"That is an excellent idea Xander and one I should have thought of myself. Once again, I am so focused on Buffy, that I am not seeing the obvious." Giles said. "The need is great enough that I doubt the Council will have a problem with it. I shall call them immediately and do not worry, we will figure out a way to help Willow. I will speak to her about this tomorrow. You both go home, you have had a long day and alot of information thrown at you. You need time to absorb it all and so do I."
"Let us know if there's anything we can do to help, Giles." Xander said, as he and Cordelia left.
"It has been a long day." She said. "I'll drop you at home. Tomorrow we'll go to the library and help Giles."
"I appreciate your willingness to do that."
"Like I said, I don't like Willow and I doubt I ever will. But you love her like a sister and I really wouldn't wish this on anyone."
Xander kissed her to show his appreciation. In most instances, words rarely failed him, but expressing his emotions was so difficult. Largely because Tony Harris saw Xander's emotions as weakness, he never saw his own that way, though.
Giles did immediately call the Council, who agreed to send the new Slayer, Faith Lahaine and her Watcher, Professor Diana Dormer, out within a week. Then he called Willow and arranged for her to come to the library tomorrow so he could speak to her. He was certain it would not be an easy conversation. He was right.
"What do you mean I used Hellmouth energy? I was using Magic wasn't I?" Willow protested.
"Not according to my whitelighter friend." Xander told her.
"What's a whitelighter?"
"Someone who died in the service of good and was remade as a type of guardian angel. One that watches over witches and future whitelighters."
"Why isn't my whitelighter telling me this then?"
"You don't have one, Willow. Whitelighters can't handle being near the Hellmouth for long periods, it corrupts them. Turns them into the demonic version of their kind."
"Then how do you know a whitelighter?"
"Because there is one assigned to me. I just found out yesterday that he's a whitelighter. He's been teaching me boxing at the Y in Oxnard."
"Why do you have a whitelighter assigned to you?"
"Because I was being considered as a whitelighter candidate, then they found out, my great grandmother on my mother's side, was a whitelighter herself. She died when a dark lighter killed her. Unlike my mother or grandmother, I'm manifesting whitelighter abilities. So far, those abilities include, resistance to injury and faster healing time. Eventually, I'll have the ability to heal others and teleport. But the Hellmouth will eventually turn me into a dark lighter. So a whitelighter was assigned to me to help guide me up until I can leave Sunnydale, which will be after graduation. He can only see me once in awhile to make sure I'm okay. As a beginner witch, you would need someone full time helping you."
"Willow, it is worse then you think. Buffy acted as though Angel was trapped. He wasn't, the soul had reincarnated. When you cast that curse, you pulled the soul from its new life, just as the Kalderash did a century ago." Giles told her. "I should have considered that and checked before agreeing to let you do that curse. It helped no one and now a soul is suffering in a demon dimension."
"So I've got Hellmouth energy inside of me? The same stuff that made Marcy go invisible and Day of the Nightmares happen? What's it doing to me?"
"Anything from corrupting your soul to corrupting your body." Giles answered. "Which is why we need to get it out of you and the sooner the better. Who knows how much damage has already been done?"
"I just wanted to help Buffy."
"I know and this is my fault, not yours, Willow. I should never have allowed the relationship in the first place. I also should have called Kendra in to deal with Angelus when Buffy proved unable to. And I should never have agreed, let alone let you do, that blasted curse."
It took hours to go thru the collected works of Dramius, during which time Cordelia filled Willow in on her new family and the fact that she had bound powers.
"You're a born witch? And your mother had yours and her powers bound because she knew about the Hellmouth? Why live here if she knew about it?"
"Because Daddy would have refused to leave. It's very cheap having his headquarters here. I'm sure my mother knew that. She loved him and me, so she protected both herself and me the best way she could. Once Xander and I leave Sunnydale, I can decide whether or not to have the binding removed."
"You're really leaving, Xander?"
"I could do alot of good with these abilities Willow, just like you could with Magic instead of Hellmouth energy. But for me to do good, I can't be near a Hellmouth. And as long as you stay here, you will need to make sure each time you use Magic, that it really is Magic and not Hellmouth energy, or this will happen all over again."
Eventually they did find the particular cleansing ritual that would clean the Hellmouth energy from Willow. Giles gathered the necessary ingredients and then cast the cleansing spell. Black wisps flowed away from Willow's body. Giles looked drained when he was done.
"Willow, if you still wish to learn how to use Magic, I am willing to help you, but we need to be on our guard."
"I'll think about it, Giles. That weird smoke was scary. All of this scaring me.
"Yes, it was. And it's scaring us as well."