The Ten Knut Tour
The new girl was waiting downstairs. Pevensie hurried down the steps of the staircase. She had tried to tell Buffy and Willow that she didn’t think placing Verity Moody with her was such a good idea. They wouldn’t hear it. She just hoped Verity didn’t mind not having any friends because her hanging around Pevensie would not endear her to anyone. Things had changed since Faith had been here, but Meredith was still a bit cold to her. Alice and Hiran were going where Meredith did, but sometimes Alice would forget and talk to Pevensie like she used to.
As she got closer to the lounge where Verity was waiting, she heard someone playing something deep and dark and classical and depressing on the small, out-of-tune upright piano that had come with the house. Nobody played it very much, and it was a little surprising to hear someone playing it now.
She nodded and smiled at Daisy, who waved at her as she entered the lounge.
Verity Moody had pulled the piano around from where it sat facing the corner, and had it situated so that she could keep an eye on the door; Pevensie could only see the other girl’s head, and from the looks of it, there hadn’t been much door watching going on, as Verity’s eyes were closed as she hammered on the keys, wincing at the notes that were further out of tune than the others.
Verity’s frizzy dishwater blonde hair was up in a loose bun held together by what appeared to be purple wooden knitting needles and her wand. The wand was in sideways so the handle was accessible from her right.
“If they know somebody would play, I’m sure they’d have the instrument tuned,” Pevensie said.
The witch’s eyes snapped open, and she hit the wrong note.
The older slayer moved slowly, eyeing the other girl. “I’m Pevensie Karlsen. Are you Verity Moody?”
Verity studied the other girl. She was tall and reed thin. Her blonde hair had pink chunks in it and she was wearing a Weird Sisters t-shirt, a leopard print miniskirt and the biggest black boots Verity had ever seen. Pevensie also had bright green over the knee socks sticking out of the top of said ginormous boots.
“I am,” the younger Moody said cautiously, rising from the piano bench. “Violet told me that you’d be something of a training partner.”
“I tried to get you someone else,” Pevensie said. “Not that I don’t want someone to train with, and not that I don’t think you’d be just fine for training with me, but I’m... people don’t like me. You stand a good chance of maybe getting beat up standing next to me. Just a warning.”
Verity smirked at that. “You do know who my granddad is, yeah? He’s been training me, and I can hold my own against Violet. I’d like to see them try to beat me up.” Her smile broadened a bit at that. She closed the keyboard cover and came out from behind the piano.
She was wearing what she’d normally be wearing at school, only with a few changes. Instead of the knee socks, she had on black tights, and she had forgone the sweater vest and tie. Her blouse was not tucked into her skirt, and she was wearing the clunkiest pair of mary janes Pevensie had ever seen.
Pevensie raised a brow. “All right. Fair enough. It’s good you’re not afraid to throw down.”
“Don’t let her fool you.”
Pevensie turned to see Meredith walking in.
“She’s more popular than she thinks she is. I’m Meredith Spencer Burrows Kensington. It’s a pleasure to meet you. You couldn’t have a finer training partner. Especially if you wish to be proficient in short staff.”
Pevensie smiled slightly. “But if you want proper fencing training, Meredith is your girl.”
Meredith smiled back at her. “Will you come back to the room now? Stop staying with Draco?”
Pevensie knew an olive branch when she saw one and jumped upon it. “Yes.”
“Good. Be certain to take her round the library next time Luna is here so she can meet the crups. It was very nice to meet you. Take care of my best friend.”
“Lovely to have met you too, Meredith.” Verity watched the other girl leave the room.
She turned to Pevensie. “You bunk with the other girls?”
“Three others. Meredith you just met. She came from a girls’ prep school near London, I think. Muggle, since I know you’re a witch and stuff. Then there’s Alice and Hiran. Alice is American like me. I think she’s from Nebraska. Or some state where they grow things like grain or corn or something. Maybe Iowa? Possibly Kansas? Anyhow, Hiran is from India. She’s so pretty and she wears a sari all the time. Even when she fights. Alice is kind of weird, but she was the first person to be nice to me.”
