Buffy waited impatiently for Fudge to answer the door. Thoughts raced around her head, as Buffy quickly examined the pros and cons of different actions. She didn't have that much time to decide.
There were so many factors, and so many consequences.
Rustling could be heard from inside, and Buffy assumed Fudge was finally coming to answer the door.
He destroyed her and her family's lives. He put Sirius in Azkaban without trial. He was purposefully making Harry's life hell.
She had to choose.
The door swung open, revealing a chubby little man that was slightly balding and getting along in his years.
Choose! Choose! Choose!
"May I help you?" Fudge asked, looking curiously at the young blonde.
Buffy made up her mind, looked at the man who had no clue who she was, and smiled. "I really hope so," Buffy said in her best 'have pity for me' voice.
"I'm sure I can fix any problems you have," Fudge said with a flirtatious smile. "Why don't you come into my office, and we'll get started?"
'Unbelievable,' Buffy thought with disgust. 'He doesn't even know my name!'
Buffy smiled gratefully and walked past him through the open doorway, trying to keep herself from touching him.
His office was amazing, although Buffy shouldn't have been surprised; he's the Minister of Magic! There was a couch and a couple of chairs surrounding a fireplace in the far right corner. A desk and some chairs were set up in the immediate area, and off to the side, Buffy could see a small drink bar. There was a hallway to her left that showed more closed doors, which Buffy had no real desire to open.
The entire area looked more like a lounging facility than an office of the Minister of Magic. The carpet was soft and dark blue under her feet. The walls were all painted a light blue, blending nicely with the carpet. Obviously, someone else had done the decorating, Buffy thought as she noticed his tacky coat and bowler hat placed upon a coat rack to her right.
"Why don't you make yourself comfortable," Fudge announced, closing the door and gesturing to the comfortable chairs near the fire. "And then we can solve this problem of yours. Drink?"
"No thanks," Buffy said, looking away before she did something stupid. She walked over and sat in one of the dark red chairs, avoiding the couch, which could fit more than one person.
Fudge pulled one of the chairs closer to her own, and Buffy subtly moved backwards. "Now, I didn't catch your name," he said, collapsing in his chair.
"I'm Sarah, Sarah Fox," Buffy said.
"Nice to meet you," Fudge said, extending his hand.
Buffy looked at it for a moment, before carefully extending her own. She knew refusing would look strange, so she just kept her emotions carefully in check as she shook his hand.
The hand of the man that had ordered her killed.
Buffy's mask dropped for a second, and a look of revulsion crossed her face, but Buffy quickly recovered before Fudge noticed.
"So, what seems to be the problem, Sarah?" he asked once Buffy took away her hand, a bit too quickly for his liking.
"This is going to sound really stupid," Buffy said, looking down at her hands, rubbing the one on the seat cushion discretely.
"Nothing you said could sound stupid," Fudge tried to assure.
"It's just... I work for you downstairs, and none of the guys take me seriously," Buffy complained.
"What department do you work for? I'll go have a word with those guys, tell them to leave you alone," Fudge said.
'Like that will work,' Buffy thought. 'This is the guy they have in charge?'
"I want a new job. They won't ever let me do anything because they think I'm a stupid blonde!" Buffy whined, careful to not to say a department, in case he decided to check later.
"Well, I'm sure I can look and see what's available," Fudge said.
"I don't want a job here! Everyone's the same!" Buffy said. "I want to start somewhere new where no one will know me. Then I can show them all that I'm better than them."
"My secretary just quit, so why don't you come work for me? I have Weatherby at the moment, but he can be promoted again, I guess. I won't treat you like a dumb blonde, and I'll make sure you're quite comfortable."
'You have got to be kidding me,' Buffy thought.
"No offence, because you seem like a really nice guy," Buffy said, "But I want a job where I can be in charge of someone else."
"Do you have something in mind?"
"Um..." Buffy thought, bringing her hand up to twirl a strand of her blonde hair around her finger. "I know! A school! I know I'm not qualified to be a professor, but it would be perfect! Students have to listen to me, and I'd get the respect that I'd deserve!"
Fudge cleared his throat and said, "Well, I don't think any of the schools are hiring."
Buffy's expression dropped dramatically, and she took out her secret weapon. Her pout. "Well, I read in the paper that you got Dolores a job at Hogwarts, and I thought that maybe you could give me one too . . . I mean, you are the Minister of Magic..."
"I do believe I can think of something for you," Fudge said, caving at her pout.
"Really?" Buffy said excitedly. "That's so great! I've always wanted to be the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," she confided.
Fudge almost laughed out loud at the idea that this skinny, blonde girl would be an effective DADA teacher. No one would take her seriously. It was absurd... it would infuriate everyone at the school... it was perfect...
"Miss Fox, I believe that I can get you that job," Fudge said. "You don't even need teaching experience. You'd be a natural. We have a new curriculum that we're starting, so even if you make a mistake or two, no one would notice."
Buffy squealed with delight and clapped her hands together. Then, as realization seemed to dawn on her, she said, "But what about the teacher that's already there? I don't want to put someone out of a job . . ."
Fudge thought about what he'd do with Dolores Umbridge as she was his best mole into the Hogwarts situation. "She can become... High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. They need someone like that there to make sure everyone follows the rules and such. It's a brilliant plan!"
Inside, Buffy groaned. She didn't want this Umbridge person there. It would complicate matters too much. But she didn't have much of a choice. "Thank you so much Minister!" Buffy said with a fake smile plastered on her lips. "You've made my dreams come true! When can I start?"
"Since it's Friday, you can begin on Monday if you'd like. That way you'll have the weekend to prepare. How does that sound?"
"That's brilliant!" Buffy said, standing up. "Thank you so much! I can't wait to go home and tell Charles! He'll be thrilled! He always hates it when other guys bother me. He gets so jealous sometimes," Buffy said before Fudge could get any ideas on how she could thank him.
"Of course, why don't you go home and I'll owl you all the information you'll need?"
"You're the best Minister ever!" Buffy said. "Thanks again, and have a wonderful evening." She walked out the door, ending the conversation rather abruptly, as she couldn't stand to be in the same room with him any more.
She closed the door behind her, leaving a confused Fudge behind.
She leaned against the door, closed her eyes, and let out a slow breath. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw her friends waiting for her at the end of the hall. Pushing off the door slightly, she walked towards them.
"So?" Willow asked.
"We didn't hear any crashes, so we figured you didn't kill him," Anya said bluntly.
"Nope. I didn't even hit him, thought God knows my hand was itching for it," Buffy said.
"What'd he say?" Giles asked.
"You mean when I explicitly said, 'Remember me? The girl you sent to her death so many years ago?'" Buffy said.
"You didn't tell him! Buffy," Willow chided.
"Well, a better idea came up," Buffy said. "I have a job."
"Wait, you went in there for some sort of revenge, and you came out with a job? How does that work?" Xander asked.
Buffy told them about the conversation she overheard and her idea to become a professor at Hogwarts. "Now I can see Harry without having to give away my real name."
"You're not going to tell him who you really are?" Giles asked incredulously.
"Not right away. I think playing the dumb blonde girl will make people less suspicious and more forthcoming with the information. I haven't been back in the wizarding world for some time now. I have no idea what's going on, and until I have some answers, I think it's best to remain incognito."
"Answers like, why Fudge wanted to kill you in the first place?" Xander asked.
"One of many," Buffy said. "Unfortunately, as a professor, I'll have to live at Hogwarts, and I think bringing you guys along wouldn't be very inconspicuous," Buffy hinted gently.
"Oh," Willow said, a little hurt.
"Not that I don't want you guys there, because I would love to show you the castle. It's amazing, and I'm sure you'd love it, but..."
"You can't bring us. I understand," Willow said.
"Well, what are we supposed to do, and where are we supposed to go?" Anya asked. "If you didn't notice, our homes are gone."
"I'll help you look for a wizarding flat, that way I can keep in contact with you from the floo network. I won't desert you in England."
"I'd hardly call it desertion," Giles said, "I am English you know. I lived here for quite a while, and not so long ago either."
"You know what I mean," Buffy said gently. "Anyway, we'll be in touch. Constantly. I promise. I'll need to have someone who knows who I am, or I might go crazy. Plus, I'll need your help finding Sirius and Remus; spending all my time at Hogwarts will only get me information. And you can come visit me at Hogsmeade. It's a great wizarding village near the school. You'll love it."
"Okay," Willow said.
"Will you get paid for it?" Anya said, as always concerned about money. "Because you told them you're Sarah Fox, and since Sarah Fox doesn't exist, then who'll they write the checks too? Do they even have checks? Maybe they'll pay you in cash!" Anya said, getting excited.
"I'm not sure... but I guess I'll find out," Buffy said, looking at Anya strangely.
"Yes, you should do that."
"So are we going to go get an apartment now?" Willow asked excitedly.
"Actually, no. I want to go down to the Auror headquarters and see what they have on Sirius. It could prove useful."
"That's a good idea, Buffy," Giles said.
"Sarah," Buffy corrected.
"Of course. Shall we?" Giles asked, indicating the lift. Once again, they all got into the elevator and Buffy looked at the numbers uncertainly.
"I think it's the third floor," Buffy said, pushing the button.
They rode the elevator down and the doors opened, while a female voice called out: "Level Three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, including the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Obliviator Headquarters, and Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee."
"Nope, not this one," Buffy said. "It's organized in levels of importance. I think. So, maybe it's two." She pressed that one and waited while the doors closed and the elevator rose.
"Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services."
"Yep, that's us," Buffy said, happy she guessed correctly.
