Being the big kid that I am, I really enjoyed all four of Disney's 'Halloweentown' movies. Since I am avoiding homework, I decided to start writting out my little plot bunny. Not sure how many people have seen the movies...but whatever. The idea was calling to me.

This one is set after the 4th one (Return to Halloweentown) and will focus on my favourite character (Dylan)

Enjoy! And please review if you want more!

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Chapter 1

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Dylan Piper gave a loud yawn as he placed the dusty old book on his bedside table. It was almost midnight and he figured that he should attempt to get some sleep if he wanted to stay awake in class tomorrow. It had been very eventful weekend (to say the least) and he was looking forward to the beginning of a new, and hopefully less stressful, week. With the Sinister Sisters gone and the Dominion imprisoned he was optimistic that the rest of the year would be a lot smoother then the first month.

In truth, he didn't really hate being at Witch U as much as he pretended to. He had never really fit in the in the normal world and at least here, surrounded by trolls, goblins and other creatures, he didn't stand out as the freak.

Being able to freely talk about magic was perk as well. Ever since his first trip to Halloweentown at age 12, Dylan had felt the huge burden of his family's secret. No matter how much he had tried to deny it, deep down he knew that they were all different- and trying to hide that from the people in the mortal world sometimes wore him down. It was difficult to make conversation with people when you constantly had to make up stories to keep them from finding out the truth. He couldn't very well admit that his sister enjoyed riding her broom in her spare time…or that his grandmother lived in an alternate dimension…or that he came from the most powerful magical family in history…

He found it easier to keep to himself then to risk exposing the truth.

Things hadn't really gotten any easier after the exchange incident a few years ago either. If anything, they had gotten worse. Marnie- always the defiant one- had brought a group of Halloweentown students to their high school and ended up exposing everything in front of the entire student body. Initially, it seemed that their secret was met with acceptance, but as the weeks dragged by Dylan couldn't help but notice all of the weird looks and whispers that followed him where ever he went. He had attempted to distance himself from Marnie and deny what he was, but he eventually discovered that it was futile. That was why he had decided to fast track- and after picking up a few extra credits in second term, he managed to graduate at the end of the year and he was happy to put the entire high school experience behind him.

Unfortunately, by the time he decided to fast track, he had already missed the application deadline for mortal universities and had no choice but to spend the following year at home…well, he had been planning to spend it at home anyway…

When his mother asked him to accompany his sister to Witch U he had agreed- partially due to sheer boredom and partially due to his own curiosity. Although he would never admit it out loud, Dylan Piper had slowly been beginning to like magic. His lack of social life in high school had given him ample time to experiment with it and he had reluctantly begun to realize that having powers was actually pretty cool. He had spent many nights with his sisters old spell books, working his way through the fundamentals of magic. He was proud to say that he had mastered level one spells without any help- and without his sisters and grandmother having the slightest clue that his magic-hating talk was just an act.

His mom had, however, found him out a few months ago. He had been working on a frog conjuring spell late one night when she had come in to give him his clean laundry. He had been caught off guard and had accidentally conjured a particularly large frog on top of the pile of clean clothes, shocking both himself and his mother. Gwen had managed to get over her surprise rather quickly and they ended up having a nice long chat. He had always thought that his mother wanted him to be normal- that was why he tried so hard to live up to her expectations and hide his growing fascination with magic- but she had managed to make him feel better about everything and encouraged him to pursue whatever path he wanted.

When his mom decided that she didn't want Marnie to go to Witch U on her own, they had had another talk in which Dylan had admitted that a part of him really did want to see what the place was like. So she had signed him up…and that's why he was there now.

After giving another loud yawn, Dylan flicked his wrist and summoned his favourite pair of pyjamas into his hand. He was about to change into them when a knock at the door distracted him from his task. He threw the pyjamas onto this bed and walked towards the door, wondering who could be knocking at this late hour.

"Dylan, come on. I know you're in there" A voice whispered from the hallway. "Open up. It's me- Ethan."

Relieved that it was just his friend, Dylan yanked open the door and let the other young man inside. "Hey." He said as he closed the door behind him. "What are you doing wondering round so late?"

Ethan sighed and sat down on the chair behind Dylan's old oak desk. "Just got back from a date." He muttered, looking down at his hands. "With Marnie."

Dylan rolled his eyes- he really hoped that Ethan wasn't here to spew the details of his romantic escapades with his sister. "Er…okay." He replied. "I'm glad you guys worked things out, but I really don't want to hear the details…"

"And I'm not going to give you the details." Ethan smirked. "But I was sort of hoping that you could help me out."

