Thanks to all the reviewers:
Mae: I'm glad you like- lots of Padfoot in this chapter, and the next, and the next…
Gabriel Darke: Every bit of feedback is appreciated! Thanks for R&R
Passionate Darkness: I feel certain that it won't last forever, sorry, probably about four more chapters. I'm keeping quiet about the pairings for now, but this isn't a paring fic i.e. it won't play a big part.
Steff (sired by spike): Much more Sirius to come! I am shocked that you would imply that something bad will happen! cackles evilly and thinks to what is in store for characters Thanks for R&R.
Bob the Almighty: Thanks, originality was one of my big influences in writing this, so it's great to hear it paid off. I hope you like this chapter as well…
Tap Dancing Willow: Harry's in his first year, but obviously it goes a bit AU. Thanks for R&R.
Megan (charmed angel 4): Andrew rocks! He's just so clueless! I really love getting your reviews- they're like my own personal highlights file!
Damia Queen of the Gypsi's: I'm a big fan of the Faith/ Sirius pairing, so if it can be worked into the storyline without being too distracting or out of place then it'll be there- so maybe! Thanks for R&R
MaryAnn: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Keep R&R!
Clcountry: Buffy and Harry will meet soon- in the next chapter to be exact. Thanks for R&R!
Jules (the Lady Morgaine): Hope your finals went well! Buffy/ Snape is great to write! Thanks for R&R
Technocratic Sith Lord: Cliff-hanger? What is this cliff-hanger of which you speak? grins evilly Thanks for R&R!
Raiining: Thanks for all the reviews- I hope you like this chapter as well!
Jase: Who is a fan of the cliff-hanger? Woo 100th REVIEWER! Thanks for R&R!
A/N: I've entered my big exam fortnight now, so I probably won't be updating for a couple of weeks. But keep on reviewing!
CHAPTER TWELVE: FACING OLD DEMONS
She was lead down a cold, dark corridor into an empty room holding nothing but a table and two chairs.
"Sit at the table. I'll be watching you both the whole time. He'll be here shortly." The guard had said curtly.
Moments later, a pale, skinny man was lead into the room looking very confused. He went to the table and Dawn stood to greet him.
"Hello Padfoot."
Sirius Black looked at the woman sitting before him sharply. "How did you know my name?"
His voice sounded gruff with the lack of use. He'd barely used it in ten years.
"Does it matter?" Dawn answered. After Lily had left Hogwarts, she'd lost contact with her female friends; Harry had taken up most of her time and the Order the rest of it. So she had become close friends with Remus and Sirius, not as much with Peter as he hadn't really been trusted with that big of a role in the order and wasn't around as much. "How've you been?"
"Who are you? Why are you here?" Sirius countered.
"I work at Hogwarts, Dumbledore got me in." Dawn revealed, successfully avoiding both questions.
But Sirius wasn't about to be put off. "You didn't answer my questions."
"I know." Dawn grinned inwardly as Sirius sighed in frustration. But her visit didn't last long so she had to move it along. "It was Peter wasn't it?"
Sirius stared at her in disbelief. He knew what the mysterious stranger was talking about, how could he not? But for the last decade people had regarded him with hate whenever he had brought up the subject. "What? How did you know that?"
"Just tell me." She needed to be sure about this or else everything else, all she remembered, could be a lie.
"Yes." He spoke evenly, his voice not betraying the complete and utter mystification he was feeling- who was this woman? How did she know?
"I knew it." Dawn said, more to herself than to Sirius.
"How?" Sirius asked totally confused. He'd tried to convince people he was innocent, but no-one had believed him and now a total stranger 'knew it'.
"You
wouldn't believe me if I told you." Dawn said. "I'll get you
out of here,
I promise."
"Yeah. Right."
"Hey, I always come through with my promises, even for an arrogant git like you." Dawn joked, forgetting to screen her previous life from the man opposite her for a moment.
Confusion crossed Sirius' face as he stared at Dawn. After a moment Dawn got uncomfortable and looked down.
Sirius leaned over and grabbed Dawn's shoulder. He twisted it so that she was looking up and looked into her eyes. "Lily?"
"H-how did you know?"
"You've called me an arrogant git so many times; no-one's ever said it like you… Besides, you have her eyes." Sirius smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "I thought you were dead."
"I was. This is going to be really hard to believe, Padfoot, but you have to trust me."
Sirius nodded sincerely. "I do."
