Chapter 2: 06-10
Ch.6 - Second Year in Hogwarts
On the trip back to Hogwarts, Alex and Clay met early so they could have a compartment to themselves once again. However, this time, Katie Robins seemed to have invited herself to their group.
"So, did you two have an interesting summer?" asked Alex. He decided he did not mind the girl too much.
"I had to help in my family farm all summer. Can you believe it? Mother said I should be helping more in the family from now on," Clay said.
The Rosewood family ran a little farming business in their property for magical plants. Such plants were always in high demand. So, they have managed to get by even if they had withdrawn to themselves ever since the war.
"I was in America most of the summer. How about you, did you have a productive summer, Grey?" said Katie simply. Alex realized he didn't know anything about her family. But, the same could be said about his friends regarding his home situation.
"You can say that. I already read all the books for this year, and I got myself, Hermes, here," said Alex, pointing at the owl in the cage beside him. The owl hooted affirmatively.
When the trolley lady came along, he bought a bunch of treats that he could take to Hogwarts. He also had a lot of chocolate bars and hard candies in his trunk. He thought he could practically use them as bribes to kids who couldn't leave Hogwarts during the school year, like the first-year and second-year students who couldn't visit Hogsmeade.
The start of the term went by as expected. As before, Alex performed well in his classes keeping himself among the top-performing students without being too outstanding. In Charms, of course, he was different. He had already developed a reputation for being a young genius in the subject.
Prof. Flitwick gladly welcomed him back into his class. The small man was the most fair teacher in Hogwarts along with his own head of house, Prof. Sprout. So, being one of the favoured students of the Charms professor was one something that earned him some respect within the Hufflepuff house.
Clay, on the other hand, was always gone hanging out with his club of sorts. Ever since their interaction with Angus Trevors before the end of the last term, he had been going around talking to his other Hufflepuff year mates like some politician. He has become quite a popular figure in the dorms.
Alex saw a potential in Clay's group. He gave him some advice on how to run his gang and gave him most of his candies to entice other students to join their study groups. In a castle full of children, the one who had the treats is king. He didn't mind Clay taking the spotlight at all.
There were also some noteworthy first-year students that joined them this year. The most talked-about among them was the 'metamorphmagus', Nymphadora Tonks. Alex couldn't help but remember how she met her end in the Battle of Hogwarts. Perhaps, he could get to know the young witch this time around, he thought. He told Clay to look after her, just in case.
×××
In the second week of the term came the quidditch tryouts. Alex showed up to the pitch early morning carrying his new broom. He could still remember how his roommates had almost lost their minds when he showed them his broom.
The current captain of the team was the sixth year boy, Ernest Gosling. He was standing in front of about twenty quidditch hopefuls trying out that year. All Hogwarts students, starting from their second year, could try out to be in the team, as long as they have their own brooms.
"Settle down people! If you're here, that means you want to be in our house team. This year, we are looking for a 'Chaser' and a 'Seeker' to fill our ranks. However, if you are feeling confident about your skills, you can also challenge anyone in the roster for their position," said Ernest.
Alex had thought about what position he could try out. In his previous time in Hogwarts, he played as a 'Chaser' starting when he was in his fourth year. This time, he decided to try out for the 'Seeker' position. He was an experienced flier and he had the fastest broom among the students of Hogwarts.
A 'Seeker' position was a high-risk, high-reward type of play. He would essentially be the best flier in the team. Having a better Seeker than the other team could be enough to decide the outcome of a game. However, that would also depend on how quickly the Snitch could be found.
Alex was set up against a fourth-year student to see who between them was the better player for the position. Team captain Ernest released the Golden Snitch. Then, after waiting for about ten seconds, he gave them the go-ahead to chase after it.
His opponent was using a 'Cleansweep Six' broomstick, also one of the fastest in the market. But, the 'Comet 260' was still superior. It may not be as stable as a 'Cleansweep', but it was faster and more agile on the turns. With an experienced flier, it was a very suited broom for the 'Seeker' position.
Alex was faster on the take-off. He beat his opponent on every turn and he reacted faster to the movement of the Snitch. He won the battle comfortably. Even his opponent was amazed by his flying skills. So, the Seeker position was given to him without question.
A fifth-year ended up as the new Chaser, and no challenges were successful. The captain had also chosen four others to be in their reserves. He handed out the practised schedule leading up to their first match against the 'Griffindor' team.
Alex celebrated with Clay and his friends in the common room. He would make sure to do well for the Hufflepuff house this year.
×××
A few days later, Alex and Katie were reading by themselves in the library. He was reading a book called 'Charms for Defense and Deterrence'. Katie was glancing at him timidly, looking like she was about to say something. She looked around the room to make sure no one close enough to overhear them.
"Alex, I've been wanting to talk to you about something. It's about what we talked about last year," she said with a low voice.
"Sure, what is it about?" he asked. He also cast a silent 'Muffliato' to prevent their conversation from being overheard.
"It's about the 'purebloods' and the wizard government. From what you say, you make it sound like they are our enemies."
"Are they the enemies? It's not as simple as that, Katie. It's not about the good guys and the bad guys. After all, some purebloods are also good people. But most of them are indeed our enemies."
"You mean the prejudiced purebloods? That's what you're afraid of?"
"I'm afraid of what they can do. But in truth, it is they who really fear us. They see us as an invader to their world. Like we were not supposed to have magic in the first place," said Alex.
"But it is beyond their control that some people are born with magic from non-wizard parents."
"Exactly, we know that and they know that. But for them, we are stealing their magic."
"Then, how do we make them not fear us?" asked Katie.
"Not fear us? Why would I want something like that? Their fear of us is what keeps them from acting openly. And, I'm not going to be held back just to make them feel secure about their own little world. Besides, they are right. Not about us stealing their magic. But, they are right that we are invaders to their world."
"How can we be invaders? I don't want to be an invader of anything."
"No one wants to be an invader, but can you leave behind the wizarding world? Give up magic and live as a muggle after all this?"
"No, I don't want to do something like that. We are born with magic."
"That's right. It's our instinct to live with magic. And yet, we will always find our selves as foreigners to the wizarding world. Even the purebloods who are decent people see us as the 'other', people who are not like them.
"The Law even makes a distinction regarding a wizard's blood status. We don't have representation in the courts, even though there are more of us than them. And, every department in the Ministry of Magic that has the word 'muggle' or 'muggleborn' in its name is about enforcing their restriction on us and instead of protecting our rights.
"So we are left with a difficult situation. We can't return to the muggle world, and yet, if we want to find our place in the wizarding world, we have to carve it out ourselves. So, by principle, even without wanting to, we are invaders in this society," said Alex. For a moment, he forgot he was talking to a child.
"If you can do something about it, what would you do?" asked Katie.
"If it's up to me, I want us to actually become better invaders. I want us to stop acting like we are the undesirables of society. I want us to have a voice in the media and the government."
"But, how can you even do that. We're just kids," said Katie in distress.
