Chapter 1

Narcissa was smiling as she walked down the hall. All was right in her household. Better than she could ever have imagined it actually. However as peaceful quiet moments where want to do, it did not last long. A pair of blonde streaks dashed down a cross hall. She wondered who would run afoul of her boys today. Their honorary uncle or their favourite house elf, Dobby.

"3…2…1..." she counted down in her head. She wasn't the boys' mother for nothing.

BOOM!

"Direction: west wing, lower level. Location: probably the potions lab. Victim: defiantly Severus" she chuckled softly.

"DRACO! ORION!" Severus' voice rang threw the magical com setup threw out the manor.

Taking a few more purposeful strides she turned in to the family dining room and took a look around. She didn't immediately see her sons but she knew they were here, "I would recommend the east drawing room of the guest quarters. Also, avoid your father for at least an hour." She grinned and walked away with equal purpose at hearing a pair of giggling ten year olds. Oh how she loved her family.

Twin streaks of blonde heads and billowing robes raced down the halls. Still laughing to themselves. The made it to the east drawing room and tucked themselves away to wait.

One of the blonde boys was laid back in a darkened corner waiting for the fall out of their latest prank. All plans and plots had consequences he knew. It was just how bad those conseqences were when and if you got caught. Pranking was good practice in is mind. He opened one eye and looked over at his twin.

The other boy with matching grey eyes was looking between his wrist watch and a notebook. He was mumbling softly to himself as he made notes with a fountain pen. The boys had found fountain pens to be so much more useful when on the move than a standard quill. However you would never see either one give up ther favorite quills when they sat at their desks working. He took a quick peek over the couch they were hiding behind and smiled.

"Orion, you know if they ever catch you with that book you're doomed. Right?" the boy in the dark corner said softly.

"Good thing it's that charmed diary mum got me. Only I can read it. Besides, Draco, we need to document our rise to world domination." He looked over at his twin and give his best lopsided grin. Which Draco couldn't help but chuckle at knowing they could both turn that grin and get away with almost anything.

Orion looked down at his watch again, "Thirty minutes. You think we will set a new record?"

Draco started, "I…" he didn't get to finish.

A slick dangerous voice stated, "Your last record of avoidance was 33 minutes and 2 seconds. You are 2 minutes and 38 seconds short." A short blast of wandless and silent magic dragged both boys out of their dark spot behind the couch. They straightened themselves up quickly form the heaps they landed in. Their soft grey eyes calmly met their uncle's hard onyx eyes and both gave identical angelic smiles, "Hello, uncle Sev."

"Do not give me those false angel faces, either of you." He growled softly.

Both boys looked crestfallen, "But what did we do Uncle Sev?" the boys knew this game very well. The could push their uncle so far. They were confinced their uncle liked their antics but he had to keep up apperances of course. Apperances where everything to a pureblod family.

Severus glared down his hooked nose at both of them with his arms crossed. He didn't buy this act. None of the family did, not after the umpteenth time they had used it to attempt to get out of trouble, "You set off an explosion in the potions lab, as well as my hair." He raised a single finger and pointed at his now half silver and half green hair. Severus was well aware of the semi dangerous game the twins played with him, but he also felt it was good training for latter in life.

Both boys now looked away from the hard Black eyes they had been focused intently on too look up at his hair. Their innocent smiles slowly morphed to one of triumphant success. They still kept up with the game the adults had come to expect from the two pre-teens.

"Oh." They both drawled, "We thought you were going to a Quidittch match." Severus had to admit they played the innocent twins very well with the identical looks and statements. That small amount of respect for such a cunning act did not stop him from grabbing their collars and marching them off to their father's study.

Both boys took slow short steps. They knew they had to give uncle Sev something. They had admitted the obvious. Now the game was to avoid reaching their father before the hour mark was up. They noted they reached the door right at the hour mark and they both the thought of "oh bollocks" now it depended on their third accomplice. They listened intently and heard the one voice that sealed their fate.

"The Potions lab is cleaned Master. Dobby is fixed everything." The squeaky voice came. The twins smiled internally. They were safe.

They were still marched in by the scruff of their necks and presented before their father. "Lucius, your boys…," Severus drawled slowly and dangerously.

Lucius looked up and quickly smothered a smirk at his best friend's predicament. He had an idea what happened an hour ago and couldn't resist teasing his friend slightly, "What seems to be the matter Severus." Again Severus pointed to his hair with an exasperated sigh. "Quidittch match?" Lucius asked unknowingly quoting his sons. The twins just smiled innocently at their father.

"As I told these miscreants, no, there was an accident when I started to brew." Severus glared down at the twins for a moment before looking back to his friend Luscius

"Hmm I see," Lucius stepped out from behind his desk and glared down at his boys, "Causing a potions explosion is very dangerous and very wrong. Malfoys do not get caught plotting outside of this house and then only by family" He started in on his sons repeating a family altruism. He own grey eyes flicking back and forth between theirs. "You will each right a 2 foot essay on how you caused this incident. You will also server three hours manual labour under the head house-elf. All at once."

The twins looked up and both mentally congratulated themselves. They had gotten off easy this time. They had already done the essay as their father always assigned it. Both he and Uncle Severus liked knowing how they did what they did in case it happened a second time or to use themselves. They could just wait till Sunday do the minor punishment and be done with it. Then they noticed the glint in their father's eyes.

"Also no flying till you have completed your assignments." Luscius grined knowing he had rapped his sons. While encouraging the cunning of the next generation it would not due to let his own skills slip. He still found it amazing that giving his boys a choice really did make them think about their punishments.

