Chapter 23
Closet Associations
- - - - -
Buffy was running through a long, dark tunnel. She could see flashes of light all around her, as though a strobe was pulsating behind her someplace. Once in a few flashes she could see a dark figure moving stealthily away from her. Loud music was playing overhead, some techno music with a solid, throbbing beat.
"I've got you now," she muttered under her breath as she continued to run.
She caught up to the figure and felt him buckle under her weight. As they crashed to the ground, he turned in her arms, and she saw herself glancing into the face of a vampire.
He kicked out and she fell back against the wall. Blue lights were pulsating now. With a small cry, she bent down and kicked out, sweeping his feet from under him. As he fell backwards back onto the cold ground, she knelt on top of him, her legs pressing down hard on his knees, the stake pressing hard into his heart.
"Gotcha," she said with a grin, straightening up.
The dream faded away as Buffy opened her eyes and glanced around. She was lying in her four-poster bed, surrounded by silky red curtains. Pushing her hair from her face, she sat up and pushed the curtains aside, putting her feet on the cold floor.
"Damn," she hissed, drawing her feet back and eyeing the floor hopefully for a pair of shoes. Once she located a pair, she pulled them on over her bare feet and stood up.
The room itself was cold, which did nothing for her dark red nightgown, which barely fell to her knees. The rest of her roommates were still sleeping and when she glanced at the clock, Buffy saw that it was just after six in the morning. Dressing quietly, she grabbed her Transfigurations textbook and jogged down into the Common Room.
Hermione was already at breakfast when Buffy arrived a little after seven. She decided to sit with her new friend, since most of the seventh years were still in the Common Room.
"Good morning, Hermione!" she chirped as she sat down, pulling various dishes towards her.
"Good morning," Hermione said happily, looking up from her Potions reading. "You're in a good mood this morning!"
"I actually slept good last night," Buffy replied, reaching for a pot of coffee. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see you," she purred to her cup while Hermione giggled.
Harry and Ron soon joined them, both looking slightly disheveled. "Good morning, you," Harry said, surprised to see Buffy sitting with Hermione. He gave her a brief hug from behind before sitting next to her. Ron took the seat next to Hermione so the four were sitting in a boxed pattern.
"Oh, look, the mail's here!" Ron said, pointing up to the hundreds of owls now streaming inside.
Buffy glanced up, her eyes searching for a beautiful black owl. The one she didn't see was Hedwig, who soared down to Harry. As Buffy was helping Harry with his snowy white, Onyx landed on top of Hermione's head with a sarcastic bit of hooting.
"Onnie!" Buffy gasped as the owl flew reluctantly to her arm while Hermione tried to fix her hair back up the best she could. "That wasn't very nice! Leave poor Hermione alone!"
But Onyx was carrying a single letter in a pretty blue envelope. She blushed slightly as she set Onyx down on the table. She ruffled her tail feathers and turned her back on her owner, picking her way through a platter of bacon. When Harry attempted to reach for some, Onyx leaned over, nipping his fingers a bit harder than necessary.
"Your owl has an attitude," Harry said, nursing his fingers while Buffy opened her envelope.
"That's Onyx for you," Buffy said darkly as she pulled out a pretty page of light blue parchment. "Ah!" she gasped, dropping the envelope as though it had burned her.
"Who is that from?" Ron asked curiously, leaning over the table.
"No one," Buffy replied. But from what he could see of her face buried behind the parchment, it was turning pink.
Harry glanced at his sister. "Who is it from?" he demanded, laughing. "Please don't tell me it's Percy writing you love letters."
Buffy sighed and passed him the letter. "If you must know..." she sighed dramatically.
Harry took it. He read it. And he dropped it.
"What?" he asked in a thunderstruck voice. "You and... and..."
Buffy just grinned at him and picked up her coffee cup. "Cheers, Harry."
Harry turned with his jaw still dropped to Hermione. "You knew about this, didn't you!"
Hermione just smiled patiently at him.
Ron was still looking confused. "Who is it from?"
"It's a love letter..." Harry said, a strange look on his face as he passed Ron the letter. Ron took it, almost afraid Buffy would object, but she said nothing. "... from Oliver Wood."
Ron's eyes widened as he put the letter aside. "That day in Diagon Alley..."
"Wood and Wood's wannabe," Buffy said, paraphrasing Draco Malfoy slightly. "So, yeah, Malfoy was right." She saw the incredulous look on Harry's face and sighed. "I'm sorry I left you in the dark, Harry, but you have to admit, you're not all 'Joe, here's what I'm thinking' either. I don't even know if you commiserate with any members of the opposite sex that isn't a Weasley or a Granger."
