StZ: Chapter 6 - Words, Quidditch, & Potions
I know! I know! You've been waiting and it's been long enough! So, finally, now that I'm out of classes and have finally managed to write it: Chapter 6 - Family and Friends
School was back in session and that meant that Bill Weasley was no longer on holiday leave from Gringotts. However, that didn't mean that he was unable to find time on the weekends, and a few weekdays, to schedule with the goblins so that he could visit Hogwarts. Pinchlatch, the goblin in charge of Bill, was always willing to give him a little time off; after all, Bill was possibly his best curse breaker and he didn't want him asking for a transfer somewhere a little cooler and possibly a little less sandy.
POP! Bill apparated into Hogsmeade, figuring he'd stop in for a chat with Madame Rosmerta before heading up to the castle; Xander still had classes for another two hours.
He strode into the pub, a big grin on his face. There was nothing like returning to Hogsmeade. It always gave him a sense of coming back home. You can't live near somewhere for seven years without forming that kind of attachment to a place... well, as long as the place was, you know, pleasant.
Bill walked up to the bar, smirking at the few sets of eyes that followed the muscled wizard appreciatively, "Madame Rosmerta, m'pet, could I possibly get a gillywater?"
The barmaid smiled wryly, "Still drinking those, Bill Weasley? When will you learn to drink a man's drink?" But she brought him his glass of gillywater, complete with little yellow and blue umbrella.
"Can't help it. Took a sip of Professor Flitwick's when I was 14 and I've been hooked ever since." He removed the umbrella and stuck it in his ponytail. "So, how've things been around here? Quiet…?"
Rosmerta gave him an appraising look as if she was trying to decide just how much to tell him, "Not quiet enough…"
Bill quirked his left eyebrow (a skill that he took great pride in).
"We'll leave it at that, William."
He shrugged, "If you insist m'lady!" He paid for the drink and nibbled a few peanuts, killing time until school let out.
He needn't have bothered. Someone was already there, several seats down the bar, who was more than willing to help him wile away the time before Xander was free of his professorial grip.
“Aiee!”
Bill jumped about two feet, or at least to him it seemed like it, when a large, strong hand clapped down on his right shoulder, holding him down on the stool and spinning him until he was face to face with a slightly snarling, well dressed, and extremely dangerous looking man, "William Weasley?" It wasn't a question. This man knew exactly who he was and had serious business to do with him.
Bill nodded, "Pleased to meet you?"
Another small snarl, "Are you?” He seemed slightly amused at this, “Come with me."
Bill looked up at Rosmerta, who was distracted by an elderly witch who had accidentally knocked over her glass of firewhiskey and the table was beginning to smoke.
He didn't actually have to get up and walk because the stranger all but dragged him from the bar. The only way you would've known that Bill had been sitting there was the half finished glass of gillywater getting warmer on the oak topped bar.
He was unceremoniously pulled into a small house in the residential area of Hogsmeade. From what he could see, it was nothing more than an overgrown loft apartment with all the rooms running together and what seemed to be a pretty posh kitchen.
"Sit."
And Bill sat, resting uncomfortably on an expensive, black leather recliner. The man sat across from him on a matching loveseat, resting his feet on the pouf in front of him.
"So. Xander Harris. What do you know about him, Weasley?"
"What do you want with Xander?" Bill eyed the man, hoping against hope that this wasn't a Death Eater after his new boyfriend. He really hadn't been looking to get into a fight today, "If you touch him…"
At this, the man let out a snide laugh, "Touch him? I don't seem to be the one interested in touching Xander...” He trailed off for a moment, a small smirk forming in the right-hand corner of his mouth, “What do you want with him, Weasley?"
It didn't seem like he was about to be attacked, so Bill finally thought about this, "I don't know. I mean…I just met the guy. But, he's just so…" He drifted off.
The stranger shook his head; this young man was completely taken with Harris, that much was clear. In a slightly softened voice he asked, "How much do you know about him?"
Bill's brow wrinkled, "Not much. Vamps. Slayers. Childhood in California in America. He doesn't tend to give much away."
The man nodded, "Alright then. He won't tell you, but someone has to or you'll never make it past a couple of weeks." He sighed softly and put his head in his hands as if trying to figure out where to start.
Bill was about to ask the man if he was alright when the head snapped back up to gaze fixedly at the redhead, "You said that Xander had his 'childhood in California,' but in reality Xander had no childhood. When he was very young his mother married a man who abused him, mentally, emotionally, and physically. He was raped and beaten." The stranger snarled, letting his sharp, white teeth show, "You need to know that if Xander seems detached for any reason, pushes you away emotionally or physically, it's for a reason. You can't expect the same kind of relationship from him that you would get from your normal guy. He's never gotten over it, although he likes to pretend he has, and it could take a long time before he does."
Recognition was slowly starting to spark in Bill's eyes. He was putting the pieces together. The freaking out, the running away, it was slowly making sense and the stranger could tell, "Just don't push him too hard."
Bill nodded, pretty certain by now that he wasn't about to get the all holy crap beat outta him, "Alright." He rose slowly, as if expecting the other man to push him back into his chair, "Is there anything else? Classes are about to let out and I'd like to go see him."
The stranger smirked and led Bill to the door, opening it a crack, "Yeah.” He grinned, “If you hurt him, I will personally take a chainsaw to your worthless hide." And he was gone, skirting through the town, sticking close to the shadows.
Bill, slightly confused, shook his head and headed up towards the castle, looking forward to seeing the Californian wizard again.
Faith was sitting in the Quidditch stands, wearing her tightest jeans and a midriff halter top, cheering on the Gryffindor quidditch practice, watching from underneath large, studded, movie star sunglasses that she'd borrowed from Buffy before the other slayer headed off to Rome, "Nice hit George!!" She waved at him.
Fred chuckled and waved in her direction. Couldn't really expect her to keep them straight when they were so far away and she was lacking binocs. Even Lee couldn't tell Fred and George apart when they were playing and he'd known them since they started school.
Oliver Wood, on the other hand, was standing down on the pitch, watching his team play, thoroughly enjoying how well they were doing. The Quidditch Cup would be theirs again this year! "Alright, team! Gather in!!" He shouted before taking the Sonorus charm off his throat.
Faith came down out of the stands so that she could hear. She lolled about on the grass, approximately twenty feet away, waiting for the team stuff to be done.
