After that prologue meant to introduce my OC, here we plunge into the action and get back to Harry.

Remember this is a Harry that lived a very different sixth and seventh year in Hogwarts and whose fight with Voldemort went very differently....

Hope you'll like it.


Chapter One: An Owl, a dream, and a Piece of News


2002
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London
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London City was waking up, slowly, and in the case of the tenant of 14, Carnaby Street, with some difficulties. The coffee helped, but still, he really wasn't a morning person, these days. He had been used to early wake-ups for years, but his job had recently turned him into a late sleeper. But it had been difficult not to wake up with the noise of passers-by, right below his windows. One of the only drawbacks of living in such an active neighbourhood.
The man was a terrible case of bed hair, but yet it was usual with him. He had always experienced the worst trouble when trying to tidy his hair up. It was a hopeless case, so he had just given up. He was a lean, yet muscular young man with jet black hair, striking green eyes and round glasses. To everyone, he would have looked as an athlete of some kind. The thing that would draw curiosity when looking at him was a lightning shaped scar right on his forehead. If that scar seemed strange to the Muggles living in Carnaby Street, they would be in for a serious shock, if they found out that this man was actually a wizard... and not only a wizard but one of a kind.
Harry Potter was taking his breakfast when a bird suddenly flew through the kitchen window. The Owl landed softly on the table. Harry took the three parchment envelopes from the clutches of the bird, and gave it a piece of his toast. The owl let out a grateful hoot, and then flew out the wide open window, disappearing across London sky.
He hadn't opened the envelope addressed to him that he heard some steps over his head.
“What is it, Harry?” Ron Weasley’s voice came from upstairs.
“Mail,” Harry answered. “And there are letters for you two, as well.”
Ron joined him in the kitchen, looking surprised. Ron was taller, stockier and he looked in quite a better shape than his best friend. He was fully dressed up, contrasting strongly with Harry's outlook, since he was still in his sleeping attire. He looked at his friend with a wince.
“Rough wake up?” he asked.
Harry groaned something indistinct, handing out the letters addressed to Ron and his wife, respectively.
“Who could have known they had to send your mail here?” he asked.
Ron shrugged as he looked at the letter.
“Fred and George know we're visiting you, but that’s all,” he said. “Those are from Hogwarts.”
Harry nodded, surprised as well to recognize the crest of his former school on the back of the envelope.
“So, what keeps your dear wife upstairs?” Harry asked, with a sly grin across his face, as he was tearing the envelope open.
“Bathroom. Women and their look,” Ron groaned. “How it can take so much time is just beyond me.”
“You’ve got to understand her,” said Harry. “All girls want to be attractive,especially for their man. Don't say you complain about that.”
“I don't, but she knows she’s attractive to me!” Ron objected. “I married her, right?”
Harry’s grin only grew wider. He knew better than to believe Ron's complaints about his wife's little quirks.
The subject of the conversation, Hermione Granger-Weasley, entered the kitchen at this very moment. She was fully dressed as well, ready for her day, and as far as Harry was concerned, the time she spent in the bathroom wasn’t a waste of time at all. She was positively gorgeous in her elegant robes, her chestnut hair nicely groomed.
“Hi, Harry,” Hermione said, smiling. “Slept well?”
“Yes, m’dear,” Harry replied, smiling over a yawn. “It's not the sleeping that's a trouble. It's waking up. Coffee?”
“I’ll get it,” Ron said as Hermione nodded, pouring two cups and handing the first one to his young wife, while Harry resumed the opening of the letter, a task made very complicated by his current state.
Ron and Hermione had been married for a year now. They had spent a few years dating, and then living together, while Hermione had undergone additional studies after Hogwarts. After that, she had started what could be called a meteoric ascension in the Ministry's Department of Law. Last year, at Christmas, Ron had finally picked up the courage to propose to the girl he had been in love with since he was Fourteen. Harry remembered quite well that evening. His doorbell had ringed furiously, at 10 PM, and the second he had opened the door, it was to see Hermione and Ron, their faces glowing like the rising sun. He hadn’t needed any explanation and he had simply congratulated them warmly, before to invite them in for a glass of champagne.
Harry smiled at this memory.
He went back to the letter. What he read made his mind go into full stop.
“Wow! Hey listen up”.
He read the letter aloud for his two friends, who had still not touched theirs..

