Where You Have Been

by FallenStar2

The darkness is spreading. Lord Voldemort's dark plans are unfolding. Two Slayers are caught in the crossfire. And the boy who lived is facing the fight of his life. People live, people die and other lives will change forever.

9. Drift Away

Chapter Summary: Buffy exists in a world where her parents are still alive and finds herself in a happy new existence, one she may not wish to leave; Faith defies Ministry of Magic orders and returns to England and her brother; Sirius' personality since his sister's departure has altered drastically; Hogwarts learns of the fallen Slayer; the Death Eaters finally make their move…

Chapter 9

Drift Away

x-x-x-x

"Now I don't know which one of you fired that crossbow," Irene Ironton said in her firm tone, circling around her two vampire hunters. They both stood with their hands clasped behind their backs and their gaze almost sad as they stared at the ground. "But that poison is affecting her system far more than we realized. Which means that someone tampered with the formula or else… something inside her body is affecting her ability to fight off the poison."

"Have you asked Mister Giles?" Kris asked, gazing up at his instructor through a curtain of dark hair. "We know he has poisoned her in the past."

"Well, yes, he has," Irene said in a low voice, glancing around in case Rupert Giles was listening in on their private conversation. "But I do not believe that he would have been the one to tamper with the arrows. Those were in your rather capable hands, were they not Tomas?"

The young man nodded, gulping slightly. Anyone under such harsh appraisal from Irene Ironton would have grown anxious by now. Her cold, beady eyes were fixed on his pale face. Her thin lips were twisting in her waxy face and her posture was rim-rod straight.

"Then perhaps you would care to tell us something?"

"I have nothing to say," Tomas said, his voice gaining strength. "You cannot possibly believe that we were responsible for what happened to her!"

"I must find out the truth," she replied coolly. "We are facing a very difficult situation here. We were to keep Miss Summers safe. If she remains in this state for an extended period of time, she will die."

x-o-x

"Do you like it?"

Buffy glanced at the warm, yellow-tinted bedroom and hovered near the doorway, her eyes taking in every detail from the cream-colored curtains, the rich inch-thick carpeting to the yellow swirled comforter on a queen-sized bed. On a shelf were five framed photographs and countless others propped up against small statuettes. A vase of yellow roses sat in a stunning crystal vase on a maple dresser and vanity table.

"You can come in, you know," Lily Potter giggled, reaching for her daughter's arm and physically tugging her into the room.

"Beats the heck out of that hospital room," Buffy replied in an awed voice, pausing next to her mother and gazing thoughtfully around the room. "Did it always look like this?"

"Up until a few years ago, it was bright pink and covered in posters of horses and music groups and other things you thought were rather kid-like," Lily explained, taking in her daughter's enraptured expression. "However, while you were… well, sleeping… your brother and your father took it upon themselves to replace your old white furniture and touch up the room a bit."

This would explain why everything looked so brand new. She moved into the room and walked over to the bookcase. Reaching towards the top shelf, she removed a picture and couldn't resist grinning. Her parents were both laughing as Harry and Dawn and Buffy lined up on a rocky ledge with some historical building in the background. Dawn was pinching Harry, who wore a rather amusing expression. Buffy knew that she was suppressing her laughter. Her father was on Dawn's opposite side, clutching his abdomen and positively howling with laughter. Her mother was standing next to her, her hand on Buffy's shoulders. She was giving Harry and Dawn a sideways glance and was also laughing, clutching her daughter on the narrow ledge for support.

"We took a trip to Ireland about a year and a half ago," Lily chuckled, looking over Buffy's shoulder at the familiar photograph. "It was one of our better vacations, I guess," she continued, laughing at the memory. "Harry and Dawn were always fighting and you just kept sitting there half expecting them to gang up on you. They never did, you know." She gave Buffy a fond look as she swept her daughter's hair from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. "You know how devoted Harry is to you and how Dawn idolizes you." Glancing around the room, she shook her head and sighed. "There is so much memory in this place. Before you started your training, your father and I tried to talk you into coming back—"

"Coming back?" Buffy asked, confused.

"You moved out after you graduated from secondary school," Lily said slowly, her eyes narrowing as she surveyed the rest of the pictures. "Ah… it's this one." She handed Buffy a picture of a teenage girl in a cap and gown standing between her two proud, smiling parents. This one was not in a frame, but was wedged up underneath the arched wing of a small angel statue. The picture under the other wing was of a wide-open flat with a dark-haired girl standing next to her. Their arms were clasped and there were moving crates and trunks stacked up to the top of the doors behind them. The small wooden sign over their heads read "Girls Club Only". The more she thought about it, the more she realized how immature that was.

"Where did I go?" Buffy asked.

"I keep forgetting you don't remember these things, Elise," Lily said sadly, sitting down on the comforter as her daughter continued to pick up and glance at the assortment of pictures on the shelf. "You honestly don't remember moving in with Cedric?"

