Author's Note:

So, yeah. Long wait. Over a decade long. The final book in the Harry Potter series came out long ago, and the saga is finished.

And I'm sorry to announce this story will not be completed. The reason I've finally come back to post what I'm about to post is because I've finally accepted the fact of that. I want to move on in my writing and this story has just been hanging over me as something a feel like I SHOULD complete because I have wanted to complete a long fanfic. I've started some. I've just never finished any.

And, on a more personal note: When it comes to writing non-fiction and analytical essays over the past decade or so, I'm gold. However, when it comes to writing fiction for the past years since I lost my father, it's been nothing but roadblock after roadblock. I'm trying to break out of that roadblock, but this story will not be one of the things that do it.

So, because I know for sure that I'm never going to finish this story now, and I really just want to move on from it at this point, I've decided to do the next best thing for all of those who have read and liked it, and have hoped now in vain that I would finish it one day: and that is to give everyone the rest of the notes, outlines and partial chapters I have written. This way, those who still have this story favorited or have really wanted to know how it ends, can at least get that.

The finished story was to have 20 chapters in total. Then, I was planning a sequel to this story called Harry Potter and the Second Great War which, as well, will not be written, and for which I only had some very rough outline notes for.

Spelling mistakes likely abound in this. Again, these are just notes, sample scenes and outlines, so no spell checking or grammar checking has really been done. And for sure no beta reading.

Finally, if anyone wants to take all the notes, outlines and scenes I've written and finish the story themselves, please feel free to do so. All I ask for is credit for the things that I wrote or inspired others to write based on it.

Thank You.

Chapter Seven (con't): A Hellmouth Education – Part II

Hermione, Ron and Ginny were all in the kitchen, along with Mrs. Weasley, when they arrived back at the Burrow a little while later. Before Harry could even ask, Hermione handed him an envelope with his name on it.

"Here, Harry. It's your O.W.L. scores. They all arrived about a half hour after you left," she said.

"I know. I saw Neville at the Leaky Caldron, and he told me they'd come," Harry explained. "Mrs. Longbottom said they were supposed to come earlier, but got delayed."

Harry quickly opened the envelope and, his stomach clenching a little, as he quickly began to read his scores:

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results

Pass Grades Fail Grades

Outstanding (O) Poor (P)

Exceeds Expectations (E) Dreadful (D)

Acceptable (A) Troll (T)

Harry James Potter:

Charms – E

Defense Against the Dark Arts – O

Potions – E

Arithmancy – E

Care of Magical Creatures – E

Herbology – E

Transfigurations – E

Astronomy – A

Divination – P

History of Magic – D

He had passed everything except for Divination and History of Magic, which he didn't really care about. But he stared at his Potions mark, not being able to help the slight feeling of regret. He had known all along he wouldn't secure the required Potions grade needed to take Advanced Potions, but he still couldn't help the sinking feeling as he looked at that black letter E.

Being an Auror was all Harry had ever thought of being since the idea had been put into his head. He really couldn't think of anything else he wanted to do.

He looked up and noticed both Ron and Dawn looking over his shoulder.

"I didn't pass Divination or History of Magic either, but who cares about that?" Ron told him, showing Harry his own O.W.L. results. Ron's grades pretty much mirrored Harry's, except that he had gotten no O's at all.

"I can't believe they actually give out a grade called Troll," Dawn commented with a laugh as she continued skimming her eyes over Harry's O.W.L.s. "That's gotta be even worse than an F!"

"How'd you do Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Um, okay," Hermione said, rather evasively as she got up and took her empty lunch plate to the sink.

"What? Don't tell me you didn't get an O in something," Harry said with a teasing smile.

"She got an 'O' in everything, except Defense," Ron told him with a smirk. "Trust her to be disappointed about that."

"I'm not disappointed," Hermione replied evenly – though it was quite obvious by the look on her face that she rather was.

"So did you get your wand?" Ginny asked Dawn, and trying to save Hermione from anymore teasing by changing the subject.

"Yep! Right here," Dawn said, opening up the wand box and taking out her wand. "I actually really kinda want to try some spells with it."

"We're not allowed to do magic outside of school actually, until we're of age," Hermione explained, "Except in an emergency of course."

"Oh," Dawn said dejectedly. "Well that sucks."

"I don't think a simple year one spell or two would hurt Hermione," Harry cut in. Dawn had really been looking forward to trying out her wand, and he didn't like her looking so disappointed at not being able to. "I mean, Dawn's not even officially enrolled. They probably don't even have the trace on her yet."

"Yeah," Ron noted. "They can't exactly expel her from somewhere she isn't officially a student."

"And you could probably show her some simple ones to do Hermione," Harry added. "You know, one or two simple ones that wouldn't get her in any real trouble, right?"

Surprisingly, Hermione seem to take their arguments seriously. "Well," she said slowly. "Even I did a few simple spells when I first got accepted. Just to test my natural abilities of course. So I suppose one or two simple spells would be okay."

"Great!" Dawn said, grinning from ear to ear.

[Ron and Harry move away from the girls (Hermione, Dawn and Ginny) to whisper-talk about Harry and Dawn's "date" went while Dawn attempts the wingardium leviosa spell (having no luck at first). Harry admits that he hasn't even really kissed her yet – which has Ron telling him he'd better get moving seeing how she's leaving soon – when Dawn, in a rather loud and frustrated voice, shouts "wingardium leviosa!" Not only is the quill pen affected, but also everything else in the room – chairs, tables, even the kids themselves. They try and duck in mid-air as objects fly all around

Hermione is able to point her wand at herself and say "finite incantatem" which get her down. Just as Mrs. Weasley hears the commotion and comes in, everyone is able to get down, and the object put back in place with her and Harry's help. Dawn and Hermione explain what happened and Mrs. Weasley suggests that they all go outside and work on such things instead before heading back into the kitchen (after giving Dawn a wary look).

Ron comments he's never heard of something that crazy happening before. Hermione notes that it could if ten people cast that spell all at the same time. Dawn changes the subject, saying she's kind of had her fill of magic and that maybe she should wait till she gets to Hogwarts before she tries anything else, and asks Harry if he's still up for showing her some of Quidditch. Ron is really up for it – quickly forgetting the incident. Harry can tell Hermione hasn't and looks at Dawn's wand with scrutiny as she puts it back in its box.]

"Well, we could play some Quidditch," Ginny suggested. "Only chance I've had to practice at all this summer so far was yesterday."

"That sounds like a good idea," Harry agreed with a nod. "We can teach you how to play," he said to Dawn.

"Well, just make sure you all are washed and ready for dinner by five o'clock," Mrs. Weasley noted, as they headed though the kitchen to go outside, informing her of their new plans. "That's when everyone will be arriving for Harry's birthday dinner."

Since Harry, Ron and Ginny all had their own brooms, only Dawn and Hermione needed one, and two old brooms that had belong to Fred and George were given to them to use. Surprisingly, Dawn had no trouble calling for her broom, just as Harry had had none the first time he'd had a flying lesson at Hogwarts. And she had much better control over it than even she thought she would when she finally lifted off the ground for the first time, though she didn't go very high up.

"This is great!" Dawn called out as she made a smooth turn around the tops of a tree in the yard, the others either flanking her or hovering in the air nearby.

"Want to try some Quidditch now?" Harry asked, coming up beside her a minute or two later.

"Sure, okay," Dawn nodded.

"Well, since there are an odd number of us and I'm not very good at Quidditch anyway, I'll just sit this out," Hermione told them.

However, the Quidditch lesson didn't go as smoothly as the flying did. It didn't take Harry too long to realize Dawn hadn't been lying when she'd told him she wasn't very good at sports. More than once she mentioned getting a little disoriented, afraid she might fall off her broom. So she pretty much matched Hermione in the regard of being not good at the sport, but Harry's skill more than made up for it in the two sided match against Ron and Ginny.

With the laughter and fun being had with his friends – old and new – it was almost easy to forget the creeping shadow falling over the Wizarding World.

However, Harry's birthday celebration later that evening brought it all crashing back. As everyone feasted on the generous dinner spread and birthday cake Mrs. Weasley had prepared, Remus Lupin arrived with news that Igor Karkaroff's body had been found in a shack up north.

"The Dark Mark was over it – though frankly it is amazing he stayed alive for over a year after deserting the Death Eaters anyway; Sirius' brother Regulus only lasted a few days from what I remember," he explained to Rupert Giles, his face gaunt and grim.

Of the Sunnydale allies, only Buffy, Dawn, Xander, Andrew and Rupert Giles were there. Harry hadn't expected it, but among his gifts were a shaving kit given to him by Xander, Andrew and Mr. Giles, (accompanied by gauffs from the Weasley twins), and a very cool long silver dagger and leather sheath from Buffy and Dawn, (accompanied by envious comments and moans from the Weasley twins).

"Hey, if you two ever have a dangerous evil wizard and his legion of doom specifically trying to kill you, call me and I'll hook you two up with one of those each as well," Buffy had told them with a smirk and a nod at Harry's dagger.

"It's so you don't have to just rely on your wand for self defense Harry," Dawn said smiling. "Especially if demons are getting involved in all of this now – there are some out there that are immune to a lot of magic."

[Dawn and Harry move off outside in the back for a bit, alone. He thanks her for the gift. Talk turns intimate a bit and finally they have their first kiss. When they pull apart, Dawn says something quippy, and then Harry moves in and kisses her again.

The second kiss is interrupted by Buffy, telling Dawn it's time to go, since they have to get an early start tomorrow. Dawn says she'll be right there, in a way that tells Buffy to "please leave for just a minute." Buffy does, but not before giving Harry a look and telling him he's wearing some nice lip-gloss. Harry stutters a bit as she leaves (saying 5 minutes), and Dawn tells him to forget it – her sister is just being her evil self. Harry asks if she's as evil as her sister. Dawn (putting her arms around him) says "I'm worse" as she moves in to kiss him again.

Ron and Hermione corners Harry up in their room later, Ron asks, and Harry confirms he finally kissed her, which causes Ron to whoop. Hermione just rolls her eyes and says there's something more about Dawn than where she's a good kisser or not (when Ron asks Harry if she is).

Hermione asks Harry what kind of wand Mr. Ollivander gave her.

Harry feels conflicted. Hermione is his friend, he trusts her with his life – but Dawn asked him to promise. He finally tells Hermione that he can't tell her – but only because he promised Dawn that he wouldn't.

They all get into a tiff about it, with the Department Of Mysteries incident being brought up. The discussion reaches a point where Harry finally tells Ron and Hermione about the prophecy and what it says about him and Voldemort.]

The only thing about it all that Harry could be grateful for was that no one seemed to have clued in on what, specifically, the Death Eaters had been after that night at the Department of Mysteries. He could tell that Ron and Hermione rather did want to talk about it with him and what the prophecy might have said from little things like Hermione had just aid whenever the subject of that night came up, but Harry had just kept putting them both off.

Suddenly though, he knew that he didn't want to avoid the subject anymore. Dumbledore was right – telling Ron and Hermione would at least give him someone to confide in about it, if nothing else.

And he was tired of trying not to think about it all the time.

He took a deep breath. "Actually...I do know what it said," he began quietly.

[He says only they know about it, that he hasn't told anybody else, and he is in no way throwing the two of them over for Dawn, no matter how much her likes her.