"Alright, guys. Things look pretty good, but Harry I want you to keep working on those two new feints you learned last week between now and the Hufflepuff match. They've put together a pretty good side this year and I want you to look out for their seeker, she’s supposed to be good. Fred, George, good work. You three can go; I want to have a chat with the chasers. I want you two to stop back before heading up to the castle, I've got some strategy to go over with you, then I'm taking Ron up to work on keeping for a little while."
Harry, Fred, and George chatted merrily as they walked towards the change room, passing Faith on the way there.
"Hey, boys." She grinned at the twins who each, in turn, leaned in and were given a kiss, "Enjoy practice?"
"Quite."
"Much better now that Wood's not Keeping."
"He's better when he's just Captain, not quite so…"
"Neurotic?"
Faith chuckled, enjoying the twin-speak, "You two are crazy! I'll wait for you to get changed."
They grinned and took off towards the change room.
Half an hour later the twins emerged, back in their black robes with red hair damp and curling slightly, "You boys look good enough to eat." Faith grinned suggestively at them.
All the while, though, she'd noticed that her plan with the twins had worked. Oliver was paying close attention to her as she obviously fawned over both twins… well, as much as Faith ever actually fawned.
"Gotta hang out here, babe."
"Oliver wanted to talk to us a little more."
"Hufflepuff beaters graduated."
"They've got two new ones."
"And Wood managed to see them practicing!"
"You'll be around later?"
She laughed again. There was no way she was ever going to get used to that, "Yah. After all, I live here, don't I?" Faith smiled. This was going to work perfectly. It was human nature: make yourself unavailable and people go nuts over you. She headed towards the castle, tossing her hair slightly as she went.
Oliver stood, transfixed by the woman, "Fred, George…"
The twins trotted up, "Yah coach?"
"Who is she?"
Fred smirked. Or maybe it was George. It didn't really matter because Wood was still watching her ass disappear towards the front doors to the school, intercepted partway there by Bill Weasley who chatted with her as they continued together. "Faith. She's staying here with a friend, probably for a good long time."
Oliver nodded slightly, "And she's…"
This time it was definitely George who smirked, "Off limits, so stop drooling over our girl."
It took a moment for this information to seep in. "Our, I mean Your…both of you? There's something just a little bit odd about that."
Fred smiled, "Better half-Faith than none at all."
George nodded and the three of them spent the next quarter-hour talking about the new Hufflepuff beaters and their strategies for the upcoming match. Every now and then, however, the conversation would slip back onto the brunette who'd been watching them play so avidly.
Faith was sitting in the Great Hall, chatting animatedly with Bill and Xander when the twins came rushing in, skidding to a halt at the grad table and grabbing a piece of garlic bread apiece, "So?" She grinned at them.
"That was-"
"-brilliant, Faith!"
They said in between chews of sourdough.
She laughed, "Perfect!"
Xander and Bill both chuckled, “Well, I hope for Wood’s sake it works out. I hear he’s done nothing but study since he entered Beauxbatons. That guy could use a little…diversion.
They talked for a little while longer before Bill looked over at Xander and whispered softly, "Xand…can I talk to you?"
"We were talking, Bill.” He responded, “That's what you're doing when you move your lips and make sounds…well.." and Xander coloured slightly.
Bill smirked, "I meant alone."
Xander nodded and the two got up and left the table, leaving Faith and the twins to continue plotting, moving into Phase 2 of Plan Oliver.
When they finally made it to Xander's suite, they both flopped down on the couch and Xander looked at the other man, "Alright, Bill, spill. What did you want that was so important and secret you couldn't tell me in the Hall….where my dinner is."
Bill leaned in for a moment, taking Xander's mouth with his own in a hard kiss before backing off, leaving the other man slightly breathless, "I met someone in Hogsmeade on my way to the castle today who…gave me a hard talking to…" he fingered his shoulder, "and a bruise."
Xander's eyes went sharp, "What did he look like, Bill?"
"Tall, dark, kinda big. Nice hair." Bill chuckled slightly, "And said something about how if I hurt you he'd personally do me in with a chainsaw."
Xander growled and kicked over his bedside table, breaking the leg off and muttering just loud enough for Bill to figure out what he was saying, "interfering, underhanded, sonovabitch…" he kept up the muttering for about three minutes before Bill walked up behind him, sliding his arms around Xander's waist, making him jump.
"Xander. I don't care. Whoever it was told me some things about you…is it true about your stepfather?"
Xander looked wild, as if he might, somehow, find a way out of this situation without losing Bill or having to tell anything. A sigh later and he'd acquiesced, "Yes." He broke out of Bill's arms and busied himself with putting his table back together, reattaching the broken leg and placing the candle back on it.
"Xander, who was he…that guy in Hogsmeade? Why won't you talk to me? What's going on??" Bill said, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. Not that it mattered, Xander was so wrapped up in not being there that he wouldn't have caught inflection if it landed on his head sport a sign that read: 16 Tons. "Xander!"
He looked up, brushing the half-tear away before Bill saw. There was no way he was going back to being that weak again, "That Man would be…I guess godfather is probably the best term in modern society. Something more like protector… champion maybe?? Anyway, whatever you choose to call him, that's what he is. He was put in charge of making sure I was raised right by my wizard father who wanted me out of the country before something happened to me. However, that bastard botched it and, although my mum was married to a nice guy, when he died she married my, what, third level of step-dad??" Sarcasm was dripping from Xander's voice, bringing out his Californian accent that, over the last few months, had become softened and slightly more bastard British imitation.
Bill didn't want to interrupt him but somehow couldn't manage to bite back the words before they were out of his mouth, floating around in the room, cutting off Xander's rant, "Who is he, though? Does he have a name or is he just some kind of Dark Avenger? Mr. Broody? Coat Guy? It was a nice coat…"
Xander focused on Bill, suddenly remembering that he had an audience for his rampage, "Angel." He turned and sat down on the couch again, watching Bill sit himself in an armchair, motioning for him to continue, "I'm sure Wingless told you all about the things that my Dad did to me, so I won't go into it. Suffice it to say that I found Dru and Spike and they, along with Angel, rescued me. Gave me a place to stay when I was too badly beaten or too scared to go home. I studied magic and managed to get in here to do grad work in Potions with Professor Snape."
Bill looked as if he was processing everything and had only one or two things that were sifting to the surface of his consciousness, "Dru? Spike? Who're they?"
"My brother and sister…sorta. They're Angel's childer."
Bill was confused by the reference, "His what?"
