Yo!

Welcome to the next chapter of "Road to Power".

Yea, yeah. I know it has been a while. Unfortunately, I am a busy man lately and I don't have as much free time as I would like to have. The end of the term at University will do that to you.

Thankfully, I am almost done with everything important. Only two exams and one large project left... Alright so maybe I still got some shit to do this month, but after February I can again go back to releasing chapters more frequently. Of course, apart from this chapter, you will get another one for this story later this month, but I don't know about more than that.

Sorry?

Anyway, I have been also working on my writing style. Those who read "Grimm's Evolution" will know what I am talking about, but if you don't then I hope you will enjoy the change. I have been told that it is a big improvement. Of course, I am still far away from the point I want to be in, but I am getting there.

That should be it for this AN. More in the AN after the chapter as I got a few things to say about the story, but don't want to spoil anything.

Enjoy.

PS: Please read the additional AN at the bottom. It should clear some things out for those that will be disappointed with some parts of this chapter.

Chapter 15. Who are you?

I switched my gaze from the mass of random letters floating above the ritual site to Slytherin and then back to the ritual site. My brows furrowed as I finally broke the silence, "Oookay... so what am I exactly looking at?"

Salazar, like the usual bastard he was, simply answered, "The outcome of the ritual."

I palmed my face and gave a long sigh, "Right. If you didn't know, I am not a linguist and have no clue what the hell this gibberish is."

Salazar stopped his observation of the hovering letters and almost mechanically turned towards me, "Ah yes. I apologize, but if what I just read is true then we just happened on a goldmine," I opened my mouth to give a quick remark, but the older wizard beat me to it, "No, I didn't mean it like that," he said with a pointed glare.

I waved my hands before nodding towards the ritual site, "Okay, okay. Now if you could explain."

Salazar nodded and turned his gaze back to its previous spot, "We will need to perform more tests to make sure, but I doubt they will tell us anything different. This ritual is never wrong... well almost, but that's not important. Now, this gibberish as you call it is Ancient Greek. It is rare for it to be used with magic so I won't ask you to learn it. Maybe in the future, but not now."

The ancient wizard gestured towards a bunch of letters with his hands, "Everything that the ritual discovered we already knew. Changing any metal into gold and creating the Elixir of Life - and you were right, it only stops aging and doesn't give you back your youth."

Could he finally get on with it? Salazar really loved to talk in circles and it was slowly getting on my nerves. I just wanted to discover what was so special about this stone apart from what we already knew. But no, the old snake couldn't stop himself from monologuing for years...

I stood there for another few minutes, tapping my foot and listening absently to whatever Salazar was going on about. It wasn't important, trust me.

Finally, the old wizard took pity on me and pointed to another a lot smaller group of letters, "Now, this part is something I have never seen before. Oh, I know exactly what it means, but to think I would ever see it for myself."

I groaned loudly, "Alright old man. Get. On. With. It."

Salazar scowled, "Youth... no patience those days," I shoot him a glare, "Right... To put it simply, Nicholas Flamel somehow created an object capable of generating its own energy."

Okay, I didn't expect this.

I raised my eyebrow, "So this little stone can 'use' magic just like wizards and witches?"

Salazar shook his head, "No, no, no, you misunderstood me. It doesn't passively absorb the magic of the universe, it generates it. And let me tell you that it is no small feat as we still don't have a clue where magic comes from."

This fact was slightly disconcerting. Not even my knowledge of this new universe helped us in finding the source. Of course, I would be the first to admit that my information about MCU and the rest of Marvel wasn't perfect, far from it. But Salazar and I hoped that it would get us closer to figuring out this secret.

Well, it didn't.

I frowned, "You think we can somehow use it? Having our own source of magic would be nice, but I'm not gonna lie that I'm out of my depth here. I have one year of magical education and even with my advanced studies this is beyond me."

Salazar set his gaze on the red stone in the ritual circle and tapped his chin, "As it is now? Not really. We can create as much gold and Elixir of Life as you want, but that's all you can use it for. Of course," the wizard smirked, "If we were to somehow transfer the ability to generate magic to another being..." here his eyes fell on me.

