DISCLAIMER: This story is in no way associated with, or makes any claim to, Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or any other fandom/celebrity/anything else you may recognise. It all belongs to their respective owners. No money is being made from this story which is purely written for entertainment.
TIMELINE: Part 1 in Roads Travelled. Post BTVS season 2, and during the Marauders last year at Hogwarts.
2 September
Lily let out a frustrated groan, jumping up and down, with her legs crossed, a slight desperation in her movements, as the giggles from the bathroom increased. "Mary! Maddie!" She yelled. "Are you done yet? Some of us need to use the loo for more urgent things than gossip!"
Another giggle, followed by; "If you're in such a hurry, Evans," the voice of one of the twins called, Buffy wasn't sure which, "I'm sure Potter would be happy to share the boys' loo with you!"
Lily's face reddened in anger. Buffy tried to hold back a snort, but failed and Lily gave her an irritated look. "Sorry," Buffy hastily said, though she didn't sound sorry at all.
"It's fine," Lily said with a sigh, pulling her hair up in a ponytail. "I have to deal with this every morning." She pointed her hairbrush towards the bathroom door meaningfully. "I forget I always have to make sure to get up really early if I don't want to be late."
There was a knock on the door, and then Remus' head peaked in. And had to promptly back out again so the hairbrush Lily had thrown wouldn't hit him.
"Get out!" Lily hissed. "You can't just open the door like that! We could have been naked!"
"We were kind of hoping for that, Evans," Sirius Black's voice said from the other side of the door.
Lily's eyes widened. "What do you think you're doing?" she said, still hissing. "This is the girls' dormitory! You're not supposed to be here, let alone be able to be here! How did you get past the stairs?"
"A Marauder secret," James Potter's voice put in, and the door was being pushed wide open, revealing three of the Marauders. "So, Evans…" He gave her a rough grin. "Want to share the loo with me?"
Lily's jaw dropped. "How long have you been listening?!" She shrieked. Buffy had stuffed her fist in her mouth to keep herself from laughing.
"Long enough. So, what do you say?" He ruffled up his hair with a slightly arrogant gesture. Lily saw red and she picked up a shoe from the floor, taking aim.
"GET OUT!" The shoe hit James straight in the face, sending his glasses askew.
"Bloody hell!" The Marauders promptly backed out, closing the door in the process. "We were just going to escort Buffy to the Headmaster's office," came Remus voice, sounding slightly apologetic, but more amused than anything.
"Fine!" Lily snapped, locking the door with a wave of her wand and a silent colloportus. "But wait in the COMMON ROOM!"
"We hear you and obey, Evans," Sirius said, smirking and moving away from the door.
Remus looked at James in pity, "I think you just managed to ruin any chance you earned yesterday from actually being mature by acting like a complete prat just now."
James, who had been correcting his glasses, paled, his arrogant grin evaporating as he sank down in one of the fluffy chairs in what had been dubbed 'the Marauders corner.' "That loo comment…" He said, looking up at Sirius and Remus with despair. "It just slipped out! I didn't mean it! And," he sounded pained, "I was messing with my hair again!"
"Old habits die hard, I suppose," Remus said, shrugging. "You'll just have to kiss up to her a bit."
Peter sniggered. "Like he doesn't already."
James glared. "Some friends you are," he huffed.
As they walked to the Headmaster's office, Lily made sure she was slightly ahead of the Marauders, nose in the air, ignoring James, who was running in order to keep up with her, babbling about how sorry he was. Sirius shook his head, amused.
"I don't know why he doesn't give up," he said, chuckling.
"Theirs is a strange love," Remus agreed, grinning. Buffy smiled.
"It's not love," Sirius snorted. "It's a…one sided obsession."
"Do you really think so?" Remus said with a raise of his eyebrow, before pausing to point some lost first-years in the right direction to the Great Hall. After they ran off, giggling slightly, Sirius answered with a shrug.
"After he's conquered the Tiger-Lily, James will dump her and move on to better things. He just wants her because she's playing hard to get. I don't know why Prongs is even bothering." Sirius threw his hands in the air. "Love is so corny. I don't believe in it. At least, I don't believe in true love. Attraction, yes, but all that 'til death do us part,' no."
"That's…depressing," Buffy said quietly, eyes directed at the floor.
Remus frowned. "What do you mean?"
"That Sirius doesn't believe in true love. He's missing out on something wonderful."
Remus smirked. "I'm sure he'll be persuaded to change his mind sooner or later."
"Yeah, right." Sirius snorted arrogantly, taking a theatrical stance. "I, Sirius Black, will never settle down with just one woman. I will be the constant bachelor, untameable but oh, so loveable!"
"Arrogant, much?" Lily threw over her shoulder at Sirius.
"No, realistic," Sirius countered.
Lily frowned. "You're hardly irresistible, Black."
Sirius stuck out his tongue in answer, before retorting something that made Lily flush, and James jump to her rescue…which resulted in Lily becoming angry, and soon, the three were bickering wildly, speeding up their walk.
Remus and Buffy fell behind slightly, but neither of them really minded. Buffy wanted to be left alone, and Remus thought it was nice to not play peacemaker for once. "A Sickle for your thoughts?" he said finally, and Buffy looked up, blinking slightly.
"I was just…thinking." She smiled a bit sadly. "About love, actually."
