The Slayer and the Serpent: Part 8/26
Move On
Author’s Note: This picks up a two weeks after ‘Meant To Live’. Lyrics are in ‘ ‘. Lyrics for this chapter belong to Jet. Feedback makes me want to write more. Thanks to thatchick for reviewing.
FR-18
‘
Well I been thinking about the future
I'm too young to pretend
It's such a waste to always look behind you
Should be lookin' straight ahead’
Draco walked slowly towards Professor Summers’ classroom. Today was his last detention. It had been a hard two weeks. The first few days the blonde Professor had made him make stakes, in the process teaching him how to sharpen the knife he used and an assortment of other weapons like axes and swords. Then she’d taught him how to meditate and center himself. He put up a lot of resistance, more so for that than anything else she’d had him do, but in the end she got her way and had him in lotus position, centering himself before every detention session. Draco would NEVER admit it, but he actually enjoyed the mediation. It helped a lot. His head was always so jumbled, now with the meditation he found he could think quicker and more clearly. After that Summers showed him basic first aid and wound dressing. She’d been extremely angry when she’d learned he didn’t know any of it. He could fix any minor injury with magic but not with gauze and a medical dressing. A few days of his detention had been spent just doing homework or research for school and a couple of days she’d ‘lent’ him to Professor Snape who had him cleaning cauldrons the muggle way and sorting potion ingredients. Then there had been a few days where Draco had been antsy, she’d assign him something to do but he couldn’t concentrate so he’d begun to talk. At first he’d just asked school related questions but when he’d felt no resistance from her he started to talk about other things. Without giving to much away he’d talked about his father or his House at Hogwarts, or anything and she always listened. She never seemed to judge and she never interrupted. It was almost as good as the meditation for clearing his head. Draco found that even though this whole thing was punishment and he far from enjoyed the menial work he was assigned he did enjoy being away from his housemates. In the two weeks he’d had detention, which included weekends, he’d barely seen Crabb and Goyle. It was a relief to be away form those two ignorant lumps. They followed him around like big stupid dogs, which on occasion had its uses, but was usually just annoying. Draco looked up as he approached the DADA room and entered quietly.
‘Yeah, I'm gonna have to move on
Before we meet again
Yeah, it's hard
If you had have only seen’
The blonde woman was waiting for him. She was seated on a purple yoga mat. Draco shut and locked the door (he’d rather be dead that get caught meditating), slipped off his shoes, and joined her. He went through the breathing exercises and centered himself and when Buffy signaled he opened his eyes and stood.
“So, today is our last day together.” Buffy said
Draco nodded and was surprised to find he didn’t want it to be. Well, he certainly wouldn’t miss carving stakes until his fingers bled but he would miss having someone who actually seemed to care. In that funny way she had, she seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.
“I’ll still be here you know.” She said softly, standing to put a hand on his shoulder. He really was a good kid even though no one else got to see it. Outside of detention he was the same cross bully the school usually saw, although Buffy had managed to curve some of his worst mannerisms, like using the word ‘mudblood’ in public.
“But now I won’t have an excuse.” He said.
“Just come to me whenever you need to Draco, I’ll recruit you to do something for me, or go to Snape, he’ll have something for you to do or we could have him send you to me.” Buffy said bending to roll up the yoga mat, once she stowed it away she flipped the lock and opened the door.
Draco didn’t know what to say, usually all the special attention went to Potter, so why did this woman take such an interest in him. Why the hell did she care? He voiced his thought, without the profanity (she told him that once he turned 17 he could talk how he choose, until then she’d wash his mouth out with soap, and despite the pleasant smell her vanilla soap didn’t taste very good), and she chuckled.
“Truth? You remind of someone, two someone’s actually.”
“Who?” He asked.
She motioned for him to sit then did the same. “Well, the first time I saw you the first thing I noticed was how much you looked like someone I knew. A vampire, one of the two in the world with a soul. You act like him too sometimes. But the more I got to know you I realized that inside you remind me of my little sister.”
“You have a sister?” He asked.
“Yeah, her name is Dawn. Sometimes you’ll say or do something and I just think to my self, ‘that is exactly what Dawnie would have done’. Not to mention she loves to cause trouble.” Buffy explained and Draco smiled.
‘10:34, Flinders Street Station
I'm lookin' down the tracks
Uniformed man askin' am I paid up
Why would I wanna be that?’
Outside the door Snape shook his head. It had been ages since he’d seen that boy smile. How had she done it, in two short weeks she’d taken Draco under her wing and managed to get him to open up, even if it was only slightly. The Potions master realized she would know he was there. She always knew so he moved around the corner and stepped into the room. Buffy looked over at him and smiled.
