Harry idly twirled his wand as he watched the scenery fly past the moving train.

He had taken to having his wand with him at all times even though he didn't know any spells and it was practically useless as of now. He couldn't describe the feeling exactly, but something about the holly wand made him feel secure. Harry had originally been annoyed at the selection as Ollivander had told him that Ryan Potter had just picked up a holly wand as well. Not only did they share the same wood type, but they both happened to have the feather of a phoenix. Ollivander had assured Harry that they were quite different wands and Harry's was totally unique.

"I still can't believe we're on our way to Hogwarts." Ron giddily exclaimed as he pressed his face against the compartment window, trying to fully take in the scenery.

"Yes Ron. We know you can't believe it." Nick said with only a touch of sarcasm. "You've only told us twelve times since we got on the train thirty minutes ago."

"Sorry about that mate." Ron apologized sheepishly. "My brothers have just told me so many things about Hogwarts and I've been waiting for this day for years. It's a dream come true."

"It's alright. Let's just keep the mentions of Hogwarts to a minimum for now, yeah?" Harry asked as he tried to stop any possible confrontation between the other two boys. Harry was thankful that this wasn't the first time Nick and Ron were meeting so that any silence between them wasn't awkward. Nick would occasionally join him on his trips to the Burrow and Nick had bonded with the Weasley's almost as much as Harry. Tuning out the conversation they were starting about quidditch, Harry turned back to his previous thoughts.

He couldn't help but think of those he was leaving behind by going to Hogwarts. Ever since Harry had become Harry Shade, he had never been separated from his parents for more than a few days at a time. Even then, he had always been able to return home at any minute. His parents had thrown him a going away party last night, though it was only the three of them. Harry couldn't have asked for anything more than just spending time with them before he left. He had almost gotten choked up this morning when he said his final goodbyes but managed to push through them.

He also couldn't help but think of the young redheaded girl that he had left behind on the platform. Ginny had quickly become one of his closest friends and it pained him to say goodbye to her. He knew that she would have it rougher than he would as she would be stuck alone at home with only her parents. Harry at least had Ron and Nick with him and whoever else he ended up making friends with. On the bright side, he had managed to sneak her a gift before he had finally boarded the train. He had found a pair of connected notebooks in one of the specialty shops in Diagon Alley that allowed the users to have a form of instant communication. Ginny had smiled bright at him through tears and thanked him profusely.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to be a bother but has anyone seen a toad? There's a boy on the train, Neville, who lost his." A bushy haired girl questioned as she slid open the door to their compartment. She eyed Harry who still had his wand twirling in his hands. "Oh, were you going to do magic? I practiced a few simple spells myself."

"Er, no. I wasn't. Sorry." Harry replied weakly, feeling slightly bad as the girl's shoulders dropped in disappointment.

"That's fine. I'm a muggleborn myself so I was interested in the kind of magic others could do. Are you all first years? My name's Hermione Granger, by the way."

"We are." Ron confirmed we a nod. "I grew up in a wizarding home and I've got older brothers and some of the stuff they can do is wicked."

"Really?" Hermione questioned as she closed the door behind her and sat down next to Ron. "I've been reading all I can about magic and Hogwarts since I first got my letter. I couldn't believe it was real at first but it's all so exciting!"

"I know!" Ron exclaimed, enthused to have found another that shared his excitement for Hogwarts. "My whole family has been telling me stories since I was little and I can't wait to actually be there."

"You two are a match made in Heaven." Nick muttered, though it was clearly loud enough for Hermione and Ron to hear as they turned to Nick with a glare.

"I'm sorry. Who are you again?" Hermione asked with a cold tone.

"Nick. Nick Aeron. Pleasure to meet you." Nick responded with a cheeky smile.

"The pleasure is all yours, I'm sure." Hermione said with a sniff as she turned to Harry with a quirked brow.

