For the next two weeks, Draco Malfoy found himself unable to access the Room of Requirement. He began to grow nervous as time went on. Soon enough, a month had passed and he wasn't sure what was going on.
The group had named themselves Forest Children and secretly conducted lookouts to make sure no one was coming. Alexander Everett had lived in the room for a month now. The room had begun to change slightly as he learned.
The first week was simple enough, teaching him about the Wizarding world and reminding him of the things he might already know such as basic rules and behaviors. The second week didn't go so well when they tried to introduce Alex to mannerisms. He constantly smacked Ron or started stripping and running around. The third week went better, but Alex still continued to be slightly fearful when it came to magic. It was a new concept, Hermione had explained, and they just had to be patient with him.
By the end of the fourth week, the group had grown closer. They also didn't have time for literally anything else but Alex. They denied Slug Club parties and Ron had snuck off to the Room of Requirement after winning the Quidditch match. Lavender had tried to talk to Ron, but Dennis had interrupted them to ask if they should bring some food to the boy in the Room of Requirement.
Laura had begun to talk to the group more often and smiled. She got along well with everyone, but Ron viewed her as a smaller version of Luna and treated Laura the same as Luna.
Alex was beginning to grasp concepts better and had most of their names down pat. The only ones he was having trouble with were Hermione, Ginny, Colin, Stewart, and Malcolm. He called them: Hermanie, Jenny, Colon, Sewert, and Mack'm.
They hadn't been questioned until Professor Snape, having been notified of the room's closure by Draco Malfoy, decided to do some investigating.
Lavender seemed to be trying to gain a relationship with Ron, but the redhead had been dragged off by either the Creevey brothers or Harry and Hermione to go to the Room of Requirement. In turn, Cormac McLaggen didn't get the chance to chat, aka flirt, with Hermione.
Harry still had meetings with Dumbledore and asked if they could keep using the room. Professor Dumbledore said yes, but Harry didn't tell him that Draco might have been using the room. Harry didn't care though; if he was sabotaging a potentially dangerous plan by Malfoy then he was happy.
The group took turns with one or two of them sleeping in the room every night to keep Alex company. Malcolm volunteered for most of these 'sleepovers' as Luna called it.
Since they had all grown closer, they realized that there were shared classes they didn't think about before. Colin had classes with Ginny and Luna, but often kept to himself or chatted with another student. Dennis, Malcolm, Stewart, and Laura had the same Potions class together as well as classes where two houses were placed in the same classes.
It was nearly the Christmas holidays and Draco hadn't been able to get inside the room to make any progress and he was severely annoyed.
Severus Snape was informed by a Slytherin student that Malcolm had been missing several nights and avoided the common room. The Head of Slytherin House told the boy to come to his office one day after lessons.
Dennis and Stewart wanted to argue, but Laura shook her head. They followed her outside the classroom and into the Entrance Hall where they ran into Luna, Ginny, and Colin who had just finished Herbology. They were followed shortly by Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville who came from Care of Magical Creatures class.
The three younger students explained what was going on. Hermione said that all they could do was hope that Professor Snape didn't force the truth out of Malcolm.
…
"Have a seat."
The Potions Master's tone was cold and uninviting. He sat at his desk as the boy sat in the chair across from him.
"Good afternoon, Professor." Malcolm said, trying to keep his voice casual and polite. His face showed no sign of fear, but a funny feeling started picking at the back of his brain.
"Mr. Baddock, where have you been?"
Malcolm looked stunned. "Me? I am positive I have attended all my lessons, including yours sir. I do not believe I have ever ditched a class or missed a meal time."
"That is not what I meant, Mr. Baddock."
"I'm sorry sir; I don't think I understand your question."
"Your fellow Slytherins have reported you missing from the dormitory. You seem to skip three or four nights a week…care to explain?"
"Perhaps they don't see me come in late. My roommates go to sleep at eleven at the latest. I like to hang out in the common room until half past eleven. I'm quiet as a mouse." Malcolm said. It was true that he didn't want to go to bed at the same time as the others. "I'm also an early riser, sir. I always have been that way, even on weekends."
"The Prefects perform a sweep of the common room every night." Professor Snape said.
"I have a couple of really good hiding spots in the common room that the Prefects don't even see." That was more or less truthful. Technically, there was one spot that was overlooked often.
Professor Snape stared at the boy, trying to see what was going on. "Your housemates tell me that you avoid the common room and them. Why do you not interact with your housemates?"
