Chapter 15

Crossroads

- - - - -

Buffy decided to return to the Ministry the following day. She was going to inform Minister Fudge of her decision to go to Hogwarts. And she was going to find out the final news about her dreams. She was going to force Minister Fudge to talk about humiliating her brother last year.

And then she was going to cut herself off from them.

She took the fireplace alone today, since Bill, Percy and Mr. Weasley had all Disapparated there. She arrived and found her way to Minister Fudge's office on her own. He looked surprised to see her, but was happy when she informed him of her decision to go to Hogwarts.

"Yes," he said softly, handing her a cup of coffee, "that is the safest place for you, that is."

"I thank you for asking Minerva McGonagall here," she said gratefully. "She helped put a lot of things into perspective for me."

"We only wanted to tell you of what is to come," Minister Fudge replied, reaching for his own cup of tea. "Harry has had to live through a lot of truly bad things. I guess this year you will truly see how bad things really are in this world. The war, I fear, is just beginning."

"I just want Harry to know that he has someone on his side," Buffy said, a bit of an edge to her voice. "I love my brother, Sir. I want only the best for him."

He sighed and pulled out a letter, handing it to her. "This is a list of everything you will need prior to the start of term at that school. It's a book and materials list. There is a different system of currency here, but I think you'll be able to figure it out and change some money over. I'm assuming you do have pounds, correct?"

She nodded. The check from Giles was still in the Muggle bank in London. All she had to do was go and withdraw the money from there. "It's in a bank in London. I should be able to get there easily enough."

"If you were to go," he said, his voice filled with some concern, "you should most likely travel alone. I do not wish the Potter siblings to present themselves as an easy target... just in case."

"Your concern is noted, Sir," she said politely, tucking the letter inside of her purse. "But I do have a slight concern of my own and that is your treatment of my brother."

He sighed heavily, looking over her shoulder. "That is nothing more than the mistakes of an old man," he said quietly. "I'm sure you'll admit that you've made mistakes in your past before."

An odd shiver passed her face as she nodded. "That doesn't excuse the fact that you betrayed Harry. He's one of the good guys. You'll see. He's going to come back stronger and better."

He nodded, his gaze finally meeting hers. "I'm sure you'll understand that I do not wish to discuss this topic any further," he said sharply. "I have faced enough inquiries this summer over the status of your brother and the Ministry's treatment of him last year."

"I understand," she said simply. She knew she could use this knowledge as a weapon when time permitted it.

"I do have some concern however over your Slaying abilities," Minister Fudge said, sounding hesitant. "I know that this is a delicate subject for you..."

"I really don't have any reason to use my power now," Buffy assured him. "I don't have any reason to."

"Be that as it may," Fudge said, still sounding uncomfortable, "I feel that this is the right time to tell you that there would be use for your skills on the Hogwarts grounds. You see, there is a forest. It's forbidden to any other student but with your consent we would be less restrictive with the rules as far as you're concerned."

"I'll speak with Professor Dumbledore," she murmured. "Thank you, Sir."

"Good luck next term, Miss Potter," he said, rising and shaking her hand for the last time. "It really has been a pleasure."

- - - - -

Buffy felt considerably happier as she left the Minister's office. She was going to Hogwarts!

She pulled out the letter from the Department of Mysteries and scanned it again. Just one more meeting. And then she'd be out of this place for a long, long time.

She reached the elevator and stepped inside. Except for a few paper airplanes fluttering around the lights, the cage was empty. This was the way she preferred it, she thought with a smile as the doors closed. "Department of Mysteries," she called out.

The cage began to descend. She didn't even notice that it stopped at nearly every floor, collecting bodies and depositing them back out onto the different floors. Once she recognized that the light had faded away, she opened her eyes.

She wasn't alone.

"You," she muttered, recognizing the face staring at her in the darkness.

"I hope you don't mind," he said. The cage passed through a ray of light. The small beam flickered through the small elevator cart, crossing his face. She felt her heart do something that it shouldn't be doing. Forcing away the small ray of hope in her mind, she crossed her arms and set her face indifferently.

"Of course not. There's room enough here for the both of us."

Her words weren't meant to be cutting. She winced, realizing how harsh they'd sounded.

"I... I'm sorry," he said, retreating against his opposite cage.

"Aren't we all," she sighed, lifting her eyes to the single light still blazing above them, the only thing keeping the cage from total darkness. She tried as hard as she could to focus on that single light. "I should be the one apologizing," she finally said. "You probably think I'm a psychotic stalker."

