56-60

Ch.56 - The Duelling Club

Alex started his investigations after the students were in their dorms for the night. The first thing he did was to create a network of 'Detection Wards' in the numerous corridors of the castle. He hid them very well so the intruder would not find them.

One particular place that he was focusing his wards on was the girls' bathroom where Moaning Myrtle was located. Myrtle Warren was killed there and the message last Halloween was written near it.

"What are you doing here? Boys shouldn't be in the girls' bathroom!"

Alex turned around and saw that it was the ghost of Moaning Myrtle. Unlike the other ghosts in the castle, Moaning Myrtle was constrained within the castle.

"Hello there, Myrtle. I'm Alexander Grey. I'm sorry for the intrusion, but, I'm placing some security wards around your bathroom."

"And why would you do that!? I don't hurt anyone here," whined the ghost.

"This is for everyone's protection, even for you. You've heard about the Chamber of Secrets opening, right?"

"Yes, I've heard of it. The other ghosts are constantly talking about it."

"Well, we think that the beast from the chamber managed to get out. The same beast that killed you, Myrtle. That is why I want to find it and kill it."

"You'll do that for me!? Finally, someone who can be depended on!" said Moaning Myrtle squealing excitedly.

"I'm doing it for everyone, Myrtle. Tell me, do you remember anything at all about who killed you?"

Myrtle pouted as she recalled the day of her death.

"I was crying alone in the stall after that horrible Olive Hornby teased me very cruelly. Then I heard the voice of a boy. I didn't know who it was. I was going to tell him to get out of the girls' bathroom, but all I saw was these big yellow eyes. Then, that was it," said Myrtle shrugging her shoulders. "It took them hours to find me, I was sitting right there. Even in life, no one missed poor stumpy Myrtle. Then, it was actually Olive who found me. Oh, the look on her face... She ran out of the bathroom screaming."

Myrtle laughed as she recalled the last part of her story. She obviously was more concerned about getting even with this Olive Hornby than the beast who killed her.

The boy whom she heard talking, was it Voldemort? I should look through the student list at that time. The Dark Lord was one of the students at that time.

"That is very unfortunate. This Olive Hornby sounds like a piece of work. But, Myrtle, I want you to keep this conversation as our secret, okay? You can't tell anybody about the charms that I placed here."

"Okay, Alexander. It will be our little secret," said Myrtle suggestively.

Alex felt a little chill on his back when he heard that. He couldn't get out of that bathroom sooner.

×××

On the next day, the Weasley twins came to him after their class. It looked like they had something important to say.

"Prof. Grey, since you are in charge of the investigation," started Fred, "there is something we have that might be able to help you."

Goerge took out a folded piece of parchment and presented it to Alex.

"What's this?" asked Alex as he looked at the blank piece of parchment.

"Show him," said George.

Fred took out his wand and touched it on the parchment.

Then, he said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

After the words that were said, the parchment revealed the writing on its cover.

It read, 'Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDERS MAP.'

Alex recognized it from Pettigrew's memories. He considered making his own map like it, but, Pettigrew was only responsible for the illustrations on it. The other three 'Marauders' were responsible for the charms and the runes on the map.

The map showed the seven secret passages in and out of the school and the locations and identities of all the people within the castle. This was done by using the 'Homonculous Charm', a very advanced Charm that when used on a parchment allowed its user to keep track the movement of every person in a mapped out area.

The 'Arms' were already using a similar map in most locations that they were guarding. The hardest part in creating them was the accurate mapping of the location.

"The Marauders Map, huh. Wherever did you get this?" asked Alex.

Pettigrew had lost it in their seventh year in Hogwarts. What are the chances that another group of pranksters would find it?

"We stole it from Filch's office in our first year," said George proudly.

"Do you know who made this map?" asked Alex.

"No, but we would like to thank them!" said George.

"They are our predecessors!" said Fred.

"Well, the Marauders is a group of four Gryffindor students in the 70s. Moony is Remus Lupin. Wormtail is Peter Pettigrew—"

The twins face looked as if they had just eaten something awful.

"Padfoot is Sirius Black. And, Prongs is James Potter, Harry's dad," explained Alex.

"Oh, so Harry is Prongs Jr!" said Fred.

"But, why the code names?" asked George.

"Well, don't tell anyone, but it alludes to their secret animagus forms," said Alex. "You already know of Pettigrew being a rat with a worm-like tail. Then, Sirius Black is a dog with soft paws, I guess. James Potter is a stag with big antlers. And Moony, he is something else."

"What is he, a Mooncalf?" asked George.

"It can't be. Animagus can't take the form of magical creatures," said Fred.

"He is a werewolf," said Alex.

"A werewolf named Moony," said Fred as the twins laughed.

"Now, as a responsible professor, I will be confiscating this map for safekeeping," said Alex.

"You're welcome!" said the twins.

"And for, failure to surrender something like this for several years, you will be spending some time with me in detention."

"Wicked!" said the twins as they hi-fived one another.

Detentions with Alex was just an excuse for them to learn some obscure Charms that they could use in their pranks.

×××

It was Saturday morning and it was time for the first meeting of the new Duelling Club. Alex was already inside, hidden from the students. He watched them as they scurried along inside the room. It was a good thing that the rooms along the third-floor corridors were not in-use as he had to combine three adjacent rooms to have enough space for what the club needed. He could have used an 'Expansion Charm', but with all the other protections that he placed on the room, it was better to just use a physically large space.

On both ends of the room, there were areas that students could use for practising spells. On the centre, was a circular platform that had stepped seating areas around it. Here is where the duelling would take place.

There were about 60 students there from all houses present. But, most of the membership came from the Gryffindor House. Just as expected, Harry and Ron were there in attendance. Hermione and Neville had also come along, but, they were clearly not as excited as the others.

Then, there was a blast of smoke on top of the raised seating area. And from it, Alex made his appearance. He was already there from the beginning. He just created the blast of smoke wandlessly before cancelling his 'Invisibility'.

It had the desired effect among the students. Even young wizards and witches enjoyed a little bit of magical tricks.

"Welcome to the Duelling Club," said Alex in a loud and intimidating voice. "In this place, you will learn about the noble art of duelling, and perhaps, how to protect yourselves better. From now on, you will be considered members of the club."

The children were applauding. This was exactly what they came for.

Then Alex added, "However, there are also rules and regulations that must be observed if you want to be a member of the club. Your club leaders will give you the information later on, but, the main rules are these.

"Number one! Safety must always be observed. The spells that are allowed in this room are limited to the prescribed duelling spells I allow. The information about these spells are also provided in the training area.

"Number two! There will be ranks that are assigned to you based on your abilities. The ranks are Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Elite. You can only challenge those who are in the same ranks as you during a spar. If you want to advance in the ranks, then you must prove yourself through a practical test that will be overseen by the club officers.

" Number three! The clubroom will only be opened while a senior officer is present. And, all sparring matches must have an officiating referee. They can stop any matches as they want.

"And number four, all the fights here are for sporting purposes only. They will not extend outside these walls. If I or the officers here found out that you are duelling outside this room, you will be stripped of your membership.

" Do I make myself clear!?"

"Yes, Prof. Grey!" answered every one.

Every student was excited to be there. Male or female, it didn't make much of a difference. As magical people, they all instinctively respected magical power and duelling prowess. Even as children, they understood this.

That was why the ranking was put in place. If they were bold enough to learn how to duel, they were bold enough to dream of being on top.

Most of the officers that Percy had assembled were ranked as Advanced after Alex had tested them previously. Of course, none of them were at the level where they could have a chance at a duelling tournament. But, they were very competent for students.

Percy himself had a pretty good combination of Transfigurations and Charms. Plus, he was a very level-headed dueller. He had a tendency to remain in place during a fight and he would still need to work on his blocking and deflection to be considered as an Elite rank.

