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Secret Keepers

Willow was circling him.

Rack was in a chair in a body bind. In the room that they'd put him in earlier. The petite woman was barking
questions at him. How had he found them? How had he gotten into the school? How had he gotten inside
Lily like that? Why?

They were in a dungeon room. It was dark in there and a little dank. Just ripe for interrogation. Severus,
Angel, and Spike sat watching Willow go. Angel had wanted to see because he was getting really strange
vibes from Willow. Now he knew why. Spike had whispered to him that Red was power now, but that was
grossly understated on the blonde's part.

Willow was beginning to get a bit frightening. Her hair had gone black long ago. Her eyes showed no iris
nor white. They were blackened. She had gotten it out of Rack that he'd tortured Amy to find her. That she
was... needed for his new master. Willow didn't even have to ask. She knew it was Voldemort. When he
said that a student had let him in to get to Lily, Willow lost it.

Her skin busted out with dark purple veins, and she let out the screech to end all screams. She dove at
Rack, toppling his chair over.

"Willow!" Angel jumped to his feet.

Spike held him back. Severus was already moving for her.

"Who?" She hissed.

Rack said nothing.

Willow wiggled her fingers above his heart. "I could take a little tour and find out myself."

"Or I could."

Willow looked up.... and gasped. As did Spike and Severus.

Tara was standing in the door way, leaning against the frame with her arms folded across her chest. Her
hair was jet black, and so were her eyes.

"Tara?" Spike whispered.

Willow eyed her suspiciously. "I think you and I need to have a chat."

"I think you might be right." Tara smirked.

Angel sucked in air. There was no doubt that she was related to Spike with THAT face.

"My turn? Good."

She moved in a flash and had Rack out of the chair and hovering in the air before her.

"Tara... luv..." Spike whispered. She was really freaking him out. How in the hell had she been masking this
much power?

"Let's see what you have to say?" Tara said before her fingertips melded into Rack's chest.

He screamed.

"Tara!" Snape barked out, grabbing her and yanking her back.

Tara laughed evilly.

Willow spun on her. She touched Tara's forehead and the black leapt off of the blonde and onto the
redhead.

Tara took some gasping breaths.

"What was that?" Angel asked.

"Someone accidentally borrowed some of my power." Willow said with a suspicious look at Tara. "How did
you do that?"

Tara ignored her. "There's something evil in the school. It let him in. It wasn't a student. It was evil."

"Pet?" Spike said coming to stand next to her.

"There's something in the school... somewhere. I've seen it. It's messing with us... messing with us. Evil and
powerful. It can hide. It wants... Dawn. It wants the key. It wants Willow's power... and it wants Harry dead."
Then she looked at Angel. "And Connor too."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Connor was sitting in the great hall with the tour group. Harry and Ron were playing something called
wizard's chess. As were Lily and Neville. There was a moment of chaos at first when the pieces had moved
and Connor attacked the chess board, but Dawn had explained. Now everything was all right. Sort of. If you
counted that everybody was still looking at him like he was a big old freak for trying to kill chess pieces, then
everything was just grand.

Connor was irritated. There was too much magic in this place. He didn't like it.

Just then someone walked behind him and bumped his back. "Go home, muggle."

Now, Connor didn't know what a muggle was, but he sure as Satan didn't like being nudged in the back that
hard and hissed at. He took to his feet and had the other boy on his back in seconds. The little slip of wood
that boy had taken out of the sleeve of his 'dress' was knocked away before it could be used.

Connor was a bit miffed. He was no vampire. Why did this idiot take a stake out on him? And what a wimpy
stake too. It had been far too twiggy. No craftsmanship at all.

"Don't touch me. Ever."

Dawn came to stand next to him. "Gee, Goyle. Brought low by some 'muggle'. How embarrassing. I'd leave
Connor alone. Did you know his nickname is the Destroyer?" She tapped Connor on the shoulder. "Let him
up."

Connor glared at her.

"Let him up."

Still with the glaring.

"Don't make me make you."

Connor snorted. "You?"

"Tougher than I look, destruco boy."

He raised one brow. Dawn sent a mighty kick into Connor's hip, knocking him to the side. Connor
scrambled to his feet and lunged for her. Dawn dodged him. His eyes went wide. She was fast and
freakishly strong for her size. Connor growled and darted after her. Dawn avoided him.

She ran all over the hall. She ran across the benches, over the tables, crawled under them... Before he knew
it, Connor was laughing a bit. She was so silly, and this was stupid.

