Title: A Kind of Magick
Author: DhampyrX2
Genre: X-over w/ Harry Potter
Series: none...yet
Rating: PG-13, just to be safe
Summary: Xander accompanied Giles and Willow to England to make sure she settled in well with the Devon coven after her Darth Willow episode, and has a chance to check in with some of his lesser discussed relations.
Timeframe: Between seasons 6 and 7.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Don't sue me, I'm poor.
"b..bu...bloody hell," Draco exclaimed in shock.
"Why yes, that is where I live still. Thanks for asking, squirt," Xander replied with a sly grin.
"Xander? What in the hell are you doing here? How in the name of Merlin did you get here?" Draco responded with utter disbelief.
The only son of the youngest Black sister shrugged indifferently as he replied, "Well, I came to see you, first of all. As for getting here, I arrived in the country by airplane; you know those muggle metal dragons, I think you called them when I described them? Then I met Dora, had a few pints, flooed home, flooed back, got a room, and headed here."
"That's not what I meant you miserable mudblood prat! I meant what are you doing here in Hogwarts! Not to mention in my Potions lab, a lab run by a man my father calls a close enough friend to name him my godfather," Draco hissed as he stalked up to the carpenter in an attempt at discretion by being able to lower his voice.
The elder nephew of Andromeda Black seemed unaffected by the urgency in Draco's eyes as he shook his head and responded, "Think for a minute, Puff. How would I even get here if Master Snape didn't know about it? In the school, definitely. The security here sucks. In the classroom of a man smart enough that Aunt Cissa asks him for favors when needed? I'm not that sneaky. So don't worry your widdle pwurbwudded heb about it. This won't get back to that wrinkly lizard man you daddy dearest spends his time sucking up to," his tone reducing to baby talk to mock the young Malfoy heir.
Draco looked incredulous and disgusted as he sneered, "You actually trust Snape without knowing him? Now who isn't thinking?"
"Trust him with giving two shits about my life? No way. Trust someone your mom would allow your arsemunch old man to name as your godfather to not say anything that could put you in danger? Especially when he could get blamed for me arriving here in the first place? That's a little bit more secure," Xander replied with a roll of his eyes.
"Yes, well, that is a different spin on it, I suppose," Draco replied a bit flustered as he thought about what Xander had said.
As for the White Knight himself, he was trying not to roll on the floor laughing. Draco's tone and mannerisms so closely mirrored Giles' when he had the air let out of the sails of a pet theory of his that Xander had to suppress the desire to take the boy out to shop for a new tweed coat.
Draco's ruminations finally ended as he sneered and crossed his arms in a huff and tried to look down his nose at Xander and said, "That still doesn't explain why you're here, mudblood."
"Considering your godfather's and Sprite's pedigree, I'd watch the insults, little man," Xander shot back without a hint of caring one way or another about the emergence of Draco's inner Lucius. "Particularly with someone who has swiped your wand and noogied you until you cried mercy the last time you tried to intimidate him. You're neither too old for a noogie, nor an atomic wedgie if you get too rude. And Dobby isn't at Aunt Cissa's side to get you loose this time. We do remember the atomic wedgie, don't we Puff?" the so called Zeppo asked with a leering grin that was far more intimidating that Draco could achieve. In fact, the platinum blonde would swear in private that it was getting up there with Severus and Aunt Bella in the intimidation range. Hellmouth living had really sharpened his only male first cousin's edge as of late.
Any reply Draco could have formed in conjunction with his worried shake and sudden cold sweat was interrupted as an audible POP was heard followed by a squeaky, "Isses someone callin' for Dobby?" as the aforementioned former Malfoy family house elf, now in the employ of Hogwarts as a free elf, appeared. He scanned the room nervously as he asked. Master Snape was usually curt and precise, as he had been when he had visited the Bad Old Master as well, but he didn't like to kick or hex Dobby, and he at least gave a nod of satisfaction when matters were tended to his liking. Dobby's inspection of the room revealed the bad young former master, then someone that made the creature squeal with delight as he ran up and grafted himself to his leg.