"We are kids. For now, all we can do is learn as much as we can, so that we would be capable to act on our beliefs in the future. That's why we are in school, after all."
Katie was deep in thought. She couldn't believe what she was hearing from another twelve years old. But, it also made a lot of sense to her. She had also done some research about the wizarding world after seeing Alex's interest in it. And, ever since, she felt like a constant outsider in the school. The other Hufflepuff girls are cold to her, even though they treat her very politely. Her red hair and tall stature made her stick out like a sore thumb.
Inside her mind, she was hoping that Alex was wrong. However, she had always felt that the boy always knew what was right. Unlike her who was still trying to make sense of her new world, he had a confident air around him as if he always knew what he was doing. He was very different compared to her, even though they are both muggleborn.
×××
Alex was standing in a line with the other members of the Hufflepuff team waiting for their turn to come out into the pitch.
"First game, are you nervous?" asked the captain, Ernest.
"Not really," said Alex.
"It's okay, you can tell me. After all, it's your first game. There are a lot of things that could go wrong. What if the enemy Seeker is faster than you? What if you don't see the Snitch until it's too late. What if you get injured?" said Ernest acting jittery.
"Are you okay, captain? You're the one that sounds nervous here. don't tell me, it's your first game, too," Alex joked.
"What? Of course not… but, it's my first game as team captain. So everything will be my fault if we lose."
"Don't be ridiculous, Captain. We're not going to lose. Let's do it just like practice, okay?" said Alex encouragingly.
"Hey, who is the captain here exactly?" a player asked from behind them causing the rest of the team to laugh.
When it was finally time to march out, they all had a determined look on their faces. Everyone on the Hufflepuff stands was cheering for them. Even Clay, who was not really a quidditch fan, was leading his gang in cheering.
They were about to play the Griffindor team. According to their scouting report, the opposing team had a strong Chaser duo. So, their captain decided to pull back their formation and focus more on defence and interception.
That put the pressure on the Seeker. Alex would have to end this game as soon as possible before the enemy could have a lead of more than 150 points.
When all players were gathered in the middle of the pitch, Madam Hooch explained the rules to them. Every player had flown on their brooms to get to their respective starting positions. She released the Snitch and then made the Quaffle to rise in the air.
The players jolted to action and Griffindor took first possession. They immediately rushed into their offensive formation focusing on the right side of the field.
The Hufflepuff team had withdrawn back to their side of the pitch. Even their Chasers were acting as defenders. Alex also harassed the Chasers instead of looking for the Snitch right away. It was very unlikely that it would make its appearance so early in the game. He could not let the opposing team dictate the pace of the game.
He managed to slow down the Chasers of the other team enough to give their Beaters the time to set up their defences. The enemy Chaser attempted a shot only to miss the hoop by a slim margin due to a Bludger forcing the player to swerve.
Their Keeper, captain Ernest, had caught the Quaffle after that. Instead of calling out an offensive attack, he gave the signal for their game plan. The Quaffle was taken back to the middle of the field where the team passed it around to prolong the game and tire out the opposing team.
Alex had withdrawn from the action and went back to looking for the Snitch. The first thing he did was find where the opposing Seeker was flying.
There are two general approaches to playing as Seeker. One is to stay on the other side of the pitch as the other Seeker, gambling on finding the Snitch first. The other is to stay close to the other Seeker and race him or her in catching the Snitch when it was spotted. Since Alex was confident of his flying skills and the speed of his broom, he decided to fly close to the other Seeker.
His opponent sneered at him. Flying close to the other Seeker was basically saying that you're confident you can beat him or her in flying. Any Seeker would see it as a challenge. But, Alex had no interest in worrying about what the other Seeker was thinking.
The tug of war continued for a while. Griffindor had managed to score 90 points despite their resistance. While Hufflepuff was still at zero. Alex didn't know what to think. The Snitch was still nowhere to be seen. Although they had chosen the right strategy against the other team, they were playing completely passive.
So, Alex decided to change things up. He dove down closer to the right side. The other Seeker followed him thinking he might have found the Snitch. But it was a feint. Alex was actually aiming for the Quaffle. He jolted to the left and intercepted a pass. With the Quaffle at hand, he flew straight toward the enemy hoops while keeping a low altitude. After that, he flew up around the other side of the hoops, looping around overhead, before throwing the Quaffle through the centre hoop. The Griffindor Keeper was stunned looking confused on the other side of the hoop.
"Hufflepuff scores! An amazing play by Grey, the new Hufflepuff Seeker!" yelled the announcer.
The crowd went wild at the unexpected performance of the Hufflepuff Seeker. His team seemed to be woken up. They started to play more energetic, even putting some pressure at the Griffindor defences.
The game played on and the score was now 160 points to 50 points with Griffindor on the lead. Then Alex saw a glint in the distance. It was surely the Golden Snitch. Without wasting time, he shot past the other Seeker. He didn't bother making a feint this time. When he got close, the Snitch change direction and dove down. The chase has started and the other Seeker was still trailing behind. He flew masterfully as he followed the Snitch.
A Bludger was heading his way, but he had already seen it before it came close. With a rising corkscrew manoeuvre, he avoided the Bludger. The move had also closed the distance between him and the Snitch. By leaning forward and extending his arm as much as he could, he finally caught it.
"Grey has caught the Snitch. Hufflepuff wins, 200 points to 160 points," said the announcer.
The Hufflepuff stands goes off in a thunderous roar. They have defeated the team that was most predicted to win the Quidditch Cup that year. Even their own housemates couldn't fully believe it.
Everyone was congratulating Alex on his amazing performance. He was most credited in the team for their win. There was a wild party in their common room. Clay and his gang were even chanting his name.
With a newfound confidence in their abilities, they had won every game they had that year, eventually winning the Cup. There was a new sort of pride among the Hufflepuff students. Even Prof. Sprout was suddenly passionate about quidditch, much to Prof. McGonagall's irritation.
Their house has managed to snatch the House Cup as well. Winning all their quidditch game was a big part of their overall points. Another great contributor was Clay and his coalition of students.
Not all students could perform well in all subjects. Clay directed the other students to focus on the subject that they were most interested in. The students who turned out to be the best in their house for a class became their representative and main points earner for that particular class. The rest acted in support. This way, they avoided competing with members of their own house. With this system that Alex suggested to Clay, they were constantly earning house points for the entire academic year.
Ch.7 - The Butler and the Weapon
On the very next day that he got back from Hogwarts, Alex made a trip to Diagon Alley. He, once again, was using his disguise to appear older. He had to do this in Diagon Alley since it was the only place he could go to which would mask his use of magic from being caught by the Trace.
He went to Knockturn Alley and walked around there for a bit. It was a place that was only frequented by criminals and the destitute, the underbelly of Wizarding Britain. Here he observed the residents of the alley looking for a specific person that met certain criteria.
And there he found him. A man was standing idly just outside a restaurant. He was wearing some tattered clothes that practically screamed destitute muggleborn. However, his eyes were those of a proud man.
