The first day of school still made Buffy nervous, even though she was no longer a student. In fact, that may have made her more nervous. At least she was sure her hair was fine, unlike during her first day at Sunnydale.

Neither Buffy nor Willow talked much on the way to breakfast. Buffy couldn't help feeling sorry for Willow, who definitely suffered more from stage fright than Buffy.

"Are you ok, Willow?"

"Ok?" asked Willow. "Yeah, I'm ok except the feeling that there are bats in my tummy. Oh God, Buffy, what am I doing? What if the class is rowdy? What if they don't respect my authority?"

Her voice was rising in pitch and Buffy saw that she was very close to hyperventilating.

"Willow," Buffy grabbed her arm, "Chill. Breathe. Teaching is natural for you, remember? If any one of us is going to succeed it's you. You've been doing this since you were sixteen, teaching for you is like slaying for me."

Willow seemed to calm down a little.

"Thanks, Buffy. I can do this, I can do this…" Willow trailed off as they entered the Great Hall.

The sun was shining and the ceiling was a beautiful light blue. Buffy was thankful for that, it would make her first double class that much easier.

Professor McGonagall was handing out schedules amongst the Gryffindor table, when she stopped Buffy and Willow. She handed them two notebooks.

"Here are your official rosters. Good luck on your first day, even though I doubt the two of you will need it."

"Thanks," said Buffy and Willow and they walked up to the staff table.

The owls were flying in with the morning post. Buffy was shocked when one landed in front of her and held out its leg. She didn't really have anyone to write to her except Giles. She took the envelope and it flew off to the owlery.

The envelope was made of heavy, expensive paper. She opened it. There was one slip of smooth stationery with a simple note; "Good luck. –A"

Buffy instantly felt calm, as she tucked the envelope into her pocket. Willow was watching her and mouthed, "Who is it?"

Buffy mouthed back, "Angel," and Willow smiled and mouthed "Aww."

Buffy reminded herself to write Angel a letter and to ask if he had any info about Captain Peroxide.

Buffy was about to start eating when another owl landed in front of her, this one carrying a small box. Buffy took the box wondering who it could be from. She opened the note attached to the box; "Buffy, I've been assured by reliable sources (Xander and Anya) that chocolate would be a reasonable start-of-year present. Good luck on your new endeavor, Giles (And Xander and Anya)." Buffy opened the box and found an assortment of Honeyduke's chocolates. She smiled. Buffy looked up and saw that Willow and Dawn had received similar presents. This was an excellent way to start the morning, if only every morning could be this nice.

Buffy examined her roster with renewed confidence. Today she would be teaching first year Gryffindors in the morning and a seventh year double-period class in the afternoon. The afternoon class was mixed, due to the fact that some students always dropped defense against the dark arts in their later years. Buffy didn't know this, but there was an unusually high number of Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs, who had been in Dumbledore's Army two years ago.

The bell rang and students and teachers began filtering out.

"Do you have class?" Buffy asked Willow.

"Not until this afternoon. Want me to drop your chocolate off at your room?"

"Please," said Buffy. "I'd better go, I guess it would look pretty bad if I was late to my own class."
"Bye, good luck!" said Willow.

Buffy waved and then ran into something tall and clad in black that fell down with an "Oooph!"

Buffy grudgingly looked down. Professor Snape was sprawled on the ground, looking furious.

"Oh, God, Professor Snape, I'm so sorry. Here, let me help you," she offered him her hand.

"Help yourself," he snarled, refusing her hand and trying to get up with as much dignity as he could muster.

Severus stormed out of the Great Hall and took points off of a pair of Hufflepuffs that were lingering watching him.

I hope I didn't break him, thought Buffy as she watched him limp off, Even if he is the most unpleasant man in the world.

The morning class was easy. They were all first years and had a slightly shell-shocked appearance to them. Buffy couldn't help thinking that they were as scared as she was. They slowly relaxed, though, and so did Buffy. She felt pretty good by the end of class while they were attempting to cast rudimentary protective shields. The students were in pairs, one casting a shield and the other tossing a tennis ball at the shield. If the shield was properly cast the tennis ball would bounce of. In no time the bell rang.

