Author: eena_angel
Email: eena_angel@hotmail.com
Rating: PG-13
Category: BTVS/HP
Spoilers: Angel Season Five Spoilers, and OotP for HP.
Disclaimer: Don't own any of them.
Summary: When something particularly bizarre happens to his students, Albus Dumbledore is forced to look elsewhere for help . . .
Notes: Mid-Year Fic-A-Thon for Cinnamongrrl. Thank you to Houses for betaing.
Author Request:
Name: CinnamonGrrl
E-Mail: tarakannon@hotmail.com
Author's Request Genre: HP, LotR, X-Men, WWE, HL, FK
Max Rating: NC17
Characters: not Willow, no pairings with Legolas
Type: whatever
Want To See: a little humour. Cordelia or Tara a
Not Want To See: too much schmoop
~*~
It was only after my feet had touched the ground did I realize that the third taco I had for lunch had definitely been a bad idea. After the stomach-wrenching ride with the portal-key or whatever Angel had produced to get us here, that third helping escaped the shackles of my belly and launched itself up my throat. I didn't even get a moment to check my surroundings before the bile rose and I doubled over, heaving up my lunch.
I heard a gasp, which was quickly followed up with a low growl, coming from somewhere above me. When my eyes came back into focus, I saw the mess I had made, and the black shoes I had made it over. Slowly, I turned my head upwards and saw the scowling person before me. He was definitely a scary figure with stringy black hair falling about his face and large hooked nose. His eyes were dark, blazing with anger and disdain as he looked down on me. The black robes he was wearing made him appear even more imposing, and the look on his face made me want to crawl into a hole and die from sheer embarrassment.
"Um, sorry?" was all I could manage. Instead of making things better, my words seemed to make them worse. His scowl deepened and he stepped back from me. He produced a short, thin stick from his right sleeve and made some swishing movements in the air while he muttered some Latin words under his breath. The mess vanished, but his scowl did not.
"All right there, Fred?"
I turned my head upwards and smiled weakly up at Spike. "Fine, if you ignore the whole vomiting thing," I replied, accepting his help in getting back to my feet.
"That's what you get for eating for using a portkey," Spike told me with a smirk. "I warned you, didn't I?"
"Albus," Angel came forward, putting an end to our conversation as he extended a hand towards an elderly man decked out in the most vibrant set of clothes I had ever seen.
"Angel, so good of you to come," Albus greeted him. The man, or wizard I should say, moved slowly to meet the vampire and shake his hand. "So good of all of you to come. Any aid you can give us will be greatly appreciated."
There was a disbelieving snort from the man I had barfed on, which Albus stifled with one pointed look. "Allow me to introduce Professor Severus Snape. He is our Potions Master here at Hogwarts."
"The vampire remembers me," Snape interrupted, another sneer on his lips. "After all, he did try to kill me."
"Angel!" Spike gave a mock gasp. "You tried to kill him? What do you think you are? Some sort of monster?"
"He was evil," Angel muttered in his defence. "Or at least, he was playing evil. It was all very confusing."
"How so?" Wesley asked as he cleaned his glasses. I clucked my tongue in sympathy when I noticed the tiny crack in one of them. Wesley merely shook his head and muttered darkly under his breath. "Couldn't have Flooed, could we?"
Angel glared at Wesley for his comments, and also at Spike, still chortling over the idea of Angel nearly killing Snape. Snape just looked entirely displeased, though I'm not sure if it was the vomit or Angel that was bothering him now. I spared Wesley a small smile before asking him: "How's my equipment?"
"Yes Fred, I'm quite all right," he answered sarcastically. "Just broke my glasses, but other than that, just fine."
"Aw Wesley, I wasn't being neglectful," I assured him. "It's just, I can see you're fine, because you're moving and stuff, and while your glasses may be broken, it won't cost over a million dollars to fix them. My equipment on the other hand-"
"Is just fine," Wesley interjected as he patted the front pocket of his jacket softly. "It's all still here, all still shrunken, and all still in one piece. Unlike my glasses, or your stomach."
"This is going to be one of those things that you guys never let me forget, isn't it?" I accused him dully.
"I'd hate to interrupt all the glowering and posturing, but Professor Dumbledore did request our presence for a reason," Angel reminded everyone.
"Greetings Miss Burkle, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce, and Mr. the Bloody," Albus smiled at each one of them, not even flinching when he said Spike's name. That was impressive. Not too many people could know about the "the Bloody" tag on without flinching. Albus was turning out to be a pretty nifty wizard. "As I was saying before, we greatly appreciate your assistance in this manner. I dare say, it's quite beyond anything I've ever seen. And when you've lived as long as I have, you've seen quite a few strange things."
There was another snort from Mr. Snape before the man proceeded to glower at Angel once more. "Are you sure he can contain himself while he is here, Headmaster?"
Angel practically snarled at the man's tone, which wasn't very nice at all. I exchanged a worried look with Wesley, who took the opportunity to step forward to speak with Albus.
"What exactly is the problem, sir?" Wesley asked.
Albus smiled warmly at the former Watcher and instead of responding, he pulled out his wand and after a swishing motion, he pointed it at Wesley's head. "Oculus Reparo!" the wizard intoned. Wesley jerked his head when a tiny spark emerged from the tip of Albus's wand and bounced onto his glasses. The tiny crack in his spectacles sealed up quickly and his glasses were as good as new.
"Oh my," Wesley murmured as he removed his glasses and looked at them in wonder. He gave Albus a grateful smile as he replaced them back onto his nose. "Thank you, sir."
"Think nothing of it," Albus assured him. "And now, for the situation at hand. A few of our students seem to be under the influence of some sort of magic, though we cannot be sure what it is exactly. It's rather hard to fully comprehend unless you see the effects first hand."
"They aren't in any physical danger, are they?" Angel asked as Albus began to lead us down the hallway.
"Not quite," Albus answered vaguely. "Well, not in any outright physical danger, though there is a chance of it."