“Hi.”
Snape didn’t return her smile but his eyes did soften a bit. “A moment of your time, Elizabeth?”
Buffy practically started. He still refused to call her Buffy and he had never called her Elizabeth in front of a student before, not even Draco. She nodded. “Sure. Draco, since it’s your last day I’ll give you a choice, stakes or homework.”
“Homework. I’m still picking out splinters from my first day.” He grumbled.
Buffy laughed then moved to follow Severus. When they were outside the door he took her arm and, surprisingly, gently led her farther away from the door. Over the past days she spent a bit more time with him. She couldn’t say he’d been kind to her, per-say, but he had been less harsh. He still harassed her endlessly about her ‘foolish muggle clothes’ and her ‘damned American cheek’, which she had no idea what he meant, what did her cheek have to do with anything? But he’d not insulted her in a cruel way, in fact once or twice he’d actually complimented her.
“Tomorrow I have to run some errands for Dumbledore.” He said quietly. “I was wondering if perhaps you could over-see two of my classes. The children will have assignments to do so you won’t have to teach, simply supervise.”
“I’m assuming they don’t overlap any of my own classes.” Buffy said.
“Of course not, they are both in the afternoon and I believe you have the afternoon off on Tuesdays.”
“Yeah, I do.” Buffy had gathered by now that he knew her schedule. He’d shown up a number of times just as a class was ending. That was…interesting. “Okay, I’ll do it.” She said nodding then she moved to go back inside but his hand was still on her arm. She looked up at his dark eyes and they held hers for a moment. He really wasn’t attractive at all, so why did she want to stand on her toes and nibble at his lips.
“Thank you.” He murmured then released her. He turned and was gone before Buffy could think straight again. His voice was so damn hypnotic. She needed to ask Dumbledore if Snape had ever spent anytime with Dracula, Severus had to know some sort of thrall. It HAD to be thrall.
‘Yeah gonna have to move on
Before we meet again
Yeah, it's hard
If you had have only seen
Take control
Don't be afraid of me’
Buffy went back into her classroom. “Draco?”
The blonde looked up.
“Wanna help me with something?”
“What?” He asked, his voice suspicious.
“Decorating.” She said. It was the first week of October and Buffy wanted to start decorating for Halloween.
Draco stood and walked over to her. She’d said decorating but there was a tone to her voice.
She smiled and Draco could tell she was up to something. “Take out your wand.” She said.
He arched an eyebrow and did as she said.
“Well, what are you waiting for, let’s see what you got.” The slayer said. She backed over to her desk then hopped up to sit lotus style on the top.
His other eyebrow shot up to join the first but he turned and pointed his wand at the windows. A few words later they were covered in cobwebs and moving but fake plastic spiders. He glanced back at Summers who was smiling.
“Very cool, keep going.” She said in that encouraging tone she had.
He turned back and with a smile of his own got to work. An hour later it looked perfect.
Buffy put an arm around Draco’s shoulder. “Nice job, it almost looks as creepy as Snape’s classroom.”
“Thanks.” He said smiling at her. He was taller than her but for some reason he always felt like he was looking up at her.
“You can go but, Draco remember, I’m here. All you have to do is let me know you need me, okay?”
He nodded, “Okay, Professor.” The boy turned and slowly walked out of the class.
'Cause every once in a while
You think about if your gonna get yourself together
You should be happy just to be alive
And just because you just don't feel like comin' home
Don't mean that you'll never arrive’
The Prince of Slytherin took the long way back to his House. When he arrived he was halfway through the entrance when the sound of voices stopped him. It was Crabb and Goyle, they weren’t really talking about anything but it was enough to turn Draco and send him back the way he came. Before he’d only really tolerated them because his father had told him too, because their parents were Death Eaters but one thing Buffy had hammered into his head was that his father couldn’t touch him now. He knew Lucius had ways to getting to him, even in Azkaban but Professor Summers had also beat into his head that she, nor any of the other Professors (whether they liked him or not) wouldn’t let anything happen to him. Draco looked up with a start and realized he was in front of his DADA room. He’d made no conscious decision to come here but as his mind wandered his feet had lead him back. The Slytherin in him hissed that he was being a foolish child, depending on Summers for support, but another part of his brain told him that it was okay to want to be cared about and besides no one would know. It was his own damn life and he no longer had to base his existence around pleasing Lucius. He was finally going to take control of his own destiny. With a nod he went forward and knocked on the door frame. She looked up and smiled sweetly. Without a single word she came to him, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and led him inside.
