Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
Alexander Dantes was not on the Hogwarts Express.
He sat in the shadow of the Forbidden Forest, which overlooked the magical village of Hogsmeade. One would not be able to tell by looking at him that he had spent the last few months sleeping outside, as his clothes were clean, his hair trimmed, and his skin had the healthy glow of someone who spent a great deal of time outdoors. Only two things stood out on him that would make anyone do a double-take, the first would be the numerous scars that covered his skin, a reminder of how his family was murdered in front of him, and his eyes.
They did not glow with repressed power, nor were they a striking shade of color, inhuman to look at. In fact, they could almost be described as perfectly ordinary were they not staring with the intensity of a thousand stars at the tracks leading out of Hogsmeade, disappearing into the distance.
Alexander had spent much of this past summer healing. He did not know or understand just how raw he was still feeling over his family's deaths, not until he was alone in the wilderness. He must have walked for hours, aimless, before coming upon a mountain in a forest of trees. With no preparation, no food or water within his grasp, he began to climb. And as he ascended, he felt clarity coming to him.
It felt as though he were climbing out of the very pits of hell, reaching the safety of the mortal world, and then choosing to ascend even higher. He climbed, his limbs burning with exertion, and he relished it, reveling in how it made him feel alive.
Alexander could not reach the peak before night fell, nor even climb half the steep mountain. He used his magic to melt a ledge into the cliff-face and summoned water to quench his thirst. But the hunger Alexander let remain, unwilling to use magic to summon sustenance to him, no matter how it might help him. He needed to do this.
So on that cold, windy shelf, he slept. His weary body succumbed without issue, however, and he slept through the night to wake up stiff the next morning. He resumed his climb eagerly, but the moment he left his ledge, Alexander paused, turning back to it.
A moment later, it vanished, magic reversing the changes he made. He didn't know why, but Alexander felt it was important to undo the damages he had done to the world, even the ones that were beneficial. He thought to himself how important it was to take only what was needed and to return what he didn't. He resumed his climb.
Despite how hunger sapped at his limbs, Alexander felt invigorated. His mind, hands, and magic were the only tools he had, and while he had honed the first and last the most over the years, he was determined to rely on the second as much as possible. It was balance, Alexander realized around noon that day. He wanted balance.
A fresh wave of energy overcame him, and Alexander climbed the afternoon away. He was high now, and he could see nothing but forests and mountains all around him. As he stopped that evening to rest, he was again tempted to find food, and this time he obeyed.
Spotting birds flying in the distance, dancing in front of a setting sun, Alexander raised his hands and readied his magic, but something told him to stop for a moment. He watched as one of the birds swooped down, faster than anything Alexander had ever seen in his life. It disappeared into the trees below, and after a moment, he expected a puff of feathers to fly up, signaling the demise of the bird. Instead, a moment passed before the bird reappeared, a rabbit clutched in its talons.
It returned to a nest somewhere to Alexander's right, but he was no longer focused on it. Instead, he marveled at the sheer daring required to do that, to launch yourself at the forest below and to weave between the interlocking limbs of the trees, all to catch a meal. Alexander wondered how hungry the bird must be to do that, how long it's gone without food to wait for the perfect moment to feast.
The sun set, and Alexander went to sleep without eating once more. Despite the protests of his body, Alexander slept peacefully and woke up refreshed. His magic almost seemed to be thrumming with joy within him as he started once more.
Over the past two days, his climb hasn't just been a vertical ascent. There were times where he needed to cross chasms, leap across gaps, or backtrack to move forward. When and where he could, he would forgo the use of magic, saving it within him, although he didn't know for what. But the moment he reached the peak, Alexander knew exactly what he was preserving his magic for.
Watching the birds soar in the distance, without a care in the world, Alexander steadied himself. It was no easy thing to look over the edge of a cliff, at the steep drop below. There was fear, of so many different reasons, and also regret. But Alexander steeled himself, and with three quick steps, he threw himself from the mountain peak.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
Alexander Dantes did not fly, but he would later argue he fell with style.