"Then I would have something to fall back on if I was somehow separated from magic," I finished the idea before narrowing my eyes, "You think it is possible?"

Oh, I really wanted this to be true. I was quite sure that multiple beings in the universe had the ability to limit wizard's ability to absorb magic, but if I had my own generator to fall back on then it just might save me in some ugly situation. And it would be stupid of me to think that it couldn't happen, not with my goals...

The ancient wizard chuckled, "Logan, didn't I tell you this already? With magic nothing is impossible. We just need time."

"If you say so," I shrugged and collected the Philosopher's Stone.

"It might take us months or even a few years, but it is definitely doable. Just remember that when we succeed, this little addition won't make you overly powerful. It generates energy, that's true, but just enough to make the Stone work. It definitely will speed up the recovery of your magic and give you something to fall back on, but apart from that don't expect any big changes."

Slightly disappointing, but understandable. I was curious if maybe we could use the Stone's ability to create Elixir of Life to lengthen my life span or something like that, but I really doubted it. After all, it wasn't the Stone that halted the aging of a person, but the Elixir. Oh well, something to think about later. Besides immortality wasn't something I required currently.

Shaking my head I picked up Salazar's portrait and walked back to the study. We still had some things to do today.

I trudged through the entrance to the Great Hall my head almost splitting open. A silent curse left my mouth, damn Salazar and his bloody rituals. I could handle it he said. Not as painful as the previous ritual he assured.

Well fuck, he lied again... Why was I even surprised after all those times he forgot to mention the painful process I needed to go through during the rituals.

I shook my head and immediately winced as the headache came back with full force. Right, no sudden movements, just a slow trek.

Reaching the Gryffindor table I slumped down in a seat near the Golden Trio. I sighed and plopped my head down on the table.

"Fuck," I cursed again at my stupidy. I hoped that the mind improving ritual was worth it all. Salazar reassured me with a very long explanation that the effect would start to appear over the next few weeks.

If he lied to me again? Well, then I would find a way to get my revenge even though he was a damned portrait.

Unfortunately, I still needed to get through this godforsaken Halloween feast. A whine almost escaped my mouth as I wondered what made me perform this stupid ritual in the break between classes and the feast.

Why? Just why?

As someone decided to touch my shoulder, I rolled my head to the right and peeked at the offender with one eye opened.

Fiery red hair, freckles all over the face, male. I squinted my eyes, Ron. Right, I just sat down next to the band of misfits. Should have found a place at the end of the table where I could be alone. Oh well, too late now.

I raised my head from the table and nodded to the trio, "How are you doing this fine evening boys and girls?" I croaked out and almost winced when I heard my voice.

Ron answered first, "Definitely better than you mate. You look like my brothers after a failed experiment... just less energetic."

If I didn't have problems with remaining in a sitting position I would snort. That sounded about right, I had the pleasure of watching the Weasley twins after some of their failed pranks.

Suddenly Hermione's voice reached my ears, "Maybe we should help you to the Hospital Wing or inform a Professor. I am sure they can help if you feel bad."

This immediately gave me enough energy to ignore the hammering in my head and address the young girl, "There is no need to worry the Professors. I am just tired that's all, nothing some rest can't fix."

The bushy-haired witch narrowed her eyes but nodded none the less. She probably didn't believe me fully but refused to argue about it. Understandable, we weren't close friends and her bossy tendencies were getting better with time. I could see her becoming a very good friend for Harry and others.

Of course, it didn't stop the girl from saying her last piece, "You still should visit Hospital Wing tomorrow if it won't pass."

I nodded and smiled at her, "I will Hermione. Thank you for caring guys, but I will be fine. I just wanted to practice some spells and overdid it a bit," I said with a chuckle.

They accepted my reasoning and went back to their previous discussion. They asked me a question from time to time but mostly left me alone. I wasn't sure if it was because of our current relationship or my half-dead state but I was fine just sitting there, eating the food provided by Hogwarts.

The throbbing in my head slowly got weaker and weaker and soon I was sitting straight almost without any problem. I ran through the basic occlumency exercises and again erected some basic barriers in my mind.

