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Harry Potter and the Four Guardians

Chapter Ten: The Vampiric Threat

By: Elf

Hermione Granger was a textbook Type A personality. She strived to be the best. Her worst nightmare was to fail. She had to set the best example for other Muggle-borns like herself. She had to be in control. It was one of the reasons she had been made into a perfect this year.

She counted the fifth years and knew that Harry had flown after Duo to save whom she thought had been Hotaru. She frowned when she didn't see a head of lavender hair. She did a quick head count. Ron had even stayed behind, opting not to fly after Harry as he chased after a manic Duo.

MacGonagall was in the room in an instant, still dressed in her blue tartan robes of that day and her raven hair was still severely pulled back from her face. She asked, "Granger, is everyone accounted for?"

Hermione shook her head and answered, "No. I heard a girl scream and I'm quite sure that it was Hotaru due that she's the only Gryffendor girl missing. Still, Duo Maxwell took off after her on his broomstick and Harry followed to help him. And Trunks Briefs is missing."

"Granger, I want you to make sure that all of the fourth and fifth years head to the Great Hall," MacGonagall instructed before she swept away, giving the other perfects instructions.

Hermione looked over at Ron, who said, "Come on, 'mione, you can do it. This is why you wanted to be a perfect, remember?"

Dear, dear Ron with his quick temper and thick head. He hadn't run off with Harry. He had stayed with her. She stood up on a chair and shouted, "Everyone, to the Great Hall! Now!"

They moved and she led.

******

Duo Maxwell was a pilot, a natural in the air, at home in the controls of any cockpit, but even more so on a broom. He was born to be in the air, feeling it whip across his face and tug his braid back. He flew like a bat out of hell, impossibly fast and reckless, yet somehow managing not to bang himself into the castle turrets or anything.

He could see the vampire, a tall blond, and Hotaru thrashing and screaming in his arms. The fiend stopped in mid flight and gently started to pull down the turtleneck that Hotaru was wearing. She fought harder, but it didn't faze the vampire. The vampire smirked and gently caressed her throat, his hand starting to move lower.

"The God of Death is back from Hell!" Duo bellowed as he charged in a perfect dive. He held onto the broom for dear life as he felt the weight of gravity pushing him down. He felt his body start to lift off the broom as he created what he knew was a negative G, weightlessness. He pressed closer to the broom, leaning off of the edge and hanging with every ounce of strength that he could as he went down the castle walls.

He heard Harry shout, "Duo, behind you!"

Duo turned around to see a group of four vampires flying at him, their eyes glowing crimson in the darkness. Duo ignored them and pressed on, only to have his path blocked. He cursed as he managed to stop his broom.

The two vampires smiled at him, one female, one male, both dressed in black shirts and cargo pants, some sort of uniform almost. Duo pulled out his wand and aimed. The female taunted, "Magic doesn't hurt us."

Duo smirked as he flew, spinning his leg out to kick her in the face. It knocked her back and he sped up, the vampires not being able to keep up with him. The vampire holding Hotaru was heading toward the Forbidden Forest. Duo flew faster, starting to spiral to increase his speed like a bullet.

He pointed his wand at a branch and chanted, "Bisect!" The branch broke off and Duo caught it, shifting it so that he was holding it like a lance, with the broken end pointing ahead of him. He stopped spiraling and moved so that he was flying beneath the vampire.

The vampire looked at him and jetted up. Duo followed with a manic grin, pressing his makeshift stake closer to himself. He sped up, going faster than the vampire. He gained and held his stake out. He plunged up, using momentum to penetrate the vampire's flesh.

It wasn't easy to stab someone. You had to be pretty strong to do so. Duo knew this from experience. So, he used the kinetic energy from flying to push the stake into the vampire. The vampire looked surprised as the wood broke through his heart.

With a violent scream, he exploded into ash. Hotaru cried out as she began to fall. Duo spun his broom around and dived.

