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 go to Rowling. If you don't recognize anyone, they're probably mine. I do own the plot, though. Don't sue. Please.
Authors Notes: I promised myself I would not be the kind of author that took forever to update, and it's been… wow, a long time. I am so sorry. My computer deleted all my files, so we decided to get a new computer. Hopefully, this will not happen again. Again, sorry about that.
Thanks to Siren's Call, Sammi, The Dragon's Lady, mysticallove, vampy the chosen one, Siri and Remy, Ice Blue Rose, Just Me, Silver Warrior, kitty minky, Monkey, Zayra, and Renna for being lovely people and reviewing. Yay!
Siren's Call- Oh yeah. I'm probably going to do something with Sirius as a dog. Thanks.
The Dragon's Lady- I'm single also. I really liked writing that part. It was kinda hard, because then I'm like "That lucky bitch. No one kisses me like that." No, I have not lost my taste in Buffy/Sirius fics, I'm not lost or dead, so put down that bat! I really enjoyed Phoenix Child, and it totally sucked that she never got to finish it. She was such an awesome, truly amazing, unmatched author. And to leave off at a point where they are just about to see Buffy and find out who she really is! Anyway, thanks for reviewing. You're just great.
Mysticallove- Ginny does have a crush on Snape, but this story will be a Ginny/Harry. There will be more action later on. Believe me, a lot more action. Thank you for reviewing.
Vampy the chosen one- I hate it when I find a story I love, only to lose it. That's happened. I'm glad you found me again. Oz was one of my favorites, and I hated it when he left. I love Buffy/Legolas stories, and I love Buffy/Sirius stories. Pretty much Buffy/anything other than Xander and Spike.
Siri and Remy- It'll take awhile, because they have got thick heads.
Ice Blue Rose- Thanks. I loved writing that chapter. It was so fun. Finally, Buffy has met Voldemort.
Just Me- Well, Voldemort doesn't know that she isn't a witch. He doesn't know all the witches in the world. He does know she is American, and he hasn't expanded to the U.S. yet. I believe Buffy would have a little magic in her because of her Slayer side. The Slayer in her is from magical/demon beginnings.
Silver Warrior- Yeah, I've read too many Buffy/Harry stories. I like them, but there's too many out there. Harry/Ginny is good. I like cats too. Last night, I just got a little kitten. She's a girl. We named her Lola. She's part Tabby, part Calico.
Kitty minky- Mmm… Elvish slaves. Mmm… chocolate. Mmm…Elvish slaves with chocolate.
Zayra- Oh, there will be a lot of angst in this story. I love angst. I have a dog. He's a Chihuahua/Terrier mix. His name is Butch. I love him bunches.
Renna- Thank you. Sirius will be looking for ways to grab her and kiss her more.
………………………Chapter 15: Roses for the Lady………………………..
Rose leaves, when the rose is dead,
Are heaped for the beloved's bed;
And so thy thoughts, when thou art gone,
Love itself shall slumber on.
Percy Shelley
(Saturday, Oct. 3)
More than a week had passed since The Kiss. Not an hour went by when Buffy didn't think about it. She would often get distracted in the middle of doing something. Annoyed with herself, she would think about why she couldn't kiss Sirius again. She was only going to be in Europe until the end of school in June, her home was in California; she wasn't looking for a boyfriend… On the list went. But try as she might, all she thought about was The Kiss.
Buffy had been avoiding Sirius. She knew it, and she knew he knew it. In class, she would talk to him, but as soon as the day was done with, she would rush off before he said anything. If she saw him walking down the hall, she would turn and run before he noticed her. One time, she had even jumped behind a dusty knight and assumed its pose so he wouldn't see her. When Sirius walked by, he didn't even glance over.
She knew it was childish, but what if he kissed her again? What if she couldn't resist him? Buffy also knew that The Kiss was just the tip of the ice burg. Under it was passion. So much passion just burning to release itself, and if it did, it would engulf them both. And there was no going back. Buffy didn't like that thought. She simply wasn't ready. So that passion, that electricity, would just have to wait.
Just as she would.
……………….…………….….
