Thanks to all reviewers, if you read this please review. I'm not sure I like how I've written this chapter so let me know. Next installment likely tomorrow (12th Sept)
Chapter 7 - Snape
The Scoobies looked around the grand entrance hall, the stone walls warmly lit by flaming torches.
"This is astounding," Giles breathed. Harry grinned at their reception of the castle. He had been the same way when he had arrived.
"Professor Dumbledore has requested that I show you to your rooms," Professor McGonagall, then we will be having dinner in the great Hall. You four can go up to Gryffindor Tower," she addressed Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny. "Remus, you know where you will be staying. Sirius you will be staying in the same wing as our American visitors, since there is no more space in the teachers wing."
They followed her up the grand marble staircase that filled most of the hallway, and lost count of the turns they took.
"You'll have to be carefully," Professor McGonagall said seriously, "The staircases like to change. As do the doors. And sometimes you get trick doors, and steps for that matter-"
With that Xander let out a loud yelp as his left leg sunk into a step, up to his knee. Sirius grabbed his arms and helped pull him out.
"You will get used to it, " Professor McGonagall said, her lip twitching, "Many of the students find it second nature to avoid certain steps and doors." The scoobies nodded uncertainly, feeling they would never find their way around this huge castle.
"You'll also want to look out for the ghosts," Sirius said, smiling wickedly, "Particularly one called Peeves, he will do all he can to make your stay at Hogwarts as uncomfortable as possible. But he's quite funny sometimes. Your time at the castle is going to be the best time of your life, when I went here I had the most fun I've ever had."
They arrived at a grand oak door, studded with bronze bolts.
"Sunnydale," Professor McGonagall said clearly, causing the door to jump with surprise, then open a crack. "We have passwords on all the sleeping quarters in the castle, and a lot of other places too, but we decided that one password for this area would be better than separate ones on each room."
She pushed open the door and they found themselves in a small stone corridor, again lit by flaming torches.
"You have separate rooms, but Buffy Dawn and Willow, you will be sharing that bathroom there," Professor McGonagall gestured to a dark pink door, "And Mr Giles, Xander and Sirius, you will be sharing that one," she said pointing to a dark blue door. "Professor Dumbledore also thought it would be good if you had your own version of a common room," she said, gesturing towards an oak door at the end of the corridor.
Professor McGonagall left them to settle in, warning them that a gong would sound when dinner was ready, and instructing Sirius to show them the way to the Great Hall.
Buffy pushed open the oak door bearing her name in bronze script and found a medium sized room, with a large four poster bed, covered with dark red velvet, matching drapes on the windows and a large oak chest of drawers. A small fireplace crackled merrily in the corner, with a dark red velvet armchair sitting next to it. Buffy threw her suitcase on the bed and looked around happily, the room being twice the size of hers in her own home. She unpacked her things, including her multicoloured robes, and after putting on a forest green set, she headed out to look at the living space they had. She pushed open the door, and found herself in a small lounge, with a huge fire, already lit, and a variety of soft looking armchairs and sofas, plus a large desk against one wall under a window overlooking the forest.
"Neat," Dawn said, coming into the lounge, "Its huge! And how great are the beds?!"
Buffy laughed, "Coming to Hogwarts was probably the best idea we ever had I think we're really going to have a good time here." As she finished speaking a large gong sounded and they went out into the hallway, where they found Sirius, Giles, Xander and Willow waiting for them. Sirius led them down to dinner, using a variety of shortcuts, and making the journey much easier. Buffy was still sure she would get lost very often .
They walked into the Great hall and stopped to look at the magnificent ceiling, which was dark soft blue, slightly misty, with stars picked out in it.
"Its bewitched to look like the sky outside," Hermione said knowledgeably, coming into the hall with the other Gryffindors.
"Its beautiful," Willow said," But if Angel comes and its sunny, is he gonna get all dusty?"
"No he should be fine, since its not the real sky," Hermione said unsurely, "I don't really know, you'll have to ask Dumbledore.
They proceeded up to the table in the centre of the room. It was partially filled, with, what were, as far as Buffy could tell, Hogwarts staff. She sat down in a chair next to Sirius and facing Professor Dumbledore.
Dumbledore stood up.
"Now we are all here I'd like to do some introductions. This is Buffy Summers, her sister Dawn, Rupert Giles, Xander Harris and Willow Rosenburg ," he pointed them out, "Theses are some of the teachers at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall, you already know, she teaches transfiguration, Professor Sprout, she teaches Herbology, Professor Vector, teaching Arithmancy, Professor Trelawney, teaching Divination, Professor Flitwick, teaching Charms, of course Professor Lupin teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Professor Snape, who teaches Potions." Buffy blinked, it appeared that this Professor Snape had taken an instant dislike to her from the way he was staring at her venomously . She blinked again, then realised, the look wasn't directed at her but Sirius. She briefly wondered what he done to merit that kind of look from this man, since no one else showed the same animosity. Dumbledore smiled.
"And of course, this is the other new addition to our staff," he said, "Sirius Black, who will be our other Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. But anyways, you have listened to an old man's waffle for long enough. Tuck in!"
The table filled itself with wonderful delights, delicious looking food that they all hungrily tucked into. It was a few minutes before Buffy could take enough breath to talk to Sirius.
"Why is that man, Professor Snape, staring at you like that?" she asked curiously, "If looks could kill…well lets just say, Willow would be getting out her spell book again." Sirius chuckled.
"Severus Snape and I were at school together, he was in Slytherin, and me Gryffindor, and those houses never have got on, but with Snape it was more than just that, " He replied. "My best friends at Hogwarts were James Potter, Harry's father, Remus, and another Peter Pettigrew, who became a death eater. Snape hated us, particularly James, but all of us, and we him. He also is desperate for the Defence Against the Dark Arts job, so me getting it probably hasn't gone down too well." Buffy looked at the sallow face of Professor Snape.
"He doesn't look so bad," she said fairly.
"You just wait," Sirius said, grinning, "Now he's seen us talking, you won't be on the list of his favourite people."
"Well I'll just have to stop talking to you then," Buffy said jokingly, laughing at Sirius' aghast face.
Dinner finished shortly, as people began to fill up, and eventually they began to leave the table. Dawn invited Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny to come to their common room, and Sirius guided them to the wing they were living in.
"Sunnydale," Buffy said at the door and it swung open. They all trooped into the common room and threw themselves into the various chairs. The evening ended with the scoobies telling their best stories, including the time Dawn had been out with a vampire, when they went to the Frat house for Halloween and were terrorised by the tiny demon, and when Giles became a demon. They kept talking until midnight, when Ginny began to nod off, and they decided to call it a night.
Buffy settled into her giant bed and snuggled down. She closed her eyes and began to dream of Hogwarts and all the magical things she had seen of late.