Now Pevensie was feeling a little bad for ignoring her friends. Even if she did think it was to protect them.
“But yeah, lots of us bunk together. We also have movie night which you are welcome to join. Just ignore Draco. He’s my watcher and he’s... well... well, hey, you came from Hogwarts so you’ll get it. He’s a Slytherin, but in a cool way, not an ‘I’m going to follow a dark wizard and kill people’ way.”
Verity giggled. “I was a Ravenclaw. I still am, I guess. Most of the Slytherins in my year were either sulky, brutish, spoiled, or some combination of the three. They all think they’re better than the rest of us, though... Even after they’ve left school and have grown up.”
“Draco’s not like that. He doesn’t think he’s better than anybody, and he tries really hard to be normal. It just doesn’t always work. And he can be really sarcastic and nasty when he wants to be. His best friend is dating Hannah Abbott. She’s the one that makes the cookies. She used to be the Ministry liaison, but now she’s going to be a watcher. Meredith’s watcher, in fact. And Mac, she’s a slayer too, is seeing my boss. He delivers all the herbs and plants Willow uses.”
Verity had done her research during the weeks she’d been allowed to stay at the school, and knew which houses the wizarding staff at the council had been in, and everyone knew that Neville Longbottom had been a Gryffindor. She could see that if she didn’t give Draco Malfoy a chance, it would make Pevensie dislike her, and after the majority of her friends had abandoned her when she’d started crushing doorknobs with her bare hands, she didn’t think that making her new schoolmates angry was a good way to make new friends. “Okay, I’ll form my own opinion of Mr. Malfoy, but his reputation precedes him, and it will be difficult to ignore it.”
“But you’ve only read about him in books and stuff. He’s not like that anymore. Everybody wants Draco as their watcher. He even took me shopping once and I’ve met his parents, and even though he doesn’t like Neville, he lets me work for him. He’s also not been saying an instant no when we discuss the crossbow now.”
Verity grinned cheekily. “I also have Granddad’s assessment of him... He remains suspicious. Like I said, I’ll give him a chance. If you think that the sun shines out of his arse, then he must not be all bad. Besides, Granddad is a bit stuck in the mud. He won’t even entertain me starting with the crossbow yet, and I’m not that far behind you in age.”
“I don’t think the sun shines out of his ass,” Pevensie groused. “He locked me in a crypt of vampires once as a training exercise. Nobody around here is like they are on paper. Hell, your granddad would likely want to put Faith down, and she’s one of the best. There’s a lot of folks around here who didn’t always play for the light. Wait until you meet Anya. Also, what are you feelings on werewolves?”
The witch shrugged. “One used to babysit me when I was little. You ever hear of Remus Lupin?” She paused. “Of course you’ve heard of Reums Lupin. Sorry. That was a silly question. No, the few I’ve met have been lovely people. Don’t think I won’t throw a stunner or five at one if he’s trying to eat me during a full moon, though.”
Her face got red. “Er... that is to say, kill me.” Deflecting attention away from her short trip into the gutter, she asked, “Did he really lock you in a crypt with a bunch of vampires? I’m kind of surprised that Granddad hasn’t done something like that to me. The worst he’s done is this thing where he starts shooting stinging hexes at me, and I’m meant to dodge them. He won’t let me use my wand, either.”
Pevensie giggled about the eating remark.
“Oh my gosh, I hate Draco’s wand. He’s so fast. Sure I know who Remus Lupin was. So you know Teddy then? His grandma Andromeda comes by to visit Giles a lot. She’s Draco’s aunt. I ask about the werewolves because we have a watcher that’s one, and um, my boyfriend is... one.”
Verity’s features darkened for an instant at the mention of a boyfriend. “Er... No, I’ve not met Teddy yet, but Andromeda is over now and again; most of the Stone Circle have been by at some point or other.”
Pevensie noted the other girl had made a face, but she didn’t pursue it. If Verity wanted to share, she would.
“So... you’ve met Mac’s grandma? I’ve only heard about her. Is she scary?”
