*****

Xander bit his lip and began to shake slightly. The others all turned to look at him in concern. He was bent forward, his knees pressed to his chest. "Xander?" Buffy asked, worried. Willow broke the circle and went to him.

When she touched him he looked up at her and giggled. "I'm bound to a dead guy, and two guys with power. They're stuck with a useless Zeppo. Man, you guys must have really pissed someone off." Xander let out a snort of laughter and stood.

"Xander?" Willow asked again. She knew the laughter was hiding anger.

"Not now, Wills, I gotta go." Xander was furious. Why did shit like this always happen to him? It was bad enough that he had lost any chance of being with Anya again. But now he was soul bound to Spike and two guys that just screamed power. While he was still powerless.

"Xander, you cannot leave right now," Giles told him softly. Xander had changed in the last few months. He no longer allowed himself to be bullied and led by others. He had grown up into a man of principle and strength. Giles had no idea what they would do without him.

Xander turned to look at him, and the rage in his eyes was only tempered by the pain in them. Spike was also growling. He didn't like the fact that the witch had screwed up again and that Xander was made to suffer. Spike didn't really care. He was a vampire and, despite the return of his soul, he had no preference one way or the other when it came to lovers. The two newcomers smelled of power, and the boy reminded him of Xander for some reason.

Harry was confused and upset. Why did things like this always happen to him? Wasn't it enough that Voldermort was after him? The other man was right; he must have really pissed someone off in a former life. "Would someone explain to me why I'm here and how I managed to be soul bound to three other men, one of which isn't even human?" Harry growled.

Giles started and looked at the boy closely. "Harry Potter?" he asked, stunned. His eyes went to Severus. His old friend was glaring and looking ready to start firing hexes.

Severus snorted. The dark haired boy, Xander, was walking out the door now that Ripper's attention had been turned away from him for a moment. Severus drew his wand and sealed the door. "Ripper said you can't leave yet, boy. So you're not going anywhere."

Giles flinched at the snarl Xander aimed at the older wizard. "That was a mistake," Giles murmured to his friend. Severus merely raised an eyebrow. His mouth fell open in shock when he was suddenly dangling from Xander's fist.

"Unlock the door," Xander growled. Harry pulled out his wand and unsealed the door. His former professor was staring at their new partner in shocked silence. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Harry grinned. It was nice to see Snape shocked every once in a while.

"The door is unsealed. Can I go with you?" Harry asked. Xander set Severus back on his feet, grabbed Harry's hand and dragged him out of Buffy's house.

=========================================================================

They walked in silence for a long time. They were both aware of the fact that they were being followed by Buffy and Faith, but neither of them made any mention of it and ignored the two women.

"So, can you tell me what happened back there?" Harry asked shyly. Despite getting older, and the many battles he had had with Voldermort, he still found it hard to talk to strangers.

"Willow was performing a joining spell to unite her and three other people in a soul binding, so that we could fight the First Evil. Instead she bound us. I have no idea how it will change our lives, but I do know it's forever. So now you're stuck with a powerless nobody and a bleached blonde vampire with a soul. And the bossy guy," Xander told him shortly.

Harry sighed and shook his head. He couldn't understand why Xander kept referring to himself as powerless. He could feel the power in the larger man. As for the rest of it, he was just confused. He did know about the hellmouth, and also knew that this was going to be a bad thing. Voldermort would follow him. The bastard was intent on killing him no matter what. Harry wondered how Ron and Mione were going to respond to this change in his life?

Probably the way they responded to every other change in his life. Mione would demand, cajole and search for any information she could glean. While Ron would support him and find something good for Harry to see in the situation. Draco would probably tease him and generally annoy the hell out of him. Though when they got a look at Xander they'd probably be jealous. That thought made Harry smile. Another thing the three friends had found they had in common was their sexual orientation. The fact that all three had been seduced by Slytherins, Draco Malfoy in particular, had been interesting.