"Good Master Alexander LaVelle!" the house elf squealed, careful to use the exact pronunciation the bad young Master had taught him was the good Master's proper name. It was one of the few times Draco was kind to Dobby as he made certain the elf gave his cousin the proper respect. After all, the good Master talked kindly to Dobby before even Mr. Harry Potter had, and he gave him treats at tea.
"Dobby?" Xander asked with a confused glance at Draco. Aunt Cissa rarely mentioned house elves beyond ordering them to do something, so he had no idea why the creature was there. As far as Xander knew students weren't allowed personal servants at school.
Draco looked irritatingly smug at the thought that he had information Xander lacked, and he basked in that bit of personal glory for a few seconds before he snorted and replied, "Potter tricked father into releasing the little wretch our second year by hiding a sock in a book that father handed to Dobby."
"Which means he gave him clothes and was set free. Nice bit of out of the box thinking. Maybe the kid should have been put in Slytherin. It would have prepped him better for whatever crap the old man has cooked up for him," Xander responded with an approving nod. It was the kind of thing Xander himself would have pulled, something you never saw coming until it bit you in the ass.
"I'll ignore that drivel as you being too close to an infernal portal for too many years. It has obviously rotted out your brain," Draco informed Xander derisively. "If not for the sake of ignoring the plans of that muggle loving old fool, then for the sake of preserving our house from the mere implications of such an indignity."
Xander's response was a simple one. He shook his head sadly and said, "I need to get you out of this country. Your going from talking like Giles to talking like Wesley. I think it's your brain that's rotted out."
Dobby wanted desperately to inform Master Alexander LaVelle that Draco was truly already rotten to the core, but he thought better of it. He may have been a retainer of the Malfoy family, but he understood just as well as that horrible elf Kreacher just what the family bonds of the Great and Noble House of Black were. It simply wouldn't do to insult the youngest of the family, even if ti was true. "Isses Master Alexander LaVelle wanting something from Dobby? Headmaster Dumbledore sir said that we house elves is to be getting Master Alexander LaVelle anything he is wanting while he's here for his work. Dobby would be most honored to serve the kind Master anything he is wanting."
"Well, I actually mentioned you while remembering that summer nine years ago, Dobby, but it's nice to see that you found yourself a good place. I think we're fine for right now," Xander responded kindly.
Dobby smiled widely at Xander one more time at that declaration, before he directed a glare at Draco, then disappeared with another pop .
"Must you patronize that traitorous little worm like that?" Draco sneered in a tone just short of a whine.
"Wanting to get away from the way your father treated anything he had power over isn't something to get upset over, Drakkie," the White Knight replied.
"So, oh wonderful, cousin. Just how is it that the old coot knows you're here and is allowing house elves to serve you? I thought you could sneak in anywhere by Severus' rooms?" Draco spat.
Xander smiled as he replied, "Officially, I'm a junior Watcher here to do a perspective piece for the archives on Hogwarts in the modern world. Unofficially, I'm here to talk to you about your options and try to save you from Lucius' stupidity. Unless, of course, you're looking forward to your boss new tattoo over the coming summer?" Xander responded his voice going emotionless as he evaluated his cousin's reaction. The sudden paleness and fear that ghosted across the boy's countenance for a fraction of a second practically made Xander want to break out into song. The 'bludgeon him with a shovel and drag him off in the middle of the night' plan might not be needed after all.
Of course, that isn't to say that Puff's shields weren't at maximum the second the words left Xander's mouth. "How dare you talk about my father like that. He's a great man, a great WIZARD and you are simply..."
"A free man. As opposed to old Uncle Luke, who is currently in a holding cell pending whatever formal trial they need to put him away for life. I told you I talked to 'Dora. The papers might be keeping it quiet, but I know he was caught licking Moldybutt's ass the wrong way at the wrong time. Money won't buy him out of his own personal Nuremberg twice. Doubly so when he was caught in a forbidden government building while attacking school kids. So stop trying to parrot his racist crap and talk to me like an adult for once," Xander replied evenly.
