I might lose some readers with this one as it's a bit shocking and upsetting, but it's what I felt the story called for.
Chapter 12: A Horrible Reality
******The Next Day*****
Severus still could not believe what had happened, and he felt sick with guilt. Joyce and Buffy Anne both were traumatized. Joyce had to be magically sedated, and Buffy was catatonic. She had woken from her faint, and she had asked him a question.
"Was that really my dad?"
He had confirmed it as he and Poppy had tested that it was real and matched photos of her dad. Of course, Joyce's hysteria had been more than enough to know it was Hank Summers, the man who had loved Buffy Anne as his own daughter and given her a nearly perfect life until her calling.
"It was," he said.
Then it was like the light went out of her, and she just stared out of her eyes without seeing. Neither he nor Poppy could seem to rouse her.
Albus came down after breakfast to check on her. "How is she?" he asked.
"She seems utterly destroyed," Severus said. "Her mother had to be sedated as she was hysterical. She was roused to feed and drink. Poppy is keeping her on potions, so she won't breakdown again, so she's not completely aware."
"I reported this to the ministry, and they sent an auror to take possession of the head," Albus said. "They should be able to magically track the rest of the man's body. Being able to bury his entire body will give the women some minor comfort."
"If I had not brought her here, this would not have happened," Severus said.
"I do not know that to be true," he said. "I spoke to some contacts of mine, and there is a rumor of a white-haired vampire from the hellmouth working with Voldemort."
"It has to be the one Buffy Anne calls Spike," Severus said. "William the Bloody is real name."
"That is not good," Albus said. "The Weasley family is in grave danger. It was the twins who killed William's lover. Buffy Anne's stepfather was the first blow, but he will not be the last. I will floo Arthur and warn him to be on guard."
"We must draw him out and kill him," Severus said.
"It is my belief that he has tied pieces of his soul to objects, so even if we killed his new body, he would be able to resurrect," Albus said.
"Horcruxes? That is very dark magic," Severus said. "It fits with what Rupert said about the scar on Harry's forehead. He claimed it was a piece of the Dark Lord."
Albus nodded. "That was my fear," he said.
"What should we do about Buffy Anne?" Severus asked.
"It's not been that long. Give her some time," Albus said. "She is the slayer, and her natural strength will bring her around soon enough. Her mind needs time to process the horror."
Albus left, and Severus sat down next to his daughter. She was lying on the bed, and her eyes were now closed. He hoped that meant she was getting some sleep.
He reached for her hand. "I am so very sorry, my daughter. I never meant to bring you into my nightmare or add to your burden. I should not have brought you here," he said. He leaned over to kiss her forehead. Then he left to go to for a walk.
Buffy opened her eyes after he left as she had heard him, but she wasn't ready to talk. The horror on her father's face would haunt her the rest of her life. Knowing that Spike had something to do with it made things very clear. It wasn't her father's fault. She had brought the twins to Sunnydale, and the so-called Dark Lord would not have found her dad if it wasn't for Spike. He was a clever vampire, and he knew how to use technology to find people. Her father's wizard companions, including Voldemort had no idea how to find someone that wasn't blood related to her.
This was on her, and she would make them all pay. If they hurt anyone else, they would only suffer longer when she finally found them.
Exhausted, she let herself drift away.
****London****
Voldemort listened to the vampire and Bellatrix give the report of how the slayer suffered. He was filled with satisfaction to know his gift was received so well.
"Now we need to get Lucius here. Is he traitor or was he really caught up in the slayer and Snape's plot unaware?" he wondered. "If he is traitor, I will see him suffer greatly."
"My sister would not betray you, my lord. However, she would do what she could to protect her son," Bellatrix said.
"They have him locked up tight in Azkaban," Nott said.
"Did they already give him a trial?" Spike asked. "Trial time would be the easiest time to nab him."
"Very true," Voldemort said.
"I don't care about your bloke, though. I want those redheaded twins—they killed my dark beauty," Spike said. "Where are they?"
"You want to kill a Weasley? I would so love to join you!" Bellatrix said, clapping her hand in glee.
