Author's Note: Thank you to all the people that reviewed the first chapter, and/or put this story on their favorites or alerts list. Harry Potter will be known as Alexander Romanov, Alex for short, in all future chapters, unless I forget and accidentally use Harry. I forgot to mention it in the first chapter, but Alex also has adoptive grandparents, who have been sworn to secrecy about his real identity. In answer to anonymous reviewer Johnny Boy's questions, I will have Draco look down on Harry/Alex, but Ron won't. While some people don't like Ron, and I can understand why, I am not one of those people, so Ron is going to be in fic as a friend to Harry/Alex. His scar is hidden with a special cream that is applied once a month. The adoption potion is permanent. Alex will be told who he really is and have everything explained before he starts Hogwarts. He will be an orthodox magic user, but he will learn some magic that only Gypsies use, mainly wandless spells. Ana Romanov has the abilities of a Seer, and this is the entire contents of her prediction: "The Dark Lord will be defeated one day. However, it is not permanent, and thirteen years after his defeat, he will return. Dark times will occur, but the one who defeated him before will eventually vanquish him for good." Since Harry/Alex defeated him, it is clear to the Romanovs that he will have to do so again, and while he will have a happy and normal childhood, he will also be prepared to face Voldemort.
Alex fidgeted slightly as he read chapter twelve of his history textbook. Normally he enjoyed history, especially Gypsy history, but it was a beautiful day outside and he was itching to go flying on the Comet One Fifty that he had just gotten for his eighth birthday three days ago. Fortunately he only had one page left to read, and since he was a fast reader, that would only take two minutes. After another five minutes answering the ten questions that Remus would ask him to be certain he had read the chapter and retained the information, he would be free to go flying until five o'clock, when he and Beth would help their grandmothers make dinner.
Next to him, Beth got up and handed Remus the slate with the answers to the math problems she had been assigned to do. Whenever the twins had to write out an assignment that wasn't an essay, they used slates in order to save on parchment and paper. Just as Alex finished reading his assigned chapter, Remus announced, "You got all ten questions correct, Beth. Good work." Beth grinned and then waited while Remus began quizzing Alex on what he had just read.
When he was done, Remus said, "Good work, Alex. All right, you and Beth are free to play now."
"Race you upstairs!" shouted Beth as she dashed out the kitchen at a run.
"No fair, you got a head start!" protested Alex as he ran after her. Remus shook his head at their antics, but smiled also. Harry Potter, or rather Alex, was having a very normal childhood, at least normal for a wizard, anyway. His adoptive parents and extended family loved him, he got along well with his adoptive sister and cousins, except for the occasional arguments that all children usually had with each other, and he liked "Uncle" Remus and mostly enjoyed the lessons he got.
A minute later, Alex and Beth ran downstairs with their brooms and Flooed to their paternal grandparents' house. Grandmum Lisel was in the kitchen when they arrived and greeted them. "Good afternoon, dears," she said in slightly accented English. Though she had been living in Britain since 1947, she hadn't completly lost her accent. "Neville and your cousins Cara and David just arrived a couple of minutes ago and he's waiting in the back yard for you."
"Thanks, Grandmum," said Alex. He and Beth hugged her and then ran outside.
Their paternal grandparents happened to live near the Longbottom ancestral home, and as a result, the 'twins' had met Neville Longbottom and become friends with him. Twice a week he joined them in Herbology lessons. He was very good with plants, both in tending them and knowing about their properties, and often helped the twins and their cousins with it.
Neville was sitting at the picnic table, a plate of biscuits, five glasses, and a pitcher of lemonade on the table, and his Shooting Star lying on the grass next to him. He wasn't as confident flying as the twins, and preferred to still use a broom that didn't go very fast. Still, he had come a long way from when the three had first become friends. Alex had been good enough at flying that his parents had allowed him to ride a real broom, and not a training or toy one, when he turned six. Not long after that, Neville's grandmother had given him permission to finally learn how to fly. Alex had given his friend his training broom to learn how to fly on. Neville had been rather nervous at first, but thanks to Mr. Romanov and Alex's coaching, he had learned, and had become good enough to be gifted with a Shooting Star on his seventh birthday.
Cara was sitting on the grass, polishing the handle of her broom, and dressed in her summer outfit of a shirt and shorts. Her dark brown hair was cut short. She was a year older than Neville and the 'twins' and a tomboy, never wearing dresses except when her mother forced her into one for some special occasion. David was two years younger than his sister and rather mischievous. He had a penchant for pranks, like the twins Fred and George Weasley, who lived in Ottery St. Catchpole near David and Cara. Alex and Beth were friends with the Weasley twins' younger brother and sister, Ron and Ginny, and also with Luna Lovegood, who lived in the area as well.
After exchanging greetings and having some biscuits and lemonade, the five of them took off on their brooms. They flew around for half an hour, making sure not to fly too high, partly because their respective parents and guardians wouldn't let them and partly to keep any Muggles from the nearby town from spotting them. After that, they played a game of catch with a Quaffle, which then evolved to Cara playing Keeper while the others tried to score goals.
At five o'clock, Neville went home while the others went inside to help with dinner, as it was being held at their paternal grandparents' house that night. Gypsy clans were rather close, and for the Romanovs and their extended family, this manifested as all of them having dinner together every evening. Except for the weekends, it was hosted at a different house every night. On Mondays it was at the maternal grandparents, Tuesdays at the paternal ones, Wednesdays at Aunt Maria and Uncle Tobias, (Ana's sister and Stephan's brother), Thursdays at Uncle Nikolas and Aunt Sarah (Ana's side), and Fridays at Beth and Alex's home. On the weekends they went out to eat or (in good weather) had picnics.
By six o'clock, the rest of the family, plus Remus and Fiona McGilray, the tutor (and Squib) that worked for Uncle Nikolas's family, had arrived. All the cousins set the large table in the dining room, while Grandmum Lise, Granny Ilsa, and Aunt Sarah brought out the food. Alex took a seat between Beth and his cousin Jonas, who was the youngest at six. Once everybody was seated, Granddad Vladek said a short grace and then food was served. As everyone ate, the adults discussed how their day had been and asked the seven children about theirs. Vera, the oldest of them, was starting Hogwarts that year and was very excited about it. She told her cousins all about her trip to Diagon Alley that day, and showed off her wand of cherry, eleven inches, and with a dragon heartstring core.
After dinner, the kids cleared the table and Ana and Aunt Maria washed the dishes with magic. Not long after that, everyone Flooed back to their respective homes. Alex spent the next hour reading Wind in the Willows, which he had gotten for his birthday, until he had to get ready for bed.
Next chapter: Alex and Beth turn eleven and get their Hogwarts letters. That evening, they and their cousins are gathered and told about Alex being adopted and how he is really Harry Potter. Alex decides to not reveal himself and the cousins are sworn to secrecy, while Remus tells him some stuff about Lily and James Potter. The next day, Alex and Beth go to Diagon Alley for their Hogwarts supplies.