Authors Note: This story is a bit slow in starting but now they're back at school, it'll move along more quickly.

Thanks to matt, blondi gurl and Yisulain for reviewing.

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CHAPTER 6- Ginny's First Slay/ Back to School

"Mum!"

"No, Ginny; that's my final answer! There is no way you're going out with those girls."

"But, Mum, how else will I learn?"

"You've only had two training sessions, Ginny. And even when you've had fifty, there's still no reason for you to go out looking for trouble."

"Looking for trouble? It's called a patrol."

"It doesn't matter what you call it, you're not going out looking for vampires."

The two had been arguing for the last half hour and they had drawn quite an audience.

The twins were sitting at the top of the stairs glad that it was someone else in trouble for a change. Ron and Harry sat on the sofa, trying hard not to smile.

Ron privately thought that his little sister could look after herself. She had thrown him across the living room the other day because he may have made a tiny comment about the people she had chosen to correspond with over the summer.

"You can't stop me! It's my destiny!"

"Ginny, love," Mrs Weasley tried a softer approach, "I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I wont, Mum. The others will be looking out for me and Dawn will be on the sidelines ready to do some magic if I get into trouble. Please, I have to do this."

"Very well, but I don't like it, and be careful."

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The next evening, Ginny was getting ready to go out on her first patrol.

"Harry, can you get that?" She called down the stairs as the doorbell went.

"Hi, Harry!" Dawn said as he opened the door.

She was wearing a short black skirt and a low cut black top with a red oriental pattern on the front. Her brown hair hung loosely down her back and there was a delicate silver heart necklace around her neck.

"Err...hi. Where are the others?"

"They're waiting outside. We thought it might be a bit much for Mrs Weasley to see all the weaponry on Ginny's first night."

"Good thinking...so, are you not fighting tonight?" he said, gesturing to her clothes, in particular the high heeled black boots.

"If I have to. Remember this Harry; a lady always knows how to use her heels to her advantage. But tonight, I'm the bait- I've just go to show up and look appetising! Hi Ginny! You ready?"

"Yup, see you Harry." She said leaving a slightly stunned Harry in her wake.

"Oh Merlin! You've got it bad Harry." Ron had appeared at the top of the stairs.

Harry shook his head. "Shut up, Ron" he mumbled.

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Dawn was walking down an alley behind a club in London. 'Here we go' she thought as she sensed a vampire come out behind her.

"Hey there, cutie."

"Hey there, vampire." The vampire lunged forward and grabbed her.

"I got you, whatcha gonna 'bout it?"

"Oh not much, just this." Dawn screamed. The vampire looked confused and then turned to dust as a crossbow was fired at him.

"Yuck, I got vamp dust on my clothes. Ginny, did you see how Felicity did it? Good, could one of you reload it and let Ginny have a go."

Ginny watched as Felicity reloaded the crossbow and then handed it to her with a smile- "You'll do great!"

They walked on a bit until a vampire came at them in a run.

Quicker than you can blink, Ginny raised the crossbow and shot at the vampire through the heart.

"Way to go, Ginny!"

"First time to stake a vamp, how does it feel?"

"Right through the heart...this time." Jaden said.

Ginny blushed. They had already come across a small group of about four vampires and Ginny had missed the heart when she tried to stake one.

"Everyone misses the heart at some point. Buffy missed it the first time she staked a vamp too, and I did on my first training session."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh- only the once though. Come on, let's call it a night."

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"Hello? Where is everyone? Felicity? Ginny?" Dawn called into the empty training room.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" a dozen voices called. Dawn looked around the room in surprise.

There were the Weasley's and Harry, her slayers and several staff from Hogwarts. Professors McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick, Sprout and Hagrid were all there, as was Professor Dumbledore who was smiling and wearing a party hat.

"Oh my God, how did you know?"

"Buffy and the Scooby's sent a big package with your gifts in. Why did you tell us?" Felicity explained giving Dawn a gift from all the slayers.

"No reason, but...Wow!" Flick, Robin, Skye, Jade and Ginny had all clubbed together and gotten her a slender sword. As Dawn examined the handle, she saw her name engraved on it surrounded by a delicate pattern. "Thanks" Dawn said giving her friend a hug.

"You're only 16 once right?"

Dawn grinned. "Hey Ginny, Ron, Harry. Glad you could come."

"Hi Dawn. Happy birthday." Ron said handing her a book shaped present. She ripped off the paper with a smile and found two books. One was 'The Legend of the Vampire Slayer' and the other 'Killing the Most Demons for the Least Amount of Work'

"Thanks, Ron." She smiled as a nervous looking Harry gave her a small box wrapped in bright paper. "You didn't have to..."