Everyone else were ranked as Beginners when they joined the club. They would have every opportunity to get promoted to a higher rank. They would be evaluated in their physical agility, positioning, dodging, blocking/deflecting, casting speed, spells arsenal, spells chaining, and spells effectiveness. Only when they meet a certain total number of points would they be promoted in ranks.

For his first lecture on duelling, Alex talked about the importance of defending and how to apply it properly in a duel. There was also a short exhibition after that.

The latter half of the club meeting, they had some sparring sessions to show the expected level of the people of the different rankings. The students were very excited about this part. Everyone wanted to prove themselves thinking that it could raise their rank immediately.

One of the matches for the Beginner rank was between Draco Malfoy and Ernest Macmillan. Both of them were in their second year, both were ahead of their peers academically, both were proud little pureblood scions from very old families. But, while Draco was prejudiced, Ernie didn't have any problems with halfbloods or muggleborns.

It was an interesting match-up because of how different they were despite the similarities in their station. Draco was disrespectful and arrogant. While Ernie was sometimes overly polite who talk too much. They could learn a thing or two from one another.

When the match began, Draco immediately fired a 'Dancing Leg Spell' at Ernie. But, the Hufflepuff managed to dodge the spell even if he was panicking a bit. The spell went past him into the protective barrier that surrounded the ring. Then, Ernie returned with a 'Disarming Charm' and hit Draco with it.

Draco had lost the duel, plain and simple.

Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe were laughing at him for losing to a Hufflepuff of all things. Some of the Slytherins couldn't help but join in.

Draco's face was red with embarrassment as he stepped off the ring.

Because of this, Alex decided to pair Gregory with Susan Bones. He lost quite spectacularly. As expected from the niece and ward of the current DMLE Head, Susan was already quite good with duelling. Alex promoted her to the Intermediate rank after that. She would be the only second-year on that rank for awhile the way the others in her year was performing.

Harry was paired with Anthony Goldstein from Ravenclaw. The duel went just as expected. Neither boy really knew much offensive spells. But in the end, Harry barely managed to win due to his faster reflexes.

Harry had some talent in fighting, but, Alex would have to give him one on one training if he wanted the boy to be able to protect himself. He could also give the boy some life-saving items that Harry would surely need.

×××

Outside Hogwarts, there were some words going around about the petrification of the muggleborn student, Colin Creevey. Colin had already been cured and he was able to join his classes without too much issue, but, the matter was still controversial.

Lucius Malfoy was the most critical about the management of Hogwarts. Without saying too many words, he alluded that if Headmaster Dumbledore was becoming senile and too weak to properly manage the school, then, performing his duties would also be too much for the old man.

Alex finally realized what Malfoy's endgame was. With the scandal in Hogwarts, he was trying to discredit Dumbledore and remove him from his position as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. In doing that, he was endangering everyone in the castle, even his own son. Was it possible that he didn't know the actual consequences of opening the Chamber of Secrets?

Malfoy was enjoying some good press at the moment. This is in large part due to Alex's instructions to his people. Lucius Malfoy was being hailed as a 'progressive' pureblood who had donated generously for the betterment of the muggleborn citizens of the country. And, he was taking advantage of his newfound fame by criticizing Dumbledore.

There was some confusion among the other pureblood families. They were wondering if Lucius Malfoy was actually turning into a blood-traitor? Those who knew Malfoy personally were thinking that he was just doing whatever he could to make a profit. With the endorsement of the Association, the Malfoys' family businesses were having a surge in their income. Many other business owners were considering doing the same thing, but, they didn't know how Malfoy had managed to fool the Association in working with him.

Ch.57 - Tom Riddle

The cold month of December had come, and still, there was no reaction from his Detection wards. Whoever the culprit was might have become hesitant about doing anything more once the faculty had started becoming stricter with the curfews.

On a different topic, the Duelling Club had really taken off. In the first two weeks alone, they had reached a number of more than a hundred in their membership. That was about a third of the students in Hogwarts.

Harry made a little improvement as well. At the very least, the concept of fighting was no longer strange to the boy. That was true for most students. They were beginning to accept that they might need to fight to defend themselves in the future.

Then, on the night of the 18th of December, Alex finally received a signal from one of his wards while he was sleeping. Alex couldn't believe the identity of the person heading towards Myrtle's bathroom.

It was actually Ginny Weasley, Bill's youngest sibling and only sister. There must be a reason behind it, thought Alex. He grabbed his gear and hurried on to the location.

When he got there, he found that the structure where the bathroom sinks were installed had opened up revealing a tunnel that led down to somewhere dark. Moaning Myrtle was nowhere to be seen.

He thought about jumping in and confronting Ginny. Perhaps, they could talk it out. But, he decided not to do so. The basilisk was likely there as well. Ginny must be safe from the basilisk since she had already led it into the castle at least twice. So, he decided to wait and set up an ambush instead.

The corridor outside would be a better place to fight the basilisk in if Ginny let the monster into the castle once again. He could use the space to keep his distance from the monster and easily avoid direct eye contact.

So, he picked a location near a corner of the hall where he could see the door leading to the bathroom. There he waited for about ten minutes before he detected Ginny again when she exited the tunnel in the bathroom. A large serpent was slithering behind her. It was about 60 to 70 feet in length and its girth was about the size of a grown man's waist. 'King of Serpents' was an appropriate title for the beast.

After Ginny had stepped out of the bathroom, she turned to the opposite direction where Alex was waiting. The basilisk was about to follow her when it hissed something strange. It was talking in Parseltongue, Alex realized.

Not only was Parselmouths capable of talking to snakes, but they also gave the nearby snakes the ability to talk back. Snakes, even the magical kind, were just beasts in the end. They could not really talk to one another when they were on their own. Some Magizoologist had also theorized that Parselmouth wizards also gave the snakes a boost in their intelligence so that they could be mistaken as having true sentience.

Ginny turned around abruptly after the basilisk had spoken to her. Alex realized that the snake had detected him despite being under an Invisibility and a Notice-Me-Not Charms. He realized what his mistake was. Some snakes had the ability to detect other creatures by sensing body temperature.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" said Ginny playfully.

Alex's ring was reacting to her. It was a relief somehow to him. At least, the culprit was not entirely Ginny. Alex removed the charms that were hiding him knowing that they were useless with the snake there. He was careful not to meet the basilisk in the eyes as he looked down Ginny's feet.

"Well, if it isn't the amazing Alexander Grey," said Ginny. "Ginny had talked about you. You and Harry Potter. Her gallant heroes. At least one of you lives up to hype it seems. It's an honour to meet you!"

"Who are you and what have you done to Ginevra?" asked Alex.

Ginny grinned in amusement with a type of smile that shouldn't be seen on a little girl's face.

"Let's not be hasty. She's safe at the moment. I will be borrowing her for a while. She won't mind, we're friends, her and I. Why don't you play with my creature and we shall see how the famous Alexander Grey fare against the King of Serpents!"

She hissed at the basilisk and it started moving towards Alex.

Alex just pointed his wand at the approaching monster.

"It's useless. She's protected from most spells," said Ginny with a sneer. "Do you think that Salazar Slytherin would leave his beast unprotected?"

Alex ignore her words and fired his spell. Light emerged from the tip of his wand. He used nothing but a powerful Lumos Maxima.

Ginny and even the basilisk had to shield away their eyes from the light. For Ginny, she merely had to cover her eyes with her hands. For the basilisk, it had to turn away its head completely.

While Ginny was covering her eyes, she heard a spat followed a short wail from the basilisk. When Alex had stopped his light spell, Ginny was frozen at the sight of the basilisk as it collapsed to the ground with a hole in its head.

What she didn't see when she was blinded by the light was a small dagger that flew from Alex's left arm at the speed of a crossbow bolt. It penetrated the head of the basilisk with no problem. The dagger could fell a 40-foot tree with a single hit. It wasn't surprising that it could kill a basilisk or a dragon that quickly.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!?" shouted Ginny. "That basilisk was Salazar's own creature. How could you kill it just like that!?"

