Two Years Before The Philosopher's Stone

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Damn. I asked for Ravenclaw, didn't I?

Katrina Lupine tried to suppress her disappointment and to concentrate on not drawing too much attention as she made my way over to the cheering table filled to the brim with kids wearing gold and scarlet. She sat down at an empty spot, with an empty on either side of her. Maybe the others already knew what she was.

Merlin's beard, is Animagi a disease now? I do wish someone had told me before I had been born. Katrina had to catch myself before she began grinding her teeth in frustration.

Hours seemed to pass, although in reality it was only minutes, before a loud call of, "WEASLEY, FRED!" brought her back to the present.

She watched dully as the Sorting Hat was placed on a red-headed boy. It was too big for him, and slipped down over his eyes, causing a ripple of laughter to sweep the hall. Katrina smiled herself - if only just a little. The boy himself grinned and swung his legs as the Hat practically screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

She looked down at her robes, and continued trying to create a hole in the ground that she could sink through. Expectedly, it didn't work.

"Hey, is anyone sitting here?"

She looked up, startled. The red-head flashed a grin at her.

"Sure, why not?" Katrina was uncomfortable in her own skin. The only time she felt truly at peace was when... well, better not to think about that.

The red-headed boy - Fred, his name was - attempted to strike up a conversation. "So, where you from?"

Katrina stared at him, trying to discern any arrogance or an attempt to humiliate her. Nothing. A freckled, honest face watched her expectantly.

She tucked a stray strand of long tawny hair behind her ear. Well, he was trying. Why shouldn't she?

"I live on the edge of the North York Moors."

"Oh. What's your name?" He was trying way too hard to be friendly.

"Katrina. Lupine," she relented.

"Fred Weasley." He stuck out his hand.

Cautiously she took it, as though it was going to blow up in her face at any second.

"You don't have many friends, do you – oh, wait. I'm so sorry, Katrina, that came out wrong –"His ears turned pink.

Katrina was wounded. That was a serious blow to her eleven-year-old pride. She narrowed her eyes. "For your information, Fred Weasley, I-"

"Oi, Fred! Who's your friend?" Another boy plopped down on the seat on Katrina's right side.

Katrina turned to glare at the new-comer, and did a double-take. The boy on the right side was a perfect copy of Fred! She was speechless for a second before she realized they must have been twins.

The twin wasted no time. "Come on, Fred, introduce us!"

Katrina stuck out her hand quickly, perfectly capable of introducing herself, thank you very much. "Katrina Lupine."

"George Weasley. The better looking one."

She had to smile.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Fred and George's heads snapped around in unison, glaring. It was after the feast, and Katrina was following the Gryffindor Prefect up to the Common Room. She stopped when she realized that the pure malice rolled off whoever was standing behind them in waves.

A short boy with white-blond hair, grey eyes and an ugly smirk stood behind them. "More Weasleys? I'd have thought your mother might have gotten tired of popping out so many of you. After all, you're all alike - red hair, freckles, hand-me-down robes. Haven't you gotten tired of looking so stupid? And you," he said, turning to Katrina, "a pretty little thing like you shouldn't be with poverty-stricken Muggle-lovers like these two. Why don't you stick with me?" The cocksure look on his face boiled her blood.

Silence filled the air for a second as she put words together in her head, trying to come up with a suitable comeback. She had always been shit at those. Katrina made sure that what she was doing wouldn't absolutely destroy any chance of ever finding friends, whisked out her wand and advanced on him, fury filling her voice.

"Listen here, you disgusting ferret. I don't know who you think you are, but I've been here for all of an hour and can already tell who the conceited, spoiled brats are, and take it from me, I'm looking at the biggest one in the entire school right now. So get lost before I turn you into something so foul not even the fleas will come near you!"

The boy opened and closed his mouth, stunned. Katrina flicked her wand dangerously, causing gold sparks to spit from the tip. That was it for the Slytherin; he turned tail and fled, almost flattening a small Hufflepuff in his hurry to get away.

Katrina shook her head; she hated those kinds of people. She turned around to look at the twins. One look at their faces said it all. Great. Prepare to scare off the only two possible friends you're ever going to make.

Fred was the first to speak. "Well, this is undoubtedly the start of a most beautiful friendship."

George grinned. "Anyone who can threaten Nescio Malfoy like that is more than okay in my book."

"And, Katrina, about what I said earlier-"

"Forget it. It's fine."