Chapter One
How Kat had ever managed to get in this predicament, she would never know. It was very difficult to begin with, but now, it was downright impossible.
Ok, let's start from the beginning. It all started nearly three years ago, in her sixth year…the year she met Fred…
FLASHBACK
She was on the Hogwarts Express, and was heading rapidly toward school. She had already changed into her school robes (Slytherin, of course), and was busy fixing her hair. Though she was only half-blood (well, three fourths actually, her dad was half), she still had her mother's mother in her, which made her a Metamorphmagus. Her long hair was emerald green today, which matched her eyes perfectly, which were a mystical light green. Yeah, it was weird, but it made her stand out. And she liked being different from the usual crowd. It was even somewhat Slytherin of her, her hair and eyes. Very Slytherin, in fact.
But it wasn't Slytherins who came filing into the compartment with her; it was Gryffindors. Three of them, each with their robes on also, the scarlet and gold grinning evilly at Kat's Slytherin-ness. They were three Gryffindor boys, all in the same year she was. She recognized two of them as Fred and George Weasley, identical twins, but didn't recognize the black boy with dread locks.
The only reason she knew Fred and George was because, 6 years ago that day, she and the twins had shared a compartment. They had gotten on nicely, laughed and joked. Then they were sorted, the twins to Gryffindor and Kat to Slytherin. Their interaction had continued only slightly after that, and then stopped altogether in their third year. She never found out why.
The three Gryffindors looked up at her as they walked in, and their laughter died somewhat.
Fred looked closely at her, his blue eyes puzzled for a moment. "I know you from somewhere…?" he said, staring at her.
The other two looked at her also, George's eyes (identical to his twin's) glued to her. The other boy, Lee Jordan suddenly remembered) didn't have a clue who she was.
Kat looked up at them, her eyes going from the pair of mystical blue to the chocolate brown ones. She knew that Lee Jordan had no idea who she was, but she was slightly amazed that the Weasley twins could remember her, even a little bit.
Finally Fred exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "I remember you!" he said, smirking at George, who looked completely lost. "That girl from our first year, remember? On the train coming here?"
His twin's face suddenly lit up. "Oh, yeah! I remember. I thought she dropped off the planet," he said, smirking.
Kat stood up, barely reaching their noses. She glared at them both. "For your information, Weasleys," she spat out the name with distaste, "I was sorted into Slytherin and --"
Lee Jordan cut her off. "Like there's a difference?" he snorted, causing Fred and George to laugh also.
Kat gave him such a glare that it silenced them all. "Actually, these two prats kept in touch with me until our third year. Bet ya didn't know that did you? Your fellow Gryffindors, hanging around with a Slytherin. Then they seemed to have forgotten that other people existed, and I thought that it was them who had dropped off the planet," she hissed out, giving them all death looks. With that, she turned and firmly sat down against the window seat, glaring at the blur of fields as they passed.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Fred, George, and Lee exchange looks. She heard them whispering.
"Looks like she is mad at you two, mates," Lee said quietly, just loud enough for Kat to hear.
"Guess we did kind of shun her for being a Slytherin…" George said, shuffling his feet.
"It's not exactly her fault either, is it?" Fred whispered.
"Not entirely," both George and Lee said together.
Kat suddenly felt someone sit down on her left, and she looked and saw Fred sitting there. George sat across from her and Lee next to him. They all looked apologetic, even Lee who hadn't done anything (besides insult her House).
"Do you want something, Gryffindors?" she asked coolly.
Fred spoke up first. "Yeah, to say we're sorry," he said, looking down.
Kat almost laughed out loud. She doubted that they even remembered her name, and here they were, apologizing to her. "What for?" she asked.
The look on their face was enough to make her was to curl up with laughter. All three of them looked completely lost. She could see them casting around ideas in their heads, trying to think of a good answer.
Finally George spoke up. "For forgetting about you in our fourth --" "Third," interjected Fred. "In our third year," George finished.
Both the twins looked so serious that she couldn't contain herself any longer. Kat burst into laughter right then and there, thoroughly shocking the three of them; she thought that they hadn't expected a Slytherin could laugh. She clutched at her stomach as she laughed, her hair falling into her face, hiding her heated cheeks.
They all stared at her as she regained her composure. Fred was looking at George as if this was some kind of joke pulled on them, for once. Lee Jordan looked as if he thought she was hysterical, and ought to be thrown in St. Mungo's.
Kat sat up, her eyes watery. "I'm sorry, but it's just funny how you two probably don't even remember my name, and here you are apologizing for something you can't even remember!" she said, smiling at them.
They all smiled, as if they had just caught on to the joke.
"Well you are right about one thing," George said, his blue eyes sparkling.
"We have forgotten your name," Fred finished, his grin still etched on his face. He glanced at Lee, who chuckled.
She was close to laughing again. 'I knew it,' she thought. "My name is Kat. You are Fred and George Weasley, and Lee Jordan, right?" she asked, though she knew it was true. They all nodded. "So…you three still hate me 'cause I'm a Slytherin?"
