Blood Ties
Part 20
Rating, summary and such are same as before.
Note 1: Once again, thank you Joahn for beta-reading the story. Some of the development of the later part of the story was actually Joahn's suggestion, which made the story interesting, so THANK YOU JOAHN!
Note 2: And also, thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I know there's a bit of confusion/unknown right now regarding on Buffy-Xander-Harry-Willow relationship; it's actually kind of non-problem until I've cut out a huge part of them during the final edition (so that it won't seem so long and boring... but now it seems the editing only made the story more confusing... :sigh:) Buffy will get a bit more focus later on in the story, hopefully that will clear up any confusion u guys may have.
Note 3: Thank you Jule for pointing out that Willow seems to be so super-y in this fic. I am in no way to trying to make Willow 'Mary Sue', but I do tend to make her sounds like one, which is something I really need to work on (sometimes it's kinda hard when it's your favorite character... :sigh again:). I'll try to make Willow more into the character, and hopefully, more realistic.
"You reckon she will be alright?" Ron asked as he followed the other Gryffindors towards the Great Hall for dinner. Earlier Professor McGonagall had announced that people from the Ministry of Magic was now searching the Hogwarts ground for the attacker. No students were allowed to leave the castle until further notice.
"I don't know." Buffy answered. "She hit her head pretty hard." She turned to Harry. "You okay?"
Harry nodded, but his face was as grim as Professor Snape.
"I'm sure she'll be alright." Xander said, trying to comfort his friend. "She looks like someone who won't go without a fight."
Buffy raised an impressive eyebrow. "It almost sounds like a compliment."
"I don't like her. But that doesn't mean I want her dead."
"Dead?" Harry spun towards Xander and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "DEAD!"
"Calm down, Harry. Madam Pomfrey can heal almost anything. Slytherin will be fine." Ron cooed. "We can go visit her after dinner if you want."
"No, you can't."
The gang stopped when they saw Dawn Rosier standing there, her back leaning against the wall at the corridor just outside the Great Hall.
Buffy took a step forward. "What do you want, Roaster?"
Dawn rolled her eyes at Buffy before turning towards Harry. "I just want to tell you that Willow has been moved back to her private room. I don't think anyone will be allowed to visit her in the mean time."
"And how would you know that?"
"Professor Snape had the house-elves move all Willow's stuff back to her room. She probably will be staying there for some time. Besides, not even I, her Slytherin roommate, can visit her. Do you honestly think a Gryffindor can?"
Harry face, if possible, dropped to a new low. "Oh."
"Why are you telling us this?" Xander asked. "Why are you helping us at all? You helped Harry earlier outside the Hospital Wing."
Buffy narrowed her eyes for a second, before suddenly widened. "You have a crush on Harry!"
"Oh get your head out of the gutter, Bunny." Dawn rolled her eyes again. "Just because I'm a Slytherin doesn't mean I've got to take every chance of chewing you up and spitting you out, which sounds kinda strange when you speak it out loud." She frowned and shook her head a bit before continued. "Who do you think is covering for her when she's out for those private sessions of yours?" Harry blushed. "Certainly not Pansy. Besides, I'm not really helping you, I'm just helping Willow." Her eyes softened at the worried expression painted on Harry's face. "She'll be fine."
"Thank you."
Dawn smiled, giving the gang a wave before walking back into the Great Hall.
"She isn't that bad." Buffy said, somehow in awe.
"It almost sounds like a compliment." Xander teased.
"That's not a compliment, merely an observation." Buffy rolled her eyes before quickly disappeared into the Great Hall.
Xander snorted and followed.
Harry and the gang went back to the common room when they saw Hermione sitting at the corner, her head buried into the pile of books in front of her. Harry shook his head, before moving towards the couch and joined the others.
"Bloody hell. I forgot to give Scabbers his rat tonic." Ron jumped up. "I'll be right back."
Buffy watched as Ron ran up the stairs towards the boy's dormitory, before turning towards the others. "She looks lonely." She nodded at Hermione.
Harry and Xander followed her line of sight. "I guess." Harry sighed. "Had she even gone for dinner?"
