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.
28 September
Buffy let the tears fall freely and she bowed her head over the werewolf's body. The blood had stopped flowing, but the creature was so still. He was still breathing, but that was that – the movements of his ribcage were almost unnoticeable.
There was a sudden rustling from the bushes, and Buffy looked up, in surprise, as a stag - with a rat on its antlers - and a dog burst into the clearing. Her surprise multiplied ten-fold, as the rat scurried down, and then, the three animals became…human. "Oh my God!" She exclaimed, staring at James, Peter and Sirius in shock. "You're…you're…you can turn into animals?"
"Yeah," James said. "It's not exactly legal though, so don't go spreading it around…" He glanced at his watch, groaning. "I forgot all about the time - Lily is going to kill me!" That's when he saw the werewolf by Buffy's feet, and he paled, as he realised who, exactly, it was that was lying there.
"Holy Hippogriffs," Sirius gasped, having seen him too. Peter rushed to the closest tree, were he proceeded to throw up.
"Who did this?" James asked weakly, kneeling down by the creature and lifted up an eyelid to check the reaction of the pupils.
"I-I…" Buffy stuttered, "I did."
Sirius, Peter and James' heads swirled around to stare at her.
"What?" Sirius breathed out, and he grabbed her shoulders and shook her, angrily.
"I-It was in self-defence!" Buffy cried out. "I didn't realise it was only a werewolf until it was too late! If I had, I never would have hurt him!"
It didn't seem like they were listening.
"What were you doing in the forest anyway?" James demanded to know. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is?"
"I'm the Slayer!" Buffy exclaimed, and James and Sirius froze, though Buffy only rambled on, not noticing. "I got permission from Dumbledore to patrol the forest! I thought he was a demon! Or a vampire! I – "
"…You can't be the Slayer," James interrupted, rubbing his head. "It's not possible."
"What's a Slayer?" Peter wondered.
"A myth," Sirius stated, glaring angrily at Buffy. "You expect us to believe that?!" Peter didn't look much the wiser.
"It's the truth!"
Sirius snorted. "You're clearly delusional."
"We don't have time to argue!" James said, interrupting the argument he realised was coming. "We have to get help, before Remus dies!"
It was Buffy's time to freeze. "That's Remus?" she asked weakly, pointing in shocked disbelief at the barely alive werewolf.
The boys didn't get the chance to answer, however, for in that moment the werewolf started to turn back, and Buffy watched in horrid fascination as she heard the creaking of bones, and tearing of flesh, as the wolf turned back into human, confirming that is was, indeed, Remus. A dirty, bloody and deadly pale Remus, with blue-tinged lips, Buffy's jacket the only thing covering him up and giving him some - but almost no - modesty.
Sirius quickly conjured up a blanket and wrapped it around Remus' body carefully, his grey eyes dark with worry.
"…Remus," she breathed, her heart beating quicker. If he died...
James conjured up a stretcher. "We have to get him to Madam Pomfrey, quickly." He sounded grim. "We don't have much time."
Lily rounded the corner frowning deeply, arriving in the corridor leading past the Hospital Wing. She was not happy with James Potter – she shouldn't be surprised that he stood her up though – after all, patrolling was all work and no play. But still, he had promised to take the whole Head Boy-business seriously, and during their first patrol, Lily had thought they had connected. They'd had a civil conversation, and James had handled the situation with Sirius beyond her wildest expectations. The fact that he seemed to have forgotten all about his promise only a few days later, well, it hurt.
Suddenly, Lily saw the boy in question come running. "Well, it's about time!" She snapped, glaring, putting her hands on her hips. "Though it would have been better if you had shown up, say, hours ago." That's when she noticed Sirius, Peter and Buffy in tow, with Remus floating behind them on a stretcher, and she gasped in shock as she saw how bad he looked. Her anger faded away and was quickly replaced by worry for her friend. She had forgotten the full moon was tonight. "What happened?!"
No one answered; they only pushed straight past her, yelling for Madam Pomfrey.
