James Potter looked around platform 9 ¾ and sighed happily: he was about to start his seventh and last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He took in the now familiar platform, the smoke from the Hogwarts Express that had once made his eyes tear up. He looked around, and his eyes locked on a group of redheads a bit further down. Albus and Lily rushed past him towards the redheads. James followed them, but he did not run. He strolled with confidence down the platform. He was a seventh year, he was an adult, he was of age, and he most definitely did not run through a platform towards his extended family and best friends.

"James, dear, there you are" Grandma Molly greeted him with a hug.

"Hey Gran. Hey Grandpa." He hugged Grandpa Arthur. For a few minutes (felt like hours), James went around greeting all of his family, and hugging and joking.

"Fred!" he called as soon as he saw his cousin, and best friend, join the group.

"Hey, James, what's up?"

The two boys hugged like they had not seen each other in a century. Truth is, they had both been grounded during the last week of holidays and had missed each other's company unhealthily too much.

"Hey James, finally out of the house are we?" Uncle George asked, grinning.

"Fred was awful. I actually think the punishment was absolutely useless, you guys probably came up with a thousand more crazy prank ideas." Fred's sister Roxanne mused. She was Fred's twin and the two were actually inseparably close, though they hated to admit it. The truth is, they did look a lot alike, but had completely different personalities, thank the Lord for Aunt Angelina. She already had Uncle George and Fred, no need for her daughter to be a prankster too.

A whistle blew, announcing that the train would be leaving in ten minutes. The Weasley children began waving and hugging goodbye to their parents, making way to the carriages in order to find decent compartments, and look for their friends and partners. James and Fred climbed on the train, eager to catch up on the longest week of their lives. They had a bunch of ideas for pranks to pull this year. It was their last and they had to leave a mark. I mean they were the grandson of a marauder AND the son of one of the Weasley Twins, the two greatest pranksters Hogwarts had ever seen, and they did not want to tarnish the names. They actually prided themselves in the number of white hairs they had brought to Headmistress McGonagall's tight bun. They hoped to break the record of detentions from both the Marauders and the Twins, but that was somewhat secondary.

Fred and James joined Albus, Rose and Alice Longbottom in a compartment and reserved the two seats next to the window. They searched for their parents in the crowd. And that, friends, is when James saw her. She was hugging a tall black haired man. He must have been over 6'5 and towered over the massive crowd. Even Uncle Charlie was not that tall. The girl must have been about his age and was pretty tall too; she was much taller than all the women around her. She had straight but messy shoulder-length dark brown hair. She was wearing a red T-shirt and black shorts, covered with a large black and red shirt. Headphones hung around her neck. At least James thought that's what they were; they looked a lot like the ones Aunt Hermione had bought Hugo for his last birthday. He knew they were used to listen to music and did not at Hogwarts, of course, being a Muggle invention.

"Hey, Fred, I've never seen that girl there, have you?"

"Who? Where?" He pointed to the girl. "Nope, never seen her, her face's not familiar at all. Could be that someone got a makeover."

"Nah, I don't think that's it, I mean look at the man with her. I've never seen him before and you don't miss a giant like that." James replied thoughtfully.

"True…" They both stared for a few seconds. "Man, look at those legs though." Fred whistled lowly.

"Are you hitting on someone already?" Rose butted in.

"It's that new girl there on the platform." James explained.

"She does have nice legs." Albus observed and Frank nodded in agreement.

"What pigs" Rose sighed in disapproval and despair. "What crazy disgusting pigs."

Marie Josephine Wright eyed the platform around her. It was busy, too busy, too loud. She noticed a particular bunch, redheads for the most part, that were particularly loud and obnoxious.

She envied her father's 6'5 and his ability to see above all the heads. Even though she herself was rather tall, 5'10 actually, there were still a lot of people taller than her.

"Well, I forgot how loud England was. Sure clashes with the atmosphere of Beauxbatons."

"Papa, how could you forget how loud this place was! It's unbearable."

"Come on, you'll grow to love it." Her father replied. "Anyways, you better get going dearie. I have to go meet your Maman on the other side of the barrier. She's going to start worrying I left her there."

"Sure." I hugged him tightly. "I'll write as soon as I get settled."

"Of course. And I want to hear about your sorting and your house and all."

She laughed softly in answer. Right, sorting… Hogwarts must really be one crazy place. She was bound to stick out. There were seldom transfers between the wizarding schools and much less for the last year of one's studies. If it weren't for her father's reputation in the British Ministry, the girl doubted she would have been allowed to go to Hogwarts. Marie Josephine picked up her bags and her courage and climbed on the train, doing her best to ignore the curious eyes on her. Between the younger students taking in her height and the older students wondering who she was, she just wanted to find a hole and stay there forever.