"It's quite flattering," he assured her with a laugh. And then he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I was asking around about you... no one seems to know you exist."

"It's the story of my life," she sighed, keeping her arms crossed. He was moving towards her again. She could feel his eyes on her.

"You wouldn't want to elaborate on that, would you?" he asked gently.

Her eyes widened. It sounded to her like he was interested. But that couldn't be.

"I would, except I'd probably be tortured for being late to a meeting," she said with a small sigh.

The cage was suddenly filled with light as it stopped, the doors opening. The cool female voice above announced that they had reached the Department of Mysteries. She walked out but he didn't follow. She turned around to glance at him, pressing on the cage doors so they wouldn't close. She couldn't bear to be cut off. Not yet.

"The walls won't bite," she offered with an endearing smile.

He took a tentative step out. "I don't think I've ever been down here," he said, sounding nervous.

"Your accent is different," she said instead. "I like it. And it is different down here, but not dangerous. I've been down here long enough. I can assure you."

"Are you a seer?" he asked her.

"I'm going to start charging everyone who asks me that," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not a seer, persay. I just have... dreams."

"We all do," he said, still looking apprehensive about going any further.

"Do you have somewhere you need to be?" she asked him, suddenly feeling awkward.

He shook his head. "Today I have a free day. I actually came to look for you."

Well, well. How was that for a change?

"You can stay here," she said quietly. "I'll only be a few minutes. And the walls will play nicely, I promise."

He seemed to be appraising her with his eyes. Was she really worth all of the trouble standing here in a place that scared him to death? A tiny voice in his head said that she was. The rest of him was almost desperate to get out of here. But he forced his feet to stand firm and nodded. "I'll be here."

She smiled at him. It was a striking smile. She turned on those fancy boots of hers and walked to stand in front of a wall. After talking to it for a moment, the wall turned into a door and she disappeared inside of it.

He waited patiently, his hands in his pockets. Although he almost felt like getting away from here, he really felt it was worth his while to wait for her.

About fifteen minutes later, she returned. She looked surprised to see him standing there.

"You don't have to look so shocked," he sputtered.

"I'm sorry," she said, smiling at him. She was blushing. It really turned her face to a gentle shade of pink. It was sort of endearing if he thought about it.

She watched as he tilted his head, pretending to be deep in thought. "You don't have to be sorry," he said in that strong accent of his. "I do need to prove there are a few gentlemen left in this world."

She laughed as they stepped back inside the elevator. As the doors closed, she called out, "Atrium".

"A gentleman, hmm?" she asked, teasing now. It was much easier ground to tease than to pretend to gauge his reaction. "I didn't think any of those existed."

He looked hurt, or maybe he was just faking it. "Maybe I'll have to work hard to prove we do."

She grinned at him. It was even prettier than just her normal smile. "I guess you will."

The doors opened and the pair walked out into the Atrium.

"Are you expected wherever you are going?" he asked suddenly as she made a beeline for the usual queue.

"Um, actually, yeah," she admitted, ducking her head slightly.

"Why do you do that?" he asked softly.

"Do what?" she asked, glancing back up at him.

"That's what I like to see," he said, reaching out and touching her arm. "You don't ever have to look down to me."

She smiled slightly. "I'm really glad I met you, you know that? And I'm really glad that you don't think of me as some groupie."

"I have those," he said with an exasperated look. "But pretty Yankee girls... you don't see those everyday."

She blushed. He'd called her a pretty Yankee girl. "I really should be going," she said, finding that her mouth had gone dry again. "Harry's really expecting me to get back."

"He's lucky to have you for a sister," Oliver said with that devastating smile of his. She felt her knees turn to water and forced herself to look away. She didn't look down, just away.

He still hadn't let go of her arm.

There was an awkward silence. She felt strange, standing here as people cycled around them. His hand still hadn't left her arm. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable when she realized something. He still hadn't stopped looking at her. "What?" she asked curiously.

"You're cute even when you're nervous," he said with a teasing smile. "You should probably get back to Harry."

She nodded and joined the back of the queue. He stood by her side, glancing around. "Where are you staying?"

"The Burrow," she replied. "It's a fantastic house."

"I've never been there, but I've heard stories," he replied. "Mainly from Charlie Weasley."