Buffy lead the group out of the lift and into a corridor lined with doors. They turned a corner, walked through a pair of heavy oak doors, and emerged in a cluttered, open area divided into cubicles. A lopsided sign on the nearest cubicle read AUROR HEADQUARTERS.
"Here we are," Buffy said quietly. She walked around, looking at the different cubicles and the objects that littered each desk. She didn't know exactly where she was supposed to go, but she figured she'd find it eventually.
It was getting late, so most people had already headed home; however, there were a few people still hanging around.
"May I help you?" one of the aurors asked, as he noticed the large group that didn't belong.
Buffy turned towards the voice and saw a tall, bald black man standing next to his cubicle. He looked like he was about to leave. "Yes, I was told by the Minister to come and check the progress on the search for Sirius Black," Buffy said, walking towards his cubicle.
She noticed a very slight flicker of his features; if she hadn't been looking closely, she might have missed it.
"You can tell him I've been looking, but we still can't find him. I've just got a possible sighting in South Africa that I'm going to follow up on. It's probably nothing though."
By the time he had finished his sentence, Buffy had come close enough to his cubicle to look at the hundreds of pictures of Sirius looking at her from every direction. Old newspaper clippings were taped up, and other pictures were hung around. Her heart stopped for a moment, as she looked at the man that she had grown up with.
He had changed so much; 'twelve years in Azkaban will change anybody,' Buffy thought. His eyes no longer held the laughter that she had grown so fond of. In fact, they reminded her of the eyes she saw in the mirror every day. He looked like he hadn't eaten in years, or bathed, for that matter. 'He's going to need a haircut,' Buffy thought briefly, allowing herself to focus on something other than how dead he looked.
"Obviously you've been busy," Buffy said, noticing the map with tiny red pins glowing on it. Buffy's gaze caught on a picture that looked fairly old. 'James and Lily's wedding,' Buffy thought, tears coming to her eyes. She looked longingly at the happy, smiling couple and of a much younger and handsomer Sirius laughing. She wished she could have been there. She was supposed to have been there.
"Yeah, he's giving us a run for our money," the man said. He noticed the way Buffy was transfixed by the picture, but assumed that she was like everyone else: upset over the tragic deaths of the Potters, and the apparent betrayal of Black.
"Do you have any leads?" Buffy asked, forcing her tears down and her voice to sound normal.
"We get owls everyday, about some sighting. They never pan out though," he said.
"Thanks," Buffy said, walking away. "I'll be sure to let the Minister know you're working hard."
As she walked back to her group, they looked at her questioningly. She didn't say anything until they were back in the privacy of the lift. "They all think he did it," Buffy said. "The newspapers, the aurors, the minister, they all think he did it. They have a world-wide search going."
"If they can't find him, what makes you think we can?" Anya asked.
Buffy didn't say anything, because on some level, she thought Anya might be right. "Well, I've got something they don't," Buffy finally said.
"What's that?" Willow asked, curious.
"You guys," Buffy said with a smile. "We have yet to fail at something, once we put our minds to it. I have to have hope."
"We will find him," Willow said, inspired and touched by what Buffy said.
"I know." The rest of the ride was silent, and finally they reached the atrium again. Walking out, Buffy said, "So let's go find you a flat!"
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CHAPTER 12: HOGWARTS
Buffy, Willow, Xander, Anya, and Giles stood around the sixth flat they had looked at. They had spent the night at The Leaky Cauldron and gratefully got advise from Tom about where to start looking for a new flat. He was very helpful and he even called the wizarding real estate agency for them.
They had a quick breakfast before they spent the next four hours looking at flats, much to everyone's chagrin. Four hours was a little excessive, especially after only seeing six places! The walking was definitely bothering Anya the most, and she had no qualms about keeping them all informed of just how much pain she was in.
Finally, the agent brought them to a flat near the outskirts of London; it was fairly secluded, as not many houses, flats, stores, or . . . well, much of anything was around, which was ideal for them. The less people around, the better; who knew what was going to happen?
They walked into the rather large two bedroom flat, and let out a sigh of relief. It looked as if it might be the one. There was a nice kitchen with a table and chairs, a comfortable looking living room with two chairs and a sofa surrounding a fireplace, which had floo access, two bedrooms, and one and a half baths.
As they searched carefully for any signs of disrepair, Xander and Giles being more alert to the finer details, they whole-heartedly agreed that it was perfect. All the details were sorted out, papers were signed, money was exchanged, and the real estate lady gratefully went home.
After saying goodbye and closing the door, everyone collapsed in the living room. Xander and Giles plopped on the chairs while the girls fell onto the sofa, Buffy laying her head tiredly on Willow's shoulder.
"We're done!" Anya said.
"Remind me never to do that again," Buffy said, closing her eyes.
"On the bright side, the furniture is already provided," Xander said. "Now we don't have to go shopping for that."
"Yes, that is rather convenient," Giles said thankfully.
"We wouldn't have to go shopping anyway," Buffy said sleepily. "I could have just transfigured a couch or two. I think. I might have to practice at that. I didn't really finish school."
"So, what do we want to do now?" Willow asked.
"Nap," Buffy answered like a little girl.
"Sounds delightful," Giles answered.
"How do girls do it anyway?" Xander asked, amazed.
"Do what?"
"Shop? I mean, all that walking and looking, it's exhausting."
"No, this wasn't shopping. When you shop, you buy things," Buffy said.
"Lot's of things," Anya added enthusiastically.
"And what, pray tell, did we just do?" Giles asked. "We walked..."
"And looked," Xander interrupted.
"And bought a flat. Well, leased it at least."
"Shopping is fun, you buy lots of things, and come home with many many packages, full of things to unwrap and enjoy," Anya said. "We have nothing to unwrap here. It wasn't shopping."
"And it wasn't fun," Willow added.
"Yes, I do believe we all agree on that point," Giles said.
They all sat in silence for a moment, relaxing in their new flat, when a tapping came from the window.
"Morrigan!" Anya said, jumping up with renewed vigour and opening the window to let the magnificent white bird in. "You found me! That is so amazing." She petted her owl, who nipped her fingers affectionately.
"Morrigan?" Xander asked curiously.
"She has to have a name," Anya explained.
"How'd you come up with that? I would have expected something more..."
"Blunt," Buffy suggested helpfully.
"Possibly sex related and embarrassing," Xander said, shrugging his shoulders.
"For your information, Morrigan is a Celtic goddess."
"I'm afraid to ask of what," Xander said.
"If I remember correctly, she's the goddess of several things, including war and revenge," Giles said.
"Ah..." Xander said. "Is anyone surprised?"
"She's also the goddess of night, magic, and prophecy. Not to mention that she's the queen of fairies and witches. I thought it would be appropriate. What do you think?" She asked her owl, perched on her arm. She responded with a happy hoot, and Anya smiled.
"Speaking of names, what are you going to call your phoenix?" Willow asked.
Buffy frowned thoughtfully. "I have no idea, I'm not any good with names. Where is she anyw--." Buffy was interrupted by the sudden pop and appearance of her phoenix. "Never mind."
"Well, why don't you suggest something, and she'll tell you if she likes it," Anya suggested. "That's what I did with Morrigan. That way you can't go wrong."
"Okay... How about Rose?" Buffy said. "You're red, like a rose." The phoenix shook her head, upset at the suggestion.
"Why don't you try something less common?" Willow said. "I'm sure she would appreciate something unique." The phoenix trilled in agreement.
"Unique?" Buffy asked with a worried voice.
"It might help if you decided to name it after something, like a goddess. They tend to be more original," Anya said.
"You mean like Aphrodite?" The phoenix shook her head violently at the suggestion.
"Yes, but more obscure."
"I believe in Greek myth, Hestia was the goddess of fire," Giles said helpfully. The phoenix considered it, but then shook her head.
"She's also the goddess of hearth and family life," Anya said.
"How do you know so much?" Xander asked, amazed.
"I've been around for a thousand years; I've picked up things along the way. Plus, I lived back in the time when people worshipped those goddess. "
"How about Kali?" Anya asked.
"I like it," Buffy said. "It's a pretty name."
"Isn't that an Indian goddess? The one with several arms and human hands as a skirt of some kind?" Giles asked uncertainly.
"Yes," Anya said nonchalantly.
"I don't like it," Buffy said with wide eyes. The phoenix shook her head in agreement.
"Scary visuals tonight," Xander said with a shudder.
"Does it have to be a goddess? I mean, most of the goddess have really strange names anyway," Willow said. "A lot of things have meaning, like flowers. You liked rose, right? That stands for beauty. For the most part at least; when you get more specific, the meaning changes."
"You're quite right, Willow," Giles said, praising the red-head.
"Myrtle is for love," Willow suggested.
"I've heard that name before," Buffy said, thoughtfully. The phoenix shook her head, and then realization crossed Buffy's features. "Moaning Myrtle! From Hogwarts! She's a ghost that haunts one of the bathrooms; a bit of a cry-baby she is," Buffy said, her English accent becoming more pronounced.
"Right then," Giles said, after staring at her for a while.
"What about Iris? Flaming Iris means flame," Willow suggested again.
"Fennel for strength," Giles suggested.
"Isn't that in Hamlet?" Willow asked, and Giles nodded.
"What about Celsia?" Giles asked, after the previous two were denied. "It stands for immortality.
"I like that one," Buffy said, turning to her phoenix. "What do you think?"
The phoenix considered it for a moment, before trilling happily.
"Good, you are now Celsia." Another tap on the window interrupted any further conversation. "What now? We just moved in!"
