first foray in the magic world

Raising like any other day with his internal clock, as the day had started to shorten, Alex ready himself, putting on a pair of black jeans, white t-shirt and crimson sweater with front pocket and leather shoes. Rather than leave his hair wild, he called Autumn to style them in a half-up ponytail.

While seeming mundane, only the manufacture process had been copied. Those clothes had been made by Autumn, from the wool of sheep and silk of Acromentulas and imported cotton. By mixing the magical silk, not only they turn even sturdier, but would also allow Alex to enchant them latter.

The leather also was magical, coming from the hide of dead Acromentula. While not the best, it was the only one available to them and would do until later.

At 8:55 AM, Alex was standing on the front of his house, a Galleon in hand, waiting for the Portkey to take him to the bank.

~~~

Five minutes later, Alex' world stops to spin, letting the white walls of Bloodbones office, and the goblin behind the desk, confirm to him that he was in the right location. Trying to stay as straight as possible, he waits for a second to leave his stomach enough time to settle.

Without a word, he seats, looking the facing goblin straight in the eyes.

"Welcome Heir Potter, I'm Bloodbones, Potter accountant manager. Since you are finally here, let start." Gliding a thick folder to him, before opening it at a seemly random page, he continues.

"On this file is the contract for the opening of Vault n°687 under the control of the Potter House. An annual sum of 250G would be deposit in from the Potter Vault, were 10G would be withdrawn monthly as payment to the Guardian of the Heir, until his eleven years."

Reading at the same time that the goblin spoke, after putting his glasses, Alex discovers that he was indeed taken out of custody for a magical guardian, at least concerning Gringotts.

"As Heir, and since the key had been..."

Without letting the goblin finish, Alex takes out eleven Galleons from a pocket, putting them in a small crucible on the desk.

"Heir Potter."

At his words, the golden coin melt, while a brief flash of cyan light shone. Looking in the crucible, he nods, before taking the newly made key, producing yet again a flash of light as it bound.

"Anything else?" Say his emotionlessly at the goblin.

While keeping a neutral face, Bloodbones inwardly frown at the missed opportunity of acquiring the Heir blood.

Turning to the next page, another contract, blank this time was next.

"Since you are already there, we can process with you legitimation of Heir status. All required is your signature on the document."

Seeing Alex nod, he gives him a quill prepared beforehand, before turning to the wall beside him. Running a claw on a bare side of the wall, a hidden door open, revealing the safe inside. He was retrieving the Heir ring when he hears the sound of wood scrapping again stone.

Turning back to the Potter Heir, his eyes widen, barely catching the metallic-coated tip of the quill, before it penetrates his eye to the brain. Taken off guard by the sudden pain and assault, and his hands full, he was too late to react when something bites his wrists, separating his hands to the rest of his body.

"Spring!" Was the last thing he heard with the pop sound of an elven apparition, before the blackout.

~~~

The second the goblin turn around, Alex' emotionless face turns cold. Taking another three seconds to finish to read the contract, he acts.

What the unsuspecting goblin ignore were three points. The first was Alex reading ability, several higher than that of human, allowing him to go through books in record time. The second was his glasses, based on the gale-force reading glass of fairy tail; it boost yet again his reading ability. The last was the knowledge of goblin mentality through the reading of the extract journal, thank from his ancestor, Sigurd.

While impressive on their own, the three combined would be the downfall of the goblin who had turned his back to him.

Goblins love to tricks wizards and extract the Galleons out of their Vaults, legally due to the last treaty. To do so, they would include appearing harmless clause in contracts. Depending on the customer, their family and there know the character, those clauses are more or less heavy.

Bloodbones wasn't different from the other Goblins. When he hears that the Heir Potter was still alive, but had grown out of the wizarding world and far from the knowledge of the Potter's, he didn't hesitate.

Creating that particular contract had taken him the good part of the last month, the real reason as to why the meeting was only now. In it, the signing party would simply relinquish the totality of his holding to the contractor.

He didn't waver to use that way, knowing the opposite party wouldn't know a thing. The only reason he didn't use another more personal contract method was due to the implication with Gringotts. If a single trace were left allowing to link the bank to the contract, it wouldn't bode well for him.

~~~

Using the goblin way, he found his customer rich, unlearned of his family holding, and as a child thought to be easily gullible, the perfect target.

That was where Alex abilities enter the game. Reading the contract far faster than the goblin would have thought, had allowed him to cross-reference the clauses with the memorised trap of the goblins, all perfectly described in the books of Sigurd.

At it only targeted the Potter, he wouldn't have been to bothered, only losing a few million far from his reach, he never considered himself a Potter. Only the contract had been worded in the way that, ALL his holding would be forfeit to Bloodbones.

Just the fact to present this contract to Alex had trampled on the Evans clan honour, a debt that can only be quench in blood.