"The children are no longer at Hogwarts," Nott said. "We may find them on Diagon Alley. My son says they are jokesters and look to open a joke shop."
"Well, now, that is very interesting," Spike said. "We should do a bit up shopping at sundown."
"Why wait?" Voldemort said. He handed Spike a ring. "This ring is spelled to protect you from the sunlight. Go now. Have your vengeance and hurt the blood traitors."
Spike put the ring on his finger, excited. Nothing would stop him now.
*****Diagon Alley*****
The twins and Ron had left home after they had their Christmas breakfast were looking at an empty shop. "This is perfect," Fred said.
"The traffic is great," George said.
"Although today there isn't much," Fred said, looking at the nearly empty street.
"It will pick up after Christmas," George said.
"It's far enough away from the other joke shop, so that's good," Ron said.
"Very true," Fred said. "We have enough money to rent it for six months thanks to Willow's website."
"We can't be open when classes start full-time, but Mum says we can on the weekends and then spring break," George added.
"Is the shop owner coming to me you guys on a holiday?" Ron asked.
"Yes," Fred said.
"The shops been empty too long, which means we'll get a good deal," George said with a smile.
"I'm going to go get something to drink. I'll be back," Ron said.
"We will be here," Fred said.
"Unless we're not," George said.
"Stay here, so I don't have to look everywhere for you two," Ron said.
"Okay, Ronikins," Fred said with a wave.
Ron rolled his eyes and left to head to the nearby pub. When he went around the corner, someone stepped in front of him, and he knocked into the guy before he could stop his momentum.
"Oh, sorry," Ron said. He looked up and realized the man was smiling in a too friendly way. He looked and saw no one on the street except for an older blonde woman, who gave him a maniacal smile. Suddenly, he knew something wasn't right.
"That's perfectly fine, Ron Weasley—that is your name, right?" the man asked.
"Well, yea. Do I know you?" he asked, not recognizing the man.
"My name is William," the man said. Then he grinned as he grabbed Ron by the throat as the woman gave a gleeful laugh.
*****Hogwarts*****
It was right before lunch when Buffy decided that she needed to get up and eat and deal with what happened. Closing her eyes only let the image of her father play across her lids, so she opened them.
"You're awake!" Willow said, standing and peering down at her. "Oh, God, Buffy. I am so sorry!"
Buffy held up her hand as she sat up. "Don't, Will. I can't talk about it," she said.
"I understand. Sorry," Willow said. Then she winced when Buffy frowned at the apology.
"I'm starving," she said. Then she looked at Willow. "Aren't you supposed to be home right now?"
"We all decided to wait until you're okay," Willow said. "Besides, a flight home takes hours, and we'll all be home tonight if Giles and Severus apparate us. Or Dumbledore makes a port key."
Buffy nodded. "I'll go clean up and meet you for lunch," she said. "Where's Mom?"
"She went to her room a bit ago," Willow said. "She's on magical valium."
"Father is taking care of her?" she asked.
"Of course," Willow said.
Willow followed Buffy to her room. Cordelia and Xander were in the Slytherin common room and looked up when they came in. Xander jumped up and asked, "Buffy, are you okay? Can we get you anything?"
"I'm going to clean up and then get some food," she said. She didn't wait for a reply and went to her room.
Willow didn't follow but sat down next to Cordelia on the large sofa. "She says she doesn't want to talk about it yet, so don't ask her if she's okay or about anything. Just let her be. The trauma is right there ready to swallow her, I think," Willow said.
"So can we leave?" Cordelia asked. "I feel crappy even thinking about it. But we've all got plans for the holiday. Even you, Willow, are meeting your parents in New York City for a few days."
"I know," Willow said. "It's the first time that they've asked me to go on a trip with them, and I feel really awful for sort of wanting to leave."
Severus and Giles appeared. "Is she here? How is she?" Severus asked. "Poppy said she left her room."
"She's okay," Willow said. "She wanted to clean up and then eat."
"A sign of an appetite is a good thing," Giles said.
