Okay, I got the inspiration to write this story when I was listening to Next to You by Jordin Sparks. I really hope you like this, and I'm hoping this will turn into a three story series. Cross your fingers, and enjoy!
Chapter One: When Freddie Met Marley
XxXx
"Please Mum, you know I hate being early!" An eleven-year-old Marley Bennett clung to her mother's designer sleeve. Her voice was stuttered and uneven for the crowd in the train station was jostling her every which way.
"Don't be foolish, Marley. And hurry up! Do you want me to be late for my hair appointment?" Marley considered saying "yes", but knew the consequences would be far from reasonable, so she kept her mouth shut.
"Marley, what did the ticket say again? I'm going to have to leave you with an officer until your train leaves. My hair must look disastrous by now…" Marley rolled her eyes. This was not the first time she had been left with an officer. It started when she was around seven, when her mother started flirting with the balloon man at the park. She had been left, licking an ice-cream cone, with a traffic cop, for three hours.
"It says…" Marley frowned. Was this a joke? There was no such thing as nine and three-quarters. This was something the strange, bearded man had not covered when he came to Marley's house to explain to her mother that Marley was a witch.
"Yes? Really Marley, you shouldn't daydream like that. What does it say?" Her mother looked down at her impatiently.
"It's just that, well, it says nine and three-quarters. That can't be right." Marley held the ticket out to her mother.
"That's preposterous! How could-" The blonde woman stopped short, a smile forming on her foundation-caked face. Then, she turned her full attention to Marley, bending down to look her in the eye. "Marley, sweetie," her mother said in a sticky sweet voice, " I want you to ask that officer over there, see?" She pointed to a short, bald man talking to a middle aged woman with a baby on her hip.
"B-But you just said there was no such thing." Marley protested.
"No, no, silly girl! Just go ask him, okay? Mommy has to go!" The woman stood up and picked up her leopard printed handbag. "I want you to stay at school for this year's vacations. I'll be on a, ah…a business trip. Goodbye!" Marley's mother waved in a short, jerky motion and then disappeared into the crowd.
"But, Mother!" Marley called after her. "Mother, come back!" Marley's shoulders sagged. She gave a cry of frustration and kicked her trunk.
"She-always-does-that!" Marley grunted, kicking the trunk in between words. "Argh, what am I supposed to do now?" Close to tears, Marley sat down on her now dented trunk, and pulled out the irregular ticket.
"Stupid ticket, stupid magic, stupid…stupid…mother!" Marley muttered angrily as she got up and dragged her trunk across the station to the exit. She looked around; there was a café across the street, along with a post office, and a bookstore that looked interesting enough. "Well one of them must have a phone I could use."
Marley waited until there was a lull in the traffic, then dashed across the road. She must have looked quite silly, but Marley was used to it.
Marley decided on the café first, since it smelled divine, even from the sidewalk. She had only had a bit of toast for breakfast. Marley pushed open the glass door, and was met with a waft of heavenly smells. She hoped she wasn't drooling as she awkwardly positioned her trunk next to her as she clambered onto a stool by the counter.
The café was small, but not cramped in any way. Marley decided cozy was the perfect word for it as she ordered her apple juice and blueberry muffin. It was a square building with a whole wall covered in trays and trays of pastries, all behind sliding glass doors. Two other walls were covered in funny signs and nice pictures, mostly hand painted by children that Marley guessed had gotten bored during their parents' coffee breaks.
Marley had finished her muffin and was about to visit the bookstore when a group of red heads came bursting through the door, lead by a very frazzled looking woman who looked like she could do with a large coffee.
As they passed Marley got a better look at them. Behind the woman were four boys. The two oldest looked to be about 15 or 16, and the younger two looked like twins. Marley guessed they were about her age.
She heard a bit of their conversation, too. "Has anyone seen Percy?" The oldest one asked, who had a fang earring, by the looks of it.
"No, probably still has his nose in a book." One twin said, looking amused.
"Yeah, I can see the title now: 101 Ways To Become A Stick In The Mud." The other twin responded. The brothers laughed while the women scolded. Marley smiled, she had always dreamed of having an older sibling, or at least someone to look after her.