"But I wanted too." He chewed on his lip as Dawn opened her present.

"Wow, Harry."

"Do you like it?"

"It's gorgeous! Would you help me out it on?" She lifted up her hair as Harry fastened a silver necklace around her neck. It had a fairly large silver cross pendant hanging from the centre. She turned around and kissed Harry on the cheek. "Thank you." She whispered.

"So when's your birthday?" Dawn asked

"July." Harry replied, "It was a couple of weeks before we met you."

"I feel bad now, I didn't get you a present."

"Dawn?" a voice called from across the room

"Giles? Oh my God! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed hugging the man who had been like a father to her.

"I was in England on Watcher business and I thought I'd drop by. Everything going ok?"

"Everything's great! Oh, thanks." She took the rectangular parcel from the head of the watchers council. It was a leather bound diary with her name written across the front in gold letters. When she opened it she saw each day had a rectangular box on each page.

"It's magical," Giles explained. "All you have to do it think of a memory and it will appear in those boxes and it will stay there until you remove it. Every watcher needs a diary."

"Thank you, I'm glad you came." Dawn felt tears pricking at her eyes as she thought of her family and was swept into another hug from Giles.

"We all miss you."

"I miss you too, all of you."

"I better let you get back to your guests. I have lots to do before tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"That's...err...that's when I'm flying back to America."

"Ohh." Said Dawn in a very small voice.

"I'll come back and visit, soon. And I think Buffy may want to come and see you. And you can always open up a portal to LA, anytime." Dawn's face brightened; she'd forgotten about portals.

"I'll visit soon."

"Not too often though. We don't want anyone to know of your...unique abilities."

"I promise. See you soon." Dawn said giving him a final hug.

"Very soon." Giles assured before he left the castle.

"Miss Summers."

"Professor Snape. Thank you for coming." Dawn was surprised to see the potions master.

"Yes. I believe that it is customary to give gifts at your muggle...gatherings."

Dawn's jaw nearly hit the floor. Snape was giving her a present?

"Well, here you are and happy birthday." Dawn could have sworn he smiled as he thrust the gift into her hands and swept out of the room.

She gave herself a mental, and physical, shake and looked down at the object in her hands.

Dawn was holding an ankle sheath, but not a normal one for a dagger. This one had several vials of liquid around the edge each one labelled with a different potion that may be useful to her.

There was veritiserum (truth potion), paléserum and baltiserum (protection potions), baneserum (an exploding potion), 2 poisons and two anti-poisons. There was a note attached to the sheath. It read:

'Each of these vial contains enough for one dosage of the potion. They are made of unbreakable glass and each refills magically when you have used its contents.'

Dawn was shocked at the thought he had put into her gift. But she did not have time to ponder it as Professor McGonagall came to wish her many happy returns on her 16th birthday.

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That evening, when Dawn was alone in her room, she opened her gift from the Scooby's. It was all contained in a big wooden chest with a pattern carved on the front. 'Xander' thought Dawn, knowing that he made it.

The first package was from Faith, Principal Wood and some of the new slayers who she had know well. There was lots of what Faith called 'slayer essentials'. Leather trousers, fighting tops, a dagger and a denim bag with a mini protection kit which had a holy water spray bottle and a couple of stakes.

Next, Dawn came to her gift from Angel's group. There was a series of collapsible weapons; sword, crossbow and weird flicky-wristy-things. There was also a pair of cross earrings that would match the necklace Harry got her.

The next gift was from Willow and Xander. It was an especially charmed mobile phone that worked in the school and a black off-the-shoulder top. There was also another chest inside, although this one was much smaller. When Dawn opened it she saw that it was set up into compartments that were all full of magical supplies that may come in useful if she needed to brew a potion.

The final gift was from Buffy. 'Clothes' Dawn guessed feeling the floppy package. She opened the pastel carefully and pulled out a soft leather jacket, a pair of embroidered jeans, a baby blue dress that would reach about half way down her thigh and three tops- one red spaghetti strapped, a cream and black halter and a pale blue jumper with ¾length sleeves.

Not a weapon in sight from Buffy, Willow or Xander. Although Dawn appreciated the thought that went into her gifts, she was a teenager so loved getting new clothes!

Looking at the bottom of the trunk, she saw a framed photo of all the Scooby's a bit before Buffy died. Dawn fingered the picture, feeling homesick. She lay back on her bed, hugging the photo to her and fell asleep.