"They're vampires!! You know, Grr! Bitebite!" Xander rolled his eyes at Bill's slightly horrified expression.
"You're not a…"
Xander sighed in frustration and, figuring seeing-is-believing, grabbed Bill's hand, dragging him out of the suite, through the castle, down at least six flights of stairs, although he might've counted wrong, and through at least two secret passages he hadn’t previously know existed, down to the dungeons and through the heavy oak door with a shove, "Spike!"
A blonde man looked up. At least, Bill thought he was a man until he saw his ridged forehead, shining fangs, and the blood dripping down his chin.
"For the love of Gaea, Spike! That's disgusting! Didn't your mother teach you how to eat properly?"
A dark haired woman melted out of the shadows, somehow seeming to be part of them with her shining skin contrasting against black hair and a velvet dress, "She tried, my pet, but my Spike never was an apt pupil." She looked at the bloody man and smiled demonically, "Isn't that right, my love?"
Spike laughed and his face changed, the ridges smoothing into the handsome facade of a man, "Exactly, my goddess." He pulled her to him, sharing a kiss before she began to lick the blood off his chin.
"All better now. My clean boy."
"Xander…" Bill was still standing with his back to the door, "I'm officially confused…possibly slightly more than."
Xander chuckled at his boyfriend's case of the wiggins and lead him over to the pair of vamps, "Chill, Weasley. These rouges are Drusilla and Spike." He indicated the woman and man in turn.
"Oh, Kitten! What've you brought us here? Isn't it lovely…" She slowly walked around Bill, eyeing him up, although he was pretty sure that she was looking at something other than his clothes or figure (as most women did). Somehow, this ‘woman’ was seeing something else.
"This your new toy, Xander? At least you have taste, whelp." Spike ruffled Xander's hair, for which he looked incredibly annoyed, and much more obviously appraised the other young man.
"'Course I have taste, Spike. Went to Prom with you two, didn' I?"
Spike shrugged, "Point."
Drusilla came back around in front of Bill and looked into his eyes, "Yes, my love. He'll do quite well. So strong… I can see him, you know." The last was said, looking at Xander with a little smile on her face, her eyes slightly glazed. "He'll do you well. But will you let him?" Her head rolled back and she started spinning lazily, arms stretched out towards the walls, "You're so worried, so alone, my Kitten. Mummy can't do anything for you...you won’t let her. But the fire might." She looked once more down at Kitten, "Don't worry, my love. It won’t burn." She smiled again.
Spike laughed and scooped her up, spinning her in circles, "Fire doesn't burn, my pet? Of course it does!"
They laughed, somehow being both incredibly frightening for the redhead and amazingly friendly, "Xander…are these.."
"Yes. They are." He grinned and walked over, kissing Drusilla on the cheek, "thank you, Mummy."
Spike put her down and she looked at him, "Mummy always knows best, Kitten. Go now. The bees and the trees await. You'll find your stars, Kitten, brewing and brewing, always something at play."
Xander nodded and lead Bill back out of the dungeon towards the corridor.
"That was your brother and sister?" Bill quirked a nervous eyebrow at the man he had thought he was finally getting to know.
"In a manner of speaking." He held out the ring on his left middle finger, "Clan Aurelius. Angelus, the guy you met in the village, he's head of the clan now that the Master's dead. Spike and Dru are his childer, his most powerful childer, making them his left and right hands in the clan, although right now both hands are living in the basement of a castle."
He looked to make sure Bill was following this, "Now, the complicated part. Angelus claimed me as sort of a pseudo-childe, putting me under the protection of the clan." He pulled back one side of his hair to show Bill the white outline of a vamp bite, "When a vampire claims a human being, typically as some sort of mortal fucktoy, but that's beyond the point, they mark them like this but leave them alive. That person then comes under the protection of the Elder's clan. That means that nobody can touch them, clan member or not, without having to deal with the clan Master. It's the only reason that I managed to live so long on a Hellmouth without having god himself looking down on me."
Bill nodded, a look of deep concentration on his face as he thought about this, "Alright."
Xander looked at him, a little worried, "You sure you're takin' this okay, Bill? You're doing some repression thing where you convince yourself I'm crazy and then tie me to a stake with a bunch of burning books, right?"
Bill shook his head, "Xander. You don't get to be a Gringotts curse breaker without seeing your fair share of weird shit. We're a jaded lot, ya know. You've got to be to work for goblins." He smirked, watching Xander.
Xander shrugged, "Better jaded than running in fright." And they left it at that.
Given that Xander was attending Hogwarts for Advanced Potions, it was only to be expected that he spent a lot of time in the dungeons. However, even Professor Snape was shocked at his ardour for the subject, attending every class that he ran from fifth year up.
On Mondays and Wednesdays, Xander had double potions with the fifth year Gryffindors and Slytherins and on Tuesdays and Thursdays he attended the same class with the fifth year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, getting double practice in all the lower level potions. He also attended the N.E.W.T. classes, participatig in the sixth year potions theory class and the seventh year N.E.W.T. prep class.
Potions theory was by far the most interesting course because Xander, although he had studied potions on his own for years, had never had a proper introduction into the whys and the wherefores of how potion-making worked. The term project for spring term, which Snape had been hinting at for a semester, could finally be started now that they had finished a semester of theory, and the topicwas announced in the first class of the semester.
"I want you to know right off that this is not a 'cooking test'." Professor Snape sneered, "This is a serious exercise in the construction of unique potions. Do not presume that you will always have your books with you or that every potion that you need to create will be done so through memorization of the formula or even basic research."
Snape walked through the class, glaring at the sixth years, completely ignoring his son, "You will create a potion. You will write me an essay outlining your progression through the theory, including a complete and annotated bibliography. The essay will be no less than two rolls of parchment long. I want both the theory and trial and failure log to be included in your essay, along with a signed log of the hours you spent in lab doing practical experimentation. This essay and log will be turned in at your final examination in June, at which time you will also brew for me your theoretical potion."
He looked around, for once finding excited faces staring avidly back at him. Yes, teaching the sixth year class was definitely his favourite, "You will come to my office some time in the next week to discuss ideas and possible theory behind your intended potion. Class dismissed."
Xander gathered up his ingredients which, as Professor Snape had privately noticed, had been set up the same way that he himself organized his worktable, and shifted the items into his bag, a faraway look on his face that Snape had come to recognize as his Theory Face. It was the look he had whenever he was trying to work out a problem in potions that didn't really want to be worked out. This was definitely going to be an interesting spring. He only hoped that Harris wouldn't finish the assignment too quickly.
