Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chaos, Kevin thought, then about three seconds later he changed his views on his family to crazy. He could hear everyone rushing about for their trip to France and why because it was full of love. He sighed and pulled the pillow over his head to drown out the noise coming from downstairs. When that didn't work he got up out of bed and found his uncle Frank sorting through some old junk the spare in the room.

“Uncle Frank, I'm bored, can I watch Predator?” Kevin asked him, he slowly turned around, in his weird way he did “ Kevin, you're supposed to be packing and No its R18. Now go, I need to find my crystal spoons” he snapped and turned back to whatever he was doing.

“Oh man, this family sucks’ Kevin grumbled, then he stomped off to find his mom.

“Mom, Uncle Frank won't let me watch a movie, but the big kids can. Why can't I?”

“Kevin, I'm on the phone”. She said rolling her eyes at him” When do you come back? Not 'til then?”

“It's not even rated R. He's just being a jerk.”

“Kevin, if Uncle Frank says no, then it must be really bad. No, we put the dog in the kennel for the-- Hey hey hey, get off! Kevin, out of the room.” she said trying to shoo him off the bed.

“Hang up the phone and make me, why don't ya?” he said without thinking and his mom stopped in her tracks and eyed him hesitantly..

His father then entered the room “Kate, did you pick up those..Gah, what's that blasted muggle contraption called again?”

“Peter!” his mom shouted at his father and Kevin looked at up at his parent's weird behavior and then shook his head. Parents were so weird it wasn't funny, Kevin thought looking back down at his magazine.

“I mean did you pick up a voltage adaptor thing?”

“No, I didn't have time to do that.

“Then how do I shave in France?”

“Grow a goatee or..”

”Dad “ Kevin interrupted “nobody will let me do anything.”

“You don't have anything to do? I have something for you to do. You can pick up those Micro Machines that are all over in there” his father said pointing out of the room to the toys sitting next to the stairs “ Aunt Leslie stepped on one of them and almost broke her neck”

“Really!? I wish I was there to see that” Kevin said smirking and rubbing his hands together.

“He was in the garage again playing with the glue gun.” his mother had said, looking all weird like while his father looked at him with horror.

“Didn't we talk about that? “

“Did I burn down the joint? I don't think so. I was making ornaments out of fish hooks.”

“My new fish hooks?

“I can't make them out of old ones, with dry worm guts stuck on them.

“Peter...?

“Come on, Kevin. Out.” his father said then picked him up while aunt Leslie entered the room.

“Peter, Kate, do you guys have one of those voltage adaptors?”

“Here! Here's a voltage adapter! “ His father said, handing him over to his aunt.

“Oh God, you're getting heavy!” she said dropping him to ground “Go pack your suitcase.” she hustled him out the door and closed it behind him.

Weird he thought, then hushed voices and flickering lights came from his parent's room. Adults are so weird. He shook his head “Pack my suitcase?” he grumbled then headed back to his room.

“I don't know how to pack a suitcase. I've never done this once in my whole life,” he mumbled.

“Tough.” His brother Jeff said grabbing his own suitcase.

“That's what Megan said”

“What did I say?” his sister Megan said appearing next to Jeff.

“You told Kevin "Tough."

“The dope was whining about a suitcase. What was I supposed to say? "Congratulations, you're an idiot"?

“I'm not an idiot!”

“Oh, really? You're completely helpless! Everyone has to do everything for you.

“She's right, Kev.”
:
“Excuse me, puke-breath. I'm a lot smaller than you. I don't know how to pack a suitcase.”

“I hope you didn't just pack crap, Jeff.” his younger sister Linnie said

“Shut up, Linnie.”

“Do you know what I should pack?”

“Buzz told you, cheek-face. Toilet paper and water. “ Jeff said pushing Linnie out of the way with his suitcase in his other hand.

“Listen, Kevin, what are you so worried about? You know Mom's gonna pack your stuff, anyway. You're what the French call "les incompetents".

“What?”

“Bombs away! His brother said throwing his bag down the stairs.

“P.S.: You have to sleep on the hide-a-bed with Fuller. If he has something to drink, he's going to wet the bed, “ she said with an evil grin, flicking her hair and walking out with Megan by her side.

“This house is so full of people. It makes me sick! When I grow up and get married, I'm living alone!

“Did you hear me?”

“I'm living alone! I'm living alone! I'm living alone” the whole house started to shake and no one knew better than the guy standing at the doorway.

Kevin stopped his tirade and entered Buzz’s room.

“Who's gonna feed your spider while we're gone and where did you get it again its massive?” Rodd asked Buzz.

“Oh, He just ate a load of mice guts, He should be good for a couple of weeks. my dad found him on one of his business trips, I swear he just keeps on growing and growing. Is it true French babes don't shave their pits?”

“Some don't.”

“But they got nude beaches?.”

“Not in the winter.”

“Buzz?” Kevin asked standing beside him and Rodd.

“Don't you know how to knock, phlegm-wad?”

“Can I sleep in your room? I don't want to sleep in the hide-a-bed with Fuller. If he has something to drink, he'll wet the bed.”

“I wouldn't let you sleep in my room if you were growing on my ass.” Buzz looked out the window. “Check it out. Old man Marley”. Rod, Kevin, and Buzz went over to the window and watched the Old Man outside..

“Who's he?” Rodd asked taking a gulp.

“You ever heard of the South Bend Stick Slayer?”

“No.”

“That's him. Back in '58, he murdered his whole family and half the people on his block... with a broken stick he snapped from a tree. Been hiding out in this neighborhood ever since.”

“If he's the Stick slayer, how come the cops don't arrest him?” Rodd asked pushing his glasses back on his face. Kevin watched his deer caught in the headlight look and suppressed a laugh. He was such a wimp he thought.

“Not enough evidence to convict. They never found the bodies. But everyone around here knows he did it. It'll just be a matter of time before he does it again.”

“What's he doing now?”

“He walks up and down the street every night, salting the sidewalks.”

“Maybe he's just trying to be nice.”

“No way. You see that garbage can full of salt? That's where he keeps his victims. The salt turns the bodies into muggles.”

“Wow.”

“Muggles!?, that's what dad said,” Kevin said frowning, then the Old Man looked up them.
:
“Look out!” Buzz said quickly, shutting the curtain blinds.

Unbeknownst to them the old man shook his head and mumbled “damn squibs” before pulling out his wand and clearing the snow away from the driveway.

Chapter Text

Kevin left Buzz’s room more annoyed than before, he leaned on the stair frame and watched the police officer open his front door.

Since when did we get a guard

“Okay, that's $122.50.” the pizza guy told the officer.

“Not from me, kid. I don't live here.”

“Oh, you just around for the holidays?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“Hey, pizza's here!”his uncle Frank shouted and Kevin stood up and headed down stairs.

“There you go. That's $122.50.”

“It's my brother's house. He'll take care of it. “

“Hey, listen... “ the officer tried to say to Frank but his father came into the room.

“Hey.”

“Hi. Are you Mr. McCallister?”

“Yeah.”

“The Mr. McCallister who lives here?”

“Yes.”

“Good, because somebody owes me $122.50.”

“I'd like a word with you, sir.”

“Am I under arrest or something?”

“No, no, no, no. It's Christmas time. There's always a lot of burglaries around the holidays. So we're just checking the neighborhood to see if everyone's taking the proper precautions; that's all.”

“Oh, yeah. Well we have automatic timers for our lights, locks for our doors. That's about as well as anybody can do these days, right? Did you get some eggnog or something like that? “

Buzz then appeared pushing Kevin aside as he hit the bottom stair, he grabbed his father and lead him away: “Come on, Dad. Let's eat. “

“Jerk” Kevin said under his breath.

“Eggnog?” Listen, are you going to be leaving...?” tried to ask his dad.

The Policeman smiled at Kevin showing a golden tooth in his front teeth, he felt uncomfortable and turned away smelling the deliciousness he yelled “Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!” running after his father and brother.

“Grab yourself a napkin, and you're going to have to pour your own drinks.”

“Mom, does Santa Claus have to go through customs?” his cousin asked his aunt Leslie.

“What time do we have to go to bed? Fuller asked his father Frank.

“Early. We're leaving the house at 8 a.m. On the button.”

Kevin wondered around the kitchen as his mom appeared “I hope you're all drinking milk. I want to get rid of it.”

“Honey, the pizza boy needs $122.50, plus tip.”

“For pizza?”

“10 pizzas times 12 bucks.”

“Frank, you've got money! Come on…”

“Traveler's checks.”

“Forget it, Frank. We have cash.”

“You probably got the checks that don't work in France.”

Kevin looked in each of the pizza boxes and stomped his feet down “Did anyone order me a plain cheese?”

“Oh, yeah, we did. But if you want any, somebody's gonna have to barf it up, because it's gone.” Buzz said scoffing down a pizza.

“Fuller! Go easy on the Pepsi.” Fuller looked at Kevin and smiled, Kevin felt the urge to hit someone.

“Kev! Kev, get a plate.” Buzz mocked him, holding his neck as he choked on his pizza

Kevin glared at him, then suddenly an invisible force slammed him into the table behind him, knocking the pepsi onto the passports. Kevin frowned and looked down at his hands and whispered “cool.”

“Passports! “ his father shouted getting up from his chair, trying to clean up the mess.

“No, no. Get these passports out of here.” his dad said to the other kids, they threw away a bunch of napkins, along with Kevin's airline ticket without anyone realizing.

Suddenly he felt a firm grip on his hand.

“What is the matter with you?” his mother said angrily at him.

“He started it! He ate my pizza on purpose. He knows I hate sausage and olives…”

“Look what you did, you little jerk!” his uncle shouted at him and everyone glared at him.

“It wasn’t me” he shouted back.

“Kevin, get upstairs right now.”

“Why?”

“Kevin, you're such a disease.”

“Shut up!”

“Kevin, upstairs!”

“Say good night, Kevin.”

“"Good night, Kevin." he snickered at everyone and his mother yanked him out of the kitchen.

“Why do I always get treated like scum?”

“Oh, I'm sorry. This house is just crazy. We've got all these extra kids running around and my brother-in-law drove in from Ohio today. It's just nuts.” His mom said handing the Pizza Boy some money.

“How come you didn't bring more cheese pizzas?”

“Nice tip. Thanks a lot.”

“Thanks.”

“Having a reunion or something?” the officer spoke up.

“Oh no. My husband's brother transferred to Paris last summer and both of his kids are still going to school here, and I guess he missed the whole family.” the officer smiled down at him, showing his gold tooth” He's giving us all this trip to Paris for the holidays, so we can be together.”

“You're taking a trip to Paris?”

“Yes. We hope to leave tomorrow morning.”

“Excellent. Excellent.”

“If you'll excuse me, this one's a little out of sorts. I'll be right back.” his mom smiled at the officer, then proceeded to drag him up the stairs.

“Don't worry about me. I spoke to your husband already. And don't worry about your home. It's in good hands.”

“There are 15 people in this house and you're the only one who has to make trouble.”

“I'm the only one getting dumped on.”

“You're the only one acting up. Now get upstairs!”

“I am upstairs, dummy!” He said, then his mom opened the door to the third floor.

“The third floor?”

“Go.”

“It's scary up there.”

“Don't be silly. Fuller will be up in a little while.”

“I don't want to sleep with Fuller. You know about him: he wets the bed. He'll pee all over me. I know it.”

“Fine, we'll put him somewhere else.”

“I'm sorry.”

“It's too late. Get upstairs.”

“But mom, i swear it wasnt me. I wanted to but i didn't touch him, it was like it was magic. I swear” he pleaded. She seem to cover her mouth in shock and suddenly shook herself and frowned again.

“We will talk about it tomorrow, now get up there”

He walked up the stairs and stopped and turned around.

“Everyone in this family hates me.”

“Then maybe you should ask Santa for a new family.”

“I don't want a new family. I don't want any family. Families suck!”

“Just stay up there! I don't want to see you again for the rest of the night.”

“I don't want to see you again for the rest of my whole life. And I don't want to see anybody else either.”

“I hope you don't mean that. You'd feel pretty sad if you woke up tomorrow morning and you didn't have a family.”

“No, I wouldn't.”

“Then say it again. Maybe it'll happen.”

“I hope I never see any of you jerks again.” he turned around and walked up the stairs, his mom closed the door. “I wish they would all just disappear.” he said jumping face first on the bed. He closed his eyes hard and repeated it again hoping someone or something would fulfill his wish.

Chapter Text

It was silent and the moon seemed to overlook the McAllister residents, keeping a sullen eye over their house. A gust of cloud covered the bright moon and a loud rumble shook the city , out splintered a beam of energy from the clouds ,splitting one of the trees in front of the house. A branch fell on top of the telephone wire and cut the electricity from the street. The clouds dispersed quickly and left the moon glistening as if a wish had been fulfilled.

Morning awoke the street and a driver raced up to the Mccallister house knocking over one their statues " Nice one Murphy, i'm gonna knock on their door, while you pick up that statue"

Henry knocked a few times, there was no answer, he looked at his colleague still trying to pick up the statue "Where are they"

Murphy Grunted lifting the statue upright

"I don't know. She said 8am sharp."

Kate rubbed her eyes and yawned, then quickly looked to the brightness outside. Peter! Both of them jump out of bed quickly.

Peter & Kate " We slept in…..ahhhhhhh" they cried out and ran out of the room.

A young boy walked across the street and headed over to the airport drivers "Hi, I'm Mitch Murphy. I live across the street. You guys going out of town? We're going to Orlando, Florida. Well, first we're going to Missouri to pick up my grandma. You know the McCallisters are going to France? Do you know if it's cold there? Do these vans get good mileage?

"Geez, kid, I don't know. Hit the road!"

Kate woke everyone up and yelled out to her oldest "Heather, do a headcount. Make sure everyone's in the vans. Where are the passports and tickets?

Peter ran around Kate and opened up the microwave "I put them here to dry off.

"How fast does this thing go? Does it have an automatic transmission? Does it have 4-wheel drive?

"Look, I told you before, kid: don't bother me. Now, beat it! " Mitch stays in the back of the van; McCallister kids go outside

"Line up in front of the van. Come on guys, line up and shut up!" Mitch opens a McCallister bag full of wands and trinkets "oo shiny..Wow!"

Heather gathered up the kids and lined them up "Shut up! I need a headcount. 1-2-3-4-5…"

Buzz snickered and shoulder Tony "11, 92, 12…"

"Buzz, don't be a moron. 6-7-8-9-10-11. Okay, half in this van, half in this van. Let's go. '' Mitch got out of the van while the McCallister kids got in.

"Have a good trip. Bring me back something French. '' Mitch leaves; he points one of the wands he took and gets burnt, dropping it in the snow. Kate, Leslie, Peter and Frank walk out the front door.

"There's no way we'll make this plane. It leaves in 45 minutes."

"Think positive, Frank!"

"You be positive. I'll be realistic. '' The Adults got into the vans.

A worker, fixing the power lines approaches Kate "Ma'am. Excuse me. I just wanted to let you know that your power is fixed, but the phone lines are a mess. It's going to take around a couple of days to patch them up, especially around the holidays."

"Okay, thanks." Kate closes the van door and hops in the front seat "Heather, did you count heads?"

"11, including me. 5 boys, 6 girls, 4 parents, 2 drivers... and a partridge in a pear tree."

The McAllisters rush through the airport and Peter yells out to the flight attendant.

"Hold that plane!"

"Did we miss the flight?"

"No, you just made it." All the McCallisters cheer "Single seats in coach only. Take whatever's free."

"Kids are in coach, we're first class."

"Seats 4-A and B."

"4-A and B. I'll take your coats. Fasten your seat belts, please."

"Champagne, please. It's free, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes."

"We made it. Its been awhile since we traveled together on a muggle contraption "

"Do you believe it? I hope we didn't forget anything.