"What's going – " The matron froze as she got sight of Remus. " – What is the meaning of this?"
"We found him like this in the Shack," James lied, not really knowing why he was covering for Buffy. But then again, they were covering their own arses as well – they had no reason to be in the forest during a full moon. "We have no idea how he got hurt," he added as Poppy lifted up the blanket, only to drop it in shock and gasping as she saw the gaping wound.
"He can't have done that to himself," she spat out, eyes spitting lightning. "That is no wound from claws or teeth – that is a sword injury, mark my words!"
Buffy winced, something that didn't escape Lily's notice. What was going on here?
"Everybody, out!" Poppy said. "Shoo! If I am going to be able to save him, I need peace and quiet! Someone, tell Horace to get here with every healing potion he can think of!" Peter rushed off. "And you," Poppy added, pointing at Sirius, "get the Headmaster."
"I'm already here," a voice said from the door opening, revealing Dumbledore, in pink bunny slippers and a red and gold silk pyjama with snitches. "I had a feeling I might be needed. Come now." He gently led Buffy, Lily, James and Sirius outside.
"She should be locked up in Azkaban!" Sirius exclaimed, the moment the door closed, pointing at Buffy, who winced again. "She did this! She tried to murder him!"
Lily's jaw dropped.
"There is no need for such accusations, Sirius," Dumbledore said, not seeing the need to use their last names in a situation like this. "I would very much like to hear what happened," he added looking at Buffy.
"I-I was out in the forest, patrolling," Buffy got out. "And I heard a noise, and then he – Remus – jumped out and attacked me. I-I just reacted – I thought he was a demon, or a vampire. It didn't hit me that it was a full moon and that it could be a werewolf."
"Like that would have mattered to you," Sirius spat.
"Yes, it would have!" Buffy glared, raising herself to her full height. "I don't kill humans!"
"Many don't see the distinction between wolf and man," James cut in. "Why are you any different?"
"Why are you?" Buffy countered, and James fell silent at that. Lily was pleasantly surprised – the James she knew would have begun ranting.
"I may not have known Remus for very long," Buffy continued, more quietly. "But he is a friend. And even if he hadn't been, I still wouldn't want him dead. Werewolves might be dangerous, but that's only three days per month – for the rest of it, they're just as human as we are."
"One day," Dumbledore corrected.
"Huh?" Buffy blinked.
"One day per month, not three." His eyes were twinkling. "Things are a bit…different in our universe, as you may have noticed."
"Wait, rewind, please," Lily said, rubbing her temples. "Our universe? What do you mean, Headmaster? And why was Buffy, eh, patrolling the forest in the first place? Isn't it forbidden?"
"Buffy, shall you, or shall I?" Dumbledore asked, sounding rather amused.
"You go ahead," Buffy mumbled, crouching together and resting her head on her knees miserably. "I'd probably only mess up the explanation…"
Lily frowned, and she gave Buffy a worried look, though she was the only one.
"Of course. Simply put, Buffy is a dimensional traveller. She comes from the future – a future that belongs in another universe, where there is no wizarding world, but there is, on the other hand, a Slayer. The same Vampire Slayer we only hear about in legends, and I asked for her assistance in ridding the forest of any dangerous creatures there. Except for the spiders, of course." He chuckled lightly. "Hagrid would never forgive me."
"So you weren't lying then," James mumbled, feeling guilty.
"Now," Dumbledore smiled, clasping his hands together, and looking at James and Sirius. "Why don't you tell me the truth about where you found him, you two, hmm?"
James and Sirius froze, and they gave each other panicked looks. "What do you mean?" Sirius forced out, putting on his best innocent expression.
"What I mean," Dumbledore said, still smiling, "is that while Buffy said she encountered Remus in the forest, I heard James telling Poppy you found him in the Shrieking Shack. So you two, James and Sirius, are not being completely honest with me." His eyes twinkled. "Because I find it highly unlikely that Buffy is lying about patrolling the forest, and was, instead, patrolling the Shack."
