Just a few days before Christmas break, the Defence Club had one last meeting, taking the chance as most of the Hogwarts population was busy preparing for the holidays. However, it did not go as smoothly as the previous one had… because that particular day they scheduled duel practise, which was a terrible idea considering they now had Slytherins between them. Predictably, the others members if the club were incredibly hostile and practically jumped at the chance to 'humiliate' the snakes, while said students obviously prepared to defend themselves viciously just like they'd been prepared for their whole lives. Their animosity was hard to keep under control, specially because the 'professors' were just students as well, who while respected enough, still didn't seem like a proper threat in their eyes. When it came Ginny Weasley's turn, she was paired with Daphne Greengrass, and it did not go well. In fact, it ended with Daphne being thrown backwards against the wall, hitting her head with the ornate statues. Ginny still sent one last spell, even though she had effectively won, and Daphne crumbled to the floor like a rag doll.

The Slytherins were immediately around her and Draco pulled out his wand but it was Thomas Prince who stepped in between them with fury written across his face.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he snarled at the redheaded girl "This is a practise class, and you were explicitly warned that, unlike a real duel, it ends when your opponent was either disarmed or incapacitated. You purposefully attacked Miss Greengrass after she was already down!"

Meanwhile, Lestrange nudged Millicent Bullstrode aside and examined Daphne for damages, mumbling a few words as he moved his wand over her bruised ribs and her head. "You're lucky, Weasley, that she will be fine" he said coldly, not turning to look at her "she could've had a concussion and broken ribs"

Ginny balled her fists and tore her arm away from Hermione's grip. Everyone else was dead silent, too shocked to say anything. Sure, they could've wanted to do that since first year, but it was different to see it with their own eyes. It had been a hard hit.

"It's not my fault she was slow! And it's most definitely your fault for bringing these traitors along! Harry may trust you but I don't! You're just another snake, and I wouldn't be surprised if all of you are Death Eaters!"

There was a few strangled gasps behind her, and Hermione opened her mouth, horrified. But none of them had any right or guts to say anything to stop her because deep down most of them thought the same. The only person who looked disappointed and had moved away from the group was Luna, and one could not speak for the few that had decided to skip the meeting, such as Neville, Lavender and Dean. Prince straightened his back, looking at each and every one of them with disgust clearly written over his handsome face. The other Slytherins had not said anything, but they had formed a tight circle around Daphne -who was being held by Millicent and Pansy Parkinson- and held carefully guarded expressions that didn't show much emotion.

"I agreed to help you because you're just kids and you deserved a chance to learn proper defence for this war, but I'm done. You dare stand there and spit insults at us, thinking yourselves superior, and expect us to take it without speaking up for ourselves" Prince's voice was clear and loud, echoing around them, while being nowhere near yelling "You decided we were evil from the moment you saw us, based on the arbitrary criteria that a fucking hat gave you. You never took a single minute to even get to know any of us, yet you speak as if you know the story of our individual lives, as if you could read our thoughts. Listen to me and listen clearly, because I will not repeat myself again, you insipid little bitch; none of us had the chance to choose our parentage, none of us chose to be selected into Slytherin. We're purebloods because that's who our fucking parents happened to be, and we wear silver and green because that happens to be the house we were sent to, we had no say in the matter- You'll do well in staying out of any Slytherin's path, because if I ever get word that you've done anything to make them even slightly uncomfortable, then you will have to deal with me."

That said, he turned around to face his housemates and inclined his head.

"I apologise to all of you. I was the one who convinced you to come, so this lies solely on me"

Draco looked at his friends and then just shook his head slightly, as if to say 'it doesn't matter anymore'. Lestrange gestured for them and they made their way towards the exit ahead, not looking back at the other members of the club. Prince stayed behind as they left through the door.

"You better fucking find somewhere else to hold your meetings" he spat at them, glaring daggers at Ginny still.

"But—!" someone tried to protest in the back but he glared at them next and they shut up.