Even that was inaccurate. He tried to keep himself aloft, but the magic slipped through his grasp as he slipped through the air. On the edge of his senses, something lurked, some path forward that would enable him to fly, but it eluded him. He fell through the air like a rock.
Alexander would later comfort himself that at least he didn't scream as he fell thousands of feet. He was very alarmed, however, with how quickly the ground rushed to meet him. Struggling to fly futilely, Alexander gave it up, and instead wrapped himself in spells in an attempt to slow himself down.
It was partially successful. Instead of landing with a splat, Alexander bounced. The spells failed almost instantly, and after flying through the air, Alexander collided painfully with a tree, a much more meaty thwack that echoed sounded as unpleasant as it felt. But once he finally stopped moving, he was pleased to discover himself in one piece, if a bit bloody and bruised.
Alexander must have laid there for half an hour before he could muster up the energy to move. When he finally staggered to his feet and looked around, examining the clearing he was in, a storm of thoughts overcame him.
It should be noted that Alexander Dantes was not a normal man. A normal man, or wizard, would have the belief that they walked away from an accident that should have killed them, that they should consider themselves lucky. Alexander, however, was only focused on the magic and, more specifically, how his magic acted under duress. And he how much he wanted to fly.
So he made a camp. Using his hands, he built himself a small shelter to protect himself from the elements. Using his magic, he warded away hostile creatures, unwilling to kill them when they could be spared so easily. But as he did this his stomach rumbled, alerting him that he had not eaten for days. So he foraged.
Finding fish was easy; catching them by hand was not. But one transfigured net later and Alexander had the beginning of supper, in the form of two fish. Alexander had little experience in preparing fish, as the only fish he had ever seen were already cut and prepared by the time they reached his local market. Still, he gave it his best shot and was rewarded with two raggedly looking fish.
He quickly had them roasting over a fire built by magic. Before too long, a mouthwatering smell filled the air, and Alexander's stomach rumbles increased to match it. Finally, he could wait no longer and pulled the two fish to himself.
Looking back on it, Alexander could admit it wasn't a very good meal. But with how starved his body was for nutrients, it might as well been a feast of the gods with how fast he devoured it. All too soon, he was finished, and he almost used his magic to catch more fish when he stopped himself.
Was he actually hungry? Could he even eat more if caught it, or would he just get sick? Alexander wrestled with the thoughts before regaining control over himself, forcing himself to relax. He and his body were one; its instincts were not in control of him. So instead of stuffing his face as it wanted to, he instead went to bed.
Alexander rose with the sun the next day, and even though he was stiff from the climbing and the hard crash, he felt amazing. As he looked around at the rough camp he had created, up at the peak that towered overhead, he found himself grinning in excitement.
This would be fun.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
Alexander never did attain actual flight that summer. He climbed up the mountain every seven days and threw himself off, trying and failing to use his magic to achieve flight. Sometimes he would succeed in gliding a little, projecting himself forward for one startling moment, but it always failed, and gravity reasserted its domain over his body.
But he took it as progress. After every failure, he would return to his little camp and would reflect on the experience. For the climbs Alexander always abstained from eating, he knew it was illogical, but something about the experience demanded it of him. But he always feasted when he returned to camp.
The fasting, feasting, and physical labor began to show on his body. He was never a large boy growing up, always slight and average in height. But a summer of climbing a mountain showed on his maturing body, broadening and lengthening his frame. He would never be as large or fit as a bodybuilder, but with his magic and mind, he didn't need to be.
Daphne Greengrass, his girlfriend, only managed to call him a handful of times that summer using the tablets he had made, but Alexander appreciated it nonetheless. Her father was being poached by members of the Dark Lord's Death Eaters, and regardless of their neutrality, a certain image needed to be portrayed. The heiress of the family talking to a muggle-born like Alexander? It would have resulted in the deaths of everyone involved.
