A/N: This is my first long chapter ever. *Bows to applause* Please review so I didn't write this much for nothing.
Chapter 2
Friends and Flirts
"When do we leave?" asked Joseph, a stringy boy with brown hair and glasses.
"Tomorrow. You will go from Kings Cross at platform nine and three quarters."
Dawn raised her hand. "I don't mean to state the obvious, but there is no platform nine and three quarters."
"Actually, that is what we're supposed to think." Giles replied before diving into a detailed way to get through the barrier.
Dawn shook her head. In the first two months since she arrived she had learned more things that she once thought impossible than she had in her whole life.
Giles had warned her that many things she would learn is confidential from all slayers without permission from the Watchers Council. The thing that was the most surprising was that there was a whole magical society in Europe and Asia.
They use different types of spells then that which she'd seen Willow doing. But they had schools, and shops, and even there own government. The closest school was known as Hogwarts. It was where the Watcher Trainees would be attending through out the summer.
There, they would be learning a number of classes. Herboligy, History of Magic, Divination (just enough to read the prophecies), and even some Care of Magical Creatures. That was the part that excited Dawn. As girly as it may seem, she has always wanted to see a unicorn.
In the most recent month, they'd been learning about this magical world. The part that interested Dawn the most was the aurors. Wizards and witches trained to arrest and, if necessary, fight dark wizards. She'd been excited to learn she would be meeting them at Hogwarts as well. Or a few anyways.
She smiled to herself. Only one more day.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Regular of decaf?" Harry asked immediately as he walked into his bosses office.
"Neither, Potter. I have an assignment for you." His boss answered without looking up from his papers.
"Really?" Harry asked trying to hide his excitement.
He quickly snapped the folder closed. "I assume you are familiar with the terms 'Watcher' and 'Slayer.'"
Harry nodded, not sure what this had to do with his assignment. "History of Magic, sir. While learning about primal magic.
"You however probably do not know that during the summer at Hogwarts, the new watcher trainees go to learn a few topics from the teachers there."
"No," Harry said surprised. So that's why Dumbledore never let me stay for the summer.
"This has been going on for years. You are also unaware that we send several aurors to the school during this time. You will assist the professors teach, provide demonstrations, and do whatever is needed. You will leave at midnight tonight, so you have a chance to settle in before the trainees arrive. Go home and start packing, you will be there all summer."
Harry grumbled under his breath as he walked out. Some first assignment. Doing chores at Hogwarts.
He remembered that Hermione said she'd be at Hogwarts this summer assisting Professor McGonigal on some research. That lifted his spirits a little. At least she'd be there to talk to.
He sighed and started home to pack, and begin his journey back to Hogwarts.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I look like such a freak. Dawn looked to each side of her before casually leaning on the barrier, and to her surprise, falling through!
She looked at the gleaming train before her. The Hogwarts Express was written on the front. And familiar people from her class were milling around. Dawn immediately went board the train and found a seat.
Quickly she pulled out a book on mythical creatures. And began to read.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Potter!"
Harry didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"What do you want, Malfoy?"
"Finally got an assignment I see. So how long did it take exactly? Three years?"
Anger flared inside Harry. "Shut up."
"Of course with your only friends a mudblood and some no good freaks who can barely afford food to put on the table, it was quite obvious you'd end up the coffee boy."
Harry turned and started to walk away, but not before Malfoy could shout one more comment. "Not to mention friends that ignore you 24/7. When was the last time you actually saw Weasley?"
Harry walked angrily with his fists clenched into the Great Hall. He noticed the other aurors just sitting at tables. Without thinking about it, he immediately went to what would have been the Gryffindor table.
Dumbledore walked into the room and up to where he usually made his speeches. We all looked up at him expectantly waiting to hear what he would say.
"Well, I am certainty glad you could all make it here. While staying here, you will eat and sleep at the houses you were in during your education. You will be like equals to the trainees. The only thing that differs are your responsibilities. They are here to learn, and you are here to assist teaching them. They will be arriving at seven tonight. You may go up and relax until then."
