Trumps - Works - (Pt. 2a - The Burrow)

Disclaimer:See chapter 1.
Rating: See chapter 1.
AN[1]: Feedback appreciated as always.
AN[2]: The trip to the Burrow has been split into smaller chunks and the scope scaled down so it'll actually be finished before the end of the year. (I was overly ambitious when I originally plotted it out.). Most of the first part of the Burrow trip was finished ages ago but occasionally tweaked in search of perfection that never happened.


--- --- ---


"Hermione, dear?" Molly Weasley asked, putting her knitting down and reaching for her cup. "Have you met this friend Ginny is bringing to visit tomorrow?"

Hermione looked up from the chess board. "Yes," she said. She enjoyed playing against Ron but even after years of experience, she was just barely able to hold her own. It required her utmost concentration like nothing else since Hogwarts but while normally she was up for it, after a long day Molly's interruption was more than welcome.

"What are they like?" Molly asked, looking at her over the rim of her cup.

"What did she tell you?" Hermione asked cautiously. Although Ginny had a relationship with her mother that Hermione often envied, there were parts of her personal life that Ginny kept secret even from her mother, zealously guarding her privacy. Hermione suspected that the nature of her friendship with Buffy was one of them.

"Only that she was bringing someone from her new job in America," Molly said after taking a sip of tea. "With an unusual name. Buffy something."

"Buffy Summers," Hermione said. "I believe it's a nickname."

"What can you tell us about him?" Molly asked, the faint gleam in her eyes making Hermione nervous. From the tone of her voice Hermione could almost hear wedding bells ringing, drowning out her surprise at the misunderstanding about the gender of Ginny's guest.

"Yeah!" Ron muttered, looking up from his hunched position over the chess board. "What kind of name is 'Buffy' for a bloke? Sounds like something from a muggle movie."

"Has she said anything at all about her new job since she started?" Hermione asked curiously. She didn't think Ginny had planned to spring on her parents at the last minute that she was bringing a woman home, but there had obviously been some kind of miscommunication somewhere.

"No," Molly said huffily, before giving Arthur Weasley the evil eye. "And I've been told I can't ask her about it."

"Well..." Hermione paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. She hadn't talked with Ginny for more than a minute since hearing about the trip. They'd both been very busy. Even with both of them in London, their paths hadn't crossed yet. And unless she could find a reason to drop by the Burrow while Ginny and Buffy were visiting, it didn't look like they would have a chance for a real conversation any time soon.

Hopefully she could call Ginny tonight when she got home and let her know about this conversation, because no one could resist a Molly Weasley interrogation when it came to one of her children. Hermione just knew she was going to say something that could be potentially disastrous for Ginny if she wasn't able to warn her in time.

"This is someone from Cleveland. That part is correct. But they actually met in London last fall," Hermione said, choosing her words carefully. "She's never brought anyone home to meet you, has she?"

"No," Molly grumbled. "This is the first time. Neither she nor Percy seem to want anyone to meet us." she said, nodding her head in the direction of the kitchen where Percy was quietly discussing something with one of her other honorary children, Harry Potter.

Hermione struggled to keep a straight face. Neither she nor Ron were in any hurry to marry anyone, especially each other, but they at least had their supposed relationship to keep Molly at bay, most of the time. She usually aimed all of her match-making skills towards Percy, until now leaving Harry and Ginny alone in what Hermione thought was a forlorn hope that they would end up together.

All of her children knew she meant well but no one had the heart to tell her that there was very little chance of that ever happening. Molly seemed to be the only one unable to see that Harry treated Ginny like a younger sister. In Hermione's opinion, even if that weren't true, since Ginny had managed to insert herself directly into Buffy's life the chances of her being interested in anyone else were even slimmer than before.

"Do you think she'll want to stay in America," Arthur asked, "when this job for the Ministry is finished?"

"She hasn't really said," Hermione told him. "It depends on how things with Buffy work out."

"So it's serious?" Molly asked, her expression hopefull.

Hermione looked helplessly around the room, catching Harry's sympathetic glance as he and Percy joined them. Seeing the expectant looks on Ron and Molly's faces, she sighed resignedly. "I think it's a little early to start planning for a wedding or more grandchildren, Molly." A sudden thought struck her. "I'm not sure she could marry Buffy, even with the recent changes to the marriage laws."