Anya, still close to the window, opened it and let a great horned owl come gliding through the room. It perched on the armrest next to Buffy and dropped the large package it was carrying in her lap. Then it took flight and flew out the window.
"Wow, do you think they're faster than Fed-Ex?" Xander joked.
"What is it?" Willow asked.
"It's from Fudge," Buffy said, reading the label. "It's the package he was going to send me, with all my forms and teaching material."
Buffy opened the package and pulled out a thick Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook that said, "Professor's Edition," on the cover. She assumed it contained all seven textbooks combined into one easy to carry package. A smaller packet of papers sat on top of it. "I guess this is the instruction manual," Buffy said, holding up the small packet.
She flipped it open and briefly started skipping while the others gathered around the textbook. "Wow, there's so many monsters in here I've even heard of," Xander said. "And I've spent many hours looking through various books researching."
"This could prove to be very useful... and interesting," Giles said.
"You have got to be kidding me," Buffy said, outrage and disgust evident in her voice.
"What?" Giles asked, looking up in surprise.
"Fudge is such an idiot! Here he is, on the brink of another war, and he's making the teachers teach theory?! Theory works well... in theory. I mean, nothing prepares you for the real world except going out and getting your hands dirty. How can he be so stupid?"
"Wait, you're supposed to teach a bunch of kids, that could very well come up against some major evil, theory. They don't really learn how to protect themselves?" Xander asked incredulously. "I know I didn't go to college like the rest of you, but even I'm not that stupid."
"Apparently, he's changing the curriculum," Buffy said, reading the offensive material. "Any teachers that don't comply are getting sacked, and a new ministry teacher will take over. They can't do that!"
"These kids are going to school and not getting practical instruction? That's ridiculous," Giles said.
"That's Fudge for you. Blind and stupid; a deadly combination."
"Yes, deadly for everyone it seems," Giles said, reviewing the packet. "You aren't going to obey these useless rules, are you?"
"I might have to," Buffy said reluctantly. "I mean, I have to keep that job, and if I don't follow the curriculum, I'll get the boot. But maybe there's some way around it," she said with a thoughtful frown. "Until then, I have some studying to do. I didn't even finish the last two years of school!"
"Well, we can help you!" Willow said, eager to flip through the magical textbook.
"Yeah, how come we didn't get handy instructions on how to fight evil?" Xander asked. "It's because we're American isn't it? Englishmen always think they're better than us."
"If they were better, why do they need a how-to guide?" Willow asked absently, flipping through the book.
"I resent that comment," Giles said indignantly.
"So, let's get down to business," Buffy said.
They spent the rest of Saturday and the better part of Sunday studying the textbook, memorizing things that might come in handy, and making notes of other things. Buffy took out her wand and practiced several of the spells in the textbook, after trying to remember spells she had learned earlier.
To her delight, it all came back to her fairly quickly. She started out small and then impatiently hurried to try something bigger. Such as changing her hair tie into a small coffee table. The first time worked well, except the table wasn't very sturdy; it had elastic qualities to it that made it entertaining to put anything on it.
"Concentrate, Buffy," Giles said exasperated.
"You're just upset because the tea bounced back at you," Anya said with a smile. "It was rather funny."
"Not if you're on the receiving end of the scalding liquid," Giles retorted.
"Maybe now's a good time to start our first wandless magic lesson!" Willow said excitedly. She dragged Buffy into one of the bedrooms and closed the door behind them. Then she opened it quickly and said, "We need silence," before closing it again.
Buffy and Willow sat cross-legged on the floor, facing each other.
"Now, it's going to be a lot like meditation, and I know you've done plenty of it with Giles, so you should be good at it," Willow said.
Both of the girls quietly relaxed their minds and bodies and came to a tranquil state. "Now," Willow said in a trance-like quite voice, "look inside yourself for your magical centre. You should find it fairly quickly."
"Okay," Buffy said quietly.
"Focus on controlling that power, harnessing it."
Buffy was focusing on the surprisingly large area inside herself that pulsed with magic. Even though she wasn't really looking at it, it seemed to shine a rich red colour, swirling with gold streaks. It was beautiful, and it seemed to call out to her.
She gently tapped into the swarming source and then as she did, she could hear loud crashes that jolted her out of her trance.
Shards of glass surrounded her and Willow, and footsteps could be heard racing towards their door. Apparently the windows had shattered.
"Oops," Buffy said sheepishly, looking at an astonished Willow.
The door opened to reveal Xander's and Giles' worried faces, Anya safely behind them. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, we're fine. Just a little glassy, that's all."
"You must have a lot of power to do that!" she exclaimed. "A lot more than any of us thought."
"It was so weird," Buffy said, describing her experience. "I just wanted to touch it, and then when I did, a jolt shot through me and I hear the windows cracking."
"More like exploding," Xander said. "I didn't know what was going on in here."
"I thought we were being attacked," Giles said.
"Nope, not yet," Buffy said, standing up and brushing the glass off her clothes. She brought up her wand and said, "Reparo," watching in amusement as her friends were shocked by the way the glass lifted up off the floor, and Willow's clothes, to form sparkling windows, looking just like new.
"I wish I would have remembered how to do magic. I would have save loads on clothes and weapons," Buffy said wistfully.
"Yes, well," Giles said, taking off his glasses to clean them. "I believe that's enough for today. You've got a big day tomorrow, so you'd best get a good night's sleep."
"Yeah Buff, first day of the job. I'm so proud of you," Xander said, with fake exuberance. You're going to be a teacher. I never thought I'd see the day."
"I wish Snyder was still around," Willow said with a smile, and then, off her friends incredulous looks, added, "NO! I don't. I don't wish for anything, especially not that! What am I saying?"
"Goodnight Willow," Buffy said, walking out of the boys bedroom, giving her friend a strange look, shocked that she would even think a thing like that. Willow and Anya soon followed to their own bedroom down the hall. Buffy had split all the beds into two, and three in the case of the girl's room. It wasn't as hard as transfiguring a table, but it wasn't entirely easy.
Monday was going to be an interesting day . . .
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Monday morning found the great hall filled with students at breakfast. The staff table was entirely full, which was interesting, as that only seemed to happen on feasts.
"What do you think is going on?" Hermione asked her best friends Ron Weasley and Harry Potter.
"I don't know," Harry said with a frown. "But Dumbledore doesn't look too happy." He didn't look angry or upset, but he definitely lost the sparkle in his eyes. Other people might not have noticed it, but Harry had spent enough time around the Headmaster to know when he wasn't happy. He didn't even look this upset at the Welcoming Feast when he announced the new DADA position. He even chatted with Umbridge, which he was not doing at the moment.
"Look at McGonagall!" Ron whispered. "She looks furious!" Professor McGonagall's lips were pulled into the tightest line Harry had ever seen. She seemed to be trying very hard to keep her emotions in check, but it wasn't working too well. Every now and then her eye would twitch just the tiniest bit. Harry had been on the receiving end of plenty of her disappointed glares and angry lectures, but he had never seen her like this before.
"I'll bet it has to do with Umbridge," Harry said angrily.
"What do you think she's done now?" Hermione asked. "She looks happy enough, although it looks like something might be bothering her."
Umbridge was currently very troubled by the letter she received yesterday. She happily accepted the role of High Inquisitor, but she didn't want to be replaced as a professor. She was a little worried as to why Fudge deemed it necessary to add another ministry official to the school. Perhaps he thought she wasn't doing her job well enough? Well, she would just have to make sure that the new professor, whoever he was, was up for the job. She'd keep a very close eye on him.
Just then, Dumbledore stood up and grabbed the attention of all the students, and professors, in the Great Hall. "Good morning, students," he said. "I have been informed of a change in the Defence Against the Dark Arts position. . . "
Murmurs raced through the hall as everyone had an opinion on the topic. "Maybe she's getting the boot!" Ron cried with glee.
"Then why would Dumbledore be upset about it?" Hermione asked reasonably.
"Attention... students," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "Minister Fudge had deemed it necessary to add a new station at the school. Professor Umbridge will now be the new High Inquisitor of Hogwarts."
New murmurs started, this time louder than the first. "What about DADA?" Hermione asked miserably.
"Please don't let it be Snape," Ron moaned.
"The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher will be arriving shortly. His train was running a little late," Dumbledore said once the chatter died down. "He's a ministry official, so please treat him with the same respect and courtesy that you treat the rest of your professors. Classes will continue on as normal."
"Another ministry official? That's ridiculous!" Hermione said, distraught. "How are we going to learn anything this year if they refuse to teach us!"
"Maybe this guy will be better," Harry said. He couldn't be too upset that Umbridge would no longer teaching. The new guy had to be better than her, more reasonable at least.
"With Fudge controlling everything?" Hermione asked doubtfully. "And what is with this new position? High Inquisitor? What kind of power does she have?" Hermione asked.
"Probably way too much," Harry said angrily. He hated Umbridge with a passion. "Maybe I won't have to serve detention with her anymore."
Just then, as Dumbledore was about to continue with the new rules and details about the High Inquisitor's position, the doors of the great hall opened to reveal a small, skinny, young blonde girl.
The entire hall went silent and Ron's mouth dropped open in surprise. The young woman walked forward carelessly, and Fred and George, among others, began to whistle in appreciation.
"Who is she?!"
Whispers once again flooded the great hall, only this time they were stopped very quickly by Dumbledore's question.
"May I help you?"
"Hi! I'm Sarah Fox."
Nobody in the hall moved an inch, wanting to see who this girl was, and what she was doing at Hogwarts.
Obviously, something in Dumbledore's blank expression registered, and she said, "The new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor?"
