The New Head Mistress

Author: Mr. Wolf
Summery: Hogwarts got a new Headmistress. You never going to believe, who it is.
Spoilers: HP to Book 5 and BtVS to Season 7
Beta-ed: Jenn my new heroine.

Prologue

It was a new school year for Harry and his friends. It would be his sixth year. The Hogwarts Express arrived at Hogwarts station. He was getting of the train with his two best friends, Ron and Hermione. As usual Hagrid was waiting at the station for the first-years. Harry and his friends received a quick 'hello' from Hagrid before he guided the first-years into Hogwarts by boats, by crossing the lake.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and a few other of their friends walked to the carriages and got into one of them. The carriages were pulled by invisible Thestrals, who could only be viewed by those who have seen death . Harry had seen them for the first time at the beginning of last term, after seeing Cedric die at the hand of Voldemort. And at the end of that term, he had watched his godfather, Sirius, die.

The ride to the castle was short and Harry was still in a glum mood about Sirius' death. They entered the Great Hall and Harry looked at the teacher's table expecting to see Dumbledore sitting at his usual seat, but he wasn't there. Instead of Dumbledore, a petite blonde women sat in his seat, having a conversation with Flitwick, the Charms Professor. Harry looked across the table from one side to the other and didn't see hide nor tail of the Professor. While he didn't find Dumbledore he did see another new face; a tall young woman with long brown hair. Snape was glaring daggers at her.

"Okay, is it me, or did Dumbledore turn himself into a woman?"

Harry heard Ron make a comment about Dumbledore's absence. It seemed Harry wasn't the only one who had noticed the missing Headmaster.

"Don't be silly, Ron." Hermione frowned at Ron before turning to the teacher's table. But deep down she, thought that it wouldn't be such a farfetched idea. Dumbledore was a nutter, after all. But she shook the thought out of her head. "I'm wondering what she is doing into the Headmaster's seat?"

"Maybe she is the new Headmistress." Ron said. "Maybe Dumbledore got sacked."

Harry looked horrified. Hermione saw it and reacted.

"Don't be daft, Ron." Hermione scowled at Ron. "Fudge wouldn't dare sack Dumbledore now, especially after last year. But still, what is she doing in Dumbledore's seat?" The last sentence wasn't addressed to anybody specific. She only spoke the thought out loud.

Harry didn't have an answer for Hermione's question and tried to redirect their attention. "There is another new face at the teacher's table and I think she is the new DADA Professor, because Snape is glaring daggers at her."

They turned their attention to the other new face. There were shocked expressions on both Ron and Hermione's faces when they turned back to Harry.

"She doesn't look any older than 25." Hermione stated.

"But she looks better than Umbridge." Ron was on the verge of drooling. Hermione huffed. Ron turned to her. "What?"

Hermione pointedly ignored Ron and walked toward the Gryffindor table, closely followed by Ron. Harry was standing and looking at the woman that was sitting in the Headmaster's seat. She looked for at him for a moment and smiled before she turned back to talk with one of the Professors. Harry smiled back. He liked her smile, but he still wished Dumbledore was here. Harry followed his friends to their table and saw that they had started a heated argument while he was looking at the blonde. Harry shook his head. They quieted down when Professor McGonagall entered the Great Hall with the first-years and the Sorting started.

The Sorting Ceremony went without any problems and after the Ceremony McGonagall walked to her seat next to the blonde. She didn't sit down. She asked for quiet and received it. The hall went still under her watchful eyes.

"Students, as you can see, we have new faces at the teacher's table and one missing. Professor Dumbledore has taken a year off to put his full attention toward the threat of You-Know-Who."

Disappointed voices and noises could be heard through out the Great Hall with the exception of the Slytherin table. McGonagall called them quickly to order. "Because of Professor Dumbledore's absence, he has appointed a new Headmistress for this year." She pointed at the blonde next to her. "Professor Buffy Summers."

Professor McGonagall sat down and Buffy stood up. There was a quiet silence. Buffy smiled. "Tough room. Can't blame you after your last," Buffy made air quotes with her finger, " 'headmistress' was such a hag."

This got her a few laughs, even from the teacher's table. Buffy picked up a few parchments from the table.

