Hmmmmm... ffnet is being a pain in the royalty. I tell ya.

A few questions that've come up.

Will Dawn remember anything? Especially her family and friends around the wedding?

Buckle up... Dawn's in for a wild ride. There was a reason her memory was blacked out. Once  that's uncovered, she can finally begin to heal and move on with her life.

So... how old exactly are the Hogwarts people and Dawn?

I would put Harry, Ron and the others around 20 or 21. Dawn is still 20. Ginny is 19,  almost 20. So that would make Buffy around 26... right? Cho, for the record, is 21 to 22.

Seven years of suspense and all we get is a lousy paragraph on Volde's defeat?

You'll get your story... I just didn't want to give too much away. And since I still don't,  Harry is going to tell both Buffy and Dawn certain details. Which, unfortunately for you,  won't come about for a while yet.

If the story takes place in America, do we ever get to see the British Ministry or the  Order again?

They'll be making guest appearances. Starting in... Chapter 6.

- - - - -

Chapter 4

Timeless

- - - - -

"Oh my God."

Willow looked over her shoulder as Tara set down the phone on the cradle and picked up a  notepad she'd been marking things down on. "Did you find anything?"

"Wil, do you know the exact date Dawn came back from London?"

Willow turned back to her computer and quickly pulled up a calendar. "March of last year,"  she finally said, turning back to Tara, who sat across from her, scanning her notes. "Why?"

"Because Harry said she left London around the twenty-second of June two years ago," Tara  said in a low voice, setting her pad down with a dull thud.

Willow's eyes widened. "L-Left London?"

"As in big airplane and everything," Tara said softly. "He had Remus take her to the  airport and make sure she got on the flight and everything."

Willow pulled her trembling hands from the keyboard. "Oh my..."

"There's more," Tara said, trying to keep her voice level as she looked Willow in the eye.  "Dawn was really depressed when she left London. Apparently, she'd just broken up with her  boyfriend and was really lonely."

"Lonliness and catatonic memory loss don't usually go hand-in-hand," Willow said,  connecting the dots. "What happened to her?"

"I asked Harry if there was any possibility she'd returned to Grimmauld Place, but that  house has been closed up since... since V-Voldemort was killed..."

"We have to tell Buffy," Willow said in a reluctant voice. Telling Buffy any more bad news  about Dawn was almost worse than not telling her anything at all. "Maybe she can still call  the Ministry. We do have a few contacts there."

"Like Oz," Tara said lightly, picking up her pad again.

"What else did he say?" Willow asked quickly, turning off her computer and pushing it  aside.

Tara sighed. "Harry is in Auror training. Ron is training to go into the Department of  Mysteries. Ginny was accepted by the English Quidditch team and is currently playing as  Chaser. And Hermione is still in Cairo."

"Sounds like they've had a tough time growing up too," Willow said sympathetically. "I know  that my first year out of high school, I went through a lot of changes."

"Some of them were good changes," said Tara lightly.

Willow flushed and looked down, checking her watch. "It's almost daybreak. They should be  back from night patrol any time now."

"Just beep them," Tara said, gesturing toward the walkie talkies sitting at the end of the  table in the new Academy library.

Willow nodded and yawned, reaching for one of the small devices. After tapping in their  special code, she quickly beeped to the group returning on the edge of campus.

- - - - -

"You had a good kill tonight, Vi," Buffy said as she, Faith and Giles lead a large group of  girls in from the woods.

"Thank you," Vi gushed, walking in line with the original Slayer. "I can't wait until we go  on our first spiritual retreat."

"I'm not sure you're ready for that yet, Peanut," Faith said, smacking Vi's shoulder  jovially as the two walked ahead of Buffy. She stepped over to Giles, who was squinting as  he was writing on a small device, sitting on a bench toward the edge of campus.

"Bloody dawn," he muttered, sticking the palm pilot into his coat pocket. "I can't see  anything with that new background on it."

"I thought the sailboats were festive," Buffy said, taking a seat next to him. "You know,  all cheerfully British?"

"Sailboats are not a British tool," he said, his voice low and cranky.

"I was wrong about you British men, Giles," she said with a chuckle as she stood up.  "Where's that youthful energy, that stiff upper lip, pip pip?"

He rolled his eyes and stood up. As he did, a loud beeping noise overtook the entire campus  grounds. "Bloody hell."

"You're beeping, Giles. That's never a good sign."

"It's this blasted walkie talkie," he cursed, pulling it out of his pocket and staring at  it. "Here, you take it."