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"Time's up." The guard reappeared in the room.
"Just five more minutes?" Dawn begged.
The guard shrugged. It made no difference to him. "Five minutes."
After the guard left the room, Sirius turned back to Dawn quickly. "What about James?"
Dawn looked down, sadness flooding her features. "There's no chance of him coming back. I asked Dumbledore a few days ago, if I could just see him one more time…"
"I know."
"But he's gone. Cause of that bastard. I won't let him get away with it; and I want you out of here back where you belong."
Sirius smiled. Lily had always been passionate about her family. "Not that easy Tigerlily. I'm a convicted murderer and you're dead, no offence."
"None taken, I guess you'll have to break out then."
"Escape from the Azkaban? Why didn't I think of that, oh I know, because it's impossible! They'll give me the kiss before I get fifty yards!"
Dawn/ Lily worked a thought over in her head. "Not if they didn't detect you…do you remember dada in the fifth year?"
Sirius snorted. "Yeah right."
"We learnt about dementors..? They are much less sensitive to animals i.e. a dog? I swear Padfoot, how you graduated is beyond me."
He gave her a doggish smile, but turned serious quickly. "Do you think that'll work?"
Dawn shrugged. "I hope so. When do you want to do it?"
"Tonight? As soon as possible; I have to get out of here. I can try and slip past them when they bring my food. Will you wait for me?"
"Of course, but I don't think I can change into my animagus form anymore."
"Why not? You caught on really quickly when Prongs decided to teach you."
"I told you I only found out about this life a few weeks ago and my magic's been kinda wonky since then."
"But it's not magic; it's calling on your inner dog, or in your case your inner dove, and asking them to guide you."
"Wow- I think that's the most intellectual thing I've ever heard you say."
"Ha bloody ha." Sirius said dryly as the door opened again and the guard insisted on Dawn leaving. As she left the room, she turned and mouthed to Sirius:' Until tonight.' And then she was gone.
The only other human guard in the Azkaban can to lead Sirius back to his cell, but he stopped Sirius from actually entering.
"Not so fast, Black. Strip search."
"No way! You've got to be kidding me?"
"You had a visitor; it's common procedure. Now move it!"
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"Wait!"
Dawn froze as the guard called her. "Yes?"
"You forgot your wand. And while you're here, do you wish to pick up Mr. Black's personal items? He won't be coming out and you're his first visitor so…"
"I'll take them." Dawn said, curious to see what Sirius had had on his person when he had been arrested.
A small knapsack was handed to her and she was escorted off the premises where she got on the boat that would take her to dry land.
Half an hour later, she was standing on the shore looking towards the Azkaban wondering how to get back to Sirius without being discovered. Maybe she should try the animagus thing, but it had been years. James had decided to teach her how to become an animagus like himself a few weeks before they were married. It had taken a long time, but eventually she had managed to turn into a white dove.
Dawn sat on the floor and began a few of the meditation techniques Buffy had taught her to free her mind. Then she pictured herself flying free, like her form. Sirius had been right; there was no actual wand magic involved in changing forms. Dumbledore had said she had the magic in the blood; she just had to access it and control it.
It took several attempts, but eventually, Dawn was flying over the water in the form of a dove. She'd forgotten how good it felt; so peaceful and contented. She perched on the high wall that ran around the wizarding prison. She sat there for a couple of hours until she heard a low bark from the ground; Sirius.
As Dawn flew down, she heard the sounds of an alarm being raised. The dementors had sensed that Sirius wasn't in his cell and were hunting for them. Padfoot barked again urgently and jumped into the water. The big, black dog swam as fast as his paws would carry him and the Lily-dove flew a few inches above him.
They reached the land without being detected and before the aurors arrived to search the prison for the seemingly escaped prisoner. No one was too worried- it was impossible to escape from the Azkaban.
Dawn lead Sirius to the secluded spot where she had hidden her wand and the belongings she'd collected from the guard.
Sirius broke the uncomfortable silence that had settled between them. "You left your wand here?"
"I'm not very good with it." Dawn explained.
"But you were always so talented."
"Yeah well, that was a life time ago…literally."
Sirius looked at her for a minute. "What else has changed?"
"Nothing's changed, it's just different. I have two lives going on- Dawn Summers and Lily Potter. I remember what I should and I feel what I should; I just don't know which one's real."
"Maybe they're both real." Sirius suggested. "We should go."