"What do you mean?" Ron demanded, in that overeager manner of his that caused Hermione to instinctively lean back in her chair, away from the inevitable explosion. He was always ready to jump to Ginny's defense when he imagined she was being slighted or taken advantage of. She suspected his overbearing attitude was one more reason why Ginny had been so quick to go to Cleveland.

"Ron, I'm not sure where you came up with that idea but 'Buffy' isn't a 'bloke', Buffy is a woman," she told him.

"A what?" Ron sputtered in shock. "Why?"

Hermione looked around the room for inspiration before answering. Harry and Percy, as she'd expected, and surprisingly Ginny's father, didn't seem very shocked by her revelation. But she couldn't quite place Molly's expression. "Why what?" she asked him. "Why is Buffy a woman? Or why is Ginny bringing her home to meet your parents?"

"If Hermione has to explain what a woman is to you Ron..." Harry said with a sly grin, "I'm not surprised she hasn't agreed to marry you yet."

With a guilty look in Molly's direction at Harry's comment, Hermione suppressed a laugh at Ron's red face before continuing. "I don't really know why she's bringing her here. As far as I know they've become friends over the past few months. You'll have to ask her yourself if you want to know more."

"Are they a couple?" Percy asked, joining the conversation, a slight smile on his face.

"A couple what?" Ron sputtered.

Hermione rolled her eyes at his denseness before answering Percy's question. "Not that I'm aware of," she said. "Just close friends."

She gave Percy a piercing look, wondering about his motives for asking that question. She'd come to know him better over the years and, of all the Weasleys, she wouldn't have been surprised if the Sorting Hat had placed him in Slytherin. He wasn't remotely evil or very ruthless but she'd always gotten the impression that he examined every situation from every possible angle. While this gave him a formidable reputation in the Ministry she couldn't see what benefit he could get out of Ginny's relationship with Buffy.

"How close?" Molly asked intently, waving her wand in Ron's direction, silencing his continued protests.

"Separate bedrooms," Hermione told her, blushing faintly. It really wasn't her place to reveal anything Ginny had said to her about her feelings for Buffy. Especially to her family when she suspected that Ginny hadn't even talked with Buffy about those feelings yet.

"Well, we'll just have to make her welcome," Arthur announced to the room. "I'm assuming she knows about magic? Is she a muggle of some sort?"

Glad for the change in topic, Hermione jumped eagerly at his questions. "She does know about magic, though I believe she isn't very familiar with the kind we use in the wizarding world."

"What other kinds of magic are there?" Ron asked, finally freeing himself from his mother's silencing charm. He frowned at her as if it were her fault he didn't know something this important. Sighing, Hermione quickly quashed her desire to say something about the quality of Auror training.

"There are several kinds of muggle magic classified by the Ministry," Hermione told him, "based on where the power comes from and how the practitioner accesses it. And all of them take a number of years to learn. And I really shouldn't say anything more."

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"Most of them are extremely dangerous to the untrained," Hermione told him. "The Ministry considers them to be among the darker arts and discourages wizards from studying them."

"Where does that magic Ginny learned for her job in America belong?" Harry asked. "Isn't it some kind of Goddess magic?"

"You helped Ginny get a job with dark magic users?" Molly interrupted with a screech, putting down her cup with a loud clatter.

"Not exactly," Hermione said, cringing at her tone.

"She didn't say that, Molly," Arthur said, his voice a soothing counterpoint. "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation."

Hermione nodded at him, ignoring Percy's amused snort. "No, she isn't working with dark magic users." Strictly speaking, she wasn't really lying, Hermione thought to herself. The slayers in the Council of Watchers fought against demons using their strength not dark magic. And Wiccan magic was the opposite of dark, as she understood it, even if they used it to fight evil. "My office works with a number of muggle organizations who use magic, keeping an eye on them. And you know the Ministry doesn't encourage anyone to work with true dark arts practitioners." Hermione said, grimacing. "It's just easier to classify any dangerous magic the Ministry can't control as dark."

"One of these would be this Wiccan magic Ginny was learning, and that we aren't supposed to discuss?" Arthur asked.

"Yes..." Hermione admitted reluctantly. "I'm not sure how the Ministry secrecy laws apply in this case... it's a very grey area. I think it would be best not to ask them about it. Or to say too much about the wizarding world while they're here."