"I'm Harry Shade. Don't mind Nick. He doesn't always play well with others but his bark is worse than his bite. I think the train ride is getting to him a bit. He was always a bit weak stomached." Harry said with a smile. His words caused Nick to exclaim in betrayal and he shoved Harry's shoulder, which Harry responded to in kind. Before long, the two were involved in a shoving match that was growing more and more physical until Nick smiled triumphantly as Harry was shoved off his seat.

"Are they always like this?" Hermione asked Ron in concern.

"They're brothers." Ron said with a shrug, as if that explained everything.

"You're brothers?" Hermione as the pair curiously, trying to find similarities in their facial features. "Not to come off as rude or anything, but you don't look that similar and your last names are different."

"We're brothers in everything but blood." Nick informed her as Harry retook his seat and shoved Nick one last time.

"Our parents are extremely close and unfortunately I was cursed with growing up with him." Harry added.

"I see." Hermione said, still eyeing them as if they were about to start fist fighting each other. She turned to Ron finally with a friendly smile, "And you are?"

"Ron Weasley." Ron informed her with a smile of his own.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you all, but I really must go help Neville find his toad." Hermione informed them with a smile as she stood from her seat. She gave a final goodbye before leaving the compartment.

"It looks like you finally found someone to share your love of Hogwarts with." Harry joked to Ron, who glared slightly at Harry.

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll learn to have a healthy appreciation for its broom closets too." Nick added, causing him and Harry to burst out laughing.

"I'm making it a mission of mine to learn the silencing charm as quick as possible to shut you two up." Ron said fiercely, though the effect was lessened severely by the healthy blush on his face.

"Aw, you know we're only joking Ron." Harry teased.

"Whatever you say. Just remember that I've grown up with five older brothers. Don't think I don't know anything about payback."

"I have a feeling that Fred and George wouldn't mind helping me with prank you as payback for any payback you may try and put into action." Harry replied with a mischievous smirk.

"You wouldn't." Ron hissed as he squinted his eyes at Harry suspiciously.

"I would, and I could. But it might be better for all parties if we call a truce to this prank war before it even begins. I don't want to start off my schooling by having to look behind my back after every turn." Harry said diplomatically as he held out both of his hands for Ron and Nick to shake.

"I'll agree. For now." Ron said as he firmly shook Harry's hand, Nick joining him only seconds after.

"Good. I'm glad that that's settled." Harry said as he sat back into his chair to relax, only to have the door to their compartment open once more.

"Sorry about the intrusion." A blonde haired boy drawled from the door way. He quickly looked down the hallway before stepping into the compartment and shutting the door behind him. "You see, I've only just escaped a pair of buffoons that know nothing about nothing. I hope you don't mind me taking asylum in your compartment for a while."

"Aren't you a Malfoy?" Ron asked as he stood to confront the boy. The boy in question merely raised his hands in sign of peace, quirking his brow at Ron's action.

"And I'm to suppose that you're a Weasley? But yes, I am of the Malfoy family. My name is Draco, in fact." The newly christened Draco said.

"Why should we let a junior Death Junior hide in here?"

"How quick you are to make assumptions of me based on my father." Draco replied silkily as he lowered his hands. "You know nothing of me personally and I do not take kindly to those who would assume things of me merely because of my last name. My father and I may have a… tense relation but believe me, he has taught me things that can be used against those who would wish to call me an enemy."

"Is that a threat?" Ron asked as he took a step closer to Draco, his hand tightening into a fist.

"No, merely information for you to store depending on the outcome of this confrontation. I merely ask that you do not judge me based upon the action of my father. I am my own person and I am not Lucius Malfoy junior, nor a junior Death Eater. If you wish, I can leave this cabin and leave you alone."

"Give him a chance Ron. He seems normal enough." Harry said as he watched the situation unfold. He didn't know who the Malfoys were, but he could tell they had raised their son with the type of attitude Harry would expect from the nobles back home. Ron had insinuated that the boy was the son of Death Eater, but Harry was willing to give the boy a chance to prove himself to not be his father.

