Adrian Pucey. Jackson Wash. Ricard Lovestem. Terrance Quartz.

Fred repeated the four names to himself. These were to be the four boys that he would share a dorm with for the rest of his Hogwarts career, it was best that he memorize their names. Plus, with Fred repeating the names over and over, it gave him little time to dwell on the repercussions of his sorting.

It was the first morning after the ceremony, and Fred had yet to fall asleep. Instead, he spent all night laying on the most comfortable mattress he had ever seen, worrying about the reactions of his family. Percy, the utter git, has probably already sent a letter to their parents, describing in excruciating detail how their son was actually a snake. It was sickening.

All his life, Fred was told of the nastiness of Slytherin. First from his father, then his brothers. Slytherin was no place for a Weasley. They were blood traitors, members of the Order of the Phoenix, fighters for the light. They were not serpents.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Fred was also separated from George. He wasn't kidding the previous night, when he told Pucey that as twins, they were inseparable. Fred could feel himself panicking, thinking of how he was supposed to live for seven years as the natural enemy of everything his family stands for, everything his twin stands for.

"Rise and shine Weasley! Time for breakfast!" Adrian declared, pulling back the silk curtains that surrounded his bed. Fred wasn't sure what to make of him. On one hand, Adrian was a snake, a pure blood from a noble family that Fred was taught to hate since the cradle. But on the other hand, so was Fred. The one thing that truly confused him, however, was the fact that he couldn't trust Adrian. What did he get out of befriending a Weasley?

Now, if his distrust to an obvious act of friendship seemed like a Slytherin behavior, well, Fred just ignored it. He was good at that.

"Good morning Adrian." Fred addressed, getting up and ready to start the day.

"Oy. Lion-wanna-be!" Jackson called out, as he lazily hopped out of bed.

"Don't call me that Snake." Fred bit out, venom coating his words.

Jackson let out a cruel laugh, "Don't forget Freddie, you're one of us now. A slimy snake, like the one your family has warned you all about." He said this while flaying his arms about and making ghost noises.

Before Fred could result to physical violence, Ricard, the same boy who stuck up for him the night before, put a hand on his shoulder, "Relax Wash. Freddie here is just going through a little denial about his proper allegiance, you would too if you were sorted into a different house."

Wash chuckled, "But I wasn't. You see, unlike the Weasley here, I actually know a little something about family loyalty."

Terrance Quartz was a strong, usually silent, African American who previously resided in Belguim. Having just moved to England, he was enrolled into Hogwarts. Although he usually kept to himself, he couldn't help but to speak out, a slight French accent coloring his words, "What part of Slytherin loyalty did you not understand about the speech last night, Jackson? House allegiance trumps blood."

Jackson just scoffed, before leaving the common room in a huff. Fred couldn't help but roll his eyes, ignoring how nice it felt to have his other housemates stick up for him. He shouldn't get used to this. They would all see soon enough, just how Gryffindor he really was. The sorting hat made a mistake.

Breakfast was a sordid affair. As their Head of House, Professor Snape, went around passing their time tables, Fred couldn't help but gaze longingly at the Gryffindor table. There sat his twin, laughing amongst his new peers, looking all too comfortable in the house of lions.

"Come on Fred. You're a snake, not a mopey puppy. Keep your chin up, and for the love of Merlin, stop staring at George as if he's your estranged and jilted lover." Adrian hissed, pulling Fred's attention back to the food.

Pucey was right. As much as Fred hated his new House, he wouldn't dare upset the rules that Melody had outlined the night before. He was a lion. He knew it. His housemates knew it. But he wouldn't dare let any of the other houses know it.

Fixing his posture, Fred straightened his emerald and silver tie, before going back to his breakfast as if he didn't spend the last twenty minutes staring at his twin. Soon enough, Fred's biggest fear arrived, for the owls soared in. A letter, thankfully not a howler, dropped onto his plate with a slap. Fred gulped. His mother had written him.

Across the Great Hall, Charlie, Percy and George all stared at him, waiting for the elder twin to open up his letter. Come on Fred, don't be a coward, open it. It's just mother. He chanted to himself, before finally working up the nerve.

Dear Fredrick Gideon Weasley,

Percy has written us. Your father and I were shocked to hear of your sorting, we would have thought that you would stay with George. Never in our wildest guess did we think the two of you would be separated. Perhaps it is for the best, the two of you could use the independence, for you surely rely on each other far too much to be considered healthy. Regardless, we just wanted to let you know that despite your sorting, we are proud of you my son. Do not let any of your siblings convince you otherwise. You might be Slytherin, but you're a Weasley first and foremost. Do not forget that.

Love, Mother

"Wow, your parents are sure big on the whole 'family' thing, huh?" Adrian remarked, somewhat sarcastically.

Fred shot a glare at the other boy, "Were you reading over my shoulder?"

Adrian took a sip of pumpkin juice as be nonchalantly responded, "Yeah, of course I was."

"Do you snakes have no meaning of privacy?" Fred shot back.

Pucey looked around the table, until he was certain that nobody heard that comment, "No. We snakes do not."

Fred bit his tongue as Snape finally reached them, "Your time table, Mr. Weasley." He drawled, before quickly moving on to the rest of the students.

Fred snatched his schedule, reading through it quickly before slamming it down on the table in anger.

Ricard, who sat across from him, raised a brow as he read through it, "Not a single class with Gryffindors this year? That's… odd."