Sirius and James blinked nervously.
"I carried him there," Buffy blurted out suddenly, drawing Dumbledore's attention to her. "I-I James and Sirius had told me how to get inside, when we were talking earlier today, and I thought…I thought that I should get the werewolf – well, Remus, I suppose – inside somewhere, so he wouldn't get cold, but I couldn't very well take him to the castle until he transformed back," Buffy continued to ramble on, the lies flowing off her tongue rather easily, despite the fact that she had no idea what this Shrieking Shack was, except for a safe house of some sorts, she supposed. That much she had been able to decipher.
Behind Dumbledore, she saw Sirius and James gawk at her, incredulously, shocked that she'd cover for them, especially Sirius, considering he'd called her…well, a liar, mental, and, not to mention, a murderer. They quickly recovered though, and by the time Dumbledore turned back around, their relieved expressions had turned blank.
"Yeah," James nodded. "And after sunrise, Sirius, Peter and I went to make sure Remus got back to the castle alright, after his transformation, and we, well, found Remus hurt like that, with Buffy beside him."
"Indeed," Dumbledore said, fingering his beard. "Still, that doesn't tell me how young Remus got out of the Shrieking Shack in the first place. It seems I will have to reinforce it. Ah, Horace, Peter, there you are."
Horace Slughorn nodded towards the Headmaster, before hurrying into the Hospital Wing, a large box of potions in his arms.
"I will see if Poppy needs any further assistance," Dumbledore said, following him inside, leaving three fourths of the Marauders, along with Buffy and Lily, alone, outside.
"So," James said, sighing, turning to Lily. "Out with it. I know you're dying to ask."
Lily frowned, confused. "Ask what?"
"Why Buffy covered for us, of course," Sirius exclaimed. "It can't have slipped your notice."
"Oh, that," Lily said, snorting. "I suppose you're referring to becoming Animagi to keep Remus company during the full moon, when you venture out in the Forbidden Forest and put us all in danger, in case you lose control over him."
Sirius, James and Peter's jaws dropped.
"How did you know?" Peter squeaked out.
"Well, I figured out that Remus was a werewolf, didn't I? It wasn't that hard to realise there must be a reason for him suddenly becoming much happier and healthier in the middle of fifth year, even around the full moon. I confronted him about it, and he spilled." She shrugged. "He could never keep anything secret from me – I can read him like a book, if not better."
"So you know about the cloak and the map too, I suppose," Peter said miserably.
"Ye-wait." Lily frowned. "I know about the cloak. But what map are you talking about?"
"Great job, Wormtail," Sirius said, slapping the shorter boy on the top of his head.
"Never you mind," James said smoothly, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "I've been thinking – I know you'll never say yes if I ask you to Hogsmeade because that would destroy your reputation as an ice-queen, but, say, you can ask me to Hogsmade, and I'll say yes, and we'll both be happy!"
Lily blinked, for a second confused about the sudden change in subject. She was also rather pleased about James' arm being around her, for some strange reason she didn't care to figure out at the moment. Then, her brain caught up about what James was talking about.
"You're just too much, do you know that?!" She exclaimed, shrugging off his arm. "First, you forget about our patrol – though that is kind of my fault - I shouldn't have scheduled it during a full moon. But, then you have the nerve to ask me out on a date, when Remus is in there, dying?" She threw her hands up. "I can't believe you!" She walked over to Buffy, who was still on the floor, leaning against the wall, and sat down, muttering about conceited Potters.
"Nice cover-up, Prongs," Sirius said, nudging him in the ribs. James sighed, messing up his hair, the bad habit making its way to the surface now when he was anxious and fretting.
"I suppose," he said. "But was it worth it?"
"Sure it was," Sirius said, patting him on the back. "We need to have some secrets of our own, right?"
"If you say so…"
The door to the Hospital Wing opened, and Buffy and Lily surged to their feet as Dumbledore stepped out, along with Professor Slughorn.
