I'm thinking I might name my chapters after Buffy episodes from now on, the later ones from seasons 6 and 7 are really good titles and it saves me having to rack my brain to think of a title!
Glad to hear positive feedback about a potential new fic. I haven't quite worked out all of the kinks yet, but I will probably post it when I feel inspired to start writing it!
Thanks to:
ScruffyWes
Charmedfanatic3000 – lol just wait one more chapter….
Renna
Caribear – sorry about the prophecy, though all the questions about it have been making me think more about using it later on so don't give up hope
Dramaswimer – lol if you read my other fics I put Angle instead of Angel all the time because my spell check doesn't pick up on it. But if you go back, you will notice I changed it, just because you mentioned it!
Sdfa
Dreamer Child
Vampy the chosen one
Lexinator – glad to hear its better and glad to hear you liked the chapter!
Blondi gurl
Miz
Erak
Carmelina
Anne-Marie – lol it's so difficult for me because I'm English, I think of it as mum, but I have to remember that for Buffy it is mom, but then for everyone else it is mum like me! Sorry if there's any more instances of that!
SPASH Panther
NicolaAfyon
Lol I nearly made 200, I'm 4 away. I was going to wait until I got more for the last chapter, but I decided I wouldn't be mean and I would post a new chapter to get the number up past 200! So review lots please!
Chapter 14 – Lessons
"Professor Dumbledore," Hermione said in surprise as they entered the room. "What are you doing here?" Dumbledore smiled as he and Buffy sat down.
"I thought I would stop in to how you are all
doing," he said with the same smile. "I didn't expect to find the house in such
drama." Buffy grinned appreciatively.
"Have you heard anything from the
kitchen?" she asked Remus.
"Other than incoherent yelling," Remus
said, with a hint of amusement. "Not a word. Is Harry okay?"
"Buffy did a fine job of talking to
him," Dumbledore said, smiling at Buffy. "It's up to Harry now."
"How are things at the Ministry?" Remus asked
conversationally. Dumbledore sighed.
"Much the same as usual," Dumbledore
replied. "Cornelius is still making things difficult in the way only he can. But
Kingsley and Tonks have been very successful at recruiting new members. After
seeing that I wasn't losing my marbles and that Cornelius had been covering up
the truth, many of the Aurors are more than willing to take a route different
to the Ministry. Cornelius has lost a lot of trust."
"What does he expect?" Remus said rolling his eyes. "We gave him the truth and he refused to accept it. Now he has to face the consequences."
The door opened and Harry walked in unsteadily. His face was tired and pale. He stopped when he saw Professor Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore," he said, similar to
Hermione. "What are you doing here?" Dumbledore gave him a kind smile.
"Just visiting," he answered. Harry
nodded without much expression, and then turned to Hermione.
"I'm sorry Herm," he said quietly and
Hermione's eyes began to water again. "I shouldn't have yelled at you, it
wasn't your fault. None of it was."
Hermione leapt up and threw her arms around harry, sending his glasses askew.
She sobbed into his shoulder and Buffy grinned at Remus.
"It's okay," she said tearfully. "I
shouldn't have pushed you." Harry looked alarmed and began to disentangle
himself from her hug.
"Professor," he said to Dumbledore.
"Could I speak to you for a minute?" Dumbledore nodded and he and harry left
the room.
Hermione sat down, snuffling a little.
"You fixed him," she said delightedly to
Buffy and Buffy giggled.
"He wasn't really broken," she said
amusedly. "He just thought he was." The three chatted easily until Dumbledore
and Harry returned ten minutes later. Harry looked tired but more relaxed than
Buffy had seen him since she had come to Grimmauld Place.
"I'd better be going," Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling. "Tell Molly and Arthur I stopped by. Send my best wishes to Percy. I'll see you on Friday." He swept from the room in a flurry of coloured robes.
"How did he know about Percy?" Buffy asked
amazedly. "I thought he came through the front door, not the fireplace."
"Dumbledore knows everything." Remus
said explanatorily and Buffy decided to accept this.
Harry smiled tiredly at them all and sat
down next to Buffy.
"Thanks," he said gratefully. "I needed
that.
"No worries," Buffy said. The door
opened and Ron came in, rubbing his forehead sleepily.
"How are the negotiations going?" she asked
with a smile and he shrugged.
"Fred and George are really letting him
have it," Ron said with a mirthless laugh. "Bill's giving it out quite a lot
too. Mum's trying to stick up for him, Charlie's trying to be neutral and Ginny's
sticking with Bill. Dad isn't saying anything. I haven't got a clue what I
think to be honest. I just wanted to get out of there."
"Think
they'll sort it out?" Harry asked and Ron shrugged again.
