Ancestry 21 - A Chaos God Walks Into A School....
Xander looked over as someone appeared, strolling over. He bowed to him, he could still feel the tether to the god over cursebreakers. "Lord Loki," he said with a grin. "Thank you for the visit."
"Tell Allisandra it did help me wake up." He handed over the statue. Xander tucked it into his pocket after shrinking it. "Are you going back to the duty, Alexander?"
"I have no idea. Right now I'm using it to get things off the hellmouth before it helps it explode some day. Or causes me a problem." He shrugged. "Then I'll figure things out."
Loki looked at him. "You could be of help here with the upcoming battle."
"I fully plan on that. Not like I haven't been in a few. Including the last blood war that moron started. Speaking of, is he in Serbia or not? I found a huge spot of wrongness but can't tell if that's him or some other moron."
"No, he's in Jordan I believe. He was traveling that way recently."
"Oh, that spot. He glows a lot less than the tomb he's in then." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. He stared at him. "Why else did you visit?"
"I should check up on the one who was my high priest."
Xander grinned. "I miss you too but I got stranded in that new life and it did change me."
"I realize." He moved closer. "You still do my work. Even to save yourself work and to make the family money," he sighed. "Do it in my name as well."
"I try."
"I've noticed." He grinned. "Your grandson...."
"He and Ron Weasley both have the skills and together they're almost as strong as I am."
"Excellent to know."
"New headmaster."
"Even better," he agreed dryly. "Are you well? I can't read you through the hellmouth taint."
"The asshole linked me to it." Loki moaned at that. He nodded. "The castle nearly didn't let me in."
"Can you fix that?"
"By destroying the town?"
"That might make some happy."
"Not the aurors over there." He grinned. "The next one will be Cleveland."
Loki moaned in pleasure. "Oh, that's good to know." He patted him on the cheek, letting Xander lean against his hand. "Be a good boy, Alexander, and merge the two personalities better."
"I'm trying to find a middle ground."
"You're closer." He stepped back, grinning at him. "They'd like you to mate with that blond veela heir."
"I've heard that." He grinned. "I can't handle a consort right now, Loki. Sunnydale's still stupidly dangerous."
"Yes it is."
"And he'd die in the life I live right now. It's definitely not nice or soft."
"He could be a good help if you go back on digs."
"Or he'd hate the desert. He's used to creature comforts. Not a tent in a desert."
"Could be." He patted him again. "Let me go teach my class."
"The nurses teaching it right now are a bit uptight. Granger's spread info from the muggle version. She was going to start a women's rights movement."
Loki moaned again, nodding at that. "I've noticed. She was correct." He turned and his clothes changed to more wizarding standard. He winked and left, his chariot manifesting around him as he got near Hogwarts. He pulled up outside, the four black horses stamping a foot as they landed in front of the school. He got out and sighed in pleasure. He strolled inside, nodding at the students staring at him. He walked into the Great Hall and McGonagall gasped, standing up to smile at him. "Good day, my fellow teachers."
"Who are you?" the headmaster demanded.
"I'm Professor Armwrench." He smirked at him. "I usually teach the practical life skills classes but my family had me a bit...tied up." He sat down in the seat that appeared, nodding at the other teachers. He looked at the students to see how many of his there were. Only four. It was a good crop though. He smiled at the headmaster. "Now I'm free to help again."
"Does the school's board know?" he asked.
"I haven't talked to them recently. I usually show up a few weeks into the school year. We can call them in a bit if you like."
"I would. No one warned me you'd be coming."
"That's fine." He waved a hand. One girl caught his attention. "Hmm. Interesting." He looked down at Snape, who nodded politely. Then at McGonagall, who did the same. "Have there been many problems?"
"Not too many," McGonagall said, looking pleased. "We think we're ready to just have the rest of the year, without problems."
"That would be excellent and a tonic on many nerves," he agreed. He looked down there. "Mr. Malfoy." Draco looked up at him so he pointed in front of him. The boy strolled up there. "It has reached my ear that people want you to hide behind the Dumass heir," he said quietly, staring at him. "But he is concerned his lifestyle wouldn't suit you."
"I really am not ready for any sort of mate yet," he admitted. "Why would they want that?"
