Ancestry 20 - Holes
Xander walked up to the school, staring at it. He could feel the curses. He tipped his head to stare at one spot then sighed. "Am I that sort of guy?" he asked himself. "Weasley," he called, bringing him over. "Come'ere. We'll work on your cursebreaking lessons." He pointed. "There's a curse on that one nameplate stone. It's not linked to the hearth stone so it's radiating on the doorway." He looked at him. "Take Harry, sense it, figure it out, then end it by unraveling."
"How do I do that?"
"I'm going to teach you. Go figure out what it is." He gave him a nudge. Harry followed with Neville following to see how that happened.
Professor Flitwick came out to stare at them then went to help the boys. "This is the curse," he said, exposing it for them. "You use the intellios charm to do that most of the time," he instructed gently.
Ron cast it and grinned. "So that's what a curse looks like."
"Sometimes. This one's very knotted but some are more ropes some are chains and some are simply stupid foggy things." He patted him on the arm. "What did Dumass say to do?"
"Unravel it?"
"Ah." He helped them by finding an end and helping them untangle it. Then they could end the spell. The boys smiled at that. "Now, what was it for?"
"Looks like a mood thing," Harry said.
"It was," Flitwick agreed with a nod. "To encourage more obedience to the teachers. It's horribly twisted." He smiled at Alex, who he certainly recognized. "How long has that been there?"
"It wasn't before," he admitted, coming over. He tapped it. "Intellios works for simple things. This is the one you want for most curses. It'll work on the simple and the complex." He showed them how to do that. That exposed the other curses on the doorway. Flitwick moaned but he and Alex led the boys in how to untwist, then unravel and banish, the curses.
Finally the doorway was free. "Now," he said, looking at the boys. "This is the simple things and very external. The ones on the whole school, which are woven into the wards and through the hearth stone, are nearly impossible to do easily without bringing down everything."
Flitwick sighed but looked and swore. "I never noticed that."
"The not notice me is on the hearth stone instead of in the wards," Xander told him with a slight shrug. "The wards are broken anyway." He led Harry into exposing the webbing around the stones. "The web has a lot of holes."
Flitwick exposed the rest the way he had been taught and moaned. "What did that?" he demanded.
Xander looked down at him. "I'm guessing whoever had control of the wards a few years ago." He smirked. "And there's still the curse on the defense teaching position."
"I haven't wanted to look at that because most of them have been horrid," he complained. "I didn't want them to stay." He got the headmaster and McGonagall down to see them. They came out to stare at the webbing.
"Why are there holes?" McGongall asked. She looked at Xander and gasped. He shrugged but grinned. "Oh, dear." She looked down then at the headmaster. "He's the Dumass family heir."
"Learned from our library," he agreed happily. "There's a lot of holes. Including a lot on the roof. And it's not safe to have them that weakened. They're very thin. They need to be stronger. The wards are without any biting teeth in case of someone attacking." He looked at Harry. "Point out the defense ones," he ordered quietly.
Harry looked then pointed. "The red ones?"
"No, those are intent wards actually." He showed him how to tell the difference, and Ron and Neville too. Neville didn't have the gifts to do the work but it could help him.
Ron tipped his head to the left. "Is that pale purple one in the background over the headmaster's office something important? It looks like it's frayed."
Xander moved to look at it, nodding. "Good catch, Ron. That's a fealty intent ward. To let you know if someone's not loyal to the headmaster."
The headmaster looked at him. "I have never felt any alarm like that, sir."
"That's because you're not in the wards. They don't glow around you. There's no link into you. Someone never gave them up, even though he died." He sighed. "I have no idea how to make his body give them up. It should have been broken upon his death."
"I saw him on the astral plane or whatever," Harry offered.
"Yeah, that's why. He's a spirit. We'll have to have someone break the wards around him and probably the phoenix." Harry went to get the bird and brought him back. Fawkes was singing happily on his shoulder. "Hey, bird." The bird stared at him, stopping his singing. He grinned and waved. "We need to break the wards from you. He's still latched in." He moved forward, petting it.
"Stay calm and stay still," he ordered quietly. He removed the bindings, and the curse on it. The phoenix screamed and spread his wings, then tipped his head back and trilled. "Good bird." He petted him. "The only thing left is the bond you have and that's all on you, bird. If you want to free yourself, go ahead the next time you flame up." He petted him. "Thanks, Harry."
