1994:

It was before Draco's fourth year began that things began to change. Alex was not a stranger to being sent to his room when company was coming over, but it was happening much more than normal as the summer wore on, mostly because of a man named 'Pettigrew' that came to visit.

"From what I've heard from Father," Draco started, being Alex' main informant when he was confined to his room, "he used to be Weasley's pet rat until he was outed by Black and Lupin."

"And he's one of the Dark Lord's supporters, right?" Being a Muggle, Alex had heard little of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (Narcissa and Lucius had wanted to keep him out of certain parts of the Wizarding World if they could) but knew that his family was closely tied with the Dark Lord, not to mention all the stories.

"Yes." Draco nodded, "I think he was the one who framed Black for outing the Potters and killing almost a dozen people."

"Sounds like a bad dude." Alex frowned, "Why is he coming over so often." Draco frowned as well.

"I don't know. Mother… She says that the Death Eaters are regrouping. It's possible Pettigrew might be trying to revive the Dark Lord somehow."

"And me? What happens to me?" Alex brought up his legs close to his chest. The two brothers were sitting on his bed as they talked and Draco put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Nothing. I'll make sure of it. No abuse of your powers, no trying to kill you, nothing." Draco gave a smile, trying to reassure Alex, "You're my little brother. It's my job to protect you and I'm not going back on that." Alex smiled slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Thanks, Draco." They sat in silence, just trying to comfort each other with their presence. It was the best they could do at the moment. After Harry had freed Dobby, Alex had no friends at the manor during the school year and was mostly alone, except he'd made some Muggle ones recently at his school. Having thought he had no magical ability, he'd been enrolled at a school in Chelsea, London, called Brookland. He hadn't immediately fit in but he got used to being an outsider. He really hadn't made friends until the past year, when a new transfer named Tom Harris had joined the school. He wasn't a troublemaker, really, but he was mischievous enough to catch Alex's eye. They quickly became friends, but because of Alex's background he couldn't invite Tom over, so he'd managed to convince his parents to allow him to have playdates at the park or something, just to have time with his friend. He'd told Draco about Tom many times but they'd never met, where Tom was the only one who minded it. He'd love to meet Alex's family and just know more about his mysterious friend but there was nothing Alex could do. Especially not now, with thoughts of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named on the Wizarding World's mind.

"How's your friend? Tom, isn't it?" Draco asked after a while.

"Good." Alex winced, "I think his parents are gonna divorce soon, though. Fights are rough over there."

"Poor guy." Draco nodded in sympathy, "I heard you're on the football team now. It's kinda like Quidditch, except on the ground, right?" Alex snorted.

"Kinda, except you don't have two angry balls trying to take your head off and a third that decides the game. If you want, I can show you how to play it." Draco's face scrunched up and Alex chuckled at the look.

"No thank you." Suddenly the door opened and Narcissa poked her head in.

"Draco? I need you to come downstairs with me." She gave Alex a sad look and he knew he couldn't leave the room yet. Draco gave his brother a hug before he left with their mother and Alex sat alone once more.

The Quidditch World Cup had been great until the end. Alex had managed to keep Draco from insulting the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione too much, meeting the rest of the Weasley clan in the process, then there were the attacks. There had been chaos as Death Eaters stormed the camp and Alex hadn't known anything about it, getting separated from his brother and family in the ensuing panic. He stamped down on his own fear and tried to make his way through the chaos, looking for anyone he knew, he could trust, but there was no one. He flinched and winced at the screams from Muggles and Muggle-borns alike, feeling their pain to an extent and just wondering how this could've happened. Then he was cornered himself. He was a big secret in the family, so there was no reason for him to not be assumed as a Muggle. He backed away, cornered on one side by a wall of fire and the other by two Death Eaters, their masks terrifying him.

Conceal, conceal, conceal… He couldn't let the Obscurus out, he just couldn't. He didn't want to hurt any-

"Crucio!" He'd never felt such pain before. His body burned like he stepped back into the fire itself, knives were stabbing him all over, his head was going to explode. He screamed in such terrible pain and was in no shape to contain the Obscurus, which blasted out and consumed his body, trying to protect it. It attacked the Death Eaters, ripping off their masks and tearing them to shreds before targeting anything else in its path, mainly Death Eaters, and flew over the Cup like a mighty monster or dragon, ready to destroy the area even more than it already was. It made no sound as it moved through the air even though it was screeching inside, still reeling from the pain it had felt. It wouldn't stop until all were hurting as it had.

