Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
The Hogwarts Express rocked back and forth gently, an almost relaxing sensation. As it raced across the countryside toward Hogwarts, it was full of laughter, cheer, and reunions between friends, catching up on the summer apart and sharing tales of their adventures. It was a pleasant time for all, save one.
Alexander Dantes sat alone in a compartment, watching the countryside pass him by with disinterest. He was bored by the long train ride, wishing he could be using it productively but having already read through his coursebooks over the summer.
He smiled softly at remembering his summer. His father, Adrian Dantes, kept his word about homeschooling Alexander. When he arrived, he was met with a stack of non-magical books and coursework almost as tall as he was. Alexander shouldn't have been so excited about learning, he knew that, but it was a sign that his parents cared about his wellbeing, that they wanted him to have options after Hogwarts. That simple fact would always bring a smile to his face.
His younger brothers, David and Jack, were upset that he couldn't join them for playtime, but he made a point to play board and card games with them in the evening. It was nice, but after spending so much of the last year alone, he found himself yearning for the solitude. Which his mother, Cynthia, provided.
Anytime dealing with his brothers became too much, she always seemed to know and created a distraction for them. He was very thankful for her actions, and any time she asked him to take out the trash, he did so without complaint. But he did draw the line at helping to get his brothers into the bath.
It was a stray comment from his father that made Alexander angry with the Wizarding World. "So, what kind of post-Hogwarts magical education is there? Is there a magic college somewhere?" Adrian asked one evening.
Alexander didn't know. It took him two trips to Diagon Alley with his father to find the necessary books, and the information was infuriating: There was post-Hogwarts education in the form of masteries, but no muggle-born had been accepted for one in over eighty years.
Alexander was so furious that his magic slipped from his control and wrecked a rather ugly vase that his Aunt Amy had given them two years ago. He immediately began to panic, remembering the notice they were all given at the end of the year at Hogwarts, saying that they did not have permission to cast spells in the muggle world over the break. He sat their morosely, thinking that he was about to be expelled and jailed for breaking the Statute of Secrecy.
Only nobody ever came.
Hours came and went, his parents came home from work, and his brothers came scurrying soon after, dropped off from football practice. His mother faked being sad about the broken vase, and baked cookies, giving him the first one off the platter. Hours later, he was sitting in his room, levitating his spellbooks, and not a single notice from the Ministry of Magic could be seen.
Alexander reasoned that the Ministry only tracked wanded magic and that since accidental magic, and wandless magic, were done without a wand it meant they couldn't be traced. He eagerly dove back into his books, convincing his father to buy more in Diagon Alley took a little effort, but was well worth it as he pushed his studies ahead.
Which left him back here, on the Hogwarts Express, bored out of his mind and with nothing new to read until they arrived. Alexander couldn't even look at the pretty shard of philosopher's stone he found at the end of the last year as he wisely chose to leave that behind in the muggle world, buried in his sock drawer, after he realized it was still beyond him to figure out.
A knock on the compartment door startled him, and he turned to see it open. Hermione Granger stood there, nervous, but looking him in the eye. "Do you mind if I join you? Everywhere else is full."
Alexander blinked in confusion but reluctantly nodded his head.
"I suppose?" he replied. Hermione beamed at him.
"Thank you!" She tucked herself into the seat across from him and stared expectantly at him. Alexander didn't know why.
"Why are you staring at me?" he finally asked. Now Hermione was confused.
"You haven't introduced yourself," she replied.
"Granger, we've been in the same classes for a year now."
She flushed red. "Well, yes, but we haven't talked until now. I'm Hermione Granger," she said, sticking out her hand.
Alexander reluctantly shook it. "Alexander Dantes," he replied shortly. An awkward silence fell over the compartment that even Hermione could feel. Not wanting to spend the rest of the train ride like this, Alexander tried to be friendly. "Where are your friends?"