"What exactly is the bloody problem?" Spike asked as he pulled a cigarette out of his jacket pocket.
"There is no smoking in this school," Snape snapped at him immediately. "And as for your question, the problem is that the students are scared."
"They're scared?" I repeated, feeling a bit confused. "Scared of what?"
Albus sighed. "Everything, I'm afraid."
"Everything?" Wesley looked as confused as I felt. "They're afraid of everything?"
"Every creak, every shadow, every whisper-Everything," Snape clarified as he stomped down the hallway alongside Albus. I watched him walk, more than amused to see how his robes billowed and swished about him like a superhero's cape. Talk about a flair for the dramatics. "Should something even mildly shocking happen, it sends them into panic. Two students became so frightened that they succumbed to heart attacks."
"Luckily, Madam Pompfrey was close at hand for both instances," Albus continued. "The students are in stable condition, though we cannot move them from the school. They've all come down with the impression that leaving school grounds is a definite death sentence."
"My word," Wesley murmured. "How on earth did that happen?"
"If we knew, we wouldn't have summoned a haphazard group of Muggles to sort it out for us, now would we?" Snape sneered. Wesley's face went all pinched and angry at Snape's tone, and I think mine sort of did as well. Vomiting incident aside, this guy was not being very friendly. In fact, he was being very unfriendly, and a whole lot of snooty on top of it.
"What's got his panties in a twist?" Spike muttered darkly as he fiddled with the cigarette he wasn't allowed to light. Snape heard him and gave a scowl worthy of Angel, which caused shivers to shoot down my spine. A normal human shouldn't be that intimidating, not to me anyway. I've dealt with bigger and scarier things than this sour puss, but Mr. Snape had a glower that most demons would kill to have.
"That would be me," Angel replied curtly. "Though this isn't the time or the place for it, Snape. Tell me Albus, what do you know about what happened to these kids?"
"In due time," Albus answered cheerfully as he stopped before a large gargoyle. "I think it would be better to discuss this further in my office. Chocolate Frog."
"Huh?" Spike whispered to me. I just shrugged my shoulders, my confusion turning to wonder as the gargoyle began to turned and lifted upwards, revealing a staircase underneath.
"Come along," Albus invited us, stepping gracefully onto a stair. "Watch your step, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce."
Wesley stumbled a bit despite Albus's warning, but straightened himself before he did something too embarrassing. Spike grabbed me by my arm and led me onto the staircase, which made me feel a little put out. Not like I couldn't have gotten on the moving staircase on my own. Honestly, sometimes these boys of mine got a little too protective.
The staircase took us up a narrow hall before admitting us into a large room. The rooms were covered with portraits and pictures of other wizards, all of which were moving. I stopped in my tracks and stared at one picture as the old wizard in it caught my eye by waving enthusiastically.
"Whoa," I gasped as I leaned in to get a closer look. Snape passed by me and gave me another one of his grumpy looks.
"Muggles," he muttered with disdain. I turned my attention away from the picture and gave his back a furious glare.
"Ignore him, dear girl," came the advice from the wizard in the picture. "He's a bit of a grump, that one is. You should see how he treats his students. I'm told it's quite frightful."
"You can talk too?" I asked in disbelief.
"Of course I can talk," the wizard looked slightly taken back. "Why wouldn't I be able to talk? You Muggles ask the strangest questions."
"Okay, I'm getting more than a little freaked out by this place," I murmured to Spike. "Is everything in this school alive, and full of sass?"
"Pretty much," Spike shrugged. "Though it is my first time here. I've heard stories, though. This place is as mysterious as they come. Come on then, love, let's get down to business."
I nodded and followed Spike to join the others. Albus waved us towards some chairs, and as I took my seat I noticed the large red bird by Albus's desk. It turned and seemed to look right at me, before inclining its head. I raised my hand and waved back at him tentatively.
"Now, as for our students, we do not know what has come over them," Albus continued with his story. "The only thing we do know is that all the affected students were in the same Care for Magical Creatures class two weeks ago."
"The professor rather foolishly sent them into the Forest to collect some flowers and shrubs to feed his current Monster-of-the-Week," Snape elaborated with a frown. "They came back, seemingly in perfect health. The first signs of trouble appeared the next day at breakfast."
"Our Head Boy spotted a spider in the corner of the Great Hall and had hysterics," Albus sighed. "It wouldn't have alarmed us much, if six other seventh-years from the same class hadn't panicked as well. After that, they all started to become steadily more skittish and paranoid."
"We've had them examined, we've checked for curses or spells, but we haven't found anything that would explain their behaviour," Snape finished. "We've been forced to quarantine them until the situation is brought under control."
"And the Forest?" Angel asked. "Have you checked the areas where they were working for clues?"
"We don't know where they were working," Albus revealed. "The children went in groups and searched in different places for various shrubs. Their professor assured me that they did not go far into the Forest, but we can't be sure that they didn't move away from the specified areas. After we made the connection, we couldn't get them to help us retrace their steps. In fact, they refuse to go within a hundred feet of the Forest now. We have searched the outer perimeter of the Forest, around the areas where the plants in question are located, but we have not found anything of importance."
"Did the students mention anything strange to their professor that day?" Wesley asked. "Perhaps a strange noise, or feeling as though they were being watched?"
"The only thing that came up was a complaint against pollen," Albus replied. "A few of our students felt their allergies act up."
"Pollen?" I asked with a confused frown. "At this time of year?"
"We were perplexed ourselves, but we could not find any signs of pollen when we searched the Forest," Snape said. "We were making plans to search further into the trees, but the Headmaster felt that it would be better if we waited for your help."
The last part was said with so much sarcasm that I winced. Angel was back to shooting glares in Snape's direction while Albus smiled cheerfully as if he hadn't noticed his colleague's sour disposition. Spike was smirking something awful, and I knew that he was bound to say something to get on Angel's nerves. However, Wesley cut him off before he could even get a word out.
