Title: Bound by Loyalty

Rating: PG-13

Spoilers: Harry Potter- Pretty much books 1-4.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer- Seasons 1-5 and some of season 6.

Pairings: Buffy/Sirius Black, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione

Summary: Buffy gets a letter inviting her to help teach at Hogwarts. Dumbledore tells her about the fight with Voldemort, and she agrees to help protect Harry Potter. While there, she learns things about herself that she never knew, and she finds a way to live. Meanwhile, Sirius Black can't stop thinking about the blonde Slayer that has suddenly invaded his life.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Buffy goes to Whedon, and Harry and everybody in the Potter-verse goes to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.

Authors Note: You all hate me, I know. It's been over a whole month since I've updated. There's nothing I can say except Sorry, please forgive me!! Anyway, thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone that reviewed. You guys are the best. Thanks to lil-sis4556, Undead, Minion of the, Wickedmoemoe, Untamed-Beauty, lady lorien, FireofFury, websurffer, Seraya, smurfinator, slayergirl, Draco's Slytherin Vampiress, zayra, kitty minky, SiriusEarendil, Sabia, and Hollow Nightmare.

Lil-sis4556- wow, I counted a total of 148 updates on your review. I guess that means you want me to update? Here it is, then! Thanks for reviewing.

Undead, Minion of the- I love your name! Anyway, I've never seen American Beauty. Thanks for the review!

Untamed-Beauty- I love the Harry Potter movies. Haven't seen Catwoman yet, though. Oooh, the fourth book on the big screen should be great. I can't wait until the 6th book comes out, though.

Lady lorien- I seem to do a lot of cliffies. Yeah, crossovers are my favorites. I can't guarantee this will be finished soon, but I will finish it. I hate it when people just stop in the middle of a story.

FireofFury- Thanks. I haven't seen that movie before.

Websurffer- I love Johnny Depp. Man, that guy is just so sexy. Drool Once Upon A Time In Mexico is a pretty good movie. I only saw it for Johnny. Have you seen Chocolat?

Seraya- Isn't The Haunting an older movie? If it is, then I've seen that. It was creepy, but I liked it.

Smurfinator- Well, you'll find out who it is in this chapter. I used to watch Dirty Dancing all the time. That is a great movie. I refuse to watch Havana Nights. They should just leave the movie as it is.

Slayergirl- Thanks for reviewing. All stories need angst. It makes it more real, because not everybody's lives are just so easy. There's always conflict. It helps people to relate to the story, and get into it, if they can just say, "I know exactly how they feel." I've never seen Crybaby, but I've wanted to rent it and watch it, except I don't know if I would like it. But, it does have Johnny Depp in it.

Draco's Slytherin Vampiress- Maybe your psychic. Or maybe I just really like cliffhangers. This chapter tells you who it is. Thanks for you review.

Zayra- I like cliffies. They keep people in suspense.

Kitty minky- Glad to know I make people feel happy. At least you, anyway. You know, it's funny. I never really liked Dawn, but here I am writing her. I think I just decided that she needed someone. How many of us girls have woken up in the morning and realized that we forgot to take off our mascara? Major raccoon eyes! See, I mostly go for the tall, dark, and mysterious guys. Don't know why. You'll find out what's going on with Ginny and her crush on Severus. Oooh, you should give me your email so I can tell you this idea I have on this series type I'm going to do after my Bound trilogy. I like Hermione and Ron together. They are just too cute! Who's behind the door? You're about to find out! Hmmm…. Favorite movie…. I have no clue, really. I like the LotR movies. Legolas… mmm…. Aragorn… mmm… Why is it that most of the guys are so hot in those movies? I wanna live in Middle Earth. I like the Princess Bride. Ever seen it? It's a great movie. Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing!!

SiriusEarendil- Ginny has the crush on Snape. But you'll see what happens with that…. I've never seen Great Expectations.

Sabia- Sorry about the shortness. I have a tendency to do that. Bridget Jones is funny. I've heard that the sequel kinda ruins it, though.

Hollow Nightmare- Well, not so fast anymore, huh? You'll find out who it is in this chapter. Yes, Ginny likes Snape. You'll see what becomes from that. Yeah, elsawriter. Cute story. PotC is a cute movie. I wanna see the next one. Fawlty Towers is so funny!!! Did you see the Hotel Inspector one? Or Communication Problems? Those were hilarious. I like PotC, LotR, Chocolat, Princess Bride. Those types. Thanks for reviewing.

Well, on with the show….

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Last time on Bound by Loyalty…

"I just found out about this whole Quit-it sport. You fly? On broomsticks? That is just too cute."

