23: Going Home, and Plans

[Alaric's Pov]

As we made our way to the Hogsmeade station, the events of this year's past came to my mind.

I found the classes to be quite monotonous and uninteresting, but the castle itself was filled with countless wonders. There were so many enchanted portraits that seemed to give more life to the school, and the halls were haunted by an endless number of ghosts. Hogwarts was like a maze just waiting to be explored, and it was truly fascinating.

There was also... that. Daphne and I called it the Vault of Ice. She found the pendant we took, to be beautifully crafted, but nothing more, meaning the whispers of this 'ancient' magic were somehow connected to my ability to see magic in its true form.

Since my encounter with the Potter girl in the restricted section, the necklace didn't show a single reaction, no matter what I did.

Consequently, I turned my attention to the book. Daphne had no knowledge of ancient magic languages, so the job to decipher was left to me. It wasn't a subject most wizards would study, but I always found it intriguing. Understanding those types of languages allowed me to better understand magic, study its origins and, therefore, master a spell to a greater degree.

Unfortunately, I was nowhere close to deciphering the book. Despite searching my Occlumency memory palace thoroughly, I couldn't seem to find any resemblance to the ancient languages I had studied. It was frustrating, to say the least, as I had been hoping to uncover some valuable information within its pages.

Can't forget my now revealed grand-uncle. Me and my sister were on edge in the beginning. Grandfather had told us how he and Albus used to be really close. Nonetheless, they still became enemies in the end.

I know he understands that our familial relationship can't grow in a single year. When, suddenly, what you thought to be your greatest obstacle, becomes one of your pillars of support, most people would feel lost.

He did tell us he would spend time with us in the summer, so I and Lys are looking forward to it. Not that we would tell him.

And then there was Voldemort. When I faced Quirrel, the anger, and wrath I unleashed was beyond anything I had ever felt before. As someone who frequently relied on the Dark Arts, it was important for me to keep my emotions in check. It wasn't about becoming emotionless like a rock, but rather preventing the magic from having too much influence over me.

Even if I was a natural legilimens and occlumens, I still needed to practice the mind arts to be proficient in them.

With that in mind, I made the decision to focus on two crucial tasks for the summer. These were the top priorities that I needed to accomplish in order to move forward with my plans and achieve my goals.

My first priority, which I considered to be one of the most crucial, was to secure a reliable source of Galleons for myself. I couldn't always depend on the family fortune, so I decided to open an account at Gringotts.

The Grindelwald family vault was not actually located at Gringotts. Instead, we had entrusted our gold to the gnomes in Switzerland. These were not your typical garden gnomes, mind you, as Swiss gnomes would take great offense at being compared to their lesser counterparts and would likely try to attack anyone who did so.

And where would I get galleons? That's simple. I was going to open a shop.

To achieve what I wanted, I had a simple solution: I would open a shop in Diagon Alley. It seemed like the perfect way to earn a regular income while also pursuing my interests. I was confident in my abilities and believed I could create something unique and profitable.

Before opening my store, I knew that I needed to plan carefully. I had to decide on the ideal location, secure a lease, and make arrangements to purchase the plot once I had made enough profit. Additionally, I needed to determine the specific services I would offer and how I would market my products. It was essential to conduct thorough market research to identify potential customers and competitors and to craft a unique selling proposition that would set my shop apart.

Another important consideration was the fact that I would not be able to accomplish any of my goals if I continued to use my true identity as Alaric Grindelwald. Not only was my age a barrier to being taken seriously, but my last name would also likely be a major turnoff for the British Ministry.

I realized that I would need to create a new persona, one that would allow me to operate under the radar and avoid unwanted attention. One that I could use to integrate with wizarding society, not one as shabby as the one I used for the underground duels in France.

As for the second task, that would be to gather as much battle experience as possible.

Defeating Professor Quirrell wasn't a particularly challenging task, given his limited proficiency in dueling and offensive spells.

However, what truly frightened me was how effortlessly Voldemort was able to bypass my protection charms.

Even in his weakened state, he was able to render me unconscious with a single spell, leaving me in a frail and vulnerable condition.

It was a stark reminder of his formidable power and the danger that he posed to both me and those I cared about.

Soon, we arrived at Hogsmeade station and boarded the train, with London as our destination. As the train departed from the station, I looked out the window and watched as the Hogwarts Express disappeared into the distance.

As the train ride to London progressed, we soon found a free compartment in the last carriage and settled in. Lysandra, ever the caring sister, chose to stay with us, concerned that I might relapse and fall unconscious again.

During the ride, we shared our plans for the summer.

Blaise revealed that he and his mother were traveling to Italy to visit relatives, while Daphne planned to spend time with her family. Tracey shared that she would be helping out at her family's magical creature farm for most of the summer.

Theodore, on the other hand, had it rough, as he would be confined to his home and subjected to his father's toxic rhetoric about blood purity and supremacy. Despite our offers to have him stay with us, he insisted on facing his father alone, although he promised to reach out to us if he needed help.