Two days later, Xander walked to his father's office door, rapping lightly.
"Yes?" a voice came from behind the door.
"Professor, I'm here to speak with you about that theory assignment."
The voice called out "Resigna!" and the door swung silently open on its hinges.
Xander walked into the office and sat down in the only available chair, a small armchair. This was the office of a man who lived his work. There was a wardrobe on one wall that, through the slightly open door, he could see fresh robe; there were jars, bottles, and vials along the walls full of common and rare potion ingredients; there were essays sitting on the desk to be marked next to a steaming cup that smelled suspiciously of hot chocolate; an old fashioned phonograph in the corner (a modern one would not have operated within the castle due to the excessive magic output) and a small cauldron hanging over the fire, brewing something.
"I take it you have come to a decision regarding your theory potion?" Snape fixed his gaze on Xander.
"Yes, sir. I want to create bottled sunlight." He smiled at the look on Snape's face as he contemplated the idea.
"You want to create bottled light. The purpose being?"
Xander laughed, "You're kidding right? Bottled Sunlight, specifically, would be the perfect weapon against the vampire threat that reigns in a lot of cities. Like carrying around vials of holy water, only deadlier." He smirked.
Snape nodded, "Very well. And the theory behind it? Have you given it any thought?"
He shrugged, "Just in passing. As the purpose would be mainly in fighting vampires it would need to contain vampire blood or ashes or something like that, to give it a focus. Probably be required to sit outside and actually absorb the UV since creating nature is so much harder than making unnatural things. Possibly include something like unicorn horn to give it that purity..." he trailed off with another shrug, "You know. Something like that."
"I see. And this was just thought in passing?"
"Well, I figured I ought to have some kind of idea how to do this before you bit my head off for having a stupid idea."
"No, Mr. Harris. It is a commendable idea that will likely, if it succeeds, assist your friend in her path immensely." Snape made a few notes on a piece of parchment, "You may go ahead and make the attempt. Keep a full log of all hours of research, the books referenced, even if not implemented, and your hours spent in the potions lab." He handed Xander a piece of parchment from a stack he had sitting under a beaker that served as a spare paperweight.
Xander looked it over.
"Is everything acceptable, Mr. Harris?" Snape raised his left eyebrow.
Xander smirked, "Can you raise the other one all by itself too?"
Snape looked confused as Xander gathered his things together, "No. Why?"
He smiled as he walked through the door, "I never could either."
Xander could almost hear Snape shaking his head, whether in annoyance or humour he did not know, as the door swung soundlessly shut to the intonation of "Claude!"
Xander walked down the hall, glancing from time to time at his piece of paper. There was a turn in the dungeon hallway not far in front of him and, on turning the corner, he walked through a tapestry on his left.
Xander emerged from the secret passage and was looking up and down a portrait gallery where the pictures hung along the dank, torchlit hall. If he hadn't know what they were, he would've wondered whose misplanning had put a gallery in a place that you wouldn't have found if you weren't lost or looking for it.
He walked towards the end of the hall to a picture of a bored looking wizard and smirked, "Hello, Salazar."
The wizard suddenly took notice of him, "Ahh! The Scooby…" He smiled brightly, "Are you my sixth year this term, Mr. Harris? What a relief. I was quite expecting an annoying ankle biter who would explode potion in my room, forcing me to deal with Mr. Filch when he came to clean it up. Nasty squib..." He sneered slightly.
Xander laughed, "Yup. I'm your...well, I'm attending that sixth year class."
"Very well, then. Password?"
"Serpentis." He smirked again. Had to be, with a picture like Salazar Slytherin guarding the entrance.
The wizard's portrait swung open, revealing a small, but comfortable potions lab. There was another portrait inside on one of the wall, to which Salazar moved as soon as his larger picture had swung closed.
"Well. Let me give you the tour, as it were, Mr. Harris. There's your cauldron workstation, including a stock of basic and advanced potions ingredients in that cupboard there. There's also a message board hanging on that wall for you to take notes on when you're working on your project. In the other corner is your relaxation area where you can study and work on your essay."
"What's with the empty bookshelf?" Xander walked over to it.
"Write the name of any book available in the school library, or a subject, on a piece of parchment and place it on the shelf. The book or books of interest will appear there and remain until you rip the piece of parchment in half, or take them yourself to Madame Pince." Salazar smiled, "Enjoy." He walked out the side of his portrait.
Xander looked around. This place was heaven. From the looks of it that armchair probably also folded out to a single bed. "It's perfect." He set down his bag and spent the next hour looking around the room. He also wrote "Potion + Light" on a piece of paper and had a few hours enjoyable hours reading and taking notes on a few pieces of parchment that he left in the room.
At dinner that night, he had an in depth discussion with Jana about sunlight and ancient runes. He had a hunch that using runes on the cauldron itself before brewing might help enhance the potion when it was finished, but it was just a hunch.
"I dunno, Harris. Seems a little far fetched to me, but I could definitely supply you with the runes if needed." Jana took a large bite of her baked potato.
"I don't know yet. I figure I'll try straight theory first, but it's a thought, if the potion doesn't work or isn't strong enough."
Jana nodded, "Have you thought of creating a sun stone to use for it?"
Xander looked confused at the reference, "A sun stone?"
"Yeah. It's a rock, or I guess any object, that you put the Sola charm on to soak up heat from the local area. That's why the warming pan that the elves put between your sheets lasts so long. The houselves cast sola charms on them and then stick them in the fire. You could possibly cast it on a stone and stick it out in the sun..." she trailed off as Xander grinned, following her logic.
"That's a great idea, Jana! I'll see you later!" He grabbed his bag and tok off towards the staff room, hoping to catch Professor Flitwick there.
(knock,knock)
The door was actually opened by Professor Sinistra, "Yes, Mr. Harris?"
"Is Professor Flitwick here?" He tried to look over her should and see the room for himself.
"No. I'm afraid he isn't. I suggest you wait and see him in class. He's always there." She grinned and shut the door on a crestfallen Xander Harris.
As he walked back towards the Great Hall, however, he forgot his disappointment because his curiosity took over.
There was a group of people standing around someone who Xander couldn't see. He was saying something that sounded like, "Nice place. Kinda Big, ya know." Followed by Professor Dumbledore's hearty laugh.
He probably would've kept going down the stairs to see who it was himself if the mystery hadn't been solved by the blur of red hair that ran past him, practically flying at the man, ubilantly greeting him.