~~~

Gripping the blood quill tightly in his hand, he pounces on the goblin' back. The sound of the chair send back abruptly on the other side, make scraping noise who alert the unsuspecting target.

By the time the accountant turns back, his hand full, Alex was already on him, his left hand darting forward, burrowing the tip of the quill inside the eyeball to the brain. Knowing full well that the wound wasn't mortal, he retrieves two daggers from his pocket space the second he let go of the quill.

Bringing both of his hand down, he sectioned the goblin's hands still clutching the plate on where a box with a ring was while calling his elf.

"Spring!"

~~~

The elf didn't take long to appears at the urgent tone of his master. Popping in the office, he froze for a second at the sight of his master assaulting a goblin, before being awakened.

"Bind him, keep him alive as long as possible."

Under the firm tone, the elf daren't to make his master wait.

While Alex had never been angry or shout at them, the three younger elves had heard countless stories of the young master ancestors. Be there were scholar or warrior, all were frightening when angered. From the way their master had a deal with the snakes, they understand that while kind to his friends, he was ruthless again enemies, and from the sight, he was furious.

Executing the order given, he stunned the passed out goblin, to be sure, bind it, before stopping the bleeding stubs on his arms. Securing the quill to made sure it wouldn't move, he turns to Alex, waiting for the next order.

~~~

"Take a look at this." Ordered Alex coldly, a fury still noticeable in his gaze, while giving the contract to Spring.

The elf needs a little more time than Alex, but from the widening eyes and the scatting gaze he throws at the unconscious goblin, he had reached the same conclusion that Alex. Retrieving the tended contract, Alex take one of the goblin arms, letting a few drops of blood fall on the line reserved to the client. Letting them dry, he takes the quill off the hand of Spring and sign in as the contractor, sealing the deal.

The second the contract was approved by both parties, a double appears.

Done with it, he stores his copy in his storage, while turning to the office. As he was now the owner of Bloodbones holding, everything under his name was his to take.

"Return the land, call the others, and clean everything under that piece of shit' name. The contract will give you the access you need." Say him with a steel gaze, to Spring.

Nodding, the elf pop, after throwing a last disgusted gaze at the goblin.

While his elves would take care of this matter on their side, he starts to loot the office. Nothing was left, and soon, only him, a naked goblin with a quill in his eye was left. Taking the two severed hand and focusing, he passes them on the walls.

Thanks to the particular physiology of the goblin, and their heavy use of their own body to process magical feat, as long as he was kept alive, the body and magic would stay connected, even with severed limbs. Adding his ability, he easily feels the concealed Vaults. Storing everything in his pocket space without taking a look, he was soon done.

~~~

He was about to exit the office when Spring popped back.

"Master, we needing goblin's magic to open Vaults of the nasty goblin." Say him while glaring at it, before lowering his head, fearing to have angered Alex.

"You came at the right time. I was about to go. Take the hands, as long as he is alive; you will be able to open anything linked to him."

Relieved that his master had a solution, he hastily takes the hands, and vanish again, eager to dry the holding of the goblin that had dared to go against the Evans clan.

"Thank you, master."

Alone once again, he takes out a cube of wood and a phial from his pocket space. Crafting a stake before coating the tips with the content of the phial, he impales the goblin chest with, nailing the contract on the body alongside.

The liquid was a slow-acting poison know to work on goblins, and created by them. It would take eight hours before it acts and kills him, but by the time the elves should be done and him out of the bank, possibly England, even.

~~~

Exiting the office, he roams a little the corridor of the bank, before encountering a goblin. From his simple pinstripe suit, the goblin wasn't an accountant, but more a lower employee tasked to lead customers through their halls.

"I require your service, goblin." Say him directly, stopping in front of him.

"What do you require customer?" Asked it back, not offended as he was untitled and thus effectively an unknown goblin in the hall of Gringotts.

"I require assistance to be lead to my Vault." Say him, while taking out his key, putting it into the goblin hand.

After making sure that the key was indeed genuine, he nods to himself, give the key back and start to walk into another direction after responding. "Very well, Heir Potter, follow me."

As he was leaded outside of the office area of the bank, they briefly pass through the hall, before going further, entering the site where the carts were waiting to take the customer underground.

Being still early, barely 9:35 AM, the bank and carts were readily available, the fact that the rush of the pre-Hogwarts had ended also help.