So Alexander focused on himself. He read when he wanted, what he wanted, casting magic to his heart's content. The Ministry of Magic supposedly tracked magic cast in Great Britain, but Alexander had long since determined that to only meant magic cast by a wand. Most likely by some spell cast on each wand before Ollivander sold it, as a ward that could cover and track a country, even as small as the United Kingdom, would be too massive for anyone to accomplish without sacrificing millions.
His isolation from civilization was particularly telling when one day, an owl joined him on his climb. It was only partly through the second day of his ascent, just past half-way to the top, when it alighted on a broken ledge nearby. It hooted at him, confused as to what he was doing, and to Alexander's surprise, he hooted back.
It took a long, embarrassing moment for sanity to return to him, and he quickly transfigured a ledge to sit on, as well as a bowl of water for the poor creature to sip while he regained his senses. A moment later, he relieved it of its letter, sending it on its way to no doubt tell other post owls what an absurdly weird wizard it just delivered mail to.
Alexander shook his head to clear his thoughts. Post owls don't secretly gossip about the witches and wizards they serve. He turned over the letter in his hand and was briefly amused to see his Hogwarts letter addressed to "Some Bloody Cliff, Scotland". He briefly wondered if that had drawn anyone's attention before it was sent off or if it was all done by charm.
Opening it up, he was reminded that he needed to make his way to London to buy his supplies, before realizing that was foolish and that he could just purchase them in Hogsmeade. However, it was the second letter inside that garnered his attention, as they were his O.W.L. results.
The neat little row of Outstandings brought a smile to Alexander's face. He wondered if the Hogwarts professors were aware of these scores. He would have loved to see McGonagall's or Vector's faces when they realize he aced their classes, despite their nasty dispositions.
Alexander only intended to take Ancient Runes, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Transfiguration for the next two years. The less time he spent with the other students, the better, especially since he was becoming increasingly disappointed with the wizarding world. He had done more magic in one summer than in years at Hogwarts, with their structured learning and classes. Modern witches and wizards didn't seem to understand that magic meant freedom; it wanted to be used. Using it to make teacups tap dance was a crime.
A tremor of magic went through him. Alexander tensed, before realizing it was his own, reacting to his thoughts. Reinvigorated, he resumed his climb, embracing the knowledge that he was about to use his magic for the highest pursuit of all: survival.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
The Hogwarts Express pulling into Hogsmeade, snapped Alexander out of his memories. Uncaring of the leaves or dirt attached to his pants, he made his way down to join the crowds of students, who, despite confirmation that the Dark Lord had returned, were quite happy to see one another. It was the paradox of youth; they were aware of the danger yet could be self-absorbed enough to forget about it.
Alexander joined the masses moving toward the carriages. The Thestrals pulling the carriages looked vaguely like demons but were docile as the students climbed into their carriages. Alexander wondered how many of the students could see the beasts; after all, only those who had seen death could see them.
Climbing into one of the carriages, he was briefly surprised to find other students following him. The green trim of their robes told him they were Slytherins, and their unfamiliar and young faces told him they were at least a year behind him, if not two. The one in front had an unfortunately large nose, especially with how she turned it up when she saw him.
"This is our carriage, get out," she ordered. The two boys that followed her nodded in agreement.
Alexander gave them a dismissive once over. "No," he finally said, settling into the uncomfortable seat. "I shan't."
The two boys looked dumbfounded that anyone would disagree, but it was trumped by how furious the girl was. She pulled her wand out. "You'll leave, or else!" she shouted. Alexander was vaguely aware of the crowd of students watching their carriage through the window.
"Or else, what?" he asked, honestly curious with what she'd threaten him with.
"I'll curse you!" she shouted shrilly. Alexander was a little disappointed. They didn't make bullies like they used to. "Move, Mudblood!"
