Uhm, it's been a while. Anyways, excuse the huge time gaps! Really, I can't do much when they're as young as eleven. All the fun stuff will happen during their third and fourth year and the fic will end at their sixth year (most probably).

For all intents and purposes, Nathan didn't disagree with the Sorting Hat's choices. He was very glad that he'd been sorted into Ravenclaw. It's the house he'd dreamed of being sorted to ever since his Mum and Dad told him about the four founders and their history.

Rowena had been… an intriguing character. She had so much mystery surrounding her. So many things hidden and untold yet if one was brave enough, say someone like Godric, and were to confront her about this or someone cunning, like Salazar, were to draw it out of her subtly then you had a tap to all things knowing.

Nathan refused to be bought by such actions when he became a Ravenclaw. No amount of endearing looks from his brother was going to budge him over to letting Harry copy his homework. The git was going to have to work from down to the top like he would be doing in the next seven years.

Glad that his roommates were not the noisy bunch, Nathan shoved the hangings away from his bed and peered out into the silent dorm room. Of course it was only silent by common courtesy but everyone was awake and getting ready for the day.

Across from where he sat, Cole O'Niel, who he had walked to the tower with last night, smiled at him winningly. "Good morning."

"Good morning." Nathan nodded as he scrambled out of bed. He stretched for a bit looking around. "I guess everyone's a morning person in Ravenclaw."

"Not entirely." Cole mumbled, shoving his messy red curls behind his ears, his blue eyes gleaming. "We're just all excited. I heard Brent's been practicing with his wand since he got it on his birthday last February. Imagine seven whole months to practice?! I kinda feel a bit cheated…"

Nathan grinned. "You're telling me. I just turned eleven last June."

"I still win." Cole grinned back. "I turned eleven last week."

Nathan's eyes bugged out and the small nod from Cole confirmed that he wasn't joking about. The red head explained that he was just barely lucky that he was a part of this set of students. Had he been born three days letter, he would only be a first year when he was twelve.

Apparently, even as a baby, he'd been as stubborn as a mule. He was supposed to have been born on the twenty-second but he refused to come out. The forlorn and slightly numb look going through Cole's eyes had Nathan freezing for a bit but only because he couldn't understand how a person with Cole's disposition could look such a way.

"Which would be quite unfortunate." Cole shuddered. "I mean, imagine being in the same place as everybody who's younger than you. Even if they don't know it, you do and won't you just feel so out of place?"

"I try hard not to think about it." Nathan mumbled, finally shrugging into his robes.

"No showers for you, huh?"

"Had one last night."

"Ditto." Cole then grabbed his bag. "Breakfast then?"

Nathan smiled and grabbed his own, glad he found a friend right away. "Yeah."

He hoped Harry wasn't doing too bad himself.

Harry, for the better part of the morning, was convinced he'd finally found his people. Five voices simultaneously begged for five more minutes despite the late hour, and he was surprised that all his dorm mates but one refused to leave their warm beds.

Neville Longbottom, a curious fellow who had a pet toad Harry had seen in the train, was getting dressed and valiantly trying to convince Seamus and Dean to get out of bed because they seemingly had to get to the Great Hall early if they wanted good schedules.

"How do you even know that?" Dean grumbled as he finally shuffled out of bed.

"My grandmother told me." Neville replied as he straightened his tie.

Seamus groaned as he stumbled blindly towards the bathroom. "Lucky. I'm half and half. Dad's a muggle and my mum's a witch. I knew all about Hogwarts but not what would happen after I got in."

"That would make you a half blood right?" Dean asked as he too went in.

Relenting to getting up as well, Harry wondered why they were discussing this. Based on Sirius' stories (and Merlin forbid he considered his own experience), these types of conversations never went well in Gryffindor. Blood purity, power, money, and social standings were conversation starters for students in Slytherin, not Gryffindor.

"I didn't think you were a muggleborn." Seamus commented as he and Dean re-entered the room.

Harry glanced at them as he threw out one of his robes from his trunk and started on getting dress. So long as the conversation didn't hurt anyone… he could be cool with it.

"You all right Harry?" Neville stopped on his way out of the door, bag already in hand.

Giving an attempt to flatten his hair, Harry smiled at Neville gratefully. "Yeah."

"All right…" Neville motioned forward. "See you in the Great Hall."

Harry nodded awkwardly then as Neville pushed at his fringe almost as if with practice before he got flashed by the awful looking scar. This did not surprise Harry because he knew that the Longbottom's were purebloods. He also knew that there had been strange things in the Prophet about him. His parents never let him read things fully, but Nathan had done some research on the boy and supposedly, he was the Wizarding world's savior.

