Author's Note: I am so sorry about how long it has been. So don't make it any longer, go and read. A longer note will be at the end.
Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own any of J.K. Rowling's amazing characters. I also do not own any of the songs or bands that I refer to throughout this story.
I woke up the morning of Tuesday September 1 with a yawn. I had set my alarm to go off at 9am, an ungodly early hour, so that I could make sure that I had everything prepared before leaving for Kings Cross Station. I swung my feet out of bed, thinking about how the past two days had seemed to fly by.
I didn't plan on doing much of anything on Sunday or Monday, spending most of my time either reading or out in my backyard just flying around on my Firebolt. I had thought about going over to the Burrow to see Ginny, but I just wanted some time by myself to think. I also waited for a letter from Mom and Dad, hopefully saying that they would be able to come home in time to see me onto the train. But Sunday came and went, along with most of Monday, and no word had come. It was right after I had finished eating dinner, and was about to go through everything I had packed for what seemed like the hundredth time, when something finally happened.
It was almost 11 that night when I heard the tap against the window in my bedroom. Looking up, I was just able to make out an unfamiliar black owl outside my window. I let the owl in, barely able to retrieve my letter before the bird took off out the open window, blending into the dark sky. I ripped open the envelope and saw Mom's handwriting. Sitting down on the edge of my bed, I began to read her small print.
Angie~
I was getting worried that I hadn't heard from you. There should
have been some time in the past week that you could have spared to put a
quill to parchment. I have been so distracted from worrying about you that
I haven't been able to concentrate at all in any of the meetings that I have
been going to. I was reprimanded by the Minister himself for not remem-
bering to finish some important paperwork for him just yesterday.
Because of that, the Minster is not allowing your father and I to
come and see you onto the train. I don't want you to feel like I am blaming
you, but you really should have sent off an owl. How am I supposed to know
that you are okay if I don't hear from you?
Well, I have to get back to working on something for Minister Fudge.
Your father and I are really busy so I doubt that either of us will have much
time to write over the next few days, maybe even weeks. I hope that you
enjoy the beginning of term and your father and I will see you come your
winter holiday.
Love,
Mom and Dad
I guess I was supposed to feel guilty, which I did, but Mom's letter made me madder more than anything else. On the day that I was going to be leaving for school, in the country that they dragged me to, Mom and Dad weren't even going to be there. I never asked for this to happen to me, yet Mom was blaming me, like I had a choice in this matter. From the sound of her letter, I doubt Minister Fudge would have let either one of them leave with how busy they sounded. Either that, or Fudge was just a complete bastard. I ripped the letter into a bunch of little pieces before throwing them into the trash.
I tried to concentrate on going through all my clothes that I had packed, but I just couldn't. I needed to get out of the house and talk to someone, anyone, and the only place I could think to go was the Burrow. I threw on my purple Cobra hoodie over my white tank top and black basketball shorts, slipping on a pair of black flip flops. I raced down the stairs, not stopping until I had reached the living room on the first floor of the house. I came to a halt before the fireplace, glad that the fire was still lit from earlier, and tossed in some Floo powder. I jumped in the fire and yelled out 'The Burrow' before being spiraled around the different fireplaces in England and spit out on the carpet in the Weasley's living room.
I jumped to my feet, cursing the Floo process under my breath, and tried to brush as much soot off as I could.
"Hello? Ginny?" I called out. The house was eerily quiet, more so than I had ever heard it. When I was at the Burrow last weekend, there was always someone or something making some sort of noise. It seemed almost unnatural that it was so quiet. "Ginny? Hello? Is anyone here?"
There was still the same quiet, becoming slightly unnerving. I made my way out of the living room, walking back towards the kitchen. I was hoping someone might be in there, but no one was in sight. The kitchen seemed also too large without Mrs. Weasley bustling around in it.
"Hello? Is anybody in here? Ginny? Fred? George? Anyone?" I turned around and slowly made my way up the stairs. I saw that Ginny's door was open and looked in to no avail. I continued up the stairs, thinking maybe she was in one of her brother's rooms. I checked all of the rooms I passed. There was no sign of anyone in the other room on the first floor, or in the bathroom, or in the twins' room. I was just passing the third floor landing when the door on my left was opened and an arm shot out and grabbed me. I shrieked, a little out of shock but mostly out of fear. I was dragged inside the room and shoved towards a bed in the far corner.
