Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
The weekend arrived all too quickly, and with it the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. Having no desire to spend his precious study and research time in an unimpressive village, Alexander was instead tucking into a large breakfast so he could reasonably skip lunch. Books were important after all, and he didn't like crumbs getting between the pages.
He had barely finished his meal when he found himself surrounded by a sea of grinning faces. Looking up, he met the eyes of Astoria Greengrass, who had sat at the Ravenclaw table across from him. In her hands, and the hands of the first and second years around her lay their transfigured stone soldiers.
"Can you make the griffin again?" she asked, her eyes bright and her smile brighter. Looking up in the smiling faces of the boys and girls, Alexander was again, painfully reminded of his younger brothers, and mentally cursed the Hogwarts students for playing on his weak spot like this.
"Fine," he said, and he had barely finished the word when a dozen small hands pulled him from his seat and out the front door. They returned to the scene of their previous battle, the broken log the only remnant of it, but before Alexander cast his spells on it, he had another idea. He waved the group closer.
"Since there are so many of you, I don't think it would be fair to the poor griffin to fight an army as fierce and experienced as you, especially this one," Alexander said, gesturing to the victorious Hufflepuff. She turned as red as a tomato but couldn't hide the smile that split her face. Alexander settled them down quickly.
"So instead, I'm going to teach you a basic digging spell, and you can use the transfiguration spell I taught you last time to make fortifications!"
"Fortifications?" a Slytherin asked. "For what?"
"Capture the flag! We'll split into four teams, you'll each have a flag to defend, and if you remove a stone soldier's head, they'll be considered out for that round."
"But that'll kill them!" a Gryffindor girl protested, hugging her stone soldier to her chest tightly. The small crowd giggled at her.
"You can use a repairing charm to fix your soldier, he'll be fine," Alexander said, trying to give her a reassuring smile. It must have worked since she relaxed. "Now, here's the spell."
Five minutes later, he had to put out three minor mud fights and separate two second years after they tried to hex one another. But considering the interesting and odd castles, moats, and walls the children made on the grounds of Hogwarts, he reasoned that it was pretty successful. He quickly transfigured four stones into colored handkerchiefs and handed them out to the four teams.
"Ready? Begin!" he shouted, and chaos ensued as dozens of soldiers rushed the no-man's land between the four teams. A flash of spellfire alerted Alexander that someone wasn't willing to play by the rules. "Hey, now! No spells! Just control your soldier this round!"
There was no real winner or loser that first game. The first and second years were having far too much fun with their soldiers to focus or plan on getting the flag, and it ended in a duel between two soldiers, a Ravenclaw and a Gryffindor. They both managed to knock their own heads off, which brought on a round of laughter. Alexander called the first game a draw, repaired the dead, and had everyone go back to their starting positions.
The second round was far more exciting and ended in a Slytherin victory after three second-year Slytherins covered their soldiers in mud as a disguise and simply walked into the enemy bases for the flags. The Gryffindors unsurprising called foul, but Alexander reasoned it was a viable strategy and recommended the students figure out a way to overcome it.
Unfortunately, the third game was interrupted by a large group of Slytherin upper years.
"What's all this?" Adrian Pucey asked in mocking disbelief. "Who told you that you could cast magic on the grounds?"
The first and second years were quiet until one Gryffindor second year pointed at Alexander. "He did."
Feeling utterly annoyed that the little idiot didn't have the good sense to remain quiet, Alexander instead chose to focus on the issue at hand. "Hello, Pucey. Out for a stroll with your friends?"
Adrian Pucey gained a decidedly unkind smile as he looked at Alexander. "You know, we were? But then we saw this mixing of blood and thought to ourselves that this just wouldn't do, not one bit!"
Alexander realized several uncomfortable truths at this moment. There was not a professor to be seen, there were no other students around, and that Adrian Pucey and his little gang of thugs wanted to spill blood. Specifically...
"You Mudbloods should know your place," a sixth year Slytherin sneered, raising his wand and pointing it at a Hufflepuff. His mouth began to move.
