Alex sat back as he fully appreciated the peace and quiet of his surroundings. Nothing was stopping him now; there was no noisy crowds, there was no buggering pink-haired Aurors, there was no dragons, and his pair of phoenixes were at Hogwarts. Nothing will spoil this day. Nothing.

A vibrant voice blared inside the living room, "Congrats Alex! You tied with Viktor!"

A voice spoke in his mind, "Sorry master, your girl-friend was bugging us too much, so we flamed her here."

Great… cross off buggering pink-haired Aurors and phoenixes. That's still peaceful enough…

Alex replied, "Whatever. Just keep Tonks somewhere besides the study; I have some things to do."

A trill followed and Alex walked into the study. He sat down on a chair and removed the folded note from his pocket.

Hey Alex – It's Andrei again. We have some trouble with a werewolf around here. Bounty is same as last time. Owl back if interested.

Alex smirked. Another werewolf to be hunted in Bulgaria? That's funny; apparently it's some weird haven for the "dark" sided creatures. Harry didn't care who it was; all he cared was that werewolf needs to go.

Alex wrote a letter back and said he would accept the offer. When Alex finished, he gave it to Augustus and let him do his thing. Alex then thought about what to do. He had to keep his presence at Hogwarts, but this was too good of a deal to pass… good thing the Second Task wasn't coming for a couple months. Harry then thought of Tonks… yeah, that might be a little problem there. Hunting down a werewolf… one of the things that isn't in a book or Hunting Werewolves for Dummies. Alex was not stupid; they were extremely tough beings. Even in their normal state, they were much more powerful than the average wizard and could certainly take much more punishment. But Alex had done if before; just stick his primary wand covered with silver in the heart of the beast and it'll be dust. Poof!

Now the quandary was how Alex was going to cover his temporary absence. Alex figured probably a good week or so he would be out plying his craft. Most of the time would be to track down the werewolf and follow his movements. Of course, the kill would be the shortest; hopefully just a few moments, assuming nothing bad happens. Now how was he going to cover his absence? Hmm… illusions. Yeah, Alex could conjure an illusion of himself. Now the talking? Alex could enchant the illusion to reply to simple requests. And Tonks… Alex needed to tell her he had to be alone for the next week and a half. Yep, that sounds like a plan. Stick a dummy in the school for a week or so while Alex went out for his usual fix and get back and resume his duties. And no one of course would be the wiser and Alex would be ten thousand galleons richer.

Alex walked out of the study and looked for Tonks. Oh well, looks like she probably bunked for the day. Alex walked into his bedroom and –

"Hi Alex."

Alex shut the door immediately and his face flared into an intense shade of red. He closed his eyes and focused on his Occlumency. He tried clearing his mind, but damn! It was so… invigorating. Enticing; things he found rather err… satisfying for his uh… male side. No! Bad thoughts! Damn the Auror!

Alex managed to control his facial furnace and his thoughts managed to stray to other things besides some things. Alex was confused; he had to admit this wasn't the first time he had seen nude people. But Tonks… it put things into a whole different context. It wasn't the same apparently. Maybe because other people were out for Alex's throat and this one was out for Alex's heart? No way… and when did the thoughts of romance even creep into Alex's mind? Bah! Think of something… yeah like werewolves. Mental note; knock on the bedroom door before entering even if it was his own bedroom. Walk in at your own risk to damage your innocence.

Alex rapped his knuckle onto the wooden door and heard a muffled, "It's clear."

Alex cautiously opened the door and saw a smug looking Tonks sitting on his bed clad only in an extra large shirt.

Alex pointed at her "bedroom," "If you are not going to presentable Tonks, then please head to your bedroom."

Tonks pouted, "Don't be a killjoy Alex! So did you enjoy the view?"

Alex again regained the heat in his cheeks as the subject was brought up, "Y-y-what?"

Tonks laughed and pulled Alex to the bed, "Your tongue is so easy to tie. Come on Alex, it's just a naked woman. What's wrong with that? It surely can't be as bad as a dragon."

