Chapter One – A Different Sort
Disclaimer: I don't own characters from Buffy or Harry Potter. Nor do I claim to. I'd be living rather modestly for as much money as I'd be making if I did. Franks & Beans and String Cheese are not the standard of a man as rich as I'd be. They're fun to play with, though. The characters, not the food. *dramatic pause* FOOD FIGHT!
Spoilers: Harry Potter through the end of Deathly Hallows, but the epilogue is officially ignored; Buffy spoilers are pretty much all across the entire series.
Feedback: Yes, please. Anything you can tell me will be appreciated, even if I'm too introverted to always respond.
Author's Note: Here's the beginning of Book Two of Xander Harris and the Wizarding World. It starts shortly after the events of Accidentally Magical, before jumping around a bit to showcase the highlights of Xander's education. Unlike Accidentally Magical, the majority of this has yet to be written. That means it will be a little bit longer between parts.
Author's Note 2: I'm considering looking for a beta for the story, to help polish it off as well as maybe toss me ideas that I might not have considered before. If someone is interested, feel free to message me. Man, I hope that's not a can of worms I'm opening.
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Xander sat awkwardly on a stool, obviously designed for children almost ten years younger than himself, at the front of the Great Hall. Headmistress McGonagall stood by his side as he faced the head table. Assembled there were a handful of professors as well as Hermione, Harry, and Ginny. He felt very uncomfortable sitting before all these people, especially knowing he was the center of their attention.
Hermione gave him a reassuring smile, before leaning over to Ginny and whispering something in her ear. Ginny started laughing and had to be steadied in her chair by Harry. They all looked at him and showed him a thumbs up.
He scanned the head table and observed his soon-to-be professors. The four of them were each a head of house and were there to provide orientation to Xander after he was sorted. Professor Sprout still held the position of Head of Hufflepuff and looked at him kindly as he caught her eye. Being a Hufflepuff wouldn't be so bad, he imagined. He like to believe himself loyal and hardworking, so it would be just fine in his opinion to join that house.
Professor Flitwick, perched upon a stack of books as always, was observing him shrewdly, as if trying to judge his magical aptitude from a distance. He was sure that Hermione would have kittens if he were sorted into Ravenclaw, in a good way, but he just didn't see being placed into a house full of brilliant thinkers. His high school transcript, or at least the charred remains, would attest to his lack of scholastic achievement.
The Head of Slytherin Professor Slughorn, who resembled a walrus, was browsing a copy of the Daily Prophet, probably looking for any famous names he recognized as students. Xander was hoping against hope that the Sorting Hat wouldn't see fit to place him in the same house that helped nurture an evil wizard like Voldemort. Hermione would have a completely different litter of creatures if that happened, and he was deathly afraid of what it would do to their relationship.
Finally, representing the house of Gryffindor, Professor Hestia Jones was sizing him up in an entirely dissimilar manner than Prof. Flitwick. If he wasn't mistaken, she looked like she was strategizing how best to take him down in a fight. Harry had told him about the woman, how she was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and helped fight against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The house his new friends had shared stood for bravery and determination. Was he really all that brave? An argument could be made that he was not so much a fearless warrior but more an idiot who didn't know when he was in over his head.
Someone clearing their throat brought his attention back to the headmistress standing to his side. She held the Sorting Hat in one hand and her wand in the other. When she saw that Xander had returned his focus to the matter at hand, she tapped her wand to the hat and it jumped a little bit. A pair of worn flaps along it's side popped open to appear as eyes. They blinked a time or two, before another flap near the brim sprang wide open an a yawning gesture.
The hat looked around at the collected people and grumbled before commenting, "I don't typically get to see this side of the hall..." This earned a few chuckles, "What's the occasion? I'm fairly sure we've already performed a sorting ceremony for the year."
The headmistress addressed the hat with an exasperated tone, "We've a transferring student who needs to be sorted before the term resumes."
The hat raised an eye flap and grumbled, "You aren't expecting another song now, are you? Because a little more notice would have been nice... takes a bloody long time to make it all rhyme." With this the hat twisted itself in her grip to look at the young man sitting on the stool rather uncomfortably, "Bit old to be transferring, isn't he?"
The headmistress glared, "There are special circumstances. Now please, we'd like to get on with this." Her glare was returned before the hat nodded in her grip. McGonagall lifted it up over Xander's head and released it.
Xander felt a tingle as the brim of the hat rested just above his brow. The room around him fell dead silent and his eyes widened. When the voice spoke, almost as if in his head, he fell back off the stool. The landing was hard, but he wasn't seriously hurt, and the hat remained firmly on his head. He quickly gestured to the others that he was okay, preventing them from continuing their rush to his side.
"Bit jumpy, aren't we?" The hat taunted. In response he jerked again but didn't move from his spot on the floor. The hat chuckled, "Never done a sorting from the floor before, rather unique distinction you're receiving here, boy." Xander wasn't sure if he was supposed to reply out loud or if he had to try and mentally talk back. "You can just speak out loud, bit of a silencing spell goes up whenever I'm on someone's head. Helps keep the little discussions I have with students private."
"Discussions? W-what kind of discussions?" He stuttered.
The hat rolled it's eye flaps, "Mostly students begging me not to be sorted into Slytherin. The house may have earned a bad reputation from a number of its members, but some of the most influential people in this world made their way through it. So, how about you? Any protestations about being sorted into Slytherin?"
Xander's eyes bulged, "I... is that what I'm bound for? Is that the house you're picking for me?" He sounded sad, "I never really thought myself that type of person."