"Cedric?" Buffy asked, her eyebrow furrowing as she glanced back at her mother. "Who is Cedric?"

"The young man from the hospital," Lily replied.

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Lily said with a teasing smile. "His name is Cedric Diggory. You two were… well…"

"He said we met at Harry's thirteenth party," Buffy said, recalling what the young man had told her just a few days earlier.

"You moved in with him about a half year ago once he had left his parents' home," Lily continued slowly.

"Who's that?"

"Your first roommate, Lita," Lily laughed, seeing the picture Buffy was referring to. "You two were close friends since your old primary days. You lived together for nearly two years before you both moved out. She got married and moved to Germany and you, well… you moved in with Cedric." A small smile played around her lips. "You kept saying how far you wanted to be from us, especially Harry and Dawn."

"I'm sorry."

Lily glanced up at the sincerity sparkling in her daughter's eyes. "There is really nothing to be sorry for, dear," she said kindly.

"But…" Buffy said, gesturing around the room. "How could I forget this? How could I forget you guys? How could I…" Her words trailed off helplessly as she dropped onto the bed next to her mother, who wrapped a comforting arm over her shoulders.

"Because you're my grown up little girl," Lily assured her. "You know that your father and I love you dearly, right?"

She managed to nod, choking out, "Always," as her eyes began to tear up.

Lily leaned over, pulling Buffy into her arms and hugging her in a way only a mother could. After a moment, she pulled back and got to her feet. "I think I'll let you reacquaint with your bedroom," she said softly. "Your father is planning on attempting to cook tonight, so I think we'll be ordering out." Her nose wrinkled at that very thought and she shook her head, smiling brightly again. "Once you get settled in… we'll talk about getting you back to your flat with Cedric."

"Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, daughter mine," Lily said, pausing at the doorway to throw her daughter a soft look. After a moment, she added, "I'm really glad you're home."

As Lily disappeared down the hall, Buffy turned her attention back to the photos. "So am I," she whispered.

x-o-x

It was well after midnight when Faith stepped out of the airport. Drawing a deep breath of the cool September air, she noticed how foggy it was and drew her coat tightly around her. She knew exactly where she wanted to go; the problem was getting there. Sirius lived on Grimmauld Place, wherever that was. She suddenly wished she'd paid more attention in Geography class, or in any of her other classes. Despite the fact she hadn't exactly liked school, it would have come in handy here.

There was nothing for it. She was going to have to take the normal human route of traffic. Stalking over to the line of taxi cabs, she waited until the line thinned before obtaining one. After tucking her rolling suitcase into the back, she got inside the car and once again found everything was backwards. It was a little weird seeing the driver on the opposite side of what she was used to. Fingering her duffel one the seat next to her, she merely replied "Grimmauld Place" when he asked her where she wanted to go. He tapped his finger to his cap and turned, starting the vehicle and merging it into traffic.

The sky was obscured by fog to all with normal human vision, but Faith saw star visible through the low cloud cover. Sighing, she dropped her head backwards onto the seat, feeling her eyelids droop. It had been a long day and the sooner she got to see her brother, the better. He was probably the only person in this stupid country that wouldn't arrest her on sight. Well, maybe him and Harry Potter…

The thought of seeing Harry again made her insides twist. Though she had seen him just a few months ago, she missed him. Recalling their chemistry when they first met, it brought a smile to her face to know that, for once, she had done the right thing in letting him go. She just wished she could see him more… of all the people B had in her life, he was definitely one of the more positive ones. And right now she needed all the positive people in her life that she could get. The fact that Voldemort could do a spell or whatever at any time and make her evil scared the hell out of her. She didn't want to be evil. She just wanted to find herself.

Wasn't that the reason she came back?

She had to convince herself it wasn't for Harry Potter or her brother because the stupid magical government had told her not to. They had to be in deadly danger before she could encroach upon this miserable, rainy island again. And yet, here she was.

"Where to, Miss?"

"Hmm?" Faith asked distractedly, her eyes still staring out her passenger window.

"We've just reached Grimmauld Place," he replied, turning in his seat to look at her. It was then Faith realized the car had stopped. "Which house do you wish to get to?"

Oh, crap… she knew she'd forgotten something. And it wouldn't help to tell this guy anyway because it was unplottable or some such nonsense like that. The driver's gaze grew suspicious as Faith shrugged her shoulders and frowned. "I don't remember where my brother lives."

"Oh," he said, staring at her in a hard manner. Coming out of her reverie, Faith reached for her duffel and pulled out a wad of British pounds.

"How much do I owe you?"

After paying the driver, she got out, slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed the handle of her suitcase and began walking down the sidewalk. Frowning, she gazed at the houses. Thirty seven Grimmauld Place… thirty one Grimmauld Place… where in the hell did Sirius live again? How was she going to find the house if she didn't know where it was?

