Disclaimer: Anything recognizable as JK Rowling's belongs to her. Delilah Prince and anything else that is unrecognizable belongs to me.

Warnings: SLASH! Alternate Universe, Ron/Ginny/Molly Bashing, minor Hermione/Fred/George bashing, Severus/Lily past relationship, OOC

THIS IS NOT TWINCEST!

Chapter 2: Shaping the Future

5 August, 1991

Prince Manor

England

As the early morning summer sunlight crept through the eastern facing windows of Prince Manor, its five occupants remained oblivious to the new day, deep in sleep. The lounge appeared nearly the same as it had that night nearly eleven years before, only the photographs on the walls showing that many years had passed since that fateful discussion amongst five friends.

Remus, Sirius and Severus' tale from the night James and Lily died had resulted in a huge spike of respect added to the already substantial amount that Albus and Minerva held for the Marauders. Ever since, the couple had been a constant in the lives of those who lived in Prince Manor. It was that night that Albus, as Headmaster of Hogwarts, had offered Severus the post of Potions Master. Severus had apartments in the school, but he was rarely there except for his classes, office hours and nights. He also attended a few meals now and then. Whatever free time he had was spent at home with Harry and Delilah. While Severus was teaching potions, Remus and Sirius began to teach the twins. Severus would help whenever he could, and Albus and Minerva would assist as well, when they had time.

It was quickly discovered that the twins held massive potential. Each day from the time they turned five years old, Remus taught them mathematics, English, geography, and history, magical and muggle. Latin and French were the first thing that Remus taught them, and the language lessons continued even when they had achieved fluency. Harry and Delilah did well in their lessons, although they had difficulty sitting still for extended periods of time.

To combat the vast amounts of energy that the twins possessed, and lower the risk of accidental magic, Sirius, and Severus when he could, took them outside in the afternoon. He introduced them to fencing, hand to hand combat, and traditional sword-wielding. Even from such a young age, the Marauders could tell that their kids would make something of themselves as they got older.

Harry had grown up to be a tall, lanky boy, much like his fathers. He still looked quite a bit like James, but with subtle influences from Remus, Severus, and Sirius. His raven hair was messy in a casual, elegant way that James could never have achieved in his wildest dreams. It fell over his forehead to his eyebrows, hiding the lightning bolt scar, something Harry was very pleased with. Harry's green eyes were bright, framed by dark lashes, and no longer hidden by glasses; when the twins were five, Severus had developed a potion to correct vision impediments. Harry often looked sweet and unassuming, much like Remus, until the time that the wicked Marauder's grin would appear on his face. Harry had a real talent for drawing, and included at least one sketch on every letter that he wrote to his friends. His snowy owl, Hedwig, got plenty of exercise.

Delilah was willowy, and slightly shorter than Harry. Her black hair had a red tint to it, in contrast to Harry's inky black. It fell in waves to her waist, jagged bangs framing her heart shaped face, brushing her high cheekbones. While her brother took after his fathers in appearance, Delilah looked very much like Lily had as an eleven year old, with her face, and bright eyes. Delilah's skin was very pale, as was her brother's, though not the the same degree as Severus'. Thick, long, and dark lashes framed her almond shaped green eyes. Delilah often wore emerald green, or black like Severus; the contrast between her pale complexion and dark clothing was startling. She was very mischievous, and loved a good prank, even more so than her twin. She also loved to read, and would read everything she could get her long-fingered hands on.

Like Harry, Delilah enjoyed flying, though not to the same degree as her brother; she preferred horseback riding. Both twins were natural seekers; Harry was more interested in quidditch, while Delilah just flew for fun. Regardless, she was more than willing to face off against her brother on the pitch.

Severus was roughly awakened when two bodies fell on top of him. He cracked his eyes open to see his children giggling down at him, and groaned. He jerked the bedclothes up over his head, sending the still giggling twins to the floor. He had just about fallen asleep again when the laughter died down, and the two climbed back on the bed, and started tugging on the covers.

"Severus, get up! Albus and Minerva are coming today!" Delilah said.

Harry added, "Come on, Sev! We want help getting Remy and Siri up!".

