CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: TRUTH
Monday, 1st March 1999
Buffy looked at him with obvious surprise. "It's taken you four weeks to ask me that," Buffy commented.
He nodded and looked at her expectantly. She sighed and shook her head.
"No. I never killed him. What happened that night was…it was an accident, but it wasn't me that killed him," she admitted.
Dumbledore sighed and stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Would you have believed me?" she asked.
He paused and pondered his own thoughts for the last four weeks. "Touché."
Buffy looked at him, a huge weight lifted from her shoulders and her chest. It was nice to finally be able to talk about what had happened, even if it was with a virtual stranger and not with her Watcher.
"It's kinda funny…I've been trying to think of ways to prove my innocence for weeks, and it was Ethan Rayne who basically proved it. As irony goes, it's not exactly unfunny."
"Well, now it is the Council who must be convinced of this," Dumbeldore told her.
Buffy slumped in defeat. She should have known it wouldn't be as easy as having Dumbledore suddenly believe her.
"Y'know, I've been looking into magic and spells for weeks now. Surely there must be some way that we could use some funky mojo to prove that I'm not a psychopath," she mused.
"The Watcher's Council does not approve of our way of magic, mainly because they do not understand it. There had only been one person from the Watcher's Council to ever go through Hogwarts," Dumbledore said.
She looked at him thoughtfully, and was fairly certain she knew who Dumbledore meant. "Why do I get the feeling that you're talking about Giles?"
"Because I am," he replied. "Rupert Giles, Gryffindor class of 1974."
Buffy paused and couldn't help but wonder for the millionth time in four weeks about how the house system at Hogwarts worked.
"Professor…this whole house thingy…does it really tell you what a person is like? Cos honestly, from the way Hermione tells it, she'd have me believe that every Slytherin student is evil," Buffy said.
"That unfortunately is a tragic generalisation I'm afraid. Whilst Miss Granger is correct in that every Death-Eater was a Slytherin, not every Slytherin was a Death-Eater," he explained. "You yourself have discovered deeper levels within the Slytherin students. I have seen many things over my years at Hogwarts, but I have never seen the Slytherin students laughing when it wasn't directed at another house."
"But is that just because Slytherin are cruel to the other houses, or because the other houses are prejudiced against the Slytherins?" Buffy asked. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Dumbledore chuckled, amazed at the girls question. He'd never really considered that question before.
"That my dear girl is anyone's guess. All I know is that you may well be able to end the feud between the two houses," he said.
She looked at him with wide and curious eyes. He was far smarter than she'd given him credit for.
"Is that why you asked Hermione to tutor me?" she asked. "So that the two houses would have to interact?"
"Honestly, I was expecting for you to be in Gryffindor," he explained. "I should have remembered that the last Slayer at Hogwarts was a Slytherin also."
"Why is that exactly?" Buffy asked curiously. "I mean, when you think about it, Gryffindor would be the ideal house for a Slayer. Loyalty and bravery are pretty much in the job description."
That question had been on Buffy's mind a lot since she'd been sorted and had had the house system explained to her. Before she'd met Blaise and had become closer to Draco, she'd thought she would have been more comfortable in Gryffindor. The thought no longer bothered her particularly, but she was still curious about it.
"That is true," Dumbledore said slowly, thinking about the best way to word a delicate answer. "But, your powers are rooted in dark places. The ability to hunt, to kill, they are rather black notions. You must be quick on your feet and have the ability to turn the fight against your opponent and those skills are inherent in Slytherin students."
"So, what? I really am evil?" Buffy asked.
Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head.
"You misunderstand me. Your power is dark, but you, the girl chosen to hold that power, are not," he explained. "You are a warrior of light."
Buffy nodded, understanding what he was trying to explain. She had often wondered about where her powers had come from. Hearing it explained so bluntly was a little frightening, but she was grateful for a completely straight answer.
"And Faith? What about her?"
Dumbledore sighed. "Even without meeting her, I can safely assume that the darkness was attempting to overtake her. You said that the murder was an accident, and if that is the case, then it most likely pushed the darker side of slaying to the forefront within her. She was probably frightened by the power she held and wished to deny."
"By blaming me for it?" Buffy asked angrily. She was still angry that Faith had come away scot-free, whilst Buffy was being punished for an accident that she hadn't caused to happen.
"Fear causes people to do many foolish things," Dumbledore said sagely.
Buffy sighed, knowing that it was true. Her own fear had held her back many times, especially over the last four weeks. She feared being given over to the Council, and so she hadn't stepped out of line at all.
"What do you think will happen to her?" Buffy asked. "I mean, if we ever convince the Council that I'm not guilty? And why is it that you've believed me so easily?"
"I honestly could not tell you," Dumbledore replied. "I'll get in touch with your Watcher this evening. Perhaps he will come up with some ideas. And I believe you, Miss Summers, because I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are telling the truth."
"How's that exactly?"
He reached into his pockets and brought out another lemon drop. "Veritaserum within a lemon drop."
"Verita-what now?" she asked.
"A truth potion."
She looked at him and shook her head in confusion. "Why now? Why four weeks in?"
"I wanted to trust you on my own accord rather than have it earned through a spell. You have earned that trust Miss Summers. And the spell would only work for one question, so you need not worry about being asked anything embarrassing by your peers."
Buffy couldn't help but smile. She could still remember his cutting words to her from their first meeting. Simply put Miss Summers, you are not trusted. She nodded gratefully and stood up, stretching her legs. She felt far calmer than she had fifty minutes ago. She gasped as she realised she had missed potions.
"Crap. Snape's gonna kill me!"
"Calm, Miss Summers, calm," Dumbledore said, holding out a hand to stop her from racing towards the castle. "I will explain to him the situation. You'll be excused from potions. And if you could in future, refer to our Professors with their title in front of their surname, it would be much appreciated."
Buffy nodded sheepishly and gave him a winning smile. "Sorry sir. The whole 'Professor' thing is just kinda weird. I'm getting there though."
They began walking back towards the castle, Buffy suddenly realising how far she had run earlier. It had been a while since she'd done anything so energetic. She absently reached a hand up to touch her necklace, smiling at the reminder of the boy who was quickly capturing her heart. She was suddenly reminded of the request Draco had made of her.
"Professor?" she asked nervously.
He looked down at her. "Hmm?"
"Uh…this weekend's a Hogsmeade weekend," Buffy began. "I was wondering if maybe I could go."
He smiled at her and Buffy felt her heart lift.
"Yes, of course you can."
She grinned at him and felt for the first time in a month as though her life was finally going to be okay again. And strangely enough, it would all be thanks to Ethan Rayne.
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Told ya nothing happened. Or nothing exciting at any rate. Anyways, mega thanks to everyone for yoru reviews! Very very wonderful to hear from yaz! Ooo, good news as well…I've FINALLY got a semi-idea for the sequel to 'A Murderer's Daughter' and managed to get about 20 pages written. But, still nowhere near enough to start posting. Sorry, but…soon. Promise!
Toodles.
(Again, no sneak preview. Except, it's a Scooby update!)