Amazed, Severus watched Draco stomp over to where Ron Weasley was standing with his parents and little sister. He stood in front of Ron, arms crossed over his chest, head angled in that ridiculously arrogant way of his and attempted to get Ron to come meet Harry.

Ron didn't look over at Harry, just yelled at Draco. Finally Ron's father, Arthur Weasely, put a hand on his shoulder and Ron quieted. Draco said something else and Ron finally looked in Harry's direction. His eyes widened a bit when he saw him and Severus and then Ron nodded, looking very unhappy.

Ron walked half a step behind Draco, with his shoulders hunched and hands clenched into fists at his side. When Draco reached Harry, he leaned into him and said, "He's here."

Harry stuck out his hand and Severus saw that it was shaking. "I'm Evan."

Ron stood unmoving. Severus watched him closely, waiting for him to either turn and leave, or strike out at Draco and Harry.

Eventually, Harry lowered his hand. His left hand was tangled in Severus's robes and Severus could feel tension radiating from Harry in waves.

Draco hissed in exasperation. "Are you going to say something?" he asked Ron quietly.

"Mr. Weasley," Severus said. "Either say something to Evan to indicate that you are open to getting to know him, or leave. Do not stand there making things worse."

Ron glared at Draco for a moment, then turned to Harry. "I won't be…"

"You'll need to speak louder and lean in to him, Mr. Weasley. Otherwise he won't understand you."

Ron flushed and his mouth twisted. He turned away, only to realise that his father was standing a few feet behind him.

"Ron," Arthur said. "Did you introduce yourself to the new boy?"

"Arthur," Severus said. "Ron is having some difficulty with the situation. Perhaps it would be better if we did this another time."

Mr. Weasley looked at Severus and then down at Harry and Draco. "I understand," he said, and then led Ron away.

Severus crouched down next to Harry. "I'm sorry, Evan. He couldn't do it right now."

Tears formed in Harry's eyes and he buried his face in Severus's robes. His body shook as he cried. "What did I do wrong?" he sobbed. "Why wouldn't he even talk to me?"

Severus looked up to see Ron standing with his father, looking back at Harry. Arthur was not saying anything, but his hand on Ron's shoulder spoke volumes. He was disappointed in his son and Ron knew it.

Draco was awkwardly patting Harry on the back, trying to calm him. He looked at Severus. "What can I do?" he asked, a helpless expression on his face.

Severus shook his head slightly. "We need to board the train or we'll miss it. Help me get him over there."

Carefully Severus disentangled himself from Harry's grasp and pulled another handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe Harry's face. Draco reached over and took Harry's hand while Severus took the other. Slowly they led the still weeping boy over to the train. Fortunately, most of the children were already on board, so little attention was paid to the three of them. Only Ron and his father watched.

When they reached the steps to the train, Severus lifted Harry into his arms and carried him up. "Stay here with Evan while I find an empty compartment," he said after Draco had joined them.

Draco closed his hand around Evan's scrawny wrist and backed the two of them up to the wall. Severus quickly located a compartment and, after ordering a couple of second years to find other accommodations, put a ward up to keep anyone else from entering. Then he returned to the boys and led them to the compartment.

After settling Harry and himself on one of the seats, Harry pushed himself into Severus's side and fell asleep. Severus canceled the ward as Draco sat across from them.

"I really am sorry, Uncle Sev," Draco began. "For what I said."

Severus looked at Draco closely. "I know that you have had a…difficult…time with your father, but you are going to have to decide whether or not you wish follow in his footsteps or to make decisions on your own."

Draco fidgeted on the seat. "I know, sir," he whispered.

"Decide soon, Draco," Severus warned. "I will not have you hurting Evan with your pureblood nonsense."

Draco nodded. "Uncle Sev, I…"

Whatever Draco had been about to say was cut off by the sound of the compartment door opening. Severus looked over to see Ron Weasley standing just inside the compartment, his hands clenched at his sides.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley?" Severus asked, keeping his face blank. Draco said nothing, just stared at Ron.

"I…I…I," he gulped. "I want to apologise for my behaviour earlier. It was inex…inexcusable." He stumbled over the word. Obviously, his father had had some strong words with the boy.

Snape nodded, acknowledging the apology. "The one you need to apologise to is Evan." He indicated the sleeping boy. "You may come back later."

"Thank you, sir," Ron replied, glancing over at Draco, who was watching him with an unreadable expression on his face.

Grimacing, Ron walked over to Draco. "I'll try if you will."

Draco nodded stiffly, Ron relaxed slightly and Severus realised that this was an extension of their previous conversation.

"Good," Ron said. Turning to Severus, he said, "I'll be back before we stop, sir." Then he left the compartment.

