Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Magic Break Can't Be Seen

Alexander was disappointed and annoyed over how easy it was to make a pensieve. Apparently, it was common for wizards to make one, to the point where they'd often be buried with the things after the memories were poured into an enchanted painting of themselves.

But they were so incredibly useful that Alexander temporarily abandoned his plans for Expansion Charms kept stable by experimental runes. Because if pensieves worked on the principle Alexander thought they did, then he wouldn't need them.

The human mind processed and stored an incredible amount of information. Memories could affect every sense a human had, quite intensely, even decades later. But Alexander didn't want or need to store the smell of a book, or how it felt underneath his hand. He just needed to store what was written on it.

The creation of a new stone tablet occupied his mind for the next month. It needed all the previous enchantments on it, but it also needed the runes to create a pensieve on it. Creating an extremely shallow depression on one side, the arbitrary screen, Alexander went to work on trying to adapt how wizards made copies of their memories.

All of the books agreed that it required a basic understanding of Occlumency to accomplish. It involved wrapping magic around a memory kept stable by Occlumency, and pulling it out. While most wizards used a wand for this, some of the books mentioned how a powerful Occlumens could do this without a wand, highlighting just another reason why Alexander considered modern wizards to be lazy and stupid. They could even Apparate or perform the Animagus transformation without their wands, yet none seemed to think wandless magic was normal.

Alexander's issue with this was that books did not have minds, and he doubted that he could not perform a similar method on them. He reasoned that the mind, and the Occlumency, made this method of retrieval possible and that an inanimate object lacking a mind or Occlumency would make it unviable.

He supposed he could read every single book in the library, pull out the memory of him reading them, and then reliving it within the pensieve. A quick test later revealed how utterly unviable that plan was, as the memories could only cover short chunks of time. Plus, he didn't want to watch himself reading; he just wanted to read.

There had to be a way to make the information in books act as insubstantial as a memory. He picked up the year's Defense textbook, useless trash that it was, made it a perfect test subject in case it was destroyed. Half curious, he willed his magic to his hands, focused his will power upon it and demanded it to pull the information out of it. And something happened.

Alexander's magic swirled through his body, and he could feel how it connected his fingers to his Occlumency. Shock and disbelief filled him as he slowly pulled a ghost-like memory strand from the book, that he was quick to deposit into the latest version of his tablet. It entered without issue, and the concave began to glow a ghostly blue.

He accessed the magic of his tablet, having it display a list of its contents. The ghostly blue solidified and listed the defense textbook. Alexander prodded it with his magic and was stunned when it displayed the first page of the useless text. He quickly flipped through ghostly pages, astonished that the information was there and that it was readable.

He sat back and laughed. He laughed so hard that tears began to fall. He, like every witch and wizard before him, had assumed it would be impossible to put a book into a pensieve like this, that because it lacked a mind, magic, and Occlumency that it was impossible. He had forgotten his own advice, the advice he had given the first year Ravenclaws the previous year: To question everything.

Vowing never to forget, he began to add the rest of his books to his tablet.

Magic Break Can't Be Seen

Three weeks later and Alexander was still not done copying the books in the Hogwarts Library. He had to dispel the protection spells from each book, pull the information from them and deposit it covertly into his tablet, before restoring the protection spells. Normally he wouldn't have bothered, but with the glares Madame Pince was giving everyone, he was determined to copy the library before being banned.

Which was why Alexander almost panicked when Hermione Granger approached him out of the blue one day. She looked concerned, biting her lip out of nervousness or anxiety, and her hair was even more frizzled than normal. Alexander dearly hoped she hadn't seen the ghostly shimmer in his hands that he had just pulled out of a Charms text and shoved into his tablet.

"Alex? Can we talk?" Hermione asked. Alexander briefly bristled.

"Alexander," he corrected bluntly. Her brow furrowed in confusion, and he sighed, trying to dispel his rage. Only those he was close to could call him Alex, and now that his family was dead, that was only Daphne. "You can call me Alexander."

"Okay," she seemed to recollect herself. "Alexander, what do you think of Professor Umbridge's classes?"

He shrugged. "I think that if I dumped a bucket of water on her, she'd melt."

That got a small laugh. "I meant about her teaching."

"There's teaching happening? Must have missed that."

Hermione nodded and leaned in close. "We're creating a study group," she whispered.

Alexander leaned in, as well. "Congratulations?" he whispered back. She rolled her eyes.