In an instant, Alexander's eyes narrowed dangerously as he shifted his gaze from the waiting students to the foolish trio. The stupid Slytherin was smirking down at him.
"Well, if you insist," Alexander replied casually. In the blink of an eye, his wand was in his hand, and the tip poked the girl in the belly.
A flash of blinding light blinded everyone, hiding the fact that Alexander used his wandless magic to curse the three Slytherins with a variety of curses, ranging from simple tongue-tying to ones that would make them feel like something was itchy under their hair. That one, in particular, was applied to all three, making it so when one scratched, the itchiness would increase on the other two. He ended it by banishing the three Slytherin's from his carriage.
Even though his wand was broken years ago, Alexander was still fond of it, making sure to keep it in good shape. It had been snapped a few times this summer, unfortunate crashes with boulders and trees, but had been fixed with an easy Repairing Charm afterward. He slid it back into his robes just as a large man pushed his way through the crowd of staring students.
"I say, what's going on here?" he asked, wheezing slightly. Alexander didn't recognize him at all.
"Just a minor disagreement about seating arrangements, the two lads seem to be vying for the young ladies' approval," Alexander said. The trio groaning on the ground began to scratch themselves.
"What are they doing?" the man asked, wide-eyed. One of the boys scratched himself on the groin, causing the other two to as well.
Alexander had to stop himself from laughing. The curse he used would target any skin underneath hair, which apparently included the groin. Add in the fact that he linked it between the three Slytherins, and they were all wildly scratching themselves while groaning. It looked quite obscene.
"If I had to guess," and how Alexander said this with a straight face, he'll never know, "I would say that they seem to have caught something. Judging by the location of their focus, I would wager it to be sexual."
This got the watching crowd of students whispering, spreading gossip with a speed that even a jet would be envious of. That most of Hogwarts was watching meant the only ones who wouldn't know about this must have been stunned or blind.
"Right, enough of that then," the man said, flicking his wand. The three Slytherins went as stiff as a board and were levitated to a new carriage. "Let's get you to Madame Pomfrey."
Completely unconcerned with the possibility that the man was kidnapping three Hogwarts students, Alexander relaxed into his seat. He was unsurprised that the carriage started moving a moment later, with no one else willing to join him.
It was perhaps, the first sensible thing the students of Hogwarts ever did.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
The Welcoming Feast of Hogwarts was spoken all over the world as a fantastic work of art, with mountains of dishes lovingly cooked by House-elves, artistically decorated, and devoured by hungry students. It took Alexander two bites to determine that the first fish he cooked and ate this summer was not only leagues better in taste but also less likely to clog his arteries.
As he sampled the few fruits and vegetables available, he allowed his eye to wander the Great Hall. Daphne Greengrass was sitting with her back to him, with her sister sitting in her shadow. Judging by the tenseness of the two witches, he reasoned it had more to do with protecting Astoria, than not. Across from them sat Tracey Davis, Daphne's best friend who was glaring at a smirking Theodore Nott a ways down the table.
Up at the staff table sat the man who had dragged the three Slytherins off. He had been introduced as Professor Slughorn, here to take over as Potions Professor while Snape moved on to Defense Against the Dark Arts. As interesting as all that was, Alexander was uncaring as he was dropping the class; thus, he would have very little to do with the new professor.
Alexander, and the rest of Hogwarts, were briefly surprised when Harry Potter showed up late to the feast, with a face covered in blood. It sent whispers throughout the hall, chasing away talk of the three Slytherins that Alexander had cursed.
Snape's new appointment brought conflicting thoughts to Alexander. On the one hand, the man had a caustic personality, delighting in belittling anyone who didn't have an intuitive grasp of the many rules and conditions of Potions. On the other hand, he had spent the past sixteen years teaching Potions, and if he were any good of an instructor, Dumbledore would have moved him ages ago. Still, Alexander would wait and see.
Alexander was briefly surprised when someone nudged him. Looking up, he made eye contact with Sue Li, another Ravenclaw in his year. "Yes?"
