Disclaimer

All names, places and concepts related to

Buffy the Vampire Slayer are the property of Joss

Whedon.

All names, places and concepts related to

Harry Potter are the property of JK Rowling.

This applies to the entire work.

I have given a rating of PG due to

Lite adult themes and some violence.

This rating may be increased for later chapters.


All the way to Potions on Wednesday Dawn was dodging questions from Elsie about why she seemed so happy.

"You saw Cedric with his shirt off?" she asked as they left the Great Hall and lunch.

"No," smiled Dawn.

"You saw Hermione Granger fall down the marble staircase and break her leg?" asked Elsie as they passed the four house hourglasses.

"No," giggled Dawn although not without a moments pause to secure a mental image.

"You kissed Draco," whispered Elsie as they lined up outside the dungeon.

"NO!" said Dawn rather loudly and defiantly resulting in half the Slytherins and all of the Gryffindors turning to stare.

Trying to hide her pink cheeks and ignore Elsie as the same time, Dawn sat at her usual desk and took out her potions things. Beth who had somehow managed to hear Elsie's comment was along with the blonde Slytherin staring at her as though knowingly.

Unlike their last lesson where Snape sat at his desk and hardly registered as Nevil Longbottom melted his eighth cauldron and Crabbe and Goyle decided to see if essence of slug was edible; now he swept about the room putting potion into each of the student's cauldrons and the class was absolutely silent.

"No Harry, you can't do it!"

"Why not Hermione, lay off him!"

"Shut up you two."

The whole class was looking at the Tragic Trio as they stood rooted in the doorway somehow sure of a repeat of the last lesson.

"Late are we?" asked Snape though not waiting for a response before continuing "And this is not a Quidditch match Potter; if it were you might actually show some skill, twenty points from Gryffindor."

Dawn matched Professor Snape's smirk as Harry, Ron and Hermione took their seats either fuming or close to tears. The Potions Master glanced as the Slytherin and she flashed him a look as though to say 'nice to have you back'.

"Today," said Snape returning to the front of the room "You will all be completing a potion of forgetfulness. I have started the first steps for you-,"

He pointed his wand at the board.

"And there is the completion method."

Dawn hunted through her potions ingredients for Gillywater and fennel root as Elsie still gnawed her ear.

"Just tell me and I'll shut up," said Elsie.

"Shut up or I'll shut you up," reasoned Dawn.

Elsie simply smiled at her with easy disbelief.

"Fine," sighed the blonde girl "But you know I'll find out."

Dawn just shrugged.

With half the lesson gone Dawn and Elsie and Beth's potions were the lime colour they should have been and giving off the distinctive smell that had all three of them checking their wands were still in their pockets every three minutes. Looking around Dawn saw that most of the class were at the same spot. Ron Weasley who had gotten a face full of Hermione Granger's potion fumes while trying to copy kept introducing himself to everyone as though they had never met before, and Kennedy had a blank look on her face as Ron shook her hand enthusiastically that Dawn was sure had nothing to do with the forgetfulness potion. Nevil was the only one in the class not looking around for his bag or checking his pockets for coins as black smoke billowed from his orange potion that was making clucking noises. Luckily for Dawn though this particular draught had made Elsie forget about her little endeavour which made the Slytherin reasonably happy.

Unfortunately, it was charms before dinner and by then Elsie's questioning was back in full swing except now the other fourth years had found out and through summoning cushions to themselves – Dawn had done this on her first attempt much to the displeasure of Draco Malfoy – had joined in the banter.

"Just tell us," Gilrean sighed bringing two cushions to herself at once with a lazy twitch of her wand.

Professor Flitwick was passing by handing out house points galore and Dawn shot the girls and warning look.

"No," she hissed as Filius went to help Goyle who had somehow managed to turn Crabbe's head into a watermelon "I can't".

"Cause you can," said Beth bringing a packet o crisps out of her bag with the same wand movement and call as Gilrean "You just don't want to."

Dawn huffed like a disgruntled troll.

