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!
Thanks to PrInCeSsFBi for your lovely review. I'm glad that I didn't drive you off with my long updating times! I hope that y'all are still with me and are still enjoying this fic! Please drop me a review on your way out. Reviews are my anti-drug.
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She was standing on a grassy slope looking off into a dark forest. She was carrying a scythe in one hand and her wand in the other, and her face was set in an expression of grim determination. Behind her stood a huge mass of people, the majority of them were wearing robes and holding what appeared to be wands, except for a small group dressed in muggle clothing, each clutching various weapons. It seemed as if time stood still; nothing could be heard but the whistling of the wind and the occasional hooting of owls in the distance as she waited with bated breath for what was about to happen.
The moon was full, illuminating the vast grounds. A murmur could be heard throughout the crowd, and the blond raised her hand in a gesture signaling those behind her to remain in their positions. She lowered her hand and squinted into the darkness of the forest, as if trying to uncover anything hidden there.
"You guys take out all the vamps and demons you can," the Slayer instructed her friends, and they nodded, each clutching their stakes and swords. "Leave the others to us. Stay out of the way of any spells, and stick with your partners." She had paired each of her non-magical friends, even Willow, with a member of the Order in case someone decided to turn his or her wand on them. They nodded again, already knowing the plan.
Suddenly, a lone figure emerged from the darkness, dressed head to toe in black, flowing robes. Even from this far away, Buffy could see his pale skin and bright scarlet eyes. Voldemort. He stopped about 50 feet from the group standing on the hill and raised his arms. Instantly, over fifty wizards, also dressed in black robes, and almost 200 vampires and other various demons appeared from the forest and came to a halt behind their master. She could see her sisters Slayer and former friend and ally standing at his side, regarding her with absolute loathing. She stared right back before her gaze shifted back to the leader of the group. For what seemed like hours, no one moved. Almost simultaneously, the blond and the robed figure nodded their heads, each giving silent permission for the other to proceed.
"NOW!" Buffy screamed, gripping her scythe so tightly that her knuckles turned white and launching herself down the hill toward the forest. At the same time, the robed figure raised his arm in a gesture to begin the assault. Both groups followed their leaders as screams filled the air, racing toward each other, casting curses and hurling weapons though the air.
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Buffy awoke with a soft gasp, her gaze instantly settling on the figure lying next to her. It had been nearly two months since that fateful day when she had blown her her cover by rescuing Harry from Voldemort's, or rather Faith's, clutches. Since then, things had changed drastically.
The students of Hogwarts had been informed of her destiny, and traditional classes were halted in favor of lessons in self defense, both magical and physical, and advanced cursework. Even the younger students were being taught how to protect themselves and those around them on a daily basis. Buffy had abandoned her positions as co-professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts and Wandless Defense, leaving DADA to Lupin and Wandless Defense to Angel and Spike. Just like Buffy, Angel's cover had been blown when he had refused to kill the Slayer at Voldemort's command, and he was now a full-blown member of the Order of the Phoenix. Spike had once again joined the side of light, having given Buffy his "Happy Meals on legs" speech, and she once again saw that he was telling the truth. However, she was sure that once this was all over, they'd go back to being bitter enemies; it was just the way they worked. The Scoobies and Wesley had been brought to Hogwarts at Buffy's request and were proving to be very helpful in training the students as well as recruiting other wizards and witches for their cause. She had taken on the role of leader, and people followed her orders like they would Dumbledore's. Almost every day she called meetings with the Order to learn of their progress in finding people, as well as demons and other creatures, to join their side and their ability to sway their loyalties away from Voldemort. She had stepped up her magical training, all of the professors, as well as members of the Order going out of their way to teach her all that they knew. She was nowhere near Dumbeldore or Volemort's level, but after training twenty-four seven for the last two months, she was getting pretty damn good. Lastly, after almost loosing him once, the blond had absolutely refused to let Harry out of her sight, leaving his side only when she had to meet with the Order or the Ministry, and even then, she sent a member of the Order or the Hogwarts staff to keep an eye on him.
Which is why he was he was lying next to her, his face buried in a pillow, snoring slightly with his mouth open. Per usual, they had each fallen asleep on their own sides of her bed, but sometime in the night, they had managed to scooch closer together. Now, they were lying face to face, their noses almost touching, and he had his arm slung low over her waist. His soft breath tickled at her lips, and she smiled. Nothing else had happened between them since their one and only kiss in Sirius' room, but Buffy felt herself getting closer and closer to to the boy every day that she spent with him. Besides Faith, who had obviously and completely gone over the deep end, he was the only one that understood her. Her destiny. She was destined to die, and so was he. They had both cheated death several times, and as morbid as it was, they had formed a close bond on that premise alone.
