last run before the start.

Following the direction, he made his way toward the shadiest part of Diagon Alley, physically feeling the change of atmosphere the moment he crosses into it. He had barely made a few meters in that he thought something was off. Giving a discreet glance above his shoulder, he sees that a hooded figure was shadowing him.

Turning in the shop street, and vanishing from the view of the safer Diagon Alley, the figure rapidly shrink the distance, before a creepy voice raise from behind him.

"Are you lost, boy? Uncle can help you find your way." Say the now identified male voice, while tending a hand toward Alex's shoulder.

Before he could take a hold on him, Alex suddenly made volt-face. Catching the extended arms with his palm, he harshly pulls with unexpected force, while his foot came crashing against the man leg.

His balance broken from the sudden assault, the stranger hadn't time to react that his body was already falling forward from the momentum.

"What..?" Let out the man surprised by the sudden change.

Before he could react, a blade impales him from the chin to the brain, killing him immediately.

Worldlessly taking off the blade, he let the corpse crash on the ground, before cutting the cloak open. Looking at the barely better-than-rags clothes, he snatches the pouch and searches the still-warm body.

Finding three other bottomless pouches of better quality, he discreetly stores them in his pocket space, before leaving the corpse in the middle of the street, slowly bleeding out.

Looking around, he hears and sees four others shadows immediately scurrying away, knowing that the boy wasn't easy prey.

~~~

Done with the group of thieves that had been following him from the moment he enters the Alley, he made his way to the shop, under the brief look of the passers-by who had assisted to the scene. This was a common occurrence in the Alley; nobody bothers with who you are, as long as you show your strength, you would be left alone.

~~~

Entering the dim shop lit by gas lamps, he directly goes to the man behind the counter.

"I need dragonhide." Succinctly say, Alex.

"How much?"

Alex says nothing but took a prepared purse, throwing it at on the counter. Recognising the standard one thousand-enchanted pouch, the man opens it, confirming that Galleons was inside.

"Wait here." Without another word, the man vanishes in the back shop, shortly returning with a roll of light brown leather. Keeping a hand on the purse, he feels the texture of the leather, confirming that it was similar that the one on the trunks, dragonhide.

Concealed by the shadow of his hood, he catches the scamming look in the man gaze. Before he could take the purse, a dagger nailed his hand in the counter.

Howling in surprise and pain, the man gaze abruptly falls on Alex.

"Try to scam me again, and it will not be a simple scratch that you will receive next." Growls Alex.

Frighten by the murderous glint he catches from the shining eyes hidden in the unnaturally shadowed face, he frantically nods, before bolting back inside the second Alex let go his hand.

Three others roll stack to the first one.

"Her-here you are sir." Say the man, still shaking and hand bleeding.

Nodding, he stores the leather, before exiting the shop, leaving the man swipe the sweat of his forehead, before hastily tending to the wound, which thankfully missed the bones by a few milimetres.

~~~

After he purchases Dragonhide, Alex steers toward his last stop in the Alley. Looking at the sign, a faded 'Borgin and Burkes' could be seen. Squaring his shoulders, he made his way in, immediately attracting the attention of one of the owner present.

Not giving the man any attention, he starts to brose the wears. His action didn't bother the man, knowing that people rarely came here without knowing what they wanted. His 'hunch' was proven correct when the young customer directly goes for a particular artefact, the hand of glory.

"Good choice, a useful artefact who would only give light to his bearer." Start him, happy to finally getting rid of the thing that had been accumulating dust in his shop from decades. "Does something else attract your gaze, customer?" Tried him, wanting to see if he could sell a few other items.

"The cabinet in the side, what is it?" Asked Alex in a neutral voice, pointing at a particular item on a corner of the shop.

Following his finger, Borgin gaze lit up for a moment, before dimming slightly, but keeping his fake smile. " Good eye, I wouldn't be surprised to see someone so young not knowing of them. This customer is called a vanishing cabinet. As his name implies, it allows on to vanish from a place to its twin. It had been a few years since I acquired it, but for 200 Galleons, I'm willing to part with it." Say him with a slightly exaggerated sigh, as if unwilling to truly parting with it.

"200, with the hand, you miss the twin." Unflinchingly say, Alex.

Not expecting the generous offer, he takes a few second, frowning his brow, while altering with the hand and the cabinet, before giving another sigh, but a small nod, but internally rejoicing.

Not wanting to leave the man enough time to think too long on it, he retrieves two hundred Galleons from his pouch, before putting the hand away. Seeing the trunk, Borgin shrinks the cabinet, before levitating in another space of the chest.

Nodding at the man, Alex turn around and exit the shop, before apparating back to the island from the middle of the street, through elf apparition, under the startled look of passers-by and a group of thieves shadowing him.

