All right, this is my first Harry Potter Fanfic, so please be gentle. Some constructive criticism is always welcome, but I don't want to hear it if you just plan on being a bully about it. I'll try not to be too OOC about it. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

A/N: I don't own any characters, places, or ideas from the Harry Potter series. Crim is a character of my own creation (based off of my pottermore account). Many thanks to sango-savino for her character design for Holly Ice.

Chapter One—House Boundaries

Growing up, I always dreamed of going to Hogwarts, being sorted into Gryffindor, and pranking with my best friends. My father worked at the Ministry of Magic with Arthur Weasley (though you might call my father's job as Wizengamot a little bit more respectable than Mr. Weasley's), so I spent many days at the Burrow. Freddie and Georgie were my age, and we were immediate best friends. They taught me how to properly prank without getting caught; I taught them how to mix ingredients to have just the perfect amount of combustion. Back then, we never imagined we would ever be separated. The three if us would laugh and prank and plan all of the mischief we would cause once we joined Bill and Charlie Weasley at Hogwarts.

We would rule the school, be unstoppable! What a joke that had been. That first night would change our entire experience at Hogwarts…for the better and for the worst.

"Remember, Crim, it doesn't matter what House you're sorted into." My father knelt in front of me, hands on my shoulders, smile forced and nervous. He said it didn't matter, but I knew he really wanted me to be sorted into Gryffindor. Honestly, I wanted to be sorted into Gryffindor, just like the rest of my family.

"Can I go now, Daddy?" I glanced over my shoulder, my eyes searching for the familiar, ginger-haired Weasley family. Platform 9 ¾ was bustling with students already in their robes and trolleys stacked to the tops with luggage, but I could just spot them in the crowds. Fred and George were trying to squirm away from their mother, who was planting them each with wet kisses upon their temples. One of them, I assumed George, glanced around for me, and I grinned at him.

"Let her go, John," said my mother with a smile, her own blue eyes brimming with tears. "Now, Crim, make sure you write at least once a week—"

"We expect a letter tonight," interrupted my father with a stern smile that didn't reach his brown eyes, "to let us know you made it into Gryffindor!"

I kissed them each farewell before dashing off along the platform. People were beginning to board the train, and I wanted to make sure I didn't lose the twins in the mess of people. When I arrived, Mrs. Weasley gave me a sloppy kiss on the cheek before George possessively pulled me away from her. He and Fred stuck me between them, and I couldn't be happier.

I knew picking a favorite was really rude of me, but I always liked Georgie best. His humor wasn't as cruel and dangerous as Freddie's could be, and he was always so sweet and kind. Freddie was the reckless one who always got us into trouble. Not that I minded, though. There was never a dull moment with the two of them, and I always felt rather invincible when I was with them.

We said our goodbye's to the family (twice to Ginny, who wouldn't stop crying) before we climbed onto the sleek train that would take us to our home away from home. My stomach was filled with Cornish pixies, and I couldn't decide whether I was excited or ill just yet. I followed Fred to an empty compartment, and George closed the door behind us. The cozy interior settled my nerves some as I settled down beside George, whose grin made me forget all about the pixies in my stomach. That was another thing about the twins: they always relieved my stress, even with just a glance.

"This is going to be bloody fantastic!" Fred said with a grin. "I heard Charlie talking about the caretaker, some old bloke named Filch. I say we prank him first night! Show him who runs the school now!"

"Sounds brilliant! What do you think, Georgie?" I glanced over at him, unsurprised to find him pulling out a deck of cards. Always, when Fred got ahead of himself with pranks and jokes, Georgie found some way to distract him.

"I say we worry about pranking when we get to Hogwarts. How about some Exploding Snap to lighten things up?" he said with a grin. "A galleon to the winner!"

"Where the bloody hell are you going to get a galleon?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow as his twin dealt the cards.

"Simple—from this girl!" George ruffled my messy curls, and I laughed, poking him in the ribs with my wand. I loved my wand—sycamore with phoenix core, 12 ½ inches. Already, I had no idea how I lived without it. The slim wand fit perfectly into my hand, almost as though it had been carved to go there. I dreaded the following summer when I wouldn't be permitted to use my wand outside of Hogwarts; in my eyes, that was a foul rule. How could we practice our spells if we weren't allowed to use magic?

