Blood of Enemies, Blood of Friends
Chapter 5 - The Scoobies Meet The Order
The Scoobies and their friends planned to leave Los Angeles late in the evening. With the time difference, this would allow them to arrive in England early in the morning. Giles had explained to the group that they would be traveling by portkey. The entire group was required to touch a specific object at exactly midnight. They would then be immediately transported to the Order of the Phoenix headquarters.
At 11:30pm everyone gathered in the lobby of the Hyperion. The Scoobies thanked the Angel Investigations team for their summer accommodations. Everyone then took turns saying 'goodbye.' Wesley promised the other Angel Investigations members that he would keep in touch and keep them up to date on the progress in the fight against Voldemort.
At exactly 11:55pm, Giles called everyone's attention. "As I explained earlier, we will be traveling via portkey." Giles held up an old broom. "This is the portkey. It will activate in five minutes."
"Somehow I thought a portkey would be more impressive," mumbled Xander, causing Willow to giggle.
"Um, Giles, are you seriously telling us that we are going to get to England by touching an old broom? That seems right up there with the insane." Buffy said.
"Yes, well, insane or not, this is our method of travel," Giles replied. "Now, everyone, gather around. Make sure that you have a tight hand on your bags, and touch this broom."
The Scoobies and their friends grabbed onto their bags tightly and reached out to place a hand on the broom, while Giles counted down the time that remained. At exactly midnight, they each felt a pull behind their navels, followed by darkness and a feeling of falling. Moments later, they arrived in the kitchen of Order headquarters, feeling a bit disoriented.
"That was way cooler than any roller coaster I have ever ridden," commented Dawn.
"Makes you appreciate airplanes, doesn't it?" mumbled Xander.
"That was even weirder than going to hell," said Buffy.
"That was wicked cool," added Faith.
Molly Weasley and Remus Lupin entered the kitchen. They had been waiting just outside the door for their guests' arrival. "Welcome to our headquarters," Remus greeted. "I am Remus Lupin, and this is Molly Weasley," he said by way of introduction.
Giles stepped forward and introduced each of the Scoobies and their friends, while Molly bustled around checking on each of their guests. She asked each if he or she was feeling well after their journey. When she approached Giles, she pulled him into a tight hug. "Rupert, it is so good to see you after all these years. When Arthur told me that it was you who would be coming to join us, I must admit that I was surprised. Who ever would have thought that Rupert Giles would become a respectable Watcher?"
"I don't know about the respectable part, but I have been a Watcher for many years now," Giles replied. Molly swatted at his arm. Giles continued, "It really is a pleasure to see you again, Molly. Arthur told me about your family. I am looking forward to meeting them all."
Dawn noticed three teens, two girls and a boy, lingering in the hallway, trying to get a good look at the new arrivals. Dawn poked both Shannon and Andrew and indicated the teens. "At least we aren't the only kids here," Shannon noted.
Shannon's comment drew Molly's attention, and she called for the teens to enter the kitchen. "This is my son Ron and my daughter Ginny, and their friend Hermione Granger," Molly told Giles. "If you have some time, while you are here, Ron is interested in finding out about the requirements for a career as a Watcher," Molly added, causing Ron to blush slightly.
Giles turned his attention to Ron, who was now blushing considerably. "It would be my pleasure to talk with you. We are currently a bit short of Watchers and are very interested in possible new recruits."
Molly addressed all of their guests. "I realize that it is very late for you; so, I will show you to your rooms. Take the day to rest and relax. We will be having a dinner in your honor this evening. Everyone from the Order will be here to meet you."
"Thank you so much," replied Giles on behalf of the Scoobies and their friends.
Molly indicated for everyone to follow her. The adults would be staying on the second floor, and the teens would be staying on the third floor. As they approached the stairs, Ginny spoke to her mother. "We can show these three to their rooms, while you take the adults upstairs." Molly nodded her consent and indicated for the teens to follow Ginny, Ron, and Hermione to the third floor.
As the teens ascended the stairs, Ginny spoke. "I'm Ginny Weasley. This is my brother Ron, and his friend Hermione Granger." Both Ron and Hermione rolled their eyes at the emphasis that Ginny had said, "friend."
"I'm Dawn Summers, and this is Shannon Crawford and Andrew Wells," Dawn replied.
