Chapter 39
Tidings of Comfort and Joy
x.0.x.0.x
"Buffy?"
The blonde Slayer turned her head to see Faith standing in the doorway of her guest room. She had been staring out her guest room, watching the snowflakes spiral in the gentle breeze outside. "Faith... I..."
"I know what you're going to say, B, and you're gonna sound like Giles. But I want to do this. We have to do this."
Buffy looked as though she couldn't think of anything to say except shake her head and sigh. "This is very advanced magic, Faith. This is dark and powerful and scary, and..." She sighed again and stood up slowly. "I don't think we can risk it, Faith. Not with Quentin out there waiting for us to make our move. This is supposed to be a safe house for the Order. It isn't going to be a bull's eye on a target for Quentin and the rest of those Death Eater bastards!"
"He's my brother, Buffy," Faith said, moving into the room. "I've been waiting for so long to figure out what our Prophecy meant, what it means to me... what if it was Harry, B? Would you do it? Would you bring him back? Xander brought you back."
"I... I know, Faith," Buffy said, turning around to face the younger girl. "But we're talking ridiculously evil magics here. I doubt even Willow could--"
"Is this not your best friend who managed to bring back Angel's soul?" Faith asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She walked over and lifted the sheaf of parchment from the nightstand. "She gave you this, B. She gave you the knowledge on the Prophecy. She came through for us, because that's what she always does. We can bring him back, Buffy. We can bring back Sirius Black. And I'm going to get my family back."
Buffy removed the letter and read through it. "This invokes powers I have no idea even existed. I mean, Osiris? Help us to find the lost soul blah blah blah, bring him to the light of passing, more blah blah... and it's in Latin!"
"And there just happens to be a former Watcher of yours downstairs that can speak Latin," Faith said with a cheeky grin.
"I wish Willow was here," Buffy said, dropping the letter back onto the nightstand and sitting down wearily on her bed. "She would do this and probably wouldn't even blink."
"You have to be stronger, Buffy. You're the Witch now."
"Scarily enough, I am," Buffy said, a pensive look crossing her face. "All right. You want your brother back for Christmas, so I'm willing to give this a shot."
"Good," said Faith with her bright smile. "But for now, let's go downstairs. The others are going to be here soon and I want this place to look like Christmas!"
Buffy just shook her head and walked after the other Slayer, pausing in her doorway to turn back. Christmas was tomorrow, she realized. Tomorrow was potentially a day of new beginnings, great reunions, and many other things.
Turning back, she left her room behind, closing the door with a soft click.
x.0.x.0.x
"Harry? Are you ready to go?"
It was Hermione. She was standing in the doorway of Ron's room, giving him a strange look. He turned away from his trunk and stared at his friend. "Just about..." he said softly.
Hermione didn't back out as he expected her to do. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her with a soft click. "I wanted to talk to you, alone... about... Faith."
Harry had been suspecting this. The look on Hermione's face had been both priceless and heart-wrenching at the same time. While he hadn't expected to kiss Faith, he hadn't expected Hermione to act the way she had, either.
There really was something there that hadn't been there before.
"I don't really know what to say," Harry said slowly, feeling slightly awkward. "I... I didn't mean for it to happen."
"Yeah, well, it did," Hermione said, looking him in the eye. "I don't even know how to say it."
"Do you think I actually wanted to kiss her?" Harry asked incredulously.
"I know you're attracted to her," Hermione said, her voice slipping back into its comfortable matter-of-fact tone.
"It doesn't matter how attracted I am to her," Harry said in a testy voice as he closed the lid of his trunk and locked it. The time for telling the truth had come.
"What do you mean, it doesn't matter?" she asked flatly, turning her gaze away from him. "You are her rock in this world, of course she'd like you. Both of you have been chosen for some pre-destined destination."
"It was just comfort," Harry said, staring at his trunk for a moment before standing up. "I... I was telling her about you."
Hermione glanced up and met his gaze. "You... you what?"
"I was telling her I was starting to like my best friend differently," Harry said, taking a step towards her. "I told her that we spent those nights together... that I was starting to like you as more than just my friend."
"Harry..." Hermione started, but her mouth was dry. His green eyes were on her now, smoldering and warm, full of a light she wanted so desperately to believe was there.
He seemed to be able to read what she was thinking. "What about Faith, you say? I know she likes me, but it isn't like that. It's different. She's been through so much and I was her one connection to her family. But she helped me see one thing."
"What's that?" Hermione whispered as she took a step towards him.
"That relationships between friends change," Harry said, giving her the slightest smile. "I used to think why I would want to feel this way about my best friend. I was stupid or silly or really, really... I don't know. The truth is, I can't help the way I feel and every time I look at you... I feel it."
"I feel it, too," she said, smiling up at him. "I feel like there's nothing in this world that can bring me down. It's a high I don't want to go away."
"I don't want our friendship to change," he said quickly, seeing the look in her eyes. To his relief, she smiled.
"It'll never change, Harry. Even if something bad were to happen, well..." Hermione let out a soft laugh. "We could cross that bridge when it gets there."
"You've been spending way too much time around my sister," Harry said, shaking his head at her. He reached out and tucked a lock of her wavy, voluminous hair behind her ear. "I didn't know how to tell you how I felt," he said honestly. "I was afraid to listen to my heart."
"I get it, Harry, I really do," Hermione said, but there was hopefulness in her expression as her gaze met his. "I was just hoping--"
Her words were cut off as he bent his head, his lips capturing hers. She froze in a startled response before raising her arms and wrapping them easily around his neck, deepening their embrace. After a moment, they broke apart, but not by much, since they were still wrapped in each other's arms.
"So this is how it feels," she breathed, beaming up at him.
He tenderly kissed the tip of her nose before releasing her; there was the sound of footsteps right outside the door.
"Harry? Harry, you ready?"
It was Ron. Hermione stepped away and sat down on Ron's bed, her hands trembling slightly.
