Title: Knightly Mage.
Chapter: Holidays
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: None Really for Buffy, some for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or Harry Potter. I would buy them but I am broke.
Summary: AU. After losing his parents as a baby, and being raised by a Slayer and a Watcher, Xander travels to a famous school in England to help him fight the forces of darkness. Crossover with Harry Potter.
AN: I have altered the timelines so that the Harry Potter characters are the same age as Xander, I.E. born in 1981.
The train pulled up at platform 9 ¾ and Hermione looked across at Xander.
"Aren't you going to get changed?" she asked.
Hermione had changed a while ago, and was now in a denim skirt, white blouse and pale blue jumper. Xander just smiled, removed his Gryffindor tie, undoing the top button of his white shirt, having never worn the jumper despite his Californian heritage, and removing the house emblem from his adapted robes, which he always wore open for effect, and put on his sunglasses. Needless to say, with the alterations he had made, he looked nothing like a wizard; in fact he looked more like the vampire that he hunted than anything else, giving off that air of danger. Xander smiled at Hermione and the spell, which had nothing to do with magic, was broken.
"Wow." Hermione whispered.
"Thanks. Let's go." Xander responded grabbing his trunk.
Using one of the trolleys provided on the platform, with his and Hermione's trunks on it, topped by Sarah in a cage, giving him a reproachful look, Xander walked confidently through the milling crowd of students with Hermione by his side. When they emerged through the barrier he saw Giles standing near a couple who were, obviously, Hermione's parents. Mrs Granger had a similar figure, more mature of course, to her daughter and the same bushy hair, while Mr Granger had the same eyes and some of the same facial features as his daughter.
"Hi, Mom and Dad" Hermione said, getting a hug from her parents.
"Hello Mr and Mrs Granger. Hey G-man." Xander greeted.
"Must you call me that infernal nickname?" Giles said, taking off his glasses and cleaning them in irritation.
"Yes." Xander simply replied.
"Mom, Dad, this is Xander Harris." Hermione introduced, nervously.
Xander removed his sunglasses and gave one of his patented lopsided grins.
"Your daughter has spoken highly of both of you. It is a pleasure to meet you, as it is to know your daughter." Xander said, shaking Mr Granger's hand and kissing the back of Mrs Granger's.
"At least he sometimes remembers the etiquette lessons." Giles muttered as Hermione blushed.
"I believe that it may be time to depart, Lord Rupert Giles. Would you not agree?" Xander said, mock seriously.
"Lord?" Hermione whispered.
"I'll Lord you. Get your stuff ready and head to the car." Giles growled at Xander.
Xander quickly removed Hermione's trunk from his trolley, placing it on the one resting by the Granger's, gave and elaborate bow to Giles and took off down the platform laughing his head off, his robes/trench coat flapping behind him.
"If you will excuse me, I just have to go strangle Xander. Pleasure to meet you, Mr and Mrs Granger. I will see you again in a few days, Hermione." Giles said politely before turning to follow Xander.
As he left the Granger's hear him muttering.
"Never should have adopted him… Bloody Sarah… meet Ripper, then he'll learn…he's the bloody heir to the Giles estate… there goes the Bath, next thing everyone'll be eating Twinkies…"
"Well, that was… interesting." Mr Granger said with a slight grin.
"Hello, Rosenberg residence. Willow speaking." Willow said, answering the phone.
"Your hair's on fire. Doesn't that hurt?" came an innocent voice from the other end.
"Xander?! Oh my god! How is England? How is thenewschoolisitcold
overtheremeetanyoneinterestingohgodImissyouJesseisgoingtogonuts." Willow babbled, mildly.
"Yeah Wills, it's me. England's good, land of Tea and Scones and all that. The new School is good; it's a boarding school that is in a remote area, hence the no calling. I'm friends with the resident Genius, her name's Hermione. You would like her. I miss you and Jesse too." Xander said calmly, having had years of practice at interpreting Willow babble.
"Tell me absolutely everything." Willow bubbled.
