CHAPTER SIXTEEN: THE BRINGER
Giles sat in shocked silence, the book that Dumbledore had given him sitting open in his hands.
"You're certain that this is the creature you fought?" Giles asked.
Buffy sighed. "For the twelfth time Giles, yes, that was definitely it," Buffy replied. "Why? What's so special about Mr No-Eyes?"
"They're known as Harbingers," Giles explained. "Bringers. They act as High Priests for the First."
"The First?" Buffy asked. "First what?"
Giles breathed in deeply and looked up into Buffy's eyes. Buffy was shocked by the incredibly worried, stressed and tired look in Giles' gentle green eyes.
"Evil," he replied. "The First original Evil. The being that created all other evils."
Buffy swallowed hard. "Oh. So…eviller than the average bear."
"Rather," Dumbledore agreed.
"So…I killed a High Priest of the First," Buffy mused. "Why do I get the feeling that that's not a good thing? And, I mean, really, really not a good thing."
"And yet no others have come for you," Giles mused.
Buffy glared at him. "Not as comforting as you'd think," she said dryly.
Giles shrugged sheepishly and looked back down at the text he was holding. He read through the information again, still not liking what it was saying.
"So…here's my next question," Buffy began. "If these priest guys are bowing down to the First…well…where is the First? What's it doing? I mean…for something called the First Evil, it sounds as though it'd be trying to do some serious damage, not just sit around for tea and crackers."
"I believe that is where your ghosts come into play," Dumbledore said.
Buffy turned to look at the Headmaster quizzically. She wasn't sure where Dumbledore had come up with that link, but, now that she thought about it, it would make a great deal of sense.
"The ghosts…they're really the First?" Buffy asked.
"It is just a theory," Dumbledore explained. "Though it would explain how it was able to enter the Halls of Hogwarts. They are not real ghosts. Merely a non-corporeal type of evil that cannot be restricted, except through truly powerful magic."
"Like the Room of Requirement?" Buffy asked.
"Exactly," the Headmaster replied.
"But what would it want with Buffy?" Giles asked curiously.
Dumbledore's eyes suddenly darkened and Buffy found herself extremely uncomfortable with Dumbledore's expression.
"For what purpose I can only imagine," Dumbledore replied quietly. "And even then, I am sure my imagination would fall short."
Giles went quiet in contemplation and Buffy found herself feeling horribly nauseous at the thought of what the First had in store for her. The idea that the ghosts that had been plaguing her weren't actually the spirits of the deceased people was both calming and unnerving at the same time. She couldn't help but feel slightly calmer about the fact that it wasn't the real ghosts of James and Lily Potter haunting her steps.
What worried the Slayer though, was the idea that the ghosts had been planting seeds of doubt into her mind. And they'd worked like a charm. She was doubting herself and her abilities, as well as beginning to draw upon the darker places of herself.
Even Dumbledore had pointed out that Buffy had begun using Darker magics than what she'd ever used before, and now that it had been pointed out to her, Buffy couldn't help but notice how often she'd relied on the darkness inside herself. At first she'd justified her use of the darker magics by explaining it away as being necessary, but now that Buffy knew about the First's manipulation of her, she couldn't help but wonder just how many things she'd opened herself up to just through the use of her magics.
The more Buffy thought about it, the more worried she became. She closed her eyes tiredly before opening them up to glance around Giles' office, the familiar tingling at the back of her neck alerting her once more. She spotted the ghostly presence in the corner of the room, the mocking smile of Voldemort that had haunted her steps for days.
"You're not him," Buffy said quietly.
Giles and Dumbledore both started at Buffy's statement, both of them visually scanning the room to see whom she was talking to. Neither of them saw anything at all.
"No, I'm not," the ghost affirmed. "I knew you'd figure it out sooner or later. Actually…I sort of thought you'd realise a little sooner."
