This is kind of a nothing chapter, just moving on the story and bit and setting up the next few chapters. Also it's because I wanted to update before the crazy exam time begins. Consequently it's kind of rushed and not polished whatsoever. Sorry but I don't really have time.

This isn't going to be a Hogwarts based fic, it will be set there a little but I'm not going to keep Sirius and Buffy up there. I haven't decided about all the Scoobies, but one or two may stick around. As for the actual plot, I've had a few ideas, some really good ones but they depend on whether I do a sequel to this or not. So when you review can you let me know if you'd rather see a sequel to this or a new Buffy/HP fic? Thank you

Oh and one last thing, there's a Harry Potter fic I've been reading by Thorn of Blood about the Marauders at school. It's not currently getting the recognition it deserves, so go and check it out. It's called 'Just Kids' and it's under the Harry Potter section.

Thanks to:

ScruffyWes

Miz

Sabia – lol you are picky about punctuation! Mine on the whole isn't too bad if you can overlook the tiny mistakes please!

SPASH Panther

Dreamer Child – no teaching for Buffy or Sirius, that's not the way I'm going with this. I have someone in mind for DADA already anyway!

Renna

Lexinator – I agree, I think we'll see Sirius in HP6 in some form, even if it's not back for good.

Vampy the chosen one

Wllw979 – yeah I see what you mean about the Amber Spyglass. It's funny, I just finishing rereading that for the thousandth time and I love it! I even considered doing a His Dark materials fic but I decided against it.

Cancan227

Anne-Marie

Silver Warrior

Anipotter3713

Kyra2 – oh Bills reaction was just shock, he wasn't reacting to anything. I think I wrote Bill a bit wrong there because people keep asking about it.

Thorn of Blood – hmm I may do something with Fred and George and the Order soon since you mentioned it. But right now they aren't members because Molly doesn't want more of the family in danger.

Chapter 23 – Departures and Arrivals

Buffy heard a faint buzzing but she decided it was in her head and rolled over, eyes firmly closed. She was firmly wrapped in a duvet but she felt a gust of wind on her ear. Lazily she reached up with her hand and covered her ear, snuggling deeper into her pillow. The gust of wind moved to her cheek and so Buffy moved her hand there, only to feel it once again on her ear. Buffy opened one eye and saw Sirius leaning over her, gently blowing in her eyes. As soon as he saw her awake, he arranged his face in an innocent expression.

 "What?" he said innocently and Buffy grinned wryly.
 "I was sleeping," she complained sleepily and Sirius chuckled.
 "I was bored," he explained ad Buffy hit him with her pillow.
 "Git," she murmured and Sirius chuckled again. "You've been hanging around with Ron and Harry too much," he teased, earning himself another hit from Buffy. "Come on, can't you smell breakfast. I'm starving!" Buffy giggled and dragged herself out of bed, dressing in a pale blue skirt and a white top. She and Sirius went down the stairs and into the kitchen where everyone else was having breakfast.
 "Morning," Molly said, looking up briefly as they entered. "Help yourselves." A few platters of food sat on the table, steaming and Sirius and Buffy dug into the food.
 "Where's Giles?" Harry asked, looking through the Daily Prophet.
 "Gone home," Buffy said shortly, biting into a piece of toast. "He needed to get back, said he'd done his part. But he's coming back, they all are when you lot have gone back to school."

 "We won't get to see them," Ron moaned and Ginny, Harry and Hermione looked disappointed too.
 "Sorry," Buffy said apologetically. "But I know they'll all want to see Sirius and there's no space with everyone here." Fred and George wore identical grins.
 "Don't worry kids," Fred said pityingly.
 "Yeah, we'll tell you what it's like to live in a house with two slayers," George said, reassuringly. Ron and Ginny scowled simultaneously.
 "Sorry kids," Fred said, getting up. "We've got work to do." Simultaneously the twins apparated and were gone from Grimmauld Place.
 "We might come to Hogwarts anyway," Buffy said quickly. "At least I will. I want to see the place properly."
 "I can't wait to see Malfoys face when he finds out we know a slayer," Ron said excitedly. "It'll be like the ferret time only better."
 "He can't know," Buffy interjected. "You can't tell people who I am, well at least not yet. I need to check with Dumbledore. I was in Azkaban and I don't need the Ministry checking up on me again." Ron slouched down looking disappointed.

 "When do you lot go back to Hogwarts again anyway?" Sirius said, changing the subject.
 "Ten days," Hermione replied. "I can't wait!"
 "I can," Harry said gloomily. "I thought no where could be better than Hogwarts until last year. I'd rather stay here."

 "It might be better this year," Hermione said hopefully. "No more Umbridge."
 "Maybe," Harry said dejectedly.
 "You can always come visit us," Buffy put in and Harry smiled. "As long as you've done your homework." Buffy grinned thinking of her own experience at school and the fact that she had almost never done her homework.

The next ten days passed in a whirl, Sirius getting settled back into life and spending time with Buffy and Harry. A meeting of the Order was held and everyone eagerly welcomed Sirius back into the fold.

Finally the first of September rolled around and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny stood ready and waiting by the door, trunks packed and waiting. Sirius and Buffy stood watching them hurry around collecting last minute items, Sirius looking wistful.

 "I miss the days of Hogwarts," he said reverently. "Things were simpler then." Buffy nodded sympathetically, remembering her own days at Hemery and the frivolity of life before she was called. 

