Chapter 9: Christmas Changes
DaughterOfIris23 and Dashti-the-dramione-shipper are the betas for this chapter.
HP-BTVS-HP-BTVS
The group assembled in front of the courthouse. They were all upset and happy at the same time: happy that Harry was finally free of the Dursleys and upset that Dumbledore had slipped the bobbies so soon. They'd been hoping he would behave, at least until nightfall.
Xander was just glad that he had put wards up on the Grangers' house so they couldn't be found by magicals, not that he planned on staying there long. He was going to take them all to Hogwarts after Christmas. Right now, they were wondering how, exactly, they were going to get to the Grangers'.
"Well, we have the car, but it'll only hold five, or six if we squeeze," Dan said, looking at McGonagall and Dora. "I'm sure if you came all this way, you'd like to celebrate with us."
"Yes, that would be appreciated," Minerva said, with a small smile.
"We can Apparate, but I don't know where your house is," Dora offered, wrinkling her nose in concentration. "Maybe if you had a map, I could try."
"Sorry, I didn't think to bring one with me. What about you, Professor? You were there," Emma commented, seeing if the woman remembered.
"How peculiar, I used to know. I seem to remember the address, but I am unable to get a fix on the location," McGonagall said, confusion evident in her voice. "I distinctly remembered sitting in your home, telling you about magic. But now, it is if it had happened in a dream. Fidelius?" she asked, looking towards Xander.
"Good to know. No, not the Fidelius, but close. Still, it's good to know the wards work," Xander smirked. "What's Apparate mean?"
"It's a means of instantaneous travel-" started Hermione.
"Wait! we can teleport?" The one-eyed man was all but bouncing in place with excitement. "I mean, Willow never figured out how. Actually, now that I think about it, she couldn't do a lot of things I've seen work here. Not that she didn't try. I wonder if the reason is how much magic is in this reality, or maybe it's her own limitations. That can't be right, though, because Willow could do many things you guys have never heard of. Well, until me that is."
"Really, this is something you're going to have to research. I'd love to see what you come up with," Dora said excitedly, with Hermione nodding in agreement.
"So, teleport?" Xander asked, making a mental note to do just that.
"No, not exactly. It's more like opening a wormhole, a very narrow wormhole, and getting sucked in," Dora answered.
"What is a wormhole?" McGonagall asked, confusion clear on her face.
"It's a fantasy science fiction muggle thing," the pink-haired woman answered, not wanting to open that can of worms. "Anyway, you need to know where you're going and have confidence in what you're doing or you'll splinch, which is leaving parts of you behind."
The Grangers and Harry leaned against the courthouse wall and watched the three. They all shuddered at the splinching part, but they listened intently to the rest. Harry and Hermione didn't want to pass up an opportunity to learn, and Dan and Emma were simply fascinated.
"Give me a minute; I want to see if I can figure it out," Xander said as he started to pace. When he bumped into a passerby, he said, "We'd better take this to an alley. Wouldn't want to break the Statute of Secrecy."
"Good idea," McGonagall agreed, leading the group to the nearest back street. After they all entered, she cast a notice-me-not charm on the entrance and returned to the subject. "While I have great faith in your ability to perform magic, Mr. Harris, are you sure you want to try something so dangerous without any formal training?"
"Why is it dangerous?" Xander asked, unconcerned. He was already going through ideas in his head.
"As Miss Tonks stated, the 'wormhole' grabs ahold of you and quickly transports you to your destination. If done incorrectly, body parts may be left behind," she explained in her best teacher voice.
"Oh, well, I'll make sure that I don't do that. I think I'll try something else," Xander stated. He scrunched up his face and disappeared without a sound.
"Woah," said the two kids and the Grangers.
"I don't think that was Apparition," Dora commented.
"I believe you're correct, Miss Tonks," Minerva agreed, looking hard at the spot he disappeared from.
"Where do you think he went?" Dan asked after a few minutes had passed. He hoped Xander would get back soon. It was freezing standing in this alley, and they still had to get the car.
"Knowing Xander, he might have tried to go to the moon," Harry said with a bit of pride.
"You can't breathe on the moon, silly," Hermione disagreed, which set off arguments on where the overly ambitious man went and what he was doing there.
"That was great," Xander said as he suddenly popped back into view ten minutes later. "Home never looked so nice, you know, since it's not there. Good riddance, I say. No Hellmouth is a good Hellmouth."
"Wait, you went to the States?" Tonks asked disbelievingly. "I've never heard of anyone who could do that, not even Dumbledore. Only Portkeys can go that far."
