Chapter 2: The Castle
Disclaimer: I don't own any of them.
Reviews: Constructive criticism welcomed with hugs, flames will be used to toast marshmallows.
Now, on to the story!
"I am Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of this school," he continued.
Buffy extended her hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Dumbledore. My name is Buffy Summers, though I'm sure you already know that. Um, thank you for having me here."
"Tomorrow you will be meeting the rest of the staff here. A few are missing for the summer, but I'm sure you're tired from your trip. Dobby here will lead you to your room. Dobby is a House-Elf and can bring you a very good dinner. I will come to see you tomorrow once you've awakened in the morning," Dumbledore told her.
As he moved, a small creature with large, shiny eyes and a happy smile on his face appeared and motioned for her to follow him. "I am Dobby, Buffy Summers, I am here to take you to your room. If you need anything, just ask. Headmaster Dumbledore says that you are here to protect Harry Potter. If you are here to keep Harry Potter safe, then your wish is here like that," the elf said, snapping his fingers and disappearing and reappearing only feet away.
"I see you've met the main member of the Harry Potter fan club," a black haired man sneered at Buffy as he passed in the hall.
"Professor Snape does not like Harry Potter, Professor Snape was almost killed by Harry Potter's father but also saved by him. James Potter was not very kind to Professor Snape," Dobby told Buffy.
Buffy smiled at the elf and mumbled, "Someone's carrying a bit of baggage." Dobby's face formed an expression of confusion but he did not say anything because they had arrived at her room. "Your things are in your room, Buffy Summers. The password to the room is Pleasantville. Headmaster Dumbledore will be by your room once you're awake in the morning. Would you like something for dinner?" Dobby's eyes told Buffy that he thought that she really needed something to eat.
"Dobby, could I have a cup of fruit salad? Just a little bit. . ." and before she could finish her sentence, Dobby had disappeared with a crack.
Buffy moved to the door to her room. A beautiful painting of a vampire adorned the door. "Um, Pleasantville?" she whispered.
The painting swung aside as the vampire said, "Don't you just love Dumbledore's sense of irony?" Buffy grunted faintly and entered her room. It stunned her. Black and crimson adorned every inch of the room. The bed was an enormous four-poster which had fluffy black covers. Slowly, Buffy walked over to the bed and flopped down onto its downy surface.
Slowly, Buffy opened her eyes. Gleaming blue eyes stood between half-moon eye glasses. "Blue eyes!"was all Buffy could think of. And she screamed.
"Buffy Summers! There is nothing to be afraid of! It is just Dobby and Mr. Dumbledore," the now-familiar voice told her.
Buffy sat up, blinking in an attempt to clear her eyes. "W-what happened? Last I remember I asked you to bring me dinner," she asked, confused and sleepy.
Dumbledore's voice came now, explaining, "Miss Summers, Dobby returned with your dinner to find you asleep. He put you under the covers and left your room. It is nearly noon now, so I figured that someone should come wake you up. Do come, eat breakfast with me."
Buffy was about to decline his invitation so that he didn't have to wait when he moved aside so she could see the breakfast spread on a table in her room. "I brought it for you, Buffy Summers," Dobby told her proudly.
As Buffy and Dumbledore made their way to the table, Dumbledore told her, "It seems that Dobby has taken quite a liking to you."
Buffy smiled and nodded, saying, "Especially since I'm here to protect Harry Potter."
"Ah yes. I suppose that today I should explain that situation to you properly. This evening you will be dining with the rest of the faculty. Severus mentioned that he had met you in the hall last night," Dumbledore told her.
"The ooo-look-at-my-sneer guy who apparently hates Harry? Then yeah, I met him," Buffy grumbled.
"I've always found the American dialect so entertaining, Miss Summers. Trust me, Severus is not nearly as awful as he appears. Please understand that school only just let out and he's still in a rather foul mood. Grading potions exams always makes him testy. Potions is quite a difficult, and "subtle art" as Severus puts it," Dumbledore chuckled.
Buffy grinned and told him, "Well, then he'll hate me. Subtlety really isn't my thing."
"So I have noticed." At which point, Dumbledore wholeheartedly dug into his meal. Buffy shrugged and began to half-heartedly nibble on a bit of muffin.
Dobby began piling eggs and waffle onto a plate and then shoved it in front of Buffy. "You must eat! Professor McGonagall and the Headmaster said that you are too thin, I heards them last night," Dobby told her when Buffy looked at him strangely.
Buffy then shook her head and replied to the House-Elf, "I'm still working on building up a good appetite, Dobby." "Dobby, would you please go to Professor Snape and make sure he is up. Madam Pomfrey wanted to speak to him about a new healing potion he's come up with and she's leaving to visit her brother in Canada tomorrow," Dumbledore interrupted when Dobby was about to argue.
Dobby nodded and popped out of the room. Dumbledore made no effort to carry on any more conversation and the meal passed in a comfortable silence. Once Dumbledore was ready to leave Buffy to get ready to go explore the castle, he spoke once again, "Buffy, Minerva will be here in about an hour to give you the grand tour of this place. I must say, it seems that she has seemed to take you under her wing."