Ron looked even more confused though he now knew what Buffy had been hiding. "Who's Joe?"
"It doesn't matter," Hermione told him before turning back to Harry. "She's right, you know. You haven't even told her about Cho. Or Parvati."
"Don't remind me," Harry said with a disgusted look on his face.
"Ooooh," Buffy said in a sweet voice, turning to her little brother and looping an arm over his shoulders. "My little brother's love life has been more active than mine ever was..."
"Hardly," Harry said dryly. "Parvati was a girl I asked to the Yule Ball out of sheer desperation. And Cho was... my first girlfriend."
"And first kiss," Ron prodded him, grinning madly.
"And first kiss," Harry repeated quietly. "And a first of a lot of other things." A dark look crossed his face.
Buffy was watching him, a small smile on her face. "Considering I had my first real relationship when I was sixteen, I suppose that sounds about right. Should I be worried about those other things?"
Harry just gave her a pained look and didn't say anything.
Hermione chose to keep quiet, although she and Ginny already knew about Angel.
"As for Oliver and I... I met him during my first visit to the Ministry. I've seen him there a few times on--"
"So that's why you kept going back!" Ron gasped, glee spreading across his face. "Just wait till I tell Fred and George! They'll never stop teasing you!"
"That's why Percy knew," Harry said, keeping his eyes on his sister's face. "Are you two... dating?"
"Me and Percy?" Buffy asked, putting a hand to her throat indignantly. "Oh, God, no. As for Oliver and I... we've had two proper dates, if you choose to call them that. One was in London that day I went and did all that stuff. He was the second half of the 'we' I talked about. And then, of course, Diagon Alley. As for the whole 'dating' thing, well, I don't know yet. I wouldn't mind trying it out, but I don't know how he feels about something that serious and... this talk is really stupid!"
Hermione nodded in agreement. "I think men have sensitivity as thick as a toothpick at times."
But Harry wasn't passing through the first topic any time soon.
"You've been dating the old Captain of the House Quidditch team behind my back?" Harry asked faintly.
Buffy nodded. "Pretty much, yeah." She saw the look on his face and sighed. "Look, Harry... this is like the third best thing that's happened to me since I got to this bloody country. The first being the fact I met you and the second best thing was the fact that people like the Weasleys and Hermione exist..." she turned to Ron with a charming smile. "I will tell you I've liked that boy from the moment I saw him."
"And he obviously likes you," Ron said, glancing blankly down at the letter lying open and face-up on the table.
Before Buffy could reply, a second owl landed in front of her. Onyx turned around in annoyance and took off into the air, the tips of her wings clipping the new bird, whom Buffy recognized immediately as Hermes.
"Percy's sending you owls now?" Harry asked in an incredulous voice as Buffy removed the letter from Hermes and offered the bird her goblet of orange juice.
Buffy shrugged and opened the letter from Percy. It wasn't very long.
Buffy -
I just wanted to let you know that Minister Fudge wants to see you again. I don't know if he'll come to Hogwarts or if he'll ask you to return to the Ministry. It seems that we've been made well aware of a problem in your Council. I'll write you again if I can find out any information.
Yours,
Percy
"Yours?" Harry asked, smirking at his sister, who just shrugged and reached for her juice now that Hermes had followed Onyx back outside.
"He's my friend, Harry," she said breezily, glancing down at her empty plate and taking the letter from Ron and tucking it inside her Defense Against the Dark Arts text carefully. She could probably read it again before her first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, which she had a double section of following breakfast. "See you all at lunch!"
She rose and walked over to where the other seventh years were getting ready to go to class. Since only Emma, Katie and one of her other roommates named Tess had that class, the four walked to the room together.
"I wonder what Professor Pryce is like," Emma said as the four girls walked down a long corridor.
"As long as he's nicer than Snape, I'll be happy," Buffy replied quietly as she pulled her bag higher on her shoulder.
"I heard from the fourth years that Professor Pryce is quite intelligent. He knows his remedies, that's for sure. Started teaching them about curses, ala Moody," Tess said, shaking her long dark hair from her eyes.
"You mean the guy pretending to be Moody so he could just kill Harry," Katie pointed out, completely forgetting the fact that Harry's sister was with them and she hadn't had an idea that something like this has happened.
"What?" Buffy asked, taking Katie by the arm and stopping her. "What's this about a guy pretending to be Moody just so he could kill my brother?"
"Ask Harry," Emma said, laying her own hand on Buffy's opposite arm. "I'm sure he'll tell you all of those grim details."
