Janet and Robert Harris rushed down the dark street with baby Alexander in their arms. They had been out celebrating their third wedding anniversary and had just picked up their baby from the babysitter and were walking home, having consumed enough alcohol that they did not want to risk driving. A group of men stepped out in front of the young couple, baring their way.
"Excuse us." Robert said politely.
"Oh, polite food." On of the 'men' said.
One of them stepped into a light shaft that had peaked from behind the overcast sky. Janet screamed in reflex. The man's face was deformed, there were ridges on his forehead, his eyes were a sickly yellow and his teeth were elongated and sharp. Robert pushes baby Alexander into Janet's arms and steps between the 'men' and his family. Robert was fit, in fact he had years of training in Kung Fu, so he could defend himself. Robert fought hard, keeping himself between the men and his family, however they kept recovering, even from blows that would cripple or kill a human, and slowly Robert was getting exhausted. Just as a young woman of about sixteen years appeared behind the group, one of the annoyed vampires snapped the neck of Robert Harris.
The young woman ploughed into the back of the group and lost sight of the woman with the baby. Fighting desperately, she waded through the group of vampires, staking one after another till they were all dead. Reaching the older woman, who was lying on the ground, she rolled her over and saw a crying baby and a mortal chest wound.
"Take care of him." The woman said, gasping for breath and knowing that she did not have long left to live. "Please take care of him."
With this comment, she pushed the baby into the younger woman's arms and died.
"I will, Mrs. Harris. I will." She promised softly, cradling the baby. "Come on Alexander."
The young woman walked away with a slightly heavy heart that she could not save the parents, after all she had just babysat the young boy in her arms. She silently cursed herself for having delayed her patrol by calling her Watcher after they had picked up young Alexander.
"Don't worry, Alexander. Aunty Sarah will look after you. She won't let big bad Giles push you away, will she?" Sarah the Vampire Slayer said in the typical cutie voice used for talking to infants.
The two month old baby quietened down, knowing that it was now safe.
Xander walked onto the school campus with a grace that belied his eleven odd years. Most of the students in the high school were afraid of Xander, along with a fair portion of the undead community. As he walked through the halls he saw his best friends, Willow and Jessie. He smiled at them and wandered over to them, lounging for a few minutes before class. Xander never paid any attention during class, as Uncle Giles, the school librarian, a Watcher and his legal guardian, had taught him most of this stuff before he was four, hell he could speak five different languages including Latin and ancient Egyptian. During lunch Xander went to the library, which was surprisingly large for a junior and middle school, and had only ever been visited by Willow on rare occasions. Xander used the lunchtimes to train, in a non-visible part of the library, as he did most days after school, in preparation for patrolling at night.
Since before he could walk, Giles and Sarah had taught Xander the basic meditation and primary stages of the martial arts philosophies and had proceeded to teach him the next step as he was able to understand it, which was surprisingly rapid. By the time he was five, Xander had managed to learn the basics of three forms of martial arts, mostly soft styles that used the opponent's strength against him, and the basics of several weapons including the crossbow, the quarterstaff and two different swords, the Rapier and the Katana. That was about the time that Sarah had died, and from that time on Xander had pushed himself almost to the limits of human endurance. Now at ten, almost eleven, Xander was well built, having learnt another several martial arts styles and, while nowhere near Slayer level, he was stronger and faster than most high school athletes and even a fair majority of human demon hunters.
Every time he handled his weaponry, especially the Katana that she had given him as his fifth birthday present with his name on it, just before she died, he though of Sarah with a pang of grief. She had been like a mother, sister and best friend to him, while Giles had been the father in their little family. Her death had put the final emphasis on his life, he would kill vampires and fight evil with every weapon available to him, and he was not lacking in funds. Despite the fact that they had died young, Xander's parents had been well off, and Giles had wisely invested Xander's inheritance and now he had quite a substantial sum of money. Xander was brought out of his reprieve about the young woman who had shaped his childhood by an odd flapping sound.
"Giles." Xander called as he saw an owl fly in through the library window and drop a letter in his lap.