******

Hotaru screamed as she fell. At least the vampire was dead now. Still, she could feel his icy hands on her throat. She didn't want to think of what he would do to her after he got away.

Still, she was falling as the ash shifted to the ground.

Duo Maxwell's violet eyes narrowed as he dived after her, his braid whipping back behind him like a banner. He went faster and faster, until he was laying on the broom to keep from flying off. She knew that she was going to hit the ground and it was going to hurt. She shut her eyes and waited.

She felt something catch around her waist and pull up before evening out. She opened her eyes to see Duo watching her and feeling his arm around her waist. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she watched his beautiful face. He looked angry right now, dangerous.

She noticed that he had a tiny scar running across his nose. She had the urge to touch it, to run her hand through that marvelous hair. Duo Maxwell was dangerous.

A threat to her heart.

There was a reason why she had kept away from him. There was a connection between them. They were similar, kindred spirits. Soul mates almost. Someone who would be with her forever, loving her and caring for her.

Something she could never afford.

Hotaru noticed that Duo was trembling slightly, his eyes wide and confused. He asked, "What?"

"I don't know," she replied, her voice breathy despite her efforts to seem calm.

Duo pushed himself back on the broom so she could sit on it. She grabbed it and realized that her face was inches from his. Hotaru's heart started to pound as Duo's wide eyes searched her face. He reached out and gently touched a lock of her hair.

She blinked and then Harry Potter, looking very angry, pulled his broom to a stop beside Duo's. Hotaru blinked and Duo turned to look at Harry, who only scowled. "You could have gotten yourself killed, Duo," Harry snapped, his bright green eyes almost glowing with anger.

Duo sheepishly grinned and scratched his head. He replied, "The vampire was going to hurt Hotaru."

Hotaru looked down, trying to hide the flash of degradation across her face. Duo had risked his own life, something she was sent here to protect, to save her. She hadn't even payed him any attention, other than watching him and making sure that he was safe.

Hotaru replied, "I am capable to take care of myself."

"You don't even have your damned wand on you," Duo argued, "That vampire probably would have raped you then bled you."

Hotaru glared and snapped, "What do you know about vampires?"

"I saw how he was pawing at you, the look in his eyes," Duo spat, his face moving closer.

Harry shouted, "Both of you, stop it. I lost about twenty vampires here, we need to get back to the school before something else happens."

"Right," Duo said darkly as he quickly grabbed Hotaru. She hit his arm as he shifted her so that she was sitting behind him. He instructed, "Hold tight, Firefly."

Her eyes widened at the English meaning of her name. Still, Duo spoke fluent Japanese, so it wasn't too far a stretch. But he had given her a pet name.

Something that no one had ever done.

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared. Duo spun the broom suddenly, causing Hotaru to wrap her legs around the handle very tightly. Harry took off and so did Duo.

She fell forward and into him. She cried out and closed her eyes. She hadn't been lying to Draco when she said she was afraid of heights. She wrapped her hands around his waist and tried not to think of his broad shoulders or the muscles she felt moving beneath her hands. Or how good he smelled.

******

Trunks fingered the dark violet wand in one hand and the silvery white wand in the other. The violet wand had a figure of the planet Saturn on it and its symbol. The window to the girl's dorm was shattered.

He sensed Sestuna coming behind him, an assault on his senses. He turned around to face her, expecting Sailor Pluto to be there, but it was only Sestuna, except dressed in jeans and a pink turtle neck. She had a wooden quarter staff in her left hand. At closer inspection, Trunks noticed that one end was sharpened to a deadly point.

She asked, "Where's Hotaru?"

"A vampire took her," Trunks answered, looking out into the night. He couldn't sense them. He could sense everyone else in Hogwarts, but he couldn't sense a vampire. It was like hunting for the androids. It was going to prove difficult.

Sestuna's sherry colored eyes widened as replied, "Why didn't she change?"

Trunks held out the Transformation Wand, thankful that the damned Kai had at least explained some things to him. Sestuna gasped as she took it from his fingers. He answered, "Because she didn't get a chance to."

