76-80

Ch.76 - Cooperations

The first thing he did on the next day was to inform Dumbledore that he should invite Harry into his office after classes. Alex appreciated the usefulness of the headmaster, especially in matters regarding the protection of Harry. However, that was the extent of their cooperation at the moment.

Dumbledore and Alex would never agree with their methods. So, they develop a certain working relationship of helping one another without being aware of each other's agenda. The headmaster knew when not to ask questions at this point. Despite that, Alex would never assume that the old man was completely ignorant of his actions.

Alex had also written a letter to Ragnuk, the leader of Gringotts. Using his authority as the Interim Minister, he informed Ragnuk that they would be visiting Gringotts to examine the Lestrange vault. He also informed Ragnuk to keep everything secret with some promises of benefits to the goblins of Gringotts. Ragnuk would know that it was in his interest to cooperate with Alex and his people.

Then, for the very first time, Alex had walked into his new office as the Interim Minister. This was the centre of political power in the British Wizarding World.

He looked around the office and sighed in disappointment. Crouch was a very formal man, and Fudge had a very indulgent taste. So, the office of the Minister was something on an unorganized combination of the two.

And so, for his very important first action as the head of the government, he decided to redecorate his new office.

He wanted to make the room look current and well-coordinated. So, he hired a decorator to buy some new furniture for his new office. He would need to start receiving guests soon, and he wanted to make them see a different kind of Minister.

So, he went back to using his former office that was reserved for the Undersecretary in the meantime.

His first official order of business was to assign a new Head of the DMGS. So, he picked someone who was actually a member of his Order to take over the position. With the Tri-Wizard Tournament still going on, he couldn't entrust that department to just anyone.

He thought about pulling Percy from the DMGS into his Office as an aide of the Minister. Percy was a dedicated employee, someone who would thrive in a bureaucratic environment. But with the threat of the Death Eaters and Voldemort on the horizon, he decided against it. As terrible as it seemed, he needed people who could be flexible when it concerned the law. Percy's talents would be more useful on the logistical tasks of delivering a successful Tri-Wizard Tournament at the moment.

As for the position of the Undersecretary, he gave it to Edward Tonks. Tonks was an experienced legislator and barrister. So, he knew very well about the intricacies of their laws. He would be able to work out the legal justifications and requirements should Alex wanted to propose something in the Wizengamot. After all, the role of the Undersecretary was to carry out the visions of the Minister.

As an Interim Minister, he didn't have the power to create major changes in the laws or the Ministry. His main responsibilities were to keep the Ministry functioning and to carry out any unfinished affairs of the Office of the Minister. One of those affairs being the reexaminations of the trials of the Death Eaters.

×××

Two days later, he summoned Auror Captain Bailey in his newly decorated office. There, he informed Bailey that they needed to visit Gringotts Bank, but they would have to keep it discreet.

They met again in front of Gringotts just before midnight. When they got there, they were greeted by a goblin who opened the door in for them. They were shown inside to meet with Ragnuk who was waiting for them at the lobby of the bank.

"It is nice to meet you after such a long time, Head Goblin Ragnuk," greeted Alex.

"It is nice to see you as well, but to me, it hasn't been that long yet, Minister Grey. Your fortunes have certainly changed for the better, in such a short time too."

"Indeed. Have you prepared what we discussed in our correspondence?"

"Yes," said Ragnuk. "Please follow me."

Alex and the people with him did as instructed. The Lestrange Vault was only accessible by getting on one of the carts. It was probably one of the deepest vaults in Gringotts because they needed to get past a guardian dragon to access it.

"Here is it, Vault 808," said Ragnuk. "Be very careful, some of these objects in here may be cursed."

Ragnuk touched his finger on the metal door of the vault. They heard the sound of some mechanism moving from within. Then, the door opened by itself.

Inside, it was filled with Golden Galleons and other ornaments made out of precious metals. Bailey and another Auror entered the vault while using their wands to scan the area for any threats.

"Everything is cursed, Mr Grey," said Bailey. "I think everything here is booby-trapped with Geminio Charm and Flagrante Curse. Everyone should be careful not to touch anything."

The Geminio Charm would cause the object to multiply when disturbed, and the Flagrante Curse would make them hot to the touch.

"Ah. How creatively wicked," said Alex. "If we spring the trap, we'll be buried in hot useless gold until we're thoroughly cooked. But, there should be something in here that is not cursed like the others. It should look like a golden cup. Look for it."

Hufflepuff's Cup shouldn't be cursed like the other objects in the room. Aside from its original enchantment and the ones that Tom Riddle might have added to it, there shouldn't be any more enchantment that it could take. The Horcrux would protect itself from being altered.

"There it is, up there on the corner shelf," said Bailey after spotting the golden cup.

"Well done. You can walk out now," said Alex.

After Bailey and the other Auror had safely walked out of the vault, Alex had wandlessly levitated the cup and made it float towards them. He had prepared a piece of cloth to receive the cup, so he wouldn't have to touch it.

"There it is. I present to you, the legendary cup of Helga Hufflepuff," said Alex after the cup is secured in his grasp.

"That is Hufflepuff's Cup?" asked Ragnuk. "It's price must be immense! Why does the Lestranges have it in their vault?"

"It's worthless at its current state. It has been tainted by something very dark, like the sceptre in Egypt."

"You mean? — Whose is it?"

"The Dark Lord. Now, you understand why this matter must be kept a secret."

"Then, we must destroy it!" said Ragnuk not caring about the historical value of the cup at all.

"Not quite yet. I have information that the Dark Lord has made several others. I'm thinking that we can use this one to track them."

Alex was counting on an alchemical law that stated: pieces of the same whole are similar and the same. This was the theory behind why, sometimes, the leaves of a plant can be substituted in potion brewing when its petals were required. It was also the thought behind why wands which were made of woods that were cut from the same branch or cores that came from the same creature could be 'brothers'. So, the Horcruxes should be linked with one another. However, he wasn't sure how true it could be when talking about a person's soul.

"Multiple objects. That shouldn't have been possible," said Ragnuk.

"I'm afraid that it is. I might need the goblin's help in this. Are you willing to help? It is for the benefit of both our peoples."

"As long as it won't implicate Gringotts any further, I will give whatever aid that we can."

"Of course, Ragnuk," said Alex. "I will tell you what I need in the near future."

Then, he turned to talk to the Aurors and said, "All the contents of this vault are to be confiscated by the Ministry. Work with the Curse-breakers of Gringotts to remove the curse on everything. Make sure everything is catalogued properly, but keep everything discreet."

"Yes, Minister," said Bailey and the other Aurors.

Ragnuk just shook his head chuckling when he heard that the Ministry was going to confiscate everything in the vault. It was a little unprecedented, but he understood the underlying message in Alex's command. The Lestrange family would be extinct soon enough.

×××

A week later, Alex went to Hogwarts to attend the weighing of the wands. As regulation and an opportunity to promote the Tri-Wizard Tournament, the wands of the champions had to be examined.

Because Alex was no longer the Head of the DMGS, he didn't have to be there. But, he just made an excuse saying that he wanted to see the progress of the tournament for himself.

The three champions were there, of course. Cedric had greeted him excitedly and congratulated him for being selected as the Interim Minister.

Fleur and Krum also acknowledged his presence by giving him a respectful nod.

Then there were the five judges of the tournament consisting of the three headmasters and the two department heads from the DIMC and the DMGS. One additional person part of the wand weighing ceremony was Mr Ollivander, the wandmaker.

There was nothing much to say about the ceremony. Ollivander examined each of the champions' wands, demonstrating his own expertise in wand crafting. Of course, the champions' wands were all in good condition.

One thing of interest was Fleur Delacour's wand which, as it turned out, had a core of a veela's hair. Fleur didn't mind admitting that it came from her own grandmother. Meaning, she was actually a quarter-veela.

