Chapter Summary: Harry/Alex and his friends find out that something is hidden at Hogwarts, and an incident occurs that cements Hermione's place in the group of friends.
September passed quite pleasantly. Alex enjoyed being at Hogwarts, and getting to see his older cousins more often, as they made a point of spending a few minutes at mealtimes to talk with him and Beth, or having them over at their house tables. The only exception was Ivan, who never sat with the other Slytherins except during the feasts, and instead sat with his friends at the Gryffindor or Hufflepuff tables. There was no rule that prevented students from sitting at other house tables, and according to Hogwarts, a History, the Founders had encouraged tghe mixing of houses, so nobody other than the Slytherins said anything about it, though never where Professor Snape or another teacher could hear.
On the first of October, at dinnertime, Fred and George asked to speak privately with Alex and Beth after dinner. Ivan, who was sitting next to them, mouthed, "They figured things out," by way of explanation. Beth and Alex exchanged puzzled looks, as Ivan would never reveal that Alex was really Harry Potter and they couldn't think of any other way to be found out.
That question was answered when they went to an empty classroom and Ivan did a Silencing Charm on it so that they wouldn't be overheard. Fred pulled out a blank piece of parchment and asked, "I expect that you two know what this is, based on what Remus told you?" He then proceeded to tap it with his wand and said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."
"That's the Marauder's Map!" exclaimed Alex. "But how did you get a hold of it? Remus said that Filch confiscated it from the Marauders at the end of their seventh year."
"Nicked it out of Filch's office in first year," replied George. "Fred and I had gotten in trouble for setting off Dungbombs on some Slytherins. Specifically ones that were making fun of Ivan."
"When Filch dragged us into his office, we saw a drawer marked 'Confiscated and HighlynDangerous' in there," continued Fred.
"Ah," said Beth in understanding. "So you immediately had to see what was in that drawer. I suppose one of you created a diversion and the other one grabbed the Map?"
Fred nodded and George continued, "We then shared it with Ivan and Cedric and the four of us were able to work out how to use it."
"Then why isn't Cedric here?" asked Alex. "If he knows about the Map, then shouldn't he have also figured who I really am?"
"Because he wasn't there when Fred and George figured things out," answered Ivan. "The only one they told was me, because I'm related to you. And we're not going to tell Cedric unless you give us permission."
"How exactly did you guys figure out it?" inquired Beth. "I know you must have seen the name 'Harry Potter' on the Map, but that's not enough to figure out it's Alex."
"Well, we happened to see the name 'Harry Potter' in the area labeled as the Gryffindor common room," said Fred.
"That made us realize that Harry Potter was actually at Hogwarts, but was pretending to be someone else," continued George.
"At first we thought it might be Dean Thomas or Seamus Finnigan, but then their names showed up," said Fred.
"So then we figured it had to be either Neville or Alex, and when Alex's name didn't show up, we knew it was him," concluded George.
"Oh," said Alex faintly, looking at Beth and Ivan. "Er, you're not going to tell anyone, are you?"
"Of course not!" exclaimed Fred. "It's your secret and you decide who gets to know it or not."
"Besides, it's quite funny how you're under everyone's noses and they don't know it," said George with a grin.
Fred nodded in agreement. "If this keeps up, it could be the longest running prank in history. Oh, and does anyone else know outside of your adopted family and Remus?"
"Ron, Neville, Ginny, and Luna do," responded Beth. "Alex told them the day before we left for Hogwarts."
"We thought so," said George. "It made sense that you would let your closest friends in on the secret."
Ivan took the Map from Fred and handed it to Alex. "We've decided that since you are the son of a Marauder, you deserve to have this, but would you mind letting us borrow it every once in awhile?"
"Sure, you guys can borrow it, and thanks very much," replied Alex, looking down at the Map with a smile. He was glad to have found out where the Marauder's Map was, and didn't really mind that Fred and George had found out his secret, as they were completely trustworthy when it came to keeping other people's secrets, except maybe for people like Malfoy.
Ivan exchanged looks with the Weasley twins, and then said, "Oh, and don't ever go to the third floor corridor, Alex and Beth. Those two idiots talked me into going with them to checking it out, and when we got there and magically unlocked the door, it turned out that there is a giant Cerberus locked up there."
"You mean a three-headed dog like the one that guarded the Underworld in Greek mythology?" asked Beth in shock.
Fred nodded. "We high-tailed it out of there right away, making sure to shut and lock up the door again first."
"Ivan says that he noticed the Cerberus standing on a trapdoor just before we ran off," added George. "So it's probably guarding something."
"But please just forget about it," begged Ivan. "What it's guarding is really none of our business."
"Okay," said Alex with a shrug, though he was inwardly wondering about it all. "I guess you'll tell Vera and Cara that Fred and George know about my secret?"
"Yes," answered Ivan. "Well, see you later guys." He removed the Silencing Charm on the room and he and the Weasley twins left.
