The Alexander Chronicles Year 5: The Growing Darkness
Chapter 1: The Family Home.
…
Things were not great for Alexander Black. At the end of his last school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he along with his friend Harry Potter, had witnessed the rebirth of the Dark Lord Voldemort. Alex had been one of the reasons that the Dark Lord could resurrect himself, as Voldemort had needed Alex´s flesh and magic to be reborn just as he had needed Harry´s blood.
Once Voldemort had returned, he had offered Alex a place at his side. An offer that Alex had refused and his grandfather Fredric Ambrosius had paid for that choice with his life. Voldemort had then ordered Alex´s uncle Adrian Ambrosius to kill Alex. And while Harry had duelled Voldemort, Alex had duelled his uncle and ended up killing him with the Shock Wave Spell.
Both Alex and Harry survived and escaped the graveyard, when they had returned to Hogwarts, they had told everyone about what had happened. Their teachers had believed them, but the Minister of Magic hadn´t.
In order to discredit Alex and Harry, so nobody else would believe them, the Minister had forced the Daily Prophet writing trash about the boys, like how they were traumatized, attention seeking or just insane.
Alex tried his best to ignore the words, but they hurt. His soundings helped with that. Right now, he was on a hilltop, sitting with his knees inches from his chest and his arms resting on his knees. He looked out seeing more hills, behind him, a forest, but ahead, a two-story house next to a small pond surrounded by a wooden fence. It was strange living at the countryside. Alex was used to living near the city or in the city as he had year ago, but this was nice, the solitude was good for him.
Alex stretched out, his hand hitting a newspaper, the Daily Prophet. He had been reading it a lot lately, despite the stories, they wrote about him. He was looking for any clues on what Voldemort and his death eaters could be doing, but there was nothing. Alex guessed that Voldemort used the Ministry´s ignorance to lay low and build his power
Next to the newspaper were a few letters from his friends. All from Blaise, Hermione, and his girlfriend Daphne Greengrass, all asking the same and checking to see if he was all right. He was, and he told them repeatedly that he would be alright, and that he was done mourning his grandfather. Though they hadn't found a body, a funeral was still held a week after he left Hogwarts and a grave put next to Alex´s grandmother's grave. It wasn´t perfect, but it gave some kind of closure.
However, things still weighed down on Alex. All because he was different. He was related to Slytherin, and supposedly powerful. It was the reason why his Grandfather was dead. Other things that weighed down on Alex as well, like the terrible things that he had done. When he had been thirteen, he had nearly tortured an older Slytherin student. Last year when he had been fourteen; he had nearly tortured his muggle stepfather, he had tortured his own cousin, he nearly joined Voldemort's cause and finally he had killed his own uncle. The kill had been an accident, but still it was a death that he was responsible for. Each decision, each year he grow older, Alex grow more and more violent. What would he do now that he was fifteen? Would he kill again? Would it be on propose the next time?
Alex had nightmares about that, about him killing his uncle, the snapping sound when his neck broke. Other times the nightmares would be about Alex´ uncle dead body calling him a killer or they would be about Alex killing in a fit of rage.
Alex would wake up screaming each time.
The dreams and fears bothered Alex a lot, so he did numerous things to keep his mind off them. He did his schoolwork and he began a secret project, Animagus training. Alex had decided, that he should become an Animagus ever since he leaned that his father was one. He had only begun reading more about Animagus transformation; he hadn't started on the magical transformation part, not yet.
"Alex!" shouted a voice. Alex looked down towards the house to see Draco Malfoy running from it, towards him. Within a couple of minutes, Draco reached Alex, breathing heavily. "Alex," He breathed out, trying to catch his breath. Alex watched Draco bemusedly. "Alex, he's here!" Draco said.
"Who is here?" Alex asked standing up.
"Your father, he wants to see you."
"You mean Sirius?"
"Yeah who else would it be when I said it was your father?"
Alex smiled and packed the Prophet and the letters in his bag, before he raced towards the house.
…
"So how is Alexander?" Sirius asked. He was sitting on a couch in the Tonks family living room along with Remus Lupin, across from them were Andromeda Tonks.
Andromeda paused as she thought about her answer. "He is doing better than he did when returned from Hogwarts. Still I am worried about him. He has been isolating himself a lot either he is looked up in his room or is outside in the hills."