Alex just kept his mouth shut and embraced Tonks. He was somehow used to this warm presence pressed onto him. And the smell of crushed berries… yeah it's good. Whatever it was, Alex wanted to keep it that way, although of course it comes with price of a teasing Tonks, but to hell with that. Alex for the moment forgot the reason why he was even in his bedroom this early in the first place. All he felt was the warmth and comfort of the moment.

Alex had almost drifted away into the land of dreams when he realized that he was supposed to tell Tonks that he was leaving for a week or so. Tonks by then was sleeping soundly; her breaths gently blowing onto Alex's face. No, Alex couldn't just wake her up right now; that's plain evil. He crept off the bed and grabbed a pen and grabbed a sheet of paper. Yeah, yeah, it should be quills and parchment, but that crap is so old. No way was he going to use that quill when he had the marvelous and cheap ball-point pen. Before he could inscribe anything onto the paper, a voice sounded from the bed, "Alex?"

Well, looks like Alex could save a tenth of a tree by not using one piece of paper. Hey, it's called goin' green!

Alex turned around and said, "Tonks, I have to go out for a little while."

Bad luck that Alex happened to sit about an arm's length away from the bed. A pair of strong arms pulled Alex to the bed. A voice whispered into his ear, "And where are you going Alex?"

Alex shook himself off of Tonks' grip, "I have a favor I need to fulfill. It's only for a week or-"

Tonks' just had to scream into Alex's ears, "ALEX GROZA! YOU ARE NOT TO LEAVE FOR EVEN A SECOND."

Tonks then lowered her tone, "You got that?"

Alex shook his head and thought of a quick excuse, "Sorry Tonks, it's magically binding."

Tonks sat on the reply for a moment and replied, "Just kidding Alex. But really, a week?"

Alex nodded, "Yeah, it's just a long ways from here."

Tonks said, "Ok. Then that means I need to do this."

Alex though beat Tonks this time. Instead of the usual surprise, Alex took the initiative this time. He didn't know what the heck was so special about this anyways. It's just lip-locking, tongue twisting and air exchanging. What the hell is special about it? But somehow, Alex felt some fuzzy warmth in him and he felt himself melt away, completely entranced by an activity he used to consider crude.

Alex felt Tonks withdraw after a while and they both were breathless; faces red from the exertion. They both said, "Wow."

Alex then asked the ultimate question, "So where was I?"

For the first time in a long time, Alex had a genuine smile of happiness as he saw the sun's rays hit Tonks' peaceful face. The sun hit her face straight on, illuminating every nook and cranny on her face. Even single perfection and imperfection stood out in the sunlight's brilliance. Alex didn't care about that little scar or that slightly crooked nose; she was beautiful beyond any doubt. Her light-brown hair that splayed behind her perfectly complimented- WOAH! Stop Alex! What the hell are you thinking! Alex shook his head and quietly extricated himself from her arms. He could dwell on that later. Alex looked at his wardrobe and extricated a pair of dull green basilisk boots. He normally refrained from using the priceless boots, but he was going to make sure that he was going to have any advantage over the werewolf. Alex wasn't going to doubt himself, but experience has proven to him that the more advantages you hold, the better. Alex then donned his basilisk armor and put on a basilisk covered helmet. Satisfied he was ready, Alex flamed himself to Lord Krum's home.

Alex's boots left imprints on the snow as he tread his way through the dark forest that surrounded the mansion. The constant crunching sound of the boot compressing the snow and stepping on twigs resonated throughout the quiet forest. Alex kept an eagle eye on his surroundings; he didn't bring his phoenixes with him as they would alert the werewolf of magical beings in the area and well… that would defeat the purpose of hunting the werewolf right? Alex was wary of every hoot in the forest; every twitch of the branch or leaf that he would notice. Even the owl that zoomed across the trees and the rabbit that bounded on the snowy ground was noted by Alex. Despite all of this, Alex was unaware of the looming presence behind him.

Lucius Malfoy slowly tapped his boot as he waited for the headmaster of Durmstrang to arrive in his office. He will arrange some things his way. Maybe his Lord will finally see the reason why having the Malfoy's around was a good choice.