Hermione, humbled a little by the news of the prophecy, says she understands he's just being a friend to Dawn and respecting her wishes. She just doesn't want to see him get hurt or anything. Harry assures her that Dawn and he isn't like Cho Chang and he. Cho was actually threatened by his friends (Hermione in particular) whereas Dawn completely understands the level of friendship and trust he has for her and Ron – because she and her sister have the same thing with their friends.]

[END CHAPTER SEVEN HERE]

Chapter Eight: A Summers Among Serpents

[Everyone gets the sixth year supplies here]

Three days later, Harry received his first letter from Dawn. Unlike the previous letters he'd received from her, this one was written on actual parchment paper. The fact that she'd used a quill pen was obvious as well as ink blotches were rather pronounced thought the paper, showing her inexperience of writing with one.

Dear Harry (blot)

Sorry to be so late in writi(blot) but as you could guess, I've been very busy for (blot) while. I finally have a moment to myself to write to you, though I still have piles and piles of assignments to get throu(blot) before tomorrow.

I never knew learning magic could be – well (blot) really boring sometimes (blot)

Buffy left for Italy yesterday, and then she's going on the Germany from

there.

The Hogwarts Castle is gorgeous, but rather lonely though, as only the four professors are here, besides me. Well, there are the ghosts, but I don't really hang around them very much. (I don't have very good track reco(blot) with ghosts).

Oh, and your friend Hargid is here too. Buffy and I met him my first day here, and told him I knew you and that you said hi, just as you asked. He's sweet, and he seemed so disappointed when I told him Magical Creatures wasn't one of the subjects (blot)as going to be studying - I guess Dumbledore didn't think it was necessary given how far behind I was in other subjects. So the next afternoon I agreed to let him show me some of the creatures uses in the class and that he game keeps for, and Buffy came along too.

Remind me never to (blot) near a Blast-Ended Skrewt again. The whole front of Buffy's new cashmere sweater was totally singed, which was really funny though.

Magic lessons are going as well as can be expected, consider(blot) I only just started using a wand for the first time when I first got here. Out of everything, I think I like Charms the most. Professor Flitwick says I'm a natural and that at the rate I'm going, I might be able to take his fifth year charms class when school starts.

I wish I were doing that well in Transfigurations, but I'm not. Professor McGonagall is so nice and she tries to be patient with me, but I haven't been able to transfigure a single thi(blot) without either screwing it up completely – or having it exploded into a million pieces in our faces.

I doubt I'll improve much by the end of the month. Looks like it'll be the first year transfi(blot)ration class for me.

Herbology is an interesting subject, and I love the Ancient Runes evaluations I've been taking. I really (blot)nt in that class – it will definitely come in helpful for all the ancient texts I'll have to work with as a Watcher. Just with all the texts I've had to translate this year, I think I should be able to get in the class.

From all the warnings you and Ron gave me about Snape, I was really dreading the time I was going to spend studying Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts; but I have to say, I'm findi(blot) Potions not as difficult as I thought I would. Really, it's almost just like Chemistry and I always rather enjoyed that subject in scho(blot).

'Course, in Chem class I never got to make something as cool as the Pepperup Potion. (Though, at my old school in Sunnydale, (blot)at potion wouldn't be that cool if you were just faking having a cold in order to skip a day of school).

Knowing how you don't like Snape, I think you also would have loved to see how I've dumbfounded him more than once with my Dark Arts knowledge. At least, his eyes twitched more than once at some of the answers I've given him. Not the practical stuff (blot) I didn't know how to do any of the wand spells of course. But almost all of the other things, the knowle(blot)e side, were a lot of things I already knew about: werewolves, vampires, incubi, succubi, basically anything that ever came out of the Hellmouth that Buffy had to fight.

He said I knew too much about some things actually.

Professor Dumbledore has been around too, more often than I expected he would, making sure I'm doing okay, (blot)d helping me with some things. He won't tell me much about what the Order of the Phoenix is doing, only that Giles and Xander have been there quite a lot.

Please tell Ron, Hermione and Ginny I said hi, and give them my best. (Blot) really miss you and, even though its school and it would probably be ruining the rest of you vacation, I do wish you were here.

Write me as soon as you can.

Dawn

P.S. Sorry for all the ink blotches in this lett(blot) I've already written to Willow asking her to send me some fountain pens ASAP. No matter how kind-of cool writing on parchment paper is, quills and I just simply do not (blot)mix.

Another letter also arrived for Harry that day along with Dawn's letter, telling him that – as Ron and Ginny had guessed – he had been selected as Gryffindor's new Quidditch Captain.

"That means you have the status of a prefect now you know," Hermione had told him happily. "You can use the prefects bathroom and everything."

In the end, this proved to be some of the only bright news in what, by the end of it, became a quite dreary week. By midday of the next afternoon, a light fog began to roll in all across the country, but didn't burn off or dissipate by the next day. It felt like no ordinary fog either, and the Daily Prophet began reporting that even the muggle news was starting to notice strange things. Every day seem to bring news of another mysterious disappearance or a body found, including that of the young Auror named Williamson that Harry had remembered from the incident on Charing Cross Road.

The Daily Prophet also seem to be constantly dropping his name in every article that mentioned anything to do with the Death Eaters or Voldemort, which was starting to get under Harry's skin. They didn't mention him the way they had last year; sneering and calling him deranged, but instead making note of his bravery and heroics as if he were some sort of symbol.

However, the most maddening thing of all was that Rita Skeeter was back writing for them as well. And she had taken to writing short, gossipy notes about him in a section at the end of each week, called "Potter Watching."

"As if I were a bird or something! Can't you blackmail her again?" Harry asked Hermione angrily after reading her latest note; which not only talking about his O.W.L. grades, but how he had his sights apparently set on becoming an Auror - ("And if his skill fighting against You-Know-Who so far is any indication, he would definitely become one of the best ever known!") - if he didn't accept an offer from the Montrose Magpies Quidditch team which – according to the article – he dreamed of doing even more.

Hermione shook her head. "The deal was only for one year. Besides, with everything going on now, she registered as an animagus with no one really caring why she'd hadn't done so before apparently," she noted, rather bitterly.

Harry received five more letters from Dawn that August, the final one arriving just before the end of the month, August 27th. In it was another amusing rant about the amount of work Snape had been throwing at her, her lack of improvement at Transfigurations, some personal asides to him that made Harry's whole being grow warm in a very pleasant way, and ending with the news that she would start taking placement level exams starting the next day, up until the morning of August 30th – including, possibly, an OWL exam or two. Thus giving her almost two free days before school started on September 1st, and that she was definitely coming back to London the minute after her final placement exam was over, and that Mr. And Mrs. Weasley had already sent her and Buffy (who would be coming back to spend time with her and check up on things) an invitation to stay at the Burrow for those two days.

When Ron found out the Slayer would actually be staying at his house for the final two nights before term started, he appeared to go into a slight panic – amusing Harry and irritated Hermione, which culminated in a fight between the two (the subject of which Harry never found out about) that resulted in Ron and Hermione ignoring each other for two days straight. "Because he's a bloody fool!" was all Harry was able to get out of Hermione about it.

[We now arrive at August 30th – morning. Dawn is coming back today, even though she could have stayed at school, but she wanted to ride the train.

Dawn comes back from her month, escorted by Dumbledore and Snape. Buffy, Giles and Willow are there as well, and they all exchange news.

Dawn tells them she's been aloud into Second Year Herbology, fourth year Charms, fifth year Ancient Runes ("I probably could have actually been put in six or even seventh year, with all the ancient texts I've had to translate, especially this past year, but there was no time for me to take an OWL to pass on - I only had time to take 2 OWLs"), sixth Year DADA. Snape had her take the OWL for DADA at the end of her evaluation the day before, and she got an O.

First Year Transfigurations, so far, is her waterloo ("Hard Much! I kept blowing things up!"). She will be exempt from History of Magic, and will do a correspondence course with the new Watcher's Council Academy for some other classes, such as languages. (Giles bought some Owls to keep at the new Watcher's HQ that will be used). Care Of Magical Creatures will be an elective she can take or not, as Dumbledore thinks her Demon Knowledge more than makes up for it.

She will be in fourth year (Wizard Magic Math) since she was on the way to Calculus at Sunnydale high for her 11th Grade year and fourth year is the equivalent . . . and sixth year Advanced Potions, which shocks everyone, including Harry, who's still smarting a little that he can't take the class. She says Snape (who's still there listening) told her she knew a lot about some very complex potions – more than she should in some cases – and it was more of the simple ones that she knew nothing about. (Snape: "It's what comes from living on a Hellmouth with no proper training, and lots of Dark Arts magic available to her," he says looking at Willow, who has the good sense to blush. It's mentiond that Snape requested to talk to Willow right before Dawn's evaluation). So, just like DADA, he had her take the OWL for Potions at the end of her evaluation, and she got an O, just like she did for the DADA one.

It's here that we learn the big news, because Snape gives it away – Dawn's been sorted into Slytherin. Dumbledore explains how she was sorted before coming back here, just that day (since she didn't want to be sorted with all the 11 year old first years' tomorrow), and the hat placed her into Slytherin. Harry protest. Dawn can't be in Slytherin, they don't take Muggle-borns. ("First time for everything." Snape noted)]

Dawn look at him quietly. "I wanted to tell you myself," she finally said, shooting Snape a dirty look. (His back was to her, so he did not notice). "I was just trying to figure out how to. I mean "Hey, guess what? I've been sorted into the evil, only-pureblood-magic-people-aloud house"? I didn't really think that would have worked."

"Are you sure the hat didn't make a mistake?" Harry asked, unable to hide the look of shock on his face. He just couldn't believe that this funny, pretty, understanding girl, whom he knew he fancied more than he had even Cho, was actually going to be in the house that everyone in his house - including him! - actively despised.

"Well, I did ask if I could switch," Dawn told him pointedly, looking uncomfortable. "But Professor Dumbledore said once that hat made a decision, it was final."

Suddenly, Ron started laughing loudly.

"It's not funny Ron!" Hermione said earnestly, giving him a nasty look.

Ron, however, shook his head in disagreement. "No Hermione, it's bloody brilliant! I can't wait to see the look on Malfoy and the other Slytherin's faces when they find out a muggle-born has finally been sorted in there. This," he said with a flourish, "is history in the making!"

"And it's not like I'm going to go all evil or anything you know," Dawn said, keeping her voice light – but then frowned. "At least, I don't plan to or anything; though the track record among the Scoobies about that isn't so great," she noted wryly exchanging a glance with her sister.

[Long story short, Harry can't believe that the sweet, understanding girl he really thinks he's falling for is going to be in the house that has turned out more dark witches and wizards than anyone. Dawn says she has no plan to go evil and that all Slytherins can't be bad. She admits she actually likes Snape, even though he tries to be all "Prince of Darkness and could use a hair washing."

Hermione's curiosity is even more up after this, declaring later (with Ginny present, along with Harry and Ron) that there is no way a muggle-born could get in Slytherin, and that Dawn has to be a half-blood at least. Harry firmly says that if she is, then Dawn herself doesn't know it – he knows she not lying to them. Hermione and Ginny both don't seem convinced. ]

"And remember, if you don't think you can reach me quickly enough and there are any problems or, you know, anything bad happens don't do anything; just send your Owl to Giles and he'll get in contact with me wherever I am, if I'm not in London; but I'll be sure and tell you when I'm out of the country or not, okay?"