"I don't remember seeing her." Xander said. "Besides, with the whole Firebolt thing... and it's not like we didn't try to include her."
"I know. I just... I just think we should try harder or something." Buffy stood. "I am going to talk to her." She announced, and matched towards where Hermione was.
Harry and Xander watched quietly as Buffy and Hermione exchanged words, when suddenly Ron ran back to the common room, accomplished with a surprisingly girly scream. Everyone in the common room halted and turned towards the stairs as Ron leaped into view, holding his bed sheet. "LOOK!" He shouted, storming towards Hermione, waving the bed sheet at her.
Harry and Xander quickly joined in. "Ron, what-"
"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!"
Hermione backed away from Ron as Buffy moved forward, half shielding Hermione, both of them looked shocked. Harry looked down at the sheet Ron was holding, and saw some red stain on it... stain that looked extremely like blood.
"HE'S GONE!" Ron yelled. "HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR!"
"N-no." Hermione blinked, her voice trembled at the fury written all over Ron's face.
Ron's fist shot out, the sudden aggressive movement caused Hermione to jump a bit. The others leaned forward as Ron opened his fist, and found themselves staring at several long ginger cat hairs.
Two days since the Quidditch Match, while Willow had yet to return to class, the friendship between Ron and Hermione seemed to have come to an end. Harry had never seen Ron that furious before, claiming that if Hermione had taken Crookshanks' attempts of eating Scabbers seriously and kept a close watch on him, Scabbers would not be eaten.
Hermione, on the other hand, refused to believe that her cat had done anything wrong. She maintained that Ron should continue looking for Scabbers, saying that the ginger hairs might have been there for some time, and that Ron couldn't be sure his pet rat was dead.
Personally, Harry was sure that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers. Buffy and Xander agreed with him too. The blond witch had made a huge mistake pointing out that all the evidences were against Crookshanks in front of Hermione, and the Gryffindor bookworm exploded immediately. "Side with Ron!" She yelled at Buffy in the middle of the Great Hall, in front of everyone. "First the Firebolt, now Scabbers! Everything's my fault, isn't it!" She then jumped up from the chair and started gathering her books. "Just leave me alone! I've got lots of work to do!"
Sighing, Harry looked up at Professor McGonagall at the front of the classroom. "That is all for today." She announced as students started packing their books. "Do remember to read pages 211 to 243 for next week."
"Harry? Coming?" Xander asked as he stood, with Ron and Buffy in row.
"I'll see you guys later." Harry said before walking towards the Professor. Xander shrugged, and pulled Buffy and Ron out of the classroom.
"Oh. Mr. Potter." The professor looked up and sighed when she saw it was Harry. "The Firebolt-"
"It's not what I wanted to ask." Harry blurted out, and the professor looked at him curiously. "I was wondering if Willow... Is she alright?"
"Ms. Slytherin?" Professor McGonagall frowned. "She has yet to regain consciousness." Harry's face paled a bit. "But I'm sure she is fine. Madam Pomfrey believes that she should be able to wake up very soon."
"C-can I visit her?"
"I'm sorry, Potter. But the Minister feels the need to separate Miss Slytherin from other students for their safety..."
"Safety? But Willow would never hurt anyone!"
"I'm talking about her attacker, Mr. Potter. What if he strikes again in a room full of students? His attack in the Quidditch pitch has clearly shown that he had no regard of other students. We have to consider the safety of innocents..."
"Innocents? Professor, it isn't her fault that she got attacked!"
"Potter-"
"It's not her fault that you are all afraid of her! It's not her fault that her father is VOLDEMORT!"
The professor stared at Harry with wide eyes. Harry in turn stood there, panting, not because he was out of breath but because he was shocked with his own anger and the fact that he had just shouted at a professor, and Professor McGonagall no less. "Mr. Potter, do be careful with who you tell of Ms. Slytherin's father." She said coldly when she finally came out of her shock.
"I-I am sorry professor."
The Deputy Headmistress nodded at the door. "Do go on, Potter. Or you will be late for the next class."
Harry watched as Professor McGonagall looked down and started working on the piles of parchment on her desk. He sighed, and quickly left the classroom. Only when Harry closed the door that Professor McGonagall looked up with a deep frown on her face.