It was Remus' turn to blink. "Oh," was all he said. For awhile, they just walked, the only sound was the others bickering up ahead, but then Buffy spoke up again.
"I loved someone…once," she said. "Or still do, I guess."
Remus gave her a sympathetic look, trying to ignore the sudden pang in his heart. "It must be hard. Being so far away from home, and from your loved ones. But I guess there's always writing - "
" - He's dead," Buffy interrupted shortly. And Remus' heart clenched again, with pain for the American girl that he didn't really know at all, but desperately wanted to know.
"I'm…sorry," was all he could think of to say, and Buffy smiled again, looking even sadder.
"Yeah. Me too. His death…well, I guess it's what indirectly caused me to come here. I miss him. And…it's hard. But what Sirius said…well…" She blushed. "I guess that it's better to have loved and lost than – "
" – Not have loved at all," Remus filled in.
"Yeah. It kind of made me see things from another perspective," Buffy admitted. "Even though he's gone, I'll try to cherish the memories I have, and be glad for them."
Remus nodded kindly, and they fell silent again, their steps echoing across the stone floor, until they reached the gargoyle, where they came to a stop. Lily, James and Sirius were already there, waiting, and seemingly having made up.
"What took you so long?" James said, not waiting for an answer, as he turned towards the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance. "Candy cane," he said, and the gargoyle leapt aside, the wall behind it splitting in two and revealing a spiral stone staircase that moved upwards.
"The Headmaster's office is right at the top. You can't miss it," Lily said kindly, and Buffy suddenly felt slightly nervous.
"You're not coming with?"
"Nope," Sirius said. "You're on your own. We'll wait here." His stomach let out a loud grumble. "Or rather, I'll go join Peter in the Great Hall for breakfast, and the others will wait." He skipped away, the others shaking their heads at him.
"You don't have to wait for me," Buffy spoke up, trying to sound confident. "I'll find my own way back."
James frowned. "Are you sure?" He was looking longingly down the corridor were Sirius had disappeared.
"Yes."
James shrugged. "Alright then." He quickly ran to catch up. "Padfoot, wait!"
Lily snorted. "What a responsible Head Boy he is…"
"Give him a break," Remus said, giving Lily a friendly shove. "He did ask."
Lily grumbled something under her breath, before looking up. "Well, go on. Remus and I will wait." She turned to Remus with a slightly accusing look. "Unless you're taking off too."
Remus' lips twitched. "No, I'll wait as well."
Buffy smiled, slightly apprehensive, before stepping up onto the moving staircase.
"Come in."
The door opened, revealing Buffy, who was wondering how the Headmaster had known she was standing outside the door. "Um…you wanted to see me?" she got out, walking slowly into the room, inspecting the many trinkets with interest, gasping as she caught sight of an unearthly beautiful red and gold bird.
Dumbledore chuckled. "He's my companion, Fawkes. A Phoenix. Marvellous creatures. Please, sit down." He gestured towards the chair in front of his desk, and Buffy sat down, fiddeling nervously with her hands on her lap.
"What did you want to talk to me about? Have you started to look into ways to get me home yet?"
"No," Dumbledore said honestly. "Things are very busy at the start of a new term, and I do not expect to get any time for research until after Halloween, at the earliest."
Buffy nodded, not really sure if she was disappointed or not.
"What I wanted to talk about," Dumbledore continued, sucking on a sherbet lemon, "was your schedule. What classes do you want to take?"
"Uh…what classes are there?" Buffy wondered and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.
"How thoughtless of me," he said brightly, not sounding very sorry at all, "to not explain that first!"
Buffy smiled hesitantly, not really sure what to say, but she found she was feeling a bit more relaxed in the Headmaster's company than she had before.
"What did you and Buffy talk about?" Lily wondered, leaning against the wall beside the gargoyle, which had jumped back into its place. Remus looked up from where he was sitting at the opposite side of the corridor, stretching out his legs.
"Nothing." He paused. "Her old boyfriend."
"Oh. Really?"
"Yep," Remus said morosely, and Lily coughed to hide her amusement. He was so obvious sometimes…
"How did that feel? I mean, you like her, yes?" she asked, giving him a pointed look.
Remus flushed. "No," he said, lying through his teeth. Lily rolled her eyes.
"Don't lie to me, Remus. You're talking to me, remember? Lily Marie Evans, your study-buddy through wet and dry, and the girl who can read you like a book." She sounded amused. "Was it not I who figured out you had a crush on Jessica Lester, in fourth year? Mimi Rogers, fifth year? Iris Davies, sixth year?" She grinned. "Not that you ever dared to actually do anything about any of them…"
"Alright, I get your point," Remus grumbled. "This is…different," he added. "It's not a crush. I just…" He let out a frustrated sound. "I want to comfort her," he finally said, embarrassed. "Make her laugh. Get to know her. I don't know any better way to explain it."
"Ah."
Remus glared. "What do you mean, ah?" he asked.
Lily's lips twitched. "Oh, nothing."
Remus frowned. "It's not funny. And even if, hypothetically, I did like her like that, nothing would ever come of it. You know that."
Lily frowned. "No, I don't. If you like her, go for it."
Remus gave her an exasperated look. "You know why that will never happen."
Lily threw a look just as exasperated right back. "Your furry little problem is not the big obstacle you think it is! You're letting it - " She abruptly fell silent when the gargoyle swung aside, revealing Buffy.
