Blood of Enemies, Blood of Friends
Chapter 11 - A Hogsmeade Weekend
The last Saturday in September was designated for the upperclass students to visit Hogsmeade, a wizarding village located near Hogwarts. Early that morning everyone boarded the coaches to make the journey to Hogsmeade.
"Hey, Hermione, I totally forgot about these evil looking horses. You had promised to tell us about them," said Dawn.
"They are thestrels," explained Hermione. "The thing is that only people who have seen someone die can see a thestrel. To most people, they are invisible."
"Wow, that is kind of creepy," said Shannon.
"Buffy has thestrel blood in her wand. When I asked her about it, she just mumbled something about death always being her gift," said Dawn. "She had said something similar before she sacrificed herself for me."
"Only I can see them," said Harry. "Ron, Hermione, and Ginny can't. I thought I was going crazy, when I saw them for the first time last year." His voice grew softer. "I had never seen them before."
"I cannot believe that all of you have seen someone die," commented Ron.
"Tactless much," said Ginny.
"It's ok," said Dawn. "Remember our lives were never entirely normal."
"Who did you see die?" asked Harry. "If you want to tell us that is."
"I saw Buffy die, the second time. It should have been me," said Dawn.
"After the Bringers came, I saw my Watcher die," said Shannon in a near whisper.
"What about you?" Ginny asked Andrew.
"Oh well, I saw Warren kill his ex-girlfriend. I killed Jonathan, my best friend. And, I saw Anya die in the final battle with the First."
"What do you mean you killed your best friend?" asked Ron.
"It's complicated," Dawn answered for Andrew.
"No, it isn't," said Andrew. "I was under the influence of the First, and I killed my best friend. I have since repented, tried to make amends by fighting in the final battle, but no matter what I do Jonathan is still dead."
The seven Gryffindors were silent during the rest of their journey into Hogsmeade.
****************
Buffy, Willow, and Xander spent the day walking around Hogsmeade. They didn't buy much, but browsed through almost every store. They hadn't had a carefree day like this in a very long time.
Giles and Wesley had originally planned to spend time with Buffy, Willow, and Xander, but Cat told them about a lead she had found on a book of prophecy that might be helpful. Giles, Wesley, and Cat apparated to London to track down the book.
Faith and Wood had decided not to join the others in Hogsmeade. With everyone else gone, they figured that it was a perfect day to stay in bed.
****************
The seven Gryffindors walked casually down the main street of Hogsmeade.
"Giles gave Dawn and I money to get brooms, since we made the house team," said Shannon.
"He was really proud. Apparently he was the keeper on the Gryffindor team, when he went to Hogwarts," Dawn added.
"Cool, I am always up for looking at quidditch stuff," said Ron.
"We can go now," added Harry.
"Nothing personal, but I wanted to go to that candy shop that Ron was telling me about," said Andrew.
"Andrew, don't you remember your adventure with wizarding candy, when we were on the train?" asked Shannon.
"I'll take him to Honeydukes," offered Ginny. "And I promise not to let him buy anything that is either too gross or that could cause physical harm." Ginny and Andrew agreed to meet the others at the Three Broomsticks for lunch, before heading off to Honeydukes. She was happy to have some time alone with him.
"So, Mione, are you coming with us to the quidditch store?" Ron asked.
"No, actually I have some things to buy at Maurice's Muggle Market for our next muggle studies session," Hermione replied.
"I could come with you," Ron offered. "That way you can teach me all about some of the stuff in the store."
"No, I can do it on my own just fine," she replied, before hurrying off. Dawn, Shannon, and Harry all noticed the crestfallen look on Ron's face. He turned to his friends. "So, I guess we should get looking at those brooms."
It took Dawn and Shannon more than an hour to find the brooms that they wanted. Harry and Ron enjoyed reviewing all the features on each. The girls paid for their Nimbus 2003's and exited the shop in time to see Hermione walking down the street carrying several bags.
"What is all that?" asked Dawn.
"I'll tell you later," replied Hermione.
They still had a lot of time before they had to meet Ginny and Andrew for lunch; so, the group split up to do more shopping. The girls went to look at robes and shoes, while the boys went to Zonko's Joke Shop.