"Well, I think the most obvious thing to do is have some of our group take a look at your kids while the rest of us tackle this Forest of yours," he suggested.
"My thoughts exactly!" Albus said happily. "May I suggest Miss Burkle be the one to see the students? They would be far less anxious about her presence."
"I don't know," Angel looked uneasy. "I think it would be best for someone to go with Fred rather than her go on her own."
"Why?" I demanded, my voice a bit harsher than I wanted.
"Fred, they're a group of scared teenagers with magical powers at hand," Angel explained to me. "If you alarm them in anyway, they're bound to start cursing and hexing at will. I just think that it would be better if I went with you-"
"Because a vampire is nothing a child should be afraid of," Snape interrupted with a snort. "Angelus, your very presence would send them into a frenzy."
"I doubt they could tell I was a vampire off the bat," Angel returned.
"And that might get you into trouble, Angel," Albus warned him. "The children are frightened; they're not dull-witted. Well, most of them are not. Miss Granger would ultimately put the facts together and find out who you are, if she doesn't already recognize your condition from her studies in DADA. Though you may be on our side, the children might not see it that way. Miss Burkle, on the other hand, is far less intimidating than the rest of your colleagues, and she would be in good hands for her entire visit with the students. Our Deputy Headmistress would escort her to the infirmary, and both she and Madam Pompfrey will be present during Miss Burkle's stay there."
"And I am the science girl," I added brightly. "So it would kind of make sense that I go, and not Spike or Wesley. I'll take a look at them. But I might also need some samples from them and run a few of my own tests, if it isn't too much trouble."
"We'd have to contact their parents for permission, but I don't see it being a problem," Albus agreed. "However, I did notice you mentioning something to Mr. Wyndam-Pryce about equipment before. I'm afraid electronic devices to not work at Hogwarts, though I'd be more than willing to set up a room or something for your gadgets in Hogsmeade. It's the nearest town and you could Floo to and from it with great ease."
"Right," I nodded. "One question: what's Floo?"
~*~
"Miss Lovegood, back again are we?"
I followed closely behind the tall witch introduced to me as Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, who insisted that I call her by her first name. The boys were still in Albus's office, looking over maps of the Forest and talking with the Magical Creatures professor, who turned out to be a giant by the name of Rubeus Hagrid. However, though he was a giant of a man, Hagrid was still as sweet as they come. And he seemed to get along great with Angel and Spike, which was way better than Snape, who was probably still standing in the corner of the room and scowling up a storm.
I peeked over Minvera's shoulder to see the young girl she had addressed. The girl was a frail-looking creature with scraggly dirty blonde hair and wide blue eyes. She was dressed in robes as well, though it was unbuttoned and I could see the school uniform underneath. There was also a large blue and silver badge on the girl's robes with the word 'Ravenclaw' written under a coat of arms.
"Hello Professor McGonagall," Miss Lovegood greeted her professor, her tone very light and dreamy. "And yes, I am back. Harry and the others insisted that I come back after classes, and I felt it would be cruel to leave Ginny in there all by her lonesome. Who is your guest? And why is she dressed in Muggle clothing?"
"I suppose because I am a Muggle," I replied before Minerva could answer the girl. I smiled my friendliest smile and put out my hand. "Hello, I'm Fred."
"Luna," the girl returned before shaking my hand. "But did you say you were a Muggle? Not to be rude, but what on earth would a Muggle being doing at Hogwarts?"
"Miss Burkle is here to assist with the current situation," Minerva answered swiftly and firmly.
"You aren't going to take them away to a horrid Muggle asylum, are you?" Luna asked me suspiciously.
"Um, no?" I replied with a frown. "Why would I do that? I'm not a psychiatrist or anything. And from the sounds of it, your friends aren't crazy. They're just acting that way. I'm just trying to figure out why."
"You would check them for signs of a Woogeytramp attack," Luna informed me.
"A what?"
"Miss Lovegood-" Minerva began, sounding quite exasperated.
"A Woogeytramp," Luna continued without notice of Minerva's warning tone. "They're large hairless creatures that look a bit like anteaters, only their snouts aren't as long and come with tiny holes all over. They're known for inciting mass hysteria among people because of the venom they shoot out of their snouts. When a Woogeytramp becomes annoyed, they release their venom which causes a normal person to act quite nutters. A Woogeytramp was responsible for the debacle in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692."
"Really?"
"No, not at all," Minerva interjected. Luna frowned and sent her professor a bit of a disapproving look.
"It's all quite real, professor," the girl insisted. "My father published an article in the Quibbler all about it. Woogeytramps are a real danger to our society, and Muggle society as well."
"Regardless, I'm sure that Professor Hagrid would have noticed such a disturbance as a large hairless anteater attacking his class in the Forest," Minerva told her.
"Don't be too sure," Luna replied in the same dreamy tone as before. "Professor Hagrid is a nice bloke, but he's not a very good teacher, now is he?"
"Miss Lovegood . . ." Minerva was starting to sound very annoyed by this point.
"I don't mean offence," Luna said. "But really professor, would you have sent your class unattended into the Forest? He just seems a little careless, that's all."
"I'll be sure to keep those Woogey-thingies in mind," I jumped in with the hope of avoiding an argument. "But right now, I think it's best to just have a look at the kids."
"I wouldn't call them that," Luna advised me. "They're far too touchy right now. If they think you're patronizing them in the slightest, they will refuse to talk to you. That is if they agree to talk to you at all. You don't appear all that intimidating to me, but then again, I don't find spiders frightening, and it was spiders that sent Ronald into a fit before. It's hard to tell nowadays."
"Perhaps you could do something to persuade your friends that Miss Burkle is only here to help them?" Minerva suggested. "She will need their cooperation."
"I doubt I could convince Hermione or Ronald," Luna sighed before she gave Fred a helpless look. "They seem to think that I can be daft at times. Well, Ronald thinks I can be daft at times, and Hermione believes that I am daft all of the time. We don't always see eye-to-eye. She's far too involved in her books to even realize what goes on in the world around her. And I'm afraid she partially buys into the lies that the Ministry of Magic publishes in the Prophet. She doesn't even believe in the heliopath conspiracy."