Kevin opens eyes and yawns. dreamily he walks down the stairs and enters the bathroom, he brushes his teeth and suddenly stops and looks around, he shrugs and enters into the lounge and starts watching tv.

"Mom?"

Frank and Leslie sit back in their chairs and he picks up one of the glasses.

"That's real. It's real crystal."

"Yeah, so?"

"Put them in your purse. We can sell them to the idiot wizards in france"

"Frank, I can't do that."

"Put 'em- put 'em- put 'em... Put them in your purse! A flight attendant walks and franks holds out his glass"Yeah. Fill it up- fill it up- Fill it up, please. Thank you."

"Don't you feel like a heel, flying first class with all of the kids back in coach?"

"No. The kids are fine. The only flying I ever did as a kid was on the family broomstick, and it wasn't to France. We used to have to go to Aunt Laura and Uncle Arthur's house. The kids are okay. They're having the time of their lives."

Kevin walks around the house rubbing his eyes "Hello? Mom? Dad?... Mom? Dad? Where are you guys?"

"Buzz? Buzz? Buzz? Megan?"

Kevin walks down to the basement and stops halfway down the stairs "Hello? Rod? Uncle Frank? Uncle Frank, is this a joke? Megan? Linnie? Is this a joke? " Noise came from the furnace and it opened its jaws and showed its teeth " hahaha it was only a matter of time Kevin, now it's only you and me" it shrieked, Kevin covered his mouth in horror" It's only my imagination... only my imagination." He whispered to himself and ran back upstairs and outside into the snow.

"The cars are still here. They didn't go to the airport" he runs back inside and sits on one of the chairs

"I made my family disappear." He smirked and rubbed his hands together full of glee. Then he stopped and thought about the night before.

"Kevin, you're completely helpless."

"You know, Kevin, you're what the French call, "les incompetents."

"Kevin, I'm going to feed you to my tarantula."

"Kevin, you are such a disease."

"There are 15 people in this house, and you're the only one who has to make trouble."

"Look what you did, you little jerk!"

Kevin stops and looks to one of the family portraits and smiles "I made my family disappear?"

Kevin erratically runs around the house celebrating his freedom, he walks into Buzz's room and grabs a playboy from the chest; he throws it over his head.

"No clothes on anybody. Sickening!"

"Cool! Firecrackers! I'll save these for later. Buzz, I'm going through all your private stuff... you better come out and pound me! " Kevin finds a picture of Buzz's girlfriend "Buzz, your girlfriend! Woof! "Kevin sees Buzz's bee-bee gun hanging on his wall and sets of to shoot some army men down the laundry shoot.

Kevin sits down on the couch and unpauses the movie "Wizards with filthy souls" he shrugs it off and grabs his plate of ice cream.

Knock on the door

"Who is it?"

"It's me. Snakes. I got the stuff."

"Leave it on that doorstep and get the hell out of here."

"All right, Johnny, but what about my money?"

"What money?"

"Acey said you had some dough for me."

"Is that a fact? How much do I owe you?"

"Acey Said ten percent."

"Too bad Acey ain't in charge no more."

Kevin gobbles up his ice cream with the remote and wand either side of him "Guys, I'm eating junk and watching rubbish! You better come out and stop me!"

"He'll call you when he gets out. Pause "Hey. I'll tell you what I'm gonna give you, Snakes. I'm gonna give you to the count of 10 to get your ugly, yellow, no-good keister off my property... before I pump you full of magic."

"All right, Johnny, I'm sorry. I'm going."

"1, 2, 10! Avada kedavra " Johnny pulls out a stick just like Kevin's and a huge blast kills Snakes while he's laughing "Keep the change, you filthy animal. " Kevin pauses the film and yells "Mom!"

Kate and Peter relax on the plane and then a horrible sensation makes her check her pocketbook.

"What's the matter? Honey?"

"I've just had a terrible feeling wash over me.

"About what?"

"That we didn't do something."

"You feel that way because we left in such a hurry. We took care of everything. Believe me, we did."

"Did I turn off the coffee?"

"No. I did."

"Did you lock up?"

"Yeah."

"Did you close the garage?"

"That's it. I forgot to close the garage. That's it. " Kate sits back, still thinking "No, that's not it."

"What else could we be forgetting?"

"Kevin!"

Kevin stood at the top of the stairs with his sled and then pushed himself down it and out the front door, he slammed face first onto the snow and jumped up "sweet" he whooped and picked up his sled, he noticed something in the snow " huh what's that" he picked up the too perfect of a stick, holding it up to his eyes for a better look. The ground started to rumble and a gust of wind blew around him, sending sparks out from the end of it.

"Woah... what just happened "

Chapter Text

Kevin awoke with a startle in his Mom and Dad's bed, he all but thought it was a mere dream that he was left behind.

The stick he had found was still in his grasp and he kept wondering what exactly happened yesterday. Kevin pulled the sheets away and called out again. Nothing, he sighed and got up.

"Well, looks like I'm on my own" he mumbled to himself reaching the bathroom. Kevin put the stick down and started brushing his teeth and made a note to himself to look for some cash to get supplies.

In the middle of brushing his teeth, he noticed it vibrating. "How odd" he rinsed his mouth out and picked it up. It suddenly stopped vibrating once he had touch it. Kevin jerked the wand up and the mirror cracked " Woah" he then pointed it at cabinet and everything from inside sprung out with a boom. "Wicked" he yelled running out of the bathroom. 

A flight attendant approached and looked troubled "The captain's doing all he can, but your phones are still out of order."

"We'll call as soon as we land, Kate. I'm sure everything's okay."

"It's horrible, horrible. Just horrible." Frank murmured sipping his wine

"How could we do this? We forgot him."

"We didn't forget him, we just miscounted."

"What kind of mother am I?"

"If it makes you feel any better, I forgot my reading glasses."

"Frank" Lesie hissed, rubbing Kate's shoulder " maybe we should contact the magical community. I know it's been a long time but I'm sure they would understand, " she said in a hushed tone.

Kate violently shook her head " No, the kids wouldn't understand. What...what they did to me and Peter's family...they would use Kevin" she started to cry and Peter looked to his brother Frank.

Harry stopped the car in the middle of the night and watched the houses in front of him " 5 families gone on one block alone. They all told me from their own mouths."

Marv smirked and fumbled his bag open " It's almost too easy." 

Harry smirked " Check it out. All the houses with nobody home have automatic timers on their lights. But I got it all figured out. Watch this. Number 664 will be going on right about... now...Lights come on...Wait, wait, wait... number 672, right now….Lights come on….Wait a minute, wait a minute. 671... now….Lights come on….And that's the one, Marvin. And that's the silver tuna."

"It's very G."

"Very G, huh? It's loaded. It's got lots of top-flight goods. Stereos, VCRs…"

"Toys?"

"Probably looking at some very fine jewelry, possible cash horde, odd marketable securities... Who knows? It's a gem. Grab your crowbar. Each of them grab a crowbar and exit the car.

Kevin is in his mom and dad's bed again asleep while the grinch who stole christmas plays on the tv "You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch. You're the king Of sinful sots. Your heart's a dead tomato, blotched with moldy purple spots, Mr. Grinch"

Marv looks at Harry "Which way?"

"We'll go around back, down the basement. Come on, follow me. Marv tries to break in with his crowbar; Kevin goes to the basement turning on all the lights.

"I thought you said they were gone."

"They were supposed to leave this morning."

"Let's get out of here. "

Kevin runs back up stairs, holding on to his stick under the bed "Mom, dad"

Kate runs with her family to the airport phones
"Miss, we have to use the phone, please. I'm sorry, it's an emergency. We really have to make a call."

Linnie speaks up beside her mother "
Please! Our brother's home alone". Kate takes the phone away from her and she runs off " "sorry "Kate yells out.

"Peter, I'm going to call the police. Why don't you book us a flight home?" Kate gives her purse to Linnie. "Here, get some change out of here. Call everybody you know." Kate gets her address book out of her purse "Oh, Leslie... here's my address book. You and Frank call everybody that's on our street. Maybe somebody can help us". Kate gets on the phone, hearing a man speaking in French" What am I doing? Oh, hello? Hello? Oh, she'll have to call you back"

Kevin sighs and rolls onto his back with the stick against his chest " This is ridiculous. Only a wimp would be hiding under a bed. And I can't be a wimp. I'm the man of the house."

Kevin runs outside into the darkness of his street "Hey, I'm not afraid anymore! I said, I'm not afraid anymore! Do you hear me? I'm not afraid anymore." Old Man Marley looks over to the kid yelling out to nobody and walks up to him.

Kevin sees him standing right in front of him with his shovel and his can of salt; Kevin screams and runs back in the house, runs upstairs frantically and hides under the sheets of the bed.

Old man Marley sighs " i thought those damn squibs went with their parents on holiday. Here I thought I would have a break from watching the McAllister's. oh well at least i can do magic freely" he pulled out his wand and lifted up the can of salt pouring it down the street.

"Village Police Department."

Kate sighs in relief  "Yeah, hi, look. I'm calling from Paris. I have a son who's home alone. Our phones there are out of order so I'd like somebody to go over to our house, tell him that we're coming home to get him."

"Okay, let me connect you with the Family Crisis Intervention."

"No, this is not a family crisis."

"Hold on. Female operator knocks on Larry's window "Larry, can you pick up? There's some lady on hold, sounds kind of hyper."

"What line, Rose?"

"Two." Larry picks up the phone while eating his donut.

"Family Crisis Intervention, Sergeant Balzac." Larry takes another bite out of his doughnut.

"I'm calling from Paris. I have a son who's home alone."

"Has the child been involved in a violent altercation with a drunk, injured, or mentally ill member of his immediate family?"

"No!"

"Has he been involved in a household accident?

"I don't know. I d-- I hope not."

Larry takes another bite out of his doughnut "Has the child ingested any poison and/or any other object lodged in his throat?"

"No! He's just home alone! And I'd like somebody to go over to the house to see if he's all right. Just to check on him."

"You want us to go to your house, just to check on him?"

"Yes!"

"Let me connect you to the Police Department."

"No, they just transferred me to you."

"Rose!"

"Yeah."

"Hyper on 2"

" Hold on, please." Larry puts Kate on hold and hangs up.

"No, please don't hang up. Please!  God damn muggles "

Lennie and the rest of her kids walk up to her "Any luck honey?"

"No. We couldn't get anybody."

"Leslie?"

"Sorry, Kate. Nothing but a bunch of answering machines. You know what we discussed earlier. Maybe we should." Kate shakes her head and gets back on the phone.

"Somebody pick up. Pick up!" She slams the phone against the top of the machine, everything starts to rumble around them. Lennie touches her mum's shoulder and she calms down at her daughter's worried look.

"Oh, hi, ma'am. It's you again."

"Yeah hi, look, I'm calling from Paris. I have a son who's home alone, and I…"

"Okay, okay, we'll send a policeman over to your house to check on your son."

A policeman driving around the block stops at the McAllister house, knocking on the door a few times. While Kevin continues to hide under the covers

An Officer is on his walkie talkie "There's no one home. The house looks secure. Tell them to count their kids again".

"10-4."

Peter stands at the airport reception desk " I can't believe you can't bump somebody or ask somebody…"

"I'm sorry, but there's no way I can do that."

"Well, isn't there a way like if you ask somebody? I mean, if you brought somebody up here and explained to them that this is an emergency…"

"I wish I could, but I cannot ask someone…"

Kate walks up to her husband" They're sending a policeman over to the house to check on Kevin."

"Well, that's a relief. Everything here is booked."

"There's nothing to Chicago?"

"There's nothing to Chicago, New York, Nashville, you name it. Everything's gone."

"What about a private plane?"

The agent shakes her head at Kate "No, I'm sorry. We don't do that."

Peter drums his fingers across the desk "The only thing is a booking for all of us on Friday morning."

Kate sighs in disbelief "Friday morn-- That's two days away."

"Look, honey. The kids are exhausted. You are exhausted. There's absolutely nothing more that we can do at this airport. Now I say we go over to Rob's, and that way we can call the police again. And they can get back to us."

"Peter, Kevin is there all by himself. I'm not leaving here unless it's on an airplane or…..

"Madame, we are doing everything we can. Now, if you want to stay at the airport, maybe we can get you on standby. It is a possibility that a seat will open up."

"Is that okay?"

Fine. Yes. I'll wait.

Peter and Kate walk off to their family, they share a brief hug and kiss and Peter whispers into her ear " We could use magic, if you're that worried"

"No Peter, they would find us and we would have to hide again. No i just can't go through that again " she whispered back letting go of her husband.

Alright love. It's okay, we will figure this out. Bye. I'll miss you, honey. Peter and Kate hug once more

"Don't you get lost". Kate waves goodbye to the rest of the McCallister family as they leave her alone in the airport.

Chapter Text

Kevin is in the bathroom again, after the terrible night, he cleans up his mess and takes a shower, he stands in front of the mirror combing his hair "I took a shower, washing every body part with natural soap, including all my major crevices between my toes and in my belly button, which I never did before but sort of enjoyed. I washed my hair with adult formula shampoo and used creme rinse. I can't find my toothbrush, so I'll pick one up today. Other than that, I'm in good shape". Kevin puts on aftershave and screams out of agony, the house starts to shake and every light flickers off and on until he calms down.

Kevin after his little experience in the bathroom, gets changed and explores Buzz's room; Kevin looks at the top of Buzz's shelf and sees a box on top, it must be his savings. Kevin starts to climb but one of the boards creaks and he hops down. He grabs out his magic stick that is in his back pocket. " I wonder " he murmurs looking between the stick and the box on top of the shelf.

"Lets see what you can do my friend " he points the stick at the box and concentrates on bringing it to him….nothing. Kevin shakes the stick and sees a slight movement " uh screw it" he sighs and waves the stick sending everything crashing towards him.

Kevin unburies himself and finds the box and opens it " All right! Buzz's life savings." Unbeknownst to Kevin, Buzz's Tarantula that mum and dad gave him comes out of the cage and walks towards it's saviour "i'm free" it screeches and Kevin looks down in fright.

"ahhhh" he screams

"Ahhh" screams back the spider and they both run off.

"Geez christ, that spider spoke '' Kevin painted, reaching his parents bedroom " no way, I must have hit my head. I'm losing my mind" he said shrugging his shoulders and putting on his coat and beanie.

Kevin finds his gloves and closes the door behind and starts walking down the path in front of his house and sees a Van parked outside the Murphys house.

"I thought the Murphys went to Florida" Kevin shrugs and continues walking.

Harry and Marv are inside the Murphys house; Harry is playing with a remote control car; Marv puts some expensive goods in a bag with his crowbar, creating a mess in the process.

Harry smirks at Marv "You know you're one of the great cat burglars of the world, Marv? You think you can keep it down a little in there? " he shouts as the phone rings.

It goes to voicemail "Hi, you've reached the Murphy's. Please leave a message after you hear the beep."

"Jack, this is Peter McCallister again. We're in Paris at my brother's apartment. Let me give you the number here, okay. The country code is 3-3. The area code is 1-4 and the number is 694-876…"

Marv looks up confused "Hey, Harry."

"Yeah?"

"That house we were at last night, was that the McCallister's?"

"Yeah."

"You're right. They're gone."

"I knew they were."

Marv giggles "Silver tuna tonight" Harry smirks then looks through an expensive toy, seeing all kinds of shapes and colors when you flip the knobs.

"Wow!"

Kevin enters the shop looking for a toothbrush and stands at the front and meets a cashier.

"How may I help you?"

Kevin puts a toothbrush on the counter "Is this toothbrush approved by the American Dental Association?"

"Well, I don't know. " the cashier looks at the back of it "It doesn't say, hon." Shaking her head at him

"Can you please find out?"

"Herb."