"What's she like?" Harry asked. "It sounds like she's a muggle, even though you say she knows about magic."

"I'm not sure 'muggle' is the best term to use to describe her." Hermione said carefully. "There are certainly parts of the muggle world where magic is not unknown. I believe Buffy grew up in one of them."

"So she's one of those muggle magic users you mentioned?" Arthur asked.

"No..." Hermione said. "As far as I know, she can't do any magic herself. It might be best to think of her as a squib." Arthur nodded in understanding.

"It's probably a good thing the twins are out of town this week," she added as an afterthought.

"Why?" Ron asked, leaning back in his chair.

"As I said, the muggles Ginny works with are familiar with magic. But they don't use it for the same things we do. It's a tool they use only when absolutely necessary. They give their senior staff like Buffy very powerful charms to protect themselves from any harmful magic. From what I've seen, the charms seem to make wizarding magic behave strangely." Hermione said.

It wasn't the exact truth but it was close enough. She wasn't about to tell them the truth, that Buffy was essentially a magical creature who was potentially immune to most wizarding magic. And that there were dozens, if not more, girls and women like her. And that what little magic that did work on them had very unexpected results. That knowledge wouldn't help in any way and would just confuse the issue. To say nothing about the whole magical creature versus magical being controversy.

"How so?" Ron asked curiously. "Was that why you went to Cleveland last month?"

"I can't say," Hermione told him primly.

"Nymphadora Tonks had an accident," Percy said, laughing to himself.

"Percy!" Hermione said loudly. "You aren't supposed to know about that."

"Don't worry. I won't reveal any of your precious secrets," he told her loftily, giving her a wink.

"How did you learn about that?" Hermione asked nervously. Someone must have talked, though she wasn't sure who could have. As far as she knew all of the people involved were covered by the same secrecy agreement.

"I have my sources," He told her mysteriously, refusing to say anything else.

"What's she like?" Molly asked several minutes later, after returning from taking their cups into the kitchen.

Leaning back from the chess game again, Hermione frowned in thought, not wanting to say anything that would create a negative impression. "Short, blonde, very intense. She looks like a stiff breeze would knock her over. Ginny claims she has moments where she acts like one of those California blondes in one of those American television shows, but I haven't seen her like that. She's good at getting her own way."

"Really?" Harry asked with a laugh. "So Ginny has finally met her match?"

"I'm not sure if that is the best way to describe it," Hermione said, shaking her head. "If I understand how things in Cleveland and their other offices work, Ginny is in charge of one of their departments while her department head is on sabbatical. Buffy is one of the two most important people in their organization but Ginny doesn't always report to her. She isn't bossy but she's used to people doing what she says."

"So she's Ginny's boss?" Harry asked, the amusement clear in his voice. "She hasn't mentioned that in any of her letters."

"I don't think it works that way, exactly." Hermione said. "Ginny told me once that Buffy had described it as more like one of those American mobster families than a business. It's like a big family and some people have more influence than others based on the situation and experience."

"So she must be a lot older than Ginny, if she's that important," Ron mumbled. "So they must be friends like we're friends with Remus Lupin."

Percy snorted again, obviously amused.

Hermione shook her head at him. "Well?" she said, looking pointedly at him.

"Well what?" Percy asked, giving her a small smirk.

"Since you seem to know so much, though I don't know where you get your information, you can answer that," Hermione said, annoyed.

"You have your sources, and I have mine," he told her, "but Ms. Summer's age isn't a secret. She's less than 8 months older than Ginny."

"There are times when she seems much older. And very lonely." Hermione added, mostly for Molly's benefit. "It's hard to describe but she reminds me of Sirius Black, that last year before he died. I know she had to raise her sister after her mother died, but Ginny is very protective of her and hasn't told me much about her past."

"Yes, we will definitely need to make her welcome." Molly announced, giving them all a firm look. Hermione wondered what she'd said to get that reaction but merely nodded along with the rest.

"The house isn't very muggle friendly. You can put her in my old room." Percy offered. "And Ginny can go in Fred and George's room. If she needs help with anything, Ginny will be right there."

"That's very perceptive of you, Percy." Hermione said, giving him a puzzled look. He merely shrugged.

--- --- ---

They were taking a walk in the Council gardens before bed, not talking about anything specific. Sensing that Buffy was struggling to say something, Ginny sat down on the edge of the small fountain.