"I have a job."

The resultant squeal caused Professor Flitwick to jump into a nearby stack of books and have them topple over him. None of the Slytherins went to help.

"Where?" shot Pansy.

"When?" asked Beth.

"How?" laughed Draco Malfoy from the next table.

All six girls glared at him before drawing in close to discuss this new revelation.

"It's at the 3R's," said Dawn "And you can't tell anyone."

The girls all nodded in agreement.

"How are you going to get there?" asked Pansy as though she had not escaped Hogwarts Castle every Tuesday night for the past three years.

"Same as ever," answered Dawn summoning a pillow as Flitwick disentangled himself from the book pile and headed their way "After dinner I'll head down to the common room, get ready, and stroll out the door."

Elsie was looking apprehensively at Draco Malfoy who she was sure she caught listening. Dawn caught her eye and shook her head with a smile.

"If he manages the brainpower to say anything I'll just turn him into a pair of Nevil Longbottom's underwear."

Elsie seemed satisfied and got back to work.


It was a well known fact that the 3R's had among its clientele some of the most famous and well-to-do wizards in the world. The Harland Harpies were known to make frequent trips there for what they said was the atmosphere, but everyone knew really meant the god-like, fold away, masseurs. Because of this Dawn started to get ready for work two and a half hours beforehand. Every mask, matte, cream, clip and comb was applied with more then one other forth-year Slytherin straightening, drying or deliberating over Dawn.

"This would be so much easier with magic," commented Beth as she filed the chips from one of Dawn's freshly cleaned nails.

"I agree," pouted Gilrean.

She was twisting in her chair trying to find a more comfortable spot as she applied Dawn's French tips on the other side. Dawn however looked so scared she might vomit. Her right knee bounced up and down faster then her heart and Paige tutted as she tried to apply the girl's lipstick while Dawn was intent on nervously chewing her bottom one.

"If I do it with magic it will take about three seconds," said Dawn "And then I would have a whole heap of time to do nothing but sit and worry."

Five eyebrows rose in the air and turned to one another.

With thirty minutes left until work started Dawn straightened her shirt, patted her hair and did one last spray of perfume before heading for the dormitory door.

"Good luck," the girls shouted, but Dawn thought that if she opened her mouth to say thankyou she might just scream with fear.

The common room was relatively empty for a Wednesday night and most of the Slytherins that were there were huddled around the fire. Autumn was more to Dawn then rain and hail in England; it was biting cold and thermal underwear most of the time too. She looked bleakly out of the window for the eighty-first time to see deep fog spreading over the grounds.

"And where do you think you're going Summers?"

Draco Malfoy had stepped in front of her wearing a smug grin, and without his usual entourage.

"Your boyfriends want some alone time?" sighed Dawn.

This insult was more for Draco's benefit; she quite liked Crabbe and Goyle. It did not however have the desired effect. Draco still stood firm with that knowing look on his face.

"Well?" he asked putting an arm against a nearby table so she couldn't get past.

"None of your business," said Dawn trying to push through.

There was now only twenty minutes to get to Hogsmead.

"You're in a hurry, have to be somewhere?"

Forgetting all sense of reason and even her newfound magical powers Dawn punched Draco straight in the mouth. He keeled over backwards and hit the floor, blood gushing everywhere.

"You hit me," he said through watering eyes.

"Indeed," reasoned Dawn stepping over him and toward Esmeralda's portrait.

She left Draco in a heap on the floor and positively ran for the oak front doors.

As she reached the marble staircase Dawn nearly ran straight into Andrew.

"What are you doing?" they both asked.

"Nothing," they both replied.

"Look, Andrew, move I, I have to see Hagrid," reasoned Dawn.

"That's Professor Hagrid and Professor Wells to you missy," he said standing up as tall as he could manage and taking a great dignified sniff.

Dawn took in the third eye sporting from his cheek, the feelers growing straight out of his forehead and the still swelling boil on his nose that was filled with thick brown pus.

