Author note: Guh. Sorry, yet again, for not having this out earlier. The promotion I mentioned last week is kicking my iass/i and I was sick last weekend, and am trying to get caught up and all this other shit is happening that you don't need to know about.

First off, it is confirmed that I will NOT be doing the sequel to this fic for the Draco Big Bang on Livejournal, but I will be doing another Draco/Buffy fic. Once it is posted on Livejournal, look for the massive fic in all it's glory in July! The sequel to this fic will be worked on in the summer.

Second, you are getting a special surprise tonight on account of it being my beta and best friend Jacy's birthday today. Without her, this fic would be deleted and thrown away and all those evil things that happen to fics that infuriate the authors who write them. She stuck with me, helped me pull through, and I cannot praise her enough!

Last, but certainly not least, thank YOU guys for reviewing and reading! Over 12,000 hits and over 60 reviews… wow. It's amazing. I didn't expect this to be so well-liked.

This chapter is mostly filler (long filler—over 5,000 words!) but it starts on a plot point that was addressed in chapter three and spans the next four chapters. Hope you like!

………………….

They all stood around for a few moments as the embers in the fireplace died. Xander raised his hand.

"Anybody else find it oddly strange that we don't question people being dragged from another continent into the living room through a fireplace?" When no one said anything but just stared at him, Xander nodded and lowered his hand. "Thought so."

"It's typical Wizarding transportation, Xander. You can hold conversations, go to different places of business, and as Draco demonstrated," Giles said while gesturing at Draco, "people can be dragged through them as well."

The room was quiet for a few seconds, and then Willow was the first to speak.

"We haven't really been properly introduced. Just me and my wacky magic making us look bad. Who are you and what are your names again?" she asked, turning towards Pansy and Harry. Draco snickered and put his arm around Pansy and Harry, standing between them.

"Well, I'm shagging one of them and can't stand the other. Call me gay and I'll hex you."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Nice to know you haven't changed, idear/i."

Buffy was silent. She lied when she told Pansy that Draco never mentioned her. Draco had mentioned Pansy numerous times. She knew they'd been dating in the past, but it was obvious they weren't over each other. They were too comfortable around each other, and his exclamation that they were still attached in some way bothered Buffy. She didn't like to be pulled along, but they would have to cross that bridge when they got to it. For all she knew, Draco just wanted her to amuse himself with before Pansy came. With a huff, she turned to Pansy and made a face. "How do you stand him? I've known him a month and I want to kill him."

"And I've known him since we were babes. I've built up a tolerance," Pansy retorted with a smile. "That and I'm on better terms with his mother than he is. One toe out of line and his clothes get burned off. Literally."

That caused Harry to grin. "For all that I hate your father, your mum totally makes up for it."

"You just like her because she finally figured out how to control that rat's nest on your head, Mr. Boy Who Can't Be Arsed To Look In A Mirror," Draco replied with scowl. For good measure, he took the arm that was over Harry's shoulder and ruffled Harry hair.

This caused an impromptu wrestling match in the living room, with Draco in a headlock that he was quickly released from when he punched Harry in the side. Pansy just rolled her eyes.

"Boys, can we try to act mature for at least five minutes, please?" Pansy said with a sigh. "I will not hesitate to tell Narcissa how you're behaving."

Both boys straightened and glared at each other while Pansy rolled her eyes, turning back to Willow.

"My name is Pansy Parkinson. That's Harry Potter. Giles was supposed to tell you we were coming," she said with a mildly disapproving glare.

"Yes, well, you're early!" he retorted. Pansy just dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

"With Blaise unable to see Potter, we had no choice. That and the protective crystal against mind possession only lasts thirty-one days, and I didn't want to wait until the thirty-first day to try and do the healing."

Buffy's hand automatically went up to the crystal around her neck. Harry noticed the movement and started to look over, but Draco grabbed his shoulder and made Harry look at him. Harry sent Draco an irritated look and still turned to look. Draco put a hand on the side of his face and forced his head forward.

"Don't even think about it. It nearly brought me to my knees when I first saw it, and you've done more than enough sensing for a day. We'll start tomorrow, all right? No need to have you overloaded again and passing out."

Draco kept his grip on Harry until he nodded.

Buffy looked at Harry skeptically. "He's going to be helping my healing? He just nearly did… something bad, I guess, and he's going to be helping my head get all better?"