"Welcome. How would the headmaster log himself in?"
"We need to break the spirit's hold. That'll take a specialist. Which the bank does have," he said, looking at Flitwick, who nodded and was making a floo fire to call them. Xander put the wards back to hidden since more kids were coming up the road.
Flitwick got out of the way of the head cursebreaker, who came out to look at them. He sucked on his teeth for a minute then nodded. "How on earth did Dumbledore do that?"
"He had complete control," Xander said. "Ron found the fealty ward too."
The cursebreaker put glasses on to stare at them all. "Huge holes. Thin spots out the wazoo. Fealty curses. Three broken ends."
"I undid the phoenix."
The cursebreaker stared at him oddly then nodded once. "Good on you, mate. Who're you?"
"The Dumass heir." He grinned. "I learned from our library. And Aunt Allisandra. Speaking of....Aunt Allisandra and Grandma Des?" he called loudly, summoning them. Both spirits showed up. He pointed. "The wards."
They both looked and Des glared. "He's on this side now. Let me have his little tushie." She faded out to go ...talk to Dumbledore.
Allisandra looked then sighed. "The phoenix is free of everything but the bond she took on of her own free will."
"He," Harry said. "I think. It seems to be interchangeable though, Aunt Allisandra."
"Of course. Phoenix aren't really gendered, Harry. They'll change during flame ups." She looked at the cursebreaker then waved him over to point at something. "It's in the foundation. It links them into a ley line. They're incredibly wrong in many ways. The one who built on top of the original was an idiot."
The headmaster looked at her. "Can they be fixed?"
"Once Des destroys that ghost," she said happily. "They'll unravel and go down then can be rebuilt properly."
"We've got a possible attack," Harry said.
Allisandra looked at him. "Not right now you don't. He's in...I want to say Romania."
"I'm telling my brother," Ron quipped, going to the floo fire to call him. "Charlie Weasley." His head spun up. "Harry's former aunt," he said with a wave at her. "Said You-Know-Who is in Romania."
"I'll let others know. Maybe a dragon will eat it." He hung up with a grimace, calling the local people they worked with to warn them.
Ron walked back, shrugging at them. "Anyway." He grinned at Harry then at the headmaster. "How do we rebuild them soon? And stronger so they actually work?"
The cursebreaker looked at him. "That takes some specialist knowledge and we'll get people up to do that. For now, we've got a hell of a mess to unwind and fix. There's two top coats on top of the ancient original ones." Xander looked then exposed them all again. The guy looked then at him then at the wards. "What's the green layer?"
"Redo attempt about hundred years ago," McGonagall said. "They tried to up it by the records. The people who did it, from the bank, tried but couldn't work within the ancient framework so they had to lay it on top."
"So then they got the other two that're newer," the cursebreaker said with a nod. "That were built on top of those. Looks like some good ideas but poor execution." He nodded, calling his bosses to come see. They showed up to look at the wards and a few moaned.
Xander looked over. "The ancient wards have to be accessed ritually probably. So the hearth stone and the keystone."
"I have no idea where those are," McGonagall said.
Xander grinned. "Most cursebreakers that have went through the school can and have found it. We're drawn to such things inside wards as long as we can sense powers." He looked at Harry. "It's not in the maze. So where is it?"
"Underneath the headmaster's office, in the staircase," he said.
Ron looked over. "That hidden area that we sense each time we go up?"
"Yeah, there. I have no idea how to get into it though."
"Through the office probably," Xander said. "Go find it, boys." They went with the headmaster to find that. The cursebreakers followed. Xander grinned at Neville. "The wards on a house aren't nearly this complex, even with multiple layers and so many screw ups."
"I've never even examined the ones on the house but we hired a good firm to up them."
"That's actually a good idea as long as they know what they're doing. Some say they do but don't. The best you never see advertisements for but someone will recommend them."
"We got three recommendations and picked the one that two of them mentioned. The firm of Mafer."
"They're former cursebreakers so should do okay," one of the goblins said with a nod.
Neville smiled at that, nodding some. "That's good. I'm hoping the house will be safe with all of this."
"Should be," Xander said. "Relax, you're not doing it alone. We've had a few weird visits in Sunnydale from wizards asking about stuff over here." He winked with a grin then disappeared.
Neville stared. "How do you apparate from the grounds?" he asked.
