The next week was rather slow in comparison to everything before. Faith and Buffy went on nightly patrols. Harry kept her secret of Angels return. It wasn't his to tell but watching her slowly sabotage her relationship with Scott was a bit painful. The hard part was that she was actually giving it a shot while trying to help rehabilitate Angel. He had been tempted to ask to be introduced just to see what was so impressive about the vampire.
Harry sat in what was becoming their usual spot in The Bronze. It was a cozy corner with a couple of love seats and some chairs. Harry was able to arrive early to claim the spot when he had the free time.
"You don't know what Homecoming is?" Cordelia asked in a tone like he had insulted her honor.
Harry shook his head.
"You haven't seen it in movies?" Xander asked.
Harry chuckled, "I don't watch a lot of movies."
"Are you one of those 'I don't even have a TV' people?" Cordelia rolled her eyes.
Harry thought for a moment, "I don't have one. Should I get one? I don't think I have time for it."
"Even Giles has a TV," Xander added helpfully.
"What are you doing with all your time?" Oz asked.
Harry shrugged, "training, writing my friends, making travel plans for this summer, that sort of thing."
"Where are you going this summer?" Willow asked perking up at the information.
"I've been researching interesting areas in America," Harry answered. "Point of Interest for Magical Activity. San Fransico has something going on. The North-Western portion of Washington State is another. Salem is a tourist trap, but it might be fun. There are a more places in Massachusetts that might be interesting too," A wicked smirk crossed his face. "Everything says to stay away from Maine. It makes me want to see why."
Xander scrunched his brow, "why Maine?"
"Stephen King," Oz answered. "Are those real?"
Harry smiled, "I'll let you know when I find out."
"Are you coming back?" Willow asked.
He nodded, "I hadn't planned on staying here for long. Summer vacation is a good compromise."
"What are your plans for Homecoming?" Cordelia asked.
"I don't have any," Harry shrugged.
"What about Faith?" Cordelia asked.
Harry cocked an eyebrow at her, "she's not a student and we're not dating."
"You guys live together," Cordelia countered.
"She has her own room," Harry replied.
"You're telling me you haven't hooked up?" Xander honestly sounded offended.
Harry sighed, "you'll have to ask her about that. I don't kiss and tell."
"They totally did," Cordelia added.
Buffy popped up to join the group, "what are we talking about?"
"If Faith and Harry having sex," Xander offered.
Scott appeared a moment after Buffy. His face blanched at the statement.
"I don't know if I'm supposed to be part of this conversation," Scott shuffled beside Buffy.
"We were talking about Homecoming plans," Cordelia corrected. "Scott, are you in the pro-limo column?"
"Oh," he looked at Buffy. "I wasn't sure if you were interested in that sort of thing."
"Where is Faith?" Xander asked as the larger conversation moved on.
Harry looked around the room, "patrolling if I were to guess."
"So, you guys aren't like… a thing?" Xander asked.
Harry thought for a moment, "I don't think she does that sort of thing."
"You'd be fine with it if she hooked up with some other guy?" Xander pressed.
Harry raised his eyebrows, "do you realize you are sitting next to your girlfriend?"
Xander looked to the side to see Cordelia glaring at him.
"What?" Xander let out a nervous chuckle. "I didn't mean me. Just a guy, any guy. It's a valid question about the mental state of my man Harry here."
"It's casual," Harry stated. "Ask her if you're curious."
"Hey," Buffy said loud enough for them all to hear. "I'm going to head out."
"Did you want me to walk you?" Scott asked.
Buffy shook her head, "I'm good. Be careful guys."
She kissed him before she left. It was a peck at the very most. Scott looked around at the group once she was gone. A nervous energy settled on his shoulders.
"Uh," he chuckled. "She does that a lot."
Cordelia sighed, "all the time."
"Give her some slack," Xander said. "She's the slay-"
Willow elbowed him in the ribs before he could finished.
