Blood Ties
Part 2
Rating, summary and such are same as before... too lazy to repeat that again... and throw me a donut! Donut donut donut! (..crazy lazy mode again..)
Note 1: Big thank you for Joahn beta reading the story. Can't do this without you:)
Note 2: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. As for the pairing, there may be a bit of Willow/Harry and Willow/Draco... it's all depending how's the final editing go, but relationship between Willow and Harry and Draco will definitely be part of the story. The rest? U'll 've to guest for now cos I'm evil... hehe... ;p
"Where are Xander and Buffy, by the way?" Harry asked as he followed Ron and Hermione into the crowded Hogwarts Express.
"They are going straight to the station from Buffy's." Hermione explained, pointing at front. "There."
Harry followed her line of sight, and found Buffy standing outside a car, waving at them. The trio quickly walked towards Buffy. "Buffy!"
"Harry." The friends exchanged hugs, before entering the car. Harry stopped when he saw a man covered with a blanket was sleeping at the corner. "Sorry." Xander, who was sitting next to stranger, said. "Other cars are full." Harry shrugged, before putting his suitcase on the luggage rack over the chair and sat beside Xander.
"Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron asked as he took the seat opposite to the sleeping man.
"Professor R. J. Lupin." Hermione answered, sitting next to Ron.
"How come you know everything?" Xander frowned, looking at Buffy who sat beside Hermione. "How come she knows everything?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's on his case." Xander looked up, and found name 'Professor R. J. Lupin' printed across the case above his head.
"Oh."
Harry eyed the professor for a second. "Do you think he's really asleep?"
"Seems to be. Why?" Buffy asked.
"I've got to tell you something." Harry stood, and quickly closed the door of the car.
Willow blinked and rubbed her eyes when she heard someone calling her. She turned, and found Professor Minerva McGonagall standing there. "Time to wake up. The students will arrive in an hour."
"Yes Professor." Willow said, sitting up from the bed. She looked around and frowned, confused that she was in her room when the last thing she remembered was going out looking for Hagrid. "Um..."
"Hagrid found you falling asleep near the lake." Professor McGonagall explained.
"The lake?" Willow blinked. "Oh right. The lake. I-I was going for a walk, with all the water and sun and..." She paused. "I'm not in trouble, am I?"
The transfiguration professor smiled warmly at her. "No. But you've got to be careful, Ms. Slytherin. Even though Hogwarts is considered to be one of the safest places in the wizarding world, you still have to be caution, especially now that the Ministry is in high alert."
The youngster looked down at her hands. "Is that why Dumbledore didn't let me take the Hogwarts Express with other students?" She whispered. "The Minister doesn't want me leave Hogwarts ground?"
Professor McGonagall blinked, surprised by Willow's questions. "Ms. Slytherin, I assure you, it is for your own welfare that you stay in Hogwarts." Willow nodded quietly, but said nothing. "Now, have you packed your books and clothes?"
"Yes Professor."
"Good. I'll fetch the house elves to bring them to your dormitory then."
"Thank you Professor." Willow watched Professor McGonagall left, before lying back on the bed, staring at the ceiling sadly.
"Let me get this straight." Ron frowned. "Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban to come after you?"
"Yeah." Harry sighed.
"But they would catch Black, wouldn't they?" Hermione asked. "I mean, everyone's looking for him."
"Sure, except no one had escaped from Azkaban before, and he's a murderous raving maniac-"
"RON!" Buffy warned, before turning towards Xander who had been keeping quiet for all these time.
"What?" Ron frowned. "Don't tell me you think he isn't-"
"He is." Xander said angrily. "Just like my father."
"Xander..."
"Isn't he? I mean, my dad's a murderer, it only make sense that he is one. Hey! May be this time he will try to kill me too! Since my mum's a muggle and I'm a half-blood! I just wish they wouldn't only catch him this time. I wish they'd shoot him like a dog!" Xander shouted before standing up and stormed out of the car.
Buffy turned towards Ron and hit him from the back of his head. "Look what you've done!"
"What? What did I say?"
"Serious Black-"
"Sirius." Hermione corrected.
"Sirius, okay?" Buffy glared at Hermione before turning towards Ron. "He's Xander's uncle Ron. He's his dad's elder brother. They served together in Azkaban." The blond hissed before opening the door of the car and ran after Xander.
Ron, Hermione and Harry exchanged glance. "I shouldn't have corrected Buffy, should I?" Hermione asked quietly. The trio turned towards the door where their friends had disappeared, starring it quietly.
"Xander, c'mon!" Buffy banged on the washroom door Xander had just stomped in. "I know you're in there! Don't make me kick down the door!" She shouted, banging on the door again, ignoring the looks she was getting from other students. Finally, the door was unlocked. Buffy pushed it opened, and found Xander standing there, looking down at the floor. "Xander?"
