CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: INQUISITION
Sunday, 14th March 1999
"Hermione," Buffy greeted calmly.
Hermione just stared at her, her eyebrows raised, her arms folded across her chest, the very picture of someone who was not impressed.
"You're a pretty good liar," Hermione said coldly.
Buffy winced and Draco went to rush to his girlfriend's defence, but Buffy squeezed his hand, looked at him and shook her head slightly. She looked back at Hermione's eyes.
"I've never lied to you," Buffy replied.
"You told me you weren't the Slayer," Hermione accused.
Buffy shook her head. It was a loophole and she knew it, but she'd never denied being the Slayer.
"You never asked me if I was. You said you thought I was, and I neither confirmed nor denied it," Buffy replied calmly.
Hermione's eyes flashed. She was so sure that Buffy had lied to her, and she didn't like being made a fool of, especially not by a Slytherin. She couldn't believe that she'd thought Buffy was her friend.
"What about Faith? How can she be the Slayer if you're the Chosen One?" Hermione asked.
"Like I told you, Faith is a Slayer," Buffy said.
Hermione shook her head, unable to believe that Buffy was still continuing her lie.
"Answer me, yes or no. Are you a Slayer?" Hermione demanded.
"Yes."
"And is Faith a Slayer?"
"Yes."
Hermione stopped. She hadn't been expecting Buffy to answer yes to both questions. Something was wrong with this picture.
"I thought there could only be one Slayer at a time," Blaise said.
Hermione nodded her agreement, and the three Hogwarts students turned to look at Buffy for an explanation. The Slayer sighed tiredly, wishing that she didn't have to explain everything that had happened in her life at this exact moment. She was still sore from the fight, and her exhaustion wasn't going away any time soon.
"I never thought I'd say this," Draco began, "but Granger does make a good point."
It was Giles who whispered the answer to their questions.
"One Slayer dies, the next one is Called."
Silence descended and Buffy shifted nervously on the bed. Draco, Blaise and Hermione swung their gazes to look at Giles, and let the statement sink into their minds. They then turned back to look at Buffy in shock.
"You died?" Draco asked, a completely horrified look on his face.
"It was only for a minute," Buffy defended herself.
"Two Slayers?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"It's completely unprecedented, I assure you," Giles added.
Hermione swung around to look at him, obviously confused. She hadn't noticed the man beside Buffy's bed, nor has she noticed the short redhead who looked as though she could be one of the Weasley's.
"I don't believe we've met," Hermione said.
"Oh, Hermione, this is my Watcher, Rupert Giles, and my best friend Willow Rosenburg. Guys, this is Hermione Granger. She's been tutoring me in all things magical," Buffy said.
"Rupert Giles," Hermione repeated. She could remember the name from a conversation the previous week. "You're the man Sirius was talking about."
"Sirius? Sirius Black? There's a name I'd thought never to hear again," Giles said. "How do you know him?"
"He's Harry's godfather," Buffy replied.
"Harry? As in Potter?" Giles asked.
Draco rolled his eyes. Another person who knew famous Harry Potter. Even though Buffy wasn't looking in Draco's direction, she could feel him tense at the name. She wondered if the two boys would ever be able to come to some sort of truce with each other.
"Sirius said that you were a pretty bad-ass Quidditch player," Buffy said, grinning at her Watcher.
Giles chuckled at the description. It had been a long time since he'd been on a broom, let alone played Quidditch.
"Quidditch?" Willow asked.
"Wizarding sport," Buffy explained.
"The best wizarding sport," Draco embellished.
Buffy rolled her eyes, secretly loving her boyfriend's enthusiasm for the sport.
"Fascinating though this is," Madame Pomfrey said, casting a disapproving glare on all of Buffy's visitors, "Miss Summers needs to rest. Not even an hour ago, she was unconscious, and I very much doubt that she'll be able to heal properly if she is not given a chance to rest."
Buffy rolled her eyes, and cast a pleading look to Dumbledore. He merely shook his head and looked to the others beside Buffy's bed.
"We'd best leave Miss Summers to her rest," Dumbeldore said.
"Guys, I'm seriously fine," Buffy protested. "Besides, we didn't even get to finish dinner. And I don't know about anyone else, but I'm starving."
Pomfrey looked as though she was about to have a conniption.
"I forbid it!"
Unfortunately for the School medi-witch, that expression just made the Slayer even more determined to get out of bed and return to the Great Hall. Before Pomfrey could reach her, Buffy had wrestled herself away from the covers and was on her feet. She felt a moment of dizziness before forcing herself to stay standing. She looked at the others with defiance.
Dumbledore and Giles sighed simultaneously.
"Very well Miss Summers," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps it'd be best if we all adjourned to the Great Hall and continued dinner."
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Many thanks for your reviews. I know it's a short chappy, but…eh. Next one's longer, I swear.
Toodles.
Ooo, before I forget…I pose a question to you…I have twenty-five chapters of a fic written that I don't plan on continuing…it was meant to be B/S, but kinda fizzled out cos…well, I'm not too keen on that pairing anymore…so…any thoughts on whether I should post a fic that I have no plans on continuing? Same goes for 15 chaps of a B/Oz, 11 chaps of a BTVS/HP Buffy/Faith (dunno how that happened…), 13 chaps of a B/Oliver…uhhhh…there's others as well…
Yeah, this is why I shouldn't be allowed near a computer. I counted my started fics the other day…there was 27 unfinished fics in my files…not to mention all the pones that I actually managed to complete…yeesh. So…I pose the question, if I post fics that I don't plan to continue (I had the best of intentions for In The Beginnign and Blackness of Sunnydale, honest…) would I get shot? ;)
Toodles.