Breaking the Habit
Chapter 1
Alexander's POV
I went to sleep last night anxious for the morning to arrive for the festivities to start. Tomorrow was my sixteenth birthday and I would be recieving my magical inheritance and my parents had agreed to let me get a car. Ray and I had planned to have a mini shopping spree before heading to a club that night but things don't always go as planned. My morning started a little slow because my inheritance was painful and I had to take several pain killers before I was ready to start my day. I did go and get my car, which was a two toned (black and silver) convertible Mercedes Benz, and Ray sat in the passenger side as I drove off the lot towards Rodeo Drive as my parents drove back home.
Rayven and I went to every store and just had a ball as we bought whatever it was our hearts desired. We were known on Rodeo for our frivolous spending and were always treated well whenever we happened to drop by a store. Everything went as planned until we got home and I was accosted by this greasy looking wizard. He sneered at me and he held me captive.
"Harry Potter," he spat as if I was the lowest life form on the Earth.
"The name's Alexander," I replied shortly before saying, "And I would appreciate it if you would unhand me."
"I don't give a flying fig what you would appreciate. I have orders to take you to the Headmaster and that is what I'm going to do," the man replied nastily.
"I would advise you to let Alex go," Rayven replied softly.
"And if I don't?" the greasy man asked.
"Don't let him go and you'll find out," Rayven retorted.
The man snorted at her as he brought an object out of his pocket and began to mutter something under his breath. Before he could finish what he was saying Ray ran over towards where the man and I stood dropped down and performed a cleansweep, making the man and I fall. She grabbed a dagger from her ankle and thrust it in his chest hard and stared in his eyes as she twist it before pulling it out. The man's eyes were huge in shock as pain went through him. Rayven pulled his hands away from me and pulled me from him. He finished muttering whatever it was he had started and a second later he had dissappeared.
"It seems as if you've been found dear," my mother's soft voice replied from her seat in the corner.
"By whom?" I asked.
"Headmaster Dumbledore. From what I could find, he was the one who sent you to live with the relatives who have you up," my father replied.
"And who was that man?" Rayven asked as she manually cleaned her blade.
"That was Professor Severus Snape. Deatheater turned spy," my father replied.
"And how do you know this?" Ray asked my father.
"Money talks in both worlds," my father replied.
"So what am I supposed to do?" I asked as I plopped down on the chair.
"They'll most likely request for you to attend Hogwarts so that the Headmaster can keep an eye on you. If we refuse then Dumbledore will use his influence to try and make it seem as if he's doing it for your protection, ignoring the fact that you have been living here for years protected while Voldemort's most loyal servants has resurfaced," my mother replied, "In the end he'll get his way so I was thinking that we'd just transfer you and Ray to his school in Scotland."
"Why Ray? If I'm going there to be tested than I don't want Ray to be put in danger," I replied quickly.
"I'm going Alex so stop wasting your breath," Ray replied shortly.
Not long after I said that a phoenix flew through the window with a letter in its grasp. My father waited until it stopped before grabbing the letter and reading it. Just as he finished reading the letter the paper began to glow and a second later my father was gone.
Angelo Bellini
I cursed lightly as I appeared in what looked to be a Headmaster's office and waited for whoever charmed the letter to tell me why they tried to steal my son instead of asking politely to speak to him. A second later a graying wizard walked through the door with his pet phoenix on his shoulder and smiled at me in a grandfatherly way as he headed over to the seat behind the desk.
"Lemon Drop?" he offered.
"No thank you," I replied.
"I'm Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster here at Hogwarts," the man replied.
"What exactly did you want?" I asked him.
"I wasn't really expecting you but since you're here maybe you can shed some light on what happened to my Potion's Master," Albus replied.
"He invaded my home and tried to kidnap my son and when asked to let him go he did not do so, so he was handled in a way that would insure that he left my son how and where he found him," I replied.
"If the young man Severus tried to take was Harry Potter, than he is not your son," Albus said with hardened eyes.
"Oh, but he is. See I adopted him and just so you know, his name isn't Harry. It's Alexander," I replied.
"Adopted?" Albus asked taken aback.
"His relatives gave him to an orphanage. You should be lucky that my wife and I found him and not some deatheater willing to finish what his lord started. Now whether or not you like it Alex is my son and you have no authority over what happens to him. I will tell you that if you ever try to do what was attempted today, I will have no problem suing you and your ministry for allowing you to do what you did. You see I live in America and Europe's Ministry of Magic doesn't have jurisdiction where I live so you should think about that the next time you decide its within your rights to try and kidnap my son," I replied evenly.
"I wasn't trying to steal Mr. Potter..." he started.
"Mr. Bellini," I interrupted.
"Right," Dumbledore replied, a bit put out, before continuing, "I just wanted to ask him to join us here at Hogwarts. Its the safest place for him to be at the moment."
