Chapter 35
Offense and Defense
x.0.x.0.x
Buffy was in bed until just after nine when she felt someone poking her. "What is it?" she mumbled into her pillow, trying to swat the arm away.
The arm giggled.
"Go away," Buffy groaned, pulling the pillow over her head, her leg kicked out from underneath the covers towards the evil arm trying to disturb her wonderful dream.
"Buffy, come on! We're serious!"
Sirius? Where was Sirius? Opening one eye, she gazed around the sunlit room and her eyes fell onto Katie and Emma, both dressed in robes and smirking. "What?" she asked, feeling even more confused.
"I wish you could see the look on your face right now," Emma said, giggling as she leaned inside Buffy's four-poster and ripped her thick comforter from her. "It's nine o'clock, sleepyhead. You're going to miss brunch."
"Bloody hell," Buffy moaned under her breath before freezing. "I am Giles... oh, dear God... I sound like Giles."
Emma didn't bother asking who Giles was and since Katie already knew, she didn't press the matter further.
"Are you all right?" Katie asked Buffy in concern as the older girl stood up and wrapped herself in her short, red robe.
"I'm great, really," Buffy said, attempting to smile and open her eyes wider, so that the narrow gap she could see would widen. She rubbed her eyes, trying desperately to make herself look more presentable to the world. "I just had a late night."
"I'll bet you did," Katie said in a teasing voice, causing Buffy's head to snap up and her eyes to darken in indignation. "I only meant with Oliver, you know," she added hastily, seeing the darker look gather in Buffy's eyes. "Your boyfriend."
"Right," Buffy said coolly, running a hand through her long blonde hair. "I was with Oliver last night and we got locked out because no one bothered to tell me the new password." Her eyes were on Emma now, who was blushing.
"I knew I forgot to tell someone," she muttered, tucking a lock of brown hair behind her ear.
"It's over and done with," Buffy said with a bright smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, which were still half-closed. "If you two don't mind, I'm going down to breakfast."
The Great Hall was nearly empty by the time Buffy strolled in, a hand clasped over her mouth, stifling another yawn.
She noticed a certain blonde-haired boy standing up at the Slytherin table and, ignoring the disgusted sounds his housemates made as he moved towards her, sat across from her at the Gryffindor table.
Her eyes were filled with surprise as her firm gaze met his. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked sharply.
"I'm just trying to make things better," he replied earnestly, his silver eyes pleading with her to understand. "I can't keep doing this, I just can't..."
"Guilt," Buffy replied shortly. "The feeling you're looking for, the one that you can't get rid of... it is called guilt, Draco. You'll get used to it. You'll live with it."
"I don't like it," he muttered darkly.
"Get over yourself," she said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "I don't have time for people like you who seek fame by destroying others. If you want to make things better, stay the hell away from me. I don't need you or any of your Slytherin punks to tell me what to do. I've been singing my own tune since day one of this gig and I bloody refuse to take it from you!"
He dropped his gaze onto her plate, where she was spooning a large helping of potatoes. "I'm sorry I bothered you," he mumbled as he made to stand up. His attention was pulled back to her when her cool hand closed around his wrist and he glanced up into her angry eyes.
"You... you're sorry? You're sorry?" she repeated, looking almost astonished. "I never thought I'd see the day where Draco Malfoy would apologize and actually mean it," she continued softly. The look in her eyes had changed somehow. It was softer, more beautiful. Her hazel eyes seemed to gaze at him reproachfully, but there was a smirk tugging at her lips. "Apology accepted." She released his wrist and turned back to her breakfast without another word.
He was stunned as he walked out of the Great Hall. His hand was cradling the wrist where her hand had been just moments earlier.
If he could believe it, he had just managed to break into that icy exterior of hers, the exterior that had been there for weeks now since his own stupid betrayal.
He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't see another figure pass him, glaring at him with deepest loathing before disappearing into the Great Hall.
Buffy glanced up and smirked when she saw a sleepy Oliver Wood enter the Great Hall, look around, spot her and moved for the Gryffindor table, taking a seat at the bench next to her. "Good morning, Yankee girl," he said, staring at the dishes in front of him sleepily, as though they were about to fill themselves.
"Good morning, Oli," she said with a teasing smile as she nibbled on a rind of bacon. "I really hope you got some sleep."
"I think so," he replied with a loud yawn, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "But I don't look nearly as bad as you. You look like you fell asleep fifteen minutes ago."
"It feels like it," she said with a sigh as she gently began adding food to his plate, since he seemed too tired to do it himself.
"Ooh, Buffy," a voice said from behind them. Both Buffy and Oliver turned to see Tess Austin and Yasmine Goldstein moving towards them, on their way to the Library, a stack of toast in each of their hands. "This is so not the place for public displays of affection?"
"Who says?" Buffy asked, grinning up at her two roommates as her hand found Oliver's under the table and squeezed it.
"You have to admit you two are just darling," Yasmine drawled, grinning. Buffy had to strain herself not to start giggling, because it would only prove she was embarrassed by this. Instead, she fluttered her eyelashes and gave them both an endearing smile.
"Thanks," she said quietly as her two Gryffindor mates passed on.
"Did they just saw we look darling?" Oliver asked, a strange look on his face as he stared down at their entwined hands and at the fact she had just filled his plate with a delicious breakfast.
"We've been serious all of three weeks," she said, an amused glint in her eyes. "Of course we look darling. This is probably a breath of fresh air for all of those gossip mongers concerned with the same old, same old."
"You're right about that," Oliver said with a frown, tucking into his own breakfast. "This smells delicious."
"I'm glad you like my cooking," she said, grinning as she bit into another potato.
They ate in silence a few minutes longer until another figure spotted them and hurried over. Buffy was unsurprised to see Harry, looking as disheveled and sleepy as she herself felt.
"Buffy, I just wanted you to know--" he gasped out just as a loud hoot sounded from above them. Onyx soared cleanly into the Great Hall and landed snappishly on Oliver's shoulder, hooting at Buffy as she stuck out her leg, a letter attached. "Never mind, then."
Buffy gave her brother an amused look before gently relieving her own of the letter. Onyx turned and took off again, ruffling her feathers against Oliver as she soared away.