I managed to catch myself on the edge of the bed instead of sprawling out over it. I turned to face the person who captured me, only to pause at the sight of someone who was obviously a Weasley. The man, because he certainly wasn't a boy, was a little shorter than the twins, but still taller than me by a few inches, with auburn hair that was not quite shoulder length and piercing eyes that reminded me of melting honey. He was leaning against the closed door, wearing a pair of loose denim jeans, what looked like black cowboy boots, and a tight fitting black t-shirt. I figured he had to be Bill, Charlie, or Percy, the three Weasley boys that I had not yet met.
"Which one are you? Bill, Charlie, or Percy?" I asked, still keeping my distance, just in case I was wrong about the man being a Weasley. I managed to slip my hand into my jacket pocket, only to curse myself for having forgotten my wand back at my house.
"I think that the better question is who are you and what are you doing in my house," the man asked, still looking at me and tapping his wand on his arm.
I eyed his wand carefully before answering him, never taking my eyes off his hand. "I'm Angie Westermann. I'm a good friend of your sister Ginny, along with Fred and George. I just came over here because I needed to get out of my house and talk to someone," I answered, briefly looking up at his face. "Now why don't you tell me who you are?"
"I've never heard of you," the man said, ignoring my question. "Why did you decide to come here rather than go to your family, or even another one of your friends?"
I sighed and rolled my eyes, mildly annoyed by all of his questions. "My parents aren't in the country right now, I have no siblings, no one else in my family lives here, and all of my friends are back in the States. I just moved here a little over a week ago when my parents got transferred. I'm going to be in the same year as the twins. Now, why don't you answer my question? Which brother are you?" I demanded, stressing each of the words. I was starting to get tired of the third degree. I was tempted to just Apparate out of the room and back home, but I still really needed to talk to someone. And I didn't have my wand, which made Apparition impossible. And for some reason I doubted that this guy would just let me walk downstairs and Floo back home.
"Let me see your left arm."
I blinked in surprise. "What?"
"Let me see your left arm," the man repeated, slowly approaching me.
I slid my arm behind my back. "Why?"
The man ignored my question, just reaching out and yanking my arm back around to my front. Despite my objections, and believe me there were quite a few, he shoved the left arm of my jacket up and thoroughly inspected my left forearm. I was almost positive that this man was bat-shit crazy when he dropped my arm and looked up at me with a smile.
"What the fuck was that about?" I seethed, pulling my jacket back into place.
"Just needed to make sure that you weren't a Death Eater. Can't be too careful these days," he responded, moving back across the room. "But what are you doing here? Why aren't you with your parents? It's not a safe time to be staying by yourself."
"It's none of your business! I don't know you, nor have you given me any reason to trust you, so why should I tell you anything?" I practically hissed at him, before pausing. "Besides what I've already told you."
"Very true," the man murmured. "Well, if it helps, I'm Charlie, Fred, George, and Ginny's older brother. I have a job right now in Romania, working on the Dragon Reservation there. I came in for the night since the rest of the family had an important meeting to attend."
"Romania? Then you might have met my parents. They're over there with the Minister right now."
"Wait, your parents are the two new Ministry employees? I did meet them when they were on a tour of the Reserve. Seemed pretty decent, the woman was a bit f a bitch, but still decent," Charlie replied.
"Um, sure. They kind of are, I guess." I wasn't really comfortable with this guy insulting my mom, even if it was true. "So, everyone is out at some kind of meeting tonight? That's a little weird."
"Sort of. My parents are at the meeting. Everyone else is just there for the night so that they are closer to Kings Cross for tomorrow. They are staying at a family friend's house. Gin might have told you about him, goes by the name of Snuffles?" When I shook my head, he just gave me a weak smile. "Okay then. So you said you needed to talk to someone about something? Anything that I can help with?" Charlie went back to leaning against the wall.
"Um, as much as I appreciate your offer, I kinda wanted to talk to someone that I'm actually friends with. No offense," I added quickly. "You seem like a really nice guy, but you really have no clue what is going on and I just really need a friend right now." Charlie just smiled and nodded his head.
"I understand. C'mon. I'll get Gin or one of the twins here in a couple minutes." He pushed himself off the wall and motioned for me to precede him out of the room. We walked downstairs and into the living room in silence before he motioned for me to sit on a couch as he went to the fireplace. He threw in some Floo powder before placing just his head into the flames.
George was cleaning up the kitchen of Grimmauld Place after dinner was over. All the Order of the Phoenix members were in the library having a meeting while Fred, Ginny, and Hermione were in Harry and Ron's room with them. George would have been up there with Fred and the rest of them if their mum hadn't caught them trying to use their Extendable Ears to hear what was going on during the Order meeting. She forced them to separate, promising permanent disfigurement if they didn't do as they were told.
