AN: CHAPTER SIXTEEN HERE. I REALLY HAVE NO SELF-CONTROL WHATSOEVER. IT'S WEIRD THOUGH, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO MATTER ANYMORE. I WAS ALWAYS TELLING MYSELF TO BE IN CONTROL OF WHAT I DID. NOW I JUST WANT TO WRITE MORE OF THIS STORY SO I KNOW HOW IT ENDS. I WAS QUITE PLEASED WITH THE CLIFFHANGER I LEFT LAST TIME, SO I THOUGHT I'D CONTINUE IT THE NEXT DAY INSTEAD OF WAITING A WEEK OR TWO LIKE I NORMALLY WOULD. REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN IT, I DON'T EVEN OWN THIS LAPTOP, IT'S ONE OF MY DAD'S OLD ONES THAT HE LET ME HAVE AFTER MY BROTHER WAS FINISHED WITH IT.

RATING: PG-13 MAYBE R LATER ON, ESPECIALLY AFTER THIS CHAPTER, CHUCKLES.

Chapter Sixteen

There was complete silence in the hall. The people were barely breathing; you could hear everything that was going on in the room. There were a few faint whimpers from terrified students, mostly the first and second years, who had not been there the year when the Dementors had been guarding the school.

Other than that there was only the harsh breathing of the Dementors, coupled by the eerie swishing of their long black robes. Angel could not speak; the torrent of memories was so heavy. The voices pawed at his mind, every single person he had every killed. He had thought that nothing in the world could be worse than hell, but this was beyond that. The pain from this was too much. He felt rather than saw the Dementors coming closer to him.

He didn't really hear Buffy's scream, but he knew that it happened. He could feel her beside him, shaking with fear. He had not ever known anything that could make Buffy like this, even when she had been recovering from being killed by the Master. She was petrified with fear, but not for herself. Angel recognised that abstractedly. She was afraid for him.

The Dementors surrounded him. He had thought he would be able to accept his second death, but this was not death. He knew what would happen. The Dementors would suck out his soul. Angelus would come back. He had to tell Buffy. He had to let her know what was about to happen. He had to make her understand that she would have to kill him after this. He opened his mouth, yet no noise came out. He finally managed to croak out,

"Buffy… you… have to. My soul…The Dementors… they will… my soul… Buffy… He's going to… come back."

Buffy paled even more, if that were possible. She was already as pale as a sheet from her memories dragged up by the Dementors. It was obvious that the only thing keeping her conscious was the sheer indomitable strength of will that Angel had always admired so much. But her fear for Angel made her pale even more. She sat up and pushed through the Dementors surrounding Angel. He pushed himself up onto his knees.

She wrapped her arms around him. They slowly sagged towards the floor. The Dementors surrounded them, coming closer every minute. One of them pushed Buffy to one side. It was only the influence of the Dementors that allowed them to force her away from her soul mate. One of the other Dementors hooked their robed arms under Angel's silk garbed sleeves. They jerked him to his feet. One Dementor supported him at either side.

Another Dementor approached him them. This one was obviously the leader of the Dementors. Minister Fudge was smiling; a smile that reminded Angel of a self-satisfied idiot, well, minister Fudge was a self-satisfied idiot, so that made sense. The lead Dementor lowered its tattered black hood. Angel looked straight into the contorted face. He didn't scream. He was no longer afraid for himself, only for Buffy.

But then the Dementor leant towards him and he was afraid. He was also oddly amused by the irony, as one always is at times of peril. After all the struggle between him and Buffy to not lose control and free his demon, someone else was going to suck his soul out. Then the Dementors lowered his face to Angel's and there was no irony, only fear. Abstractedly he heard Buffy scream his name in fear. He heard Giles and the others swear in knowledge of what was to happen next.

Then, all he could feel was the Dementor's cold lips. Then there was the hollow pain of his un-needed breath being sucked away. Then the Dementor inhaled once again and that pain disappeared. He screamed then, screamed as he had not screamed since that fateful night almost a year ago when he had lost his soul. It was a familiar pain now; the heart-rending pain as he soul was sucked out of his body

He had thought that nothing could hurt more than the knowledge of what Angelus had done to Buffy and her friends. He had been wrong. This hurt more than anything he had ever known. And he knew what would happen next. Angelus would awaken and wreak havoc once again. He shivered as he recalled what his demon had planned for Buffy.

He could only hope that Buffy would be strong enough to stake him before anything bad happened. Then he could feel nothing at all.

Buffy watched the Dementors suck out Angel's soul as if everything were moving in slow motion. She could only stand helpless as she saw his body collapse to the ground. The Dementors drew back, away from this body that was now of no use to them at all.

Buffy screamed in pure pain. It was the scream of an animal separated from her mate. This could not be happening. They had not had long enough together. They had not found a solution to Angel's curse… Angel's curse. That was it. She shook off all her fear, denied all her pain. There were more important things now.