She found an empty compartment almost at the end of the train and dropped her bag and her trunk on the floor, racing to the window for a last glimpse of her father. She saw him go through the barrier and plumped down on a seat with a sigh. She put her trunk on the shelves and took off her well-worn Doc Martens shoes. She lied on the seat, propping her feet up against the wall. She put on her headphones and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would come soon. She was exhausted from the move to England that summer. Plus, she had been fairly nervous about being the only new student (except for first years) in this new school. Not that she would admit it of course.

She was lost in thought; slowly drifting into a half-sleeping half-awake state when something, or rather someone fell on top of her. She tried to sit back up but there was a dark-skinned, light-eyed boy crushing her. Another boy, brown eyed and brown-haired but with light skin was standing with his eyes wide opened.

"Qu'est-ce que…" she began, taking off her headphones.

"Sorry about that." The first boy apologized, trying to get off of her.

"No worries." The other boy was now trying very hard to conceal laughter, making him look like a goldfish holding back. Hard.

"I think I tripped on your shoes when I came in" the first boy explained. "I'm Fred Weasley by the way."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Marie Josephine." She tried not to sound as star struck as she really was. She was standing in front of Fred Weasley, son of the WWW owner, which meant that the other boy was his best friend, cousin and partner in crime…

"I'm James Potter." The other boy extended his hand and shook Marie Josephine's.

"Hi."

"Sorry about disrupting your little nap." Fred said.

"Ah, no, don't worry about it."

"We really thought the compartment was empty." James explained. He was stuffing a strange cloak into his back pocket.

"So…" Fred said, noticing I was eyeing the cloak curiously. "That's one funny name you got there."

"Umm, I don't really know how I'm supposed to feel about that last statement."

They both laughed.

"Sorry. You're new right? I think we saw you on the platform. Was that your dad with you? He was bloody tall."

"Yeah that was him. I just moved from France, actually. I'm a seventh year."

"Oh, us too." James said cheerfully.

"So, have you already been sorted or are you still expecting?" Fred asked. Mare Josephine raised an eyebrow at his use of vocabulary but answered nonetheless.

"Nope, although I believe I'm either Hufflepuff or Slytherin. Less likely Slytherin, though. If he was really into purebloods like they say he was, a half-blood might not be well liked in his house."

"I see." Fred seemed a bit tense. James seemed to notice this.

"Sorry, Freddikins here still suffers from house discrimination." He explained playfully. "We're both proud Gryffindors. And Weasleys, that goes without saying." Marie Josephine smiled and Fred laughed full-heartedly, all awkwardness forgotten.

"Anyways, why'd you guys burst into my compartment?"

"Ah!" Fred mused, still grinning, "That, Marie Jo, is for us to know and you to find out." The girl raised an eyebrow at him (again).

"Listen, Brit, you're famous even in France and I know you both are pranksters and completely crazy, I just didn't think you were as hardcore as to start pranking people on the train!"

"Wow, sorry, no need to get angry, Frenchy." Marie Josephine glared at him.

"Are you a fangirl too?" James asked wearily.

"Nope, but I did share a dorm with tens of them for six years." He seemed to relax at that. "Jesus, fame sure doesn't seem fun." Marie Josephine muttered.

"It isn't." Fred answered.

"Mate, I think that was rhetorical." James whispered to his friend. They were now sitting in front of Marie Josephine, both intrigued by this new girl. Her knowing yet playful grin. The mischievous glint to her eyes. The incredible sense of comfort that hovered around her.

"Do you like Quidditch?" Fred asked after a minute of silence. Marie Josephine laughed. 'Damn, if we pulled the Quidditch card already, I think I'm going to struggle making friends. I mean these are supposed to be the most outgoing blokes in this country.' She thought, but answered nonetheless.

"Yep, love it. I played beater for Beauxbatons."

"Really? We're both beaters too!" James immediately went into Quidditch Captain mode. "Are you going to try to join the team from your house? It's a great opportunity to make friends and all."

"Well, depends. Since there's no real equivalence between French and British curriculums, I have to take an exam to see what classes I can and have to take. So it really depends on how many classes the Headmistress has me take."

"I see. You should try nonetheless, it's good fun." Before Marie Josephine could answer, Fred interrupted.

"Are you a school freak or something?"

"Nah, not really." Marie Josephine was a bit weary of Fred. He seemed to always ask the right questions about her character and she disliked having people read her so easily.

"Then why do you care?"

"Hey, I'm diving into unknown territory here, I just don't want to crash into the ground just yet, ok?"

They both laughed at her angry answer.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you angry." She smiled in answer.