For the first time ever, no sound was heard in the Great Hall, as surprise, disbelief and astonishment ran rampant through every one of the occupants.
"She's what?" Harry asked at the same time everyone else seemed to find their voice.
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CHAPTER 13: PROFESSOR SARAH FOX
Buffy had had a hectic morning.
Nobody had set an alarm clock and, needless to say, everyone overslept, causing many problems in the morning.
As they all wanted to see Buffy off, everyone was rushing to get ready, and fighting over the shower. After many doors being slammed, Willow's spell going awry, clothes being thrown, shoes being shoved on while hopping on one foot and brushing their teeth, they were out the door and headed for the train station.
Unfortunately, it was Monday morning and they got stuck in traffic. And then Xander had insisted on getting breakfast.
The Express Hogwarts train, designed to travel much quicker than the Hogwarts Express, was supposed to leave at 7:00 and arrive at 8:30, just enough time to get settled before her first lesson at 9:00. It was now 8:18.
"What are the chances that train is going to wait?" Xander asked while they ran through the London train station.
"Well, I am the only passenger," Buffy said, weaving through two people. "Here," she said, stopping suddenly at the pillar between platforms nine and ten. "Just walk through the wall, it's enchanted so muggles don't notice," Buffy whispered.
They quickly walked through the wall, after Buffy had gone and proved that she was not losing her mind. But when they stepped onto Platform 9 ¾, the train was nowhere to be seen.
"Great! Now what am I supposed to do?" Buffy asked. "I'm going to be late for my first day of work! That'll look really great," she said sarcastically.
"I believe you would have been late anyway," Giles said, which only earned a glare from the blonde slayer. "Perhaps if we wouldn't have stopped for food..." Giles had been downright against stopping for breakfast, although nobody listened to him.
"You didn't have any problem scarfing down three of the jellies, though," Xander said.
"Yes, well, I didn't see the need for them to go to waste," Giles said defensively.
"Celsia!" Buffy cried, waiting for her bird to come to her rescue. Sure enough, the phoenix suddenly appeared in front of her. "Hey!" she said softly, rubbing Celsia's head. "Do you think you could give me a ride to Hogwarts? I missed my train."
Celsia gave a small note of approval, and Buffy turned to quickly say goodbye to her friends. Hugs and well wishes came from everyone, and Buffy promised to contact them soon.
She took a hold of Celsia's tail feathers and asked if she could take her to Hogsmeade, and not the castle itself; she was afraid she might attract too much attention.
She was briefly amazed at the Hogsmeade village she had visited so many times before, but she didn't have the time to reminisce. She was late!
She ran all the way to the castle, stopping at the doors to fix her robes and hair. There was no need to look messy. Once again, she was startled by the sheer magnificence of the castle, and she fondly remembered the days she was at school there.
She pushed her thoughts aside and set her bags down in the hallway, knowing that a house-elf would take it. It was just after 8:30, so she wasn't as late as she had thought she would be.
She set off down the hall and, passing a headless (helmet-less) knight, came upon the closed doors of the Great Hall. Pushing one open, she stepped inside.
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The volume grew in the great hall as the buzzing continued.
"She's going to be the next DADA teacher?"
"I don't believe it, it's some kind of joke."
"She doesn't even look twenty-five, what could she know?"
"Look how small and skinny she is! How could she protect herself against the dark arts, let alone anyone else?!"
"What does a girl know about Defence? I mean, at least Umbridge looked big and scary, but she looks... well, for lack of a better term, fragile!"
"She looks like a girl!"
"She is a girl, you idiot!"
"One of the giggling, annoying girls that runs screaming if they break a nail."
"She's a teacher! But she's so hot!"
"The things I'd like to do..."
"Please let there be some mistake; let her be a student..."
Buffy blushed slightly as her enhanced slayer hearing aloud her to hear some of the comments that were racing around the room.
"How are we supposed to learn anything this year with the people Fudge sends us?" Harry asked distraught. He had hoped for a small second that maybe Fudge was fixing his mistake, but he should have known that it would be too much to ask of the ignorant man.
"She's a ministry official, Harry," Hermione said. "Even if Fudge did put a competent person in the position, the professor is still going to have to follow the theoretical curriculum. Fudge is taking over control as best as he can."
"At least she's better than Umbridge," Ron said dreamily, his eyes fixed on the new professor.
"I doubt it," Hermione said haughtily, not noticing Ron. "She looks like the stereotypical dumb blonde. That cannot be good."
"But she's gorgeous!"
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, turning to look at Ron for the first time. "She's a professor."
"Lockhart," was all Harry said, exchanging a meaningful glace with Ron while Hermione blushed.
"That was a completely different situation," she said defensively. "We were much younger and more influential."
"Uh huh," Ron said dismissively. "So, Harry, what do you think of the new professor?"
"She's pretty, I guess," Harry said.
"You guess?!" Ron asked, not believing what he heard. "What do you mean, you guess? She's downright beautiful."
"I'm not saying she's ugly, I'm just saying that... she's not my type," Harry said, searching for how to describe how he felt.
"Harry, a girl like that is everybody's type," Ron said.
"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, scandalized. "How could you say something like that? Especially about the new professor!"
"What?" Ron asked clueless.
"Unlike some people, I don't go lusting after the professors, that's all," Harry said with a smirk, earning a glare from each of his best friends. No one was able to retort as Dumbledore had chosen that moment to cease the chatter in the hall.
All the teachers were looking at Professor Fox in amazement and shock. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape were standing up and hovering by Dumbledore, clearly outraged by the turn of events.
Umbridge was sitting smugly in her chair, enjoying the scene, as she knew her job was not in jeopardy. Fudge obviously put the little tart in to cause some... disagreements, in order to hasten along their little project. Now all she had to do was make sure this Sarah Fox didn't screw anything up out of sheer stupidity.
Dumbledore was stuck between amusement, that Fudge had the audacity to bring someone like Miss Fox in as a teacher, and annoyance, that Fudge was so blind and arrogant to jeopardize the students' lives. He didn't seem to know that the students still needed a good education, whether or not Voldemort was indeed back. There were other evils in the world besides the one dark wizard.
Buffy stood where she was, overwhelmed by everything that was going on. This was the first time she'd been back to the castle, and she wanted to cry with relief that she was finally home. Everything was so familiar and reminded her of happier times. Life wasn't always fair, but there were good times to be had, and holding on to those precious moments is what gets you through the hard times.
It was going to be difficult to pull this off, but Willow was very helpful this morning. She had an inspirational moment and had come up with a Wiccan spell that would dissuade anyone from knowing who she was. Of course, there was mass confusion at the conclusion of the spell, as no one recognized her. They still knew they had a blonde friend named Buffy, but they couldn't understand that the person in front of them was Buffy. It was an interesting, and hectic, experience. Fortunately, Willow redid the spell so that people would recognize her only when she told them her real name, Elizabeth Potter.
So basically, people would still know that James had a sister, but they would never connect Buffy, or Sarah, to Elizabeth Potter. This eased Buffy's mind considerably, because she was so afraid that she would be recognized and then her whole plan would collapse. Dumbledore always seemed to know what was going on, but he'd been fooled before and she wanted to fool him again. At least until she was ready; she still had no idea who to trust.
At the moment, she had to act the part of a blonde bimbo. 'It won't be too hard as I acted like this at Hemery,' Buffy thought, trying to ease her nerves. She had always sucked at undercover, but over the years she had become great at lying. It was almost second nature to her now.
"This is Hogwarts, right?" Buffy said once the hall grew silent at Dumbledore's request.
"Yes it is," Dumbledore said. "We're very happy to welcome you here as our new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."
Buffy smiled gratefully until the familiar looking greasy haired man standing next to the headmaster spoke up. "What exactly are your credentials, Miss Fox?" he sneered.
Buffy tilted her head and a confused look crossed her features before she said, "Pardon?"
"What are your qualifications for this job?" the man said with exasperation. "What experience do you have with defence against the dark arts?"
Anger rose up inside her as she heard chuckles break out. Just because she was a girl, had a small structure, and was blonde, people automatically assumed that she was a helpless, stupid girl. "I try to stay away from the dark arts and anything defensive," Buffy said with a small smile. "I might break a nail." She looked over at the boys she heard earlier and heard one say 'I told you!' There was no need to dispel their idiotic notions yet. It was a perfect cover.
"Severus," Dumbledore said sharply, before he could blow up at her. 'Severus?' Buffy thought incredulously. 'Severus Snape! I knew he looked familiar!' She was surprised to find him here as a professor. He didn't seem to be the type of person that would like kids. "That's enough," Dumbledore said. "There's no need for an interrogation. If the Minster thinks that she is qualified for the job, then she is. Now, let's welcome Miss Fox to our school."
Applause broke out among the four tables, to scattered degrees. Some people were cheering and wolf whistling at her, while others clapped dejectedly. A lot of people didn't know what to think about the new professor. Certainly they wanted one that actually knew the material, but she looked stupid enough to be taken advantage of. And maybe, she wouldn't give any homework.
"Would you like some breakfast?" Dumbledore offered, conjuring up a chair and placing it between himself and Umbridge. Snape stormed out of the great hall and Professor McGonagall sat stiffly in her chair. "I'd love some," Buffy said, walking up to the Head table. She never thought that she would be sitting up there with all of the teachers. She had always wanted to be an auror like her father was, but she felt a swell of pride at being considered relatively equal with the great minds at Hogwarts. She now had the chance to show Robin that she could be a good counsellor, or professor in this case. She wasn't entirely hopeless.