"Looks like your owl has taken offense to your new relationship," Harry said, laughing as Buffy opened the letter. It was from the Ministry of Magic.
"Oh, God," she moaned, dropping the open letter on the table. She twisted in her seat, glancing at the faculty table. She wasn't happy to see that only Professor Snape and Vector remained, in some deep discussion she could care less about. Professor Snape was in the Order Harry had talked about, but she really needed to see Professor Pryce or even Professor Dumbledore.
"What is it?" Harry asked her urgently, seeing the dark look in her eyes. "Is it from--"
She had set the letter in front of him, absentmindedly reaching for her coffee cup. Her eyes implored him to read and he read the letter silently. After a moment, he set it down. "Faith," he said quietly. "What did they do to her?"
"Punishment," she spat out, the word a venomous curse on her tongue. "They gave her the truth to punish her for what she did to me... although it really wasn't anything!"
"They don't understand your world," Harry said angrily, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope. "They don't understand that you two have the powers that no one here does and that you can do what you did."
Oliver looked even more lost as the Potter siblings continued talking in riddles while both managed to choke down their food at record speeds. Finally, as they were getting up to leave, something he was amazed to see, since they had been in a row a week or so before, he decided he had to speak.
"What is going on?" he asked out loud.
Buffy stopped and froze in mid-air before dropping down next to him. "I am so sorry," she said, looking into his eyes. "I have to go and save Faith. She's the other Slayer, the one brought here. I told you about her. She's been detained at the Ministry for over a week now. Last night, she took a turn for the worse and the Ministry is refusing to release her into my custody. I need to find Professor Pryce so that I can speak with him!"
Oliver took her hand as she turned to leave. "Be careful, all right? I don't think I could stand losing you again."
The look on her face softened as she bent down and kissed him in front of the few people still sitting in the Great Hall. If anyone had their doubts, they were cleared right then as Buffy broke away and walked out of the Great Hall with her brother.
"I don't understand why they're doing this," Buffy said furiously as they climbed the stairs towards Professor Pryce's office. "How can Minister Fudge refuse a request like this? How?"
"He probably thinks she's dangerous," Harry replied sullenly. "Besides, you said the dreams were harsh."
"They were the most frightening dreams I have ever encountered," she said softly, biting down hard on her lip. "No doubt Faith will still be feeling the after affects." She stopped. They were standing in front of the door to the Professor's classroom. Instead of knocking, she burst through the door, walking as quickly as she could towards the front of the classroom and the stairs leading up to the office.
There was a strange sound emitting from his office. Buffy knew it to be opera music, something she knew he favored from her many visits in his office.
He was sitting behind his desk, grading papers when the Potter siblings walked in. Harry barely managed to utter a quick hello before Buffy threw the letter onto the stack of parchment and cross her arms.
"Explain this."
Harry's jaw clenched slightly as he saw the look of steely resolve in his sister's eyes.
Professor Pryce took the moment of silence to pull out the letter and read it. Concern flashed behind his bespectacled eyes as he raised his own gaze to glance into the furious glare of the Slayer. "I cannot," he said calmly, setting the letter down.
"Let me try," Buffy suggested, her voice growing slightly louder. Harry knew she was growing more agitated by her actions. Her hands were on her hips now, and she was shifting impatiently from foot to foot. "The Ministry gets pissed because I disappear. It turns out I was not taken by Lord Voldemort, but by a fellow Slayer, one they didn't know existed. So now they're trying to make her look evil by holding her in some storm cellar and making her live out her worst memories." She paused, realizing she was yelling now. "You don't know what I saw!" she continued, her voice rising into a fierce shout. "You don't know what her life was like! You didn't see the pain, the abuse, the torture! She is far more capable of anything beyond what you dreamed you could see in me. You just gave her a chance to fight her way out of there, because--"
"Miss Potter, that is enough!" Professor Pryce said angrily, rising to his feet. He really looked insulted and put out. "You've made your point to me, but do recall that I am already on your side! You should be reserving this anger for Cornelius Fudge, for it is his strings you must pull in order to get rid of this disaster!"
Buffy shut her mouth and sat down quickly, as though she were feeling faint. Harry stared at her hard for a moment before frowning. "Sir," he said, forcing himself to gaze at the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. "What do you suggest we do?"
"I will attempt to speak with my contacts," Professor Pryce said, giving Buffy a sympathetic look she didn't notice. "I suggest the both of you stay here until I return. You will then be able to act further."
Buffy looked forlorn as Professor Pryce stalked out of the office.
"Buffy?" Harry asked softly.
"Do you want to know what I saw?" she asked in a dead voice, not looking up. "I saw darkness and death... Faith wasn't meant for her cold life at all. She was meant to die. And now it's coming back to haunt the both of us. I was a product of a potion gone right and Faith was meant as a child sacrifice to the Dark Lord." Sighing, she ran a hand through her blonde hair and pulled her knees to her chest. "And my brother is being forced to fight the one Wizard the world fears above all... and he alone can defeat him."
"The future isn't looking too bright, is it?" Harry asked seriously, dropping into the chair next to her.
She shook her head. "No, it isn't." There was a strange glow in her eyes now as she turned to him. "It's not bright for him, now. Do you have any idea how many times Slayers have given their lives to save the world? I already did it once."
"How did it happen?" Harry asked. "You said you drowned."
"I was attacked by a Master vampire," Buffy said with a sardonic smile. "He overpowered me and tossed me into a pool of water. I drowned and a Slayer named Kendra was called deep within Africa. For a year, we fought together twice. She was killed when another vampire took her life. Faith was called at the time of Kendra's death."
"That's... that's..."
"I know it's hard to understand," Buffy said in the same deadened voice. "But it's the truth. If I didn't come back, my life wouldn't have any meaning and I wouldn't be this mystical person so many think I am."
"You really are a hero," Harry said quietly, glancing at his hands. "I thought it was just a bunch of overrated hype."
"You were right about me," she said softly. "Heroes are people who have the courage to tell the truth when it needs to be told. I held back from you because I was afraid I was going to scare you off. The woman I thought was my mother heard the truth about me, and she didn't understand that maybe, just maybe, my life was more important than she ever thought possible. She didn't get it. I was afraid you wouldn't, either."
