Willow and Amy steeled themselves as they stood outside the doors to the
dining room.  They could hear the other students inside and had a feeling
that much of the conversations were focused on what had happened the night
before.  They also knew that they needed to go in eventually, having agreed
with Dumbledore that they needed to keep everything as normal as possible
until their plan to help Buffy took place.  The Headmaster was almost
positive that there was a spy for Voldemort somewhere in the school,
considering the attacks on Harry and the threat on his life.  He didn't
want to take any chances that the dark wizard would get wind that a plot
against him was taking place.
"Ready?" Amy asked, her nervousness apparent in her voice.
"Not really, but do we really have a choice?" Willow replied, trying to
drum up the courage to face the other students.  Angel, Spike and Drusilla
were asleep in the guest quarters and the girls weren't really sure where
Xander was.  They had hoped to at least have him join them for breakfast,
and maybe some of their classes, but the brunette teenager had yet to make
an appearance.
"Unfortunately that would be a no."  Amy took a deep breathe and placed
her hand on the handle of the door.  "Ready or not."
"Let's do it."  The two girls  opened the doors that lead into the large
dining area and all activity stopped as the other students noticed their
arrivals and stared at them.  Willow placed her resolve face, Amy doing the
same, and they made their way to their accustomed seats at the Gryffindor
table with their heads held high.
"Bout time the two of you showed up," the heard a familiar voice say as
they arrived.  "I was afraid you were going to leave me to answer all the
questions about your little love life, Wills."  Amy squealed when she saw
her boyfriend sitting at the table, surrounded by Harry, Ron and Hermoine.
She went over to him and quickly kissed him.
"We thought you might have decided to sleep in with Angel and the
others," Amy said.
"Should have known better than to expect Xander to actually miss a meal,"
Willow teased, taking her seat.  "Can't have that now, can we?"
"Nope," Xander grinned at his oldest friend, still holding Amy close to
him.  "Especially when I haven't had this much home cooking since you're
grandmother came to town when we were eight."
"Yeah, none of us have exactly had the best childhoods, have we?"  Willow
asked.  She noticed that the other students were still staring at the little
group and she turned to face them, every inch the mate of a master vampire.
"What, you've never seen someone eat breakfast before?"  Everyone quickly
turned their attention back to what they were doing and conversations around
the room began again.
"Look out, the Willster is back," Xander quipped, before getting a glare
of his own from Willow.  "Love ya Wills."
"Love ya back, Xand," Willow told him, smiling at her friend.
"SO are Angel and the others all settled in?" Hermoine asked.  The
younger girl had taken a liking to the trio of vampires, much to her
surprise, and was glad that she had gotten a chance to meet them.  Sure,
they were killers, but it was what they did.  What they were.  But they were
nothing like she expected.  She had always thought that vampires had no
emotions, but the trio had completely disproved that theory.  Angel's
obvious love for Willow was apparent to anyone that looked, as was Spike's
devotion to Drusilla.  And the way that the three vampires had gone out of
their way to make sure that her, Harry and Ron were okay with everything
touched her.  She knew that she would never look at vampires the same again.
"Yup, all tucked in and getting some much earned rest," Willow answered.
"And, as much as he said he didn't need it, I wouldn't be surprised if
Angel had fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow."
"Same with Spike and Drusilla," Amy added, before turning to her own
boyfriend.  "What about you?  Are you okay to hang out today or did you
want to catch up on your sleep?"
"I'll be fine," Xander assured her.  "Besides, I've been separated
from you for entirely too long and I refuse to let you out of my sight for
anything longer than a bathroom break, and even then I'm not sure."
"Well, in that case, you're gonna want to use Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
  She doesn't mind having boys in there," Hermoine chirped, causing Ron
and Harry to blush furiously.
"I so don't even want to know," Xander shook his head sadly.  "I really
don't."
"Wait, we do," Fred Weasley inquired.  "What were the two of you doing
in the girl's bathroom?"
"None of your business, Fred," Ron told his brother.
"Oh come on," George whined.  "You've got to tell us.  We've been
listening to Percy moan about how you left last night.  You owe it to us."
Ron was saved from answering by the sudden arrival of owls, bringing letters
and parcels to the students.  Ron groaned when he saw the familiar old owl
with a red letter attached to his leg.
"Should have known Percy told Mum and Dad about last night," Ron moaned.
"Heaven forbid he think I can handle something myself."  Errol, the owl,
deposited the letter in front of Ron.  "I don't want to open it.  How bad
of an explosion to you think it would be if I just left it alone?"
"You might as well get it over with," Hermoine told him, glad that she
didn't have a relative in the Hogwarts to go tell her mother and father
everything that she did.  "It will only get worse if you ignore it." Ron
sighed as he realized that Hermoine was right.  He began to open the letter,
and no sooner had he done so then could his mother's voice be heard
throughout the dining hall.
"RONALD WEASLEY, WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU THINKING.  LETTING A MASTER
VAMPIRE, AND NOT JUST ANY VAMPIRE, BUT DRUSILLA DRINK FROM YOU.  HAVE YOU NO
IDEA OF HOW DANGEROUS THAT WAS.  SHE COULD HAVE KILLED YOU AND YOU WOULDN'T
HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THAT.  AND NOT JUST YOU, BUT HERMOINE
TOO.  AND THEN TO GO OFF WITH THEM, EVEN AFTER PERCY TOLD YOU NOT TOO.  YOU
HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT THOSE CREATURES COULD HAVE DONE TO YOU."
"Hey," Willow squeaked.  "They aren't creatures."