Alex didn't answer the question.

"Now, I'm going to repeat my previous question and I expect an answer," said Alex plainly. "Who are you and what have you done to Ginevra?"

Ginny had a scared look on her face. Her previous playful attitude was gone.

"You can't harm me. You are a teacher and you wouldn't hurt one of your students. Ginny had stupidly given me enough of her energy to possess her! She didn't actually mean to open the chamber by herself. You wouldn't hurt an innocent student, would you?"

"Stop talking about irrelevant things and answer my question," said Alex.

"My name is Tom Riddle, but, you might know of me with another name."

"Tom Riddle is the name of a muggleborn student. Did Voldemort ran out of good purebloods to serve him?"

Ginny seemed insulted by that.

"I am not a Muggleborn!" she returned. "I am the heir of Slytherin! Voldemort is my past, my present, and my future."

Alex was surprised about the claim. But, Voldemort should have recognized him.

"You are not Voldemort. I've met him before. He would remember the whipping that I gave him before." said Alex.

"YOU LIE!" shouted Ginny. "Voldemort is the greatest wizard who ever lived! Someone like you wouldn't compare at all!

She took out her wand and fired a 'Reductor Curse' at Alex. But, he deflected it easily.

"I've duelled Voldemort before, and he was much better than you.

Ginny fired again and again. Alex deflected all her attacks. Although Ginny was pretty good for a student, she was still an amateur and not comparable with how good Quirrell was.

In her frantic state, she revealed a leather-bound book that she was keeping within her robes. Alex was alarmed immediately. He sensed the evil coming from the book. It was a familiar feeling.

He deflected another curse from Ginny and returned with a quick Disarming Charm. Ginny was forced to let go of her wand as it flew towards Alex. He caught it with his left hand.

Ginny's face was pale. Her magic reserves must be close to being depleted.

"Where did you get that book, Ginny?" he asked.

Ginny's eyes widened in fear as she tried to cover the book.

"None of your business! Voldemort will come for you! And there will be nothing you can do against him!"

"Tom, was it? You will release Ginny now or I will destroy you."

Alex finally realized what the book was. It was a Horcrux. One of the most evil thing a wizard could make. And, the soul fragment in the Horcrux was possessing Ginny.

Alex was amazed at the implication of that. Voldemort had created a Horcrux, and, that was how he avoided death.

"No! Ginny will always be mine! I will never give her up!"

Alex wanted to interrogate it some more. But, he was risking Ginny's life. It was obviously absorbing her magical energy. If he didn't stop it soon, Ginny could die from extreme magical exhaustion.

He held his hand in front of him and a ball of red fire started forming on it. The room started getting warmer immediately. The fear can be seen in Ginny's eyes. Alex had to remind himself that Ginny was not in control of her own body.

He released the ball of fire, throwing it towards Ginny. It grew in size mid-flight and turned into the shape of a big wolf.

"Are you crazy!? Ginny will die if you attack me!"

"I don't think so," said Alex.

The fiery wolf lunged at Ginny. She tried to run away, but, of course, she couldn't. She screamed and screamed, but, her body wasn't burning.

Only the book that she was holding was burning. Whatever protection it had was completely useless against the flame. The soul fragment started leaking out from it and it burned just the same.

When Alex cancelled the spell, only Ginny was left there. She was unconscious and she would have to be looked over by Mdm Pomfrey.

Alex was amazed by the ability of his Hellfire Protector to choose whatever was burned or not.

He looked at the basilisk. The magic in its eyes were already benign. But just to be safe, he gouged out the eyes of the basilisk and put them in a glass jar that he took out from his expanded bag. It would make a good gift to Katie. In fact, the entirety of the basilisk corpse was probably very valuable for any potioneers.

He called out for a Hogwarts House-Elf and instructed it to keep away any students from that part of the corridor. He also placed some Repelling Wards just to safe. Then, he picked up Ginny and head for the infirmary.

×××

The Headmaster must have been informed by the House-Elves and he met Alex in the infirmary just as he put down Ginny on the bed. Madam Pomfrey had also arrived after the Headmaster.

"What happened, Prof. Grey?" asked Dumbledore.

Mdm Pomfrey was checking Ginny. The girl was magically exhausted. Asides from that, she would have to be treated by some mind-healers.

"I finally caught the culprit and stopped the basilisk," said Alex.

"Did it attack Ms Weasley?" asked Dumbledore.

"Worse. Ginevra was possessed by a spirit. And because of that, she was the one controlling the basilisk. I will give you the details later, Headmaster. — For now, Mdm Pomfrey, I need you to take care of Ginevra in this room. Her magic has been depleted to a dangerous level."

"Of course, but is it safe now for her to stay here in the infirmary?" said the medi-witch.

"Yes, it should be safe from now on. Although, I would still secure the room at night."

"Poppy, please do as he says," said Dumbledore. "Also, let us keep this matter between ourselves until we understand the circumstances better. This is a very sensitive matter."

After they all agreed on how to take care of Ginny, Dumbledore asked again about what had happened. But Alex suggested for them to continue their talk in the Headmaster's office.

Once there, Alex had begun his explanation. He talked about the incident from when his wards had Detected Ginny up to the moment that she stepped out into the corridor with the basilisk behind her.

"From this moment on, it would be better to show you my memory. I am warning you though, Albus, it will be very shocking."

"I understand. I will expect nothing less with this mystery," said Dumbledore.

Alex deposited his memory in the Pensive so that Dumbledore can view them.

After the Headmaster had viewed the entirety of the memory, he had a blank expression on his face.

"Tom Riddle," stated Dumbledore, "that was his name. — I am the one who gave him his invitation to Hogwarts, you know? He was a very unique child who had suffered a lot. He was living in an orphanage at the time. And, I think that he was isolated from the other children there, partly because of his gifts."

The Headmaster had a very tired expression on his face. There was no trace of his usual optimistic disposition.

"Do you regret it?" asked Alex. "Bringing him to Hogwarts all those years ago."

"No, I don't... Not really," said Dumbledore softly. "He was just a boy at the time. I regretted not being able to help him while he was studying here. But at the time, my mind was occupied on other things. — You see, for children like Tom, Hogwarts was their first true home. That is one of the purposes of this castle. It provides refuge for those magical children with nowhere else to go to. The most tragic thing about Tom was the fact that it was here in Hogwarts where he started to change to what he eventually became. That thing that possessed Ms Weasley, it was probably a part of Tom that was separated from the rest of him when he was still a student."

Alex was astonished and he said, "You mean, he created a Horcrux while he was a student here in Hogwarts?"

"Yes, he must have..."

"At least it's destroyed now. Voldemort is no longer unkillable."

"I'm afraid it can't be that simple, Alexander," said Dumbledore. "Tom had disappeared for more than a decade after his graduation from Hogwarts. I believe that he might have created more Horcruxes during that time."

"More? What would that do to his soul?" asked Alex. "Shouldn't it be impossible?"

"You cannot underestimate the genius and power of Tom Riddle."

True enough, thought Alex.

"Tom Riddle was the name of a muggleborn student. Was he really a Muggleborn? I reviewed the student roster during the year that Myrtle Warren died. Is it possible that the Lord of all blood purists is actually a muggleborn?"

"He was recorded as a muggleborn," answered Dumbledore. "But, I'm sure he believed differently. His mother was from the Gaunt family, a family with claims of being the descendant of Slytherin. However, that family was living in obscurity. They believed in blood purity so fervently and they even refused to attend Hogwarts as long as we accepted Muggleborns as students. Her mother died after childbirth and he was abandoned in an orphanage. However, Tom's father was a muggle aristocrat who probably didn't know of his existence. So, he would be a halfblood."

What should Alex do about this? How would it sound like to the Association? On one hand, they could weaken the Death Eaters' camp if they reveal that the Dark Lord was a halfblood bastard. However, it could also be painted as an argument about the dangers of muggleborns and halfbloods in the wizarding world.