"Yeah!" Harry shouted through the door. "I'm coming down now!"
Ron's footsteps echoed away. Harry leaned down and took his trunk in his arms. Hermione still wasn't looking at him. "We'll tell him," he said, lifting his free arm and holding it out to her. She took his hand and stood up, easily stepping into his warm body, her head gently lying against his shoulder. "Well, you can."
Hermione slapped his shoulder and turned to him with eyes full of mock anger. "Harry!"
"Let's go," he said, as she stepped out from under his arm and opened the door for him. "I think Buffy and Faith are waiting for us at Grimmauld Place."
"Do you think there's someone out there for her?" Hermione asked him idly as they left Ron's room behind.
"Yeah," Harry said quietly. "She was talking about Ron an awful lot."
"Ron?" Hermione asked in surprise. "Our Ron?"
"Who else?"
The rest of the Weasleys were patiently waiting in front of the fireplace, the trunks all shrunk and floating towards the green flames.
At Grimmauld Place, Buffy and Faith were sitting in the dining room while Giles paced back and forth. They had just told him they were planning on bringing Sirius back.
"Are you certain?" Giles asked, glancing at the oldest Slayer first. She had a firm, determined look in her eyes, but he wasn't fooled. She was usually cold and stern when she knew she was doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing.
But the look wasn't disappearing from her eyes. "We're certain, Giles."
He opened his mouth to protest but was forced to close it as several trunks flew through the fireplace, floating as tiny as dice in midair, bouncing back and forth. Buffy stood up and moved to collect them, pulling out her wand. A muttered word later and she was hauling the trunks back into the hallway.
Faith suddenly yelped and Buffy returned to the dining room just to see a flash of red hair and a booming, excited voice, "Teeny Tiny!"
Buffy gasped out and squealed as a towering red-haired figure swooped down upon her, lifting her in the air and spinning her in a huge, dizzy circle before setting her down.
"Watch it, Fred," a teasing voice came from behind the Weasley as an identical face sporting an evil grin approached over his twin's shoulder. "She's got Wood germs."
"Fred! George!" Buffy shrieked happily, hugging them both tightly. They exchanged revolted looks. "What, I can't be happy to see you two?"
"You've got Oliver all over you," Fred said, making a face at her.
"It's probably contagious," George replied with an identical evil grin.
Buffy grinned at them and helped Ron out of the fireplace. He was looking around in wonder when he saw the look Faith was giving him and gulped. It was definitely not the friendly smile he had received before.
"Come on, Faith, let's show the Weasleys to their new rooms!"
But before she moved off, she turned around to introduce Giles to everyone as Faith walked out of the room, clearly not used to seeing so many people within her newest surroundings, which were beginning to actually feel like a home.
This was Buffy's way of showing off Faith's decorating skills to the Weasleys. Since the entire house had been ripped apart and was being put back together, Faith was very proud of her work, even if other members of the Order had stepped in to help her, the poor tragic Black of the mix.
The second and third stories were even more impressive. The bedrooms were warm and cozy, instead of feeling dark and depressing. Harry smiled at the room he and Ron were going to share. Two neat double-sized beds had been made up neatly with matching red-and-gold comforters and many pillows. There was a portrait of giggling fruit on the walls. The floor was entirely wooden paneling, as it had been before, but the carpet had been ripped right up. The fireplace had been cleaned and there were framed photographs on the mantle. They weren't the ordinary Wizarding images, either.
They were pictures of Sunnydale, courtesy of Willow and Xander's big Christmas present. When Faith had told them she needed pictures, they had sent nearly fifty frames images. Harry glanced at them. The first picture made him smile.
It was a younger-looking Buffy on an ice-skating rink, doing some sort of a layback spin. She couldn't be any older than eight... and he had never known she liked to ice skate...
Buffy was obviously not in the room, but Faith was hanging by the door, her eyes on the large wooden wardrobe. After threatening to beat it if it didn't play nice, it grudgingly allowed her to clean it.
"So, you like?" Faith asked curiously.
Harry was beginning to wonder why their opinions mattered so much to her, until he realized that she was like a sister to his sister. He nodded, while Ron was pulling off his long cloak with a groan. It was then that Faith saw the welts on his arms.
"What are those?" she asked, staring at Ron, who glanced down at his arms and shrugged.
"They're really nothing," he mumbled, turning to open his trunk. He didn't notice Faith come up behind him. Her arms encircled his body as her fingertips gently traced the deep scars of where the tentacles on the brains had attached themselves to his body.
He was starting to feel even more uncomfortable. He heard Harry snort behind them, but Ron couldn't move. Not with Faith this close, her long, dark hair brushing over his shoulder. His arm was now in her hands as she walked slowly around him.
"They were from brains," he said lamely. She glanced up at him with an astonished expression.
"Just when I thought nothing else could surprise me," Faith muttered as she brushed her fingers over the scars. "They kind of remind me of my own, you know?"
"You have scars?" Ron asked her curiously as she dropped his arm and crossed her own, looking defiant.
"I do," she said quietly. "Only, they're not really in a place visible to the human eye. I could show you if you really wanted."
Ron turned magenta and his mouth opened and closed for a moment before he looked away, blinking. "No, really... um, that's okay, thanks."
Faith jumped back to her feet, grinning at him. "You are just too cute when you're blushing, do you know that?" She mussed his hair and walked out of the room, calling for Buffy.
Ron shook his head incredulously after her. "I don't know what goes through her mind," Ron said under his breath. "First she kissed you and now she's hitting on me..."
"She might really like you," Harry replied; he was still looking at the pictures. "You might as well enjoy it. After all, with Fred and George in the house, it's only a matter of time before they start liking her, too."
"Fat chance," Ron said with a heavy sigh as he stared at the different pictures. "They're still in lust for your sister."
"Which will never change because she apparently loves Wood," Harry replied softly, setting down the last photograph of a very pretty older woman standing proudly behind her daughter in a long Homecoming dress.