Below, Draco wasn't feeling much better. He'd lost Alex and his mother had him stay in the safety of the forest, prohibiting him from leaving the area until it was all over before she left herself. Draco could barely believe it, he needed to find Alex but he also couldn't disobey his mother. Wasn't she supposed to care about both of her children? Unless she was out looking for Alex, but Draco didn't feel comfortable with that. He had to find Alex himself or he'd never be able to sleep at night. He'd promised his brother no harm would come to him, he wasn't going to break that promise.

"Harry!" Draco looked over to see the trio approaching, "I don't think your wand's this way!"

"It has to be around here somewhere, Hermione!" The trio paused when they saw Draco and they stared at each other, apprehensive. Eventually the blond teen broke the silence.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"Just looking for my wand, Malfoy." said Harry, "Where's your brother?"

"None of your business!" Draco looked through the trees to the fairgrounds again, "But if you must know… I have no idea. We got separated and I'm afraid he may be in danger. They're after Muggles, you know, the Death Eaters, and they certainly don't know about Alex." Draco held himself tighter, a sick feeling settling inside, "They could find him and hurt him and there's nothing I could do because Mother said I had to stay here."

"You could just go looking anyway." Ron suggested, briefly wondering why he was giving advice to his enemy.

"Still too dangerous."

"Not if we stay together." Harry said, glancing at his friends, "He's your brother and our friend, right?"

"If you think that." said Draco, but he followed them back the way they'd come, closer to the edge of the forest, and there they met up with Fred, George, and Ginny.

"Hi, Malfoy." Even though the greeting was said like it was supposed to be happy, it was coated with some anger, especially from Ginny.

"Don't start a fight." said Hermione, "We're helping him find Alex."

"You sure he's your brother?" asked Geroge.

"You don't look much alike." added Fred.

"Shut it!" snapped Draco. He stepped to the edge of the forest and scanned the skies, looking for any sign of anything out of the ordinary. He doubted Alex was still human by this point, as much as he wished it to be true, and if his brother was in Obscurus form, he had to find him before the Ministry got word of it.

"What's with the pack?" Ginny suddenly asked, curious, "You weren't wearing it before the attacks."

"It'll help calm Alex when we find him." was all Draco said. He scanned they sky for another minute, building up courage to go back to the camps to look for Alex when he saw something in the sky. It was hard to see against the dark background, but there was certainly something weaving and pulsing in the air, angry and loathing. It had to be the Obscurus, Draco was sure, and so he took off the pack and dug through it until he came up with Jack. It may have been several years since Alex had last cuddled with the toy but it always calmed him and Draco hoped it would work.

"Is that yours?"

"Shut up Ron!" The platinum blond boy ignored them and held out the stuffed hippogriff, hoping that the Obscurus would see it and come after it. There was a pause in the air, then the tension ramped up as the Obscurus flew down and approached. The twins instantly took out their wands, instincts kicking in to protect the younger kids, but Draco held up a hand.

"Let loose a spell and the last thing you'll see is an Obscurus tearing your face off." he said. The creature slowed to a stop and hovered in the air just before the group, curling in on itself and wavering in the light, as if wondering what to do. Draco jiggled the hand that held Jack and said, "It's okay. You want Jack, right? Here's Jack." The Obscurus did nothing for a moment before it reached out and enveloped Draco's hand, where it took the toy from his grasp and sucked it into the rest of the creature. There was a peculiar sound that reminded them of purring as the Obscurus swirled around the toy and slowly, it calmed down enough to form Alex again, sitting on the ground and holding Jack so tightly. He looked like a mess.

"What happened?" asked Draco, crouching next to him. He went to touch Alex but the look in his brother's eyes stopped him. There was terror and pain in those eyes, so much of it that Draco knew something had happened to set him off. Alex didn't speak for a moment, but when he did, it was little more than a croak.