"You know Charlie?" she gasped, gazing at him in a new light. "You must know Harry!"

"Of course I know him," Oliver replied, waving his hand aside. "He and I were on the same Quidditch team together."

"Now I'm going to have to learn about that sport," she said sadly.

"It may not be as bad as you think," he teased.

She had reached the front of the queue. Taking out her own tiny pot of Floo powder, she scooped the last bit into her hand and turned to face the one person who'd made her heart race all of this past week. She felt sad, as though she were grown up and saying goodbye to a first crush. "It really was great to meet you, Oliver," she said sincerely.

"It was good to meet you too, Elizabeth," he said, his eyes shining.

He'd said her name. She grinned as she moved in front of her fireplace, casting the handful inside. "Call me Buffy," she told him as she stepped inside.

The last view she had before she shouted "The Burrow" was of that smile of his.

On the other side of the Atrium, a single figure had watched the entire encounter. His eyebrows had lifted in surprise when he'd seen the two talking. His arm had been on hers and he hadn't moved it. And they had shared a few laughs and a couple of smiles.

Percy waited patiently for Oliver to leave before he moved across the marble-tiled floor.

He hadn't been completely blind. He could see that his brothers cared for the young Potter woman. But there had been a noticeable difference between the light flirting between his brothers and her these past few days.

And now he knew the reason why.

- - - - -

Harry had been waiting for his sister to return. She did that afternoon, looking a bit red in the face. Harry intercepted her almost immediately. "So?" he asked, his voice on edge.

"I'm in," she said with a triumphant grin. He hugged her and she held him back, glad he didn't ask about the fact she was blushing brightly.

He pulled back and looked up at her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm great," she said, threading her arm through his as they walked back outside. "Where's everyone else?"

He gestured lamely to where several figures could be seen through the branches of the trees. "On broomsticks. Where else would they be?"

Harry led her up to the top of the hill, where the others touched down upon seeing her again. "Hi, all!" she said cheerfully, joining Hermione on the pitch. She had a large stack of books to her right and appeared to be marking pages inside each of them.

"It's wittle Harry and teeny tiny," Fred joked, his eyes shining as he glanced at the Potter girl. She raised her eyebrows slightly but didn't reply at first.

"I'll give you a teeny and a tiny," she growled. Hermione giggled next to her. Harry lifted his Firebolt and the five rose back into the air, tossing apples back and forth.

"Hey, Potter, fancy flying?"

She tried to laugh, but it died in her throat. "No, thanks Ron... I think I'll keep my feet where they are, thanks."

"Oh, come on," Harry said, landing quickly and jogging to where his older sister sat. "If you're going to be a student, you might as well act like one."

She wrapped her arms tighter around her legs, setting her position firmly. She shook her head. "There's no way..."

But her words were drowned out by the twins, who had overheard Harry's remark about Buffy being a student and had landed on either side of him. "Awwwww," Fred said, grinning, "teeny tiny's going to Hogwarts."

Buffy rolles her eyes. They'd been calling her Teeny and Tiny since she'd gotten up the day before. It was starting to get a bit old, really.

"Teeny's going to have to learn to ride a broomstick," George said in a mock-baby tone.

"Tiny needs to be watered, and fed, and..."

"If you two don't stop, you'll both be rolling down that hill," Buffy warned threateningly.

"Teeny's got a bite," George said, pausing a moment.

They were trying to provoke her, she gathered. She held her ground up until they both tackled her onto the ground and lifted her up, having her pinned by the arms. "That wasn't a smart move," she said in a threatening voice as they dragged her across the hill.

"No," Harry agreed. "It wasn't."

But she wasn't fighting back, he thought with surprise. They'd both be on their backsides by now if it were a good day. She just allowed herself to be dragged to the waiting broomstick.

"Accio!" Fred bellowed, pointing his wand toward the broomstick lying on the grass. It flew right into his hand.

This was all the time Buffy needed. She grabbed onto the hilt of the broom and twisted it, easily throwing Fred off of her. George, taken aback, jumped away and tripped back over his own broomstick. As she turned to help him up, Fred attacked her from behind, sending them both tumbling back down the hill.

They finally landed as he easily pinned her. She tried to catch her breath and noticed there was a strange look in his eyes now. She heard the others running towards them. "Teeny's lost her bark," he said, his face suddenly turning serious.

