Ch.22 - Wonderous World
During the month of October, Alex had the first opportunity to meet his teammates for the upcoming Quidditch World Cup. The first meeting was held at the Yorkshire Moors pitch
Quidditch pitches are warded against muggles. There are only five professional quidditch pitches in the U.K. due to the fact that they have to be located in places where few muggles are present.
Alex had arrived at the area via Apparition. He was wearing a fashionable and very neat looking attire.
Looking around, he saw that there were many journalists and fans in the area. The first meeting between the players and staff of the England team was a publicized event. It was good press for anyone involved.
As the youngest member who was not even a professional quidditch player, there were definitely some interested looks on him.
"Ah, you're right on time. Phillip Figg, manager for the Appleby Arrows. Good to meet you, son," said a tanned man with greying hair as he introduced himself.
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Alexander Grey," Alex said, doing the same.
"I know who you are. I've heard great things. I will be the manager of the England Team for the Cup, so we'll get to know each other very well. Let me ask you something, you must have received some offers to join a pro-league team, right? Why haven't you joined?"
"I do enjoy quidditch, but I don't know if it's something I want to do professionally," said Alex.
He didn't have any plans to be a professional quidditch star anytime soon. Although he enjoyed quidditch, he had his own reasons to play for the national team. The person that is Alexander Grey must become renowned in the wizarding world, as part of his long term plan.
"Of course, you have to weigh your options. We'll don't tell this to anyone, but if you decide to play professionally, we will be glad to have you in the Arrows. I'll make some room in the roster if I have to," said the manager half-jokingly. He wasn't supposed to be recruiting for his team.
"I'll keep that in mind, sir."
"Now, let's introduce you to the team properly. Most of them are here now, it seems. Oh, and try not to be nervous about the press, okay? As a quidditch player or manager, we have to learn how to deal with these people often."
They walked to where the crowd was gathering. A long table with chairs on one side was arranged at the centre of the pitch. The chairs for the journalists and other spectators were set up in front of the table.
Alex was guided to sit on the chair assigned to him. He waited there until just about every player had taken their seat. One by one the players were introduced formally for the record.
After the introduction, the manager had made his speech about his expectations from the team and his speculation about the strengths of the favourite teams to win it all. In the British Isles, that would be the Scotland Team.
The coach sounded like he didn't like their chances to even make it in the tournament phase of the World Cup. Alex would need to figure out something if he wanted to help his team win.
There were a total of 32 teams competing for the cup. Those 32 teams would be divided into eight regional groups of four teams during the preliminary phase. Each team of the group would play the other three just once, so there would be a total of 6 games in each group during this phase, similar to how Hogwarts have 6 games in total during the school year.
The top winner and the runner-up from each regional group would advance to the tournament phase of the World Cup. Losing a game in this phase would mean elimination. A team would need to win four times consecutively to win the Cup.
England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland were in the same regional group. So, only two of them would make it to the tournament phase.
After the initial speeches of the 'important' people, the gathering was opened up to a discussion. The reporters from the papers were free to ask any player or staff any question that they might have.
"Hi, Jullian Henson, from M-Sports Monthly. My question is for Alexander Grey. You had an amazing quidditch career in Hogwarts. How are you expecting to adjust in this new level of play?" said the reporter that he recognized.
"I expect the game to be faster and more intense. I'll be relying on my seniors here to show me the ropes during practice. When the games finally start, I'll be giving it my very best performance," said Alex. He had learned how to answer any question diplomatically as a part of his public persona.
Before the reporter could follow up on his question, someone else on the team decided to add something.
"Yes, we'll be sure to guide young Alexander here the best we can. We'll teach him the ins and outs of quidditch at the professional level. Just leave it to us, veteran players," said Ludo Bagman.
Alex didn't like Bagman's tone. The ageing quidditch star actually arrived late for the event while making a big scene, and now he was making himself sound like he was taking him under his wing.
Of course, Alex knew who Ludovic 'Ludo' Bagman was. The man was a very famous player from the Wimbourne Wasps. He was probably the best Beater in England even at his age.
He understood why he's trying to appear like Alex's mentor figure. He was considered an up-and-coming talent, while Bagman was on his way out.