He nearly winced at the lost expression that crossed over Hermione's face. She fiddled with the edge of her robes before answering. "I don't know. I couldn't find them on the train."
Realizing he might have made the situation worse, he quickly apologized. "Sorry, I should have figured when I didn't see them following you around like lost puppies."
Hermione laughed quietly. "They're not that bad. Well, maybe, Ron. Do you remember when they got lost on the first day of classes last year? Professor McGonagall threatened to turn them into a pocket watch!"
Alexander's jaw tightened at the mention of the Transfiguration teacher. He still wasn't overly fond of her. "So what's your favorite thing about magic?" he asked, trying to move the conversation to more comfortable grounds.
She noticeably lit up. "I like Charms. Professor Flitwick makes the practicals fun, although I wish he'd spend more time on theory, like Professor McGonagall. Did you know that she..."
Alexander suppressed a sigh as Hermione began to wax poetic about their professors. In truth, he was disappointed. She was a bright witch, who often got her spells right quickly. That she worshipped the professors instead of just respecting their position and power was slightly annoying in his mind. Still, this was the most pleasant conversation he'd had with any of the students at Hogwarts yet, and he wasn't going to run her off simply because of her conversation skills.
That'd be impolite.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
For the first time in his time at Hogwarts, Alexander woke up in Ravenclaw Tower. It was a pleasant experience, but he could have done without the confrontation by his year mates soon after he woke up.
"What are you doing here?" Terry Boot asked, his nose stuck up in the air.
"I was sleeping. Now I'm getting dressed," Alexander answered. Terry grew red in the face.
"Yes, but why are you sleeping here now? I thought after last year you found another place to sleep!"
Alexander grew still for a moment before resuming to put on his robes. "So you were aware of what was happening last year, good to know. Now get out of my way."
Michael Connor blocked his way. "Not until you tell us! We deserve to know; we're your year mates."
"My year mates? Do you mean the cowards who let the fourth person in their dorm be bullied and tormented for a year? Those year mates?" Alexander was not pleased to see how Michael and Terry grew red and looked away, in anger or shame he didn't know, nor did he care. A slow movement caught the corner of his eye. "You pull that wand out, Goldstein, and I'll shove it down your throat."
The movement wavered before continuing. Whirling about, Alexander launched a vicious pinching hex at Anthony Goldstein's hand, causing him to drop his wand. Alexander turned his wand back to point at a very nervous Terry Boot and Michael Corner.
"You will leave me alone. You will not touch my things. You will not talk to me, and you won't even acknowledge my existence even if a professor pairs us up for a project. In return, I'll pretend that your inaction last year didn't result in me being bullied by seven of our housemates. Any objections? No? Good."
As Alexander crossed the doorway, Terry Boot regained enough spine to shout out, "you're going dark, Dantes!"
Alexander halted and shot him a withering look. "I'm dark because I cast a pinching hex? You take idiot to a whole new level, Boot. Or maybe you're just living up to your name by being as dumb as a boot?"
Ignoring the sputtering that caused, Alexander left Ravenclaw Tower for breakfast. He knew he shouldn't care, but knowing that his year mates, the boys who should have been his friend, were aware of his torment and did nothing? That hurt.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
It was only a few minutes into breakfast when Professor Flitwick appeared, handing out the schedules for this year. The tiny professor hesitated briefly when he reached Alexander.
"Is there an issue with my schedule, professor?" Alexander asked with his voice as calm as he could make it. He wasn't pleased to see the short man, not at all. Professor Flitwick sighed.
"No, there isn't." He placed a scroll by Alexander's side. "However, I was curious if you knew anything about what happened to Messers Duny and Hilliard last year during their exams."
"You mean how they were discovered to be cheating, expelled, and had their wands snapped?" Alexander asked. The forced casualness in his voice sounded wrong to even him.
"Yes. You see, when they were brought into the Ministry, they began to scream about, well, I'm hesitant to say," Flitwick trailed off.