"Love to, but these Trans Atlantic calls cost a bundle. Just called to wish you a Marry Christmas and tell you that your present, and Jesse's, should be arriving in the mail soon. If you want to send me any letters or anything, send them to Giles at the apartment in London and he'll forward them to me. Ok?"
"Sure thing." Willow said, so Xander gave her the address.
"I gotta go. Say hey to Jesse for me." Xander said.
"Ok. I'll write. Bye."
"See ya, Wills." Xander said.
The line got disconnected and Willow smiled, skipping away to tell Jesse that Xander had called.
Laughter echoed around the large manor house, something that had not been heard in well over twenty years. Xander ducked the incoming snowball, and lobbed one back in the general direction of the first. His target, however, was not the attacker, Hermione already slipping behind a large tree to conjure another snowball, instead it was his tweed clad guardian. Giles removed his frosted glasses and wiped the snow off his face as he turned to his charge.
"Having fun, G-man?" Xander asked with a smirk.
"I'll show you fun, you sodding prat." Giles replied with a much less cultured London accent.
"Oh oh." Xander said as he took off over the green lawns, followed by the irate 'Terror of the London Underground', a man still feared by the Londonite Demons, Ripper.
Hermione watched on in amusement. Here at the Giles estate, just outside of Bath, she had seen a different side of Xander that very rarely surfaced at Hogwarts. She saw a fun-loving, carefree Xander, one who would joke and kid around, but with a more innocent nature than the pranks played by the Wesley Twins or between Harry, Ron and Draco. Unlike the hard and distant Xander that he showed to Hogwarts, a mask to protect himself, this was a warm and gentle person, who would still fight for what he believed in and to protect those he loved. And to annoy the hell out of Giles.
Giles was an amazing man, in her opinion. With the culture and knowledge that she hungered for and respected but slightly tainted by the darker side of human nature, a past that still haunted him.
"Hey, that's enough." Hermione said, magically dumping a large amount of water on the pair, who were semi-playfully wrestling on the grass.
Almost anywhere else in the British Isles Hermione would have been in serious trouble for that, along with the earlier snowballs, for violating the Restrictions of Underage Wizardry Act of the Ministry of Magic. The Giles residence, however, had wards cast upon it that were more ancient as those surrounding Hogwarts. According to family legend, the wards were cast by Merlin himself, as an extra reward for valiant service when the estate and Lordship of Bath was granted to the family, and one of the wards hid any magic cast by family and invited guests from detection by outside sources.
"Dinner is ready." Announced Kathryn, one of the serving girls.
"Food!!!!!" Xander yelled, breaking away from Giles and heading for the house.
Hermione chuckled. Her water had done little, but food would always draw Xander, except for rare training sessions when he was remembering Sarah. Shaking her head, she moved into the manor house and the family dining room.
Willow was excited. Not only was it Hanukah, but she had gotten a present from Xander in England. Opening the present, she found a book on computer programming, one she had been waiting to come out, and a picture of herself, Xander and Jessie. There was a small note with the picture. 'Look at this and remember me, Xander. P.S. Call it magic.' She looked at the note again, confused. Running up to her room she put the picture on her bedside table and put the book in a bookshelf. When she looked back she could not believe her eyes. The picture was moving. The Xander in the picture was whispering to the Willow, with his arm around her shoulders. The Jessie started to sulk off to the side of the picture then stepped across and punched the Xander in his arm. The Xander and the Willow retaliated with a sever tickle attack against the Jessie. Willow's eyes were torn off the picture as the door opened and her mom walked in.
"You alright, honey?"
Willow's eyes flicked back to the picture and all the participants were still and in their original positions.
"Yeah mom, I just miss Xander." Willow replied.
"Ok. See you in the morning."
"Night mom."
Mrs Rosenberg closed the door behind her, and Willow looked back at the picture, wondering if she was going insane. The Xander was waving directly at her, while the Jessie was blowing a raspberry at the closed door which earned him a smack over the back of the head by the Willow.
"Call it Magic indeed." She whispered as she got ready for bed.
TBC