New School, New City, New Hellmouth

Ginny was rather nervous as she followed Snape and Faith down into Kalfu house. She looked around the room. Since the girls were usually separated by grade, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t be with Blaise. She saw that Rona was one of her roommates, along with a young Australian girl she’d never met. There was a fourth bed, however, that wasn’t taken.

“Whose bed is that?” Ginny asked.

“I dunno,” Rona said. “I’m Rona, by the way.”

“Ginny Weasley. Are you a witch?”

“ly. ly. I’m a Slayer. Apparently all Slayers need SOME sense of magick, so they’re makin’ us come here. I just like to hit things.”

“I was at Hogwarts, studying witchcraft. But that redhead professor, the one with the longer hair? She said I was a Slayer and then started freaking out. I don’t even know what that means.”

“That’s Willow. Yeah, she gets like that some times. So you’re both? That’s gonna make you mega-powerful. Basically we all have this destiny to fight evil and save the world.” Sheila, the Aussie, studied her Transfigurations while the two Slayers chatted for a while longer, until the door opened and the fourth roommate came in.

~*~*~*~

Ron was fuming.

“How could they do this?!” He screamed for the thousandth time, pacing up and down the common room. “Put my defenseless little sister in with those horrible Slytherins?!” Hermione tried to calm Ron down.

“Ron, Ginny is hardly defenseless. For one thing, she’s a Vampire Slayer. For another, she’s a Weasley. She grew up with you, and Fred and George. She can take care of herself. Any girl who grew up with six older brothers-- even if they were just muggles-- can defend herself quite nicely. But six wizarding brothers? No problem.” Ron calmed down a little.

“I suppose. I just don’t like the idea of us being separated. Or the fact that Snape’s her housemaster.”

“But she also has that Faith woman as well, remember?” Harry pointed out. Ron relaxed a little.

“Why don’t we all go to bed,” Neville suggested. “Classes start tomorrow, and we could use a good night sleep first. What does everybody have first period? I have Transfigurations, then Divinations, then Arithmancy, then lunch. After lunch I have Care of Magical creatures, Potions, and Herbology. At least I have my favourite class last, to make everything feel better after Potions.”

“My schedule’s the same, Neville,” Hermione said, “Except I have Ancient Runes instead of Divinations. It’s the same Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays I have different classes.” The rest of the Ogouns noted that they had similar schedules., with the same six classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays they took things like Demonology, Weaponry and Self-Defense, and mandatory Muggle-Studies for every student that was not muggle-born. Every student was required to take one elective for each of the terms. The school was set up like a typical American private high school.. There were four terms, two terms per semester. They started the first week in September, and ended at the end of June. The electives were only 1-term long, and most other classes were only one semester each, save for Potions and Transfigurations. The electives included things like music, visual arts, dance, and several others. The staff was doing their best to make sure that the students both learned to embrace and respect magic, but also learned the importance of doing things without magic. After everyone had compared their schedules, they all headed off to bed.

~*~*~*~

Willow Rosenberg looked like the proverbial cat who swallowed the canary as her 6th-year students entered her classroom. Dawn Summers was one of the first students to arrive.

“Dawnie. How was the first night in the dorms? Get any sleep?”

“No,” Dawn said with a giggle and an evil grin. “This girl Luna-- who, by the way, reminds me a lot of you in high school-- she and I stayed up really late just talking about stuff. She helped me with my wand learning.”

“How’s that coming? Almost caught up with the rest of your grade?”

“Almost. It’s a lot easier than chanting or calling down spirits, once you get the hang of it.”

“I totally agree, and without any darkness needed.” The two girls both nodded. When all of the students arrived, Willow gestured for them all to sit down.

“Hello. I’m Willow Rosenberg, your new Transfigurations teacher. You can call me Ms. Rosenberg.” Willow looked at Dawn. “And that includes you, Dawnie.”

“Well, then you have to call me Dawn,” the teenager retorted.