Finally, after waiting a couple minutes after the appointed time, the headmaster stepped in and sat on a chair in front of Lucius.

Karkaroff curtly nodded at Malfoy, "What do you need?"

Malfoy looked dispassionately at Karkaroff, "What I am going to say is no idle talk Karkaroff. I have known you for a long time and intend to keep it that way. However, I believe that a certain Alex Groza will make things… complicated. I have a proposition for you that will please our Lord and keep your head on your shoulders."

Karkaroff stiffened, "You are not implying that are you?"

Malfoy smirked, "Yes Karkaroff, fail to do this to your own pupil and I will tell the Lord of your disobedience."

Karkaroff's eyes slightly bulged, but he relented. He will help Alex somehow… but for now, he had no choice if he wanted to stay alive and help Alex in the future, "What do I need to do?"

Malfoy continued to smirk, "Karkaroff, our Lord has requested to eliminate Alex Groza."

Karkaroff stiffly nodded.

Malfoy continued, "You are to report his whereabouts and where he goes every day. We are to track his every movement…"

Half an hour later…

Karkaroff walked off. As he did, he muttered, "Во́рон во́рону глаз не вы́клюет." (A/N: Should be translated roughly to (Hawks will not pick out another hawk's eye."))

Alex felt pain. He felt his whole body flung into the air and landing on the snow. His face hit the cold, icy ground and he quickly attempted to stand up. An iron grip on his throat prevented him from doing so. The hand that gripped his throat slowly lifted Alex off the ground. Good thing that Alex had decided to wear the basilisk armor or else he would be gasping for breath. Alex then could see face-to-face his assailant; a vampire?

Harry sneered at the vampire, "You think that choking me will kill me vampire?"

The vampire smirked back, "No human, but it eventually will."

Harry simply waited for the vampire to tire himself out.

One second… one minute… ten minutes…

Perspiration shone on the vampire's forehead in the midnight light, the smirk having long vanished, replaced by a snarl. But the vampire never released his grip on Alex. Alex waited patiently for the vampire to tire himself out.

Twenty minutes… an owl shot across the forest… thirty minutes…

The vampire was slightly trembling at the effort. Alex decided it was the opportune moment to strike. He grabbed his primary wand and thrust it into the chest of the vampire. The vampire didn't have a chance to stop Alex's movement. The vampire let go of Alex, who gracefully landed on the ground. The twelve inch long sliver of metal coated with silver stuck out of the vampire's chest. The vampire's eyes widened as he realized he was going to die. That was the prize of patience; the opponent couldn't strike back.

The last thing Alex heard from the vampire was, "Fuck…"

Alex withdrew the wand and wiped it on the vampires' clothing. The body in a few moments quickly turned into dust as the vampire "died." Alex distastefully pointed at the pile of clothing on the ground and quickly burnt it, leaving floating ashes as proof of the existence of the vampire. Alex then resumed walking, now ever more vigilant. Damn those blood-sucking hounds from hell.

After a couple more minutes of trekking in the forest, Alex stumbled onto the front porch of the mansion that was currently illuminated by a host of lanterns hanging to and fro on the mansion. Alex rapped the door-knocker and waited.

After a few moments, the door opened to reveal a slightly grinning Andrei, "Hey Alex! I hope that the forest has not given you trouble today."

Alex replied, "It always does Lord Krum. It always does."

Andrei ushered Alex in and Alex sat down on a chair. Andrei quickly pulled out two cups and filled them both with tea. Alex accepted the steaming cup of tea and slowly sipped on it. Nope, still not a fan of tea, but it will do.

A moment of silence hung in the air before Andrei decided to speak, "Be careful Alex; this werewolf will be very dangerous."

Alex was in mid-sip when Andrei said that. Putting the cup down, Alex said, "I know."

Andrei sipped his own cup, "It's not just that he's a werewolf Alex; it has been reported he could change at will."

Now at that, Alex's attention was fully on Andrei, "What?"