But Alex also knew that Bagman wasn't one of the smartest people around. He was almost sent to Azkaban when he inadvertently passed along information about the Ministry to a known Death Eater during the last war. He was only acquitted because most of the jury were fans of him.
In addition, based on the rumours going around from the previous timeline, the man had a pretty bad gambling problem. It was said that the reason he disappeared from the public's eyes in 1995 was that he was on the run from his goblin creditors.
Alex would rather not be involved with Bagman, but he had to play nice with him at least until the World Cup was over. In any case, the man was indeed a great Beater, so it wouldn't hurt to play along a little even if he hated Bagman's condescending tone. It would be his last World Cup anyway.
[AN: Ludo is, hands down, the best master Beater around. He won't be out-performed by any up-and-coming Beaters even at his age. I'll see my self out.]
Around that time, Alex had also started a new business in the magical world. Using the accumulated business connections that the Association had gathered, he started a new home shopping business. The concept was new to the purebloods, but muggleborns were familiar with it.
Several warehouses throughout the British Isles were purchased and warded appropriately that would store whatever things they would be selling. A catalogue would be printed and circulated every month showcasing the wide selection of products available that could be purchased through them.
Using a Hermes communicator or an owl post, people could order whatever things they fancied and it would be delivered the next day by owl or by the company's own parcel delivery service.
For Alex, it was also a sort of insurance. If ever there was time again that people could not leave their houses for any reason, the Owl Shopping Network could be their way to acquire their daily necessities.
The company would create about 500 jobs for the people. Also, Alex had set it up in a way that 50 per cent of its profits would go to the Association. Perhaps in time, Alex could stop his constant donation to A.I. his own funds.
The 'Arms of Poros' was also making great improvements recently. They had a boost in applicants since the attack on the A.I.M. centre. Currently, they had 100 security personnel, 20 shadow personnel, and 100 people more in training. It had been slow in growing its number, but its strength lied in the quality of their training.
Alex had no doubt that the security forces were now better trained than a common Hit-Wizard. His shadow forces, on the other hand, were his answer to the more versatile Aurors. They were adept at staying hidden, trailing, disguising, spying and more.
As for his own progress, through constant meditation, he had made some discoveries regarding the nature of the orb of fire and his own magical core.
He believed that, as something that originated from Fiendfyre, the orb of fire was the embodiment of his violent and hateful impulses. He had definitely felt its reaction every time he acted with those impulses.
As for his own magical core, he thought that balancing one's emotions would get him closer to understanding its nature. His theory was with understanding, his magic would be more powerful. Some people did it instinctively and they were simply called talented. Dumbledore was probably a good example of someone who was closer to understanding his own magic since his childhood.
He had been spending all of the time he could spare meditating within his own chambers. His room in the country house had been expanded to be as large as an apartment just by itself. On one side was his sleeping area, on the other was a personal study area with a lot of open floor space.
On the floor was the familiar triangle with the representation of the three elements placed on its corner, a brazier with burning wood, a silver basin filled with water, and a polished rock the size of a large orange.
Alex had discovered that ever since the ritual he performed more than a year ago, meditating with a similar set up allowed him to go deeper into his own mind space. Occlumency could only help him much.
During that ritual, he had requested the three main elements to guide him in his introspection. So, having them present during his meditation sessions allowed him to go past the realm of memories and conscious thought.
"Light and darkness. These forces exist within myself and everyone else. Yet, some become evil and some remain good." He said aloud while in a state of meditation.
"But my morality can't simply be the sum or difference between these two opposing forces. There are many things in my life that form my principles. I can not simply resort to the rigid idea of dualism.
"I am light and darkness. I am also many other things. At the same time, I am also just one, a singular entity composed of many different concepts. The contradictions and cohesiveness among them do not factor in the equation. I am simply as I am."
"I never needed to quantify my self or justify how my morals came to be. I have known it instinctively all along. But, I have become obsessed with discovering the reasons behind my existence and why I was given this second chance. I know now that I simply need to learn how to accept the reality of my situation as they are.
"After all, does not knowing the identity of the parents invalidates a child's existence? No, it does not. For sure, the child must have a mother and a father, and every child could use their parents, but knowing them or not does not change the validity of the child's life. Life happens regardless."