"Don't forget, I want one foot of parchment on theories of magical shields for next class. I promise this will be relevant!"

She smiled as they left, depositing their tennis balls in the basket Buffy provided.

"Bye, Professor Summers," a few of the bold ones said as they left.

After her first class, Buffy had a block of free time to prepare the classroom for the next class. Then Buffy set to letter writing. She wrote a thank-you note to Giles, Xander, and Anya for the chocolates. Then she set about writing to Angel.

"Dear Angel," she started. She began to write "I miss you," but stopped herself. She had to keep this formal, businesslike. Well, he started it, she thought, Sending me a note out of the blue. She wrote, "Thanks for the note. I can't believe you found an owl to go all the way to Scotland. How are you? Things are pretty good, except that Spike has followed me here. He plans to go to Voldemort to get his chip removed. I'm not sure if that's the only reason he's here, though. Do you have any relevant info, anything you think might help? That's all." Buffy paused. How to end the note? "Sincerely" was too formal, she couldn't say "love." She settled on "Best wishes, Buffy."

Buffy had some time left before lunch so she took the letters and went to the owlery. It really was a perfect day and the sun shone invitingly on the lake. She wondered if it was warm and safe to swim in. Who knew what creepies were lurking below the surface? Better to ask Dumbledore before plunging in and finding out the hard way.

She found two owls to send the letters and set back to Hogwarts. As she got closer to the castle she could smell cooking, so she knew it must be lunch time.

She entered the Great Hall and immediately noticed Snape at his usual seat so he couldn't have been hurt too badly. Buffy noticed Dawn sitting at the Gryffindor table. Ignoring the students' eyes on her, she approached. Dawn seemed to be deep in conversation with Harry, though, to be honest, Harry seemed like he wasn't quite paying attention.

"Hey Dawn, how's your first day going?"

"Fine, great, what are you doing here?" said Dawn shortly.

"I'm just checking up on you, but I'm getting my cue to leave, don't worry."

Buffy left feeling a little miffed at first. But then Buffy remembered how she would have felt if her mom had approached her while she was talking to a boy she liked (And it was clear that Dawn liked Harry) and she cheered up. Sometimes it was hard to remember that she was more than just a sister to Dawn, she was a mom now.

She sat down next to Severus.

"Are you ok, Severus?" asked Buffy.

He acted as though he hadn't heard her.

"Excuse me, Severus," she grabbed his arm lightly and he jumped, "I just wanted to make sure you were ok," she said earnestly.

"Never better. Encounters with you are always thrilling," he said, silently willing her to shut up.

"You know, that thing called 'courtesy,'" she said.

"Courtesy involves watching where you're going, you would do well to remember that," said Severus with finality, returning to his meal.

Fine, she thought bitterly, I tried to be nice and he just doesn't speak that language. I won't let him ruin my meal.

Buffy left lunch early in order to go over her notes a final time and to prepare herself. She heard the bell ring and students start to walk past the door. Buffy opened the door. Students started filing in within minutes. She recognized Hermione from Madame Malkin's, who sat up front with Ron on her right and Harry on her left. Dawn came in next and sat next to Harry. Students were drifting in in groups of twos and threes. Buffy noticed that the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws all sat on one side of the room, and the few Slytherins sat in a knot on the opposite side of the room.

Buffy stood up from behind her desk and leaned on the front.

"Hello, and welcome to defense against the dark arts. I'm Professor Summers. I'd like to begin class with a roll call."

She thought she heard snickering from the Slytherins and she cast a glance at them. There was silence.

Buffy continued.

"Abbot, Hannah?"

Hannah, who was sitting behind Dawn, nodded, paler and thinner than she had been last year when her mother was killed by Death Eaters.

"Bones, Susan?"

Susan, who raised her hand, was sitting right up front next to Dawn. She looked very serious.

"Boot, Terry?"

Terry said "here" from the middle of the classroom.

"Brown, Lavender?"

Lavender waved from behind Harry.

"Crabbe, Vincent?"

Crabbe grunted from the very back of the classroom.

"Davis, Tracey?"

A sallow Slytherin girl nodded curtly.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin?"

