11-15

Ch.11 - Archon Greywolf

During the first week of the summer break, Alex sent out some invitations to some members of the Association that he had known in the past years. Aside from being the ones who showed the most concern about the status of muggleborns in their society, they were also the ones that showed some real abilities. Some of them were already working for him in one of his businesses.

He thought that it was finally time to actively move toward his goals. Everything that he had done so far was just laying down the foundations. The Association was growing just fine with its membership reaching more than two-hundred. However, the role of the Association was to be the public face of their effort. To truly change the power distribution in the wizarding world, he had to do so with firmer hands.

A couple of days later, twenty witches and wizards arrived at the Hermes Country House just before 11 o'clock. They were welcomed by Mr Baxter by the front door and welcomed inside to the living room. There were enough chairs for them all to sit on, an easel was located in the front of the room with a veil covering it.

"Master Greywolf will be joining you shortly. Why don't you all help yourselves with some refreshments?" said Mr Baxter politely showing them the spread of light snacks and tea on a tray.

A lot of the people had a surprised look on their faces when they saw Mr Baxter wearing his uniform. Obviously, the man worked as some kind of a butler. But, they didn't expect the intelligent and capable man that they all looked up to was actually working as a manservant.

Mr Baxter walked out of the room as if to tell the master of the house that his guests have arrived.

Of course, Alex had known all along as he had waited for this meeting impatiently.

After the guests have settled in the living room, Alex had made his appearance. He was disguised as his older self as always.

"Welcome to my home," he said. Everyone had gotten used to this young man acting as their leader. In truth, he had done a lot for them.

"First of all, I want to say that I'm incredibly pleased with the growth of the Association. I couldn't have done it by myself. Your dedication to its ideals have made it possible. All of you here have sacrificed your time and even your money to help the others who are in need. Thanks to you, the Association was able to help them. And, it will only get stronger in time.

"However, that is where the challenge lies. As our movement grows, it will surely attract the attention of those who would want to hinder us," said Alex making a pause.

"I don't just mean the prejudiced purebloods who want nothing but to oppress us. I also mean those whose interests lie in keeping the status quo. Just like the Ministry."

Everyone was shocked at what he was implying.

"I don't want to fight the Ministry, truly I don't. If anything, I wish for it to be better. But if there was anything we can learn about the last wizard war, it is that the Ministry can be corrupted.

"Even if the Ministry of today are not as bad as 7 years ago, it is the interest of the Ministry to keep the power balance as what it is.

"How many of you know a muggleborn who died in one of the Death Eater raids, only for the Ministry to cover up the attacks as if nothing has happened?" asked Alex.

Some people have raised their hands to answer his question.

"If you were paying attention to the news after the Dark Lord died, you should know that some of the Death Eaters managed to stay out of Azkaban. The Ministry let them walked because they claimed to be mind-controlled when they did all those horrible things.

"A small dose of 'Veritaserum' would have revealed the truth, but apparently, it is a great insult to doubt the words of a pureblood. So, I ask you now, does the Ministry have our best interest in mind?" asked Alex. Everyone was beginning to see his point.

"No, they do not. That is why we need to have a group that would protect our interests."

"What about the Association?" said one wizard.

"It cannot be the Association. Its singular role is to help everyone and promote equality in all wizardkind, not to fight. What I'm talking about is a group of like-minded witches and wizards who are willing to do what is necessary for our goals to be realized," said Alex.

All the people listening to him were looking around at the other people sitting there. They were unsure of how they should react individually to what Alex was implying so they could only gauge the reaction from the rest.

"You are wary. I understand this. But everyone in this room has proven their dedication to the cause. Speak your mind," said Alex.

"Mr Greywolf, all of us here understand that our movement will have plenty of obstacles in its path. What I want to know is what exactly do you mean when you say 'do what is necessary'?" asked a thin man.

"I mean anything necessary. Secure our prominence in the economy. Infiltrate the Ministry. Make sure our people are kept informed. And, remove those who mean to stop us," said Alex, his tone becoming deeper as he talked.

People were shocked at what he said. But, there were also those who nodded in agreement.

"You are talking about taking control of the wizarding world, a revolution. Surely, you are not serious," said an older woman.

"I am. Have you gotten used to being treated as a secondary citizen that you can't imagine having powers of your own? Look at all of us. Think of the others like us and the future generations that will come after us.

"How did it make sense to you? I never understood what makes us so different. Purebloods, halfbloods, mudbl—"

His listeners gasped before he could even say the word.

"MUDBLOODS, all of us… mudbloods," said Alex to make his point clear. "How are we exactly different from them? Are we less capable of magic? Less intelligent? Are we LESS?"

"No!" they said, some louder than the others.

"Then why do our voices remain unheard? Why do our lives not matter?" said Alex pausing for effect.

"…because, they made it so. From the moment we enter the wizarding world, we are told of what this world is and what it always will be. Nobody bothers to ask us what we want the world to be.

"Well, I'm asking now. And what I want is for every wizard and witch to be treated according to the merit of their actions and not on the basis of their 'blood'. I want other muggleborns to be able to walk in Diagon Alley while holding their heads up high. How about you, what do you want? What do you want for your children?" asked Alex rhetorically.

"And that is why I gathered you all here today. All of you have proven yourself to the cause. Join me and grasp the future in our hands. Let us bring about a different tomorrow… Join me in the 'Order of Prometheus'."

He lifted the veil covering the easel to reveal a parchment framed in gold. It was a founding document of the Order and it said--

'THE ORDER OF PROMETHEUS

On this day, the 8th of August of the year 1986, the Order of Prometheus is, hereby, founded to answer the call of duty. Its eternal mission is to fight against the unjust treatment of all muggleborns, to promote equality among magical humans, and to protect their inherent rights to determine their own fates.'

"Prometheus? As in the titan who stole the fire from the Greek gods and gave it to the mortals?" asked the thin man.

"Yes, and just like Prometheus, we will take power from those who act as if they're our gods and give it to the lowly people as the tool of their emancipation," said Alex.

The group looked at one another, thinking what the rest might say. Once they agreed, they felt like there would be no turning back. They felt uncertain, understandably so. Until--

"I will join you, Mr Greywolf, in this great endeavour of yours. I will dedicate my all to your cause if it will give my children a better future," said the middle-aged woman who was the most wary of them all. She was known to be the most conservative in the group. Alex didn't expect for her to speak first.

"Welcome to the Order, Mrs Pearce," said Alex.

"I will join as well. In my life, I've never seen anyone do so much for us muggleborns than you, Mr Greywolf. If you'll have me, you can have my wand," said the thin man. He always had a serious expression on his face, no doubt a very stoic man. He was actually kneeling in front of Alex. As if taking his example to heart, the others also kneeled.

"Stand up, Mr Grant. I accept your sincerity. The rest of you too. I welcome you all to the Order," said Alex, then he waved his wand.

A piece of parchment appeared in front of each of them. On it is a written pledge to the Order. Alex's pledge is different from the others as he had the role of leadership in the Order. For the others, the oath read as--

'I, their name, hereby pledge on my life and magic to serve the Order of Prometheus. I will help fulfil its mission to the best of my abilities. I will defend its ideals against all enemies. I will protect its secrets and keep its trust. I will follow the commands of its leadership. I will serve in good faith until I am released from my service or the end of my life. This, I do swear witnessed by the magic in my veins and by the Devine Providence. As I will it, so mote it be.'

