Woah, hold up…this chapter looks strangely familiar. *grins* Yeah, there's a reason for that. I'm an idiot. (Don't all rush at once to reassure me) What happened is this, I labelled my chapters wrong. I ended up with two chapter thirty-fives, and so, went straight for thirty-six, which is actually meant to be thirty-seven. So, this is 37, but was actually last weeks update of 36. So…where's the new update. The new update is actually the previous chapter. Weird, huh? Thirty-six is rightfully in its place where it belongs, and this chapter has been relabelled with the RIGHT number on it, and is in the right spot. Sorry for any inconvenience and/or confusion. Many thanks to The Graymare for pointing out that something wasn't fitting in properly. (Whoops!)
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: ARRANGEMENTS
Sunday, 14th March 1999
Willow was staring in wide-eyed fascination at just about everything in Dumbledore's office. Once again, Fawkes the Phoenix had flown towards Buffy, and Dumbledore finally understood that the Phoenix's first judgement of Buffy had been correct after all. The Phoenix always had been a brilliant judge in character and Dumbledore had ignored it in favour of what he'd been told by a Council that held no trust for the Magical world. He wanted to kick himself…no one would have been able to tell beneath the robes anyway.
"Miss Rosenburg, you'll be sharing a room with Miss Summers," Dumbledore explained. "I've had Professor McGonagall transfigure another bed into the room. Rupert, if you wish to stay the evening, we can arrange a room for you as well."
"I think it would be best for me to go back to Sunnydale," Giles replied. "See if I can gather the others. Perhaps give our excuses to Principal Snyder so we can spend a few days here. We'll be back by morning."
Buffy grinned widely. A few days with her friends at Hogwarts. Nothing could have been better in her books.
A portkey back to Sunnydale was arranged for Giles, and after a quick goodbye to Buffy and Willow, he disappeared from Dumbledore's office, leaving the two Sunnydale girls seated with the Headmaster.
"Now, Miss Summers, your secret is officially out," Dumbledore reminded her. "I can safely say that you'll be drowned under a barrage of questions from your fellow students."
Buffy sighed. That wasn't exactly what she wanted to happen.
"Perhaps rather than answering the same question several hundred times over, you'd be willing to tell it seven times," Dumbledore suggested.
Buffy looked at him blankly for a moment before working out what he was suggesting.
"You want me to explain everything in front of everyone?" she asked, somewhat horrified by the thought of it.
"If you'd speak to each of the grades separately. I'm hoping to organise it so that the Defence Against the Dark Arts classes can be combined for one lesson within each of the grades. That is, if you're willing to speak to them," he explained.
Buffy thought about it for a moment, knowing that unless it was explained, she would never have a moment of peace ever again.
"Won't people wonder why I'm at Hogwarts though?" Buffy asked.
"I had taken that into consideration," Dumbledore replied thoughtfully. "And if you wish to tell them the truth of that matter as well, then that will be allowed."
Buffy thought about it a moment longer. She looked to Willow who nodded encouragingly. She looked back to Dumbledore and sighed.
"Well, I may as well," she conceded. "When?"
"Well, you're first lesson tomorrow is Defence Against the Dark Arts with your own year, so why not start there," Dumbledore suggested. "I'll be in contact with you tomorrow morning at breakfast to make arrangements for the other classes."
Buffy nodded. "Alright. Deal."
"Excellent," Dumbledore said, a smile on his face. "Now, perhaps you and Miss Rosenburg should head back to the Slytherin Common Room."
Buffy nodded and grabbed Willow by the hand, dragging her from Dumbledore's office. They raced down the spiral staircase and into the hallways, moving towards the dungeons where the Slytherin Common Room was located.
"This place is so amazing Buffy," Willow said, taking in the moving portraits on the walls, and the ghosts that floated through the corridors.
"It's definitely better than I thought it was gonna be," Buffy admitted. "When I first saw this place I was half worried that I was gonna be locked in the dungeons or something."
Willow giggled a little. They reached the Slytherin Common Room doory, though Willow knew she would have missed it without Buffy steering her in the right direction. Buffy spoke the password, but nothing happened. She checked her surroundings, and knew that she was in the right place. Why then was the door not opening?
"What's wrong?" Willow asked worriedly.
"It's not opening," Buffy said, her brows wrinkling in confusion.
"Are you sure we're in the right place?"
"I've been coming here every day for the last month and a half," Buffy said. "You'd think that I'd be able to remember where the Common Room is. I mean, I'm the fricken Slayer so-"
The door suddenly slid open, and Buffy looked at it in surprise.
"What the hell…"
"Maybe it was just a delayed reaction," Willow suggested.
Buffy mentally went over her last sentence and cracked up laughing. Willow just looked at her best friend, wondering if Buffy had finally lost it. Still laughing, Buffy led Willow down the corridor towards the main area of the Common Room, where most of the Slytherins were waiting to catch a glimpse of her. Buffy rolled her eyes and spotted Blaise in the crowd.
"Way to change the password without telling me," she said with a grin.
Blaise just laughed and pointed towards Draco. "It was his suggestion."
Buffy shook her head in disbelief. "You made the password 'Slayer'?" she asked incredulously.
He just grinned and leant forward to kiss her. Her mock-anger forgotten, she sank into his embrace. They finally broke apart amid hoots, howls and catcalls.