Cautiously opening the letter, Xander began to read.
Dear Mr. Harris.
You have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the United Kingdom….
Xander walked along the cobblestones of Diagon Alley, thinking about this twist in his life. After he had received the letter, he had discussed it with Giles at length and they had decided that in the long run, that this would be beneficial. The council had been insisting that Giles return to London ever since Sarah had died, and he had finally agreed on the condition that the newest Slayer was dispatched to the Hellmouth. Xander had said goodbye to his friends and they had flown over, using the Council's influence to get their weaponry through customs. The letter had explained all about how to enter Diagon Alley and Platform 9 ¾ and where the appropriate equipment could be purchased.
Xander had changed some money a Gringots, the Wizard Bank and bought most of his school supplies, including a fierce looking female Falcon which he named Sarah. Now all that was left was his wand. Entering Ollivander's Xander went Wand shopping, and he tried almost every wand in the store without success.
"Maybe this one?" Ollivander said, cautiously. "I don't know what possessed me to ever make this one."
Xander gripped the wand and it felt right.
"What's it made of?" Xander asked.
"It has a triple core of Unicorn tail hair, Dragon heartstring and the hair of a Slayer. It is made of Willow wood, reported to be a section of the cross that Jesus was crucified on." Ollivander responded.
"When was it made?" Xander asked.
"About eleven and a half years ago."
"Sarah." Xander whispered. "I'll take it."
"That will be a strong wand, powerful." Ollivander said taking Xander's money.
"Good. And it'll probably burn the hell out of vamps." Xander said, before turning and leaving the store.
Xander strode through Diagon Alley towards the exit, intending to head back to meet up with Giles. He was still wearing his street clothes, consisting of black boots, black jeans, a white shirt and a black duster.
"Well, if it isn't a mudblood." Came a voice behind him.
Xander turned and saw a boy about his own age who was dressed in robes like almost everyone else, who had platinum blond hair that was slicked back over his head.
"Beat it." Xander said, turning away.
"Don't turn your back on me, Mudblood." The boy said, grabbing Xander's shoulder.
With speed close to that of the undead, Xander, dropped his bags, grabbed the boy's arm and twisted it up behind his back.
"Never touch me." Xander growled, pushing the boy away.
"You'll pay for that." The boy said threateningly.
"Bite me." Xander responded, giving the boy the finger as he walked away with his purchases.
Xander said goodbye to Giles with a promise to keep up his training, before walking through barrier to the platform. Dumping his trunks with all the others, Xander climbed aboard and found an empty cabin. Xander had just started meditating when the door opened. Glancing at the door he saw a boy his own age with vivid red hair, which kind of reminded him of Willow.
"Sod off." Xander snapped and the boy closed the door, allowing Xander to return to his meditation.
A good while later, when he had finished meditating and was simply sitting with his eyes closed, Xander once again heard the door open.
*If you can understand what I am saying you may stay.* he said in Ancient Egyptian, before switching to English. "Otherwise get lost."
*Don't mind if I do.* he heard a female voice respond in Ancient Egyptian.
Xander opened his eyes and saw a girl about his own age with long dark brown hair and eyes that showed deep intelligence.
"Hermione Granger." She said.
"Xander Harris." Xander responded.
"American?" Hermione asked.
"Yep. California born, raised by a British guy though." Xander replied.
"So where did you lean Ancient Egyptian?" Hermione asked.
"The British guy who raised me, Giles. He is a linguist and insisted I learn some other languages. You?" Xander asked.
"Well both my parents are dead, so they used to drop me off at museums and such. In one I befriended the Curators and he taught me." Hermione responded.
Xander and Hermione talked about history until Hermione left to assist a boy named Nevil in his search for his lost toad. After Hermione had left, Xander changed into his school uniform, which was typical of British boarding schools except they had robes over their uniforms. After purchasing Xander had made some alterations to his robe. He had tightened the chest and arms, added a collar and buttons, keeping loose below the waist for mobility reasons. It was still vaguely reminiscent of the Hogwarts school robe, but it also resembled a long trench coat. When the train stoped, Xander put on a pair of Wiccan enchanted sunglasses before exiting the train. They were enchanted so that the tinting did not hinder his vision at night and would show any vampires as glowing blue.