Alex signed his oath. The parchment burst in blue flames and disappeared. His name appeared on the framed declaration of the Order. It said, 'ALEXANDER GREYWOLF' and under it, the title Archon.

Alex had actually tried to sign his oath with his alias. He had thought that he had sufficiently charmed the parchment to be able to sign it with his alias. But, calling upon magic as witness to a pledge was more complicated than he expected. At the moment that the name appeared, he knew that, as far as magic was concerned, his name was forever changed to 'Alexander Greywolf'.

When the other people sign their oaths, the same thing happened. The parchment burned and disappeared, and their names appeared on the declaration. They all knew that they signed a binding oath. Alex had not lied about that. But, the oath and the magical document made it all very official. They had the feeling of being part of history in the making.

After that day, he began teaching all twenty members of the Order Occlumency. He stressed the importance of it. He spent a few training sessions with each of them until he was comfortable leaving them to train on their own.

He had also given them a small leather-bound book. On the front was an embedded symbol of two hands. Only with the touch of its owner would the flame symbol be visible, creating the emblem of the Order. And with that, the main function of the book would become active. It was a tool for communication. Whatever a member of the Order had written on the pages would appear in the other books until they were read. Writing the name of the recipient like a letter would only send the message to that person. It was made possible with a clever application of the 'Prothean Charm'. And with it, the Order could have a secure method of communication. Methods of remote communication was something he would be exploring in the future.

Ch.12 - The Opening Gambit

Around the last week of August, Mr Baxter had purchased the deed to a small shop in Diagon Alley. This place was intended to be the headquarters of the 'Association for the Integration of Muggleborns'. Above its front door hanged the sign 'AIM'. With this place, muggleborn witches and wizards finally had a place to go to that would provide them with information and access to resources that were available to them.

On its second floor, Alex and Mr Baxter was looking around the emptied facility. The space they were looking at was intended for the use of a publishing company. The two other people with them were a married couple, both members of the Order.

"Mr and Mrs Dewey, what do you think?" asked Alex.

"Well, its more than we thought it would be, Mr Greywolf. Just imagine all the things we could write about," said Mr Dewey.

"We can't just write about anything we want, dear. Even if we are reporting the truth, we have to choose what we say," said Mrs Dewey.

"Mrs Dewey is right, of course. For now, we will have to monitor what we report on our paper," said Alex.

"But the people deserved to know the truth!" said Mr Dewey. He was very passionate about journalism, it seemed.

"And they will know the truth. We will be truthful in our reporting. However, we will have to choose the topic of our articles. In fact, make that a policy for the moment. Mrs Dewey will have to sign off on any articles before it can go to the printers," said Alex. Mr Dewey looked dejected.

"Mr Baxter will handle the acquisition of the equipment and furniture. I want you two to interview some prospective journalists and office staff from the Association. I want anything we publish to be vetted and confirmed, even if we will be late to the news. In fact, you will note that in the paper. For now, we will report on smaller issues. But that doesn't mean that I want you to avoid investigating anything. We will just have to wait until we are in the position to publish it."

"I understand, Mr Greywolf. Don't worry I will handle my husband. But what are we going to call the paper?" asked Mrs Dewey.

"Simply call it, 'The Observer' to make a point that we've observed everything we report on. For now, we will publish it on a weekly basis. You will start printing one month from now on. The first issue will also be where the 'Association' will make its first public declaration. So, make sure it will be a great issue," said Alex.

"Of course, Mr Greywolf. Leave it to us. May you always walk in the light, Archon," said Mr Dewey slightly bowing his head. Mrs Dewey did the same.

"May you always walk in the light," said Alex.

It was a phrase that the Order members have taken to saying as a parting salutation after a formal meeting. It meant to accept the gift of Prometheus and use it to illuminate one's path, therefore, walk in the light. Alex was wary of the possible biblical interpretation of it, especially as most muggleborns are familiar, in some ways, with the Christian scriptures. But, it was also important for the members to have ownership of the Order. It was the same reason why some gangs have a secret handshake.

×××

In early July, Alex met with Mr Grant from the Order along with 8 other members at his farm near Glasgow. Several farmhouses were already built and its interiors were all expanded to accommodate about a hundred people. And, Alex had already applied the necessary charms that would hide it from the muggles and keep it from being detected by other magical people.

"Welcome, Mr Grant, to 'Poros Farms'. Here is where we will train the forces of the Order. The nine of you will be the recruiters, instructors, and commanders of our soldiers," said Alex.

"Finally, we can take the fight directly to the purebloods," said Mr Grant. He was a very thin man, although that doesn't give him a weak appearance. In fact, he looked very much like a wild man.

"Not so fast, Mr Grant. That is our final goal, but, we will have to build our forces with caution. I brought you here so you can start building our forces in the guise of a security company, called the 'Arms of Poros'. The nine of you will be the only members of the Order here initially. For our troops, you will recruit from the Association. Any able-bodied witches and wizards who are willing to sign a secrecy contract can be recruited. If they succeed in our training regimen, they will become employees of the 'Arms of Poros'. Those who prove themselves in their service can be recommended to the 'Order'."

"I understand, Archon," said Mr Grant with a knightly bow. He was sure taking his role as a soldier of the Order seriously.

"Good. Mr Baxter will be setting up the finances of the company and provide you with the necessary funds to have this place running soon. In the meantime, we'll see how we can improve our skills," said Alex.

"Do you mean training, Archon? All of us here are skilled duelists," defended Mr Grant.

Alex smirked at the man as he walked toward a table located in the middle of a field.

"Aye. But, that doesn't mean you can't improve. But first, let's go over your equipments, shall we?

"Each member of the 'Arms' will have a uniformed set of equipment, a good wand, an expanded pouch, an emergency potions kit, a portkey, and a flying broom," said Alex as he pointed at the tools laid out on the table.

"The wand will be acquired from Ollivanders if you don't have a wand that responds to you well. The pouch is a tool with many uses, obviously. The potions kit will have a couple of antidotes, and healing potions in it to be used only on emergencies. The portkey will take you here in case you needed to retreat. And the flying broom will give you an additional means of escape or travelling, however, I also want most of you, if not all of you, to be trained in fighting while flying."

Alex had spent a good portion of his remaining summer training with the others. he had been researching about duelling in the Hogwarts library for a long time. He had improved his duelling skills quite a bit, although nothing can be substituted for actual sparring.

He was quick and agile. His spells were fired silently and in quick succession. Even Mr Grant was defeated easily. Everyone was impressed by the skills of their Archon.

Alex had even given them a lecture on duelling, emphasizing speed and avoiding using spells that are unnecessarily complicated. He taught them how to chain simple spells effectively, and, how to dodge and not depend on the 'Protego Charm' too much.

Then, he showed them how to fight from a broom, how to rain spells at enemies on the ground, and, how to fight others who are airborne. They all worked very hard, although Alex wished he could spend more time to train them some more.