Mione, Draco and Ron were all married and Ron was carrying their first child. It seemed that the Fertility Curse placed on the Weasley family also made it possible for the male members of their family to bear children. He really wanted to see his friends, but he didn't want them anywhere near the hellmouth.

Finally he spoke again. "Why do you keep referring to yourself as powerless? I can feel the magic in you."

Xander froze and turned to face him. "What?" Buffy demanded from behind them. She and Faith walked up to stand beside them.

Harry sighed and answered, "He has power in him. I wouldn't be surprised to discover that he was as powerful as I am."

"If he has magic, how come he can't use it?" Faith asked.

"He probably can. Does magic react strangely around you? This being the hellmouth I bet you attract a lot of demonic attention, don't you?" Harry asked.

The three Scoobies laughed despite the seriousness of the situation. "I'm a demon magnet," Xander explained at Harry's questioning look.

Harry grinned, "I'm not surprised. You put out a powerful magical signature. It attracts demons and such. Though now that you're bound to me and Snape you're going to find yourself attracting a demon of a whole other sort," Harry added bitterly.

"What do you mean?" Buffy demanded, worried about her Xander.

"The magical world is at war right now. The Dark Lord, Voldermort, is out to control the world and kill all muggles and those who oppose him. He's been trying to kill me since I was eleven. Now that I'm here, he will follow. Then we'll have to worry about him trying to reopen the hellmouth."

The other three groaned. "What about the First, do you think he would join with her?" Faith asked.

"I don't know, I have no idea who this first is," Harry answered honestly.

"The First is the First Evil. The bitch is trying to destroy all of the Slayer line and kill me and my friends," Buffy explained.

Now it was Harry's turn to groan. "We'd better get back. If I know Snape, he's pretty pissed right now and your witch is probably in a lot of trouble."

*****
Part 2:

Severus glared after the retreating boys and then turned his glare on his old friend, who was staring after them sadly. The witch was shifting uncomfortably and the others were looking around in confusion and amusement. He watched as two of the girls followed Harry and the other boy.

He then asked the question that had been plaguing him since he was touched by the boy. "Why was he referring to himself as powerless? The brat is as powerful as Potter," Severus growled at his friend.

Giles looked at him in shock and confusion, so he didn't see the look of fear and shame on Willow's face. However, Spike and Dawn did. "What did you do, Willow?" Dawn asked quietly.

Giles turned to look at the pair while Spike came to stand beside the two wizards. Willow shifted and tears began to slowly track down her face. "You know how Xander's been changing lately? While I've been magically weaker?" she asked.

"Yes, he's seemed stronger. While your spells seem less potent," Giles answered.

"That's because he is. Xander's a wizard. I still have power, but not as much as Xander. I was syphoning off his magic. It wasn't until he stopped me from destroying the world that I realized how far gone I was. I've been trying to make up for it by feeding magic back into him, but it doesn't seem to be working," she told them, shamefully.

Giles felt himself go pale and rage filled his eyes. "Why can't I feel the magic in him? I know what to look for, did you do a spell on me?"

"NO! I removed a few spells though. I couldn't get them all without telling you, though." she bit her lip, but didn't look up.

Severus turned and studied his old friend carefully. His eyes narrowed as he saw what the young witch saw. He growled and murmured a spell.

Giles swayed for a moment before regaining his balance. The change was recognizable at once. Giles stood straighter than he had in years and there was a look in his eyes that made Andrew whimper in fright.

Willow paled and backed away from her mentor. She could feel his power. Power that rivalled her own and was equal to that of the wizard in front of her. "What else have you done, Willow, and don't bother to lie," Giles purred.

She began to sob, "I put a spell on Xander to make him help me resurrect Buffy. He didn't want to, but I knew I needed him. I don't know why I did these things, Giles. I was happy just being the hacker. What's wrong with me?"

Giles scowled; it was true. Willow had enjoyed using magic, but she had preferred playing with her computers. But since Tara's death, she had avoided them and relied heavily on magic instead. The Willow he knew would never have done the things the girl had admitted to. Stepping forward, he gently wrapped the sobbing child in his arms and held her. "Willow, until we know why you're doing this, I want you to use no more magic," he told her.