He transformed back into a dog and picked up the bag with their stuff in in his mouth. Dawn got out the port key Dumbledore had made her and activated it with one hand on Sirius.
The next thing they knew, they were just outside the grounds of Hogwarts. Dawn had landed on her ass again so there was a very amused dog standing above her, grinning at the witch at his feet.
"Oh shut up."
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"Buffy I really don't think that-"
"This is a good idea? We know Giles, you've said. But I want to pound something…now!"
"Same here." Faith injected.
"Professor Dumbledore explicitly told everyone to stay away from the forbidden forest. He would not do that without a reason." Giles said.
"What reason could there be for wanting us out? So what if there are demons in there? We're slayers for chrissakes! We slay things, the clue's in the title."
"I believe he did not want the little girls to get hurt." A silky voice said from the shadows as Snape stepped forward towards the group.
Giles felt Buffy tense ready to spring at the moody professor. "Ah no Buffy, that will not help."
Faith started forward. "Don't worry B, I've got it."
"No!" Giles commanded.
"Now I see where the younger Miss Summers gets it from." Snape said looking down his long nose. "But then I suppose some things never change."
"What that supposed to… oh I get it. You knew this Lily girl."
Snape nodded curtly. "I did."
Buffy hooked his arm in his quickly before he could run off. "So that means you can tell me about her. What was her view on the dark arts? Did she ever go evil? She didn't have a history of kleptomania did she? What about…"
Faith and Giles watched the blond slayer go off with the irritated and a little petrified potions master.
"I guess your patrol is off." Giles said smugly.
Faith sighed. "And I was jonesing for a work out…wait, how old are the seventh years here?"
"I would presume most of them are seventeen- Faith don't you dare!"
"Why not? It's perfectly legal…at least in England it is."
"Faith." Giles growled warningly.
"Relax G-Man; I was just messing with ya." Faith laughed before heading back towards their suite of rooms.
"Honestly!" Giles muttered before calling after the brunette slayer, "And don't call me that!"
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Knock, knock, knock.
"One minute!" Dawn called out. "Hide." Her voice turned to an urgent whisper. It was unlikely that the school would approve of her hiding an escaped convict in her room.
Thirty seconds later Dawn opened the door to see Mindy- one of the house elves. "Please miss; Mr. Dumbledore asks you to come to his office."
"What, now?"
"Yes miss."
"Okay, I'll be there in a minute."
Mindy bowed her head in a gesture of both respect and understanding and left. A freshly bathed and groomed Sirius poked his head out the cupboard door. "I heard; you better go before Dumbledore suspects something."
Dawn nodded and hurried to the headmaster's office. When she got there, she was surprised to see two official looking gentlemen in black robes with an intricate silver badge sewn on the front.
"Ah, Miss Summers, thank you for coming so quickly. This is Mr. Snippet and Mr. Quik from the Ministry of Magic; they wish to ask you some questions about the disappearance of a Sirius Black from the Azkaban earlier today."
Dawn feigned a look of surprise. "Of course. I'll help in any way I can." She said dutifully.
"Thank you. You visited Mr. Black early this afternoon, did you not?"
"I did."
"Why?"
"I, err, recently returned to the wizarding world after a prolonged break. I was a friend of Lily Potter's family and wanted to see him."
"I see." Quik said whilst Snippet magically took notes down. "I have to ask you this Miss Summers; did you aid the escape of Sirius Black in any way?"
Dawn didn't falter. "No."
"Where were you between three fifteen and three forty-five this afternoon?"
"I'd already come back to Hogwarts."
"Any witnesses?"
"Yes, me." Dumbledore spoke up. "I wished to discuss with Miss Summers how her meeting went so she came straight to my office."
"Thank you Professor Dumbledore, Miss Summers. That is all for now, but we will be contacting you later."
Dawn nodded in understanding. Best not leave the country then.
The two aurors left quickly through floo and Dawn got up to leave the office.
"Not so fast, Miss Summers. I think we need to have a little talk, don't you?"
Dawn turned back to the headmaster and smiled weakly. "Yes, sir."
He frown sternly and crossed his arms across his chest. "You helped a highly dangerous criminal charged with your murder escape from a tightly guarded prison and now the magical law enforcement is on your case? Well this is a sticky wicket, isn't it?"
"Yes, sir." Dawn said again, even if she didn't really know what a 'sticky wicket' was. "Err how…sticky would you say?"