Remembering what had been written on that little slip of paper, she closed her eyes and began to concentrate. "Okay," she muttered under her breath. "The headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix can be found at…" But no number came to mind and she sighed, opening her eyes and stalking down the road again. She needed to find her way soon before the residents called the police on her. Finally, she stopped. She repeated the words again. And yet nothing seemed familiar.

She had rarely seen the exterior of the house. That was part of the problem.

"Damn it," she hissed under her breath, dropping her bag onto the ground. She had no idea what to do. She was going to have to do this randomly. She decided to start from the beginning.

"The headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix can be found at number nine, Grimmauld Place," she whispered, watching the gap between houses eight and ten. Nothing happened and her shoulders slumped. She was exhausted. She was jetlagged. She wanted a hot shower and a strong drink. But she had to find this freaking place first!

"All right," she muttered again. "The headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix can be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place."

Before she could sigh, curse and stomp around again, a house suddenly appeared out of thin air to her right. Letting out a shriek that could have woken the entire neighborhood given the late hour, she grabbed her luggage and positively ran for the gate. "Oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Tears of relief flooded her eyes as she stepped up on the single stoop and placed her hand towards the knocker. It closely resembled the head of a serpent. And this had been her parents' home. She touched it and she felt the snake writhe beneath her. Suddenly, something sprang out and snapped into the palm of her hand.

"Ah," she cried, pulling her hand away before kicking the door. Adding a bit of Slayer strength behind it, she felt the door shudder as she threw her weight into it. "Oh, for God's sake, just bloody open already!"

But the door remained closed and silent as ever, as though mocking her. Nursing her bleeding hand and glaring at the said door, she leaned forward with her uninjured hand and placed it in the center of the door.

On the other side, she could hear the sound of locks unlocking and chains rattling. After what seemed like an eternity, the door fell open a whole three inches and Faith was forced to push her way in, still cradling her right hand and dragging her luggage with her. Once inside, she turned, expecting to see a warmly lit corridor and her favorite family portraits complaining about the draft. Instead, she found herself enclosed in darkness as the main door clicked shut and began locking itself behind her. The portraits were all silent, mostly because they had been covered with blankets.

Faith used her Slayer-enhanced eyesight to find her way down to her duffel and remove a book of matches. Striking one, she lit the lamp at her side and used it to light the rest of the lamps in the hallway. Despite the fact it was late autumn, small puffs of blue air followed every exhale and she sighed, glancing around. The house looked as though it was dead and unlived in. She hoped nothing had happened to Sirius. She had just seen him a few days ago, right?

Gathering her things, she dropped them on the bottom step before heading down to the dining area. Once she had managed to light a fire, she gathered her things and made her way upstairs. Already she could feel the house springing to life. The portraits began mumbling under their covers. The fire seemed to give the corridor a meager light, but it was light nevertheless. Nodding with some satisfaction, Faith turned and made her way upstairs. Dropping her things off at the landing, she reached inside her bag once more and retrieved the only weapon she had been able to take – her prized dagger. Removing it from its sheath, she held it in a defensive posture as she made her way down the dark hallway, lighting the lamps as she went.

She finally reached Sirius's room; the door was slightly ajar. She pushed it open with the edge of her foot and tucked her head around the door, holding the knife at her side. After a moment, she saw Sirius curled peacefully on his bed.

A moment later, she realized why.

Taking one step into the room, the edge of her foot tapped an empty bottle of what looked like rum. It rolled across the wooden floor. Sirius murmured in his sleep and turned over, lying on his back with his mouth wide open.

Sighing in disgust, Faith sat the knife sharply on the vanity and stalked into the room, using her lamp to light the fire in his grate. Sirius began to murmur again, even as Faith retrieved the bottle and turned it over. It had been run dry, she thought, setting it aside. And it wasn't the only one. There were other bottles around the bed, including one tucked into the sheets next to him. Wrinkling her nose at the overwhelmingly stale odor of alcohol, she walked over to her brother's bed and gave his shoulder a good shake.

"Sirius!" she hissed. "Sirius Black, get up!"

He murmured again and turned away from her, snoring loudly.

Faith put her hands on her hips and walked over to the door. Using all of her Slayer-inherited strength, she slammed the door with such force that it snapped from its hinges and bits of it flew clear across the hallway. Sirius snapped up in his bed, squinting through his long dark hair. "Whoozair?" he shouted, coughing slightly. "Who's there?"

Faith stepped back in the shadows, wondering if she should let him know she was there or not. Finally, he gazed over to the door. His eyes traveled across the state of his room, which looked as though a nuclear device had been set off and then dumped over with alcohol, to the fire now burning merrily in his fireplace. "What the…?"

"Next time, you should really answer."

"Huh?" he asked, turning his head and blinking in her direction. "Who's there?"

"Your dearest and most darling sister, of course," Faith growled, stepping out of the shadows.