"What? She told you that, mate?" Ron gasped, looking astonished.
"Before she left the hospital wing, she did," Harry replied softly. "She said she had fallen for him. They're already acting like some married couple. And she'll be nineteen in a few weeks. He's already twenty... they're certainly old enough..."
"Wood... and Buffy... married?" Ron asked, a mortified expression on his face. "That'll just kill Fred and George..."
"Hey, boys!" Ginny called from their doorway. "Have you seen this house? It's incredible!"
"And I helped," Buffy said softly from behind her. Ginny smiled at the older girl before skipping along to explore the rest of it. Buffy walked inside and closed the door behind her, sealing herself, Harry and Ron inside.
Taking a deep breath, she turned around to face them. "We're going to do the spell tonight. The restoration spell."
"Don't you need to be at the Ministry?" Harry asked curiously.
"It's been taken care of," Buffy assured him with a smile. "And, yeah..." She turned to Ron. "Have you heard anything about Percy?"
Ron rolled his eyes, the action not lost on Buffy, who sighed and leaned against the door, folding her arms across her chest. "No, he's still off on his super-secret mission. He'll be back later tonight or tomorrow though. He wouldn't dare miss your first Christmas in England. After all, he did say you were his... best friend." The way he said it, it would have been the same as if he'd said "demon stalker", but Buffy felt the same way.
"Are you seeing Wood... err, Oliver tomorrow?"
"I'm supposed to go and meet his family tomorrow evening for dinner," Buffy replied quickly, grinning. "So, don't worry, Harry. We'll have most of the day together and maybe... Faith will have her brother back, too."
This brought Harry a small feeling of comfort, knowing that Faith was finally going to have something good happen to her. He noticed then that Buffy still had her hand pressed over the place where the metallic shard of doorway had gone through her body. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, I'm all good," Buffy replied, hastily brushing off her soft sweater and throwing both boys a flippant smile. "Your parents just arrived about five minutes ago, Ron. Ginny's giving them the new tour, but I should probably catch up. I don't even know if they know who Faith is..."
"Oh, they do," Ron said, without looking at her. "Percy's told everyone from here to Australia about your little friend." He felt his face turn red, but didn't elaborate as Buffy looked at him curiously, her eyebrow lifting in surprise.
Buffy blinked, looking shocked for just one moment before the look had passed. "Well, it just makes it easier for me."
Turning on her heel, she opened the door and walked back into the hallway. Harry and Ron followed her out.
A majority of the Weasley's were standing in the Entrance Hall. Buffy noticed they were all examining the Christmas decorations with curiosity. Faith was hanging back, looking shy.
Wait, Buffy blinked. Faith, shy?
Taking Faith by the arm, Buffy lowered her head and charged through the crowd of redheads until she arrived at the front and turned around, pulling Faith with her. "Hi, all," she said, with a bold little wave. She noticed Fred and George bend their heads together, snickering.
"I just wanted to make sure we introduced you to the new Black family resident," Buffy said, giving Faith a proud smile, causing the girl to look up at the entire lot of them, smirking brightly. "This is Faith. And yes, she's a Black. She's also the renovator and decorator in charge around here, helped out by her faithful servants of course. This would, incidentally, be me."
"B, what the hell was that for?" Faith asked her a few minutes later when Buffy had returned to the dining room. She wasn't surprised to see Giles standing at the kitchen, attacking a long roll of sausages.
"I had to break the ice sooner or later, Faith," Buffy said with a patient smile.
The doors burst open and Faith felt her body tense as the twins walked back in. Buffy had spent a good five minutes introducing everyone after she had successfully embarrassed Faith to the point of Faith wanting to stake herself into her own carefully-painted wall.
"Teeny Tiny and Little Black!" the first one greeted, his arms wide out. Faith was half expecting him to do a little jig and shout out, 'but wait, there's more'.
"Ooh, look, its double trouble," Buffy said with a smirk, rising from her chair and tossing her hair over her shoulder.
"And you love us for every damned second of it," the second twin said with a feisty wink as his eyes, too, fell onto the small dark-haired girl standing next to the pretty blonde. "I think you were right, George... she is a little Black."
Buffy's eyes widened and her head snapped to look at Faith, who had a myriad of emotions crossing her pale face. Buffy didn't know whether or not Faith was going to attack Fred and George, or what. But, instead, she tossed back her head and laughed, turning back to Buffy.
"When you said these two dorks were riots, you weren't kidding," she said, smirking.
"Us? Dorks?" Fred whispered, sounding scandalized.
Buffy secretly wanted to press her palm onto her face. The twins and Faith had managed to insult each other three seconds into their normal conversation.
"We really have to work on our image," George said, his eyes wide as he met the challenging sneer of the other Slayer. She wasn't backing down from her remarks either.
"You guys, she really didn't mean that," Buffy said hastily, now pressing her palm to her forehead, trying to ignore the headache that was always threatening below the surface.
"Are you kidding me?" Faith scoffed. "I so totally did. Who do these two think they are? Beavis and Butthead?"
Buffy's eyes widened as she turned back to Faith. "Could you cut it with the pop culture references you know they won't understand?"
Faith at least had the grace to blush. "Ooh, forgot about that tiny detail."
But Fred looked mildly interested. "Who were Beallis and Buffbreath?"
"Never mind," Faith said, waving her hand with impatience, a pained look crossing her face. "Look, B, I'll be upstairs."
"Wait!" George called after her. "We want to know!"
Faith was halfway up the stairs when she collided with someone. A hand shot out to steady her before she fell backwards. "Thanks," she said, and felt her heart catch in her throat when she saw that it was Harry. "Okay, bad situations... bad, bad, bad..."
As she tried to move past him, Harry caught her arm again. She looked down at him, almost impatiently, but there was a look of pleading in her eyes.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Harry said briskly.
