Chapter Five

The Sorting

Dawn shifted nervously from foot to foot as she stood waiting with the rest of the first years. She felt so awkward around them, especially since she practically stood a head taller than they did. The moment that would be deciding her placement for the next two years was less than fifteen minutes away. After meeting the prefects this past week, she had decided that she didn't care what house she got sorted into, as long as it wasn't Slytherin. They all creeped her out, with the exception of one. Draco.

Draco Malfoy occupied her waking thoughts and her dreams. Harry had told her what he was capable of and he gave off a wiggy vibe. But there was something intriguing about him. Any time she was in the same room as him, she could feel his eyes watching her. She tried to ignore him as much as possible, but the looks were very unsettling. She sometimes worried that he knew she was the key and was planning on telling his father.

Yet, when she looked at him, the worries went away and were replace by.... Well, she didn't know what it was, but it wasn't worry. When she did catch his gaze, she found it hard to look away. While his face never lost its cold, hard edge, his eyes swam with emotion. There was anger, pain, confusion, and even a hint of remorse. Dawn didn't know what to think.

She began to think that there might be more to Draco Malfoy than what all the stories told. He was still staring at her even though he knew she wasn't a pureblood. He finally had his say about that, she had overheard that conversation several days ago. He must have finally come out of whatever sort of daze he was in, cause he was quite vociferous about it with a fellow Slytherin in the hallway.

"Can you believe it, Blaise? Hiring muggles!" Draco said, his voice dripping with disdain.

"I know, and one of the classes is required. What's next? Allowing muggles to come to school here, too."

"Plus, they're yanks! I thought it was bad enough that Dumbledore continued to allow Hagrid to teach, but now he's sunk to a new level of idiocy."

"What have you heard about the new student?"

"She's a mudblood." He practically spat. "Apparently her sister is teaching that new class, muggle defense. What the hell do we need to know muggle defense for? We have wands."

"A mudblood, huh?"
"Yeah, and I heard the stupid bint didn't even know she was a witch until she came here, the filthy thing."

Dawn winced every time she remembered that conversation. But it helped to remind herself what an arrogant prick he was.

But still, there was this nagging feeling that she was missing something. A crucial piece to the puzzle that was Draco Malfoy. Her dreams would tell her that much. Her sleep at night was plagued with gray eyes watching her, pleading with her. She didn't know what to make of them. She couldn't ask Harry and the rest, because they couldn't see him in any other manner.

Harry. He was an entirely different matter. He was one of the sweetest boys she had ever met. His friends were great, too. Although, now that they had arrived, she almost felt as if she was on the outside looking in. That's the same way she used to feel with Buffy and her friends. She wasn't too worried about that though, she'd find her way in, just like with the scooby gang.

McGonagall interrupted her thoughts. "We are ready for you now. Dawn, we will sort you first. All right, follow me."

Well, here goes nothing. Dawn thought.

********

Draco was doing his best to try and pay attention to what Pansy was saying. Merlin, that girl could talk forever about nothing. His thoughts, however, where not co-operating. They kept drifting to a certain mudblood, his angel. He was quite distraught when Adrian Pucey, a seventh year Slytherin prefect, had told him about it.

He probably would have figured it out for himself, if he had paid attention during that first prefects meeting. She had distracted him the whole time. She was, quite possibly, the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. She carried herself with an air of confidence, and seemed so open and friendly.

The blond kept entertaining thoughts that she could be the one who he could let in. That she would love him for who he was, and not for what he could do for her. Wait. Love him? When did love enter the picture? He sighed.

Doesn't matter, he said to himself. Potter has already told her all about you. You lost her before you could even try. Wait! Where were all these un-Malfoyish thoughts coming from? She was a mudblood for Merlin's sake! Someone a pureblood like him had no business talking to, let alone, wanting for himself.

He looked at Pansy. She was still rambling on about something that happened over the summer, blithely unaware that wasn't paying attention. He fidgeted in his seat and glanced at the doors to the Great Hall for the tenth time in five minutes. Any minute now she would come through those doors and be sorted.