"How did it go?"
"Fine. He just wanted to discuss my schedule." And also, Buffy now knew what 'Quidditch', 'Snitches' and 'Portkeys' were, along with the wizarding world's currency.
"Yeah?" Remus asked, standing up. "What classes are you taking?"
"Charms, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology," Buffy recited dutifully, holding up the schedule Dumbledore had produced for her with a wave of his wand. "I'm not…very good though, so I'll probably need some help." She blushed. 'Not very good' was an understatement. 'Completely ignorant' would be a far more accurate description.
"No problem," both Lily and Remus said. "We'll help you study, the same goes for James and Sirius," Remus said. "We help Peter all the time. They may whine and stomp about it childishly first though, but that's just their way."
"Why am I not surprised?" Lily said dryly, leading the way back down the corridors, and towards the Great Hall.
Buffy grinned. "By the way, Lily, would you like to come with me to Diagon Alley after breakfast?" she wondered as they sat down beside Sirius, James and Peter. "All my things were destroyed," she lied, "so I have to get new stuff."
Lily lit up. "Sure! I'm not saying no to shopping!" She nudged Buffy playfully. "We can bond over fashion." They grinned at each other.
The Marauders rolled their eyes. "Girls," Sirius muttered.
"Are you sure you four don't want to come?" Lily said innocently to them.
James looked like he was actually seriously considering it, just to spend time with Lily, and Remus looked thoughtful for awhile, but then his eyes widened as his mind caught up with what 'shopping with girls' included. In his mind's eye, he saw the four of them, overstuffed with bags and things, and having to watch the girls try on outfit after outfit, in store after store…
"Uh, no thanks," he quickly said, followed by Sirius, who had realised what Lily's offer would mean long before Remus did. They both pinched James hard, and he yelped, rubbing his arm.
"Ouch!" He glared at them, sighing as he saw his friends' identical pointed glares that promised torture, should he agree. "Sorry," he said, grimacing at Lily, and actually sounding like he meant it. "But we've got to…study."
Sirius and Peter snorted, while Remus rolled his eyes in despair at the bad excuse. They hadn't even had any classes yet!
"Dumbledore said we could take a Portkey from his office," Buffy said once they finished their breakfast and returned to the Headmaster's office, hooking Lily's arm together with her own. "Tell me about Diagon Alley," she begged. "What kind of place is it?"
"Well," Lily looked ahead dreamily. "It's bigger than Hogsmeade – the village near Hogwarts – which is both a good and a bad thing. Not as comfy, but with far more stores to choose from. There is Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour – a lovely place, Quality Quidditch Supplies – which I tend to avoid if I can, Flourish and Blotts; the bookstore – my favourite hang-out," she grinned a little embarrassed, and Buffy laughed.
"Then there's a store which sells cauldrons, an apothecary, a store filled with quills and inks and the like, Madame Malkins for robes and of course, Ollivanders, the wand store," Lily finished. "That's just a few of the shops though, there are many more. Also, Diagon Alley borders into some smaller alleys as well, like Knockturn Alley."
"What do they sell there?" Buffy wondered, curious, as Lily didn't elaborate. The redhead shuddered.
"You don't want to know," she said. "It's where the 'less respectable' wizards go. If you're looking for something illegal, or something that has to do with the Dark Arts, that's where you'd go."
Buffy took a mental note to check out Knockturn Alley. That was probably the place she'd find vampires and other creatures of the night and maybe even a weapon or two.
They had reached the gargoyle, but found they didn't have to say the password to the spiralling stairs, as the gargoyle jumped away, revealing the Headmaster. "Ah, Miss Summers. I was just going to come looking for you," he said, smiling. "Am I right in my assumption that Miss Evans is to accompany you to Diagon Alley?"
"Yes. If that's okay," Buffy said. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.
"Of course. Now," he pulled out a money bag and gave to Buffy. "I will not have you worrying about money," he said, as Buffy opened her mouth to protest. "I know you lost everything in your trip to come here, and the school will pay for your needs. We have a special trust-fund for unfortunate incidents such as yours."
Buffy smiled slightly, embarrassed that she'd have to rely on Dumbledore for money, but grateful.
"However," the Headmaster continued. "I do believe it would be a good idea if you started your own account at Gringotts, the wizarding bank. Miss Evans will show you how it's done, I'm sure." His eyes were twinkling. "There, you will also be able to exchange our currency into Muggle money, if you wish to buy Muggle clothes."
Buffy nodded in understanding.
"The money bag is also a Portkey. It will activate in about a minute or so, and take you to the Leaky Cauldron. To get back here, simply hold it, and say the word 'activate.' But," Dumbledore said, peering out at the two girls over his half-moon spectacles, his blue eyes grave. "After midnight, that password will be null and void, and if you do not activate it before then, you will be stranded. Do you understand?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued: "I hope that you will not abuse the trust I give you, by letting you venture out in Muggle London alone, and Diagon Alley too, for that matter."
He smiled, his grave look fading. "I would have been more worried that you'd be venturing into clubs, bars, pubs and other 'adventures', had you chosen to bring the self-named Marauders as well, even though I'm sure they can be responsible when they so wish."