"She made a few bogus laws last year." Buffy ripped the parchment apart. "Dumbledore made sure that," she crumpled them and threw them in a wastebasket at the entrance door fifty feet away, "they were thrown out in the trash."

There was a little shock before the applaud and cheers started. After a moment Buffy raised her arms to quiet the students down.

"I'm sure that you'll all have questions about who I am and what my qualifications are." Buffy smiled. "I'm sure that Professor Dumbledore hiring me should be proof enough of my competence but I heard he had some bad luck with hiring people the last few years, especially for the Defence Against the Dark Arts position." The students laughed and Buffy smiled at them. "But I'm sure if he had not the upmost trust and confidence in my ability to run Hogwarts in his absence , he would have appointed Minerva as this years headmistress."

Buffy turned to Professor MacGonagall with a smile, and the Professor smiled back. It seemed that Professor MacGonagall didn't mind that Buffy was the new Headmistress. Buffy turned back to the students.

"For now, you only have to know that I'm here to make sure that you all have a place to learn and grow. That you are safe here from Voldemort." Throughout the Great Hall sounds of distress were heard with matching faces. "And if he dares to show his face around here, I'll just kick his snaky little ass and skin him alive, then feed the rest of him to one of Hagrid's pet monsters in the Forbidden Forest."

The Great Hall went silent. Nobody spoke. Buffy kept smiling and continued her speech as if she hadn't said the Dark Lord's name.

"Speaking of the Forbidden Forest. Just to mention it, to the first-years it is forbidden just like the name says. But for fifth-years and above I'm organizing a few tours of the Forbidden Forest for anyone who is interested."

"What about the centaurs? They don't want any humans in 'their' forest." Ron interrupted Buffy without thinking. He tried to make himself smaller before Buffy could notice him, but it was too late.

"Good question, Mr. Weasley."

'She knows Ron's name, that means she might know about the Order and even be a member of the Order. She has to be. She just told us that she is going to kick Voldemort's ass.' Harry's further thoughts were interrupted as Buffy continued.

"I had a little chat with them." Buffy winked at Ron. "We came to the understanding that the Forbidden Forest is a part of Hogwarts. We came to the compromise that the students would stay out of their part of Forbidden Forest." Buffy looked around the hall. "There are some very wonderful magical creatures in the Forest and it is a pity that you couldn't meet them just because of a few bad apples."

"Oh blimey. She is a nutter, just like Hagrid." Ron mumbled under his breath.

Hermione agreed with him, but even though Harry concurred, he glared at Ron for calling Hagrid a nutter.

Buffy continued her speech. "Anybody who wants to go into the Forbidden Forest needs written permission from their parents or guardians." Buffy turned to Harry. "Mr. Potter, I already have permission for you, so there is no need to ask your guardians." Harry stared, shocked, at Buffy. "I've been told that you have been in the Forbidden Forest a few times. It is almost a second home to you."

Harry mumbled, "a better home than at the Dursley's," under his breath. Buffy gave him a mischievous smile.

"Now, on to some other matters; the Houses and some changes." Buffy frowned a little. "I'm not that fond of the way that the school is separated into four parts. It spreads unnecessary animosity, in my opinion. That's why I'm planning changes that might lessen this hostility. First thing I did was change the lesson schedule you'll receive tomorrow. It will be different from previous years. You'll have classes with only a few students of your own House and the rest will be students from the other Houses."

A ripple of noise spread across the tables. Buffy waited to let it die out.

"There will be no changing your schedules." Buffy's voice was stern, matching her eyes. "The schedules are made by your House Heads in such a way that you'll have most classes with at least a few of your friends. If, for some reason, you aren't in any of your friends's classes, I'm willing to listen to your requests and make a few exceptions, but if I find out that you want to switch classes just to avoid somebody, I'll be more inclined to make sure you get them in all of your classes."

There was no doubt among the students that Buffy meant it. Buffy surveyed the hall, her gaze travelling evenly across the massed students.

"I'm going to make a few more changes, some you will like and some you will hate. All of this has Professor Dumbledore's approval, before you ask." Buffy turned to the Slytherin table. "It has been brought to my attention that, under Umbridge's regime last year, the Slytherin Prefects and their friends unjustly took House points away from the other Houses on countless occasions."