Buffy recognised the turn of phrase. It was something that Angel had sad to her when they'd first met. She didn't appreciate the way that the First continued to use Angel's words to taunt and mock her.
"The First huh?" Buffy mused. "And you picked his form. Not very terrifying."
The ghostly Voldemort smirked and stepped forward so that he was directly in front of Buffy, looking down at her.
"But it worked so well before," he replied.
Buffy glared at the First. "And what did you want with me?"
Dumbledore and Giles were having trouble following the one-sided conversation, but both Professors knew better than to interrupt the flow of discussion. Now that they'd discovered what the threat was, they'd be more likely to be able to counter-act it.
"Haven't you worked that out yet?" it asked snidely. "And I thought I'd done so well trying to explain it to you."
"I've never been good at riddles," she replied.
The ghostly Voldemort then smiled a truly terrifying smile and Buffy felt her heart beat a little bit faster as her insides clenched in fear.
"Never good at riddles, but still a Riddle at heart," he said. "A true descendant of Salazar Slytherin."
"I may be a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, but I am and always will be a Gryffindor," Buffy replied angrily.
The First just chuckled and shook its head in a condescending manner. "My poor child," it said softly, raising a hand to touch Buffy's cheek. A chill of coldness ran through her body and she shivered, but she couldn't feel anything actually touching her skin.
Giles and Dumbledore both very nearly jumped a foot in the air when suddenly the place where Buffy's eyes had been locked became filled with the tall form of a younger Voldemort. The Voldemort as he'd been before he'd been beaten by a one-year-old Harry Potter. The powerful and intimidating man that had terrified thousands of people, both magical and muggle.
Giles went to take a step forward, his hand on his wand, before remembering what Buffy had said about the ghosts not being corporeal. His magic would have no effect on them.
"You have so much to learn. So much more damage you can do here at Hogwarts. Just imagine the havoc you could wreak with such powerful magic."
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. He could imagine the havoc that Buffy could wreak within Hogwarts, and it wasn't anything he liked to give too much thought to. He couldn't deny that the thought of getting Buffy away from Hogwarts hadn't occurred to him, and he could only wonder just how much damage it would take before he was forced to ask her to leave.
"Never," Buffy said softly. Even though her voice was quiet, it was unwavering and strong, as determined as it had ever been, and Giles and Dumbledore couldn't have been prouder of her determination.
Voldemort's form suddenly shrank by about seven inches, and instead of Voldemort, it was James Potter standing in front of Buffy, looking at her with sad eyes.
"That's what you said about hurting Harry. That you never would…and where is he now?" James asked.
Buffy felt a pang of guilt. The last place she'd seen Harry had been in the infirmary. But they were no longer together, so she knew that there was less chance of her ever hurting him again. If he wasn't close to her, he couldn't be harmed by her.
"Don't listen to it Buffy," Dumbledore said forcefully. "It wants you to doubt yourself."
James turned to look at Dumbledore, laughing heartily.
"Oh, you give the girl far too much credit, old man," James said coldly. "All she's done since she was told who her father was is doubt herself."
Giles and Dumbledore's gaze swung around to look at the Slayer. For a moment of indecision, Buffy felt the urge to duck her head under the scrutiny that she was receiving. Instead, she raised her head, her chin stuck out proudly. She looked at the form of James Potter and shook her head.
"Get out of here," she said steadily. "We know what you are now. We know you aren't James or Voldemort or Lily or anyone else. You don't scare me anymore. So just get out."
James looked down at her for a moment. The ghost quickly transformed again, this time into the image of Angelus, smirking down at the Slayer.
"As you wish lover. I'll see you in your dreams."
In a flash, the ghost was gone, and Buffy felt herself breath a little easier. She couldn't even sense it's presence in the room with them, so she knew that they were alone once more.
There was a silent pause as both Professors looked at the Slayer with caution, as though afraid that she would collapse at any given moment.
"Well," Giles eventually said. "That was bracing."