"Sleighbells," Xander tried to cover.
"She's the sleighbells?" Scott asked.
"Yeah," Xander looked at the others for support. "Right guys. Sleighbells. It's like: Woah, she's the sleighbells."
"Repeating it doesn't make it a thing," Oz commented.
"It's not even December," Willow added.
Xander sighed, "enough about me. Harry, tell me you've seen Die Hard."
A stilted silence stretched for a long moment.
"Yippee-Ki-Yay-Ay," Harry finally said. "Who hasn't seen Die Hard?"
The conversation from there turned to a list of must-see movies. Its natural transition was plans for a movie night.
"I'm going to take off," Scott said. "Hey, Harry. Would you walk with me?"
Not everyone knew of or acknowledged the supernatural danger of the area but being alone at night was never a good idea.
"Sure," Harry nodded.
They made their way out of the club. The first block was silent.
"I'm this way," Scott motioned. "Is that alright for you?"
Harry nodded, "I'm tougher than I look."
"That's a yes?" Scott asked.
Harry chuckled, "yes. What did you want to talk about?"
"Was it that obvious?" He asked in reply.
Harry nodded.
"You're friends with Buffy, right?" Scott didn't wait for an answer. "The others are too, but you're easier to talk to. I wanted to talk to someone about her without being aggressively sold her entries on the pros in the pro-v-con discussion."
Harry kept quiet. Did he just have that kind of face? It wasn't that he didn't want to help. Relationships were not an area he had a lot of experience in. Healthy ones even less.
"Thanks, I guess," Harry said. "What do you need?"
"Is something going on with her?" Scott asked. "She seems… different recently."
Harry thought for a moment. He couldn't exactly tell him about Angel. On top of that, he didn't know if Scott knew about Buffy being the slayer. The guy seemed to be dangerously normal to be living in Sunnydale. Plus, it would be a betrayal of her trust to tell anyone.
"You know something, don't you?" Scott asked.
Harry sighed, "you're talking to the wrong person."
"I've tried to talk to her, but she just tells me that everything is fine," Scott grumbled.
"I've had exactly one girlfriend," Harry said. "I'm not the best person to ask for advice. My experience doesn't carry over. She went on to pursue her sports career while I was working way too much. We both realized that we were going in two different directions. It made Sunday dinners with her family awkward."
"Family dinners?" Scott asked.
"Her brother is one of my best friends," Harry answered. "They are close enough to be family. I have a standing invitation to dinner, holidays, and any time I want."
Scott sighed.
"Exactly," Harry nodded. "Any advice I could give wouldn't fit."
"How old are you?" Scott asked.
Harry had to think for a moment.
"That's not supposed to be a hard question," Scott said after a stretch of silence.
Harry gave a dry laugh, "you'd be surprised."
"This is me," Scott motioned to a house nearby. "Thanks for listening."
"You're welcome," Harry said. "I'm not sure if I helped all that much."
Harry watched to make sure the guy reached the house safely. It was a short walk, but Sunnydale wasn't a place to get lazy. He turned around to look for a landmark to find he had no idea where he was.
He sighed as he started to walk back to the Bronze. That was an area of town he knew, from there he could make his way back to his house. There were a couple of taxis in town, but they stopped driving at sunset. Those that stayed active at night were traps for vampires or worse.
Three blocks down and Harry had already garnered some unwanted attention. A couple of vampires had started to follow him in what they probably thought was a stealthy method. The constant chatter, arguing about who would attack first, and what they would do with the body didn't translate to silence.
If this was anywhere other than Sunnydale he might have given them a chance to run. That would only shove the problem off onto some unsuspecting person. He had maintained his morning runs and the training regiment that Giles had set for him. A bit of fisticuffs on the street wouldn't be a waste of time.
Harry scanned the area for a good spot. Somewhere he wouldn't get cornered. Getting surrounded was not something he was looking to do either. The best he could find was a small park that was basically a strip of grass and a picnic table.