"Here" said Justin in a clear voice.

"Finnigan, Seamus?"

Seamus said "here" from two seats behind Ron.

"Goyle, Gregory?"

Goyle grunted from in front of Crabbe.

"Granger, you're going to have to help me out with this…" Buffy trailed off.

"Hermione," Hermione pronounced slowly.

"Hermione," repeated Buffy.

"Longbottom, Neville?"

"Here," said Neville from behind Ron, taller than last year and looking quietly determined.

"Macmillan, Ernie?"

"Here," said Ernie from behind Susan.

"Malfoy, Draco?"

"Here," said Draco loudly from next to Goyle.

"Nott, Theodore?"

Theodore raised his hand silently from in front of Draco.

"Parkinson, Pansy?"

"Here," said Pansy from next to Draco.

"Patil, Padma?"

"Here," said Padma seriously.

"Patil, Parvati?"

"Hello," said Parvati from behind Hermione.

"Hello Parvati," said Buffy.

"Potter, Harry?"

"Here," said Harry quietly. He waited for the usual scan of his forehead but it never came. He began to relax.

"Summers, Dawn?"

"Hi," said Dawn.

Buffy nodded in response.

"Thomas, Dean?"

Dean raised his hand from behind Neville.

"Weasley, Ron?"

Ron nodded from the front of the room.

"Ok, everybody's here," said Buffy more to herself than to anyone else.

Buffy surveyed the room. The atmosphere was quiet and grave.

"I'm here to teach you advanced defense against the dark arts, and I mean advanced. What you're going to learn in this class is potentially dangerous but it also has the potential to save your life."

Draco was whispering to Pansy throughout most of what Buffy was saying.

"That is," Buffy said, her voice rising, "If you pay attention." She glared at Draco and he was silenced for the moment.

"The world outside is dangerous," she continued. "The Ministry of Magic doesn't want you to believe it but Voldemort has returned."

Several people in the class gasped at the mention of Voldemort's name. Ron gulped and bit his lip. Justin knocked the notebook off of his desk. Parvati broke the tip of her quill.

"Some of you have suffered the consequences of his return," she looked out at the class. "Before we start I would like to briefly go over the syllabus."

Buffy summoned a pile of papers from her desk and started handing them out.

Draco skimmed his copy and started to snicker.

Buffy stopped handing out the papers.

"Excuse me, is something funny?"

Draco looked at her silently.

"I mean, it had to be you saying something very funny because it wasn't me. When I say something funny, you'll know, there will be laughter and whatnot."

Draco looked at her, outraged.

"I thought so," said Buffy, and continued handing out syllabi.

Harry and Ron had to choke back snickers and even Hermione smiled.

Buffy began her explanation when everyone had a syllabus.

"We'll be meeting twice a week, for one double-period and one single period. I've divided the double period in half. The first half we'll work on the theoretical and the second half we'll be working on practical applications including fighting techniques."

She paused to allow the class to take this in. Draco raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"

"How exactly are fighting techniques going to help us against dark wizards?" asked Draco.

"I'm sure you meant to add a 'Professor Summers' to that. Anyway," Buffy said, "Say you've disarmed your opponent and you're in a scuffle over their wand. I can teach you how to fight efficiently. You need to be in good shape to excel at dueling, you need good reflexes and fast thinking. Fighting technique can help you if you get disarmed and have to make a fast escape. Does anyone else have any questions?"

The class was silent.

"Ok," said Buffy. "We're going to start the term discussing popular hexes and counter-spells. This will include first aid to repair spell damage. Then, we'll be moving on to the three Unforgivables. From the three Unforgivables, we'll be moving to cursed objects and artifacts including identification and neutralization. There will also be a section on poison detection and protection. Finally, we well study the creatures that Voldemort has aligned himself with, such as dementors, inferi, werewolves, and vampires.

"When I was your age I hated homework and I've tried to keep the work to the minimum. But we have to face the fact that this is your NEWT year. Besides knowing this for your NEWTS, you should know this knowledge for the sake of yourselves and your families. As a result, I've decided there will be brief weekly quizzes to ensure that you're doing the reading and paying attention in class. Some of these quizzes will be practical. There will also be four exams, one per subject that we study. Two of these exams will be practical. Fighting techniques will be included on the practical exams. I'm not asking that you become black belts in karate, I want to see that you are trying and making progress. Are there any questions so far?"

