Disclaimer is in chapter 1.

Xander and Wednesday had taken a seat in an empty compartment, the dark girl's quiet stare more than enough to scare away any firsties who may have normally dared intrude, and several second through fourth years who had appeared as well. The train rumbled once or twice, and then a few minutes after they had boarded they were on their way. The two sat in what could have been uncomfortable silence for most, but was more of a companionable quiet for them, both reading their own books up until the door burst open and Hermione rushed in.

"Herms." Xander grinned, putting his books aside.

"Oh god, have either of you seen Harry or Ron?" The young witch asked tightly.

Wednesday raised one eyebrow, "Have you misplaced them?"

Used to the Raven of Ravenclaw's sardonic comments, Hermione just slumped into the seat across from them, "I can't find them anywhere, they didn't get on the train."

Xander frowned, "Huh."

"Huh!? HUH!? Is that all you can say?"

"Have you told the prefects?" Xander asked.

"Of course I have."

"Well, until we get to Hogwarts we can't do anything else. Unless you want to fly back on broomstick and search London." Xander suggested wryly, then paled when he saw the gleam in Hermione's eyes, "And I was JOKING about that. Wednesday and I are Americans, for god's sake, we'd get lost before we even FOUND London."

"I would not." Wednesday objected calmly.

"Fine, I would." Xander retorted. "They probably just ran late, they'll get ahold of someone and probably be in the castle before we are."

"You really think so?" Hermione asked, expression hopeful.

"If not, I think that there's a small army of professors who'll be out looking for them, and THEY know the area." Xander shrugged. "Besides, Harry's tough."

"Right, and Ron is with him too." Hermione let out a breath.

Xander glanced at Wednesday, then shrugged, "I'm sure he'll be ok anyway."

Their arrival in Hogwarts was uneventful, though Hermione flew right at Hagrid when the big man arrived to gather up the first years.

"Hagrid! Hagrid, you have to help!"

"There, there, Hermione, what's wrong then?" Hagrid paused, turning away from the quailing first years.

"Harry and Ron never made it on the train!"

"WHAT!?" The giant of a man roared, sending eleven year olds cowering to the cobblestones.

"Relax." Xander said, "Hagrid's alright."

They looked up at him, unbelieving.

"Are you sure?" one asked quietly, looking like he was about to pee his pants.

"He's harmless, unless he sits on you," Xander replied with a smirk.

That was a joke most of them got, and the giggled hesitantly. A redheaded girl nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, my brothers say Hagrid's the best."

Xander turned his focus on her, one eyebrow crooking. "Let me guess, Weasely?"

She glared at him, noting his green and silver, "Something wrong with that?"

"I suppose it depends." Xander replied dryly, "Do you take after Ron, the Twins, or Percy?"

She grinned cruelly. "The twins are scared of me."

"Lord help us all, we're doomed." Xander returned with an expression and a tone to match Wednesday at her sarcastic, cutting best.

The girl reddened, but their attention was diverted away from their banter to where Hermione was chattering urgently with Hagrid.

"Right then," The big man said, coming to a decision, "Let's get your first years in ta the castle. Don't you worry, Hermione, I'll go straight to McGonagall as soon as we arrive. We'll get 'em back, don't you worry none."

"Too late," Hermione said softly.

Xander put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed slightly, then nodded to the carriages. She nodded in agreement and along with Wednesday they headed in that direction.

As they arrived at the waiting carriages, however, two more redheads were waiting.

"Oh brother of mine, look here, our favorite..."

"Test subject has returned."

Xander rolled his eyes, "Do you guys mind? Hermione is worried about Harry and your bother."

The two shrugged, "Those two will be fine..."

"We taught Ron everything he knows."

"Well that explains the attitude." Xander retorted sarcastically.

The twins looked at each other, the grinned evilly at him.

"Just so you know..."

"We didn't get enough time to properly pay you back last year."

"But now, the gods have smiled on us. We must have done something right in a previous life."

The two glanced at each other, puzzled, then spoke together. "Can't imagine what that would have been."

They shrugged, then went on with their normal back and forth.

"Anyway, now we get you for a full year."

"Our prayers have been answered."

"We do hope you're ready for pain,"

"Humiliation..."

"Degradations..."

"And then, when you're used to wearing green and silver again," The twins smirked, "We'll take a shot or two at you as well."

Xander rolled his eyes, "Get a new act, this one's stale."

Then the three boarded the carriages as the twins looked at each other with determined expressions.

"What should we do, brother of mine?"

"I know, we will get him..."

"At the feast!"

"Brilliant!" The two grinned together as the carriage doors closed, leaving Xander to sigh.

"Those two are a good argument for birth control."

"Xander!" Hermione flushed hotly.

As they approached the castle, Xander noticed that Hagrid had indeed beat them there in the normally slow boats and was conferring urgently with Professor McGonagall. The older woman got very tense and hurried off into the castle, which told Xander that at least someone was doing something. He relaxed a bit himself, letting out some tension he hadn't really known he was carrying.

Harry was a good enough guy, and Hermione liked the two of them, so yeah he was a bit worried.

"Oh look, the Barbarian is back and hanging out with his little mudblood again."

The drawling voice cut into the thoughts of the trio as they walked up to the castle, and they looked up to see Draco Malfoy leaning against a wall ahead of them.