"Faith…" he whispered, a panic-stricken look crossing his face. Faith beamed at him and he suddenly paled, looking away. "What… what are you doing back here?"

"I came to see you, of course," she said sweetly, kicking aside another empty bottle as she closed the distance between them.

"Um… this isn't what it looks like," he said feebly, gesturing to the bottles surrounding him.

"Well, they're not as squishy as a stuffed bunny, but I bet they taste better."

Sirius winced at the hard tone of her voice. He had only known her a short time and in that time he had discovered that she shared their mother's infamous temper. Add to that her Slayer superpowers and suddenly he was deathly afraid for his life. "You're not… you're not going to hurt me, are you?"

"What do you think?" she asked, stopping over his bed. She was close enough to touch him now… strangle him, even. He knew he was alone in the house.

"I think I should be very afraid," he said, swallowing hard. It was all Faith could do not to sneer at his bloodshot eyes and his slurring speech and that droopy, ineffective face.

"Relax," she sighed in disgust, turning away from him and crossing the small room. "I'm not going to hurt you. Although I was tempted to bust a few of these bottles over your head just to wake you up."

"Yournotevil," he breathed in relief, collapsing back on his mountain of pillows.

"I'm sorry?" she asked cheerfully.

"You're not evil," Sirius replied, forcing himself to sit up. Pushing the blankets off of him, he stood up on wobbly legs before collapsing back on his bed. Faith watched him for a moment before turning away.

"You know," she said softly, "I thought I had a mother for a drunk; turns out she was only dating my older brother. I didn't think the other one would travel that same path."

"You have no idea what it's like to be in this house again," he snapped, folding his arms as he got to his knees on his bed. "To be alone… you have no idea?"

A shadow passed over her face. "That's where you're wrong. I've got horror stories that will dampen your little hangover." Her eyes grew very cold. "Now, get up. We have to talk. I know it's about two in the morning, but we really need to talk. I'll be downstairs. And…" She turned back to face him, watching as he wrestled with his blankets. "If you think about passing out… next time, it'll be you going out the door."

With that, she stalked out of his bedroom, opening the broken door and shutting it with a snap behind her again.

Hearing her angry footsteps stomp down the hall, he sighed and got to his feet again, stumbling towards his door. "Bloody hell," he murmured, kicking another splinter of the door aside as he fell into the hallway. He couldn't believe she was here now… and at this ungodly hour!

A sudden chill overcame him as his thought returned to the present with an unpleasant lurch. Why was Faith back? And what the hell was she doing in this house?

Before he could answer, however, his knees found Faith's suitcase at the top of the landing and with his arms flailing like a windmill, he crashed down the stairs, one by one, until he reached the bottom. As he got up, scowling, he felt that though Faith wasn't evil, she was going to kill him with these antics anyway!

x-o-x

"Mm, Dad, it looks great," Dawn said, sitting down at the dining room table. Harry sat across from Dawn, next to his sister who gave him a fond look. Their parents took their respective spots at the head of the table before everyone sat down and began to pass dishes about. "Which place did you guys get this time?"

"This new place called Jun-Xi," Lily replied with a giggle, ignoring the scathing look her husband sent her. "Cashew chicken, Dawn?"

Buffy sat at the table, watching as her family went through the normal routine of table banter and small, petty arguments over questionable assignments and who was asking who out next. She ate silently, not touching the food but observing everyone at the table.

Her mother was kind and gracious, her emerald eyes sparkling as she ate a plateful of Chinese vegetables and drank mulled mead. Her father was glowering as most of her family's teasing comments were directed at him. Hiding behind his spectacles and his messy black hair, he only looked up and winked at Buffy a few times. He ate the most, piling everything on his plate and eating it without a concern of what mixed with what. He seemed to take particular interest in peapods, for some reason, picking them out of one box before moving onto the next.

Harry was the most talkative one; when he wasn't teasing Dawn, he was teasing his father about having to wear bifocals on the job. He kept teasing Dawn about her new boyfriend while stuffing his face full with whatever happened to be in front of them. Dawn sat between her mother and Harry, tossing her hair over her shoulders and taking in such a strange tone of voice that Buffy thought her sister must have taken a few shots before dinner.

"Like, whatever he said… I didn't like it. And what was the deal with those goals anyway? He didn't have to, like, show off in front of that to me. Maybe to my friends, like, but not to me…"

Hearing Dawn talk like this was giving her sort of a warm memory, like something she should recall but couldn't quite get there. It was comforting to hear Dawn talk like this. Maybe, in her youth, she talked like this giddy teenager, too.

"Well…" James said, finally placing his fork down and reaching for his water glass. "I, for one, am glad we have another member of the Potter family at the table tonight."

Harry and Dawn, who had been arguing about which color to paint their mutual recreation room, fell silent.

"Yes, honey," Lily said, glaring pointedly at her other two children. "We are quite blessed to have you back, Elise. We hope you enjoyed dinner tonight. And we apologize for being such lousy cooks."

