Ron was sorting out the new supply of potion ingredients and putting them in their respective spots in the supply cupboard of Petrov's Potions. Like at the previous Christmas holidays, he was working at the apothecary for a few hours every day to earn some extra money. This time, he was being paid ten Galleons a week and lunch. Beth and Alex usually joined him in this, and they were getting an extra five Galleons a week when being given their pocket money. At the moment, Alex was preparing ingredients for a potion, while Beth was helping Remus (who had resumed his employment at the shop) fill orders.
"Mamen, are you sure about this?" Ana's voice, muffled somewhat by the door of the supply cupboard, was coming from the hallway.
Ron paused in his work to silently move to the door and peek out the keyhole. Aunt Ana and Granny Petrov (as Ilsa Petrov insisted he call her) were standing in the hall, outside the supply cupboard.
"That is what I have foreseen," said Granny Petrov. "And lower your voice, Ana. We don't want Alex to hear us in the brewing room."
"Why do things like this have to happen?" Aunt Ana said, a tone of despair in her lowered voice. "The last school year passed without anything untoward happening, besides the dementors stationed at Hogwarts."
"I can't prevent the Triwizard Tournament from happening," Granny Petrov said. "It was the Ministry that thought it would be a great idea to improve international magical cooperation by reviving it, talked Hogwarts into agreeing to hosting it, and Beauxbatons and Durmstrang agreed to it."
Ron had no idea what the Triwizard Tournament was, though he gathered from Granny Petrov's words that it was some event from the past that had been discontinued. As for Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, he knew that they were the two other wizarding schools in Europe, one in France and the other in Eastern Europe or Scandinavia, but nothing else. So whatever this Triwizard Tournament was, Hogwarts was going to host it, and apparently Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would be involved as well. Also, it seemed that Aunt Ana and Granny Petrov had forgotten that he was sorting the supply cupboard, or they never would be holding this conversation in front of it.
"I was fine with the Tournament happening in the first place since they had changed it so that only those students of age could participate and were taking measures so that it wouldn't be as deadly," Aunt Ana said. "But now that you've foreseen that Alex is going to be involved?"
"I could be wrong," Granny Petrov admitted. "But I don't think it's very likely, unless we can somehow prevent this from happening."
"Well, there's absolutely no way that Alex would enter on his own," Aunt Ana said. "Not only would there be spells to prevent someone underage from entering, but he knows better than to enter in a tournament where previous school champions have died participating in."
"Don't forget that the whole entering and choosing of the school champions is taking place on Jonas's Bar Mitzvah ceremony," Granny Petrov added. "Even if in the unlikely chance Alex wanted to enter, he wouldn't have the opportunity."
"So that means some outside person is going to somehow get Alex entered in it," said Aunt Ana. "There has to be some way to keep it from happening."
"I've informed Professor Dumbledore about what I Saw, so he can do something about it," Granny Petrov said. "And after the Tournament gets announced at Hogwarts, we can warn Alex. I'd tell him now, but students aren't supposed to know about the Tournament until the Hogwarts announcement."
"Do you think it has something to do with the escape Death Eaters or Voldemort?" Aunt Ana asked. "They could want Alex to die in the Tournament out of revenge. He was responsible for stopping Voldemort from getting the Philosopher's Stone, and at least some of the Death Eaters would blame him for their being arrested. Or Voldemort could be using this to bring himself back into power, like I said in the prophecy I made years ago."
"It is possible," replied Granny Petrov. "Actually, it's more than possible, it's highly likely. We can discuss this more with Professor Dumbledore and come up with plans to prevent this, Ana. Now, let's end this discussion before Beth, Alex, or Ron walk in on us talking about it."
The two left the hallway. Ron stood, frozen, his ear pressed at the keyhole. He had heard once that eavesdroppers normally didn't hear anything good, and the proverb was proven correct in this case. At least what he heard was useful. Of course, he still had no idea what the Triwizard Tournament was, except that it was some sort of tournament that the three European wizarding schools had participated in years and years ago, and it was apparently very dangerous, as people had died participating in it. That no doubt was the reason why it had been discontinued. From what Aunt Ana had said, measures were being taken to make it less dangerous and only those students of age could enter, but that was no comfort, since Granny Petrov had said that she'd Seen Alex being entered in it regardless, probably due to Riddle or the escaped Death Eaters.