Keeping silent and steady on his feet as the cart suddenly plunge nearly at 90° into the darkness of the underground, he was lead through sharp turn, vertical falls, and extended ride, before coming to a stop.

"Vault n°687." Announce the goblin, climbing down of the cart, before being given the old-styled lantern. "Key, please."

Grasping the extended key, before inserting into the keyhole and turning it on the right two times, the sound of the unlocking gears resound in the silent corridor of the underground cave.

Following the bank procedure, the goblin stays outside, on the side of the door, as the client was given privacy. Hidden from the goblin sight, Alex stop for a second at the presence of the high piles of Galleons.

While they were nothing compared to the one of the land Vault, they came from Dumbledore pocket, after the hefty fine.

~~~

Giving a rapid glance, the Galleons vanish rapidly in his pocket space, already neatly arranged. Just for appearance shake, Alex takes out the expended pouch off his pocket space, holding it in hand while exiting. As the goblin close the door, Alex made sure to be seen putting the bag in his front pocket.

With his key returned, they both made there way out of the underground area to rejoin the surface.

His business done with the bank, Alex exit through the front door, hood put on his head, hiding his features to the few customers present in the hall.

~~~

The death of Bloodbones would only be made know at the end of the day, by the house-elves on cleaning duty. The discovery of a goblin corpse in the bank immediately creates an uproar, and the bank security detail directly sends to investigate.

While they were on their way, the news had reached the highest goblin on place, in charge of the British branch of the bank, Kneebuster barge in the office, barely two minutes after the security had arrived.

"Teethsnacher report!" Barked him while entering the place.

The goblin captain immediately responds to his higher-up.

"Bloodbones, Potter account manager. From the record, he had submitted a demand for Portkey, authorised by the regulation department pertaining for magical travel division. Set to this morning 9:00 AM to the attention of Heir Potter."

"What does it have to do with the Potter Heir?" Frown the goblin at the news, and the fact that the security team was in stand-by.

Wordlessly given the retrieved contract from the corpse, he rapidly skims through, before stopping dead to the signature lines.

"Medic report!"

"The dead had been deal with the use of 'brethren fall', through the use of a stake made of beech. Before the dead, Booldbones had been stabbed in the eye through the brain via his registered blood quill. Bone blades of unknown origin removed both missing hands. There are traces of elven binding magic, by that time Bloodbones was already rendered unconscious.

From the magical residue, the hands had been used to unlock every safe of the office while he was kept alive."

AS the medic goblin was finishing his report, another goblin enters the room.

"Branch manager Knapbuster, report! The entire Vaults of Bloodbones have been emptied to the last knut, both hands left in the last Vault."

The goblin already white after the report of the medic, turn to the one who finishes his, with wide eyes, while the rest present fall into silence.

While not widely known to the outside world, Beechwood is toxic for goblins, added the fact that 'brethren fall' had been added, his hand removed and keep alive. At the same time, his vault plundered indicate that the one responsible was knowing what he was doing.

"Wha-what time had the first Vault been open?" Stammered the goblin briefly.

"9:29 AM."

"The time of the end of the meeting?"

"The Potter Heir' key had been checked at 9:38 AM in the corridor outside the office and registered users on the Vault 687 at 9:47."

The implication was clear for all. Bloodbones had attempted to scam the Potter Heir after hearing of his supposed non-existent connection with the wizarding world. The Potter Heir had been able to recognise enough of the scam to became infuriated at the attempts and Bloodbones had paid with the greatest dishonour possible to a goblin, being robbed clean while alive and his murderer not even present for his final moment.

"Put Heir Potter on the red list, shall he return to the bank, not a single goblin under the clerk rank is to appear in front of him, none under accountant to speak to him." Solemnly announce the goblin in charge, drawing breath for the other present.

The red list isn't something to be trow leisurely; only the branch manager had the power to declare a wizard to be put on, being a mix of a VIP and most wanted list. Those under the red list were to be treated with utmost care while in the bank, and all were banned to ever attempts to scam them, as their potential risk level was enough to breach the financial balance of the branch.

