The weeks moved quickly by, Harry and Hermione exceeding in their classes, even though their head of house was frosty with the former when he refused to join the Quidditch team after she caught him flying during his first lesson. She got over it though, as soon as she found that another 1st year was just as good as Harry was, Faye Dunbar becoming a Gryffindor legend overnight as being the youngest Seeker in a century. Hermione's given birthday was celebrated at dinner in Severus' private quarters, her parents sending her presents through their friend.

The two friends sat in the front in every class, in an attempt to prevent the other students from seeing their textbooks, but it had been a useless endeavour, and the entire school knew that they couldn't read English very well by the end of the day. By the end of lunch everyone knew that they had odd wands, Charms was just before lunch that day, so the pair were getting odd looks, not that they noticed.

It was finally Halloween night and the school was buzzing. Halloween was the night that all magical creatures enjoyed, it was a chance to be themselves and not have a worry at being judged. Everyone was heading to dinner, but Harry was sitting in the common room waiting for his friend to come down.

When there was no one left, he became concerned and walked to the bottom of the steps and called up, "Mia, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just feel weird is all," came the weak reply.

As soon as he saw his friend, Harry took her into his embrace, "You look awful Mia, maybe we shouldn't go to dinner."

"No, we can still go, I'm just having an episode again," the witch joked, her sensing of the future something that she and Harry had dealt with often enough for it to be a joking matter.

"If you're certain," at the nod, the boy lift his friend up, helping her walk, and they made their way down to the Great Hall.

The pair made it inside just in time to witness their DADA professor raced in and scream that there was a troll in the castle and then pass out. While everyone panicked, Harry groaned, knowing that this was what Hermione had been sensing, "It's in here for us isn't it Mia?"

"Oh yeah but not in the way the person who brought it in thinks. The bloody thing will track us down, it's our blood, he can smell it," Hermione was gaining strength, the episode over, "Any idea how to kill a troll?"

Harry shot the girl a look that said 'you've got to be kidding me' before pulling her into him as the doors all slammed open and students poured out. Through the sea of people, he saw Severus, "Should we tell Severus about this?"

"Couldn't hurt but he may try to stop us"

"We have to take that chance, we are only starting to learn these things," Harry pulled his friend over to where the man was standing, "Professor Snape, can we talk please?"

Seeing the determined faces, the man sighed and went over to a hidden passageway, "You are not going near that troll."

"Severus, he will find Harry and I, our blood is already attracting him to find us for a meal, we can't risk the other students by returning to our tower," Hermione pleaded.

"You don't understand, the troll is a diversion for another to assist the Dark Lord, I have to make sure whoever it is doesn't get there," Severus was struggling within himself.

"We can get somewhere safe and wait for you to return, perhaps by then the other professors will have found and handled the troll, and if we chose the right place no other students will be in danger. How about that?" Harry suggested.

Knowing it was the only way, Severus nodded, hugging both children, "The girls' bathroom on this floor. Go in and wait for me, stay safe."

"You too," the duo said before rushing off.

In the bathroom, they went over every spell they had learnt when they smelt him, it was unmistakeable as being that of a troll. It was still far enough away but it was heading directly for them, and Severus wasn't anywhere they could sense. And as they were beginning to panic, their fathers' voice came into their respective minds.

"Hermione, feel the water inside of you, work with Alexander to defeat the monster"

"You must summon the lightning you have swimming in your veins Alexander, working in sync with Hermione and you will be victorious"

"Alexander?" The kids asked softly, until they were reminded of the troll heading their way, "What did your dad have to say?"

"To feel the water inside of me and work with you I guess. And yours?"

The boy laughed dryly, "I have to summon the lightning swimming in my veins. If I get lightning, and you soak the troll, we can electrocute it."

Hermione nodded before rushing to turn on every tap, running her fingers through the water, feeling it move through her as it always did. Knowing she only had a short amount of time, she quickly went through her warm up, forming water balls and tossing them in the air, making them larger the longer she went.