"OZ!"
TBC
School was back in session and that meant that Bill Weasley was no longer on holiday leave from Gringotts. However, that didn't mean that he was unable to find time on the weekends, and a few weekdays, to schedule with the goblins so that he could visit Hogwarts. Pinchlatch, the goblin in charge of Bill, was always willing to give him a little time off; after all, Bill was possibly his best curse breaker and he didn't want him asking for a transfer somewhere a little cooler and possibly a little less sandy.
POP! Bill apparated into Hogsmeade, figuring he'd stop in for a chat with Madame Rosmerta before heading up to the castle; Xander still had classes for another two hours.
He strode into the pub, a big grin on his face. There was nothing like returning to Hogsmeade. It always gave him a sense of coming back home. You can't live near somewhere for seven years without forming that kind of attachment to a place... well, as long as the place was, you know, pleasant.
Bill walked up to the bar, smirking at the few sets of eyes that followed the muscled wizard appreciatively, "Madame Rosmerta, m'pet, could I possibly get a gillywater?"
The barmaid smiled wryly, "Still drinking those, Bill Weasley? When will you learn to drink a man's drink?" But she brought him his glass of gillywater, complete with little yellow and blue umbrella.
"Can't help it. Took a sip of Professor Flitwick's when I was 14 and I've been hooked ever since." He removed the umbrella and stuck it in his ponytail. "So, how've things been around here? Quiet…?"
Rosmerta gave him an appraising look as if she was trying to decide just how much to tell him, "Not quiet enough…"
Bill quirked his left eyebrow (a skill that he took great pride in).
"We'll leave it at that, William."
He shrugged, "If you insist m'lady!" He paid for the drink and nibbled a few peanuts, killing time until school let out.
He needn't have bothered. Someone was already there, several seats down the bar, who was more than willing to help him wile away the time before Xander was free of his professorial grip.
“Aiee!”
Bill jumped about two feet, or at least to him it seemed like it, when a large, strong hand clapped down on his right shoulder, holding him down on the stool and spinning him until he was face to face with a slightly snarling, well dressed, and extremely dangerous looking man, "William Weasley?" It wasn't a question. This man knew exactly who he was and had serious business to do with him.
Bill nodded, "Pleased to meet you?"
Another small snarl, "Are you?” He seemed slightly amused at this, “Come with me."
Bill looked up at Rosmerta, who was distracted by an elderly witch who had accidentally knocked over her glass of firewhiskey and the table was beginning to smoke.
He didn't actually have to get up and walk because the stranger all but dragged him from the bar. The only way you would've known that Bill had been sitting there was the half finished glass of gillywater getting warmer on the oak topped bar.
He was unceremoniously pulled into a small house in the residential area of Hogsmeade. From what he could see, it was nothing more than an overgrown loft apartment with all the rooms running together and what seemed to be a pretty posh kitchen.
"Sit."
And Bill sat, resting uncomfortably on an expensive, black leather recliner. The man sat across from him on a matching loveseat, resting his feet on the pouf in front of him.
"So. Xander Harris. What do you know about him, Weasley?"
"What do you want with Xander?" Bill eyed the man, hoping against hope that this wasn't a Death Eater after his new boyfriend. He really hadn't been looking to get into a fight today, "If you touch him…"
At this, the man let out a snide laugh, "Touch him? I don't seem to be the one interested in touching Xander...” He trailed off for a moment, a small smirk forming in the right-hand corner of his mouth, “What do you want with him, Weasley?"
It didn't seem like he was about to be attacked, so Bill finally thought about this, "I don't know. I mean…I just met the guy. But, he's just so…" He drifted off.
The stranger shook his head; this young man was completely taken with Harris, that much was clear. In a slightly softened voice he asked, "How much do you know about him?"
Bill's brow wrinkled, "Not much. Vamps. Slayers. Childhood in California in America. He doesn't tend to give much away."
The man nodded, "Alright then. He won't tell you, but someone has to or you'll never make it past a couple of weeks." He sighed softly and put his head in his hands as if trying to figure out where to start.
Bill was about to ask the man if he was alright when the head snapped back up to gaze fixedly at the redhead, "You said that Xander had his 'childhood in California,' but in reality Xander had no childhood. When he was very young his mother married a man who abused him, mentally, emotionally, and physically. He was raped and beaten." The stranger snarled, letting his sharp, white teeth show, "You need to know that if Xander seems detached for any reason, pushes you away emotionally or physically, it's for a reason. You can't expect the same kind of relationship from him that you would get from your normal guy. He's never gotten over it, although he likes to pretend he has, and it could take a long time before he does."
Recognition was slowly starting to spark in Bill's eyes. He was putting the pieces together. The freaking out, the running away, it was slowly making sense and the stranger could tell, "Just don't push him too hard."
Bill nodded, pretty certain by now that he wasn't about to get the all holy crap beat outta him, "Alright." He rose slowly, as if expecting the other man to push him back into his chair, "Is there anything else? Classes are about to let out and I'd like to go see him."
The stranger smirked and led Bill to the door, opening it a crack, "Yeah.” He grinned, “If you hurt him, I will personally take a chainsaw to your worthless hide." And he was gone, skirting through the town, sticking close to the shadows.
Bill, slightly confused, shook his head and headed up towards the castle, looking forward to seeing the Californian wizard again.
Faith was sitting in the Quidditch stands, wearing her tightest jeans and a midriff halter top, cheering on the Gryffindor quidditch practice, watching from underneath large, studded, movie star sunglasses that she'd borrowed from Buffy before the other slayer headed off to Rome, "Nice hit George!!" She waved at him.
Fred chuckled and waved in her direction. Couldn't really expect her to keep them straight when they were so far away and she was lacking binocs. Even Lee couldn't tell Fred and George apart when they were playing and he'd known them since they started school.
Oliver Wood, on the other hand, was standing down on the pitch, watching his team play, thoroughly enjoying how well they were doing. The Quidditch Cup would be theirs again this year! "Alright, team! Gather in!!" He shouted before taking the Sonorus charm off his throat.
Faith came down out of the stands so that she could hear. She lolled about on the grass, approximately twenty feet away, waiting for the team stuff to be done.