Alex and Mr Grant had also discussed the methods and policies that they will use to train the new recruits. Alex had given him the idea of using mock battles to train them. They had his permission to build anything on the farm so they could simulate whatever battle scenarios that they might want to.

But, that wasn't all Alex was doing during that time. In the afternoons, he would go out and meet with other people. During his free time, he had also made the effort to lay out an 'Anti-Apparition' ward on every part of the farmland except for some designated areas. All the buildings were also guarded against physical and magical attacks. Lastly, the whole place was placed under a 'Fidelus Charm' to hide its existence from anyone, Mr Grant was made the secret keeper so he could share them to any recruit in the future.

[AN: Poros is the name of the son of Metis, the titan goddess of prudence, wife of Zeus, and mother of Athena. It was told in a prophecy that Metis would give birth to a son that would be stronger than Zeus, so he ate his wife. Athena came out from his forehead after. I don't know how Poros was born after that, but he was. He was hidden by someone to grow up on a farm until the time he could fight Zeus. I named the security forces as 'Arms of Poros' because I want them to be strong enough to protect the Order of Prometheus even from the vengeance of Zeus.]

×××

In the latter half of August, he started meeting with Mrs Pearce and some more members of the Orders. Alex wanted Mrs Pearce to lead his business endeavours in the wizarding world along with Mr Baxter. While Mr Baxter can handle the funding and the property acquisition side of his ventures, Mrs Pearce can oversee the daily activities of the businesses.

One such business that Alex was thinking of entrusting to Mrs Pearce was the farm in Derbyshire. He planned to use half of the land to cultivate food products that he would sell in the muggle markets to provide a stable income for the farm. They would be able to harvest high-quality vegetables at an unbelievable rate. They could basically supply the local markets with great looking vegetables and regular deliveries. This would be enough for the farm to have a stable income, even though it won't earn as much as his other businesses.

The other half, however, would be dedicated to precious magical plants. He was most interested in growing Mandrakes and Dittany Herbs on his farm. Mandrakes had many uses, however, it takes a full year of tending before they can be harvested. Dittany Herbs had powerful healing effects, but, they were very rare.

He had instructed Mr Pearce to commission plenty of small-sized glasshouses from a muggle contractor. They would then expand the interiors of the glasshouses once the additional wards were in place on that side of the farm. Mrs Pearce turned out to be a great herbologist. He had given her his permission to experiment on her own. Alex was confident she could grow the plants with no problems. Perhaps with a little help with enchantments, they could figure out a way to grow Dittany Herbs at a stable rate.

Alex didn't expect to make a lot of money from the magical plants in the beginning. In fact, he'd rather keep what they would produce for the use of his own businesses or that of the Order. He only wanted to grow his gardens until all the glasshouses were occupied. For that, he told Mrs Pearce to hire some more help from the Association. Of course, all new employees have to sign the usual contract.

×××

Before the end of August, Mr And Mrs Dewey were ready to publish their first issue, so Alex paid them a visit. The Observer's office was running smoothly, he noticed. There were about thirty new employees in the second-floor office. Most were writers, others were office administrators and printer operators. On the attic of the building was an expanded room reserved for owls, although, there were only a few owls at that time.

"This is an incredible piece, Mr Greywolf. It's bold, inspiring, and straight to the point. It will be a great declaration for the Association," said Mr Dewey after reading some papers that Alex had handed to him.

"Thank you, I did put some thought into it," said Alex.

"Of course, I don't mean any offence. I knew you are a very proficient writer from your books, but I didn't want to detract from the quality of this piece. I'm honoured to publish it on our first issue."

The first issue of the Observer was published days before the Hogwarts term started. Mrs Dewey had already made the arrangement with multiple outlets throughout the British Isles where readers can pick up the issue for free. In Diagon Alley, copies were delivered to Flourish and Blotts, the Leaky Cauldron, and various stalls in the alley. A lot of copies were also delivered to Knocturn Alley.

[AN: Lots of side characters. I want to keep the story focussed on the MC, so I'm going to be using these characters to keep the progress going on off-screen.]

END OF CHAPTER

Side Story:

One weekend during the summer break, Alex was in front of Kings Cross Station waiting for Clay. Clay was pestering him about visiting him in the muggle world all school year. So, he invited him to spend a day out in London.

"Hey, Alex! Good to see you man!" said Clay. He was wearing a blue striped jacket that reached down to his knees, flower pattern shirt, a felt hat, and pointy leather shoes.

Alex was speechless looking at his friend. Standing there, in the middle of the busiest train station in London wearing who knew what. He was tempted to run away and pretend he didn't know his friend.

"Bloody hell, Clay! What are you wearing!?" exclaimed Alex.

"Oh, this old thing? It's my muggle clothing, of course."

"Do you see anyone wearing the same clothes as you? Look around you!"

"Well, maybe the style is a little old, but it's pretty much the same."

"Forget it, luckily there's a lot of shops here."

Alex dragged Clay to a couple of clothing stores to buy him a complete set of clothes. Luckily, Clay had the good sense to carry an expanded pouch where he could store his old clothes.

[AN: I'll skip the shopping montage with two guys. It's the sensible thing.]

After being appropriately dressed, Alex took Clay to a movie theatre. They lined up with the other customers to buy their tickets. Clay couldn't stop looking around. He kept bothering Alex every time he saw something he didn't know.

"Alex, what's that?"

"It's an arcade machine."

"What does it do?"

"You play games on it. You put a coin in, and you can play."

"Is it fun?"

"I'm not really sure."

The movie that they saw that day was 'Aliens', which was in its second week of showing. Clay was talking during the entire movie? There was a lot of "What's that!?" and "No! Run away!" Alex was honestly embarrassed about his friend. He kept, shushing his friend, telling him not to talk.

After the movie, Clay and Alex went to a fast-food place.

"So what was that in there? Is it some kind of monster? Probably an XXXX creature." said Clay.

"It's not a real thing. It's just fiction, made-up."

"What? How can that be? An illusion? Magic?"

"Um, it is an illusion, but not made by magic."

"So, it's all a lie then. Why do so many people come and pay to see it?"

"It's entertainment. It's just a story."

Clay appeared to be thinking about what Alex said as he chewed on his burger.

"That's a relief. Thank God that monster isn't real. For a minute, I thought that muggles have really gone to space." said Clay laughing at how foolish he must have been.

"um…people really have gone to space."

Ch.13 - Fifth Year in Hogwarts

On the morning of the 1st of September, the Minister of Magic was enjoying his morning tea and scone. The Hogwarts term was starting that day. Every parent who had a kid in Hogwarts would be in King Cross Station to drop off their children on their way to Hogwarts. This meant it was a slow day in the Ministry, something he was looking forward to enjoying.

Then, as if to ruin his peaceful tea time, a young page had run to his office carrying a newspaper.

"Minister Fudge, you have to see this!" said the page.

"What could be so important to disrupt me like this? What has the 'Daily Prophet' written now?" said Fudge.

"It's not the Prophet, Minister," said the page as he laid out the papers on the Minister's desk.

"Let's see here… 'The Observer'? I've never seen this before. Is it some obscure paper?"

"No, Minister. It's a new one. Its first issue was released today. They are handing it out for free in Diagon Alley."

"So what? As Minister, I don't have the time to worry about every new publication out there. So, why have you come here?" said Fudge visibly irritated.

