Disclaimer: Not mine... *Runs away crying*
Summary: BtVS HP Crossover. When Harry walked away from her at Dumbledore's funeral to protect her from the war, he never thought she'd leave to fight a different but no less dangerous one. All he knew was that Ginny Weasley never came back to the Burrow that day...and he couldn't help but blame himself.
Not the Only One
Chapter Eight: Pain
Never in his life had Ron been as terrified as he was in that moment. At first, he stopped when he heard his mother's scream, thinking that someone had done something to anger her. The next second, however, he registered her words...and the anguish in it.
And then it hit him. 'Ginny!'
He rushed to the kitchen, and the scene he found would forever remain one of his worse memories.
When he entered the kitchen, Fred and George had been holding their mother back as she tried to launch herself at the clock that'd once served as reassurance of her family's safety, but now had destroyed her hopes. Ron saw them on the floor and his eyes were drawn to the clock...he froze, as he realised just what was making his mother break down.
Molly Weasley's screams muffled the sounds of two people apparating just outside the house, so no one heard the door open as Arthur and Charley ran into the house drawn by her desperate cries.
Arthur immediately rushed to his wife, and tried to calm her.
"Ron!" His older brother's call snapped Ron back to reality. "Ron, what..."Charley trailed off, a part of him already knowing the answer to his unfinished question.
His thoughts were confirmed when Ron, tears on his eyes gestured towards the family clock...
"Molly! Molly, dear what's wrong?" Arthur asked, desperate to understand what was hurting his wife so much.
"Dad...the clock...Ginny..." It was Fred who answered...and for the first time in his life Arthur Weasley saw Fred's face so serious and sad...and George was out right crying as he held his mother.
It took him a few seconds to understand his son's words, and dread filled him as he slowly turned to around...his gaze instantly fixed on Ginny's hand on the clock.
News of the attack on Ginny spread like wildfire through the house in just a few minutes, as the few girls who were not awakened at first by the sound of the wards repelling the attacker, woke up to the sound of Willow's screams, first when she realized she no longer was inside the circle designed to maintain Ginny's life, and once more, as she tried to re-enter the circle, only to be thrown into the wall, when the wards repelled her.
"Willow!" Buffy rushed to her friend. The red head was trying to regain her focus and Buffy had to help her up.
"The circle… it rejected me... I don't understand!" Willow exclaimed. She was breathing harshly. "It's like it thinks I'm dangerous for Ginny…Goddess…Buffy if I can't get in she'll die! We have to do something!"
Buffy was confused. "Can you get around it?" But the look on her friend's face was all the answer she needed.
"The wards, they are meant to stop any external harm…they stopped whoever attacked her, but we…I didn't think anyone would go against me…and I think…my blood, the wards they think I was the attacker…"She paused and suddenly her face went white. "Oh no…no. Buffy she…she's dying I can feel… she's
Buffy didn't know what to think. Ginny's body was losing color really fast and even her pet seemed to sense something was wrong from the way it kept trying to wake her. If they couldn't get Willow into the circle…of course!
"What about me?" The slayer's question seemed to bring Willow back.
The witch shook her head and looked at the blonde. "What?'
"I've been in the circle before and I wasn't here during the attack…" She was interrupted by the squeak coming from the Arnold. Ginny's body was convulsing…
"No! She's the wards she doesn't have…You're right. Buffy get in there…I'll try to…I don't know just get in there!" The desperation in Willow's voice was more than enough to convince her and the slayer walked closer to the circle and the unconcious girl. Weary of the wards…but they didn't repell her.
When Buffy entered the circle, it felt very different of the way it did the last time she was in it. As soon a she set a foot in it, she could feel it suck energy out of her. And once she managed to completely enter she had to sit quickly lest she fell.
Dawn, who had been watching the whole scene silently by the door spoke. "Buffy..? Are you okay?"
This caused Willow whose gaze had been on Ginny to look at her and the at her friend. "Oh! Buffy, try to relax don't fight it. She probably lost too much energy…just don't fight it she needs it…"
The slayer took a deep breath and nodded. It was taking a lot out her…she didn't want to imagine just how much energy the girl had lost.
Fred and George were standing in the attic…their father had ordered them to take the clock away from their mother. But now that it was safely away from her they didn't know what to do. How were they going to continue without Ginny?
Their proud, tiny, yet very powerful never forget that, sister. They only person to prank them back and get away with it. The girl capable of scaring the heck out of them more then their mother ever could…not just because of her temper, but just by the huge amount of blackmail material she had on them.
The one and only Weasley Horntail…as they called her only once, because she had introduced them to her Bat-boogey hex for the first time afterwards and swore she could do it to other parts of the male anatomy that were very painful. And years later said she'd carry out that threat if they bothered her about her dating habits one more time.
The sibling they couldn't help but favor above the others because she was so much like them…
…their favorite and only sister who was dead. They turned their backs on the clock and left the attic. Had they stayed a couple more minutes they would have seen a clock hand move from 'dead' back to 'mortal peril' .
When they entered the kitchen they found all their brothers sans Percy sitting and staring into empty space. For once neither of them could or even wanted to say something to lighten the mood.
There were more important things.
Fred took a deep breath and said what had been on his mind since they all managed to calm down enough to think clearly.
"Before we came home…we were at Privet Drive, went to see Harry…" At the metion of Harry's name, Ron's head snapped up and his face paled.
Fred nodded at him. "We told him about the man her friends saw …her taking to, and what the order thinks about the letter he gave…her."
George continued for him as his twin choked. "Harry was…he wouldn't look at us after we told him…he thinks they got her because of him…he we don't know how to…we think it might do something stupid if…when we tell him…you know."
Ron had lost all color by then. "Well…maybe he should. Maybe we all should…" And with that he stood up and left the kitchen.
"I'm disappointed in you Kennedy." The man said glaring at her.
"Shut up... you're dead, I saw you die." She hugged herself and looked away. She was terrified. Couldn't believe what had happened.
"I never said I was alive... not like it matters anyway, you still failed me-" He smiled when she interrupted him.
"I didn't fail you, I don't work for you!"
His smile widened. "And yet, you still tried to kill the little witch... you are more suited to work for me than you'd like to think.
"I'm not! Leave me alone, I'm not evil!"
"So you say... You were always too proud to accept when you were wrong. You always wanted to shine, to be the one everyone always loved and admired...Is that what made you so good as one of the council's puppets?" He asked mockingly.
"Shut up...
"Oh, but you need to hear it Kennedy, it's good for you, really."
"You were so good with those weapons they made you train with...not the best...but they didn't have to know that. Not if you could get the others in trouble...My Kennedy, that was a very childish behavior... but still doing it, when you knew exactly the kind of punishments were expecting those poor girls, at the hands of their watchers? Now Kennedy, THAT, was evil."
Oh yes, he was getting to her.
"No, no. I didn't...
"But, now...mmm, Ginny. She is a pretty one, isn't she? And everyone, well… the important people anyway, seem so interested in her... not you. She's not easily intimidated, most of the girls like her, she's powerful! I'm sure, she would last longer against a demon than any of you, not so important, potentials." He changed his or now her form as she said this. Now it was the slayer taunting her.
"That's not good for you, is it? To have someone like her around...Too bad you couldn't kill her... or well you did, but really when you kill someone, Kennedy. You have to make sure they stay dead."
"Oh well, at least I can have some fun with the red heads now..." Her form shifted once more…Her hair turned red and her eyes brown…
"…I'm sure they will be happy to see me."
