Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) own none of the characters from either Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the Harry Potter series. They belong to the geniuses, Joss Whedon and J.K Rowling. I am not trying to take credit for their works, I am just a poor college student amusing herself by writing some fan fiction!
For the timeline and changes I made to both the Buffy and HP fandoms, see Chapter 1!
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Goodness! I slept for 8 hours and came back to find 9 new reviews! That was a surprise! Thanks to Allen Pitt, Never Is An Awfully Long Time, PrInCeSsFBi, iamkagomeiloveinuyasha, missingcanada, enchangedlight, and Sinkingboat for your reviews and suggestions!
missingcanada: Of course you may add this story to your c2! I'd be honored! Thanks for asking!
Sinkingboat: Faith is all non-evil and getting along with everyone because I have a plan for her later in the story. Guess you'll just have to wait and find out!
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Author's Note: I've decided to make this strictly Buffycentric, so it's quite possible that I'll be following her around instead of both her and Harry, and he won't appear until they collect him from his Aunt and Uncle's house. However, I'm not really sure yet, depends on what my muse decides...
Enough of my rambling, on with the story!
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Buffy continued to smile and wait patiently while one at a time, the professors came out of their shock. They were all still staring at her, but most of them had managed to pick their jaws up off of the floor and school their features into expressions of curiosity.
"The Slayer?" questioned McGonagall faintly, looking from Buffy to Dumbledore with her eyes still wide as if she was expecting one of them to jump up and yell 'April fools!' at any second. When no such action occurred, she continued. "But Albus, is the Slayer not supposed to reside on the Hellmouth? Can she afford to leave it and stay here to aid us in our fight?"
"Minerva, I assure you that the Hellmouth is well taken care of. Miss Summers is the first of two Slayers that have resided there. The other, a Miss Faith Lehane, is taking care of the Hellmouth in Miss Summer's absence. I believe that it is safe for her and her watcher, Mister Giles, to stay at Hogwarts until the war is over" Dumbledore answered motioning to Giles who turned slightly pink under the scrutiny. Buffy and Giles each braced themselves for the outburst that was destined to follow the Headmaster's explanation. Surely if these people knew about Slayers, they would know that there was supposed to be only one Slayer at a time.
"But Headmaster," squeaked Flitwick with a look of confusion crossing his face nodding in agreement with the mutterings of the other professors. "There can only be one Slayer. This must be a mistake."
"This is no mistake, Filius," remarked Dumbledore. "I am sure that you are all aware that if one Slayer dies, another is to be called. Miss Summers did indeed die, and as a result, Miss Lehane was called." He paused, allowing this news to sink in, smiling at Buffy's muttering of "It was only for a second... and SO not my fault." "Of course, Miss Summers is standing here before us today, hence I am sure she found a way around this rather... unfortunate event," he said, casting a smile at the girl in question.
"Headmaster!" Snape called, bringing all focus back to himself. "Surely you could have found a better replacement! Slayer or not, this girl has no idea what to expect from the magical world."
"This girl has a name," Buffy growled, causing all eyes to shift back to her and for Giles to place his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.
"Right you are, Miss Summers," acknowledged the Headmaster. "She is to be a fellow member of the Hogwarts staff after all, Severus. As for your concern about Miss Summers being new to the wizarding world, I believe that I have another trick up my sleeve about that particular matter. Come in," He called loudly, turning back to Buffy. "Miss Summers, may I introduce you to your fellow Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."
Everyone turned toward the door a rather young man with brown, but graying hair, premature wrinkles on his pale face, and tattered robes stepped through. While most of the professors seemed happy at seeing this man in Dumbledore's office and the announcement that he would be the next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Snape looked possibly livid. He looked even madder than when he found out that Buffy was going to be teaching the class.
"Headmaster," he bellowed, causing a few of the professors, as well as Buffy, to cringe slightly at the volume and waves of anger wafting off of him. "You chose him for the position over me once again? How many times must I tell you? One who has his... condition should not be teaching children!"