"Can't you guys just give me the promo?" she asked, hurrying to catch up with them now as they paused in the queue in front of the heavy door leading to their Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. The door finally opened and they all walked in.
"You want a promo on Professor Moody?" Emma asked. "He taught us all this fantastic dark arts stuff. It turns out he's a Death Eater who went completely insane and tried to kill your brother after the Triwizard Tournament two years ago. Not that Umbridge wasn't much better, of course..."
Buffy took a seat next to Emma, while Katie and Tess sat together at the table behind them, giggling. When Emma turned to whisper back at her two good friends, Buffy pulled out the letter from Oliver and read it through again.
Buffy --
I hope your first week at Hogwarts is going well. I remember how scared I was my first week, but I can't begin to imagine what you're going through. All of those students will be asking you if you're really real.
I know you're real, Potter. I just hope you're not gaining any unwelcome attention, especially from those male Slytherins. I don't want to be all possessive, but for some odd reason I just feel like I should be.
I'll definitely be seeing you again, even if it is a few weeks away. I think I'd wait a year just to hear you laugh at me that way again. I think you know what I'm talking about...
All my best,
Oliver
She heard giggling behind her and quickly folded the letter back up, stuffing it inside of her bag. Emma had apparently just told some joke and the rest of the seventh-year Gryffindors were laughing. Emma quickly repeated the joke for Buffy and although she really didn't understand it, she giggled all the same. It seemed to be funnier the second time around since Tess fell off her chair, gasping for breath and pounding the floor with her shoes.
The door banged open. The laughter immediately died on Buffy's lips as a tall, distinguished figure hustled into the classroom, the door slamming hard behind him.
"Well, well, well," the man said in a cold voice, putting his wand on his desk and crossing his arms. Cold dark eyes stared at every face around the room. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Lincoln Pryce. This class is one of the largest classes that I have been asked to teach. It is in my hopes that by the end of this year you will all be able to complete your written and practical Defense Against the Dark Arts N.E.W.T. exam. If you do not, I will be most disappointed. We will be working on many practical levels in this classroom. If you feel you cannot follow my simple instructions, you will be asked to leave and your name will be withdrawn from this class. I have no time for silly antics." His cold eyes met Emma's, who's laughter died in her throat. "I will not hesitate to deduct points from pointless answers to my simple questions. Before we begin the lesson, it is perhaps best we know more about you. Being the oldest students, you most likely know one another, but since I haven't a clue who you all are, it would be best this way. Name, House and if you could answer the simple question on what you think is the most important lesson you can learn from this class, well... Then we shall be on our way."
He picked up his wand and pointed it to a pretty dark-haired Ravenclaw who was sitting with the rest of the Ravenclaws in desks on the left side of the classroom.
"You may begin, my dear."
"Cho Chang," the girl said in a loud voice. "I'm in Ravenclaw and I think the most important thing we can do is learn how to protect ourselves from you-know-who."
"Very well, Miss Chang," he said, turning the wand to the girl sitting next to her. "And you?"
Buffy was focusing on the Ravenclaw who had just spoken. Her name was Cho Chang. Harry's first girlfriend's name had been Cho. She was openly curious now about if this girl had been Harry's girlfriend when she heard Emma talk next to her.
"Emma Vance, Gryffindor," she said in a loud voice. "I think the most important thing we can learn is any skills we need to advance our future employments."
"Good, good," Professor Pryce said, turning to the girl sitting next to her. "Continue, Miss..."
"Potter," Buffy said in a strong voice. "Elizabeth Potter. I'm in Gryffindor." She paused. "The most important thing we can learn from this class is how to be prepared for this war."
"Miss... Potter..." the man said, his eyes narrowing as he studied her quietly for a moment. "Miss Potter. Very well. And you?"
Katie opened her mouth and started to speak. Buffy felt a bit odd at being singled out by a Professor she'd just met.
Once the Slytherins in the back of the room had introduced themselves, Professor Pryce pointed his wand at the board. The entire blackboard was suddenly full of silver lettering. "Copy this down, all of you. The first topic we will cover is the origins of supernatural beings. The rest of the class objectives are there. I will not list them for you, assuming you all know how to read."
Buffy quickly copied down the notes on a page of parchment before he tapped the board again and the lettering disappeared.
The next hour of class was spent in discussion on different mystical creatures, from the unicorn and centaur to the wicca. Buffy couldn't wait to read the material he'd assigned. She stood up when the bell rang and was just putting her books into her bag when the Professor called her back.
"You wanted to see me, Sir?" she asked him, pulling her bag back onto her shoulder and tucking her hair behind her ear.