Xander walked through the crowd calmly, thankful that he had kept his wand, useable as a stake, and a small dagger on him when he had disembarked, as the trunks would be taken up separately.
"First Years this way." A booming voice called.
Xander made his way over, hearing some of the comments about his robe and his glasses. When he made it to the booming voice he saw it was a very large and hairy man. He slipped in beside Hermione, giving her a smile and chuckling at her expression when she saw his robe. The trip across the lake was uneventful. While they were waiting to be let into the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony, there was a commotion about one of the first year students. Apparently he was famous for something. They entered the Great Hall and all the other first year students were staring up at the ceiling, which was enchanted to look like the sky, Xander, however, was searching for all the exits and determining who could possibly pose the greatest immediate threat. Instincts trained by growing up on the Hellmouth. They reached the front of the hall and Professor McGonagall explained the Sorting process. Xander watched as Hermione got sorted, being put into Gryffindor house. Soon it was Xander's turn.
"Alexander Harris." McGonagall called.
Xander strode up confidently, he had faced vampires, he could surely face an old hat. Xander sat on the stool and had the Sorting Hat placed on his head, then it began whispering to him.
"Well, well, you are difficult to place. You could do well in any of the Houses. Loyalty of a Hufflepuff, resourcefulness of a Ravenclaw, courage of a Gryffindor, and cunning and desire to prove yourself of a Slytherin. Where do you think you should belong?" the hat said.
Xander thought for a second, but he made his decision based on the only person here he knew at all.
"Gryffindor will be cool." Xander replied to the hat.
"OK. GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled.
Placing the hat back on the stool. Xander strode towards the cheering Gryffindor table and sat next to Hermione, who had a grin on her face. The sorting continued, with the famous boy, Harry, and the redhead from the train, Ron, also getting in Gryffindor, with the platinum blond from Diagon Alley being placed in Slytherin, which seemed to be a rival House to Gryffindor. Dinner finished and they were escorted up to their house common room by the House Prefects. Xander had to share his room, like everyone, with four others. There was Harry, Ron, a klutz named Nevil, the one who had lost his Toad on the train, and a boy named Dean Thomas, who like Xander was from an all Muggle family. After checking that all his stuff, and weapons, were still there, Xander went over to the window, opened it and whistled. Out of the darkness flew a Falcon which landed on his outstretched arm. Seconds later a snow white Owl came and landed on Harry's arm.
"Nice Owl. What's her name?" Xander asked.
"Hedwig. And your Falcon's?" Harry replied.
"Sarah." Xander replied.
"Why a common girls name?" Ron asked.
"She's named after the woman who raised me. Seemed fitting, she was deadly to her enemies but protective of her family, a real bird of prey." Xander replied.
"What happened to her?" Harry asked.
"She died." Xander responded.
"My parents are dead also." Harry said, softly.
"Join the fucking club. Just you, me and half the fucking world." Xander snapped, before retreating to his bed and closing the curtains.
Xander sat in potions class, waiting for the Professor. He had woken up early, as usual, and had warmed up before running three times around the large sports pitch, then he found a secluded spot to go through a few of his martial arts forms before breakfast. The first class had been Transfiguration and had been uneventful, except for Hero Boy and Carrot Top, AKA Harry and Ron, arriving late. Suddenly the door sprung open and the Potions Professor, Snape, walked in trying to look intimidating, but only succeeding as far as a fledgling was to Xander, which was to say not at all, although some of the others seemed intimidated.
"There will be no wand waving or silly incantations in this class. I don't expect many of you to…" Snape was saying when Xander tuned out.
Xander saw Snape finish, what Xander assumed was, his usual rant and pick on Hero Boy.
"Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Snape said.
Xander saw Hermione raise her hand, as she was sitting next to Harry.
