A/N: Thanks for the reviews! It's always nice to know ya like what I'm writing. And

whoever said that they're happy to see that Draco was reading, I'm a total bookworm too

so don't worry, plenty more reading in store for him and the rest of the characters. And

yes, I do plan on showing the softer side of the Slytherin house.

Chapter 6: Daze Gone By

"I heard our mighty Prince got quite the scare last night. He's been talking about

how you attacked him all morning." Tru said, coming up behind Buffy as she searched

for the Great Hall.

"I never attacked him. If I had you'd of known it from the lack of life." Buffy

said, as they finally reached the corridor she knew her destination was in.

"Just thought I'd tell you that your going to get the brush off from more people

than just Lord Draco. The entire table's going to shun you." Tru said, almost smiling.

"Then why are you talking to me?" Buffy asked as they entered the Great Hall. It

was buzzing with gossip on the latest scandals, and Buffy knew some of it was about her.

"Because you scared the bloody hell out of him, and I admire that in a girl.

Especially one who doesn't take crap even from him." she said, and as Buffy sat down at

the table she heard people whispering 'Muggle Lover'.

"So what's your first class?" Tru asked. Buffy looked at the plate in front of her

and there was a schedule there.

"Looks like Defense Against the Dark Arts with Snape. Hey, isn't he the Potions

teacher?" Buffy said, looking up and the greasy haired man at the teacher's table.

"I suppose he's both this year. He's wanted the job for years, Dumbledore must

have finally given in." Tru took Buffy's schedule away from her, "Looks like we've got

the same classes. Wicked! Oh, bugger, we've got DADA with the Gryffindors!"

"Whatever. When does class start?"

"In about a half an hour! Aah! We've got to eat fast!" Tru stuffed a piece of

jellied toast in her mouth and shoved another piece in Buffy's. They both laughed and

ate with no time to actually taste what they were chewing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It didn't take Buffy long to notice that the class had split itself up by its houses.

The Gryffs were on one side, the Slyths on the other. Buffy sat down next to Tru and

they were talking about a picture of a really hot guy who had winked at them when Snape

entered the room in a swirl of robes.

"Review time. Mr. Malfoy, what is the correct way to banish a boggart?" the

teacher asked, still walking to his desk.

"A spell." Draco replied snobbishly.

"Correct. Five points to Slytherin. Mr. Weasly, what is the easiest way to kill a

vampire?" Snape asked, giving him the death stare.

"Garlic?" Ron said slowly.

"Wrong. Vampires are a myth. Five points away from Gryffindor." Buffy almost

couldn't hold in her giggling. Vampires are a myth. Puh-leese! She'd only dated one,

been bitten by another, and killed many. She wondered if this man thought she, The

Slayer, was a myth too.

"Ms. Granger, what does a demon called a Gorratic do to it's victims?" He looked

proud of herself as she fought to remember the answer. Surprised that she actually knew

the answer from book work with Giles, Buffy concentrated hard on Hermione's mind.

Buffy could mentally see the door to her mind, and she opened it, allowing herself inside.

*Hermione, can you hear me? It's Buffy* *What? How are you doing this?*

*Never mind right now. The answer is spray acid on them. Got it?* *Ya. What is...*

*Sorry, got to go.* Buffy flashed back into reality in time to hear Hermione calmly give

Snape the answer and see him disappointedly go on to another student. Buffy winked at

Hermione, and she winked back. Tru nudged her.

"Is there something I need to know about the relationship between the both of you

or do I not need to know?" Buffy hit her playfully. The hour and a half crawled along,

with Snape asking questions the entire time. Finally Snape announced that he was

finished and that there was to be a two page essay on the questions he'd asked. She

hoped Tru would be in the mood to share her notes.

"Ooh, Divination's next. I can hardly wait." Tru said sarcastically.

"Try not to act too happy, you might ruin it for the rest of us. What's the what

with the next class?"

"Nothing besides the fact that the professor's a total fake. We're supposed to

learn how to predict the future and she can't tell her right from her left. It's easy to pass

and that's the only reason I'm taking it." Tru said while climbing the ladder up to the

Divination room.