Verity snickered. “Nessa isn’t scary, unless you’ve done something really bad. Normally, she’s just very Scottish.”
“Sounds like Mac,” Pevensie said. “So... want to see the training room? Lame, I know, but it’s that or I show you the gardens.”
“I’ve seen the training room, actually. I’m intimately familiar with the floor mats and the ceiling. Violet has been beating me in our sparring more than half the time, still. The gardens sound lovely. I never was one for herbology, but I did fairly well in potions.”
“Gardens it is then,” Pevensie said.
She’d take her out to the fallen wall. They’d just added George Bunting’s name to it. Sure, it was kind of creepy, but it was also part of slayer history. Several people looked at them curiously as they walked by, but no one really said anything. As the started out across the lawn, Pevensie saw Alice on the grass playing with her dog.
“Hi, Alice.”
“Oh are we talking again? Meredith said we were talking again, and I’ve missed talking to you.”
Alice hugged her then. She’d been hugging everyone since her watcher got killed. She noticed Verity then.
“Oh, you’re new. Hello, I’m Alice.”
Alice tried to hug her and Pevensie stopped her. “Maybe let a girl get settled in and know a bit about you before you start handing out hugs, yeah, Alice?”
“Oh right,” Alice giggled. “I forget sometimes.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Alice,” Verity responded. She was looking at the other girl warily, expecting another hug to appear without warning. While she was not as paranoid as her great-grandfather, she didn’t like to have hands where she couldn’t see them until there was some level of trust present.
“You should come to movie night,” Alice said. “We’re going to make Draco watch Pretty Woman this time. He’ll hate it. Who wants to take bets that he gets really offended when they won’t let her shop?”
“Good-bye, Alice,” Pevensie said.
“Oh all right, but she’s totally invited to movie night. Come on, Bacon.”
Pevensie watched as Alice left. “I don’t know what to say about Alice. She’s been even more weird than usual since her watcher got killed.”
“That wasn’t THAT weird,” Verity commented. “I’ve seen stranger.”
“Just wait until she starts talking about cutting people. And I still can’t believe she named that poor dog Bacon of all things.”
Pevensie trudged to the small area with the wall and the gravesites.
“It’s morbid, I know, but I come out here to think. These are all the slayers and people they’ve lost.”
Pevensie touched Kendra’s name like she usually did.
Verity was familiar with this sort of scene. There was one out near the pippin orchard at home. It was where her family was buried. All of them except for her, and her granddad.
“Did you know her?”
“No,” Pevensie said. “I’ve just read about her. She was called when Buffy died the first time. They were friends. The vampire Drusilla killed her when the vampire Angelus was trying to use a demon named Acathla to send the world into hell. I’ve read most of the watcher’s journals. I like the history there. It makes me feel in touch with what I am.”
Verity merely nodded. She walked down the row of headstones silently.
Calendar.
Summers.
Maclay.
The dates on the markers began getting closer and closer. The last several all died on the same day in May of 2003. Several stones with the same date was also a familiar sight.
At least it hadn’t been Christmas Eve.
“What happened this day?” Verity knelt down looked at a headstone. Her eyebrows furrowed as she read the name. “And why is there a stone with Mr. Giles’ secretary’s name on it?”
“They closed the hellmouth that was in California. It was when Willow released the essence of the slayer. She’s tied to all of us now because of it. They were fighting something called The First, as in the first evil, a lot of people died. Anya was one of them. A demon brought her back later. It was a huge battle, though. Almost as big as Los Angeles. I snuck into that battle. Draco was super pissed off, but it was the first time I’d seen what everyone could do... Faith and Buffy fighting side by side is a pretty awesome sight. And there was an dragon.”
Pevensie knew she sounded goofy when she talked about battles, but LA had been epic for her. It had really pushed her into wanting to know what this slayer stuff was all about.
She’d heard about the day they closed the Sunnydale hellmouth. She’d heard about the day that Angelus and his associates had brought down the circle of the black thorn.
They had just been stories until now.
“Did anyone ever find out what sort of dragon it was?” She was quiet.