Watching as he jerked slightly, his hand finding its way to her hip, she closed her eyes and forced herself to remember her dream. It was so clear and vivid that she could have sworn that it had actually happened. That only meant one thing: it had been a prophetic dream. Shit. Sighing, she craned her neck to the side, glancing over at the clock on her nightstand and seeing that it was almost nine o'clock. His classes started at ten, and she needed to see Dumbledore as soon as possible to tell him about her dream.
"Harry," she whispered, giving him a gentle nudge, smiling amusedly when he ignored her, snuggling deeper into the mass of pillows. "Harry, wake up."
"Mnyuhhhh..." he groaned, removing his hand from her hip and using it to pull the covers over his head. Laughing quietly, she grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it down, causing him to groan again and open one bright green eye at her. "S'matter?"
"It's nine," she supplied, and he groaned again. "You gotta get to class, and I have to go see Albus." Shooting a mock-annoyed glare in her direction, he slid out from beneath the covers, the way his tight t-shirt and low-slung pajama pants clung to his body causing her eyes to be drawn to his muscular physique. He had always been extremely attractive, but the last two months of vigorous training, both with her and in Angel and Spike's class, had done wonders for him. He grabbed his glasses from the table on his side of the bed, and she could feel his eyes on her as she got out of bed, his gaze sweeping over her undersized white tank top and pink and white pajama bottoms. Reaching her hands to her hair, she noticed that she had a particularly bad case of bed head and winced, running her fingers through the long blond locks to untangle them. Just then, Sir Charles appeared in the the empty portrait by her bed.
"Good morning, Miss Buffy, Mr. Potter."
"Hey Charles," the Slayer greeted, and Harry gave him a nod, watching their interaction with interest.
"Mr. Malfoy is here to see you." Since he had confided in her his fear at being asked to kill Dumbledore, he and Buffy had become fast friends. She was still a bit on guard about the fact that he could be setting up a trap for her, but he had proven time and time again that he was truly on their side. She had forbid him to return to his mansion, not wanting Voldemort to sense his true intentions and kill him for defying him, and he had eagerly agreed. He had no desire to deal with either the Dark Lord or his father. Looking over at Harry, she saw that he was glaring slightly, and a second later, he had walked over to the door exited her room, softly closing the door behind him. He and Draco still hated each other, and he had repeatedly tried to convince her that he was evil. They had even gotten into a few fights over it. Buffy trusted the blond, and he refused to accept it.
"Send him in," she ordered before following the boy into the common room. "Harry, please, wait." He turned so sharply that she was caught off-guard, nearly slamming into the furious boy. She thought he was going to yell, but the anger in his eyes quickly dissipated at the hurt look on her face.
"He's going to hurt you," he said softly, the concern and worry shining in his beautiful green eyes. "He's working for him, you know he is!"
"Harry, please!" Buffy countered, clearly exasperated, but this didn't stop him.
"After all that he's done! He's a complete prat to everyone! He's evil! I can feel it!" He paused in an attempt to control his rising anger. "I just... I don't want you to get hurt." He tenderly tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear, letting it rest on her cheek and looking deep into her eyes, green meeting hazel.
"I know," she answered quietly, her brain focusing on the way his hand felt of her soft skin. "But I trust him, and you should too." Their moment was interrupted by the portrait swinging open, and Harry quickly dropped his hand to his side, sending Draco a scathing glare.
"Malfoy."
"Potter," Draco greeted, not even trying to hide the disdain in his voice. There was something else in his eyes that Buffy couldn't quite recognize as he looked the other boy up and down, taking in his state of dress.
"Harry, go get ready for class," she ordered gently, nudging him in the direction of the door that led to the Gryffindor common room. "It's alright, go." Giving her one last look and Draco one last glare, he moved away from her, disappearing through the door and practically slamming it close behind him. "Hey, Drake. What's up?" His eyes snapped up from where they were lingering on the exposed skin between her tank top and pajama pants, his anger at seeing the other boy disappearing the second his eyes met hers. Seeing the fear and utter panic in his eyes, she frowned, walking over to him and taking his hand in hers, leading him to the plush leather couch and pushing him down onto it. "Drake, what's wrong?"