"I did," he said, climbing the steps to his office. Once inside, he offered her a chair. She took it. "I do believe you have a free period until lunch now, am I correct?"
She nodded. "You are, sir."
"I do not believe in cover-ups, Miss Potter," the Professor said, sitting down behind his desk. "I will not lie to you because I know how it feels to be hidden from the truth. You were once an American girl who just happened to be handed a new destiny on a black platter. You have found yourself caught up in the world of magic and I understand it will be overwhelming." He paused. "I was alerted to the fact that you are indeed one of the two Slayers. The other one is in California and currently under the custody of my son."
Buffy's jaw dropped. "Your... son...?"
"Wesley Windham-Pryce," the man replied, folding his hands and peering at the younger girl curiously. "I do believe you have met him before. He was such a smashing child in his youth but I am afraid his affinity for learning the trade from his father has gone unnoticed. He is what you would call 'wet behind the ears'. From what the Council has told me, my son will not be keeping his position as a Watcher for much longer. The Slayer is too far from his realm of control."
"Oh, my God..."
"I will not alert the Council to your presence here, because I do not believe they have the right to rule out over anything which happens in this world," Professor Pryce replied crisply. "I do not agree with the theories or the administration that Quentin Travers has been running, but with my lack of power I am unable to do anything about it. If, in the future, you decide you wish to have my blessings, you can do whichever you choose."
"Well, I'm glad," Buffy said with a half smile. "If I had any choice, I would bomb the bastards."
"I can understand your hostilities," the man said, smiling at her serenely. "The only reason I have remained in this world is because of a favor I owe to a friend who lost his life many years ago. He made me promise I would do this, and thus I will fulfill my oath and complete this year and teach. I just wanted things to be clear between us, Miss Potter. I will not inform anyone nor will I hint to anyone of your position because this will be unfair for you. We will not study vampires in my class nor will we cover any information regarding the Slayer. I assume your brother knows what you are because that is one thing you may not have been able to withhold from him."
She nodded. "I told him a few weeks ago, Sir." She paused, wondering whether or not to tell him anything else. She decided she could trust this man who was laying all of his own cards on the table. "And some of his friends know, too. I think it's best since I was living with them over the summer."
"That was probably for the best," Professor Pryce continued in his strong, edgy voice. "I must say that this year will be something quite unexpected. I will have a Slayer to teach and one who knows little magic at this. When Minister Fudge first asked me to take this class since the Headmaster here was having difficulties filling this position, I was only too happy to oblige. It has been a long time since I taught a class and I have quite missed it. And while I have been employed in the Watcher's Council for as long as I can remember, I will not pretend I agree with all of their practices and methods. As a matter of fact, if you wish to have an official Watcher on board, I can act as such. I know you wish for your skills to remain hidden and without your former Watcher in England, I can act as one. I know how fond you were of Rupert and as I had remained one of his few contacts in England during these past few months, I will be happy to take over the care for you until he arrives."
Now Buffy definitely knew he was being honest with her. Giles had mentioned he had contact with only one Watcher. Knowing that the man in front of her was this trusted person made her feel she could trust him that much more. An inane sense of caution struck her suddenly and instead of handing him her spleen on a silver platter, she decided to move things more slowly.
"You want to be my Watcher?" Buffy asked in a hushed voice. "I mean, I really don't need one..."
"You need someone to watch your back in the time of turmoil," Professor Pryce replied, and for the first time, he regarded Buffy as though he was regarding his granddaughter. "When the battle really comes down to it, Miss Potter, you will be unable to turn the other way. I know Slayers, Elizabeth. I have been training them for forty years. They will see a battle and they will fight it. I have been informed of your brother's position in this war. He must fight in it. Your parents were destroyed by the same power that is threatening to destroy this world now. You cannot walk away from this."
"The Council has threatened my brother's life," Buffy said harshly. "If they were to ever come after him, I would act then. I can't do something that will put his life into jeopardy..." She broke off as the emotion overcame her. She looked away, seething.
"He has been targeted by a known killer," Professor Pryce said, a cold pale finger touching his chin thoughtfully as he gazed at the younger woman. "He has managed to hold his own for sixteen years now. You are a Slayer, Elizabeth. You have the power to do great things if only you would become who you were chosen to be." He could see that her emotions were empowering her decisions and realized that she was indeed only human.
"I can't," Buffy said softly. "Not now. Not yet. There's too much risk..." She blinked and looked away, suddenly feeling she was appearing weak in front of a man who had just offered something completely illegal that could cost him his life. "But when I choose what I want to do, you'll be the first to know."
