Inside the box, Alex was hoping to find letters between Gerald and his adoptive father, Horned Basilisk, but there were none. This left him a bit disappointed, he had hoped to gather more insight into their relationship. However, the absence of any correspondence also revealed just how much Thunderbird must have resented Basilisk as a leader.
Aside from the lack of letters, the box contained many magical photographs, including several group pictures. Some showed a younger Gerald, and even Grindelwald.
Standing beside them was a figure that seemed unfamiliar at first, but Alex realized it was himself. Although he didn't remember those moments, he made sure to take note of everyone's faces, such images could prove useful in the future.
There were also a few personal trinkets, almost like souvenirs, tucked away in the box. One of them was a toy spinning top, suggesting that these items held sentimental value for Gerald.
After sorting through everything and setting aside the keepsakes, Alex found that less than half of the contents were actually useful to him. But even so, what he did find was more than enough to make the whole discovery worthwhile.
The most valuable items were several volumes of magical handbooks and notebooks, Gerald's personal collection of spells and dueling experience accumulated over decades. These books carefully detailed dozens of spells, along with notes on how to cast them, use them effectively, and things to watch out for.
Among them were spells Alex had already encountered, like the Corruption Curse and the blue Fiendfyre or called FiendFire Ardor . The Corruption Curse, a dark spell exclusive to the Silver Wand, was particularly dangerous. The blue Fiendfyre was Grindelwald's signature spell, which Gerald had learned from him during their time together.
However, as Gerald grew disillusioned with Grindelwald, he rarely used it. In fact, in the last ten years, he had only used it twice, both times against Alex.
Alex also came across notes on a spell called "Insulatus Protego," which had saved Gerald's life on multiple occasions. It turned out to be a unique defensive spell created by Gerald himself.
The shield formed a complete 360-degree barrier around the caster, offering high-level protection against most magical attacks. It could block nearly every spell except for the Unforgivable Curses, making it far more powerful than the standard Shield Charm.
As Alex flipped through the notes, he couldn't help but feel satisfied. There were at least a dozen spells he hadn't seen before, all clearly explained and ready to be studied. This find wasn't just valuable, it was a goldmine of magical knowledge.
After sorting through the manuscripts, Alex stumbled upon a bottle of blessing potion and some alchemical materials. Even though Thunderbird wasn't particularly fond of alchemy, Alex knew just how valuable those materials were.
To his surprise, he found half a pound of Ulim steel and an ounce of refined mithril tucked away in one of the boxes, an unexpected but welcome find. However, it was the contents of the final box that truly caught him off guard. As he examined the materials inside, his heart skipped a beat and began to race.
"Is this… Flamel Alloy?" Alex muttered in astonishment, staring at the small, one-ounce piece of metal.
Although he had never seen the real thing before, he recognized it instantly. He hadn't expected Thunderbird to possess something this rare.
Flamel Alloy or also famous as Lemay Alloy, was a legendary material created by the famous alchemist Nicolas Flamel. It was even more precious than refined mithril. Alex had only seen sketches of it in Professor Bones' notes before now.
Holding the alloy in his hand, a thought crossed his mind: "If I have the Lemay Alloy... does that mean I could finally make Mr. Scamander's suitcase?"
The memory of visiting Newt Scamander came rushing back. During his visits to Newt's home to study and research magical artifacts, he had seen the enchanted suitcase several times. The suitcase, with its massive internal storage space, had fascinated him. Newt never gave it to him, of course, but he had generously shared the design blueprints.
When Alex had tried to replicate the suitcase back then, he quickly realized he lacked the skills, and more importantly, a key material he didn't recognize at the time. That missing element was the Lemay Alloy. Now that he finally had it, the possibility of crafting his own magical suitcase was real.
Holding back the urge to dive into the project right then and there, Alex carefully put the alloy away, along with the rest of the materials, and quickly left the area.
Recovering Thunderbird's collection not only gave him valuable resources but also a deeper understanding of Gerald, which boosted his confidence in continuing to impersonate Thunderbird convincingly.
Three months later, Alex was ready to confront the Silver Wand Club. Luckily, Thunderbird had received his elixir dosage six months prior, which meant there were still about five months left before the next one was needed, plenty of time to execute his plan.
The reason behind this arrangement was that Alex needed to first take care of some minor matters at the Wilson's Arcane Alchemica. If he didn't handle those promptly, it could delay international trade, and the Ministry of Magic wouldn't be happy about that.
On top of that, over the next few months, he planned to spend more time studying and mastering Gerald's spells. After all, once he takes over as Thunderbird, he can't afford to raise anyone's suspicions. But perhaps the most important reason is that he's about to graduate from Hogwarts.
No matter what, he has to attend the graduation ceremony and officially receive his diploma before he can move forward with his plans and leave.
Three months later, at Hogwarts, the Great Hall was alive with excitement. It was the school's annual end-of-term feast, a special occasion marking the graduation of the seventh-year students. Normally, this event was festive but routine. However, this year was different, exceptionally so, because among the graduates was someone who had become a legend in his own right: Alex Wilson.
"Did you hear? Alex's actually coming back for the graduation dinner today!" a wide-eyed first-year from Ravenclaw whispered eagerly to his friend.
"So what if he is?" a fifth-year sitting nearby rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. "It's just dinner."
"Are you kidding? That's Alex Wilson! He won the Gold Medal for Pioneering Contributions at the International Alchemy Conference!
Not only that, he received the Second-Class Order of Merlin just a few months ago. He's the youngest wizard in history to earn that!" the first-year gushed, barely able to contain his excitement.
"I haven't even seen him once since I came to Hogwarts!"
Alex had been absent from school for most of the year, so many of the younger students had only heard rumors about him. Another first-year leaned in, equally excited.
"I heard he owns Wilson's Arcane Alchemica. My mum's a huge fan of that store! Do you think... maybe we could get a discount if we talk to him?"