Some of you commented on the lack of Percy in the Weasley line up. That was a genuine mistake, I forgot about him because I was thinking of the Weasleys in Grimmauld Place and obviously he wasn't there. I may go back and slot him in but I haven't decided what his role will be later in this story. I'm not going to concentrate too much on the Wizarding world story, like Redemption, this fic will be about Buffy (and Sirius).

This will be the last regular update now. I had the first five chapters already written when I started this story but now I have to write a chapter at a time so it will take later.

Hope you like this chapter. Read and review!

Thanks to:

Harmoni9

Dreamer Child – I don't know how long. I'm the kind of person who doesn't properly plan a fic; I get ideas as I write it so I really can't say when.

ScruffyWes

Nobody…- lol a crocodile?

Draco-FutureBF

Tituba

Erak

Nimohtar

Vampy the chosen one

Vld

SlayerGirl

Totes_Brot

Alexandra Crowley

Miz- yeah Buffy does still have the ring, she wouldn't have left it

Charmedfanatic3000

Caribear

SPASH Panther

C@rMeiNa – Dung is Mundungus Fletcher

Becks89 – lol yes you did update, it was a good update too, but now I've updated again so I think it's your go!

Chapter 5 – The Gateway to Hell

Buffy dragged her suitcase behind her up the dilapidated staircase. Here and there she could see that there had been an effort made to make the house slightly more habitable but overall, it was pretty grim. The hallway featured a long pair of moth eaten curtains, closed. Buffy looked them curiously, they didn't look as if they had a window behind. She was tempted to look, but decided not to nose. She also saw an umbrella stand which looked like the leg of a troll.
 "Gross," she muttered, climbing the stairs.

She reached the first floor and a few doors lead off of the hall. From one of them she heard snoring, loud snoring that she supposed belonged to 'Dung' whoever he was. A few portraits hung and she watched them for a moment as the inhabitants moved, but then she carried on up. She climbed up four staircases, pulling her heavy suitcases behind her until she reached a floor where she could only see a door. The door was heavy and painted black with a shiny silver doorknob.

Buffy gingerly pushed it open and walked into the room that had been Sirius' for the last two years. It was dingy, much like the rest of the house. The focal point was a large iron bed, now made up with creamy coloured thick sheets. The floor was the same dark carpet as the rest of the house, stains and all. A large window was hung with heavy velvet curtains and a trunk lay at the foot of the bed. There was also a large dark wood wardrobe and Buffy opened another door which led to a small bathroom, white tiled but cleaner than the rest of the house. A staircase led off of the room and Buffy supposed it led up to Buckbeak.
 She threw her suitcase on the bed and just stood in the room. It had been his space and try as she might she couldn't feel him in her when she stood there. She moved to the wardrobe and opened the door. Half of the space was taken up by black robes and Buffy clasped them in her hands, feeling the familiar texture between her fingers. She bruited her face in them, wanting to smell him, but there was just the smell of dust, nothing remained of him.

Buffy removed her coat and hung it on a peg on the wall. She opened her case and quickly unpacked her things, using the trunk and half the wardrobe. She wasn't willing to move his clothes out, that would be too final and too much.
She changed from her muggle clothes into a set of the robes she had brought with her, a dark blue set that Sirius had always liked her in.
Leaving the room, she climbed the staircase up to the attic room to see the hippogriff. Buckbeak was sitting crunching on chicken bones when she arrived, but stopped to stare at her with one bright orange eye. Buffy bowed low and the hippogriff nodded its head at her in response, allowing her to move forward and hug it tightly. It seemed gratified to see her, perhaps he remembered her she thought, and the thought pleased her.
She remembered the last time she had seen Buckbeak, when Sirius had left her after the funeral. She had stood in the park at midnight. Sirius had taken her in his arms and held her, murmuring into her hair that he would miss her and think of her and love her. She had cried at the time, but now, it didn't seem enough. She had told him she loved him but could she have known it was the last time she would see him? Buffy wished she could've said more, she didn't know what, just something more. A proper goodbye, a final goodbye. He shouldn't have left her without letting her do that.
She left Buckbeak, descending to her room and sat on the bed. Blood pumped in her veins furiously and she felt hot and feverish. She didn't know what was wrong with her, she was so angry, and so sad at once. She was angry at Sirius for not being here when it was so difficult, angry for him having left her without letting her say goodbye properly. And then when she realised this, she wept because she was angry at herself, because deep down she was scared she couldn't feel properly, that her heart had been broken one too many times and what was left inside her was cold and empty.

