Disclaimer:I own nothing. It all belongs to either JK Rowling or Joss Whedon. Except for The Difference, which is by Matchbox Twenty. Yes, sigh, we're back to them again!

A.N.Sorry about lateness & lack of reviewer replies, life is so hectic it isn't funny. I still love you all! By the way – I broke 700 pages with this chapter. I'm very pleased, and I couldn't have done it without the support. XX00


CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

The Difference

Dawn kept her breathing deep and calm, watching Madam Pomfrey slowly fill the syringe with her blood. Harold gave her free hand a supportive squeeze.

"Almost there, sweetheart… All done."

Madam Pomfrey carefully extracted the needle, then she waved her wand. Instantly the area of Dawn's arm that had been punctured was sterilised and a band-aid had attached itself over the wound. Next the matron bottled Dawn's blood in a small vial that was magically sealed and labelled with Dawn's name, the date, and a code that Harold explained was her case number.

"Thanks Poppy," Harold said, storing the vial safely in his robes.

"You're welcome, Harry. My best to Cecilia," she replied with a smile, then turned to hand Dawn a glass of water and a piece of chocolate. "Rest for a few minutes, and when you've finished this you may go."

Dawn accepted the offering gratefully. "Thanks."

"You make sure you eat your veggies tonight, young lady," Harold said sternly, but the moment Madam Pomfrey was out of sight he winked and slipped Dawn a Sugar Quill.

Dawn giggled, then lapsed into a heavy silence. Harold seemed to know what was on her mind almost at once. He smiled softly.

"Buffy seems like an incredible young woman," he said, gently easing his way into the difficult conversation. "You two sisters appear to love each other very much."

Dawn nodded mutely. Her throat was getting tight.

"Albus mentioned she was hoping you'd return with her when she leaves."

Eyes widened, Dawn looked up with some degree of guilt. "I was going to tell you and Mom Potter when I was… was ready. I haven't really a hundred percent decided what I'm going to do yet. I'm sorry, Dad, I should've owled you."

"Hey, no," Harold assured her. "That wasn't what I was getting at, love. Cecilia and I want to be parents for you, not controllers. You'll still be our girl no matter what you decide."

To his complete terror, Dawn's response was to burst into tears. Slightly panicked, but instinctive, he pulled her into his arms and rocked her against his chest.

"Whoa, now, sweetheart. I've told you I'm not very good with this crying business. You just take a deep breath and tell me what's wrong, and together we'll see what can be done about it, alright?" he said, the mere deepness of his voice going a long way to calming Dawn.

She sniffed. "It hurts so much, trying to decide," she moaned. "Remus said that no matter what I have to do what makes me happy, and I should picture my future and then I'll just know how to choose. I know he's right, but how can I be happy if I know I'm going to feel guilty forever about causing pain to people I love?"

Harold studied her with shrewd eyes, but his hand never stopped rubbing her back in gentle circles. It was a motion that always made James feel better, Harold was pleased to note that it seemed to work just as well for his daughter as his son.

"You already know what you need to do, don't you?' he asked softly.

Dawn's sniffles seemed to subside a little, although one last tear trickled from the corner of her eye as she met his gaze. She nodded, chewing her lip.

"Do you think they'll understand?"

"Anyone who loves you will come to understand that the best kind of love is the kind that you can let go of, if it's the right thing to do," he said firmly. Then he glanced at the clock and grimaced. "I should be heading back to the office. Are you ok, first?"

"Yeah," Dawn smiled. "Thanks, Dad."

"Don't mention it, sweetheart. It's what I'm here for. I'll see you at the end of semester, right?"

"Right."

Harold kissed her cheek and turned for the exit. He was a few paces from the door when she called out to him.

"Dad? You're very good with the whole crying thing," she assured him.

"Good to know, honey."

He was still chuckling away when the door swung open and the diminutive form of Buffy stepped in. She stopped, looking almost unsure of herself when she saw the way Dawn and Harold were grinning at each other. The Hospital Wing currently had a very 'private joke' atmosphere to it and Buffy felt uninvited. Then the attention was suddenly spotlighted on her.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to barge in, I just wanted to make sure everything was ok."

"I'm fine Buffy," Dawn said, hopping off the bed and showing her sister the little band-aid on the inside of her elbow. "See? All patched up and everything."

Harold stepped forwards then, extending a hand to the Slayer. "I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to speak properly last night. Harold Potter, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said warmly.

Buffy smiled back, careful not to put too much Slayer enthusiasm into the handshake. "Buffy Summers. It's really great to meet you."

There was a moment of semi-awkward silence during which Dawn watched Harold and Buffy contemplating each other. Buffy was the first the shrug her shoulders casually and break the silence.

"So… I hear you guys have been taking care of Dawn for a while now. Thank you for that," she said in a soft, sincere voice.

Harold winked at Dawn before replying. "I can honestly say the pleasure's been ours. We've never met a girl quite like Dawn, I couldn't think of a better addition to our family."

Dawn's eyes glowed with the compliment.