"You're still here?" Slughorn said as he got sight of them all, managing to sound surprised and rather cheerful at the same time. But then, he always did, so they couldn't take that as a sign that all was well with the world... "Go have some breakfast, and then try and get some sleep before classes." He disappeared down the corridor.
"How is he?" Lily asked Dumbledore anxiously.
"Is he awake?" Peter asked.
"Will he be alright?" James wondered.
"Can we see him?" Sirius demanded to know.
"Did I manage to kill someone else off?" Buffy asked, sounding rather bitter and dejected, like she expected the worst having come to pass, and everyone turned towards her, shocked.
"Buffy!" Lily exclaimed in astonishment. "Don't say that!"
"I will have to agree with Miss Evans," Dumbledore said, back on last name basis. "It was touch and go for awhile – Mr Lupin lost a lot of blood, but no vital organs were hit – if that had been the case, he would have died long before sunrise. Also, it is very lucky the weapon you used was not real silver, because then we would have to deal with metal poisoning as well – again, if he had made it 'til after sunrise, which I doubt."
"So he'll be alright?" Buffy whispered, sinking down to the floor, the shock of what had happened not really hitting home until now.
"Yes."
Buffy could have cried in relief. "So," she swallowed. "He'll recover completely? No permanent consequences? And are werewolves really allergic to silver?" Buffy asked. "I thought that was a myth."
"Only when in contact with the bloodstream, or when the werewolf is in its transformed state," Dumbledore corrected. "And yes, Remus will recover fully, do not worry."
"So, can we see him?" Sirius said, repeating his question impatiently.
"Not at the moment. He's asleep and needs all rest he can get – as do you, I believe."
Later that day, Lily walked into the Hospital Wing quietly, immediately spotting the person she was looking for. "Why aren't you in class?" she asked, and Buffy, who was sitting on a chair by Remus' bedside, looked up.
"I saw no use for it since I wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself for this." She grabbed one of Remus' hands carefully, squeezing slightly, as she sighed deeply.
"It was an accident," Lily reminded her. "You couldn't have helped it. You reacted – it was a natural reflex."
"A reflex that could have killed him," Buffy said bitterly.
Lily sighed. "What if Remus had been a demon or something and you hadn't reacted? Then you'd be dead. You have those reflexes for a reason. You need them. You're the Slayer, correct?"
"Maybe I'd be better off dead," Buffy said miserably, letting go of Remus' hand. "And if being a Slayer is all that I am…" She trailed off. "I thought I had accepted it, but all that destiny crap has only brought death and misery to all I care about. Just take Angel for example."
"And I'm sure that same destiny-crap has saved far more," Lily said, her tone of voice making it clear that that was the end of the discussion, and that she wouldn't listen to more of Buffy's self-blame. "And I am kind of curious about this Angel. In Diagon, you said it was your fault he died, but I sensed there's more to the story. I guess it has to do with you being the Slayer, and that's why you didn't tell me everything, but now there's no reason to hold anything back, since I already know."
Buffy squirmed in her seat. "I don't want to talk about it," she said. "Why aren't you in class, by the way?"
"I skived off," Lily said. "It's not like I need the Potions lessons anyway, according to Slughorn."
"You skived off?" Buffy repeated incredulously.
"Don't be so surprised," Lily said lightly. "I happen to think there are many things in the world far more important than school! And I had a feeling you needed a friend. So don't try and change the subject!" She scolded lightly. "I think you need to tell someone about this Angel fellow of yours. It can't be easy, carrying so many things alone. And I'm here, all willing and ready listen." She grinned. "And, since I skived off class for you, it's the least you can do."
Buffy's lips twitched. "If you put it that way…" She sighed. "I don't know where to begin…"
Lily squeezed her shoulder, conjuring up a chair for herself. "The beginning usually works best for me," she said softly, and Buffy let out another deep sigh.