~~~

Back to the land, Alex, take off his hoodie, before happily emptying the trunk. The day had been perfect; he had secured the fine taken from Dumbles Vaults, gut a goblin for having dared to try and scam him, acquire a vast amount of ingredients to grow his knowledge. But what really made him happy, was the four sheet of 3 square meters dragonhide.

Those turned to be not as expensive as he thought, only 250G (~ 12,500 pounds) each, but then again the difficulty came from the craft, not the material. Those sheets were the standard cut, meaning that they would be enough to create a dragonhide duster, with hood.

The complete cloak, with standard enchantments, would cost way more, around 10,000G (500,000 pounds). While offering excellent protection, the exorbitant price made peoples recalcitrant to put such wealth into a single item, while others could only dream of owning one.

That equipment would be the perfect tool for Aurors, if not for the price. With a force of around two hundred heads, it would cost the ministry a minimum of 2,000,000G (100,000,000 pounds) to equip them, not counting the customs made one that some Aurors would require due to physical needs.

~~~

Taking out the hand, he put it on the side, before taking what had been his real aim in entering the shop. While its acquisition was a great deal, Alex would not risk to enter it for several reasons.

The first was that he didn't know where the second one would be in Hogwarts. Chance it's stored somewhere under the gazes of students. Second, he didn't know how the island and Hogwarts wards would react, as he wasn't a student there. Third was linked to the second; as headmaster, Dumbledore had perhaps a means to know when an intruder was in the castle, he wasn't about to risk it.

No, he would not risk entering the vanishing cabinet.

While the elves were occupied emptying the Vaults of Bloodbones, Alex absorbed the runes clusters from the destruction of the cabinet.

~~~

A little after lunchtime, The sound of six pop could be heard in the kitchen. The six elves had finally emptied the last Vaults of Bloodbones.

"Master, we be finished to empty nasty goblin Vaults. We be sending everything here, in master Vaults."

"Thank you all." Say, Alex, giving each of them a 100 ml of Ashwine, to their greatest pleasure.

"Do master need something else?" Asked Spring.

"No that... Wait! Yes, there is. In the train of Hogwarts are two redheads, twins, sporting Gryffindor colour. There have something belonging to me. It had the appearance of a folded parchment. You should be able to feel Potter magic in it with at least three other, perhaps even Evans magic too. I want it back. Make sure not to be seen."

"Yes, master!" Say the elf seriously, after hearing that belonging of an Evans was in the hand of others, before popping away.

To Alex surprise, he returns not even five minutes later, with a folded and slightly worn parchment in hand. Taking it from Spring hand, he opens it before gliding a finger on its surface.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