Completely disarmed by Harold's strong emotional bond with Dawn, Buffy began to babble like she hadn't done in years. "It's just – it's a huge deal to take a whole extra person into your family. It changes your whole home and you have to worry about food and clothes and like a bajillion other things. Not to mention looking after them and disciplining them, keeping them safe. That part's always a really big thing, especially for a girl whose full name should be Dawn's-In-Trouble-Must-Be-Tuesday-"

"Hey!" Dawn burst in, offended. "I resent that."

But Harold was chuckling delightedly, looking between the two sisters. "I can see you've got the idea about what it takes to care for someone, Buffy, but I can assure you it's a labour of love. Even on Tuesdays."

Buffy blushed. "Of course – I didn't mean-"

"I understand," Harold smiled. "But now I really must be getting back to the office before Mad-Eye sends out a search party."

"Yeah, Dawn, I came to walk you to breakfast, everyone's waiting for you. Plus you need something in your stomach before classes… and is that a candy bar wrapper?" Buffy said, abruptly changing tact as she caught sight of the silver foil and what looked to be a quill wrapped in cellophane in Dawn's hand.

"It might be," Dawn mumbled, putting her hand behind her back.

Harold tutted and shook his head very convincingly. "Spoiling your breakfast like that, Dawn, shame on you."

Dawn's jaw dropped.


"What are you up to this time?"

At the voice, Sirius and Remus both stopped short. They turned with some difficulty due to the heavy crates of butterbeer I their arms and stared blankly at the speaker.

"What makes you think we're up to something?" Remus asked semi-politely.

Sirius, however, only gave his brother a short, "What's it to you, anyway?"

Regulus shrugged. "Nothing. Thought you might've had enough excitement for one week is all."

Sirius and Remus exchanged a look. How did he know about Voldemort's recent attack on the school, and the Marauders' involvement in the skirmish?

"You go on ahead," Sirius said grimly and Remus departed for Gryffindor Common Room without another word. Sirius set his crate down and crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at Regulus so hard the three inch difference in their height seemed doubled.

"What?" Regulus scowled.

Sirius didn't move a muscle except to speak. "Tell me everything."

"About what?"

"You know what, Reg," Sirius snapped. "About the attack – about Voldemort."

He felt a momentary swell of compassion watching the shudders run through his younger brother at the mention of 'Voldemort', but held firm. He couldn't help Regulus being in Slytherin, his easily-swayed mind surrounded by pureblood fanatics, but Sirius would be damned if he let his brother slip into that darkness without a fight.

"I don't – I don't know anything. Really," Regulus insisted, but his grey eyes had shifted to the floor and he was scuffling his feet.

"You have to tell me."

"No I don't!"

Regulus glared up defiantly, but the moment he caught Sirius' gaze he was trapped. He couldn't look away, no matter how much he knew he should, and he couldn't lie.

"Did you know Voldemort was going to attack the school?" Sirius asked with an even, deliberate tone.

"No," Regulus said, his voice pleading with Sirius for understanding. "Not until after… I heard some people talking about it in the Common Room. they said Dumbledore had blocked the entrance they'd let them in through and they didn't know if they could find another."

"But they're going to try," Sirius filled in.

Regulus nodded. "They said they have to, said it was their duty. Might not be any time soon, but I think they're determined enough to find a way eventually. You know they will, Sirius."

Sirius felt the weight of dread settle in his stomach. Regulus was right. Voldemort wasn't finished with Hogwarts, he and his Death Eaters would be back. He made a move to grab Regulus, then thought better of it.

"Reg… Who was it?"

He just looked balefully at him. "You know. Think about it," he said and hurried away.

"Regulus, wait!" Sirius yelled. "Tell me who it was! Did they ask you to do anything? You don't have to follow them! You don't –!"

But Regulus was gone. Sirius swore under his breath and stood there for a moment. Then he hefted his crate back into his arms and set off quickly for the Common Room. Remus had taken the Marauders' Map with him and Sirius didn't know if Filch was still prowling around the seventh floor, or if he was close enough to catch him out.

When he arrived with the last of the butterbeer the party was already in full swing. Lily had put on a CD with her spell so that people could dance, but the redhead herself had since trapped Spike into a conversation in a quiet corner. James was watching jealously as Lily babbled relentlessly at the vampire, peppering her conversation with questions faster than Spike could answer them. Meanwhile Myrtle, who everybody was surprised to see actually show up (Sirius realised he now owed James five galleons on that bet) was trying her best to distract James, but her efforts were going to waste. James was staring right through Myrtle to Lily. Remus had collared Peter and with his help had rounded up the Scoobies to introduce to Hagrid.

"Tha's quite a grip yer got there," Sirius overheard the half-giant comment as he shook Buffy's tiny hand.

"Nice suit," Anya said loudly, taking in Hagrid's brown, somewhat furry clothing. "Reminds me of the time a woman wished her unfaithful husband would turn into a yeti…"

Sirius deposited his crate on the table next to the one Remus had left and pulled the lid off. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Trent and Walker, the two sixth years who had given Dawn alcohol at Gryffindor's last party, had just discovered that their alcohol stash had been plundered. He didn't have time to gloat, however, as a pair of smooth arms had just wrapped around his midsection from behind.

"You're late," a voice purred in his ear.

"Couldn't be helped, my love," Sirius replied as Dawn sidled around so that they were face to face. "But with you looking like that, I'm regretting it already."