Draco doubted that she would be sorted into Slytherin, and not just because she was a mudblood. But because she didn't seem to display any characteristics that defined his house. He knew this because he couldn't help but watch her when she entered a room. She was like a magnet to his gaze, he was drawn to her. She laughed easily and seemed to be friends with everyone. His angel had somehow managed to integrate herself into Potter's gang, something no one else had been able to do.

There he went again! His angel? More like Potter's angel. He saw the way she looked at him, and jealousy surged. He knew it was wrong that he should be attracted to a mudblood, but he couldn't stop his feelings. If his father wasn't going to disown him because of Voldemort, he would definitely disown him for this. Merlin, when did his life get this complicated?

He looked to the doors again. What was taking so long? He turned his gaze to the professor's tables. The new ones were talking and laughing amongst themselves. He was still amazed that they were allowed to teach here, what with them being muggles and all. The DADA professor intrigued him, though. There was something familiar about him, but Draco couldn't put his finger on it. Nonetheless, he was sure he could figure it out eventually.

He shifted his gaze to the Gryffindor table, and to Potter and his gang. Envy welled up in him for moment before he suppressed it. He hated it every time he felt that way about them. They had a true friendship that was based upon trust, respect, and love - the one thing the Draco didn't have. Not to mention they were friends with his angel.

Draco heard the doors open and he quickly looked over. He inhaled sharply. There she was, in her perfect beauty, even if she was in plain black robes. Merlin, she was looking at him again. He looked away, embarrassed. There was no hope of him being with her. Bloody hell.

*******

Dawn felt his eyes on her the moment she walked through the door. She looked over at him and caught something new in his eyes, sadness. What could possibly make him sad? What was even more confusing was that he looked away. That had never happened before. However, before she could continue this train of thought, an old beat up hat began to sing.

Everyone clapped when the hat was finished, and Professor McGonagall stepped forward. "When I call your name please step forward. I will place the sorting hat on your head. When it has called out the house, you may join your new housemates.

"Before we sort the first years, we have a special sixth year student to sort first. Dawn Summers."

Dawn stepped forward, a little wary of the hat. Personally it was giving her a slight case of the wiggins. She looked to Buffy and Spike. He sister smiled encouragingly and Spike gave her the thumbs up. She sat down and McGonagall place the hat on her head. She nearly jumped off the stool when it began to whisper in her ear.

"Hmmm, yes. The mystical key has finally been given its human form." Her eyes widened, she hoped no one else could hear what it said. "Where to put you? This one is most difficult."

"Lots of courage in you, just like Godric Gryffindor." Her heart soared, then dropped. "Yet there is a deviousness about you which would enable you to fit in with the Slytherins. Ravenclaw would benefit your eagerness to learn, while you also display Hufflepuff's loyalty.

"Most intriguing, you fit all four houses, most unusual. So, I shall place you where you will do the most good." Dawn chewed on her lower lip.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Dawn jumped excitedly off the stool and headed to her new friends. Her relief clearly etched on her face.

Across the hall, Draco was devastated. There it was, plain as day. His last, brief chance for anything with her went down the tubes. He was sunk.

********

After the first years had been sorted and the hat taken away, Dumbledore stood and waited patiently for the noise to die down. "I have several start of term announcements. The forbidden forest is precisely that, forbidden. These are most dangerous times and the forest has become more treacherous.

"I am sure the older students see several new faces here at the head table. Professors McClay and Rosenberg will be teaching a new elective on wiccan magic." A murmur rippled through the hall as well as a few catcalls. Tara blushed and quickly sat back down. "Quiet down. Any who wish to enroll in this class please speak to your house heads. This also applies to another elective on demonology classification. Mr. Giles and Miss Emerson will be teaching that class. Mr. Harris will be assisting Hagrid with Care of Magical Creatures and in Muggle Studies.

"We have a new required class called Muggle Defense that will be taught by Professor Summers." When Buffy stood the whole place erupted with applause, and whistles from the Gryffindor table. The only table that didn't join in was the Slytherin table. When the noise had died down, Dumbledore continued. "She is most qualified seeing as she is the current slayer. A role I'm sure she will explain to you in class.

