Disclaimer is in chapter 1.
After the Hogsmeade visit Xander turned his focus back to the Arithmantic work needed to construct the Marauder's map. It was both complex and simplistic in nature, since most of it was tied into the Protean Charm. The individual equations were easy enough to deal with, really they were simple addition and subtraction work since the Wizarding world hadn't yet gotten too deep into multiplication and division as far as Xander could tell.
It was weird, in a way, he thought. He had yet to find one single instance of multiplication or division in his Arithmancy books. Everything was add this, subtract that. The real complexities of Arithmancy seemed to be in the number selection, as there was a huge difference between three of something or four. In fact, from a magical point of view, you were almost always better off using three instead of four or five, even if logically the situation would seem to call for more quantity.
That bugged the hell out of him on one level, but mostly Xander just shrugged it off. He knew that there had to be something more to it than just what was in the books, but he supposed that it was in the more advanced courses offered later.
Certainly there was a LOT of power available in the simple addition and subtraction of magical numbers. In class they had broken down the Wingardium Leviosa spell from first year, analyzing its numerical formula. It was rather surprising to learn that the spell was just a long run of threes and sevens being added or subtracted in what looked suspiciously like a triple meter beat.
He'd brought that up in class, only to receive a strange look from the teacher and a sneer from some of Malfoy's sycophants in the row behind him. He just sighed and went back to work.
Music wasn't something Xander knew a lot about, but he'd taken some piano and guitar lessons in school and had even gotten some lessons with Willow when she learned to play the recorder and flute. He couldn't exactly read sheet music, but he could get a sense of the pace, and he was almost CERTAIN that the spell formulae was broken into a triple meter beat.
Tying the numbers into the incantation and wand motion was another aspect of the formulae that Xander found pretty cool, though. Well, actually, the term 'tying' was all wrong. He noticed immediately that the swish and flick motion was actually part of the base formula, and all charms would have similar base wand movements. The incantation, however, was a bit of a puzzle. He couldn't find any connection there at all, it was as if the words had nothing at all to do with the spell.
It was all terribly confusing, but at least Xander now felt like he was really at school. For a while there he had started to imagine he was just getting to play every day.
Hermione watched, eyes narrowing like a Hawk's before striking, as Xander worked on the next step in the making of the Marauder's Map.
How did he get the instructions for such a thing? Especially since Harry was now holding the original, or what she supposed was the original.
And just who were Moony, Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail? They had to be brilliant students, she thought, to have devised a map like this, but at the same time it was obvious that they were troublemakers on the order of which only the Weasley Twins seemed to approach.
It was all very distressing, Hermione found. She felt like she was caught between her two groups of friends, not able to tell either group about the other without betraying someone. She was distracted for a moment when she noticed Xander struggling with the Arithmantic formula for part of the map, and realized why it seemed to be so out of place.
"Xander, where's your Grimoire?" She asked.
Xander looked up, his face darkening. "I left it in my room."
"Why? You always bring it..."
"I just did, ok." He said, sharply enough to leave her feeling rebuked, so Hermione quieted down.
Wednesday looked between them, eyes glittering darkly as she measured the conversation but remained silent.
The fall term swung ever closer to an end, and Xander found himself looking forward to Christmas Hols since he knew he would be spending it with the Addamses again. He had, once more, offered to remain at Hogwarts but neither Wednesday nor Gomez would hear of it. Xander hadn't really expected much else, but felt the need to make the offer anyway.
Work on the map was progressing nicely, though it was a lot rougher without the help of the shade of Sirius Black and occasional answers from Narcissa Malfoy. Even so, Xander didn't want to bring the Grimoire out again, not until he knew he could trust it. With the constant fear of Black practically permeating the entire school, even Xander was feeling a lot of paranoia over the figure he'd originally considered a slight pain in the ass at most.
The end result of the paranoia, though, was a steep decline in Xander's capability to manage his 'fun' projects, and a lot more focus required on his school work. That, in turn, made the school work feel more and more like, well work, and left him feeling a little trapped by the drudgery of constant repetitions of the same little thing.
He was really looking forward to the upcoming Break.
Gomez and Mortisha Addams arrived in the town of Hogsmeade by car, the old Rolls silently appearing out of a fogbank and rolling smoothly down the cobblestone streets much to the shock of the town's populace.
