AN/: Sorry for the late update! I misplaced my iPod which contained the third chapter of this story and then I had to beta and revise the whole thing. IMPORTANT! I have this headcannon that Dennis Creevey took on the DADA teaching role, once all his studies were done with of course. When he saw his brother die, he swore he would take it upon himself to teach everyone how to protect themselves. Thus, DADA.


You have goosegrass in your hair

Erik had but scarcely made contact with the muggle world ever since his acceptance into Hogwarts. He did not even remember if he ever had a friend outside of school. He had a ton of muggle-born friends, that wasn't the problem. He just didn't remember what being a clueless muggle felt like, not that he was for very long. Of course, he kept up with what was happening outside of the wizard world, but he didn't feel the need to go back to his roots, not anymore at least. Even with all the pain he's been attributed because of magic, he now could never imagine a world without it. That's the sort of thought that crossed Erik's mind that morning while he was on his way to his Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Upon entering said class, Erik automatically spotted the unruly head of dark brown hair he kept (happily) running into for the past few weeks. With a grin firmly in place on his face, Erik muted his thoughts to the best he could so he could surprise the Ravenclaw boy scribbling frantically, as he always was.

Suddenly, the boy's head snapped up. Damn.

Erik quickly hid behind a marble column. He had forgotten, being busy trying to sneak up on a telepath, that if he thought too hard about not thinking, he would be thinking even harder and thus mentally louder. It was time to change his tactic.

Hey! Charles, can you hear me?, Erik thought as hard as he could.

After a moment, his answer came.

Of course I can, what going on?
Although Erik could not see Charles' face, he could feel his fellow wizard's glee.

You see that desk behind that column? Erik tried not to snicker. I put something in the book about the werewolves for you. Go get it.

Charles got up from his seat and ran to the table without looking behind it. Leaning on the column, right behind Charles, was Erik, waiting for his moment to strike. He silently walked until he was only an inch apart from Charles who was furiously riffling through the book in question. He loomed over the smaller boy, making sure not to touch him. He put his hands behind his back and waited.

"Find anything interesting about werewolves?", Erik said.

"AAAAAAH!", Charles screamed in surprise, turning around breathless to find a sniggering Erik, folded in two.

"Hahahehehee!" Erik couldn't contain himself any longer; partly because of his success at spooking Charles but mostly because of the other's utterly shocked expression.

"You fucking cunt!" Charles was still holding his rapidly beating heart and started to laugh as well.

Other fifth years from both their houses started to fill the class as well, casting confused glances at the aloof pair.

It took a good two minutes to calm them down.

"I didn't know you'd get startled like that. You look so strained, like a pixie that took one too many mandrake leaves." Erik noticed as they took their seats.

"I've been working on this thesis for the Department of Blood Status at the Ministry of Magic lately. I hardly get any sleep these days."

"Sorry."

"No trouble, you are one of the very scarce few to have achieved sneaking up on me. It's quite a feat."

"Open your books at page 93 and get your wands out, please!" Professor Creevey shouted the class back to order and Erik and Charles executed the task.

"Today, we will revise different spells against malignant bewitched objects. A bewitched object will soon appear before you on each table and you and your partner will have to disarm it. I ask you to please NOT touch the object before I say so AND without precaution. I am looking at you, Mr Diddle."

"Why me?"

"Because last time, you set fire to your hair. Now, on pages 93 through 98, you will find the different spells and the cases to which they apply. Sensorial clues will help you recognize one malignant spell from the other although I firmly advise you use your visual, auditory and olfactory senses only as these objects are probably dangerous to touch. Revealing spells may also be necessary for some of the objects so I demand a very thorough examination both before and after the disarming spells. A token is hidden in every object. If you can salvage it safely, you can keep it. Please do be careful."

There was the distinct rumble of apparition and the students discussing in the background.

"So, what is your thesis about?", Erik inquired.

"It's about the factor that enables us to do magic. I'm trying to determine whether it's genetic or blood-transmitted."

"You can determine that?"

"If I can convince the Ministry to give me the necessary funds and team for the research then yes.", Erik was in awe.

"Wow. How old are you again? Forty? With seven doctorates, you say?", the Slytherin prodigy couldn't help but babble incredulously.

"Shut up, I am perfectly my age."

"It's just, how are you so brilliant?"

Charles tapped two fingers to his temple.

"I can attain my brain's functions at a higher capacity than normal humans. Comes with being a telepath, I guess. Revelio!" Charles cast the spell at the small wooden chest that appeared on his and Erik's table.

"Which brings me to my next question; how are you a telepath? And try the suspicious skin spell."

"Try it yourself, it's your turn. Anyway, my parentage comes from breeding with fae, who are telepaths. At the beginning of the Xavier family tree, you can find 'Exalus Symandruill Cleos', a fae. He is my great-times-eleven-grand-father. He's the only known fae to have shared his bloodline with another species."

"Why? Osento Dermis Reveli!", Erik cast towards the chest.

"The Fae, much like elves, are species that rely on purity. At the time of my family's creation, there had been a violent genocide within the fae and Exalus, fearing instinction, decided to save the heritage through the strongest, purest wizard family he could find. He impregnated Dadela Xavier who gave birth to two sons, each of them gifted with telepathy.

"So, every Xavier is a telepath?"

"We've never had a squib so yes, although I do not know if the use of magic is necessary for telepathy."

"Huh. I can manipulate metal and I never knew why." Erik's expression suddenly sobered.

"Maybe you have a dwarf ancestor?"

"I don't know. My parents were both muggles, not that I really had the time to know them at all."

"I'm sorry..."

"No use getting sorry over something you didn't do. Besides, it was more than fifteen years ago." Erik turned to Charles with a small apologetic smile tugging at his lips.

"During the Second War?"

"Yeah. My parents were one of the targeted families."

"My father also died during the war, he opposed himself to Voldemort. Was the spell ineffective?" , Charles inquired.

"Give it time, it can take up to five minutes. But yeah, that's true, the Xaviers were one of the pure-blood families who didn't affiliate with Voldemort. One of the Braves." And Erik's good mood was back.

"Yes, well... I couldn't say we were brave, we hid in America for seven years.", Charles replied sheepishly.

"Hiding does not make you not brave, not giving in does. And in that case, I'd say the Xaviers were really brave. Also, is our trunk turning red?", the Slytherin pointed the previously black wooden chest. It was slowly turning cherry red.

"I believe it is. Can you give me a hair?"

"Ow. Here, never have too much hair. But why?"

"If your hair burns and makes red smoke, it's the Inferno Canandraspell, the one that makes objects burning hot upon touch.", Charles explained.

"How can you know?"

"A hair that's only recently been pulled is still alive. Only a live thing can activate the spell and burn. Anything else that comes in contact with the object in question just stays at the appropriate temperature. And if it simply burns, it's not the Inferno Canandra spell, it's just a common heating spell. And I don't think there are any of those in here since this is DADA, not Charms."

"You are a genius.", Erik deadpanned.

"I know."

"You could have used your own hair though."

"Of course not, how else am I supposed to ruin you." The Ravenclaw boy couldn't hold back his smug expression.

Erik squinted at Charles in mock defiance.

"You are a genius but you are evil. You are an evil genius."

"Yep."

With about forty-five minutes in advance from everybody else in the class, Charles and Erik happily laid back, their chest disarmed and completely harmless. They chatted casually, laughing at the other students silently while eating the chocolate frogs they retrieved from their trunk.