"What's the matter Sirius? Why're you so blue?"

Since she was a little girl, she had always wanted to fly. Pausing, she closed her eyes to savor the freedom. This was the best she had felt in a long time.

That's what Buffy Summers did, Draco had realized. She makes people happy.

"Wow, Idiot boy actually got something right. I'm shocked."

"I will not, ever, allow putdowns in my classroom. If I hear any of you say a mean word about someone else here, the consequences will not be to your liking. Is that understood?"

"No, I shouldn't be wearing clothing. Uh, I mean dark clothes."

"You mean someone has a crush on Snape?"

"Me? Like Snape? Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting."

"You think Snape is good-looking?"

He feared nothing. Not even the 'Noble' Dumbledore, or the boy-who-just-won't-die, Harry Potter.

No more was he the victim. He had plans. Many plans.

There was a demon in the vicinity. It felt familiar. Almost as if… no. It couldn't be. Could it?

At that moment, the door creaked open.

Harry noticed two figures walking to the castle, wrapped up in dark cloaks. At that moment, they entered Hogwarts.

Leaning against the door, Dawn sighed.

A paper covered with hearts and a name: Severus Snape.

Ron loved Hermione. Now what?

A figure entered and one named escaped Buffy's lips….

----------------------Chapter Thirteen: Past Rememberances-----------------------

'Trapped I am in this my dream.

What is this reality?

Am I walking a pathway unseen

the same roads of eternity.'

-Alex Rhymer "Betrayed"

Rick Porter tuned out his cousins and sisters chattering and got up to look around the room. On the stand next to Shawna's bed was a few pictures of her boyfriend and her family. Regular Shawna stuff. What really interested Rick was Dawn Summer. He remembered her sister, Buffy. Four years older than him, he recalled the first time he had seen her.

It was his second week of school and he had heard Buffy's name many times. She had been seen fighting a group of people that had attacked so-and-so. She was called into Snyder's office and yelling had been heard after she left. But Rick had not seen her yet.

He imagined Buffy to be big and strong. At least 6 feet tall. Possibly ugly. On Wednesday, he was admiring a blonde sitting by herself on a bench before school. Rick was wondering who she was when he heard the name Buffy being called.

Looking around to see if he would finally be able to see the elusive Buffy Summers, he saw a red-head waving to someone behind him. Turning around, his eyes widened when he saw who was waving back. The blonde. He had thought maybe she was a different Buffy, but how many Buffy's were out there? This was her. She was exactly the opposite of what he expected.

Buffy Summers wasn't 6 feet tall. She was short. Really short. Maybe 5'3", if she stood up straight. And she wasn't big and strong looking. She was slim and slightly curvy. And there was the fact that she wasn't ugly. Not even close. Big hazel eyes set on a heart shaped face. Shoulder length blonde hair. For a while, Rick had a little crush on her. But then he started seeing her as a hero, like Batman. Forever doomed to never have true love. She was the heart-anguished hero, and Rick's idol.

Shaking his head and clearing away the old memory, he looked at Dawn's pictures. There was one of her with an older lady he guessed to be her mother. One with Willow Rosenburg and Xander Harris. Another with Cordelia Chase. Most were of her and her sister. There was only one with just Buffy, looking lost and lonely as she stared into the distance. She looked so sad. Moving away from that pictures with a sense of sorrow, he looked at another of Dawn and Buffy. They were hugging each other close, cheeks pressed together and smiling. Dawn wasn't as beautiful as her sister, her blue eyes big on her thin face, but she was still pretty. And there was something about her….

-------------------------------Hogwarts-----------------------------

The name that passed Buffy's lips was too soft to hear, but the man heard. He stopped and stared at her, surprised.

"Buffy?" He asked, glancing behind him. Buffy followed his gaze and narrowed her eyes at the man standing in the doorway.

"Werewolf."

The man looked startled, then he fully entered the room. Everyone was silent as Sirius gaped at him, then they regained their senses. Soon Sirius and the man were laughing and hugging each other, asking rapid fire questions.

Buffy and the first man still stood gazing at each other. Dumbledore stood up and clapped his hands, drawing the eyes of everyone but Buffy and the man. The room quieted down and turned to watch the drama unfold.

Buffy's mind was reeling. How could this be? "How- how are you here? I thought you- you died. You were gone. We got a letter and some of your things. We saw your grave! What is going on?"

"I could ask the same of yourself, Buffy. Last I heard, you were dead. I went to your funeral, saw your body… you were dead."

"Willow. She brought me back. It was 3 months after… after what happened. The letter arrived about 6 months later. We had no way to contact you, and then you were dead. We went to Oregon, and we saw your grave. We mourned you! And you're not even dead? What's going on?"