"Miss Lovegood, that is quite enough," Minerva stated firmly. "I'm afraid we're monopolizing Miss Burkle's time. Shall we?"
Without waiting for a response, Minerva stepped up to the closed infirmary doors and rapped slowly three times. I felt a little confused as she proceeded to just stand there, Luna right behind her, staring at the closed doors. Couldn't we just walk in?
"Who is it?" came a voice from the other side. A very exasperated voice, a female from the sounds of it. "State your name and purpose."
"Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall, Student Luna Lovegood, and Miss Winifred Burkle," Minerva replied in a clear voice. "We have come to speak with some of the seventh years in your care, Madam Pompfrey."
Minerva fell silent and waited once more. I leaned in close to the door, not too close because Minerva held up a hand to stop my progress, and strained my ears to hear what was happening on the other side. I heard a lot of whispers, and one low shriek of panic, before what sounded like a mini-stampede. After about two minutes, the doors began to open slowly. A middle-aged woman in a nurse's uniform poked her head outside and gave Minerva a pained look.
"Their story checks out," she shouted over her shoulder before opening the door wider. "Honestly Minerva, I don't know how much more of this I can take."
"It will be over soon, hopefully," Minerva consoled the other woman before turning to me. "Madam Pompfrey, may I introduce Miss Winifred Burkle from California?"
"It's just Fred," I corrected her as I smiled at the other woman.
"And you may call me Poppy," the nurse returned before giving my hand a gentle shake. "You're here with Angel, are you not?"
"Yes, he's my boss."
"And how is he?" Poppy asked, her voice becoming as dreamy as Luna's. "Still as charming as ever?"
"We're talking about the same vamp, right?" I giggled. "Most people don't use charming as the word to best describe Angel. I think the most popular one is 'broody' or 'sulking creature of the night'."
"Well, I recall that he was quite a dashing figure," Poppy murmured with a silly grin on her face. I bit my tongue to keep from giggling some more when Minerva made a face at Poppy's mooning. It was always fun to see a woman affected by Angel, but much better when he's around aforementioned affected woman. He gets all flustered and awkward, it was just funny as hell.
"Could we please get to the matter at hand?" Minerva demanded, her tone clearly irritated. Poppy blinked and then blushed before ushering us into the infirmary. As far as infirmaries go, it wasn't all that spectacular. Normal white walls and rows of tiny white cots that was customary to any infirmary. The only thing off was the fact that every bed was occupied by a shaking, petrified teenager.
Albus had told me that I would need to see the situation to truly understand it, and he was right. The entire room was bursting at the seams with fear. It was in the little things, and the big things, all at once. Every student sat in their bed, a few with their wands held in nervously in their hands. A few students were huddled under their covers, refusing to even dare a glance at the newcomers. Everywhere I looked, I saw nothing but raw fear. Wide eyes watched my every move, shocked whispers trailed after me as I followed Minerva down to the very end of the room. They were wrecks, all of them. Their hair was dirty and stringy, mostly tangled and generally unkempt. They had dark circles under their eyes, and a few of them were even twitching as they watched me pass. I could hear their gasps for breath; I could hear it when a student actually held his or her breath because I had dared to venture too close. It was absolutely horrific.
Minerva came to a stop at the last three cots at the end of the room. I looked closely at the kids occupying those beds and immediately noticed the agitated, but relatively okay redheaded girl sitting next to a boy who could only be her brother. Next to them was a small girl with bushy brown hair and wide brown eyes who was currently hugging a giant book to her chest and watching me with fearful eyes.
"Luna!" I jumped at the frantic shout coming from the final bed. Luna gave me a final dreamy smile before wandering over to a boy with dark hair, wide green eyes, and glasses perched haphazardly on his nose. "Why did you take so long? Classes ended over fifteen minutes ago! You can't dwaddle around the halls. It isn't safe! I think you should stay here like Ginny."
"Harry, I already told you that I need to go to class," Luna told the boy as she settled down in a chair by his bedside. "And I wasn't dwaddling. I was speaking with Professor McGonagall and Miss Burkle about Woogeytramps. Hullo Ginny, how are you?"
"Fantastic," the redheaded girl muttered sarcastically, wincing when the boy next to her grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. "Ron, stop it already! It's just Professor McGonagall."
"And a stranger," the boy hissed back at her. "A weird stranger, at that. Professor, who is she?"
"She is a guest of Professor Dumbledore," Minerva informed the boy. "She's here to help us determine what exactly has happened to you."
"We already told you that nothing is wrong with us," Ron snapped at her. "Stop wasting your time and get to work fortifying this place! The only reason we're acting like this is because it's just not safe to be at Hogwarts anymore."
"And yet you won't leave school grounds," Ginny said sourly.
"Hey, I'm not stupid, you know," Ron shot back at her. "Hogwarts may not be as safe as it should be, but it's far safer than any other place. At least Dumbledore is able to keep most of the dangers off the school grounds. If we left Hogwarts, we would probably be killed in minutes!"
"Isn't that a bit extreme?" I asked him cautiously.
"Extreme?" he repeated, his voice rising. "It's not extreme; it's the truth! There are Death Eaters everywhere. Dark wizards who are just waiting for the opportunity to AK us without care. Bloody hell woman! Don't you know there's a war going on out there?"
I just raised my eyebrows at Minerva, who had a pained expression on her face that reminded me of my first sighting of Poppy. Ginny also seemed very put out by Ron's tirade, and a few of the other students who had overheard him were either nodding their heads in agreement, or panicking at his outburst. Poppy emerged out of her office and immediately began to speak to the students in a soothing voice. She began handing out cups of liquid which she insisted some of the more agitated students drink.