"As Slytherin's heir, I have all the right in the world to keep you out of my ancestor's chamber, so fuck off." His heavily disappointed and angry eyes focused on Harry "Don't ever come back here, Potter"

And so he stood there and waited, until Hermione and Harry started pushing them along. Luna squeezed Prince's arm as she passed, and he gave her a tense nod to indicate they would speak later.

He stood there long after they filed through the door, and only turned to destroy the training dummies with an explosion until he heard the far away sinks fall back into place.

Abraxas came to find him a couple hours later and once dinner was over, skipping past the tightly shut doors with an iridescent shimmer surrounding him.

The various objects that had filled the room had been destroyed and some spells even marked dents on the floors and walls of the damp cave. Feathers from the pillows had formed nearly a new carpet over the damp floor and the pieces of the dummies had even made it into the pools, making it seem like a hurricane had gone through the chamber.

Tom sat next to the basilisk's skeletal remains, hair in disarray and hands still balled into fists.

"They're all perfectly fine" the blond informed, taking a seat next to him and grabbing his hand to gently coax his fingers open and relaxed "this wasn't your doing"

Tom buried his face on his shoulder, intertwining their fingers together and slumping as the tension started leaving him.

"I just— They're so awful and prejudiced. I know it's the adults' fault for grooming them this way but it makes me so angry… it's unfair and I hate it"

Their clear discrimination had already caused the birth of a Dark Lord yet they still pretended everything was perfect, avoiding responsibility and accountability for their own part in the making of Voldemort.

"I know" Abraxas kissed the top of his head, rubbing circles onto his hand with his thumb "You're doing everything you can, but fixing decades of discrimination and bullying isn't easy, you can't be expected to handle everything perfectly all the time. You put too much pressure on yourself"

"But I can't not do anything, Brax"

Abraxas nudged him to raise his head and once he had his attention he pressed their foreheads together, shifting closer.

"You've already derailed this war and twisted it into a better direction with only a few months of work, mon cher. There's no need to hurry and stress, everything will be just fine" he whispered, leaning to kiss the corner of his lips "we'll work on it one step at a time"

Tom let out a weak laugh, pressing their lips together in a chaste kiss for a few seconds.

"Look at you, encouraging me to mess with this world. I thought you wanted to drag me back home"

His boyfriend huffed, pushing him backwards until he laid on the cold stone floor. Tom didn't give a word of protest as his mouth was assaulted with a demanding kiss, parting his legs to leave him space and keeping his hands fixed at either side of his head even after he was no longer pinned down. All the tension had finally left him, his muscles relaxing completely.

"I know I can't convince you to be reasonable. And I know that the portals in this world are highly unstable, ergo we're trapped here for quite some time even though you like to pretend you can leave anytime"

"I am plenty reasonable!" he protested in a high pitched voice, deeply offended.

"Shut up"

"Brax, I'm a smart person, I even am top of our year right now!"

"You can't even cast a decent alohomora. Now shut up, or do you want me to enchant you into silence?"

Tom actually paused for a second.

"Maybe?"

There was a beat of silence and then Abraxas's iridescent magic was back, the world melting away as Tom's head became fuzzy and pliant for once; no thoughts and no emotions beyond bliss.

Everything else turned into mush when a pair of hands slipped inside his clothes.

Harry bit his lower lip and glanced at the other side of the platform, where Prince and Lestrange stood side by side waiting for the train between all the other students going home for the holidays, just like Harry and his friends. Everyone had already taken off the uniform, and this was the first time he saw them without it; Prince dressed like a pureblood princeling, all elegant and sharp. His dress pants were perfectly ironed, though they were curiously rolled up high and he wore laced boots instead of dress shoes. His shirt was a deep crimson but he wore no tie, although he did wear a vest perfectly snug to his figure that closed at one side with golden buttons, and his open robe was an even deeper shade of red, closer to the colour of wine.

By his side and with a rather possessive hold on Prince's waist, Lestrange looked just as elegant, although Harry had never seen fashion like that even in the wizarding world. His white turtleneck had swirling golden patterns in imitation of leaves, and his pants were of a light silk material, wrapping tighter around his calves as they tucked into a pair of equally white boots without laces. The only splash of colour was his robe, made in a near translucent olive green fabric, also with golden leafy details and looser on his frame than a normal robe.

