Wow...I'm guessing readers don't like cliffhangers huh? Thanks for the reviews everyone...interesting reactions!

Now, onto the chapter...

Chapter 23. The calm before.

Faith hurried as fast as she could down the path to Hogwarts, her hand on the wound on her leg, blood staining her tanned skin. She panted, she was so tired. She was trying to hurry, but with a wounded leg, it was near impossible. Her brown hair spilled across her face, matted with blood and mud. Her face had a large cut across her cheek, her lip was busted and she was sure she would have a shiner in the morning. Cuts and bruises littered her skin, tears in her clothes spoke of a bustle and somewhere along the line she had lost her stake. She sniffed as she pictured Buffy's helpless face as she stared at her, and Faith tried to walk quicker. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the castle of Hogwarts come into view, but her mind was too busy to register how beautiful it looked in the half-moon light. Buffy was gone, vampires had kidnapped her, and they needed to find Buffy.

With her mind on her close friend and sister slayer, she pushed herself even more to reach Hogwarts. It normally took ten minutes if Buffy and she were walking, but for Faith with her wounded leg, it took her just under thirty five minutes.

She pushed the door open and hopped inside, students staring at her as she walked in. It was almost curfew time, but students still liked to cut it fine. Faith paid them no attention as she limped across the entrance hall, sending glares as students stared. She had to get to Dumbledore's office, and she had to get their fast.

"Miss Whyndom Price!" A Scottish voice called out, and Faith stopped, sighing.

"How many times have I told you, it's Faith." She responded. Faith had taken Wesley's name when she had busted out of jail a couple of years ago.

"What on earth has happened to you child?" McGonagall hurried over to Faith, where she stood, holding her hand to her leg, dark blood spilling on to floor.

"Vampires. Fight. Took B. Gotta see Big D." Faith explained, limping her way to the stairs. McGonagall stopped her, conjuring a stretcher out of mid-air with her wand. "Wicked cool, Minnie Mouse." Faith said, and McGonagall, pointed to the stretcher, a firm look on her face.

"Sit." She commanded.

"Minnie Mouse, I gotta see Big D." Faith replied. "No time for that." Faith protested firmly, but to her surprise, McGonagall pointed out her wand and Faith found herself lifted into the air and set carefully onto the stretcher.

"Stay." McGonagall ordered.

"K, but you have to tell D the deal." Faith said, and McGonagall nodded.

"You three," McGonagall turned to three young Gryffindor students who were watching. "Go to the Headmaster's office and tell him that Miss Faith is in the hospital ward. Then I would like you to find Harry Potter, and tell him to find Miss Rosenberg. Tell Mister Potter to tell Miss Rosenberg that Miss Faith is in the hospital wing." The three nodded, and they hurried on their way. McGonagall turned her attention to the wincing Faith on the stretcher. "My dear, do not move. We shall sort you out." McGonagall said kindly.

Faith forced a grin. "Thanks Minnie Mouse."

"Do not call me that."

*** "Potter! Hey, Potter!"

Harry sighed and turned around, facing the grinning blonde haired boy.

"What is it ferret?"

Malfoy's evil grin faltered a little. "Just thought you should know something."

Harry's right eyebrow rose. "And that is?"

"Well, it's about those two girls you're so friendly with. Y'know, the slayers."

"Buffy and Faith?" Harry asked worriedly, and Malfoy smirked.

"Yeah, them. Well, Faith turned up in the entrance hall a couple of minutes ago. She looked a right state. Blood everywhere." Malfoy informed.

"Why are you telling me this?" Harry asked suspiciously, feeling his hatred for Malfoy bubble inside of him.

"Thought you ought to know, that's all." Malfoy said slyly.

"Really?" Harry answered suspiciously. "When did you decide to be nice to me?"

Malfoy shrugged. "Dunno."

"Well, Malfoy, you can shove your nice attitude up your ass. I don't want to know." Harry said, shoving Malfoy roughly aside and hurrying to the hospital ward.

Malfoy leant on the wall, a coy smile on his face. "Mistake Potter. Big mistake."

*** Faith groaned as Madam Pomfrey forced another potion down her throat. Faith swallowed, making a grotesque face as the liquid made a burning sensation down her throat.

"I don't need this." Faith protested, and Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yes you do. No arguments." Pomfrey said, and Faith sighed and leaned back onto the white bed. She was in the hospital wing, and she was the only occupant. Beds lined the walls, and several carts full of potions stood at the foot of some of the beds.

"Is Red coming down?" Faith called out.

"Rest, Miss Whydom-Price." Madam Pomfrey answered, and Faith grounded her teeth.

"It's Faith. And I need to talk to Red and Big D, Mary Poppins." Faith said. "Mary Poppins?" Madam Pomfrey asked, as she carefully dabbed at the wound on Faith's leg with a wet cloth.

"Y'know, Mary Poppins? Spoon full of sugar?" Faith explained. "Never mind. Damn wizards." She added under her breath.

The door burst open and Willow ran inside, 'Snuffles' following her. "Faith!" Willow exclaimed, and Faith tried to sit up but stopped at Madam Pomfrey's protesting. "What happened?"

"Patrol, vampires from the Baslets ambushed us. We fought, they took Buffy."

'Snuffles' by Willow immediately changed into human, and Faith soon found herself looking into the eyes of Sirius Black. Madam Pomfrey gasped and dropped a Potions bottle, but Sirius did not even look her way.