"You can't," McGonagall said. "Not with our magic. So he must have learned other forms." She went inside to sit in her office and be scared. She remembered that face. Fondly remembered him. But it was a bad sign for her sanity since he had supposedly died. Dumbledore had told her that himself. So what had happened? Had he been brought back? Was he his son? Things were weird and going on that she had no idea about and it bothered her greatly. Her peace of mind was not in a good state.
It was time for her to have a good cry and examine what she knew about reality.
***
Xander appeared in the castle, looking up. "Des, if you're beating him to death, get in a few for me," he called quietly.
Dobby came running out and hid behind him. "Save Dobby, Alexander sir!"
"Of course I will, Dobby. Is Library being mean?"
"Winky is being evil!"
He looked down. "Which one is Winky?"
"Winky is being Dobby's mate," Library said when she came out to kiss his hand. "Winky is muchly a bad elf. Winky is being drunk."
"Then Winky can go outside where I don't have to see her drinking that way and stay in the treehouse until she's sober," Xander told the elves, who nodded. "I can't stand drunks. Sorry, Dobby."
"Winky will be better. Alexander want Dobby to refresh beds?" Library swatted him. "Is old straw!"
"We can't do that with the main suite, Dobby. That straw's been specially blessed and any heir not born on some that's tainted by it will turn evil." Dobby's eyes went wide. "Did you already do that?"
"No! Only from Harry Potter Sir's room!"
"That's fine. Ask before you touch another one." Dobby nodded. "Go help Winky sober up in the treehouse out back." He pointed. "It's that way."
"Dobby wlll." He popped off to gather her and take her to sober up again.
Xander looked at Library, who shrugged. "They be hand holdy ones," she told him.
"Which is sweet."
"Library knows. Hates her own hand holdy one." She walked off. "Is Master Alexander being eating?"
"Master Alexander is going to clean out his work area to bring up here. Want to help? I've broken up a ton of stuff that had gaudy jewels."
"Library can help haul." She went with him to help him remove all the stuff. A few things had disappeared again but Xander summoned it back from Willow and Buffy then brought it back to the castle. Then he turned up the security system again. He went to gather the other artifacts he was working on to bring back and store too. The work area in the catacombs was pretty full of stuff he hadn't gotten around to before but they could join the masses.
***
Xander felt someone in the house in Sunnydale so he went back there to stare at Joyce. "What's wrong, Joyce?"
She smiled. "What did you do, Xander? Buffy's screaming."
"I took back the stuff she stole from the basement that I've found laying around town. Which saved her since it was cursed." Joyce moaned and shook her head. "She's lucky. One of the other ones was about to release something to eat her." He shrugged. "That's why I removed it, before someone else released it." He grinned.
"So she raided your things and stole," she said.
Xander nodded. "She wasn't the only one. I took two from Willow too."
"Oh, dear. Does Giles know?"
"No. My family, the ones that let me live in this nice house, are curse breakers. I've learned a lot from their books. Which is why that thing on your back speaks to me about how you're possessed." She glared at him so he banished it. She shook herself then stared at him. He grinned and wiggled his fingers. "Hey, Joyce."
"Xander," she sighed. "That was not fun."
"You should try my hyena."
"No thank you." She patted him on the cheek and left but he did get the artifact off her before she made it out the door. Then the rest of the stuff in the house that needed to go back to the castle went. Library could easily help hide things.
***
Draco got a warning from Emilia, making him stare at it. Then he sighed. Someone was hunting for him as a prize. The loss of wealth meant that one thought he could buy him. He had to tastefully shove them off and make them go away. Or else it'd draw more attention. How did one do that? He looked up to consider it then sighed. "How does one send off someone who wants to own you?" he muttered.
"Make them not want you?" Millicent said from across the table.
Blaise Zabini looked down at him. "Be your bratty, younger self because no one wanted him, Draco." He went back to his lunch.
"That could be." He sighed and made note of the name so he could watch for things from that idiot. And he made sure he couldn't be gotten out of the school by anyone. Even with the wards being shaky. He'd probably have to warn Potter since he was still a Black family heir. But Potter wasn't at the table. He had tutoring today with that one weird former professor.
Draco also decided to keep his bag with him at all times so he had some things he may need to escape if the person kidnaped him. Perhaps a security device as well. Though he had no idea how to get one or hide it that way. He'd have to look it up. Or ask. "Millicent, how do you hide your security dagger?" he asked quietly.