Lily snorted, and the Headmaster's smile widened. Buffy grabbed Lily's hand, so the redhead wouldn't be left behind when the Portkey activated, and it was right on time to, as she suddenly felt an uncomfortable pull in her navel, and the world started to spin.
As they landed, Buffy somehow managed to keep herself upright – it probably had something to do with her Slayer-genes – Lily, on the other hand, was not so lucky, and landed sprawled at the floor. She got up quickly, brushing herself off, completely unfazed, as she smiled and waved at the patrons who all stared at them curiously.
Buffy barely noticed them though, she was busy taking in the sight of the dark and rather shabby little pub. Even though it looked like it had been a long time since it was in its prime there was something very welcoming about it and Buffy immediately felt at ease.
"Are you alright?" Lily asked, giving Buffy a worried look. "It must be rather disconcerting, having another trip by Portkey so soon after the one that caused you to lose all of your things and getting you stuck in the Hospital Wing."
Buffy blinked, thrown-off for a second, before she remembered her cover-story, and she quickly smiled. "Yeah. But it's no problem."
There was a cough from behind them, and they both turned around to face the barman, who was almost bald, and Buffy realised he looked a bit like a gummy walnut if she cocked her head in a certain way. "Hi, Tom," Lily said brightly.
"Well, well," the barman, Tom, said, giving the redhead a toothy grin. "If it isn't Lily Evans! What are you doing in this part of London? Are you not supposed to be at Hogwarts?"
"Well, yes," Lily said with a winning smile. "But we have a new transfer student, you see, and, as Head Girl, it fell on me to show her around Diagon Alley and get her the materials she's missing."
"Ah, so you're just passing through," Tom said knowingly, turning to Buffy. "I suppose you are the new student then, eh?"
"Buffy Summers," Buffy introduced herself. "And, yes, I am."
"Well, I am sure you will enjoy Hogwarts very much," Tom said kindly. "And Diagon Alley as well. It is quite a sight. Can I offer you anything to drink? A Butterbeer, perhaps? On the house, of course," he added, with a wink.
"I'm afraid not," Lily said regretfully. "But, if we get the time, we might take you up on that offer before heading back."
"Please do," Tom said. "It was very nice talking to you, as usual, Miss Evans."
"Same to you, Tom," Lily said, smiling, grabbing Buffy's hand and leading her past the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but an overflowing dustbin and a few weeds in sight.
"Tom seemed nice," Buffy noted.
"Oh, he is," Lily said absently, while tapping her wand against the wall in front of the dustbin. "Always up for a chat."
Buffy was giving her a curious look. "What are you doi – " She cut herself off, as Lily, stepped back, and Buffy watched in amazement as the last brick she had touched quivered and wriggled. In the middle, a small hole, which stretched out wider and wider, appeared. And a second later the two girls were facing an archway on to a cobbled street which twisted and turned out of sight.
"Oh, my God," Buffy breathed, stepping through, looking around the crowded street in wonder, Lily following. Behind them, the archway shrunk back into a solid wall, but Buffy only had eyes for the astonishing sight in front of her. "Oh. My. God."
"Well," Lily said in amusement. "Welcome to Diagon Alley."
Buffy had never been so overwhelmed by anything in her entire life. Diagon Alley was an incredible place, beyond her wildest imagination. During the day, they had visited so many shops that Buffy couldn't possibly keep them straight in her head. Not one looked even remotely the same as another – they were all so different, with their own perks, but what they all had in common was that they were lovely, in one way or another, and Buffy never wanted to leave.
So far, she had bought a trunk, cauldrons, brass scales, phials and potion ingredients in Slug & Jiggers Apothecary, parchment, ink and quills in Scribbulus Everchanging Inks, several sets of robes in Madame Malkin's, along with a school uniform, a cloak, gloves and more. They had also spent a long time inside the bookshop, which Buffy had to admit was very impressive. While Buffy was not usually someone who enjoyed books, there was something enchanting about the collection in Flourish and Blotts that had her almost as enthusiastic over the many volumes as Lily.
"Well, I think it's time for something to eat, right?" Lily said, taking a look at her watch. "Now usually, I'd be all for real dinner," she said with a glint in her eye. "But I'm really not that hungry, so I think an ice-cream or two at Florean Fortescue's ought to do it."
Buffy, who wasn't that hungry either, and still on a high from witnessing the floating broom in the window to the Quidditch-store, but Lily had gone past it without a single glance. Buffy had decided it was best not to push her luck, considering Lily was still quite put-out from being the victim of a prank inside the joke-shop Gambol & Japes, which Buffy somehow had convinced Lily to enter, despite her complaints. Silently, Buffy told herself she would somehow drag Lily with her inside the Quidditch-store before the day was over, though, whether the green-eyed girl wanted it or not. "Sure."
Lily grinned, and before long, they were enjoying a lunch that consisted of more ice-cream than was healthy. But neither of them brought it up, and both Lily and Buffy enjoyed munching on every bite of ice-cream that there was. There were so many that Buffy had never even heard of, and though Lily had been part of the wizarding world for more than six years, she still hadn't tried all of them.
It was more than two hours later, much of which had been spent not eating ice-cream, but letting their stomachs digest it, so they wouldn't get sick, which was a definite possibility after how much they had eaten, when they finally moved on.
A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the gloomy wand-shop Ollivander's as Buffy and Lily entered, and the Slayer looked around nervously.
