Blood Ties
Part 26
Rating, summary and such are same as before.
Note: Another update! Yahoo!!! Thanks to Joahn for beta-reading the story!!! And of course, to everyone who review and not minding to wait so long for an update. You guys will have to wait to see what's the deal with the necklace, but I can tell u it's... important! (I'm so evil... hehe...) Anyways, BIG THANKS!!! ;p
Buffy sat on the bed, her bloodshot eyes staring hard at the necklace in her hand. She had been doing that for whole night, her mind raging at the letter she had read just a couple hours ago.
Finally, the blonde sighed. She opened the chain, and put the necklace around her neck. She picked up a mirror from her nightstand, and stared into its reflection.
"Hey."
Buffy looked up, and found Hermione sitting up from her bed, rubbing her eyes. Quickly, she put down the mirror, and shoved the necklace under her pjs. "Good morning 'Mione." She looked out the window, and frowned. "Why are you waking up so early? The sun's not even up yet."
"Got to." Hermione yawned. "I still need to catch up with potions, and the hearing is going to be tomorrow." She looked up at Buffy. "What about you?"
Buffy shrugged. "Can't sleep." Paused. "Wait. Hearing?"
"Buckbeak's. Lucius Malfoy had sent an official complaint to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. Willow and I have been working together on the defenses since Christmas, but after the attack no students are allowed to see her."
"Since Christmas?" Buffy frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"We're not exactly on speaking terms, Buffy."
The blonde Gryffindor stared at the sore look on Hermione's face. "Things got really bad for a while, huh?"
Hermione sighed. "It doesn't matter." She stood, picking up her toothbrush and towel. "Look. I've really got to go. I didn't get anything done yesterday because Hagrid was too busy crying over the flobberworms." She spotted Buffy's confused expression. "Too much lettuce." She explained.
Buffy blinked for a second. "Oh." Hermione was about to open the door when the blonde called out. "Can I help?"
Hermione turned around, her eyes somehow getting brighter. "Are you sure?"
"Why not?" Buffy stood, and picked up her own freshen kit. "I can even get us some coffee."
"Thanks." Hermione smiled gratefully. "One thing though."
"What?"
"Is that bird droppings in your hair?!"
Harry almost floated down to the Great Hall, huge grin refused to leave his face as he sat down on his usual seat and had his breakfast. Even though he was a bit tried due to the lack of sleep, even that he could still see the tension between Hermione and Ron... he felt like he was on top of the world - all because of that he finally got to see Willow again, got to talk to her, to know that she was finally safe and could go back to classes very soon.
Sometimes it amused Harry that one girl could bring so much happiness in his life - but then again, Willow was not just 'some girl'; to Harry, she could never be 'just a girl'.
"Are you alright, Harry?"
Ron's voice bought the young Gryffindor out of his musing. He looked around, and found half of his housemates were now staring at him. Not that he cared anyway. "Super." Was Harry's final answer.
Ron frowned and shook his head, half wondering if his friend had finally lost his mind as he dug into his food. Buffy and Hermione, who was sitting opposite to Harry, exchanged a look before turning back to their own breakfast.
"Look!" Xander whispered and pointed at the entrance of the Grant Hall.
Everyone followed his figure and found Professor McGonagall moving towards Harry with a broom in hand - more specifically, the Firebolt. Harry immediately stood. "Professor."
"Mr. Potter." The professor greeted as other students immediately gathered around them, mostly to drool over the broom. "I've been looking for you." She handed the broom back to Harry.
Harry's eyes widened. "I can have it back? Seriously?"
"Shh!" Wood, who had gone to stand next to Harry when Professor McGonagall appeared, elbowed Harry lightly. "Just take it!"
"We've done everything we could think of, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it at all." The transfiguration admitted. "You've got a very good friend somewhere, Potter." Then a smile appeared on the serious face of McGonagall's. "I daresay you'll need to get the feel of it before Saturday's match. And Potter, do try to win, won't you? Or we'll be out of the running for the eighth year in a row, as Professor Snape was kind enough to remind me only last night."
Harry nodded dumbly, half wondering if he was dreaming as he accepted the Firebolt.