"Are you sure you still want me to come along tomorrow?" Buffy asked, stopping next to her.

"Yes." Ginny said, giving her an encouraging smile. Dawn had warned her earlier that evening that Buffy might try to get out of the visit to her parents. Dawn had been teasing her but Ginny thought she knew enough about how Buffy thought to take the warning seriously. She'd already noticed that Buffy tried to avoid situations that involved the potential to expose her feeling to strangers.

Ginny was also aware that at any moment, Buffy could run away from her, and from any possibility of there ever being a them. She didn't know yet where Buffy's insecurities came from but she wasn't blind to them. Both Willow and Dawn had warned her privately that she would have to tread lightly. But if she could get past Buffy's issues, she thought a relationship with her would be worth the effort. And not just the issues that were like a big blind spot. Buffy seemed to have no problem with Willow's relationship with Kennedy.

But, even though Buffy was willing to do small things to indicate how close they were becoming, like holding her hand in public as they walked, she seemed to be in denial that anyone would ever want to have a real relationship with her, other than friendship. Ginny didn't think Buffy was completely unaware of her feelings, even if she missed any hints that she wanted to take their friendship further, but she seemed unable or afraid to acknowledge them.

"It'll be fun," Ginny told her, taking her hand and continuing to smile. It was a small risk having Buffy meet her parents but she really hoped a few days away from everyone, in a work free setting, would help.

"You've said that before," Buffy muttered. "But they're your family. You already know them."

"Yes, and they'll love you," Ginny said, squeezing her hand tightly. "No one will know who you are, you can just be Buffy, stylish blonde from California."

"I think my stylish days are far behind me," Buffy objected, leaning against the fountain. "Even further than Sunnydale."

"Not even close," Ginny said. "When we get to Los Angeles in a few weeks you can take me shopping at all your favorite shops."

"Okay," Buffy said, giving her a small smile before pulling her into a brief hug.

Ginny enjoyed their closeness for the moment it lasted before Buffy let her go. "You'll like my parents, even if we can't tell them what you really do, that you're a slayer."

"If you think they should know, we can tell them." Buffy said, idly running her free hand through the water.

"I don't think they would understand." Ginny said reluctantly. "Working with the Council... it's a very grey and violent world. Enemies become friends, friends become enemies. Things are constantly changing. Most of my family sees things as more black and white."

Buffy frowned for a moment. "Are you sure you want to introduce me to them then? Chaos tends to follow me around."

"We'll be fine for a couple days," Ginny told her confidently. "We won't be around long enough for anything to notice. And after dealing with my brothers for so many years, they'll welcome you with open arms."

"Are your brothers that bad?" Buffy asked.

Ginny shook her head, grinning slightly. "They're my brothers. It was my job to torment them when we were growing up. They became quite skilled at returning the favor. I'm sure they've grown out of it by now."

"Who'll be there?"

Ginny shrugged. "You've met Bill. Charlie works in a nature park with dangerous animals. I don't expect him to be able to get away on such short notice. Percy is a born politician, so you shouldn't make him any promises. The twins run a magical joke shop, so if they show up don't take anything they offer you. Ron is an Auror and is very suspicious of everyone."

"That's one of those magical cops, like Tonks?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, though he's much better at staying out of trouble." Ginny laughed. "Though not by much. After them, you look really harmless."

"Harmless?" Buffy grumbled. "When did that happen?"

"Okay, 'mostly harmless'." Ginny corrected herself with a giggle, dodging Buffy's wet hand. "No tickling!" she protested, futilely trying to escape.

--- --- ---

"What's so funny?" Buffy asked, as she threw the last bag into the trunk. Ginny had been giggling to herself randomly all through their leisurely breakfast and now that they were ready to leave, Buffy had used up what little patience she'd had and felt like she would die from curiosity.

"Hermione called me late last night," Ginny said, shaking her head. "She was at the Burrow last night. She's still stuck with the Ministry's secrecy charm so she had to stretch the truth a little when my family tried to interrogate her about you."

"Like how?" Buffy asked.

"Well... apparently everyone we work with carries around special charms to make us immune to all sorts of magic." Ginny giggled, leaning against the car. "She said Ron and Harry were ready to place orders."