"I'm glad to see that there are some other kids here," commented Shannon.
"Yeah, well we spent last summer here too," explained Ginny.
"Well, us and Harry," added Ron. "He will be here in a couple of weeks."
"Do you all go to Hogwarts?" asked Dawn.
"Yes," replied Hermione. "Ron and I are in sixth year, and Ginny is in fifth year."
"Cool," said Shannon. "Dawn and I are going to be in fifth year at Hogwarts too."
"What about you, mate?" Ron asked Andrew.
"Oh, I am not a student. I am just going to record events," Andrew replied. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione looked at him oddly, but Andrew did not elaborate.
"Where did you attend school before now?" Hermione asked.
"I used to go to Sunnydale High, before it got sucked into hell. Andrew already graduated two years ago, and Shannon went to school in Las Vegas, where she used to live," explained Dawn.
"You went to muggle schools?" Ginny questioned.
"Are you muggles?" asked Ron.
"Yes and not exactly," replied Dawn, glancing at Shannon who winked back. "Um, nothing personal, but it is after midnight our time, and we are all really tired. Maybe we can talk about all this later," Dawn suggested.
The other three teens agreed.
After closing the door to their room, Shannon turned to Dawn. "That was kind of mean leaving them with all those questions."
"I know, but I really am tired. Besides, I am not entirely sure what we should and shouldn't tell them. If you didn't notice, Ron and Hermione are two of the people that we are supposed to be watching out for, and I assume the Harry who will be here later is Harry Potter."
"You have a point," replied Shannon. "Maybe we should have a quick chat with Mr. Giles and your sister before we talk to those three again."
Ginny, Ron, and Hermione had remained in the hallway, just outside of Dawn and Shannon's room.
"I'm confused," commented Hermione.
"Has that ever happened before?" Ron teased.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him and continued, "Why would the Order invite a group of muggles to their headquarters?"
"I don't know, but I would assume that one of them must be the Slayer," replied Ginny.
"But then why bring all the others along?" asked Hermione.
"And, why did Mr. Giles say there was shortage of Watchers? I thought that there was a huge organization of them," Ron added.
"Maybe Dawn, Shannon, and Andrew will be able to give us some answers," commented Ginny.
"Maybe," said Hermione, "maybe."
Ron could not help but notice how Hermione's eyes lit up, as they always did when she was working out a mystery.
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Buffy awoke to find Willow looking around the room. "Hey, Wills, how long have you been up?"
"Not too long," Willow replied.
"What are you doing?" Buffy asked.
"Just being nosey," Willow replied. "Hey, Buffy, if you are up, would you maybe want to explore the house?"
"Sure, but we should see if Xander and Dawn want to join us. Both of them will go crazy if we go exploring without them."
Buffy and Willow knocked on Xander's door. At first he was not too happy with being awoken, but he quickly decided that he wanted to explore the house. The three Scoobies wandered up to the third floor to find Dawn and Shannon. After accidentally waking Andrew, who decided to join them as well, they found Dawn and Shannon's room.
Minutes later the six friends descended the stairs to the main level of the house. They wandered through a few rooms, stopping in the library. Willow was enjoying reading off the titles of the many magic books. Dawn and Shannon took the opportunity to talk to Buffy.
"Buffy, we have something we need to ask you," Dawn told her sister.
Buffy frowned. "Is it something that I would normally say no to?"
"No," replied Dawn, rolling her eyes.
Before the two sisters could start arguing, Shannon interrupted them. "Buffy, what Dawn and I were wondering about is how much information we should be sharing with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione."
"Like can we tell her that you and Shannon are Slayers? Obviously they already know that Giles is a Watcher, and that we are all here on Order business. We just don't want to say anything that could cause trouble," Dawn added.
"Well once you are at Hogwarts, everyone will know about the Slayers; so, I don't see why it should be a problem if you tell them. In fact, I think you should be able to tell them anything that you are comfortable with," Buffy replied.
"Well, I guess it is time that we talk to them," commented Andrew.
While Buffy, Willow, and Xander continued to explore the house, Dawn, Shannon, and Andrew went off to find Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.
