Chapter Text
Character Description: Alexander Ambrosius
Age: 16 (Year 5) (Born August 2nd, 1973)
Basic Physical Description: Red-hair, green eyes, 185 cm tall (or a little more than 6 feet), athletic physique like that of a football/soccer player
Parents: Kieran and Brigid Ambrosius
Siblings: Jacob Ambrosius
Blood: Half-Blood (Wizard Mom/Muggle Dad)
Alexander Ambrosius is this story’s version of the MC, and is a bit different from the canonical version. A lot of this comes from him actually having a more solid, defined background here, being the youngest son of a muggle-born auror, Kieran Ambrosius, and a pureblood healer, Brigid Ambrosius, previously Brigid Maher. Despite having a last name similar to the one Merlin is given in some tales, Alex isn’t actually related to the great wizard. The name, indeed, comes from those very tales, having been taken by Alex’s great-grandfather, a student of literature and myth, due to him being an orphan with no known surname.
Alex’s parents were very much in love, despite the severe protestations of the Maher clan, who while not anti-muggle did not believe their daughter should mix her blood with one that held no magic. Their marriage was very reluctantly accepted, and even now they remain distant, especially after Jacob’s misadventures. They’ll back their daughter to the hilt, but Alex has grown used to receiving a formal, cool reception from his grandparents on the Maher side.
The sheer love that existed between his parents had a very positive impact on Alex, making him much more affectionate than his canon counterpart, as well as more flirty due to seeing just how much his parents flirted with each other, and how happy it made them. The conflict with the Maher clan, and later on his brother’s disappearance, has also caused Alex to be just a little bit obsessed with the idea of family. He thinks of most of his friends, and even some of the teachers and faculty, in familial terms, and it has made him extremely protective of them.
Of course, things aren’t always perfect. Alex inherited his mother’s temper, and his father’s stubbornness, which has led to him getting into more than a few fights over the years, and caused his initial relationship with Merula to actually be even more hostile than in canon.
One of the biggest differences with Alex compared to canon is that Jacob’s actions and disappearances had realistic consequences, both of a half-blood who lived in muggle society vanishing and of a wizard doing the things he did. On the muggle side of things, Jacob had been acting stranger and stranger lately due to R’s influence, and this combined with him suddenly vanishing led many to believe he’d ran away, or been caught up in the criminal element. Whispers and rumors spread about him, and Kieran’s status as a detective meant some members of the press pressed the family for interviews and information.
Jacob’s actions in the wizarding world caused a lot of hostility towards the family from that end, with the Maher clan whispering behind closed doors about how this was the fault of Brigid having mixed blood children, further cooling relations between the Ambrosius family and the Maher clan. And in the middle of all this was young Alex, who had just found out his beloved older brother wasn’t coming home and now all these people were saying mean things about Jacob and his parents and what did it all mean?
Not helping matters was that the stress and pain of all this in addition to Jacob’s disappearance briefly soured Kieran and Brigid’s marriage, the two often getting into fights and screaming matches about who was to blame, how could this happen, so on and so forth. Alex’s own temper grew worse, and he became angry, fighting other kids and yelling at adults who talked badly about his family, and nurturing a tiny seed of resentment towards Jacob for causing this to happen in the first place by disappearing.
It was after one such explosion that Kieran confronted his son, demanding to know why he was causing so much trouble. Alex, tears streaming down his face and a feeling of anger and hurt burning inside his chest, told him “Because that’s what you and mum do! You yell and scream at each other all the time!”
Hearing this rocked Kieran to his core, filling him with guilt and shame. Not only had he allowed his relationship with his wife to deteriorate, but he had also hurt his son. It was after this he did his best to fix things with Brigid, who was herself tired of being so angry. It took time, took couple’s therapy and getting their son to see someone for his own issues, but eventually things returned to mostly normal. The pain was still there, the fear, the regrets and the ‘What could I have done?’, but that warm love filled the home again.
Alex was able to mostly recover from these events, his temper slowly but surely dimming until it was still potent, but no longer as explosive. And that tiny seed of anger grew no further, eclipsed by the sorrow of missing his beloved brother and the determination to find Jacob and bring him home.