"What is your name?" asked Alex. He decided to speak simply and authoritatively.
"Malcolm Baxter, young sir," the man replied.
In actuality, he didn't need to say his answer. Alex had gotten better in his use of Legilimency. With just eye contact, he could scan the surface thoughts of any unsuspecting people. With a wand, he could scour even the old memories hidden in the depths of a person's mind. He cast a privacy ward discretely before continuing.
"I am Xander Greywolf. You are muggleborn, isn't that right?"
"Yes, sir," Malcolm said nervously.
"Don't be nervous, Malcolm. I am also muggleborn. Do you still have an identity in the muggle world?" said Alex.
"I do. I have a sister whom I visit once in a while."
"I may have a job for you. It could mean permanent employment if you are the right man I'm looking for."
"And what sort of man are you looking for sir?"
"I'm looking for a loyal and capable man, who can look after my properties and household, can be discrete, and one who can be proficient in conducting business after some training," said Alex clearly.
"And how would this man be rewarded in his services if he is willing and able to provide them?"
"A place to come home to, respect, a life an honest man could be proud of, and a monthly salary of no less than a 100 Galleons or its equivalent."
"Do you mean a manservant? Perhaps a House-elf can serve your needs better?"
"I need more than a manservant, what I need is a trusted aide. I realize it can be shocking, however, you know that even a manservant can hold his head high in society. Think it over some more. I will be in the Leaky Cauldron next week at 9 o'clock in the morning, ask for me from the barkeep to find me," said Alex. He left just as casually as he arrived.
He didn't need to ensure their conversation and his name stayed secret. Alex was reading the man's surface thoughts all through their conversation and was sure that the man would be there for their next meeting.
×××
When he got back to the Leaky Cauldron, he talked to Tom Maple, the proprietor.
"Tom, how is business?" he asked.
"Good enough, if I do say so myself," Tom answered.
He put up a privacy ward. He was starting to make it into a habit.
"Regarding our matter, how did it go?"
"Well, I did offer it to all muggleborn students that passed through here, but I was only able to give away around 40 copies, Mr Greywolf."
"That is as good as I have hoped. You will continue to do so until you've given them all away, per our agreement."
"Of course, Mr Greywolf. It's no trouble at all. I consider it an extra service we provide here in the Leaky Cauldron," said Tom.
When the students and parents started thanking him for the book, he had a different attitude about the task he was paid to do. In fact, he was quite glad to do it.
"Did anyone start snooping around?" asked Alex.
"There were some who took notice, but when I said I was giving them away for free, they didn't say much about it. Some of them even wanted a copy for themselves, but I couldn't give it to them according to our agreement," explained Tom.
"What did you do then?"
"Well, they were muggleborns, so I figured you wouldn't mind if I let them copy the book," said Tom uncertain of what his reaction would be.
"That's fine. It doesn't violate our agreement. Plus the more people know about the contents of the book, the better it is for us."
"They were also asking about you, but, of course, I couldn't say anything about that."
"Let them keep guessing for now. Actually, I want you to talk to them discretely, ask them If they are willing to leave their contact information," Alex said. He took out a pouch with 200 Galleons in it and placed it on the table.
"I can do that, Mr Grey. Do I need to make another oath?"
"Not this time. I trust you," he said. He had a feeling that he could slowly pull Tom into his agenda from now on. He seemed like a man who enjoyed being appreciated. He must not be getting enough respect in wizarding communities due to the nature of his pub. A few more 'thank you's' and 'I trust you's' and he would be more willing to abide by his bigger requests in the future.
[AN: Just so you know, I'm making Tom here just as he was in the first movie, and not like a pale hunchbacked man like in the books and in the third movie.]
×××
Back in the muggle side of London, Alex went around the city once again to collect his business mails. His investment portfolio has grown to a little over 3 Million GBP. He wrote to his brokers and told them to sell about half of his stocks so that he would have 1.5 million GBP in his bank accounts.
While waiting for his transactions to go through, he went to a metalsmith that specializes in crafting ceremonial or decorative weapons. It was a small shop in Westminster. The owner of the shop was an old man with very callused hands.
He showed the old man some sketches of what he wanted to be made. It showed a sketch of a double-bladed dagger that he wanted to be made using non-magnetic stainless steel. It would have a 6-inch blade and a 4-inch hilt. The blade itself would be 1 1/2 inches in width at the middle and about 3/16 of an inch in thickness, so it would be quite heavy for a dagger its size. There was no guard, instead the blade was just flared out where it met the hilt. The grip was to be made entirely of steel, so it wouldn't require a wrapping. The pommel was minimal, so the entire thing looked similar to a spearpoint.
On the flat side of the blade was a delineated area he reserved for some inscription to be made. On one side he wanted the word 'GREYWOLF', to be written with a strong and elegant font. On the other side, he wanted a shortened version of his favourite quote, 'Evil Triumphs When Good Men Do Nothing', written in Ancient Runes. He also requested a dark leather sheathe with an adjustable belt to go with it.
In addition, he made an order for two rings to be crafted. One of them would have a symbol of a wolf's head on it, made from the same metal as the sword. And the other would have the symbol of Prometheus which he used before, made of 22-carat gold.
When the man asked what reason a kid could have to order a weapon to be made, he simply said that he needed it as a gift for his grandfather. The man chose not to ask any more questions and said that he could finish all of his orders in two weeks and that it would cost him 200 Pounds for the dagger and 350 for the rings because one of them is made of gold. Alex accepted the deal and paid half the total price as a deposit before he left.
×××
A week has passed and he was back in the Leaky Cauldron. He greeted Tom, the barkeep, and checked in a room where he waited. A few minutes later, and he heard a few knocks on the door.
"You may come in," said Alex aloud.
The door opened and there was the man he was waiting for.
"Good morning to you, sir. I've come as you asked," said Malcolm.
"Good morning to you as well, Mr Baxter."
Alex invited him in with a simple gesture of his hand. After Malcolm entered the room, the door closed behind him. He sat in the chair where Alex had pointed him to.
"I hope you've come to accept my offer?" asked Alex.
"Indeed, but before I can agree to anything, perhaps we can make some things clear between us. What I mean to say is, what exactly are the nature of tasks you need me for."
"I simply require you to manage my properties, letters, or whatever task that can be expected for a personal aide to handle, the difference, of course, is that you also handle things that require magical solutions. Your real concern is if I will ask you to put yourself in danger or to commit some reprehensible things. And I'll tell you now, that you will not be robbed of your ability to make your own decision," said Alex.
"If that is the case, I will gladly serve you, If you'll have me," said Malcolm doing a little bow of the head.
"Good, here is a magical contract that I've prepared. Read it carefully before signing," said Alex. He took out a parchment and put it on a table where a bottle of ink and a quill were also placed.