Ginny was in love with Professor Snape. She thought it was just some type of fascination; maybe it was just a schoolgirl crush. He was tall, dark and mysterious. He was a tad rude, but Ginny thought that added to his mysteriousness. Or was that mystery? Mysteryness? Never mind, she thought. It added. Whenever he shot his glares at her, she shivered in delight. Who could resist him?
She was very careful not to let Ron know about her crush. He would go bonkers, for sure. Ginny loved her brother, but sometimes he was so close-minded and blind. Just look at how he was with Hermione. Oh, she knew he was in love with her. Who didn't? It was so blatantly obvious. And they knew that Hermione felt the same. That girl was smart, but she wasn't very good at hiding her emotions.
Ginny was, though. Whenever she saw Severus Snape, she wanted to scream out to the whole of Hogwarts that they belonged together. But she knew the time wasn't right. Soon, though. Soon she would…
She was cut off from her thoughts when she bumped into someone heading to the Gryffindor Common Room. Dropping her book, she muttered "Sorry," and bent down to grab it. Her hand collided with the person's hand, and she glanced up into green, green, green eyes. So beautiful. And that's when she remembered when she used to have a crush on him.
Severus Snape? Snape who? The only other person on that planet was Harry Potter. Hello, Mr. Potter, she thought, smiling.
…………………………………..
(Wednesday, Oct. 7)
Harry had a revelation three days ago. It was when he bumped into Ginny Weasley. He had noticed her pretty hair. How her eyes were like chocolate, and how cute her freckles were. But he had mentally slapped himself because she was Ron's sister, for God's sake. Now he couldn't get her out of his mind.
What was wrong with him? He had known her for five years. Never once had he thought about her as anybody other than a friend. But things change. Harry knew that. After all, hadn't his own life changed in a matter of moments?
Sighing, he pushed Ginny Weasley out of his mind and focused on other things. Like the upcoming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw; the first of the season. There really was no competition, though. Harry wasn't trying to be cocky or anything, but he, and at least everyone else in the school, knew Ravenclaw wasn't a match against Gryffindor.
Taking off his glasses, he rubbed his eyes and lay back on his bed. Across the room, he could hear Ron snoring. Turning on his side, he wondered if Buffy was out Slaying. Harry had met her friend, Oz, and he liked him. He reminded him of Lupin, actually. Quiet and contemplative, knowledge beyond their years. Like Buffy. She had knowledge, and not just in the smarts department. Buffy was wise. She saw things other people didn't. She knew more that most people do.
Harry really liked Buffy. She was nice and pretty. She treated him like he was normal. Like he could take care of himself and he didn't need watching 24/7. She was only 10 years older than him, but sometimes she acted his age. He couldn't wait to show her Hogsmead. They were going on Saturday, the tenth. Harry wanted to bring her to Honeydukes. Buffy liked chocolate. He knew this because she always had a candy bar in her desk, and after dinner she had a big slice of chocolate cake. He wondered why she wasn't fat or have any cavities. Something to do with being a Slayer, most likely, he thought.
Falling asleep, Harry smiled, content.
…………………………
(Saturday, Oct. 10)
Sooner or later, it was bound to happen. Buffy couldn't hide forever. She would try, but it most likely wouldn't work. So it came as no great surprise when Sirius finally caught up with her. Last she had seen him, he was in the Great Hall. She had thought she was safe enough to go outside and watch the students in their excitement to go to Hogsmeade.
Buffy had let her guard down, and she mentally cursed herself and Sirius when he popped up next to her. Too late to pretend she was just about to leave, she stood her ground. Slayers don't run away! she told herself sternly. But Sirius didn't say anything. Frowning, she casually glanced over at him, then quickly looked away when she saw him contemplating her. There was a puzzled look on his face. Like he was trying to figure her out.
They stood like that for a few minutes; Buffy standing stiff and looking straight ahead, and Sirius gazing at her quizzically, as if she was an enigma, a complicated riddle with no one answer. Finally, he sighed in annoyance and grabbed her elbow. Guiding her to a place more private, he stopped and let go.
He expected anger, irritation, or at least some amusement that she would most likely find in the situation, but it was as if her emotions just shut off. Her face was blank, her eyes…cool. They were more blue than green now. Buffy's eyes did that. They changed color with her mood. If she was in a certain mood, the blue would be more dominant, or the green, or grown. Sirius hadn't yet figured out which mood each color was.