"Sorry, Minister. I just thought you'd want to know. There is an article that you might find interesting. The full article is on the 4th page," said the page. He flipped the pages to show the minister what had gotten him so flustered.

"The Association for the Integration of Muggleborns? What is this?" said Fudge as he began to take interest in the paper.

The page didn't bother to answer and gave the minister time to read the article.

In it, the writer proudly announced the creation of an association that would help out the muggleborns integrate better into their society. It was impressive in a certain point of view, thought the minister. In fact, it should be very helpful. But, he knew that a lot of prominent people would have a negative reaction to it.

The author had a certain charisma about him. He was claiming that he only wanted to help everyone, and yet, he was clearly not asking anyone's permission to do so, not from the Ministry, from the Wizengamot, nor did he have the sponsorship of any influential figure like Albus Dumbledore. But, that's where his appeal was rooted. He was establishing his association on the basis of needing no reason to do the good and decent thing, and he was inviting anyone to join him.

"This could certainly ruffle some peoples' feathers. But, who exactly is this Xander Greywolf?" asked Fudge.

"I don't know, Minister. Should we confiscate the papers?" said the page.

Fudge scoffed at the idea. Some purebloods didn't have the good sense to watch what they say, not like him, of course. He remembered that his page was from one of the pureblood families that he often met at social gatherings. He, for the life of him, just couldn't remember the name of the boy.

"Confiscate it? On what grounds? Don't say something preposterous," said Fudge. "Just find out who this Greywolf fellow is. Now, off with you!"

The page didn't say anything and left the minister's office. The minister poured a new cup of tea and went back to enjoying his morning.

"Helping out muggleborns? Some people have too much time on their hands," said the minister to no one.

Hours later, some ministry employees went to Diagon Alley to go to the AIM building. When they arrived, however, the place was packed with witches and wizards trying to inquire what benefits were being offered inside. It seemed that every muggleborn in London was visiting the Association that morning.

They tried to cut the line only to be told off by everyone there. They decided to just follow the queue, but when they were finally able to talk to anyone, there wasn't anything to learn about Xander Greywolf.

[AN: They're British, jumping the line is worst than murder. Just kidding :). Also, Fudge was portrayed here as not completely incompetent. I think his concern above all was to stay in power. He was an absolute representation of an amoral politician. That was why he catered to the rich and was willing to execute criminals on the spot, like Sirius Black and Crouch Jr.]

×××

Alex, Clay, and Katie were in their usual booth in Hogwarts Express. It seemed that Katie had picked up a copy of the Observer on Kings Cross Station.

"What have you got there, Katie?" said Clay.

There was no reply. Katie was too focussed on her reading. Clay had to tap gently on her shoulder to get her attention.

"What?" said Katie?

"I said, what are you reading?"

"It's a new periodical called 'The Observer'. I was just too engrossed in it. There was an announcement in it. More like a declaration, really."

"What declaration?"

"It's the 'The Association for the Integration of Muggleborns'. They are saying that it was a group dedicated to helping other muggleborns."

"That's nice, I guess," said Clay. Even if he was not prejudiced towards muggleborns, any topics about the hardships of muggleborns were still uncomfortable for him to talk about.

"Let me see here," said Alex taking the paper from Katie. He pretended to read the article as Katie watched his expression trying to guess what he thought about the article.

"I think it's great, isn't it? People should really help each other out," said Alex with an uninterested expression on his face.

On the inside, he was a little worried. 'Xander Greywolf' and 'Alexander Grey', normally it would be hard to connect a student to an adult writer, but he had talked about some of his views to Katie. Perhaps, he shouldn't have told her. But, he had always thought that Katie was a smart girl. And after he told her some of his views on muggleborns, she acted with prudence and did not lash out about her circumstances. She studied harder, acted with more patience, and even made an effort in socializing with her classmates. Hopefully, she would keep her curiosity private.

[AN: I may have gotten carried away with the names. For clarification, 'Alexander Grey' is his birth name, 'Xander Greywolf' is his alias, and 'Alexander Greywolf' is his 'true name' now, recognized by magic. So, if he has to swear a magical oath, he has to use the name 'Alexander Greywolf'. I know it's a little confusing. But soon enough, only one name would matter. I just thought that the change of his name is important to effectively change his fate.]

×××

When finally they were back in Hogwarts, Alex saw that some students had a copy of the Observer and talking about it in small groups. They were too busy whispering among themselves to even pay attention to the sorting. Alex had to tell them to stop and to welcome the new members of the Hufflepuff house properly.

Such thing was to be expected from him from that year on. As a fifth-year prefect, he had to keep the other students in line, especially the students from his own house.

He actually didn't want to become a prefect. It was just a way for the faculty to lessen their workload of looking after the students. After all, for a boarding school, Hogwarts had a horrible faculty to students ratio.

The position would only occupy his already limited time. However, turning it down or not doing a proper job on it would be detrimental to his reputation among the faculty.

Back in the common room, Alex found himself sitting alone. Usually, he always had Katie sitting beside him. But, she was busy talking to other muggleborn girls about the new publication she was holding. She was trying to convince her friends to get a subscription for their group so they could receive every new issue of the Observer.

Alex was happy for his friend. She used to be always isolated from the other Hufflepuff girls. One reason was because of her height being the tallest in their age group. She also always had a serious demeanour which came off as intimidating to others. But to Alex, it only showed her eagerness and curiosity.

Clay, on the other hand, had decided to keep himself busy reuniting with his gang. His little horde of badgers had become a familiar sight in the Hufflepuff common room. His leadership skills had really shown in recent years. Alex decided that he would outsource some of his prefect duties to Clay and the gang.

Even the metamorphmagus Nymphadora Tonks had become a member of the gang. She had been shy about her magical gifts in her first year. Some students from the other houses even teased her about it. With the acceptance of the group, however, she had learned to be more comfortable in using her unique talent.

It would surely be a busy year for Alex. Not even counting the upcoming O.W.L.'s, he had Quidditch, Charms Club, and now, prefect duties. He wondered how much time he would have in the school year to do his personal research.

×××

Alex busied himself on his personal studies every chance he could get. This school year, they would be taking their O.W.L's, so, he wanted to make sure he would get an Outstanding in all of his subjects. He followed a strict routine until it was the Christmas holiday.

Clay had invited him to visit the Rosewood Family sometime during the break. They had met at Kings Cross Station where they used a Floo to go to the Rosewood Farm.

They came out of a fireplace in a medium-sized living room. Clay's mother and grandmother were there to welcome them.

"Let me introduce you. Mum, Gram, this is my best friend, Alexander Grey. Alex, this is my mum, Vera Rosewood. This is my gramma, Irene Rosewood," said Clay with excitement on his face. This was the first time that he had been invited to their house.

"It's good to finally meet you, Mr Grey. Welcome you to our home," said Vera. She was a gentle-looking woman. She had grey eyes like Clay. She was wearing the ring of the Rosewood family.

"Yes, my grandson told us many amazing things about you, Mr Grey," said Irene. The 70-year-old woman of the Rosewood family was standing beside her daughter-in-law. Her posture is that of one with a knowing wisdom.