Buffy turned to face them. "You lot should be in bed by now," she said sternly.
Draco laughed as all of the Slytherins below Seventh Year raced to do as Buffy said. The Slayer just rolled her eyes and plopped onto the now-free couch. Willow took a seat on one side of her, while Draco sat on the other side.
"You're scarier than Snape now," Blaise teased her friend.
Buffy thought about the implications of that and didn't know whether to grin or scowl. Whilst it wasn't the best to have all of the younger years terrified of her, it was sort of funny.
"What did Dumbledore want?" Draco asked curiously.
"Oh, just the usual," Buffy replied nonchalantly. "He wants me to get up in front of all the DADA classes and explain everything about Slaying and stuff."
Draco's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He gaped at her in disbelief and the other Slytherin Seventh-Year students did the same.
"He wants you to what?" Blaise asked incredulously.
Buffy shared a grin with Willow who was on the verge of a giggling fit.
"He wants me to talk to every single grade about the whole slaying gig. Could be kinda fun," Buffy said.
"Ooo, what are you gonna tell them about Ethan?" Willow asked, with a slightly evil grin.
Buffy's eyes lit up with all of the possible opportunities that came with that suggestion. She deflated as she remembered their truce. There would be no point in bad-mouthing the Professor, considering he would still be a teacher within the school. She didn't want to make things difficult for Ethan…actually, she did, but that it turn would make things difficult for Dumbledore, and that wasn't something that she particularly wanted to do.
"Nothing," she replied dejectedly. "He's still someone who's technically meant to have my respect."
"I still can't believe our Professor was evil," Blaise said with a grin. Learning that her mysterious friend was actually the Slayer had definitely been a high point of her day. It didn't make her like Buffy any more or any less, but it certainly made her understand Buffy's need to be secretive.
"Well, on a scale of evilness, he actually wasn't that bad," Buffy said.
"Yeah, he didn't even try to sacrifice you to some flesh-eating demon," Willow chimed in with a grin. She thought about it for a moment and the grin dropped. "Oh…wait a minute…he did."
Buffy couldn't help but laugh.
"But he didn't succeed," Willow qualified. "So…"
"You are going to tell us everything aren't you Buffy?" Claire asked plaintively.
"You guys seriously want to hear about three years worth of slaying?" Buffy asked sceptically.
She was met with eager nods all around. She sighed and knew that she wasn't going to get out of it any time soon. She wondered whether or not she was going to be made to tell the same stories over and over again. She hoped that her friends would at least help to tell some of the tales.
"Well, hopefully Wills and the others will help me tell some of it," Buffy said, nudging Willow slightly.
Willow paled and looked at Buffy with wide eyes.
"Talk in front of other people?" Willow asked worriedly.
Blaise looked at the redheaded girl's absolute horror and chuckled slightly.
"Crowd-shy?" Blaise asked.
"Oh, it's not just crowds that I'm shy in front of. I mean…talking…public-speaking…I don't like doing it. There's just…rambling and babbling and then…well, badness. See?" Willow said quickly. She turned to look at Buffy with a glare on her face. "You're supposed to stop me when I do that."
"I've missed you doing that," Buffy replied with an easy grin.
Willow couldn't help but smile back.
Claire yawned loudly, setting off a chain reaction in Millicent, Keeta and Blaise, who glared at the other three. She checked her watch and knew that they needed to go up to their dorm room if they actually wanted to get any sleep for the evening.
"We should turn in," Blaise said.
The others looked reluctant, but they quickly agreed. With hugs and goodnights, the group turned in, leaving Willow, Draco and Buffy standing in the Common Room as the last ones down there for the evening. Willow looked away, pretending to be fascinated by the walls as Draco and Buffy hugged tightly.
"You'll be alright?" Draco asked.
Buffy just nodded and kissed him gently. "I'll be fine. Slayer's honour."
He grinned and kissed her forehead, reluctantly stepping away from her.
"Goodnight," he whispered, a smile on his face. He stepped fully away and offered a grin to Willow. "Night."
"Goodnight Draco. It was good meeting you," Willow said.
"You too," he replied honestly. He turned away and headed to his own dorm rooms, leaving Buffy still basking in the warm fuzzies that she always felt when Draco was close.
Willow grinned as Buffy stared absently at the door Draco had gone through. Eventually the Slayer snapped out of it and ooked to her best friend who was smirking at her. Buffy just rolled her eyes, grabbed Willow by the arm and dragged her towards her private room.
Willow gasped as she took in the room which now had two four-poster beds in it, as well as the suddenly smaller training area.
"Wow…this place is gorgeous," Willow complimented her.
"Yeah I know," Buffy replied with a grin. "Everyone else thinks that I'm just about the luckiest person in the world for getting a private room. Blaise keeps complaining about Pansy's snoring."
Willow wandered through the room, looking over Buffy's belonging's. She picked up the framed picture of the Scoobies that Buffy had by her bed. The redhead couldn't help but smile at the thought of having all of their friends at Hogwarts. It would definitely be an event to remember.
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Hehe…yeah, for those of you who missed the note at the top (it happens…who among us really reads author's notes anyway?!) the real update for 21/09/03 (or 09/21/03 depending where you're from) was the previous chapter…