"Would you like to join? We're learning for our O.W.L.s, as well as for defending ourselves in case something," she leaned in closer, "bad happens."

"You mean like a certain undead Dark Lord?" Alexander asked. Hermione frowned.

"I don't think he's undead, but he's certainly still around."

Alexander sighed. "So, what were you thinking about learning in this club?" Might be worth it, he thought.

"Most likely the stunning spell, among other things," she said, looking pleased.

Or not.

"So your plan, now that a Dark Lord has returned who's expressed interest in killing all non-magicals, as well as us, is to learn Stupefy?" Alexander asked incredulously.

"What are we supposed to do, kill them?" Hermione hissed back.

"Yes! Why would you not?"

Hermione looked quite cross. "I'm not going to stoop to their level!"

"Defending yourself is stooping to their level?"

"No, killing!"

"Granger, look at my face," Alexander ordered, pointing a hand to emphasize it. The stitches had long since been removed, but the scars were obvious to anyone who cared to look. "Do you even know how this happened?"

She looked embarrassed and slightly uncomfortable as she shook her head no. "No, what does this have to do with the Death Eaters?"

"Everything," Alexander growled. "My family was murdered this summer by those bastards, after being tortured. This is my little souvenir from that visit."

This seemed to encourage her further. "Then you understand the importance of studying Defense!"

"I killed them," Alexander said, his voice as blunt and forceful as a hammer. Hermione looked at him, horrified. "Stunners would not have stopped them. Their friends would have just revived them before continuing. Want to know what did stop them? A piece of broken banister shoved through their neck."

"You're Dark," she whispered horrified.

"And you're a fool if you think you can win a war by stunning your opponent. Five Death Eaters will never hurt anyone ever again. But if I stunned them? Obeyed the rules of a corrupt society? They'd never stop."

Hermione left with tears in her eyes and horror on her face. Alexander felt no pity for her; this was something she needed to learn now before it was too late. With a sigh, he went back to work.

Magic Break Can't Be Seen

Soon after this, Professor Umbridge released Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four, which disbanded all existing clubs, teams, societies, and groups and forbade further groups from forming without permission from the Hogwarts Inquisitor, Umbridge herself. Alexander was somewhat amused by this, guessing that this was caused by whatever club Hermione was trying to create. He then wondered if this decree also applied to classes, and the thought of Professor McGonagall having to ask the Ministry's attack dog for permission to teach Transfiguration amused him for a solid day.

Alexander didn't particularly care, however. Like most of the other decrees, this didn't impact him overly much, even if he did start to have more company in the library in the form of other students. His work on copying the library was progressing smoothly, the sheer quantity of books meant he wasn't even half-finished, but Alexander reasoned he could be done by the end of the Winter Holidays if he maintained the same pace.

Breaking into the Restricted Section would be an entirely separate issue, but fortunately, the students in their sixth and seventh year had unrestricted access to it. If he couldn't find a way around the protections, he would just wait until the next year to copy it. While he wasn't pleased to wait, he wasn't willing to risk being expelled before he could copy all the knowledge that was contained therein.

Alexander never had any qualms over stealing books and information from Hogwarts. The knowledge was there for the students to learn, and if the faculty didn't want to protect that knowledge with adequate restrictions, then he was going to take advantage of their oversight. He viewed it more of a test than anything, one that he was determined to pass with flying colors.

"You look like you're having fun," Tracey Davis whispered from behind him. Alexander's hands froze on the book before continuing, realizing it was pointless to hide he was doing some sort of magic. "What's the naughty Ravenclaw up to?"

"What would a Ravenclaw be doing in a library, other than studying?" Alexander shot back. Tracey laughed.

"Daphne has a free block right now if you do. I'm off to go cause a distraction, so no one misses her absence," Tracey said. A smile crossed Alexander's face.

"Thanks, Tracey," Alexander whispered back, his hand dropping from the books. He wasn't overly concerned with his place; the books kept the order he copied them in, which worked well for keeping things organized, but meant he had to go back several times to copy books students had checked out. "You're the best."

"You know it," she said, giving him a wink. "Enjoy your snog."

Alexander left the library, and it only took him a moment to reach the classroom where he and Daphne often met. Pushing open the door, he walked in without looking and immediately began to speak, "well, I got your message, although your messenger could use some work..."

He trailed off when he realized Professor Umbridge was waiting there with an extremely nervous Daphne Greengrass. The squat professor gave him a nasty smile. "Mr. Dantes," she greeted.