‘Yeah I'm gonna have to move on
Before we meet again
Yeah it's hard
If you had have only seen
Take control
Don't be afraid of me’
Author’s Note: This picks up a two weeks after ‘Meant To Live’. Lyrics are in ‘ ‘. Lyrics for this chapter belong to Jet. Feedback makes me want to write more. Thanks to thatchick for reviewing.
FR-18
‘
Well I been thinking about the future
I'm too young to pretend
It's such a waste to always look behind you
Should be lookin' straight ahead’
Draco walked slowly towards Professor Summers’ classroom. Today was his last detention. It had been a hard two weeks. The first few days the blonde Professor had made him make stakes, in the process teaching him how to sharpen the knife he used and an assortment of other weapons like axes and swords. Then she’d taught him how to meditate and center himself. He put up a lot of resistance, more so for that than anything else she’d had him do, but in the end she got her way and had him in lotus position, centering himself before every detention session. Draco would NEVER admit it, but he actually enjoyed the mediation. It helped a lot. His head was always so jumbled, now with the meditation he found he could think quicker and more clearly. After that Summers showed him basic first aid and wound dressing. She’d been extremely angry when she’d learned he didn’t know any of it. He could fix any minor injury with magic but not with gauze and a medical dressing. A few days of his detention had been spent just doing homework or research for school and a couple of days she’d ‘lent’ him to Professor Snape who had him cleaning cauldrons the muggle way and sorting potion ingredients. Then there had been a few days where Draco had been antsy, she’d assign him something to do but he couldn’t concentrate so he’d begun to talk. At first he’d just asked school related questions but when he’d felt no resistance from her he started to talk about other things. Without giving to much away he’d talked about his father or his House at Hogwarts, or anything and she always listened. She never seemed to judge and she never interrupted. It was almost as good as the meditation for clearing his head. Draco found that even though this whole thing was punishment and he far from enjoyed the menial work he was assigned he did enjoy being away from his housemates. In the two weeks he’d had detention, which included weekends, he’d barely seen Crabb and Goyle. It was a relief to be away form those two ignorant lumps. They followed him around like big stupid dogs, which on occasion had its uses, but was usually just annoying. Draco looked up as he approached the DADA room and entered quietly.
‘Yeah, I'm gonna have to move on
Before we meet again
Yeah, it's hard
If you had have only seen’
The blonde woman was waiting for him. She was seated on a purple yoga mat. Draco shut and locked the door (he’d rather be dead that get caught meditating), slipped off his shoes, and joined her. He went through the breathing exercises and centered himself and when Buffy signaled he opened his eyes and stood.
“So, today is our last day together.” Buffy said
Draco nodded and was surprised to find he didn’t want it to be. Well, he certainly wouldn’t miss carving stakes until his fingers bled but he would miss having someone who actually seemed to care. In that funny way she had, she seemed to know exactly what he was thinking.
“I’ll still be here you know.” She said softly, standing to put a hand on his shoulder. He really was a good kid even though no one else got to see it. Outside of detention he was the same cross bully the school usually saw, although Buffy had managed to curve some of his worst mannerisms, like using the word ‘mudblood’ in public.
“But now I won’t have an excuse.” He said.
“Just come to me whenever you need to Draco, I’ll recruit you to do something for me, or go to Snape, he’ll have something for you to do or we could have him send you to me.” Buffy said bending to roll up the yoga mat, once she stowed it away she flipped the lock and opened the door.
Draco didn’t know what to say, usually all the special attention went to Potter, so why did this woman take such an interest in him. Why the hell did she care? He voiced his thought, without the profanity (she told him that once he turned 17 he could talk how he choose, until then she’d wash his mouth out with soap, and despite the pleasant smell her vanilla soap didn’t taste very good), and she chuckled.
“Truth? You remind of someone, two someone’s actually.”
“Who?” He asked.
She motioned for him to sit then did the same. “Well, the first time I saw you the first thing I noticed was how much you looked like someone I knew. A vampire, one of the two in the world with a soul. You act like him too sometimes. But the more I got to know you I realized that inside you remind me of my little sister.”
“You have a sister?” He asked.
“Yeah, her name is Dawn. Sometimes you’ll say or do something and I just think to my self, ‘that is exactly what Dawnie would have done’. Not to mention she loves to cause trouble.” Buffy explained and Draco smiled.
‘10:34, Flinders Street Station
I'm lookin' down the tracks
Uniformed man askin' am I paid up
Why would I wanna be that?’
Outside the door Snape shook his head. It had been ages since he’d seen that boy smile. How had she done it, in two short weeks she’d taken Draco under her wing and managed to get him to open up, even if it was only slightly. The Potions master realized she would know he was there. She always knew so he moved around the corner and stepped into the room. Buffy looked over at him and smiled.
