Chapter 4

"You're up early," Xander yawned as he entered the kitchen.

Draco was momentarily taken aback by Xander's appearance only in his a pair of sleep pants. He was more muscular than Draco would have guessed. And more scarred though the scars didn't detract from Xander's appeal. How could the man look dangerous and act like a disgruntled over eager puppy?

"Couldn't sleep. Did I wake you?"

Xander shook his head. "Need coffee." And that was apparently all Draco was getting by way of conversation other than "Watch."

Draco watched. Paper filter. Two scoops of ground coffee. Fill the pot, pour it in the back, and put the pot back in its place. Flip switch. Not too complicated. Draco was fairly sure he could manage to remember that.

Wait a bloody minute? Did he just think Xander was appealing? No! He was not going there. Absolutely not!

"Staff meeting this morning" Xander yawned pouring his first cup of coffee.

"You have staff meetings?"

"Uhm, donuts, coffee. Latest round of bitching about stuff I can't take care of until I crack Robin's damn system."

~*~

Draco looked around the room. Two of the Aurors were okay. Yolanda Arreguin and Freddie Hayes. The senior Auror, Fitzhugh was a right bastard. The other one Jennings--Jensen? Jenner?--was a boot licking toad.

"Right well you can turn that Death Eater bastard over to us. We'll take care of him."

"Sit down and shut up, Fitzhugh. Draco is in my custody. And he is the new Acting Deputy Chief of North America. Means he's in charge of you not the other way around."

"We'll be seeing about that!"

"You sit down and shut up. You don't have permission to leave the grounds while you're stationed here without an escort and there's no way in hell you'll get past the apparition wards Willow put up."

"I demand--"

"You demand jack shit. One more word and I will be having words with the head of the Magical Law Enforcement at the ACW because you have violated just about every condition of your being here there is."

"Now listen here, you stupid muggle."

"Sit. Shut up. Now."

There were a list of requests for books from Arthur and Archibald Hickley, the identical elderly pair who made their weekly foray out of their beloved library. They also had a grocery list they handed over to Xander.

Regina, the Senior Wicca, was a very plump woman of about fifty with graying mouse brown hair and a perpetual smile. Her clothing as overwhelmingly bright as her personality. The younger Wicca was a twenty-year-old boy named Kelly. Rail thin, shy and stammering in a way that reminded Draco of Longbottom their first years of school. Regina had the knowledge of a lifetime of study and the practical experience. Kelly nearly rivaled Willow on raw power, but unless it was a life or death situation where he didn't have time to think, he more often flubbed his spellwork spectacularly according to Xander who'd given him a brief rundown of who was who before the meeting.

The Slayers were interesting. Cheyenne, the eldest, seemed to be one of the rare slayers that wasn't short and delicate looking. She was all of five foot ten and very...athletic looking. She'd played soccer and softball, whatever those were, all her life as well as had been on the track team and swim team at her school. Kayleigh, the youngest, was downright frightening. All of four foot eight with an unending amount of energy. It wasn't that she lacked focus or drive; she was simply...wired (that was the word Xander used, and it seemed to fit.) The girl had been an athlete before a slayer, had spent eight or more hours daily training and practicing her sport for years. That much stamina and energy combined with the energy, strength and adrenaline levels of a slayer. She was having the hardest adjustment to being a Slayer. Not because of the frightening things that went bump in the night but because of the overwhelming levels of energy she couldn't burn off.

Madison looked decidedly green. She protested her "benching" from patrol. Xander stayed firm.

"May I?" Draco spoke up.

"Uh, sure."

Draco ignored the curious look. "Would you stand up, Miss, er, Madison?"

Madison stood.

Draco pulled his wand out.

Fitzhugh had his pointed at Draco.

Xander gave a nod to Faith seated next to Fitzhugh. She had his wand, busted it in half and gave him a punch that sent him flying. "That actually felt good," she said a bit surprised.

"Tie him up. He raised a weapon against a member of the council--Acting Deputy Head of North America--a HIGH-ranking member of the council. I'm having his ass on charges." Xander ordered. The three most unremarkable slayers--Sarah, Emily and Amanda--moved to truss up the Auror. "So point of the wand?"

"Diagnostic charm. Easy enough to determine if there's anything seriously wrong." Draco said keeping his voice steady.

"That'll speed things along and possibly save a trip to the doctors that wouldn't be necessary" Xander grinned.

A blue glow appeared over Madison's stomach a second later.

"Congratulations, Miss Madison, it's a boy."

