CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: THE LUNCH

Hermione and Ron sat at the Gryffindor Table, checking over their shoulders every few moments, searching for either Harry or Buffy. It was worrying when either of the two were late for lunch, and even though they were both missing, it was definitely odd.

"Do you think they're alright?" Ron asked worriedly. "I mean…with Buffy going…well, nuts?"

Hermione glared at her boyfriend and kicked his shins under the table.

"She is not nuts," Hermione replied. "I'd like to see how sane you'd be if you had ghosts haunting you."

Ron just shrugged and continued eating as though he didn't have a care in the world. His eyes lit up when he saw his best friend coming towards them. His smile vanished however when he saw the faded bruise on Harry's cheek.

Harry took his seat opposite the couple and miserably picked up his knife and fork.

"What's with the shiner then mate?" Ron asked.

Hermione gasped as she saw the nearly healed bruise on Harry's face.

"Was an accident," Harry replied.

Hermione felt distinctly uncomfortable by how Harry had said it. If it had been any of the students who'd hit him, Harry would usually have volunteered the information to them. But there was one person that Harry would happily defend no matter what.

"Did Buffy give you that?" Hermione whispered worriedly.

Ron looked completely startled and laughed loudly at the suggestion. "Yeah right Hermione," he said, still guffawing. "As if Buffy could ever hit him."

Harry's eyes looked down and Ron's smile vanished. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Cor," he breathed softly. "She hit you?"

"Like I said, it was an accident," Harry replied, absently rubbing his shoulder which was mostly healed except for a slight stinging pain whenever he moved too quickly.

Hermione still wasn't entirely convinced. "Where is Buffy? You must have found her."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, we found her."

"And?" Ron prompted impatiently.

"And…she's alright," Harry said.

Harry absently reached up to fiddle with the chain that housed his cross and the ring he'd given to Buffy. Hermione noticed immediately.

"Harry…isn't that Buffy's ring?" Hermione asked.

Harry took hold of the ring and held it up, still attached to his neck. He rubbed the dried specks of blood off the metal and looked at it sadly.

"Yes," he replied softly.

"You didn't…you haven't…you two didn't fight did you?" Ron asked.

Harry felt the sting of tears in his eyes, bile rising in his throat.

"We broke up," he explained. "This morning." He paused for a moment longer and swallowed hard. "I broke up with her."

Hermione paled and felt the entire world spin. She knew that Harry and Buffy had had their problems, more than their fair share of them, but to hear that they were no longer together was a devastating blow to her. Harry and Buffy were her two best friends, and she didn't even want to imagine what would happen to their circle of friends now that the couples dynamics had been changed.

"Where is she?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. She walked out of the infirmary earlier. I haven't seen her since."

"But…you're still friends aren't you?" Ron asked.

Ron couldn't believe what had happened either. He knew he teased Harry for the mushiness of Harry and Buffy's relationship, but he honestly enjoyed seeing Harry and Buffy together as a couple. They were just so incredibly right for each other, regardless of the fact that Buffy was the only child of Voldemort.

Harry sighed and shook his head. "We can never be just friends Ron," Harry said sadly.

"Why not?" Ron demanded. "Other people do it all the time."

"Even the slightest piece of friendship with her will allow her to completely ruin you Harry."

His mother's voice echoed in his mind, and he knew that the hardest decisions to make were usually the ones that would benefit you. He just hated the outcome of it all.

"We just can't," Harry finally replied.

"You aren't even going to try are you?" Hermione asked angrily.

She stood up angrily, grabbed a pile of sandwiches and stormed away from the table, leaving Harry and Ron looking at her retreating form with bewildered looks on their faces.

The two fiends sat in silence for a moment longer before Ron awkwardly clapped his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I really am sorry mate."

------------------------

Hermione made her way outside, knowing that her best friend enjoyed the fresh air during the day, rather than being inside the castle. Her eyes scanned the treeline, also knowing that the Slayer enjoyed being amongst the trees of the Forbidden Forest, especially when she was the only one with permission to actually be in there. Hermione knew that the Forest was like a sanctuary for the girl, and the chances of her being there were great.

Hermione spotted the clearing by the lack of treetops in a certain area and began walking straight towards it. If there was anywhere that Buffy would be, it would be there.

Hermione was grateful for the sun shining overhead, the beams of light coming through the leaves of the overhanging branches. If it had been nighttime, she'd have been less likely to wander through the Forest. She cautiously made her way to the clearing, thankful that nothing had jumped out to attack her.

She wasn't sure why, but something made her hide herself behind a tree and just observe her best friend for a moment.

"I know you're there," Buffy's voice said clearly.

Hermione was about to step out, but she stopped as she heard Buffy's next sentence.

"I know what you're trying to do to me," she said. The Slayer stood up from her rock and looked around the clearing for any sign of the First. She could feel the familiar tingling at the back of her neck, and even though the ghosts were incredibly creepy, she preferred to have them visibly in front of her, rather than for them to be just watching her.

"You want me to go nuts and start hurting people here," Buffy continued. "You want me to stay here at Hogwarts. Well I got news for you, it ain't gonna happen!"

A tall figure stepped out of the trees and walked towards Buffy, who pulled herself up to her full height and stared back defiantly.

"Oh it will happen child," the First as Voldemort whispered. "I can guarantee that."

"I would leave before I ever hurt my friends," Buffy declared.

Voldemort chuckled maniacally and shook his head. "Oh, you don't have the strength to stay away from here my girl. You don't want to leave this place."

Hermione had her hand clasped over her mouth to keep her from making a sound. She knew that Buffy was speaking to one of her ghosts, but Hermione couldn't see who or where the figure was. She did know, however, that she wasn't liking where the one-sided conversation was going. Leave Hogwarts?

"I may not want to leave," Buffy said softly, "but I won't be manipulated by you. Not now. Not ever."

"You can't leave!" Voldemort yelled fiercely.

Buffy just smiled and nodded. "Yes. I can."

With a crack she apparated back up to the girls dormitories within the Gryffindor Tower. Hermione began racing back up towards the castle, needing to find Buffy before the Slayer could do anything stupid.

As for the First, it smiled and shook Its head.

"That was far too easy."

----

Howdy guys! Many thanks for all your feedback and stuff!!

All of you who worked out that it was the First, kudos to you guys. How its resolved is in no way similar to Season Seven cos I didn't wanna just re-write the whole season.

Guess what, I've actually finished writing this fic!! It clocks in at twenty-five chapters total, so you've got another eight chapters to go. Huzzah!!

Also, no more updates on any of my fics until tuesday. I'm visiting a mate, and I don't think i'll have internet access.

Toodles.

DKG.