"Maybe he just wants to be alone." Sirius answered, but he didn´t look like that he believed it.
"No, it is not that. We have all tried to talk with him about what happened in the graveyard, Dora have been most successful, but we all think that he is keeping things from us. I know that he has a lot of nightmares." Andromeda said looking at her cousin.
"Hopefully he just needs some time. Maybe it will help when he moves to the city and can be with his friends."
"Maybe, but-"Andromeda paused as the door to the sitting room opened, and the two teenagers of the house walked in.
"Alexander!" Sirius said standing up.
"Hey?" Alex greeted, looking at his father, he looked better, in fact he looked like he hadn´t been to Azkaban. "It has been a while."
"Too long." Sirius said as he moved over to hug his son. Alex was a bit reluctant at first, but returned the hug. "I am sorry about that. I had to take care of a few things for Dumbledore." Sirius said letting Alex go.
"It is okay." Alex shrugged, looking around the room to see that his former defence against the dark arts professor Remus Lupin, had come as well. "Hallo Professor." He greeted.
"I am not your professor anymore Alexander. Please call me Remus or Mooney." The former Professor said as he shock Alex´s hand. "Hallo Draco, that goes for you as well." Lupin added looking at the Malfoy heir.
"You mentioned something about someone moving?" Alex mentioned looking at the adults, which included Sirius, Lupin, Andromeda and Nymphadora, who just had walked in.
"Yes," Sirius said. "You and Draco will be moving."
"Moving to where?" Alex asked crossing his arms.
"A safe place in the city."
"We are safe here."
"I know you are, but we were thinking that you might wanted to spend some time with your father." Andromeda said as she laid a hand on Alex´s shoulder.
Alex didn´t wanted to spend any time with Sirius. He had needed him in the beginning of the summer. He had needed his father then, not now. It had been Nymphadora Alex had talked with. It had been her that had helped Alex getting over the death of his grandfather.
"I was just thinking that you might spend some time with me in my family home." Sirius said.
"No." Alex said, "I want to stay here!"
"I think you should come with me." Sirius said again.
"Why?"
"Because I say so?"
"Why?" Alex asked again in a lauder voice. He was so annoyed that his father wouldn´t give him the reason. Did he really just think that he could show up out of the blue and expect Alex to follow him.
"Because you will be safe there."
"Why will I be safer there then I am here?"
"It is not something I want to discuss now!"
"Why? I have a right to know."
"You haven´t."
"Why not? Do you think that you just can show up and ask me to follow?"
"Yes, I do."
For each sentence Sirius and Alex´s voices had gotten lauder and louder. "Why won´t you say WHY?" Alex shouted the last part.
"Don´t you raise your voice at me." Sirius half yelled.
Father and son stared at each other. Alex looked annoyed and angry. He was about to shout some more at his father, but before he could Nymphadora spoke up.
"I think you should tell him."
Alex gave Nymphadora a grateful look; at least she was on his side.
"I don´t want to worry my son."
"Ignorance will do him no good." Nymphadora stated.
"Dora, it is not your business." Andromeda hissed.
"I disagree mum and I am his guardian right? So legally I have to final say."
Sirius eyed her. "He is my son."
"Then trust him."
Sirius signed and looked at Alex, who looked at him expectantly. "Fine, we is afraid that Voldemort might target you."
"Because of Harry?"
"Yes and no," Lupin said, "we fear that Voldemort will target you and Draco." Draco who had stayed silent the whole time tensed. "Draco because he turned his back on Voldemort and followed you."
"Me?"
"Yes Alexander you." Sirius said, "You are the heir of Slytherin. Voldemort doesn´t want any competitors to hold that title. Especially, one that unlike him is a pure-blood."
"Silan and Selene are related to Slytherin as well."
"But they can´t speak parseltongue, you can." Nymphadora cut in. "That make you a treat to Voldemort."
"That's stupid," Alex said, sitting down in an empty chair.
"We know," Sirius said. "However, we will prefer to move you and Draco to my family home. Don't worry, we will be safe. The house is protected and unseen from nearly everyone."
Alex sighed. "Fine, when are we leaving?" he asked.
"In the morning," Sirius answered. "So you have the evening to pack."
"What about Nymphadora?" Alex asked, and felt an elbow nudge his shoulder. "As she said she is my guardian. Is she going with us too?" Over the beginning of the summer, Alex had grown quite close to Nymphadora. She had become quite the big sister type to him, which he didn't mind. He actually liked having her around. She was fun, humorous, and caring.