"Two reasons. One to help him calm down from what he's had to go through. Secondly to protect yourself from the ones who think you're a prize."
"I've been warned about them."
"Hmm. The bank was getting inquiries from what I heard." He stared at him. "Would your parents agree to finding you a better mate?"
"I have no idea. Lucius died at the Ministry when that no-nosed bastard attacked there during his trial, which was a smokescreen for the attack, and my mother fled to France abandoning me."
"Hmm. Yes, we can help a bit there. Have you talked to your cousin?"
"She and I correspond."
"Good." He nodded. "See Professor Methos soon as well. He hears things that most of us wouldn't."
"I can write him to set up a meeting." He bowed a bit, feeling the power in him.
"You're not fully one of my usual students," he said, making sure only he heard it. "But you are leaning in my direction, boy. And Dumass could make sure of that. I think you'd do him good but that is between you two. You're a bit too soft to handle the man he had to become. But I think if you both agreed, it could be beneficial and protective of you both." He tipped his head. "I can also teach you many things that veelas can do and how they do it during our classes."
"Thank you, Professor." He bowed a bit then went back to his seat.
Loki brought down the shield and sighed. That same girl caught his attention. She really was a valkyrie in the making. He'd have to mention her to others. He looked at McGonagall, who grinned. "She reminds me so much of Findegard," he said quietly. She spluttered a bit. "Exactly." He followed the headmaster to the office once lunch was done, nodding at the board member he called. "Good day."
"Professor Armwrench." He blinked a few times. "You're late."
"My family had me a bit tied up," he said dryly.
"I can understand that." He remembered who he was since he was in his presence. "Are you in to finish those classes?"
"Yes, and to help the poor ones with cursebreaker skills. As usual I can block some of the mischief that comes for them."
"We'd all like that." He looked at the headmaster. "He teaches practical life skills classes. We all enjoyed them." He smiled. "Do have fun with that."
"I'll try. After I go nag that unicorn stallion." He went to do that since the thing was staring at the foal again. He undid the cockring the unicorn wore so it could pounce one of the mares while weaving a protection around the foal, who nuzzled him for it. "There, you'll be safer now. Or else I'll swat his tail myself." He nodded at Hagrid, who looked amused. Loki went back to his suite to unpack. Then he'd contact someone about that one girl. She really would make a good valkyrie.
***
Xander called an old friend who was down in Turkey. "Voldemort is in Jordan from what I've heard." The man blinked at him. "He's visiting a tomb to get more things he can use to restart his blood purist war."
"I'll let others know. How are you alive?"
"Who said I'm alive?" He grinned and closed the call out. He went to tell others. They could be amused for him. The UK auror stared at him oddly. "Professor Armwrench thinks that he's found Voldemort in Jordan in a tomb." He hung up with a grin.
The auror looked at her boss, who had heard. She was looking up who to call down there. "It's nice Armwrench is back," the auror said.
Amelia Bones looked at her. "It is." She found who she needed and called. "This is Senior Auror Amelia Bones, calling Ministry to Ministry," she said quietly, staring at them. "We've been given information that a criminal from the UK's community is down there in a tomb in Jordan."
"Which one?" that auror asked.
"Voldemort. We know he's learned some things from Ancient Egyptian magic in the past. The dark mark is built on it."
"I will look into that and if we can capture him we'll gladly hand him back."
"Thank you and be safe if you do find him." She hung up, going to note that call. If that was true they could get the idiot before he started a second war for real.
***
Xander walked up to where the foal at the school was bleating. "Hey." It stared at him. "Where's your mother?" It nosed toward the barn so he went to check on her. The male stallion was tainted so he healed it and made it yell in pain. He held up his wand. "It's tainted. Has some poisoning from the forest. Probably ate a spider or something poisonous by accident." He finished the purge and healing then let it go. "There. Go make up with the foal and if you hurt it he'll take you out some day."
The unicorn nudged the female, staring at him. "I'm going to heal her next. Go check the foal and your other mare." It went to do that. Xander knelt, getting into the healing. "Hmm. I need a virgin to help me," he called. Hagrid got Ginny and a few others down that could fit that. "I need a virgin who can help me heal her."
