Ivan's first school year progressed quite well. He did especially well in my class and I was quite proud of him. He also did very well in Charms and Transfiguration, moderately well in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Herbology (at least when it came to the practical work of tending the plants), and slightly above average in Astronomy and History of Magic. He would have done better in History, as he had quite enjoyed learning it during his lessons at home, but apparently the fact that Professor Binns was extremely boring combined with his lessons not having much to do with the history of the Romani people (if at all) didn't motivate Ivan into putting forth more effort. As for Astronomy, Ivan did have some interest in the subject, but only so far as in how the stars could be used to help him navigate, so he didn't care very much for things like what all the constellations were or what the planets and their moons were comprised of.

The following year his cousin Cara Romanov started Hogwarts. She was Sorted into Hufflepuff like her parents were. Her talents in Potions were well above average, but not quite to the level of Ivan or Vera. She was studious and hard-working, which explained why she did well, and from what I heard from Ivan, the same was true in her other classes. I also heard that her main passions were Quidditch, Transfiguration, and reading, and that she had no interest in anything seen as stereo-typically girly unless related to her Roma heritage. Certainly throughout the school year, I only ever saw her in school robes or in trousers or jeans and shirts or jumpers on the weekends, and the only jewelry she wore were bangle bracelets in the Roma style, with no cosmetics like some of her female classmates wore.

The year after that came time for Ivan's twin cousins, Alexander and Elisabeth (or Alex and Beth as the family called them) to start Hogwarts. It was also time for Harry Potter, Lily's son, to start Hogwarts, but he somehow couldn't be located. His name had somehow vanished from the record book that listed all the magical births in the United Kingdom and Ireland. As his name had been seen previously when Dumbledore and Minerva checked it right after the Dark Lord's defeat, an acceptance letter was still sent out. There was no reply, so more were sent out. Finally Hagrid was sent to personally deliver the letter, where the shocking news that the Potter boy wasn't living with his relatives at all came to light, along with the fact that they hated magic and abandoned their nephew to be raised by someone else.

I could have told Dumbledore that Petunia hated magic ever since Lily started Hogwarts, no doubt due to jealousy over being stuck as a Muggle, and that any man she married would be like-minded, but he was still shocked to hear Hagrid's report. Further investigation on Dumbledore's part (with my assistance) revealed that Mr. Dursley had tried to abandon the Potter boy on the steps of a church in some town some distance from his own (though he didn't remember the name of the town), and some woman who happened to be walking by caught him trying to do so and declared that she and her family would raise the boy if he didn't want to. Unfortunately, Dursley had been too busy explaining himself and then driving off to avoid being further questioned and reported to the authorities to get a good look at the woman. I did use Legilimency to look into his hazy memory of the event, but all I saw of the woman was someone who was bundled up in a dark blue coat with hood, matching gloves, and a thick light blue woolen scarf wrapped about her face. I also had the impression of dark eyes and hair peeking out over the scarf and that the woman was wearing trousers and shoes suitable for walking, but that didn't exactly give me further clues as to the woman's identity. The voice in the memory did sound like it was vaguely familiar, but as it was muffled by the scarf, I couldn't be sure.

When I discussed the matter with Dumbledore after our visit, he had seen the same things I had, other than the fact that the voice of the woman didn't sound familiar to him. We were forced to conclude that some Muggle woman had either taken Potter in or turned him to the Muggle authorities to be adopted or placed in the foster system or an orphanage, and as his name was unknown to them, he had been given a new one. A Ministry official examined the list of the incoming male students for the year that were raised in the Muggle world and questioned them and their families, but none of them fit. Dean Thomas was black and therefore clearly couldn't be Harry Potter, and Justin Finch-Fletchley and Kevin Entwhistle (leaving aside the fact that they didn't match Potter's appearance) weren't adopted or lived in an orphanage or with a foster family.