Buffy Summers kept on talking and giving instructions to her sister as they all stood on platform 9¾ on September 1st. As usual, the platform was crowed with students and parents; but along with them many Aurors stood around scanning the crowd, as well as two who remained stationed by the entrance barrier of the platform.

[Sum up. Harry still is dealing with Dawn being in Slytherin. Ron tried to show off to Buffy while showing them 2 sided quidditch, but embarrasses himself, thought Buffy was nice about it. Word about the journey to the station – two paragraphs at most]

However, Buffy had been talking and giving Dawn instructions and advice non-stop since they'd gotten to Kings Cross Station almost ten minutes ago.

"And I've got some of that Floo powder stuff," she continued now. "So I can get to that town, Hogsmede, from wherever I am if something happens, and be at the school in no time at all should anything - "

"Buffy!" Dawn exclaimed, finally interrupting her sister and looking slightly frazzled. "Remember last year when I told you that trying to scare me on my first day of High School was really redundant?"

Buffy blinked. "Uh, yeah?"

"Well, it's even more so to do it before my first full day at a magic school," Dawn said dryly.

"Hey, she doesn't even have to worry about Hellmouth-y activity this year Buff, since, you know, this school isn't exactly built on top of one," Xander Harris noted, trying to be reassuring. He had come along that day from the Watcher's Council construction site to wish Dawn well as she headed off, and to make up for having missed her return two days before.

"Yeah, but there is a crazy-ass 'I-want-to-take-over-the-world' Dark Wizard running around," Buffy said. She gave Dawn a sad little smile and reached out and stroked her hair affectionately. "Just, don't go looking for trouble, all right? And if anything, you know, troubling comes at you, just run away, okay?"

"It's probably going to be hard for her to avoid much trouble, being friends with Harry here," Lupin told Buffy with a slight grin. "He and his friends always seem to have a talent for getting involved in such things."

Buffy eyes darted to - and narrowed at - Harry who was standing next to Dawn.

"Oh no you don't! No trying to scare him," Dawn exclaimed, stepping in front of her sister's line of sight, and pulled her into a hug as the train whistle to alert for the final boarding sounded. "And I'll see you in October when you come to visit, alright?"

"I will try and avoid any trouble, if I can help it," Harry told Buffy as reassuringly as he could. Never mind that trouble always seems to find me anyway, no matter what I do.

[Dawn gives hugs to Giles, Xander, Willow and, finally Buffy. Then -]

"Dawn -!"

"I know Buffy. Again, we covered it last year: The stake is not the power, you never know what's out there, Soylent Green is made from people, I love you, good-bye!"

[Ron and Hermione head off to do their Prefect thing. Harry suggests to Dawn and Ginny that they find somewhere to sit, but Ginny says she promised to sit with Dean, and goes off. Slight exchange about Dean and how Dawn didn't know Ginny had a boyfriend. Harry says Dean's all right.]

"Don't look now, but you're being ogled at," Dawn whispered to him as they made their way down the corridor.

Harry looked around a bit, and then sighed; it was true. Just as before, all around them people stopped and stared at him as he and Dawn made their way down the now quiet corridor. Some people who had already found compartments poked their heads out the doors or pressed their faces to the glass to watch them go by.

"They're looking at you as well," Harry told her. Some of the staring was being directed at Dawn as well, most of the expressions curious ones as she walked next to him.

Dawn gave him a bemused look. "They're all just probably wondering who the hell I am, and why I'm walking with you," she said rather teasingly.

Harry just rolled his eyes at her but picked up his pace a little, scanning for an empty compartment, and a way away from all the staring.

Suddenly, a little-ways down, he spotted Neville and Luna Lovegood about to enter a compartment together.

"Neville! Luna!" Harry called over to them in slight relief with a wave. "We can sit with them," Harry told Dawn.

"Hi, Harry! Hi, Dawn," Neville said, greeting them both with a smile as they came up.

"Hi Neville, how are you?" Dawn asked with a smile in greeting.

Neville smiled a little shyly, but nodded. "Fine thank you."

"Hello, Harry," Luna said serenely. She was clutching a magazine against her chest. From the style of it he could see, Harry could tell that it was The Quibbler, the magazine Luna's father ran.

"How are you Luna?"

"Very well thank you," she said, and then looked at Dawn curiously; her large misty eyes growing rather limpid as she did.

"Oh, uh, Luna this is Dawn – Dawn Summers. She's going to be attending Hogwarts with us this year, "Harry explained by way of introduction."Dawn, this is Luna Lovegood. She was with us that night during the fight at the Department of Mysteries."

Dawn gave Luna a smile and nod. "Nice to meet you Luna."

Luna only nodded as she continued to look at Dawn with that curious and limpid look in her eyes.

"Well, uh, let's go in," Harry said, braking the moment of awkward silence, and the four of them moved inside the empty compartment, Harry hoping to finally get away from the gawking stares.

But it was not to be.

"People are stopping to look in here," Dawn noted as Harry helped her lift up her new school trunk up on the luggage rack, and out of the corner of his eye Harry saw that people were stopping at their compartment to stare for a moment as they walked by in the corridor.

It was getting beyond annoying to him now, having moved way past uncomfortable a while back.

"They're staring at you too, not just me," Harry told her again, lifting up his own trunk onto the rack, trying to ignore the faces that kept stopping to look in before passing by.

"Really? Admiring my beauty do you think?" Dawn asked saucily.

"Or wondering what such a weird, funny-looking girl is doing around here," Harry replied keeping a straight face.

Dawn gave him a playful slap on the arm that made him grin.

[Luna has her weird glasses on and was reading The Qibbler). Neville says he saw them earlier, and asks if the older blonde girl was the sister Dawn had told him about. Dawn says yes, that was her sister Buffy and their friends Xander and Willow.

Neville pulls out Trevor, which makes Dawn jump, and Neville beings talking about how he's harmless.]

"You have very pretty eyes," Luna broke in suddenly.

Dawn blinked, a little taken aback. "Oh, uh, thank you," she replied, giving Luna a curious smile at the sudden complement.

"I don't think I've ever seen eyes as bright as yours before," Luna continued in an almost dreamy voice. "Such a bright, pretty green color . . . ."

Huh? Harry wondered, his brow furrowing in confusion. Next to him, Dawn had suddenly gone very quiet, her very-obviously-blue-and-not-green eyes staring at Luna as if the girl had just sprouted another head.

"Um, Dawn's eyes are blue, aren't they?" Neville said to Harry leaning forward, breaking the, for some reason, thick silence. "I mean they – they look blue to me . . ."

"Luna, Dawn has blue eyes," Harry told her.

Luna blinked. "Does she? They seem more green to me . . ." she said thoughtfully.

Before any of them could make any further comment on Luna's odd observance, there was the sound of a commotion coming from just outside the compartment door. Everyone looked over a noticed a gaggle of girls stood just outside the compartment, some staring at Harry from the other side of the glass, others whispering excitedly between themselves.

[(Asking about how Harry caught the Death Eaters at the LC) Harry glances back at Dawn sitting next to him (he was sitting near the door). That unreadable expression is gone from her face as she watches Romilda and her friends flirt with Harry and Harry is please - he can't help but be pleased – to notice her cheeks a slightly flushed and she's looking at the 4th year Gryffindor with barely concealed distain. She catches Harry's eye and he gives her a smile that clearly says "I'm not interested in her at all."]

Dawn, obviously unable to help herself anymore, snorted acutely at the comment, the sound clearly meaning that she though Romilda's comment had been on the ridiculous end of the spectrum.

Harry turned back to Dawn again and gave her a good-natured poke. "You know very well I fought those demons with one hand tied behind my back Summers," he said in mock-seriousness, holding back his laughter. Harry found himself really loving this easy banter he he had with her.

"With its arm around you neck is more like it," she retorted, giving him a poke right back, though she was smiling as she did so.

A flirting-filled-poking-war might have erupted except for the fact that all of the girls now zeroed their focus in on Dawn who, they all seemed to realize at once, Harry had been paying more attention to than them since they'd entered the room; Romilda looked at Dawn, narrowing her eyes. "Um, excuses me, but who are you?" she asked, her tone not even trying to cover up the rudeness in it. "I don't think I've seen you around before."

Dawn, without missing a beat, said brightly, "That's because I've never been here before."

"You sound American," Romilda noted.

"That's because I am," Dawn replied in the same bright tone.

Romilda crossed her arms. "Well what are you doing here then?"

"Well, this is the Hogwarts Express, and I'm riding on so it can take me to Hogwarts, obviously," Dawn replied, her tone of voice changing to a completely snarky deadpan.

[Romilda – after giving Dawn a rather nasty look invites Harry to join them. Harry replies coolly that he's sitting with his friends].

"Oh, okay," Romilda said surprised and quickly closed the compartment door before she and the gaggle headed back down the corridor, Romilda throwing Dawn one more nasty look as she left.

"I don't think she likes me very much," Dawn noted thoughtfully.

"Does that bother you?" Harry asked, slightly surprised.

Dawn shrugged. "Well since I don't think I like her very much either, I'd say it evens out, wouldn't you?" she said with a grin, and then shook her head. "I can't believe her nerve though."

"They probably all expect Harry to have cooler friends than us," Luna noted.

"You are cool," Harry said decidedly. "They didn't fight with me at the Department of Mysteries the way you and Neville did. Or save my life that night on Charing Cross Road," he noted to Dawn.

Dawn smiled. "I think that second bit was more Giles and Willow's doing more than mine, but thank you."

[Just then, Malfoy - Crabb and Goyle at his side - pokes his head in, snearing that Harry's head is probably swelling even bigger than it already was with everyone falling over him now, expecially girls like the ones who just left. Harry makes a snide comment about Malfoy's father being in jail. Malfoy makes a very evil comment about Harry's soon-to-be-death, and Harry replies by making a smile yet rude gesture while telling him to shove off.

Malfoy steps forward, wand out, (so are Crabb and Goyal's) telling Harry to try and make him - Dawn and Harry are now standing up, Harry's wand out and having placed himself between her and Malfoy. Dawn says Harry's name, which causes Malfoy to finally notice her. He looks her up and down in a leering way which sets Harry's blood boiling. Malfoy makes a rude comment about Dawn. (By now, Luna and Neville are also on their feet. Neville has his want out, but looks nervous).

Just then, Ginny, Dean, Seamus, Ernie, (two or three other from DA members) and Ron and Hermione all come up behind Malfoy, Crabb and Goyal with their wants out. Malfoy now sees he's out numbered and puts his wand down, and moves to leave with C&G, but notes to Dawn that if she's smart she'll dump the losers she with – especially Harry – and find some more powerful friends or she'll end up dead. ]

"So that's the infamous Draco Malfoy, huh?" Dawn asked, and then shook her head. "I can see why you hate him."

[Everyone comes in and asks what Malfoy was doing there. Harry says he was being a pain as usual, and that it was a good thing they all showed up when they did. Ron says that they're there – actually – because Seamus and the others wanted to meet Dawn.]