But after that, everything was just as expected. Everyone posed for some pictures and each champion had given a short interview so that the papers could have some sort of an idea about their personalities.

After the ceremony, Dumbledore invited Alex to his office for some tea. Alex accepted the invitation. He needed to talk to Dumbledore, and he wanted to wait in Hogwarts until classes were over.

"I wanted to congratulate you personally for becoming the Interim Minister," said Dumbledore gladly as he added more sugar cubes into his cup. "Everything was just happening too fast lately. I feel like I can barely keep up... I hope the work in the Ministry is not keeping you too busy to take a breather once in a while."

"It is indeed very busy, but I have a dependable staff to help me out," said Alex. "How is it in Hogwarts after the incident?"

"I'm sure you already know, Alexander," said Dumbledore amusingly. "His return is earlier than I expected. Does the Ministry know what it is he is trying to do at the moment?"

"The Ministry doesn't know in general. But, he is trying to call his supporters to him. I feel like it isn't the time yet to reveal his return to the public. I don't want to let 'him' know that we have somehow learned about his resurrection... Did Severus say anything?"

"He had received the call just like everyone else who got the mark, I believe. But, I convinced him that he doesn't have to respond. I thought initially that Severus can act as a spy for our side, but, the way things are going, I suspect that he will be putting himself in danger needlessly. Then, of course, there is another one that I am worried about."

"I have people watching Karkakoff at all times. The moment he makes a move to join him or to approach Harry, he will be arrested by the Aurors."

"That is reassuring. I've forgotten what it was like to have a dependable leader in the Ministry. Nicolas was right in choosing you."

Then, Alex and Dumbledore talked about other less important things. Alex was glad to have Dumbledore in Hogwarts. While Alex was taking care of the problems outside the school, he was assured that the headmaster could protect the school adequately from Voldemort unless the Dark Wizard decided to attack the school with all his forces.

×××

After his tea with the headmaster, Alex was able to meet with Harry and his friends in a room along the Charms Corridor.

Alex decided not to waste any time and paired them up for a duelling spar. Harry was against Hermione, Ron against Neville, Ginny against Luna, and the twins against each other.

Harry's match with Hermione was interesting given that they were among the few students in their year to achieve Advanced Rank in the Duelling Club. Hermione's spell arsenal was impressive for someone her age. It was obvious that she was studying ahead. However, Harry was quicker and more decisive in his attacks. He got Hermione with a very well executed combination ending with a 'Disarming Charm', just like what Alex had taught him before.

Ron and Neville were about the same level. Their choice of spells was still very limited. But, they were already moving as experienced duellists.

Ginny and Luna were very different sort of fighters. While Ginny preferred a more straightforward approach, Luna Lovegood, the third-year girl from Ravenclaw House, was very unconventional.

The twins' match was the longest of all. It was like they could predict the movements of one another. Alex had to put an end to their match, otherwise, they would be there for quite some time.

Alex was happy in their progress. It was just about the best that he could have expected from them. After all, they still had their own classes to worry about. It wasn't really crucial how good they could become in duelling. Alex just wanted to make sure that they would have the presence of mind to take action should they find themselves in a dangerous situation.

After that, Alex sparred with everyone one at a time while giving some instructions. His most unique spar was with Luna. She was able to maintain multiple transfigured creatures at one time, some of which Alex couldn't identify.

Her methods reminded him of how Nicolas Flamel duelled, but she was lacking the decisiveness and the necessary cruelty. Alex matched her transfigurations with his own and showed her how they could be used to take down an enemy more efficiently.

After that, Alex talked with them about what they had been up to in school.

Interestingly, Dora Tonks replaced Alastor Moody as the professor of DADA. Of course, Alex had already heard the news. Dora was finally back in the country along with Clay. Her experience working in the 'Arms' had certainly made her more than qualified to teach the subject of DADA.

"Harry has a crush on a girl!" blurted out Ron.

He must have been waiting for the chance to tell on Harry. With how the twins were acting, teasing Harry about his crush was probably a common occurrence.

"Her name is Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker. She's very pretty," said Hermione always happy to fill in the details.

"You don't have to explain it, Hermione!" complained Harry.

"Harriekins is fraternising with the enemy," said Fred.

"You mean, he wants to. He's hardly talked to her," said George.

"Too right you are, brother of mine."

The others laughed at Harry, except for Ginny and Luna, although their reasons for not laughing were different.

"Don't mind them, Harry," said Alex. "The twins do not understand human emotions. So, they like to make fun of us red-blooded men."

"They are Replicants, but they ran out of faces to use," joked Hermione.

"That is a pretty old reference, Hermione," commented Alex.

"My dad likes sci-fi movies," she explained.

"What are Replicants?" asked Luna.

"They are bioengineered machines that look like humans," Hermione answered.

"Oh, that explains a lot," said Luna.

"Luna, I'm just joking, you know?"

"Of course, it is just a joke," said Luna as she winked at Hermione.

In the future, someone in Hogwarts would find twelve compiled books filled with observation logs about some twin students, their habits, and their methods of 'blending in' with the humans.

Ch.77 - Continuing Trials

After he was able to check in with Harry Potter and his friends and after he had personally inspected the security in Hogwarts, Alex thought that it was the time to continue the trials of the Death Eaters. As the Interim Minister, it was his duty to continue any ongoing projects that the former Minister had started. One of those was the promised re-examinations of the trials of the Death Eaters.

This was something Alex had painstakingly arranged. He would carry it out even though no one was pressuring him to pick it up.

The next names on the agenda were Rodolphus and the Rabastan Lestrange. Everyone knew that the trial was merely a formality. They already had Bellatrix's testimony against them.

Just like in Bellatrix's trial, the two wizards had already been interrogated by Auror Captain Bailey's team. And, the Lestrange brothers were also under a strong compulsion so they would tell the truth during the trial.

Their story was also revealed in the court. They were two wizards from a wealthy family who grew up believing that they were among the chosen few. That was how they were taught and that was how their father and grandfather was taught. They never questioned it before. Then, they became mere servants of Lord Voldemort. The Dark Lord had promised to bring the purebloods to their rightful place on top. And, the Lestrange brothers followed him willingly just as their father did.

Everything went according to plan and Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange were given the Dementor's Kiss at the end of the trial.

The Ancient and Noble House of Lestrange has ended.

Some muggleborn wizard and witches had actually spoken against the trial in that day's issue of the Observer. They said that the executions were archaic and primitive, not appropriate in a civilized society.

Alex was actually glad about that statement, so he allowed it to be printed in the Observer when Mr Dewey had brought it up to his attention. He didn't want to create a government that could not be criticized by its people. Regardless, he had no intention of stopping the trials.

To Alex, he was just doing something that should have been done some ten years ago. He didn't mind being called an instigator of a witch hunt.

Personally, he could not see the death penalty being removed from the justice system of any magical society. They may decide to stop using Dementors, but it would still be there.

When the court had been dismissed, there was some disturbance outside the courtroom. Apparently, some people decided to attack anyone coming from the trial. Fortunately, the attackers had been taken down by the security forces before anyone could be hurt.

It was discovered later that the attackers were under the influence of the Imperius Curse. When they were questioned by the Aurors, they said that they were stopped by a man matching the description of Barty Crouch Jr.

The incident had made the news as soon as possible. Once again, another incident had taken place due to the works of the Death Eaters. It would be another crime under the name of Crouch Jr.

The Observer had also released a very heartfelt article written by Rita Skeeter about the sad reality of prejudice in their society. It described how hate and bigotry were passed down from generations after generations. Rodolphus, Rabastan, and Bellatrix were the central example in her arguments. She described them as talented wizards and witches from pureblood families who were taught about the wrong things growing up.