"Why you miserable, self-centered, Gryffindor-ish MUDBLOOD!" Draco screeched hotly. Any further verbal abuse was cut off as Xander slapped him right in the face, staggering the boy.
"I said this wasn't the time to play, little snake. Daddy and his stupidity aren't the issue here. It's his Master I'm concerned with. You know the Dark Lord your noble father was kneeling to for the whole of your life. Like a good servant," Xander sneered ruthlessly.
Draco looked physically ill at Xander's words. They certainly hurt more than the slap to keep him from falling off into a state of hysteria. "You have no concept of what we had to do. What my father chose..." Draco began.
"Do you want to be a Death Eater?" Xander interrupted.
"What?" Draco demanded in alarm.
"Do. You. Want. To. Be. A. Death. Eater? I didn't stutter, Draco," Xander returned.
"Are you insane? Asking something like that of me? Here?" the young wizard emphasized.
"Probably yes to the crazy. I'm here for trying to help you, after all," Xander shot back. "As for the location, it's probably the least likely to be monitored. Snape seems the type to ward against listening in from Bumblebee man, and it would look suspicious as hell for your dad's buddies to check on him here. Oh, don't look at me like that. You think I'd talk this openly without a damn good idea of what's going on here? That Aunt Cissa would invite me to see you through someone that would hurt either of us for talking? Where are all those Slytherin brains and cunning I hear so much about. This is the only place you should let your guard slip, Draco. Not walking off to the Quidditch pitch."
"Mum sent you. Of course she did. NOW she's ready to interfere again. She couldn't send me to Durmstrang like I wanted to. She just had to interfere. She couldn't arrange to cover father's arse, so she summons you. Well, oh wise one. What do you have to impart on me? What wisdom will you show this lowly wizard?" Draco sarcastically pleaded.
"I'd do my Karnac impression, but your humor is severely limited and would never survive such genius," Xander sniffed in response to Draco's sarcasm. "As for how we play this, that depends on the answer to your question. Do you want to be a Death Eater?"
Draco huffed disgustedly as he sneered and spat, "What do you think?"
"Because I asked you. Now Do you?" Xander replied coldly.
"Grrr...just shut the hell up," Draco replied.
"Do you?" Xander pressed.
"Leave me alone!" Draco snapped
"Do you!"
"Quit asking me that!" the young wizard raged.
"DO YOU?" Xander restated.
"SHUT UP!" Draco shouted.
"DO YOU?" Xander pressed.
"I DON"T KNOW!" Draco finally admitted. "I don't bloody know alright! Is that what you want to hear you wanker? That I can't decide where I stand? That as much as the politics and words sound right, they don't mesh with what I've seen growing up? That the thought of torturing some stupid hapless muggle does nothing to help the magical world and the thought makes me ill? Is that what you're fishing for? That I don't want to murder on command? That I don't think I can cold-bloodedly murder people at all? IS THAT WHAT YOU DAMN WELL WANTED TO HEAR?"
"I just wanted an answer. Now you have to ask the questions, Puff. I'll be here for most of the end of the term when you have some answers. If not there, I'm staying at that stinking dive the Hog's Head in town at night. You started to think. Now you have to figure out what you're thinking of." Xander said with a smile as he started to head for the door of the room at a casual pace.
"Where are you going?" Draco asked in confusion.
"Old school technique I figured out a long time ago, Puff. When your world turns upside down and shit happens, take a few hours to let it settle before you do anything as long as nobody's about to die and the world isn't ending. Words to live by, I guess. Oh, and kicking trashcan helps too when there isn't a vampire around to annoy. See you soon, runt," Xander replied as he ruffled Draco's hair playfully on his way out. "Oh, and good luck avoiding that Pansy chick. Snape filled me in. You have me deepest condolences."
And with that, he walked out the door and was gone, leaving properly asked questions, and time to think about the answers.
END PART 9