She nodded. "It hurts when I do magic," she confessed. Both Severus and Giles paled at that and shared a look. Someone was trying to turn her into another Ethan.

________________________________________________________________

Xander stood silently in the doorway. They had just returned as Willow began to make her confessions and he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He took a step back and felt arms go around him. Looking down he saw that it was Buffy holding him. She had tears on her face and looked as bad as he felt.

What was happening to his Willow? He rubbed a free hand over his stomach, then turned and caught Spike looking at them. He felt Harry shift beside him and noticed the lightning shaped scar on his forhead. He then rubbed his hip again. "How did you get that scar on your forehead?" he asked, startling everyone.

They all turned to look at them, and Willow began to shake uncontrollably as she realized that Buffy and Xander had heard what she had done. When she saw the scar she sobbed harder. "It's from the same curse I used on you," she whispered.

Giles' arms tightened convulsively round her. "I don't know why I did it. I just did. Part of me was screaming not to hurt Xander, then I was suddenly cursing him and burning him with magic." Willow was screaming in panic by the time she reached the end of her explanation.

Severus pulled his wand, aimed it at her and whispered a spell. Seconds later Willow was unconscious in Giles' arms. "What's wrong with Willow, and what is this curse she was talking about?" Dawn asked fearfully.

"I believe someone is trying to turn her into a chaos mage. The curse is an unforgivable one. It is a killing curse. Mr. Potter's parents were murdered with one, and it's how he got his scar," Giles explained.

"How come Xander doesn't have a scar?" Kennedy asked as she looked on warily. She was worried about the girl she was coming to care for.

"I do. It's on my hip," Xander answered.

"That is most unusual. Both you and Potter are the only two people I know of that have survived the killing curse," Severus murmured as he eyed the two young men.

*****
Part 3:

Across town, Ethan Rayne sat pale and shaken on his bed. The mirror still played images of Ripper and Sev. Two of his best friends, and now two of his greatest enemies. He could not allow the little witch to go through what he had. Yet how could he get his two former friends to believe that he honestly wanted to help?

He still remembered the days before he became trapped in his magic. Days when magic was just a happy by-product in his life. He had been addicted to sports and books. A strange combination, but one that made him happy. After leaving Hogwarts behind, he changed. He needed magic; then he and Ripper had their falling out, and practicing magic became as painful as it was addictive.

Ethan had never learned who was responsible for his change, and he feared what would happen to the girl. He knew that somehow this was tied in with him. The situations were too similar. Taking a deep breath, he released the spell on the mirror and left the room. He needed to talk to his friends and lay wards to protect the child.

_____________________________________________________________________

Giles raised an eyebrow as he felt the magical signature that had haunted and taunted him in turn over the last few years. The part of him that had been freed recently cheered for the return of his only. Yet the identity that had been created through magic and mind control tried to assert hatred. Those feelings were quickly overwhelmed with love and want.

Xander looked up from the sofa, where he sat holding the still unconscious Willow. He loved her still. Knowing now that someone else had been controlling her, and her magic, enraged him. He was going to kill whoever had done this to his Willow.

He watched as Giles suddenly walked to the front door and, opening it, pulled the person outside the door inside and pinned them against the now closed door. "Ethan," Giles growled, as he kissed the man breathless.

Xander's mouth fell open in shock and Buffy squeaked. They shared a wide eyed gaze before turning to face the laughing vampire and smirking Wizard. "Looks like Ripper's back for good," Spike said, eyeing the pair.

*****
Part 4:

Los Angeles....

Wes' head shot up and he cocked his head to the side. Angel, Cordy, Gunn and Doyle all looked at him in confusion. Their confusion mounted as he suddenly fell out of his chair howling with laughter. For several minutes he rolled on the floor. Then as suddenly as the laughter started it ended and Wes jumped to his feet shouting obscenities.