Ginny found Dawn, Shannon, and Andrew climbing the stairs to the third floor. She invited the three teens into her and Hermione's room. Hermione and Ron had been seated on the floor, playing wizard chess. As the other teens entered, Ron's bishop took Hermione's knight, shattering it to pieces.
"That is so cool. What is that?" asked Andrew.
"Wizard chess," replied Ron.
Before the boys had a chance to discuss the game, Dawn cleared her throat. "I know you guys have a lot of questions about who we are, and why we are here." She took a seat on one of the beds, as Shannon sat beside her and Ginny and Andrew sat on the other bed. "So, here goes. I take it you know what a Slayer is."
"One girl in all the world with the strength and skills to kill the vampires and stop the swell of their numbers," interjected Hermione.
"Wow, I guess they really do know about us in the wizarding world," commented Shannon. "Anyway, the thing is that there is no longer just one girl."
"Actually, there hasn't been only one for awhile, not since Buffy died the first time," commented Dawn.
"Buffy died?" asked Ginny.
"First time, as in more than once?" added Hermione.
"Yes and yes, but that is not really the point of what we are telling you," replied Dawn. She proceeded to tell Ginny, Ron, and Hermione about the activation of all the potential Slayers, their fight against the First Evil, and Dumbledore's offer to come to Hogwarts.
Ginny, Ron, and Hermione sat in silence for several minutes after Dawn finished speaking. Ron was the first to speak, "So are you two Slayers?" he asked.
"I am," replied Shannon, "but Dawn isn't."
"I just happen to be Buffy's little sister. Though I am studying to become a Watcher, when I finish school. I have already gotten really good at the research. I got a lot of practice while we were preparing to face the First," Dawn explained.
"Ron is thinking about studying to be a Watcher also," Hermione told Dawn.
"Cool, maybe we will have some classes together. My sister and her friends are teaching some of the classes that Shannon and I are taking," Dawn replied, directing her attention to Ron.
"So, you know the new professors, then? Who is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year?" Ron asked.
"We have had a new DADA teacher every year, since we started at Hogwarts," Hermione explained.
"Giles or I guess we will call him Professor Giles is the new DADA teacher. He was Buffy's Watcher, when we first moved to Sunnydale, though back then I didn't know anything about the Slayer gig. I just thought she was a trouble maker." Dawn thought, 'Actually back then I didn't really exist.'
She continued, "Around the same time she met Giles, Buffy became very close friends with two people: Willow or Professor Rosenberg who is teaching Research Skills and Xander or Mr. Harris who is the new caretaker. So Buffy faces the master, a really nasty vampire, and she dies." The three British teens gasped, even though Dawn had mentioned Buffy's death earlier. "Oh it was only for a minute or two before Xander revived her with CPR," Dawn said. "Because Buffy technically died a new Slayer was called, Kendra, but she died and Faith was called. Faith is Professor Wilkins. She and Buffy, along with Professor Robin Wood, who is actually the son of a Slayer, are teaching the Slayer Fighting Techniques class."
"Around the same time that Faith arrived on the scene, the Watcher's Council fired Giles for caring about Buffy too much - long story, which I will save for later. He stayed in Sunnydale for her, but the council sent a new Watcher, Wesley. Wesley or Professor Wyndam-Pryce is also a new professor and is teaching History of the Slayer. Anyway, Wesley stayed for not even a year, and then Buffy quit the council."
"Excuse me, but how can a Slayer quit working with the Watcher Council?" asked Ron.
"Only Buffy could do something like that. Let's just say there were extenuating circumstances. Anyway, so she and Giles were just freelancing for a while. Eventually the council hired Giles back, but a year later Giles left Buffy to go back to England. He returned twice. The first time was to stop a friend from losing herself, which is a story that it is not my place to tell. The second was almost a year ago, when he showed up on our doorstep with three potential Slayers."
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Dinner was an enjoyable affair for everyone. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape attended, as did Mad Eye Moody, Tonks, and Remus Lupin. Bill, Fred, and George Weasley were also in attendance, as well as their parents. After introductions were made, everyone sat at the magically enlarged table.
As Tonks tried to take her seat, she managed to trip over her own feet, and almost fell to the floor. Willow quickly froze Tonks in midair. Willow righted the pink-haired girl, before unfreezing her.
