Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Angel took Xander to the mansion since he knew the boy wouldn't get any help from his horrid parents. He took Xander straight to the bathroom and stripped him down, washing away any remnants of blood that were left. Drying the elf with a fluffy towel, Angel carried Xander to his bedroom and laid him on the bed. He rummaged through his clothes and found a white undershirt and a pair of black silk pyjama bottoms. Angel carefully dressed Xander in the borrowed clothing and tucked him into bed.

"What am I going to do with you now?" he asked quietly, watching the elf sleeping so peacefully in the bed. He knew that it would be best for someone else to care for the boy because the smell of Xander's blood was intoxicating to Angel. His demon almost begged for another taste, and Angel was a little afraid that he would give in to those pleas.

Shaking his head firmly, Angel turned away from the boy and stalked to the kitchen. He grabbed two bags of blood and heated them in them in the microwave. He almost gagged at the smell of the blood, but he managed to gulp the contents down quickly. After the divine taste of Xander's blood, the pig's blood was absolutely rancid in comparison. Human blood was always better than animal blood, but elven blood was simply delicious.

Angel rinsed out his mug and started towards the bedroom to check on Xander when a knock sounded at the door. He almost growled when he recognised Giles' scent. Hadn't the man done enough to his precious boy? Wait a minute! When did Xander become his precious boy? Xander hated him! That decided it. He would have to find someone else to care for Xander. This infatuation couldn't continue.

Angel opened the door and glared at Giles. He vaguely noticed the two men behind Giles. A somewhat familiar smell caused his gaze to turn to them. They both smelled of magic, but the younger man smelled non-human. They both smelled faintly like Xander. What the fuck was going on?

*****

“What on earth were you thinking?” asked Giles exasperatedly, rubbing the lenses of his glasses furiously.

“I just told you that Albus made me bring him,” snapped Severus. “Now where is this boy I’m supposed to meet?”

“Apparently, Angel took him to the mansion because Xander’s parents said he hadn’t made it home yet,” said Giles quietly. “Come on. I’ll drive us there.”

They all piled into the car and Giles drove them to Angel’s mansion. Severus sneered at the rundown house while Harry stared with open curiosity. He had no idea why he was here, but it was proving to be an interesting trip. Giles knocked on the door nervously and flinched slightly when the door was yanked open. He stepped back cautiously when Angel glared at him.

“Angel, I really need to see Xander,” said Giles apprehensively. “I brought Severus Snape with me. He’s a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he brought a heritage potion to find out Xander’s true identity. We mean no harm to the boy.”

“You brought your own elf?” asked Angel, staring at Harry.

“It wasn’t intentional,” said Severus impatiently. “May we see the boy?”

“If you hurt him in any way, I will rip your throat out,” said Angel threateningly. “He’s been hurt enough.” He let them in, leading them to his bedroom, and watched intently as they approached the sleeping Xander. He growled warningly when Severus pulled out his wand and only subsided when Severus explained in great detail what each spell did. By the time Severus was finished with his spells, he’d discovered a very strong binding spell and a permanent glamour.

“Potter, I need you to help me cast these spells. Maybe elven magic will work better,” said Severus quietly. They cast the spells to break the binding spell and the glamour simultaneously and watched in fascination as Xander’s whole appearance changed. His hair grew significantly until it reached the middle of his back and turned black, and his ears became pointed. Xander suddenly opened his eyes, and they were startled to see emerald green eyes staring back at them. The same shade of green as Harry’s eyes.

Xander was totally confused. He looked around frantically, wondering where in the hell he was because last thing he remembered was a huge demon taking a chunk out of him. “Where the hell am I? And who are you?” he asked hysterically.

“Xander, calm down,” said Angel soothingly, sitting beside the hysterical boy. “You’re at the mansion. I brought you here to tend to your wounds.”