She stood. She had fallen to her knees when the Dementors had moved away from Angel's corpse. She turned to her friends, all business now. She snapped out orders, a slayer in her element,

"Willow, get the ingredients for the original curse, the one that you found in that book. Draco, I want everyone who came with the Dementors stunned and tied up. Giles there are enchanted chains under my seat at the table, bring them here. We need to tie Angelus up before he wakes up. From what Angel told me about what happened last time, it will not be long before he wakes."

The others moved to carry out their orders. But there was one factor Buffy had forgotten about: Professor Dumbledore. She was locking the cuffs of the enchanted chains she had stolen from Dru's room around Angel's wrists when she looked up.

Willow was seated on one of the house tables, she noted abstractedly that it was the Slytherin table. Xander, Cordelia and Oz were keeping the terrified yet fatally curious students at bay. Giles was assisting Willow with the spell, mostly sorting through and handing her the necessary ingredients. If they hadn't needed the spell done in such haste, then Willow would have been more than capable of completing the entire spell with no assistance. Draco was standing over the stunned members of the ministry, having summoned ropes to bind them with. He looked disturbingly pleased with himself.

Professor Dumbledore was furious, not with Buffy and her friends, but with the ministry. His robes were swirling around him with an unseen wind. His power crackled around him and those in the hall understood why he was the only one that Voldemort had ever feared. He strode towards the Dementors and raised one hand towards them. White light emanated from his palm. The six Dementors cowered away from the pure light that surrounded them. Then they just disappeared. They disintegrated away.

It was as if this was a signal. Screams filled the hall. A pure white light flowed away from the Dementors, not the same light as had disintegrated them. This was different, more powerful, more alive. The light swirled around the few remaining particles of the Dementors, then flowed over towards the orb of Thesulah that Willow held in front of her.

Buffy stared at the light, standing up from her position by Angel's prone body. She gazed at the light as it flowed into the orb, filling it with silver mist. She gasped

"Is that Angel's soul?"

Willow nodded at her, holding the orb like the priceless treasure that she knew it to be. Buffy stared into the orb for a long time, then spoke again,

"It's beautiful. I always knew it would be."

Then she lifted the end of the chains she had used to tie Angel with and hooked them over a lantern sconce. Angel's corpse hung prone for a moment, then he began to shake. Buffy turned to Willow and snapped,

"Will, he's coming around. Get on with it before it's too late."

Buffy retrieved her holy water soaked blade from the floor and approached the body of the demon inhabiting her lover's body. Angel's eyes snapped open. It was not Angel any more. The soul was gone from his eyes; the grief, sorrow and love had vanished entirely. Angelus, for that was who it was, smirked at her,

"Hello, Buff'. You and soul-boy got round to chains already, have you?"

Buffy scowled at him. Then the vampire gazed around the hall,

"Ah, if it isn't Hogwarts. This brings back memories. And gives me ideas. When I get free then I'll have a lot of fun here."

Buffy didn't flinch,

"If you even try to escape, I'll kill you."

Angelus smirked,

"You can't kill me. You love the souled idiot too much for that."

Buffy's gaze didn't waver; neither did the hand holding firmly onto the deadly knife,

"You seem to be forgetting something, lover. I sent you to hell for five hundred years. And Angel was in control when I did that. You should know I will not hesitate to kill you now."

Angelus flinched slightly as he recalled those five hundred years. Although Angel had been in charge during that period, it had been painful for the demon as well. Then he spotted Willow as well and smirked,

"Hello Willow. How've you been?"

Willow shivered at the malice in Angelus' voice, but she didn't stop working on the spell as she answered,

"A lot better since we got rid of you. And you know what the best part is? When I've finished doing this, you'll never be able to come back. You'll have to take the back seat for the rest of eternity. We've won Angelus; you're never coming back. You can't hurt us any more."

Angelus flinched at this answer, for he recognised the truth in the Wicca's statement. Buffy stared at him for a long time.

"See something you like, lover?"

Buffy scowled,

"In your dreams. I was just thinking about how different you and Angel are."

Angelus scowled,

"Don't waste your breath on that pathetic weakling. You belong to me, not him."

Buffy frowned at him,

"I belong to no-one, Angelus. Don't forget that. And if I did belong to someone, it would be Angel not you."

Angelus frowned, but quickly regained his composure,

"You've got a big mouth slayer. I can think of better uses for it. Who should I kill first? That Harris boy? The Cheerleader? Or maybe the watcher? Yes I think I'll give ole Rupert the heave-ho. Then I'll show you just who you belong to, Buff."

Buffy didn't flinch; she merely smiled as she saw Willow finish the incantation. The white light that was Angel's soul fled the orb and returned to Angel's body. Angelus could see and feel it coming and a look of panic settled on his face. Buffy smirked and said,

"You've lost, Angelus."

