The alchemy room within the Blackthorn estate was quiet, humming only with the faint vibrations of ancient enchantments embedded in its marble floor. Elias stood at the center, the Philosopher's Stone resting on a rune-etched pedestal before him. The stone gleamed softly, like an ember still warm from a long-dead fire.
Despite hours of reading old texts and cross-referencing theories in alchemical journals, Elias had uncovered very little about the inner mechanisms of the Stone's power. But theory could only take him so far.
He decided to test it.
He placed a dull iron coin on a transmutation plate and slowly channeled his magic through the Stone, whispering the ritual spell he'd prepared. The air shimmered, and the coin trembled—its color shifting until it became a perfect, gleaming disc of pure gold.
Elias stepped back, heart steady. Permanent transformation. True alchemy. He made a few more test conversions, observing the magical resonance it left behind. A faint echo—something he could learn to trace, perhaps even mimic. But it would require deeper study.
Satisfied with his first successful experiment, Elias locked the Stone back inside its protective case, engraved with layered magical seals only he could open.
With the Philosopher's Stone secured, he turned his attention to magic training. The dueling arena behind the manor, enchanted with dozens of defensive wards and automatic reset charms, had become his regular haunt. His father occasionally watched from afar, but never interrupted. Elias's control over magic had grown sharper since Hogwarts—faster incantations, denser spell cores.
Elias remember about this year activity at Hogwarts where Slytherin secret room opened by ginny weasley through diary . Elias decided not to interfere with these events . The basilisk wouldn't harm him—he was a pureblood, after all—but he wasn't about to depend on bloodline protection alone. Riddle was intelligent and ruthless; even indirect involvement could be dangerous.
As August waned, he received a letter by raven—his family's preferred method of secure communication.
It was from Draco and Daphne.
"Elias,Hope your summer's been productive. We're meeting in Diagon Alley next week to shop for our second-year supplies. Want to join? Let us know what time suits you.—DracoP.S. Daphne says bring something interesting from your trip. I told her you probably brought back a pyramid."
Elias chuckled. He penned a short reply, agreeing to meet them near Flourish and Blotts in a week's time. He'd bring something amusing for Daphne—maybe one of the enchanted scarabs he'd picked up during his final day in Cairo.
The preparations for his second year had begun.
The cobbled streets of Diagon Alley bustled with the late-summer crowd. Parents haggled over textbooks, children darted between displays of enchanted ink and miniature broomsticks, and owls hooted from their perches atop shop signs. The scent of butterbeer, parchment, and spell ingredients hung thick in the air.
Elias Blackthorn stood near the steps of Flourish and Blotts, dressed in a simple but elegant dark green robe that subtly bore his family crest—understated, but unmistakably noble. His hair was neatly combed back, and his expression, as always, calm and composed.
He had arrived early, preferring to observe the crowd while leaning against the bookstore's pillar. His sharp eyes scanned the faces, watching for Draco and Daphne.
It didn't take long.
"Elias!"
A familiar voice cut through the crowd. Daphne Greengrass was walking briskly toward him, her pale blonde hair pulled into a neat ponytail, emerald-green robes swaying with her graceful steps. Before he could say anything, she threw her arms around him in a quick, warm hug.
"You're finally back. You didn't write anything about Egypt!" she said, pulling away and giving him an accusing look softened by a smile.
Elias allowed a small smile to show. "It was a study trip, not a vacation," he replied calmly. "But I brought something you might like."
She raised a brow, intrigued, but before she could press further, Draco arrived, hands in his pockets and chin lifted as always. "I see Greengrass couldn't wait two minutes without trying to suffocate you."
Daphne rolled her eyes. "Jealousy doesn't suit you, Malfoy."
"Hardly," Draco said with a smirk before turning to Elias. "It's good to see you again. Thought you'd run off to join the tomb raiders."
Elias gave him a firm nod. "Good to see you both. And no, although I did run into a few ancient guardians."
Daphne's eyes sparkled with curiosity, but Elias shook his head slightly, a silent promise to tell them more later.
"Shall we get started?" he asked. "We've got books to buy and robes to resize."
Together, the three of them made their way through the alley, their presence drawing a few curious glances. Three young scions of powerful houses walking together—Blackthorn, Malfoy, and Greengrass—it was a subtle but potent statement of alliance.