Kids heads turned as she walked by and she tried to be casual in her search for Harry; she didn't want to look like she was looking for anyone. Unfortunately, She had no idea what he looked like or what house he was in, although she assumed it was Gryffindor. She tried to envision what James' and Lily's son would look like, and envisioned a scary creation because she tried to pick out certain traits instead of a nice blend. She hoped that he didn't look like her, scary mix and match picture.
As she gratefully sat down in the chair, she turned to Umbridge beside her. "Hi. I'm Sarah. You must be Dolores, Cornelius has told me such wonderful things about you," Buffy said with a fake smile, lying through her teeth. There was something about that lady that made her want to punch her, so Buffy occupied her hands otherwise by placing a napkin in her lap.
"I'm sure he has," Umbridge said giving a small smug smile. "But he hasn't mentioned you."
"I haven't been around that long. I'm new. I actually just met Cornelius on Friday and he was so helpful in helping me find a better job. I was about out of my mind with worry about what I was going to do. He's such a nice man," Buffy said quickly. She felt disgusted having to say what she was.
Buffy started to look down the Gryffindor table again, intent on finding her nephew. She was barely listening to what Umbridge was saying. He could be anyone! The redhead, no he's a twin... unless they had twins, but no one mentioned a twin. The brown haired boy? No. Girl. Too young, girl, too young. Too old. Girl, girl, girl, girl. Too small. Brunette. No. Blonde. No. Girl.
"Would you like some juice, Miss Fox, since you don't seem very hungry," Dumbledore said, disrupting her search, and indicating her empty plate.
Buffy smiled thankfully and reached out to grab the pitcher. She continued searching discretely while she lifted it up.
Another red-head, looks like he's the twins' brother. Can't be him then. Girl with bushy hair. Buffy started to tilt the pitcher slightly, preparing to pour it into her goblet. She looked across from the girl with the bushy hair and the pitcher dropped from her hands.
Juice ran everywhere, soaking herself, Dumbledore and Umbridge, while managing to splash some other professors. Buffy stood up in surprise with the contact of the juice, but managed to look up quickly to search for the boy she had just seen. 'James?' she thought.
The whole hall had looked up at the head table to see what the commotion was about, and soon everyone was laughing. Then someone began clapping, and more people joined in.
"Are you okay?" Dumbledore asked her, concerned. Umbridge just scowled and cleared her throat with a hem hem noise.
"Yeah," Buffy said, distracted. "It just slipped. Sorry." It couldn't have been James, but it looked just like him. When she looked back again, she couldn't find him. People were starting to leave and there were too many people in the way.
Dumbledore followed her gaze, and tried to piece together what happened. He came to a conclusion that was partially correct. "Ah yes, Mr. Potter does go to school here. You will be teaching him, today if I'm not mistaken. But I must beg you not to bother him please. He should be treated just like every other student here. I daresay your reaction was the most startling I've seen, and I hope that you'll overcome your excitement and shock. He doesn't like to be treated special."
Buffy turned to look at Dumbledore questioningly. She had no idea what he was going on about, but it didn't seem to be because he knew who he was to her. That was a good thing.
"Yes, Mr. Potter should be treated like all of the other students," Umbridge agreed with a scowl. "He's a trouble maker, don't be afraid to punish him. He needs to be straightened out. Why don't we get cleaned up and then we'll go over your lesson plans for today before class," she said, walking away from the table.
Dumbledore looked at Umbridge for a moment, his expression unreadable, before he turned his curious gaze onto Buffy. "I'll have one of the house elves escort you to your quarters," he said. "No doubt your bags were already taken." Out of nowhere, a house elf with the typical pointy ears popped up, and bowed low.
She was startled at the sudden appearance, and had to restrain herself from automatically hurting, or grabbing, the poor elf. "Thank you," Buffy said to Dumbledore and followed the house-elf out a door in the back of the hall.
Dumbledore looked thoughtfully after Buffy as she left. Minerva stirred to his left.
"What is he thinking?" she asked furiously. "He is purposefully trying to tear this school apart! How are the students supposed to learn anything? He keeps sending in officials that have no business teaching. The students have their futures ahead of them, not to mention the O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s."
"He's trying to discredit Harry and me, hopefully so that he'll either be expelled, or I'll be dismissed. Preferably both," Dumbledore said. "I think he'll find it harder than he might think, although this year is going to be trying."
"Trying to put up with those two will be trying," McGonagall said scornfully.
"Yes..." Dumbledore said. "There's something about her..."
"Who?" McGonagall said, feeling like she missed something, which wasn't a rare occurrence where the headmaster was concerned.
"Sarah Fox," Dumbledore said. "It seemed almost as if she was playing a role."
"She seemed perfectly clueless to me," McGonagall huffed.
"Did you notice what happened when she saw Harry? I've seen people look at him with awe and wonder, some fear and loathing, but when she saw him, she looked like she had seen a ghost."
"Who knows what the Minister filled her head with, and believe me, there's plenty he could have said with all the empty space she has," McGonagall said.
"Minerva!" Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Well honestly, Albus," she said. "What are we supposed to do with an airhead like that?"
"I'm sure she's been well-informed of her duties," Dumbledore said with a slight frown.
"I don't think it should be too hard for her to sit at the front of the class and do her nails while the students read theory," McGonagall said. "You know that I want my students to read and know the theory, but theory can only do so much. Practical knowledge is what really shows what you can accomplish."
"Yes, I'm well aware of that," Dumbledore said wearily.
"Can't you kick them out?" McGonagall said hopelessly, latching on to anything.
"I'm afraid I don't have the power. Especially now that Dolores has been made High Inquisitor, most of my authority at Hogwarts is vanishing. Cornelius knows this and will take everything away from me a little bit at a time. For the most part the man is blind and ignorant, but there is a smart man deep within himself that comes out when he's in trouble."
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Harry, Hermione, and Ron all walked out of the great hall and headed towards the dungeon where they had double potions first thing. They couldn't be late.
"Great, now that Snape's in an awful mood, let's go spend several hours in the dark, dank, cold basement where no one can save us," Ron complained. "Double Potions with Slytherin on Monday. It should be illegal."
"We have Defence after lunch also," Harry said dejectedly.
"Wonderful," Hermione said sarcastically. "Just try not to get a detention, okay?"
"I'll try. If she's anything like Umbridge then it'll be impossible."
"Maybe she won't be so bad," Ron said, thinking back to the blonde. "And besides, even if we don't learn anything useful, at least she's very easy on the eyes. Now I have something to stare at during class."
"Ron!" Hermione chided as they neared to potions classroom.
"Hey Neville," Harry said to the forgetful boy that was waiting near the door.
"I didn't want to be the first one in," he explained. "He's in a foul mood. Did you see how he stormed away at breakfast?"
"Well, we're here now. And don't worry, he'd much rather yell at me than at you," Harry told him. He took a deep breath and opened the door, then sighed dejectedly at what was to come.
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Buffy followed the house-elf, not paying much attention to where they were going. She was in shock. Harry looked like an exact replica of James. It had brought a fresh wave of pain crashing through her body and shaking her foundation. How was she supposed to get through each day seeing him? This was going to be harder than she thought.
The quiet house-elf stopped suddenly at a portrait of a calm lake, a gentle breeze whistling through the trees that lined the background. A little hut stood on the right bank, and a small boy and girl were quietly fishing on the dock.
"Just choose a password," the house-elf told her, pointing towards the painting.
"Thank you," Buffy said quietly, and the house-elf disappeared with a crack.
The little girl on the dock called out to her, asking her what she wanted her password to be.
"James," Buffy answered distractedly, still thinking about her brother and how much she wished he was here with her now. He would undoubtedly find her whole situation funny, and definitely congratulate her on successfully manipulating the Minister of Magic. Not that it was that hard.
The portrait swung open, and she walked in to her new quarters. There was a small fireplace with a couple of big comfy chairs in the middle of the floor, and there were two doors next to each other on the right wall. 'Bedroom and bathroom,' Buffy thought.
She went into her bedroom and found her bags on the four-poster bed. She quickly changed her robes, leaving the soiled ones on the ancient dresser. She picked up a couple of books and replaced her wand up the sleeve of her fresh robes. She was going to be late for her first class!
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CHAPTER 14: LESSONS
Buffy raced to the classroom that was the DADA classroom when she was in school; she just hoped they hadn't changed it. She flew down the empty hallways, carefully balancing all her books in her arms. Even though she had lived here for the better part of four years, she hadn't walked the halls for years. The more she moved around, the more she remembered, but unfortunately, she forgot about the trick step in one of the staircases.
Her foot sunk in the wood and her hands flew the books up as she tried to keep her balance. She quickly regained her composure, and her balance, as the books started to change direction and come back down. She yanked her foot free, and balanced precariously on the other steps while she reached forward to grab at the books.
Her right hand caught the book falling on her far right while her the fingers on her left hand just barely caught onto the book that was falling right in front of her. She leaped down two steps to slam the folder in between the books in her hands. She just missed her last book as it dropped past her otherwise occupied hands, but with her quick slayer reflexes, she brought her foot up and kicked it before it hit the ground, giving it enough height to soar upwards while she straightened her books in a pile and let the book land flat on top of the pile with a small smack.
Buffy stood up straight and breathed a small sigh of relief as she looked around the corridor to make sure no one was around. It wouldn't do to have anyone witness that spectacular event. Luckily, everyone was in his or her respective classrooms, where she should have been four minutes ago!
She continued her fast paced trek to the classroom after sending a glare at the trick step. She finally reached the location of her old DADA classroom and was slightly worried that the door was closed. Upon opening the door, her worries were only increased.
