Okay, so first...I want to apologize for the lack of post last week. I had C16 ready, but had done any NEW writing...due to lack of free time (work is INSANITY right now)...so I held off on posting. I feel this need to stay ten chapters ahead of you...and I just completed C26 a few days ago...and I spent most of today working on C27, so yay!

Second, I've also been working on a "Diagon Alley" map of my own. I tend to add a lot of stuff when I make maps and floor plans, so...it has morphed significantly. Unfortunately I keep finding fault with it and making changes. I'm going to have to alter it and C26, so that they match. Further, I have no clue how to post it if/when I finish it. Haha.

And last...chapter title...smoochies! Too soon? Maybe. But it just happened. Really. I wasn't going there (yet) and then...I went there! Haha. Hope you all enjoy...and have LOTS to say!

~oOo~

Chapter Sixteen
"Smoochies"

Stretched out on her belly on Tom's bed, Buffy flipped through the pages of one of his school books—Care of Magical Creatures, he noticed—while he sat in his desk chair, watching her as she kicked her legs back forth. She was shoeless—because she'd kicked off her light blue, open-toed, platform heels the moment she sat down—and she was wearing a silky-looking, mostly white dress that was spattered with light blue, violet, and maroon flowers. The dress was belted at the waist and fell to just blow her knees—and quite lovely on her.

On the top, the dress was short-sleeved with ruffled detail and had snap closures that weren't completely done up—revealing some cleavage and the large silver cross she usually wore.

Shifting his eyes slightly, Tom looked down the length of her body—he was driven to distraction—her dress had inched up the backs of her thighs, so that a fair amount of deeply tanned, stockingless skin was showing. She was utterly indecent and had no idea.

"Bowtruckle," the girl said aloud as she started skimming a page.

The creature was a hand-sized, insect-eating, tree-dwelling magical beast with long sharp twig-like fingers, brown eyes, and a general appearance of a flat-faced stick figure—but Tom didn't need to look at the book to know this. He just sat staring at Buffy.

"Is this for real?" she asked, looking up at Tom.

"According to that book, yes," Tom said with a nod and an amused smile. "Though I've never actually seen one myself. They're supposedly very difficult to find, especially in their own habitat. They look exactly like the trees they live in and blend completely. I have heard there's an isle in the lake just south of Hogwarts called Bowtruckle Island where they reside."

Buffy hmmed, then turned the page—then a few more—while Tom just watched her.

"What's a... Flobberworm?" she asked, her nose wrinkling. She stopped kicking her legs and crossed her ankles as she turned to look at him.

Tom smirked. "You're able to read, aren't you?" he asked snarkily, nodding at the book she had in front of her.

Huffing, Buffy glared at him, then looked back at the book. "It says here that it's... an herbivorous, ten-inch, toothless, brown, magical worm that mainly eats lettuce and cabbage.

Tom nodded. "That is correct. It's also not considered a particularly interesting creature, as far as the Ministry of Magic is concerned. They've given it the lowest possible rank in their classification system."

"Hmm. That's sort of boring," she said.

"Well yes, the Classification of X is boring," he agreed. "They're useful for potions though. They secrete a green mucus that's used to thicken potions."

Buffy made a face. "Gross."

"And you can eat them...if you dare. At Hogwarts, Flobberworm Fritters are occasionally served at lunch."

Buffy made a show of retching. "No way! You're totally pulling my leg."

Tom looked down at her legs hungrily and smirked. "I've not laid a hand on your lovely legs, so...I can't possibly be pulling one of them."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

"Of course. And no, I'm not joking or lying. The students are not a fan of the fritters, I can assure you."

"I would think not," Buffy said.

Tom chuckled. "Professor Dumbledore seems to enjoy them."

"Blech," she said with a dramatic shudder as she closed the book and rolled to her back, then propped herself up on her elbows.

"Tell me something about Hogwarts," she said, nudging his knee with her bare foot.

"What do you want to know?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Just pick something."

"Hmm. All right. Hogwarts is in Scotland."

Buffy rolled her eyes again. "I know that."

