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Dumbledore\'s gaze softened slightly, but he asked calmly, "And what are you willing to give in return, Snape?"

Snape\'s face reflected a brief moment of helplessness before he spoke with quiet determination.

"Anything. Anything you need."

Dumbledore saw the resolve in Snape\'s eyes. He nodded, his voice gentle. "Very well. I\'ll do everything I can to protect Lily and her family. If there\'s any change in Voldemort\'s plans, you know how to reach me."

Snape nodded, numb from the weight of the moment. After a pause, he asked, "Is that Alex you mentioned the one who helped Sirius escape that day?"

Dumbledore\'s eyes twinkled slightly. "Yes. He\'s also been sorted into Slytherin—just like you. But I must say, he has a far stronger resolve."

"A Slytherin? Maybe I made the wrong choice after all…" Snape murmured, handing Dumbledore a small vial. "Pass this on to him. It\'s a thank you, for his help."

Dumbledore accepted the vial, a smile touching his lips. "Perhaps one day, you\'ll be able to thank him in person."

Meanwhile, Alex was fast asleep, unaware of the conversation. The next morning, James took him to retrieve his belongings from Sirius\'s house. With his magical bag, Alex could carry everything he owned in one place. James was visibly shocked at the transformation Sirius\'s house had undergone.

"So… you actually tidied up the place for him? That\'s impressive," James said, his view of Alex rising even further.

Alex shrugged it off, and they headed to St. Mungo\'s Hospital to visit Sirius. As expected, Sirius was far from resting. He was busy doing some training. If it weren\'t for James and Alex\'s visit, he likely wouldn\'t have stayed in the hospital at all.

After a brief visit with Sirius, Alex and James returned to the Potters\' home for lunch. Lily watched Alex, who was playing with little Harry, and smiled warmly.

"Alex, while you\'re staying here, if you ever need help with anything, just ask. You\'ve done so much for us."

"You\'re already doing plenty, really. I\'m just grateful to be here."

Lily exchanged a look with James, then added thoughtfully, "Well, I know you\'ve taken an interest in protective charms and amulets. I\'d be happy to teach you as much as I can while you\'re here. The Potter family library is also open to you. I think you\'ll find it very useful."

Alex\'s eyes lit up with excitement. "Really? That would be amazing! Professor Flitwick always said you were his most talented student, and I have so many questions I\'d love to ask."

Lily smiled, recalling her own school days and feeling a fondness for Alex\'s eagerness to learn. His curiosity, combined with his diligent nature and his Slytherin roots, reminded her of an old friend. She glanced down at Harry, who chose that moment to start crying, breaking her thought.

After lunch, once Harry was settled down for a nap, Lily led Alex to the underground safe room. It had been the site of a recent intense battle but was now clean and spacious, perfect for practicing spells.

Standing in the center of the room, Lily addressed Alex, "I\'ve seen you use the Levitation Charm Wingardium Leviosa and the Summoning Charm Accio. They\'re both excellent, and I can tell you\'ve put a lot of effort into them. If you want, you can practice here, and I\'ll spar with you or answer any questions you have."

Alex thought for a moment, gathering his thoughts before saying, "I\'ve been practicing the Shield Charm recently, but I can\'t seem to get it right. Sometimes it fails completely, and even when it works, it\'s not as strong as I\'d like. It\'s nothing like the Barrier Charm, which seems much easier to control. What am I doing wrong?"

"You\'re working on the Shield Charm already?" Lily asked, surprised. "That\'s a difficult spell, even for adult wizards. Most new Aurors struggle with it."

"Is it really that hard?" Alex asked, scratching his head. "I didn\'t find the incantation all that complicated."

Lily nodded thoughtfully. "Why don\'t you try casting it for me? Let\'s see what\'s happening."

Alex nodded and lifted his wand. "Protego!" he said, focusing all his energy on casting the Shield Charm.

Magic surged from within, and at the tip of his wand, a faint, shield-like shimmer began to form. But it was fragile, wavering in the air for just a few seconds before vanishing, like a soap bubble popping.

Lily watched with surprise. Despite his young age, Alex could almost cast the Shield Charm—something that required remarkable control over magic. When she had first learned the charm, she had struggled to get any results at all, even with the correct incantation.

"Try it a few more times," Lily instructed, intrigued.

Alex repeated the charm over and over, yet each attempt resulted in either a faint flicker or a thin, feeble shield that faded away too quickly.

After observing him closely, Lily nodded to herself and finally spoke. "I think I see what\'s happening here. You\'re saying the spell perfectly, and your magic control is excellent, but it\'s still difficult for you to maintain the charm. That\'s completely normal for someone your age."

Alex tilted his head, confused. "Wait, so the spell is fine, my control is good… but it still doesn\'t work right? Why?"

Smiling, Lily explained, "Let me put it another way. You\'re from a Muggle background, so think of it like water pipes and valves. Casting a spell is like opening a valve, and your magic flows out like water through a pipe. But unlike solid pipes, the magic pipes inside us are flexible, more like a hose."

She continued, "Good control lets you direct the water—the magic—smoothly, and with practice, you can even control the flow rate and power. If your control isn\'t strong, magic will spill or flow unevenly. But you don\'t have that issue; your control is amazing. The real problem is the size of the pipe itself."