"Where is she?" He growled, and Faith raised an eyebrow.

"Wicked cool. And I have a hunch she'll be at the hellmouth in Edinburgh, so we gotta get their quick." Faith explained, and Sirius nodded, worry lines etched across his face.

"Right." He said, and he walked briskly over to the door.

"Hey!" Willow exclaimed. "Where are you going?"

Sirius turned back to look at the red head. "To the hellmouth. I've got to get her back."

"Yeah ok, we're gonna do that. But you can't go rushing off to get her, one, you're a wanted criminal, two, you have no experience with creatures of the dead, and three, we're all going together. Remember, apocalypse in less than twenty four hours?" Willow said, and Sirius was quiet for a moment, then he nodded, almost against his will.

"Then I'll find Dumbledore." Sirius said.

"No need." A voice said, and Sirius looked to the door and Dumbledore stood in the frame. "I am here. And Miss Rosenberg is right; we cannot go and rush off. I understand that you are worried about Miss Summers, but the rest of us also care about her. I will organize the Order, and we will leave tonight to collect her." Dumbledore instructed.

"Shall I alert everyone, Albus?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Wait, she's in the group as well?" Willow asked, and Madam Pomfrey nodded.

"There is no need, Poppy. I have already done so." Dumbledore answered, and Madam Pomfrey continued to tend to Faith's many wounds.

"Where's scar-boy?" Faith asked, and Dumbledore stepped aside to reveal four anxious teens, two redheads, one brunette and the scar-boy himself.

"Don't call me that." Harry said, walking to Faith's bed. "Are you alright?" He asked. Faith nodded, ruffling Harry's black hair.

"Five by five, kid."

"Five by five?" Harry repeated.

"Don't ask." Willow said, smiling weakly. "It's what she says, and I still have no idea why."

"What happened?" Hermione asked, taking in Faith's injuries with a gasp.

"I've been asked that hundreds of times now Herm, and I'm getting fed up. Can I go already, Mary Poppins?" Faith said exasperated.

"Not till I have taken care of these wounds." Madam Pomfrey huffed, pouring a liquid onto Faith's leg wound.

Faith hissed as the wound stung, pain making her leg numb, but she watched with fascination as the wound closed up, and the only evidence of it ever having been there was the blood on her tanned skin.

"Shit, where do you get stuff like that from?" Faith asked in amazement.

"Courtesy of Professor Snape." Madam Pomfrey said with pleasure. "Now, I'll just have to take care of your other wounds and then you can go."

"And when will that be?" Willow asked.

"Several hours. Faith needs rest." Madam Pomfrey said.

"But-"

"No." The medi-witch said firmly. Faith leant back in her bed and looked over at Dumbledore.

"Get the crew ready, Big D." Faith said, and Dumbledore nodded. "This is our deal, and they'll take orders from me and Red, got it?" Faith instructed.

"As you wish."

*** When Buffy finally woke, it was dark. Buffy was tied to a post by her ankles and wrists, and she was instantly reminded of the time her mother had tried to burn Willow, Amy and Buffy at the stake. That was not a happy memory. Buffy groaned as she felt her head pounding. She distinctly remembered the fight and when the vampires had put her in a bag, but she did not remember a time when they had knocked her out. Buffy looked at her surroundings. She was in a large clearing, surrounded by tall trees with thick trunks. The clearing was a circle, and in the middle, four black steel rods marked out a square. Four vampires sat on their heels on each side of the square, red markings on their faces. The bowed down low, then sat up again, then repeated their action. Their eyes were closed and their mouths were murmuring something Buffy could not make out. On the floor was a large symbol, which Buffy guessed was the opening to hell. This clearing was the same one in her slayer dream. Buffy looked to her right and saw with a shock, another post, like Buffy's with a young boy tied to it. He was Indian, with black short hair and was wearing jeans and a t-shirt saying 'Eat my shorts' on it. The boy appeared unconscious, his head was lolling to the side facing Buffy, but he suddenly looked up at her, his brown eyes watering.

"Help." He said weakly, in a Scottish accent. Buffy could not do anything; she could not see how she could get out of this alive. Buffy was outnumbered, one to about twenty five, and she was in no position to help the boy. But he seemed so helpless, he looked about eleven, and against Buffy's better judgment, she said:

"I'll get you out of here, I promise." The boy nodded, smiling weakly. He had a long cut across his cheek, but it did not seem deep, blood had already stopped flowing. "How long have you been here?" She asked quietly.

"An hour, I think." The boy answered. "I dunno really, I've lost track of time."

"Have they hurt you much?" Buffy asked, and the boy looked down to his feet.

"They killed me mam." He said.

"The slayer's awake." A voice drawled, and Buffy turned her head to see the leader of the vampires she had been attacked by before, saunter up to her. He had long red hair and brown eyes and his tunic was muddied. He was handsome, but an evil glint in his eye nerved Buffy. "And how are we feeling today?" He asked, and Buffy practically growled. He raised an eyebrow. "Not feeling up to talkin'?" Buffy spat in his face. With a growl, he wiped the spit away and leered up at Buffy. "Feisty, are we?" He said, raising an arm. "Pretty one." He said, stroking Buffy's cheek.

"Bite me."

"Love to."

Please review! More action coming next chapter!