Warning: Non-Beta, pardon me for the typos or the screwed up grammar because English isn't my mother language.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any franchise in this story!

—

It was the time when the moon was at the peak and eliminating the dark land below, when the students from first years to seventh years were sleeping soundly in their beds in their dorm, bar the mischievous ones, who'd rendezvoused with their partners in the broom closets, and the patrolling Perfects. It was also the time when I was sorting out the written reports of their activities in December and January written by my lovely minions. In the end of each month since I formed my House-elves Black Ops, I need to spare my time to sort the reports from my cute, loyal minions.

Today is the end of January 1992, and in the next dozens of second, February will arrive.

Yet, the snows are still falling outside of the castle and the air is very cold. I need to apply a warming charm to keep my comfort.

I was sitting in a comfortable couch in a comfortable study, which was decorated by elegant and sophisticated furniture, while reading the chicken scrawls on the long parchment in my hand. I'd become accustomed to the atrocious handwriting, much to my inner bemusement, after reading the same handwritings each months since I had finished conditioning and training my first three minions.

A wise man has said "consistency in learning makes perfect" in the past, but I truly realized the truth after I experienced it firsthand. I didn't think that skillfully reading the horrible handwritings was something I need to feel proud of, but I digressed as I was reading the atrocious writing like my second nature.

The written report was quite long. The house-elves which had written these things were sure enjoying their time to write these reports. Unfortunately, from the longwinded reports they wrote, almost 90% of the total written report was something I deemed as a dairy written by children, and only the leftover was truly important information.

Skimming, oh how I loved this technique. With my quick eye movement, which was coordinated with my fast thought speed, I could easily skim a parchment in less than five seconds. High AGI and INT status attribute helped me a lot to finish this tedious job fast, it was no joke!

Another parchment has been skimmed over and nothing except fervent praise to me and how grateful the female house-elf called Wonky to be one of my house-elves. It was another wasteful resource, I suppose. It wasn't the first time I silently have to wonder if I should let the house-elves to report everything verbally. I immediately disregarded that notion since listening to their broken speech was more troublesome than reading their chicken scrawls with broken grammar. At least, I can skim the parchment to cut short the process. I don't think my Gamer's Mind can keep my sanity intact as I listen to their broken speech for hours.

For a while, being spent to read the fervent praises and excessive worship as I skimmed through several parchments, I finally found something useful. I slowed down my speed into a careful reading, trying to decipher the broken grammar used by the house-elves as my eyes scanned the parchment. A moment later, my lips curled up slightly as I found interesting information in Wonky's report. It was the most useful bits from the one meter and half fully written parchment long report the zealous and loyal house-elf had written down.

"As I expected, that old codger really did it, huh?" I mumbled silently as I put down the parchment on the table, placing it mindfully so it wouldn't bump into the sophisticated old ink fountain from gold with elegant feather quill dipped in it.

As Holly's shadow, I had tasked Wonky to keep eyes to Holly's activities in 24 hours and write down what the girl has been doing in those times, though I wished the hardworking house-elf didn't write down when Holly was taking a shower or using toilet. It was too much even for me.

I am well aware it can be considered as a crime, for stalking act is disturbing other's privacy. I acknowledged that what I tasked Wonky to do can be considered as crime and a violation of one's privacy, but it is for the best, I suppose. Now, I've found out that Albus Dumbledore did the same thing his canon counterpart had done in the first year of the series. He'd returned back the Cloak of Invisibility in the Christmas morning and put a compulsion and tracking enchantments on it. The enchantments on the cloak made Holly to have a night stroll until she stumbled upon the Mirror of Erised.

There was a small part of me wished to know what the girl has seen in that Mirror, the girl's deepest heart's desire, before I put aside that insignificant curiosity in the dark corners of my mind where other insignificant thoughts will be left forgotten. What Holly desires isn't my problem. The girl has freedom to desire what she wants and keep it to herself.

"And he has moved his piece on the board. Hagrid, huh? Good grief, that oaf is truly gullible. For someone with giant blood in him, he has a too honest for his own good heart."

I sighed, feeling a tad disappointed by how everything had gone so far. It wasn't like I disliked how everything proceeded just as I expected it to be. My foreknowledge of what'd happen in the year 1991 to 1992 in Hogwarts made everything to be too easy for me. It wasn't a bad thing, mind you. It was just a small part of me wished for challenge, but of course, I denied that small part because it wasn't a rational and logical choice.

Only a fool gives his enemy the advantage over him, and I'm sure I don't want to be a foolish clown who plays with his own life and will get his buttocks bitten miserably later. The stake is too much. I mean, it was my life and future I bet on.