"Death Eaters. Crucio, whatever the hell that curse was. It hurt so much." He shivered, "Where's Mum and Dad?"

"Somewhere. C'mon, we've got to go." He helped Alex to his feet and they joined the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione in the safety of the forest. They stayed together in the space, waiting for the commotion to cease, and the trio explained to George, Fred, and Ginny what an Obscurus was and in turn the twins confessed what Crucio was, since none of the other kids had heard of it before.

"It's one of the three Unforgivable Curses." said Fred.

"They're called 'unforgivable' because they're the worst of the worst." added George, "The curses are the Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and the Killing Curse."

"The Killing Curse, well, kills people, the Imperius Curse controls people and the caster can make them do whatever they want, and the Cruciatus Curse is also known as the Torture Curse." Fred explained, "It's so painful that it can break your mind if used too much on you."

"I don't blame you for attacking the Death Eaters if they used that on you, Alex." George said, "Feel better?"

"A bit." Draco had given his little brother some chocolate from the pack and Alex did seem considerably better. They all stopped when they caught a flash of green light out of the corner of their eyes and looked up to see something being drawn in the sky. It looked like a skull with a snake crawling out of its mouth and it spooked them terribly.

"What is that?" Ginny asked.

"Don't know, don't like it." said Fred.

"Malfoy-?" began Harry.

"I don't know about it either, Potter." Suddenly there were popping sounds and someone got them to the ground, just barely avoiding the Stunning Spells sent their way. It seemed the Ministry had finally decided to appear and put a stop to everything. However, there was no reason for them to accuse a group of children, right? But then again, when dealing with You-Know-Who, paranoia could get an all-time high. Luckily for them, Mr. Weasley stepped in. The kids were then aggressively questioned, especially Alex and Draco, since it was a known fact that their father had once been on the Dark Lord's side. After what had happened earlier, Alex was still a bit unstable and so Draco did his best to answer any questions he could, not wanting the adults to set Alex off again. To his surprise, Harry, Hermione, and even the Weasleys backed him up. They probably didn't want Alex unleashing his Obscurus in front of Ministry officials, either. Draco sent them a grateful look. It wasn't enough to completely deter the questioning, however.

"And who might you be, boy?" asked one of the officials, directing it to Alex.

"His name is Alex, sir." Draco stepped in, moving in front of his brother to protect him if need be. That also put him in the line of fire if Alex freaked out but he wasn't going to let his brother get hurt again.

"Well, what is he doing here? I know everyone here except him." The official gave Alex a dirty look.

"He's-" Draco realized he didn't have much of a choice if he wanted to protect Alex, "He's my brother, sir." Alex gave him an astonished look. They'd made sure for so long that he was a secret, why confess it now?

"Brother?!" gasped a witch, "I thought Lucius only had one son..."

"And I suppose neither of you made that mark?" Crouch accused, pointing to the image in the sky.

"We didn't." Draco affirmed, looking much braver than he felt in the face of the man, "We don't have our wands on us, how could we?"

"I'm pretty sure the light came from that direction, sir." said Harry, pointing away. This diverted the officials' attention, causing them to search in another area.

"Thanks." Alex murmured, hugging Jack to his chest.

"No problem. And Malfoy, you owe us."

"Yes, I know." said Draco, then turned to his brother, "You okay?"

"Pretty sure I would've had a breakdown or something if they kept questioning us." he whispered, "Why did you say that?"

"Had to protect you. If I didn't, they could've arrested you or worse."

"I want Mum. Even Dad would be a great sign right now."

"Boys!" There was Narcissa now. She gave each of them a hug and looked them over, searching for injuries, "Are you okay?"

"Shaken, but yeah." Alex said. Draco gave him a look but said nothing to contradict the other's statement, "Can we go home now?" Narcissa gave a sad frown.

"Not yet. The Ministry doesn't want anyone leaving until things are settled."

"Okay." Alex was resigned to it even as fear tinged his voice. Narcissa gave Draco a look, who could only seem a mixture of frightened and tired, just like Alex.

"Let's head back to the tent, then." said their mother.