Any kind of defense I had, was crushed after the ritual finished. About this Salazar actually warned me as it was a security risk. The man at least knew not to risk my secrets.

As the dishes disappeared, I stood up with the rest of the students and slowly pushed through the mass of bodies. I took a last peek at the Ravenclaw table and sighed.

One student. The previous first year from the House of Ravens disappeared from Hogwarts over the summer. With the whole change to the original plot and research on the Stone, I didn't have the time to check if anyone disappeared during the break.

Week ago I finally decided to do a headcount and well... One student down.

Two days of going through the list I created last year showed that it was a muggle-born female Ravenclaw that disappeared. Again I was nowhere near solving this mystery.

This universe was just too large to find the kidnappers with so small amount of information available to me. Older students didn't know a thing. And Professor refused to talk about this more than necessary. Only the mundane world could help me now. Unfortunately, even after my search last Summer, I didn't find much. I had a few ideas that I could run through, but for that, I needed to go back to London and I wasn't too sure about this plan. Especially not considering my situation.

I shook my head as I slid into my bed. A smile stretched on my face as the warm blanket engulfed my body. Yes, both the kidnappings and disappearance of the Diary troubled me, but I could worry about it tomorrow.

After a tiring day full of magic and pain, I deserved at least some rest.

The doors squeaked slightly as I swung them open. Like the last time, the eerie lit office of the Headmaster greeted my sight. Fawkes, the phoenix sat, perched in his side of the office and I took his form with a slightly wide-eyed gaze. His crimson and golden feathers illuminated in the low light. Definitely one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen in both my lives.

I wasn't really surprised that the magical bird was here. The snow and freezing air outside definitely didn't prove too welcoming for a creature of fire. Lovely December.

I averted my gaze from the exotic bird and turned towards the elderly form of Headmaster sitting behind his desk. Dumbledore gave me a small smile, "It is always wonderful to see the wonder in my student's eyes when they see Fawkes for the first time... Phoenixes, I was lucky to get a companion like him."

Yes, lucky... I wonder how they bonded. If it was ever explained in canon, I didn't remember it. Oh well, maybe one day Dumbledore would humor my curiosity.

My thoughts stopped as the Headmaster chuckled lightly before motioning to the seat across him with a wave, "But that's enough about my familiar. Please sit down Mr. Hunt. I am sure you're curious why I called you here."

Not really, I thought with a shrug as I took his offer.

I knew perfectly why he called me here... Well almost perfectly. You could never be too sure with a man like Dumbledore. People like him just loved to have secrets within secrets... Alright, I might not be too different from him in that regard.

Still, I was pretty sure that Albus and Fury would get along.

Actually never mind. Those two had so many secrets that they wouldn't trust a word the other said. Even then it almost made me giddy when I thought about a meeting between the two. Then the almost nonexistent grin disappeared as I realized that they probably already met each other.

Oh well...

"A bit Headmaster. Does it have to do with my decision to go back to London during the Winter break?" I finally asked, my eyes a bit wider to sell my act.

"Indeed," Dumbledore confirmed my thoughts.

I withheld a sigh and leaned back in the comfy chair. So all of this was probably about the same thing as my visit here before the last Summer. Good to know that they were really trying to keep the students safe, even if their attempts didn't fully work.

"To be honest I was a bit surprised when I saw your name on the list. Would you mind rethinking your decision? You know the risks muggle-born students face during breaks," Ah, so that was what it was all about.

My decision to go back to London changed only a week ago. Before that, I planned to stay in the castle and finish my studies of third-year material. It was pretty easy, but with my preparations for future rituals, further studies of the Philosopher's Stone, and every additional thing I wanted to learn, I had little time to speed up my normal studies.

Still, I needed to go back to London for at least a few days so I could continue with my plans. Stagnation wasn't an option and Salazar agreed with me.

After the next ritual, I would be out of some of the most important ingredients, slowing my progress a lot. Stealing from Snape was out. The man already upped his security after some of my trips to his stores.

There was also the little bit I overheard from two half-bloods.