I drummed my fingers on the smooth surface of the desk, noting how nice it was as I mulled all information I've amassed so far. "Let's see, Dumbledore is really going to put the Philosopher Stone in this place to bait Quirrellmort and test Holly. Surprisingly, the Daily Prophet clipboards didn't tickle her curiosity. It is likely that Holly won't proactively meddle in the old codger's plot. I feel it's a waste to let the stone destroyed just like that. Although I feel that I'm not interested to the Stone's elixirs, it's other function to transmute a lead into a pure gold is more useful for me now. Although I can command my cute minions to rob banks or criminal organizations, I can't ask them to do it forever. I suppose, the stone is important as my fund raiser."

I made a thoughtful face, thinking what I should do next as I spun the metaphorical gear in my head. A moment later, I know what I shall do next.

"Barmy!"

I called the leader of my ever growing house-elves brigade. He appeared beside my chair with a soft 'pop' sound and then gave me a military salute. I acknowledged his salute, nodding my head to his direction, and then I quickly told him his new task.

"Is there an able body from the new members to do a simple recon mission? At least, I need those who have finished their basic training."

Barmy made a pensive face as he thought carefully of his answer for my question. Then, he nodded his head as he said, "Sir, yes sir! Dinky and Potty have finished their basic trainings, sir. Does Master Lusty-Bug sir need the new members to do a job?"

I nodded my head silently at that. Inwardly, I was recalling the two house-elves Barmy had mentioned.

Dinky and Potty were from a group of house-elves that joined the House-elves Black Ops after the New Year. The total house-elves joined my underground organization was more than twenty, giving me more than thirty house-elves to follow my whim. They just passed their rite to adulthood and searched for a magical family to serve. When they heard the news about my growing house-elves underground organization, they tried their luck by trying to join us. Of course I accepted them with open arms because house-elves are multifunctional resources in my eyes.

House-elves were really useful little tykes. Because there had almost none anti-house-elf wards been erected in all key places such as Ministry of Magic, Diagon Alley and Hogwarts, house-elves could freely enter that place easily. The goblins were quite smart since they had, at least, installed anti-house-elves wards in the vaults under Gringotts bank building, and they only let the house-elves to apparate into their business hall, at least, to do the business in their lazy masters' place. It was also the sole reason why I hadn't gotten the Cup of Helga Hufflepuff in my hand yet. But, I already prepared a corresponding plan to deal with the Cup.

Since it would hinder their own house-elves' activities, many families and places that needed house-elves' service to function didn't put on an anti-house-elves ward. The old wizarding families also had the illusion that house-elves could only work for chores, not other things as other sentient living creature could do. It was a loophole I didn't feel ashamed to abuse for my own gain.

I shook my head, pushing aside the unnecessary thoughts from my head, and then called the two house-elves in question. They arrived with a soft popping sound, clad in the customized army camouflage attire. They did a clumsy military salute as they saw me.

"Dinky is here answering Master Lusty-Bug sir!"

"Potty is here answering Master Lusty-Bug sir!"

The house-elves reported to me, which I accepted by nodding my head to their direction. They dropped their salutes and then stared at me expectantly, waiting for a task to complete. It was just the house-elves nature. Just as human who were growing with indoctrination to be a proper human in the school or other environments that educate them, the younglings of house-elves aren't different. It was the content which was different. Instead of the common sense, human rights and whatnot, they were indoctrinated to be perfect slaves for magical family they served.

"Alright, Dinky and Potty, I need you two to do something for me." I regraded them silently, taking a mental note how their ears were flapping and their eyes were shining in excitement, and then continued: "First, tell me if you two can apparate to the underground room that's connected with the forbidden third floor, where the Mirror of Erised is located." At their positive nods, I continued my words. "Your task is this: I want you two to keep your eyes on that Mirror. Tell me immediately if someone, even Albus Dumbledore, is around the Mirror."

Dinky and Potty exchanged short glances and then nodded to me. At that, I told them to start their assignment without further ado. It was only me and Barmy who're left in the room. Then, I turned my sight to Barmy and then told him, "You may continue your assignment, Barmy."

The house-elf with the crooked beret nodded his head and then apparated back to our underground hideout.

After Barmy left, I sunk my body on the soft couch as I let my body and mind to earn a small break. My eyes roamed around the luxurious study I was in. To be honest, Room of Requirement is truly a convenient place. It can transform into any place I wished, with certain limitations of course. Nevertheless, it still helped me a lot since I started my life in this ancient castle. This time, I've asked for a luxurious yet comfortable study to finish up my monthly work.

For a moment, I did nothing. I watched the stacks of rolled up parchments on the desk before me. I finally forced my lazy bone to move when I realized I had wasted several minutes for nothing.