After the Harry and Ron walked away, Hermione spoke. "I am planning to use the Room of Requirements to show Ron an average muggle evening."
"What are you going to do?" asked Dawn.
"I am going to show him how to cook a simple meal, then after we eat we are going to watch Casa Blanca. I got my parent's to owl me the DVD from home, and Willow said I could borrow one of the charmed laptops that has a DVD player in it."
"Sounds like a date to me?" teased Shannon.
Hermione blushed deeply. "It's not a date," Hermione stuttered. "Besides, Ron and I are just friends."
"You do know that no one believes that, right?" asked Shannon.
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.
"She just means that it is totally obvious that you both like each other as more than friends," explained Dawn.
"You know what you should do, Mione? You should dress like a muggle for the evening. Wear something a bit short and a bit tight, something that Ron will have to notice, assuming of course that you want him to notice," said Shannon.
"Even if I wanted to get noticed, I wouldn't really know what to wear and I don't think I have anything like that anyway," Hermione mused.
"Yes, but we do," said Shannon.
"And, we would be more than happy to help," added Dawn.
"Thanks," said Hermione. She was thrilled to finally have some girlfriends to help with this kind of thing.
****************
Just after noon, the seven Gryffindor teens met at The Three Broomsticks for lunch. They took a table in the back corner.
"So, Ginny, what was it like growing up in a wizarding family?" asked Andrew.
Ginny told Andrew about her childhood. She was thrilled that he seemed to take an interest in her. "The thing is," she ended, "when you grow up a certain way, it just seems normal. Personally I always thought the muggle world was weird."
"Kind of like growing up on the Hellmouth, I guess," replied Andrew.
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.
"It was amazing that no one seemed to notice any of the weird things that happened," he said.
"You got that right," said Buffy, who had spotted the teens and come over to their table with Willow and Xander.
"Do you mind if we join you?" asked Willow.
The teens squeezed in closer to make room for their professors.
"Where are Giles and Wesley?" asked Dawn.
"Cat got a lead on some prophecy book, and they went to London to try and negotiate its purchase. Since they want to negotiate with money instead of threats of bodily harm, I decided that it wasn't my thing." answered Buffy.
"Professor Summers, surely people noticed an impending apocalypse," said Hermione.
"Like Andrew said you would be amazed," answered Buffy. "At my high school graduation, the mayor turned into a giant snake-like demon in the middle of his speech. The parents and teachers ran while the whole class fought. Many died either from the demon or the vampires that were trying to pen us in for the demon to eat. To stop the mayor, Giles and I blew up the school. And, do you know how the town explained the event?"
Shannon, Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione just shook their heads.
"They claimed it was a gas leak that caused the explosion - no mention of a giant snake demon or vampires."
Buffy, Willow, and Xander proceeded to entertain the teens with several more stories about their days at Sunnydale High School.
The teens were hanging on their every word except for Dawn who had already either heard the stories or had memories of seeing the events first hand. She found herself mindlessly looking around the pub. Her eyes stopped on a familiar figure.
Draco was sitting at the bar having a butterbeer alone. He looked lost. Dawn felt bad for him. She walked over to the bar and took a seat next to Draco. He looked up at her briefly and then back at his glass. "What do you want?" he asked.
"You look like you could use a friend," she answered.
She had no idea just how right she was. "You already have friends," he stated.
"Can't I be friends with them and you?" Dawn asked.
"As a rule, no," Draco answered, expecting Dawn to leave. "I am not very good company," he added.
"That's ok. Buffy, Willow, and Xander are telling stories about living on the Hellmouth, and I'm not really into hearing them."
"Why not? That sounds like it would be interesting."
"Draco, I have heard every one of those stories many times. I even have memories of a lot of the things they are talking about."
"You say that like someone stuck the memories in your head, don't you mean that you saw a lot of what they are talking about," he said sarcastically.
"I always say what I mean," she answered. Dawn wondered to herself why she would give hints to Draco about being the key, when her closest friends didn't even know. Well technically Andrew knew she was the key, but he had no idea what that meant.
Draco looked at her quizzically. She decided that maybe she should get him off the subject. "So if you think the stories would be interesting, why don't you come over and join us? We can make room."