Buffy sighed and flopped down into a chair, too tired to make herself stay standing.
"And that was one of the better visits," she commented.
Dumbledore looked at the girl, his eyes curious, his expression thoughtful.
"I have a feeling that that was not the last we've seen of the First," Dumbledore mused.
Buffy shook her head tiredly. "Nah, definitely not. If all the bad guys just disappeared cos I told them to, I'd be using that method heaps more."
Giles managed to muster up a half-hearted smile at Buffy's quip, but he was more worried about what the First had been saying. To say that it was disconcerting seeing a ghost of Voldemort touching Buffy's cheek would be an understatement. He felt completely frazzled and he could only wonder how Buffy seemed so calm about it.
But when he looked a little closer at his young charge, he noticed that her hands were shaking slightly and she looked more tired and drawn than he had ever seen her before.
"Are you alright?" Giles asked softly.
Buffy just shrugged. "I'll be fine."
Dumbledore looked across the room to the clock hanging on the wall and then turned his gaze to Buffy and Giles.
"Perhaps it would be best if we adjourned for lunch," he suggested. "We'll all think clearer on a full stomach. We'll reconvene as soon as we're able."
Buffy nodded and stood up, not bothering to wait for the two Professors to follow her.
"Perhaps we should ask Harry, Hermione and Ron to help us research this," Giles suggested, just before Buffy could walk out the door.
Buffy stiffened at the mention of Harry's name. That was exactly the one thing that she didn't want to talk –or even think- about at that moment.
"No…not until we know more. I don't want them involved in this," Buffy said.
"But Buffy-"
"She's right Rupert," Dumbledore said. "It is best to continue as is. They will be informed of everything as soon as we know more."
Buffy turned back to look at the Headmaster, their eyes meeting and locking for several moments. Buffy could read the silent words in Dumbledore's eyes. He feared what could happen as much as Buffy did, if not more. The Headmaster wouldn't risk anything happening to his other students if he could prevent it.
Buffy finally pulled her gaze away from Dumbledore's eyes and walked out of the room, heading for anywhere except the Great Hall. She was in no rush to see Harry or her other friends.
Dumbledore turned to look at the DADA Professor.
"We'll have to keep a close eye on that girl," the Headmaster mused.
Giles glared angrily at Dumbledore, unable to believe the words that had come from his mouth.
"You truly think she would actually hurt anyone? She's spent the last year and a half proving that she wouldn't do anything like that, and…and you just completely lose trust in her because of a manipulative force of evil?" Giles asked incredulously.
"I worry more for her safety than anyone else's," Dumbledore explained. "If the First was right in suggesting her self doubt, one can only guess how volatile she is right now. I shall have to speak with Harry and Hermione."
"But you just said-"
"I know what I said," Dumbledore cut him off gently. "Harry and Buffy are no longer seeing each other, if I was reading Buffy correctly. Her magic is erratic, and Harry's scar is connected to Buffy's moods. He is our best link if Buffy is not being completely forthcoming with us."
"She wouldn't lie to us," Giles said defensively.
"Not lie, no," Dumbledore agreed. "But she would conceal the truth from us. For our own sakes I believe. And if she keeps these things to herself completely…I fear what the First may do with her. With the power that she wields, she could be used as an extremely dangerous weapon, and that is not something that Buffy could ever live with."
Giles swallowed hard and could only pray that things would get better instead of worse. He knew how unlikely it was though, and just hoped that the damage that the First was going to cause would be minimal. He resolved himself to keeping an eye on Buffy and ensuring that she was well looked after.
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Sorry for the lack of updates. I finally got around to actually starting to finish this fic. Three more chapters to write, and I actually have some sort of clue where the hell this is going. Huzzah! This fic has sat dormant for nearly two months, but I forced myself to write more, and now I just wanna get this darn thing finished.
Many thanks to everyone for all your reviews, you guys all rock tremendously!
Toodles.
DKG.