"Hidden patch." She smiled. "We got it when we were traveling last summer."
"I need to look into that idea. Thank you." She took the letter from his hand to look at. He stared at her until she gave it back with a grimace. "Yes, that's why."
"Be careful. They can use a portkey inside the wards, even when they're toughened up this summer. My mother had a friend snatched that way by her boyfriend."
"Which is why I was thinking about your dagger."
She smiled and nodded. "Could help, Draco." She went back to her own lunch.
Draco settled in to make some minor plans. This really was not amusing him today and he had a test next period.
***
In town, Harry wasn't having fun. Mostly because he was fighting off the person who had snatched him to talk to him about Draco. He finally had enough and sent a stunner at the man, making him shriek as he fell down. "That's nicer," he said, pushing his hair back with a huff. He looked at the professor. "At least I managed to get away."
"You did," he praised patiently. "What did he do?
Harry handed over the paper that had been sent to him. "Portkey. He wanted me to sell him Draco."
Methos looked at it then at him. "Why would he ask you?"
"Malfoy's a Black heir." He grinned, holding up the ring. "Arcturus' spirit wanted me to be more polite then destroy him. If I knew how to do that I would and give it all to his intended victim." He glared at the man then smiled at the teacher again. "I'm probably not going to sell a relative unless the world will end."
"That's always a good idea, yes," Methos said, handing it back. "Where did it take you?"
"Some house somewhere with a lot of sunlight in a single corner. The rest of the curtains were closed." He shrugged. "Tacky furniture that looked uncomfortable to sit on too."
"That figures." He looked at the man then decided to have someone sent for. An auror showed up fairly quickly, for them. "This one sent Mr. Potter a portkey to ask him to sell a relation to him."
Harry handed over the note with a grin. "I told him no. Then I came back and he followed so I said a stronger no, then I said no with a stunner." He pointed at him.
"That's the secondary head of Magical Romania," the auror said.
Harry shrugged. "He wanted to buy Draco Malfoy from me as he's a Black family member. Oh well! I don't sell relatives, even that one!" He smiled at the man since he was groaning. "You take him with you and arrest him for that or I'm going to hand him to the forest and see if he makes it home."
"He's magical, he'd just apparate," the auror said.
Harry reached down to get the wand then snapped it and handed it to the auror with a grin. "Really? Can he do that?" He walked off. "I'm getting some water, Professor."
"Go ahead, Mr. Potter, and wash your hands first please. There's no telling what was on his person." He looked at the auror. "Do relieve my living room of his groaning."
"I can bring him in and let Bones talk to him," the auror said, looking at the wand. "He knows that's rude, right? Like a calling out offense?"
Methos snorted, looking at him. "If the imbecile is that weak he deserves to have to replace his wand. It's the least he deserves for trying to *buy* a school student." The auror sighed but floated the guy up and took him back to the Ministry. Methos rolled his eyes but went to calm down Harry. The boy had some very reasonable anger issues.
***
Madam Bones looked at the man waking up, staring at him. "So you wanted to buy a school student, a sixth year school student," she said blandly. He spluttered. She just stared calmly. "I do not believe that England considers that a good idea."
"I am not in England."
"You are in England. You came back with Potter. He was in Scotland, but that's part of us too," she said dryly. "We've already talked to your PM. He's not amused. Amused that Potter broke your wand and said next time he'd send you into the Dark Forest to fight your way home, but not amused at you trying to buy a student.
"He's talked to our Minister about keeping you here because you're an embarrassment." The man sneered. "So we are. Our Minister will be down to see you sometime next week about how you'll get home without a wand." She smirked. "Because the pieces have been confiscated."
"My wand is not in pieces."
"It is now." She stood up and walked off. "Do have fun with our hospitality. We'll treat you like the foreign dignitary you are and give you our nicest cell." She let the aurors handle that. The Minister was still moaning in her office. She smiled at him. "We can give a report if you want."
"They'll vow to attack us," he complained, looking at her.
"They'll make him retire anyway. This way other parents are warned."
"Which student did he want?"
"The former Malfoy heir. With the spirit in the ring hating that he slept with a veela and had his heirs with her, he decided Draco was proof he was wrong to do that and had the family dissolved by repudiating him. So Draco surrendered to the apocalypse clause in the family with the bank's authority and knowledge. After some plans were handled."