No one had any questions.

"Ok, let's get started," said Buffy. "Who can tell me what a hex is?"

Hermione raised her hand.

"Miss Granger?"

"A hex, unlike a charm, has negative connotations. It's a spell that causes harm, usually physical, to the victim."

"Very good, you've read this book before?" asked Buffy.

"Just the first couple of chapters, I skimmed the rest."

"Good work," said Buffy approvingly. I think we've found Willow's twin, she thought.

"Miss Granger, what's the difference between a hex and a jinx?"
"A jinx is supposed to be less serious than a hex, even though I think that's a pretty pointless distinction."

"Why?"
"Well," said Hermione, "If the point is to harm you, then does it really matter if it's a trip jinx or if it's Avada Kedavra?"
"Interesting point," said Buffy. "Five points to Gryffindor. We're going to be covering the most serious jinxes here. I won't teach you how to cast them but I will teach you how to counter them and fix damage caused by them.

Jinxes can be divided into these categories, depending on the damage they can do," said Buffy. She tapped the blackboard and her notes scrawled across.

The class spent the rest of the period taking notes on the different categories of jinxes. The bell rang, indicating the first half of class was over.

"Did everyone bring their sweats?" Buffy asked.

The class responded with "yeahs" and nods 'yes.'

"Great," said Buffy. "We're going to go to the bathrooms and you're going to change and we're going to have your first fighting lesson. Oh, I should tell you, if I catch anybody practicing what I teach you outside of a classroom setting I will have to take off points. I'm not doing this so you can learn to pummel each other more effectively, I'm doing this to help save your lives. You can leave your bags here, the door is warded."

The class filed out with an air of growing excitement. Buffy used magic to change into her workout clothes and was relieved when the spell worked.

The day was bright, beautiful, and warm. It was almost a California kind of day.

Buffy led the class in some warm up stretches.

"First we're going to do some cardio," said Buffy. "I'm making it easy for the first day, I want a lap around the castle.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Start running," she said.

The students started around the castle, with Harry, Ron and Hermione in the front. Hermione didn't look terribly pleased, though. The rest of the class followed, with Crabbe and Goyle bringing up the rear. Buffy easily ran to catch up with them and made her way to the front. Around the castle was easy for Buffy but she noticed it wasn't easy for everyone else. Hermione had fallen behind with Padma, Parvati, and Lavender. Crabbe and Goyle were huffing and puffing and dripping with sweat. She gave the class a minute to catch their breath before starting again.

"Ok, now you're going to give me ten push-ups. I'm not asking for a lot because it's your first day."

The class groaned but complied with her.

When they were done, Buffy had the class stand in three lines.

"The first thing I'm going to teach you is how to punch. Punching is a basic offensive move. Everyone make a fist."
Buffy went through the lines, checking the students' form.

"Hermione, you don't want your thumb in your fist, you want to tuck it under. Otherwise, you'll hurt it when you punch the other person. Anyone else that's doing that should take their thumbs out."

Buffy taught the class the difference between a standard punch, a hook, and an uppercut.

"The more you practice, the more this will come to you instinctually, which is what you want to happen if you're ever in a dangerous situation. You don't want to have to think, you just want to do."

Finally, they heard the bell from within.

"You're all dismissed," said Buffy. "This has been a great first class, the next double period we'll be practicing with punching bags. Don't forget to read the next chapter for next class."

The students shuffled into the castle, exhausted. Some looked pleased and proud while others looked murderous.

Buffy passed Severus on the way to her room.

"Miss Summers, I wasn't aware that Hogwarts had a gym class," he sneered, looking at her sweats.

"Well, maybe Hogwarts could use one. Some of your Slytherins could really use the exercise," said Buffy, jauntily making her way up the stairs.

It was a good day.

AN: Sorry for the intensely long chapter and how long it took to update. I've been really busy with my not-internet life. Also, it was really important to me to keep the chapter in one piece, instead of dividing it in two.