Chapter 3 - The Night Before

The next week passed in a blur of wedding plans, and Dawn was lost in decisions from what kind of crystal glasses to use, what china, who to sit with who, to what to serve, who to place where in the church, and where to register for wedding gifts. Buffy handled this with a calm air, though Dawn could tell that she was having the time of her life. Dawn was glad for her, she had never before seen her sister so happy, and Dawn knew she deserved it after what she had been through. When they finally got some time to themselves, Dawn asked Buffy about what had bothered her for the last few weeks.

"Buffy, what's going to happen this year, with me, and school, and you and working and stuff?"

Buffy sighed deeply.

"To be honest, I hadn't really thought about it. I mean you'll be living here, Grimmauld Place with me and Sirius, and possibly Harry, depending on how things turn out, and Sirius will be working at Hogwarts again. Professor Dumbledore said you are very welcome to return to Hogwarts, and perhaps take some NEWTs. Would you want to do that, go to a boarding school I mean?"

"Yeah!" Dawn exclaimed, "I mean I want to be with you, but being at Hogwarts is the most fun. This year I really want to be a school girl, you know, take all the classes, sleep in the dormitories and stuff. And maybe, after Hogwarts I can become a watcher, it's what I've been thinking about a lot, and Giles' says he'll train me."

"Well everything's good with you then, but as for me I don't know." Buffy sighed again. "I mean Sirius can commute, that's no problem, its instantaneous by Floo. But I don't want to be a housewife, I'm not cut out for the whole 'I'll have your dinner on the table when you come home act,' it's just not me. It's not like being the slayer is a proper career anyway, I mean I can only work nights, and I'm not particularly special anymore, more keep turning up everyday."
"It will work out, it always does," Dawn said, and Buffy was strongly reminded of their mother. "You could always go back to the Double Meat Palace!" Buffy grabbed her and tickled her ribs, and an all-out tickling fight ensued.

A week before the wedding, faith arrived from LA by Floo to join in the festivities. She informed Buffy and Giles that the Slayers were once again getting restless in Wolfram and Hart.

"There's just not enough vamps in the state of California for them," she explained, "The numbers go up every day, and Angel get's madder and madder as they clutter up his shiny new offices. They need a hobby, I swear."

Buffy nodded thoughtfully. It had crossed her mind that Angel was not happy with having to take care of all the Slayers. The problem was that there wasn't enough space for them to live and train elsewhere. An idea that she had thought about recently again passed her thought.
"We need a school for them," she said, more to herself than anyone, "Somewhere they can live and train, where we can take proper care of them, and any new ones that get called, in a better way than the Watchers Council did."

"Well actually," Giles piped up, "There has been something I've been wishing to discuss with you, on that line of thought. It seems there are some, erm, funds shall we say that had popped up from the Watcher's Council, that are in our care now. Being the last Watcher alive, it seems they belong to me, well us."

"How much Giles?" Buffy asked curiously.

"Well, with deductions, and taxes and all of that…we're looking at something along the lines of three million US dollars," he said casually.

"THREE MILLION DOLLARS!" Faith yelled, "Think what we could do with that B!"

"A school, we could really do it!" Buffy said joyously, "Maybe near Hogwarts, so we could do all the magic stuff as well. And we could pay the slayers and take care of them, and train watchers as well! It could b e fantastic." She looked at Giles and Faith.

"Would you guys be up for this?" she asked. "It'd be a lot of work, and we'd be the one's in charge, but it could be great."

"I'm in B," Faith said.

"I would be honoured to do this," Giles said in delight.
"Right then lets save it, let's wait for the wedding, then talk to Albus, he will be able to help I'm sure."

The day before Buffy's wedding, Hermione and Ron arrived at Grimmauld Place. There was much excitement at the new arrivals, but it was short lived, as quickly after they arrived, she declared that she and her bridesmaid had to go to the Lanesborough to get seriously pampered. She kissed Sirius goodbye, and he held her for a long time, knowing that the next time he saw her, it would be his wedding day.

Buffy, Willow, Dawn, Cordelia, Faith and Hermione spent the day in the Lanesborough spa. The had massages, facials, mud baths, manicures, pedicures and every other kind of treatment available. Cordelia and faith ha planned the hen night for that evening, and at seven, all the bridesmaids went to Willows suite. Buffy was staying in Willows room, as she was saving her suite for her wedding night. Willow had two king-sized bed's in her suite so she wasn't bothered at all. Buffy threw open the door to the suite and ushered everyone inside.

"Hey bride-to-be, you excited?" Faith teased. She handed Buffy a small plastic tiara, which Buffy promptly placed on her head. They all had brought gifts, ranging from underwear from Cordelia, which made them all giggle tipsily, as they had had champagne, to a book on marriage from Hermione.

They danced around the room to a CD that Dawn had brought to old high school classics.

"So, how are you feeling Buffy?" Cordelia asked, "You nervous, excited what?"

"excited….and a little nervous," she admitted. "But not about Sirius. Just stupid stuff, like what if my dress doesn't fit, or if I trip coming down the aisle, or if people won't get on. Sirius is the only solid thing in the whole wedding." They all sighed at her happiness.

"I hope I get to a place where I'm ready to be that tied down someday," Faith said, "I mean it's enough for me to just be with one guy for a long term thing. Not done that before. But its kind of fun."

"I can't wait to get married," sighed Cordelia, "I wish Xander would hurry up, and decide its time. Wedding planning has to be the funnest hobby ever!"

"It has been," Buffy said, eyes shining, "But really, all I wanted to do was get married, that was enough for me."

The next morning dawned bright and sunny as Buffy saw as she woke up at nine on her wedding day. For a moment she couldn't recall why she was where she was, but when she did, a huge grin spread over her face.
"Willow!" she called, "Wake up! It's my wedding day!" Willow rolled over, and grinned blearily at her.

"Get up lazybones," she commanded, "We've got four hours til I get married, you'd better hurry up!"

Sirius woke up feeling just as happy as Buffy, but that was quenched a little, when the wedding guests began to arrive at 12 Grimmauld Place. HE quickly realised what a mistake it had been to make it the meeting point, despite the fact that it was only down the road from the church. The volume of guest made Grimmauld Place a difficult place to be. Buffy had invited all the Slayers to her wedding, all seventy of them, as there were now. Added to the Scoobies from LA, and all of their Wizarding friends, there was not much room to move, as he placed them all in various living rooms, then retired upstairs to put on his tuxedo. He had chosen it, it was a black suit with a white shirt and white bow tie. It looked particularly good on his broad shoulders and with his black hair. He straightened his bow tie in the mirror and grinned at himself. This was short lived as he heard more guest arrive downstairs and he ran to greet them.