"Yeah?"

"I've got a question here about a toothbrush."

Old Man Marley enters the shop and stops in his tracks seeing the McAllister kid.

"Do you know, is this brush approved by the American Dental Association?" the cashier asks the man Herb.

"I don't know." He shrugs at her

Old Man Marley slams his blood soaked bandaged hand on the counter; Kevin locks eyes with Old Man Marley and something terrible happens. Kevins clutches his head in agony and sees images in his mind he can't comprehend. Kevin walks backwards in a daze with the toothbrush heading out the door.

"Oh, hon, you pay for that here. Wait, son, you have to pay for that toothbrush. Son! Son!" The cashier shrieks at him but he still locks eyes with the old man. Kevin suddenly rushes out of the store breaking eye contact.

"Hey! Jimmy, stop that boy! Jimmy runs out after Kevin.

Kevin runs like hell out of there.

"Hey! Hey! " Jimmy spots a police officer, who is writing up someone a ticket nearby and points to Kevin "Shoplifter!"

The police officer gives chase after Kevin; Kevin slides into an ice rink where he's on his knees making his way through a bunch of skaters, even getting through some people's legs. Kevin pulls out the stick and points it at the police officer making him crash into a bunch of skaters and falls down in a heap. Kevin runs off the skate ring and too his freedom.

Kevin holds the toothbrush and the magic stick out in front of him as he is walking home
"I'm a criminal" he sighs then looks at the stick and tries to remember what he saw looking at old man Marley.

Marv is giggling away like a little school girl filling the sinks drains with cloths and turning on the faucets full blast; he walks out of the house with a bulging bag over his shoulder and his trusty crowbar in his other hand and loads them into the van laughing his head off.

Harry sighs " What's so funny? What's so funny? What are you laughing at? You did it again, didn't you? You left the water running, didn't you? What's wrong with you? Why do you do that? I told you not to do it."

Marv sits there dumbfounded "Harry, It's our calling card!"

"Calling card." Harry huffs

Marv stares at him in disbelief "All the great ones leave their mark. We're the wet bandits."

"You're sick, you know? You're really sick."

Marv looks at him shocked "I'm sick… i don't feel sick"

Yes, you moron. You are.

"I'm not sick."

"It's a sick thing to do!"

"Don't tell me what to do. I can do it if I want to. It's not sick. " Marv smacks Harry's shoulder.

"Hey, watch out! "

Kevin freezes in the middle of the road; Harry slams on the brakes; Kevin screams holding up his hands and looking directly into the Vans bumper heading straight for him. It gets slammed backwards whiplashing Harry and Marv; Marv smacks his head on the dashboard.

Kevin walks off looking at both of his hands.

"Cool"

Harry rolls down his window as Kevin tries to walk fast

"Hey! Hey! You've gotta watch for traffic, you know…"

"Sorry." He mutters

"Damn." Harry moans " what hell happened"

"Uhhh eight" Marv moans clutching his head.

"Okay, okay. Merry Christmas." Harry smiles at Kevin, showing his gold tooth; Kevin gasps and walks off slowly

"What's the matter? What happened "

"I don't like the way that kid looked at me. Did you see that?"

"Have you ever seen him before?"

"I saw a hundred kids this week."

"Let's see what house he goes into." Harry follows Kevin slowly; Kevin looks back to find Harry and Marv whistling and looking away from him; Kevin starts running; Harry and Marv continue to follow him.

"Why's he going faster?" Marv rubs his chin in confusion.

"I told you something's wrong. See, I knew he looked at me weird. Why would he run"

Kevin disguises himself right outside the church.

"Maybe he went inside the church."

"I'm not going in there."

"Me neither."

"Let's get out of here."

Kevin gets out of his disguise and starts to run home "When those guys come back, I'll be ready."

Chapter Text

Harry and Marv come back that night and sit out front of McAllister's house.

"Did they come back?"

"From Paris?"

The McAllister's house is full of life and Kivin is dancing with a bunch of mannequins and cardboard cutouts. Kevin is laughing his head off " god im good" he sings with joy " now for my peace to resistance" he pulls out his stick and waves at one of the mannequins sending it flying at the window.

"We'll come back tomorrow. Maybe they'll be gone by then. Holy shit, We better get out of here before somebody sees us."Kevin looks out the window smiling next to the mannequin.

The McAllister family is watching a show in French and Frank enters the room full of goodies.

"Attencion! Attencion! Look what I found in the kitchen."

Georgette, Peter's sister sighs "Frank, those are for later. Frank? "Frank ignores Georgette and hands out shrimp to kids.

"Mes petits enfants, do you want a little shrimp, huh?"

Peter is in the other room on the phone "Do you speak English? Parlez Anglais? Well, is there... Did you get anybody? I am looking for my son! Do you know where he is?! Peter sighs as Frank enters the room and looks almost hopeful at Peter '' No, I can't find anybody. They're all shopping. Nobody's home for the holidays `` he slams down the phone in frustration.

Megan sighs from the other room with Buzz next to her on the couch "This is so pointless."

"What?"

"We're here rotting in this apartment. Kevin's at home. Mom's at the airport."

"So?"

"You're not at all worried about Kevin?"

"Why should I be? He's acted like a jerk one too many times and this time he caught it in the butt."

"He's so little and helpless. Don't you think he's flipped out?"

"The little trout can use a couple of days in the real world."

"You're not at all worried something might happen to him?"

"No. For three reasons: A. I'm not that lucky, 2: We have smoke detectors, and D: We live in the most boring street in the United States of American, where nothing even remotely dangerous will ever happen. Period."

The pizza boy slams on the breaks hitting the statue in front of the McAllister house. The boy sighs and gets out and picks up the statue. He sees a letter on the front door where it says "back door please" he nods and jogs around the back and knocks on the door.

Kevin is sitting there with Remote for the tv as the movie sits paused.

Kevin unpauses it 

"Who is it?" Johnny says

"It's Little Nero's, sir. I have your pizza."

"Leave it on the doorstep and get out of here."

"Okay. But what about the money?"

"What money?"

"Well, you have to pay for your pizza, sir."

"Is that a fact? How much do I owe you?"

"That'll be $11.80, sir." Kevin sneaks $12 from the bottom of the door.

"Keep the change, you filthy animal."

"Cheapskate."

"Hey. I'm gonna give you to the count of 10 to get your ugly, yellow no-good keister off my property before I pump your guts full of lead. 1, 2, 10. " Gunshot soundbytes and Johnny laughing scaring the Pizza Boy; Pizza Boy crashes into garbage cans and runs away frantically and drives off; Kevin opens the door, picks up the pizza and smells it. 

"A lovely cheese pizza, just for me." Kevin closes the door.

Kate is talking to a lovely old woman "So we have the $500, the pocket translator, the two first-class seats; that's an upgrade from your coach…"

"Is that a real Rolex?"

"Do you think it is?"

"No."

"But who can tell? I also have a ring."

"Oh, that is beautiful!"

The old woman's partner tugs on her shirt "Come on, Irene. They're boarding."

"This gal has offered us two first-class tickets if we go Friday, plus a ring, a watch, a pocket translator, $500 and…"

"The earrings. You love the earrings"

The old man huffs "She's got her own earrings. A whole shoebox full of them. Dangly ones. Come on."

"No, but…" They are about to leave when Kate almost bursts into tears.

"I'm desperate. I'm begging you. From a mother to a mother. Please!"

"Oh, Ed."

"Please!"

"Oh, all right."

Kate boards a flight to Dallas

Kevin is sitting on the bed watching the Johnny Carson show.

"Dear Santa, I got a little sister last year. This year I'd rather have some Clay-Doh." Kevin looks at a family portrait and sighs.

"I didn't mean it. If you come back, I'll never be a pain in the butt again. I promise. Good night." Kevin kisses the portrait and puts it under his pillow along with his magic stick.

Kevin is in the bathroom after a goodnight rest singing "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas Just like the ones I used to know

Where those treetops glisten And children listen To hear sleigh bells in the snow The snow"

Kevin puts on the aftershave, and screams in agony... again.

Kevin wheels his trolley around in the grocery store, Kevin arrives at the counter and puts his items on the counter.

"Are those microwave dinners good?"

The woman looks at him oddly then replies back "I don't know."

"I'll give them a whirl." Kelly holds up Attack Force action figures "For the kids." Kevin laughs. Kelly scans an orange juice" Hold on, I got a coupon for that." Kevin hands Kelly the coupon "It was in the paper this morning."

"$19.83."

"Okay. " Kevin reaches in his pocket and gives her money.

"Are you here all by yourself?"

"Ma'am, I'm 8 years old. You think I'd be here alone? I don't think so."

"Where's your mom?"

"My mom's in the car."

"Where's your father?"

"He's at work."

"What about your brothers and your sisters?

Kevin looks at her funny " how did you know i had brothers and sisters"

The woman looks pale " i didn't mean anything Mr McAllister, they told me to watch you"

"What, how did you know i was a McAllister and who told you what" 

"Woops, i should've not told you that "

Kevin looks at her stangly as a man approaches them and takes her away. "Kevin, keep your wand close" she shrieked out as the man dragged her away.

"My Wand, Adults are weird" he mumbles to himself picking up his groceries.

Kevin is walking home, whistling merrily when his groceries bags burst and everything falls out. " god damn it. Why me" he mutters starting to pick up everything. Kevin starts thinking about the woman at the store…"my wand, did she mean my magic stick" he stands slowly pulling out his stick " A wand, which means i'm a wizard. I wonder…..Up" he points his wand at the objects on the ground and they all rise.

"Woah"

"I'm a wizard"

Kevin makes it home and puts all his stuff he brought away. Like the proper Wizard he is, he does his own laundry and makes his way down to the basement….the furnace screams and Kevin smirks "Shut up!" He points his wand at the furnace turning it off.

It's the next morning and Harry and Marv are sitting outside the McAllister house in their van.

"I don't get it. Right now, it looks like there's nobody home. Last night the place was jumping. Something ain't right. Go check it out. " Marv looks at him confused, while Harry waits for Marv to check it out.

"Now?"

"No, tomorrow, egghead! Now! Go ahead. 

Marv exits the van and stands there waiting

"Now." Harry shouts as Marv takes off towards the back door

Marv kicks open the cat flap and loses his shoe, Kevin is doing the dishes with his wand sitting on the kitchen table.

"Shit!" Marv says while picking up his shoe from inside the house; Kevin stops what he's doing and plays "Angels with Filthy Souls"

"Get the hell out of here."

"All right, Johnny. But what about my money? " Marv listens closely" Acey Said you had some dough for me."

"Is that a fact? How much do I owe you?"

"Acey Said ten percent."

"Too bad Acey ain't in charge no more."

"What do you mean?" Kevin takes a pot from the kitchen and puts it near the door opening.

"He's upstairs, taking a bath. He'll call you when he gets out. Hey, I tell you what I'm gonna give you, Snakes." Kevin takes firecrackers and grabs his wand.

Marv is scared shitless "Snakes?"

"I'm going to give you to the count of ten to get your ugly, yellow, no-good keister off my property, before I pump your guts full of lead."

"All right, Johnny. I'm sorry. I'm going."

"1, 2, 10." Gunshot soundbytes and Kevin holds his wand at the firecrackers  and whispers "boom" 

Two things happen, the firecrackers light and Kevin is sent flying back. The noises scare Marv; jumps over the garbage cans, ducks, then frantically runs to the van; Kevin mouths off the next words holding his wand to his lips " Keep the change, you filthy animal." Blowing away fake smoke.

Harry watches Marv running towards the van "What happened?"

"I don't know who, but somebody just got blown away."

"Huh?"

"Somebody beat us to the job, they're in there. 2 of them. There was arguing. One blew the other one away."

"Who?"

"I don't know. I thought I recognized one of their voices. And I know I heard that name "Snakes" before."

"Snakes? Snakes. Snakes. I don't know no Snakes".

"Snakes! Let's get out of here. " Marv mutters terrified. Harry is about to start the car.

"Hold it. Hold it. Let's wait and see who it is. We work this neighborhood, too. Supposing the cops finger us for a job, and they start asking us questions about a murder in the area. Wouldn't it be nice to have a face to go with their questions?"

"That's a good idea."

"Of course it's a good idea. Snakes!"

"He sounded like a snake."

Kate is stuck at another airport, talking to the receptionist.

"Everything's full."

"Everything's full?"

"I'm very sorry, but it is Christmas Eve."

"What about another airline?"

"Nothing available. May I help you get a hotel room in the city? Tomorrow afternoon, we can get you a flight to Chicago."

"I can't wait that long."

"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am, but we're doing absolutely everything we can." The man signals the next person in line to come to the counter.

"Go ahead. Wait, I'm sorry. Excuse me. You've got places to go, people to see. You've got a ticket there. That's good. Excuse me. Look, I have been awake for almost 60 hours.I'm tired and I'm dirty. I have been from Chicago to Paris, to Dallas, to... Where the hell am I?"

"Scranton."

"I am trying to get home to my 8-year-old son. And now that I'm this close, you're telling me it's hopeless?"

"I'm sorry."

"No. No, no, no, no way. This is Christmas! The season of perpetual hope."

"Ma'am if…"

"And I don't care if I have to get on your runway and hitchhike. If it costs me everything I own, if I have to sell my soul to the Devil himself, I am going to get home to my son."

"Ma'am, if there was anything at all I could do…"

"Do it. Do anything."

"I can get you a hotel room... " A man approaches Kate from behind.

"What?!"

"Excuse me. Can you excuse us for a second please? Can I see you for a second, please? Excuse us. I couldn't help but hear you got a little bit of a dilemma there. We had a crisis ourselves." The woman laughs "Don't you remember me Kate. How are you? " Kate almost faints getting a better look at the woman she used to call a friend.

"Mary is that you" Kate whispers collapsing onto a chair.

"Yes. Kate, i've been watching you and your family for a long time"

Kate paled with horror " no, we swore we wouldn't do magic again after what happened at MACUSA"

"I know Kate, I was there. I wasn't watching you and your family for them. I had heard rumours and magic had been used by one of your family. You can imagine it was a big stir up for them"

"Kevin'' Kate whispered frantically "there was always something about Kevin. He inherited my grandfather's abilities, my other children were born squibs and i was so thankful " she sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Its okay Kate, i know. When you married Peter you wanted nothing to do with your father's last name. you've forgotten a lot haven't you. You're like them, the no magi. Its quite sad, i've missed you alot"

Kate whipped away a loose tear " i know Mary, but it was that or be experimented on. Mary, i've missed you too. I just can't comprehend how you've found me. Ah, I'm so tired and I just want to get my baby. Can you help me"

Mary sighed and hugged Kate " i thought you'd never ask"

Kevin casually walks outside with his wand holding the ladder in front of him and drops it next to a tree and picks up the saw and starts cutting. Marv and Harry are asleep in the Van. A brunch falls to the ground awakeing Harry.

"Hey, Marv. Marv, Marv!"

"Wha...?"

"Look at this." Kevin saws off the top part of the tree "I think we're getting scammed by a kindergartner."

Kevin takes the tree inside and starts putting up ornaments. Harry is spying on and Kevin spots him in the reflection of one of the ornaments.

"Dad, can you come here and help me?" Kevin shouts walking off and Harry smiles as he heads back to the van.

"Remember that kid we saw the other day? He lives here."

Marv shrugs as he gets out of the van "If the kid's here, the parents got to be." Harry shakes his head.

"He's home alone. "

Marv giggles and Looks at how serious Harry's expression is "What? You want to come back tonight?"

"Uh-huh."

"Even with the kid here?"

"Uh-huh."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Look, that house is the only reason why we started working this block in the first place. Ever since I laid eyes on that house, I wanted it. So let's take it one step at a time." Kevin overhears them as he opens up a window.

