A Problem and a Solution

.::. Jareth's P.O.V. .::.

Jareth stared after Gabriela. He was thoroughly confused at this point. He did not understand why she was angry. She was in trouble and he saved her. Oh well, there was nothing to be done about it now. He would ask her about it later since they had classes together. If she was skipping breakfast, he decided, then he would give her an apology gift. He walked to the castle and stood in front of the Great Hall; then he took some parchment, a quill, and ink out of his knapsack and scrawled a simple note on it.

I'm sorry.
~Jareth

"Dobby!" He commanded. He heard a quick pop and the little goblin-like creature appeared before him.
"Yes Master?" Jareth handed him the parchment.
"A girl named Gabriela Torres. She's a 6th year in Slytherin, but she's skipping breakfast. Get her some food and leave this note with it." Dobby nodded enthusiastically.
"Oh, yes Master! We know Mistress Gabby very well! Do not worry, Master! Mistress already has lots of food! Dobby will make sure Mistress gets this, too!" With another pop Dobby was gone. Jareth collected his things and went into the Great Hall for breakfast. He could feel the pressure of the stares from the females and the jealousy of the males from all of the houses. It both delighted and intimidated him. If he were at his full strength, he could destroy every one of these children. Unfortunately, he was at a great disadvantage and a great leader knows when to pick his battles. Instead, he resolved not to come to the Great Hall by himself again.

.::. Gabby's P.O.V. .::.

Gabby looked in the mirror and sighed. She had finished her shower and was putting on her makeup while magically blow drying her hair. She ate her breakfast when she had a free hand. While putting on her mascara, she heard a pop from inside her room. It surprised her and she smeared her mascara. Grumbling, she fixed her mascara then looked at the house elf.

"G'morning Dobby. Is there something you need?"
"No, Mistress! Master commanded Dobby to deliver this to Mistress!" He handed Gabby the parchment, who read it and sighed.
"Thank you Dobby. Since you're here, I'm going to be skipping lunch and dinner as well. Could you keep my basket stocked for me?"
"Anything for Mistress!" Dobby exclaimed, then popped out of the room. Gabby finished her hair and makeup, gathered her school supplies, and looked at the time. She still had ten minutes before she had to leave. She finished her breakfast quickly then put her basket in her bag. Now that she was calm, she would be able to talk to Jareth. Their schedules were booked until lunch, so she wouldn't be able to talk about it until then, but since they had all of their classes together it was possible that the conversation would come up beforehand. She headed out of the common room and to Charms. She was the first to arrive since she skipped breakfast, and she found a seat in the back corner of the room. Soon the classroom had filled up and, as usual, everyone ignored her. Jareth was the last to arrive and he sat next to Gabby despite the other girls clamoring for his attention.
"Good morning class!" Professor Flitwick's cheery high-pitched voice was too much for Gabby to handle. She groaned and laid her head on her textbook.

.::. Jareth's P.O.V. .::.

The entire morning was awkward and uncomfortable. Jareth couldn't wait to get to his first class. These judgemental students were driving him mad. He kept to himself during breakfast and made sure the majority of the student body had left the Great Hall before he got up to go to Charms. When he arrived, many of the girls tried to get his attention; he ignored all of them and walked straight to Gabby and sat down in the seat beside her. He followed along with Professor Flitwick as best he could, but it had been at least a millennium since he had attended school and he had a difficult time keeping up.