"Thanks," said Tonks. "For as clumsy as I am, you would never know that I am an auror. Hey wait a minute, you didn't use a wand."
"I've never used a wand, though I am supposed to learn while at Hogwarts," Willow explained. Their conversation about wandless magic continued throughout dinner.
Xander was seated next to Fred Weasley, who promptly offered him a canary cream. Before anyone could stop him, Xander popped it into his mouth. He turned into a large bird, chirped a few times, and then quickly molted. Molly Weasley scolded Fred.
"Did I just turn into a bird?" Xander asked. Buffy and Willow nodded. "That was wicked cool. Do you guys have any more of those things?"
"If you liked that, you should come to our joke shop in Diagon Alley," said George.
"Weasley Wizard Wheezes," added Fred.
"Hey, G-man," Xander called down the table, "We have got to check out their joke shop, when we go for the girls' school supplies."
"We will, and don't call me that," replied Giles, though he was still laughing after witnessing Xander turn into a large bird.
Xander spent the remainder of the meal talking with Fred and George. Giles traded stories with Arthur Weasley. Willow continued talking with Tonks, though both Buffy and Faith noticed that Willow and Tonks were flirting a bit. Buffy and Faith shared tales of their adventures with Mad Eye Moody. Robin and Wesley discussed the Hogwarts curriculum with Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall.
The teens were fairly quiet throughout dinner. Dawn and Shannon spoke quietly to each other. Ron and Hermione stole glances at each other. When one would look over, the other would look away. Ginny was actually flirting with Andrew. Ron had noticed. His first instinct was to hit Andrew, but Ron was starting to think that maybe the men in Ginny's life needed more protection than Ginny did.
When dinner ended, Buffy suggested to Faith and Shannon that they do a quick patrol. Having slept most of the day, all three were wide awake. Buffy figured that a patrol was a great way to burn off excess energy. Giles agreed to accompany the Slayers, because he knew the neighborhood fairly well.
Dawn and Andrew followed Ginny, Ron, and Hermione to the third floor. "Would it be ok, if I ask you some questions about Hogwarts?" Dawn asked. "I've read a book about the history of the school, but I still have questions about classes and stuffy."
Hermione's eye's sparkled. "You've read Hogwarts: A History?" she asked with an edge of excitement in her voice.
"Um, yeah," replied Dawn. "Actually, I have read it cover to cover three times already this summer."
Ron could not help rolling his eyes. "Just what we need, another Hermione," he whispered to Ginny.
"Why, Ron, I would have thought two Hermione's would be a fantasy of yours," Ginny teased. Ron turned bright red. Fortunately for him, Hermione was too involved in her conversation with Dawn about Hogwarts: A History to notice Ron's discomfort.
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On the day of Harry's arrival at Order headquarters, he entered his room to find Ron and Andrew seated on the floor, playing a game of wizard chess. "Uh, hello," said Harry from the doorway.
"Harry," Ron practically yelled, as he jumped to his feet. "It is so good to see you, mate."
"You too," replied Harry, though he was looking at Andrew.
"Oh sorry," said Ron. "Harry, this is Andrew. Andrew, this is Harry."
"Nice to meet you," said Andrew.
"Likewise," replied Harry.
Before Ron could explain who Andrew was or why he was at the Order, Hermione and Ginny entered the room, followed by Dawn and Shannon.
"Harry, how are you?" Hermione asked, as she gave him a quick hug. Ginny did the same.
Both girls noticed that Harry was staring past them. He was especially staring at Shannon. He thought that she was beautiful. Cho could not even compare. "Um, hi, I'm Harry," he stuttered.
"Damn, nobody ever said he was cute," Shannon whispered to Dawn, who giggled.
"Oh, sorry, Harry," said Hermione. "This is Dawn and Shannon. Shannon is one of the Slayers."
"One of? There is only one Slayer, Hermione. I think you are slipping," Harry said.
"You should know that Mione is always right," said Ron. Hermione swatted him lightly on the arm, and he blushed. She noticed that he had been blushing a lot lately.
"A lot of things have changed," said Ginny, in way of explanation.
"I don't understand," said Harry.
"Take a seat. It is kind of a long story," said Dawn. Harry sat on his bed, and Dawn began her tail for a second time.