“Deadboy?” asked Xander, clinging to Angel like a lifeline. It was ironic that the person he hated the most was the one to make him feel safest at the moment. “Who are they?”

“My name is Severus Snape and this is Harry Potter. Rupert asked me to come by with a heritage potion for you,” said Severus calmly.

“A heritage potion? What is that?” asked Xander, confusion replacing his earlier hysteria.

“It will tell us who your birth parents are,” Severus replied.

“I know who my parents are. Why would I need that potion?” asked Xander nervously, really not liking where this conversation was going.

“Xander, your parents are human. They can’t be your biological parents because you have elven blood,” said Angel quietly, running a finger over the delicate point of Xander's ear. His eyes widened when Xander shivered at the caress to his ear. “It was your blood that killed the B'lechi demon that attacked, and only elven blood is lethal to them.”

“So, Tony and Jessica aren’t my real parents?” asked Xander wistfully. As much as he hoped for that to be true, he was equally terrified of that truth because that meant he had no true home. “How does that potion work?”

“I need three drops of your blood to add to the potion,” said Severus, withdrawing a phial from his robes. Angel handed Xander a dagger and watched as the boy pricked his finger and squeezed out three drops of blood over the potion. The potion sizzled for a moment before a wispy grey cloud formed above it. Within the cloud, two faces formed, one of which was now familiar. Beside Severus’ face appeared a woman’s face that caused Harry to gasp. This woman looked exactly like his mother except she had blonde hair.

“What the hell?” cried three voices simultaneously.

“Oh my god, you’re my biological father?” screeched Xander incredulously, pointing a trembling finger at the stunned wizard.

“That woman looks just like my mother with blonde hair,” cried Harry. “What the hell is going on here, Snape?”

Angel, who had kept his eye on the grey cloud, read the words that appeared under the faces. “Severus Snape- no siblings, son of Sebastian and Rebecca Snape. Kaelyn Winterstorm Snape- sibling: Lilianna Winterstorm- nee Lily Evans Potter, daughter of Bade and Astra Winterstorm.”

“What?” cried Severus and Harry, staring at each other in horror.

“You’re my uncle?” cried Harry.

“You’re my nephew?” cried Severus.

“No, I refuse to believe this. Dumbledore would have known. He wouldn’t have sent me to that awful place if it were true,” said Harry, adamantly refusing to believe these revelations.

“You’re awful place can’t be any worse than mine, so get over it,” said Xander uncharitably. He was tired of all the yelling and confusion. Right now, all he wanted was for these people to leave so that he could go back to sleep. Not to mention, his shoulder still ached despite Angel’s efforts.

“You don’t call living in a cupboard and starved on a regular basis awful?” asked Harry irritably.

“Well, I got the starving part, but instead of the cupboard, I got drunk and abusive parents. So like I said, get over it,” snapped Xander, rubbing his shoulder wearily.

“I think it’s time for you to leave,” said Angel, seeing the weariness on Xander’s face. “As I mentioned before, Xander was hurt earlier tonight and needs time to recover. You can come back tomorrow.”

Giles and Severus reluctantly left, informing the vampire that they would be back the next afternoon. Harry, eager to know his new cousin, asked to stay at the mansion. Angel simply nodded and led Harry to the guest room. When he got back to his room, Xander was already asleep, so he just climbed into the bed with him.
*****
Harry settled comfortably in the bed, thinking about what he’d learned tonight. Although he was delighted to discover a cousin the same age as he was who was also magical, he still couldn’t believe that his cousin was Snape’s son. Severus fucking Snape was his uncle. The man who loathed every fiber of his being was Harry Potter’s uncle. And the Dursley’s weren’t related to him at all.

Harry was eager to learn about Xander, especially after Rupert’s comment on them being on a Hellmouth. What was it like growing up here? Of course, it sounded like he and Xander had had similar childhoods, as well. They had both been raised by someone other than their parents, and they both discovered that they weren’t human after years of thinking they were.