Now he was looking at her like she was insane. "I can't go over there and sit with Potter, Weasley, and Granger."
"Why not? Besides you would be going over there to sit with me, not them."
"I have a better idea," said Draco. "Why don't you and I go for a walk around Hogsmeade, and you can tell me the stories yourself." He almost smacked himself when he realized what he had said. Dawn was a muggle and worse a Gryffindor. He was supposed to insult her or at least shun her, not be trying to get her to date him.
"Ok, just give me a minute to tell them what I am doing."
Draco watched Dawn walk over to her friends. He could see the annoyance on Potter's and Weasley's faces and the concern on Granger's face. He was really starting to think this was a bad idea, when he saw Dawn heading his way. Professor Summers actually turned and waved to him.
"Let's go," said Dawn.
Draco and Dawn walked along the streets of Hogsmeade in an awkward silence.
"So what did you want to know about Sunnydale?" asked Dawn.
'At least she is trying,' Draco thought. "I don't know," he said.
"I could tell you about one of the apocalypses that my sister averted," she suggested.
"I'm sure that your sister's stories are interesting, but I would rather hear a story about you." Now he had done it. She would think he was flirting with her, which he was, but not intentionally. Draco was afraid he was going to scare her away.
"My stories usually end with Buffy saving me," said Dawn. "Draco, do you remember the first girl you kissed?"
He wondered where that question had come from. "It was with a Slytherin girl, whose name I prefer not to say. Why do you ask?"
"My first kiss is a perfect example of life in Sunnydale. My friend Janice and I snuck out to meet these guys on Halloween. I figured that it was perfectly safe, in a demonic sense anyway, because vampires don't go out on Halloween."
"Excuse me," Draco interrupted, "but why would a vampire care if it is Halloween."
"For some reason they think it's tacky - never try to figure out the evil undead. So of course Janice and I find two newly risen vampires that don't know that it is tacky to be out on Halloween. He kissed me, and then he vamped out and tried to bite me. Fortunately, Buffy realized I had snuck out and came looking for me."
Draco had to laugh. His first kiss had left a lot to be desired, but at least it hadn't nearly gotten him killed.
Dawn told him several other stories about things that had happened to her in Sunnydale. The story that made him laugh the most was the one where everyone sang and danced like they were trapped in a musical.
"It really wasn't that funny," said Dawn. "Grandmother's shouldn't be dancing in the streets with their walkers. That is just plain disturbing."
Draco just laughed harder.
When he finally stopped laughing, he turned toward her. They stopped walking, as he looked into her eyes. "Dawn, why are you being so nice to me?" he asked.
"Like I said before, you looked like you needed a friend," she answered.
"But I made you cry."
"That really wasn't about you," she said softly.
"But I insulted you for it. I am sorry for that," Draco practically whispered the apology.
"I forgive you," Dawn stated matter-of-factly.
"Dawn, can I ask you something really personal?"
"You can ask me anything. Of course I may not answer you."
"Every once in a while I notice you starring at me. You get this sad look on your face and tears in your eyes," Draco said.
"You remind me of someone I cared for very much. He died saving the world."
Draco watched the tears pool in the corners of Dawn's eyes. He wasn't sure what to do; so, he gave her a hug. He was surprised when he felt her hug him back. In that moment, he felt a feeling of closeness that he had never felt before. Draco realized that he never wanted to let go of that feeling.
****************
Dawn caught up with her friends and the Scoobies at the coaches. Draco had taken off, not wanting to have a confrontation with Harry or Ron.
"I cannot believe you would leave the pub with Malfoy," said Harry.
"Why not? He can actually be a very nice guy," responded Dawn.
"If he is being nice, then he is up to something," added Ron.
"I am not going to stand here and argue with you. Draco and I have an understanding, and you two are just going to have to live with it," retorted Dawn.
Shannon draped her arm across her best friend's shoulders and spoke, "We trust your judgment. Just promise that you will be careful."
Buffy smiled at the two girls, "Sometimes you just have to trust your gut, Dawnie. Besides, I can see why you like him."
Dawn knew that Buffy was thinking about Spike. "Thanks, Buffy," Dawn said.