“Black and fang-y? I think it had slipped out from another dimension. Head still came off in the end.”
“Dragons are really tricky. Must have been quite a battle.” She stood up suddenly and asked, “So. Where next on the tour?
“How much do you eat? Because I think you need to know where the kitchen is. The house elves always have snacks and sandwiches at the ready. Willow doesn’t really like anyone eating in their rooms, but that rule’s not enforced. The greenhouses are that way, but since you said you didn’t do well at that herb stuff, I was thinking you wouldn’t be interested.”
Verity shrugged. “It’s there if I need it. I’ve heard that Neville Longbottom comes and brings the wizarding plants by for potions, so I’m assuming that most everything in there is more mundane. As for the kitchens, I think that is a capital idea.” She grinned. “Every time I train, I end up eating enough food to feed a small village for a week.”
“That’s why the greenhouses. Not just mundane medicine-y stuff. We grow our own food too. This way,” Pevensie said motioning her towards the back of the house. “Just one thing, if something in one of the fridge’s has Buffy’s name on it, do not eat it. Especially if it’s ice cream. Double especially if it is chocolate ice cream. She will hurt you. There’s been a lot of ice cream lately and I think it has something to do with Healer Nott. I think they have a thing. He’s a necromancer. We just found out, but he’s cool. Some of the girls are afraid of him now, but I still go when I get hurt.”
Pevensie was starting to hurt her head. She wondered in the other girl had gotten into the aforementioned ice cream, what with all of the mental jumping around she’d been doing. “Sounds to me like a handy ability to have in a medic,” Verity commented noncommittally. “And I’ll be sure to stay out of Buffy’s ice cream. Not the best way to make friends, eating their food for them.”
"Yeah she gets sort of cranky about it," Pevensie said, not really sure what to say next.
“Has Mr. Malfoy or your bloke taken to to Fortesque’s in Diagon Alley? My mum used to take me when I was a wee thing, but I haven’t been there in ages. Not since the m...” she paused for an instant and changed her mind as to what she wanted to say. “Not since my parents died. Anyway, I heard that there was an Italian in there now... I think that Mr. Fortesque was killed by death eaters.”
“Um, no,” Pevensie said. “But Rowan’s taken me to Three Broomsticks and all over Hogsmeade. He lives there with his mum. And the MacDougals are pretty great. Mac’s older brother wears a kilt like all the time.”
Pevensie didn’t know what to say about Verity’s parents. She’d never known her own.
“We get to go to Diagon Alley if someone knows. They let us. We could go and check it out. I’ve patrolled a few times in Knockturn Alley. Draco gets really mad when I do that though.”
“I’ll just bet. The last time I wandered down there, I thought that granddad was going to spontaneously combust,” Verity told her.
Pevensie shifted uncomfortably.
“I’m... I’m sorry about your parents. I never knew mine. I don’t even know who my Dad was except that I think his last name was Pevensie and that’s why I got saddled with it for a first name. My mom left me. I don’t remember her. And my foster parents were jerks, so I wasn’t too busted up when vampires got them. Maybe that’s not nice, but they weren’t nice to me and they drank a way lot.”
Pevensie hoped by sharing these things that Verity would realize she didn’t have to play everything so close to the vest. She was very closed off and guarded, which wasn’t a bad thing, but she would have to trust someone at some point.
Verity knew what the other girl was trying to do, but she just wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. All her life, she hadn’t actually had to tell anyone -- with the exception of confirming what someone had heard -- that her family was decimated in 3 separate events, each lasting no longer than five minutes. She’d always had the pure-bloods’ and half-bloods’ -- who had all known even before meeting her -- pity, and the muggle-borns’ once they’d heard the gruesome tales from their classmates.
It was refreshing not having that here. While Pevensie now knew about her parents, there was more of a sense of commiseration, and not pity. If Pevensie was any sort of indicator, then there was a good chance that the others would react in much the same way. She would have to feel the others out before making the stories public knowledge.
