After leaving Snape, Buffy had ran to the owlery. She'd intended to send Giles an owl about Spike's appearance at Hogsmeade and Snape's meeting with him. The only problem with her plan was that owls are nocturnal and Buffy had found the owlery empty.

So she ran back to the school. Dumbledore should know, she thought. He would want to know who Snape was keeping company with. Why should Dumbledore know? Buffy wondered at her persistence at pursuing this. Really, what proof did she have of wrongdoing? Maybe Snape didn't know what Spike was. These thoughts slowed her down as she walked to Dumbledore's office. He was probably asleep anyway, not everyone was practically nocturnal like her.

But she was already at the gargoyle guarding his office. Buffy stared at the gargoyle, willing it to move. It stayed still. Then she remembered there was a password. What was the password? Dumbledore had said it on the day of her interview. She struggled to remember. It was "sugar something," some kind of candy.

"Sugar Crisp?" she tried.

The gargoyle remained immobile.

"No, that's stupid, I doubt he's even heard of Sugar Crisp," she said to herself. She giggled a little at the idea of Dumbledore watching Saturday morning cartoons and eating a bowl of Sugar Crisp.

"Quills!" she jumped with excitement. "It's 'sugar quills,' right?"

The gargoyle leapt aside as if to answer. Buffy rode the stairs up to Dumbledore's office.

Here's hoping I don't disturb him, she thought as she knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Well, he didn't sound pissed. She opened the door. Be calm, be rational, be adult, is what she thought.

"Professor, we have a problem," is what came out as she strode across the floor.

Dumbledore was sitting in a midnight blue dressing gown with little silver stars embroidered on it. Buffy stopped in shock. Sitting next to Dumbledore was the Dark Lord of Spooky himself. Snape.

"What are you doing here?" she heard herself ask him.

Crap, is what she thought.

"My business with the headmaster is certainly none of your business," he said archly.

"Please, sit down, Miss Summers," said Dumbledore pleasantly, conjuring another chair between his and Snape's. "What's the problem?"

He handed her a cup of tea.

"Thank you, Professor. The problem is," she looked at Snape. "Well, the problem is private."

Dumbledore cocked his head. "Anything you say to me can be said in front of Severus."

"Ok," and Buffy recounted meeting Spike in the cemetery and ended with, "The problem is I saw you," she indicated Snape, "meeting with Spike at the Hog's Head."

Severus glared at here.

"You have some nerve spying on me."

"I wasn't spying on you, I was spying on Spike. You just happened to be there. Why were you there?"

"That is my business," Severus said coldly.

"Quite coincidentally, Severus was just telling me of his meeting with Spike. You see, Miss Summers, Severus is a double agent. He is a Death Eater and he keeps me informed of Tom's activities."

"And you trust him?" Buffy asked incredulously.

"You would best learn to hold your tongue before you say something you regret," said Severus, his hand moving toward his left pocket.

Dumbledore shot Severus a stern glance before fixing his penetrating glare on Buffy.

"I trust Severus, I will not have others questioning his loyalty." "I'm sorry, Professor," said Buffy. "That just came out, I didn't mean it."

"All is forgiven," said Dumbledore. "Severus was just explaining the results of his meeting with Spike before you knocked. It seems that Spike believes that Ton will be able to remove the chip in his brain if he delivers you to Tom."

Buffy's reaction shocked Severus. She laughed as if that was the funniest thing she ever heard.

"Spike? Deliver me to Voldemort? That's rich!"

"You're not concerned?" ask Severus.

"I'm concerned. I hate that he's here, even though as long as the chip works he can't hurt anybody. He's a royal pain in the ass. He'd be scary except his plans never work. He's been trying to kill me since I was a junior in high school. I'm like the cartoon mouse, I'm always going to win."

"If Spike is so easy to defeat, why haven't you killed him already?" asked Severus.

"That's…complicated. After Spike got the chip, he helped us out. A lot. He saved my sister's life and he helped me fight Glory. I wouldn't have been able to beat her if he hadn't helped."

"So you have a cooperative relationship?" asked Dumbledore.

You could call it that, thought Buffy.

"Yes. Before I came here, though, he was…hostile. I didn't expect him to follow me from Sunnydale."

"If he resumed hostilities could you kill him?"

"Yes," said Buffy.

That's a lie, she thought.

"I won't let him hurt anyone else," said Buffy.

Dumbledore nodded, considering her seriously.

"I believe you."

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" asked Dumbledore.

"Not that I can think of," she shook her head. "I meant to tell Giles, though, only all the owls are gone. And my phone doesn't work here."

Buffy took a sleek silver piece of plastic out of her pocket. Snape recognized it as a muggle device for talking to people from a distance.

"You may use Fawkes, if you wish to alert Giles."

Buffy noticed the magnificent phoenix for the first time. He cooed softly at her. She nodded, took out a piece of paper and a pen from her jacket pocket and began to write.

"May I see your phone?" Dumbledore asked almost shyly.

"Sure," said Buffy.

He picked it up and examined it closely. He opened it and looked at its blank screen.

"Isn't it fascinating what muggles invent in lieu of magic?"