"Alright. I had just moved to Sunnydale, and was on my way to a club, when I realised I was being followed. It turns out it was Angel, who gave me a cryptic warning - that was our first meeting…"
"…I kissed him, and I killed him," Buffy finished, tears running down freely from her face.
"I-I don't know what to say…" Lily stuttered out, conjuring up a tissue, giving it to Buffy who accepted it gratefully.
"You don't need to say anything," Buffy said, sniffing slightly. "You listened, and that's enough. I think I needed to get it off my chest. You were right, talking about it does help."
"I'm sorry," Lily said sadly. "For all that you had to go through…but I can honestly say that you are sharing position number one on the list of the strongest and bravest people I know."
"Really?" Buffy asked, managing to grin slightly through her tears. "So, who else is there? Who's sharing my spot? James?"
Lily rolled her eyes and she snorted. "Merlin, no! He is." She tipped her head towards the bed. "What Remus goes through every month – what he has had to deal with every month since he was three, plus all of the shunning, fear and hatred that comes with it – well, you must be very strong and courageous to handle all that."
"Why, thank you," a croaky and tired voice spoke up, and both Buffy and Lily jumped, their heads turning to look at Remus, whose eyes were still closed. "I think I'm flattered."
"Re!" Buffy exclaimed, the nickname she'd given him in her head and only accidentally let him hear once in the library, slipping out. "You're awake!"
Remus slowly forced his eyes opened and looked at the two girls, who looked like they were about to squeeze the life out of him. "No embraces, please," he forced out, throat dry, stopping them both mid-reach. "Your sappy adoration is almost too much." He tried to smirk, but it came out more as a grimace.
"Oh, you're horrible," Lily muttered, leaning back into her chair. "If you weren't hurt, I'd punch you."
Buffy smiled, glad that Remus truly seemed to be fine, all things considered.
"How much did you hear?" she then asked. "Of my story?"
Remus seemed to think. "Almost all of it. I woke up when you squeezed my hand."
Buffy blinked. Oh. That meant he had really heard everything, including the part when she told Lily about losing her virginity and that that was the moment of perfect happiness that made Angel lose his soul. That wasn't something she wanted a boy to hear, and especially not Remus, for some reason. Perhaps because she felt she had grown closer to him than Peter, James and Sirius and thought things would be awkward between them, whereas James and Sirius would only tease her about it once or twice and then forget all about it.
Lily seemed to have realised too, for she suddenly giggled, and excused herself, saying she should probably get to Arithmancy.
"So the Slayer exists, huh?" Remus asked, the second the redhead was out the door.
"Yep," Buffy said in a monotone voice, her mind trying to figure out if she had said something else revealing and embarrassing…which she probably had.
"And you're she."
"Yep." Buffy sighed, resigned.
"And you don't kill werewolves," Remus stated, looking for confirmation.
"Nope. Or well, I try not to. I mean..." Buffy gestured helplessly towards the
bed. "But I don't seem to do a very good job of it."
"I'm alive, aren't I?" Remus asked, lips twitching. Buffy wasn't smiling back, though, and an uncomfortable silence followed. "Do you think you could get me some water?" Remus begged, after several moments of awkward silence. "My throat feels like it's made of sawdust."
"Oh, right!" Buffy said, grabbing the glass on the nightstand and lifting it to Remus' lips so he could drink, as he was too weak to do it himself at the moment. Some of the water dribbled down on his chest, however, and Buffy blushed.
"Sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Remus said, his voice a bit clearer now. "Besides, I'm the one that should be sorry."
Buffy frowned. "For what?"
"For attacking you. Dumbledore told me what happened when I woke up for a short moment earlier today. I mean, I was kind of out of it, but I got the gist of what happened." He frowned as he saw Buffy's shocked look. "It is still today, right?" he wondered anxiously. "I mean, I haven't missed days or something?"
"It's still today," Buffy assured him. "But I don't understand what you have to be sorry about! It was my fault! You couldn't help what happened! You were transformed!"
"Whether I was in control or not doesn't matter!" Remus exclaimed. "It was still me! I still did it! I'm still to blame!"
