Chương 2: Going Prepared

The first thing he heard was the ringing of an old alarm clock. He opened his eyes and was surprised at the brightness that greeted him. As his eyes start to focus, he jumped up when he realized where he was.

Was it a trick, he pondered? Why was he in this place?

Alex had woken up in his old bedroom when he used to stay with his grandfather. Furthermore, he noticed that his body had shrunken down to that of a child.

This was impossible, he thought. He was in complete disbelief even when he saw his reflection in the mirror.

He took off his shirt to examine his body more closely. What has surprised him the most was the lack of scars that he accumulated over the years on his body.

He put his clothes back on and stepped out of the room. Slowly, he descended the stairs not knowing what to expect. Following the noises, he headed to the kitchen. There, he saw his grandfather preparing a simple breakfast.

He knew that his grandfather died shortly after he graduated from Hogwarts. But now, the old man was standing there in front of him.

Somewhere deep in his mind, he was starting to make sense of what was happening to him, but it was too far-fetched for him to admit.

He noticed the newspaper on the table and picked it up quickly. It was dated 'Saturday, 24th of July, 1982'.

The year 1982? Did he actually travel back in time?

He remembered that specific date. How could he forget? It was the day he got his Hogwarts letters and when his life changed completely. If he truly was back in the past, someone should be visiting them to deliver his invitation to Hogwarts.

"What has gotten into you, boy?" asked his grandfather standing before the stove. "Breakfast is not ready yet. Go and wash your face, then we can eat."

"Ah… yes, Grandfather. I was just – I'll get ready right away," Alex said.

Joseph Grey, his grandfather, was a stern man. He lived a very simple life after his wife passed away. The man was determined to live a quiet life until he got custody of his grandson when the boy's parents were lost in an accident.

Alex did not have many fond memories of his grandfather. He remembered the old man was very strict with little patience for children. But, he could now admit that his impression of the man was made from the perspective of a young child.

It was only in his adulthood that he appreciated what the man had done for him. His grandfather did right by him. He provided him with a place to come home to and food for a growing boy. Both things he learned to value later in life.

After going back to his room, he finally allowed himself to slow down and analyse his situation. He stood in front of the mirror, once more, still in wonder seeing his younger self in the reflection.

If he was really back, how exactly did it happen? The last thing he could remember was fighting against the Death Eaters while risking it all in the Forbidden Forest. Then, he conjured 'Fiendfyre' and that was it.

Did Hagrid successfully escaped with Harry?

He thought, for a moment, that everything had been a dream. But he remembered them so vividly. He remembered things that he wouldn't have known about had it never really happened.

And finally, there was the unmistakable magic inside him. It was wild and spontaneous, just like a child's. And yet, it was also more powerful like the magic of a trained wizard.

He decided that, even if it was some complex illusion, he had to act as if it was real and live his life accordingly until he had evidence that said otherwise.

But that was the biggest question in his mind. What exactly was this new life? Was he reliving his old life or was he living a different one?

No… he couldn't possibly act like his previous life didn't happen. This second chance was merely the continuation of his journey. What he had experienced before was just an earlier part of his life that he lived in a different timeline.

That was what it was, he realized, it was a different timeline and not a different life. He could take whatever he learned from that timeline, and use it to create a different future for himself this time.

He had to do things differently.

***

An hour after they had their breakfast, there was a knock on the door. If it was the visit that he was expecting, then that would convince him that he was not delusional.

Alex hurried up and opened the door. There, standing by the doorway, was Prof. McGonagall, Master of Transfiguration and Head of Gryffindor House at Hogwarts. Just as he hoped.

She was wearing a long green dress and carrying a leather purse. She looked like a lady in her 40's. However, Alex knew she was much older than that.

"Hello, ma'am. Can I help you?" asked Alex.

"Good morning. I am Prof. Minerva McGonagall. May I speak to your guardian?" she said. She maintained a respectful tone while being very straightforward.

"Please come inside, Professor. Let me just call my grandfather," Alex said before running to the living room where the old man was reading the papers.

"Grandfather, a lady is here to speak to you. Said she was a professor."

The old man stood up and greeted the professor. They went to the living room to discussed what she came for.

McGonagall didn't beat around the bush. She told them quite simply about the existence of magic and how Alex was a wizard, someone capable of magic.

His grandfather looked disbelieving for a moment, but the seriousness of Prof. McGonagall's face was not to be questioned. There was, indeed, some strangeness that kept happening around the boy. This 'magic' seemed to explain it all.

After the old man was convinced, the professor explained what Hogwarts was and how Alex was required to learn using his magic according to the laws of their world. Alex was sitting by the side as he listened to a conversation that he had heard long before. McGonagall was doing an exceptional job explaining things simply to a muggle. Obviously, she had done this a thousand times before.

"Well, if it would help him how to properly use his gifts, then it would be the right thing to send him to, um, Hogwarts, was it?" said his grandfather.