Dawn blushed, making her face seem that much more feminine set within the frame of soft ringlets she'd curled her hair into. Sirius handed her a bottle of butterbeer after twisting the cap off for her and the pair plunged into the crowd together to mingle among the friendly faces.

Soon enough, though, they separated to enjoy the festivities in their own ways. Dawn ended up dancing in the throng in the dead centre of the Common Room with Alice. Sirius, meanwhile, had joined Willow and Peter to listen with a mixture of amusement and fear as Xander and Anya squabbled over the extent to which Anya's more gruesome vengeance stories were acceptable party conversation fodder.

The argument ended abruptly when Anya threw up her hands in frustration, screamed, "What does it matter to you what I talk about? It's not like we're engaged anymore!" and she and Xander stormed off in different directions.

Sirius and Peter looked faintly embarrassed, but Willow just shrugged and smiled reassuringly at the boys.

"Don't worry, they do that all the time. And trust me, it's a lot less scary than watching them when they were actually together."

"Oh. I just thought she must always be like that," Peter blurted, eyes wide as he watched Anya furiously pulling the cap off a bottle of butterbeer as if she was ripping Xander's head from his shoulders.

Willow burst into a little fit of giggles at Peter's statement and quickly put her hands over her mouth to try and stem the flow. Sirius watched her in awe. Looking at the redhead right now he was reminded forcibly of a pixie, nobody would ever guess the power that lay hidden within her. Nobody would suspect her corruptibility. Willow noticed the way he was looking at her and stopped laughing.

"What's with the serious-face… Sirius…" she trailed off, wrinkling her nose at the sound of her sentence.

"I was born with a 'Sirius' face," Sirius chuckled. "It goes with my 'Sirius' name. But seriously," he too wrinkled his nose, "I was just thinking that you actually remind me of Dawn."

"Because nobody would guess that we both have all this power that we may or may not be able to control?" Willow guessed.

"You know about the…?"

"Portal-opening blob of green energy?" Willow supplied. "Well, yeah, I was kinda there when it all went down."

"But what about the Fidelius Charm?" Peter said, finding his voice again after a good, hard think about what he'd said that Willow had found so amusing which failed to produce any results.

"The fiddly-what?"

"Fidelius. I guess it doesn't cover out-of-dimensioners, then," Sirius shrugged, then turned to explain to Willow. "Dawn went under a Charm so that only people she personally tells will know about… the energy thing. It's an extra precaution so that Voldemort can't get his filthy hands on her."

Willow's face brightened with interest at the concept of such a complex charm and listened avidly as Sirius obligingly filled her in on every detail he knew about the Fidelius. When her curiosity was satisfied, Willow let Sirius fall silent and watched him, watching Dawn. She was on the move through the crowd, recruiting bodies to beef up the dance floor. It didn't take her long to get Xander and Anya up, as well as James and Remus, but Buffy and Giles both declined in favour of remaining by the fire, speaking in hushed tones. Willow's lips twitched as Dawn marched determinedly towards Spike and Lily.

They couldn't hear what was being said, but Spike was vigorously shaking his head and after a few moments more wasted on him Dawn turned her efforts to Lily. Lily looked apprehensive, but she didn't notice that Spike's attention had wandered to the hazel-eyed boy desperately coveting Lily from within the crush. A slow smirk spread over the vampire's face. He turned and spoke to Lily, who turned cherry-red and nodded, and a heartbeat later Spike was leading her by the hand to the dance floor while Dawn dusted her hands off and moved on.

It wasn't long before she had Hagrid up and shaking so enthusiastically he'd knocked Candice sprawling into Trent, who looked like he couldn't believe his luck. She reached Willow, Sirius and Peter at last and smiled her most un-disappointable smile. Sirius smirked.

"What do you want, baby?"

She pouted and looked between the three of them. "Dancing now?"

Willow shook her head. "No shaking and shimmying for me tonight, Dawnie. You guys go on ahead, I'm going to see what Buffy and Giles are up to over there. Plus, it looks like they have candy."

Peter, too, looked as if he was about to beg off, but Dawn quickly latched onto his hand and deepened her pout a few notches.

"Come on, Peter. I know you'd just hate to see me disappointed. I want to see all Marauder bums out there and shaking it!"

Sirius went to protest, but Dawn kissed his cheek. "I promise I'll only be looking at yours."

"Well… That's all right then. So, what's the best part about my bum, then…?"

They left Willow giggling as they moved on to dance, Peter looked dumbstruck that Dawn still had a hold of his hand, but reality came crashing back in the moment Dawn dropped him to wrap her arms around Sirius' neck. He'd been forgotten once again.

Willow sidled over to where Buffy and Giles had just fallen into silence. Buffy's eyes were glued on Dawn as if she'd only just noticed the girl for the first time, nobody seemed to notice just over Dawn's shoulder that Spike had just spun Lily right into James' unsuspecting path and melted out of sight. Both teens were so frazzled by the set-up that they simply began to move together, completely silent and in a strangely synchronised way.

A bittersweet smile was gracing Buffy's features as she watched Dawn swaying gently in Sirius arms. It was hard to deny she looked like she belonged there, in fact, Dawn had looked perfectly at home everywhere she'd moved tonight, and with everyone she'd spoken to.