And with her eyes that icy blue, he had no idea how to broach the subject. So he just jumped in.
"Why have you been avoiding me?" Still no emotion surfaced. Buffy only looked at him.
"I'm not," she finally said.
"Do you call jumping behind a knight and assuming its position not avoiding me?" She flushed.
"Yeah, I saw that. What about the time you hid behind Snape when you saw me coming? If that isn't avoiding me I don't know what is."
"If you saw me those times, why didn't you do anything?"
"Because I'm not going to push you, Buffy. Look, if you don't want to talk to me, fine. But don't go and hide from me and avoid me like I'm some kind of vampire with a plague," he paused. A little of that emotion was coming back. Buffy's eyes were going a little more green and she looked angry. Note to self, he thought, green equals angry. "Is this because I kissed you?"
Now her eyes got a spark. It was an angry spark, but it was something. "No Sirius. Do I have to have a reason to avoid you, if I was avoiding you in the first place? Which I'm not. Avoiding you, that is. And that kiss. Pfft. It was just a kiss. A mere touching of mouths and maybe a little touching of tongues, but that's all."
"That's all, huh? Nope, I don't think so."
"Sirius-"
"You liked it. And so did I, I'm not ashamed of admitting it. I'm going to kiss you again. Maybe not right now, but soon. You know what? I'm going to do it all. Oh, Buffy Summers, you don't know what hit you." He turned around and left a confused Buffy behind. He had plans.
The courtship began.
……………..……………….
Voldemort was very angry. He was so angry he wanted to scream bloody murder and then blast the whole house to smithereens. Buffy Summers was not supposed to escape. She was supposed to turn to his side. How had she escaped, anyway? Those bumbling idiots only told him that she had punched them and ran off. Seems she had hit the one way portal.
Summers was a little woman. How could she bring down two men stronger and taller than her? Who was she? No matter. He would figure it out soon. Voldemort had plans for Halloween. And were they going to work the way he wanted them to? They better or someone was dead. Well, someone was dead even if they did work.
Now, though, it was time for him to rest. After all, when you're taking over the world, you needed all the sleep you could get.
That night, sleep did no come easy. Lord Voldemort dreamt of his childhood. It was not a fun childhood. This night, one memory replayed over and over again.
He had been a boy, once. One with dreams and aspirations. But that ended the day he got his letter to Hogwarts and his muggle father found out that his dead wife had been a witch. Even before that day when he was eleven, Tom and his father had not gotten along. But after that letter, it was worse. Much worse.
Voldemorts father would hit him over the summer. Said his son was a freak and the only reason he allowed him to go to Hogwarts was to get rid of him. After his second year, Tom was never the same again. He hated his father. Despised him. Promised himself that soon, soon he would destroy the muggles. Starting with his father.
The day he had killed his father was the turning point. No return. And it felt good, killing him. Being in power.
He would not be helpless again. Never again. Never would he be that scared, blood-soaked little boy with emotional scars and a lifetime of baggage. Voldemort had power. He was strong, and soon the world would see that. Starting now with the Potter brat.
………………………………
Buffy was a mass of confusion. What was Sirius going to do? Oh, God. This was all too much. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Sitting in the carriage that had these freaky horses carrying it (Harry had called them Thestrals. Seems people who had seen death are the only ones who could see them. Buffy had just snorted, figuring that of course she would be able to see them. Wasn't death her gift?), Buffy leaned back with a sigh, glad that she was in a carriage with Snape and McGonagall. She couldn't deal with an hour or Sirius.
At least Snape wasn't trying to kiss her. Laughing aloud at the thought of Snape wanting to kiss her, she stopped when he and McGonagall gave her a funny look. Smiling sheepishly, she looked out the small window and watched the trees fly by. There was a thin mist winding through the trunks, and snow powdered branches. Snow! In October! Granted, it was only a little bit, but it was still snow.
Soon, they reached Hogsmeade and stepped out of the carriage. Minerva bid them an absent goodbye and left Buffy and Snape alone. Looking around at the little village and the students rushing to the stores, Buffy felt slightly lonely. She saw Harry walk off with Hermione and Ron. It wasn't like she could run to them and ask if she could go with them. They were teenagers, and they needed tome to forget who they were.
