"Yes, we must take her away. His influence would be too strong and the fate of the world would already be set," a stern voice commanded, watching as the man smiled towards the baby; his eyes flashing red.

"That is true, yet they will be destined to meet; you cannot keep a child away from their father for too long," the other spoke, tossing a glare towards his other half.

"Yes, but we need to give the world a chance before everything falls," the other voiced her concerns, smiling towards the baby girl she now held in her arms.

"We also need to give her a chance before everything falls," the other muttered, nodding his head after his other; looking sympathetically at the fallen man crying.

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"Buffy! Why can't you just trust me! I know as much as you do! I started at it about the same age as you did!" Dawn screamed, stomping her foot lightly with her black-knee high boots. Her tight dark-blue skinny-leg jeans, silver halter-top and leather jacket; all swayed as she did, when her way wasn't taken.

"I know you did Dawn, but, can't you just stay in for one night?" Buffy pleaded, shaking her sister lightly.

"Fine, but you know I can fight; why won't you let me fight?"

"Because Dawn, you're only 16, I'm 21; just listen to me this once," Buffy sighed, letting her sister go.

"Fine Buffy, but, be careful; I'm not gonna be there to protect your back this time," Dawn sighed, rubbing her forehead slightly.

"Hey, I can take care of myself; you're the one who died," Buffy joked, nudging her sister lightly.

"Only because I wasn't watching," Dawn spoke, her eyes drifting off to the place where they always went when someone mentioned her death.

"Relax D, I've got B's back," Faith interrupted, flipping a stake through her fingers.

"Fine, fine, go have fun without me," Dawn muttered, turning her back on the two slayers. She smiled as she heard Faith whispered something to Buffy; her hearing even more honed than that of a slayers.

"Well Dumbledore, I see you have outdone yourself," Snape smirked at the old man, watching as he seemed to be too focussed on the crystal ball.

"And what would you mean by that Severus?"

"Just surprising is all. Voldemorts' heir not coming to Hogwarts; you not allowing it. Well, it's rather ridiculous if you ask me," Snape shrugged, taking a seat on the chair provided.

"Well, I wasn't asking you Severus. But, if you must know, I didn't not allow it; Rupert Giles made it perfectly clear where he stood on the subject, and as he is her guardian…" Dumbledore just let the sentence drop, seeing Snape nod his head. "I would prefer her to come to this school, because that way, I could protect her from him."

"What could he possibly do when she has both slayers in her protective circle," Snape stated dryly, crossing his arms lightly.

"Well, he can do a lot without them even knowing Severus," Dumbledore stated, winking towards the man. "But, I can do more…."

"What are you planning old man?"


"Are you Miss. Dawn Summers?"

"Yes, and you would be?"

"My name is Remus Lupin, and this is Sirius Black; please to meet you," the man replied, smiling as the girls' eyes got just alittle bit brighter.

"I would say the same, yet I don't know how you know me," she smirked, looking over both men. They seemed to have a bright aura of power around them, yet this Lupin fellow had a hint of darkness; a hint of the unknown.

"Let's just say we have a proposition for you," Sirius stated, smirking right back at the girl. He knew that he should hate her, should be afraid of her, yet, her aura was bright green; bright green purity.

"And, what would this incase?"

"Going to a magic school," Lupin winked, chuckling at her expression.

"Right, and why me?"

"Because you're special," Sirius whispered, gazing silently at the girl.

"See, when you go and say things like that, my spidey sense just tingle in anticipation," Dawn dryly stated, walking past both men and down the street. "Well, are you coming, or are you just gonna stand there all day?"


"I don't know all the details Buffy, but, it feels as if I know these people; as if, I dunno, as if their from where I really belong," Dawn whispered, reaching a glass for Buffy.

"You really belong here Dawnie, you belong with me," Buffy muttered, filling the glass with water.

"I know Buffy, but, this just feels like something I need to do," Dawn sighed, sliding onto the benchtop.

"I dunno Dawn; do you really need to go by yourself?"

"Buffy, you know I do. Do you remember that time that you ran away, you know, after Angels' death? Well, that's how I feel. At the moment, I feel caged; and I wanna be free Buffy. I can't just forget about being put here. You know that me, as The Key, I can't just not try to figure out where I come from. I need to do this…I need to do this for me," Dawn pleaded, tears glistening in her eyes. She had never told anyone about wanting to find out about her 'keyness,' about wanting to find out about who she is.

"Oh Dawnie," Buffy cried, pulling her sister close to her. She let her cry on her shoulder; her own tears falling.

"I can't not do this Buffy, I just can't…"

"I know sweetie, I know," Buffy sighed, stroking her sisters' hair lightly.


"Right you'll, this way please; today we're going to look-"

"SON OF A BITCH!" a voice screamed, alerting the class towards the entrance of the forest. To their surprise, a girl was tossed out of there; doing a fabulous flip before landing on her feet. Her jeans, black boots, silver halter-top and leather jacket seemed to have dirt all over them. Their eyes only widened when some deformed creature followed her out of the forest. They gasped as she leapt up and pulled his head till they all heard the crack.

"Err, you alright there Dawn?" Hagrid asked the girl, noticing the way she was glaring at the demon.

"Fine Hagrid, just fine," she stated, dusting off her pants and top; just before turning towards him. She stopped short in her tracks, "Oh, your teaching a class at the moment."

"Err yeah, and, well, how's about you join us?"

