A/N: Hello! Finally on to Memory's third year at Hogwarts! I'd just like to say thank you all for the wonderful time I had writing the last two stories and that hopefully they will get better as they go own.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter One: Tradition

One track mind like a goldfish,

Stuck inside my Petri dish,

I can't breathe and I can't smile,

This better be worth my while

-Numb, Marina and the Diamonds

~oO0Oo~

I'm fourteen and miserable. Absolutely bloody miserable. I'm too old for everything, and too young for anything. Or at least that's what my parents kept telling me over the summer.

Always "that's not safe," and "you're still underage," and "be a little more mature, please."

Jon did attempt to get them to loosen up a bit; they did, but it was still slightly boring.

I spent summer afternoons catching up on my homework and begging Jon to tell me more about the family that I never knew. He did, to some point, but also told me it was better if I didn't know too much.

By now I was ready to go to school. I missed my friends, I missed the castle, I missed magic and I even, amazingly, missed school. Classes, teachers, detentions, you name it, I wanted it. It wasn't like muggle school had ever been. There, I counted down the days to summer break, but now, I longed to go back even more than last year.

Fred and George Weasley had visited once over the summer, and we spent the weekend doing, I hate to admit it, normal things. We talked and acted like normal children. Not one single prank was pulled.

I guess they were probably just nervous around my parents and Jon, who, as I had reminded them so kindly, the year before had been fired as a result of Fred. I don't think Jon was as bitter as I am.

But beside the point, today is my birthday and I'm spending it on a bloody train. (My parents told me to watch my language as well. Personally, I think it's just teenage angst setting in.)

Fred, George, Lee, Angelina, Alicia or even Cedric had not gotten on the train yet. Or if they had, they hadn't bothered to look for me. I was only a little early, and that was only because Jon had to drop me off at the station before work. I think he works a little too much sometimes ever since he's been back.

Jon was my older brother, who, until a short while ago, I had no idea existed. I thought that I was an only child born to Squib parents who just happened to have the gene that made me look so unlike them.

Last year he was also my Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, although only for half the term because of a certain red-headed Weasley twin. I didn't really get to know my brother last year that well, but over the summer he had told me a lot of stories about school, or at least, what it was like when he was there, including the possible origin of the Marauder's map.

Jon said that while he was at school, there was a group of four friends a year ahead of him that called themselves 'Marauders'. But he said it was probably only a coincidence. I secretly hoped not, and begged him for more information, but he seemed uncomfortable with the subject and started talking about Quidditch.

That was about the most exciting thing that happened over the summer. Which was pathetic, because I had planned on this summer being extraordinary. Not so much.

"Maybe she's gone deaf?"

"I dunno, she's probably just spaced out, you know how that happens…"

I shifted in my seat so I got a view of the voices that I was hearing. I saw three boys staring back at me.

Lee Jordan had grown quite a bit over the summer. He was probably a couple of inches taller than me now, and his dreads were a bit longer. Fred and George Weasley, however, seemed to be the same height and as ginger as ever.

I grinned at my friends. "I'm here, don't worry," I said jokingly, scooting over some to let someone sit by me. Lee took the seat.

Fred smiled and rolled his eyes. "Sure."

I laughed and looked at George, who was unusually quiet. "What's up with him?" I asked Fred, who shrugged.

"Probably just dreading Ronniekins starting Hogwarts this year," Fred answered, looking at his twin, who in turn stuck out his tongue.

"But seriously, you'll never believe who asked us for help getting on the platform today," George said in his usual happy tone.

"Who?" I replied almost sarcastically, expecting him to say something stupid like Percy.

"Harry Potter," George said in a smug tone.

I looked at him, puzzled. "Who the devil is Harry Potter?"

~oO0Oo~

Fred, George and Lee all had flabbergasted expressions. "You don't know who Harry Potter is?"

"No, sorry," I replied, looking confusedly at all of them. What was the big deal?

"The boy who lived? You know, he defeated You-Know-Who," Fred explained, although he was still looking at me like I was a bloody idiot.

"I guess I never really thought about what happened to good old He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. So you're telling me he's famous or something?" I asked, absent-mindedly picking at my fingernails.

George nodded. "Yeah. But get this, apparently he didn't know who he was himself! Poor kid."

Fred and Lee both nodded in agreement. I looked at them both for a long time until Fred turned away, apparently embarrassed.

That was a new thing. Fred and I used to have staring contests all the time.

"So, start of the year prank?" Lee asked, rolling up his sleeves.

Fred and George grinned. "We've already planned one," said Fred.

"And may I ask what that delicious prank might be?" I inquired, smirking.

"Well," George began, "We figure that since Harry Potter is here, we'd better make it something that'll be even more noticeable than him."

"So," continued Fred, "Before everyone goes ballistic at school trying for his autograph, we figure we'd just pull a classic on the train."

"Every compartment with a Slytherin will get one dungbomb-"

"-two if there's more than one in there-"

"-three if we don't personally like them."

I smiled and nodded in agreement. "Percy?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Fred and George gave me looks of mock-hurt. "You thought we would even think of skipping our dear brother? Memory, I'm astonished," said Fred, clutching his heart.

"Oh woe is me!" George added, pretending to faint in a rather girly manner.

Lee and I both laughed but stopped those two before they did a full blown theatrical production.

"Now," I said, looking at my companions, "when do we start?"

~oO0Oo~

I thought I was going to pee myself I was laughing so hard. We had managed to throw two dungbombs so far (one in Montague's compartment and one in Percy's) and Percy Weasley's reaction had by far been the best I'd ever seen out of him.

Fred had been the one to throw the foreign object in, but when Percy saw it coming, he quickly jumped in front of his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater, all the while proclaiming: "Don't worry, I'll save you!" as he picked her up and carried her bridal-style out of the compartment.

The best part? The bomb was a dud and didn't even go off. When Percy noticed this, he turned red as a tomato and sat down Penelope before mumbling something about needing to check into his prefect duties.

Ah, sometimes I feel bad for the poor boy. Although I do get over it rather quickly.

"That was amazing," Fred concluded, wiping away tears of laughter.

George couldn't add anything to his brother's sentiments for he was clutching his side and still laughing heartily.

Lee was so far gone that he was rolling on the floor, and blocking the trolley of snacks.

The trolley lady rolled her eyes and then asked us in her sweet voice: "Anything from the trolley dears?"

I looked down at Lee.

"The last thing he needs is sugar, we'll pass."

A/N: So, what did you think? Loved it? Hate it? Let me know. I'm also open to suggestions for future chapters, but for now my question is: How long do you think these chapters should be? Longer? Shorter? Let me know, because I want to stick to one length.

Thanks for reading!

-Valfish