'Italicized words with single quotation marks indicate thoughts.'

Chapter 2

Willow woke up confused. As she slowly regained consciousness her groggy mind realized something wasn't quite right. She was in a strange bed in a strange room that looked suspiciously like a hotel room. The lights were dimmed, illuminating the dark room with a soft golden light. Willow's body was cocooned in a warm comfy blanket and she decided to lay there for a moment and enjoy the soft comfortable bed while she tried to figure out how she got here.

The last thing she remembered was being attacked by a vampire and at that thought she raised her hand to her neck. A white cotton bandage covered the wound and she poked at it experimentally to see if it was still sore. As soon as she applied pressure to the wound she hissed in pain.

Movement from the other side of the room startled Willow and she quickly sat up on the bed, which proved to be a mistake when her head started to throb in protest at the sudden movement. White dots danced before her eyes and Willow moaned in pain as she pressed the palm of her hand against her forehead. A tall pale man with black shoulder length hair, beady black eyes and a large hooked nose rose gracefully from the arm chair he was currently sitting in. He placed the book he was reading on the side table as he got up. His black robes swayed about him as he made his way gracefully across the room. He looked just as sinister as Giles had described him. He looked like a vampire.

Willow eyes widen and her body began to tremble in fear as the stranger slowly approached her. Seeing her distress the man halted his progress and sighed in annoyance. "Think girl, if I wanted you dead I would have let that vampire suck you dry and I certainly wouldn't have dressed your wound wouldn't I," said the man gruffly.

Well the man did have a point. If the stranger wanted to hurt her he surely would have done it by now and technically he did saved her. With some of her initial fear eased Willow nodded her consent for the man to come closer. As the man neared Willow clutched the blanket close to her body. The man stopped next to the bed and gave Willow a long calculating look with his dark piercing eyes before he turned away and went into the bathroom. After a few moments he returned with a tall glass of water in one hand and a small green flask in the other. He placed the glass of water on the table next to the bed. He uncorked the flask and carefully poured three drops into the glass.

"Here, drink this it would help with the pain," ordered the man as he handed the glass to Willow. Willow took the glass reluctantly and sniffed the content suspiciously. She scrunched up her nose at the horrible smell.

"Drink all of it," said the man sternly in a way that broke no argument.

Willow pinched her nose and swallowed it in three big gulps then proceeded to cough and sputtered convulsively. It tasted worst than it smelled but the throbbing pain on her neck lessened considerably. The man took the glass from Willow's hand and placed it on the dresser before he sat back in the chair he had previously vacated.

Willow took a moment to take in her surroundings. The room was in various states of disarray. A pair of black slacks was folded neatly across the dresser, a number of books and personal items were scattered about the room. The room looked lived in as if someone had been living here for a while. When her gaze finally rested on the man he was staring at her, his eyes spoke of intelligence and intensity. Heat rose to Willow's cheeks and she began to fidget under the man's scrutiny.

After a while the stranger realized that the girl had no intention of speaking anytime soon even though he could see the curiosity in her wide green eyes. Usually he would have waited her out, stringing the silence on a bit longer until it was so unbearable that she cracked. But at last this was not an interrogation and the girl had just been attacked. A little hospitability was in order, a notion that he was not all too familiar with. He sighed. "I'm sure you have questions," offered the stranger as a way of initiating dialogue.

Willow jumped in surprised and it took her a moment to think of what to say. "A…are you the same guy that visited Giles earlier today?" asked Willow nervously.

"Yes," answered the man.

"Are you a Wizard?" asked Willow timidly.

"Yes," was his simple reply.

Willow's nostrils flared. She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him. Could this guy get any more annoying. He could make an effort. The one-word responses weren't telling her anything.

"Can you say anything else but yes?" questioned Willow in annoyance.

"Yes," smirked the man. The girl was quite amusing when angry.

"Grrr," growled Willow in frustration. 'Well let just see how he dodges this one,' thought Willow smugly.

"Who are you and why are you following me?" smiled Willow in triumph.

The dark stranger leaned forward in his chair, back straight. "My name is Professor Severus Snape and I teach potions at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And for the reason why I'm following you is because I was sent here to observe you."

"Why?" asked Willow in confusion. 'So he was a teacher. Well that didn't sound all that bad and there was actually a school for magic. Wow, she wished they had one of those in Sunnydale that would certainly be more interesting than high school,' thought Willow dreamily.

"Because you, young lady, are a witch. One that was born and raised on top of the Hellmouth, and that is very rare indeed. I am here to assess your abilities and to judge if you should be allowed to attend our school," finished Snape.

Willow looked at him in shocked disbelief. Her eyes widen and she was doing a very fair impression of a goldfish.

"No Way!"

When Dumbledore first told him about the existence of a powerful natural-born witch on the Hellmouth Professor Severus Snape's first reaction was to bind her powers. The Wizardry World did not need another Dark Lord. But Dumbledore was determined to give the girl a fair chance.

Snape had been observing the redhead for weeks now and Willow Ann Rosenberg was nothing like he had expected. She was not the embodiment of evil that he had imagined. Ms. Rosenberg was a true conundrum. The child was a complete innocent, shy and tiny. She did not look at all like the type that was capable of ensouling a vampire, a feat that was difficult for most grown wizards. The child was intelligent and Snape sensed she had a thirst for knowledge much like his own.

But that was not to say that she couldn't still succumbed to the darkness. The girl had just discovered her powers. Maybe the lagged time in her development have saved the girl from being corrupted by the Hellmouth. If she was removed completely from its influence maybe Snape could save her from the evil that would eventually warp her innocent soul. Just maybe he could spare her of the hardships that he had to endure when he fell into darkness those long years ago.

AN: I know what you're thinking. Not another Willow goes to Hogwarts story! But I promise there will be a interesting plot twist later on, just keep reading.

Please, Please Review. I want to know what you think.