A/N: This is my first Weasley twin story. I hope you all like it. I also posted this on another site. So don't worry. They are both me!
Much love,
S.
Shadow Willow and Grace Greengrass ran through Kings Cross Station with cat like agility. They pushed their carts through the crowds never hitting a single person. They lined up mid run and slid easily through the wall between platforms nine and ten.
Slowing down to a walk they pushed their carts toward the large red train. The Hogwarts Express' horn sounded loudly as they left their things with the person in charge of packing them away. Shadow deftly grabbed her cat from his sleeping place and Grace picked up her owl's cage carefully and they rushed into the train just as the clock tower sounded that eleven o'clock had arrived.
"Woah." Shadow exclaimed as they walked. "I don't think we have ever been that close to missing the train before."
"It was way too close." Grace agreed nodding. "Mal is all flustered. It's ok Mal." She whispered to her owl. Shadow looked down at the large cat in her arms. He did not look pleased.
"I'm sorry Midnight. I didn't mean to wake you." He lifted his head and knocked it with the bottom of her chin affectionately before closing his eyes and falling back to sleep in her arms.
"I doubt there will be any open compartments." Grace stated looking around anxiously.
"We will find something." Shadow moved around her cousin carefully and walked to a random compartment. A chorus of laughter sounded from inside. Shadow adjusted Midnight in her arms and knocked gingerly on the door. The laughter stopped and there was some rustling.
The door opened to reveal what could only be a Weasley. He was tall and had flaming red hair. His face was littered with freckles and he held a crooked smirk. Seconds later another face popped up next to his. They were identical. The notorious Weasley twins stood before Shadow and Grace. Shadow felt her face instantly flush with color.
"Ah. Did you need something, Love?" The first twin hummed.
"They obviously need a compartment you dimwit!" The second said winking at the girls. Grace squeaked and blushed deeper than the twin's hair.
"Don't call me a dimwit! They could have been looking for someone. Isn't that right Shadow?" Twin one said locking eyes with her. Her heart fluttered in her chest and she nodded.
"We are looking for a compartment though." Grace piped up, her voice cracking nervously.
"Haha! See George! I was right after all." He said nudging George's arm. "Lucky for you, little dove, we have plenty of room. Lee Jordan went to sit with his less cool friends so we have a whole empty bench." Grace looked like she was going to faint.
"That is most kind of you." Shadow says shakily. She looks back up at George and his eyes meet hers again. He opens the compartment door the rest of the way.
"Come on in." George says as he moves to sit back down next to Fred. Shadow nervously entered the compartment followed quickly by Grace who was suddenly concentrating very hard on not shaking Mal too much in her cage.
"That cat is outrageous." Fred piped up as Midnight stretched out across Shadow's lap while he slept. A scowl fell on her lips.
"He is a Maine Coon. He is supposed to be big." She stated sharply. "He isn't even full grown."
"Wow you seem like you know a lot about cats" George said smartly. Shadow and Grace exchanged a glance.
"Yeah we know a little." Shadow blushed as she continued to pet Midnight in her lap.
"Did you make any new Weasley's Wizard Wheezes this summer?" Grace suddenly piped up. Shadow snapped her head up in surprise.
"You don't buy those do you?" Shadow asked shocked at her cousin. Grace's face flushed.
"Well, yeah. Who doesn't?" She said shrugging.
"Um. Me." Shadow scoffed. George's eyes widened. Fred mirrored his brother.
"You have never had any of them?" They chorused together.
"No. I have never had a reason to. I can't afford to skip class and still pass my exams." Shadow said matter of factly. George and Fred just stared in awe.
"You aren't somehow distantly related to Hermione Granger are you, Shadow?" Fred asked sarcastically. Shadow scoffs.
"No I just have a definite plan for my future and I know I won't get there if I don't study hard." Grace giggles softly beside her.
"You rebel in every way except your studies and neglecting my studies is the only way I rebel. How ironic." Grace smirked and looked back to Fred. "You never answered my question."
"Oh! Yes. We developed a ton of ideas. We just have to work out the kinks before we bring them to the public. You know how it is. Can't have kids getting the chicken pox when they are supposed to run a fever. That would be false advertising. The trick is finding out which ingredients give what side effects." Fred explains excitedly.
"And then making sure the side effects won't be permanent." George finishes.
