CHAPTER FOURTEEN: THE BLOOD

Both Dumbledore and Giles knelt beside Harry, Giles trying to pry Buffy's fingers away from the bolt that stuck out from Harry's chest, but failing to even catch Buffy's attention.  Draco hovered worriedly behind them, hoping that the Gryffindor boy would be alright.  Dumbledore could see that Harry needed help, sooner, rather than later, and that help was not on its way.  He needed to get the Slayer away from the injured boy before anything could happen though, and he knew that that task would be almost impossible.

He raised his wand and aimed it at Buffy.  As much as he didn't want to use a spell on a student, he knew that it was needed.  There was too much dark magic emanating from the girl and he could sense that with a little more time, she would give in to it completely.

"Petrificus Totalus," he murmured.

Almost absently, Buffy waved her hand in front of the jet of light that burst from the Headmaster's wand.  She swatted it away as though it was nothing more than an annoying insect, and the curse bounced back toward Dumbledore.

"Protego!"

The curse bounced away from the Headmaster and hit the wall of the shack. 

"Buffy, he needs treatment," Giles said frantically.

"He doesn't think you're good enough," Voldemort whispered in her ear.  "He doesn't trust you."

Harry was clutching at his shoulder, pale and shaking from the pain.  He looked up at his girlfriend, worried for himself and for Buffy as well.  He should have paid more attention to how badly the ghosts had been affecting her, but he'd shut it out, preferring to think of the ghost of his father as a kind and caring spirit.

"Buffy," Harry whispered.

Two feet away from Harry, an image suddenly appeared for Buffy's eyes only.  Angel with a sword sticking through his chest being sucked into a portal, his arm outstretched, whispering her name in the same way that Harry had just done.  Pain, betrayal, fear and love, all rolled into two syllables.

Buffy blinked hard, trying to get rid of the memory. 

"I told you to stay away from him," James Potter whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"You killed him," Lily Potter said, her green eyes identical to Harry's.  It was the pain and hatred in those eyes that made Buffy scramble backwards, away from Harry. 

Giles and Dumbledore quickly moved towards the fallen teenager, Dumbledore casting a healing spell to stem the bleeding, and to extract the arrow from Harry's shoulder. 

When Giles saw that Harry was in capable care, he edged towards Buffy, trying not to startle the girl who seemed to be in a world of her own.

"Buffy…please, you must listen to me," Giles said, his voice gentle and quiet.  "Whatever they're saying, you mustn't listen."

Buffy shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.  "I killed him," she whispered.

"He's going to be alright," Giles assured her.  "But what Harry needs right now is for you to come back to the school with us.  He needs more treatment than we can give him, and he needs for you to be there as well."

"No," Buffy replied, her voice losing its tremble.  "He needs me to stay away from him."

"Is that what the ghosts are telling you?" Giles asked.  "Are they telling you to stay away?"

"Telling me that it was meant to happen," Buffy said.  Giles could tell by the faraway look in the Slayer's eyes that she wasn't quite aware of what was happening.  He was fairly certain that she was in shock.  "I was meant to kill him.  That's what I was made for…the darkness."

Giles looked to Dumbledore, who was helping Harry into a sitting position. 

"He needs more help than I can give him here," Dumbledore said. 

Giles nodded.  "Perhaps it would be best if you and Harry were to apparate as close to Hogwarts as you can manage."

"Don't return without Buffy," Dumbledore said.

Giles nodded, and with a loud crack, Dumbledore and Harry had disappeared, leaving Giles, Draco and Buffy alone.

Buffy had curled her legs up to her chest, her arms locked around her knees as she rocked slightly back and forth.

"Buffy, is there anyone else here with us?" Giles asked, looking around the room, trying to see the ghosts that Buffy was hearing.

Buffy looked up and around the room.  She couldn't see them, but she knew that there was someone else there with the.  It was rare that she was given a moment of peace.  She squinted into a dark corner and saw the ghost of Voldemort leaning casually against a wall.

"Yes," Buffy replied softly.

"Who?  Where?"

Buffy pointed to the shadows, and Giles squinted, but still saw nothing.  "Who is it?"

"My father," Buffy answered.  "He…he says that I was born for the darkness.  That I was always meant to follow the path that he'd made for me."

"I don't believe that," Giles said firmly.  "Do you remember your first day in Diagon Alley?"

Buffy looked at her guardian sharply, the seemingly random question making her pay attention.  She nodded, remembering the overwhelming day all too well.

"Do you remember what I said to you after you got your wand from Ollivander?" he asked.

Buffy cast her mind back.  All she could remember was Ollivander's words to her.  "Nothing but darkness." That was all her wand was good for, and all she could ever hope to achieve.

Giles could see the internal struggle happening within his young charge.  He took hold of one of Buffy's hands, trying to ground her to the solid realm.

"I told you that it was our actions that defined who we are," Giles said.  "It doesn't matter where we come from.  It's what we do with the time we are given that counts."