Harry had half the mind to go close and apologise for the shit-show that had been the last Defence Club meeting, but they were talking with Malfoy and he wasn't sure they would be happy he got close to a Slytherin just like Prince warned them not to do. To be honest he wasn't even sure they were on friendly terms any more.

"You know who you're taking to the New Year's Ball?"

Harry blinked out of his stupor and turned to see his friends again. Hermione had looked up from her book and Ron stopped with his eyes wide open, pastry midway to his mouth. Lavender laughed in their faces and repeated the question.

"Do you guys know who you're taking to the New Year's Ball? You have your robes already, right?"

The three of them shrugged. They had heard of the ball, like everyone else, but they hadn't bothered with freaking out about it because it wasn't as nerve wracking as the horrible ball the year before. Harry would probably just wear his old robes and sit on the side… although, maybe Cho would like to go? He quickly eyed the Slytherins, but didn't even dare think about Prince and the ball in the same sentence. Harry didn't even know how to dance anyway and he was sure Parvati had probably told all the girls what an awful date he was.

"I don't think I'll go" replied Hermione, closing her book and putting it in her bag. "I'll have a much more productive night if I do homework"

Of course she thought that. Ron shrugged again as if to say 'I don't care', and the attention turned to Harry.

"Uh…."

The train started to roll into the station and he sighed in relief. Saved at the last second.

Remus Lupin was waiting for the trio at the station, and he hugged Harry when the boy threw himself at him, laughing softly. Finally home...

"Good to see you again, Harry. Hermione, Ron, Ginny. How was school?"

All of them grimaced and he laughed again.

"Can't wait to tell you guys everything" Harry sighed. There was just so much he wanted to tell his godfathers, and it was only winter break!

"And I can't wait to listen, but we have to wait for a couple guests first"

"Guests?" Ginny frowned "We're having guests at Grimmauld Place? Even with… you know, the dog?"

Remus nodded, his arm still around his nephew's shoulder. He looked as happy about it as any of them felt, so they already knew it was people they either didn't know at all, or that he didn't trust.

"I'll tell you everything at home, but for now, behave"

That wasn't very reassuring…

"Ah, I see why you weren't eager to leave school for break" a familiar snotty voice came from behind them. Malfoy looked down at them with disdain, standing next to the two transfer students. "You can stay with me, if you wish. It would certainly be more fitting"

Lestrange's glare towards the redhead girl left clear he thought the same.

"Our parents insisted" Prince replied, also looking uncomfortable, and he turned away to focus solely on Malfoy "But I hope we still have a place to run to if this goes south?"

"Of course. Father and mother would be happy to have you"

They shook hands and Malfoy sneered at the Gryffindors before walking away, leaving the other two purebloods standing there with them, just awkwardly coexisting in a tense silence. Ron opened his mouth to say something and Lestrange walked past them in an elegant rush, bumping their shoulders and nearly toppling him to the ground if not for the fact his sister caught him. Prince moved his eyes away from them and follow soon after, leaving them open mouthed and staring at Remus for answers. The werewolf sighed.

"Professor Dumbledore insisted, I'm afraid. He's their legal tutor as long as they stay, in absence of their parents…" he pat Harry's shoulder and started guiding them out of the station. They all wisely decided not to make a scene in public.

Tonks waited outside with a car, and I don't need to explain just how tense that drive was, specially with all of them seated side by side in dead silence. For starters, it was already awkward enough to have to drive, but Harry imagined this was another one of Dumbledore's security measures to make sure nobody was tailing them— not many wizards would reduce themselves to muggle means of transportation, much less Death Eaters, who often belonged to pureblood families and probably didn't know what a car was.

Hermione sighed in relief when they all finally got off and quietly followed the group towards the door of Grimmauld place, number 12. Normally she would be paranoid about having new people around, but she was actually kind of fond of Prince by this point… she had to admit, the boy was incredibly smart and talented, and his charisma was undeniable. His constant speeches about how stupid house rivalry was were actually really mature too, and she even had begun to take them seriously because she didn't think two Slytherins would do any harm while staying with them, mysterious as they were. A lot of things had started to look wildly different ever since he came into the picture...