Alex might have some reservations about Skeeter's article being too sentimental, but she made some good points that were worth considering. The Lestranges were products of their environment. The wizarding society had no one to blame except for itself.

×××

Two days after the trial of the Lestrange brothers, Alex gave another live interview through the WWN. In it, he spoke about his determination to continue on with the trials regardless of his more recent critics.

It was Mr Dewey who was interviewing him once again. He had his own regular program in the WWN where he would interview the most interesting people in the wizarding world. Some of them were from the government. He had garnered quite a respectable reputation as a journalist who always asked the hard-hitting questions.

"And how would you respond to the allegations that you using these trials to gain popularity before the next election for the Minister position?" asked Mr Dewey.

"The importance of these trials cannot be understated. There are people who would say that: they are already in Azkaban, why should we bother with them?... And to that, I'll say that, for once, the Ministry is more concerned about doing the right job rather than choosing the easy way. We already learned about Sirius Black being sent to Azkaban for crimes that he did not commit. Who can say that his case was truly unique? That is why we want to go over the cases one more time. Even though, It could actually be worst for the accused, like what happened to the Lestranges. They were sent to Azkaban for the rest of their lives, while in actuality, they should have been given the death penalty for their horrendous crimes in the first place."

"Are you not worried that these re-examinations of their cases would result in more executions?"

"I'm aware of the possibility. However, if that is the natural conclusion of these trials, then so be it. As long as we can be confident that they are being sentenced according to the truth about their crimes, we can say that they are merely delayed sentencing."

"But isn't this, in principle, putting them in a trial for the same crime twice? In the muggle justice system, they would call this double jeopardy."

"Yes. However, if we do not know how much we could depend on the previous trials or if their records are sketchy at best, I will say that a re-trial is required. We must make sure that these cases are handled thoroughly in the Wizengamot."

"Is there something that you would like to say about the incident after the trial of the Lestrange brothers?"

"Yes. As you may know, there are some Death Eaters out there who are moving in the shadows. Barty Crouch Jr. and his allies are terrorists. They want us to intimidate us to prevent us from doing what is right. All I can say to them and the people who are listening is this: The Ministry and I, in particular, will never give in to their cowardly tactics. These people that call themselves 'Death Eaters' are nothing but a bunch of insane people who are desperately holding on in their hateful ideas."

×××

Later that night, Alex visited the Tower of Azkaban once again. His official reason for being there was to see the other Death Eaters that would be tried next in the Wizengamot.

When he got there, he commented about the lacking security around the prison and the poor discipline of its wardens. So, he used his authority to replace all the wardens in Azkaban.

No one even complained. The old wardens were happy to leave that dreadful place as long as they could have another job waiting for them.

And with that, the wizarding prison was taken over by people who were working for the Order.

Alex also met with the Dementors of Azkaban. As a high ranking member of the Ministry, he knew how to give them orders. Dementors are classified as 'Beast' by the Ministry, but they had some level of intelligence as well. Although they could be controlled by the Ministry, no one could stop them from being what they were.

Feasting on human souls was part of their nature. Voldemort had probably lured the Dementors in his side by making promises to them that they could feed on more human souls. Alex was hoping that he could keep them in-line by appealing to their more basic instinct.

Alex felt the coldness creep into his very soul as the Dementors assembled. He held his left hand in front of him as he summoned his Hellfire Protector. A red ball of fire was conjured on his hand and he threw it at one of the Dementors.

The beasts just stared at the flame, curious to what it could be. Before they could make sense of anything, one of the Dementors was burning with an intense red fire.

They shrieked as they watched the flame consumed their fellow beast. It didn't take very long until only ashes were left behind. Then, the red flame turned into the shape of a large wolf.

It growled at them menacingly. Some of the Dementors tried to escape, but the red wolf was faster in cutting them off. The Dementors turned to Alex when they realized that they could not escape.

Alex didn't falter at their gaze. He said to them, "I don't know if you can understand me, but I'll say it anyway. If any of you escape from Azkaban, you will burn. If anyone of you attacks anyone without the express order of the Ministry, you will burn. If any of you answer the call of Voldemort, you will burn. This is your only warning."

As he walked out, the red wolf followed behind him. Even if the Dementors couldn't understand human words, they should understand now that the thing that could kill them was working for Alex.

×××

When Alex was not busy with Ministry work, he was alone in a secured room in the basement of his house. Hufflepuff's Cup was being kept there.

Alex was keeping it secured for his study. For about a week after acquiring the Horcrux, Alex spent his time checking some old tomes in the Department of Mysteries and some of Flamel's notes regarding the alchemy involving the soul.

After he finished reviewing all the material that he could, he finally formed an idea on how to use Hufflepuff's Cup to locate the other Horcruxes of Tom Riddle.

Pieces that used to be part of the same whole would always be connected with one another. The Horcrux, having a piece of Tom Riddle's soul within it, would be connected still with the other pieces of his soul — in the Horcruxes and in Voldemort himself.

However, what made the particular case complicated was the nature of how Horcruxes were made. The ritual of the Horcrux creation, as Alex understood it, would bind a piece of a wizard's soul in an object permanently. As long as the object existed, that severed fragment could not move on to the afterlife, thereby allowing the wizard to remain in this plane of existence using the separated fragment of his soul as an anchor.

The main challenge for Alex was how he could link the soul fragment to the others while it is bound completely within the artefact. One could say that the artefact and the soul fragment are one and the same because they already share their existence.

His particular method would require bringing the fragment of Voldemort's soul within the Horcrux closer to life. At its current condition, it was in already in a state of partial death, such was the result when a piece of a soul was separated from the rest. Giving the soul fragment some life energy could let it overcome its binding with the artefact just enough to be able to make that connection to the other pieces of the same soul that Alex needed.

Alex knew of only one thing that could give the Horcrux that kind of energy — the Elixir of Life. Thankfully, he still had Perenelle Flamel's Philosophers Stone.

So, Alex wasted no time and started the process of creating his first-ever batch of the Elixir of Life. It would be the first time ever that he was using the artefact that was left in his care. Alex had been treating the stone as a memento of his time with the Flamels, so he avoided using it.

There was a part of him that was saying that he was being too reckless in what he was doing. What if he couldn't control the Horcrux? What if it became more powerful than he anticipated?

If that should happen, he was willing to destroy the Horcrux immediately. Even though, it would push him back in finding the other Horcruxes with nothing to go by.

END OF CHAPTER

Side Story:

When Ludo Bagman woke up, he was staring at an unfamiliar ceiling in an unfamiliar room.

Where was he, he asked himself.

He looked around and saw some objects that he had never seen before. He was amazed by everything he was looking at.

His bed was made out of metal. There was a device in the ceiling that gave off a soft bright light. And, he felt very comfortable, neither warm or cold.

Did he die and transmigrated to a different world, he asked himself again.

He didn't. Ludo Bagman was in a hospital in London where he was taken after getting hit by a car. There, the doctors and nurses were able to heal most of his injuries.

He had a pretty robust constitution for someone his age, so his injuries had healed with no complications. But, he stayed in a coma for more than two weeks.

The doctors believed that it was caused by his consumption of too much alcohol combined with multiple trauma to the head when he rolled around on the road.

"I see you are back with us, Mr Unknown," said a sweet voice.

Bagman moved around like a worm on his bed to see who was speaking. His arms and legs were still encased in casts. There, he saw a beautiful woman wearing some kind of floral pattern shirt and trouser.

Was she an angel, he asked himself. She was very different from his expectations, but she was definitely an angel, he decided.

"Where am I?" he asked surprised at the hoarseness and deepness of his voice.

He had sustained an injury in his throat as well. The doctors couldn't explain it, but the change in his voice would likely be permanent.