"I wish." Buffy grumbled. "It would make cleaning up after some of Willow's wiz kids when an experiment explodes in their face a whole lot easier. I think either Willow set things up intentionally to do that to them or they are just wasting the Council's time and should be sent home."

"Hmm..." Ginny raised an eyebrow at her comments, giving her a stern look.

Buffy blushed at the look she received from Ginny. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

"I know." Ginny said. "But those 'annoying wiz kids' are my responsibility until she gets back. They mean well. And it's not as if they are ready to do any real magic."

"Sorry." Buffy apologized again. "What else did she say?"

"She thinks there's a leak somewhere. Percy seemed to know exactly who you are." Ginny frowned. "But he isn't one of the people who is supposed to know what we do."

"And now your parents know all about slayers and the Council?" Buffy stated.

"No." Ginny shook her head. "She said he didn't say anything to them. In fact, she said he seemed very sympathetic."

"Any idea how he knows?" Buffy asked.

"We'll have to ask him if he shows up." Ginny said. "He already knew I was working for an organization that uses magic."

"Really?"

"Yes..." Ginny murmured. "The papers that allowed me to work for the Council went through his office at the Ministry."

"Some day you'll have to explain the whole Ministry thing to me," Buffy told her. "Unlike Dawn, I would rather hear the real story from you and not try to guess."

"Well..." Ginny blushed. "She wasn't too far off, but officially I'm not allowed to say anything. So, if anyone says anything about magic and the Ministry while we're at the Burrow we pretend not to hear them."

"Understood." Buffy said. "But none of that seems to explain what you found so funny this morning."

"Oh, that. Ron wanted to know what kind of name for a guy was 'Buffy'." Ginny giggled. "And my mother was ready to make wedding plans until Hermione straightened them out."

Buffy stared at her in confusion. "Why would they think that?"

"Umm... No idea..." Ginny hurriedly climbed into the car. It wasn't anything special, just something they'd borrowed from the Council motor-pool, but it was theirs for the next three days.

"What aren't you telling me?" Buffy asked, a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Well..." Ginny paused while Buffy joined her in the car, sliding behind the wheel of the small sedan. "Other than the name confusion, I've never brought anyone home before that my parents didn't already know or whose parents they didn't know."

"And that makes a difference?" Buffy asked curiously.

"When my mother thinks I should already be married and producing grandchildren for her?" Ginny shrugged. "Yes. She tends to engage in a bit of wishful thinking. It took her years to give up on the idea of Harry and myself getting married."

"But we shouldn't have to worry about that," Buffy stated firmly.

"Well, Hermione seems to think my mother hasn't quite forgotten the idea. She never could resist a challenge." Pulling on her seat-belt, Ginny leaned back in her seat with an exaggerated sigh.

Well, that would certainly be a challenge, Buffy thought. She couldn't remember the last time she hadn't spent her free time with Ginny, but the hand holding and hugs they engaged in shouldn't give anyone any mistaken ideas about their relationship. She hoped.

"So I'm going to get the future in-law treatment from your family? Even though we're just good friends? And we're not..." she waved her hand nervously between them.

"Well, Hermione did try to discourage the idea. But once my mother gets something like that into her head, she doesn't let go." Ginny snorted. "She's probably already thought of a solution to the grandchild issue."

"Ginny..." Buffy said quietly. "Even if we were more than just friends... I'm a slayer. Even if it were legal, I don't think it would be fair for me to marry anyone."

"Unfair to who?" Ginny stared at her intently for a long moment, sending shivers up and down Buffy's spine. "Anyone would be so lucky to marry you."

Pulling her eyes away from Ginny's face, Buffy started the car. Taking a deep breath, and without turning her head, Buffy answered her "No. Slayers and love don't mix. I've proven that again and again over the years. And children? Even if I wanted that..." She shook her head, taking a deep breath in an attempt to keep her emotions under better control. "No slayer has ever had children or survived becoming pregnant."

"How do you know that? What about Robin Wood?" Ginny asked. "His mother was a slayer."

"Niki Wood did not become the Slayer until after he was born." She stopped talking for a minute while she pulled out into the morning traffic. "Willow looked into it several years ago when she and Kennedy became serious. Dawn is the closest I'll ever get to having children."

"Dawn is your sister. That doesn't count." Ginny protested. "She was already a teenager."

Buffy shook her head. "It's..."