"Excuse me, Miss?" Marley jumped, looking around to face a nice woman who worked behind the counter. "Your muffin's ready." She set it down on a napkin, along with a glass of apple juice. "Could I get you anything else?"
"Oh, no thank you. This is plenty," Marley said politely, taking a sip of the apple juice. The woman nodded, bustling off to help another customer.
Marley sipped her juice, watching the red haired group on the other side of the café. They seemed nice. They were all smiling, except the woman, but she still looked nice and motherly. The twins were sitting with their heads together, discussing something very important, by the looks of it.
The older boy, without the earring, was looking at some king of mythology book. His mother noticed too, at once telling the boy to put it away. As he did, Marley caught sight of the cover: Dragons and Where To Find Them.
She thought it was awfully silly for a boy of 15 to dwell on fairytales. Then, the oldest boy with the earring caught her frowning at them. Marley quickly looked away, but could still see the boy tap his mother on the shoulder out of the corner of her eye. She decided she could finish her muffin later, wrapping it up in a napkin.
She looked back at them one more time, to find that they all were staring at her this time. Marley hurriedly stuffed the muffin in her bag.
Marley hopped off the stool, set down a few coins, and then proceeded to lug her trunk out of the café and down the street to the bookstore. She had propped open the door wide enough to fit her trunk through when someone knocked her completely off her feet.
Marley landed painfully on the corner of her trunk, then she fell sideways onto whoever knocked her over.
"Oh, my! I'm so sorry, are you all right?" Marley scrambled up off the floor, helping the boy who had knocked her over to his feet.
"It's terribly alright. It was my fault really; I wasn't looking where I was going. Oh, you dropped your train ticket!" Her bent down and retrieved my odd ticket. He handed it back to Marley, smiling. He had curly red hair and horn-rimmed glasses. In Marley's opinion, he looked rather weird, but she certainly wasn't going to say so.
"Thank you, only it isn't of much use. They've gotten the numbers all confused, see? Whoever heard of nine and three-quarters?" Marley expected the boy to scoff, or say something smart and reasonable, but she was wrong.
Instead his face lit up in recognition and he asked, "Oh, are you going to Hogwarts? It's your first year, isn't it?" He was beaming now, and Marley didn't know if she should just walk away or tell him yes.
"Um, well, a man with a beard came to my house and said something about Pigwarts, or something. He was wearing a cloak, too." She must have sounded crazy to this poor boy. Once again, she was surprised by his reaction,
"Ah, yes, Dumbledore, and it's Hogwarts, not Pigwarts," he informed stepping around me, out into the street.
"Wait!" Marley called after him. "I don't understand!"
The boy stopped, and turned around, baffled. "You don't understand? What is there not to understand? It's perfectly simple!" He was talking to Marley like she was a four-year-old. She decided she didn't like him very much.
"No it's not!" Marley stamped her foot. "There is no such thing as nine and three-quarters!" She screamed, getting angrier and angrier. Suddenly, for the second time, he realized something that she thought was perfectly obvious.
"Oh, you're a muggle born!" He walked toward Marley, gesturing toward the café she had just been in. "Here, I'll take you to my Mum. She can explain everything. My, my, Dad will be pleased. He'll have lots of questions for you, but he's at the Ministry, luckily. Well, don't just stand there, come on!"
He crossed the street and walked up the sidewalk to the café, opened its door, and looked at Marley expectantly.
"Oh, sorry. I'm coming, I'm coming," Marley apologized, crossing hurriedly, receiving many angry honks from various cars. She reached the boy, and entered the café for the second time that day.
It was less busy, but the red haired family was still there. Then something dawned on Marley. "Your name isn't Percy, is it?"
The boy looked surprised. "Why, yes it is! How did you know?"
Marley felt her face heat up slightly as she pointed to his 'family', as she guessed. "They were asking where you were."
"Oh, yes. Well, come on, we don't have all day! The train leaves in a matter of minutes!" Percy led her around table after table until they reached his family. "Mother this is…"
"Marley. Ah, Marley Bennett," Marley finished, turning pink.
