The Life Of Brian

By Echo

Part Five: Old grudges, new rivalries...

Dawn stumbled into the bathroom crying. She spun the tap on one of the sinks violently and pulled the stopper down. When she sink was full, she shut off the tap and sunk her face into the cold water. She kept it there until something icy traveled along the skin on her neck. She jerked her head back, wet hair sloshing everywhere. Dawn spun around and very nearly screamed.

There was a ghost floating in the air about two feet from her.

Dawn blinked. "Hello."

The ghost blinked at her. She was wearing an older version of Hogwarts robes. "You're talking to me?"

Dawn blinked again. The ghost's voice was sort of whiny and shrill. "Why not?"

"I'm Moaning Myrtle."

"So?"

"They haven't told you about me?" Myrtle's bottom lip quivered.

"Well, I just got here. Second day."

"Oh." Myrtle paused. "Were you crying?"

"Yeah."

"Dawn!" Anya burst into the bathroom and skidded to a shocked stop upon seeing Myrtle.

"Anya, this is-"

"Another ghost. Cool. You haunt this potty?"

Myrtle blinked. "Yes. I died here."

"Really? How?"

Myrtle smiled. No one ever asked her how she died. Except Harry. "Well, I don't really know. All I remember was I was hiding and there were these great yellow eyes. Harry told me it was a basilisk. Have you met Harry?"

Dawn grinned. Myrtle had such a dreamy quality to her voice when she said Harry's name.

"Yeah, we've met Harry. He's in our house. A year ahead." Anya said. "A basilisk though? Man, that sucks. Those things are foul. And keep in mind I've seen chaos demons."

Myrtle just stared at the two of them. "You're odd. The both of you."

Dawn looked down.

"No. It's nice. Will you come back and visit?"

Dawn and Anya gaped at her.

"Sure."

Myrtle beamed. "And tell Harry I said hello?"

"Definitely." Anya said before muttering a charm to dry Dawn's hair and robes from her sink adventure.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny was running hard.

Colin had gone to look for Dawn and Anya as soon as class was over. Well, Ginny had sent him to find them. She was after someone else entirely.

She reached the dungeons, noting that the sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins were just leaving potions. Ginny began shoving them out of her way to get inside.

"Professor Snape!"

Normally Ginny was sort of terrified of Snape, but Dawn was more important than her paltry fear of the potions master.

"Professor Snape!"

"Ginny?" Ron said as she scrambled past him, Hermione, and Harry.

Ginny's way was blocked by something. She grabbed it and gave it a mighty shove out of her path. That something happened to have been Draco Malfoy. He stumbled and caught himself on a desk.

"Now see here, weasel-"

"Shut up!"

"Miss Weasley, what is the meaning of this?" Professor Snape growled.

"It's Dawn."

"Everyone out."

Everyone seemed to have slowed down. They were all curious.

"OUT! NOW!" Snape roared.

Only Draco seemed to still be moving slow. Why on earth was it bothering him that something seemed to be wrong with his newest arch nemesis? Why should he care that the little mudblood might be hurt?

"Malfoy! Go!"

Draco went out the door pulling it closed but making sure it bounced it the frame a bit instead of closing. The door was cracked open just enough for him to hear what Ginny the weasel would say.... and his eyes went wide as the tale spilled forth from Weasley's lips. Black was a dead man. Snape would kill the bastard. Hell, Draco didn't even like Summers, but he never would have come at her through her sister. He knew that was a no-no. It was too fresh of a wound. It was like people saying things to him about his father. You just didn't unless you expected to bleed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anya and Dawn walked out of Myrtle's bathroom and very nearly collided with Professor Lupin. Dawn stiffened.

"Miss Summers, you left this." He held out her picture of herself and Buffy.

Dawn snatched it from his hands. She stared at the picture. Her eyes started to sting, and her throat got tight. She rubbed a finger over Buffy's smiling face.

"I do apologize for what happened earlier. Professor Black just has certain ideas about things. It was wrong of me not to put a stop to it."

"Why doesn't he like me?" Dawn whispered.

"It has nothing to do with you, dear."

"And everything to do with me."

The three of them turned as Severus Snape came out of the shadows like a hungry vampire. Dawn had never seen him looking so angry. Ginny was standing behind him.

"Dad..." She ran at him.

Severus enveloped the girl in his arms. "Are you all right?"

"I'm good. That's the thing about us Summers women. You knock us down, and most of the time we get right back up."

"First thing I noticed about your mother actually."