"You can stay." Ron ground out, though it seemed to cause him pain.

"Thank you. I assure you that I hold no ill-will to you or any of the Weasley clan." Draco informed the boy as he held out his hand to shake as a peace offering. Ron looked between Draco's hand and face a few times before firmly grabbing and squeezing his hand.

"You've a firm handshake." Draco said with a small smile, trying to use the joke to defuse some of the tension.

"Thanks." Ron said gruffly as he retook his seat. Draco turned to the others in the room and Harry and Nick both introduced themselves to him.

"I've never heard of either of your last names before. Are you both muggleborns?" Draco questioned as he took his seat next to Ron.

"Would there be a problem if they were?" Ron interjected, causing Draco to look at him once more.

"No, there wouldn't be. As I told you, I'm not my father. I was merely curious about their situations." Draco said, seeming to get annoyed at Ron's continued accusations.

"We're both halfbloods." Harry told Draco, using the cover story that had been created for both Harry and Nick. "My mum's a witch and Nick's dad is a wizard. They both went to Beauxbatons when they were younger. Our families aren't very public people though, so it's no surprise you haven't heard of us."

"Private." Ron snorted derisively. "I've known Harry and his parents for four years and they barely ever talk about themselves. It even took two years before we knew about Nick."

"Is that so?" Draco questioned, looking to Harry in interest. Harry could only smile back at the boy sheepishly, wishing that Ron wouldn't have made their life sound like such a mystery.

"Yeah. There were a lot of things happening when we were born. A lot of people were going missing and winding up dead, I can imagine you would understand our need for secrecy?" Nick questioned the boy, bringing the attention off of Harry.

"Yes. That I can understand." Draco agreed seriously as his face paled considerably. "I still remember what it was like when he was around. It was horrible."

"Yeah, I can imagine how horrible it must have been for you." Ron muttered, causing Draco to glare at him.

"Ron. Draco has been nothing but nice to us since he has arrived here. I'm not asking for you to be best friends with him, but let's at least try and be nice to him, yeah? We don't need to be making enemies before we even get to school." Harry pleaded with the boy, knowing that Ron had a knack for not keeping his thoughts to himself. Ron glared lightly between Harry and Draco, who was looking at the boy with an emotionless mask on his face, before resting on the passing landscape.

"Fine. I'll try and give him a chance." Ron finally agreed reluctantly.

"I suppose that's all I can ask. I knew that people would have this reaction to meeting me. It comes with the name, I suppose." Draco admitted sullenly.

"I'm not trying to be nosy or anything, but what's the deal with your father?" Harry asked sincerely, hoping Draco would take him seriously. Draco surveyed Harry for a few moments with a dark look, as if trying to determine his true intentions.

"I suppose you wouldn't know if you really did grow up in secrecy. My father, Lucius Malfoy, is a convicted Death Eater. After Voldemort's fall, he and couple of other Death Eaters tried to keep the war going but failed. My father was caught and forced to reveal his crimes in a closed trial. I do not know the details, neither do the public, but I've heard he has done horrendous, unspeakable things. He was sentenced to Azkaban for life but that sentence fell through. My father and the minister were on very good terms and the minister refused to believe my father would willing act in the name of the Dark Lord. He overrode my father's sentence and gave him seven years in a ministry sponsored rehabilitation center."

"Rehabilitation center?" Nick asked curiously. Draco had seemed to fall into a trance when telling the story and his eyes revealed a troubled mind.

"Yes. I don't know all of the details but supposedly my father had originally been cleared of all charges by the minister. As my father was leaving the ministry, he was taken by some family members of those he had supposedly acted against. They retaliated without compassion, as one would expect. My father was not in a good state when he was found and his mind was in a worse state than his body. The minister "sentenced" him to the rehab facility so those he had acted against couldn't say he was getting punished."