Yes, she was relieved that there were students in their seats, but there was also someone sitting at the desk in the front of the room. And it wasn't her.
"Professor Fox, I'm glad you could finally make it."
Buffy was extremely disappointed with this turn of events, but she kept a straight face and came up with an excuse. "No one showed me where the classroom was and I was wondering all over the castle until I finally ran into a late student who showed me the way. I didn't realized that you'd be here, but thanks for covering for me." Buffy put on her best innocent looking face and gave a small smile.
"Hem hem... I'll be here your first week to make sure everything goes well for you and that you follow the curriculum. I'm just here to check up on you and make sure everything goes smoothly for you," Umbridge said with a sickly smile.
"Aww, that's so sweet of you!" Buffy said with a cheerful smile and exuberant enthusiasm. "We'll have so much fun!" Inside, Buffy was fuming. She was going to ruin all her plans! She tried to calm down in order to think rationally. It was okay, all she had to do was follow the little toad's orders for a week, and then she would be free to do her own thing. In the mean time, she could annoy the crap out of her and maybe she'd leave even earlier!
"So, what's on the agenda today?" Buffy said, prancing over to the desk and dropping her books on top. She was well aware that all the students in the classroom were staring at her.
"Here's your list of classes, when and who you teach," Umbridge said, handing over a sheet of paper.
Buffy took it up and glanced over it, wondering what year Harry was in and when she would teach him. She didn't know if she could do it yet, as he looked so much like James. It would take some getting used to, but with time, hopefully she would get over it. She really did want to get to know Harry; he was her only family left.
By the looks of things, when she did teach him, he wouldn't like her. At least while she still had to follow Umbridge''s stupid plan. She'd have to think about a way to get around this new development.
Buffy put the paper down and hopped up on the desk, sitting with her legs swinging slightly. "So what do we do first?" she asked, pulling imaginary lint off her robes.
Umbridge was amazed that the minister could hire someone so obviously incompetent to do this important job; they were trying to get Mr. Potter expelled and Dumbledore kicked out of his position. To be honest, maybe it was better that she was so, well, blonde. That way she wouldn't think, she'd only follow orders.
"It's simple, even someone like you could do this," Umbridge said with a sneer. "They open their books to where they left off, and then they read. They must learn the theory. Whenever you feel like it, assign an essay or two on something they have read. That's it."
Buffy sat unbelieving as she listened to what Umbridge told her. She wasn't supposed to do anything! How were they ever going to learn?
She pretended to be really be thinking about what she was told. If only she had some gum... "So, what am I supposed to do?"
"Sit at the desk and make sure everyone does what they're supposed to do. If they're not, or they're making trouble, assign them detention. I'll handle them. Other than that, just sit and look pretty."
"Oh, I can do that!" Buffy said enthusiastically. She smiled brightly and played with her hair, making sure it was perfect.
"Well, hem hem, you should also make sure you're on time from now on, hem hem."
Buffy just stared at her, the hem hemming really grating her nerves. She forced a smile and shrugged. "No problem."
"Get back to reading," Umbridge practically snarled at the first years that were staring with amazement with their new, clueless, professor. They all jumped, some even yelped, and Buffy felt sorry for the poor kids that had to put up with Umbridge. It was like Snyder all over again.
The class dragged on with total silence in the room, as the first years were too scared to say anything. Buffy was incredibly bored. There was nothing to do, so she just sat on the desk and swung her legs and played with her hair. She couldn't even read, because she thought Umbridge might become suspicious.
Finally, it was time for class to be over, and the students all sighed with relief. They quickly packed their books and rushed out of the door, happy to be away from the crazy toad lady and the blonde bimbo.
Buffy picked up her paper and checked her schedule. She had seventh years Hufflepuffs next, then fifth year Gryffindors before a lunch break. She didn't know if she could make it to lunch; she'd probably die of boredom first.
She waited impatiently for her next class to come. Amazingly enough, no one entered the classroom until right before class was supposed to start. It was as if they were savouring as much time without Umbridge as they could get. Buffy didn't blame them.
Buffy didn't think it was possible, but it seemed that this class was even more boring than the one before. She even found herself nodding off at times, only to have her head snap up and wake her up. At the end of the class, Buffy was out the door with the rest of the Hufflepuffs.
She wanted to move around for a while and stretch her muscles before she needed to go back and sit in that supremely boring classroom. This was going to be the longest week of her life.
She walked around for a while and was on her way back to the classroom when she heard some students coming down the hall. Normally, she wouldn't have paid them any attention, except she heard a girl's voice address someone named Harry.
She froze, luckily hidden around the corner, and listened to their conversation. Apparently they were upset about something.
"How can he be so mean? Neville wouldn't have blown up his cauldron if it wasn't for Malfoy."
"It's Snape, what do you expect?" a bitter voice asked.
"He's a git, Hermione, we all know this," a third voice intoned.
"But wasn't it bad enough that he embarrassed him yet again in front of the class?"
"And take off more house points," a boy complained.
"But did he really have to go to such extremes? We all know that Potions isn't Neville's best subject, but there's no need to do what he does. Neville must feel awful."
"Well, when he comes into DADA you can ask him about it," one of the boys said sarcastically.
The other boy groaned and said, "I don't know if I can sit through that now."
"Oh Harry, try not to lose your temper please. Maybe Professor Fox won't be so bad."
"Yeah, anyone that looks that hot can't be bad," one boy said dreamily.
"Ron!" Hermione said, smacking him.
"Hey!" Ron cried. "Anyway, Harry try not to get detention okay? Angelina won't be pleased if you miss practice yet again."
"Okay, okay. I'll try, but I can't promise you anything," Harry said.
The trio rounded the corner and walked sulkily into the classroom. Her classroom. Apparently, Harry was in fifth year. Buffy, from her still hidden spot, mulled over what she had heard. Class was about to start, so she hurried into the classroom; there was no need to be late twice.
Upon entering the room, she found everyone in their seats, waiting. Most were surprised that Umbridge was sitting behind the desk (she hadn't offered the chair to Buffy, even though she was supposed to be the professor).
Harry and his friends, Hermione and Ron, were sitting in the front. Arriving the latest, they got the seats closest to the dreaded Umbridge. People looked slightly happier when she walked into the room, and that made her feel somewhat better.
Buffy walked to the desk, avoiding Harry's gaze. Looking at him was just too hard; instead, she looked at Umbridge expectantly. "Where's the roll?"
Umbridge looked a little confused and then looked around the desk. She opened the top right drawer and pulled out sheets of paper, presumably the roll. It didn't look like she had taken it for a while. She handed them over to Buffy with a hem hem.
Buffy took the papers, possibly a little too violently due to the annoying noise she kept making, and started to read the names off the list. She knew that everyone was here, all the desks were full, but she wanted to know who was who. The boy the trio had been talking about, Neville, was a slightly pudgy boy that seemed a little nervous and upset. Apparently the girl had been right in saying that he would be hurt from the Potions lesson.
She was happy to say that she had assumed correctly that Harry's two friends were Ron and Hermione. The name Weasley rang a little bell in her head, as did Longbottom. She should have known that she would have been teaching kids of her former classmates. Everyone was all grown up now and had families of their own.
She had paused only a half a second longer on Harry's name, she got a little upset attempting to say Potter. She didn't think anyone had noticed her little lapse, and she continued through to the end.
Once she was done, she set the papers down and hopped back onto her desk. "So, open your books and start reading where you left off."
Almost everyone reluctantly took out their books and set them on their desks; however, the trio in the front row did not. In fact, Hermione actually raised her hand.
"Yes?" Buffy asked curiously.
"What exactly are your plans for this class?"
"Plans?" Buffy asked, acting puzzled. Everyone else in class froze, watching the explosion that was imminent. Buffy was actually pleased, maybe someone did have the guts to stand up to the teacher.
"Yes, plans. What do you plan to teach us, what is your agenda. You must have some idea where you want us to be at the end of the year, what is on the curriculum and how to go about preparing for our exams! O.W.L.'s are this year, and you don't have any plans?" Hermione continued, growing more and more frantic, as Buffy continued to look more and more puzzled.
"I just got here this morning," Buffy said, as if that explained it all.
"Do you even know what class you're teaching?" Harry said scathingly, disgusted at the new teacher.
Buffy looked sharply at Harry, surprised at his tone. Behind her, Professor Umbridge spoke up.
"Harry Potter. Our class trouble maker; you want to watch out for him. He's a disrespectful liar. Just give him detention; it hasn't worked yet, but I believe that it will given time."
Buffy carefully watched Harry's expressions while Umbridge continued her speech. He wasn't very good at hiding his emotions; it was obvious he was beyond mad. It seemed like a foreign emotion on his face, because she had never seen James so angry.
The closer she looked, the more she realized that he wasn't really like James. His eyes were what gave him away. Besides the fact that they reminded her of Lily, they held so much anger and disappointment. They were eyes similar to the ones she saw in the mirror when she was first called as a slayer; the weight of the world and all that. Now her eyes held much more pain and disappointment. She wondered what could have happened to him to make him like that. Eyes like that held too much emotion to be caused by one incident. It didn't seem like he'd had a very nice life so far.
"I'm not a liar," Harry said, once again, through clenched teeth. "I'm not the one pretending to be someone I'm not." Harry didn't know how right he was. Buffy was hiding, but he wasn't talking about her identity. "Do you even have any idea what this class is about? I bet you couldn't take on any wizard or dark creature of any kind. There's no way you have any qualifications to be a professor of this class."
Buffy was a little surprised, and upset, at her nephew's attitude and behaviour. Obviously this boy had issues that needed to be solved. And he had no idea what kind of qualifications she had for the job; but he couldn't know that.