"More like a lab rat," she grunted to herself.

Andrew turned pink.

"Ten points from Slytherin," snapped Andrew.

"You can't do that," argued Dawn scandalised, forgetting completely how much of a hurry she was in.

Andrew rummaged in a pocket and took out a slip of parchment handing it to Dawn.

Professor Andrew Wells may deduct house points.

Professor McGonagall

Dawn stared at him

"She said I showed reckless enthusiasm and the students seem to enjoy my instructional methodology."

Dawn knew all this meant was that the Huffelpuffs, Slytherins, Ravenclaws and Gryffindors enjoyed seeing Andrew tortured in some new way by Professor Moody each Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, and that this slip of paper was most likely the result of his incessant questioning of the head of house about why he wasn't allowed to deduct house points. Somehow however it didn't really seem fair.

Andrew had insisted that Dawn could see Rubius – Andrew considered it an insult to call such a man by his last name – tomorrow and that she head back to the common room. He in fact walked back with her to the portrait hole so by the time she had safely gotten away she was already late.

Dawn burst into the night in a rush of hair and profanity. At the front gates her jacket caught on the iron frame and tore nearly completely in half. As she picked herself up off the ground it was to find she had landed in a significant puddle of brown-green muck. At the tracks by Hogsmead station her small heels caught in the sleepers and Dawn only just saved the shoe and herself by jumping into some nearby bushes as the express rocketed past. To top it off, as she rounded the corner near Wedran's Blacksmith she was knocked off her feet by a large black dog, as big as a bear, who licked excitedly at her face and dripped black water on her from its fur that smelled strongly of old garbage and rotten fish.

"Get off Sirius," she hissed, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

"Why?" he asked.

Dawn's eyes shot open as the fugitive lifted her to her feet.

"Change back you spaz, someone will see you."

She pushed the man hard in the chest. He simply gave a wolfish smile.

"Come and visit soon."

With that he fell back into the shaggy dog and trotted off into the darkness.

Dawn looked down at herself and cringed; the dirty torn clothing, the dishevelled, matted hair, the interesting smells coming from herself, and the now bucket loads of dog drool oozing between her fingers.

"Nice night," commented Wedran from his shop just as a sizable chunk glooped to the ground.

Dawn was more then mortified, she was sure to be fired.

At the steps of Ramsey's Rest and Relaxation Dawn ripped out her wand and swished it twice. The first movement cleaned her completely, the second put everything back in the right place, including the dignity she had lost somewhere around Hogwarts. Luckily for Dawn though, she herself did not realise she had left school without a single concealment spell in place.

She opened the door to the 3R's and before she could take anything in she felt a hand clasp around her wrist. Elizabeth guided Dawn into the kitchen with a few apologies to her patrons and turned to gaze at the girl once the door was closed.

"What happened?" she asked imploringly.

At that moment Dawn burst into uncontrollable tears. She sobbed her heart out, tears splashing everywhere, and fell into Liz's arms.

"Oh Dawny, I'm not mad with you dear, what's wrong?"

All Liz could decipher were words like 'Andrew', 'Veela', and 'Spaz'.

She patted Dawn's head in a motherly sort of way.

"Look Dawn,"

She drew Dawn back but not without a strand or two of snot clinging to her shoulder. She handed Dawn a tissue and continued.

"You're late, so what. I was late to eight of my thirteen annulments and I still took everything; including their mistresses' new brooms," she said with a mean yet satisfied glare.

Liz wiped the tears from Dawn's eyes.

"Let's get on with it hey? You'll be fine."

Dawn nodded gratefully and stopped herself from breaking down into unstoppable thankful tears by blowing her nose very loudly. Liz had gone to a platter of cakes and waved her wand over them so they were covered in thick, rich icing.

"Here," she said giving the tray to Dawn "Take these out then I'll show you the ropes."