"That's… That's a hell of a story." Nick admitted after a few seconds on tense silence in the train car. Ron was looking at Draco with curiosity, having been listening to the story with rapt attention. Harry could only imagine that Draco had told them a lot more than the general public knew, and probably more than Ron knew as well.

"He's mostly fine now." Draco said with an indifferent shrug. "That punishment the minister gave him did him more good than bad. He was given time to recover instead of pay amends for what he did in a cell in Azkaban."

"You keep in contact with him than?" Harry asked curiously.

"Only occasionally. I've never visited him personally but mother has and she normally brings home letters from him for me. I was never that close with him when I was younger. He was always… occupied with other things. I saw him occasionally and he gave me certain lessons that I would rather forget. I was always closer with my mother. After everything that happened, I saw what it did to her and I'll always resent him for that."

"I've never heard about the war before… It sounds like it really was as bad as it seems." Harry said quietly, almost more to himself than anything. It was hard to comprehend that things like this were happening when he actually was in hiding with the Potters when he was younger.

"It was. I used to hear my mum and dad talk about it a lot. It's all people could talk about. People were disappearing and dying left and right. My parents lost a lot of friends and even some family. They were really dark times." Ron said as he looked down in his lap, his voice quiet. A few seconds passed and he looked up at Draco, locking eyes with the boy. They stared at each other for a few seconds, as if trying to imagine how it was for those on the other side of the war. Ron broke eye contact with Draco and nodded at the boy, which Draco responded with in kind.

"You want to play some exploding snap?" Nick asked, successfully breaking the tension of the room. Ron and Draco both smiled and the group began the game in earnest.

Before they knew it, they had to change their outfits to their school uniforms and the train slowed to a stop not long after that.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" A booming voice called above the raucous that was hundreds of students exiting the Hogwarts Express.

The group of four boys quickly made their way through the large crowd of students and stood before the man who had called for them. The group was the first to arrive and the man smiled gently at them before continuing in calling for the other first years. Eventually the rest of the students made their way over and the man, who had introduced himself as Hagrid, had them pile into a boat to make their way to school

"Is that Ryan Potter?" Draco asked the other boys quietly, subtly pointing him out as he climbed into a boat a few spots away from them. Harry couldn't help but look over, seeing the telltale sign of Ryan's red hair.

"It is." Harry confirmed, turning away from him quickly before the boy could look over.

"I heard his mum is at the school this year." Draco commented as the boats lurched forward over the water.

"What?" Harry asked in disbelief. Draco looked at Harry before filling him in.

"So I heard anyways. Father used to be a member on the Board of Governors and mother took over the position after him. Apparently Lily Potter is going for her masters in Charms and will be studying under the Charms professor and helping teach classes."

"Great." Harry muttered, annoyed at the aspect of having to see his birth mother at a place that was supposed to be a safe haven.

"Do you have something against the Potter's?" Draco questioned, though Harry was saved at having to answer as they caught their first glimpse at Hogwarts.

Harry had assumed that Hogwarts would be nothing compared to the great black, towering castle he had become accustomed to seeing at home. He certainly hadn't expected to be left breathless by it either, but he was wrong on both counts. The castle had home was certainly more intimidating, that's for sure, but Hogwarts had a spark of life about it that attracted Harry. Harry could tell the place was filled with magic and it seemed as if it was radiating it and welcoming the students back home. It was so welcoming and seemingly peaceful that Harry barely noticed that they had reached a cove where the boats undocked.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Harry asked the group. Their reactions were similar to his and they could only nod their heads in response.

"Here are the first years, professor." Hagrid said as a strict looking woman appeared from a set of double doors.

"Thank you, Hagrid." The woman said briefly as she looked over the collection of students. Her eyes lingered on a few before clearing her throat to speak. "My name is Professor Minerva McGonagall, professor of transfiguration. In a few moments you will be taken to the Great Hall where you will be sorted into one of the four houses here at Hogwarts. These houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. During your seven years of study here, these houses will serve as your home and your housemates will be your family. I will also advise you now to not let the sorting tear apart any tentative friendships you have already come to make. Prejudice to any of the houses at Hogwarts will not be tolerated and you are advised to clear your mind of any of these prejudices you may now hold. I will return in a moment for you."

