A/N: Sorry about the wait. Anyway, it's finally up.
Disclaimer: see first chapter.
Learning to Live Chapter 9: Something Surprising
Buffy's hands shook as she opened the letter. She read the letter quickly, noting the irregularities in the writing. Without a word, the Slayer got up from her seat and nearly ran to her room, leaving half a hamburger lying on her plate. Severus got up to follow her, but Dumbledore extended a hand and whispered, "Let her be. Give her some time." The Potions Master reluctant stayed in his seat.
Meanwhile, Buffy had paused inside her room just long enough to scribble a note to Severus. "Sev, I have to go home for a little bit. Harry's first lesson is tonight, I'll be back by them. Promise. Buffy."
Then she raced to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of Floo powder. She yelled, "Rupert Giles, California!"
"Whoa, Buff! You're, um here," the long-awaited voice exclaimed.
Buffy's face broke into one of the first true, honest smiles anyone had seen from her in the past months as she squealed, "Xander!!!"
There was Alexander Harris, the friend who she thought was just as lost to her as the dead ones. Slowly, shakily, Xander raised a hand in greeting. "It's good to see you," he told her, his lips stumbling over the words.
"Are you alright?" the Slayer asked her friend.
Xander mumbled, "The doctors said it would take a while before all my, um, brain functions were up to speed. What-what about you? Giles said you were hurt, the last thing I saw was you flying through a wall."
"Xand, I'm fine, just worried about you," Buffy tried to tell him.
"You can't lie to me, Buff, you limp when you walk and I know you're hiding something, you're eyes say it," he told her, reaching out and hugging her. "And you're altogether too skinny."
"Hey, I'm twice the weight I was two months ago," she said, sadness flitting through her eyes.
"So, G-man said you're teaching in Scotland?" Xander asked.
Buffy nodded, "Um, yeah, at a magic school. Wandless Defense stuff."
"Really?"
"Yup, I get to be in charge of dozens of teenagers trying to beat each other up," the blonde tried to joke.
Xander looked down at his sock-clad feet and asked quietly, "Could I, um, come and stay there for a while?"
Buffy knew exactly what he was trying to say and replied, "I'm certain you can, but lemme go back and check with the Headmaster to see if he minds. You could probably help with Muggle Studies." With that she was off.
And twenty minutes later she was back. "Okay, you can come, he'll be happy to have you, as long as you teach one class a week to the Seventh years. I'll be back to pick you up at the end of this week. Day after tomorrow at seven o'clock."
"Okay, but Buff, what is Muggle Studies?"
"Oh, Muggle is the wizarding word for a non-magical person. Muggle Studies is just a class that teaches the mini-wizards about the Muggle world. You'll get to teach them about Superman and Twinkies," Buffy explained.
"And I get called Professor for doing this?" Xander told her as he realized all the fun he could have.
Buffy's smile fell as she said, "Xand, I gotta go. I have a class to teach in like ten minutes. I'll be back in two days, remember."
When Buffy returned to her quarters, a very distraught Severus Snape was standing there. "What in the world made you flee from the Hall like a Dementor was on your tail? Without explaining yourself? I daresay you had half of the school terrified because they could not figure out what made you flee," he ranted.
"Shh, Sev, my friend Xander woke up yesterday in Sunnydale. I went to visit him. He's going to stay here at least through Christmas," Buffy informed her roommate.
Severus immediately shut up and uttered a simple, "Oh." "But now I believe I have a lesson to give, so I will see you in an hour," Buffy chirped as she left the room. The Potions Master stared after her in confusion. Why was a Muggle coming to stay at Hogwarts?
Meanwhile, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were waiting patiently in the DADA room for their professor to show up. She did, looking quite flustered. "Okay, in the name of safety, the first thing we're going to learn is how to use a crossbow. There are difficult to operate and keep you out of reach of an enemy. We won't use them in class because I don't trust half of them not to kill each other," Buffy announced, removing three of the weapons from the locked weapons cabinet, along with several bolts. "Ron, Harry, Hermione, there are some targets folded up next to that bookcase, get those down. Bring them here."
By the end of the night, all three of them could consistently hit the center of the target. Harry had excelled because of his Quidditch reflexes, but they had all done very well. "I'll see you all tomorrow night, another lesson. Probably hand weapons or hand to hand, I'm not sure yet. Why don't you tell me your preference tomorrow at lunch? Talk it over," she said.
Buffy finally went back to her room and flopped down on her bed. She removed a shoebox from under her bed and began flipping through the pictures. A graduation photo taken by the news and clipped from the paper, a few snapshots from junior year, and several from just after she had returned from the dead the second time. Willow had gone camera-happy.
