CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE COMMON ROOM
Harry, Buffy, Ron and Hermione sat in 'their' corner of the Gryffindor Common Room, the girls seated with their backs to the boys chests, as the boys leaned against the wall. They were watching as a fifth-year prefect explained about the Common Room to the new First Year students.
"Were we ever that little?" Ron asked.
Harry grinned. "I don't think you were ever that little mate," Harry replied, remembering the tall and lanky eleven-year-old Ron Weasley that had towered over most of the second years as well as the first years.
Hermione chuckled a little and leant her head back on Ron's shoulder. Ron, taking the hint, nuzzled his nose into Hermione's neck, content in having his girlfriend back in his arms.
Buffy half turned in Harry's arms so that she was in a better position to kiss her boyfriend. Harry was only too happy to oblige.
"Can't you take this anywhere else?" the fifth-year prefect, Kieran Hooper complained.
Buffy and Harry, Ron and Hermione looked up at the prefect and saw that the first-years were all pointing and giggling. Suddenly, the laughing stopped, and the four Sixth Year students could hear murmurs of "Potter" "Summers" and "You-Know-Who's daughter" coming from the First Years.
Buffy rolled her eyes and refrained from glaring at them. Scaring the First Years probably wasn't the best way to endear herself to them. Harry pushed Buffy a little, helping her to her feet as Ron did the same for Hermione. With a final look in the now incredibly frightened First Years direction, the foursome moved towards the dorms, deciding to invade the boys room rather than the girls, seeing as Lavender, Ginny and Parvati were likely to want to socialise in their own room. The boys would most likely stay in the Great hall for longer, leaving the foursome to their privacy.
"You'd think they'd be a little less obvious about it," Harry complained. "I don't know about you Buffy, but I'm damn sick of everyone looking at us and wondering why we're together."
Ron and Hermione shifted uneasily, well aware of Harry's volatile temper. As much as he seemed to be the calm and collected boy that most everyone else knew him as, his temper was something that they didn't like to mess with.
"Well, most Hogwarts students aren't really known for their subtlety," Buffy said. "And it doesn't matter what everyone thinks of us. I'm not asking anyone else to understand us."
Harry sighed and ran a hand through his permanently messy hair. He sat himself on his bed and pulled Buffy to stand between his legs, looking up at her.
"I'm sorry," he whispered quietly. "I'm being a prat, I know, but…I'm so sick of people wondering why we're together. I just hate defending our relationship to other people."
Buffy smiled softly and bent down to kiss him. "Like I said, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. As long as we're okay with it, and as long as our real friends understand, what does it matter?"
Hermione and Ron sat on Ron's bed, Hermione kicking off her shoes and sitting cross-legged, facing Harry and Buffy. Buffy followed Hermione's example, throwing her own shoes off, but choosing to lie stomach down on Harry's bed. Harry sat beside her, gently trailing his fingers down Buffy's back, making her shiver delicately every few seconds. Every time her body gave an involuntary shudder, Harry grinned widely.
"Maybe you should just glare at everyone who thinks you're bonkers," Ron suggested. "That'd shut 'em right up."
Buffy snorted with laughter and Harry just smirked. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"That'd be just brilliant Ron. And then everyone would send letters to the Minister of Magic who'd try to get Buffy expelled," Hermione said with exasperation.
"I don't think Fudge needs to much more of an excuse to get me expelled," Buffy said with contempt. She had hated Cornelius Fudge ever since she had met the man. "But…if I'm expelled, I'll at least be consistent. Getting kicked out of schools seems to be my specialty."
"Dumbledore would never expel you though," Ron said confidently. "I think you and Harry could just about get away with murder."
"Don't you just love being the favourite?" Buffy asked with a grin.
Harry couldn't help but smile. He had to admit that it was nice to be favoured, especially considering how badly he'd been starved for affection when he'd been living with the Dursley's.
"Well, my suggestion is the age-old advice. If we ignore them, maybe they'll go away," Buffy said.
Ron shook his head, a cheeky grin on his face.
"I tried that with Percy for years. Hasn't worked yet."
And for the rest of the evening the room was filled with laughter.
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Buffy lounged in one of the large chairs in the Gryffindor Common Room, having woken up a lot earlier due to the sudden influx of noise. Hermione had managed to sleep through the extra sounds of snoring, but Buffy found herself unable to sleep. She had dressed for classes, grabbed her books, quills and parchment and had settled herself in front of the fire in the Common Room, reading through one of her many texts.
A small, quiet, frightened 'eep' from the stairs, alerted Buffy to her visitor.
She looked up at the young First Year boy and offered a half-smile.
"Morning," she greeted friendlily.
He looked at her with wide eyes, and Buffy could tell by his body language that he was tempted to run back up the stairs to avoid her.
He edged forward, keeping his eyes on Buffy, who had resumed reading her textbook, but was still looking at him out of the corner of her eye, without being noticeable.
The boy sat down as close as he could to the portrait hole. He fidgeted nervously, annoying Buffy to no end. She looked up at him and he looked away, embarrassed at being caught staring at her.