Even if that meant having to punch him. Actually, Alex was still a little angry, so he’d probably punch his brother anyway.
Life went on for the Ambrosius family. Things got better. And then it was discovered that Kieran had contracted a terminal illness, and didn’t have long to live. Brigid couldn’t heal him, even though she searched desperately for a spell or cure until her husband gently persuaded her not to kill herself trying to save him. He spent the last years of his life with his family, and imparted on Alex just how important those bonds are. He taught his son as much as he could, played with him, spent time with him, and made sure Brigid knew everyday that he loved her.
When he passed, he did so surrounded by family, friends, co-workers, with his beloved wife holding his hand, and his son’s head resting on his chest.
It was not long after this that Alex first started to attend Hogwarts. He started to make friends, met his enemy/rival/future love and fought with her tooth and nail, and when he sent a letter back to his mother complaining about this nasty girl who was just driving him crazy, Brigid remembered another arrogant, mean pure-blood brat who fell in love with a stubborn muggle-born boy who liked puns just a bit too much and felt like crying.
Alex is in his fifth year at Hogwarts now, and approaching the end of it. His goals by the end of the year? Rescue Bea, find his brother, uncover the mystery of R, and maybe get that pretty Songbird he’s had feelings for ever since that one Christmas Day when she smiled at him to be his girlfriend.
Relationships
Rowan Khanna AKA Row-Boat/Browan: Brother-Figure
Rowan is, in no uncertain terms, Alex’s best friend, and someone he considers to be like a brother to him. They make dumb jokes together, they share secrets no one else knows, they talk about their hopes and dreams and fears, and if Alex ever had a son he hopes his kid would be half the man Rowan is. That doesn’t mean he won’t tease his best friend relentlessly, whether it’s about crushes or with lame puns or just occasionally calling him a nerd. But make no mistake: Alex loves him, and it’s why he clashed so heavily with Merula in the beginning. Insult me? Fine, heard it before, I’ll prove you wrong. Insult my brother, Rowan? Now you’ve crossed a line. Rowan, in turn, considers him the brother he never had.
Rowan’s death would be devastating to Alex, and he’d already be all aboard the ‘Make Rakepick Pay’ train before that for what she did to Merula. After that, he’d carefully study the ‘To the pain’ speech from Princess Bride to make sure he gets every. Detail. Right.
Penny Haywood AKA Sugar Spice: Sister-Figure
If Rowan is Alex’s best male friend, Penny is easily his best female friend (Merula doesn’t count, she’s his crush/hopefully one day girlfriend). Alex trusts her implicitly, and would move heaven and earth to help her. She brightens his day, soothes his anger, and wipes away his tears, and if anyone dared to hurt her, his wrath would be terrible to behold. Unfortunately, how he sees Penny and how Penny sees him is a little different. Penny, as already shown both in canon and this story, has a crush on him, and has long before the Celestial Ball. He’s her knight in shining armor, her hero, her confidant and stalwart friend. Alex, sadly, is too focused on Merula to really notice it, and only figures it out after Penny has already suffered some heartbreak. Things get better after Penny bows out, and the two share a lovely brother-sister relationship.
Ben Copper AKA Lionheart: Little Brother-Figure
Ben can best be described as someone Alex feels a mix of protectiveness, affection, and exasperation about. On the one hand, Ben is for the most part kind of a coward. And Alex doesn’t begrudge him for that, but he does occasionally find it just a bit frustrating to deal with. However, Ben is also a nice boy, and his skittishness makes Alex want to help him and keep him safe, and the fact that Ben is actually pretty powerful and clever when he overcomes his fear is something that Alex definitely wants to encourage. Hence his nickname for the boy: Lionheart. While some might find it mocking, Alex calls him this to try and bring out the powerful wizard he knows is within the boy if could just be brave.
Ben, in return, definitely sees Alex as someone he admires and wants to be like, and feels guilty for having been mind controlled against him. That Alex responded with pure rage, not directed at him but at whoever controlled him, makes him feel good, even if he sometimes wishes Alex wasn’t so overprotective. He’s trying to grow, it’s just not easy!