"Well, Cornelius was nice enough to give me this job. I was desperate," Buffy said, explaining why she took the job.
"Great, so our future and education is jeopardized because you were desperate for a job?" Harry spat. "Thanks. I hope you'll take responsibility when we run into some dark wizard and get killed."
"Mr. Potter, there are no dark wizards running around, and you'd do best to keep your mouth shut!" Umbridge said.
Harry was getting more and more upset, and everyone could tell he was about to explode. This was exactly what Umbridge was waiting for, and Buffy knew it. She had to do something.
"Mr. Potter, obviously detentions are not working, because you seem to be getting enough of them, yet your behaviour has not improved. Something else must be done." Buffy looked around the room, ignoring the confused yet outraged look on Harry's face. She zeroed in on her target. Neville Longbottom.
"Perhaps putting one of your friends in detention tonight will change your attitude. Make you think about how your behaviour affects those around you. Neville. Detention with me tonight at 8:00 sharp. If you're late, you'll have another detention." Neville's eyes were bulging out in surprise and fear.
Everyone in the class was outraged. "You can't do that!" Hermione exclaimed. "Of course I can do that. I'm the professor and you're the students. You do as you're told or you get punished," Buffy said. She was not playing the blonde bimbo at the moment and was currently scaring some of the students.
"But he didn't do anything wrong!"
"I didn't say that he did, but perhaps it's time that something was changed around here. I say he has detention, do you want someone else to get it at your expense? If so, please, keep talking."
Hermione looked torn between speaking up again and keeping her mouth shut. She opted for the latter and sat back down, defeated.
"If anyone has a problem with the way I'm doing my job, please, feel free to talk to the High Inquisitor. I'm sure she will be willing to take action against any unfairness."
Harry had surprisingly, kept quiet throughout the exchange. There was something off about the new professor. She was supposed to be a blonde bimbo, but she was showing a threatening, darker side. She was hiding something, and he didn't like it.
Umbridge was astonished at this new Sarah Fox. She was acting much more forceful than she was supposed to be. Maybe this was the person Fudge hired and the act was just to throw people off guard. She seemed to be a good person for the job, but now that she was showing some more strength, Umbridge was once again worried for her job.
Buffy was a little upset that she gave away her blonde act already, but maybe all was not lost. Now that silence had once again reigned in the classroom, she put on a smile and said, "Great! Now, open your books and begin reading."
The rest of the class went by fairly quickly. No more arguments were given the rest of the class, but several of the boys kept staring at her. Some were drooling, namely the redhead in front.
Class ended, and it was time for lunch. Everyone filed out of the classroom, and went off to the great hall to eat. Buffy, however, was not hungry, and opted to go to her room for a while and relax before her next class.
"James," she said, reciting the password to the painting and waving at the little girl and boy still sitting on the dock.
She walked into her room and laid on the bed. Before she knew it, she was asleep.
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Buffy was walking down the halls at Hogwarts, on her way to the Quidditch Pitch, when she felt someone's presence behind her. Watching her.
Turning around, she searched for the person in the shadows of the castle. Her eyes fixed upon one location and she watched as a tall, vaguely familiar figure with semi-long black hair stepped from the darkest corner.
He stepped closer to her and she searched his face, trying to place it. "Buffy?" he asked, surprised.
Her eyes widened in realization, and tears of disbelief and happiness rose up. "Sirius?"
He stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. "I thought you were dead!"
Buffy returned the hug whole-heartedly and nuzzled his neck slightly with her head. "I missed you so much!" she said through her tears.
They pulled apart slightly and he looked into her bright green eyes, filled with love. He bowed his head and captured her lips with his own. The kiss grew in passion as they continued on. They pulled apart for a brief second to get air, but then soon closed the gap again. Sirius slid his hand up the back of Buffy's shirt and Buffy tangled her hand in his hair.
"I love you," he said as they broke apart. "I never stopped."
"I love you too," she said.
He bent down to kiss her once again but his lips never reached her own.
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Buffy bolted up in her bed. She had lost all sense of time and had no idea where she was. She brought her hand up to her lips. She could still feel his lips on her own. Merlin, how she missed him.
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In his room, Sirius Black bolted upright in his bed, breathing heavily. "Buffy?"
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CHAPTER 15: SIRIUS
Sirius sat in his bed breathing heavily, visibly shaken by his dream. He couldn't remember the last time he had thought about Buffy; not before his time in Azkaban, that's for sure. When Moody had brought back her lifeless body, his heart broke and it had yet to heal completely. At first he had wanted revenge and had spent a great deal of time with James planning, but Remus' intervention put a stop to that.
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Sirius and James sat around their room with books piled everywhere while trash littered any open space left. They had barely moved from their room since the incident, not even to get food. They were so consumed with hatred and driven by revenge.
Remus was getting worried about the two of them. He missed Buffy, but she wasn't his sister or his girlfriend. He was hurting, but not to the extent that he knew James and Sirius would be. Knowing his two friends, they would undoubtedly do something stupid since they weren't thinking clearly; not that they needed that excuse!
He had tried owling them, but his letters were returned unopened. He tried knocking on their door, but no one answered, even though he was sure someone was home.
James' parents weren't taking the news of their only daughter and youngest child's death well. They rarely answered the door, mainly to avoid nosy reporters, but they also closed off their fireplace; they obviously didn't want any guests. Remus didn't know what to do.
Finally, as his third owl was returned unanswered, Remus got fed up. He went down to their house and walked around to James' bedroom window. The curtains were drawn, not letting him see anything inside the room. He tried to listen for any sounds, but all he could hear was the whipping wind. He knocked on the window and waited.
Nothing. He sighed and then tried to pry the window open with his hands. It was locked tight. He glared slightly at the window and brandished his wand, as if he expected it to open at the mere sight of the piece of wood.
Giving a few waves of his wand and a couple of choice words, the window rushed open, banging roughly into the top of the frame. The curtains billowed inward with the sudden onslaught of wind. Remus crawled in through the window and closed it behind him, cutting off the fresh air, which the room desperately needed, if for nothing else than to clear away the stench.
Two black haired boys were staring at him from the bed with parchment scattered everywhere. "Remus," James said surprised. "What are you doing here?"
Remus looked at his two friends incredulously. "What do you think I'm doing here? I haven't seen you guys at all in the past week! You haven't answered any of my owls and you didn't even answer the door, or your own window for that matter," Remus ranted.
"Sorry, we've been busy," James said.
"Now if you don't mind," Sirius said, examining the pages once more, looking for something useful.
Remus just blinked in amazement. Then he narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he finally noticed all the books around them. "What are you doing?" he asked cautiously.
"Researching," James said absently, turning a page.
"Researching what?" Remus continued. "I know you already finished your homework and school doesn't start for another two days." They had all done their homework earlier in the summer. Not only was it easier to complete while they still had some knowledge of school, but it also made the summer much brighter, as they didn't have assignments hanging over their heads.
"Curses," Sirius said shortly.
"Why," Remus said, a reason forming in his head, but wanting it to be confirmed.
"To get back at the bastards that... did this," Sirius said, his voice full of anger, but he was unable to say exactly what they did. It hurt too much.
"You can't be serious," Remus said, incredulously.
Sirius raised an eyebrow at his remark and said, "Why not?"
"You'll get killed! You haven''t even finished school and you expect to go against an army of death eaters and live to tell the tale? How thick are you?"
"They have to pay," James said, his eyes flashing. "She was my sister, and I couldn't help her, couldn't save her. I have to do something."
"You're not the only ones that hurt; Lily was her best friend and she's been torn up, not that you'd know that since you didn't bother to answer any of my letters."
James felt really bad for not even thinking about Lily, but she was his sister! She could be a pain in the butt sometimes, but that's what little sisters are for; he didn't love her any less, in fact, he loved her even more. And most of the time they got along great. There wasn't much that could make them fight. And now she was gone.
"Do you really think she'd want you to do something this suicidal? Stop and think for a moment, please," Remus said. "You'll never win!"
"Well, we might as well take as many of them with us as we can," Sirius said.
"SHE'S DEAD!" Remus yelled, trying to get through to his friends. They froze at the blatant use of the words they had avoided. "She's not coming back," Remus said quietly after a moment's silence. "I know it hurts, I hurt too, but you have to move on. There's no point dwelling on the fact that you couldn't save her; she knew that you tried. If all five of us fighting couldn't do anything, what chance do you two have?
"She wouldn't want you to do anything stupid, like go and get yourselves killed. She'd want you to go back to school, do something really unthinkable and dedicate it to her. It's not going to be better all of a sudden, but it will start to hurt less. You still have me and Peter and Lily, not to mention your parents. What are we supposed to do if you go and get killed? We've already lost somebody, there's no need to lose another."
James and Sirius were listening to Remus' speech intently and it made sense, but they were still lost. "What are we supposed to do?" James said brokenly. "Planning our revenge was the only thing that could hold back the pain. If we just had a plan, then maybe we wouldn't have to face the fact that she's... that she's gone. That's why we put all our effort into it."
"What you do know," Remus said, feeling awful for his friends, "is to remember her and continue on with your life. I know this might sound awful, but life does go on."
"Not for her," Sirius said bitterly.
"No," Remus said softly, "not for her, but for you, and for us, it does. It's going to be hard, and painful, but it's something you'll learn to deal with."
"I don't want to deal with it!" Sirius yelled, jumping up. "I want her back!" He strode out the door and then out of the house, slamming the door behind him. He just wanted her back.