"Me?" Dawn asked, confused.

[Hermione explains that Ron pretty much told them who her sister was ("It's not like they said we had to keep it a secret Hermione," Ron noted), and that they didn't believe him.]

"Oh," Dawn replied nonplused. She looked at Seamus and the others and nodded her head. "Yeah, it's true."

"Um, who's your sister?" Neville asked Dawn, confused.

"She's the Vampire Slayer!" Ron announced grandly.

[Quick interjections, especially from Luna, about the Vampire Slayer]

Dawn and Harry, (with Ron interjecting at points), related to Neville, Luna, Dean, Seamus and the others the story of how they had first met, and everything that had happened afterwards, including the new alliance with the now thousands of Chosen Ones, and how Dawn hadn't known that she was a witch until just recently.

The explaining and discussion lasted so long that the train was only a few minutes from Hogsmede Station when Hermione alerted everyone to the fact, and that they all needed to get into their school robes or they weren't going to be ready by the time the train arrived.

Ginny and the others who'd come in headed back to their own compartments where their trunks were stored. Everyone else opened their trunks (which was rather difficult with six of them in the compartment) and pulled out their school robes and began to change. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Neville's eyes go wide with surprise when he saw Dawn's putting on her Slytherin-colored robes. He glanced from her to Harry, catching his eye and Harry gave him a slight shake of his head in a gesture clearly meaning "not now."

Neville obliged, not asking what he so clearly wanted to.

They all squeezed there way out of the compartment as the train finally pulled in the station, and Harry felt the cold breeze of the night air on them was the doors opened and they waited in the corridor along with the crowd slowly moving to exit the train. After a few moments, Hagrid's familiar call of "Firs' years over here...firs' years..." could be heard.

Harry became separated from Dawn and the others as they were all moved forward by the crowed onto the platform and out through the station. He cranked his neck as he was jostled, scanning around for his friends. He caught Hargid's eye through the crowd, but was only able to give him a quick wave as he was shunted forward onto the road outside of the station, where the carriages stood waiting, the thestrals – creatures one could see only if you'd ever seen death – waiting before them, ready to drive them up to Hogwarts castle.

After a minute, Harry noticed Ginny standing next to one of the carriages, waiting to get in along with Dean and a few other kids.

"Ginny, have you seen Dawn or Ron?" he asked walking over to her. "I lost them in the crowd somewhere."

"Ron was by one of the coaches up ahead," Ginny told him. "And the last I saw Dawn, she and Luna were talking together on the platform."

"Harry, up here!" Ron's voice called out, and Harry saw Ron's head poking out of one the carriages further up the line, waving him over.

"Let me go find Dawn!" Harry called back. "Save us a place, okay?"

"Sure, okay!"

Moving back in the direction of the platform, it only took a few seconds to spot Dawn and Luna emerging out from the thinning crowed. Luna was listening and nodding serenely as Dawn spoke to her quietly - Harry couldn't hear at all what they were talking about as he approached them, and Dawn stopped talking when she noticed him coming over to them.

"Where were you two?" Harry asked.

Dawn shrugged nonchalantly. "Just talking for a bit. Nothing big."

Luna nodded serenely. "Dawn's a very interesting person, Harry."

Harry blinked. "Uh, well, Ron's holding a place for us on one of the coaches. Come on," he said leading the way back to the road, and over to the carriage where Ron, Hermione and also Neville were already waiting inside.

Harry let Luna climb inside first, and then turned back to Dawn to allow her to go in before him as well; but Dawn wasn't standing by the carriage as he had though. Instead she was standing about a yard away from it, her eyes wide as she stared fixedly at the waiting thestrals before it.

She can see them, Harry realized, the thought – for some reason – making him feel slightly sad. Growing up where she had, it was quite possible that she had seen more than one person die in her life.

"What are those things?" she asked him warily as he came back over to her. "And why is everyone else so okay about them?"

"They're thestrals," he explained. "You can only see them if you've seen someone – well, if you've ever seen someone die," he said quietly. "They're harmless though."

Dawn glanced at him, then back at the thestrals. "Oh," she said in an equally quite tone, as if her thoughts had suddenly drifted a million miles away.

"Luna and Neville can see them too," he told her.

She looked over at him again. "And so can you," she stated more than asked.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, ever since after the night Voldemort came back."

Dawn nodded but didn't ask any questions about it, which Harry was thankful for; he wasn't really in the mood to talk about that night right now.

"Come on," Harry said going back over, Dawn following behind him this time. She glanced at the thestrals with one last, curious look before disappearing into the carriage. Harry climbed in up after her, and closed the door as the coaches began to move and carry them up to Hogwarts Castle.

From the "Credit where credit is due" department:

Dawn in Slytherin House? Well you can thank Captain Insomnia and her Buffy/Harry Potter crossover story "Dumbledore's New Army" for that idea. It was one of the first Buffy/HP crossover stories I'd ever read, and was one of the ones that really sparked my imagination enough to try my hand at writing one myself; building on the idea of Dawn being sorted into Slytherin and what such a thing could mean story-wise.

Yep. This whole story started off of that one idea – Dawn being sorted into Slytherin House.

I didn't sort her in there because I think she's evil. I don't think all Slytherins are evil.

And that is all I'll say for the moment. ;-D

Chapter Nine: A Slayer at Hogwarts

- Everyone enters the Hogwarts castle and Dawn comments how much she loves the place.

- As everyone enters the great hall, Harry stops in his track - Dawn stops too - when he see Regnum Miller seated at the end of the head table along with his little mousy assistant. Dawn wonders to Harry what Miller is doing here. Harry notices Snape shooting daggers at Miller and Harry has an idea but hopes it isn't true.

- Before he can make his idea known to Dawn, they realize that they should probably take their seats, as Megonicall looks ready to call everything to order for the sorting. Harry hurries over to the Gryffindore table. Ron has saved him a seat and, from where they are sitting he can see Dawn across the Great Hall. She's sitting at the end of the Slytherin table. He sees Malfoy and his group looking at Dawn with open surprised and hostility. But they are unable to do anything as the sorting begins.

- The hat's song is pretty much a repeat on the themes from last year.

- The new first years are sorted. There are 25 new first years to be sorted, starting with "Abercrombie, Euan" (Gryffindor) and ending with "Zeller, Rose" (Hufflepuff). In the middle of that, some young people are sorted into Slytherin, among them Marcus Avery, who's father - Radolphus Avery - is a Death Eater.

- During the sorting, (Marcus Avery) Malfoy and Harry catch eyes. Draco makes a ruse guesture at Dawn and snears. Harry makes a rude gesture at Pansy and makes like he's being sick by sticking a finger in his throat. Pansy - who sees him - turns red, and Malfoy mouths that Harry's dead before turning away.

- Harry looks at Dawn, who hasn't noticed any of this, but has been whispering with a girl sitting next to her quietly. (We later learn that this is Livia Knollyes).

- Dumbledore, makes his short little words to "Tuck In!" and everyone begins to eat.

- During the meal, someone (Seamus) makes a comment about Dawn being in Slytherin. Harry and Ron note that she's muggle-born and shouldn't be there anyway.

- Hermione - again - says Dawn says she's muggle-born but she may not be, and how Harry hasn't even asked if she could be adopted, which Seamus and a few others agree with.

- Dumbledore makes announcements, some the usual (Forbidden Forest). Anounces that Miller is the new DADA teacher. Snape shoots Miller a really withering glance at that.

- Hermione and Ron go to lead the first years off and Harry runs and catches up to Dawn as she's leaving, and he warns her to be careful, as he spotted Malfoy and Pansy giving her the evil eye - they may not know she's muggle-born yet, but they probably will soon.

- Dawn says she did notice the looks, and tells him not to worry, she'll be alright. She sees Snape looking her way and hastily leaves, kissing him on the cheek before she does.

- Harry gets a little rib from a Seventh Year about cuddling up to a Slytherin as he goes up to his room.

- Summary of Dawn's first month and half at Hogwarts. Livia has been helping Dawn catch up.

- Harry has meeting with Dumbledore to learn about the Horcruxes. This takes slower time than it did, as Dumberdore hasn't even found the ring horcrux yet.

- Buffy visits. She stays with Dawn in Slytherin. There is an encounter between her and Draco when he tries to curse her. Every ones knows for certain that she is The Slayer after that.

- Quidditch stuff - tryouts. Buffy visits the week of it, and Ron is determined to make up for the embarrassment he had before her the first time.

- Trewlany drinking and complaining about sharing her class. Is curious about Buffy, makes some lame prophecy about Buffy's life.

- Buffy and Dumbledore both leave one afternoon, Buffy saying she'll tell Dawn why when she herself finds out more - only that Emmiline Vance is missing, and was probably taken by Death Eaters.

- Harry and Dawn's relationship continues to grow. Some gossip about them.

- Rita Skeeter's PotterWatch

No doubt the talk of the week has been "who is the brown-haired beauty?" that our Mr. Potter has been spotted with of late. Not only boarding the Hogwarts Express with for the start of fall term but - word now has it - the pair were spotted together at least twice before that. Well PotterWatchers, I can now report to you that this unknown flower of our Harry's eye does have a name: Dawn Summers. Though, who she is exactly still remains a mystery. But this blue-eyed unknown appears to have snatched up quite a catch, right under the noses of many a girl already queuing up for our handsome Mr. Potter. Let's just hope she's worthy of his attentions . . . .

- Harry is napping when he has a dream of Vance getting killed, "Take all the hearts you want - but The Key is mine!") and some weird demon in the room, who looked like a skull.

Harry tells this to Ron and Hermione at dinner, and Hermione says they can't trust that what Harry saw was real.

- That night, everyone's voices are taken.

Author's Note: So, here it is. The "take a Buffy episode and redo it at Hogwarts" cliché. Why am I doing something like this? Well:

1. I wanted to see if I could actually do something like this and have it work wrt to the story as a whole. (Meaning: actually having it be important and move the story along).

2. Picking Hush as the one to do-over gave me the opportunity to try and write a whole chapter without any dialogue - and see if I could still pull off the characterizations of everybody without them talking. (So this is also a writing challenge and exercise for me you're getting as well.)

If I have "Jumped The Shark" with this - well, I'm sorry.

So, here's a key:

Text between / means this is something that has been handwritten down by a character since, unlike a real published novel, I can't format for different handwriting styles. ;D

Chapter Eleven: Hush Again

- Morning. Harry wakes up first out of the boys in his dorm. He washes up. He *does* notice how quiet the hall is this morning, given that's not a weekend. When he gets back into his room, he notices Ron and Nevell are both awake, out of bed, and staring at each other in the center of the room, Nevell waving his arms frantically, Ron tapping his ears frantically. Harry asks what's going on - and then realizes he can't speak.

- The three boys wake up Dean and Seamus, and realize they all can't talk. Harry grabs his want and tries a spell. Doesn't work. The others try a spell. Nothing works. The hear feet running down the hall and go to the door, seeing several boys heading down to the common room.

- In the common room, everyone in a state of near panic. Some of the younger girls appear to be crying. At least, they're cheeks are wet, but no sobs can be heard. Harry and Ron find Hermione. She has a parchment and a quill with her, and the three use it to communicate.