To Mister Harry Potter
Dear Hogwarts graduate,

It is my great pleasure to announce you that this year for the first time in centuries, at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be held the first Reunion of ancient students. This is a way to help the current students to find their way in their future life by taking advantage of your experiences.
I hope to see you all at this great event, which will take place at Hogwarts, on Halloween. The Reunion will last two days.
In order to ease the preparation, you would be kind to signal your coming by sending back an owl before the start of this term, September the first. The guests will get to Hogwarts by the Hogwarts Express, on October the 30th.

Yours Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore,
(Headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Order of Merlin, Grand Master, grand Sorc., Chief Warlock, Supreme Mungwump, International Confederation of Wizards)

PS: I really hope to see you there, Harry. It’s been too long and the two of us have something to discuss. Nothing that should cause you any worry, though.

“That’s fantastic!” exclaimed Hermione.
She had opened her letter and soon, it appeared that the three of them had gotten the same invitation.
“Yeah, that’d be cool,” Ron acquiesced. “What do you think Harry? You think you’ll be there?"
“Getting back to Hogwarts?” Harry said with a smile. “How could I say no?”
The idea of getting back to the first place he had ever been happy in his life was delightful. He suddenly couldn’t wait for Halloween to come.
“I’ll have to arrange with the Ministry,” said Hermione, thoughtfully. “To take a day off”
“Given all the people who attended Hogwarts in the Ministry, who will be left there?” chuckled Ron. “Haven’t you got a game planned at that date?” he asked suddenly to Harry.
Harry shook his head. Harry's team was supposed to play Glasgow just before Halloween.
“That’s two days before Halloween,” he said. “No problem with that.”
“Imagine, seeing all the old faces again!” Hermione was excited.
“Relax, honey,” said Ron with a smile. “It’s only in one month.”
“No wonder the owl knew it would find you here,” said Harry. “Dumbledore has a knack at knowing where is anyone at any time. So! What are your plans for today?” he asked.
Ron and Hermione had spent the last few days in his flat, during a break Hermione was taking from work. London wasn't an exotic location for them, as they both worked in the city, but the three of them liked to reunite like that from time to time. Harry was sometimes passing long week ends at the Burrow, Ron's home.
“We go and visit Fred and George in Diagon Alley,” said Ron. “Want to join us? Don’t tell me you’ve got Practice today, it’s Sunday! And you’re on vacation!”
“I can join,” Harry said with a grin. “I haven’t seen them in months.”
“Tsk, tsk. You live in London and you don’t even consider paying a visit to old friends? Shame on you, Harry Potter. Shame on you!” Ron teased.
Harry refused to rise for the bait. The fact was that he had been quite busy, this season.
His Quidditch team, the London Falcons may have won the National Cup this year, but it had needed weeks of training, to bring back the team at this level.
Originally located in Falmouth, the Falcons had been a team hovering low in the ranks of the Quidditch League. After Voldemort had returned, then Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge had tried to divert the public's attention by developing the League and increasing the number of teams in the run for the Title. Falmouth had managed to get a second team of players in the League and one group of Falcons moved to London, each one keeping the name. If the Falmouth Falcons had been spared by the war, the London Falcons had sadly lost one of their best Seekers during the fighting. Harry’s arrival in the team ended an awful series of defeats and a long streak of bad luck. They had risen again in the ranks, going as far as winning the Cup, this year. But it had a price and this was the first real vacation Harry had been able to take in six months.
But today, he had no emergency, no appointment, and no practice. His best friends had still three days to spend with him, he was going to lunch with the Weasley twins and he was going back to Hogwarts for Halloween.
Harry still wasn't a morning person, but he had a great day ahead of him.