Everyone stood up and began milling around and starting towards there respectable houses. Harry joined the group that headed for Gryffindor. He wound through the familiar halls and finally reached the Common Room. Slowly he climbed the stairs to his dorm room, and collapsed on his bed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After Dawn was done gaping at the castle, she entered the wooden doors, while being lead by Giles and Wesley.
She soon entered a room larger than anything she had seen before. There were four long tables, and a large table at the front of the room with who, Dawn could only assume, were the teachers.
They had been given instructions on what to do now before they entered. They would be sorted by a hat. (When Dawn heard that she thought she had heard wrong, but, no.) After being sorted, they would find there table by the large banner with the name on it.
A strict looking woman wearing green robes walked up and called out ht e first name. "Bradley, Robert."
Rob walked up to the stool and sat down before having the hat placed on his head. After a moment, it shouted out. "Hufflepuff!"
The sorting went on like this. Finally it was Dawn's turn. "Summers, Dawn."
Dawn slowly walk to the stool and took a seat. As soon as the hat was on her head she hear it speak into her ear.
"You are... different."
"Yeah," she whispered, "Probably because I'm green mystical energy poured into the form of a human and memories of existence were built into everyone's brains."
"Ah, a key. Well, I can tell you now, you'd make an awful Hufflepuff. Your loyal enough, but not hardworking. You like shortcuts. Gryffindor wouldn't work either, brave, yes. But there's more to you than that. Well, Slytherin or Ravenclaw is the question. Now where am I going to put you..."
Dawn noticed the door open at the other end of the hall. Men and woman in black robes walked in and quietly spread out to there tables. The aurors.
"Which would you prefer?"
"What's the difference in these houses." Dawn thought to herself, I can't believe I'm talking to a hat.
"Oh, watcher people. I never have a song for you and you never have a preference. Slytherins learn to achieve, and Ravenclaws learn to learn."
Is this going to be one of those life determining choices? Dawn thought sarcastically.
"It may well be," the hat answered. She froze. He could read her thoughts.
"Um, Ravenclaw."
"I was leaning toward Slytherin, but I like to give you a little choice in the matter. Sure, you can be RAVENCLAW!" The hat yelled the last part and Dawn took of the hat and went quickly to the table taking the first seat she came across.
After that what else is there to talk about? Dumbledore gave a speech, saying that they would sleep in their house dorms, and eat at the house table. Food miraculously appeared on the table. And afterward they were dismissed to either wander around the castle, go to the library, or whatever they wanted to do.
That's when it started to get interesting. It all started when a couple of the aurors asked if any of the trainees wanted to go for a walk around the lake. Apparently it's 'miraculous.' Dawn agreed.
The group went outside. Dawn eyes scanned the group, but paused when they fell upon a boy that everyone called Harry. He had the blackest hair she had ever seen, yet she knew it wasn't dyed. His figure was well built, and his face was smiling. His green eyes were possibly the most exciting thing about him. She gaped open mouthed. He was the hottest boy she had ever seen.
His eyes turned toward her and she quickly diverted his gaze, but she could still feel his eyes on her. She went back to looking at the crowd. There were a couple of girls and a lot of boys. She was talking to a boy named Michael Corner, when she noticed a girl talking to Harry. A girl with bushy hair and brown eyes.
"Hermione!" Dawn exclaimed, quickly excusing herself from Michael and rushing over to the girl that she had talked to for hours.
"Dawn!" They shared a quick hug. "Helping people, huh?"
"Hey, I'm helping them. It's better than your politics cover!"
"I'm going into politics. Just magical ones. I'm here for the summer as an assistant to Professor McGonigal."
The group started on the walk and Hermione and Dawn gabbed away. There relationship was no longer formal our. They were friends.
After going all the way around, there was talk about going around again. Hermione went back claiming she needed to study. A couple people went with her. The group was smaller now and very spread out. There was a group of people in front. Dawn walked with the crowd in the middle, but she noticed the very cute boy was in the last group.
"So," a girl with blond hair and blue eyes started, "your from America?" Her tone wasn't friendly more demeaning. Like Dawn should be ashamed of being from there.