"Okay. Hogwarts is...a castle."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Really? A true castle?"

He nodded.

"Is there a moat?"

Tom chuckled and shook his head. "No, but there is a loch, called the Black Lake."

"Are there monsters in it...like the Loch Ness Monster?" Buffy asked.

Tom scoffed. "Nessie isn't a monster. She's just a Kelpie. And yes, there are creatures in the Black Lake."

Buffy's eyes rounded as she sat bolt upright. "Wait! Hold on! That mythical creature is... real?"

Tom nodded. "Of course."

"God! I wish my friends were here. They'd love this!" said Buffy. "Willow would want to know everything! She'd read your books cover to cover if you'd let her. All of them!" she said enthusiastically and gestured at the stack of books on his desk. "And Xander...silliness would ensue."

Tom just eyed her, wondering what it was like to have true friends—and miss them. Being separated from them was obviously difficult for her. He had no such relationships with those at Hogwarts. Not really. Sure, he spent time with his housemates at school, but when he left there, he did not miss them. The only thing he missed was Hogwarts—and being away from Wools! And magic!

"So, what sort of creatures are in the Black Lake at Hogwarts?"

"Grindylows, for one," Tom said.

"Grindy-whats?"

Tom sniggered. "Grindylows. They are...vicious little water demons."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Demons? Do they need slaying?"

Tom barked out a laugh. "You do enjoy your slaying, don't you?"

Buffy shrugged. "I'm the Slayer."

"Well, while they are quite aggressive towards witches and wizards...and even Muggles...you won't have to slay the Grindylows. I wouldn't suggest a swim into the weed beds at the bottom of the lake though. Mostly they'll just defend their territory."

"Hmm. That's so not going to happen," she said. "I don't fancy a swim in some cold Scottish lake.

"Probably best. Some students like to put their feet in the lake, but most don't do any swimming...as Hogwarts' plumbing drains into the lake, it's not very clean."

Buffy made a face. "That's disgusting."

"Indeed."

"What else is in there?" Buffy asked, no longer sure she wanted to know.

"There's a giant squid. Sometimes it swims passed the windows of the Slytherin Common Room," he told her.

"You have windows that look into the lake?"

Tom nodded. "My Common Room is below ground, in the dungeons."

Buffy grimaced. "Sounds...delightful."

Tom chuckled. "It's rather nice, really."

"Okay, tell me more."

"There is a colony of Selkie...in the lake.

Buffy frowned. "What's a Selkie?"

"They are the Scottish merpeople."

"Wow! Mermaids exist too?!"

Tom gestured at the book Buffy had placed beside her. "Take a look."

Buffy immediate picked up the book and flipped through to 'Selkies'—and gasped. "They're so... ugly!" she said when she saw the author's rendering of the creature.

Tom snorted. "It's an underwater creature, what did you expect?"

Buffy shrugged. "There are mermaid myths in my world. They're supposed to be beautiful."

"According to Newt Scamander, in his book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, it is in warmer waters that we find the beautiful merpeople. Those are the ones more frequently depicted in Muggle literature and painting, I think. But the Selkies of Scotland and the Merrows of Ireland are far less beautiful, as you can see. Though, beauty is subjective, isn't it?"

Buffy shrugged. "I suppose so, yes. 'Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder,'"she quoted.

"Yes," Tom said, giving a clipped nod as his dark eyes beheld the beauty in front of him. After a moment, he cleared his throat and went on with their topic. "The oldest recorded merpeople is the Greek siren. I have been told that there's a portrait of one in the Prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor. I have never been interested enough to go looking. Attractive or not, they're all fairly scary."

"You have this entire book memorized, don't you?" Buffy asked with a smile.

"I came from the Muggle world, just like you have," he said with a shrug, "so the first thing I did was when I learned I was a wizard, was start reading all my new books. And then everything I could get my hands on."

Buffy looked down at the book. "I'm going to be so behind," she said quietly. "And I'm not a big reader."

"I'll help you."

Buffy looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you."

Tom nodded. "Of course."

