Disclaimer is in chapter 1.
Platform 9 and Three Quarters, London.
The trip from Salem had gone as smoothly as any International Portkey had ever gone in Xander's experience. That is, he would up flat on his face while Professor Hardy and Wednesday looked down at him in thinly disguised amusement.
"The secret to landing on your feet is to remember that you're moving," Hardy said as he helped the boy up. "Most people, especially non-magical raised, expect it to be some sort of teleport. Star Trek, beam me up Scotland, and all that."
Xander barely held back the snicker, though he had to admit that Hardy was a lot better at the non-magical references than most Wizards seemed to be.
"It's not, however." Hardy went on, "We're actually moving, and you have to land like your moving. Move your legs to absorb the excess momentum, and you'll land at a walking pace. If you don't, it'll just slam you into the ground every time."
"Thanks." Xander said, shaking himself as he looked around.
The Platform was filling up nicely, students from all over England gathering for their year at Hogwarts. At a glance you could easily tell who was the purebloods and who came from a non-magical family, irrespective of whether they wore robes or jeans. There was just something about how they walked that gave them away, in Xander's opinion.
"I smell fear." Wednesday said softly, looking around.
"What?" Xander glanced over at her.
She didn't repeat herself, however, instead choosing to study the crowd. "Police."
"Where?"
She nodded to several red cloaked wizards who were moving through the crowd, then again to several others that were moving the same way, but wearing normal robes. Only after did she turn to Professor Hardy, "Has something happened?"
Hardy frowned, "I'm not sure. I heard something about an escaped criminal, but that was weeks ago."
"Hang on, I'll find out." Xander said, spotting someone he knew.
He made his way over, through the crowd, and paused by her side. ""lo."
Daphne Greengrass jumped a little, then smiled as she recognized him. "Harris. How was your summer?"
"Well spent," Xander returned the smile. Then he nodded around, "What's going on? Aurors running around, both in and out of uniform, and people are tense enough to snap if you look at them wrong."
Daphne glanced around and sighed, leaning in closer to whisper, "It's Sirius Black."
"Black?" Xander blinked, honestly stunned.
Daphne mistook his reaction for something else and nodded, "I know. How anyone could escape from Azkaban, I have no idea, but he did it. I take it you just got here from America?"
Xander nodded.
"The Ministry's been pumping it up for weeks, now, even though Black hasn't been seen since he got loose," Daphne said, "My father expects that Fudge is using it to push some unpopular legislation through the Wizengamot."
"What did Black do?" Xander asked, really curious.
"You don't know?"
"American, remember?"
"Ah, yes, well..." Daphne gave him an arched look. "Black is the one who betrayed the Potter's to the Dark Lord. After He Who Must Not Be Named died trying to kill Harry, they say Black went mad, He killed Peter Pettigrew and over a dozen muggles with a single curse and was laughing hysterically when the Aurors found him."
Xander frowned, trying to place that with what he knew of Black from the Grimoire. Sirius was a pain in the ass, but a Blood Purist he was not. At least not by words or actions within the book. Very strange, Xander thought. Of course, Wizards were all nuts, so who knew?
Daphne took his frown for worry and merely shrugged, "I wouldn't worry overly. Daddy says that Black's reputation is overblown anyway, he's really only so widely feared because as the traitor who have up the Potters he's almost as famous as the Dark Lord himself. He was a good Auror, apparently, but nothing beyond that."
Xander nodded with a quirk of his lips and a shrug, "Hey, I'm not worried. Even if he is some super villain incarnate, he's going to go after Harry first, remember?"
Daphne giggled slightly, but nodded. "That's what everyone says."
Xander nodded, mind racing, and thanked the girl for her help before heading back to Hardy and Wednesday. He quickly filled them in as the students began to board.
Hardy shook his head, "Going to school with that Potter boy seems to keep things from getting dull, I'll admit. Alright, I'll see you at school in a couple weeks. Follow your lesson plans, and do watch your backs."
"Yes Sir." They said together, drawing a smile from the man.
"Go on, get lost the both of you."
The two smirked and clambered aboard the train.
The train filled up quickly, but Wednesday and Xander had scored an empty compartment with little trouble. Most people who past took one look at Xander's Slytherin colors and moved on, and those who seemed inclined to enter paused when they spotted Wednesday before bolting. There was one who ignored the terrifying third years, however, and entered quietly.
"May I sit here?"
Wednesday looked over at the blond girl, recognizing her as a Ravenclaw a year behind them and nodded. "You may."