- McGonagall comes in. She too has parchment and a quill with her. She holds up one of the parchments, which says for everyone to gather down in the main hall, classes will be postponed today until they figure out what's happening. Harry asks - via parchment - if Dumbledore is back. He is not.

- Hermione, Ginny and Ron - as a prefect - goes to check the dorms are emptied of any other straggling students.

- Harry is walking, with Nevell, Dean and Seamus, heading down to the dining hall, when he hears the sound of feed pounding, very fast against the floor. It's Dawn and she's running at top speed through the corridor. Snape is tearing through the crowd of students as well, (though not running as Dawn is), a nasty look on his face. Obviously angry with Dawn, and obviously angry that he can't shout at her for it.

[Sample Moment]

Dawn was running down the hall at a clip, the sound of her feet pounding furiously onto the floor making a loud noise in the muted quiet of the hall. Those students who saw her heading right for them - and not looking as if she would stop or swerve out of the way to avoid running right into them - moved quickly out of her path. Running as fast as she was however, some didn't manage to move in time, and were knocked over as she ran into them. She knocked into Cho Chang head on, but that only stopped her for a second, and Cho gave Dawn's back an absolutely killing glare as her friend Marietta helped Cho back on her feet.

Dawn hadn't taken time to stop and help up any of the people she had accidentally knocked over however, her whole being fixed on reaching the person she had been running at such a clip for; Professor McGonagall had also turned at the sound of the commotion, and now Dawn ran up to her - Lavender Brown having to quickly jump out of the way - panting and completely out of breath, and gesturing frantically at herself and then Professor McGonagall. Even though she obviously knew she wouldn't be heard, she still moved her mouth as if she were speaking; between still catching her breath from what must have been a long sprint of a run up from the Slytherin common room.

Harry and Ron glanced at each other. Ron pointed at Dawn and gave Harry a look that clearly said, "What's she on about?"

Harry frowned and shrugged his shoulders. Hermione was looking at Dawn as if the girl had gone completely mad. And the way Dawn looked now, with her hands and arms flying at McGonagall, Harry could see how someone could think that, as she almost looked like she was having a fit. Her long brown hair was totally disheveled, having mostly fallen out of what appeared to have been a hastily assembled ponytail. Her uniform and robes looked as if they'd been put on in the dark; the skirt and blouse were wrinkled and her tie was barley tied, hanging around her neck in just a lose knot.

Even looking and acting as she was now though, Harry still thought she was the prettiest girl he knew.

Professor McGonagall's face was tight-lipped but concerned as she tried to calm Dawn down so as to understand what the young American girl was trying to tell her.

The sounds of footsteps making their way quickly through the hall caught everyone's attention again, and Harry looked away from Dawn and Professor McGonagall - who were still trying to communicate with each other - to see that this time it was Snape who was moving through the crowd. Just as Dawn had been, he too was moving at a clip pace. However, unlike Dawn, he was pushing some of the students in his path out of the way. His eyes were fixed squarely on Dawn and for the first time since she'd had been at Hogwarts, Harry could see the potions master was looking at her in utter fury.

Snape grabbed Dawn's elbow as he came up behind her, and tried to roughly pull her away from Professor McGonagall. To everyone's shock and amazement - including Snape's - she gave her Head of House a thoroughly maddening glare, and roughly shook him off, breaking her elbow from his grasp.

Snape's eyes narrowed even more at her, but Dawn paid him no mind. The look on her face was one of desperation now as she looked around, obviously searching for something. Harry moved towards her a little, trying to catch her attention to find out what was wrong, but her eyes passed over him with just a quick glanced as they settled on Hermione next to him.

Hermione took an uneasy step backwards - just as Dawn reached out and grabbed away the parchment Hermione was holding against her chest.

Hermione's face took on a look of astonishment and anger as she made a swipe to take the parchment back, but Dawn held it up and away from Hermione's grasp, as she searched through her school robes for something. Finding what she was looking for, she quickly brought out one of her fountain pens and, her face set, she proceeded to start scribbling something on the parchment.

Hermione's anger at having her parchment pinched was still evident, and she gave Harry a frustrated look - clearly meaning something along the same lines as Ron's earlier look had meant - just as Dawn shoved whatever she had written at Professor McGonagall. Harry, Hermione and everyone who was near Professor McGonagall leaned over and around, trying to see what Dawn had been so anxious to tell her.

Harry, after everything he'd heard about Dawn's life on the Hellmouth, found he wasn't all that surprised when he saw what the note said:

/I know who did this. I know who took our voices. It's The Gentlemen./

- McGonagall looks at the parchment. Then at Dawn then at Snape. She gestures at Snape as if to say: Do you know what she's talking about? Snape shakes his head. McGonagall motions for everyone to head down into the hall.

- In the hall McGonagall has Dawn write down the name of who she thinks has done this. Harry is only slightly surprised when she puts down the name of The Gentlemen. McGonagall wants to know how she is so sure they are the ones responsible. She says that it's a long story, but that this same thing happened once before in Sunnydale. That The Gentlemen came to town and killed two people before they were stopped.

- Snape comments that that's a fairytale story. Miller confirms that it is a story told in a fairytale. Dawn, frustrated, tries to assure them that it's real. McGonagall assures Dawn they will take what she said seriously.

- Harry comes to Dawn defense at a table of DA members afterwards Harry notices that Dawn blanches and then turns white after reading it. Everyone starts writing questions to hold up. What's The Key? Why do they think it's here at Hogwarts? Etc. Harry writes that he heard Dumbledore talk about the Key, and that it's at Hogwarts for safekeeping. (If anything, Dawn looks even paler after reading this bit of info). He asks Dawn is that what The Gentlemen came to Sunnydale for before. She writes down no, it was human hearts. Luna disappears for a bit and then comes back with a book of faitytales that tells the story of The Gentelmen. This bit makes a few DA members blanch, and Harry remembers what Voldemort said in *his* dream.

- Hermione notes that they have to protect the key. Ron notes that they don't even know what it looks like. Harry notes that they have to stop The Gentlemen and Voldemort ("Don't Write his Name!") from searching Hogwarts.

- In the lull, Dawn holds up a message - I have to send my sister a message.

- Harry and Dawn arrive back in the Gryffindor Common room, where all the DA members are gathered. The first question, of course is, how do they get their voices back? Dawn explains about a girl having to scream and Buffy saying she broke the box where they kept the voices.

- News come that Hogsmede, too, is silent. And two people were found dead, their hearts taken.

- Long story short: The Gentlemen and Death Eaters arrive a dusk. The Death Eaters still have the power of speech, so they can cast. They guard the outer-rim of Hogwarts while the Gentlemen and Voldemort's snake go to work. Voldemort sends his snake to find the Key. Serpent construct can detect it, and the snake encounters Dawn. Dawn realizes that the snake knows what she is, and chases after it, with Harry (and Neville close behind) and the sword of Gryffindor he gets a hold of for some reason (still have to figure this out). Just as they are gaining on it, Ginny, Ron and Hermione and Luna find the box of voices - in the Shreaking Shack, (they got their via the invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map), and destroy it.. Ginny or Hermione scream.

- As the voices return to people back in Hogwarts, a few girls (DA girls) scream their heads off just in case, while everyone else immediately begin to use their wands to cast spells. Buffy arrives just as Nevill kills the snake which Harry recognizes a Voldemort's pet Nagini. (Unknown to Harry & Dumbledore, that's now 2 horcruxes down, which will make Voldy more desperate now to assume power).

- A Death Mark is sent up.

Chapter Eleven: Myths and Legends of the Wizarding World

- Willow, Kennedy, Xander and Giles arrive with a gaggle of slayers. Dumbledore also returns, with Order memebers like Lupin.

- Dawn is summoned to the office in the middle of Ancient Runes class with Hermione, which Hermione reports to Ron and Harry afterwards.

- Later that day, Harry, Ron Hermione are summoned into the room Harry was brought into when Harry was selected for the Triwizard Tournament.

- Everyone explains what happened. How Harry felt what Voldemort did.

- They learn that one of the OooP members, an Auror, was found dead. (One of the ones who were at #12, and in the late meeting that Harry overheard). Voldemort obviously found the man, tortured him, and killed him, finding out that the Key was in the vicinity of Hogwarts in the process.

- Myths and Legends of the Key are talked about in this chapter.

- Dawn, during this, has been rather quiet. Harry notices she and Buffy keep exchanging weird looks at each other.

- Later, Harry walks up to them, and hears Buffy say she's doesn't care what Dumbledore says, she's going to find that Voldemort guy and kill him. Harry says no, she can't. Harry knows that the prophecy says that only he can kill Voldemort and that, Slayer or not, that means that Buffy will only end up getting herself killed and leaving Dawn alone. He doesn't tell Buffy and Dawn this, only that she could get killed and such.

- She wonders if she should take Dawn away from here for safety, but Dawn vehemently refuses to go. She loves Hogwarts, has friends, and says she does know how to take care of herself and will be careful. Dumbledore says he knows it's hard for Buffy to understand, but Dawn is actually much safer at Hogwarts than she would be if she weren't.

- Ron, Harry and Hermione decide to look up info about the Key, but it's slow going. All they learn is that it was one of the mystical powers that Voldemort tried to possess once before during his first reign of terror, but that it was one of the few he failed to gain or possess, which they already knew.

- Buffy & the Scoobies (except Giles) as well as Kennedy and Vi stick around for the first Quidditch match.

- More research is done on the Key. (Ginny, Nevell and Luna get involved). Harry tells Dawn about it, and she helps research too. The only thing they've found - that all of them didn't know already - is a spell in a mythical spell book - spells that don't work, like one that is supposed to turn lead into gold - that is said that is supposed to be used with it. (Portalius - a variation on the portus spell).

- The first Qudditch match is finally here. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin.

- Dawn, rather than sitting with the Slytherins, is sitting with Buffy and the others in the guest box, with the teachers. She confides to Harry that she's rooting for him, even though she does feel some house loyalty as well.

Chapter Twelve: A Real English Christmas

- Christmas Break

- The Scoobies hold a "Real English Christmas" party at #12.

- The slayers who have been at Hogwarts, along with Kennedy, Vi and Rona show up as well.

- Hermione deduces that there is something that everyone is hiding - or lying about wrt Dawn, when it's made mention off-hand about Buffy and Dawn being born and raised in LA before moving to Sunnydale. If she was born in LA and not Sunnydale, the Magical Quills of the American Magic Hospital should have noted her birth just as St. Mungo's does, and did for Hermione. And Hermione also knows the Hellmouth thing is BS because Dark Nodes *enhance* a Wizards Magic - in effect, given the Wizard or Witch a power boost, not *blocking* their magic. Dark Nodes just make someone more susceptible to Dark Magic.

- Hermione also, when she's telling Harry and Ron about Buffy, Dawn and the Scoobies lying, says that she looked up what she could find about Buffy, and discovered that she was in a mental hospital at one point.

- Harry gets utterly mad at Hermione for calling his girlfriend a liar, but knows that Hermione is right when he looks up the info on Dark Nodes himself, when back at school. He begins to suspect in his heart that Dawn, her sister and her friends have all been lying.

Chapter Thirteen: The Politics of War

- Harry begins acting snippy with Dawn, who doesn't understand what's got him all moody. He wants to confront her about the hellmouth thing, but he keeps thinking there must be a good reason why she lied, though he can't think of it.