"So tell me about Quidditch at Hogwarts."

"Well, Gryffindor has a real good team, mostly consisting of our family. Hufflepuff are not bad but their game is too nice so they end up losing to Slytherin, who tends to play dirty and cunning. Ravenclaw are good on technique and strategically they are probably the best, but they are physically weaker." James was in Quidditch mode again.

"So, a team's game reflects the house values. Meaning Gryffindor's weakness is recklessness and tendency to play individually, you know being "brave" and all."

Fred and James stared at her flabbergasted. She had completely understood the Gryffindor team without even seeing them play. "You are the two beaters. I suspect that you tend to get a lot of fouls against Slytherin, the dirtier they play, the more endangered your team, and family, is. So I'd say you two struggle more against Slytherin. But your Keeper struggles against Ravenclaw due to their better strategy. And your Chasers struggle most against Hufflepuff who play best as a team. Am I correct?"

The two boys didn't answer and just stared at the new girl.

"Wow. Ok, I give up, I can't be Captain." James finally broke the silence. "I mean you haven't even seen us play and you've already got us figured out."

"Damn, girl." Fred was looking at Marie Josephine with pure admiration. The girl laughed and gave him a smug look.

"Ok, now you're creeping me out a lil', Weasley." Fred shook himself out of the stupor he was in. His family was full of great Quidditch players and he knew Oliver Wood, the Oliver Wood himself, and he'd never seen such an analysis.

"Marie Jo, please come to Gryffindor to coach us, please, pretty please?"

James pleaded making puppy eyes.

"Ermmm, not going to happen, I'd much rather kick your sorry butts."

"You're mean." James pouted like a small child. Marie Josephine rolled her eyes.

"Do you speak French?" Fred asked.

"A bit out of the subject there, Freddikins." James laughed.

"Shut it. So, do you?"

"Of course! I've lived there my whole life!"

"Oh, ok, it's just your English is so perfect, I didn't know."

"My dad's British, my mum's French. Dad's the wizard, mum's the Muggle."

"Oh, I see. Our cousins Victoire, Dominique and Louis speak French too."

"Really?"

"Yep, their mum is French. I'm sure you've heard of Fleur Delacour."

"Of course I have, do you really think I live in a cave? I just didn't know if their kids spoke French. I shared a dorm with her niece, Juliette Cartier, Gabrielle Cartier, born Delacour's daughter."

"Oh, yeah we met her once or twice. Gabrielle doesn't really like our family too much. And her daughter is a bit… superficial." James said with a shudder while Fred gave him a sympathetic look.

"Superficial? She's a total airhead! Have you heard her talk? Her voice is AWFUL. You have no idea what it is to sleep in her dorm for six years. She made me want to pull my hair out."

"Wow, so much hatred, girl." Fred responded to her outburst with sympathy, but also a lopsided grin. James on the other hand was nodding like he could not have said better himself.

The three kept chatting on and on about France and Britain, comparing, contrasting and discovering the countries through each other's experiences. They stopped only to buy some candy from the trolley. Marie Josephine bought several chocolate frogs, eager to get cards from British wizards.

"Well, Marie Jo, Jamesie-poo and I are gonna go change into our robes, you probably should too. We left our stuff in another compartment a bit further down."

"Oh, ok then. See you later."

"See you at the feast." James said as he shut the compartment door. Marie Josephine slid the curtains close and locked the door, remembering how the boys had interrupted her a few hours earlier. She changed into her school robes, and was trying to stuff her Docs into her trunk when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it and met four boys dressed in robes standing in the doorway.

"Hi, what can I do for you?"

"Hello, you're Marie Josephine Wright aren't you? My dad was the man that arranged for you to come to Hogwarts this year. I'm Paul Hesforth." Marie Josephine shook his extended hand. "And this here is Rupert Addison, Ernie Salisbury and Samuel Greene."

"Pleasure boys. And please thank your dad, Paul, he really helped a lot."

"I'm sure" he answered, taking a seat in the compartment. Marie Josephine levitated her trunk back to the shelf as the other boys sat around her. Unlike with Fred and James, she did not feel at ease with these four boys and she sat wearily, expecting the worse. The boys made small talk with her for a little until Paul, who had sat down on her side of the bench, began scooting closer to the girl and slung his arm over her shoulder. Marie Josephine froze for a second. Were boys usually this open? I mean Fred and James had seemed open and they had not invaded her private space like that. Or maybe that's how boys flirted here. But even though Paul was attractive, she was not looking for a boyfriend or anything. The instant of hesitation cost her dearly and before she knew it Ernie had locked the door and Paul was reaching for the girl's thigh. Marie Josephine wanted to scream but Paul's other hand stopped her from it. Squirming away from his grip, she reached for her wand and pulled it out.