Pansy looked annoyed and walked up to Buffy, glaring at her. "He didn't just nearly do something bad. Get over that little misconception," she snapped. Draco returned her annoyed look.

"Pansy," he said with a warning, not wanting to deal with a magical cat fight on his hands as well.

"Oh shut up. I'm protective of the little git, all right?" Pansy crossed her arms and pouted. She didn't mention that the little blonde had been eyeing her in jealousy all night. Seemed someone had a crush on Draco. Pansy didn't like that.

Harry looked between Draco and Pansy. "Thanks. I think," he said, causing Draco to snort. The blond walked over to Buffy.

"Like it or not, Potter will be helping. He's going to ground us."

Willow looked between Draco and Buffy with confusion. She walked up to them with a nervous smile. "Um, no offense or anything," she stated, talking to Harry, then turned back to Draco, "but I thought addicts were terrible grounders because they couldn't keep focus?"

Draco nodded. "And in any other instance, I'd agree with you, but Potter here is different. While his mental barriers may be hell at the moment, he's still got something going for him." At the expectant looks, he smirked. "Try to possess him."

Willow instantly paled and backed away from him. "No! I may manipulate people into doing things, but I strictly draw the line at possession." Buffy went to Willow and glared at Draco, who was still smirking. Pansy walked up to Harry, who was standing around, obviously uncomfortable.

"It doesn't matter if you possessed people on daily basis, you wouldn't be able to crack into him. The most powerful magical entity on the face of this planet has been the only one to possess Potter. He was fifteen, and he still managed to throw him off. He was fourteen when he threw off the Imperious curse, which forces the person upon which the curse is put to do anything the caster wishes."

Willow wasn't as cautious, but she looked at Harry in a new light. "How is that possible?"

Harry finally spoke up. "It's a very long story involving a love sacrifice and magical transfers. Can I tell it later? I'm rather thirsty and will need to sit down after a while."

Draco noticed his hands clenched into fists and the slight tremble in his voice. He immediately conjured a glass of water and moved Harry to a seat. Willow walked over, twisting her hands nervously.

"Will he be okay?"

Draco took the wand in his hand and conjured a light on the tip, flashing it in front of Harry's eyes.

"His pupils are still dilated," he stated. "The magic is dispersing. It takes longer with him because of all the barriers it has to pass through. He's gets the first shock, and then a second wave." Willow reached forward to feel his head, but Draco grabbed her wrist. "Don't. You'll get the backlash."

"It's still transferable?" she asked in shock.

"Anyone with a high magical core would get backlash right now."

"And again I repeat," Buffy said, her tone indicating her slight irritation, "I still don't understand why ihe's/i doing my healing."

"iHe/i isn't. I am," Draco said, returning the tone. "He's grounding us, and if it wasn't him grounding us, it'd be Willow, who is in the same boat Potter is. Do you have a problem with her doing the damned grounding?"

There was a tense silence while Draco and Buffy stared each other down.

"You're the expert," she said, backing down. Draco kept his hardened gaze fixated on Buffy as she left the living room and walked into the kitchen, followed by Willow.

There was silence, except for Harry's deep breathing. Xander turned to Giles.

"I'm sensing tension, and something tells me this isn't the sort of tension I'd like to stick around to see resolved. I'll be back for the re-group."

Giles nodded. "I think that might be for the best."

Draco looked up as well. "If you could take Dawn with you, I'd be appreciative."

"I'm sure Buffy would appreciate it as well," Giles added.

The brunette had been quiet in the corner until her named had been spoken. "Hey! Why can't I stay?"

Pansy knelt beside Harry's chair when Draco stood up. "Because the healing isn't going to be pretty. We have to do some talking and meditating tonight, and tomorrow when it times come to heal Buffy, it's not going to be like your healing or Willow's. It's not the same circumstances."

Dawn folded her arms and was clearly confused. "I don't get it. Willow and I just went to sleep though."

"And I just said it's not the same circumstances," Draco said in an agitated tone. Giles put a hand on the wizard's shoulder to calm him. His other hand went in his pocket and he sighed.

"Buffy will not be asleep for part of her healing." Giles paused, looking Dawn straight in the eye. "She'll be in a lot of pain."

"We both will," Draco added, his breathing harsh. Giles squeezed his shoulder in comfort, walking over to Dawn.