“It’s a deal. Anyways, like I said, I’m Willow Rosenberg, and until recently I lived my entire life on a Hellmouth. So I want to prepare you all for what life here will be like. Over a Hellmouth, things that feel real have a tendency to become real. For example, a shy girl who’s ignored a lot may become invisible. The important thing to remember is that things aren’t always the way they feel. Remember that and you’ll be fine. Now, I’m going to take roll. When I call your name, raise your hand and say ‘present.’ Bones, Susan?”

“Present.” Willow read through the roll quickly, and almost immediately memorized everybody’s name.

“And now the rules. As you all probably know already, Transfigurations means turning one thing into another. The only major rule is this: if you use a transfiguration spell on another person, you will be suspended for three days. Do it a second time, and you will first be turned into whatever you turned the other person into, and then be suspended for a week. Do it a third time and your out. Expelled. Left out on the Hellmouth with no wand. Three strikes is all you get. And that applies to any magic. Use it on another student, or on a teacher more than twice, and you will be gone with no chance of returning. However, if you ever use any mind altering substances, including drugs, mystical or otherwise, alcohol, or cigarettes of any variety- you are out. Immediately.” Dawn grinned, thinking of Spike. She raised her hand.

“Yes Dawn?”

“Does this apply to the staff as well?” she asked with a smirk.

“Yes. If Spike or Angel so much as light up one cigarette on campus, Piper will blow them up. Now, on to lessons.” They spent the rest of the class learning how to turn a jelly doughnut into a opossum.

~*~*~*~


Blaise blinked slightly as she listened to the same talk, with minor variations from various teachers. She immediately started to plot ways to get around it. Objects weren't people.

Draco listened with a blank superior expression plastered over his face. Well, Blaise was not going to be happy. He noted they didn't say anything about doing things muggle style, however. What Blaise was
going to do without her daily nicotine fix. . . god, he just hoped the school survived it.

Blaise pounced on him as they walked out of the class and started to whine.

"They can't DO this to me!"

"Hush, little evil child, there will be a way."

"Thank Discordia! Put that devious little mind to use for something useful for a change." Blaise moped along, before whirling. "THAT'S MY ASS- oh, hello, Shannon."

"Yo, Blaisey." The lanky brown haired youth grinned at her, flipping a long fringe out of his eyes. "'Sup?"

"NO SMOKING!" She flung her arms around his neck and climbed up him, locking her legs around his waist, mock sobbing. "No drinking! No FUN!"

"Awwww. . . " Shannon patted her back. Draco rolled his eyes. Great.

"Class we need to get to, so let's keep walking, shall we?" Shannon nodded and started walking, shifting Blaise to his back.

"Sup, Drac?"

"If I answer that question truthfully, would you hold it against me?"

"You're as perverted as ever."

"And happy to be so. What house are you in?"

"Legba. Was there ever any doubt once he said prophecy?"

"'Spose not. Blaise was far too evil to be put there."

"And hoorah for that!" Blaise bounced slightly. "So, Shannonanon, your thoughts on the school?"

"The teachers may be alright. The rules are idiotic. The red haired woman scares me, there's
something. . . off about her."

"I've owled home for dossiers," Draco said. "Mother didn't know who exactly would be teaching until I got here."

"Ooh, dirt on the teachers!" Blaise grinned evilly. "How very spiffing."

They entered the classroom and Wesley turned around. He coughed slightly and Blaise slid off Shannon's back.

"Will you please take your seats?" The combined Ancient Runes class of Legba and Kalfu took their seats. Blaise sat in Shannon's lap. "Your own." She pouted, but moved into a vacant seat. "Today, we will be starting to learn the leves of the Vodoun magical tradition. These signs are drawn using one hand, with powder of various types. Each loa has a leve particular to them . . . "

~*~*~*~

Spike was getting antsy and deprived. "I need a smoke so badly, it isn't funny," he said to Angel. "Any sewers to outside the school boundaries?"