“I wonder what’s between my cousin and that vampire?” wondered Harry aloud. “I always thought that vampires and elves were natural enemies, but Angel was awful protective of someone who should be his enemy.” Harry sighed softly and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly. Coming into your inheritance was very taxing on the body.

*****

Xander woke late the next morning and almost had a heart attack. For one, he didn’t recognise his surroundings at first. And for another, hard, masculine arms were wrapped around his waist, holding him close to the equally hard body behind him. He jerked away from the person behind him and immediately cried out in pain as the movement jarred his still healing shoulder.

“Xander, calm down,” said Angel soothingly, climbing out of the bed and grabbing the Tylenol. He handed Xander two of the pills and a glass of water.

Xander gulped the pills down and relaxed on the bed. He snorted when he ran his hands through his hair and felt the new length. “Damn it, it really happened,” he muttered quietly. “This could only happen to me. The one normal Scooby ends up being a non-human Scooby.”

“It’s not that bad, Xander. You also found out that those people you live with aren’t your real parents, and you have a cousin. Your cousin seems nice,” said Angel in amusement. He heard footsteps in the hallway, and a familiar scent stopped in front of his door. “And speak of the devil.” Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in,” yelled Xander.

Harry cautiously opened the door and peered inside, entering the room when he saw Xander was awake. “Hi, how are you feeling?”

“My shoulder still hurts like hell, but other than that, I’m good,” said Xander quickly. Harry nodded and an uncomfortable silence reigned. “So we’re cousins, huh? I can honestly say that I never expected anything like this to happen.”

“Yeah, that means Snape is my uncle,” muttered Harry. “We can’t stand each other, and now we’re related.”

“Just out of curiosity, if you didn’t know that Snape was your uncle, who raised you?” asked Xander curiously.

“The Dursleys,” said Harry disgustedly. “I thought they were my last remaining family, but apparently not. How did you end up here?”

“As far as I know, I was born here,” said Xander quietly.

“You two may as well get ready to face everyone. Giles and Snape are coming by, and if I know Buffy and Willow, they’ll be here, too,” said Angel softly. “You both slept through breakfast, so I’ll fix you some lunch.”

“You know how to cook, Deadboy? Great ‘cause I am starving,” said Xander exuberantly, rubbing his growling stomach for emphasis.

*****

“Hey, Giles, did you find any elven blood so I can slay that demon?” asked Buffy, sauntering into the living room cheerfully. She stopped in her tracks when she finally noticed Severus. “Uh, I mean..”

“Don’t worry, Buffy. He’s a wizard and knows all about demons and elves. I've known him since I was eleven years old. We went to school together,” said Giles, calmly sipping on his tea. “Besides, the demon is dead. Angel killed it last night.”

“How?” asked Buffy incredulously.

“Hey everyone,” said Willow brightly, entering the room with a bounce in her step. She faltered at the glare Giles sent her way. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Xander was attacked by the B’lechi demon last night,” said Giles abruptly.

“Is he okay?” asked Willow worriedly, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Who cares?” asked Buffy dismissively. “He deserves it after what he did to Willow.”

“He deserves to be mauled because Willow guilted Xander into kissing her?” asked Giles musingly.

“No, Willow said he practically forced her,” said Buffy insistently. “Tell him, Willow.”

“Yes, do tell us, Willow,” said Giles sternly.

Willow burst into tears. “I am so sorry,” she wailed. “I didn’t mean to blame Xander. I just wanted Oz back, and Xander wouldn’t talk to me. I only wanted things to go back to the way they were. It was my fault. Giles is right. I manipulated Xander into kissing me because I wanted to be with him.”

“Willow,” said Buffy softly, staring at the sobbing redhead with disbelief. She felt overwhelming guilt at the way she’d treated Xander. “Oh god, Xander. Is he all right?”