In the Room of Requirement, Alex and Beth told their friends about how Ivan and the Weasley twins had found out what was in the third-floor corridor and that it was probably guarding something, most likely whatever it was that Hagrid removed from Gringotts. Hermione was highly disapproving of it, but as it had already happened, there was nothing she could do about it, except complain until even Beth lost patience and snapped, "Hermione Jean Granger, that is enough! There is nothing you can do now, so please shut up about it!"
Later on, when Hermione and Beth had gone to bed, Alex told Neville and Ron that Fred and George had figured things out due to having the Marauder's Map and promised to keep it a secret.
The next few weeks passed without incident, except for the occasional headaches that Alex was getting in Defense Against Dark Arts class. Twice, his hidden scar flared with pain before it disappeared. He had absolutely no idea why it was happening, and nobody else in his family did either, though Grandma Lise admitted in a letter that a curse scar like his was quite different and so nobody knew much about it to begin with.
When Halloween arrived, Alex felt conflicted. He had enjoyed celebrating the holiday before, but now that he knew that it was the day that his biological parents had been murdered by Voldemort, it wasn't so great any more. He loved his adopted family and the life he had with them, but it would have been nice to have been raised by his birth parents.
Beth seemed to know what he was thinking, for she took him aside right after breakfast and said, "Don't dwell too much on it, Alex. It's not your fault that they died. They were willing to do anything to protect you, just like how Mum and Dad are perfectly willing to do anything to protect us right now, and Voldemort is a foul git that deserves to burn in Hell."
He cheered up a bit, enough to enjoy Charms class, which was learning how to levitate objects. Alex was partnered with Neville and the two of them tried to levitate the feather they were given. Neither of them had much luck doing so.
Hermione was partnered with Ron, and they weren't that happy about it. Ron still wasn't getting along with her most of the time, and since she did come across as annoying half the time, Alex could see why. This turned out to be one of the times when she came across as annoying.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Ron shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.
"You're saying it wrong," Alexheard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."
"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.
Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her robes, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.
"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"
Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.
"It's no wonder most people can't stand her," he said to Alex as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."
Someone knocked into Alex as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Alex caught a glimpse of her face — and was startled to see that she was in tears.
"I think she heard you, Ron," he said in a disapproving tone, for he would never say anything like that about another person, except maybe Malfoy.
"So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends besides Beth."
"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" snapped Beth, glaring furiously at him. "You are the most insensitive git ever!" With that, she ran after Hermione.
Ron stared after Beth, then turned to look at Alex and Neville. "But Hermione is rather annoying," he protested.
"That still doesn't give you the right to say what you just did, especially in her hearing," scolded Neville. "She was only trying to help you."
"And Hermione only comes across as annoying because of her strong desire to prove herself and she doesn't really know how to act around people her own age since she's never had any real friends before," pointed out Alex. "I'm pretty sure if I hadn't been adopted by the Romanovs, I wouldn't have had any friends before Hogwarts, either. My blood relatives would no doubt have made sure of that, considering that they hate magic and didn't want me in the first place."
Ron turned scarlet and muttered, "I'll apologize to Hermione later."
"You'd better," said Neville.
However, Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon, and neither was Beth. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, the three boys overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom with Beth comforting her. Alex halted and glared at Ron. "Now look. You've upset Hermione so much that she's been crying all afternoon. I'm going to go help Beth. I hope your conscience is happy, Ron."
"I'm going too," said Neville, giving Ron a look.
Ron gave a sigh. "I'm sorry that I was so rude!"
"Well, you should be telling Hermione that, not us," snapped Alex, turning around.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming with you guys," said Ron. "But if we're missing the feast, then can we at least go to the kitchens later and get some food?"
"Yes, Ron," said Neville, rolling his eyes. The three of them set off to find Hermione and Beth, finally using the Marauder's Map when they went to three girls' bathrooms and not finding them there.
Once the three boys reached the correct girls' bathroom, they got Hermione and Beth to come out. Beth glared at Ron, but didn't say anything. After a moment of silence, except for Hermione's sobs, Ron akwardly said, "I'm really sorry, Hermione. I shouldn't have said what I did." Hermione wiped her eyes, but still continued to cry.
Beth said severely, "What you said upset Hermione a great deal, Ronald. If it weren't for the fact that you've been my friend for ages and you're trustworthy enough to keep secrets, I'd stop being your friend at once. As it is, I didn't bother making any excuses for your behavior to Hermione."
"Look, I'm sorry!" cried Ron. "I didn't mean what I said! Well, okay, Hermione does come across as annoying often, but I'm trying to get past that!"
"Well, you're not trying hard enough, since you're always bickering with her," retorted Beth. "And it's not her fault if she appears annoying to you. What about you, Nev and Alex?"
"We don't have a problem with her," said Alex. "Well, I agree that she does seem annoying sometimes, but I also see that she's making an effort not to be."
"She's nice and I like her, and not just because of her help in Transfiguration and Charms," added Neville.
Ron turned to Hermione. "I really, truly, am sorry about what I said, Hermione. I get that you were trying to help me in class, it's just that the way you were going about it annoyed me. Please forgive me."
Hermione sniffed and responded, "I don't know."
"Ron's being sincere," pointed out Alex. "And he really is a good and true friend, but just has a problem with tact. Everyone has flaws, after all."