His frown deepened. "Very sticky, Miss Summers; very sticky indeed."
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Dawn headed back to her rooms quickly. Dumbledore had been surprisingly supportive; it seemed he believed her when she told him about the way she remembered the 'event' as she'd taken to calling it. It was always 'that thing' or 'Halloween'. Never the night she and James died.
"Dawnie!" An annoyingly familiar voice called from the shadows before leaping forward and enveloping her in a hug.
"Hey Andrew." Dawn grimaced.
"I've missed you! Xander doesn't play chess very well, although he does have the Startrek box set…"
"I've…missed you to, Andrew. But I'm kind of in a hurry."
"I understand. Busy, busy, trying to find a way to stop Darth Vader and Voltron." Andrew said knowledgably.
"Huh? Have you been speaking to Buffy by any chance?"
"Ya, ya."
"It's Death Eaters and Voldemort. She's got some kind of name problem and mixes it up sometimes."
"Oh." Andrew said, clearly disappointed.
"Sorry." Dawn said, guilty for breaking the nerd's dreams. "I really have to go."
"Sure. See ya."
Dawn left quickly. Although Andrew was no-where near as bad as he was, he still creeped her out a little.
"Professor!"
Dawn dimly heard someone calling, but didn't connect herself with the 'Professor' title yet so continued walking.
"Professor! …Dawn!"
It was Harry. She stopped suddenly and turned to see him with Ron and Hermione. "Heya Harry; what's up?"
Harry looked at his friends uncomfortably; he still felt a bit awkward discussing this. "We were supposed to meet up this afternoon."
"Oh God. I'm so sorry. I got held up at my…meeting. I only got back an hour or so ago."
"Dumbledore told me."
"He did?" How did Dumbledore always know what was happening? It was so annoying!
"Well it's his office so he was in there and told me. So…"
"Oh, I know! Why don't I give you the password to my suite? That way if I'm not about you can find me and we don't have to keep meeting in Dumbledore's office."
Harry smiled genuinely. "I'd like that."
"Okay." She looked at Ron and Hermione who were still standing there. "You three can't tell anyone."
"We won't" they promised.
"It's poodle."
"Poodle?" Hermione asked. "Like the dog?"
Dawn shrugged. "I needed something no one would guess."
"Oh, all right." Hermione gave her teacher an odd look.
"Well, we better get to the library." Harry said a little shyly.
Dawn smiled. "Sure see you later."
It wasn't until she got part way down the corridor that she remembered Sirius. Oh well, Harry would have to be told at some point, especially now she'd given him an all access pass to her room.
"Dawn!"
"What now!" Dawn groaned turning around to look at her newest pursuer. "Oh, hi Giles."
"I wanted to tell you how sorry I am- I should have told you."
She shrugged. "Hindsight's great, but it doesn't change anything."
"I know…I understand now why the first council fired me. It's a dangerous thing, love- as you well know. It can cloud your judgement. You want to keep the people you love safe so badly, you can't bear to hurt them in anyway."
"You should have told me."
"I know- Dawn, I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say."
"Honestly, Giles, right now I'm just too tired to care."
And that hurt more than her screams ever could.
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Harry, Ron and Hermione headed towards the library.
"Things seem to be going well between you two." Hermione said.
"Yeah; I think they are." Harry said, unable to stop the huge grin from breaking out on his face as it often did when he thought about Dawn.
"You think they are?" Ron questioned.
"Well it's a bit weird, but I think that one day I might be able to, you know…"
"Think of her as your mother?" Hermione finished.
Harry nodded. "Well it's what we both want." He reasoned. "Why shouldn't it work out?"
"That's really good, mate." Ron said warmly.
Hermione bit her lip. She'd known this for a while, but hadn't wanted to break Harry's hopes. "It's not that easy though."
"Why not?"
"Well, everyone thinks Lily Potter is dead. If Dawn suddenly says that she's her then everyone will think she's crazy." Hermione explained.
"Well…maybe I can say she's a distant relative or something."
"Do you think any of the authorities would agree with that? They'd arrest her for kidnapping or something. I'm sorry, Harry."
"No- it has to work, we have to think of something." Harry started to walk away from his friends.
"Harry-"
"No. I'm going to think of something. I can't give up on this."
"I know. We'll help you, won't we Ron." Hermione offered.
"All the way. Forget Flitwick's essay; let's go to the common room now." Ron suggested, glad to get out of homework for that evening.