"I'll fetch the doctors," she said. "Just stay put, okay?" she said knowing that the man couldn't move around.

When the doctor came, Ludo was examined thoroughly using instruments that he had never seen before. He realized, then, that he was in a muggle hospital.

The people in that hospital took care of him until he was ready to be released. A week later, he was officially healthy once again.

Bagman was touched. He had never experienced such kindness before. Those muggles had treated him even when he said that he couldn't afford to pay them. And, they didn't even know his name.

"Thank you for everything," he said as he was leaving the hospital.

"We're only doing our job, mister — I just realized, we never got your name." said the nurse.

"I'm Bagman... Ludovic Bagman."

Then, he had an epiphany — a person didn't need to have money and fame to live a decent life. He had been spoilt by fame, and he was always looking for quick ways to make money.

When he returned to the wizarding world, he was a changed man. He worked out a deal with Tom from the Leaky Cauldron on how he could pay him back. He had the same deal with the goblins from Gringotts.

That was the beginning of his second life as, Ludo Bagman, the legendary part-timer of Diagon Alley. Sometimes, he worked in the Leaky Cauldron, sometimes, in Flourish and Blotts. He was willing to work for any shop in the alley that needed him the most.

He was always there to do all the menial tasks. If they needed him at the bookstore, he would be there immediately. He would even carry the shopping bags of the older people in the alley.

People knew how to summon the Bagman in times of need. Years later, he had become the symbol that Diagon Alley needed. He's Bagman.

[AN: Lol. Don't kill me! — This is the third and last part of the Bagman stories.]

Ch.78 - The Return of the Dark Lord

Several days after Alex's last interview in the WWN, people were still talking about what he said. One topic, in particular, was his words against the Death Eaters. Now that they were active again, people were concerned whether or not the same situation that happened more than ten years ago would happen once again when the Ministry was trying to hide the worst things that were happening from the public.

There were still a lot of muggleborn wizards and witches who had suddenly lost contact with one of their friends one day. To make matters worst, the Ministry had never acknowledged these disappearances.

Therefore, Alex's words really resonated with the public. On one part, they were glad to have an Interim Minister that would fight for them. On the other hand, some were worried that his words would incite violence. The fact that Alex was a duelling champion added more credibility to his words.

On the night of the 20th of November, his guards had detected some movements around his residence in Hogsmeade. This was still his home that the public knew of.

Alex had received the call directly from Mr Grant.

"How many are there?" asked Alex.

"Ten. All are wearing their masks and robes," answered Mr Grant.

"How many people do you have?"

"Only six, including me, but I'm confident we can handle them," said Mr Grant. "We await your instructions."

"Surround them from afar. They would try to force me to get out of the house. Wait until their committed. Then announce your self as the Aurors, before engaging. We will straighten out the story with Bailey later."

"Should we kill them?"

"Hurt them as much as you want, but I would like to have some of them arrested. I want them able enough to make their testaments in the Wizengamot. The rest is up to you."

"Understood."

Unknown to Mr Grant, Alex had dispatched another group of 'Shadow Arms', to meet with him at a nearby location. He was making some plans in case Voldemort decided to make an appearance.

Outside Alex's Hogsmeade house, the Death Eaters started bombarding the house with Confringo Curses. The destruction of the building was inevitable regardless of the protections around it. The Salvio Hexia ward around the house could only take so much.

"Aurors!" announced someone from the shadow. "Put down your wands and surrender!"

"Bloody hell, they're quick!" said one of the masked assailant.

"They were waiting for us, you idiot!" said another. "I told you to check the surroundings!"

"I did check the place. They weren't there before!"

Then, the spells started coming. A couple of the Death Eaters were taken down in the first exchange. The rest were managing to put up a resistance.

The Death Eaters were entrenched in a defensive position by using the crumbling structure of the house. They were in a disadvantage, but there was no one attempting the escape yet.

A member of Mr Grant's group got hit with an Expulso Curse in the leg which severed the limb in a bloody mess.

A quick-thinking comrade had 'Portkeyed' out with the injured man. As per their field manual, any severely wounded fighter would be evacuated to an emergency location.

Just as they were about to overpower the Death Eaters, a swirl of black smoke landed on the centre of the scene.

It was the Dark Lord himself who decided to make an appearance. Pale, hairless, red eyes, with slits for a nose like a snake — Voldemort gave off a fearful visage.

He looked around the people in his surrounding with disdain. No doubt, he was disappointed with how his Death Eaters had performed.

Then, while everyone was still frozen with his sudden arrival, he unleashed an incredible spell that created a repulsive force in all direction. His followers didn't seem to be affected at all.

Mr Grant and his troop were thrown off their footing.

For a moment, there was an eerie silence in the field. All they could hear was the crackling of the burning structure.

"How easy you have faltered before me," said the Dark Lord as he looked down on the people he had knocked down. "Isn't it easier to stay at your proper stations? Mudbloods live to serve their betters. This is your only means to your salvation."

Mr Grant could only look at the powerful wizard in front of him. With a single use of magic, they were taken down that quickly. However, he wasn't deterred. He met the eyes of Voldemort in complete defiance without an ounce of fear.

"Ah. The fire in your eyes..." said Voldemort. "I remember that look. Pity... You've shown some ability for a mudblood — Avada Kedavra!"

Before the green curse could hit its target, however, a swirl of dust formed circular disk on its path. There was some explosive force upon the impact of the spell, but Mr Grant was fine.

"WHO DARES DEFY LORD VOLDEMORT! SHOW YOURSELF!"

They turned to the side where they heard some footsteps. A figure stepped out of the shadow — it was Alexander Grey.

Alex knew that he couldn't have an all-out battle with Voldemort at the moment, not when there were still Horcruxes out there. However, as the Interim Minister, he had to make an appearance to show everyone that he could stand up against Voldemort.

"Lord Voldemort," said Alex mockingly. "I wonder if you remember me."

"You... As I expected, you prefer to do the fighting by yourself," said Voldemort. "Impressive as always. Alexander Grey, quidditch champion, duelling champion. You captured Pettigrew and killed Greyback. Truly impressive ...and very predictable."

Voldemort was amused that Alex had chosen to confront him personally.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" said Alex smiling at Voldemort. "I also defeated you about two years ago. I remember you were possessing that pathetic Quirrell when I put you in your place."

"LIES! You were lucky that my strength hadn't been restored at the time. However, your luck has run out, it seems," said the Dark Lord with a horrendous smile.

Voldemort fired a silent spell which Alex had handily deflected. The spell was sent upwards where it wouldn't hurt anything.

However, the Dark Lord didn't give him the chance to launch an attack of his own. He followed his attack with a quick series of spells.

Alex defended himself with well-timed Protego Charms. On the third attack from the enemy, he managed to dodge by jumping to the side.

Not wasting the small window he created for himself, Alex fired a Bombarda Curse towards Voldemort.

Voldemort merely smiled at his opponent's valiant effort. He protected himself with a powerful Protego Charm while skillfully deflecting the curse towards Alex's direction.

Alex saw his own spell coming back to him. He deflected it towards the ground.

When the Bombarda spell impacted the ground, a cloud of smoke, sand, and dust exploded into the air.

The other people there didn't know what to think. It looked like Alex had succumbed to his own magic.

Then all of a sudden, a huge lion came out of the cloud of smoke, running towards Voldemort.

Its roar was deafening as it lunged at its target.

However, the Dark Lord just knocked it away like a simple annoyance. At this point, he hadn't even moved from where he was standing.

Voldemort laughed at how easily he was able to swat away the lion, the symbol of the House of Gryffindor.

"Is that it?" asked Voldemort. "What else can you do? Alexander Grey, your rise to prominence is truly an outstanding tale. A muggleborn in the seat of the centre of power in the Ministry, member of the Wizengamot, the most powerful man in the British Wizarding World. Even I can hardly believe it. Now, your fall by my hand will be just as legendary."