"No!" Buffy protested loudly. "It was an accident!"
Suddenly, Remus guilty and despairing expression turned into a smirk. "An accident indeed. So we are clear that it was something neither you nor I could have prevented or done anything about, which means, neither of us are to blame."
Buffy blinked. Then she scowled. "You set me up," she grumbled.
"And you fell for it," Remus deadpanned. "Seriously though – Merlin, I love saying that when Sirius isn't here and can turn it into a stupid pun – if I'm not allowed to think that it's my fault, then you are not allowed to either."
Buffy pouted, but then she smiled. "Fine. We are both victims in this, I get it. I'd hug you to seal the deal, but a handshake will have to be enough."
Remus smiled, lifting his right hand tiredly, Buffy grabbing it and shaking it carefully. That's when Madam Pomfrey stuck out her head from her office, her eyes widening. "You're awake?!" She exclaimed loudly, stalking over to the two. "Why didn't one of you tell me?!"
"We have been making quite a racket out here. Is it our fault you weren't listening?" Remus said, lips twitching teasingly.
Madam Pomfrey huffed. "Don't get smart with me, Remus!" She said, but she was smiling too. She had, after all, treated him before and after almost every full moon since he was a tiny and unhealthy looking first-year.
Because of that, their relationship went a little beyond that which normally transpired between matron and student, to something more resembling the attachment between close relatives or confidants.
Pomfrey's smile faded as he felt his forehead, and she glowered at Buffy. "You have tired him out!" She scolded, and Remus rolled his eyes, though Buffy frowned worriedly. He did look a little warm – his cheeks were flushed on his otherwise pale face, and his blue eyes seemed a little bit too glassy for it to be natural. Perhaps she had tired him out…
"I'll be by later, probably with the others too," Buffy promised standing up.
"Oh, no, you don't," Madam Pomfrey said. "Remus needs to rest today – you can come visit tomorrow."
"Fine, tomorrow," Buffy agreed dejectedly. "Bye, Re."
"Bye," Remus said, lifting his hand tiredly to wave, only to have it slapped down by Madam Pomfrey who told him to lie still, if he knew what was good for him.
The last thing Buffy saw before she closed the door, was Remus rolling his eyes again, and mutter; "yes, mum," the sarcasm in his voice unmistakable.
29 September
"Ow! You're stepping on my foot!"
"So? You've been elbowing me the entire way here!"
"Guys! Stop trying to kill each other! With my luck, you'll end up slaughtering me instead!"
Remus blinked sleepily, waking up to the sound of bickering voices. The Hospital Wing was completely dark, the only light coming from a charmed watch on his bed stand. For a short moment, he looked around in confusion, but then he grinned. "You can take off the cloak, you three," he said, coughing slightly. "We're alone in here."
There was a sudden stillness…and then…a rustle, as Peter swept off the Invisibility Cloak that was covering him and James and Sirius, who currently had each other in a headlock.
"Sorry about the ruckus," Peter said, rolling his eyes at James and Sirius, who were now trying to poke each other's eyes out, from the look of it. He walked over to the bed, carrying a box of chocolate frogs. "Chocolate cures everything, right?" he stuttered out.
Remus smiled. "Thanks. Prongs, Padfoot…?"
"Huh?" Sirius looked up, wincing as this made James pull on his hair harder.
"Did you say something?" James blinked, glasses askew and his hair an even bigger mess than usual.
Remus smirked, rubbing the last of his sleep away from his eyes and sitting up. "Are you deliberately trying to wake Madam Pomfrey up?"
Sirius and James let go of each other sheepishly. "Sorry." They rushed over to the bed, bouncing down on it, being careful not to land on Remus. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I just got woken up by a horde of wild Hippogriffs," Remus said dryly. "What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night! Buffy said you weren't going to come here until tomorrow!"
"Well," Sirius poked the shining watch with a finger. The hands showed that it was five minutes past midnight. "Technically, it is tomorrow."