"We'll unload the van, get a bite to eat, we'll come back about 9 o'clock."

"9 o'clock."

"This way it's dark then."

"Yeah, kids are scared of the dark."

"You're afraid of the dark too, Marv. You know you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Not, not, not."

"You are so." 

Kevin looks on horrified  "Mom, where are you?"

Kevin leaves the house with his jacket and beanie and his wand stuck between his trousers. On his way to church he sees an elf.

"Excuse me."

"Yeah?" Kevin looks down

"Hey, nice shoes."

"Oh, thanks."

"Is he still here? It's really important that I see him."

"Well, he's getting in his car. If you hurry, you can catch him."

Kevin starts running towards Santa trying to catch him before he leaves.

"Damn! How low can you get giving Chris Kringle a parking ticket on Christmas Eve! What's next, rabies shots for the Easter Bunny?"

"Santa, hold on." Santa puts out his cigarette "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Make it quick. Santa's got a little get-together he's late for."

"Okay, I know you're not the real Santa Claus."

"What makes you say that? Just out of curiosity." he tries fixing his beard

"I'm old enough to know how it works."

"All right."

"But I also know you work for him. I'd like you to give him a message."

"Shoot."

"I'm Kevin McCallister, 671 Lincoln Blvd. Do you need the phone number?"

"No, that's all right."

"Okay, this is extremely important. Would you please tell him that instead of presents this year, I just want my family back. No toys. Nothing but Peter, Kate, Buzz, Megan, Linnie and Jeff. And my aunt and my cousins. And if he has time, my Uncle Frank. Okay?"

"Okay. I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks." Kevin turns around

"Wait. My elf took the last of the candy canes home to her boyfriend."

"That's okay."

"No, don't be silly. Everybody who sees Santa has got to get something. Here, hold out your little paw there." Santa gives Kevin 3 tic-tacs "There you go. Don't spoil your dinner."

"I won't. Thanks." Santa starts his car and starts to drive off, but he gets stuck.

"Son of a...!"

Kevin makes it to the church and listens to the choir sing as he enters, he finds a seat to sit down on. Kevin sighs and looks up and sees Old Man Marley, the old man looks at him and stands up heading his way; Kevin grips his wand and has a frightened look on his face.

The old man approaches Kevin "I've been waiting for you Kevin McAllister, now let go of wand before you hurt somebody " 

AN/- Sorry this hasn't been edited much as id like, im trying to get to the end where i can expand the story further then head into Home Alone 2

Chapter Text

Nestled within the embrace of a venerable church, the harmonious symphony of a choir's rehearsal for the midnight mass filled the air. Kevin, standing outside, could hear the angelic voices, their melody mingling with the resonant tolling of the bells. He observed the church, its quaint charm echoed by its aged structure, then glanced at Marley, and then towards the towering steeple.

With a deep breath to steel his nerves, Kevin followed Marley's steps, entering the sacred place. The church interior was dotted with a handful of people in the front rows, active participants of the program. In the middle, a couple of elderly people immersed themselves in deep prayer. Further back, a lone figure, a man, was outlined by the dim light.

Kevin stepped into the church, removing his hat respectfully, clutching it against his abdomen. He was met with the splendid beauty of the church's interior, the majestic height of its ceiling, the light filtering in to create an aura of peace.

As Kevin made his way down the aisle, his eyes were drawn upwards, captivated by the lofty ceiling. He found a spot in a pew and sat down, unzipping his jacket slightly. His attention was soon drawn to the silhouetted man across the aisle, who leaned forward to reveal himself in the light.

"My great-granddaughter is in the choir," the man spoke, startling Kevin, who hadn't expected him to have a family.

Kevin gave a polite nod, responding, "I don't attend this church. I'm certain she's quite lovely, and very talented."

Marley, the man, smiled warmly and gestured for Kevin to sit next to him. With some reluctance, Kevin obliged and noticed the cold seeping away from him.

"You're my neighbor. I recall when your family moved in. You were just a toddler then," Marley reminisced, causing Kevin's eyebrows to shoot up in surprise.

"You know my family?" Kevin asked, his voice filled with confusion.

"Indeed, times were different back then," Marley responded, his voice laced with nostalgia.

Marley then shifted the conversation, asking Kevin if he had been good that year. After a moment's hesitation, Kevin shook his head, admitting to fighting, back-talking, disrespecting, and telling a few lies.

Marley suggested he confess to 'Him' - to God - assuring Kevin that God was always open to listening. Kevin agreed, expressing his doubt about his goodness.

"What makes you think that?" Marley asked, stroking his mustache thoughtfully.

Kevin revealed a thin, gnarled stick from his jacket. It looked as if it had been torn from a tree during a storm. "I've done things...things no boy should be able to do," he mumbled, explaining about the unusual events that had happened around him, things his siblings didn't experience.

Marley's eyes widened in shock, leaning in to inspect the stick. "Is that so?" he inquired, intrigued by Kevin's revelations. Kevin affirmed that his parents were unaware of his strange occurrences and even he himself was skeptical of their reality.

However, he described how the stick seemed to possess a life of its own, even attributing a spider's seemingly communicative movement to its influence. His words stirred a blend of shock and disbelief in Marley, yet also elicited a spark of understanding.

"I believe I understand what's happening," Marley finally said, an undercurrent of excitement in his voice.

Kevin was taken aback. "You do?"

Marley nodded, the excitement in his voice now evident. "You're a wizard, Kevin."

The revelation hung in the air like a wisp of magic, casting a new light on everything around them. Kevin looked at Marley, his young eyes wide with surprise and a hint of fear.

"A wizard?" he repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "You mean, like in those stories?"

Marley chuckled softly, his eyes twinkling in the dim light of the church. "Yes, Kevin, just like in those stories. Only this is real, and it's happening to you."

Kevin clutched the gnarled stick tighter, looking at it with a new sense of wonder and trepidation. "But how? Why?"

Marley shrugged, a slow, thoughtful gesture. "Magic is a mysterious force, Kevin. It chooses who it will, and none can say why. But there are signs, clues that point the way."

Kevin swallowed, his heart pounding in his chest. "And this stick… it's a wand?"

Marley nodded, a grin slowly spreading across his face. "Yes, indeed. A wand chooses its wizard, and it seems this one has chosen you."

Kevin looked at the stick again, his mind whirling. "But what does this mean? What do I do now?"

Marley leaned back, folding his hands over his belly. "Well, you must learn to control it, to use it wisely. Magic is a powerful tool, but it can be dangerous if not handled properly."

Kevin nodded, determined. "But where do I start? Who's going to teach me?"

Marley gave him a knowing look. "You'll find help in the most unexpected places, Kevin. Trust in the magic. It will guide you."

As they sat there in the peaceful church, Kevin felt a strange sense of calm wash over him. Despite the enormity of what he had just learned, he felt ready. He was a wizard, chosen by magic, and he was ready to face whatever came next.

Marley handed him a book, the soft glow of the church light reflecting off the worn cover. "I won't let anyone see it," Kevin said and Marley smiled.

“Good boy, now don't get up to any trouble”

Kevin thanked Marley and ran home to look over the book.

Standing on the threshold of his home, Kevin took a deep breath, inhaling the comforting blend of pine, cookies, and the crisp winter air. His gaze swept across the familiar surroundings, now viewed with a newfound sense of respect and admiration. It was within these walls he had discovered his potential to wield magic. Although still a novice, he had a potent weapon - knowledge. His gaze hardened with resolve as he looked at his home, a sense of protectiveness surging within him.

"This is my home," he voiced to the quiet neighborhood, his declaration echoing softly in the still air. He held the book Marley had given him. "I won't let anyone harm it."

As the dawn of the new day pushed away the darkness, a prickling sensation at the back of his neck alerted Kevin to an unwanted presence. Looking out through a frost-etched window, he spotted Harry and Marv, the infamous burglars, stealthily appraising his house. A surge of defiance swelled within him at their audacity.

From his concealed position, Kevin strained to catch their hushed conversation. "We'll do it tonight," Harry, the shorter one with a scruffy beard, murmured to his accomplice.

A jolt of adrenaline shot through Kevin. His sanctuary was under threat once again. But this time, he wasn't just an ordinary boy. He was a boy on the verge of becoming a wizard. He was prepared to use every bit of knowledge Marley had shared with him to safeguard his home.

Throughout the day, Kevin engrossed himself in the book Marley had handed him, scanning through the aged pages filled with cryptic symbols and spells.Kevin spent the day meticulously preparing his home, merging his newfound knowledge of magic with his own cleverness. He had always been imaginative, but the addition of magic brought a whole new dimension to his ideas.

He started with the front door, an obvious entry point. Drawing from Marley’s book, he found a simple illusion spell that could make the door appear as an impenetrable brick wall to those with ill intentions. A quick incantation and a wave of his hand, and the spell was set.

Next, he moved to the windows. He placed an enchantment on them that would make them feel icy cold to the touch, a psychological deterrent to anyone trying to break in. To add a layer of complexity, he set up a simple but effective physical trap. He rigged a bucket above each window, ready to douse any intruder with a chilling mix of water and snow, turning them into a human icicle.

The back door was next. Remembering a charm from the book that caused disorientation, he muttered the spell under his breath, infusing the door handle with magic. Anyone who touched it would be hit with a wave of confusion and dizziness.

Inside the house, he set up a variety of traps, a blend of magical and non-magical ones. He enchanted the floorboards in the hallway to become as slick as an ice rink, ready to send any trespasser sliding uncontrollably. He placed strategically-hidden tripwires that, when tripped, would not only cause a physical stumble but also trigger a loud clanging noise, thanks to a noise amplification charm.

He placed a transfiguration spell on the staircase, ready to transform the steps into a smooth slide at his command. At the top of the stairs, he positioned a pair of his old toy cars, ready to zoom forward and knock the feet out from under any unwelcome guests, a spell of propulsion waiting to be activated.

Finally, he prepared his last line of defense. He chose a spell from the book that would create a blinding flash of light, enough to startle and temporarily blind anyone who made it that far. He tied this spell to a small bell, which he hung at the entrance to his room.

When he was done, he took a moment to look around his home. To the untrained eye, it was just a house. But he knew better. It was a fortress, filled with traps and magic, ready to protect him from any threat. And he was the wizard who had made it so. Armed with his spells and traps, he waited for night to fall, ready to defend his home.

The ease with which Kevin was able to grasp the concepts of magic and apply them effectively may have surprised many, but not him. His ability to understand and manipulate magic so quickly was rooted in a few key characteristics inherent in him.

Firstly, Kevin was inherently creative and imaginative. Even before he knew about magic, he was always creating and innovating, thinking of new ways to solve problems. His mind was a playground of ideas, always spinning and churning out solutions. This creative thinking served him well when it came to understanding and applying magic. He could easily visualize the results he wanted, a vital step in casting spells effectively.

Secondly, Kevin was no stranger to adversity. Being the youngest in a large family, he often had to fend for himself and stand his ground. This had cultivated in him a resilience and a determination that were crucial when dealing with the complexities and challenges of magic. He wasn't one to back down easily, and he brought this same grit and tenacity to his magical learning.

Thirdly, Kevin had an innate curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. He loved learning new things, and the world of magic offered an endless treasure trove of new information to delve into. This curiosity drove him to explore, experiment, and push the boundaries of what he could do with magic.

Finally, there was something about magic that felt inherently right to Kevin. It was like finding a missing piece of a puzzle he didn't even know was incomplete. The magical energy resonated with him, aligning with his own internal energy. It was as if he was born to be a wizard, and discovering magic was simply him realizing his true potential.

Couple these qualities with the sense of urgency and protectiveness he felt about his home, and it was no wonder that Kevin was able to adopt and execute magical spells and traps so effectively. His resourcefulness, his creativity, and his determination made him a natural at wielding magic. The magic he wielded was not just about reciting incantations and waving a wand, it was a manifestation of his will and spirit, and that made all the difference.

As the snow started to fall gently from the darkening sky, Harry and Marv parked their nondescript van a short distance from Kevin's house. The vehicle, an inconspicuous shade of muted grey, blended well with the winter hues, making it almost invisible in the dimly lit street.

Inside the van, Harry and Marv were huddled together, their breath misting in the cold air. Harry, the shorter of the two, was scanning Kevin's house through a pair of binoculars, his beady eyes flickering with anticipation.

"Looks quiet," Harry murmured, passing the binoculars to Marv. His voice was a low, gravelly whisper, almost drowned by the soft hum of the van's heater. "No movement, no lights. The kid's probably asleep."

Marv, his lanky frame hunched over in the confined space, took the binoculars, his clumsy fingers fumbling with the focus wheel. He peered at the house for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Yeah, looks like it. We should move now, while we've got the element of surprise."

They shared a look, a silent pact forming between them. This was a routine they had performed countless times, a dance they had perfected over the years. They were confident, perhaps too confident, underestimating the young boy who had outsmarted them once and was ready to do so again.

Stepping out of the van, they pulled their jackets tighter around themselves, the cold wind biting through their layers. Their boots crunched on the fresh snow as they slowly made their way towards the house, their shadows elongating under the pale moonlight.

They approached the front door, their steps as soft as the falling snow, their breath clouding in the frosty air. Harry reached out, his gloved hand closing around the doorknob, ready to twist it open. But as his fingers touched the cold metal, a sudden chill ran up his spine, a foreboding sense of unease that made him hesitate.

"Something feels...off," Harry whispered, glancing at Marv. His usually confident eyes were clouded with uncertainty, a rare occurrence that didn't escape Marv's notice.

Marv, usually the more superstitious of the two, shrugged off Harry's concern. "You're just nervous. Come on, let's get this over with."

With a final glance at each other, they steeled themselves and prepared to break into the house, oblivious to the magical and non-magical traps awaiting them inside. Little did they know that this night was going to be unlike any other they had experienced before.

Within the calm sanctuary of his house, Kevin watched the two silhouettes approach his home from the upstairs window, his heart pounding in his chest. Clutched in his hand was the gnarled wand Marley had given him, its rough bark a comforting presence against his palm. As he watched Harry and Marv inch closer to his front door, he could feel the thrum of power humming within the wand, a silent reassurance of his newfound abilities.

Slipping from the window, he descended the stairs softly, careful not to make a sound. His eyes remained trained on the front door, watching as the doorknob started to turn. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he gripped his wand tighter, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. The house was silent, save for the faint creaking of the front door and the gentle whisper of the falling snow outside.

He took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. He was ready. He had prepared for this, had fortified his home with magical traps and protective charms. Now, it was time to put his plan into action.

Just as Marv pushed the door open, Kevin pointed his wand at the entrance, his voice ringing out clear and confident. "Expelliarmus!"

In a flash, a burst of light shot out of his wand, aimed directly at Marv. The burglar was thrown backward by the force of the spell, landing in a heap on the snow-covered lawn. Harry, who had been standing behind Marv, could only watch in shock as his partner was flung back by an unseen force.

With Harry momentarily stunned, Kevin quickly cast a second spell. "Confundo!" he shouted, pointing his wand at Harry. The spell hit its target, and Harry's eyes glazed over, his expression turning dazed and disoriented.

Marv, having recovered from the initial shock, scrambled to his feet, his eyes wide with fear and confusion. But before he could make a move, Kevin raised his wand once again. "Glacius!" he commanded, and a jet of icy blue light shot from his wand, freezing Marv's boots to the ground.

Harry tried to come to Marv's aid, but his confused state caused him to trip over his own feet, causing him to stumble into the icy bucket trap Kevin had set up earlier, dousing him in a shower of freezing water and snow.

As Harry and Marv struggled with the magical and non-magical traps, Kevin watched from the safety of his house, his heart pounding with adrenaline. Marv and Harry, soaked and freezing in the winter chill, managed to disentangle themselves from the initial traps. Their faces were flushed with a mix of frustration and confusion, their expressions matching the harsh red of Marv's frozen boots.