Malcolm's jaw nearly dropped. Since when had Professor Snape cared if his students interacted with each other? He certainly hadn't said anything the first two years Malcolm had been a student.
"I don't get along with them." Malcolm finally said. "They find me…different…and they shunned me so I forgot them."
"You have been seen hanging around a Gryffindor student by the name of Dennis Creevey." Professor Snape said.
"Stewart Ackerley of Ravenclaw and I have decided to work on inter-house unity." Malcolm responded. "We have made friends with Laura Madley of Hufflepuff as well as Dennis Creevey of Gryffindor. The four of us have become good friends."
"Why do you care for unity?"
"Professor, my I answer that with a question?"
Professor Snape looked taken aback, but nodded slightly.
"Why do you care for what I do? Do you care for your students?"
"Are you suggesting I do not pay attention to the welfare of my students?" The Potions teacher raised an eyebrow.
"Not at all, sir." Malcolm said. "But you do not pay attention to the bullies and the bullied. The first reaction I got when being sorted was hissing by the Weasley twins. I was suddenly shunned by three-fourths of the school as soon as the name of one of the founders slipped out of the hat's ripped mouth. Stewart and I made friends on the train and if we hadn't, I am quite sure I'd be alone right now. I felt disgusted by my housemates who talked nothing of blood purity and, pardon my language, Mudbloods being eradicated. I tried to be kind to other houses only to be called a junior Death Eater and constantly be ignored or put down. The only one apart from Stewart who actually looks at me kindly is Laura Madley. The worst part was that I didn't even get to escape the world at home. My father left once he found out what house I was in. My mother tried explaining that I was just ambitious and I had traits that were valued in that house, not that it meant evil. But that's not what he interpreted it as. I had to go home to my mother trying to cover up the sadness every morning. I still hear it in her voice though. But I'm not done; I still have to answer your questions."
Professor Snape's expression was unreadable, but he did not respond and Malcolm took that as a cue to continue. He was already in deep enough.
"While everyone pays attention to what the Boy-Who-Lived and his friends are doing, the younger ones get ignored. I am not only speaking for myself, but for all the shunned and ignored. Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Laura Madley, Stewart Ackerley, Dennis Creevey, possibly a hundred others who didn't or still don't get their voices heard. Maybe Neville and Luna will, but the rest of us are only small fish in this mad world. To answer your question, unity may be the only way us smaller ones have of making ourselves heard. It may be the only way for the Slytherins like me, who don't even want part in whatever will come, to be able to break free and associate where we are wanted. Where have I been? I've been trying to find myself. I've been trying to help a good cause whether anyone likes it or not."
He paused at Professor Snape's inhale, but continued when the Professor did not respond.
"I am not suggesting you don't pay attention to the welfare of your students, I am suggesting that you don't see what divides us. I'm not just saying rivalry, I'm saying within the houses. Luna is rejected in her own House because the other students view her as odd. The Hufflepuffs avoid Laura because she likes to get away from the magical world every so often and read comics. Stewart is smart, but shy. The Ravenclaws don't listen to him though because he has a point of view that no one wants to listen to. The kind that knows what the real world is like. He's Muggleborn, orphaned at the age of three while on a vacation to America, put through nine different foster homes until his elderly aunt finally caught wind of what happened and shipped him back to England. So far, he's lived with her until she died a year ago and then he lived with a cousin who already has a family and didn't even know about him until he was placed in the house. He's not treated badly at all, but he still feels like he can't talk to anybody. And that's how I feel. So, go ahead. At this point I don't care if you take fifty points from me; I just wanted you to hear this. I wanted you to hear what the underdogs have to say. "
Before the teacher could respond, there was a knock at the door. It was thrown open by Draco Malfoy.
"Professor, I've got to speak to you." He demanded.
"Excuse me; I believe I was in a conference with the Potions Master." Malcolm said.
"I don't know who you are, but shut up!" Draco said. "I am obviously more important than you."
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm the underdog." Malcolm smirked.
"That is enough." Professor Snape said. "Mr. Malfoy, I shall deal with you in a moment, please wait outside."
Draco huffed and stormed out of the room.
Malcolm awaited his fate with bated breath.
"Mr. Baddock, I shall not take points from you." Professor Snape said. "I shall process the information you have given me and this will be taken up with the Headmaster."
"Really?" Malcolm asked. "I've never spoken with the Headmaster before."
"Please leave my office."
"Yes sir…Sir?" He paused at the door. "Thank you for listening."
He left, smirking at Malfoy as he went. Draco scowled at the younger boy.