"I don't mind, Mr. Dumbledore, it's nice of her to think of me so fondly," Buffy told Dumbledore.
Hesitantly, Buffy made it over to the closet where Dobby had apparently stored her new robes and removed one and put it on. Looking in the mirror, she grimaced briefly and then shrugged. It didn't really matter what she looked like. The rest of the hour was spent exploring her beautiful new room.
Minerva and Buffy spent an hour touring the castle. The older lady seemed to be watching Buffy's limp carefully. "Please, Minerva, don't worry about me, I'm not too quiet, I'll say something if I need to slow down," Buffy finally said, exasperated.
Minerva nodded and agreed. The rest of the day, Buffy spent in the library, learning about Hogwarts, magic, and Quidditch. The very last chapter of the self-updating edition of Hogwarts Quidditch announced that the present Quidditch coach was Madam Hooch. Buffy set off out of the library to find Madam Hooch. As she made her way through the halls, she heard the silky sneer of the Potions Master, "Ah, Miss Summers, I see you have found your way around. Now who are you searching for?"
"Severus, let's get one thing straight here: I know you're in a shitty mood, but so am I. Stuff happens, but the least you could to is to stop sneering at me and tell me how to find Madam Hooch," she snapped.
Severus's face turned for a moment into an expression of shock, then he continued on, this time in a much nicer voice, "Madam Hooch has gone to Russia to work on the Quidditch team in St. Petersburg. She will not be back until the day before school starts. And why would a squib want to know where the Quidditch coach is?"
"For one," Buffy growled, moving faster than Snape could watch, and grabbed him and held him in the air by his collar, "I am not a squib. I am a Slayer, capish? Second, why the hell do you care? Third, I want to learn to ride a broom. Do you have any idea what it's like to have most of your agility taken away? I do. Until two months ago, I could move fast than anyone in this world for as long as I wanted to. Now I can only move that fast for a few minutes before my leg collapses. Now, since you have been so kind as to tell me that Madam Hooch is unavailable, could you please lead me to the Quidditch Pitch and tell me what to do with my broom?"
"I believe, Buffy, that perhaps another professor might be better equipped to teach you to ride a broom. Regardless, you have spent nearly five hours in the library. Both you and Severus need to come to dinner," Dumbledore informed them. "Severus, I trust you to show her the way, as I have a few contacts to make before we eat." And with that he was gone.
Buffy complained, "Does he always do that? Appear at the most important moment?"
"Yes, Miss Summers, I'm afraid Albus has quite a knack for showing up when he is needed most," Severus told her, his face formed into a friendly smirk.
"Call me Buffy."
Disclaimer: I don't own any of them.
Reviews: Constructive criticism welcomed with hugs, flames will be used to toast marshmallows.
Now, on to the story!
"I am Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of this school," he continued.
Buffy extended her hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Dumbledore. My name is Buffy Summers, though I'm sure you already know that. Um, thank you for having me here."
"Tomorrow you will be meeting the rest of the staff here. A few are missing for the summer, but I'm sure you're tired from your trip. Dobby here will lead you to your room. Dobby is a House-Elf and can bring you a very good dinner. I will come to see you tomorrow once you've awakened in the morning," Dumbledore told her.
As he moved, a small creature with large, shiny eyes and a happy smile on his face appeared and motioned for her to follow him. "I am Dobby, Buffy Summers, I am here to take you to your room. If you need anything, just ask. Headmaster Dumbledore says that you are here to protect Harry Potter. If you are here to keep Harry Potter safe, then your wish is here like that," the elf said, snapping his fingers and disappearing and reappearing only feet away.
"I see you've met the main member of the Harry Potter fan club," a black haired man sneered at Buffy as he passed in the hall.
"Professor Snape does not like Harry Potter, Professor Snape was almost killed by Harry Potter's father but also saved by him. James Potter was not very kind to Professor Snape," Dobby told Buffy.
Buffy smiled at the elf and mumbled, "Someone's carrying a bit of baggage." Dobby's face formed an expression of confusion but he did not say anything because they had arrived at her room. "Your things are in your room, Buffy Summers. The password to the room is Pleasantville. Headmaster Dumbledore will be by your room once you're awake in the morning. Would you like something for dinner?" Dobby's eyes told Buffy that he thought that she really needed something to eat.
"Dobby, could I have a cup of fruit salad? Just a little bit. . ." and before she could finish her sentence, Dobby had disappeared with a crack.
Buffy moved to the door to her room. A beautiful painting of a vampire adorned the door. "Um, Pleasantville?" she whispered.
The painting swung aside as the vampire said, "Don't you just love Dumbledore's sense of irony?" Buffy grunted faintly and entered her room. It stunned her. Black and crimson adorned every inch of the room. The bed was an enormous four-poster which had fluffy black covers. Slowly, Buffy walked over to the bed and flopped down onto its downy surface.
Slowly, Buffy opened her eyes. Gleaming blue eyes stood between half-moon eye glasses. "Blue eyes!"was all Buffy could think of. And she screamed.
"Buffy Summers! There is nothing to be afraid of! It is just Dobby and Mr. Dumbledore," the now-familiar voice told her.
