Harry clapped as Faith stepped out of her room. She had a nice black dress on for Homecoming. It hugged her curves nicely.
"Not bad yourself, Merlin," Faith winked at him.
He looked down at the tux he wore. It was a lot more comfortable than the Dress Robes from the Yule Ball. Harry turned in a slow circle to give her a full view. They stepped outside and started to walk toward The Bronze.
"How are the others getting there?" Harry asked.
Faith shrugged, "Don't know. They rented a limo then didn't take it."
"That makes no sense," Harry shook his head.
Faith nodded, "Something about making Buffy and the tall chick to get along."
"Cordelia?" Harry asked.
"Fuck if I know," Faith replied. "It's been quiet lately, right?"
"Seems like it," Harry said. "In my life that means something is about to happen."
"That tracks," Faith nodded. "Think they're fucking?"
Harry laughed, "Who?"
"Both of them," Faith answered. "Corey and Xander. Wolfy and Little Red."
Harry chuckled, "I would bet money that Cordelia and Xander haven't made it beyond groping. Maybe a hand job. Xander wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut and she's too high strung to go beyond that. Can't imagine her getting ruffled on purpose."
"How much money?" Faith bumped his shoulder with her own.
Harry shook his head.
"Yeah," Faith sighed. "She needs a good fuck. What about Wolfie and Red?"
"Them," Harry took a breath and let it out. "No clue. What do you think?"
"Doubt it," Faith said. "Red would go for it if Wolfie tried but he's too noble for that."
"I'll take your word on that," Harry said. "Who would you hook up with?"
Faith raised her eyebrows at him, "Who would I fuck?"
Harry nodded trying to hide the heat on his cheeks.
"Your tongue turns my brain to mush then you blush when I say fuck?" Faith laughed. "The guys? Sure, both of them. Not at the same time. I'm not doing that again. It's not as fun as you think."
Harry laughed.
"The girls?" Faith thought for a moment. "They aren't my first choice, but I like the occasional tumbles with ladies."
She paused to see if it got a rise out of him. He didn't seem bothered to her surprise.
"Corey is too uptight," Faith replied. "Doubt she'd return the favor. Red, she's a cutie. I'd unlock her inner-freak."
"She is cute," Harry agreed. "I do have a thing for redheads."
They walked along in silence for a bit.
"You're not bad, Merlin," Faith said breaking the silence. "Most guys would be all possessive if we fucked a couple of times."
Harry chuckled, "You're my friend, Faith. We haven't said if we're anything more than that. I'm not ready to be in a real relationship yet." He thought for a moment. "I'd be disappointed if you wanted to stop sleeping together, but I wouldn't kick you out or anything. It's not like I'd start charging you rent if we stopped. I invited you, you're my friend, and you need a place to stay."
"Friend," Faith nodded. "Yeah, I could see that."
Harry bumped her shoulder with his own, "You spend this much time with someone and they aren't your friend?"
"Not sure I'd call Buffy's minions my friends," Faith replied. "They seem to like you well enough."
"They like you too," Harry said. "Aside from Cordelia. I still don't know how she fits in with the group. None of them seem to like her. Even Xander and they're dating."
Faith laughed.
"Now, the important question," Harry said. "Do you know how to dance?"
"I do," She replied giving a little shake of her hips.
"Not that kind," Harry laughed. "Actual dancing."
"This isn't a ball, Merlin," Faith bumped him with her shoulder. "Have you been to a ball?"
"A few," Harry nodded. "They love them back home. I always have to attend."
"Why?" Faith asked.
Harry thought for a moment, "We've never really talked about our pasts have we?"
Faith shook her head.
"I'm sort of a celebrity back home," Harry said. "I was always if there was a fundraiser, gathering, or gala to prove the rich people cared enough to donate some money to a cause. My boss would 'suggest' I go for the good PR. Technically; I'm the Lord of a couple of houses. One is just a title and looks good on paper. I had to pay a lot to the Goblins to cover damages and to replace their dragon. The other actually has some weight to it, but the name was drug through the mud during the wars."