"She looks beautiful, doesn't she?"

"She's not a spaz anymore," Willow agreed sentimentally.

Giles raised his glass in silent agreement.

"I missed it," Buffy said softly. "She grew up and I wasn't there. I let her be dead."

Neither Giles nor Willow knew what to say. Buffy's eyes had misted over.

"I don't know if I can bring her back."


"This is neat," Willow giggled as she and Giles rode the moving staircase to Dumbledore's office. "I wonder if there's a way to make it go faster."

"Well perhaps you can ask Professor Dumbledore," Giles suggested.

The Professor in question was waiting for them as they stepped into his office, immediately offering them the comfortable chairs across from his desk. Willow shifted, feeling a little unnerved at the prospect of being summoned to the Headmaster's office, even after all this time. And even though there was no Principal Snyder to worry about now. Giles couldn't help but consider how much more pleasant such an experience was without the toadstool-like face of the frustrated little troll scowling across the desk at him. As if sensing that Giles had questions before they began, Dumbledore leaned back and smiled his invitation for the Watcher to speak.

"Have you discovered the reason Voldemort attacked the school, yet?" Giles began.

"I believe I have, Rupert," Dumbledore said with a nod. "You see, Tom Riddle has always had his own reasons for wanting access to Hogwarts and there is no need to bore you with such details. I believe his stint earlier in the week was merely Voldemort's way of testing the waters, as it were, to see how far he could get undetected. I do not believe he was aware of the added protection you and your young charges offered, for which I am most grateful, I might add."

"You are most welcome," Giles assured him. "I do believe Buffy said the skirmish was just what she needed. But are you certain Voldemort's only motive in infiltrating the castle was to merely see if it could be done? It seems a rather foolish battle plan."

"Quite understandable. Perhaps Voldemort places too much confidence in his ability to gain access to the castle again. But he brought only a fraction of his followers, and all were obviously equipped and ordered to abort the moment things turned against their favour, and this tells me he was not looking to lay siege to the castle," Dumbledore said, his voice firm with his conviction.

"But, Professor Dumbledore, why did he want me to turn dark then?" Willow piped up. "And I couldn't really keep up with things when I was busy being the girl in the protective bubble, but it seemed like he wanted James and Sirius to join him… And something about Dawn, too."

Dumbledore smiled at the girl's endearingly mousy ways. He'd insisted that the Scoobies were all welcome to use his first name, but Willow had yet to do so. None of the others seemed to have any difficulty in adjusting to it, Xander had most delightfully taken to calling him Abe, but to Willow he was still strictly Professor Dumbledore.

"James and Sirius are, you may have noticed, two boys with considerable talent for their age. They are also naturals when it comes to leadership, Voldemort no doubt would delight in turning the potential they display from good to ill. Dawn, on the other hand… Having had her kidnapped so easily in a moment of weakness, I believe Voldemort has underestimated her worth as a witch. He may not understand the art of love himself, but Voldemort recognises how to use the love of others against them. Sirius and James both love Dawn dearly in their own way, if her life depended on the grace of Voldemort then neither boy would dare ever defy him."

Giles was nodding thoughtfully, but Willow's nose had wrinkled.

"What about me?" she asked. "You didn't answer that part of the question."

"I'm honestly not sure," Dumbledore answered frankly. "It is possible Voldemort had designs on controlling you as well, or he may have just wanted a, how do you say it? A wild card."

Willow looked down. She hated the thought that others may be trying to unshackle Dark Willow forever, but even worse was the thought that Dark Willow would always be within her to unleash. Giles patted her hand.

"But let's prove them all wrong, shall we?"

Willow looked up to see the old wizard smiling at her.

"What if I can't do it?"

"Then we will help you, Willow. You worked very hard to gain the control you needed to open a portal here, I trust you have been keeping up with your meditation in your free moments while you've been here?" Dumbledore asked, and Willow nodded.

"Excellent." He placed a candle on the desk. "Light the candle with your magic. Breathe, feel the power within you, in relation to you, but keep sight of that division between the magics and yourself."

Willow gave him a funny look.

"The power is yours, but the magic is not," he explained. "Wicca draws the magic from the earth as opposed to witchcraft and wizardry studied here at Hogwarts, where the magic comes from within. A Wiccan is simply more predisposed to recognising and even manipulating the magic of the earth."

Willow cocked her head to the side, thinking. "So, I couldn't use a wand, then?"

"Oh, you could," Dumbledore chuckled. "But the potential for chaos would be great enough for me to seriously dissuade you from attempting it. Now, shall we turn to the task at hand?"

He indicated the unlit candle and waited for Willow to ready herself. The first time she tried to use her magic to light the candle, the wick sparked for only a second and failed to catch.

"Don't be afraid, Willow. Fear will only hold you back."

The second time Willow tried, a great fireball erupted from the candle, leaving a lot of smoke and a melted puddle of wax on Dumbledore's desk. Willow covered her face in shame.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it, really."

Giles coughed and started to climb to his feet; he and Dumbledore both having thrown themselves to the floor to escape the flames. "It's alright, Willow. Take your time," Giles said in his worn, soothing voice.