"I'm going after them," Sestuna replied as she took out her own wand. Trunks caught her wrist and frowned. Her skin was remarkably soft against his. She looked up at him, her eyes confused and her dark green hair falling around her face.

Trunks managed to swallow. He growled, "No. Lady Pluto, I won't let you go out there. Besides, do you really think a vampire could hold up against a Sayan, not even one who's at full power?"

Sestuna smiled as he let her wrist go. She answered, "I heard that you were proud. I didn't expect arrogant."

He hovered up and looked down at her. He sent her his best Vegeta Grin and replied, "You haven't seen my father." With that, he flew out into the night.

******

Ginny clinched at her robes and would have paced but Fred had made her sit down. Hermione was checking on the other students, asking questions and taking control. The other perfects seemed sort of dazed. Nothing like this had ever happened at Hogwarts.

Not until tonight.

Still, she was worried sick. Both Harry and Duo had gone out there, probably thinking that they could single handedly fight the vampires. She was going to kill them both when they got back.

Ron sat down beside her and she asked, "Why the hell did they go out there?"

"Hotaru Tomoe was taken by one of those gits and Duo went after her. And you know Harry," Ron answered with a some what jealous snort.

Ginny sighed and twisted her robes. Harry was too noble for his own good, protecting others before himself. Like saving her from Tom Riddle.

She hoped that he would be all right.

She hoped that Duo wouldn't do anything too foolish.

******

Draco Malfoy was worried when he didn't see a familiar head of raven hair. He even stood up on one of the chairs to see if he could spot Hotaru's familiar head in the mist of all of the other Gryffindors. He easily spotted all four Weasleys with their horrid red hair and Granger with her bushy mane. He frowned when he didn't see Briefs' queer head of lavender hair or Potter's unruly black one. He didn't even see that wanker Maxwell.

He knew that Hotaru was close friends with Briefs for some reason. Briefs was almost as incompetent as Longbottom in magic. A disaster waiting to happen.

Still, he didn't see Hotaru.

So, doing something he knew he would later regret, the young master jumped off of the chair and headed toward the Gryffindor table. He was lucky that Snape was out, helping fight the vampires as well as almost every other teacher in the school. They had only left the perfects in charge, and they didn't worry Malfoy.

Still, he had to know if Hotaru was all right. He needed to know for some strange reason. He didn't like this weakness that she was causing in him, but he knew that he would go to Hell and back for her. His dark angel.

He knew that the other Gryffindor that Hotaru kept in touch with was Granger, but he wasn't about to lower himself to talk to a damned Mudblood. He held his head up arrogantly and dared any one of the bloody Gryffindors to stop him. Just as he expected, the Weasley twins stood up and glared at him, blocking his path.

The first one, George, if the G on his obviously homemade red sweater was any indicator, snapped, "What the bloody hell do you want, Malfoy?"

"None of your damned business," Malfoy replied, straitening his robes.

The other one, Fred, snarled, "Then get back over to your bloody table, Slytherin."

"Or what, you're going to Hex me like you did this summer? My father wasn't pleased about that and my father isn't a man you want to get angry, Weasley," Malfoy replied icily. His father wasn't one you would want to get angry. Malfoy never felt the force of his father's anger directed at him, but he had seen his father skin House Elves with magic just because they did something to annoy him. He had seen Lucius Malfoy reduce other wizards into crying messes with a glance. No, his father was one that another would never want to cross.

George sneered, "Bring your da into this Malfoy. I'm not scared of the git."

Malfoy drew his wand out and Hermione Granger sprang between them. She snapped, "Stop it, all of you. Five points off of Gryffindor because of you two."

Fred looked shocked as he asked, "Hermione, why?"

Granger ignored him and turned to Malfoy, her face set in an angry scowl. He smiled back at her as she asked, "What do you want?" She sounded tired and a little worried.

"Where's Hotaru?" he asked.

