Blood Ties
Part 29
Rating, summary and such are same as before.
Note: Thank you Joahn for beta-reading the story!
"Are you sure you want to quit Divination?" Willow asked quietly as she sat in the first floor courtyard with Buffy and Hermione. The trio had been there since they had left in the middle of the class. "I mean, the exam is going to be in a couple of months. It seems kind of a waste to drop the subject now."
"Normally I wouldn't say no to anything resulting in less homework," Buffy scratched her head a little. "But Willow's right. Besides, it's not like Professor Twitchy-crazy's going to fail you or anything. I heard she always give the same grade to everyone who take her class, no matter how little you know."
"I'm not going to waste any more time on that old fraud."
"Well, if you put it this way..."
"Buffy." The trio turned around, and found Professor Giles, Mr. Hank and a woman they could not recognize standing there. "May I have a word?" Giles asked, and it didn't take a genius to spot the deep frown on Giles' face.
Willow and Hermione looked at each other before standing up. "We'll see you later, Buffy." Hermione said, and the Slytherin and Gryffindor quickly ran away, though none of the people noticed as the two youngsters turned towards the opposite side from the castle and hid behind the corner.
Once Hermione and Willow were out of sight, Buffy gave a sideways glance at her birth father for a second before turning towards her step father. "What's up Gi- I mean, Professor Giles?"
"Why don't we start by introducing ourselves first?" The woman said as she held out her hand. "I'm Rebecca Mockridge from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." The youngster frowned, but accepted the hand and shook it.
"Buffy, did you wear the gem?"
"What? What are you talking about?" Buffy frowned harder. "What gem?"
"Professor, regardless if she possessed the Gem of Socian, she will need to be verified." Miss Mockridge shook her head at Giles before turning back toward Buffy. "Miss Summers, we'll need you to perform a spell."
"A spell?" Buffy frowned harder. "What spell?" She turned to Giles. "What's going on?"
"Just do it." Hank ordered.
Mockridge narrowed her eyes at Hank before turning back towards Buffy. "Miss Summers, have you heard of the term 'slayer'?"
"From my muggle studies class, yes. She's a muggle girl supposed to fight dark creatures. But we didn't really learn anything about her."
"It's because slayers in history are mostly muggles, and they do not work in our world. The truth is, even witches can be a slayer. Slayer is the one girl who has the strength and power to fight against dark creatures without magic. There's only one at a time. One dies, a new one is called. Girls who have potential to become a slayer, or what we called potential slayers, are all to be taken to the Watcher Council to train. It is the organization that is in charge of slayers and any related matters."
"But what does it have to do with me? Or if I have to be," Buffy held out her hands and air-coded, "verified."
Giles and Mockridge exchanged a look. "The wizarding world and the Watchers Council have an agreement that has been passed on since the birth of first slayer, that while the Watchers Council and Slayer will not interfere with the wizarding world, the wizarding world would not interfere in the muggle world or Council businesses. So for a witch to become a potential and have a chance to be called, she will have to wear the Gem of Socian for seven days and nights. After that, the witch will lose all her magical ability. She will have to severe all the ties to the wizarding world before being sent to the Watcher Council."
Chills sent down Buffy's spin as she heard the explanation. "You mean... no..."
Giles' face turned pale. "Buffy, you didn't..."
The youngster's shaking hand reached under her robe, and slowly pulled the necklace out. Giles and Mockridge eyes' widened when they saw the slightly glowing gem, while Hank smirked. "He said it was grandma's..."
"YOU BASTERED!"
Giles screamed and launched himself at Hank. Hank did not try to avoid Giles, instead facing him head on. The two men punched and kicked each other until Mockridge pulled out her wand. "Locomotor Mortis!" She pointed at the fighting pair. And quickly, both of them had their legs stuck together. They fell on the ground, with Hank on his butt and Giles on his face. "Enough, you two!" She ordered, before turning back towards Buffy, who was desperately trying to torn her necklace away. "Miss Summers," the woman put a hand on Buffy's hand, stopping her. "Once you wear the gem it could only be taken off after seven days. I'm sorry."
"But... it can't..." Buffy looked at Giles, who was now staring at Buffy with tears in his eyes and a thin line of blood from his nose. "What does this mean?"
"I'm sorry, Miss Summers. But you will have to leave Hogwarts and join the watcher council."
"No-no-no-no-no..." Buffy slowly stumbled backwards, before spinning around and ran away.
Giles looked desperately as his step daughter disappeared down the corridor. "BUFFY!"
"Let her go, Rupert." Mockridge sighed and turned towards Hank. "We shall meet with the headmaster tomorrow for the paper work."
"But-"
"Miss Summers is still a student of Hogwarts, Mr. Summers. Until the headmaster of Hogwarts has given the official approval, Miss Summers shall remain a student and will not leave Hogwarts ground. Understood?" She pointed her wand at Hank. Hank swallowed and nodded. "Relashio."
Hank pushed himself up as the binding spell was lifted. He narrowed his eyes at Mockridge and Giles, before storming away. Mockridge sighed, and released Giles from the spell when Hank finally disappeared down the corridor. "I'm sorry, Professor Giles."
Giles said nothing, merely shook his head and walked away sadly.
"Buffy! Wait!"
Buffy halted, wiping her eyes with her collar of her cloak. "What?"
"Buffy..." Hermione caught up, with Willow not far behind. "We heard."
"I know." The blonde sighed, still refused to look at her friends. "Look, it's not a good time right now."
Willow frowned. "B-but you need a friend..."
"What use of friends when I will be sent off to God knows where?!" Buffy shouted. The redhead reached for the blonde, but the blonde quickly swept her hand away. "Just leave me alone!"
Hermione and Willow stood there, watching helplessly as their friend ran away.
Hermione and Willow had immediately gone to find Harry, Ron and Xander and told them about what they had heard earlier. Out of the three Gryffindors, Xander had taken the news the hardest, especially after Hermione had told them that Buffy had run away, crying.
"That bastard!"
"Calm down, Xander."
"Calm down?" Xander turned towards Harry. "How can I?! He hurts Buffy!"
"There's no use getting angry over it, Xander." Hermione sighed, messaging her forehead. "Maybe there's a way to keep Buffy here?"
"How?" When Hermione couldn't answer, Xander took a step towards the dirty blonde, his hands threw up in the air. "C'mon! You are the smartest witch of all! There has got to be a book somewhere that can help giving Buffy back her mojo! C'mon! Tell me! How?!"
"Hey!" Ron pushed Xander back. "Back off!"
Xander narrowed his eyes and stepped towards Ron. "What are you going to do? Huh? You wanna fight me?!"
"Maybe I do!"
"ENOUGH!" Harry snapped and took a step forward, putting himself in between Ron and Xander. "Just stop it! It isn't helping!" When Xander and Ron finally backed off, he sighed. "We'll go to Hagrid's." He turned towards Willow who had not said a word since Hermione had told the others about Buffy. "I'm sure Buffy has gone there. There's no way she would miss spending time with Buckbeak before he..."
"Fine!" Xander shouted, before storming off towards the exit of the castle.
Harry sighed again, watching as Xander and then Ron and Hermione moved down the corridor. He turned towards Willow, and helped the redhead up, before slowly followed their friends towards Hagrid's hut.
Their hands were holding all the way, neither one wanted to let go.