Dawn headed back into the main room where there were about nine or ten witches. All of them Dawn could tell had a lot of money and a lot of power. One she immediately noticed as Rita Skeeter, the controversial and much hated reporter for the Daily Prophet. She was at the moment having her nails repainted – jet black – while sipping from a glass of imported Fire Whisky. Beside her, talking animatedly to the group at large was a short, round faced woman in a pink cardigan and matching bow in her short curly hair. Dawn handed her a scone without a returned thankyou as another witch answered her.

"Yes Delores," she said "Cornelius won't give into them by a long shot; wanting to come here payed for by us when they have that boat. HA! Karkaroff is mad."

Dawn had no idea what she was talking about but listened all the same.

"Olympe and I are old friends though, introduced Cornelius and I she did. Didn't take much to get him to agree to her flight plan."

She smiled at Dawn and took a piece of coconut fudge.

Dawn's eyes then fell on one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. There was however something about her Dawn found agonisingly familiar. She had clear blue eyes and fresh white skin. She looked impeccable and almost goddess-like with her long blonde, almost white hair falling gracefully about her shoulders.

"Try the higgough sponge Narcissa," called Rita from the other side of the room "It's delicious, has r-rum in it."

The woman called Narcissa bypassed the sponge and went for a small apricot torte.

"Thankyou," she said briskly to Dawn.

Dawn thought at least that was something.

Liz had by then come back out of the office and was showing Dawn around. The ladies were occupied with facials, trims and massages from Seth and Sebastian; Dawn even saw Skeeter push a few gold coins into the pockets of the shirtless 3R's workers – There was apparently also an abundance of French Elf-Made Wine at seventy galleons a bottle.

"Does she know they're not real?" asked Dawn as Rita then added some silver.

"Probably," smiled Liz "But she's not hurting. That's a few more galleons for us and it's always fun to get the gold out when I am putting them away."

Dawn grinned and wondered if that was in her job description too.

Two hours into her shift Dawn thought everything had gone exceedingly well. Despite being late the current atmosphere made up for everything. The women were laughing and chatting and even more customers had come in. She had already received twelve galleons and three sickles in tips and was now showing two of the patrons out the door.

"Night, Mrs Fudge, Mrs Umbridge."

"Goodnight dear," they both said.

"Thankyou," Mrs Fudge called back from the street before Apparating.

Dawn closed the door. Inside the women were talking about an article Rita Skeeter had just written; a story outwardly blaming everyone for the current political climate except Rita herself.

"So they still don't know?" asked one witch looking very nonplussed.

"No," shrugged Rita "No closer to finding them."

Dawn noticed the reporter looking very closely at Narcissa.

"You want something Rita?" she asked.

"No dear," smiled Skeeter not turning away "Nothing."

Dawn knew they were talking about the attacks on the Muggles at the Quidditch World Cup.

"They are okay now though aren't they?"

Twelve heads turned to look at Dawn, including that of Elizabeth Ramsey. All went quiet. They then turned back to their conversation.

"My House Elf has been shocking at the moment," commented one witch "And all the canings have done nothing."

There was a murmur of agreement.

"You cane your House Elf?" asked Dawn shocked.

"At least you have a servant Dot," said Narcissa ignoring the Slytherin.

She took a long look at Dawn.

"Although I may be better off without the help."

All the women giggled except Liz, and Rita who had passed out.

Dawn's stomach crashed into her feet and her throat was so painful she couldn't swallow. These women she didn't know, had no connection to, had openly humiliated her because she was concerned for people's lives. Dawn didn't know whether to cry or scream, to curse every one of them for being so horrible. She needed this job though. She took out her wand and pointed it at the store cupboard where a broom glided out and started to sweep the floor of its own accord. The forth year manoeuvred it into a back room and away from the crowd.

"Don't worry about them," assured Liz following and putting an arm around Dawn "Their just stuck in the old way of thinking. Most of them were in Slytherin like you. It's all about the pure blood for them. Muggle borns and House Elves rate pretty highly on their sneak-o-scopes."

Dawn sniffed and actually smiled.

"That's funny," she said "Because I'm Muggle born and in Slytherin, go figure."