"Like you'd care," George snorted, looking down at his feet.

Ginny Weasley stood up and answered, "The vampires took her."

Malfoy froze on the spot. The vampires his father had warned him about, telling him to stay well indoors tonight. The vampires that were going to bring Voldermort his new weapon, whoever that may be.

Hotaru couldn't be that weapon, could she?

No, that was absurd. Hotaru wasn't a Scythe Barer. She was too sweet, too pure, too good for that.

He realized what the vampires were going to do to her then. He gasped, "Oh, my god." He felt all of the heat rush out of his face as he suddenly turned cold. He knew why the vampires took her. He also knew what they were going to do to her.

A sudden image of Hotaru wearing only scraps of her clothing lying on the ground, bloody, torn and broken, bite marks marring her milky white skin.

"I'm going out there," he said to himself as he drew out his wand. He could borrow Potter's trick of summoning his broom and then he would fly after Hotaru. It was simple as that. He would save her and Voldermort's plans be damned.

Granger snapped, "No."

"Are you going to stop me?" Malfoy told her with a twisted smile.

"Stupify," Ron Weasley's voice boomed behind him as he fell to the ground.

Malfoy looked up at the fourth redhead and frowned. Granger explained, "Harry and Duo already did that. The teachers don't need to watch out for you, as well, Malfoy."

The spell lifted and Malfoy stood up, smoothing his robes around him. He gave them a last glare and walked back to his table. He was still cold though.

As much as he hated to admit it, he hoped that Potter managed to save his dark angel.

He froze, suddenly realizing what it was like to have someone to lose. And he didn't like the feeling one bit.

******

Duo was having a hard time concentrating. He could barely keep up with Harry's faster broom due to the fact that Hotaru was weighing him down a little. The screaming of the Singing Crystal started up again, signaling that they were about to be in some deep shit again.

Still, he couldn't concentrate on the danger at hand.

Hotaru's slender arms were clinched around his waist tightly. Her slender body was pressed extremely close to his and he could feel her breath on his neck. He smelled her with every breath, noting that she smelled like lavender.

He couldn't think of anything but turning around and kissing her senseless.

It was distracting, none the less, as well as the overwhelming need to protect her, see her safe. He felt connected with her, as if he should know her. As if she was something similar to what he was. Someone to understand him.

The Crystal's cry grew louder, more frantic as Harry stopped suddenly. Duo cursed, "Fuck!" as he slammed his own broom to a stop. Hotaru cried out and clinched him tighter. He had to swallow and make himself focus for a moment, but it was hard to do so when a beautiful girl was pressing herself against him.

Standing there was those twenty vampires that Harry had talked about.

Duo grumbled, "Just fucking fantastic."

******

"You foolish mortal, you have no idea of what you are dealing with," the arrogant vampire spoke in full Transylvanian accent, frilly white shirt and flowing black cape. His eyes glowed bright crimson and his fangs protruded his lips.

Trunks grinned and took a stance. He replied, "No, I don't think you know who you're dealing with."

"Boy, I'm a creature of the night," the vampire replied in the same arrogant accent.

Trunks smirked and said in a singsong voice, "Don't say I didn't warn you." Then he powered up. He felt the hot waves of air around him as his body filled with energy. Not at it's full capacity, but enough to take on a vampire. Trunks grinned as he held out his palm and released some of that energy in a blue flash of light.

The vampire's crimson eyes widened as he managed to fly away from the blast. He asked, "What the hell are you?"

Trunks flew up after him, the grin still plastered on his face. He answered, "I'm a Sayan." Then he attacked.

The vampire tried to block the ferocious volley of punches and kicks, but Trunks was too strong, too fast, and too skilled. This was too easy, he realized absently as he let the vampire throw a punch. He caught the creature's fist in his hand and held it. He looked down on it curiously and squeezed.