But it was fun. He'd chased plenty of things in his life, but he had never chased anything for fun.

He'd almost caught her when something latched onto his back. Connor inhaled. Ginny. He tried to dislodge
her, but she held on like a little monkey.

"Ginny..." Ron whispered in a scandalized tone.

Hermione was snickering. As was Dawn. Connor managed to pluck Ginny off of his back. She squealed
loudly. If the group hadn't been drawing attention before, they certainly were now.

It was then that Hermione entered the fray. It just looked so fun. She grabbed Connor's arm and tried to get
him to turn Ginny loose. She was shocked. He certainly had muscular arms. In no time, Hermione was in
serious predicament. Connor had deposited Ginny in Draco's lap and swung Hermione over his shoulder
as if she was a sack of potatoes that weighed the same as a bag of feathers. She screeched in surprise.
Connor swatted her across her bum for that, producing another scream.

"Oy!" Ron said jumping to his feet.

But, in a VERY bold move, Hermione retaliated by swatting Connor on his rear... since she was hanging
within reach. Connor's eyes went wide in surprise, and he began to feel a bit warm. Was it wrong to have
liked that? A lot.

He swatted her again lightly. Hermione slapped him again. Connor bit back a groan. What in the hell? This
was wickedness. Pure and simple wicked. He shouldn't be liking something like this. It had never been all
tingly when Holtz had spanked him for being insolent or disobedient.

He swatted Hermione yet again, and she started a wild drum solo on his butt cheeks with both hands.
Connor closed his eyes as a slight grin twitched across his mouth.

Then next thing he knew, he'd been attacked. Hermione had been whipped off his shoulder, and Connor
was lying on his back with three girls sitting on top of him. Hermione, Ginny, and Dawn. The three of them
were giggling obscenely.

Connor laid there for a moment before he tried to wrestle them off. So he was fastly discovering that
wrestling when it wasn't with a beast and to the death was quite fun. It was strange. He didn't have fun. It was
sort of against his nature, but he liked this. There was a great deal of squealing and giggling going on, and
he was fairly certain at one point he touched a part of someone he very much should not have.

And he LIKED it.

Then arms wrapped about him from behind, and there was the barest nipping of teeth on his pulse. Connor
freaked out. He screamed and grabbed the body on him flinging it violently away. He saw a flash of black
and white hair in jeans and a sweater roll across the floor before Lily whipped her head up. She had a feral
grin on her face.

"I wanna play."

She didn't even look human. Her teeth had gone all pointy and her eyes were an unnatural green. Connor
snarled at her. Lily snarled back. They rushed at each other like rabid animals. And it was like honest
wrestling, but dirty.

It all happened so fast that by the time anyone had the presence of mind to get their wand out to freeze the
two of them, Lily had her thighs wrapped around Connor's throat. He had one arm snaked around her body
so that his fingers were locked tightly around her throat, ready to rip it out. His short nails were digging into
her flesh.

It was the most turned on Connor had ever been in his entire life.... and he was disgusted with himself for
the sin of it. Lust was a sin. He should not be feeling it for this... this creature. She was not human. Yet her
legs were so tight around his throat, and she kept flexing her thighs. His face was close to that woman's part
of her.... and he could not stop thinking about that.

"What are the two of you doing? Kinky. Stop that. It's not appropriate for a public place."

Everyone looked up as Miss Anya Emerson made her way through the crush of observers to get to Lily and
Connor.

"Now Angels' son, you stop being about to rip her throat out. And Lily, you un-scissor hold his neck. His face
is far to close to your ho ho right now."

Connor released her throat and shoved his hand in between her legs to part her thighs off of him as soon as
she loosened her hold. Both of them jumped to their feet, glaring at one another. Connor refused to
remember how warm and soft her thighs had seemed around his throat. Nope. He was not going to think
about that.

Anya looked from one to the other and nearly laughed out loud. The sexual tension with these two was so
thick you would have needed a chainsaw to get through it. It was really sort of funny. Until Aaron Montague
came to stand next to Lily. Anya scowled as he wrapped his arm around her and whispered into Lily's ear.
Then she noticed Connor scowling as well. Anya grinned at that.

"Connor!"

Everyone turned.

"Dawn! Niblet!"

Angel, Spike, and Willow were rushing into the hall.

"Harry!" Willow shouted.

"What happened?" Angel snapped as he moved to Connor and started checking him for injuries.