Buffy was just about to enter the classroom with Ron and Xander when Filch suddenly appeared. "You. Come with me." He ordered before quickly walked away.
"What's going on?" Xander frowned and looked at Buffy. "Did you do something?"
The blond thought for a moment. "No." She shook her head. "I-"
"Hey!" Filch's voice drew the trio towards the caretaker. "Move! I don't have all day!"
The trio looked at each other, before Buffy quickly followed Flitch down the corridor. Ron and Xander turned towards each other for a second, before quickly ran towards the direction Filch and Buffy had just disappeared.
"We met again."
Willow blinked when she found herself standing on the dark path she had dreamed half year ago, facing her Mirror-self once again.
"You look taller! Thinner though. You should eat more. Nutrients are vital for children at your age."
Willow rolled her eyes. "Go away." She dismissed the mirror before turning away, trying to figure out where she was.
"It has started, you know? Things will only get worse when he comes back." Willow frowned and turned around, only to find the Mirror had disappeared, leaving only her other self's voice in the air. "And when the time comes, you will have to choose a side... not that you'll have any choice. After all, it's in your blood."
"What are you talking about?" Willow shouted into the air. "Hey! Come back! Com-" Suddenly, the redhead dropped onto the ground as pain shot through her skull. "Come back..."
"Mi-Mistress? Are you a-alright?"
Willow groaned, blinking painfully at the unforgiving sunlight that was now blinding her eyes.
"Mistress?"
The redhead forced her eyes opened again, and found a pair of extra large hazel eyes staring back at her. "Eep!" She pushed back a bit, ignored the screaming headache as she focused the house-elf in front of her, who was... kneeling on top of her?
"S-sorry, Mistress." The house-elf said as she bowed her head. "I-I didn't mean to s-startle you." She held up a glass and handed it to Willow. "This-s potion should le-lessen your headache, Mistress."
"Um... okay?" Willow accepted the glass. "Thanks." She took a small slip for taste, before finishing it in one gulp, her eyes never once left the house-elf.
After finishing the potion, Willow put the glass on the nightstand, before turning back towards the still bowing house-elf. "Um... could you like... get off me?"
"Yes-s Mistress." The house-elf stumbled back onto the ground, and almost fell over when she stepped on the over-size garment bag she was wearing.
"Why do you keep calling me Mistress? I don't remember being anyone's Mistress... well, except Zuerst and Zweiter..." Willow frowned. "They sent you?"
"Zuerst did, Mistress. He s-sent me o-once we received news of the attack, Mistress. I was-s sent to protect and serve you while you're in school, Mistress-"
"Please just... just stop calling me Mistress. I know it's family tradition to call the heir Mistress or something but we're not in the house. Call me Willow. Please." The redhead pleaded, and sighed in relief when the house-elf nodded. "I don't remember seeing you around the house. I thought we only got two house-elves: Zuerst and Zweiter."
"We are not a-allowed to show o-ourselves u-unless necessary, Mist-Miss-s Willow. No lower class house-elves a-are allowed to h-have c-contact with M-Mist-Miss Willow w-without permission, Miss-s Willow."
"Who said so?"
"The rules h-have been enforced for h-hundreds of years, Miss Willow."
"Oh." Willow sighed. "So... what's your name?"
"Neunter, Miss Willow."
"Ninth..." The redhead frowned. "Can I call you other than your number? I know I wasn't suppose to, but..."
"Ah..." Neunter's head dropped a bit. "Buffy, Miss Willow." She whispered.
The redhead Slytherin blinked once. Twice. "Excuse me?"
"B-Buffy, Miss Willow. I was-s named Buffy before j-joining the Rosenberg's house."
Willow stared at house-elf, looking up and down at her small frame and big hazel eyes. She couldn't help but started giggling.
Buffy found herself being led to her step father's office. She could see Giles and her mother standing not far ahead with some men she didn't know, talking. She walked deeper into the office, only to halt when she saw an un-familiar yet recognizable figure standing on the other side of the room. "You!" She growled.
Hank Summers took a step forward, his head held high as his hazard eyes boiled into his daughter's. "Buffy."