"So...there are four Houses?" she continued.

"Yes. Mine is Slytherin. There are also, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw."

"Do you get to choose your House?"

Tom shook his head. "No. There is a sorting ceremony when students arrive on the first night of their first year. I'm not sure what they'll do with you," he said with a frown. "I've never heard of anyone older coming in. Anyway, the Sorthing Hat puts everyone into their House based on their inherent traits."

Buffy frowned. "A hat?"

Tom nodded. "Yes, you put it on and it searches through your head to find out where you should be."

"That sounds...completely creeptastic."

Tom chuckled. "Not really."

"Okay. If you say so," she said, sitting up and crossing her legs. "So, tell me about the Houses. Where do you think I will be?"

"Not Ravenclaw," he said.

"Why not?"

"That's the House where all the super brainy students go."

"Hey!" she barked. "I'm brainy...about some stuff. Like vampires and demons. I know quite a bit more about those things than the average person."

Tom glanced at the open door nerviously, then back at Buffy, giving her a sideways look. "There's much more to Hogwarts than those things, Buffy."

She laughed. "Okay, I'll admit my study skills are a bit crap, so probably not is Ravenclaw House"

"You could be in Hufflepuff. They're loyal and friendly...very much like you," he said—and for once he was not disgusted by that House, even though the House was rife with Muggleborns!

Buffy grinned. "I have friends and yes, I'm loyal, but...I'm not that friendly."

"You have been to me," he countered.

She shrugged. "I've found myself in an odd predicament, so...I didn't have much choice."

He nodded. "True. So, there's Gryffindor. They're very brave. That sounds like you too," he said with a frown. "The way you so nonchalanty went after that..." he glanced at the doorway again, then whispered, "vampire."

Buffy followed Tom's gaze to the door, then looked back at him. "I'll know if anyone's getting close enough to hear us before they can actually hear us, so...you don't have to worry," she informed him.

Tom frowned.

"It's a Slayer thing," she said with a shrug. "Heightened senses to go along with my supernatural brawn."

"Hmm. Convenient," he said.

She nodded. "It is. Especially when I'm sneaking people into my room without my mother's permission or, you know, just don't want anyone to find me."

Tom frowned, wondering who Buffy was sneaking into her room. He shook off the thought. He had to or it would drive him mad. "You're very daring, Buffy, but also reckless. That vampire last night could have killed you."

Buffy shook her head. "I couldn't not go after it," she argued. "That's why I was out patrolling."

Tom frowned. "But you were out looking for them."

Buffy shrugged. "It's my job."

Tom shook his head. "But you're only a fifteen year old girl. Surely your job should be to go to school and grow up. Couldn't you just slay when you happen upon them?"

She didn't bother with his question. "Slayers don't tend to grow up, Tom," she said sadly. "My days are numbered. They have been since I was called."

"You sound...resigned," he said, feeling despair at her words and wondering why she wasn't drowning in it.

She shrugged. "More or less, yes. I might already be dead...when I go back. Who knows!" She threw her hands up.

"Don't go. Just stay here. In this time," he said, his eyes pleading with her. "I'm sure Vin and Sophie would allow you to stay."

"I have no doubt they would," Buffy agreed—but shook her head. "But if Dumbledore or someone else finds a way I'll have to go."

"But why? What if you're dead in that time?" he asked.

"Then I suppose that's it. My time would be over and another slayer would be called," she said. "I don't want to die, Tom, but...what about my mom. If I don't go back, she'd be left wondering and worrying? She might even think I've run away."

"Don't you think she'd prefer that you were alive in a different time over dead in her time?" he posed.

Buffy frowned. "Maybe. But I'd have to try."

Tom shifted his troubled gaze to his window, then got up to stand by it. Dying terrified him! If he could find a way, he planned to circumvent his death. There had to be a way! He was a wizard, after all."

Buffy watched him. He was clearly distressed. Almost frantic. "So, what would you have done? About the vampire," she prompted, trying to shift the conversation.

"To start, I would not have been out there looking for them!" he snapped. He was angry at her blasé attitude toward the ever-present threat of the loss of her life.