“I think you may have had the better part of that deal, then.” She decided to keep the story to herself for the time being; the other girl was awfully chatty about Draco Malfoy, and she was certain that he would not have wanted her telling anything to a protege of Mad-Eye Moody. “What do you say we see if there is any chocolate ice cream without Buffy’s name on it?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Pevensie said.
As she got closer to the lounge where Verity was waiting, she heard someone playing something deep and dark and classical and depressing on the small, out-of-tune upright piano that had come with the house. Nobody played it very much, and it was a little surprising to hear someone playing it now.
She nodded and smiled at Daisy, who waved at her as she entered the lounge.
Verity Moody had pulled the piano around from where it sat facing the corner, and had it situated so that she could keep an eye on the door; Pevensie could only see the other girl’s head, and from the looks of it, there hadn’t been much door watching going on, as Verity’s eyes were closed as she hammered on the keys, wincing at the notes that were further out of tune than the others.
Verity’s frizzy dishwater blonde hair was up in a loose bun held together by what appeared to be purple wooden knitting needles and her wand. The wand was in sideways so the handle was accessible from her right.
“If they know somebody would play, I’m sure they’d have the instrument tuned,” Pevensie said.
The witch’s eyes snapped open, and she hit the wrong note.
The older slayer moved slowly, eyeing the other girl. “I’m Pevensie Karlsen. Are you Verity Moody?”
Verity studied the other girl. She was tall and reed thin. Her blonde hair had pink chunks in it and she was wearing a Weird Sisters t-shirt, a leopard print miniskirt and the biggest black boots Verity had ever seen. Pevensie also had bright green over the knee socks sticking out of the top of said ginormous boots.
“I am,” the younger Moody said cautiously, rising from the piano bench. “Violet told me that you’d be something of a training partner.”
“I tried to get you someone else,” Pevensie said. “Not that I don’t want someone to train with, and not that I don’t think you’d be just fine for training with me, but I’m... people don’t like me. You stand a good chance of maybe getting beat up standing next to me. Just a warning.”
Verity smirked at that. “You do know who my granddad is, yeah? He’s been training me, and I can hold my own against Violet. I’d like to see them try to beat me up.” Her smile broadened a bit at that. She closed the keyboard cover and came out from behind the piano.
She was wearing what she’d normally be wearing at school, only with a few changes. Instead of the knee socks, she had on black tights, and she had forgone the sweater vest and tie. Her blouse was not tucked into her skirt, and she was wearing the clunkiest pair of mary janes Pevensie had ever seen.
Pevensie raised a brow. “All right. Fair enough. It’s good you’re not afraid to throw down.”
“Don’t let her fool you.”
Pevensie turned to see Meredith walking in.
“She’s more popular than she thinks she is. I’m Meredith Spencer Burrows Kensington. It’s a pleasure to meet you. You couldn’t have a finer training partner. Especially if you wish to be proficient in short staff.”
Pevensie smiled slightly. “But if you want proper fencing training, Meredith is your girl.”
Meredith smiled back at her. “Will you come back to the room now? Stop staying with Draco?”
Pevensie knew an olive branch when she saw one and jumped upon it. “Yes.”
“Good. Be certain to take her round the library next time Luna is here so she can meet the crups. It was very nice to meet you. Take care of my best friend.”
“Lovely to have met you too, Meredith.” Verity watched the other girl leave the room.
She turned to Pevensie. “You bunk with the other girls?”
“Three others. Meredith you just met. She came from a girls’ prep school near London, I think. Muggle, since I know you’re a witch and stuff. Then there’s Alice and Hiran. Alice is American like me. I think she’s from Nebraska. Or some state where they grow things like grain or corn or something. Maybe Iowa? Possibly Kansas? Anyhow, Hiran is from India. She’s so pretty and she wears a sari all the time. Even when she fights. Alice is kind of weird, but she was the first person to be nice to me.”
Now Pevensie was feeling a little bad for ignoring her friends. Even if she did think it was to protect them.