"Wait." Alex went over to the Weasleys and lowered his voice, "You don't know how much this means to us, to me. But don't tell it to anyone, okay? If you ever need anything, just ask." With a small, genuine smile, he returned to his family and they left the area. The group was left with a small feeling of surprise but it was quickly overcome with what was going on in the direction Harry had told the officials.

Just before they were allowed to leave for Malfoy Manor, they were told that there had been sights of either a Death Eater apparating...or an Obscurus. This did not leave the Wizarding World in good spirits either way and Narcissa was partially angry at Alex and partially worried at what caused him to transform, so as soon as they were home, she had the boys go to their rooms. She didn't wait for Lucius to return as she went to Alex's room, not barging in so as not to scare him. He was scared enough as it was.

"Alex?" She slowly opened the door and peeked in. Her son was holding Jack tightly to his chest, sniffing a little as if trying to cry but quickly wiping away any tears or snot when she called his name.

"Yes, Mum?"

"You don't have to be so formal, sweetie." She closed the door behind her as she entered before joining him on the bed, "What happened? Did you get separated from Draco?" The boy nodded.

"Death Eaters attacked me." he said quietly. Narcissa tried not to show any emotion except for clenching a fist. Dark Lord or not, no one hurt her children. Alex went on, "They used an Unforgivable Curse."

"Oh sweetie..." She wrapped him in a hug. That was when he broke, crying against her and muffling his sobs in her shoulder. Narcissa held him in her arms, sorrow in her heart for her son as she whispered soothing words to him. When he began to stop crying, she asked, "Who did it? Did you see their faces?"

"They're dead." he hiccuped, "Tore them apart." Narcissa couldn't argue with that. Anyone who tried to hurt an Obscurus deserved the fate they got.

"You'll be okay now, Alex. I promise."

On the other side of the wall, Draco was listening. There was a vent installed between the rooms when the manor had been renovated in the wake of Alex's first transformation, allowing them to hear each other if need be. He hated how broken his brother sounded and silently vowed to himself that he'd never let this happen to Alex again. He'd put his life on the line if he had to. That was how much he cared for his little brother. He turned to his own door when he heard a small knock. There was his father in the doorway, hand resting on the frame.

"What's going on?" he whispered.

"Alex was attacked and transformed." Draco raked a hand through his hair worriedly, "It was Death Eaters." He glared at his father, "Didn't they know he wasn't a Muggle or a mudblood?"

"Draco-"

"They used Crucio on him! You're our father, aren't you supposed to protect us?!" His voice, which had been rising, broke at the end. Lucius had a stern face but Draco knew from experience that his father wasn't mad or even disappointed, but it was hard to tell what he was feeling.

"He got his revenge." Lucius stroked a hand down his wand, a sign of nervousness, "Several of us were hurt or killed, certainly not by spells." He tightened his grip, "The Dark Lord knows an Obscurus is about." Draco froze.

"Does- does he know it's Alex?"

"No, not yet, but he will have to be moved anyway." Lucius gave a grimace, "If all goes well, the Dark Lord will be joining us next summer. As it is, Pettigrew will be moving in and we won't be able to hide Alex from him forever. I'm thinking of having him board near Brookland-"

"The Weasleys." Draco blurted. Lucius paused, giving his son a surprised look. Draco quickly tried to explain his statement, "They're Muggle-loving purebloods, friends with Granger and Potter. It won't look out of place if they gain another friend, right?"

"Draco-"

"We owe them, too. Mr. Weasley saved us from getting stunned by the Ministry and Potter helped keep the officials from freaking Alex out again. They'd keep him safe and a secret." Lucius twisted his wand, eyes staring at Draco as he thought, and the platinum blond squirmed under his father's tough gaze.

"Fine." he sighed eventually. Draco started, blinking in surprise, then smiled.

"Thank you, Father."

"We'll wait a few days before visiting the Weasleys." Lucius put away his wand, "Help make sure that Alex is ready to leave. For now, your mother and I are going to talk." He frowned, "I'm sure she has some choice words for me..." And with that, he walked over to Alex's room. Draco pitied his father, but not by much. He was only glad Alex would have a place to stay, but nervous about what was to come. He wouldn't be able to see his brother for a while, probably years, maybe never. Could he stand that? He didn't know, but he had to make sure Alex would be safe somehow, in any way he could.

