Disclaimer is in chapter 1.
The trip back stateside was uneventful, and within hours Xander and Wednesday were at Salem, wandering across the campus and waiting for a meeting scheduled with the Headmaster. Arthur Fitzpatrick watched them for a while, observing the two from a distance. He'd heard a lot about both of them, through Professor Hardy as well as others.
The young Addams girl had a frightening intellect, quite possibly in every meaning on the expression, and her records bore that out. Harris, on the other hand, had been an average student in non-magical courses by all accounts. According to his teachers he was a slacker, and while certainly not stupid he wasn't particularly intelligent either.
Arthur wondered if the teachers were incompetent, or if the introduction of magic had changed the child profoundly. While he wasn't a genius, Alexander Harris had proven to be quite impressive in hands on magic. Various reports indicated that the boy could cast a Protego, Stunner, and some other advanced dueling charms well beyond his experience.
His practical test results bore that out, though his theoretical knowledge was spotty at best. Some people just learned better from doing, Arthur knew well, and he suspected that Mr. Harris was one of those.
The Headmaster of the Salem Institute smiled crookedly and strode out into the quad toward his two wayward students.
"Ah, Miss Addams, Mr. Harris. Good to see you both again."
"Sir." They both said, nodding respectfully.
"I wished to see how you both were doing, in the wake of the events at Hogwarts this year. I understand it must have been stressful."
They glanced at each other, then shrugged as one.
Franklin, that's creepy. Arthur thought, shaking off the shiver.
"We're fine, Sir." Wednesday said.
"Good, good. I understand that the Hogwarts tests were canceled this year?"
"Yes Sir. Headmaster Dumbledore believed that the school had been stressed enough," Wednesday told him in a dry, almost sarcastic tone.
"Yes, well, Albus generally does as he thinks best. I would prefer if you two were to take some short practical tests here before you leave for the summer?" Arthur asked, "Strictly speaking, I can't require it, and neither do I want to add to your stress as you said, but it would be very good for your records, and my paperwork, if you consented."
Again the two did that simultaneous glance then head bob as they responded together.
"Of course Sir."
Creepy.
The tests, all Oral and practical, were easily accomplished for the duo and the teachers confirmed on the spot that they were where they should be at least and not to worry about it. As they had been told at Hogwarts, the only test results that counted were first the OWLs, and then later the NEWTs. All other examinations were for internal school use only, and didn't have any real impact upon graduation.
The two spent the rest of their time, while waiting for Wednesday's family to arrive exploring the school grounds and library. Since they had been informed that they could borrow books for summer reading, as any student was permitted, Xander quickly located some books on Wand Crafting for himself, and noted idly that Wednesday was digging into the schools index of rarer potions tomes.
"Will they let you borrow those?" he asked, curious.
"Unlikely, however as we are students here, technically speaking, we can come in at any time during the year to do research." She told him, "I am merely determining what is available."
Xander nodded, "Cool."
She eyed his books briefly, "Are you intending to replace your wand?"
Xander shrugged, "I don't know. I just want to learn a bit about it."
He drew his wand, flipping it idly over his fingers as he looked at the piece of wood. "Pretty much the only thing that separates us from anyone else out there is this stick. I know I'm not powerful enough to ever learn anything more than the most basic of wandless tricks, so without a wand I may as well go back to Sunnydale."
Wednesday considered his words and while she didn't entirely agree with what she felt he meant, she knew that his stated words were factual. Few wizards ever learned wandless casting, it was frightfully consuming on a Wizard's energy. It wasn't that it required more power, though it did, but rather that the focus required was mentally exhausting.
Only the most powerful AND disciplined minds ever mastered true wandless magic.
She was rather fond of Alexander, but knew that he had neither the power nor mental control required. One of those may be corrected, but short of a very few extremely dark rituals, the other never would. She herself was on the cusp, her mental capacity was likely sufficient, however she didn't believe she had the magical stamina make wandless casting practical.
"I understand." She said finally, "you wish to understand what sets you apart."
"Well, yeah, that and I think wands are freaking cool." Xander grinned.
She resisted the desire to pinch the bridge of her nose and groan, Alexander had a way of testing even the limits of her control.
The Addamses came later that day for Wednesday and they said goodbye, exchanging promises to stay in contact regularly. Then Wednesday was gone and Xander retrieved the portkey that would sweep him across the nation.