Chapter 5 - The Scoobies Meet The Order
The Scoobies and their friends planned to leave Los Angeles late in the evening. With the time difference, this would allow them to arrive in England early in the morning. Giles had explained to the group that they would be traveling by portkey. The entire group was required to touch a specific object at exactly midnight. They would then be immediately transported to the Order of the Phoenix headquarters.
At 11:30pm everyone gathered in the lobby of the Hyperion. The Scoobies thanked the Angel Investigations team for their summer accommodations. Everyone then took turns saying 'goodbye.' Wesley promised the other Angel Investigations members that he would keep in touch and keep them up to date on the progress in the fight against Voldemort.
At exactly 11:55pm, Giles called everyone's attention. "As I explained earlier, we will be traveling via portkey." Giles held up an old broom. "This is the portkey. It will activate in five minutes."
"Somehow I thought a portkey would be more impressive," mumbled Xander, causing Willow to giggle.
"Um, Giles, are you seriously telling us that we are going to get to England by touching an old broom? That seems right up there with the insane." Buffy said.
"Yes, well, insane or not, this is our method of travel," Giles replied. "Now, everyone, gather around. Make sure that you have a tight hand on your bags, and touch this broom."
The Scoobies and their friends grabbed onto their bags tightly and reached out to place a hand on the broom, while Giles counted down the time that remained. At exactly midnight, they each felt a pull behind their navels, followed by darkness and a feeling of falling. Moments later, they arrived in the kitchen of Order headquarters, feeling a bit disoriented.
"That was way cooler than any roller coaster I have ever ridden," commented Dawn.
"Makes you appreciate airplanes, doesn't it?" mumbled Xander.
"That was even weirder than going to hell," said Buffy.
"That was wicked cool," added Faith.
Molly Weasley and Remus Lupin entered the kitchen. They had been waiting just outside the door for their guests' arrival. "Welcome to our headquarters," Remus greeted. "I am Remus Lupin, and this is Molly Weasley," he said by way of introduction.
Giles stepped forward and introduced each of the Scoobies and their friends, while Molly bustled around checking on each of their guests. She asked each if he or she was feeling well after their journey. When she approached Giles, she pulled him into a tight hug. "Rupert, it is so good to see you after all these years. When Arthur told me that it was you who would be coming to join us, I must admit that I was surprised. Who ever would have thought that Rupert Giles would become a respectable Watcher?"
"I don't know about the respectable part, but I have been a Watcher for many years now," Giles replied. Molly swatted at his arm. Giles continued, "It really is a pleasure to see you again, Molly. Arthur told me about your family. I am looking forward to meeting them all."
Dawn noticed three teens, two girls and a boy, lingering in the hallway, trying to get a good look at the new arrivals. Dawn poked both Shannon and Andrew and indicated the teens. "At least we aren't the only kids here," Shannon noted.
Shannon's comment drew Molly's attention, and she called for the teens to enter the kitchen. "This is my son Ron and my daughter Ginny, and their friend Hermione Granger," Molly told Giles. "If you have some time, while you are here, Ron is interested in finding out about the requirements for a career as a Watcher," Molly added, causing Ron to blush slightly.
Giles turned his attention to Ron, who was now blushing considerably. "It would be my pleasure to talk with you. We are currently a bit short of Watchers and are very interested in possible new recruits."
Molly addressed all of their guests. "I realize that it is very late for you; so, I will show you to your rooms. Take the day to rest and relax. We will be having a dinner in your honor this evening. Everyone from the Order will be here to meet you."
"Thank you so much," replied Giles on behalf of the Scoobies and their friends.
Molly indicated for everyone to follow her. The adults would be staying on the second floor, and the teens would be staying on the third floor. As they approached the stairs, Ginny spoke to her mother. "We can show these three to their rooms, while you take the adults upstairs." Molly nodded her consent and indicated for the teens to follow Ginny, Ron, and Hermione to the third floor.
As the teens ascended the stairs, Ginny spoke. "I'm Ginny Weasley. This is my brother Ron, and his friend Hermione Granger." Both Ron and Hermione rolled their eyes at the emphasis that Ginny had said, "friend."
"I'm Dawn Summers, and this is Shannon Crawford and Andrew Wells," Dawn replied.