~HPSSHPSS~

The train was crowded and noisy. After Ron left, several others came by the compartment to speak to Draco. A few, like Pansy Parkinson, were people that Draco knew and wanted to invite him to sit with them, which he politely declined. The majority just wanted to stare either at Uncle Sev, who was ignoring the goings on with his arms crossed over his chest and a sneer on his face, or at Evan, who was still asleep, and were using meeting Draco as an excuse. After a hour, Draco closed the compartment door and settled into his seat with a book that he had bought at Flourish and Blotts without his father knowing.

He was just starting the book. It looked to be a fascinating story about a wizard who was accidentally sent into the past and was trying to figure out how he got there, how to get home and how to avoid changing the timeline. His father would have thoroughly disapproved of the book, calling it a useless waste of paper as was all fiction, and Draco felt a smug bit of glee at the defiance.

Thoughts of his father distracted him from the book and he got no farther than the first couple of pages, before giving up. Father was going to be furious when he found out that Draco had spent the entire train ride sitting with his godfather and a boy who was a nobody, covered in ugly scars, raised by Muggles, and whose parentage was in doubt. He should be in the compartment with his year mates, establishing his superiority, playing the political games that Father had literally beaten into him. At the very least, he should have been trying to confirm the rumours that Harry Potter was starting Hogwarts this year and might in fact be on the train. That Father would not find out did not even enter into Draco's head. Even now there would be several children including Pansy Parkinson and Theodore Nott writing their parents about the strange situation. It wouldn't be long before the news reached Father.

Father had told Draco countless times that he was to be a perfect Malfoy, and Malfoys didn't associate with unknown, far from perfect children with suspect parents, and godfathers whose loyalty was questionable at best. Why he was here, Draco didn't want to even think about. He had just known, when Uncle Sev had introduced him to Evan, that this was right. Uncle Sev, who had always been there to heal him and reassure him after Draco was beaten by Father, was showing him that other, less than perfect children also deserved attention and friendship.

"Uncle Sev," Draco started, but stopped, unsure how to put his thoughts into words. Uncle Sev looked at him, but said nothing, just waited for Draco to gather himself together.

"Father is going to be angry," he finally said, knowing that is was an inadequate statement, but that Uncle Sev would understand.

"Yes, he is," Uncle Sev said. "Do you want to leave now? It probably isn't too late to try and repair the situation, if that's what you want."

Draco thought about it for a minute. It was an attractive offer. He could march down to the compartment holding the children he should be sitting with, claim that his godfather had insisted that he sit with him and the little broken boy and within minutes, all would be fixed.

"No," Draco replied. "I really don't want to. I've been doing a lot of thinking since…" He faltered, not wanting to bring up the last beating, only two months ago, the one that had left him near dead. Uncle Sev and his mother's private healer had sat with him day and night for a week, just to ensure that he continued breathing, waiting for him to be strong enough to take the more advanced healing potions.

Uncle Sev raised his hand slightly, indicating that Draco did not need to go on. "What is it that you want to do, Draco?"

Instead of answering the question directly, Draco indicated Evan. "What will happen with him?"

Uncle Sev glanced down at Evan, then looked back at Draco. "I've taken guardianship of him. He will stay with me."

"Permanently?"

"Most likely. Evan has not been educated to any degree, he can't read or do any basic maths, and if I can't figure out a way to restore his sight, he will need to be trained to work magic blind. It's going to take a lot of effort to bring him up to his year mates."

Uncle Sev sneered slightly at this statement. It was a well known fact that Severus Snape hated children, but Draco knew the real side of him, at least as much as Uncle Sev was willing to show. The side that hated fathers that beat their children and did all he could to fix the problem. After a moment, the sneer disappeared and a slight frown took its place, as if Uncle Sev couldn't figure out why Evan was with him.

Draco looked at his lap for several minutes, thinking furiously. Finally, he raised his eyes to Uncle Sev. "I want what he has."

Uncle Sev's eyes widened in surprise, then the familiar mask was back in place. "Are you certain about this? Your father will fight it and if we win, the chances are very high that you will be disowned and never see your mother again."

Draco had not taken his mother into consideration. He turned away to look out the window, but after a moment, he nodded. He knew Mother loved him, but she had done nothing to interfere with the way Father had raised him. She hadn't even tried to stop the beating this last summer. Draco had to think of himself and his future now, and as hard as that was at eleven, he knew that if he stayed with his family his chances of seeing adulthood were slim.

Uncle Sev nodded back at him. "I'll have the headmaster start the paperwork tomorrow."

Draco felt a bubble of joy and for the first time since he was six, when Father had taken over his "care," he laughed. Not a polite Malfoy laugh that actually hid a sneer, but a true, happy, unfettered laugh.

With a lighter heart, he turned to his book, all thoughts of his father pushed to the back of his head.