A word activated it and in a cyclone of motion Xander landed in the Magical district of Sunnydale California. Not that it was much of a district really. More like a back alley several blocks west of the Bronze, right on the edge of the warehouse district. Perhaps two dozen Wizards in total lived within Sunnydale's city limits, most of them probably wanted by some law enforcement group *somewhere*.
Still, the Alley had wards keeping out non magical people and demons alike, which made it one of the safest places in the area according to what Xander had been told.
He dusted himself off from the landing, nodded to a passing witch who had seen better days maybe a century earlier, and made his way to the edge of the wards. He tapped on the footstone at one corner and waited for the doorway to appear. He stepped out into a dirty restroom that had a permanent 'closed for repairs' sign right under the word 'ladies', grimaced slightly, and walked out into the bar with Fenrir chasing after him.
"Hey Willy," He said, nodding to the man behind the bar.
"Hey kid, back already huh?" The squirmy looking man said, nodding to him.
"Yeah, all good in the Dale?"
"Same ol. No big news."
Xander nodded, not really pausing on his way by. "Well I'll see you later, Willy."
"Be watching for ya, kid."
Xander waved slightly, not looking back. He didn't notice, therefore, that Willy had paused in his wiping down of the bar to jot down a note on a pad he kept nearby.
"Mom! Dad! I'm home!"
Jessica Harris came out of the kitchen, smiling at her son. "Hey, Honey, how was the trip back?"
"It was a port key," Xander said dryly, pointing to the scuffs on his pants where he'd hit the ground.
She smiled in response, "I remember those. A little dizzy?"
"A bit, it's not too bad. The one from England was worse." Xander admitted.
Jessica nodded, "You went through international boundaries, and probably some hefty wards."
"Oh yeah? The put up wards around the country?"
Xander's mother frowned, "Not exactly, from what I recall. But there are many layers of wards all through New England."
"Oh," Xander shrugged, "Well anyway, it wasn't too bad."
"How did you do in school?"
"Decent, I guess. I'm better in practical stuff than bookwork, so those classes have better marks."
"You're not letting your bookwork slide are you?" She asked sternly.
Jessica was surprised when Xander laughed.
"Mom, if you knew my friends, you wouldn't ask about that."
She was about to ask for clarification when Anthony and Sam came in from the back.
"Son, good to see you home."
"Thanks, Dad. Pretty good to be back."
"Not missing the magical world already?" Anthony Harris asked, a bit of a bitter tone in his voice.
"Nah. Honestly, I'm missing TV right now." Xander grinned.
Sam laughed, "That's a sensible kid. You get my 'present', kid?"
Xander glared at Sam, "Oh yeah, and we need to have words."
"What? Wasn't it enough?" Sam asked, looking genuinely confused.
"Sam! You... You put a..." Xander grimaced before blurting, "SEX drug in my name!"
Tony and Sam burst out laughing as Jessica sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Come on, kid, it ain't that bad. You can't say the money wasn't good."
Xander sighed, "A hundred and fifty thousand galleons? Yeah, that's pretty good."
"Golden Eagles, actually." Sam corrected, "Comes out around a hundred and thirty thousand Galleons, depending on the exchange. Over a million bucks, USD. That's pretty damn decent. And it's just the advance, once that stuff passes the FDA you get five percent!"
Jessica could see Xander grimacing again and broke in, "I don't entirely agree with Sam's actions, Alex, but he did do well by you. And the money will ensure that your future is provided for."
"I just want to know what the hell you were trying to cook up in the first place," Tony cracked, and started laughing.
That broke Sam up, and in a moment Xander and his mother were watching them, one with a resigned look on her face, and the other with one that promised retribution.
Who are you?
Narcissa Malfoy stared at the text for a long time, wondering what had brought the boy to a realization that he was dealing with a person?
Few wizards of any stripe would have made that connection, not in a world where self-updating books were common and magic seemed to breathe life into the lifeless on a daily basis. It was a penetrating question, one that took her by surprise and made her think.
This one was growing up, she supposed.
Alright, it was time then.
She opened her copy to the index page and pressed a wand to the paper. In a moment a big black dog raced out, panting eagerly as he stared up at her from the pages.
"Alright, Sirius," She said tolerantly. "You may consider yourself off restriction."
The dog barked sharply, jumped around on the page, and then ran across the book and off the page on the other side.
Narcissa sighed, smiling slightly at the memory of her cousin, and carefully and deliberately took a quill and began to compose her answer to the young man's question.