"I've got it," Ginny said, coming over to let him show her how. Finally that one was better. "What happened?"
"The male was poisoned. It ate something poisonous." He helped her up as he stood. "Go ahead, Mama." She got up and shook to clean off her coat, letting Ginny brush her. Xander took the brush and shook his head. "Pure silver only, Weasley. That could be the problem." He checked it.
"Yup, collection spells. They've been warped by the same thing that got the male." He handed it back. "Hermione, go to the house and grab the set out of that little burrow area," he called. She headed to do that, coming back with the silver comb and brush set plus a few other things.
"That'll help. Go rinse that out." She did that for him and got clean water. Ginny took the comb to do her coat, making her feel better. Xander checked the other mare. She was barely tainted. He tracked it and found the reason, killing it.
"Poisonous to unicorns," he explained. "It's the dead thing that poisoned them," he told the headmaster. Who sighed but nodded. He looked at Hagrid, waving him over. "Dangerous and poisonous to unicorns, Hagrid." He stared up at him. "The collection spell was warped by the taint on the male and it's spread from there. You have our family set now. Pure silver, no spells, no magic at all."
"Thank ya," he said quietly. "I've been doin' the best I 'ould."
"I know. Unicorns are super picky to deal with. I'll get Harry a copy of our mash that we used to feed them and the formula, all that." Hagrid grinned and nodded. "For now, make sure the male's sane. He was tainted so hard his horn was starting to shed."
"I can do that." He went to check on them.
Xander looked at the female, who bowed. He bowed back. "You better?" She shook her head but Ginny was doing her mane. "Okay. Outside." He pointed. "Fresh air, clean water. All that." She did that with the other mare following her. She nudged the foal over near them again and he came over to nuzzle his mother. The male followed, head down, looking upset.
The mares accepted his apology and let him stand with the herd for now. Xander followed, shaking his head. "Library." She appeared next to him, curtseying to the unicorns. "I need our notes on unicorn care that we'd give to someone studying them. They had grass that was tainted." She went to find it, coming back with a book that had some damage but was readable. "That'll work. Is the mash in there?"
"Library not check. Was in Aunt Cordy's things."
"That'll work. Thank you." He flipped through it then handed it to Hagrid. "I want the family heirloom back sometime. But use it to teach others. As far as we can tell there's no healers for unicorns in the UK anymore." He looked at Hermione, who came over to get the comb to help Ginny with the grooming. "Nice. Absolutely pure for the foal only," he said quietly to her.
"And don't touch the horn unless you're absolutely never even had a thought because it can horribly injure and poison you." She nodded. "Good girl." He left the paddock. "Okay, he's saved, she's saved, the foal's sucking up attention." He grinned at the headmaster. "Unicorns are super picky to deal with. But the law says they can rest wherever they want to.
"Our family used to be known for protecting a huge herd. We even used to milk ours for cream." He looked at the kids staring at him. "I'm Harry's cousin Xander." A few grinned and waved. "Unicorns are super picky to deal with." The mare that hadn't been healed nudged him in the back. He looked back at her. "You are. You can't even argue that point."
He petted her nose and she went back to sucking up attention. "Those are the Dumass family heirlooms that we used to use on our herd. With unicorns, there's no magic around them, it can taint them. They have what amounts to food allergies in humans that can also poison them very easily. In that case, it was a type of grass. And possibly them accidentally eating a poisonous bug.
"She's healed. Hagrid has the book we used to use with the recipes we used on our herd. Including the special mash for the new mothers or the ones who're sick. There's a few very picky things about unicorns. The foal can only be petted by someone very pure. Like never had a bad thought pure.
"Touching the horns can cause an injury that will never quit spreading if you're not that same sort of pure, and sometimes will still spread. We've seen ones that the healer had to remove a large portion of skin around the small scratch to save the arm. So don't touch the horn while it's on the head.
"Sometimes they will shed the outer layer of the horn and that's safe to touch." He smiled at the kids. "The combs are pure silver, no magic on them or around them." That got a nod and a few made notes. "And if one of you wants to become a veterinarian, for the love of all ancient gods, learn how to handle magical beasts like unicorns.