Faith gave him her infamous half-smile. "Apology accepted, Little P. Now, if you'll excuse me..."
She retreated back within the four walls of her bedroom. For some odd reason, she felt safe her. She felt as though not one person, save Buffy, usually, could disturb the peace she felt. Faith sighed as she fell backwards across her bed, groaning as she stared at the golden stars she had painted on the ceiling.
There was a soft knock on her door some time later and she groaned, rolling over, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Who is it?"
The door opened and Buffy peered inside. "Faith, it's nearly dinnertime. I just wanted to wake you up..." She stepped gingerly inside the room. Darting between her legs was a ginger-colored cat that immediately pounced on top of the bed. Faith gasped and stared at it.
"That's Crookshanks, Hermione's cat," Buffy said, dropping a thick stack of papers down on the bed. "Now, I've spoken with Mr. Weasley and he said that we can take the Floo network to the Ministry at half past eleven tonight..."
Buffy picked up the first two pages and handed them to Faith. "This is basically what we need to do the spell. The only problem is, this magic is too advanced, even for a dunce like me, who's been learning it for how long now. I think we should find a fully-qualified Wizard to help us out. I was thinking of asking Percy, but he hasn't been seen yet, so I figured I would probably ask--"
"Lupin," Faith said calmly, trying to read the materials in her lap with just the flickering of light emitting from the oil lamp next to her bed. "I think it should be Lupin, B. He was close to my brother. He was close to your Father. It just makes sense that way." She returned her attention back on the papers.
"Right," said Buffy, glancing around the dim room, frowning slightly. "Didn't you put any more lights in?"
"They won't be coming until Wednesday," Faith replied in a gloomy voice, narrowing her eyes as she attempted to read the tiny print.
Buffy pulled out her wand, whispered some sort of incantation. Immediately, the candles in the room were glistening with dancing flames.
"That helped," Faith muttered, turning back to her reading. "So, we do this chant thingy and then he suddenly pops out?"
"Not that simple," Buffy said, handing her another sheet. "There's something about blood of the living and bone of the dead."
"That would be my blood," Faith replied, and she frowned thoughtfully, "and as for the bone of the dead, I found enough urns in the attic to contain all the bodies of my dear, dead ancestors." She shuddered suddenly. "I just have to find the one marked 'Mom'."
"That's part two," Buffy replied, hesitantly staring at the third bit of paper in her lap. "You ready for the encore?"
Faith stared at the paper for a moment, before shaking her head and letting out a low whistle. "You weren't joking when you said this stuff is advanced."
"I meant it," Buffy said with a sigh. "So, Lupin should be here for dinner, right? We can corner him after and see if he'd be willing to do his part."
"As long as you don't ask those twin jokes downstairs, I'm all for it," Faith said, easing her body back against her headboard. "So, this is it, right? A few Latin incantations, a little bit of blood and ash and this wicked spell."
"We also need something of Sirius's," Buffy said softly.
"I have the perfect thing," Faith said, getting off her bed and walking over to the mantle on her silent fireplace. On it was the two-way mirror. She pulled it into her hands, hesitating a moment before she glanced back at Buffy. The older Slayer was not surprised to see the fear in Faith's eyes.
"B, you know how I feel about magic, right?" Faith asked, feeling as though she were being ripped apart inside.
"Yeah, I do," Buffy said, standing up and taking the mirror from the other girl. "And, this would be perfect, except... bloody hell..."
There was writing on the back of the mirror. Even in the candlelit darkness, Buffy could see her own Father's untidy writing across the back. With a soft smile, she set the mirror aside.
"So, dinner?"
x.0.x.0.x
Dinner that night was a wild, chaotic affair. With six Weasleys there, the Potters and Faith, it had been a crowd. Since Lupin had stopped by, bringing with him both Tonks and Moody, it became a spectacle to behold.
For one, the other two members of the Order of the Phoenix had yet to see the new Black manor.
Tonks, for one, had been impressed. "I don't know how you did it, but it looks fantastic."
"Thanks," Faith said, genuinely touched by the compliment.
Farther down the table, Hermione was arguing with Lupin passionately about S.P.E.W. rights for house-elfs. Faith lifted her eyes and quickly glanced at Buffy, who was laughing at something the twins were showing her, before turning back to Hermione.
"What exactly is this spew?" she asked with a frown.
"It isn't spew, it is S.P.E.W.," Hermione retorted. She still hadn't quite forgiven Faith for her advances on Harry yet. "Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare."
"You mean those ugly little troll-wannabes with floppy ears and those big adoring eyes?" Faith asked her, sounding deeply interested.
Hermione's eyebrows raised in surprise. She had never thought that Faith, of all people, would be curious about this sort of thing. "Yes," she finally replied.
"Did you come up with it?" Faith asked her mildly.
"I did," Hermione said with a sigh. "A fat lot of good it did, though. Everyone looks at it like it's one big joke."
"I guess it just depends on how you approach it," Faith said, tilting her head as she considered the younger girl sitting across from her. "What exactly are you promoting?"
"Well, I thought that it would be nice if they could earn decent wages and benefits, and--"
"Okay, stop, stop," Faith said, holding up her hand. "You're doing it all wrong, Hermione. You're attacking too high. If you want them to believe you have their best interests at heart, you gotta start low. You want them to get wages and benefits, right?"
"Yeah," Hermione said briskly. "I mean, Dobby was freed and he's happy where he is."
"Who's Dobby?"
That inspired another ten minute conversation while Faith toyed with her dinner, genuinely interested in what the Granger girl had to say.
"From what you've been telling me," Faith said slowly, knowing the other girl might not like what she was going to say, "they don't trust you. They think you're just trying to destroy their reputations and I know that's not your intention," she said hastily, seeing the fiery look on Hermione's face. "But it's the truth. Now... what I say is this. You have to earn their friendship before you lead the revolution. Do you get where I'm going with this?"