Buffy could hardly breathe past the smell of perfume as she walked into the

classroom. Seeing that Hermione and the others were in there as well, she figured she

must have this class with Gryffindors. Tru and her sat down next to Harry, Ron, and

Hermione's table. Hermione leaned over to Buffy.

"That was bloody brilliant in DADA!" Hermione squealed.

"It was pretty awesome. I couldn't let Snape make a fool out of you in front of

everyone. It would have been way too embarrassing."

"So if it had been any other teacher you wouldn't have done anything?"

"Exactly."

"Well, that's always nice to know." Hermione said sarcastically.

"Hey, Gryff or not I gotta make sure you don't make yourself look like a complete

idiot or people might start to think I am too." Buffy said, turning to the bug-eyed woman

sitting down at a desk in front of the class.

"Good afternoon my dears, today we will be learning how to read palms. Now

please open your books to page 23 and find a partner." Buffy looked at Tru.

"Be my mind-reading bud?" Buffy asked.

"Sure." Tru answered and took Buffy's hand. She started to examine it, and kept

on going 'hmm' and 'that's interesting'.

"So what does my hand tell you?"

"That you're in love with Hermione and are planning on getting married to her in

January." Tru said in a very business like manner.

"Get off." she shoved Tru away, and Tru was hysterical with laughter.

"Now settle down class," the insect woman said, "And look at your partner's

hands to reveal their future and their past. The keys to each line on their palms should be

in the book." Buffy took her book and went to the page that the teacher had specified.

Grabbing Tru's hand she checked what her future told.

"It says here that you have an outstanding love life and that you should live to be

about sixty. Also, you are lacking brains and have to go to special classes because you

can't say words correctly."

"Oh ya, I'm sure that's what it says. Let me see yours." Tru started looking at

Buffy's hand again.

"Hmm. Interesting. Very weird and interesting."

"What?"

"Not only are you in love with Hermione but Professor Snape as well!" Tru said,

throwing Buffy's hand away from her and pretending to gag.

"That is an incorrect prediction and ten points from Slytherin for goofing off in

class Ms. Walkers. Now Ms. Summers, give me your hand so I can see into your mind."

the Professor said. Buffy gave up her hand and watched as Ms. Trawleny gasped in

horror.

"My darling girl, your life! Your life is in ruin and you are in such a state that you

are running from a danger, a danger that threatens you!" suddenly her voice went from

girlie to dark and deep. Her eyes changed color and were black as coal.

"He shall come and you will not be ready. Your allies on the mouth of hell will

not protect you from him. Only then will you know the truth. Your only saviors will be

your past and future lovers, although with them you will not defeat it. Your death is

imminent, so it is written and so it shall become!" Trawleny fainted in a heap on the

floor leaving Buffy stunned and shaken. The rest of the class gathered around the

Professor and Buffy couldn't move. That prediction was real. Everything she said was

going to happen. Your eyes didn't go freaky during some parlor trick. This was genuine.

"Buffy are you okay?" Tru asked, her voice outlined with concern.

"I... I've gotta go." Buffy said, rushing out of the classroom. She couldn't handle

this. Not another prophecy. Her life was screwed up enough without adding more drama

to the mix. She ran as fast as her Slayer powers allowed. Finally she stopped at the

entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. Speaking the password, she raced inside to her

bedroom and then to her training room. She needed to let it out, to hurt, to punch, to do

something destructive that would allow everything to go away. But she couldn't do it.

She couldn't will it to disappear, so she just slid down the wall and hugged her knees

crying. She needed comfort, but had no idea who to go to.

"Your only saviors will be your past and future lovers," she whispered to herself.

She didn't want Angel. Angel would only make things worse, make it harder to die. She

was going to die. But at who's hand? Neither Willow or Bug-lady made it clear who,

they just said 'he' and went on with he cryptic. Why did they have to go all cryptic?

Buffy found herself sprawled out on the floor, and using her arm for a pillow she drifted

into sleep.

"Hello again." Willow said calmly.

"Hey. You still in a coma?" Buffy asked, watching Willow fall into a plush chair.

"Am I talking to you still?"

"Ya."

"That is the answer to your question."

"Willow, do you know what the prophecy is about me dying again?"

"They say I can't tell. It's for you alone to figure out."

"Quit with the cryptic already! I don't want to die Wills!"

"Do you think I want you to die!?! I wish I could tell you but they won't let me!