When he had abandoned that common human desire to seek out reason and order in his own existence, the orb of fire had changed, evolved. It was as if he was discovering a new facet to the ever-changing fire. It simply defied reason just like him, cut off from fate or destiny.
He felt his core and the fire become more compatible. Perhaps, thinking of them as opposites and contradictory was holding him back.
It felt like what his own magic was asking him to do all along. To not be overly concern about the reasons for his existence and simply learn to live as he was. Learn to accept that some mysteries are beyond one's understanding.
It reminded him of something his grandfather had said. Some mysteries in life were beyond human understanding, even with magic. All that really mattered were his own actions, the choices he made.
It was almost counter-intuitive. As a wizard, he prided himself on being practical and rational compared to most. But now, his magic was asking him to take a little leap of faith. To take a step beyond reason.
And when he did, he felt closer to the nature of his magic. The orb of fire had approved. He had always thought of it as cursed flames due to the reputation of the spell that birthed it. But maybe, he was being simple-minded.
The fire was just acting on its own nature. It would burn and consume everything in its path. Its own purpose was beyond itself. Some people might use it to help, some might use it to harm. It did not matter to the fire as long as it continued to burn.
Alex had realized that it was up to him to give the fire its purpose. And it had been waiting all this time, eager to hear his call.
"Come forth," he said softly.
The wind whirled around him. The temperature became hotter. But Alex knew he wasn't in danger.
Some red sparks had appeared, but that was it. Alex felt that fire was having some difficulties in coming out. He needed to pull on it more and he didn't know how to.
Then the realized it, the fire was magical in nature. For most wizards, an incantation or a wand made engaging their magic easier.
The words had come to him. It spoke of the purpose that he needed the fire to perform.
"INFERNUM IGNEUS PATRONUM!" he shouted.
The whirl of wind turned to a torrent of fire with Alex within. He felt the heat, but his clothes and himself were unburnt. The room was unaffected. After giving the fire its name, he had become its purpose. So, it could only burn the things he chose to burn.
He felt a great deal of pain coming from his stomach like his insides were being pulled out. After only about ten seconds of letting the fire rage around him, he couldn't maintain it any longer. He fell over and lost his consciousness.
He woke up the following day when Mr Baxter knocked on his door. Apparently, it was already lunchtime. It wasn't strange for Alex to skip breakfast recently. But, he had always made a point to join Mr Baxter and the house-elves for lunch.
The two house-elves, Matt and Patt, had adjusted well to their new lifestyle. They were now always wearing very neat clothes, which took Mr Baxter and him a bit of time to convince them to wear. Their skin had become redder, a heathier complexion compared to their previous greyish colour. Having a house to take care of really made a drastic change to their appearance.
Alex had read before about a theory that house-elves got their magic from the house which they live in and not actually from their masters. Seeing the changes on them after he had given them the free reign on how to take care of the house certainly seemed to conform to that theory.
Now, Mr Baxter and Alex actually felt like they had to ask the permission of the house-elves before making some changes in the house. Matt and Patt had become the head custodians, groundskeepers, and repairmen in the house and they took pride in their duties.
After lunch, he had gone back to his room where he thought about what had happened the day before.
His newfound ability to call out the fire from within him was something he was really glad about. He had begun to hope that it be something that would eventually bring him to the level of the Dark Lord in terms of magical power.
However, he could only call upon his power with deep meditation. He would need to put it in an actual spell that he could use whenever he wanted. But he wasn't discouraged.
He already knew the right incantation, the hardest part of spell crafting. He would need to study the Arithmancy calculations, and wand movements for the spell.
But before that, he would also need to know the exact effect and process of producing the fire. Two things that he suspected would give him relevant experience would be the 'Expecto Patronum' charm and wandless magic.
The Patronus charm was related to what he wanted judging by the similarity of the incantation. Also, it had something to do with calling upon something from one's subconscious.
He had some familiarity with the Patronus Charm. He could already cast a non-corporeal form of the charm. Because of it's few uses, he had never bothered to master it enough to produce a corporeal Patronus.
He remembered that he saw a Patronus being used to convey messages that day when he visited Bill in the other timeline. But, he had other more convenient ways for that purpose.
