This chapter is kind of vague and passes a lot of time in a short bit of writing but I need to pass the time. Partly because it would take a loooong time to hike from Liverpool to Scotland and also because there wasn't much to say about the journey, it's not an integral part of the story, only that they built up a good relationship from the time spent together. Don't worry; I've got good plans for the next few chapters!

Keep reviewing, they make my days!

Chapter 11 – Leaving Civilisation

Buffy posted her letters to her mother, Giles and the Scoobies at the post-box at the corner before walking back towards the hotel. It was early morning, very early, four o clock and a cold mist hung over the city. Buffy shivered as she opened the door to the hotel and climbed the stairs to her room where Sirius was waiting.

 "That's everything," she said to him, quietly so as not to wake up their neighbours. She picked up her backpack from where it lay on her bed. Casting a last glance around the room to check she hadn't forgotten anything, Buffy and Sirius left the room. They were travelling light; Sirius unable to carry anything, so they had a change of clothes each, food, two sleeping bags and toothbrushes with them.
Buffy and Sirius went down to the foyer. Buffy checked out with the late night receptionist and they left the hotel.

Out on the pavement, Buffy opened her backpack and took out the map. She examined it for a short while, and then pointed.
 "That way," she said, still staring at it. "We'll go through the country."

Hours later they were still walking. They had walked along the coast for a while then turned in land and were currently crossing masses of fields.
Looking around him to assure himself they were alone, Sirius changed into him human form.
 "Here let me take it," he said hurriedly, taking the bag from Buffy's shoulders. "You look tired."

"The polite way of saying I look terrible," Buffy said with a laugh. "Thanks."
 "No you look fine, I mean you look good, I mean obviously you've looked better, but you look fine," Sirius stammered, then reddened when he saw Buffy laughing.
 "It's okay," she said, still chuckling. "If we're going to be travelling together you don't have to be polite." She smiled at him and Sirius smiled back in return.

They continued walking in silence for while.

"What's Hogwarts like?" Buffy said. "I mean the kids learn magic right? But is it just like high school but with wandy lessons instead of chem or whatever?"

 "There's no school like Hogwarts," Sirius said with a chuckle. "I mean for starters it's a bloody great castle. And yeah the lessons are wand stuff. Every student has to take the basics, transfiguration which is about changing something into something else, like me changing into a dog, Potions which is mixing potions, Herbology where you study plants, Defence against the Dark Arts which is pretty self explanatory, Charms which is basic spells and then you pick other subjects like Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies and other stuff. The lessons are good, I mean they are probably more interesting than muggle subjects but they're only a tiny part of the whole Hogwarts life. There are the houses, which are a major part of Hogwarts."
 "Houses? Like you live in houses?" Buffy asked, wrinkling her forehead in confusion.
 "Not exactly," Sirius answered, smiling. "When you go to Hogwarts you have to try on the sorting hat which tells you which house you belong in. there's four: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Supposedly Gryffindors are brave, Ravenclaws are hardworking, Hufflepuffs are kind and Slytherins are cunning. I was in Gryffindor. Your house is like your family, you live in the same dormitories, you share a common room you sit at a table in the Great Hall with them and you can earn or lose house points. Plus if your good enough you can be on your house Quidditch team."

"Okay I was with you up to Quidditch," Buffy said.
 "It's the best sport in the world, played on broomsticks," Sirius explained.
 "What, you hit each other with broomsticks?" Buffy said, frowning again.
 "No, I mean you fly on broomsticks," Sirius said, hitting her lightly on the arm. "There are twp teams and four balls and….." He proceeded to explain the complicated game that was Quidditch.

Days passed and September crawled past. Coldness crept into the north and Buffy and Sirius continued their journey. So far they had apparently avoided detection, not seeing other people for days on end and when they did it was from a long distance away. Consequently, more and more often Sirius was able to resume his human form and walk with Buffy. As the days flew by they got to know one another in a way that people are unable to get to know each other unless they spend long lengths of time in each others company. They were comfortable with each other, they had to be, and they fitted well.

At times the going was rough, the northern weather was harsh and they slept out of doors nearly all the time, except for one night they spent in a small bed and breakfast. Buffy had insisted on this, proclaiming she had forgotten what a real bed looked like. But on the whole they travelled inconspicuously, avoiding sight and anything that would jeopardise their mission.

A few days into October Sirius and Buffy reached the border of Scotland. Crossing over and knowing they were in the country that they needed to be in felt like a huge achievement. They walked on further, until dusk when they came across a huge barn that was apparently deserted.

 "Do you think it's really deserted?" Sirius said as together they slid open the huge sliding.
 "Well judging by the lack of people, the lack of pretty much anything but deserted moor land and the layer of dust as thick as my pinkie finger, I'd say yes," Buffy said, pretending to consider.
 "Point taken," Sirius said walking inside, and making footprints in the dust. Both Sirius and Buffy turned on their torches as the space was pitch black.
The barn was empty of people but the huge space was filled with a variety of broken crates and other storage spaces. The effect of piled up crates and boxes made it somewhat of a maze walking around in the high-ceilinged corrugated iron barn.

"Buffy?" Sirius called, walking through the dust and around some crates, pointing his torch ahead of him. "Buffy, where did you go?" He walked round another corner and suddenly something jumped down from a pile of crates and knocked him to the floor. Instinctively, Sirius shut his eyes until he heard laughing.
 "Sorry," Buffy said, holding her stomach as she laughed helplessly. "Couldn't resist!" Sirius looked at her wryly until he started laughing too. Together they made their way to the front of the barn and pulled the door closed so only a man sized crack existed and then, with a lot of wrong turns, made their way to the back of the barn. A huge stack of crates was piled up and Sirius and Buffy unrolled their sleeping bags and curled up with their backs leaning against it.
 Buffy leaned her head on Sirius' shoulder and he put his arm around her in their usual sleeping position, partly to stave off the cold and partly for comfort. Buffy closed her eyes, and Sirius followed suit.

It felt like moments to Buffy but it was actually a few hours before she was jolted awake by a wild howling that sounded like it came from just outside the barn. It was joined by another howling, just as wild as the first.

 Buffy and Sirius both sat bolt upright and turned on their torches, having been jarred from sleep.

 "Probably just a couple of stray dogs," Buffy said, snuggling down again in her sleeping bags and trying to get comfortable.
 "That's no dog howl," Sirius said in a strangely hoarse voice which made Buffy open her eyes and look at him. His face was strangely pale, his eyes wide and unfocused as if what he saw in front of them was not the dusty crates Buffy saw.
 "That's a werewolf howl," he murmured.