"May I come in?" Severus asked, nearly whispering. He stood at the entrance to her room, looking quite nervous.
Buffy glanced up, "Sure, take a seat." Her hand indicated that he should sit next to her.
The Potions Master moved noiselessly to sit on the edge of the bed. He sat there without moving a muscle. He saw the Muggle photographs. "Who are they?" Severus asked hesitantly.
Buffy pointed to the smiling dark-haired boy in front of a beat-up old Citroen. "That's Xander, he's the one who's going to be staying here for a while. The Weasley twins would like him," she explained.
"What about her, she looks like a Weasley," Severus indicated the redhead.
Buffy's voice got caught in her throat as she replied, "That's Willow, she- she was my best friend since sophomore year. She was killed along with my sister, her girlfriend, and Xander's girlfriend."
Severus waited several moments before asking, "What happened?"
"My ex-boyfriend took my friends, my sister, and I hostage one day. He had attacked me the year before and then disappeared. It was the end for me, I wasn't going to take him back. He went kinda, um, nuts. Crazy. This thing called the First possessed him, and I guess it was my fault that I didn't try to help him. But he scared me, a lot. First thing I really couldn't fight back at was my own boyfriend. Anyhow, he took us all hostage. He was after me, just me. The others just helped him try to break me. After about eight months, I tried to escape. He had gotten drunk and the Turok-han was gone, so we all made a run for it," Buffy said, her voice beginning to waver. "For now, let's just say everyone died but Xander and I."
The conversation was over. The two sat silently for several moments. A lone tear made its way down her cheek as she stared at the photo, and Severus's own eyes were watery.
The Potions Master finally broke the silence by saying, "Buffy, would you like to go for a walk in the Forest?"
"With the vampires and spiders?" Buffy said, her face brightening for a moment before she forced it to pale.
Severus smirked as he said, "Of course."
"Let's go, please Sev! I've been itching for a good fight for a long time!"
Thus the two set out from the castle and headed for the Forbidden Forest. Buffy bore the familiar cane and a scimitar. She had taken to a scimitar because it was easier to use than a full-sized sword. Some agility had been lost in her months of imprisonment, so ease of use had become very important.
However, any onlooker would be unable to tell that the small girl was hindered in any way. She moved with more elegance than a dancer as she disposed of several vampires. Her friend also killed several, though with understandably more difficulty. "Next time I'll have to get you a sword. Much easier with these guys," she told him as they headed back in.
Severus chuckled, "I'm sure it is."
"Now you tell me something about your wild childhood," Buffy told him.
"No."
The petite slayer smirked as she said, "Yup yup, c'mon. The vampires got me excited now you have to face my hyperness. Tell me the best joke you ever played on someone."
Severus's eyebrows raised. "Now what makes you think I played jokes?"
"The way you trick your students? That has to be born of years of practical jokes."
The Potions Master sighed and began, "Well, once, during Potions-"
"Of course," Buffy remarked.
"Yes, during Potions, I decided that James Potter needed to be taken down a notch. He was the cockiest bastard in school. Captain of the Quidditch team, handsome as the devil, and smart as a whip, or so he fancied himself. Anyhow, we were doing a Hair Growth potion one day. Professor Wills was balding and decided he could use a large supply. Well, first we had to test the potions on ourselves. I managed to trade his powdered unicorn hair for dried bubotuber puss. It caused all of his hair to fall out. I don't think he ever forgave me for that. Though apparently Lily, James's girlfriend, liked it," Severus said.
Buffy burst out laughing. "From what Remus said, you were supposedly the victim of most jokes. Now I found out that you were a devil in disguise."
"I was not going to jeopardize my academic future for the thrill of playing pranks all the time," Severus said in his defense. Under Buffy's knowing grin he admitted, "But I couldn't resist in some cases."
"Let's stop by the kitchens for some hot chocolate," Buffy suggested. She wasn't completely used to Scottish weather yet.
"Dobby will get Professor Summers a mug of hot cocoa," the House Elf squeaked.
Buffy jumped at Dobby's sudden appearance but she replied, "Oh thank you so much! Could you add mini-marshmallows to it? And bring Severus a cup too?"
"Dobby will have it there by the time you reach your rooms," he promised before vanishing with a 'pop'.
The two continued to their rooms, chatting quietly. It was past curfew for the students, but they both knew that curfew was often broken by students from all Houses, specifically a trio from Gryffindor. Buffy had caught them two nights ago when she went for a walk down to see Hagrid.
