Title: Good-bye Hellmouth, pt 4


Author's Note: Please Read! First of all, I'd like to thank those that have been reviewing so far I've enjoyed reading your thoughts. Second, I'd like to know if this chapter makes any sense because I had been fiddling around with it and am not sure if it's any good. I hope to those that asked for interaction between Buffy and Faith and the Slytherin and Gryffindor houses likes this because I thought about the reviews that expressed the excitement to know how they'd respond as I was writing. Thanks again to my reviewers!!!!!!.

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Over the next month, Buffy and Faith were thrown into the magical educational system. They took potions, charms, transfiguration, dada, etc with their respective houses. Lily, Faith, Buffy and on occasion Remus would talk while they studied or just hung out by the lake.

James and Sirius tried to figure out what was the mystery that was called Faith McRae. They noticed how she and Buffy were alike, but yet they were in different houses. The pair didn't even seem to acknowledge the house differences and didn't pay attention to anyone that tried to tell them different.

The two Marauders wrote her off saying that if she was in Slytherin, she was evil. Buffy would sooner learn what the rest of the school knew about that house. No good could or would ever come from that house.

It was a bright Saturday afternoon that Faith was walking around with Crabbe and Goyle – from Lucius constant insistent – flanking her backside.

"Hey Faith?" Buffy's voice reached Faith's ears.

The brunette slayer looked around for her friend finally glancing over to the library doors. "Hiya B." Faith said.

"You seem to have a bigger shadow than I remember." Buffy joked causing Faith to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, yea." Faith rejoined. "Crabbe, Goyle go jump in the lake." She ordered them causing Buffy to snort, which eventually turned into a full-blown laugh when she saw the two turn and walk down the hallway.

"You think they're trained?" Buffy finally got out.

"They were told to follow orders." Faith shrugged. "They're wicked strong and handy to have around every now and then."

"So how's life treating you?" Buffy asked as they walked down the hallways. All the students were watching the two that were from rival houses laugh and joke with the other.

"Eh." Faith shrugged indifferently. "It's alright I suppose. You?"

"'Bout the same." Buffy agreed. "James, Sirius, Remus and Peter keep looking at me like I'm going to murder them in their sleep because I'm friends with a Slytherin." She added rolling her hazel eyes.

"Lu, Cissa, Belle, and Sev seem alright with it." Faith told her. "Just as long as I don't bring you to the common room they're five by five."

"I've been meaning to ask you." Buffy began. "What does that mean anyways?" She asked.

"That's a family secret, B. One of those I'd have to kill you if I told you." Faith teased. "Actually I have no idea. It was just something that I picked up on the back streets between here and there."

"Ah." Buffy replied and the two continued their walk in peaceful quietness.

Later that night they met up at the front entrance. Dumbledore had given them leave to patrol the forest and the town but they had to be extremely careful in the forest.

The pathway was a definite must as the slayers found out. They accidentally angered one of the beasts and were nearly flattened. Though no one knew because they healed quickly and never showed any pain or injury.

They'd been wandering off the path joking about the students and their lives at the present moment when an animal crossed their path.

Neither knew exactly what happened, but Faith was knocked off her feet and broke her wrist, among other things, before Buffy was able to pull the brunette out from underneath the beast. Buffy and Faith moved towards the path and returned to the Hogwarts grounds before Faith had to sit down.

Buffy help reconnect her arm into the shoulder socket as Faith straightened her wrist. Her leg was completely numb from where the beast trampled on and she winced briefly as Buffy straightened the broken appendage.

Once they were done with the setting of her bone, Faith and Buffy returned to the castle as if nothing had happened, only sporting scrapes, bruises and in regards to Faith broken bones.

They normally spent two hours doing a thorough patrol in to the nooks and crannies of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade not really finding anything and settled on sparring with each other. They were both matched pretty evenly, but Buffy having more experience under her belt usually pulled rank.

The Christmas holiday came and most of the students left. Among them were Lucius, Narcissa, Bellatrix, James, Lily, Peter, Sirius and a bunch of other people that the two slayers knew only in passing. Remus, Buffy and Faith went to Hogsmeade the first day of vacation with the intent to have fun and shop for presents.

The three acquaintances wandered through the town without any defining colors on. Remus wore black slacks, a tan long sleeved pullover with his black frock cloak. Faith wore a blue pullover with the dark blue jeans she appeared in and her jean jacket. Buffy was dressed in a soft purple pullover with the light blue jeans and her black cloak.

Christmas eve, Buffy being the only girl in Gryffindor tower, invited Faith for a slumber party and the pair talked into the early hours, watching as the snow fell before falling to sleep on Buffy's bed. An outside person jumping up and down on the bed awakened the pair from their deep sleep.