"Well, yeah, it's one of the few places I know well," he answered.
"I guess," she said, pouting a bit.
"Anyway, I popped over to Hogwarts on my way back, and Joyce wants to celebrate, too. So why don't we, as in the Grangers, Harry, and I, drive back to the house, and you two go back to the school? Then either Harry or I," he waggled a finger between him and Harry, "will teleport us there," he suggested, hoping no one would argue. It was cold, and he was a Californian, born and raised. Not to mention the fact that he was pulled here from Africa. Cold weather was something he was not least bit used to.
"You're going to teach Harry?" Dora asked with a put-upon expression. "I want to learn," she huffed.
"Don't worry, I'll teach you, too, but I want us to get out of the cold. I'm dying here."
"Oh, right, I forgot you were raised in a warmer climate. Okay, we'll see you at Hogwarts," she said, and then she Disapparated.
"I don't know what you did, but do be careful," McGonagall cautioned, then she, too, left with a sharp crack.
"Right, I'm with Xander, let's get out of this cold," Emma said as she herded them to the car.
It was an exciting drive home as they talked about Harry's freedom and where he was going from there. Now he could do many things he never could under the hateful watch of the Dursleys, like have friends over, do well on schoolwork, or buy things for himself that he never would have had there, for fear of them being destroyed or taken away.
When they made it to the house, Xander said, "Okay, I'm going to take Harry to the back yard, and we'll hop around it a bit. When we're done, I'll teach Hermione. That way, we'll have three people who can take us anywhere in an emergency."
"What about the underage magic rule?" Hermione asked in concern.
"I've been thinking about that. Minerva said even adults with wands can get caught in non-magical homes, if they use it too often. Something, about the Statute of Secrecy. Now, I've been doing magic here for days and no one has said anything to me. I think that if you don't use a wand, you'll be okay. Besides, if anyone gives you grief, just direct them to me, and I'll handle it," he said as he led the kids outside.
"Okay, but you're taking the fall if something happens," Harry said, relieved that he wasn't going to get in trouble. He had great faith that Xander would protect him.
"Okay, so here's what you do. Just picture a portal over your head, with the other side being where you want to go. Or, like I did with Sunnydale, feel the place. It's like, if you wanted to go to the zoo, but it's been redesigned and you don't quite know what it looks like, then you remember the feel of looking at the lions, or something," he directed Harry while the Granger family looked on. "This should be easy, since where you want to go is right next to that bush," he finished, pointing at a shrub a little ways away.
Harry closed his eyes and visualized what Xander was saying. He saw the portal above his head; it was like someone cut out reality and replaced it with a new one within the space. He focused on the far corner of Hermione's backyard, and then the portal simply swallowed him, and he was through. He turned around and looked back at the group, who were giving him a round of applause. They did this a few more times, and then Hermione tried. After a dozen or so mistakes, she got it right.
"Right. Now, take an adult each, and try it again," Xander declared, pointing to the two awed adult Grangers.
Hermione grabbed her mum, and Harry took Dan. They teleported a few more times, and then Harry tried to take the whole group without touching them. He succeeded.
"Okay, kiddos, let's let Harry take us to Hogwarts," the one-eyed man said, rubbing his hands together in an evil villain-like way.
The next thing the group knew, they were standing in the Great Hall of Hogwarts.
"Congratulations!" rang out several voices when they appeared. Joyce, the teachers, a few students, several people Harry didn't know, and armor from practically the whole castle was standing there, clapping joyously.
"Great Merlin! How did they manage to Apparate into the castle?" Professor Flitwick gasped.
"I don't think that was Apparation," Kingsley said, noting the absence of the telltale sound.
Harry was grabbed and passed around in hugs, until he was approached by a man he didn't know. "Ummm, who are you?" Harry asked, standing stiffly.
"Oh, Merlin, you don't know me, and here I am hugging you. Sorry. I'm Bill Weasley, and I've been looking everywhere for you. When Percy told me that you were here, and that you looked so abused, I almost stormed the castle," Bill said as he released Harry. "Then, when my brothers told me about Halloween night and Xander, well, I figured I'd wait to see what happened. You're okay now, right?"
Harry nodded. "They said you used to look after me."
"Aye. When I got older, I started searching for you. I took the job at Gringotts in hopes of getting information. The goblins knew, but they couldn't tell me outright because it was against the goblin code. I hoped to work my way up so I could find out more," Bill said ruefully, barely holding in his emotions with mental fingernails. "I'm relieved that you're now in good hands. I can rest easy knowing that."