Buffy didn't want to find Sirius. It would be so awkward. Sighing softly, she turned to Snape and noticed a weird expression on his face. It was like he was sad. But about what? His face became an emotionless mask when he saw her watching him. Nodding his head, he swiveled around and was about to leave when Buffy stopped him.
"Wait. Can I…" she stopped, feeling foolish. Her face flushed when he raised a brow. "Can I come with you?" She asked. Still Snape only stared at her, looking a little surprised. Buffy continued, "I mean, I don't know my way around, and I was wondering if you could, you know, show me. If you have things to do, maybe you could just take me along."
There was silence. Finally, he spoke. "Don't you have someone else to show you around? Black, maybe? Or the Potter kid? I have more important things to do than to show you around." Snape saw her face fall and felt an unwanted pang of guilt.
"Oh. Okay, then. Bye," Buffy said, turning around and mentally counting to three. When she got to three, she heard Snape sigh.
"Summers, wait." She smiled before she turned around, pretending to be sad. "If you want to come with me, you're going to have to put up with my rudeness."
"Thank you, Severus."
"Follow me," he ordered.
Smiling brightly, she jogged to his side and grinned up at him. "Can we get candy? I heard there was a great chocolate shop here. And a place to get these drinks called Butterbeer. Do they have any alcohol in them? 'Cause let me tell you, alcohol and Buffy do not mix. Believe me. Beer bad. So unless you wanna see cave-Buffy, I have to stay away from the alcohol. So, where are we going? Can we see the…"
Snape mentally slapped himself as Summers prattled on. It would be a long day.
……………………………………...
Smiling to himself as the girl wrapped up the assortment of chocolates he had bought in pretty paper, Sirius glanced around the small shop. Seeing a red rose that could be eaten, he grabbed that and added it to his purchases.
"So, who are these for?" The clerk asked him. She hoped he wasn't getting them for a girlfriend. He was very handsome.
"For a very special woman. I'm trying to convince her that I'm not a bad investment," he winked at her, the charming side of Sirius coming out.
She giggled. "Well, she's a very lucky girl and also blind if she doesn't fall into your arms the minutes she gets these."
"You wanna tell her that?" Sirius asked wryly. Thanking her, he grabbed the package and the rose, then left. Now to find Buffy.
………………………………….
At that moment, Buffy was watching the Shrieking Shack. Head cocked, she had her hands on her hips. Snape stood by, an amused and curious look on his face. He couldn't quite figure out what she was doing. When they had gotten here, Summers had stopped, looked at the old house, held up a hand, and assumed the pose she had now. That was five minutes ago.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, so he spoke. "What are you doing?" He asked, breaking her concentration.
Buffy looked at him, startled, then smiled sheepishly. "Checking to see if it's evil."
He chuckled and shook his head. "It's just a rumor. In fact, your very own Black and Lupin used to hang out in there with their friends."
Laughing, Buffy shook her head. "Let me guess. They're the ones that made the story up that it's haunted?"
He nodded. "They made noises. Howling and moaning. A lot of students would run back to the village, screaming."
Giggling, she looked at the shack. That's when Sirius showed up. Her laughter abruptly cut off.
Snape, following Buffy's gaze, lifted an eyebrow at the form of Black, trudging up the hill to them. Both brows went up when he saw what was in his hand. A box, wrapped in paper with blue, green and brown swirls on it, and a rose in his hand. Glancing at Summers, he saw her wide eyes as she looked around. It seemed like she was about to take off running. But, oh, too late. Black had noticed her, and his face practically split from his dorky grin. Snape sighed. Stepping back, he got ready to watch the fun.
Buffy panicked. Oh God. What do I do? She asked herself anxiously. I can't run, it's too late for that. Just keep cool. Snape's here. Sirius won't do anything in front of him, will he? Oh God. By this time, Sirius had arrived.
Stopping in front of her, he grinned down at Buffy. Giving a little bow, he handed her the rose with a flourish. "Milady," he said. Snape snorted softly. Sirius glared at him before returning his attention to Buffy.
"Uh, thanks, Sirius. It's, um, pretty," she said, giving him a small, uncertain smile.
"And edible. Chocolate."