Buffy grinned. "But you were out there," she countered.

"Following you and that...Edmund fellow," he said, glaring at her.

Buffy grinned at his obvious jealousy. She knew he liked her. There was no doubt in her mind.

"Self preservation comes first though," he continued. "I would stay out of sight until it was safe to do otherwise."

"I can't do that. Like I've said, it's my job to go out and eradicate those monsters," she said.

"Aren't you ever scared?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Sometimes, but...I have to push the fear away and do what I'm made to do. I've been imbued with the power to fight the darkness. I must carry on."

Anxiety ridden, the boy stared at the girl. "I hope the Hat doesn't place you in Gryffindor," he said quietly, wishing once again that he could find a way to end this disturbing conversation.

"Why not?"

"Well, there's quite the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor," he said with a frown. "Those in my House wouldn't be pleased by our friendship if you weren't sorted into Slytherin. The Gryffindors wouldn't like it either."

"That's totally lame!" Buffy said.

Tom shrugged. "It's just the way it is. And I would..." He shrugged and shook his head. He'd come too close to telling her he'd miss having her as his friend. His first true friend. But if the Hat placed her in Gryffindor, he'd have to sever ties if he expected to remain in the good graces of the other Slytherins. "My housemates would never understand this," he finished with a gesture between them.

Buffy stood up. She could clearly see what he was thinking—at least the distancing himself from her part—and that made her angry. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "Well, I don't let other people tell me who I can and can't be friends with," Buffy said with annoyance. "This one time, when I first arrived in Sunnydale, a girl named Cordelia tried to pull that shit with me. She was horribly not nice to my then almost-friend and you know what...there was no friendship to be had with her! None! I do not like bullies, so...no matter what House I'm sorted into, guess what? I will make it my mission to befriend at least one someone in each House and everyone that has a problem with it can just...go to hell!" she hollered, her green eyes flashing with rage.

Tom cocked his head and eyed the girl. She was gorgeous in her fury. "Are you quite finished?"

Buffy shrugged. "Maybe."

"Then maybe we could wait and see what happens," he suggested.

She snorted. "So you can cast me aside the moment that creepy hat sorts me into a House that's not yours?" she said angrily—but he could see the pain he'd caused her. She was trying to hide it, but her bottom lip was quivering.

Sighing, he went to her and put his hands on her upper arms, then gently pushed her back to sitting position—she did not resist—and sat down beside her.

"I don't wish to quarrel with you, Buffy," he said to her as he moved one of his hands up to her chin and used the slightest pressure to turn her face up toward his. He knew she was strong enough to to keep her face averted if she wished to—she clearly did not. "I just want...to be with you. You balance me."

With a sigh, Buffy smiled. "So, what you're really saying it that you're hoping I'm put in Slytherin?"

"Hoping and praying, yes," he responded. "But also that..." He tore his dark eyes from her emerald ones and looked down at her lips—they were pink and moist—then glanced back up. "Would it be... too inappropriate if...I kissed you?" he whispered.

Buffy sighed. "God no," she said, her eyes closing as she leaned forward and into him.

Tom immediately reached out and pulled Buffy closer, his mouth descending on hers before she could change her mind. For all her bravado, she felt soft in his arms, her lips yielding to his. He nibbled for a bit, testing to see what she would allow—then delved in deeper when he felt zero opposition from her.

With both hands holding her, he caressed her face softly, then slid one hand into her hair. Using the hand not tangled in her blonde tresses, he reached out and snaked it under her knees to pull her onto his lap. She didn't resist that either—for a moment.

"Someone is...coming," she murmured into his mouth.

It took another few seconds for her words to register—and then his eyes flew open. Looking at the girl on his lap, Tom could see that their activities could not be hidden. Gently, he shifted her to the bed beside him, then got up and moved back into his desk chair—picking up a large book and opening it on his lap.

Buffy blinked at his rapid movement, then ran a hand through her disheveled hair and straightened her dress—then she too grabbed a book and opened it, pretending to be reading it.