The dust and smoke cleared away. Alex was standing there calmly holding his wand. He looked at Voldemort without a trace of fear and it had shaken the Dark Lord a little.

"I'm what you failed to become, Voldemort... While you scheme in the shadows, making false promises to bigots and insane people, I created my own means to gain power. You, on the other hand, couldn't even stand on your own. You've done nothing great to the wizarding world, and the sad thing is you know it is true. When I'm through with you, I will make sure no one will remember the Dark Lord Voldemort."

Voldermort bares his teeth in anger and he said, "You will die here tonight, Alexander Grey! Avada—"

Before he could finish the curse, something bit him painfully on one of his legs. It was a badger which was gnawing at his foot.

The badger was also a transfigured animal from Alex. It hid in the shadows while the huge lion lunged at the Dark Lord. When it found its chance to attack, it used its sharp teeth and claws to cut the enemy's foot.

Voldemort tried to kick away the badger, but it was too quick for him. Then, his eyes widened as he realized that a massive spell was coming for him.

He ignored the animal by his feet as he hastily protected himself with a shield.

Alex fired massive Bombarda Curses one after another. He was going to pummel Voldemort to the ground if he could.

The Dark Lord was forced to step back finally. He was being pushed back by the great explosive force from Alex's attacks. He realized that Alex had been holding back on his power since the beginning. He had been played and was forced into a defensive position.

"CURSE YOU, ALEXANDER GREY! I WILL KILL YOU FOR THIS INSULT!"

Then, Voldemort tried to escape by Apparition, but he found out that there was an Anti-Apparition Jinx on the surrounding.

Unbeknownst to Alex, Voldemort had felt fear for the first time in a very long while. He was reminded of what he feared the most from facing Dumbledore. Although he was sure that he could overpower the old headmaster in raw magical strength, Dumbledore was masterful in his application of the Anti-Apparition Jinx which led to the capture of many of his followers in the last war.

He looked around towards his followers, angry and disdainful at their uselessness, angrier still that they were witnessing him being pushed back.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING NOTHING!? ATTACK THEM!"

The Death Eaters did as he commanded, and Mr Grant and his people did the same. It was an all-out battle and they were fighting to kill.

Alex was forced to stop on his assault on the Dark Lord as he helped out the others to take down the enemies as quickly as possible.

He noticed that Voldemort was using the chaos to cover his own escape. The Dark Lord flew away using his original flight spell with only a single Death Eater following him. The rest were left behind to die, it seemed.

The moment that Voldemort was gone, Alex decided to end the battle as quick as he could. He was being careful not to reveal his true strength to the Dark Lord at the moment. Their final battle would have to wait. But for now, he got what he wanted.

Running around the battlefield, he took down each and every one of the Death Eaters with irresistible force. His spells were accurate and he used wandless magic to change the battleground to his advantage.

At one point, Alex had pulled over a masked Death Eater with wandless magic only to throw the wizard to the burning remains of the house. The others had their mouth agape as they witnessed the might and ruthlessness of the Interim Minister. Little did they know, Alex still had plenty of tricks in his sleeves.

At the end of the battle, six Death Eaters died due to burning, extreme trauma, or excessive bleeding. Alex and Mr Grant may not be in the habit of using dark spells in battles, but they certainly knew how to kill.

The survivors were Avery, Macnair, and Nott. The others were not as lucky. It would be up to the Aurors to identify the rest. Although Alex was sure that Crabbe and Goyle were among the dead.

On their side, a couple of people had to be evacuated to the unspecified emergency location that their Portkeys had led them to. They would receive the necessary treatment there to save their lives. Aside from that, no one had died.

Mr Grant and Alex looked at one another. They had just fought and resisted the Dark Lord. As the one in charge of their main fighting forces, Mr Grant knew the inevitability of facing against Voldemort and his followers in open war.

They called in the Aurors after that. He met with Bailey to get their stories straight. The public will know about the attack and the appearance of Voldemort finally. However, the involvement of Mr Grant and his people would remain unknown. As far as the public was concerned, Auror Captain Bailey and her team was the one who had confronted the Death Eaters with the Interim Minister.

×××

Several hours later, the people from the press had arrived at the scene. There were also reporters for the radio and the glass-viewer.

In his statement with the press, Alex summarized the events of the attack on his home. Then, he revealed the return of Voldemort to the public.

"That's right," Alex said to the shocked members of the press. "The Dark Lord known as Voldemort has returned."

The people gasped at his use of the Dark Lord's name.

"Minister Grey, how can you be sure that it was actually him!?" asked a reporter.

"We are sure because we fought him ourselves. The Aurors and I fought him and his followers and we managed to drive him off. We will not yield to the likes of Voldemort — never again!"

"Can you tell us what the Ministry intends to do? How will the Ministry protect us from You-Know-Who?" asked another reporter.

"I will be very clear. The position of the Ministry is clear. We will fight this oppressor any way we can. Therefore, I am proposing an emergency Ministry Decree: The Dark Wizard known as Voldemort is, hereby, recognized as an enemy of the state. Anyone who is in the service of Voldemort or his followers will be charged with treason.

"If you suspect anyone who has aligned themselves with the Death Eaters, please report it to the Aurors. With your help, we can be more vigilant against Voldemort and his group of sycophants. And most importantly, do not lose your composure to fear. Take care of yourselves and keep a calm head. We will get through these troubling times together.

"Last night, Voldemort had come and we fought him off. We will do it over and over again if we need to. I will resist him as long as I can and I know that I will be triumphant at the end."

Alex's statement made the headlines of the news. The Observer had even added an update in their daily issue to make sure that everyone would know. For the first time, the papers had actually printed the name 'Voldemort' which turned out to be a bigger deal than they expected.

Some of Alex's detractors in the political field had accused him of staging the attack to gain popularity. However, they were quickly silenced when the evidence was presented. Their statement would be remembered later on for trivializing an attempt on the Interim Minister's life.

The Wizengamot held an emergency session for the trial of the captured Death Eaters. Avery, Macnair, and Nott were among the Death Eaters that had said they were Imperiused during the last war, just like Lucius Malfoy and Corban Yaxley. This time, however, there was no denying their allegiance to Voldemort. Just as before, a powerful compulsion was placed on them before they were called in the courts.

Alex found it very convenient to be able to force people to tell the truth in the courts. Should he ever become the actual Minister, he would find a way to make it legal in some fashion. While others may argue that the testimonies could only reflect the subjective truth and not necessarily the absolute truth, wasn't that the whole point of having witnesses?

In their statements, the three Death Eaters confirmed the return of Voldemort. In fact, according to them, he was never completely dead from the beginning. The Dark Lord had survived all these years as a bodiless spirit. Their statements produced the reaction that Alex wanted from the members of the Wizengamot.

They had even shared some information about how the Dark Lord had managed to return. Of course, they did not understand the ritual themselves, but it was enough for everyone else to know that Voldemort had used some kind of dark ritual to return to his body.

After the trial, they were given the Dementor's Kiss. Alex was on the way to break the record with how many people that were being given the death penalty during his time as the Interim Minister.

Despite it all, there were still many people who were finding it hard to believe that the Dark Lord had really returned. Everyone remembered how they celebrated the defeat of Voldemort on the Halloween of 1981. So many people had died before Harry Potter vanquished the Dark Lord. It was a miracle, so why were the papers saying that he was never truly dead?

On the very next day, Alex's emergency decree was passed in the court with a unanimous vote. Finally, Voldemort was officially recognized as an enemy of the country, not just a common criminal. And more importantly, being a Death Eater was now considered as a crime that would warrant a death sentence.