"We have to inform the Weasleys about this," said Alex.

Regardless of his position in the Association and the Order, Alex took his duties as a teacher seriously. They would have to inform the Weasleys about what happened to Ginny. But since a Horcrux was involved, the matter couldn't be simple.

"We will, of course, tell them the truth," said Dumbledore. "However, we will have to be delicate. The matter about the Horcrux cannot be made public or Tom could find out that we know about the secret of his apparent immortality."

"I will invite them to come over so we can talk to them in person. It will be better if we can also invite Bill Weasley from Egypt. We had encountered a Horcrux before. He could help his parents understand the seriousness of the need for discretion."

Dumbledore agreed and let him handle how to inform the Weasleys.

On the next day, Alex wrote a letter for the Weasleys once again. This would be the second incident which involved their children this year. This time, Alex had no intention of revealing Ginny's involvement in this event to the public. Therefore, the adults needed to come to an understanding on how to deal with the situation.

He also contacted Bill who was in Egypt at the moment. Thankfully, it was easy to reach him via the Glass-Com, as they now call the glass communicators of HTC. Alex asked Bill to come to Hogwarts with his parents. He could get there in time by using an international portkey.

In the meantime, Alex made the necessary arrangement of how to remove the basilisk from Hogwarts. That night, some people from the 'Arms' had come in the school to take out the body of the monster. Most of them were shocked after seeing the size of the basilisk that Alex had killed. They had to chop the beast multiple times just so it could fit in their containers.

Ch.58 - Closing

Mr and Mrs Weasley, together with Bill, had arrived in Hogwarts two days after the incident with the basilisk. Ginny was still in the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey was taking care of her at the moment.

"Bill, it's good that you are able to come so soon," said Alex. "I'm sorry for calling you here, but we could use your expertise."

They all greeted one another, but, it was obvious that the Weasleys were very worried.

"Now, what is this about, Alex," asked Bill. "Percy sent a letter saying that Ginny is staying in the infirmary. We wanted to visit her first, but, Madam Pomfrey sent as here instead."

"All of you should sit down," said Alex. "What I'm about to say will be very shocking. But, I'm asking you all to be patient."

Mr and Mrs Weasley looked at the Headmaster before following Alex's request.

Alex started telling the Weasleys about the events that started last Halloween leading to the moment that he found Ginny in the corridors.

He told them how she detected Ginny wandering the castle after midnight. After his story started sounding dangerous, the Weasleys were distraught as expected.

Dumbledore had to assure them that Ginny is being looked after by Madam Pomfrey and that she was not in danger any longer before Alex could go on with his story.

Then, Alex continued his story until the part when he killed the basilisk without giving the information about how he did it.

"After I have succeeded in killing the basilisk, I found the reason behind Ginevra's behaviour. You see, she was being possessed by a spirit. — She was carrying this leather-bound book that I have determined to be the source of the possession. I destroyed it without hurting Ginny, but, the ordeal had exhausted her so much. That is why she is staying in the infirmary."

Mr and Mrs Weasley were beside themselves in worry. They needed time to process what they just heard. Only Bill was calm enough to ask a question.

"Did you find out what was that book?" asked Bill.

"Yes. This might sound hard to believe, but it was a Horcrux."

"What!?" shouted Bill in response.

Alex didn't repeat himself. Bill needed a moment to absorb the facts.

"I don't understand," said Mr Weasley. "What is he saying, son? What is a Horcrux?"

Now, Bill had calmed himself down. He realized that this is why Alex had especially asked him to come, so he could explain it himself to his parents.

So, that is what he did. He explained to them the origin of Horcruxes and how evil it truly was.

"So, this thing that was possessing our Ginny, was it some ancient artefact?" asked Mr Weasley.

"No, Mr Weasley. In fact, the Horcrux was only about 50 years old. — We have determined that... that it was the Dark Lord's Horcrux."

"Oh, good witch Morrigan!" exclaimed Mrs Weasley. "It was You-Know-Who's spirit that possessed my little girl?"

The Weasleys continued to ask him questions, but, he knew that there was no explanation that could satisfy them. Their daughter had been possessed by the most dangerous wizard in history. They would try to make sense of it all, but, they would fail.

Dumbledore had to calm them down again. He went with Mr and Mrs Weasley to see Ginny in the infirmary. The Headmaster would explain to them the need for discretion. He was good with that.

Bill decided to see Ginny later and stay with Alex.

"So," Bill said, "you fought against my sister when she was possessed by You-Know-Who. How did you managed to win while avoiding hurting her?"

"I can't tell you that, Bill," said Alex. "But, it was just like how I did it in Egypt. And, this was not the Dark Lord that we knew. It was him as a student. Somehow, the Dark Lord created a Horcrux while he was still in Hogwarts. That piece of his soul that was separated from him at that time was the one that possessed Ginny."

"Oh, Merlin... He is really out there, isn't he? Skulking about, looking for a way to return."

"Yes. And when he returns, the Headmaster would call his resistance group once again. You know this."

"The Order of the Phoenix," said Bill understanding what Alex meant.

"You're parents and your uncles were part of that group. It is likely that they will be asked to join again. You would likely be invited as well."

"Yes, we all have to do our part when the time comes."

"I will be fighting the Dark Lord as well," said Alex. "But, I doubt I will ever join Dumbledore's group. I prefer a more direct approach."

"A war? You will fight them in a war!?"

"I will. We all will, whether we like it or not."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"You are a Gringotts employee and you will likely be a member of Dumbledore's Order. It is a unique position to be in. You will learn about the movements of the goblins and the Order. I think you know what I'm getting at."

Bill looked at Alex without saying a word. He excused himself to go and visit Ginny in the infirmary. Alex was hoping that Bill would cooperate with him. With his friend's help, he could have a source of information within Dumbledore's ranks.

×××

After the Weasleys had left the castle, Alex had fetched Harry from the Gryffindor dormitories. They were heading for the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. Dumbledore was already in the bathroom talking to the ghost of Myrtle Warren.

"Headmaster, I think we are ready," said Alex.

"Good. Harry, my boy, we need you to come with us in the chamber, I'm afraid," said Dumbledore.

"I will do what I can, Professor," said Harry.

Alex had guided the boy towards the structure where the sinks are located.

"Come here, Harry. See the end of this particular faucet, it looks like the head of a snake, unlike the other faucets. You have to ask it to open up while speaking in Parseltongue."

"But I don't know how to control it, Professor."

"Just look at the snake symbol," urged Dumbledore. "Imagine that you are talking to a snake."

Harry focused on the metallic snake figure and hissed something neither Alex or Dumbledore could understand. After that, the sinks separated from one another just as how Alex saw it before.

"Excellent, my boy!" exclaimed Dumbledore.

"Should we take Harry with us?" said Alex asking Dumbledore.

"Yes. This is not the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. I think the real entrance is still ahead of us."

"I will go first," said Alex. "You take Harry with you."

Alex created a light with his wand and slid first into the tunnel. He must have descended some 30 feet before landing.

He conjured a cushion for Dumbledore and Harry to land on. But, apparently, he didn't need to as the headmaster landed very gently while holding Harry.

They found themselves in a great cavern. There were some old basilisk skins that the giant serpent had spread all over the place.

"Let's proceed with caution," said Dumbledore. "This cavern was created by magic. They have become fragile throughout the years."

When they got to the end of the cavern, they were presented with another locked entry. This was the true access to the Chamber of Secrets.

"Harry, you have to tell it to open once more," said Alex. "Behind this door must be the proper Chamber of Secrets."

Harry hissed at the door just like he did before. The mechanism of the door activated and it opened for them.

The area beyond looked like it was a part of the ancient waterways of the castle. However, Dumbledore observed that it was no longer within the bounds of the Hogwarts wards.

When they reached the end of the passage, they found a room as large as the Great Hall. At one end was the 20-feet tall carved image of the head of Salazar Slytherin.

