Chapter - 51 *Grrrr... Grrrr... A boy was pushing a lawnmower and mowing the lawn all alone. And from the amount of trimmed grass lying around, it looked like the garden has been unattended for quite some time now. When the boy stopped for a while to rest, he heard someone call out for him. "Alex, come and have something now, dear. You have been up to it since morning." An old lady called out for the boy from the house next door. "I will be there in a minute, Mrs Williams." "Now... now... dear, I have told you to call me Grandma Lisa, didn't I?" "Yes, Grandma Lisa." This was the house Alex lived with his parents in before he ran away with Nicole. After Alex turned ten, he would visit the house at least once a year. He would tend to the garden, mow the lawn, mend the house. Anything that needed his attention, Alex would try to fix that. When he lived here with his parents, there was not a single house anywhere near here for a mile. But now, this place was big enough to be called a village with a population of about five hundred. After Alex was done, he went to Grandma Lisa's house. Grandma Lisa and her husband, Grandpa Paul, moved to the countryside after his retirement. Leaving the busy life of the city behind, they wanted to live in a peaceful environment. And since the village has been growing since their arrival, they never felt alone. Their children and grandchildren would also visit them in their holidays. When Alex started to visit his home five years ago, he was wary of everyone in the village. He could not rule out the possibility that the enemies of their parents would still be lurking around their old house, waiting for them to return. He tried to keep his distance from Grandma Lisa and Grandpa Paul, but their kindness managed to crack the walls he had made around himself. When he walked through the front door, Grandpa Paul was already seated at the dining table, and Grandma Lisa was in the kitchen. When he saw Alex, Grandpa Paul placed the newspaper he was reading on the table and smiled, "You are here, good... good... You have been working hard. It's already time for the sun to set. Why don't you leave the rest for tomorrow and take a stroll around the village? Many things have changed since the last time you visited." Alex nodded and sat down beside him. "I remember you saying you had a sister. How is she?" Grandma Lisa asked as she placed the snacks on the table. "She is fine." "Why don't you bring her with you next time?" "I will." And they had their evening snacks along with all these small talks. When Alex left their house, it was already dark. He gave up on the thoughts of going for a stroll. But since he was going to stay for a few days, he needed to buy some necessities. He went back to his house, grabbed some money and walked towards the nearest shop. "That would be eighty-seven pounds. Would you need a carry bag, Alex?" The shopkeeper said. "Yeah, thanks, uncle Pan." "No need. So how long are you going to stay this time?" Uncle Pan asked while he put all the things Alex bought in a bag. "About a week," Alex answered. "Good, good, let me know if you need any help." Handing the bag over to Alex, he said. "Sure," Alex paid the money and walked out of the store. "What a nice boy, " Uncle Pan could not help but say as he walked out of the store. Then he looked at the boy munching on snacks from the store while he arranged the shop, "and you brat always munching on chips, these are for sale, you idiot," Uncle Pan smacked the boy on his head. As he walked down the semi-lit roads, Alex saw a young couple fighting in the distance. He could not make out what they were saying, but the slap the boy just gave the girl made it sure that it was anything but peaceful. Alex did not stop walking, and possibly because the boy saw him coming their way, he left after saying a few things to the girl, leaving her in tears. When Alex walked by the girl, he was surprised to see a familiar face in front of her. When their eyes met, the girl called out in shock, "Alex?" The girl was none other than the prefect of Slytherin, Gemma Farley. Although she and Alex never had much interaction with each other, both of them knew the other. Since she was the prefect, Gemma was responsible for most of the affairs of Slytherin. On the other hand, Alex made too big a commotion to ignore within days of his arrival at the school, where he beat up a bunch of Gryffindor. Then there was the incident where he shook the school with money he won in gambling, and who could forget when Malfoy was beaten to a pulp because of him. Seeing Alex stare at her, she realized that she still had tears in her eyes. She tried to wipe them with the sleeves of her jacket but found a tissue extended to her. Alex had a couple of tissues taken out from the stuff he was carrying with himself. "Thank you," Gemma said, taking the tissues. "What are you doing here?" Alex asked as he continued to give her tissues, one after the other. "I..." she was about to tell him, but the most dreaded English summer rain interrupted them. "My house is just ahead. Let's take shelter there." Alex said and started running towards his house. Gemma closely followed behind. * * * * * "Here, take this" Alex handed a towel to Gemma, "Dry yourself before you catch a cold." Gemma nodded and took the towel from him. Alex also busied himself with lighting fire in the fireplace for them to warm themselves. The temperature had dropped sharply because of the sudden rain. While Gemma looked around the house as she continued to dry herself. The house could not be said to be in the best shape. The floor creaked as they walked, there were cracks on the wall, and the lights kept on flicking. If it were not that there was not a speck of dust to be seen, she would have thought of it as a haunted house. When Alex was done, he looked at Gemma, who was seated on the sofa looking around, "Wouldn't your parents be worried?" "They know that I will be out today. I told them, I had plans". "If you have somewhere to be, I can help you get there." "I was supposed to, but..." Gemma could not bring herself to complete what she had to say. Alex, too understood that this was not something he should pry on, "You can spend the night here, and if you feel uncomfortable, I can ask my neighbours. They are an old couple and will be happy to have a company." "No need, I can look for an inn around here. I will leave after the rain stops." She stopped him. "The rain is not an issue, but there is no inn around here." "Then..."Gemma looked a bit hesitant. "Let me ask Grandpa Paul". Alex was about to get up, but Gemma stopped him. "No need to trouble anyone else. I... I will just spend the night here. I can sleep here on the sofa." She said, making up her mind. "No need, I have enough rooms." Alex said and stood up, "If you want, you can take a bath. I repaired the water heater in the morning, so it should be fine. I will bring you a change of clothes." "It's fine. My clothes are already dry." "Suit yourself," Alex left Gemma alone in the living room. He came back after some time, with two cups in his hands. He handed one of the cups to Gemma, "Drink this. It will warm you up." "Coffee?" She asked. Alex nodded. "Do you live alone? From what I remember, you have a sister, don't you? And what about your parents?" Now that she was normal, Gemma asked. "I don't live here. We used to live here a long time ago." Alex said, ignoring things he did not wish to answer. "Is that so?" Like he did not pry in her problems, Alex did not want her to meddle in his. To avoid answering unnecessary questions, Alex thought it was best if he were to go back to his room, "You can rest in the first room on the right, upstairs. If you need anything, I will be in that room," Alex said, pointing towards a room. Just as Alex got up, all the lights in the house turned off, and the house was engulfed in darkness. "Ahhh!" The house resounded with a loud cry. * * * * * This is the first chapter of the second year journey of Alex. The story will start to drift away from the canon starting now. I hope you will bear with me till the very end. Now, I have thought of something to increase the interaction between us. You guys don't even comment on the chapters. So from now on, I won't be adding titles to the chapters anymore. Instead, I want you guys to suggest them to me. *Also, there won't be any updates next week. I will be stockpiling chapters and try to be at least 15 chapters ahead on Patreon.