Dylan folded his arms across his chest and nodded for Ethan to continue.

"You see…" Ethan began again. "Lately I've been wondering if relinquishing my powers was really a good idea. I mean…when I did it, I was really upset- I felt betrayed by my father and I wanted to sever all connections to him. I didn't want to turn out like him. And I thought that getting rid of my powers was the best way to achieve that." The boy paused and began fidgeting with a paperclip on Dylan's desk. "But I think that maybe, I was wrong. Having powers doesn't mean that I'll end up like him. I get to choose how I use them, and I know I'd never use them for evil..."

He trailed off and looked up to meet Dylan's gaze.

"You know Marnie- and you know how much she loves magic. She'd never admit it, but I think she's disappointed that I'm not a warlock anymore. There are things that I can't do anymore…I can't give her everything I want to. Everything she deserves."

Dylan stared at his friend in confusion. There was no doubt in his mind that Ethan was a great guy who cared for his sister…but he wondered why Ethan was coming to him about this. What could he possibly do?

"Alright…" Dylan began slowly. "Can't you just get your powers back then? Somehow reverse whatever spell you used on yourself?"

Ethan shook his head. "I can't do anything." He admitted sadly. "I'm powerless. That's why I need your help."

"Me?" Dylan asked, raising an eyebrow in apprehension. "What can I do? I'm just…"

"A Warlock." Ethan cut in before he could finish. "And a Cromwell. If anyone can help me with this, it's you."

"Why don't you ask Marnie, I'm sure…"

"I can't." Ethan continued. "First of all, I don't want her to know, and secondly I need a warlock to do it, not a witch."

Dylan drew a deep breath and sat down onto the edge of his bed. Sure, he had mastered simple spells, but he had never attempted anything this complicated. He had no idea why Ethan was asking him of all people. There were tons of warlocks at Witch U, and he was willing to bet that they were all far more qualified.

"Look, Ethan…" he began. "I'm flattered that you think I'm capable of that kind of thing, but I really think that you'd be better off to ask someone else. I don't even like magic…I hardly know anything about it. I'm only here because I have to be and I…"

Much to his surprise and distaste, his sentence was interrupted by his friend's loud laughter.

"Ah man, you are too much." Ethan said, still grinning. "Look, I know you're still trying this whole denial thing, but Marnie told me about your crafty little reading spell. We both know that that kind of magic is at least a level two. You may not like to admit it, but I know that you're more powerful then you let on." He paused. "Plus, you're my friend. One of the best I've ever had. I can't think of another warlock I trust more…"

Dylan felt his cheeks heating up and he quickly looked down at the floor. "Fine." He muttered. "I'll do it."

Ethan jumped up from his chair, his eyes wide with excitement. "Great! It requires a spell and a potion. I have the instruction in my room- maybe we can go into town after class tomorrow and get the ingredients we need?"

"Yeah…sure." Dylan replied, still not totally sure why he had agreed to this.

"Excellent. I'll see you then. Thanks a lot man." Ethan began to move towards the door with a notable bounce in his step. His hand reached for the brass doorknob and he was about to head out when Dylan's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait." Dylan called, looking up at his friend. "If…I….if I'm going to help you with this, then I need to ask a favour too."

Ethan smiled. "Sure. Anything."

"I've been doing some thinking of my own." He began, not sure why he had suddenly felt the need to bring this up. "When I was in the mortal world, I never really fit in- I was always too weird. And yet here, I sort of feel like maybe…I'm not weird enough. I was wondering if…maybe…in exchange for helping you get your powers back, you could help me be a better…warlock."

Ethan's eyes widened and he stared at his friend in disbelief. "Sure, no problem. Can do." He paused. "I say we start with your wardrobe. No offence…but it does sort of scream 'mortal'. With my help, you'll have all of the witches in Halloweentown swooning over you in no time."

Dylan smirked. "I somehow doubt that…but thanks."

"No problem."

Ethan opened the door and began to head into the hallway when Dylan was struck with one final thought.

"Oh, and Ethan…" he began. "If you tell Marnie about what I just said I'll hex you into next week."

Ethan laughed and gave his friend a warm smile. "Don't worry. I won't utter a word."

And with that, he shut the door, leaving Dylan alone to mull over the evenings events.

As he crawled into bed and shut off the light, Dylan Piper could not help but feel optimistic. Maybe this would be the beginning of something. Maybe, just maybe, he would finally fit in…