"Someone certainly thought highly of himself," joked Alex.

"He is one of greatest sorcerers of his age," said Dumbledore. "I suspect that all founders were proud in their own way."

"Is this it?" asked Harry.

"Disappointed, Harry?" asked Dumbledore. "What were you expecting to find?"

"Well, I expected to find something," said Harry while pouting.

"This can't be it," said Alex. "Where is the basilisk's nest? It has to sleep somewhere and this room is too wet for a snake to hibernate in."

Dumbledore used his wand to cast some detection spells.

"Harry, use Parseltongue to speak to this carving. Ask it to open its secrets for you," said Dumbledore.

Harry did as the Headmaster instructed. The mouth of the carved face at Slytherin opened up revealing two narrow passageways beyond. One was likely leading to the nest of the basilisk, the other was leading to a small room.

Dumbledore and Harry went to check out the small room while Alex examined the nest. All he found there was an empty nest with a foul odour. The air had the feeling of stagnation. The snake only slept there for around 800 years. Somehow, Slytherin had taught his serpent how to sleep for an extended period of time.

Basilisk were creatures that were created by sorcerers, so, Alex knew it was impossible for the creature to multiply on its own.

When Alex joined the others, he found them examining a portrait of Salazar Slytherin. The painting showed a bald man with long grey beard holding his hands together and showing his long bony fingers. The figure was wearing his famous locket with the letter 'S' on it.

That was an interesting find. There was no known portrait of the founders. Aside from that, there was nothing else of interest in the room. There was some shelves and a desk, but there were no books or any other kind of records to be found. Since the Dark Lord had entered this chamber before, it was possible that he had taken anything of value from this room before he graduated from Hogwarts.

"Is it a magical portrait?" he asked.

"No, It isn't," said Dumbledore. "It was painted before that particular technique was invented. Judging from the style, it looks like it was painted in the eleventh century, before the renaissance style that we are more familiar with. Meaning, this portrait was probably left behind by Slytherin himself."

"It is well preserved, considering. We should bring it back with us. This is a historical artefact."

"You're right, of course. Let me handle it," said Dumbledore.

The Headmaster removed the painting from the wall and shrunk it to a size that he could carry.

On their way back, Dumbledore decided to collapse the entire cavern outside the chamber. It was a potential risk to the security of the castle. Alex and Harry witnessed the power of the Headmaster as he had sealed the chamber using a single spell.

The sinks in Myrtle's bathroom was also replaced soon after, so, that it could never be opened again. Two days later, the portrait of Salazar Slytherin was unveiled to the rest of the school after it was screened for any dangerous magic. It was to be displayed in the Grand Staircase from that day despite not being a magical portrait.

×××

The news about the basilisk that was found in Hogwarts had spread outside the school. Every parent who received a copy of the Observer was worried about their children in the school. The safety of the residents of the castle was being questioned.

Lucius Malfoy was the loudest of all. He was questioning Dumbledore's abilities in keeping the children safe in the castle. There were words that suggested that the Headmaster was becoming too old to look after the affairs of the school.

On the other hand, Alexander Grey was being hailed as a hero once again. He had slaughtered a 70-feet long basilisk on his own. The readers of the article about Alex and the basilisk were letting their imagination get the best of them. They were picturing some kind of epic battle between the monster and the wizard.

In an interview, Alex told the story of how he investigated the incidents in Hogwarts that started last Halloween, how the school faculties had worked together to keep the children safe, and how he finally tracked down the basilisk.

There was no mention of the heir of Slytherin or anything about Ginny.

"What about the Chamber of Secrets that had been rumoured earlier?" asked the interviewer.

"The Headmaster Dumbledore and I did found the chamber. It was just a cavern that lied deep under the castle. For security reasons, the ceiling of the caverns was collapsed, so that it will never be opened again."

"Are you not worried that some people might say that you have destroyed an important historical part of Hogwarts?" asked the interviewer.

"No, not at all. There was nothing in the caverns except for the portrait of Salazar Slytherin which we recovered and displayed for everyone to see. It was just a big nest of a very old basilisk that had remained in hibernation for so long. However, it indeed posed a threat to the security of the school, that is why it has been permanently sealed."

"What do you think about the criticisms that Headmaster Dumbledore is receiving at the moment? They are saying that he is becoming too old for his job of educating and keeping our children safe."

"I would never have accepted the teaching position in Hogwarts if Prof. Dumbledore wasn't there. Regarding the incidents this year, I'll say that we were lucky to have him. No one could have expected a basilisk to show up in the school. It is because of the cooperation of all the faculty members and other staff in Hogwarts that we have managed to prevent anyone from getting hurt."

"So, you are saying that it could be even worse if we didn't have Headmaster Dumbledore in Hogwarts?"

"Exactly."

"Let us talk about another thing that is on everyone's mind. A lot of people were expecting you to participate in the Biennial Duelling Tournament of Nice this year. What can you say to your fans about not joining the tournament?"

"I will tell that I must prioritize my commitments to my students rather than the tournament. There will be other tournaments."

A week after that, Alex found himself once again in the Ministry of Magic. He was being given a first-class award from the Order of Merlin.

The Order of Merlin had evolved from what it originally was for better or worse. When it was established by Merlin himself, it recognized those wizards and witches who advocated for the peaceful co-existence of magical and non-magical people. After all, Merlin was the greatest 'muggle-lover' of all with him being an active counsel for the British king of the time.

Nowadays, the Order of Merlin was just a fancy title for anyone that the Ministry wished to endorsed. There were some blood supremacists that were also given the recognition for their feats that the Ministry approve of. Peter Pettigrew was also a recipient of the award, and that should be enough to remind everyone that the Order of Merlin was not what it used to be.

But, if nothing else, the award declared the Ministry's endorsement of Alex. Politically, they would like to be associated with him. Also, there was still some weight to the title. After that day, he would be Alexander Grey, O.M. First-Class.

It wasn't surprising when the Minister, himself, offered him a position in the Ministry as the new Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Apparently, they decided against offering the job to Ludo Bagman after the man had retired. It made sense, he was both a Quidditch World Cup champion and an international duelling champion. Also, it was already an accepted fact that Alex was not going to join any of the professional quidditch team despite being a renowned player.

Alex acted as if he was thinking about it. Inwardly, he was very glad about the development. He was already planning to work in the Ministry. Being a department head was even better regardless of what department it was. He would have the authority to propose a legislation to the Wizengamot as long as the topic was under his department's jurisdiction. He could also openly express his criticism about any legislation being debated in the Wizengamot.

"I am honoured by your offer, Minister. But currently, I am still a professor in Hogwarts. Is it possible to accept your offer at a later time?"

"Of course! Of course!" said the Minister. "I would expect nothing less. After all, a man has to honour his commitments. However, can I announce to the public that the Ministry can count on you after the school term had concluded?"

"Of course, Minister. That would be acceptable."

Ch.59 - Back to Normal

During the Christmas break, Harry stayed with Sirius Black. It was very good for the boy to have a place to return to during Christmas.

Sirius Black had gotten his life back together during the previous months. He had put his finances in order and he took care of himself with a regular visit to St Mungo's. The Ministry and the Wizengamot had recognised his position as the new patriarch of the Black family. In exchange, Sirius would basically stop talking about the mishandling of his case and his stay in Azkaban publicly.

Remus Lupin, another Marauder, was there to help him along. They cleaned up the Black Family residence in London so that it would be safe for Harry to live in. Of course, Alex had visited the house to examine the protections around the place as part of his agreement with Sirius.

Mr and Mrs Weasley were planning to visit Bill in Egypt for the Holidays, but, they decided to stay in their home instead so that Ginny and the others could come home as well. They certainly could use the break.

For Christmas, Alex sent over a complete set of the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy to Harry. For the Weasley children, he sent a bunch of muggle toys and board games that Mr Weasley would also find interesting. He also sent gifts to the other Hogwarts children that he was close with.

