The blonde kids leaned on the train, identical trunks at their feet. They ignored the rest of the people around them, talking and laughing at each-other's jokes. Every once in a while they would nudge each-other, point at something, and laugh. They reminded Ron a bit of Fred and George when he saw them, and indeed, his brothers were already making their way towards them.

"Twins, I'm guessing?" George said, sitting on one of their trolleys. "Joining first year?"

"Why yes, we are. Couldn't say about you, though. Cousins?" the boy said and all four laughed. The girl held her hand out.

"Aileen and Lucian. We're planning on having some actual fun this year, so we really could use a quick intro to the school." She smiled, and gestured towards Hagrid, who was standing further away. "For example, is he a giant?"

"No, in fact, he's a very tall gnome." Fred said, sitting up seriously. "Only joking, Hagrid's a half-giant and our grounds-keeper. He's alright, doesn't mind a break in the rules every once in a while."

"Much help is a grounds-keeper not minding us breaking the rules." Lucian said, frowning. "If he has any say, it'll get boring, and since I doubt he does, he won't really be able to change anything."

"No, we already managed to get in a ton of trouble on our year at Hogwarts. The castle is like a maze! Nobody knows it better than us." Fred pulled out a yellowing piece of paper from his pocket. "We learnt a whole lot from here. Stole it from Filch last year, it's a map of the school. You can see where everybody are, and all of the secret entrances to Hogwarts. We know seven."

"That's all nice and well, but who are the marauders?" Aileen asked, pointing at the strange insignia. "What if they're still around?"

Ron couldn't hear the rest of the chat, but from that day on, Lucian and Aileen were Fred and George's best friends, partners of crime, and for a while apprentices. They were as gifted in magic as his brothers, and had the same spark for pranks and jokes. It was troublesome for Ron to keep track with all that was going on, but he always saw the two pairs of twins together, laughing, and planning another ingenious prank. With Lucian and Aileen's help, every prank was bigger, better, brighter. They came closer every day.


It was the fifth year, and Umbridge was about to state another Educational Decree, when he caught a look from Aileen to Fred. The four teens were spread strangely apart, Aileen very near the front of the table, then Lucian a two-thirds of the table behind her, and on the other side Fred and George were sat one exactly between them, and one towards the end. The look was a look Ron had come to recognise; it meant they had a plan which was now starting. Before he could do anything, Aileen cupped her hands to her lips and shouted: "What's that above you, professor?"

While Umbridge was looking up, she pointed her wand right above her head and a Chinese Dragon appeared, spewing gold-wrapped sweets which appeared to be as hard as stone. Umbridge chased it to another room, and Aileen pointed at the lock, making it click loudly. All teachers on the main table pretended not to notice a thing.

Lucian stood up on the Griffindor table and brought his finger up to his lip, turning around to ensure everybody saw. He climbed off, and Ron noticed that the other three had each positioned themselves by a house table, waiting for a signal. Lucian moved as well, and Fred lifted his wand to point at the air in front of him.

"All students are requested to step to the sides of the room." he wrote in great fiery letters. All moved apart from the Inquistorial Squad, who stayed put around the Slytherin table.

"George, I am really afraid they might get hurt if we let them stay," Aileen said with mock worry. "We must do something."

"Indeed. Why, I think that I know the perfect place for them to sit safely," George said with doubtful sincerity.

"I think I know which place you mean," Aileen said, pointing her wand towards the stray students at the same time as George. The students were lifted on invisible chairs, and lined up in a row far above the teacher's table. Aileen gave it a glance and smiled.

"They do look so incredibly smart, don't they?" she said, moving her attention to the table in front of her. Each of the four pointed their wands at a table and all that was on it disappeared. With a second flick of their wands, the tables flew and gathered in the middle of the room, slowly morphing into one great circle. Their colours changed to red, blue, yellow and green swirls.

Lucian waved his wand, and a large centrepiece appeared, made out of foodware and cutlery. Coloured ribbons in the house colours were draped all around it, turning brown as they neared the top. Above all, there was a huge Hogwarts insignia, balancing magically on the thin top. Aileen and Fred hurried to climb on it, and hung using one hand from each side of the logo, feet balancing on the side of the centrepiece. Aileen let the lock open for Umbridge, who gasped in surprise.

"What have you—" she started, but was cut in the middle by Aileen.

"Hello, fellow students. Most of you wouldn't know, but today is Hogwarts Day!" she said into her wand, which carried her voice all around the hall.