"Thank you for your hospitality. It's an honour to meet the Lady and the Lady Dowager Rosewood," said Alex respectfully.

"Please. As a friend of my son, you can just call me Vera."

"And me, Irene, or gramma Irene. You may even call me 'that Old Crone' Irene if you want. There's no need to be formal if it's just us."

"Thank you. Please call me, Alex." He bowed slightly.

"Eugene, why don't you take Alex here in the living room while your Grandma and I finish up in the kitchen," said Vera.

"Mom, I told you to call me Clay," said the young heir. "Eugene makes me sound feminine."

"Nonsense, Eugene is a perfectly pleasant name for a boy. Isn't that right, Mother?" said Vera.

"That's right. Eugene Clay Rosewood, you should be proud of your name, my boy. You were named after your great-grandmother Eugena Rosewood, who was known by many to be a kind and loving witch," said Irene.

"Now Eugene--" said Vera, emphasizing her son's name. "Do as I asked and be a good host to our guest."

Clay sighed. "Fine. Let's go to the living room, Alex. I'll show you all of my chocolate frog card collection," he said.

"Sure thing. Lead the way, Eugene."

It seemed embarrassing your children in front of their friends was also an honoured tradition in the wizarding world.

The feast was great. Clay's mom and grandmother prepared everything meticulously. The food was delicious and the Rosewoods were wonderful hosts, despite the fact that they don't receive too many guests.

Alex could see how Clay acted as a sheltered boy at times. His grandfather was killed during the Wizard War, and his father was still missing ever since he went away to find out who was his father's murderer. After that loss, the two women of the Rosewood family poured all their attention toward the young Clay. They lived a life cut off from the rest of the wizarding world. The only exception they were making was due to their small herbal farming business.

×××

After enjoying his stay at the Rosewoods, he had the idea of hosting a feast of his own. It would be good to see all the Order members together at once. A yearly feast could become a tradition of their Order.

So, he instructed Mr Baxter to make the invitations. Luckily, the man didn't have to prepare the feast by himself. Mr Baxter was finally able to contract two House-Elves under his name.

It took quite a while to finally receive a notice from the House-Elves Relocation Office that two elves were available to make a new contract. This was a pretty rare occurrence as House-Elves were typically passed down throughout the generations of a wizard family. The only instances when an elf with no family to serve can be found were in cases when an elf was given clothes or when the family that they served died out. Not being a pureblood wizard, Mr Baxter had to bribe some members of the Relocation Office to receive their appointment.

[AN: There was no mention of a place that sells House-Elves in the canon. However, there was a bit in one of the companion books about Newt Scamander who used to work in a House-Elf Relocation Office in the Ministry.

We don't really know much about elves and the Weasley's and the Longbottom's were never mentioned to have House-Elves, so, I'm just saying here that only a few families actually owned House-Elves. I know that it might be different from a lot of fanfiction, but, I'm not planning to have the House-Elves play a big part in this story.]

It was the next evening after New Years Day when they held the feast. Every member was present and eager to see their elusive leader. they seldom had the opportunity to meet their Archon, but they know that every big movement of their Order was designed by their leader.

Alex welcomed his guests with a jovial voice. Before dinner, he invited them to the living room where they spoke about the current statics of their endeavours. With him being in Hogwarts all the time, it was hard for him to stay updated about the operations of the Order. Any Owl post that Mr Baxter sent him was stripped of any information regarding the Order.

Mr and Mrs Dewey from the Observer reported that they had some inquiries from the Ministry, but regardless, operations had been running smoothly. They had all the required permits and all articles that they published were nonpolitical. Even so, they had managed to grow their subscription base and sales in the past four months. All credit went to the writers and editors of the paper who took pride in publishing truthful and relevant information to their readers. The Daily Prophets ran a smear campaign against the Observer for awhile, suggesting that the Observer had neither the resources and the talents to be useful to their readers. Mr Dewey's response was to question their dedication to the truth by including in an issue a compilation of some inaccurate articles from the Prophet which they failed to print the proper corrections about. Since the evidence of their dodgy journalism was in their own papers, there were no legal actions that they could take against the Observer.

Mr Grant and Mrs Pearce had less to report on their ends. Mrs Pearce didn't have any problems tending to the farm in Derbyshire. Her employees were getting a lot of practice on using magic in growing plants even though they were just working on mundane crops. They had just acquired some Mandrakes and Dittany Herbs to start cultivating them in some of the glasshouses.

Mr Grant had managed to recruit over thirty witches and wizards in the 'Arms of Poros'. Most of them were still training on the farm near Glasgow. Some were already assigned in their first job of guarding the AIM building in Diagon Alley where the Observer office was also located.

Alex was satisfied with their reports and asked them to keep up their good work. The feast went on in a more casual setting. Everyone enjoyed the fine cuisine that was offered on the table. Mr Baxter was also serving some top quality wine for the occasion. Alex had closed the feast with a toast to their Order and to the year ahead of them.

×××

After being back in Hogwarts, he fell back into his usual routine. The students from his year were all busy preparing for their O.W.L.'s. Alex felt that was already well prepared for the exams, so he focused instead on his other activities.

As president of the Charms Club, he arranged some challenges for the members of the club that they would solve using Charms. Those who succeed received his commendation and some snacks or trinkets as a reward. It made the club members more enthusiastic about club meetings. What they didn't know was that these challenges were designed to be easier to muggle-born students who were generally more familiar with using their resourcefulness in solving problems. This way, the muggle-born students would be more respected in the club and would likely dominate the leadership position within the club even after he graduated from Hogwarts.

When the day of the O.W.L.'s arrived, Alex decided to seat in 12 exams including Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies. Even if he didn't take the corresponding classes for them, Hogwarts students were allowed to sit in all of the exams being offered. Three days later after all of the exams were finished, Alex had passed 12 O.W.L.'s. He achieved 'Outstandings' in 8 subjects. The rest were 'Exceeds Expectations'. A lot of other Hufflepuffs did well in their exams. Katie had 10 O.W.L.'s while Clay had 9. Academically, it was a great school year for the three of them.

Ch.14 - Half-Moon

In the summer of 1987, the Observer began publishing come light inquiries into the political body of the Ministry. Every law that was passed in the last ten years were reviewed by their in-house legislation expert. They ran this section under the platform of informing the public regarding the laws that rule over them. In the Economy section, they had some speculative articles regarding the business practices of some pureblood families.

Alex had given the Observer his permission to publish bolder and thought-provoking articles provided that they don't become libellous and that they can back their claims with genuine facts. With the 'Arms' finally deployable, he was not worried about anyone threatening the paper's operation.

It did not mean that Alex had nothing to worry about. The Association and the Observer did receive some threats that came with the posts. So, Alex had to dedicate some people who would screen every letter or package that was sent to them. The security team also had a rotating system of people pretending to be bystanders outside the building. Alex knew that they would not be able to stop every attack that came their way, but at least they would not be caught by surprise.

×××

Now that he had a dependable, although limited, security force, Alex was finally ready to make some moves in the wizarding world's market. His Charms and Enchantment research in the past five years was finally going to be tested.

His first idea was to replicate some electrical devices from the non-magical world with enchantments. In particular, he was thinking about implementing the function of a mobile phone into an artefact. The mobile phones of the muggles were clunky and bigger than a brick. However, having one meant a person would always be reachable to talk with from great distances.