Alexander knew he couldn't allow these kids to be hurt. He had been arrogant to think that the other Pure-bloods would just let this gathering occur unmolested. Daphne Greengrass had lulled him into false security, not intentionally or maliciously, but he had fallen into the trap that there was nothing that could be done to hurt him anymore. He was wrong.
Despite being able to cast a shield, he knew he could not. Alexander needed something bigger, something that would gain the attention of this mob and focus it all on him. So he rushed forward and slugged a random Slytherin in the face.
It hurt. To Alexander, it felt like he broke a bone in his hand, but it did what it needed to, sending the sixth year to the ground in a howl of blood. The first and second years scattered and ran for the safety of the castle.
Pucey and his gang didn't focus on them, though. Their rage was well and truly stoked, and they focused on Alexander. And as one, they charged.
Alexander wished he could say he won that fight, that he emerged as a hero to the first and second years, and sent the Pure-bloods running for the hills. It would be a terrible lie.
The only saving grace was that it was Professor Moody who came upon them and forcibly separated the group. Despite being outnumbered, Alexander could still stand under his own power, although he couldn't say much else. He had to hold his arm awkwardly as it was now broken, and he found it painful to talk after someone kicked him in the jaw. Still, seeing three boys groaning on the ground from the hits he managed to land made him feel like it wasn't a complete waste.
"Get to the Hospital Wing, lad," Professor Moody quietly ordered. "Good effort, but next time pick your fights a bit better."
Wishing to disagree that the fight was the best possible scenario but physically unable to voice anything, Alexander limped to the Hospital Wing. It could have been worse, he thought. McGonagall could have been the one to find me.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
Despite his antagonistic relationship with many of the staff at Hogwarts, Madame Pomfrey was professional enough to heal his wounds, even if she did seem rather vicious with her wand. Alexander bore it as well as he could, though, and soon enough, he was lying in a bed, left to recover.
He was just beginning to wonder if he should call Mopsy to retrieve his stone tablet from his room when Hermione Granger of all people walked into the Hospital Wing. She seemed just as surprised to see him as he was to see her.
"Alexander? What happened?" she asked. He shrugged and immediately regretted the action after it caused a wave of pain.
"Oh, you know. Getting the full Hogwarts experience," he said, flinching at the pain still coursing through him. "I wanted to see what a night in the Hospital Wing felt like."
Hermione seemed unimpressed with him. "There was a first-year shouting that Pucey tried to kill you. He ran through the library, and Madame Pince used her magic to stick him to the wall until he calmed down."
"Sounds like her," Alexander replied. Hermione glared at him. "What?"
"Don't you what me! Is it true? Did Pucey try to kill you?" Hermione demanded. Any reply Alexander would have given was cut off by Daphne, Tracey, and Astoria entering the Hospital Wing and making a beeline to his bed. Hermione was visibly unsettled by the three witches and edged to the side.
"I'm pleased to see you're not dead, Alex," Daphne said casually.
Alexander couldn't help it. "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. Ow." He flinched as Hermione smacked his leg.
Hermione frowned disapprovingly at him, but it was nothing compared to the look she gave the three Slytherins. "What are you doing here? Did you come to check on Pucey's victim? To report back to your cronies?"
Alexander bristled at that. But it was nothing compared to the look Daphne and Tracey gave Hermione. If Alexander tried to describe it, he would liken it to stepping on a dung beetle, dung included, and finding it almost too much of an inconvenience to clean up, but knowing you had to otherwise it would stink. It was a rather expressive look.
"Unlike certain people, Granger, we Slytherins have loyalty. Or is your house no longer ostracising Potter?" Daphne asked in a cutting voice. Hermione bristled.
"Where's your supposed loyalty then? Shouldn't you be supporting Pucey?" she demanded.
Tracey laughed, cold and mockingly, while Daphne merely raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Despite what you think, Granger, not all Slytherins are friends. Some of us appreciate an intelligent conversation. Although, you wouldn't know anything about that considering who you keep company with," Tracey said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked, offended.
