Chapter 3:

Willow and Draco walked down the school basement stairs into a dark room. It was very plain and brown, and had a dirt floor. Willow walked into the center of the room and pointed to a large metal circle that was dug up.

"That's it, that's the seal." Said Willow.

The seal was about the size of a manhole and was a rusty brass color. It had a spiral pattern of engraved symbols and pictographs. The circle was divided into five triangular parts. It smelled of old blood.

Draco knelt down and examined the seal. "Interesting pattern." he said, "Have you translated the symbols?"

"Some of them, but I'm not sure how they fit together. Here." She handed him a crumpled piece of paper which had a few symbols and their meanings written on them.

"From beneath you it devours". Draco read off the paper.

"Oh, yeah, that one we already figured out. It was just like a pre-hostile take over warning."

Draco studied the paper, and looked up. "Yeah, my father had loads of crap like this at the manor."

"The manor?" Willow asked.

"The Malfoy manor, where I live. Or rather, lived."

"Oh." She wondered why Draco's father would have evil messages and objects just laying around his house and if the sword they found in Draco's suitcase was one of them. But before she could say anything he answered her question.

"My father practiced dark magic. He was also associated with one of the most powerful dark wizards that ever lived, Lord Voldemort.(AKA Tom Riddle) Most of my family are dark wizards, and I probably would have been if I hadn't met-.uhh, never mind."

"Tom Riddle, I know that name. It was engraved on your-"

"My sword I know. It was one of his. He gave it to my father, and my father gave it to me in hopes that I would become of one Voldemort's followers. However I did not, and my father died before he could do anything about it."

"I'm sorry. About your father..."

"Don't be, he wasn't the greatest guy."

"That doesn't mean it doesn't matter though."

"No it matters a lot, one of the most evil wizards that ever lived is dead, it matters a lot."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know, I'm sorry, I just don't like talking about him much."

They stood there in silence for a few minutes before Draco looked up and said, "It's what I thought it was. I have a protection spell I can use." He walked over to the seal and took out his wand. He whispered "difensivo bellona solera auris," waved his wand, and a thin white light shot out of the tip of his wand. A shield of white light was created over the surface of the seal.

"That should do it."

"Just like that? How did you know what to do?!?" Willow exclaimed in shock.

"My father showed me a really good spell to keep out good, and I looked it up. Turns out there's a similar spell to keep out evil that's actually legal." He paused. "I mean I thought about carrying on for months pretending to be working really hard and saying how advanced this was then miraculously finding the perfect spell and getting the ultimate praise. But I figured the sooner I finished my work the more time I would have for partying." He smiled.

"Party on." Willow smiled back.

* * * * *

"Have any of you seen Draco?" Buffy asked, entering the magic shop.

"Nope." Replied Dawn.

"Well do you know where he went?"

"I don't know, he left a few minutes ago. I think he was going to go see the seal with Willow but he didn't say."

"DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING?!?"

Dawn scowled at Buffy, then stood up and said "Apparently not." And with that she left the room.

"Annoying little sac of hormones." Buffy muttered. "You have to be very gentle with Dawn, Buffy." Giles said. "She's going through an emotionally difficult time."

"I'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH AN EMOTIONALLY DIFFICULT TIME SINCE I WAS 16 AND FOUND OUT THAT NOT ONLY WAS I NOT GOING TO BE A MODEL BUT I WAS GOING TO SPEND MY ENTIRE LIFE FIGHTING GUYS WITH DEFORMED FOREHEADS AND OVERSIZED TEETH!!! GAHH!" She threw her hands up in the air, stomped over to the couch and threw herself on it.

Spike walked in. "Have you seen Draco?"

"Bloody hell!" Giles dropped the book he was holding.

Spike had a look of utter bewilderment on his face; he had never heard Giles swear.EVER.

Draco and Willow walked in.

"Look! The heavens have opened up! Here he is!" Giles shouted sarcastically and slammed the door behind him as he walked out.

"Wow I sure am popular." Draco said optimistically.

"Shut up." Spike said.

"WHERE HAVE YOU TWO BEEN?!?" Buffy scolded.

"Making mad passionate love on the coffee shop floor, and you?"

Willow choked on a laugh.

"Ugh, bad images." Said Buffy

"Don't fight your love for me, embrace the passion, Willow and I both know you're jealous of our love."

"I'm not je-! Ugh, forget it, I need to talk to you, outside! Now!"

He followed her outside, looking very vexed that she had interrupted his sarcasm streak.

"Alright spit it out."

"Let's take a walk, I need a minute to shake off the hate for you that I have right now."

"Okey dokey, where to love?

"Don't call me love, I hate it. Spike calls me that. And all that stuff about irresistible British charm.. is total crap."