“I thought you didn’t care,” sneered Severus. He couldn’t stand teenagers. They were always so vain and shallow, only thinking of themselves. He may not know the boy, but Xander was still technically a Snape and should be treated as such.

Buffy ignored Severus, instead staring at Giles pleadingly for an answer. “He’s hurt, but at least he’s still alive. The demon managed to claw his shoulder, but Angel bandaged him up and took him to the mansion.”

“Why is Angel taking care of him? Why didn’t he just take Xander home?” asked Buffy warily. She didn’t think she could take any more shocks today.

“Xander’s parents would be more likely to add to the injuries than take care of them,” said Willow quietly, wiping the tears from her face with a sniff. “You didn’t actually think all of his bruises came from patrolling, did you?”

“Just so you know, Rupert. When I go back to Hogwarts, I’m taking Alexander with me. My son will not stay with those horrid muggles anymore,” said Severus firmly.

"Your son?" asked Willow softly. "But you’re a wizard, and he doesn't have any powers."

“What if Xander doesn’t want to go?” asked Buffy angrily, ignoring Willow's question. “He’s needed here.”

“Alexander is just as much a wizard as I am. My decision stands,” said Severus, walking towards the door. “Come along, Rupert. We have to go meet the vampire.”

“We’re going, too!” shouted Buffy and Willow, following Giles out the door.

*****

"Hmmm, you have just become my newest bestest friend," moaned Xander, shoveling the chocolate chip pancakes into his mouth at an astronomical rate. If he'd known Deadboy could cook this well, he'd have befriended the vampire a long time ago.

Harry just snickered and continued to eat his own pancakes. After his fifth pancake, he finally pushed his plate away with a contented sigh. He was amazed to see Xander starting on his eighth pancake. "Where are you putting all that food?" he asked incredulously. His cousin ate as much, if not more than, Ron, and that was saying something.

"I can't help it," muttered Xander, swallowing his last bite with gusto. "I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast yesterday." He groaned when someone knocked on the door, so not wanting to face Giles and his new 'father' at the moment. "They couldn't wait another hour or ten?"

"You knew they were coming," said Angel wryly, getting to his feet to answer the door. The knocking got louder and the hinges started to bend.

"Impatient little buggers, aren't they?" asked Harry mildly, watching the door buckle with each hit.

Angel threw the door open with an irritated glare. "It's a door, Buffy. Not a demon." He was a little surprised to see Buffy on his doorstep since she hadn't shown any concern for Xander in the last few weeks.

Buffy blushed at the rebuke, but smiled just the same. "No one was answering, and I got a little worried. Is everyone all right? How's Xander?"

Biting back the scathing remark he really wanted to say, Angel merely said, "He's eating breakfast at the moment." He reluctantly moved back to let them in, wincing as Buffy squealed and ran to Xander.

"Oh thank god you're all right, Xander," she chirped happily, pulling the injured brunette into a bruising hug.

"Ow, ow, ow! I am injured, you know," said Xander, grimacing in pain. He couldn't help but sigh in relief when Buffy quickly released him and rubbed his aching shoulder. "And just why are you in such a good mood?"

"I'm just glad you're all right," she said brightly.

'It seems she's going with the 'Act like his best friend and my recent actions won't matter' approach,' thought Xander darkly. "Yeah, you know me. A simple mauling won't keep me down," joked Xander.

“That’s the spirit,” said Buffy with a grin.

“Xander,” Giles cut in quickly, seeing the anger blooming on Xander’s face. “Severus and I need to have a word with you if you don’t mind. In private?”

“You can talk in the bedroom,” said Angel magnanimously. “I’ll be the proper little host,” he muttered under his breath, wishing everyone would just leave.

Xander warily led Severus and Giles to Angel’s bedroom and watched as Severus pulled his wand, aiming it at the door and muttering a spell. “What do you want to speak to me about?” he asked once Severus had turned to face him once again.

“I want you to come back to England with me,” said Severus intently.