"Okay, I guess I forgive you, Ron. But don't expect me to be instant friends with you. What you said hurt me and - what is that smell?"
The others sniffed the air and made faces. "Ugh!" exclaimed Neville, holding his nose. "Did all the toilets get blocked up?"
Beth gasped and pointed. "A troll's coming this way! Hide!"
The five of them ducked into the bathroom, exchanging panicked looks and wondering what a troll was doing in Hogwarts. Unfortunately, a couple of minutes later, the troll came in. Hermione screamed, while Neville looked like he wanted to faint. The troll advanced, smashing a stall and two sinks with its club as it went.
"Do something!" shouted Beth, grabbing a broken tile and throwing it at the troll. Neville grabbed a tap and did the same.
Ron raised his wand and cried the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over — and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's foot. The troll let out a bellow of pain. At the same time, Alex came up with an idea. "Petrify it! We've been practicing the Full-Body Bind, remember?"
The five of them pointed their wands at the troll and shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!" One most likely wouldn't have been enough to affect the troll, especially since they were first-years and trolls had some immunity to magic, but the five spells combined was enough to petrify the troll. It stiffened and fell to the floor with a crash.
The five of them lowered their wands and stared at each other in shock, not quite believing that they had actually managed to take down a troll. "I can't believe it!" muttered Neville, voicing what they were all thinking. "We actually defeated a troll."
A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.
Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at the five Gryffindors. Alex had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white.
"What on earth were you five thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"
"We didn't know we were supposed to be there," answered Beth in a tiny voice. "We weren't at the feast and didn't know about the troll until it showed up."
"And why weren't you at the feast?" demanded McGonagall.
"I was upset about something and Beth was comforting me," replied Hermione.
"But that does not explain why the three others are here," pointed out McGonagall.
"It was because of me, Professor," said Ron. "I got annoyed and said something I didn't mean to Hermione. On the way to the feast, we heard Parvati tell Lavender that Hermione was upset and Beth was comforting her. Neville and Alex decided to help comfort her, and I came to apologize. While we were talking, the troll showed up."
"The five of us hid in the bathroom, but the troll came in and we had no choice but to fight it or get seriously injured or killed," added Alex.
McGonagall appeared to soften slightly. "Well, that changes things. Mr. Weasley, ten points from Gryffindor for your rudeness to Miss Granger, as that would have meant that this would have never happened. And the five of you each get ten points for Gryffindor, as not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. If you're not hurt at all, then you may go now to Gryffindor tower. The students are finishing the feast in their houses."
The five of them hurriedly left, but didn't go to the common room. Instead, they went to the Room of Requirement, where they had some food magically transported from the kitchens, since food couldn't be conjured, and sat down at the round table and chairs provided.
Hermione said at once, "I fully forgive you, Ron, and want to be your friend."
"Thanks, Hermione," said Ron. "And I really am-"
"There's no need to apologize again, Ron," interrupted Hermione. "Besides, you were willing to miss the feast in order to come apologize, and we all know how much you like to eat."
"But if I hadn't insulted you in the first place, we wouldn't have faced a troll," pointed out Ron.
"Look on the bright side, you know the Levitation Charm now, Ron," said Neville.
"Yeah, maybe we should threaten you with a troll the next time you don't get a spell," joked Alex.
"Oh shut up, Alex," said Ron good-naturedly. "Hey, why don't we swear eternal friendship again? We did it when we first became friends, but now that Hermione's joined us-"
"That's a great idea!" exclaimed Beth. The five of them joined hands and said at the same time, "We swear to be true friends for all eternity.'
As soon as they finished speaking, a gold cord appeared around each of their wrists. It disappeared a few seconds later as they stared at each other in awe.
"That didn't happen when we first promised to be friends," said Neville. "What does it mean?"
"It means that our friendship is really strong," answered Beth. "Remus told us that when the Marauders promised to be friends, gold cords appeared around their wrists. Too bad it didn't last."
"Well, this friendship is going to last," said Alex firmly. "And we're going to let Hermione in on my secret. Hermione, I wasn't born Alexander Romanov. I was adopted when I was one."
Hermione gasped, her intelligent mind making the connection. "You don't mean that you're really Harry Potter? Everyone's looking for you! And where's your scar?"
"It's hidden," responded Alex. He asked the Room to provide a basin of water and a towel and scrubbed at his forehead, since the month was almost up and he was going to have to reapply the cream the next morning. Hermione gasped again when she saw the scar.
After Alex had reapplied the cream, he explained about how the Romanovs had taken him in, given him an Adoption Potion so that he'd look like the family, and revealed the truth when he'd turned eleven and gotten his Hogwarts letter. Hermione promised to keep the secret, understanding why he didn't want to reveal himself, even when most of the wizarding world was looking for him. The five of them then filled their plates and started eating, talking and relaxing at the same time. They decided to call themselves the "Gryffindor Quintet", since they couldn't come up with anything else that didn't end up being similiar to the Marauders. They had a wonderful time, and when they finally returned to the Gryffindor common room, Alex reflected that facing a troll had turned out to be good after all, as it had brought the Gryffindor Quintet together.