My life is on the line here too! They have me in a coma, they can keep me in or get me

out in a second. I don't want to be living in my head forever. This isn't my choice!"

"Can't you give me a hint?"

"After the Loin's Sage argues with you in regard to the Father's Prodigy and your

own secrets, the Marked One will lead you to your past. Only then will you find an

answer to one of your questions."

"Who's the Lion's Sage?"

"That is for you to find out. I have to go now. That's all I can let you know at the

moment." Willow said, and slowly faded out and Buffy woke up.

Buffy stood up and walked out of the training room. She needed to find the

Headmaster and ask him how she could contact Giles. He would know what to do. He

could fix this, or at least try. Either way she'd feel better knowing he was working on it.

She discarded her robe on her bed, and left the Girl's Dormitories. As she got to the

doorway out of the Common Room she heard a voice behind her.

"Sneaking out are we?" She spun around to find Malfoy leaning against the wall.

"I never quite pictured you to be the delinquent type, but I suppose I was wrong.

You leaving to go find your boyfriend Potter or what?" he asked, stalking closer to her.

"Listen you Spike wanna-be, it's only like what, three o' clock? There's no rules

against leaving in the middle of the day."

"What the bloody hell are you talking about? It's almost eleven at night! Where

have you been anyways, after what happened in Divination Tru was worried and asked

where you were. What have you been doing for the past eight hours?" he asked.

"None of your business. So what, I can't leave now or?"

"Or you might be expelled."

"Well that's just great." Buffy said, sitting on the couch and stretching from her

eight hour sleep. She could feel his eyes on her, watching her as she reached up with her

arms. He sat down next to her on the couch.

"So what's your story?" she asked, wanting to have more than just two friends at

Hogwarts. He looked at her and contemplated how he was going to answer her question.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." he said grinning.

"Fine by me. Get talking. There's no way I'm going first." Buffy said, leaning

back on the couch and getting comfortable.

"Well, I'm a Malfoy, so you should already know about my father." Draco said,

his eyes screaming for her to say yes so she didn't have to tell him.

"Nope, sorry. I never heard the name 'Malfoy' or anything else like that before in

my life. Basically all of this magical junk is new to me." Draco looked at her confused.

She didn't know who he was. She didn't know what a deatheater was or about his father

and Lord Voldemort. She wasn't talking to him and asking him about his past to find out

if he really was evil like the rest of the school said. She just wanted to get to know him.

"I grew up with people always telling me that people who weren't full-blooded

magical beings were beneath me. They were dirt, even worse than that sometimes.

That's the way that I was raised. My father was a deatheater and wanted me to grow up

to be one too. I didn't want to, and if Potter hadn't had him arrested and placed in

Azkaban, the wizard prison, I probably would be working for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-

Named right now. I hate my father, but I have to still do what he asks. If not I'm afraid

that I'll get hurt, but him or by one of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's other followers."

Draco told her.

"So you only pretend to be an evil bad-ass. I get that. You don't want to be like

this, you just have to or else who-knows-what could happen to you." Draco nodded.

"Everyone around here says I'm an 'evil git' but I'm not, not really. No one ever

takes the time to care, they're just too obsessed about the fact that I'm my father's son to

care." He shouldn't have told her what he just did. He shouldn't have let her know how

he really felt, but he knew that she was trustworthy somehow.

"Your turn now." he said, and smirked mischievously.

"Fine, but not my whole life's story. It would get way too complicated. I grew up

in LA. I was the perfect average girl. I was popular, I was happy, and I knew that I could

be whatever I wanted to be. Then, one day some guy came up to me and told me that I

had a destiny. He changed me so that I saw parts of the world that were lost to every one

else long ago. After that my parents split up and I accidentally burned down the school

gym. I was expelled so we moved to Sunnydale.

"That was where I met Willow, Xander, Angel, Oz, Giles, Cordillia, and everyone

else. Willow and Xander were my best friends and Giles was my mentor. Angel, he was

my boyfriend, my semi-perfect boyfriend. Then it all went to hell when Angel turned

psycho and started killing my friends and tried to kill me. He put Will and Xand in the

hospital, Will is still in a coma from it. We had a huge break up and that was that.