Terrance nodded in agreement, "From what I've been told, we are usually paired up with Gryffindor the most. For us to have not a single class with them in our first year is questionable."

Jackson just smiled, "A whole year without any lions? We should be rejoicing!"

Their first class in Hogwarts was Potions with the Ravenclaws. Professor Snape was a daunting taskmaster, and honestly a little terrifying. To the Ravenclaws at least. To the Slytherins, he was the most positively biased man they could have hoped for. They loved it. Yet Fred was weary. Despite it being the very first day, Professor Snape had them brewing a potion, which most of his classmates got so completely wrong. Fred though, was surprised that his and Adrians was actually a pale pink; exactly what Snape described it should look like. What was more surprising, however, was the fact that they were the only table to get it right.

Once class finished, Snape called out, "Mr. Weasley, if you could wait a moment."

Fred gulped. Bill had told him all about Snape's hatred for the Weasleys, as well as the multiple pranks he and Charlie pulled on the man. And now this was to be his head of house. Fred cursed his brothers silently.

"Yes sir?" Fred asked timidly, waiting until everyone else had filed out.

Snape leveled a stare at the red head, "As you are aware, I have had your brothers in my class before."

"Yes sir." Fred was so going to release mayhem on his older brothers when he got the chance.

"They were… untalented. Gryffindors to the very core, and so very bad at potions. You, on the other hand, managed to single handedly brew a second-year potion with absolutely no instruction or experience." Snape confessed.

Fred's eyes widened, "I… I don't understand sir."

Snape sighed, obviously not wanting to explain, "Every year, in order to test the talent of these children, I make them brew a potion above their level. No first year has ever managed to do it successfully, not that I ever expected them too. Yet you were able to."

Freds jaw almost dropped, before remembering the importance of decorum in Slytherin and shutting his mouth, "Adrian was my partner, he-"

Snape interrupted, "He did nothing. I watched it all. All Pucey did was gather the ingredients, you did the rest. You have a real talent in potions."

"Uh, thank you… sir."

"You're a Slytherin now Weasley. That means you are my student. I expect great things from you."

Fred couldn't help the grin that spread, "Thank you sir. I won't let you down."

Next was charms, with the Ravenclaws once more. Fred quickly caught up to the rest of the Slytherins, as they climbed their way up to the classroom.

"What did Snape want?" Ricard asked.

"He… He said I had a real talent for potions." Fred said hesitantly, disbelief coating his tone. He was still in shock. Severus Snape, the man who had annoyed his older brothers into dropping potions after their OWLs, just complemented him. Him. Fred Weasley. Not Fred and George. Just Fred. He had a strange suspicion that the difference between he and his twin will only grow.

Pucey let out a laugh, "Well of course he did! You didn't even let me touch the ingredients, and you were the only one to actually brew the damn potion."

"But my brothers-"

Adrian interrupted, "Your brothers were Gryffindors. You're a Slytherin. We stick up for one another, and yes, that rule applies to Snape as well. Get used to it."

Once they finally made it to charms, they had to wait as the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs filed out. Shooting looks of distaste towards those wearing green, the other houses quietly scampered out, not willing to risk an interaction with the infamously nasty snakes.

"Fred."

A smile broke out onto his face, as he rushed forward to hug his twin, "Georgie!"

George shot his twin an identical grin, before sobbing dramatically, "I haven't been able to sleep without you near me! How dare I go on in life without your handsome face to lull me to dreamland?"

"Oh Georgie! As the more attractive twin, I understand your despair, I do! How shall we possibly live on! Star-crossed twins! One destined for the life of light, with the courage of a lion! His other half, cast into the darkness, with the cunning of a snake! One unity, split apart!" Fred cried, his love for performance taking control.

"Fred!"

"George!"

"Fred!"

"George!"

"FRED!"

"GEORGE!"

"WILL YOU PEOPLE SHUT UP!" A random, older Ravenclaw cried, ending their sobbing drama.

The tears on the twins face mysteriously disappeared, as they threw an arm around each other's shoulders, "Why dear brother, I do think that we were yelled at."

George quickly responded, "Why I think we were."

"Perhaps we should-"

"Change our targets-"

"From the poor-"

"Hufflepuffs to the-"

"Mad Ravenclaws."

The Slytherin twin grinned, glad to know that despite them being in different houses, George was a still able to finish his sentences.

"You know, if it wasn't for the different colored ties, I'd have no idea who was who." Adrian remarked candidly.

"It's fine, after all-"

"Our own mother doesn't-"

"Even know how to-"

"Tell us apart. Really it's-"

"Quite confusing to-"

"Tell whose who, even-"

"For us!"

Adrian just exchanged looks with his fellow Slytherins, "Right…"

The Ravenclaw, the blond chap who yelled at the twins only moments before, spoke up, "Hey! Gryffindor twin! Why are you acting all chummy with a slimy snake?"

George's eyes widened, "He's my twin."

"He's a snake." The Ravenclaw spat out.

All of a sudden, the boy fell face first onto the floor, his legs all entangled in his robes. Behind him stood Jackson, his wand pointed at the now embarrassed boy, "Oops?" He remarked sarcastically with a smirk. He then proceeded to push all of his dorm mates into the charms class.

Fred was shocked, "You stood up for me. Why? You hate me."

Jackson just sighed, "Despite what you all think, I did pay attention to the welcoming speech. You might not like it Weasley, but you're a Slytherin. That means we stick together, personal grievances aside."