Well, I'm giving it a try. This is my first story on this account, but not my first published fanfiction. A few years ago a I had an account with 4 or 5 stories, but I felt that my writing was far below sub-par, so I deleted it out of embarrassment. Now I'm back to try it again.
I know that Cho Chang's year has been disputed (sometimes quite heatedly) but for the purpose of this fiction, I'm going with the movie canon and placing her in fifth year with the Golden Trio. I know, it's not book canon blah blah blah. We'll all be fine.
Not quite sure how I'm going to update this yet. Probably a weekly or bi-weekly schedule. C:
Enjoy! PLEASE feel free to criticize, patronize, and favoritize. C;
Chapter One: At First Glance
Harriet was not amused by this situation. Other girls in her compartment were babbling on mindlessly about who-knows-what. And all the while, wallowing in her self pity, the mudblood fifth year just wanted to finish up her summer assignments. She really should not have procrastinated to such an extent, but really, could you blame her? This summer had been filled with things much more important than tedious homework! Like...
Drat, she could think of nothing. Really, the most exciting occurrence this season had been shopping for school supplies with her friend, Cho. They had gossiped and people-watched, all the while adding heavy textbooks and packages of quills to their trolleys. Things like: "Did you hear Draco Malfoy has a new girlfriend? It's Pansy though, been on her back since third year." or "Look at that girl's skirt! Can't be older than a first year, and flat as a board!". Though, after that last comment, Harriet looked down at her own chest and silently hoped to herself that Cho would not call her out on that. She had given up on her dreams of a tall, hour glass figure at the end of this summer, settling for, albeit bitterly, her 5'5" and less-than-bodacious body.
And it's not like anyone would notice her while she was standing next to Cho Chang. Not too tall or too short, curves in all the right places, and hair so shiny it made the sun fold its arms across its chest and mutter under it's breath, "I hope that bitch gets fat." Honestly, why did Cho even hang out with her?
But Harriet already knew the reason, and she didn't want to think about that right now.
Coming back to reality like someone who had just broken the surface of very cold lake, the Hufflepuff cursed her day dreaming tendencies. The tip of her quill had been poking the same spot of parchment for quite a while now, and had begun to bleed through to the other side. She drew her wand out and magicked the ink off the parchment. Ah, it felt so good to use magic again.
The elation was short-lived, however, when she realized she was only two inches down a ten-inch report on the mating habits of Hippogriffs. A quick look out of the train window revealed that there was no sign of the Hogwarts castle just yet, and if she really buckled down and focused she could put a half-decent essay together. Cho, sitting next to her and just snapping out of a day dream herself, noticed Harriet's frantic quill movements.
"I heard that there's a new professor this year for Care of Magical Creatures, so they probably won't be too hard on the grading." She said, scanning over the Hufflepuff's essay quickly.
"Easy for you to say, Cho. You're a Ravenclaw. Anything you write is guaranteed at least an 'Exceeds Expectations'." Harriet mumbled back distractedly.
"You know that's not true! I get plenty of average grades!" Cho chattered back defensively. Though why, Harriet wasn't sure. The Ravenclaw always wanted to downplay her intelligence.
"Oh really, what's the worst grade you've ever gotten then?"
"Well..." Harriet could see Cho bite down on her lip and crinkle her brow in thought from the corner of her eye. Of course, she probably had to think back a while. "I got a 'Poor' on a Potions test one time in second year. It was so embarrassing!"
Harriet gave a victorious "Hah!" while still jotting down some facts that she vaguely remembered from last year's Care of Magical Creatures class. "Everyone fails an assignment in Potions at least once, if you're not a Slytherin. Snape makes damn sure of that."
"Oh, Harriet. Don't say that! It was my fault, I stirred the Cure for Boils counter-clockwise instead of clockwise, and it exploded. I looked like Seamus Finnegan that day. I even had to ask Madam Pomfrey to help me grow back some of my hair!" Cho recounted the memory with, from what Harriet could tell, a pained expression.
"Alright, alright. Calm down."
The conversation faded out from there, as Harriet focused more and more on finishing the essay. The dull clucking of the other girls in their compartment white noise in the background. She was glad that Cho and herself had already changed into our robes earlier, she certainly wouldn't have time now. Another quick glance out the window told her that Hogwarts was rapidly approaching.
She finished her essay right as the train gently rolled into a stop, the walls creaking in protest as all movement came to an end. Harriet wondered to herself just how long this train had been transporting students, and it wasn't until Cho offhandedly gave her an exact year that she realized she had been thinking out loud. Rolling her shoulders back, the Hufflepuff flicked her wand at the essay to dry off the ink and rolled it up before tucking it in the waistband of her skirt. She then stood up and adjusted her clothing and tried her best to smooth back her tangled coppery hair. The effort was futile, but a habit nonetheless.