Despite the fact that he wasn't a Super Sayan, Trunks was still a Sayan with plenty of strength and power to back his skill up. True, he didn't have his sword, but he didn't need it as of now. The vampire cried out in agony as Trunks squeezed, lifting his palm to the vampire's face.

The next ki blast left nothing except some ashes. Trunks dusted his hands off and grinned. He didn't need to sense the other three vampires charging at him in the air. He could easily hear their snarls. Trunks rolled his eyes and grumbled, "Here we go again."

He grabbed one of the vampire's long hair and yanked his arm back sharply. He saw the neck tear and the spray of blood in the darkness before the body crumbled into ash. The other two froze as Trunks grinned and formed an energy ball in his hand, lighting his face.

"What the fuck?" one of the vampires cursed as Trunks blasted him into nothingness. The Sayan spun around and faced the last vampire, who only cried out and took off.

Trunks smirked and said, "Not so fast." It was too easy to fly after him, to blow him to ashes. Then he heard the distinctive screaming. It sounded like Harry's Singing Crystal. He stopped in mid flight and focused his sensitive hearing on that sound. He heard laughing and snarling as well, coming from the same direction as the screaming.

"I'm coming," Trunks promised as he rushed off to save the others.

******

Harry pushed his glasses back on his face and frowned. He drew out his wand and wondered what he was going to do. Duo was beside him, holding his own wand. Duo suggested, "I could cut another couple of branches down and see how many of these fuckers we can take down with us."

Harry watched the vampires and asked, "What do you want?" He was going to buy some time, get the vampires to reveal their plans. Besides, he was curious to know himself.

One of the vampires, one of them without the red eyes and gleaming fangs, more human looking, Harry realized, other than the fact he was floating in midair, hovered a mere two meters away from Harry's Firebolt. He was tall, handsome, and looked to be just a few years older than Harry with wavy blond hair and brilliant blue green eyes. Some of the vampires were dressed in clothing that reminded Harry of the various ghosts that dwelled in the school, others in expensive suits, this one was wearing blue jeans and a black sweater that was too large for his lanky frame.

He said, "You're Harry Potter, aren't you?"

Harry moved his head so that some of his hair would move around his scar. He looked down, hoping that the vampire wouldn't notice the color of his eyes. He retorted, "Why would you want to know that?"

The vampire answered, "You are Harry Potter. I've already seen the scar and your eyes, Harry."

"Who are you?" Harry asked because for all intents and purposes, the vampire didn't seem like he wanted to hurt him.

The vampire smiled sadly and answered, "Sean, my name's Sean."

Harry asked again, "What do you want?"

"Not to be controlled by someone more powerful than I," Sean answered truthfully.

Another vampire, garbed in an expensive black suit, shouted, "Damn you, shut the hell up, boy!"

Sean snarled at the other vampire and shouted, "I did not choose to be Lord Voldermort's pawn, as did many others around here!"

"Speak for yourself, you git," a punked out vampire with a thick Cockney accent and bleached white hair snapped.

Sean turned around to Harry and said, "Voldermort is looking for someone with violet eyes, like your two friends back there."

"You can go tell Voldy to shove his wand up his ass!" Duo crowed as he waved his middle finger in the air.

Sean went on, "He's after a Scythe Barer. Harry Potter, for all that is sacred in this world, for all that is holy, don't let Voldermort get his hands on the Scythe Barer! He would destroy what he sees fit and rule this world with a bloody fist, Harry Potter."

"Shut up, you bloody git!" the punked out vampire snarled.

Sean snapped, "Go to hell, Billy!" He then turned back to Harry and moved closer as did the other vampires. He leaned forward and whispered, "Harry, don't let Voldermort get the Scythe Barer. You're the only one who can stand up to him, Harry Potter."

Harry asked, "Why do you want to help us?"

"Because I didn't want to be a vampire. I didn't want to be here. I didn't want that lovely girl back there harmed. And I saw you. I thought you were a myth, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Go, Harry, get the fuck out of here. Fly, Harry Potter, fly!" he shouted as he moved away, his eyes turning crimson as he bared razor sharp fangs and dove into the vampires.