"And the prophecy?" he pressed. "What of that?"
"I had to be certain it was true," she replied, looking at him at last. "I needed to make sure it could happen because I'm beginning to understand how much he meant to you."
"Before you," Harry replied sadly, "he was the only adult I could trust completely without ever knowing that much about him... the fact he was my... err, our father's best friend... it meant a lot for him to be there." He gazed at her hopefully. "Do you think that someday the prophecy can come true?"
She shrugged. "There are always loopholes in these things. But I believe in my heart that if this is truly the right thing to do, then I'll be damned and dead before I stop seeing it through. I believe Sirius Black is alive, yes. And I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that this world is good for you." She broke eye contact and let out a long, pent-up breath. "What about your prophecy?"
"A prophecy was made before I was born. It was made by Professor Trelawney, you know, the Divination instructor. Professor Dumbledore heard it and a prophecy was created. She saw that there would be a son born at the end of July who would be marked as an equal by the Dark Lord, and his parents would have thrice defied him."
"That's the reason you survived when you were a baby," Buffy murmured softly under her breath. "Oh, dear, Lord."
"Voldemort didn't know that I had been the one of his prophecy, except that it may not have been me, after all. It could have been Neville. You know, Longbottom, the one that Snape mocks over and over again. The night he tried to kill me, he gave me some of his powers the night our parents died. He marked me as his equal, so I have powers not even he knows about."
Buffy was giving him a strange look. There was a veiled darkness behind her eyes, but she knew exactly what he meant. When she had faced the Master, he killed her the first time. But when Xander had revived her, she woke up, stronger than ever, his equal, able to break his thrall over her. He had marked her as an equal, as a vampire and a vampire Slayer. It had been her easiest fight to kill him, yet he haunted her until she realized he could be brought back... this was exactly what Harry was going through...
Voldemort had disappeared the night he had tried to kill Harry. The Master had died when Buffy killed him. But a vampire cult had tried to bring him back, but were unsuccessful...
Shivering, Buffy returned her attention to her younger brother, who was blinking at her, obviously concerned about the darkness sparkling in her eyes.
"Tell me more," she beckoned him softly.
"I faced Voldemort a few times since. He managed to possess a teacher my first year; he was after the Sorcerer's Stone, a mystical stone that would give its taker eternal life..." Harry's voice dropped. "I managed to get the stone before he did... and the stone was destroyed. In my second year, Ginny Weasley came into possession of a diary from Voldemort's Hogwarts days--"
"Wait," Buffy said, lifting her hand. "Are you saying that Voldemort came here?"
"He was known as Tom Riddle back then," Harry said ironically. "He was in school when Hagrid was, so about fifty years ago. He preserved his dark self in a diary and it was given to Ginny by Lucius Malfoy."
"Oh," Buffy said, letting out a short, sharp laugh. "That figures."
"Tom Riddle almost came back as a sixteen-year-old. Had Ginny died, it only would have made Voldemort stronger. But I managed to defeat him in the Chamber of Secrets. My third year was a darker year, but that was the year we rescued Sirius and found out he hadn't betrayed our parents, but rather, it was a rat."
"A rat?" Buffy asked uncertainly. "How did a rat defeat our parents?"
"He was an Animagi, someone who could transform into an animal. He lied and hid, with the Weasley's, of all people, to save face. He was a Death Eater. He's back with Voldemort now; he left the night we helped Sirius escape. And my fourth year was the Triwizard Tournament. I told you about the night Voldemort returned. And last year..."
"I know," Buffy said quietly.
For a moment, neither one of them said anything.
"I think we just had our serious talk," Buffy replied, her voice louder now.
"Something is still bothering me," Harry said slowly. "What is up with both you and Percy?"
Buffy sighed slightly. "I know how he feels about me, Harry, but nothing will ever come of it." She looked slightly sad as she continued. "We just clicked right away because we've been through things no one else has. We both ran away from home when the going got rough and I..." She paused and continued. "I guess I should probably tell you about that, then, huh?"
For the next ten minutes, she told him about Angel.
"After he died, I had to get out of there. I had lost everything that meant so much to me; family, friends, him... and I had nothing left except for me."
Harry was gazing at her with a sympathetic smile and sighed. "I know exactly how you feel," he finally said. "Buffy, we're more alike than you think. It's scary how well our lives have gone together. We're both chosen to fight evil, no matter which world that evil is in. We're even more alike when you think about how we were raised. You had your ignorant parents and I had our Aunt and Uncle, who are as daft as they come. And there's that whole deal with you being marked with equal powers to your hardest foe."
"Not to mention the whole death thing," Buffy said with a sad smile. "I've already been dead and your life isn't that much safer, is it?"
"Where do we go from here?" Harry asked cautiously.
"I, for one, am done hiding," Buffy said, looking him directly in the eye. "The Council is going down. Someone is spying there and is leaking information; whoever wants me dead is going to know soon enough where I am. Now with Faith here, we can take on the Watcher's Council head-on and maybe take it down a notch or two. I am not going to leave you here to fight this fight alone. Not while I'm still breathing, and I intend to do it for a few more years. Like fifty."
"What about Faith?" Harry asked.
"Oh, she brings out the rebellion in me," Buffy said, a slight smile playing around her lips. "I'm pretty sure Faith and I can take on anything that comes in the night. I'm just worried about what this crappy Council will do once they realize their precious Slayers, who they have worked so hard to keep apart, are suddenly reunited."
"Does she know anything about Sirius?" Harry asked.
"I don't know," Buffy said with a shrug. "From what I could see, he wasn't in our dreams. I wonder if by then he'd already moved on. You did say that he got his own place and that he lived with Father for awhile."
Harry was giving her a strange look. "Say that again."
"Say what again?" Buffy asked, looking suddenly lost.
"Father," Harry said, a gentle smile curving his mouth. "You just called him Father."
"So I did," Buffy said, feeling slightly better. "I mean, he was, right? He was dear old Daddy?"
"And he always will be," Harry replied, looking at her with something in wonder. "Are you going to train then?"