Tracey rubbed her chin in thought, but Alexander could see how she used it to hide a smirk. "Well, Potter isn't very impressive academically, despite rumors of his misadventures. Although Weasley was surprising this year. Who knows, maybe he wisened up and realized you were a dreadful friend?"
Hermione ran from the room, completely forgetting about Alexander or anything else. "That was a little cruel," Alexander told Tracey. She shrugged unrepentantly.
"It's the truth. I'm not going to hug her and tell her she's a special little witch like everyone else."
"Fair," Alexander conceded. He wasn't either. "So what do I owe to this visit anyway? I doubt you came here just to tweak Granger's nose."
Astoria, who had been the quietest Alexander had ever seen her, stepped forward. "I just wanted to say thanks, for the spells and all. It was fun while it lasted. It's a shame the other Slytherins ruined it though, I don't think any of the other houses will want to play anymore," she said, a great look of sadness on her face. "Thanks anyway, Alexander."
Tracey, however, smelled blood. "Alexander? When did he permit you to use his name so familiarly?" she asked with a shark-like grin. Astoria blushed and ran out of the Hospital Wing. "Oh, no you don't!"
Tracey chased off after Astoria, leaving Alexander and Daphne alone. "Thank you for teaching Astoria. You're a surprisingly good teacher," she said.
Alexander shrugged but regretted the pain a moment later. "Magic is meant to be learned. Curiosity should be fed. They wanted to learn, so I had no problems helping them, but most of our classmates could never appreciate such an approach to magic."
"Will you teach me?" Daphne asked, causing Alexander to blink in surprise.
"I would have thought you're far past making a stone soldier or making it move," he replied uncertainly.
"Not with that, although the spells you were showing everyone were fascinating. No, with wandless magic." Daphne's eyes, bluer than the sky above, looked at him desperately. He realized with a start that she was afraid to be a victim once more, that she'll be unable to defend herself.
"I don't know how," he said. Daphne's eyes scrunched in confusion.
"What do you mean? How did you learn?" she asked. Alexander sighed.
"On the first night after we were sorted, I was dragged from my bed by two seventh years and spent the night being cursed. At the end of it, they snapped my wand," he explained slowly. Despite it only being a few years ago, the memory of pain from that night had already faded somewhat. That didn't make it any easier.
Daphne had a horrified look on her face, and her hand reached into her robes to no doubt clutch her wand. "You never got it repaired? Or get a new one?"
"I tried. I went to Professor Flitwick the next day, but my accidental magic fixed the wand. He didn't believe me and told the rest of the teachers I was a liar. The first few weeks of our first year, I couldn't cast magic, until it finally burst out of me in Charms. The rest, I'm sure you could figure out from there."
Daphne was silent as she digested that, and Alexander settled back into his pillows. Between one thought and the next, he found himself falling asleep, and his dreams made his sleep restless. Alexander wouldn't remember them when he woke, but if he did, he would be unsurprised to find himself being attacked on all sides. After all, that's what his reality felt like to him.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
The day of the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament arrived, and Alexander, like the rest of the students, was sitting in the stands. It was a large arena, and he briefly felt amusement at the idea that the four champions would have to fight one another in gladiator combat. But then a group of witches and wizards herded a dragon out onto the field.
As Ludo Bagman narrated Cedric Diggory's substandard performance, Alexander kept his eyes focused on the dragon. His conversation with Daphne fresh in his mind, he remembered the feeling of holding his wand in his hands, feeling the heat of the wand in his hand, and how it made his blood pump. It almost felt like he was flying on a jet of hot air, soaring high above his problems and worries.
The dragon was trapped in a small space, trying desperately to defend that which belonged to it, and Alexander felt a painful sense of kinship with the creature. He could see a majestic beauty in her features, the wild ferocity not at all dulled by it, and for the first time in his life, Alexander found a magical being to model himself after.
To be as powerful, fierce, and free as a dragon. To be able to fly where ever he pleased, to have the freedom to act as he willed. But even as he thought about it, he knew he'd never be a dragon. They were still beholden to masters, caged for their own safety, and harvested for their useful parts. They were even more imprisoned than he. He would emulate some parts of her, but not all.