As Dobby had promised, two steaming mugs of hot cocoa were sitting on the coffee table in front of the leather couch. Dozens of mini-marshmallows were piled on top. Buffy began drinking it as quickly as it cooled, trying not to burn her tongue.
Meanwhile Severus glared at the mug as if it was a mug of hot dragon saliva. "Why do you love marshmallows so much?" he asked.
"They make it extra frothy and sweet!" Buffy announced.
Severus shook his head in astonishment, "Buffy, you have practically refused to eat anything since your arrival and now you are downing food faster than all the Weasley boys combined!"
"Now my best friend is awake and coming to visit and I have friends here. Things are beginning to come together," she told him, determined to thoroughly enjoy her cocoa. "So, drink your cocoa. You'll like it. I don't know how, but Dobby and the House Elves make the best hot chocolate I've had in a long time."
Hesitantly, Severus picked up the overflowing mug of hot chocolate and began to sip at it. After several minutes, Buffy growled, "Dobby! He made them never-empty mugs. They just keeping filling up with both the marshmallows and the cocoa!"
"Is there something wrong with that?" the Potions Master asked hesitantly.
Buffy shook her head and admitted, "No, it's just he's trying to trick me into eating more."
"We all are," her friend pointed out.
The Slayer grumpily muttered, "Oh."
"Would you be interested in helping me with the Healing Delay potion tomorrow after lunch?" Severus suggested.
"Yes- oh, wait, no," she said, "I can't. I have to go to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley tomorrow to get Xander's clothes for when he comes here. Plus I need to look for practice weapons for the kids, I don't want them not learning to use a knife, I just don't want them using a real knife. Once I find the dummy knives, I need to go to someplace and have them all charmed so that no one can transfigure them into something real."
"Hmm, busy day it seems," the raven-haired man commented.
His diminutive companion replied, "Yup, but it'll probably be safer than your day. You have Neville in your class tomorrow. He's a good boy, just awful at potions."
"I fear for my very life half the time he's in class. Fortunately tomorrow is a test day. So, unless Longbottom manages to blow up a piece of parchment, it should be the most harmless day of the week."
"Damn you. You get to administer a pansy little test while I run all over Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley looking for fake knives and robes!"
"Isn't life funny that way?" Severus smirked as he said this. Buffy glowered at him in return.
Disclaimer: see first chapter.
Learning to Live Chapter 9: Something Surprising
Buffy's hands shook as she opened the letter. She read the letter quickly, noting the irregularities in the writing. Without a word, the Slayer got up from her seat and nearly ran to her room, leaving half a hamburger lying on her plate. Severus got up to follow her, but Dumbledore extended a hand and whispered, "Let her be. Give her some time." The Potions Master reluctant stayed in his seat.
Meanwhile, Buffy had paused inside her room just long enough to scribble a note to Severus. "Sev, I have to go home for a little bit. Harry's first lesson is tonight, I'll be back by them. Promise. Buffy."
Then she raced to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of Floo powder. She yelled, "Rupert Giles, California!"
"Whoa, Buff! You're, um here," the long-awaited voice exclaimed.
Buffy's face broke into one of the first true, honest smiles anyone had seen from her in the past months as she squealed, "Xander!!!"
There was Alexander Harris, the friend who she thought was just as lost to her as the dead ones. Slowly, shakily, Xander raised a hand in greeting. "It's good to see you," he told her, his lips stumbling over the words.
"Are you alright?" the Slayer asked her friend.
Xander mumbled, "The doctors said it would take a while before all my, um, brain functions were up to speed. What-what about you? Giles said you were hurt, the last thing I saw was you flying through a wall."
"Xand, I'm fine, just worried about you," Buffy tried to tell him.
"You can't lie to me, Buff, you limp when you walk and I know you're hiding something, you're eyes say it," he told her, reaching out and hugging her. "And you're altogether too skinny."
"Hey, I'm twice the weight I was two months ago," she said, sadness flitting through her eyes.
"So, G-man said you're teaching in Scotland?" Xander asked.
Buffy nodded, "Um, yeah, at a magic school. Wandless Defense stuff."
"Really?"
"Yup, I get to be in charge of dozens of teenagers trying to beat each other up," the blonde tried to joke.
Xander looked down at his sock-clad feet and asked quietly, "Could I, um, come and stay there for a while?"
Buffy knew exactly what he was trying to say and replied, "I'm certain you can, but lemme go back and check with the Headmaster to see if he minds. You could probably help with Muggle Studies." With that she was off.