"It will be better if you aren't here. I don't want you to be put through that. Know that she will be all right, and she'll see you in a few days. Pack for five days, and I'll let Buffy know."

Tears started forming in Dawn's eyes. She swallowed a few times, trying to control her breathing. Uncrossing her arms, she fidgeted under Giles' gaze. "Pain? Like 'Ouch, I have a paper-cut' or…" she trailed off.

"She'll be experiencing the pain from her jump into the portal until the time she woke up in her…" Giles trailed off, taking a deep breath. "… in her coffin."

"Oh! But-but she was in heaven. So, there's no pain there, right?" Dawn hurriedly asked, becoming excited. Her hope was dashed when Draco walked up next to Giles and shook his head. His eyes were sad.

"Not all pain is physical. She'll be going back with me, and she'll have to experience coming back all over again."

Everyone was quiet as they watched the young woman in front of them crumble. Tears spilled onto her cheeks and she took deep gasping breaths, hugging herself tightly.

"But once was enough," she said in-between sobs. A hand reached out from behind her and clasped her shoulder, turning her around. Buffy gave her sister a sad smile and tears of her own fell from her eyes.

"It was," she agreed. "But I have to do this. I'm too vulnerable with my mind open, and I would never, iever/i forgive myself if something happened to you because I didn't take the necessary precautions. I've died for you, Dawnie." Buffy pulled her into a hug, and the teen grasped her tight and cried into her shoulder. "And I'll do it again, just so I can protect you. Because I will protect you, no matter what."

The room was silent except for Dawn's crying, and Buffy pulled back after a moment, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Be strong, Dawn. I'll see you in a few days. I'm coming back."

Dawn nodded and she slowly walked up the stairs and turned towards her room. Buffy crossed her arms and sent a grateful look at Xander. "Thank you for taking her. I don't want her to be here for this. She's seen and heard too much already."

Xander walked over to Buffy and gave her a hug. "Anything for the Buffster."

Buffy went back into the kitchen with Willow. Dawn could be heard above them, getting her bags ready. A few moments later, she came down the stairs. Xander grabbed her luggage and took them outside to his car. Giles hugged Dawn, who waved a small goodbye to everyone and then headed out the door.

Buffy and Willow walked back in to the living room from the kitchen as they heard Xander's car drive off. Buffy broke the silence.

"So! Buffy's healing. We're getting started as soon as possible, right?" she asked nervously.

Pansy nodded grudgingly. "I'll take you through some meditation tonight, so you'll be rested for tomorrow, physically and mentally."

Buffy grimaced, knowing that she would only be meditating on thoughts Pansy might not like. "And emotionally?"

"That's up to you," Pansy replied with a bit of a bite in her tone.

They all stood around for a moment, before Willow piped up, "Oh! Rooming assignments! Draco's been staying in Buffy's room so he's… close, while Buffy's been in the master bedroom with me, and Dawn's been in her own room and Giles has taken over the basement but do we need to arrange something?"

Pansy smirked. "Draco, Harry and I will stay in the same room." She wrapped her arm around Draco's waist possessively. He just rolled his eyes.

"Everything can stay the same except Wills and I will stay in my room and you three can take the master bedroom," Buffy said with a nod, ignoring Pansy.

Harry crossed his arms and sighed. "And here I was thinking I'd stay away from your cold feet a bit longer," he said to Draco, who glared back.

"Like I adore you elbowing my sides through the night. Not to mention you snore."

"I do not!"

Pansy rolled her eyes as they continued to bicker. She turned to Buffy, Willow, and Giles. "Earplugs. That or silencing charms. They're the only reason I've managed to stay sane." When Draco managed a rather shrill iI do not drool/i, Pansy winced. "Think you're ready to relax? Meditation will do us all good right about now."

……………………

Pansy and Buffy sat on the bed facing each other. Both had their legs crossed with their palms resting on their knees. Buffy's eyes were closed while Pansy was staring at Buffy with intense concentration.

Buffy's breathing hitched, and Pansy narrowed her eyes.

"Calm, Buffy, calm. No thoughts, just calm." The slayer's breathing evened out again, and they were both quiet for a few moments. Pansy nodded in satisfaction. "All right, you have the basics down. The easiest way to focus yourself is to think of an element. Most think of earth or water."