This naturally led to pretty much the entire wizarding world in an uproar over Potter's disappearance. Dumbledore questioned Arabella Figg, an elderly Squib woman that he had stationed a couple streets over from the Dursleys, since she surely would have reported Potter not living with his relatives much earlier. It turned out, however, that she had only really seen the Dursleys from a distance, as the neighborhood thought her the batty old cat woman and avoided her. She had seen a dark-haired boy with the Dursley boy on occasion, whom she had taken to be Harry Potter, and as he had looked happy and well, she assumed that things were fine. Of course, the dark-haired boy turned out to be a friend of the Dursley boy, and I wondered why Mrs. Figg hadn't looked deeper into things rather than just assuming. I also wondered why Dumbledore didn't also check up on the matter himself, rather than assuming that Potter was being well-cared for by his relatives.

By the time of the Sorting, I had other matters to ponder over. Minerva appeared to have made a mistake when calling the Romanovs up up, for Alexander ought to have been called up before his twin, but she accidentally called up Elisabeth first instead. They were the first ones in the youngest generation of Petrov-Romanov clan to be Sorted into Gryffindor. I also noted that their friends Ronald Weasley and Neville Longbottom were Sorted into Gryffindor as well. I didn't really dwell on it, however, and instead wondered why I, the other three Heads of House, and the Headmaster had to have a private meeting with Ana and Stephan Romanov after the Welcoming Feast. I was still wondering when the Romanov twins walked up to the staff table after the feast to be escorted to the staffroom. From the looks on the other three Heads of House, they hadn't known that the twins were to be part of the meeting with their parents either, but clearly Professor Dumbledore already knew.

Soon after we'd all sat down in the staffroom, Ana and Stephan Flooed over. Professor Flitwick got straight to the point, asking them what the meeting was all about.

"It concerns the truth about Alex, which must be kept secret," Ana replied. "Alex, would you like to explain?"

All eyes swiveled to Alex as he nodded. "I'm not really a Gypsy. I was adopted by the Romanovs when I was one year old. The day of my eleventh birthday, I was told the truth, and that I'm really Harry Potter."

There was a moment of shocked silence from the staff present. My thoughts were racing madly. Wait, what? How can Alexander be adopted? I thought Ana Foresaw that she was going to have twins. No wait, she Saw herself raising a boy and girl and interpreted it as having twins. And Ivan didn't mention anything about this cousin when I visited for his third birthday. He mentioned Beth and the others, but not Alex. In fact, I didn't hear anything about Alex until the Christmas after the Dark Lord's downfall, when I dropped off presents for the clan and Ivan said something about Beth having brother now too after he told me about Jonas and how he was a big brother. Maybe I should have paid closer attention to that, rather than dismissing the comment as Ivan being confused due to his excitement over having a younger sibling.

Professor Dumbledore's voice broke the silence and interrupted my thoughts. "So you're the one that found Mr. Dursley abandoning Harry Potter, Mrs. Romanov!"

Pomona Sprout looked closely at Alex. "But you look different and don't have the scar," she protested.

"That's because I was given an Adoption Potion and apply a cream once a month that hides it," he responded. "Mum, do you have the cream that counters it?"

Ana produced a small jar from her pocket and handed it to him. He unscrewed the lid and applied some of the cream on his forehead, revealing the lightning-bolt scar. I, along with the other three Heads, gasped upon seeing the scar.

"So you really are Harry Potter," I said slowly, not sure what to make of this. I was shocked by the revelation, of course, but I was also starting to feel dislike, simply because the boy in front of me was really the spawn of my hated bully and enemy James Potter. I knew that the dislike was irrational, since Ana and Stephan wouldn't have raised any child, of their blood or not, to be a bully or spoiled brat, and that the boy was also Lily's son, but I couldn't stop the feeling.

"Yes, but I don't want the entire wizarding to find out. I've been Alexander Romanov for all but one year of my life and like being normal. I don't want people fussing over me because of some event I don't remember and resulted in the deaths of my biological parents. Nobody has ever given me special treatment except on my birthday and Christmas, and then it's the usual kind that all kids that aren't abused get at those times. Besides, it's safer for me, since I know Voldemort's not completely gone, and will likely return to power one day. If he went after me when I was a baby, then he'd want to go after me again, and if where I am is a mystery to most people, he'll have a hard time getting to me."

"How do you know that?" asked Dumbledore, looking surprised.