'Know it all.' Xander though amusedly.
"I don't know, sir." Harry said.
"Tut, tut – fame clearly isn't everything." Snape replied sneering at Harry.
"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Snape said.
Xander, conditioned by years of Giles' pop demonology quizzes answered automatically.
"A Bezoar. An ancient parasite ranging from seven to nine feet in diameter, is found underground. The Mother Bezoar's offspring are often disguised as eggs for distribution. When hatched, the offspring take control of victims through a process known as 'neural clamping' by attaching to the spinal collum and circumventing the victim's brain, then using the victim to carry out the orders of the Mother Bezoar." Xander recited.
Everyone looked at him like he had grown another head, especially Snape.
"Oh right, Potions class." Xander said with a grin. "Ok. A Bezoar is a stone found in the stomach of a goat that can cure most poisons."
"Um, correct, Harris." Snape said grudgingly.
"Fudge packer." Xander said under his breath.
For the rest of the class, most students were either whispering about Hero Boy's humiliation, the Slytherins, or Professor Snape's, everybody else. Hermione looked at Xander in a new light, like she had found a kindred spirit.
'Hermione would get on well with Willow.' Xander though with a smirk.
Weeks went by and all the students established their own routines. In the morning, Xander would arise early, as always, and do his usual stretching routine, some Tai Chi and a run around the Quidditch Pitch before breakfast. Then came classes, stopping for lunch, and in the afternoon, study with Hermione or training in a secluded room, which Dumbledore had set up for him. Halloween came around all too soon and the excitement in the castle grew. They had their Charms class Halloween morning, in which only Xander and Hermione were able to float the feather, Xander about ten minutes after Hermione.
Most of the afternoon classes were cancelled due to the Halloween celebrations, so Xander went strait to his training room after Charms class. Xander started with the stretching routines that Sarah had taught him. After stretching, Xander began doing forms with his Katana, losing himself in the rhythm of the motions and the memories of good times he had with Sarah and Giles while growing up. The world flowed around him, his muscles flexed and relaxed, screaming at the exertion, but his movements did not waver. He was both aware and oblivious to the world around him, seeing the dust as it slowly fell through the air, illuminated by a ray of sunlight, yet caught up in his memories.
When Xander came back to himself, he realised that he had been training for many hours and had completely missed dinner. He quickly dried the sweat off him and made his way back to the common room. When he arrived he was confronted by a crowded common room, with Hermione, Carrot Top and Hero Boy all grouped together, Hermione obviously upset.
"What's the matter, Nefertiti?" Xander asked, keeping their joke running.
*Battle, Akhenaten.* Hermione responded in Ancient Egyptian.
(AN: Akhenaten was the Pharaoh before and step-father to the famous Pharaoh Tutankhamun, and Nefertiti was Akhenaten's wife. This was a running joke between Xander and Hermione.)
"What happened??" Xander demanded.
"There was a Mountain Troll in the Girl's bathroom, where Hermione was..." Harry began.
"Shit!" Xander exclaimed, slamming his fist into the stonework of the common room fireplace, cracking the stone and shattering his hand.
Everyone in the common room winced at the sound of the impact.
"Xander, doesn't that hurt?" Hermione asked carefully, indicating to his shattered hand.
"Like hell. I should know, I grew up on its doorstep." Xander said cryptically.
Xander left the common room, returning a few minutes latter with his shattered hand bandaged and splinted.
"Why don't you go to Madam Pomfrey, she could fix it in a second." Ron said.
"Pain is a great motivator." Xander replied before sitting down to study as if nothing was wrong.
Xander watched the Quidditch match from a small distance rather than sitting in the stands. His hand was still splinted and bandaged from being shattered the previous night. As he watched, Xander did not see a Quidditch match as it was seen by the other students, as a sport. He personally disliked flying on broomsticks, there were better methods of travelling long distances and they could be a deadly nuance during patrols when the ability to literally stop on a dime can save your life.