"What was that about?" Ron asked after she had left them alone. Many of the other first years also seemed to hold the same question.

"She was talking about Slytherin." Draco informed them quietly. "You-Know-Who was in Slytherin and he essentially ruined the reputation of the house. It's a house based on cunningness and ambition but people see it as a dark lord recruitment center now. Their class sizes have dropped severely since he started the war. People had been trying to distance themselves as much as possible and not sharing his house is one way of doing it."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Apparently only three boys and four girls were sorted into Slytherin last year, the majority of them children of Death Eaters." Draco replied, only to have any possible conversation cut off as McGonagall returned.

"Follow me please." She requested as she turned around and led them through the doors. They stopped once more in the entrance way before the Great Hall and McGonagall turned to them once more. She requested that they remain where they were before pushing open the doors to the Great Hall and striding through it. She made her way to the end of the hall and stopped next to a stool that held a raggedy hat on top of it. The brim of the hat split open and belted out a song about the qualities of the four houses. After it finished, applause rang out for the hat's song.

"When I call your name, please come forward and place the hat upon your head. After you have been sorted, please join your new house at their respective table." McGonagall declared before pulling out a roll of parchment from her robes.

"Abbott, Hannah." A small girl with curly blonde hair nervously walked forward through the hall, her footsteps echoing along the walls. She took a seat on the stool and placed the hat upon her head, breaking out into a large smile when it burst forth with "HUFFLEPUFF."

"Aeron, Nick." Harry briefly squeezed Nick's shoulder in support as the boy surged forward. Harry couldn't help but let a small chuckle out as he saw Nick put his training into good use as the boy regally walked down the aisle as if he owned the castle. Harry looked throughout the hall to see how people reacted to a first year acting so arrogant. Many seemed to find it humorous as they held smiles on their faces. Harry's eyes eventually passed over Dumbledore and he saw the man watching Nick with keen interest. It was something that wouldn't be noticeable unless you were looking for it, but Harry felt rather unsettled by the look he was giving Nick.

"Ravenclaw!" The hat burst out suddenly, tearing Harry from his thoughts. He hadn't even seen Nick put on the hat but clapped nonetheless as the boy took a seat with his new house. Harry watched as the sorting proceeded with each student getting put into their home for the next several years. It wasn't until the first Slytherin sorting (Crabbe, Vincent!) that Harry fully took in the state of the house. The house was much emptier than the other three and all of the students seemed to be extremely guarded. Harry could only imagine the type of treatment they were put through if what Draco said was right. Unlike the others, they didn't cheer when someone was sorted into their house, but clapped rather politely.

"Granger, Hermione!" Harry watched as the bushy haired witch he had met earlier walked forward towards the hat. He wondered briefly about which house she would be sorted into and was only momentarily surprised when it called out "GRYFFINDOR!"

"I had her pegged as a Ravenclaw." Harry commented to Draco, who only nodded his head in acknowledgment.

Harry continued his search around the room, considering some of the things he had been taught when entering a new environment. He could almost hear Cyrus lecturing to him now… Always plot your exit routes, try the safest first and if that doesn't work, take the route that guarantees your freedom, no matter how dangerous. Scan the room for those who may wish you harm and see if they have any visible weakness you can work against. Know who's in the room with you and what their motives are…

"Malfoy, Draco!" Whispers broke out as Draco put on a confident front and walked down the hall. Harry could barely hear what the kids around him were saying but he knew he heard the words Death Eater more than once. Draco spent close to a minute underneath the hat with a face of indifference. Finally, the hat called out "RAVENCLAW!" though it sounded as if it was reluctant to do so. Draco calmly made his way over to Nick but it seemed that Draco had the smallest hint of relief in his eyes.

