Boris Yeltsin: I do accept ideas from readers. Can't promise I will use them, but yes, I do accept them. And no, I do not have everything planned out. I know where I want this to end but part of the journey is finding out how to get there. So no, not everything is planned out.

Chapter 5: Potential

September 3, 1991

"There, look."

"Where?"

"Next to the kids with red hair."

"The boy wearing the glasses? The girl with the blonde hair?"

"Did you see their faces?"

"Did you see their scars?"

Whispers followed Buffy and Harry as they headed for their next class, Potions. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at her and Harry, or doubled back to pass them in the corridors again, staring.

Buffy wished they wouldn't, because she always hated anyone drawing attention to the scar on her cheek.

On their way to breakfast they had gotten lost and found themselves on the third floor that had been declared out of bounds by Dumbledore at the start of term feast.

Filch found them trying to unsuccessfully find their way back to the stairs. He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were there on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.

Quirrell directed them toward the Great Hall.

"What have we got today?" Harry asked as he poured sugar on his porridge.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," said Ron. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them—we'll be able to see if it's true."

Just then, the mail arrived as about a hundred owls suddenly streamed in, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.

Neither Hedwig or Cin had brought them anything from Joyce, Hank or Dawn. This morning, however, Hedwig fluttered down and dropped a note onto Harry's plate. Harry tore it open at once. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:

Dear Harry & Isabella,

I know you both get Friday afternoons off so would you like to come

and have a cup of tea with me around three this Friday?

I want to hear all about your first week. Send me an answer back with Hedwig or Cin.

Hagrid

"Bells, can I borrow your quill?" Harry asked as Buffy rummaged in her bag and pulled out the ink bottle and quill.

Harry scribbled, "Yes, please, see you then," on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again.

Later Buffy sighed as she wrapped her robes around her tightly. The dungeon that Potions took place in was colder than the main castle. She was used to the temperature range of California, not this.

Snape started the class by taking the roll call, he paused at Buffy and Harry's names.

"Ah, yes," he said softly, "Harry and Isabella Potter. Our new—celebrities."

Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands.

Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potionmaking," he began. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

"Mr. Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

"I don't know, sir," said Harry.

Snape's lips curled into a sneer.

"Tut, tut—fame clearly isn't everything. Let's try again, this time Ms. Potter. Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat.

"I'm sorry," Buffy said. "I have no idea, sir."

"So, you two thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh?" Snape said ignoring Hermione's quivering hand. "What is the difference, Mr. Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.

"I don't know," said Harry quietly. "I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?"

A few people laughed. Snape, however, was not pleased.

"Sit down," he snapped at Hermione. "For your information, Mr. Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. Ms. Potter, a bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, Mr. Potter, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?"

There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment.

There was a knock at that moment at the door as McGonagall opened it. "Sorry, Severus. Professor Dumbledore wants to see Harry and Isabella Potter in his office."

Snape reluctantly sent the twins on their way for McGonagall.

"Why does Professor Dumbledore wish to see us?" Harry asked.

"I do not know, Mr. Potter," McGonagall replied as she led the twins through the castle towards the Headmaster's office.

In Dumbledore's office Wesley Wyndam-Price paced impatiently, "Albus, mind telling us what we're waiting on?" he asked.

"Calm down, Wes," Faith said. "I am sure he has his reasons."

Dumbledore nodded, "Ms. Lehane, is correct. I believe we need all interested parties here before we continue."

At that moment a knock came at the door. Dumbledore was quick to invite the twins in and motioned them over to chairs. But they didn't quite make it as Buffy saw Dawn and ran over to her and gave her a big hug. "Hey, Dawnie. How long you been here?"

Dawn returned the hug and smiled, "Only a few minutes. Long enough to get sorted into a house."

Wesley coughed and looked at Buffy, "Mind telling me who these two are, Albus?"

Dumbledore nodded and motioned for everyone to have a seat, "Of course, Wesley. They are Harry and Isabella Potter; you would know them as the Twins Who Lived. They are Dawn's cousins. Buffy is the one that found out about Dawn. Seems Miss Potter has some form of cognitive abilities. She saw the monks talking about what they referred to as the Key in her dreams. And I believe in her second dream she saw Ms. Lehane here."

Faith gulped, "Saw me in a dream, before we even met. That is indeed a nice gift. I get prophetic dreams on occasion. Part of the Slayer package, you know."

Buffy looked at Faith, "That's the second time I've heard that word. When I got my wand, Mr. Ollivander told me it had the hair of a slayer as its core."

Wesley blinked and looked at Buffy, "Can I see your wand?" he asked. Buffy nodded and handed him the wand, for a brief moment their hands touched and Wesley looked shocked as he dropped the wand. "You're a Potential."