"A long story..." Ginny finished for her. "Okay, forget about children for now, though you are ignoring the obvious solution. What about Willow and Kennedy?" Ginny asked. "Being together seems to work for them."

"I'm not Kennedy." Buffy mumbled. "She was just a spoiled brat when Willow found her. That's curable. And she never had time to be affected by becoming a slayer."

"So?"

"It's too late for me to change. Loving me would be toxic to anyone with even half a heart." Buffy said, struggling to not show how much what she was saying hurt. "Consider yourself luck we're just friends."

"Do you believe it is too late for someone like Faith?" Ginny asked. Buffy kept her eyes on the road but could feel Ginny's eyes burning into her face. "She's been a slayer almost as long as you have."

"Faith?" Buffy could sense that the question was important but had no idea why or how to give Ginny whatever answer she really wanted. "Faith is different. I don't think she's ever been in a real relationship. Who knows what'll happen if she tries. If it doesn't work out it's going to be very messy for the rest of us."

"Her relationship with Robin Wood wasn't real?" Ginny asked. All she'd heard about it had been second hand from Dawn, whom she considered a very biased source.

"Nah. That was just post-apocalypse syndrome. It happens to the best of us." Buffy shook her head. "Very few of those turn into the real thing."

"Like Willow and Kennedy?"

"Right. Like them." Buffy agreed. "But there were special circumstances for that one."

--- --- ---

Watching her as she silently drove, Ginny thought about what Buffy had said, running her words over and over in her head as they approached Ottery-Saint-Catchpole after a leisurely lunch. Buffy's explanation to explain her avoidance of relationships didn't seem very complete. She suspected she was missing something, some part of Buffy's life that she didn't know about yet had convinced her that attempting to have a relationship was doomed from the start.

"This would be a lot faster if we could apparate." Ginny grumbled putting her thoughts about Buffy and relationships away for now. Though only slightly mollified by the intense look of concentration on Buffy's face, several hours into their trip Ginny had become inured to her chaotic driving skills.

"Who was it who decided that certain kinds of magic and slayers don't mix well?" Buffy asked, breaking her silence.

"I did. One unexplained magical accident like Fred and Tonks is enough," Ginny said. "But traveling by car, when I'm so close to home doesn't seem right..."

"In a hurry? We could have taken a train." Casting a surreptitious glance at the other woman, Ginny knew that Buffy would have preferred that the trip take as long as possible. She would catch her occasionally looking at her watch. Although she's initially agreed to accompany her on this quick trip, Buffy had grumbled that she wasn't, in any way, ready to meet Ginny's parents. She suspected it was just nerves and that relaying what Hermione had said about what they might find at the Burrow might not have been a good idea.

"Who's going to be there?" Buffy asked, her voice not revealing anything.

"Other than my parents?" Ginny asked. "Everyone else has to work so it'll only be them during the day. I don't know who will be there in the evenings. Hermione, Harry, and Ron at least one evening. Percy wanted to meet you also."

"Anything else I should know, now that it's too late to change my mind?" She winked at Ginny.

"Yes, actually." Ginny said, relieved that the crisis seemed to have passed. "I've already explained how everything is done with magic, correct?"

"Yes. And that is going to seem very strange." Buffy said. "Back in Sunnydale, one of the problems Willow had was trying to do too much with magic."

"It's a different kind of magic," Ginny reminded her.

"I realize that." Buffy took her eyes away from the road for a second to look at Ginny. "Hopefully I won't make a fool of myself by staring too much. What else?"

"My father." Ginny paused for a moment. "He has this fascination with non-magical machines. He doesn't understand them but he likes taking them apart."

"Okay. So I shouldn't let him near my phone. Even though it is almost indestructible." Buffy laughed.

"Yes. I'm not sure if Willow's indestructibility spell could withstand his attempts to figure it out."

"Anything you haven't told me about your mother?"

"She's a mother." Ginny said with a smile. "Once you're one of her children she'll never let you go."

"That sounds great, actually," Buffy said. Ginny wondered if she were imagining the wistfulness she was hearing in Buffy's voice. Not for the first time, she wondered what Buffy's mother had been like to have left such a big hole in the lives of the original Scoobies when she'd died.

"You'll see how she can be with Harry and Hermione," Ginny confided. "It can be very entertaining."


TBC