"I'm so hungry!" Harriet complained as her stomach gave a bothered growl.
"Me too. Do you think it's alright to sit together in the Great Hall?" Cho pondered, stretching her arms out in a 'Y' and giving a great yawn.
"I don't know. maybe we should stick to our own tables, for the sorting at least." Harriet too had been thinking about this. While she missed her Hufflepuff friends, she did want to sit with Cho as well.
"Alright. Don't leave me for too long though! Marietta might talk my ears off! She owled me a while ago saying she went to Egypt over the summer, and has loads to tell me." Cho feigned an exasperated face, and the two friends shuffled out of the compartment and onto the platform.
After a long walk and much confusion, the fifth years were directed to go towards carriages being pulled by strange, bald, winged horses. They looked quite frightening, and Harriet wracked her brain trying to figure out what they were.
She climbed into one of the carriages with Cho and some Gryffindors. Of the bunch, she recognized the Weasley twins, and a girl that she knew played Quidditch, but couldn't quite remember the name of. There was also a couple in the carriage that she quickly turned away from, as they decided that a snogging session was in order. Harriet smiled at the other Gryffindors, and listened to Cho talk about her classes this year, and how she wanted OWLS in at least five of her subjects. She nodded along with her, all the while sneaking glances at the Weasley twins. They really were quite attractive. One of the many times that Harriet managed to take in their features, one of the twins caught her looking and winked. This sent her pulse on over the edge and she quickly looked away.
She made eye contact with Cho, who had both noticed and giggled at her misfortune. Harriet glared back at her with what she hoped were menacing green eyes, then shifted her gaze to the foot of the carriage. Marietta Edgecomb, looking exhausted and a bit out of breath, clambered up the small steps to sit on the other side of Cho.
"Oh, Merlin. I'm too tired for this." Harriet mumbled under her breath, resting her face on her palm and closing her eyes.
It wasn't that Marietta had ever done anything to her personally, it was just that...she liked to talk. A lot. She had never heard anyone talk so fast or so much, and had no idea how Cho could keep up with her. Sometimes, Harriet doubted that the girl was human. She could think of no other reason as to how the girl could go so long without breathing. As Marietta started to tell Cho all about her vacation to Egypt, the copper-haired fifth year could already feel a head ache coming on.
Finally getting over her embarrassment about being caught staring, Harriet felt it safe to take another quick glance at the twins. Only to realize that one of them was staring right back at her with big, brown eyes. She pondered whether the twinkle she spotted in his eyes was real, or a product of her imagination. Either way, it seemed to send all of the blood in her body upwards in what she was sure resulted in a big, fat blush. The Weasley twin only smirked- smirked!- at her and held out his hand.
"I'm George Weasley. I figured you should know my name since you've been staring quite a bit. Never seen a ginger before?" His smirk never faded as he spoke to her, his voice laced honest amusement.
Harriet was mortified. He spoke to her. He acknowledge her staring. He was attractive. He did not quiet his voice or speak discreetly to her. Everyone in the carriage, with the exception of the snogging couple who went right along with as much obscenity as before, turned in their seats to watch this encounter. She reckoned that even the strange horse turned to look at her.
How did her mouth work again? She tried to think of something witty to say. Something comical, snarky, or sarcastic that would impress him and everyone in the carriage so that she could forget about this moment and not have to regret it for the rest of her life.
"Thestrals are pulling the carriages, you know." Harriet spat, the fact rushed and barely coherent. So that's what they were. She wondered for a moment how she spoke it without it registering in her brain, before she realized what she had said and stiffened. He looked at her like he might actually believe she was off her rocker.
Seconds of complete silence passed. Or was it full minutes?
"You're a bit of a strange bird. You know that?" His face said 'what the fuck', but his eyes said 'this is hilarious'.
"My name's Harriet Stewart." She squeaked when she felt she could conjure up a sentence. One hand fisted in the fabric of her skirt and the other shook his hand.
George had that twinkle in his eye again, and his smirk returned as though it had never left. Harriet glanced at his twin, who seemed equally amused and had the same smirk tight around his face. "Fred." He introduced himself, but did not offer his hand like his twin had. He was too busy trying to contain his laughter, Harriet could tell by the way his rib cage seemed to expand shakily when he breathed. She wondered whether he was holding his amusement back for her benefit or just because he didn't want to seem rude. She nodded her 'hello' at him, shaken.
"Well, Harriet," George replied, withdrawing his hand. "You seem bonkers."
Hope you liked it! Please review/favorite/whatever it is you readers do. C: