DISCLAIMER: You know I don't own it. You know I don't own much of anything, so what would be the point in trying to sue anyway, hmm?

A/N: Ok, I'm really sorry it took me over twice the usual amount of time to update this chapter, but I have been absolutely SWAMPED with uni work and 'work' work, so I've had to confine my writing to stolen moments in the office and while waiting for the bus. Thanks for the patience and support [ducks the various heavy objects that come flying from the readers] and I really hope I'll be bale to get back to this much more quickly next time. Cheers, Anoron

REVIEWERS: I adore you. Thanks so much, keep letting me know what you think!

Christa, thank you for your email and your review. I sound like a pompous ass but it really does make my day on the occasion that someone like you takes the time and effort to send me an email regarding my work. And the fact that you were full of praise about it? Well, you were just my favouritest person ever on the day this came into my inbox, let me tell ya! I was so ecstatic to read that you think my characterization of Peter in particular is accurate, it is very difficult to be sure of him for exactly the reasons you mentioned. And oh yeah, Dawn will be learning much more for herself about balancing her courage and her softer side, I'm hoping in later chapters to keep her development true to her character as we all know and love her from the show. Yeah, you heard 'sequel' all right, and I will try not to take so long to keep on updating in future, it's just that uni is at the business end of semester and I'm swamped beyond belief. But I do have a very strong plan on both this story and its sequel, even have a couple of miscellaneous scenes from early in the sequel penned so it should pop up in a relatively decent amount of time. (If you wanted a sneak preview of one of the opening scenes to K2M2 just email again and I'd be happy to send a scene or two your way). I don't know why you should be thanking me for putting this out there, I think it would be much more fitting if I thanked YOU for reading it, and for taking the time to respond in the way you did. All the best, I hope you keep reading and enjoying!

Sonofgloin A donkey, I ask you, dwarf-boy? If I didn't adore all my reviewers, I'd think about having you committed for that insanity- you can't fit a donkey on a broomstick (my own random psychosis- disregard)! Seriously though, thanks for it all and keep on reviewing you know I live and die by it!

Beldaran Glad you enjoy the Sirius sweetness, hopefully this will satisfy your sweet tooth for Padfoot! And that was a really, really bad 'Sirius' pun, wasn't it? I apologise for that one, please don't stop reviewing over it, I'll never do it again I swear! :-/

Mademoiselle Morte: LOL, glad you're enjoying. You might also like 'Harry Potter and the Key of Dagon' by DonSample, which can be found under Dawn/General in the Harry Potter section of Twisting the Hellmouth (www.tthfanfic.com) Or Echo's 'Life of Brian' under Dawn/Draco (same website) if you're just a tad more adventurous (it's a pretty A/U, but still well worth the read if you can stomach the Snapeness). 'Key of Dagon' is one of my absolute favourites, it's a very strong story, so hopefully you would enjoy it as well. As far as Dawn/Marauders, though, I'm proud to say I think I'm it!

Kiara Zzyopen: Patience, Kiara. I know it's dead set obvious that Dawn and Sirius will get together, but don't the things we have to wait and work for often seem more rewarding in the end? I swear I'll make it worth it no matter what things seem between now and then! In the meantime, I hope a truckload of flirting and sexual tension will be enough to tide you over.

Allen Pitt: You're not wrong on your Spike of this world theory, which is one of the reasons I'm not sure if I'll be able to include him in the story. (Although I'm becoming more and more curious about trying that by the day.) And it would take a lot more study for Dawn to have sufficient control over her abilities to perform a re-souling spell on him, but eventually she'd be able to manage no probs, of course. But it would probably be cruel to do it to him, I think, if he did not choose to regain his soul. It's my opinion that they don't call what the Romany gypsies did to Angel a 'curse' for no reason. It's a pain I don't see Dawn willing to inflict on someone she cares for (even if it is really his evil alter-ego from another dimension) ;-) Presume that (for once in his life) Dumbledore is telling the whole truth that it isn't in his power to return Dawn to her original world, and he has exhausted all his avenues in the search. And as for Dawn thinking of research... read on, hopefully this chapter will give also you an inkling as to what storylines are developing above and beyond the Dawn/Sirius relationship that is developing much more in the foreground than I had anticipated. On the 'back home' front, I suppose you're right, Willow would be heavy on the research, and I guess Buffy would be beating everything that moves for information too, but I'm not going there. If Dumbledore can't find a way back, maybe they can't find a way through? But what I want to discover is how Dawnie does without the safety net of the Scoobies, what sort of niche she creates for herself now that she has the chance (well, I've given her no other choice!) to stand on her own. And Lucius... Dawn's faced a lot of scary things, but never a human with a soul who happens to be a complete asshole. She doesn't quite understand what's going on here (why do men hit and hurt women just because they can?), and as we've seen on the show, even Buffy has to struggle to grasp the situation when faced with a human evil such as rape (season 6- Seeing Red). Angry Dawn is definitely a dangerous Dawn, but she only really becomes that as season 6 & 7 wear on, and I'm still going for her trying to find her feet. She will have her moment of power against Lucius I promise, but she's got to be ready for it first. Ok, hope that at least partially answered your questions (did I mention how much I love all the thought and effort you spare for my work?- special thanks to you Allen)

Crys: Sorry it took so long- more assignments than days in the last fortnight!

CL: Again, sorry, updated quick as I could!

Alex: Well I don't know if I should feel honoured that my fairly ordinary story managed to keep you so mildly entertained that you felt the need to review, or if I should just launch into sarcastic comebacks, so I might just skip it altogether. I'd appreciate a few suggestions on how to make this story extraordinary next time you review (should you find it worth your time), if you wouldn't mind.

Charlotte: Thanks for all your enthusiasm, I hope this offering after its way-too-long wait doesn't disappoint.

Vld: You're right about the company Dawn's kept in the past, they are some pretty powerful beings she's faced and on the surface so it does make sense that she shouldn't be scared of a freak like Malfoy on a power trip. But I was going for that whole power struggle where Dawn doesn't know how to handle this situation- this isn't a monster or a demon hurting her, this is a person and she doesn't really understand how and why Lucius is doing what he's doing. It's a riff of the whole 'battered women's syndrome', or that's what I was going for, anyway. Am I making any kind of sense? I'm probably not, but I have a chattering five year old sitting on my lap so I am having trouble giving straight answers. Sorry. Am glad you like it other than the Malfoy issue, though!

RoseWill: You have to work later for reading it? Must be the influence of my writing it, because every chapter I knock out leads to another all-nighter for some assignment that I've neglected in the meantime (and tonight will be no different grimaces) Thanks for the words of support, I do try and mix it up so you get a bit of everything to keep the chapters fresh, and good luck with the piling up work (

Jillian: Oh wow you are so supportive!! Thanks! I'm glad you're loving it (I'm kinda loving every second I get to spend with this story, too) and I will work doubly hard so I don't disappoint what you've come to expect in future chapters. In the meantime, here's that wolfishness 'outing' you couldn't wait for... enjoy!

Rachel: Thanks for the encouragement and the advice, the smut- factor will definitely go up in later chapters. I'm just trying to hone my style in on something which will hopefully turn out to be a nice blend of taste and smut... I'm going to trust in your honesty when those scenes pop up to keep me on the right track. Ah, I hope Dawn will figure Lucius out soon, I'm betting if her friends knew what was going on there'd be no chance to continue the Malfoy line... oooh, tempting. All I can say is wait and see. And wait some more, I've got a few chapter plans up my sleeve between now and the climax of that little story arc. Keep R&Ring, I adore your time & feedback.

EllandrahSylver: Ok, first I just have to say thanks for the word 'reprobate'. Never thought I'd find a word for troublemaker that I like almost as much as 'degenerate'! And I know I was inexcusably mean to poor Sirius at the end of last chapter, but he does need to learn to tread carefully, or he might hurt her, you're right about that. I just hope for his sake he's a fast learner. Glad you're liking the James/Lily riff, turns out they're not as easy to write as a decent love/hate pairing as I'd presumed! And you've opened my eyes to a whole new possibility for a scene I'd already done when you mentioned Dawn's perspective on James and Peter not sharing their Animagus secrets. That's precisely why I love your reviews, they help me make this the best I possibly can. So big thanks.

Kat: You rock Kat! You just mentioned all my favourite parts of the story, it makes me happy to know people are appreciating the same scenes I am. And now, here's a bit of a Remus moment for you... let me know how it's turned out! Although I do have to apologise that after his moment he has to go away for a while- poor sick little werewolf.

Eleclya111: Here's your full moon... enjoy! And BTW- I have a feeling the chocolate cake scene from two chapters ago will remain my favourite for quite a while yet. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to be able to top the image of two hormonal teens wrestling in food. Chocolaty food, at that!

Ann-Marie: Thanks, I am trying hard to get the Marauders' characters down, good to know it seems to be working for you so far. And I'm glad you like this version of Dawn, I was worried she wouldn't be all that likeable because she's a bit on the delicate side. I'm still committing nothing more than a 'we'll see' about Spike, and I'm not sure with his 'total evil badass state' if I can write him to see his Niblet as anything more than a snack... but again, we'll see. Reviews and suggestions inspire me... hint, hint.

taco: Sorry I took so long to update, it really was unavoidable. Just know that while I couldn't type I was editing my butt off and working on making this chapter the best it could possibly be. Hope you enjoy, hope it's worth the ridiculously long wait.

Lunawolf: Lunawolf, thanks for the review, I'm glad you're enjoying. (Especially Sirius' mantra, I wrote that at the bus stop at uni and burst out laughing when it came to me, so now all the people who catch my bus think I'm psycho! Totally worth it, though!) As for your requests and questions, well, we'll see. I'm trying to figure Spike into it, as I've had a lot of people express an interest for seeing him, but I'm not sure if it is in fact workable. Yeah, Willow did the resurrection spell on Buffy, but I'm not planning on bringing the Scoobies into this (in any conventional way, anyway) so just presume that Willow wasn't able to find a way to get through to this dimension. And don't you worry about Malfoy- one day he will get what's coming to him, I promise! (

(M)/ hi wave: Well I feel like a horse's butthole because I can't figure out which (M) I've got here and I don't wanna offend if I'm wrong. Gimme a clue? Please? But in any event I am so glad you love my work, I really love hearing that. It's kinda the reason I post at all! Sorry I took so damn long to update, stupid interfering uni. (

and now , on with the show (bout bloody time, I know!)


CHAPTER SIX

"You mind if I sit here?"

Dawn looked up from her book in surprise. With the full moon riding high in the black sky and her friends all missing in action, she had expected to spend the evening in a solitary state. Although, she smiled to herself, it was almost worth it when she thought of how James, Sirius and Peter had all suddenly jumped up soon after sunset, all needing to use the bathroom and had never returned.

"Go ahead Isabel," Dawn said warmly, offering her dorm mate the seat next to her. She's never had the chance to really talk to the other girls she roomed with, but they'd always seemed friendly enough. Even if they were a little on the vague side of things, in Dawn's opinion.

Isabel smiled as she sat down, shaking her short blond hair out of her face. The two girls began reading their books, for the moment enjoying the companionable silence. After a while, Isabel flipped her book closed and craned her neck in an attempt to see what Dawn was reading. "Whatcha reading?"

Dawn showed her the cover of her 'Charms for Beginners' book with a grimace that Isabel countered with a sympathetic smile.

"You?" Dawn asked.

Isabel held out a very old, and worn, but much loved copy of 'The Lord of the Rings' for Dawn to see. "You ever read it? It's my favourite."

Dawn shook her head. "Nah, never got around to reading the book. Saw the movies though, they were awesome."

Isabel frowned. "What's a movie?"

"Muggle entertainment," Dawn supplied, frowning to herself. There was a question she'd never been asked before! "Moving pictures on a screen that tell the story. Which is helpful because they had subtitles to translate all the elvish," she added as an afterthought.

"Cool," Isabel grinned. "I'll have to find some way to see it."

The two girls found themselves deep in conversation, discussing everything from the merits of both reading books and watching them translated into movies, their favourite characters, and the major differences they'd found existed between the two versions of the story. Dawn's Charms book lay forgotten on the floor beside her.

"I nearly did a victory dance when Eowyn killed the Wraith King,," Dawn confessed with a giggle. That scene had been so 'Buffy' that she had almost choked on her soda when she watched it.

"I know what you mean," Isabel agreed with a laugh warming her brown eyes. "Eowyn is probably my favourite character, I was so glad she ended up with Faramir."

"She got with Faramir?" Dawn asked, clearly surprised. They hadn't gone into that in detail in the movie.

"Mm-hmm," Isabel confirmed, glancing down at Dawn's Charms book. "So- 'Charms for Beginners', huh? You really that bad?"

"Worse," Dawn admitted. "I need all the help I can get, and it probably didn't do me any good to go getting into a loud public argument with my now ex-tutor," she reflected.

"Yeah we all heard about that," Isabel snickered. "Lils was fuming for hours. There was so much steam pouring out of her ears I thought she'd taken a Pepper-Up Potion!"

Dawn laughed at that. She decided that she really liked Isabel, perhaps she wasn't as vague as Dawn had presumed. She was certainly funny, in any event. The two girls chattered away for a while longer, before gathering their long forgotten books and heading up to the dorm for sleep.

Dawn was smiling as she drifted off to sleep that night, pleased that she might have actually made as new friend. She'd never exactly found it easy, fitting in, when she was a human-shaped ball of mystical energy. So being able to count five whole people as friends of her very own was actually a big deal for Dawn.

She was smiling when she went to sleep, but it was an entirely different story when she awoke, trembling and crying over yet another violent nightmare. She didn't know how many more nights of sleep broken by the bloodied, lifeless images of her mother and sister she could stand. She wanted James, she wanted Sirius, they would hold her and protect her and chase all her bad dreams away. They were both good at that, Dawn reminded herself, ignoring the slight squirm of pleasure she felt at the thought of herself wrapped snugly in Sirius' arms. Or she could talk to Remus and he would say something smart and sweet like he always did, something that would brighten her outlook in an instant. Hell, at this rate she'd even settle for one of Peter's pathetic hugs. The poor boy really did have no clue about... anything, really. He was even more awkward and uncomfortable than Spike when it came to the hugging thing, but his heart was in the right place.

She swung open the door to the boys' dorm and stopped dead at the sight of the empty room that greeted her. For a moment she thought she must've gone to the wrong dorm by mistake, but there was James' prized Shooting Star, and the pile of clothing Sirius had worn the day before, right where he left them in a crumpled mess on the floor. And yet his sheets had been changed, his bed made crisp and new for some reason which Dawn couldn't quite understand. None of the other boys looked to have had their sheets changed.

"Where are they?" Dawn wondered aloud, sitting on the end of Sirius' freshly made bed. Then, she slapped herself on the forehead. "Moron," she told herself. "Full moon, it lasts all night!"

Faint frown lines creased Dawn's forehead as several questions popped into her head. Questions she probably should have thought of earlier. So the full moon explained why Remus was absent. But why weren't the others there? Why had they all run off together, now that she really thought about it? They weren't werewolves, they couldn't be with Remus while he was in wolf mode, it was physically impossible... unless...

It struck Dawn so obviously then that she almost laughed out loud. They all had animalistic names for each other. Moony the werewolf, Padfoot the dog. Prongs and Wormtail, well she'd have to think about those, but it all made such perfect sense now. Animal nicknames for boys who could become animals. If werewolf bites and scratches were only affecting to humans, then the other boys could keep Remus company safely as animals. Awesome.

Even as her body fell back against the mattress and her eyes started to close, it occurred to Dawn that she probably should go back to her own dorm so they boys could slip back in un-noticed in the morning. Then again, she had a bone to pick with two of them in particular, about forcing her to share her big secrets, all the while conveniently forgetting to mention they had one or two of their own. The rats.


"You sure you don't want to stay in the hospital wing, Moony?" James asked as he and Sirius helped their sick friend up the stairs to their dorm.

Remus shook his head. "Nah. Don't feel so bad this time, and I'd prefer my own bed, you know how it is."

Peter pushed open the door , and they all stepped inside before he closed it behind them. Peter turned around and bumped right into the backs of his friends, who had stopped dead in their tracks. He edged around to see what the hold-up was, only to see Dawn curled up at the foot of Sirius' bed, fast asleep.

"Damn, knew I should've stayed up her last night," Sirius joked, as he moved over to wake the girl. James was muttering something under his breath about the House-Elves having better things to do than change his dirty sheets every single morning, but no-one seemed to be listening to him.

Sirius was leaned over Dawn, touching her cheek lightly. "Hey, Kitten. Wake up, it's morning."

Dawn rolled over slightly, her eyes opening part way so she could glance blearily up at Sirius. "Is Remus ok?" she murmured.

Sirius blinked at the half-conscious girl, a sinking feeling dropping his stomach somewhere in the vicinity of his knees. "Huh?"

"Werewolf transformation- painful," she said through a yawn. "Is he ok?"

"What?" a new voice asked, trembling with fear. Remus' amber eyes, dull with his illness, had widened, his pale face was near-terrified. How had she...?

Dawn's eyes flew wide open all of a sudden and her hand clapped over her mouth. Sirius jumped back in alarm at the sudden movements of the girl who'd been only partially conscious a second before. She scrambled to her feet, her wide eyes fixed squarely on Remus over the hand still covering her mouth.

It fell away, revealing an apologetic grimace. "Oops. Me and my big mouth," she winced. "I'm sorry!"

James, Sirius and Peter had all become as still as statues, but Remus took a shaky step forwards, more to gauge her reaction than anything else. To his relief, she did not recoil in horror. On the contrary, she stepped forwards herself, steadily closing the gap between them.

"How did you know?" Remus choked out, forcing himself to hold her gaze and resist the temptation to send accusing glares in the direction of his fellow Marauders. For all he knew, it could've been one of them that spilt his secret. They'd never do such a thing on purpose, that was not even a question for Remus, but Peter was pretty tactless, and who knew what sorts of things James and Sirius had whispered in Dawn's ear while they were comforting her in the middle of the night?

The barest hint of a smirk was crossing Dawn's face. "Sorry, Moony. But as far as werewolves go, you're not my first."

"How long...?" Remus asked faintly.

"I've known since the moment I set eyes on you, back in the Hospital Wing that morning," Dawn admitted, correctly interpreting the full meaning of his half-asked question. "I just didn't want to confront you before you were ready to talk about it. I know how painful it can be- having your deepest, darkest secrets forced out of you," she said quietly, her eyes never once straying from Remus'. Behind her, Sirius ducked his head guiltily to avoid James' pointed glare. He really had acted like a world class prat about her whole 'key' deal.

By now, Remus was smiling slightly. He couldn't help it, Dawn's gaze was so warm and friendly he almost felt silly for ever doubting he could trust her with his secret. After all, she had trusted him whole-heartedly from the moment they'd become friends. "So you don't mind then?"

"Nah. Not if you don't have a problem with me being a mystical ball of energy with the power to destroy the world," she grinned. "Rem, there is nothing wrong with who you are, and if anybody ever tries to tell you otherwise, I'll kick their asses. Weak little girly girl or not!"

"You'll probably spend the rest of your days kicking asses, then," Remus said sadly. "The wizarding world sees werewolves like me as sub- human, dangerous creatures to be shunned and, where possible, eliminated."

The mixed horrified and offended expressions that clashed across Dawn's face was almost comical and she leaned over to give Remus a hug, something he was eternally grateful for. "Don't ever listen to them," she whispered.

Thanks, Kitten," he murmured back, stifling a yawn.

Dawn pulled away guiltily and started babbling. "Oh I'm sorry. Here you are, all sick and probably just dying to get to sleep, and all I can do is tackle you and babble about secrets and ass-kickings and... I'm doing it again, aren't I? Sorry," she mumbled sheepishly, blushing.

But Remus was grinning broadly at her. "I don't mind at all," he told her truthfully. How could he mind the adorable chatter of such a sweet. Accepting friend. One who was showing such a fierce devotion to him. Dawn just gave a small smile and a gentle suggestion that he get some rest.

Gratefully, Remus collapsed onto his bed, he was out to it an instant later. Dawn turned away from pulling the covers over Remus to find James, Sirius and Peter smiling at her like she'd just handed them a year's supply of dungbombs each.

She shrugged. "What?"

They just kept right on smiling at her. "I can't believe you know another werewolf," Peter finally blurted.

Dawn shrugged again. "There's a lot we don't know about each other," she said pointedly, and her tone had turned just a little frosty, though the boys didn't seem to catch it. Sirius was grinning wolfishly at her words. He wanted to know it all, and he planned on having a lot of fun finding out who Dawn Summers really was.

James shrugged. "What do you wanna know then?" he said nonchalantly.

Dawn levelled a piercing blue stare at him. "How about why you didn't feel it was important enough to mention the fact that both you and Peter are Animagi as well?"

James and Peter shifted guiltily. Sirius arched an eyebrow, kind of curious to watch since he knew he wasn't going to be the one in trouble this time. "It never came up?" James tried.

Dawn frowned at him. "Look, James, I understand why Remus never told me about his secret. And yes, I'm not happy that he didn't feel he could trust me as much as I did him but I can live with it because what he had to hide was really important, and private. You and Peter, on the other hand, stood there and let me pour out every major private aspect of who I am without even considering showing the same kind of trust in me that Sirius did after knowing me for, what, two days? That's not fair."

Both the scolded boys hung their heads a little in shame. It was not so much the quiet words Dawn spoke that affected them, but the ever-so- slightly betrayed look that had crossed her face that they really didn't want to see, even though the knew they were the cause of it.

"We're sorry, Kitten," James said. "We really should have shown we trusted you more. Would you like to see our animal forms?" he offered as a peace gesture.

Dawn accepted what James was offering, her hurt somewhat abated. She smiled slightly, to let them know everything would be ok between them. "Wait- can I try to guess first?"

Both the boys grinned, knowing they were off the hook. "Ok. Me first," Peter squeaked.

"Right. Wormtail... something with a tail, and a little one at that if it looks like a worm. Rodent of some kind?" Dawn tried.

Peter blinked at her, then he smiled. An instant later, he had transformed into a fat, dark rat.

"Oh wow! I so wish I could introduce you to Amy!" Dawn blurted, picking Wormtail up and petting him for a minute. She gently deposited him on his bed and turned to James.

"Ok then, Prongs," she mused. "Something with antlers, I guess? Oh, I know- a deer!" she exclaimed loudly.

James made an offended noise and Sirius snorted at him.

"Or possibly the male version, which would be a stag," Dawn amended hastily, with an apologetic grin at James.

James sent her a look that clearly said her second go was much better, before he transformed into his Animagus form, a large, handsome stag. Dawn's eyes lit up at the sight, and she ran a hand down the length of Prongs' nose, before beginning to trace the impressive line of his antlers with his fingers.

She heard a slight whining, felt something pressing into her side, and looked down to see Padfoot butting his head gently into her hip. Prongs gave an animalistic snort, the stag equivalent of laughter, when Dawn instantly turned her attention to the big black dog. She kept a close watch on Padfoot as she scratched behind his ears, though, lest he tried to pull the same stunt he had back in the Leaky Cauldron. Given her recently developed schoolgirl crush and all, Dawn was pretty sure she'd die of embarrassment if Padfoot suddenly reverted to Sirius with her hands all over him.

Finally, the boys resumed their usual forms.

"Well I should let you guys get some sleep," Dawn said, glancing down at herself still only dressed in her nightie. "And I really should, um, put some clothes on and go do my Charms homework."

"I'll help you with it," Sirius said quickly. "I'm not tired."

James caught Peter's eye and they both grinned while Dawn stumbled over the suggestion that they meet in the Common Room in twenty minutes. The two boys went straight to bed, while Dawn headed for her own dorm and Sirius went to have a quick shower.


They sat in the shade of a large beech tree, not far from the lake, the remains of a picnic breakfast scattered about them. Sirius had also nabbed a teacup from the Great Hall, which he set on the cover of Dawn's textbook.

"Ok, give it a go," he said lazily, leaning back against the trunk of the tree to watch.

Dawn shifted into a cross-legged position, all her attention focused on the teacup before her. She said the spell, but when she waved her wand, the cup sprouted the same ugly orange wings it had back in class.

"Oh bugger."

Sirius burst out laughing. Dawn gave him a baleful look. "It's not that funny," she told him.

"No," Sirius grinned. "You said bugger!"

Dawn sighed and rolled her eyes. It was only a matter of time before she started mixing British English and American English, really. "Butthole," she muttered.

Sirius' only reply was his most charming grin as he waved his own wand, restoring the teacup to its original wingless state. He let her try it herself one more time, producing the same results before he stopped her. He didn't particularly feel like heading all the way up to the kitchens for another cup when this one finally sprouted wings strong enough to carry it away.

"You're putting too much into it," he said gently. "Shorten your wand movements, set your mind on what you want to happen."

Dawn followed his advice, and although she didn't produce wings this time, she barely managed any positive effect on her teacup. She made a frustrated noise, glaring daggers at the teacup as if the force of her steely gaze would somehow convince it to sprout legs.

Sirius couldn't help but chuckle. She was so cute when she was getting cranky. "Come here," he said, patting the ground in front of him. "Let me show you."

Dawn swallowed nervously and scooted around to sit in front of Sirius. She raised her eyebrows, but forced herself to keep quiet as he settled his legs on either side of her body and reached his arms around her. She could practically feel the colour flooding her face and was suddenly grateful that Sirius was behind her rather than in a position to see her red face.

As his right hand settled over hers, wand clutched way too tightly in her grasp, Dawn twisted her head up to look at Sirius. Bad move. Those smooth lips of his were way too distracting when they were only an inch from hers. "Um..." what was she going to say again?

Sirius grinned. It was nice to be back in control. "Yes Dawn?"

"Uh... Lily never taught me like this..."

The grin on Sirius' face morphed into a smirk. "If she had, I would've paid good money to watch."

"Sirius!" Dawn burst out in a scandalised tone, her face, if possible, colouring even further as she whipped her head around to look away from him. She could feel his body shaking with his laughter, the deep sounds reverberating in her ears.

"Might've made Prongs a bit jealous, though."

"My God, is that all you guys think about?" Dawn couldn't help but marvel.

She felt Sirius' shrug. "We're fifteen," he offered by way of explanation.

"Right. How could I forget? So you gonna help me Charm this stupid thing, or what?" Dawn asked, at last remembering how on earth she'd managed to get herself sitting so close to Sirius in the first place.

Sirius adjusted his grip over her hand. "Insulting it won't help any, Kitten. Ok, you've got to give your wand a sharper flick. And relax. Just let it come to you, like you do with Transfiguration."

Dawn closed her eyes and let his hand guide her own. She muttered the spell, felt a burst of power come from her wand, then felt Sirius' hand slide away from hers. Her eyes slowly opened and she looked down at the teacup. It had sprouted two short, thick stumps that could barely qualify as legs.

She groaned. "I'm never going to get this right," she sighed,

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You crammed over four years of magical education into that brain of yours in a month, and now you're whingeing because you're not perfect in one subject? Oh please! You're obviously one of the smartest people in the year, come OWLs, you'll be giving us all a run for our money for sure!" he told her firmly. At some point during his little pep talk, his hands had come up to rest supportively on Dawn's shoulders.

Dawn grinned. Sirius thought she was clever. She could deal with that. She redoubled her efforts, determined now that she would complete the Charm properly. Even if it killed her. Or even if it took forever, and even though Sirius was already falling asleep resting against the tree trunk at the very moment.

It was over an hour later when her teacup possessed legs that finally managed a lap around the base of their tree. She didn't even care that the one lap had taken more than five minutes to complete, and every time the teacup fell down it took several seconds to struggle back onto its dumpy legs. As the teacup lumbered across the makeshift finish line she'd drawn across the grass, Dawn raised her arms in celebration and let out a cheer. Sirius bolted awake.

"What the...?"

Dawn quickly pulled her arms back down to her sides. "Oops. Sorry, Sirius," she said, glancing sheepishly over her shoulder at him.

"S'ok," he yawned, stretching and sitting up properly so he could examine her work. "That's your teacup?" he asked, arching an eyebrow at the stumpiest legs on it he'd ever seen. It really wasn't the prettiest thing ever.

"Yes," Dawn said defensively, looking back at her teacup. "I don't care if it's fat and ugly and slow, and friendless and it probably has really low self-esteem 'cause it's crap. I love you, little dumpy teacup," she said, patting the handle affectionately.

Sirius stared at her in awe. The girl was a mass of contradictions. By morning she was talking about secrets and trust with all the wisdom of an ancient philosopher, and by afternoon she was telling a teacup with bad legs she'd love it despite its self-esteem issues. It stuck him then how right she had been that morning, when she said there was so much they didn't know about each other. Watching her now, cradling her teacup close to her and murmuring baby-talk nonsense to it, it occurred to Sirius how much he really did want to know every little thing there was to know about Dawn Summers.

"Cute," he smirked, still watching her. Dawn just grinned cheekily up at him.

A couple of long shadows fell across the pair. "We're not interrupting anything here, are we?"

Dawn and Sirius looked up to see James and Peter grinning down at them, their eyes twinkling with amusement. Sirius looked awfully comfortable, sprawled out on the grass with Dawn settled between his legs, the look on his face clearly telling the other boys he wished they were up to something worth interrupting. Dawn's forehead creased in concentration as she strained to figure out what James and Peter found so amusing, and why they'd felt the need to ask if they were interrupting something.

"No, we're finished," she said slowly, gesturing to her legged teacup.

"Right then," James chuckled, marvelling at her naivety as he and Peter threw themselves down on the grass. He studied the fruits of Dawn's morning of labour, still chuckling. Her teacup's legs were even worse than the feeble ones Peter had managed. Dawn noticed the negative attention her work was getting and pouted.

"I think it's sweet," she said, giving the handle another quick pat.

James squinted at it. "It kinda looks like Wormtail."

Peter went a bit pink as Sirius and Dawn both tilted their heads to the side, looking between him and his teacup look-alike.

"Well that's ok, because I think Peter's sweet, too," Dawn said, shooting a warm grin over to the chubby boy.

Peter went from pink to red, but paled considerably a moment later when he caught the icy glare Sirius was aiming squarely at him, and the almost possessive hand he'd rested on Dawn's waist.

"Isn't it lunchtime, yet?" he squeaked out hastily. "I'm starving, I hate missing breakfast."

The group stood and made their way back into the castle, Dawn with a careful grip on her teacup, seriously considering James' suggestion that she name it. They sat down to a lunch of steak and kidney pie with mashed potato, wondering how they were going to pass their afternoon while Remus slept his lingering werewolf sickness off.

"I know!" James blurted, slapping his hand against the table. "We'll teach Dawnie how to fly!"

"No I don't like flying," Dawn said quickly.

"But you've never even been" Peter countered.

"I don't like heights."

"Why not?"

"Probably because of that time I was kidnapped by a Hell Goddess and tied at the top of a tower built by people who'd had their minds sucked out, where a demon who once gave me a resurrection spell to bring my mother back to life slashed me open in several places with a very sharp knife, and then I was forced to throw myself from said tower to stop the world from being sucked into hell, only to wake up in alternate dimension with no way home," Dawn deadpanned.

James blinked at her dry delivery, but recovered quickly. "Yeah, but what are the odds of that happening again?"

Dawn's lips twitched for a moment, dangerously close to settling into a smile, before she managed to gain control over her expression. She sighed. "Fine. But if anything goes wrong, I'm going to be very cranky with you," she warned.

"Nothing will happen to you," James swore, then turned to Peter. "Go get all our brooms, and grab Moony's for Dawn will you? Remus won't mind."

Peter jumped up obediently, but Dawn's voice calling out slowed him down. "Hey Peter? Can you take Newman and my book up please? And be careful with Newman. He's fragile."

Peter scurried off, leaving James and Sirius staring at Dawn and looking thoroughly bewildered.

"What?"

"Newman, I ask you?" Sirius said.

"Yeah. You know, Newman, like from Sienfeld? 'Hello Jerry'/'Hello Newman'," Dawn grinned proudly. She thought it was the perfect fitting for her unfortunate little teacup. Still, Sirius and James were staring blankly at her.

Dawn's face fell. So this is what it felt like to be Anya?


"Put your right hand over the broom and say 'up'," James instructed.

Ever so cautiously, Dawn extended her hand over the broom lying on the ground beside her. "Up?"

Nothing happened.

"Don't ask it- tell it," James advised.

"Up..."

Still no response. Dawn tried again and again, but her broom simply rolled over and over on the ground, getting no closer to jumping into her hand.

Peter looked proudly at the broom that had jumped just high enough for him to grasp on the third try. "I can almost always get it in three goes now," he whispered happily to Sirius, who smiled indulgently at him.

"That's great Wormtail," he whispered back.

Dawn was glaring at the unresponsive broom. Her eyes glittered harshly like daggers, her cheeks were tinged just a little pink and her lip was twitching suspiciously like it wanted to curl into a snarl.

"Up."

"You've got to sound like you mean it," James said patiently. Dawn bit her lip to keep from snapping at him.

"Oh, up!"

"Don't sound so impatient, either."

Dawn flashed a thoroughly annoyed look at James. First he was telling her to boss the stupid overgrown twig about, now he wanted her to be more polite to it? She wished he'd make his mind up already, wasn't as if she even wanted to fly the damn thing- Dawn much preferred her two feet right where they were, planted firmly on the ground.

"Up?"

"Up."

"Up!"

"UP!"

James sighed. "You're not listening to a word I've said, are you Kitten?"

And for only the second time since she'd come to Hogwarts, Dawn truly lost her temper. She rounded on James, glaring at him with every little bit of her that remembered she had a Slayer's blood coursing through her veins. James was suddenly very tempted to be quiet and edge away.

"Look, James, I don't even want to take part in this ridiculous stereotype anyway. And every time I try to do what you tell me, you say I'm doing it wrong. So if you don't either drop it completely, or start explaining things a bit better, I'm going to shove this stupid broom right up-" Dawn stopped in shock as the broom suddenly jumped up into the hand she hadn't even realised was still outstretched.

Peter and Sirius doubled over, laughing. James held Dawn's stare, his eyes twinkling madly, his grin so wide his face was sure to crack at any moment. Dawn just looked sheepishly up at him, broomstick clutched tightly in her hand, and James started to laugh in earnest.

"You know," Dawn said, trying and failing to hide her own amusement. "Not very nice to laugh, especially now that I have the weapon I was threatening you with actually in my hands."

A loud snort escaped James at this, and he arched an eyebrow. "Very intimidating, Kitten. Try it again without the mad giggling," he suggested.

When their amusement had passed, James showed Dawn how to mount the broom and grip it properly so she wouldn't slide off the end. Soon he had her hovering a couple of feet off the ground.

"You can go a little higher," James urged her after a minute. "Just lean back a bit, pull up."

"I think this is high enough, thanks," Dawn responded, feeling that an altitude of about eight feet was just right for her.

Sirius reached up and tweaked the hem of her jeans. Dawn squealed and latched even more tightly onto the broomstick. "Don't do that," she gasped, looking startled. Sirius just grinned and reached up again.

"Stop me."

Dawn had no choice but to rise a few feet out of the range of Sirius' reach, scowling at him the whole time. The boys all rose up beside her on their own brooms and began showing Dawn how to manoeuvre the broom properly. She didn't notice that as they picked up speed and complexity in their movements, they also gained altitude.

Then she looked down.

"Oh my God!"

"What's the matter?" Sirius asked, flying close beside her. She'd been doing pretty well until a moment ago.

"Look how high we are!" Dawn shrieked. They'd risen above the topmost tiers of the spectator stands in the Quidditch stadium.

"We've been up this high for the past fifteen minutes, so what are you so stressed about? Nothing's changed in the last thirty seconds," James said logically from her other side.

"Yes it has," Dawn insisted. "Now I know how very high I am and I'm completely wigging out!"

"You shouldn't have looked down," Peter called up from just a little ways below them. "I've learned never to look down."

"You didn't tell me not to!" Dawn burst out.

Sirius shrugged. "If we had, you only would have wanted to look down just to find out why we said not to."

Dawn had absolutely no comeback to that one. She pouted. "How do I get down?"

James explained that going lower was simply the opposite to going higher: instead of pulling up, all she needed to do was push down and she'd get back to solid ground. But instead of guiding the broom down, Dawn leaned forwards and the broom shot off like a rocket over the tops of the stands, heading for the Forbidden Forest.

Suddenly, Dawn took a sharp descent and plummeted out of sight; the boys could hear the piercing screams of terror and took off after her.

She tumbled to the ground, rolling roughly off the broomstick. She lay on her back on the grass, the wind knocked out of her, trying to figure out if she'd done any worse damage to herself than just bumps and bruises. When she was pretty sure it was only her pride that was seriously wounded, she started grumbling to herself. "Stupid broom, stupid gravity. Never flying again. Gonna kill James, and how come only Buffy ever gets to land on her feet?"

A massive shadow appeared above Dawn and the she was blocked from the sunlight. She tilted her head up, but could only make out the silhouette of absolutely the largest being she'd ever laid eyes on. Wincing, Dawn managed to stand, her eyes finally able to study what was towering above her. If it wasn't a giant, she didn't know what in hell was. At least twice as tall as Dawn, and five times as wide, the giant peered down at her with solid black eyes barely visible, twinkling amongst a forest of facial hair.

At his side was a slobbering dog, which stood almost as tall as Dawn itself. It whined as it cocked its head and stared at Dawn, who was reminded forcibly of Padfoot's behaviour when he'd first sensed the Key in her.

"Yeh alright there, luv?" the giant's voice boomed.

Dawn eeped and almost fell right back down in fear.

Through his beard, Dawn could see him frowning. "Yeh're not hurt, then?"

Dawn's neck muscles spasmed, which the giant must've as a response to indicate that she was ok, though he was still frowning at her. "Quite one, aren't yeh?" he said, with a deep rumbled Dawn could only assume was a forced chuckle.

She nodded her head slightly. Yes. Yes, suddenly very, very quiet. Lost her voice completely, in fact. The three boys finally landed their broomsticks and came pelting across the grass towards them.

"Dawnie, you ok?"

Dawn just backed up against Sirius, her wide eyes still fixed on the mountain of a man before her. Sirius grinned up at him over Dawn's shoulder.

"Hey Hagrid."

"'Ello, you three," Hagrid said warmly. "What're you lot up to?"

"Nothing," James said innocently. "Just a little flying lesson for Dawnie here... didn't work out too well in the end I guess. Oh, Hagrid, this is our friend Dawn Summers. Kitten, this is Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts," the messy-haired boy introduced.

"Hi," Dawn barely managed in a voice easily as squeaky as Peter's. Tall, tall friend of theirs. Keeper of Keys, whatever that meant. She was a Key, of course, but she didn't think that meant he was supposed to keep her. That massive dog there was probably enough of a pet for him, anyway.

"Lovely ter meet yer, Dawn," Hagrid said with such warmth that Dawn could begin to picture him as a great cuddly teddy-bear. A gigantic one. "This lot 'ere've told me all bout yer o' course. How're yer liking Hogwarts?"

"I love it," Dawn gushed. "It's like nothing else I've ever seen, that's for sure..." she twisted her head as she finished answering the question, shooting a questioning glance of her own up at Sirius. How come she'd had no clue Hagrid existed, but her friends had somehow managed to find time to tell him all about her? It hardly seemed fair.

"We used to come down and visit Hagrid sometimes while you were studying with Lily," Sirius explained. Dawn nodded, but had become a little distracted, busy staring at the enormous boarhound, still slobbering and whining and staring quizzically at her while James scratched behind his ears.

"This is Fang," James told her, seeing her attention fixed on the hound. As if he'd been waiting for his cue, Fang took a step towards Dawn. Dawn stiffened, and she could see Peter shifting nervously out of the corner of her eye. 'Oh God,' she couldn't help thinking. 'Please don't let it start growling and snarling like Padfoot did.' She was pretty sure this thing could swallow her whole if he so chose.

"Don' worry, Dawn. Fang's friendly," Hagrid assured her.

At that moment, Fang pounced. His paws hit Dawn's shoulders, knocking her back into Sirius, who stumbled under the sudden added weight of both the girl and the dog that weighed about four times as much as her. Fang's large face was right by Dawn's, he opened his monstrous jaws ready to strike, and Dawn could see that his teeth were sharp and inches long. She squeezed her eyes closed. She felt something very much like a warm, slimy fish being passed over her face as the trio crashed to the ground, Fang on top and slurping happily at Dawn's face with his tongue.

"Back, Fang. Back!" Hagrid hollered, hauling his dog off the top of the pile. Dazed by the force of Fang's blow, Dawn rolled into a sitting position, swiping furiously at her now slobber-drenched face.

"I think he likes yer," Hagrid said to Dawn. He was beaming with pleasure at the thought as he easily lifted the two teens to their feet one- handed. Behind him, James was looking highly amused as he was patting Fang and telling him what a 'good dog' he was. Peter's eyes were still a little fear-glazed from the horror of thinking he was about to see two of his friends become dog food right before his eyes.

When she felt she'd regained the capabilities of speech, Dawn shrugged at Hagrid. "I'm a dog person."

"Good to know," said Sirius' smooth voice in her ear. Dawn turned beet red, realising all the very true implications she'd just let slip with her innocently-intended statement.

"How bout a cuppa, eh?" Hagrid said, ushering them all into his cosy little brick hut on the borders of the Forbidden Forest.

They sat around the table of the one-room homestead while Hagrid busied himself setting out the tea and a huge plate of rock cakes that the boys all eyed warily. The moment she slid into a chair, Dawn was startled to find Fang at her side, his head resting in her lap. Dawn's hand lazily petted and scratched Fang's large head, all the while she was oblivious to the way Sirius stared jealously at the dog who had the nerve to put his head on something Sirius only wanted to see himself touching. When he'd poured five cups of tea and passed out the rock cakes (which the boys took only reluctantly) Hagrid began questioning Dawn in a friendly manner.

"So where in America yer from?"

Dawn smiled at her new friend, biting back the multitude of painful memories his innocent question had stirred within her. "From California. My family lived in LA until I was nearly ten, then we spent the last five years in a little town called Sunnydale," she said, hoping that would be enough to satisfy his curiosity.

"Well that sounds nice. Why'd yer leave the city though?" Hagrid continued.

In hoped of buying herself a moment to rein in her feelings enough to answer, Dawn attempted to bite into her rock cake. She hastily masked a grimace as a tiny portion crumbled into her mouth. Geez, had Hagrid used actual rocks in these, or what? The boys were all watching sympathetically as she struggled for composure.

"Well when my parents split, obviously they sold the house so we had to move somewhere. My Mom bought an Art Gallery in Sunnydale, and my sister had just been expelled from her high school, so the three of us went to Sunnydale. I'm not too sure where my Dad went. He spent a little while in San Diego I know, but then he just kind of disappeared."

By this stage, James and Sirius were exchanging worried glances. Dawn didn't like talking about this so much, she'd given this story in bits and pieces to them when she felt she could, and when it came up. The Buffy getting expelled story (James' favourite) they had heard quite early on. James found it hilarious that the muggle school Buffy had gone to was so daft that they couldn't see why the gym full of vampires was just cause for a girl to go burning it down. It had given him all sorts of ideas for setting things on fire, and he couldn't wait to test his new plans out on Snape. But this was starting to become painful for Dawn. They could see it in the way her eyes seemed to be just a shade heavier of blue than usual, and they could hear it in the slightly edgier quality to her normally soft, smooth tones.

"I'm sorry to hear tha'," Hagrid said kindly, before obliviously continuing his line of questioning. "So was yer family pleased to hear yer a witch?"

Dawn visibly flinched. They didn't know she was a witch. They'd never know she was a witch. They'd never no lots of things, because they weren't there. They weren't going to be there for the rest of her life.

"They don't know," she said mournfully, gratefully squeezing the hand Sirius had just slid into hers. "Mom died of a brain tumour several months ago, and with everything that happened after that, Buffy and I were separated and now I can't get back to her. I was never actually invited to Hogwarts, Hagrid. I just sort of... found myself here."

A couple of tears huge enough to fill a shot glass leaked down into Hagrid's beared. He took out a spotted handkerchief Dawn was certain had originally been a tablecloth and blew his nose loudly. James clapped him supportively on the shoulder.

"C'mon Hagrid. Chin up," he said patiently.

"It's jus' so sad," Hagrid sobbed. "Are yeh sure Dumbledore can't find yer sister, Dawn? Great man he is..."

Dawn shook her head, trying to remain calm herself and not quite sure if Sirius' hand rubbing hers was a help or hindrance in this department. But there was no good in getting herself all worked up over memories, she knew, but by the same token, nobody knew better than her that pain took its own sweet time to fade. "He tried," she whispered. "He said he couldn't find a way to get me back to Buffy..."

James, Peter and Sirius watched the emotions flitting across her face as Dawn's sentence flickered and died. The forlorn look froze. Her forehead creased in thought. Her head tilted to the side, as if she was studying the pieces of a puzzle laid out before her. Finally, her eyes widened in realisation.

"Two Buffys," she breathed. "One there... one here."

It was only on the way back up to the castle, juggling Remus' broom and the stack of Hagrid's terrible rock cakes she hadn't the heart to refuse, that Dawn started babbling excitedly to her friends about her little epiphany.

"I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner," Dawn said, bouncing along excitedly. "I mean, I sat there in Defence and listened all about Angel and Spike and all that being in this dimension, and I remember thinking how there's no Slayers in this world. But that doesn't mean there's no Buffy, does it?" she grinned expectantly up at her friends.

Peter smiled back. He wasn't quite sure exactly what she meant, but amongst all the overexcited babble he was pretty sure he'd managed to catch the gist of it. James and Sirius, however, were exchanging concerned glances. Sure, if this went well it could chase all Dawn's demons away for good. But if it went badly, it would probably destroy her. It was a pretty big gamble. Dawn's grin broke down a little when she saw that the two of her friends she felt the closest to weren't exactly sharing in her joy.

"What's the matter? Aren't you guys happy for me?" she asked, sobering up somewhat, a little upset by their lacklustre reactions.

Sirius just gave her a look, a little annoyed that he couldn't figure out a way to give her a reassuring hug around all the brooms and rock cakes their arms were laden with. "Of course we're glad you might be able to see Buffy again. But Dawn... haven't you thought that maybe... I mean, have you considered the possibility..." his sentences trailed into nothingness, he couldn't quite bring himself to be the one to dent her hopes.

Dawn bit her lip, suddenly looking much younger and even more vulnerable than usual. "You mean, have I considered the possibility that I'm wrong? That there really is no Buffy Summers here? And even if there is, what are the odds of her being the sister I know? And that there's no chance in hell she would have a clue who I even was? Yeah, it's crossed my mind Sirius. But I have to know for sure. Please..." her big blue eyes pleaded with Sirius, and he was sunk.

"Of course we'll find your sister, Kitten."

Dawn squealed and did a little excited dance, dropping a couple of the dreaded rock cakes in the process. "Oh, thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!"

"And you tried to tell us you couldn't dance," James remarked, deftly snatching up the fallen rock cakes. He weighed them in his hand, his eyes scanning the scores of students littering the halls, as if searching for a target.

Without warning, he pelted both the rock cakes he held in quick succession. They hurtled through the air like cannonballs and easily found their mark. The first bounced off the back of Severus Snape's greasy head, the second exploded on impact, crumbling and clinging to the oily strands of hair. The three boys roared with laughter as Snape whirled around to search for the culprits.

"James Potter!" Dawn reprimanded, completely shocked that he would do such a thing without any provocation whatsoever.

James tried in vain to choke back his laughter. "Oops," he said unconvincingly.


Well, there it is. Worth the wait or not? Either way, we've got some direction in the plot now, so at least there's a slight possibility of something remotely interesting happening soon, I guess! R&R (please?) Anoron