The vest didn’t just provide mana storage. It was equipped with a "Disillusionment Charm" for stealth and an protection charm, both of which consumed substantial mana. On either side of the vest, pockets enchanted with the "Undetectable Extension Charm" allowed Wimzy to store household items—making her daily chores more manageable. Additionally, Alex inscribed the Episkey healing charm into the vest to support her physical training. While her fragile constitution made physical exertion challenging, improving her fitness was crucial for increasing her mana reserves. The healing charm ensured she could recover quickly from minor injuries sustained during training.
After donning the vest, Wimzy tested its functionality under Alex’s guidance. She quickly learned how to access the stored mana and cast spells using the vest’s features. It wasn’t long before she grew fond of the new equipment, fiddling with it enthusiastically.
Later that day, Alex accompanied Wimzy and Fang to the Forbidden Forest to familiarize themselves with their new gear. After some practice, they returned to the small hut hidden within the forest.
To Alex’s surprise, a familiar figure was sitting on the steps of the hut, lazily stroking a cat. It was Vivian. Her appearance had changed significantly. At the beginning of the school term, Alex had conducted an experiment with her, testing how increased caloric intake might affect mana reserves. Vivian had enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to eat to her heart’s content. However, while her mana reserve had only increased marginally, her weight had soared.
Feeling guilty about the unintended consequences, Alex had tried to introduce a strict training regimen to help Vivian shed the extra weight. Unfortunately, her enthusiasm for food far exceeded her dedication to exercise. She would train sporadically, barely managing to break the 200-Lum threshold for her mana reserves while steadily gaining weight.
Her poor progress was largely due to her habit of stealing food meant for the magical animals Alex had rescued. If he hadn’t caught her early on, the recovery of those creatures might have been severely delayed. "Vivian, weren’t you supposed to be on a date with Charles? How do you have time to be here?" Alex asked, puzzled.
Since the start of the term, Vivian and Charles’ relationship had progressed rapidly. The two spent most of their free time together, and Vivian often used their dates as an excuse to skip training. "We can’t spend all day in Hogsmeade," Vivian replied nonchalantly. "I thought I’d stop by to see if you were here. Besides, Fang and Fluffy look starved. Meanwhile, you’re over here secretly having a barbecue without inviting me. Care to explain?"
She picked up the cat raccoon she had nicknamed Fluffy and rubbed her cheek against it as if punishing it for some imaginary offense. Fluffy, with its lion-like tail swishing in annoyance, gave Alex a pleading look, silently begging for rescue. Alex scratched his head awkwardly. Ever since Vivian had started pilfering food, he’d made it a point to avoid cooking in her presence—especially anything involving meat.
Vivian, however, wasn’t finished. She gave him a pointed glare and huffed, "What’s your plan, Alex? Keep sneaking food like this? You’re not setting a great example for anyone."
Fang and Wimzy exchanged glances, stunned by her audacity. How could someone who spent her days lounging around and stealing food lecture them so confidently? "Never mind," Vivian sighed dramatically, releasing Fluffy. "You’re off the hook for now. The Head of House sent me to fetch you. You weren’t in the common room, so I got dragged into the job."
"Snape?" Alex frowned. "What does he want with me? Don’t tell me it’s about the bet he lost last year." His fourth year at Hogwarts had been relatively uneventful. Yaxley had been sent to Azkaban, his sanity reportedly deteriorating. Meanwhile, Travers had been forced to transfer schools by his influential mother, Yulia. The entire Travers family had relocated to the European continent to escape further scandal.
As a result, Alex faced little trouble in Slytherin. In fact, most pure-blood students went out of their way to avoid him. Aside from begrudgingly acknowledging his presence during monthly House meetings, they steered clear of him altogether. After instructing Fang and Wimzy not to use their tactical vests near the hut, Alex set off for the castle.
As he walked through the corridors, he noticed how most students no longer stared at him. The buzz from the events of last summer had long since faded, and Alex’s habit of avoiding crowded spaces helped him drift into obscurity. Over time, his peers seemed to forget his fleeting notoriety as the so-called "wizard hero."
Arriving at the potions office in the basement, Alex knocked on the door. The sound echoed faintly in the cold, damp corridor. “Who is it?” came Snape’s familiar, deep voice. Slow and deliberate, it carried a tone that seemed to push people away.
“It’s me,” Alex replied, his voice low and calm. Over time, his tone had unconsciously mirrored Snape’s.
“The door is unlocked. Come in.” Pushing the door open, Alex stepped into the dimly lit office. The room was cold and slightly damp, as always. Shelves lined with neatly organized jars and vials surrounded the workspace. The air smelled faintly of herbs and something sharp, like vinegar.
Scanning the room, Alex noticed the desk was empty. Turning his head, he spotted Snape at a nearby cabinet, casually sorting through bottles of herbal ingredients. Snape didn’t acknowledge him immediately, instead finishing his task before slowly turning around to face Alex. “You’re still as rude as ever,” Snape said, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Perhaps you should take a lesson from your classmates. At least they know how to greet their head of house properly.”
Alex smirked. “Dear Professor, if I greeted you as soon as I walked in, wouldn’t you just accuse me of interrupting your work with my lack of propriety?”
Snape raised an eyebrow at Alex’s cheeky response. “Do you think you’re being funny, joking with your head of house?” he said, his voice still calm but with a faint edge. He moved to his desk and sat down, his dark eyes fixed on Alex.
Alex met his gaze without flinching, his lips curving into a slight smile. “I simply learned from the best, sir. It’s my fault for misunderstanding your earlier ‘jokes.’” He sat down across from Snape without waiting for an invitation.
“Hmph.” Snape gave a dismissive snort, though the usual sharpness in his tone was less pronounced. “Do you know why I called you here?”
“No idea,” Alex replied, shaking his head. “But I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”
Snape ignored the sarcasm, opening a drawer in his desk and pulling out a folded piece of parchment. He handed it to Alex. Alex unfolded the parchment and read it carefully, his brows knitting together in confusion. “Prefect?” he said, looking up at Snape, bewildered.
“Yes,” Snape confirmed with a nod, his expression unreadable. “Next year, I’ll be nominating you as a Slytherin prefect.”