As I unrolled and then began to read another reports, I remembered a certain thing I needed to do soon. It was my meeting with Clara as the mysterious donator who had donated massive sums of money to the orphanage.

"Well, I can't just invite her for meeting. A smart girl like her will do a background check. It seems that I need to prepare dummy papers in non-magical side for my fake persona." I paused for a moment, before I smirked and then continued. "This is going to be fun."

—»O«—

It was the time when the curfews are closed, when the children would be tucked into their beds. It was also the time long past the dinner. Nevertheless, places like high class restaurants and the likes in the downtown were still showing bustling situation as suits the occasion with the company employees or adults who searched for small reprieve after a long, tiring day of work.

In one of such restaurants, the wooden building complemented with luxurious furniture, table, and chair that were similarly made from wood brought out a calm atmosphere. It was an expensive restaurant that was locally famous. And I was there in the company of a lovely woman who sat in front of me across the table.

The inside of the restaurant was spacious. Even the second floor was usable because the scarce customer. About a third of the restaurant starting from the entrance was used as atrium, so someone standing near the banister at the second floor could observe well the situation at the first floor. I and the lovely lady before me were sitting around the table near the banister at that second floor.

Today was the end of February when the winter ended and spring started. The air was still a bit chilly as the leftover from the winter. At least, the snow had stopped pouring down from the sky. But, I digressed, since my company for today dinner was sending me a curious look mixed with recognition, uncertainty and wariness.

Wearing a classy dress that accentuated her lovely figure with extravagant leather jacket with warm furs on the collar was Clara McKenna, the sole matron working in my orphanage. She was here because of my invitation as the mysterious donator who'd sent those mysterious donations for almost a year. To cut the story short, I didn't present myself as the eleven years me, I presented myself as a man in his late twenties. To be honest, some potions in magical side of this world were very convenient.

To enforce my existence in the non-magical side of this world, I had prepared many things beforehand, such as creating the secretive House Lustburg which is supposedly the special magical force directly under her Majesty the Queen's control as her trump card against the Ministry of Magic if they ever overstep their boundary; editing Her Majesty the Queen's memory to back up my illusory organization's existence; and many things I deemed as important.

Of course it wasn't as easy as I stated it to be. There were muggleborn wizards and witches worked under Her Majesty the Queen as her safeguard against the lurking danger of magical society, yet my trained House-elves black ops dealt them easily. There was no mortality in this assignment.

Overall, it had been a tiring month, but the fruit of labor paid the hassle justly. It was because of that I could only prepare my meeting with Clara now. And the reason why I could only set this meeting around 9PM was because the Hogwarts' curfews too.

"How's the meal, Miss McKenna. Did it complement your taste?" I inquired suddenly after I realized Clara's umpteenth gazes since this supper started.

The woman was startled by the sudden question, but she controlled her reaction quickly and then nodded her head to my direction. After that, she said, "It has been very pleasant, Mister Dalton. Anyway, may we begin the real reason behind this meeting?"

"Of course, Miss McKenna, shall we accompany our discussion with a glass of wine?"

Clara nodded her head silently. At that, I clapped my hand to call the waitress and then ordered a bottle of fine wine. The waitress told us to wait for a moment. After the wine came, the waitress skillfully poured the wine into two empty crystal wineglasses and presented them to us.

While waiting the waitress, I recalled my fake identity I'd prepared in the non-magical side. Dalton Lustburg, 28 years old, a bachelor, a member of special black ops under Her Majesty the Queen's direct control, a peerage with Marquise title and the owner of Wiltshire.

After the waitress finished serving us, I lightly sipped the wine, taking a mental note of its rich flavor. I didn't feel fear for the intoxicating effect of alcohol because I'm sure nothing will happen. Then, I faced Clara with straight gaze and said: "You may ask questions which have been plaguing your mind, my fine lady."

Clara put down her wineglass and then regarded my mature face silently. I could imagine the metaphorical cogs in her head spinning. Then, Clara asked her first question.

"There're many questions I want to ask, but the most important question I wish to ask now is . . . what is Asmodias Lustburg to you?"

I made a thoughtful face and then sipped my wine. "Ah, that young one," I finally answered Clara's question. "Well, I think he's my only living relative and my long lost nephew."

It was a lie I'd prepared.

"Do you have any plan to adopt him in the future?" Clara inquired again.

"How shall I spell it . . . well, both of us know how mature he is, a trait in our family if I must say so. But I digressed, for this isn't what we're talking about." I stared at Clara clear eyes calmly and asked her a question. "Do you think he will accept my over easily if I adopt him suddenly?"

Clara made pensive expression and then hesitantly shook her head. "He won't follow you," Clara said. She inhaled the cold air and then sighed deeply. "That boy has seen that place as his real home and everyone in that place as his family. It won't be easy for him to move out."