Buffy's eyes popped open. "No water. Water is definitely not in the calm column for Buffy." At Pansy's raised eyebrow, the blond grimaced. "I sort of drowned once. So, water's not that calming unless I'm in a bathtub."

The witch crossed her arms. "How do you sort of drown? I'm unfamiliar with the concept of sort of dying."

"When I was sixteen, and I first came to Sunnydale, there was this vampire called the Master. It involves a lot of prophecies and neck biting, but the basics are I was unconscious and dropped in a large water puddle. Xander and Angel found me, and Xander gave me CPR, bringing me back. That was the first time I died."

Pansy just stared at her. "The first time?" Not giving Buffy any time to explain, she just shook her head and rubbed her temples. "You Americans are so bloody weird."

"Draco didn't tell you?" Buffy asked. "I've died twice. The first time I drowned, and the second time I fought a hell god, had to jump in a dimensional portal, and Willow brought me back two months later. He said that has a bit to do with why my aura isn't the way it's supposed to."

"I'll get the details later," Pansy said. Her focus turned back to Buffy. "Right now, we need to work on meditation. It's going to be critical when you do your healing tomorrow. Since water is out of the question, any other element you can think of? I suppose imagining being surrounded by the earth is out as well, being buried and all." She thought a moment. "Let's try something different. Forget the elements. Concentrate on what calms you. A person, or a situation."

Buffy tried to clear her mind and be calm, but it just wasn't working. Her thoughts kept zooming between Dawn's safety, the worry over her own healing, and the fact that the woman in front of her was the only thing between her and Draco. It also didn't seem like she was going to be taking her claws out of him anytime soon.

"Do you want this bloody healing or not?" Pansy snapped, and Buffy's eyes opened.

"Lay off, all right? I've got a lot of things on my mind." Buffy let out deep sigh and leaned against the headboard, crossing her arms.

"I've noticed," Pansy replied icily. "But you've got to focus or else Draco is just risking his life for you for no good reason. You should have had the sense to stay alive in the first place."

The slayer slowly sat up, her face stony. "I died so that my sister and the rest of my family could live. I gave up my life knowing that she was going to have a better life and not die while I stood by. I had the sense to keep my family safe, and if you want to criticize me for that, I will kick your ass out of my house faster than you can blink."

"You'd be dead before you could get to me, you harpy." Pansy's hand was clenched around her wand. "Ever since I've been here, you've been glaring at me. If my presence bothers you, I'll be happy to leave, but you need my help for when Draco heals you."

They kept up their glaring match until the tense silence was broken by a knock on the door. Harry peeked inside. "Mind if I take over for a minute, Pansy? Your righteous rage is giving me a headache."

The dark haired witch glared at him but obliged, getting off the bed and knocking into Harry's shoulder, making him roll his eyes when he closed the door.

"Sorry about her," he said as he sat in Pansy's vacated place. "She's a bit of a bitch to anyone who isn't used to her. Plus, she's more protective than anything about Draco."

"Why does that matter? He said they're not dating." Buffy leaned forward and put her chin in her hand, trying not to sound petulant.

"And they aren't," he confirmed, much to Buffy's surprise. "Draco and Pansy… they have a weird dynamic. They grew up together, were off and on through school, and continued that after school. They mutually broke it off after a few months and even though they still sometimes see other people, they always end up right back together."

Buffy tried to process what Harry was saying. "So why don't they just stay together if they go back to each other all the time? Get married and have babies. The whole nine yards or whatever measurement you wandly types measure with."

He shrugged. "I have no idea. I grew up with a background in monogamy, and infidelity was unacceptable. They grew up differently. It was okay to see other people as long as they knew about it in advance. Sometimes, they share."

Harry's face turned red as he realized just what he had revealed and quickly continued the conversation. "But for some reason they just… decide to separate for a while and there aren't any hard feelings. Personally, I don't understand it."

The blonde's eyebrows shot up when Harry started to blush when he mentioned the threesome, but didn't pursue it. "I don't get it either, but Draco and I aren't like that. There's chemistry, but it's not going to happen. I have too much to focus on. I also just got out of a very bad relationship. I'm not ready to head into a new one."

"I understand," Harry said, and Buffy knew that he did. They had dealt with a bit of the same things in life. "Now, let's see if I can help you meditate a bit. I know every trick because it took me a long time to figure out how to start, too. Bad experiences in the past."