"I had Bill transferred back to London once Dora told me who he was," Xander said as he measured the man in front of him. Even if Bill had been looking for Harry, he, Xander, didn't know the guy personally. Still, he hadn't yet met a Weasley he didn't like. Even that Ron kid was just that-a kid. He'd grow up one day.
"Oh, well, Ron's my friend so I'm sure we'll see one another again. Thanks, for looking for me. It's great to know that someone cared," Harry said with confidence.
"We all cared, we were just told you were okay," Dora said, ruffling his hair.
"Well, he is now," Xander commented. "So, let's party."
The party was a roaring success. The kids had fun telling stories about the judge, and the adults quietly discussed what to do about the Dursleys.
Now the teachers knew that Harry had been abused, they would treat him differently. He wouldn't get special treatment, but perhaps a bit more praise on deeds done well, and some encouragement that wouldn't go amiss.
Xander made sure that everyone knew that the non-magical courts system would handle Harry's relatives, and that no magical intervention was required.
The party broke up around midnight, and the Grangers, Xander, and Harry were a weary group. Harry transported them back to the house, and they all slept in the next morning.
After they had awoken, they looked at a few houses for Xander and Harry. Harry wasn't exactly sure what he wanted, but Xander noticed that none of the ones he approved of had cupboards under the stairs. Harry greatly approved of a single story, three-bedroom, one and a half bath house. He liked the smaller space and told Xander such. Xander said he'd see about prices and talk to the real estate agent.
The next day was Christmas Eve, and Xander could be found walking straight into doors and walls. After a great deal of teasing from everyone, he finally explained what he was doing.
"I'm trying to phase through the wall."
"Why? Doors aren't good enough?" Dan asked, giving him an 'are you that lazy' look.
"What? No. I'm just seeing if I can do it," the one-eyed man said defensively.
"And again, I ask, why?"
"Well, I feel like I should use this magic stuff for all it's worth. You never know what you'll need later in life. This could save lives one day," Xander answered, taking a seat at the table and thinking over the problem. "I can't tell you how many times walking through a wall would have saved a whole lot of trouble back in the Dale. Jesse, my best friend, might even be alive today if we could have just gotten out of that building."
"What building?" Harry asked softly.
"A story for when you're older," Xander sighed.
Harry and Emma finished cooking and called Hermione, who was the only one still sleeping in, down to enjoy it.
"This is really good, Harry," Emma said after testing the eggs the boy had made. "Where did you learn to cook?"
"Oh, ummm, well, you see…" Harry stuttered, not really wanting to tell them that he had been cooking since he could see the top of the stove.
"Never mind, dear," Mrs. Granger said, silently cursing herself for bringing up a sore subject.
"Still, this is a good thing, cause the Xandman can't cook at all," Xander said, playing down his ability. He could cook, but he couldn't make eggs taste like that.
"What was all that thumping I heard?" Hermione asked as she joined the table.
"Xander's trying to walk through walls," Harry answered, glad to get away from that subject.
"Oh. Are you making the walls intangible, or yourself?" she asked, taking a bite of bacon.
"The walls, but it's not working," the one-eyed man muttered.
"You should try it the other way," the slightly-less-bushy-haired girl suggested. Her hair looked much tamer since Joyce had helped her, and she was happy that she could now style it instead of just letting it frizz out.
They all sat and enjoyed the breakfast, and after an hour or so of running into walls, Xander got it. He tested it throughout the house to make sure it worked on every surface. He had a harder time going through stone, but wood was easy. He then promptly taught it to the kids, and he told them not to use it at school unless the situation was dire.
The next day was Christmas, and Hermione woke Harry up as soon as the sun was up. Gifts were exchanged.
Harry got mostly better-fitting clothes, but he received a few wizarding toys and games as well. The poor boy was confused and excited at the same time. This was his first Christmas that he could remember, and he wanted to savor every moment of it. He kept all the paper and ribbons neatly folded in one of the smaller boxes. He received large gifts from those he was quickly thinking of as family; Xander, the Grangers, Joyce, and Professor McGonagall.
There were smaller gifts from the kids in his dorm, and he was glad he was told to do the same for them. There were more cards than gifts, and they, too, were treated as treasures. He didn't know he could send cards, and he vowed to do so next year.
Mrs. Weasley had sent both Harry and Hermione gifts of fudge, and the little group was happy to chow down on it all day.