"We're talking about our O.W.L. results," she said. Behind her sat the rest of the Ravenclaw sixth years. Alexander hadn't even noticed he sat down near them. "What was yours?"
He raised a curious brow, curious as to why they were speaking to him. "I passed," he said shortly.
"Yeah, but what did you get?" Michael Corner demanded angrily. Alexander made a point of grabbing a slice of pie and eating a piece before answering.
"Outstanding," he finally said, well aware that it wouldn't answer Corner's question.
Seeing that Michael Corner grew red in the face, Terry Boot cut in before he could cause a scene. "Outstanding in what?"
Debating against eating another bite to spite them, Alexander answered, "everything."
This seemed to surprise them all. "Wow, that's impressive," Sue Li said, smiling shyly at him. Alexander didn't know why, but it set him on edge.
However, his answer didn't impress one of them. "It's bloody annoying is what it is," Michael Corner protested. "He wasn't even in Potter's DA!"
"Shh!" Mandy Brocklehurst shushed him. "I don't think we're supposed to talk about that," she whispered.
Resisting the urge to point out how little he cared about what they did, Alexander turned his attention back to his pie. A soft tug alerted him that Sue Li wasn't done talking to him, however.
"Maybe you could help me this year?" she asked. No one else seemed to be paying them attention. "It'd be nice to get to know you."
In the past, both of those statements would have made anger storm through Alexander like a hurricane. But a summer of climbing a mountain, only to throw himself off, went a long way in bringing his turbulent emotions under control. Which was why his answer was short and to the point.
"No thanks," he said, climbing to his feet. He left without a backward glance.
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
Despite Alexander's wish, it took him and Daphne a week to finally meet up. And that week was enough to tell him that this would be another year where he would be massively disappointed by the teaching quality of Hogwarts.
Three of his classes demanded the use of silent casting, a technique in which a witch or wizard relies solely on their focus to cast a spell. Considering that Alexander had been spending years doing this already, he had little trouble in the classes, usually waiting a moment or two before lazily waving his dead wand and wandlessly casting the spell.
Professor McGonagall seemed to hate seeing him in her class. The first class involved an impromptu oral exam from her that Alexander was reasonably sure she decided on the spot to use to get rid of him. That he answered her questions without issue only infuriated her, and she elected to return to ignoring his presence utterly.
Since taking multiple Stunning Spells to the chest didn't remove the stick from her ass, Alexander elected to ignore her right back. In truth, the only reason why he was still taking this class was that he was using it to further his studies in Alchemy, which was far closer to Transfiguration than Potions, despite what people thought.
Alexander had two Philosopher's Stones at his disposal, the one that he grew from the shard that belonged to Nicolas Flamel's, and the one he grew out of a casket of his own blood. But Alexander was positive he could purify the stones and make them even more powerful. He just needed to figure out how.
Charms was a non-issue. Ever since the Career Counseling meeting last year, Professor Flitwick avoided Alexander like the plague. Alexander blatantly ignored his lessons in favor of his own studies, often performing spells months ahead of schedule just to tweak Flitwick's nose. It was petty, but Alexander found it to be cathartic.
Defense Against the Dark Arts with Snape was fascinating. Potter and the professor seemed to be one insult away from blows every lesson, which always proved to be an amusing spectacle. However, when Snape deigned to lecture, it was filled with useful details and personal experiences with spells of all sorts of effects. Despite the past five years of shoddy professors, Alexander was actually learning things under Snape's tutelage, not that he'd ever tell him that.
Alexander's final class, Ancient Runes, was acceptable. Professor Babbling always looked at Alexander as if she were unable to figure something out as if he were a piece of a puzzle, and she was trying to put together a different set. He never told her his theories or discoveries on Ancient Runes, rightly assuming it to be too dangerous, but Alexander sometimes wondered if she suspected him of being more advanced than the other students.