"Shade, Harry!" McGonagall called out. Harry took a deep breathe to calm his nerves and copied Nick's strut almost exactly. He subtly winked at Nick when he passed by the boy and received a smirk in response. He turned his eyes forward and looked to Dumbledore who was watching him with the same amount of interest as Nick. Harry merely raised his brow at the man before turning around and taking his seat on the stool. The vision of the school was briefly blocked out as the hat fell just below his eyes.

"Another outside, just like young Mr. Aeron. Did you enjoy your show of faux-dominance as much as your friend?" An older, bemused voice penetrated into his head.

"Nick was always the one more interested in theatrics. I just like to go along for the ride sometimes."

"I see. Well, let me see here. Hmm, your situation is quite unlike any I've seen before. You have a strong urge to protect those around you. You're very loyal, something that would allow you to fit well in Hufflepuff. But no… I don't think that is the best fit."

"Put me where I can learn the most, and it doesn't even have to be from books or lessons either. I want to be able to protect my family and the people I've sworn to protect. Put me somewhere I can achieve that goal. That's the whole reason I came here."

"I see… That is a very interesting answer, Mr. Shade. A word of advice for you, just as I gave your friend. Your reason for being here, that want to protect those around you, is a noble one. However, the reason you have been invited her, is not quite so noble. Albus is a good man, but he is a man just the same as you. Tread carefully through these halls."

"I… Thank you?"

"Be careful, my child. With that being said, time to send you off to RAVENCLAW!"

Harry couldn't help but smile brightly as he removed the sorting hat from his head. He gleefully made his way over to Nick and squeezed himself into a spot next to him and Draco.

"Did you enjoy your talk with the hat?" Nick asked Harry quietly.

"Yes… He was most informative." Harry replied, to which Nick only nodded.

"Potter, Ryan!" McGonagall called out, bringing silence to the hall. Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes at the amount of attention everyone was paying to the boy. Nevertheless, Harry watched as his former brother made his way to the stool and placed the hat atop his head. After a few seconds, the hat called out "GRYFFINDOR!" and Harry couldn't help but give a silent cheer that he wasn't doomed to spend the next seven years sharing a dorm with his former brother.

Only a few moments later and Ron was sent to Gryffindor as well. Harry idly noted that Ron had taken a place next to Hermione and sandy haired boy next to her.

"Welcome, welcome! Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. I will keep this short as I am sure we are all ready to tuck into our food that our wonderful house elves have likely prepared for us, but I must make a few announcements. First, there have been some additions to our teaching staff. I ask you all to welcome Lily Potter, who not so long ago was in your seats! She will be joining us as both a student and professor this year and will be studying under Professor Flitwick for her masters in charms. As part of her masters, she will be joining you all in classes and helping to teach them."

Polite applause rang out for Lily Potter as she stood with a blush on her face. Harry could only guess that the reason for the applause had to do with the fact that she was the famous Ryan Potter's mother. Harry couldn't help but be impressed though at the effort of his birth mother. She was quite young to go for her masters in Charms and if she achieved her goal, she would be one of the youngest to accomplish it.

"Our esteemed Professor Quirrel is going to be taking over our position of defense and covering his position will be the newly hired Charity Burbage! Our Professor Quirrel is still out on expedition that he likely won't return from until late September, so covering for him we have another alumni, famed auror Sirius Black!"

Harry barely heard what was said after that. All he knew was that he had grabbed Nick's leg roughly, using him to keep him steady. He could barely feel that Nick had grabbed his own hand and squeezed it too.

"That's… That's the Sirius, right?" Nick whispered to Harry quietly, but Harry couldn't make eye contact. After years of wondering about Sirius' condition, he was suddenly in front of him. The black-haired man seemed to have aged with grace. He looked almost exactly how Harry remembered him, for a few wrinkle lines around his eyes. He seemed to be friendly enough, but there was a serious look on his face that was accompanied by a frown. Harry heard others around him whisper about Sirius and Harry wondered what he had done to gain his small amount of fame.