Her heart was starting to race again. She knew she could easily overtake him, but the thought hadn't occurred to her yet. She just gazed back into his eyes until she heard a loud catcall from behind them. She easily turned him over, pinning him beneath her. "Haven't lost my bite," she grinned, standing up and taking a few steps back. He rose too, looking slightly flustered.

George arrived, bonking his brother on the back of his head with the end of his broomstick. Fred was red, but it was nothing compared to how pink George was. They were both staring at her.

"That was pretty good, Tiny," George said appraisingly. "You look like you got run over by grass, but that was still pretty good."

She beamed at him. "So... flying, eh? You might as well teach me, unless you want to wrestle some more."

"I'll take you on anyday," Fred said, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

But, as Buffy climbed back up the hill to wait for the twins, she felt even more confused. There was definitely something there that hadn't been there before. Of course, she was growing friendlier with the entire Weasley family. They were becoming like a second family to her.

What scared her was the fact that she felt this way.

It really was a different place, she thought. At first, she had felt nothing but a strong desire to follow around someone who normally wouldn't give her the time of day. But after today...

Harry joined her, seeing the confused expression on her face. "Is something wrong?" he asked her softly.

"I don't think I can do this," she replied, glancing at him before turning to the twins who had joined them, both grinning evilly. "Sorry, guys. I need to take a raincheck on this."

"A what?" George asked.

"We'll have to do it again some other time," she said, quickly smiling at the entire group. "I think I'm going to lie down for awhile. That dreaded Ministry keeps draining me every single time."

She returned to the room she was staying in and changed her clothes again. As she walked back towards her bed, she saw several books on Ginny's nightstand.

Quidditch books.

Curiously, she moved and selected the top one, and returned to her bed, sitting down crosslegged. She opened up the front cover and grinned as she saw seven robed players standing on the edge of a green field, waving with one hand while holding their broomsticks firmly with the other.

Several hours later, she felt someone prodding her. "Wake up, wake up," a quiet voice was repeating over and over.

Buffy opened her eyes groggily and sat up, the Quidditch book sliding from her lap and onto the floor. "Ginny," she yawned, stretching. "I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your reading material."

"Quidditch, hmm?" Ginny asked curiously, setting the book on her own bed. "Anyway, Mum's been calling us down for dinner."

"Right," Buffy said, standing up and stretching some more. Her eyes traveled around the dimly lit room until she saw a butterbeer bottle with a few large white flowers in it. "Where'd that come from?"

"Your admirers," Ginny smirked as she followed Buffy from her bedroom. She paused a moment. "He really likes you, you know. They both do. They wouldn't be provoking you like that if they didn't."

"I know," Buffy said, thinking of Fred and the way he'd looked at her. Ginny seemed to be reading her mind.

"Come on," she said, a bit of concern in her voice. "Mum hates it when dinner gets cold on her guests."

Buffy realized how she was dressed the instant she walked into the Kitchen. All of the Weasleys and Harry were still in their casual Muggle clothes. Buffy was still wearing the type of clothing she had worn all summer in California. She sat down with an embarrassed giggle and reached for her goblet of pumpkin juice.

She ate dinner quietly, listening to the talk at the table which had, unsurprisingly, turned to Quidditch.

She noticed that one person wasn't even entering the conversation. She eyed Percy warily from across her plate. He had been staring at her with a strange look all throughout the meal. And the instant the siblings dispersed, he stalked upstairs.

She followed him, hearing her name called behind her but not turning back.

"Percy Weasley," she said, finally catching up to him and taking him by the arm.

He turned around to look at her. There was that strange light again. "You shouldn't be here," he said in a strange voice, as though something were clogged in his throat.

She let go of his arm. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered quickly.

He was still staring at her. "I saw you with him today."

She froze, slowly turning back to him. "You saw me with Oliver Wood?" she asked softly. He nodded. "Well, that would explain your silence."

"I wasn't spying on you," Percy said with a sigh. "But when he came and asked if I knew you... I just knew. And the reason I didn't say anything was because I know how my brothers look at you. I can see it in your face, too."

"What could you tell about Wood?" she asked, crossing her arms and feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"I don't think you need me to answer that question, Elizabeth."

"It's Buffy," she said easily, leaning her shoulder against the wall. "Did... did you say anything to him about me?"

"No," he said honestly. "I really didn't know. But I can see it in your face now, too."