Harry was glad that it was a small celebration. He didn't know what he'd do if it was lavish. He was sure he would feel greatly out of place, to the point of being scared.
The small family, Xander, and Harry were having Christmas dinner at Hogwarts, where they would spend the rest of the holiday. The adult Grangers were excited to spend more time with Hermione in the castle. That, and they were hiding from Emma's sister.
After breakfast, they all gathered what they needed and took 'Harry Air' to Hogwarts, where Joyce and Minerva greeted them. It was a great day, and they spent time with the castle residents until dinner.
The Great Hall was reduced to one table, with adults on one side, children on the other. When the meal was done, Xander and Joyce took Harry to Minerva's office. She had left the meal early to catch up on some paperwork. Not even the holidays could stop her.
"Harry," Xander said, sitting on a chair and indicating that Harry take the one next to him. "We have a proposition for you."
"What kind of proposition?" the boy asked warily as he took the seat.
"Well, now that you're free from the Dursleys, we wanted to ask if you would let us foster you until the year is over. If all works well, then we would adopt you magically. I'll be doing that non-magically when that year is up. That way, you'll have guardians that can take care of you until you're an adult," the older man stated. He had had to talk the two witches down from doing the adoption now. It would be too much too soon. Harry didn't know any of them well enough to ask that.
"Will that change anything?" Harry asked, worried that it might make Xander more… well, not mean, but forceful.
"Not really, but it'll give me some legal rights here in the Wizarding World. This way I will be able to handle your finances, give you permissions you need a guardian for, and stuff like that. That, and if you're hurt, I can sign off on your treatment," was the answer.
"Oh, okay. I can see where that could be helpful," Harry said, giving the three worried adults a small smile.
"We talked it over, and since I appear older, I will take the role of grandmother," Minerva said, taking out the ritual bowl she had stashed.
"I will be your mom," Joyce added, moving to join McGonagall.
"I will be your other mom," Xander said with a serious face.
"Xander, quit playing around," Joyce chastised, even as she laughed.
"Sound good," Harry said with a boyish giggle. "Does that mean you'll start wearing dresses?"
"I'll have you know, young man, very few women I know wear dresses," the one-eyed man proclaimed.
"Let's get this done," Minerva said, herding the group around the bowl. "I still have plenty of paperwork to get through, even if it is Christmas."
A potion was poured, a bit of blood added, except for Joyce, who added some magic, a spell was spoken, and then Harry had a loving foster family.
"We'll do the full one on Christmas next. Until then, you will be well cared for by the three of us. Remember, Minerva can't treat you differently, but you can go to her if you need something," Joyce said, giving the boy a hug.
"This is great; I feel like I have a loving family for the first time in my life," the boy preened.
"That's wonderful," the new foster mother said, giving him another hug. The new family joined the rest of school that were staying over. Soon the 'family' retired to the 'house'. They sat, drinking cocoa and basking in a good Christmas.
"Mum, Dad," Hermione started off tentatively, "I was talking to Madam Pomfrey earlier, and she said that she could fix my teeth. She said it was an easy procedure, and that it wouldn't hurt me at all."
"I'm not sure, Hermione," Emma started, clearly worried that something might go wrong.
"She said that there's no danger. All she's going to do is shrink them a little bit, so that they'll fit right," the young girl stated hurriedly.
"There's no surgery?" Dan asked intrigued.
"No, just a small spell," was the quick answer.
"We'll see. Let us talk to her and see what she says," Emma stated, not wanting to make a commitment without all the information.
"I will be more than happy to take you there, if you want to go now," Minerva stated, politely stifling a yawn. It had been a long day for her.
"I'd like that. Do you want to come, Hermione?" Mrs. Granger asked, feeling her daughter might benefit in seeing the discussion.
"Yes," was the exuberant reply.
"I think we should all go," Xander said, getting up and stretching.
"Okay," agreed Harry, copying his foster father.
They all trooped up to the hospital wing. They entered with a lot of noise, as Hermione could barely keep her happiness at bay.
"Poppy," McGonagall called as she entered the room.
"Goodness, why all the noise?" the matron inquired, coming out of her office.
"Hermione's parents wanted to ask you some questions," Minerva answered, taking a seat on one of the beds.
"Is this about her teeth?" the portly woman asked, settling next to the Deputy Head.
"Yes, we want to know the risks involved," Dan stated, sitting on the bed opposite.
"Well, there really are no risks. It is a simple spell. The only risk is if I don't pay attention, she might have smaller teeth for a few minutes until I correct it."