"Some Romany people have the ability to predict the future, as you very well know," said Ana. "I'm one of those, and I made a prediction that the Dark Lord will be defeated once, but will return to power eventually and after a reign of terror be vanquished for good by the one that defeated him the first time around. I explained it to Alex a couple of weeks ago so that he will be prepared. I'm not saying that all my predictions come true, but with all the things that the Dark Lord has done previously, his future actions will most likely make sure that this one will come true. In other words, it will become a self-predicting prophecy. And while Alex could decide to not face the Dark Lord at all, he really is not the sort to sit back and let some evil dictator have free reign over things, due to his hatred of injustice."

Minerva frowned. "But he's only eleven! He can't go around facing one of the most evil wizards of all time!"

"Alex isn't about to go face Voldemort now," said Stephan. "The Dark Lord isn't going to return to power for a few years yet, according to Ana's prediction. By the time that Alex is actually ready to confront him and vanquish him for good, Alex will be of age."

"That's better," said Minerva, her face clearing. "And it's a good thing that you adopted him. He had the chance of a normal and happy childhood before Hogwarts and wasn't with his awful relatives. I knew they were the worst sort of Muggles after secretly watching them for a day."

"But there was a reason that he was left with the Dursleys," protested Dumbledore. "Harry, or should I say Alex, survived in part due to his mother's sacrifice. Since Mrs. Dursley is Lily's sister, her taking her nephew in would have sealed blood wards that would have kept him protected and safe until he was of age."

"That would protect him from Voldemort, Death Eaters that escaped arrest, and other evil wizards in his own home, but would it protect him from his relatives?" snapped Ana. "It's clear that they never wanted him in the first place, if his uncle just abandoned him on the steps of a church. If they had decided to keep him after all, his life would have miserable. They obviously hate magic, and so would hate Alex, and if he wasn't outright abused, he would at least be neglected, which can be worse since with abuse it at least means the abuser is acknowledging you. What kind of life would that have been? With us he got a normal and happy childhood, for a wizard at any rate, and it's not like he wasn't protected anyway."

Beth nodded. "For one thing, he's been Alexander Romanov and my twin ever since we adopted him, so nobody outside of the family and a few select trusted people know who he really is. For another, Dad, Grandpa Vladek, and Aunt Sarah are very skilled in Defensive magic and set up very strong wards on all our houses."

Dumbledore looked very old at that moment, and I couldn't help keep my look of disgust off my face. Certainly I had no love for Potter, but that didn't mean I wanted his son (and Lily's, I reminded myself) to go through the kind of childhood that I did, with my friendship with Lily being the only bright spot. Finally Dumbledore said, "I see that I made an even graver mistake than I thought in placing Alex with the Dursleys. Mr. and Mrs. Romanov, thank you for adopting him and giving him a normal childhood. He will remain with you, and I will ensure that his secret remains secret until you or Alex say otherwise."

I joined the other three Heads in promising the same, though as my thoughts were all in turmoil, I no doubt had something of a strange look on my face. Harry Potter, or should I say Alexander Romanov, was nothing like what I expected. I suppose I had expected someone that was basically a younger version of James Potter, in both looks and behavior, and instead I was confronted with a fairly mature eleven-year old who wasn't interested in the fame that came with his real identity and just wanted to be a regular magical person until the time came for him to face and (hopefully) defeat the Dark Lord. And even if and when that happened, I suspected that he still wouldn't be interested in the fame and would try to go about and live a normal life, for the wizarding world, at any rate.

Alex and Beth turned to their parents and revealed that they and their friends had been Sorted into Gryffindor and the reasons why. I suppressed a start when Alex turned to me and said, "Not that we have anything against Slytherin. Our cousin Ivan is there, and Uncle Nikolas was a Slytherin too. It's just that some Slytherins are unpleasant, and I knew if I had to share a dorm room with Malfoy and his friends for the next seven years, I'd eventually snap and end up hexing them. I don't think you'd want that happening, Professor Snape."

"No, I wouldn't, Mr. Romanov," I replied, taken aback slightly by this. I wondered what kind of run-in that Alex had with Draco Malfoy and his friends, and whether I would heard about it from Draco or his father Lucius. While I didn't care very much for the Malfoys, other than Narcissa, who was nicer and truly cared for her family, I still kept up relations with them for form's sake. Lucius, who had been a prefect, had been fairly friendly towards me during my first two years at Hogwarts, and was one of the people that persuaded me to become a Death Eater. I much rather preferred being Ivan's godfather, but again, for form's sake, I did act like a godfather towards Draco on occasion.