The hat clucked it's non-existent tongue at him, "No? Then I suppose you don't remember forcing a certain member of the undead community into participating on a particular rescue mission? Or omitting a particularly important piece of information from a dear friend as she was going into battle with that same vampire? And let us not forget your little gamble in the basement of your high school that you neglected to mention to anyone. You see, boy, Slytherin isn't just about evil and darkness... it's about weighing risk and reward and using them to further your own ambitions."
Xander sat agape, not sure how to digest the hat's assessment of his actions. His mouth opened and closed several times, and beyond the fog he could see concern growing on Hermione's face.
He was broken from his reverie as the hat plowed on, "You're right, though. You really aren't that type of person. You're more than willing to bend any rule, sacrifice any luxury, all in pursuit of your goal. What sets you apart is that goal. You do not seek personal gain, not fame nor fortune... no, your manipulations are based out of a desire for those around you to be well. That is far more noble a goal than the average Slytherin, and makes it a little difficult to place you there without reservations. Mind you, if you would like to pursue that avenue of your character, I will do it."
Xander didn't hesitate, "No thanks, I'm not keen on becoming anymore like that than I have to." He looked Hermione in the eyes and smiled to show her things were really okay. She hesitantly smiled back at him.
The hat nodded, "Very well, that leaves three other houses where I could place you." He thought on it, "I know you don't think yourself smart enough to be called a Ravenclaw, boy, but there's a cunning and ingenuity in that brain of yours that you gravely underestimate. I could cite several more instances where it has shown itself, against the creature known as The Judge as well as your coordination at your graduation ceremony. However, much like your Slytherin qualities, what would make you a good Ravenclaw is not one of your more dominant characteristics. I believe your talents would be better suited elsewhere." Xander processed this information and mutely agreed.
The hat mulled over his next response, "That would leave us with the houses of Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. This is where it gets tricky. You would do equally well in each house. You are undeniably loyal and when pressed you work hard at your task. You value friendship and honesty above almost everything else," The hat paused to draw in a breath it did not really need, "You are also an unabashedly brave and determined individual. And yes, it is most definitely bravery not stupidity that drives you. You never hesitate to leap into the fray in order to protect those you love. Merlin help anyone who tries to get between you and Miss Granger."
"I-I love her." Xander uttered in disbelief, the revelation crashing into him like brick wall. How had things come so far, so fast?
The hat laughed heartily, so much so that it escaped the silencing charm for the rest to hear. They were unnerved to say the least, and the hat continued, "So, then, young man... it comes down to a choice. Would you rather be a loyal and hardworking as a Hufflepuff, or a courageous and resolute as a Gryffindor?"
Xander thought on this a moment, taking in all of his friends, most especially Hermione. His decision was made the moment their eyes met, "I think I can be both, if it's all the same to you, but I'd like to be a Gryffindor."
The had nodded, and Xander briefly felt a sense of satisfaction floating over him, before being startled again as the hat bellowed, "GRYFFINDOR!" This sent his friends, save for Luna who just looked as eternally serene as she always did, jumping from their seats in celebration.
"YES!" Hermione shouted before she came barreling around the head table to tackle him just as he was getting back to his feet. She rained kisses down around his face and looked positively glowing knowing he was sorted into the same house she had been. Xander managed to get her to let up and leveraged himself against her to pull them both to their feet.
He made a show of removing the hat from his head and offered it back to the headmistress, who took it with the faintest gleam in her eye. Hermione would later tell him it was most likely pride at gaining another strong member to her former house. He wouldn't have been able to separate himself from Hermione for the rest of the day even if he'd wanted to. She'd grasped his hand firmly and refused to let go, which was just fine with him. It helped him hold off the shakes he was certain would overtake him following the interesting conversation he'd had with the hat.
All throughout Professor Jones' orientation Hermione kept squeezing his hand and beaming at him with pride. He got to take a look through the Gryffindor common room, even if he wouldn't be staying there it was nice to see what it looked like. After that they were shown to the private quarters that Xander would be staying in while attending the school.
Xander was awed by the accommodations, and Hermione was quite impressed as well. He had his own modest common room, with a fireplace and several shelves of books. Hermione browsed them quickly while Xander admired the worn but cozy looking sofa that sat before the fireplace.
He then took a look into what would be his bedroom and idly noted the bed would easily be a comfortable fit for two people. The devilish grin he gave Hermione left her blushing. Luckily Professor Jones had been looking the other way, speaking to a house elf that had appeared to alter the maintenance schedule for the room.
Xander took them all by surprise as he marched over to the elf and squatted down to get closer, "Hey there, uh, I'm Xander. What's your name?"
The elf looked alarmed as it stuttered, "B-Bippy, sir."
Xander then offered his hand to shake, "Bippy? Alright, nice to meet you." When the elf just stared at his hand in disbelief, he gently took the elf's hand and connected it with his own before shaking, "Don't be afraid, I just wanted to introduce myself and tell you I appreciate the work you do around here."
The elf looked somewhere between terrified and flattered, "Th-thank you, sir." The elf then popped out of the room with a squeak. Hermione grabbed his hand again and nearly broke it with the appreciative squeeze she gave it. She looked absolutely radiant and immediately produced another 'rain check' for a thorough snogging.
She did look a little sheepish as she added, "You might want to be careful about being too nice to the house elves... they're going to know you're dating me, and some of them are still resentful of the... passion I exhibited while I was here at Hogwarts. I went a little overboard, and they might interpret your actions similarly." She looked at him seriously, "Be gentle."
He just smirked, "My little zealot ruffled a few feather dusters, huh? Alright, I'll make sure to be nice to them but I won't go throwing them birthday parties. At least, not until they know I'm not psycho." This earned him a slap on the arm but an equally amused smirk.