"Alright, guys. Things look pretty good, but Harry I want you to keep working on those two new feints you learned last week between now and the Hufflepuff match. They've put together a pretty good side this year and I want you to look out for their seeker, she’s supposed to be good. Fred, George, good work. You three can go; I want to have a chat with the chasers. I want you two to stop back before heading up to the castle, I've got some strategy to go over with you, then I'm taking Ron up to work on keeping for a little while."
Harry, Fred, and George chatted merrily as they walked towards the change room, passing Faith on the way there.
"Hey, boys." She grinned at the twins who each, in turn, leaned in and were given a kiss, "Enjoy practice?"
"Quite."
"Much better now that Wood's not Keeping."
"He's better when he's just Captain, not quite so…"
"Neurotic?"
Faith chuckled, enjoying the twin-speak, "You two are crazy! I'll wait for you to get changed."
They grinned and took off towards the change room.
Half an hour later the twins emerged, back in their black robes with red hair damp and curling slightly, "You boys look good enough to eat." Faith grinned suggestively at them.
All the while, though, she'd noticed that her plan with the twins had worked. Oliver was paying close attention to her as she obviously fawned over both twins… well, as much as Faith ever actually fawned.
"Gotta hang out here, babe."
"Oliver wanted to talk to us a little more."
"Hufflepuff beaters graduated."
"They've got two new ones."
"And Wood managed to see them practicing!"
"You'll be around later?"
She laughed again. There was no way she was ever going to get used to that, "Yah. After all, I live here, don't I?" Faith smiled. This was going to work perfectly. It was human nature: make yourself unavailable and people go nuts over you. She headed towards the castle, tossing her hair slightly as she went.
Oliver stood, transfixed by the woman, "Fred, George…"
The twins trotted up, "Yah coach?"
"Who is she?"
Fred smirked. Or maybe it was George. It didn't really matter because Wood was still watching her ass disappear towards the front doors to the school, intercepted partway there by Bill Weasley who chatted with her as they continued together. "Faith. She's staying here with a friend, probably for a good long time."
Oliver nodded slightly, "And she's…"
This time it was definitely George who smirked, "Off limits, so stop drooling over our girl."
It took a moment for this information to seep in. "Our, I mean Your…both of you? There's something just a little bit odd about that."
Fred smiled, "Better half-Faith than none at all."
George nodded and the three of them spent the next quarter-hour talking about the new Hufflepuff beaters and their strategies for the upcoming match. Every now and then, however, the conversation would slip back onto the brunette who'd been watching them play so avidly.
Faith was sitting in the Great Hall, chatting animatedly with Bill and Xander when the twins came rushing in, skidding to a halt at the grad table and grabbing a piece of garlic bread apiece, "So?" She grinned at them.
"That was-"
"-brilliant, Faith!"
They said in between chews of sourdough.
She laughed, "Perfect!"
Xander and Bill both chuckled, “Well, I hope for Wood’s sake it works out. I hear he’s done nothing but study since he entered Beauxbatons. That guy could use a little…diversion.
They talked for a little while longer before Bill looked over at Xander and whispered softly, "Xand…can I talk to you?"
"We were talking, Bill.” He responded, “That's what you're doing when you move your lips and make sounds…well.." and Xander coloured slightly.
Bill smirked, "I meant alone."
Xander nodded and the two got up and left the table, leaving Faith and the twins to continue plotting, moving into Phase 2 of Plan Oliver.
When they finally made it to Xander's suite, they both flopped down on the couch and Xander looked at the other man, "Alright, Bill, spill. What did you want that was so important and secret you couldn't tell me in the Hall….where my dinner is."
Bill leaned in for a moment, taking Xander's mouth with his own in a hard kiss before backing off, leaving the other man slightly breathless, "I met someone in Hogsmeade on my way to the castle today who…gave me a hard talking to…" he fingered his shoulder, "and a bruise."
Xander's eyes went sharp, "What did he look like, Bill?"
"Tall, dark, kinda big. Nice hair." Bill chuckled slightly, "And said something about how if I hurt you he'd personally do me in with a chainsaw."
Xander growled and kicked over his bedside table, breaking the leg off and muttering just loud enough for Bill to figure out what he was saying, "interfering, underhanded, sonovabitch…" he kept up the muttering for about three minutes before Bill walked up behind him, sliding his arms around Xander's waist, making him jump.
"Xander. I don't care. Whoever it was told me some things about you…is it true about your stepfather?"
Xander looked wild, as if he might, somehow, find a way out of this situation without losing Bill or having to tell anything. A sigh later and he'd acquiesced, "Yes." He broke out of Bill's arms and busied himself with putting his table back together, reattaching the broken leg and placing the candle back on it.
"Xander, who was he…that guy in Hogsmeade? Why won't you talk to me? What's going on??" Bill said, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. Not that it mattered, Xander was so wrapped up in not being there that he wouldn't have caught inflection if it landed on his head sport a sign that read: 16 Tons. "Xander!"
He looked up, brushing the half-tear away before Bill saw. There was no way he was going back to being that weak again, "That Man would be…I guess godfather is probably the best term in modern society. Something more like protector… champion maybe?? Anyway, whatever you choose to call him, that's what he is. He was put in charge of making sure I was raised right by my wizard father who wanted me out of the country before something happened to me. However, that bastard botched it and, although my mum was married to a nice guy, when he died she married my, what, third level of step-dad??" Sarcasm was dripping from Xander's voice, bringing out his Californian accent that, over the last few months, had become softened and slightly more bastard British imitation.
Bill didn't want to interrupt him but somehow couldn't manage to bite back the words before they were out of his mouth, floating around in the room, cutting off Xander's rant, "Who is he, though? Does he have a name or is he just some kind of Dark Avenger? Mr. Broody? Coat Guy? It was a nice coat…"
Xander focused on Bill, suddenly remembering that he had an audience for his rampage, "Angel." He turned and sat down on the couch again, watching Bill sit himself in an armchair, motioning for him to continue, "I'm sure Wingless told you all about the things that my Dad did to me, so I won't go into it. Suffice it to say that I found Dru and Spike and they, along with Angel, rescued me. Gave me a place to stay when I was too badly beaten or too scared to go home. I studied magic and managed to get in here to do grad work in Potions with Professor Snape."
Bill looked as if he was processing everything and had only one or two things that were sifting to the surface of his consciousness, "Dru? Spike? Who're they?"
"My brother and sister…sorta. They're Angel's childer."
Bill was confused by the reference, "His what?"
"They're vampires!! You know, Grr! Bitebite!" Xander rolled his eyes at Bill's slightly horrified expression.