"A sleeping draught," Minerva whispered to me. "It should put them to sleep for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, we've been giving them so much that our stock is constantly running low. Professor Snape spends much of his time brewing more potion for Poppy, but we can't keep this up forever. We need to find out what's wrong with them."
"I agree," I replied in a soft tone. "But where do I start? If I get too close to them, they start freaking out. Any suggestions, professor?"
Minerva sighed and looked about the room. I followed her gaze as it finally stopped on the boy Luna had called Harry. "Mr. Potter seems like a good candidate, if only we could get him to agree. I'll see if I or Miss Lovegood can talk him into it. Until then, why don't you speak with Poppy and see if you can discern anything from her reports on their condition?"
"Fine by me," I muttered. Minerva smiled at me before she turned to speak with Mr. Potter. I looked around the room once more, feeling utterly torn at the sight of such frightened children. I walked over to Poppy and sighed when a tall, blonde boy with gray eyes began to panic at my close proximity to his bed. Poppy waved me into her office and immediately went to calm the boy.
"It's quite all right Mr. Malfoy. She means you no harm, so you can just relax and take your medicine . . ."
~*~
Part Two:
~*~
I sat patiently on the corner of Harry's cot with my shirt sleeves rolled up to my armpits so that the paranoid seventeen-year-old could have a close look at my arms. Minerva assured me that he wasn't going to hurt me, but that he was checking for something called the Dark Mark. Harry wasn't willing to take it on anyone's word that I didn't have this mark-thingy that he was worried about, and so I sat still as he examined me.
"Okay, she's clear," he finally confirmed. A collective sigh of relief went from the beds closest to us as I was allowed to roll my sleeves back down again. "All right, so you're not a Death Eater, from what I can tell, so that means Professor McGonagall is telling the truth when she says you're just a Muggle."
"Yup, that's me," I nodded. "Just a regular old Muggle scientist with some questions to ask."
"What sort of questions?" he asked suspiciously.
"Harry," Luna interjected softly. "She doesn't mean you any harm. Just answer her questions."
Harry glanced at his friend sharply before turning back to face me. He gave a small nod, though the suspicion did not leave his eyes. I just shook my head and took out my notepad and pen. Flipping to a blank page, I started the questioning.
"Two weeks ago, you and the rest of your Care for Magical Creatures class were asked to go collect some items from the forest," I started off. "Now Harry, I need you to tell me as much about what happened in that forest as you can. Where did you and your friends go?"
"We went right where Hagrid told us to go," Harry replied, his voice cracking just a bit. "But Malfoy and his goons got there first. Ron wanted to fight them for the spot, but Hermione forced us to go find another shrub. We went a little further in than Hagrid wanted, but so did other kids. We weren't that far from each other, a couple of meters. We collected the shrubs and went our way."
"Nothing strange happened?" I pressed. "Nothing out of the ordinary?"
"Not really — other than some pollen," Harry replied. "It was gross and sticky. The wind carried it out of the Forest and a few bits of it got on my face, but that was it. We left the forest, gave Hagrid the shrubs and went to our other class."
"Harry, this is very important, so I need you to concentrate," I told him, trying to keep my voice soft so not to startle him. "Where did the pollen come from?"
"I don't know," he answered defensively. "I didn't see it until I got some on my face. Why are you asking about the pollen? What's wrong with it? It wasn't really pollen, was it? It was poison, right? That's why we've been locked up here since last week. Someone used that pollen to poison us, didn't they? It was Voldemort, wasn't it? Wasn't it?"
And that's about the time that the room erupted into chaos. Harry's voice got steadily higher and higher, to the point where he screeched the last of his words out. All the affected students began to quiver and squeal in panic. Ginny looked helpless as she tried to restrain her brother while simultaneously trying to reassure a hysterical Hermione. Minerva and Poppy emerged from Poppy's office and immediately tried to calm the children down. Luna sat next to Harry, her hand on his shoulder as she whispered something into his ear. Harry wasn't listening to her by this point and he clutched his wand to his chest protectively.
The chaos would continued for another ten minutes before the children finally began to calm down. I fiddled idly with my pen as I watched Poppy and Minerva run between the beds to soothe their students. Luna looked slightly disappointed look on her face as she patted Harry's shoulder in comfort. The young man slowly began to relax and I thought that maybe I could continue on with my questioning, but all that was blown out the window when Snape came walking through the doors.
His appearance was a surprise but definitely not something frightening. He didn't throw open the doors suddenly, but rather, he pushed them open and strode in without stopping. I wouldn't even have noticed if the students hadn't reacted so badly.
Screams of panic rang off the walls and Luna threw me to the ground as Harry rose up in his bed. "Death Eater!" the boy shouted as he leveled his wand at Snape. "Death Eater in our midst!"
The rest of the students picked up his call, and soon I heard Latin words being shouted from both sides of the room. I tried to look up and see what was happening, but Ginny came tumbling down next to me and kept me still.
"Don't move!" the girl ordered. "Don't move until it's over!"
And it was soon over. I heard some painful yelps come from the students before silence reigned. Hesitantly, I raised my head to look around. The students were still in their beds but looked far worse than before. I heard frightened whimpers and wrinkled my nose when I picked up the faint odor of urine.
"He was supposed to wait!" Ginny hissed angrily. "Now look at what he's done now."
"I think Neville has soiled himself," was Luna's only comment.
"Really? I think it was Malfoy."
"I think you just want to think it was Malfoy so you can pester him when this is over."
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing."
I ignored the whispered conversation between the two witches and got up to rest on my knees to survey at the damage. The students were shaken but all in one piece. The staff members were also undamaged, though judging by the look Minerva gave Snape, that might not hold true for long. Poppy was clucked her tongue as she moved to collect the wands that were piled around all three faculty members, while Snape turned his head to examine the giant scorch mark on the wall just behind his head.
"Well, at least one of them can still aim," Snape muttered. "Somewhat."
"Severus," Minerva grounded out. "A word, if you please."
"I'm afraid that I was only sent here to collect Miss Burkle," Snape replied briskly. "Angelus requires her presence."