Anya felt a pang of sadness for what could have been if Joyce Summers had not died. There would be fruit punch and eggs and Snape, and gods, how he would have taken care of them. Anya could see that. He would have lived and died for them, which made him a perfect edition to the family. Not that the Summers women had needed it. Dawn was right. The three of them were fairly strong survivors and pretty self-reliant. But not having to worry about it every once in a while would have been nice.

"Lupin, you tell Black if he can't treat my daughter with respect, then I'll pull her from that class."

"Professor Snape, Defense Against the Dark Arts is a required course."

"And having lived on a Hellmouth, I'm sure Dawn could test out of the course."

Remus Lupin blinked. The girl had grown up on a Hellmouth? She probably knew more than he did. "Professor Black will behave."

"He had better."

*~*~*~*~*~*

When they were back in the common room before dinner, Dawn was staring at Ginny. Colin was trying to teach Anya about wizard's chess.

"What?" Ginny asked nervously.

"You went after him?"

"Your father? Sure."

"But I thought he sort of scared you."

"He does."

Dawn leaned over and hugged her. Ginny was completely still in surprise for a second. Then she hugged Dawn back.

"Dawn, are you all right?"

They all looked up. Harry Potter was staring down at Dawn in concern.

"Sure, Harry. Why?"

"Well..." Ron said coming to stand beside Harry. "Ginny came tearing into class after it was over, hollering for Snape, shoving people aside. It's too bad that desk was there. Malfoy actually managed to catch himself before he fell too far."

Dawn looked at Ginny. "You pushed Malfoy?"

Ginny blushed. "He was in my way."

Dawn snickered.

"So what happened?" Ron asked.

"Ron!"

"No, it's ok. " Dawn said. " Professor Black just got a bit rough with me today."

Harry's eyes went wide.

"Verbally." Dawn added quickly.

"Want me to talk to him?"

"What?"

"He's my godfather."

Dawn blinked. "Why do I get the feeling this isn't even about me?"

"Because it isn't." Harry said with a smile. "Just like Snape's whole thing with me didn't start out being about me. It was about my father. He and Snape and Black and Lupin... they all went here. Same year. Black and Lupin were two of my dad's best friends. They didn't get along with your step father. Maybe I'll tell you all about it one day."

Dawn smiled. His grin was nice. It made her belly flip flop. Harry Potter was cute, and he was flirty with her. Ron was looking at Harry with this smirk on his face. Hermione came up then.

"Oh Dawn, I heard about your Defense Against the Dark Arts class today. I'm so sorry. Please don't think bad of Professor Black. He's normally not like that."

Dawn smiled. "Thanks, Hermione."

*~*~*~*~*~*

They were all walking to dinner in the great hall. Anya had an arm looped through one of Ginny's and one of Dawn's. Colin was walking next to Ginny, grinning at what Anya was saying. Ron, Hermione, and Harry were walking behind them. Professor Black was watching them very closely. As they were taking their seats, Anya stuck her tongue out at Professor Black. The professor jerked as if she'd slapped him. He moved the get up, but Professor Lupin's hand on his arm stopped him.

Harry grabbed Anya's arm gently and spoke into her ear. "Please don't antagonize him. He's got a temper."

"So do I." Anya's eyes narrowed. "And trust me when I say my wrath is worse than his could ever be."

Harry grinned at her. "Somehow I believe that."

Meanwhile at the head table other conversations were going on.

"It's too bad you don't have X-ray vision. You might have burned a hole in the girl's head by now."

Sirius Black looked at Narcissa Malfoy in shock. She knew what an X-ray was? Let alone X-ray vision? Wasn't that a bit 'muggle' for her?

"That's right, Professor Black. Everyone knows what you did to poor little Dawn Summers today."

Remus Lupin choked on his pumpkin juice.

"I'd watch out for that one though. I do believe if she gets angry enough, Miss Summers would have no qualms about attacking a teacher. Especially if he was twitting her about her knowledge of the supernatural when her sister had been a vampire slayer."

Remus and Sirius looked at her.

"Oh yes. All quite true. Buffy Summers. She was a legend among slayers, among vampires, among a lot of things that go bump in the night. She was the thing darkness feared. And I do believe she hits first and asks questions later. You can ask my son all about that one."

Severus Snape had been staring at his plate the entire time. It was nice to have Narcissa and Remus Lupin in between himself and Black. Especially if the woman was going to scold Black about things that Severus wanted to rip the mutt's throat out for.

"Dawn Summers is still a bit tender about her sister. The girl loved her very much, and Buffy Summers gave her life for Dawn's. Only a few months ago. And this was only a few months after the both of them lost their mother to an aneurysm after watching her have surgery for cancer. I'd watch myself, Sirius Black. You're picking at a wound that hasn't even had a chance to heal."

Remus Lupin was staring at her. The woman was so soft-spoken, but her words carried the weight of a thousand lead safes.

