Disclaimer: I'm sure by now you all know this but all the characters in the fan-fic, save Robin, Erin, Calima and Professor Willow which are mine, belong to J.K. Rowling and I'm not making any profit from this at all. It was just an idea that developed from something I dreamt of one day. Hope you like it. And please review.
Double, bubble, twins and Trouble.
By Amalthea
Harry was glad that the summer was over. No, he wasn't glad, he was ecstatic. Well, the summer wasn't really over to tell the truth. But his sentence with the Durslys was at least. He would be spending the last week with Ron and Hermione at the Burrow with the Weaslys, that way they could all gather their school supplies and check through the homework that they had been set over the break. He hurriedly packed up his things and emptied the compartment from under the floorboard, under his bed. He was glad that Hermione had preformed a charm on his trunk when they had been packing to come home at the end of last year. His trunk now, not only weighed as much as a coin, but he could fit everything in it and still have space left over for more stuff. It reminded Harry of the ministry cars that had taken the group to the station at the beginning of his 4th year at Hogwarts. He was now beginning his 5th in a matter of days.
With all his stuff packed, he dragged his trunk down the stairs and put it by the door along with his Firebolt and Hedwigs cage. Hedwig wasn't in it of course. Harry had recently sent her, with a letter to Ron, and he had told her to stay at the Burrow. He had received a letter from Ron a few days ago, in relation to the stay he had been promised, when he had bid them all farewell from Kings Cross, that they would spend at least the last week of the holidays together.
Harry looked at the clock on the wall in the hallway of Privet drive and sighed, noting that it would be at least another 10 minutes until Ron would be collecting him. He went out into the backyard and looked up at the sky dreamily. He returned to his trunk in the hallway and retrieved his secret stash's treasure. He grinned evilly, remembering the Tonne Tongue Toffee that the twins had given Dudley last summer. He still wasn't sure how they had fixed that but Dudley didn't remember a thing. Harry rummaged around in the shoebox of wizard's treats until he found what he was looking for. His box of bad tasting flavour beans. He knew the good ones and had pegged out quite a few of the bad ones. He then went into the study of the house, knowing that Dudley would be in there using his new computer game.
Now, one would think that after the TTToffee, Dudley would think twice about what he put in his enormous mouth. But Dudley would still eat anything that was, or at least looked like, a sweet. He came in and offered the box to Dudley. Dudley grunted like a pig when he saw the box and, thinking that they were normal jelly beans, took the box away from Harry at once. Just then the doorbell rang. Harry rushed to get it before Dudley could shove a handful of beans into his mouth.
Ron and Hermione were at the door, grinning.
"Quick, help me get my stuff out before Dudley eats…"
Harry was cut off by the revolted yell from the study. Dudley must have eaten as many as could fit into his mouth. Harry remembered some of the flavours that his friends had told him about; Earwax, vomit, snot, Brussels sprouts, dirt, fish, tripe, liver…Dudley could have eaten any of those and more, Harry was sure that there were a few salt and pepper beans in the mess.
Harry and Ron each hastily grabbed one end of Harry's trunk and ran out of the front door with it, Hermione taking the Firebolt and the owl cage. The three crammed Harry's trunk into the boot next to Hermione's and shut it, all hurrying to get into the car.
"Let's get out of here!" Ron yelled, Harry and Hermione looking back to see Dudley jumping up and down on the front lawn as the car drove away.
"I thought you said your cousin acted like a pig Harry, he looks more like a baboon there," Hermione laughed as Dudley shook his oversized fists at the fast retreating car.
Harry explained what had happened to Ron and Hermione as Bill drove the new car out of the town and onto country roads.
Ron then fell about in tears while Hermione, who was in the front with Bill tutted and shook her head. Bill threw his head back and laughed heartily after hearing the story. Harry soon joined Ron in tears as he thought of Aunt Petunia coming home with Dudley's daily treat of jellybeans.
The new car was again blue and the kind muggles used, and it also flew and became invisible, but this time, instead of having people flying around in the sky on nothing, to Harry's relief, they all disappeared as well. Harry was used to this and so were the others as they had all worn the invisibility cloak a few times before.
Ron and Harry were soon engrossed in conversation while Hermione, living up to her normal habits, was engrossed in a book on the habits of Unicorns, Dragons and other muggle famous creatures. Bill, who was home for the holidays, shook his head and put his headphones on, losing himself in a tape of loud music. It was going to be a noisy week for him.
The week had flown by for the three friends and the rest of the Weasly family. Percy had been around a few times and had been talked into playing a game of Quidditch with the rest of the group, the only real ball missing being the snitch as, well, it would have created a problem. However, the combined magical efforts of Percy, Bill and Charlie had come up with a fantastic replica of the snitch, the goals and an opposing team. Hermione, being the one with the least experience got into the fun as the Weasly team keeper, leaving Fred and George to their famous beating, Harry to his seeking and Ron, Ginny and Percy to chase the quaffle. Bill and Charlie, being the oldest, acted as refs for a while before creating one and leaving to help Mrs Weasly with the new school supplies, having had Harry and Hermione give her a great amount of coins on their behalf for the various books, robes, potions stuffs, parchments, quills, inks, the basic stuffs on their book lists.
Before the group knew it, they were all piling into the magiced car with all their gear, pets and the car half flew, half drove to London and parked outside Kings Cross station, Hermione and Harry helping Mr. Weasly with the parking meter.