The blondes' jaws actually dropped at the last comment. They knew that meant skip dinner or no flying for a week what with all their other commitments. Mother dragging them off shopping for school. Extra tutoring for school or for being young lords. They both barely suppressed a groan. Dealing with father's punishments wasn't nearly as easy when you had options.

"Now I know you already have the antidote ready. Go help Severus with his hair. I believe you have a potions lesson next." He did reward his boys with a smile and nodded to Severus. The two men and Lady Malfoy had come to a conclusion years ago to channel the boys' childhood energy. Use it to teach them cunning and planning. Also maybe just a bit of daring in choosing the harder option sometimes.

Severus dragged the twins out of the study and started off towards his potions lab. His voice was still silky and dangerous but now had the hint of warm affection he had for his 'nephews', "Explain. Now."

Orion's face split with a huge grin, "I actually had to brew two colour change potions, then dry them out to a paste, then coat the bottom of the cauldron, and use a none reactive agent to keep it separate from each other and the cauldron. By the way I found some interesting notes on hair dye effectiveness in paste versus liquid. I'll admit I'm surprised vapour is that effective Uncle Sev. Then the top layer of the non-reactive had to dissolve and let the paste liquefy and evaporate." Orion boldly rambled on knowing his uncle would appreciate the depth he went to.

"That does not explain how you managed to keep two gases from mixing." Severus noted more calmly than five minutes ago.

Orion just kept grinning as he looked as his brother. Draco eyed him back for a moment even when he knew his brother would never take credit for what wasn't his part in the plot. Draco lasted only thirty seconds before he started to grin too. "The fume hood charm you taught us Uncle. I cast two but I turned them sideways, centred it on the cauldron, and mad sure to align the two halves to the handle. You always put the handle at on its axis and lay it to your left. A bit predictable for a Slytherin Uncle." Draco drawled the last line risking teasing just a bit.

"And just how did you predict I would use that particular cauldron?" he sniffed at bit perturbed at being called a predictable Slytherian.

Both sets of grey turned on each other. Severus saw Draco give a slight nod before Orion grinned cheekily again, "We coated all the cauldrons." Severus was starting to see the differences in the two ten year olds. One more cunning the other more ambitious. But together a very subtle but dangerous combination. He looked forward to being their professor in 2 months.

Severus couldn't help but be impressed by the twin blondes. Their prank was well thought out, researched, and superbly executed. There was even a distinct lack of humiliation. Unlike, in some of his former rivals pranks. However he couldn't let the boys loose faith in his authority, well to much any way. He dropped in to his most silky authoritarian voice, "Just remember. You may have your father convinced of your innocence. I am not so convinced nor will you get off as lightly next term when I am your head of house."

Both boys gulped appropriately and Severus was satisfied except for one minor detail, "I'm sure you will be able to prepare a remedy for this." He said with just a hint of displeasure to come if they couldn't.

Orion just smiled up cheekily, "Already did Uncle Sev." He reached in to his robe and pulled out a vial. "Orion's no muss no fuss all-purpose hair colour remover. Just 28 knuts a vial." At Severus scowl he quickly added, "but with family discount…" he handed over the vial. Severus gave a short satisfied chuckle that was barely audible. Who would have thought after the mess he had made after school and the hardend heart that had developed he would start to soften when Luscious introduced his 'nephews' to him 10 years ago.

However now was not the time to dwell on thoughts. He had two rambunctious ten year olds to teach. They reached the lab and the boys immediately started removing their prank materials without having to be told. Severus examined the remains and was again impressed by the ambition and cunning of the twins' plan. Once they boys had finished they each set up a station and Severus waved his wand at one of the two blackboards in the room. Instructions appeared and Severus continued his experiment. He had noticed while Draco could easily connect the list of magical properties listed to each other and see how they added to or eliminated other properties. Draco also easily memorized the lists even if I couldn't quote the whole book yet. Orion struggled with the list in the potions primer book, however, if Severus took care and explained the properties first and then which ingredient had them Orion seamed to do much better. His experiment was to see how well something other than Rote learning worked.

So far the experiment was causing him to change his opinions. While there was no marked change in Draco, Orion was a different matter. Last summer it would have been Draco prepping the potion and Orion simply the one who implemented it per Draco's orders.

So he cast a second spell on the other blackboard that listed the properties and interactions and began to explain. The lesson went fine and both boys completed a near perfect potion. Albeit it was a simple potion. The boys quickly cleaned up and dashed off waving good bye to their uncle.

Far to the north in an ancient castle an old man paced up and down his office. This coming year was the year a young boy who had gone missing a decade ago should be returning. The question racing threw his mind was how to identify the boy. There were all sorts of ways to hide someone and they flitted across the old man's intelligence. There was an identification spell for every method of hiding information. Magic was wonderful he though as he ran his hand down his long silver beard. Every incoming student needed to be check but how to justify a complete scan of some 40 or more incoming children. How to justify the scan and how to keep everyone happy?

After several laps, many strokes of his long beard, and even a few pettings for his companion Fawkes it struck him. A health check. How to appease the purebloods though? They would object saying they had already taken them to a family healer. Then it hit him, a wonderfully simple idea, The muggleborns. Say they needed to be checked for magical maladies, and have the pureblood children checked as well. Just in case they picked something up on the train. It would take the better part of a day he reasoned. What to do with the returning years? He could claim it as a day of study. That would work out. Here was always a few children who wanted more answers or hadn't bothered yet to complete their summer home work.

Yes, he had a plan, he couldn't find any more issues. Now to write letters and get everything in place. Albus Dumbledore would have Harry potter back. He would have his trump card against Tome Riddle. Now for just a bit more patience and planning.