A/N: I hope you enjoy.
"And do remember to be nice to Emilia," Catherine Weasley implored, her husband Charlie's arm around her shoulders. Nick and Maggie exchanged looks of exasperation, and nodded brightly, without a single compunction to do as they'd just agreed.
"Goodbye kids," Charlie said easily. "Your dad sent you a bag of tricks, Mags." He handed the girl a paper bag stuffed to the brim with fake wands, sweets that had odd effects, and various other jokes, the stamp of 'Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes' emblazoned on the brown paper. Maggie grinned, her brown eyes sparkling with mischief as she took the present. Her father and his twin would make things very interesting at Hogwarts.
"Edward, keep an eye on them?" Catherine asked her elder son, patting his arm. The fifth year sighed, rolling his eyes, and nodded.
"Yes, Mum," he agreed, looking at his brother and cousin. "But I am a prefect. I have other things to do than coddle them both. After all," he pointed out reasonably, "No-one looked after me."
"You're ugly enough to look after yourself," Nick shot back, ducking behind Maggie as his brother reached out to clip him around the ear.
"Just get on the train," Charlie begged, only half-joking. Nick and Maggie scrambled into the carriage as Edward headed down the train to the prefects' carriage.
"I hope they'll be all right," Catherine fretted, looking up at the train anxiously. Charlie grinned, and kissed her cheek. "They'll be fine. After all, what's Hogwarts to a Weasley?"
"I bags this seat," Maggie dived for the window, and stretched out comfortably in the patch of sunlight. Nick shoved her legs off the seat opposite.
"Mine," he announced, giving her a warning look. Maggie dug in her bag of tricks, and happily drew out a large wand.
"I'm going to have fun with this," she announced, with a gleeful smile. Nick nodded. "Maybe we can get hold of rat-bag Malfoy, and shove it up his-"
"Nicholas Weasley!" A slim girl stood in the carriage doorway, a look of intense displeasure and disapproval on her features. Two plaits of dark red hair hung either side of her face. Nick groaned.
"Yes, Emilia?" he answered politely. Her brows knitted together in a dark scowl.
"You're only a first year," she said coldly. "Don't start vendettas against Malfoy on your first day at Hogwarts." She stood still, waiting for some kind of answer.
"Well?" Maggie asked innocently. "Aren't you going to scamper off to read a book somewhere?"
Emilia glared at her, but turned reluctantly and left, leaving Maggie and Nick in fits of giggles.
"Honestly, though, what kind of person is she?" Nick said in disbelief, shaking his head. "You wouldn't think her mum and uncle Ron hated Malfoy's guts, would you?"
"Emilia's the sensible one," Maggie replied, pulling a face. "Boring."
"Yeah," Nick answered gloomily, looking back at the spot where the third year had been. "Nuisance, though. She'll be watching us."
"I don't know why she ended up in Gryffindor," Maggie shrugged. "She's more the studying type." Nick nodded.
"Weasleys go in Gryffindor," he said glibly. "I don't think there's a Weasley who hasn't."
Another couple of people entered the carriage. A girl and boy, one with black hair, the other with dark brown. They shoved each other aside as they fought, impatient, to get in the carriage first.
"Hello," Maggie said cheerfully. The girl stopped, and nudged the boy.
"You can stop here," she ordered. "Anywhere but perky people," she drawled, with a superior tone to her voice. The boy rolled his eyes ceiling-ward, and shook his head.
"I forgot your family lives in a belfry," he sighed, a playful note coming through as he spoke. He grinned at Maggie, grey eyes showing through a shaggy fringe of dark hair. "I'm Corvus. This," he pointed to the girl with a shudder, "Is Drucilla. Don't get too close, it bites."
Drucilla scowled at him from underneath thick black eyebrows. She was extremely pale, with thick black hair falling around her face and shoulders, and her eyes were the same inky dark, intelligence and cynicism flickering in their depths.
"I am not a vampire, Corvus," she said tiredly. "Nor are my family members, to their detriment if in some way we could wipe you from the surface of the planet."
"She's not very friendly," Corvus stage-whispered to Maggie and Nick. "She's a Snape. Greasy, snarly and sarcasm seem to go with the family name."
"I am not greasy!" Drucilla said hotly, folding her arms across her chest. Nick looked at her askance.
"Any relation to Severus Snape?" he asked, amused. She nodded.
"Second cousin," she replied darkly.
"And you?" Maggie pointed to Corvus. "Where do you come from?"
"A changeling," Drucilla answered before Corvus could. "He's abnormal."
"I'm a Black," Corvus said cheerfully. "Not supposed to be normal."
"And not supposed to have a normal name, evidently," Drucilla sniffed. "Corvus, I ask you."
"Better than Aries," Corvus shrugged. "I'm glad I didn't get landed with that little gem, Dru."
"True," Drucilla looked thoughtful. "And don't call me Dru."
Corvus grinned wickedly. "Item one on 'how to annoy a Snape' as a list."
"Are you joining us?" Maggie asked, indicating the spare seats. Drucilla glanced at her.
"Oh well, if everywhere else is taken," she sighed, seating herself. Corvus stretched out over the remaining seats with a contented sigh.
"Dru needs to learn social skills," he explained. Maggie and Nick exchanged glances.
Before they got deep into conversation, another person stood for a moment in the doorway. She was slight, and small, with a short shiny bob of dark hair, and paused as she took in the scene.
"Ah, c'est occupé," she sighed, and left. The four all exchanged a look of bemusement, and then Corvus said happily,
"S'not Hogwarts without a mad student."
A/N: Yes, there's a lot of children. Brief outline of who is who,
Emilia Weasley – third year
Edward Weasley – fifth year (prefect)
Maggie Weasley – first year
Nick Weasley – first year
Drucilla Snape – first year
Corvus Black – first year
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