Chapter 11 - A Hogsmeade Weekend
The last Saturday in September was designated for the upperclass students to visit Hogsmeade, a wizarding village located near Hogwarts. Early that morning everyone boarded the coaches to make the journey to Hogsmeade.
"Hey, Hermione, I totally forgot about these evil looking horses. You had promised to tell us about them," said Dawn.
"They are thestrels," explained Hermione. "The thing is that only people who have seen someone die can see a thestrel. To most people, they are invisible."
"Wow, that is kind of creepy," said Shannon.
"Buffy has thestrel blood in her wand. When I asked her about it, she just mumbled something about death always being her gift," said Dawn. "She had said something similar before she sacrificed herself for me."
"Only I can see them," said Harry. "Ron, Hermione, and Ginny can't. I thought I was going crazy, when I saw them for the first time last year." His voice grew softer. "I had never seen them before."
"I cannot believe that all of you have seen someone die," commented Ron.
"Tactless much," said Ginny.
"It's ok," said Dawn. "Remember our lives were never entirely normal."
"Who did you see die?" asked Harry. "If you want to tell us that is."
"I saw Buffy die, the second time. It should have been me," said Dawn.
"After the Bringers came, I saw my Watcher die," said Shannon in a near whisper.
"What about you?" Ginny asked Andrew.
"Oh well, I saw Warren kill his ex-girlfriend. I killed Jonathan, my best friend. And, I saw Anya die in the final battle with the First."
"What do you mean you killed your best friend?" asked Ron.
"It's complicated," Dawn answered for Andrew.
"No, it isn't," said Andrew. "I was under the influence of the First, and I killed my best friend. I have since repented, tried to make amends by fighting in the final battle, but no matter what I do Jonathan is still dead."
The seven Gryffindors were silent during the rest of their journey into Hogsmeade.
****************
Buffy, Willow, and Xander spent the day walking around Hogsmeade. They didn't buy much, but browsed through almost every store. They hadn't had a carefree day like this in a very long time.
Giles and Wesley had originally planned to spend time with Buffy, Willow, and Xander, but Cat told them about a lead she had found on a book of prophecy that might be helpful. Giles, Wesley, and Cat apparated to London to track down the book.
Faith and Wood had decided not to join the others in Hogsmeade. With everyone else gone, they figured that it was a perfect day to stay in bed.
****************
The seven Gryffindors walked casually down the main street of Hogsmeade.
"Giles gave Dawn and I money to get brooms, since we made the house team," said Shannon.
"He was really proud. Apparently he was the keeper on the Gryffindor team, when he went to Hogwarts," Dawn added.
"Cool, I am always up for looking at quidditch stuff," said Ron.
"We can go now," added Harry.
"Nothing personal, but I wanted to go to that candy shop that Ron was telling me about," said Andrew.
"Andrew, don't you remember your adventure with wizarding candy, when we were on the train?" asked Shannon.
"I'll take him to Honeydukes," offered Ginny. "And I promise not to let him buy anything that is either too gross or that could cause physical harm." Ginny and Andrew agreed to meet the others at the Three Broomsticks for lunch, before heading off to Honeydukes. She was happy to have some time alone with him.
"So, Mione, are you coming with us to the quidditch store?" Ron asked.
"No, actually I have some things to buy at Maurice's Muggle Market for our next muggle studies session," Hermione replied.
"I could come with you," Ron offered. "That way you can teach me all about some of the stuff in the store."
"No, I can do it on my own just fine," she replied, before hurrying off. Dawn, Shannon, and Harry all noticed the crestfallen look on Ron's face. He turned to his friends. "So, I guess we should get looking at those brooms."
It took Dawn and Shannon more than an hour to find the brooms that they wanted. Harry and Ron enjoyed reviewing all the features on each. The girls paid for their Nimbus 2003's and exited the shop in time to see Hermione walking down the street carrying several bags.
"What is all that?" asked Dawn.
"I'll tell you later," replied Hermione.
They still had a lot of time before they had to meet Ginny and Andrew for lunch; so, the group split up to do more shopping. The girls went to look at robes and shoes, while the boys went to Zonko's Joke Shop.