“But yeah, lots of us bunk together. We also have movie night which you are welcome to join. Just ignore Draco. He’s my watcher and he’s... well... well, hey, you came from Hogwarts so you’ll get it. He’s a Slytherin, but in a cool way, not an ‘I’m going to follow a dark wizard and kill people’ way.”
Verity giggled. “I was a Ravenclaw. I still am, I guess. Most of the Slytherins in my year were either sulky, brutish, spoiled, or some combination of the three. They all think they’re better than the rest of us, though... Even after they’ve left school and have grown up.”
“Draco’s not like that. He doesn’t think he’s better than anybody, and he tries really hard to be normal. It just doesn’t always work. And he can be really sarcastic and nasty when he wants to be. His best friend is dating Hannah Abbott. She’s the one that makes the cookies. She used to be the Ministry liaison, but now she’s going to be a watcher. Meredith’s watcher, in fact. And Mac, she’s a slayer too, is seeing my boss. He delivers all the herbs and plants Willow uses.”
Verity had done her research during the weeks she’d been allowed to stay at the school, and knew which houses the wizarding staff at the council had been in, and everyone knew that Neville Longbottom had been a Gryffindor. She could see that if she didn’t give Draco Malfoy a chance, it would make Pevensie dislike her, and after the majority of her friends had abandoned her when she’d started crushing doorknobs with her bare hands, she didn’t think that making her new schoolmates angry was a good way to make new friends. “Okay, I’ll form my own opinion of Mr. Malfoy, but his reputation precedes him, and it will be difficult to ignore it.”
“But you’ve only read about him in books and stuff. He’s not like that anymore. Everybody wants Draco as their watcher. He even took me shopping once and I’ve met his parents, and even though he doesn’t like Neville, he lets me work for him. He’s also not been saying an instant no when we discuss the crossbow now.”
Verity grinned cheekily. “I also have Granddad’s assessment of him... He remains suspicious. Like I said, I’ll give him a chance. If you think that the sun shines out of his arse, then he must not be all bad. Besides, Granddad is a bit stuck in the mud. He won’t even entertain me starting with the crossbow yet, and I’m not that far behind you in age.”
“I don’t think the sun shines out of his ass,” Pevensie groused. “He locked me in a crypt of vampires once as a training exercise. Nobody around here is like they are on paper. Hell, your granddad would likely want to put Faith down, and she’s one of the best. There’s a lot of folks around here who didn’t always play for the light. Wait until you meet Anya. Also, what are you feelings on werewolves?”
The witch shrugged. “One used to babysit me when I was little. You ever hear of Remus Lupin?” She paused. “Of course you’ve heard of Reums Lupin. Sorry. That was a silly question. No, the few I’ve met have been lovely people. Don’t think I won’t throw a stunner or five at one if he’s trying to eat me during a full moon, though.”
Her face got red. “Er... that is to say, kill me.” Deflecting attention away from her short trip into the gutter, she asked, “Did he really lock you in a crypt with a bunch of vampires? I’m kind of surprised that Granddad hasn’t done something like that to me. The worst he’s done is this thing where he starts shooting stinging hexes at me, and I’m meant to dodge them. He won’t let me use my wand, either.”
Pevensie giggled about the eating remark.
“Oh my gosh, I hate Draco’s wand. He’s so fast. Sure I know who Remus Lupin was. So you know Teddy then? His grandma Andromeda comes by to visit Giles a lot. She’s Draco’s aunt. I ask about the werewolves because we have a watcher that’s one, and um, my boyfriend is... one.”
Verity’s features darkened for an instant at the mention of a boyfriend. “Er... No, I’ve not met Teddy yet, but Andromeda is over now and again; most of the Stone Circle have been by at some point or other.”
Pevensie noted the other girl had made a face, but she didn’t pursue it. If Verity wanted to share, she would.
“So... you’ve met Mac’s grandma? I’ve only heard about her. Is she scary?”
Verity snickered. “Nessa isn’t scary, unless you’ve done something really bad. Normally, she’s just very Scottish.”
“Sounds like Mac,” Pevensie said. “So... want to see the training room? Lame, I know, but it’s that or I show you the gardens.”