Eleven years ago, an awful man who'd proclaimed himself as Lord Voldemort had targeted the Longbottom's for reasons no one could understand. Neville was just an ordinary boy, born to ordinary parents Alice and Frank. They had done no wrong other than side with the light but apparently that was enough to warrant a death sentence delivered personally by the head hancho himself.

Harry tugged at his tie now and wondered just what happened to Neville. He grew up without parents; that was for sure. Once a year, a day before his and Nathan's birthday, his mum and dad would always light a candle on the mantle and they'd once explained that, "It's to commemorate a few dear friends."

And though Harry had never learnt what the word 'commemorate' meant until he had been eight, he knew that the boy in the prophet had something to do with the candle that burned on the day before his birthday.

It was only now though that Harry could personally confirm that that boy was Neville Longbottom.

The first term in Hogwarts flew fast. There were very rare classes that Ravenclaw and Gryffindor shared together and so Nathan very rarely saw his twin. It had taken a joint effort for them to be able to meet each other in the library on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings.

So far everything had been going as smoothly as possible. He was enjoying all the lessons that Hogwarts offered. He found Potions hard to master though he could not really be blamed. When one found himself trying to impress, he often messed up more often than usual.

As was the case of Harry, or as his twin bemoaned every single time he messed up during potions. This was nearly an everyday occurrence as he had said class every Monday, Thursday, and Friday.

Harry was not to be blamed though for impressing Severus Snape was an act even his godson could not attempt. Simply because Uncle Sev worked with their mum and Lily was a licensed Potion's master. There was a lot to make up for in terms of talent and expectations.

Nathan was glad his brother was back to his chipper old self. Of course, no one could really tell that his brother had been acting different. And that Slytherin brat better be thankful Harry was back to normal or he'd be using all the lessons he got from Professor Flitwick to good use.

When it came to friends, Nathan had Cole and Harry was quite the popular bloke surrounded by tons of companions during breakfast and often in between class. That was something Nathan could never begrudge getting sorted in Gryffindor.

They were such a friendly bunch; you never quite saw one without another. Harry constantly had Ron and this sweet girl name Hermione walking around with him when they transferred rooms. It was quite amusing to find Ron meeting his match. No one truly got the redhead riled up like that, but Hermione proved to be quite the challenge.

As goes Potter tradition, you would have never gone to Hogwarts without befriending a redhead. Nathan had his own personal red haired devil, and Cole was only evil because he managed to convince Nathan to eat a whole tin of fudge in one sitting. That was a huge blow on Nathan because he was not used to eating so many sweets at one time.

Of course the git paid dearly for that. His two whole days of being blonde turned many eyes his way, which was adorable because Cole was just a first year. The red that used to be only present in his hair, made very clear appearances when some bloke or girl would wink or whistle his way.

Nathan was sure he'd be doing it again soon, if only because he liked the fact that his usual quite and kept together friend flushed bright red and stuttered so much when he was the center of attention. If only a certain git didn't have blonde hair, he'd swear to keep jinxing Cole so that his hair stayed blonde forever.

Come to think of it, Nathan had never personally interacted with the Malfoy heir. Just heard stories and rumors and saw glimpses of him during meal times and long stares during class.

He did most of the staring and he found it quite hard to believe that his twin had been smitten by such a boy at first. Of course… they did say that the first impression was usually lasting.

He couldn't figure out what Harry could have possibly seen in him.

Malfoy was attentive during class, though in most classes, like Potions and Charms, he seemed to be at least two steps ahead of the professor. Sometimes he would be mouthing off whatever it was being discussed. Like Nathan and Harry, he probably been taught all this stuff by personal tutors.

What surprised him was that Malfoy did not boast or make it quite known that he needn't be in class to hear the lectures simply because he'd already learned them.

It was as if the git knew to be humble.

"Hey." Snapping out of his daze, Nathan took the muffin being held out to him.

"You're incredibly barmy for sneaking food into the library." He said this though he bit into the muffin with absolute relish.

Harry shrugged and managed to mumble around his own mouthful. "The librarian loves me."

Nathan laughed but shushed himself quickly. Lucky for Draco Malfoy, he could push off that dreaded meeting for as long as his twin was happy.

Simply because nothing else mattered. For now, he would simply contemplate the rough mystery of who Draco Malfoy truly was, and why did he act in such ways.

Unfortunately for many things that went right in the universe, the meeting couldn't have been postponed for any longer than the trip home from Hogwarts at the end of their first school year.