"Do you mind explaining how you got to meditate?" When Harry started to look uncomfortable, Buffy rushed to explain. "I don't want to pry, but I just can't seem to figure out how to start."

Harry looked down at his hands. "Mine is strange. My story is the opposite of how you'd expect it to go. But I can tell it. Do you know about me and Ginny?" Buffy nodded. "Well, after Voldemort killed her, and all that hate came over me, I went after him so hard and fast I don't really remember much. I do remember that after I had killed him and I had this feeling that I knew unless I stopped magic altogether, the whole world would just continue in this horrible cycle of destroying all the good things. In one second, I realized that I needed to stop that cycle."

Slightly embarrassed, Harry looked up. "Obviously I went about it the wrong way, and I was stopped before I did any real damage, but that one second of knowing that I could do something right even though it was going to hurt—it always calms me down. Knowing that for one second I knew exactly what I needed to do, and I was okay with it. I can still help now, but the calm I felt in that one moment always matters to me."

Buffy was thinking through his story, and she smiled. "I've got it."

Harry nodded, a bit surprised. "Then, let's start."

……………………….

Buffy woke up slowly. It was a strange sensation. She was usually woken by a noise or was forced awake suddenly. This languid feeling was new. Buffy started to smile until she thought of what the day held. The smile fell off her face.

Sitting up, she looked around the master bedroom. The last thing she remembered was Harry talking her into a deeper trance. She must have fallen asleep. Not knowing if that was a good thing or a bad thing, she slowly moved to the side of the bed and stood up. Her legs held her weight and she realized she had been put into her pajamas.

She was moving slowly. Not because she couldn't move faster, but because it felt nice to move slowly. Like she didn't really have anything to worry about. Today would just be another day.

The door opened and she slowly looked from the open door to Draco, who was standing in the doorway.

"Go ahead and get ready for the day, like you normally would. Wear a halter shirt if you could, or something so your back is exposed. We'll need to have as much skin on skin contact as we can. As cute as you are, Pans would kill me if I suggested I go without my trousers."

Buffy grinned and for a moment imagined what that picture would be like. Making Pansy Parkinson green with envy was actually something she would like doing, but instead, she nodded. "Halter, check. Should I come downstairs when I'm done?"

Draco nodded and closed the door, leaving Buffy standing in the middle of the room, feeling more than apprehensive about the day.

"Bath first, then get dressed, and then you can worry," she told herself. "You'll be fine."

Buffy went into the hallway and into her own room. She could hear conversation downstairs. It was mostly light, but she didn't want to listen, worried about what the topic was. Instead, she went into her bathroom and started to draw a bath.

She went through her closet, picked out a pair of dark wash jeans, and found a black halter that she could easily leave untied in the back when it came time to do her healing.

After the long bath, she dried herself and decided to get ready as if nothing was amiss. She took the time to do her hair and make-up, and as usual, it took her forever to choose the right set of earrings. With the debate of silver or yellow gold running through her head, she random chose a set of hoop earrings, accepting the silver color. She dressed, added the jewelry, and looked over herself in the mirror.

"Just another day," she said to herself. "Just another wacky, strange day."

Buffy left her room and slowly walked down the stairs. She heard conversation in the kitchen, and walked in to see Draco, Pansy, Harry, Willow and Giles all gathered around the island.

"Hey Buffy," Willow said with a grin. "You look all rested."

"And that would be because I had rest last night. Go figure. I hear it's a craze sweeping the nation," she replied. Giles handed her a cup of steaming tea, and Buffy smiled at him in gratitude. "Thanks."

Pansy looked across the island and examined Buffy critically. "So, the meditation helped then?" She sounded a bit disappointed.

After taking a sip of her hot tea, Buffy nodded. "It really did. I don't remember falling asleep, though. Is that bad or—"

"It's good," Draco interrupted. "It means the transition from meditation to sleep was smooth enough to not be noticed. Was it easy to start your meditation?"

Buffy fidgeted a bit. "After a while. I couldn't use water or whatever, so I had to think of something else, otherwise my brain kept going ninety miles an hour. Harry helped out when he explained his."

Draco winced. "I'm honestly scared to ask, but what is your calming thought?"