Buffy nodded. "Professor Pryce is a former Watcher; he'll train Faith and I once she comes back. You'll keep doing your thing and we'll do ours, and when the time comes, Voldemort isn't going to know what's hit him. Two Potter siblings... hopefully this will come as a surprise for him."
"You never know," Harry said, feeling considerably happier.
The door opened and Professor Pryce returned, smiling.
"What's the verdict?" Buffy asked, inspecting her nails while keeping an eye on the older man as he sat down behind his desk.
"Faith is being released into your custody this evening," Professor Pryce said, handing her back the letter she'd received from Percy. "But I wish to speak with her in the morning before she returns to Grimmauld Place."
Buffy nodded. This was fine with her. "I told Percy she could sleep in his room. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
Harry was looking at her with incredulous eyes while Buffy worked hard to hide her smile. Professor Pryce looked right through her facade and gave her an untimely grin. "I will ask to train the two of you once your counterpart returns to Hogwarts. She might want to remain at her family home. Perhaps you and your brother would care to visit her."
"If I didn't have to worry about Charms and Transfigurations, I probably would," Buffy said, rubbing her temples and yawning. She stood up, stretching. "Thank you, Professor."
"Right," he said, smiling at her before turning eyes to Harry, who froze mid-stretch. "I understand that you were thinking of starting up a Practical Defense club. I suggest you start it up again."
There was a darkness in his eyes that Buffy caught and opened her mouth to ask about, except Harry cut her off. "I suppose we can always have a meeting tonight or something..."
"Good, good," Professor Pryce said, leaning back over his desk and turning his attention back to grading papers. "I'll see you both in class tomorrow. Potter and... err... Potter."
They both nodded and left the room.
Harry was feeling around in his pocket as they wandered the corridors back to Gryffindor Tower. He finally pulled out a Galleon and held it to the light. After talking very quietly to it, it turned a bright shade of red before fading away to a soft golden color.
"What was that?" Buffy asked curiously as they climbed a staircase.
"A charm on a fake Galleon," Harry replied. "It lets the other members of the D.A. know when there's a meeting. Some already knew I was planning on starting it back up again. Others, like Cho, don't."
"I'll tell her," Buffy said, as they reached the portrait hole. Harry gave the password and they walked into a packed Common Room. "I'm going off to study!" she said in departing, as she swept off to join a table of beckoning first years, all excited to work on their latest Potions essay.
"How does she tolerate them?" Ron asked incredulously as Harry joined him and Hermione. Since Harry didn't have any of his things with him, he stood up again and returned a moment later.
Buffy had also gone to her room to bring down her homework. Now at the table with Laurel Wood and her friends, Buffy was teasing the blushing eleven-year-old while the other girls teased Buffy right back.
"I think she tolerates it because of Wood," Harry muttered as he unrolled a long bit of parchment on which he'd written half of his essay on counter-charms for Professor Flitwick.
Ron suddenly yelped and pulled something out of his pocket, throwing it onto the table. It was followed by a red-hot coin dropped by a figure standing over his shoulder.
"Damnit, Hermione," a voice grunted. "You could have at least warned us how warm these Galleons would get!" Dean Thomas was feeling his bottom tenderly while Ron turned a particularly bright shade of magenta. Ginny, who was standing behind Dean, giggled.
"I finally set a date for the meeting," Harry confessed, grinning.
"Tonight, from the looks of it," Ron said, grabbing his fake Galleon tenderly and staring at it. "Eight o'clock?"
"It works," Hermione said proudly, giving Harry a bright smile. "I'm glad you've decided to have a meeting tonight. I'm almost done with all my work, and I--"
"Would you just stop?" Ron asked in irritation before glancing down at the books spread open around him. "I'd give anything to be done with this. Blimey, two feet of parchment on counter-charms. What else could he have thought up that would take more time?"
"Had you started it sooner and not procrastinated, you wouldn't be complaining," Hermione said scathingly.
"Would you two just give it a rest?" Harry groaned, covering his face with his hands. "You're almost as bad as you were last year."
"Sorry, Harry," said Hermione, and she looked genuinely so.
"Yeah, mate, sorry," Ron said in a low voice, glaring at a passage in one of the books he'd taken from the Library before turning back to his half-written essay.
Across the room, Buffy stood up, waving to her classmates as she practically skipped for the Library. She had already finished her essay on the use of amphibians in Potions making. All she really had left to do was her essay for Professor Pryce. She had an idea of how she wanted to finish it, but she needed some books from the Library first.
An hour later, her quill was scratching the parchment as she carefully paraphrased an entry from a thick, leather-bound book.
"Hi," a voice said, as Emma Vance dropped down across from her. Madam Pince looked at them reproachfully as Buffy glanced up and smiled in greeting. Pointing at Madam Pince, she leaned across, scribbling on Emma's scrap bit of parchment, Hello.
Emma made some sort of a weird gesture of sign language, which Buffy took for her asking whether or not the essay was done.
Buffy shook her head and pointed to a stack of books at her left. Her face brightening, Emma leaned over and began going through the books. Another hour passed as they both worked diligently on their essays. Buffy set her quill down, finished, and Emma glanced up at her in surprise. Ripping off a bit of scrap paper, Buffy handed it to her. It was an invitation to the D.A. meeting that night. Emma nodded and Buffy smiled, hitching her bag over her shoulder and disappearing from the Library.
On her way out, she saw Cho worked at a table with a large group of friends. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to talk to the other girl. "Hey, Cho," she said in what she hoped was a friendly tone of voice.
Cho smiled over at her and set the book she'd been reading aside. "Hello, Potter," she said.
Buffy sat down in the empty chair next to her, earning her a reproachful look from a girl with curly red hair sitting across from them. "Harry wanted me to tell you that he's reformed the D.A. and that the first meeting is tonight."
"Oh," Cho said, looking mildly surprised. "Are you going?"
"Are you kidding?" Buffy asked, a glow appearing on her face. "I can't wait to see what he's been able to come up with! I've been involved with different styles of fighting back in California!"
"That's what you were telling the class last Defense Against the Dark Arts," the redheaded girl said, leaning across the table, her face flashing with interest.
"I was just saying I knew some practical defense," Buffy replied apologetically. "That doesn't mean I'm any expert by all means."