She snapped out of her thoughts when the door opened to screeching and Remus sighed; Sirius was fighting with his mother's portrait again.

"TRAITOR! BASTARD! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"THIS IS MY HOUSE NOW YOU BLOODY—!"

Lestrange arched a brow, unimpressed, and Prince's mouth formed a small 'o' as he stared at Sirius for a moment, evidently recognising him before he schooled his expression a second later and glanced at Remus.

"Excuse me, um… sir. Why is he yelling at the portrait?" There wasn't questions about what a criminal was doing in that house, surprisingly.

Remus actually blinked at being addressed so nicely.

"Remus Lupin, sorry for not introducing myself before" he clarified before answering the question "That's his mother you see, before she died she enchanted the portrait and we're still to find a spell to take it down"

Prince hummed quietly.

"Maybe… Brax, do you think you could do it?"

Lestrange tilted his head and squinted at the portrait while the Gryffindors stared in confusion.

"I have a couple ideas, but" he paused and pulled his wand out of his pocket. The wood was cracked, fissures spreading throughout it and light pouring through them "this one's almost gone, it'd probably explode and you know I hate shopping for new ones"

"Take mine then"

Prince pulled out his and gave it, to which Lestrange gave a polite thank you and walked around Sirius, who only then noticed he wasn't alone anymore.

"Hey, what are you—!"

The blond touched the portrait with the tip of the wand wordlessly and a 'plop!' echoed in the hall. The portrait fell off the wall and in shock, Lady Black shut up. He nodded in self satisfaction and tossed Prince his wand back.

"Hungarian adherent spell" he explained to Sirius' bewildered face "It's fairly simple and easy to do, but it's non verbal and can only be broken with the counter-spell. You could've also just frozen the portrait, Lord Black"

Sirius stared down at his mother, finally silent after tormenting him all his life. Then he looked up at him, and at the group, and the other new face.

"Who are you?"

"Hyperion Lestrange" the boy answered, his french accent a little heavier when pronouncing his own name.

"Related to the Malfoys by chance?" his face scrunched up in distaste.

"Only distantly"

"And that is….?"

"Oh, where are my manners" Prince smiled, charming as ever "Thomas Prince, nice to meet you. Sorry for intruding in your house so rudely, Lord Black, but professor Dumbledore insisted we would be safe here and our parents are quite intense with those concerns… we swore silence on anything we might hear or see in this house, if it is of any help"

"… Ah"

"Are you related to that Snape kid, boy?"

They all jumped when the late Lady Black spoke, at a moderate level for once, eyes fixed on the dark haired boy. She seemed to be seeing something different in him, like she was actually aware of something they were all not.

"I believe we are second cousins. Alastair Prince is my father"

"And your mother?"

"I have none, ma'am" he smiled a little tensely and exchanged a look with Lestrange but ultimately seemed to decide he was fine with revealing whatever he was keeping "my other father is Gerhardt Gaunt. I'm Slytherin's heir"

Sirius and Remus reluctantly told them a bit about Voldemort and who he was before he actually became the monster he was, and now everything made sense— Prince was in as much danger as Harry. He was directly related to the Dark Lord, and who knows what Voldemort would do if he found out; Thomas was the Dark Lord's nephew, no less! Apparently, Voldemort's uncle (and how strange it was to think of him as having family!) had a bastard child before being locked up in Azkaban, and then that bastard child had married Snape's own uncle and from the both of them, Thomas Prince was born. And all that time, nobody had any idea their side of the family even existed as they lived in America... It was all so surreal.

For better or for worse Prince didn't want to talk about the topic, and most of the time he and his boyfriend just kept to themselves in their rooms, being perfectly polite during meals, if a little coldly from Lestrange's part. It was so easy to forget they were even staying in the same house.

Little did Harry know, that Christmas would change everything.