Malcolm read the contract slowly. The terms were simple enough to follow. They can be summarized in two clauses. First, he would not divulge his employer's secrets during and after his employment. Second, all orders would be obeyed to the best of his abilities unless he wished to quit his post with a formal resignation. Seeing that there was nothing in the contract that would force his actions, except for the confidentiality clause, he signed the contract with his acceptance.
The parchment burst out in blue flames and then it duplicated itself. One was obviously for Malcolm to keep and the other was for Alex. That had made the contract binding.
Then, Alex revealed his true identity to Mr Baxter. The man was expectedly surprised that a young boy was able and daring enough to do what he had just done.
"This is my real, appearance. My real name is Alexander Grey. You could see why I would need an aide. Does this change your mind?"
"No. Not at all. Whether you are a child or not, you are my employer from now on, sir," Mr Baxter said with a bow.
Mr Baxter thought about walking away, but he decided to stay when he thought how a young man was able to do all this. Not only having wealth to back his words, but the young man was also very knowledgeable in magic and spell casting. He thought about the potential the young wizard would have in the future. He decide that following this young man was worthwhile, after all.
"You won't regret this, I promise," said Alex with a grin. He could have tricked the contract to ensure the man's loyalty, but he decided to be fair. He knew he made the right choice with Mr Baxter. He was reading his mind passively in their entire conversation. However, he had to remember to teach the man 'Occlumency' in the future.
×××
The first thing they did was to find a real estate agent that could help assist them. They went to a small office near Hyde Park where an old lady received them. Alex was looking to purchase a large plot of land with a small manor outside London. He let Malcolm do the talking for him. The agent had just the thing located at Norwich in the East of England, but she told them that she had to arrange the meeting with the caretakers before they could make the trip the next day.
In the meanwhile, Alex had given his room in the Leaky Cauldron to Malcolm where he could stay for a while. He also given him 2000 GBP and 300 Galleons to purchase what he needed for his new job. Those things included new clothes, an enchanted trunk and a post owl for himself.
The next day, they were back in the real estate office the following morning. Malcolm was dressed in one of his new suits. They made the 2-hour trip to Norwich using a hired car.
When they arrived an old man was waiting for them by the front gates. Then, they were guided on a tour on the property. About 15 yards from the front of the property was a small two-story old Georgian farmhouse with six bedrooms.
Alex liked what he saw. Even though the manor was quite old and in disrepair, such things can easily be fixed with magic. The expansive 3.5 acres of land was what he liked the most. With the proper wards, perhaps he could raise some magical plants or animals on the property although he also had a need to keep at least a portion of the property muggle friendly.
"What do you think, son?" asked Mr Baxter.
They were pretending to be a single father and his son.
"I like it. I want to live here, Father," Alex said.
"Very, well. We'll take it. Father will make an offer for the house."
In the following week, Mr Baxter negotiated the price with the owner of the house through their agent. The final price they agreed on was 350,000 Pounds after taxes. When the deal was finalized, Mr Baxter let the caretaker go with a 20,000 severance check. The old man was happy to accept the money and leave.
After the man was gone, Alex and Mr Baxter went back to the room that was to be the library and talk about what was to be done on the house. Alex would be leaving for Hogwarts soon, so he wanted to go over everything he wanted Mr Baxter to minimize their owl communications.
"Mr Baxter, I want you to register this estate with the Ministry of Magic as a wizard home. If needed, you can tell them that the land was something you inherited from a distant relative. Make the story as simple as you can so as to avoid too many questions. Agree to all the required wards and promise them that you will hire goblin warders as soon as you can.
"Do not appear to be in a hurry to get this done. But after that was all done and the wards are properly applied. You will apply for a Floo connection for the fireplace in the small common area on the second floor. Your task until Christmas break is to repair the house as best as you can."
And with that, Alex left Mr Baxter on his own devices. He gave him enough money to do all the tasks he needed, and he also made him a signatory to some of his bank accounts. He had also left behind a book about household spells and a guide to learning 'Occlumency' that he had written himself. He ordered him to learn as much as he could during his free time so that he could better serve him in the future. Alex wasn't worried about betrayal. He doubted that Mr Baxter would even think about such things as long as he is treated with respect, but in the unlikely situation that he did, he is bound by a magical contract, to formally inform him in person that he would be leaving his service. Alex would decide on how to deal with him should that happen.
Ch.8 - Third Year in Hogwarts
Back in Hogwarts, Alex was reunited with Clay and Katie. They had become his best friends in the school. Since they were now third-year students, they could start to take elective courses in Hogwarts. He decided to take Arithmancy, Study of Ancient Runes, and Divination.
Arithmancy was comparable to regular mathematics. It was the study of the magical nature of particular numbers and numerical sequence. An arithmancy calculation was required for the most methodological approach to spell crafting. Alex had decided to master Arithmancy this time since he had barely passed the OWL on the subject in his previous timeline. Clay was with him in the class, since apparently, arithmancy can help in calculating the planting or harvesting time of magical plants. Despite his excitable character, his favourite class in Hogwarts was Herbology with Prof. Sprout.
In the Study of Ancient Runes, he was with Katie. They both wanted to learn how runes can be incorporated in enchanting and crafting. Even though most enchanting in the modern wizarding world was done with wands, using runes was still a practice that survived among the non-wand wielding sentient magical beings such as the goblins who were not permitted to carry wands.
As for Divination, it was a very imprecise magical art. However, he also knew that predictions of the future did exist in the wizarding world. Although truly seeing the future requires the very rare gift of a 'Seer', a methodological approach can also be used by anyone with the right knowledge to see projections or certain possibilities of the future, although less precise. However, that could not diminish the importance of divination in the wizarding world. In fact, most of the artefacts that he came across in his previous timeline when he worked as a smuggler had something to do with making predictions of the future.
One more reason why he wanted to learn Divination was because it was the earliest class that a student could take that had anything to do with ritual magic. It was a branch of magic about which any information was difficult to find, even in the black market. He knew that the Dark Lord was a master of ritual magic. The dark wizard didn't even look like a human. And, ritual magic was the only branch of magic that could possibly explain how he came back to life or how he avoided death.
Of course, he didn't tell anyone of the reason why he was interested in Divination. To them, he was just a student who decided to study something he was mildly curious about. With the reputation of the current Divination professor, Sybill Trelawney, he knew he had to learn everything about the subject by himself. He didn't mind that at all. After all, he didn't want to be known as a student with an unhealthy interest in Divination.
×××
Alex, Clay, and Katie were in the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade drinking butterbeer. They were finally able to go to Hogsmeade on the weekends starting this school year. They were sharing a table with just the three of them.
"And then Snape deducted 5 points from him just for coughing. I tell you, he is biased against anyone not from Slytherin," said Clay before taking a sip of his drink.
"That's not anything new, Clay. Also, it's 'Professor Snape'," said Katie.
"So you say, you're the best in Potions in our year. But even you hardly earn any points from him," said Clay.
"When it comes to potions, your habits are very important. And habits can be learned only through practice. That is probably why Professor Snape doesn't feel like explaining everything. Besides, when others make mistakes and he goes off like a kettle, that's when we actually learn from the professor. You just need to listen to his corrections and ignore the tone of his voice," said Katie.