"I'm glad to see that there are some other kids here," commented Shannon.
"Yeah, well we spent last summer here too," explained Ginny.
"Well, us and Harry," added Ron. "He will be here in a couple of weeks."
"Do you all go to Hogwarts?" asked Dawn.
"Yes," replied Hermione. "Ron and I are in sixth year, and Ginny is in fifth year."
"Cool," said Shannon. "Dawn and I are going to be in fifth year at Hogwarts too."
"What about you, mate?" Ron asked Andrew.
"Oh, I am not a student. I am just going to record events," Andrew replied. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione looked at him oddly, but Andrew did not elaborate.
"Where did you attend school before now?" Hermione asked.
"I used to go to Sunnydale High, before it got sucked into hell. Andrew already graduated two years ago, and Shannon went to school in Las Vegas, where she used to live," explained Dawn.
"You went to muggle schools?" Ginny questioned.
"Are you muggles?" asked Ron.
"Yes and not exactly," replied Dawn, glancing at Shannon who winked back. "Um, nothing personal, but it is after midnight our time, and we are all really tired. Maybe we can talk about all this later," Dawn suggested.
The other three teens agreed.
After closing the door to their room, Shannon turned to Dawn. "That was kind of mean leaving them with all those questions."
"I know, but I really am tired. Besides, I am not entirely sure what we should and shouldn't tell them. If you didn't notice, Ron and Hermione are two of the people that we are supposed to be watching out for, and I assume the Harry who will be here later is Harry Potter."
"You have a point," replied Shannon. "Maybe we should have a quick chat with Mr. Giles and your sister before we talk to those three again."
Ginny, Ron, and Hermione had remained in the hallway, just outside of Dawn and Shannon's room.
"I'm confused," commented Hermione.
"Has that ever happened before?" Ron teased.
Hermione rolled her eyes at him and continued, "Why would the Order invite a group of muggles to their headquarters?"
"I don't know, but I would assume that one of them must be the Slayer," replied Ginny.
"But then why bring all the others along?" asked Hermione.
"And, why did Mr. Giles say there was shortage of Watchers? I thought that there was a huge organization of them," Ron added.
"Maybe Dawn, Shannon, and Andrew will be able to give us some answers," commented Ginny.
"Maybe," said Hermione, "maybe."
Ron could not help but notice how Hermione's eyes lit up, as they always did when she was working out a mystery.
****************
Buffy awoke to find Willow looking around the room. "Hey, Wills, how long have you been up?"
"Not too long," Willow replied.
"What are you doing?" Buffy asked.
"Just being nosey," Willow replied. "Hey, Buffy, if you are up, would you maybe want to explore the house?"
"Sure, but we should see if Xander and Dawn want to join us. Both of them will go crazy if we go exploring without them."
Buffy and Willow knocked on Xander's door. At first he was not too happy with being awoken, but he quickly decided that he wanted to explore the house. The three Scoobies wandered up to the third floor to find Dawn and Shannon. After accidentally waking Andrew, who decided to join them as well, they found Dawn and Shannon's room.
Minutes later the six friends descended the stairs to the main level of the house. They wandered through a few rooms, stopping in the library. Willow was enjoying reading off the titles of the many magic books. Dawn and Shannon took the opportunity to talk to Buffy.
"Buffy, we have something we need to ask you," Dawn told her sister.
Buffy frowned. "Is it something that I would normally say no to?"
"No," replied Dawn, rolling her eyes.
Before the two sisters could start arguing, Shannon interrupted them. "Buffy, what Dawn and I were wondering about is how much information we should be sharing with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione."
"Like can we tell her that you and Shannon are Slayers? Obviously they already know that Giles is a Watcher, and that we are all here on Order business. We just don't want to say anything that could cause trouble," Dawn added.
"Well once you are at Hogwarts, everyone will know about the Slayers; so, I don't see why it should be a problem if you tell them. In fact, I think you should be able to tell them anything that you are comfortable with," Buffy replied.
"Well, I guess it is time that we talk to them," commented Andrew.
While Buffy, Willow, and Xander continued to explore the house, Dawn, Shannon, and Andrew went off to find Ginny, Ron, and Hermione.