After the Harry and Ron walked away, Hermione spoke. "I am planning to use the Room of Requirements to show Ron an average muggle evening."
"What are you going to do?" asked Dawn.
"I am going to show him how to cook a simple meal, then after we eat we are going to watch Casa Blanca. I got my parent's to owl me the DVD from home, and Willow said I could borrow one of the charmed laptops that has a DVD player in it."
"Sounds like a date to me?" teased Shannon.
Hermione blushed deeply. "It's not a date," Hermione stuttered. "Besides, Ron and I are just friends."
"You do know that no one believes that, right?" asked Shannon.
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.
"She just means that it is totally obvious that you both like each other as more than friends," explained Dawn.
"You know what you should do, Mione? You should dress like a muggle for the evening. Wear something a bit short and a bit tight, something that Ron will have to notice, assuming of course that you want him to notice," said Shannon.
"Even if I wanted to get noticed, I wouldn't really know what to wear and I don't think I have anything like that anyway," Hermione mused.
"Yes, but we do," said Shannon.
"And, we would be more than happy to help," added Dawn.
"Thanks," said Hermione. She was thrilled to finally have some girlfriends to help with this kind of thing.
****************
Just after noon, the seven Gryffindor teens met at The Three Broomsticks for lunch. They took a table in the back corner.
"So, Ginny, what was it like growing up in a wizarding family?" asked Andrew.
Ginny told Andrew about her childhood. She was thrilled that he seemed to take an interest in her. "The thing is," she ended, "when you grow up a certain way, it just seems normal. Personally I always thought the muggle world was weird."
"Kind of like growing up on the Hellmouth, I guess," replied Andrew.
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.
"It was amazing that no one seemed to notice any of the weird things that happened," he said.
"You got that right," said Buffy, who had spotted the teens and come over to their table with Willow and Xander.
"Do you mind if we join you?" asked Willow.
The teens squeezed in closer to make room for their professors.
"Where are Giles and Wesley?" asked Dawn.
"Cat got a lead on some prophecy book, and they went to London to try and negotiate its purchase. Since they want to negotiate with money instead of threats of bodily harm, I decided that it wasn't my thing." answered Buffy.
"Professor Summers, surely people noticed an impending apocalypse," said Hermione.
"Like Andrew said you would be amazed," answered Buffy. "At my high school graduation, the mayor turned into a giant snake-like demon in the middle of his speech. The parents and teachers ran while the whole class fought. Many died either from the demon or the vampires that were trying to pen us in for the demon to eat. To stop the mayor, Giles and I blew up the school. And, do you know how the town explained the event?"
Shannon, Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione just shook their heads.
"They claimed it was a gas leak that caused the explosion - no mention of a giant snake demon or vampires."
Buffy, Willow, and Xander proceeded to entertain the teens with several more stories about their days at Sunnydale High School.
The teens were hanging on their every word except for Dawn who had already either heard the stories or had memories of seeing the events first hand. She found herself mindlessly looking around the pub. Her eyes stopped on a familiar figure.
Draco was sitting at the bar having a butterbeer alone. He looked lost. Dawn felt bad for him. She walked over to the bar and took a seat next to Draco. He looked up at her briefly and then back at his glass. "What do you want?" he asked.
"You look like you could use a friend," she answered.
She had no idea just how right she was. "You already have friends," he stated.
"Can't I be friends with them and you?" Dawn asked.
"As a rule, no," Draco answered, expecting Dawn to leave. "I am not very good company," he added.
"That's ok. Buffy, Willow, and Xander are telling stories about living on the Hellmouth, and I'm not really into hearing them."
"Why not? That sounds like it would be interesting."
"Draco, I have heard every one of those stories many times. I even have memories of a lot of the things they are talking about."
"You say that like someone stuck the memories in your head, don't you mean that you saw a lot of what they are talking about," he said sarcastically.
"I always say what I mean," she answered. Dawn wondered to herself why she would give hints to Draco about being the key, when her closest friends didn't even know. Well technically Andrew knew she was the key, but he had no idea what that meant.
Draco looked at her quizzically. She decided that maybe she should get him off the subject. "So if you think the stories would be interesting, why don't you come over and join us? We can make room."
