A/N:: Hello loves! Welcome to the first chapter of Forever We'll Be You and Me! I would just like to start out by saying this will be NOTHING like the 7th Harry Potter book. So if that's what you were looking for, I'm sorry but you've come to the wrong place. Oh, and I should probably also this is kind of going to go along with all those lists you see about things you shouldn't do at Hogwarts. =] Please let me know what you think! Lots of love. xox
Ron Weasley and Harry Potter stared out of the window in their train compartment. Platform 9 ¾ was teeming with students and their families, hugging and saying last minute goodbyes before the train rolled out of the station. In the midst of the crowd, they could spot a short girl, with her brown hair pulled up into a ponytail speaking to two red-headed twins. When they saw something being exchanged between the girl and the twins, Harry and Ron became instantly concerned.
"What are they plotting?" a female voice asked from behind them. Startled, they turned around to see their frizzy-haired friend Hermione peering out the window over their shoulders.
"I think the question is, what have they been plotting," Harry corrected.
"They've been like that all summer," Ron added.
Seconds later, the train lurched forward, whistle blowing, and suddenly, the tiny brunette was lost in the crowd.
"She missed the train," Harry stated, unsurprised.
"Again," Ron added.
The compartment door opened to reveal a girl with shoulder length blonde hair, Joanna Meyer, an exasperated look on her face.
"Shawna missed the train again, didn't she?"
"Did not!" a bright voiced spoke up from behind the blonde. Shawna stuck her tongue out at her friend and bounced into the compartment, pony-tail bouncing along behind her. Joanna rolled her eyes, then walked away, headed toward a different compartment to sit with her Ravenclaw friends. Shawna took her regular seat next to Ron, who was sitting across from Harry who was sitting next to Hermione.
"What were you, Fred, and George plotting?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"We weren't plotting anything." Shawna's expression instantly became as innocent as if she had been reading a novel rather than conspiring with two of the greatest tricksters in Hogwart's history. She could tell Ron didn't believe her. She and Ron had been best friends since before they were born. Their parents had been friends in school, and Shawna's brother Anthony had been best friends with Ron's brother Charlie.
"Well, I need to go speak to the prefects…" Hermione trailed off, getting up and leaving the compartment. It was obvious she'd rather not hear what exactly Shawna was planning.
"Ok, she's gone now," Harry said immediately after the door closed, "tell us."
"Well I was thinking…this is our last year at Hogwarts, why not go out with a bang? But not just any bang, but make what Fred and George did seem like amateur work."
The boys exchanged grins, "We're in," they declared simultaneously.
A grin spread across her face, "Great! I'm pretty sure Jo will go along with some of it, but Hermione might be a tough one…but then again, who said she had to find out?"
"Have I ever told you, you were my best friend?" Ron asked, grinning.
"Not recently, no."
"This is going to be bigger than fifth year, isn't it?"
"Harry, you're underestimating me! This isn't going to be big, this is going to be epic."
For the most part, Harry, Ron, and Shawna had the compartment to themselves. Every so often, various other acquaintances would pop their heads in to say hello, but for the first half of the trip, it was just the three of them.
"So Ron, where'd your girlfriend get to?" Shawna asked, lazily flipping through a Daily Prophet.
"Ron has a girlfriend?" Joanna asked, stepping into the compartment and taking a seat next to Shawna.
"I do not!" Ron exclaimed, his face flushing.
"Well there was Lavender last year…" Joanna mused to herself.
"And this year it's Hermione. But you know my theory." She sent a smirk at Ron, who glared back.
"What's your theory?" Joanna asked, instantly interested.
"Only that he's been in love with her since first year and he only dated Lavender to make her jealous, which by the looks of events last year, worked, and that they're going to get married and reproduce like bunnies."
"…That was a mental image I never needed, thank you Shawna." Harry replied, looking slightly disturbed.
She shrugged in response. "It's true."
"Wasn't there also Fluer fifth year?" Joanna asked.
"Yeah, but that didn't go anywhere really, she didn't like him back. But we all know who she does like," another smirk was sent in Ron's direction.
"I can't believe Bill married her…"
"Oh stop. She's sweet."