"There's apparently none in the UK right now. We had to call Species about a foal with a turned ankle. They had to get a vet from the US to come help that orphaned foal. Also in there is our formula for replacement milk in case one is orphaned." That got a few smiles. "The family had many that nursed the orphaned ones. The aunts apparently used to hate them coming into the house. There's whole pages of rants by some of the aunts about the foals being in the house."
"Is it true that someone hurt one of the unicorns in your family once?" one kid asked.
"Justinius, Alexander's older brother, did do that. He got the pregnant mother and she had to be saved. She abandoned the foal, totally reasonable of her. The foal was later killed by that same idiot brother and his brother got tainted by the same knife being used on him. If you're tainted with unicorn blood, it'll take *months* of healing and a lot of pain.
"It took him four months to be healed and wake up." A few of the kids winced at that. "Which is why his brother got banished from the family. Justinius was a really big bag of dicks." He shrugged. "Every family has one but ours was just him."
"Can you really milk a unicorn?" another one asked.
"Yeah." He smiled and nodded. "The family was known for it. Including having unicorn cream in their tea. If you're tilted toward chaotic magics, then the cream will taste a bit tangy to you. More earth centered and its sweet." That got some smiles. "You can buy it commercial. If you can't taste the difference it wasn't really unicorn cream."
That got a nod. "When you brush them you can gather the hairs without harming them. You put it onto specially charmed papers. Then you can use it in potions, for spells, for candles. The book has the spell to use on the papers you need to collect that. It doesn't hurt them and brushing them is really helpful because it makes sure their coat's in good condition."
He waved the mare over, rubbing her nose then showing the hairs on his hand. "They shed constantly. More than horses do." He let one student take the hairs off his hand. "They're not great quality but for some things they'll still work," he assured her. She grinned at that. "Just remember to use silver pots and spoons to mix their food, use no magic at all to do anything with unicorns.
"Unless you have to defend yourself against them then you aim for the hind quarter up on the hip." He moved to point. "Hit them here with a very light stunner. Hitting them anywhere else could kill or severely injure them and then you go to jail for it." He grinned. "Got it?" They nodded. "Good." He looked at her, bowing some.
"Why can you pet them?" one second year asked.
Xander looked at her with a grin. "Special things I've been into." He winked and disappeared.
Hermione frowned. "That's not magic like we use. He didn't use his wand."
"No, it probably wasn't," the headmaster agreed with a nod. "His family was known for cursebreakers. There's no telling what they learned." He checked on the small herd then went to make notes on what had been said and done for the board.
***
Harry looked at the unicorns then shook his head. "Do we have protections and alarms on the barn?" he asked quietly, looking at Hagrid, who looked confused. "People want to take out unicorns, Hagrid. We had one that was in the forest snacking on them my first year." He gave him a pointed look. "Can we put alarms on the barn?"
Ron looked over. "Your cousin said no magic on their stuff or around them. Can we put one around the edges of the paddock they stay in?" he offered. "Just on this side of the fence?"
"I didn't think about that." He touched the heir's pendant to talk to Xander, then nodded. "We can do that and we can put up anti-magic wards all around the barn he said. So that none can get inside the barn at all." He looked at Hagrid, who still looked confused.
"Okay, we'll see if we can find some," he said, walking over to talk to Hermione. "Xander said we can put alarms around the outside of the paddock when Ron suggested it." She beamed at that. "And anti-magic spells on the barn itself to keep people from using it around them."
"I can look those up," she agreed, going to do that. She paused to talk to Flitwick first, and he knew where they were and gave her the permission slip to get into the restricted room to find it.
"Why does that matter?" one of the Slytherins in the advanced classes demanded.
Harry looked at him. "Because magic around unicorns taints them." She stared at him oddly. "You can't use it on their dishes, their combs or brushes, around them, nothing like that. That's part of what was wrong with ours and why my cousin had to come heal one of the new mares. He had attacked her because he was poisoned. That and they have food allergies. He calls them the pickiest creatures to work with ever."
"Oh. How would he know?"
"The Dumass family kept watch over a herd of unicorns," Ron said, looking over. "Used to give a huge herd shelter, milk them, comb them for the hairs for spells, all that stuff."