George had long since finished with cleaning dishes and was trying to find something to do. It was incredibly boring, seeing as no one was down there with him. He was currently summoning some of Ron's school books and transfiguring them into spiders. He had just finished with his Transfiguration book, and yes, the irony did strike him, when suddenly he heard his brother's voice from the fireplace.
"Anyone in here?"
George spun around in his chair at the table. There, in the fireplace, was the face of his brother Charlie. George jumped out of his chair and went to kneel at the hearth.
"Charlie? It's George. What's going on?"
"Oh, hey George. I have a friend of yours here at the house and she says that she needs to talk to you, Fred, or Ginny. Would you mind coming back to the house for a little bit? I actually needed to head back to the Reserve tonight but didn't want to leave the house empty. You might want to tell mum what's going on, too. She might start freaking out if you suddenly disappear."
"Oh. Sure. I'll be over in a few minutes," George answered. Charlie's head disappeared, leaving George to stare into the coals of the dying fire, wondering what was going on.
I saw Charlie remove himself from the fireplace after about five minutes. He shook his head to remove the soot stuck there while standing to face me.
"George is coming. And I've got to get back to the Reservation. It was a pleasure to meet you Angie, and I'm sure if Mum has her way I might be seeing you around winter holiday this year. Have a good time at Hogwarts." With that, Charlie turned and walked out the front door. I saw from the window that he walked a few yards from the house before Apparating away.
I sat back down on the couch. I started to wonder why George was the one who was coming. I would more than understand Ginny, and Fred was the closest thing I had to a best guy friend here, but that wasn't saying much. George and I hadn't really had much time to get to know each other. It wasn't that I didn't want to get to know him; it was just that he was either with Ginny or Angelina while I was shoved off on Fred, which suddenly struck me as a little weird. I would have thought the twins would have gone off alone together, leaving me and Ginny alone. But it probably meant nothing. They probably just got tired of being with each other all the time or something.
But really, I knew almost nothing about George. From the little time that I had talked to him, he seemed like a pretty nice guy. A lot like Fred, but that was a give in. He didn't even know anything about what I wanted to talk about, or at least I hadn't talked to him personally about any of it.
I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear the sound of George Flooing into the room or even see him in my peripherals.
"Angie? What are you doing here?" I jumped at the sudden noise. Looking up, I saw George looking down at me. Without even thinking, I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his torso while burying my head into his chest, tears that I didn't realize I had been holding back coming to full bloom. I felt him stiffen for a moment, probably shocked, before tenderly bringing his arms up to wrap around me.
I buried my face deeper into his shirt, willing the tears to stop. I really didn't like crying in front of people. It made my face all blotchy and my eyes puffy, definitely not cute in any way. I realized I was probably causing George to feel uncomfortable and tried to back away, only to feel him tighten his arms around me.
"It's okay, Angie. Just get it all out," I heard George murmur into my hair, rubbing my back a little awkwardly.
I have no idea how long we stood there, with me crying all over his shirt, but eventually the tears stopped and I was able to calm down. I tried pulling away from George again, and this time he let me, but only so far as an arm's distance. I wiped off my eyes with the sleeve of my jacket before looking up at George with a weak smile.
"Hi," I whispered, my voice coming out somewhat hoarse from all the crying. I fell back on the couch, breaking out of his arms, and started fiddling with one of the worn throw pillows.
I felt George sit down next me, but didn't turn to look at him. I was embarrassed about breaking down in front of him and didn't really want to see his pitying look. Besides, my face was most likely hideously blotchy and I probably had mascara lines trailing down my face.
"So, that was some way to come home. What's going on, Angie? It might help if you talk about it." I took a deep breath before looking up into George's eyes. What I saw made me feel slightly better. There was not one ounce of pity in his eyes, as far as I could tell. Instead, he just looked concerned.
"My parents aren't going to be able to make it out here to see me onto the train tomorrow. And my mom is blaming it on me, saying that since I didn't owl her this past week, she hasn't been able to concentrate and got in trouble for it from the Minister. So while I feel bad about getting her in trouble, I'm also pissed off because she's blaming me for something that wasn't my fault. I was really busy. I was trying to get comfortable in this new home that we have, not to mention trying to get used to this country." I stopped to take a breath. "You know I went for a drive yesterday to clear my head and started driving on the right side of the road. It wasn't until a car almost smashed into me that I remembered that you're supposed to drive on the left side of the road here." I saw George trying to hold back his laughter and smacked at him with my hand. "It's not funny! Now, on top of all that, I'm going to have to go to Kings Cross all by myself tomorrow. I hate that Mom and Dad said that nothing would change once we moved here, but everything has. I feel like I might as well be living here on my own, since they pretty much ditched me once the plane landed." I let out a huge sigh, feeling extremely lighter since I had told someone. I looked over to George, who was just sitting there, blinking an awful lot.