When Ron finally recovered from his shock, he forced himself to finish his assigned task before seeking out Aunt Ana. "I'm done with putting away the new ingredients, Aunt Ana," he said. "Can I be excused for the rest of the day? Neville is coming over to visit."
"Of course you can," she said. She then gave a start. "Er, Ron, did you hear me talking with my mother?"
"The door to the supply cupboard was shut," he said truthfully. "I heard muffled voices, but that was it."
"So you heard us talking, but couldn't make out what we said," Ana said, looking relieved. "That's fine then. Alex, you're free to go with Ron, and you can tell Beth I said the same."
Ron went over to Alex and said in an undertone, "I need to talk to you." Alex immediately decided to stop working for the day and began tidying up, with Ron helping him. The two then got Beth and they Flooed to Alex and Beth's home. Ron Firecalled Neville, who asked his grandmother and was given permission to visit for the rest of the afternoon. They then settled in Alex's room, where Ron took his mirror from his pocket and called Hermione.
She was working on her summer homework, so she was able to take the time to talk to the others. Ron quickly revealed what he had overheard.
"The Triwizard Tournament is being revived?" Hermione asked in shock. Seeing some confused looks, she explained, "I read about it in Hogwarts, a History and some other books. It's a tournament that was established about seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. The schools took it in turn to host it every five years. A champion was selected to represent each school and the three competed in three magical tasks. It was thought to be a good way to establish international cooperation until the death toll got too high and it was discontinued."
"I remember reading about it too," Alex said, recalling the relevant passages in Hogwarts, a History. "Why would they want to reinstate it if it's so dangerous?"
"Your mother did say that steps were being taken to make it safer," said Ron. "And that only students of age could participate, so the champions would have the necessary magical skill. It's just that your grandmother Saw you somehow being entered and forced to take part, Alex."
"That's just great," Alex said. "Our third-year went without any incidents, besides the dementors and Nott wanting revenge against us. Why can't the same be true for our fourth-year?"
"Well, maybe what Granny Ilsa Saw won't come true," said Beth. "You're not going to enter on your own, and Professor Dumbledore has been notified and will take steps to prevent this from happening."
"But it could still happen!" protested Neville. "What if one of the escaped Death Eaters does that curse that forces someone to obey on one of the of age students and gets them to enter Alex's name? Or Wormtail somehow gets past the wards in his rat form and does it?"
"The second could possibly happen, but I doubt the first will," said Hermione. "The escaped Death Eaters are either lying low or somewhere in continental Europe, probably looking for Riddle in order to return him into power. They're not going to risk being caught just to find some seventeen-year old witch or wizard and put the Imperius Curse on him or her."
"Well, something has to be done to keep this happening," said Alex. "I don't want to be in the Triwizard Tournament and possibly die or be used to somehow bring Riddle back into power."
"The adults are working on it," said Beth. "What we should be concerned with right now is whether we should tell Mum and Dad that we know about this. I would say we should, except I don't want Ron to get in trouble for eavesdropping and then lying about it."
"I didn't technically lie about it," Ron protested. "The door to the supply cupboard was shut, and I did hear muffled voices. I didn't ask your mother to assume that it meant that I didn't make out what they were saying."
"I'm sure Mum will understand and won't get mad at Ron," Alex said. "Besides, she was planning on telling me all this, just not at this point in time, since students aren't supposed to know about the Triwizard Tournament until the announcement is officially made at Hogwarts."
"I suppose," said Ron doubtfully. "I don't want to get in trouble for it, but I know your mother is pretty understanding."
"All right then, I'll let Mum and Dad know after dinner," Alex decided. "I can't do it at dinner, since the whole family will be there and I don't think they'd want our cousins to know about the Triwizard Tournament just yet."