Tulip Karasu AKA Flower Power: Little Sister-Figure
Alex’s relationship with Tulip is a bit more complicated. On the one hand, Alex finds her mischievous nature and pranks hilarious, and when she exposes her more vulnerable side, more specifically her fear of having no friends, he does his best to comfort her and be there for her. On the other hand, however, she was Merula’s friend, and she betrayed her. Even if Merula and him were still enemies, such a thing would have disappointed him, and considering their relationship, he told Tulip, essentially: ‘You should feel bad, what you did was wrong. Now, what can you do to fix it and be better?’ He’s constantly encouraging her, not just with promises that he’ll never abandon her, but also trying to encourage her to mend things with Merula, pointing out that the pain both of them suffer we’ll never fully heal until they do. Tulip is, at the moment, too afraid to do so, but she definitely encourages Alex’s efforts to help her old friend, and unlike most of their other friends, is pretty firmly team Merulander. Alerula? Whatever their ship name is, she’s all for it.
Andre Egwu AKA Ace/Style Master: Stylist Friend
While Alex isn’t quite as close with Andre as he is with some of his other friends, he still has a great respect for the other boy and his skills. He’s one of those who encourage Andre in his dreams, and is more than happy to serve as a model for the boy to test his designs and outfits on. And if he gets a sweet new look out of it, hey, that benefits them both, right? Though sometimes he finds the way Andre does things just a bit odd. Inviting all the possible secret admirers to a single location just to figure out which one Alex wants to date with promises of designing outfits for all of them? Weird. Andre has a sort of crush on Alex, but it’s more along the lines of really liking how Alex looks and finding his character appealing than anything like Penny or Merula feel.
Bill Weasely AKA Big Bro: Big Brother-Figure
That one was kind of obvious, huh? But yes, Alex absolutely sees Bill as an older brother, in some ways more than he even saw Jacob. Bill, likewise, has all but adopted Alex as yet another sibling, and the two spend time messing around with each other, teasing each other, having each other’s back, etc. If Bill gives Alex advice, Alex listens. When Alex encourages Bill, Bill listens. Both of them are very protective of the other, and while Bill doesn’t particularly ship Alex with anyone, he’s actually rather fond of his relationship with Merula, in part because his mother has already essentially made her another daughter, and Alex another son, so hey, works out, right? And honestly, the big brother in Ben just wants to see Merula in a better place mentally and emotionally, so he’s definitely in favor of it.
Nymphadora Tonks AKA Imp: Sister-Figure
Tonks is yet another member of Alex’s friend group who he considers like a sister, and Tonks loves him as a brother right back. The two bond over their mischievous personalities, as well as how genuine and kind they can be when they’re taking things seriously. Once, they got into a bit of a prank war to see who could out-prank the other, but it ended inconclusively after the two accidentally got Snape in the crossfire and ran for their dear lives before he could figure out it was them. There was a brief rift between them after the disaster at Alex and Merula’s first date, but mended fairly quickly after it formed. Tonks finds Alex and Merula’s relationship adorable, but still hopes he’ll end up with Penny, seeing her friend pining after him so much. She finds his inability to see her frustrating, and has been tempted to smack him over the head and yell it at him for some time now.
Charlie Weasley AKA Dragon Prince: Brother-Figure
How could he see Bill as a big brother and not see Charlie as a brother, too? The moment Professor Snape discovered these two had become friends, it is said he looked up to the sky as if to say, “If I could deduct house points from you, God, I would.” Unlike most of their friends, Alex is dead serious in his attempts to get Charlie a dragon, to the amusement/horror of everyone else. Luckily, his efforts have thus far not met with success, but there are a lot of eyes on him to make sure just in case. Charlie, of course, greatly appreciates this, and like Bill considers him part of the family. He’s not quite as pro-Alex/Merula as Bill is, but he does think the two make a fine couple, and he just wishes that crazy Slytherin lass would stop denying her feelings and confess already.
