He wasn't really sure where he and Buffy stood as they prepared for the trip back to Hogwarts. After their talk a few days ago he hadn't seen much of her. She spent most of her time understandably with Sirius and the rest of her time hanging out with Ginny. Dumbledore seemed to be avoiding them both. Which was frustrating him to no end seeing as the man was the only one who was able to provide him with the answers he needed.

"Promise you'll write me this time?" Sirius asked pulling Buffy into his arms.

"Everyday." Buffy smiled returning his hug. "I never thought I'd see the day when I preferred to stay here than go back to Hogwarts."

"Not the same without me huh?" Sirius grinned.

"Nothing ever is." She smiled sadly.

"But there's always a silver lining." Remus offered with a small smile. "He's not around to chase off boys anymore."

"There is that." Buffy smiled turning to him. "But I miss you guys annoying me." She said holding out her arms.

"There's no one we like to annoy more." Remus smiled hugging her.

"Don't worry Buffy, we'll annoy you plenty." Fred promised dropping his trunk on the floor in the kitchen.

"We'll be extra annoying, just for you." George grinned.

"Lucky me." Buffy grinned rolling her eyes.

"Ok, does anyone else think it's wrong that were actually looking for evil me?" Willow asked unsurely.

"Of all the weird things we do this isn't even up there on the top ten." Xander shrugged. "Now what I really want to know is, are you gonna turn her down this time when she starts licking you neck and junk?"

"XANDER!" Willow exclaimed blushing.

"What?" Xander asked innocently. "It's a valid question."

"Dear lord." Giles sighed. "Why did I ever agree to go anywhere with them?"

"Cause you love us G-man." Xander grinned.

"Don't call me that!" Giles growled.

"Are you guys crazy, it's dangerous to be out here at night." A Man scolded walking over to the bickering group.

"Is that who I think it is?" Faith asked unsurely.

"Dead boy." Xander groaned.

"Oh Rupert, I didn't realize they were with you." Angel said spotting him.

"Rupert." Xander snickered.

"You know me?" Giles asked cautiously.

"Crap I'm gonna be late." Buffy groaned glancing at her watch as she slamming her book shut. She'd only been back at school for two days and she already had detention.

"I'll put your stuff away for you." Ginny offered not bothering to look up from her own homework.

"Thanks you're a life saver." Buffy called as she rushed out the portrait hole nearly knocking over two first years.

"Late for what?" Harry asked curiously taking Buffy's vacated seat.

"Detention." Ginny replied letting out a sigh of relief as she added the last word to her parchment. "Done."

"Oh right, I forgot about that." Hermione nodded helping her collect her and Buffy's things.

Harry couldn't sleep though his friends had retired to their beds long ago. Buffy still wasn't back. He was worried about her. He pitied anyone who got Umbridge's special brand of detention. As far as he knew he and Lee were the only one's who'd experienced it, but the thought of her doing that to Buffy made his stomach twist into knots. He blamed himself for the entire situation, he should have warned her. Maybe if he had explained things...He shook his head, Buffy would have still stood up to her. He knew her well enough to know she wasn't one to back down. Glancing at his watch as he paced the empty common room he let out a sigh sinking into the nearest arm chair. Pulling a old piece of parchment from his pocket he unfolded it drawing his wand.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." He murmured as the map came to life. Scanning it quickly his eyes landed on Umbridge's office spotting her dot behind her desk and then he did a double take. "That can't be right." he said stunned.

"Let's see how you've done." Umbridge smirked walking over to Buffy. "Hold out your hand." She demanded. "That isn't possible." She said her cheerful facade disappearing as she held Buffy's perfectly uninjured hand her gaze flying back and forth between it and the stack of parchment glistening with her blood. "What did you do?"

"Exactly what you told me." Buffy replied trying to keep her anger in check.

"Well then, I guess your just going to have to continue until it has the proper effect." Umbridge seethed slapping down a fresh stack of parchment.

"It's after midnight." Buffy began.

"Write!" She snapped.

"The map never lies."

Remus's words ran through his head as he stared in shock at the only other dot in the office. The map wasn't fooled by disguises or potions, it always stated the person's true name and currently seated in a desk he was all too familiar with in Professor Umbridge's office was Buffy, Buffy Summers. But what did that mean? Had she reverted back, or was she never truly Buffy Black. What was going on, and who should he tell about it. He briefly debated going to Dumbledore or Sirius with his new information but he couldn't do that, especially not to Sirius who'd just gotten his sister back, if that's who she really was. He needed to figure out what was going on first. He crept upstairs grabbing his cloak before sneaking out of the dormitories.

"Thank god." Tara grinned as the foursome stepped out of the portal.

"Told ya the bracelets would work." Willow smiled giving her relived girlfriend a quick kiss.

"Wait, there was doubtage?" Xander asked annoyed. "How come you didn't share that with us before we, well stepped into the possible portal of doom?"

"Don't be such a drama queen." Faith said rolling her eyes.

"So did we find out anything useful?" Dawn asked curiously still annoyed at having been left behind.

"Yup." Xander grinned. "For instance, did you know there's a dimension where Faith is a nun?"

"Your kidding?" Dawn laughed.

"And one where Xander is in a boy band." Faith smirked.

"Hey I was cool." Xander insisted.

"Not that this isn't fun and all." Tara began quietly. "But um how does that help us?"

"Well we learned from the few dimensions we visited that we all had different roles." Giles explained as he cleaned his glasses. "In some our roles were more similar."

"Like the one where G-man was running an underground vamp rebellion group with Dead Boy." Xander interjected.

"Yes, and others completely different." Giles said glaring at him for the G-man remark. "Like Xander's foray into pop music."

"But we knew that, Anya already told us that." Dawn said confused.

"Where is Anya?" Xander asked glancing around the room.

"Magic shop." Tara explained. "She said something about counting the money."

"That's my girl." Xander said shaking his head.

"As I was saying, we ,et many different versions of ourselves." Giles continued. "However, in each dimension, two people's roles were never changed."

"You see." Willow began at Dawn and Tara's confused looks. "In every dimension w e went, and I'm figuring everyone in this world, Buffy was always The slayer, and you Dawnie, the key."

"Also Buffy either died or mysteriously disappeared at the time she left our dimension, or world as it may be, from all others." Giles added.

"So what your getting at is that they don't have alternate personalities, for a lack of a better word, in these other worlds because they were both created, not born here?" Tara asked.

"Exactly." Willow smiled. "Which means, if we bring Buffy back..." She said her smile faltering.

"We're afraid that if we bring her back, it may only be to die as she was about to before her departure." Giles finished solemnly. "Buffy might not be able to come back, like Whistler said."

"But she has to." Dawn exclaimed.

"Dawnie I know this is hard but." Willow began.

"No, it's not that, I mean yes I want her back for me and all but she has to come back." Dawn began hurriedly. "We need her."

"Um, we sort of stumbled across something while you were gone." Tara admitted nervously.

"What?" Giles asked curiously.

"A prophecy." Tara began. "One pertaining to the end of the world."

"Like that's new." Xander shrugged.

"And how only the two slayers can stop it." Tara finished.

"Oh dear." Giles sighed.