Chapter 4

"Buffy," someone whispered in her ear. "Time to get up."

"Five more minutes," Buffy moaned, and then her eyes flew wide open, taking in the drapes that hung from her four poster bed and the rounded room. "What the-?"

And then she remembered where she was. Hogwarts. Hermione looked down at her, still in her dressing gown.
 "What time is it?" Buffy moaned weakly. "Seven?! Do you get up this early every day here?" Hermione grinned.

"Don't worry, breakfast is served at eight onwards normally and lessons start at nine, but Professor Dumbledore requested that we meet him in his office at quarter to, so you can meet Harry and Ron and he can give us our instructions." Buffy sighed with relief and dragged herself out of bed and went to the bathrooms. She took more care than she would have of her appearance as she knew that getting through to Harry wasn't going to be easy.  She tied up her hair, and put on her new Hogwarts robes, eyeing them with distaste, and then followed Hermione out of the dormitories. They followed a route through the castle that Buffy vaguely recognised as the opposite of where she had gone last night, though she was sure that she would never find her way around all the passages.

They reached the gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office and Hermione said the password ('Acid Pop') before leading Buffy up the moving staircase. Hermione knocked on the door, and Buffy swallowed nervously before following her in.
 "Hermione, Buffy," Dumbledore greeted them jovially as they entered. "Good morning. Buffy, this is Harry potter, and Ron Weasley." He gestured to two boys already seated in the office. Buffy looked at them curiously, trying not to look as if she were staring. Ron was the taller of the two, with ginger hair and freckles, and a warm friendly face. Harry was slightly shorter, though still much taller than Buffy, and he had black hair and clear green eyes. Through his hair Buffy could see the faint outline of his scar.

"Harry, Ron, this is Buffy Summers." Dumbledore introduced her. Ron smiled at her openly, but Buffy noticed that Harry's smile was distinctly cooler.

"Professor, are you sure that this is necessary?" Harry put in. "I can take care of myself, and besides she doesn't look like she's up to much. I could probably take her in a fight." Buffy raised her eyebrows.
 "Hey, I'm standing right here," she exclaimed. "You're acting a little overly aren't you? I mean I'm here to protect you."

"I don't need someone to protect me," Harry said, narrowing his eyes.

"Well it seems like you kinda do to me," Buffy said, also narrowing her eyes. "So deal with it."

"That's enough!" Dumbledore announced. "Harry we have discussed this, and you know how I feel on the matter, not to mention Moody and The Weasleys and Remus. Buffy will be with you in your classes and in break times. She may not look overly tall but I assure you she is a slayer and a very impressive one I might add." Harry glanced at Buffy.
 "Fine," he sighed. "Look I'm sorry, I'm just not into this babysitting thing."

 "I understand," Buffy said with a swift smile. "But you haven't got much choice and neither do I, so let's just deal." Dumbledore looked at them, satisfied.
 "Good," he said. "Now, no one is to know about Buffy being the slayer. If anyone asks, she is an American exchange student you are taking care of. She will attend all lessons with you, and you are to help her with the spells enough so it appears to your class mates that she is competent. Buffy hasn't performed any kind of spell before so it may be difficult, but the staff know who she is. Today, the four of you will not be attending any lessons, you have the day to get acquainted, and you can do as you choose. You can also show Buffy her training room, it is the third door on the left in the 5th floor corridor. The password is 'slayer.' Perhaps she may be able to convince you of her skills that way." Dumbledore smiled benignly at all of them, and Buffy, feeling reassured slightly, smiled back.
"You may go for breakfast now," Dumbledore said. "I'd just like a quick word Buffy."

Hermione, Harry and Ron got up to leave.

"We'll wait for you downstairs Buffy," Hermione promised looking back at her.
When they had left, Dumbledore looked at Buffy piercingly.
 "I am going to write to Rupert," he informed her soberly. "I wondered if you would like to add anything to the letter." Buffy looked away for a moment and thought.
"Not just yet," Buffy said, biting her lip. "Being at Hogwarts has sort of meant that I can put aside my Sunnydale crap. I don't know if I'm ready to deal with it just yet. Just tell him I'm fine and tell him to let my mom know."

Dumbledore nodded.
"When you are ready to contact anyone, you are welcome to use a school owl," Dumbledore offered. "Just tie your letter to the owl's leg and tell it who you want it to deliver to. Rupert has used owl mail before; he will know how to reply."

Buffy left the office, went down the staircase and sure enough Ron, Hermione and harry were waiting for her at the bottom. They all smiled at her, and then in an awkward silence walked towards the Great Hall.

 "So….um Buffy…what's it like being a slayer?" Ron asked.
 It's cool, super strength and all, despite what my size might say," she answered, throwing a look at Harry and making him blush a little. "But it's rough sometimes too." Dumbledore had told them not to question Buffy too much about her past, so they feel silent again.

"What do you guys know about the Slayer gig anyways?" Buffy said.
 "We learn about her in Defence Against the Dark Arts," Hermione answered. "The whole 'one girl in all the world' thing. We study vampires and demons too." They arrived at the Great Hall and Buffy followed the others again. Once again, silence fell as she entered the hall, people turning around, and even standing up to stare at her.

"Do you always have this effect on a room?" Harry asked, smirking. Buffy grinned.
 "Don't really have much choice," she confessed. "Last night, I went into the common room, that was worse. I was all alone, jet lagged a shell and this room of people stared at me as if I had three heads or something." They took seats at the Gryffindor table and Buffy began to help herself to the food in front of her, not having had anything but plane food for a day.

"It's the password," Ron explained. "No one knows the passwords for the common rooms of other houses so anyone new coming in is regarded as an enemy. Plus you don't look like a Hogwarts student."

"It's the tan, I need to fade," Buffy said, still eating, "You English people are so pale. At least the uniforms aren't tweed though." They all looked at her in confusion.
 "My Watcher Giles, well I don't know what he is now, but he's English," Buffy explained. "That's how I came here, he knows Dumbledore, told him about me and so Dumbledore came looking for me when he heard…um…..that I wasn't in Sunnydale anymore. Anyway Giles is typical Englishy, all tweedy and with the accent." They nodded, though they didn't quite follow.

The students in the hall, whose conversations had gradually stated up again, many of them with furtive glances at Buffy, began to leave the Hall, still throwing curious looks at her.
 "What are we going to do with today then?" Buffy asked.