"So, it's that simple?" Emma asked as she looked in awe and confusion, as if trying to wrap her head around how magic could fix something it would take her and her husband years to correct.
"I promise, it is really that simple," the mediwitch supplied.
"Can I, Mum, please?" Hermione begged.
"Let us think about it. You may be used to all the wand waving, but your father and I are not," her mum answered.
"Perhaps you can do so at the start of the new year," Minerva stated. "I wish to have Xander try his Animagus transformation at that time. It will give you a few days to get used to the idea, and Hermione some time to persuade you," she added with a wink to the young girl, who smiled back.
Xander groaned. He was very afraid that he was going to turn into a female hyena. His possession in his junior year of high school by the spirit of a primal female hyena had been horrible. It left mental scars that would last him a lifetime. He really didn't want to go that route again. It wasn't that he had physically changed, but the thought process was a bit much. Brghhh.
McGonagall smiled, as if knowing what he was thinking. Xander had told her the story and she had told him many times it was not like that, but the young man was just too caught up in his memories to be reassured.
"Let's go back to Xander's house and enjoy the rest of Christmas. You can come if you like, Poppy," Joyce said, getting up and heading for the door.
"Thank you, no. I have work that needs doing. The students will be back soon, and I need to brew the potions now that Severus is not here," the matron stated, getting up and heading to her office.
The group headed once more to the 'house within the castle', and when it was time for bed, Harry went to his room. There, on the bed, was a wrapped gift. "Xander!" he called out the door.
"What's up, Harry?" the one-eyed man asked as he came running up the stairs, closely followed by Joyce and Minerva.
"There's a package on my bed," the boy answered. "I don't know who it's from, so I called you."
"Smart choice," Xander said, clapping Harry on the back.
"I recognize that," McGonagall stated. "I saw it in Albus' office."
"Do you know what it is?" the one-eyed man asked, peering at the present as if it would bite. Who knew what the old man was up to?
"No, I am sorry, I do not," she answered.
"I do," Joyce said with a smile. "Go ahead, Harry, open it."
"Wait," Xander said quickly, gently holding Harry back. "Minerva, check it for foreign magic, would you?"
McGonagall waved her wand and found nothing malicious on it. There was a small compulsion charm, which was quickly removed.
"Go ahead, Harry," Joyce repeated.
So, Harry opened it and put the wrapping aside. Inside was some shiny, silky material. "It's a sheet," he said, looking unsure how he felt about that.
"No, it's something much more than that. Put it on and look in the mirror over there," Joyce encouraged.
Harry did as asked. He moved to the mirror, only to find his body gone. He could feel it, but he couldn't see it. "Wow, what is this?" he asked in awe, turning one way and then the other.
"It's your father's invisibility cloak," she answered, standing behind him so he could see her reflection through the cloak.
"This is awesome! Did it really belong to my dad?" That was even more exciting than the cloak. He didn't have anything that belonged to either of his parents. Heck, he didn't even know what they looked like.
"Yup, it's how he got away with so many pranks while in school," she answered, smirking at McGonagall.
"Please, don't encourage him," the professor moaned. James and his group of miscreants had been enough. She still had the Weasley twins to deal with, she didn't need Harry to start mischief.
"Oh, no, I think that's a great idea. I might even recruit the Weasley twins," Xander said with a smirk of his own.
"Dear Merlin, why?" the transfiguration teacher groaned, as if seeing many sleepless nights ahead.
"It'll help with stealth and evasion later in life," came the logical answer.
"I guess it can't be helped," she sighed.
"Put it away for now, Harry. You can play with it later. Minerva, could you charm his trunk against thieves?" Xander asked, knowing that this cloak would be a great temptation to other kids. Well, if they found out about it, and could get into the 'house'. Still, better safe than sorry.
"I feel that you could do it better," she stated, knowing that he just needed a nudge to do wonderful things.
"Yeah, I think I can do that." So, he went to the trunk, thought a moment, then tapped it. Now, if anyone tried to open it, their hands would get stuck, and a loud car alarm would sound. It would be so loud; the whole castle would hear it. Only Harry and those he granted permission would be safe from this. "There you go, all secure. Not that you need it here, but it doesn't hurt to be sure. Go to sleep, Harry. We'll visit Hagrid in the morning. I wanted to ask him a few things, anyway."