For which Connor looking greatly irritated.

"Angel..." Dawn said while brushing Spike off of her. "He's fine. We were just horsing around and Lily got a
bit rough."

"Hey!" Lily snapped.

"Well, you didn't have to bite him."

"I couldn't help myself. He smelled so bitable."

Connor blinked at her with a wide-eyed stare. She'd been... playing? She hadn't been trying to suck his
blood? He wiped the spot of his neck where she'd nipped him. He didn't feel any marks. Connor suddenly
felt a bit foolish for attacking her in what he thought was retaliation. Lily was smirking at him. Her hair was
hanging all about her cute little girlish face. Connor's heart did this weird thing in his chest, and his stomach
suddenly felt as if it hitched lower in his body. And his pants became... uncomfortable? He didn't like this.
She had to be a witch.

Wait a minute.

He was at a witchcraft school. She WAS a witch! She'd bewitched him!

*~*~*~*~*

Willow was sitting on the sofa in the chamber that connected their rooms when Severus walked in wearing
his pajamas and robe.

"Are you coming to bed?"

Willow's answer was to shiver and rub the goose flesh that had cropped up on her arms.

"Willow?"

"I was just thinking about what Tara said. Actually, I was just thinking about Tara."

Severus stiffened.

"Not like that, pervy pants. There's something going on with her. Something she didn't see fit to tell me
about, Sev, and it bothers me."

"You should sleep on it."

"You just wanna get me into bed."

"Well... yes."

Willow smiled and rose off the sofa. "How can I refuse such an offer?"

He enveloped her in a tight hug and kissed the top of her little red head. Severus was so busy thinking
about Tara's secrets that he completely missed the removal of his robe and pajama shirt until cold air and a
warm mouth touched his chest.

"Great Merlin, Rosenberg, what are you doing?"

"If I have to explain it to you..."

She squealed when he scooped her up in to his arms and stalked to his bedroom, kicking the door shut on
his way.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Angel sat in the room he'd been placed in just watching the night sky out the window, a window that had a
hefty drape and some shutters on it. He was glad that Professor McGonagall seemed to be watching out for
him. The room was lovely, a bit big for him, but Cordelia had no problem whatsoever with hers. They were
all in rooms that connected to the common sitting room he was in now. Well, Fred and Cordelia shared a
room. Lorne and Gunn, then himself and Connor.

But Connor wasn't about.

He was hanging around Dawn Summers. Marvel at the bizarre there. His son and Buffy's sister. And let's
not forget about Draco Malfoy. Spike's great great etc. grand nephew. That was just as bizarre. In the back
of his mind, Angel recalled a small tiff Dru had had with Spike once concerning family members who were
still living. He'd dismissed it though.

Then there was Lily. Lily who Connor had already tussled with twice now. Willow as a vampire from that
other dimension. Too strange. And she was human now, but Angel could smell the vampire lingering on her.
It was too strange.

Probably about as strange as an ensouled vampire who'd been in love with a slayer once upon a time.

Yeah, he might not ought to be casting stones.

And that applied to another thing. Wesley. He should not hold things so harshly over Wesley's head. He'd
had some thinking time on his underwater stint this summer. Wes had just been doing what he thought was
right, as he had been with Faith.

And marvel again at THAT thought. Wesley and Faith acting like a watcher and his slayer. And Faith with a
boyfriend? Now that was truly weird, and the kid looked, well, sweet too. Like he'd be nice to her, treat her
very respectfully. Not that Faith deserved any less. It's just that Oliver Wood didn't seem like her type. He
was very.... unscary.

"Knut for your thoughts?"

Angel spun around. "Huh?"

Fred grinned at him. "Knut for your thoughts. They don't use pennies here. Wizard money. Knuts are the little
bronze ones."

Angel smiled at her. "I was just thinking about Faith... and stuff."

"And stuff being Connor... and Wesley?"

"Yes."

"Me too."

"Me three." Cordelia said as she came out in her bathrobe.

"Yeah." Gunn said shuffling out of his room... with Lorne right behind him.

"So the gang's all here."

"Except for Connor." Cordelia said. "Where is he?"

*~*~*~*~*

"This is stupid."

Dawn hit him up the back of his head. "It is not. Now pay attention."

Lily and Draco were sitting back on one of the couches in a semi-secluded part of the Slytherin common
room watching Dawn try to teach Connor how to swish and flick a wand. It was really sort of comical.

"It's like this... swish... and flick..."