We barely began the game when a scrawny girl tumbled into our compartment. She shoved up her glasses, her brown hair flopping against the rims as she brightly smiled at us. She plopped down beside Fred and stuck her tongue out at George. Puzzled, I glanced between them and wondered if the twins knew this clumsy girl. From their incredulous and curious expressions, I knew immediately that she was a stranger to them as well.

"Well?" she said sheepishly, shrugging, and I noted a small fear in her eyes. "Aren't you going to deal me in?"

"How 'bout telling us who you are first, then we might think about it." Fred frowned a little, looking her over. She was already wearing her Hogwart's uniform, and her hair was tied on the side of her head with a bow. Seeing our attention on her, she nervously fiddled with a silver key dangling around her neck by a ribbon.

"I'm Holly Ice. I'm a first year. Some people pushed me in here, so do you mind if I play with you?" She blinked her big, deep brown eyes at us, and my heart broke. She reminded me of a dog with those large eyes, a puppy eager for attention. Letting her join in didn't seem like such a bad idea after all.

"Of course!" I caught the twin's gazes, but they didn't argue. In fact, once Holly had my stamp of approval, the two of them didn't appear to mind her addition to our trio at all. "That's Fred, and this is George. They're both Weasleys. I'm Crim Rehfate."

She blinked her wide eyes in amazement. "Wow, you can tell them apart? Crim? Is that a nickname?"

"No, it's short for Crimson," I said. "I'm named after my eyes." Honestly, I was the only member of my family to be born with burgundy eyes. I didn't mind my name, no matter how strange it was. I always received nice compliments on my eyes about how pretty and unusual they were. George was the one to give me my nickname, and it stuck from that day on.

Holly pointed to each of us, reciting our names with a nod of her head. "Crim…Fred…and George. I think I got it! Now, which one of you is which again?"

We spent the remainder of the train ride to the school playing Exploding Snap (which Holly seemed to have a terrible amount of luck at) and discussing which Houses we were going to be sorted into. Holly didn't appear to mind which House the hat placed her in, and I learned from the conversation that her blood was as pure as ours. The pixies were back in my stomach again by the time the train screeched to a stop, and I couldn't see out the window. Shaking like a leaf, I followed Freddie and Holly out of the train; George came up behind me and gave my hand a squeeze. I swallowed and hung onto him as we followed the rest of the first years over to Hagrid. His great size surprised me, no matter we had heard about him from Bill and Charlie, and I stared up at the giant man with a mixture of wonder and horror. George rubbed his thumb along the back of my hand.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" He beckoned us away from the rest of the students and toward a set of boats. I luckily secured a boat with the twins and Holly, and soon we were on our way to the school, our boat following the one that Hagrid had to take up by himself. The moment Hogwarts came into view, all my nerves vanished. Freddie, Georgie, and I had spent days, long and tiresome afternoons whispering about what Hogwarts might look like when we arrived, whether it would be dreary or filled with awe. It looked marvelous, even better than we could have dreamed. I couldn't wait to get inside, and the boats only seemed to slow down the more excited I became. Even Fred and George were grinning with excitement and muttering about all the possibilities.

The castle was even bigger on the inside than on the outside. I barely had time to look around at the moving paintings or marvel at the fine decorations when we met a tall woman in emerald robes. She gave us all a stern look that had us silencing in mere moments. "I am Professor McGonagal," she said to us, and the natural tone of her voice told me that this was a woman to be reckoned with. "In a few moments, you will all be sorted into one of the four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Your House will serve as your family while you are here, and you will earn points through your achievements. Any rule breaking will result in loss of points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will be awarded the House Cup. Now, if you would all please follow me..." Clearing her throat, she beckoned us forward through large doors that opened up into the Great Hall.