Buffy frowned as thought back to where she heard that word. It took her a moment and then remembered that the sorting hat had told her she had potential.

Dumbledore chuckled and smiled at Buffy, "I don't know why I didn't see it. That would explain your dreams. Though, Wesley, don't Potentials not get slayer dreams till after their called."

Wesley nodded and sighed as he picked up the wand and looked at it, "That is indeed the case. It's rare a potential has any kind of ability before being called. Of course, it's rare for a witch to be a slayer let alone a potential to begin with. It's almost unheard of."

Buffy raised her hand to get their attention, "Ok two questions. What is a Potential, and what is a Slayer?"

Wesley smiled, "Well we will start with the Slayer. Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer. And about the Potential, a Potential is a girl who has the potential to be called as the next Slayer. You my girl have that potential."

Buffy gulped and looked at Harry, who shrugged. "Oh."

"Now my dear looking at your wand, I believe I know of where the hair at its core comes from. It comes from the First Slayer, the daughter of Sineya. This is indeed a powerful wand to have," Wesley said as he handed the wand back to Buffy.

Buffy nodded as she took the wand from Wesley and looked at Dumbledore pushing the slayer bit to the back of her mind to digest later, "Anyways about Dawn. What are we going to be doing?"

Dumbledore smiled and nodded, "On to business. First Dawn has been sorted and as luck would have it the sorting hat placed her in Gryffindor. That will make our job much easier. She will be taking classes with the two of you. You can watch her when Ms. Lehane cannot. We had thought about Ms. Lehane being Dawn's nurse, but since she has been sorted into your house. That idea can be tossed. Ms. Lehane I am thinking possibly a teaching position now, maybe Muggle Defense?"

Faith nodded, "I think I could do that. And I think it wouldn't be a bad idea that Harry, Buffy, and Dawn take the class. Not only can they learn self-defense techniques, that might help them to protect Dawn better, but it would give Dawn an excuse to be around me when she is not in her other classes.

Dumbledore nodded, "Agreed. I will make an announcement in the morning. Dawn everyone will question your age. You are technically underage to be here. I think we should say that you were already doing accidental magic long before you should have been. And it is this reason that it was agreed upon by the Ministry that you should come to Hogwarts a year early. Of course, that's not the truth, but we all know the real truth."

Wesley nodded, "That sounds like a good plan. That will also allow me to train Miss Potter as well. Now Miss Potter it is paramount that you not tell anyone outside this room about Faith being the Slayer or that you're a Potential. Secrecy is key here."

Buffy looked at the man and nodded, "Yes, sir."

Dumbledore looked to the assembled group, "Very well, Buffy, Harry will you two take Dawn to the Gryffindor Common Room and show her where she will be sleeping. Her trunk has already been taken there by the house elves. Wesley you know where the guest suites are correct?" Wesley nodded remembering where they had been from when he had attended Hogwarts. "Very well I will go and inform the other Professors of Dawn as they will also be of help in protecting her."

Everyone left Dumbledore's office at the same time. Dumbledore went to the staff lounge and was grateful that all the professors were in there. "Ah good everyone is here, that is going to help as I won't have to repeat myself. First of all, we have a new student named Dawn Summers. She is Harry and Isabella Potter's cousin. Before you all ask, yes, she is only 10 years old. The reason she was allowed in a year early is for her own protection."

Dumbledore went on to explain about Dawn being the Key and the mysterious woman known so far only as 'The Beast' looking for her. While Dumbledore explained about Dawn, Professor Quirrell smirked as he shuffled the information about Dawn to the back of his mind, in case he might need it later.

"Faith Lehane, the current Slayer, will be watching over Miss Summers as well as Miss Summers cousins. I would like you all to keep an eye on her as well. Taking about Ms. Lehane she will be added to the staff as part of her cover for being here. She will be teaching Muggle self-defense classes. For the students this class will be extra, they can elect to take it or not. It will not be required. Now is there any questions?"

A few of the professors fired off a round of questions and Dumbledore fielded them the best he could under the circumstances before he left the staff lounge and went to bed.

September 4, 1991

The morning came early for everyone as they all headed down to breakfast. Once everyone arrived Dumbledore stood up getting everyone's attention. "There are a few things of note today before we have breakfast. First of which is we have a new professor on staff, Professor Lehane here will be teaching Muggle Defense classes. This class is not a requirement and anyone who does not want to take it will be excused. The ones that do take it will be notified of when their class sessions will be. Also, we have a new student in Gryffindor. A few days ago, it was brought to my attention that she had already been doing accidental magic at an early age compared to everyone else. The Ministry felt that she needed instruction now instead of waiting another year. So please welcome Dawn Summers, the youngest student to ever grace these halls. Now let the feast begin."