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Russia
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A corridor was opening in front of him. A place that was familiar. Oddly familiar. Why was he back to Hogwarts? He hadn’t seen the Castle since his graduation, ten years ago.
The wide Corridor was dark, except for the few torches lighting a path toward a door that he didn’t know. This was a part of the Castle he couldn’t remember. It was strange. Everything seemed to be a little out of focus, like he would see through a fog. But at some point of the dream, his vision cleared.
He was standing in front of a door. A dark door made of cold steel. He shivered. How could he know this was cold? He didn’t feel a thing.
This was getting creepy. His heart was beating faster, he could sense a feeling of emergency, as if he had to stop everything before it was too late. But he didn’t have any control on what was going on!
The door cracked and opened slowly, with a loud creaking. And beyond the door, he saw a strange whirl of light, spinning endlessly in the darkness of the room. As he made one step forward, he suddenly felt a force surrounding him. Something he never experienced before. The force was pulling him into the room. He suddenly felt the urge to fight this pull. But the more he resisted, the stronger it grew.
And there was a voice. No, not a voice. His voice. His own voice was calling behind him. He turned his head and saw himself standing in the corridor. He was shouting something, but he couldn’t hear it. Something hit him on the back of his head, knocking away his glasses.
Glasses? He never had glasses in his life! Was he seeing things through somebody else?
Just before his vision faded away, he managed to understand what his double was screaming.
“HARRY!!”

Alexander Lockenburn woke with a start, his entire body covered with cold sweat. He looked around, and recognized his hotel room, in a small town of Russia. He took a deep breath, as he tried to remember his dream. Somebody lured into a trap or something. And he was trying to help him, but he was too late.
A Dream. Another one. The second in two weeks. But it was clearer this time. Whatever the meaning of the vision was, it was getting closer. Soon, events would set in motion and converge toward that moment he had seen in the vision.
A curious thing came back to Alexander as he was trying to grasp at the remains of the dream. It had taken place in Hogwarts. And it involved somehow Harry Potter.
Alexander got up. He walked to his window, opening slowly the curtains. He couldn’t see anything, except for the dark outlines of the trees, standing against the moon light. What hour could it be?
He was still trying to sort out his thoughts about this dream. Was it a warning? A premonition? Or a hallucination? He never was too good in Divination. He wasn’t subject to hallucinations. But he had gotten warnings like that for most of his life. It had led him to face his greatest challenge ever. The most vicious fight he had to go through.
And throughout the years, he had dreamed of Harry Potter. It was something he had never been able to explain. Why was he dreaming of Potter,when he barely knew him? He kept having visions of Harry's life, where he had lived during childhood, when he had faced Voldemort, and other moments of Harry's life. He had discussed it with his teachers and they were at a loss as how to explain it, either. Since Voldemort's defeat, Alexander has only dreamed of short flashes about Harry. But now they were happening more often, as if the urgency was growing with time.
He had always been careful with his dreams. And this one felt strangely similar to the one he had five years earlier, when he had to face Morgenstein.
But what to do with this one?
His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of an Owl out the window. It was a screech owl. It was carrying a letter. Alexander snapped and his window slid open, letting the night bird through. It landed on his bed. Alexander took the Letter. He looked at the seal. His mind made a full stop. What the…?
A letter from Hogwarts. It couldn’t be a coincidence! He tore it open and read it. He recognized the handwriting. It brought many memories in his mind.

To Mr Alexander Lockenburn.
Dear Hogwarts graduate,

It is my great pleasure to announce you that this year for the first time in centuries, at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be held the first Reunion of ancient students. This is a way to help the current students to find their way in their future life by taking advantage of your experiences. It is my belief that your very personal history would be a great thing to share with some of the young students.
I hope to see you all at this great event, which will take place at Hogwarts, on Halloween. The Reunion will last two days.
In order to ease the preparation, you would be kind to signal your coming by sending back an owl before the start of this term, September the first. The guests will get to Hogwarts by the Hogwarts Express, on October the 30th.
I really hope to see you there, Alexander. A few things came up that I would like to discuss with you.