"Yeah." Angel almost smiled, before showing Spike a map. "You have a class in ten minutes."

"I'll be there." Spike zoomed off to get a smoke in before his next class, cursing whoever's brilliant
idea it had been to ban smoking on school premises. Probably Giles. Damn Watcher.

~*~*~*~

Ginny, Rona, and Vi wandered into their Demonology class to spot Angel, but no Spike.

“If you’re out teacher, does that mean we have to call you Mr. Angel?” Vi asked.

“No.” Angel said. Colin Creevey came into the room carrying a stack of books and his camera. Luna followed him spinning around in circles.

“This class is going to be great fun, I think,” Luna said, sit nex next to Vi. “I know you, but I think you were asleep when I cam into our room last night.”

“Yeah, and you were still sleeping when I got up. I’m Vi.”

“Luna,” she said, sticking yet another quill in her hair, shaking Vi’s hand.

“Isn’t Spike supposed to be here too?” Rona asked.

“Yeah. I told him to be here a while ago.” Spike ran in, leather duster flapping around his legs.

"Spike, you're late," Angel sighed.

"Keep your trousers on, Peaches, I'm here, ain't I? Anyway, I'm pretty sure all the anklebiters aren't
here yet." Spike perched on the edge of the desk, unlit cigarette dangling from between two slim
fingers. To prove him right, another student joined those already in the room. Uncannily violet eyes that somehow still seemed cold surveyed the room from behind long black eyelashes and a jaggedly cropped gold fringe.

Israfael Moreau settled at a desk, studiously ignoring the people already in the room. Why he couldn't have gone to Beauxbatons. . . He opened his Demonology text and looked up finally. Two vampires. On staff. Contempt filled his eyes as he waited for the class to begin. Yet, who better to teach Demonology then two demons?

Angel cleared his throat slightly. "Welcome to Demonology-"

"101," Spike said sardonically. "He's Angel, I'm Spike, and yes, we're vampires. Don't use the retort, bite me or comment on what we are. We're teachers, probably the best for this subject, and that's all you need to worry about." Ginny raised her hand.

“Yes, Miss Weasley, isn’t it?” Angel asked.

“Yes, sir. I was just wondering, what makes this class different from D.A.D.A.?” Angel smiled.

“Well, this class is solely for the research of demons, and to make sure that all of the Slayers, as well as the other students, understand the importance of living on a Hellmouth, and learn that humans are not the dominant species on earth. Demons walked the earth long before humans were even a glimmer in the PTB’s eyes.”

“Oh.”

“Anyway, let’s begin. We’re gong to start with the Pergamum Codex. We’ve made copies of all the important texts, so if you’d please open to the first page, this is a 3rd century engraving of a Koslath Beast.”

The class progressed normally, with minimal interuptions. Spike behaved himself. . . mostly. Angel
sighed and rolled his eyes. When there were about ten minutes to end, Spike asked the class a question.

"Anyone here ever seen a demon in real life?" All the Slayers hands went up, and Israfael's. "Dementors count as demons." Everyone's hands went up. "Who's seen a vampire, other then me and peaches here?" The slayers hands stayed up. So did Israfael's. "When did you see a vamp, mate?"

Israfael smiled slightly. "When she bit me."

"And how did you manage to get away?" Spike said in some derision. Israfael unbuttoned his shirt slightly to expose hideous pitted scarring, like he'd been mauled by an enormous dog.
"Barely." He rebuttoned his shirt, ignoring the shocked murmurs. Spike's eyes fixed on
him suspiciously.

"I asked how."

"I don't see how it's any of your concern." Israfael's eyes narrowed. "But seeing as how you're indelicate enough to push . . . she said the Angel beast would be upset with her, and her William wouldn't love her anymore."

The bell went and the students started to leave, Israfael nearly fled the room, Spike and Angel staring after the slim youth.

"Well, shit," Spike observed.