Buffy looked straight at Draco, who didn't seem to feel comfortable under her stare.

"As punishment for that I'll award Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff each a hundred points."

It took a moment for the realisation to hit the three Houses before they went into cheers and applauds. The Slytherins protested as loudly as they could, but they were drowned out by the other three Houses. Buffy kept her eyes on the Slytherin Table. Her arm raised up to the other Tables and she slowly lowered her arm down. It had the desired effect. The Great Hall went silent again. Buffy could hear some muttering from the Slytherin table, but the sound didn't raise above a low buzz . Buffy continued.

"I have some more bad news for you guys." Buffy smiled guardedly. "As it seems that a lot of you have a 'dislike' for Muggles and all Muggle related things. And I'm thinking that it mostly comes from misunderstanding and misinformation. So I have decided that all Slytherins should take a mandatory extra class of Muggle Studies for at least one year and hope that any confusions will be cleared up."

The Slytherins were protesting even more loudly than before. The other three House, especially Gryffindor, were laughing even louder. Buffy picked up her goblet and hit it hard once on the table. This got her the students attention. The Hufflepuffs were the first to stop laughing, closely followed by the Ravenclaws. The Gryffindors took awhile, but eventually they stopped laughing out loud,even though most were still giggling inside. With the Slytherins, Buffy practically had to stare them into submission.

When the hall was quiet again, with the exception of a few snickers and the rustle of robes as the students shifted in their seats, Draco stood up indignantly.

"You can't make us take 'that' class." Draco was too disgusted to even say the name.

"Of course I can, Mr. Malfoy." Buffy replied.

Draco was speechless. Buffy took advantage of it.

"You're probably thinking that this is highly unfair." Buffy didn't wait for a reply. "But I think your behaviour toward a big portion of the student body could also be seen as 'unfair'."

Buffy looked, expressionless, at Draco. She gave him some time to let what she just told him settle in.

"There is a little Muggle saying; 'Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time.' In other words, sit down and stop complaining." Buffy stared harder at Draco.

Draco reacted by abruptly sitting down. This earned him a few laughs. Buffy turned to the student body again.

"These are the major changes. There are a few smaller changes, but your House Heads will inform you about those. As you can see, there is another new face at the teacher's table." Buffy turned and wave toward the brunette young women. "May I introduce to you your new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor and my sister, Professor Dawn Summers."

Applause came quickly from the students, with the exception of the Slytherin table. Buffy sat down and Dawn stood up. She gave the students a small smile and wave.

"Hi. First call me Professor Dawn, so you don't confuse me with my sister and second, let me shoot down any rumours, before they start, about me getting this job. I didn't get it because my sister is the Headmistress. I have an extensive knowledge and experience with the Dark Arts."

Dawn took a little pause to let the information settle in. She could see the curious stares she received.

"I have only two small announcement to make. One is that I'm really excited to be here and teaching you kids how to kick some major ass in the Dark Arts." Dawn almost squealed it out.

A few laughs escaped the students. Hermione huffed.

"She is way too cheerful to be any good."

Ron glared at Hermione, annoyed. "What, isn't she allowed to be cheerful and good at her job?"

Before Ron and Hermione could go into a full blown argument, Dawn continued.

"I'm sure that most of you have heard about the illegal DADA club last year, led by Harry Potter and his partners in crime." Dawn smiled.

Harry, Ron and Hermione received applause from everyone who had been in the DA, Dumbledore's Army. The other students, who had heard rumours about the DA, followed their example and clapped also. Every single fifth year who had been a part of the DA had received at least an Acceptable, if not higher, on their DADA O.W.L.

Dawn smiled at the trio. "I'm not sure if you are planning to re-form the club, but if you do, I'll sponsor you."

This got Dawn a few more cheers.

Dawn sat down and Buffy stood up again. "I have one more little announcement to make before we start the feast. A notice is going to be posted on the board in the Entrance Hall with a list of people whom I want to speak in private. Date and place of the appointment is next to the name. There is only one more thing to say. 'Scooby Doo'."

