Dumbledore had given up on locating Harry Potter before Hogwarts. None of his tracking or locating spells had worked. In a mere few years though, the boy would come to Hogwarts, and Dumbledore could regain control then. Surely the boy's accidental magic that had hidden him from the murderers notice, was simply keeping him from Dumbledore's view as well. He had to just be with a muggle family that took him in. There was no other explanation. When the brat got to Hogwarts, he would simply remove whatever magic was protecting him. And the quill that marked the envelopes had never yet been wrong.

(X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

Jazz was seven now, and since it was a Saturday, he was practicing his parkour with Toby. He was getting quite good at jumping tree to tree like a squirrel. Not paying enough attention, Jazz landed on a branch and heard a loud crack. The branch had been dead, and with a low creak, it broke free from the tree.

And Jazz fell.

He was falling, falling, falling.

As he fell Jazz panicked and wished desperately that he weren't about to hit the ground, hard enough to die, or need a hospital.

Falling, falling, falling, faster and faster, the wind whipping at his clothes. Wishing, hoping, desperately that something would save him.

Jazz felt a snap deep inside himself, as if in the very core of his being. Jazz hit the ground. Jazz bounced.

Like a rubber ball, Jazz bounced once, twice, three times and laid on his back staring at the sky. A moment later Toby's fear filled face invaded Jazz's contemplation of reality.

"Jazz! Are you okay? Are you hurt-t? You're not moving! Wait here, don't move! I'll-I'll-I'll j-just g-get EJ." Jazz blinked.

"I'm fine, Toby." Toby, if it were possible, looked even more frantic.

"You j-just fell like f-forty feet!" Toby shrieked. Interesting. Jazz hadn't thought Toby could go that high-pitched. Jazz thought he might be in shock.

"It's ok. I bounced. I'm not hurt." Toby stared at him.

"D-delirious. You're delirious. I'm taking you to EJ. Jazz, c-can you stand?" Jazz nodded, stood up, and began walking stiffly towards the mansion. Toby followed close behind, obviously worried, and hovering just a bit.

Before they entered the mansion, his vision had begun to spin and Jazz started to sway a bit as he walked. Toby steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. Jazz's world was jumbled, the walls and floor and Toby blurring together into an indistinct grey haze.

Without warning Jeff imposed himself into Jazz's indistinct perspective, loudly asking if he was alright.

Jazz wished he weren't there.

And then he wasn't.

Jazz's world sharpened suddenly to a painful clarity of vivid color and edged lines of frantic movement of frenzied people, and he watched as Jeff's concerned face morphed into a visage of confusion and Jeff flew across the room and slammed into the wall with an audible crunch. It had almost looked as he had been thrown by a giant invisible hand. Except no one had touched him and Jazz had felt the same warmth in his core as when he had bounced after he fell.

Masky moved to check on where Jeff lay crumpled at the base of the wall and Toby stayed frozen clutching Jazz's shoulders. Jazz's breath sped up and he was gasping for air. Vaguely he recognized that EJ was in front of him, attempting to get his attention. Jazz's focus stayed on where Jeff was still unconscious by the wall.

"Jazz. I need your attention, please." Jazz glanced up and fixed his sight on the faceless sight of the Slenderman.

"What-" Jazz took a breath and blinked back tears,"-what's happening? I did that. How did I do that? What's happening to me?" Jazz's voice got higher and more tremulous as he talked.

"You are a mage. A powerful one to be accessing your magic at this age. Jeff will recover quickly. You, however, will need to train your own magic. I will take over this duty to whatever extent I am capable. Eyeless Jack, I believe that Jazz is entering shock. Your services will be needed. Tobias, please escort your brother to the infirmary." Toby nodded and ushered Jazz out of the room.

A mere few days later and the Slenderman and Jazz were in a clearing in the forest. He was shifting from foot to foot and plucking at the hem of his t-shirt nervously.

"I-I don't really have to learn magic, right? I hurt Jeff last time." Jazz glanced up at the Slenderman when he seemed to sigh.