"Wow. That bloody sucks. I'm so glad I'm not you right now," George replied.
I felt my mouth fall open. I could not believe he had just said that to me. I looked up at him, ready to give him a piece of my mind, when I noticed the smile that was threatening to form on his face.
"Why you jackass!" I laughed. I punched him playfully in the arm before he pulled me into a one armed hug.
"It's going to be okay, Angie. You know," George added, pulling back out of the hug, "you can always come with us tomorrow. That way you don't have to go by yourself. Mum would love to see you again. She talks about you non-stop." He paused for a second, almost as if thinking. "Though it is a nice change from her talking about Hero-boy all the time."
While I had no clue who 'Hero-boy' was, I felt an actual smile cross my face, probably for the first time that night. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't want to intrude. Charlie already told me that your mom already has everything planned for tomorrow, and I don't want to mess that up. But I promise I will meet up with you guys there, so keep an eye out for me. I'll be the girl who looks completely lost and frazzled." George let out a slight chuckle, causing me to smile again. He had a very nice laugh. "But I should probably get back to my house now, you know, to make sure that I have everything packed that I need to and all that." I stood up with George and gave him a final hug before heading towards the fireplace. "Oh, and can you tell Gin that I have that thing we found in Diagon Alley now?" At his curious nod, I smiled. "Okay. Thanks again for listening. And sorry that I pulled you away from your friend, um, Snuffles was it? I hope I didn't interrupt anything important." I smiled one last time before waving goodbye and Flooing back to my house, missing the way that George furrowed his brow slightly as I was whisked away into the fire.
Once home, I went upstairs and moved my trunk out into my sitting room. I looked over at my bed, contemplating sleep, but I knew it would be awhile until sleep would claim me. Instead I laid across my bed with a pad of paper and a pencil in front of me, letting my emotions fly across the paper into a sketch of the boy who I could not get off my mind.
I shook my head, bringing myself back to Tuesday morning. I had begun to wonder if maybe I should have just agreed to go to Kings Cross with George and everyone. It certainly would have made things easier on me. I looked out the balcony doors next to my bed, seeing the sun making its way across the sky. I looked over at my night stand, seeing the sketch I had partially completed the night before. Seeing those sparkling eyes staring out of the paper, I smiled slightly before crawling out of bed and into my bathroom to take a shower.
After an extremely hot shower, I wrapped myself in a towel to dry off before grabbing the clothes I had laid out for the day. I slipped on the pair of dark denim shorts and three-quarters length electric blue v-neck. I charmed my hair dry and straight before applying just a tiny bit of mascara, eye shadow, and gloss. I walked out into my bedroom and slipped on my favorite pair of rocket dogs before putting my pjs in my trunk. Tucking my sketch pad into my oversized purse, I hurried down to the kitchen to make myself a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast before, with my wand in one hand, the handle of my trunk in the other and my purse over my left shoulder, I Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron.
I stumbled a little bit on the landing, catching myself before I fell into anyone. Sticking my wand into my back pocket, I waved at the bartender before heading out the front door and hailed a cab for Kings Cross. Once there, I paid the man, who even took the time to grab a push cart for my trunk, and went off in search of Platform 9¾.
Which turned out to be easier said than done. I reached Platform 9, not expecting the next Platform to be 10. I stopped in my tracks, looking up at the signs and chewing on my bottom lip. There was no Platform 9¾. How can a train leave from a Platform that does not even exist? I looked around, hoping that maybe the Weasleys had not gotten here yet. I looked up at the clock on the side of the station and saw that it was almost 10:30. Only half an hour until the train left.
I was just starting to freak out when I heard someone shout my name. I looked around, my eyes finally spotting Angelina, Alicia, and Brit coming towards me from across the station. Brit was wearing a Beatles 'Let It Be' t-shirt with ripped up jeans, while Angelina and Alicia were wearing almost identical outfits of v-neck t-shirts, grey zip up hoodies, and jeans, though Angelina's shirt was yellow and Alicia's orange. When they reached me, I was enveloped in a giant hug from all of them.