Charms, it seemed, dragged on slowly. Gabby was furiously taking notes and answering questions when called upon. Jareth had tried to speak to her multiple times but between the lecture and practicing spells, there was no time. The wand that the High King had acquired for him wasn't working; his magic didn't respond to wands. Gabby attempted to help, but even the most basic of spells would not work. "Maybe you need a new wand." She sneered. He could tell she was getting frustrated, but there was nothing he could do. He would have to find a quiet place to summon the High King when he had some free time.
Finally the class was almost over. He gathered up his things and waited for Gabby. "Ready for the next class?"
"I think we need to speak to Professor McGonagall. Your wand doesn't work so you won't be able to transfigure anything. You might have to do book work until we figure this thing out." They walked to Transfiguration with one another; much to the chagrin of every girl they passed. He could use his glamour to turn their affection away, but holding a glamour up for so long in the Aboveground would wear him down too much, too soon. Wearing glamour for two to three days would be fine, normally, but this school was protected by strong magic and it was interfering with his power, and he wasn't sure how long he would be stuck at this school. He just had to bear with it for now. They had finally arrived at the classroom, and Gabby waved Professor McGonagall over. "Professor!"
"Miss Torres." She greeted, stiffly.
"There's a problem with Jareth's wand."
"Oh?" She motioned to Jareth to hand over his wand. She looked over it and mumbled something. It glowed slightly and she furrowed her brow. "It doesn't appear to be damaged." She handed the wand back. "Give it a wave." Jareth did, but nothing happened; not even a spark. "How curious."
"So what should he do Professor?"
"I can simply do book work for now, Professor. I will contact my father about the issue this weekend. He will take care of everything for me."
"Very well. Go inside, then. Jareth, if you already have something to work on, take it out. If not, I'll figure something out for you do while the rest of the class does the assignment." Jareth nodded, and he and Gabby went inside and found their seats. While Gabby was gettign herTransfiguration work out, Jareth was getting his business paperwork. This gave him the chance to get his official work done sooner. He had a feeling that he knew what was happening. King Oberon had gotten him a wizard's wand, but Jareth's magic didn't respond to it because he was a fae; not a wizard. He was magic incarnate. Fae can weild magic in any form because he was magic. However, being in the Aboveground, magic was sparse at best. Wizards and witches needed tools like brooms and wands to access magic and only the very talented and studious ones could access the magic within themselves and their surrounds without a wand. This was also why Jareth could wear himself down quickly in the Aboveground. If he had known this would happen, he could have prepared himself for a long term stay in the Aboveground. If he ran out of magic in the Aboveground, he would become mortal. This was why King Oberon had to bring him food from the Underground.

Jareth, because he was Fae, was able to draw magic easily from within himself. He could do magic with just his hands, but his favorite way to utilize his magic was with his crystal balls. He couldn't use his crystal balls, however, because there was so little magic available to him here. Summoning something out of thin air just wasn't possible for him, and even if he could, he would run out of magic very quickly; that's why he needed to summon the High King. How would he be able to draw his magic from the Underground without having access to it? Furthermore, would having a tool connecting him to the Underground wear him out in the Aboveground like using magic does now? Would others be able to access the Underground magic if the tool was somehow stolen from Jareth? He and King Oberon would have to come up with a tool that addresses all of these issues and wouldn't be out of place by Jareth carrying it around throughout the day. He continued his work; lunch was coming up. Jareth could skip it and go back to his dormitory since everyone would be eating in the Great Hall. He could summon his father then.

.::. After Class .::.