Hermione was frowning at her. Lupin was gazing at them over his butterbeer bottle. "I'm trying to," Hermione admitted.
"Start small, ask them what they desire most in this world," Faith said grandly. "And then offer them small things. Like hats. Or pins. Or something that gives them pride. There's no use telling them they want to be free when they're perfectly happy where they are. There's more you can do, too, if you ever want to hear my suggestions."
Hermione nodded eagerly. "I think I just found the first person who was every interested in S.P.E.W." she said happily.
"Oh, of course!" Faith said, a look of dislike on her face. "Who the hell wants little elves running around all bowing and sweet-tempered and... eww. Slavery went out like a hundred years ago. There shouldn't be anything like that left."
"Hear, hear!" Hermione said, lifting her goblet to Faith, who smirked in amusement.
"Anyway, if you ever need anything, ideas, suggestions, financial backing, I'm your girl," Faith said, leaning across the table and patting Hermione's hand.
Harry was watching their exchange in amazement from where he was sitting next to his sister. He never believed in a million years that Faith and Hermione would ever get along after the animosity of their soft triangle, yet Faith had been inspired by S.P.E.W. and it was something Hermione had stood by most passionately. Both women amazed him, he realized with a smile. Especially Hermione, willing to let her anger towards Faith go for the greater good of house-elfs.
Buffy was still talking with Fred and George about one of their newest inventions, which sounded disgusting to him, but Buffy kept giggling like the ordinary schoolgirl she had been pretending to be. "Oh, you two," she said, laughing as tears trickled from the corners of her eyes. "What did I ever do without that dosage?"
"I told you she missed us," George muttered at Fred's back. But Fred wasn't paying attention to him anymore. His eyes were on the petite, dark-haired girl sitting at the other end of the table, on the other side of Lupin. She was leaning across the table, talking avidly to Hermione.
She was a pretty girl. She had a dark temper he couldn't help but feel entranced by. But his feelings were ebbed away the moment she glanced up, her eyes catching another Weasley's, her lips pursed seductively.
"Whoa," he muttered under his breath, glancing at Ron's bright red face. "Did I miss something there?"
"Apparently," Buffy mused, pulling away as she gazed at her empty plate before turning to raise her butterbeer bottle to Giles. "My compliments to the chef!"
A few minutes later, when everyone was hurrying their dishes towards the sink, Faith pulled Lupin aside. Buffy, realizing where this conversation was likely to be headed, moved to join it.
Faith had just finished telling Lupin about the spell when Buffy walked over, looping her arm over Faith's shoulders.
"I just told him, B," Faith said, her voice holding only a trace of the confidence she'd felt walking over to him. She'd been bold and direct. The result was staring at her with a concerned expression.
"Are you two out of your bloody minds?" he asked them in a dazed, hushed voice.
Faith and Buffy exchanged a wry smile. "We're just as sane as you, Moony," Faith replied with a lopsided smile. "But you're the only person I could think of who could help us pull it off. You know, you're the bigwig in magic around here."
"It would mean a lot to us, Remus," Buffy said, frowning slightly at Faith's obvious flattery. "After all, you knew my Father and her brother better than anyone. You deserve to be there in our moment of triumph."
"If you two aren't careful, this entire prophecy can blow up in your face," Lupin said quietly, causing both girls to giggle.
"Do you think we haven't thought of that?" Faith asked, tears streaming from her amused eyes. "Damn, B. He sounds like Willow."
"So he does," Buffy said, smiling affectionately at Lupin and sighing. "Remus, we know what we're doing. The time has come for us to swallow our courage and take the plunge. We have to do this for all of our sakes, Remus. And it's Christmas."
He had obviously not foreseen the holiday spirit arising so powerfully in both women, who were now turning to each other with mischievous looks on their faces.
"All right," he said with a sigh. "I'll help you out, but only as a favor to... well, the both of you. I assume this means we have to be there at a set time."
"Meet us down here at twenty after eleven," Buffy said. "We'll have everything."
Lupin agreed and the two women went along to help Giles clean the kitchen.
It was after nine when people started drifting towards the drawing room upstairs. Faith was watching Harry and Ron play Wizard's Chess with avid interest.
Buffy was downstairs alone in the kitchen with Giles. For the first time, she felt as though she could really open up to him.
"Giles, I don't know if I told you this, but it means a lot to me that you're here right now, when I needed you," she said, sitting down on one of the new chairs. It squeaked in discomfort and with a sly, evil smile, she put her feet up on its neighbor, which grunted in protest.
"I do hope you realize that after the holidays, I will be returning to Sunnydale, where I am also needed," Giles said, sitting across from her. "But I am glad that I have had the chance to see your happiness here. You are very happy here."
"I am," Buffy said, with a short smile and a laugh. Her happiness had been ebbed by the darkness of late, the Council's destruction and fear over the incredibly advanced magic they would be working with that night. "I'm scared, Giles... I'm so scared..."
"I know," he said, putting his hand over hers across the table. "But everything will be all right. You're a strong woman, Buffy. So is Faith. You two have enough conviction to get through anything in this world, no matter how powerful or dangerous."
"I so want to believe you right now," she said, offering him another smile. For a moment, he saw the old Buffy smirking at him from behind her lovely hazel eyes. "Thank you for staying with us. I know that this isn't your cup of tea, but it means a lot to me to have you here."
Giles nodded. "I understand. You never really told me much about your life here."
For the next hour, Buffy told him everything, from her classes and tutorials to her new friends, Quidditch, Percy and Oliver. When she stopped talking, she looked down. "That's about the it," she finally said, shrugging.
"You've had a busy life here," Giles commented. Buffy nodded, smiling. "I can also see that you are surrounded by people who love you."
"Not all of them are here right now, but yes," she replied, smirking.
"I can see through that mask, Buffy," Giles said gently. "Not to mention your letter spoke of another young man. I was hoping I would get the chance to meet him."
"I wish you could, too," Buffy said softly. "But, that's for fate to decide, right?"
