Opening Author's Notes
Whoa. I was wondering if I was working with something good even though I had a good feeling about it, and the feedback I've received so far has been fun and cool to see! Now it's song time, which a lot of you have certainly been waiting for given that – I really hope I can implement it correctly! Dedication goes to Mikki – Her_Tulip – for being my very first reviewer and someone who's thankfully been in my corner since I started writing on Wattpad.
Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.
–Ronald Reagan
The Three Broomsticks Inn and Pub
Hogsmeade, Scotland, UK
When the first Hogsmeade weekend came around, Alex was glad to have joined Dumbledore's Army and assisted in their efforts to make sure Hogsmeade and the refugees who were there were in good shape, because even though he saw that many of those who had taken refuge there bore the marks of some sustained struggle, the town certainly looked very healthy and people were by and large ready to welcome the students.
Once he was seated at the Three Broomsticks, though, he saw a little more of what lay beneath. Their lips loosened by drinks, the patrons were quicker to outline their grievances against the British Ministry, including some in louder voices than they would use outside. Some of the stories he heard made his stomach turn, but they always inflamed his blood more than that.
Once he saw Madam Rosmerta come around, he reached into his pocket to pull out some money, but to his great surprise, she waved him off.
"Compliments of Harry, Hermione and Ron." She said, smiling and setting a tankard in front of him. "They let me know you told them you hadn't had butterbeer since arriving in Britain."
"Wow, thanks! I'll make sure I thank them - that's incredibly kind of them." Alex replied, smiling back.
He took a long sip, and while he thoroughly enjoyed his first taste of British butterbeer, he elected to have it cool just a touch. To pass his time, he then took pulled something from his pocket and pensively placed it in front of him, shielding it with his hands so that nobody else could see it yet. It was what he had been keeping inside his robes when he had been sorted.
It looked a bit like a small music box, but if anyone had lifted the lid, there would be nothing to be found inside. It was made out of dark but warm-looking wood with some gold accents and had a small sliver knob crank, but what set it apart was the set of keyholes in the side. As he continued to watch and listen to the others talk, four of them lit up softly but visibly.
He found his pulse quickening again as he thought back to what the Sorting Hat had told him when it had showed knowledge of his heritage and identity. Its words echoed in his head:
"Within you, I also see the courage to confront challenges and eventually prove yourself worthy of your lineage...and the name 'Hamilton'. Do not be afraid. I believe you will be tested soon enough, but that courage could only have come from you and you alone."
He smiled at that, but thought to himself, I know there are parallels, but is this the time?
As he wondered this, he saw Harry and Hermione enter together, holding hands, with Ron just behind, to applause from the patrons. This made Harry and Hermione blush but smile, while Ron just glowed.
They sat one table over from him, with Harry and Hermione having their backs to him, while Ron sat opposite them. In what seemed like no time at all, they too had butterbeers for each of them delivered to their table.
Alex managed to keep listening to the murmurs and grumbling, particularly against Fudge and Umbridge. He heard one older lady say, "Merlin's beard, we can't go on living like this...I'm just about ready to go there and give them a piece of my mind, reprisal be damned!"
He looked back at the box at this and murmured, so low that only he could hear it, "Let it begin. I'm ready."
With that, he pulled out his wand, lined it up with one of the glowing keyholes, and gave it a turn. There was a click as he did so, and once he heard that, he turned the crank and looked up, taking one more long sip of his butterbeer to calm his nerves.
"I want to do something...but I don't want to go against my family, either!" Someone was saying, unable to stifle a soft wail. Alex recognized her after what Harry had told him as Marietta Edgecombe. She still had a minor imprint of the word "SNEAK" on her from Hermione's Protean Charm to protect the DA.
"Surely it can't be bad as fighting him, especially now that he's gone!" Cho Chang replied next to her.
Alex took a deep breath, smiled, and then got up and asked Marietta,
"If you stand for nothing, Burr, what'll you fall for?"
