The compartment was quiet. Draco leaned his forehead to the glass window, watching outlined trees flicker among the darkened landscape.

They were almost at Hogsmeade Station.

'Let's make a pact,' Neville broke the silence.

'What sort of pact?' Harry looked up from his chocolate frog cards.

'That we'll still be friends, no matter what house we're in,' Neville said, holding out his hand. 'Wherever we go, we stay friends. Agreed?'

'Agreed.' Harry instantly placed his hand over Neville's.

Ron and Draco hesitated, sharing a glance as they considered the promise asked of them.

'What if I'm in Slytherin?' Draco whispered his fear. 'And you Gryffindor?' he added to Ron.

'Well, it's like you all said - we're not our parents.' Ron sighed. 'I thought all Slytherins were awful, but I'm not sure now. You're not awful.'

Ron placed his hand over Harry's, giving Draco an encouraging nod.

'I agree,' the redhead emphasised. 'No matter what house we end up in, we'll still be friends. Even if we become the only Gryffindor and Slytherin friends in school.'

Draco swallowed, ducking his head to hide his slipping composure. There sat a Weasley, not caring if Draco went to Slytherin and still agreeing to be his friend. Yet Lucius Malfoy thought all Weasleys were worthless and an embarrassment to the name of wizard.

'Okay.' Draco added his hand. 'I agree too. Friends over house.'

'Friends over house,' the others echoed.

It was then the train whistled and began to slow. Their pact was powerless against the anxious knot forming in Draco's stomach, but determination was enough to get him onto the platform. The four boys stayed close, as Harry greeted Hagrid.

Huddled together in a boat, they stared in awe at the towering castle across the night-coloured lake.

Draco, Harry, Neville, and Ron didn't say a word to each other as they entered Hogwarts and listened to Professor McGonagall. The Great Hall was as stunning as expected, and more so. Draco got lost in the lights and chatter until they reached the front. The sorting hat rested on the stool like a beacon of dread. Harry's shoulder touched his own, as Draco forced himself to keep it together. Everyone watched them, more than he could turn his head to count, and the knot tightened.

Dumbledore gave a speech, the hat sang, and everyone cheered. Then the sorting ceremony began, and there was no turning back.

The four boys shared a look and nod, as Professor McGonagall began reading from a scroll of names.

'Hannah Abbott!'

A girl stepped forward and sat on the stool, her pale face vanishing underneath the hat.

'HUFFLEPUFF!' it shouted.

The table somewhere behind their right applauded.

Draco's stomach flopped, as he dared to visually locate each house. Slytherins were far to left, and Ravenclaw far on the right. The Weasley twins winked from the Gryffindor table, and Draco debated if he had enough nerve to belong there. It would make sense to be in Gryffindor, as so far he'd been doing the complete opposite of everything the Malfoys intended for him.

'RAVENCLAW!' the hat shouted, and Terry Boot hopped off the stool.

Susan Bones became a Hufflepuff, Mandy Brocklehurst a Ravenclaw, and Lavender Brown the first Gryffindor. Draco tried to remember their names to evade the paranoia bubbling below the surface of his mind.

The hat stayed on Millicent Bulstrode's head a bit longer before declaring her a Slytherin, whereas Michael Corner became a Ravenclaw with barely a second to spare. Vincent Crabbe and Tracey Davis joined Slytherin, while Justin Finch-Fletchley went to Hufflepuff.

Memorising names and houses got dull. He noticed Harry staring at the staff table, gaze meeting a black-cloaked Professor with equally dark hair and eyes. The man shifted interest to Draco, who had a strange sense of familiarity.

'Hermione Granger!'

Glaring at the know-it-all, Draco didn't want to be in whatever house she was – which turned out to be Gryffindor, much to his annoyance.

'Sue Li!'

'I think I'm going to be sick,' Neville whispered. He clutched his toad, who croaked in protest until safely tucked away in the boy's robes.

'You'll be okay,' Harry said quietly. 'We'll still be friends so it doesn’t matter where you end up.'

'Exactly.' Ron nodded, watching Sue Li join the Ravenclaw table.