"The way the Ministry is telling it, you're like some phyrriah," the girl said, leaning even closer. "My Mom works for the Ministry. You're starting to be a very popular discussion amongst all the heads. Even Fudge seems excited to have you on board."
"Maybe that's because I've been doing this for awhile," Buffy replied, biting her tongue. She longed to tell them all about what she really was made of, but held her silence. There would be time enough for that in the period ahead. "I'm pretty good with the older styles of fighting he mentioned, the Japanese and old English styles, I mean."
"What kind of styles can you do?" another girl at the table asked.
Madam Pince had caught the voices and was bearing down on them, looking positively hawkish.
"I basically learned self-defense," Buffy said hastily, waving her hand as though it were really nothing. "It really isn't anything impressive."
"Could you show us?" the redheaded girl asked kindly.
"Err, who are you?" Buffy asked, studying the girl quickly. "I really don't think we've met before."
"I know you by reputation only, Elizabeth-Potter-who-likes-to-be-known-as-Buffy," the girl said with a friendly smile as she offered Buffy her hand. "I'm Marietta Edgecombe. That over there is Priscilla Fawcett."
"Hi," Buffy said, smiling at the other girl and shaking Marietta's hand. "Actually, yeah, there are a lot of things I could show you if you wanted to defend yourself... I'm still pretty useless with this." She indicated the wand she had in her opposite hand as she set it on the library table and watched it roll across the wooden surface.
"I think it'd be cool to learn how to defend ourselves to, say, Slytherins," the girl named Priscilla said brusquely. "Especially when I just want to crack that Warrington across the--"
"Ladies! Ladies!" Madam Pince looked like she were about to faint at the blatant disregard of her precious library rules. "Please tone it down or I will ask you to leave!"
After she'd turned her back and walked away, Buffy leaned onto the table. "Do you guys really want to learn?" she asked, uncertainly. This is exactly what Giles had told her not to do. This is what Professor Pryce had told her not to do. But she was tired of standing back, of holding back. This was her chance to show them all that Buffy Potter wasn't just someone to glaze over. She was someone who still had a backbone and wasn't afraid to use it.
"Of course we are," Cho whispered eagerly. "Just because we use wand magic doesn't mean we have the sort of reflexes to dodge curses and the like! I wish Harry would teach us practical defense, too, but I don't think he knows what he's doing!"
"I'll tell you what," Buffy said, realizing her stomach was growling. "If you're really serious about this, meet me outside in the courtyard after dinner tomorrow, around seven. I need to go and eat something before I pass out." Rising, she waved at the Ravenclaw girls and walked out of the library, feeling even more contented.
The Great Hall was full of students wanting to enjoy a nice Sunday dinner. Harry, Ron and Hermione were at their usual spot. Buffy spotted Katie and a few of the other seventh-year Gryffindors beckoning her to join them. Buffy waved at Harry before joining Katie at their table.
"You look beat," Katie commented, piling food onto Buffy's plate cheerfully. "Homework must really be getting at you."
"I'm really not used to all of this work, and I'm taking a light load compared to the rest of you," Buffy said, poking at something with kidney beans sticking out of it. "What is this?"
"Steak-and-kidney pie," Tess replied, showing her the platter. "It's quite delicious. Try it. You've been eating nothing but seafood and potatoes since you got here."
Buffy managed to try a small bite and not completely pass out from disgust. "It's not bad," she commented, swallowing. "I guess I should probably enjoy the cooking more, huh?"
"Buffy," a voice said, as an arm nudged her ribs. She turned in annoyance to see Yasmine, who was pointing at the double doors. Buffy followed the gesture and saw that it was Percy Weasley.
Buffy groaned and looked longingly at her dinner before standing up, hoping to cut Percy off. She reached him halfway down the Gryffindor table, seized his arm, and dragged him back towards the Entrance Hall.
"Ouch," he said, finally twisting out of her grip. "That's some hold you have."
"Yeah," Buffy said, frowning slightly. "Sorry about that... what is it?"
"I just wanted to inform you and the rest of the faculty that your guest, Faith Black, will be arriving at Hogwarts at nine this evening," Percy replied, pushing his glasses higher onto the bridge of his nose. "I also wanted to tell you she'll be staying with me."
Buffy arched one eyebrow. "You're going to have to watch her, Perce... when she wants something, she's not going to hesitate going after it..."
Percy was considerably pinker when he finally found his voice again. "You may come and see her anytime after nine if you'd like."
"That's great," Buffy said, trying to sound enthusiastic. "I also have a D.A. meeting tonight too, so I might be slightly late for that."
"You might want to bring some protection with you," Percy growled. "I don't want that bat anywhere near you... like she thinks she can just rip you out of the castle again."
"She can, and she would if she had a reason to," Buffy pointed out, smirking. "She's a lot stronger than you think. I'll just have to ask Harry to accompany me. It's about time he got to meet more of the family. From what I've heard, Sirius Black was like a father to Harry. Even though Faith is, what, a half year older than he is... maybe she'll be like a... oi..."
"That's exactly what I was thinking too, Potter," Percy replied, shaking his head in disgust. "Because I would not want my brothers to be spending time around that woman and looking at her as though she were a..."
"She's like a sister to me," Buffy replied, trying to get rid of any other thoughts in her head. "The rest of it... gross, Perce!"
"You sound like Fred and George," Percy said, giving her a suspicious look.
Buffy looked charmed. "Well, thank you. I'll see you tonight." She gave him one last smile before he turned his back and walked upstairs, towards his guest room. Sighing, she was about to go back into the Great Hall when a pair of hands found their way onto her shoulders and pulled her back against a warm, solid body.
"I really hope you're not seeing him behind my back now," a soft voice hissed sweetly into her ear.
She giggled. "Of course not, you... I'm just going to his room because I've brought a friend and she's staying with him tonight."
Oliver laughed as she turned in his arms to smack him lightly across the shoulder. "You should at least warn me when you sneak up on people like that!" she said, her eyes sparkling with laughter.
"I didn't want to really show that I was spying," he said, greeting her with a large hug and resting his head on top of hers. "Where were you headed?"
"Dinner," Buffy yawned from somewhere underneath his chin. "I am so hungry, I could eat a hippogriff."