"Yeah," she answered a little defensively.
"What were your parents like?" she shot a grin at some of the girls ahead of her. They smiled back.
"Why?" Dawn answered rudely and not caring.
"Well, I was reading some statistics about Americans," she said 'Americans' with a distaste in her voice. "I probably don't even need to ask if they were divorced." Dawn felt anger pour toward this girl. "Were they alcoholics, or drug dealers?" She asked meanly glaring at Dawn.
Dawn didn't try to maintain her composure. "Neither. Which one were yours?"
"Don't you even talk about my parents, Summers!"
"So, you can talk about mine all you like? They were obviously horrible if they raised you to talk to people like that."
"They probably abused you too... Are they in jail, or did the just die?" She stopped there as if to leave the sentence lingering in silence. But this didn't work. Because Dawn didn't hesitate to punch her right across the face.
The other girl looked at Dawn shocked for a moment before lunging at Dawn. She immediately started to pull at Dawn's hair. Dawn rolled her eys, before kneeing her in the stomach, and hitting her again. She was so filled with rage that when a hand came down and tore them apart she kept on swinging her fists. She looked up to see who had separated them. Her eyes met a pair of green ones.
Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it at Dawn. He asked concerned, "Are you okay, Lavender?" She nodded slightly.
He turned back to look at Dawn who was much better and stood up straight looking him directly in the eye. "What do you think your doing?"
"Beating that bitch to oblivion. And you?" Dawn asked not shaken by his threatening position.
"I'm keeping you from hurting someone who probably didn't do anything!" he exploded angrily. Dawn looked around and noticed every eye was on them.
"So you admit I was going to win." Dawn remarked. she heard laughter come from the group up ahead. "Look, your little shit-eating girlfriend over here, was asking for it. Stop trying to play the hero, because your not a doing a very good job." The crowd gasped at his, surprising Dawn.
"Get the hell away from here." Harry growled.
"With pleasure." Dawn replied before heading to the group that lead the crowd the one that had laughed at her joke. Somehow she felt that she would be much more welcome there.
As soon as she reached the group, they began walking again. "So," began a boy with sleek blond hair, and silver eyes. "You don't like Potter?"
"Who is that?" Dawn replied not sure if he was talking about the girl or the boy.
The rest of the crowd looked at her surprised but the blond just answered, "The guy you were just yelling at."
"Oh. He's a total prick."
"I'm Draco, by the way. Draco Malfoy," the blond answered.
"Draco, huh? Latin, right? For dragon."
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Well, I sort of speak Latin." As if on a second thought, she continued, "And Sumerian, and Romanian."
"Wow, how long did it take you to learn all of that?"
"Well, learn may be a strong word. It kind of just comes to me when I need it to." He shot her a weird look. "Well, I'm not a witch, I'm not magical. But I'm mystical. I don't really get it, but ever since I was seventeen, things just sort of came to me."
"Well, I'm bilingual."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I speak British and English."
Dawn giggled. "I wish I could do that." she answered sarcastically.
"You never told me your name."
"Dawn Summers. So what house are you in?"
"Slytherin," he answered immediately. "And you?"
"Ravenclaw. The house gave me a choice, between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. I picked Ravenclaw 'cause I like birds."
"Well, I was given a choice between Slytherin and Gryffindor."
"Why'd you pick Slytherin?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say I had a choice? My father has already decided my future. I may be given choices. But most of the time, the answer isn't the one I would have chosen. Luckily when I said I wanted to be in Slytherin, I did."
The walk ended soon. Dawn said goodnight to Draco and walked to the Ravenclaw Common Room being lead by some aurors from that house.
Some of the girls pried about her and Draco. They seemed to think there was something going on. Dawn worked on convincing them that they were just friends. It didn't work.
But that night when Dawn was lying in her bed, she wasn't thinking about tomorrows classes, and she wasn't thinking about her renewed friendship with Hermione, or her friendship with Draco for that matter. She wasn't thinking about her sister and how much she missed her.
She was thinking about Harry. Harry Potter, and how much she hated him.
But her dreams told a different story.
A/N: Please review.