"We were just talking about what to do. We don't want to abandon Buffy when she's going through this, but our parents expect us," Cordelia said.
"Buffy won't be alone," Giles said. "She will need some time to process all this."
"Yes, it might be best if there's not too many crowding her. Harry is going to stay, and Sirius will be coming here to be with him," Severus said. "So she won't be alone. And Draco is here. His mother will not be released until the new year."
"They are going to let her go? Why haven't they already? She helped save Harry!" Cordelia exclaimed.
"It's a political move. Fudge is trying to gain favor by not acting rashly," Severus said. "He was close to the Malfoys, and he will be thrown out of office if he does not tread carefully. Lucius goes on trial next month."
"He didn't fight with Voldemort, so why is he being charged?" Cordelia asked.
"Because he's a Death Eater and gave him sanctuary," Severus said flatly.
"Like he had a choice!" she fumed.
Severus gave her a smile. "I didn't know you were that fond of him," he said.
"Of course, I'm not, but he's Draco's father. I don't want him to have to see his dad in that horrible evil place you guys call a prison," Cordelia said. Once Hermione and Harry had explained about Azkaban in detail, she and the Scoobies were equally disgusted. Buffy had even asked Giles if she could go there and slay the dementors.
"Lucius always seems to land on his feet, so I would not lose any sleep over him," Severus said.
Buffy came out of her room, her hair was set and brushed back into a low ponytail.
When she saw her father and Giles, she seemed to crumble, running toward them. Severus held out his arms, so Giles moved slightly but stayed within touching distance.
"It's so awful, Father. My daddy is dead! They tortured him. Did you see his face?" she asked, looking up at him.
Severus wiped the tears that were falling. Willow moved to grab a box of tissues and handed it to them, glad she could do something. Buffy collapsed as if a string had pulled her legs, and he moved to the floor with her as she sobbed in his lap.
"I am so sorry, my girl," he said. "The poor man did not belong in our world. We will make them pay."
Buffy looked up at his words. "Do you promise?" she asked.
"Every last one of them will suffer even more than your dad did," he vowed.
Buffy looked at Giles who nodded in agreement. "We won't let them get away with this Buffy," he said.
"Your damn right," Cordelia said. "They're doing a magical locator, Buffy, to find the rest of Mr. Summer's body. Then you can take him home and put him to rest."
"Will they let me?" Buffy asked her Father.
"Of course, they will," he said.
Buffy allowed her father to help her to her feet, and she wiped her face. Her growling stomach caused some much-needed laughter. Her friends surrounded her for a hug.
"We don't want to leave you, Buffy," Willow said. "We can stay if you want us to."
"No, it's okay. My mom won't want anyone to see her the way she is, and Giles and Father are here," she said. "I'll be okay."
"Harry and Draco and Uncle Sirius will be here also," Cordelia said. "They already went to lunch as both somehow slept through breakfast."
Severus' lip curled at Sirius' name, but he refrained from commenting.
They went to lunch and had a mostly somber meal together. Harry and Draco were at their table, but they didn't know what to say to Buffy, who looked more fragile than they had ever seen her. Then the Americans got their stuff ready to head back to the States. Buffy hugged them all, promising to write and let them know when the funeral would be.
"Tell your mom goodbye for us, okay?" Willow said.
"I will," Buffy said.
"The portkey will take you to Buffy's house," Albus said, handing them a book.
"Oh, what's the book?" Willow asked.
"It doesn't matter, Will," Xander said, giving her a fond smile.
"Seriously," Cordelia added, touching it. "Take care of yourself, Buffy. Bye, Draco. Take care of Buffy."
Her cousin nodded and waved one last time. Draco wasn't sure how he could possibly help Buffy as the sight of the headless man haunted him, and it wasn't his father. He could not imagine how she felt, but he would be here for her. He glanced at Harry and knew Harry felt the same way. For once, their rivalry didn't seem to matter.
Buffy nodded and watched her friends leave. It was a relief because she didn't want to have to pretend to be all right. The tears started falling once again, and she decided to go see her mother.