Ginny found Dawn, Shannon, and Andrew climbing the stairs to the third floor. She invited the three teens into her and Hermione's room. Hermione and Ron had been seated on the floor, playing wizard chess. As the other teens entered, Ron's bishop took Hermione's knight, shattering it to pieces.
"That is so cool. What is that?" asked Andrew.
"Wizard chess," replied Ron.
Before the boys had a chance to discuss the game, Dawn cleared her throat. "I know you guys have a lot of questions about who we are, and why we are here." She took a seat on one of the beds, as Shannon sat beside her and Ginny and Andrew sat on the other bed. "So, here goes. I take it you know what a Slayer is."
"One girl in all the world with the strength and skills to kill the vampires and stop the swell of their numbers," interjected Hermione.
"Wow, I guess they really do know about us in the wizarding world," commented Shannon. "Anyway, the thing is that there is no longer just one girl."
"Actually, there hasn't been only one for awhile, not since Buffy died the first time," commented Dawn.
"Buffy died?" asked Ginny.
"First time, as in more than once?" added Hermione.
"Yes and yes, but that is not really the point of what we are telling you," replied Dawn. She proceeded to tell Ginny, Ron, and Hermione about the activation of all the potential Slayers, their fight against the First Evil, and Dumbledore's offer to come to Hogwarts.
Ginny, Ron, and Hermione sat in silence for several minutes after Dawn finished speaking. Ron was the first to speak, "So are you two Slayers?" he asked.
"I am," replied Shannon, "but Dawn isn't."
"I just happen to be Buffy's little sister. Though I am studying to become a Watcher, when I finish school. I have already gotten really good at the research. I got a lot of practice while we were preparing to face the First," Dawn explained.
"Ron is thinking about studying to be a Watcher also," Hermione told Dawn.
"Cool, maybe we will have some classes together. My sister and her friends are teaching some of the classes that Shannon and I are taking," Dawn replied, directing her attention to Ron.
"So, you know the new professors, then? Who is teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year?" Ron asked.
"We have had a new DADA teacher every year, since we started at Hogwarts," Hermione explained.
"Giles or I guess we will call him Professor Giles is the new DADA teacher. He was Buffy's Watcher, when we first moved to Sunnydale, though back then I didn't know anything about the Slayer gig. I just thought she was a trouble maker." Dawn thought, 'Actually back then I didn't really exist.'
She continued, "Around the same time she met Giles, Buffy became very close friends with two people: Willow or Professor Rosenberg who is teaching Research Skills and Xander or Mr. Harris who is the new caretaker. So Buffy faces the master, a really nasty vampire, and she dies." The three British teens gasped, even though Dawn had mentioned Buffy's death earlier. "Oh it was only for a minute or two before Xander revived her with CPR," Dawn said. "Because Buffy technically died a new Slayer was called, Kendra, but she died and Faith was called. Faith is Professor Wilkins. She and Buffy, along with Professor Robin Wood, who is actually the son of a Slayer, are teaching the Slayer Fighting Techniques class."
"Around the same time that Faith arrived on the scene, the Watcher's Council fired Giles for caring about Buffy too much - long story, which I will save for later. He stayed in Sunnydale for her, but the council sent a new Watcher, Wesley. Wesley or Professor Wyndam-Pryce is also a new professor and is teaching History of the Slayer. Anyway, Wesley stayed for not even a year, and then Buffy quit the council."
"Excuse me, but how can a Slayer quit working with the Watcher Council?" asked Ron.
"Only Buffy could do something like that. Let's just say there were extenuating circumstances. Anyway, so she and Giles were just freelancing for a while. Eventually the council hired Giles back, but a year later Giles left Buffy to go back to England. He returned twice. The first time was to stop a friend from losing herself, which is a story that it is not my place to tell. The second was almost a year ago, when he showed up on our doorstep with three potential Slayers."
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Dinner was an enjoyable affair for everyone. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape attended, as did Mad Eye Moody, Tonks, and Remus Lupin. Bill, Fred, and George Weasley were also in attendance, as well as their parents. After introductions were made, everyone sat at the magically enlarged table.
As Tonks tried to take her seat, she managed to trip over her own feet, and almost fell to the floor. Willow quickly froze Tonks in midair. Willow righted the pink-haired girl, before unfreezing her.