"Oh. I didn't know that. Hold on, the hairs?"
"He said earlier to use pure silver combs, no spells on 'em," Hagrid told her. "Pure silver in the buckets and spoons ta mix. Gave me a family heirloom to find recipes for 'em. Plus the family's grooming set. We'll probably have to give 'em back soon but we can find our own."
"That means going muggle for the combs," one of the Ravenclaws said. "So there's no magic in the forming. One of my aunts married a jeweler." She looked at the comb and brush they had borrowed, taking a rubbing of the maker's mark. "I'll send that to her to see if her husband can identify the marking, Hagrid."
He grinned about that. "That way we can find out if they're still in business and how much getting the school their own set will cost." She wrote out a letter around that rubbing and Harry leant her Dobby to deliver it faster than an owl could. "Thanks, Potter."
"Welcome." He looked at the staring unicorn foal. "I can pet you but I'm probably not pure enough, little guy. He said only really pure people can pet you." He let it sniff his hand and it trotted off to go suck up to a Slytherin girl, who shrugged but did pet him. The mother came over to sniff her but let her do that so apparently she was fine. They got taught how to comb the unicorn mare, who enjoyed that.
"The special paper Snape's looking over to see how it's done," Hagrid told them. "'Parently you put the hairs onto special papers if they're used for spells and stuff."
One girl smiled and nodded. "My aunt has some that she uses for special candles for weddings. We had to make some last summer for her sister's daughter's wedding." She looked at Harry, who shrugged. "Can we see the book if we're really careful, Hagrid?"
"Sure." He let them see it. "It has mash recipes and the like too."
She looked it over, copying the formulas and recipes for them plus a copying spell over the pages of warnings and instructions. The handwriting was pretty but cramped up. She let him have it back while she shared around.
"He said if someone became an animal healer to please learn how to handle magical creatures," Ron said with a grin.
"Yeah, we found an injured unicorn foal on the former Dumass lands, it had a swollen ankle, and Species had no one they could call to check on it." The kids all shared looks then nodded at that. "So apparently animal healers are not that common and might be a great career."
Hermione came out with the spells after getting them approved by Flitwick. "Here we go." She and a few others cast it at the area just outside the fence line. "Professor Flitwick said he'd come do the anti-magic spells on the barn tonight or early tomorrow, Hagrid. That's going to take some subtlety and experience." He nodded at that. "This has an intent ward on it and I laid my part to warn you if someone steps in there." She looked at the others.
"I put it as Professor Snape," she admitted. "Should we redo them?"
"No, it's smart to have more than one person warned," Ron told her with a smirk. "He's probably able to be scary to someone going after the unicorns."
"I did Flitwick," that one said with a shrug.
"He can handle it too," Harry agreed. "We can warn them at dinner." They all relaxed and went back to petting the unicorns for now. It was the easiest class of their whole week.
***
The Banes had decided on a plan of action after seeing all that their members had gathered, and cooing over Tipsy being in love with a set of twins, which did make sense since she herself was a twin. Unlike her twins, she actually despised her own twin. Her friends just thought it was cute of her. A few went to check on Philip to see if he could figure out more about how to stop the ghoul. They found a young guy there chatting with the priest and him looking tired. "Sir," one said with a grin.
He grinned and waved. "You're late."
"Who're you?" he asked dryly with a smirk.
"Xander Harris." He nodded at the guy who had winced at that. "Yeah, we heard something about your group from Giles, who swore plentifully about you guys." He grinned and waved. "I'm also known as the last Dumass heir."
"Then we wanted to ask you stuff too," the guy said, sitting down while Nick checked on Philip. "What do we know about that ...situation."
Xander put up a anti-eavesdropping spell then glared at someone who still tried so they wandered off. "There's at least four more horcrux he created," he said quietly. "One's hard to reach but Harry's going after it this summer with help. Not sure if it'll just be him and me or not." That got a nod. "The others, the bank may have, they're being silent on it.
"If so they're in someone's vault somewhere. Which they hate because it means they have to break into somewhere to get it out." The guy grimaced. "But we can kill it. And them. I gave hints about what I had found in the family's library." He shoved over an envelope. Then glared at that same nosy person, making them huff. "Hold on." He got up to talk to them. "Yes, ma'am?"
