Blood Ties
Part 24
Rating, summary and such are same as before.

Note: Big thank you to Joahn for beta-reading and making sure the story won't go to heck:)

...

"What have I done..."

Dawn stopped, staring at Xander's back as he sat at the edge of the lake outside the castle. She had watched the Gryffindor ran out of the Grant Hall, and against her better judgment, she decided to follow him.

"I could have killed him..."

"You didn't." Xander turned and jumped onto his feet, somehow surprised it was a Slytherin who was now beside him. "Besides, everyone wants to hurt Malfoy... except Pansy, maybe."

"You don't understand! You're a Slytherin-"

"Slytherins aren't like this, Slytherins won't understand that." Dawn rolled her eyes and snorted. "What's not to understand? You're scared, because you are afraid that you will become your father, aren't you? Using magic to kill people." Dawn continued before he could shout at her again. "Just because your father used an unforgivable spell to murder people and got himself into Azkaban doesn't mean you're a criminal too. Besides, tell me something: would you feel better if you hit him with your fist instead of using magic? Would you still be this scared, even if you hit him hard enough to break his teeth or split his lip?"

Xander opened and closed his mouth couple of times. "Probably not." He admitted.

"There you go. Besides, I'm sure Madam Pomfrey's gonna fix him up in no time, and we're all gonna have to see his ugly face again."

The black haired boy looked at Dawn with disbelieve. "You don't like him? But... he's a Slytherin!"

"So? There are no rules saying that I have to like him just because we share the same house. Honestly, Harris, please don't see me as one of them. This is totally an insult."

"But you guys are evil!"

"Again, with the insult. Not all Slytherins are Malfoy wannabes. You simply don't know us because we don't go out and look for trouble. I mean, if you label us as evil 'cos we have a Malfoy in our house, shouldn't Gryffindors be labeled as troublemakers?"

"Hey!"

"Hey what? Everyone knows that you guys are trouble makers."

"This is not fair! It's not like Harry goes out and looks for trouble."

"I didn't say Potter." The brunette raised an eyebrow. "And now you know how we felt."

"Still..."

"Dawn!"

Dawn and Xander turned around, and found a redhead standing at the entrance of the castle, waving at them. "Ginny?"

"Crap! I totally forgot!" Dawn jumped onto her feet. "We were supposed to meet after breakfast."

"You two are friends?"

"What? Only Willow can be friends with Gryffindors?" Dawn, for the second time, rolled her eyes at Xander. She walked towards her friend, but halted and turned around. "I know you don't like Willow..." Xander opened his month, but stopped as he knew she was telling the truth. "But if there's only one in this world who can understand how you feel... that would be her. Think about it?" She flashed Xander a smile before joggling away, leaving the black haired boy with his thoughts.

...

Harry walked down the corridor, looking around, trying to locate his friend. The gang had gone looking for Xander after he had disappeared. Harry himself did not feel sorry for Malfoy, but he could understand why Xander had freaked. A spell like that was not something you would normally see in the wizarding world.

The boy who lived turned around the corner, and did a double take when he saw Professor Giles stepping out of the hospital wing, looking rather worried. "Professor Giles?"

Giles was about to close the door to hospital wing when he saw the black haired Gryffindor. "Harry?"

"Are you-" Harry peeked over Giles' shoulder, just in time to see the familiar figure on the hospital bed that was surrounded by groups of people before the door was closed shut. "Willow!"

"Harry no!" Giles quickly grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him away from the hospital wing before he could get into the room.

"She's hurt! I have to go to her!" Harry shouted as he trying desperately to free himself from Giles.

"Harry Potter!" Giles ordered in a hash voice that Harry had never heard from the history professor. "You will bloody well to listen to me. The people from the Ministry are still in there, not to mention the Minster; what must they think if you just bugger in!"

"I don't care!"

"You should!" Giles growled, but softened a bit when he saw the look on Harry's face. "There is no room to debate, Harry. Besides, if you go in there now, you will only be a distraction to Madam Pomfrey."

"But Professor... I can't... It's Willow!"

"I figured that much." He shook his head and reached for under his robe and pulled out a small object, before handing it to Harry. The boy-who-lived's hands started shaking when he saw the object: a blood stained silver ring matching to the one he had on his right hand.

...

"It was just about a month before You-Know-Who was defeated." Giles said, looking at Harry meaningfully as he sat on the arm chair in his office. He had literally pulled Harry into the office, away from the hospital wing and more importantly, away from prying eyes. "Holtz was a hit wizard in training at the time."