Harry could see that while many were not in disagreement with Alex, they were surprised to hear him ask that. While Marietta looked at Alex and wondering why he had called her that, almost immediately, there were people who were asking him, some skeptically,
"Ooh, who are you?"
"Who are you?"
"Who are you?"
"Ooh, who is this kid? What's he gon' do?"
Alex had clearly been expecting something like this, but Harry was staggered by how much he appeared to have been ready for that. Music intensified, and he began to, of all things, start rapping,
[Alex] I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
Ay yo, I'm just like my country - I'm young, scrappy and hungry
And I'm not throwing away my shot
He drew a breath and then continued. Somehow, Harry was reminded of Mrs. Weasley, even Aunt Petunia, but even more so of Hermione and himself when he heard Alex keep going, because he talked as if he had kept it inside of him for so long that once he started, no force, magical or not, was going to stop him before he was finished.
I'mma get a scholarship to King's College
I probably shouldn't brag, but dag, I amaze and astonish
The problem is I got a lot of brains but no polish
I gotta holler just to be heard - with every word, I drop knowledge
I'm a diamond in the rough, a shining piece of coal
Tryin' to reach my goal, my power of speech unimpeachable
Only sixteen, but my mind is older
These great Hogsmeade streets get colder - I shoulder
Every burden - every disadvantage I have learned to manage
I don't have a wand to brandish - I walk these streets famished
The plan is to fan this spark into a flame
But damn, it's getting dark, so let me spell out my name
More than a few mouths were open at this show of force and wit, and a few even joined in as Alex reeled off the next quartet, which began to further inflame the onlookers:
I am the (A-L-E-X-A-N-D)
(E-R) - This is meant to be
A colony that runs independently
Meanwhile, Umbitch keeps shitting on us endlessly
"Hear, hear!" A male voice shouted. Looking in its direction, Harry saw that it was Dean who had called that out. He also noticed that Dean was nodding his head in time with the music. Meanwhile, Alex continued, clearly encouraged by this,
Essentially, they tax us relentlessly
Then King Fudge turns around, runs a spending spree
They ain't never gonna set less than purebloods free
So there will be a revolution in this century
"Oh, yes, there will be!" A girl yelled in response, alongside more and louder excited murmurs in agreement. Harry looked over and saw that this time, Parvati had been the one to speak up.
Enter me! (He says in parentheses)
Don't be shocked when your history book mentions me
I will lay down my life if it sets us free
Eventually, you'll see my ascendancy
And I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
Ay yo, I'm just like my country - I'm young, scrappy and hungry
And I'm not throwing away my shot
Harry then noticed the box that Alex had pulled out of his pocket still resting on the table where he had been sitting. Light was still suffusing from between the lid and the box itself, and as he saw three keyholes still lit up, he moved towards it.
"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione asked, clearly wondering if Harry was about to take a gamble.
At the very worst, she was half right. Allowing himself to be guided by instinct not much unlike when he destroyed Tom Riddle's diary as a second year with a basilisk fang, Harry pulled out his wand, lined it up with one of the lit keyholes, and turned it. There was a small click, and he leapt up with his wand still in his hand and an idea forming.
"Expecto Patronum!" He shouted, and the stag in the likeness of his father's Animagus burst forth. The pub patrons and staff gasped, and in a rare instance, Harry was thankful to be the Boy Who Lived (And Won) so that he could get their attention. Alex was looking at him apprehensively, but Harry smiled as the stag came back to his side and then told him, exaggerating his normal British accent a bit to make his quartet work,
[Harry] I dream of no pureblood monarchy
Britain is already almost at "ah-narchy"
"Ah-narchy" - how d'you say it, Alex? Oh...
[Harry/Alex] "Anarchy!"
I will fight - I've made Voldemort panicky with my (Shot!)