"No, the safest place for him is with his family. He's been with us since he was a year old and not once has he been threatened the way he was today and then you saw how that was handled," I replied.
"Why don't you think it over before you make your decision. Just think, the same way we found you so will Deatheaters. It's just only a matter of time and when they come it won't be as easy as it was to apprehend Severus," Dumbledore replied.
"We'll see and if we decide to allow Alex to attend Hogwarts, he will come on September first with the other students," I replied.
"Well I see there's nothing I can say to further convince you to make sure that it would be in Harr...Alexander's best interest to continue his schooling here so let me reactivate your portkey so that you can go home," Albus replied with a sigh.
Rayven's POV
Well it'a September first and instead of heading off to Salem's like I did every year my family and I were staying at the Four Season in Central London trying to get ready so that Alex's parents could see me and Alex off. I finished smoothing my lavender scented body cream on my soft skin before I grabbed my dark blue low rise denim jeans. I buttoned and zipped them securely before I slipped my black Louis Vuitton belt around my waist and pulled a pair of white ankle socks on my feet before heading over to the chaise lounge in my room where I placed the clothes I wanted to wear for the day so that I could continue dressing. I grabbed my black lace v-neck halter top and pulled it on, arraning the top so that it fit the way I wanted it to before I picked up the tan box that held my black multicolored monogrammed Louis Vuitton sneakers and stuffed my small pedicured feet into them. I pulled the drawstring securely before pulling my long hair up into a neat ponytail and rolling on my clear Chanel gloss.
I lightly sprayed on my perfume before I grabbed my black multicolored monogrammed Louis Vuitton purse and quickly dumped my necessities into it. I had just finished getting ready when the door that connected Alex and my room together opened and he walked in wearing a pair of baggy fit blue jeans, a black ribbed tank top that clutched his chiseled chest, and a pair of black sneakers on his feet. He plopped down on my bed before asking me if I was ready.
"Yeah. Where are the parentals?" I asked.
"Waiting for us in the lobby," Alex replied.
"Then lets go," I replied as I picked up my purse.
"You know you're forgetting your trunk right Ray?" Alex asked as he made his way towards the door.
I turned and gave Alex my puppy eyes while saying, "Can you get it for me Alex?"
"Get it yourself Ray," Alex replied.
"Pwease?" I asked, pouting.
Alex rolled his beautiful green eyes as he picked up my trunk and led me out of my room. When we got to the lobby a bell hop grabbed my custom made Louis Vuitton trunk from Alex and placed it in the trunk of the black stretch limo that was waiting for us at the door. I placed my key on the check-in desk before walking out of the luxurious hotel with my family and into the waiting limo that would drive us to King's Cross so that Alex and I could catch the Hogwarts Express train.
The clock had just stroke eleven and Alex and I found ourselves on a crowded train trying to find an empty compartment to sit in for the rest of the ride. Various people looked at us in interest as we peeked through various compartments with our trunks floating behind us. We finally found an empty compartment in the back of the train and levitated our trunks into the huge overhead compartments before locking the door to our compartment and taking a seat on the comfortable seats.
"So are you ready for this?" I asked Alex.
"Sure, it can't be that different from Salem's," Alex replied.
"Did you even open up that Hogwarts a History book I bought for you?" I asked him.
"No," he replied sheepishly, "I didn't really see the point, I'll learn everything when I get there."
"Okay Alex, that's stupid. Hogwarts is very different from Salem's. They don't have any 'muggle' sports so if you decide to be on a team this year it has to be Quidditch and as you always say Quidditch has too many safety regulations for your liking. Then there is the fact that they don't have singular rooms and that once you're sorted into your house you have to share your room with your whole year, or at least that goes for the majority of the houses. There is also the fact that there's no 'muggle' stores anywhere near Hogwarts so if there's anything that we need that's sold exclusively there we'll have to get the parentals to get them for us. And there's no electricity," I replied.
"Damnit! Where are we going? Back to the middle ages or something? There's no way I can go without my TV and video games," Alex started.
"How do you think I feel? I need my IPOD and laptop," I retorted, "But luckily for me I read the book and spent most of last month using different charms to allow my electronics to function in a zone overflowing with magical energy."
"And you didn't think to tell me?" Alex asked.
"You'll get over it. I bet next time you'll read the books I give you," I replied with an arched eyebrow.