"So he wants a veela."
"Malfoy's only a partial veela. Maybe an eighth. Though he has somewhat emerged with a gift of frustration from what my nieces said." She smirked a bit. "He's talked to those who could help train him."
"That's good."
"And like all veelas, there's the family curse. If I remember right, his is either monogamy or cursed to die horribly if it's not a true mate to them. Not sure which." The minister sighed but nodded. "But he's safe. I did not tell the idiot that Potter snapped his wand on him."
"That was rude of Potter."
"No, it was smart of Potter. Why let an enemy have a weapon when they get back up? Potter's seen too much combat because the whole Ministry decided to stick their heads in the sand and ignore Voldemort. So he's handled it since he was eleven."
"Point." He stood up. "What do we do with him? They don't want him back at all."
"We can send him home in a week. They'll have time to spin the story however they want." She shrugged. "He can sit in a cell. The only decision is to tell the press or let them do it."
"Let them. We don't need that sort of problem on our heads or on Malfoy's head." He left her to handle things while he went to have a drink for lunch. He really could have a few drinks for lunch before calling Romania back but he didn't want to appear drunk. So he called while he had a pint. "We have decided to let you spin your own person's stupidity and make up whatever reason you want to have for him retiring.
"For now, he's sitting in a jail cell for about a week until you're ready to have him come home to formally retire." He sipped his drink, staring at the older man. "Though his wand has been snapped on him by the one he kidnaped to talk to about buying the young man." He took another drink. "Who is a partial veela."
"You couldn't find some way for him to lose his life?" the Prime Minister asked.
"I believe that's why someone snapped his wand on him."
"Ah." He nodded. "We can have a good meeting to spin that disastrous decision from him so he can retire for good."
"Have fun with that. Let us know when we can chuck him through the floo. He's in a cell but they're being polite to him."
"Better than mine would do then."
"The boy is a sixth year so of age to court. If he was younger, he'd have never made it out of the Dark Forest around the school." He smirked a bit. "Which was Potter's intention when he snapped his wand."
"I wish he had sent him there. It would mean much less stress from me." He hung up and went to talk to his people. "My second-in-command is retiring in shame," he announced. "He kidnaped one person to demand to buy his relative who is part veela and a sixth year student." He smiled. "The Brits have him in a polite jail cell but his wand was snapped." They all nodded. "They told us a week and then they'd floo him back. Figure out the excuse for him retiring."
"His wife will kill him," one said with a shrug. "We should warn her first."
"Then we'll say he fell ill while over there and let her spin the rest. Figure it out, we have a week to be amused before he comes back and gets kicked out. Also, find me a new second-in-command." He walked off to let them handle that.
His assistant went to warn the wife of that problem. She was sniffly and told him who the boy was related to, she had been warned as a fellow veela. She could make excuses for him and him being terminally ill by her hand.
***
Harry walked up to Draco before dinner. "Malfoy." He flinched, looking at him. "May I have a moment?"
"I need to talk to you anyway," he admitted.
"Is it about some guy in Romania who used a portkey to bring me to him earlier?" he asked dryly. Draco gaped in awe. "He wanted to buy you," he said quietly, moving closer. "I gave him a hell no, a less polite hell no, then a hell no with a stunner when he followed me back here. Then I snapped his wand and let the former Professor have an auror summoned."
"Well, yes, it was about him," he said. "He portkeyed you to somewhere to buy me?" he demanded.
"Yup. Somewhere with tacky, uncomfortable looking furniture and most of the windows covered. He was the second-in-charge in Romania." Draco winced. "So the Ministry has him, I snapped his wand, and he's probably pouty."
"You snapped his wand? That's a good way for someone to call an honor duel on you, or a debt, Potter."
"I was going to send him into the forest without it," he said with a grin. "Let's see him get home that way." He walked off. "But you're probably safer. Just watch out for portkeys."
"Yes, I will." He looked so confused. He found Snape watching and looked at him.
"I will make sure someone reminds Potter of what a debt can be," Snape said dryly. "In detention tonight." He walked around him. "At least you are safe."
"Thankfully." He went to dinner himself, still shaking his head. At least the problem was solved. He wrote Emilia back to let her know about that. She would probably be amused. She might even find someone Potter could date someday. She was very understanding and Potter would need someone very understanding.