After several more minutes of relentless pulling, poking, and prodding, Severus groaned, and sat up. He pulled Delilah into his arms, wrapping her in a tight hug before kissing her head and letting her loose. He gave Harry the same treatment, tousling the boy's messy hair as he let him go. Severus threw back the covers, and went to the loo attached to his room. He made it quick, not giving the twins enough time to prank him.

Back in the bedroom, Severus crossed to the dresser and pulled out a black AC/DC tee shirt to throw on with his black plaid pajama bottoms. He smiled over at the dark haired twins, running a hand through his own black hair.

"Come, let's wake the dogs," Severus beckoned them out the door. He led them across the hall, and silently opened the door. "Wait here a moment," Severus bid the twins, quickly crossing to the bed. "Okay, they're decent." Harry and Delilah grinned, and silently darted to Severus' side. The only sounds coming from the darkened room were Sirius' snores, and Remus' heavy, even breathing.

Severus bent down and whispered, "Wake Remus, I'll take care of Sirius". Smiling devilishly, the twins scurried over to the opposite side of the bed and waited for Severus to count down. At the signal, Harry and Delilah jumped on Remus the same way they had Severus, startling the man awake at the same time that Sirius gave a loud yell, and fell out of bed, tangled in the sheets.

Sirius had been sleeping peacefully when he was suddenly covered with an icy cold stinging sensation. He jerked awake, but unfortunately, when he jerked, he jerked to the side of the bed, and tumbled out of it. Sirius lay groaning on the floor for a few minutes; he could hear the twins giggling on the bed, and when he opened his eyes, he could see a pair of skinny legs encased in black plaid pajama pants. He looked up at Severus' face and glared. "I hate you."

"No, you don't. If I didn't wake you up, you would have been extremely irritated to know that you missed out on the porridge that Leaf is making right now."

"Porridge?" Sirius sat bolt up right at the mention of his favorite food. "Where's the porridge?"

"In the kitchen. Where else would Leaf put it?" It was Remus who answered. Sirius looked over to see Remus sitting on the edge of the bed with Delilah on his lap, smiling at his lover. He gave a little grunt when another dark haired missile knocked him back on the floor, laughing madly.

"That's it!" Sirius jumped to his feet, taking Harry with him, and flopped onto the bed next to Remus. He trapped the boy in his lap as his fingers went straight to Harry's ribs. Harry squirmed. He was extremely ticklish, and Sirius knew it. Just when Harry thought he was going to pass out, Sirius stopped tickle-torturing him.

Pop!

The five looked over at the house-elf that had just appeared into the room. "Breakfast is ready!" Leaf squeaked. Sirius leapt to his feet.

"What are you waiting for? The porridge is done!" Leaf giggled as the dark haired man ran by her out the door. They heard him thundering down the stairs.

"Thank you, Leaf", Remus said as he stood up, placing Delilah on the floor. The tiny house-elf's body quivered in happiness as she popped back down to the kitchen.

"Shall we?" Harry and Delilah ran out the door. Chuckling, Remus and Severus followed them. The four ran all the way down to the kitchen, where Sirius had somehow already finished his first heaping bowl of porridge and was now working on his second.

"Siri, slow down! There is more than enough porridge here!" Remus shook his head when Sirius stuck his tongue out at him, and sat down to eat his own breakfast. He smiled at Erikson, Leaf's companion, as the soft-spoken elf placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of him. The five of them ate in companionable silence, all absorbed in their own thoughts.

They were just settling in when the kitchen floo roared to life, admitting Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall. The two were greeted by two dark haired missiles, and three cheery 'hello's' from those still at the table.

"Hey, Al!" Harry beamed up at his pseudo-grandfather. The eccentric headmaster chuckled, ruffling Harry's hair.

"Now, Harry, you must remember that it is 'Headmaster', now," he produced two envelopes with a flourish. Delilah squealed, and wiggled from where she was wrapped in Minerva's arms.

"Hogwart's letters!"

"Not yet. Did you finish your breakfasts?" At their shaken heads, Albus continued, "Not until you're finished". Harry and Delilah flew back to the table, eating at such a speed that it seemed that they were inhaling their food.

"Whoa, now!" Remus cried, "you're going to make yourselves choke! Slow down!" Reluctantly, the twins slowed their eating to a much more reasonable pace. Once they were done, the two sat up straight, their eyes boring into Albus. For his part, the headmaster paid them no attention, sipping his hot chocolate and talking to Severus. Finally, Minerva decided to put Harry and Delilah out of their misery.