Hermione pursed her lips, but offered no protest so the group abandoned their homework to try and think of a way for Harry to get his family back.
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"Well," Dawn said as she entered her room; "the ministry are on your case, but Dumbledore believes us. He'll come by and see you soon."
"Great." Sirius smiled; things were coming together. "Where'd you get off to?"
Dawn groaned and slid her back down the wall so she was sitting on the floor. "These aurors are investigating me over your escape. They think I helped."
Sirius smirked at the indignant tone in her voice. "Well you kinda did."
"But they shouldn't think I would, it's insulting, that's what it is. It's an insult to my character!"
Sirius shook his head in amusement. "Are you in trouble?"
"Not if they don't find out!" She grinned wickedly, giving him a glimpse to the new person she was. He didn't like it and pushed it to the back of his mind to think about later.
"Lily-"
"It's Dawn now." She corrected quietly.
Sirius glanced at her oddly, but made no comment, once again choosing to think about it later. "I don't want you to get in trouble."
"And I won't- trust me. I've got a knack for getting out of seemingly impossible situations."
"You do?" Sirius said doubtfully.
"Uh-huh. This one time when I was fifteen, I was captured by a singing demon and he wanted me to be his hell bride. There were lots of dramatic sing songs and a few people spontaneously combusted but I got out of it, well Buffy got me out of it, but still…"
"Who's Buffy?"
"She's who the monks sent me too- the slayer."
"Wow- the slayer? Not too shabby."
Dawn laughed. "Not at all, until her supernatural hearing ruins all your fun!"
Sirius grinned again, looking so much like James that she felt her heart wrench.
"So, Dawn; I want to hear about this glamorous other life you've been living... I want to get to know you again."
Dawn smiled. "Well, I guess even out of the magical world I've constantly been around magic…"
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"It seems like you lived a pretty exciting life in Sunnydale." Sirius commented several hours later when Dawn had told him a lot of what happened.
"And that's just the stuff I was actually there for- one time I'll have to tell you about how at Buffy's graduation the city mayor turned into a giant snake demon and ate my future principal."
"A giant snake demon? That sounds like something my mother would like."
"What happened to your dear mother? Last I heard she disowned you."
"I got a notification in the Azkaban regarding her death. And I was blasted off the family tree for being a muggle lover. Merlin; if old ma could see me now in the company of an almost-muggle…she'll be looking up at us and screaming for sure." Sirius gave a dry laugh.
"Looking up at us?"
"You think that murderous bitch is anywhere but hell?" There was no malice in his voice- he was just stating a fact.
Dawn slapped his arm half heartedly. "Be nice." They locked eyes, and for a moment Dawn saw everything she had seen in James all those years ago.
Sirius grinned. He shuffled closer to Dawn on the floor. "I can't believe you're back."
"Most days, neither can I." Dawn sighed.
Sirius smiled understandably and leant over to give her what was supposed to be a quick peck on the lips. It lasted a longer than it should have and at some point during it, Dawn found herself kissing him back. More surprisingly, she liked it. But this was Padfoot! James' best friend? The pain in her ass? He was so much like James it was unbelievable. They'd always had similar personalities, but Sirius had taken longer to mature. They even looked alike. But that was no excuse; she should stop this right now. Problem was that while one part of her brain was thinking this, the other was concentrating on thoroughly kissing Sirius.
Sirius' mind was also in two halves. It was his late best friend's wife who had just come back from the dead and busted him out of wizarding prison. Did he care? Not at this moment, no.
They were so engrossed with their current task that neither of them heard the portrait entrance open.
"Hello! I wanted to talk about-" Harry trailed off at what he saw. After literally hours of thinking, the 'golden trio' had come up with nothing so Hermione had suggested asking Dawn's advice. But he had picked the worst moment to use the password. He took a step backwards towards the portrait hole before turning and bolting from the room.
"Shit." Dawn cursed getting to her feet.
Sirius was still staring at the spot where Harry had stood mere moments ago. "That was Harry?"
Dawn didn't answer him; she was already over to the portrait hole. She had to follow her son.
"Harry, wait! Come back!"
Sirius smacked his head against the wall. How could he have been so stupid? Now he'd quite possibly lost the one person who really believed him and ruined the budding relationship between her and her son.
Not bad for an hour's work.
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Next Chapter: 'Add A Little Angst' so guess what; it's not all full of fluffy bunnies and puppy dogs!
Please Review- you know you want too!