On the night of August 25th, there was a knock on the door to the Burrow and when Mrs. Weasley went to get it, she was surprised to see Lucius and his sons before her.

"Hello, Molly." Lucius gave her a tight nod, "As much as I dislike this, I want to ask a favor of you and your family."

"Well!" said Molly, surprised, "Please come in so that we can talk." She stepped aside to let Lucius and his sons inside. The man walked in but the boys stayed behind, causing her to raise an eyebrow. It was also by this point that she noticed one of them was sitting on top of a large trunk with a pack slung over his shoulders, "Aren't you coming in, dears?"

"Not now." said Lucius, "I'll explain if you'll let me." Molly was unsure of leaving the two alone and so peeked upstairs to grab Arthur and ask one of her boys to go see Draco and Alex. Upon hearing who had arrived, all of the Weasley boys, Ginny, and Harry went down to look. Usually something like this wouldn't really bother Bill or Charlie, but there was something about Alex that had caught their attention at the Cup. And from the bits and pieces they'd heard from their brothers, Harry, and Ginny, he could really use some company. The reason Percy wasn't going was because he'd already left to return to the Ministry, Bill and Charlie didn't have to leave for a few more days and so decided to spend some time with the troubled boy.

"Nice to see you too, Malfoy." said Fred.

"I'd love to have come for a fight but that's not why we're here." Draco growled.

"So why are you here?" asked Charlie.

"I need a place to stay." Alex said. Jack was in his pack. He hadn't wanted to let go of the toy since the Cup and so kept it as close as possible. He wanted it in his arms but didn't want anyone to see his toy and accuse him of being a baby.

"Why?" wondered Ginny.

"It's a long story." Draco said, glaring, "As it is, I need to ask something of you myself."

"Is it a bad thing if I say I don't trust you?" Harry quipped.

"It's important, guys." Alex said, "Just listen, at least." When no one interrupted, Draco spoke, "I want to ask if one of you could become a Secret-Keeper for us."

"Absolutely not!" Charlie and Bill were already protesting, "What kind of secret do you have that needs a Secret-Keeper?!"

"Hold on!" Ron interrupted them, "What the hell is a Secret-Keeper?"

"Someone who keeps secrets, duh." Alex rolled his eyes and got a jab in the side from his brother in return.

"What Alex means," Draco grumbled, "is that a Secret-Keeper is someone who keeps a very special secret. They're the only one who can tell someone because the secret becomes part of their soul and anyone who knows can't pass it on except the Secret-Keeper themselves. You also can't get the secret out of them unless they give it willingly."

"This isn't something to consider lightly." Bill stressed, "You become a Secret-Keeper, you usually take the secret with you to your grave. Only the biggest, worst secrets should be kept by Secret-Keepers. Why are you even asking this?!"

"Because we don't want anyone else knowing about it." Alex snapped, his anger a surprise to most of them, "We don't even trust our parents to be Secret-Keepers! Not even each other! Do you know how hard that is, not being able to trust even your own family with a huge secret? No, I don't suppose you do, because you trust everyone." He spat the last word viciously before climbing off the trunk and walking off.

"Alex!" Draco called after him, "Now look what you've done, Weasley. I hope you're proud of yourself." With another glare, Draco went after his brother.

"What are they even doing here?" wondered Charlie.

"It's a long story." murmured George.

"You know?" asked Bill, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you were busy being mad?" said Fred.

"It's the least we could do." Harry mused, "They owe us after what happened at the Cup and Alex is lots nicer than Draco. But Secret-Keeper?"

"I'm sure if you'd please explain a little of what's going on we might help you out." Charlie said, crossing his arms, "And besides, the second someone becomes Secret-Keeper, we wouldn't be able to tell it anyway. Anyone who already knows the secret can't say anything about it again."

"Well..." Ron began, "Ginny, why don't you tell them."

"Ron!" she exclaimed, but the whole group worked together to explain the situation to Charlie and Bill, Ginny ending with, "...and now they'll probably want to kill us for sharing this secret so much."