He laughed and relaxed against her. "All right, so dinner."
She took him by the hand and they walked into the Great Hall under many eyes, most of them curious. There were quite a few smiles, and even jeers from the Slytherins. Sitting down in her usual spot next to Katie, Oliver looked around before sitting next to her. "I really hope you don't mind, but I like seeing the friendly faces."
Buffy gave him a bright smile as she started dishing his favorite things onto his plate. "I hope you don't mind I'm doing this."
"Are you two married or something?" Katie asked in horror as she realized what Buffy was doing. "Oliver used to threaten turning our hands into sticks if we tried anything with his food!"
"What can I say?" Oliver asked, wrapping an arm around Buffy's shoulders before tucking in. "She knows how to handle me."
Buffy blushed slightly and her hand shook as she took a deep drink from her goblet. He stared at her for a moment when he caught her incredulous look. "Could you really not advertise everything we do?" she asked, barely moving her lips.
He laughed again, resting his head against hers as he ate heartily. Once they had finished, they stood up at the exact same moment, nearly bumping heads.
"I am such a klutz," Buffy moaned as she put her hand on his forehead where she'd barely collided with it. "Are you all right?"
"I should probably think about collision insurance," he teased, taking her by the hand so she could step over the bench without falling flat on her face. "But I'm good, yes, thank you for asking."
He didn't release her hand as she reached down and pulled her book bag back over her shoulder. "I'll be late tonight," she told Katie as she turned away.
"Right," Katie said with a saucy wink and a sharp giggle as Buffy hurried away.
"I don't even want to know what the rumors about us are," Buffy muttered under her breath as she noticed the look on Harry's face as they passed.
"I've heard one or two good ones," Oliver assured her as they stopped at the base of the stairs at the Entrance Hall. As she turned to face him, his hand caught a lock of her hair and he gently pushed it behind her ear. "They were no good though. Basically all hype on love spells and enchantments... but I can see that any idiot would be blind not to see what I do."
She turned slightly pink again. "Oliver..." she said, rolling her eyes and dropping her gaze.
His hand reached out and touched her chin, raising her gaze to meet his. "I really mean it," he said softly. "I know we've only known each other a few months, but... it's been the most incredible ride so far."
"It'll get better," she said with a smile. "It has to. We haven't gotten to the good parts yet."
It was Oliver's turn for a startled expression, breaking their sweet moment as he turned away, choking. Buffy giggled and raised her hand to his face. "You are so adorable when you're blushing, do you know that?"
"Do you realize that half of the Great Hall is listening to what we're saying?" Oliver challenged her back.
"It's something they can actually get right for a change," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck, drawing his face closer to hers.
After a few moments, they broke apart, breathing heavily.
"Well," Oliver said, taking a step back. "I'm going back to my room..."
"I have the D.A. in about half an hour," Buffy replied, taking him by the arm. "I'm supposed to meet Percy in his room after nine... I'd really like it if you were there, too. I want you to meet Faith, really meet her. She's not a bad person, Oli. I'll probably ask Harry to come too, since he needs to meet people from my past."
"I'd like that," he said, hugging her tightly as the door opened and a few younger Ravenclaw stepped out, completely unaccustomed to seeing two people hugging on the stairs.
"Me too," she replied, raising her face to his, her lips catching his as unexpectedly.
There was a snort of laughter from behind them, a gasp and a voice saying, "Oh, no!"
Buffy broke the kiss and turned, grinning sheepishly at her younger brother and his two best friends.
"I'll see you later, Potter," Oliver said, grinning at her and touching her arm before he disappeared up the stairs, moving two at a time.
"Ahem," Buffy said, smoothing her robes. "There really was nothing to see back there, was there?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing," Ron said, his eyes wide. "Nothing at all..." But under his breath, Buffy could have sworn she heard him mutter, "Fred and George are going to kill him!"
They reached the Gryffindor Common Room so that Harry could fetch his map and the rest could dump their books. Buffy returned a few moments later looking even more composed with a weird smirk on her face. They left at a quarter to eight and reached the Room of Requirements with no problems.
As soon as they were inside, Buffy spent the first five minutes checking out the room. It would be a perfect training area, she realized. She would have to inform Professor Pryce.
She soon joined Hermione on the floor with Harry's map in her hands. It was the first time she'd really gotten a good look at it. There were dots with names above them moving along different corridors and passages throughout the castle.
The door opened and Buffy set the map aside. Harry spotted it, muttered "Mischief managed!" and turned to greet his friends Dean, Seamus, Ginny and Neville, who all arrived together, looking excited.
"I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever restart this, mate," Seamus said, glancing eagerly around the room. "Ever since Umbridge found out about it, I've wanted to come back here."
"I know how you feel," Harry said darkly as he checked his watch. In the next ten minutes, everyone arrived, including some people Harry was clearly not expecting to see. Like Emma Vance and Tess Austin, who arrived with Katie Bell. Cho brought a few more friends along, including Priscilla Fawcett, a very pretty seventh year.
"Right," Harry said, jumping to his feet, Hermione beside him. "We've decided to reform the D.A. since Dumbledore said we could! So... we'll be passing along a sign-up sheet." Hermione's gaze was apologetic as her eyes found Marietta's. In truth, she was stunned the Ravenclaw girl would return to the D.A., but Buffy must've said something to her, because Marietta really looked as though she wanted to be there.
There was a period of about ten minutes while everyone signed their name. Hermione handed out the rest of her charmed coins and Buffy grinned as she slipped her very own fake Galleon into her pocket.
Harry then spent the rest of the lesson watching them review the spells from the previous year. Soon, shouts of "Expelliarmus!" were ringing throughout the room. Buffy paired herself with Emma Vance, who looked like she had never used the spell before and was unwilling to jinx someone like her.
After a half hour of practicing that spell, Harry gave them something else to work on. Buffy grinned as she found how it resembled an old game she'd used to play in California, dodgeball. But this was unlike any dodge ball she'd ever seen. She eagerly got to her half of the room and lifted an arm.
Cries of the disarming spell, as well as "Impedimenta!" rang throughout the room, along with many peals of laughter as people on the opposing team got blasted off their feet and had to go and wait near Harry, who was refereeing the match.