"I'm sure Mr. Angel will not mind waiting for a few minutes," Minerva said firmly. "Outside, if you please? Miss Burkle?"
I nodded and grabbed my things. Luna and Ginny were back on their feet and at their friends' bedsides again. Harry avoided looking me in the eye as he huddled under his blankets. A couple of the students shied away from me as I made my way out, movingly as slowly as I could manage. It seemed to take forever to get out of the infirmary, and I breathed a sigh of relief once I cleared the doors.
"Severus, you know the rules!" Minerva hissed at the Potions Master once the doors had closed. "You are supposed to knock first! We must take precautions to avoid alarming the children."
"I did not jump into the room with my wand flying about," Snape returned darkly. "I merely entered and sought a word with you. It was Potter who overreacted."
"They are not in the right frame of mind for any surprises," Minerva insisted. "Severus, you Either respect the rules, or do not bother to come down here. As it is, it is going to take Poppy hours to calm them down once more."
"And I suppose I will be called upon to make more sleeping draught," Snape said smugly. "It seems my presence is needed-"
"I never said it wasn't," Minvera interjected angrily. "I merely said that you need to take extra care not to frighten them. The rest of us are trying our best. Surely you don't believe it is not unfair to ask the same of you."
"The vampire demands to see his Muggle," was the only reply he gave. I made a face at the way he said that, deciding yet again that Snape had to be my least favourite wizard. He was just so mean, and usually without reason to be mean. And I was fed up with all this "Muggle" business.
"My name is Fred. You can call me Miss Burkle," I said coldly before turning to Minerva. "I guess I better go, but I'll be back. When do you think they'll be up to another visit?"
"I'm not certain," Minerva sighed. "Perhaps sometime tonight? Tomorrow morning?"
"Better make it tonight," I said. "I want to get on this as fast as possible. This situation is not only damaging their physical health, but it's wreaking havoc on their mental health. There might be a problem though."
"What sort of problem?" Minerva asked.
"I'm going to need a blood sample."
Snape snorted. "Now, why would a vampire's consort need a blood sample?"
"All right, that's it buddy," I snapped. "I don't know what crawled up your butt and died, but I don't care. I'm here with my friends, trying to clean up a mess that you and all your precious magical know-how can't handle. You're lost and you need us, not the other way around. So take whatever problem you have with me and my friends and just shove it, because I'm tired of hearing it. I'm not a 'vampire consort.' My name is Winifred Burkle, and I'm a scientist. Deal with it!"
Snape looked about ready to murder me, or hex me in some horrible way at the very least. Minerva was grinning like crazy, and me, I felt slightly embarrassed, but not sorry in the least. The grouch had it coming.
Snape snorted once more and then spun around on his heel. I watched him march down the hallway with unimpressed eyes, waving goodbye to Minerva before finally following him. He led me back down to Albus's office, his shoulders stiff and head straight forward. He growled out the password and stepped onto the staircase without so much as giving me a look. I rolled my eyes at his behaviour, my arms folded across my chest as I waited for the stairs to stop moving.
I stepped back into Albus's office was pretty much as I left it. Angel and Wesley stood at his desk and looking over maps. Spike was off to the side, kneeling beside an open trunk as he talked with Hagrid and Albus. Snape didn't so much announce his presence as let it be felt. He stomped into the room, immediately going to Dumbledore's side and whispering furiously into the Headmaster's ear.
"Well, she is right, Severus," Albus told him, loud enough for everyone else to hear. "She's a scientist, and we have no other choice than to let her try and solve this problem her way. As for her impudence, I dare say you exhibit some yourself, so you should not take too much offence."
"Told him off good and proper, eh Fred?" Spike asked with a grin. Snape glared at the vampire, and Spike actually had the audacity to yawn in the face of Snape's glowering. Hagrid suddenly came down with a coughing fit that sounded a lot like stifled laughter if you listened close enough.
"How did it go?" Angel asked me without looking up from his map.
"Okay, until Oscar the Grouch over there nearly scarred the kids for life," I muttered darkly. "I managed to talk to one boy about what happened, and the only strange thing he can remember is the pollen."
"The pollen again," Wesley murmured.
"Exactly," I said with a sigh. "Harry said he remembered that the pollen was wet and sticky, and that he wiped it off quickly. I'm thinking that the pollen could have been something else entirely. The sticky stuff Harry talked about could be whatever potion or poison we're looking for. My guess is that it absorbs into the skin, and if every one of those kids got even a little on their hands or face, it could be what we're looking for. I want blood samples from all of them so I can start running tests."
"And you're going to get a bunch of pissed-scared teenagers to let you stick a large needle into their veins how?" Spike chuckled.
"We can sedate them first," I replied. "Worst comes to worst, we'll dose them with something. But right now, I'm not willing to do anything without unless I get parental consent for it."
"And you have it," Albus interjected, coming up to me with a small smile on his face. "Arthur and Molly Weasley have granted permission for their son, Ron."
"The redhead?" I groaned. "He's got to be the worst of them all. I'm lucky he didn't curse me when I first stepped into the room. Seriously, the kid is really paranoid. He was going off about a war and Death Eaters killing him the second he left Hogwarts."
"I'm afraid Molly and Arthur are the only two parents to send me their consent, so Ron will have to be your first subject," Albus told me. "Now, we have sent your things off to a room in Hogsmeade, and Mr. Wyndam-Pryce overlooked the assembling of the equipment. You can start your work there as soon as you like."
"That's great, but how am I going to get back and forth?" I asked nervously. "Floo sounds very simple and all that, but what if something goes wrong?"
"Are you frightened, Miss Burkle?" Snape asked with a smirk.
"Not frightened," I returned firmly. "Just cautious."
"And with good reason," Albus agreed. "I'm sure Severus would not mind accompanying you to and from Hogsmeade."
My heart just sank all the way down to my toes. Snape must have felt the same way, if the look on his face was any indication. "Headmaster, I really must protest-"
"Then it's settled!" Albus clapped his hands together and ignored Snape's protests entirely. "Shall we get on with the plan?"