The food appeared on the tables as soon as she finished speaking. Most Students looked confused at the 'Scooby Doo' part, but the Muggle-borns laughed. Nevertheless, everybody started eating and talking among themself. The new Headmistress and the new DADA Professor were the talk of the Feast. After the dinner ended the Prefects brought the first-years to their dormitories.

Harry went to the Entrance Hall to look at the notice. He had a suspicion that he was on the list. There were a few students in front of him. He quickly found Ron's, Hermione's and his name on the list. Neville was also on the list. Luna and Cho were among the names posted from Ravenclaw. He wondered why the new Headmistress wanted to speak to Cho, but before he could think of a reason, his eyes wandered over the Slytherin portion of the list. Draco was on it, as he had half expected, but it was a shock when he saw Snape's name on the list.

'Why would his name be on the list? If she wanted to speak to Snape, she simply could have ordered him to her office,' he thought, confused. Harry walked away toward Gryffindor Tower to ask his two best friend what they thought about it.

Chapter 1: Buffy vs Snape, No contest

Snape was furious, when he saw that he was on the list of students the new 'Headmistress' wanted to speak with. He knew that there was something more than her simply wanting to talk to him, since she would have just sent a student or a house elf to 'fetch' him.

'She is trying to humiliate me,' Snape thought. 'No, she already did.'

He had overheard a few of the students spreading rumours, and almost scared them to death when he appeared behind them to deduct House points.

Snape arrived at the gargoyle statue guarding the entrance to the headmaster's office. "Slayer's Heaven." He said the password and stepped on the magical 'escalator' to the office door. He didn't even knock before he entered, unannounced.

Buffy was behind her desk writing and didn't even raise her head to see who was entering her office. She continued writing.

"Approaching a slayer without announcing your presence is a guaranteed way to get hurt. Take a seat, Severus." Buffy point to the comfy seat with her quill without looking up.

Snape didn't take the offered seat and stood about five feet away from the desk. He was feeling angry at Buffy, but he was trying to compose himself. He stood there watching her write. When she was finished she put the quill down and leant back in her chair, looking at him with a twinkle in her eyes.

"How can I help you, Severus? I'm sure you are aware that our appointment is Wednesday."

If Snape didn't know better he would have thought that Buffy was related to Albus. She had the same twinkle in her eyes that he always had. Snape thought the best way to handle this was to be straightforward.

"Why did you put my name on the list?"

Snape saw the corners of her mouth twitch a little.

"Because that list was for students." Buffy answered, slightly cryptic.

"I'm not a student." Snape replied grimly.

"As long as we learn we are all students. I'm planning to make you learn something." Buffy lost some of the twinkle in her eyes.

"I have no interest in anything you 'teach'." Snape was smirking now. He didn't want to give Buffy the satisfaction of asking her what she wanted to teach him even though he was curious about it.

"Dumbledore has told me and shown me how you have treated Harry over the past five years. I could turn a blind eye to most of it, excusing it because of your 'pleasant' personality." Snape growled, but Buffy ignored it. "But what you did last school year. You went too far. Because you stopped teaching Harry to block his mind from mental attacks, you put him and everybody around him in mortal danger."

Snape kept quiet and tried to keep his anger in check. He was still angry at Harry for looking into his past. He also had no intention of trying to explain or justify his actions to Buffy.

"I would have requested your resignation if it wasn't for the fact that your actions in relaying Harry's message to the Order also saved his life. And, of course, there's Dumbledore's insistence on keeping you on the teacher's staff." Buffy lost all of the twinkle in her eyes.

Snape was feeling a little worried. He had no doubt that Buffy meant it, but he still kept quiet.

"I'm known for giving people second chances, if they want to repent and better themselves. Even if I have to push them in the right direction." Buffy paused and smirked at Snape. "I have the feeling that you don't even think that you were wrong and that you are justifying your actions."

This got her a reaction from Snape. "I'm not accountable to you."

Buffy stood up and stared hard at Snape. "Yes, you are. As long as I'm the Headmistress and you are 'my' Potions Professor, you are accountable to me, in anything that is related to the students."

Snape tried to intimidate Buffy by staring down at her, but he only got a stare back in response, as she almost laughed out loud at his attempt. Not that it wasn't a good attempt, he might scare a recently called slayer with it, or possibly even a master vampire, but not Buffy. She had seen too much and defeated too many 'Big Bads' to even flinch.