"This is something I think we should discuss in private. But… Why are you here?"

Buffy smiled. "Well, I'm here to teach. What are you doing here?"

"Remus told me about this place," he gestured to the man standing next to a confused, questioning Sirius. "I wanted to check it out. Wait, did you say teach? You? Teach?"

Buffy laughed and pulled him into a hug. "I'm glad you're not dead."

"I'm glad you're not dead, too."

Smiling, Buffy turned to the room and grabbed the man's arm. "This is everyone. Everyone, this is my good friend, Daniel Osbourne, also known as Oz."

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Sirius was more than a little confused. What was all this talk about dying? Who was this Daniel Osbourne? Remus knew him, trusted him enough to tell him about Hogwarts and to bring him here. Buffy hadn't mentioned an Oz in her story. Maybe he was an ex-boyfriend. Sirius felt a pang at that, but he ignored it. He wanted some answers, and he expected to get some.

Turning to his old friend, he shot Remus a questioning look, and got a helpless shrug back. Looking at Buffy and this Oz guy, he bit back a frustrated sigh to see them laughing and talking together. Sirius glanced at Dumbledore and frowned when he saw a little smile on his lips.

"Why don't we re-schedule this meeting?" Albus asked the group assembled. "It seems as if Buffy and Mr. Osbourne need to get re-acquainted. Tomorrow night, 9:30. Good night."

Sirius didn't want to leave. He didn't like the thought of Buffy and Oz getting re-acquainted by themselves, in any way. But what excuse did he have to stay? None. His choice was made when Remus grabbed his arm and pulled him through the staff door after the last person. After shutting the door, he smiled at Sirius' expression.

"It's okay if they're alone together, Padfoot. They're just friends. You know, I never thought I'd see the day when Sirius Black was smitten with a girl. They're usually smitten with you."

Glaring at his friend, then relenting with a grin, Sirius ran his fingers through his hair, mussing it. "Yeah, it's pathetic, isn't it? She's just so… pretty, nice, beautiful, smart, gorgeous, funny. Take your pick."

"It seems her looks improve with every other word you say." Remus smiled at him.

Smiling back, Sirius replied, "You say her. She's… all of them. Gorgeous. Beautiful. I don't know. She doesn't even like me. You know, for a while there I thought she fancied Snape."

Laughing out loud, then quickly stifling it, Remus dragged Sirius over to the empty staff table. "Snape? Severus Snape? You thought she… fancied him?" Laughing again, he lay his head on the table. Calming down, he lifted it and looked at Sirius, who had a very annoyed expression on his face. "Why did you think that Buffy had a crush on Snape?"

"She was being so nice to him, and I thought…" he trailed off.

"Does she have to have a crush on everyone she's nice to? What about Albus? Or Minerva?" Remus laughed again at the expression on Sirius' face of deep disgust. "Did you say anything to her?"

"Yes, but the conversation wasn't very clear. I said something like 'Well, I'm not the one who fancies Snape.' And after that she was trying to guess who it was. Somehow, she got the idea that I fancied Snape-" he was cut off by Lupin's surprised laughter. Continuing, he said, "I told her that that was so wrong and disgusting, and I though that she liked Snape. Buffy said she didn't, and then you know what she said?"

"No, I wasn't there, remember?"

"She said that Snape was actually handsome."

"No."

"Yes."

"Is this girl blind?"

"Nope."

"So who exactly is she and what is she doing here?"

"Her name is Buffy Summers. She comes from Sunnydale, California, which happens to be the Hellmouth. And get this. She's a Vampire Slayer."

"A Vampire Slayer? Here? That little girl? She can't be much over five feet, and she's skinny. I expected them to be huge and bulky. And she is quite pretty. She doesn't look like she can kill a fly, much less a vampire."

"Oh, she can. I saw her. Remus, she's amazing! Strong, and she can really fight."

"Were you excited at meeting a Slayer? I know you've been obsessed with them for so long."

"I was surprised that this was her. At first, we didn't even know she was coming. Dumbledore kept it to himself until she got here. Buffy just waltzed through that door in her torn jeans and flip-flops, and immediately I was… smitten, as you would say. Later that night, Dumbledore told us."

"That sly old dog."

"Exactly." The two best friends looked at each other and smiled. "So what have you been up to? How did you meet this Oz fellow? Why did you come back so early?"