"All I can ask of you is that you think about it seriously," Professor Pryce said with a small smile. He stood up and offered her his hand. "I do believe we are done here. It was a pleasure meeting you, Elizabeth Potter."
"Please," she said, shaking his hand as she stood up, "call me Buffy."
He nodded and she left his office.
She was glad she had a free period. She had Charms with the third years and Ancient Runes this afternoon, both classes she was still looking forward to. She was especially looking to ask Hermione about the liquid jewels in her necklace. She had crammed the box in her bag and was fully intending on showing the necklace to the brilliant younger girl.
What she didn't notice was that she was being followed from her other class on the way back to the Gryffindor common room. She suddenly stopped, hearing footfalls falling gently behind her. "Who's there?"
She heard a sound above her and dodged to the side just as a stack of walking sticks crashed down. A poltergeist was bobbing above her, blowing raspberries before soaring and disappearing through the ceiling.
"Bloody ghost," she muttered, keeping her hand over her fast-beating heart.
"Scared, Potter?" a voice asked teasingly from behind.
"They didn't tell me anything about the ghosts," Buffy said, pulling her hand away and turning to see Draco Malfoy walking towards her, his eyes narrowed into cruel slits. "What are you doing here, Malfoy? Aren't you supposed to be in bottle-feeding?"
"Like I'm going to tell you," he said sarcastically.
"So you have a freebie period, too," Buffy said, stepping gingerly over the fallen sticks before walking back down the corridor. She groaned inwardly when she heard Draco following her. "It's very attractive that you're playing my shadow."
"I'm just watching your backside," Draco sneered, coming up to her side again. "Besides, you're so much prettier than all this scenery."
"Thank you," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Now go away."
"Hold it, Potter," Draco said, hurrying to catch up with her again.
"What do you want?" she asked, turning on him so fast he nearly ran into her. "Can't you see I'm doing the dignified walk-away from the hoser?"
"The what?" he asked in confusion.
"Oh, my God," she moaned, moving away again.
He reached out and caught her arm. "Please, hold on a moment."
"You have exactly thirty seconds," she said in a bored voice, turning back to him. "You'd better start counting, because you're already down to twenty."
"You act like you're all haughty," he said, surveying her closely, "but you're just a little tigress at heart, aren't you, Potter? Another Gryffindor Potter," he spat out, as though it were a curse word.
She shrugged, looking suddenly bored. "Look, Malfoy, I would love to sit here and exchange insults with you all day, but why don't you go find someone else to play with? I'm busy."
"Your brother has been in trouble before, Potty," he said maliciously. "It's only a matter of time before you're both expelled."
"You don't scare me," she said in a bored voice. "I've been expelled before."
This time, he let her walk away and didn't follow. She smiled slightly as she heard him turn and walk in the opposite direction. "That was almost too easy," she said under her breath as she climbed the stairs.
Once in the Common Room, she sat down and read half a chapter from her Potions text. After an hour had passed, she rose and went down to lunch.
There were only a few students inside the Great Hall. She saw that Draco was staring at her, but she ignored him as she sat at the Gryffindor table, piling a bit of stew into a bowl. She knew her diet was in jeopardy with all of this fantastic food, but she didn't say anything.
Katie and Emma soon joined her, both of them laughing after their Divination class. "That was the biggest crock ever," Emma said with a sigh as she sat down on Buffy's right side. Katie sat down on the other side of Buffy, reaching for the same pot Buffy had. "How many times can you not predict the patterns between Venus and Mars? Gods, Firenze is confusing."
"Firenze?" Buffy asked curiously, dipping a bit of bread into her stew.
"The centaur," Katie said with a teasing grin. "He has got to me the most gorgeous... why do you have that silly little smile on her face?"
Buffy couldn't resist asking the question. "What exactly is a centaur?"
"Half-man and half-horse," Emma said in a dreamy voice. "And Firenze has the most amazing eyes."
Buffy tried to hide her smile, but she couldn't. It was almost torture for Buffy to admit something was up, but she finally managed to choke out, "I think we have different ideas for what makes for gorgeous."
"Does our little Potter have a little crush?" Emma teased gently.
"Maybe," Buffy said with a sunny smile. "Maybe I've already acted on it."
"Who is he?" Katie asked, leaning over to look at the other girl. "It is a he, right?"
Buffy giggled. "Of course. I think you already knew him from being on the Quidditch team and all."
"You are dating a Weasley?" Emma asked, a hint of awe in her voice.