Giles nodded. "I suppose it is."
"Buffy?"
The girl turned around in her chair to see Harry standing in the doorway.
"Harry," she said, moving her feet and offering her chair to her brother. "Harry, this is Rupert Giles, my old Watcher."
When Buffy had been unconscious, Giles had introduced himself to Harry. From what Harry could tell, Giles was more than just a mentor or protector to his sister. He was more like her father.
"We've met," Harry said, leaning across the table to shake hands with the older man. "We were just wondering when you were going to bring up popcorn and hot cocoa? Mrs. Weasley has been going on and on about being in such a festive spirit she wants to sing... Christmas carols."
Buffy laughed as she got to her feet. The chair she'd been sitting on sighed with relief. "We'll be up in five minutes," she said, staring at the box of microwavable popcorn. Her eyes drifted over to the fireplace. A frown of confusion appeared on her forehead.
Harry laughed as he opened the box and began pulling off the plastic wrapping. "I love you, Buffy, but sometimes you amaze me."
"I amaze you?" Buffy asked him. "Was it not you I ran into making out with a certain girl this afternoon in my new training area?"
Harry turned a deep shade of red when he finally understood what she was saying. Biting his tongue, he pulled out his wand and showed her the movements as she moved fluidly next to him. Soon, the kitchen was ripe with the smells of hot chocolate and hot popcorn. Gathering bowls and trays, Buffy floated them towards Harry as he walked out of the dining room.
Buffy hesitated before turning back to Giles, who looked exhausted. "Are you sure you don't want to come upstairs?" she asked him curiously.
"I'm certain," he replied with a tired smile. "I'll just turn in, then."
"Good night, Giles," she said, moving to hug her former Watcher when he got to his feet. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Buffy."
x.0.x.0.x
It was after eleven when Buffy emerged from her bedroom. She had taken a short nap. There was still the sounds of very off-key singing emanating from the Drawing Room. She walked across the hall to Faith's room and knocked.
The door opened and Faith emerged, looking windswept and disheveled. "Oh! B! Is it time already?" she asked, biting her lip, willing herself not to look behind her.
Buffy just crossed her arms, smirked in her own amusement, and turned away. "I really don't want to know."
Faith just ran a casual hand through her hair and followed her back into Buffy's bedroom. "So, everything's set?"
"Yeah," Buffy replied. "Did you get the ashes?"
Faith reached into her pocket and pulled out a tiny vial. "Right from Mum's urn. May she rest in peace, the horrid bitch."
"Okay, then," Buffy said, taking the vial and slipping inside a black leather sachet. "We're set."
For a moment, all they did was stare at each other, their expressions unreadable in the flickering fire.
"Who was that in your bedroom with you?" Buffy asked curiously. "I know it wasn't Harry, because I saw him in the Drawing Room singing... am I as tone-deaf as he is, because if it runs in the family, damn."
Faith turned slightly pink and glanced at the window, unsurprised to see that it was snowing again.
"Don't tell me it was one of those twins," Buffy said teasingly, crossing her arms.
"Those brats?" Faith spat out, looking completely disgusted. "Geez, B. Even I can't... oh, ick!"
"What's wrong with them?" Buffy asked, her eyes round and innocent. "Sure, they're a little immature and they love doing the practical jokes thing, but they're really not that bad! I love those two, they're just--"
"A little too old for my taste," Faith finished firmly. "So, no, not Tweedledum and Tweedledee. And if you say Lupin, I will personally put you through that window."
Buffy's mouth snapped shut. "Gee, thanks, Faith."
"Fine," Faith said in a huffy voice. "If you must know, it was the... younger one."
Buffy's eyes widened. "Are you... mad?"
"I must be because I don't know what I was thinking," Faith moaned, throwing herself on Buffy's bed while the other girl stared at her incredulously.
"First, you're kissing my brother. And now you're snogging his best friend?"
"Is that even a word?" Faith murmured against the rich red comforter her face had been buried in.
"What are you playing at?" Buffy asked her gently as Faith rolled onto her side, glancing up at her friend in the darkness.
"Fine, you want the truth?" Faith asked. "I liked Little Red since I first saw him... he just looked so delicious all flushy and such. But then I got to know your brother, but he'd already given his heart away, so--"
"Okay, stop," Buffy said, shaking her head impatiently. "Faith, this has got to end. You bouncing from one guy to another to satisfy your obvious lust is only going to hurt someone else. Like the whole situation with Xander."
"You don't think I already know that?" Faith asked softly. "Why do you think I gave up on Harry for? My guilty conscience? He already gave his heart away; it wasn't mine to take."
"Ron has five older brothers who would love nothing more than to pound you in the bloody carpet if you ever hurt him," Buffy said earnestly.
Faith sat up a little straighter. "You care about them all, don't you?"
"Why not?" Buffy asked with a shrug. "We're family."
"You and those ridiculous twins and... oh, Buffy. We really need to get you back to Sunnydale."
"I know," Buffy said, staring longingly at the snow falling in the darkness outside. "But for now, we have a soul to save. And a loved one to return."
"We'll see it through, that's what we're always here to do," Faith muttered, following Buffy from her bedroom. They weren't surprised to see Ron standing in the hallway, his arms crossed over his tall, lanky form. His eyes were on Faith.
"Go ahead, B, I'll catch up with you."
It was time to do things right, she decided. She had wanted to do the right thing with Harry but had ended up in his arms instead.
It was time for her to grow up and act like a Black.
"Ron, I'm sorry for coming onto you like that," she said, realizing her face was probably purple from humiliation right now. "I just wanted you to know that I do like you and I had a little crush worked in there, too. And the hair..." Her eyes glazed over dreamily as she ran her fingers through it. "But I'd understand if you wanted to stay away from me. I'm not exactly the girl with the cleanest reputation."
