An Unlikely Savior ~ (Edit) COMPLETED

Chapter 6 ~ A Small Interaction

Alsop Wulfric Potter made his way through the Hogwarts Express, anxious to get away from his loud brethren, James and Sirius, as well as the boisterous hoards of Gryffindors greeting each other as if they’d been apart for years instead of two months.

Alsop was the surprise of the Potter family. He and James had been born in the same year, nine months apart. So there was a short period of time when they were the same age. The tall, auburn-haired, brown-eyed young man was an anomaly as well. Ginny knew there was something different about him days after his birth. He was the quietest baby she’d ever seen. From the moment he exited the womb, his eyes were always focused on something.

Unlike her other children, Alsop was quiet, rarely cried and when he began to crawl about on his own, he spent most of his time examining things. He wouldn’t play with his toys, he would study them, sometimes for hours. For a while, both she and Harry were afraid something was wrong with him. He rarely wanted to play with his brothers . . . just look at things.

When Alsop turned two and still showed none of the enthusiasm of his siblings, preferring to stare at things for hours, turning them this way and that way, Harry and Ginny took him to St. Mungo’s to be tested.

The healers told his concerned parents that Alsop was perfectly healthy, although most likely a little slow. When they examined him, he wouldn’t take his eyes off their wands, not even when they gave him toys. He’d hold them, but pay no attention to them. He’d just watch the glowing wands.

”He should be used to wands by now,” one healer said, shaking his head slightly at the baby’s fascination with them.

”Could he be autistic?” Ginny asked nervously. “He rarely talks at all.”

”I don’t believe so. Just rather . . . dull,” the healer replied as Harry looked at his son with a heavy heart. “If anything were wrong with him, the medi-wands would tell us. Just let him do what he does. Maybe he’ll grow out of it.”

But Alsop didn’t grow out of it. He started taking things apart, including his mother’s and father’s wands, cracking them open and studying the cores. That was a painful experience. His bottom was red as a beet for a full day. Luckily, wand repair had come a long way over the years, and both wands were fully restored.

His grandfather Arthur doted on the boy, declaring he was a “chip off the old cauldron.” He’d let him into his workshop full of Muggle doodads and allow him to examine things to his heart’s content. One day, he came in to find his three-year-old grandson had taken his radio completely apart. Arthur wasn’t angry, but it would take him weeks to figure out how to put it back together again, if he ever could. He put the pieces up on his workbench and took Alsop back to the house.

Five minutes later, Alsop was back in Arthur’s workshop, having slipped out. They didn’t notice he was gone for more than an hour, there were so many Weasleys and Potters present, and he was always so quiet, but Harry and Arthur found him in the workshop, sitting on a high stool and tinkering around with Arthur’s tools and the radio parts. Harry was about to scold him, when Arthur held up his hand.

”My gods,” Arthur breathed as he watched Alsop, “he’s putting it back together.”

It turns out, Alsop wasn’t the least bit slow. In fact, the boy was a bloody genius. Ginny found out he could read at four years of age when she was reading him and his brothers James and Sirius a bedtime story. He started reading along with her.

Ginny stared at him.

”Alsop, who taught you to read?” she asked him, shocked. His two brothers simple stared..

”You did,” was the boy’s simple reply. He had learned to read over time by sitting beside her. Ginny had a habit of trailing a finger along the sentences as she read, and he picked up on what words went with what she was saying, then the sounds of the letters that made up the words.

Ginny blinked at him, then called for Harry.

”He can what?” Harry repeated, stunned at what Ginny told him.

”Read. Alsop can read, Harry. And no one taught him. Well, he says I did,” Ginny replied.

Harry looked down at his four-year-old son, who was sitting next to his mother on James’ bed. James and Sirius were still staring at him as if he’d grown a few more appendages.

”You can read, Alsop?” he asked his son.

The boy nodded.

”Yes, Daddy, and I need more books,” Alsop told them quietly.

Yes, Alsop Wulfric Potter was an anomaly. He was also a Ravenclaw, the only member of the Potter clan who wasn’t sorted into the house of Godric Gryffindor.

And he was very glad about that. Gryffindors were gits.

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He walked through the train, looking into the compartments at the chattering students, scowling slightly. He didn’t even join his fellow Ravenclaws. He’d be sequestered with them soon enough. He was looking for someone he knew would have a quiet compartment. He found her, too.

Alsop cupped his hands around his face and looked in at Eileen. She had her nose in a book, and couldn’t see him. He pulled out his wand, not even bothering to check the door first. He knew it was warded. He set about quietly breaking her ward, then said, “Alohamora,” and the door slid open.

Eileen lowered her book quickly and frowned as Alsop walked in with a broad smile, closed the door behind him, warded it back and plopped down beside her.