Ron snorted. "Yeah, about as sweet as Malfoy."
"Draco Malfoy is an arrogant son-of-a-bitch who needs to pull his head out of his ass and wash his damn hair." As Shawna ranted, she didn't hear the compartment door slide open.
"Now, now O'Reilly. You really do need to learn to respect your superiors," an arrogant voice leered. She'd know that voice anywhere.
"Go suck it Malfoy," she snarled, wheeling around to face him, fury evident in her eyes. "If you think you're superior to me, you're obviously more delusional than I thought."
His eyes narrowed instantly. "I'm Head Boy, O'Reilly, I'm superior to you in ways you can't even dream about."
"Really? You're Head Boy? Does that mean-" Harry and Joanna instantly clasped their hands around her mouth, preventing her from finishing her question.
"That's what I thought," he sneered, before sweeping briskly out of the compartment.
"You should have let her finish…" Ron complained, as Joanna and Harry pushed Shawna back into her seat.
"I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I hate him…" she growled, glaring at the door.
"Shawn, I don't think his mother even likes him," Joanna reassured her fuming friend. This seemed to relax Shawna a bit, but not much. Her fists were still clenched so tightly they were loosing circulation.
"You have severe anger management problems," Joanna sighed.
"No I don't," Shawna rolled her eyes, and Harry attempted to unclench her fists, "I just choose to vent my anger in violent ways."
"You're a freak."
"Thanks. Love you too, Jo," sarcasm dripped from her every word. Joanna just grinned.
For the rest of the train ride, Hermione was seldom seen (due to the fact she was Head Girl). Eventually, Joanna fell asleep against Shawna, who fell asleep on Ron, who fell asleep against the window, and Harry dozed by himself against his window. The group was only awakened by the lurching stop of the train combined with the screams and shouts of overly-excited first years. They unloaded their luggage, throwing several of the first and second years out of the way, and climbed into a carriage pulled by a Threstle, which only Ron and Harry could see their horrible forms.
The Sorting went relatively normal, except for one major factor. The before-dinner speech was no longer, and never shall again, made by Professor Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall had taken the role of Headmistress. As she stood to make her speech, the whole room went deathly silent, each (except for the first years of course) remembering the former Headmaster's quick, quirky speeches.
"Before we all begin our dinner, I would just like to say a few words. Just because Professor Dumbledore is no longer with us, it does not mean we will continue this school year any less than normal. He would want us to carry on as if he were still with us. But I beg of you students, be careful and be on your guard, times are no longer safe," Shawna's eyes instantly flickered to a certain table on the other side of the Great Hall and back to McGonagall again, but not before they were met with a pair of cold, grey eyes staring back, "and we must unify or we shall surely fall. Now, I would like to introduce new staff members who will be joining us this year. Professor Beauregard will be teaching Transfiguration, Professor Cleary will be the new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher," Shawna, Ron, and Harry exchanged smirks as Hermione rolled her eyes. "And Professor Snape will be the new Deputy Headmaster as well as retaining his post as Potions Master." An audible groan erupted from three of the four tables. "Without further adieu, let the feast begin."
Shawna struck up a conversation with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan about Quidditch, which Ron eagerly joined in on once he heard the Chudley Cannons mentioned, and Harry, Shawna suspected, only joined in because he did not wish to discuss classes or Voldemort with Hermione.
"Making Snape Deputy Headmaster, boy, what a mistake," Seamus mused. The subject had changed once they started discussing the possible outcomes for the in-house Quidditch tournament.
"No wonder Malfoy's Head Boy," Ron added, downing his Pumpkin Juice. Hermione and Ginny had joined the conversation as well once they heard it was diverted from Quidditch.
"Please, it's not like he actually uses his brain," Hermione added.
"Whoa, whoa wait, Malfoy has a brain? When did this happen?" Shawna asked in all seriousness.
"You know, around the time hell froze over!" Dean exclaimed.
The group let out a boisterous laugh. Taking a drink of water, Shawna's eyes flickered in a glare over to where Malfoy and his cronies were sitting. His eyes instantly met hers with hatred burned deeply into them. This was going to be a fun year.