The younger Wicca, Kelly, fainted.

"I think Kelly is the other proud parent," Xander snorted dryly.

The rest of the meeting passed quickly. Regina had lists of things needed for both meals and magical work. The girls each had a few things they wanted put on the bi-weekly shopping list.

"Faith, you going to take training today." Xander asked as the meeting was breaking up.

Faith nodded slowly. "Yeah," she looked over to her two children who were playing with the toys in the corner of the conference room. "RJ and Nikki can play on their equipment. Cheyenne can run the drills and I'll keep an eye on everything. Sorry for slacking--"

Xander cut her off with a smile. "You got to take care of yourself and the kids. No apologies. But if you happen to find anything that might have passwords on it I'll love you forever."

"Robin didn't believe in writing them down." Faith shook her head. "RJ, Nik, come on. We're going to the gym." The two bounded over to their mother who nodded toward the door and the group of slayers

"Not you Madison. Regina, can you be an angel and uh..."

"Of course, Xander." She shepherded Madison and Kelly out.

The Aurors remained their former senior officer trussed up in the corner. Draco frowned as-- Jenkins? -- turned his wand on himself and cast a counter spell.

"Lionel Walker. MLE Internal Investigations."

Xander glared. "Oh, yeah lovely. This is also in violation of the treaty we have with the American Congress of Wizards. ACW is to give us full disclosure of any operations that potentially will involve our people. Like the warlock down in Santa Fe, they didn't tell us about and tried to try a slayer for killing your agent in the whole mix of warlocks and demons and stopping world endage. Now you're running Internal Investigations stings on Council Property. Putting my people at risk. I don't think so."

"You have to understand our--"

"No I don't. Draco--"

"PETRIFICUS TOTALIS!" Draco petrified Jensen/Walker in a blink and the man toppled over unable to move.

"Whoohoo. Quick Draw Malfoy" Xander laughed. "That was cool."

Draco barely managed to keep an impassive face despite the annoying giddy rush at Xander grinning at him. Bloody hell! He was not going to fall for a Muggle! That was even worse than half falling for Potter back in school. "I started spying for Dumbledore, Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when I was sixteen. Of course, I'm good. I'm alive, aren't I?" He allowed himself a smirk at the two junior aurors awe. Both were easily ten years older than he was and he knew neither would ever have been able to draw their wand that quickly.

"I'm going to be on the phone to Giles and the floo to the ACW for most of the morning. You want to see what you can do with the reception area. And pick out an office for yourself."

"Director Harris. Yolanda and I could help. And we'd like to stay...this is...this is the kind of work we became aurors to do. Make a difference. Not track down a crack pot that charmed some muggle artifacts to sing Weird sisters songs."

"You can stay on probation. Draco is your direct supervisor as far as council business goes. He can pick you out an office too I supposed. Where are you guys living anyway?"

"Fitzhugh made us camp--"

"Camp?"

"In tents"

"It isn't so bad." Yolanda smiled. "Luxury models actually. Mine's three bedroom two bath with a lovely living room and library."

"Okay so you’re good on accommodations?"

"Yes."

"Well if you want to somehow pitch your tents in the Boys Dorm common room you're welcome to it."

"Thanks"

~*~

"Oh very nice." Xander smiled appreciatively five hours later when he finally emerged from his office. "I'll appreciate later. I've got the American Congress of Wizards Liaison to the Watcher on the floo. They're paying damages to avoid some of the rammifications in the treaty we have with them. I need an amount. He's talking Galleons and knuts and I don't know."

"You have the Treaty?"

Xander held it out. "This is the section."

Draco skimmed it over, he was a Malfoy after all. His father had taught him how to read and make magical contracts before he'd even started Hogwarts.

"Nine hundred thousand Galleons. They've broken absolutely every condition with this." Draco said decisively. "Payable immediately. It's right here in the clause. Demand it transferred to a Gringotts account in the Council's name. And if a representative from Gringotts isn't in your office in fifteen minutes with the key and account paperwork action will be taken as per the Treaty Agreement."

Xander cocked his head thoughtfully to the side. Then nodded. "You two want to be stationed here permanently? I'm not dealing with another round of this."

Both aurors agreed readily.

"Oh, Xander, a goblin steps out of the floo in there--it's the Gringotts representative so don't attack it." Draco added as an after thought.

"Goblin...ooohkay. You come in when I get done with this turkey and can help me with the Goblin. Goblin." Xander muttered shaking his head and headed back to his office.

Draco thought that perhaps banishment to the Muggle World might not be too horrible after all.