Connor groaned. This was really humiliating. She had her arms wrapped around him and one of her hands
over his like he was five and Holtz was trying to teach him the sword again.

"Come on, Connor. Work with me here."

"Dawn, this is stupid. I'm not a magical being."

"Said the son of two vampires..."

"Dawn..."

"What if you are? I didn't know until... bam! One day I tried something, and it happened. And then I was here.
Studying. So come on. Try."

"Dawn, maybe he ought to go back to his rooms. His father might be worried." Draco offered.

To which Dawn's reply was a very unladylike snort. "Angel knows he's with me."

"Again, I point to the his father might be worrying part."

Dawn scowled at him.

Connor struggled out of her grip. "This is dumb. I'm not a wizard. I'm a freak of nature, ok."

"Well, then you're in good company." Lily hissed. "Hello from another dimension and a former vampire here.
Dawn used to be energy, and Drake... well, he's related to Spike. Draw your own conclusions there. So
you're so not the only freak around here. Congratulations. Go you."

Draco was looking at her meanly. "I am not a freak."

Just then Gutterflower squeaked loudly and came up from the back of the couch to nibble on Draco's ear
affectionately.

Lily patted his thigh. "Yeah. Keep telling yourself that, ferretboy."

"I will, thank you."

"Here." Lily got up. "Let me try."

"Just so you know. I will NOT be trying." Draco said. "Especially if I have to wrap my arms about him like
that."

"Shut up." Dawn said as she flopped onto the green sofa next to him.

Gutterflower ran across Draco's chest and settled herself on Dawn's lap. Dawn rubbed the ferret absently
as she watched Lily and Connor awkwardly try to get into the teaching position Dawn had established
earlier.

Connor wanted to die. This was so humiliating. Two girls trying to teach him something he wasn't really sure
he believed in.

"What's this?"

Everyone turned. Aaron... and he didn't look to thrilled about Lily with her arms around Connor.

"We're teaching Connor about wands. Swish and flick, you know?"

Aaron raised a brow. "But he's a muggle."

Dawn shot to her feet. "You take that back, Aaron Montague!"

"Yes." Lily said in a tone more menacing than any they had heard from her. "I really think you need to take
that back then apologize to Connor."

Aaron snorted. "Not ruddy likely. He's just a muggle."

Draco rose slowly. "Montague, I think you had better apologize."

"You? Telling me to apologize to a muggle? That's rich. You hate muggles more than I do, Malfoy."

"I might have been known to... before my father went insane and tried to murder me for falling for Ginny. So I
say 'yay muggles' now. Some of them have their uses though. Like... oh I dunno... the slayer for instance."

"That Faith tart that's shacked up with Wood?"

"Don't you call her a tart." Lily hissed.

"Actually, I was speaking about Buffy." Draco muttered.

"Rosenberg, come on. Don't be upset with me. I didn't mean it like that." He reached out and took her arm
at the elbow.

"How did you mean it then?"

"Lily..."

She tried to jerk her arm away, but Aaron held tight.

"Leave off, Montague." Draco snarled, whipping out his wand.

"What are you gonna do, Malfoy? Hex me?" Montague snapped, jerking Lily's arm. "You might hit Lily."

"Stop it." Lily snapped. "Just because you're jealous of Connor."

"Me? Jealous of that stupid muggle? Right."

"Shut up!" Connor shouted, pointing Dawn's wand.

And Montague did.

Kind of hard to speak when a blast from a wand had sewn your lips shut.

Connor's hand twitched as he dropped Dawn's wand. His eyes were impossibly wide, and his jaw was
hanging open. Lily jerked her arm out of Montague's hand. She, Dawn, and Draco turned slowly and looked
at Connor in shock.

"Don't tell my father."

Dawn raised an eyebrow at him. "We should get Montague to the infirmary."

"Why?" Draco asked.

Dawn just gave him this look.

"Well for starters, it'll be kinda of hard for me to kiss him like that."

"Lily... gross." Draco said with a horrified look on his face.

"I didn't... mean to..."

Dawn stepped up to Connor. "But you did it. You did. Connor, it's ok. It's totally fixable, and I'll bet Monatgue
won't call you a muggle again."

Connor sighed and looked down at his feet. It seemed violence and scare tactics weren't all he was good
at.

Lily lifted his chin. "And it was brilliant."

Connor blinked. He could do magic.

Dammit.

And his chin was tingling where she'd touched him.

Double dammit.

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