Buffy found that her reflexes were quite useful as she managed to dodge several disarming spells. Emma wasn't so lucky and was blasted against a bookcase the very first volley. Grumbling, she stood and joined both Hermione and Harry near the door.
The game lasted for only ten minutes, but Buffy was surprised to find out she was one of the last people still standing at the end of the match. Buffy was soon hit by Ginny Weasley and joined her roommates over at the door. Ginny was now alone at her end, facing a Hufflepuff Buffy didn't know. Harry soon announced it was a stalemate and that their first D.A. lesson of the term was over.
Buffy was relieved, rubbing her backside slightly as she left with Emma, Tess and Katie. "I don't know about you, but all that rolling kind of hurt," she said with a pout.
"Tell me about it," said Katie, who was flexing her fingers after her own roll, which really hadn't mattered, since she'd gotten hit with an Impedimenta jinx the instant she'd stood up by another Hufflepuff, one Tess had called Zacharias Smith.
"At least you're getting to meet new people," Tess said, smirking at her new friend. "That is, if you're not too busy snogging in the Entrance Hall..."
Buffy gasped in indignation, but she didn't follow them. After calling goodbye, she waited until Harry left a few minutes later with both Ron and Hermione. Taking Harry by the arm and excusing them both, she pulled them around the corner.
"I need a favor from you," she said bluntly.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"Could you come to Percy's room with me? Faith's supposed to be there now, and I told him you might be coming..."
"Is Wood going to be there?" Harry asked.
Buffy nodded. Harry sighed. "All right, let's go."
The walk took less than five minutes. They stood for yet another five knocking on the portrait before Percy finally opened the door, looking a bit red in the face. His glasses were askew.
Buffy walked inside to find Oliver already there, an uncharacteristically dark look on his face. A female was sitting in front of the fire, staring at it with dull, dark eyes.
"Faith," Buffy said, moving to sit next to the other Slayer.
"Hey, B," Faith said in her lifeless voice. "Miss me?"
"Always."
This pulled Faith out of her reverie. She turned to Buffy and gave her a long look. "Oh, Buffy... I don't know."
Buffy wrapped an arm around her shoulders, using the other to beckon Harry forward. "How are you feeling? Hungry? Thirsty?"
"They didn't exactly feed me, since I was their prisoner," Faith said, grimacing as her stomach rumbled. "I could do with a bit of food."
Percy immediately sprang to his feet. "I'll go down to the Kitchens."
Buffy could tell Harry was tempted to go with him, but Oliver peeled himself off the wall to accompany the elder Weasley boy.
"Now, let's settle this like reasonable adults," Buffy suggested.
"I'm going to Grimmauld Place in the morning," Faith said quietly.
"I know you are," Buffy said, as Harry sat down on the other side of her, looking slightly uneasy.
Fifteen minutes passed when Percy and Oliver returned. Percy gently set down a tea tray while Oliver set down an armload of ham dinner and roast potatoes. "Help yourself," Oliver said, giving Faith a gentle smile. Faith looked at him and then at the plate.
"Gourmet cooking," she said, blinking. "You really cannot go wrong there."
"No, you can't," Percy said cheerfully.
It was nearly ten thirty when Harry left. He'd spent nearly an hour in conversation with the other girl, and he was beginning to relax around her. Buffy looked as though she wanted to stay a bit longer, although Percy looked exhausted and kept dropping hints that he wanted to go to sleep.
Buffy waited until Faith had fallen asleep before turning to Percy, who was wearing a pair of striped pajamas. "Go to bed," she said, walking over and hugging him. "Thank you for doing this for me."
He just yawned and turned away. "Good night, Potter."
Oliver was waiting for her by his door. He took her hand as they walked out together.
"That was interesting," Oliver commented as she stopped next to him, her hand cupped over her mouth to stifle a yawn.
"Indeed," she said, adopting Professor Snape's signature word. "I don't know if I can even see straight anymore."
Oliver had stopped walking. They had reached his room. Even after their conversation the night before, she stared longingly at the door he was opening. "Do you mind if I... come in?" she asked in a quiet voice.
"Are you certain?" he asked, giving her a strange look. She nodded.
"I haven't seen it yet," she said, smiling tiredly at him. "Besides..."
He took her by her hand and pulled her into the room. A fire was crackling serenely in the corner. It was smaller than Percy's room. There were a few pieces of furniture and a large bed on one side, with a small table, chair and a rug near the fireplace. Buffy eyed the rug as she dropped down onto the floor.
"Are you sure about this?" he asked her, sitting down beside her.
"Mmmmm," she said, stretching her feet towards the fire. "I don't think I've been any more certain." She bent down and began undoing her boots. He watched her silently. "Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?"
"Of course not," he said, leaning over and gently pulling her boots away from the fireplace and onto the cool stone floor. He rose and walked to his bed, pulling off the blanket folded neatly at the base. Taking the pillows from the chair next to the bed, he returned to her side. She had pulled off her cloak and blouse, leaving underneath a plain tank top and her long trousers. Wrapping the blanket around her shoulders, he began rubbing them. "Is that better?"
"Much," she said, her face half-hidden in the shadows of the flickering light around them. Before he could pull away, her hand reached out and pulled his head closer, her lips touching his. For a moment, she couldn't think of anything else as the kiss deepened. Pulling away finally, she gave him a bright smile. "Good night, you."
It was sometime in the middle of the night when she woke up again. It was very cold on the floor in front of a darkened fireplace. Getting to her feet, she glanced around the room and spied a tiny hint of light from an oil lamp in the corner of the room. Running across the cold floor, she reached the bed and peered at it, grinning. He was sleeping on one edge of it, looking absolutely adorable to her. Feeling her heart warm despite how cold she truly felt, she pulled back the covers on the other half and slipped into his bed. It was much warmer here, she realized, throwing her blanket across the top.
He stirred, his eyes fluttering open. He saw her staring at him, smiling and sighed. He reached out to touch her hand. It was very cold. Without invitation, she moved closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She rested her head on the crook of his arm and closed her eyes, feeling a lot happier now. And Oliver was much warmer than that frigid floor.