The slayer smiled at Harry and looked down at her tea. "I think you'll see it. It's when I was up on the tower with Dawn, right before I jumped." When she looked up, Willow had tears in her eyes, and Giles was gripping his own mug tightly. "It's when I figured it out, that death was my gift. It was something I could do to give life to Dawn, my friends, to everyone. I knew that she would be okay. I knew iI/i would be okay. That moment, even now, helps me remember…" she paused and took a deep breath. "It helps me remember a time when I so sure of myself, of who I was, and what my place was in the world."

Everyone was quiet as they pondered what they had heard. There was silence as everyone finished off their drinks and put their mugs in the sink. Giles cleared his throat and turned to Buffy.

"Willow and I are going to the woods nearby. I'll be helping her with her own meditation. The less chance for interruption in the house, the better. We'll stay at a hotel tonight and return tomorrow morning."

Buffy nodded and returned the hug Giles gave her.

"I'm so very proud of you," he whispered to her, making her smile.

"Thank you," she whispered back. Buffy then turned to Willow, who had tears rolling down her cheeks. "Hey now, no crying for Buffy. I'll be fine."

The red haired witch hugged Buffy as well. "I'm so sorry for ruining the calm." Buffy kept Willow in her arms and ran her hands up and down her back soothingly. "I'm so sorry."

"Stop apologizing, Will. You had no way of knowing, and either way, it's better that you did bring me back. I still have a place in the world; I'm still a protector. When I get back? I'll show you how protective I can be." Buffy pulled back and wiped Willow's tears away. "I'm going to help you, Willow. We all are. We'll both be fine."

Willow nodded and wiped the rest of her tears away. "Is it bad that the only thing I can think of to say is 'have fun'? It sounds better than 'try not to go insane'. At least it did in my head."

Buffy hugged her one last time. "I'll be fine. Now, go pack. You and Giles have fun in nature. Don't turn him into a squirrel. Then all the female squirrels will be after him because of his British accent."

She made a face and turned to Draco. "Do squirrels in England have a British accent?"

The wizard turned to Giles. "Why do you hate me so much? Why are you leaving me alone with that? British squirrels, Giles?"

Harry started to laugh. "Payback's a bitch."

Giles just clapped him on the shoulder as he and Willow left the kitchen, leaving Buffy with Pansy, Draco, and Harry. Draco looked to Pansy. "Want to get Potter set up in the master bedroom? I'm going to go over everything with Buffy."

The witch nodded and took Harry's hand, taking him upstairs. Buffy took a deep breath, staring down at her hands. Draco walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's sit," he said, gesturing to the dining room table. They both took a seat and Buffy looked expectantly at Draco. "Right, so the healing is going to be five part process. The first part will be getting into a deep enough trance. It's going to take time. One mind going this deep is hard enough, but two minds going to the exact same moment in time to alter an aura is very difficult. Once that part is over, we'll be in your mind, going back to the morning when you jumped into the portal. I'm not sure when we'll be exactly—if it'll be the moment of or an hour before."

Buffy nodded. "That's part two? What's part three?"

"Part three will be after the portal jump," Draco explained. "This is where I'm unclear. You say you don't remember much of what happened afterwards, and I'm guessing that's just part of the fact that the human mind isn't supposed to come back from it. I'm not even sure of the time flow there. We could be there a second or days. The changeover from part three to part four is where I'm working in the dark. I don't know if it'll be sudden or not. We'll have to wing it."

Draco took a deep breath. "Coming back from that place is going to be difficult on both of us. That's when I'll need you to really concentrate on your meditation. The calmer you are, the easier it'll be to fix your aura. Part of the reason your aura shattered when you came back was the shock. If I can lessen that shock even a bit, I'll consider this a success. The last part is going to be the most difficult for you, and when I'll be doing the most work. I'm not sure about the timing. I know that we'll come back to the earthly plane in your mind starting at the moment you came back. Whether you'll be in your coffin or not, I'm not sure. But I want you to remain calm. I can get us out of there without any problem or panic. From there, we'll work on getting back to this time."

Buffy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, nodding when Draco was continuing on.

"I know it's a lot to take in, but I don't want you to go into this blind. We'll both be under a lot of stress, but you've got to keep a clear head," Draco stressed.

The slayer let out a deep breath. "I'm ready."

He stared at her for a few moments before nodding. "Then let's get started."