"Kind of makes me feel glad that I'm the best cook in the family," Harry grinned, setting his own fork and knife down. "Do you remember that one time that Mom made that strawberry pie and it could move on its own?"

"Uh… no," Buffy said shyly, glancing back down at her plate. Frowning, she noticed it was still quite full. She realized then that she had been so busy observing her family that she hadn't bothered to take a bite. Giving a nervous laugh, she began to pick at her food again.

"Are you not hungry?" James asked, leaning across the table to look at her.

"No," she protested, slapping his hand as he attempted to pull her plate away. "I'm… hey, stop it!"

"James, leave her be," Lily teased with a knowing smile, leaning back in her seat. "Oh, my… Jun-Xi is definitely one heck of a cook. Blimey, I must add that number to our screen."

Buffy didn't really have any idea what she was talking about, but she chewed thoughtfully on her cashew chicken as James and Harry began clearing the table. A few minutes later, Buffy surrendered her plate, but watched curiously as everyone returned to the table. A few moments later, Buffy opened her mouth to ask why when James suddenly leaned forward.

"Now, Elise…"

"Yes, Dad?"

He gave her a pained look. "Uh… your mother and I…"

"What your father is badly attempting to say is that we have a conference next weekend," Lily told her daughter calmly. "He and I were both signed on to go and we're both going. It only lasts three days. You are more than welcome to stay here if you wish, but…"

"What about my lacrosse tournament?" Dawn asked, pouting in a slightly familiar way as she turned to look at their mother. "Mom… you told me I could go ages ago."

"I know I did," Lily said in a voice of well-practiced patience. "And you will… after shelling out a few hundred Pounds for that, I'm glad we've talked you into going."

"Oh, thanks," Dawn muttered, blushing.

"And you, Harry?" James asked, pouring the rest of the water from the pitcher into his glass and leaning back in his chair. "What are your weekend plans?"

"I was going to stay at a friend's," Harry replied solemnly. "That and the… oh…" His eyes grew round as he turned to look at Buffy. "Oy."

"Oh?" Buffy asked, glancing between her brother and her father. What was going on? "What is it?" she asked softly.

"The Chairman's Charity Ball is coming up on Saturday night," Lily said quietly, reaching across the table to take Buffy's hand. "You and Cedric had been slated to go for almost four months now. It would be a rotten shame if you didn't get to go. He has been so looking forward to it."

"What would have happened if I didn't wake up?" Buffy asked. She had the feeling someone wasn't telling her something and it was starting to make her feel grumpy.

"He would not have gone," James said sharply, glaring at Dawn, who had been about to speak. "He was looking forward to this night for a reason."

"Great," Buffy sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"Oh, honey, no one is forcing you to go if you do not wish to," Lily replied, squeezing Buffy's hand before releasing it. "We do not wish to force you into anything. We know that you're probably going to feel a lot of pressure while you're still trying to figure things out, and that's okay."

"Kids, meet your Mom, the shrink," James joked.

"Hardly a time for that," Lily replied, glaring at her husband with mock-venom. "Elise… Cedric had this evening planned out for a long time. If you feel that you can be comfortable with him in a week's time, you should go. It is one of the most beautiful events in the city and it is hosted by his parents. Up until a few months ago, they were not so keen about you."

"I must have hated them, too," Buffy muttered under her breath. Sighing in resignation, she shrugged. "Okay, I'll go… only if I can spend some time with him again."

Actually, that part wasn't so hard. Cedric was a very good looking young man and the way he spoke of their life together… she really wanted that life.

"We thought that's what you might say," James said slyly as the doorbell rang. "We invited him for tea, if you don't mind."

For a moment, it seemed as though the four other Potters were holding their breaths.

"Not at all," Buffy said, getting to her feet. "And if you don't mind, I'm going to let him in."

Lily gave her a bright smile as Buffy walked around her chair back towards the front door. Once she reached it, she smoothed down her hair and stared at her short skirt and blouse top. Smiling, she opened the door and saw a young man standing with his back to her. When he turned around, she saw that he had a single flower in his hand. It was a white rose. He handed it to her as he stepped inside.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, kissing her cheek.

"Not too bad," Buffy said, setting the rose on the table as they stood in the entryway. She suddenly felt cramped trying to figure out this amazing relationship with this young man in her parents' home. "Do you want to take a walk?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he said, beaming at her as she opened the door again. "It's a beautiful night out."

"That's what I thought," she grinned back before turning to see Harry coming up behind her. "We're going for a walk. Tell Mom and Dad we'll be back… whenever."

As she disappeared, Harry shut the door and grinned. "Take your time."

Once outside, Buffy breathed in the sweet autumn air as she and Cedric walked down the sidewalk to a small park nearby. They didn't say much, but he at least was bold enough to take her hand, swinging it slightly as they continued moving.

