CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: VISITING

Sunday, 14th March 1999

Giles and Willow sat in the library, still pouring over books that had yet to tell them anything new.  While they weren't reading up on anything that the Mayor might have been up to, they were looking for ways to prove Buffy's innocence.  Neither research ventures had proven to be particularly fruitful at all.  Willow sighed and stood up, her eyes hurting from reading too many small words in the last few hours.

"Giles, I'm going to head home okay?"

Giles looked up and saw how tired the redheaded hacker turned amateur-Wiccan was looking.  He nodded and gave her a friendly smile.  He couldn't believe the loyalty of Buffy's friends, and for almost the first time did he truly appreciate how much effort they really put into the help that they gave.

"Yes of course Willow."

"Do you need me to come in again tomorrow?" she asked, hoping desperately that he would say no. 

She'd barely slept the evening before, due to the full moon and the first shift of Oz-watching.  Xander and Cordelia had been absent from the afternoons research due to them taking over early in the morning to allow Willow to sleep.  Oz of course was completely exempt, due to his serious need to get some proper rest.

"No, that's fine.  Thank you," he said genuinely.

Willow smiled, gratified that someone had noticed their hard efforts.  She sighed, wishing that Buffy was by her side so they could go and get sugared up on mochas.  She missed her best friend with an intense ache, and she knew she would do anything to get Buffy back where she belonged. 

She gathered her laptop and replaced it in her bag before slinging it over her shoulder.  She moved to leave when a soft 'pop' startled her completely.  She blinked several times as though trying to work out what had happened.  There was a man suddenly standing in front of her, and for the life of her, she couldn't work out why.

"Uh…Giles?" Willow asked, not taking her eyes off the strange gentleman with the long flowing beard and the billowing purple robes.

Giles looked up, having not heard the popping sound over his internal musings.  He gasped and stood, moving quickly to stand beside Willow.

"What's happened?" Giles asked, his voice tinged with panic and urgency.

Willow looked at the ex-Watcher and wondered for a moment about the source of his fear.  It suddenly occurred to her who the man who had just appeared was.

"Buffy," she whispered softly, panic beginning to flow through her veins as well.

Dumbledore just smiled at them and looked around the library, completely fascinated by it.  He strolled towards the counter, leaning over to look at the computer, shaking his head at such technology.  He looked calm, but Giles was feeling anything but that particular emotion.

"What's happened?" Giles demanded.  "Is it Buffy?  Is she alright?"

Dumbledore turned, the calm look remaining on his face.

"She'll be alright," the Headmaster of Hogwarts assured them.  "She's slightly banged up at the moment I'm afraid, but she'll be good as new come morning."

His assurances did little for either the Wiccan or the Watcher.  Whilst on the one hand they knew that Buffy was going to be alright, the double edged sword came to the fore and told them that something had obviously gone wrong in order for her to be alright.

"But what happened to her Albus?" Giles asked, trying not to begin raging at the elderly wizard.

"Just a vampire attack," Dumbledore explained.  "She's certainly a talented fighter.  Fifteen against one in front of a hall filled with panicked students.  I feared the worst, but…I can see why the Council fears the power that she holds.  She's far better than the best Slayers have ever been."

"Fifteen?" Willow repeated, feeling slightly faint.  She stumbled backwards, needing to sit down, or at least lean against something, and when her lower back connected with the table, she pulled herself onto it, her legs dangling over the edge.

"What were vampires doing in Hogwarts?" Giles asked, wanting Dumbledore to stop being cryptic and just get to the point of his visit. 

"Looking for Miss Summers of course," the wizard replied as though the answer were obvious.  "A vampire named Drusilla seemed intent on revenge for something or other.  I didn't quite catch what it was in all the confusion.  Something about someone named Spike."

Willow and Giles exchanged glances.  The last time they had heard either vampires names being mentioned it hadn't ended well.  Besides trying to bring about the end of the world several times, either by piecing together the judge or trying to bring forth Acathla, Giles and Willow both knew that Spike and Drusilla had personal vendettas against Buffy.

"And Drusilla…what of her?" Giles asked.

"Dust," Dumbledore replied.

Willow and Giles both breathed sighs of relief.