"What do you think, Alex? You've been sitting there just drinking on your own," asked Clay nudging Alex with an elbow.
"Snape is not the best sort of teacher, but he is indeed a master when it comes to Potions. Everyone just has to avoid his anger to get something useful from him," said Alex.
He hardly gave it any thought. To him, Dumbledore obviously had a very important reason why he kept Snape around, the same can be said about Trelawney. He just didn't know what it could be. So, there was no need to think about it.
"Well, if it isn't the three Duffers. Having fun out and about, are you?" said another student who rudely interrupted them. It was Angus Travers who made an appearance along with five other Slytherin students. There were other students in the pub, but none of Clay's other friends were there.
"What is it to you, Travers? Get out of our face, you prick!" said Clay.
He had certainly become more domineering against other students after becoming the leader of his Hufflepuff gang.
"Don't speak to me like that, Rosewood. Your little group is not around to protect you right now. You should be careful, you know. We are not inside the castle. You could easily trip on the ground if you're not careful," said Angus with a sneer.
"You are a pathetic little snake, Travers. Talking big only when you got us outnumbered?"
"YOU are the pathetic one! Look at you. You're such a disgrace to the name of wizards. Hanging out with 'mudbloods', don't you care at all of your station?" said Angus slightly raising his voice.
Clay stood up and said, "Careful how you speak about my friends, or I'll pull out your tongue!"
"GET THEM!" shouted Angus.
All Slytherin students took out their wand and immediately fire spells on the three of them. Clay was caught unprepared and was hit by a knock-back curse. However, Alex was quick enough the deflect all incoming spells that were aimed at him and Katie. He had even managed to deflect some of the spells back to the casters, knocking two of the thugs back into a table.
With quick wand work, he took care of the two other thugs with 'Stupify' spells. Now only Travers was standing. Alex flicked his wand and shot him with an 'Expelliarmus' charm.
"You never learn, do you? Let's make it a fun little lesson for you," said Alex. Angus was looking at him in fear. He had never been on the receiving end of such quick spell-work. He was about to make a run for it when his body was pinned on the ground with a powerful 'Descendio' spell.
"Katie, why don't you take Clay here to the infirmary. I will take care of this mess."
"Are you sure? We should just leave them behind here," said Katie. Although she was quite incensed when Angus called them 'mudbloods', she didn't want Alex to be in trouble.
"I won't do anything too bad," said Alex smiling playfully. "But, what I do have in mind is something not for women to see."
After Katie left, Alex looked down on Angus as the boy lied on the floor. He didn't want to bully a child, but not retaliating would send the wrong message to the other muggleborn children.
"Remember, your things will be in the fountain," said Alex. Angus was about to ask what he meant, but he had lost his consciousness before he could.
Minutes later Angus and his gang woke up in the tavern and found themselves surrounded by giggling students. Soon enough they realized why they were being laughed at.
They were completely naked with a sign hanging on their heads that said 'little snakes'. He wasn't sure exactly if sign referred to them being Slytherin or something else. He and his gang ran out with their hands covering their bits all the way back to the Hogwarts courtyard where the only fountain he could think of was located.
×××
Alex had a laugh playing tricks on the Slytherin. However, he had no time to play with them. He had three electives and quidditch to occupy his time. Furthermore, he joined the Charms Club of the school, so he could further reinforce his reputation of being a Charms genius. But, what really occupied his time was putting his research from the last school year to use by enchanting the three objects that he acquired last summer, the steel dagger, the 'Greywolf' ring, and the 'Prometheus' ring.
First, he enchanted all three items with anti-theft, anti-summoning, protection from extreme temperatures, extra hardness, and self-repairing enchantments.
For the 'Prometheus' ring, he put on it an enchantment that would warp the gold on the face of the ring to either hide or show the symbol on it and another enchantment that would burn the hand of anyone who wears it other than him.
As for the steel dagger, it was enchanted to be self-repairing and to be extraordinarily sharp. But, its main feature was its ability to float, fly, and manoeuvre mid-air similar to a broom's enchantment. It can reach a comparable speed of a crossbow bolt instantaneously.
The Greywolf ring was enchanted to control the dagger with a range of up to 200 yards. This was the reason why it was made of the same stainless steel as the dagger. Having identical material made it easier to form a sympathetic link between the two. It was also enchanted to burn the hand of anyone who wore it except for Alex and his future descendants.
Lastly, a simple notice-me-not enchantment that can be turned on or off was placed on it. He simply had to move his hand while wearing the ring and send his mental commands through it and the dagger would shoot up from its sheathe to do his bidding.
He made sure that using the ring and the dagger would not trigger the Trace similar to using a broom did not trigger it. Not to neglect anything, he also enchanted the dagger's sheathe and its straps with the regular protections.
Even using all of his private time he had in his dorm, it took him almost four months to finish all the enchantments making sure they were all functioning together. The intricacy of layering that many enchantments took a lot of revisions on his part.
It was only a few days before Christmas break that he finally tested out the power of the dagger in the Forbidden Forest. From his test, it took less than a second for the dagger to reach a target located 10 yards from him coming out of its sheathe. The raw speed of it, he estimated, was about 200 miles per hour, about as fast as an arrow. It was faster than any broom. And with its hardness and its weight, being almost two pounds, it could easily penetrate a tree trunk that was two feet in diameter.
×××
The following day after he left Hogwarts for the holidays, he made a trip to his estate in Norwich by flying on his broom at night. Mr Baxter welcomed him eagerly at the front gate. After they were inside the house, he was updated to the changes that happened on the property during the past four months.
The manor was successfully registered as a wizard house with the Ministry under the name of Hermes Country House as he instructed. That was also their Floo address. The goblins have applied a Muggle-Repelling ward and a Magic-Containment ward on the whole property. Mr Baxter also explained the repairs that were undertaken throughout the house.
The bedroom nearest to the staircase was converted to a second living room where the fireplace connected to the Floo Network was located. Another bedroom was converted to a library, although they didn't have the books to fill them yet. The bedroom across from that was converted to an office.
So in the end, they only had three bedrooms left. The biggest one was to be the Master Bedroom where Alex would sleep if he was ever staying there. One would be a permanent bedroom of Mr Baxter and the last one would be for guests. All of the bedrooms were furnished simplistically, as neither of them had an extravagant taste. If they needed more rooms, they could just use expansion charms in the future.
On the ground floor, the decorations were more pronounced. The living room on the east side of the house had a simple elegance about it. The couches and coffee table were placed on one side opposite to where a double french door was located which led to the back gardens. The west side of the house was where the dining room and kitchen could be found. The dining room was big enough to fit a 14-seat table. The kitchen was big enough for two people to work comfortably. And except for the kitchen, everything on the ground floor was muggle-worthy.
The cellar of the house was accessible from the kitchen. A wine-cellar was located there along with a Potions crafting room and a supply closet. There were also smaller rooms where House-Elves might stay in the future.