Harry's blood boiled as not only did the Slytherins openly mocked Ron and his siblings, but they dared to lower themselves to calling Hermione such awful things. Mudblood. Ugh, what was so good about calling yourself a 'pureblood'? It sounded like you were one to have a disease!

Now his mother was a muggleborn witch and she had been one of the best in her year. Having a small gap in between the family line of witches and wizards was nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it showed that the magic was strong enough to preserve itself to create a first class witch.

Hermione was fully capable of overlooking this but it was not in Harry's nature to do so. His friend had just been insulted and he was not going to stand for it, consequences be damned.

"That's enough Malfoy." His wand was tucked in his robes' sleeve and he had no plans of drawing it out lest he be made out to the one at fault. None of the Slytherins had their wands out either. Maybe because Crabbe an Goyle were enough to start a rough brawl but would 'purebloods' resort to Muggle means of fighting?

Across from him, blank surprise fell on the blonde's face and Harry inwardly cringed. That was the same look he got when he'd confronted the same set of people all those months ago in the Leaky Cauldron.

There was a strange sense of de ja vu moving through him as Parkinson raised her nose in a haughty manner and glared at him. "What's this Potter? Already taken her as your beloved?"

"Ha!" Zabini caught on the jibe rather quickly. "Like father like son, yeah Pansy?"

"I'd reckon, yeah." Both dark haired children turned to the only blonde in the carriage hall way but the Malfoy heir refused to speak. Instead he eyed Harry with an intense questioning gaze that had lumps forming in the raven head's throat.

He was… stuck. He couldn't speak even if he wanted to and he was pretty sure it wasn't because of any spell or hex. Harry just couldn't speak because this situation, the jibes and the nasty laughs coming from the arrogant Slytherins were enough to send him back to that awful day.

The difference was, his twin was here, and he was not happy.

Nathan had placed a hand on his shoulder, and it squeezed sharply before it let go. "Best you change out of your robes Harry. Mum and Dad said something about heading straight to Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus' place."

Stiffly, he nodded and turned on his heel. For a second he caught his brother's eye and he inwardly pitied the green-clad children. If Nathan was more like Lily Potter, it did not extend to just his looks.

"Now… this conversation is a bit overdue."

It also went as far as her temper, and right now it was flaring hot, hot, hot.

Nathan could feel his magic going unsteady and he was about ready to let it go free. The only thing stopping him was the fact that it was Teddy's birthday today and it wouldn't do to have their arrival at Grimauld Place delayed simply because of this scuffle with a bunch of brats who were most certainly not worth his time.

He wished he could just give each of them a rough smack in the face, like he'd seen his mum do to Aunt Petunia when she dared raised a hand on Harry when they'd been kids.

Nathan concurred that that should be the trick. One swift smack on each smug smiling face. Parkinson first, then Zabini. Crabbe and Goyle he knew he wouldn't win against but Nathan was not going to go down easy.

Something he and the Weasley's had in common. "Kicking and screaming all the way."

Reassure that he was not alone, though he would have done the same thing had he been, Nathan moved till he was right in front of Zabini, not the least bit intimidated that the Italian boy was a few inches taller than him.

"Not only have you pissed my brother off today, you also pissed him off last August at the Leaky. I admit I was a bit glad that I had to postpone personally meeting you until now because I did not want to do this."

Parkinson snorted. "Do what?"

In answer, Nathan pulled back a fist and conked Zabini in the nose, who stumbled back and hit his head against the train wall.

"Bloody hell Potter!" Ron dashed forward and began to pull Nathan away. He winced at each scream Parkinson made, the shrillness making his head hurt.

"Don't think I won't hit you just cause you're a girl!" Nathan snapped at her when it was obvious she was feeling only a bit worried and that all the screaming was simply for show.

"You have too much Gryffindor in you to do that." Parkinson replied smugly.

Nathan regretted getting out of his school robes, he did brandish the tie he had in his pocket. "See this Parkinson? It isn't red. It's blue. Can you add that up for me?"

"He's not a Gryffindor." All attention moved to the blonde who had yet to say anything before that. Draco narrowed his eyes at him before nodding towards the empty compartment. "Come on you ill tempered Ravenclaw. Let's have this… chat, elsewhere."

Inside the compartment, Harry had already changed clothes but he did not go back out. Nathan wanted him out of the conversation, and so he would respect his twin's wishes.

He was worried though and the screaming was not helping one bit.

Soooo? I bet there's gonna be questions, especially about the Teddy thing. ;)

Thoughts?