"And," James added. "Can you blame us for wanting to see our bestest friend who has had a very rough night?" He pouted. "I can't believe Madam Pomfrey forbade us from seeing you all of yesterday, because she said we'd be too loud!"
"Yeah!" Sirius added, huffing indignantly. "Us? Loud? Never!"
Remus laughed.
"So tell me more about slaying," Lily demanded to know excitedly. "I've read all about the myth, of course, but I have no idea if they're accurate. Is it true you can sense when evil is near?"
"Well, sort of. Sometimes, my spider-sense tingles," Buffy said, stretching out her legs in front of the fire and wiggling her bare toes. "That's what I call the tickling feeling I get on my neck. It's difficult to describe, but…it's like a shudder goes through me, you know? And I get all these goose bumps, and my hairs stands on end – well, not really, but you get what I mean."
Lily nodded knowingly, her green eyes twinkling brightly. "That's wicked," she mumbled. "Do you get any vibes when patrolling the forest? Why didn't you sense Remus?"
"The 'dangerous and forbidden forest' seems to be a dead zone," Buffy said dryly. "Not a single vampire!" She pouted. "I haven't even spotted the giant spiders or the Centaurs that are supposed to be there. Apart from Remus, I haven't run into anything. And no, I didn't sense him. Maybe that should have been a clue he wasn't something – or rather someone – I should kill. But he startled me, and my tingle-sense doesn't always work. Only when there is something really evil around, like a big bad who wants to bring about the apocalypse or something."
"Well, in that case, I think you should be lucky you haven't sensed anything. Or run into the Acromantulas – the spiders – for that matter," Lily said. "The same goes for the Centaurs. James told me they don't like students running around in what they see as their territory."
"James told you, huh?" Buffy said teasingly.
"Yes, James told me," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "I suppose he's talking from experience. He's probably run around in the forest several times, both in his Animagus form and without. Still, his rule-breaking aside, he can be rather civil, you know. No one is more surprised at that then I am, believe me."
Buffy grinned. "So, his plans of marrying you and having messy-haired, green-eyed children aren't completely a lost cause yet, then?"
Lily glared. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
30 September
"Hi," Sirius said the following day, settling down beside Buffy. "Has James told you the result of the Quidditch trial yet?"
"No," Buffy muttered, not looking up from her book.
"Well, I'm sure you'll be happy to know you probably made the team," Sirius said.
"What makes you say that?" Buffy demanded to know excitedly. "Do you have the results?"
"No, but I suppose it's a given," Sirius continued, stretching slightly. "As the Slayer, you're bound to have a great balance, great reflexes, strength in spades, a mean throw and perfect sight - you're guaranteed to be an awesome Quidditch player in any position."
Buffy smiled gratefully, but it faded quickly, as Sirius suddenly took on a grave look. "What you should consider, however, is this: do you really want to be on the team so badly that you're willing to take the spot from someone who has been practicing for this his entire life, and deserves this chance – has earned this chance - while you got this idea on a whim, and still beat him and everyone else, because you're gifted? I realise this sounds mean," Sirius added, his expressions softening slightly. "But Quidditch means a great deal to everyone, and I know Gryffindor wouldn't want someone on it who doesn't really want to be there. I'm just asking you to consider if being on the team is really what you want – are you willing to put your soul into it?"
Buffy frowned. Sirius had made her reconsider – though he could have put it in a nicer way, he had been honest, and his point got through…plus, she had a feeling he didn't really like her because of what happened to Remus – who was still in the hospital wing. Still, he didn't say anything that hadn't already crossed her mind.
"Prongs is a slave driver as Captain," Sirius continued. "That's why Gryffindor has won the Quidditch Cup every year since he took over, and, since this is his last year, he'll probably be worse than ever. You will have to spend a lot of time on a broom, Buffy. Do you have that time, if you really plan on passing all of your subjects?"
Buffy's frown deepened.
"Just think about it," Sirius said, walking away.
Published: 12/03 -09
Edited: 01/09 -13