"Really? Looks delicious." She was nervous. The rose was clutched tightly in her hand and Buffy mentally told herself to release her death grip on it. "It looks too pretty to eat." Bringing it to her nose, she sniffed and grinned. "Smells good, too."
Sirius smiled, pleased. One point for me, he thought. Remembering the package he held in his hand, he extended it to Buffy and said, "A present for you."
Wary, Buffy reached out and grabbed the gift. Looking up, she said to Sirius, "Thank you. But what are they for?"
"No reason. Enjoy," he tipped his head and turned, then added as an after thought, "Snape."
"Black."
Sirius walked away, cheerfully whistling. Buffy just stared after him, confusion evident on her pretty face. Snape shook his head.
Blinking, Buffy tore her gaze away from the shrinking form of Sirius. She looked at the package she held in her hand and absently held out the rose to Snape to hold. He looked at her like she was nuts, then sighed in annoyance and took the flower, holding it by the tips of his fingers.
"Thanks," she muttered before carefully opening the package. Inside was an assortment of chocolates. Buffy smiled and licked her lips. Opening it up, she took one out and bit into it. "Mmm... These are good. Want one?" She asked Snape, extending the box to him.
He stared at her in surprise. "Well... I guess just one." Snape took one out and put the whole thing in his mouth. Buffy raised her eyebrow at that.
"I guess you're not trying to keep your girlish figure, huh?" Snape snorted in laughter, then abruptly stopped when he realized what he was doing. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone that you, God forbid, had fun," Buffy assured him.
Snape rolled his eyes, then rubbed his arm when Buffy playfully punched him. "Where to next?" He asked.
"I don't know. You're the resident expert." Snape motioned to Buffy to follow him and she trailed after. "So, where are we going?"
"Back to the town," he replied. Suddenly he stopped. He had forgotten that he still held the rose. Eyes widening, he thrust it at Buffy like it was burning him.
Giggling, Buffy took it and glanced at his retreating back. Sobering, she followed at her own pace. She still felt emotions coming off from him. Anguish, hatred, self-disgust. For a while today, it wasn't that bad. When they were hanging out, she felt him loosen up. Maybe she could get him to have more fun. After all, back in Sunnydale, she used to be the fun gal. the one who made everybody take a break from work. Ooh, maybe she should take him patrolling with her.
Smiling, she brushed the rose petals across her cheek and her thoughts shifted to Sirius. Sirius smiling. Sirius laughing. Sirius kissing her...No! Bad Buffy! Bad! Growling in frustration, she trotted to catch up with Severus.
…………………………….
Draco watched his Potions professor walking with Summers in curiosity. To Draco, Snape was a hero. He know about his past. Snape was a hero because he had been evil, but he had pulled himself away from that and changed sides. He had done things, bad things, but the reason for him to keep living is to redeem himself. Draco saw. A lot of people underestimated him, but he saw things. He observed.
Just like he knew that Potter wasn't as happy as everyone assumed. Draco saw the sad look on his face when his friends weren't paying attention. If Draco wasn't seen as such a jack-ass Slytherin, he might have done something. Like talked to Potter about how his own life wasn't sunshine and daisies. But since he was seen as a jack-ass Slytherin, he didn't do anything. After all, he had a reputation. The Malfoy's had a reputation. And if he didn't uphold that reputation, well... let's just say it wouldn't be pretty. No, not at all.
…………………………….
Harry cursed himself for forgetting to show Buffy around. He was just so excited to get away from it all and have fun, it had just slipped his mind. He, Ron and Hermione had gone everywhere. They went to Zonks, Ron's twin brother's Fred and George's joke and trick shop, and onward from there. It wasn't until they hot to Honeyduke's that he remembered. Now he felt bad. He should go find her and apologize, then offer to... bloody hell.
"Bloody hell," Ron muttered, voiced Harry's thoughts. Hermione was too surprised to reprimand him. "What is she doing with him?" He asked.
He was, of course, talking about Snape and Buffy, who were walking together. Buffy was laughing, and Snape didn't look as menacing as he usually did. In fact, he looked like he was... smiling? Or at least not as frowny as usual. Strange. Very strange.
…………………………….
Once again, so sorry about this being so freakin' late. Thanks for reading.
Pointless question: If you could choose what color of eyes your significant other would have, what would it be?