"That is enough, Severus," responded Dumbledore, all trace of amusement gone from his face. "You of all people should be grateful that I offer second chance." Buffy turned to Giles wondering if he knew what was going on, but her Watcher simply shrugged, indicating with his eyes that he would ask the Headmaster about it after the meeting was over. However, Dumbledore's comment seemed to have had its desired effect on Snape, who continued to glare at the new addition to the room but did not say anything further. "Right then, Remus, may I introduce you to Miss Summers who will be assisting you in teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts." After Buffy and Lupin exchanged nods and waves, Dumbledore continued.
"In addition to teaching this course, Miss Summers will also be leading a muggle defense class, as well as keeping an eye on Mister Potter. I have talked with the rest of the order and they have agreed that it is imperative that she be initiated as it is important that she know Voldemort's happenings at all times." This announcement was met by nods all around except for Snape who glared even harder. "Now, I believe that it is time to escort our guests to their living quarters. It is getting quite late," said Dumbledore with a note of finality that effectively ended the meeting.
Filing out of the room, Buffy could hear the other professors talking about her, wondering whether or not Dumbledore made the right choice in hiring her. Hopefully his faith in her would be enough to convince them that he had made the right decision. When only Buffy, Giles, and Dumbledore were left in the office, the Headmaster motioned for them to follow him out of the door and down the winding stone staircase. He led them up several flights of stairs, past several portraits and suits of armor that Buffy could swear were following her with their eyes and whispered about her once she had passed, until finally stopping in front of a a handsome young night perched on top of a beautiful white horse.
"Miss Summers, this is your room. Tell Sir Charles your password and only those who know it can enter your quarters," said Dumbledore, gesturing toward to the painting who waved and smiled at them.
"Ummmm... I'll keep it simple," decided Buffy, with a slight tilt of her head. "Slayer, I guess." The portrait swung open and Dumbledore ushered her in. Decorated in deep, navy blues, the room was gorgeous. A small common area was filled with soft, cushy chairs that were placed in front of a fireplace and showed four doors.
"This door," started Dumbledore, motioning to the first door on the left, "leads to Rupert's room and that door," pointing at the first door on the right, "leads to the Gryffindor common room. Because Harry is a Gryffindor, the professors and I believe that it would be good for you to have access to the tower from your room. Through the second door on your right, you will find your bedroom and bathroom, and through the second door on your left, I have taken the liberty of providing you with a training room. I hope all of this is satisfactory," he added with a smile.
"Oh wow Prof-..."
"Call me, Albus, my dear."
"...Albus... This is beautiful! Thank you so much! And if I'm to call you Albus, I insist that you call me Buffy. Enough of this Miss Summers stuff." she finished with a wide smile, glancing around the small common room with wide eyes."
"Of course, Buffy," replied Dumbledore, pulling her suitcases out of his pocket and returning them to their normal size. "Here are your suitcases. I recommend that you get some sleep. It's the only way to get rid of that jet lag that you must be feeling. Now, Rupert, if you will follow me, I will show you to your own quarters." After a smile and a hug from her watcher, Giles and Dumbledore headed out through the portrait hole and down the hallway.
"Night Giles, Albus!" Buffy called before picking up her suitcases and heading through the door that led to her bedroom. "Oh, holy crap!" The room had a huge window overlooking the lake, various nightstands and cabinets, and in the middle stood a beautiful four-poster bed, flush with pillows and comforters. Eyes wide, she dumped her bags on the ground and grabbed her toiletries before heading into the bathroom, only to find it filled with sparkling white marble and a huge bathtub. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, she wandered back into the bedroom to change before hopping into bed and snuggling down into the sheets. Yawning, her last thought was 'man, I could get used to this,' before smiling and slipping into unconscious.
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This one's a bit shorter, but I wanted to get Buffy all settled in before having her explore the castle and the rest of the wizarding world. Hope y'all like it!
So far, two of you have voted for keeping the pairings cannon, and two of you voted for switching them up a bit. I probably won't put any pairings into my story for a bit, so keep reviewing and telling me what you think I should do!