"You're one of Ripper's kids, aren't you?" she sneered.
"Yes and that means you're a member of an organization that traffics young women to make them warriors for you, even though you're all more than capable of doing the job yourselves." She gasped, backing away. He smiled. "I certainly do. Giles certainly does. Cordelia did, Oz did, and you sit around being worthless and letting the Council steal potentials.
"So yeah, you can tell them I know about their price on my head. They're going to lose." He leaned closer with a cold smile. "If Hell can't do it, you traffickers certainly can't and won't. Now, shoo. We're working on stopping another battle." He shrugged. "Which you'll try to ignore too."
"You created that abomination of a second slayer!" she sneered.
"Yes, I did CPR on a drowned person. How dare I save a friend," he said dryly, staring at her. "And it's not *her* fault she was living as a street kid and got rescued then had to watch her watcher be tortured to death in front of her." He stared her down.
"We met Kendra too. She was raised by one of you. Frankly, I turned her in to CPS for how she was raised. About how her watcher didn't even send her to Sunnydale properly, he made her sneak into the country." She flinched at that, looking horrified as she took an involuntary step back. "He had raised her and made her sneak in on the plane's wheel structures! Which has killed others. So very great of a parent figure there."
He sneered again. "So shoo, witch, before I show you what real magic is made of by summoning Rosenburg." She fled, already calling that in. He went back inside the shield and smiled at the guy. "Sorry you had to see that. The Council is beyond pathetic and needs to be recreated so they're actually backing up the slayers. Not treating them like disposable warrior slaves."
"Did you turn them into immigration too?" he asked.
"Yeah, I did." He smirked a bit. "They talked to Kendra about all that. Agreed she had a duty to do, because they had heard of the Council, but noted the one who raised her had sent her up improperly by making her sneak in on the plane's landing gear." The guy winced. "They weren't happy and put up a protest against them. Again apparently."
"That figures. Most secretive groups have problems. We certainly prove that."
"Yes we do," he agreed happily. "Though Granger's happy that she's now safe from all their plots."
"Is she?"
"Yeah. She's taken her NEWTs. Got twelve. Is over seventeen."
"Awww, so she's legally an adult."
Xander grinned and nodded. "And if not, she can summon me and I'll have a talk with someone for her. If Harry doesn't."
"That could help." He cleared his throat, looking over things. "Do I know that book?"
"Father Philip was looking it up. Ya know, he was sent to Sunnydale for a bit." He smirked at the priest looking his way. "You actually got through to Willow. Can you do it again?"
"Perhaps," he admitted. "What's wrong with her?"
"Her addictive personality. She gave up boyfriend playing time for magic playing time. And she's in control of the Hellmouth."
"Oh, Dear Lord," he muttered, shaking his head. "Yes, I think I shall talk to the young woman, give her some advice and the like. Counsel her."
"Please do," he said, nodding a bit. "Before I have to bind her from all of that. Because I will. Someone had a vision of her losing it and nearly taking out humanity for losing her girlfriend in a few years."
Philip Callahan nodded once. "I'll check on the lass."
"Please. Pretty please. I have to keep working to keep her out of the house, Father."
"Where are you living?"
"I'm an undercover Dumass." He grinned. "I'm doing it like the family wouldn't appreciate."
"Ah." He nodded. "That small demesne?"
"Yeah. It's a nice house."
"Good on you, Xander." He patted him on the arm, putting the book on the table. Nick took it to read. "Why that series?"
"He's used that rite to end up something like that being. As far as I can tell, we have to get all his horcrux. Or we have to ground him like they did in there and then end the ghoul that still remains. I'm not certain which. If we can kill all the horcrux, that frees his soul pieces. Which he's probably not fully getting back, if at all. I know he's using some different types of magic because the mark is Egyptian."
That got a nod. "But the guy's playing in stuff he doesn't understand. And probably didn't care to understand. That rite, it was used to supposedly bring back High Priests as chosen warriors for their God. He's not. It made him able to hurt Harry without being defeated by his mother's protections but he's messing in things he doesn't know."