'Neville Longbottom!'

The shorter boy didn't move.

Draco didn't blame him, but wanted to get their ordeal over with. The sooner he knew which house his friends were in, the better Draco could brace himself for his own fate. He gave Neville a light push, prompting the boy forward.

Neville was shaking as he sat on the stool, but stared at his friends until the hat slid over his eyes. The hall stayed quiet, longer than it had for others, until finally --

'GRYFFINDOR!'

Draco groaned.

Neville hurried off the stool, taking the hat with him and shamefully having to return it to Professor McGonagall. He turned bright red as many laughed and sniggered, but Ron gave Neville a thumbs up and smile to reaffirm they had his back.

With Neville seated beside Hermione, Draco's dread climbed higher. He didn't know where he or Harry belonged. They spent hours comparing house traits and defining personalities best as possible, but ultimately it came down to an enchanted hat who knew their every thought and secret. He didn't feel especially smart or brave, so it was probably down to Slytherin or Hufflepuff.

For Harry...Draco couldn't even guess; he'd only known his brother for two weeks.

'Padma Patil!'

Draco and Harry moved closer when Padma sat on the stool. Blood relation wasn't a guarantee of belonging to the same house, but they wanted to be proven wrong.

'RAVENCLAW!'

The girl waved to her sister, then hurried to join the clapping Ravenclaws.

'Parvati Patil!'

The other twin approached, gripping sides of the stool as she sat with her head held high.

'GRYFFINDOR!'

'Bloody Hell,' Ron uttered.

'We're next,' Harry added. His hand bumped Draco's in tiny nudge of support.

'Harry Potter!'

As his brother headed to the stool, Draco noticed the black-cloaked man watching intently. The man's expression was blank, but dark eyes fixed on Harry as if equally invested in the sorting outcome. Dumbledore straightened in his seat, but otherwise no one else paid special interest. Draco's heart raced in his chest, and he wanted punch anyone who dared to look bored.

Draco wasn't sure if the sorting took a longer than even Neville's, or if time itself slowed just to torture him. Harry's face vanished under the hat, leaving no indication of which house he leaned towards. Draco had no expectations for Harry's sorting, yet was surprised by the hat's decision.

'RAVENCLAW!'

Harry emerged, meeting Draco's gaze. He fidgeted, green eyes trailing to the cheering table. Ron gave him a nod, and Harry walked out of view.

'Draco Potter!'

His nerves flared, as if McGonagall calling his name was a physical blow. Whispers spread through the room; it was finally announced to the world that Lily and James Potter actually had two children – and both those children survived. Draco shakily sat, gripping the stool as he tried to tune out the room and his own fears.

Darkness swallowed his view, and a voice spoke with intrigue.

'Hmm,' the hat said. 'Interesting. And difficult – yes, very difficult.'

'Do I get a choice?' Draco wondered.

'You have a preference? Curious...' the hat murmured. 'I see loyalty untested but true. You've a bright mind indeed, and there's a thirst to prove yourself. Very interesting. All that ambition...'

'No, please,' Draco winced. 'Not Slytherin. Anything but Slytherin.'

'Not Slytherin, eh? Your brother thought so too,' the hat sounded amused, and Draco wanted to set fire to it. 'It's all here, in your head. Slytherin could help you on your path to greatness, like so many before you.'

'I'm not like them...I-I can't be,' Draco whimpered, panic swelling in his chest. 'I refuse. Not Slytherin. Put me somewhere else – anywhere else.'

'Well, if you're sure...' the hat's voice increased. 'Better be...RAVENCLAW!'

Draco was stunned. He startled when Professor McGonagall lifted the hat from his head, raising a stern eyebrow at him.

Gulping, he jumped clumsily from the stool and hurried to the cheering Ravenclaw table to join his brother. Harry's grinning face was almost too much for Draco to bear. They were staying together, where they belong as family and now as Ravenclaws.

Their red-haired friend was among the few left to be sorted, so Draco temporarily set aside his own emotions to focus on the ceremony.