"Professor Umbridge," Alexander replied, giving her a small nod. "What an unexpected surprise."

"Is it? You weren't trying to violate one of my decrees, were you?" she asked.

Alexander wisely refrained from pointing out that they were actually Ministry decrees, realizing that'd not end well. "I don't believe so. Ms. Greengrass agreed to help tutor me about the Wizarding World, you see. Is that against the rules?"

Professor Umbridge narrowed her beady, unfriendly eyes at him before turning to Daphne. "Is this true, Ms. Greengrass?"

Daphne nodded, and Alexander was pleased she showed no hesitation as she answered. "I felt it prudent to help him understand his place in the world, Professor Umbridge. To turn him into a proper wizard. It's been a long and hard journey but very rewarding."

Umbridge may have missed that double entendre, but Alexander didn't, shooting Daphne a small smirk. He schooled his features as she turned back to him. "And this messenger, Mr. Dantes, telling you where to go, who was it?"

Realizing she was fishing for any excuse to get them in trouble, Alexander placed his hand in his robe. He quickly conjured a piece of parchment that was transfigured into a paper bird, before applying a mild animation charm to it. To finish it up, he burned a small message along one of its wings. The whole process took two seconds.

Handing it to her, he said, "it wasn't a who, but a what. I think Ms. Greengrass does excellent charm work, don't you?"

"Yes," Professor Umbridge said softly, reading the message. She handed the bird off to Daphne. "Twenty points to Slytherin for being an outstanding student. Keep up the good work, Ms. Greengrass. And let me know if he gets out of line."

"Yes, professor," Daphne replied, her eyes laughing in pure amusement. "I'll be sure to keep a firm hand on him."

Professor Umbridge left the pair, and they waited until they were sure she was gone before throwing up silencing spells. The moment the magic settled, they began to laugh, moving toward one another to embrace. As Daphne's arms wrapped around Alexander, the paper bird fell from her hand, revealing its message to the world:

Don't waste a Pure-blood's time, Dantes. Show up now, or be punished.

"So am I to be rewarded or punished for this stunt?" Alexander asked after they shared a kiss.

"Definitely rewarded," Daphne purred, pulling him closer.

Magic Break Can't Be Seen

Unfortunately for Alexander's raging teenage hormones, they didn't kiss for long. Daphne pulled back with a sigh. "As much as I'd like to keep going, I wanted to ask you about something, about my wandless magic."

Alexander collapsed back on the cushion. "Yeah, shoot. You've been practicing since last year, right?"

"Yes," Daphne replied quickly. Neither liked to remember how Alexander had to insult her to get her to use her magic without a wand. "But I'm having issues, and I'd hoped you could help."

Sitting up interested, Alexander looked Daphne in the eye. "Of course, what are you having issues with?"

"Well, with a few things, actually. Why does my magic feel so weird before it casts? It's almost like it's alive," Daphne asked, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Because it is."

Silence met that. "What?"

Alexander shrugged. "Maybe not in the same way we're alive, but there is definitely sentience behind it. How else would you explain conditional spells? They should be impossible, yet they're somehow aware enough to permit certain things while restricting others."

Daphne remained silent while she digested that, and while Alexander knew that answered her question, he knew it wasn't the correct answer. "Do you know what spell formulas are?" he asked.

"Of course, we study them in Arithmancy. Wizards use them to prove that certain spells should cause certain effects. They're a cornerstone in Spell Crafting, but most find the math too complicated."

Alexander nodded. "So you know that almost alive feeling you get before you cast a spell? It's your magic figuring out what you want and creating the spell formula internally. But it's never very efficient at the start, which is why the more you cast a spell, the easier it becomes. Your magic, and body, are learning the most efficient way of casting it."

He pulled her closer. "This is where wand movements and spell incantations come into play. Most witches and wizards lack the necessary focus to refine the spell themselves and need to rely on outside help. But, through training, you can gain the focus needed, so you no longer need wands or incantations."

"But it's so difficult," Daphne whined. "Look what happens when I try to create fire!"

She waved her hand at the far wall and said, "Incendio!" A light blue light left her hand and impacted the wall, spreading a sheet of ice. Alexander couldn't help but laugh.

"Ah, this takes me back to my first year. I tried to make a bed out of books and instead spent the night covered in papercuts."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. Help?" she asked.