Some conservatives in the Ministry felt like Alex's methods were very heavy-handed. They feared that his term would be marked with blood. Others were thinking that they were facing war and the Interim Minister was justified in using extreme measures. Regardless of their position, they all agreed that Alexander Grey was the Minister that they needed.

They were describing him as a warrior, a leader, and ...a teacher.

Alex couldn't help but think about how his actions were affecting the younger generations.

Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Theodore Nott, his former students from the Slytherin House, just lost their fathers. Those three had become inseparable in the past year after Draco Malfoy became isolated in their Hogwarts house. Now, they had become fatherless just like Draco and so many other children their age.

However, that was the path he had chosen and he was willing to carry that burden. The worse thing he could do for everyone was to start hesitating and take half-measures.

In an ideal world, everyone would pay for their crimes. Yaxley, Travers, Pettigrew, Malfoy, Greyback, the Lestranges, Crabbe, Goyle, Avery, Macnair, and Nott — Alex had personally brought them to justice. He needed to because the world was not ideal.

Ch.79 - The First Task

It has been two days after the trial of Avery, Macnair, and Nott. The last couple of weeks had been very busy for the whole Ministry. The recent news about the return of the Dark Lord was still fresh in everyone's mind. And, it would probably take some time before people came to understand the weight of it.

In the midst of these controversial affairs, the first task of the Tri-Wizard tournament was hardly a concern for many. However, they were still following the schedule that they agreed upon.

Dumbledore was obviously very mindful of what was going on outside the castle. Alex noticed how vigilant he had become compared to the other times he had seen the headmaster. Every staff in Hogwarts had to contribute to the security measures of the school. In that regards, Dora Tonks was very helpful.

With her experience working in a security/mercenary company, she was able to advise the headmaster and the senior staffs of the school how to tighten their security.

The Aurors assigned to Hogwarts were only patrolling the outside grounds around the castle. They had promised that their stay there wouldn't interfere with the daily activities of the school.

Before the first task could begin, Alex said some words to the people watching. His presence there brought up some questions in view of what was going on in the wizarding world. However, Alex felt that it was also important to show that the Ministry was functioning normally regardless of the presence of the enemies.

In his speech, he highlighted the importance of international cooperation in all the wizarding nations. He had also alluded the possibility of opening their country more to the international wizarding markets. The problem with Voldemort couldn't be the only thing that the Ministry was working on. People still had to live their lives day after day, and they couldn't just put everything on hold.

The first task of the tournament was being held at the main courtyard of Hogwarts. Some temporary seatings were built for the judges and all the spectators.

The entire courtyard had been covered during the construction of the course. So, it would be the first time for anyone to see the challenges. It amazed just about everyone there when they finally saw the obstacles. It looked like the DMGS had spared no expense. The quality was to be expected because it was built by the same people who worked on the World Cup Stadium.

The challenge for the contestants would measure their wits and resourcefulness. That was the main theme of the first task. So, three identical obstacle courses were built on the courtyard of the castle.

The contestants would be attempting the challenge at the same time. Their scoring evaluation would depend on their time of completion and ingenuity of their solutions to the obstacles. To complete the task, each champion must reach the other side of the courtyard by going through three challenges.

There were only three rules: First, the contestants would only carry their wands into the challenge. Second, the contestants were not allowed to fly or float by any means. Third, the contestants were not allowed to destroy the obstacles.

Each champion was introduced one at a time. Cedric received the most support as expected, but the people were also excited to see how the other contestants would perform.

They went to their assigned positions with their determination clear on their faces. When the signal was made, they went through the first portal to begin their attempt not wasting any time.

Each contestant was very impressive on their own merit. All of them had an athletic build, and their academic standings were also impressive.

The first area that they each had to go through was a square room with a pit between them and the next door. Flying was not allowed. To go across, they would have to walk on some planks that were suspended by ropes.

The problem was that the ropes were attached to pulleys. If the weight on the plank was uneven, it would tilt and make them drop in the 20-feet-deep pit. Of course, there were paddings on the bottom to prevent any injuries to whoever would fall in. A ladder was there to help them get back to their initial position.

[AN: Think Ultimate Ninja Warrior.]

Each champion tried to use conjured objects to keep them balanced on the plank. However, it was harder than they thought it would be. With each movement, they would have to adjust their counterweights. And once they moved on to another plank, they would have to do the same thing all over again.

After the second time that Cedric found himself at the bottom of the pit, he realized that the ladder was not attached to anything. He could, in fact, just pick it up and carry it to the other side, then climb it to get to the next area.

It wasn't against the rule, Cedric concluded. So, he was the first one who reached the second challenge. He would have to wait in a small area in between for the other champions to finish the first challenge.

But, his time had been recorded. The total time of each champion would be tallied at the end.

"What!? That is cheating!" said Karkakoff.

Dumbledore laughed and said, "Outstanding! The solution was right there in front of them."

"Oui. C'est fantastique!" said Madame Maxime. "Not all problems can be solved by a spell. Zis is a good lesson for ze students. But, ze trial is not over yet."

Karkakoff shouted at Krum to get the ladder, but the Durmstrang champion couldn't hear him.

The representative from the DMGS explained that the champions couldn't understand what they were saying. There was a ward around the course that prevented them from understanding the words that were coming from beyond its bounds.

Fleur got through next. She conjured a very long rope that linked each plank with one another creating a very unstable bridge. She got across using her amazing sense of balance.

Krum was able to get across last by using a careful application of the Sticking Charm to cling on the walls. It was a very clever solution, but he was still last.

He was able to catch up with the other champions on the second stage. The task was to catch a transfigured mouse which was enchanted against summoning and was made to become faster than any mouse had the right to be. The room was also filled with obstacles made of stones. Most of them were in the shape of rectangular boxes with a narrow space between each other that was barely enough for one person. So, there were plenty of objects that the mouse could use to shield against any spells.

To remind the champions, a sign was placed near their starting position saying that the destruction of the obstacles was not allowed.

Each champion tried to stop the mouse with a spell, but it was too fast to be caught with a straight-forward approach like that.

Viktor Krum was able to catch the mouse by leading it to a trap. Cedric did the same, although it had taken him a while. Then, Fleur caught the mouse last.

Perhaps their experience playing quidditch had allowed Cedric and Krum to think better of their positioning.

On the third stage, the champions each found themselves in an empty room. The only obstacle was the door leading to the finish line. It was locked with a very intricate mechanism. A simple Unlocking Charm would not work.

For the door to open, there were plenty of conditions that the champions needed to meet. Some parts of the mechanism had to be moved at the right location, levitated, enlarged or reduced, and many others like it.

The champions only needed to use simple charms to go forward, the problem was figuring out the right combinations of the alterations on the mechanism of the door.

Fleur was able to solve the puzzle the fastest. She was able to demonstrate her analytical skills and her ability to maintain more than one charm simultaneously. The second one to finish was Cedric, and Krum was the last.

After their score was calculated, Cedric received the highest mark of 42 out of 50. He was the fastest overall.

On the second place was Fleur who received a score of 40. And, Krum was last with a score of 39.

The Hogwarts students cheered on their champion for being first. The Hufflepuffs were the most excited, naturally.

All the contestants had successfully demonstrated why they were selected as the champions of their school. And, Fleur and Viktor were not discouraged by the result at all. There were still two more tasks ahead of them.

Alex was sure that they would have a wild party in the Hufflepuff common room to celebrate Cedric's win.

To close the event, Alex had to pose for some pictures, but he wasn't the centre of attention.

It seemed that the contests had captured the interests of the people from the press after the first event. It wasn't the most exciting competition that they've seen. However, a contest like that was also unique.

×××

During the following weeks, Alex was very busy with his work. Aside from his duties in the Ministry, there were also the works of the Order he had to oversee.