He took a turn into the park before he turned around to wait for them. The duo came into view a minute later. They both wore black leather jackets, black pants, and had already broken out their forehead ruffles. The only difference was that one looked to be a natural blond while the other had a bad bleach job.
"Look here," Bleach cackled. "It looked like we've got ourselves a brave one."
"Brave ones taste good," Natural added. "All that adrenaline and fear."
Harry nodded, "let's get started then."
"Impatient too," Bleach continued to laugh.
Harry rolled his eyes, "you're first."
"You heard him," Bleach punched Natural in the shoulder. "I get dibs."
Bleach strutted forward smiling like a moron the entire time. Harry rolled his shoulders as he waited. Bleach took a swing at him the moment he was in range. He leaned back, the punch whiffed. Bleach let out a growl as he followed through with three more wild swings. Harry dodged, dipped, and ducked out of the way.
Training with Giles had taught him how to adapt to someone with better skill. The lesson he learned from Faith was how to fight someone stronger. Luckily, this guy didn't have much in the way of skill.
Harry ducked under another swing and replied with an uppercut. Bleach's head snapped back from the impact. He followed up with a kick to the side of the knee that made the vampire tilt off balance. Harry knocked him down with a sharp hook. He finished the vampire with a silent, wandless cutting spell. It turned to ash once its head was removed.
Natural roared as he charged. The vampire tackled Harry to the ground. He struggled to get back to his feet but Natural was too strong.
"Lumos Solem," Harry held his pointer finger at the vampire.
A bolt of pure sunlight vaporized the vampire. Harry dusted himself off as he stood. Not a bad showing for his first tussle. Mixing magic with physical combat worked better than he had expected. Wandless spells would make things easier to integrate. He found it easy enough to use his fingers in place of a wand if needed.
Harry scanned the area. He recognized a couple of buildings from his daily run. It wasn't that far of a walk home. Faith sat at the table eating some leftovers.
"Hey, Merlin," Faith cocked her head to the side. "Is that ash?"
Harry nodded, "I ran into a couple of vampires on my way home."
"You're alive," Faith commented.
He smiled, "yes. It did remind me that I need to keep training. I want to try adding magic too."
"Cool," Faith said. "There's still some leftovers if you're hungry."
Harry grabbed a slice of pizza and heated tossed it in the microwave, "Xander was asking if we're sleeping together."
"Did you tell him to fuck off?" Faith asked.
Harry chuckled, "I told him to ask you."
"Thanks," Faith groaned. "You could have just said yes."
"I don't kiss and tell," Harry countered. "He was also asking if we were dating."
"Hate to break your heart, Merlin, but I'm a free spirit," Faith chuckled.
"That's what I told him," Harry nodded. "I didn't plan on sticking around here long-term and I didn't think you did either. Originally. Now I've got a house, I'm learning about an entirely new aspect of the world, and I'm making friends."
"That's how they get you," Faith said sagely.
"How was patrol?" Harry asked.
"Killed some vamps," she shrugged. "I stole a car."
"Nice," Harry chuckled. "I never learned how to drive."
"You don't need a license if you steal a car," Faith countered.
"Good point," Harry smiled at her. "What happened to the car?"
She shrugged, "I crashed it. I never learned to drive."
Harry laughed.
~
Harry dropped by the Magic Box to pick up his mail. Stella was quickly becoming a staple in his daily life. They hadn't spent any time together outside of the casual encounter. She seemed to be fine with it as well. A sort of 'don't meet your heroes' arrangement.
Daphne Greengrass had written back faster than he had expected. She was incredibly eager to explore the development of a new potion. Surprisingly, she suggested he contact Hagrid about the regional variances of supernatural creatures. He didn't think all former-Slytherin students were evil, but she was a Pureblood from a family. They weren't known for being welcoming to non-humans. He sent her his notes.