Just before seven, Buffy straightened her robes, brushed her hair and checked her reflection in the age spotted mirror that hung on the wardrobe door. Satisfied with what she saw, she descended through the house to reach the hallway. The smell of cooking had filled the house for a while now and Buffy found she was actually hungry, something she hadn't experienced much lately. She pushed open the door and was met by warmth, light and an abundance of people. Ron, Ginny, Fred, George and Remus all sat around the table but so did four people Buffy didn't recognise.
 "Sit down love," Molly Weasley said kindly as Buffy entered nervously and everyone in the room looked up at her in interest.
 She sat down gratefully between Ron and Lupin. The man opposite extended a hand, a balding man with red hair like the other Weasleys and kind eyes.
 "Arthur Weasley," he said helpfully as she shook his hand. "Of course I know who you are. A slayer, my word." Buffy grinned and shook the next hand offered to her across the table, belonging to a man, about five years older than her by the look of it with a ponytail and a small fang shaped earring.
 "Bill Weasley," he introduced with a friendly grin. Buffy smiled, privately thinking that this guy looked like someone Faith would date, except with a nicer personality. The last man, with red hair like all the rest and large muscles and a burn mark on his upper arm, offered a hand which Buffy shook.
 "Charlie Weasley," he said and Buffy nodded. He looked about her age, twenty or so.
 "Okay got it," she said. "I've met the lot now." They all laughed and Buffy grinned, it felt good to be in a warm, family setting like this. There was one person left, a young woman, just a few years older than Buffy, with bright pink sticking up hair. She too shook Buffy's hand.
 "I like your hair," she said admiringly, and she screwed her face up and with what looked like effort, her hair turned long and blonde like Buffy's. Buffy just stared in amazement and the woman grinned.
 "I'm Nymphadora Tonks," she said. "But call me Tonks, who in their right mind calls their child Nymphadora, I ask you?" Buffy grinned, this woman was definitely interesting.
 "How did you do that?" she asked, gesturing to Tonks' new blonde hair.
 "I'm a metamorphmagus," she said. "It means I can change my appearance at will."
 "Can you all do that?" Buffy said in amazement but Remus shook his head.

"No it's something you're born with, it's very rare," he explained.
From the hallway, there was the sound of people moving towards the kitchen.
 "That'll be the others," Molly said. "Then I'll dish up." The kitchen door opened and two men entered the room. Buffy stood up as they entered, clutching a knife that had been on the table.
 "You," Buffy said levelly and it went silent in the room. "Someone curse him now!" All the occupants of the room looked at her in amazement.
 "Kingsley?" Arthur said in astonishment. "What do you mean my dear?" Buffy stared at Kingsley Shacklebolt who stood in the doorway and he looked back at her.
 "We've had a run in before I believe," Kingsley said. "Buffy Summers I believe." Buffy stared levelly at him. Remus put his hand on her arm.
 "Buffy it's okay," he reassured her. "Kingsley isn't after Sirius or you, he knows he was innocent. He's in the Order." Buffy frowned.
 "Oh," she said weakly, beginning to blush. Kingsley moved forward and extended a hand to her.
 "A fresh start perhaps," he said with a conspiratorial grin which Buffy returned. She shook his hand and they both took seats at the table, along with the other man who had entered.
Buffy hadn't looked at him before, but when she did she was astonished at what she saw. The man's face looked as if it had been hacked at repeatedly with a knife, chunks missing, even an eye which had been replaced with an electric blue spinning one.
 "Alastor Moody," he grunted, shaking her hand with a gnarled one.   Buffy vaguely remembered Sirius mentioning a 'Mad-Eye Moody' and naming him as one of the best Aurors to ever work for the Ministry.

 "This might interest you Alastor," Arthur said as Molly began to pass out plates and fill them will stew and potatoes. "Buffy here is a vampire slayer." Buffy saw surprise register on the face of Moody.
 "That is interesting," he growled. "Where have you been active?"
 "Sunnydale," Buffy answered and his face registered more surprise.
 "The hellmouth?" he said, impressed. "Sirius never mentioned where exactly he'd stayed. Interesting. Do you get a lot of activity there?"

 "Plenty," Buffy said with a rueful smile. "Demons just can't resist the evil goodness there." There was a silence for a while except for the sound of cutlery on plates as they all ate.
 "How do you know Kingsley?" Bill asked curiously and Kingsley and Buffy shared another conspiratorial grin.

 "I kicked his ass once," Buffy said casually and the room fell silent.
 "It's true," Kingsley said, still smiling. "In the middle of the street in Liverpool. Three Ministry trained Aurors taken out by a girl without a wand." Charlie let out a low whistle of amazement.