There were plenty of movements happening in the shadows, away from the public's eyes. Voldemort and his remaining followers were trying to recruit more people in their ranks. Barty Crouch Jr. had become his right-hand man according to their agents in the field.

At the same time, his agents, disguised as Aurors and Hit-Wizards, were also trying to stop these recruitments. Most of the people that the Death Eaters were approaching had already been labelled as potential Death Eaters. They were killed or caught shortly after they decided to join Voldemort's army.

There were some smaller battles going on all over the British Isles. However, Alex was sure that there were plenty of recruitment cases out there that they didn't know about.

During the Battle of Hogwarts in the previous timeline, there were more than two hundred wizards and witches that fought on the side of Voldemort. So, Alex knew that they couldn't relax just because they had killed most of the Death Eaters' leaders.

The families of the captured Death Eaters were also placed under investigation. Alex did not want to start a trend of judging whole families for being 'dark', that was why these investigations were carried out in secret. He would rather not do it as a Minister. He wasn't comfortable in placing the citizens of their country under scrutiny without their knowledge. However, it was the sad reality that, in most cases, prejudice started at home.

The rest of the public was glad to read about the occasional wins of the Ministry's forces against the Death Eaters. However, there were also some disappearances that were being reported in the papers with nothing but speculations about what could have happened to those people.

These disappearances were actually not very simple. Some of them were the result of Voldemort's recruitments. Some of them had been the work of the 'Shadow Arms', the hidden assassination squad of the Order.

One of the most notable works of the 'Shadow Arms' was the assassination of Golgomath, the Gurg (the leader) of the giant tribe in the British Isles. Some of Voldemort's people were trying to recruit them. To make matters worst, the current leader of the giants liked violence too much.

Alex suspected that this Gurg was the main reason why the giants joined Voldemort in the other timeline. And so, he gave the order.

It happened very quickly as multiple Bombarda Curses hit Golgomath just in time for him to meet with the representative of the Death Eaters. As a result, the Death Eater was killed by the other giants and they would no longer be welcomed in the giant tribe.

Another thing that Alex had ordered the 'Shadow Arms' was the kidnapping of Dolores Umbridge and Pius Thicknesse. Once again, Alex was using his knowledge from the other timeline to make his decision. He had been very careful before about the ways that he could use this knowledge. However, the chaotic time gave him the right opportunity to act on them.

In the other timeline, Umbridge was the Head of the Muggle Registration Committee which judged suspected muggleborns in their own closed court. The Muggleborn Registration Act that this committee was enforcing was a bill that made muggleborns officially declared as non-wizards. They were stripped of their rights to use magic and those who failed to come forward and surrender themselves to the Committee would be arrested and sent to Azkaban.

Umbridge was just as they expected, a pureblood supremacist with very dark ambitions in the Ministry. Her prejudice against muggleborn and half-breeds was at such a degree that it was almost hard to believe. She was also currently working on a way how to spy on the Ministry for Voldemort. And, she actually had a small group of Death Eater sympathizers following her.

Her end did not come easily. She was tortured until she confessed her plans and had given the names of the people in her group. They could have used Veritaserum on her, but why waste a precious potion like that?

When they scoured her home, they found her draft for the Muggleborn Registration Act. It seemed that she had that prepared for a while just in case the Ministry could be taken over by pureblood supremacists like her. The people she named would also be removed from the equation soon enough.

On the other hand, Thicknesse was actually innocent of any crimes. He had prejudiced tendencies, but he was not planning on working for Voldemort or the Death Eaters. He was just a mid-level Ministry employee right now whose only worry was his career.

In the other timeline, he had become the Head of the DMLE after Amelia Bones was killed. Then, he became the Minister after Scrimgeour was killed. So naturally, Alex thought that he was involved with Voldemort and his Death Eaters. However, that wasn't the case according to their interrogation.

He was obliviated to make him forget his time being captured. Then, he was set free as a patient of Saint Mungo's Hospital. They would explain to him that he was caught in a skirmish between the Death Eaters and the Aurors. He was advised to retire from his work in the Ministry to take care of his health which he was glad to follow. He was not really looking forward to being a Ministry official during a time of conflict.

Everyone in the country was already aware that they were in the midst of a war. Although, the fighting was happening in the shadows.

×××

At the second week of December, Alex had finally finished the batch of the Elixir of Life that he was making. Katie had helped him in the brewing process which required him to reveal to her that he was in possession of an actual Philosopher's Stone.

He told her the story of his time with the Flamels. He had kept it a secret to anyone. Even Dumbledore didn't know the details of Alex's training with Nicolas Flamel.

Katie was able to produce 13 vials of the elixir. One of them would be used on the Horcrux by Alex. The rest would be kept for him and Katie to use should they ever decide to live longer than normal in the future.

Ch.80 - Finding the Horcruxes (1)

After finally having the Elixir of Life, Alex went ahead on his plan to use it on Hufflepuff's Cup. His lab was closed off to the outside just in case he couldn't control the danger.

He started with a half vial of the elixir. The liquid was poured at the side of the cup and Alex watched as it was absorbed by the metal.

Alex felt a change immediately. His Occlumency shields were being tested by the Cup. It was telling him to use more of the elixir.

He reached for the vial to do exactly as the Horcrux was telling him to do. But at the last moment, he dropped the precious elixir to the floor.

Alex realized what just happened. He was affected by a powerful compulsion.

He hastily recovered the enchanted objects that he had prepared. One was a silver disk that was enchanted to be indestructible and unaffected by magic. The second was a spherical glass which was opened at one end. It was enchanted just the same.

Alex carefully placed the cup on the middle of the disk where it was secured in place with some braces. Then, he used the glass to cover the cup, attaching it to the disk similar to a lid on a jar. The whole thing looked like a big crystal ball with a golden cup inside it.

As designed, the Horcrux was completely isolated magically. However, the glass that surrounded it was still reacting to the magic that it was trying to send out.

Alex saw some dots of light projected on the glass from within. These lights were the interrupted links of the Horcrux to the other pieces of Tom Riddle's soul as it was being screened by the spherical glass. With this, he had created a locating device which would lead him to the other Horcruxes and to Voldemort himself. It should be able to bypass any wards in between them as it was using an intangible connection between the fragments of a soul.

At first, he thought that there were four connections that the device was tracking. However, when he looked more closely, he learned that there were actually six dots on the surface of the glass. Two pair of Horcruxes should be close to one another.

×××

The first connection that Alex traced led him to 12 Grimmauld Place, Sirius Black's home. There shouldn't be any mistake, a Horcrux was inside the Black family home.

Alex gave Sirius a call to inform the man that he was visiting suddenly. Thankfully, Sirius was home at the time.

"Alex, what a surprised," said Sirius after welcoming Alex inside. "Not that I don't enjoy your visit, but did you come here for something?"

"I'm afraid so. There is something in your home that I have to recover," said Alex straight away. "Do you mind?"

"No, come in..." said Sirius. "What is it?"

"We'll find out."

Alex took out the tracker. Sirius was curious about what he was doing, but the Black patriarch followed him silently. The tracker led them to the third floor, by the bedrooms. They stopped in front of a wall panel with a hidden compartment.

Inside the compartment, they found a silver locket.

"This is Slytherin's Locket!" said Alex. He recognized it from the portrait they found in the Chamber of Secrets.

A house-elf appeared all of a sudden — it was Kreacher.

"No! Alexander Grey and Master must not touch it!" said Kreacher.

The house-elf had changed drastically ever since Dobby had rehabilitated him. He was no longer spouting hateful things, but he still found it hard to speak normally.

"What do you know about this locket, Kreacher?" asked Sirius.

"Kreacher failed! Kreacher failed! Master Regulus tasked Kreacher to destroy the locket, but Kreacher was unable to!"

"Regulus Black? Why did he order you to destroy it?" said Alex.