Dumbledore, too, had returned to his seat and did not seem to mind in the least that the ends of his long beard had been singed. "Not to worry, dear, that rather reminded me of one of Fawkes' more exuberant burning days. Phineas was never quite the same, even after he was restored…"

Giles and Willow both gave him curious looks, but he was absorbed in clearing up the mess and conjuring a new candle. "Don't forget that division between you and the magic, Willow. Never lose sight of that."

She worked hard on controlling the magic and with only a few intense sessions of working together, Dumbledore announced he thought the Wicca was fit to open a portal back to Sunnydale.

"Do you really think I'm ready for that?"

"Yes."

"Oh, good, because, you know, I don't think I'm ready for that," Willow babbled. "I think I'm going to lose control and send everyone to the world of shrimp. Or turn them all into shrimp. Or get them stuck half way. Or –"

"You will not!" Dumbledore said, his voice seeming to fill the whole room.

"Ok," Willow said, thoroughly abashed.

"I wouldn't recommend you do anything I thought would be too dangerous, it would be negligent and irresponsible of me. But the longer you delay this test, the more daunting it will seem. I sincerely believe it is best for all involved that you and your friends return to your home as soon as possible."

"All involved?" Willow frowned.

Giles, however, nodded in understanding. "Dawn."

"Yes. The decision she must make is too heavy a burden for someone so young to carry for so long," the Headmaster fretted.

"I don't think it's the burden of her decision troubling Dawn so much, but rather the burden of trying to make her decision known," Giles suggested.

Dumbledore's smile was not quite as joyful as it usually was. "I see your skills of observation well befit your occupation as a Watcher, Rupert."


"It stays light so late here. It's trippy, I bet the vamps hate it," Xander commented.

"And for the first time ever, I'm sure Spike would agree with you. You know, if he wasn't trapped up in the castle trying to hide from Lily," Dawn countered. It was nearing eight o'clock in the evening, but the Marauders were laying in the grass underneath their tree, sharing the lingering sunlight with Buffy, Xander and Anya.

"She'll eventually remember she's got studying to do, won't she?" Anya piped up. "It's not healthy for a badass vampire to spend full days at a time hiding under a bed."

"Funny, though," Xander said. "And it keeps him out of trouble."

"Speaking of trouble…" Remus muttered, looking at a group of students stalking over the grass, black cloaks wrapped ominously about them.

Dawn groaned. "Who knew Slytherins could stand sunlight?"

James and Sirius had pulled their wands out and were beginning to rise, but Dawn and Remus' looks fixed them firmly in their places. For now.

"Keep it cool," Dawn requested. "Don't start anything."

"We won't start it," James muttered.

The Scoobies were all looking at each other with confusion. They'd heard the rivalry between these two groups was not unlike Spike and Angel at their most childishly competitive, but didn't really believe anything in the world could be that bad. There wasn't even a hellmouth here. Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Snape stopped a few paces away and sneered down at the group.

"Well that explains the stink," Bellatrix laughed. "Lucky Evans isn't here too, we'd have trouble breathing through all that then."

Rodolphus and Snape laughed loudly. Almost reluctantly, the Scoobies followed the Marauders to their feet. James already had his wand aimed, but Dawn held him back. Her eyes were on Buffy, who was casually examining her fingernails.

"I think you're going to have trouble breathing in a minute," the Slayer said. "You know, when I shove your wand down your throat so far you have to crap it in one go."

"I don't know if that would work," Anya threw in thoughtfully. "I mean, there's bound to be splinters."

The Marauders and Xander snickered. Both the Slytherin boys looked more offended by the fact that a pair of filthy muggles had the audacity to insult a pureblood witch than horrified at the images both Slayer and Vengeance Demon had just conjured. Snape had pulled out his wand, an angry flush interrupting the sallow pallor of his face. James still had his wand in hand, too, and was grinning devilishly.

"You want to be careful, Snivellus," he said loudly. "If you don't behave, we'll sic Dawn on you."

Snape's lip curled back in disdain. "How chilling. And what would make you delude yourself that that could concern me in the slightest?"

"Well of the three of you standing there, she has already smacked two of you down," Remus couldn't help but point out.

"What?" Buffy wheeled around to glare at Dawn, who cringed. "You so better not have fought like a girl!"

Dawn shrugged sheepishly. "I won, if that makes it better?"

"It's a start," Buffy said grudgingly.

Bellatrix was shaking her head in disbelief. "Stupid muggles. Can you believe them?"

"I don't think I like that word," Buffy said softly.

"What; stupid?" Xander asked. "Don't take it personal, Buff, it's just cause of, you know, the whole 'blonde' thing."

But Buffy had drifted forwards a few steps, her impassive face turned up towards Bellatrix's, several inches higher than her own. "No, not that. Muggle. See, I thought muggle meant someone without magic. Am I right?" she asked a sneering Bellatrix, who found herself compelled to nod by the sense of power emanating from the diminutive woman.

"Right. Well, here's the problem; I'm not a muggle. Anya, would you class yourself as a muggle?"

"No way," Anya snorted. "What kind of stupid name is that, anyway?"

"You lie," Rodolphus blurted. "You ought to be killed for blasphemy – besmirching the honour of all that is magical with your filthy muggle blood. As if the Mudblood there wasn't insult enough to Wizard-kind."

"You son of a bitch," Sirius growled, but Xander cut him off.