"Good afternoon," said a soft voice, and both Lily and Buffy jumped, not having heard – or seen – anyone approaching, and Buffy immediately turned wary, the hairs on the back of her neck rising slightly.
"Hello, Mr Ollivander," Lily said politely.
Ollivander smiled, a rather creepy grin, Buffy thought, taking in his wide pale eyes, which shone almost unnaturally, like pale moons. "The same to you, Miss Evans. It seems like it was yesterday you were here to buy your wand. Willow, ten and a quarter inches, swishy. Nice wand for charm work, and a very powerful wand, indeed. I hope it serves you well, still?"
"I have no complaints," Lily assured him. "Anyway, the reason we're here – "
" – Oh, I know already," Ollivander said, turning to Buffy, who's palms were sweating slightly. "You are looking for a wand. Your first."
Lily stared incredulously, and rather confused. Her first? Hadn't Buffy had a wand before? Her confusion grew as Ollivander suddenly bowed to her new friend, and she gave Buffy a baffled look. What was going on?
"I was wondering if I would ever have the honour of meeting you," Ollivander continued, and Buffy slowly started to panic, wishing he would shut up, as she felt Lily giving her a bewildered look full of curiosity.
"I must say I am surprised though," the old man continued, "I never expected you to come here, but everything happens for a reason." His pale eyes were twinkling. "I believe I have the perfect wand for you. In fact, I do not think I will have to measure you at all."
He disappeared behind the desk, and into a room. When he came back, he was carrying a black box. "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Miss Summers," he said. "For example, we use unicorn hair, phoenix tail feathers and the heartstrings of dragons. But this," he said, opening the box, and taking out the wand, "this is a very unusual combination…I only created it as an experiment…but I do believe this might be exactly what you're looking for. Now, give it a wave."
Buffy, who was panicking over what to tell Lily, since she was certainly going to want an explanation for Ollivander's behaviour the moment they stepped out of the shop, hesitantly grabbed the wand. Immediately, she felt a warmth in her fingers that spread through her entire body the moment her skin came in contact with the dark wood, and she gasped. It felt as though she had found a missing part of herself: a part she didn't even know she was missing in the first place. As she swished the wand through the dusty air, a stream of white and silver sparks shot out from the end like a firework, illuminating the room with dancing spots of lights.
"Well, this is most excellent!" Ollivander said, beaming. "Very good indeed. I never thought I would ever get the chance to try this on a customer, but it seems I was wrong. As I said, this wand is forged with a very unusual combination - the core comes from a customer who was here a little more than six years ago..."
"What is the core?" Buffy asked, without taking her eyes from the wand, stroking the sleek wood in wonder.
"The wand is Holly, 10 inches, with a hair from a werewolf."
Both Lily's and Buffy's heads snapped up to look at Ollivander as he spoke, but for different reasons. Buffy, because she immediately thought of Oz, and Lily, because she put two and two together, realising the hair must have come from Remus – after all, how many werewolves could there have been, that ventured into Ollivander's to buy a wand six years ago?
"Well, Ollivander said, clasping his hands together. "I think we can expect great things from you, Miss Summers. Great things indeed."
The second they were out of the shop, Lily turned to Buffy. "What was that all about?" she demanded to know. "The bow, and the 'your first wand'-comment, and how you weren't 'supposed to come here' thing?"
Buffy winced. "To be honest, I have no idea why he said all that, or why he bowed for that matter. But," she added as Lily huffed in indignation, clearly not believing her: "I do admit this is my first wand."
"What do you mean?" Lily asked, confused. "You must have had a wand before?"
"Eh, yes, of course," Buffy said, inwardly crossing her fingers as she prepared herself to lie directly to Lily's face. "But as you know, I have been home schooled all my life, and I always borrowed my tutor's wand. It didn't work very well for me, though my teacher said it was because of a lack of ability, so he refused to take me to a wand store. And since I'm muggle-born, my parents didn't know where to take me, and I didn't know where to go. I've always been very isolated from the wizarding world. So I've mostly focused on the theory and stuff." She shrugged. "I've never been very good at that either, though."
Lily gawked. "How are you supposed to get through your seventh year here if you've never used a wand that is properly attuned to you?"
Buffy grinned sheepishly. "Well, I hoped I'd find someone as brilliant as you to help me?"
Lily just stared at her, and then she started to laugh. "Flattery will get you everywhere," she snorted. "But, honestly, Buffy…" She shook her head. "What was your teacher thinking? Was he even properly qualified? Your magic might have been damaged beyond repair, after using a wand that is wrong for you for so long. Having a proper wand is very important," she cautioned.
Buffy just shrugged, feeling bad about lying. She couldn't help but hope that something was going to happen that would reveal the truth to the redhead though. She had always hated having to keep her being the Slayer a secret. In fact, she hated lies in general, even though sometimes they were a necessary evil.
"It's very exciting," she said instead, changing the subject. "That my wand-core is the hair of a werewolf."
Lily's grin faded. "Yeah. It is, isn't it?"
Buffy frowned, and then her eyes widened. "Oh, my God!" She exclaimed, hissing. "Are you the werewolf?"
Lily stared. Then, she laughed nervously. "No," she quickly said. "No, I can honestly say that I'm not."
Buffy's eyes narrowed, her heart beating quicker in anticipation. "But you know who it is?" It wasn't a question.