Harry shouted at Duo, "Follow me!" Then he pulled up sharply. Duo did the same and Hotaru let out a startled yelp as she clung tightly to Duo. Harry rocked up to the sky, needing to get his bearings, get back to the castle.

He now knew what Voldermort wanted, but he didn't have a clue what a Scythe Barer was. He did have a feeling that Duo was this Scythe Barer, whatever that meant. And he'd be damned if Voldermort killed another innocent while he still drew breath.

******"Are you sure that Trunks can handle the vampires?" MacGonagall asked Sestuna as several of the Hogwarts professors ran.

Dumbledore smiled, a twinkle in his blue eyes despite the intense situation, he answered, "I believe Mr. Briefs can handle a great many things."

"You wouldn't believe it if you had class with the boy," Snape snorted, pushing his hair from his face as he took to his broomstick.

Sestuna saw a bright flash of blue light in the distance and watched as the ki blast shot up into the sky. She pointed and said, "I think Trunks is perfectly fine. Still, it's Duo and Harry I'm worried about."

Snape snorted, "Potter has fallen into worse messes, I assure you, Lady Pluto, and always came out on top. The boy has a nose for trouble and a lack of respect for authority."

Dumbledore only smiled at that. Still, he turned to Sestuna and asked, "Are you sure that Hotaru can handle this without both wands?"

"I'm sure that she can," Sestuna replied grimly as she aimed her staff as a vampire dove toward them. Before she could thrust up, there was a gunshot. The vampire looked down at his chest and the gaping hole at his heart before he screamed and crumpled to ash.

MacGonagall's eyes widened as she asked, "Albus, you didn't call her here, did you?"

"Our friend D will be needed in other parts of the world, Minerva," Dumbledore answered as he drew his wand.

Sestuna frowned, slightly confused. Then she heard a familiar scream. "Hotaru!" she shouted back as she ran faster, hoping to get to her adopted niece in time.

******

"The vamps keep coming and coming," Duo grunted as they lifted higher. Harry straitened out, seeing Hogwarts in the distance. The vampires were still advancing and Harry noticed that Sean wasn't with them. He hoped that he was all right.

A vampire flew out in front of Harry, her hands outstretched in thick claws as she snarled at him. Harry took out his wand and concentrated on his happiest memory. He concentrated on his confidence and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" The silvery dear appeared out of his wand and charged at the vampire.

She screamed and cringed back, flying away at the sight of the Patronus. Harry drew it back and looked back. A vampire snatched Hotaru off of Duo's broom and dropped her. The raven haired girl fell in a free fall silently, her hair whipping around her pale face.

"Hotaru!" Duo shouted as he dove down on his broom. His hand reached out for the pale girl as if she was a snitch. Harry dove after Duo.

"Duo!" Harry shouted, "Pull up, you'll crash if you don't!" Duo was going down too far, too fast. Harry knew he would be able to pull himself out of the dive that Duo was doing, but he wasn't sure about Duo.

Duo caught Hotaru, wrapping his arms around her waist again. Still, he was in that dive. Harry watched in horror as Duo threw out his legs and pulled up with all of his weight. The broom leveled out right before Duo crashed on the ground.

Harry shouted, "Duo, look out!" It was too late. The vampires had planned this well. They were surrounding the unarmed wizard and witch on a broom that had too much weight on it.

Harry lifted his wand into the air and let out a shot of bright green sparks, hoping to get someone's attention. He shouted, "Help!"

Duo, surrounded by the vampires, only grinned. He pulled out something from under his shirt, a necklace Harry realized. With a yank, the chain broke in his hands and Duo held out a gleaming silver cross.

The vampires started to back away. Duo was shouting something in Latin, something that sounded slightly familiar from Sunday School, Harry realized as Duo chanted. Except Duo wasn't chanting, he was in fact, praying. He recognized the Lord's Prayer and the blessing for Holy Water, but that was as far as Harry's knowledge went.