"What about Buffy?  She's okay right?" Willow asked, still desperate to hear of anything regarding her best friend.

Dumbledore smiled at the girl and nodded.  "As I said earlier, she'll be fine.  Unfortunately while she was saving one of the students, she was blindsided, and a vampire managed to get in a pretty good attack.  She was bitten-" Willow gasped "but she will be fine."

Even though Giles knew that Dumbledore was telling the truth, the news that his Slayer had been attacked was not entirely comforting.  He wanted to see her, needed to see her.

"No doubt you'll wish to visit her," Dumbledore said before Giles could begin making demands of him.

Giles nodded, already on his way to grab his discarded jacket.  He pulled out a pen and a slip of paper, scribbling a note for the remaining Scoobies, explaining that he and Willow would be back.  He didn't tell them where they were going.

The Watcher looked to the Headmaster expectantly, but Willow was at his side in an instant.

"If you're going to see her, there is no way that you're going without me," she said forcefully.

Giles looked to Dumbledore to see if this was alright with him, but the Headmaster just chuckled and took hold of Willow's hand.

"As though there was ever any doubt."

The wizard pulled a handkerchief from his cloak and unwrapped what looked to be a silver key.  He placed it on the counter and looked to Willow and Giles.

"On the count of three, all you need to do is touch the key," Dumbledore explained, more for Willow's benefit than for Giles who already knew this.  Willow nodded, suddenly slightly fearful of what she had just got herself into.  She breathed in bravely and when Dumbledore said three, she touched the key.  She felt a strange pulling sensation just behind her navel and the world spun wildly.

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The trio stood at the edge of the Hogwarts grounds, Willow eyes wide and trying to take in the fact that it was suddenly night time and incredibly cold.  She shivered a little and wrapped her arms around herself.  Dumbledore noticed and handed her a wrapped sweet.  She took it from him sceptically, but again, all he could do was smile at her.

Willow looked to Giles but found him smirking.  He nodded, silently telling her that she could trust this stranger giving her candy, and she quickly unwrapped it and popped it in her mouth.  By the first suck, a delicious warmth had spread throughout her body, and she immediately stopped shivering.

"Oh wow," she breathed quietly, wondering whether she'd be able to get more of those types of sweets for winter patrols.

They walked quickly towards a castle that had Willow gaping.  Her slack-jawed expression nearly caused her to lose the sweet in her mouth, and she barely managed to keep herself from drooling down her chin.  She closed her mouth when she saw Giles' amusement.  She glared at him and the trio walked up the stairs and into the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts.

Giles sighed happily, memories of his own time at Hogwarts flooding his mind.  "It's been too long since I've seen this place," he said wistfully.

"That it has my old friend," Dumbledore said quietly.  "That it has."

Willow spared several moments to take in the magnificence of the Entrance Hall, wondering how big this castle actually was.  She'd thought it had looked big from the outside, but the inside was seemingly even larger.

Dumbledore led them towards a corridor, past a large double door where loud sounds of people talking could be heard.  It sounded as though there was chaos and panic running through what Giles knew to be the Great Hall.

"Let me guess…Drusilla attacked during dinner," Giles surmised.

Dumbledore nodded gravely.  He hadn't been expecting it, and he definitely hadn't been prepared for it.  He'd known curses and counter-curses to help, but they would only have worked in closer range.  When he'd seen the vampires come in, it had taken him several moments to pull himself together and go to try and defeat them.  By the time he'd reached them, Buffy had already taken out nearly half of the group.

"We were terribly lucky that no one was hurt," Dumbledore said.  "The vampires seemed to only wish to attack Miss Summers, and whilst that is not generally a good thing, it meant that they weren't aiming for the other students."

"But you said that Buffy saved someone," Willow said, trying to keep up with the long strides that the two men were walking with.

"Two of the fifteen vampires decided that they wouldn't bother trying to attack the Slayer when there were so many other available meals," Dumbledore said, his eyes narrowing.  He'd barely even registered the attack on the other student, so caught up in thinking of ways to help the Slayer. 

"But that student is alright?" Giles asked.

Dumbledore nodded.  He knew that Pansy Parkinson was shaken and would probably have nightmares for the next several nights, but the Headmaster knew that the attack was not the only thing on Pansy's mind.  He had no doubt that the Slytherin girl would be asking for answers to her questions.