"Isn't that one of them muggle carts?" Mundungus Fletcher drawled slightly as he looked out from his permanent seat in the Hogshead Tavern.
"Can't be." Aberforth Dumbledore said without looking up, "The whole town is under muggle repelling wards."
"Looks like one ter me."
Aberforth sighed, then turned and looked just in time to see the Rolls slide fully past. "My word. Was that a Silver Cloud?"
"No, that was a Cart, I'm telling ya."
Aberforth rolled his eyes and made his way to the door in time to confirm his thoughts. "Good lord, that car is worth more than... well much of the town, I believe. How on earth did it get here? We aren't even connected to the highway."
"What high way?" Fletcher asked, leaning out past him, and looking up as if peering for the way Aberforth was talking about.
The bar owner sighed, "never mind, Fletcher. Go back to your drink, the car must be enchanted so it's not muggles."
Fletcher shrugged and happily went back to his drinks.
Elsewhere in town the passage of the vehicle elicited many of the same reactions from the inhabitants of the town, confusion both from those who were aware of what it was, and even more so from those who weren't. At the far end of town one Narcissa Malfoy was tiredly finishing up what had become a near daily routine of Mutt Watching when the vehicle appeared from around a corner and nearly ran her down on its way past.
"Well I'll be!" She gasped, glaring at the departing muggle conveyance. "It's bad enough to deal with those blasted things in London, but what is one doing here!?"
She glowered after it for a while, but it was on its way up to Hogwarts and she couldn't muster up the indignation to chase after it. Frankly, she had her own problems to deal with, and careless fools in muggle toys weren't even remotely on her list of priorities.
"Quite a stir." Mortisha said, glancing out the back of the Rolls.
"Indeed!" Gomez grinned, slightly maniacal as he waved his cigar around. "They must recognize the Addams car and have come out to greet us. Wave to the nice people, Tish."
She waved dutifully, but frowned ever so slightly, "That blond woman doesn't seem to be the greeting type."
"Nonsense!" Gomez declared, "Why else would she have risked getting so close to the car as we passed by? Why Lurch almost run her down."
"True."
"Such nice people." Gomez marveled.
"Perhaps we should consider a home in the area?" Mortisha suggested.
"Capital idea, love. The weather is positively dreary in the fall, perfect holiday weather." Gomez said, "It might be nice to have a home in the Old World again."
Lurch, from the front, glanced back and droned out, "The School."
The couple looked ahead to see Hogwarts Castle approaching as they topped the hill.
"It's just such a..." Mortisha grimaced, "light and airy place for an old castle, don't you think? These are usually so wonderfully dreary."
"Ah, love, not everyone can have the comforts we enjoy," Gomez said sadly. "It's a truth of the world that injustice reigns."
"I know," She leaned into him, "but why must Wednesday endure this?"
"It builds character, love. You'll see."
The conversation was cut off when a dark, dank feeling of hopeless dread filled them, and the two Addamses exchanged glances briefly before Gomez leaned forward.
"Lurch! Stop the car!"
The Rolls slid to a stop, and Gomez was instantly out. "You feel that, Tish?"
"That's not natural," his wife said as she nodded, "Where...?"
"There!" Gomez pointed, noting the darkening form floating in their direction.
"Demons? Here?" Mortisha blinked.
"Dementor, unless I miss my guess." Gomez said, his face serious. "The locals keep them as prison guards on some island up the coast."
"So why are they here, at a school?"
"Some imbecile in government, I suppose. I can't imagine Mr. Dumbles allowing it, he's far too cheerful a sort to permit this, so it must be someone above him." Gomez didn't move as the demon approached.
"Oh dear," Mortisha said distastefully. "And with Wednesday around too."
"Yes well, we'll see about this." Gomez just barely grunted out, his demeanor changing as he suddenly glared at the demon as it approached, the feeling of chilled air increasing tenfold.
The Dementor paused, hitching in mid-flight, and then dropped like a stone to the ground where it crumped and didn't move again.
Gomez smirked, "Still got it."
"Of course you do, Mon Cher."
The serious demeanor was gone in an instant as Gomez spun around, eyes wide as he stared at his wife.
"Tish! That's French!"
Lurch only moaned as Gomez vaulted across the priceless automobile, grabbed his wife's arm, and began to pepper her with kisses.