"Child. If you do not learn how to harness your magic now, you will eventually lose control completely, and the harm done to Jeffery will be unleashed a hundred fold. You will need to learn control. Magic is like a flame. You must keep it in check lest it consume and destroy far more than Jeffery." The Slenderman slowly folded himself down until he was seated on the ground. Jazz sat down across from him smothering his giggles at the odd sight of the Slenderman sitting cross cross.

"What do I do?" Slenderman observed the child for a moment.

"I will talk. I will teach you of magic, and you will listen. For now as I speak, close your eyes and search for your core." Jazz opened his eyes and his mouth in order to ask a question and the Slenderman cut him off, "I will tell you what a core is and how to find it. For now shut your eyes." Jazz did so and the Slenderman began his lesson.

"Magic can be compared to many things, a fire, a river, a storm. It flows throughout the world and through many people. Some people are able to access it, though the level of access differs. You use magic as a tool, but respect it as a partner. Magic is dangerous. Those who can access magic do so through a magical core. Many mages learn magic by accessing their core with a wand or staff. This is cheat, and a crutch, and you will learn a different method for now. You will unlock your core to both yourself and the world's magic.

Turn your gaze inward. Not your eyes Jazz, shut your eyes. You are going to look inside yourself mentally. Tell me when you think you have gotten into your inner self. Without opening your eyes." Jazz and the Slenderman sat in silence for a long time before Jazz spoke.

"I think I got it." The Slenderman nodded.

"Describe your mental surroundings."

"Um. I'm in a forest, and the mansion is behind me. I think it might be your forest but it's too sunny." Jazz's voice was distant as if he were sleep talking.

"Good. That is your inner mind. Eventually we will get to the point when you add defenses in order to keep others out of your mind. For now we will unlock your core. Where do you think you would feel safest?" Jazz hummed for a moment considering.

"In the Manor, probably. Maybe my room?"

"Go then and tell me what you see when you are there." There was another ten minutes or so of silence.

"I got to the rooms but Toby's room felt safer than mine so I went in his. There's a big ball of tangley glowy thread. In the air. Just floating."

"That is your core. What are its colors?"

"Um. It's black, and green, and lots of purple. It keeps hitting the walls and sounding hurt."

"That, child, is because your core is locked into you. Touch the center of your core and you will unlock it."

Inside Jazz's mind he drew closer to the ball of twisting threads and reached out. The ends of a lot of the threads were broken or knotted, as if someone had taken scissors to it. The core was jagged and angry pushing at Jazz and pulling him further in simultaneously. In his mind's eye he could see the center of the core, a luminescent globe of light grey swirled through with black and red.

Jazz pushed his fingers into the globe and the grey, black, and red swirls parted around his hand to reveal a pulsing orb of vibrant purple. Jazz grasped this purple orb, barely the size of a marble for all its brightness, and all of the lights and colors swirling around Jazz, jabbing at him, pulling, and pushing, curling around, exploded outward.

Jazz opened his eyes to stare at the Slenderman. The Slenderman stared back, almost seeming to grin, which was remarkably eerie with no face.

"I could feel your core unlocking from here. Very well done Jazz. What do you feel, both when you were unlocking your core, and now?" Jazz grinned.

"When I was unlocking my core it was jagged and pokey. Like my core didn't want to be unlocked. And now it's warm and cozy. Like when Toby makes me Hot Chocolate after a bad dream. Like a friend that lives in my belly." The Slenderman chuckled at the description.

"Yes. That is how your magic ought to feel. It is strange that your magic fought against you however. I will look into that. For now hold out your hand and imagine a flame in it. It will not burn you should you not wish it too. Picture the flame in your mind and will it to be so." Jazz nodded and concentrated on his hand. In a mere moment a flame burst into being on Jazz's hand, big and bright.

Flames also sprouted up in a six foot radius around Jazz, wild and bright and spreading quickly to the trees. Jazz looked wide eyed at the Slenderman. In response the Slenderman's own magic, cold and icy and dark, flickered out and doused the flames.

"That went exactly as I thought it would. I would like you to notice both how easy it is to use your magic, and how easy it is to lose control. This is your first lesson. will work on your control first, and then I will teach you illusions. We will be here for days. I am perfectly capable of conjuring food and a bed for you should I need to. Now, focus, and conjure a flame in your hand. Only in your hand."