Ron looked at the Gryffindor table, where Neville sat across from the Weasley twins, then turned to catch sight of Harry and Draco nodding encouragingly. Being orphans, the Potter twins had no one to impress or disappoint wherever they were sorted. The man at the staff table remained watchful, often narrowing his eyes at them as if searching for something they've hidden. Draco wasn't sure why that's the impression he got, but even Harry kept glancing at the head table.

Harry leaned close, but his words were lost in cheers from the Hufflepuff table as Darius Traddles was welcomed there.

'Ronald Weasley!'

As Ron sat on the stool, Draco and Harry crossed fingers under the table. Draco didn't know how it helped, but his brother convinced him it could bring good luck. Joy from his own sorting faded as Draco sympathised with Ron.

The youngest Weasley boy was under the hat the longest – so long, in fact, that even the Professors began whispering among themselves.

'RAVENCLAW!' the house finally declared, and no one cheered.

The entire hall was shocked, as Ron emerged wide-eyed from underneath the hat. He ducked his head, refusing to look at the Gryffindor table where his brothers' mouths hung open. Ron's ears were so red Draco could see them change colour.

'A Weasley, not in Gryffindor?' someone gasped from the Hufflepuff table. 'That's impossible!'

Harry and Draco clapped as loudly as they could, prompting the rest of their house to finally cheer for Ron, as the boy rushed to join them.

'I don't know what happened! It must be a-a mistake,' Ron said, frantic. 'I'm not smart enough for Ravenclaw.'

'Apparently you are.' Harry shrugged.

The trio turned around, waving their arms to catch Neville's attention. The Gryffindor boy looked miserable, until they each offered a grin and thumbs up. Neville might be the only one of them who went somewhere else, but the pact remained strong.

Severus Snape prided himself in his ability to anticipate varied outcomes and deal with them accordingly, but the Potter twins both going to Ravenclaw had blind-sided him.

When the first years entered the Great Hall, he'd been quick to notice history repeating itself as the four boys kept close and whispered to each other instead of paying attention. As Severus was ready to call quits on any sanity he'd managed to retain over the years, Harry glanced at him with Lily's emerald eyes. It was a minor detail that neither Potter boy wore glasses, yet their resemblance to James wasn't as clone-like as expected.

As the Sorting Ceremony progressed, Severus mentally catalogued potion ingredients to maintain his disinterested mask. Neville Longbottom was the first of their little group to be sorted, and of course the boy went to Gryffindor. The other non-Potter boy was a Weasley, so there'd be no surprises with his sorting.

And yet, as Blaise Zabini joined the Slytherin table, Severus Snape was corrected and confused.

Everyone else was astounded that a Weasley went somewhere other than Gryffindor, while Severus resisted openly staring at Ravenclaw where the Potter boys clapped for their friend. One Gryffindor and three Ravenclaws – it was the beginning of a terrible nightmare for any member of Hogwarts staff.

The poorly-concealed alarm on Minerva's face was confirmation, as she sat beside him and the feast began.

'Ravenclaw,' she uttered in disbelief. 'Two Potters and a Weasley...In Ravenclaw.'

'Out of our hands, indeed.' Severus raised his goblet to sip, trying to appear calm.

There was a secret most students didn't know about their houses. Well, it wasn't necessarily a secret but rather something none of them cared enough to figure out. But the long-term staff did – oh yes, every Professor was acutely aware of this “secret”. Severus would argue that only Dumbledore remained unaware, or else was simply too focused on his “golden house” Gryffindor to pay much notice.

Severus and Minerva leaned forward, looking along the table to Flitwick. The short, black-haired Charms Professor cheerfully speared broccoli as if it was the gift of Christmas.

Every house had a reputation that, while not entirely false, did tend to cookie-cutter define its students. Ravenclaws were expected to be geniuses who spent most of their time doing homework and studying. There was an assumption that losing house points and breaking school rules were a common occurrence for either Gryffindor or Slytherin, but it was actually Ravenclaw who caused the most trouble. Not to say Hufflepuff was the innocent house, especially with the colourful legacy Nymphadora Tonks inspired before graduating, but at least their trouble was manageable.