A similar item exists in the magical world in the form of the 'Two-way Mirrors', but, they can only be paired with one other mirror. Alex reviewed all his knowledge in enchanting and looked into whatever references he could access. Surprisingly, the most practical solution he could think of was based on a muggle method.

Before every telephone had a dial pad, people needed to speak to an operator and say the name or designation of the recipient of their call. The operator would then connect the call by using a switchboard. With some clever enchanting, Alex could practically use the same system while removing the need for operators. After all, he didn't want to hire a thousand operators to provide a connection to all of Wizarding Britain.

With his idea, instead of connecting to another a recipient's mirror directly, a caller's mirror would connect to a mirror which is located in an array of other similar mirrors. Another artefact would then perform the function of an operator, connecting that call to the to a different paired mirrors of the designated receiver. He would only need a secured facility that would house all the artefacts.

After about a month of experimentation and designing, he finally had a working concept. In the centre of the room would be a crystal ball. The connecting mirrors would be arranged on the walls of that room. When a call is being made, the connecting mirror paired with the caller's mirror would send a beam of light towards the crystal ball which would then be refracted toward the connecting mirror that was paired with the recipient's mirror. The crystal ball would be heavily enchanted to be able to direct the call and to handle a large volume of calls simultaneously.

[AN: User Mirror A => Connecting Mirror A => Crystal Ball => Connecting Mirror B => User Mirror B. Hope that was clear.]

As a test run, he had enchanted enough mirror pairs for all the members of the Order of Prometheus. The connecting mirrors were set up in a small room in the basement of the Hermes Country House. Using it for the order would be enough for the moment. He would need to work out all of the kinks of the artefacts and studied the logistics of commercializing his invention.

[AN: The Bell Telephone Company from the USA had over 600,000 switchboards operators before dial service was introduced. Wasn't that crazy? Another interesting note, the two inventors who were credited the most for the telephone were Alexander Bell and Elisha Gray. I just wanted to point out the similarities in their name with the MC's name and say that it was completely coincidental.

×××

One day in mid-July, he was woken up in the middle of the night by a sudden hum from his communication mirror. When he answered the call, he was told that the security team protecting the Association had caught someone trespassing in the building. The person in question was able to sneak in the building from a second-floor window before being caught.

Alex had flown using a broom to get to Diagon Alley as fast as he could without being detected by the Trace. After he arrived at the scene, he immediately approached Mr Grant who had taken charge of the people there.

"What's the situation here?" said Alex.

"They've caught the man. He is stunned and bound in the backroom," said Mr Grant.

Alex went to the make-shift holding cell and was surprised to find out the identity of the trespasser. It was none other than Corban Yaxley, Death Eater and would-be head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a man he had personally killed in his former timeline. Fate and coincidence were hard to tell apart at times, he thought.

"Is the perimeter secured?" he asked.

"Yes, Archon. My men have screened the area with all sorts of detection spells following their protocol."

"Good. I don't want this leaking out. Make sure you give the order to the men to keep this quiet."

"Yes, Archon, as you command."

"You and I will handle the interrogation of our guest personally."

Mr Grant had proven himself as a commander of the 'Arms of Poros'. He was well respected among the wizards and witches under his command. Most of whom he had trained personally.

They travelled by 'Apparition to the 'Poros Farms' with the unconscious Yaxley transfigured as a small doll. Then, they went into the back storage room of the cafeteria kitchen.

Alex realized then that they would need proper holding cells in the future. Such a facility would be highly illegal so it needs to be well hidden.

Once they secured the room with all sorts of privacy wards, they restored Yaxley to his human form and revived him while still bound in ropes.

"Ugh... What happened? Who are you!?" demanded Yaxley struggling against his bindings on a chair. Alex refused to acknowledge him.

"Look at it, Mr Grant. It's a monster in human form that calls itself Death Eater," said Alex looking only at Mr Grant.

Mr Grant was incensed at the revelation. He had lost families and friends to the Death Eaters.

"You don't have any proof! I was cleared by the Ministry of all charges. Release me at once!"

"Poor Death Eater. I'm afraid there is no cure. Once a Death Eater always a Death Eater," said Alex explaining to Mr Grant.

He took hold of Yaxley's left arm and pointed his wand to it. A faded mark of the Death Eater appeared on Yaxley's forearm.

Mr Grant was shocked at the sight. He wondered, how was his Archon so certain that the man was indeed a Death Eater. But, he knew his leader had knowledge and skills that are far beyond his own.

"I was imperiused. I'm innocent. You're not even working for the Ministry. You don't have the authority to hold me here!" cried Yaxley.

"Always so quick to hide behind the laws when it suits you. Is that how they trained a Death Eater?" said Alex finally addressing his prisoner with derision.

Mr Grant was shocked. A feared Death Eater was being sneered at by his Archon. He realized then that the Death Eaters that everyone feared were just regular wizards and witches. They were not more powerful than the rest. They were just extremely immoral and hateful. They had no regard to the laws and to the lives of others.

"Mudblood, you don't know who you are messing with," said Yaxley.

"Ah... Finally, you said the magic word. I was wondering how long could you last without saying it," said Alex.

Yaxley didn't know what to do. A person who should be below him was standing before him without any trace of fear on his face.

"What are you planning to do? I'm a respected wizard from an old family. You can't do this to me!"

"You'll find that I can do whatever I want with you and there's nothing you can do about it," said Alex darkly.

"Crucio!"

The torture spell came easily for him this time. It was truly strange for him to be using the spell on the same man.

Yaxley was convulsing but he was tied tightly on the chair. Only his head was able to flail about.

His scream was deafening. His anguish was apparent with how quickly his voice became hoarse.

"What do you want? I'll tell you anything!" said Yaxley.

He wasn't as proud as he remembered. Alex realized that the man he killed before was the head of the D.M.L.E. and not the man in front of him who spent his days hiding from the public. With the Dark Lord gone, people like Yaxley didn't have much reason to be domineering.

"That's right. You'll tell me everything I want to know. 'Legilimens'!" exclaimed Alex with his wand pointing toward Yaxley's head.

With the mind-reading spell, Yaxley's memories were bared open to Alex. They were laid out for him to read like a book.

Alex was curious to find out how the Dark Lord managed to recruit his followers in the first war. And he was not disappointed.

As it turned out, based on Yaxley's knowledge, the Dark Lord had created an organization called the 'Knights of Walpurgis' made up of pureblood supremacists that he personally knew from his years in Hogwarts. That organization was eventually changed to the Death Eaters when new members from the younger generation were introduced to it. Most of them were the children or relatives of the members of the Knights of Walpurgis. Such was the case when Yaxley was invited to the organization along with others like Lucius Malfoy and Rudolphus Lestrange.

Slowly but surely, they had managed to control the Ministry by stealthily placing their members in key positions within its ranks. Some positions were achieved by bribery and simple nepotism, some were achieved by making certain people disappear. It mattered little to them. What was important was the Dark Lord could finally affect the movement of Ministry and learn of its operations from his agents.