"You're not a…"
Xander sighed in frustration and, figuring seeing-is-believing, grabbed Bill's hand, dragging him out of the suite, through the castle, down at least six flights of stairs, although he might've counted wrong, and through at least two secret passages he hadn’t previously know existed, down to the dungeons and through the heavy oak door with a shove, "Spike!"
A blonde man looked up. At least, Bill thought he was a man until he saw his ridged forehead, shining fangs, and the blood dripping down his chin.
"For the love of Gaea, Spike! That's disgusting! Didn't your mother teach you how to eat properly?"
A dark haired woman melted out of the shadows, somehow seeming to be part of them with her shining skin contrasting against black hair and a velvet dress, "She tried, my pet, but my Spike never was an apt pupil." She looked at the bloody man and smiled demonically, "Isn't that right, my love?"
Spike laughed and his face changed, the ridges smoothing into the handsome facade of a man, "Exactly, my goddess." He pulled her to him, sharing a kiss before she began to lick the blood off his chin.
"All better now. My clean boy."
"Xander…" Bill was still standing with his back to the door, "I'm officially confused…possibly slightly more than."
Xander chuckled at his boyfriend's case of the wiggins and lead him over to the pair of vamps, "Chill, Weasley. These rouges are Drusilla and Spike." He indicated the woman and man in turn.
"Oh, Kitten! What've you brought us here? Isn't it lovely…" She slowly walked around Bill, eyeing him up, although he was pretty sure that she was looking at something other than his clothes or figure (as most women did). Somehow, this ‘woman’ was seeing something else.
"This your new toy, Xander? At least you have taste, whelp." Spike ruffled Xander's hair, for which he looked incredibly annoyed, and much more obviously appraised the other young man.
"'Course I have taste, Spike. Went to Prom with you two, didn' I?"
Spike shrugged, "Point."
Drusilla came back around in front of Bill and looked into his eyes, "Yes, my love. He'll do quite well. So strong… I can see him, you know." The last was said, looking at Xander with a little smile on her face, her eyes slightly glazed. "He'll do you well. But will you let him?" Her head rolled back and she started spinning lazily, arms stretched out towards the walls, "You're so worried, so alone, my Kitten. Mummy can't do anything for you...you won’t let her. But the fire might." She looked once more down at Kitten, "Don't worry, my love. It won’t burn." She smiled again.
Spike laughed and scooped her up, spinning her in circles, "Fire doesn't burn, my pet? Of course it does!"
They laughed, somehow being both incredibly frightening for the redhead and amazingly friendly, "Xander…are these.."
"Yes. They are." He grinned and walked over, kissing Drusilla on the cheek, "thank you, Mummy."
Spike put her down and she looked at him, "Mummy always knows best, Kitten. Go now. The bees and the trees await. You'll find your stars, Kitten, brewing and brewing, always something at play."
Xander nodded and lead Bill back out of the dungeon towards the corridor.
"That was your brother and sister?" Bill quirked a nervous eyebrow at the man he had thought he was finally getting to know.
"In a manner of speaking." He held out the ring on his left middle finger, "Clan Aurelius. Angelus, the guy you met in the village, he's head of the clan now that the Master's dead. Spike and Dru are his childer, his most powerful childer, making them his left and right hands in the clan, although right now both hands are living in the basement of a castle."
He looked to make sure Bill was following this, "Now, the complicated part. Angelus claimed me as sort of a pseudo-childe, putting me under the protection of the clan." He pulled back one side of his hair to show Bill the white outline of a vamp bite, "When a vampire claims a human being, typically as some sort of mortal fucktoy, but that's beyond the point, they mark them like this but leave them alive. That person then comes under the protection of the Elder's clan. That means that nobody can touch them, clan member or not, without having to deal with the clan Master. It's the only reason that I managed to live so long on a Hellmouth without having god himself looking down on me."
Bill nodded, a look of deep concentration on his face as he thought about this, "Alright."
Xander looked at him, a little worried, "You sure you're takin' this okay, Bill? You're doing some repression thing where you convince yourself I'm crazy and then tie me to a stake with a bunch of burning books, right?"
Bill shook his head, "Xander. You don't get to be a Gringotts curse breaker without seeing your fair share of weird shit. We're a jaded lot, ya know. You've got to be to work for goblins." He smirked, watching Xander.
Xander shrugged, "Better jaded than running in fright." And they left it at that.
Given that Xander was attending Hogwarts for Advanced Potions, it was only to be expected that he spent a lot of time in the dungeons. However, even Professor Snape was shocked at his ardour for the subject, attending every class that he ran from fifth year up.
On Mondays and Wednesdays, Xander had double potions with the fifth year Gryffindors and Slytherins and on Tuesdays and Thursdays he attended the same class with the fifth year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, getting double practice in all the lower level potions. He also attended the N.E.W.T. classes, participatig in the sixth year potions theory class and the seventh year N.E.W.T. prep class.
Potions theory was by far the most interesting course because Xander, although he had studied potions on his own for years, had never had a proper introduction into the whys and the wherefores of how potion-making worked. The term project for spring term, which Snape had been hinting at for a semester, could finally be started now that they had finished a semester of theory, and the topicwas announced in the first class of the semester.
"I want you to know right off that this is not a 'cooking test'." Professor Snape sneered, "This is a serious exercise in the construction of unique potions. Do not presume that you will always have your books with you or that every potion that you need to create will be done so through memorization of the formula or even basic research."
Snape walked through the class, glaring at the sixth years, completely ignoring his son, "You will create a potion. You will write me an essay outlining your progression through the theory, including a complete and annotated bibliography. The essay will be no less than two rolls of parchment long. I want both the theory and trial and failure log to be included in your essay, along with a signed log of the hours you spent in lab doing practical experimentation. This essay and log will be turned in at your final examination in June, at which time you will also brew for me your theoretical potion."
He looked around, for once finding excited faces staring avidly back at him. Yes, teaching the sixth year class was definitely his favourite, "You will come to my office some time in the next week to discuss ideas and possible theory behind your intended potion. Class dismissed."
Xander gathered up his ingredients which, as Professor Snape had privately noticed, had been set up the same way that he himself organized his worktable, and shifted the items into his bag, a faraway look on his face that Snape had come to recognize as his Theory Face. It was the look he had whenever he was trying to work out a problem in potions that didn't really want to be worked out. This was definitely going to be an interesting spring. He only hoped that Harris wouldn't finish the assignment too quickly.