"Albus, stop that. They've finished, now give them their letters." Albus heaved a sigh, and brought the letters out from their hiding place. With a smile, he handed the two their letters.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry awaits you."

Harry walked out the kitchen door, and shielded his eyes against the bright sun, noting that it wasn't as unbearably hot as it had been for the past week. He shook his head, and made toward the stable on the east end of the estate.

After they had opened the letters, talk had turned to Hogwarts. Albus, Delilah, Harry, Remus and Sirius watched in amusement while Severus and Minerva sniped at each other, insulting the other's houses, students, and quidditch teams. Albus stepped in when he noticed his wife draw her wand. The discussion had turned to the houses. The merits of each had been discussed, and all the adults were quick to reassure that they would be proud of Harry and Delilah, no matter which house they were placed in. Delilah got very quiet then, and left the kitchen as soon as it was decided that they would be going to Diagon Alley at three that afternoon.

Harry knew that something was bothering his sister; he also had a very good idea as to what it was as well. While the twins were remarkably similar, they were also very different. Delilah tended to stew over problems for so long that they ended up to be monumental in her mind. It was best to get her to talk about it before it had time to fester. While Harry was Delilah's brother, he was also her best friend. When she was hurting, or confused, she turned to either her books or her horse. As Delilah was nowhere to be found in the library or her room, she had to be out here. Harry received confirmation of this when he caught sight of a black horse arcing over a jump in the field, a dark haired figure balanced in the saddle.

Smiling in victory, Harry walked closer until he found a boulder large enough to sit on. For a long while, Harry sat and watched as Delilah worked out her frustrations, taking Eris over the jumps smoothly. As she slowed down, Harry shook his head in amazement. While he could ride, Harry could never find the same connection to the horses that Delilah did. He stood up slowly, so that Eris had the time to see him.

Delilah nodded to him as she swung down from the saddle. Taking the reins, she led Eris back to the stable in silence. Harry followed, knowing that she wanted to say something. Both were quiet as she put Eris back in her stall, and removed the saddle and bridle from the black horse. It wasn't until she joined Harry on the bale of hay he was sitting on that he noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Li, what's wrong?"

"What if I'm not in the same house as you?" The whisper was so quiet that Harry had to strain to hear his sister's voice.

"Oh, Li," Harry pulled her into his arms, rocking her slightly. "Delilah, it'll be okay. Honestly, houses don't matter all that much. Nothing is going to change between us if we get put in separate houses".

"But you're probably going to go Gryffindor. I'm either a Ravenclaw, or a Slytherin! I'll be all alone..."

"Li, you aren't going to be alone. Draco is a shoe-in for Slytherin, and LuLo is a Ravenclaw for sure, even if she doesn't start until next year." Harry was quiet while she thought that over. Draco Malfoy was one of their closest friends, and had grown up as their cousin. Xenophilius Lovegood was good friends with all three of the Marauders, and Augusta Longbottom, so Luna and Neville had become very close with Draco, Delilah, and Harry. "Besides," Harry continued, "you'll always have me, regardless of what house you're put in. Don't worry about labels, Li. Embrace who you are. Even if we are in Gryffindor and Slytherin, I'm not going to let the masses with sticks shoved up their arses tell me who I can be friends with."

Delilah flung her arms around her brother. "You're right. I'm worried about nothing."

"Come on then, we have just enough time to go get ready for Diagon Alley." Delilah snickered at the look of distaste on Harry's face. He hated the place; people always stared at him.

The twins were well aware of what took place at Godric's Hollow that night, and why Harry and his lightning bolt scar were famous. Harry never understood why people treated him like a hero when it was the love behind Lily's sacrifice that protected him from Lord Voldemort's curse. As a result, he generally disliked the Wizarding public, and rarely left the estate.

