Chapter 19: A New Home and Death
The next day, sitting comfortably in his suite, he gazed out of the window at the bustling streets of London far below.
[What is your plan now, Alex?] Lily's voice echoed in his mind, soft yet curious.
Alex leaned back, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "I want to buy a property, preferably a villa. After that, I'll go back temporarily to settle things in my time. It's only June 12, 1992. We've got a few days before we fetch Harry for a vacation away from the Dursleys."
With that, Alex immersed himself in preparations. The next two days were consumed by arranging his finances and working with the bank to identify a property that matched his exacting standards.
On the second day, a promising opportunity presented itself: a magnificent estate located on the ancient Royal grounds of Eltham Palace.
The property came with a hefty price tag of £6.5 million, but it was worth every penny. Built in the 1860s, the villa seamlessly blended Victorian elegance with modern luxury.
The house featured 10 bedrooms, seven reception rooms, and a 'leisure floor.' A separate three-bedroom coach house offered additional space, and the architectural brilliance was evident in every detail.
The estate retained its period features, such as Victorian mosaic floors, oak and walnut paneling, and towering ceilings.
These historic touches merged with modern innovations like large crystal windows, expansive skylights, and the villa's signature circular motifs.
The orangery stood as the centerpiece, with exposed red brick walls and floor-to-ceiling windows, exuding both warmth and grandeur.
The kitchen and open-plan living area embraced a contemporary style, while areas like the entrance hallway and study preserved their traditional charm with wood-paneled walls and intricate cornicing.
The lower ground floor housed a sauna, a hall, and a 25-meter swimming pool.
Outside, a rear garden stretched 125 meters, with a raised patio and lush, mature trees offering a touch of nature.
The villa's location was equally impressive, just a five-minute walk from Mottingham railway station, providing swift access to central London.
Alex wasted no time in finalizing the acquisition. Within days, the property was his. Through the bank's recommendation, he hired four capable and discreet servants to manage the villa and cater to his daily needs.
Once settled, Alex felt a sense of contentment as he walked through the expansive halls of his new home, the past and present beautifully intertwined.
By June 15, 1992, Alex was ready to shift his focus back to the complexities of his journey. In the quiet of his study, he initiated a connection with the universal core of the Harry Potter Universe.
With careful precision, he slowed the passage of time within the universe to one-tenth of his own timeline.
Alex and Lily watched as his actions sent subtle ripples through the fabric of the dimension. In a separate realm, far removed from mortal eyes, a cloaked entity stirred.
This being, enshrouded in black, radiated an aura of dread and malice. It stood motionless for a moment, its senses attuned to every detail of the universe.
Something had shifted.
The entity moved restlessly, probing the dimensional currents for an answer, yet it could not pinpoint the source of the disturbance. Its frustration grew. Despite its formidable powers, it was blind to the actions Alex had taken.
[Death sensed you, but he will probably be clueless unless you actively interact with him.]
"He must be confined to that separate dimension, unable to go out or sense the outside without the Deathly Hallows."
[Death must have come into contact with the core of the universe before but suffered a backlash.]
As Alex closed the connection, he leaned back in his chair, satisfied. "Maybe," he mused, "it's time to go back. Next time we come here, let's bring Harry out of that dreadful house. He deserves a real summer for once."
Alex spoke with his head servant, Edmund, arranging for everything to be in order while he was away.
In the evening, Alex was ready to leave. With a flicker of golden light inside the study, Alex vanished from the Wizarding World.