At his word, the ink starts to bleed in the blank parchment, slowly drawing the empty halls of Hogwarts. Satisfied that it was the real deal, he closes the map, before it subit the same fate that the vanishing cabinet.

~~~

After he visited the bank and the Alley on the first September, ten days had passed. From the lack of threats of the Goblin Nation, Alex was comforted in his thoughts that he had been right and acted within his rights.

The lack of correspondence on Dumbledore side was assuring him that the man had still didn't though of the use of the simple letter, and he wasn't going to be the one to start the exchange. From the observation of the map, he discovers few changes from the cannon. The greatest one was when he caught the name of a certain Hermione Granger in the raven nest rather that lion den.

From the last edition of the prophet, no break happen in Gringotts, and since animals didn't appear on the map, he wasn't sure if the stone was indeed at Hogwarts, even if Quirellmort was. Even then, he would require a direct access to the castle wards to finish his own map.

He also learns that the public was growing everyday angrier at Fudge as their hero was still missing. Only the fact that the budget of the Aurors had been boosted and a couple of trainees had been added to their rank had quelled the revolt from the time being, even if it was only a short-time measure.

On his side, he had cracked the runes schemes of the trunk. It had been ridiculously easy since the wizards hadn't changed their concealing schemes from the last three hundred years, and the pattern and cracking method had been carefully registered in the warding section of the library.

From it and the trunks enchanted by Lily and the goblins, he had been able to isolate each of them, how they interact with each other and how to ameliorate them.

~~~

Using a part of Yggdrasil wood from the root, he crafts a 100*50*40 cm trunk, with three spaces in. The first was a multi-compartmented space for clothes, and three-time expanded. OPen when put up-right, creating a door-like opening, and the lid on the ground. The second, when placed on the same position, the top open on the left would turn into a small desk with a small bookcase in the lid. Like the first, it had a three-time expansion in, and double in the top. The third one was similar, only with the cover on the right side, with a simple potion lab and cabinet in the lid.

~~~

As September came to an end and October was half done, he finally receives a letter from Dumbledore, explaining in length that Hogwarts wasn't a prank, that he was magical, a little of his parents history and the laws in place who made mandatory for English young between eleven and twelve to start their education in Hogwarts.

Not wanting to push his luck, he sends a reply telling that he would be in Diagon Alley on the 25, ready to be taken to the School.

~~~

As the welcoming feast start, Dumbledore couldn't help but keep glancing at the Gryffindor table, where a particular young shone by its absence.

Says absence had been felt by all when the Deputy Headmistress didn't call the saviour of magical Britain. The red and gold table had been heavily impacted. Why? Simple, both his parent had been Griffondor, so it was given that he also would be one, right?

One of the most vocal, unhappy there was a young waste disposal system, who miraculously achieve the fact of whining at the absence of his best friend (everyone knows that Harry was raised muggle and thus couldn't have encountered him) and eating at the same time. Needlessly to say that those surrounding him rapidly made place around him, and in their stomach, either returning the little they ingurgitate or directly stopping to eat.

Once the meal finished and the advertisement of the Headmaster, warring a room full of children that the forbidden forest was off-limit, who would evidently do as says and keep far it, they were all sent to bed.

~~~

The following days would pass like the previous year. An abnormally since quite a good part of the castle was ready to gawk at the boy who lived, wanting to have a glimpse of the famous scar, evident proof that the boy lost his parents, turning him in an orphan.

What turned to be strange was that a pair of twins would be caught trying to set a prank, to the great joy of one Argus Filch.

Suffering deeply for the loss of the map they stole, pranking didn't turn as enjoyable than the previous two years when you would pass two days recuring slimy floors with a toothbrush for each prank.

~~~

Those two brothers were soon joined by their brother a week after his entry as first-year. The young boy had earned this detention for recklessly endangering his life and threatening the one of another, acting like a Gryffindorin sum, in his first flying lesson.

Without a Harry Potter to confront Draco Malfoy, and a Hermione Granger to try to stop him, the young weasel had stood to his albino cousin, when their flying professor was busy looking at one of her charges nearly killing himself, without acting.

What followed wasn't a place on the quidditch team as the youngest seeker, after a miraculous save. No, the affair turned into a great mess. Ronald, while trying to attract the spotlight on himself, as the Heir wasn't there, clumsily fly after Draco, who stole the fallen Rememberball of Neville.

After a five-year-old taunting on the boy who sees redder than his hair, the albino had only let go of his hold on the glass orb. While diving after it and trying to catch it, under the amused gaze of Draco, a clumsy foot smacked him in the face. Throwed off-balance by the sudden, and unpleasant encounter with say foot; he falls from his broom.