"Mudbloods?" Alexander guessed innocently. He was amused to see his professor flinch.
"Yes. They seemed to think it was their duty to punish muggle-borns. It didn't help their case that Albus overheard this," Professor Flitwick said.
Alexander shrugged. "I fail to see how this concerns me, professor. And that's the truth, sir. After all, I'd never dare tell you a lie," he finished, turning to stare directly into the half-goblin's eyes. Alexander scooped up his schedule and began to walk to class.
He never bothered to look behind him at his troubled teacher. He had no desire to comfort the foolish, nor would he ever allow himself to be the victim ever again. Alexander Dantes was done relying on others to keep him safe.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
Gilderoy Lockhart's book series was perhaps the most impressive thing that Alexander had ever read in his short life. The man was either the most remarkable conman ever to live or one of the most dangerous wizards alive. In less than one minute, Alexander had his painfully obvious answer. He found his interest further waning after the grandstanding Lockhart insisted on doing nonstop. That it continued until the fool released Cornish Pixies upon the class was also of little note, Alexander had taken the prudent course of action of ducking beneath his desk and letting everyone else draw the pixie's attention. Once suitably distracted, he snuck out of the classroom with some of the more intelligent students, although that number was preciously small.
Nodding politely to the two Slytherin girls, Alexander immediately turned and left for his secret spot in the castle, eager to look over past tests and notes to see what people used to learn in the farce of a class. It'd be a better use of his time anyway.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
It was only a few days later that Hermione Granger found him in the library. Her eyes were slightly red, and she was once again without her two friends. Alexander idly wondered if she were rethinking her acquaintance with the pair, but figured it was unlikely.
"Hermione," he nodded when she approached his table, "care to join me?"
"Thank you," she whispered. She pulled out her Transfiguration homework and began to write out possible animate-to-inanimate transfigurations.
"Where are Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum?" Alexander asked after a few moments of silent work. He wanted to know if their study time was going to be interrupted.
Hermione smiled slightly at the joke. "Don't call them that, they're nice. They're still in detention for how they flew that car to the school."
Alexander had not heard about that, but he wasn't exactly listening to the gossip of the castle. Still, that sounded fascinating, and Hermione said it so casually that she might as been talking about the weather. Was she already bored with magic?
Deciding it wise not to ask that, he instead grunted and focused on his homework. The sooner he got this out of the way, the sooner he could look up how to make a car fly. Maybe a featherlight charm tied to some sort of propulsion? Weren't there spells that made gusts of wind? He noted his thoughts down on another piece of paper before focusing.
They worked quietly for a few minutes before Hermione quietly started sniffling. Alarmed, Alexander looked up to find a tear escaping her eye, one that Hermione hurriedly wiped away.
"Is everything okay, Hermione?" he asked. He might not be the most socially adept, but he knew distress when he saw it.
Hermione sniffed and gave him a watery smile. "I'm fine. It's just that braggart, Malfoy. The Gryffindor's were trying to have their Quidditch practice, and Slytherin's team interrupted them. Malfoy bought his way on the team, and then he said..."
She trailed off. Alexander placed his quill to the side and gave her his full attention. "Yes, he said what?"
"He called me a Mudblood," she mumbled.
Alexander patiently waited for her to continue. When she did not, he found himself slightly exasperated with her. "And that's it? Granted, he's twelve, but I expected a slightly better insult than that."
"He called me a Mudblood!" Hermione shouted. Madame Pince angrily hissed her silent. "It's a vulgar term!" she hissed at Alexander.
He rolled his eyes. "It's uncreative and plain, which says more about the pure-bloods using the term than it does us. Besides, if it offends you that much, insult him back."
"Insult him back?" she screeched. Madame Pince angrily shushed her silent once more and gave them both a warning look. "Why would I do that, won't it make things worse?" she whispered.
Alexander gave her a very unimpressed look. "He's already insulting you. Next, he'll move on physically bullying you. Do you really want to allow it to escalate to that point?"