"In order, I have been traveling around. I've been hearing news about Voldemort, and relaying it to Albus. I met Oz in Africa. He's also a werewolf. We just kind of… sensed it in each other. We got to talking, and Oz told me that he was in Tibet a few years back, and these monks taught him how to control the beast. Padfoot, during the full moon, he doesn't change. He taught me. I can go out with the full moon shining on me, and I won't change into a were. I feel this… tug at my soul, the beast trying to get out, but I stop it and hold it in."

"That's incredible, Moony. I'm happy for you. Tell me more about Oz."

"He's nice. He doesn't talk much. Hardly about his past. He told me he had great friends back home. I sensed he was uncomfortable talking about them, and he was sad about something. Deeply sad. Something happened a while ago, and he left. He hasn't seen them in a while. Sirius, he know about magic. Wiccan magic, wand magic. He wasn't surprised when I told him I was a wizard. He said he knew a Wicca, and someone more powerful than the magic. I asked him how someone could be more powerful than magic, but he didn't answer. Do you think he was talking about Buffy?"

"I don't know. I haven't heard about a Slayer being so powerful magic can't do anything to her. I'll ask Buffy later. But, what are you doing back so soon?"

"Albus told me to come back for a while."

"And he didn't tell me. He really must like surprises. Anyway, it's so good to see you."

"You too, Padfoot. So, what have you been up to?"

And so Sirius and Remus spent many hours catching up. Remus learned a lot about Buffy Summers and determined to himself that he would get to know her more, and see for himself what a wonderful person she was, and in the process whether or not she was as smitten with Sirius as he was with her.

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Buffy and Oz just stared at each other when they were finally alone. At first, she didn't know what to say. Here was a man she had thought dead, and he was sitting in front of her, very much alive and kicking. About three years ago, maybe six or seven months after she was brought back, she and the Scoobies had received a letter from the Oregon authorities in Portland, saying they were very sorry to say that Daniel Osbourne was killed in a car accident, and this was his last known address. He had been buried already. The Scoobs had rushed to Portland, denying it, hoping that there had been a mistake. But it hadn't been. On his grave was a necklace that he had always worn. He was gone. Oz was gone. They had mourned him and missed him.

But here he was, sitting right in front of her. How was that possible?

"How are you here, Oz? What happened?" Buffy asked softly.

Oz sighed, rubbing tired hands over tired eyes. He could ask for the same of her, really. Willow had contacted him four years ago, crying and in pain. Buffy was dead. Their best friend was gone, and she was gone forever. Or so he thought.

"It was part of my… cleansing, I guess you could call it," Oz told her.

"Cleansing?"

"I wasn't fully in control of the beast yet. I was getting there. Then Willow called me. Told me you were dead. And that was all I could think about for months. If only I had stayed in Sunnydale, I could have helped you all. You maybe wouldn't have died, Willow and Tara and everyone else probably wouldn't have gotten so hurt. I felt guilty. And because I couldn't concentrate, the beast was getting in control. The monks helping me out, they told me I need to get the Scoobies out o my mind. I wanted to go back to Sunnydale, but I had to remove the temptation. So I sent the letter and made the grave. I knew that if you guys thought I was dead, then I wouldn't have a reason to go back. And it worked. I'm sorry for lying, and I'm sorry I couldn't be there when you died."

They were silent, staring intently at one another. Finally, Buffy spoke. "It's not our fault, Oz. It was no one's. I did it to save my sister, my family and friends. Nothing could have stopped that demon from cutting Dawn, because we hadn't even though about that possibility." She looked at him and saw he wasn't entirely convinced.

Deciding to say something she hadn't told anyone, she breathed in deeply and began. "When I was up on that platform, I was so scared. Here was my little sister, my blood, and she was bleeding, the world was opening up and demons were spilling out all around me, and all I could think about was how pretty the sky was when the sun started coming up because I knew, deep down, that it would be my last. I felt guilty because I knew that it was all my fault this was happening. If it wasn't for me, the monks wouldn't have made Dawn out of me. If it wasn't for me being the Slayer, the world wouldn't be ending and I wouldn't be about to die.

Then I realized something. Because I was the Slayer, the world was still spinning. Because I was the Slayer people were still alive. And because I was the Slayer, I had to die. And I wasn't scared anymore. I knew it was my time. And when I jumped, I was free, and happy because I knew they were safe and they would always be safe. And I knew it would be okay."

There was a deep sadness between them both. As warriors for the light, the knew about pain and loss and sacrifice. And that night, without words, they comforted each other. By lending their support, they each came to the conclusion that life was going on, and they were allowed to be a part of it, if only for a minute.

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So, what did you think? Sorry this is so late. I know, no excuses. Well, please review. If you have questions, email me at . Thanks.

For the pointless question: Chocolate or Vanilla?