"If that's settled, then I'll get back to my homework and see if I can come up with anything that would prevent what Mrs. Petrov Saw from coming true," said Hermione. "I'll talk to you guys tomorrow and see you all in person in two weeks."
Ron ended the connection and the four that were together looked at each other. "I hope Hermione or someone else can come up with something," Neville finally said. "We don't want anything happening to you, Alex."
"I'm sure something can be done," Alex said. "Well, I read somewhere that if you prepare for the worst, it probably won't happen. So I guess I should do some serious research on the Triwizard Tournament and look up spells and stuff that can help me in case I do get forced to participate."
"Good idea," said Ron. "I don't like doing research, but I'll be happy to help you with this. I don't want one of my best friends dying or horribly injured."
Beth and Neville said that they would do the same, and the four spent the time until they had to leave for dinner looking through all the relevant books in the house and taking notes.
Ana and Stephan weren't very happy when Alex and Beth said that they knew about the Tournament and what Granny Ilsa had seen. However, the two parents couldn't really blame Ron. After all, both Ana and Granny Ilsa had forgotten that Ron was putting the new ingredients in the supply cupboard, or they would never have had their conversation in the hallway in front of it. Since he had heard the first part of what Ana had said, his curiosity would be aroused and he wouldn't have been able to resist listening in. After that, since the information concerned Alex, Ron would then feel compelled to tell his friend, and the others in their quintet would be included as they didn't keep secrets from each other (besides secrets about people not in their group).
"Well, there's nothing we can do now," said Ana. "Well, we could wipe your memories, but that's not very ethical in this case, as you were supposed to learn the information eventually, just not now. In any case, Professor Dumbledore knows and is taking this very seriously. He can't stop the Tournament from happening, but he is taking steps to prevent your name from being entered."
"And the adults in our family are also working on this," Stephan said. "The two of you, and your friends, shouldn't be too obsessed about this, though. We would like you to take the time to enjoy your holidays. It's all right to be prepared, but don't go overboard. Oh, and don't tell your cousins about this just yet. The adult family members will take care of it on our own time."
"All right," Alex and Beth said, and the conversation ended.
Two weeks later, Alex sat bolt upright in bed, his hand pressed to the hidden scar on his forehead (which was burning with pain) and panting from the vivid dream he just had. At least, he thought it was a dream, though based on what had occurred in it, it might have been a genuine vision of sorts. He knew that his hidden scar gave him a connection with Voldemort, so maybe it was possible that the connection could result in Alex seeing what Riddle was doing.
Alex groped for his glasses on the nightstand beside his bed. After putting them on, he turned on the light and got out of bed. He dug out his rarely written in journal from a desk drawer and saw down at his desk to write down the dream while it was still fresh in his mind. In the dream, Voldemort had been gathered in a room of an old and abandoned house with several of the escaped Death Eaters. Since the house looked abandoned, it clearly wasn't Malfoy Manor. The group had been talking about someone they killed.
As Alex wrote that down, he realized that he couldn't recall the person's name, though he had the impression that it had been a female one. Voldemort and the Death Eaters had been plotting to kill him, however. He recalled that quite clearly, remembering that Voldemort had said that he needed an enemy in order to return to power and as Harry Potter wasn't available, the one that had stopped him from getting the Philosopher's Stone and was responsible for the arrest of several Death Eaters would do. Of course, they didn't know that Alex Romanov and Harry Potter were one and the same, but that was beside the point.
In any case, a large snake had appeared and spoken with Voldemort. Alex couldn't remember what exactly was said in Parseltongue, but he did know that after that one of the Death Eaters had let an old man into the room, who had fallen to the floor shortly after, no doubt killed. Alex didn't know who the old man was, except he seemed to remember Voldemort say something about a Muggle. Perhaps the man was a Muggle that had seen lights at the house and gone to investigate. Alex wrote that speculation down and shuddered. While he didn't remember what Voldemort had looked like, he did remember that it had been horrifying, to the point that seeing it (or was it the pain in his scar?) had caused him to awaken.