"No!"
"Then fight back. Honestly, you're a Gryffindor, I'm surprised that wasn't your first response."
"I do not start fights!" Hermione protested.
"He started the fight. This would be you ending it. If you were smart, you'd end all future fights too," he commented, thinking about the five remaining bullies from his first year. They hadn't approached him yet, but he was ready.
"I will not become a bully! I will use logic and a cool head, and tell a professor what he is doing!" Hermione shouted, storming to her feet. Madame Pince hissed like an angry snake and began to move toward them. "And you should too! I thought you'd be able to relate to me, but I guess I thought wrong! You big, bully!"
Hermione stormed away, leaving Alexander to stew angrily. She wanted to trust a professor? Good luck with that, they'd always let him down. A shadow loomed over him, blotting out the candlelight.
"Madame Pince," he nodded his head, respectfully, "how was your summer?"
An angry frown crossed her face. "I didn't have to deal with any of you hooligans, which made it very pleasant. But you've disturbed me enough for this evening, so out!"
Alexander sighed but got to his feet. "Would you at least put the books to the side so I might find them easier tomorrow?"
She did not.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
Hermione's words did hurt, as much as Alexander didn't like to admit it. He presumed too much, pushed too hard, and drove away the only person at Hogwarts who was willing to speak with him. Alexander tried to put it out of his mind, but he noticed when his eye kept being drawn to the Gryffindor tables at meals, or when they passed each other in the library. Feeling lonely once more, he buried himself in his studies.
Halloween came, and Alexander found himself sitting uncomfortably close to the staff table. Throughout the entire meal, he could feel Professor Flitwick's eyes on him, and Alexander made a pointed effort never to meet them. He had no desire to speak to his failure of a Head of House and resented the man trying to do so now after Alexander had already dealt with the bullies.
The other five bullies, Herbert Burke, Marvin Fawley, Argo Gibbon, Kevin Rowle, and Albert Tripe, were still an issue. Each had come after Alexander at some point, usually in the library or at meals to threaten him, but were unable to do more than lightly curse him. Alexander wished to pay them back in kind but was patient. He knew he could not act too hastily. Burke and Fawley, both in their last year at Hogwarts, were studying for exams Alexander was going to ensure they never took. And it would happen over Christmas break, while Alexander wasn't there to implicate himself.
The feast ended, and Alexander followed the hoard leaving the Great Hall. A not insignificant number of students followed the same hallways up Hogwarts; Ravenclaws and Gryffindors off to their towers, but a large number of students from Hufflepuff and Slytherin heading to the library to work on assignments. Alexander intended to go to his secret spot to study, he had an idea of carrying a library of books on him at all times, and he wanted to see how feasible the idea was. However, the crowd abruptly stopped.
"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!" Malfoy's high pitched voice could be heard from ahead. Alexander rolled his eyes but was surprised when Malfoy's comment seemed to excite the crowd. Craning his neck past a pair of Hufflepuffs, Alexander was surprised to see the first part of Malfoy's taunt written on a wall in blood. But underneath that hung Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, with a shocked Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley standing around her.
Curious despite himself, Alexander watched how professors appeared out of nowhere and descended on the three Gryffindors. Of the three, only Harry was pulled away by the professors, leaving a shell-shocked Hermione and Ron, and a silently gloating Draco Malfoy.
Alexander wanted to smash the idiot Slytherin's face into a wall.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
Despite the excitement at Halloween, things settled down in Hogwarts. Harry was not found guilty of petrifying Filch's cat, and Draco wasn't punished for using a slur. Not that Alexander was surprised as the only thing the staff at Hogwarts seemed to care about was cheating on exams. He wagered he could commit murder and be given a slap on the wrist depending on who he killed.
Which was why Alexander was focusing his attention on breaking the copyrighting charms on the library books. While he normally wouldn't condone book theft, he found his desire to carry his own personal library around him at all times too overwhelming to ignore.
