A / N: Thank you all very much for your reviews, and please keep them coming! I hope you had a great Christmas and I wish you a very happy year 2004.! Oh, and don't worry, Angel is coming very soon! *g*

A / N 2: Serafina Pekkala is the name of one of the witches from Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials. The information I give about her in the story is made up, and very different from the book. I'm just using her as a very minor character.

Chapter 4 : The Clothes Make the Man

Three hours later, Buffy was finished with her make-up and clothes, and she was walking down the stairs on her way to the Entrance Hall. She was beautiful in an emerald dress that fell above her ankles, and Manolo Blahnik shoes in the same colour. Once again, she was grateful for her big closet, where she could find clothes and shoes of all kinds, even the most expensive ones. Her dress had a modest cut in the front, but left her back bare. The only jewelry she wore was a simple bracelet and matching earrings. Her hair was pulled up in a bun, leaving a few strands loose. One of the house elves did had done her hair. She had been surprised when she'd seen that they were capable of so much more than just cleaning and cooking. She wore very little make-up. Just mascara on her eyes, and lip-gloss.

On her way she met quite a few students. The boys had their tongues on the floor, some even whistled, and the girls watched her, wishing they could wear something like that.

Finally, she got out of the castle and went to the place where she was supposed to meet Snape. They didn't want to meet inside the school, because that would be too strange. He was already there, looking bored. When he saw her, he involuntarily straightened. He looked as though he was going to say something but didn't. He motioned for her to follow him, instead. They were going by car, because it wasn't far from there. They were going to go through a portal which would lead them to the place. Buffy didn't know where it was situated, nor did she care. They had a driver; her job was to sit and be quiet.

Snape opened the door and got in the car first. Buffy took a deep breath and followed him.

'Bring on the fun! I might as well make this enjoyable for me, if not for him.'

"So, Severus… Can I call you Severus? I mean, it would be weird tonight if I didn't. I can't call you Professor Snape all the time. It's too long. Glad we have that settled. You can call me Buffy if you want. So, do you guys here have school dances? You know, where the girls wear dresses like me, and the boys have tuxedos on, like you? 'Cause this reminds me of going to my high school dances. Of course, my Prom was another story, but let's stay focused on happy thoughts, shall we? Why don't I tell you about…" She continued babbling just for the sake of it, and hearing Snape grinding his teeth  made her smile and gave her the motivation to continue…all the way…

***

The ball was being held in an ancient castle. Torches added even more mystique to the place, and they made Buffy feel strangely comforted.

She and Snape entered the garden hand in hand, much to dismay of both of them. They were forced to do it by the simple fact that their invitation was to Mr. and Mrs. Snape. Buffy was sure that Dumbledore had found that amusing, especially since he hadn't told either one of them anything about it.

"Now that we're here, we'd better get the job done," whispered Buffy to Snape. "I'm going to go and mingle, you probably know what you have to do."

"Don't tell me what to do, young Miss Summers," answered Snape maliciously.   "I'm not your playtoy. If it were for up to me, you'd still be home playing with dolls or going to school. You certainly need better education."

He turned around and went on his way, and Buffy called to him with a wicked grin on her face, ignoring all the things he said. "Oh, and don't take too long, husband dearest!"

She took a glass of champagne from the waiter and started walking around, scanning the people around her. The ages differed from the early 20s to late 50s. Some were dressed in the latest fashion, and some wore what to Buffy seemed to be prehistoric clothes, even robes. All in all, it was a very colourful group.

Taking another sip of champagne, she decided to go and sit on a nearby bench. Then, a familiar place among the crowd caught her attention.

"Giles?!"

She quickly went over to him and hugged him.

"It's all right, Buffy…" he said smiling, "but I do need to breathe, so please loosen up a bit."

She let go of him and took him by the hand instead. He led her to the bench, and they sat down.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were in Devonshire? How is everybody? How are things going?"

"Easy, we have enough time to talk. I'm here visiting a friend, Serafina Pekkala. She organized this ball. She is a Gypsy, one of Jenny's clan." Hhe stopped Buffy before she could ask anything. "I'll explain. I accidentally met her a year or so ago. We stayed in touch. She knows all about Jenny, and she doesn't share all the opinions of her clan. Willow and Dawn are fine…"

Buffy noticed the change of subject, but she let it go. She could find out more later.

"They're having a good time. We're trying to find what is left of some of the old Watcher families, so that we can recruit new people. So far, it's going very well, better than I had expected. But we still have a long way to go. About your letter… I told Willow that you are at Hogwarts, because I knew she'd heard of it. She's happy for you, and she will write to you too. Now, Dawn… We decided not to tell her exactly where you are], so she wouldn't worry too much. She knows you are doing fine."

"Thank you, Giles. It is so good to see you here. I really am doing fine. The students are great, and the job isn't all that hard. And you should see my chambers… I hope I don't start talking like you! Oh gosh, I have to get cable TV, or I'll forget my God awful language!" They laughed together, and Giles sensed Buffy had found a fraction of her long lost peace.

"I'm glad. I knew you would do fine…." He trailed off when he saw a man approaching them.

"Oh no, he's back already! I didn't mean it seriously when I told him…" muttered Buffy.

Giles looked at her surprised. "You know this man?"

"Sadly, yes. And that means I've gotta go. You don't know how much this meant to me. Give my kisses and hugs to the girls. I miss you all, but this is better for us now." She stood up and gave him a big hug.

"I know, Buffy. Stay in touch. And take care." He looked in her eyes, letting her know what he meant. She smiled.

"I will," she answered and walked to Snape, who was already waiting impatiently, a small package in his hands.

"You are wasting our time. We have to leave now; it is too dangerous to have this out in the open for too long. And I don't even want to ask who that was…"

Turning over her shoulder to give Giles one last look, she answered, "Just an old friend."

***

TBC…