Cordy was about to demand an explanation when Wes suddenly blinked out of existance. "Holy hell, where'd he go?" she yelled. The others could only shrug and worry about the Englishman.

Sunnydale.....

Ethan moaned in disappointment as Ripper broke their kiss. "Your mine, Ethan, my Ethan," he purred gently, stroking the other Wizard.

Xander shrugged away his shock. It wasn't really that much of a surprise. Not after the day he had already had. Buffy shrugged as well and the two turned their attention back to Willow. They were more worried about her than they were interested in watching Giles make out with Ethan.

The Scoobies had long ago figured out that Ethan kept coming around and tormenting Giles to try to get the other man to notice him. It had been obvious to the trio that he had strong feelings for Giles.

Andrew let out a shriek and dove behind Xander and Buffy as Wes suddenly appeared in the room. The look of absolute fury on his face and the fact that he appeared out of thin air made both Xander and Buffy nervous. Before anyone could make a move one way or the other Wes was yelling. "Those bastards! I knew it! They never released their hold on her! I knew it! I'll kill them all!" he bellowed stalking over to the couch and Willow.

Giles, Ethan and Severus all looked at one another in confusion. Wes was kneeling in front of Willow and brushing the hair back from her face. "Oh Willow, this is all my fault. If only I had been paying closer attention. Damn Travers!" he spat out as he continued to gently stroke Willow's face.

He jerked back in surprise as Willow was suddenly in Buffy's arms and he was dangling by the throat from Xander's fist. "You knew this was happening to her and you didn't stop it? You're dead!"

Wes shook his head and gasped out. "I thought it had stopped. I had a geas on her."

Xander dropped him back to his feet and they all watched as he backed the older man away from him and into Spike. The vampire was growling dangerously. "What do you know about what's happened to our Red?" he asked dangerously.

"I-I was assigned to the Hellmouth by Dumbledore. He told me to act incompetently, and an insider in the Council made sure I was sent here as Buffy's new Watcher. We knew that Travers had done something to Willow while he was in town and had actually sent someone here before then to mess with her magic. He wanted to control a member of Buffy's group. When I got here I put a protective ward and a geas on her, but something's happened. The geas has been damaged. Our spy sent me here. He contacted me just a few minutes ago and told what had happened. He has been watching the Hellmouth since Travers was killed earlier this summer," Wes told them fearfully. He really didn't want to go against a newly empowered Wizard and a chipless Spike. He wouldn't win.

"Who's your spy?" Xander asked angrily. "What did they do to Willow?"

"They polluted her magic. She's under a spell. It has her addicted to magic and makes it an agony to use it," he told them sadly.

"If we bind her magic will it still be like this?" Buffy asked fearfully.

"If we bind her magic it will kill her. The only hope we have is to break the spell, but to do that we need to keep her calm and unconscious. If she's awake she will be unable to stop herself from doing magic," Wes answered.

"But she stopped doing magic before Tara died," Dawn protested.

"Yes, and look what the consequences were," Andrew said calmly.

"That was Warren's fault," Dawn growled at him.

"No, that was the Imperius Curse on him. We all fell under the curse. Dark magics are at work and they all tie in with the First and Voldermort. I failed in my duty and you all suffered because of it," Andrew told her sadly. He was the spy. He had failed to protect his charges and had nearly been lost to the dark. The babbling, fearful persona he had adopted since returning to Sunnydale fell away.

Those in the room could see the difference. He no longer hunched over as though afraid standing straight would get him slapped down. His eyes were clear and they shone with confidence and serenity.

Wes smiled at his friend and then turned back to Xander. "We need to contact Dumbledore. It's no longer safe for any of you to be on the Hellmouth. Xander is too strong and the First cannot be stopped here. Not to mention the fact that Voldermort will follow Harry wherever he goes. Our only choice is to get you all back to Hogwarts and safety."

*****
Part 5:

Sunnydale...

Xander looked at Wes in confusion. "How does my being too powerful make things dangerous?"