Nymphadora shook her head. "No, I won't be staying with you guys," she said. "But I'll be around a lot, for protection and well, to visit my little cousin," she said, wrapping her arm around Alex´s shoulders, who smiled.
"Don't worry, Alexander, you won't be alone," Sirius spoke. "All your friends will be there. Harry, Ron and the Weasleys, Hermione, and Blaise and his mother. It's going to be a very full house."
Alex frowned, did Sirius just mentioned Ron as one of his friends? Beside he hadn´t mentioned. "What about Daphne and Tracey?"
"They won´t be there." Sirius said.
"What? Why not? They are my friends too".
"Alex I am sorry, but their parents wouldn't allow it. It looks like Daphne´s parents and Tracey´s father has read the daily prophet." Remus said looking sad.
"What they believes those lies!"
"I don´t know, but they do believe that you are a bad influence on their daughters."
Alex signed, "Well that is just fantastic. I hate that bloody newspaper and it´s stupid lies."
"Alex, we know," Nymphadora said, squeezing his shoulders. "But they're not just calling you a liar, but Harry and Dumbledore as well."
Alex sighed. "I'm going to go pack," he said and left the sitting room.
…
Alex hadn´t begun packing when Draco entered their shared room. Alex knew that it had been hard for Draco defying his father. The first thing Malfoy had been was to cut Draco off, so money was a problem for him for the first time in his life. Alex or the Tonks' would lend or just give Draco money for clothes or other necessities. Draco however now wanted to earn his own money. Alex had never said it, but he was proud of the new Draco.
"So, shouldn't you pack?"
Alex blinked in surprise, not realizing that he had been staring. "Yes I properly should."
"It sucks that we have to leave to the city right?" Draco said sitting beside Alex.
"Yeah it does." Alex said as he stood up and pulled his trunk out from his bed and opened it. It was mostly filled with school junk.
"You know," Draco said walking next to Alex. "Why don´t throw all that junk out?"
"Are you kidding?" Alex said looking at his cousin. "All my old notes and school work. It is a good thing to have in handy. I mean if you need a quick sickle, you can sell it to younger student who have missed a lesson or needs to see your old essay."
"That is brilliant, but you think it will work in Slytherin?" As Alex shrugged, Draco bent down to examining the old notes. It was then he noticed something else.
"What's this?" he asked, picking up a small-unwrapped present.
"Give me that!" Alex said, snatching the gift from Draco's hands.
"Sorry," Draco said with a raised eyebrow and watched as Alex pocketed the small present. "But what is it?"
"It was the last thing my mum gave me before she was taken to Azkaban by that idiot we call Minister."
Draco nodded in understanding and the two teenagers began to pack in silence.
…
The next morning Alex and Draco were woken up very early by Mrs. Tonks. The two boys entered the kitchen, yawning, and seeing that both Remus and Sirius were there drinking coffee.
"Good morning boys," Remus greeted. Alex and Draco both mumbled their responses and sat down at the table where Mrs. Tonks gave them a plate of breakfast. A second later, Nymphadora entered still in her night clothes and stopped in her tracks at Remus and Sirius, and quickly closed her robe.
"Hey." Much to his surprise Alex noticed that Nymphadora´s cheeks went slightly pink.
Both Sirius and Lupin nodded in greeting as Nymphadora sat next to Alex.
"So uh Sirius," Draco spoke up, making Sirius look at him. "How do we get to your house?"
"We will use a portkey." Sirius answered taking a sip of his coffee."
"Portkey?" Alex asked. It would be the first time that he would travel that way since the graveyard.
"Yes, it is the fastest way to get there without taking the floo."
Alex nodded, before focusing on his breakfast.
"Go ahead and get your things then," Sirius said. "We'll be leaving in ten minutes." Alex and Draco nodded, finished their breakfast, and then left to go get their trunks and owl.
Ten minutes later, everyone was in the sitting room surrounding a leather torn glove. Mr. and Mrs Tonks was staying, and using the time to say goodbye to the
Mrs Tonks hugged both boys tightly, which was a surprise to Draco who was unfamiliar to it.
"Oh, you boys be careful, will you?" Mrs. Tonks said, letting go of Alex who nodded as Mr. Tonks.
"And remember to write." He said.