Except for Christmas and New Year's Eve, Alex had returned to the country house every night. After the wards' ownership was passed to him, his first task was to modify the Muggle-Repelling wards. He made it so that the overall ward can be partially opened by anyone who was permitted to. He found no reason to alter the Magic-Containment ward.
Anti-Apparition, Anti-Portkey, and Intruder Detection wards were also applied in the entire estate with an exception to an area in the back garden, marked by a birdbath, where people could perform Apparition only if they were thinking of a certain phrase. A similar treatment was applied in the Floo Room where a visitor would not be able to step out of the room or use the Floo again unless they were welcomed to do so or they were thinking a similar passphrase.
Within the main wards were small locally applied wards. The kitchen and the entire cellar was inaccessible and unnoticeable by non-magical people. The library, office, and the Floo room were also similarly warded.
The hardest warding he had to do was the combination of 'Protego Totalum' and 'Salvio Hexia' charms that would protect the Manor and its immediate surrounding permanently from physical and magical attacks. All the ward stones that he used were also protected from breaking, summoning, theft, and being noticed easily.
There were also other wards and enchantments that provided certain conveniences like a temperature insulation and strengthening enchantments on the doors, windows, and outside walls of the manor. As for cleaning and maintaining the house, he would just have to acquire some House-Elves that would take care of the house.
He thought about making the estate unplottable or under a 'Fidelius Charm', but that level of secrecy was not needed yet. He planned to make the estate as his known base where he could invite guests or receive letters in the future.
×××
After returning to Hogwarts, he fell back into his previous routine. Everyone who knew him thought of him as a dedicated student who had little interest in anything outside his classes and quidditch. He spent his time in the library doing further research in Enchanting and Divination. He also spent more time improving the Enchantment on his daggers and rings. He had developed a reputation for being a recluse. However, there were also whispers regarding his duelling capabilities after what had happened in Hogsmeade.
The finals quidditch match that year was against them and the Ravenclaw team. The opposing team was well balanced. But, Hufflepuff was able to win the Cup once again as their members had more experience overall. He had also developed a strategy on his own as a versatile Seeker who could join the play on offence or defence when needed. It was mainly dependent on his placement on the field, keeping himself in a position to interfere in the action whenever he wanted to.
Another year had gone. Alex had performed great in the exams and even earned O's with distinction on Charms and Arithmancy. Katie and Clay had also performed well receiving EE's or better in their classes.
During the farewell feast, after some quick accounting of house points, Dumbledore declared Hufflepuff House to be the winner of the House Cup once again. They seemed to have found the secret to winning the House Cup with a few guidelines. The first of which was to avoid competing for points with the chosen point earners of your class. And, the second was to always stay quiet in Snape's class unless when asked. Clay had actually convinced the older students to follow these guidelines since doing so actually did not affect a student's final grades at all.
Ch.9 - Building Foundations
During the first week, he visited the Leaky Cauldron once again. The man greeted him as if they were close friends.
"How are the books I entrusted to you?" asked Alex.
"I have given them all away before the start of last school term," replied Tom.
"Good. I've brought some more books for you to distribute," said Alex. He handed a leather briefcase to Tom. "In here is 500 copies of the books. You just need to hand them out as before. You can also give them away to other wizards and witches if they ask. I'll leave that for you to decide. He is three hundred Galleons for your troubles."
These books were printed by Mr.Malcolm for him using an enchanted printing machine. It was certainly easier than printing it like how he did before.
"Okay Mr Greywolf, do you want me to make the same oath as last time?"
"No. You've proven yourself, Tom. I trust that you would do just as well, this time."
"Thank you, Mr Greywolf."
"By the way, did anyone leave behind their name and contact information for me since last year?"
Alex had asked Tom to collect the names of those muggleborns who wanted to meet with him.
"Yes, I have them right here," said Tom. He took out a small journal and handed it to Alex.
In the journal were the names and addresses of wizards and witches that wanted to meet with him. He recognized some of the names from his previous timeline, but he wanted to start fresh and meet with every one of them just the same.
He went back home to his grandfather's house and only visited Hermes Country House during the night. He gave the list of names to Mr Baxter and ordered him to communicate via letters to the people listed there and use his alias 'Xander Greywolf'. His task was to get a feel about their motives in wanting to get in touch with him. He also instructed Mr Baxter to propose the creation of a Hogwarts Muggleborn Alumni Group to anyone he chose and schedule a first meeting in Leaky Cauldron a month later.
During that month, he wasn't idle in the non-magical world. He visited his stockbrokers, making sure to go through the Leaky Cauldron every time he needed to change his appearance. His investments have grown to 5 Million GBP this time. He once again moved his investments around and sold those stocks who did not earn him as much as expected. After he had about 2 Million GBP in his bank accounts, he looked for warehouses and small shops in the city that are on the market. He ended up using about 1.3 Million GBP in buying two warehouses and three shops.
His time in the country house was spent creating ward stones that can easily be used to create a Magic-Containment ward on any site. This time, he had no intention of registering his new properties to the Ministry. In fact, he did not want the Ministry to know about them at all. As their main purpose is to earn him money on the non-magical world. Making a profit through a business is definitely faster in the non-magical world. The economy was so much bigger than that in the wizarding world and the purchasing power of a middle-class family in the mundane side was immense. In the wizarding world, only people from wealthy families could think about purchasing luxury items.
After finalizing the purchase of the properties, he had one of the warehouse renovated to be converted to an auction house. Auction houses were a booming business type in that period with very few competitions. On this business, he wanted to keep it completely mundane. So, he bought some ads on a local paper and talked to a head-hunter to acquire the necessary staff for his business while he was waiting for the renovation to be finished. He registered the business under the name 'Greystone Auction House', the ownership of the business was filed under the name 'Al Greystone'.
×××
One morning during the first week of August of 1985, several wizards and witches were gathered at the Leaky Cauldron. The shopping rush for returning and new Hogwarts students were over. So, seeing the Leaky Cauldron busy with customers was noteworthy to anyone who was paying attention.
"It's time Tom," said Alex who was sitting by the bar. He stood up and went up the staircase.
Tom nodded at him and waited for him to be out of sight, then, he stepped out from behind the bar and addressed the people in his pub.
"The meeting is in room four. The person you have been waiting to meet is already there," said Tom. He had become some sort of agent for Alex.
When the people made their way to the designated room, they saw an impeccably-dressed man. There were plenty of chairs in the room that was made to accommodate up to forty people with an Expansion Charm. The arrangement of the room was similar to a classroom aside from the lack of desks.
"Welcome. Please come in and find a seat so we could start," said Alex.
He stayed silent as everyone shuffled in nervously finding a place to seat. He surveyed everyone, meeting their eyes, and made sure all were seated before gently closing the door. Some of them were recent graduates of Hogwarts and others were as old as 60 years old.