Alexander kissed her. "Of course. Actually, your solution is rather straightforward."

"And what's that?"

"Just create fire."

Daphne smacked Alexander in the chest and again when he started laughing. "That is not helpful, and you know it!" Her cheeks were aflame in embarrassment.

"It kind of is," Alexander said, his laughter not subsiding. Daphne began to glare at him but was quickly distracted by him kissing her. "Cast the spell now!"

The sudden order made Daphne blink in confusion. "What?"

"Quickly!"

Daphne did so and was astonished to find a small fire exploding into being a moment later before fading. She gained a contemplative look on her face. "How did that work?"

"Your magic listens far more closely to your emotions than your words. You don't have the personality that burns hot, so you need to use something else."

"So, you made me angry so that I could make fire?"

Alexander shook his head. "Anger can be hot or cold, and yours runs cold. It's part of why you kept making ice despite saying the wrong incantation."

"So how did I make fire now? Shouldn't it have been ice?"

Alexander smirked down at her. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked, stroking her cheek. "Fire is passion."

Not much more was said after that.

Magic Break Can't Be Seen

Before Alexander realized it, the Winter Holidays had started. Daphne was forced to return home with her sister, to reassure their parents that everything was fine and that their studies were going well. Tracey Davis went with them, as did most of the other students, and Alexander was one of the handful of students left at Hogwarts over the break.

He didn't like it.

Even Professor Umbridge left the castle, which came as a breath of relief for the remaining dozen inhabitants. Alexander reasoned that without the bulk of her targets there, the toad-like professor had little reason to remain. The irony of her chasing away all the castle's inhabitants, just so she could leave herself, did not escape Alexander, although he found it difficult to enjoy the result.

He avoided the other inhabitants of the castle, having Mopsy the House Elf bring him food to his room, and going for long walks around the grounds. He had finished copying the public parts of the library a few days before Christmas, and Alexander found that without something to distract him, dark thoughts moved across his mind. The walking helped keep them at bay.

Why did the Death Eaters choose his family? To torture, break, and kill them? Was it chance or planned? Did Duny and Hilliard plan it in retribution, or were they merely along for the ride, a chance to have "fun" with some muggles? Alexander wished he knew.

He had tried writing to Daphne but had been answered with a Howler from her father, demanding he cease his association with Daphne. The anguish that caused cut him so deeply that he had stopped exiting his rooms entirely, and what little distraction the rest of the world provided him could no longer help.

On Christmas morning, a day, he would wake up to hear the sounds of his shouting brothers, his laughing father, and his mother trying to herd them all to the living room, Alexander broke. He screamed, losing himself in his loss and rage, his magic whipping out of him violently. The contents of his room were trashed, thrown against the wall with all the fury of a storm. His furniture rattled in their places before they too were picked up and thrown, shattering to pieces. And in the center of the storm kneeled Alexander.

He had never felt so alone.

Magic Break Can't Be Seen

The holidays ended. Students returned, greeting one another warmly, happy to see their friends again. But the hall of Hogwarts did not stay this way long, especially once Professor Umbridge arrived. Her presence swept over the school like a Dementor's, sucking the joy and life from it. Alexander briefly wondered if casting a Patronus Charm in her face would banish her, or merely blind her.

Alexander was surprised by a tug on his arm. He turned to find Daphne Greengrass, bundled up against the cold, standing there. No words passed their lips; the need to speak was said through their eyes. They walked toward the classroom, where they had spent so many hours laughing, talking, and kissing and entered without a word.

No sooner had Alexander shut the door, did he find Daphne wrapping her arms around him, clutching him tightly. Despite the warmth of her body, he only felt cold.

"I've missed you," she whispered.

Alexander slowly raised his arms, both feeling as though they had no blood flowing through them, rubbery and dead. It felt clumsy, returning her hug, as though his own body wasn't quite sure what it was doing.

"I've missed you too," he replied. Was that his voice? He sounded so disinterested, so mechanical.

Daphne must have heard it too, for she pulled back. "Alex? Are you alright?"

Alex. A name reserved for family, friends, loved ones. And just like that, Alexander was warm again, burning with anger.

"No," he said, pulling away, "I am the furthest thing from alright I could possibly be."

"What's wrong? What happened, Alex, please tell me," Daphne pleaded.

"I received a letter just before Christmas. I'm sure for most people, that's a welcome thing, it's always good to receive word from family and friends around the holidays." Alexander began to pace.