"How was the rest of your break?" Angelina asked,
"It was okay. It definitely could have been better," I replied, shrugging my shoulders.
"Oh, did you call that gorgeous bartender?" Brit questioned, excitement sparkling in her eyes.
"No, I decided that it would be unfair to him. But maybe over winter break I'll drop by and see if we can make anything work," I shrugged off, not really caring one way or the other.
"That's if you aren't snatched up once term begins," Angelina smirked.
"Yeah, sure Angelina. That is definitely going to happen," I drawled, sarcasm practically dripping off the words.
"You never know. Anything can happen at Hogwarts. And I mean anything," Brit added.
"Well, we should probably get onto the Platform. Don't want to miss the train for our final year," Alicia said, looking up at the clock on the wall. At that, the three girls grabbed their trunks and started to move.
"Wait, what are you talking about? There isn't a Platform 9¾, only a platform 9 and 10." I shot each of them a questioning look.
"No one told you how to get on the Platform?" Alicia asked, surprise leaking through her words. I shook my head. "Wow. Okay. I would have though Fred and George would have told you. It's really not that hard. Just watch me and Angelina." With that, Alicia and Angelina took off, heading straight for the wall between Platforms 9 and 10. It happened so fast that I didn't even have a chance to blink before they both disappeared into the wall.
I looked around, surprised that none of the Muggles said anything, but everyone around Brit and I just kept going about their own business. I turned back to Brit, who was just smiling at me.
"Shocking how blind they can be, isn't it? I personally like to believe that they actually do see it, but talk themselves into believing it was a hallucination or trick of the light." A slight smile passed over Brit's face. "We should probably get going. Just don't be afraid about hitting the wall. Because then you actually might. See you on the other side." Brit smirked at me before passing through onto the Platform herself.
I took a deep breath before I started walking towards the Platform, trying not to think about hitting it, which only caused me to think about it more. I closed my eyes just as I was about a yard away, expecting to hit the wall, already cringing in pain, only to feel a slight magical tingling and then nothing.
I opened my eyes to see a large, gleaming red train, with around a hundred people milling about on the Platform. I looked around to find Angelina, Alicia, and Brit, but couldn't see them anywhere. So much for waiting for me. Figuring they were already on the train, I made my way through the crowd until I got to one of the doors onto the train.
I was trying to get my trunk up into the train, which was very difficult considering how heavy it was, when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Letting my trunk fall to the Platform with a thud, I pushed my hair out of my face and turned around, startled when I saw the grey eyed boy from Diagon Alley standing there. And he was dressed in pretty much the clothes as before; he had just taken off the jacket and was wearing a white shirt instead of a black one.
"Yes?" I asked, looking up at his face. He really did have gorgeous eyes.
"It looked like you might need some help. May I?" The mystery boy gestured towards my trunk.
"Oh. Yes, thank you. I didn't realize how heavy it was going to be when I packed it," I added as the boy heaved my trunk into the train.
"It's no problem. Always willing to help a beautiful lady out." He flashed me a dazzling smile before holding out his hand. "I'm Adrian Pucey."
"Nice to meet you," I said, gently shaking his hand. "I'm Angie Westermann."
"Now that's a name that I haven't heard before. What house are you in?"
"I'm not in one yet. I just transferred from the States for my seventh year."
"Ah. Then hopefully we will be in a couple classes together, Angie. Maybe even in the same house," Adrian smiled, letting my hand drop.
"That depends," I said, a smile pulling on my lips. "What house are you in?"
He just smirked down at me. "Find me on the train later and you'll find out. Ciao, bello." And with that he turned and walked off into the crowd still mulling about on the Platform.
I turned around, hopping onto the train, my mind caught up on Adrian. I grabbed the handle of my trunk and started dragging it down the hallway. Adrian seemed like a really sweet guy, only he was hanging out with those idiots in Diagon Alley. And Gin said that he was probably in Slytherin, which probably wouldn't work out to well if I wound up in Gryffindor. But how likely was it that every single person in Slytherin is evil?
And Adrian seemed nothing like that Malfoy brat who had insulted Ginny. Still, I made a mental note to be wary of him, just in case.
I continued down the hallway, looking in the cabin windows for a sign of Ginny, the twins, or Angelina, Alicia, and Brit. I was in the second train car when I found Ginny.