***
Draco got another message from that same being, this time by house elf. He stared at the letter, then pointed. "I do not want to talk to your master," he told it. "He disrespected me fully and I'm not going to be nice to him." The house elf put the letter down anyway and left with a huff. Draco stared at it but didn't touch it. Neither did anyone else.
Harry strolled over once he had eaten, wand in hand. He grinned as he picked it up to read. It did take him and they were not happy but that wife was wanting to apologize at least. Harry brought that back for him, handing it over. "His wife wanted to apologize for her husband's actions," he said quietly with a grin. "She understands that no one should be kidnaped as she's like you." He went back to his own table again. He sat down and got seconds.
"That was truly a real Gryffindor move," Pansy said then cleared her throat. "Wow." She looked at Draco, who was reading that letter. He wrote a nice one back and sent it with his owl then tucked the letter into his bag for now. She looked up then went up to ask Snape that question. "What would the sorting hat do if a kid was only mildly tilted but pretty well split between houses?"
"As there are more Slytherin and lesser Slytherins, there are in other houses, Miss Parkinson. Even if the child is split, the hat will choose one somehow. There's only been a few that it took a bit on and they were mostly split between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff as it was recorded." He sipped his tea.
"Oh, I didn't realize that. I thought we were pretty well all about the same level of Slytherin." She smiled, going back to her seat.
"No, some of you are much lesser on the qualities that make a Slytherin," he said quietly. She had very little cunning but could plot. That and she wouldn't fit in any other house. He finished his tea and poured more then got back to his own lunch. The defense teacher looked at him. "Yes?"
"The notes say I should be talking to you about a certain potion for the fourth year class, Professor Snape. I don't remember which one."
"The detainting one probably. I'll look at that tonight for you."
"Thank you. That's what I was going to ask." He got back to his own lunch.
Snape mentally shook his head. The auror was a bit...dense.
The headmaster looked down. "How do we prevent that from happening again? We don't really need students portkeyed from inside the school unless there's an emergency."
"That would have to go into the wards," McGonagall said, making Flitwick nod at that idea since his mouth was full.
"I've started a list of things to ask about so I'll do that when we find one."
"They'll be here for the initial examination and give the estimate next week," Flitwick said. That got a nod from the headmaster. "Do we foresee any other problems going on?"
"Please let there not be," McGonagall sighed. "I don't think I can take much more." Flitwick smiled at her for that admission but he went back to his own lunch.
Harry walked past them on his way out. "Us too," he told her quietly. "I'd like to go home without a visit to Madam Pomfrey this year." She snorted at that but let him go to class.
Of course, someone in the hallway screamed. The teachers all went to see what it was but it was the unicorn that had gotten free and had pinned a young boy, who was the one who screamed.
Hermione came over and poked it on the side. "Move it! Get off him!" The unicorn glared at her. She stared back. "I mean it! Don't make me call Hagrid!" She pointed. "Out of this school!" Ginny came over to grab his halter and pull him off if she had to. He had to follow where his head went so he got led back outside. Hermione helped the boy up and handed him to a teacher. "Our unicorn is apparently lonely." She walked off again with a sigh. "At least he's not a first year, like last year's was."
"We had one last year?" the headmaster demanded, looking at the teachers, who all shrugged.
Snape nodded. "Yes. The thing is lonely as he's a herd beast without one. He tries to make a few students his herd every year." He walked off with the student, who wasn't his but he could herd him toward the infirmary. "Go see Madam Pomfrey, get a calming potion. Then go to class." The boy ran off nearly crying. Snape rolled his eyes but he was amused. The unicorn must have been desperate to pick that one.
The headmaster looked at the teachers, who all went to classes as well. He went up to make a note for the board. This was not usual. They really had to get the unicorn looked at by someone with an actual degree in animal care.
***
Harry called Xander that night, grinning since he was at the castle. "Do you know of any female unicorns or horses that might like our male unicorn? He jumped another student again, and that one's threatened to eat it for shaming him that way."
Xander blinked a few times. "It went after a student?" he demanded. Harry nodded with a grin. "Why?"
"It was trying to flip him over to mount him," Ron said as he walked behind Xander.
"Oh, that reason. Yeah, I know where a few are so they can see if they might like him. I'll see if I can talk a female into going there." He smirked a bit. "The kid okay?"
"Horrified, ashamed, hiding in his house?"