Lily's eyes darted around, desperately looking for a way out. "What makes you say that?" she asked, voice wavering.
"Your expression, for one thing," Buffy stated. "Why won't you tell me?"
Lily let out a frustrated sigh, throwing up her hands. "Because it is not my secret to tell!" She exclaimed. "I wasn't even supposed to find out, myself, but I figured it out, and I confronted him about it. He panicked! He was terrified I'd tell somebody!"
"So it's a he," Buffy noted smugly with a raise of an eyebrow.
"Oh, for Merlin's sake!" Lily yelled, and started to walk down the street with angry steps. "I don't know why I'm bothering."
Buffy sniggered.
After Ollivander's the two quickly visited a small junk shop, neither of them buying anything, only looking around. As they stepped outside, and strolled up the street and past the stores once again, Buffy did her best to convince Lily to enter the Quidditch-store, but Lily promptly flat out refused.
"No," she said. "I let myself be talked into visiting the joke shop, and look what happened! I will not visit a Quidditch store, no matter what you say or do to me. So you can stop your pouting!"
Buffy sighed, but then she got sight of the opening to Knockturn Alley, and a glint appeared in her eye. "Well," she said, stopping. "I can go to the Quidditch shop alone," she suggested innocently. "I mean, you wanted to visit Oddscurus books and Blizzard books, right? You can do that in the meantime, and then we can meet up outside Gringotts."
"It's Obscurus Books, and WhizzHard Books," Lily corrected, with a roll of her eyes and a smile. "But fine. I'll see you later then!" She winked and skipped away down the street.
The moment she was out of sight, Buffy made her way into Knockturn Alley, and immediately, everything around her seemed to grow glum and dark, and she shuddered, her spider-sense giving her the creeps. The atmosphere was the complete opposite of the cheery impression Diagon Alley gave, and her eyes darted around wildly, as she looked around, her eyes jerking back and forth between all the witches and wizards there, who were all wearing dark cloaks that were obscuring their faces, hiding them from view.
Buffy was more than relieved when she finally reached a shop which sold weapons. The man by the counter, however, only sneered at her, but then quickly shut up as he noticed how easily and professionally Buffy handled the weapons.
"I'll take these," she said, carefully putting down the weapons she'd picked out on the desk, desperately hoping the money she had would be enough. "How much?"
The man mentioned a price and Buffy's eyes almost bulged out of her head. "That's robbery!" She hissed.
The man smirked. "It's my price."
Buffy glared and put away several of the beauties she'd chosen, pouting, until only a crossbow, a couple of knives and two swords remained. It wasn't like she used much else besides those and stakes anyway. She also kept a katana she refused to leave behind, even though she'd probably never use it in battle, because it was so beautifully crafted it just felt like it was made for her.
The man mentioned a new price, which was a lot more agreeable, but despite that, Buffy spent the next five minutes haggling with the man, until she managed to lower the cost even more. She did want to have money left for normal clothes, a broom and enough to open an account at the bank after all…
Buffy pulled out her newly purchased trunk from her pocket, enlarging it by placing her hand on the lid and then carefully put the weapons down. Next, she closed the trunk and reduced it by placing her hand on the lid and speaking the word diminish, doing her best to ignore the store-keeper's eyes, which seemed to follow her every move.
Buffy quickly put the trunk back down in her pocket, and made her way out of the store and away from Knockturn Alley, hoping she hadn't overestimated the time – she had risked this because she counted on Lily getting so excited about the books that she'd forget everything else.
She seemed to be in luck, though, because as she stepped out of the alley, and breathed in the fresh air from Diagon Alley, there was no sign of red hair outside Gringotts, and Buffy happily made her way up the street, towards the Quidditch store…where she was faced with one angry and worried redhead.
"Where have you been?" Lily exclaimed, grabbing Buffy, and hugging her. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
Buffy gulped. "I may have gotten lost on the way here," she lied.
Lily stared at her incredulously. "How could you possibly have gotten lost? It's one street! Up and down!"
"Sorry," Buffy said sheepishly, then grinned. "But, hey look, I got you into the Quidditch store after all!" she said, sniggering.
Lily rolled her eyes, but her lips were twitching, too relieved to scowl, even though she wanted to. Buffy walked past her, and up to the shopkeeper.
"Hi," she said. "I'd like a broom. Nothing too fancy, but rideable."
The shopkeeper grinned. "Well, all our brooms are rideable," he said. "But if you don't want anything too expensive, I recommend the Cleansweep 4. It's nothing 'too fancy,' as you put it, but very easy to control, fairly smooth movements, and with an average speed. Nothing for professional games, obviously, but enough for racing and backyard Quidditch, and school games, certainly."
"How much?"
The shopkeeper mentioned a price, and Buffy nodded, finding it was very reasonable, and would still give her plenty of money left. Dumbledore had been very generous, perhaps foreseeing her need of weapons as an extra expense. "I'll take it."
Lily confidently walked up to one of the goblins at the counter, Buffy standing slightly behind, still in awe of the sight of all the creepy and evil looking goblins and the impressive interior of the giant building.
"Hello. We would like to open an account for Buffy Summers, please."
"Have you ever had an account here before?" The goblin asked, and Buffy walked up, shaking her head.
"No."