Buffy chuckled as she clicked the red button on and spoke into the mouthpiece. "Good  morning, campus!"

"Hey, Buffy!" Willow's voice crackled through on the other line. "Have a good night?"

"A few festive kills... and I think Giles slayed the evil palm pilot. What's up?"

There was a pause. "You should get back here. We're in the library for the next hour  until... until I go to bed and... there's something we need to talk about."

"What is it?" Buffy asked, stopping.

"Just get here."

Buffy stared as the device in her hands went dead and she glanced up at Giles, who looked  just as confused as she did. "You should get back there," he said, taking the device from  her hand and using it to gesture toward the tallest campus building which housed the  library and administrative offices.

As she ran across campus, she heard Giles giving the girls the order to get some rest, for  they were having another midnight training session in preparation for their spiritual retreat.

Her heels pounded across the marble floors as she burst into the library, stopping and  nearly tripping over the threadbare rug. "What is it?"

Tara turned toward her. "I called England... the number Harry gave me went through... and  it wasn't good news."

Buffy's blood chilled. "What did he say?"

"The last time he saw Dawn, she was leaving on a flight to America. June twenty second. Two  years ago."

- - - - -

"... so you're telling me that Dawn was only in England for a week after she graduated  school?"

"That's right," Buffy muttered, kicking the punching bag with as much force as she could  muster.

Angel watched as the bag broke from the chain and flew gracefully across the floor before  landing with a thud into a wall. "So where did she go?"

"No idea," said Buffy, turning toward a balance beam. With an anxious look in her eye, she  sprinted forward and went into an easy handstand.

"It's too bad we can't just ask her."

Buffy landed with her back to him, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "You're right. It is  too bad. It's too bad my sister came home almost nine months after she left England. It's  too bad my sister came home with no memories... it's too bad she can't speak or hear or  know that we're trying to help her... It's... too... bad..."

Angel gently put his hand on her shoulder as she broke down, falling to her knees. "Why did  this have to happen to my sister?" she asked in a small voice, wiping her tears away  quickly.

"Sometimes these things happen," he said, helping her stand back up. "Do you need  anything?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I'm just going to make a phone call."

"Did you talk to the Ministry earlier today?" he asked her as she sat down, hugging her  knees.

She nodded. "They told me they would check into it," she sniffled. "But they told me not to  hope for much, because they don't keep tabs on Muggles like they used to. So as far as  they're concerned, my sister went to a hell dimension and back..."

"I told Connor to go up there and see her," Angel said, looking away for a moment. "He has  the ability to tell... these things. If she was in Hell, he'd know. He grew up there."

"They also told me about an American Ministry," she began slowly.

He turned to her, his eyes widening slightly. "An American Ministry of Magic?"

She nodded. "I was told to contact them. And I did, this afternoon."

"How?" Angel asked curiously.

"Email." Buffy started to shake again as she turned to him. "Is there any hope at all for us?"

"There's always hope," he said softly. "I just wish I could do something for you... you  know, go up to the Institution... be with her."

"Spike's up there," she said firmly as she stood up, walking toward the fallen bag and  picking it up easily.

"I know... but don't you want--"

"I trust Spike with my life," she said, watching as the punching bag fell back onto its chain. "He and Dawn were close when I was... I just feel better knowing he's up there watching over her."

"Do you--"

"Not now," she said, turning to him. "Please, Angel. I'm not ready to choose yet. I can't  choose between you or him. Not while my sister is up there, trapped in her own mind. There  has to be something I can do for her." A sudden thought occurred to her and she rushed out  of the Slayer's gymnasium, her tennis shoes squeaking on the clean locker room floor.

She soon reached an office and picked up the phone, dialing a number she knew clearly by  heart.

"Yes, may I speak with Dr. Cretin?"

"Buffy, what are you doing?" Angel asked behind her. "Are you sure you want to put Dawn  through all of this? For all we know, she's been through--"

Buffy put up her hand as Dr. Cretin's voice came over the phone line. "Ira Cretin, may I  ask who's calling?"

Ignoring the protests behind her, she launched forward. "Hello, Dr. Cretin. This is Buffy  Summers." She took a deep breath. "I want you to begin the electroshock treatments on my  sister."

Angel's voice muted behind her.

There was a sound of appreciation on the other end as the Doctor chuckled softly.

"Very well."

- - - - -

To be continued...

Chapter 5 -- Draco Malfoy reenters the story... Dawn starts to remember under intense  therapy.

This is a double header... look for Chapter 5 to follow soon!