Ravenclaw was far too unpredictable.

'Well,' Minerva sighed, trying to scrounge up some optimism. 'At least we didn't place bets.'

Except, Severus had counted on the Potter twins to be predictable. Harry would surely have gone to Gryffindor and Draco would either join him or, as a likely result of his Malfoy upbringing, be in Slytherin. Gryffindors were loud and disruptive, but Minerva could more than handle every bit of chaos they conjured up. Severus earned the respect of his snakes and they rarely created a problem big enough for him to deal with personally.

But the Potter boys were in neither houses.

'Bless him, already makin' friends.' Hagrid beamed at Harry. 'Good thing he's got his brother with him, tha' is.'

'Oh, yes,' Minerva said, gulping her wine. 'Good for them.'

'Not. For. Us,' Severus clarified.

By dessert, he'd forcefully accepted the odd situation – and a tiny glimmer of hope resurfaced despite his best efforts to squash it. James Potter had good grades, but he was Gryffindor through and through by blood and soul. Lily was the brightest in their year, and Slughorn had mentioned on more than one occasion that she'd do well in Slytherin. It couldn't have been traits from James' side of the family that placed both his sons into another house, or so Severus unwillingly hoped.

Perhaps Lily's sons inherited more than he'd assumed; something other than Harry having her eyes?

Harry nudged a Ravenclaw prefect, Cassie Reed, and pointed in his direction at the staff table. Severus bowed his head, giving the impression he was unaware. Black hair curtaining his face, he slackened the strong beliefs he'd held onto for ten years – that having Harry Potter at Hogwarts was only going to remind him of James. Peering at Ravenclaw, Severus noticed Draco watching him before turning to hear whatever Weasley was saying while waving chicken drumsticks.

Catching Minerva slyly watching him, Severus focused on his small bowl of ice cream and didn't return his glance to the Ravenclaw table.

As soon as it was reasonable to do so, he fled to his office in need of privacy. Severus pressed palms to his desk and hung his head, eyes closed as he theorised how to handle yet another absurd situation he'd somehow landed himself into.

No glasses or Gryffindor colours...The boys weren't echoes of bad memories, but something new. Something Severus was not prepared for. But appearances weren't everything; he'd bide his time before making any decisions. He supposed Dumbledore, the manipulative Headmaster who always planned five moves ahead of everyone else, was the least surprised by the night's turn of events.

Severus forgot to analyse the man's reaction.

'Professor Snape!' Hagrid burst into the office.

'Hagrid.' Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, willing his heart to still after the frightful interruption. 'Must I remind you-'

'I didn't know!' Hagrid insisted loudly, eyes reddened and upset. 'I need yeh to understand. When I went ter Godric's Hollow tha' night, there was only Harry; no signs of another boy. I didn't know. I'd swear to it on-'

'Hagrid!' Severus raised his voice and hand, halting the man's hurried apology. 'I too visited what remained of the house that night; I understand its condition. Draco was taken, and evidence of his existence removed. You are not to blame.'

Sirius Black was to blame for betraying his friends that night, and the Malfoys to blame for stealing Draco then discarding him. Severus blamed himself most of all, for not approaching Dumbledore sooner. He'd been so weak and blind, thinking that becoming a Death Eater would give him back control over his miserable life.

In reality, it only made things far worst than he'd feared possible.

'If I'd gotten there sooner...' Hagrid sniffled, reaching into a coat pocket for a tablecloth-sized handkerchief. 'They'd have been together all these years. Harry was lonely with them rotten Muggles. I could see it in his eyes. Maybe...Maybe if he'd had his brother...'

Lily's eyes. Severus sank to the edge of his desk.

'What's relevant is that Potter has his brother now,' Severus managed to say.

'Yer right.' Hagrid nodded, noisily blowing his nose. 'Best not ter dwell...How are yeh holding up, Professor?'

Severus scowled. He didn't owe Hagrid an answer, but the half-giant had been one of the few who ever stepped in when the Marauders outnumbered Severus four to one. Not often, but enough that Severus decided to be honest with his answer.

'No idea.'