Conversation continued like that for some time. The trolley came and Shadow bought everyone snacks. The girls found it very easy to communicate with the two ginger princes. They laughed about pranks and joke and they found that the train ride passed much faster than it normally did.
Fred was currently explaining the various ways they had found to blackmail Peeves the Poltergeist when the compartment door swung open to reveal a bushy haired Hermione Granger. She looked over each of the four of the occupants rather nosily.
"Fred, George, it's getting rather late. You should probably change into your robes. You both should probably do the same." She said glancing at Grace and Shadow respectively.
"Thanks Hermione." Grace chimed kindly. Hermione nodded and left the way she came. Shadow slowly slid Midnight off of her lap and stood.
"We really should go and change Grace." Grace stood and they both fished their uniforms out of their bags.
"We will be back in a little bit." Grace mumbled as she opened the compartment door. The twins both smiled wide in response and the girls quickly left and headed for the lavatory.
"Well. Look who we have here." an oily voice sounded as Shadow and Grace exited the lavatory having changed into their uniforms. A younger boy with a pointy nose and platinum blonde hair stood in front of them. A scowl appeared on Shadows face as Grace instinctively moved in front of her cousin.
"Go back to your lackeys small fry." Grace hissed angrily.
"Wow so feisty." Draco smirked crossing his arms over his chest.
"Oh you haven't seen feisty yet kid." Grace growled. Shadow instinctively put her hand on Grace's shoulder.
"Why don't you go back to your compartment and leave me and Shadow to talk." He said smugly. Shadow's jaw dropped at his words.
"Over my dead body am I leaving her with you." Grace took a step toward him threateningly. Draco matches her stride.
"Oh that can be arranged, orphan Annie." No sooner had the words left his mouth, did the sound of her fist connecting with his jaw fill the area. A feral snarl erupted from Shadow's lips as she strained to get around Grace. Draco's snapped his eyes back to Grace angrily. "What is up with you Gryffindor women punching me?!"
"You deserve worse you git." An angry voice sounded from behind him. Draco wheeled around to see Fred and George towering over him glaring. George leaned down so his face was mere inches from Draco's.
"Mark my words Malfoy, if you ever come near Shadow again, or Grace for that matter, I don't care who your father is I will find you."
"And then no one will find you." Fred finished matching George's posture. Their eyes were dark brown. Darker than normal. If looks could kill Draco would have been a pile of bones on the train floor. Shadow looked to George surprised. His words were unexpected. She still wasn't sure how he had known her name. She was in a different house. But for whatever reason he did and now he was sticking up for her. More than that, he was threatening Malfoy for her. Her face flushed.
Grace was shaking with anger. Draco's words had hurt. And his jaw had hurt her hand. She looked up at Fred in confusion. She had no idea why after six years in the same house, and most of the same classes with the twin's, why suddenly he was sticking up for her. There had been plenty of times when she had fallen victim to bullies and sadly she hadn't always been as willing to fight back as she was this time around.
Draco weaseled his way between the twins realizing he was very much outnumbered and took off down the corridor. Fred instantly went to Grace taking her hand in his looking it over.
"Are you ok? I swear if I get my hands on that foul git, he is gonna meet Merlin faster than he can say licorice wands." Fred was still fuming but he held Graces hand gently turning it over to look at the other side.
"I-I'm ok Fred, thank you." Her face was bright red as she watched him. He sighed noticeably at her words.
George went to Shadow but he didn't touch her. Instead he looked at her worriedly. She was shaking in anger.
"Shadow? Are you ok?" George's voice was softer than she had ever heard it before. Her eyes snapped up to his.
"Huh? Oh! Yeah. I am ok." Shadow shifted uncomfortably. She tried to get her body in control again.
"Are you sure? Maybe we should go back to the compartment and sit down. You are shaking like a leaf." George looked at her concerned. Shadow just nodded. George gently put his arm around her but she quickly brushed it off and walked in front of him. His brow furrowed but he just followed quietly.
"Fred maybe we should go back to the compartment?" Grace said softly. Fred lifted his eyes to look around.
"Yeah, sure. Sorry." He turned back around and led her down the corridor not having let go of her hand.
Back in the compartment Shadow was back in her seat staring at her cat and George was staring at her. Fred and Grace walked back into the compartment. Grace looked to Shadow. She removed her hand from Fred's and sat down next to her cousin.