"Still with the same old routine, huh?" Xander shook his head, "I told the twins that their act was stale, but you're is growing mold, Draco."

Draco stiffened, glaring at Xander, "How DARE you?"

"Besides," Xander went on, ignoring the question, "It's not like 'mudblood' is a good description of muggle borns, Draco."

"What?" The blond boy blinked, noticing now that the 'conversation' was drawing a crowd.

"Actually, I think that mudblood would be a better description for purebloods who have children with known problems, like squibs." Xander went on, "I mean, how can you call Hermione a mudblood when you don't know what her blood line is, was, or will be? She could be anything, from the worst traits on the planet, to the very best. You just don't know, right?"

"Uh..."

Draco looked lost as Hermione stared at Xander with an expression alternating between horror and fascination.

"I think that muggle borns, real muggle-borns," Xander said pensively, "are better named... Wildbloods."

"Wildblood?" Draco blurted out, going red. "What kind of nonsense is..."

"Well, if you can't predict her blood traits, then she's a wild factor, isn't she?" Xander asked, shrugging. "So you can't call her a mudblood, because you can't prove it. In a couple hundred years, after she's had children, grandchildren, and so on... well then you can say one way or the other, but right now it just makes you sound stupid."

"Indeed." Wednesday intoned as she walked past, "Not that you need the help."

Several of the gathered crowd stopped murmuring at what Xander had said to laugh nervously at Wednesday's comments, which only riled Draco up more. He jumped forward, grabbing Wednesday by the arm and whipping her around violently.

"You freak! You can't talk to me like-!"

Hus statement was cut off by Wednesday's wand jabbing into his crotch, Xander's driving up under his ear, and Hermione's glowing between his eyes. He froze, turning remarkably pale as Xander glared at the two bookends who had only just realized he needed help.

"Back off." Xander growled at Crabbe and Goyle before turning to Malfoy. "Here's how this works. You can insult all you like, we'll insult back. You can argue, we'll argue back. Or you can get violent."

Wednesday looked up at Draco, jabbing her wand once into his groin, "And then we will get violent back... after that, you won't insult, argue, or get violent again. Ever."

Draco, still staring cross eyed at the glowing wand between his eyes, squeaked.

"Now go and play, little boy." Wednesday said softly. "Before I decide to play with you."

They released him and the Malfoy scion stumbled back, practically falling on his ass before Crabbe and Goyle grabbed him to keep him from falling. He stared at them in undisguised fear before the three of them retreated.

"You've gotten better." Wednesday nodded slightly to Xander as they put away their wands.

"Practicing over the summer," he said, "Plus my uncle's former Navy and he decided I needed some exercise and stuff."

Wednesday nodded, not bothering to comment on what 'stuff' was. Xander just grinned at Hermione, nodding to her wand. "That was so freaking cool. What spell were you ready to cast?"

She blushed, "Actually, it was just a tinted lumos spell. I thought it would look intimidating."

"Sweet." Xander grinned, glancing over his shoulder, "I think you intimidated Draco into a new pair of shorts."

"Oh ew!"

"Indeed," Wednesday rolled her eyes, "I did not need that image, thank you very much."

Xander shrugged, "Everyone's a critic."

The trio glanced around, noting finally that they had drawn a crowd. Wednesday coolly ignored them as Hermione blushed at all the attention, but Xander just bowed.

"Thank you, thank you, we're here on year folks." he said with a flourish and bow, "please, no flowers, just throw money."

The crowd chuckled at that and began to break up. The trio were heading in to the school when a scream went up, and they spun around to see people pointing into the air as an old car *flew* past.

"That I did not see coming." Xander said, staring at the sky as the car looped around, barely missing a tower, and came back.

"Oh my god!" Hermione screamed, hands flying to her mouth.

"I'm just guessing, but I'd say that Harry and Ron are here." Xander said to no one in particular.

"What makes you think it's Potter?"

Xander glanced to one side, then nodded to Daphne as the dark haired girl stepped up beside him.

"Two reasons," Xander said as the car did a loop the loop. "First, Harry's the only guy missing who can make an entrance that big..."

The car missed it's landing, then swerved left and careened into the whomping willow, which proceeded, well, whomp on it with a great deal of enthusiasm. Xander winced, "And two, only Ron could possibly screw it up that bad."

Professors rushed out of the school, running in a group down to the willow as it proceeded to pound on the car and, as the school watched, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley were rescued from the flying car before it, apparently on its own cognizance, took off for the forbidden forest.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Xander said, looking at the group of first years that was nearby. "Believe it or not, this isn't really all that strange."

A few of them tittered nervously, then several laughed outright, and as the word came back that both Harry and Ron would be alright after a stay in the infirmary wing, they began to laugh almost uncontrollably as the teachers came back, looking completely befuddled by the reaction of the students to the events in question.

Xander let out a breath, then looked around to see that Hermione was gone, chasing after the teachers who had Ron and Harry. He shrugged, then extended an arm to Wednesday with exaggerated gallantry.

"Shall we?"

She looked at him evenly for a moment, then nodded and accepted his arm.

Green and Silver strode with Blue and Black, walking through the laughing first years and into Hogwarts and their second year of magical education.