"They're coming tonight." His voice shook with panic despite his cool exterior, and she frowned at him in concern. "Voldemort. He's coming tonight." Buffy felt her stomach drop, and her mouth suddenly felt extremely dry. She knew that it was going to be soon, having had a prophetic dream and all, but the Powers usually gave her a few days to prepare.
"Shit!" she yelled after a moment of silence, causing Draco to jerk in surprise next to her, staring at her like she had grown a second head. She jumped to her feet and started pacing, walking in a tighter and tighter circle until she was basically spinning on the carpet. "It can't be... We're not ready... Not yet..." Then, in a blink of an eye, she was out of the room and running down the corridor to Dumbeldore's office, leaving Draco to sprint after her. Falling into step at her side, he kept right with her as she shot down corridors and up staircases, even when he looked like he was going to die. Stopping in front of the stone gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office, she shouted the password, Pepper Imps, at it before racing up the stairs and barging through the heavy wooden doors without knocking. Draco entered after her, breathing so hard that she was afraid he might blow out a lung. Frowning, she pushed him into the chair across from Dumbledore's desk before dropping into the one next to him. She had been so intent on getting to the Headmaster, that she didn't even try to slow down. It was a miracle that he had been able to keep up with her.
"Buffy, Mr. Malfoy, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Dumbledore greeted, raising an eyebrow at the way Draco was sitting with his hands on his knees, gasping and panting for breath, sweat pouring down his face and arms.
"Something's happened," she answered, pushing a glass of water Dumbledore had conjured into Draco's hand. He smiled at her gratefully before downing it in one gulp and replacing it on the desk. "Voldemort's coming tonight." The Headmaster sat up a bit straighter in his chair in alarm, looking at her seriously. "I need to see the Order. Now." He nodded without question, pulling out his wand. A silver phoenix burst from the end of his wand as he muttered something under his breath, disappearing out the window a few moments later.
"We must go to headquarters," he insisted, and the Slayer nodded, standing up and knocking the chair backwards a few inches in the process. "Shall we inform Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger?" She nodded again, watching as Draco finally caught his breath and stood up beside her.
"I'll get them. Take Draco, and I'll meet you there." Dumbledore was the one to nod this time, gesturing for Draco to follow him over to the fireplace.
"Buffy..." the blond argued, wanting to help, but Buffy cut him off.
"I'll be fine." She gave him a soft smile and gently pushed him toward the fireplace. "Everything's going to be fine. I'll see you soon." Without another word, she exited the room, sprinting as fast as she could to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Bursting through the door and drawing all eyes to herself, she saw Snape and Lupin at the front of the room, both of their wands pointed at the other with shocked expressions on their faces. Knowing that the kids needed to learn how to duel, she had put them in charge, refusing to allow their personal problems interfere with the safety of the students. Of course, they had tried to argue with her, but at her insistence, they had relented, wanting to please her and not wanting to question her authority. She had become one of the most important teachers at Hogwarts, second only to Dumbledore himself, and they knew better than to question her. They had also become extremely close to her during her stay, and both of them would do anything for her. "Albus needs you," she informed them, and they both lowered their wands. "You three," she turned her attention toward the Trio, motioning for them to come with her. "Come with me. The rest of you..." − she addressed the rest of the class, which consisted of all of the seventh year Gryffindors − "Go back to your dormitories. Don't leave until Dumbledore or I tell you to come out. Is that clear?" The authority in her voice allowed no argument, and they all nodded before gathering their things and shuffling out of the room, whispering and muttering among themselves. She walked over to Snape and Lupin, and they watched her eagerly, awaiting her next order. "Get Ginny and the others and meet us at headquarters." They nodded before exiting the room in a blur of black fabric.
"Buffy, what's happening?" Hermione asked, her eyes clouded with worry. "What's going on?"
"Are you alright?" Harry asked, panic tinging his voice at the fact that she was still dressed in her pajamas and that she was practically shaking with pent up energy.
"What happened?" Ron echoed Hermione, speaking up for the first time, and causing her to rip her gaze from Harry's face.