"Shadow?"
"I'm sorry Gracie. He had no right. That pompous-" She started.
"No! No Shadow it's ok. You didn't do anything wrong. He is a git. He doesn't deserve your anger or your time. If anything, I am sorry for losing my temper, but not that I punched him, because he deserved that."
"Stop Grace. It's no one's fault. Draco was asking for a beating. Although, I am a little curious what he wanted to talk to me about." Shadow spoke softly still petting Midnight.
"Whatever it was, it probably wasn't anything good." George said sternly.
"Or anything worth your time." Fred finished. "Are you sure your hand is ok Grace?" He looked at her already bruising hand.
"Yeah. I will be ok. I am gonna have Madam Pomphrey check it out after the feast though." Grace said looking at her hand.
"Would you like me to go with you?" Fred asked without missing a beat. Grace flushed red. She was still very confused as to why he was showing her so much attention.
"You don't have to do that." Grace fumbled over her words nervously.
"I know I don't. But if I know anything about this bloody school it's that you shouldn't go alone." Fred's words were frank but there was an underlying softness to his voice that she almost missed.
"If you feel you must, then I won't oppose. Although, I assure you, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Grace retorted quickly.
"The trip will be a million times more fun with me around." He said with a wink. George rolled his eyes.
"He sure is persistent isn't he?" Shadow said looking at George.
"It what makes him a good businessman. That and the fact that his jokes are great." George said with an adoring smile.
"They all seem rather elementary to me." She stated with a shrug. Grace and she had played their fair share of pranks on one another and some of the things that the Weasley twins came up with seemed rather small in comparison. George's eyes grew as large as baseballs and Fred stopped pestering Grace.
"ELEMENTARY!" They both chorused.
"Well I don't think I have ever been so insulted in my life." Fred said with a huff, crossing his arms.
"You see Shadow. Spend some more time with us and I think you will find that under the seeming simplicity of our jokes, is a stroke of pure genius." George said smirking.
"I may just take you up on that." Shadow proclaimed, matching him with a smirk of her own. "Though don't be surprised if the things Grace and I know are above your level."
"Well bait like that is quite impossible to resist." George's smirk turned into a smile of pure glee and Fred had quit sulking and now smirked widely at the insinuated challenge.
"It looks like we have arrived." Grace piped up looking out the compartment window at the lamp-lit Hogsmeade station.
The train came to a halt and prefects and head boys and head girls ushered the students out onto the platform. As per usual, Hagrid ushered the first years toward the boats and the rest of the students made their way to the carriages that waited for them.
Fred walked up to a carriage and opened the door.
"After you, doll" He said winking at Grace, who instantly flushed deep red.
"Thank you." She pulled herself into the carriage shuddering as she glances at the front of it. "They're so creepy." She mutters to herself.
"What's creepy?" Shadow says as she follows behind her taking her seat across from Grace, before the boys hop in behind them.
"Yeah what's creepy?" The twins chorused. George sat next to Shadow and Fred next to Grace.
"The things pulling the carriage." Grace stated. "They are weird." The twins gave her a puzzled look.
"Um, Grace, nothing pulls the carriages." Fred said worriedly. "It's just an enchantment."
"No. Grace is right. They are pulled by creatures." Shadow piped up. "I read about them though, there isn't much written except that you can't see them unless you have seen death." Grace's eyes fell to the floor. Shadow instantly felt guilty. She frowned. "I'm sorry Gigi. I didn't mean to."
"No. It's ok Shadow." Her voice was light but she didn't look up.
"So the rumors are true then?" George pondered out loud.
"That I saw my parents die? Yes." She muttered in response.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Fred said placing his hand softly on her arm
"It's ok. It was a long time ago." She looked up and smiled.
"On a brighter note!" George piped in. "I bet the feast will be delicious." Shadow laughed lightly and Grace smiled.
"I wonder how the sorting will go." Shadow smiled at the thought. "I hope we get a lot of Hufflepuffs this year.
"Better watch what you say. You are a little outnumbered here." Fred joked.
"Badgers aren't afraid of lions, Weasley." Shadow joked back.
"We shall see. We shall see." He retorted. Grace and George just laughed. Fred's hand was still on Grace's arm and Shadow unconsciously leaned against George. The ride was full of comfortable laughter and all any of them could think was this was the beginning to a truly great year.