Dumbledore suddenly stopped outside a doorway and pointed for Giles and Willow to enter.  They could see a small group of people gathered around one of the beds.  Giles raced to Buffy's side, ignoring everyone except the nurse trying to help her.

"You didn't try and heal her magically I hope," he said.

Poppy Pomfrey shook her head.  She had no idea who this man was, but whoever he was, he seemed to be incredibly worried about the unconscious girl.

"No Rupert," Dumbledore replied calmly.  "She's been treated by purely muggle medicinal means.  No doubt after several weeks without slaying, a battle such as tonight's was somewhat stressful on her body."

Buffy coughed uncomfortably, her ribs aching.  She opened her eyes, squinting against the sudden light that hit her irises.

"Way to understate Professor," Buffy groaned as she stirred. 

Giles, Willow and Draco all yelled her name simultaneously.  Draco grabbed her hand tightly, gaining her complete attention. She smiled at him, taking in his worried features, trying to reassure him that she was not too badly hurt.

"I was so worried," Draco admitted in a harsh whispered.  He bent down to brush a gentle kiss on her forehead.  She shook her head slightly, unable to lift herself up to kiss him properly as she wanted so desperately to do.

"I'm tougher than I look," Buffy replied.

Draco laughed a little and gave her a thoroughly impressed look.  "So I've heard.  I'm dating a Slayer!"

"Dating?" Giles and Willow asked in shocked unison.

Buffy turned her head, her eyes lighting up.  She hadn't noticed her best friend or her Watcher standing beside her bed.

"Giles!  Wills!  What are you guys doing here?!"

"Visiting you of course," Willow replied, stepping forward and leaning over Buffy to give her an awkward hug.  Giles too stepped forward and gently squeezed Buffy's hand before letting it go.

"I couldn't very well not come and visit my Slayer when she's in a hospital bed, now could I?" Giles asked.  Buffy couldn't help but give a sheepish grin, almost embarrassed that her first battle in the last six weeks had landed her in the hospital wing.  "I hear you've been battling vampires single-handedly."

"Well you've been hearing wrong," Buffy replied.  "Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall all helped.  I couldn't have done it without them."

Draco suddenly leaned forward and whispered something in her ear.  "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Buffy flushed and tried to sit up in bed, only to groan in pain.  Draco helped her to sit up a little more slowly, arranging the pillows behind her so that she could lean back against them.  Willow watched the two of them with interest, wondering how serious it was between the Slayer and the boy who looked a lot like Spike.

"Giles, Wills, this is Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini.  I'm guessing you already know Professors Dumbledore and Snape.  Everyone, this is my best friend Willow Rosenburg, and my Watcher, Rupert Giles."

A chorus of 'nice to meet you's ensued, and Draco stared appraisingly at Willow.  He was rewarded with a hit from both Buffy and Blaise.  He gave them a shrug and turned his attention back to Buffy, just grateful that his girlfriend hadn't been killed.  He'd been too close to losing her, and he didn't want to let go of her now.

Blaise poked Buffy's leg from her position next to Draco, capturing Buffy's attention.

"You know, a little warning next time might be nice," Blaise said teasingly.  "I mean, it's not every day that I find out my best friend is the freaking Slayer."

Buffy just grinned and then sobered a little.  She couldn't help but give Blaise a genuine smile at being referred to as a best friend.  She'd often thought that about the Slytherin girl, but hadn't known whether or not to classify Blaise that way.

"Don't look so shocked," Blaise said, rolling her eyes.  "Even us tough Slytherin girls can get all mushy sometimes."

Buffy grinned and couldn't hold back a small amount of laughter.  "Well, if it's any small comfort to you, the feelings mutual."

Blaise smiled and couldn't help but step forward to give Buffy a hug. 

Willow watched, half jealous that in less than six weeks, someone had wormed their way up to best friend status with Buffy, but the other half glad that Buffy had obviously found friends at Hogwartds.

"Wait a moment," Giles suddenly said, one of Blaise's words suddenly jumping out at him.  "Slytherin?"

"What's a Slytherin?" Willow asked in confusion.

"It's a house Wills," Buffy explained.  "Hogwarts is divided into four different houses, Slytherin, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw."