"Answer his question, Kreacher," said Sirius.

"Master Regulus stole it! He said destroying it will hurt the Dark Lord, make him not immortal anymore... Kreacher should have been the one to get it, but Master Regulus was a kind Master! Master Regulus drank the foul water to get it and he ordered Kreacher to destroy it."

"So, Regulus betrayed Voldemort?" asked Sirius. He was surprised after learning the truth about his brother.

"I need the locket, Kreacher," said Alex. "I aim to destroy it, but not right now."

"You will do what Kreacher failed to do?"

"Yes, Kreacher. One day, Voldemort will be killed. To do that, I will destroy the locket. But, it needs to happen at the right time. Do you trust me?"

"If the great Alexander Grey said he will destroy the locket, then he must be speaking the truth."

"Thank you, Kreacher."

It looked like Dobby had done more than just rehabilitation on Kreacher.

They talked about the Horcrux for a bit, but Alex couldn't share too many details about it with Sirius. Alex left shortly after he secured the locket.

The revelation had surprised Sirius very much. The circumstances of his brother's death were something he never wanted to learn, he thought. He would be having a long talk with Kreacher.

×××

Alex stored the locket in a hidden room in his home. Looking at the tracker, there were five more pieces of Voldemort yet to be found. Three of them were located close to each other somewhere in England. Two of them were located in Scotland, most likely, in Hogwarts.

The location that Alex had checked next was a place called Little Hangleton, a small English village. The tracker had led him to a small abandoned shack.

The dilapidated structure had been partly reclaimed by nature. Alex recognized the wards that were supposed to hide the place. However, with the tracker pointing him to that location, any ward that was meant to prevent anyone from noticing the house was ineffective for Alex.

Using his wand, he scanned the house for any signs of life. There was no one living in the house, but he did find an unusual number of snakes in it.

The shack belonged to the Gaunt family, he learned. It was a magical family, but it looked like they were living very poorly before they disappeared.

After he stepped inside, some of the snakes did try to attack him as he expected. Voldemort was a parselmouth, so it wasn't unthinkable that he would use some snakes to protect his Horcrux. Alex simply killed all of the animals there.

He looked at the tracker again, and it led him to a desk with a drawer. The Horcrux must be inside, thought Alex.

He placed the tracker within his enchanted pouch because he didn't want to let two Horcruxes be that close together without some permanent barrier between them.

Once he opened the drawer, he found a ring adorned with a grey crystal. He experienced a strong compulsion to put on the ring, but he held himself back. Alex realized that the compulsion was the real protection of the ring. However, he was more interested in the stone that was attached to the ring.

He had seen it before. It was the same stone that was dropped by Harry Potter in the Forbidden Forest during the night of the Battle of Hogwarts.

Alex looked at the symbol within the crystal, and he recognized it from a book that he read to familiarize himself with the wizarding culture. It was from 'The Tales of Beetle and Bard' where he saw that symbol, the symbol of the Deathly Hallows.

Could it be the legendary 'Resurrection Stone', he wondered. No, it didn't make sense. Why would Voldemort use the 'Resurrection Stone' as one of his Horcrux?

If the tale of the three brothers was to be believed, the stone should have the ability to recall a person back from the dead. Alex didn't know if it was some form of Necromancy, but it was bound to be powerful.

So to him, it didn't make sense that Voldemort would rather hide a valuable artefact like that instead of keeping it for himself.

Then it struck him, Tom Riddle was practically a muggleborn like him. Well, he might be a half-blood or a pureblood that was raised with the muggles. But just like any muggleborns, Riddle probably didn't know about the Deathly Hallows or about any children's tale from the wizarding society.

Did Voldemort corrupt the Resurrection Stone because of his ignorance?

He didn't, Alex realized. More accurately, Tom Riddle probably couldn't affect the stone with his ritual.

After examining the ring more closely, Alex realized that only the band of the ring was the actual Horcrux. The stone was unblemished with any foreign magic.

To confirm his observation, Alex was able to easily remove the stone from the ring with a small tug. Alex wrapped the two objects separately with a cloth before putting them in his pockets.

He exited the shack after he had safely recovered the objects. He looked around the village and thought that the place was very depressing.

There was something dark lurking in that village. Alex couldn't seem to think about what it was. Something about Little Hangleton was eluding him.

He took out the tracker again. According to it, two more pieces of Voldemort was nearby. These two pieces were not stationary as he observed in the previous days.

There was a good chance that one of the two was Voldemort himself. The Dark Lord was nearby.

Just then, six wizards landed around his location. They were Death Eaters who were wearing their usual masks and robes.

Alex put back the tracker as fast as he could into his storage. He looked at the wizards surrounding him with a dark impression.

He shouldn't have come alone, he thought. However, the knowledge about the Horcrux was not something he wanted to spread around, even to other Order members.

"Well, if it isn't Alexander Grey, the Mudblood Minister," said the leader of the group. "If you don't want to die painfully, come along obediently. Lord Voldemort would want to deal with you himself."

"If Voldemort wanted to see me, he could come here himself. In fact, I think he would like to come here personally."

Alex realized that Voldemort probably didn't know that he was in Little Hangleton at the time. These Death Eaters decided to capture him by themselves without reporting to Voldemort, he thought.

"The Dark Lord wants him alive," said the Death Eater. They attacked Alex simultaneously with Stunners.

Alex smiled knowing he was right. He quickly moved his wand in an arching motion to protect himself with a powerful Protego shield.

With a flick of his left hand, a small dark object was shot from his hand moving at a speed that the eye couldn't keep up with. It was Alex's flying dagger, it flew through the Death Eaters like a needle through a piece of fabric.

In that quick moment, all the masked wizards have fallen dead with a gaping hole on their chests or necks.

Alex looked around warily, just in case there were others hiding in the distance. When he was certain that no one else had seen him, he transfigured the bodies of the Death Eaters into small wooden dolls for him to collect. He would get rid of them somewhere else. Then, he dis-apparated.

×××

In the Riddle Manor, Voldemort was sitting on his make-shift throne when Barty Crouch Jr. knelt In front of him to report something.

"My Lord," said Barty looking down the floor, "a group patrolling the village has not come in to make their report on time. I've been told that they've disappeared."

The Dark Lord's interest was picked. Was it a betrayal in their ranks? No, that was impossible, he thought. Which means, the enemies had been in Little Hangleton.

"What part of the village were they watching?" asked Voldemort calmly.

He wasn't worried that the Aurors would find his hiding place. Riddle Manor was unplottable and under a Fidelius Charm, the same charm that had given him so much trouble in the past.

He had been staying inside his the manor ever since he fought Alexander Grey in Hogsmeade. He decided to bide his time while he gathered more strength.

"The southern sector of the village, my Lord," said Barty feeling relieved that the Dark Lord was taking the news calmly. But, he was very wrong.

"Crucio!"

Voldemort used the Cruciatus Curse on Barty.

Barty was convulsing on the floor not knowing what could he have said to offend his Lord.

Incidents like this were becoming more common as of late. After Alexander Grey had fought him off in Hogsmeade and he was exposed to the public, Voldemort had become more temperamental, prone to abrupt changes in his disposition.

"You disappoint me, all of you!" said Voldemort.

He stood up and walked to leave. Nagini, the snake, joined him as it visibly vanished inside his robes.

"My L-Lord... Let m-me accompany you... I-it's dangerous outside. Th-there may be more A-Aurors waiting!" pleaded Barty. Even at his state, he was still devoted to his Lord.

That only irked Voldemort even more. Barty suffered the Cruciatus Curse some more before the Dark Lord decided to step out.

The location of the group that disappeared worried him. That was where the abandoned shack of the Gaunts was located. His suspicion would be proven right when he got there.

END OF CHAPTER