"Something's happened," she answered, briskly. "We're going to headquarters. Hang onto me." She felt three hands close over her arms, and she closed her eyes, concentrating solely on number twelve Grimmauld Place. Since she had informed Dumbledore of her ability to apparate in and out of Hogwarts, he had pushed her to learn to control it, knowing that it would be extremely beneficial to them. He had never known anyone who could accomplish it, even himself or Voldemort, the two most powerful wizards in the world, as the magical shields around Hogwarts were supposed to prevent it, and though he showed no sign of it, she could tell that he feared the power that she possessed. She had shrugged, assuming that this ability had something to do with her Slayer power on top of her other magical powers. She felt her lungs constrict, and a few seconds later, opened her eyes to see the faded wallpaper of the dingy hallway of the Order's headquarters. Landing firmly on her feet, she looked down to see that Harry, Ron, and Hermione hadn't been as graceful. They were all lying sprawled on the ground, slightly disoriented from the side-along apparation. Helping them to their feet, she turned away, leading them to the kitchen.
"Oh, Buffy!" Mrs. Weasley greeted the second she had walked through the door to the kitchen. She was swept up into a large hug by the older woman and wrapped her arms around her gently before letting go and sitting down at the long wooden table. Every single member of the Order was there, as well as the entire Hogwarts staff, the Weasley family, The Scoobies, and Draco. He was standing rather awkwardly in the corner of the room, clearly out of place, and Buffy gestured for him to sit next to her, which he did without hesitation. The only two missing were Angel and Spike. She had sent them off to recruit vampires from the surrounding areas a few days ago and hadn't heard from them since.
"What is he doing here?" Ron sneered, causing the blond to roll her eyes at him. The read head showed about as much as restraint in showing his distaste for Draco as Harry did, but Hermione and Ginny had chosen to keep their thoughts to themselves. Buffy trusted him, and that was enough for them.
"He's on our side, Ron," she said, her voice slightly cooler than she had meant it. If anyone wanted to attack Draco, they would have to go through her first. "It's about time you realized that." She gestured for everyone to sit down, and the sound of chairs scraping against the floor and excited mummers echoed through the overcrowded room. "I had a dream last night. We were all there. Voldemort had his Death Eaters and vampires. Giants, demons, fighting suits of armor... anything you could think of. This is it. The final showdown."
"How can you be sure that it wasn't just a dream?" Professor McGonagall asked, raising a thin eyebrow at her. Buffy looked over at Giles, giving him permission to explain. He loved doing that, after all.
"Slayers are often prone to have prophetic dreams," he continued to prattle on like a walking textbook, explaining her dreams, while Buffy and the Scoobies exchanged amused looks. Some things never changed. "If this dream is indeed prophetic, I am certain that the events that took place will soon be upon us. Should be a couple of days at least."
"Unfortunately," Buffy interrupted, frowning, "the Powers That Be haven't given us a couple of days. It's happening tonight."
"Are you sure?" her Watcher inquired.
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Dear Lord," he muttered, snatching the glasses from his face and cleaning them with a cloth from his jacket pocket. Buffy and the others exchanged another amused look before her features once again became serious.
"Drake, tell us what happened," she prompted Draco gently, watching as he shifted nervously in his seat. Harry stiffened at the nickname, but she placed a hand on his knee and squeezed, causing him to relax slightly. Draco hesitated, looking over at her, and the Slayer smiled at him encouragingly. "Go on."
"My father has informed me that Voldemort plans to attack Hogwarts tonight." His voice was quiet, betraying his fear at being shoved into a room where practically everyone thought that he was a Death Eater and hated his family, and Buffy gently took her hand in his, giving him what she hoped was a comforting smile. That's when Harry snapped. He stood up so violently that his chair was knocked backwards into Mrs. Weasley's lap, and in a second, Ron was standing at his side.
"Your father's a bleeding Death Eater!" he yelled at the blond, causing him to shoot to his feet as well. "Why would he tell you if you weren't one either? It's because you're one of them!"
"Yeah!" Ron contributed helpfully, pinning Draco with a glare of his own.
"Harry!" Hermione whispered urgently, tugging on his sleeve and trying to get him to sit back down. She knew that his little outburst could only end in trouble. "Ronald, sit down!"
"Hey!" Buffy said, standing up and placing one hand on Draco's chest and the other on Harry's just in case they decided to start throwing punches. They ignored her as well. A few of the adults had stood as well and were watching the fight apprehensively, not knowing what to do. Dumbledore hadn't moved from his chair; he was watching the two as they screamed at each other, his head tilted to the side regarding them silently.
"My father," the blond practically spat in the other boy's face, "may be an evil bastard, but he would never let anything happen to me! I'm not a Death Eater, you git! Don't you think she'd" − he pointed to Buffy − "would be able to tell?"