The trio looked at one another, as if they were deciding on it.
"Well…"George began.
"We are Gryffindors…" Lee said.
"And you are a Slytherin…"
"So…" they all said, but trailed off.
"Hey!" Kat exclaimed, a smile on her face. She playfully slapped them on their knees.
They started laughing a bit again.
"No, we don't hate you," Fred said.
"But we will have to prank you a bit, since, like we said…" George commented.
"You are a Slytherin," Lee smirked.
"You guys are gonna hold this over my head, aren't you?" Kat asked, half serious, half joking.
"Maybe…." Fred and George drawled together.
They all cracked up again.
Outside, the sky had become dark, and the trolley witch soon came around with snacks.
Kat stood up and quickly bought Pumpkin Pasties, and Droobles Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Ice Mice, and Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans. She carried her load back to her seat and held it all in her lap.
Fred and George stared at her. "Hungry, are we?" George asked her.
"Starved. I haven't had anything all day," she answered before tearing into a Chocolate Frog.
Lee Jordan got a handful of snacks, and Fred and George didn't get anything at all.
Kat felt bad for some reason. Normally she wouldn't care about other people (she guessed that was the Slytherin in her), but now, watching Fred and George watch Lee eat, and hearing their stomachs growl, even over the rumbling of the train, she felt something stir in her stomach. She looked down at her own pile of snacks. Guilt (she figured out what it was) flooded her chest.
"If you guys want some, you can have a bit of mine. I won't eat it all," she said, looking up at them.
The tips of Fred's ears went red, as did the back of George's neck. They were embarrassed, she knew, because they didn't have a lot of money. They had told her that when they were in first year.
"Well…" George said, but stopped as his stomach gave a particularly loud groan.
Kat tossed a Chocolate Frog at them both and one to Lee. She smiled at them, as if to prove that she, unlike her other House mates, was kind and could show compassion.
Fred gazed at her for a long moment, his eyes going soft for a while. George had already torn into his treat, and was enjoying the taste of it. Lee had set his aside as he munched on a Licorice Wand.
Kat smiled at Fred as he watched her. He smiled back and bit into the Frog. He continued to watch Kat, though, even after she looked away, her cheeks slightly pink.
"Hey!" George called out suddenly, startling Kat.
"What is it?" she asked, picking up some of the candies that had been knocked to the floor when she jumped.
"I just realized why I couldn't recognize you earlier," he said as he pointed at her. "Your hair and eyes are different!"
Fred looked at her, and saw that his twin was right. When they had met, she had sapphire blue eyes and dark red hair. Now she had green hair and eyes. Major difference.
Kat only smiled. "Took you long enough," she stated.
"Well, what's your secret?" Fred asked.
"Some Muggle trick or something?" his twin asked.
Kat giggled. "No, not a Muggle trick, I promise," she said. She closed her eyes, and seemed to be concentrating really hard on something, and then her appearance began to change. Her long hair became a dark, almost blood red, and her eyes, when she opened them again, were a beautiful sapphire blue.
The boys stared at her, their mouths open.
"You're a Metamorphmagus?" Fred asked.
"Well, obviously, Fred," George stated, nudging his twin with the toe of his shoe.
"Yes, I am a Metamorphmagus. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to change back," she said, and within a few moments, her green hair and eyes were back.
"Why do you not keep it your natural color?" Lee asked.
"'Cause, when I was in first year, I got picked on for it, and that was about the time I discovered I was a Metamorphmagi, so I used my natural ability for my own bidding," she explained.
"But…" Fred began, but he trailed off as Kat looked out the window toward the front of the train.
"We're almost there; I can see Hogwarts!" she said, sounding excited.
They all stood up and began moving around the compartment. George and Lee Jordan went out into the corridor for a moment, leaving Kat and Fred alone.
"Listen, Kat…about our third year…I'm sorry that I forgot about you…" he said, sounding very sincere.
Kat looked up at him, and she suddenly realized how close they were. If either one of them moved just barely an inch, they would be touching. "It's ok. I kind of knew that you would, considering the whole Gryffindor/Slytherin hate thing…" she said. She gazed up into his blue eyes.
"Still…you were my friend, I shouldn't have done that to you…" he said. His voice had gotten deeper suddenly. "And I won't do it again. Ok?"
Kat stared at him. "You still want to talk to me?" she asked, almost as if she couldn't believe it.
He smiled, and nodded. "Of course, 'cause I still have to pull pranks on you, Slytherin," he said, and Kat knew (or hoped) that he was joking.
At that moment, George and Lee Jordan had come back in, announcing that they would be at Hogwarts in less than five minutes.
END FLASHBACK
Kat stared at her lap, tears in her eyes. 'How could this happen?' she thought again. She pushed back her thick crimson hair, her fingers, which were wet with her tears, sticking to the strands of silky locks. He had loved the color of her hair. That made her even more sad.
She had never felt so horrible, not even when it happened…
She hung her head and wept then, holding a picture of him in her lap. She didn't care if her hair fell in her face now. She didn't care…