The issues were many, however. Breaking the charms was simple; a focused finite would be enough, Alexander just had to take care not to remove any other spells from the books as some were important to keeping them in good shape. There were spells that could conjure parchment, but they never lasted longer than a week at most, so he reasoned he'd need something a bit sturdier. Alexander also was aware of volume, mainly how he was going to store all of the copies in a small place. He initially tried shrinking charms but found while that worked on a one by one case, it quickly became bothersome when the shrinking charm failed unexpectedly, causing his pockets to explode. Which led to the last issue he found, and the one that was the most horrifying.
Wizards played around with expanded space charms like there were toys. The delicate spells lasted for a set amount of time and could be theoretically anchored using spells, but were all too easy to break. A mediocre wizard shooting sparks into an expanded room could accidentally snap the fragile connections, causing it to rapidly compress all of its contents into the original space. This would most likely explode in some manner as the pressure would build-up to the point where even stone would break. Another possibility was if the expanded space somehow became wrapped in on itself, creating a phenomenon where the area would seal itself shut and vanish entirely. More than one idiotic wizard trying to live in a mansion he made in his trunk disappeared this way, and it was why the charms weren't taught until their seventh year at the earliest.
The only thing about this whole subset of charms that made Alexander relax was that Hogwarts was the largest non-expanded castle in the world. Its size now made sense, as the Founders must have been aware of the dangers and sought to protect their school from some foolish child accidentally dispelling half of it. Alexander didn't doubt that there were expanded spaces in various parts of the school, but was thankful that none of the areas he used frequently were among them.
Still, he shelved the idea for his portable library for the time being. He didn't want a portable library so badly that it ran the chance of killing him.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
Someone had the brilliant idea to start a Dueling Club at Hogwarts, and Alexander wanted to shake their hand.
He didn't care for magical combat, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say he didn't know enough about it to know he should care. A fact that could be blamed on two years of lackluster Defense professors, as well as a year being used as a punching bag. He was instead far more interested in the fact that he could begin the next part of his vengeance on seventh years, Burke and Fawley.
Both boys had signed up, boasting about their powers, and Alexander could not resist such a tempting opportunity, especially not after he read about a spell called the Confundus.
It was a simple spell that required a great deal of focus to cast successfully. While Alexander knew that mastery of this spell was far beyond him at this point, he just hoped he could do enough with it to make his plan viable.
The Great Hall was crowded. Professor's Lockhart and Snape were up on a stage of some sort, giving a speech before raising their wands at one another. While he didn't care much for either professor, Alexander hoped for a suitably long distraction while he cast his spell.
His hopes were for naught. Professor Snape threw Professor Lockhart across the stage with a single spell, sending his wand flying. While there was plenty of focus on the flailing professor, Alexander chose not to risk it. Fortunately, Professor Snape pulled through and pulled Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter onto the stage for an exhibition duel. Alexander readied his magic as the whole hall focused on the pair.
Alexander almost missed Draco summoning a snake, but he definitely didn't miss Harry hissing to it, or it hissing back. Banishing it from his thoughts, he focused intently on Burke and Fawley, standing a ways away from him.
"Confundo," he whispered, pushing his magic at his two targets. Alexander nearly groaned in pain at the effort; it felt as though his mind was splitting in two to effect both targets at once. A moment later, the pain cleared, and he could feel the magic settle on the two, although much weaker than he would have liked.
Turning his attention back to the duel, he was surprised to find Harry Potter's back retreating through the doors of the Great Hall, with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley close behind him. The students all around the hall begin to whisper about parseltongue, and how its only an ability found in dark wizards. Alexander almost rolled his eyes at the scared teenagers but kept an eye on Burke and Fawley, who were shooting each other heated looks.
Here it comes, Alexander thought in glee. The Confundus Charm worked much better than he expected as what happened next brought all activity in the hall to a grinding halt.
