Once upon a time-
No, no no no, you cannot start a story like that!
Well, why not?
Well, I don't know, it's becoming too hackneyed isn't it?
Well then I suppose you're right, only this once. But do you have something better?
Yes, because, this is the story of us
It begins on my first day of school-
We're not starting that early. I'm not even in the picture yet.
Fine, fine, have it your way.
As I was saying, we met during my first year at school and-
Stop, just stop. Let's just start where it actually begins, not once upon a time, not my first year or yours, just the year it all happened.
He could smell the train's smoke eddying off the track, and he listened to its familiar bell reminding the students to finally board the awaiting train. He smiled; he knew that this upcoming year was going to be amazing, and that with his best mate and brother by his side, there was no way it could go wrong for them. They had plans, big ones, and they were ready to use this year to help fulfill them. Of course, with You-Know-Who's return, that could possibly rain on their parades, yet he knew he would not let that happen. So, he and his brother smirked at each other and pounded their fists together like always.
"Ready, George," his twin said to him.
"Ready, Fred," he replied happily.
She sighed; she had seen that Fred and George had happily boarded the train like there was nothing amiss in this world. But she knew better, what with Harry's trial that summer and the dementor attack against him, a sense of foreboding filled each day. She read and she read, but it was never enough. She simply could not solve why the dementors went rogue and attacked Harry. She had to get her mind off of things, including Harry, and hopefully with her newly instituted Prefect title, she'd be able to do just that. She had been dreaming of it since she had first heard of the position before her first year at school began. Of course, her ultimate dream at Hogwarts was to become Head Girl and top of her class with all O's. Then she could possibly pursue a job at the ministry where she could tackle and take down imminent problems, later becoming the ministry's highest necessity.
But You-Know-Who could get in the way of all that. Being one of Harry Potter's, The Boy Who Lived's, best friends and a muggle-born, her life was always in jeopardy. It was enough being teased in school about it by the Slytherins, which only proved that real life could become horribly problematic.
She took in a deep breath, preparing herself for the school year, and boarded the train with her best friends. She had to tell Harry that he had to find a compartment on his own, as she and Ron had to go to the Prefect's compartment. However, she was hesitant to leave him because Harry had seemed depressed that summer. The great Albus Dumbledore, her headmaster and one of her greatest idols alongside Bridget Wenlock and Merlin, had hidden many important things from him. She could not help but feel terrible about it, and sometimes Harry's outbursts could make it worse, not just for him, but for her and Ron as well.
She and Ron search in silence for the Prefect's compartment, and they soon found it. The Head Boy and Girl quickly instructed them to walk around the train and keep an eye out for misdemeanors before they even had a chance to sit down. They separated, and she yearned for someone to actually speak with for more than just small talk, like it was with Ron before they split up. She loved Ron and Harry, but with them she never felt like she could fit a word of her own in. It tended to be her helping them with school, and with tackling down their enemies, but what about her problems and her enemies?
She groaned loudly and squeezed her eyes shut for a half a second when two smirking redheads popped out of the nearest compartment, startling her.
"What's wrong, Granger?" one asked.
"Cat got your tongue?" the other reciprocated. She glared at their smirking faces, taking note of how attractive they looked, it was undeniable. They were exactly the same in every way, and she would not be able to tell them apart to save her life and their recklessness and disregard for authority was too much for her.
"I don't have time for you two, unless you're committing a misdemeanor, or multiple misdemeanors," she stated as professionally as possible.
"A misdemeanor, eh? Hear that, George?" Fred sniggered.
"I do indeed, Fred. Ah, worry not Granger, no misdemeanors are being committed currently by yours truly, I assure you," George announced. He jumped out of his compartment, with Fred still sitting down, and looped his arm through hers. "Now, if I may lead you back to your compartment as there is no trouble here."
She stopped in her tracks, glared at him and snapped, "No, there must be something going on, knowing you two."
"Well, if you insist," George said, leading her to his compartment door, allowing her peak in at Fred, who was eating cauldron cakes and was surrounded by many other sweets. "See, only a boy and his delightful, delicious candies."
"Fine, but if I-," she started, but was quickly interrupted.
Fred swallowed his food whole and said, "Now you should be going, go check on other misdemeanors that could be occurring."
"Oh, Fred, I believe I heard a curse being yelled a minute ago," George said in the manner of small talk.
"Ah, I heard the same, my dear George, quite the misdemeanor. You should check that out, Granger," Fred replied in the same fashion. Hermione's eyes grew wide and she dashed away in pursuit of catching troublemakers in action. Fred and George started chortling at this.
"Good show lad, good show!" George laughed.
"Same to you, dear brother!" Fred congratulated.
George looked at Hermione as she scurried away, and he thoughts directed to her. To him she looked prettier than the year before, and when she had been around butterflies had flown in his stomach, but not even his own twin would be able to predict that. They can always act so confident and cocky whenever they pleased, so that no one would presume that nervousness could actually exist within the famous prankster Weasley twins. They had each other, and sometimes Lee Jordan, to confide in. Last year, George had thought he liked Katie Bell, and had even dated her for a bit, but she was not what he wanted. True, he adored jokes and pranks, but he still wanted there to be substance within a girl, and he just figured he was not looking in the right places. Hermione Granger, on the other hand…No, he had to shake thoughts of her away. She was his younger brother's best friend; he should not ever have feelings for her, and maybe Alicia Spinnet would be interested in him as she was pretty and sweet.
"This year will be amazing, no matter what happens," George announced to his brother, all thoughts of girls gone from his head.
"No doubt about that at all, Georgie," Fred agreed.
Those Weasley Twins could really make her flustered. There had been no fight at all going on within the train, they had just wanted her to leave them alone, or they wished to trick her. Either way, she was furious with them. For the rest of the train ride, she could not stop thinking about them, especially George for some reason, even though the next time she saw them she could not even distinguish one from the other.
Soon they finally arrived at the castle. They had taken the carriages there, and Loony Lovegood had supported Harry's so-called hallucinations of winged horses, so she finally knew that Harry was going off the deep end.
Their lovely new professor, Professor Umbridge, made a superfluous speech that was full of innuendo practically telling them that the Ministry was taking over Hogwarts. With that message looming along with the annoying 'hem hems' Hermione officially knew that this year was going to be even more terrible than she originally thought. When she told her friends the meaning of the speech, she even saw Fred and George's spirits falter.
"We can't let that old bat stop us from having the amazing year we wanted to have," Fred said urgently to his brother.
"I know, but she can't possibly be as impossible as Cornelius Fudge or even Mum," George responded.
"Things just don't feel right anymore," Fred muttered.
"We'll deal with it Freddie, no need to worry. What with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes on our side, it just can't go wrong," George reassured.
"You're right. Well I'm going to bed, and you can go find Hermione's," Fred snickered, receiving a punch to the arm. "Joking, joking. But seriously, you think I didn't see how you looked at her? I'm your twin, you idiot."
"Shut up," George muttered pushing Fred up the stairs, and he followed after him, thinking that Fred could be right. What was the harm in testing the waters?
There now, happy
Yes, I quite am, that was good
A/N I hope you enjoyed my first chapter, and I'm hoping I'll be able to post the next chapter very soon!
Please review and story alert!
Ciao for now lovelies!