Harry, recovering from the confusion spell, shook his head and glared at the house. His eyes were hard and calculating, his mind whirring as he tried to make sense of what just happened.

"Something's not right, Harry," Marv said cold and scared.

"That kid's playing a new game, and we're not gonna lose." Harry said, his voice rough with anger.

As Kevin watched the misadventures of Harry and Marv unfold from the safety of his home, he couldn't help but grin. The sight of the two experienced burglars fumbling about like newborn deer on ice was more entertaining than any cartoon he had ever seen.

Meanwhile, outside, Marv had finally managed to free himself from the icy grip of the Glacius spell, his boots leaving two perfect imprints in the snowy lawn. His face was beet-red, either from the chill or the humiliation, possibly both.

"I'm gonna kill that kid, Harry!" he bellowed, his words sending visible puffs of steam into the freezing air.

As Kevin observed Harry and Marv strategizing outside, a mischievous glint sparked in his eyes. He knew his clever traps had caught them off guard, With a flick of his wand, Kevin cast a discreet enchantment on the front door, making it appear inviting and open to Harry. Little did the unsuspecting burglar know, it was an illusion hiding a forcefield that would repel him upon touch.

Harry, driven by his overconfidence, approached the front door with a sly smile. Just as his hand reached out to turn the doorknob, he was jolted back by an invisible barrier. Stumbling backward, he crashed into a snowbank.

Meanwhile, at the back of the house, Marv encountered an unexpected obstacle. Unbeknownst to him, Kevin had summoned a mischievous gust of wind that swirled around, playfully misdirecting Marv away from the intended entrance. Marv found himself circling aimlessly, disoriented and unable to find his way in.

With a grin, Kevin muttered a spell under his breath, causing the back door to vanish from Marv's sight. In its place, a whimsical illusion of a brick wall appeared, blocking Marv's path entirely.

Confused and frustrated, Marv stood before the illusory brick wall, scratching his head in bewilderment. "What in the world? How'd he manage this?"

As Marv stood before the illusory brick wall, scratching his head in confusion, he refused to be deterred. Determination burned in his eyes, and he mustered up all his strength for one final attempt to breach the back door.

With a swift kick, Marv launched himself towards the wall, only to find himself passing through it as if it were made of mist. The illusion dissipated, revealing the actual entrance to the house. A triumphant smile spread across his face as he stepped inside, his confidence restored.

As Marv stepped into the house through the back door, his eyes fell upon a peculiar light fixture hanging from the ceiling. Intrigued, he couldn't resist the temptation to give it a playful tug. Little did he know, Kevin had anticipated this move and prepared a magical surprise just for him.

As Marv yanked on the light fixture, it suddenly sprang to life, illuminating the room with a blinding flash. Before Marv could react, a swirling vortex materialized beneath him, pulling him upwards with an irresistible force.

Caught off guard, Marv found himself being whisked into the air, defying gravity. With a mix of fear and astonishment, he flailed his arms and legs, desperately trying to regain control. But the enchantment had a firm grip on him, suspending him in mid-air. As Marv dangled in mid-air, he tried to reach out to grab hold of nearby objects to pull himself to safety. But every item he grasped seemed to slip through his fingers, as if enchanted to elude his touch.

Instinctively, Marv relied on his strength and managed to break free from the enchantment, but his escape came at a cost. As he struggled to regain his footing, he lost his balance and landed unceremoniously on his backside, creating a comical thud that echoed through the house.

Unfazed, Marv pushed himself up from the floor and set his sights on the staircase. Determined to reach Kevin, he took determined strides, only to find himself sinking into a gooey, tar-like substance that covered the steps.With each step he took, the tar grew stickier, making it increasingly difficult for Marv to ascend. His shoes squelched with every movement, as if glued to the staircase.

 Frustration crept into his face as he realized he was slowly being immobilized he started taking off his shoes then his socks leaving barefooted and then a sudden jolt of pain shot through his foot as he took his next step. He recoiled in agony, realizing that he had inadvertently triggered a hidden trap. Looking down, he saw a strategically placed nail sticking up from the floor, just barely piercing his foot.

A piercing scream erupted from Marv's throat as the sharp nail grazed his foot. Tears welled up in his eyes as he struggled to maintain his balance and fell on his back.

Marv, gritting his teeth in pain, managed to regain his composure. With a grimace on his face, he mustered up the strength to gingerly test his weight on the injured foot and found himself going back out the back door.

*

As Harry slowly regained consciousness, he found himself lying in the cold snow, disoriented and seething with frustration. He muttered angrily to himself, cursing his misfortune and vowing revenge against Kevin.

Driven by a mixture of determination and fury, Harry rose to his feet, brushing off the snow that clung to his clothes. He knew he had to regroup with Marv and find a way to break into the house. With a scowl etched on his face, he hurried towards the front door, his footsteps leaving a trail of deep imprints in the snowy ground.

Unbeknownst to Harry, Kevin had prepared one final magical surprise for him. As he reached the front door and reached for the doorknob, a whimsical enchantment sprang into action. The doorknob became impossibly hot to the touch, emitting scorching heat that forced Harry to recoil in pain, his hand burned with Mcallister family emblem into it.

Wincing in agony, Harry cursed under his breath. The pain only fueled his determination further, igniting a fiery determination to break into the house at any cost. He was not about to let a little magical trickery stand in his way.

Taking a deep breath, Harry resolutely turned his attention to the nearby window, contemplating an alternative entry point. He remembered seeing an unlocked window during their earlier attempts. With newfound determination, he adjusted his course and made his way towards it.

As Harry's hand throbbed with the burn mark of the McCallister family emblem, he gritted his teeth and pushed through the pain. Determination blazed in his eyes as he redirected his focus to the nearby window. It beckoned to him as a potential alternative entry point, a glimmer of hope in his relentless pursuit of Kevin.

Navigating through the thick snow, Harry's steps grew purposeful and calculated. He knew time was of the essence, and he couldn't afford to waste a moment. Each footfall left deep imprints in the snowy ground, a testament to his resolute determination.

Arriving at the unlocked window, Harry peered inside, scanning the room for any signs of Kevin's presence. Shadows danced on the walls, illuminated by the soft glow of Christmas lights. The window seemed to invite him in, promising an opportunity to confront his elusive adversary.

But just as Harry reached out to unlatch the window, a magical ward Kevin had placed suddenly flared to life. An ethereal barrier shimmered into existence, pulsating with an enchantment that repelled Harry's touch. A surge of energy coursed through Harry's fingertips, forcing him to recoil once again.

His hand throbbed with pain, and frustration bubbled within him. Yet, Harry's determination remained unyielding. He refused to let a magical obstacle deter him from his goal. Adjusting his strategy, he decided to explore other avenues of entry, eager to find a way inside and confront Kevin on his own terms.

As Harry retreated from the window, he cast a final glare of defiance at the house. The cold winter air stung his cheeks, matching the intensity of his resolve. He had come too far to be deterred. He would find a way in, one way or another.

Chapter Text

Marv staggered through the McCallister house's back door, shaking off the snow that clung to his jacket. He straightened up, his shoes squelching as he realized he was finally in the basement—enemy territory. The place had a damp, musty smell, and the faint yellow glow from a lone lightbulb illuminated a row of dusty storage boxes. Marv rubbed his hands together, eager to make a quick raid.

A sense of pride washed over him, and he chuckled to himself. "Finally, in! This kid's tricks won't stop me. Harry’s gonna be impressed."

However, his glee was cut short as he noticed something peculiar at his feet. The once-solid concrete floor had transformed into what looked like… molasses? He took a hesitant step forward, his shoe sinking with a horrible squelch . Marv froze, then tried lifting his foot—only to find it stuck fast.

"Aw, c’mon, kid," he muttered. "Not sticky stuff again!" With a growl, he yanked his foot free and stumbled forward, only to have both feet sink deeper into the trap. In a flash, Marv's eyes darted around, suddenly suspicious of the basement’s clutter. He half-expected Kevin to jump out from behind a box or swing down on a rope.

Before he could react, a small, brown tarantula scuttled out from a dark corner, its tiny legs clicking ominously on the concrete floor. Marv’s eyes widened in terror, and he raised a trembling finger.

“N-no…no, not that thing again,” he stammered, but his bravado melted as the spider drew closer, its beady eyes fixed on him. Taking a shaky breath, he prepared to flick it away, but the floor’s grip held him firmly in place.

In a fit of desperation, he swung his trusty crowbar. It missed the spider entirely and clanged against the metal shelf behind him. The noise echoed loudly, and with that, Marv heard an ominous rumbling above him.

From the ceiling, a deluge of feathers came fluttering down, covering him head-to-toe. His face contorted in anger as he took stock of his current situation: feathers, spider, and sticky molasses.

“Kid’s lost his marbles,” he grumbled, flapping his arms and releasing a cloud of feathers around him.

But it wasn’t over yet. Above the staircase, a trap Kevin had enchanted sprang to life. The rusty old furnace began to rumble, groaning ominously like it had a life of its own. Its door swung open, revealing a fiery, red glow that cast Marv’s feather-covered figure in an eerie light. With a loud creak, the furnace spat a jet of hot air toward him, blowing feathers everywhere.

“What kind of furnace does that ?!” Marv yelped, desperately trying to shake himself free of the feathers, unaware that he was inching closer to a particularly slippery patch of oil Kevin had enchanted at the base of the staircase.

Just as he attempted to bolt up the stairs, his foot hit the oil, and he went sliding backward, arms pinwheeling as he let out a startled scream. He skidded uncontrollably, his legs flying out from under him as he slid across the basement floor and came to a rather undignified halt, upside down against a stack of crates.

As Marv lay sprawled on the basement floor, he panted, trying to gather his wits. Just as he managed to sit up, he noticed the tarantula again, calmly crawling onto his leg. He froze, eyes wide, barely daring to breathe.

"Hey, big guy," came a squeaky, smug little voice from right near his knee.

Marv's jaw dropped, his mouth opening and closing in shock. “D-did you just…talk?”

The spider cocked its fuzzy little head, eight glistening eyes fixed on Marv. “What, never seen a talking tarantula before?” It clacked its mandibles, adding, “You look like you’re more surprised than I am.”

Marv clutched his chest, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for hidden cameras. “This…this isn’t happening. Spiders don’t talk. Spiders don’t talk !”

The tarantula chuckled—a high-pitched, tickling sound that sent shivers down Marv’s spine. “Tell that to me, pal. Now, why don’t you calm down before you wake the whole neighborhood? You’re gonna blow my cover.”

“Blow your cover?” Marv stammered, eyeing the creature with renewed horror. “You’re in on this with that kid, aren’t ya? You’re some sort of… mutant spider!”

“Oh, yeah,” the spider said sarcastically, waving a tiny leg. “They just put me in the mail with a bow on my head and an instruction manual for Complete Chaos 101 . The kid didn’t exactly ask me to do this, you know. I just came to see if you were as dumb as he said.”

Marv’s face blanched, and he scrambled back against a crate, his eyes never leaving the spider. “This kid… talks to spiders?! What kind of kid is he?”

The spider snickered. “Oh, not usually. You just seem lucky tonight, bud. What’d you do to get him so riled up?”

Marv swallowed hard, his hands trembling. “Nothing! Well, I mean, me and Harry…we might’ve…uh…just wanted to poke around his place, you know, for, uh…housekeeping purposes.”

The tarantula rolled all eight eyes dramatically. “Sure, sure. And I’m the Queen of England. Look, Marv, if you wanna survive the night, I’d suggest getting out of here before the next ‘housewarming gift’ hits you.”

Marv began to back away, holding his crowbar out as if that could protect him. "I ain't afraid of no spider, even if you can talk! I’ll—I'll...oh, who am I kidding?!" He flailed wildly, trying to shake the spider off his leg.

The tarantula, unbothered, just scuttled closer. “Oh, now come on, don’t be like that! I was just starting to warm up to ya.”

Marv let out a high-pitched scream, finally succeeding in flicking the spider off his leg. It landed with a soft thud on the floor, only to scuttle right back up to him, quick as lightning. Marv scrambled up, slipping and sliding, and bolted for the stairs, the tarantula hot on his heels.

“Come back, Marv! I just wanted to chat!” the spider called, laughing wildly as Marv fumbled at the stairs, his arms flapping as he tried to maintain his balance on the slippery oil Kevin had enchanted.

“Harry! Harry, help! There’s a—a talking spider!” Marv shrieked, slipping and falling back onto the floor with a heavy thud.

Upstairs, Kevin stifled a laugh as Marv’s panicked screams echoed through the house. He leaned closer to the basement door and whispered to himself, “Oh, you’re in for it now, Marv. Wait until you meet the flying paint cans.”

Below, Marv managed to scramble up again, his eyes wild with fear. He staggered toward the basement door, reaching for the knob, only for it to spark and emit a loud zap that sent him flying back against the crates. The tarantula crawled over his boot, practically purring with satisfaction.

“Oh, look at you. Screaming like a little kid,” the spider sneered, its voice dripping with mock sympathy. “Why don’t you just take a nice, deep breath and stay awhile?”

Marv whimpered, scrambling backward until his back hit the cold cement wall. “This kid’s house is cursed! I’m outta here!” He finally bolted up the stairs, wrenching the door open and disappearing into the snowy night.

Marv stumbled outside, his breath puffing out in rapid, panicked clouds. He looked back at the basement door as if the tarantula might be scuttling after him, its mocking little voice haunting him.

“A talking spider ,” he muttered to himself, wiping snow off his jacket. “This house is cursed! Haunted! Possessed! Harry has no idea what kinda demon kid we’re dealing with here.”

He fumbled his way around the side of the house, slipping on patches of ice Kevin had “helped along” with a freezing charm. “We’re leaving. No way am I going back in there,” he mumbled to himself. But just as he rounded the corner, he noticed the faint glimmer of Harry’s flashlight through one of the living room windows.

Marv darted toward the window and tapped it. "Harry! HARRY!” he whisper-shouted, eyes darting around. “Forget the loot—we gotta scram! I got attacked by a—”

Harry, who was just starting to inspect a fancy clock, jumped at the sudden noise and whipped around. He squinted toward the window, spotting Marv’s wide, pale face.

“What are you doing outside? Get back in here!” Harry whispered, irritated. “This place is a goldmine!”

“No, Harry, listen!” Marv whispered frantically, his hands cupped around his mouth. “There’s somethin’ seriously wrong with this kid, he’s got spiders that talk, and the house is trying to kill us!”

“Oh, gimme a break!” Harry scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Are you that scared of a few bugs? We’re in, we’re out, that’s the plan!”

Suddenly, a loud CRASH sounded behind him. Harry whirled around just in time to see a glistening, sticky sheet of plastic wrap fall from above the doorway, smacking him right in the face. The wrapping stuck to him like glue, and he let out a series of muffled shouts, clawing at it as he stumbled blindly around the living room.

Outside, Marv watched in horror, his jaw dropping as he saw Harry flail around, arms thrashing like he was caught in a fishing net.

“Oh no,” Marv groaned, burying his face in his hands. “Now he’s getting attacked! This place is a death trap!”

Inside, Harry finally managed to rip the plastic wrap off his face, glaring around the room, red-faced and panting. “Alright, kid! You think that’s funny?” he growled, glancing around the room. “When I get my hands on you, I’m gonna— OW! ” He howled as his foot came down on a hidden tack that Kevin had enchanted to prick him just enough to make him leap.

Marv, wide-eyed and jittery, finally stumbled into the living room, still covered in feathers and looking over his shoulder as if the tarantula might be right behind him. He was mumbling to himself, “This place is cursed, I tell ya… Kid’s got spiders that talk— talk! We’re dealing with some kind of demon spawn here!”