Jae Kim AKA Scoundrel: Suspicious Friend
Of all of his friends, Alex is the most unsure about Jae. This isn’t out of malice or dislike or anything, but, well...Jae does go around selling products he really shouldn’t, to people he really shouldn’t, and doesn’t seem to care about the consequences of his actions. Alex and Jae do get along when it comes to their desires to be a little more free to do their own things outside of some of the restrictions Hogwarts puts on them, and they do get along for the most part. But Jae selling cheats to Hogwarts students for their O.W.L.s and not telling them they could be easily caught, not to mention trying to sell them to Penny and getting upset when Alex got her not to, has made him more than a little suspect.
Badeea Ali AKA Startist: New Friend
Alex and Badeea have really only just met, but he’s already taken a liking to her. She’s nice, creative, and he admires how she’s managed to connect her talent and interest with her learning. He’s happy to help her when he can, and asks how her newest works of art are coming along, offering to get her supplies if she needs them. Similarly, Badeea has just met him, but she finds him to be a charming, kind person, and if his feelings for Merula weren’t clear to anyone who looked for more than half a second, she might have asked him out.
Liz Tuttle AKA Beast Bestie: New Friend
Much like Badeea, Alex has only just met Liz, and finds her to be a very nice if somewhat odd girl. He simultaneously admires her for her dedication to helping and protecting magical creatures while also being baffled by just how dedicated she is. Knowing that she is not very comfortable with people, he tries to accommodate her by bringing a pet around or some kind of magical creature or animal, so she can take some comfort in them. She duly appreciates this, and considers Alex a good friend...even if she thinks his love of meat is barbaric. His exasperated responses of ‘We’re omnivores, we’re supposed to eat meat!’ and ‘Animals eat meat too!’ are usually ignored.
Talbott Winger AKA Feathers: Vitriolic Best Buds
Have you ever had a friend that you like but also drives you absolutely crazy? That’s Alex and Talbott to each other, for different reasons. Alex is high-energy, extroverted, mischievous, and can occasionally be a bit of an ass. Talbott is reserved, introverted, serious, and can also occasionally be a bit of an ass. Before they became friends, the two used to confuse and annoy the hell out of each other, their differences in personality causing them to argue or roll their eyes at one another. After Alex earned his trust and friendship, however, Talbott is much more open, and is trying to mess with Alex right back, which he’s still getting used to. Talbott admires Alex’s compassion and willingness to reach out to others, even himself or Merula or Ismelda, and appreciates that Alex kept from obviating Merula and convinced him to register as an animagus. Alex, in return, considers Talbott to be a stalwart, trustworthy person, someone who you can count on to have your back, and has secretly sworn to kick the crap out of the Death Eaters who killed his parents if he ever meets them. He was also willing to register as an animagus for him, despite his distrust of the ministry, because he got Talbott too and didn’t want to be a hypocrite.
Chiara Lobosca AKA Moonlight: Trusted Friend/Potential Crush
If there were anyone that might have a chance to challenge Merula’s place as keeper of Alex’s heart, it would be Chiara. While he only has eyes for his Songbird, his Moonlight is someone he acknowledges as beautiful, intelligent, calm, and kind, and if it hadn’t been for Merula she’d be the one he had feelings for. That she would trust him with her secret deeply touched him, and has made him extremely protective of her, to the point where he’s openly told her that if the ministry of magic ever did discover her, he’d help her get away, even if he was punished for it. Chiara in turn trusts Alex with her life and secret, and like Penny longs for him, though she was able to recognize that Merula held his heart earlier so it didn’t hurt quite as much. She is just as protective of Alex as he is of her, and would not hesitate to reveal herself if it meant saving his life. Like the canon MC, he is the only one at Hogwarts who could convince her to reveal her secret to others. He’s the Sunlight to her Moonlight.
Beatrice Haywood AKA Bea: Little Sister-Figure
Alex only briefly met Beatrice, not enough to really know her or give her a proper nickname, but she’s already his little sister. That’s just how it works, she’s his now, don’t try to fight him on this, you WILL lose. And he WILL rescue her, even if it’s the last thing he ever does.