"An Obscurus, huh?" Charlie mused.

"NO." said Ron, George, and Fred, knowing what he was thinking.

"This isn't Care of Magical Creatures and certainly not dragons!" George said.

"You could get yourself killed!" added Fred.

"We're not making this up!" Ron said.

"I know you're not." Charlie said, "I'm just thinking of how I could help."

"Again, no." Bill spoke, "Not until we know how to handle Alex."

"But the Secret-Keeper-?" Harry tried to get things back on track.

"They can do it." Bill's response was mostly a sigh, "It's their decision. Just- Whoever is Secret-Keeper, take it seriously. This isn't something to joke about. Even if no one you share the secret with can speak of it, someone could just as well kill you so you don't speak of it." Bill glanced over to where Draco was trying to convince Alex to come back, as if to make his point.

"Then why not you?" Ginny suggested, "You or Percy. You're both so serious and stuff."

"Not us. No one else needs to know, certainly not Percy." Bill said, "No more sharing."

"I've got an idea..." Charlie whispered his idea to Bill. The eldest brother was silent as he contemplated Charlie's words.

"...That could work." he said at last.

"Well?" asked Fred.

"What's the verdict?" wondered George.

"You two."

"What?!" This surprised just about everyone.

"Why us?!" The twins were astonished.

"Because," Charlie leaned back against the chest, "Who'd ever think to ask the troublemakers for a secret like Alex's?"

"Good point." Harry said. The twins didn't look as sure.

"Excuse us for a moment." Fred and George grabbed Charlie's arms before dragging their brother away so that they wouldn't be overheard.

"We're not mad about the troublemaker thing-" began George.

"-It's so true-"

"-we just wanna know the real reason why."

"Do you really think we're good at this sort of thing?" Charlie smiled.

"I'm sure of it. Just take a look at yourselves once in a while. There's a reason why I think you can do it, but you'll have to find out for yourselves." And with that, Charlie walked back to the group, leaving the twins alone. They truly were surprised that anyone thought they could do something like this, be Secret-Keepers for such a devastating secret. It just didn't fell right to them somehow, but if they were both Secret-Keepers, then maybe they could work together to keep it. After all, Bill had said that they had to give up the secret willingly for anyone to know. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as they thought, right? They went back to the group and it was about that time that Alex and Draco finally came back. Alex didn't look happy to be there, probably still a little angry after his outburst while Draco looked tired and frustrated. He seemed older than he should have and that really showed.

"Well?" asked the platinum blond, "Can we have a Secret-Keeper."

"Yes, you can." Bill nodded, "We even have a suggestion." He whispered it to the brothers and while Draco reacted negatively, Alex wasn't sure how to take it.

"Absolutely not! Not those two!"

"But who'd think to ask them about it? It's be more Charlie's thing, and since you're rivals with Harry and Ron, people might think to ask them too."

"He's got a point." Alex spoke.

"No!"

"Draco." Alex narrowed his eyes, catching his brother in his gaze, "You know this is perfect, you just don't trust them. You wouldn't be protesting this much if it was Harry or Ron because you know them, or as well as you think you do. You know the rest of the Weasleys by reputation except Fred and George. You know they cause tons of trouble and think that they can't keep a secret, but that's the perfect reason to choose them because no one would think to ask. Besides, it's my decision too, not just yours."

"Alex-" Draco began, then stopped, "...You're right. I only want you to be safe, though, and with the Weasleys-"

"I'll be the safest I've ever been." Alex interrupted, "Just try, Draco. Trust someone for once."

"I trust people! I trust you!" Alex raised an eyebrow, a questioning look on his face. Draco growled, "Okay, I don't trust anyone, but I do trust you, I mean it! Again, I just want you to be safe."

"I'll be safe." Alex gave a grin, but it was tinged with darkness, "I can defend myself pretty well."

"...Fine." Draco eventually relented, "But we need to do this quickly, before Father gets back."

"Do you even know how to do it?" Harry questioned skeptically.

"No, but I'm certain the older Weasleys know. Right?" Bill and Charlie rolled their eyes.

"You're a lucky little snake, you know that, Malfoy?" Bill grumbled, pulling out his wand.

