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Chapter 18 - Invitations
Buffy and Sirius spent a relaxing afternoon in Diagon Alley, strolling through the cobble stoned streets hand in hand. They went to the ice cream parlour, and fed each other from their sundaes, they visited the huge fountains and threw in knuts and they went to all the tiny shops and bought a variety of things that would not be able to get anywhere else.
"Have you given any idea to what you're going to do next year?" Sirius asked suddenly. "I mean, when this war is over."
"I don't really know to be honest," Buffy sighed heavily, "I mean we don't have a proper home, our house fell into a big hole. We'd love to stay at Hogwarts of course, but without all this stuff I'm not sure we'd be necessary elements. We'd go back to America I guess, maybe to L.A, but I haven't really thought about it."
She turned to Sirius, "Don't think that I want to leave, because I don't. I really don't know what we will do." He hugged he tightly.
"I love you, you know," he said quietly, "I haven't ever said that to another woman and really meant it, but I do. I don't know what I'd do if you left." She smiled at him softly.
"I love you too," she said, slightly tearfully, "But lets not talk about me leaving yet. You're stuck with me for at least the rest of this school year." They continued to walk, arms around each other through the streets.
They arrived back at Hogwarts that evening, having bought everything they needed. Angel, Wesley, Gunn, Cordelia, Fred and Faith had all bought wands and robes for themselves in whatever colours they liked. Cordelia had followed the same lines as Buffy and had bought them in a rainbow of colours. They had also bought the slayers robes, all of them simple black as there were too many of them to get personal. They ate dinner with everyone, then went to their common room as usual.
Time at Hogwarts fell into routine, and passed quickly. The Scoobies progressed in their magical classes, Dawn's experience of all things dark meant she was able to fully join all of Harry and Ron's classes. The others decided they would rather be taught separately, and made great progress, even those who had come later in the year. They loved Hogwarts as much as everyone had promised they would.
There was no news from Voldemort, except that the army was, indeed, amassing to attack the castle. Harry was progressing with Occlumency, to the point where, by late November, he was able to prevent Dumbledore from accessing any of his memories. Dumbledore promised the beginning of Leglimency in the new year. However a more pressing issue was on his mind currently.
"Who're you going to ask to the Yule Ball?" Ron asked him one day, reminding him of it.
"Well, I don't know really," Harry mumble, "I mean….I was thinking…Well, I might ask…well Dawn.." He felt his face becoming tomato like.
"Go for it mate," Ron said cheerily, "You'll have no trouble. But do you think if I asked, erm, Hermione, she'd go with me?"
"Hermione?" Harry asked incredulously, and Ron coloured. "Sorry, I just didn't realise you liked her like that."
"Well I don't know if I do," Ron said awkwardly, "But she looked so pretty last time and everything, so I thought I might be in with a chance." He looked miserable, so harry said quickly:
"Yeah, you should ask her definitely, we'll do it soon."
Which is how Harry found himself, one night in the Gryffindor common room sitting next to Dawn in front of the fire and wondering how to ask her.
"Dawn?" he began.
"Hmm?" she replied sleepily.
"Well, if you're not going with anyone else, which you probably are and if you are don't worry, and if you want to say no then that's fine, but you can say yes, but if you don't want to then don't," he began hurriedly, "Do you think you might want to go to the Yule Ball with me?"
"Love to," said Dawn, more awake now, "That'd be great." She grinned at him, and he grinned back, feeling his stomach drain of the leaden feeling it had had.
Elsewhere in the common room, Ron wasn't feeling so inspired. He and Hermione sat together working on their potions homework.
"Hermione," he began, "Do you-"
"The answers shrivelfig," she said briskly.
"No but-" he began again.
"It's shrivelfig, I assure you," she said glancing at him.
"That wasn't what I wanted," Ron said loudly. She looked up at him again.
"What did you want then? The answer to number twelve?" she asked, amazing him by looking at him and still being able to write at the same time.
"Well, you see" he began for the third time, "Would you go to the ball with me?"
"What was that?" she asked, slightly shakily, "The Yule Ball? Well yes okay then." And with that she got back to work.
"It's like Sirius said," Ron exclaimed jubilantly, later that night "Animal magnetism. I mean think of all the trouble from last year." Harry nodded, also jubilant that the person he had really wanted to go with had actually said yes.
"And I've got the good robes this year," Ron continued, "At least I won't look like a complete prat. Oh my god, I'm going with Hermione." he sat down on his bed hard.
"Hey don't worry about it," Harry said, trying to be helpful, "It's Hermione, you know her really well, you'll have loads to talk about." Ron just paled further.