"Professor?" Evan's voice pulled Draco out of his book a few minutes later and he looked up to see Evan, sleep tousled and rubbing his eyes. Draco got off his own seat and went to sit next to Evan.

"Hi, Evan," he said, taking the boy's hand. Draco wanted to say something, anything. He wanted to tell him about Father, about his decision, about living with Uncle Sev, but that was a long conversation and one not appropriate for the train. He thought about telling him that Ron would be coming to see him, but decided not to in case he didn't show up. He was at a loss for words.

Evan turned to Draco, but did not move away from Uncle Sev. Flushing, Draco looked down at the book in his lap. "I've just started reading a book, would you like me to read it to you?" he impulsively asked.

Uncle Sev's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, but he said nothing. Evan's eyes widened as if he couldn't believe that anyone would do that for him, but he nodded anyway.

Turning back to the first page, Draco started reading, slower and more loudly than he normally would, but Evan seemed fascinated. Twice in the next hour, he stopped Draco to ask a question about something in the book he didn't understand and Draco came to realise that Evan had nearly no knowledge of how things worked in the magical world.

The trolley came around and Draco put the book down long enough to run out and buy handfuls of chocolate and other treats. He explained a chocolate frog to Evan, helped him unwrap it and laughed at the surprised look on his face as the frog tried to jump away. After they had eaten several of them and tucked the rest away for later, Draco went back to the book.

Draco was at the end of chapter two when the compartment door opened and Ron entered the space. Draco faltered in the middle of a sentence, but Uncle Sev just indicated for him to continue and Ron sat on the opposite seat, watching.

When Draco reached the end of the chapter, he closed the book. "We're almost to Hogwarts. If you want to, we can read a little every day until we're finished."

Evan smiled, "I'd like that."

Draco fidgeted a bit, not sure how to tell Evan that Ron was here. Finally, Uncle Sev took it out of his hands.

"Mr. Weasley is sitting in the compartment with us," Uncle Sev told Evan. "Will you let him speak to you?"

Evan turned to Draco, a frightened look on his face. "It's okay, Evan," Draco said. "Ron and I are going to work on our…problems."

Slowly, Evan nodded and Draco squeezed his hand and moved to the other bench. After a moment, Ron took his place. He looked unsure, but leaned toward Evan.

"I…I," he swallowed heavily. "I'm sorry I acted like such a prat earlier," he said with a rush. Evan looked confused.

"He didn't understand you," Draco said, trying to help. "Say it a bit louder and slower."

Ron's face twisted, but he repeated the sentence. Evan smiled. "I'm glad you apologised," he replied. "Do you want to be friends?"

Ron's mouth fell open in surprise and Draco almost laughed, but managed to hold back.

"Yeah," Ron said.

"Draco, too," Evan said.

Ron looked like he'd eaten something bad, but agreed anyway.

"Good," Evan said, nodding decisively. "I've never had friends before. Now I have two!"

~HPSSHPSS~

The last hour of the train ride passed peacefully. Severus helped Harry change out of the everyday robes he'd been wearing and into his school robes. The other two boys dug theirs out of their trunks, while trying to avoid touching each other in the cramped space.

A round faced boy and a girl with the most extraordinary hair came by looking for a lost toad. The girl ignored Harry entirely, but the boy stared at him with his mouth slightly open. The girl said that she had read all of her course books already, had tried a few spells, hoped she was Sorted into Gryffindor, and everyone was left with the knowledge that she was something of a know-it-all. Ron and Draco just stared after her when she left.

"That was weird," Ron said, breaking the uncomfortable silence of the last twenty minutes. Draco nodded as Harry gripped Severus's sleeve.

"What was she saying?" he asked.

Ron and Draco took turns explaining what had happened and Harry laughed when they were done. "Are girls always like that?" he asked.

Severus was surprised at the question, but then realised that Harry would not have had much contact with anyone outside the Dursleys. Petunia could hardly be called a girl.

Ron snorted. "Most of the time. My little sister Ginny talks and talks and never lets anyone disagree with her.

Draco laughed. "Yeah, Pansy is the same. If you don't agree with her the first time, she'll just talk you to death." He seemed surprised that he had agreed with Ron on anything.

"Is Pansy your sister?" Harry asked.

"No," Draco said. "I've known her since I was four. Her parents used to bring her with them when they visited."

"Oh," Harry fingered Severus's sleeve and Severus knew that Harry was thinking about parents, sisters, friends and all the things that he hadn't been allowed to have.

When the train came to a stop, Severus held the boys back until everyone else had exited, then led them down to the boats. Ron and Draco walked on either side of Harry and talked to him in loud, happy voices. As they approached the edge of the lake, Ron started describing the boats and the lake while Draco interjected with glimpses of the castle in the distance. Harry clung to Draco's hand. Draco was trying to hide the smug look, but Severus knew that he was happy that Harry preferred him over Ron.