"I'm cunning, not lucky."

"Draco, shut up." Alex said, "They're doing us a good thing, don't go and ruin it."

"Make me." Alex rolled his eyes.

"One day, your smart mouth and arrogance is gonna bite you in the arse." muttered the younger blond, "One day..."

After Lucius had managed to convince the Weasleys to take care of his son without actually giving the real reason ("He's sickly and all the dust in the manor isn't good for him. The doctor said he needs to be out in the country, of all things..."), he and Draco had returned home, leaving Alex with his new 'family.' Molly was a very sweet person and Arthur, with all his Muggle knowledge, gave Alex one hell of a laughing fit and even filled in a few missing pieces that he didn't know, but he didn't quite fit in. Too many people knew his secret as it was, even though they now had established Secret-Keepers. What if, somehow, someone managed to break the Fidelius Charm and then could know his secret? What if Draco's biggest fear came true and someone tried to use him for their own gain?

Or what if his parents had just used this opportunity to try throwing him away again? It hurt to think about.

"Alex?" He turned to spot Fred at his door. Because Percy, Bill, and Charlie had moved back to their jobs, Alex had taken one of their rooms to stay in for the time being and was now sitting on a bed. It would be immensely lonely in a few more days, seeing as Hogwarts was about to be in session. But he'd have plenty to explore, right? The house was like an upright maze, both inside and out, not to mention the chicken coop and the barn.

"Yeah?"

"Mum wanted to know if you wanted to join us, going to the Hogwarts Express later this week." he said hopefully.

"I don't wanna get in the way-" Alex started.

"You wouldn't!" Fred shook his head, "It's just gonna be me, George, Ginny, Ron, Harry, and Mum. You can still come."

"How?" There were already so many going, how could he go with them? Fred gave him a smile.

"Ever heard of Floo Powder?"

"A little. Is that what you're gonna do?"

"We have to." Fred said, looking sheepish, "After what happened with the car, we go by Floo Powder now."

"...Do I even wanna know?"

"Probably not." Fred paused a moment, as if wondering if he should leave or not before entering the room. He closed the door behind him but didn't approach. Alex raised an eyebrow, wondering what he wanted.

"How's everything? I know it's been a few days, but we just wanna know if you're okay, adjusting and all." Alex shrugged.

"Better than the first day, at least." He'd barely gotten any sleep that first night, even with Jack in his arms. He was used to sleeping without Draco, but his home and his parents were another matter. It was such a strange place that he couldn't get a wink of sleep. Even now, a few hours after breakfast, he was still dead tired, but he was good at masking anything wrong. He'd managed to hide a peck mark from a peacock he'd gotten too close to on the grounds for several weeks and the only one who'd ever known was Draco and that was because Alex had told him. He was certain his parents hadn't noticed, though that was around the time he'd first unleashed his Obscurus and they had made an effort to care for him better.

"Well, you ever need anything, just ask." Fred said, "Mum and Dad'll be here for you, even if they won't always be home. You ever want us to send you anything from, like, Honeydukes, we will."

"Maybe not that, but… Do you mind giving Draco your address so he can send letters to me? I'm sure my parents already have your address, but he'll probably wanna keep in touch with me too." Fred nodded.

"Don't worry about it. As much of a prick as your brother is, we're not gonna cut him off from you." Alex smiled.

"Thanks. And if you ever need a way to deal with him, ask. I'm full of blackmail." He winked. Fred chuckled.

"So, do you wanna come with us? You'll probably see your family at the station." Alex thought about it.

"Sure. If it won't be too much trouble."

"If we can take Harry with us all the time, it won't be a trouble to have you there. We used to go with Charlie, Percy, and Bill, too. That's a lot bigger than the six of us, seven if you come."

"I guess." Alex gave a nod, "I'll come." Fred made for the door, then paused again.

"Also, don't come George and my room. We're trying to make some prank stuff and it could be dangerous. And don't tell Mum."

"I won't." Alex nodded back. Fred smiled before leaving and the blond boy was left alone again. He didn't want to mention it to the elder but Fred was the first person here to make him feel more comfortable, even if it wasn't by much. Maybe he could live here and have fun after all.