Ron understood what she was doing completely. He really didn't know what had come over him, because one moment he was in the Drawing Room, singing about sleigh rides and campfires, the next he was locked in a tight embrace with a girl he barely knew. Well, he was starting to get to know her. She was definitely a looker.
But now she was offering him a chance to get out of something he wasn't sure he really wanted to be in. If he could really call it anything other than semi-innocent necking.
"Does it really matter?" Ron asked. For some odd reason, he found it endearing whenever she gave him those long, come-hither looks. He found it cute. Not to mention she was probably the most gorgeous girl who had ever shown him any interest. "I kind of like you, too. And since I-I kind of like you the way you kind of like m-me," he continued, feeling his mouth dry out as she raised her eyes hopefully to his. "Well, w-we can s-see where it c-can go from there..."
His words were cut off as she grinned, wrapping his arms around his neck to pull him closer before pressing her lips to his in a searing, fiery kiss. "You might just get your Christmas wish," she teased, winking at him before pulling back. "I should probably go now, prior engagement and all that."
"Good luck," he whispered as Faith looked up, smiling at him.
"Thank you," Faith said, flashing him one last bright smile before she turned and ran downstairs, feeling as though her knees were about to give way. So, the adorable redhead didn't hate her like she thought she would. Maybe she hadn't lost whatever charms she had yet.
Buffy and Lupin were waiting for her. Buffy was holding the small leather bag.
"Let's go," Buffy said, turning to the fireplace.
Faith took a deep breath and took a handful of powder into her shaking hand. One way or another, something good was going to happen tonight...
x.0.x.0.x
"Are we ready?"
"I think so," Buffy said, stepping inside a large circle she had just created with pure white sand. "How's the cauldron going?"
They were inside the room with the archway at the Department of Mysteries. How they had ever gotten Minister Fudge's permission to do this charm, Buffy would never guess. She only hoped that Percy had been honest with his boss in case they did something foolish and the room was destroyed.
"It's good," Faith replied, using her wand to prod at the base of the cauldron, knowing she could no more start a fire than be declared the next Minister of Magic. "So, before you say all the chant-y..."
"You do the blood and ash thing," Buffy confirmed as she sat down across from Faith, her eyes staring at the bubbling black potion, concocted from ingredients she really had to thank Malfoy for introducing her to. Luckily, she was able to procure most of them from the Black family manor.
Faith nodded and leaned forward, uncorking the tiny vial of her mother's ashes. Tipping over the vial, tiny bits of silver and grey fluttered into the cauldron, which began to spit, turning a misty shade of murky green. Drawing out her own beautiful, ornate blade, Faith drew the tip across her hand and winces as the wound opened before she turned her hand and held it directly over the cauldron, droplets of blood spilling into the mixture.
The liquid inside the cauldron turned red.
Buffy reached out then and grasped Faith's wounded hand, the binding spell between the Slayers complete. There was a power that soared through them as Buffy barely managed to start chanting while Lupin lifted his own wand, his own incantations starting in a frenzy, his movements blurred by his quick speed and by the power coursing through the Slayer's blood.
"The world to resist has been vanquished from your soul," Buffy said, feeling her breathing grow faster and faster as she willed the chanting to end before she ran out of oxygen completely. "And with blood of life and bone of death, I call upon Osiris to hear, hear our pleas... bring back the forgotten from the turmoil unto death. Bring back the fallen that left this world and parted. Bring back he whose soul has been since unguarded. Bind body and soul, mind and control. Osiris, I cry, hear my plea... Vasi en sanctus, in manis corpeas!"
The bubbling cauldron suddenly turned silver as a pure light shot into the air and through the ceiling, arching towards the archway. The veil started to blow and Buffy felt her voice fade away as they all stared silently. The ground began to shake as Buffy knew she had to finish the incantation or else what would return would be nothing compared to what had fallen in the first place...
Buffy felt her senses go into overdrive. She knew that whatever powers she and Faith possessed were being utilized to their fullest. They were draining, too, Buffy surmised, feeling as though she couldn't tolerate this a moment longer.
She found herself wasted as she fell backwards onto the floor, the book falling from her fingers. She had no strength left; the silver light had drained her. It was the last thing Buffy could remember...
She heard a voice calling her name and with tremendous effort opened her eyes to see Faith staring down at her, looking extremely worried.
"I'm okay," Buffy said, taking Faith's waiting hand and sitting up. It was then that she noticed all of the things for the spell had disappeared. "What... what happened? Did it work?"
Faith was grinning. "It did." Her eyes glittered strangely with newfound excitement at all of the possibilities that lay ahead. "He's back."
Buffy barely had time to register anything before a second hand stretched down towards her. Buffy's eyes followed the hand to an arm and upwards to a face. It was a face she recognized so easily from her dreams.
"Sirius?" she asked hopefully.
With a force she didn't know a man just brought back to life could exert, he pulled her to her feet. Buffy found her knees quivering as the man gazed at her, not smiling, but not looking hostile either.
"That would be m-me, yes."
All Buffy could do was smile in wonder. He was the only person besides herself in this very room that had come back from the dead before. It was disorienting at first, but she could tell that even through narrowed eyes, things were beginning to sink in.
"We should... go back or something," Faith said uncomfortably. Ever since Sirius had walked back in, he'd barely looked at her.
At Grimmauld Place, the others were still singing in the drawing room when the door opened and four figures walked through the door.
Harry pulled away from his spot between Ron and Hermione and stared, in disbelief, at the scene before him. Everything seemed to turn into slow motion.
Buffy was standing there, looking wan and exhausted, but as lovely as always. Faith stood next to Lupin, her arms wrapped around in support of...
Bloody hell.
The spell had worked.
Everyone was gasping now and getting to their feet. Mrs. Weasley looked as though she were looking at a ghost. Mr. Weasley nearly jumped backwards into the fire as he exclaimed, "Merlin's beard!"
Ron and Hermione were both looking at Harry, who was getting, shaking, to his feet.