"Afterwards I got expelled from my high school and my mom kicked me out. I

went to go talk to her again and she told me I was adopted and that I was a wizard. She

freaked out and shipped me off to my new parents, and they sent me here, to Hogwarts."

she ended, looking at Draco who was right next to her. When did he get so close?

"It sounds like life's been really hard for you."

"Well, yours doesn't sound like that much of a fairy-tale either, but we've still got

hope, right?" she said, getting up and heading back to the dormitories, but turned back as

he said something.

"Good night Buffy." he said.

"Good night your Majesty, and sweet dreams." she told him and went back to her

room for a hopefully dreamless sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey there, ya miss me?" Buffy asked Tru, taking her seat next to her.

"Where have you been, I was looking for you all day yesterday? Do you sleep in

a different room or something, because you don't have a bed in the dorms."

"I have my own room in the back. Dumbledore gave it to me 'cause there wasn't

anymore room in the dorms. I've been in there all day."

"Are you alright? I mean yesterday was rather scary with the Professor and

everything that she was saying."

"I can handle it." Buffy said, grabbing a nearby pancake and shoving it on her

plate. The day passed quickly, and Buffy was surprised how easy all of the magic stuff

was. Her two classes for the day were Charms and Transfiguration. Charms was simple,

you say the spell and waved a stick and something happened. Transfiguration was a bit

harder because you had to really concentrate to get things right, but eventually her

squirrel turned into a notebook and all was well. Before she realized it she was finished

with dinner and was walking back to the Common Room with Tru and showing her her

room.

Then a week passed and everything was still going alright. No more prophetic

dreams or Professors telling her she was going to die. Tru was becoming her best friend

and they would spend hours every night talking in Buffy's room. Draco would chat with

her sometimes and was very friendly whenever she ran into him in the Common Room.

She even decided to not bother Dumbledore with a way to talk to Giles because she

figured it was over. In fact it wasn't until Monday morning when she was sitting in

Snape's DADA class that something bad happened. The Professor was still terrorizing

the students while doing the review when he called on Buffy.

"Ms. Summers, come up to the front of the class and demonstrate how to get rid

of a boggart."

"Professor, this is my first year here, I don't know how." she said frantically.

"It's quite simple. You point your wand at it and say 'Epelliarmidus' [my own

made up spell]." Buffy picked up her wand from her bag and walked to the front of the

class obediently. Hermione, Harry, Draco, and Tru sat up, curious to what Buffy's fear

was. Snape opened a chestnut cabinet and let out the monster inside. To her horror it

immediately turned into Angel.

"Oh God." she whispered to herself.

"What, no kiss?" he said, and smirked.

"You're not Angel."

"Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I am your fear, I am a part of the past you ran

away from. Just like your friends who were in the hospital, your mother who kicked you

out, your school that expelled you. You're the Slayer, remember?" Angel then turned

into Kendra, "Into each generation a Slayer is born. One girl in all de world, a chosen

one. One born wid de strength and skill to hunt de vampires, to stop de spread of evil

and de forces of darkness. She is de Slayer. Did you even listen to how many times dey

use de word 'one' when dey define what you are?"

"Do I care?" Buffy said, looking at the boggart that now took on her own image.

"Yes. That's the truth of your life. Alone, always alone, and you hate it. Ford,

Jenny, Kendra, Angel. They died because you didn't follow the rules. Because you

decided to have a 'normal' life. Look at where that got you. Right back where you

started, with no one. Not even the fact that you have a sister and friends is enough to

comfort you. You know if you don't stay away they'll have the same end."

"Listen, this has been a wonderful self discovery thing, but it's really time to put

you back into the cupboard." Buffy had to get rid of this, this, this abomination before it

said too much.

"Epelliarmidus!" Buffy shouted, and it disappeared. She went back to her seat

and saw all of the confused students. They didn't understand what had just happened or

how important it was. They didn't see the single tear that slid down her cheek, but was

wiped away in an attempt to hide it. No one noticed that the monster had said that Buffy

had killed people. No one had paid attention to the fact that Angel had called her the

'Slayer'. No one but Draco that is...

After class ended she walked briskly out the door, but was stopped as someone

grabbed her arm and pulled her into an empty classroom. She couldn't see who it was

that was man-handling her, but saw a flash of a green tie and knew it was a Slytherin.