"Rightly so, Mr Grey," said the Professor. She handed his grandfather a slip of paper with the address of the 'Leaky Cauldron'. "Let us meet in front of the tavern at 9 am this Saturday. From there we will go to Diagon Alley where we can acquire all the things required for the young lad to attend Hogwarts. Just keep in mind that we will be going with other families to do our shopping," said the professor.

After saying her simple goodbye, the professor was gone. Alex was thankful that they lived in London. He didn't know how his grandfather would react if they had to travel a long way just to help him shop for his school things. He wondered how other muggle-born families who lived in Ireland or Scotland managed in their first visit to Diagon Alley.

***

A week had gone by and they arrived at the specified location for the meeting with McGonagall. He had to point out where the tavern was exactly before his grandfather could see it as it was hidden with a muggle-repelling charm. It seemed that McGonagall was already there along with another family.

Alex recognized the boy with the group who would eventually be sorted in Gryffindor. He decided to pay more attention to the other muggle-borns in his year this time around.

They waited for three more groups to show up before finally entering the tavern. Prof. McGonagall greeted the proprietor of the Leaky Cauldron before guiding everyone to the back area of the tavern where she tapped on a series of bricks on the rear wall of the yard.

The wall folded unto itself and everyone, except the professor, gasped in amazement. Alex even played along with the other kids.

The professor first led them to Gringotts Bank, explaining that they would have to exchange their British currency for Wizarding currency to use in Diagon Alley.

Just as he remembered, a wizard Galleon was equivalent to around 5 British Pounds. Alex realized that the rate of exchange would not change for 20 more years. He wondered who made this system. Unlike the British Pound, Wizarding currency did not have inflation. While the prices on the market could rise and fall depending on the supply and demand, a Gringotts Galleon was worth the same as it did for centuries.

The Goblins control the production and storage of Wizarding currencies and controlled how much gold was in circulation in the Wizarding World. Every muggle-born had probably wondered what the mineral value of a Galleon was in the muggle markets. However, they soon learned that melting them was a daunting task in itself as each Galleon was protected from tampering with enchantments that only the Goblins knew.

And just like anything enchanted by the Goblins, all Wizarding currencies were the property of the Goblin Nation according to them. The wizards were merely perusing their creations in accordance with their agreement with the Ministry of Magic.

Of course, that didn't stop wizards from wanting to hoard as many Galleons as they could.

Alex learned that buying their school supplies was very tedious. Since he and his grandfather were shopping with other families, they had to listen to every explanation from the shopkeepers whom they met.

The last stop they visited was Ollivander's Wands. Just as in the other timeline, the wand that chose him, as Ollivander would describe it, was a 10 ½ inches long red oak wand with unicorn hair as its core.

As he recalled from his meagre knowledge of wand lore, red oak wands were compatible with those who were quick thinkers, a great wand wood for fast spell-work and duelling. As for unicorn hair, it was known for its loyalty and dependability which made it ideal for charms, despite not being as powerful as dragon heart-string.

Alex was glad to be reunited with his wand that would see him through the end. He knew this to be true.

The total amount of money they spent with all that shopping was 150 Galleons. His grandfather gave him the remaining 50 galleons that they had left and told him that it was for him to use when he was in school.

Spending around 1,000 Pounds in one day may seem a lot, but it wasn't too bad considering it was for the entire school year. They only had to buy the supplies and uniforms as Hogwarts was a state-run school and tuition was free for all its students.

This was probably the reason why the Ministry could meddle in the affairs in Hogwarts. The wizarding school had an independent administration as it had preceded the Ministry and was always under the protection of some renowned wizard. That tradition was the only thing preventing the Ministry from outright dictating the affairs of the school. Of course with enough motivation, anyone could break that tradition.

***

Alex had a month to prepare for Hogwarts and he planned to make the most of it. The 'Trace', a detection charm for under-aged magic, was applied to every child during their first trip on the Hogwarts Express. So, this period before the term began was his only chance to use his magic freely until he reached his majority.

He asked his grandfather permission to go to Diagon Alley on his own. When he got to the Leaky Cauldron, he went to the back area straight away without speaking to anyone. He checked his surroundings before using a subtle Notice-Me-Not spell on his face so no one would recognize him.

No one paid him any attention by the time he entered Diagon Alley. To the people in the alley, he was just one of the shoppers going about their business. Those who happened to look at him directly would not remember what he looked like.

Unlike a Polyjuice transformation, his means of disguise was only a small illusion. He had to be very careful about drawing attention needlessly. Otherwise, the sighting of a lone child in the alley might spur someone to meddle in his affairs.

He turned into a small passage called Knocturn Alley and found the shop that he wanted to visit. Borgin & Burkes was the one-stop-shop for any shady wizards or witches. The shopkeepers there knew not to ask too many questions from their customers.

He went there to buy a book about the Mind Arts. He figured that the most important thing he could not risk being revealed was his knowledge of the most likely future.

Alex already had a rudimentary grasp of Occlumency which he learned after he graduated from Hogwarts. It surprised him that such a fundamental magical art was not taught at the wizarding school. His mental defences were basic at best, but it should allow him to detect any intrusions in his mind unless, of course, it was being done by a very skilled Legilimens.