"I'd have thought for sure you'd have been a Gryffindor," Giles said in confusion.

Buffy shrugged, not wanting to begin another rant on the difference in the houses and how people automatically assumed bad things about anyone who was a Slytherin.  "Well, red and gold for Gryffindor really did nothing for my skin tone," she quipped lightly.

Dumbledore could see that Giles was clearly perturbed by this strange turn of events.  He stepped forward to explain it to the Watcher.

"A Slayer's power is rooted in darkness Rupert.  Salazar Slytherin would wish for that in his own house, whether the witch or wizard was pureblood or not," Dumbledore explained.

"That does make sense I suppose," Giles mused quietly.

Willow, not really understanding all the talk of houses and darkness, looked to Buffy, wanting confirmation from the Slayer herself that she was alright. 

"So…Buff…I mean, you are okay, right?" Willow asked.

Buffy smiled gently at her best friend and nodded.  "I'll be fine.  Seriously, I've been injured worse than this before.  But, enough about me.  How's Sunnydale?  How's the Gang?  My mom?"

"It's…quiet there without you," Willow said sadly.  "The Gang's been looking into proving your innocence and stuff.  Plus there's a new big bad.  It turns out the Mayor is actually evil."

"I always thought that man was too cheery for his own good," Buffy quipped.

Willow smiled a little, comforted by her friend's attempt at humour.  It meant that the Slayer hadn't been too badly affected by her time at Hogwarts, away from her friends.

"But…apart from that, we're all okay.  We miss you a lot, but…we're okay."

"Good," Buffy replied quietly.  She'd been worried about how the Gang would cope without her, and she was glad that they seemed to be doing okay.

"What about you?" Willow asked curiously, a smile tugging at her lips as she glanced towards Draco.  "When did all this happen?"

"A month yesterday," Buffy and Draco replied simultaneously, pride in their voices. 

They looked at each other and grinned.  Blaise and Willow rolled their eyes, saw each others movements and couldn't help but grin.

"Are they always like this?"

"Be glad you weren't here for the honeymoon phase.  At least they've kind of settled down," Blaise said.  "You've missed most of the mush."

Willow giggled and saw why Buffy and Blaise got along so well.  Buffy and Draco looked away from each other and glared at the two girls.

"We're not that bad!" Draco protested loudly.  "You're just jealous Zabini!"

"Damn right I am," Blaise replied, still grinning.  "And neither of you guys have been helping me find my own man."

"All the good ones are taken," Buffy said, looking at Draco.

The silver-eyed Slythern smiled and squeezed Buffy's hand.  He sometimes still couldn't believe the warm fuzziness that had settled into permanent residence in his stomach. 

"Hmmm…Harry's still single," Blaise said cheekily.

Draco's eyes blazed angrily.  "You are not going anywhere near that git!"

Buffy and Blaise grinned at each other, while Willow just looked entirely confused. 

"Who's Harry?" she asked.

"Harry Potter.  He's a Gryffindor student.  He and Draco have been nemeses since their first year," Buffy explained.

Willow nodded, pretending to understand.

"Think of Draco as a male Cordelia, and Harry as you," Buffy continued.

Willow's eyes suddenly lit up with understanding.  Draco looked at his girlfriend, trying to work out whether or not he'd just been horribly insulted.

"Is this a bad thing?" he asked.

She just smiled sweetly at him.  "Paranoia still doesn't look good on you."

"But like you said, just cos I'm paranoid doesn't mean I'm not right," he retorted.

"Well, it's not entirely bad.  Cordelia was kinda mean to begin with, but…she redeemed herself in a big way.  Just cos people start out one way doesn't mean they have to stay that way."

Draco nodded, grasping what she was saying.  He decided to take the last part as a compliment, knowing full well how much he had changed since Buffy Summers had walked into his life.  And, after meeting her friends from back home, he suddenly realised how close he was to losing her.  He didn't even want to contemplate what would happen when that came about, but he knew that sooner or later, he would need to face the facts.  Buffy was leaving Hogwarts incredibly soon, and in all likelihood, she wouldn't be returning.

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Sorry for the delay!!  Mega thanks for the reviews and emails and stuff! 

Toodles.

K.