And twenty minutes later she was back. "Okay, you can come, he'll be happy to have you, as long as you teach one class a week to the Seventh years. I'll be back to pick you up at the end of this week. Day after tomorrow at seven o'clock."
"Okay, but Buff, what is Muggle Studies?"
"Oh, Muggle is the wizarding word for a non-magical person. Muggle Studies is just a class that teaches the mini-wizards about the Muggle world. You'll get to teach them about Superman and Twinkies," Buffy explained.
"And I get called Professor for doing this?" Xander told her as he realized all the fun he could have.
Buffy's smile fell as she said, "Xand, I gotta go. I have a class to teach in like ten minutes. I'll be back in two days, remember."
When Buffy returned to her quarters, a very distraught Severus Snape was standing there. "What in the world made you flee from the Hall like a Dementor was on your tail? Without explaining yourself? I daresay you had half of the school terrified because they could not figure out what made you flee," he ranted.
"Shh, Sev, my friend Xander woke up yesterday in Sunnydale. I went to visit him. He's going to stay here at least through Christmas," Buffy informed her roommate.
Severus immediately shut up and uttered a simple, "Oh." "But now I believe I have a lesson to give, so I will see you in an hour," Buffy chirped as she left the room. The Potions Master stared after her in confusion. Why was a Muggle coming to stay at Hogwarts?
Meanwhile, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were waiting patiently in the DADA room for their professor to show up. She did, looking quite flustered. "Okay, in the name of safety, the first thing we're going to learn is how to use a crossbow. There are difficult to operate and keep you out of reach of an enemy. We won't use them in class because I don't trust half of them not to kill each other," Buffy announced, removing three of the weapons from the locked weapons cabinet, along with several bolts. "Ron, Harry, Hermione, there are some targets folded up next to that bookcase, get those down. Bring them here."
By the end of the night, all three of them could consistently hit the center of the target. Harry had excelled because of his Quidditch reflexes, but they had all done very well. "I'll see you all tomorrow night, another lesson. Probably hand weapons or hand to hand, I'm not sure yet. Why don't you tell me your preference tomorrow at lunch? Talk it over," she said.
Buffy finally went back to her room and flopped down on her bed. She removed a shoebox from under her bed and began flipping through the pictures. A graduation photo taken by the news and clipped from the paper, a few snapshots from junior year, and several from just after she had returned from the dead the second time. Willow had gone camera-happy.
"May I come in?" Severus asked, nearly whispering. He stood at the entrance to her room, looking quite nervous.
Buffy glanced up, "Sure, take a seat." Her hand indicated that he should sit next to her.
The Potions Master moved noiselessly to sit on the edge of the bed. He sat there without moving a muscle. He saw the Muggle photographs. "Who are they?" Severus asked hesitantly.
Buffy pointed to the smiling dark-haired boy in front of a beat-up old Citroen. "That's Xander, he's the one who's going to be staying here for a while. The Weasley twins would like him," she explained.
"What about her, she looks like a Weasley," Severus indicated the redhead.
Buffy's voice got caught in her throat as she replied, "That's Willow, she- she was my best friend since sophomore year. She was killed along with my sister, her girlfriend, and Xander's girlfriend."
Severus waited several moments before asking, "What happened?"
"My ex-boyfriend took my friends, my sister, and I hostage one day. He had attacked me the year before and then disappeared. It was the end for me, I wasn't going to take him back. He went kinda, um, nuts. Crazy. This thing called the First possessed him, and I guess it was my fault that I didn't try to help him. But he scared me, a lot. First thing I really couldn't fight back at was my own boyfriend. Anyhow, he took us all hostage. He was after me, just me. The others just helped him try to break me. After about eight months, I tried to escape. He had gotten drunk and the Turok-han was gone, so we all made a run for it," Buffy said, her voice beginning to waver. "For now, let's just say everyone died but Xander and I."
The conversation was over. The two sat silently for several moments. A lone tear made its way down her cheek as she stared at the photo, and Severus's own eyes were watery.
The Potions Master finally broke the silence by saying, "Buffy, would you like to go for a walk in the Forest?"
"With the vampires and spiders?" Buffy said, her face brightening for a moment before she forced it to pale.
Severus smirked as he said, "Of course."
"Let's go, please Sev! I've been itching for a good fight for a long time!"
Thus the two set out from the castle and headed for the Forbidden Forest. Buffy bore the familiar cane and a scimitar. She had taken to a scimitar because it was easier to use than a full-sized sword. Some agility had been lost in her months of imprisonment, so ease of use had become very important.
