Title: Good-bye Hellmouth, pt 3


Author's Note: Thanks to all those that have reviewed this story so far. I hope that I can continue updating regularly, but as it is life is a bit hextic as I'm sure all can agree to. I will try and update at least once a week or once every two weeks. Enjoy this chapter and please constructive critisism is welcome.

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Buffy and Faith sat in Dumbledore's office waiting for him to come to a decision about how they were going to do this.

"I'm going to send the both of you to Diagon Alley to get your supplies." He finally decided. "I have a key here for a vault at Gringotts with the Watchers Council's name on it."

"The Watchers Council?" Buffy repeated. "I'd forgotten about them."

"That's what happens when you quit, get rehired and then have them...hmm, well we'll just save that for our time." Faith drifted off. "So this vault will have money for us to use?"

"Indeed." Albus replied amused, enjoying their unusual chatter. "Now, we can do this one of two ways." He started. "You can go together with either the head boy or girl, or you can go separately with a member of your house."

The slayer's exchanged a glance. "Well Lily didn't seem all that biased against Slytherin so..." Buffy started.

"I'm game." Faith finished, having seen the looks on the group Buffy had approached the hall with. "Lily it is."

"Splendid. I'll retrieve her." Albus said standing to leave the office.

"Are you sure about this Faith?" Buffy asked once she was sure he was gone and that they were the only ones in the office. "I mean it's like high school all over again."

"I'm fine with it." Faith shrugged. "It's not the greatest situation, but it's better than being dead, right?"

"So much better." Buffy agreed. Sure she missed heaven, but she treasured the aspects of life outside of slaying like getting to know Dawn.

"'Sides what else are we gonna do?" Faith added.

"True." Buffy agreed as Dumbledore reentered his office with Lily following behind him.

"I've explained to Lily about you're decision and she's agreed." Albus told the slayers. "You'll floo from here to Diagon Alley."

"Flew?" The slayers questioned together.

"Miss. Evans will show you." Albus told them before turning to Lily. "When you're finished if you prefer you can floo to the Three Broomsticks and walk back."

"Alright." Lily nodded before stepping into the large fireplace. Throwing down some green powder she called, "Diagon Alley." Green flames shot up and Lily disappeared.

"Holy moley." Buffy breathed.

Albus chuckled softly before handing the key and moneybag to the nearest slayer. "Hurry now, she'll be waiting for you on the other end. It's perfectly safe and have a nice time." Albus said gently pushing them towards the fireplace.

Faith, deciding to be daring, grabbed some powder and stepped into the fireplace. "Diagon Alley!" She called after throwing the powder down.

Buffy chuckled nervously before following the same pattern. Stepping out of the fireplace she saw Faith brushing off the ash and Lily waiting patiently for her.

"Ready?" Lily questioned.

Lily wasn't sure what to make of the two girls that appeared out of nowhere the day before but Dumbledore seemed to trust them and that was nearly enough for her. It was just odd that two girls so alike could be in two different houses. It was intriguing and she wanted to know about the two but she wasn't going to be quick about the trust she'd give them.

Faith nodded feeling the air pressure change slightly since Buffy had stepped out of the fireplace. She knew that Lily would have a hard time trusting her; Faith had heard the stories from Lucius and Severus about the animosity between the two houses and was willing to be patient...for a while.

Together the three walked quietly towards Gringotts. Each lost in their own thoughts. Buffy wondered what Lily thought about her and Faith. She'd felt the tension in the alleyway where the fireplace was located but as far as she could tell neither had said anything to the other.

The white building came into view and the three stepped inside. Buffy felt Faith tense slightly at her side and looked up. "What are they?" Buffy questioned Lily.

"Goblins." Lily answered. "They're not very nice but they work hard, or so I'm to understand." She added the last part softly.

"Right." The slayers said together. Faith leaned to Buffy, "Wiggy?"

"Wiggy." Buffy agreed as they walked up to the teller. "We'd like to make a withdrawal."

"Key." The goblin squeaked. Faith handing him the key and he looked at it before 'hmming'. Then he leaned backwards and hollered, "Erwin! Take these three to vault 1300."

The three girls followed behind the short goblin and rode in the roller coaster like ride down inside the ground. "Cool." Faith breathed as it ceased movement. She turned to see Lily and Buffy looking a bit green around the edges and chuckled before jumping out and towards the vault.

The goblin, named Erwin, opened the vault showing both slayers and head girl the amount of money inside the large vault. "Explain." Buffy pleaded to Lily not taking her eyes off the stacks of glittering money within.