Harry, a sticky mess with bits of broken ornaments and honey coating his face, looked up from where he’d just hauled himself off the floor, furious and dripping. “Marv!” he hissed, marching over with menace. “You look like a chicken who got in a fight with a pillow factory. What’s your problem?”

“My problem?!” Marv whispered, glancing wildly around the room. “The kid has a talking spider, Harry! A talking spider! It looked me dead in the eye, told me off, and I—I swear, it—"

Before Marv could say another word, Harry grabbed him by the collar, pulled him close, and slapped him square across the cheek. Smack! The sound echoed around the room.

“Get a grip!” Harry snapped, shaking him. “There are no talking spiders! That’s just you, and your little pea brain! This kid is just messing with us!”

Marv blinked, momentarily stunned into silence, but quickly shook his head. “No, Harry, I’m telling you! It crawled right up to me and started talking! I’m not crazy, okay? It—it asked me how my day was!”

Harry rubbed his temples, exasperated, before glaring back at Marv. “Marv, you’ve been whacked with too many paint cans. There are no talking spiders. You’re freaking yourself out over nothing!”

Marv opened his mouth to argue, but Harry cut him off with a death glare. “Listen to me. It’s just a kid, alright? A little brat with too much free time, that’s all.” He gestured around the trashed room. “We’re in, we’re out. There’s nothing here but traps!”

Marv’s lip quivered, but he nodded. “Right, right… I’m just… Yeah, just imagining things…”

“Yeah,” Harry said, nodding sharply. “Just nerves. And maybe too much eggnog last night, huh?” He patted Marv on the back with a sticky, syrupy hand, leaving a smudge of glitter on his jacket.

Marv, still uneasy, tried to force a smile. “Yeah…just nerves.” But as he glanced toward the basement door, he muttered under his breath, “Or a demon kid with a personal tarantula that gives life advice.”

Harry, sensing Marv’s growing panic, grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes. “Listen, Marv. We are the Wet Bandits. We’ve dealt with guard dogs, security systems, and angry grandmas. A kid with some pranks isn’t gonna take us down, alright?”

Marv nodded, taking a deep breath. “Alright, Harry…Alright. You’re right. We can do this.”

Just then, a faint, scuttling sound echoed up from the basement. Marv’s eyes widened, and he gripped Harry’s jacket. “There it is! I swear it’s coming to get me!”

Harry rolled his eyes. “That’s the furnace, you big chicken. Now keep it together and let’s get moving before the kid has a chance to regroup!”

He slapped Marv’s back, pushing him forward down the hall. But Marv couldn’t resist one last wary glance at the basement door, mumbling to himself, “I don’t care what you say, Harry. That spider’s real, and it’s got it out for me.”

With a groan, Harry muttered, “Next job, I’m robbing houses alone…” as he dragged Marv onward, unaware that Kevin was already setting up the next trap at the top of the stairs.

evin stood at the top of the stairs, a smirk plastered on his face as he shouted down, “Hey, you guys here to redecorate or just auditioning for clowns of the year?”

Harry’s eyes narrowed, his face still smeared with bits of honey and glass. "Oh, you’re asking for it, kid," he growled. Without another word, he took off up the staircase, feet pounding up each step in rage.

Marv watched him go, but a faint skittering sound from behind made him freeze. His eyes went wide as he slowly turned. There, right at his feet, was the tarantula, calmly gazing up at him.

“Hey there, feather-head,” the spider’s squeaky voice called out. “Miss me?”

Marv let out a strangled squeak, stumbling back. “N-not you again!”

The tarantula scuttled closer, seemingly enjoying Marv’s terror. “Didn’t you learn from last time, Marv? Maybe if you didn’t try robbing houses, you wouldn’t keep running into me.”

Marv’s face went pale. “This can’t be happening,” he muttered, glancing up the stairs, desperate to follow Harry. He took a step backward, only to trip over his own feet, landing hard on the first step with the spider now crawling toward him.

“Oh, come on, Marv,” the spider teased, waving a leg at him. “What’s the rush? Stay and chat awhile!”

Marv scrambled up, his face twisted in horror. “No way! No way! I’m not talking to some bug!” He turned and bolted up the stairs, desperate to get away from his eight-legged nightmare.

Meanwhile, Harry was halfway up, his eyes fixed on Kevin, who taunted him from the top step. “Think you’re tough, Harry? This is just a warm-up!”

Harry growled, too furious to notice Marv barreling up the staircase behind him. “Get out of my way, Marv!” Harry shouted over his shoulder.

“Harry, move! Move!” Marv wailed, looking over his shoulder at the spider still watching from below.

But Kevin was ready. He gave the rope in his hand a little tug, releasing two paint cans dangling from above. They swung down in perfect unison, aimed right at the burglars’ heads.

Harry barely had time to look up before— WHAM! —the paint can struck him in the forehead, sending him tumbling back down the stairs in a daze. Marv, right behind him, had just enough time to scream before the second paint can nailed him, sending him flailing backward onto Harry as they both landed at the bottom in a groaning heap.

Kevin laughed from the top of the stairs. “Aww, did that hurt? Maybe you two should try being the Wet Brains instead!”

Marv, woozy and covered in blue paint from the can, shook his head, only to notice the spider waiting patiently at the bottom, as if enjoying the show. Marv shrieked and clutched Harry’s arm, his face pale. “Harry, please! I can’t take this! Spiders, paint cans, it’s like a house of horrors!”

Harry glared at him, rubbing his bruised forehead.

Harry pulled himself off the floor, his face throbbing and coated in blue paint, and yanked Marv to his feet. "Alright, enough with the spider nonsense, Marv. We’re ending this now. ”

“But Harry, I swear, that thing talked to me!” Marv whimpered, glancing nervously back toward the basement door as if the tarantula might be lurking just around the corner.

Harry gave him a good shake. “Get a grip! It’s all in your head! Now come on!”

He dragged Marv back to the staircase, both of them stumbling over each other as they charged up. “Hey, kid!” Harry yelled, his voice echoing through the house. “You hear me? You’re not getting away this time!”

Kevin, waiting at the top of the stairs with a smirk, cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, “Nice try, fellas! Maybe you should try the back door! ” With that, he dashed off toward his room, leaving Harry and Marv scrambling up after him, yelling threats and insults.

“Kid, when I get my hands on you, I’m turning you into a human snowman!” Harry hollered, breathless but determined, as he tripped over Marv’s feet.

“Yeah, and I’m…uh…gonna, I dunno, make you eat soap or something!” Marv added, trying to sound tough.

They reached the top of the stairs just as Kevin slipped into his room, slamming the door behind him. Harry grinned, satisfied. “You can’t run forever, kid!” he sneered, grabbing the doorknob.

But when they burst into the room, it was empty. They both looked around, confused, until they heard a voice from the window.

“Hey! Up here!” Kevin called, waving with a taunting grin. He was halfway out the window, one leg already swung over the sill. “Thanks for the workout! Maybe you guys can keep up next time!”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Harry demanded, racing over. But when he looked out, he saw Kevin already scooting down a zipline that stretched from his bedroom window to his treehouse.

Harry’s jaw dropped. “A…a zipline? The kid has a zipline?”

Marv, peeking over Harry’s shoulder, looked impressed. “Wow, look at him go. Hey, think that thing can hold both of us?”

Harry shoved him aside, shaking his head. “One kid can do it? So can two grown men!” He clambered onto the windowsill, muttering, “I’ll show that little punk.”

Marv, a bit hesitant but never one to back down when Harry had an idea, climbed out after him, both of them balancing precariously on the windowsill.

Kevin, now safely in his treehouse, turned back to the two burglars and cupped his hands around his mouth. “Come on, you wimps! What, are you scared of a little treehouse ?”

Harry glared, gripping the zipline handle with a steely resolve. “Oh, he’s asking for it. Come on, Marv. We’re going after him.”

Marv gulped, eyeing the thin cord stretching across the yard. “Uh, Harry? Are we sure about this? We’re kinda…heavy.”

But Harry was already halfway down the line, his face set in grim determination as he slid across. “Come on, Marv! Or I’m leaving you for the spiders!”

With a yelp, Marv grabbed onto the line and followed, his legs dangling as he tried not to look down. But halfway across, the line began to groan and sag under their combined weight. Kevin, watching from the treehouse, grinned as he saw his trap taking effect.

“Uh, Harry?” Marv squeaked. “I think it’s gonna—”

Before he could finish, the zipline snapped with a loud twang , sending both burglars plummeting halfway across the yard. They landed face-first in a deep pile of snow, their limbs flailing like a pair of stranded starfish.

Kevin popped his head out of the treehouse, laughing. “Aww, what happened? You guys not cut out for the great outdoors ?”

Harry sat up, covered in snow, his face red with rage. “Marv, next Christmas, remind me to rob houses with central heating!”

Marv, his face planted in the snow, muttered, “Yeah, and no spiders, either.”

Harry and Marv stumbled to their feet, brushing the snow off their faces and clothing, their breath coming out in angry puffs. They glared up at the treehouse, where Kevin grinned down at them, clutching his trusty walkie-talkie.

"Hey, morons!" Kevin called out, holding the device up like a trophy. "Guess what? I’m calling the cops! And I’m telling them everything. You two are so going to jail!”

Marv’s eyes bulged, and he shook his fist at Kevin. “Oh, that’s it! I’m gonna make you wish you’d never been born, you little rat!” He started charging toward the treehouse, but Harry grabbed him by the back of his coat, holding him back.

“Hold up, Marv!” Harry hissed, yanking him backward before he could get any closer. “Can’t you see? This is exactly what he wants us to do.”

Marv looked confused, glancing between Kevin and Harry. “What do you mean? He just said he’s calling the cops!”

Harry’s lips curled into a cunning grin as he leaned in, speaking in a low voice. “Exactly. He’s trying to get us to follow him, lead us on a wild goose chase. He thinks he can outsmart us. But I’ve got a better idea.”

Marv frowned, clearly not following. "A…better idea?"

Kevin sprinted through the snow-covered yard toward his next-door neighbor’s house, his heart pounding as he glanced over his shoulder. He could just barely make out Harry and Marv scrambling to their feet inside his own house, their shouts echoing through the night.

“Almost there,” he muttered, pushing himself faster. His neighbor’s house was dark, perfect for slipping away unnoticed. He clambered up the front steps and tried the door— unlocked . He allowed himself a small grin of relief as he slipped inside and closed the door behind him.

But as he turned, his grin vanished. Standing right in front of him, grinning wickedly, were Harry and Marv.

“Surprise, kid!” Harry sneered, his face gleaming with bruises and dried bits of honey. “Did you really think you could outrun us? You led us right here!”

Kevin backed up, his mind racing. “I…uh…guess you guys are faster than I thought?”

“Oh, yeah. We’re very fast,” Marv smirked, cracking his knuckles. “Fast enough to catch you.”

Before Kevin could bolt, Marv lunged forward and grabbed him by the collar, hauling him toward a coat hook mounted on the wall. Harry snickered, yanking a few scarves off the hook to make room, and they lifted Kevin by his jacket, hanging him like a coat on the hook.

Kevin squirmed, struggling to wriggle free. “Hey! Let me down, you big dopes!”

“Aw, now why would we do that, huh?” Harry grinned, crossing his arms. He leaned in, his face inches from Kevin’s, as he whispered, “You’ve caused us a whole lot of trouble tonight, you know that?”

“Yeah,” Marv chimed in, poking Kevin in the shoulder with a smug grin. “Made us look real dumb, too.” He tilted his head. “What was your plan, huh? Hide out here and hope we’d get bored?”

Kevin forced a grin, trying to mask his nerves. “Pretty much. Or maybe wait till you slipped on the porch and broke your backs.”

Harry gave a humorless chuckle and grabbed Kevin’s chin, tilting his face to look him dead in the eye. “Oh, we’ll show you who’s breaking their back tonight, kid.” He smirked.

Kevin hung helplessly on the hook as Marv leaned in, a menacing look on his face. Marv grabbed Kevin’s fingers, twisting them just enough to make Kevin squirm. “Oh, you think you’re funny, huh?” Marv sneered. “Well, I’m gonna break every one of these little fingers…then I’m getting a thousand spiders, and I’m gonna pour them all over you!”

Harry looked at Marv, his face twisting in disgust and confusion. “What the hell is wrong with you, Marv? Spiders? Really?”

Marv shrugged, still gripping Kevin’s fingers. “What? He needs a taste of his own medicine!”

Kevin grimaced, trying to pull his hand back, his mind racing. Just as Harry reached out to grab Kevin’s other hand, a voice cut through the dark room, calm and commanding.

“Drop him. Now.”

Harry and Marv froze, both of them turning to see Old Man Marley standing just inside the doorway, his eyes cold, his own wand drawn and pointed straight at them.

“What the—” Harry barely got the words out before Marley flicked his wand, sending a flash of light straight at them. The light hit Harry and Marv square in the chest, throwing them backward and knocking them both out cold on the floor, sprawled out in a tangle of limbs.

Kevin, wide-eyed, looked at Marley with awe and relief. “Mr. Marley! You—you saved me!”

Marley gave him a small, reassuring smile and offered his hand to help Kevin down from the hook. “Well, you looked like you could use a hand,” he said calmly, pocketing his wand. He nodded toward the unconscious burglars. “And I’d say you had them handled—almost.”

Kevin grinned, rubbing his sore fingers, stared at Old Man Marley, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. "You… you can do magic ?”

Marley gave a small, knowing smile and tucked his wand back into his coat. “Well, Kevin, you didn’t think you were the only one, did you?”

Kevin blinked, looking from Marley to the two burglars sprawled on the floor. "But… you’re just… I mean, you’re Old Man Marley! You salt sidewalks and stuff!”

Marley chuckled softly. “I do a bit more than that”

Chapter Text

Marley chuckled, pulling out his wand again and giving it a casual flick. Thick magical ropes instantly wrapped around Harry and Marv, binding them tight against the wall like Christmas presents nobody wanted. "Well, Kevin, the sidewalk salting is real. Ice is dangerous, magic or no magic."

"But you—" Kevin gestured wildly at the unconscious burglars, then at Marley's wand. "You just knocked them out like it was nothing! I've been struggling with basic spells all night!"

"Practice makes perfect," Marley said with a wink. "I've had a few more years to work on it than you have."

Kevin hopped down from where he'd been hanging, rubbing his sore shoulders. "Okay, but how did you know I needed help? And how did you even know I was a wizard?"

Marley's expression grew more serious. "Kevin, I've been watching your family for years. I work for MACUSA—the Magical Congress of the United States of America. I'm what they call an Auror."

"A what-or?"

"Auror. Think of it like a magical police officer." Marley gestured toward the bound burglars. "We handle magical crimes, dangerous wizards, that sort of thing."

Kevin's eyes widened. "So you're like... a magical cop? That's so cool! But wait, why were you watching us?"

Marley sighed, settling into a nearby chair. "Your Mother, Kevin. She used to be part of our world—she came from a very old wizarding family."

"Mom's a witch?" Kevin's voice cracked with excitement.

"Was. She gave it all up when she married your father. ‘’

"That's why they were acting so weird!" Kevin exclaimed. "Mom got all freaked out when I said it wasn't me who pushed Buzz. She knew!"

Marley nodded. "They've been watching for signs that magic was manifesting in you kids. When it didn't appear in your older siblings, they thought maybe they were safe."

"But then I got the wand," Kevin said, pulling out his gnarled stick.

"That's not just any wand, Kevin. That belonged to your great-great-grandfather. It's been waiting in your yard for someone worthy to claim it."

Kevin looked at the stick with new respect. "Waiting? Like, buried treasure?"

"Magic has a way of finding its way to where it needs to be," Marley said mysteriously. "When that storm hit the night your family left, the tree fell and revealed what had been hidden for decades."

