A small push sent Harry and Alice trough the pilar at Kings Cross directly to the mess that was September the first at Platform 9 and ¾. Noise, smoke and lights created a chaotic atmosphere, where hundreds of families tried to send their kids to Hogwarts.

"That was… quite dramatic". Said Alice.

Harry nodded. The danger of muggles seeing wizards disappear against a wall was too high, and he was sure that he had spotted an obliviator sitting next to the pilar.

"Well." Said Lily behind them. "It makes for quite the impression for muggleborns."

The Potters, now completed after James crossed the entrance, walked quickly towards one of the doors of the train, drawing a couple of interested looks towards them, especially from people who remembered James and Lily form school. Harry got quite excited when a pretty brunette battered her eyelashes at him, action that was of course reciprocated with a dashing smile.

Turning back to his parents, Harry was engulfed in a hug by his father. Lily seemed to have found an old friend and was happily chatting up to her.

"Take care you two." Said James seriously. "Yourself and the other. You are closer to politics here than in Ilvermory, and that whole thing is a nasty business."

Both Potter siblings nodded. They have had this conversation at least five times by now, but both could tell that their father was nervous. After promising their mother that they would write (frequently and extensively) they boarded the flaming red machine. There wasn't time to teary goodbyes. Those had already been exchanged in the morning, in company of uncle Moony and uncle Pads.

Harry and Alice found a compartment relatively quick, thanks to their mother obsession with punctuality. Harry grabbed both their trunks, signaling Alice to lift wards. Frowning in concentration, the younger Potter raised her wand, slowly tracing the seals of locking ward, anti-eavesdropping and a subtle notice-me-not.

Harry nodded, clearly impressed. "You are getting better"

Alice shrugged. "I like wards".

The Potter siblings seated, and just as Harry was preparing for a nap, the voice of his sister interrupted. "So. What's the real plan?"

Harry groaned, and turned to see her. "What are you talking about? We discussed the plan before coming to England"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Please. You don't think I would believe we left everything in America just for you to teach Stupefy to Longbottom, right?"

Harry frowned, questioning her sister with an intense stare. Alice didn't last long.

"Okay fine! I listened to your conversation with Sirius two days ago"

"How?" questioned the boy, trying to remember where was Alice at the moment of that conversation.

She smirked "You taught me the listening charm remember?"

Harry gasped in outrage. "You promised to never use it on me!"

Smirk remained in the younger Potter. "I didn't used it on you. I used it on uncle Sirius"

She let her brother vent for a couple minutes, annoyed at the "irresponsible Hit-wizard who should know better". When he finished, he found the inquisitive eyes of his little sister, patiently waiting for answers.

Harry took a deep sigh. "You know that mom doesn't want you too involved right?"

Alice smirked. "When did moms wishes stopped us?"

Harry smiled a bit. "Alright. What do you want to know?"

"Everything. Why did we even come back? What are we gonna do at Hogwarts?"

Harry gathered his breath. "Well, you know Dad and uncle Pads are going to cause a bit of a mess in the Wizengamot right?"

Alice nodded. "That I don't understand. If they want to support Dumbledore why don't they appoint someone to vote for them supporting him in everything?"

"That's because they are not supporting Dumbledore"

Alice raised her eyebrow. "What?"

"As far as I understand, Dumbledore already has all the support he can gather by being himself, and they are openly aligned in the Wizengamot. There is also the moderate group who tries to prevent radical changes in any direction. The traditionalist, who are just a fancy name for bigots and rich purebloods. And the rest, whose votes are unpredictable and the ones to decide elections." Explained Harry, pausing a bit to regain breath. "Dad and Pads want to create a new faction, a middle ground faction who could gather people who isn't aligned towards any of the other factions. Organized by example of them, two purebloods who came for radical different backgrounds but with common goals. If a new blood war starts, they will accuse the traditional of forcing their hand and will join Dumbledore, hopefully dragging the moderates in the process."

Alice whistle. "That's smart. A camouflaged light faction"

"Not quite. They had revised some of the bills of Dumbledores faction and they didn't like what they saw. Mom says that some of the muggleborn and muggles protection laws they support are patronizing, or just a bunch of air. Banning wizards of interacting with muggle artifacts is more damaging towards muggleborns than purebloods, given that some of the oldest families would never get caught near anything muggle." Explain the older sibling.

Alice remained silence for a bit. She then asked. "And mum? And uncle Remus?"

"They are research. Information organization from both traditionalists, moderates and progressives. They are to gather intel, like in muggle movies. Locate potion masters, wand makers, anyone who could help in war times. If we manage to secure dittany production for example, they wouldn't have access to blood-replenishing or cicatrizing potions."

The little Potter frowned. "But I thought we were trying to prevent a war"

Harry nodded "That we are. But you know mom. She said that the best way to guarantee failure is not contemplating the possibility for it. They are preparing for the worst".