She was sitting in a cabin with her brother Ron, and four other people I didn't recognize. I was about to just pass, seeing that the cabin was full, when I saw Ginny waving her hand for me to come in. She was wearing a pale green sweater and jeans. The brown haired girl had on a similar outfit, just with a deep purple sweater instead. The other girl was really unique. She was wearing a short floral printed skirt with rainbow striped leggings, a bright pink t-shirt and an orange and yellow polka-dot cardigan. She also had what looked like radishes hanging from her ears, a collection of corks as a necklace, and was reading a magazine upside, which lead me to believe that she might be a few sandwiches short of a picnic basket. The boys all looked the same, with t-shirts, jackets and jeans. The boy right next to me, though, seemed to be in a bit of a shabby condition, almost like his clothes really didn't fit him at all.
"Hey Gin," I said as I slid the door open, leaning against the frame.
"I was worried you wouldn't get here in time. George told me that you visited last night. I wish I had known, I would have been there myself. But we can talk about that later," Ginny added with a smile.
"I'll catch you up on it later tonight. But I should probably get going. I didn't mean to interrupt," I apologized, edging out of the door slowly.
"Oh, don't go yet. Here, let me introduce you to my friends," Ginny smiled, her hands flying. "Angie, this is Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Hermione Granger, you know my brother, and this is Harry Potter," she stated as she pointed to each person. "Everyone, this is Angie Westermann, the girl I've been telling you about."
I had started nodding hellos to everyone, excluding Ron who was steadily avoiding me by looking out the window he was sitting next to, when I heard Harry Potter's name. I stopped for a moment, unable to believe that I was meeting the Boy-Who-Lived. It seemed unreal.
"As in 'the' Harry Potter?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's him. Do you have a problem with that?" Ron sneered at me, whipping his head away from the window.
"I was just curious. The newspaper at home always does a special article about him on Halloween, almost like a tribute to him and his parents. I've always been a bit curious as to what he would be like in person," I answered, a tad bit defensive.
"Yeah, like it has absolutely nothing to do with the Daily Prophet making him out to be a loony." Ginny smacked him across the head. "Bloody hell! What was that for?" Ron yelled, holding the back of his head.
"For being a prat! Angie's been here for what? A week? Do you really think she's had time to order the Daily Prophet or even know what it is? She couldn't possibly be interested in Harry simply because he destroyed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named when he was a baby? Merlin Ron, you can be so incredibly thick sometimes," Ginny screeched at him.
"So yeah," Harry said, breaking the heavy silence that had filled the room. He turned out to be the boy that was sitting right next to me, the one wearing the shabby clothes. "I'm that Harry Potter. It's nice to meet you Angie. Did you maybe want to join us? I'm sure we can make room."
"I would but I really need to go find some people. You guys wouldn't happen to know where Fred and George are? Or even Angelina, Alicia, Chelsea, and Brittany?" When everyone, meaning everyone except Ron, shook their heads no, I sighed. "Okay then, I guess I'll just head down the train and see if I can find them. I'll catch up with you later Ginny. It was really nice meeting you all. Except you again Ron. It's been terrible seeing you again, though thankfully you have your clothes on this time." As the cabin burst into surprised laughter, with Ron turning a violent shade of maroon, I gave one more wave before leaving the cabin and headed back down the hallway.
I had just managed to get into the next train car when the train jolted forward, signaling that it must be 11. However, it also caused me to go flying forward, falling into a guy and knocking him to the ground, with myself on top of him. The group he had been standing with started laughing hysterically as I tried to get up as quick as I could.
"Are you okay? I am so so so so sorry!" I apologized as I got to my feet and tried to help the guy to his.
"I'm fine, Angie. Really. But it is nice to see you again, even though you tried to crush me. But does that mean that you are crushing on me?" the guy replied. I froze, wondering how this guy knew my name when I looked down at his face and realized that it was Lee Jordan.
I started laughing as I helped him to his feet and pulled him into a hug. "Hey, Lee. You only wish I was crushing on you." I stepped out of the hug quickly when I noticed Katie standing behind him, a death glare being aimed right at me. "Hey Katie." Katie just sent me another glare before grabbing Lee and dragging him with her into one of the cabins. Looking around, I noticed the only people missing from the group were the twins and Chelsea. "Where are Fred and George?"
"Looking for you," answered a voice from behind me. Turning around, I saw Fred and George standing right inside the door to the car.
"Angelina, Alicia, and Brit were worried when they couldn't find you," George added.
"Thought you might have been kidnapped by a bunch of Slytherins," Fred commented.
"Especially after we saw Pucey talking to you." The twins shuddered.
"WHAT?" Angelina screamed. "You didn't tell us that!"
"Why were you talking to him?" Alicia questioned, shock clear on her face.