"Happy Christmas!" An overly cheery voice exclaimed as the two slayers groaned.

"Remy, if you care about your body parts, you'll stop jumping up and down." Buffy's voice croaked.

"You two are no fun." He pouted as he jumped one last time landing on his bum between the two.

"What time is it?" Faith yawned, stretching slightly.

"Eight-thirty." He answered grinning wider at their groans of disapproval. "Happy Christmas." He called rushing from the room.

The two slayers got up and changed into a pair of black jazz pants and donned a different color long sleeved shirt; Buffy in white, Faith in dark blue. They pair then climbed down the stairs to find a large Christmas tree with candles and decorations galore.

Remus smiled at them before handing them their Christmas presents. "One of the house elves brought your presents up here." He answered her confused glance.

The three unwrapped their gifts. Buffy laughed at the gifts from Zonko's from Sirius, James and Peter. She grinned when she opened the moving picture of her and Faith laughing while walking down the hallway. The pair was play fighting and Faith would put the laughing blond into a headlock. Remus got her a book on Quidditch and Lily got her and Faith a friendship mood ring.

Faith had received a tan shirt and a book on dada from Buffy. Lucius got her a dragon claw necklace with a snake like chain. Bellatrix and Narcissa got her a pair of dress robes, one hunter green and the other midnight blue. Severus had gotten her a book on Potions.

Faith and Buffy took regular walks outside and even began a snowball fight with the students that were wandering the outside grounds. All in all it was a good Christmas break. The other students returned just after the New Year began and things continued as normal.

One night they were patrolling, in mid-January, and the full moon was out, but neither thought much about it. They were too used to Oz and him being locked up. A growl in the distance caused the slayers to stop in mid-motion.

Faith was about to block one of Buffy's kicks and Buffy's leg hung in the air not moving. Both dropped what they were doing and stood back to back in fighting stance.

"What do you suppose it was?" Buffy asked. They'd heard a lot of growls coming at different times of the night that they were beginning to sound the same.

"Well seeing as it's a full moon, I'm betting Rem is out." Faith answered her brown eyes focusing on the surrounding fields by the lake. "Over there." She replied pointing to her left, Buffy's right.

"I see it." Buffy said seeing the brown-gray colored coat of the werewolf that was running around with a large dog. "What the –" She started.

Faith watched for a moment before rolling her eyes. "I think they do this often." She guessed dropping her fighting stance, but keeping alert and ready for action.

"I wondered why the four of them would come in tired." Buffy mused following Faith's example. "Should we turn in?"

Faith shrugged. "You can if you'd like."

"Okay." Buffy nodded after watching Faith for a few moments. She realized that the brunette wanted to be alone and knew better than to question if she was all right. She knew that Faith would tell her what was wrong, but Buffy had a rough idea what was wrong. "Night, Faith."

"Night, B." Faith called after the blond.

Once the blond was gone Faith stood at the bank of the river before turning to the tree nearby. Climbing the tree she sat there thinking, but keeping her senses active. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cigarette and took a deep drag once it was lit.

As she slowly exhaled, Faith contemplated Hogwarts and what she'd been noticing since she and Buffy had come. It seemed odd that they'd been there for nearly three months now and while they were enjoying their stay, Faith missed Angel and the fang gang.

Taking another drag she wondered what Angel had been doing during the seventies. Probably brooding, she snickered. He'd once told her that he'd spent a hundred years trying to hide what he was and how he felt but never succeeded. Then Whistler came to him and showed him a path, which he took.

She remembered when she was younger her dad cared for her, sort of, as her mom ran off when Faith didn't need her for her breast milk. Then her watcher, Rory, came and Faith was excited to have something worthy to do with her life.

'Being the slayer,' Rory had told her, 'was to be a hard life filled with rules and violence.' But she had also told Faith 'it would be worth it.'

And it had.

Until she lost her watcher and that path. It took her so long to find it again, she recalled taking another deep drag. Angel had been the one to help her and she owed him more than she could ever repay.

She missed the broody guy. He was the one constant thing in her life. The thing that kept her from falling off her path and then when he'd gone through a rough patch and 'fired' everyone, Faith traveled a bit. She was near New Orleans when she got wind, at a demon club, that LA was perfect demon hunting ground and took off back towards LA to help the reinstated fang gang.

Wesley was the one to find her just outside of Bullhead City, Arizona and drove the petal to the metal all the way to LA. On the way he explained what happened and that they really needed her help.