"But it was not a normal letter! It was a Howler. But who would bother sending a muggle-born, a Mudblood, a Howler?" He turned, fixing his eyes on a thoroughly baffled Daphne. "Your father, that's who!"

"My father?" Daphne asked, incredulous. Alexander nodded.

"I sent you a letter. I was lonely, still am, but that doesn't change anything. I sent a letter to my friend, to my girlfriend, and her father sent me a Howler in turn, demanding I never speak to his daughter again."

Alexander's fingers spasmed, and he could feel his magic stirring inside of him, but he ruthlessly kept it under control. "Want to know the worst thing about it, though? I kept thinking you would write. That you would send a letter along, possibly even through Tracey, if your father was difficult. But nothing arrived."

The classroom fell silent. Daphne was looking at Alexander, tears, and horror in her eyes, but he didn't see them. He couldn't even look at her.

"Alex, I-" she began, but he cut her off by holding out a package.

"Merry Christmas, Daphne. I hope you have a pleasant year," Alexander said, dropping it into her hands. He turned and left before she could see his tears.

But no matter how fast he walked, he couldn't stop himself from hearing her choked sob, or stop how it tore at his heart.

Magic Break Can't Be Seen

The following days and weeks were a haze to Alexander. Classes with Slytherin were painful, Daphne being so close yet so far was torturous to him. They never made eye contact, let alone acknowledged each other's presence, but there was a hole in Alexander's heart that felt raw, and it ached every day for her.

Dumbledore's sudden disappearance surprised Alexander and the rest of the school. One day they woke up to find Professor Umbridge sitting on the headmaster's throne-like chair in the Great Hall. Her announcement soon after only cemented the transition.

Umbridge immediately began to clamp down on her control of the castle, imposing ever-stricter rules and punishments upon the students. The teachers did nothing, not that Alexander was surprised, as they seemed to lack the spine to act at all. Their students, their charges, were being actively tortured by the pink monstrosity, yet they sat there and did nothing.

It was a sign of wizarding society, Alexander realized. If you wanted something done, you had to do it yourself. But most people were not willing to put their lives on the line. They'd rather flock to a champion and support them. Alexander just had to look at Dumbledore and Potter to know that as fact.

Dumbledore's minions sat at the table, ineffective without their leader to blaze the path, which should have been obvious, for them. Potter and his friends sat at the Gryffindor table, shooting each other significant looks as though no one could see them. Alexander wondered what form their rebellion would take, and how far they'd go.

Which was why Alexander was so surprised it wasn't Potter and his friends who acted first but the Weasley Twins.

It had started off small, just a slowly escalating series of pranks meant to disrupt the way of life at Hogwarts. Cursed silverware that would roll away from reaching hands, rugs that would wrap around anyone unfortunate to walk upon them. But it was the swamp that impressed Alexander, a beautiful construct of magic that was one part Charms, one part Transfiguration, and one part Potion. The two Gryffindors somehow managed to combine them in such a way to create a permanent effect, something Alexander didn't realize was possible without the use of Runes.

But that seemed to be too much, too overt, and Fred and George Weasley were caught, and at Umbridge's mercy in front of the whole school.

"You think it's funny to turn a school corridor into a swamp?" Umbridge screeched unpleasantly. A few nearby students were covered in swamp muck.

"A bit, yeah," one of the twins said. He and his brother seemed unconcerned by the screeching witch. Alexander applauded their daring and wished that he could look over their notes to see what else they'd come up with.

As Umbridge began ranting and raving about expulsion, the two brothers shared a look and gave each other a firm nod. As one, they held up their wands and shouted, "Accio Broomsticks!"

A loud ruckus could be heard echoing through Hogwarts, and two broomsticks appeared, one dangling manacles of all things. The twins mounted them.

"If you like our patented Portable Swamps, as demonstrated upstairs, come to-"

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in Diagon Alley!"

"A special discount to Hogwarts students who promise to use our products to get rid of this old hag!"

The two men kicked off and released more fireworks, before flying from the Great Hall. The crowd of students excitedly whispered about the latest development, while Alexander stood among them, silent and contemplative.

Perhaps, not all wizards in the wizarding world were useless. Fred and George were brilliant, creative, and daring, things that Alexander did not associate with wizards. He wondered how he could find more of them.

Magic Break Can't Be Seen

AN: Fred and George certainly have some flair.

I hope you're all enjoying the story!