Buffy just laughed harder. "Oh, no, no," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "It's not Fred or George, although they'd both admit I would be wrong. No..." She took a deep breath. "It's your old Captain."
A sudden light dawned in Katie's eyes. "Wow," she said softly. "You got Wood."
Buffy blushed as Katie's words, no matter how innocent they sounded, sunk into her mind. "Oh, thank you for those particular thoughts," she teased as the three girls melted into laughter again.
- - - - -
Buffy caught up with Hermione before Ancient Runes. She was slightly out of breath from taking several wrong turns on her way from Charms. It was confusing enough with the changing stairways. It was downright torture with those moving portraits sending her the wrong way two times out of three.
"Hermione," she greeted the younger girl, clutching a stitch in her side. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Sure," the younger girl said and the two pulled away slightly. Buffy pulled out the necklace and handed it over to the other girl.
"Can you tell me what this is?" she asked as Hermione held it up to the light.
"It's pretty," Hermione admitted.
"Those stones are liquid," Buffy replied, pointing this out.
"I can see that," Hermione said, studying the stones more carefully now. "We have to puncture one to see what exactly this fluid is. Can you meet me in the Potions room tonight?"
"I'm meeting Professor Snape there at seven."
"Oh, right," Hermione said, frowning. "How about tomorrow night?"
"I'll be there," Buffy assured her friend as they all walked into the classroom.
It was much different than Buffy expected. The Professor was very helpful in helping explain what the different symbols meant. After the lesson was over, Buffy arranged to have more tutoring lessons before leaving the room with Hermione.
"That wasn't bad," she said with an edge of a giggle. "It could have been worse."
The two girls made their way to dinner. Buffy sat once again with Harry, who looked at her with surprise. "Twice in one day? Your new friends are going to feel alienated."
"Not gonna happen," Buffy grinned as she peered at all of the dishes expelling delicious aromas around her. "What do I want to eat tonight?"
"Try these," Ron said, spooning some potatoes on her plate. "They're rosemary."
"Yum," Buffy said happily, tucking in.
"Our Buffy has been a busy girl," Hermione teased, watching as the other girl ate quickly so she wouldn't be late for her meeting with Professor Snape.
"Let's see," Buffy replied, swallowing and glancing up at the enchanted ceiling, where large cumulous clouds were puffing up and swirling away. "I have two private tutoring sessions, six classes and two free periods a week. Since I don't know the first thing about magic, I can say I'll be successfully busy the rest of the term."
"This has got to be fun for you," Harry teased as Buffy finished her dinner quickly.
"See you later?" she asked them as she rose and went off. Harry waved to his sister as she left the Great Hall behind.
It was a long walk to get down to the Potions dungeon, that was for certain. After taking a wrong turn twice and once again running into the poltergeist Hermione had identifed for her as Peeves, Buffy finally found the right door and knocked loudly.
"Come in," said a cold voice on the other side.
Buffy had nearly had her fill of cantankerous Professors already. Seeing Snape there with that look of purest loathing made her want to groan and then run run the other way.
But she found herself walking into his office. He closed the door behind them and they both sat down.
"Miss... Potter..." he said, giving her a cold, calculating look. Buffy tried desperately not to show that she was getting tired of being treated like some celebrity, but she knew she had to get used to it. After all, she wasn't supposed to exist. Her parents had made that clear enough in their journal they'd left for her.
"Professor," she said tiredly, with a quick bow of her head. He looked slightly surprised.
"You have shown me more respect in one lecture and the first minute of a meeting than your brother has shown me in six years," the Professor finally replied. "I was expecting you to be as troublesome and arrogant as your Father was."
"I have been taught to respect my elders," she said simply. "And it isn't like I really had a father, is it?"
He stared at her over his hook-shaped nose. "I suppose you cannot help who you've grown up with, can you?" he asked, sneering.
Buffy resisted the urge to just hit the man. He was supposed to be her Professor after all. "Can I ask you what this meeting is about?" she asked, adopting the same voice she used with Malfoy.
"You may," he replied, seeing the look on her face. "Eighteen years ago, I was a seventh-year Slytherin. A lot of rumors were going about the school, somewhat like they do today. The most infamous one was that your mother, Lily Evans, was pregnant."
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. She'd never met her parents, obviously. But talking about people she never knew that had supposedly given birth to her was making her feel on edge.
He sighed and stood up, opening a small cabinet behind his desk. From within it, he pulled out a small silvery pot. Bits of silver mist were swirling inside, and the faint sound of whispering filled the tiny office.
"What is that?" she asked in a hushed voice.
"A pensieve," Professor Snape replied, seeing the look of fascination on her face. "It stores one's memories."