"Sure," she shrugged; twirling the stake in her hand, before placing it back into her pocket. "Plus, with the extra attention that demons are giving this area, you may need some protection big-guy," she smirked, nudging the half-giant playfully. "So, what we searching for Professor H?"

"Thestrals D," Hagrid grinned, pushing her lightly away; as he led the class into the forest.

"So, who do you think she is?"

"Dunno mate, but she can bloody well fight," Harry smirked, remembering the way her body moved fluidly.

"Anyone can see that Harry, doesn't say anything about who she really is though," Hermione stated, looking towards the woman up front. She seemed off to her, something was wrong.

"Well, I for one, suggest-"

"Right everyone, here it is," Hagrid stated, indicating his hands towards the centre of the open field. Many just saw a blank space, yet some saw, what looked like, a black unicorn.

"There's nothing there," Seamus Finnegan whined, looking towards Hagrid.

"Yes there is," Dawn whispered, her breath caught in her throat as someone moved beside her.

"You can only see them if you've seen death, whose have you seen?"

"My own," Dawn whispered again, tears already in her eyes. "Um, I've gotta go," Dawn hurried, running into the trees.

"Her own?" Harry asked himself, looking around for the girl; it was an encounter that he would probably never forget.


"It's hard when they don't understand," Dawn said to the boy, stepping out of the shadows of the castle.

"Understand what?"

"That you weren't born to be evil, just raised by it. The influence that it has, it's outstanding at what it can do to people; what it can make people do," she whispered, looking sadly at the boy.

"You know nothing about me," he snarled, stalking away.

"Only because you won't let anyone," she shot back, easily keeping up to pace with him.

"What makes you think I wanna change?"

"Because I've seen the way you look at her, and she doesn't see you like that. She see's you as they see you; an enemy," she stated, tugging on the boys arm alittle.

"I don't look at her anyway," he snapped, pulling his arm away from her vice-like grip.

"You mean, she doesn't look at you like that. Draco, you have to let them see that you're not your father; that you're never gonna be your father," Dawn stated, pulling the boy into a room. She had been watching him for awhile; noticing little changes in his personality that supposedly weren't there since he began school.

"How do you know? How do you know that I'm not gonna end up like him? That I'm not gonna end up as a Death Eater?"

"Because we choose our own destiny. We choose our own way to live and not even your father or Voldemort himself, can decide what life we live. Your life, is your life Drake; no-one but you can decide how you live it," Dawn said, slumping down onto one of the desks in the room.

"How do you know all of this? How long have you been watching Dawn?"

"Long enough to know that you don't want to be on his side," she muttered, smiling as he placed an arm around her shoulders.

"You mean, long enough that you don't want to be on his side," he whispered, smirking as she lent her head on his shoulder. "This isn't your war to fight Dawnie, you don't have to."

"I know, but the funny thing is, it feels as if I have to; as if I was born to," Dawn smiled, snuggling deeper into his embrace.

"Now you sound like Saint Potter himself," he joked, placing a brotherly kiss ontop of her head.

"Oh shut up, but, I've gotta get going; I've spent too long here already," she stated, inching away from him.

"Why don't you stay? Dumbledore could protect you," Draco reasoned, reaching out for her.

"That's the thing Drake, I've had too many people protect me; I need to stand on my own for awhile," she stated, letting him pull her into a hug. It had been a week since she had finally let someone in, and it was this boy…no man. He had this streak of wickedness in him, yet, he was so tender and loving to those who he let in; those who he let see him.

"I just worry Dawnie, you know that you're the only one that I could possibly trust in this school. Well, you and Snape I suppose," he smiled, ruffling her hair alittle.

"Glad to know Drakie," she smirked, sending a punch to his abdomen.

"Ow!"

"An' what?"


"I just…I just don't understand," she growled at the Professor, stomping up and down his office.

"What is it that you don't understand?"

"Why you want me here? I know that there's a connection here from when I was The Key, I can feel it. Yet, you seem to be hiding something from me; something that I think is important," she huffed, glaring at him.

"It is not time yet," he calmly stated, smiling widely as the girl stormed out of the office; her powers clearing her way.

"Stupid dumb secrets," she muttered, shattering every window she went past with a wave of her hand. She didn't see the body until it was too late, she had already crashed into it.

"Oh shit, sorry," a voice murmured, bracing itself ontop of her. He looked down and surprise etched into his features. "You're that girl that was fighting that demon."

"Yeah, that'd be me," she sighed, turning her head away from his penetrating gaze.

"So, what's with the temper tantrum?"

"How 'bout you get off of me, and then maybe we'll talk hmm?"

"Oh, sorry," he blushed, pulling himself up and then her. "Harry Potter."

"Dawn Summers," she stated, shaking his hand lightly. "So, what do I owe this pleasure of bumping into you Mr. Potter? Off to see the Headmaster?"

"Why yes Miss. Summers, you are correct. And where would you be heading from? Dare I say the Headmasters office?"

"By gosh he got it," she smirked, winking at the boy. She had to admit that he was rather cute; she could tell that there was something different about this 'hero,' something new.

"So, you wanna share about the tantrum?"

"No Thankyou, don't know you well enough yet Potter; maybe some other time," she stated, already walking off into a new direction.

"So, there'll be a next time!"

"You can count on it Potter," she said, waving to the boy. She didn't know it yet, but she had just met her match; her one.