Herbert Burke took Marvin Fawley's hand in his own and pulled him close. Many students began to whisper, nudging their neighbors and pointing to the spectacle, which only increased as Fawley wrapped his arms around Burke. Everything in the Great Hall fell deadly silent when the pair began to kiss.
Everyone, including and especially Alexander, was stunned into silence. His thoughts raced: That wasn't what I wanted the spell to do at all! I wanted them to lower their inhibitions so they'd draw their wands, and in the charged atmosphere of the dueling hall, they'd fight, maybe even maim one another, ohhhhh. I lowered their inhibitions. They're not worried about anything so they, yup that's tongue.
Professor Snape was the first to regain his wits and stomp over to the two seventh years, using his wand to force them apart. He slashed his wand again, and a light hit both boys, conjuring a roll of parchment that listed what spells or potions were active on them. Professor Snape sneered.
"What is it, sir? Did somebody dose them with love potions?" Draco Malfoy asked eagerly, an odd look in his eyes. In Alexander's opinion, he looked far too interested in the answer. The two seventh years began to inch toward one another again.
Professor Snape sighed and used his wand to force Burke and Fawley apart once more, before casting another spell to dispell the Confundus. "Worse. They were hit with a mild Confundus, which means they weren't controlled but acting on their own free will. The Dueling Club is over, everyone return to your dorms."
"But Professor Snape, I could continue while you help these two fine young gentlemen!" Professor Lockhart protested. Snape sent him a withering look.
"This club is over. Everyone leave now."
As Alexander moved with the crowd, he wondered if he would get caught. However, Professor Snape seemed entirely disinterested in the parting students, focused intently on the two seventh years who were almost guiltily holding each other's hand. Maybe he needed to come up with something else?
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
Alexander did not need to come up with anything else.
While quite a few students were still fascinated with Potter's newly revealed dark ability, there were enough students who understood what happened with Burke and Fawley to pass out the truth to others. And Alexander could not have hoped for a better outcome than the one he got.
Late last night, both boys had been formally withdrawn from Hogwarts by their families, and were taken home and most certainly disowned. It had to do with Pure-blood prejudice against sexuality; there was intense social and familial pressure on ensuring your bloodline could pass on its magic. A gay son would never be able to do that and were often banished from their family for their gall to be attracted to the same sex. As horrible as it was all around, it suited Alexander's revenge well enough that he could focus on the final three fools who chose to bully him.
Alexander was briefly concerned someone would figure out he cast the Confundus Charm but found he had little to be concerned with. Finding the book of charms he found it in, he read how the Confundus was notorious for its fickle magic, it not only required great skill to cast, but its magic faded rapidly after the initial casting. Professor Snape only found dregs on both students and most likely knew he wouldn't find any more.
Which was why Alexander was not ashamed to throw himself a little party to celebrate ridding himself of over half his bullies. At least that's what he liked to pretend what that second piece of cake he ate was for. It's the small things; he decided, that you had to enjoy.
Unfortunately, it wasn't all good news. ALexander received word from his family that they were leaving for France for a business trip before the Hogwarts Express returned. His parents asked if it were possible for him to leave school early, or stay at school over the break, whichever he chose. He penned back that he would prefer to stay, and wished his family an enjoyable trip and holidays.
He didn't know what it was, but he felt lighter. He reasoned it had to do with how he enacted his vengeance on his tormentors. Duny and Hilliard were terrifying but had their right to cast magic taken from them. Burke and Rowle, who had an endless fascination with curses, but were now cast out of the Wizarding World. The final three, Argo Gibbon, Kevin Rowle, and Albert Tripe, were all still in his crosshairs but seemed subdued after another pair of their friends left them.
Briefly chuckling at the fact that the trio didn't have any idea he was the one behind all four of their friends being removed from Hogwarts, Alexander returned to his hidden spot. He was finally feeling safe at Hogwarts.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
AN: Start of Year Two.
I hope you're all enjoying the story!