"Do you need me?" Severus asked.
"I'm going to go see Mom," she said.
Severus nodded, feeling that was a good idea. "That will be good for you both. Take her a bowl of soup and see if you can get her to eat some," he suggested.
Buffy grabbed the bowl he had already prepared on a tray. There was some bread with it.
She walked to her mom's room and moved the tray to her left hand, so she could knock. Her mother didn't answer, but she opened the door anyway.
She sat the tray down on a table, not worried about it getting cold since her father had put a warming spell on it. "Mom? It's me," she said. Her mother looked up at her, a book of some kind on her lap.
As Buffy got closer to her mom, she saw that it was an old photo album. "I brought you some soup. What are you looking at?" she asked.
"One of the first photo albums I kept after I married Hank," she said. "I only brought it because it had baby pictures of you, and I thought Severus would want to see them. It also has our wedding photos in it."
Buffy sat on the bed next to her mom and looked down at the pictures. Her mom had on one of those poufy dresses from the 80's with the shoulder pads. They looked so happy, and then she got called to be a slayer. Things fell apart after that.
"I'm sorry, Mom," she said sadly.
"For what?" Joyce asked, looking up at her. The potion Severus gave her made the horror of Hank's death a bit distance, but her mind was clearer than it was several hours ago.
"My getting called as a slayer broke up your marriage," she said. "Dad is dead because of me."
"Your dad's infidelity is what broke up our marriage," Joyce announced.
Buffy looked shocked. "What? Dad cheated on you? How come I didn't know that?" she asked.
"Because I promised him that I wouldn't tell you if he'd not sue for custody," she said. "He didn't want to destroy the way you saw him. He loved you so much." Her eyes filled with tears, which caused Buffy's to do the same. "He is dead because of the evil that exists in this world. You saved so many lives in Sunnydale. This wizard war has nothing to do with you. They would've killed some other poor soul if they hadn't found your dad."
"It's not right," Buffy said, her head on her mother's shoulder.
Joyce closed the photo album and pulled Buffy into her arms. Together, they mourned the loss of a man they both had loved. The horror of his death would haunt them both forever. Whatever his faults had been, he did not deserve the torture he had clearly underwent. Nor did he deserve to be murdered in such a brutal fashion.
A time for vengeance would come, but now they would mourn.
*****Diagon Alley*****
The twins had their meeting, but Ron never returned.
"Where did little Ronnie run off to?" George wondered.
"We better go see 'cause you know Mum will blame us," Fred said.
They went outside and argued about which way to go.
"He was thirsty, so he went to the nearest pub," Fred said.
"Or he went to the candy store and got a drink there," George said, pointing across the street.
They went across the street and saw no sign of him, so they crossed back and walked toward the nearest pub when George saw him. "Hey, there he is!" he said, pointing. "Why is he sitting on the sidewalk reading a newspaper?" There wasn't very many on the street, so no one had yet noticed him.
They hurried to catch up to him and as they got closer, they could see he wasn't reading. The paper was mostly covering his face.
"This isn't right, Fred," George said, having a strong feeling of dread fall over him.
Fred called out, "Ron!"
Ron didn't stir, so they approached him, stopping in front of him. "Ron, what the hell are you doing?" George demanded, kicking his leg. He toppled to the side, revealing a throat that was sliced.
"Ron!" George yelled, reaching to stop the blood from flowing.
Fred knelt and grabbed his brother into his arms but soon realized that they were too late.
Their little brother Ron was dead.
*****Chapter End*****
Okay, I know die hard fans of HP hate me right now, but I had to kill off someone. Ron is the least interesting of the Weasleys to me, and the one that would hurt them. I never forgave Rowlings for killing off one of the twins as it was too cruel. Ron would have made more sense and his death would have pushed so many to rally. That a mediocre wizard managed to survive the war was very unlikely, I always thought. I needed someone that would hurt Harry, too, and Ron was an obvious easy target as Spike is all about maximizing the pain—something he learned from Angelus. Comments are appreciated but flames are not! Thanks for reading.