"That's what most of us would do," he agreed. "Any other good news?"
"Nothing huge. We got the one from Romania that was trying to make Draco take him."
"Poor kid. Is he okay?"
"So far."
"Good. The one who tried to force it?"
"He's in jail. He used a portkey."
"I've seen that happen before." He sipped something in his glass. "Any other good news?"
"I haven't had to visit the infirmary most of the year." He grinned.
"Congrats. I know that's a huge thing for you, Harry. Is it going to continue?"
"I hope so. We don't think there'll be another one this year. There's only a few weeks left."
"That's actually a great thing. How's classes?"
"I'm really bored." Xander snickered but nodded. "Is it true you used to do more papers than we do now?"
"Yes. Quite a lot of it was self-guided in my day."
"Oh, that sucks." He considered it. "Can I take a few NEWTs early?"
"If you want and know you can pass."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can." He shifted in his seat. "Is anything going on? I feel like I'm waiting on that trip to the infirmary."
"You probably are. You taught yourself that was normal so you're expecting the pattern to follow. It's like training a dog to like treats and come when called."
"That figures," he complained. He leaned on his clasped hands under his chin. "Is anything going on?"
"No, not really. I'm going over a few things I had waiting on me to work on them."
"Can we go over that ship this summer?"
"Yeah, we can do that." He grinned. "Any other wants?"
"Can we have ice cream?"
"I think so. I can buy ice cream." He smirked a bit. "Craving?"
"Yes, it's that or cheese and I know not to gorge on cheese."
"Good boy. Any other big things?"
"I'm just bored."
"Then go read something for fun, Harry. Or go have some fun."
"True." He grinned and hung up to go do that. Xander shook his head but he was smiling at the silliness of the kid.
***
Xander looked at the cursebreaker he had called to come talk to him at the newer house's former location. He pointed at the box in front of him. "I'm really tired of fucking with those." He grinned. "I've broken all the curses but they're not things I want to collect and I can't learn anything from them. So you can tell Blackrock he can sell it for me if you would since I'm not presently talking to the bank." He stared at the guy, who would probably barely remember him.
"How in the hell did you survive?"
"It was a deaging curse."
"Oh, shit."
Xander grinned and nodded. "You can tell Blackrock he can't auction off the demon part either. Or else someone will put it back together again and threaten humanity. Which means I need to steal another weapon from the military." He shrugged. "Gotta go find the school's unicorn a friend so it quits pouncing people." He strolled off. "The box is charmed for weight. There's a few spells but they're all harmless."
"I'll let Blackrock and Mortar know," he said weakly, nodding at that. He took the box with him back to the bank. He went to Blackrock's office and called up the supervisor over the cursebreakers. "I just met the Dumass heir."
Blackrock stared at him then nodded. "I've seen."
"He said he was bored with these. He said he's removed the curses and only a few helpful spells remain. He also said to tell you not to sell the demon part or else it'll let someone put the demon back together and he'd have to steal another weapon from the military." He looked at Blackrock. "He said to tell you that."
"I can put it in the Dumass family vault." They opened the box and the head of the cursebreakers moaned at what they saw. "Does he want to sell that?"
"Probably. He said he was tired of them. He said he's not talking to the bank."
"I can agree it'd be better if he didn't," Blackrock admitted. "A few are still very mad at him for standing up for what's right. And himself actually."
The human cursebreaker nodded he agreed. "I saw but damn."
The head over the cursebreakers pawed through the box. "How did he find so many gold embellished artifacts?"
Blackrock looked at him. "He was in Sunnydale."
"Oh, that way. Understood. I'll see what we can arrange." He took it to go log in and look over. They clearly needed to add to the next auction and it'd bring in good money for the bank.
Blackrock looked at the cursebreaker. "Where was he?"
"The family home that got burned. He said he's looking for a unicorn for the school."
"He'd know." He got up and locked his desk then went to talk to him. "Mr. Dumass," he called when he appeared.
Xander leaned out of his work area. "Yes?" He grinned. "What's up, Blackrock."
"Can we speak seriously about a young heir's problems?"
"Sure. I'm looking for the damn halter." He came out with it and shut his work area up again. "What's up?"
"The Malfoy heir. We've had multiple questions about his ability to protect himself from those who want him. Mostly from those who want him."
"He can probably hire security."