"Thanks," said Tonks. "For as clumsy as I am, you would never know that I am an auror. Hey wait a minute, you didn't use a wand."
"I've never used a wand, though I am supposed to learn while at Hogwarts," Willow explained. Their conversation about wandless magic continued throughout dinner.
Xander was seated next to Fred Weasley, who promptly offered him a canary cream. Before anyone could stop him, Xander popped it into his mouth. He turned into a large bird, chirped a few times, and then quickly molted. Molly Weasley scolded Fred.
"Did I just turn into a bird?" Xander asked. Buffy and Willow nodded. "That was wicked cool. Do you guys have any more of those things?"
"If you liked that, you should come to our joke shop in Diagon Alley," said George.
"Weasley Wizard Wheezes," added Fred.
"Hey, G-man," Xander called down the table, "We have got to check out their joke shop, when we go for the girls' school supplies."
"We will, and don't call me that," replied Giles, though he was still laughing after witnessing Xander turn into a large bird.
Xander spent the remainder of the meal talking with Fred and George. Giles traded stories with Arthur Weasley. Willow continued talking with Tonks, though both Buffy and Faith noticed that Willow and Tonks were flirting a bit. Buffy and Faith shared tales of their adventures with Mad Eye Moody. Robin and Wesley discussed the Hogwarts curriculum with Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall.
The teens were fairly quiet throughout dinner. Dawn and Shannon spoke quietly to each other. Ron and Hermione stole glances at each other. When one would look over, the other would look away. Ginny was actually flirting with Andrew. Ron had noticed. His first instinct was to hit Andrew, but Ron was starting to think that maybe the men in Ginny's life needed more protection than Ginny did.
When dinner ended, Buffy suggested to Faith and Shannon that they do a quick patrol. Having slept most of the day, all three were wide awake. Buffy figured that a patrol was a great way to burn off excess energy. Giles agreed to accompany the Slayers, because he knew the neighborhood fairly well.
Dawn and Andrew followed Ginny, Ron, and Hermione to the third floor. "Would it be ok, if I ask you some questions about Hogwarts?" Dawn asked. "I've read a book about the history of the school, but I still have questions about classes and stuffy."
Hermione's eye's sparkled. "You've read Hogwarts: A History?" she asked with an edge of excitement in her voice.
"Um, yeah," replied Dawn. "Actually, I have read it cover to cover three times already this summer."
Ron could not help rolling his eyes. "Just what we need, another Hermione," he whispered to Ginny.
"Why, Ron, I would have thought two Hermione's would be a fantasy of yours," Ginny teased. Ron turned bright red. Fortunately for him, Hermione was too involved in her conversation with Dawn about Hogwarts: A History to notice Ron's discomfort.
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On the day of Harry's arrival at Order headquarters, he entered his room to find Ron and Andrew seated on the floor, playing a game of wizard chess. "Uh, hello," said Harry from the doorway.
"Harry," Ron practically yelled, as he jumped to his feet. "It is so good to see you, mate."
"You too," replied Harry, though he was looking at Andrew.
"Oh sorry," said Ron. "Harry, this is Andrew. Andrew, this is Harry."
"Nice to meet you," said Andrew.
"Likewise," replied Harry.
Before Ron could explain who Andrew was or why he was at the Order, Hermione and Ginny entered the room, followed by Dawn and Shannon.
"Harry, how are you?" Hermione asked, as she gave him a quick hug. Ginny did the same.
Both girls noticed that Harry was staring past them. He was especially staring at Shannon. He thought that she was beautiful. Cho could not even compare. "Um, hi, I'm Harry," he stuttered.
"Damn, nobody ever said he was cute," Shannon whispered to Dawn, who giggled.
"Oh, sorry, Harry," said Hermione. "This is Dawn and Shannon. Shannon is one of the Slayers."
"One of? There is only one Slayer, Hermione. I think you are slipping," Harry said.
"You should know that Mione is always right," said Ron. Hermione swatted him lightly on the arm, and he blushed. She noticed that he had been blushing a lot lately.
"A lot of things have changed," said Ginny, in way of explanation.
"I don't understand," said Harry.
"Take a seat. It is kind of a long story," said Dawn. Harry sat on his bed, and Dawn began her tail for a second time.