"I have been teaching at Hogwarts for over 15 year and I 'will' teach at Hogwart long after you are gone." Snape snapped back.

Buffy smirked. "I've asked around and found at least ten candidates who would like your position, and all are qualified enough. You are easy replaceable, Severus."

"I will be back when Dumbledore comes back," was Snape's response.

"No, you wouldn't." Buffy saw that Snape was looking worried and shocked. He hadn't expected to hear that.

"What do you mean?" He asked in a demanding tone.

"There were a few conditions I made with Dumbledore before I took this 'appointment'." Buffy's smile grew as she sat back in her seat. "One of these was that if I fired you or you quit, he would not rehire you when he returns."

Snape didn't look happy. He was more troubled than ever. Last year he hadn't worried about losing his job, since he knew that Dumbledore would be back and would reinstate him, if Umbridge had found a way to kick him out.

"You are going to be put on some restrictions and probation from now on." Buffy leant back in her seat.

"What kind of restrictions?" Snape looked grim.

"There are two students I'm going to put on your 'no harrassing' list. Which means you can't deduct House points from them."

"It will undermine my authority." Snape scowled.

"These students will be given explicit warnings not to abuse this privilege. And if you do think that you have to punish them, you can send them to me or their House Head. I'm sure that one of us will handle the matter appropriately." Buffy beamed evilly. "Not curious who the students are?"

"It is Potter and one of his 'partners in crime'." Snape remembered how Professor Dawn called Ron and Hermione.

"Close, it is Harry and Neville."

Snape stuck his nose up and sniffed. "You're taking my 'favourite' students away from me."

"I'm heartbroken." Buffy replied in the same sarcastic fashion as Snape.

"Is there something else?" Snape was seething. "Or can I go?"

"Albus also told me that you want the DADA position. I think I'm going to make your wish come true. But you're probably going to regret making the wish." Buffy smiled mischievously at Snape. She remembered clearly all the wishes that had gone wrong in Sunnydale.

Snape didn't trust her smile. "I though your cheerful sister has the position. What is the catch?"

"My sister knows her Dark Arts, but has a little problem with the hexes, curses and jinxes. Not the theory but in practice. She's only used her wand for 2 years." A grin started to form on Buffy's face. "I want you to assist my sister."

'Merlin! Does this woman wants to harass me out of Hogwarts? Her sister has only used her wand for two years? Why didn't she receive her wand when she was a child? And why did Dumbledore employ her?' These thoughts raced through Snape's head. He restrained a sudden urge to rub his forehead in an effort to lessen the headache that he felt coming on.

"I don't have time to fully 'assist' Professor Dawn."

"I know, that is why you will only be one of the two assistants." Buffy was grinning wickedly.

Snape knew that he would dread the answer, but he had to ask it. "Who is the other Professor?"

"Student. He did very well on all of his O.W.L.'s, but the O.W.L. for his Defence Against the Dark Arts was an Outstanding. He was head of his class. Plus he already has some experience with teaching." Buffy kept smiling at Snape. She found it funny. Snape didn't.

"Potter." Snape spitted it out with disgust.

"Yep. I wanted to give him full time, but I think it would be a little too much for him. I didn't want to put too much on his little shoulders."

Snape snarled. "You are going to coddle the boy to death."

"I didn't know you care, Severus." Buffy looked innocently at him.

Snape didn't respond, ignoring her sarcasm. "Is there anything else, Headmistress?"

"No, you can leave." Buffy waved him away as if dismissing one of the students or a child.

Snape turned. He had his hand on the doorknob and was about to leave, when he heard her voice from behind him.

"One more thing. You are not allowed to vent your frustration and anger on the other students just because Harry is out of your reach."

Snape didn't even respond and opened the door. He slammed the door hard behind him and walked down the stairs with a quick pace. He walked through the portal and strode through the halls toward his chambers. Arriving in them, he grabbed the first thing in his reach and threw it against the opposite wall. It crashed in a million pieces. Snape dropped himself into his comfy seat by the fireplace and didn't even look at what he had thrown.

He sat there, sulking, for hours before he went to bed, dreaming of how he could torture Harry when Dumbledore returned.

