Disclaimer: Still don't own any of it.

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Chapter 2:

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Buffy woke the next morning feeling… safe. That alone was something she was generally unfamiliar with - especially since becoming The Slayer. It was childish, she knew, but Harry always had that effect on her. "Harry?" She knew he was awake even before the slight questioning sound that answered her. "Thanks for coming."

He held her tight for a moment and dropped a light kiss onto her forehead. "Lizzie, you know I'm always here for you. You should've called me sooner."

"I know," she mumbled sleepily. "I didn't think they were all gonna turn on me though."

"At least you were able to stop it from going too far."

"Only because I knew what was going to happen. If I hadn't, I'd be homeless right now."

"No, you wouldn't," he assured her. "You have several houses and an entire vault that you've barely touched."

"It doesn't feel right using that more than I have to."

"It's as much yours, as it is mine."

"Still feels weird."

He smiled. They'd been having this debate for years, and their stances hadn't changed at all in that time. "So, what's your plan?"

"What makes you think I have one?"

Harry snorted at that. "This from the girl that couldn't convince the Hat to put her in anything other than Slytherin?"

Buffy smirked and swatted at his stomach. "That was only because you talked him out of it. Damn thing wouldn't let two people with so much Slytherin potential go to Gryffindor."

Harry just smirked. "So, let's hear this brilliant plan of yours, Lizzie."

"It's simple. With Faith being the leader, I have more freedom to do what I need to do without worrying about taking care of everyone."

He rolled his eyes. "I figured that. I meant what's your next move?"

"Breakfast. Then tonight, we can check out the Vineyard."

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"Where'd all the food come from?"

Buffy turned to see Faith walk into the room. She pointed at Harry who was at the stove cooking. "Faith, meet Harry. Harry, Faith."

"So, you're B's new ride, huh?" Faith asked with a smirk.

Harry looked confused for a moment before shooting Buffy a questioning look.

Buffy tried hard not to laugh. "Faith thinks you're my new 'broom closet buddy'," she explained with a grin.

A horrified look settled on his face. "Oh, gross!" Buffy started laughing hysterically while Faith shot her a confused look.

"What? B's hot! If I were into women, I'd do her."

Harry struggled to regain his composure. "Lizzie's like a little sister to me." He glared over at the still laughing Slayer. "A really immature little sister. You knew she was going to do that, didn't you?" He accused.

Buffy grinned and shrugged slightly. "It's Faith. I didn't expect her to do anything else."

Faith grinned conspiratorially at her sister Slayer. "So, if he's not yours, can I have him?" Harry turned his attention back to the food he was cooking but not before they caught his blush.

"Faith," Buffy said lowly, breaking Faith's gaze away from Harry's backside.

"Yeah, B?"

"You hurt him, and there won't be enough of you left for them to find." Her voice was quiet enough not to be heard by Harry, but the threat was clear regardless. "Are we clear?"

Faith nodded, a bit of nervousness creeping into her. "Yeah, B. We're clear."

Buffy held her gaze for a moment before letting her features fall back into a relaxed look, rarely seen on her. "You've got my blessing then." She grinned. If the blush creeping across the back of his neck was any indication, Harry had definitely heard that one.

"So, where's everyone else?" Buffy asked, changing the subject. "Usually at least Giles and Will are up by now."

"Giles and Dawn are still going over those files on Caleb. Red's sleeping in; her and the brat had a bit of a late night," she said with a smirk. "Had an idea I wanted to run by you."

"Shoot," Buffy said curiously.

"We need some more info on our bad guys - maybe find preacher boy's weakness. I was thinking that tonight we could grab ourselves one of the Bringers; make him talk."

"Faith," Buffy gave her a reassuring smile, "you don't need to run your plans by me. You're the leader now, remember."

"Right."

"It does sound like a good idea though," Harry said as he brought over three plates of eggs and sausages - two of which were stacked twice as high as the other. He set the larger portions down in front of Buffy and Faith before sitting down with them.

Buffy nodded as she dug into the food. She had nearly forgotten how great of a cook Harry was. "When did you want to pull this off?" she asked Faith.

Faith quickly swallowed a mouthful of food. "I figured about an hour after sunset. We get one of the potentials to play bait, and when the Bringers show, we snag one."

"Hey, who's the new guy?" Xander asked as he headed over to the stove and loaded up a plate of food.

"Friend of B's."

Xander looked surprised at that. "How come Buff's never mentioned you?"

Harry shrugged, causing Xander to eye him suspiciously. Buffy rolled her eyes. "Xander, there are plenty of people I know that I've never mentioned to you guys before. So, be nice."

Xander just emitted a noncommittal sound before beginning to eat, much to Buffy's irritation. Harry noticed and placed a calming hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently.

"It's fine. I have to leave for a bit. If we're going out tonight, I'm going to pick up a few things. I should be back in a few hours." He stood and gave Buffy a hug. "If you need anything, Liz, just give me a call. I'll be back before you can say 'Snape's a git'." That earned him a small smile, and he dropped a kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you later." He nodded towards Faith. "It was nice meeting you, Faith." Harry gave her a small smile before taking off up the stairs.

When Harry was gone, Buffy shot Xander a glare.

"What?" he asked around a mouthful of food.

"You're such an ass, Xander."

"Hey, who was that?" Willow asked as she and Kennedy joined them.

"Buffy's boyfriend," Xander said somewhat bitterly. "He's probably a vampire or something."

Willow nodded. "He did seem a bit pale."

"Xander, stop it. He's not my boyfriend, and he's not a vampire or demon either!" Buffy defended.

"What is he then?" Faith asked, surprising Buffy. "Come on, B, I've got the Slayer senses too. It was pretty obvious that he's a bit more than your average guy."

Buffy sighed. She should've known that Faith would sense that something was different. Come to think of it, once Willow spent any length of time around him, she'd probably pick up on it too. "He's a wizard."

"Like Will?" Xander questioned.

Willow shook her head. "No, wizards and witches use a different kind of magic. It comes from inside them, instead of from their surroundings. They generally use wands as a focus too," she added as an afterthought.

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With a soft 'crack', Harry was back in his room in the Potter Manor. He knelt down in front of the large metal trunk that rested at the foot of the bed. He pressed his palm down on the Potter crest etched into the top. The trunk opened silently.

The wizarding photo spelled to the inside of the lid caught his attention for a moment. A man who looked just like him and a red-haired woman, holding a small boy and a baby girl with matching black hair and emerald eyes. They all looked so happy there.

Next to that photo was one of him sitting on his mother's lap as she held his baby sister. In the photo, he was reaching for the small girl, giving her a hug as their mother watched with a smile.

Harry forced himself to turn his attention to the contents of the trunk instead of the photos. They always made him feel saddened at how the happy family had been torn apart. He pulled out Gryffindor's sword and a wicked looking axe along with two slim metal cases, one long, one short. Harry set the items on the bed. He closed the lid on the trunk and pressed his palm on the crest, sealing it once more, before going to the wardrobe in the corner of the room.

He changed into a pair of black dragonhide pants and a grey t-shirt before arming himself. Gryffindor's sword went into a sheath at his waist. He strapped the axe to his back. A black dragonhide battle cloak completed the look and concealed his weapons.

Harry gathered up the metal cases before disapparating again with a 'crack'.

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to be continued...

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Author's Note: It's a bit shorter than I would've liked, but I thought this would be a good spot to separate it. Thank you all for your reviews; I always love hearing what you guys think.

Up Next: Faith's plan gets put into action, she and Harry share a moment, and Spike returns...