"Alright, everyone grab on," Remus said, and him, Alex, Sirius, a now dressed Nymphadora, and Draco touched or grabbed the portkey.
Alex felt the familiar feeling and felt the tug just behind his navel and had been suddenly jerked irresistibly forward. He could feel himself leaving the home of Mr and Mrs. Tonks and was speeding forward in a howl of wind and swirling colour; and then, his feet slammed into the ground. Everyone expect Alex manged to stay on their feet.
Alex looked around as he stood up. They had landed on a patch of unkempt grass in the middle of a small square. It was a little warm and humid, and the sun had yet to come up. As he looked around, he felt the grimy fronts of the surrounding houses were not welcoming; some of them had broken windows, glimmering dully in the light from the streetlamps, paint was peeling from many of the doors and heaps of rubbish lay outside several sets of front steps.
"Where are we?" Draco asked, back on his feet; but Sirius said quietly, "In a minute."
Remus was rummaging in his cloak. "Got it," he muttered, raising what looked like a silver cigarette lighter into the air and clicking it. The nearest streetlamp went out with a pop. He clicked the unlighter again; the next lamp went out; he kept clicking until every lamp in the square was extinguished and the only remaining light came from curtained windows and the sickle moon overhead.
Alex looked at the unlighter in fascination. "What is that?"
"It's a Deluminator," Remus answered, pocketing the item. "We borrowed it from Dumbledore; it'll take care of any Muggles looking out of the window. Now come on."
Alex and Draco grabbed their trunks while Dora had Alex´s owl, and Remus led the group from the patch of grass, across the road and on to the pavement. A pungent smell of rotting rubbish came from the pile of bulging bin-bags just inside the broken gate.
"Here," Sirius whispered, handing a piece of parchment towards each of Alex and Draco's hands. "Read it quickly and memorize it." He said, holding out a lit wand towards the two boys.
Alex and Draco looked down at their pieces of paper. The narrow handwriting was vaguely familiar. It said:
The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.
"What's the Order of the -?" Alex said quietly.
"Shush!" Sirius shushed. "Wait till we're inside!" He pulled the piece of parchments out of Alex and Draco's hands and set them fire to it with his wand-tip.
As the message curled into flames and floated to the ground, Alex looked around at the houses again. They were standing outside number eleven; he looked to the left and saw number thirteen; to the right, however, was no number twelve. "I don´t get it. It not here."
"Think about what you saw on the paper." Lupin said in a low voice.
Alex did as his old professor had told him, and suddenly Alex could see a new bundling next to number 11 and 13. It was amazing it was like the building had just popped up between the two others, even though there hadn´t been any room before.
"Come on, let's go," Sirius said, prodding Alex in the back.
Alex walked up the worn stone steps, staring at the newly materialized door. Its black paint was shabby and scratched. The silver doorknocker was in the form of a twisted serpent. There was no keyhole or letterbox.
Lupin pulled out his wand and tapped the door once. Alex heard many loud, metallic clicks and what sounded like the clatter of a chain. The door creaked open.
"Come on, boys, get in quick," Sirius whispered, "but don't go far inside and don't touch anything."
Alex and Draco stepped over the threshold into the almost total darkness of the hall. They could smell damp, dust and a sweetish, rotting smell; the place had the feeling of a derelict building. Alex looked over his shoulder and saw the others filing in behind him, Sirius, and Dora carrying Archimedes in his cage. Remus was standing on the top step releasing the balls of light the Deluminator had stolen from the streetlamps; they flew back to their bulbs and the square glowed momentarily with orange light before Remus backed inside and closed the front door, so that the darkness in the hall became complete.
"Now stay still, everyone, while I give us a bit of light in here," Remus whispered.
Alex heard a soft hissing noise and then old-fashioned gas lamps sputtered into life all along the walls, casting a flickering insubstantial light over the peeling wallpaper and threadbare carpet of a long, gloomy hallway, where a cobwebby chandelier glimmered overhead and age-blackened portraits hung crooked on the walls. Alex heard something scuttling behind the baseboard. Both the chandelier and the candelabra on a rickety table nearby were shaped like serpents. It looked as if no one had been here in ages.
"Anyone else here? And where is here? "Alex asked Dora.
"We are the only ones here," she answered. "and we are at the house of the most noble and ancient house of Black."
…
Chapter end.
…
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