Chapter 5: Metallic Pink
Just a few minutes after Dawn fell asleep, she woke back up, sobbing. Kelly was now lying back in her chair so Dawn could move, and she did just that. Dawn got up and moved to the very last seat on the bus and brought her legs up to her chest and let her tears flow. She hadn't really been able to cry freely in a while and it felt good.
"God, Buffy! I miss you so much!" Dawn whispered in between sobs.
"She knows, Dawnie." Willow said, sitting down in the seat next to her and wrapping a comforting arm around her. Dawn leaned into her and continued to cry.
"I don't know what to do without her! Nothing's the same!" Dawn confessed to Willow, hoping that the Wicca would have some kind of advice to make the hole in her heart shrink a little.
"I know, Dawnie. And I wish there was some way to bring her back.. well there is.. but.. I'm not.. well, you know what happened.." Willow babbled on trying to finish her sentence, though very unsuccessfully.
"I got ya', Wills." Dawn said, smiling slightly at her friends attempt to make her feel better.
Willow wiped away some tears from her cheeks before squeezing Dawns hand and walking back up to the front of the bus.
Dawn's eyes followed Willow until she sat down in her seat, and then she looked at all the Slayers silently. All of them were so into their new life that they never thought about their lost families. None of them knew Buffy very well so not many of them were affected very much by her death, but it hit Dawn hard. She always thought of her sister as immortal. She never pictured herself without an older sister to look out for her. Dawn turned her attention to the window and the scenery they passed as they made their way to the hotel.
Dawn soon found herself carrying her bag up to the hotel room that she shared with Kelly, Willow, and Kennedy. Kelly, thankfully, hadn't asked why Dawn had changed seats. Dawn figured that her blonde friend already knew. Dawn watched Willow put her pictures of Giles, Andrew, Wood, and Faith on the dresser top. They were all involved in the Council and they rarely talked anymore, but that doesn't mean that they're forgotten.
Dawn plopped down, face first into the nearest queen sized bed. Kelly sat down next to her and rubbed her hand in circles on Dawns back to try and comfort her.
Willow was fixing her hair in the mirror and Kennedy was unpacking her small suitcase into one of the drawers of the dresser.
"You look absolutely smashing, darling." Willows reflection told her. This made Willow jump backwards with a quiet, "Eep!" Kennedy laughed at her girlfriend and enveloped her in a hung before turning to Dawn and Kelly.
"Hey Dawn." She said to get her attention. Dawn turned her head to face the gay couple. "Me, Wills, and a few of the other girls are gonna go and get our credit cards and go shopping, you guys wanna come?"
Dawn and Kennedy never really got along in the past so this meant something to Dawn. She smiled before replying, "Sure, I'll be ready in a few."
Kennedy's lips curled up into a smile also. "We'll be down in the lobby." She told her as she followed Willow out the door.
Willow lead the pack of supernaturally enhanced girls, and Xander, through the back door of the Leaky Cauldron.
"I guess we're lucky that we only brought five out of the eleven slayers.." Xander commented, noting how cramped they were with the five girls, Dawn, Willow, and himself.
"Usually, people don't go shopping in Diagon Alley in such big groups." A man said from behind the group. Everyone turned towards the brick wall to match the familiar voice with a face.
"But you.. how.." Kennedy said, trying to figure out how he got in the small alley.
"Ahh, another mystery of magic." He said, well-known twinkle returning to his eyes.
"Apparation." Willow informed the group.
"And I see you've been doing some research, Ms. Rosenberg." Dumbledore said.
"Wasn't that easy, you guys hide this world extremely well." Willow said, blushing slightly.
"Yes."
"How.." one of the slayers began to ask.
"Well.." Dumbledore said, pausing.
"Yeah, yeah.. magic." Andrea, a Slayerette said, grinning.
"Very correct, Ms. Stokes." Dumbledore smiled and then pulled his wand out of his robe and turned to the wall. "Remember this," he said, "Two up, three across." he finished, tapping the bricks with his wand. The bricks slowly moved aside, creating a beautiful brick archway to walk through. "Welcome to Diagon Alley, my friends. Now, I have some business to attend to so, here are your cards," Dumbledore tossed the cards the same way he did with the letters, "No need to go to Gringotts, the bank, and feel free to purchase anything that you would like. In my opinion, the Ministry should pay for the pain they've let Voldemort cause many families." The twinkle left his eyes as he finished his speech. "Do keep in touch." And with that, he disappeared.
"Disapparation." Willow said, and stepped through the archway leading to the busy Diagon Alley. She turned back around, "Everyone meet back here in three and a half hours." Then she turned and went into Flourish and Blotts, much to Kennedy's dislike.