"You're a Slayer?" Draco asked, pinning her to the wall.

"Yes, but don't tell anyone. It's supposed to be a secret." she said, and tried to

leave, but he wouldn't let her.

"Were you even going to tell me?" he looked hurt, like she had betrayed him.

Buffy sighed. She had betrayed him, but he should have realized she couldn't have told

him out in the open.

Once again she observed how close he was. How his breath smelled like mint

and vanilla. She noticed that his silver eyes glistened in the light and that his lips almost

seemed pinker than hers because of his skin tone. Finally she saw how he was leaning

foreword as if to kiss her. He was going to kiss her.

Suddenly Tru burst through the door, "Buffy, Draco, are you in..." she almost

gasped as for a split second she saw Draco pinning Buffy against the wall with his lips so

close to hers, and also watched them jump apart as they saw her.

"Well, well, well. Am I interrupting something?" she said in a cocky tone.

"No, I was just leaving." Buffy said, walking over to Tru who was eyeing her with

mischievous eyes.

"Coming Draco? Your lackeys are waiting for you so they can walk with you to

class. If you don't hurry up you'll be late to Divination." Tru said, and left with Buffy

leaving Draco alone.

They walked quietly to Divination in silence with Tru looking at Buffy every

once-in-a-while and smiling of giggling. When they finally entered Divination Buffy

walked over to her seat, but never reached it. Instead she fell to the ground unconscious,

and right beside her on the ground was another student... Harry Potter.

Buffy looked around her and once again she was in Willow's room. Willow was

reading some magazine while laying on her bed and humming patiently to herself as she

flipped through the pages. The bandage she was wearing before on her head was now

gone and there was no sign of a cut or even a bruise.

"You haven't been doing your job." Willow said, not looking up from the

magazine.

"What is my job?"

"To figure out my clue."

"Come on, I don't even know what a Sage is!"

"There is such a thing called a Dictionary." Willow said, finally looking at Buffy.

"I didn't pack one."

"It's called a library. You know, the place we used to hang out at before...

Before it happened." Will said softly, as if fearful of speaking the words aloud.

"I guess I could pay the books a visit. Hey, why haven't I talked to you for the

last week? I thought whenever I slept you were supposed to pay me a visit."

"The Powers thought you would be deciphering the message I gave you, but

obviously they were wrong. They tell me they gave you way too much credit."

"Well, do you have anymore clues for me to decipher?"

"Don't worry, you won't need one after three days hence."

"Why? What's going to happen?"

"You'll see. The clue shall come to pass and things will begin to unravel. Clues

will come easily to you for I am not the only one who has been sent to guide you."

"Who else is going to help me besides you?"

"Turn around and see for yourself." Willow said, pointing behind Buffy. She

spun around and saw Harry standing there.

"Harry?" Buffy said quietly, and then everything became a blur and she woke up

in a hospital bed. The room was almost full with people watching them including Draco,

Tru, Hermione, and Ron. Looking to her left she saw a pair of emerald eyes staring back

at her. He was going to be her guide. But her guide to what?

A/N2: To Chrios, the prophesy is going to have something to do with all of the things in

your review. I also see a future involving the hat and Angel, but you'll just have to wait

and see how I spin it. To everyone else, pairings still aren't set yet, so don't freak out on

me if your hating the idea of B/D. As always, I'd love to hear from you, so R&R! Oh,

and expect sisterly tension in the next chapter, a lot of it in fact. Here's a preview:

"What does me being in Slytherin have to do with this!?!" Buffy asked harshly.

"You know what I'm talking about. You're just like the rest of them, you keep to

yourself and don't let anyone in. You're even friends with Malfoy, the pig."

"Shut up, Hermione. You have no idea what your talking about."

"He's called me a mudblood more times than I can count and does the most awful

things imaginable. But do you care? No. You're willing to dismiss it because he's your

Prince now." Hermione spat out the word 'Prince' like it was a poison.

"You're blind. There's a whole other world out there precious, and one day I

might have to take off that blind fold and let you have one hard look at what happens

once everyone's gone to sleep."

(You think this is cool? Just wait till later. I'm really wanting to take Hermione out of

the big picture. Just make her an even lesser character. Tell me if I should or not.)