She started giggling. "I made a fool of myself last week in front of him," she said, her giggles dying away. "He probably suspects that I'm just a stalker." A hint of saddness crossed her face. "It doesn't really matter anyway. It's not as though I'll be seeing him again."

"Why not?"

Damn him, she thought. His pompous attitude was going to get him into trouble someday. Although she didn't really know what he had done to Harry, she still thought of him as a bit of an arrogant git.

She winced. She was beginning to sound more and more like a Brit everyday.

"He's a Quidditch star who's traveling everywhere and I'm Hogwarts-bound in the next few weeks. It kind of makes me look like a stalker," she said, trying to sound lighthearted.

"Don't you ever put yourself down like that," Percy said, gazing at her. "You're better than you think. Not to mention that you're the sister of the boy-who-lived."

"I bet you just get a kick out of telling everyone at work that they're both staying at your house," she said with a lopsided grin.

"A kick?" he asked in confusion. She waved the matter aside, gesturing aimlessly. He shook his head, clearing it. "The point is, Elizabeth, you need to get some confidence about yourself in this world. You'll be attending Hogwarts as an upperclasswoman. And you'll be needing to watch over Harry."

"Sounds like I have my work cut out for me," she sighed, dropping her head against the wall. "Well, I always thought life was going to be harder after high school."

He smiled at her. The look in his eyes was a little sad. "I feel like my brothers have wasted their youth on jokes and tricks. Although that is what they want to do with their lives. You have an open road in front of you. Only you can choose the way to get there."

"I guess if that means becoming a psychotic stalker," she said with a teasing smile, easily back on normal ground.

"Don't kid yourself," Percy said as he opened the door to his bedroom. "It's not everyday that a young man comes calling to ask about a woman. You must have done something pretty special."

"I nearly killed a Quidditch player," Buffy admitted. "But... thanks, Perce."

She turned to walk back toward her own room.

"Elizabeth?" he called out softly.

She turned back and smiled at him. There was a question written all over his smug face. She sighed a bit. "Good night, Percy."

"Good night."

She returned to her room and found Ginny and Hermione in conversation. They stopped talking as she walked in, closing the door quietly behind her.

"Oh, carry on," she said cheerfully, eyeing the book that Ginny had put back on her bed. "I'm just going to read for a bit."

"We wanted to talk to you about that," Hermione said.

"We've just been talking about this," Ginny admitted when Buffy looked at them in surprise. "But this was all Hermione's idea."

"Thanks," Hermione said, glancing at Ginny before shaking her head and turning her attention back to the blonde-haired girl. "I was thinking and Ginny agreed with me that we should start tutoring you before you go to Hogwarts. That way, there won't be so much culture shock."

She nearly dropped the Quidditch book she'd been eagerly anticipating returning to. "Oh?" she asked in surprise.

"Well," Ginny began, "Hermione is the most clever Witch in the school. I can teach you all about hexes. Harry is bloody brilliant with the Defense Against the Dark Arts things..." As she said this, a bright red flush crept up her neck, looking as though she were slowly boiling. "Fred and George can teach you pranks, which aren't quite as useful. And Ron's quite good with everything."

"It'd be nice to learn about all of this stuff," Buffy said vaguely, flipping through the book on her lap until she'd reached the page she'd fallen asleep on.

"Why the sudden interest in Quidditch?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Oh," Buffy said, waving her hand, "I figured I could learn it from a book."

Hermione looked slightly triumphant while Ginny gasped incredulously. "Book-learned Quidditch?" she echoed.

Buffy knew she wasn't convincing anyone. She marked her page and set the book aside. "I just want to read up on it," she said casually. "In case I meet someone completely addicted to Quidditch."

"Like Charlie," Ginny asked with a giggle. "He could have played for England had he not gone off chasing dragons. Fred and George love it, too. They were beaters. Ron and I both play for our house team. And Harry will, too, once he gets the lifelong ban removed."

"He was banned from Quidditch?" Buffy asked, startled.

Ginny nodded sadly. "That bat Umbridge," she said, cursing under her breath. "That woman had no common sense. She was just downright evil to Harry. And to the rest of us."

Hermione was scowling but said nothing.

Buffy's gaze once again fell on the white flowers. "These are lovely," she admitted, pulling down the makeshift vase and breathing in the soft scent. "Your brothers are really sweet, Ginny."

"I think that's their way of telling you you're all right," Ginny replied seriously. She paused a moment. "I think one of the twins likes you."