“I’ve seen the training room, actually. I’m intimately familiar with the floor mats and the ceiling. Violet has been beating me in our sparring more than half the time, still. The gardens sound lovely. I never was one for herbology, but I did fairly well in potions.”
“Gardens it is then,” Pevensie said.
She’d take her out to the fallen wall. They’d just added George Bunting’s name to it. Sure, it was kind of creepy, but it was also part of slayer history. Several people looked at them curiously as they walked by, but no one really said anything. As the started out across the lawn, Pevensie saw Alice on the grass playing with her dog.
“Hi, Alice.”
“Oh are we talking again? Meredith said we were talking again, and I’ve missed talking to you.”
Alice hugged her then. She’d been hugging everyone since her watcher got killed. She noticed Verity then.
“Oh, you’re new. Hello, I’m Alice.”
Alice tried to hug her and Pevensie stopped her. “Maybe let a girl get settled in and know a bit about you before you start handing out hugs, yeah, Alice?”
“Oh right,” Alice giggled. “I forget sometimes.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Alice,” Verity responded. She was looking at the other girl warily, expecting another hug to appear without warning. While she was not as paranoid as her great-grandfather, she didn’t like to have hands where she couldn’t see them until there was some level of trust present.
“You should come to movie night,” Alice said. “We’re going to make Draco watch Pretty Woman this time. He’ll hate it. Who wants to take bets that he gets really offended when they won’t let her shop?”
“Good-bye, Alice,” Pevensie said.
“Oh all right, but she’s totally invited to movie night. Come on, Bacon.”
Pevensie watched as Alice left. “I don’t know what to say about Alice. She’s been even more weird than usual since her watcher got killed.”
“That wasn’t THAT weird,” Verity commented. “I’ve seen stranger.”
“Just wait until she starts talking about cutting people. And I still can’t believe she named that poor dog Bacon of all things.”
Pevensie trudged to the small area with the wall and the gravesites.
“It’s morbid, I know, but I come out here to think. These are all the slayers and people they’ve lost.”
Pevensie touched Kendra’s name like she usually did.
Verity was familiar with this sort of scene. There was one out near the pippin orchard at home. It was where her family was buried. All of them except for her, and her granddad.
“Did you know her?”
“No,” Pevensie said. “I’ve just read about her. She was called when Buffy died the first time. They were friends. The vampire Drusilla killed her when the vampire Angelus was trying to use a demon named Acathla to send the world into hell. I’ve read most of the watcher’s journals. I like the history there. It makes me feel in touch with what I am.”
Verity merely nodded. She walked down the row of headstones silently.
Calendar.
Summers.
Maclay.
The dates on the markers began getting closer and closer. The last several all died on the same day in May of 2003. Several stones with the same date was also a familiar sight.
At least it hadn’t been Christmas Eve.
“What happened this day?” Verity knelt down looked at a headstone. Her eyebrows furrowed as she read the name. “And why is there a stone with Mr. Giles’ secretary’s name on it?”
“They closed the hellmouth that was in California. It was when Willow released the essence of the slayer. She’s tied to all of us now because of it. They were fighting something called The First, as in the first evil, a lot of people died. Anya was one of them. A demon brought her back later. It was a huge battle, though. Almost as big as Los Angeles. I snuck into that battle. Draco was super pissed off, but it was the first time I’d seen what everyone could do... Faith and Buffy fighting side by side is a pretty awesome sight. And there was an dragon.”
Pevensie knew she sounded goofy when she talked about battles, but LA had been epic for her. It had really pushed her into wanting to know what this slayer stuff was all about.
She’d heard about the day they closed the Sunnydale hellmouth. She’d heard about the day that Angelus and his associates had brought down the circle of the black thorn.
They had just been stories until now.
“Did anyone ever find out what sort of dragon it was?” She was quiet.
“Black and fang-y? I think it had slipped out from another dimension. Head still came off in the end.”
“Dragons are really tricky. Must have been quite a battle.” She stood up suddenly and asked, “So. Where next on the tour?