Yours Sincerely,
Professor Minerva McGonagall
(Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Order of Merlin first Class)

Alexander reread the letter. It was a simple invitation, but he could sense that Professor McGonagall was really urging him to be there on Halloween. In any other circumstances, he would have skipped the party, and he would have simply made a short trip to Hogwarts, to meet his old teacher. He didn’t like great reunions, and he didn’t feel like telling young students about his own achievements. It would feel a little strange. It would be great to see his friends again, but he wasn't very keen on huge feasts, with hundreds of people around.
Yet, he had received that letter just two minutes after having a really worrying dream about Hogwarts and Harry Potter. This changed everything. So much for the eclipse he was here to see. His next stop would be England. He felt that he needed to check a few things before to get back to Hogwarts. It would be a good idea to check out things a little, before Halloween, to catch up with his home country.
Unable to go back to sleep, Alexander began to pack up his things back in his travel bag.
All of this was very disturbing.


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London, two days later
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“How’s your coach reacting to your decision?” Fred asked.
Harry, Ron and Hermione were having lunch in the Waving Wand restaurant with Fred and George Weasley. The room was full, and the food was excellent, as usual. They were discussing the last development in Harry's Quidditch career.
“She wasn’t pleased,” Harry said. “The qualifications begin during the regular season. So I’ll have fewer breaks than the other players. She’s afraid that I will get exhausted before the season ends. But how could I say no? You can’t refuse to play in National Team.”
“The World Cup is ours, this year,” said George. “Even the Irish squad can’t stop us to get it! Not with Harry Potter as the Seeker. Who else is on?” he asked enthusiastically
“Angelina’s been picked from the Wimbourne Wasps,” Ron said. “They got Roger Davies from Puddlemere, along with Walter Cunningham, from the Cannons. I don’t know who the beaters will be; but probably the pair from Liverpool. They’re pretty good,” Ron said. “And Wood’s the Keeper, of course. After his last three seasons, they couldn't keep him out of it. Three from the old winning squad! Nobody stands a chance against that!”
“How come you know so many on the team’s line-up, Ronnie?” asked George.
“Well, you remember the guy who filled in for Ludo Bagman, when he disappeared?”
George nodded.
“His name is Baelish Worthington, and he's pretty good at his job,” Ron went on. “He asked Dad’s department some advice on how to settle the qualifications matches without getting Muggles in the way. Dad and I spoke about it, I don’t know, maybe two weeks ago.”
Mr Weasley was now the Head of a new department, called Department of the Magic Protection. It aimed at guaranteeing protection to both Muggles and Wizards against any misuse of Magic. No need to say it was far more respected than his previous position.
“How’s the work going, ‘Mione?” asked Fred.
“Oh, quite well. The Department of Magical Law is going under a serious rebuilding, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.”
“When will you at last accept the promotions they offer you, by the way?” Harry said. “You could do great things in the Head Office.”
“I think it’s a bit too early,” Hermione replied humbly. “And besides, I really don’t like this man who’s just gotten the Head position. There’s something I don’t feel with this man”.
“Who is it?” asked Harry.
“A man named Devin Stiller,” Ron said. “I had to deal with him once, on an Intervention. We had to undo a Curse on one of his rooms, in his personal Manor. He said he didn’t know where it came from. I’m not sure it was an accident, though.”
Ron was working full-time for the Order of the Phoenix, which had evolved from a secret Society to a completely legal organization, with salaries and benefits, since it took over the task of monitoring and fighting the effects of the Dark Arts of all kind. Some claimed that they were over stepping on the jurisdiction of the Aurors, but many also felt safer knowing the Order was out there. Their ranks was expanding as well. Harry's friend Remus Lupin had started to get more and more responsibilities in the structure, as Albus Dumbledore was delegating his authority, in order to preserve the Order's independence. The legal status of the Order had been debated for weeks in the Wizengamot. And now, an intervention by Ron on behalf of the Order was in fact written down and kept for legal purpose.