Barnaby Lee AKA Strongman: Brother-Figure
The first time they ever met, Barnaby told Alex he was spying on him for Merula. Alex’s responses were, out loud: “I knew Firebrand had the hots for me.” And in his head: ‘I have only just met you, and I would actually literally die for you.’ Their encounters from then on out only further enhanced this initial belief, to the point where he sees the other boy as one of the purest, kindest persons he’s ever met. Because of this, Alex is always happy to see him, greeting him like he would someone he’s known his entire life. And Barnaby, being Barnaby, responded to this with gusto, happily accepting Alex as his brother. No, really, when Alex said, “What’s up, bro?”, Barnaby responded with, “Wait, you’re my brother?” When Alex, always happy to have more family, asked him, “Do you want me to be?”, Barnaby very happily said yes. So yes, they’re brothers now. Again, do not try to fight Alex on this. It’s just how things are, okay?
This is a bit of a divergence from canon, where Barnaby has feelings for the MC, but hey, brotherly love is pretty good too, right?
Ismelda Murk AKA Scarecrow/Raven: Frenemy(?)
To tell the truth, neither Alex nor Ismelda are quite sure how to feel about each other. Alex dislikes how cruel and vicious Ismelda can be, and how she pushes Merula down darker paths, while Ismelda resents him for interfering with her friendship with Merula and for reminding her of her sister. But at the same time, Alex admires her genuine loyalty to Merula, and finds her equally genuine love for Barnaby and her decision to not use a love potion on him sweet, while Ismelda appreciates him trying to help her friend, protecting Ismelda herself from Emily, and trying to help her with Barnaby. She also appreciates him stopping his use of Scarecrow after she said it bothered her and calling her Raven instead.
The fact that Alex was willing to take his animagus form, that of a dog, when he found out she liked them in order to comfort her also raised him in her opinion.
Merula Snyde AKA Firebrand/Songbird: Love Interest
The big one. Alex is straight up head over heels for Merula, and has been since their very first Christmas together, when she gave him that beautiful smile. While his feelings weren’t quite as strong at first, they’ve grown over time to the point where Alex already knows for a fact that she’s the one. So he flirts with her, teases her, spends time with her, comforts her, and tries to help her grow out of the dark place she was in. That doesn’t mean their relationship is always perfect: as previously stated, they actually started off as bigger enemies than they were in canon, and even now, they sometimes get into actual arguments or even screaming matches, which neither of them enjoy.
But Merula is the one Alex wants, the only one he has eyes for. She’s his Songbird, his Firebrand, so passionate and strong and surprisingly sweet and adorable underneath the harsh surface. Her refusal to give up or give in, how determined she is to beat him and any other challenges or rivals she faces, how he’s pretty sure she would glare down Voldemort himself without even a second of hesitation is incredibly attractive, and the fact that she’s smart and pretty to go along with it really doesn’t help his poor teenage brain. He desperately wants to be her friend, if not something more, and that feeling has only grown over the years. One day, he’ll tell her how he feels, when he stops being such a coward that’s afraid of being rejected by the one girl he’s ever really liked this way. Because to Alex, she’s way out of his league.
To Merula, Alex is infuriating, distracting, annoying, encouraging, amazing, loving. He drives her crazy, but as she herself has said, not always in a bad way. From the very same Christmas that Alex first started to feel feelings for her, Merula has herself started to see him in a different light. Unlike Alex, she has done her best to deny it, hide it, do anything but admit what she really feels, but the daft fool is so damn stubborn! He just won’t leave well enough alone, always trying to reach out to her! And Merula just can’t understand why someone so wonderful is looking at her like she’s anything precious or special, why he wants to go out with her, why he doesn’t judge her, why he likes her and wants to help her.
She wants him. She wants him so badly it hurts. She wants to be by his side, to have him only look at her, to have him never stop looking at her. She wants to be with him, to stop being such a stubborn, idiotic coward and confess just how much she likes him. Her insecurity sometimes makes her lash out, or, as seen in Year 6, try to make Alex jealous so she has proof, and she always feels guilty, but if she admits the truth and apologizes then she’s weak.
But Alex has Merula’s heart. He has since that fateful Christmas Day. Has since the Celestial Ball, since their first date, since Valentine’s Day, and the celebration of magic has only made it worse. If she sees herself married and with a family, there’s only one man by her side as a husband and a father.
One day, she’ll sing a song for him. One she’s tentatively called ‘From The Songbird To The Flame.’ And maybe they can have that happy ending she stopped believing in years ago.