On the British branch, Heir Potter became the first and only red-listed customer since the foundation of the bank.

~~~

Exiting the bank, he slowly made his way through the Alley, drawing a disapproving passing look from wizards and witches, seemingly bothered by the clear muggle clothes.

'Great, those morons are worst that I trough they would be. Seriously? Judging just from external appearance? I know I didn't attempt to blend in, but still.' Shaking his head and not bothering with them, he looks at each sign, hunting for a useful shop.

The first one that attracted his gaze was 'Toodle's Trunks Trade'. While he could easily create trunks on his own, he lack of the runes works present on them.

Entering the shop, he barely glances at the exposed model still present when recognising standard Hogwarts trunks. Going deeper, he looks at the different model available. Discarding the heavily priced, dragonhide-lined one, he found what he wanted.

What stood in front of him was an unassuming 90*45*40 trunk. Other than the standard wooden with metallic frame box, a slight expansion doubling the space available was added. The second notable feature was the twice folded space, allowing a total of four times the original space. A generic shrinking and feather-light enchantments were also present.

It was nothing extravagant compared to some of the more massively warded trunks, but it would do nicely for his today needs. Taking it to the desk at the front of the store he wordlessly put in on. The clerk behind rise a brow at the sight of a muggle-born kid this young alone on the Alley, but say nothing. Taking the tag out, reading the price.

"15 Galleons."

Taking the false pouch of his pocket, he put his hand in, willing the sum from his pocket space. Faking two handfuls, he counts the required Galleons, before returning the leftover eight Galleons.

"Thanks for your patronage." Mechanically says the clerk, after leaving the receipt in the trunk.

Nodding, he takes a simple stick carved like a wand, tapping the trunk with, shrinking it, before pocketing both items and exit the shop.

Done with the trunk, he looks for Apoticary around. Spotting one, he frowns his brown at the odour he could send when entering. His frown deepens when he sights the state of the shop. Should the owner was in the mundane world, the dingy shop would have been long since closed for sanitary hazard.

Looking through the available contents, he starts to fetch two measure of everything.

At the end of the shop, the owner was about to throw him out, not wanting a child to mess-up his product, knowing that muggle-born child would be unaware of the danger of some products. Before being able to take three steps, he froze at his action. Part of this was due to the ease he manipulates the different content, and the most were the amount of merchandise he was picking up.

While two doses of each weren't much, his shop was one of the most complete of this side of the market.

He could only stare dumbfounded at the child roaming the shop, delivering neatly packed sample on the desk, before returning in, after his arms were full. As the amount was still increasing, the shop owner was starting to fear that the boy? was more problem than anything else.

"Look here, child, I don't have time to..." Started him a little angry when Alex return with more, before stopping dead on as he put eight Galleons on. The message was clear, shut-up and start counting.

Seeing the gold in front of him, he made a complete 180° and started to register the vast order.

~~~

Done with retrieving a sample of everything available safe for living ingredients, Alex return to the desk, waiting patiently as the man dutifully add everything.

After five more minutes, and the last item accounted for. He actions the lever on the side of his cash register. The receipt starts to print, adding all the purchase, before giving the total amount at the end.

Taking the long list with a slight shaking end, he goes at the end of the list.

"9 Galleons 15 Sickles, please."

Nodding, Alex retrieves his pouch one again, taking out another golden coin and 15 silver one, stacking them neatly on a pile of five.

Seeing the three pile of silver and the additional coin, the man nodded happily, ending the transaction by storing the cash in the machine. Seeing his customer taking out a trunk, he wordlessly flicks his wand, making the purchase float down in, before adding an owl order catalogue.

"Thanks." Say, Alex, surprising the man for a second, before making his smile.

"Thanks for the patronage, and don't hesitate to owl-order, we have a fast delivery service!" Say him happily; it wasn't every day he made such a lucrative exchange.

~~~

Done with the potion ingredients, he ghosts in front of Owl emporium, surprised for a second to not see Edwig in the shop, before shrugging and continue. Briefly entering second-hand stores, he buys a couple of robes of differents styles for Autumn, just in case he would need some.

Seeing the books, he made a mental note to ask Winter if she had visited those type of shop. While he was in, he asked the clerk where he could buy dragonhide. The request had surprised her, before being indicated a shop in knockturn Alley, not far from the entry.

~~~

Done from this side of the Alley, he starts to climb it up again, stopping to seemingly erratic points, before going to another. If some wizard found his act strange, they say nothing as there wasn't a single trace of degradation or magic.

What the common populace was ignoring was that Alex was collecting the fruit of a year-long effort, the magic stones, newly dubbed as MC (Mana Crystal). Hidden behind a thin layer of stone or wood at the corner of the important business shop, he had left different gemstone for a complete year to absorb magic naturally produced and released by magical, be it Wards, beasts, artefacts or wizards. As he was testing the better medium, it was different sized rubies, emeralds, diamonds, sappires, crystals, quartz and any other gem he was able to make his hand on.

Since a ruby the size of a basketball was able to contain the equivalant of a volcano worth of energy extracted from magma, he didn't fear that the stones would be overloaded after a single year for remanant of magic.

With sufficently datas, he would be able to quantifie the amount of energy stored and craft specific MC in future for his needs.