As for Alex, he spent his break in Hogsmeade where he could spend some time with Katie. It was a rare time for them to be together. Thankfully, Katie would be done with her studies soon and Alex would be finished with his stay in Hogwarts.

When Christmas time came around, they had a little party after Clay and Dora visited them. The couple was currently living together in France where Dora was working as a security officer for the 'Arms' branch there. Clay, on the other hand, had established a depot for his family business near Paris. It was easier to buy potions ingredients in France because they had a bigger international market. All he needed to do was to ship them over to his business in Britain where they could be sold for a tidy profit.

The day after the New Year, the Order of Prometheus held their annual gathering at the new base in Nottingham. He was glad to know that everything was moving smoothly. Their Order was still unable to secure some of the leadership positions in the Ministry, but, they were well embedded in its ranks.

Economically, there was no other group or coalition in Britain that could challenge their position. Not counting Alex, Mrs Pearce and Mr Grant could be considered among the richest people in wizarding Britain should they make their wealth known to the public. Mr and Mrs Dewey were also not far behind.

Alex was not hesitant in giving his people some shares in his ventures for their services. After all, these businesses could only become successful because of his peoples' dedication. Mrs Pearce used to be the manager in some of the businesses that Alex started in the wizarding world before she was assigned as the spymaster. Naturally, she was given some shares for her position. Mr Grant had some shares in the 'Arms of Poros Security Company' that had successfully expanded to France and Egypt. Mr and Mrs Dewey owned some shares in the 'Observer' and its other affiliated publications. However, for the 'Hermes Telecommunication Company' and the 'Elysium Housing', Alex had full ownership through Mr Baxter.

They were primed to make some more aggressive moves. But, Alex would wait until he was properly an appointed department head in the Ministry before they would start creating waves in the political arena. Every member was fully expecting some chaos to happen soon. It was good to see that they had never forgotten their goals after becoming successful. However, Alex had still suggested for them to make some discrete arrangements for their families should they need to leave the country for a while.

[AN: I just realized that Mr Baxter is pretty much a non-speaking character besides the first two chapters where he made an appearance. He works in the background all the time but he doesn't have any dialogue.]

×××

When the school term resumed, every student was relieved that they could finally continue their studying without the danger looming over their heads. Alex was glad that his lectures were progressing very well also. The students who were taking their OWL's and NEWT's were glad that they could focus on their studying finally, especially the prefects who were tasked to keep a close eye on the students while the strict curfew was in place. They were right to take advantage of the opportunity to learn from a competent teacher like Alex.

Harry had made some progress with his duelling along with the others. Because Alex finally had the time to spare, he could finally start training the boy more closely.

"Why do I need to train more than the others?" asked Harry.

Alex and Harry was meeting in an unused room in the castle where they could spar without interruption. Their training session was disguised as Alex giving Harry detention.

"Last year, the Dark Lord tried to return using Quirrell," explained Alex. "This time, he was involved with the basilisk incident, though the Headmaster and I decided to not spread that information to avoid a mass hysteria."

"He really was the one behind the opening of the chamber?"

"Yes, Harry. I told you before during class, he is the only one who could claim to be the heir of Slytherin."

Harry looked down for a moment.

"He's coming for me, isn't he? He'd already killed my parents. Sirius was sent to Azkaban because of him. And now, he's going to try and kill me again..."

"He might..." said Alex sadly. "Some part of me would rather let you spend your time happily with your friends and have a normal childhood. But, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to you that could be avoided if only I had prepared you better."

It was harsh to ask a 12-year-old boy to learn how to defend himself. Especially, when the one who was after him was a very powerful and evil wizard. But, it was one of those moments where they could only make do with what they had. Alex would also need to teach Harry some methods that he could use to escape from danger.

"I'll do it," said Harry with all the determination that he could muster. "I'll train my very hardest. I can't let Voldemort take anything else from me."

"Well said, Harry," said Alex with approval. "Now, during our training, we will cover much more than just duelling. I will also teach you the fundamental theories on spellcasting and their application. You are quite talented in spellcasting, you know? It is a mark of a strong wizard. Therefore, we will mainly focus on Charms as it is the branch of magic that is heavily dependant on the user's skill in spellcasting. From your lessons in Charms last year, can you recall one theory about the fundamentals of casting?"

"Um... The three W's?" said Harry.

"Good one. The three W's of spells; Wand, Word, and Will. Amongst these, Will is the most fundamental. When you've reached a certain competency in casting, you can learn how to perform spells without saying the incantations, without Word. Some wizards can also use magic without using a wand, like this."

Alex waves his hand in an arc and produced a gout of fire from. It was a simple Fire-Creating Spell that Hogwarts students learn during their first year.

Harry was amazed immediately. His experience with wandless magic was limited. Although most children had moments of accidental magic, seeing someone masterfully controlling magic wandlessly was still amazing.

"However," Alex continued, "the Will component cannot be taken out of the equation. But, what is this Will exactly? Some spells only require a certain level of confidence and trust from the caster. Some require a particular emotion, a memory, imagination, or certain knowledge. You can simply think of the Will as a combination of these things. But, how is this fact important in duelling?"

Harry thought about it, but, he couldn't give an answer.

"Imagine yourself in a duel, and you are thinking of using a Tickling Charm, then following it with a Stinging Hex. These are both simple spells that second-year students like you already know. How quickly do you think you can perform these spells?"

"Not very quick. Terry Boot tried that combination on me," said Harry while grinning proudly. "He got me with the first one, but I managed to hit him with a Disarming Charm before he could finish his second spell."

"Great example. And, why do you think he was so slow? A Disarming Charm was more complex than either of those spells."

"Ah! I get it!" exclaimed Harry. "Because the Tickling Charm and the Stinging Hex use different emotions, right?"

"That's correct," said Alex smiling. "Those part of the spell happen internally in our heads, but, it doesn't mean that they don't take time to complete. This is just one consideration that a duellist will take into account when performing a particular spell sequence. It is also important in the concept of Spell-Chaining, something you might have heard that the Advanced ranked students talking about."

Harry was nodding enthusiastically. He felt like Alex was passing along the secrets of his duelling prowess. Of course, they weren't really some kind of secret knowledge. Alex just had a unique way of simplifying and connecting those concepts that can be found in different books.

"As a general rule, similar spells can be used in faster sequences," Alex stated.

"So, why can't we use the same spells over and over? It should even be faster," commented Harry.

"Good question. The answer is, it takes longer to repeat the wand movement of the same spell. Connecting the movement to another spell would be faster. However, that is still too advanced for you to learn. We can discuss chaining wand movements later on when your spell arsenal is on a fourth-year level at least. For now, let us practice some simple spell sequences that end with the Disarming Charm since you are good with that one. Are you ready?"

"Yes, master!" said Harry.

Harry's eagerness reminded Alex of his time learning from Nicolas Flamel. He also remembered being blown away by Flamel's teachings. He was happy he could do the same thing with Harry.

×××

Different from how Harry was doing, Draco was having a very complicated time in Hogwarts. His father, Lucius Malfoy, was being labelled as a model pureblood wizard who believed in the equality for all wizardkind. As a result, Draco was becoming isolated from the other students in the Slytherin House.

Lucius Malfoy did try initially to protest the labelling by the Observer about his earlier 'donations'. However, when the increase in profit started coming in from his businesses. He started enjoying his new reputation. Alex thought that the man was completely shameless for what he was doing. But, that was how exactly he wanted him to be.

Alex spoke to Draco after one of their class. Draco was very confused about what was happening with his father. He knew that his father hated muggles and muggleborn, but now, he was being praised for supporting them. Some of the students in the Slytherin House had started calling his father a blood-traitor.

"How are you holding up with what is going on outside?"

"I'm fine, professor," said Draco meekly.

He was no longer the 'prince' of Slytherin.

"Draco, you know you are not responsible for what your father is doing for good or worse."

