This chapter's a little bitty but just imagine that it's scene cuts in a TV show or something.
Hope you like!
Somewhere outside HogsmedeBuffy looked up at the ramshackle building in front of her, marvelling at how such an inconspicuous structure could house such an important artefact. In many respects it was the perfect hiding place, no one would think to look in such a derelict old house and it would be impenetrable to most of those who did. Dumbledore had told Buffy that the Sword of Adonis had been placed here because the building was muggle repellent but no one who had performed wand magic could cross the threshold (A/N in this story sparks don't count as proper magic). Such defences and many others had meant that the Sword had lain undisturbed for centuries but it was surely only a matter of time before Lord Voldemort worked out a way to breach the security. Buffy, being neither muggle nor a prior user of wand magic, was not barred from entering and stepped into the dingy grey hallway, her feet silent as a hunter's on the flagstone floor. Buffy strolled towards the end of the narrow corridor, her senses alert for any sounds or movement in a house that was seemingly deserted. The door to her left opened onto a large square room in which layers of dust collected on the mantelpiece and the wooden furniture rotted under sheets that were eaten away and stained.
"No magic sword here," Buffy murmured gently closing the heavy oak door so that a small pile of dust rose noiselessly off the stone only to settle back upon it. The second room was much the same only the silence inside was not absolute, a floorboard of the room above creaked but after a momentary glance upwards Buffy continued her search for the elusive sword. She pulled Dumbledore's wand out of her back pocket and fingered it carefully. It felt strange, cold to touch and too fragile as if it might snap at any moment. There was something about it that felt familiar, an essence of magic and power, but in general it felt as strange in Buffy's hand as a stake did natural. Safely inside Buffy tried one of the spells Dumbledore had explained to her outside the hospital ward.
"Accio" Buffy said quietly and a fire poker twitched but did not fly over to Buffy as she expected. Barely an instant later there was another creak followed by a loud thump and an exclamation in a very American accent of,
"Shit!"
Meanwhile at St. Mungo'sA moment after Buffy was whisked away by a fluorescent pink bandage Dumbledore turned to Dawn.
"So," he began, "what would you like to do now?"
"My mom." Dawn replied quickly. "Is she ok? Who was Sirius?" Dumbledore sighed heavily. The loss of Sirius had been a massive blow for him as well as Harry. He had lost a good friend and a good fighter, not to mention another of the links to James. Yet somehow, Dumbledore would not pretend to understand how, the world seemed intent on keeping James alive. Harry was such a likeness of his father that Dumbledore would still do a double take every now and then, his heart giving one extra, hopeful beat as the boy turned a corner towards him. Then Remus returned to Hogwarts, it had taken months of persuasion before Dumbledore had convinced him to come to his old home but that had ended in the revelation of his werewolf nature and Remus had departed. Not before Dumbledore had spoken with Sirius though, as one link left another came yet this too was only temporary. Sirius' passing was such a bitter pill that Lily's return, such a miraculous occurrence, was tainted. Though he was delighted, ecstatic, indescribably happy to see her again Dumbledore could not help but wish that James and Sirius could be returned in a similar fashion. So…how to explain to James' daughter who Sirius Black was? Sirius Black, wanted fugitive, mass murderer, member of the Order of the Phoenix, Pureblood, brother of a deatheater, righteous man, Harry's godfather, secret keeper…for a while."
"Sirius was your father's best friend." Dumbledore said at last. "His most trusted confidant and mischief maker. He was Harry's godfather and a noble man. He fought, like your sister, against evil although he was a casualty of war." Dumbledore looked into the young face in front of him and saw how Dawn was only a child. Though her sister bore the brunt of responsibility it had not yet made its mark on this girl and he was glad. He hoped her brow would remain as smooth as it was while he spoke, but a small frown was forming and Dawn spoke.
"He wasn't my father. James can't have been my father."
"No I suppose he was not."
Dumbledore said calmly. "Ahh well, that
is just one less piece to the puzzle and perhaps it is just as well, I am quite
intrigued enough by the events I don't remember. It makes very little difference surely, it will make your life
less of a mystery for all of us."
"Yeah, yeah." Dawn agreed
slowly but inside thinking hard. She
was not Buffy's full sister, nor Harry's.
Half- blood, would that matter?
Would it make a difference to Buffy? Dawn wanted to be alone. She needed questions answered but Dumbledore
was ushering her back into the ward.
Inside Dawn wandered around, not really focussing on anything in
particular whilst Dumbledore and Lily conversed. Dawn looked at the potion bottles on a trolley and Gilderoy
Lockhart's pictures on his wall. She
looked from a distance at the Longbottoms and thought about what the man had
said. She had been assured it didn't
mean anything but somehow the words stuck with her.
"Not there, not there"
Dawn looked around uneasily, most of the patients were absorbed in their own worlds, Frank Longbottom included. She turned 180 degrees only to find a woman with long grey hair and clawing fingers directly behind her.
"So pretty," the women gasped stroking Dawn's long hair with her bony fingers. "Green and pure, so pure." Dawn backed away looking fearfully at the woman who was led back to her bed by a mediwitch.
