Codename: Chimera

            " 'ey             Xander." The big half giant yelled to Xander who was cleaning the steps.

"Hey big guy. What's up?"

"Well, I was taking Fang out with me fer a bit o' walk in the forest and on me way back I found something." He pulls out a piece of a statue that Xander definitely has a history with.

"Hmm, looks like it came off a statue…" Xander mused, keeping his face expressionless.

"That's what I was thinking. 'Ere yeh go. G'day to ya." With that Hagrid bowed his head and walked off, getting ready for his class.

Quickly looking around, Xander sighed. "I can't win." Then an idea hit and he threw the piece into the water around the school.

Walking away he didn't notice the tentacle of the playful watery resident throwing the piece back onto the grass of the school.

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Dawn traveled down the hallway of Hogwarts, it was towards the end of the day and she had one class left. One of her favorites, the magical animal class. Walking past charms class; she stopped a bit and listened in on a discussion by Flitwick. They were discussing the ideas around a port key, making Dawn smile a bit as she continues down the hall.

            She had an affinity with keys, mainly because she herself was one, or at least the human incarnation of one. Turing around she instantly stood right in front of Draco and his brutes. "Well now, Dawn, pleasure seeing you here. You know, actually for a muggle, you're actually…" Dawn raised an eyebrow at him. "Ewww… If I wanted something that slimy I'd date a squid."

            Leaving Malfoy seething in anger. "Just you wait you muggle. You'll get yours soon enough."

"Yeah, I've heard threats like that from worse people then a Spike wanna be."  Dawn turns and walks away.

"Who the heck is Spike?" Draco looked with puzzled expression.

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            All through Magical Animal Class, Dawn had the feeling somebody was watching her. Well, she was used to it considering half the class was guys and she was wearing a low cut blouse. But she continually scanned the class looking for that one person that was staring at her. She then swiveled in her seat and looked straight into the eyes of Harry Potter. She sighed deeply and thought to herself, I can't take much more of this. I'll have to talk to him.

            After class, Hermoine, Luna and Ginny were giggling and whispering about the boys, Harry and Ron. Dawn decided to do a little research, when a figure knocked into her and Dawn dropped her books. She was going to curse at them, when she looked into the shy eyes of Lana. "Sorry" she whispered almost to low for anybody to here. With her head down she rushed off trying to get away before the Slytherins noticed. Dawn realized that she would have to talk to Xander about her.

            Stooping down to pick up her books, another person rushed over to help. "H…Hi, Dawn, let me help you."

            "Thanks Harry, but don't you have somewhere else to be?"

            "Not really." She heard. She heard laughter coming from the two girls Hermoine and Ginny, but Luna just put her head down and walked off. Hmm, Luna's got a crush on Harry. She was a very pretty girl, just doesn't have any fashion sense. Wait a minute, all the girls here had no fashion sense, Dawn thought.

            Dawn let out a big sigh, after Harry and her picked up the books. She then turned to Harry and said "Harry I know I'm different than the other girls here. I don't play by the rules. I dress differently; she indicated her black leather pants, yellow top and black boots. "But just because I'm different doesn't mean I don't like to do the same as every other girl in this school likes to do. I like you a lot, but I don't like you that way. I'm flattered though. I intend to go on to muggle college probably in the USA, so don't waste your time on me, and i have no interests in any other males here, o'k."

            "Ohh, well I'm sorry…"

            "Harry, don't be afraid to look, girls like the attention, just try not to stare, o'k" Dawn smiled. "It just makes a girl feel creepy." Dawn and Xander laughed. He was about to leave, when she put her arm in his and asked, "I was wondering if you could tell me about your girl friends Hermoine, Luna, Ginny and the shy one Lana."

            He smiled, " What did you want to know?

            "Well… have any of them had any trouble sleeping lately?" Dawn asked as they walked to the large hall for supper.

"Well, what did you find out?"

            "Ohh, Buffy, I found out that Harry had a crush on me, but not any longer since I set him straight and that Luna has a big crush on Harry and Hermoine likes Ron and all the girls think Xander is a hottie and…"

            "Dawn, I meant about the Slayer?" the others snickered.

            "I know," she smiled. "I think we can rule out the girls he hangs with. We can concentrate on the other potentials."

            "So, we focus on the girls we discussed. What's next?

            "Well, I asked Faith and Dawn to give me a hand in the lower levels cleaning up. It also allows for us to go through the halls at night to check things out Buffy. Unless of course you have something else you were planning?"

             "No Xander, that's sounds good to me. I'll watch the store tonight, not that we get many customers anyway. Willow wants to check with Giles about the sword you found."

            "Uhh guys, I think we should talk about the business, we aren't doing very well."

Buffy, Faith, Dawn, and Xander looked at her with blank stares. "So… I was thinking we close the store for a week and…"

            "Hey Faith, thanks for giving me a hand. I don't mind having a sexy lady help me clean up in the dark, dank sub-levels of a spooky castle. Especially one that won't try to do me some sort of bodily harm, like say, kill me."

            "Not a problem, Lover, I'll expect to be repaid later though." She winked and slapped him on the butt, sending shivers through his body. "Say Xander where's Dawn?

            "I sent her up to take a look around after dark. She should be alright, I gave her a hooded robe so no one could tell who she is."

            "Um Xander, you look great Lover," As she looked up at him, real close with a sexy smirk. Looking down at her Xander smiled.

            Faith then stared up, into his twinkling eyes. "And love, one more thing." In a calm smooth voice.

"Yes…"

"You've got your glass eye in backwards." She smirks as she walks away.

"Huh, I…Damn, double damn. Crap. So that was the reason for all that snickering. And I thought I left my fly unzipped. I must of checked that thing at least 15 time today…"

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            It was night and traveling down the hallways was startling enough in the daytime. At night it was down right ubber creepy to Dawn. Of course, if anyone saw her though, they'd think she was a Dementor. Willow spelled her current cloak so that she could go through the school and keep her face hidden in case anyone saw her. Plus it had some spells that would deflect some weaker magic, which was a plus.

Entering one of the upper halls she found a door open and light on in the room, so she swept past the door and listened. "Chimera, have you any more information from the school before we pull you out?" "No sir, neither Potter nor the headmaster has any idea that we've been planning these events from the start." "Good we'll have to…" "Wait…their someone's outside the door."

Dawn knew what that meant. Running forward as much as she could she turned around just in time to see who the Chimera was. She gasped as she saw his big bulky body and remembered that not everyone was what they seemed. Goyle stood there, his eyes set on her in anger and started to chase her.

            "You can run, but you can't hide…" Running down the twists and turns the voice following her changed greatly. From a horrible laugh to something inhuman. The growls and snarls just didn't fit what was chasing her. Turning around on a long stretch of hallway, she realized the reason. Around the corner came a Chimera. The beast with the head of a goat, head and body of a lion, and the tail of a dragon came chasing her.

            As it converged on her, she wished she just had stayed home that night. Suddenly as the Chimera lunged she slammed into a wooden wall. That didn't make any sense; all the walls in the castle were stone so how… "Hey Dawnie, didn't know you came in. What cha doing on the ground?" Willow came down the stairs of Magic Box too, while Dawn just stared from the floor.