"She will be aided by our new DADA teacher, Spike." The place grew quiet as Spike stood and looked menacingly at them all. When he sat, Buffy slapped him lightly on his arm with a disapproving look; he smirked back at her.

"Now, I only have three more things to tell you: flibbertygibbit, guffaw, and snitzful. Let the feast begin."

With that the food appeared on the tables and the first years eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Conversations began again, but with a different topic. Instead of discussing summer events, everything centered on the new professors.

"So what's a slayer?" Seamus asked Hermione. "If anyone would know, it would be you."

"I think I'll let Professor Summers tell you about it."

"Summers? Dawn, is she related to you? You have the same last name." He asked, turning to Dawn.

"Yes, she's my older sister."
"Would you tell me about the slayer?"

"No, I think I'll let Buffy demonstrate in class tomorrow. She's got something planned with Spike. I'm not quite sure what it is, but knowing those two, it should be interesting."

"You know the DADA professor, too?" A boy name Dean Thomas asked.

"Yeah, he's kind of like my big brother. He's super cool, you guys are going to love him."

"I think I already do." Ginny said with a sigh. "Have you noticed he always wears tight, clinging shirts?" Everyone but Dawn gave her a queer look. "What? I think he's hot, sue me."

Dawn giggle. "Just remember that he's only got eyes for one woman, and she happens to be my sister."

"Your sister is married to Spike?" Hermione's old roommate Lavender Brown asked.

"Uh, not really. It's a little more complicated than that. I really don't have time to explain it. Let's just say they share a bond that can't be broken." Dawn really didn't want to discuss the whole claim thing, cause then she'd have to explain that he was a vampire, and it wasn't her place to tell anyone about it. She knew that Spike wanted to do that himself in class.

"What a shame. Gin is right, he really is sexy." Lavender said, giving Spike an appraising look.

The conversation at the Slytherin table wasn't quite as amenable as the one at the Gryffindor table. They could have cared less what a slayer was or who was related to whom. They were more concerned over the fact that they were muggles.

"It's disgusting, muggles teaching classes at Hogwarts!" Draco spat. All thoughts of Dawn gone as he joined the conversation.

Goyle, the last of his so-called bodyguards, stared blankly at him.

"They aren't wizards, Goyle." He continued to stare at him. Draco fought the urge to roll his eyes. It always amazed him that Goyle had somehow made it this far in school.

Pansy was quite livid. "We have to take one of their classes too! Can you believe the nerve of Dumbledore forcing us to associate with that filth? The only thing that could be worse was if they were mudbloods."

With that word, Draco flicked his gray eyes over to his angel. He inwardly sighed, she seemed quite happy over there. He turned his attention back to the conversation.

"At least we aren't forced to take those other two classes." Millicent was saying. "Really, who would want to learn about lower forms of magic?"

"That's true. Wiccan magic is just a bunch of parlor tricks." Blaise sneered.

"Goyle and I have to deal with another one during that old fool Hagrid's class. He looks absolutely worthless." Draco pointed out.

*****

At the end of dinner, Dumbledore stood again. A smile graced his wrinkled face and he had a devilish twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh shit, here it comes." Spike said with a grimace.

"Here comes what?"

"Just watch, luv. You won't understand until you experience it for yourself."

Buffy looked at the other professors at the table and they seemed to share Spike's pained expression. The student's, however, were excited. Harry and Ron, though, had a downright mischievous look on their faces. Before she could wonder what they were up to Dumbledore began to speak.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song! Everyone pick their favorite tune and off we go!" With a flick of his wand, the words floated above his head and the singing began. Actually, Buffy wasn't sure she would classify the cacophony as music. She began to see why the professors hated and the students loved the ritual. It was hard to hear the actual words of the song.

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something, please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot.

Harry and Ron were the last to finish singing as they were using the dirge that Fred and George, Ron's older twin brothers, had always used. Apparently they were doing some sort of tribute according to Hagrid.

"Well done." Dumbledore said, with a small tear in his eye. "Class schedules will be past out in the morning during breakfast. Don't forget to sign up for the new classes. You are excused."