"Quite," said Snape, sounding as though he thought the opposite were true.

Dumbledore put the message in Fawkes's beak and the phoenix flew out the window.

Dumbledore gave Buffy back her phone. "Thank you for alerting me about Spike. And thank you for letting me see your phone."

"Oh, you're welcome, any time."

"Is there anything else you would like to tell me Severus?"

"No," Severus shook his head.

They left Dumbledore's office together.

"I'll be watching you," said Severus suddenly, while standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Why?" asked Buffy, staring into his unfathomable eyes.

"Because I don't trust you."

"That's good," said Buffy, "Because the feeling is mutual."

They both walked off in opposite directions.

Buffy suddenly realized how tired she was as she walked to her door. She moved the tapestry back and noticed there was a message taped to the door. Buffy opened it and read;

"Buffy, I guess you're patrolling, just wanted to let you know I stopped by. I'll be up awhile if you want to come to visit. My room is at the end of the hall, my door is behind a tapestry of a unicorn. Willow"

Buffy entered her room and changed into her comfortable pajamas and flip-flops. Her footsteps sounded lonely to Buffy. The castle was definitely creepy with only a little over a dozen people occupying it. Willow flopped onto her bed with the new leather-bound journal that she had bought from Scrivenshafts. There was nothing like cracking open a brand new journal.

She wrote;

24 August 1997

Dear Tara,

I guess it's kind of weird naming a brand new journal after your dead girlfriend. But I want to keep a record of my life and I have a hard time just writing in a journal. You were the person that I would tell everything, from the really important stuff to the not so important stuff, so I guess it's appropriate.

It's about a week before school starts. I'll be teaching here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I'll be teaching muggle (non-magical people) studies at a magical school. It feels weird. I never would have dreamt of being here a year ago. Everything was so dark not so long ago. I thought I was going to die, but I didn't.

Life goes on. Some days it's easy and some days it's hard. The land is so beautiful here, I know that you would love it. Sometimes, when the sun is really gentle on my skin or there's a nice breeze rustling the leaves I feel you here. I remember when we sang together.

Willow chewed on the tip of her pen (She thought quills were too impractical), gathering her thoughts. A knock interrupted her reverie. She put her journal down on her nightstand and opened the door.

"Hi Buffy, come in."

Willow's room had the same layout as Buffy's except the decorations in the sitting room were in earth tones and her bedroom was done in light purples.

"How are you doing?"

"I just got back from patrolling," she flopped on Willow's couch.

"You don't sound good," said Willow concernedly.

"Guess who's in town?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know. Wait!" realization dawned on her, "No, he wouldn't, would he?" asked Willow.

Buffy nodded that Willow was right.

"Spike followed you all the way here? That's sick!"

"That's what I thought," said Buffy. "But this is the weird part," and Buffy told Willow of Snape meeting with Spike.

"Dumbledore explained that Snape's a double-agent but something was definitely weird. I just don't trust him."

Willow was about to say something when they were interrupted by a light tapping at the window.

Willow got up and opened the window.

"Oh, a phoenix!" she exclaimed.

"He's Dumbledore's. I think it's a 'he.' Its name is 'Fawkes.'"

Buffy took the letter from Fawkes's beak and hesitantly stroked it's feathers. Fawkes looked at her with soft, intelligent eyes before flying off into the night.

"Dear Buffy," read Buffy aloud, "The news of Spike's return is most distressing. He undoubtedly wants to seek out an alliance with Voldemort. It's imperative that we meet to discuss strategy. Also, Dawn wants to see you. I'll be at the Three Broomsticks tomorrow at noon if you want to meet me there.

Regards—Giles."

"Oh, Dawn & Giles time," said Willow. "Do you mind if I come?" asked Willow.

"Sure, the more minds the merrier. Plus, I bet Dawnie would love to see you. Minerva said that the annual supply lists went out so we can floo to Diagon Ally and get her supplies."

"Yeah. It's going to be weird being her teacher though."

"Definitely."

Buffy yawned. "I'm beat," she yawned and stretched. "I think I'm going to go to bed."

"Goodnight, Buffy," said Willow.

"Goodnight," said Buffy, letting herself out. She shut the door behind her and walked slowly towards her room. She couldn't wait to take a long hot bath and curl up in her big bed.

Willow turned back to her journal and reread what she had last written, I remember when we sang together. She continued;

That day was so perfect, yet marred by the knowledge of what I had done to you. I will never forget how I let magic take control of me and let me hurt someone I love. I'm sorry, is all I can say.

That's why I'm here. Giles, and the coven at Westbury, say that magic is a part of me, something that I can't stop or deny. I only want to use it for good. If I can help students respect and understand muggles I think that's the ultimate good.

There are dark times ahead. Terrible things are already happening to muggles and their supporters. I have the feeling that Buffy and I will be facing a new evil unlike anything we've ever faced before (Except maybe the mayor), because this evil was created entirely by a human.

Anyway, I'm very tired. I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight and I love you, Willow

Willow curled up against the plump pillows. "Exstinguo," she whispered softly from her bed and all the lamps went out. She slept dreamlessly.