Instead, Xander watched the match as a General would watch a battle. Learning the strengths and weaknesses of players, how they worked together, their individual tactics and overall team strategies. After a few minutes of play, Xander could identify the differences between Fred and Gorge Weasely based on the subtle differences in how they played. He filed all this information away; it was as good to know about potential allies as potential enemies. When Hero Boy's broom started acting up, Xander quickly determined that it was due to outside interference, and concentrated on his reaction and adaptability when he regained control of the broom.
Sarah had told him years before that if there was doubt to the situation and your life was not in immediate peril, then gain as much information as possible, because you never know what could save your life one day. So he watched the game, noticing that students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were cheering on the Gryffindor team. Slytherin was not well liked as a House. Finally Gryffindor won the match. The Gryffindor team had more skilled and adaptive player who knew the strengths and weaknesses of their team mates, although they seemed to lack any overall strategy, instead playing from second to second. Slytherin had a coherent strategy, cheat and bully everyone, and it was completely compromised by their lack of coordination between members.
Xander was packing to go back to London for the Christmas holidays. Occasionally he would clench his fist as if to test for pain, having had his shattered hand magically repaired by Madam Pomfrey after a few days of nagging by Hermione. Ever since Halloween she had been spending time with Hero Boy and Carrot Top, which Xander could understand. Saving each other's lives creates a bond, something that Xander knew well. She had not abandoned Xander though, still studying with him and they still tossed theories back and forth. Xander liked some of Hermione's theories, most of them were right, Xander having gotten the proof from Giles, but it was not as if he could tell her that right now.
As he finished packing, Sarah swooped in through the window. Xander smiled, remembering all the times at mail call when the owls had gotten out of her way when she was delivering his mail. Sarah dropped the letter on the trunk then perched on his shoulder. Ripping open the letter, Xander read.
'Yes!' he thought.
As he had been hoping, the letter was from Giles. He confirmed that Hermione would be able to come over for a couple of days during the Christmas/New Year holiday. Giles had talked to Mr and Mrs Granger, who had also agreed. (AN: The section in the first chapter where Hermione says her parents are dead was a mistake. They are very busy Dentists.)
"Come on Sarah." Xander said, letting the Falcon have a free ride on his shoulder as he pulled his trunk down to the entrance hall.
He saw Hermione saying goodbye to Hero Boy and Carrot Top. He knew that the three of them were working on something but he did not really care. This was not the world in which he knew how to win and with Hermione onboard, they had all they needed to succeed in any endeavour. When Hermione joined Xander, he took over carrying her trunk. Sarah jumped off his shoulder and settled on Hermione's, her being the only other student in the castle that the Falcon even liked.
"Ready to go, Nef?" Xander said.
"Of course, Akhen." She responded.
"Good news. Giles and your parents have agreed to let you stay with us for a few days. We can work on your Tai Chi." Xander said, loading their trunks onto the carriages that would take them to the Station.
In the first few weeks of school Hermione, the inquisitive thing that she is, had discovered Xander's habit of waking early and had followed him to see what he did. Xander had noticed her following so one day, when he was doing his morning Tai Chi, asked if she wanted to join him. She had asked what he was doing so he had explained, and from that morning on she had joined his Tai Chi sessions, slowly but surely making progress.
In those morning sessions, Hermione had found a very different Xander to the rest of his life at Hogwarts. He was always confident in his movements, like he was in his element, and she always saw the glimmer off deep pain in his eyes during those sessions. Another thing she had discovered was his outrageous sense of humour and, accidentally, that he had a large stockpile of Twinkies hidden in his room, and an unhealthy addiction to the cream filled treat. The one time that he had shown her 'the perfect way to eat a Twinkie' she had laughed for hours, deeply amused at the way he shoved the whole Twinkie in his mouth at once.
"See, a Twinkie has no ingredients that a human can pronounce, so it doesn't leave you with that heavy 'food' feeling." He had told her, causing her to crack up again.
Xander and Hermione talked about a range of things throughout the train ride back to Kings Cross Station, some of the most intelligent conversations Hermione had had since she had gotten to Hogwarts.