"Now that you've got the Firebolt, I don't see what's going to stop us now!" Wood said, but then his grin quickly disappeared. "Unless... Harry, you've sorted out your Dementor problem, haven't you?"
Wood's question quickly bought Harry out of his dream. "Yeah." Harry answered, even though he wasn't as sure as he had sounded.
"The Dementors won't turn up again, Oliver. Dumbledore'd go ballistic." Ron assured. "Nimbus 2001 is a laugh compared to Firebolt. We're going to win the Quidditch cup for sure!"
Harry smiled even if a small trace frown could be spotted on his face.
"... a mistake..."
"... freak..."
"... kill you..."
"... bargaining chip..."
"MURDERER!"
Willow's eyes shot open, but were immediately forced to close it as the sunlight hit her without mercy. The redhead blinked several times until she could feel the sunlight dimmed through her eyelids, and opened her eyes again - and found Professor Dumbledore standing there, closing the bind on the window above her. "Professor?"
The professor looked down at her and smiled. "How are you, Willow?"
"Okay." The redhead said and tried to sit up, winced at the pain in her legs. "I think." She looked up. "How's Mr. Shacklebolt?"
"The bullet passed through his shoulder. He should be fine in a day or two." The headmaster studied the redhead for a moment. "We did not have a chance to talk yesterday. Mr. Shacklebolt told the Minister that he had to shoot Holtz to defend himself."
It did not take long for Willow to process the information, and the meaning behind it. "The Ministry will take me away if they know it was me, won't they?" She looked away sadly. "You should have let them take me away."
"Do you wish to leave?"
Willow shook her head.
"Curious thing about healing." Dumbledore commented quietly. "As painful as it is, as slow as it can be, the wounds will finally heal one day." The older man then left the hospital wing without another word.
Willow watched as her guidance disappeared from behind the door, before turning her attention towards the ceiling, one question echoed inside her head.
"Will it?"
"Are you sure you still want to try, Harry?" Professor Lupin asked.
Harry had come for another session of the 'Expecto Patronum' class. Even if he no longer fainted whenever he faced a Dementor, he could not protect himself from one either. Picking himself up from the ground, he shook his head, trying to get over the sudden tiredness that had come over him whenever he was near a Dementor. "I need to learn how to do it before the match on Saturday, Professor."
"Very well." Professor Lupin nodded. "Try think of another memory and see if it will be stronger?"
Harry nodded, and closed his eyes, scratching his brain for another memory. It didn't take too long for him to find one. "I'm ready." He opened his eyes and pointed his wand at the closest.
"Okay. One. Two. Three."
The professor opened the closest, and the Dementor stepped out of it. "Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted, his mind focused on nothing except the memory he had chosen.
Bright silver light appeared from the tip of his wand, and quickly, it expanded, transforming itself into some kind of shield as it blocked the Boggart/Dementor from the boy. The grin on Professor Lupin's face could not get bigger as he watched Harry's magic forcing the Dementor away. Finally, he opened the closest and let the Boggart into safety. "Well done, Harry!" He smiled at his student who was now leaning against the wall, looking exhausted but happy. "Well done!"
"Thanks professor."
"It must be a powerful memory."
"It is." Harry said, and looked down at the ring on his figure. "It is."
Harry sat on his bed, the excitement of successfully performing the Expecto Patronum spell ran through his vain, refused to let him sleep. He had went to the hospital to visit Willow earlier, but Madam Pomfrey had given the redhead sleeping potion tonight as the she could not have a good night's rest due to the pain... at least that was what Buffy the house-elf had informed him.
Harry pushed himself up from the bed and looked around. His other roommates had all fallen asleep, and from the rather loud snort coming from Xander, it was a very deep sleep. Feeling rather bored, Harry took out the Marauder's Map from the drawer in his nightstand. "I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." He whispered, his wand pointing at it. Immediately, the map of Hogwarts appeared, and the black hair boy studied the map as he took out a piece of chocolate and started chewing.
Harry's eyes stopped as they reached the hospital wing, a dot that was moving on the map causing the black haired boy to hold his breath. It seemed to be hovering over just outside the hospital wing for a moment, before quickly moved away as Flitch appeared at the other end of the corridor. It wasn't the reason why Harry had stared at the dot though; it was the name that followed the moving object.
Peter Pettigrew