Then, the vampires lifted their hungry, crimson eyes toward Harry. They flew up and one of them, the punk named Billy, shouted, "You can't protect him, boy! Drop the cross."

Duo glared and looked up at Harry. Then he sighed.

******

Duo grabbed Hotaru and kissed her hard. Her eyes widened in surprise as he whispered, "Take my cross, please, Firefly." Then he acted like he was dropping it, only to have it spill in Hotaru's hands.

Hotaru replied, "I can't use it."

"Sure you can," he reassured her.

She shook her head and replied, "No, I believe in Shinto, Duo."

"Oh, damn. Throw a charm or something," Duo suggested as he climbed off of his broom. The vampires looked away from Harry and dove at him.

A pair of cold hands wrapped around his shoulders. Duo stiffened as the vampire lifted him into the air. Another grabbed his wand and threw it to the ground. Billy smiled at Harry and taunted, "You lost, Boy Who Lived."

"No, he didn't!" Trunks' voice called out as he appeared out of no where, his body glowing with a blue tinged, flame like aura.

******

"No, he didn't!" Trunks shouted as he flew down toward the vampires, his body glowing with a blue tinged, flame like aura. It intensified as he closed in on the vampires and Harry watched in awe as one of his fists connected with one of the vampires holding Duo, knocking both Duo and the vampire down.

The vampire collapsed to the ground, unconscious as Duo landed in a graceful crouch on the ground. Harry dove down on his broom, holding tightly as he aimed his wand. He was about to create a Patronus when Trunks took flight again.

Harry's mouth dropped open as he thought, How can he do that? That's not possible. Not even Voldermort could do that. Trunks' hand held a glowing ball of energy, shimmering off of his features as he pointed his hand at one of the vampires. Harry watched as Trunks shouted, "Burning Attack!" The energy blast hit one of the vampires dead in the chest, causing him to disintegrated into nothing.

Still, one of the vampires that Trunks wasn't fighting came at Duo. Duo cursed, "Oh, fuck!" Then he took off running, not looking behind him. Harry watched as Hotaru grabbed the broom clumsily and directed it toward Duo. Her form was wrong and her grip was too tight for that low height. It was pretty obvious that she didn't know how to fly, it was even more obvious when the broom jerked toward Duo.

She shouted, "Here, Duo!" Then she threw something, sending her broom spinning out of balance. Harry saw the shine of silver fly toward Duo right as he aimed his wand at a vampire. Harry shouted, "Illumionus!" The vampire cried out and shielded her eyes from the bright light.

Still, the vampire chasing Duo prevented Duo from catching his cross. Duo took a stance and waited. The vampire smirked as he flew at Duo. Duo grabbed the vampire's shoulder and meant to flip him, like he did Malfoy. Instead, the vampire lifted Duo up and started out into the night.

Harry shouted, "Oh, bloody hell!" Then he flew up after Duo, trying to aim his wand at the vampire. Duo thrashed, kicking and punching with all of his might, determined not to go down without a fight.

A flash of silver sliced through the vampire's throat. His head fell off before he exploded into ash. Harry managed to catch Duo at the last second. Duo groaned, "Why do all of these things happen to me?"

Harry had to grin and replied, "They usually happen to me. Lucky, I guess."

"Sure, Lucifer's Luck," Duo snorted as Vampire Hunter D faded into view on a black winged horse, a Thestral. His cloak flapped behind him as he raised his sword to strike again. Trunks was easily grappling with three other vampires.

Billy though was unhindered. He started to fly up to them. Harry looked down at Duo, who was holding tightly onto his broom. Harry asked, "Can you hold on?"

Duo wrapped his arms around the broom and sent him a lopsided grin. He answered, "Harry, I was a damned Gundam Pilot for goodness sake. This is like a vacation."

"Remind me never to visit your home with you," Harry quipped as he started to fly up. It was hard for him to balance the Firebolt with that much weight on it. Billy stopped in front of him, a smile on his slender features, his fangs gleaming.