”Oh gods, Alsop. I’m barely back and already you’re aggravating me,” she sighed, although there was a mere hint of a smile on her face as she pretended to return to her book.

”That’s my sole purpose in life,” the young wizard replied, bumping her with his shoulder.

”Stop it,” she hissed, “or I’ll turn you into a newt again.”

”Oh, we’re going back to amphibians, eh? I thought we were up to mammals now,” Alsop said, not a bit cowed. Eileen had turned him into all kinds of things over the years before she accepted him as a friend. He always was restored no worse for wear.

“Would you prefer me to do ‘insect?’ How about a stinkbugger?”

”Oh, I don’t think you’d want to do that. I’d go immediately ‘defensive,’ he said with a grin. “I’d spray you and the entire compartment. You know how stinkbuggers let their colons loose. I wouldn’t be able to help myself.”

Eileen’s nose wrinkled.

”Speaking of stinkbuggers, your cousins tried to get in here,” she said.

Alsop laughed. Eileen didn’t seem to like anyone, except him, and even that was shaky at times. He didn’t say anything about Rose and Hugo. He just changed the subject.

”So, what parts of the universe did you explore during vacation?” he asked with a smile.

Eileen didn’t seem to be the type of witch who would just lounge around on her vacation. He could imagine her on a broom, zooming through space, passing planets, catching hold to the tails of comets, dancing on the Milky Way. Doing something extraordinary.

Eileen lowered her book again, looking at him now.

”The universe of my father’s apothecary shop,” she said. “He left me in charge while he went to purchase ingredients abroad. It was pretty cool running it myself, except for how stupid most of the customers are. I got so tired of explaining how to use ingredients, I piled a bunch of “Potions for Dummies” books on the counter and just pointed to them when someone asked me anything. Sold out of them, too. Had to reorder. Dad couldn’t believe how much money I made while he was gone.”

”Snarky pays,” Alsop said with a grin.

”Always,” Eileen agreed, giving him a little smirk. It took a lot of work to make her smile. “What did you do this summer?”

”Tried to avoid my brothers, mostly. They don’t get that I don’t like Quidditch at all. I’ve got better things to do than get knocked off a broom with a club while trying to throw a Quaffle through a hoop. I did manage to sneak off to the Burrow a few times and start some projects in grandfather’s workshop.”

”Still trying to make Muggle technology work here?” she asked him.

”Yes. I found out something interesting, too. If I go into an area where there aren’t any other people around and step far enough away, some things will work with batteries. Not well, but a flashlight will glow dimly before going out and a small radio will crackle a bit. I’ve formed a few theories about that,” Alsop said, looking thoughtful.

”What? Our magic interferes with Muggle items operating?” she asked him.

Alsop shook his head.

”No. Because we can use technology in non-magical places like London. But, I’m not going to spill my guts to you. You might steal my ideas,” he said to the witch.

Eileen snorted.

”Like you’ll ever come up with anything worth stealing,” she snarked.

Alsop grinned at her, then leaned in quickly and kissed her mouth, catching hold of her wand hand.

Eileen spluttered the way she usually did when Alsop stole kisses from her.

“Ack! Phlthhpht! Gah! Stop doing that, Alsop!” she yelled at him, wiping her mouth with her free hand and turning red.

”That’s something worth stealing,” he said, his brown eyes full of affection. “One day you’re going to give me one of those of your own free will. Anyway, you haven’t seen me for two whole months. That was just a ‘welcome back’ kiss.”

He let go of her wand hand, tensing slightly. She might hex him now.

”I don’t need any kind of kisses, thank you. I’ve already told you that I’m focused on my studies. I don’t have time for boys. If you do that again, Alsop, you’ll find yourself very small and wriggly and left in this compartment when we reach Hogsmeade. Understand?”

Alsop grinned.

”That’s what I love about you, Eileen. The element of danger,” he said, sitting back in the seat and looking out of the window as the train pulled out.

”That’s because you’re nutters, Alsop,” she replied, returning to her book.

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A/N: I did a bit of experimental writing on this. For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been out of it lately. Vision problems and migraines. I need glasses. That’s why there haven’t been updates. The headaches have calmed to a dull ache on and off, although my vision is still blurry. Still, I tried to write today. It was my intention to work on Turn, but the lemons just weren’t there for me. Glass was hard going too, so I just added a chapter to this, and an original Potter character. I didn’t want to use James, because I have him in another story wooing Snape’s daughter. I could have just made an entirely original character, rather than adding another Potter, but Snape’s daughter with a Potter always makes my day. And a Potter that’s a cousin? (By Marriage) Oh, that’s just TOO good. Lol. And I’ve always thought Ravenclaw and Slytherin would be a good match, and that Snape’s daughter might get along with one.