(X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

Jazz was nine now, and he was going on his first official job with Toby. He had been practicing magic with Slendy for two years now, and he had learned all that the Slenderman could teach him. This was his big test. To see if Jazz had control over his magic.

The job was a child killer. Specifically a wretched brute that kidnapped children to sell. That was bad enough on it's own, but he had a temper and killed more of the children that he snatched than he ever sold, in a fit of pique. Jazz was more than ready to kill the imbecile. Toby was watching but it was Jazz's kill. The lock clicked as Jazz finished picking it and Jazz slipped inside, Toby close behind.

Jazz took a minute to observe his surroundings. His target, a Mr. Brent Doyle, had a house full of trinkets. Little porcelain ornaments were everywhere. Jazz grinned. One of the first spells that Slenderman had taught him was a minor illusion for glamour purposes, and another thing that Masky had gotten ahold of, was pictures of his various victims. Those were going to work very well together. Jazz closed his eyes and pulled for the warm feeling of his magic. When he opened his eyes again they were glowing a bright poisonous green and the room was vibrating. A good half of the little porcelain statuettes lifted into the air and followed Jazz as he stalked to the bedroom of the child killer. As he went a sadistic smile grew on Jazz's face. The door creaked open as he stepped through it, and Jazz gathered his magic in preparation.

Jazz took a deep breath, held it, and released. All of the little curios bobbing in the air behind Jazz slammed into the wall and ceiling above Doyle's head. The shards rained down on his face and he jerked awake in confusion. Jazz gathered his magic and thrust it into an illusion. As Doyle's half asleep, confused gaze landed on him, Jazz thanked his lucky stars that the last kid killed here had looked like Jazz. Black hair, green eyes, and being short had never served Jazz better. Glamours were easier the less you have to change.

Doyle stared in horror at the image of his most recent prey, recently dead, who was standing at the end of his bed staring back at him. As his horror grew, the kid opened his mouth, his glowing green eyes not blinking.

"Mr. Doyle, you hurt me." As his abject terror grew, the kid's innocent voice grew sinister.

"Mr. Doyle, you hurt all of us."

And Jazz's illusion activated, all of the children that had been killed by this man flickered into view looking untouched and dressed in white. As the man in the bed watched, the children's blank expressions darkened and the pieces of broken pottery trembled and lifted into the air. The man's eyes remained transfixed as the children began to bleed in places and develop bruises, and the shards of pottery turned slowly in the air so that the sharp ends were all pointing at him. The man's gaze remained so riveted on the illusion of ghost children, that he didn't notice as the shards of pottery had slammed into him until he was choking on his own blood. Jazz let his illusion drop and took two steps forward.

"Aren't you sorry, Mr. Doyle?" The man on the bed let out a terrified whimper as Jazz's magic surged forward and he and his bed were consumed by fire.

Jazz spun on one heel and practically skipped out of the room and threw himself at Toby. Toby caught him deftly and spun him around once, before dropping Jazz back to the floor.

"Nice little fire, isn't-t that?" Toby's neck ticced with a loud crack as he spoke. Jazz looked to see that the fire had left the bedroom and was spreading into the living room and kitchen.

"Yup." Jazz dug in Toby's bag for a moment, "Wanna roast marshmallows?" He brandished the ziploc bag. Toby tore it open and grabbed one, handing Jazz a chopstick in return.

"Always."

(X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

In a castle in Scotland Dumbledore watched the quill address the letters with Professor Mcgonagall, who would then send them out.

All the way to the Ps they watched with bated breath, until all the Ps were addressed and Potter hadn't been one of them. Dumbledore sighed in disappointment, and Mcgonagall let out a choked cry.

"My dear, what tragedy has occurred to cause this?" Dumbledore said softly gazing at the wall.

"No, Albus look!" Dumbledore leaned forward and watched as the quill addressed another letter altogether.

Mr. J. Rogers, formerly Mr. H. Potter.

The Breakfast Table, Third Chair on the Left.

The Mansion, The Forests, America.