As the two boys plumed to the ground, one with a broom the other without one, while everyone else was trying to decide who screamed the most, the deputy Headmistress finally appears.

Thanks for her rapid reaction, the Malfoy scion was saved a few meters from the gravel-filled ground, while Ron pitifully misses the ball, who shatter at the impact point.

The Malfoy patriarch wanted to press charge for attempts of murder on the Heir of the Malfoy line, only stopped when Dowager Longbottom threaten to equally push for charges against the Heir Malfoy for stealing and destroying a Longbottom heirloom.

As the two back off, all was left was one Ronald Weasley. For his blatant rule-breaking and endangering of self and another, a 100 point was taken from Gryffindor by Snape, while McGonagall issue a ban for using a broom for his entire time at Hogwarts and a month worth of detention.

The already miserable and shunned boy receives a Howler of his mother the following day, who would have made laugh everyone if they didn't need to be treated for temporary deafness.

~~~

"A month had already passed, and so much excitement..." Start jovially, Albus.

"Excitement?" Raised Snape' a brow. "You call a near murder excitement Headmaster?" Drawl him, putting a damper on the monthly House head meeting.

"I had to agree with Severus, Albus, that affair had nothing of excitement!" Snap dryly, McGonagall.

"Ah, yes, my bad." Say Dumbledore, while stroking his bread, not looking sorry at all. " So I was saying, this had been quite a turbulent start of the year, Minerva?"

"Yes, I don't know if it is better or worst than last year. The Weasley twin's had more detention in a month than they had in the past semester. Add to that, the younger one..." Shaking her head at that particular family.

"The only good point his that those infernal brats hadn't been able to terrorise younger students yet." Sneer Severus.

"Severus..." Started Albus.

"No, Albus, I agree." Interrupted Pomona. " While it hadn't been much visible the previous year, those two had instilled a climate of fear among the new coming child. This had disrupted their ability to concentrate and lead to a few accidents. Should they start again, I will not stay without doing something!" Heatly says the Herbology professor, while Flitwick nod at her side.

The lemon addict couldn't help but sigh, knowing that if three of them band together, they would repress the twins.

"Very well, I will send a letter to their mother. I sure Molly would straighten them." Nod McGonagall at her colleague words, making everyone else wince in the room, knowing the say woman temper, and Howlers.

It was then, that out of nowhere, it tilted to Albus Dumbledore. Spurred by the letter and Howlers, an idea formed in his mind.

Around the table, all four looked strangely as the Headmaster, who seems to elsewhere, before the twinkling of his eyes sparkle. Unsure on how to take it, his Deputy tries to prob him lightly.

"Albus?" Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked back at the four fixings him with variate degree of uneasiness.

"Sorry, Minerva, I just remember something quite important, I count on you to give me the details of today meeting later, my dear."

On this, the man raises and exit the room under the flabergasted gazes of his four head of the house.

~~~

In the following days, the Hogwarts Headmaster would write a few letters, all returning unopened by confused owls who weren't able to locate the lost boy.

After nearly two weeks of seeing the wizard struggling, Fawkes would take pity of the man, and swoop in, taking the letter of his hands, before flamming away.

What the Phoenix didn't know was the wards around the island would not let magical being unregistered to access. Thank his status, he only bounced off a few meters while some would have submitted a far more painful refusal.