While she did that, Harry tried to sense the lightning that went through him, as his father had said he had. He finally found it, but what he was supposed to do to bring it out was beyond him. Before he could work it out though, he had run out of time, the door to the bathroom flew off its hinges and into the far wall. Before it even had time to think, Hermione was pummelling it with beach ball sized water balls, not to hurt but to soak.

"Got the bolt yet?" Hermione asked from her spot.

"Getting there Mia," the wizard replied, trying to bring up some sort of power to help.

Soon the troll was getting sick of the water attack and began swinging his club at Hermione, who was expertly dodging his every move. Unfortunately she ducked and moved the wrong way, and the troll got very lucky, hitting the girl with enough force to throw her into the wall. That is what brought the bolt into the wizard's hand and eyes, "HEY! DON'T TOUCH MIA!"

The troll turned to look at him, which was the last thing he saw before the flash of light at the lightning bolt coming at his body. When it hit, the troll instantly fell to the ground, convulsing from electrocution, until the boy vanished the bolt and raced to his fallen friend, "Mia, are you okay? Please be okay."

"Fine, just tired. Night Lex," the brown/green eyes closed and her breathing smoothed out.

Picking his friend up, Alexander left the bathroom, and nearly ran into Severus as he rounded the corner, "Hey."

"Harry, what happened?"

"Oh, you really need to be caught up Severus. Think anyone would mind if we were to stay with you tonight? Mia needs to be watched and her roommates won't do it."

Severus took the girl from his arms and wrapped his free one around the boy's shoulders, "Don't care what anyone else thinks. The troll?"

"Inside, dead"

They were silent until the two wizards were seated in the older one's living area, Hermione asleep on the older man's bed, a scotch in Severus' hand and a Butterbeer in his young companion's, "So, catch me up?"

"Well my name is apparently Alexander, see our fathers have spoken to us in times of danger or emotional turmoil, this is the first time they've use our names. They told us how to defeat the troll, though I only was able to summon a lightning bolt after Mia was hurt. She drenched him with water from the taps, and it helped with the electrocution. Also, Mia's already given me a nickname, Lex," Alexander told the man.

"Lex, very fashionable," Severus chuckled before sighing, "Hopefully the fact that the troll had to be placed into the castle will mean that other monsters are unable to smell your blood and track you here. On another note, I prevented the stone being taken but got a memento for my troubles."

That was when Alexander noticed the torn leg of the man's pants, moving to get a better look at it, "It looks infected, what caused it?"

"One of Hagrid's pets, a three-headed hellhound named Fluffy," the man grimaced as his wound stretched.

Lex grinned, he and Hermione had been down to visit the half-giant many times, enjoying his company greatly, "He would have one of them as a pet. Mia will be able to help once she wakes up, if you don't want to take a dozen potions that is."

"Hmm, perhaps just this once as she is asleep," Severus summoned the necessary vials over to him and as he was taking them, noticed that the boy wanted to ask him something, "Go ahead, ask."

"What is this stone that is being protected and why would Voldemort want it," Lex learning what the monster's name was his first week at the school.

"It's the Philosopher's Stone, which can create the Elixir of Life, the very substance that the Dark Lord needs to return completely and become immortal. And what did I tell you about that bloody name?"

The Gryffindor just chuckled, "So he's here, at Hogwarts, because the stone is? What moron would place that sort of powerful item in a school full of children?"

"The head moron, Albus, but he did place 'traps' so no one could get through. Mine is last before his own, and only I know how to get past it, despite Albus' order that would allow a child to get through, which was probably his plan all along. I need to find who it is that the Dark Lord is using and how."

Alexander yawned widely, "First we should all sleep. Night Severus."

"Good night Alexander," Severus said through his own yawn, falling asleep in the armchair, as he had many times, the younger wizard crawling into the same bed as his friend, holding her protectively.