"Hold up," Faith said. "You're tossing things out like nothing. Goblins? A dragon? You're a Lord? What wars?"
Harry chuckled, "Now you know how I felt when I got here."
Faith raised her eyebrows in a silent question.
"There was a dark lord, which is a real title for a power wizard that goes evil, there are requirements and everything," Harry rolled his eyes. "Anyway, this dark lord almost conquered Britain, but there was a prophecy. I fit close enough, so he decided to kill me and my parents. They died protecting me, but something went wrong when he tried to kill me. My mother set a trap, and it made his spell bounce back instead of hitting me. That night I was given the title 'The Boy Who Lived' because obviously a baby could defeat the most infamous dark lord in the last fifty years when the gathered resources of the country couldn't."
He paused to take a breath.
"You were a baby?" Faith asked.
Harry nodded, "Skip forward ten years when I turn eleven and go to Hogwarts, it's a school. First year, I killed a possessed teacher and discovered the dark lord isn't completely dead. Second year, a piece of the dark lord possesses my friend's little sister and releases a basilisk that I had to kill. Third year, my godfather escaped from prison, that one was fun. Fourth year, international tournament that I was forced to compete in which was really a trap set by the dark lord. He killed my friend in front of me and then used my blood to create a new body. Fifth year was just horrible. Sixth year the dark lords' minion invaded the school and killed the headmaster. Seventh year, I was on the run as the most wanted man in the country. Dark wizard was basically ruling thing by then. There was a big final battle where I killed him for good. That gave me another title The Boy Who Won."
"When do the goblins and their dragon come in?" Faith asked.
"Seventh year," Harry replied. "I had to break into their bank to steal a magical artifact. We were short on time, so I stole their dragon to escape. It took a lot of gold for them to allow me to enter the bank without being attacked." He shook his head. "After that I was the go-to option whenever something went wrong. Wild creatures running loose? Send in Potter. Uppity wizard trying to be a dark lord? Send in Potter. It was exciting at first. I was traveling, fighting dark wizards, learning about magic in ways I never imagined, and traveling across the world. Then it just got silly. Someone selling counterfeit cauldrons in the alleys? Potter can handle it. Graffiti on the Ministry walls? Potter will get to the bottom of this dastardly deed. It was ridiculous. The public went from worshiping me as a hero to cursing my name at least once a year and now they wanted me to save everyone. I was tired of it, so I decided to take a walk."
Faith shook her head.
"I'll put it like this," Harry said. "You show up in Sunnydale. Buffy is here with her entire… this," He waved his hand in a general motion. "You killed Kakistos and suddenly they want you to do everything. Vampires? Faith can handle it. Demons? Faith can do it. Magic Box isn't labeling their ingredients properly? Faith should do it. All the while everyone is just living their lives. They love you as long as you're doing everything, but the moment something even slightly goes wrong? It's your fault. Were you busy killing a demon while a vampire attacked someone across town? Why didn't you stop it? Obviously, you should have been able to handle it. You're horrible at your job and just as bad as the monsters you fight. You still have to save everyone and fight their battles while they throw rotten fruit at you. Literally, sometimes. All the while there is a system in place that should be handling things. Do they? Of course not, you're here."
Harry took a breath.
"Damn, Merlin," Faith said. "Tell me how you really feel."
"Sorry," He chuckled. "I've been dealing with this since I was eleven."
"Sounds fucked," Faith added.
"It was," Harry nodded.
They walked in silence for a little bit.
"You're really like a Lord and all that?" Faith asked.
"It's just a title," Harry sighed. "It's not like royalty or anything. I think it was years ago. Now it's a government position or just a dick measuring thing."
"You don't have to worry about that," Faith winked at him.
Harry blushed and looked away.
"And here we are," Harry said as the Bronze came into view.