" I THOUGHT YOU HAD MORE BRAINS THAN THAT.  I AM SO DISAPPOINTED IN THE TWO
OF YOU.  I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO DO WITH YOU, RONALD.  AS IT IS, I
WANT YOU TO HAVE NO MORE CONTACT WITH THAT WILLOW GIRL OR HER FRIEND AMY, IF
THIS IS WHAT ASSOCIATING WITH THEM WILL CAUSE YOU TO DO.  YOU'RE JUST LUCKY
THAT YOU WEREN'T HURT SERIOUSLY.  TRUST ME, WHEN YOUR FATHER AND I SEE YOU
NEXT, YOU'LL BE IN FOR IT.  YOU ARE TURNING INTO MORE TROUBLE THAN FRED AND
GEAORGE.  YOU'RE LUCKY WE DON'T JUST REMOVE YOU FROM SCHOOL CONSIDERING
YOU CAN'T SEEM TO KEEP YOURSELF OUT OF TROUBLE.  ONE MORE REPORT OF
SOMETHING LIKE THIS AND YOUR FATHER AND I WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO BRING
YOU HOME."  The letter then disintegrated in a flash and Ron glared over at
Percy, who just stared smugly back.
"You know, I'm glad that this is the last year that we have to put up with
Perfect Percy," Ron said loudly enough for his brother to hear.
"I can't believe she said you were worse than us," George observed
glumly.  "I think I'm insulted."
"Oh, don't worry," Willow assure the twins.  "I'm sure you'll be able
to surpass Ron quickly enough."  The red head looked over at the upset boy.
  "I'm sorry we got you into trouble.  We didn't mean to."
"I know and its not your fault," Ron replied.  "I'm the one that let Dru
drink from me and it was my decision to leave with you all last night, over
Percy's objections.  Its just that..."
"You don't like it that you're mother is disappointed in you," Amy
remarked.  Ron nodded his head.
"Be grateful she even notices ya," Xander told him.  "Heck our parents
don't even care if we're dead or alive."
"Thanks for the entertainment, Weasley," a sneering voice said.  "We
needed a good laugh after last night."
"Bugger off, Malfoy," Ron ordered, picking up on one of Spike's favorite
lines.
"Where are you're vampire friends," Marcus Flint inquired, coming over to
stand beside Willow's chair.  "Is that thing the reason you've been
refusing my polite requests for the presence of your company?"
"Yes, Angel," Willow emphasized her mate's name, "is the reason I've
refused to have anything to do with you, Flint.  Why should I go for chuck
meat when I already have Filet Mignon."
"Ouch, score one for the Willmeister," Xander joked, gaining the
Slytherins' attention.
"Who are you?" Malfoy demanded.  "I don't recognize you from any of our
classes."
"That would be because I wouldn't be in one of your classes," Xander
informed the bully.  "Heck, I don't even want to be in my classes."
Willow and Amy snickered.  "Not one word, you two."
"But Xan, when you open yourself up like that, you should know we've gotta
say something," Willow protested.  "But fine, we won't say anything."
Willow put her best pout face on.
"Okay, someone please tell me why Deadboy wanted you back again?"
"Because I love her," Angel said, wrapping his arms around a surprised
Willow.  He places a kiss on top of her head.
"I thought you were going to get some sleep," she admonished the dark
haired vampire.  "You need to heal."
"I'm fine," he told her.  "Besides, being this close to you, I could
feel your emotions through the bond.  I knew you were nervous and I wanted
to be here for you."  Angel turned cold eyes towards the boy that he had
seen holding Willow the night before.  "Would this be the boy you were
telling me about?"
""Oh yeah," Willow smiled evilly.  "Angel, this is Marcus Flint.  Flint,
this is my mate, Angel."  She watched as the other boy's eyes widened as
he was confronted by the vampire that he had read about for class.
"I understand that you've been after my girl," Angel growled.  Willow
smiled inwardly, recognizing it as only being playful, even though the tone
sounded anything but to the older boy.  "I don't appreciate it when others
go after what is mine."  Flint gulped as Malfoy and some of the other
Slytherins that were with him backed away from the vampire that had yet to
go into game face.  Willow noticed Dumbledore and Professor McGonnigal
coming their way.
"Ummm, Angel, I think we're in trouble."  Angel looked in the direction
that Willow was pointing.
"Is there a problem here," Dumbledore asked, looking between the students
and vampire.
"No problem, sir," Marcus Flint answered.  "I was just making sure that
Willow here was all right with the vampire."
"I assure you Mr. Flint, that Willow is perfectly fine with Angel," the
headmaster replied.  "In fact, I would probably be correct in the
assumption that anyone that tried to interfere with her and Angel's
relationship would be in for quite a surprise."
"That's the truth," Xander muttered.
"Now, why don't you go and get ready for class," Dunbledore gently
ordered.  "Just because we have vampires on our premises, it doesn't mean
that classes have been canceled."  Flint and the others left and Dumbledore
turned his attention back to Willow and Angel.  "I thought we had decided
that you were going to try and get some sleep."
"Its my fault," Willow volunteered, not wanting anything to happen to
Angel.  "Angel felt my nervousness through our bond and he just wanted to
make sure I was okay."  The old wizard smiled kindly at the young girl.
"I figured as much.  I think it might be best if you and Amy just ended up
skipping your classes for today," the headmaster informed the two girls.
"I have a feeling that it will make it easier for the other students if a
vampire wasn't present while they were trying to study.  Besides, you have
a long night ahead of you. You'll need your rest."
"Yes sir," Willow nodded.  "We'll go do that right now."  Willow
grabbed Angel's hand, dragging him out of the dining hall, Amy and Xander
behind them.  They knew that Dumbledore was right.  They would need their
rest if they were going to rescue Buffy from Voldemort.
 

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