"Ok, you don't look real bright, so I'm gonna help you out a bit here. One: you shouldn't have called them liars. Two: you probably shouldn't have mentioned violence. Three: you really shouldn't have insulted Dawn and I'll dry-wall you into the next century if you ever do it again. And four: who the hell talks like that, anyway? Besmirched?"

Bellatrix looked down her nose at Xander as if he was something foul she'd just stepped in. "Anything else?" she asked disdainfully.

"Yeah, you might want to lay off the dark eye shadow, kid," he retorted, before adding in a stage whisper, "It makes you look cheap."

Bellatrix flushed in fury as the Marauders laughed. "You don't want to mess with me," she threatened.

"You're right," Buffy agreed. "I'm bored already. Get gone."

Snape's eyes were glittering with the challenge. "And if we don't?"

"I knew you'd push it," Buffy sighed. "Anya, why don't you show El-Cheapo, Bruiser and Slimer here exactly how not-muggle you are?"

"I was so hoping you would say that," Anya said with a gleeful, almost childlike clap of her hands.

She morphed into her demon visage, her skin wrinkling as if she'd been burned beyond recognition. The Marauders themselves were a bit unnerved, Peter squealed and ducked out of sight behind the tree, but the shocked horror on the faces of the three Slytherins was even better than Buffy could have imagined. She and Dawn were exchanging satisfied smirks as Bellatrix, Snape and Rodolphus backed up and hurried away. Nobody seemed to notice they'd rushed straight past Willow and Giles, on their way down to meet the group.

"See," Buffy grinned at her sister. "You don't always need violence to solve your problems."

"Yeah. Sometimes the convincing threat of it works just as good," Xander chipped in.

"What's going on with you guys?" Willow asked as she and Giles arrived on the scene. Anya hastily slipped back into her human features.

"Just impressing the locals," Buffy said.

Giles fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Honestly, you lot, I leave you alone for five minutes and you threaten a group of fifteen year-olds."

"But they started it," the chastised Slayer whined at her Watcher.

"Are you, or are you not, an adult?"

"So, Will, how was the magic control session?"

Giles simply shook his head in amusement and let Buffy get away with changing the subject. Willow's earlier nervousness returned the moment Buffy mentioned her magic, the redhead began to fidget at once.

"Um… good, I think. Or so Professor Dumbledore thinks, anyway. He said I can open the portal now, and he thinks we should do it tomorrow night," she announced.

Dawn felt all colour drain from her face, and Sirius took her hand to rub his thumb over her knuckles. Everyone had gone suddenly quiet and looked at Dawn. She found herself catching Buffy's eye without meaning to.

"Well, Dawnie? What's it gonna be?"

Dawn picked Sirius' hand up to kiss the back of it, then pulled herself free. She turned fully towards her sister.

"I think we should talk," she said quietly.

Buffy's eyes filled with pain, but also with understanding. "Yeah."


It was the Scoobies' final dinner in the Great Hall, but Buffy and Dawn were nowhere to be seen. Sirius and James seemed worried, their heads were swivelling around to the doorway every other mouthful until Giles discreetly caught their attention.

"Give them time," he said softly. "This is the last conversation they'll ever have."

Both boys nodded and settled down at last. They couldn't imagine what it would be like if Dawn had chosen differently and they were currently spending their last few moments ever with her. Sirius began to wrap up some dinner for Dawn. She wasn't going to be hungry for days, but with any luck maybe he could get her to eat a little something. As the meal was drawing to a close, Professor McGonagall leaned over and tapped her spoon against her crystal goblet a few times, calling all attention up to the Head table.

Professor Dumbledore was on his feet, beaming around at everyone. "Well now, as you all know these last few weeks have been brightened by the presence of a group of charming guests of Gryffindor. But all good things must come to an end, and our new friends must depart for home this evening. We wish you the best of health and happiness in your lives," Dumbledore said, smiling and raising his goblet to the Scoobies.

Giles inclined his head in appreciation before the Headmaster continued, this time addressing his students.

"I would like to thank those of you who took special care to make our guests welcome, or to otherwise entertain them," he said almost cheekily.

"I wonder if he means the party or the Slytherins," Remus commented idly.

"Probably both," James snorted.

"I don't know – I thought Malfoy pissing his pants was pretty entertaining," Spike commented.

"What?" the Marauders, Lily and the Scoobies all burst out at once, far too loudly.

Spike just grinned nastily. "Taught the boy a thing or two about being on the other end of torture and humiliation."

The others just stared at him.

"Excellent," Remus said briskly. "Let's hope he remembers it."

Sirius and James were sharing grins just as nasty as the vampire's. "We'll make sure he never forgets it."

The Great Hall cleared out fairly quickly, but the Scoobies and Marauders all loitered in order to say their goodbyes. Peter hung in the background shyly, not really expecting anyone to bother with him because nobody usually bothered with him. He was just there, or not, and it didn't seem to make a difference. He was surprised when Anya popped up right in front of him.

"I've decided I like the hugging thing," she announced and threw her arms around his thick shoulders. "Bye. I'll send you some shrimp if I can."

Peter blushed and awkwardly patted her back. "Thanks. Bye, Anya."