"Yes, but, his new political reputation is affecting my life here in Hogwarts."

"And is that so bad? Perhaps, you can use this opportunity to make some new friends."

"And be friends with muggleborns and halfbloods!?"

"That is up to you. But, a Slytherin should be able to make the best with what he got."

"But, you were a Hufflepuff, right? You do not understand the politics in the Slytherin House."

"I understand it well enough. I know that reputation is very important for the Slytherins. But, instead of always depending on your father's reputation, you should start making your own."

"How did you make your reputation in Hogwarts while you were a student?"

"By being the best kind of Hogwarts student, of course."

"Like a Hufflepuff?"

"Like all of them, Draco," said Alex. "I've always thought that a great Hogwarts student is someone who could fit in in all the houses. Someone who is Brave, Cunning, Intelligent and Hard-Working. I know that you have these traits inside you. You just have to act more like your own self rather than being overly concerned about being the best example of the Slytherin House. You will make your House proud naturally when you are a successful Hogwarts student."

"Thank you, Professor," said Draco solemnly. "I think I understand what you are saying."

"Good. And stop it with the blood purity nonsense, okay? Talk about something that you actually understand for once. Remember that Flint, Crabbe, and Goyle are purebloods too. And I don't see them as being 'superior' than anyone."

Draco sneered at the mention of the students that he hated the most in Hogwarts. Flint had berated him after their first quidditch game. And Crabbe and Goyle had always been critical of him.

It was strange for Alex to take an interest in Draco. But, he wanted to give the boy a fair shot to determine his own fate. As funny as it was, the groups among the students of Hogwarts reflected the politics outside. And as sad as it was, these groupings were largely dependant on their birth or their families' political beliefs. There was the blood purist children, the pureblood conservatives, the pro-integrations, and the muggleborns.

Alex was not expecting Draco to be a 'good' kid all of a sudden. He was just hoping that the boy to set a new trend in the school. Unknown to Draco, Alex was also 'encouraging' some other students to do the same. Perhaps, he could make a mess of the student culture in Hogwarts so that the truly talented could rise.

Ch.60 - The Mark of the Beginning

As the days went by, there was still some persistent criticisms about Dumbledore. They were still saying that Albus Dumbledore was simply too busy to manage the school while maintaining his position as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederacy of Wizards.

In a moved that his critics did not expect, Dumbledore had willingly resigned his post in the Wizengamot and the I.C.W. citing the statements of his critics for his reasons. Only then that people remembered that the Hogwarts Headmaster had only accepted those positions after it was practically forced on him when the country was recovering from the Wizarding War.

Britain was under a lot of scrutiny from the I.C.W. during those days. They were saying that the British Ministry was too lax to allow the 'Muggle Raids' committed by Death Eaters. Their neglect was said to have led to a breach in the Statute of Secrecy. Only when they assigned Dumbledore, an international war hero, as their new representative in the I.C.W. did they finally averted their investigation.

So in the end, Dumbledore's years in service were celebrated by the people. While his critics in the Hogwarts School Board was instead investigated for corruption. Some of them were found to be guilty of stealing some money from the Hogwarts funds. Incidentally, these cases of theft were the very thing that Lucius was holding over their heads.

×××

The students in the Duelling Club created a different type of culture amongst them. There were some new groups of students with members from the different Houses. These students found it more beneficial to hang around other students who were in the same level as they were in duelling. They would often spar with one another and make progress like that.

Among the second years, there are a number of students who were promoted to the Intermediate Rank. They were Susan Bones, Ernie Macmillan, Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Anthony Goldstein, Blaise Zabini, Hermione Granger, and Dean Thomas.

Blood status was not the ultimate decider of magical strength as they had come to learn. Each of them were equals when facing each other. And, the only way for them to advance in their ranks is to study and practice.

There were some new rivalries in the club, but, they never became serious. One week, a student may be facing another student because they were in the same rank. They next week, the matches would be reassigned, so, the students never got used to fighting just one opponent.

The concept of losing in a duel was no longer humiliating. Instead, it became a learning experience for all of them. Everyone lost once in a while and there was always someone better, as their Prof. Grey always said. They were instead congratulated for their effort and cleverness.

By the end of the school term, the Duelling Club had become one of the most important club in the school. It was always one of the topics in the Great Hall. Even those who were not interested in duelling were curious about which students were moving up in the ranks.

On other school matters, the Hufflepuff Team had won the Quidditch Cup once again. The Gryffindor team was really a challenge to them. Next year, they would have the best team in the school.

During the Farewell Feast, the Headmaster had announced that the Ravenclaws was the new winner of the House Cup. They had managed to snatch the Cup with a small lead over the Hufflepuffs. Prof. Flitwick was ecstatic because his House hadn't won the Cup in so many years.

When the end of term finally arrived, Harry told Alex that he wanted to go home to Sirius Black's house for the summer.

"I'm happy for you, Harry," said Alex. "But, you didn't have to ask my permission."

"You've helped me a lot, Professor. I don't want you to think that I'm not grateful."

"Of course, I understand. You can still visit the house, you know? Just write a letter to Mr Baxter and you can even bring Mr Black and Mr Lupin over."

"Yes! I'll do that. I'll see you this summer, Professor!"

×××

Within a week after the end of the school term, Alex's new position in the Ministry was announced. It seemed that the Minister couldn't wait to take advantage of the inherent publicity that came with this hiring. He had to come to London so that the paper could take a picture of him with the Minister.

Alex was the new Head of Department of Magical Games and Sports. Some might comment that he was still too young to lead a department in the Ministry. But, no one would say that he was unqualified. Alexander Grey was a Warlock who was awarded with a First Class recognition from the Order of Merlin. He was also a champion of the Quidditch World Cup and the International Duelling Tournament. He had also achieved his Mastery in Charms at an early age.

The office of the DMGS (not Damages) was located in the seventh level of the MoM HQ in London. Hamish MacFarlan, the retiring Head of the department, was there to receive him. Just next to their office was the official headquarters of the British and Irish Quidditch League and the Official Gobstones Club.

The formation of the DMGS was rooted in the need to regulate quidditch matches. Naturally, the sport was the most important business of the department. Most department heads were former quidditch players and the same was the case with MacFarlan.

The department could certainly use a lot of work. The only other employees there were Nugent Potts, an old bumbling wizard, and Bertha Jorkins, a witch known for her clumsiness and forgetfulness. Now that he was the department head, he would use this opportunity to slip some more Order members in his department.

They would be helping him in managing the affairs of the DMGS. There were two big projects that their department was working on at the moment. One of them was the Quidditch World Cup that will be hosted in their country next year. That would naturally involve the DIMC (Department of International Magical Cooperation) and the DMLE. So, he would need a lot of people to properly coordinate between the departments.

Despite the enormity of the task ahead of them, they had just about enough time to prepare. Alex was finally free to move around again. Even though he liked teaching in Hogwarts, it was really time-consuming. Not to mention how inconvenient it was for him to stay in Hogwarts all the time. After all, he had other things to attend to.

×××

On the night of the 1st of July, Alex met with Mr Grant and eight more operatives of the Order. Everything was set up already. These were the Hit-Squad of the Order. All of them were trained by Alex at some point.

They had waited for this moment for so long. And, they had played along patiently. But, it was finally the time to execute their most important mission to date, the assassination of Lucius Malfoy.

They had been watching the Malfoy residence for more than a year. So, they already knew the defences around the Malfoy Manor very well. All the ward stones were properly mapped out. The Malfoys may have an impressive set of protective wards, but, the Order had time to prepare for this attack.

"Go to your assigned locations and start the 'Ward Drainers'," said Alex.

His people moved very efficiently. They had practised Breaching protective wards in multiple training scenarios.

The 'Ward Drainers' were tools that Alex had devised to 'drain' some of the magic in the wards and copy their signature so that they could breach the perimeter without alerting the wards. When they were keyed in the protective wards, they all entered the property at the same time. They met in front of the main entrance of the manor

The first thing they did was to surround the building with Anti-Apparition and Anti-Portkey Jinxes. Four operatives would stay outside to make sure no one could escape the house.