"What is the plan, by the way?" I asked Angel.
"We go in with two teams," he said. "Spike and Wesley enter from the south end, Hagrid and I from the north, and we're going to work our way through the places we know the shrubs to be located. If we find nothing, then we go in deeper until we do."
"Old Albus was kind enough to supply us with some weapons," Spike added with a kick to the open trunk he had been looking in before. I glanced into the chest and saw a number of swords, daggers, and axes, and I wondered why on earth Albus had all this stuff was lying around around at a school.
"Sun's setting soon," Wesley continued to say. "We'll be heading then."
"And I'm going back to the infirmary to get my samples, and then I guess it's off to Hogsmeade for me," I said without enthusiasm.
"Let us know if you find anything," Angel advised me.
"Same to you," I replied. "All right, let's go professor."
Snape scowled before turning and leading the way out of the office.
~*~
"You didn't have to do that."
I was annoyed and damn determined to make sure Snape knew it. He hardly seemed concerned with my feelings, wandering around the room and glaring at my things with obvious disdain. Albus and Wesley had done a great job in setting up my equipment, though it was a far cry from the lab back at the offices. If my tests here didn't produce any results, I was going to head back to LA to run more indepth tests.
"You said you needed blood," Snape finally said. "Now you have it. Just be grateful and
do your work."
"I didn't say you had to hex the kid still just so I could get it," I shot back at him. "You'll be lucky if he isn't completely traumatized by that."
"Well, if you find the solution to our problem with all your science and machines, then I won't have to worry about any permanent damage, will I?" he retorted. I gave up trying to talk to the man and took out the samples that I had just barely managed to take from Ron Weasley. The boy had put up quite a fight and nearly sent the entire infirmary into a riot, before I was able to draw what I needed. Snape helped, though I still think that using a hex on the kid was over the top. Poppy had a sedative all ready to go before Snape stuck his big nose into things and just used his wand to solve the matter. We didn't stick around to see the chaos that would follow when Minerva released Ron from the spell, but I was pretty sure that Poppy and Minerva had their hands full.
I began taking out slides and my microscope, intent on starting a preliminary work-up on the blood, which would take me no longer than an hour. I set to work, putting the samples from Ron under the microscope when I caught a glimpse of Snape eyeing my laptop with confusion to my right.
"Don't touch that," I warned the wizard without looking up. "You break it, you buy it. And I don't think you could afford to on a teacher's salary."
Snape grumbled unhappily, but he stepped away from the computer. He watched me as I worked, curious in spite of himself, and if I'd had enough time, I probably would have rubbed his face in it. But I didn't. The kids were getting worse as time passed, and Poppy was concerned that they were becoming more violent as well. Better to find out what the hell is going on before the whole mess explodes.
"What is this going to tell us anyway?" Snape asked suddenly. "What are you looking for?"
"Anything," I replied shortly, taking my eyes off the scope to jot down a few quick notes. "Unknown agents in the blood, any signs of toxins, a chemical imbalance-whatever I can find."
"And this is going to solve what?" he continued to needle me.
"Well, if I can locate an unknown agent in the blood, then it's a good chance I've found whatever's in their system and making them act so loopy," I explained distractedly. "Thhen I isolate it, extract it, run tests on it, figure what it's made of, and find out how to stop it."
"But you can't guarantee that," Snape sneered.
"At least I'm trying," I said angrily. "Which is more than I can say for you."
"Indeed?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "Right now, you're the essence of not-helping. You just stand about and complain about me or Angel or someone else. You're not even nice to those poor kids, and I think you kind of like scaring them witless by just showing your face. Albus gives the impression that he trusts you and finds you useful at some things, but I don't see why."
"And what do you see, Miss Burkle?" he demanded acidly.
I spared him a glance before turning back to my microscope. "All black robes and brood, which is not something I'm unfamiliar with."
"How so?"
"Hello? Have you met Angel?" I asked with a giggle. "You're just like him, only more alive and definitely nastier, but still, it's nothing new to me."
"Perhaps I'll surprise you yet, Miss Burkle," he suggested darkly.
"You might," I agreed. "But not right now. I've got work to do."
~*~
"Nothing."
Angel arched his eyebrow and looked at me curiously. "Seriously, Fred?"
"Seriously," I said as I looked down at the results in my hand. I didn't have to turn around to see that Snape was all smug about the fact that my science had failed right along with his magic, but I wasn't about to let him get the final word. The samples had already been sent to the LA office and I had some of my best workers on it. I didn't have anything at the moment, but I didn't doubt that my team in L.A. would come through for me.
"The only thing that I found was an abundance of adrenalin in their system," I explained. "It accounts for their agitation and contributes greatly to their immediate 'fight or fly' reaction to just about anything that happens. Knox and the others might be able to tell me more when they've run some more tests, but I've got nothing for now."
"It seems you aren't as useful as Albus thought," Snape told Angel. Angel glared at the smug wizard and I had to resist the impulse to do the same.
"You didn't find anything?" I asked Angel.
"Nothing suspicious," the vampire confirmed as he contined to glare at Snape. "We'll go in further tomorrow night, but it's just too close to sunrise to continue the search."
"Then where are Spike and Wesley?" I demanded. "They're cutting it awfully close."
"I'm sure they'll get here on time," Angel replied, though his tone spoke volumes about how little he did cared about Spike's fate. I was going to say more, but was interrupted by Spike's voice.
"We've got a problem!" the vampire announced as he dragged a grubby Wesley into Albus's office. "Watcher Junior here has come down with a case of the heebie-jeebies."
"Wesley?" I said his name with some panic, but I'm not too sure he heard me. If the kids in the infirmary were bad, Wesley was the worst you could get. He was sweating and panting heavily, his hands locked around Spike's arm for support. His eyes moved constantly and he twitched quite frequently. Angel took a step in his direction a tad too fast, and he gave a startled yelp before trying to hide behind Spike.