It was his squeak of indignation to be refused access who attract Winter, allowing the phoenix to leave the letter to a resident of the island, before returning and ignoring Dumbledore question, still sore at his last encounter.

~~~

To his joy, a response made its way to the ancient wizard' desk the following day. This joy was dampened by the fact that the boy had been made aware of the magical world in the last two and half months, and he didn't have a clue on to what he knows, other that he revealed in his letter.

From the wording, it would appear that he had already everything for Hogwarts, safe his wand, as he retrieved it from Ollivander the 2 September. That was the only good news, as he would have been unable to do magic without it. Not hearing of Garric also signifies that there hadn't been another wand matching him, confronting him in his thought that he was the chosen one.

Had it been before, he would have sent Hagrid, but the man had lost his utility, the stone had been sent back to the Flamel, the trap disabled and the third floor open. He plan was scrapped, and he would need to think of something else to make the two confront.

'I can't go too; the boy seems to still hold some grudge against me from that affair. I'm sure Minerva would be more than happy to do it, but... Yes, Severus will do. Knowing his previous feud with James, and the bitterness of losing Lily ... Yes, that will do. His bitterness would push him back to my hand. I have eight months and a half to regain his trust.

If all is made correctly, with Tom encounter toward the end of the year would be the last push need.'

Taking a Lemon drop to celebrate his soon-to-be hold on the boy, he allowed himself a short pause to appreciate the sweet-sour taste of the sweet and chose to wait for the evening of the 24 to warn Severus. Thinking that the unplanned reunion with the son of the man he hates would be a few points in his favour.

~~~

On the 24 October evening, Alex was putting the last touch to his trunk. His closet had been filled with casual clothes, for both winter and spring seasons. A few sets of plain robes for everyday wear. A pair of own-crafted dragonhide gloves, and a winter coat with silver fastening, the required cloth wear without the hat.

His desk had been equipped with the corresponding writing materials, curriculum books put in the bookshelf and his potion lab cabinet fully stocked. Closing the trunk, he shrinks it, placing it on Lily's gifted bracelet, now the only one there. Looking at the Yggdrasilwood bracelets on the opposite arm, a new carving had appeared. With the tree, crest, snake, hippogriff and kneazle was now the crest of Bloodbones clan, an inversed Warhammer in a tower shield. The hammer and shield were made of the goblin index claws, retrieved before they left the hands in the last Vault.

As the goblin was the last of his clan, he had effectively conquered one of the Goblin clan of Gringotts. To be sure not to alienate the rest of the bank, he had sent a letter to them, claiming the kill and the right to wear the vanquished goblin crest.

This had given back a little of Bloodbones honour, as his late adversary was willing to keep a remaining of the slain clan. Otherwise, it would have been cast off, creating a black mark to Gringotts for losing one of his founding clan without remaining.

This had gained him a little more respect for the Nation.

Looking around, he was saddened to have to quit the land for the sup-bar education of Hogwarts, but he didn't have a choice.

The money from his Vault added to the island, and the entire content of his pocket space emptied and sorted. What was left was a bar of 500 gold, silver and copper coins, just in case.

He had a large amount of pre-made meals put in is specific pocket space with stopped time, enough to last him until winter break, as he was unwilling to eat the greasy cooking of the castle elves. Autumn had been overjoyed when he requires for her to make him meals, until the time he returns. Those particular meals were put in bento box he crafted and put into three different crates.

A few tens of 25ml, 33ml and 100ml each, different fruits juices bottles, energy bars and cookies had also been stored; snack is essential too.

A fair amount of books from the library were also put there for him to read since he had space for them. Otherwise, he would ask Winter to bring some.

To finish, a vast amount of different materials on hand for him to craft tools.

~~~

The following day, he prepares himself, putting a pair of black slack, a white shirt and sky blue sweater with a pocket at the front, and a pair of newly crafted dragonhide boots. He didn't put his hood but did tie his hair the same way he had done them at the back, leaving his forehead and peripheric view free from hairs.

Putting his fake wand in his sleeve, he made his way to the kitchen. After a quick dinner, Frost jumped on Alex' right shoulder, his tail forming a scarf around his neck.

Looking at the cat from the corner of his eye, he asks "ready to go, Frost?" Receiving a double pat from the kneazle' paw on his shoulder, giving him the green light, he nods "then let's go. Autumn?"

Popping in, the poor elf sniffs a little, while tear threatens to fall from her eyes.

"Don't worry; I won't be far for long, only two and a half months. During this time, I count on all of you to guard the land. As for you, I will still require your service; I don't want the Hogwarts elves to touch my things, ok?"

The female elf brightens at this, nodding. "Yes, master, Autumn won't let silly elves touch master's."

"Thanks, I think we are ready to go then." Smile him back, before tending his hand to the little creature.