Key- "Blah" = dialogue
*blah* = thoughts
[blah] = Author's notes
[Spike and Dawn are a couple. Don't tell me he's too old for her, it's not as much of an age difference as Buffy and Angel, so deal with it! I also made up a last name for Spike, too. Thyslerin]
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The summer was almost over, and the time was nearing for the scooby gang to set off for Hogwarts. Everyone would be living at the castle, as Dumbeldore saw each one as more protection for Harry and the rest of the students attending Hogwarts.
Buffy and Angel were married mid August. Buffy decided to keep her last name, Summers. Since then, Xander seemed to have warmed up to Angel. He wasn't his best friend or anything, but he didn't hate the guy anymore. Angel was also being decent towards Xander, teaching him to fight, and transforming him into a warrior. Of course, it was probably so Buffy had more back-up, he didn't want anything to happen to her.
Since Tara's death, Willow had turned back to the male species, and Oz had been only too willing to comfort her. They were now back together, and Willow was happier than she'd been in a long time. Buffy had even managed to swing Oz's transportation to Hogwarts with the rest of them.
Dawn and Buffy were getting along great. Dawn's training was going smoothly, and she was almost as strong as Buffy. The council had informed her early August that she was to be a Slayer, and Giles to be her watcher. Unbeknownst to the others, Dawn had secretly been corresponding with Spike, and the two had formed a relationship. She knew he had his soul, but she didn't tell anyone, cause it would kinda tip them off that she'd been writing to him. She figured it was for him to tell, anyway.
Xander and Anya reformed their relationship. Anya was still a vengeance demon, but she realized her love for Xander was just too much to ignore. Xander decided that Anya being a vengeance demon was ok, cause nothing could come between them. They were content just being together. Xander didn't propose, however, in light of the last fiasco that was their attempted wedding.
The Watchers Council sent over the other Slayers to watch the Hellmouth, and they didn't bother the scoobies once.
[by logic, there are now three slayers, cause there was Buffy and Faith, and then Buffy died again, so another one would have been called, right?]
Before the gang knew it, the end of the summer had come, and it was time to go off to Hogwarts. They boarded the plane, and before they knew it, they were at King's Cross Station, ready to board the Hogwarts Express.
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Harry was looking forward to another year away from the Dursleys. He hadn't been able to leave them at all this summer because of Voldemort, and the fact that Dumbeldore had placed an enchantment on the house so that he would be safe.
Harry spotted Ron and Hermione walking toward him, and ran to greet them. He hadn't been able to even send them owls, for fear of being found by Voldemort. He reached his friends and was buried in hugs. The three friends quickly caught up on each other's summers, and walked off towards the train.
"Hey, Harry, have you seen the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher yet? Apparently he's taking the train. There's gonna be a new class too, Muggle Defence. And people are saying they've seen eight new people on the train, only one looks young enough to be a student, but she's got to at least as old as a fifth year, if not a sixth year." Ron paused in his explanations when a loud voice travelled over the platform.
"DAWN! I can't believe you left your stuff on the platform! How dumb can you get!" The voice belonged to a small blonde girl. Before everyone's eyes, she lifted a trunk (which was presumably very heavy like everyone else's) in one hand and carried it onto the train like it was nothing.
"Whoa!" was Ron's only response. "I wonder if she's a professor. Hey, speaking of professors, wonder how long this year's Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher will last. 10 sickles says he's evil!"
"You're on!" Harry replied happily as he walked to the train with his friends. They boarded the train, and sat in their usual compartment. Before they had a chance to talk, a young brunette bounded in. She sat on the seat next to Harry and instantly struck up a conversation.
"Hi, I'm Dawn! I hope you don't mind me being here. I just heard about this place a few weeks ago and I'm so excited to be going here! I can't believe they have schools to teach this kind of stuff! So, you guys are real wizards and witches?!"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared numbly at this energetic girl, before nodding slightly. Hermione was the first to talk.
"If you're a muggle, then why are you on the train to Hogwarts? I mean, the only new students are first years."
Dawn tilted her head to the side. "Well, my sister and her husband are teaching here, and she didn't want to give my dad custody, so I moved with her!"
Ron asked the lingering question. "What about your mum?"
Dawn's smiled faded, and her energy seemed to diminish. "She died."
Harry felt sorry for her. "I know how it feels. My parents were killed before I can even remember. By Volde- You-Know-Who."
"You must be Harry!" Dawn exclaimed, her energy returning. "Angel told me all about you!" Dawn turned her gaze to Ron and Hermione. "You shouldn't be afraid to say the name Voldemort. I'm not afraid to say Glorificus, or Angelus, or apocalypse. But, then again, the meaning of the apocalypse is lost on Sunnydale residents. We've seen too many."
The other three just stared in shock at Dawn. One apocalypse was too many in their minds, but this teen acted as if she's seen a lot more. Before they could voice their thoughts, another man walked in and addressed Dawn.
"Hey Dawnie. Buffy wants to talk to you."
"K Angel. Bye. . .?"
"Ron."
"Hermione."
"Bye Ron! Bye Hermione! Bye Harry! See ya round!" Dawn walked up and left the compartment.
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other.
"So, are you a professor?" Harry asked the man, but he was gone. "Stealthy." Harry said to no one in particular.
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"DAWN!! HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME?!!!" Buffy was infuriated. Not only had she just found out that Dawn and Spike had been writing to each other, she also found out that he had a soul. To top it off, she hadn't found out from Dawn. She found out from the new DADA teacher, Professor William Thyslerin.
Dawn looked at the floor. "I thought you'd be mad at me for writing to him. I'm sorry Buffy. And, he told me not to tell you!"
Buffy turned her angry gaze towards Spike. "You told her! You told my sister to lie to me! How dare you!"
It seemed like tension was building in the compartment, so Angel stepped between the two. "Buffy, calm down. We're going to be teaching in the same school, so we should probably get along. And, I don't think Dumbeldore would like a pile of dust for a teacher."
"Fine. Only for you Angel."
Spike looked on in disgust as the two shared a loving glance. "So, slayer, what are you teaching?"
Buffy looked away from Angel. "Muggle Defence with Angel."
"So what are the rest of your sodding scooby gang doing here then?!"
"Dumbeldore bribed me to come. He knew I wouldn't want to leave them, so he let me bring them!"
"Well, he bloody well didn't let me bring any friends!"
"That's because you don't have any friends, Spike."
"I'm his friend," Dawn piped up.
Buffy looked at her and was about to retort, when she caught something in her younger sister's eyes. "No," she said. Dawn blushed, and Spike had a smug grin on his face. "No. No way! Not you two! Dawn! I thought you knew better! He's too old for you!"
"And Angel's not too old for you?! We both know there's a bigger age gap between you guys than me and Spike!"
Buffy searched around for an excuse. "Angel has a soul!" she finally retorted.
"So does Spike now." Dawn said calmly.
Buffy finally gave in. "Whatever. Do what you want Dawn." Buffy turned her attention to Spike. "If you hurt her, you're dust."
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**exit music**
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