"Good night," she whispered, closing her eyes again.
She needn't have bothered. He was already sound asleep.
x.0.x.0.x
Chapter 36... more of a montage...
Chapter 37... the Council takes a hit.
To the Readers / Reviewers:
Ta-da! The story is coming around full circle, finally!
I decided to have Faith become Sirius' sister instead of his niece or daughter because, well... more plot points.
DarkAngelMali -- You might like soft Draco... but softie Draco ALWAYS has a hidden agenda.. he's my favourite ticking time bomb!
Emba -- Draco, a crush on our Buffy? Really? Oh, I could REALLY twist this...
Neville James -- Howdy! I'm glad you're enjoying it. I hope you're also seeing that as the chapters continue on (and on and on some more), Buffy's not as weak as she once was. And Buffy will eventually ask Dumbledore about Willow's form of magic (keeping in mind that Willow's magic has only been able to float pencils and restore souls thusfar) when she sees someone else do it. Probably within a few chapters or so!
Kel-- Yay! I hope you had a good vacation! :) And I hope this Oliverness is in good supply for you. And a Buffy/Draco fic? I'll have to add that to my list of things to think about! It'd definitely be a fun read.
Lady Mione -- I feel like a game show host, "But, wait! There's more!" Yes, there are more surprises and loops along the way. I didn't mean for them to happen, but they just sort of did.
StarBella -- Awww, I'm sorry! I had to go dark to tell her story, because I had to make the point that she's trying to be a better person because she's had a rough life. It won't be depressing anymore, because Faith is going "home" for the first time in her life. And she has a great friend. Not to mention she gets to annoy "Peter" Weasley. I know the layout was confusing, but I figured it best. A lot of it could have been done in italics, but it seemed like overkill.
PrecariousPersonata -- I don't know if I should be thankful or not, since dark chapters can sometimes be SO NOT fun. I really think Buffy will stay by her. In canon, Faith went all inhumane and weird... which I got, because her character was dark. I can imagine that happening with a past like this, so I wrote one for her. Percy will get better, as you'll see. He's just concerned for his Buffy. Err, his friend, Buffy. And the Minister KNOWS who she is now. He knows what having two Slayers in the same country means. He's not holding a grudge, he's more concerned now. Or he'll appear to be. I hope. To answer your questions, yes, Buffy and Faith will sort of show down, but it won't be until closer to the end. They'll get their chance to Slay once the Council goes down. Harry'll get his chance to see them both in action. And, Faith will leave. A choice has to be made, and she will decide to leave. I can't tell you how it comes to that yet, since there is still a bit of story to go, but I can tell you, she will leave her brother until the war is over. Even if she never sees him again. This is something I've fought for in this story, and so far, it seems on par. Besides, it'd be so cliche for Faith to stay and attend a year at Hogwarts with Harry. I'm making it so that she's only a few months older than him. Like... she's a week younger than Ron. That'll work. I know I have to update, and in order for that to happen, I need time to write the updates. Stupid work. Stupid planning. Stupid! I hope you don't mind this long note, but it's to thank you for your long review! Lastly, I know that Faith leaving her brother behind seems like a really stupid thing to do, but in context, it'll be one of the best decisions she's ever made... dun dun
Norwegianne -- Thank you :) It's great fun working with a cliche piece!
Des Felidra -- It took me forever to find a starting point to this story. I finally decided on the episode "Helpless" because it fueled the rage. I also wanted to have a nice, decent, non-killer-ly Faith, so I went with it. As for bringing Sirius back, I'm borrowing a page from Willow's book. That's all I'm going to say on the topic. And I can't say that it'll ALL be as fun as what J.K. did, and she's like this idol of mine who makes MAGIC with her words, literally. As for writing faster, I've got far too much going on to sit down and pace write anymore. I really REALLY want to finish this before October 9, though.
BlackCat200 -- Thank you :) And the wedding would be miiiine. Sort of. It's just way too much like work planning the durned thing.
Goddessa39 -- I always believed Faith and Buffy should have been closer. This is their chance. I read that "Bicycle" story and I couldn't stop until I finished it. Faith is only going to be in the story through Chapter 50, or close to it. And then she's returning to California. She'll be in the Black family home, having the time of her life renovating (we can't have her be all bored with Buffy in school now, can we?). There's a reason why she'll go back, yadda yadda. I think you already have the more comprehensive list of BA crossovers and BA fics to date (which I thank you for, since I'm giving long hours at work at reading pleasure).
Laen-- The vengeance demons were sort of a joke... so that's that, really. As for Harry and Hermione, I feel like I'm walking on broken glass with them. It's humorous, really. I read one story with them as a couple and I wanted to do my own.
DarkAngelMali -- I guess we share the same birthday, then... which is awesome! I don't know a lot of people born on that day! So, happy belated birthday! As for Sirius's return... I can see it being funny with the two of them. The whole, "who are you?" scenario comes to mind! I don't think he could hate her. I think he'd be sorry that he never met her and he'd feel responsible that he couldn't have taken her out of a really really bad situation when she was just a baby... but I can see Faith being happy about him just being there now. I don't know. I haven't really explored that part yet. I suppose what happens just happens... and it happens a few chapters beyond what I have written. Hee. You get TWO notes.
Okay. Long long chapters coming up. I think Chapter 37 will end up being the longest one yet. I haven't finished writing it, but it's around 26 pages now. I have a few rewrites to do, and then it's going to Grace.
I feel like this story is coming to an end, but really, it isn't. There's a lot more story left to tell. We're at the first week of November, I think, finally. Christmas IS Chapter 40. And although I plan to end this at 50, just so I can take a hiatus, I'm not really sure I will now. I might just continue on, or else I might start something else. The next part may be fifty chapters, too. You never know. I talk a lot. I write even more. So I'm kind of sketchy on the whole "sequel" idea and am instead thinking MAYBE this could be an even longer story. Like 75 chapters or something. Who knows? Not I. All I know is that there won't be any updates for around two weeks.
Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you! The next update will be on Monday, or maybe even Sunday, since Monday is my holiday.
And now, damnit, I'm getting ideas for another fic... but, darnit... can't start it yet. I have to make these ideas stop!