"IMMOBILUS!" she shouted. The four boys immediately stopped moving. Marie Josephine looked at them for a second and then gestured for the door to open and threw the four boys in the corridor with a wave of her wand. People came rushing out of their compartments at the sound of their bodies hitting the wall.

"You witch, how could you?" Paul growled standing back up. The first spell had worn out. Marie Josephine walked back into her compartment but before she could close the door, Paul grabbed her wrist. She punched him with her free arm and kicked his shin as hard as she could. The boy fell to the floor cursing Marie Josephine with all his life. Before the girl could breathe Samuel threw himself at her. She sidestepped and he ran into the train window at the end of the compartment. She kicked him hard in the groin from behind and he fell too. Turning her attention to Rupert who had now joined the fight, she skived a punch only to receive another one in the ribs. Groaning, she threw herself onto Rupert's back and began hitting his head. The boy tried getting rid of her but she was faster and jumped onto the seat. Using her height, she kicked him to the ground. Finally, Marie Josephine turned to Ernie, who just picked up his friends and ran away.

"What in Merlin's name was THAT?" a voice called. Marie Josephine stuck her head out of the compartment only to see Fred and James standing bewildered in the corridor, looking at Paul and his clique run away.

"Did you just, forgive my words, kick their ass?"

Marie Josephine couldn't help laughing at her friends' faces. She shrugged and went back into the compartment. She felt her ribs and tensed when her hand ran over the place where Rupert had punched her. She was sure it was going to bruise, but nothing appeared broken. Thank God they hadn't hit her face, it would have been hard to explain to the Headmistress she had already gotten in a fight before even arriving to school.

"Well, Marie Jo, I'm impressed. You have yet to prove that there is something you can't do." Fred mused entering the compartment.

"Yeah well, I hope they don't get me in trouble. I haven't even set foot in Hogwarts and I already got in a fight."

"Nah, I mean they're the ones that'll show bruises so I don't think they'll want to go around saying they got beat up by the new chick." James replied.

"Anyways, we'll be arriving soon. We were wondering if you wanted to come over meet the family. They were curious about this new girl we've 'befriended'." Fred made bracket motions with his fingers.

"Umm, sure…" Marie Josephine grabbed her trunk and her bag and followed the boys down the carriage. A bit further, two compartments were filled with redheads laughing and chatting loudly.

James and Fred knocked on the doors and all the occupants turned their heads and instantly piled up at the door to get a better look at the new girl.

"Well, you must be Marie Jo. I'm Roxanne, Fred's twin, pleased to meet you." A girl said extending her hand for Marie Josephine to shake.

"Hi."

"Hello, I'm Molly, seventh year as well, and Head Girl. Pleasure."

"Nice to meet you Molly."

"I'm Rose, this is Albus. We're fifth years. Nice beating you gave the boys back there."

"Thanks." Marie Josephine laughed uncomfortably.

"I'm Dom, sixth year, nice to meet you. Tell me, how did you get these two idiots to talk to you? I mean, them making friends with a girl is… somewhat weird."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Well, you see, these two went from 'Ew, girls have cooties!' to 'Let's snog every decent bird in this school'. Making friends with them is nothing short of an achievement."

"Oh, I guess it's just that I would have beaten the crap out of them too had they tried anything inappropriate with me." James and Fred laughed heartedly.

"I'm Lucy, fourth year. Pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Hugo, nice to meet you. Will you teach me how to do that sending people flying into the hallway thing?"

"Umm sure, if you want."

"I'm Lily, pleased to meet you. Don't let my brother corrupt you, hear me?"

"Okay, okay, I won't don't worry!" Everyone laughed at Lily's worried face. They chatted for a little and were interrupted when a loud whistle was heard.

"Ah, we're almost there. Grab your stuff guys. I have to go back to the Head Carriage, Albus, Rose, you should get ready to round people up to go to the carriages. I'll see you at the feast, okay?" Molly asked. She grabbed her trunk and headed out.

"Small question, what are Heads?" Marie Josephine whispered as soon as she was out of earshot.

"Oh, well you see in fifth year you can be appointed prefect. It means you have more rights, as well as more responsibilities. Every year, the Headmistress picks two students, a boy and a girl, to be Head Students. They are sort of the prefect bosses."

"Oh, nice, I was a bit confused by what Molly was telling me." They all laughed. The train eventually came to a halt and all the students began filing out onto the platform. It was a mess of forgotten bags, mixed up trunks and what not. Marie Josephine did her best not to step on anyone as she awkwardly carried her trunk out of the train.