"Yeah." Harry finally choked out. "I didn't think… Does everything have to happen to me?"

"I'm going to be completely honest with you Harry, you've had a really shitty few months," Nick said thoughtfully as Harry finally latched off of his leg.

"Thanks for the concern." Harry hissed quietly, only for Nick to smile warmly back.

"Dig in!" Dumbledore called suddenly, having said a few other words that Harry and Nick had missed. Shooting Nick one last dirty look, Harry turned around and began heaping his plate with an assortment of the different foods placed In front of him.

"Hey Malfoy!" An older boy from down their table called loudly, gathering most of the table's attention. Malfoy slowly turned his head and searched for the boy, squinting when he finally saw him.

"Yes?" Draco asked quietly, though it held a dangerous undertone.

"I had you pegged for a Slytherin! You know, you could've followed in daddy's footsteps!" The older boy called back, joining in the sniggering of his fellow students.

"You know," Draco started in a conversational tone, though he still gained the older boy's attention. "I had thought that the Ravenclaw house was one that took pride in their intelligence. Tell me, what's so intelligent about insulting a boy whose father is a dangerous criminal? Let me remind you, I lived with my father until only a few years ago. I was plenty old enough for him to have taught me a few certain things."

"You filthy fucking Death Eater." The boy spat furiously from down the table. Harry noticed Draco only looked at the boy curiously, though Harry himself couldn't help but be shocked by the boy's sudden hostility. "You better watch where you walk around here. You'll find a lot of people who would love to give your father what he's due. I'm sure his prodigal son would be more than an adequate replacement."

"Hm." Was all Draco said, as if the boy had merely told him it was going to rain tomorrow. Draco turned back to his food and continued to eat as if nothing the past few moments had happened.

"Draco?" Nick asked quietly, watching as Draco merrily chewed on a roll. Draco's eyes flickered to Nick and Harry could see Draco's right eye twitch just a fraction.

"Not now." Draco hissed, never changing his facial expressions. In between bites, Harry noticed that Draco's jawing was quivering slightly and could only imagine that the threat had gotten to Draco more than he had let on. Harry and Nick continued their dinner in silence, occasionally making small talk over something insignificant. Harry and Nick forced themselves to talk about various things, if only to hide the silence that had fallen over their section of the table.

"Students! I hope you have all enjoyed your feast. I have no other pressing announcements now, but I shall see you all bright and early tomorrow for our first day of classes." Dumbledore said, clapping his hands and vanishing all the food from their table.

"First years, over here!" A pretty blonde girl called as the group of first years gathered around her.

"I'm Penelope Clearwater and this is your other fifth year prefect, Robert Hilliard." Penelope said, briefly gesturing behind them. Harry noted grimly that it was the same boy who had called Draco out. Draco seemed to have noticed as well as he stared straight forward, his jaw clenched. Robert, for his part, held a welcoming smile on his face as he waved at the first years. "Follow me and we'll head up to our common room."

Harry tried his hardest to memorize the route they were taking so that he didn't have to worry about getting lost. He had managed to memorize the castle back home so he hoped the skill would carry over to Hogwarts. He idly payed attention to the different things Penelope was pointing out and talking about their history and things like that. Harry committed them to memory in order to use as checkpoints. The group stopped after a couple more flights of stairs and a few hallway turns. They were stopped in front of a large alcove that held a bronze eagle statue that had its wings spread in flight.

"This statue here is the first door to the Ravenclaw common room. You will be keyed into its wards so it will recognize you. You simply have to put your hand on the statue and it will recognize you and open the door." The students watched Penelope place her hand atop the bronze. The statue swung to the side of the alcove and an archway appeared behind the bird. Penelope led them up a set of circular stairs which seemed to climb through one of the castle's turrets.