“How much do you eat? Because I think you need to know where the kitchen is. The house elves always have snacks and sandwiches at the ready. Willow doesn’t really like anyone eating in their rooms, but that rule’s not enforced. The greenhouses are that way, but since you said you didn’t do well at that herb stuff, I was thinking you wouldn’t be interested.”
Verity shrugged. “It’s there if I need it. I’ve heard that Neville Longbottom comes and brings the wizarding plants by for potions, so I’m assuming that most everything in there is more mundane. As for the kitchens, I think that is a capital idea.” She grinned. “Every time I train, I end up eating enough food to feed a small village for a week.”
“That’s why the greenhouses. Not just mundane medicine-y stuff. We grow our own food too. This way,” Pevensie said motioning her towards the back of the house. “Just one thing, if something in one of the fridge’s has Buffy’s name on it, do not eat it. Especially if it’s ice cream. Double especially if it is chocolate ice cream. She will hurt you. There’s been a lot of ice cream lately and I think it has something to do with Healer Nott. I think they have a thing. He’s a necromancer. We just found out, but he’s cool. Some of the girls are afraid of him now, but I still go when I get hurt.”
Pevensie was starting to hurt her head. She wondered in the other girl had gotten into the aforementioned ice cream, what with all of the mental jumping around she’d been doing. “Sounds to me like a handy ability to have in a medic,” Verity commented noncommittally. “And I’ll be sure to stay out of Buffy’s ice cream. Not the best way to make friends, eating their food for them.”
"Yeah she gets sort of cranky about it," Pevensie said, not really sure what to say next.
“Has Mr. Malfoy or your bloke taken to to Fortesque’s in Diagon Alley? My mum used to take me when I was a wee thing, but I haven’t been there in ages. Not since the m...” she paused for an instant and changed her mind as to what she wanted to say. “Not since my parents died. Anyway, I heard that there was an Italian in there now... I think that Mr. Fortesque was killed by death eaters.”
“Um, no,” Pevensie said. “But Rowan’s taken me to Three Broomsticks and all over Hogsmeade. He lives there with his mum. And the MacDougals are pretty great. Mac’s older brother wears a kilt like all the time.”
Pevensie didn’t know what to say about Verity’s parents. She’d never known her own.
“We get to go to Diagon Alley if someone knows. They let us. We could go and check it out. I’ve patrolled a few times in Knockturn Alley. Draco gets really mad when I do that though.”
“I’ll just bet. The last time I wandered down there, I thought that granddad was going to spontaneously combust,” Verity told her.
Pevensie shifted uncomfortably.
“I’m... I’m sorry about your parents. I never knew mine. I don’t even know who my Dad was except that I think his last name was Pevensie and that’s why I got saddled with it for a first name. My mom left me. I don’t remember her. And my foster parents were jerks, so I wasn’t too busted up when vampires got them. Maybe that’s not nice, but they weren’t nice to me and they drank a way lot.”
Pevensie hoped by sharing these things that Verity would realize she didn’t have to play everything so close to the vest. She was very closed off and guarded, which wasn’t a bad thing, but she would have to trust someone at some point.
Verity knew what the other girl was trying to do, but she just wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. All her life, she hadn’t actually had to tell anyone -- with the exception of confirming what someone had heard -- that her family was decimated in 3 separate events, each lasting no longer than five minutes. She’d always had the pure-bloods’ and half-bloods’ -- who had all known even before meeting her -- pity, and the muggle-borns’ once they’d heard the gruesome tales from their classmates.
It was refreshing not having that here. While Pevensie now knew about her parents, there was more of a sense of commiseration, and not pity. If Pevensie was any sort of indicator, then there was a good chance that the others would react in much the same way. She would have to feel the others out before making the stories public knowledge.
“I think you may have had the better part of that deal, then.” She decided to keep the story to herself for the time being; the other girl was awfully chatty about Draco Malfoy, and she was certain that he would not have wanted her telling anything to a protege of Mad-Eye Moody. “What do you say we see if there is any chocolate ice cream without Buffy’s name on it?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Pevensie said.