He found a book that could help him on a dusty shelf in the back of the shop, 'Mind Arts: A Guide to its Practices and Ethics' by Eldred Worple. Alex paid 20 Galleons for the book. It was pretty expensive for one book, but he didn't complain.

Books on the Mind Arts were illegal. That was just one way how the privileged few kept the masses ignorant. After all, it was not illegal to teach it to someone, something Alex learned was done in Pure-blood families when the children were old enough.

Occlumency and Legilimency required a person to be in control of his or her emotions. That was something he would never be able to do the first time he went to Hogwarts. But with the mind of an adult and the experiences of someone who lived in the world of secrecy and lies, he was confident that he can be great with this particular branch of magic.

He went back to Diagon Alley where he found the store selling travelling equipment. Using his remaining Galleons, he purchased some pouches that were enchanted with Space-Expansion Charms. Those were always handy to have around.

***

During the following week, he spent a lot of time researching the criminal organizations in London. From news to gossips, he gathered whatever information he could. Sifting through it all was a good exercise in Occlumency.

Two weeks later, he sneaked out of the house after he was sure his grandfather had fallen asleep. He used 'Apparition' to go to Camden where he suspected a drug trafficking organization was active.

He arrived in the middle of a park, then he cast a Muggle-Repelling Charm on his clothes. He sneaked about in the shadows looking for any signs of a criminal organization.

He did this for three nights before he found a suspicious group of men stepping out of a car park. He happened to overhear some of their conversation that told him that his efforts had paid off. He followed the men to a building that served as their base.

He waited in the dark until 4 am watching if the activities of the people inside by casting 'Homenum Revelio' every ten minutes. This way, he could track the general location of everyone in the building.

While still under the effects of the Repelling Charm, he approached the entry door after seeing that the people inside had stopped moving around.

"Alohomora," he whispered pointing his wand at the doorknob. After a soft click, he knew that the 'Unlocking Charm' had done its job.

He turned the knob with his gloved hand as he moved to enter through the door. Two armed men in the immediate room noticed the door swinging open.

Before they could see clearly what had opened the door, Alex fired "Stupefy!"

Both thugs had fallen over, unconscious.

Alex walked over while being wary of anyone who heard the noise. Then. He cut their throats with a simple 'Severing Charms'. Just because they were muggles did not mean that he would be careless.

He did the same to five other people on the ground floor before heading to the upper level. It was all too simple, he thought. With the Muggle-Repelling Charm still active, no one there could notice him before it was too late.

When he reached the room of the leader, he found the man faced down on a desk asleep. The only light source in the room was the television, but the programming has ended. It wasn't showing anything but static.

Alex fired a Stinging Hex at the man to awaken him.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Alex said quickly.

The man stiffened while sitting on the chair with his eyes wide open.

Then, Alex approached, made sure that their eyes were meeting, and pointed the wand at the man's head.

"Legilimens!" he said, exerting more magic to it than any spells he cast that night.

It was the first time that he was using that spell on a person and he wasn't good in the art yet.

"Where are you keeping the money?" he asked.

The man could not reply as he couldn't move at all. However, using verbal prompts like that was enough to bring up the answer to the surface of the man's thoughts. This was the extent of Alex's skills with Legilimency at the moment.

After getting the information that he wanted, he killed the man with the same method as he did the others.

He stopped for a moment, looking at what he had done.

Even when he was destitute, living outside the law, in his past life, he had never thought about killing until that night in Hogwarts. Now, he had just killed several men so he could steal their money. He didn't even reconsider this plan. He just felt that it was the quickest way to acquire a large amount of cash.

There was no turning back now, he thought. He had vowed to make the most of his second chance. And he was learning that he would be willing to do this much for his goal.

He found the safe and opened it with a spell. There he found about 150,000 pounds in cash in assorted denominations. He quickly put them all in an enchanted pouch.

Before leaving, Alex took a used cigar from the table and dipped it in the blood of the dead man. He used it to write 'We are everywhere' on the wall, followed by a circle. Then, he made the cigar disappear with a simple 'Banishing Charm'. That should be enough for the police to suspect a vigilante group or a rival gang had raided this place.

Alex repeated the same operation twice in other locations the following week. He only stopped when the news was beginning to sensationalize his raids, calling it the works of a new criminal syndicate called 'The Circle'.

After his raids, he had 150,000 Pounds in cash and 50,000 Galleons after converting 250,000 Pounds in Gringotts. He stored most of the Galleons in his new vault while the other cash was separated into several enchanted pouches.

He went around Diagon Alley and bought whatever he thought was useful to him. He purchased a travelling trunk complete with space-expansion, feather-weight, shrinking, and security charms. He bought several sets of wizard outfit, so he wouldn't stick out too much every time he decided to go out in the Wizarding World. And, he also purchased all the books required for the 7-year curriculum of Hogwarts and some more advance reference books. He had already learned them, but he needed a refresher.

Only after all this, he felt prepared that he could make the most of his time in Hogwarts.