"The gold ones are galleons." Lily began. "Sixteen silver sickles to a galleon and twenty-nine knuts to a sickle."

The slayers nodded before opening the bag that Dumbledore gave them and began putting some coins inside. Shrugging their shoulders as they hoped they'd gotten enough and left the vault behind. The ride up was quicker than it had been down and they began their shopping.

Lily had taken them to 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions' to get their robes and uniforms. Within a half an hour they were back in the streets walking towards Flourish and Blotts to get their books. They talked quietly among themselves before Faith had enough.

"Lily?" Faith questioned ignoring Buffy's look. "Do you have a problem with me?"

Lily seemed shocked at the question. She tilted her head slightly, thinking for a moment. "It's not whether or not I have a problem with you, it's that I'm not sure if I can trust you."

Faith nodded. "Fair enough."

They continued shopping before Lily led them to the Leaky Cauldron for something to eat and drink. They ate in silence as Lily was thinking about what else they'd needed. They'd gotten books, uniform/robes/cloak, parchment, quills, cauldron and supplies and their wands. She inwardly chuckled at the thought of the two girls getting their wands.

They'd walked into Ollivander's the girls had been wary because of the shop alone, and they hadn't even seen Ollivander.

"Good afternoon." Ollivander greeted from the back of the store. "Ah, Miss. Summers and Miss. McRae. Albus told me you'd be here." He said walking towards the two girls. "Hmm. I've got some work cut out for me." He mused before turning to the dark haired girl. "You first." He pointed. "Wand hand."

Faith looked confused before holding her left hand out. She watched with mild amusement as the measuring tape just jumbled around her wrist.

"Lets try this one, 12 inches, maple and dragon heartstring." He said handing it to the slayer. "Well go on wave it a bit."

Faith looked uncomfortable for a moment before she waved the wand only to have it snatched out of her hand.

"No, not that one." He muttered before handing her another one. "10 inches, oak with a phoenix feather." Faith waved it and the boxes in the back of the room shot off the shelf.

"Opps." Faith muttered.

"Happens all the time." Lily whispered comfortingly as Ollivander was off looking in the back of the store for the wand. "It's said that the wand picks the owner."

"How's that possible?" Buffy questioned but it was left unanswered as Ollivander returned to the front of the store.

"Nine and a quarter inches, mahogany with a basilisk fang." He said handing the wand to her and almost immediately Faith felt power flow through her. "Perfect." He grinned curiously, before turning to Buffy. She in turn held up her right hand.

Several wands later, she grabbed onto an 11 inch, willow with dragon heartstrings, the light shown bright blue and green after a brief swish.

"Excellent." He moved back to the counter, the slayers following placing their wand boxes in with their other packages for future use. They paid for their wands and left the dark store behind traveling around the alley more.

"Lily?" Buffy called snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Were you sleepin' on us?" Faith questioned with a teasing tone. The two slayers sat next to each other and were watching the redhead with carefully placed looks on their faces.

Lily chuckled. "I was just thinking about –"

"James." Buffy questioned.

Faith raised an eyebrow. "Tall, black messy hair, glasses with hazel eyes?" She questioned. "What?" She queried at their nearly identical looks of shock.

"You're good." Buffy grinned.

Lily added, "Yes that would be James and no I was thinking about you're experience at Ollivander's."

The slayers shivered remembering the damage they'd done in the shop without meaning to. But fingered their wand accordingly. The three wondered about the core for Faith's wand, but didn't ask or say anything deciding to leave it to the unexplainable that goes along with being magical/slayers.

"I think we're finished here." Lily said paying for their drinks. She quickly shrunk their items, after they'd separated them, and placed them in their pockets. "Do you want to see the grounds before we go back to school?"

"Sure." The slayers said together.

"You make it seem like you're twins." Lily commented laughingly, causing the pair to chuckle. "The Three Broomsticks!" Lily called throwing the powder into the fireplace followed shortly by the two slayers who were more prepared this time around. "Welcome to Hogsmeade."

"So this is the magical town." Buffy said as they began their walk back to Hogwarts. "Wow." She breathed getting a good view of the school. "So that's why it seems so large."

Lily laughed with Faith at Buffy's comment. Together they began talking about different things. Lily seemed to open up, sort of, to the two slayers and they were cool with it.

A new friendship was making way inside the walls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry between Slytherin and Gryffindor.

End pt 3