The next morning dawned bright and white. The seasonal snow covered the land in a soft white blanket. The gang ate breakfast and then they all trooped to Hagrid's. The giant man welcomed them in and gave them his infamous rock cakes and some tea. The children tried to hide the rock cakes, but Xander took a bite and almost broke his tooth.
"Hagrid, not all of us have granite teeth and a jaw like a trash compactor," he said, putting his rock cake in his tea to soften it.
"What's a trash compactor?" Hagrid asked, looking at the rock cakes with fresh eyes. He thumped it on the table and then agreed that maybe it was too hard for the smaller humans.
Hermione launched into a description of what a compactor was and how it worked.
Hagrid looked as if he wasn't sure if he was being insulted or not.
They enjoyed the rest of their tea and settled in to have a wonderful morning with a good friend. Xander asked a few questions about the security of the grounds. He found the answers somewhat lacking for his satisfaction, but he could change that. Hagrid gave the kids a small Christmas gift. For Hermione he had gotten a book on Kneazles, and for Harry he had carved a wooden flute. They thanked him and hugged him, both saying they would give him something extra special next year.
The rest of the day was spent in the castle, just having fun with the Weasleys and a few of the other students left behind. The Grangers talked with Hermione's teachers and got a progress report on their little girl. They were both happy that Hermione was at the top of her class, though they would have to talk about her need to answer every question asked.
The next few days were spent as a family: eating, playing, and just relaxing in front of the telly.
New Year's Eve came, and everyone was excited. Well, everyone except Xander, he was dragging his feet. The idea of becoming a female hyena was still plaguing his mind. He just couldn't shake the image. His meditations showed that it was a dog type animal of some sort, and even though he knew they were more closely related to cats, hyenas looked like dogs. So, he reluctantly followed everyone to the Hospital Wing and was soon sitting on a bed. He was glad Hermione decided to go first.
"Okay, now, Miss Granger, are you ready?" Poppy asked as she stood in front of the girl. Hermione's parents hovered right behind her, but she was able to maintain a calm professional demeanor.
"Yes, ma'am," the hyped-up girl replied, trying to sit still. She had been looking forward to this all her life, especially since she found out about magic. Her parents never really understood what a burden it was to have large front teeth. The teasing, the name calling, and the just plain hurt she felt when she looked in the mirror, was something she was looking forward to leaving behind her. She tried not to be a superficial person, but it was hard sometimes not to get caught up in it. Now that her hair was tamer, she wanted to look pretty for once in her life.
"Open wide and hold very still. It will be over in a few seconds," the matron said, pointing her wand at the enlarged front teeth. With a flick of her wand and a muttered spell, Hermione's teeth shrank. Madam Pomfrey stopped the spell when the incisors were in line with the other teeth. Hermione Granger had a perfect smile.
"I still wish we could do that," Emma sighed as she examined the work. It was flawless. Since Hermione took very good care of her teeth, her little girl looked wonderful.
"We'd be out of a job," Dan said, smiling at his little girl. "You look lovely, sweetheart."
Hermione ran her tongue over her teeth and yelled with joy. She promptly got up and hugged everyone. They all laughed and hugged her back.
"I thought you were very pretty before, but if it makes you happy…" Harry said as he was hugged. He had stiffened, and tried to relax, but it was hard. He was still very uncomfortable with touching of any kind. Xander tried to keep it to touches on the shoulder, and that was usually for encouragement. Still, Joyce hugged him often, so hopefully he'd get used to them soon.
"Thank you, Harry," Hermione said, flashing her wonderful smile at him.
"Okay, Xander, it's your turn," Minerva stated, hustling everyone to the side of the room. In her experience, newly changed Animagi had a hard time remembering who they were. So, it was better to have everyone out of range.
"I'm blaming you if I turn female," he mumbled.
"Why would you become female?" Emma asked, not knowing the story.
"Let's just call it left over high school anxiety," the one-eyed man sighed. He deliberately hadn't told the Grangers about Buffy and the gang's nighttime activities. They only knew that Joyce was Buffy's mother and that they had been friends in high school. He might sit down and tell them one day, but they really didn't need to know the past right now. The demons in his reality were a far cry from the magical creatures in this one. "Here you go, young man," Minerva stated, handing him a vial of Animagus potion. Joyce had made Xander make it. She had tested it, and it was brewed correctly, but it felt different; more potent, or something.
"Well, here goes nothing." Xander sighed and downed the potion. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, with a flash of light, the man was gone, and in his place was a huge wolf. Minerva whipped out her wand and backed everyone into a corner, waiting to see if he was in control.
"He's a werewolf!"