"What did the rite do?" Nick Boyle asked, looking up from the book. Xander went to get that book and bring it back. "Okay. That's thick and dusty."
Xander grinned, finding it to let him see it. "He's warped that one. And he came back without a nose." He sat down again, firming up the anti-eavesdropping spells but smiling and waving at the librarian, who he had sneered at earlier. She huffed off again. "She's next on my list," he admitted. "Her whole group of morons." Philip cleared his throat. He stared at him. "The Council is bad."
"It is," he agreed. "But that should be up to the girls."
"Father, I stepped in because one little girl shouldn't have to save the world by herself." He shrugged but grinned. "And she's already told them to blow her, and fired them from her life when they fired her watcher and tried to kill her mother."
"Oh, dear."
"Yup. We've seen one who was Council raised. We hated that shit."
"I agree, and they should be found in the Light," he said, staring at him. "But destroying them could hurt the Potentials."
"Or it could free them to have a real life. With people who give a damn about their futures. Like their families."
"Also true. Can that be done? I know everyone ignores it."
Xander leaned closer, grinning like he was mad. "In four years, there's going to be a major demonic event in downtown LA," he said happily. "A few of my kitten poker contacts have had visions of the invasion of LA thanks to Wolfram and Hart." He smirked. "Can the US ignore an invasion in a city?"
"Hell," Philip moaned.
"No, they wouldn't want that. Wolfram and Hart are higher level demons, not Hell's minions sort. The type we deal with, not the type your friends you worked with do. Or the type that you banish home." He shrugged but smiled. "We've already warned people going that way. That way they can take a vacation during that time."
"Might be a great idea," Philip sighed, rubbing his forehead. "That's a law firm?"
"Yup. Multi-national." He grinned. "Evil fuckers, have soul stealing contracts...." He waved a hand in the air. "I'm about to become an ancient line Dumass and just screw with them until they give up and die."
"We'll help with that," Nick Boyle said, making that note. "Any idea when?"
"Spring, most of them happen in the spring. The only thing we worried about was why there were a whole lot of slayers called handling it. Without many agents falling in. Then they probably complained."
"Yeah, that sounds like some agents," Nick said, adding that. "Why would so many be called?"
Xander shrugged. "They didn't know. Just saw like twenty slayers."
"Huh." He added that at the end. "Let us look into that. Even though they're not the type we deal with, we'd love to stop such a bad thing. Before we're all in the light."
"Did you hear the New York school was intentionally missing people? I noted to an American auror that I had seen a woman listed as a Bonaserra on a news report and she was glowing like she was backed up."
"They're seers," Nick said. "The whole family is known to be seers. Where was she?"
"Lab staff. NYPD lab staff."
"I'm going to look into that. We may be able to help her." He added that note in a little box. "Any other good ideas?"
Xander grinned and nodded. "Ron and Harry have been talking about a called battle instead of just an incidental one."
"That could help," Nick decided, making that note on another sheet of paper. "I'll get with the kids."
"Avoid the mom. Even my house elf calls her Madam Loud Thing." He winked and disappeared before the security team got there to remove him for being a threat to humanity.
"Yeah, he's a Dumass," Nick Boyle decided. "Dramatic. Powerful.... Damn." He looked at Philip. "So what can we do? Have you found any ideas?"
"His aren't bad and if there are those things, then we'll have to end 'em anyway. Or else we'll have to do it again."
"Okay," Nick agreed. "I've got to talk to Derek soon. He's going to be so peeved."
"Probably," Philip said, patting him on the arm. "But you'll put him in a better mood I'm sure." He looked at the other one. "Blair, what about some of us sticking closer to the school?"
"I would've said it'd be a good idea but I'm not sure about that new headmaster."
"We can check on him," Nick decided. He handed over the fantasy novel. "Here, give me a report."
"Of course. Later tonight if I can." He smirked. "Let me go get lunch while you two catch up again." He left them to chat. They were best friends. He had some people he had to possibly tell about magic too. Jim was going to hit the roof.
***
Story notes:
If you don't remember, Loki in this series isn't based on MCU Loki, it's Loki from the Mask movie. AKA Alan Cummings.