A crowd of students in fancy styled clothing were waiting to get inside. Their voices were loud and excited drawing way too much attention considering it was night in Sunnydale. Harry scanned the street around the club searching for potential problems.
"Yeah," Faith shook her head. "This is like a vampire buffet. You'd think they would have learned by now."
"Never underestimate the depth of willful ignorance," Harry sighed.
"I just say they're fucking morons," Faith replied.
Harry let out a shocked laugh at her words. Faith smiled at the victory.
"Let's dance, Lord Merlin," Faith hooked his arm with her own and pulled him toward the crowd.
Xander and Willow were waiting together. They were standing next to each other, but close enough for it to be a little weird. Xander practically jumped away from the redhead as he saw the two approaching.
"Hey!" Xander called. "Looking good Harry. You too Faith. Not that I'm saying you don't usually look good. I'm in a relationship with Cordelia so I'm making a statement, not flirting with you. That's me, Xander the loyal boyfriend. Where is Cordelia? Shouldn't she and Buffy be here by now?"
Harry raised his eyebrows at that. He looked at Willow who was now intently watching Oz on stage. Faith scanned the crowd.
"They're not here?" Faith asked.
"The limo must be slow," Willow offered. "It is a busy night. Lots of traffic. Xander and I took a long time to get here. Because of the traffic. We weren't alone. There were a lot of people around." She caught herself. "That's a nice dress, Faith. Where did you get it?"
"I stole it," Faith replied easily. "Had to sneak into a fancy club run by a vamp."
"Oh," Willow blinked as she scrambled for something to say. "Harry, that's a nice suit. Did you steal it too?"
Harry smiled, "I'm British. We are required to have a tuxedo on hand by law."
"James Bond is British," Xander added.
"Yes," Harry nodded. "That is the joke."
"Right," Xander said. "The joke. You make jokes sometime. I do too."
"Fuck, man," Faith said. "Calm down. You're acting like you're jonesing for a fix." She paused. "Are you?"
"No!" Willow defended her friend. "We would never! Drugs are bad. Just say no, that's what I say. There was an assembly and everything."
"I never liked that dog," Xander said. "That trenchcoat makes him look shady. I know he'd take a dump on your lawn and blame the neighbors."
"Faith," Harry said. "Did you want to dance?"
"Yes," She pulled him onto the dance floor.
Harry wasn't sure how long they danced, but it was nice. It was nice to just move to the music rather than a waltz or whatever. He did find the awkward swaying of the crowd during slow dances funny. They sat out those dances, not interested in sneaking a grope when they could just hook up later. Xander and Willow continued the high-strung hyper conversations whenever they joined them. The two swapped between being a little too close to stand an arm's length apart from each other.
"There's Scott," Faith whispered. "He's already got a date. Fucker." She turned to Harry. "You said you know curses?"
Harry chuckled. He hit the boy with a weak Jelly-Legs Jinx which sent him stumbling to the floor. His date gasped as Scott struggled to get up. Harry added a Floppy-Lip Jinx as the boy started to regain his footing. Both spells were underpowered to the point a First Year could have blocked them with shield.
"Can he still get it up?" Faith asked.
"I don't know," Harry replied. "I would rather not ask."
Faith laughed.
"Where is Buffy?" Willow asked as the music started to wind down. "They should have been here by now."
Almost on cue, Buffy and Cordelia walked into the Bronze. They looked like they had been through hell. Their dresses were scuffed and dirty, their hair was a mess, and it looked like Cordelia had been crying at some point.
"Cordi!" Xander hurried over to her.
He came to a stop before they could hug. His nose wrinkled as he caught her scent.
"Xander," She smiled. "I don't want to talk about it."
"You look great," Xander tried to sound supportive.
"Don't," Cordelia muttered.
"Hey, B," Faith said as they walked over. "Nice look."
"Next time we're taking the bus," Buffy grumbled.
"And now!" Some guy on stage called. "To announce Homecoming King and Queen."
Buffy and Cordelia perked up at that.
"It looks like we have a tie for Homecoming Queen!" The guy called.