- Buffy stops by to check up on Dawn and the Slayers guarding the school. Harry is rather cold to her too, but Buffy doesn't notice. Just tells Dawn and the others to stay safe and to find the slayers first if any trouble might occur in the next couple of days. The only thing Dawn can get Buffy to admit is that she (Buffy) is tired of waiting around for Voldemort to make a move.

- Two days later. Everyone at Hogwarts wakes to the news that there was a bloodbath of some sort that happened. The Ministry of Magic had an explosion, killing several people. Buffy, Willow, etc., led a raid on the Riddle House, but found a trap for them instead, and Kennedy and two other slayers were killed.

- Ministry casualties: Fudge only minority hurt. Amelia Bones is killed, as is some Aurors, and other personal. Ron's dad wasn't there, thankfully, but Percy was, and was very badly hurt.

- All the injured have been sent the St. Mungo's. School closes for three days, because many family know someone who were affected, and to increase security as a first year student in Slytherin (Marcus Avery) is missing.

- At the hospital, Buffy is okay (just some broken bones), and explains to Dawn and everyone what happened at the Riddle House. They are in Willow's room, who is sedated.

- Dumbledore explains how they have just found the body of Marcus Avery at the ministry. Apparently, his father used him as a human bomb (probably on Voldemort's orders). Radolphus Avery, Marcus' father who work at the ministry, has fled.

- Fudge is stepping down as Minister.

Chapter Fourteen: Secrets and Lies

- This chapter starts right off from the last one - same place and location.

- Willow wakes up and talks about what she saw, including Kennedy's death from the killing curse delivered by Voldemort himself. Willow had thought she had come up with a spell that would block it, but it didn't work.

- This is when Buffy starts to get angry, saying that the problem with the raid wasn't that they did it, but that they haven't been asking the correct questions. Why didn't the same spell not work on Harry? Why was Voldemort so keen on killing a one year old baby? Kennedy's body had no marks on it, but why did Harry get a scar?

- There is yelling and Hermione breaks in, confronting the Scoobies with the news that she knows they're lying about why Dawn was never sent to a wizard school, and that Buffy was in a mental hospital in LA - she found all this out during Christmas break and new years when she went to research after Buffy slipped, saying they lived in LA before Sunnydale. *All* Magical Birth are recorded when they occur, so Dawn's signal being blocked is a lie - so what else have they been lying about?

- Buffy, gobsmacked, makes a comment about suspecting Hermione may have been too smart for her own good, and Harry breaks in that Hermione is just protecting him - her friends, because that's what people who care about each other do. He looks at Dawn when he says that last bit.

- Dumbledore makes everyone leave the wing (except Willow, who's fallen asleep again), except Buffy and Giles.

- Outside, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione confront Dawn about why she, her sister and friends lied about why she never went to a magic school and the Hellmouth blocking her signal. Dawn says she can't talk about it. Harry gets angry at her, Dawn snaps back at him and it all ends with Harry and the others leaving Dawn to go back to Hogwarts, and Dawn and Harry breaking up, Harry saying he can't trust someone who would lie completely about who she is.

Author's Note: So, this chapter is my chance to basically steal things from the ME writers again. ;D

So, credit where credit is due: Much of the text for this was taken from the season five episodes - Blood Ties, Spiral, The Weight of the World and The Gift.

Harry's reaction and thoughts and impressions are, of course, all mine.

Chapter Fifteen: The Form of the Key

- Hogsmeade (?) is attacked again and Valentine's weekend is canceled. The students are nervous. Pretty much everyone knows that Voldemort is looking for that Key thing now, and the kids all wonder where at Hogwarts it is, and even if Dumbledore should keep it here.

- Somewhere in this chapter Harry kisses another girl (Romilda?), and Dawn sees it.

- Harry catches Dawn in the middle of practicing the dimensional portal spell, but doesn't know it, just sees a small white light the size of a pin needle coming from her wand.

- Buffy wants her to leave Hogwarts. Dawn tells Harry she doesn't want to go. She *has* to stay and has to learn.

- Harry misses Dawn, though he's still angry. On Valentine's Day, he notices lots of couples he never noticed before, and doesn't feel right being with (Romilda). He even catches Ron and Hermione being closer than usual.

- Day after Valentine's Day, he notices Dawn sitting on a bench by the lake reading some letters. Nib at her side.

- Harry and Dawn start talking. About the MoM thing. Harry says an echo of something Dawn said to Spike in "Tough Love." That everyone if fighting and getting killed fighting Voldemort, when they can't do anything because only he can. And he feels responsible for their deaths. He tells her about the prophecy.

- Dawn says that Hermione was right. She *has* been keeping something from all of them. She could have told him, as there are some people who know only because they were around after the main event with Goddess from Hell was over and herd it mentioned, but he's now sworn to secrecy under threat of Death via Buffy because of all this Voldemort stuff.

- He asks what it is, and she says she can't tell him. He gets mad again. She leaves.

- Harry's horcrux investigation w/Dumbledore resume that evening - but Dumbledore is postponing it today, as Dawn has come tom him with a request, and he's granting it. In the pensive there is something they want Harry to watch and learn and know. It will be easier for Harry to believe - and understand the serious nature of - if he views it with his own eyes. So Dawn has let some of her memories be borrowed.

- Harry is taken back to the memories of Dawn finding out she's the Key in Blood Ties, to when Glory kidnapped her in Spiral and being held hostage in Weight of the World, and finally Buffy's death in The Gift.

[Sample Moments]

"Wait," said Dawn. "Here's something. Uh, 'Tarnis, 12th century. One of the founders of the Monks of the order of Dagon. Their sole purpose appears to have been as protectors of The Key.'"

Harry perked up. Something about The Key?

"'The Key is not directly described in any known literature, but all research indicates an energy matrix vibrating at a dimensional frequency beyond normal human perception. Only those outside reality can see the key's true nature.'" Dawn shook her head, obviously confused. "Outside reality. What's that mean?"

"Mm. Second-sight blokes, mostly," Spike told her, putting out his cigarette in an item on the shelf. "Or even just your run-of-the-mill lunatics."

Harry had already gone back to only half-listening, as most of this information he already knew, some more than they did; like not being described in any known literature. I guess Mr. Giles never checked Myths and Legends of the Wizarding World, Harry thought.

However, Dawn's expression at what Spike had just told her was interesting - as if she'd suddenly had a revelation about something.

"What else does it say about this Key?" Spike asked as she sat down on the floor next to Dawn. "Is it made out of gold? Maybe we can hock it, split the take."

"Um," Dawn looked back down at the book and continued to read. "'The Key is also susceptible to necromanced animal detection, particularly those of canine or serpent construct . . .'" her voice trailed off as, again, that look of sudden revelation crossed her face.

Harry frowned and then sighed, becoming slightly agitated again. Something wasn't right. Why were Dawn and Dumbledore making him visit these memories? So far, all he'd seen was Buffy's Birthday party where Dawn had stormed off acting like a paranoid brat, and then watched her sneak off into the night to this place - with her Vampire friend - to break in and steal a book.

The things they were reading about The Key he already knew - including the bit about necromanced snakes being able to detect it. What was he suppose to learn here? What was Dawn trying to tell him?

Spike had now reached over and taken the book from her to continue reading, as it looked as if Dawn - for some reason - couldn't go on.

"'The Monks possessed the ability to transform energy, bend reality,'" Spike read. "Blah, blah, blah. Good lord, Giles writes as dull as he talks, doesn't he?" he said to Dawn, who merely glanced at him, a far away look in her eyes.

Okay, that's something I didn't know. How come Dawn never mentioned the monks could do that? Harry wondered, his eyes narrowing. Transforming energy? So does that mean the key wasn't energy when it was sent to Sunnydale? Did Professor Dumbledore changes its form again, or . . . ?

But Spike had begun reading from Giles notes again, squinting at the small writing, and Harry turned his attention back to them.

"'They started work. But the Council . . . has suggested . . . to us that they were interrupted. Presumably by . . . Glory. They obviously did manage to accomplish the taste . . ."

Spike shook his head and peered closer at the page. "'Accomplish the task,'" he corrected. "'They had to be certain the Slayer would protect it with her life. So they sent The Key to her . . . in human form.'"

At those words, Harry's eyes widened and his head snapped like a whip over to look at Dawn, as everything he knew - including the lies she and her sister had told - finally began to fall into place, just as Spike read the final line, confirming what seemed to be Harry's incomprehensible thought:

"'In the form of a sister.'"

In that long moment after those words were spoken, it seemed to Harry as if the whole world suddenly began to spin, as the life of fourteen-year-old Dawn Summers began to collapse right before his eyes.

And, unbeknownst to her - as she was just a memory of this event - the heart of the sixteen-year-old boy who was watching the moment began to break - from shock, confusion and utter denial.

Harry could neither think nor move as he just stared at the girl who he knew now - without a doubt - that he loved, and he barely heard Spike's final comment.

"Huh! I guess that's you Nibblet."

[Insert something about Harry's swinging emotions and how it all keeps coming back to the one incomprehensible thought]:

Dawn.

All this time, and it had been Dawn.

His Dawn.

As the scene before him shimmered and changed, Harry still couldn't completely comprehend it all.

What was she?

Was she even human?

His heart felt as if it were caught in a vice, and being squeezed up into his throat.

She hadn't known! Even after witnessing it, witnessing the look on her face and in her eyes at the words Spike had read, the thought finally broke through - as if blocked by a dam of his own pain and confusion. She'd had no idea she wasn't just Buffy's sister. That she was made human and then given to Buffy to protect.

Looking up, he suddenly realized that he was in what looked like the Summers' family kitchen. Spike wasn't there anymore, only Dawn.

Harry's eyes widened in horror when he realized what she was about to do.

"Dawn, NO! DON'T!" Harry shouted, forgetting it wouldn't do any good, just as she slit her arm all the way down to her wrist with the large kitchen knife.

Still forgetting that it was only a memory, Harry tried to grab her, only to have his hand pass right through her. All he could do was stare in horror at the large slash she'd made on her arm as the blood began to poor down it, and also drip from the knife, onto the kitchen floor.

Dawn was staring at the blood that was now running down her slit arm as if it confused her.

"Is this blood?" she asked, her voice sending a frightening tremble through him at its flat and dead tone.

Dawn's mother and sister ran over to her, her mother taking the knife away from her.

"What did you do!?" Buffy asked, more shocked than Harry had ever seen her in the short time he'd known her.

"This is blood, isn't it?" Dawn asked again in that same frightening voice, though it was now awash in anger, denial and fear. "It can't be me. I'm not a Key. I'm not a thing!"

"Oh, sweetie, no. Wha-what is this all about?" her mother said, trying to comfort her.

"What am I? Am I real? Am I anything?" she choked out, before collapsing against her mother with gut-wrenching sobs.

[More flashbacks to the rest of the pivotal moments for Season 5 go here, including Buffy's death]

Dumbledore looked at him, understanding clearly evident on his face. "She thought it would be easier to show you rather than just tell you, and I agreed to it. I also knew you would have questions - questions that maybe even she could not answer."

Harry stared at him. His face felt wet, and he wiped it with the back of his shirt sleeve. Finally, his voice thick and foreign sounding to his ears, he asked the one question that kept running through his mind, even after everything he'd seen.