Harry stirred slightly, mumbling something about spiders. Marley casually pointed his wand at him, and Harry went quiet again.

"So what happens now?" Kevin asked. "Are you going to turn me into MACUSA?"

Marley smiled, and for the first time, Kevin saw warmth in the old man's eyes instead of the scary intensity he'd always imagined. "Kevin, I've been filing reports for three years saying there's no magical activity in this neighborhood. As far as MACUSA knows, you're just a normal kid whose family moved away from magic."

"You've been lying for us?"

"Protecting you. There's a difference." Marley stood up, checking the ropes around the burglars. "Your Mother made her choice to leave our world behind. I respect that choice."

"But what about tonight? All the magic I did?"

"What magic?" Marley asked innocently. "I saw two burglars get tangled up in some very creative booby traps set by a clever boy. Nothing magical about paint cans and plastic wrap."

Kevin grinned. "What about the talking spider?"

"Marv's been hit in the head so many times tonight, he probably thinks the coffee maker talks to him too."

They both looked down at Marv, who was muttering in his sleep about eight-legged therapists.

"But I want to learn more," Kevin said. "I want to know how to control it better."

Marley nodded. "I thought you might. Tell you what—every evening after your family gets back, you come help me salt the sidewalks. We'll call it winter safety patrol."

"And you'll teach me magic?"

"I'll teach you control. Magic without control is just chaos, and you've had enough chaos for one night."

Kevin looked around the neighbor's living room, at the unconscious burglars tied up like packages, at the old man who turned out to be a magical secret agent, and at his own wand that had helped him defend his home.

"Mr. Marley?"

"Yes?"

"This has been the weirdest Christmas Eve ever."

Marley chuckled. "Kevin, something tells me your Christmases are never going to be boring again."

Just then, they heard sirens in the distance.

"Ah," Marley said, standing up and pocketing his wand. "That'll be the police. Did you actually call them, or was that a bluff?"

Kevin grinned his most mischievous grin. "Maybe a little of both. I figured if these two were dumb enough to break in once, they'd be dumb enough to do it again. So I called the cops before I even set up the first trap."

"Clever boy," Marley said approvingly. "Your parents raised you well, magic or no magic."

The sirens were getting closer now, and red and blue lights began flashing through the windows.

"What do we tell them?" Kevin asked.

"The truth," Marley said. "Two burglars broke into your house. You set traps to defend yourself. They followed you here, and I helped subdue them until the police arrived."

"What about the magic stuff?"

"What magic stuff?" Marley asked with a perfectly straight face.

Kevin laughed. "You know what, Mr. Marley? I think we're going to get along just fine."

As the police cars pulled up outside, Kevin tucked his wand safely into his jacket. He had a feeling he was going to need it again soon—but next time, he'd be ready.

And maybe, just maybe, when his family got home tomorrow, he'd finally have some answers about why his parents had been acting so strange.

But first, he had to convince the police that a ten-year-old kid could single-handedly capture two grown burglars using nothing but household items and clever thinking.

Somehow, Kevin thought that might be the hardest magic trick of all.

The police station was buzzing with activity even on Christmas Eve, and Kevin sat in a plastic chair that was way too big for him, swinging his legs while Officer Patterson filled out what seemed like a mountain of paperwork.

"So let me get this straight," Officer Patterson said, tapping his pen against his clipboard. "These two guys broke into your house, and you set up... booby traps?"

"Yep," Kevin said cheerfully. "Paint cans, plastic wrap, some ice, a few other things. Basic home defense stuff."

The officer raised an eyebrow. "Basic home defense? Kid, you're eight years old."

"Eight and three-quarters," Kevin corrected. "And I've seen a lot of movies."

Behind them, Harry and Marv were being processed, both of them looking worse for wear. Harry's face was still smeared with honey and bits of broken ornaments, while Marv kept glancing around nervously as if expecting spiders to crawl out of the walls.

"The kid's house was haunted!" Marv was insisting to anyone who would listen. "There were talking spiders! Talking! And the furnace had teeth!"

"Sure it did, pal," one of the officers said, not looking up from his paperwork. "And I suppose the toilet told you jokes too."

"Don't give him ideas," Harry muttered.

Officer Patterson looked back at Kevin. "Is there anything else you want to tell me about tonight? Anything... unusual happen?"

Kevin glanced over at Marley, who was sitting quietly in another chair, having already given his statement about being a concerned neighbor who heard the commotion. The old man gave him the slightest nod.

"Nope," Kevin said. "Just your standard burglary and home invasion. Well, attempted burglary and home invasion. They weren't very good at it."

"That's for sure," Officer Patterson agreed, watching as Marv was still ranting about supernatural house fixtures. "Your neighbor says he found you hanging from a coat hook when he arrived?"

"Yeah, those two aren't very creative. Good thing Mr. Marley showed up when he did."

Officer Patterson made another note. "Speaking of which, where exactly are your parents, Kevin?"

Kevin's stomach dropped a little. He'd been having so much fun with the magic and the adventure that he'd almost forgotten the part where he was supposed to be miserable about being left behind.

"They're in Paris," he said quietly. "They... forgot me."

The officer's expression softened. "Forgot you? How do you forget a kid?"

"Big family. Lots of chaos. Long story." Kevin shrugged, trying to look casual about it. "They're coming back tomorrow though. Christmas Day."

"And you've been alone this whole time?"

"I'm pretty self-sufficient."

Officer Patterson looked like he wanted to say something about eight-year-olds and self-sufficiency, but just then the phone rang. He answered it, listened for a moment, then looked surprised.

"Kevin McCallister?" he said into the phone. "Yeah, he's right here... What?? Hold on."

He covered the phone and looked at Kevin. "Kid, there's a lady on the phone who says she's your mother, calling from the airport in Dallas. She says she's been trying to get home to you all day."

Kevin's heart jumped. "Mom?"

Officer Patterson handed him the phone. "Here, talk to her."

Kevin took the phone with suddenly shaky hands. "Mom?"

"KEVIN!" His mother's voice came through so loud he had to hold the phone away from his ear. "Kevin, baby, are you okay? Are you hurt? The police said something about burglars—"

"I'm fine, Mom," Kevin said, feeling suddenly like he might cry. "I'm okay. I handled it."

"You handled burglars? Kevin, you're eight years old!"

"Eight and three-quarters," he corrected automatically, which made her laugh even though she was crying.

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry we left you. We're coming home right now, okay? I'm at the Dallas airport, and I'll be on a plane in two hours. Dad and the rest of the family are flying out of Paris tomorrow morning."

"It's okay, Mom," Kevin said, and was surprised to find that he meant it. "I actually had kind of an adventure."

"An adventure? Kevin James McCallister, you scared me half to death!"

Kevin grinned. She only used his full name when she was really worried or really mad, and right now it sounded like worried was winning.

"I learned some stuff while you were gone," he said carefully.

There was a pause. "What kind of stuff?"

Kevin looked at Marley, who was pretending not to listen but obviously was. "Just... stuff about taking care of myself. And about how sometimes weird things happen, but it's okay."

Another pause, longer this time. "Kevin... has anything... unusual happened while we've been gone?"

Kevin knew what she was really asking. "Maybe," he said quietly. "But I had help figuring it out."

He could hear his mother take a shaky breath. "Kevin, when I get home, we need to talk. About some things we should have told you a long time ago."

"I know, Mom. It's okay. I think I understand now."

"I love you so much, baby."

"I love you too, Mom. And Mom?"

"Yes?"

"Next time, maybe check the van twice before you leave?"

She laughed, but it sounded more like crying. "Every time, I promise. Every single time."

Kevin handed the phone back to Officer Patterson, who talked to his mom for a few more minutes about arrangements and safety and other grown-up stuff. When he hung up, he looked at Kevin with new respect.

"Your mom sounds like she's pretty worried about you."

"Yeah, well, I guess she figured out I was missing eventually."

"Eventually?"

Kevin shrugged. "Like I said, big family. Lots of chaos."

Officer Patterson shook his head. "Well, your neighbor here says he's happy to keep an eye on you until your mom gets home. That work for you?"

Kevin looked at Marley, who winked at him. "Yeah, that works fine."

"Good. And Kevin?"

"Yeah?"

"Nice work with those traps. Remind me never to break into your house."

Kevin grinned. "Don't worry, Officer Patterson. I'm retired from the home security business."

As they walked out of the police station, Marley fell into step beside him. The snow was still falling gently, and the streets were quiet except for the occasional car full of people heading home for Christmas.

"So," Marley said after a few minutes. "Your mother knows about magic."

"Yeah, I figured that out. She's going to want to talk when she gets home."

"Are you ready for that conversation?"

Kevin thought about it, twirling his wand between his fingers inside his jacket pocket. "I think so. I mean, it'll be weird, but... I'm kind of tired of keeping secrets."

"Secrets can be heavy," Marley agreed. "Especially magical ones."

They walked in comfortable silence for a while, their footsteps crunching in the snow. As they turned onto Kevin's street, he could see his house in the distance, looking normal and non-magical in the streetlights.

"Mr. Marley?"

"Yes?"

"When you said you'd teach me control... did you mean it?"

"I always mean what I say, Kevin."

"Good. Because I think I'm going to need it."

Marley smiled. "Magic has a way of making life interesting, that's for sure."

Kevin looked up at his house, then at the man beside him who'd turned out to be so much more than just the scary neighbor. "You know what, Mr. Marley? I think I'm okay with interesting."

"Good," Marley said. "Because I have a feeling your life just got a lot more interesting than you know."

As they reached Kevin's front door, Kevin pulled out his wand and gave it a small wave. The Christmas lights that had been damaged in the earlier chaos flickered back to life, casting a warm glow over the snow-covered yard.

"Show off," Marley said, but he was smiling.

Kevin grinned back. "Hey, if you've got it, use it, right?"

"Within reason," Marley cautioned. "Remember, control first."

"Right. Control first, show off second."

"That's my boy."

Kevin paused with his hand on the doorknob. "Mr. Marley? Thanks. For everything."

"Don't mention it, Kevin. What are neighbors for?"

As Kevin stepped inside his house, Marley followed right behind him. Kevin flicked on the lights and immediately winced. The place looked like a tornado had hit it—paint splatters on the walls, feathers everywhere, sticky patches on the floor, and broken ornaments scattered around like confetti.

"Yikes," Kevin said, surveying the damage. "Mom's gonna kill me when she sees this mess."

Marley chuckled, pulling out his wand. "Well, we can't have that. Stand back."

Kevin watched with wide eyes as Marley raised his wand and made a complicated swirling motion. "Scourgify!"

Instantly, the house began cleaning itself. Paint peeled off the walls and vanished, feathers flew into neat piles before disappearing entirely, broken glass reassembled itself, and sticky patches evaporated like they'd never existed. Even the furniture rearranged itself back to its original positions.

"Whoa!" Kevin breathed, spinning around to watch everything fix itself. "That's incredible! Can you teach me that one?"

"Eventually," Marley said, tucking his wand away as the last of the chaos disappeared. "That's a fairly advanced spell. You'll want to master the basics first."

Kevin flopped down on the couch, which was now perfectly clean and back in its proper spot. "This magic stuff is way cooler than I thought. I mean, I figured it out tonight, but seeing you do it..." He grinned. "You make it look easy."

"Practice," Marley reminded him, settling into his dad's armchair. "Lots and lots of practice."

Kevin leaned forward, suddenly curious. "Mr. Marley, what was my mom like? You know, when she was a witch?"

Marley's eyes got a distant look, like he was remembering something from a long time ago. "Your mother? Kate was... remarkable. Brilliant, actually. Top of her class at Ilvermorny."

"Ilvermorny?"

"American wizarding school. Think of it like... magical high school, but better." Marley smiled. "She was in Thunderbird house—adventurous, independent, always pushing boundaries."

Kevin perked up. "That sounds like Mom. She's always organizing everything and taking charge."

"Oh, she was a force of nature even then," Marley continued. "But what made her special wasn't just her power—it was her heart. She genuinely cared about people, magical and non-magical alike. Most wizards back then didn't give muggles a second thought, but Kate always believed magic should be used to help everyone."

"Is that why she left? Because other wizards didn't agree?"

Marley's expression darkened slightly. "Partly. The magical government... they had different ideas about how families like yours should be handled. They wanted to study your bloodline, understand how such powerful magic passed down through generations."

Kevin made a face. "That sounds gross. Like we're lab rats or something."

"That's exactly what your mother thought. When they started talking about 'monitoring' her future children, she'd had enough." Marley leaned back in the chair. "She met your father at a coffee shop near the magical district in New York. He was completely non-magical, working as an accountant, living a perfectly normal life."

"And she fell for a regular guy?" Kevin asked, grinning.

"Head over heels. Your father might not have magic, but he had something else your mother needed—normalcy. Stability. A chance to just be Kate instead of 'Kate from the powerful Caldwell family.'"

Kevin's eyebrows shot up. "Caldwell? That's not our name."

"Your mother's maiden name. She gave it up when she married your father, along with everything else from the magical world." Marley's voice got softer. "It wasn't an easy choice, Kevin. She walked away from friends, family, a whole life she'd known since childhood."

"For us," Kevin said quietly.

"For the family she wanted to have. A family that could choose their own path instead of having it chosen for them."

Kevin sat back, processing this. "So she's been pretending to be normal this whole time? That must've been really hard."

"The hardest part," Marley said, "was watching you kids grow up and not being able to share that part of herself with you. Every time you did something that might've been magical, she had to ignore it or explain it away."

"Is that why she got so weird when I said it wasn't me who pushed Buzz?"

"She knew," Marley confirmed. "She's probably been waiting for your magic to show up since you were born. The Caldwell family magic is particularly strong—it usually manifests early and dramatically."

Kevin pulled his wand out of his pocket, turning it over in his hands. "This belonged to my great-great-grandfather, right? On Mom's side?"

"Thaddeus Caldwell. One of the most powerful wizards of his generation." Marley nodded at the wand. "That wand has been in your family for over a century. It chose you just like it chose him."

"Cool," Kevin said, then looked up with a mischievous glint in his eye. "So when Mom gets home tomorrow and wants to have 'the talk,' I can tell her I already know everything?"

Marley laughed. "Oh, I wouldn't go that far. You know some things. But your mother has about fifteen years worth of stories and explanations she's been saving up."

"Great," Kevin said, but he was smiling. "More talking. Just what every kid wants for Christmas."

"Trust me, Kevin, this is one conversation you're going to want to have."

Kevin nodded, then yawned. The adrenaline from the night's adventures was finally wearing off, and he was starting to feel exhausted.

"I should probably get some sleep," he said. "Mom's gonna be here early, and I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be even weirder than tonight."

Marley stood up. "Probably. But Kevin?"

"Yeah?"

"Whatever happens tomorrow, remember—you're still the same kid who outsmarted two grown burglars using nothing but cleverness and determination. The magic just makes you a little more interesting."

Kevin grinned. "A little more interesting? Mr. Marley, I think I'm gonna be the most interesting kid on the block."

"You already were," Marley said, heading for the door. "The magic just makes it official."

As Marley let himself out, Kevin looked around his perfectly clean house, clutched his family wand, and thought about his mom flying home to him right now. Tomorrow, he'd finally get answers to questions he didn't even know he had.

But tonight? Tonight he was just Kevin McCallister, the kid who'd defended his house against burglars and discovered he was a wizard all in the same evening.

Neither of them noticed the small, pleased-looking tarantula watching from the window sill.

"About time someone brought some excitement to this neighborhood," the spider muttered to itself before scuttling away into the night.

Kevin woke up on Christmas morning with that weird feeling you get when you can't tell if something amazing actually happened or if you just had the world's most realistic dream. He sat up in his parents' bed, looked around at the perfectly clean room, and spotted his wand sitting on the nightstand like it belonged there.