The cobbled streets of Diagon Alley bustled with the late-summer crowd. Parents haggled over textbooks, children darted between displays of enchanted ink and miniature broomsticks, and owls hooted from their perches atop shop signs. The scent of butterbeer, parchment, and spell ingredients hung thick in the air.
Elias Blackthorn stood near the steps of Flourish and Blotts, dressed in a simple but elegant dark green robe that subtly bore his family crest—understated, but unmistakably noble. His hair was neatly combed back, and his expression, as always, calm and composed.
He had arrived early, preferring to observe the crowd while leaning against the bookstore's pillar. His sharp eyes scanned the faces, watching for Draco and Daphne.
It didn't take long.
"Elias!"
A familiar voice cut through the crowd. Daphne Greengrass was walking briskly toward him, her pale blonde hair pulled into a neat ponytail, emerald-green robes swaying with her graceful steps. Before he could say anything, she threw her arms around him in a quick, warm hug.
"You're finally back. You didn't write anything about Egypt!" she said, pulling away and giving him an accusing look softened by a smile.
Elias allowed a small smile to show. "It was a study trip, not a vacation," he replied calmly. "But I brought something you might like."
She raised a brow, intrigued, but before she could press further, Draco arrived, hands in his pockets and chin lifted as always. "I see Greengrass couldn't wait two minutes without trying to suffocate you."
Daphne rolled her eyes. "Jealousy doesn't suit you, Malfoy."
"Hardly," Draco said with a smirk before turning to Elias. "It's good to see you again. Thought you'd run off to join the tomb raiders."
Elias gave him a firm nod. "Good to see you both. And no, although I did run into a few ancient guardians."
Daphne's eyes sparkled with curiosity, but Elias shook his head slightly, a silent promise to tell them more later.
"Shall we get started?" he asked. "We've got books to buy and robes to resize."
Together, the three of them made their way through the alley, their presence drawing a few curious glances. Three young scions of powerful houses walking together—Blackthorn, Malfoy, and Greengrass—it was a subtle but potent statement of alliance.
Inside Flourish and Blotts
The store was chaotic as ever. Gilderoy Lockhart's newest release was on display, with a charmed poster of him winking every few seconds. Daphne wrinkled her nose at it, and Elias pretended not to hear her soft mutter about "peacocks in wizard form."
While Draco argued with a clerk over a limited-edition potions manual, Elias picked out their required second-year books with Daphne, occasionally offering insights into more advanced texts he had read during the summer.
When Draco returned, the trio went next to Madam Malkin's for new robes, then to the apothecary. Elias picked up a few rare ingredients he needed for his personal spell research. He didn't miss the knowing glance Daphne gave when he selected powdered wyvern claw and shadeberry essence—rare components with dangerous potential.
As they stepped back into the sunlight after their shopping, Daphne looked at Elias expectantly.
"Well? You promised me something interesting."
Elias reached into his robes and pulled out a small, black velvet pouch. He handed it to her with a slight tilt of his head. "A harmless trinket. Don't lose it."
She opened the pouch and gasped softly. Inside was a small obsidian scarab, etched with ancient hieroglyphs that shimmered faintly. It was warm to the touch.
"It's enchanted to bring luck," Elias added, "according to the locals, at least."
Daphne smiled, visibly pleased. "Thank you. This is… surprisingly thoughtful."
"I'm full of surprises," Elias said dryly.
Draco snorted. "He's turning sentimental. Must be the heat in Egypt."
They shared a quiet laugh, the sound strangely out of place in the buzzing street.
Before They Parted
As the sun dipped lower and the shadows stretched long over the alley, the trio made their way toward the apparition point. They'd be returning to their respective estates soon, preparing for the journey back to Hogwarts.
"Write if anything happens," Daphne said, her eyes lingering a moment longer than usual on Elias. "I'll be reading ahead on curses. Maybe we can test each other when school starts."
Draco gave Elias a mock salute. "Don't vanish into pyramids again."
Elias inclined his head. "Don't cause too much trouble without me."
With that, they parted ways, each stepping into the fading light with bags full of books—and thoughts full of the coming school year.