The way it was written in the spell manuals, the incantation and the wand movement was simple enough. The part that was challenging for most wizards was the emotional aspect of the spell.
'Think of your happiest memory,' it said. It could not be any vaguer in his opinion.
A few hours of training and he was still only able to produce a small conical shower of silver light. He was thinking about his happiest memories as a child the first time around, like going to Diagon Alley for the first time or winning his first quidditch match.
There shouldn't have been a problem with his spell casting. After all, he could say that he was one of the best wizards his age in the field of spell casting without bragging.
So, the problem must be in his memories. They were not strong enough. He was doubtful if he would ever experience a state of joy as he had in this childhood.
There must be another way, he thought. What if he thought about the things that could make him truly happy? His dreams and aspirations? He thought about what kind of future was he envisioning. He went into a deep meditation to see what was his heart's truest desires and he saw a vision.
In it, he saw a scene of Diagon Alley. Wizards and witches were walking about happily and freely. Muggleborn children and their parents being openly welcomed to the magical world. And a feeling that magic was truly something to be celebrated was spread in the whole place.
Then there was him, Alex, as his older self walking without disguise. Walking along him was a grown-up Katie and a little girl. They were shopping for school supplies for the girl's first year in Hogwarts. Alex was telling her all the amazing things she would learn and all the adventures that she would have in the future. And he knew in his heart, that he was not lying or making false promises.
Was this his desire? To be married with a kid and himself acting like the world was once again wonderous? How could he become like that after what he's done?
He tried the charm again to see if anything would be different. This time thinking of his vision instead of his actual memory. The silvery light came out stronger, almost tangible. Then, it formed into a small wolf cub that was playfully jumping around him. He had finally succeeded.
He looked at the silvery wolf cub and a certain memory had come to his mind. He remembered seeing a wolf cub just like it before. It was from a time when his parents were still alive. They took him to the zoo, and they saw a small wolf cub on the exhibit. He remembered thinking how was it that such cute little thing would eventually grow into such a ferocious beast.
It felt like so many years ago that he thought about his parents. From his perspective, it had been more than 30 years since they passed away.
It was a time when every day was still full of wonders for him. He was sheltered from the hardships in the world. He realized that that was the point of his vision, a wonderous world. However, it was not meant for him. It was his future children's world that he wanted to be full of wonders, not his. That was his heart's desire, a world of wonder for the future generation.
END OF CHAPTER
Author's Note:
In some ancient belief, the air was considered as a lesser element, and ice and lightning were just derivations of water and fire, respectively. The three main elements were also a closer analogy to the three hollows, fire is power like the wand, water is salvation like the cloak, and earth is the keeper of the dead like the stone because we all return to the earth when we die.
The incantation is a combination of Expecto Patronum (I expect a Guardian/Protector) and what usually is written in fanfics as the incantation of Fiendfyre, which is Ignis Infernum (Hell-Fire). Infernum Igneus Patronum means Fiery Hell Protector/Advocate, according to google translate anyway.
The concept of calling the fire within reminded me of The Kingkiller Chronicle and The Inheritance Cycle.
In The Kingkiller Chronicle, one has to know the true name of things to command them. The wind being the hardest to name due to its ever-changing nature, hence the title of the first book The Name of the Wind. I really like the style of this story. Also, there's a Luna like character here who lives in the sewers called Auri.
In the Inheritance Cycle, one has to speak the Ancient words to engage the magic. Kinda like Skyrim with the dragon language now that I think about it. Brisingr! (Ancient for fire) the dragon was definitely my favourite character here. She's very sassy.
I recommend them both to binge read during your self-quarantine. Kingkiller is something like a magic-realism genre novel with a very intricate magic system written for a more mature audience, but the trilogy is not finished yet, I think. Its been so long... Inheritance is more like a classic adventure tale of a farmboy defeating an evil witch king, with dragons, elves, and magic, but the movie Eragon was just bad.
This turned out to be a book recommendation post. Don't mind it too much.
Disclaimer:
This work is not for profit. No copyright infringement intended. All recognizable characters, plot, setting, etc. are the property of J. and/or Warner Bros.