"Is she real?"

Dumbledore smiled understandingly, and nodded. "Quite real."

"So, she is human?"

"Yes. Completely human."

"So she's not The Key then?" he asked, rather hopefully. Maybe it's a mistake, maybe -

"Oh no. She is still that. It is only the form of The Key that has been changed, not its power."

Harry shook his head. "I don't understand. How can she be human, but still The Key?"

"The Key was living energy Harry, before it was given flesh. Do you understand what that means?" Dumbledore asked, looking over the rim of his glasses at him.

Harry shrugged. "Not really."

"Well, what do all living creatures have in common?"

"Well . . . they breathe. They're . . . they're just - alive."

"Correct, they breathe. Living creatures also think, and grow, and learn, do they not?"

Harry nodded slowly. "So, you're saying that The Key could think. And that it could learn. Learn what?"

"That, I don't know. But I will say - I believe it most likely could have resisted being made Human, if it had wanted to."

Harry was quiet for a few moments, before he spoke again. "So . . . you think The Key maybe wanted to be Human?"

- Harry talks to Dawn, and she also confirms that if given the choice and what Buffy went through, Dawn wouldn't wish Buffy resurrected from the dead again.

- Harry and Dawn make up.

Chapter Sixteen: Chosen Ones

- Buffy is told about Harry's prophecy. She and Harry talk about being, of course, "Chosen Ones."

- Harry and Dawn do a lot of making out. Hot and heavy making out.

- Dawn has also, this whole time with Dumbledore's help, been practicing the Portalius spell - so she can open portals to other worlds of her own will. The biggest portal she makes is only the size of a apple at most so far. Still, Harry is amazed when he sees her create one.

- The drawbacks so far is that Dawn can't make one big enough for anyone to really go through - and she has no control over where or what world the dimensional portals actually open up to. (Funny comment about her making one and just water flowing from it or something, i.e. an Underwater world or something).

- Dawn agrees to let Harry tell Ron and Hermione the truth about her (but ONLY Ron and Hermione). There are apologies when the two see Dawn again, and both agree to help her anyway they can. Hermione, in particular, is keen about the new spell Dawn's trying to master.

- Harry talks with Willow who is still recovering from what the Dementors did to her. (He finds her talking with Snape). (This is a setup for Snape-Willow rather strange mentor relationship).

- Hints of escalating tension between Dawn and some of the members of Slytherin House, now that Dawn's relationship with Harry is back on. Dawn vs Malfoy.

- Trelawney tells Harry Snape was the one who overheard the first part and told Voldemort. Trelawney then disappears. (She is hiding in the Hogs Head though no one knows that).

Chapter Seventeen: A House Divided

- A full break/civil war in Slytherin House. Almost all of the Death Eater kids, like Pansy Parkinson, are behind Malfoy, the other side is with Dawn.

- Dumbledore leaves a note for Harry, telling him he's discovered something and so must leave Hogwarts for a few days, but will be backs as soon as he can - hopefully with important information. (What's going on is he's discovered that the ring horcrux might be in the Riddle House and has gone to check).

- There is a battle in Hogsmeade with the slayers there. Buffy is seriously hurt - again. Dawn is frantic to know why Buffy and the slayers even attempted to try and take on Voldemort when she *knows* the prophecy - as Dumbledore told it to her. Buffy is clear that she WILL protect Dawn no matter what, prophecy or no.

- Hermione figures out that Trelawney bolted because Voldemort was actually looking for her, not the Key, with that raid. She tells Harry Voldemort wants Trelawney to probably get the prophecy from her mind, as she was the one who made it, since the DA fold him getting the copy of the prophecy during the events at the end of Order of the Phoenix.

- DA members head to Hogsmeade to find Trelawney, (Harry taking the short sword Buffy and Dawn gave him just in case there are demons), only knowing what Harry says that Voldemort is searching for her this time, *not* anything to do with the Key. (Still only Harry, Ron and Hermione, along with Dawn herself, know the truth).

- Dawn and Harry, for some reason, get separated, meet up with a slayer (Kira? Cf. Chapter 5) who leads them a bit away from Hogsmeade saying she found Trelawney.

- What they find is Trelawney's dead body, along with Regnum Miller's, who had' been protecting her).

- A - familiar to Harry - voice calls out killing curse from behind the three them.

Chapter Eighteen: Things Fall Apart

- Killing curse is called from behind the three of them, and the slayer (Kira? Cf. Chapter 5) is killed by Bellatrix. It was all a trap.

- Short fight where Bellatrix then grabs Dawn and calls out with laughter that she's captured the Key. In his anger, without using his wand, which he dropped, Harry uses the short sword Buffy and Dawn gave him for his Birthday to cut Bellatrix's wand hand off . The blood from her had sprays over Dawn, as Dawn is able to break free.(Harry retrieves his wand from the ground).

- Voldemort appears. Bellatrix is on the ground, quietly sobbing over her severed hand. In his exchange with Harry, Harry learns that Voldemort now has the prophecy as well as knowing Dawn is the Key he's been looking for. Dawn shouts at Voldy when he says that after tonight the alliance with the slayers will be no more as well. The slayers, of course, all knew Dawn was The Key. Andrew knew it, because he found out back in Sunnydale, when the news that Dawn was the Key was thought not to be something that needed to be guarded. So all the slayers who were in Sunnyvale for the Battle of the Hellmouth knew. The slayer (Kira) had the imperious curse put on her, after she was tortured using cruciatus curse to get the information on where the key was, to then find the slayer's sister and bring her to this place. Harry being with her was also hoped for as news of Harry's intimate relationship with the slayer's sister is well known.

- Harry pulls a Priori Incantatem when Voldemort attempts to stun Dawn. Harry yells at Dawn to run for it, but she says she's not going to leave him alone.

- Trelawney and Miller both come out of Voldemort's wand.

[Sample Moment]

Suddenly, Harry heard Dawn shout something - what sounded like the dimensional gate spell - at the top of her voice. He quickly looked over at her and saw, to his astonishment, a portal - much larger than any she'd been able to create before - began to open up, a pure white light shooting out from her wand.

- Dawn is able to create a portal bigger than she has before, but it is vastly unstable.

"Where does it go?" Harry yelled as the wind whipped around them, and the portal bended sharply in a familiar way. It was going to collapse in any moment.

"I - I'm not sure! I - I tried -!" Dawn stammered, utterly frantic.

Harry looked over at the forms of Miller and Trelawney. They were beginning to fade. If he and Dawn waited another moment, the portal would be closed and Voldemort would have them.

The Death Eaters Voldemort had summoned approached now, through the trees.

They were out of time.

Harry took Dawn by the arm and said firmly "There's nothing for it!"

And, holding tightly to each other as Harry heard Voldemort let out a cry, and begin to call out the killing curse behind them, they both jumped into the white light before them as it again bended sharply, before finally collapsing and winking out of existence.

- Dawn and Harry jump through the portal just before it winks out of existence.

Chapter Nineteen: And Knowledge is Power

- Dawn and Harry in the Home dimension of the ancient Witches and Wizards, known as the Loranites who, along with the Mages (who use Wiccan magic), were the ones who guarded the humans as they evolved on earth, and banished the nastiest of the demons there to other dimensions and places - the Loranites using the key to do so, though it was created by them long before that - under orders from the Higher Powers.

- Dawn had just strongly been thinking "HOME" when trying to open a portal to escape, and so it technically DID bring her home - the they Key's ORIGINAL home.

- How did it end up in the hands of monks who use Wiccan magic, and taken from Wizards & Witches? It was given to the Wiccans after the events of the Trojan War (see the Interlude chapter). The Loranites has gotten so arrogant that some of them had portrayed themselves as Gods to muggle and began making mischief, which ended with the destruction of the City of Troy. (Basically, the Greek Gods of old like Zeus, Apollo, etc., were actually the ancestors of modern day Wizards and Witches, who made muggle think they were gods).

- In fact, it is revealed that the one Dawn and Harry are talking to is the one who handed over the key to the Wiccans in the Interlude chapter.

- The Loranite tells Harry and Dawn that this war with Voldemort will decide the very fate of their decedents who, for centuries, have become cut off from the very world they had found so fascinating - they, along with the descendents of the Mages were supposed to help guard and protect the Muggles, and they have done the opposite. (While the Mages did things like create the Slayer). They've forgotten to move forward. To grow. They are stagnate, more concerned with trying to keep things as they are than moving forward. If this war is lost, their kind will be lost.

- In this dimension, Dawn and Harry both have a power upgrade, since it's a high plane than Earth is on and the metaphysical levels are different. They do not need their wands to so magic.

- They give Dawn and Harry four large books, saying the Wizarding World on Earth, must now learn what they've forgotten to move forward again. The covers of the books - one has a Lion, one has an Eagle, one has a Badger and one has a Snake.

[Sample Moments]

Dawn reached over and picked her wand up out of the grass, and stood up. She turned the wand over in her hand as she scrutinized it for a few moments. Then, she looked back over at Harry.

"When we get back, the first thing I'm going to do is find Mr. Ollivander. And when I do, I'm going to break this wand right over his head," she told Harry vehemently. "And then, I'm going to get a nice. Normal. Wand. Like that dragon's heartstring one. Or a unicorn tail hair. Yeah, I'm getting a unicorn hair wand."

"Yeh, well, a unicorn hair core isn't going to get us back home," Harry said dryly, as he got up from the ground. He looked at his own wand. "I don't even think one with a phoenix feather core will do that." He looked around. "You don't, by any chance, have any idea where we are, do you?"

Dawn was staring at the sky again. "Not one," she said dully. "I was trying to get us home, but . . . ."

"We entombed all of the old ones in the Deeper Well, and ruled over all the other demons that inhabited all the lower plains of that universe, such as the Earth."

"It was by the decree of the Powers themselves that the Earth was to be cleared and made way for the humans. And we - along with the Mages - were pressed to do their bidding."

"It was a failsafe."

"A failsafe?" Harry asked.

"Yes. We knew that one day the key might be seen as too dangerous a power to exist on Earth; it being one of the last of the powerful and ancient magics still in existence there. So it was decided, before the last of us left that lower dimension, there would be a failsafe for the destruction of the key created. Once, every one thousand years from the exact time when we departed, all one had to do was channel the energy of the key in one spot, a place where there lay a large concentration of natural mystical energy that could absorb it, until all the energy of the key was used up. Once the energy was used up, the key would be no more."

"There was, however, only one problem with this method of its destruction -"

"It would open all the gates to every dimension in the universe, right?" Dawn interrupted, her face taking on a knowing, and dejected air.

The Loranite looked her sadly. "Correct. All the dimensions, all of the worlds would spill and overlap, bleeding into one another. Once you started the key's destruction, there was no choice but to continue with it, or risk all the gates remaining open, forever. And the earth would once again become a home for the most vicious of the demons that we had ruled, and then banished. However, once all the energy of the key was used up -"

"Then all the gates would close again," Harry finished. But once you die, they close.

"Exactly."

-After a short time, Dawn and Harry are returned back to Earth, right outside the entrance to Hogwarts, by the head Lorianite they'd been conversing with.