"Does that have memories of my parents?" she asked, her voice still hushed. "Sir?" she added quickly.
"I don't have any good memories of your father," Snape replied brusquely. "But there was one conversation I had with your mother. It was in the days before I became a Death Eater."
It was the second time that day she'd heard that word. She didn't bother asking him what that meant. She would probably ask Harry later.
"She was singing this song and cooing to this baby girl. She made me promise I wouldn't tell anyone. If Voldemort had known you existed, he would have gone across the world to destroy you... Slayer or not." His lips twisted into an ironic grimace. "She asked me to tell you about her in the event she was dead by the time you finally found your true identity."
"Did you know her?" Buffy asked in a whisper.
Snape shook his head and gestured down to the pensieve. "I cannot say that we were friends, because I was truly someone I did not appreciate back then. I will say that certain members of a distinct Order found out you were truly alive in California. I figured it was only a matter of time before you returned to England. And here you are, sitting in front of me." He lifted his wand and prodded the silvery mist in the pensieve. "I will allow you access to these memories because of a promise I made to Lily eighteen years ago. If you are to act as Harry did last year, I will have to terminate your access."
"What did he see, Professor?" she asked him. Instead of curiosity in her eyes, he saw concern.
"Something he should never have been allowed to," he admitted, setting his wand down and pushing the pensieve across the desk. "Put your face to the mist. It should all come clear to you from there. I will be along to remove you momentarily."
Buffy glanced down into the pensieve and complied, her face pressing into the mist.
She gasped when she found herself in a room. There was a woman rocking a baby in the corner. And she was singing.
Turning to her left, she saw Professor Snape standing there in his Slytherin colors, looking confused. He was much younger then and she realized that this particular memory was the one the Professor had just described for her.
I'll be seeing you;
In all the old, familiar places;
That this heart of mine embraces;
All day through.
"Mommy?" Buffy whispered, moving to stand beside the woman. She was holding a baby with soft golden curls and deep green eyes with just a few flickers of brown in them. The baby was smiling happily up to the woman still singing to her.
No wonder that song is always in my head, she thought to herself. Her mother sounded like she'd been singing it to her day after day.
It was in this moment that she saw how truly beautiful her mother really was. With her long auburn hair and those striking eyes, she was pretty, certainly. But Buffy could see her heart pouring into the bubbly baby in her arms. The woman had a beautiful soul, even at this distance.
"I love you," Lily whispered to her daughter, tears of pain in her eyes. She tried to hide them with a big smile, but her eyes only shined brighter. "Yes I do... I love you, my pretty little Eliza."
Eliza? Buffy smiled at the nickname. It really was nice.
Buffy watched the encounter for another moment until she felt the scenery shift around her. She felt like she was spinning through ice and found herself sitting in the chair in front of her Potions Professor, who was staring at her with a pensive look on his face.
"That... that was..." she started, not knowing how to continue.
"It is difficult to explain one's access to another's memories," Professor Snape concluded, looking almost happy to see the scared look on her face. "You have just seen a glimpse of your Mother from my mind. There are others, of course, but this is just one of the many memories of your family you will be able to see in time. Now, if we can discuss tutoring you in Potions to get you to at least an O.W.L. level, I will be happy to dismiss you."
Buffy nodded and pulled out a folded bit of parchment with her own notes of classes and her tutoring schedule spread across it. "I don't have much time, Sir," she said quickly, showing him the times she had available. He finally pointed to Mondays at nine.
"That will do," he said brusquely. "And if you would maintain this schedule, I would ask that you seek a tutor from my sixth-year class. One that does not have a name that ends with Granger, Potter or Weasley."
"Who do you recommend, Professor?" Buffy asked, knowing exactly what was coming.
"I would recommend Mister Malfoy, and while I realize a slight animosity exists between you two, I would still consider it."
"With all due respect, sir, but are you insane?" she asked, feeling outraged. First he taunted her with tantilizing hints about her Mother's past. And then he was demanding she tutor with Malfoy, of all the horrible people he could have chosen!
"I do believe you can learn from him," Snape said, his voice turning icy. It didn't match or squelch in the fire that was burning brightly in her eyes. "You will ask him or I shall ask him for you. You do not have much of a choice, Miss Potter. Unfortunately, you must become skilled and if you are unwilling and incompetent as your brother, it should prove to be a difficult task."
"Don't you dare talk about Harry that way," she said, her hands squeezing into fists.
"And yet you share the same determination," Snape said, coldly raising one eyebrow. "It must be a Potter trait from your Father."