Andrei pulled out a couple of photos, "These are shots from some photographers that managed to take a picture of the werewolf. As you can see, these are very sunny and bright days, not full moons. I am afraid to say it Alex, but are you sure you want to do this?"

Alex resolutely nodded, "I don't back down Lord Krum from a challenge; it's what makes life interesting."

Andrei sighed, "I knew you were going to say that Alex. Just… just think about it for once. I know you are powerful on your own, but this werewolf is more than what it seems."

Alex replied, "No worries Lord Krum; I'll come back in one piece. Guaranteed!"

Andrei chuckled, "Or your life goes back to hell."

Alex lips slightly raised upwards, "Indeed Andrei, the demons of the living and the dead. Personally, I would prefer the living demons. Dealing with the dead is rather… uncanny."

Alex walked out of the mansion and stowed away some rations for the next couple days. The snow would suffice for his drinking. A portable tent in his pocket guaranteed a shelter in the night. The random rabbit and the rare deer would be protein enough. Random edible herbs, berries, and shrubs would suffice for vegetables for the moment. Alex stomped on, boots crunching into the snow in the quiet forest, marching on towards the direction that the werewolf was last reported.

Tonks sighed as she sat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall for lunch. She had to endure at least seven days of a silent and sort of foreboding Alex-being that was walking around. Key word is Alex-being. The illusion was simply not the same as his counterpart. Both seemed cold, but Tonks knew one had a heart and soul. This illusion had neither and was eerily silent. Not that Alex was a giant talker, but just a "yes" and a "no" was a hundred-percent worse than the real Alex. At least when Tonks teased Alex, his face would glow in embarrassment. This Alex was- you know what, why is this even in the mind? It's just a darn illusion, how could you even compare an illusion to reality? Tonks was shaken from her thoughts when Daniel tapped her shoulder. She turned around and waited.

Daniel pointed at Alex, "Is he ok? He seems rather… odd today."

Tonks shrugged, "Seems like same old Alex to me. Hey, I heard that your Firebolt X managed to do zero to a hundred in a few seconds right?"

Daniel eagerly nodded, forgetting about Alex for the moment. Tonks inwardly grinned; boys were too easy to distract. Quidditch or boobs… still the same effect. Except Tonks would never do the latter to anybody… except for one.

Alex continued trekking in the forest. His slightly enhanced sense of smell smelled only the bitter cold of the winter in Bulgaria, pine, and more pine. His ears only hearing his own footsteps in the forest and the occasional hoot of an owl in the night. His eyes seeing vague movements of creatures that bounded in the night, using the dark as subterfuge from predators in the air. Of course, the eyesight of the owl in the night was unmatched by many and would see these rabbits and mice on the ground, but the dark aids these prey – crunch.

Alex stopped and he only heard the steady beat of his heart after hearing the slight crunch of a foot or boot in the snow nearby. He scanned his surroundings, taking note of every single thing he could make as a possible threat. The rabbit… the owl… but nothing. Nothing Alex saw could lead up to the owner of the sound that signified the presence of a human or some being. Alex's hair on his neck stood up and he felt some presence slowly getting closer. Make that presences. There were more than one. Make that half a dozen. Alex could clearly hear the crunch of the snow as whoever these beings were started to close in. As they did, Alex steeled himself. Alex crouched and held both of his wands in his hands. Let the game of hunting begin. Ever the fate of the hunter, be ready to be hunted.

A/N: Ok... just finished. I think I'll post up chapters about 3-4k words; I find it much more manageable for me to post every week and a half at that pace.

As always, thanks for reading and your support (150 follows... squee)! I did not expect the 16k hits at all, thank you very much!

Feel free to drop a review; it's a click away from awesomeness :P Could you do me a big favor and round it to 30 reviews?

And responding to the reviewer of the last chapter, Harry doesn't want to reveal his identity yet as;

1 - he isn't ready to face his parents.

2 - technically, he's dead, so things might get complicated

3 - I feel like writing Harry as Alex for the moment.

And that's all for now! Expect the next update about a week and a half.