Ducking in, she wasn't surprised to see her daughter with Harry Potter and one of the many redheaded boys in Gryffindor trying to defend themselves and another student from the troll. Buffy watched her daughter with the three first years for a moment before jumping into the fight. She quickly knocked the troll out before looking back to the four students.
"Dawnella Joyce Snape, I know you know better and you three, what in Merlin's name where you thinking?!" She scolded. She stood there waiting for someone to explain. Finally, the dark haired Gryffindor she knew to be Harry Potter came forward.
"Hermione was in the bathroom and didn't know about the troll so we came to warn her, we didn't know the troll would come in here."
"And telling a teacher or prefect escaped your mind because?" She questioned. When none of the students said anything, she looked to her daughter
"Dawn why didn't you come find me?" She questioned.
"Sorry mom." Was all her daughter said as her classmates jaws dropped. She nodded letting Dawn know she was forgiven and that they'd talk later. Looking at the other three, she said
"As punishment, each of you with the exception of Ms. Granger will lose fifty house points. Now all four of you need to be checked out by Madam Pomfrey, so off you go." The four students headed out, chatting. Buffy shook her head and smiled, it appeared her daughter had found her very own Scoobies. She just hoped that history wouldn't repeat itself. Buffy exited the bathroom and headed back toward the great hall, arriving just in time to meet up with Albus and Severus taking the still unconcious Quirell to the Hospital wing.
"Where's Dawn?" Snape asked immediately after noticing her.
"She should be at the hospital wing." Buffy said, tensing as the Defense Professor was levitated past her. Her spidey sense went haywire.
"WHAT?! Is she okay?" Her daughter's father asked, clearly upset.
"Careful Sev someone might die from shock seeing concern from you." Buffy joked, before saying, "She's fine. She, Misters Potter and Weasley and Ms. Granger should be being checked out as we speak."
"What happened?" The headmaster questioned.
"The four had a run in with the mountain troll when they decided that heading to the girls bathroom to warn Ms. Granger of the danger was a better idea than warning a teacher or prefect of the girl's absence." Noticing the look on the potion master's face, she said, "Don't worry Sev, all students involved with the exception of Ms. Granger have been punished and no one was injured except the troll which should still be unconsious in the bathroom. "
When the they reached the hospital wing, they found from Poppy that the four students were fine and had been sent back to their dorms. Buffy, leaving the incompetent professor with the nurse, headed toward her chambers. When she got to the portrait guarding her rooms, she found her strange little family waiting in the hall for her. She wondered how Severus had beat her to her own rooms when she'd left the hospital wing before he did, but didn't think to much of it.
"Boca del Inferno" She muttered, causing the portrait to swing open. Then she turned to her daughter , sisters, and her daughter's father and said,
"Come on in. Something to drink?" She asked, snapping her fingers. A house elf appeared, she ordered a couple diet sodas for herself, her daughter and Ken, and a firewhisky for Faith. The elf popped away after Severus ordered some tea for himself.
"Ok Sev, I'm sure you know Faith and Kendra just as I'm sure you've realized by our last names that Kendra is my baby sister. What you probably haven't realized is Faith is my sister as well." She said before turning to her family.
"Dawn, as everyone can see, is fine. I have already taken points and on top of that, she is to be grounded to her room when she's not in class and she won't be participating in future Scooby meetings until she learns caution." She said, looking at her now sulking thirteen year old. Dawn, knowing better that to argue with her mother in front of company took her diet coke and went to the room she'd been given from Buffy's rooms. Buffy sighed, then turned to the man who'd fathered her child. She could see the questions in his eyes.
"Go on Sev, before you explode."
*&*&Severus's POV*&*&
Severus thought about the information he'd been given before asking,
"Why is the latin translation of Hellmouth your password?"
"Because that's where I lived, if you'll recall that's where you found me or rather where I found you in a cemetary collecting potion ingredients." Buffy replied, as her sisters giggled.
"Yes, I recall. But how did you know what that you lived on a hellmouth?"
"Well for one I'm neither ignorant nor a muggle or muggleborn. Two, I was the Hellmouth's guardian until we caused it to implode." Buffy responded.
"The hellmouth's guardian? You're the Slayer?" Severus asked, shocked.
"Yes, although I'm not the only slayer anymore. There are roughly what, two thousand?" Buffy said, looking to her sisters for confirmation.
"How exactly are there two thousand slayers when the legend says one girl in every generation?" Severus asked.