"Think about it this way," Delilah continued, "at least you get to go with your known, and acknowledged guardians. I'm not going with Sev, I'm going with Professor Snape. So much for family bonding". It had been decided that for the safety of all involved, Delilah's parentage would remain a mystery to those at Hogwarts. She would be the first Prince to be sorted in over fifty years. As nobody in the general wizarding public seemed to know who Lord Prince was, they had some flexibility. It would be easier to explain why a Hogwarts professor was accompanying Delilah than it would to come up with a reason to why the Lord Prince-Severus under a glamour charm-was only seen once before he seemingly vanished. This way, it could be said that the widowed Lord Prince spent much time away on business.

"True that. Race you back to the manor?"

"You are so on."

5 August 1991

Diagon Ally

London, England

The trip to Diagon Alley was not one that Harry wanted to repeat. Just as he had predicted, the crowds of witches and wizards stared at him in awe, putting him in a temper. He was calmed by Remus and Sirius' presences as they led him through the ally, and ignored the gawking bystanders. The two groups had split up at the manor, flooing to different ends of the Ally. Harry, Remus and Sirius worked away from The Leaky Cauldron, while Delilah and Severus worked their way toward it.

Harry met Draco in Madam Malkins, and waved to Neville from the Magical Menagerie. He didn't see Severus and Delilah until they reached Ollivander's, their last stop. The introduction between Harry and Delilah was completely staged, as if old school acquaintances were just introducing their charges.

After a long time, lots of measurements and a creepy shop owner, Harry walked out of the shop with his wand strapped into the wand holster that Severus had given him for his birthday. His wand, like Delilah's as he later learned, was twelve inches, with a dragon heartstring core, but was made of redwood where hers was of black walnut. Both were very good for a wide range of magic. They quickly moved through the crowd, moving toward the nearest public floo.

Severus and Delilah were heading toward the Leaky Cauldron to floo back to the manor when Severus saw Professor Quirrel hurrying toward Gringotts, glancing over his shoulder every few steps. Watching him with narrowed eyes, Severus waited until he vanished through the bronze doors.

"Professor?" Severus looked down to see Delilah looking back at him from a few steps ahead. He shook his head, walking passed her. "Come along, Ms. Prince."

As soon as they got back to the manor, Severus fire called Albus, telling him what had happened in Diagon Alley, and what he had seen.

1 September 1991

Kings Cross Station

London

Sirius and Remus led Harry and Delilah onto Platform 9 3/4. The two shared a smile, knowing that the same looks of awe that were on the twins faces now had been on their own back in 1971. After a few minutes, Sirius decided to break them out of their reverie.

"You're both sure that you have everything?" The twins nodded. "Good. Now lets get you a compartment." He led them down the train to the last carriage, the one furthest from the gateway. He jumped up onto the train, and held his hand out to Delilah, helping her step up. Sirius ruffled Harry's hair when he ignored Sirius' hand and jumped aboard himself. The two shuffled out of the doorway, leaving room for Remus to step aboard as well.

The two Marauders led Harry and Delilah down to the last compartment on the left side.

"Here we go! This was always our compartment, right from the first train ride. Everybody knew it too. No one ever tried to take it from us, not even the upper years, because they knew they would get pranked so bad." Nostalgia colored Remus' voice. "The only one who didn't was Lily-love."

Sirius checked his watch. "It's 10:30 now. Are you two absolutely sure that you have everything? Yes? Good. I'm sorry, you two, but I have a shite-load of paperwork I've got to do, and you know how much I hate paperwork!" The other three snickered. Sirius reached over, and pulled Harry into a tight hug, and ruffled his already disastrous hair. Delilah flung herself at Remus, squeezing him so tightly around the middle that he wheezed. For his part, Remus wrapped his arms around her, holding him close. After a few moments, they switched; Sirius swung Delilah around, kissing her forehead while Remus hugged Harry.

"Write us when you get a chance, you two. Give 'em hell." And with Sirius' parting words, they were gone.

It was several hours into the journey that the quiet in Harry and Delilah's compartment was disturbed by the sliding door as it was opened. Harry paused in his one-person game of Exploding Snap, and Delilah looked up from ControversialPotionsTheory, readjusting the hold she had on the toad in her hand. Both twins had discarded their outer robes when they entered the compartment, very much at ease in only their uniforms. The intruder was tall and gangly, with blue eyes and bright red hair. His nose was long, and both Harry and Delilah noticed the smudge of dirt on it. He was shifting from foot to foot, obviously nervous. He was also staring at Harry as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Are you planning on standing there all day, or were you going to sit down?" Delilah asked, lifting a finely arched eyebrow. The boy's eyes flashed to her for a moment before drifting back to Harry, even as he took the seat across from the dark haired boy. Delilah put up with the staring for another twenty seconds before she snapped, "You can stop staring now!"