Wes sighed, but it was Spike that answered. "You have the power Xander, but none of the control. If we go to Hogwarts you can get the training you need to control your magic. I also believe that Albus could help both Willow and Ethan get control over their magic."

The wizards in the room all turned to look at him. "How do you know Dumbledore?" Rupert asked.

"I attended Hogwarts. I was in Slytherin," he answered with amusement.

"But you hate mojo!" Buffy exclaimed.

Spike chuckled, "I don't like Willow and Dru's mojo. Neither of them have the control, and they have too much power. Bloody scary." Xander was nodding in agreement.

"So, do you agree to come with us to Hogwarts?" Wes asked.

"What about the Potentials?" Xander asked.

"They will come with us, of course. I need to contact Albus and let him know what is going on. I need a mirror," Severus told them.

Buffy nodded and pointed to the hall mirror. They all followed him into the hall and watched as he pulled his wand out and muttered an incantation. A few moments later an older wizard appeared in the mirror. Behind him stood several anxious people. "Severus, are you all right?" the wizard asked. "Is Harry with you?"

"I am fine, Albus, and yes, Harry is with me. We have a situation and I need you to come here. You might as well bring the werewolf and the dog with you," Severus drawled.

"Where are you?" Sirius asked as he stepped forward, scowling at Severus.

"We are at the home of the Slayer," Severus answered.

"YOU'RE ON THE HELLMOUTH?!" Sirius roared.

Severus sneered, "Your grasp of the obvious is amazing."

Xander snickered when Harry groaned and rolled his eyes. Harry grinned up at him. "That's the same reaction I have with Willow and Anya," he whispered to Harry, who laughed in response.

The older men all turned to glare at the pair. They smiled innocently in response. Spike and Severus groaned in unison. The others were fighting down their laughter.

Xander looked at the older man in the mirror and his eyes widened in response. Behind him, Remus Lupin straightened away from the wall and gazed wide eyed at the boy. "Alexander?" he whispered hoarsely.

Xander looked at him. "Do I know you?" he asked, confused.

"Yes." Remus felt pain bloom in his chest as his son looked back at him.

*****
Part 6:

Sunnydale...

Remus, Albus, Sirius, Ron, Hermione and Draco all appeared together in Buffy's living room. Sirius gasped in shock when he caught sight of Xander. Looking at his old friend he could see the agony in his amber eyes. It was then that Sirius knew without a doubt that Alexander Lupin was standing in front of him.

Xander could see the pain in the man's eyes and he wondered what was wrong with him. "Are you alright? Do you need something?" Xander asked with worry.

Harry looked between Remy and Siri and could feel the undercurrent of emotion in the pair. His friends were also wondering what was going on. Remus shook slightly. "Do you know who I am?" he asked huskily.

Xander shook his head. "Should I?"

Remus closed his eyes and nodded. "Do you know that you're adopted?" Albus asked.

Xander looked at the older man in confusion, wondering what business it was of his. "Yeah, my parents never wasted a chance to tell me that it was the biggest mistake of their lives," Xander answered bitterly.

Remus growled and his eyes flashed. "Remy, what's wrong?" Harry asked in concern.

"I had a son. Around the time your parents were murdered my mate was killed by Death Eaters. Luckily my son was with me that day. Unfortunately, due to the anti-werewolf laws I had my son taken from me and he was adopted by an American couple. You're my son, Alexander. I know you are," Remus said harshly.

Xander stared at him in shocked silence. "How do you know Xander is your son? And what are anti-werewolf laws?" Buffy asked for him.

Remus sighed. "He looks like my mate, Alexei, and he and my son smell alike."

"He looks just like Alexei," Sirius said in a hushed voice.

Xander walked back to the sofa and lifted Willow into his arms before sitting down and looking back at them. Buffy knew that he was confused and upset, and wished that Willow could be awake to help him through this.

They watched as the boy stared off into the distance blankly and gently stroked a hand up and down the girl's back. "What does this mean to our joining? Do you still want me as your son? Can we help Willow?" he asked as his eyes focused on Remus again.

