Dumbledore led the three of them down his moving spiral staircase, his beard twitching at Buffy's expression, and along many corridors to a tapestry. It quite clearly showed a battle with vampires, little piles of dust sat on the ground beside gravestones whilst a small group of people fought the fanged monsters.
"I felt this would be an appropriate place for you to stay" Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes and stepped through the tapestry. Dawn followed suit her high spirits returning. Buffy and Giles ended the small procession Buffy not convinced that this wasn't a trick and that she wasn't about to be cloaked in a 500 year old tapestry. The wall behind the tapestry had opened and led to a small living room with squashy sofas and arm chairs, brightly coloured rugs and a gorgeous view of the bluest lake Buffy had ever seen out of a diamond paned window. "To get in here simply say 'slayer's dwelling' and you will be allowed through the tapestry. If you wish to change the password tap the slayer in the tapestry-she's the one with the cross bow- and say the old one followed by a new one. Your individual rooms have their own passwords and watchers." Giles snorted at this point causing a shared smile between the sisters. "Dawn at the start of the school year you will move into your house dormitory but until then you will stay in this room here." Dumbledore indicated a picture of a girl who looked like she had stepped straight out of a fairytale. "We are not very good at coming up with original passwords so at the moment they are simply something very close to your hearts or central to your being. Dawn yours is 'key.'" Dawn nodded as the picture swung open to reveal a comfy room filled with teenage essentials-all manner of strange bottles covered a dressing table and a huge stack of magazines sat near a bed bedecked with multicoloured cushions.
Buffy's room was next door, the portrait guarding it was of a wise, motherly looking woman with long grey hair, a wrinkled complexion, dressed in a nondescript dress of centuries ago. "Angel" Dumbledore said and the portrait swung open as a strange flicker crossed Buffy's face. Once inside however her expression cleared and she began to resemble a goldfish once again. There was a four poster bed on one side with midnight blue drapes and coverings and a huge wardrobe nearby. There was a door in the opposite wall leading to a training room. Buffy gasped audibly as she saw the collection of weaponry displayed along the walls and the gym equipment layed out around the room. Only a slight tug at her heart lessened Buffy's amazement. She thought of the room built so lovingly for her back in Sunnydale and suddenly Hogwarts seemed less enchanting.
"Uh I'll just stay and check it out for a bit guys. I'll meet you at dinner. 7 right?" Dumbledore nodded but Giles and Dawn looked worried. Still they went to look at Giles' room which Buffy could only assume had an attached library to keep him happy. She sank onto the bed wondering whether she had done the right thing in leaving the Hellmouth.
"Cheer up luv" wheezed a mirror in the corner. "Hogwarts isn't that bad."
Buffy didn't bat an eyelid at hearing the mirror talk and in fact continued the conversation "I know it's just kind of surreal" but found that the mirror only spoke when it felt like it.
"Woah" Buffy breathed softly as she entered the Great Hall having struggled with various staircases for the past ten minutes.
"Ah good you found us, Miss Summers would you care to join us here." Dumbledore indicated a seat opposite him between Dawn and Giles. "Allow me to make some introductions." All the other people at the table had looked up when Buffy entered the Hall but shifted their gaze to Dumbledore on the promise of information. All except a hook nosed, sallow skinned man sitting next to Hagrid's giant form.
"Ugh check out slmeball at ten o'clock" Buffy muttered to Dawn who giggled but stopped ubruptly when the greasy haired man glared at her. "Creepy much."
"This is Buffy Summers, she has come here on a matter of school security." Most of the people nodded and smiled at Buffy on hearing this. Dumbledore continued, "And this is her sister Dawn. She will be joining the fourth year and will be receiving some instruction on what she has missed over the rest off the summer." A slight muttering ensued as the idea of condensing three years worth of magical education into a few weeks of summer which could easily be spent in luxurious rest was considered. More followed, "And this is Mr Giles who some of you know. He will be training Miss Summers and assisting her in her task." Buffy didn't miss the look of loathing that crossed the greasy haired professor's sallow face and decided that she was going to have to watch her friends' backs when he was around.