“An accident with Stiller? Not a chance!" said Fred.
“You know him?” Hermione asked.
“He was one year ahead of Percy. Slytherin.” He paused to roll his eyes. “A filthy rich boy, a lot like Malfoy, in my opinion. But he was a brilliant student. Prefect, and all that stuff. He’s a bloody ambitious man. But the only thing that kept him in the Ministry was that his parents had been fighting You-know-who. Sorry, Harry, Voldemort.”
Harry had a little smile. Five years after his final victory against the Dark Wizard, the name had still some power left, and he was doing his best to help his friends and whoever he could mention Voldemort with to overcome this fear.
“So you think he’s not trustworthy?" Hermione asked.
“He’ll do his job, alright,” said Fred. “But he’s aristocratic in his views. He wouldn’t want you in his Office anyway, Hermione. No offence meant, dear, but you’re still a Muggleborn.”
“After all she had done against Voldemort?” Harry and Ron both exclaimed.
Everybody laughed at the protestation. Hermione smiled and gave a kiss on the cheek to both of them. Ron put his arm over her shoulder.
“As if he would care about these things,” George said. “He’s ambitious. He lives for Politics and his old idiot beliefs. You could have saved the world from a giant fire Dragon, if you aren’t on his side, you’re nothing. And if you’re a Muggleborn, forget it! The problem is that the underlying issue remains. Some still believe in the blood's purity and all that nonsense. Let me give you some advice, Hermione. I heard you were offered a place in Hogwarts, once. Take it!”
Hermione blushed. Ron was looking at her, his eyes like two galleons. Harry must have looked the same way.
“Hermione!” Ron said, in disbelief.
“Well, it wasn’t really serious, I think,” Hermione said. “Professor McGonagall wrote a letter to me, two months ago. She said there was going to be a new Arithmancy teacher, next year. She told me that with my background, I could take the job, if I wanted it. I told her I’d think about it.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!” Ron said.
“Well, I want to be sure of what I want before I take any decision,” Hermione said. “And when I got my letter, may I remind you that you were in Egypt, having a ball with your dear brother?”
Ron stopped his complaint at once. Hermione had a triumphant smile. Ron and Hermione had gone through a huge fight over this matter. As a member of the Order of the Phoenix, Ron had been tasked with chasing some monster escaped from a secret illegal magical laboratory. Its trace had led him to Egypt, where he and his brother Bill had a rather violent fight with a mix of Chimera and Dragon. At no time he had told Hermione about this, until she had read it in the Daily Prophet. Ron’s return back home hadn’t been the safest part of the adventure. To avoid any more screaming, Ron decided never to mention the subject again. And Hermione knew it. The best way for her to prevent Ron to voice any complain was to bring up the matter.
“So,” Said Harry. “Are you coming to Hogwarts, in Halloween?”
“You think we’d miss that?” Fred said. “We wondered why Dumbledore insisted on giving us the diploma from Hogwarts, but now we find a use in it. We’re graduates, so of course we'll be there!”
“I wonder how they will manage to house everyone who will come back to the school,” Harry said.
“You know, I’m not sure every student will come back. So many people are living abroad, after Hogwarts. And there’s some people who simply won’t be able to make it,” Hermione said.
“I bet there won’t be many Slytherins showing their faces there,” said Ron with a grin.
An owl interrupted their conversation, as it dropped the Daily Prophet on Hermione’s lap, and flew away, in a swift move, after she had paid it.
“You took the any-where-delivery-option?” Fred noticed.
“Yes, in case there would something important,” Hermione said with a serious face.
“Blimey! Look at that!” Ron said, reading over her shoulder.
“What?” Hermione said, with an anxious look on her face.
The article Ron was showing was a small insert.