This she had been expecting. "Fred, right?" she asked, setting the vase back down and casting a longing eye at the book.

Ginny was shaking her head. "Nah. He thinks you're swell and all. And he may like you like that, but the person I'm talking about is his opposite."

"George," Buffy whispered. They hadn't had nearly as much contact as her and Fred usually did. When they weren't tackling each other down hills or throwing things at one another, they were tossing back mock-insults and sparring.

George was quieter and he seemed more concerned about her than Fred did. She was truly surprised to hear this and kept thinking to herself until Hermione burst out, as though she'd been quite curious to know, "Do you like him, too?"

Buffy thought about this for a moment. Fred and George were absolutely wonderful to be around. But the truth of it was, ever since her chance meeting with a certain former student that morning, a tiny piece of herself had already been given away. And although she didn't know if she'd ever see him again, she couldn't deny that she felt something. "There is something there," Buffy admitted. That there was. There were definitely sparks, which Buffy could chalk up to just normal teenage hormones. "But I don't know if I like him like that."

It was an honest answer, she thought to herself happily.

"Do you like Fred?" Hermione pressed, looking excited.

"You guys really don't get enough gossip around here, do you?" Buffy laughed.

"There's only so many times I can tease Ginny about Harry," Hermione said playfully.

Buffy shook her head, giggling. "Honestly, Hermione. Ginny could just as well be teasing you."

That quieted her up. She snapped her mouth shut, looking wounded.

"But if you were wondering, and I think by asking me that you are..." Buffy said slowly. She paused, not knowing whether or not to tell them. Percy already knew, and although she hadn't bothered to figure out how they knew each other, she knew she'd find out soon enough. "I met him at the Ministry last week. He's an interesting character, I'll give you that much. I've seen him three times now. But I bet he thinks I'm just a groupie."

"You like Percy?" Ginny asked in a mortified whisper.

"Is that why you followed him up from dinner?" Hermione gasped.

"Oh, this is going to break George's heart," Ginny whimpered.

"Fred's too."

Buffy couldn't help herself. She started laughing so hard that she drowned out their voices. It took a quick beating from Hermione's pillow to pull herself together again. She straightened, wiping tears from her eyes. "It isn't Percy. But it's someone he knows."

"That can't ever be good," Hermione said, looking equally worried as though it were as bad as liking Percy.

"Percy isn't all that bad!" Buffy insisted. "He's quite nice... just a little arrogant."

"A little?" Ginny asked incredulously. "Come on, Buffy... seriously! Who is he?"

"You have to promise me you won't tell a soul, including your parents, your brothers and especially Harry," Buffy said, leaning closer to the both of them. "I'll tell him when I'm ready."

"Cut the drama already," Hermione said, shaking her head in disbelief. "We promise already. Who is it?"

"Oliver Wood."

They both looked at each other, and then melted into laughter. "We know him too!" Hermione said, her voice full of relief. "For a moment, we thought you were going to talk about one of Percy's Prefect friends."

"Err, Prefect?" Buffy asked in confusion.

"They're sort of like guardians over the houses," Ginny explained quickly. "I can't believe you never told us this before. Hermione knew him better. But he was in Percy's year. They shared the same room."

That explained why Percy knew him, Buffy thought.

"What can you tell me about him?" she asked casually.

"Loads," Ginny said, moving to sit on Hermione's bed so that they were closer together. "But I think I'll let Hermione start because I think she knows what you want to hear."

- - - - -

Chapter 16... Buffy takes on London.

Chapter 17... Meanwhile, in Sunnydale...

Author's Note / To the Reviewers:

You people who suggested this pairing? I blame you. It's all your fault. My beta liked your idea. And she helped me come up with this. Whether or not it pans out at all... heh.

Faith isn't Sirius' daughter... just thought I'd share that bit. It's a bit more complex than this. And Giles isn't the DADA teacher... because that would be too easy. Buffy isn't going to be overly powerful because she doesn't want to draw attention to herself... so she's going to have to give something hard up.

Wow. Fifteen chapters and we're in the second week of August. This story is going to turn up longer than even I thought it could get. I'm looking at two more summery chapters. Maybe three. I haven't planned it out completely yet.

I'm glad you guys have likes what you've read so far. I only hope this keeps getting better!

My weekend was fantastic, but I missed writing. I was going to do a double update, but I think I'll update again tomorrow or early Tuesday morning. Have a fantastic night!