"I see. Well," he gave her some papers and a quill. "Fill out these forms," he said, bored.
Buffy quickly did as she was told, wincing slightly as she did so. Writing with feathers was harder than it looked, she thought, as she jotted down another crooked signature. She promised herself to buy some ballpoint pens as soon as possible.
She handed the paper to the Goblin and he gave her small golden key.
"Bank box eight hundred and fifteen is now yours," the goblin said in a monotone voice. "Do you have any money you wish to put in there right away?"
"Yes, but I would like to exchange some of it into Muggle money first," Buffy said, and mentioned a sum, after the Goblin had explained the exchange rate. After that, he took the leftover coins and put them on a scale. He tapped on it with a crooked finger, and the money disappeared in a small cloud of smoke. The goblin gave back the now empty money bag, and Buffy put her Muggle money there instead, after saying goodbye to the goblin, who ignored her.
"Well, they were nice," Buffy huffed sarcastically as they stepped outside, and Lily grinned, checking her watch. They still had a few hours left, which they'd have to spend in Muggle London, she supposed.
"Goblins aren't nice," Lily said. "They're greedy. All they care about are money and treasure. And the occasional rebellion, though it has been awhile since the last one."
"I'm not surprised," Buffy said dryly.
Hours later, after shopping for clothes (and ballpoint pens) in Muggle London, Buffy and Lily were back at the Leaky Cauldron, taking Tom up on the offer of free Butterbeer, which Buffy immediately fell in love with.
"So," Lily asked, munching on a cookie. "Why did you leave America?"
Buffy looked down, shrugging slightly. "I wanted a change," she said.
A heavy silence fell over them like an uncomfortable blanket, until Lily spoke up again. "Remus mentioned something about an old boyfriend," she said hesitantly. Buffy paled, and she gripped her glass harder.
"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand," Lily hurriedly added. "I was just curious. I'm sorry; it's none of my business."
Buffy sighed, her grip loosening, and she hoped Lily hadn't noticed the small crack that had appeared in it. "No, it's fine. I understand." She looked down into her glass. If she tried hard enough, she could almost see his face in the liquid… "His name was Angel," she said, so quietly, that Lily almost thought she had imagined it.
"I've…never been so in love in my entire life," Buffy continued, her voice growing slightly stronger, but rather shaky. "He was my world. I thought we'd last forever." She choked a bit, a she let out a ragged breath. "Then, he wasn't there anymore. He died." She looked up at Lily, who simply stared back, her green eyes kind, bringing the Slayer comfort enough to go on. "And it was my fault."
Lily immediately began to shake her head and opened her mouth to interrupt, to say that no, it certainly wasn't. But Buffy continued before she could. "It was my fault, and nothing you say will change that. And nothing I do will bring him back." She blinked, angrily wiping away a few tears.
"And I ran away from everything. And I ended up here." Buffy looked up again, eyes glassy. "I know I can't escape the memories, or the past," she admitted. "Even though I wish I could. But…"
"But maybe you can move on," Lily added, her eyes filled with understanding, and Buffy nodded.
"Yeah." She dried her eyes, smiling a bit. "Thanks for listening. I just…I needed to let it out, I think."
Lily reached over and patted her hand. "Say no more. I understand. More than you think. I am Muggle-born, you see," she said. "And I have a sister. Petunia. When we were children we were best friends. But then, I got my Hogwarts letter…something she never got. And she started to resent me for being a witch, and every time I get home from Hogwarts, she's always talking about what a freak I am, and how abnormal magic is." She smiled sadly.
"I've come to realise it's no use to protest, because she won't change her mind. So…I suppose I've sort of…moved on. I can't stop being a witch for her, and I can't be stuck in a phase were I constantly have to defend myself to her. There's nothing I can do about it. Not until she comes around. Now, I realise this is not exactly the same thing," Lily added. "But you have to let go of Angel, just as I have had to let Petunia go. We can do nothing more."
5 September
It was Monday morning and the Great Hall was filled with half-asleep students. The only noise that could be heard was the clink of utensils and the occasional sleepy mumble. It was the first day of classes after a long, and probably lazy summer break - as usual, the pupils weren't all that active. And, as usual, by the Gryffindor table, a certain group of students proved to be the exception of that rule.
"Oi! Evans!" James yelled from his end where he sat with Sirius, Peter and Remus walked over to join them.
Lily glared at the messy haired boy and demonstratively sat down with Buffy on the other side, as far away from them as possible, and proceeded to ignore him. Instead, she continued informing Buffy about all the teachers, which she had begun to do during their walk from their dormitory to the Great Hall: "…And Professor McGonagall is quite strict, but very fair. So, I don't think you'll have any trouble as long as you behave."
She paused slightly to smile at the person they were discussing, who was handing out their schedules. "Hi, Professor!" She flushed slightly.
Professor McGonagall nodded in greeting. "Hello, Miss Evans," she said, looking down on her over her spectacles. "Strict but fair, hmm?" She winked slightly at the Head Girl, and handed the last Gryffindor student his schedule and headed back towards the teachers' table.
"…Evans!" James yelled again, louder this time. "Are you listening to me?"