The ginger hurriedly looked away, and silence overtook the compartment.

"So…" Harry said in an attempt to counteract his sister's acidic tone, "who are you?"

"Ron, Ron Weasley. Who are you two?"

"Delilah Prince."

"Harry Potter."

Weasley's mouth dropped open as he blatantly stared at the black haired boy across from him. Apparently, the rumors that had been spreading like wildfire up and down the train were true.

"Do you mind?" Harry snapped, an icy edge to his voice, "It's rude to stare."

"Sorry," Weasley muttered, staring down at his knees. Harry rolled his eyes at Delilah, and she shook her head.

"I heard you went to live with Muggles," Weasley blurted out. Delilah snorted, as Harry slowly raised his left eyebrow, a trait he picked up from Severus.

"And where, pray tell, did you hear that?" Harry asked curiously, though only Delilah heard the dangerous underlying tone in her brother's voice. After all, it was well known that Sirius Black was his legal guardian.

Before the redhead could answer, the compartment door slid open again, this time revealing two figures, one slightly behind the other. The first figure was a girl, first year, as her robes bore no crest. She had pale skin, though darker than Harry and Delilah's, bushy brown hair, and brown eyes. A ski jump nose protruded over her slightly over-bitten mouth.

The boy behind her was also pale with brown eyes and hair, though his hair was much darker than the girl's. He was rather cute, though painfully shy around people he didn't know, and was rather pudgy around the middle.

The girl started to speak, but the boy cut her off.

"Hey, Harry, Delilah. Have either of you seen-Hey! You found Trevor!"

Delilah's face was brightened with a smile. "For the first time ever, we can say that yes, we did." She handed the toad over as Neville took the seat beside her. He kept a tight grip on the toad so that it wouldn't escape again. "I thought I would find you two here. Gran told me about this compartment, though it figures that it would be in the last damn compartment of the last carriage of this train!"

Harry chuckled. "Just curious, mate, but what would you have done if we didn't have him? As you said, this is is the last compartment in the last carriage."

"Ah, probably would have asked a prefect to summon him for me."

"A summoning charm? What is that? I've memorized all of our course books by heart, but I've never come across that charm. What book was it from? What-"

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but who are you?" Delilah asked. Harry and Neville snickered next to her. There was another snort of laughter in the doorway, a newcomer having recognized the underlying sarcasm in Delilah's question.

All in the compartment looked toward the door, where Draco Malfoy stood. Like Harry, he was tall and pale, though with platinum blond hair in contrast to Harry's raven locks. His gray eyes sparkled at his friends before they snapped onto what was obviously a Weasley, and a girl he did not recognize.

"You two just had to choose the last compartment on the whole damn train, didn't you? Aside, I agree with you, fair Miss Prince. I too wish to know who your traveling companion is. Well, my dear?" Draco drawled.

"I'm Hermione Granger. I'm the first in my family to have magic," she said, rather proudly.

Draco looked her over carefully. By the look on his face, his friends could tell that he was weighing pros and cons of his next action. Apparently, his conscious won out, because his next statement was a warning.

"I would be wary of broadcasting such information, my dear, for there are some in this world that will not be kind to you because of it." Turning away from her bewildered face, Draco held his hand out to, "Harry. Neville." He kissed Delilah's cheek "Delilah."

"Would you care to join us, Draco?" Delilah asked. He shook his head, and said, "I've already established myself in a compartment two carriages up the way, with some other acquaintances. Thank you, though".

"Come back when we get there, then. We'll wait for you," she murmured. With one last smile to his friends, Draco was gone.

Weasley exploded the moment Draco was gone. "Why are you friends with Draco Malfoy? He's a dark wizard!" His face was as red as his hair.

Delilah leapt out of her seat before Harry or Neville could so much as blink. She stood with her nose inches from Weasley's, emerald eyes blazing with fury.