"Pucey? Do you mean Adrian? Yeah I talked to him. He helped me get my trunk on the train. It was a bit too heavy for me to manage on my own. He just put my trunk on the train, introduced himself, and left. End of story. I didn't drag him behind the train for a quick bang or anything," I explained, not seeing what all the fuss was about. "And besides, it's not like I ran away from you guys after I got onto the platform. You just weren't there."
"A bang?" Fred queried.
"Please, do explain further," George continued, a glint entering his eye.
"It sounds quite fascinating."
"I think you mean thoroughly enjoyable, Gred."
Angelina rolled her eyes and smacked George in the stomach. "Shove it George, this is serious. Angie, he's in Slytherin," she said, turning towards me.
"Which means he's pure evil," I heard the twins mutter.
"I doubt everyone in Slytherin is evil. There have to be a few normal people in the house," I reasoned.
"Guys, it's not that big of a deal-," Brit began.
"Not that big of a deal?" George choked out.
"Are you mental?" Fred asked.
"We're talking about Slytherins here-"
"Not innocent little flobberworms."
"Might as well have walked straight up to Snape-"
"And ask if you could wash his hair."
"Shut it. Both of you," Brittany said, fire flashing in her chocolate eyes, causing the twins to fall silent. "And what the bloody hell do Snape and flobberworms have to do with this? You know what, I really don't want to know," she shook her head before turning to me. "Anyway, like I was saying. It's not that big of a deal, but just fair warning. If you do get sorted into Gryffindor, Pucey will either never talk to you again or be a complete prick whenever he does. Gryffindors and Slytherins just do not get along," she finished, giving my hands a squeeze. "Now why don't we all go and sit down. The Slytherins should be starting their rounds soon. Don't want to make it any easier on them to find us."
I turned to grab my trunk, only to see Fred and George had it taken care of. I instead followed Brit into the cabin that Katie and Lee had disappeared into earlier. I sat down between Brit and Angelina, with Alicia on Angelina's other side. Across from us were Katie, Lee, Fred, and George, after the twins had shoved my trunk into the luggage rack above the seats. As soon as the twins sat down, Lee struck up a conversation with them about something; I really didn't care enough to listen in. Angelina, Alicia, and Katie started talking about the upcoming Quidditch tryouts, which I would have loved to find out more about, except that I was worried Katie would rip my head off if I joined the discussion. She was still glaring at me every chance she could. I had finally stopped looking over there when I realized that someone from the group was still missing.
"Brit?" I asked, causing her to look up from the book that she had been reading. "Why isn't Chelsea here?"
"Oh, I guess no one told you. She got an offer to spend the first part of term at Durmstrang, since she is going into International Magical Cooperation. Both our Ministry and the one there thought it would be a very enlightening experience for her. Depending on how it goes, she might even be finishing up the year there. She is really excited, especially because now she gets to spend all of her free time with Sean. I think that might have been part of the deciding factor for her," Brit explained with a smile.
"Oh. That sounds really interesting." I sat back in my seat. "So, is this what happens every year on the way to Hogwarts?"
"You mean, is it always this boring?" At my nod, Brit laughed quietly. "Not always. The boys are probably going to head off in a little bit to harass the Slytherins and catch up with some other people they know. Angelina, Alicia, and Katie will probably spend the entire time talking about either Quidditch or clothing. Chels and I normally just sat here and either talked about how our summers went or read," Brit finished with a shrug.
"Sounds like fun. I wish I had thought to put a book in my purse, but I had no clue that the ride would be very long," I sighed. I didn't want to risk pulling out my sketch pad, in case someone recognized the sketch that I had begun last night.
"Oh yeah. We get to Hogwarts in time to have the welcoming feast at sun down. But a trolley comes around offering different snacks and sweets since you are sure to get hungry. But if you want, I have another book in my bag. I'm a big Muggle author fan and John just bought these for me for my birthday. They are by Jane Austen. I just started Sense and Sensibility but I have Pride and Prejudice here if you want," Brit said, offering me the book she had just pulled from her bag.
"Really? I have wanted to read this for a while now. I'm a huge Jane Austen fan," I said, flipping the book open.
"I'm glad. I would hate for us to try to fill the ride with awkward conversations about nothing in particular," Brit replied, smiling as she went back to her book.
Brit and I spent the next couple of hours reading in companionable silence. I noticed the boys leave at one point, which was also when Alicia and Angelina went and joined Katie on the other side of the cabin. It must have been around 2pm when the door to the cabin opened to reveal the woman running the food cart. Brit and I dragged ourselves out of our books enough to buy some food, a few chocolate frogs, pumpkin pasties, and licorice wands apiece.
