number of things that are really antithetical to what makes one a wiccan. And forcing someone to go wouldn't be acceptable."

"If this isn't something a wiccan can deal with why can this person and how can I?"

"She grew up with it so she has more resistance than most. But it's not completely successful. Occasionally she does need to get away from it and spend time with her coven renewing her connections with them. And why can you go instead? For a very simple reason. Your magic is different. It is internal whereas wiccan magic is external to the practitioner. Which mean that external forces that would cripple the soul of a wiccan won't affect you. And according to our tests you do have some affinity for wiccan magic."

"Affinity? In what way?" Ginny wondered. "And how does that help?"

"If you weren't from a wizarding family you could have become a powerful wiccan, with enough training of course. But since wizarding magic actually inhibits being able to perform wiccan magic the best we can do in a short time is to acclimatise you to it and teach you how to work with it using your innate wizarding magic."

"How long will it take?"

"At least a month. You still need to meet with the head of the people you'll actually be working with, but that is just a formality. As long as they don't hate you the job is yours."

"I don't think they'll hate her." Hermione put in with a grin. "Several of them might be surprised when they see her..."

"She already knows them?" Miss Greenwoode asked Hermione in surprise. "Why didn't you mention this before?"

Hermione shrugged. "It wasn't relevant until you offered her the job. And you know I can talk to them and to you but I can't talk to you about them or to them about you. And I can't tell Ginny. Even now. Ministry confidentiality charms can have the strangest effects at times."

"Ah. So, Ginny, what do you know about the Council of Watchers ?"

"Council of....? They need a wiccan?"

"Yes. We're borrowing theirs for a year. They are actually a small group so if you know one of them you might know her."

"All I know about them is what Buffy has told me." Ginny noticed the wiccans becoming very still at the name. "And she spends a lot of time not telling me what she really does. According to Hermione anyway."

"Well, we won't steal their thunder and tell you what they do but if you know the Slayer you probably have heard of the wiccan who works with her, Willow Rosenburg."

"The Slayer?" Ginny raised an eyebrow in question at that title. This sounded like one of those things Buffy was reluctant to tell her.

"Miss Summers." Miss Greenwoode shifted uneasily. "She really hasn't told you anything has she?"

"I've heard of Willow, she's a close friend of Buffy's. And she mentioned her being wiccan once but that was the only time she's mentioned anything like magic."

"She's been very reluctant to tell Ginny anything about her job. She probably thinks it would scare her away." Hermione said. "And Ginny can't tell her anything related to the wizarding world that would make her think otherwise. Another Ministry idiocy, though you didn't hear me say that." she grumbled. "Sometimes the Ministry carries things too far in the interest of secrecy."

"Yes. We've had the lecture about not telling the Council of Watchers about your world more than once from a number of people." Miss Greenwoode grimaced. "Though once she starts working with them for us she can find out all she wants to know about the things they do."

"So, I'll arrange a meeting between Ginny and Mr. Giles, the Council head?" Hermione asked.

"No, we'll take care of that and let you know how to proceed from there."

"Okay. And how soon do you want her back here?" asked Hermione in take charge mode. "I'm assuming you want to get started as soon as possible."

"Monday after next?" Miss Greenwoode looked at Ginny. "Will that give you enough time to take care of any personal business? Once we start you won't have any free time, even on weekends, until you are ready to go."

"That'll be fine. I'll tell my family this weekend. I'm assuming I'll be able to send people messages and letters while I'm gone?"

"We don't allow phones or computers but you can bring an owl with you. We don't have our own. We would like you to be ready by the middle of February so you can spend a few weeks with Miss Rosenberg before we need her."

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It was mid afternoon when they arrived back at their flat. The two exhausted women sat down to discuss the past few hours over a cup of tea. The Burrow could wait a few minutes longer.

"Hermione, after all of that I still don't know what Buffy does that she would be afraid to tell me."

"No, you don't. And the only way you will know is going to be to ask her. She'll have no real choice once you start working with the Council of Watchers. And we still need a background story to explain your magic. Something that Mr. Giles will believe. Everyone else needs to think you are wiccan." She thought for a few minutes, contemplating her cup of tea. "We could really use some help here. Unfortunately we can't ask anyone."

"How about something simple that I won't forget?"

"Yes. Simple usually works best. And by Monday so you can meet Mr. Giles."

"And my family. What do we tell them?"

"The truth, more or less. You're taking a sabbatical to learn how muggles do magic and I've set you up with one of the muggle groups my Committee works with. So simple even Ron will believe it."

Ginny giggled at the thought. She really loved her brother but Ron could be very dense at times and miss the obvious.

"We'll need to involve Percy also."

Ginny frowned. "Why involve him? He can be a bit judgemental on occasion. I don't think he'll approve of this idea."

"If you are going to be performing real magic in other countries, and I'm assuming if they didn't need someone able to do magic they could have found someone else to go, you need permission from the Ministry. And those other countries. And that's one of the things his department does."

"Oh! Hadn't really thought about that aspect of it. I'll have to find my old Auror books. I dimly recall information about that somewhere. Is there anything else we need to do?"

"You'll need to let your office know you'll be taking time off. Or maybe we should just request a temporary transfer to my office? That might work out better." She grinned at the thought. "We're allowed to 'borrow' help if we need it. We just won't explain what we need you for."

"Will I have to use that confidentiality charm you use? It seems to be more trouble than it's worth."

"No. It would interfere with your ability to work with both the Wiccans and the Council. Maybe we shouldn't do the transfer after all." Hermione wasn't quite sure about her next question but it needed to be asked. "And what about Buffy? You don't know if you'll actually get to work with her. Did you want to tell her what you are doing."

"I would really like to surprise her. But how do I do that? She's going to want to know who is replacing her friend for a few months."

"We'll think of something. You aren't likely to run into her before you are done with the wiccan training are you?"

"No. But I also need to tell her something. I'm not going to be able to keep up with her e-mail if I can only send messages by owl."

"The truth? Just a different part of it? Just tell her you're changing jobs and you'll be out of touch for a few weeks while training."

They sat for a while longer, just thinking.

"Hermione? Did you really understand those tests today?" she asked curiously.

"Only a little. I did notice they were very pleased with how you did on them. Most seemed to be related to how well you can feel the things that make elemental magic work, though that one with the tarot cards seemed like something Trelawney would do." She sighed. "I know they let me participate just to humour me. And I really don't have much feeling for the things they were looking for in you."

"There were moments when I felt something happen. But doing those things and not seeing any results was exhausting."

"Well, that is more than I felt. But I think they were really checking your aura to see what effect the tests had on it, not just any noticeable results."

"Really? Can they really see auras? I know Trelawney claimed to but she never taught anyone else how to do it."

"Well, she was never really that good at anything so it's doubtful she actually could. But Miss Greenwoode seems to take it very seriously."

They eventually ran out of things to discuss about the wiccan tests. Anything they thought was just speculation at this point. Once they'd recovered enough from the earlier events they packed the few things they needed for a now short weekend at the Burrow and left their flat.

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