"Is that so?"

Dawn and Liz turned. Standing behind them and holding an empty teacup was the woman Dawn knew as Narcissa. The blonde woman was sneering at both of them.

"I thought you hade more sense Elizabeth, hiring help like this. She must have hoodwinked the sorting hat to be in the house of Salazar."

"Now really Narcissa, I-,"

"Good evening Mrs Ramsey," concluded the patron handing her empty cup to Dawn without a look "I don't know when I will be in next."

Narcissa looked at Dawn as if to say 'I'll only be back when you fire this Kappa'.

Dawn and Liz hurried out after her but not before the well-to-do witch could mumble a few words to the small group. They all looked accusingly at the fifteen year old, then began to gather their things.

"Going are we ladies?" snorted Rita in her daze.

There was a general mumble of consent.

Liz farewelled them graciously out the door and as it snapped too the broom Dawn had bewitched clattered to the floor.

"Dawn-,"

"Don't."

Dawn was crying silent tears.

"Just don't say it Liz."

The Slytherin took her jacket from the coat stand and stepped into the night without a goodbye, or her severance pay.

CRACK-BOOM

Dawn walked into the street and looked up. Like on cue it started to pour.

"Nice," she commented as she slowly sloshed her way back towards the castle.


Dawn stepped into the dungeon common room, wet and frozen. The fire had almost died and the room was completely deserted. What would the girls say when they found out Dawn was fired on her first night of work? Dawn then wondered if the Double-Meat Palace was doing late year recruitment. All she wanted now though was to go and have a hot bath and hopefully drown in the process.

As she slopped her way across the panelled floor leaving drips everywhere something caught her eye. There was someone sitting in a chair by the fire. Dawn would have left them there but had an inkling she played a part in them being there.

Draco Malfoy was staring at the dying embers. In the low light Dawn caught his swollen lip and bruised cheek.

"Incendio."

The fire roared back to life and Dawn sat down tentatively.

"Draco-,"

"Don't."

Malfoy turned his head slowly towards her.

"Just don't say it Dawn."

He looked back at the flames then stood and left the common room for the boy's dorm without another word.

"I only hit him," said Dawn shaking her head.

She peeled her jacket from her back and squelched her way to bed.


"So what if you're Muggle born?" asked Kennedy as she crunched on a piece of toast at breakfast the next day "Andrew's got four arms and no one holds it against him."

Amanda, Kennedy and Dawn watched as Andrew walked past their table carrying a goblet, a tray, a plate and some serviettes, one in each of his newly sprouted hands. Dawn nodded but didn't answer, and the appearance of a small, red-headed girl had drawn the attention of the Gryffindor anyway.

"It will be fine," assured Amanda patting Dawn's hand from across the table "It will all blow over."

Dawn raised an eyebrow.

"Fine and blow over are words that are usually the prequel to something huge."

"We discussing Huffelpuff Seekers again?"

Beth and Pansy had just arrived at the Ravenclaw table and sat next to the other girls.

"No, no," answered Amanda "Everyone just found out Dawn was Mug-,"

Dawn's eyes flew open and luckily the Ravenclaw was quicker on the uptake then Xander ever was.

"Mug, muggy, she was muggy."

Dawn grimaced inwardly.

"All hot and kinda sweaty," finished Amanda with an apologetic look.

"It was freezing last night," questioned Pansy as she reached for the porridge.

"She was fired."

"KENNEDY!"

"What? You were."

Dawn slumped into her cornflakes. Luckily the near at hand and newly arrived Rona moved the bowl just in time.

"What's with her?"

"I don't want to talk about it,' Dawn mumbled from beneath her arms.

"She was fired," said Kennedy.

"What happened?" asked Beth.

She blanched.

"Liz didn't ask you to cook did she?"

Dawn was saved from answering by the flurry of owls that had just entered the Great Hall. Beth had gotten a letter from her older sister who worked for the Ministry of Magic in London and Dawn was surprised as a letter clattered onto her head. It was carried by a sleek looking screech owl.

"Its bad news," mumbled Dawn, again from beneath her arms "I'm all bad news'd out for today."

Amanda picked up the letter but Beth took it off her. In the top left corner was the insignia of the 3R's.

"It's from Liz," she told Dawn.

"It's probably the official termination papers," said Kennedy as she bit into another bit of toast.

"Not helping," grumbled the Slytherin who had not surfaced for the last ten minutes.

Beth opened the letter.

"Dear Dawn. I don't know what you thought I was going to say to you last night but it certainly wasn't going to be to fire you. I don't care that you're-,"

Beth stopped and lowered the pink parchment staring at Dawn with a strange look on her face.

"Read it," said Pansy.

"I don't care that you're, Muggle born, or even if your father was a Grindylow. I wanted Dawn Summers to work for me and that means every part of her. Those snotty witches can go to Puddifoot's for all I care. Well, maybe not there, but you understand what I mean. As such dear I expect you to be at work tonight, or I might have to consider firing you. Liz."

The table was quiet.

"You're Muggle born?" whispered Pansy "But Dawn, how are you in Slytherin?"

Dawn finally lifted her head. Her eyes were bloodshot and teary.

"I don't know, the hat just put me there. Does it matter?"

Dawn was so ready to be angry and resentful, so ready to ask Moody how to give people extra limbs.

"Of course not."

Dawn turned around in her seat to see Elsie, Gilrean and Paige.

"How could you think we wouldn't like you or be your best friends because you are Muggle born?"

Dawn was eyeing off Hermione who was at the other end of the table talking to the Weasley twins.

Elsie caught her eye.

"We don't like Granger because she is an insufferable know-it-all, not because she has non-magic parents."

"Really?" asked Dawn with an apprehensive smile.

"Really," said Elsie definitely "And hurry up and eat or we'll be late for class."

That night all six girls were huddled around the Slytherin fireplace. The events of the past two days seemed like nothing and there had been no more mention of Dawn's Muggle leanings. Dawn was passing her packet of Bertie Bot's Every Flavour Beans to Elsie while listening blandly to the Wireless Wizarding Network. She noticed Crabbe and Goyle floating around the centre of the room looking utterly lost without their white-headed leader. Since the night before there had been an apparent lack of Draco Malfoy in and around the Slytherin haunts. Dawn was trying her best not to blame herself for the situation but rather some type of bowel irritation.

"You're joking!"

Dawn broke out of her haze and tuned back into the gossip-esk conversation.

"Who's joking?" she asked spitting her hair flavoured bean into the fire, epitomising every aspect of the word 'lady'.

"No one," answered Pansy sitting up straighter and leaning in closer.

The girls were all looking expectantly at Paige for answers so Dawn thought she better join in.

"So who was it?" asked Beth.

"Well, I couldn't see them," answered Paige.

The girls gave a crestfallen groan.

"But they were tall and had a Ravenclaw tie. And the pair were looking mighty friendly if I do say so myself."

"What are we talking about?" asked Dawn shaking her head "I'm lost."

"Diggory!" shouted the girls.

"Honestly Dawn," said Gilrean "You miss all the juicy gossip."

"So he was making out with someone?"

"Cedric doesn't make out," said Pansy looking like Dawn had called her the pushy queen on slut town.

"Yeah," interjected Beth "He more, I don't know-,"

"Takes you into his eyes and holds you there with his hard and masculine arms," provided Elsie.

All the girls gave a dreamy sigh, all except Dawn. Even Gilrean and Paige were looking far away, and they weren't one for the timber.

Dawn looked at her watch.

"Well ladies, time to bite the bullet."

"Mmm?" they mused in unison.

Dawn rolled her eyes and went over to the portrait.

"Off somewhere are we Miss Summers?" asked Esmeralda "And this late at night?"

"Yeah," said Dawn shrugging "I have to go to work."