Two days later, Xander walked to his father's office door, rapping lightly.
"Yes?" a voice came from behind the door.
"Professor, I'm here to speak with you about that theory assignment."
The voice called out "Resigna!" and the door swung silently open on its hinges.
Xander walked into the office and sat down in the only available chair, a small armchair. This was the office of a man who lived his work. There was a wardrobe on one wall that, through the slightly open door, he could see fresh robe; there were jars, bottles, and vials along the walls full of common and rare potion ingredients; there were essays sitting on the desk to be marked next to a steaming cup that smelled suspiciously of hot chocolate; an old fashioned phonograph in the corner (a modern one would not have operated within the castle due to the excessive magic output) and a small cauldron hanging over the fire, brewing something.
"I take it you have come to a decision regarding your theory potion?" Snape fixed his gaze on Xander.
"Yes, sir. I want to create bottled sunlight." He smiled at the look on Snape's face as he contemplated the idea.
"You want to create bottled light. The purpose being?"
Xander laughed, "You're kidding right? Bottled Sunlight, specifically, would be the perfect weapon against the vampire threat that reigns in a lot of cities. Like carrying around vials of holy water, only deadlier." He smirked.
Snape nodded, "Very well. And the theory behind it? Have you given it any thought?"
He shrugged, "Just in passing. As the purpose would be mainly in fighting vampires it would need to contain vampire blood or ashes or something like that, to give it a focus. Probably be required to sit outside and actually absorb the UV since creating nature is so much harder than making unnatural things. Possibly include something like unicorn horn to give it that purity..." he trailed off with another shrug, "You know. Something like that."
"I see. And this was just thought in passing?"
"Well, I figured I ought to have some kind of idea how to do this before you bit my head off for having a stupid idea."
"No, Mr. Harris. It is a commendable idea that will likely, if it succeeds, assist your friend in her path immensely." Snape made a few notes on a piece of parchment, "You may go ahead and make the attempt. Keep a full log of all hours of research, the books referenced, even if not implemented, and your hours spent in the potions lab." He handed Xander a piece of parchment from a stack he had sitting under a beaker that served as a spare paperweight.
Xander looked it over.
"Is everything acceptable, Mr. Harris?" Snape raised his left eyebrow.
Xander smirked, "Can you raise the other one all by itself too?"
Snape looked confused as Xander gathered his things together, "No. Why?"
He smiled as he walked through the door, "I never could either."
Xander could almost hear Snape shaking his head, whether in annoyance or humour he did not know, as the door swung soundlessly shut to the intonation of "Claude!"
Xander walked down the hall, glancing from time to time at his piece of paper. There was a turn in the dungeon hallway not far in front of him and, on turning the corner, he walked through a tapestry on his left.
Xander emerged from the secret passage and was looking up and down a portrait gallery where the pictures hung along the dank, torchlit hall. If he hadn't know what they were, he would've wondered whose misplanning had put a gallery in a place that you wouldn't have found if you weren't lost or looking for it.
He walked towards the end of the hall to a picture of a bored looking wizard and smirked, "Hello, Salazar."
The wizard suddenly took notice of him, "Ahh! The Scooby…" He smiled brightly, "Are you my sixth year this term, Mr. Harris? What a relief. I was quite expecting an annoying ankle biter who would explode potion in my room, forcing me to deal with Mr. Filch when he came to clean it up. Nasty squib..." He sneered slightly.
Xander laughed, "Yup. I'm your...well, I'm attending that sixth year class."
"Very well, then. Password?"
"Serpentis." He smirked again. Had to be, with a picture like Salazar Slytherin guarding the entrance.
The wizard's portrait swung open, revealing a small, but comfortable potions lab. There was another portrait inside on one of the wall, to which Salazar moved as soon as his larger picture had swung closed.
"Well. Let me give you the tour, as it were, Mr. Harris. There's your cauldron workstation, including a stock of basic and advanced potions ingredients in that cupboard there. There's also a message board hanging on that wall for you to take notes on when you're working on your project. In the other corner is your relaxation area where you can study and work on your essay."
"What's with the empty bookshelf?" Xander walked over to it.
"Write the name of any book available in the school library, or a subject, on a piece of parchment and place it on the shelf. The book or books of interest will appear there and remain until you rip the piece of parchment in half, or take them yourself to Madame Pince." Salazar smiled, "Enjoy." He walked out the side of his portrait.
Xander looked around. This place was heaven. From the looks of it that armchair probably also folded out to a single bed. "It's perfect." He set down his bag and spent the next hour looking around the room. He also wrote "Potion + Light" on a piece of paper and had a few hours enjoyable hours reading and taking notes on a few pieces of parchment that he left in the room.
At dinner that night, he had an in depth discussion with Jana about sunlight and ancient runes. He had a hunch that using runes on the cauldron itself before brewing might help enhance the potion when it was finished, but it was just a hunch.
"I dunno, Harris. Seems a little far fetched to me, but I could definitely supply you with the runes if needed." Jana took a large bite of her baked potato.
"I don't know yet. I figure I'll try straight theory first, but it's a thought, if the potion doesn't work or isn't strong enough."
Jana nodded, "Have you thought of creating a sun stone to use for it?"
Xander looked confused at the reference, "A sun stone?"
"Yeah. It's a rock, or I guess any object, that you put the Sola charm on to soak up heat from the local area. That's why the warming pan that the elves put between your sheets lasts so long. The houselves cast sola charms on them and then stick them in the fire. You could possibly cast it on a stone and stick it out in the sun..." she trailed off as Xander grinned, following her logic.
"That's a great idea, Jana! I'll see you later!" He grabbed his bag and tok off towards the staff room, hoping to catch Professor Flitwick there.
(knock,knock)
The door was actually opened by Professor Sinistra, "Yes, Mr. Harris?"
"Is Professor Flitwick here?" He tried to look over her should and see the room for himself.
"No. I'm afraid he isn't. I suggest you wait and see him in class. He's always there." She grinned and shut the door on a crestfallen Xander Harris.
As he walked back towards the Great Hall, however, he forgot his disappointment because his curiosity took over.
There was a group of people standing around someone who Xander couldn't see. He was saying something that sounded like, "Nice place. Kinda Big, ya know." Followed by Professor Dumbledore's hearty laugh.
He probably would've kept going down the stairs to see who it was himself if the mystery hadn't been solved by the blur of red hair that ran past him, practically flying at the man, ubilantly greeting him.
"OZ!"
TBC