Apparently some technomancers from Japan - Because that's a thing... Who would have thought? - finally managed to make some more advanced muggle technology work with magic for normal wizards. Their products would be hitting the market this Christmas and I planned on getting one of those devices, a mobile phone if they had one.

If I managed to work out how they created it, I might be able to apply the technique to other devices. Besides constant access to the outside world would let me stay up to date.

Apart from that I really needed to run some of my ideas about the kidnappings through the mundane media. During the last two months, I thought a bit of a way to find even a small clue and I was almost positive that one of my plans would work.

Of course, telling Dumbledore about my expensive shopping and a new investigation wasn't an option... Still, twisting the truth always worked.

I shifted in my chair and looked back at the Headmaster who was watching me with a frown, "I wanted to visit the Alley during the break and spend some time with my friends I made during the Summer."

The frown on Dumbledore's face slowly disappeared, "I commend you for not cutting yourself off from your muggle friends, but are you sure it is worth the risk? I am sure some Professors wouldn't mind accompanying you to the Alley even if you stayed in Hogwarts."

It probably wasn't, I thought holding back a scowl, but I'm not new to risking my life. I have created a few escape routes from my home in London that should get me out in case something happens. I'm not a child.

I shook my head and gave the man a wide grin, "I am sure the protections you and the Ministry provided will be enough Headmaster. Besides I live in a very populated building, wouldn't it be hard for those kidnappers to get me there?"

"Maybe you are right my boy," Dumbledore answered with a smile, even if his eyes told an entirely different story, "Even then you still have two days before you depart from Hogwarts and I would ask you to rethink your decision again. If you really want to go back then the same protections will be applied as during the Summer. Now the dinner should be ready in a few minutes so you better get going Mr. Hunt."

I nodded and as I moved to stand up a single thought stopped my action, "Actually Headmaster, there is something I want to ask you."

Dumbledore raised a single eyebrow and leaned forward a bit, "Go ahead, Mr. Hunt. I will try to answer it to my best ability."

"You see I was wondering if it is necessary to complete NEWTs to leave Hogwarts," I said while looking down at my hands.

For a minute or two only Fawkes' soft thrill reached my ears and my face began to slowly pale as I wondered if maybe I asked this question too fast. Thankfully Dumbledore's next words returned some color to my face.

"No, it's not. But tell me, Mr. Hunt. Do you not enjoy your time at Hogwarts? Is it the reason why you wish to go back to London during the break?" Of course, the man couldn't stop himself from asking more questions than probably necessary...

"Nothing like that Headmaster," I shook my head franticly, "I love Hogwarts. This is the place that showed me what magic is capable of. But I want to see more. This world is wonderful and I want to discover every corner of it."

I added a short laugh at the end and observed Dumbledore for his reaction. After all most of what I have just said was true. I just omitted a few more important reasons why I wanted to get out of Hogwarts faster.

The Headmaster gave me a stare that made me wish that I never asked the question. Suddenly the have gaze disappeared and he gave me a nod, "I understand where are you coming from. The magical world is full of mysteries and wonders only waiting to be discovered... Now about your question. Legally you can leave Hogwarts after completing your OWLs. Of course, you still can't perform magic outside the school before your seventeen birthday."

I slumped down in my chair, "So there is nothing I can do?"

Dumbledore smiled widely, "I didn't say that. You aren't the first student to ask this, so let me give you the same answer I give the rest. While normally you need to be seventeen to get rid of the Trace, you can also go for your NEWTs faster, even right after your OWLs. And after passing at least four of them your trace will be lifted."

My eyes grew wide. Shit, that was exactly what I was looking for. The opportunity to leave the school faster and even getting rid of the Trace. Although...

"Headmaster, can the same be done with OWLs?" I asked, hoping against hope.

The shake of Dumbledore's head was enough of an answer, "No. Only those rare individuals that are homeschooled can pass their OWLs faster, but they rarely do that," the man then raised from his chair and set for the doors, "Now let us depart for dinner. I'm quite famished."

I nodded and followed the ancient wizard through the door.

I laid down in the old bed in my room and sighed. I have been back in London for three days already.