Lily, who had recovered from McGonagall's appearance, continued to ignore him and instead turned back to Buffy, after casting a quick glance at her schedule. "Flitwick must be my favourite professor, I think. He's also very fair, but funny as well. As for DADA – that's Defence Against the Dark Arts – we usually get a new instructor every year, so unfortunately I can't tell you anything about him – or her – and I didn't spot anyone new at the welcoming feast…"
"Can you try to pay some attention?!" James exclaimed, grabbing his paper-napkin, and proceeded to squeeze it into a ball. "Head Boy calling Head Girl!" He threw the ball at Lily's head and as it hit, punched his fist into the air, to the sniggers of Sirius, Remus and Peter.
Lily looked up, glaring. "What," she hissed icily, "in Merlin's name do you think you're doing?"
"You can't still be mad about the dorm incident, can you? That happened ages ago!" He said, pouting slightly.
"No," Lily answered, rolling her eyes, vanquishing the harmless, but offensive paper ball that had bounced down on the floor, with a flick of her wand. "But it is a little strange, that as soon I forgive you for one thing, you do something else to piss me off! And you wonder why I don't like you."
"Aww, don't be like that!" James said, grinning charmingly.
Lily sighed, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "What do you want, James?"
"Just wondering what your schedule looks like," James said, holding up his hands in surrender. Then, he frowned, eyes widening. "Wait. Did you just call me James?"
Lily rolled her eyes again. "Don't count on it becoming a habit. Why do you want to know my schedule? So you can hex it, like you did in third year, when I thought I was to take all my classes alone with the Slytherins?"
James dragged a hand through his hair, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry 'bout that," he said, coughing slightly. "But, in my defence, I was a kid and didn't know any better."
"You're still a kid," Lily argued, before taking up her schedule and levitating it to James. Buffy looked on in slight envy – that was a handy spell… "Here. But Merlin help you if you do something strange with it."
James grinned, pulling out his own schedule, his hazel eyes flickering back and forth between them. Soon, his grin widened.
"Well, well, look at that!" He said, a bit smugly. "We seem to have all of our classes together! The only difference that I can see is that I have Muggle Studies when you have Arithmancy."
"Lovely," Lily deadpanned, summoning her schedule back. "Let me see your schedule, Buffy."
James pouted. "You're ignoring me."
"No, really?" Lily deadpanned, and then turned to Buffy. "Luckily, we only have a few classes today. Unfortunately, I think they will feel quite repetitive. The teachers will probably all spend their classes informing us of the N.E.W.T.s – that's the Nastily Exausting Wizarding Tests we have at the end of the year, in case you didn't know – do you have them in the states?" Before getting an answer, she continued: "They'll probably go over the class schedule, inform us of bigger assignments and give us some reading for homework, nothing practical."
Buffy listened, transfixed and slightly terrified, to Professor Flitwick as he lectured them on how important their N.E.W.T.s were for their future. She had no idea how she was going to pass when she had no prior experience of magic! Also, she had taken a look at her schedule, and the only time she had free periods took place when Lily and Remus had class. And during the afternoon, they'd probably need to dedicate the time to their own homework, so they wouldn't be able to help her, despite their promises.
"…I highly recommend you drop any subjects that are not crucial to your chosen career."
Buffy's frown deepened. She had no idea what she wanted to become – or what careers there were in the wizarding world at all, for that matter. Would she even be here, or would Dumbledore have managed to send her back by then? But she supposed it was best to prepare for all possibilities, just in case…
"…N.E.W.T.-level Charms are far more advanced than what you are used to. We will begin to with a study of difficult protection spells and shields, such as the Fidelius…"
…Hmm…perhaps she ought to drop Care of Magical Creatures…but it sounded interesting. And useful, considering she was the Slayer…but could she take on a workload of six subjects…? It didn't sound like much – Lily had eight, after all, but she was new to all of this…and she had just touched, let alone tried, a wand yet…what if she sucked?
"…Deep thoughts?"
"Huh?" Buffy looked up, turning around in her seat to blink at Remus, who had poked her in the back with his wand. On his desk, Buffy saw, there was a parchment where a quill was fluttering, writing down everything Flitwick was saying.
"You looked like you were daydreaming," Remus commented with a low voice, smiling.
"…Charms, is, as you know, one of the subjects that are useful everywhere and I advise you to pay extra close attention this year…"
Buffy shrugged. "Yeah. You know, I'm a little nervous. I'm kind of new to this whole magic thing in general…"
"Right…" Remus nodded thoughtfully. "Lily mentioned something about that…"
"…Most of your Teachers will probably tell you – or have already told you this more than once, but it is only because it is worth repeating…"
"Anyway, I am pretty sure I'm going to fail," Buffy finished with a sigh and a helpless shrug.
"Don't say that," Remus scolded lightly. "We'll help you."
"But – "
" – We won't be so busy we can't help a friend in need," he continued. "After all, if those two," he nodded towards James and Sirius, who were whispering and sniggering, "have time to play pranks, I'm sure we can take the time to help you."
Buffy felt some of the panic that had been creeping up settled down, and she felt a comfortable weight of happiness settle down in her stomach. "Thanks," she mumbled, before turning back to Flitwick.
"Any time," Remus answered.
"…Before we move on to new material, we will do a repetition on what you already should know; freshen up your minds that have probably melted to butter during the summer heat."
The class laughed, and Buffy felt the last of her panic disappear. Maybe things wouldn't be as bad as she'd feared after all.
Published: 29/01 -09
Edited: 18/08 -12