Buffy sat up, blinking in an attempt to clear her eyes. "W-what happened? Last I remember I asked you to bring me dinner," she asked, confused and sleepy.
Dumbledore's voice came now, explaining, "Miss Summers, Dobby returned with your dinner to find you asleep. He put you under the covers and left your room. It is nearly noon now, so I figured that someone should come wake you up. Do come, eat breakfast with me."
Buffy was about to decline his invitation so that he didn't have to wait when he moved aside so she could see the breakfast spread on a table in her room. "I brought it for you, Buffy Summers," Dobby told her proudly.
As Buffy and Dumbledore made their way to the table, Dumbledore told her, "It seems that Dobby has taken quite a liking to you."
Buffy smiled and nodded, saying, "Especially since I'm here to protect Harry Potter."
"Ah yes. I suppose that today I should explain that situation to you properly. This evening you will be dining with the rest of the faculty. Severus mentioned that he had met you in the hall last night," Dumbledore told her.
"The ooo-look-at-my-sneer guy who apparently hates Harry? Then yeah, I met him," Buffy grumbled.
"I've always found the American dialect so entertaining, Miss Summers. Trust me, Severus is not nearly as awful as he appears. Please understand that school only just let out and he's still in a rather foul mood. Grading potions exams always makes him testy. Potions is quite a difficult, and "subtle art" as Severus puts it," Dumbledore chuckled.
Buffy grinned and told him, "Well, then he'll hate me. Subtlety really isn't my thing."
"So I have noticed." At which point, Dumbledore wholeheartedly dug into his meal. Buffy shrugged and began to half-heartedly nibble on a bit of muffin.
Dobby began piling eggs and waffle onto a plate and then shoved it in front of Buffy. "You must eat! Professor McGonagall and the Headmaster said that you are too thin, I heards them last night," Dobby told her when Buffy looked at him strangely.
Buffy then shook her head and replied to the House-Elf, "I'm still working on building up a good appetite, Dobby." "Dobby, would you please go to Professor Snape and make sure he is up. Madam Pomfrey wanted to speak to him about a new healing potion he's come up with and she's leaving to visit her brother in Canada tomorrow," Dumbledore interrupted when Dobby was about to argue.
Dobby nodded and popped out of the room. Dumbledore made no effort to carry on any more conversation and the meal passed in a comfortable silence. Once Dumbledore was ready to leave Buffy to get ready to go explore the castle, he spoke once again, "Buffy, Minerva will be here in about an hour to give you the grand tour of this place. I must say, it seems that she has seemed to take you under her wing."
"I don't mind, Mr. Dumbledore, it's nice of her to think of me so fondly," Buffy told Dumbledore.
Hesitantly, Buffy made it over to the closet where Dobby had apparently stored her new robes and removed one and put it on. Looking in the mirror, she grimaced briefly and then shrugged. It didn't really matter what she looked like. The rest of the hour was spent exploring her beautiful new room.
Minerva and Buffy spent an hour touring the castle. The older lady seemed to be watching Buffy's limp carefully. "Please, Minerva, don't worry about me, I'm not too quiet, I'll say something if I need to slow down," Buffy finally said, exasperated.
Minerva nodded and agreed. The rest of the day, Buffy spent in the library, learning about Hogwarts, magic, and Quidditch. The very last chapter of the self-updating edition of Hogwarts Quidditch announced that the present Quidditch coach was Madam Hooch. Buffy set off out of the library to find Madam Hooch. As she made her way through the halls, she heard the silky sneer of the Potions Master, "Ah, Miss Summers, I see you have found your way around. Now who are you searching for?"
"Severus, let's get one thing straight here: I know you're in a shitty mood, but so am I. Stuff happens, but the least you could to is to stop sneering at me and tell me how to find Madam Hooch," she snapped.
Severus's face turned for a moment into an expression of shock, then he continued on, this time in a much nicer voice, "Madam Hooch has gone to Russia to work on the Quidditch team in St. Petersburg. She will not be back until the day before school starts. And why would a squib want to know where the Quidditch coach is?"
"For one," Buffy growled, moving faster than Snape could watch, and grabbed him and held him in the air by his collar, "I am not a squib. I am a Slayer, capish? Second, why the hell do you care? Third, I want to learn to ride a broom. Do you have any idea what it's like to have most of your agility taken away? I do. Until two months ago, I could move fast than anyone in this world for as long as I wanted to. Now I can only move that fast for a few minutes before my leg collapses. Now, since you have been so kind as to tell me that Madam Hooch is unavailable, could you please lead me to the Quidditch Pitch and tell me what to do with my broom?"
"I believe, Buffy, that perhaps another professor might be better equipped to teach you to ride a broom. Regardless, you have spent nearly five hours in the library. Both you and Severus need to come to dinner," Dumbledore informed them. "Severus, I trust you to show her the way, as I have a few contacts to make before we eat." And with that he was gone.
Buffy complained, "Does he always do that? Appear at the most important moment?"
"Yes, Miss Summers, I'm afraid Albus has quite a knack for showing up when he is needed most," Severus told her, his face formed into a friendly smirk.
"Call me Buffy."