"How dare you! That was a very strong accusation to make, especially considering what happened ten years ago. Though it's very unsurprising coming from you! You have never met Draco before today, and just now all you saw was that he has a compassionate heart and showed no signs of darkness! Yet, you ridicule him for his family name! Would it matter if he did a hundred good deeds a day, or was sorted into Gryffindor?" she sneered, looking very much like Severus, before her voice took on a sarcastic edge, "No, of course not, because he's a Malfoy, and Malfoy's are always dark." Her voice lowered to a deadly whisper, "perhaps you should learn to form opinions on someone based upon who they are, instead of their families reputations".

Having said her piece, Delilah sat down gracefully, picked up her book, and started reading as if she had not just been screaming at someone. She could feel Harry shaking in repressed laughter beside her. Looking over at him, she lifted her left eyebrow in amusement.

Neville shook his head, knowing that the two had just left reality for one of their non-verbal conversations. Growing up, Draco, Luna, and himself had watched as Harry and Delilah perfected the art of conversation through facial expression and subtle body movement. All of them now used it, but the other three had never quite grasped it to the level that the twins did. It was still a source of infinite amusement though, as were the looks on Granger and Weasley's faces.

He reached over and tugged the Exploding Snap pack off Harry's lap, and started to play against himself. They were approaching Hogsmeade station when Granger finally snapped.

"Well, that is very rude!" Neville looked up, eager to see if she would get the next tongue-lashing. Although very patient, both Harry and Delilah had terrible tempers. The twins turned to face the irate brunette, raising their left eyebrows at her. Harry spoke first.

"We are allowed to speak to each other, are we not?" He looked out the window as Hogsmeade Station came into view, appearing not at all interesting in the conversation.

"Yes, you are. But out loud, so that everyone is included!"

"What if it was private?"

"Then talk about it later, alone!"

"Okay. We'll just read each others' minds next time, how does that sound?" he asked as he spotted Draco in the corridor.

"Mind reading is impossible."

"Is it?" Harry asked rhetorically as he stood up, and offered his hand to his sister. She and Neville stood, and pulled their robes over their heads. Without turning back, the three exited the compartment, leaving Weasley and Granger staring at their backs, stupefied.

Great Hall

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Scotland

Delilah stood close by Harry's side in the midst of the group of first years waiting to be sorted. She could feel the eyes of the entire school upon them. She shivered, hating the weight of their gazes.

Harry reached over and took her hand. He knew that, despite the confident exterior, she was nervous. Like himself, Delilah hated crowds, and generally disliked the Wizarding population. However, he was not as suspicious of people as his sister. Together, they watched as Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom went to Gryffindor, and Draco Malfoy was placed immediately into Slytherin.

"Told you so," Harry whispered in Delilah's ear, making her chuckle. Less than five minutes later, Minerva called,

"Potter, Harry!" The hall went as silent as a tomb. Harry squeezed Delilah's and sauntered confidently to the stool. The hat had been on his head for a grand total of 2 seconds before the hat screamed,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry took the hat off, shot his sister a crooked grin, and walked toward the table cheering for him. Before Delilah had time to take a deep breath, Minerva called out, "Prince, Delilah."

Gasps and murmurs broke out as people struggled to get a good look at the girl. Delilah picked her head up and glided over to Minerva, who smiled down at her and put the hat on her head. Her heart pounded in her ears for half a second before,

"SLYTHERIN!"

Delilah lifted that hat off her head, stood up, and placed it on the stool, smirking as she strode to where Draco had saved her a seat, her robes billowing behind her in a manner reminiscent of Severus'.

Delilah's eyes were automatically searching the Gryffindor table for Harry. After a few minutes, she found her twin. Feeling someone's eyes on him, Harry looked up, meeting Delilah's green gaze with his own. He tilted his head, and she nodded, signifying that she was just fine. Delilah then proceeded to ignore the rest of the sorting and tell Draco all that had happened while he had been in his own compartment.

After the feast, Harry and Neville followed Prefect Weasley out of the hall, ignoring the other redhead who had tried all through the feast to get Harry's attention. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry spotted Delilah and Draco moving toward the the dungeons. The stir that went through the crowd when the Boy-Who-Lived smiled and waved at a pair of Slytherins made Harry and Neville to snicker, and grin wickedly at each other.

Oh yes. The next seven years would be fun...