THE FAMOUS SEEKER BACK IN HER COUNTRY FOR THE WORLD CUP
A public statement Made yesterday by Mr Xing Yeng, the Coach of the Chinese Quidditch team has said that miss Cho Chang, currently Seeker for the Puddlemere united Club, will be playing for her birth Country for the World Cup.
Miss Chang has confirmed these rumours today. She will however continue to play for her Club for the regular Season, for the relief of her British fans.
The next Game the Chinese team will play will be against the Russian Squad. And in the first weeks of spring, Miss Chang will have to face her own public, when she will face the British team.


“Looks like you will face her twice this year, Harry,” Ron said.
He caught the look on his wife’s face. “What?” he asked.
“When I said “Important,” I meant something that could force us to get back to the office, Ron, not Quidditch news!” Hermione say, seemingly annoyed.
“But this is important,” Ron objected. “That’s Harry’s career”.
Hermione was about to reply when she realized he got her on this one. She stayed there, mouth agape, for a moment, before to compose herself.
“Alright, you got a point, darling,” she admitted with a smile.
"Yes!” Ron yelled in rejoice. “I love it when I win!”
He kissed Hermione on the cheek, which made her giggle.
“Maybe because that happens so rarely,” Harry said under his breath so only George and Fred caught it.
The three of them burst into laughing.


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Alexander entered his garden. He looked all around him with an incredibly warm feeling of homecoming. It had been years since he had come here for the last time. Each time he had come back in England, he had met his parents in London, but he had never had the time to really come home, in their house in Kent. The garden was still as well kept as ever. Alexander smiled. His mother took care of her flowers as well as she had taken care of her own son.
He saw her mother by the kitchen window, and went to knock at the glass. She jumped in fright but her face lit up as soon as she saw him. She rushed suddenly outside to hug him tightly.
“Oh, my goodness,” she said after a long moment of hugging and kissing. “You could have warned us! Your father is out for work! Oh, it’s so good to see you!”
“I thought I had to drop by,” Alexander said with a smile.
Chandra looked up on him.
“I thought you were staying in Russia for that eclipse?” she said. “Did anything go wrong?”
“No,” he reassured her. “’ I just received a letter from Hogwarts.”
“Ah yes, the Reunion. We got our letter as well,” his mother said. “But it’s in a month!”
“I had a strange feeling about the reunion. I think I have to be there, but first I want to catch up with things a little. I was away for a long time.”
“Yes you were,” Chandra said. “Come on, don’t stay outside. I made some tea”.
“How come you’re not at work?” asked Alexander.
“I’ve got a day off,” explained his mother. “The three next issues are all lined up, so they didn’t need an article today.”
Chandra was working for the Herald, a magazine, which was dealing with wizard information. It was a lot more serious than the Quibbler, without being as policed as the Daily Prophet.
“And how’s Dad?” asked Alexander.
“Busy!” Chandra said with a wince. “He’s after a bunch of young dimwits who fancy themselves as dark wizards, and they try to play in the same categories as Death Eaters. They’re nothing compared to the original ones, but they still give the Aurors a lot of work. Thanks to the Order of the Phoenix, they got some help from Alastor Moody, and Nymphadora Tonks. That did a lot to discourage these wannabes.”
Alexander sniggered. Moody and Tonks were two legends of the Second War. He didn’t think there were many people willing to face them in combat.
“I heard something about you, last week. You were said to be in Siberia, fighting a horde of trolls.”
Chandra’s look was worried. Alexander dismissed her fears with a shrug.
“There were four of them. And none of them could get close enough to do me any harm,” he said. “Nothing to worry about.”
“I’m sure you would have told me,” she said. “But the way I see it, the newspapers try to find another hero, now. They discovered that heroes are selling, since Harry Potter got rid of Voldemort. And then they found out about you. They still try to make a hero out of you.”
“They won’t succeed,” Alexander said. “I can’t imagine how Harry’s coping with it. And I didn’t achieve the tenth of what he had done.”
“Harry would be far better away from all of this. At least, papers begin to talk more about his Quidditch victories than about his heroic features. I can’t imagine him loving all this attention. If he’s like Lily, he wouldn’t.”
“I guess you’re right. He didn’t seem too pleased about all the honours he got at school. But anyway, what’s up with the league? I lost track of the Quidditch months ago.”
“Boys,” sighed Chandra, but then she smiled. “The Falcons have won this Championship. That was a close shot, although. Puddlemere and Chudley were really close behind. But given the Falcon rank last year, that’s a huge work. I heard Harry Potter was the Seeker for the national team, for the World cup.”
“Great,” said Alexander. “Dad must be pleased”.
Since Harry Potter joined the League, Damien was his greatest fan. He often said that Potter was the best Seeker he had ever seen. He compared him to Lynch and Krum, the two most brilliant Seekers of the past decade.
“And now for the ill news,” said Chandra, with a grim look. “Devin Stiller has been chosen as the next head of the Department of Magical Law.”
“You’re kidding me!” Alexander exclaimed. “That snake, in the ministry? What are they thinking?"
“Remember that the Stillers have an excellent reputation,” said Chandra.
“Yes, but most of them deserve it,” said Alexander. “ Where was Devin when Voldemort returned? Even his grandfather was here for the second round, and this asp was laying low in the grass, waiting for all of this to be over”.
“Calm down, son,” said his father’s voice, through the window, as Damien apparated in the garden.
He didn’t seem surprised to see him at all. The day Alexander would succeed in surprising his father would be an event. He greeted his father warmly, and Damien joined them around the tea set. Soon the subject went back on Devin.
“He’s an ambitious fellow, that’s for sure,” Damien said. “But I don’t think he’s as dangerous as let’s see… Malfoy, for example.”
“I know that, Dad,” Alexander said. “Lucius was a public menace and a poisonous snake. But Devin gets undeserved credit on his family name. I mean, look at the Weasley children. They could all have a place in the Ministry, thanks to their actions against Voldemort. But, look. Bill’s still in Egypt with his wife, Charlie goes on with his dragon studies, the twins are ruling a joke shop, and Ginny writes for the Daily Prophet. And Ronald, the one who had done the most still works with the Order. It took Dumbledore to force the Weasleys to accept a posthumous Order of Merlin first class for Percy. As for the Stillers, they never asked for any honor, after the war. And now Devin, the worst coward of my school year is using his name to get ahead? He really has some nerve.”
“You’re right, dear,” said Chandra. “But honestly, you shouldn't worry too much about that.”
“I'm not,” said Alexander. “It irritates me more than it worries me”.
He saw the Daily Prophet beside his father.
“What news?” he asked.
“Oh yeah,” Damien said. “I saw it at work. I don’t know how they did it, but they already know you’re back. That’s how I knew you were here. Look.”
He showed him a very small insert on the third page, in the rumours section.