"Uh, can I go back to Hogwarts now?" Dawn asked Dumbledore and after a brief goodbye and a flame directed journey Dawn once again tumbled out of Dumbledore's office fire. She ran to the ragged grey hat which looked as inanimate as possible. Dawn fumbled to pull it over her head and like it had on Buffy the filthy cloth fell over her eyes. For a moment Dawn stared into the darkness but then a voice whispered in her ear.
"So the third piece of the puzzle. The third one to come to me, not to be sorted but to find out who they are."
"Who they are?" Dawn repeated.
"Who you are my dear. Isn't that what you want to know?"
"No I want to know," Dawn began but the hat cut her off.
"Why the people at the hospital say those things about you, what they see in you. Let me tell you then my dear. You are special."
"Me? Special? No, no I'm just, just Dawn."
"Indeed. The Dawn of a new era, be it good or bad."
"I-I don't understand." Dawn stammered.
"You are the key to the Dawn, the key to the sunset and the mountains ant the forests. You are the key to the song of the birds and the cries of man. You are the key to the world Dawn."
Meanwhile…Harry was sitting alone in his room in Grimmauld Place. It was how he spent much of his time. Ron was often busy with jobs Mrs Weasley found for him but she didn't ask anything of Harry. Sometimes he wished she would, though he knew it was a gesture of hospitality it just made Harry feel he barely existed. This feeling was compounded by all the bustle going on around him. Order members were rushing in and out, Snape had been a couple of times as well as Kingsley and Moody but Harry hadn't seen Dumbledore. This was probably a good thing because Harry wasn't entirely convinced he wouldn't attack the man he had previously trusted so much. Harry had also barely seen Hermione since…since…well since she …since they…kissed. For a moment he had felt special, cared for but then just like everyone else who cared about him she had barely gone near him. Meal times had been the worst, Harry had sat in the overcrowded kitchen each day and swallowed his food as quickly as possible before rushing back upstairs usually to his room but sometimes to Sirius'. Buckbeak was still upstairs and Harry had taken it upon himself to look after the Hippogriff. He could sit stroking the fearsome looking creature and dwell on the memory of the night Sirius flew away on him or the time he slashed Malfoy's arm with his talons. The memories were no substitute for the present though and Harry became more sullen and withdrawn. He felt as if he was re-living Sirius' last year, trapped in the gloomy house with people who were all busy and important but with nothing to do. He had a longing to be outside, to run, to use magic, to swim, to fly…to fly. It had been so long since Harry had ridden his firebolt that there was like a magnetic attraction drawing him to it. Quidditch was like a beautiful dream that he knew happened and wanted desperately to keep but couldn't quite catch hold of. It was an ache inside him that he wanted desperately to relieve and yet he also couldn't care less about, it was something from the normal world where problems were school work and dealing with Snape not losing your godfather, fighting Voldemort and learning that your destiny was either murderer or victim.
Ron burst into the room panting and clutching two envelopes. He chucked one at Harry and said,
"Harry. It's results." Harry looked blearily at Ron not understanding.
"OWLs. They're here."
"I thought they came later, with the Hogwarts letter." Harry said stupidly but Ron shook his head.
"Nope. This is it Harry. Hermione's got hers too, bet she got all O's, imagine if she got an A. Hey Harry what's the matter?" Ron looked at Harry's face even paler than usual but Harry didn't answer. He looked down at the envelope slowly tore it open and pulled out the parchment inside.
back to Buffy
"This thing'd better work." Buffy muttered through gritted teeth as she gripped Dumbledore's wand and cautiously made her way to the stairs. She trod the worn stone upwards giving thanks to whoever decided not to have wooden stairs. The banister however was wood and rotting away so Buffy snapped of a piece with the barest hint of a crack even though she knew that the odds of finding a vampire in a house were slim to none. There were a few grunting noises from inside the room and a tiny crease deepened between Buffy's eyebrows as her curiosity and her feet mounted. She stopped outside the door gathering her wits, her strength and her focus. In one graceful movement she pushed open the door, took one step inside and froze.
To Buffy's left was a large diamond paned window, so grimy that barely any light broke through. In front of it was a cube that seemed to be made of crackling blue energy. Inside the framework of electricity was a sword, not just any sword though. It was silver and pointy like almost any other with a blade that looked sharper than Buffy cared to test on a person yet the energy seemed to be radiating from it and the handle was bejewelled with all manner of precious stones that drew Buffy's eyes like the crystal Giles had once used to hypnotise her before the watcher's council's test on her eighteenth birthday. Buffy dragged her gaze away from the scintillating colours reflecting off the sword and saw one person she felt might warrant experimentation with the sword. One word escaped her mouth before it fell open.
"You!"
Hee hee cliffhangers. Who d'you think the person is? What's the hat gonna tell Dawn? Did Harry get his grades to be an Auror? (Sorry exam results on the brain and I haven't even taken most of them.) Good luck to anyone else taking exams and Please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!