Angelus screamed in thwarted fury. Then he was silent. Angel slumped in the chains and then looked up,

"Buffy, I'm really sorry."

Buffy smiled,

"You didn't do anything. The only person who should be sorry is unconscious against that wall. Angel, Willow used the other curse, the one we found in that book. Your soul is bound, permanently. He can never come back, no matter what."

Angel stared at her,

"You're serious?"

Buffy nodded and wrapped her arms around him. She reached up to undo the cuffs around his wrists. Xander frowned at her,

"Hey, how do we know this is the real dead-boy?"

Buffy and Angel exchanged glances,

"We know."

Xander scowled, but didn't say anything more as Buffy reached up and undid the chains restraining Angel. Angel stumbled slightly as he collapsed from the chains. Then he gasped and pressed his hand against his chest. Buffy frowned,

"Angel? Are you okay?"

Angel smiled at her, a real smile that made Buffy's heart clench.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm better than fine, actually. It just feels so different. I can barely hear him anymore. It's amazing."

Buffy smiled up at him. Then she screamed with joy and jumped up into his arms. She wrapped herself around him, tucking her ankles around his waist and her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist. They pressed their heads together. Then Buffy kissed him, nothing serious at first, just a joyful declaration of their new freedom.

Then they separated and started pressing joyous kisses against each other, kissing every part of the other that they could reach out to. Then Buffy unwrapped her legs from around his waist. Angel swung her around, laughing. Then Angel reluctantly lowered Buffy back to her feet. She immediately snuggled against him, wrapping her arm around his waist.

Angel approached Willow, where she sat on the Slytherin table, still exhausted by the effort of returning a vampire's soul. Buffy stayed with him all the time, both of them rejoicing in this new level of contact. Willow slowly climbed down from her position from on top of the table, which had been happily clear of food before she had sat there. She walked towards Buffy and Angel and then stood uncomfortably a few feet away from the rejoicing couple. Then two strong arms wrapped around her shoulders, one male, one female. She gasped as Buffy and Angel pulled her into a hug. She felt her breath being squeezed out of her as both preternaturally strong creatures hugged her with joy. She felt Angel's chin resting in her hair and heard his whisper,

"Willow, I… we can never thank you enough for what you just did."

Willow smiled,

"Don't worry about it. I've wanted to do some Wicca style magic for a while anyway. And you and Buffy have saved my life more times than I want to count. Anyway, we got to piss off Angelus for a bit as well. That was fun. And breathing is really becoming an issue now."

Angel seemed embarrassed and both he and Buffy let her go, though reluctantly. Angel and Buffy, however, remained attached at the hip, neither one of them willing to let the other go, even for a minute. It was more than obvious that they both wanted nothing more than to be alone together. Willow blushed slightly as she imagined what they would do once they were alone together.

She smiled up at them,

"Buffy, Angel's probably feeling weak after what he just went through. He should probably get some rest for a while. We won't get started on any serious discussions until you rejoin us."

Both Slayer and Vampire stared at her. She flushed slightly under their combined gaze. Then the two turned and practically ran from the room. The look on Xander's face as he watched them leave was one of slight nausea,

"Willow, I can't believe you just did that."

Willow flushed slightly under their gaze and then straightened up slightly,

"Well, after what's just happened, they deserve to have a lucky break for once. The rest of the time the whole world's against them having any happiness together."

Cordelia agreed, once again showing that, in the face of male disapproval, all women will come together, no matter how much they might not get on normally. Xander made a sound that may have been another protest, so Cordelia smacked him over the head. Xander whimpered and held up his hands in the universal sign of giving in. Cordelia and Willow frowned at him.

Then Professor Dumbledore asked the question that most of the hall was just wondering,

"May I ask just what happened?"

Willow flushed again,

"Ah..well. Those Dementor things took Angel's soul. So he became Angelus again, which is major on the badness. Then I used this new curse I'd found and restored Angel's soul. But this is a different curse to the one used originally by the gypsy tribe that cursed Angel a hundred years ago. There's no break clause on this curse. Angel and Buffy should be back within an hour or something. We'd better get these morons chained up."

As Willow said this, she gestured to the prone bodies of the minister and his accomplices. Dumbledore nodded and levitated the five ministry members. He floated the five bodies out of the door of the hall and then turned back to the terrified students,

"Please be perfectly calm. There is absolutely nothing to be worried about. Prefects, take your students back to their houses."

With that, Dumbledore turned and followed the levitating bodies out of the great hall, the Scooby Gang following around him. Not knowing quite where to go, Draco looked around for a moment, before following the crowd of Gryffindors.

TBC..

AN: JUST A SHORT CHAPTER THIS TIME. MORE UPDATES UP SOON