Buffy and Cordelia stood straighter, sharing a knowing look. The names the guy said were not theirs.
"Fuck it," Cordelia snapped. "I'm going home."
"What about the dancing?" Xander asked.
Cordelia gave him a flat glare.
"Dancing is a no," Xander said. "Got it."
"Is the limo here?" Faith asked.
"It was a trap," Buffy replied.
"Damn," Faith said with a sigh. "I've never fucked in a limo before."
Willow squeaked.
She pointed from Faith to Harry, "You two?"
"Are fucking?" Faith asked. "Yeah."
"Are you dating?" Willow asked carefully.
"No," Faith laughed. "I don't date."
Willow shifted her attention to Harry to see his reaction.
Harry shook his head, "We're friends that have sex sometimes."
"And live together," Buffy added.
"And Harry can fuck whoever he wants," Faith rolled her eyes. "Just like I can."
"We've got an understanding," Harry nodded.
"You're weird," Cordelia said. "You're saying that if Faith came home with a guy you would be fine with it? Or if Harry brought a girl home?"
"As long as they stay out of my room and clean up after themselves," Harry shrugged.
"What he said," Faith nodded. "Might want to watch if she's hot enough."
Willow had gone still. The only signs she was alive were the slight movement of her breathing and the fact that she was upright.
"I think you broke her," Buffy said poking Willow on the shoulder.
"Whatever," Cordelia groaned. "I'm going home."
"I'll walk you," Xander said. "Bye guys."
They watched the two go.
"Want to dance?" Harry asked Buffy.
She raised her eyebrows and motioned to the state of her dress. Harry subtly moved his hand in a zig-zag motion. Buffy gasped as her dress and hair were repaired.
"Harry!?" Buffy gasped.
The people around them turned to see what the cause of the commotion. They went back to their business when they didn't find anything interesting.
"You came all this way," Harry offered her a hand. "You should have at least one dance."
Buffy looked to Faith to see if the other slayer was upset.
"Go for it, B," Faith shrugged. "He hasn't stepped on my feet yet."
"Thanks," Buffy took his hand.
The music swapped to a slow song once they were on the floor. Buffy sighed and started to turn back to where Faith and Willow waited.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked.
"It's a slow song," Buffy replied.
"Then we'll slow dance," Harry pulled her toward him.
She went with the motion, allowing him to spin her closer. Buffy smiled as they started to sway back and forth like the others around them. They weren't snug against each other like everyone around them. The distance was a casual hug rather than holding tight.
"Thanks," Buffy whispered.
"No problem," Harry replied.
He caught Faith pulling Willow onto the dance floor a moment later. The redhead was blushing like crazy the entire time. Buffy rested her head on his chest. After a moment he could feel her slightly shake against him.
"Sorry," Buffy wiped tears away. "I got your tux wet."
"I can clean it," Harry replied. "What's wrong? This Homecoming thing?"
"No," Buffy gave a humorless laugh. "Yes. It's just… It's like… I don't even know. This is just another event that I wasn't here for. My favorite teacher doesn't remember me, I'm not even in the yearbook, and I'm a mess. I didn't even have a date."
"Would you have brought Angel?" Harry asked.
"What?" Her eyes snapped to meet his. "Oh, right. I forgot I told you about him." She took a breath. "No. Yes. I don't know. Yes if last year never happened. Now, no because it did. I don't want to talk about it."
Harry nodded, "You're not a bad dancer. My toes thank you."
Buffy smiled.
"And that's it, kids," The guy from before announced. "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here. There is a curfew so you should head home."
The four of them walked off the dance floor as the crowd started to disperse. Willow took a recently vacated seat.
"I'm going to wait for Oz," She said.
"Did you get to dance with him at all?" Buffy asked.
Willow nodded, "They put a couple of songs on the speakers for the band to take a break."
"We can wait," Buffy offered.
"He's got a van," Willow replied. "I'm not walking."
"Ok," Buffy nodded.