As Harry finished, he sent the stag galloping out of the open door of the Three Broomsticks. It wasn't just for dramatic effect, as he had sent it with a message as to what was going on to other DA lieutenants, though he stopped short of telling any teachers. He also couldn't resist rolling his eyes at people still flinching at the name even though Voldemort was dead.
He then noticed that Ron had jumped up as well and was standing alongside him, a glint in his eyes. He had obviously followed Harry's example and triggered one of the two other keyholes, and he continued,
[Ron] Us blood traitors are called menaces
But Weasleys keep knuckleheads in loco parentis
We'd join a rebellion for justice and a chance
To socially advance instead of sewing some pants
We're gonna take a (Shot!)
Harry saw not only his, Alex's and Ron's eyes but the rest of the pub also move to Hermione, who had also jumped up with her face alight. She had clearly triggered the last lit keyhole and let fly,
[Hermione] Even Muggleborns, we'll never be truly free
'Till magical creatures have the same rights as you and me
You and I, do or die
Wait 'till I sally in on a stallion with house elves in my battalion!
Have another (Shot!)
That's my Hermione! Harry thought proudly, beaming at her and seeing her smiling back. Just leave it to her to work creature rights - especially elf rights - into this, but God love her for it!
Harry could see that Alex hadn't counted on having all three of them willingly join in like they had - and every soul in the Three Broomsticks was clearly on the edge of their seats seeing the explosive meeting of minds involving the Golden Trio - including a famous couple - and the firebrand American transfer. Alex was so visibly emboldened, it was as if his magic was radiating from him as he dared to finish,
[Alex] Yo, look we got
Miss Hermione here rock hard like Lancelot
Ron, your pants look hot! Harry, I like you a lot!
Let's hatch a plot blacker than the kettle calling the pot
What are the odds the gods would put us all in one spot?
Poppin' a squat on conventional wisdom, like it or not
A bunch of revolutionary manumission abolitionists?
Give me a position - show me where the ammunition is!
At Alex's final words, it was as if everyone in the room had been zapped. No one had dared speak that openly and brazenly of open rebellion. Everyone fell silent, and there was also a rushing sound as the music fell silent, broken only by the sound of rhythmically snapping fingers.
Harry kept his eyes on Alex, who had appeared to come to his senses, catching himself and pleading to him, Hermione and Ron,
Oh, am I talking too loud?
Sometimes I get overexcited, shoot off at the mouth
I hadn't had a group of friends here yet - I promise that I'll make y'all proud!
A feral grin had spread over Harry's face. He looked at Hermione and Ron to see they were wearing almost identical expressions, and Harry, in the spirit of his Marauder lineage, knew their looks read, I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. Knowing the time for further action had come, he exclaimed,
"Let's get this guy in front of a crowd!"
The Hogsmeade High Street
Hermione had seldom seen exciting scenes like what transpired afterwards, including just before and after Voldemort's death. Harry's Patronus - and subsequent casts of it - had alerted the Dumbledore's Army lieutenants, including the ones who had been discussing Alex with them, that the game was afoot. People including other students and even some shopkeepers had quickly arrived on the streets, coming from the Hog's Head, from Honeydukes and Zonko's, from Scrivenshaft's and Gladrags Wizardwear, and other shops and areas.
She saw Parvati and Padma, bringing Lavender out of Dervish and Banges and leading them back towards them. As they got there, the crowd was large and still growing, shaped in a rough semicircle as best as the High Street would allow and gathering around Hermione, Harry, Ron and Alex, who were perched atop one of the stone dividers, with Ginny, Dean, Luna and Justin flanking them. The gathering was also singing the cry that Alex had introduced:
I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
Ay yo, I'm just like my country - I'm young, scrappy and hungry
And I'm not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
Ay yo, I'm just like my country - I'm young, scrappy and hungry
And I'm not throwing away my shot
"Everybody sing!" Harry suddenly shouted, and he began to intone and ad-lib,
[Harry] Whoa, whoa, whoa-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, yeah (Let's go!)