"This is our second entrance." Penelope said as everyone tried to crowd around a wooden door that held the same bronze eagle. A few students gasped in wonder when a regal voice sounded.

"I welcome the new generation of students to my house. Enjoy your time in Ravenclaw and never stop your curiosity and search for knowledge."

"Thank you, Rowena." Penelope said, causing a few of the students to look at the statue in new found wonder.

"Tear one off and scratch my head what was red is black instead." The bronze eagle intoned. Penelope looked to the group questioningly, seeing if anyone of them possibly knew the answer.

"It's a match." Penelope answered after a few moments.

"Will we have to do that every time?" One of the students asked. Harry thought her named was Lisa Turpin but couldn't be sure.

"Yes. The second entrance was designed to test our wits with riddles and always keep us thinking. The riddles are normally nothing hard and you can always wait for another if you can't think of the answer." Penelope replied, eliciting some groans. She only smiled gently at the group of students. "The boy's dorms are the left stairway and the girls dorms are up the right stairway. Before I send you off, Professor Flitwick should be here soon to greet you."

As if on cue, Flitwick appeared behind the group, just coming through the door. Harry noted with dismay that Lily Potter was also with him.

"Hello! I'm sure you've all had your introductions from Ms. Clearwater and the founder of our house herself, Rowena Ravenclaw." Flitwick said cheerfully. "Let me also welcome you to our esteemed house! Plenty of magical and ingenious things have come out of their house and its alumni and I can't help but be excited for what our new generation of students will bring us. Ravenclaws are often noted by their intelligence and search for knowledge, but I will remind you to not forget about everything else in this pursuit.

"I also wanted to let you all know that I hope you all settle in comfortably and I am always here if any of you need guidance or have a question or two. I will likely be holding meetings with you all individually within a few weeks to see how you are all settling. Mrs. Potter will also be by my side quite frequently and so you may also seek her guidance if you need to. I will see you tomorrow when I hand out your schedules. Have a good night!"

"Well, what're you waiting for?" Robert questioned with a smile as the students continued to stand there even after Professor Flitwick left the room. "Head off to bed!"

The group headed towards the stairs and split off as the boys headed left and the girls to the right. Harry, Nick, and Draco hung back and slowly climbed the stairs by themselves.

"Are you all right Draco?" Harry asked quietly.

"Mother warned me that people here would react harshly to my presence." Draco admitted to the two. "I just… I guess I was just hoping for the best. It was more than a bit of shock."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why didn't you ask the hat for Slytherin?" Nick asked curiously.

"The hat wanted to put me there." Draco confided, stopping outside their dorm room so they could continue their conversation. "I had to practically beg it to put me in Ravenclaw. It told me I was much more suited for Slytherin."

"Why didn't you go? I'm sure things would have been a lot easier there. No offense or anything, but you mentioned that a majority of the kids in Slytherin have Death Eater parents as well."

"It would have been a lot easier." Draco agreed. "I'm sure I would have done great in Slytherin. I wanted to go there, even. But if I went there, all people would see me as would be a boy who's following in his father's footsteps. I disagree wholeheartedly with the prejudice surrounding the house, but that doesn't mean other people do. Here in Ravenclaw I can at least distance myself from my father's legacy and try and stand out as my own person. You wouldn't understand… The Wizarding World is a giant game of politics that starts from the moment you're born. All I can do is try and position myself to succeed."

Harry and Nick subtly glanced at each other at the declaration that they wouldn't understand the game of politics, but they kept quiet.

"Well, whatever you need Draco, we'll try and help you out." Harry promised with a smile. Draco smiled back, happy at finding his first group of friends who accepted him for who he was.

"Let's head to bed though, yeah?"

A/N: Well, here's one of our first glimpses to how the Wizarding World has changed after suffering through more of the war than the original story. We'll see more as we continue, but let me know what you think of it so far. Reviews make me more motivated to write and put out chapters!