She let him go and made her way around the other boys and Lily, stopping last before Sirius. She was smiling brightly and Sirius was a little intimidated by the look on her face.

"You know, I think it's great that there's love and good sweaty sex between you and Dawn and all," she said in her usual, far-too-loud voice.

It was one of the rare occasions when Sirius blushed. Giles was furiously polishing his glasses while Remus and James just about died laughing. Even Lily giggled, but Peter had looked away moodily and Spike was glaring very hard at Sirius.

"Er… Yeah… thanks, I try," Sirius mumbled.

"But if you screw up and make Dawn need me, I'm going to take whatever horrible thing she wishes on you and make it ten times worse. Got it, bucko? Ok, take care!"

Sirius had been hugged by the Vengeance Demon before his mind had even finished processing all her threats. More to try and move past the social barricades Anya's behaviour tended to throw up than anything else, Giles moved in and began a round of handshakes, wishing the teenagers well. Willow followed him up with a chaser of tight, squeezing hugs.

"It's been so great meeting all of you," she smiled.

Sirius grinned back at the likeable, pixie-ish woman. "Take care of yourself, Will."

"You take care of her," she responded.

"Why does everybody keep saying that?" he half-groaned. "Don't you trust me?"

James snorted. Sirius ignored him.

"It's not that," Xander began, at the same time as Spike piped up with a, "No, not really."

"Shut up, Spike," Xander continued without missing a beat. "It's just that we all had a hand in on raising Dawn somehow, Sear. It's like we wanna keep checking that she's in good hands while we still can."

Sirius nodded. "She is."

Both he and James gave Xander brotherly hugs, then the brunette muggle shook hands with Remus and Peter. "I have to say it – you kinda remind me of Oz," Xander couldn't help but tell Remus.

Spike arched an eyebrow. "I don't do goodbyes."

Willow rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a poop-head, Spike."

"Poop-head?" he repeated mockingly, but Willow only shrugged. "Oh piss it. All right, I'll say the bloody goodbyes."

He shook Remus and Peter's hands almost sullenly, but managed to spare a grin when he reached James. "You're alright, kid."

James smirked. "Right back at ya, Spike."

Spike and Sirius stared at each other for several long moments, neither wavering. It reminded Sirius of the night Spike had discovered him and Dawn sleeping together in the Room of Requirement, and just as on that night, Spike eventually nodded his head in acceptance. He extended his hand and Sirius took it without either of them needing to say a word.

Lily blushed slightly and looked down when Spike reached her. He lifted her chin with his finger, and Lily saw a wicked little smirk cross his face. Before she could be sure of what had happened, he had swooped in and laid a sound, but ultimately innocent kiss on her unsuspecting lips.

"OI!"

Spike looked at the outraged James and shrugged. "Sorry mate, but it had to be done."

He looked back at Lily, who was now blushing even more furiously than before. "Don't ever settle for second best, Lil' Red. You deserve the bloke who worships you."

Lily nodded dumbly, she couldn't help being confused by the I-know-something-about-you-that-you-don't-even-know-yet glint in Spike's eye. Xander finally broke in on the strange moment, shaking his head at Spike.

"God, Spike, can't we go anywhere without you making an ass of yourself?"

"Funny, Chubs, I was gonna ask you the same thing."


Dawn and Buffy were sitting together on the couch in Buffy and Spike's Common Room. Uneasy silence hung between the pair as both struggled to find somewhere to begin.

"I still can't believe all this has gone on," Buffy finally said, almost numbly.

"It's been a hell of a year," Dawn sighed.

"Emphasis on the 'hell'," Buffy muttered, but noticed that Dawn couldn't agree. "You're really happy here, aren't you?"

"I am. I have missed you, though," Dawn promised.

"I know."

The sisters were looking fully at each other now, almost waiting for some invisible signal for them to start crying.

"It's not safe here, you know. Dawnie, that Voldie-Mart guy – "

"I know," Dawn interrupted, trying not to laugh at the way Buffy mangled 'Voldemort' into sounding a bit like a 'Wal-Mart' rip-off. "But would it be any safer for me in Sunnydale?"

"I could protect you there."

"I'm protected here. And I'm finally learning how to protect myself. Don't you want that for me, Buffy? It's like, for the first time ever, I actually like the person I can see myself growing up to be."

That was Buffy's cue to cry. "And you're going to be beautiful, and powerful, and I wish I could be with you to see it."

Dawn, crying too, threw herself into a hug. "I so wish there was a way to keep you with me forever. There's been so many times this year when all I wanted was for you and Mom to be with me, to get me through…"

Buffy sniffed, trying to pull herself together. "But you got through just fine on your own. We're always with you, Dawn, and we'll always love you."

Dawn nodded. She knew it was all true. As long as she had them safe in her heart, it would be ok. She bravely attempted to smile. Buffy squeezed her hand.

"Listen, Dawnie, you and Sirius… You're pretty involved, huh?"

Dawn nodded.

"You love him?"

"Yes."

"Are you careful?"

"Every time."

"You know that sometimes, young people, when they feel so strongly… they can make mistakes, Dawnie. No matter how you feel about someone, sometimes things can go wrong," Buffy said warningly.