[Crowd] Whoa, whoa, whoa-oh
[Harry] (Shout it to the rooftops!)
[Crowd] Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, yeah
Hermione grinned at him and then quickly said, "Wait, let me try this!" She then sang as the gathering's eyes turned to her,
[Hermione] Rise up
When you're living on your knees, you rise up
Tell your brother that he's gotta rise up
Tell your sister that she's gotta rise up
She then raised her hands in an uplifting bit like she was motioning to a church choir, and the crowd burst forth,
[Crowd] When is this colony gonna rise up?
When is this colony gonna rise up?
When is this colony gonna rise up?
When is this colony gonna rise up, rise up?
Hermione felt even more of a thrill hearing the crowd respond that way and saw a broad smile on Harry's face and an awed smile on Ron's. She then turned to see Alex's expression, but he had gone.
Instead of staying up in front of the growing crowd as she had expected, he had jumped down and was off by himself between the Three Broomsticks and the Hog's Head. He appeared to be talking to himself, saying,
[Alex] I imagine death so much, it feels more like a memory
When's it gonna get me? In my sleep, seven feet ahead of me?
If I see it coming, do I run or do I let it be?
Is it like a beat without a melody?
See, I never thought I'd live past twenty
Where I come from, some get half as many
Ask anybody why we livin' fast and we laugh, reach for a flask
We have to make this moment last - that's plenty
Scratch that! This is not a moment, it's a movement
Where all the hungriest brothers with something to prove went
Foes oppose us, we take an honest stand
We roll like Moses, claiming our Promised Land
And if we've won our independence
Let it guarantee freedom for our descendants
Or has the blood we shed begun an endless
Cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants?
Hermione knew too well what Alex meant, as she too wondered if they had taken down the worst Dark Lord in recorded history only to face another daunting challenge if they really wanted their triumph to matter. Meanwhile, Alex continued,
I know the action in the street is exciting
But Jesus, between all the bleeding and fighting, I've been reading and writing
We need to handle our financial situation
Is this a nation of states? What's the state of this nation?
Hermione found herself frowning and wondering why he would say that, but also filed it away mentally as something to point to who Alex might actually be.
I'm past patiently waiting! I'm passionately smashing every expectation!
Every act is an act of creation!
He then turned back towards her, and Hermione made sure he saw her smiling at him and holding out her hand. He took it, and as Harry smiled as well at the two of them and pulled them up, Alex finally finished,
I'm laughing in the face of casualties and sorrow
For the first time, I'm thinking past tomorrow
The crowd then took up the rallying cry once again,
And I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
Ay yo, I'm just like my country - I'm young, scrappy and hungry
And I'm not throwing away my shot
Honeydukes
"Why would she want to Floo home instead of just going to the library?" Ron asked.
He and Harry were among an excited group still talking about what had just happened, and they had opted to replenish their supply of chocolate and other sweets after those events. Hermione, being the daughter of dentists, hadn't had to buy much there and had taken the opportunity to briefly use a Floo Network line to her family's home that was safe from hostile forces at the Ministry.
Harry looked around and saw Alex on the other side of the shop, still deciding which flavors of fudge he wanted to try. He then told Ron, "I think I know, Ron. Remember when you asked if it was a Muggle thing when we were talking about Alex at the DA meeting?"
"Yeah. Oh, you think Hermione believes Alex is a famous reincarnated Muggle or something?" Ron asked.
"I think that's what she believes, yeah," Harry replied. "So the likelihood of the library - or any other magical library, for that matter - having any information on this person is pretty low at best."
He had no idea how right he was. At that very moment, at her family's house, Hermione was in a state of excited turmoil.
Closing Author's Notes
Next chapter is going to open at the Granger residence and is also going to be the last chapter that does not have a song in it, but I mainly am going for that as a change of pace and also to show Harry and Co. learning more about Hamilton (which will involve a bit of the British perspective on the American Revolution.)