Hermione's reply was once more focused on the magical practices of the local, the native magical wildlife, and avoiding mentioning her parents. Ron and the Twins were very interested in the potential applications of their inventions in an untapped market. Luna's reply was a detailed sketch of Benny, the Crumple-Horn Snorkack, with notations along the margins. Neville mentioned that Daphne had consulted him about alternative ingredients in developing the potion. The usual conversational tone had been replaced by correspondence with Professor Longbottom. It made him smile to see how much Neville had grown.
Faith came home earlier than expected.
"Hey, Merlin," Faith called. "Do you know any curses?"
Harry laughed, "I know a few, why?"
"Scott dumped Buffy," she replied. "I don't care about all that homecoming stuff, but she does. Having her date her like a bad habit the day before is cold."
Harry ran through the curses he knew. Most of them were too harsh for minor revenge. A jinx would be for the best.
"Homecoming has dancing, right?" Harry asked.
Faith nodded.
"I have a spell or two that could ruin his night," Harry chuckled.
Faith winked at him, "extra points if he can't get it up."
Harry laughed like a maniac for a couple of minutes.
"Are you going to live, Merlin?" Faith asked.
Harry took a deep breath and waved her away, "you caught me off guard."
"Don't mean to break your heart, but I'm Buffys date," Faith said.
Harry nodded, "showing up with a hot girl on your arm is a good way to make a guy regret his choices."
"You know it," Faith winked at him. "I'm going to get some sleep before patrolling."
"Want some company?" Harry returned the wink.
Faith stood and stripped off her shirt. Her breasts were firm, pert, and needed attention. She didn’t say a thing as she slammed Harry onto the table, scattering the dishes to the floor. She lay on top of him and began kissing him as though she needed it to breath. Their hands roamed one another’s bodies and soon clothes were being yanked off.
Harry pulled away from the kiss to place his lips on Faith’s neck. He felt her shiver a little as he began sucking on it. Faith tilted it letting Harry have more access.
Faith started to move slowly, enjoying the control she had over him. She lifted up a couple of inches before easing back down, grinding her pelvis into his, and adding a thrill of pressure to her clit. Faith leaned back, gaining speed with each thrust. Harry let himself enjoy the ride. He captured her lips in a kiss. She was breathing heavily when he pulled away. Harry bucked up into her. Loud, rhythmic slaps filled the room. Faith rode him with wild abandon lost in pleasure. She let out a loud wordless yell rolling her hips and humping against him as he pussy shuddered around his cock. Her body relaxed for just a moment as her cunt gripped his cock tight. He used this moment of weakness to roll them over.
Before Faith could speak she let out a moan as Harry slid out of her. Once only the head was left in he pushed back in. Long, deep strokes. Faith arched her back, craning her head back as she came with a groan that turned into a deep growl.
Harry steadily thrusted into Faith, loving every bit of her tight cunt. It felt amazing as she tried to keep him in by gripping as hard as she could. He then sped up the pace wanting to hear more of her descent into pleasure.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," Faith chanted as her orgasm roared through her.
Harry kept going though he had to grit his teeth hard to stop from coming too soon. He wanted more of this pussy before he reached his end. His resolve crumbled as Faith came for once more. Harry groaned as her pussy fluttered over his shaft. Holding her tightly, he came deep inside of her over and over until his balls were completely drained.
They both lay there panting.
"I needed that," Faith stated as she stood.
Harry admired the view as she grabbed her discarded shirt and put it on. She walked upstairs as though they had just finished a chat rather than a quickie. He leaned his head back on the table. At least it didn't break. The upstairs shower turned on a moment later. It wasn't the one attached to his bedroom. He would have taken it for an invitation to join if she had used it.
He got up to search for his pants. A quick spell cleaned himself, and them, off. He slipped them on just in time for the table to collapse. Harry looked back at it. He let out a little laugh as he returned it to its prime before turning his attention to the rest of the mess.