"I'm fine." Xander said, wiping his eyes with the collar of his robe. "It just hard... knowing that you don't only have a murder as a father but also your uncle... and he wants to kill your friend?" He whispered. "I don't want to become one of them."
"I know." Buffy replied softly. "And you won't. I mean, you aren't even a Black. You're a Harris." The blonde witch smiled. "And Alexander Regulus Harris is the bravest and most loyal person I've ever met. He is my best-best bud and I'm damn proud of it."
Xander smiled a bit. "You're my best-best bud too." The two friends exchanged hugs.
"C'mon. The others are worried." Buffy said, taking Xander's hand and started pulling him back towards the car their other friends were.
Xander looked down at their connected hands and blushed, smiling shying as he followed Buffy back to their car.
"It's going to rain..." Hermione commanded, watching the sky covered by thick dark clouds with Harry and Ron. The trio turned when the door of the car opened and Xander and Buffy stepped inside.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know..."
"It's okay." Xander nodded at Ron before sitting in between Harry and the sleeping professor.
The five Gryffindor sat at their seat, looking at each other, awakened. "Hey, have you seen Willow?" Harry asked, breaking the silence. The other four looked at each other and shrugged. "Just wondering."
Suddenly, the train jerked violently. Ron, Hermione and Buffy almost got thrown out from their seats towards Xander, Harry and the sleeping professor. "Is he still sleeping?" Buffy frowned at the professor as she stood up slowly, being dropped onto the floor after the unexpected halt of the train. "What is he? Sleeping beauty?"
"Why are we stopping?" Hermione frowned. "We can't be there yet."
Harry stood and looked into the corridor, and found other students were peeking out from their cars too, wondering what was happening.
The train jolted, causing Harry to drop back into his seat and the door of the car slapped close again. "Don't know. May be it has broken down?" He asked. As if answering Harry's question, the lights started blinking and at the end, all the lights on the train went off, leaving only a slightly light coming from the clouds covered sky.
"Ouch! That's my foot you're stepping on." Hermione complained as Ron stood up.
"Sorry." Ron gambled and pressed his hands against the window, trying to get a clear look of the outside. He narrowed his eyes when he saw a shadow passing through in the dark. "I-I think there's something moving out there..." He said nervously.
Xander swallowed hard as he pinned his eyes on the window. "I think I saw something too..."
Suddenly, the train jolted again. The gang looked at each other nervously. "What the..." Buffy pointed at the window. Ron's hands shot back as a thin ice formed outside the window. The temperature in the car dropped dramatically, sending shiver into each of them.
The train jolted again. "Bloody hell!" Ron cursed. "What's going on?"
Harry blinked and turned towards the door. Same as the window outside, thin ice formed at the glass on the door, and they watched a huge shadow moving closer and closer towards the door. Buffy quickly moved back, pushing Hermione into Ron, trying to keep away from the door as far as possible.
Slowly, the door slid opened, revealing a cloaked figure behind it. The figure was so tall that its head reached the ceiling, its face hid totally behind the hood, its figures long and slimy like skeleton.
The whole car was in dead silence. The figure slowly turned towards Buffy, Hermione and Ron, studying them for a second, before turning towards Harry and Xander. It stopped when it saw Harry, and slowly, it drew a long slow breath. Air around sucked towards the figure, and the last thing Harry remembered was a bright light shinning from behind, and a woman's desperate screams echoed in his ears.
Willow stood at the entrance of the castle, starring, waiting for the stagecoaches to bring the students back to Hogwarts. The redhead felt hair on the back of her neck suddenly stand, and the air around her became freezing. She looked around, and found a figure that covered with a dark heavy cloak floating towards her. "Dementors..." She whispered, remembering Dumbledore's warning just couple of days ago. They were to be guests at Hogwarts, guarding the school until at least the end of terms - unless the escaped prisoner from Azkaban had been caught.
The redhead blinked as the Dementor getting closer and closer, the unknown sadness and anger stirred inside of her in waves. Unconsciously, her eyes turned black, and the girl took a step towards it.
The Dementor stopped, seemly surprised by Willow's action. Willow took another step forward, her small hands tightened into fists with energy dancing around. The Dementor moved back a little, before spinning around and floated away.
"Ms Slytherin." The redhead almost jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned, and found Professor McGonagall standing there. "What are you looking at?" She asked curiously, looking at the direction where Willow had been staring.
"Nothing." Willow shook her head, answering just a bit too quickly.
Professor McGonagall frowned, confused, but didn't push. "Well, off you go then. You can wait for your friends in the Great Hall."
"Yes Professor." Willow nodded and quickly left for the Great Hall. The transfiguration professor watched as the redhead walked away, before turning her attention towards the gate, waiting for the students' arrival.