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Sirius shakily got out of bed and walked over to his bathroom to run water over his face. He couldn't stand the pain back then. It hurt too much to think of her and know that he would never see her smile again, never hear her teasing voice, never kiss her again, or tell her how much he loved her.
The pain was so unbearable, that he vowed never to think about her. No one ever talked about her much, and they went to school for their seventh year as usual. There had been a toasting at the Welcoming Feast and a moment of silence, but after that, the friends tried to get back into a normal routine.
They were fairly successful, but her presence was sorely missed. Quidditch was never the same, the school was never the same, and neither were they. But they moved on, albeit very slowly. Every once and a while, something would happen to make him think of his first love, and he would lapse into broody silence for a while, before shaking himself out of it and planning a joke for her.
One time, they had come up with the brilliant idea of moving the Slytherins' beds onto the lake while they were sleeping. All of them. Needless to say, when the first to seventh year Slytherins woke up on shaky beds floating uneasily on the lake, with tentacles wrapping around some of them, they were not happy. But, it was a great spectacle to see. It was for Buffy, as all the Death Eaters were known to come from Slytherin.
Once they put the finishing touches on the map they had been working on for the last several years, they named it the Marauder's Map, for Buffy, and dedicated it to her.
They had all moved on after Hogwarts, Lily and James got married and had Harry while Remus, Sirius, and Peter remained single. Then the attack on the Potter's came once again causing more grief upon them all. Sirius was shipped off to Azkaban where he never thought of Buffy once in twelve years. He hadn't even thought of her since he escaped, so needless to say he was shocked over his dream.
She had looked so real, and much older; 'although not as old as she would have been,' Sirius thought with a frown. How did he know what she would look like when she was older? A guess? It seemed to be a pretty good guess. She was so beautiful and he knew some part of him still loved her, as his heart had beat rapidly in his chest at the sight of her.
Sirius shook his head to clear his thoughts, but her image would not go away. He walked downstairs to get something to drink. He could still feel her lips on his own and the softness of her long, blonde hair...
Remus was sitting in the kitchen nursing a cup of tea and looked up when the door opened to admit a preoccupied Sirius. "How was your nap?" he asked his friend. Trapped in this house, Sirius had a limited amount of things to do: clean or sleep. It wasn't surprising he chose the latter frequently.
Sirius started at the sound of his friend's voice and turned sharply to look at the werewolf; it was as if he could read his mind.
"Padfoot?" Remus asked carefully, surprised and worried at his friend's reaction. "Is everything okay?'
Sirius debated over telling Remus about his dream or not, but quickly decided to, as he needed someone to confide in; someone who knew her.
He sat down heavily across from Remus at the table. Remus only became increasingly worried about his friend. "I had a dream."
"And," Remus prompted.
"It was about her," Sirius said, looking his friend in the eyes.
At first Remus didn't understand exactly who he meant, and he searched through his mind to find a 'her' that Sirius could be referring to, and be this torn up about. His eyes widened as he came upon an answer. He couldn't possibly mean her, could he? Nobody had talked about her in years, it was almost as if she had never existed.
"You don't mean..." Remus started to say, but couldn't bring himself to say her name in case he was wrong.
"Yes, Buffy," Sirius said, closing his eyes with a sigh.
Remus was shocked that his guess had been correct; not shocked that he had been right, but shocked that Sirius had a dream about Buffy. As far as he knew, Sirius didn't think about her anymore either. She had certainly never been brought up in any conversation they'd had.
"Have you dreamt about her before?"
"No," Sirius admitted. "At least not before she died." It wasn't difficult to talk about her death as it had once been. It had been about 15 years, but it still hurt; first love and all that. It still hurt that James and Lily were killed, but he had gotten over the fact that they weren't coming back. He had accepted it and moved on, like Remus once told him to do.
"What about her?" Remus asked curiously.
"I was at Hogwarts and I saw someone walking down the halls, and she turned around, and it was her. It was Buffy," Sirius said with his eyes closed, as he remembered what she looked like. "It was strange, because it wasn't the Buffy we knew. She was older, but young as well. I mean, she couldn't have been any older than 25."
"How old were you?" Remus asked, surprised at this development.
"Same age as I am now, I think," Sirius said with a frown. "Nobody else was there, but it seemed as if it was real. I thought it was really her, come back from the dead," Sirius said with a bitter laugh.
"Did she say anything?"
Sirius paused for a moment, before saying, "She said she missed me, and that she loved me."
Remus didn't know what to make of the dream. Obviously, it wasn't true, because they had seen the body, had seen it get lowered into the ground. And there wasn't any spell powerful enough to bring a person back from the dead; at least, not without turning them into a zombie of some kind.
"Maybe it's just all your memories and emotions coming back from when you were in Azkaban," Remus said.
Sirius frowned at him and said, "I've been out for about two years now."
"Yes, but the first year you were sorely focused on getting to Wormtail, and the second year you were too busy worrying about Harry and the Triwizard tournament. Now that you don't have anything to occupy your time, your repressed thoughts are making their way back," Remus theorized.
"Maybe," Sirius said doubtfully. "It just seemed so real..."
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Buffy got out of bed quickly, realizing she had missed all her afternoon classes, and the first few minutes of dinner. Umbridge was going to have a fit.
'Stupid jet lag,' Buffy thought grumpily. She still hadn't gotten used to the huge time jump from California to England. She had survived on little sleep since arriving in London, due to her excitement, but it was starting to catch up to her.
Buffy hurried around the room, trying to keep her mind off the dream. Maybe it was prophetic. She's had a few of those before, and it did seem like it was the future, as he was much older than she had remembered. Buffy's heart sped up as she thought of her dark haired love, and how hot he still looked. 'Although, he's going to need to cut that hair.'
If it was prophetic, then that meant she would meet him at Hogwarts, but he couldn't possibly be staying here, could he? Not when the wizarding world thought he was a murderer. Buffy looked thoughtful for a moment. 'Unless Dumbledore knows he's innocent...' She dismissed this thought quickly. She knew that Dumbledore knew more than he let on, but if he knew Sirius was innocent, surely he'd prove his innocence. Right?
Buffy stopped at the mirror and fixed her dishevelled hair before leaving the room to catch the last half of dinner.
Buffy entered the great hall, where everyone stopped talking for a moment to stare at her before quietly conversing in whispers. Everyone wanted to know what the new professor was like and why she didn't show up for some of her afternoon classes.
At the head table, she sat down in her chair between Umbridge and Professor Dumbledore. Hem hem. "How nice of you to join us Professor," Umbridge said.
"Thanks," Buffy said cheekily.
Hem hem, Umbridge frowned. "Where were you this afternoon?"
"I wasn't hungry so I went upstairs to get something, and the next thing I know it was time for dinner," Buffy explained with a shrug.
"Were you hurt?" Umbridge said, assuming someone had attacked her.
"I fell asleep," Buffy clarified.
Umbridge scowled at the flippant girl. "I thought I told you that you were not to be late to class anymore," scolding her like she was a student.
"Well, I guess we're good then," Buffy said, pouring herself a glass of pumpkin juice.
"I thought I made myself clear this morning when I said I would not tolerate lateness," Umbridge said, confused by her last statement.
"That's good," Buffy said. "But I wasn't late, I just didn't show up. There is a difference." She gave a small smile and could have sworn she heard a little snort come from Dumbledore, but dismissed it as she saw him conversing with McGonagall.
Hem hem. Umbridge couldn't believe this little girl had the gall to be sassy with her! Where was the dumb blonde from this morning? Apparently, it came and went. "Well, I won't tolerate your absence either," Umbridge said haughtily. "I'll be sure to let the Minister know about your performance on your first day."
"You do that," Buffy said, drinking from her cup.
Umbridge had nothing left to say.
McGonagall must have finished talking to Dumbledore because she leaned her strict face over to talk to Buffy. "Professor Fox, I have been informed that Neville Longbottom received a detention from you today. As he is in my house, I would like to know why you felt the need for such a large punishment for him on your first day."
Buffy looked over at McGonagall and eyed her for a minute before saying, "There's a lesson that needs to be learned."
McGonagall gave a small huff and continued, "And what lesson is that?"
"Not to be so disruptive in class," replied Buffy, coming up with the first thing she could.
"I'll admit that Neville is lacking a little in the control department, but since your class is only theory, I fail to see how Neville could be disruptive."
"I didn't say it was his lesson to learn," Buffy said.
McGonagall thought for a minute before she realized what Buffy was saying. "You can't give someone a detention for something they didn't even do! Albus!" she entreated the headmaster, but Umbridge spoke up first.
"On the contrary, her actions today in class were necessary. As High Inquisitor, I will allow the punishment to be carried out, and any future punishments she decides upon."
"My hands are tied," Dumbledore said calmly to McGonagall. Yes, he did believe that her punishment was unfair, but there was nothing he could do about it.
But, there was something about Professor Fox that had peaked his interest. She did not seem to be as, well, blonde, as she had this morning, and she even seemed to be egging Dolores Umbridge on. She was very flippant. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore unbelievingly, and then angrily stormed away to her quarters. The school was going to be taken over by the incompetent Fudge and Dumbledore wasn't going to fight it.
Buffy also stood up and excused herself from the table. It was creeping towards 6:30, and she wanted to talk to her friends before she had detention duty.
"But you didn't eat anything," Dumbledore protested. "You missed lunch and you barely ate anything for breakfast." For some reason, he was worried about the new professor. He knew he shouldn't like the Ministry employed official, but there was just something about her...
Buffy looked back towards the table and gave a small frown. "I'm not that hungry," she admitted and walked away.