It was way past night fall when I was awakened by someone pounding on the door yelling that we'd made it to Hogwarts. I yawned as I carefully untangled myself from Alex's protective hold and stretched my limbs before waking him up and telling him to put on his robe. He nodded and summoned his robe from his trunk as I did mine and we quickly shrugged them on, not bothering with the rest of the uniform as we locked our trunks and left the train. We were told by Minerva McGonagall once we'd confirmed our attendance at Hogwarts that we would travel to the castle by boat with the first years because we hadn't been sorted yet. Alex and I wasn't too happy about that but what could you do. The ride, thankfully, was a quick one and we'd made inside just before it started to rain. The little first years were staring at Alex and I in interest but their attention was quickly diverted when the Deputy Headmistress came out to escort us inside of the Great Hall where we would be sorted into our houses.
"Alex Bellini!" the Deputy Headmistress called early on in the ceremony.
Alex turned to me and gave me a little wink before he walked over to the stool and plucked up the hat before sitting down and placing it on his head. I don't know what was said between Alex and the hat but I know I saw Alex's lips moving every now and then. Ten minutes had passed and Alex still had yet to be sorted. I glanced at the head table and saw the Headmaster, Deputy Headmistress, and the Potion's Master looking on with undeguised interest. A minute later the hat stood straight and yelled , "SLYTHERIN!"
I laughed to myself at the surprised looks on the three adults faces as Alex walked over to the table that was clapping for him. I watched as the scheming Headmaster leaned over to the Potion's Master and began to whisper something in his ear. The man sneered and nodded and I knew then that I definitely wasn't going to trust either man with Alex's or my safety. They both had something up their sleeves but they will soon realize that Alex can handle himself in any situation but if there was ever a moment where he couldn't than I would step in and the two of us together isn't a pair you'd want to cross.
I had been waiting for a little over an hour when finally, " Rayven Waters!" was called.
I walked confidently to the seat and sat down and crossed my legs, mostly out of habit, and placed the hat over my neat pony tail. I barely had the hat on my head when it yelled, "SLYTHERIN!"
I quickly pulled the hat off of my head and placed it back on the seat before making my way over to the cheering table and taking the seat that Alex had saved for me. Shortly after my sorting the ceremony ended and we were allowed to eat. Alex and I were enjoying our various meals when a boy around our age turned his attention to us and stared me and Alex in the eye before speaking.
"So where do you two come from?" he asked.
"America," Alex replied, clearly feeling this guy out.
"Really?" the boy sneered before stating, "And you decided to come here? Why transfer?"
"It wasn't so much a choice as it was a demand," Alex replied.
"I hear that the American schools allow its students to socialize with the muggles," the boy replied.
"Okay," I replied as if to say and that matters because.
"Muggles are beneath us and to socialize with them is like being friends with a House Elf," the boy replied.
"Who are you?" I asked him.
"Draco...Draco Malfoy," he replied as if this is something I should have known.
"Well Draco, you will learn later on in life that not everything is what it seems. Just because the muggles don't have magic doesn't mean they're push overs. And for someone who feels so inferior to other people, you would think you'd been taught not to underestimate your enemy," I replied before turning my full attention back to my meal.
Shortly after dinner ended and we were escorted to our quarters deep within the dungeons. Once the password was spoken the wall opened and we walked through to see an elegant black, green, and gray decorated common room. There were gray and white marble pillars here and there along with black leather sofas. It was amazingly modern but very rich. The area looked like it would be comfortable but that comfort wasn't the first thought when it was designed. It looked as if style and class was among the major thoughts and that comfort just happened to be an outcome of those things. The Potion's Master was the head of Slytherin house and he gave the welcoming speech, which wasn't really welcoming, before we were ushered to our respective rooms and I'll tell you now that I'm glad I was sorted into Slytherin. The reason being that every other house had everyone from the same sex and year sleeping in one room, which was okay when trying to conserve space but wasn't really confortable with all that estrogen in one room. In Slytherin there was two to a room that was the size of an apartment and each room had their own bathroom. Thankfully my year had an odd number of girls so I got a room to myself that I quickly redesigned to fit my own taste. Alex, as I found out, wasn't as lucky. Alex, thankfully, didn't end up with Malfoy but he did end up with Blaise Zabini.
As midnight rolled around I was so tired that if I closed my eyes I knew they wouldn't open for at least eight hours but I couldn't sleep comfortably without having showered first so I headed to my bathroom and smiled when I realized that the house elves had unpacked my things and had placed a couple of my shower gels around the tub. I turned on the water and made sure it was a nice warm temperature before undressing and cleansing my body using my warm vanilla sugar scented shower gel. Twenty minutes later I left the bathroom feeling refreshed and ready to head to bed. I towel dried my body quickly before smoothing on a quick coat of my vanilla scented moisturizing cream and rolling on my clear deodorant before searching through the various drawers to find where the elves put my night clothes. It took a couple of minutes but I finally found them and pulled out the first, which happened to be my black mesh georgette babydoll. I pulled it on, along with a pair of black low rise v-string panties before pulling my bed covers back and getting into the soft queen sized four poster bed and welcoming sleep.