Diggory had long since completed his task, and Victor Krum was now walking out on the field to fight a different dragon. His performance was only marginally more interesting than Diggory's, the skill it took to his a dragon's eye from fifty paces no mean feat, but that was the only magic the Bulgarian cast. He grabbed a golden egg while the dragon was distracted, and left quickly when it smashed half its eggs.
Alexander watched with disgust as dragon handlers had to stun the magnificent beast after it realized what it had done. It was pointlessly cruel, the keening wail of the dragon heartwrenching, but none of the witches and wizards watching seemed to care. It made Alexander sneer in contempt at his fellow wizards.
Fleur Delacour walked onto the field next, a wave of cheers and whistles from the audience greeting her. She was beautiful in her blue-tinted robes, and the light caught her hair in a dazzling fashion. The dragon she was to fight guarded its eggs jealously, no doubt smelling the fresh scent of shattered eggs in the arena.
Thus far, Alexander had been unimpressed by the magical skill put on by the champions. Which was why when Delacour began to weave an enchantment around the arena, he felt a small amount of respect toward the French Champion. But then she activated its effect, and a wave of drowsiness washed over the crowd, flooding over and around Alexander's Occlumency barriers.
As he looked at the dragon and crowd slowly falling asleep, Alexander couldn't help but find the whole situation amusing. He laughed, loud and clear, and the result woke the dragon who was staring at the now terrified champion who was in its nest. It snorted a blast of flame at her, sending Delacour scurrying backward to escape the heat with her prize.
Across the arena, Alexander could see Daphne Greengrass sitting next to Astoria and Tracey, with the other Slytherins. While the latter two were stifling yawns, Daphne was focused intently on Alexander, a small smile on her lips. He nodded at her but was distracted by the fourth dragon that was brought out, the Hungarian Horntail.
It was larger and more ferocious than the other three dragons by far. That it was to be set against Harry Potter gave Alexander mixed feelings.
It would no doubt be an exciting match up for an experienced wizard, but Potter was only a fourth-year student, whose only noteworthy achievements were prodigious Quidditch skills. What was he going to do, fly against the apex predator of the sky?
Apparently, that was exactly what Harry Potter chose to do, and somehow it worked out for him perfectly. Alexander privately considered the possibility of someone fixing the task, as the idea of a fourteen-year-old wizard out flying a creature who literally terrorized wizards from the air for centuries, was ludicrous.
It'd make a good fantasy novel, though. Might even get a few books out of it.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
Alexander was in the library a few days later when Hermione Granger approached him. She sat down uninvited, and placed a parchment on top of his book, interrupting his reading.
"Oh, look. A paper," Alexander deadpanned as his eyes began to read it. "What is spew?"
Hermione's face twisted unpleasantly. "It's not spew! It's S.P.E.W. The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare! I was hoping you'd join so we could end the abuse of House-elves! They're treated like slaves, you know."
Alexander couldn't help the incredulous look he gave her, not even when he saw that it offended her. "You don't know a single thing about House-elves," he finally said. Hermione bristled in anger.
"I know they shouldn't be slaves!" she almost shouted. "They're living, thinking beings just like you and me."
"Uh, no, they're not," Alexander said. He couldn't accurately say what House-elves were, only that it involved large amounts of some mineral and that spilling human blood on one was bad. Things would become lively, for lack of a better word.
Hermione grew red with rage and snatched her parchment back up. "I can't believe a fellow muggle-born would condone slavery! I thought better of you!" she shouted, before stomping away.
Alexander watched her go, slightly amused, and wondering if this whole thing had been a prank. Looking around to see if anyone had been watching, he only could see Victor Krum reading a book upside down, his eyes darting between the two muggle-born rapidly.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Alexander turned his attention back to his book. It was a historical text on ancient runic languages, and it made mentions to a Latin alphabet. The runes somehow lost power a few hundred years prior to the book's printing, which was already a few hundred years previous. Using some basic math skills, he placed it as right before the outbreak of the Black Plague in Europe.