"I used to take you here after we first starting going out," he said thoughtfully as they walked past the gate and the small memorial plaque. "You used to come here often… you found it a peaceful getaway from whenever your parents were being… well, parents."

"It is pretty here," she replied, looking around. It seemed peaceful even in the dark. There were two ponds just visible behind large, swaying trees. As she continued to walk, she caught a familiar glimpse of something… a bench and a fountain. Frowning, she let go of Cedric's hand as she moved towards the fountain. "I remember this place," she murmured. "I… I used to come here when Harry and I used to fight… or when my parents were… but wow… I didn't think I'd ever remember anything and…" She turned around and gave Cedric a sly look. "You gave me that ring here, didn't you?"

"You mean that one?" he asked, gently reaching for her hand.

She beamed at the simple silver ring that sat on the middle finger of her right hand. It was carved with a tiny inscription. "This one… and it was because you said you loved me."

He was smiling at her again. It was a slow, stunning smile that made her heart fall out of beat for a moment. She wanted so badly to remember her life with Cedric because, for the moment, it seemed to be the most beautiful things in her life. She had seen many stunning moments since she'd awakened just a few days ago. She had hugged her mother, she had heard her father's laughter, she had seen her siblings argue… and she had met him again.

It was like falling in love with a life that wasn't hers.

x-o-x

Giles walked into the simple white room in the Bulgarian mansion they were staying at. Buffy lay in the middle of the bed, immobile. Her skin felt like marble and she was already starting to lose weight from not receiving any nutrients. Pulling out the last of the emergency IV bags, he carefully tagged it to the metallic pole that rested on the opposite side of the bed and gently replaced it. He didn't know what they were going to do if it ran out.

He leaned over, lifting the edge of her shirt. Her Slayer powers had already healed the wound to her abdomen, but it was extremely slow to heal whatever toxin was in her system.

"Rupert…"

"I have nothing more to say to you, Irene," he said curtly, turning away from her as he pulled the blanket back up to Buffy's shoulders.

"I wanted to let you know that I have contacted the British Ministry of Magic," she said in a low voice. "I have asked them to inform her brother that Buffy was injured."

"Do you really think that will spare you when Harry comes in a rampage looking for the morons who wounded her?" he asked, pinching his nose in frustration.

"It seems to me that the bigger problem is figuring out who poisoned her."

Giles frowned, turning to look at the abominable woman. "What in the hell—"

"I do not believe that the Ministry of Magic would poison her," Irene began in her sniffled little tone.

"And I hardly believe the bad guys would poison one of their own," Giles retaliated, getting to his feet and turning to her. "In fact, I don't think you've been straight with me from the start. I really don't believe that you had Buffy's best interest at heart. And you obviously don't care for the lives of your vampire hunters."

"How dare you insinuate that I would risk the lives of those under my command?" she asked, cold fury etched in every line of her iron face.

"Perhaps because it is the truth," Giles snapped. "I hardly think your vampire hunters are trained well enough under a controlled hunt, much less let loose in a forest and given weapons which they use to shoot their own teammate."

"Perhaps your Slayer was being careless," Irene countered, her perfect nostrils flaring as she advanced on him, her one hand flying to the side in an angry gesture. "Perhaps she was directly in the line of fire!"

"Or perhaps this was all a mere accident as I said it was before we began arguing," Giles roared, leaping to his feet and towering over the stupid woman. "And this is just a petty fight that isn't getting us anywhere."

"Oh, but I feel it is getting us somewhere," she replied, pulling out her wand and aiming it at him. "I would very much like to hurt you right now."

"You forget," he said through clenched teeth, "that I trained her…"

"Without her superpowers though, you are just another arrogant fool talking about that which he doesn't understand," Irene Ironton said, blinking coldly up at him.

"And you're a useless wretch that hides behind the safety of magic," he sneered, staring down the wand which was pointed directly between his eyes. "I dare you to use it. Pull out your magical stops on me; I can hardly stop you."

He noticed that her jaw was beginning to twitch until they heard a new voice at the door.

"Mister Giles, Mrs. Ironton, what are you doing?" Tomas asked, walking into the room. Seeing Giles standing their goading Irene Ironton into performing illegal magic on him was not something they saw everyday, but Tomas felt the need to separate the two rational adults before they lost control of the situation completely. "Please, Mrs. Ironton, put your wand down."

"Get out of here Tomas before he starts accusing you of hurting his Slayer next," she snarled.

"Or what, you'll hex him?" Giles asked. He was starting to enjoy himself. Seeing Irene Ironton as more than a conniving witch with a bad temper tantrum was only proof to him that the British Ministry of Magic had sent the most inept person imaginable to deal with Buffy. This only meant one thing – that they trusted her enough to do the right thing.

The only problem was… did they send the poison as a backup plan? Or was this something else entirely.

Tomas's angry voice broke through his thoughts and Giles realized that Irene was now threatening her own student with her wand.