Which he was. He was making alert wards and basic protections as a first-year, something they had only learned last year. Pacing himself with the rest of the class was only doomed for failure. He read ahead, he read the notes and tests of students long since graduated, and he always questioned why magic worked the way it did. Alexander knew he had an understanding of magic that surpassed most of the adults in the wizarding world, let alone his fellow students.
Which led him back to Daphne Greengrass, who just entered the abandoned classroom he was waiting in. He smiled at her, and she gave him a scowl back. She jerked her hand behind her, dragging in Astoria and Tracey, both bound, gagged, and obviously grinning at the pair.
"They wouldn't let me come by myself," she explained. Alexander shrugged before stepping forward, wrapping her in a hug and kissing her for the first time in months.
It continued for quite some time, one of Daphne's prisoners gagging at the sight, before the pair finally split. "I'm glad to see you've been practicing," Alexander finally said, his head resting on Daphne's. Her eyes were so beautiful.
She poked him in the side, causing him to jerk back in surprise. "You could have warned me the Trace doesn't work on wandless magic. These two idiots have been annoying me all summer, and we could have talked more if I could have cast a Silencing Spell!"
Alexander shrugged. "I thought it would have been obvious. I just assumed your father was keeping you busy."
Daphne slumped against an abandoned desk, waving her hand at Astoria and Tracey. "Finite. It's been horrible. My father keeps being invited to these gatherings for Pure-bloods, and he's running out of excuses to decline. Mother is no help. She keeps pushing for him to go."
"Air, sweet air!" Tracey gasped dramatically. No one laughed, causing her to pout. It didn't last long as she perked up and focused intently on Alexander. "So you taught Daphne wandless magic and didn't invite me? I thought we had a connection."
"We have a friend in common," Alexander dryly said, sitting next to Daphne. She dug an elbow into his side.
"I'm only a friend?" Daphne asked, the threat clear in her voice.
Alexander winced. "You are unless you and Tracey are also dating. If so, I would have liked to have been told, as that's something I think I should have known."
"You two are dating?" Astoria asked, shocked. "Father is going to kill him!"
Daphne rolled her eyes at that. "I'm more worried about Alex killing father in self-defense than I am about the reverse."
When neither Alexander nor Tracey refuted that, Astoria's eyes only grew wider. "How can you say that our father was a dueling champion!"
Tracey snorted. "I don't think someone who can summon Dementors is going to be overly concerned about a dueling champion."
Astoria twisted so fast that her hair whipped through the air. "Summon Dementors?" she screeched. Alexander sighed.
"Daphne, did you place any Silencing Charms on the hallway before coming in?" he asked. To his relief, she nodded.
"And a basic Aversion Charm. I didn't want to cause a scene by dragging these two bound through the halls."
"You mean it's true?" Astoria whispered, shocked that someone still attending Hogwarts could summon a Dementor.
"I can't summon Dementors," Alexander explained. Astoria breathed a sigh of relief. "I called one, and it answered."
The three girls seemed to be even more shocked by that. Even Daphne was looking at him in a new light. "Really? Because it looked like you just summoned one from the forest," she said.
Alexander shook his head. "I threw out my magic with a message, and it answered—sort of. I guess there was also a component of summoning with it, but it was less of a physical come here and more of metaphysical one. Regardless, the Dementor answered and talked, which implies there some degree of intelligence behind their actions."
Shaking off that unnerving thought, Alexander focused on the still stunned Astoria and Tracey. "So why are they here?" he asked Daphne.
Astoria still seemed out of it, but Tracey focused on him intently, giving him a pleading look that immediately made him suspicious. "Can you teach us wandless magic?" she asked. Astoria quickly snapped out of it and joined her pleading looks.
Alexander looked at Daphne to see her look resigned. With a sigh, Alexander held out his hand. "Give me your wands."
Magic Break Can't Be Seen
AN: Start of Year Six!
I hope you're all enjoying the story!