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"Dawn, wake up!" It was nearly a week since Dawn's birthday and now the photo stood proudly on her bedside table.

"Don't make me hurt you! Come on, the rest of the school is coming back today."

Dawn groggily looked up to Felicity before what she was saying registered.

"Crap! What time is it?"

"11.45. They don't arrive until dinner, but you said you wanted to do a sweep of the grounds before they arrive- make sure there's no nests or anything."

"Right. Are the others up? Are they ready to go out?"

"They're up, but not ready."

"May as well leave it to after lunch then. Wait, 11.45? Ahh! I've gotta get ready, move!"

45 minutes later Dawn joined the slayers and the Hogwarts staff for lunch. As there weren't very many people staying at the school over the summer, everyone was sitting at one table for meals.

"Miss Summers." Dumbledore greeted. "You have, of course, remembered that the rest of the school are returning today?"

"Yes, professor. We thought that we would check out the grounds this afternoon to make sure there aren't too many nasties lurking about when the students arrive."

"Very good. Will you have any potatoes? The house elves have made them splendidly!"

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"They're here!" Skye shouted. The group of 'exchange students' were supposed to join the first years to be sorted and would then move to whichever house they were put into.

As the first years, slayers and Dawn walked down to the front of the great hall, they were followed by whispers wondering about the five very old looking first years. Professor McGonagall held up her hands for silence.

"The sorting will be different than normal. We will be starting with five exchange students who will be coming to Hogwarts indefinitely." She turned to the groups of people standing in front of her. "When I say your name, come foreword and put the sorting hat on your head. It will tell you which house you will be in and you will go and sit at that table. Chardon, Robinette!"

Robin nervously went up to the stool and put the hat on her head.

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'A slayer? We haven't had one of your kind for a long time. Yes I talk.' The hat said feeling Robin's surprise. 'You're intelligent and hard working, a very good combination. I know where to put you..."

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It was there for about 10 seconds before it shouted "Ravenclaw!" and Robin went off to sit with her new housemates.

"Mormon, Jaden!" Professor McGonagall called.

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'Another slayer,' the hat said softly to Jaden, 'but, unlike Miss Chardon, you crave power. It better be...'

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The hat barely touched her head before it shouted "Slytherin!" Dawn and Felicity shared a nervous look. They'd heard about Slytherin and it couldn't be a good sign that a slayer was in that house.

"Newton, Felicity!" Flick put the hat on her head.

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'You have seen true evil, but you still fear.' The hat told her. ' You care about your friends and will risk anything to save them, very noble. Yes, definitely..."

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"Gryffindor!" The hat shouted without any hesitation.

"Reiner, Skylar!" McGonagall called the last slayer.

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'No slayer for centuries, then four in one night!'

'I'm the last one' Skye thought to the hat.

'Well, well. There's an eagerness to prove yourself. You want to be seen out of your siblings shadow, am I right? You would do well in Hufflepuff most definitely, but I don't think that's right for you. However, if you take the chance, you have the potential to excel in Gryffindor. It will be hard work and a gamble. It is your choice, Miss Reiner.'

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The hat seemed to be thinking ('Do hats think?' Dawn wondered) before placing Skye in "Gryffindor!"

"Summers, Dawn!" The young watcher was the last 'exchange student' to be called.

Dawn walked up to the hat and nervously put it on her head.

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'Well, well, well, I wondered when you'd be coming to Hogwarts; the key was bound to come.' A voice was saying in Dawns ear. 'But where to put you? You could function in any of the houses.

'There's a loyalty to your friend that would do well in Hufflepuff and a mind to rival any Ravenclaw's. You have seen darkness and it haunts your soul so you could go to Slytherin and you have a bravery that Gryffindor would be proud of.

'But where to put you? Slytherin or Gryffindor I think. Yes, yes, that's what we'll do. I think that it should be "Gryffindor!"'

Dawn put the hat back on the stool and went to her seat in between Felicity and Harry whilst "Abram, Jane" was sorted into Hufflepuff.

"You were up there for ages!" Felicity murmured

"Was I?"

"Yeah- what took you so long?"

"The hat didn't know where to put me. Said I could be in any house."

"It said I could be in two," Harry said, "but I chose Gryffindor." The three stopped their conversation as Snape was glaring at them and applauded as Emily Wilson was sorted into Gryffindor.

Dawn looked up and down the table at the smiling faces. This was going to be her family for the next year.

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The story will begin properly in the next chapter. PLEASE REVIEW.

Kiara x x x