"Joining, what joining?" Sirius asked. He started in surprise at seeing Ripper and Ethan. "What the hell is going on?"

Harry sighed again and began to explain everything that had happened since their arrival. At the end of it Draco began to roar with laughter. "Only you, Potter!" he gasped out. Harry rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at the other boy. Draco just snickered in reply.

Hermione sighed and poked him in the side. "That's quite enough, Draco. The obvious outcome of this is that they must all go to Hogwarts. I think you should all gather your things. I'm sure that we can find a cure to the curse being used on your friends," she said primly.

"Let me guess, more research?" Ron said with a groan.

Xander shook his head and Buffy giggled. He sounded just like Xander when he did that. The two friends turned their attention back to Remus. "I was going to call Oz and see if he wanted to come with us, but if you have laws against werewolves I don't want him anywhere near your world," Buffy said.

"I'm afraid you are too late for that, my dear. Daniel is at Hogwarts as we speak. He was rescued from a group of Death Eaters and is now working with our Care of Magical Creatures teacher. He and Hagrid have become fast friends," Albus told her gently.

"Well then, it looks like we had better start packing. I need to go back to LA and get the others. If I know Cordy she's ready to scream and break something by now," Wes said, making the Scoobies snicker in agreement.

*****
Part 7:

Los Angeles...

Doyle, Gunn and Angel were all silently praying for Wes to reappear. Cordy was really getting pissed and none of them wanted to be there when she finally blew. The young woman was someone no one wanted to piss off on a good day, but watching Wes disappear in plain sight had really enraged her. She was certain that Wolfram and Hart had something to do with it.

Just as she was getting ready to demand that Angel go storm the law offices and demand the return of their friend, Wes reappeared. He wasn't alone, however. Angel was shocked to see that all of the Sunnydale contingent plus a great number of teenage girls were with them. Then more people arrived and Angel recognized Spike and several powerful wizards and a young witch.

"What the hell is going on and where the fuck did you go?" Cordy snarled as she invaded the Englishman's personal space. Angel saw the amused looks on the Sunnydale contingent's faces.

Then he focused on what was bothering him the most. The four core Scoobies all felt different. Giles seemed stronger and reminded him of the night that the adults of Sunnydale were all affected by the magicked candy. Then there was Buffy. She didn't feel the same as she had the last time he saw her. In fact she felt very different. Willow was unconscious and he could smell illness all around her.

However it was Xander that drew his attention the most. The boy had always caused so many mixed emotions in Angel. He was the only one to draw his attention totally away from Buffy. The two were equally loved and equally claimed by his soul and his demon.

Angel had never told anyone that Darla had played with his curse. When he had refused to return to her, she had had a spell cast that would cause him to go insane if the curse were ever removed.

It would make him seek to kill and destroy those who were meant to complete his life. He had done just that. He had tried to humiliate and then kill Buffy, Spike and Xander. Angel knew that Xander would never befriend him. He bore the face of the demon that had fractured his innocence completely. Not that Xander had ever told anyone.

His attention was drawn away from the boy when Spike began to growl at him subvocally. Angel looked at his Childe and raised an eyebrow. "He's mine," Spike snarled. The others looked at the two vampires and Remus reached over and pulled his son away from the angry blond.

Buffy glared at Angel when he snarled at Spike. "Don't even think about it, Angel," she snapped, shocking everyone.

"What? Since when do you stand up for the bleached wonder?" Cordy asked with a sneer.

Buffy turned cold eyes on her and Cordelia actually felt intimidated. "Anyone who tries to hurt Spike or Xander will bleed. That I promise you. They have been soul joined and Spike has a soul now. Not to mention the fact that we owe our lives to him. He was helping us even without a soul," Buffy told her coldly.

Xander beamed at Buffy, and Spike was shocked and heartened by her defence of him. Giles and Dawn stepped forward to stand by their side. "If you harm Spike we'll all be after you," Dawn added.

*****
tbc