"So now to the staff," Dumbledore continued seemingly oblivious to the silent interaction going on. "This is Professor McGonagall." Dumbledore indicated a bespectacled witch by his side. "Professor McGonagall teaches transfiguration, the art of changing one object into another." Dumbledore added the last part upon seeing the two blank faces in front of him. He continued to introduce each professor, tiny Professor Flitwick sitting on a pile of cushions to reach the table, grey haired and grubby Professor Sprout. Buffy thought she liked them, and Madam Hooch seemed a little wacky but Buffy thought she might just trust her to take Dawn out on a broom. Infact most of the teachers seemed pretty cool, Snape was another matter though. Buffy knew she didn't like that man and in fact wouldn't have been surprised if he had suddenly morphed into a vampire. And teaching in dungeons, what was that about?
Introductions done food appeared, magically Buffy could only assume, on the platters in front of them all.
All right little'un" Hagrid boomed chuckling at the surprise on Dawn's face.
"Yeah this is so cool."
Throughout dinner there was a lively stream of conversation. It seemed that Giles knew several of the staff and they were very keen to learn of his relationship to the two girls. Without revealing his position and Buffy's true nature Giles made it clear that Buffy and Dawn were as dear to him as daughters, a revelation that gave Buffy a warm feeling inside that quelled some of the emptiness that she had been feeling throughout dinner. Dawn had surprised Buffy by being very chatty throughout the meal, keen to learn about all the things she would be studying. Despite Dumbledore's best efforts to engage her in conversation Buffy had felt slightly withdrawn from the table. 'Figure' her mind reasoned 'why should coming to another world change anything?'
Buffy excused herself from dinner early, she saw again Giles' and Dawn's worried expressions but wasn't in the mood for giving explanations. Instead she headed to her room, somehow finding it automatically, and sat on the four-poster. She saw that the woman guarding her door was in another painting, a landscape, that hung opposite her.
"So one of you is here at last." The woman said in soft tones. "It has been a long time since I saw one of your kind in the flesh."
"One of my kind?" Bufy askes looking around her.
"A slayer my dear, a slayer."
"Are you…"
"Oh no my dear I am neither slayer nor watcher. I watch both just to make sure."
"So you're a … What are you?"
"A guardian. Yours I suppose since you are the slayer, and the potentials' and the other one's. And what's your name?"
"Buffy"
"No really dear."
Buffy shrugged, she couldn't really blame the woman's surprise. Buffy wasn't exactly a name that suited a fighter, wouldn't inspire fear. Still, she couldn't do anything about that and wouldn't. Her name was a link, back to her old life with parents, before she was the slayer. Not that Buffy wanted to go back, more that it was a part of her, what made her more than just a slayer, what had made her turn her back on the council. They saw the slayer as a machine or some kind of being that fought until they died and would then be replaced with the minimum of tears shed. Buffy's life had made her more than that, she was a person with family and friends as Spike had once remarked something that 'sure as hell wasn't in the brochure' who somehow managed to save the world and party, a feat remarkable even for a slayer.
"Oh well my dear it is nice to meet you at last. What brings you to Hogwarts?"
"You know the drill, saving the world from the big bad, usual stuff and a bit of a security job for Dumbledore."
"Hmm a slayer in personal protection. Well it's been a long time I suppose. Ah well I will see you soon my dear." With that the painted figure seemed to vanish from the canvas.
Soooo. What did you think? Please let me know. I know it wasn't very actiony but stuff that just had to be covered. What did u think of the woman from the last episodes? I promise more fun stuff soon like Voldemort and Diagon Alley…wahoo I had so much fun trying to remember it all from Philosopher's stone. U want a peak? Just pretend you do 'cos I want to give u one….
"C'mon Dawn pick one and see if it dusts a vamp without breaking." [Buffy] moaned. "I want to go shopping."
"This cannot be rushed Miss Summers" Mr Ollivander's soft voice said as he turned his unblinking eyes on Buffy. "After all it is the wand that chooses the witch you know. Try this one, ebony and phoenix feather 11 inches slightly flexible." Dawn took the narrow strip of wood and felt a tingle pass up her arm. She lifted it up above her head and as she brought it down a trail of red and gold sparks materialised.
"Excellent." Giles rose from the spindly chair he had been sitting on. "Excellent that is very good indeed."
"Giles have you got even more British since we got here?" Buffy asked. "Awesome Dawn or as Giles would put it simply fabulous. Now lets go proper shopping."
"Just a minute Miss Summers, do you not require a wand?"
"Uh me, wand? The only wooden accessory I'm gonna carry's a stake mister and these aren't really very pointy."
"Are you sure? I have your wand right here."