"Aww, had little Percy-Wercy got himself a girlfriend?" One of the twins cooed, triggering a laugh from his brothers.
"Certainly not! I met her at the bookstore; she needs help getting to platform nine and three-quarters. I told her you could help, Mother." Said the boy, adjusting his glasses. Marley guessed he was trying to look official.
His mother lit up at once, approaching her with a warm, motherly smile, something Marley wasn't used to.
"Well Marley, Fred and George are starting their first year, too." The two boys grinned at her. "Oh, and you already know Percy, I suppose." Percy nodded, his glasses slipping halfway down his nose. Marley tried to hide a smile as the woman continued. "Now, this is Charlie, and then, Bill, he's the oldest." They gave little halfhearted waves, and Marley turned an even darker shade of pink.
"We're the Weasleys," Percy cut in, taking his glasses off and cleaning them on his shirt.
"Oh, yes, how silly of me, you can call me Mrs. Weasley, dear," Mrs. Weasley beamed. "Look at the time! Boys we have to go, and Fred, George, make sure Marley gets to the train safely."
The Weasleys picked up their various trunks, books, and baggage, and headed out of the café, followed by Marley.
"Hello, there. You're a first year too, eh?" One twin took her trunk for her, the other falling into pace on her other side.
"Oh, thank you. You really don't have to, though. I could manage it." Marley felt a bit lost.
"Not a problem, Marley. Why were you all alone anyway?" The same twin asked dogging traffic.
"Oh, I was-sorry," Marley exclaimed as a car screeched to a halt in front of her. "My mother had to leave for a-oh, excuse me-hair appointment-wait!" Marley was being jostled by the crowed once again, being small for her age.
"C'mon Marley, keep up. Do you want to miss the train?" One twin, she guessed it was George, asked.
"No, George, I don't. I'm just smaller than you, so could you please slow down?" She was getting angry again. Why wouldn't anyone wait for her?
"No need to get your knickers in a twist, Bennett. Oh, and I'm Fred." 'Fred' winked at her.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, then," she glared.
"I'm only joking, I'm really George." Now Marley was really angry.
"Whatever! I don't have time for this!" She stomped ahead of the redheaded twins and was promptly knocked to the tile floor.
"Up you go," said Fred. She could now tell them apart.
"Why would you do a thing like that? Walking away from your bodyguards! Honestly…" George continued, dusting her off.
"You are not my bodyguards!" Marley said, stomping her foot. The twins raised their eyebrows.
"Yes, but how else are we going to get to the station? Look we've already lost sight of Mum!" George said pointing.
"Wait a second, I've got an idea." A slow smile spread across Fred's face.
"Where are those boys?" Mrs. Weasley worried. The rest of the Weasley group was already at the brick wall between platforms nine and ten, looking for Fred and George, and the little girl, Marley.
"Calm down, Mum. We still have 15 minutes left," comforted Bill, patting his mother on the back.
"Really, Mother! You shouldn't have trusted the poor girl with them. Just think what they could be doing right now," sniffed Percy.
"Look, I see them!" Charlie pointed to a trolley with something moving on top. As the trolley came closer they saw a trolley holding Fred, George, and Marleys' trunks all stacked, with Marley sitting on top. Fred and George were both pushing the cart, their red hair barely visible behind the over loaded trolley.
Once the three reached Mrs. Weasley, they stopped the trolley with the help of Bill. Then Fred came around to the side and helped Marley off.
Once she was on solid ground Fred bowed deeply. "It was a pleasure serving you, my lady."
Marley, who loved acting herself, decided to play along. She curtsied gracefully, giggling, and said in her most noble voice, "Thank you, Sir Weasley. You have been a very kind and, er, creative knight in shining armor."
Fred beamed and proceeded to help Marley pull her trunk off the top of the trolley.
Once all possessions had been removed from the carts, Mrs. Weasley spoke up, "Alright, Bill, Charlie, could you demonstrate for Marley."
Marley was confused. Demonstrate what?