"I don't care that you've convinced her that you're on our side, but I don't believe you," Harry shot back, and Buffy saw him reaching for his wand. Looking over at Draco, she saw that he was doing the same.
"That's enough!" she thundered, causing all eyes to snap toward her. She rarely yelled, in fact, most of the people in the room hadn't seen her loose her cool, but those who knew her knew that things were pretty serious when she did. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Willow and Xander exchange a worried glance."You three," she ordered, turning her attention toward Draco, Harry, and Ron. "In the hallway." Neither of them moved. They simply continued to stare at her, shock and a little bit of fear etched on all of their faces. "Now." Without another word, she spun on her heel and stalked from the room, coming to a stop in the hallway and waiting for them to join her, a scowl marring her beautiful features and her hand planted firmly on her hip.
"Buffy," Harry started when he caught sight of her, but she held up a hand to silence him.
"I don't want to hear it, Harry!" Draco and Ron filed out after him, both looking down at their feet. "Now that's enough!"
"But-..."
"No!" She knew that everyone could hear her, but she didn't care. All she cared about was forcing the fact that Draco was on their side into their tiny, thick, little brains. "I've had enough of this stupid little testosterone showdown! It's stupid! And it's not getting us anywhere! You two," she spun toward Harry and Ron, causing them to take a step back at the anger radiating off of her in waves. "You need to understand that I trust him. I trust that he's not going to fuck us over, turn us over to Voldemort. I brought you here because I thought you'd want to know what was going on. You don't have to trust me, I don't even really care what you think. But you have to realize that I'm in charge." The Slayer in her took over and didn't seem to care that she was talking to two of her best friends, one who was potential boyfriend material. "Whatever Dumbledore and I think, whoever we trust, that's all that matters. I expect you not to question my authority again. And you," she turned toward Draco, who was looking at her as if he was a five year old child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "If you're truly on our side, if you want me to continue trusting you, protecting you, including you in my life, you have to understand that Harry... and Ron... are important parts of my life. They always will be. Their involvement is extremely crucial in defeating Voldemort. If you can't handle that, then I can't help you. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Buffy." She regarded all of them, slightly sorry that she had blown up at them, but knowing that it had needed to be done. All of them looked sufficiently sorry, and she nodded, giving them a soft smile.
"Good, now come on." Stepping away from them, she reentered the kitchen, not saying a word to the other occupants, and waiting for them to follow her. Once again dropping into her chair, she looked to her right where Draco was seated beside her and nodded for him to continue. "Draco."
"My father has informed me that Voldemort plans to attack Hogwarts tonight," he repeated, clearly still shaken by what had just happened. "He told me to get out, to get as far away as possible, but I couldn't." He felt Harry's angry eyes on the side of his head, but he continued at Buffy's encouraging smile. "He's coming as soon as it's dark." There was a moment of silence as everyone struggled to digest this information. Then, all of a sudden, the room broke out in panic. People rocketed out of their chairs, screaming at both Dumbledore and Buffy, asking them about what they were going to do.
"Silence!" came Dumbledore's loud voice, and all noise ceased. "Severus." Snape stood, giving all of his attention to the headmaster. "You will escort Mrs. Potter, Miss and Mr. Weasley, Mr. Malfoy, and Miss Granger back to Hogwarts and then return to Voldemort's side. Find out everything you can about his plans."
"Yes, Headmaster," he answered, nodding, and quickly ushered the four from the room. They followed without question. Buffy could feel both Harry and Draco's eyes on her, but she refused to look at them, still upset at what had just happened. Whether it was at them or herself for yelling at them even though they completely deserved it, she didn't know. But that didn't matter right now.
"We need to evacuate the students," she said once Snape had gone, her eyes focusing on the headmaster. "All of the underage students. The older ones can decide if they want to help. They don't have to, but they should have the option." Dumbledore nodded. "We need weapons for those who can't use magic. Anything that we have in the castle, bring it to me." He nodded again. "I need to see the Minister." She stood up, watching as he stood up, the rest of the occupants of the room doing the same. "I should be back in less than an hour."
"Of course," Dumbledore agreed with a small bow of his head. "Alastor, Kingsley, Nymphadora, Arthur." Each stepped forward, separating themselves from the rest of the group. "Go with her. Alert everyone of our situation. Bring back anyone willing to fight."