"You know some people say that when you think you hate someone, sometimes you're actually in love with them." He said, smirking.

"Well those people are insane, and I may need more than a minute."

* * * *

Spike was sitting on the couch reading Teen Bop when Xander walked in.

"Have you seen Buffy, Spike? I think she forgot about coming over to my place for waffle night."

Spike jumped up from the couch quickly, dropped the magazine, and hid something behind his back. "Oh, Xander, it's you! Buffy went with Draco somewhere, so.perhaps you could call her cell phone?"

"No I think I just hang out her for-Spike? What are you hiding behind your back?" Xander advanced on Spike.

"Oh, err.nothing."

"Spike.you didn't take my beer did you?"

"Err. course not."

"YOU TOOK MY BEER?!?!? HOW COULD YOU TAKE MY BEER YOU ROTTON BASTARD!"

And with that Xander launched at Xander and clasped his hands around his neck. Spike was making choking noises and flailing his arms and feet. They rolled over in a tangle of arms and legs, Xander still grasping Spike's throat and shaking his head, and Spike kicking and punching Xander. Spike had managed to get Xander into a headlock when Willow ran in.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!?!"

* * * * "Okay I think I'm ready." Buffy said after about twenty minutes of walking with Draco in silence.

"Are you sure? Perhaps you need a few more years to warm up."

"Shut up or you'll ruin my concentration."

"Is that what you were doing? Concentrating? I thought you admiring the beauty of my face."

"Shut up, I'm ready to tell you now but if you say anything else I think I may need another hour."

Draco nodded and smiled.

"The other night," Buffy began, "when you told me about Ginny.."

The smile faded from Draco's face. "I didn't get a chance to tell you that I was sorry. And I am, really sorry. I should have never asked. I should of never-"

"Don't. You told me about Spike so I told you about Ginny, it's fine, you don't have to feel sorry for me. Just forget about it"

"But I-"

"Forget about it. Except," Draco paused, "When you told me about Spike, you left something out didn't you?"

She looked down. "Yeah, I did."

"You want to tell me about it?"

"No, but I guess I will. It's only fair, you told me everything about Ginny."

"Actually I didn't, I was going to, but you looked uncomfortable so I kind of summarized it. I will if you want me to though-"

"He turned me down."

"What?"

"After the fight. He said he didn't want anything but to be friends. I got confused and upset and we just stopped talking so much."

Draco leaned on a wall and let out a big breath, closing his eyes briefly. "Did you ask why?"

She hesitated, then said, "No."

* * * * *

"He STOLE my beer which I specifically asked him not to take!"

"Piss off it's just a bloody pint!"

Draco and Buffy walked into the Magic Shop. They looked at Spike and Xander. Their limbs were all tangled and they were lying on the floor.

"Looks like Xander's discovered the sex kitten within." Draco laughed.

Buffy smiled and said. "I guess Xander's only this intimate with certain special people in his life because he certainly was never this aggressive with Cordelia."

"It's not what it looks like!" Xander shouted, pushing away Spike and jumping to his feet. "I'd never, I mean, not ever-"

"Sure, sure," said Draco, making a clicking sound with his mouth. "Honestly, I should of known; looking at what kind of knickers I wear and always fighting with Spike all the time. I just can't believe I didn't notice it before."

Spike was laughing hysterically.

"And you Spike," Draco continued, "I commend you for you're excellent choice of beverage." He pointed to the bottle on the floor.

"That's MINE!"

"Well of course it is, you had to get him drunk to convince him to sleep with you. But it looks like old Spikey here can hold his drink pretty well, seems he managed to fend you off."

Xander looked up at the ceiling, threw his hands up and shouted. "What has the world come to?!?" He grabbed Buffy's arm and dragged her across the room.

"Come on Buffy, I need mini pizza therapy." He said as he opened the door and left with Buffy trailing along behind him rolling her eyes.

* * * * * "Hello, Dawn." Giles said as he sat down in a chair in front of a pile of receipts.

"Come to seek refuge from the cruel world too?"

"More like from Buffy's PMS."

"That I have done many times myself. PMS can be a very scary thing."

"Quite."

"Is Xander here?"

"I don't know but I believe he's leaving with Willow to have a waffle buffet soon."

"I wish someone would make me waffles."

"Sorry?"

Dawn pouted.

"There, there . I'm sure there will be many men in your life who will be happy to make you as many waffles as you like."
* * * * *

Ideas from other works: "Passions," From beneath you it devours, Xander's making waffles, and love of mini pizzas - the original Buffy.

SEE THE NEXT CHAPTER TO FIND OUT WHAT DRACO LEFT OUT ABOUT GINNY, IF XANDER'S REALLY IN LOVE WITH SPIKE, AND LOADS OF OTHER STRANGE CRAP. CIAO