"Well, I don't want to get into the entire story but the short version is I was called at fifteen, died at sixteen, was revived minutes later but it was long enough for Faith to be callled. Faith and I fought and eventually defeated everything that came at us. Then in seventy- eight, just a few months before I met you, something I'm not willing to get into with you caused the First Evil to gain enough of a foothold to try to kill off all the potentials, then Faith, and finally myself hoping to end the Slayer line. The battles went on for months and we lost more people than I care to count before we gained an advantage. It took quite a bit of earth magic, as well as all three of us using our magic not that Will knew about that, and the sacrifice of the man I loved like a brother to give the slayer powers to every potential and shut down SunnyHell's Hellmouth permanently."
Severus nodded, taking in this information then asked,
"And what is the' Scooby' meeting you've temporarily banned Dawn from?"
"When I moved to SunnyHell, Giles and I argued about my destiny which my friend Xander overheard. Later, when I had to rescue Xander's friend Willow, what we've come to call Sunnydale Syndrome didn't affect them, and they decided they wanted to help any way they could. Xander eventually dubbed our little group the Scoobies after the cartoon show Scooby Doo."
"Mettling kids, ah I see, and you let Dawn in on something as dangerous as this?" Severus asked, not backing down even as the mother of his daughter glared at him.
"It's not like I took her on patrol with me, but as she got older being babysat by her grandfather who's also my Watcher as well as Kendra who has an inate talent for languages, she picked up an interest and talent for the research aspect hence being a Ravenclaw. " Buffy explained.
Severus nodded his head, not exactly happy but accepting that Buffy hadn't put their daughter in unnecessary danger. He then asked the other thing that had been bothering him since he'd ordered his drink from the house elf.
"How is it that you've got one of the Malfoy house elves serving you?" Severus watched as Buffy blinked, noticing her moment of indecisiveness before recognizing the lie she proceeded to tell.
*&*&Buffy's POV*&*&
"Oh, Dobby? He's been with me since I came here, I had assumed he was a Hogwarts house-elf." Buffy said, not willing to tell Severus of her family tree just yet. She watched his expression closely, knowing that he didn't believe her. It didn't matter, she had answered most of his questions honestly even going as far as telling him of her destiny. Now she planned on getting some of her own answers.
"So Severus, what's exactly going on with this 'Dark Lord Moldyshorts'?" She asked. Severus gave her a strange look before answering
"The Dark Lord is heavily prejudiced against muggles and muggleborns. He's gained the support of a lot of the older pureblood families who believe that mudbloods are destroying and endangering their traditions as well as diluting the pure bloodlines with their dirty blood. He's also thought to be gone after a killing curse gone awry."
"But Dumbledore doesn't believe that's he's no longer a threat?"
"Dumbledore doesn't want the threat to be over as he wasn't the one to end it." Severus said.
"Hmmm, and what makes you say that?" Buffy questioned.
"Dumbledore is renowned for defeating Grindelwald. The power bestowed upon him for that feat has gone to his head. "
"And if Moldyshorts is truly defeated then Harry Potter and his mother Lily get the credit." Buffy said, thinking.
"What do you know about the Defense Professor?" Buffy asked, wanting to know more about the man who'd set her spidey sense off.
"Quirinus Quirrell? He was a ravenclaw during his school years who taught the subject you now teach before going on a sabbatical. He returned this year to take the Defense against the Dark Arts position despite being utterly under qualified for it. "
" Hmm, I would say that that assessment was made in jealously that he got the position but it does seem odd that someone skilled in Defense would faint instead of fighting the troll." Buffy said though her thoughts were flying. She knew from Giles' research that the dark wizard that called himself Voldemort had been 'defeated' by Lily Potter's sacrifice when he tried to cast the killing curse at her toddler son due to an incomplete prophecy. She also knew that the man before her had been loyal to the dark wizard and would still be if the incomplete prophecy he had relayed to his lord had not lead Voldemort to target the Potters, specifically Lily.
"What do you think of Harry Potter?" Buffy asked.
"He acts the arrogant, spoiled brat like his father." Severus sneered. Buffy tilted her head as the onyx eyes of the man standing before her contradicted the sneer on his mouth. It seemed that the surly potions master didn't believe his own assessment of the child but refused to allow himself to waver in his unfavorable opinion. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Buffy nodded as her daughter's father excused himself.
Buffy turned to her sisters and said,
"I think we need more information about this war we've been asked to interfere in. Faith, I want you to see what you can find out about how Harry Potter is treated by his relatives. Ken, get with Giles and find out what you guys can about this prophecy. I'd also like to know as much about both Dumbledore and Voldemort as we can find." Buffy watched as her sisters left to follow through on what she'd asked them to do.
A/N: First, I want to thank anyone who has favourited/followed this story. Second, the first person to guess how Buffy knew about Snape's role in Voldemort going after the Potters will get a chance to pick a pairing within reason. Finally, if there are any outtakes from this story you'd like to see please tell me and I"ll try my best.