She took down Angelus by using a drug, the mystical variation of opium, but had to let him bite her. Though in the process nearly killed herself, she thought contemptuously putting the cigarette out. Together her and Angelus went through Angel's memories until the two fought for dominance in the single body. Angel saved her there too.

A growl from beneath her feet caused her to look down into the hungry eyes of a full-grown werewolf. "Hiya Rem." She said softly smirking as the growl became softer. She debated about sitting in the tree the rest of the night or fighting the wolf.

The large dog made the decision for her as it distracted Remus but only for a moment. Faith jumped down and landed on her feet with bent legs. Standing up slowly she felt for the wicked cool weapon she'd found at this shop during the break that was in the small of her back. It was a mini tranquilizer.

Remus slowly moved around her and she held her ground waiting for him to decide how they were going to do this. He sniffed the area and she raised an eyebrow. She always wondered how the slayer smelt to demons and stuff but never found anyone to ask. Perhaps she'd ask Remus if he'd ever look in her direction again.

She was aware that the dog was curiously watching the two and was joined by a large stag. Smirking she figured it out, one was Sirius the other was James as the wolf was Remus.

Remus leapt up attacking and Faith used his momentum to throw him over her shoulder. He attacked again, fangs barring and Faith – trying hard not to hurt the poor thing – fought back trying to keep him from knocking her down and biting her. Finally she pulled the tranquilizer out and shot him when the dog jumped on Remus.

Remus fell and the dog changed into Sirius Black and the stag into James Potter. "Huh." She mused. "I had you two pegged the other way."

"What did you do?" Sirius growled.

"Oh chill." Faith retorted putting her tranquilizer away. "It's a tranquilizer. He's just sleeping." She added moving towards the werewolf. Picking him up she placed him on her shoulders. "Where is he supposed to go?"

"He?" They tried to sound clueless.

"Normally that would work on someone who's not the slayer and couldn't sense him a mile away." Faith started back towards the spot that Sirius and he were playing earlier. "But since I am that slayer that won't work on me."

Wordlessly they led her towards the Whomping Willow were a rat was waiting. Faith took one look at the rat as she was readjusting Remus on her shoulders. "Pettigrew." She guessed having picked up on their last names. "Come on, Remus isn't the lightest thing in the world." She spoke that last part in a partial whine.

Peter, in rat form, ran in a zigzag pattern before jiggling something on the base of the tree. The limbs stopped their movement as the werewolf, slayer and two best friends made their way towards Peter.

Through collective effort they got Remus into the shack and on to the bed just as the moon fell bringing forth the sun. Faith stretched her muscles moaning as they popped and screamed against the workout she'd put them through.

"Remind me never to do that again." She told the occupants in the room lighting up another cigarette offering one to the others. When the boys shook their heads no she shrugged putting her pack into her pocket.

As the sunrays peaked over the horizon, a moan came from the bed as Remus reverted back to himself. His tired amber eyes opened to see his three friends watching him and the Slytherin girl kicking back finishing her cigarette. He yawned sitting up. "Tell me I didn't do anything last night."

"You didn't do anything last night." Faith retorted smartly using her shoe to kill the flame on the finished butt.

Remus looked up at her as she moved closer to the Gryffindors and noticed that she had scratches on her face and paled, but watched as they slowly healed themselves. "What?" He gasped, his eyes never leaving her face.

Faith's hand touched her cheek and noticed that there was a bit of blood. "Eh, don't worry 'bout it." She shrugged. "It's not the first time I've fought with a wolf, though I did learn my lesson." She said that last part to herself mostly.

"You've fought a wolf before?"

"Yeah." She said smirking at the memory. "There was this guy that somehow changed himself into a demon like thing that when it killed someone it resembled a werewolf down to the claw and bite marks. Poor Oz."

"Oz?"

"An acquaintance of mine and friend to B." Faith answered. "Anyway, his girl and I went chasing after him, Oz, with a tranquilizer gun so he couldn't hurt anyone but he got me down." She paused. "So y'all need to be careful, or B and I will lock you in a cage like we did for Oz."

"Why do you call Buffy, B?" Sirius asked not wanting to think about locking Remus up. It was bad enough for him to be left alone in the house, but some how it would be worse to be locked up.

"Well I only called her 'Buffy' when I went "evil"." She air quoted the evil part. "It's a long story, and not one I'm willing to tell four Gryffindors that hate me because I'm a Slytherin." She said. "Not that I mind. All I need is me." She added indifferently before walking out of the room.

The four exchanged a look before they followed suit. Faith walked around the castle and through another door as the Gryffindors watched her. Together they snuck back into the castle and up the stairs. When they got to the tower they saw Buffy pacing around the room.

End pt 4