*~*~*~*~*~*

It was when they were leaving the great hall that it happened.

Ginny was listening to Anya talk about quidditch when the little redhead was given a mighty shove that sent her sprawling into Colin. The two of them landed in a pile on the floor, and Draco Malfoy went striding past.

"Oy!" Ron was digging for his wand.

So were Harry and Hermione.

They really need not have bothered. Dawn rushed after the blonde Slytherin and launched herself at him. She tackled Draco around the waist and the two of the crashed in and ungainly heap. And the struggle began. Draco was so shocked at her behavior that Dawn got in a few light slaps to his head before he started trying to grab her hands.

"You mean bastard! What in the hell is your damage?! What'd Ginny ever do to you?!"

"Dawn!" Hermione moved forward as if to pull the younger girl off, but Ron stopped her.

It was a good thing too because Dawn and Draco started rolling across the floor trying to get the upper hand. Dawn's skirt was just going everywhere. Several people got a nice flash of her pale blue cotton underpants.

The two of them ended up with Dawn all askew on the stone floor, skirt all bunged up about her waist. Robe hanging all open, hair fanned out wildly on the gray stone... with Draco Malfoy holding her wrists above her head, his wand in between his teeth in his snarling mouth, his body nestled between her long thighs.

It really didn't look at all appropriate.

"DRACO MALFOY!"

Draco peered up. His mother really didn't look happy.

"You let Miss Summers up at once!"

Several of the professors were moving through the crowd to get to them. Draco jumped to his feet and pulled Dawn with him. She was blushing furiously. She also seemed bit dazed, so he smoothed her skirt back down for her... refusing to notice certain things.

Dawn blinked. Why was Draco Malfoy running his hands along her bottom in front of everybody like he owned her or something? Her temper flared, and she back handed him. It echoed loudly in the hall.

"Bloody fucking hell!" Draco screeched, grabbing his mouth. She'd split his bottom lip.

"Well, keep your hands off my ass! It's mine! You don't get to touch!"

"Mister Malfoy!"

Draco ignored Snape. "Oh who does? Potter?"

Dawn stepped into his face. "So what if he does?"

"Dawn!"

"Then I suppose this would annoy him." Draco spun her about and swatted her butt very hard.

"Malfoy!"

Dawn spun back around with her nostrils flaring. The two of them lunged at each other again. Before any of the professor could get to them, hair had been pulled and Dawn sunk her teeth into Draco's wrist. He screamed. She'd drawn blood... again. He yanked back on her hair hard, bringing her head away from his wrist. His blood was on her bottom lip as she howled from the pain he was inflicting on her scalp.

Then they were being hauled apart. Professors Black and Lupin had an arm each on Draco while Professor Snape had both arms around Dawn's waist. She and Draco clawed at each other like wild animals as they were pulled apart.

"I hate you." She spat.

"I hate you more."

"And I regret to inform both of you that you have detention... for the next two weeks." Snape huffed. "And that's fifty points from Gryffindor and fifty points from Slytherin for brawling like drunken muggles in a bar."

"Bitch." Draco muttered under his breath.

In the next instant, he was hauled off by Narcissa... by his ear. Severus set Dawn back on her feet. She turned around and looked at him sheepishly.

"And you, miss, my rooms. Now! I think there's a talk we need to have."

Dawn bowed her head and followed him as he stalked off.

Harry walked up to stand next to his godfather. "Yeah, Professor Black, I reckon I'd leave Dawn alone if I were you. She might knock the stuffing outta you."

"And if she did, I'd laugh so hard I'd pee my pants. You just better be glad I'm not a vengeance demon, mister." Anya said nastily as she grabbed the shocked Colin and Ginny and stalked off.

Ron came to stand next to Harry. "You know, Snuffles, I don't think Anya Bell likes you very much."

Remus started coughing in a way that sounded suspiciously like coughing to cover a laugh.

"What does she know about vengeance demons?" Sirius snorted. "She's only fifteen."

Hermione raised her eyebrow at him. "Talked to her a lot, have we?"

"Why?"

"She doesn't speak like she's fifteen, professor. And for that matter, does she act like she's fifteen to you? There's something odd about that girl."

Remus's brow furrowed. "I think you're right, Hermione."

"I think she's brilliant." Ron said with this goofy grin on his face.

Hermione scowled and stalked off.

"What?"

Harry just shook his head and followed the others back to Gryffindor Tower. He hoped Dawn wasn't in too much trouble. Detention for two weeks. With Snape. But then again, she didn't seem to mind Snape's company. Harry sighed. With Dawn around, maybe Malfoy would leave him the hell alone this year.

Maybe.

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