Chapter Twenty: Prophecy Boy

- Dawn and Harry return to Earth. It is now three days since they left it. (Time being different where they were. Worried/grateful hugs between them and family/friends.

- Rita Skeeter has spilled the beans about the prophecy to the Daily Prophet, and about Dawn being the Mystical Key.

- Harry and Dawn both get lots of stares, Dawn stares being a bit more wary than the ones Harry gets.

- Dumbledore is back. His hand now has the curse from Half-Blood Prince. Dawn and Harry give Dumbledore the four books they were given. He says he'll keep an eye on them for now.

- Buffy, Giles, et al., all have a big meeting. Dumbledore tells them that he and Harry have been researching how to defeat Voldemort, and he certain of what the key to do so is and he and Harry explain about the Horcruxes. A new worry though is that now, with two having been destroyed - diary and snake - (Dumbledore dose't tell them he's actually destroyed the 3rd one, the ring), Voldemort will try to not only protect the other Horcruxes, but might be gunning for Dawn even more so. Because with her, he could just send the Horcruxes to another dimension where they truly would be unable to be found and destroyed.

- Buffy agrees that the slayers priority should be protecting Dawn from Voldemort, while research is done about where the other Horcruxes are and what they might be.

- The Slytherin Civil War doesn't resolve, with a clash happening between Malfoy and Dawn in the Great Hall.

[Sample Moments]

Before Harry, or anyone else could react Dawn, in one fluid movement, stood up and pointed her wand directly at Malfoy's face. "Shut up Malfoy!" she said fiercely, trembling with rage.

That was all it took. Everyone else in the Great Hall stood up quickly from their seats and rushed over. Most of the Slytherins flanked behind Malfoy, their wands all out and at the ready. Almost all the former DA members came around and stood with Dawn, their wands also out. Harry stood up directly by her side, his own wand out and ready, prepared to back Dawn up if necessary.

"Aw, look! The ickle fake girl's gettin' all angry!" Malfoy said mockingly, pouting his lips in an exaggerated way.

The Slytherins who were flanking Malfoy all laughed, Pansy Parkinson giving a giggling shriek, as if what he'd said was the funniest thing she'd ever heard.

"The Dark Lord will get you yet Summers," Malfoy said darkly, but still loud enough for everyone to hear. "He'll kill Potter and he'll get you, doesn't matter what either of you - or your sister - try and do about it."

"I said shut up you little troll!" Dawn seethed, her eyes flashing with righteous anger.

"Or what Summers?" Malfoy smirked, clearly unafraid - what with over half his house there to back him up. "You'll send your boyfriend 'round to kill me for practice, before he's got to go after the Dark Lord?" Malfoy and the other Slytherins laughed, one of them made a slashing motion at Harry across his throat.

"What is this? Out of the way!" Snape's voice cut through, interrupting whatever Dawn was going to say in reply. Harry noticed that Professors McGonagall was with him as well, as they both reach the front of the crowd.

"What - Miss Summers? What on earth do you think you are doing?" Snape asked curtly, as he and McGonagall took in the scene.

Dawn's voice was suddenly eerily calm yet absolutely deadly as she spoke, her eyes never leaving Malfoy, her wand still only a few inches away from his face. "I'm just trying to decide which Hell Dimension to send Malfoy into sir . . . there's millions of them you know . . . full of unending pain and torment, from what I understand."

Then, she brightened slightly, as if a thought had just come to her. "Or maybe I'll just send him to the land of the trolls. I think you'll fit in there," she said to Malfoy with a nod. "After all, it's full of trolls."

The silence that filled the hall was deafening, as everyone stared at Dawn in shock . . . and some - mostly the Slytherins - seemed to grow a little nervous. Malfoy actually began to look slightly wary, and Harry noticed that Snape and McGonagall - who both knew the whole story of where he and Dawn had been for three days - exchanged a glance.

"I don't believe you," Malfoy said in a low voice.

Dawn grinned at him in a way that left no doubt to anyone that she would do exactly what she had just threatened to; which made even Harry begin to feel slightly uneasy. He had never seen such a cold look on her face before. It reminded him of the Loranite, and the way it had described the banishment of the demons from the Earth. Again, he almost thought he could actually see the power rising up in her.

"Try me," she said, her voice filled not with heat, but ice. "You know what I am - what The Key can do. Where do you think Harry and I were for the past three days - making out in the Forbidden Forest? How do you think we got there?" The cold smile on her face grew. "Wanna see what it feels like to travel through a dimensional portal? It's really trippy."

She moved forward a step, the wand in her hand inching even closer to Malfoy's face.

Snape's gaze was locked on Dawn, his eyes narrowed. "Miss Summers, point your wand away from Mr. Malfoy please," he said in a droll voice, as if her were merely bored; only his eyes giving a slight nervous twitch.

Dawn pause, and for a moment Harry wondered if she was going to refuse to do it. Suddenly, looking at her now, Harry began to really understand why Dumbledore had been so admit when he'd said Dawn needed to be at Hogwarts to learn about her powers, and how to control them herself.

If Voldemort had gotten to her before she had learned . . . .

With just one thought, she could send any one of them out of this very world if she so wished. Out of this world - and possibly never to return. She was only his age, but held that much raw power in her.

And Voldemort could have had that power.

What other unknown powers did she have? And were they, potentially, just as dangerous?

Dawn broke her gaze from Malfoy and looked over at McGonagall, and then at Snape. That seem to be enough, and Dawn skillfully twirled her wand through her fingers so the end was pointing the opposite way, and then tucked her wand behind her ear.

Snape gave her a nod, and Dawn returned it. She looked back over at Malfoy and the other Slytherins who still stood opposite her, completely dumbstruck. "Shoo!" she said moving her hands in an "away" motion.

[Confrontation over, everyone sits down. Ron asks if she really would have sent Malfoy to a dimension of unending pain and torment].

"Eh. Na. I probably would have ended up just sending him to the world without shrimp, or something," Dawn said with a small chuckle, though Harry wasn't fully sure she was joking or not.

Neville looked at her. "There's a world without shrimp?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah, so I've been told," Dawn told him. "What, don't you like shrimp?"

Neville shook his head. "Not really. They - they give me hives. I - I think a world without them would be rather nice."

- Tying up of other lose ends/set up for sequel. Dawn going to California for Summer Vacation, Harry and the others want to visit, Hogwarts express. Harry and Dawn kiss goodbye on the platform and then, even though he's headed back to Privet Drive and the drudgery of the Dursleys, he watches as Dawn and her family head off with a smile and look of love on his face - which matches the one on Dawn's face.

END.

And just for fun, here are the only notes I have on what was to open the sequel story, Harry Potter and the Second Great War:

Outline of: Harry Potter and the Second Great War

Chapter One: Slouching towards Bethlehem

- Dumbledore and Harry do the talking thing as Dumbledore tells Harry that he has found and destroyed the ring Horcrux. (Which screwed up his hand.)

- OOTP stash the Dursley and get Harry out of Privet Drive - things play out slightly different than they did in Deathly Hallows, but kinda the same. (Decide of Moody still dies or not).

- Instead of going to the Weasley's however, Dumbledore and the OOTP decide to take him to America where Buffy, Dawn and the slayers are. Stashing him in America is a better option because Voldy can't easily go international right now. (And California is almost 6000 miles away - remember to use km, because British).

- Harry and Dumbledore go meet Slughorn before Harry leave for America to get him to teach.

Chapter Two: The International Floo Network

- Harry, Ron and Hermione - along with Lupin and Tonks - travel to LA to meet up with Buffy and the others. They have to use the International Floo network at the - being rebuilt Ministry in which whomever is the new Minister of Magic in HBP is now in charge allows them too. They travel to Salem and from Salem they travel to the Hyperion Hotel, which has just been connected to the network.

Chapter Three: Kids in America

- In LA, Harry finally sees Dawn again at a club, dancing with Connor (who likes Buffy, but he doesn't know that).

- Many of the US based slayers are at the Hyperion, having saved Angel's ass with the W&H shit went down. (Buffy was called to LA after Faith came to save Angel's ass after Spike called Andrew to give him a heads up on what was going on).

- Wesley is dead, Gunn is in a coma (he'll wake up later). Loren has split (might show up later?).

- Buffy takes Harry (and Dawn) with her to a graveyard, to train one on one, as she did with Dawn in Lessons. Harry doesn't really know if he needs to know this, Buffy says that chosen ones should be prepared for any situation.

- Harry is actually able to kill the vampire using a sword. (He says he doesn't wan to use a stake). Dawn is slightly jealous, as she missed the heart her first time out.

Chapter ? : The Fall of the House of Slytherin

- Things Fall Apart in early December (before Christmas) when Dumbledore is killed by Snape and Dawn in kidnapped.

Chapter ? : Requiem

Chapter after tFotHoS

Final Author Notes:

The whole story would have ended in a battle BENEATH Hogwarts, not just in and around Hogwarts. Harry would have not only had to defeat Voldemort, but break though the imperius spell Voldemort had placed over Dawn to control her. Everyone's magic abilities would have been "upgraded" as well because Dawn would have been made to access and open a portal what would have had magical energy to draw from open below Hogwarts castle.

Willow would have been one of the only people to believe Snape had a reason for doing what he did. Snape would have still died, but figuring out about the Lily connection would have come sooner than his death.

There would have been some background Angel/Buffy/Spike stuff going on, because I totally OT3 that whole thing.

Ginny would have gotten over Harry - after admitting to jealousy about his relationship with Dawn - and moved on either with Nevill (a pairing which I have a soft spot for) or an minor OC.

Ron and Hermione would have still ending up together. I don't ship it, but I like the pairing. And I was building up in the original story to Hermione coming off as jealous of Ron's fixation on Buffy, which would have been broken on Ron's end when Hermione figured out Buffy and co were lying about the whole Dawn's-signal-getting-blocked thing. Hermione would have admitted that, while she WAS jealous of Ron fixating on Buffy, that wasn't the reason she looked into everything she did - she just genuinely wanted to protect Harry, and is sorry he got his heart broken (at the time, before he learns the full truth and he and Dawn make up).

Harry would have still have had his death scene to destroy the Horcrux within him, though it too would have happened a bit differently, though I didn't figured out how at the time.

And that's it I guess. As you can see, when I started this story, it was going to be a big project. I had just finished college, and was looking to practice my fiction writing skills more. The whole I idea for this story sprung for the idea of Harry falling in love with a girl from Slytherin house AND there idea that Dawn actually fits perfectly into that house. And Harry/Buffy crossovers were a pretty big rage back in the day. So this was my attempt at one. I wanted to subvert the cliches that usually went into Buffy/HP crossover fics, as well as play with some tropes of them as well.

I'm a bit sad that I know I'll never finish the story now. It may be bias, but I think the idea of it all was quite good. But I know now that if I'm going to write TWO novel length stories, I might as well try and make them my own original work at this point, and not a fanfic. So I hope these notes and other things will at least give everyone an idea of how the story WOULD have gone if fully finished.

Again, thanks to everyone who left reviews and comments about how much the liked what I DID write. It's not a lie when other pic writers say that comments make you want to keep writing. It's one of the reasons it's taken me over 10 years to finally admit that this story is now abandoned. I hope this will give any fans of this story closure, as it did me in compiling it into this final update.

Take Care,

FIN