Suddenly, Alexander's brain stalled as several facts lined up within his head simultaneously. The creation of a Philosopher's Stone should be impossible; it required the blood and magic of hundreds of thousands. Coincidentally, the creation of a runic language also required large amounts of blood, even more than a Philosopher's Stone. But you could also make the stone grow larger by feeding it more blood.
Alexander theorized that Nicholas Flamel somehow used the blood and magic that empowered the Latin alphabet, one of the most complete and known alphabets of the time, and condensed it into a singular object, otherwise known as the Philosopher's Stone. This drained the magic from the language, meaning no more runes to create magical effects with it, although somehow spoken words were spared from this. Perhaps Flamel's focus had only been on the written word or the method involved needed to have an example to take the magic from it. There would be no feasible way of saying thousands of words in a timely manner; thus, maybe he focused on the things that could be carved.
So Nicholas Flamel has his stone. But then he discovers the limitations: It uses its own mass to empower transfigurations, and every dose of Elixer of Life must also take an equal cost from it. Which led to Flamel trying to empower the stone further, using the Black Plague as a cover, and slaughtering thousands to harvest them for their blood and magic.
If Alexander was right, and he had no reason not to believe he was, then Nicholas Flamel was one of the oldest and most terrible Dark Lords to have ever lived. But this also raised another question in Alexander's mind, namely: Why hadn't Nicholas Flamel simply used a blood-replenishing potion to grow his own stone?
Alexander reasoned that it had to do with time and convenience. It took weeks to drain enough of his blood to even grow the shard as much as he had, which was inconvenient to do. It also wasn't a feasible option before 1934, when the potion was discovered, which meant that Flamel had spent centuries murdering tens of thousands to prolong his own life. He could only hope the old immortal hadn't discovered blood banks in the non-magical world, although he wondered if the blood would even be useable. Alexander had to enchant his blood to keep it fresh, after all.
He shut his book and pushed it to the side. It also raised the question of if Alexander could use a similar ritual to depower other runic languages to make a Philosopher's Stone from scratch. However, he quickly dismissed it as far too dangerous, as the Latin alphabet was well known and documented. Every existing runic language had gaps and holes in their alphabets, with new runes being discovered every once in a while. It would be a horrible idea to partly depower a runic inscription, only to find the rest of it became destabilized and exploded.
Alexander sighed. When did magic become so complicated?
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
A few weeks had passed, and the winter holidays were fast approaching. The halls of Hogwarts had never looked so festive, and even some of the professors were getting in on it. Professor McGonagall was not one such professor.
"Everyone, please stay behind a moment!" she called out to the fourth year Transfiguration class. Alexander reluctantly returned to his seat. "This year, Hogwarts will be hosting a Yule Ball for the fourth through seventh-year students. It'll be an opportunity for us to all, let our hair down."
A few giggles could be heard, which the professor ignored. "You will make sure to be on your best behavior," her sharp eyes found Alexander's, and he barely resisted the urge to scowl back, "as you'll be representing Hogwarts! Do not tarnish our name!"
The students left after that, Alexander the first one out the door. He had barely made it a few steps when he found himself accompanied by two Slytherin fourth years, Daphne and Tracey.
"Where are you off in a rush?" Tracey asked. She gained a teasing glint in her eye. "Already have somebody in mind to ask to the Yule Ball?"
Remembering his single disastrous attempted date with Hermione Granger the previous year, Alexander shuddered. "No. I'm not going. I'm on my way to post an owl to my family to see what we're doing for holidays this year."
That seemed to throw off both Slytherins. "You don't even want to go?" Tracey asked. Alexander shook his head.
"I can barely tolerate our classmates in class, why would I willingly spend time with them outside of it?"
"Point," Daphne said, an agreeable look on her face. "It still sounds like it could be fun, though."
Alexander shrugged. "I look forward to you telling me all about it then," he said. He didn't understand the annoyed look that crossed over Daphne's face, nor Tracey's smirk. "What?"