"Look at the ceiling!" Holly gasped from beside me, tugging on my robes in excitement, while I stared around at the four tables and the older students watching us approach the long table at the end. I looked up at the magical ceiling, amazed at how real it appeared; if I hadn't known better, I would have sworn that there really was no ceiling, and we saw instead the sky. Smiling wildly, I turned my gaze on the row of Professors, the man in the center of the table automatically commanding my attention. Professor Dumbledore watched us, smiling beneath his half moon spectacles, as Professor McGonagall stood us in front of a tattered-looking, old hat sitting on a wooden stool.

The Sorting Hat. I bit my lip anxiously. I knew all about the Sorting Hat. That wrinkled piece of cloth would put us in the House we belonged in. I fidgeted as I tried to listen to Professor McGonagall talk and the Hat sing a song of welcome, and I clapped along with everyone else even though I didn't hear anything that had been said. My heart pounded too loud for me to hear anything. I couldn't imagine what would happen to me if I ended up being sorted into Slytherin House. The thought terrified me, and I suddenly wondered if the pixies in my stomach were, in fact, dragons or werewolves instead. The ferocity with which my stomach ached increased with each passing second.

Holly's name was called. She puffed out her chest, sweat trickling along her temple, and attempted a causal walk over to the hat. Halfway there, she tripped and balanced on one foot to stay standing. A row of snickers sounded around the Hall, and she scurried the rest of the way. The hat flopped over her eyes, thought for a moment, and decided. I xrossed my fingers, waiting, hoping...

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

With a sigh of relief and a happy smile, she skipped over to the welcoming Hufflepuff table. The Hall quieted down, and Professor McGonagall continued with the list. I watched as student after student was sent to one of the four tables, listened to the swoon of applause as the Houses welcomed a new member to their midst. Sooner than I would have hoped, I heard her call my name.

"Rehfate, Crimson!"

George gave my hand another squeeze, and Fred winked encouragingly. With a weak smile, I let go and walked shakily over to the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on top of my head, and the inner flap blocked out the rest of the Great Hall. I swallowed, listening, waiting. Seconds passed, then moments, then what certainly had to be minutes. Was there something wrong with me? Could the Hat not decide? I wanted to scoff at it that the word Gryffindor was not all that difficult to call; others had been sent into Gryffindor. Why was it deliberating with me?

Then, finally—

"SLYTHERIN!"

No…that couldn't be right. That couldn't be right! Professor McGonagal removed the Sorting Hat from my head, and I numbly walked over to the Slytherin table, where a few of them greeted me with smirk and handshakes. I glanced behind me, trying to catch Fred or George's eye, but neither of them was looking. The two of them burned holes in the floor, an expression of disbelief on their faces. They were just as shocked as I was. Certainly, surely, I couldn't be a…a Slytherin. It couldn't be true. It just…couldn't…

How would I tell my parents this? I could only imagine my father's expression when he read the news. Would my mother cry? I felt like crying, especially when I saw Fred and George both be sorted into Gryffindor. They walked off to a table that felt so far away, a table that I could never belong to. Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. I wanted to go over there with them!

"Glad they weren't sent over here," muttered a Slytherin girl to my right. "Blood traitors, those Weasleys. Better stay away from them, Crim."

Fred and George…blood traitors? It took a couple years for me to truly understand what that was. Even then, I wasn't sure it was true for them. By that time, it didn't matter. After that first night at Hogwarts, I didn't try to talk to them, even in the classes we had together. I listened to sneers and jokes made at them, pretended to laugh and scoff. The twins ignored me, save for the few pranks they had up their sleeve for me as payback for ditching them.

Slytherin and Gryffindor were enemies. Sworn enemies, and the boundaries set by the Houses ran deeper than blood. I dared not challenge the thick line that was drawn for fear of the consequences. As well, if both Houses believed that they were, indeed, enemies, then it had to be true...right? It wasn't until my sixth year that anyone bothered to test those boundaries. By then, it was almost too late. Still…it only took one toe out of line. That was it.

Okay…that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed, and I would appreciate some feedback, if you have the time. As well, to avoid questions later, my pottermore name is CrimsonFeather17317. Thank you for reading, and I promise another update soon…and the next chapter will be MUCH more exciting.