Luna Lovegood smiled, her expression a little dazed like she wasn't exactly listening to the here and now, and promptly dropped into a seat across from them. "Thank you. I'm Luna."
"Xander." Xander said with a smile.
"Wednesday."
"Oh, I know." She said, "You're infamous in the dorms."
Xander snorted, "She's infamous everywhere."
He grunted under a strategically placed elbow, and forced a smile through the pain. "Truth hurts, I guess."
"Yes." Wednesday replied, "Particularly the person who speaks it."
The train got underway, leaving the three alone in their carriage and to their own devices. Xander spent some time working on his old 'battery' project, using some ideas Willow had given him, while Luna tried to engage Wednesday in a chat about magical creatures.
"I knew I could sense the wrackspurts in this compartment," Luna said, her tone disconnected from her expressions. "They must cling to you terribly."
"You are mistaken," Wednesday returned equally, "Wrackspurts tend not to survive around an Addams."
Luna blinked, "Oh! Then they must be..."
Wednesday permitted herself a slight smile.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry to hear that."
"Why? I get along fabulously with them."
Xander looked up from his book, his mind having half been on the conversation, and noted that Luna's expression had shifted to one of mild, though wide eyed, apprehension. He made a note to ask what the hell they were talking about later, but after years of experience with Willow, Wednesday, and Hermione, he wasn't stupid enough to ask it now when the two of them could gang up on him and bury him in facts he didn't need, nor particularly want.
So he filtered out the conversation and went back to his notes.
The problem of a Magical battery was a pain, though Xander was starting to think that maybe he had a way around it. Willow had pointed out that there were lots of historical, and current, magical items that did exactly what he was talking about. They stored magical power, and let it out on command.
The problem was that they all used certain things in common with each other. Gold, Silver, and Wood were good at holding a spell, for example, however he didn't want some large clunky item. He was looking for a tattoo, much to Willow's ire.
Oh the rant she's leveled on him over that one, Xander shuddered to even remember it. Still, the conversation did bring up some good points. He *could* use gold and silver, in fact many high end tattoo inks used metals as their base. The problem was that they were trace amounts, not enough to hold any significant charge of magical energy.
That was where Runes came in.
Runes could also hold a charge, and even generate one to a degree. So now Xander was looking into how to work gold and silver based inks, with runic designs, into his concept. He'd run the numbers by Hermione, then Willow, and see if anything came of it.
While Xander was reading the train got underway, and sped quickly to its destination. They were closing on Hogsmeade, in the process of getting changed for school, when the train stopped suddenly and threw Xander into Wednesday, and both of them into Luna.
"What the hell?"
The trio got untangled, and Xander was looking around in confusion.
"Is it getting cold in here?" He asked, shivering suddenly.
"Yes."
Xander glanced over at Wednesday, surprised at her answer. He's assumed it was just him, but then he looked at the window and saw what she saw, ice crystals forming quickly along the glass. His wand was out in a second, trailing just behind Wednesday's own. "What's going on?"
"We're being searched." Luna said, her tone clearer than before, but somehow smaller.
Xander glanced over, and was disturbed to see the girl curling up and shuddering on her seat. "Are you ok?"
"No." She said, barely muffling a sob. "No please..."
Xander felt sick to his stomach, the chill pealing through him as the light itself seemed to retreat. "Wednesday... what's going..."
"Get behind me." She said, pushing him back.
The door to the compartment burst open then, and Xander saw a ghastly thing float in. He shivered, but lifted his wand, the bone splitting curse on his lips.
"Don't." Wednesday pushed his arm down. "It won't work."
"B... b-but." Xander shivered.
"Hold her." Wednesday pushed him at Luna. "It will help."
He slumped into the seat, and almost instantly Luna latched on to him, sobbing into his shoulder. Xander felt cold, through and through, like every good thing in his life had been taken, and would never return. And so he held her back, and it seemed to help as the feeling lessened.
"Get out." Wednesday said, staring evenly at the thing. "There is no one here that you seek."
The thing gazed at her for a long time, then slowly backed out, retreating from their compartment the way it had come. The door closed behind it, and for a moment nobody moved. Then Wednesday Addams took a shuddering breath and slumped, falling into Xander's free arm as he grabbed her and pulled her into the seat.
"W-what the hell was that thing?" He gasped out.
"Dementor." Wednesday said, "Minor demons."
She shivered slightly, eyes burning as she looked at him. "I hate demons."