Chapter 2: First DADA Class

Dawn stood in the doorway, eagerly awaiting the arrival of her students. She had skipped most of her breakfast to prepare for her first class, not that she needed the extra time. To be honest, she had finished her preparation the night before. If it hadn't been for Buffy, who dragged her to bed, Dawn would probably have fallen asleep in her classroom.

Dawn still couldn't believe she was at Hogwarts. The first time she and Willow had heard of the school and the Wizarding World, they had wanted to visit Hogwarts. Dawn even got her first wand shortly thereafter, one made especially for her with Buffy's blood. But Giles put an end of any thought of visiting Hogwarts. He didn't think it was a good idea to attract the attention of the Ministry of Magic, since even though Willow was a very powerful witch and Dawn a mystical Key, they were still Muggles in the eyes of the Ministry. He also explained to them that the Slayer traditionally doesn't interfere with the Wizarding World. If it hadn't been for the return of Voldemort, the Watchers Council wouldn't even have put much attention on the Wizarding World itself.

The Watchers Council had contacts in the Wizarding World, but otherwise they kept themself separated from that entire magical society. At the beginning of the previous summer, the news of the open DADA position at Hogwarts had reached Dawn's ears through the Council and she had sent Dumbledore her résumé and application form without telling anybody. She didn't want anybody to talk her out of it. She had put her sister Buffy, Slayer Matriarch, Head of the Watchers Council and Principle of Slayer Academy, as her main personal reference.

Dumbledore had knocked on her door the next day, with a suspicious Slayer opening the door. Buffy wasn't at all happy with Dawn after hearing what she had done. Her demeanor changed after the two hour interview Dumbledore gave Dawn, and after he answered some of Buffy's own questions. She saw that it would be a good, and respectable, job for Dawn. At the end of the interview Dawn was given the DADA position and Buffy offered him a tour of Slayer Academy the next morning.

Dawn's thoughts were interrupted by her students. She welcomed them each personally with a "Hi' or 'Hello' when they entered the room. She received some odd looks, some confused ones, some smiling and some disgusted. When everybody had found their seat she walked up to her desk, turned around and hopped on it.

"Welcome to your first 6th year Defence Against the Dark Arts class." Dawn smiled at them brightly. She clapped her hands and rubbed them together in excitement. "I have looked at what your previous teachers have taught you and noticed that you had vampires in your second and third year. Very good. I'll recap the subject to make sure you know how to defeat a vampire and I'll add some extra personal stuff."

Hermione interrupted Dawn by raising her hand. Dawn noticed it. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

"You've fought a vampire?" Hermione asked.

"Yep, I even killed my first one at 15."

An astonished hush swept through the class. It was Draco who broke the silence. "And we should believe that." He said it with his usual disdain.

"No, you don't have to believe anything I say, Mr. Malfoy." Dawn shrugged her shoulders. "It's your funeral."

A few of his fellow students snickered at how Dawn handled Draco.

"The reason why I want to recap vampires is because vampires are one of the most common Dark Art creature you might encounter. Which will end in you being dead or turned if you don't know how to recognize and dispatch them. These skills will also enable you to protect any Muggles in the vicinity, who will usually be totally defenceless against these creatures."

Draco huffed. "Why should I care about Muggles?"

"Five points from Slytherin for speaking out of turn, and I'm going to deduct five more for being bigoted." Dawn smiled sweetly at him.

"You can't ..." Draco started to protest.

"Do you want me to deduct more points, Mr. Malfoy? I'm happy to try for fifty if you want to keep talking." Dawn kept smiling at Draco who opened his mouth, but closed it quickly. He repeated the action a few more times, giving a very good imitation of a fish.

Harry and Ron grinned at Professor Dawn, having decided that they liked her even more than they'd first thought. They loved it when Draco got punished and put in his place, and they definitely liked her style.

"They were also the first demons that populated this realm of existence after the high demons were kicked out. Which gave the mammal, us, a chance to prosper."

Hermione put up her hand. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

"What do you mean by high demons?"

"Oh, I forget. You guys go by Fey lore. I'm sorry."

Draco sighed loudly before Dawn could explain herself. "Oh, great. She is going to teach us Muggle lore." And under his breath he added. "Stupid Mudblood."