Buffy took a moment to let Giles' words sink in.  What he was saying made sense.  And he was right.  She looked up at him, feeling the world shift back into its rightful place.  Before she had a chance to say anything though, she saw a flash of herself thrusting a stake into a random person's heart, and the blood pouring out onto her clothes.  She looked down at herself, at the blood that belonged to the man she'd accidentally staked the night before, and Harry's blood covering her as well.

"What we do?" Buffy repeated.  "I killed a man last night."

Giles fell silent.  Draco's mouth fell open in complete shock.  Out of every scenario they had imagined, the sentence being uttered by Buffy had not been one of them.

"He's alive, but…I staked him.  With my stake.  The blood on my hands, on my clothes…it's his.  I apparated him back to Hogwarts, fixed him up.  I took him back to the alley, and…and I obliterated his memory.  I left him there," Buffy said.  Her entire speech was monotone, her voice cold and clinical as she explained what had happened the evening before.

"Buffy…"

"I keep seeing it Giles," Buffy said, her voice shaky as she admitted to the visions.  "I keep seeing myself attacking people."

"Seeing it?" Giles asked.  "In your mind?"

Buffy shook her head.  "In front of me.  She…I attacked Harry.  Before.  She tried to stake him."

Giles' eyes widened with realisation.  "You tried to attack her," he said.

Buffy nodded. 

"You told someone you didn't love them," Giles prompted.  "Who were you speaking to?"

"Angel…Angelus.  I don't know.  One of them.  Both of them maybe.  He said I didn't love Harry.  That I would love Harry as much as I loved him," Buffy explained. 

Giles breathed a sigh of relief.  Buffy's statement of not loving him hadn't been directed at him at all.  He felt somewhat better about that, though he was still deeply worried by the visions that buffy was seeing.

"Who else do you see?  The ghosts?"

"Mostly James.   Voldemort.  Lily, Jenny, Angel, Angelus…Tara's mom," Buffy replied.  "And me."

Giles swallowed hard.  He'd known that Buffy had seen Jenny Calendar, but hearing it from Buffy herself was slightly different.  He was trying to think of any possible reasoning for Buffy's visions, but was coming up blank.

Buffy looked up and saw the look of concern and thoughtfulness on Giles' face.

"I've researched for a week straight Giles," she told him.  "I haven't found anything to explain it."

He sighed.  He should have known that Buffy would look into it. 

"Will you come back to Hogwarts with us?" he asked. 

"You can do even more damage there," Voldemort said softly, stepping out of the shadows.  "It would be the perfect opportunity."

Buffy looked at her Watcher and shook her head.  She didn't want to hurt anyone, but she'd just proven how dangerous she really was.  A Slayer and a witch who was seeing things that weren't really there was a dangerous combination.

"I can't go back," Buffy whispered.  "Not now.  Not after I hurt Harry."

"Buffy, it was an accident," Draco said gently.  "Harry will know that as well."

"I'd only hurt him more," Buffy argued.  "And I won't do that again."

"I won't let you stay here by yourself," Giles said firmly.

She looked up at him, her expression set with determination.

"You can't stop me," she replied.

Giles sighed.  He knew that Buffy was right about that.  There was nothing he could do to restrain her.  She was stronger than he was, both magically and physically.  Not even Dumbledore would be strong enough to try and restrain her.

"Buffy, please…you've tried isolating yourself from your friends before.  It's never bought you anything but grief," Giles said gently.

"Stay away from Harry," James Potter whispered, his cold eyes boring into hers.

Buffy glared at the ghost and hated the fact that something incorporeal could make her so weak and defenceless.  She hated the hold that the ghosts had over her.  She'd been making a point not to listen to the ghost of James Potter, and so, she breathed in deeply and took hold of Draco and Giles' hands, apparating the three of them away from the Shrieking Shack and into the Hogwarts infirmary. 

In the shadows of the Shrieking Shack, the ghostly figure of Voldemort scowled angrily.  Its plans had not succeeded, and now It would have to work even harder to complete the first phase.  It had been so close to success, but now there was more work to be done.  Its chosen dark champion would still be swayed to the side of darkness, whether Buffy Summers wanted it or not.  There was no way that It would give up when It was so close.

The ghost disappeared from the Shack and settled itself invisibly into the shadows of the infirmary, watching as Buffy watched over a sleeping Harry.  Buffy shivered slightly as a cold chill ran up and down her spine.  She looked over her shoulder, her gaze settling on the exact spot where It was watching her.  It remained invisible, but Buffy could sense it watching her.  She glared before turning her attention back to Harry and trying to ignore the feeling of evil that permeated the air around her.

It smiled evilly and was content to sit back and watch, just letting Its presence effect Buffy.  Even if It just put her on guard and made her uneasy, It was content to do so.  All night It waited in the darkness, watching intently as Buffy sat watch over a quickly healing Harry.

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Like I'd kill Harry off.  Hehe…it's tempting tho…mainly cos I've been re-reading OotP…he's so damn moody in that book…makes me wanna kill him off.  Have no fear, I'm not gonna kill him…or I don't think I will at least.  *grins*

Glad you guys are still following this thing.  Many thanks for all the feedback!

Toodles.

DKG.