"The wizarding world doesn't have many of those and they won't work with veela usually. They're trying to confiscate him as their concubine. He's fighting back but may not have a good idea of how to do that."
"I can teach him some defensive spells."
"Could you use a consort?"
"No." He shook his head with a grin. "Nope, not in the least. Sunnydale's too dangerous. I'm still needed there since the damn idiot linked me to the hellmouth." Blackrock winced at that. "I've sucked up a great deal of the hellmouth's energy. I can start a few new ones actually." The goblin nodded at that. "I can help the kid but he's young. I'm not really this age, Blackrock. No more than you are."
"Point." He sighed. "The boy really must have a way to set himself up so he's safer."
"Then have Emilia, his cousin, come help him a bit. Or at least give him ideas. Or have Methos do it. He might use a consort who was pretty."
"I hadn't thought of that since he did appear."
Xander grinned. "I suggested he could teach Harry a lot."
"He probably is. Hopefully including tact and patience."
"Harry's got both or he'd have never made it in that household."
"I hadn't considered that." He nodded. "I'll talk to the boy myself. Are you sure you couldn't use a distraction?"
"Quite. I've got a lot of things to handle until the hellmouth falls in. I may not be safe to be around with all this hellmouth energy I carry."
"You can't clear it?"
"I did that last month." He removed the blockers he wore, making the goblin wince at that. "Exactly. I got bound to the hellmouth out there when the asshole put me out there."
"Oh, dear. I understand. Well, are you going to continue to break things?"
"Yeah. They're stupidly twinkly and a possible danger." He shrugged. "Better to be broken up."
"Should we auction them and put the money in your vault?"
"Please. I've got to make sure Harry goes to college or something."
"He can do that on his own."
"Yes but I'm the senior heir and his grandfather so it's up to me to nag."
"That may be appreciated. I'm not sure." He went back to the bank to talk to them.
Xander sent Draco a letter about that talk. It'd give him ideas to help him when school wasn't open. He really did have to find the rest of that transport set for the unicorns. With the cursebreaker taint drawing problems, the unicorn might pounce Harry next. Or Hermione and she'd hate that.
***
Ron looked at the unicorn trying to herd him toward the barn, shaking his head. "Sorry, I'm not a herdmate," he said, backing away. "Hagrid?" he called, not looking away from the demented thing. "Oi, Hagrid?" he called more loudly.
Harry looked over then floated Ron out of the enclosure, making the unicorn huff and yell at him for it. Harry shrugged. "Sorry, but can't let you do that to him."
"I'm going to get Ginny to poke you again," Hermione told him as she steadied Ron as he landed. "You okay?"
"I'm fine. He was trying to herd me." He walked off to talk to Hagrid. "The unicorn just tried to get me into the barn with him."
Hagrid looked at him. "You're a boy."
"He's pounced a few other boys, Hagrid."
"Oh, dear. I'll have someone called to see about him."
"Or you could find him a herd." He walked off. Ginny had disappeared that morning but he noticed her coming up the hill with two unicorns and a foal. "Did you go kidnap one?" he called loudly, drawing attention.
"Harry's cousin found them being all alone and they agreed to come meet ours to see if they could herd up." She led them to the paddock and let them into it. The school's male unicorn trotted over to sniff the foal then the others.
The older mare nipped him on the face when he got too friendly but he liked that apparently. He herded them over to show them the barn. The foal followed his mother, being happy with all the ones who cooed at him. He went to suck up to a few for petting but his mother came out to nudge him back with the group.
Hermione smiled and waved. "The first years come out next. They'll love to pet you and brush you." She looked at Ginny, who shrugged. "At least it's solving a problem."
"We hope," Ginny said. "Before it pounces me." She walked off again to sign back in. The headmaster stared at her oddly. "Harry's cousin, the Dumass heir, found a few unicorns who were missing having a herd and called me to bring them here to meet ours before I get pounced next time." He sighed. "Two mares and a foal."
"I'm sure he'll have fun."
"Hopefully more than the kids he's pounced would." She walked off, going back to class. Madam Sprout gave her an odd look too. "I got called to move two unicorns and a foal up here for ours."
Madam Sprout sighed but shook her head. "Hopefully the poor thing will be less lonely. Just a mare?"
"Two and a foal."
"Will it leave the foal alone?"
"Hopefully and if not, Hagrid can handle it." She got into the current plants they were working with.
***
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