“Hi.”
Snape didn’t return her smile but his eyes did soften a bit. “A moment of your time, Elizabeth?”
Buffy practically started. He still refused to call her Buffy and he had never called her Elizabeth in front of a student before, not even Draco. She nodded. “Sure. Draco, since it’s your last day I’ll give you a choice, stakes or homework.”
“Homework. I’m still picking out splinters from my first day.” He grumbled.
Buffy laughed then moved to follow Severus. When they were outside the door he took her arm and, surprisingly, gently led her farther away from the door. Over the past days she spent a bit more time with him. She couldn’t say he’d been kind to her, per-say, but he had been less harsh. He still harassed her endlessly about her ‘foolish muggle clothes’ and her ‘damned American cheek’, which she had no idea what he meant, what did her cheek have to do with anything? But he’d not insulted her in a cruel way, in fact once or twice he’d actually complimented her.
“Tomorrow I have to run some errands for Dumbledore.” He said quietly. “I was wondering if perhaps you could over-see two of my classes. The children will have assignments to do so you won’t have to teach, simply supervise.”
“I’m assuming they don’t overlap any of my own classes.” Buffy said.
“Of course not, they are both in the afternoon and I believe you have the afternoon off on Tuesdays.”
“Yeah, I do.” Buffy had gathered by now that he knew her schedule. He’d shown up a number of times just as a class was ending. That was…interesting. “Okay, I’ll do it.” She said nodding then she moved to go back inside but his hand was still on her arm. She looked up at his dark eyes and they held hers for a moment. He really wasn’t attractive at all, so why did she want to stand on her toes and nibble at his lips.
“Thank you.” He murmured then released her. He turned and was gone before Buffy could think straight again. His voice was so damn hypnotic. She needed to ask Dumbledore if Snape had ever spent anytime with Dracula, Severus had to know some sort of thrall. It HAD to be thrall.
‘Yeah gonna have to move on
Before we meet again
Yeah, it's hard
If you had have only seen
Take control
Don't be afraid of me’
Buffy went back into her classroom. “Draco?”
The blonde looked up.
“Wanna help me with something?”
“What?” He asked, his voice suspicious.
“Decorating.” She said. It was the first week of October and Buffy wanted to start decorating for Halloween.
Draco stood and walked over to her. She’d said decorating but there was a tone to her voice.
She smiled and Draco could tell she was up to something. “Take out your wand.” She said.
He arched an eyebrow and did as she said.
“Well, what are you waiting for, let’s see what you got.” The slayer said. She backed over to her desk then hopped up to sit lotus style on the top.
His other eyebrow shot up to join the first but he turned and pointed his wand at the windows. A few words later they were covered in cobwebs and moving but fake plastic spiders. He glanced back at Summers who was smiling.
“Very cool, keep going.” She said in that encouraging tone she had.
He turned back and with a smile of his own got to work. An hour later it looked perfect.
Buffy put an arm around Draco’s shoulder. “Nice job, it almost looks as creepy as Snape’s classroom.”
“Thanks.” He said smiling at her. He was taller than her but for some reason he always felt like he was looking up at her.
“You can go but, Draco remember, I’m here. All you have to do is let me know you need me, okay?”
He nodded, “Okay, Professor.” The boy turned and slowly walked out of the class.
'Cause every once in a while
You think about if your gonna get yourself together
You should be happy just to be alive
And just because you just don't feel like comin' home
Don't mean that you'll never arrive’
The Prince of Slytherin took the long way back to his House. When he arrived he was halfway through the entrance when the sound of voices stopped him. It was Crabb and Goyle, they weren’t really talking about anything but it was enough to turn Draco and send him back the way he came. Before he’d only really tolerated them because his father had told him too, because their parents were Death Eaters but one thing Buffy had hammered into his head was that his father couldn’t touch him now. He knew Lucius had ways to getting to him, even in Azkaban but Professor Summers had also beat into his head that she, nor any of the other Professors (whether they liked him or not) wouldn’t let anything happen to him. Draco looked up with a start and realized he was in front of his DADA room. He’d made no conscious decision to come here but as his mind wandered his feet had lead him back. The Slytherin in him hissed that he was being a foolish child, depending on Summers for support, but another part of his brain told him that it was okay to want to be cared about and besides no one would know. It was his own damn life and he no longer had to base his existence around pleasing Lucius. He was finally going to take control of his own destiny. With a nod he went forward and knocked on the door frame. She looked up and smiled sweetly. Without a single word she came to him, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and led him inside.
‘Yeah I'm gonna have to move on
Before we meet again
Yeah it's hard
If you had have only seen
Take control
Don't be afraid of me’