After their preparations were completed, there was no longer any need to be subtle.

Alex pointed his wand at the door and shouted, "Bombarda!"

The door exploded into splinters.

When they entered the house, they were detected by the secondary defences of the manor. The furniture in the foyer of the house transfigured themselves into different beasts and attacked them all at once.

A transfigured leopard tried to kill Alex.

Alex quickly created a shield do protect himself and the others with him. Then, the people with him bombarded the transfigured animals with 'Reductor Curses'.

Everything was wasted as all the animals were reduced to black ash. Even the house itself was damaged beyond recognition.

A couple of House-Elves came over to protect their master's home. They were stunned just as quickly as they arrived. Alex and the others had left the elves on the side.

Lucius Malfoy came down the stairs to confront the intruders while wearing his silken robes and only carrying a wand with him with all the bravery he could muster. However, he was shocked to find that the intruders of his house were all wearing Death Eaters attires, complete with the robes and the masks.

"Foolish. You just saved us the time to look for you," said the masked Alex. His voice was also unrecognisable.

"Who are you!?" demanded Malfoy. "Answer me!"

Alex and the people with him only responded with a Stupefying Charm.

Malfoy was knocked back unconscious, then, he rolled downstairs ungracefully.

"Find everyone else and bring them here," Alex ordered.

He only had to wait a moment. His operatives returned with the stunned Draco and Narcissa Malfoy.

"Wake them up," he ordered.

Draco and his mother were woken up suddenly. They needed a moment to remember their situation.

Narcissa was stunned at the sight of their attacker.

"You'll pay for this whoever you are!" said Draco defiantly.

But, his mother had a different attitude.

"W-what do you want!?" asked Narcissa fearfully.

"Your husband has betrayed us, 'Cissy'," said Alex calling the woman by her nickname.

Using her nickname should be enough of a hint for the woman to think that the man in front of her was someone who knew her very well. After all, nicknames were not casually shared amongst purebloods. Alex was indeed very familiar with the woman through Pettigrew's and Yaxley's memories.

"Who are you?" asked Narcissa. "I beg you! My husband doesn't mean what he says to the public! It was just a ruse for his business! To fool the stupid mudbloods! We are loyal to the cause. My family only serves the Dark Lord! My husband is no different."

Draco was astonished to hear her mother's words. It finally occurred to him that the people in front of him were Death Eaters.

"That only makes him a bigger traitor," said Alex. "He benefits while he helps the mudbloods, making our status weaker. He forgets his place as the Dark Lord's servant."

"Everything is for the Dark Lord! Our resources are for Him to use. Please be merciful..."

"Enough! Remember how proud your husband was when he became one of us! Now, he crawls on the ground with mudbloods just to earn some more gold. We have already decided what to do with him. You will stay next door while we punish your husband. Petrificus Totalus!"

Narcissa and her son were petrified as they were dragged to the adjacent room, but, they were still conscious. They should be able to hear what would happen next. Alex wanted the mother and son to serve as witnesses for the Aurors.

He felt terrible regarding Draco. He knew that the boy still looked up to his father despite everything. Regardless, this moment had been planned since Malfoy started asking for the endorsement of the Association for his businesses. He couldn't be deterred by personal attachments.

He faced the Malfoy patriarch lying on the floor. Without saying anything, his followers had restrained Malfoy with a Binding Spell and Revived the man to wake him up.

"What is going on?" Malfoy asked after regaining his senses. "Who are you?"

"You are a traitor and you will learn what happens to anyone who betrays the Dark Lord!" shouted Alex making sure that the people next door could hear him.

"No! I didn't betray him! I served faithfully!"

"Shut up! You filthy muggle-lover! Do it!"

"Crucio!" said another masked man beside Alex who was actually Mr Grant.

Malfoy screamed in pain where he lied convulsing on the floor.

Alex signal one of his operator who, then, cast a Muffliato Charm to keep the following conversation private. Narcissa and Draco would still hear the noises, but, they would not understand what was being said.

"Now, the show is over," said Alex. "I'm sorry I have to be so rough with you, Malfoy. But, I have to make it convincing."

"What do you want? " asked Malfoy still confused about the situation. "Please, I'll give you whatever you want."

Alex looked disdainfully at the man who was one of the proudest men in Wizarding Britain.

"This is your interrogation. Answer honestly and you won't get hurt."

Alex would still have all he needed to know at the end, but, they still need to 'soften' Malfoy quite a bit.

"The diary of Tom Riddle, how did you smuggle it to Hogwarts? Who asked you to open the Chamber of Secrets?"

"I don't know what you are talk—" answered Malfoy, but, he wasn't able to finish his sentence.

Mr Grant had hit Malfoy with another 'Cruciatus Curse'.

"I don't want to hurt you, Malfoy," said Alex. "Speak honestly because my friend here has no patience for liars. Now, answer my question."

"I-I didn't know it would open the Chamber of Secrets!" pleaded Malfoy. "I was just trying to get rid of the book before the Ministry could raid my home. I was thinking of leaving it in Flourish and Blotts. But, when I saw the Weasleys there, I decided to slip it in their shopping basket instead. I didn't think that they would bring it in Hogwarts. Please! I'm telling the truth!"

"I believe you, Death Eater," said Alex. "People like you always break easily. Now, you are going to tell me everything else that you know. Legilimens!"

Alex used the Mind Reading Spell on Malfoy. There was too much to see. He was most curious about Malfoy's time as a Death Eater. He saw the multiple crimes that Malfoy had committed to earn his mark. Most importantly, he learned about the protocols of Death Eaters in their raids.

It was disgusting to see how Tom Riddle gathered his follower especially those who were still students in Hogwarts. It was very systematic and very effective!

Malfoy was a very eager Death Eater. He eventually was promoted as one of the trusted follower of the Dark Lord. But, Alex could see that Riddle chose his followers for more practical reasons. Malfoy was the heir of a wealthy family. If he wasn't, he would be picking up dregs like Travers and Pettigrew.

Then there was the time after the Dark Lord disappeared after he attacked the Potters. Malfoy used almost half of his family fortune just to stay out of Azkaban. He also needed to secure the freedom of his other compatriots. Otherwise, they would talk about him in their trials.

Alex learned the identity of all the Wizengamot members and Ministry officials that accepted Malfoy's bribes.

"That is enough," said Alex. "We have what we need."

Malfoy sighed in relief as he thought that his sufferings were over. He wasn't thinking very well. Alex had not been gentle in his Legilimency probe.

But then, the other masked men in front of him had stepped forward. The last thing he saw was a familiar flash of green. Lucius Malfoy died without understanding the reasons behind his death. He didn't even know the identity of his killers.

Mr Grant had performed the 'Killing Curse' on Malfoy, so, they could keep the scene consistent with a Death Eater raid. The Aurors should be able to detect traces of the Cruciatus and the Killing Curse on Malfoy.

Alex was certainly not going to explain his reasonings to a dying man. He wasn't some movie villain. People die every day without knowing why. And he didn't owe Malfoy an explanation.

The masked men left after that without cleaning up the scene. The Aurors would find Narcissa and Draco petrified in the other room. Some of them were working for Mrs Pearce. They would guide the investigation so that everyone in DMLE would assume that the murder was committed by Death Eaters who managed to avoid Azkaban.

When Alex had stepped out of the manor, he cast a 'Morsmordre' above the Malfoy manor which he just learned about from Malfoy's memories. It was an unexpectedly simple spell.

A green glowing figure of a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth was created above the Malfoy property. It was the signature of the Death Eaters when they wanted to warn everyone else about their ruthlessness.

With the wards not stopping them, Alex and his followers simply Dis-Apparated to leave the place. What they left behind would remind anyone of the attacks during the Wizarding War.

END OF CHAPTER