"Oh, for crying out loud," he snapped, marching over and plucking the wand from Irene's hand. At her vehement shriek and Tomas's angry bellow, he managed to kick them both out of Buffy's private room, flung the wand out after them, and closed the door with a sharp snap.

"Besides," he muttered under his breath. "There's one thing you don't know about me… and that's the fact that I use magic, too."

x-o-x

Faith was sitting at the dining room table when Sirius stumbled in. Throwing her a dark glare, he sat down on the bench, massaging his knees and cursing her health under his breath. After a moment, she shoved her cup of coffee towards him. "Drink it," she deadpanned. "It'll help."

"It'll help what?" he demanded, pushing the coffee back towards her with such force that it spilled onto the table. Her gaze darkened. "I was doing fine here before you showed up."

"Oh, right… you're fine for company, is that it?" she asked, pushing the coffee back. "You're actually stone-cold sober for these little meetings but decide to be a drunk the rest of the time? I don't think so. Do you remember my mother? Or… I guess I should call her my fake mother. The one that got drunk and high and eventually overdosed and killed herself? Yeah… I didn't think you did."

"What do you want from me?" he slurred, pushing the mug back at her, hoping this time to at least dump some of it on her high-and-mighty face.

"I want you to act like an adult and be my brother right now," she snarled, practically throwing the cup at him. He watched as it landed one inch shy of falling off the table. It was almost amusing to note that there was more coffee on the table now than there was in the stupid mug.

"And why do you care if I'm here?" he asked, snatching the mug. "I thought for sure the first place you'd go back to would be your darling Harry Potter."

This time she didn't bother stopping the mug as it sailed back towards her. Instead, it tipped off the edge of the table, smashing onto the wooden floor. She didn't take her eyes from his face. "You're my brother," she whispered in a voice full of an undercurrent he couldn't quite identify. "I helped bring you back into this world… I want to know you're okay."

"I've been taking care of myself," he replied coldly, focusing on her face through his drunken fog. "I've been taking care of myself since I was twelve."

"That isn't the point," she cried and for a moment he thought she was going to break down and cry in front of him. "The point is, I need you alive. I need to make sure you're okay and you're not going to, well, just bite it and think that death isn't quite so bad."

His eyes narrowed as he surveyed her face. "What are you saying?"

"You're in the middle of a war, Sirius," Faith replied quietly, standing up and placing her hands flat on the table. "People are going to die. I just want to make sure that when the time comes, you can still do your part."

"What about you?" Sirius asked, suddenly realizing where this conversation was going as he stood up, nearly falling onto the table.

She just looked bleakly at him before sinking back to the bench. "I… I…"

"Faith?"

"No, don't touch me," she snapped, backing away from him, slamming into a cabinet in her haste to do so. "You're a drunk and you're pathetic and if you're going to leave me…"

"Why do you think I'd leave you?" he asked, forcing his brain to understand. He couldn't help but chuckle at the venomous look on her face.

"My Mom left me alone," she replied, staring hard at him. "You're my only family here, Sirius."

"Not entirely true," he murmured. "There are always the Malfoys… and the Tonks…"

"You know what I mean."

He was sure he did. Even though he had taken half a pint with him that night, his alcohol-fazed mind did get one point through – she was worried about him. The other members of the Order were so busy trying to find out what Voldemort was up to and why he had tagged the two Slayers that they hadn't even thought of him since his return from certain death.

Except Faith… his sister had come back for him, despite their odd and slightly awkward relationship. He had never met her before his return from death. He never even knew he had a kid sister until a few nights before he died.

And the thought of losing the one person who actually gave a damn…

x-o-x

Lucius Malfoy swept gracefully across the dark grounds, sneering at the new moon and the thousands of stars sparkling. As the night faded towards dawn, the faintest tint of pink appeared on the horizon, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Turning to face the others with him, his eyes widened as he saw another figure approach wearing a caustic smile and a mad little gleam in his eye. "I didn't expect you to join us so soon," he drawled slowly, bringing up his walking stick and shaking it in the shorter man's face.

"Nor did I," the other voice replied simply as the figure turned dull eyes to stare at the remainder of night. "Do we wait?"

"We must wait for the signal, don't you know?" Lucius smirked before turning his gaze to the other Death Eaters. "Have you seen the signal?"

"I have not," came a harsh female voice as Bellatrix Lestrange joined them. "An interesting choice here, Lucius," she said, glaring at the figure standing on Lucius's opposite side, staring at the horizon thoughtfully. "To bring him to the open so soon…"

"As if there is a problem with that?" the figure asked kindly, shaking his head. "It is about time I assert my, ah, power."

"After hiding like a whipped child," Bellatrix sneered, her lip curling against her teeth. "Such cowardice should have been rewarded with death…"

"Oh, I will die," the figure replied cheerfully. "We all will. Not all of us have gone to such, ah, an extreme in uncovering the realm of immortality as our dear Dark Lord has."