The Slayeretts dispersed through out the Alley in groups of two and three. Kelly and Dawn went into the first shop that caught their eye. From the birds and cats in the window, they judged that it was a pet store.
"They are so cute!" Dawn said, looking through the glass and at a couple of tiny mice.
"Eww.." was all Kelly could say. She never did like rodents that much.
"Doesn't matter though, Professor Dumbledore said we could get a cat, owl, or toad." Dawn said, continuing around the counter and looking at a gigantic cage full of an assortment of owls. The cage had to be as big as her room back in Sunnyhell.
"That one." Dawn said, pointing to a bird that didn't look like an owl at all. It was a purple color and had long wings and a tail that was just as long. When the light hit its feathers they looked like a metallic pink color, it gave the bird a certain glowing effect that made it look sort of angelic.
"It's beautiful." Kelly said, awestruck. She had never seen anything quite like it.
"Stubborn, that one. Three families have tried to purchase it but Peonixes are very picky when it comes to humans." Said a man from behind them. Both of the girls jumped out of their daze and turned around.
"I want it!" Dawn said, almost begging the man. From the way he talked, she figured he was the owner of the shop.
The man gave Dawn the once-over and replied, "I don't mean to be rude, miss, but that's quite an expensive bird."
Dawn turned and grinned at Kelly before saying, "Oh, I'm sure I can cover it."
The man shrugged, not wanting to loose a customer or two. "Okay, just wait here, I'll bring him out." He said before he walked through a door marked BIRDS and EMPLOYEES ONLY. A few seconds later, the man came through another door in the back of the cage. "While I'm back here, do you see one that you want, ma'am?"
"Umm.." Kelly's eyes swept over the cage one last time before she decided on one of the smaller owls. It was mostly grey with a few white feathers here and there. "That one." She told him, pointing to the tiny owl. It was probably no bigger than her or Dawns head.
The man got the two birds with little trouble and went back through the door. Soon enough, Dawn and Kelly had paid for their new pets and were walking down the road, birds in their cage.
"Next shop.." Kelly said, searching for a shop that caught her interest.
Dawn was lost in thought and didn't see her friend point out the hottie standing next to the ice cream shop. "The owner said this bird was picky.." Dawn said looking at her bird.
"Yeah.. well, you're just so lovable, Dawn!" Kelly said, giving Dawn a big bear hug. She looked back over to where the guy was standing, but he was gone. She shrugged and walked on.
Just a few minutes after Dawn fell asleep, she woke back up, sobbing. Kelly was now lying back in her chair so Dawn could move, and she did just that. Dawn got up and moved to the very last seat on the bus and brought her legs up to her chest and let her tears flow. She hadn't really been able to cry freely in a while and it felt good.
"God, Buffy! I miss you so much!" Dawn whispered in between sobs.
"She knows, Dawnie." Willow said, sitting down in the seat next to her and wrapping a comforting arm around her. Dawn leaned into her and continued to cry.
"I don't know what to do without her! Nothing's the same!" Dawn confessed to Willow, hoping that the Wicca would have some kind of advice to make the hole in her heart shrink a little.
"I know, Dawnie. And I wish there was some way to bring her back.. well there is.. but.. I'm not.. well, you know what happened.." Willow babbled on trying to finish her sentence, though very unsuccessfully.
"I got ya', Wills." Dawn said, smiling slightly at her friends attempt to make her feel better.
Willow wiped away some tears from her cheeks before squeezing Dawns hand and walking back up to the front of the bus.
Dawn's eyes followed Willow until she sat down in her seat, and then she looked at all the Slayers silently. All of them were so into their new life that they never thought about their lost families. None of them knew Buffy very well so not many of them were affected very much by her death, but it hit Dawn hard. She always thought of her sister as immortal. She never pictured herself without an older sister to look out for her. Dawn turned her attention to the window and the scenery they passed as they made their way to the hotel.
Dawn soon found herself carrying her bag up to the hotel room that she shared with Kelly, Willow, and Kennedy. Kelly, thankfully, hadn't asked why Dawn had changed seats. Dawn figured that her blonde friend already knew. Dawn watched Willow put her pictures of Giles, Andrew, Wood, and Faith on the dresser top. They were all involved in the Council and they rarely talked anymore, but that doesn't mean that they're forgotten.
Dawn plopped down, face first into the nearest queen sized bed. Kelly sat down next to her and rubbed her hand in circles on Dawns back to try and comfort her.
Willow was fixing her hair in the mirror and Kennedy was unpacking her small suitcase into one of the drawers of the dresser.
"You look absolutely smashing, darling." Willows reflection told her. This made Willow jump backwards with a quiet, "Eep!" Kennedy laughed at her girlfriend and enveloped her in a hung before turning to Dawn and Kelly.
