Blood Ties
Part 22
Rating, summary and such are same as before.
Note 1: Sorry it took so long to update... again. This semester is super busy and with other stuff I've been working on Blood Ties didn't get as much time as I would like. Plus, I've been re-planning and writing parts of the ending of Blood Ties, including this one... so the update will probably be a lot slower these couple of months. Anyways, Tell me what you think?
Note 2: Thx JOAHN for beta-reading the story!
Harry pushed himself up from the floor, and Professor Lupin didn't bother to explain to the young wizard that he had passed out as the professor offered him chocolate. He smiled softly when he saw the disappointment on Harry's face. "You're expecting too much from yourself, Harry." He offered kindly.
"But I still cannot hold back the Boggart... I still pass out. What if it happens again in the match?"
"Harry, this is only the second week. For a thirteen-year-old wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a huge achievement. Believe me." Harry stared at the professor and sighed. "Are you ready to try it again?" The professor held his hand towards Harry.
Harry, without a second thought, accepted the hand from the professor and stood. He held his wand tightly; resolve once again appeared on his young face. "I'm ready."
"Professor Dumbledore!" Willow jumped out from her bed and ran towards her guidance as he stepped into her room. "Professor! I can't miss classes! I can't-"
"Willow." The headmaster slowly led the youngster towards the bed and sat down, indicated the redhead to do the same. "How are you?" He asked as Willow sat down beside him.
Willow couldn't help but gave the headmaster a dirty look. "Professor, you're about to tell me that I'm not allowed to go to class. What do you think?" She said, resentment written all over her face.
Professor Dumbledore sighed. "This is out of my hands, Willow. There are too many other students to consider. The Minister had refused to budge on the subject, saying that as long as you are in Hogwarts other students will be in grave danger."
Willow studied the face of the headmaster, noticing for the first time just how tired the headmaster had looked, and couldn't help but feeling a bit guilty about the tone she had used earlier. "What... what's going to happen?"
"Tomorrow someone from the Ministry shall come by and take you to the Malfoy's mansion." Professor Dumbledore answered. "Mr. Malfoy had insisted you stay with him, at least until the Ministry has caught the attacker and see fit to let you come back to Hogwarts."
"But what if... what if they never catch that guy?"
The headmaster did not answer, but watching sadly as the redhead covered her face with her hands and started sobbing quietly.
Harry was dragging his tired body towards the Gryffindor dormitory when he heard soft sobbing echoing in the air. Out of curiosity, he followed the sound, and found himself standing in front of the girl's lavatory.
"Hello?" Harry knocked on the door and waited. When he got no response, the Gryffindor slowly pushed open the door and peeked inside. At the corner of the lavatory, a familiar figure curved up into a ball as its hands holding its legs tightly. "Buffy?"
Buffy looked up, and quickly dried the tears on her cheeks with her sleeve. "Harry?"
"Are you alright?" Harry asked attentively as he kneeled beside his friend. "I heard about your birth father-"
"He is not my anything." Buffy hissed before jumping up and stormed towards the exit. Harry quickly followed and reached for Buffy's arm, pulling her back. Buffy spun, staring at Harry as tears fell again. "He is not." She whispered, before moving forward and hugged Harry tightly.
Harry blinked for a moment as he found Buffy's head burred into his shoulder, sobbing. Slowly, he put his arms around his friend, giving the young blond some comfort as she wept out her sorrow.
Xander and Ron were heading back towards the Gryffindor dormitory from detention when they saw Harry walking towards the same direction not far ahead from them. "Ha-" But before Ron could call out, Harry turned around the corner towards the opposite direction from the dormitory. "Where's he going?"
"Don't know." Xander answered and quickly ran after Harry. Not long after, he found himself standing in front of the girl's lavatory; soft whispers could be heard from where he was standing, but the black haired boy could not make out the words.
Curiosity had gotten the better of the black haired Gryffindor. He pushed opened the door and peeked, just in time to see Buffy falling into Harry's arms. He stared at them for a moment, before taking a step back and let the door closed quietly.
Ron finally caught up with Xander. "Hey where's-"
"Let's go." Xander ordered as he started pulling the confused redhead back towards the dormitory.
Willow sat at the edge of the bed, her head dropped as warm sun shinning through the window hit her; an air of desperation surrounded he young redhead, and Buffy the house-elf could do nothing but watching quietly as her master crying her eyes out for whole night.
After a moment, Willow dried her tears and looked up at her house-elf. "You better go. They will be here soon."