"The arrogant one, right?" Buffy spat out. "The one you didn't have any happy memories of? Gee, I wonder why, when you're so pleasant... sir..."
"You will not use that tone of voice with me," Snape said in a dangerous voice, his eyes narrowing to slits. "You may be of age but you are still my student. You will not cross any boundaries while in this classroom and you will listen to what I tell you. If you do not, you will face expulsion and the same humiliation your brother has faced year after year." He smiled. It most definitely did not reach his eyes. "Now... you will speak to Mister Malfoy tomorrow morning. If you do not, I will speak to him at Potions tomorrow afternoon. I am certain he will agree to your... request."
"The day I actually bow down to Malfoy is the day that I will no longer be a Potter," she hissed angrily, jumping to her feet. "Can I go now?" she demanded. "Sir?
He nodded and she walked out.
His eyes narrowed as the door slammed behind her. This was definitely going to get interesting, he decided.
A single tear trickled down her cheek as she made her way back to the Common Room. She heard laughter around her and knew that students were still milling about.
She'd finally seen her mother. She was able to touch her. She only wished she could have had contact with her father as well. She'd seen him in pictures, certainly. She had been a dead ringer for James with the short black hair and her hazel eyes.
And he actually expected her to ask Malfoy to tutor her in Potions? Was he that insane?
She paused before she walked back into the Common Room. The Fat Lady in the portrait was looking at the girl, walking back and forth, torn about going in and desperately wanting to hold onto the warmth still inside of her, before walking back into a room full of joy.
She was spared by the sound of footsteps. She turned and saw Ginny Weasley standing there, helping two little first-years forward. Buffy wasn't surprised to see Laurel Wood standing there.
"These two went looking for you," Ginny said after she gave the password to the Common Room. "I just happened to find them before Filch did."
Buffy hadn't run into the Caretaker yet and for this she was happy. She had been told many horror stories about his antics, especially by Fred and George.
Before she realized what she was doing, she was pulling Ginny back out of the Common Room and into the corridor. The younger Weasley looked at her curiously. "What is it, Buffy?"
"I saw my mother," she said bluntly. This is obviously not what Ginny wanted to hear and her eyebrows nearly disappeared into her red fringe. "Oh, not like her ghost or anything... but Professor Snape showed me a memory of her inside his pensieve."
Ginny looked really concerned now. "Harry told me about the mirror of Erised. It shows nothing more than the deepest wants and desires of your heart. You cannot rely on memories to give you truth, Buffy."
"I know," she said sadly. "But she was singing that song and... I realized that's why I already knew it. And I am so not the Sinatra fan."
"Sinatra?" Ginny asked curiously. "What song is it?"
"I'll Be Seeing You," Buffy replied with a fond smile.
"I guess maybe it'll be your wedding song someday?" Ginny teased with a bright smile.
Buffy turned to her, her eyes dancing at the challenge. "You have like five seconds to run now, you know that?"
Ginny gasped and quickly ran back through the portrait hole, Buffy running after her, both girls laughing as they reached the warmth inside.
But everyone was staring at them in disbelief.
"What's going on?" Buffy asked, glancing around at all of the shocked faces. She reached a hand to smooth her hair and watched as Ginny walked over, dropping onto her boyfriend's lap. She walked over and joined Katie and Emma, who both looked at her curiously over their Charms homework.
"Fred and George would be proud of you," Katie said with a quiet grin. "And yet they never managed to nearly kill their sister chasing her into this safe haven."
"I wasn't trying to kill her," Buffy protested with a wicked grin. "She was just teasing me about my wedding." She was still feeling angry after her meeting with Snape, but she forced the issue from her mind right then and there.
"When's the date?" Emma quipped as Buffy turned to her. "I have my calendar right here."
"How about the fifth month of never?" Buffy asked, gasping indignantly. "Oh, God... if I didn't know any better, I'd say you two are worse than Fred and George!"
As she left the room, Emma turned to Katie. "You know... I don't know whether that was a compliment or an insult."
"Take it how you like," Katie said, grinning as the Potter girl swept regally from the room. "I like it as a compliment."
- - - - -
Chapter 24... Faith makes her choice. Wesley gets his...
Chapter 25... Buffy finds out what Giles sent her and she faces off with Cho...
To the Readers / Reviewers:
Harry and Ron now know that Buffy is dating Wood. He returns in Chapter 29. Sorry all! I can't rush everything!
So, this is a double update. Surprise!
Happy birthday to my awesome beta reader, Grace, who turns 22 today! I'm only 352 days older than her! Happy Birthday, sweetie!
Chapter 24 is coming right up...