 "Are you ready?" Molly called over the noise of the leavers. "The guard will be here any moment." As if on cue, the doorbell rung, sounding through the house. Buffy listened to the sound that followed with satisfaction; the picture of Sirius' mother was currently residing in the cellar, thanks to Giles' handiwork with a chainsaw. Instead of trying to remove the portrait, he had simply removed the section of wall that had held the portrait and then Sirius had quickly replaced it with a flick of his wand.

Bill opened the door for the guard, which consisted of Moody, and Tonks who was down the street Moody informed them.

Quickly, they all hugged. Buffy hugged Ginny, Ron and Hermione before Harry. She hugged him tightly, feeling that she would miss his presence the most.

 "Take care," she said fervently. "Don't do anything crazy. We'll see you soon I expect."
 "Good," Harry said before hugging Sirius.
 "What she said," Sirius said with a grin, gesturing to Buffy. Harry picked up his trunk, and casting one last backwards glance at Sirius before walking out of the do0r and closing it behind them.
 "Well that's' it then," Buffy said sadly. "The house feels emptier already." Sirius nodded, it was true. Molly and Arthur had returned to the Burrow that morning. Bill was remaining at Grimmauld Place, Remus also, and the twins because it was closer to London. Charlie had returned to Romania but other Order members would be passing through regularly. 

Buffy and Sirius wandered through into the kitchen, sitting down at the table with Remus and Bill. Buffy sat on Sirius' lap.
 "So what have you guys got planned for today?" she asked expectantly. Remus opened his mouth to answer, but the flames in the fireplace suddenly flared up and they all turned to see who was coming through.

"I wonder who it could be at this time of the morning," Siirius said absently. They watched as the form of Giles unfolded itself from the fireplace.
 "Giles!" Buffy exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Giles smiled and moved away from the fireplace, putting a suitcase down on the cobbled floor.
 "We said we'd visit," he said, cleaning his glasses of soot. "There's no time like the present, as they say." Buffy watched eagerly as the rest of her friends, Willow, Oz, Faith, Xander and Anya appeared through the fireplace, all carrying large bags.
Buffy stood up expectantly but to her surprise her friends ignored her and clustered around Sirius.
 "It's the S-man," Xander said excitedly. "How's it going buddy?" He and Sirius shared a manly hug.
 "Not bad," Sirius said with a grin. He and Oz exchanged grins and then Sirius hugged Willow.
 "How are you feeling?" she asked concernedly. "It's got to be pretty rough being in Hell."
 "I don't remember it much," Sirius confessed. "But it's good to be back." He hugged Anya and she welcomed him, Buffy and Sirius both noticing the diamond she wore on her fourth finger.

 "Hey big guy," Faith said, hugging Sirius also. "Bet that time in hell has killed the drinking skills. There's no way you'll down more Firewhisky than me again."
 "Don't count on it," Sirius grinned. "I'm still nursing the hangover from the last time. But I still beat you by one shot."

 "Next time," Faith promised, also grinning.

 "Hey!" Buffy called indignantly, but with a grin on her face. "Remember me? Buffy Summers, the girl you went to high school with? Slayer extraordinaire?" Xander came over and hugged her loyally.
 "Sorry," he said chuckling. "But we just saw you and you didn't die." Buffy laughed and greeted the rest of her friends. They all sat around the table.
 "I didn't expect to see you guys so soon," Buffy admitted. "Harry only just left for Hogwarts."
 "Sunnydale is officially dead," Faith said, tipping back in her chair. "Couldn't wait to break some fresh soil."
 "It's great to see you all again," Sirius said happily. "It's been what? Two years since I saw you all properly."

 "We missed you," Willow said loyally. "Sunnydale wasn't the same without you." Sirius grinned and Buffy entwined her fingers in his hand.
 "So what've you kids been up to?" Faith said raising an eyebrow wickedly. "Catching up I suppose."
 "And giving each other lots of orgasms too," Anya said sensibly. "You must have missed them in hell." The Scoobies and Sirius were used to Anya but Bill and Remus were both alarmed, to the great amusement of the others.

"Kinda bad we missed the others," Oz said disappointedly. "Has everyone left?"

 "Remus and Bill are staying," Buffy informed them. "Molly and Arthur have gone back to their home but the twins are staying here." Sirius looked over at Xander and Anya.
 "Are a congratulations in order?" he asked and Xander nodded, a grin spreading across his face.
 "Congratulations!" Buffy exclaimed. "When's the happy day?" Xander and Anya exchanged glances.
 "We haven't decided yet really," Anay said. "A couple of months or so we think." Buffy and Sirius grinned happily.
 "We want you guys for bridesmaid and usher," Xander said and they both nodded excitedly.
 "Any more life changing news you'd care to fill us in on?" Buffy asked brightly and Willow nodded.
 "Dumbledore sent us a letter," Willow said and Buffy looked at her interestedly. "Said that we could go stay at Hogwarts if we wanted, you too. Just owl him and he'll sort it out for us."

 "That sounds cool," Buffy said slowly. "But I don't want to leave Sirius."
 "You can go if you want," Sirius said quickly but Buffy shook her head.
 "I don't want," she said with a smile. Buffy suddenly perked up again. "Hey, you could come too!" Sirius frowned.
 "I can't come in the castle," he reminded her. "Even as a dog Draco Malfoy knows me."
 "But we could stay in Hogsmeade. It'd only be for a week or so," Buffy said quickly and Sirius began to grin. "Go back to where we first met, stay in the Shack." Sirius nodded thoughtfully.
 "Sounds good," he said with a grin. Willow jumped up.
 "I'll owl Dumbledore then," she said excitedly. "I can't wait to see this place!"


******