Title: Potential
Author: Shannon
Email: angels_soul_1@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Willow/Remus Lupin
Disclaimer: BtVS and A: tS belong to FOX, UPN, WB, And ME. Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling
Distribution: My Site: Shades of Grey (http://www.shadesofgrey.us/) NHA, WLS, FF.Net and Twisting the Hellmouth. Anyone else that has my permission for other fics feel free, anyone else wants it just let me know where it’s going.
Spoilers: Anything through Season 7 of BtVS, Season 4 of A: tS, and Order of the Phoenix for Harry Potter.
Summary: What if Willow’s spell in ‘Chosen’ activated a Slayer at Hogwarts.
Author’s Notes: I want to thank everyone who sent such wonderful feedback and encouragement for ‘The Missing Headmaster’. Made it much easier to ignore the idiot flaming me and to decide to continue in a new fandom for me.
Part 4
Remus Lupin was pacing small office at twelve Grimauld Place. They had received an owl from Rupert Giles yesterday. He had agreed that if Hermione was showing signs of being a slayer she needed training, and that it wasn’t advisable to take her out of Hogwarts at this time. He said he could send three people to train her. Two had been working with Buffy Summers for the last seven years. The other was Dawn Summers, Buffy’s younger sister. They would be ready to leave by the end of the week.
Lupin had, of course, immediately informed Dumbledore of the letter. They had talked for a long time about the situation. They had also informed the other members of the Order. In the end it was agreed that Dumbledore would contact Rupert Giles to make the final arrangements for their guests’ arrival. Room would also be made for them at Hogwarts.
Lupin had been concerned with the idea that these people were not much older than Hermione. He wasn’t sure it was advisable to bring in three more children that may need protection. Dumbledore and Moody both said they had heard of Willow Rosenberg. She was a very powerful, if untrained, witch. Both men had also heard of Buffy Summers. She was one of the most well known slayers, as well as one of the oldest. If Rupert Giles said these people had worked with her they would be more than capable of taking care of themselves.
The task of telling Hermione about the new guests and why they were coming here was given to Lupin. It had been agreed that she should be told before their arrival, to give her time to adjust to this information. She needed to be told, of course, but he wasn’t sure how she would take this news. It would at least give her an explanation for her sudden strength, but it would also give her even more responsibility than she already had. Like Harry, Hermione and Ron had been forced into more responsibilities than children there age should have to face. Sighing he opened the door to go in search of the girl.
He found her rather quickly in the kitchen with Molly. She was supervising several knives that were busily chopping vegetables.
“Hi, Professor Lupin,” She smiled when she saw her former professor.
“Hermione can I speak to you for a moment,” he asked, “Alone?”
“Alright,” she hesitated, she hadn’t broken anything all day, yet he didn’t look happy with her.
“It’s alright dear,” Molly Weasley assured the younger girl, “I can watch those.”
Hermione quickly thanked the older woman and followed Lupin out of the kitchen to the small office.
“Close the door please,” He said as she came in the room. He didn’t want the other children over hearing. This was Hermione’s information to share when and if she chose. Telling the other members of the Order was unavoidable, but the rest was up to her.
“Yes sir,” Hermione nervously closed the door then turned back to him, “Is something wrong Professor?”
“I’ve told you before, as I’ve told the others, I am no longer your professor you can call me Remus,” He said again knowing that she would continue to call him professor just as Harry and Ron insisted on doing.
“Yes sir.”
“Hermione what do you know about Slayers?” He asked, if she already knew some information it would make this easier. Given her interest in books he was hoping that was the case.
“Vampire Slayers,” Hermione frowned, she had read about them but wasn’t sure how much she remembered.
“Yes.”
“They fight vampires, and demons right?” Hermione was trying to remember what she had read, “There’s only one at a time, when one dies a new one is activated. Oh, and the current one lives in the United States right?”
“You know quite a bit then,” Remus smiled at her, she at least knew what they were. Now all he had to do was tell her she was one. “You are mostly accurate. Buffy Summers, the slayer in the States, was involved in a battle a few months ago with something that was trying to destroy the slayer line. In order to fight this thing, her friend performed a spell to activate all the girls, around the world, with the potential to be a slayer.”
Remus stopped giving the girl time to process the information he had just given her. With any luck she would figure out the rest on her own.
“Her friend must have been very powerful,” Hermione said quietly, the slayer had existed for thousands of years with magic allowing only one at a time. A witch that could override that had to be truly amazing.
“Yes, she is,” Remus agreed. Obviously he was going to have to tell her, “Hermione, how long have you had trouble realizing your own strength?”
“Since just before school--,” Hermione stopped and looked at him. Was he saying— “Professor Lupin are you saying that I’m…”
“We believe so. It would explain a lot for you I would imagine.”
“That’s why I keep breaking things? Why I moved so fast when Fred—Is that why when I’m around you I –,” she stopped there, she hadn’t told him or anyone else about that.
“Why you feel different, like there’s danger nearby?”
“Well, yes, I mean I know you aren’t dangerous but…” Hermione blushed.
“No need to be embarrassed. You can no sense a super natural danger which I am,” Lupin assured her, “I don’t know a lot about slayers but I believe you will in time learn to differentiate between something super natural that is a danger and one that isn’t.”
“What’s going to happen to me? Do the others know?”
“Professor Dumbledore, Moody, Tonks, and Molly and Arthur Weasley know. Everyone else will know if and when you tell them,” Lupin assured her, “As for what’s going to happen to you, you need to be trained, taught to use your new powers.”
“So I have to leave here, leave school,” She had read that slayers were removed from their families to be trained.
“No, a friend of mine was—is Buffy Summers watcher. The Watcher’s Council who had traditionally trained Slayers was destroyed. My friend has been trying to locate and train all the new slayers, with the help of several people that know and work with him. He’s sending three here to work with you.”
“They’re going to come here?” Hermione asked, “And to Hogwarts?”
“Yes, I believe they will be arriving this weekend,” Lupin assured her, “Willow Rosenberg, is a witch as well as a friend of the Slayer. There has never been a witch who became a slayer before so no one is certain if it will affect your magic. She is also the woman who activated you. Xander Harris is also a friend of the Slayers. I’ve been assured he is more than capable of working with you and your new powers. And the last person is Dawn Summers, the slayers younger sister. She is your age.”
“Why is she--,” Hermione began Lupin hadn’t offered a reason for the last.
“She will also be assisting with your training, but she lost some people she was close to in the battle I told you about. My friend believes she needs to get away from things for a while and may benefit from having friends her age that she can talk to, without hiding part of her life.”
“It will be nice to have a girlfriend I suppose,” Hermione smiled, she loved Harry and Ron but there were some things you needed to talk to other girls about.
“Well, I’ll leave you to absorb the information. We should be hearing from Professor Dumbledore soon with the final arrangements.” Lupin rose and headed for the door.
“Is it alright if I tell the others?”
“Yes, I just wanted to leave the decision to you.”
“Thank you.” She said quietly as he left the room. She sat thinking about what she had learned and decided she had to tell her friends as quickly as possible and quickly headed out in search of Harry and Ron.
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