"I think I can go with that." Said a satisfied Alice.

The young man enjoyed just a couple minutes of silence, before Alice remembered something.

"And what's our role?"

Harry chuckled. "You don't have one you know?

At his sister pout, he laughed. "That only works with dad ice-cream"

"Don't call me that!"

Harry stooks his tongue, Alice rolled her eyes at the childishness of her brother.

"I'm trying to go to Slytherin" said Harry.

Only the silencing wards she raised prevented her outburst to be heard outside the compartment. "WHAT!"

Harry shrugged and retied his ponytail. "That's my role. I'm supposed to infiltrate that evil snake den." Said smirking.

Alice stammered. "But… Why?"

Her brother looked straight to her. "Two reasons. According to dad some of the heirs used to tend bridges between them. A bit like a long-term investment. Even if the Houses are in different political sides now, the heirs can build alliances for when they take control of their houses. Slytherin has the most heirs and heiresses at the moment, followed by Hufflepuff." He paused for a bit. "I prefer green to yellow not gonna lie."

Alice thought for a while. Finally, she asked something to Harry right when the boy was about to fall asleep. "But why are they going to tend bridges to you if Dad and Sirius are going to create a whole new group?"

A bit sleepy, Harry answered. "Not if they think I'm not in favour of what they are doing" At the puzzled look of her sister he elaborated. "They are going to pretend to be… Displeased at my sorting, Mum and Dad being dumb Gryffindors and all that. Dad and uncle Pads think that would encourage some heirs to try and reach me, politically speaking, when they think I´m most vulnerable"

Alice groaned. "Morgana. All this politics hurt my head."

He brother laughed. "And that is why, baby sis I'm going to Slytherin and you are comfortable in the towers."

She looked inquisitively her head. "Towers?"

"Mum and Dad are having a bet. He thinks you are as much of a lioness as you could be, but mom is leaning more towards Ravenclaw."

Alice laughed. "Of course they had." She stopped to watch a particularly pretty part of the landscape, before something returned to her head. "Wait! You said you had two reasons"

Harry nodded. "The other is more of moms idea. We talked a bit last night and apparently, she had a friend who went into Slytherin. They drifted apart and he joined the Death Eaters near the end of the war, but mom thinks it's because he had no other choice." Frowning, he kept going. "She thinks that there is likely quite a bit of Slytherins and their families who didn't support You-Know-who's agenda, but were forced to align by peers pressure. She suggested that I could be the option some of those families needed."

"Something like Dad and Sirius in the Wizengamot"

"Precisely"

Alice remained thoughtful for a moment, before resuming her assault. "Wait a minute, if the conflict between houses is really that harsh, you being sorted in Slytherin will make Longbottom hate you!"

Harry sighed, realizing that sleep wouldn't come until her sister was satisfied with every detail in the plan. "Yep, that will be a complication. It will have to be discrete and to gain slowly his confidence." He ruffled his hair through his hair. "I just hope I will have enough time."

"If I got sorted in Gryffindor I could help you"

Inquisitively, the young man turned his head towards his sister. "Do tell?"

Alice nodded, increasingly excited. "If I'm a lion, I could report you Longbottom moves. Friendships, troubles in classes. Fights, everything"

Harry nodded, interested in the approach. But his sister wasn't finished.

"Maybe, if I pretend to be as angry as mom and dad, the Gryffindor would take pity on me" said the girl. "They will be less guarded if they see me as a defenceless pretty girl"

"Pretty?"

That comment earned him a fast kick to the chins, to which the wizard yelp in pain. His sister waited patiently his dramatic outburst (the moron didn't even wince after a bludgeoning to the ribs in the finals) before asking. "Do you think it could work?"

Harry thought a bit before nodding. "Yeah, that could work. Only go for confused instead of angry. That way we could be seen talking occasionally"

Alice nodded, really excited. "Oh this will be so cool! Like playing board games but in real life. A real adventure!"

Her brother chuckled. "Only you would compare Dungeons and Dragons with school" He stopped for a moment. "I feel like I should be telling you that this is serious and all that mature stuff"

Alice smirked. "But you are not Sirius, you are Harry"

Both siblings laughed as the Hogwarts Express slowed down, reaching the Hogsmeade station. It would be almost an hour later when they both sat down under the Sorting Hat.

"Potter, Alice!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Potter, Harry!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

AN1: I'm guessing I don't get a standing ovation for uploading one last time this year. Anyway, Happy holidays everybody. Stay safe and take care of your loved ones.

AN2: It´s really convenient for the Potter siblings to have this conversation so we don't get lost. Oh well. Things should move faster now that we are at Hogwarts (The plot I mean, not my upload schedule that is, at best, inconsistent)

AN3: I also updated my other story, and I improved the summary so it's a bit more appealing. Even if it doesn't attract you, I appreciate criticism. I also published a new one-shot because I have no self-control and one-shots are easier to write and forgot about.