Because of the distance and the danger, Alex wouldn't be able to go back to Brookland and probably wouldn't for a long time, maybe even never. He hoped, after seeing everyone off to Hogwarts, he, Arthur, and Molly could stop by Tom's house, just so Alex could say goodbye. He didn't want to disappear and never let his only Muggle friend know. He wouldn't tell the truth, but he'd sorely miss Tom.

"Come on now, keep up!" Alex snapped out of his thoughts and jogged to keep up with everyone. They weren't late, exactly, but they had to stop to get some last-minute stuff and were cutting it close. Alex hoped he'd be able to say goodbye to Draco, at least. It's been almost a week and he was already missing his big brother. He followed behind the Weasleys and Harry as they ducked into Platform 9¾, muffling a gasp. He'd done it before so many times but could never get used to it.

"Load your stuff, boys!" Molly said, "We don't need you to be late!" She gave Ron and Harry pointed looks. It seemed they'd been late before in some way. As they bustled to get all of the items on the train, Alex searched around for his family.

"Alex!" There he was. Draco was leaning out of a window, giving a wave. Alex trotted over and craned his neck to look his brother in the eyes.

"I knew you were my big brother, but I didn't think you'd get this big!"

"Oh shut up!" Draco was smiling, though, "How's it been with Potter and the Weasleys?"

"Pretty good. I asked Fred to make sure you get the address so you can send me letters. Try not to be so mean this year?" Draco snorted.

"We'll see, Alex." He pointed down the train, "Mother and Father were that way, if you want to give them a goodbye." Alex nodded, and then they grasped hands, as if to give handshakes.

"Just promise you'll be careful." Alex asked, "It's hard enough with you going to school; living away from the Manor is the worst."

"You too." Draco said, "You're in much more danger than I am. Look out for yourself." Alex gave a shaky smile.

"'Bye, Draco." He let go. It was about this time that the train gave a whistle, signaling it was about to shove off. Alex waved to his brother as the train moved and Draco waved back. Alex kept waving until he couldn't see his brother anymore, then looked in the direction Draco had indicated. From where he was he could see his parents, with the crowd thinning out, but he realized he couldn't reach over and say goodbye. Not in front of so many people. So when they saw him, all he could do was mouth the words and give a wave before returning to the Weasleys. They waved as well, then they were gone. His father had probably apparated them back. Alex never liked the queasy, squeezed feeling it gave them, but he'd miss it all the same.

When the War is over and the Dark Lord is dead, I'll go home and stay there. he vowed.

"There you are!" Molly said when he returned.

"Did you say goodbye?" Arthur seemed to understand what he'd been doing.

"Yeah." Alex nodded, "But not to everyone. Do you mind taking me to Brookland right quick?" Molly looked like she wanted to ask but relented, realizing that he had other friends he'd never see again.

A short while later, Alex was standing outside the school gates, leaning on one of the posts as he searched the incoming children for Tom. Not everyone came in on time and he knew Tom tended to be one of these people. This was his only chance to say goodbye, he knew, and if Tom had decided to get to school early for once, it'd ruin everything. But luckily, running up the street was his best Muggle friend. Alex put on a smile as Tom slowed to a stop in front of him, panting.

"Shouldn't..." gasped Tom, "Shouldn't you be inside?"

"Yeah, but…" Alex looked down and shuffled his feet, "I'm moving."

"What?!" Tom gave him a wide-eyed look, then cast his eyes away sadly, "That means you won't be going here anymore, I guess?" Alex nodded.

"I wanted to still keep in touch, if we could." Alex gave him a piece of paper, "We have a P.O. Box, so you'll have to send anything to that address." The Weasleys, with how close they were to Muggles, had the P.O. Box set up to keep in touch with their Muggle friends and were letting Alex use it for the time being.

"Promise you'll visit, at least?" Tom asked, "They're having this field trip to Italy next summer, I think. You'd love it."

"We'll see." Alex said, a hint of regret in his voice, "'Bye, Tom. I'll miss you."

"'Bye, Al." They hugged, then Tom had to rush inside as the late bell rang. Alex watched him go, then went back to a nearby house. It was going to be one lonely year.