During the first day, I mostly spent my time watching as Ministry workers again erected wards around my Children's Home. This time I recognized a few of them and my eyebrows rose a few times when I felt some particular wards settling down. I guess they took protecting the magical children really seriously. It was hard to think about the Ministry from canon and this one as the same one.

Meh, maybe the rest of the Ministry was as retarded as the original.

I turned on my side and observed as the low light of the moon shined through the window. Don't think about the Ministry, it is a headache in the making.

The last two days were spent on checking the protections and planning the rest of the winter break. I wanted to add some wards of my own, but not even my anti-trace wardstone would hide them.

At least tomorrow I planned to hit the Diagon Alley and search for any news about the technomancers' products and resupply my ingredients. I might aswell look for some magical ways to passively protect my residence.

I leaned back into my pillow and closed my eyes. My mind focused on the silence and... wait!

Wave of powerful magic passed me and my eyes instantly snapped open. I ran to the window and peeked outside.

Five people, all dressed in black robes with hoods over their heads.

Shit! Those aren't ministry workers.

Another flood of power went through the building and as the next ward fell, two new ones took its place. Anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards. Fuckers knew how to do their job.

I rushed towards my wardrobe, my heart pounding. I wasn't getting kidnapped at least not without a fight. Just follow the escape plan.

I slipped my normal clothes faster than I thought I could and deactivated my wardstone that blocked the Trace. My wand ejected from my battered holster and I instantly cast a few random spells.

If I could avoid the kidnappers for a bit, then it should give the Ministry enough time to get here.

I kept casting random weak spells as I grabbed my stolen kitchen knife in my left hand. This was the exact situation I stole it for. Thankfully most of my stuff was in the Chamber of Secrets so at least I wouldn't lose anything important.

Slipping into the empty corridor I cursed when whispering reached my ears. My heart hammered even faster as I sneaked towards the highest floor.

They are already inside. Here goes my idea to wake everyone up. I'm not selfish enough to risk everyone's life here when I can escape without their help.

I forced a calming breath. Then took a shaky one and nodded to myself. Get a grip, I have dealt with worse, I thought even as another voice in my head screamed that normally I didn't deal with magically enhanced bastards. I banished this voice to the deepest parts of my mind and pointed my wand at the locked hatch that led to the roof.

With a quick command, the lock clicked and I climbed the ladder.

Throwing the hatch open I put my hands on the freezing roof and shivered. Fucking December.

Warming charm it is.

A sigh left my mouth as the blanket of warmth enveloped my body. Much better. I crouched down and focused a concentrated ball of pure magic into the tip of my wand.

The wand touched the ground and I let my hold on magic disappear.

The ball of magic disappeared into the ground as it shimmered in a dark red light. My brow raised a bit at the color, but I stayed focused as I waited for the feedback of my previous action.

I observed as the red shimmer retracted back to my wand and the information hit me like a train.

One on the first floor, two on the second, and the fourth one was nearing the hatch. I cursed again and tapped my head with my wand. My form flickered and a disillusionment charm took effect. It wasn't as perfect as the one I knew I could cast, but I was working under pressure. Still, it should be enough for what I planned.

I took a position behind the hatch and waited for the first enemy.

No longer than a minute passed as a hooded head peeked through the opening and slowly emerged on the roof.

Not wasting any time, I flicked my wand in quick succession and two spells escaped the tip. The bolts of light rushed at blinding speed towards the cloaked person and hit them before they could even react.

The person froze in place and I closed the distance in a quick step before slashing their throat open with the knife in my left hand. The silencing spell took effect and I watched with a blank stare as the now identified man fell on the roof in a spray of blood.

My first kill in this new world. As a twelve-year-old at that. Great... I'm moving up in the world, I shook my head. Some things just never change. Once a killer, always a killer, I thought with a scowl on my face.

I snatched the cloak from the man and transfigured it into a strong rope. One end I stuck to the roof with a simple spell while the other I threw over the edge of the building.

Grabbing the rope tightly with both of my hands I used the wall to push myself towards the ground. Thankfully it was the second time I had done that so I at least had some experience.

I grinned and dropped on the snow-covered ground. Taking a short peek at my now ex-home, I clenched my fists and began to run as fast as I could.