Dawn obviously missed the last comment, since she did not deduct points for Draco's rudeness. "No, Mr. Malfoy, I go by the Slayer lore. Since she was created to fight vampires and stop the swell of their numbers, it's better to concentrate on Slayer lore than Fey or," Dawn turned to Draco, "even Muggle lore. Contrary to popular belief, Wizard and Muggle, the world didn't start as a paradise. Demons ruled this world first until they were driven off. Why? That is still being speculated about, it's not relevant at the moment. Their departure made room for the mammals, us. But before the last demon left he drank from a human and left some of his own essence in that human. With that, the first vampire was born. This demon drank from humans and turned them into vampires as well. This vampirism spread like a plague across the world."

Harry raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Potter?" Dawn pointed at Harry.

"What's a Slayer?" Harry asked.

Dawn looked around the class and saw a few more confused faces. "I thought the Slayer was common knowledge, used to scare little children into eating their vegetables." A smile crept on Dawn's face at the idea of Buffy scaring kids. A few of the students giggled.

"Who else doesn't know about slayers?" Four more students put up their hands.

"Okay. I want an essay about the Slayer between ten and twenty inches long with footnotes about your research material for next week. For those who don't know about the Slayer, it is sufficient to know for now that she is a champion of the Muggles to keep the dark forces at bay."

Dawn returned to her lecture. "Now, then. Not every vampire bite will turn a victim into a vampire like with werewolves. There's a procedure required, which is called 'turning' somebody. Vampires calling it siring. Who knows how a vampire is created?"

Almost everbody's hand went up. Of course one of them was Hermione, another one was a Slytherian girl named Blaise Zabini.

"Miss Zabini?"

"When a vampire has drained his victim of her blood to the point of death, the vampire makes the victim drink some of his own blood." A little sadness was showing in Blaise's eyes and her voice sounded a little nervous, too. "How much blood the victim drinks determines how powerful she will be as a fledgeling."

Dawn had the feeling that Blaise spoke from experience. "Very good, Miss Zabini. Five points for answering the question, five for the extra information and five more for the right use of the word 'fledgeling'."

Blaise gave Dawn a wary smile.

"I'm sure you all know how to kill a vampire; a wooden stake through the heart, but any other 'living' object through the heart will do the trick, something made of bone or horn." Dawn looked at her long nails. "Never tried it or heard about it being done, but I expect that if you could pierce through with a nail, that might kill a vampire too. I wouldn't try it, of course."

Dawn got a few laughs from her students before she grinned back at her audience and continued.

"The other way to kill a vampire is by decapitation." She illustrated her words with her hands, drawing a finger across her throat in demonstration. "Fire is also good, but throwing a fire hex at a vampire won't work, or any other magical fire either. That doesn't mean a fire hex won't work to defeat a vampire. If you fire hex something else and throw or levitate it at the vampire, the fire will kill it."

"It also helps if you can put its clothes on fire instead of the vampire itself. But that requires very skillful wand control. The best thing you can do is to levitate something wooden into the vampire's heart."

"What if there isn't anything wooden around?" Ron asked.

"If you are good at transfiguration you could try to turn an object into a wooden stake, but I warn you that, if not correctly transfigured, it won't work. I had to learn that the hard way." Dawn pushed her long hair back and showed the class a bite mark on her neck. "I was lucky that I could get my wand between us, and his own body weight did the rest of the work to dust him."

The students were impressed. Even Hermione had to admit that Dawn was qualified to have the position as DADA Professor.

"Your wand could be used as your last resort even if it is broken." Dawn gave the audience a serious look to make sure they understood her.

"The fourth way to kill a vampire is by direct sunlight. This means that vampires can move through daytime as long as they stay in the shadows." Dawn took a small breath. "There is a sunlight spell, 'Solarus', but again it won't work against vampires, although it might distract them long enough for you to stake them."

"Holy objects, like crosses, and holy water can scare vampire or keep them at bay, but crosses won't scare the more powerful vampires. There is a way to kill vampire with holy water. That is by tricking him or her into drinking it."

Hermione put up her hand.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"I thought vampires only drink blood?" Hermione half stated and half asked it.