As we arrived in London and stepped off the train, a beautiful mature woman caught our attention. She had straight black hair and a skin tone somewhat lighter than Blaise's. Her deep green eyes and naturally full lips formed a welcoming smile as she approached us.

"Mother," Blaise muttered, his face turning a deep shade of embarrassed red. I couldn't help but notice the blush on his dark-skinned face as he looked at the woman in front of us.

Who I assumed to be Mrs. Zabini stepped toward us and enveloped Blaise in a tight hug. He quickly freed himself, his face redder than before.

"S-Stop!" he exclaimed. "Can you not embarrass me in front of my friends?!"

Mrs. Zabini brought her hand up to her mouth, chuckling, before turning to us.

"I'll have to thank you for being friends with my son. He can be quite rash and snarky sometimes, but he's a good boy," she said, with a graceful smile, enjoying Blaise's flustered expression.

She was nice, even offering us to visit their house, while barely knowing us. Eventually, both Blaise and his mother left.

Tracey also introduced us to her parents, who were just as kind as Mrs. Zabini. They offered for us to visit their magical creature farm, mentioning that Daphne had already been there many times before.

Theodore had to leave through Floo Powder, his dad not even bothering to pick him up. Slowly, I was starting to understand his frustrations.

In the end, only my sister, Daphne, and I remained on the platform. Most of the kids had already departed, and others waited patiently for their families to arrive.

If it weren't for Lysandra's insistence on staying to meet our friends' families or relatives, we would have left long ago.

"Lys!" someone called out. The three of us turned to see where the voice was coming from. A short distance away, the Potter family was walking towards us, with Hope wildly waving her arm.

My sister's face lit up with joy, but both Daphne and I wore frowns on our faces.

While Daphne was probably not pleased with meeting Hope, my expression was directed toward the clothes that the Potters were wearing.

Although Mr. and Mrs. Potter were friendly people, the fact that they constantly dressed as Muggles irked me to no end.

Daphne's parents also appeared. Sophie Greengrass, Daphne's mother, much like her, had long flowing golden hair, with piercing blue eyes. She was tall and slender but looked rather small next to her husband.

Darius Greengrass was his name. Short brown hair, emerald green eyes, and a strong jawline decorated with a nicely trimmed beard. He was tall, easily towering above anyone on the station, but, compared to his hulking figure, the man was a softie.

The first thing he did when he approached us, was give Daphne a bear hug, saying stuff like 'Dad missed my princess so much' and whatnot.

Daphne's mother appeared to be on the calm side, but I knew that it was just a facade. Her surface thoughts implied that the first thing she would do when home, was kidnapping Daphne for some 'girls' talk and some cuddling.

After exchanging pleasantries with us, including the Potter family, they left. Daphne also invited me to visit them, but not my sister. I guess she was still on the fence about Lysandra's getting along with Hope.

Before leaving, Harry and Hope pulled us to the side. They looked at one another, before nodding and turning to me.

"Thank you," he said. "For saving me and my sister. I now realize I shouldn't have just rushed after Quirrel. If it weren't for you... I don't want to think of what could've happened,"

I saw the sincere regret in his eyes. Throughout the year, I can't say I didn't observe him more than I normally would. Mostly because of his relationship with my sister's first friend, but also because I was slightly curious about the Boy Who Lived.

As time went on, it was easy to form a character profile for him. He was prideful, but also inherently honorable. He was prone to quick anger and impulsiveness most of the time. His status as the "chosen one" gave him a boost of confidence, but also made him more aware of his actions. Many people approached him for their own ulterior motives, so he was always apprehensive.

Only after everyone saw that he was just a regular student like the rest did his fame begin to die down.

"Don't worry about it," I said, scratching my head, thinking about how I should proceed with this. If I told them that I didn't have the intention to help them and that they only happened to be there, we may become estranged, and as a result, their friendship with my sister might fall apart.

"Even so, you saved us. I saw how you stopped Quirrel from killing me," Hope noted, fidgeting for some reason.

"Ron also wanted to thank you and tell you that you were pretty cool, even if you're in Slytherin," Harry added, chuckling.

Not that his opinion mattered, but to get the number one Slytherin hater in all of Britain to admit that I was cool... Maybe I was that amazing.

"I couldn't let my sister's friends die," I said. "She doesn't have that many of them,"

Hearing the cheeky joke, my sister responded with a painful pinch on my arm and a deathly glare. The Potter twins couldn't help but chuckle at Lysandra's reaction, causing her to let out an embarrassed grunt before turning to leave.

After saying our goodbyes, Lysandra and I left the station through the Muggle's side and headed towards an alley where we could safely apparate without being seen.

As we walked, my mind raced with excitement for the summer ahead and all the plans I had in store.

**********

A/N: And the First Year came to an end! I kind off rushed it so we could get to the interesting parts. After the summer and the beginning of the Second-year, the pace is going to slow down a bit.

Don't forget to point out any grammatical mistakes you see!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!