At that point. Ana and Stephan Flooed back home, while Minerva escorted Beth and Alex to the Gryffindor common room. I took my leave from the staffroom so I could go to my private quarters and think. To my surprise, Ivan was waiting in my sitting room. "What are you doing here, Ivan Severus Petrov?" I demanded.

"I thought you might want someone to talk to after the bombshell that was just dropped on you, Uncle Sev," he answered. "And you did give me access to your quarters."

I dropped down heavily into my armchair and conceded that he had a point. "Yes. Couldn't you have told me before who your cousin really was?"

"Uncle Sev, I didn't find out until the evening of the third of August, right after Alex and Beth's birthday dinner! And since it's Alex's secret, it wasn't up to me to reveal it. He's the one that decides that. You're my godfather and a friend of the family, so Alex decided that you have a right to know, and since the other three Heads of House are trustworthy and it would look odd if you were part of a secret meeting and they weren't, he decided to include them as well. And naturally he was going to tell Professor Dumbledore, since he is pretty much leading the fight against the Dark Lord and he didn't need to keep worrying about what happened to Harry Potter."

"All right," I sighed. "I know you couldn't have told me; I'm just having some difficulty adjusting to the news. How am I going to treat Alexander?"

"Just pretend that you don't know that he's really Harry Potter and treat him like you do the other kids in our family," Ivan said calmly. "Alex's not one to misbehave or anything. The worst thing he ever did was that prank of putting the wrong labels on some ingredient jars and potions, and Bubbe and Aunt Ana made it quite clear why that was wrong and not the kind of harmless prank that he and Beth should be doing."

"Fine, but I have the reconcile the fact that Harry Potter, the son of the man that bullied me in school and the woman that I made the mistake of hurting so that she ended our friendship, is also your adoptive cousin and raised by the family that took me in after my life started going to sh- I mean pieces!"

"Uncle Sev, don't focus on the fact that Alex is also Harry Potter," Ivan said quietly. "It's immaterial right now. He's been raised as Alexander Romanov ever since the family adopted him and doesn't know any different. He likes not being sought out for his fame and knows that his friends are real friends who like him for his personality and not fake friends that want to just be associated with someone famous."

I sighed again. "I know that, Ivan. I just need some time to process this. At least I won't have him in my class until Friday. By then, I should be adjusted to all this. How did you take the revelation that your cousin was adopted and everything?"

"Oh, I was definitely shocked. Then Alex said he didn't want to reveal himself to the rest of the wizarding world, which jolted me out of the shock a bit. Mum explained to him that apparently his biological aunt and uncle hated magic when he asked why they didn't want him, and then Vera promised on behalf of us kids, since she's the oldest, to keep his secret. After that, the subject didn't really come up again. Alex did ask Uncle Remus about his biological parents and he later told his friends and swore them to secrecy, but that was pretty much it. Oh, and Jonas did have a few questions, but Mum and Dad and Aunt Ana and Uncle Stephan answered them."

"So who else knows outside of your clan and Alex's friends?" I demanded. "Oh, and Lupin."

"Besides you and the other teachers that were told tonight?" Ivan responded. "Just Miss Fiona. You know, the other family tutor? Though I think Alex might decide, in the future, to tell the rest of the Weasleys, since they're close friends of the family."

"I see," I said, thinking things over. "Well, I'm sure your cousin knows best. Here." I scribbled out a pass and handed it to Ivan so that he wouldn't get in trouble for wandering out in the corridors after curfew if another staff member happened to run into him. "You should probably go to bed now. I'm going to bed myself and clear my mind a bit. Good-night, Ivan."

"Good-night, Uncle Sev," said Ivan, taking the pass and getting to his feet. "It'll get less unsettling as time goes by."

I nodded my head and saw Ivan out the door, then entered my bedroom, where I changed into my night clothes and got into bed. After half an hour of meditating, I was able to clear my mind and relax enough to drop off into sleep.