"Jareth!" Gabby called from behind him. "I'm going back to the common room to catch up on my work. Want to join me?" She said when she finally caught up to him.
"Oh, eh, er...of course." He stammered. "I'm headed that way anyway. I need to find something in my room."
"No problem, I'll just wait in front of the fire. I have food." Jareth nodded and when they got back to the common room, he went straight to his dormitory. He snapped his fingers and the door locked behind him. He could feel the magic drain out of him and it didn't feel good. He didn't want Gabby to catch him speaking with the High King. He sighed to himself and blew the whistle to summon his father. The High King appeared before him in moments, and Jareth bowed.
"My Lord."
"Arise, Jareth. You neednt bow every time you see me." He chided. "Now what seems to be the problem?" Jareth acknowledged him and stood up.
"My Lord, this wand you gave me doesn't work." He waved the wand to show his father, and nothing happened.
"Well, that is problem, isn't it? Especially when you go to a school that requires you to use magic." Jareth nodded.
"I suspect the wand doesn't work because I'm not a wizard." The High King agreed.
"How do you use magic in the Underground?"
"Crystal balls."
"And how do you use them?"
"I just...turn them into whatever I need." How was he supposed to explain the depths of the magic he uses his crystals for? It was much more complicated than just 'turning them into things.'
"Such as?"
"Bubbles, food, etcetera. I can change them into whatever I need. I can change it so that it's edible, and it would mimic exactly what I'm changing it into, such as a peach. The color, texture, I can even mimic the flavor of a peach."
"Could you turn it into a wand?"
"It's possible, but wizards wands vary in millions of different ways. The wood, the length, the magical components, all change depending on the wandsmith." The High King thought about it. Since there was no way that Jareth could mimic the exact components of a wand, he would have to do something slightly different.
"Then keep it as close to a crystal ball as possible. You can be your own wandsmith. What are the main components of a wand?"
"The wood, the core, and the length."
"Instead of wood, keep it a crystal, and make the length whatever suits your arm the best." Jareth nodded and King Oberon opened a portal to the Labyrinth, where jareth's magic was strongest. "Now, try to walk through." Jareth stuck his arm in first. When it went through, he attempted to walk in, but he was blocked by an invisible wall. "Hmm, I see. Well, that isn't surprising. You still haven't found your wished away. Very well, since your hand is already in there, see if you can conjure a crystal ball." Jareth could feel himself growing stronger the longer his arm stayed in the portal. The magic of the Underground filled his body with energy that he hadn't felt in what seemed like forever, even though it had only been four days; he summoned the crystal easily. "Very good. Now see if you can get your other arm through." Jareth did as he was told and successfully had both of his arms in the Underground portal. He knew what to do from here. He put both hands on the crystal ball and began to mold and change the ball into the shape of a wand, then pulled it out of the portal and waved it. Sparks flew and jareth smirked. King Oberon closed the portal and waved the wand again, but nothing happened.
"Well, that's a problem." He grumbled. Oberon stroked his beard.
"It seems the wand only works when it has access to Underground magic." He opened the portal and Jareth waved the wand again; sparks flew. "Put the wand back into the portal." Jareth did as instructed. "SInce I can open unlimited portals, I may be able to tie this one to the crystal." Oberon squeezed his fist together and the portal seemed to shiver within itself. The wand grew hot to the touch and seemingly sucked the portal within itself. Jareth's eyes grew wide. The wand was a sight to see. "There's your wand core."
"Unbelievable." He held the wand up to the light and he could see his castle reflecting back at him. As he turned in different directions, he could see different parts of the Labyrinth. "It's beautiful." He waved the wand and summoned an apple. "Fantastic. I can use magic without it draining my strength."
"Well, son, you are literally carrying the Underground with you." The King remarked. "I'll still need to bring you Underground food, but having access to Underground magic will prevent you from changing. The wand will become your link to the Underground, but if it breaks you'll release the portal and you'll lose your access. This wand required a lot of magic to create. Be careful with it."
"This wand is made of rare material. What will happen if, perchance, it gets stolen?"
"Good question." Oberon sighed. "I could tie the wand to your essence so that no one except you and your kindred can use it."
Jareth nodded. "Do it."
"Very well." Oberon summoned a ceremonial athame and cut Jareth's finger. He said an incantation and finished with, "By this blood, you are bound." Jareth touched the tip of the wand with his bleeding finger. The wand absorbed the blood, leaving a long, thin, strip of blood down the length of the wand. When finished, the wand healed Jareth's cut, leaving no trace of the ritual. Blood magic was a powerful magic and Jareth was confident that his wand would be safe.
"Thank you, My Lord. I am grateful for your continued assistance, and I must ask another favor of you."
"Anything for my favorite son." Oberon beamed.
"Please turn into an owl and deliver this wand to me downstairs."
"Of course!" Oberon took the wand from Jareth, then transformed into an owl with the wand in his beak. He waited for Jareth to leave the dormitory, then flew out the open window. Within moments, he was flying into the common room window and he landed next to Jareth. An audible gasp came from Gabby as the owl dropped the wand next to Jareth.
"It's stunning! I've never seen anything like that! Can I hold it?"
"Of course." Jareth handed the wand tohis friend who took it gleefully.
"Is this why you were upstairs?"
"Yes, I borrowed a roommate's owl and sent a note to my father, alerting him of my situation. My great grandfather was a talented wandsmithand this wand was his greatest work; but it didn't have an owner until I came along. He made wands out of rare and powerful materials."
"Why didn't you just bring this with you in the first place?"
"We were concerned about its safety." Gabby nodded and handed it back to Jareth. The owl next to Jareth hooted indignantly and bit Jareth's finger. "Ouch!" He shot a glare at the owl and Gabby laughed. She pulled a roll out of the basket and tossed it to the owl.
"You forgot to pay him." The owl picked up the roll and flew out the window.
"I'll be right back." He stood up and went back to his room where King Oberon was once more in human form and happily eating the roll. "Was that necessary?"
"Of course! I had to be convincing! Now, give your father a hug." Oberon finished the roll then stood up and hugged his son. He opened a new Underground portal. "Call me whenever you need me."
"I will. Thank you...Father."
Oberon shot him a backward galnce. "Oh, and jareth."
"Yes Father?"
He pointed to the door. "I approve." Then he winked and stepped through the portal which closed immediately behind him, leaving Jareth alone and taken aback.
"It's not like that!" He yelled to the empty room before him. He shook his head and went back downstairs.
"Are you finally done? We only have 20 minutes left of lunch and I need to drill you on the spells we learned in Charms and Transfiguration. You also need to eat. We have Charms again after lunch and you don't want to be behind.
"Very well." Jareth took a fe things out of the basket and ate. Now that he was reenergized by the wand, he wasn't nearly as hungry as he had been since he arrived at the school. After eating, he drilled spells with Gabby until the end of lunch.