"Hear, hear," Lucius murmured, distracted.

Bellatrix shot him a cold look. "I was told that we would be leading this alone, Malfoy," she deadpanned coolly.

"My dear Bella," he said, giving her a cold look, "you should expect that things would change now. This is our ticket to the Potter boy."

"We should have made his sister kill him," she retorted, turning to glare at the third figure again before marching away.

"All in good time, dear Bella," Lucius called after her. Turning back to the figure still standing at his elbow, he added, "You could do your part, you know."

"Ah, forgive me, Lucius, my old friend," the figure replied, pulling out an older wand and aiming it to the sky. "Sometimes… even my older mind forgets."

"Just ensure it will not happen again," Lucius hissed through clenched teeth.

"Too right you are," the figure said, a hint of sadness in his voice as he stretched his arm to the sky and sent off a jet of emerald sparks. A few seconds later, streaks of white began filling in across the sky. As he saw the light reflected in Lucius' eyes, he chuckled. "Relax, old friend…" he murmured. "I feel today will be a beautiful day."

"Only if you are not within the putrid Ministry," he added with a sly smirk.

"Oh, and there's always that…"

x-o-x

Harry Potter was sitting down to breakfast early on Monday morning when he suddenly felt the most peculiar feeling. Swallowing the last of his porridge, he glanced up at the staff table. His eyes switched to Snape.

Professor Snape had just grimaced, his left hand moving to his right arm.

In an instant Harry knew that whatever Snape had felt was nothing good…

Before he could comment on it though, he felt someone sit next to him. It was Hermione. She held a letter in her hand and was looking quite concerned. "Harry?" she asked, nudging his side. "Harry… this came for you. It's from the Ministry of Magic. Harry, the letter is urgent… what?"

As he had refused to answer or even look in her direction, she had followed his line of sight until she glanced at Professor Snape. He was still scowling and had covered his arm. A moment later, he rose and swept down the crowded aisles, out of sight.

"What in the bloody hell was that about?" Ron asked, joining the others at last. His eyes widened when he saw the panic-stricken look on Harry's face. "What?"

"The Dark Mark," Harry murmured. "It's hurting him."

"What do you think is happening?" Hermione squeaked.

"I don't know… but whatever it is, it isn't good."

x-o-x

As she lay down to sleep, Buffy turned onto her back and lifted her arms in the air. It was then that she caught something on her forearm. Her eyes widened slightly as she stared at it. Just visible under her skin was a pale mark that looked like a skull with a snake protruding through its mouth.

How odd, she thought to herself. She hadn't remembered this tattoo while she was in the shower today… or when she was with Cedric… definitely not during their goodnight kiss…

Her fingers traced the tattoo and she put her arm back down, resigned to ask her parents about it in the morning.

x-o-x

Giles had been waiting for something like this. When Buffy began to writhe as though in agony on her bed, he knew the first place to look. Yanking down the blanket, he pushed up the sleeve of her arm and saw that the mark on her arm had turned black.

x-o-x

Faith was sleeping when suddenly she felt as though her arm was on fire. Opening her eyes, she saw that the Dark Mark on her right arm had turned black. Moaning, she pressed as hard as she dared against it, desperate for the pain to stop…

… while the other half of her wondered what damage the Death Eaters were causing now…

x-x-x-x

To be continued…

x-x-x-x-

Next Chapter: The Death Eaters strike… Buffy sinks deeper into her coma… Faith makes her choice… and Draco makes his.

Note - The past two chapters were pretty heavily Buffy-related. The next few will tip back into the Potter side of things.

Reviewer Comments: I'm doing this anyway… mainly because there aren't that many reviewers and basically because this keeps my thoughts on the mark.

Lightdemondarkangel: Well, you're welcome. I felt guilty and thought maybe I should finish this story as long as I had a good outline for it. This mysterious man in Buffy's life isn't anyone bad - don't worry. Buffy's dreamlike state will be like being inside joy. This chapter should explain a bit more, but it also leaves some gaps. As for length... my outline says 24, but I'm hoping 20. Realistically though… there is still a lot of story to tell.

VaMpEdChiK: Thank you for your kind review!

sparky24: Thank you for the compliments! If you were wondering who the "man" is, I think this chapter just about explained everything.

Naitch03: Hmm... Good observations there! This chapter explained who Buffy's beau is... and as he was a brunet, it wasn't Draco. Giles is definitely a target, but not the target you think. Willow and Tara are definitely going to 'lend a hand', but for a different reason than you might expect. Faith back in London is going to be rather interesting, but unfortunately cliché. As for the Death Eater, well... yes, they were in the first story. The answer becomes pretty obvious by the time we get to the next little chapter.

Nikki: That was the effect I was going for… Buffy having this strange, happy world we don't want her to leave… until she's good and ready, anyway. Thank you for your review!