"Okay," he said to himself, grinning. "Definitely not a dream."

He grabbed the wand and padded into the bathroom, still wearing yesterday's clothes. As he reached for his toothbrush, he paused and looked at it thoughtfully.

"Let's see if this still works," he muttered, pointing the wand at the toothbrush. "Up."

The toothbrush wiggled, then lifted gently into the air, floating at eye level like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Sweet," Kevin whispered, catching it before it could drift away. "Still got it."

He was halfway through brushing his teeth when he heard it—the unmistakable sound of a car door slamming outside. His heart jumped into his throat, and he nearly choked on toothpaste.

"Mom," he breathed, rushing to the window.

Sure enough, there was a yellow taxi in the driveway, and his mother was practically falling out of it, dragging a suitcase and looking like she'd been awake for three days straight. Which, Kevin realized, she probably had.

He bolted downstairs, taking the steps three at a time, just as the front door burst open.

"KEVIN!" his mom screamed, dropping her suitcase and rushing toward him like a linebacker going for the winning tackle.

Kevin barely had time to brace himself before she was hugging him so tight he could barely breathe. She was crying and laughing at the same time, which was both weird and kind of scary.

"Oh my God, oh my God, you're okay, you're safe, I'm so sorry, baby, I'm so sorry," she babbled, pulling back to look at his face, then immediately hugging him again.

"Mom, I'm fine," Kevin said, his voice muffled against her shoulder. "Really, I'm okay."

She held him at arm's length, her hands on his shoulders, her eyes scanning every inch of him like she was looking for battle scars. "Are you hurt? Did they hurt you? The police said there were burglars—two of them—Kevin, you must have been terrified."

"Actually," Kevin said, unable to keep the grin off his face, "it was kind of awesome."

His mom stared at him like he'd just announced he was joining the circus. "Awesome? Kevin, you were attacked by criminals!"

"Well, yeah, but I handled it. I had everything under control."

She looked around the living room, which was spotless thanks to Marley's cleaning spell, and her expression grew even more confused. "Kevin, this place is... it's immaculate. The police said there was a fight, that you set traps—"

"Oh, I did. Paint cans, plastic wrap, the works. It was like something out of a movie." Kevin's confidence was in full swing now. "Those guys didn't know what hit them."

His mother sank down onto the couch, still staring at him in amazement. "But how did you... I mean, you're eight years old, Kevin."

"Eight and three-quarters," he corrected automatically. "And I'm pretty resourceful when I need to be."

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Kevin's mom jumped up to answer it, and Officer Patterson stepped inside, looking official but friendly.

"Mrs. McCallister? I'm Officer Patterson. We spoke on the phone."

"Yes, yes, thank you so much for everything," his mom said, shaking the officer's hand. "I can't believe—is he really okay? He seems so... calm about everything."

Officer Patterson chuckled, looking over at Kevin with something that might have been respect. "Your son, Mrs. McCallister, is one of the most resourceful kids I've ever met. He set up an elaborate series of booby traps that would make a movie stuntman jealous."

"Booby traps?"

"Paint cans on strings, ice patches, you name it. When the suspects followed him to the neighbor's house, they were so banged up and confused they could barely put up a fight." The officer grinned. "Your neighbor, Mr. Marley, arrived just in time to help subdue them until we got there."

Kevin's mom glanced between the officer and Kevin, her expression a mix of pride and bewilderment. "Mr. Marley? The man across the street?"

"That's the one. Turns out he's not as scary as the neighborhood kids think. Really stepped up when Kevin needed help."

At that exact moment, as if summoned by the conversation, Marley appeared at the open front door, holding a plate of what looked like homemade cookies.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," he said politely. "I just wanted to check on Kevin and welcome you home, Mrs. McCallister."

Kevin's mom looked at Marley—really looked at him—for what was probably the first time ever. Kevin watched her face carefully, wondering if she'd recognize something familiar about the old man who'd saved her son's life.

"Mr. Marley," she said slowly, and Kevin caught something in her voice. Not quite recognition, but... something. "I can't thank you enough for what you did for Kevin."

Marley and his mom locked eyes for just a second longer than normal, and Kevin saw Marley give the tiniest nod.

"It was nothing," Marley said simply. "Kevin handled most of it himself. I just helped with the cleanup."

Officer Patterson cleared his throat. "Well, I'll let you folks get back to your reunion. Mrs. McCallister, if you have any more questions, you know how to reach us."

After the officer left, the three of them stood in the living room in a moment of awkward silence. Kevin looked between his mom and Marley, wondering who was going to say something first.

"Mr. Marley," his mom said finally, "would you like some coffee? I feel like we should... talk."

"I'd like that very much," Marley replied.

Kevin perked up. "Can I listen?"

His mom looked down at him, and for the first time since she'd gotten home, her expression softened into something that was pure Mom. "Kevin, I think it's time you heard some things you should have heard a long time ago."

"Cool," Kevin said, then paused. "Wait, am I in trouble?"

"No, baby," his mom said, ruffling his hair. "You're not in trouble. But we have a lot to talk about."

As they headed toward the kitchen, Kevin caught Marley's eye and grinned. The old man winked at him.

This was going to be interesting.

The kitchen felt different with all three of them sitting around the table. Kevin had his hands wrapped around a mug of hot chocolate, his mom was clutching her coffee like it was the last cup on earth, and Marley sat across from them looking completely calm and normal.

"So," his mom said, taking a deep breath, her eyes flicking nervously toward Marley for a split second before focusing intently on Kevin. "Kevin, do you remember anything... unusual happening while we were gone?"

Kevin took a sip of his hot chocolate, buying time. He'd been thinking about this moment since Marley had told him about his family's magical past, but now that it was actually happening, he wasn't sure where to start. He knew Marley was a wizard, but his mom clearly thought Marley was just a regular neighbor. Talking about magic felt like walking on eggshells.

"Define unusual," he said finally, glancing at Marley who gave a subtle, encouraging nod.

His mom continued carefully, her voice lowering instinctively, almost a whisper, her eyes still darting to Marley. "Well, darling, anything that might have seemed... impossible? Things that couldn't really happen in real life? Things that might have... well, defied a logical explanation?" She was clearly choosing her words with extreme caution, her gaze imploring Marley to pay no mind, to consider it just kid talk.

Kevin set down his mug and looked straight at her, then back at Marley, who simply watched with a faint, knowing smile. He decided to push the envelope, subtly. "You mean like stuff that just... moved on its own?"

The silence that followed was so complete Kevin could hear the refrigerator humming. His mom's face went through about seventeen different expressions – shock, fear, a flicker of understanding, and then a quick, almost desperate, glance at Marley – before settling on something between utter defeat and palpable dread. Her gaze lingered on Marley, a silent plea in them for him not to hear, not to understand, to remain oblivious to the secret she had guarded for her entire adult life.

"Kevin," she said quietly, her voice strained, barely above a whisper, "what are you talking about? Things moving? Honey, you just had an exciting night. Maybe you're a little overstimulated." She looked at him, then back at Marley, trying to project a calm, rational explanation for the "Muggle" neighbor.

Instead of answering, Kevin reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand, setting it on the table between them. His mom's eyes went wide, and she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, not just at the sight of the wand, but at the sheer audacity of him pulling it out in front of Marley . Her gaze shot to Marley, a silent apology mixed with a frantic plea for him to dismiss it as a toy, anything but what it was.

"I found this in the yard after the storm," Kevin said, still focused on his mom, but he could feel the immense tension emanating from her, directed at their neighbor. "Well, actually, it kind of found me. And then last night, when those guys broke in, I used it to defend the house."

"You... used it?" His mom's voice was barely a whisper, fixed on the gnarled stick, then flicking frantically again to Marley, as if expecting him to suddenly shriek and run for the hills, or worse, call someone. "Kevin, put that away. It's just... a stick. A very old stick." She tried to sound dismissive, her hand trembling slightly as she gestured vaguely.

"Yeah. Made stuff move around, confused them, that sort of thing. It was pretty cool, actually." Kevin grinned, enjoying the unspoken communication with Marley. "Oh, and I made Buzz's spider talk, which scared the crap out of one of the burglars."

Marley choked on his coffee, a low chuckle escaping him. "You made the spider talk?" He said it with a perfectly straight face, but his eyes twinkled with mirth.

"Just temporarily. I think. It's been acting weird since then though. Keeps leaving tiny notes around the house."

His mom was staring at the wand like it was a snake, her face pale. She finally tore her gaze from it to look at Marley, her shoulders tensed, ready to explain it away, to apologize for her son's wild imagination. "Mr. Marley, I—I don't know what he's talking about. Kids, you know. Active imaginations. Make-believe." She tried to force a laugh, but it came out as a desperate squeak, almost a sob.

She turned back to Kevin, her voice firm, but still hushed. "Kevin, that's... that's just an old piece of wood. It's not..." She trailed off, unable to complete the sentence, unable to say "a wand" in front of Marley.

"Yeah, Mr. Marley told me," Kevin said, still completely missing his mom's distress. "He said it belonged to Thaddeus Caldwell, my great-great-grandfather. Said he was a pretty powerful guy." Kevin looked at Marley for confirmation.

Marley gave a subtle nod. "Indeed, Kevin's been quite keen on exploring his family history last night, Mrs. McCallister. Fascinating lineage." He kept his voice even, not giving anything away to Kate, but his eyes held deep amusement as he watched her struggle.

"Thaddeus Caldwell was... a very distant relative," his mom said, still speaking in that strained whisper, her gaze locked onto Marley, almost daring him to react, to show he understood a single word. "A very old family. From... from Europe." She was clearly trying to deflect, to make the Caldwell name sound like just a historical footnote. "And that... that stick hasn't responded to anyone in over fifty years." She swallowed hard, the magnitude of what Kevin was saying, and what Marley might be hearing, overwhelming her.

"Well, it likes me," Kevin said matter-of-factly. "We get along great." He picked up the wand, turning it over in his hands.

His mom put her head in her hands, a defeated groan escaping her. "This is exactly what I was afraid of." She still seemed to be processing the idea of the secret being out, in front of a presumed muggle, the decades of effort to build this normal life shattering around her.

"Mom," Kevin said, leaning forward, "Mr. Marley told me about MACUSA. About why you and Dad left the magical world. I get it. You were trying to protect us."

She looked up, tears in her eyes, her gaze still fixed on Marley, a silent appeal in her expression for understanding, for a way to mitigate the damage. "Kevin, do you understand what this means? If they find out you have magical abilities, especially ones this strong—"

"They won't," Marley interrupted gently. Then he paused, looking at Kevin's mom with an expression Kevin had never seen before – a deep, knowing look that held a hint of apology, and a touch of the same ancient sadness Kevin had briefly sensed. "Kate..."

Marley reached into his coat and pulled out what looked like a small, silver amulet. He held it for a moment, then crushed it in his hand.

The change was instant and completely bonkers. The wrinkled old man Kevin had known his whole life just... melted away. Like someone had hit the reverse button on aging. His gray hair darkened to brown, the lines around his eyes smoothed out, and suddenly he looked like he was maybe the same age as Kevin's parents.

Kate shot up from her chair so fast she nearly knocked over her coffee. "Harold?" she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Harold, is that really you?"

"Hello, Kate," the not-old-anymore Marley said, running a hand through his now-brown hair. "It's been a while."

Kevin looked back and forth between them like he was watching the world's weirdest tennis match. "Whoa, whoa, WHOA! Mr. Marley, you're like... young! That's so cool! How did you do that? Can you teach me that one?"

His mom grabbed Kevin's arm, pulling him slightly behind her, her eyes never leaving Marley. "What are you doing here, Harold? Are you spying on my family?"

"Protecting them," Marley—Harold—said simply. "I've been filing reports for years saying there's no magical activity in this neighborhood. As far as MACUSA knows, the Caldwell line died out with your father."

Kevin wriggled out of his mom's grip. "Mom, you're acting weird. This is awesome! He's like a magical secret agent!"

His mom's expression shifted from suspicious to something Kevin couldn't quite read. "You've been... you've been watching over us this whole time?"

"Someone had to," Harold said quietly. "When you disappeared from the magical world, Kate, people asked questions. I made sure they got the right answers."

Kevin watched his mom's face go through about twelve different emotions before settling on something that looked like she might cry. "Harold, I... I can't believe you've been here all this time."

"Believe it," Harold said with a grin that looked way less creaky than old-man-Marley's had. "Though I have to say, keeping up the cranky old neighbor act for eight years has been exhausting."

His mom suddenly looked panicked again. "Kevin, we'll have to be careful. Your brothers and sisters—they don't have magic. They can't know about any of this."

Kevin's face fell. "Wait, what? None of them?"

"Magic doesn't always pass down evenly," Harold explained. "Sometimes it skips generations, sometimes it only manifests in one child out of many."

"So Buzz doesn't have magic?" Kevin asked, trying to process this. "And Megan? And Jeff?"

"No, baby," his mom said gently. "You're the only one."

Kevin flopped back in his chair, looking like someone had just told him Christmas was canceled. "Great. So I'm the weird one again."

"You're not weird, Kevin," his mom said firmly. "You're special."

"Yeah, well, tell that to Buzz when he figures out I can make his action figures come to life and he can't."

Harold chuckled. "Kevin, part of learning magic is learning when not to use it. Your family doesn't need to know unless absolutely necessary."

"So what, I just pretend to be normal around them forever?"

His mom sat back down, reaching over to squeeze his hand. "Kevin, being magical doesn't make you better than your brothers and sisters. It just makes you different. And different comes with responsibilities."

Kevin stared at his wand lying on the table. "This is going to be way harder than fighting burglars, isn't it?"

"Probably," Harold said with a grin. "But I think you can handle it."

Kevin turned to his mom. "Why didn't you tell us any of this?"

His mom's expression grew serious again. "Because, Kevin, the magical world can be dangerous. There are people who would want to use you, study you, turn you into something you're not. Your father and I decided it was better to give you a normal childhood."

"But I'm not normal," Kevin pointed out. "I mean, I can do magic. That's kind of the opposite of normal."

"I know, baby. And maybe... maybe it's time we stopped pretending otherwise."

Kevin grinned. "Does this mean I can learn real magic? Like, proper spells and stuff?"

Harold cleared his throat. "That would be up to your parents. But Kevin, you need to understand—magic comes with responsibility. What you did last night was impressive, but it was also dangerous. You could have seriously hurt someone."

"I only hurt the bad guys," Kevin protested.

"This time," his mom said. "But magic isn't a toy, Kevin. It's not something you use just because you can."

Kevin nodded seriously. "I know. That's why I want to learn to control it properly. Mr. Marley said he'd teach me."

His mom looked at Marley, who shrugged. "The boy has natural talent, Kate. And he's going to keep using magic whether we help him or not. Better he learns to do it safely."

She was quiet for a long moment, staring at the wand on the table. Finally, she reached out and touched it gently. It sparkled slightly at her touch, and Kevin saw her smile.

"I haven't touched a wand in fifteen years," she said softly.

"Do you miss it?" Kevin asked.

"Every day," she admitted. "But I thought giving it up was worth it to keep you kids safe."

"And now?"

She looked at Kevin, really looked at him, and he saw something change in her expression. 

Kevin felt a grin spreading across his face. "So I can learn magic?"

"We'll start small," his mom said. "Basic control exercises. Safety first."

"But real magic? Not just moving toothbrushes around?"

Harold laughed. "Kevin, after what you pulled off last night with no training, I think you're ready for a bit more than toothbrush levitation."

Kevin picked up his wand, feeling the familiar warmth spread through his fingers. "This is going to be the best Christmas ever."

"Just promise me," his mom said, "no more unauthorized magic until we get you properly trained."

"I promise," Kevin said solemnly. Then he grinned. "Unless more burglars show up."

"Kevin!"

"Just kidding, Mom. Mostly."