"Vampires 'need' to drink blood, but they are capable of drinking and eating like a normal human. Vampires normally only eat to pose as human to sneak up on their victims. But some vampires like to eat something solid. Buffalo wings and fried onions seems to be favourites." Dawn smiled.

A Ravenclaw boy put up his hand. "What are Buffalo wings? I didn't know Buffalos had wings."

"Chicken wings. Don't ask me why they are called Buffalo wings, probably to do with the city of Buffalo in the States." Dawn explained briefly before she continued with her lecture.

"What I want to tell you with this piece of information is that if you see somebody eat, that doesn't automatically mean he isn't a vampire."

"Now, how to recognize a vampire? The best way is with a mirror. No reflection. Another one is a pale complexion. But be warned it doesn't always mean he is a vampire. Otherwise somebody would have staked Professor Snape by now."

The students laughed and Dawn's smile grew in a grin.

"You can also recognize a vampire by his outdated clothes, that is how your Headmistress always spotted them, or black and other dark colours. Again, you shouldn't mistake Professor Snape for one." Dawn winked.

The students laughed again. Most of them loved hearing the dreaded Potion Master being put down.

"Because vampires are dead or undead, they don't breathe or have a heartbeat, or a body temperature above room temperature, that means they normally have cold skin." Dawn tapped a finger on her lips. "Let me see. I saw Professor Snape huff and puff, so he breathes. I saw his face go red from anger and a vein on his forehead pulsed. So he has a heartbeat. But I shook his hands and they were ice-cold." Dawn dramatically sighed. "Two out of three, that proves that Professor Snape isn't a vampire. This means you are not allowed to stake him, doesn't matter how much you would like to do it."

Dawn winked at the three friends, who smiled back at her.

"Where do vampires live? In dark places where the sun doesn't shine. Abandoned warehouses, crypts, sewers, cellars, caves and ..."

"Dungeons?" Ron added helpfully.

"Yes and dungeons. Again a negative for Professor Snape. He really should stay away from Slayers." Dawn was really taking pot shots at Professor Snape, and the students loved it, with the exception of the Slytherins.

"The hunting grounds of vampires. You would think that cemeteries would be their hunting grounds, but that is a misconception. This doesn't mean you can't find them in cemeteries, but they wouldn't hunt there because there aren't many people who would go to a cemetery at night. Vampires do like to hang around cemeteries or bring their victims there. Or they might simply live there or just be rising out of their graves. So you should avoid cemeteries at night."

"Their hunting grounds are dark alleys and crowded places where nobody would miss your absence. Dark alleys, so that nobody can see or bother them when they are draining their victims. Crowded places are where they find their victims and lure them away. Normally crowded places are also hot, which helps conceal their body temperature."

Dawn stopped at that point to let the students digest what she had just told them. "When do you know for sure that you're dealing with a vampire? It's when they show their 'game face' to feed."

" 'Game face?' " A Hufflepuff boy asked.

"The 'game face' is when their foreheads become ridged, their eyes get yellow and their teeth turn into sharp fangs. When they don't look human anymore."

"What you have to know about vampires is that they are all evil. Even if the degree of their evilness is different. Don't make the mistake about how human they can behave or act, in the end the only thing they are interested in is your blood."

Again she waited to let her point sink in. "In all of known history, there were only two exceptions. What made them different? They had their souls returned to them."

"That's impossible. Vampires lose their souls when they are turned." Hermione bursted out, confused.

"Five points from Gryffindor for calling me a liar." Hermione blushed, ashamed. "And five point to Gryffindor for the soul comment."

Dawn turned to address the whole class. "While Hermione is right about vampires losing their souls, she's wrong about it being impossible for them to have souls. The first known vampire with a soul was cursed with one, the other one was stupid enough to prove he was a man and not a monster."

The students were on the edges of their seats to hear more. Dawn looked at her watch and saw that it was almost the end of the period.

Grinning evilly, she made her announcement. "I'll tell about these vampires in the next class. Now, it's time to go to your next class, I think."

Dawn could hear the protests, but nevertheless the students packed their belongings and left the classroom. A few stayed behind to ask questions, but soon even they were gone, leaving Dawn to await her next class.

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