However, the true instrument of his rise to power was the group of witches and wizards that he patiently trained by leading them in raids where they tortured and murdered muggle families. They became his own army of psychopaths, willing to do just about anything to please their lord. The most dedicated among them were branded with the mark of the Dark Lord. They were indeed effective. The Wizarding Britain was paralyzed in fear at the revelation of what they've done.

Yaxley had revealed all the things that he knew. He tried to resist, but he couldn't keep any of his secrets from Alex. His head felt like it was about to burst as he stared at the man in front of him in silence. The only man he knew who mastered the art of 'Legilimency' to such an extent was the Dark Lord himself. He was in awe and stunned with fear at the same time. He wanted to speak, to beg for his life. He was willing to pledge an unbreakable vow at that moment, anything that would save his life. But, he was killed without any more words being spoken.

Mr Grant was entrusted with the clean up of the body. He was also ordered to keep what just happened a secret even from other members of the Order. Normally, he would be against torture or murder, but he also knew the depravity that the Death Eaters committed during the war. It affirmed what he saw in his leader the moment the Order was created. His Archon was truly someone who wanted to help those who were oppressed and promote equality in all. The man had proven as much and that was the side of him that people often saw. Mr Grant, however, could see the signs of a killer, a dangerous man.

His Archon had promised them that he would be willing to do anything necessary to bring about a better world. Some might take that as the words of an idealist young man. But at that moment, Mr Grant realized the true weight of that promise. If his Archon was willing to do as much, he knew that he could not afford to do anything less. He reaffirmed his own dedication to the Order and swore to himself that he would follow the man in front of him anywhere.

×××

After giving his instructions to Mr Grant, Alex had dis-apparated and travelled to his home in London. He felt like being alone and, ironically, the only place he could do that was his grandfather's home. Grandpa Joe was asleep as expected. He silently opened the door with a key and headed to his bedroom.

When he was finally in his bedroom, he sat on the floor leaning back against the bed. His breathing was slow as he sat there silently. He didn't bother turning on the lights. All he was interested in doing was staring out of the window, looking at the half-moon, half in light and the other in the darkness, much like himself.

He stayed on the floor for a while thinking about what he had seen in Yaxley's memories and he couldn't help but see the similarities with what the Dark Lord had done and what he was planning on doing. Was he really becoming like the Dark Lord? He asked himself.

It was a chilling thought. He definitely had a powerful hatred within him. He felt its intensity. But, he had always thought that it was a righteous kind of hatred if there ever was such a thing.

He created an organization to advance his goals and support his rise to power, much like the Dark Lord. But unlike the Dark Lord's, his organization was actually helping other people.

No. He couldn't doubt himself. Not at this point. He had seen what was coming. The devastation. The desperation. Only the result mattered. Only that would be remembered. Whatever he had to do to reach the goal would be worth it. Even if, he had to learn from the Dark Lord himself.

He knew that the Order must be more active and more hidden. Just like what the Dark Lord had done, they would have to start infiltrating the Ministry. Perhaps the Dark Lord had it easier than him. After all, his followers were purebloods who had connections to the Ministry. He would have to place his agents in a more indirect way. They could apply to be Aurors or low position secretaries. As long as they could pass along information about the plans and activities of the Ministry, they would be doing their part.

He assured himself that everything would be alright as long as they keep working on their goals, they would eventually succeed. They had to.

Ch.15 - Sixth Year in Hogwarts (1)

At the beginning of the new term, Alex had a talk with Prof. Sprout regarding his electives that year. He chose to continue the N.E.W.T. level course for all of the core classes, except for History of Magic, plus the advanced elective courses for Arithmancy and Runes. Prof. Sprout had also suggested for him to take the Care of Magical Creatures N.E.W.T. course, but he declined. Instead, he informed the professor that he would join the Ancient Studies course that year.

Ancient Studies was not a formal course that Hogwarts offer. It was considered an extra-curricular study.

There were only nine students enrolled in the sixth-year class of Ancient Studies. The teacher was a very young Bulgarian man who was probably a recent graduate of Durmstrang. He was a very uninteresting lecturer who was probably just doing the tutoring job as a temporary gig.

Alex was looking forward to the end of the class, however. It would be the first time he could get reacquainted with Bill Weasley.

"Hey there, Weasley. You were pretty enthusiastic about this class. Perhaps we could study together later in the library?" said Alex.

"Sure thing, Grey. That sounds like a good idea. I guess we're the only Gryffindor and Hufflepuff in the class," said Bill.

Bill had also managed to achieve 12 O.W.L.'s last term. The two of them were known as the best students of their year.

"Right, that's what I was thinking."

"By the way, just call me Bill. With my brother Percy starting Hogwarts this year, there are three Weasleys here this year. You know my other brother, Charlie, of course."

"Yeah, I know him. He's a really good seeker. Too bad for him, he's up against me," he joked. "Just call me Alex," he added. The Hufflepuff team had dominated the quidditch cup in the past four years. He had no intention of slowing down.

Alex was not as closed to Bill as he was in the previous timeline where they had become good friends after a hilarious incident in their third-year during a Care of Magical Creatures class. This time, he didn't take the same set of electives, so there were few situations where he could interact with Bill, unlike his brother Charlie who he played against in quidditch.

He thought about how he could bring Bill in the Association. He remembered he was pretty interested about muggle things in his childhood. But based on what he knew, Bill's whole family was a member of the Order of the Phoenix led by the illustrious Albus Dumbledore.

Alex couldn't be sure about the Headmaster of Hogwarts, even if he was a genuinely good person. He had a problem of trusting anyone who was in power in a biased society. For him, Dumbledore was a part of the system that had kept the balance of the scales tilted.

×××

About two weeks after the start of the school term, it was once again the time for the quidditch tryouts. This time, Alex was taking over the position of Captain of the team. In actuality, he was already the leader of the Hufflepuff Quidditch Club for the past two years. Even the older students had listened to his orders on the pitch.

However, since he had taken the position of captain, he was planning to leave a lasting effect on the team. More than forty students were present to try out for the team. Quidditch had experienced an increase in popularity in the Hufflepuff house.

Two third-year students have managed to secure the regular position in the team as a Beater and a Keeper. Their roster seemed to be well balanced for that year. Alex had to take the Seeker position, although he wanted to be a Chaser. With Charlie Weasley playing as a Seeker for Gryffindor, they could not slack on that position. Their biggest competition for that year, however, was the Slytherins. They had a strong Chaser duo and their Seeker wasn't bad at all.

Even if they managed to win against them, they could lose the Quidditch Cup in points. They only had three games to play in each year, one against each of the other houses. That was why each game was important. However, in Hogwarts, the winner of the Cup was decided based on the total points difference of each team wins. So, if they managed to win all their games with a 30-point lead in all of them, their House Cup score would be 90 points. However, if the Slytherin managed to win against Gryffindor and Ravenclaw with a 50-point lead in each game, their House Cup score would be 100, making them the Cup champion even with a loss. With a strong seeker and Chaser combination, it was an entirely possible scenario.

After the tryouts, Alex asked for two volunteers from the students who didn't make the team to take on a managerial position in the team. He asked the two students who happily volunteered to follow him to their dorms.

