At Hogwarts
"Snuff boxes can have whiskers right?" Buffy asked looking hopefully at Professor McGonagall who gazed back at her for a moment before turning to the Daily Prophet. "Well now they can" the slayer announced putting down her wand and stretching. Professor McGonagall folded up the newspaper and came to look at Buffy and Dawn's work. Dawn's mouse was stuck in a very awkward state with a head and tail but a silver box for a body. Transfiguration was always difficult but mice were definitely the hardest thing they had tried so far. Dawn had been having lessons all summer, also studying charms, potions, history of magic, astronomy and herbology. Buffy had joined her for most charms and transfiguration lessons, eager to learn how to use her wand. For the first few days all she had managed to do was throw sparks everywhere and blow things up-fun but not very useful. Both of them had mastered charms pretty quickly and spent much of their time levitating objects out of each other's hands. Buffy in particular had nearly perfected the 'Wingardium Leviosa' charm and culminated her mastering of it by lifting Dawn 3 feet off the floor. Dawn had to face her other subjects alone, Buffy was busy learning what she could about her job and the magical world. She often spoke to Hagrid about magical creatures, she found the gamekeeper's penchant for monsters worrying but Giles assured her that Hagrid was harmless. His tales of giant spiders and squids suggested otherwise to Buffy but she did agree that he was exceptionally kind natured and was fascinated to learn of the existence of unicorns. Dawn too was thrilled to see a golden unicorn foal and spent many hours in Hagrid's hut listening to his stories. He told Buffy about Harry Potter and she began to feel a great sympathy for her charge but also a slight apprehension about keeping him out of danger when he seemed to near her ability to attract danger.
"We can leave it there." Professor McGonogall said cutting off Buffy's intended diatribe against snuff boxes. "Professor Dumbledore will begin your defence against the dark arts lessons after dinner, I believe he wishes you both to attend."
After dinner in the great hall as usual Buffy and Dawn headed into the entrance hall. "Fizzing Whizbee" Buffy said to the gargoyle marking Dumbledore's office.
"I really have to try one of those" Dawn told her sister.
"We will have to take you to Honeydukes then" Dumbledore's calm voice enunciated from behind them as the wall slid open. The three of them stepped onto the moving staircase and glided smoothly up to Dumbledore's circular office.
Once inside Buffy looked around. She hadn't been in the office many times but had the feeling that even if she had been in there a hundred times there would still be new things to see. Her gaze fell on a ragged hat sitting on a tri-legged stool. 'That must be the sorting hat' she thought as Dumbledore settled himself behind his desk.
"So Defence against the Dark Arts huh? Don't you think Buffy's had enough practise with that kind of thing, being the slayer and all?" Dawn asked Dumbledore.
"In many forms she is indeed most advanced" the headmaster replied calmly looking at Dawn with his characteristic piercing gaze "but just as the slayer can defeat creatures we are unfamiliar with, so exist creatures I believe only the magical world are familiar with. They however are less of a concern, your sister's admirable abilities should be largely effective in destroying such creatures. It is what wizards can do to each other that particularly concerns me, especially now Lord Voldemort is becoming more powerful once again."
"You mean war and stuff?"
"I mean Miss Summers, hexes and particularly curses."
"Oh we can deal with curses I bet we've dealt with them before." Dawn told Dumbledore but he calmly shook his head.
"There are three curses so heinous they are known as the unforgiveable curses. Use of any one of them against a fellow human being is an automatic life sentence in Azkaban."
"Azkaban?" Both girls looked blankly at Dumbledore. "That in Africa?"
"It is the wizarding prison guarded, much to my dislike, by dementors."
"Dementywhats?"
"We will cover them soon enough, the curses however are today's item of urgent business."
"What's so special about these three? They give nasty rashes?"
"Not exactly. The effects are so devastating that the curses are not usually studied in depth at school however I believe that should change particularly in the current situation."
"So stun me"
"The imperius curse, imagine being able to make someone do anything you want."
"Like buy lots of presents, I like the sound of this one." Buffy smiled, making light of the lesson.
"Or killing, torturing destroying. Lord Voldemort is well rehearsed in its darker uses." Suddenly all three faces in the room were serious. "You must be able to resist it."
"But how?" Dawn asked. "We can't practise because it's illegal."
"I am willing to make an exception in this case. If either of you come under Lord Voldemort's control we will have far bigger problems than breaking the law. Shall we try? Imperio" Dumbledore flicked his wand and Dawn felt weightless, blissfully peaceful. A voice murmered in her head, "Jump" it said. Buffy watched, mouth open as Dawn proceded to flip herself head over heels around the room apparently following Dumbledore's instructions. He flicked his wand again and Dawn sat down shakily next to Buffy.
"Imperio" Dumbledore said again and this time Buffy's head felt empty of any worry, any problems simply melted away. "Hit her" the voice said. "Go on hit her."
'Ok' Buffy thought and turned to look at Dawn. She brought her fist up to her shoulder and then a second voice sounded. "Why are you going to hit Dawn? She hasn't done anything. Don't hit her." Buffy paused undecided over what to do and suddenly brought her fist down again, with it came all the worry she had just discarded. "Wiggy" she muttered and then "Ok what's next?"
"The cruciatus curse" Dumbledore said his blue eyes blazing at the memories the curse revived.
"Hit me" Buffy said psyched by her success with the imperius curse.
"I am afraid you don't understand the nature of this curse. It is one I will never use not on even the most evil, foulest person to walk this earth. The cruciatus curse causes pain beyond pain imaginable. I will never subject anyone to it.
"You'd have made an exception for Harmony" Buffy murmered. "C'mon I think my pain threshold's pretty high."
"NO." Dumbledore said with a finality that surprised Buffy. "The pain caused by this curse is so severe repeated use can rob you of your mind. All I can do is warn you of it and encourage you to learn as much as you can about it.
Subdued Dawn asked tentatively "What's the third?"
"Avada Kedavra" Dumbledore said softly looking somehow older and more vulnerable. "The killing curse. Unblockable and instantaneous it has been the last thing many have heard. You hear those words and run because if they hit you, you're not coming back."
"I would believe that but I've 'died' twice already I don't think a curse will have any better luck."
"You must believe me." Dumbledore stood up and forcefull enunciated his words. "There is only one person who has ever survived the curse, Lord Voldemort will not allow it to happen again. We cannot afford to lose you to bravado. The death eaters are uniting again and they will put up an admirable fight. Lord Voldemort will return, if he has not already, and you must fight the darkness he brings. It is your duty." Buffy was humbled by his words, accepting the truth of what Dumbledore said. She was learning of the fear Voldemort inspired, even Dawn was starting to say 'You Know who' rather than pronounce his name, and she knew that the wizarding world needed a fighter, they needed the slayer. Dumbledore continued "Not only that but you need to teach others."
"Me? Teach? Buffy teaching, not good, really. Giles was always way better at that."
"No miss Summers, I want you to teach my students to fight. I have never wished for the time to come when fighting is all we have left but I see it coming and we must prepare. To pretend it will not be necessary for each and every person to defend themselves would be foolish and that, although I am many things, I will not be. The defence against the dark arts teacher is delayed in coming to Hogwarts. Will you please stand in until he arrives?"
Yay I finally got to put that chapter up! I've had it written for so long but I had to write the in between bits. SO did ya like? Hate? Anything at all tell me! Seriously there's very few valid reasons not to!