"You really don't have to be afraid of me," she told him quietly.
He swallowed hard. "But…but you're…"
"Voldemort's daughter?" she finished for him.
The boy winced at the name and nodded his head frantically.
"You were in all the papers," he said, his accent clearly Irish, rather than the British that so many Hogwarts students had.
Buffy nodded. She'd seen most of the Daily Prophet articles concerning herself and her relation to Voldemort. She was just glad that the articles were getting fewer and further between.
"That wouldn't surprise me," she replied quietly.
"So…are you?" he asked.
"Yup," she replied. "Elizabeth Riddle. But I prefer Buffy Summers."
He whispered her preferred name quietly as though testing it out.
"You're…you're American," he commented.
She nodded. "Born and bred. I was raised muggle," she explained.
His eyes lit up. "Really? My new friend was raised muggle. He's really funny. Every time any of the portraits move or speak he jumps."
She grinned at him, thankful that the boy seemed slightly more at ease.
"I was like that," she confided. "Last year. I'd never been to a wizarding school before. I didn't even know that the wizarding world existed until then. Everything at Hogwarts was really weird."
The boy cocked his head to the side and studied her thoughtfully. He suddenly stood up and moved to stand in front of her, his hand outstretched in a gesture of friendship. She grinned and shook his hand.
"Glenn Wood," he introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you Glenn," she said with a grin. "Now, how come you're up so early?"
Glenn smiled sheepishly and sank into a seat closer to Buffy.
"My brother's meant to come and get me. He's going to take me flying, and the morning's the best time to do it," Glenn explained.
"Who's your brother?" Buffy asked curiously.
"Oliver Wood. He's the new flying instructor," Glenn replied. "Madam Hooch was offered a position as an umpire for the next Quidditch World Cup for next summer, so Oliver's taking over until Madam Hooch is done going through the extra training stuff."
Buffy was about to make a comment about having noticed Madam Hooch's absence, but the portrait hole swung open, and an extremely attractive young man of about twenty entered, ducking his head so as not to bang it non the opening.
Oliver's eyes lit on Buffy and he smiled shyly at her. "Hullo," he greeted.
"Hey," she replied. "You'd be Oliver, I take it. Or am I meant to be calling you Professor Wood?"
Oliver grinned and shook his head. "Just Oliver," he replied as he took a seat next to Glenn. He looked to his brother who was looking between the two of them, his nose wrinkled slightly. "Morning Dodge."
"Morning," Glenn replied.
Buffy just looked between the two boys curiously. "Dodge? You told me your name was Glenn."
"Dodge is a nickname," Glenn explained. "Oliver's been teaching me to play Quidditch, but…when I was little I kept dodging the ball instead of catching it."
Buffy giggled a little and Oliver smiled.
"I didn't catch your name," Oliver said, offering her his hand to shake.
"Oh, sorry. Buffy Summers," she replied.
Oliver's eyes widened, and he looked to Glenn with a startled expression. Glenn just shook his head.
"She's really nice," Glenn said.
Buffy just grinned. "Thanks." She looked up at Oliver and held her hands up in a sign of mock-surrender. "I'm completely non-evil. I swear it."
Oliver regarded her with his head cocked to the side, as Glenn had done only moments ago. He finally nodded decisively, choosing to trust the young woman in front of him.
"So, are you trying out for the Quidditch team?" he asked curiously.
"Hell yes," Buffy replied enthusiastically. "Harry taught me to fly during the holidays, and…well, I didn't exactly suck at it, so I'll definitely be trying out."
"Harry?" Oliver repeated, his face falling a little. "As in Potter?"
Buffy nodded. She noticed the sudden drop in Oliver's handsome features and wondered why it had affected her so badly.
"Yup. We've been dating for, what…just over eight months now," Buffy explained.
Oliver sighed and stood up. He was a little disconcerted by the fact that he was so disappointed with the news that Buffy was dating someone. He shouldn't even have been thinking about any of the students that way, considering he was meant to be a teacher. He ran a hand through his short hair, messing it up a little and making it stand on end. He really was incredibly attractive.
"We should get going if we want to get any flying done before breakfast," Oliver announced, looking at his younger brother. He looked back at Buffy. "I'll uh…see you around school then."
Buffy just smiled at him. "I guess so. It was good meeting you both."
Glenn rolled his eyes and walked out the portrait hole. Oliver cast one final look in Buffy's direction before following after his younger brother.
Buffy couldn't help but quickly give Oliver's retreating form one final glance. As she turned her attention back to her book, she couldn't help but smile. Immediately she chastised herself for even thinking any wrong thoughts about Oliver. All she knew was that the year had just become far more interesting.
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Dumbledore gave her a wry smile and inclined his head. "Consider it from this angle, that power was never really yours to begin with. It is something that you were given in order to aid you in learning the difference between good and evil. And now that you have firmly established what those differences are, returning the power that you were given should not be a problem."
Toodles.