When he finished writing, he decided to go downstairs to the kitchen and get something to drink. That might calm him down, and he could tell his parents and sister about the dream at breakfast. He really didn't want to wake them up at three in the morning over this, even if it was serious. There was nothing he could do about the old man, so waiting wouldn't make any difference, and they'd be better able to help him when more awake.
A mug of hot chocolate and a couple of his mother's biscuits soothed Alex somewhat. It wasn't enough to enable him to get back to sleep, but it was enough for him to pick up the latest Redwall book, The Bellmaker, which Ivan had given him for his birthday, to read as further distraction. As usual, reading a book in his favorite Muggle book series helped soothe him, and he was engrossed enough to mostly forget about his dream until he heard the sounds of his parents getting up. At that point, he put the down the book, got dressed, and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash up.
At breakfast, Alex told his parents and sister about the dream, using what he had written down as guidance, as he was starting to forget more details of it. Beth looked worried and their parents exchanged looks when they heard about his scar hurting.
"I think that was a real vision and not a dream," said Ana. "The scar that Voldemort gave you must have some sort of connection with him. We can't know for certain, since yours is unique."
"And apparently the escaped Death Eaters have been spending the past year looking for Voldemort in order to return him to power," said Stephan. "Professor Dumbledore needs to know about this. If Voldemort's going to return, then the Order of the Phoenix needs to resume."
Ana nodded and before Beth and Alex could ask, she explained, "The Order of the Phoenix is a group that Professor Dumbledore set up to fight Voldemort. Maria and Tobias were a part of it. Sarah and Niko weren't, as they had Vera and Ivan to care for, and we weren't because we had other duties. But if the Order were to reform, we would all join this time. And yes, your biological parents were a part of the Order, Alex, along with Sirius and Remus. So were Neville's parents."
"Well, Professor Dumbledore can decide if the Order needs to reform or not," said Stephan. "Alex, if you keep having dreams of this nature, you may have to employ Occlumency before going to sleep. If Voldemort were to find out the truth of who you really were and that you have a connection to him, he could use that against you, if only to send you false visions."
"I'll do that, Dad," promised Alex.
"All right then, you two finish your breakfasts," Ana said. "Your father and I will speak to the rest of the family, the adult members anyway, about the dream and see about notifying Dumbledore. You two can decide whether or not to tell your friends and cousins."
"Of course we'd tell our friends," said Beth. "It's not something we'd want to keep secret from them and they should know."
"But I think we'll hold off telling our cousins, except for Vera, Ivan, and Cara, for the time being," Alex added. "I don't want to worry David and Jonas just yet."
"That would probably be best," said Stephan. He quickly finished his breakfast and then went to Firecall the adult members of the clan for a meeting.
Beth and Alex finished their breakfasts and then washed and put away the dishes while Ana went to join the rest of the adults in the living room. When Ron came over to start his shift, the two took him aside. Beth called up Neville on her mirror and Alex called up Hermione on his. Neville and Hermione were free to talk, so Alex explained about the 'dream' he had and how his scar had hurt. The two of them and Ron looked horrified when Alex was done speaking.
Beth then reported what their parents had said, which calmed their friends down somewhat. "Well, I'm sure Professor Dumbledore can do something about this," said Hermione. "And if he decides that this Order of the Phoenix needs to reform, then there'll be a whole group of people to oppose Tom Riddle and his followers."
"That's true," said Neville. "Professor Dumbledore is the only person that You-Know-Who was said to be scared of, and the Order should be big enough to fight his current followers."
At that point, Hermione's parents called for her, so she had to stop talking to them, saying that she would see them tomorrow, as that was when she due to visit. Alex didn't feel like further discussing his dream/vision, since the adults of his family were taking care of the matter, so he decided to end the conversation. Neville ended the connection and then the remaining three started their shift, with the subject of their conversation changed to the Quidditch World Cup, which was taking place next week, on Monday.