"Ready?" Harry asked Faith.
"I'm going to get in a patrol," Faith said. "All this dancing has got my blood flowing."
"In that dress?" Buffy asked.
"Hey, Merlin," Faith took a step into the nearly empty dance floor. "Swap me to something I can kick ass in?"
Harry thought for a moment. He focused on an image in his mind; the outfit she wore the first time they had met. A snap of his fingers and her dress were swapped out with a pair of jeans and a tank top.
"Nice," Faith nodded. "You even remembered the underwear."
"They looked good on you," Harry replied.
"Fuck yeah they did," Faith laughed.
"Come on," Harry held his arm out to Buffy. "We're going the same way."
The group split, Faith on patrol, Willow waiting for Oz, and Harry walking home with Buffy. Unlike the dance a minute ago, the walk was mostly silent. The conversation they had was inconsequential and casual. She told him about the events of the night in the woods. He mostly listened, putting in a comment every so often to prove he was paying attention. They made it to her house without an issue.
"Thanks," Buffy turned to face him when they reached her front door. "It's not often someone walks me home."
"Harry Potter, Errant Wizard, defeating dark lords and walking pretty girls' home is my duty," Harry said in his best Pureblood accent.
"Pretty girls?" Buffy shook her head. "There is more of my makeup on your tux than my face."
"I stand by what I said," Harry shrugged.
Almost out of habit, Buffy leaned in and placed a kiss on his lips. Harry returned the kiss without hesitation. It was a short one, with just a touch of tongue. That was enough to pull Buffy back to reality.
"I am so sorry," Buffy gasped. "I didn't mean to. You and Faith."
"Easy," Harry smiled at her. "It was a kiss. A nice one, but just a kiss. Like I said, Faith and I don't have that sort of relationship."
"Yeah," Buffy shook her head. "Let's just forget this happened. Ok?"
Harry nodded, "Have a good night, Buffy."
"You too," Buffy said as she fled inside.
Harry pretended he didn't see Buffy watching him walk away through the window. It was a nice kiss even if he wasn't going to push for more. She wasn't in the headspace for anything remotely resembling a relationship. Buffy needed to work through the Angel stuff first. Even then, he wasn't sure they would get together like that. If it happened, it happened, but it would not be now.
He took off his tux jacket. There was a decent patch of make-up where she had pressed her face. A quick spell cleaned it completely then he stripped off the rest, cleaning each piece as he went. He changed into his sleeping pants before settling in to watch some TV. It was a new purchase, and he wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
"Aw," Faith said as she walked through the front door. "Did you wait up for me?"
Harry looked over his shoulder to see the making of a fresh bruise on her cheek, "Fun patrol?"
"Always," Faith chuckled. "You and B fuck?"
"No," Harry laughed. "We did kiss."
"She needs to get laid," Faith shook her head as she flopped onto the couch beside him. "Do you think Xander and Red fucked?"
"They weren't guilty enough to be sleeping together," Harry shook his head. "A kiss at most."
"Want to bet how long it takes for them to get caught?" She wiggled her eyebrows at him.
"What are we betting?" Harry asked.
"Choice of position?" Faith purred.
"Loser makes dinner," Harry countered.
"Sure," Faith shrugged.
"A month," Harry stated. "Minimum."
"Two weeks," Faith countered. "Can you make spaghetti?"
"Can you?" Harry asked.
"I'll order a pizza," Faith laughed. "If I lose."
"When you lose," He said.
"Fucker," Faith punched him on the shoulder. "Do we have popcorn?"
"I don't think so," Harry shook his head.
Faith got up to check. She came back with a bag of chips instead.
"No popcorn," Faith replied taking her spot. "I'm going to be gone for a week or two."
"Do you need help?" Harry asked.
"Nah," She replied. "Just a few things I need to take care of."
"Call me if that changes," Harry offered.
She scanned the room, "Do you have a phone?"
"I don't know," Harry scanned the room. "I should probably fix that."