Now he was looking at her like she was insane. "I can't go over there and sit with Potter, Weasley, and Granger."
"Why not? Besides you would be going over there to sit with me, not them."
"I have a better idea," said Draco. "Why don't you and I go for a walk around Hogsmeade, and you can tell me the stories yourself." He almost smacked himself when he realized what he had said. Dawn was a muggle and worse a Gryffindor. He was supposed to insult her or at least shun her, not be trying to get her to date him.
"Ok, just give me a minute to tell them what I am doing."
Draco watched Dawn walk over to her friends. He could see the annoyance on Potter's and Weasley's faces and the concern on Granger's face. He was really starting to think this was a bad idea, when he saw Dawn heading his way. Professor Summers actually turned and waved to him.
"Let's go," said Dawn.
Draco and Dawn walked along the streets of Hogsmeade in an awkward silence.
"So what did you want to know about Sunnydale?" asked Dawn.
'At least she is trying,' Draco thought. "I don't know," he said.
"I could tell you about one of the apocalypses that my sister averted," she suggested.
"I'm sure that your sister's stories are interesting, but I would rather hear a story about you." Now he had done it. She would think he was flirting with her, which he was, but not intentionally. Draco was afraid he was going to scare her away.
"My stories usually end with Buffy saving me," said Dawn. "Draco, do you remember the first girl you kissed?"
He wondered where that question had come from. "It was with a Slytherin girl, whose name I prefer not to say. Why do you ask?"
"My first kiss is a perfect example of life in Sunnydale. My friend Janice and I snuck out to meet these guys on Halloween. I figured that it was perfectly safe, in a demonic sense anyway, because vampires don't go out on Halloween."
"Excuse me," Draco interrupted, "but why would a vampire care if it is Halloween."
"For some reason they think it's tacky - never try to figure out the evil undead. So of course Janice and I find two newly risen vampires that don't know that it is tacky to be out on Halloween. He kissed me, and then he vamped out and tried to bite me. Fortunately, Buffy realized I had snuck out and came looking for me."
Draco had to laugh. His first kiss had left a lot to be desired, but at least it hadn't nearly gotten him killed.
Dawn told him several other stories about things that had happened to her in Sunnydale. The story that made him laugh the most was the one where everyone sang and danced like they were trapped in a musical.
"It really wasn't that funny," said Dawn. "Grandmother's shouldn't be dancing in the streets with their walkers. That is just plain disturbing."
Draco just laughed harder.
When he finally stopped laughing, he turned toward her. They stopped walking, as he looked into her eyes. "Dawn, why are you being so nice to me?" he asked.
"Like I said before, you looked like you needed a friend," she answered.
"But I made you cry."
"That really wasn't about you," she said softly.
"But I insulted you for it. I am sorry for that," Draco practically whispered the apology.
"I forgive you," Dawn stated matter-of-factly.
"Dawn, can I ask you something really personal?"
"You can ask me anything. Of course I may not answer you."
"Every once in a while I notice you starring at me. You get this sad look on your face and tears in your eyes," Draco said.
"You remind me of someone I cared for very much. He died saving the world."
Draco watched the tears pool in the corners of Dawn's eyes. He wasn't sure what to do; so, he gave her a hug. He was surprised when he felt her hug him back. In that moment, he felt a feeling of closeness that he had never felt before. Draco realized that he never wanted to let go of that feeling.
****************
Dawn caught up with her friends and the Scoobies at the coaches. Draco had taken off, not wanting to have a confrontation with Harry or Ron.
"I cannot believe you would leave the pub with Malfoy," said Harry.
"Why not? He can actually be a very nice guy," responded Dawn.
"If he is being nice, then he is up to something," added Ron.
"I am not going to stand here and argue with you. Draco and I have an understanding, and you two are just going to have to live with it," retorted Dawn.
Shannon draped her arm across her best friend's shoulders and spoke, "We trust your judgment. Just promise that you will be careful."
Buffy smiled at the two girls, "Sometimes you just have to trust your gut, Dawnie. Besides, I can see why you like him."
Dawn knew that Buffy was thinking about Spike. "Thanks, Buffy," Dawn said.