Billy groused, "Harry Potter, trapped with no where to . . ." He was topped in mid sentence by a gunshot. Blood blossomed at his chest and he cried out, digging at the wound with clawed fingers. Harry's stomach turned as he dug a gleaming bullet out and tossed it to the ground.

Billy snarled, "You!"

Harry tilted his head back to see a tall, beautiful woman dressed all in black Muggle clothing holding a big pistol. Her blond hair swirled behind her in the wind as she smiled. She aimed again and fired. Billy jerked back.

Harry smiled when he saw the other professors running over, Dumbledore and Snape in lead. Snape was on a broomstick, holding a vial with a steaming liquid in one hand. Snape flew up between Harry and Duo and the vampire. He sneered, "You're severely outnumbered, vampire."

Billy's eyes widened with recognition. He asked, "Serveus? What the hell are you doing here? You belong with us."

"I've grown past that stage, William, and you can tell Voldermort that," Snape snarled as he flung the liquid at Billy. Billy screamed as it hit his face, covering it with his hands. He screamed as he flew away. Snape floated there, seething with anger.

Duo whispered, "Oh, he looks pissed."

Harry swallowed and waited for Snape to say something cruel. Instead, the Potions Master only looked tired. He turned to them and asked, "Potter, Maxwell, are you two all right?"

"We're of the good?" Duo replied, giving him the thumbs up only to make the broom waver. Duo groaned, "Uhoh." He grabbed the broom with both hands and grinned at Snape.

Harry drew himself up and asked, "Snape, what the bloody hell is going on?"

"I'm somehow not surprised that you're asking that, Potter. Let's go to the ground. Dumbledore has more answers than I do," Snape answered wearily as he guided the broom to the ground. He looked back up at Harry who was trying to ease himself down without causing Duo to fall.

They landed and Harry found himself glad to see that Sean was there, sitting on the ground beside the beautiful blond woman. D was sheathing his sword and Trunks floated down to the ground. Dumbledore was putting up his wand and MacGonagall and Pluto were easing a terrified Hotaru off Duo's broom. Duo ran over and plucked his cross off of the ground. He slid it back on and stood beside Harry.

MacGonagall glared at Duo and snapped, "That was a very stupid thing you did back there, Maxwell. You had no thought or judgement. I'm taking twenty points off of Gryffindor for your carelessness. You could have harmed Tomoe or Potter."

Duo replied, "If I hadn't reacted Hotaru would have been dead or worse by now."

MacGonagall sneered, "And five more for your cheek, Maxwell. As well as detention."

Duo glared and didn't look down. He kept silent though. For that Harry was surprised.

MacGonagall's expression softened slightly as she looked at Harry. Dumbledore's keen eyes looked over at Harry as well and he smiled softly. MacGonagall said, "For saving Duo Maxwell and clever use of simple charms and a difficult Patronus I award you thirty points for Gryffindor. Still, Potter, be more careful next time."

Harry nodded and looked at Dumbledore. He asked, "Professor, could you tell me what is going on?"

Dumbledore smiled kindly and answered, "It's quite a long story Harry, but I'll tell you what I know."

To Be Continued!

Umm, Malfoy, was he in character? I have mixed feelings on the boy, but I think I may protray him as slightly sympathetic this time. I mean, he has to have a heart after all. He's only fifteen, he couldn't be that warped by his father's lies so far.

Now, for the cookies! Royal Katia and Maxine got the Buffy mention in chapter nine, "After all, if a teenage girl could whale up on vampiric ass, then he sure as hell could."

Dark Elf, love the name by the way, remembered the other Buffy reference of A Vampire's Weakness by B.A Summers and Liam O'Rourke in chapter Three.

Now, there was another Buffy reference in this chapter if you can notice it. Another cookie!

Oh, Forest and Sean are mine. Especialy Forest. Use her and I'll come after you.