"Dunno," he said grumpily, slouching
into a chair. "Don't much care; I'm sick of the whole thing." He looked over at
Harry.
"What did mum mean about your
'prophecy'?" he asked suddenly. Harry looked at Buffy who returned it with a
challenging glance. Harry sighed, and then took a deep breath.
"I didn't tell you last year, I don't
know why I just didn't," he said quickly, all in one breath. "But after the
stuff at the Ministry, Dumbledore told me something, about a prophecy about
me."
"What did it say?" Ron asked, and Hermione watched Harry intently.
"It was made by Trelawney," Harry explained
and half smiled at Hermione's disbelieving look. "She actually made a real
prophecy, just before I was born. Dumbledore was there he heard it. It's the
reason why Voldemort tried to kill me when I was a baby, and why he killed my
parents." Ron's eyes were so wide they looked in danger of falling out of his
head.
"The prophecy said that I would be born
to parents who defied Voldemort three times and that he would mark me as his
equal and that I would be the only person who has the power to destroy
Voldemort. It said that we couldn't exist at the same time together, and one of
us will die at the other's hand." Hermione gasped.
"Voldemort heard the first part of the prophecy when it was made, that's why he came to kill me," Harry said dully. "He didn't hear the part about marking me as his equal and that's why the curse deflected onto him. He wanted me to go into the Ministry to get the prophecy so he could hear the whole thing to make sure he didn't make the same mistake again."
"You have to kill him?" Hermione said in
shock. "Harry why didn't you tell us? You must've been so scared."
"I didn't know how to tell you," Harry
admitted looking at his hands. "We'd just come out of the Ministry and you two were
injured and it was my fault and I was scared. How could I just bring something
like that up in conversation, 'Oh by the way I have to kill Voldemort because
no one else can?'?" Ron still didn't speak.
"I'm sorry," Hermione murmured. "No
wonder you've been so unhappy lately." Harry shrugged.
"Look, I want you to know something,"
Harry said in a low voice. "If you two decide that you don't want to be around
me much any more I don't mind. In fact I think it's a good idea. I'm a marked
man and it's too dangerous, the people around me just keep dying, my parents,
Sirius. I think it's a good idea if we kept distance between us, I don't want
you two to get hurt again." Buffy was touched by Harry's love for his friends.
"Don't be stupid," Ron said, speaking for the
first time. "We're not going to just leave you to face Voldemort alone. It's
always been the three of us and it always will be, right to the end. You're
stuck with us mate." Hermione nodded fervently, and Harry grinned.
"Sorry I didn't tell you," he repeated.
"I had a hard enough time dealing with what's been happening lately. I couldn't
stand the idea of you two staring at me like I was a freak." Hermione smiled
gently.
"We're with you Harry," she said softly
and Ron grinned.
"I just can't believe the fate of the Wizarding world is in the hands of a bloke who can't manage a vanishing spell properly," Ron joked, earning him a glare from Hermione and a chuckle from Harry.
"I know," Harry agreed. "I keep thinking I
should be better at magic than I am if I'm supposed to do this." Remus smiled
indulgently.
"You'll do fine," he assured him. Harry
grinned, and then winced. Buffy looked at him concernedly.
"Scar," he said explanatorily. "Hurts
when Voldemort's near or having strong feelings about something. Right now he's
angry about something." Buffy raised her eyebrows, impressed.
"Nifty," she said thoughtfully.
"Not really," Harry said, rubbing it
impatiently. "It hurts a lot."
The door opened and Molly walked in looking weary.
"What happened?" Ron asked, sitting up
eagerly. Molly sighed.
"Fred and George cursed him," she said,
irritated. "Your father is just removing the tentacles now." Ron turned his
laugh into a hasty cough.
"Have you made up?" Buffy asked concernedly. "Is the cursing just part of the family gatherings?"
"I think so," Molly said, relief spreading over her face. "Do you want to come back Ron? We want the whole family to talk this over." Ron nodded and followed his mother out obligingly.
"I'm going to bed," Buffy announced, standing up and stretching. "Today has been majorly tiring. Night."
Buffy changed into her pyjamas and climbed into Sirius' huge bed. She sighed sleepily and thought about the day. It seemed like such a long time ago that she had been at the Ministry but it was just that morning. She felt satisfied, she had helped Harry and she hoped he would be okay now. Buffy wondered if it was time to go home. She had come to say goodbye, and to help Harry. She had helped Harry but was she ready to say goodbye? The service on Friday would determine that. She knew that she had been inducted into the Order but she knew that there was no great necessity for her, well at least not yet. Maybe it was her time. Sleepily, she thought about the archway. That was the only thing she had left, to go through that and try to find Sirius. That was going to take some decision making, she thought sleepily as she drifted away.
