The small hut had everything he needed for afortable retreat from the castle.
From that point on, Alex began splitting his time between the Slytherinmon room and Hagrid''s cabin. His asional absences from the castle didn''t go unnoticed—Vivian, in particr, often found herself searching for him.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om
One day, after a long History of Magic lesson, Alex didn''t head to Hagrid''s right away. Instead, he made his way to an upper-floor boys'' bathroom, where someone was waiting for him.
"Rozier, you''re right on time," Alex said with a slight smile, eyeing the nervous young man in front of him, Reginald Rozier.
"Alex… please," Rozier stammered, his face filled with unease. "Is there any way you''d let me go?"
Alex stepped closer, cing a firm hand on Rozier''s shoulder, his smile widening. "Let you go? Rozier, I think you''re being dramatic. Look, I haven''t treated you poorly, have I? With your brother gone, your family''s session prospects are looking brighter. But let''s get down to business—did you bring this month''s payment?"
Rozier''s hands shook as he produced a small pouch. "I—I… I didn''t have the money, so I brought a few rare magic books from my family''s collection instead. Will this settle the debt?"
Alex arched a brow, ncing at the pouch and the titles of the books. As Alex took the books from Rozier, he flipped through them quickly. He was pleased to discover four texts he hadn''t seen before: two on dark magic, one on advanced potions, and another—a true gem—a rune as filled with rare and intricate runebination forms.
"These four books will cover your protection fees for the next four months," Alex said, satisfied. "I''ll make copies and return the originals to you. See? I''m fair about this." He grinned.
Rozier''s tense shoulders rxed at Alex''s reassurance, and he quickly agreed with a nod, relieved that their transaction seemed to be ending without incident.
"So, how''s Travers?" Alex asked casually, tucking the books into his bag. "Is he still causing trouble, or has he finally learned to leave me alone? Remember,st time, he spent the whole afternoon lying in the Owlery after I taught him a lesson."
Rozier shook his head. "Travers has tried to find you a few times, but you''re never around. Except for sses, it''s like you vanish into thin air. Lately, he''s been hanging out with Wilkes and Yaxley, plotting some kind of scheme against the Gryffindors."
Alex chuckled, remembering how he''d seen the Slytherins and Gryffindors'' skirmishes turn more into pranks than real battles. He had even warned Charles once, only to find outter that the so-called fights were little more than childish antics. "Well, good for him. Let them squabble. I''m not interested."
With that, he turned back to Rozier. "You''re doing well, Rozier. If you run into any real trouble, you cane to me. I don''t take protection fees lightly—I''ll keep my end of the deal."
Rozier looked at Alex, clearly still wary. He forced a polite nod before hurriedly retreating, hoping to distance himself from Alex as soon as possible.
Returning to his hut, Alex settled in and began examining the new books. As he flipped through one of the dark magic texts, he found a section dedicated to blood magic. He was surprised by the depth of knowledge it contained, and one particr potion caught his eye: the "Beserk Potion," officially called Dragon''s Fury Blood Elixir.
ording to the notes, this forbidden potion was made by infusing dragon blood with a mix of vtile ingredients, creating a brew that granted extreme magical power and resistance, along with enhanced physical strength. However, the effects were short-lived and came with severe side effects—afterward, the user would suffer dangerous blood loss and a risk of permanent madness.
"It''s no wonder Evan Rozier had this kind of potion," Alex muttered, scoffing at the thought. "Either he was incredibly bold or incredibly foolish to drink something like this."
Putting the potion book aside, Alex prepared to make copies of the texts. Using a direct duplication spell wasn''t practical; the copied words would eventually fade as the magic dissipated. Instead, he took out nk parchment and used the Text Transcription Charm, which allowed the content to be transferred permanently. It was tedious, but it allowed Alex to practice his spellwork, and he enjoyed the process.
Thankfully, these were not cursed books, which could be a hazard in wizarding families'' collections. He''d heard rumors of the So of a Sorcerer, a cursed poetry book that caused anyone who read it to only speak in rhymes. The thought reminded him of the importance of learning curse-breaking, a skill that would be invaluable in the future.
With that goal in mind, Alex turned to his rune studies, using his rune disk to practice and experiment with runebinations from the Magic Rune Collection. He could feel his control improving, and his understanding of magic deepening. His skill with the Impediment Obstacle charm, for instance, had advanced to the point where he could shape it into a dense, fist-sized ball. He was now experimenting with making it explode on impact, which would significantly increase its potential as a defensive tool.
Two weekster, during a Transfiguration ss, Professor McGonagall was exining the intricacies of Transformation versus Transfiguration, emphasizing the differences and safety precautions. Alex summed up the lecture in his mind: Transformation is aplete change of the object, while Transfiguration focuses on specific parts. Yet, Professor McGonagall continued with detailed exnations for nearly an hour.
"All right, ss dismissed. Next lesson, you''ll start transforming mice into snuff boxes, which will require rigorous practice. This may even be part of your final exams," she added pointedly.
Alex smirked, thinking, May? McGonagall, we all know that means definitely.
Just as he was packing up to head back to his hut, Professor McGonagall stopped him. Once the room was clear, she approached him with a serious expression.
"Alex, the Headmaster wants to see you."