'Sure thing, Mum," Bill said, chuckling about Fred and Marley's episode. He grabbed his trunk and backed up until his back was almost touching the other platform's wall. Then, he started to run, full speed, at the brick wall between the platforms nine and ten. Once he was almost there, Marley covered her eyes, expecting a large crash, but it never came.
She slowly uncovered her eyes, Bill was gone, and Charlie had taken his place. Charlie repeated exactly what Bill had done, and Marley, once again, covered her eyes expecting a crash. Again, none came, and Charlie was nowhere to be seen when she uncovered her eyes.
This time, she would look, she convinced herself. Percy copied Bill and Charlie, running toward the wall. He was getting closer and closer, and then, poof, he was gone. Marley's eyes widened, he had run through the wall!
"Alright, Fred, George, ready?" The twins nodded, going together. Then, it was Marley's turn. She took a deep breath, and lined herself up with menacing wall. She looked at Mrs. Weasley for assurance.
"Go on, dear," Mrs. Weasley encouraged, smiling. Marley nodded, and started to run toward the wall. She was picking up speed, because of her trunk's weight. She wanted to stop desperately, but it was too late. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for impact.
"Marley, you can open your eyes now," Fred's voice said, laughing.
"Huh?" Marley opened her eyes and gasped. In front of her was a huge scarlet train that had the words Hogwarts Express painted across the front and sides. "It's beautiful," she whispered.
"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" George came up on her other side.
"Well, enough sight seeing, we have to get our trunks loaded," Fred said, taking her trunk once again, and pulling it through the crowded station. Marley didn't have much trouble this time since it was mostly students, but she was still slightly shaken up by the time she reached the luggage department.
"Alright, Bennett?" Fred asked, smirking.
"I'm fine," Marley said, hotly.
"Good, you ready to find a compartment?" George grunted, trying to push his trunk in with the others.
"Bring it!" Marley said sarcastically.
George laughed, motioning for Fred and Marley to follow. They boarded the train from the Gryffindor section. Mrs. Weasley waved vigorously, tearing slightly.
"Bye, Mum!" The twins shouted as the train started to jerk.
"Goodbye, Mrs. Weasley! Thank you!" Marley waved, too.
The three first years turned from the window, and started to pick their way down the center aisle, looking for empty compartments.
"Oi, Weasley!" The twins and Marley whirled around to face a huge third year. He was leering, and his yellow crooked teeth looked like they belonged on some sort of grotesque fictional monster, in Marley's opinion.
"What do you want?" Fred asked, stiffly.
"I want to know how many kids your family's got. You lot just keep breeding." The boy stepped closer. "It's a bit annoying for the real pure blood families."
"Fred," Marley whispered, "what's he talking about?"
The boy turned to Marley, and grinned even wider. "Never you mind, girlie. What's your name?"
Marley squared her shoulders defiantly. "What's yours?"
"Flint. Remember that name, sweetie." He reached out his hand to touch her face, but she slapped it away.
"No, I don't think I will, thanks. Goodbye." Marley turned to leave, but a cold, strong hand gripped her wrist.
"Hey, let her go!" cried an outraged Fred. Flint just snorted and shoved him into the nearest wall.
Then he turned back to Marley. "You're a pretty little thing. What do you say you meet with me some time, eh, girlie?" Now, Marley usually wasn't very violent when she was angry. Usually.
She narrowed her eyes and took a step toward Flint, who raised his eyebrows. "You just made two, very fatal mistakes, Flint," she spat.
"Oh really?" he snorted. "What are they?"
"One: You called me a 'pretty little thing', and two: you touched me." Flint looked down at his hand still wrapped around Marley's wrist.
He smirked. "Yeah, what are you gonna do, whine at me?" Some of his 'friends' who had come to watch snickered.
In a flash, Marley had swiftly kicked him in a rather sensitive spot that left him on the floor, gasping in pain. The was a moment of surprised silence, and then Marley bent down next to Flint's ear and whispered, "No one messes with Marley Caroline Bennett. Ever."
Then she stood up and followed Fred and George to an empty compartment. The three soon developed a strong and long lasting friendship.
XxXx
A/N: My first fan fiction! Please tell me what you think, and I welcome any advice to make my writing better.