…
The group was very anxious now; Malcolm had been in there a long time. Neville and Colin had gone to the room to make sure Alexander didn't get himself in trouble.
"Look!" Dennis said.
Malcolm came out of the Dungeons with a satisfied smirk.
"What happened?" Harry asked urgently.
"Did he use Veritaserum?" Hermione said. "If he did, it's illegal to use on a student and should be reported."
Malcolm shook his head.
"He didn't make you spill, did he?" Ginny asked.
"I told him what I wanted him to hear." Malcolm said.
"You what?!" Ron yelped, his ears turning red.
Malcolm ignored the redhead and looked at his Ravenclaw friend. "I told him." He said apologetically.
Stewart looked confused for a moment before he understood.
"WHAT?!" Ron shouted. "How could you? I knew it! Traitor Slytherin, you couldn't be trusted!"
Malcolm glared furiously at Ron. "Shut it and listen, Weasley. I said I told him what I wanted him to hear. I told him that the school would much rather listen to the adventures of the Boy-Who-Lived and his friends than the underdogs who don't have a chance unless their voices are heard. No offense, Harry." He added.
"Er, none taken…I think." Harry said.
Malcolm stormed off. Luna decided to go after him with Dennis and Laura following him.
"Ronald, that was completely uncalled for!" Hermione scolded.
"He said he told. What was I supposed to take that as?" Ron grumbled.
"He was obviously looking at Stewart so that meant he said something about Stewart." Ginny said. "Is that true?"
Stewart nodded. "He told Professor Snape about my background." He said. "He wouldn't have made eye contact with anyone if he told about what we were doing. I know him, he wouldn't tell because Alex is a friend to him."
Ron looked properly shamed. "Blimey…now I feel like fool of the year."
"Just stop jumping to conclusions." Ginny said.
"Right..."
"Can you be friends with him now?" Harry asked. "Even I trust him."
"Alright, fine." Ron said.
…
True to his word, Ron started to be nicer towards Malcolm. The younger boy was wary, but accepted this. The others already accepted Malcolm early on and spoke to him like they would each other.
Malcolm told the others exactly what he told Snape, including his and Stewart's stories.
A week before the winter holidays found the group making good progress. They were going to bring him to Dumbledore to see if he could get memories from the youngest boy.
"Run…"
The group looked at Alex.
"Are you talking to me?" Ron asked.
Alex shook his head. His eyes were wide and staring down at his feet.
"Mum…Dad…"
"Is he remembering things?" Neville asked.
Harry shrugged.
"It's possible." Hermione said. "Alex, do you remember your mum?"
Memories…they were tiny fragments…but he saw…some things…Familiar…things looked too familiar to not be sure…he knew what they were…but why…why now?
They left the room in small groups so they wouldn't attract attention. Harry thought about having someone wait in the Room of Requirement, but it was unnecessary. Draco seemed to have abandoned hope of being able to use the room again.
They all gathered in Dumbledore's office with Alexander. Alex stared at the man's beard.
"Hello, Alexander."
"Hermanie?"
"It's okay." Hermione said. "Professor Dumbledore is going to help you. We're going to get your memories back."
"I'm going to see if the memories are hiding and I'll show your friends, alright?" Dumbledore said.
Alex flinched at the wand, but Professor Dumbledore didn't hurt him. The boy nodded and winced as he felt a tugging at the back of his head. A string of silvery memory was eventually taken out of his head. He blinked at it and they watched as the Headmaster put the memory inside the Pensieve.
The boy stared at the bowl in wonder and a little fear.
"Are we all allowed to go in at once?" Harry asked.
"Certainly, Engorgio." The Headmaster made the bowl larger so they could all put their faces in.
Alex clutched Hermione's sleeve.
"It's your memories." Hermione said. "All of us are going to see this. We're here and we're not leaving."
"Don't worry; all of us will be right here." Laura said.
"And we'll be there when we're done." Luna said.
"We're not leaving, mate." Ron said.
"We're in this together." Ginny said.
"Okay?" Alex asked.
"I can't promise that you'll be okay." Stewart said.
"You might be sad, but you'll be safe." Neville said.
Colin nodded. "You are going to see your mum and dad in this." He said.
"The memories might be painful." Dennis said.
"But we can promise you'll be safe from harm." Malcolm said.
"You have us, we're your friends and we're not letting go of you so easily." Harry said.
Alex looked at each of their faces, they gave him reassuring looks.
He took a deep breath and they all plunged into the enlarged Pensieve.