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Chapter 6 - The Slayers Academy

The next three weeks at Grimmauld Place flew by, Harry getting used to being in his home. He spent his time mostly with Dawn, they visited various tourist places in London that Dawn hadn't seen before. His time on his won was spent working on his won magic, and the next week he passed his apparation test. The magnitude of his power was more and more apparent to him everyday and this frightened him somewhat, but he kept quiet and carried on working. He had never spent time alone with the Scoobies so it was quite an eye opener, and he got to know them well. Xander and Cordelia amused him greatly, they were one minute fighting like children and the next acting like teenagers in love. Willow was fairly melancholy, though Harry fairly knew that this was due to her split with Kennedy recently. She still found time to do magic with him, though what they were able to do was very different.

And harry gradually got used to Giles' solid ways, with his fondness of books.

At the end of the three weeks, Sirius and Buffy arrived home.

"We missed you guys!" Buffy said swooping down on Harry and Dawn with hugs. "But we had the best time!" Both she and Sirius were deeply tanned, and Buffy had her hair braided with coloured beads swinging at the end.

"Your hair!" Dawn exclaimed, touching one of the braids, "It looks great!" Buffy laughed and flicked it over her shoulder.

"It's only temporary," Buffy explained. "We brought you presents!" She opened up one of the many bags she carried and handed around various trinkets she had picked up in the Caribbean.

"Have you managed not to completely destroy my house?" Sirius asked, looking at dawn and Harry in particular. They laughed at him, and shrugged. He hugged them also.

Buffy and Sirius took no time to return to their home routine, and Xander, Cordelia, Giles and Willow were happy to remain in their house, at least until she had spoken with Dumbledore. She had arranged to have a meeting with him the next week, at the Ministry, where he was currently working. Harry was to go with her, as she said Dumbledore wanted to see him as well.

The next Tuesday, harry and Buffy had an early breakfast, and they were waved off by Dawn and Sirius. They walked briskly through the sweltering summer heat, and arrived at the telephone box.
"Where's the Ministry?" Buffy said looking around at the surrounding buildings, a block of crumbling flats and a dingy off-license.

"Right here," Harry said, gesturing to the phone box. He and Buffy stepped inside, and Harry lifted the phone off of the its hook. He dialled the number 62442, then a cool, clear voice sounded in the telephone box.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Whoa!" Buffy jumped, not expecting a voice that she could hear.

"Harry Potter and Buffy Summers, here to see Albus Dumbledore."

"Thank you," said the voice, "Please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes." Neither Buffy, nor Harry were wearing robes, but they attached their badges to their clothes.

"Visitors to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."

The box, again to Buffy's surprise, slid down into the ground, and darkness closed over their heads. After a few seconds, the box shot out again into bright light, and ended its descent in the atrium.

"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day."
"She was nice," Buffy said appraisingly. They exited the telephone box, and entered the grand atrium, with its dark wooden floors, and the peacock blue and gold ceiling. Buffy's mouth fell open.
"Wow, this is incredible!" she gasped. At that time of the morning, the hall was busy with wizards hurrying about their business. Wizard's arrived periodically in the fireplaces, and set off to their work places, through the golden gates at the end of the hall. Harry was pleased to see the rebuilding of the Fountain of Magical Brethren, which has proved so useful when he had come to the Ministry. As they passed, Harry dropped in a galleon which sunk to the bottom quickly.

Buffy and Harry approached the security desk and handed their wands to the old man sitting behind it. The man carelessly tossed Harry's wand onto the golden scales next to him. A slip of parchment passed out of the bottom of the machine.

"Eleven inches, phoenix-feather core, been in use five years. That right?" Harry nodded and the man placed the slip on a spike and passed Harry his wand. Buffy gave her wand to the man and he weighed it.

"Ten inches, slayer hair core, been in use one year. Correct?" Buffy also nodded, and received her wand back.

She followed Harry past the desk and through the Golden gates, where they got into a lift with what Buffy thought felt like half of the Ministry. The remained in the lift for longer than everyone else, excluding a greying wizard who sniffed loudly every five seconds. He finally left at Level Two, and Buffy and Harry relaxed. They themselves left the lift at Level One, where the offices of all the important Ministry Officials. Since the return of Voldemort, Fudge's fear of Voldemort had outweighed his jealously of Dumbledore and he had given him and office in the Ministry. Buffy and Harry walked down a grand hall, panelled with wood and inlaid with gold, with thick crimson carpets on the floor. Office doors passed them on both sides, and they walked for a long time, before reaching Dumbledore's office. They knocked on the door and it opened in front of them. Dumbledore sat behind his desk, looking at a piece of paper, but he beckoned them in with one hand.

"Welcome," Dumbledore said kindly, putting down his paper, "It's good to see you two again. Now what causes you to come and visit me today?"

"Well," Buffy began, "I was talking with Faith and Giles, and Giles' has discovered some funds from the Watchers council which now belong to us, a large sum. And we decided that what we would most like to do with it would be to set up an Academy for the slayers where we can train them, and watchers too, since there aren't many left."

"That's an impressive idea," Dumbledore smiled at the small blond girl. "But I don't quite understand what this has to do with me?"

"Well," Buffy twisted awkwardly in her seat, "We don't know where to put it, but we thought near Hogwarts would be good…."

"Another excellent idea," Dumbledore announced, "The Hogwarts grounds are extensive, and we would have no problems extending them. We could join the Slayers Academy onto Hogwarts. Then we could share resources, classrooms and teachers." Buffy let out a big breath.

"I was hoping you would say that," she admitted, "We've had some great ideas. Faith, Giles and I want to run it, Faith and I can train the Slayers, and Giles and Will could do theory with them, like demon theory. Giles could do watcher classes too, and we could provide the watcher classes for Hogwarts students. And defence classes as well."

"I see no reason why we shouldn't go ahead with this," Dumbledore said benignly, "I will arrange for the new academy to be built immediately, if you can provide me with what you will need." Buffy ran through a list of the facilities that they would require. Harry sat quietly listening to them talk, and then when they were finished he got up to leave with Buffy.

"Hold on one moment please," Dumbledore called, "I want to talk to you quickly."

Buffy moved to leave them alone.

"No, Miss Summers, this concerns you also." Buffy sat down again, along with Harry. "You have asked me to keep you updated on our present situation, so that is why I am here. We have received some information." Harry sat up in his chair.

"It seems that Voldemort has once again been gathering his strength. We do not have to worry about another war like last year, that is not the route he will take, but I do know that he has been looking deeper into magic than ever before. It seems we have underestimated him this time, you will not find it as easy to fight him as we anticipated. Though your power indeed surpasses his own, it is not by the large gap it did last year. His knowledge is extensive, and dark. Miss Rosenburg can tell you that dark magic is one of the strongest. But it also has weaknesses. Do not fear too much, I feel that light will win over dark." Dumbledore smiled at harry over the top of his glasses.

"I'm sorry if this puts a dampener on your summer, but we have to be prepared for this. Try not to dwell on it, just continue to practise your magic." he stood up and shook Harry's hand. Harry looked up at his blue eyes, and Dumbledore smiled at him again.
"You are now a man, Harry," he said quietly, "You will be able to do what is required."