"A hit wizard, sir?"

"A special squad serves under the Department of Magic Law Enforcement. Their main job is to capture dangerous criminals - wizarding criminals, of course. It was the last night before Holtz graduated from the training when You-Know-Who attacked his house and murdered his family."

"But why? Why did Voldemort..."

Giles did not even flinch at the name, instead taking off his glasses and started polishing it. "No one knows for sure, though I suspect it might have something to do with Holtz enrolling his daughter into a muggle pre-school." He said. "No one saw Holtz until about two years ago when he joined the Ministry."

Harry frowned. "When Willow came to the wizarding world."

"I would have imagined so, yes."

"Then why didn't any of you do something before, if you all know Holtz has a reason to hurt Willow?"

"Harry, you have to understand: there are many who support You-Know-Who, and even more who hate him, wanting to hurt him in anyway possible. There is no way we could have predicted who and when someone might attack Miss Slytherin." The professor put on his glasses again. "And if my guess is right, Holtz had been planning it for almost a year, starting from when Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban."

"But Sirius Black is helping Voldemort..."

"As long as Miss Slytherin was on Hogwarts' ground, Holtz did not have much opportunity to attack her. When Black escaped, the Ministry would have to place heavy guard on Hogwarts to protect you, Harry. It gave him, as a person in the Ministry, a perfect excuse to roam around the Hogwarts grounds"

Harry absorbed the new information with a frown. "He is the one who attacked Willow at the Quidditch match."

"Indeed. The attack itself was not meant to kill Miss Slytherin, instead giving the Ministry an opportunity to remove Miss Slytherin from Dumbledore's guidance. From what I have seen at the location where Miss Slytherin was attacked, I believe it had been Holtz's plan all along, to bring her there to..."

"To kil her."

"And I am not about to ask you not to see her again. But do understand, Harry, the Minister does not trust Miss Slytherin; and with your state of publicity, if he knows how close you two are he will not hesitate to remove Miss Slytherin permanently from Hogwarts. Not to mention how those who support and opposite You-Know-Who may react if this becomes a common knowledge."

Harry sighed, nodding quietly as he stared down at the bloody ring.

...

"Oops!" Harry was about to step into the classroom for his morning class when he found himself being pulled away from the door. "What the- Xander? We've been looking for you-"

"I need to talk to you."

Harry frowned. "But the class-"

"I don't care about the class." Xander growled. "I need to know what you want with Buffy."

"Buffy? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Harry. I saw you with her yesterday night."

"Yesterday? I was just trying to comfort her-"

"I thought you were with Slytherin. How could-" Paused. "Wait. Comforting?"

"She was crying, and I was just trying to help."

Blink. "Oh."

Harry frowned for a moment. "Xander, you don't think that Buffy and I..." Seeing the look on Xander's face, Harry was somehow mortified. "I like Buffy as a friend, nothing more."

"It may not be what Buffy was thinking, Harry." Xander sighed. "Look, she fancies you-"

"WHAT!"

"Just... let her down nicely, 'kay?"

"You're mental." Harry said as he matched into the classroom, not noticing Buffy who was just hiding around the corner.

...

Xander was just stepping out of the classroom when he felt a fist connected to his jaw. Looking up, he found Buffy standing over him, staring at him angrily. "HEY!" He said, rubbing his jaw.

"What the hell did you tell him that for?"

"Him?" Xander stood when the realization finally hit him. "Harry?"

"Who I like is none of your business!"

"It used to be." The black haired boy said quietly. "Look, I'm just trying to watch out for you-"

Buffy looked at Xander as if he had grown a second head. "Watching out for me? You?" She snorted. "Why don't you just mind your own before putting your nose into other people's business?" She was about to walk away when Xander's voice stopped her.

"Harry has Slytherin, Buffy. He only sees you as a friend."

"I know that. And Willow is my friend. I would never do that to her." Buffy answered quietly, before turning around and rolled her eyes at Xander. "Besides, Harry is not the only one I like. Are you going to go and talk to every single one of them?"

Xander stared at Buffy for a second. "What?" Buffy rolled her eyes again, and started moving back towards the dormitory. "Hey! You're not allowed to have secrets!" The black haired boy immediately followed the blond, and the two childhood friends laughed as they walked down the corridors.

...