"Today, many hundreds of years ago," Fred continued from his side.

"Godric Griffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazaar Slytherin," George continued, from where he stood under them, on the table. With each name, a house colour lit up and cheers were heard from the crowd.

"Have decided to found this school." Lucian finished from his position on the other side of the table.

"Now, we never really celebrate it which seems a bit dull." Aileen said, pulling a face. "But do not fret, we are here! We decided we should bind under one house and one colour, Hogwarts House of brown and chrome! Sleep wherever you like, go wherever you want, all is allowed on Hogwarts Day."

"Excuse me!" Umbridge managed to shout, sending all to an eerie quiet. "But who gave you permission to do this, if I may ask?"

"Permission? What is that thing you are speaking of? I never needed it for anything." Aileen said, sending all into laughter. The next night, the Inquistorial Squad had a hard time finding all students who went to camp around the castle, and sending them back to their dormitories, only to find that they have returned. Ties were recoloured and lessons skipped, and all was merry for a while. Ron remembered Aileen winking at him when he stared at what they had done, and then running off in some direction. The entire Inquistorial Squad was trying to find them, and they used every card they have got to remain uncaught.


Right after the battle of Hogwarts, when the dead and injured were treated in the hall, Ron saw Lucian lying still on the next bed from Fred. Aileen was weeping over his body, alone, right next to the huge family that was saying goodbye to Fred, all together. Ron remembered that both her parents were dead, and were deatheaters on the first time Voldemort rose to power. Lucian was the only family she had, and on that night she lost him too, just like George lost his twin, but a hundred times more heartfelt.

When he came back from across the hall, where he had walked to clear his mind and be free for a moment from the picture of Fred lying so still on the makeshift bed, Ron saw that Aileen was now crying on George's shoulder, who also had a tear in his eye. They were standing between Lucian and Fred, facing the walls as to not look at either. The picture seemed so final, both Lucian and Fred lying there solemnly, their twins grieving.

When Hagrid carried Harry back, dead, Aileen stepped forward and spoke up: "the Chosen or not the Chosen, Harry's death does not mean the end of our fight." She said, her eyes wild. "He is just another casualty in this war, just like all of these lying inside people who we knew so well, and who deserved to live. I know that I won't stop fighting until he's dead. Who's with me?" cries came up from the crowd, and Voldemort laughed.

"You have already lost, child. Get out of my way."

"No." The sorting hat flew towards her, and she caught it, pulling the sword of Griffindor out an with one, swift motion, sent it threw Nagini's neck. Voldemort screamed.

"It's painful, isn't it, losing a loved one?" she taunted. "Well, now you know." She lifted her wand, and without her saying a thing, a deatheater dropped dead in front of her. Harry wasn't in Hagrid's arms any more, but nobody's attention was on him. A battle raged, filling the patio. Aileen and George fought back to back, taking on a dozen-or-so deatheaters all in once, but they were both fighting with new energies and a wild fury registered over their set face. They were winning.

When Harry was fighting Voldemort, Aileen was watching from nearby. Ron spotted her shaking her head at something Harry had done, just before dodging out of a charm's way. He didn't see much of her for the rest of that day.


At the funeral service, Aileen and George sat at the back, remaining silent throughout. They were holding hands between their plastic chairs. When Fred and Lucian's names were called, George whispered something in Aileen's ear and she smiled. A couple of days later, they were officially a couple. A few years afterwards they married, and even had twins of their own. Two boys, one blonde named Fred, and one ginger named Lucian. When asked why they named them that way, they would always reply that changes are good, sometimes. The continued running the shop.


19 YEARS LATER

Aileen and George stood in King's Cross, hugging their kids goodbye before they had to leave for their first year at Hogwarts.

"If you fail Quidditch, don't bother coming home." George said, smiling.

"George!" Aileen called, punching him on the arm. "If you fail in school, though, I might just have to send you back to year one under the names Harry and Ron." She said.

"May I ask why?" Ron was hugging Rose goodbye, but both stopped for an answer.

"At least then they can say that they couldn't avoid failing, they were just following their namesakes." Everybody laughed, and Harry and Ron rolled their eyes. Lucian and Fred Pulled Aileen to the side.

"What if we get put in another house? Instead of Griffindor?" Fred asked.

"I think Harry is dealing with the same question over there," she said. "Anyway, I think that, no matter which house you get put in, you'll make that house's time very interesting." She hugged them both, and then sent them off on the train.

"Remember when we met here?" She asked George, who smiled.

"Yes. I remember."