"Okay," chirped the dark-haired witch "Have fun, just watch the forth floor if you go up there later. I had a tip-off from Vi that that Wells fellow is still liquefied up there."

Twenty minutes later Dawn was opening the door to the 3R's. Before she got there her stomach had been swelling with guilt and a foreboding that might have found her being pelted with doxy eggs on entering the establishment. To her surprise and happiness though, a great wave of busy murmur and smell of Elf Wine met her as she stepped through the opening. Within seconds Liz had come over to Dawn and wrapped her up in her arms.

"Oh Dawn, I'm so glad you came!"

"Liz I have to talk to you."

"And to think that woman was so horrible to you. She sounded like one of my husband's new wives before I hexed their mouths shut."

"Liz-,"

"But that's all behind us now; I'll just go and get your first order."

"Liz!"

Liz stopped dead and looked at Dawn.

"Liz," said Dawn "I can't work here anymore."

"But why?" gasped Elizabeth holding her chest "If it was Narcissa we can always send her some cursed fudge."

"No," said Dawn but not without a grateful smile.

It meant a lot that Liz would poison someone for her.

"There are just too many issues and not enough time to work through them all."

Dawn sighed.

"Liz you are a great and beautiful woman who has done so much for me; and thankyou for that. But knowing what can be out there I just need to take my time to absorb it all."

Dawn then pulled a frame from her backpack that was a picture of Liz and the girls on Dawn's first visit over a month ago. Liz took one look at it and threw herself onto Dawn's shoulder in a fit of senseless sobs. After ten minutes however Dawn was able to prize Liz off her arm.

"Look Liz, I have to get back up to school."

"Fine, fine," sniffed Liz mopping her eyes on a green-silk handkerchief "You best be off then, don't want to get into trouble… For a third time."

Dawn gave a guilty grin and walked out the door into the night.

When she was on the street however a new idea hit her. The girls weren't expecting her back for hours and a certain black dog had asked her only two days ago for a long awaited visit. Dawn looked East and saw Hogwarts shining warmly in the distance, then South-West and the mountains climbing darkly in the night. It was an easy decision.

"Damn logs, lumos."

A beam of light sped from Dawn's wand and hit the bracken under Hogsmead woods. She had been walking – or more fumbling – in the dark for a good hour when her fifth stubbed toe made her take out her wand. There was all manner of squeaks and squawks around her but luckily none of them took the form of a Hogwarts teacher.

After a good hour and a half however Dawn had nearly reached the opening to Sirius' cave. She would have been there sooner but no moon and a ton of food on her back wasn't helping matters. With a bit of effort and many a curse-word Dawn found the cave opening and began to squeeze herself inside.

The walls were slimy from all the rain and she fancied she heard Buckbeak grunting loudly from inside the rock. As Dawn moved further in the grunting got louder and more erratic. Sirius was in trouble.

"Sirius, SIRIUS!" she yelled shimmying between the rocks.

Aurors had him, Dementors, the Ministry… Dawn burst into the cave which was completely dark.

"Lumos Solem!" she roared.

A brilliant orb of sunlight jetted from her wand and hovered in midair illuminating the cave as though it was twelve in the afternoon. The grunting had stopped and two heads popped up from behind the sleeping Hippogriff.

Dawn's eyes opened in shock. The first was the familiar shaggy head of the Azkaban fugitive, very red in the face and as shocked as the Slytherin. The other however Dawn had not expected at all.

"ANYA!"

"What?" said Anya reaching around on the floor.

Dawn looked around to see robes and shirts and underwear littering the ground.

"You're having sex!... With Sirius!"

"Hey," said Sirius joining in the clothes hunt "Is it that hard to believe?"

Dawn's jaw had dropped. She spun around, shut her eyes and clamped her hands over her ears.

"I'm not seeing this, I'm not hearing this."

Her stomach lurched.

"Oh god, I'm going to have to see a psychiatrist."

When the sounds of the hurried re-pantsing finished Dawn turned back around. Anya was walking past her with her head lowered.

"Dawn," she nodded.

"Ah Anya?"

Anya stopped.

Dawn bent down and picked up a bright pink bra.

"You forgot this."

Anya smiled weakly, took the underwear off the forth-year and hurried out of the cave.

Dawn rounded on Sirius. He was looking very pleased with himself. When Dawn scowled however he didn't look so cavalier.

"Anya?" questioned Dawn

"We had a thing," growled Sirius "Didn't last."

"Obviously," murmured Dawn rolling her eyes "When?"

"Bout twenty years ago," said Sirius "Just out of Hogwarts."

Dawn thought for a minute.

"She was still a demon then."

Sirius was buttoning his shirt and wearing that same self-satisfied grin.

"She was," he remembered "One of my Ravenclaw friends summoned her to do me in after and extremely eventful date. But what can I say? When she met me she couldn't resist my boyish charm."

Dawn flung her backpack to the ground.

"This is way too gross; she's like 1028 years old."

"Yeah but-,"

"No, no, no, no, lah, lah, lah, enough," Dawn shivered "Hopefully there is enough food in here to shut you up."

The mention of food had Sirius and Buckbeak awake and completely distracted. Not only had she brought two hams, four chickens, twelve rolls, six cakes, and a gallon of pumpkin juice for the man, she had somehow managed to locate a healthy sized basket of dead ferrets for the hippogriff.

"Thanks Dawn," said Sirius thickly as he bit into his third piece of apple and hazelnut sponge "It's really hitting the spot."

He took a large gulp and spoke again.

"So how come you've come up here tonight? Don't you have a Hogsmead weekend soon? I thought Rona, Kennedy and Amanda might have come too."

Dawn explained about her job and why she had quit.

"Narcissa," said Sirius with his brow furrowed "Not Narcissa Malfoy?"

Something sparked deep in Dawn's mind; how could she have been so stupid not to see it? They were so alike it was scary.

"Narcissa is Draco Malfoy's mother."

Sirius shrugged.

"I think that's his name. She's also the wife of one of the highest ranking Death Eaters in Voldemort's legion."

Dawn's face fell.

"Are you okay Dawn?" asked Sirius with a huge swig of juice.

The Slytherins interest in the family connection suddenly turned to dread. How much would Narcissa tell her son in his monthly care package letter; especially if he had mentioned a new American female addition to the Slytherin ranks? Something just didn't feel right.

"Sirius I have to go."

"Okay," he shouted at Dawn as she bolted for the cave entrance.

Dawn ran all the way back to Hogwarts. As soon as the Malfoy family had been mentioned she had a terrible feeling in her stomach. Something bad had happened.

As she pushed open Esmeralda's portrait the whole of Slytherin common room turned to look at her. Some looked scared and others angry. There was however a strong lack of smiles and hello's. Dawn ran across the floor and up the stairs, though not nearly halfway up she crashed into a crowd of people.

"Move," said Dawn pushing past "I need to get through."

Some positively jumped aside while others turned their backs on her and walked away. At the entrance to the forth-year dorm room she met Beth and Elsie. Beth was in tears in Elsie's arms and Pansy was standing behind them, pale and sick-looking with her arms clinging across her chest.

"Its, its just happened."

Dawn couldn't see what they were looking at so took a few steps forward. Her stomach fell.

Paige and Gilrean were scavenging through the remains of the girl's dorm. Everything was destroyed. Beds were hacked at and most were in splinters, sheets and hangings slashed to nothing. Each of the girl's trunks had been turned out and even now Paige held the ashes of her grandmother's antique music box in her hands.

"What, what the hell?" uttered Dawn, too shocked for anything else.

She looked at her fellow forth-years but none of them spoke. Elsie simply pointed to the door. The cedar hanging was off its hinges and broken across the middle; someone had blown it apart with their wand. This was not what Elsie had meant though. Burnt across it in large letters were three words:

"FILTHY MUDBLOOD LOVERS"

Dawn's eyes narrowed. She ripped out her wand. He was going to pay.