He rubbed his temple, a hint of frustration creeping into his voice. “The temperature-trol and energy-ste spells are nearing the experimental phase. And holy, if it weren’t for the gold I took from those pure-blood wizards, I wouldn’t even have the resources to keep going. The material costs alone are ridiculous.”

  Still, despite the criticisms he heaped on himself, Alex khe battle wasn’t without its gains. “Avis Protego spell exceeded expectations. Its versatility in bat, from attack to defense, is impressive. And I ’t further resear trol-type spells.” Unlike mainstream cssifications—ordinary spells, jinxes, hexes, and curses—Alex categorized magic based on the fual ruhey employed: trol, elemental, alteratioal, soul, bloodline, and fht. He’d also discovered that space-time magic, despite its advanature, stemmed from trol-type runes, so he grouped it into the trol system.

  His Avis Protego spell roduct of this research. The summoned ravens not only had signifit individual strength but also operated under a stroal link with Alex. This allowed him to and them to perform plex tasks—attag, defending, retrieving items, or even transmitting messages. He was w on adding a long-distance surveilnce feature, but the teical challenge of “shared vision” roving tricky. The ravens’ current range was less than a kilometer, but even within those limits, the spell had shown immeential. During the battle, the flock had withstood over a dozen hexes while providing critical tactical support.

  His elemental spells had also proven their worth. Obscurifumus disrupted enemy vision, while the bination of Aguamenti and Freezing Charm created effective terrain obstacles. Alex had designated elemental magic as his sed training priority, though even with this system, time straints loomed over him.

  “There’s never enough time,” Alex muttered, shaking his head. “Researg and optimizing spells, upgrading equipment, and practig teiques takes up everything. I barely have a moment to breathe.”

  The Christmas holidays passed quickly. Alex spent the break secluded in his hut, refining his spells and enjoying brief moments of leisure by cooking and chatting with Hagrid.

  On the first day of the erm, Alex returo the Slytherin on room. It didn’t take long for Rozier to show up, carrying a rge bag and wearing a hesitant expression.Alex smirked as Rozier stepped into his room. “So, have you and your little friends finally accepted the reality of your situation?”

  Rozier stiffened but forced a grin, his eyes flig to the bag in his hand. “We’re ready to iate.”

  Alex chuckled, gesturing for him to take a seat. “Good. Let’s talk business.”

  “They’re not fools, you know. Problems that be fixed with money won’t spiral out of trol. I’ve done everything you asked me to do. Here’s the list.” Rozier handed Alex a piece of part, his mood visibly better than usual.

  Alex unfolded the part and sed it briefly. “Hmm, Travers still hasn’t learned his lesson. By the way, have all the madness-ced potions beeroyed?”

  Rozier nodded quickly. “I only slipped some into Yaxley’s batch. Once he drank it, he tossed the bottle away, but I retrieved it that same day. You don’t o worry about any loose ends—it’s .”

  Alex gave an approving nod. Rozier had shown a good sense of restraint, which was rare. Maybe this guy was worth training further.

  With that mess out of the way, Alex turned his attention to the day’s earnings. The young wizards under his ‘prote’ had paid up quite holy this month. After double-cheg everything, he ted 200 gold Galleons and six rare magic books. Flipping through the titles, Alex’s lips curved into a faint smile. The books tained unique knowledge he hadn’t e across before, and the haul left him in a good mood.

  “Huh?” Alex paused, his expression sharpening. “Why are there only 16 shares here? Eighteen of them took part iack that day, and with you, Rozier, that makes 17. Who’s missing?”

  Rozier hesitated, clearly unfortable. “It’s Yaxley,” he admitted relutly. “He’s run off.”

  “Run off?” Alex raised an eyebrow, though he didn’t look particurly surprised.

  Rozier nodded. “Yeah. He’s been gone sihat day and hasn’t tacted anyone since. My guess? He bolted out of fear. Using the Unfivable Curse isn’t a small thing, and with Aurors hunting dowh Eaters worldwide, he probably figured his ces were better if he vanished.”

  Alex leaned ba his chair, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. “Smart move. If he hadn’t run, why would I have goo the trouble? The fact that he didn’t even try to retrieve his wand shows he khe stakes. He’s more decisive than I expected. Still...” His voice trailed off as he tapped his fingers on the desk, thinking. “Keep an eye on Travers. See if he has any tact with Yaxley. That guy won’t let things go so easily.”

  “I uand, but no one seems to have any idea where that guy is now. I even asked around during Christmas, but his family doesn’t seem to know anythiher,” Rozier said, frowning slightly.

  “Stay cautious. It’s better to be prepared than caught off guard,” Alex replied. Reag into his interspatial bag, he pulled out a rge bundle of wands and hahem to Rozier. “These belong to those boys. Return them. Once I’ve finished copying these books, I’ll send back the inals. Make sure they uand that I keep my word and expect them to do the same.”

  Rozier aking the wands. His eyes lit up slightly when Alex handed him 20 Galleons. “This is your share. Don’t let yuard down. Keep a close wat everyone involved.”

  The hint of a smile broke across Rozier’s face at the sight of the money, and he quickly agreed to Alex’s instrus. After Rozier left, Alex turned his attention to Yaxley’s wand.The wand’s body was crafted from a rich, brown sorbet wood with a dragostring core, measuring 11 inches. It felt well-banced and in excellent dition. Alex smirked as he exami.

  “Looks like your master abandoned you,” he said softly, spinning the waween his fingers. “No matter. From now on, you’re my backup. Let’s hope you’re more reliable than your previous owner.” As for Yaxley himself, Alex felt fident he had joined up with other Death Eaters. It art of his pn, after all, and everything roceeding as expected.

  Meanwhile, in the headmaster’s office at Hogwarts, a different versation about Yaxley was taking pce. “So, Yaxley is still unated for?” Dumbledore asked, feeding Fawkes a treat.

  “Yes,” Snape replied, his voice calm but sharp. “After he cast the Killing Curse ohat day, I suspected something was off. I followed him when he left but never fronted him directly. Instead of going back to his family, he disappeared in Diagon Alley. I’ve been trag him since, using sensory spells to narrow his location, but I haven’t pinned him dow. Someone must be helping him.”

  “As I feared,” Dumbledore said, sighing. “It seems the exiles are still active. If Yaxley sought them out instead of his family, it’s clear he’s pletely lost his way.”

  Snape sneered. “Yrowing soft, old man. Why waste sympathy on someone who’s likely headed straight for the Death Eaters?”