"Oh no," I moaned.
"Tell me about it," Spike grumbled. "He won't let go of me, and he won't even say why. It's like he's completely shut down."
"What happened?" Angel demanded.
"The pollen," Spike explained. "We were just finishing up and about to head back in when Wes here accidentally collides with a tree. It was damn funny, especially when all that white stuff came tumbling down on his head. I didn't know what it was at first, and Wesley panicked right away. He got out his water bottle and washed the gunk right off his face. Five minutes later, he's acting all twitchy and whimpy."
"Where?" Angel asked.
"We've marked the spot off," Spike replied. "A few metres further away from the last of the shrubs in the south-eastern sector."
"We've got to get him to the infirmary," I murmured worriedly. I reached out to touch Wesley's cheek, but he jerked away from my touch. His eyes were wild with fear and it was only after a few minutes that he was able to recognize me.
"Fred?" he asked in a hoarse voice. "Fred, we have to get out this place. It's a deathtrap!"
"It'll be okay Wesley," I promised him, though I wasn't feeling too sure about that. "But right now, I think you should go get some rest. Why don't we take you to the infirmary-"
"And be surrounded by those jittery wizards?" Wesley shouted. "No, I will not go. I demand that we leave right now, or there will be-"
"Stupefy!"
The hex came out of nowhere, and soon Wesley was laying out cold on the floor before us. I turned incredulous eyes to face Snape, who held his wand in his right hand. Angel gave a growl and I barely had time to stop him from choking the daylights out of Snape.
"What did you do?" Angel roared in anger.
"He's far too agitated to listen to any of us," Snape shot back. "This way he can be moved and restrained later on, if need be."
"Listen you slimy little-"
"That's enough!" I held up my hands for peace. "Angel, though not the best way of doing it, Snape is right. Wesley wouldn't have listened to us, and at least we can get him to the infirmary now. We could stand around and argue some more, but we really need to get back to that spot and see if there's any of that pollen to be salvaged."
"Way ahead of you, pet," Spike interjected with a smirk. He held reached into the pocket of his duster and withdrew a folded up piece of paper. "Now, don't get any on your skin. Wouldn't want you to end up like the rest, now would we?"
I accepted the paper with awe. I smiled at Spike and gave him a quick hug.
"Spike, you're the best!"
The vampire smirked, but brushed off my compliment. "I already knew that, ducks."
~*~
"Just say it already."
Snape glared at me and refused to speak. "You'll feel better once you do," I promised him.
"I sincerely doubt that," he retorted.
"Just say it, you big git," Spike called out from somewhere next to Fawkes. "You bloody well know that you have to, so just do it."
"This is ridiculous," Snape said. "Angelus, control your employees."
"Spike doesn't work for me," was all Angel had to say.
"Come on," I needled him. "I don't have all day. Just say it."
Snape looked like I had just asked for his firstborn. He refused to meet my eyes, instead letting his gaze wander around the room. I assumed he found no support from Albus or Minerva, because he gave a frustrated sigh soon after. I just stood there with my arms folded over my chest, content to wait as long as it took for him to do it.
"Your Muggle science has its uses," Snape finally managed to get out. I giggled at the look of self-loathing that came over his face as he said it, and as usual, he took offence. "That's quite enough out of you, Miss Burkle. You have our thanks. Does that not suffice?"
"Not entirely," I replied cheekily. "Say the rest."
Snape glowered, but for one moment I thought I saw the corner of his lips twitch like he was withholding laughter. "Very well, you were right, I was wrong. Are you satisfied?"
"You could apologize to Angel and Spike for all the means comments you made this week," I suggested.
"Don't push it," was his reply.
"I do agree with Severus," Albus spoke up. "You do have our thanks, all of you. Without your aid, I do not know if we could have solved this mystery."
"Imagine, a demon like that in our Forest," Minerva looked uneasy. "So close to the students."
"I'm surprised none of you lot noticed it before," Spike stated. "It's a giant hairless anteater with holes in its snout. Kind of sticks out, you know?"
"Well, in all fairness, the Wuogi-tiant didn't actually come up to anyone," Wesley said. "Though I'm still curious as to what on earth could have flattened the creature to such an extent as to force all of its venom out of its body. I saw the footprint. Whatever did it had to be twenty-feet tall at least."
Hagrid at this point looked very comfortable, and I saw Albus give him a sly wink before returning to the conversation. "Indeed, quite a puzzle. But as for your departure, are you sure you cannot stay longer? The children do enjoy having you around."
"I'm sure the girls love having these guys around," I giggled. "But we do have to get back. We can't leave Charles and Lorne in charge of the offices forever."
"The blighter probably already took the opportunity to redecorate everything," Spike said with distaste. "Everything's going to be bright and neon when we get back."
"And on that note, I'm ready to leave," Angel said, shaking Albus's hand heartily. "Good to see you again, Albus. If you ever need help with Tom, let us know. We'll be more than glad to come back."
"I'll keep it in mind," Albus assured him before handing Angel what had to be the portal-key thingy. We all said our goodbyes quickly, Snape more briskly than the others, and I joined my friends in placing a hand on the rubber chicken that was going to get us home. I didn't even want to know where Albus got this thing from. Angel activated the device and soon we were on our way.
When my feet touched the ground again, we were in Angel's office. Charles and Lorne were there, with an armload of Chinese food each. I grinned at the sight, gratefully taking some chicken from Charles before collapsing into the nearest chair.
"So, how was it?" I heard Lorne ask.
"Okay, if you ignored that Potions prat Snape," Spike replied.
"He wasn't that bad," I said before another word could be exchanged.
"Please Fred," Angel said in disbelief. "He was the worst to you."
"Yeah, but still, he wasn't that bad," I insisted. "We kind of got along at the end."
"Give me a break," Spike scoffed. "That bloke is just all black robes and brood, pet."
I grinned and turned my attention to my food. "True, but I like that in a man."
~*~