"Nothing," Tracey said in a singsong voice. "Well, I'll leave you to your letter, Dantes. Buh-bye!"
She skipped away, leaving Daphne and Alexander alone. "Your friend is weird," he said bluntly.
Daphne nodded. "So, you're really not going?"
"I hadn't intended to, why?" Alexander asked, generally curious. The silence stretched awkwardly as Daphne just stared at him. Finally, she shook her head.
"Forget it," she said, walking away. Alexander stood there, confused, unsure of why he felt like he missed something incredibly obvious. He'd ask his parents.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
Alexander scowled at the letter in his hands. He was such an idiot.
Daphne had been waiting for him to ask her. Expecting it even. But Alexander hadn't because he hadn't even thought about her in that way in the short time he'd known her.
His parents recommended apologizing. Despite knowing how uncomfortable it would be, he knew he should, especially since Daphne, Tracey, and even Astoria had been friendly to him this year. That it stemmed from Alexander saving Daphne at the end of the year was of little consequence, he now knew how he had messed up.
Alexander read the rest of the letter. His parents had taken the little enchanted stone he had mailed them and placed it in his room. Well, they did after David and Jack played around with his "magic rock" and broke a window. Neither of his brothers were happy about being grounded until Christmas, but Alexander was pleased he could now read all of the books he left at home, all the way from Hogwarts.
Unfortunately, Alexander wouldn't be returning home this year for Christmas. Alexander's brothers had come down with the chickenpox and were highly contagious. As he never had it as a child, his parents were reluctant to expose it to him, not knowing how it would react with his magic. Alexander understood and agreed, but found the news displeasing as now he would be staying at Hogwarts. It became much more critical to apologize now than ever.
Which was why he found himself searching for Daphne and Tracey instead of the other way around. Amusingly, he found them in the library, working on a Herbology essay that was due the following day.
"Dantes," Tracey said as he walked up. Daphne said nothing, and other than glancing at him, gave no indication she was even aware of Alexander's presence. "Getting ready to go home?"
Alexander felt his face twist at that but ignored Tracey for the moment. "I'd like to apologize, Daphne."
That seemed to stun the two witches, especially as it was so direct. Daphne even looked up from her essay in surprise, not noticing that she was dripping ink all over it.
"What?" Daphne asked in shock.
Alexander nodded before nodding to her essay. Looking down, Daphne cursed and hurriedly siphoned off the wet ink with her wand. A moment later, she pushed it aside to focus on Alexander fully.
"I wanted to say that I'm sorry," Alexander began. "I was an absolute berk about it, about not asking you to the Yule Ball, and I didn't intend to hurt your feelings. I know words can't make up for that, but I am willing to do anything to make it up to you."
Their little spot in the library was utterly silent as the two witches stared at him. Tracey's jaw had actually dropped as if she couldn't believe his audacity. Daphne looked faintly pleased but was trying to school her face into a more serious expression.
"Anything?" Daphne asked, and Tracey's jaw somehow dropped lower.
"You're forgiving him that quickly?" she hissed. Daphne waved her off.
"Anything," Alexander confirmed. Despite the circumstance of their first meeting, he found her friendship pleasant, and he wasn't going to lose that.
"You'll help me learn wandless magic?" she asked. "Without, you know, doing the thing that was done to you?"
"Done," Alexander agreed to that easily enough. Tracey dropped her quill.
A devilish smile graced Daphne's lips. "And you're taking Astoria with you to the ball. She wouldn't be able to get in otherwise."
Alexander frowned at that but nodded. "Is that all?"
"Yes," Daphne said, pulling her essay back to her. "Oh, and make sure you wear dark blue to match."
Tracey, who at this point had been whipping her head back and forth between the pair, snapped her head back to Daphne so fast it caused her hair to send her long-forgotten essay flying. She threw up her hands, crossed her arms, and sulked.
"Okay. We're good?" Alexander asked, wanting to make sure. Daphne smiled at him.
"We're good."
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
AN: I hope you're all enjoying the story!