"I am Xander Greywolf, but you already guessed that," he started. "For those of you who don't already know, I am muggleborn, and I am not ashamed to say it. And, neither should you."
His audience looked at one another nervously, unsure of what they've walked in to.
"I look around this room and see witches and wizards whose life did not turn out exactly how they wanted it to be. Unfortunately, the life of a muggleborn is difficult in the wizarding world, and it will be difficult still for years to come.
"Some of you might think that it would start to get better now that the Dark Lord is gone. But while you wait, we still have to live our lives one day at a time.
"Things are bad out there. I won't lie to you. But, there are always some things we can do to make our life better, for all of us," said Alex. He looked at everyone nod along. Everybody was waiting on his words in silence.
"That is why I want to help. Because I don't want to wait until things become better. I want to live my life free from fear. To live my life knowing that I can determine my own fate. And I know that I can only make it easier on myself if I make it easier to many others.
"So, I wrote a book and gave it away for free. Because that's what we are truly lacking, knowledge, especially the young children. I want every muggleborn to be equipped with the information that they need to live in this world. And who better to give them information than other muggleborns? Who better can they trust? We all know how the Daily Prophet can be.
"That is the reason you are here. On this day, I want to create an association of muggleborn witches and wizards, an association that will look after our interests."
After his short speech, he opened the discussion for anyone with something to say. Most of them were excited to be part of the group. Some were asking important questions that needed to be asked. While others were happy to go with the majority
And so, 'The Association for the Integration of Muggleborns' was born. It would be referred to simply as 'The Association' or 'AIM' in conversation. It was Alex's hope that it would play an important role in the future. Of course, there would be many obstacles. He knew that a purely political group would not survive its infancy in a society that lived by the law of the sword. After all, that was how the wizarding world was.
He presented them with a piece of parchment with the founding declaration of the association written on it. He said that as a historical record of their association, everyone should sign the parchment with their name. Only then would they be official members of the association.
Some of the people hesitated to sign the parchment since they were not ready to be members of an association that would clearly meet resistance from the Ministry. Unbeknownst to the few of them, they would be forgetting the details of the meeting the moment they stepped out the door. Alex knew that he couldn't keep the existence of AIM as a secret, that was not his goal anyway. But, he wanted to keep the Ministry ignorant about it in the meantime.
×××
Alex had also screened the surface thoughts of the members of the association to see which of them could be trusted to help him in his businesses. He selected 15 of them to contact after the meeting. These people were unemployed and were still attached to the muggle world. They were also among those who have not gotten involved in any criminal trade.
A day later, Alex met with four of the people he selected. He offered them employment under the condition that they would have to keep the details of his businesses a secret. After they signed a magical contract. They went to a warehouse that he owned in the middle of the night. The containment ward was already in place, so there was no problem of travelling via Apparition.
When they entered the building, Alex told them what he would be opening a classic car restoration business. The idea was to buy really old cars for cheap and use magic to restore them in pristine condition. Then, they could sell the car to a collector or to anyone for a premium price.
The front of the warehouse was to serve as a showroom and the back would serve as a workshop. Browsing their cars was only allowed with an appointment. The clientele that he expected would comprise of serious collectors from all around the country and not some casual buyers.
For the really special cars, they would sell them at the auction house that was under renovation at the moment. Alex had taught them about business and records keeping that he expected them to follow. Everyone was also tasked with learning about cars and restoration on their own time. He had also given them a guideline on how they would operate outside the warehouse in the non-magical world. After a week of establishing the operations, he left a 60-year-old man named Ben in charge.
Another four people were invited to be a part of the second business he opened which was an antique shop in one of the small shops he owned. It had a similar operation as the car restoration business. They would buy old jewellery, furniture, musical instruments, etc. for a bargain and restore them in the shop to be sold. Once again, the precious ones would go to the auction house to maximize the profits. However this time, they had to maintain a storefront. They would also offer their restoration services for a premium price. A middle-aged lady named Mary was left in charge of the business.
The third business that he created was a home restoration company that would buy old buildings and restore their condition. Another four was employed here. This business had the most paperwork necessary Alex had to teach everyone as much as he could. He had to give them some of his deployable ward stone as they would have to work in different locations in the city. A middle-aged man named Butch was made the leader. Since the process was too involved to be entrusted to anyone, he also asked Mr Baxter to come in and help his people establish the business in the beginning year.
The last shop building was used for a managing company that would help the other businesses in administration. They would handle the payroll, pension, etc. of all of Alex's business. The company was also authorized to move around a certain amount of money to help along with the operations of the other businesses. They would also be exchanging muggle currency to magical currency frequently. The shop was the most heavily warded than the other locations.
As one could expect, the contract that his employees had to sign for these ventures was more expansive. The most extreme clause in the contract was an 'Obliviation' agreement should they want to resign. However, there were no complaints from anyone considering the benefits they were receiving.
The three employees of the managing office was taught personally by Alex on how to create a forged money trail for his other businesses. He had also made them study the laws that they would have to be wary of. But, the real challenge was teaching them how to discretely confound or 'Obliviate' anyone that snooped around their businesses and how to avoid detection by the Ministry.
Alex had convinced all his employees not to depend solely on the wizarding world for their daily lives. He had to remind them that they could also have a fulfilling career in the mundane world so long as they don't break the 'Statute of Secrecy'. To this point, he also offered them the option of either receiving their salaries in Pound Sterlings or Galleons.
All the training was quite short, but Alex was confident that the businesses would be successful in time. And so, he simply chose to leave them to their tasks. Their contract was enough to secure their loyalty and dedication to him and his companies. Should any problem arise, he was confident that Mr Baxter could take care of it. Soon, he would have to return to Hogwarts.
Ch.10 - Fourth Year in Hogwarts
He was glad to be back in Hogwarts after such a busy summer. He had a lot to do and too little time to do them, but, it was necessary for his plans. For that school year, he continued to take the same electives as he had the last year.
It looked like he had a growth spurt during the summer. As he noticed that he became a little taller than Clay. He was probably 5'-7" in height, a little taller than the average height of his age.
He had gone back into the habit of constantly researching in the library. This time, he was studying ritual magic and some of the more obscure charms that he could find. He was barely able to find anything about ritual magic except for the historical texts that describe what wizards and witches were able to do using that branch of magic. Of course, as always he disguised his research with more books related to his current coursework.
Regarding his studies in Divination, he was actually making progress in the field. He was now able to make some guesswork regarding the near future after recording his predictions and waiting whether or not it would come true.
But, the most puzzling was his discovery about Prof. Trelawney. He started writing down her predictions from the start of his term no matter how outlandish they were. And from his observation, most of them have actually come true. The weirdest thing about her, however, was how obviously she was trying to 'pretend' to be an abled fortune-teller with all the cliché a layman would expect from a Seer. When in fact, she was actually a very good diviner. He was beginning to suspect that she actually genuinely possessed an 'Inner Eye', especially after he read about her great-great-grandmother Cassandra Trelawney who was a confirmed Seer.