At the beginning of the year, he had secured a bigger room for the quidditch team from Prof. Sprout. It would serve as a gear storage room and a members-only lounge area. Once there, he presented the new team managers with a magical camera he ordered for their use in documenting the team activities throughout the year. He stressed the importance of their duties to them. A quidditch yearbook would be compiled before the end of each term and it would serve as a reference to the future members of the Hufflepuff Quidditch Club.

During their first team practice on the following week, Alex had also introduced his new playbook to the team. A set of plays and general strategies were written and illustrated in the book. The book would be the team's property from that moment on. As a policy, everyone could read it in the clubroom, but only the captain could take it out and change the playbook. The majority of the practice time was spent with the team learning the plays in the book.

×××

One day in late September, Alex had just stepped out of his Advanced Arithmancy class when his way was blocked by a group of Slytherin students. It was Angus and his usual entourage.

"So, I guess they made you captain of the Hufflepuff team. What's the matter, did they ran out of good wizards in your pathetic house?" said Angus provokingly.

Alex was amused. In the past years, Angus and his friends had lost a lot of face in the Slytherin house. It all started with an altercation between them in Hogsmeade which left the Slytherin students humiliated.

"This coming from you? The Slytherin house hasn't won a game against us in the past four years," said Alex. He wasn't threatened in the least. They were only children in his eyes.

"It will be different this year, now that I'm playing as Beater for the team."

"There may be some good players in the Slytherin team that we're watchful for, I admit. But, you're not one of them. Who did you have to orally pleasure to get your spot? hm?"

"You watch your mouth, mudblood! Once I find you in the pitch it might just be your last game."

"Is that a threat now? Maybe the little snakes would like to play?"

"You'll know soon enough," Angus said. "Let's go!" he ordered his friends.

×××

During the Christmas break, Alex spent most of his time in London. He checked in his finances and moved around his investments. His businesses had earned him a total profit of 40 million GBP in the past two years. He realized that he would have less time in the future to manage his portfolio. So, he finally decided to employ the services of a legitimate investment portfolio manager. He entrusted 10 million GBP to three separate managers in London. He scanned them all with a passive Legilimency to make sure they're trustworthy. 70 per cent of his funds were used on stocks and the remaining 30 per cent were used on bonds for security.

The day after Christmas, Alex received an Owl from Katie. She said that she would be going to Diagon Alley to purchase some potions equipments and witch appropriate clothing. Alex responded with an Owl of his own and told her that he would like to join her on her shopping trip. His wizard clothes were getting a bit old.

They met in the Leaky Cauldron two days later. Alex had arrived earlier than expected. So, he decided to order some beverage from Tom, the barkeep. Tom did not recognize him even though he just looked like a younger version of the person that the barkeep has met a number of times. The Leaky Cauldron had experienced a great change in the past year. As a reward in Tom's cooperation with the Association, Alex decided to invest some money in the Leaky Cauldron and had it renovated with more current furnishing. He also asked Tom to make the menu a little more family-friendly since new muggle-born students and their parents always had to come through his pub. As a result, there were more frequent customers in the Cauldron.

When Katie arrived, she was wearing a grey cotton-blend trenchcoat. Under that was a simple blue dress with white collars and a medium-length skirt that reached just below her knees. A silky belt hugged her waist that emphasized her slender figure. She was taller than most women, but she also had an athletic build. Her red wavy hair was cut shoulder-length and she was sporting a cloche hat that matched her coat.

Alex, on the other hand, was finally a little taller than Katie. He was wearing a dark blue-grey gabardine trenchcoat. Paired with a simple shirt and sweater underneath. His hair was neatly combed, parted on the side and was kept short as always. On his neck hanged a grey cashmere scarf.

The two of them made quite an impressive pair as they walked along Diagon Alley. Some people had even commented about it. First, they went shopping for potions supplies. Alex was intrigued at what she was trying to brew on her own time. She had been the only Hufflepuff girl to take the advanced level potions at Hogwarts. Prof. Snape required a grade of O on the Potions O.W.L. for his advanced Potions class, so, very few Hufflepuff was able to take the class.

At the dress shop, Madam Malkin had made a fuss and asked Katie to try on some of her special robes. Having a beautiful witch with a tall and athletic figure to try-on her robes was rare for her. Alex was smiling as he watched his friend get flustered trying to stave off the older woman's offer to make her a model for the dressing shop.

Katie did indeed looked beautiful, he thought. She had grown from that lonely tomboy of a girl to a very elegant young woman. It wasn't too long ago that she was being ridiculed for being too tall, now, the other girls were jealous of her height. Her high cheekbones and well-defined jawline were only overshadowed by her stunningly bright blue eyes. She kept her hair at shoulder-length to make easier to handle when she's brewing a potion, giving her a sporty look. Her hands were callused, a testament to how hardworking she was. But, the redness of her knuckles and her slender fingers gave off a delicate charm. Without realizing it, his friend had become one of the most beautiful girls in Hogwarts.

He had also purchased some small items for himself. After their shopping trip, they went back to the Leaky Cauldron to have a meal.

"Alex, what do you do normally when you're not in Hogwarts?" asked Katie as they waited for their food.

"Nothing much. I read some books and pretty much stay at home all the time," he lied.

"Me too. My parents are always busy with their work. So I just read some potions book or I try to catch up on my non-magical studies."

"That's good. Why did you decide to buy some witches' dress this time?"

"Well, I'm turning 17 this school term, so I might be in the wizarding world more often in the future. How about you? You are older than I am by a few months, why are you not taking the 'Apparition' training course with me?"

"I already know how to use it. I will just take the licensing test next summer."

Their meal was brought by a waiter and they had a pleasant time dining and talking. Before they could leave, Katie was staring a him like she had something else to say to him but unable to find the timing.

"What is it? Just say it," said Alex. He was always frank with his friends. They've gotten used to it.

"Have you read about the AIM?" she asked.

"The Association? Sure," he said nonchalantly.

"I wasn't sure. You never brought it up. Anyway, do you think it would be good to become one of its members?"

"I guess so. They offer a lot of benefits to their members, right? So, why won't it be good?"

"I am thinking about becoming a member after graduation or maybe sooner. But, do you think it is wise to openly support their agenda? Even in Hogwarts, a lot of pure-bloods are becoming wary about the Association," said Katie in a low voice.

"I'm not an expert about it, but I think the Association have expected this as well before becoming public. But, what's important is that its an institution for the people who need help and want to help. They had never said that they were exclusive to muggle-borns. Soon enough there will be pure-blood members in the Association."

After their talk, Alex had paid for the meal and they each went back home separately by taxi. He was glad that Katie was thinking about joining the Association. Maybe this could be a way for him to bring her to the Order someday.

×××

During the New Year's feasts of the Order. The team leaders reported their progress once again before they enjoyed the feast. Once everyone was done eating, he asked Mrs Pearce to join him in his office. He told her that she would be taking the lead in a new task for the Order.

Using her business connections, she would acquire a secretarial job in the Ministry. Then she would also arrange for some other members of the Order to have the resources and training necessary to get a job in any position in the Ministry, be it Aurors, Hit-wizards, Obliviators, and such. Mrs Pearce accepted her new orders eagerly. She had arranged for a replacement for her current duty on the Derbyshire Farm the very next day.

END OF CHAPTER