"S-S-Sirius?" he tried.
The man nodded, his eyes twinkling slightly behind his long, twisted raven mane.
For a moment, no one could say anything. Nobody could.
"Merry Christmas, Harry," was all Buffy could think of to say before she felt her body give way. Luckily, one of the twins was close enough to her to catch her when she fell.
But she had been smiling nonetheless.
x.0.x.0.x
Chapter 40... Christmas. Yay.
Chapter 41... To remain hidden behind lock and key...
To the Readers / Reviewers:
Hehehe. Not too mushy, but not too bright, either. I had to do a lot of rewriting of this chapter to make it flow more smoothly, but in the end, it looked all right, right?
The resurrection spell was something of my own creation, really. The incantation was found online. The binding of mind and soul of Slayers just added the extra bonus to the power. And it was Lupin who performed the wand magic, in case you missed it. So, now, Sirius is back. Sort of. I can see him being as odd and disoriented as Buffy was when she emerged from her own coffin. So... peanuts anyone? It's been a wild ride! And I think we're only half-way done!
I know it was just glanced over, but it had to be. If it were TOO drawn out, it would have been… bad. Bad. More next chapter though to draw it out to the point where you're not just sitting there, wondering what happened.
Adrie -- We are so totally screwed if Jamaica is hit hard by the hurricane. The stupid planner called me twice today, which made me even more nervous. Yeesh. I actually don't live in Jamaica, I'm too far north for that (try the midwestern USA), but planning a wedding in a hurricane area is a bloody bitch, I'll tell ya. (Author added note 9/12 – it wasn't hit that bad, from what we could tell! Thank goodness)
liit06 -- Ooops. Thank you for that :)
Emba -- Neither was I, really. But my beta pushed it, because she wanted to see something, so I gave it a shout-out. Nothing serious. And Harry really does get his head screwed on straight, as you can see. The twins are here! I almost hugged my own fictional re-edition of them because I could finally bring them back with a storyline! The love scene was a perfect addition to a gloomy chapter. I had to do it. And the sap goes on!
Goddessa39 -- You called it in one. Depends on who the 'R' of your scenario was. But, yeah, this chapter "fixed" things, at least for the moment. Heh. I had to do it... just one teeny tiny shoutout to my beta, who wanted to see some Potter/Black action of the unique variety (I hope Grace knows how much it actually tormented me to do so). And as you can probably see, that's what Buffy and Faith do (with the help of a fellow Marauder of course) to bring Sirius back. Essence of life with the power of a Slayer. Kind of cool to think about. The rest of it was an old druid spell thingy. And Buffy, would she EVER let Angel go? Well, in this fic, she has. Angel gave her the ring because of who she was. Now she has the ring to remind her of that. Yeah, BA forever, blah blah. I'm still waiting for you to beat me over the head with a shovel for making this a B/O (or O/B).
raven -- Actually, it panned back to "several days before" in their decorating stage, so it was technically three days prior to that. I hate doing time sweeps for that very reason, but it worked there. I triple-checked that before I posted it, because sometimes something'll get totally screwed up. I don't think that Percy's visit was one of them, however.
Kel -- The 'L' word was dropped. Not in the typical "I wub oo!" mush, but, still, nonetheless, cuteness. I finally figured I could drag them along no longer. The next chapter brings cute Christmas-y scenes with his family too. Faith/Harry isn't happening. It was just a one-time shot-in-the-dark which I am now seriously regretting putting in there (despite my beta telling me I had to). But this chapter sort of unscrewed everyone's love lives, at least I think so. Sirius is back. Well, not all together, but he's back one way or another. And MalfoyMushiness will be returning in the New Year!
Nobody -- oh, dear... I hope this eased your confusion. Just don't stab me!
Feely -- You think the same way as my beta. She was ALL for Faith/Harry. It would be a sweet temptation, but I have to stick with my original plan, at least for now. Tentative small steps, or increments I call them. No, I picked someone out for her, as you could probably tell, but I had to do it. I'll blame my other beta for liking the Black/Weasley interaction the safe way. In other words, no Ginny/Sirius. At least in this story, as she's much too young. And yes, Buffy will be going home. She'll be bringing Harry with her. I think it would be neat for Harry to meet his sister's adoptive mother, since Buffy's met pretty much everyone connected to Harry.
lost angel92 -- Thank you :)
Lady Mione -- Yeah, I know. It had a really depressing ending, and I could have added more, but it would have taken away from this chapter. I think the only drawback for Sirius would be sort of like Buffy's reaction to returning; the hesitation, the disorientation, the not really understanding or getting your surroundings part. But that's why he has Faith there now. So, yeah, the prophecy came full circle and sort of ended oddly, but it made the story come around, anyway.
PrecariousPersonata -- Snow is definitely one of those things, I'll agree. But, considering my hometown is known as a place that sees infinite feet of snow per year (around thirty or so), I'll be cheerful and say yes. And I'll agree with you on the surreality of life. Whatever happens happens. There's no changing it, and you just go on. I think you're right about making the connection of Oliver & Buffy to the Season 5 things Spike said. She's full of love and life, and that's what keeps her strong and fighting. She'll be pushing to get her fire back, I'll assure you. I love this Faith. We'll see the old Faith shining through in her 'rogue' sense a bit, but I had to give her character more depth than the "evil, whore, evil" routine they kept putting her through. I hope this chapter was dramatic enough for you said while rolling eyes. I added enough drama to keep my beta from screaming "BRING HIM BACK ALREADY!!!" in my ear. You're welcome and it was a fantastic story :). And yes, your reviews spring me on and get me off my own lazy butt to write.
Okay, so next chapter will be posted mid-week sometime. I have barely started chapter 41, so I want to finish it before the predecessor is released… or some such nonsense.
Thank you all for making my writing nights seem just a little more, err, nightly. I don't know. I'm being a dork again, so I'll just happily release this note and offer sweets. You all rock!