"Giles." Buffy walked over to him, motioning for her friends to gather around her. They did so without question. "Find Angel and Spike and then go back to Hogwarts. Find any... spells, wicca or other, that could potentially kill vampires. Gather holy water, crosses... All the weapons you can find. Keep the kids safe until I get back, alright?" She asked them to do this, because she trusted them more than anybody else. They would do exactly what she wanted without any question. They were all in this together. They always had been, and they always would be. But most importantly, she wanted them in the castle. They would be safe there.
"Sure thing, Buffster," Xander answered with one of his trademark grins, reaching out to ruffle her hair, earning him a mock glare. Oz stood stonily by, an arm wrapped around his panicking girlfriend. He nodded almost imperceptibly, but Buffy knew that he would do whatever she asked of him.
"Buffy I can't... I'm not strong enough..." The Slayer cut off her babbling friend, knowing that she was talking about magic. Sure, her abilities were coming along, but she wasn't advanced enough to be extremely effective in battle. Willow knew that, and she knew that.
"Willow, you're amazing," she said gently, her features softening with sympathy for the girl. "You can do this. We can do this. We've faced much worse." This was an obvious lie, both of them knew it, but Willow nodded anyways, launching herself at her best friend and wrapping her arms around her, not knowing when she would see her again. "I'll be back soon."
"Be careful," Giles instructed, gently peeling a hysterical Willow off of his Slayer. "Watch your back." With one last look at her friends, and at this point, her family, she followed the four people accompanying her to the Ministry of Magic into the hallway, nodding when Mr. Weasley asked if she was ready. Wordlessly she trailed behind them as they made their way to the front room, and with the flick of his wand, a large fire sprung to life. Grabbing the jar of floo powder from the mantle, he held it out to her, and she took a small pinch of the silvery, giving him a grateful smile and moving to stand in front of the fireplace.
"Ministry of Magic, London!" she practically yelled, throwing the powder into the fire and watching as the flames turned emerald green. Stepping into the fireplace, she closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for the inevitable nausea as her world spun around her. A few second later, she practically fell out of the fireplace at the other end, managing to catch herself before she fell flat on her face. Brushing a bit of ash off of herself, she looked around, watching as several dozens of people bustled around her, shooting her odd looks, as she was still dressed in her pajamas. She ignored them. She hadn't had time to change; it didn't seem important at the time, and it still didn't. Waiting for the others to emerge from the fireplaces, she walked over to Mr. Weasley, and they were soon joined by the other three. "I'm going to go see the Minister. Gather up all the people you can, and I'll meet you at Hogwarts." They all nodded in response before going their separate ways, Buffy walking past the gigantic statue of the magical brethren to the elevators and the others heading God knows where. Stepping into the waiting elevator, she pushed the button that would take her to the first floor, smiling slightly annoyedly as the other occupants shot her quizzical looks at her unusual attire.
"Level Seven: Department of Magical Games and Sports," came the elevator's cool, crisp voice. A tall wizard got off, sending one last look in Buffy's direction before disappearing around the corner. "Level Six: Department of International Magical Cooperation." A few more people got on and off. Not knowing any of these people and not really wanting to talk to any of them, she let her mind wander off. They weren't ready. It sucked, but they just weren't. The children, teenagers, she corrected herself, weren't ready. The teachers weren't ready. Dumbledore wasn't ready. She wasn't ready. Hell, even the Ministry wasn't ready. They were so screwed. "Level one: Office of the highest Ministry Officials, such as the Minister of Magic, Advisor to Minister, Senior Under-Secretary to the Minister of Magic, and Junior Assistant to Minister of Magic." The lift jolted to a stop, and she ducked a paper airplane memo before stepping out of the elevator and taking a sharp right. Passing several doors, she stopped in front of the one that contained a plaque declaring "Cornelius Fudge: Minister of Magic," knocking curtly before entering.
"Ah Buffy," Cornelius greeted, raising an eyebrow at her attire but not saying anything. "Good to see you again. What's on your mind?" He gestured for her to take a seat, but she ignored him, choosing to pace instead. He had been forced to warm up to her after learning that she had become one of the most important people at Hogwarts, a visit from Dumbledore ensuring that the Minister would do anything in his power to give her whatever she needed. She still hated the stupid little man that had been such a prick to her and Giles the first time they had met, but she knew that she had to play nice with him if she wanted even the tiniest chance of defeating Voldemort. She continued to pace and completely ignored him, debating how she should tell him, before deciding that there was no other way to.
"It's happening. Tonight."
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Well, there's that. I'm actually quite pleased how it came out, even though it's a little bit rushed. Hope y'all enjoyed!