The group located several trolleys and piled the trunks on them, before wheeling them to platform 9. As they made their way along, Harry couldn't help but notice a group of Wizards, in badly mis-match muggle clothing, attempting to stun what seemed to be a large box. He also noticed Hagrid looking on as the wizards continued about their business.
"Careful there, ya don't get one o them tame very often," he said dismally.
"Why couldn't you leave them at home Erin! You know they'll be upset by the trip, what did I tell you?"
"Oh Robin, they'll be fine once we get there, then Daddy can bring them home the normal way at the end of the year, when he has the time."
Harry saw two girls arguing near the box, he soon heard a neigh from the box and the wizards moved away. Both girls looked into the box and whatever they saw, brought varied expressions from them. One clouted the other and stalked away, taking a trolley piled down with Hogwarts stuff and strode away, leaving the other one to poke her tongue out at the retreating back.
"Hey! Cool…" Fred started, his eyes popping open.
"…Another set of twins!" George finished for his brother, the pair noticing the exchange that Harry had witnessed.
The red haired twins waved like lunatics, trying to catch the girls' attention, as the others tried to pretend that they had no idea who the two nuts were in the slightest. Luckily, the new girls paid no notice to the waving gits and followed after Hagrid, who, after seeing the wizards apparate safely, had walked to the entrance. Harry watched him send them in to the platform and then Hagrid was gone. Harry shook his head. He would have to wait until he got to Hogwarts to say hello to his old friend.
The group soon forgot about the strange happenings and boarded the train, the twins disappearing after their mates on a mischief run on the Slytherins.
The train ride went quickly, the country whizzing past as it had the last time Harry had been on the train. Soon they were sitting in the great hall, waiting for the feast. The sorting of the first years was soon over, the last one, Amanda Evens, becoming a Hufflepuff and Professor Flitwick was just about to take the chair away when Dumbledore told him to leave it.
"This year, we will be having a new edition to the student body. No I don't mean the new first years, although they are most important. There will be two new students joining the fifth years. Erin and Robin Sage both come all the way from Australia and will be attending Hogwarts this year on and exchange program. And… they appear to be late." Dumbledore shot a look towards the door as is opened and Hagrid appeared the two new girls in tow. One of them seemed to be more than a little muddy.
"Ahh, here they are. Fifth years, these are your new classmates and I expect them to be treated as such. Now ladies if you will step up and try on our famous sorting hat, you will be, well, sorted. After you are sorted, go to your house prefects and they will answer any questions you may have."
Professor McGonagall called Erin Sage; the mud covered girl, up to the chair and placed the hat on her head. The great hall waited in silence as the hat mused where to put her. Finally it gave a shout. "SLYTHERIN!" and a cheer rose from the green draped table.
Then Robin took her sisters' place under the sorting hat. Once again, the great hall waited with bated breath as the sorting hat mused over her. It took the hat a long time to decide where to place Robin, before it called her new house. "GRIFFINDOR!" and a cheer that rivalled the Slytherins rose from the red draped table.
Again, Fred and George waved wildly at the girl as she and her twin parted ways. Robin smiled at them and sat between George and Harry, flashing the group a toothy grin.
"G'day. I'm Robin, but you can call me Robbie."
"I'm Harry, and these are Fred, George, Ron, Neville and Hermione."
"So, who's the prefect here?"
"Umm…" Fred said.
"That is to say…" George continued.
"Me." Hermione looked at Robin and smiled.
Harry and Ron both made gagging noises as Dumbledore stood again and addressed the group with his normal welcome speech. The food appeared on the plates and everyone dug in.
Hermione explained the basic rules and tricks of Hogwarts to Robin as she ate, along with the sports, subjects, houses, common rooms, ect. In fact she talked so much that Robin eventually stopped listening.
"Hey Robbie," Harry asked quietly, so as not to distract Hermione. "Does your sister know Malfoy or something?"
Robin baulked at this and looked over to where Harry was pointing.
"Blast!" She cursed her soup and glared at her sister, who had her arm around Malfoy and was almost sitting on top of the boy.
"Yeah. Unfortunately. How can I put this…he's a friend of the family. We moved to Australia a few years ago and as mum and dad are moving back, well, they sent Erin and I over early with our school stuff and when we go home, it'll be to our new house."
Harry and Ron both looked dumbstruck. Malfoy friends with the new girls? What absolutely rotten luck.
Robin saw the expression that crossed his face and immediately cried out,
"No no and no. I hate the guy, think he's a rat and should be left out in the desert for a while. He's a prat."
Both boys let out a huge sigh of relief. They continued to talk and soon became fast friends, the Weasly twins also catching Robin's eye.
Soon enough, the feast was over and the prefects took the new first years out and into the common rooms while Dumbledore gave the general speech about how the year was going to be a good one and that Quidditch would soon be back and such. He also introduced the new Defence against Dark Arts teacher; a dark skinned woman called Calima, from Africa.
The group all filed up to the common rooms, Robin scowling at Erin as she paraded Malfoy over to them. Malfoy and Harry glared at one another as Erin spoke to Robin.
"Don't forget, our lesson is tomorrow afternoon at 4. Don't be late."
With that, they both parted ways and headed to the rooms. Harry and Ron both wanted to know what the lesson was but looking at Robin's now storm-covered face made them think twice. They would ask her in the morning.
Entering the common room, the boys left Robin with Hermione and went to bed, both boys musing over the new girls.