The house-elf nodded, her small hand touching the redhead's shoulder softly, offering the young girl a small comfort that the wizarding world seemed to be lack of before disappeared with a flash.
Just as Buffy had disappeared, the portrait hole opened. Willow turned towards the entrance, and found Professor Dumbledore entering with Mr. Shacklebolt and another man that she could not recognize. The man was around forty years old, with curly gray hair and slight beard, wearing a simple black Oxford shirt, jeans, and deep brown leather jacket. Willow shuddered under the man's chilly gaze, even though his eyes were hidden behind his black sun glasses.
"Miss Slytherin." Willow turned towards Mr. Shacklebolt. "This is Mr. Daniel Holtz from the Ministry of Magic." He introduced. "He will accompany us to Malfoy Mansion."
"Mr. Holtz." Willow greeted Holtz, but the man did not bother to answer.
Mr. Shacklebolt cleared his throat when he saw the discomfort on the redhead's face. "Come, Miss Slytherin. The Ministry has already set up a portkey."
Willow nodded, and turned towards her phoenix. "Bennu." She ordered, and the phoenix flew towards her and landed onto the redhead's shoulder.
"The bird will be traveling alone." Holtz suddenly voiced. Dumbledore, Shacklebolt and Willow all turned towards him. "Or, if you wish, to be transported to the Mansion along with the luggage. Also, I will have to ask you to hand in your wand before we leave."
"Mr. Holtz, I hardly think it is necessary-"
"The Minister has seen fit to ask me to be in charge of this transportation," Holtz interrupted Mr. Shacklebolt coldly. "And so this will be done in my way, my terms." He then turned towards Willow. "I do not see how you will need your wand, since underage witches and wizards are forbidden to do magic outside school. Your phoenix shall wait for you at Malfoy Mansion."
Willow turned towards Dumbledore, hoping to receive some support from the headmaster. When she found Dumbledore wasn't even looking at her, instead staring at Holtz, she sighed and handed her wand to Holtz, before ordering Bennu to wait for her at the Malfoy Mansion.
Holtz took Willow's wand and put it inside the hidden pocket of his leather jacket, before pulling out a small pocket watch and put it on the floor. Willow turned towards Dumbledore. "Goodbye Professor."
The professor finally snapped out from his attention towards Holtz and turned towards the young redhead. "I will see you soon, Willow." He smiled warmly, even though Willow could feel some unsettling feeling coming from the headmaster.
"Miss Slytherin." Mr. Shacklebolt called. Willow turned back towards the Auror and nodded. "On three. One. Two. Three." Willow, Shacklebolt and Holtz touched the watch at the same time, and disappeared in a flash of light.
Willow stumbled forward a bit as her legs finally touched something solid. Looking around, she found herself standing in a small courtyard, instead of the Malfoy Mansion where she had spent her first summer since she found out about the wizarding world. "Where-" She halted when she saw Mr. Shacklebolt lying on the ground, unmoving. "Mr. Shacklebolt!" She shouted, trying to reach for the Auror when another figure stepped in front of her. "Mr. Holtz! Mr-"
"Mr. Shacklebolt will be fine. A bit of headache later, maybe." Holtz smirked, causing Willow to take a step back. "He will wake up soon... well, soon enough for me, not soon enough for you."
"W-what's going on? Where am I?"
Holtz ignored Willow's as he slowly took off his sun-glasses. "Do you know how many years I have been searching for you? How many years I have been waiting for this day? When your father was defeated by the boy-who-lived, I was so angry, angry that God let a boy to kill him before me. But fate is a funny thing: I found out your dearest mother had disappeared... and it was then I knew, I knew God had given me a new assignment... you."
Realization hit the redhead as she took another step back. "You're the one who attacked me before."
"Aren't you the smart one?" Holtz grinned and started moving towards the redhead. Willow turned around, trying to run away, but the older man grabbed her hair and pulled her back roughly. "Hey now, how are we going to have our big grand finale if the main character is not here?"
"Let me go!" Willow screamed, struggling against the man. "You freak! Let me go!"
Holtz laughed and let go of Willow, causing the redhead to stumbled onto the ground. "A child who shares the blood of monster, who does magic with nothing but thoughts... and you're calling me a freak?" Willow rolled onto her back, staring at the man fearfully. "Oh yes. I know all about you, Willow Vodforme Slytherin. For two years I have been studying you, waiting for the right moment..." He smirked. "'Whoever sheds man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God He made man.'(1) And today, you shall shed your blood for your sin... freak."
(1) From Bible - Genesis 9:6