Dawn sighed. "Believe me, I know. Buffy, uh, I've never mentioned this before now but Sirius and I actually broke up once. It was only for like a month, but it was the worst pain I've ever been through this side of having someone I love die. Now that I've got him back and we're happy I'm never going to make the same mistakes again. And I know he won't either."

"Dawn…" Buffy began, but Dawn wasn't finished.

"So please don't worry that this is just some little high school crush that'll be ancient history in a few months' time. It's not. It's the real thing. And don't think that I can't handle it, because I know how badly things can go wrong. I know what sort of mistakes you can make, because I've already made them."

Buffy just smiled tearily. "I was afraid you'd say that. You went and grew up when I wasn't looking."

"People do that…"

"Yeah…"

They knew it was nearly time to go, but neither wanted to be the one to say so. Dawn reached into her school bag and took out something wrapped in simple red paper. She handed it to Buffy.

"To remember," she explained. "I have one, too."

With a curious look at Dawn, Buffy unwrapped the gift. She gasped. It was a small photo album, the front cover fashioned out of wood. Down one side a heart with a stake had been burned into it; opposite was the Gryffindor emblem. It was filled with moving pictures of the Scoobies and the Marauders together at the party; Buffy vaguely remembered one of the girls from Dawn's dorm running around with a camera. There were also a few of Dawn from earlier in the year, Christmas morning at Godric's Hollow and playing in the snow with the boys.

"How did you do this?"

Dawn smiled, pleased Buffy seemed to like it. "I just asked Michelle for copies of her pictures, and Dad sent me the albums. Mine, uh, has the Potter crest on it, too."

Buffy smiled sadly, perusing the album more slowly so she could savour each photo. The very last one had been enlarged; the two sisters with an arm each around each other, grinning and blowing kisses at the camera. After a few last moments, the girls slowly walked down to the Entrance Hall where the Scoobies were waiting with Dumbledore. The Marauders had been sent back to their Common Room a few minutes earlier so as not to intrude on the farewell. Dumbledore smiled gently at Buffy and Dawn.

"Shall we?"

Buffy looked around. "Here? We're going to do it here?"

"No, no, I thought perhaps the Astronomy tower. Miss Rosenberg's things are already set up there, and I thought it would be the most prudent place to relax the wards so the portal may open more easily," the Headmaster explained.

They went up to the Astronomy tower, and Dawn noticed that the sunflower marking the point where Isabel had jumped was still up on the high turret, as bright as it had ever been. Both she and Dumbledore paused a moment to consider it while the others moved straight to the circle of black candles already set up for Willow. Everyone stood around awkwardly, not sure where to begin.

There was so much Dawn wanted to say to them all; she wanted to apologise to them for choosing to stay, she wanted to thank them for understanding and she wanted to say a million and one random, stupid things that would never be said if she didn't say them right now. But she couldn't speak. She had to settle for hugging everyone as tightly as she could manage, hoping they could feel how much she loved them through her touch.

When Xander finally prised Anya's arms from around Dawn's neck, Dumbledore pulled her back out of the way and the Scoobies gathered inside the circle. Willow was sitting cross-legged in the centre, meditating and finding her focus. After a few minutes, she began to chant quietly and steadily.

The others watched in fascination as Willow's chant gathered momentum and the air began to crackle around them. Willow's hands shook with the strain, but she stayed in control. The air tore. Dumbledore put his hand on Dawn's shoulder, partly to keep her away from the danger zone and partly to comfort her as dry, shuddering sobs began to rip through her.

The rent in the air slowly got bigger and bigger until it was large enough for a person to fit through. Willow opened her eyes to look at Giles and nod; he shouted, "Go!" over the howl of the wind.

Anya and Xander dived through first, then Spike tried to swagger through with his trademark strut. Dawn felt a stray giggle burst out of her when she heard the completely uncool cry of, "Bloody hell!" echo back as the vampire was sucked into the portal. Then Giles was gone, too, and Buffy was helping Willow to her feet while the Wicca concentrated on keeping her chant alive.

They paused on the brink, Buffy looked back and lifted a hand in a final farewell to Dawn. Then she and Willow were gone and the portal flickered and died as if the air had been knitted back together.

Dawn sagged, Dumbledore couldn't hold her up so he helped her down onto the stone ground and sat beside her. They passed a few minutes in silence while Dawn pulled herself together. Dumbledore seemed to instinctively know that she wouldn't be comforted by any wisdom he had to offer and didn't want to impose his thoughts onto her grief. He stood up and moved about the Astronomy tower, muttering to himself as he reactivated the wards he'd taken down around the area.

He paused to look around the tower, using his senses to double-check that he hadn't missed anything. When he turned around, Dawn was standing behind him.

"Are you ready to go, Dawn?"

She attempted a watery smile. "Ready when you are, Professor."

The outmatched her smile by far with his own. "Very good, I shall escort you back to Gryffindor tower. I must say, I am glad to be leaving the Astronomy tower behind," he commented, guiding her towards the stairwell.

Dawn frowned and twisted to look up at his grave, contemplative face. "Why is that, Sir?"

"I do not know," Dumbledore said simply. "I have just never particularly liked this part of the castle. It has always given me a - how do you say it? – ah, yes, a wiggins."


A.N:I hope everybody enjoyed that. Let me know what you think! XX