I nodded in satisfaction from her answer. I couldn't speak about it any better than her. It was just how Clara explained. The sentiment I held for the orphanage was thick as family. I even dared to say it was thicker than the sentiment between family members. The orphanage had helped me a lot in the past ten years and without that orphanage, the today me wouldn't exist.

"You're correct." I nodded my head. "I've done my research about him and doing what I have been doing seems to be the good move for now. I can pay his study, disguised as scholarship since he's quite a brilliant child, in the future too."

"So, you have prepared everything. It gives me a peace of mind knowing a brilliant boy such as Dias will have promising future. His talent will be wasted if he can't enroll into good university just because the lack of fund." Clara sighed in relief.

"Agreed, my lady." I nodded my head at her statement. "Anyhow, do you have other question for me?"

Surprisingly, Clara shook her head. "Most of my questions have been answered just by knowing your identity sir," Carla started. "I am also not a noisy woman who'll step out my boundary and demand an answer from you. Just from this place alone, I understand your background isn't simple. It's enough to put my mind in peace."

Then, Clara rose from her seat and did a courtesy, bowing her body slightly, and then formally thanked me.

"As the representative of Saint George's House in Harrogate, Yorkshire, I thank you, Sir Dalton Lustburg, for your kindness and support to our orphanage."

"Your gratitude is note, Miss McKenna. You may put your mind in ease," I accepted her formal thanks and told her to return back to her meal.

After that, we chatted about ourselves, and of course, everything I spoke about Dalton's background was load of bullshite. We chatted and drank the wine and chatted even more and drank even more. Before we knew it, it was already 11 PM, the time for ending this meeting. Since it was very late, I decided to take Clara back into the orphanage with the car I rented for today.

—»O«—

After several weeks had passed since my meeting with Clara, the last year examination got closer. In the meantime, I had basically thrown myself into the metaphorical meat grinder to keep myself busy, I also kept my ears on the many rumors circulating in the Hogwarts rumor mill, ranging from a rumor about a certain groundskeeper and his Norwegian Ridgeback, how the Weasley twin have seen a Cerberus in the forbidden room in the third floor, how Slytherin is going to win the Quidditch school tournament this year, how Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell are having a falling out, etcetera.

Some of the rumors did a very good job to remind me how different this world from the series I knew of. Because a single change, namely Holly's gender, many things had proceeded to unexpected direction. For example; how Holly didn't show any strong interest in finding out the mysterious thing hidden in the forbidden room in the third floor; how she kept Hagrid outside of her comfort zone, though she acted amicably around the half-giant; how she didn't join the Quidditch team and play for our house; how she ignored Hagrid attempt to take her interest on the Philosopher Stone per Albus Dumbledore's scheme and plots; and how she hadn't done what her male counterpart had done in the series I knew and was fond of.

There were ups and downs, brought by the simple different gander of single person. Some ups were quite favorably for me and some were not. Still, I did my best to get a semblance of control amidst the cacophony of chaos in these several weeks.

I was standing in the middle of a spacious workshop with only the finished project before my eyes and the rune engraving kits. There was nothing else in this room. I had requested the Room of Requirement to provide me with simple workshop to finish my latest and most important project.

Before me was a 1x1 meter square slab of Obsidian stone with 5 centimeters thickness. At the first glance, it just looked like the Power Plant I'd created to supply my House-elves with magic energy, but there were some differences. Other than the obvious difference in the size and the material, the rune scheme I'd engraved on the Obsidian's smooth surface was less complex than the one I'd engraved on the Power Plant altar. Furthermore, the precious smooth orb was embedded in the middle of the slab of obsidian.

I checked the small altar for the umpteenth times. After I was sure nothing is wrong with it, I checked it with my Observation skill.

Name: Unnamed Altar
Rank: Uncommon
Durability: 100/100
Details: An altar created by Asmodias Lustburg with the sole use to contain malevolent wraith.

"I shall call this artefact as Spirit-Sealing Altar," I declared.

The name of the artefact changed from Unnamed Altar into Spirit-Sealing Altar. After that, I stored the finished altar inside my Inventory. I became silent after that, there was nothing I need to do. What left for me was to wait for the last year examination to finish.

Suddenly, I remembered about Albus Dumbledore and his scheme. I wasn't sure what the old man is going to do since Holly isn't going to blindly follow what he has planned. This is going to bet tricky, but I am sure nothing bad will happen. "Well, I can only prepare for the worst. At least, I have more than eighty percent chance to make this success. Let's pray for the best outcome," I spoke to myself, before I requested a shortcut to return back to Ravenclaw Tower.

—

Footnote:
The chapter was fixed at March 28th,2018