However, any onlooker would be unable to tell that the small girl was hindered in any way. She moved with more elegance than a dancer as she disposed of several vampires. Her friend also killed several, though with understandably more difficulty. "Next time I'll have to get you a sword. Much easier with these guys," she told him as they headed back in.
Severus chuckled, "I'm sure it is."
"Now you tell me something about your wild childhood," Buffy told him.
"No."
The petite slayer smirked as she said, "Yup yup, c'mon. The vampires got me excited now you have to face my hyperness. Tell me the best joke you ever played on someone."
Severus's eyebrows raised. "Now what makes you think I played jokes?"
"The way you trick your students? That has to be born of years of practical jokes."
The Potions Master sighed and began, "Well, once, during Potions-"
"Of course," Buffy remarked.
"Yes, during Potions, I decided that James Potter needed to be taken down a notch. He was the cockiest bastard in school. Captain of the Quidditch team, handsome as the devil, and smart as a whip, or so he fancied himself. Anyhow, we were doing a Hair Growth potion one day. Professor Wills was balding and decided he could use a large supply. Well, first we had to test the potions on ourselves. I managed to trade his powdered unicorn hair for dried bubotuber puss. It caused all of his hair to fall out. I don't think he ever forgave me for that. Though apparently Lily, James's girlfriend, liked it," Severus said.
Buffy burst out laughing. "From what Remus said, you were supposedly the victim of most jokes. Now I found out that you were a devil in disguise."
"I was not going to jeopardize my academic future for the thrill of playing pranks all the time," Severus said in his defense. Under Buffy's knowing grin he admitted, "But I couldn't resist in some cases."
"Let's stop by the kitchens for some hot chocolate," Buffy suggested. She wasn't completely used to Scottish weather yet.
"Dobby will get Professor Summers a mug of hot cocoa," the House Elf squeaked.
Buffy jumped at Dobby's sudden appearance but she replied, "Oh thank you so much! Could you add mini-marshmallows to it? And bring Severus a cup too?"
"Dobby will have it there by the time you reach your rooms," he promised before vanishing with a 'pop'.
The two continued to their rooms, chatting quietly. It was past curfew for the students, but they both knew that curfew was often broken by students from all Houses, specifically a trio from Gryffindor. Buffy had caught them two nights ago when she went for a walk down to see Hagrid.
As Dobby had promised, two steaming mugs of hot cocoa were sitting on the coffee table in front of the leather couch. Dozens of mini-marshmallows were piled on top. Buffy began drinking it as quickly as it cooled, trying not to burn her tongue.
Meanwhile Severus glared at the mug as if it was a mug of hot dragon saliva. "Why do you love marshmallows so much?" he asked.
"They make it extra frothy and sweet!" Buffy announced.
Severus shook his head in astonishment, "Buffy, you have practically refused to eat anything since your arrival and now you are downing food faster than all the Weasley boys combined!"
"Now my best friend is awake and coming to visit and I have friends here. Things are beginning to come together," she told him, determined to thoroughly enjoy her cocoa. "So, drink your cocoa. You'll like it. I don't know how, but Dobby and the House Elves make the best hot chocolate I've had in a long time."
Hesitantly, Severus picked up the overflowing mug of hot chocolate and began to sip at it. After several minutes, Buffy growled, "Dobby! He made them never-empty mugs. They just keeping filling up with both the marshmallows and the cocoa!"
"Is there something wrong with that?" the Potions Master asked hesitantly.
Buffy shook her head and admitted, "No, it's just he's trying to trick me into eating more."
"We all are," her friend pointed out.
The Slayer grumpily muttered, "Oh."
"Would you be interested in helping me with the Healing Delay potion tomorrow after lunch?" Severus suggested.
"Yes- oh, wait, no," she said, "I can't. I have to go to Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley tomorrow to get Xander's clothes for when he comes here. Plus I need to look for practice weapons for the kids, I don't want them not learning to use a knife, I just don't want them using a real knife. Once I find the dummy knives, I need to go to someplace and have them all charmed so that no one can transfigure them into something real."
"Hmm, busy day it seems," the raven-haired man commented.
His diminutive companion replied, "Yup, but it'll probably be safer than your day. You have Neville in your class tomorrow. He's a good boy, just awful at potions."
"I fear for my very life half the time he's in class. Fortunately tomorrow is a test day. So, unless Longbottom manages to blow up a piece of parchment, it should be the most harmless day of the week."
"Damn you. You get to administer a pansy little test while I run all over Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley looking for fake knives and robes!"
"Isn't life funny that way?" Severus smirked as he said this. Buffy glowered at him in return.