The boat ride was smooth, the water like glass. Severus had not ridden in the boats since his second year teaching, when Hagrid had been ill at the beginning of term and Severus was forced by the headmaster to usher the first years to the castle. The feeling was much the same, except now he had only three boys to watch instead of forty hyperactive eleven year olds. He heard Hagrid's voice booming in the distance, but paid no mind to what was said. Instead, he focused on Harry, who was clutching Severus's sleeve, but had his face turned toward the castle, as if he could somehow see it by sheer force of will. Draco and Ron sat silently on the opposite side of the boat, faces filled with awe as the castle loomed over them, the lights from the windows reflecting on the water.

~HPSSHPSS~

When the boats landed, Draco watched as Hagrid led the other children up to a large oak door and knocked. The door was opened by a tall witch in green robes. Draco, standing at the back with Uncle Sev, Ron and Evan, couldn't hear what Hagrid said to the witch, but after he left she indicated to the children that they should follow her. Draco saw her eyeing Severus with a questioning look on her face, but said nothing directly to him. She introduced herself as Professor McGonagall and proceeded to explain the Sorting procedure.

He knew that Evan would hear nothing of her speech, so as they were led into the Great Hall, he overcame his astonishment at the ceiling, the ghosts and the other children enough to try and tell Evan what was happening. It became obvious after a moment that without yelling, there was no way that Evan would understand anything he said and settled for squeezing his hand in what he hoped was a reassuring manner.

He watched as Professor McGonagall placed a stool in the middle of the dais where the head table sat with various professors looking down. The hat split open to form some sort of crazy mouth and proceeded to sing some awful song that didn't make sense. He frowned and looked over to Uncle Sev, who was crouching down and trying to reassure a noticeably panicky Evan. Draco could not hear what Uncle Sev was saying, but Evan obviously could, so he assumed that Uncle Sev had cast a silencing charm around just the two of them. Evan was nodding, but his eyes were frantic. Draco stepped closer and suddenly could hear everything that Uncle Sev was telling him.

"…Ssor McGonagall has now called the first child's name. Hannah Abbot. She's sitting on the stool and Professor McGonagall has placed the Sorting Hat on her head. Ah, she's going to Hufflepuff." Draco sneered as Uncle Sev continued his commentary. Everyone knew that Hufflepuff was for the leftovers that weren't suited for anyplace else.

Slowly Professor McGonagall went through the list and child after child went to sit on the stool with anxious faces; all came down again smiling, to be led to their house table. Hermione Granger, the know-it-all girl with the awful hair from the train, went to Gryffindor, as did Neville Longbottom, the round-faced boy who had been with her.

When Draco's name was called, he felt a nervous flutter in his stomach. He had known all of his life that he would be Sorted into Slytherin. His father had practically demanded it. The thought that something else might happen had not ever occurred to either of them. Now, with the life-changing decision Draco had made only hours before, the choice no longer seemed so clear. With a slightly panicked feeling, he glanced at Uncle Sev, who nodded to him. "Calm down, Draco. You will be fine."

Nervously he climbed up the stairs to the dias, sat on the stool and let McGonagall place hat on his head.

"Well, hello Mr. Malfoy," he heard the Hat's voice. "This is a surprise."

'Why?' he thought to the Hat.

"You should be in Slytherin, but now there's some doubt. You have shown obvious courage recently."

'No,' Draco thought. 'Not Gryffindor. Anything but that.'

"Are you sure? You can be very courageous when you need to be, Gryffindor will help you develop that talent."

Draco was certain the Hat had to be teasing him. 'No, I can't be in Gryffindor. Put me anywhere else.'

"Well, if you're sure…

"SLYTHERIN!"

Draco was relieved. Even though he knew that many of the people in Slytherin would hate him for rejecting Father and his beliefs, the thought of going to Gryffindor was too much to handle.

He hopped off the stool and made his way over to the Slytherin table, only then noticing that Greg Goyle and Vince Crabbe were already sitting with the other first years. Draco sighed. It wouldn't be long before Pansy and Theo joined them. He made sure to sit down at the table as far away from them as he could and studiously ignored the looks he was getting. His hope that Pansy would sit with her other year mates was dashed when she settled next to him on the bench.

"What's up with you?" she asked in her snottiest voice. "You don't sit with us on the train or at the table AND you're being seen with a boy that no one knows and is obviously not a pureblood. You want to explain before I write to my father?"

Draco didn't look at her. "No," he said. "Tell your father what you want."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the astonished look on her face. "You're joking," she said. "You have to be."

"I'm not joking," Draco replied. The Sorting was continuing and it was getting close to the time that Evan would be called.

"Your father will kill you."

Draco snorted. "I know. Now shut up, I want to hear where Evan goes."

Pansy left in a huff and Draco was happy to see her go.