"Sorry about that," Buffy said and Kingsley laughed. "That was a crazy night. Me and Sirius went to this bar, and it turned out to be a demon bar." Fred and George looked at her with undisguised amazement.
 "Tell the story," Fred begged and Buffy laughed.
 "Well we went in, and the second we got in I realised what it was," she began. "There was this vampire working at the bar and I got drinks for us. The barman told me I wouldn't make it out alive as soon as I sat down, not the best hospitality. We talked for a while about demons and stuff and he said he'd heard of me which I was pretty impressed by and then we went to leave. By then pretty much the whole bar had noticed us and we're waiting to kill us. This vampire was there, one I knew from a while back, a real jerk called Spike. We talked, I hit him and the fight broke out. Luckily the demons were too stupid to notice they were hitting each other so we scarpered. And then I ran into Kingsley and his buddies."
 "And then?" George prompted.

 "Well they threatened me," Buffy said with a grin. "They'd been following me and at that point I was pretty pissed off so we fought. Knocked out the other two lightweights and then broke Kingsley's wand. Threatened him and then I was off."
 "She was terrifying," Kingsley said, smiling.
 "This Spike," Moody began. "He wasn't William the Bloody?"
 "Yeah, a real jerk," Buffy said with venom.
 "You fought William the Bloody?" Moody said in amazement.
 "Yeah a few times," Buffy answered. "But it wasn't exactly hard; he was all broken up about Drusilla, his ex."
 "Did you ever fight Drusilla?" Moody pressed.
 "Yeah, there was this whole thing between me and her and Spike," Buffy said, helping herself to a bread roll from the basket on the table.
 "Did you ever fight Angelus?" Moody asked and Buffy smiled, not quite sure what to say.
 "Yeah I did," she said. "I also dated him. He had a soul, he has a soul but he lost it for a while." Moody looked impressed despite himself.
Conversations began among the occupants of the table, Buffy talked with Kingsley, Tonks and Moody about the demons she had fought. Molly discussed the happenings at the Ministry with Arthur, and Bill. Charlie and Lupin listened curiously to Buffy's stories.

 Buffy found herself enjoying being in this environment, she had been afraid about not knowing anyone but everyone was very friendly. She missed Sirius though; she knew it would've been better with him by her side, supporting her, contributing to the stories and telling his own. She couldn't forget she was a stranger in this house and the reason she was here.
Once dinner was finished, they moved into the drawing room, a room with a writing desk and a mismatched collection of sofas and armchairs. Buffy settled down on the sofa next to Ron.
 "Why isn't Harry here?" she asked him as they helped themselves to the pot of coffee on the low table in the centre of the room.
 "Dumbledore won't let him come just yet," Ron said, shrugging. "I don't know when he'll be able to come. But I've written to him loads and he hasn't replied." Buffy nodded.
 "Did it hit him hard?" she asked quietly, and Ron nodded, looking slightly alarmed at the conversation which he feared could turn to tears at any point.
 "Sirius was all he had for family," Ron said worriedly. "He hasn't been the same since it happened." Buffy nodded grimly. She barely knew Harry but she had heard so much about him, from what Sirius had told her through his letters and in his visits. He knew that Sirius was immensely proud of Harry, and he looked on him like a son and a brother. Which meant Harry had lost a father and brother himself. A boy that had been through that much deserved some breaks, Buffy thought, blinking back tears.

Ron looked away awkwardly. Buffy smiled and cuffed him gently on the arm.
 "Don't look so afraid," she said with a chuckle. "I'm not gonna break down. I'll wait til I know you better." Ron smiled, though he still looked unsure.

The door to the drawing room opened and another stranger entered the room.
This man was something else; Buffy felt all her spidey senses tingling as he swept across the room to greet them all. He had a long silver beard and long silver hair, half moon glasses perched on a cooked nose and colourful long robes. His appearance belied the power Buffy felt emanating off of him, he was literally the most powerful being she had ever felt. Dumbledore, she presumed and stood up to greet him.
 "Miss Buffy Summers I believe," he said, eyes twinkling and she nodded and shook his hand. She couldn't explain why, but she felt safe with this man, she trusted him immediately. She also knew he was mighty powerful, Sirius had told her that.

 "Just Buffy will do," she said with a smile which he returned.

"I hope you have settled in well," he said politely and she nodded.

 "I wonder if you would give me the pleasure of talking with you alone for a short while," he asked politely and she nodded. The headed into the kitchen where they sat at the kitchen table facing one another.
 "Buffy, I am aware who you are," Dumbledore began, eyes still twinkling kindly. "The slayer. I have some contacts in the Watchers Council and when Sirius informed me of your existence, I did a check on you. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed."

"You looked at my past?" Buffy said, swallowing hard, feeling suddenly conscious of the fact she had destroyed two schools and had been wanted for murder.
 "Don't ever feel ashamed of what you have achieved," Dumbledore said seriously.