Where is the fucking Ministry!

Gritting my teeth I kept on running as my right hand again began to wave spells over my form. Anything that could hide me, I cast it.

I slipped through the bushes and finally emerged on the main street. A very empty street. It shouldn't be, even at night cars passed this place constantly.

It finally dawned on me as color again left my face. There were more than two wards here, all this time I was running around in their perfectly created playground. Of course. No plan survives contact with the enemy... I need to get to the wards' border. Then I have a chance.

I kept sprinting through the dark street until the space before me bent unnaturally. Apparition. I stopped and threw the first few spells that came to my mind at the new cloaked offender.

The hooded person effortlessly batted the spells away and threw some unknown lights back at me.

I rolled to the right and flicked my wand. Bone breaker, a darker variant of a cutting curse, banisher.

The offender dealt with the spells like they didn't matter and began his own barrage. Lights of multiple colors flew in my direction at varying speeds.

I jumped to the left, erected a shield to block another two curses, and dropped to the ground as a nasty black colored spell passed over my head. My dance continued, as I waved through spell after spell.

Panting, I crouched down. The assault stopped. My lungs almost giving out as the strain finally began to show.

This was too much. I trained a lot, but I was still new to this shit. With no experience in magical fights. My body too young to handle so much magic being thrown around. Rituals helped, but only so much.

Crunching hit my ears, crashing through the rampant hammering of my heart. Fuck.

I raised my gaze to the approaching attacker. The person looked like he was just taking a stroll through the park. No exhaustion, no wounds.

Why did I even think I could defeat him. I should have run. Stupid, overconfident idiot.

"You know Mr. Hunt. You are the first magical child that even tried to fight us. Truly incredible," obviously male voice sounded through the empty street, "You are good, boy. Unrefined, but good. You will make a fine asset. If you survive of course... Gersten take him out!"

I never had the time to react as darkness consumed me.

ADDITIONAL AN AFTER SEEING SOME REACTIONS IN REVIEWS:

So some of you felt that this whole scene was forced. I won't argue with you that it could come as forced and I am sorry if you feel that way. This whole kidnapping was in plans ever since I got the idea for this fic. I can't say much as we are just beginning the Arc, but it will be important for Logan's character.

Now that I look at this I agree that I could have gone about this in a different, better way. Unfortunately what is done is done and I don't plan to change it now.

Like I said this scene was going to happen anyway, be it this Winter break or the next Summer. This event was meant to show that Logan isn't perfect and he never truly accepted that this new life of his is real. I never gave him a genius background, but a part of a criminal who got killed because he was too deep in his job.

So yes, while the attack on Logan might seem forced, his decision to go back to London was natural for his character. He needed a reality check and this arc will help with that.

Again sorry for making such a novice mistake and I hope that this won't make you abandon this story as I still have a lot of interesting ideas for this fic.

That's it for today's chapter.

Man, that was fucking long! Almost 5k words. I could have ended it at the conversation with Dumbledore, but I wanted to give you more as an apology for the delay.

I hope you all enjoyed the brief fight or rather stomp. It has been a long time since I wrote a fight where one side didn't have a real chance of winning. For me, it came out pretty good, but well I am not a professional. Let me know what you think.

Also, I finally showed you another side of Logan's character. The bitter man, that was always fucked by the universe. Unfortunately, bad decisions will do that to you.

Now to the part of Logan being taken. I am sure some of you expected this to happen, I added this plot for a reason after all. I am also 100% sure that there are a few among you that won't like that I made Logan lose, but come on. He has what? A year and a half of magical training? Don't expect him to beat everyone just because. I want Logan to work for his power and while he is stronger than a large part of the students at Hogwarts, he is still far from being powerful.

The road is what makes the story for me. Even the title says it "ROAD to Power".

In the next chapter, I have more surprises for you, and I am not talking about the identity of the kidnappers. At this point, I am sure most of you know who they are...

For now, that's all from me. If you have any questions, contact me via PM or visit my discord, the link is below.

Have a good day/night, everybody!

LINK: discord. gg/ b7JaQcpuc7 (Just delete the spaces.)