"Hey Dawn." She said to get her attention. Dawn turned her head to face the gay couple. "Me, Wills, and a few of the other girls are gonna go and get our credit cards and go shopping, you guys wanna come?"
Dawn and Kennedy never really got along in the past so this meant something to Dawn. She smiled before replying, "Sure, I'll be ready in a few."
Kennedy's lips curled up into a smile also. "We'll be down in the lobby." She told her as she followed Willow out the door.
Willow lead the pack of supernaturally enhanced girls, and Xander, through the back door of the Leaky Cauldron.
"I guess we're lucky that we only brought five out of the eleven slayers.." Xander commented, noting how cramped they were with the five girls, Dawn, Willow, and himself.
"Usually, people don't go shopping in Diagon Alley in such big groups." A man said from behind the group. Everyone turned towards the brick wall to match the familiar voice with a face.
"But you.. how.." Kennedy said, trying to figure out how he got in the small alley.
"Ahh, another mystery of magic." He said, well-known twinkle returning to his eyes.
"Apparation." Willow informed the group.
"And I see you've been doing some research, Ms. Rosenberg." Dumbledore said.
"Wasn't that easy, you guys hide this world extremely well." Willow said, blushing slightly.
"Yes."
"How.." one of the slayers began to ask.
"Well.." Dumbledore said, pausing.
"Yeah, yeah.. magic." Andrea, a Slayerette said, grinning.
"Very correct, Ms. Stokes." Dumbledore smiled and then pulled his wand out of his robe and turned to the wall. "Remember this," he said, "Two up, three across." he finished, tapping the bricks with his wand. The bricks slowly moved aside, creating a beautiful brick archway to walk through. "Welcome to Diagon Alley, my friends. Now, I have some business to attend to so, here are your cards," Dumbledore tossed the cards the same way he did with the letters, "No need to go to Gringotts, the bank, and feel free to purchase anything that you would like. In my opinion, the Ministry should pay for the pain they've let Voldemort cause many families." The twinkle left his eyes as he finished his speech. "Do keep in touch." And with that, he disappeared.
"Disapparation." Willow said, and stepped through the archway leading to the busy Diagon Alley. She turned back around, "Everyone meet back here in three and a half hours." Then she turned and went into Flourish and Blotts, much to Kennedy's dislike.
The Slayeretts dispersed through out the Alley in groups of two and three. Kelly and Dawn went into the first shop that caught their eye. From the birds and cats in the window, they judged that it was a pet store.
"They are so cute!" Dawn said, looking through the glass and at a couple of tiny mice.
"Eww.." was all Kelly could say. She never did like rodents that much.
"Doesn't matter though, Professor Dumbledore said we could get a cat, owl, or toad." Dawn said, continuing around the counter and looking at a gigantic cage full of an assortment of owls. The cage had to be as big as her room back in Sunnyhell.
"That one." Dawn said, pointing to a bird that didn't look like an owl at all. It was a purple color and had long wings and a tail that was just as long. When the light hit its feathers they looked like a metallic pink color, it gave the bird a certain glowing effect that made it look sort of angelic.
"It's beautiful." Kelly said, awestruck. She had never seen anything quite like it.
"Stubborn, that one. Three families have tried to purchase it but Peonixes are very picky when it comes to humans." Said a man from behind them. Both of the girls jumped out of their daze and turned around.
"I want it!" Dawn said, almost begging the man. From the way he talked, she figured he was the owner of the shop.
The man gave Dawn the once-over and replied, "I don't mean to be rude, miss, but that's quite an expensive bird."
Dawn turned and grinned at Kelly before saying, "Oh, I'm sure I can cover it."
The man shrugged, not wanting to loose a customer or two. "Okay, just wait here, I'll bring him out." He said before he walked through a door marked BIRDS and EMPLOYEES ONLY. A few seconds later, the man came through another door in the back of the cage. "While I'm back here, do you see one that you want, ma'am?"
"Umm.." Kelly's eyes swept over the cage one last time before she decided on one of the smaller owls. It was mostly grey with a few white feathers here and there. "That one." She told him, pointing to the tiny owl. It was probably no bigger than her or Dawns head.
The man got the two birds with little trouble and went back through the door. Soon enough, Dawn and Kelly had paid for their new pets and were walking down the road, birds in their cage.
"Next shop.." Kelly said, searching for a shop that caught her interest.
Dawn was lost in thought and didn't see her friend point out the hottie standing next to the ice cream shop. "The owner said this bird was picky.." Dawn said looking at her bird.
"Yeah.. well, you're just so lovable, Dawn!" Kelly said, giving Dawn a big bear hug. She looked back over to where the guy was standing, but he was gone. She shrugged and walked on.