GLIMPSE OF THE ENTROPIST
According to some rumours, Alexander Lockenburn would have been seen back in England.
Known by many people as the most powerful and the most mysterious wizard of his generation, the Entropist could not be joined to state what business brings him back in his home country after years of absence.
No doubt it is an important matter.

“They’d have a heart attack if they knew I’m only back for a student Reunion,” said Alexander, with a vicious grin.
“Why do they say you’re always up to something important?” said Chandra in exasperation.
“Because they can, Darling,” said Damien. “Alexander is a mysterious character for the press. He could be very well plotting to take over the world or save it from annihiliation, for all they know. And that’s the kind of stuff that sells paper. They like the mystery about Alexander.”
Alexander sniggered again. This attention he was the centre of remained really limited, compared to what Harry Potter had to endure daily.
He couldn’t keep his mind off Harry very long. Maybe because of the news, but more surely because of his dreams. He was pretty sure that Harry wouldn’t miss this reunion at Hogwarts. He’d had many friends at school, if he remembered well. An occasion to see them again was enough to drag Harry Potter anywhere, even if it was into the spotlight.
And Alexander would make sure he would be there if anything was to happen in Hogwarts.




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That's it for today. in the next chapter, a little quidditch and a big reunion...

Next: Back on the Hogwarts Express


Harry and the Seal of Chaos © Entropist, September 2004, rewrite October 2011