Buffy couldn't speak; she was astonished at his words. She hadn't felt brave and loving when she had saved the world, she'd been scared and doing her duty.

"I know you are going through a difficult time at the moment," Dumbledore continued, gravely. "Sirius' death has hit a lot of people very hard."

"I haven't asked anyone this yet, I wasn't really ready but I think I need to know." Buffy began. "How exactly did Sirius die?" She swallowed hard, the lump that was in her throat making it difficult for her to breathe.

Dumbledore looked at her closely over the top of his glasses.
 "Sirius was a brave man," he said sincerely. "Harry, along with you, was one of the most important people in his life. When he heard about Harry being in danger, he rushed to his aid along with others. They were in the Ministry, in the Department of Mysteries. That department contains all the mysteries of this dimension and the others. Not even those that work there know about everything there. The fight that Sirius was involved in took place in a room empty except for an archway. Sirius was cursed by a death eater and his body was thrown backwards through that archway. It did not come out the other side."
 "Who was the death eater?" Buffy said, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.
 "Sirius' cousin, a woman by the name of Bellatrix Lestrange," Dumbledore replied. Buffy nodded and her jaw set. That name was imprinted in her mind, stored away until she needed it.

 "The archway, what was it?" Buffy asked suddenly. "I mean surely if it was just an archway then his body would have come out the other side." She wiped her face with the sleeve of her robes.
 "Like the other items in the Department of Mysteries, that item is somewhat ambiguous. It is known as the Archway of Lost Souls." Dumbledore said. "Death is something that no one can fully comprehend. You only truly know it when you experience it, and then it is too late. But what we do know is that when a person dies, their soul leaves their body. The Archway of Lost Souls is for those souls that have been evil, that have killed, tortured and hurt without remorse. It is, in effect the Gateway to Hell." Buffy clutched the table tightly between grasping fingers. She felt the colour drain from her face.

 "But Sirius was a good man," she croaked weakly. "His soul was clean."
 "I know," Dumbledore replied with a sigh. "But his body, with his soul inside was forced through the Gateway."
 "Then I have to go and get him," Buffy said furiously, standing up. "I can reach him, bring him back." But Dumbledore was shaking his head.
 "Many have gone through the Archway, but none have returned." Said Dumbledore. "There is no returning from hell, there is no way to make it back. It would be suicide."

  "Then at least I'll die knowing that I tried," Buffy said, through the tears that poured down her cheeks.
 "Please, Buffy listen," Dumbledore said, still calm. "I did not tell you this because I wanted you to go to Sirius. The dead leave us, and once gone cannot be returned. We have them left inside of us through our memories." Buffy didn't move to sit down, but she stood still.
 "The reason I wanted to talk to you is because I think you can help someone," Dumbledore said, eyes fixed on Buffy's. "I know you're used to saving other's lives, saving the world even. But this is different, this is about one boy."
 "Harry," Buffy stated and Dumbledore nodded.
 "Harry was hit very hard by Sirius' death," Dumbledore said. "The loss of his parents at such a young age, having to live with the Dursleys and being 'the boy-who-lived' were troubles enough. Now he has more to contend with than I think even I comprehend."
 "The prophecy," Buffy murmured and Dumbledore nodded again.

 "I had to tell Harry," he said, looking away for the first time. "Just after Sirius died, he came to my office. And then I told him who he was and what that meant."  Buffy sat down hard as reality came rushing back to her. A boy, fifteen years old losing all he had in the way of family and then discovering that it was his duty to save the world, or die trying. Sirius had told her about the prophecy, a long time ago.
 "But you can understand that feeling," Dumbledore said and Buffy gulped. "I read the codex, read your prophecy. And you're still standing."
 "That's the combination of a kick ass dress and CPR," Buffy said, without mirth.
 "There is no one that can relate to Harry anymore," Dumbledore said. "No one can understand his pain. But you can. You are the chosen one, the Slayer, a prophecy already to her name. And you lost your mother." Buffy closed her eyes against the burning tears. When she opened them again, she was angry.
 "You don't even know me!" she hissed furiously. "I come here to get some closure, to try and fix my life, to get something so I can go on. When I lost Sirius it was like my heart falling out, I couldn't breathe. And it still feels like that, every second of everyday. And you tell me that I have to help some boy because both our lives are so messed up. So once again the weight of the world is on my shoulders, it's on me. I came back for Sirius; I came back hoping that I would find something here that would let me have my peace. How dare you talk about my mother? I don't need this; I don't need any of this. Sirius died while he was here, died while he was in your care. I don't owe you anything.  Give me one reason why I should help you."

****

Uh oh more angry Buffy. Sorry for all the OotP haters out there but death makes people unhappy.