Perhaps that was why Headmaster Dumbledore kept her under employ. He could be keeping her for her talents despite being inept in teaching. Most likely, he might be keeping her in the castle to prevent her talent from being discovered by anyone else. Alex could just imagine the shit-storm that would take place once people realized her true talent. Fortunately or unfortunately, she was too lacking in self-awareness to realize her own gifts.
×××
When Christmas break came around, he checked into his businesses to see how they were doing. His car restoration business had managed to sell around twenty cars in four months making him a tidy profit. The antique shop had a faster turn over and it had become quite popular among the collectors in the city. The biggest earner of all is the real estate company. His people had bought and sold around 6 houses in a period of four months. Their buyers might be wondering why anyone would restore an old house instead of renovating it completely, but they were happy to buy a house that was in good condition regardless of the outdated decorations.
All his businesses had a large profit margin compared to their competitors due to their lack of expenses. They didn't have to pay for materials or any outside workers, they only had to pay for the acquisition of the buildings and items and the salaries of their employees. Of course, his managing firm had the paperwork that hid their income. To outsiders, they were barely making even except for the auction house which had legitimate paperwork. After four months of operation, Alex was glad that his employees could now work without much supervision.
He had about 7 Million GBP in his bank accounts. So, he once again sought out the real estate agent that he had met before with Mr Baxter. This time, his aim was to look for one or two plots of land where he could have some houses built.
So, he bought a 10-acre farmland near Derby and another near Glasgow. He let Mr Baxter handle the administration of the process of building houses on them. They were doing it completely non-magical at the moment so, they filed for the right permits and hired a local contractor to do the work. It would have to look like they were building farmhouses for their would-be farmers. This way, they could avoid bringing attention to these sites from the magical side. Alex had no plan of registering these sites to the Ministry of Magic.
The farmland in Derbyshire is somewhere he was thinking of cultivating magical plants in the future. The farmland near Glasgow, however, would serve as a sort of barracks where his future recruits could live and train. With his businesses growing and 'The Association' getting bigger, he would need a security force that he could deploy wherever and whenever he needed to. If ever the need arise, he would have a force to be reckoned with.
It was around this time that he held a second formal meeting of 'AIM'. When he was in Hogwarts, Tom and Mr Baxter were entrusted to handle the smaller Association meetings. Mr Baxter guided anyone willing on how to get training employment in the non-magical world. Members could also come to Mr Baxter to exchange their muggle money for wizarding money at a rate which is 5% higher than what Gringotts had. Tom was there to give his recommendations regarding which shops and firms would not immediately turn away a muggleborn applicant. Some of the people who approached them were personally hired by Mr Baxter to one of Alex's businesses provided that they signed the same contract as the others.
In the meeting, Alex had presented them with a new book called, 'The Muggleborn Travelers Guide'. The book listed safety tips and guidelines in going out in the magical world. It also listed which shops were welcoming to muggleborns. All muggleborns were advised to frequent these businesses instead of their competitors. Interestingly, half of the shops in Diagon Alley was not listed in the book. It also listed which periodicals can be trusted in the accuracy of their articles. Neither the Daily Prophet or the Quibbler were listed. Most of those which were listed were academically inclined.
What was not mentioned in the book was how Alex was planning to slowly but effectively shift the economy of the wizarding world gradually. With their efforts in the Association, the overall purchasing power of Muggleborns as a group would grow in time allowing them to have a bigger impact in the wizarding economy. When that happened, businesses owned by pureblood supremacists would lose to their competitors in terms of annual sales. To any reader, everything that was mentioned in the book were there solely out of his interest to help the other muggleborns. However, Mr Baxter had already invested a great portion of their Galleons to some of the businesses that he listed in the book just as he instructed.
×××
One day after returning to Hogwarts, he was approached by Katie in the library with a proposition.
"Hey, Alex. I had an idea. I was thinking about how we can modernize the process of making potions," said Katie.
"And how exactly would that be different from the current methods?" asked Alex.
"Well, we could make it into some kind of an assembly line. With your enchanting skills, it may be possible."
"Well, the way I could think of it would be to make a set of equipment dedicated to a particular type of potion. It won't be exactly an assembly line. And, it would only be able to make the simplest of recipes," said Alex.
"That is amazing. We could start with the 'Essence of Dittany' potion what do you think?" asked Katie getting more excited with the idea.
"Great, I think we can work it out. I will design the enchantment on the cauldron first, while you research how the process can be streamlined without sacrificing much of the quality," said Alex. He liked the idea of it. He might even use it when he finally opened his own business in the wizarding world. The potion itself was easy to make. The only problem was the Dittany herb was hard to come by.
In the following month, they spent a lot of time working on their project on their own. When they found a private moment between the two of them, they were always very enthusiastic to share any progress or breakthrough that they might have found with each other.
For his part, Alex had asked for Mr Baxter to send him some metal rods via post. With the rods, he was able to fashion all sorts of devices that would automatically move around the ingredients to where they need to be. The hardest part was how to replicate the infusion of magic that would normally come from a wizard or witch. For this, he enchanted the cauldron itself to mimic the effect. A person would only need to supply the system with magic and place the fresh ingredients and empty vials in their respective locations to make a fresh batch of 'Essence of Dittany' potion.
On Katie's end, she was able to revise the recipe of the potion so that the ingredients could be prepared with simpler procedures. She was an especially talented potioneer and Alex was really starting to appreciate her talents in the art. However, as a muggleborn, he knew she would have fewer opportunities to make a living on her own. He made a note to help her in the future should she ever need it.
They were happy to see their finished device. The quality of the potion was acceptable, on par with what was available in the market. Alex had asked her to keep their invention a secret for the moment as it was something the both of them could use in a business in the future. To be a viable basis for business, however, they would have to find a stable source of Dittany. Alex thought whether Clay would be able to help in this matter, but that was for the future.
×××
Before the year ended, Alex was voted to be the next Charms Club president starting next school term. He was glad to accept the position. It would establish his position as the Charms genius of the school. He would also make the membership of the club to be fairer to everyone. He had to make sure to invite more muggleborn students during the next school year.
Clay's gang of Hufflepuff students had become renowned in school. Although the faculty was not certain, they already suspected that some of the biggest pranks that happened that year was done by the gang. They would be right in their suspicion, Clay's gang was indeed busy that year in fulfilling their self-appointed role as a punisher of those who dared to bully any Hufflepuff students.
The gang was also suspected of selling candies and treats among the student body. They would be right once again. However, it was Alex who supplied the gang with their sweets. While Clay was known as the 'Badger King' outside of the Hufflepuff common room, all members of the house knew that he answered to Alex in reality. Clay himself had never denied this to his gang. Every time he had a big idea that he wanted to promote, he would credit Alex as the source.
At the farewell feast, the Hufflepuff had once again snatched the House Cup. It was beginning to look like a dynasty of the Hufflepuff house. Prof. Sprout could not be any prouder of her 'badgers'.
END OF CHAPTER
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