Meredith's father was a wizard. Her mother was Canadian; which, Meredith supposed, was the polite way to avoid saying that her mother was a squib. This in itself would be unremarkable, except that her extended family wondered what it would mean for Meredith on the girl's eleventh birthday. Their concern showed itself quietly but vividly, every time an aunt or an uncle would visit and look at the…muggle comforts that had been added to the home with a mixture of perplexion and disgust.
Once, when she was a small child, Meredith had asked a visiting aunt why she seemed so sad. "Because, child, your mother can't do magic," was all the response she got. In time she would come to understand, but in that moment her aunt's pity was misplaced, as far as Meredith was concerned. Her mother could do magic. She had seen her do it that very morning when she had eased the scratch on Meredith's knee with nothing but a kiss.
- x -
The first time Meredith laid eyes on George Weasley was after she'd turned eleven. The encounter was unexceptional, but the timing made it somehow significant. It came at the tail end of the week-long celebration the receipt of her Hogwarts letter had set off, proving the fears of so many to have been unfounded. She had just left Ollivander's with her parents, the bell tinkling in the wake of their departure, and a box containing her brand new wand (Sycamore and dragon heartstring, 12.5 inches, surprisingly swishy) clutched solemnly in her hands. Later, she wouldn't remember if it was the flash of red, the easy slouch of confidence, or the laughter that caught her attention, but it was the boy himself who held it.
At first she thought that perhaps the excitement had overwhelmed her because she was seeing double. Twins! she realised. As her father ushered her along towards Madame Malkins', she craned her neck around for another look. One of the boys was talking animatedly to what could only be an older brother if his hair and freckles were anything to judge by. Swinging her eyes around to search again for the second twin, Meredith experienced a jolt of surprise and felt the prickling of a tell-tale blush creeping into her cheeks. His brown eyes met her own from across the street, and he grinned. She hadn't meant to be caught looking, but now she couldn't look away. She stared after him, transfixed, even after he the walls of the store hid him from view.
Meredith blushed at the memory of being caught staring late into the evening, until sleep and the excitement of the coming term put it from her mind. She awoke on the morning of September 1st with a feeling of embarrassment gently tickling at her, though she couldn't put her finger on why.
Disclaimer: I (obviously) don't own Harry Potter or any recognizable characters. Heck, I'm not even sure what possessed me to write this. I think it's been floating around in my head for a while. But please read, review, tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, and hopefully it will improve with upcoming chapters!