Brit and I sat back down and I just getting back into my book when there was a knock on the door. Looking up, I saw the door slide open and reveal Adrian standing in the doorway. His mouth was set in a scowl until he saw me, a slow smirk appearing in its place. Brit didn't appear to have noticed his appearance but the same couldn't be said for Angelina, Alicia, and Katie. All three of them were on their feet, wands drawn, as soon as Adrian appeared.
"What are you doing here Pucey?" Angelina spat, raising her wand towards Adrian's chest.
"I don't see how that concerns you Johnson," Adrian replied, calmly, but with a hint of an edge to his voice. He simply crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame.
"It obviously does because you are in a Gryffindor cabin. Or did you get lost trying to find your way back to the snake pit you crawled out of?" Alicia sneered.
"Enough guys," I interjected, standing up and moving between the four of them. "Just calm down." I turned to look at Adrian. "Was there something you wanted Adrian?"
He smirked down at me. "Yeah. Did you want to take a walk around the train with me? It must be awfully dull just sitting in here with this lot," he drawled, causing a gasp of anger to come from behind me.
"I was actually doing just fine, seeing as these are my friends. But a walk would be nice. My legs were starting to fall asleep on me," I replied, before turning to face Angelina and Alicia, seeing as Katie had already gone back to ignoring my existence. "I'll be back in a little bit." At their mutters of snakes and evil I interrupted, "I'm going to be fine. Don't worry; I can take care of myself."
"Have fun Angie. We'll talk when you get back," Brit called out as I was stepping out of the cabin, not even looking up from her book.
Once I was out in the corridor with Adrian I turned to face him.
"So, where to?"
There was that smirk again. "Come with me." He took my hand in his, shocking me with how soft his hands were. He led me down the corridor, weaving between people, heading towards the back of the train. Out of that car, into the next, down to the last cabin on the left and we finally reached our destination. He slid the door open for me and motioned for me to enter first.
The cabin was completely empty except for Adrian and myself. It suddenly struck me that I could have just walked into a trap when Adrian sat down on one of the benches and pulled on my hand until I sat down next to him.
"So I thought that maybe we could just talk and get to know each other a little better," he said, turning to face me more. I stilled for a second, before relaxing, realizing that his intentions were completely innocent.
"Okay. What did you have in mind?"
We talked for what seemed like days, just about trivial things, like favourite colors, past pets, worst date ever. Just anything that came to mind but nothing that was really important. It was like chatting with an old friend that I just met up with after years apart. It just felt right.
"So, you said you came here from America. Where specifically did you come from over there?" Adrian asked, leaning against the end of the bench seat near the door. I was leaning against the opposite end, with my feet kicked up on his lap, the window at my back.
"Well, I was born and raised in California, more specifically Santa Barbara. It's a city that is right on the coastline, so I grew up in a house that butted up against the ocean. It was amazing, watching the sun sink in the evening over the water. Completely breathtaking," I gushed. I felt my eyes light up as I talked about home, making me realize even more how much I missed it.
"Sounds like it would be," Adrian agreed, never taking his eyes off of me.
"Where did you grow up?" I asked, taking the topic off of me before the thought of home could really get to me.
"My parents are from Italy, which is where I was born. We moved here, to London, when I was 8, I think, so that I would have a chance to get into Hogwarts."
"You were born in Italy? Wow, I bet that was beautiful."
"Actually, I don't remember it that much. I only remember the little I do because of all the pictures that my parents took. It sometimes feels like I wasn't even there. Almost like I was born sometime when I was 9," Adrian admitted, a frown crossing his face.
"You know, I feel that way sometimes too. Like when I was five, my parents decided to take me to Disney World, this Muggle amusement park, for vacation and I don't remember any of it. I swear, they could have locked me in a closet for my entire childhood and I wouldn't know any difference."
Adrian let out a small laugh at this, shaking his head. "I doubt they would have done that. You're parents can't be that bad."
"My dad isn't. He actually likes me. My mom is completely different story. She blames me for everything bad that has ever happened to her."
"Wow. I am truly sorry, Angie. No one should grow up in that sort of environment," Adrian said, reaching for and grabbing one of my hands.
I looked up into his soft grey eyes and saw only concern in those stormy depths. I turned the hand that he had covered up over and gave his hand a tight squeeze.
"So I think it's time for a topic change. What do you want to know about me?" Adrian posed the question, obviously sensing my desire to not talk anymore about it.
I couldn't think of anything, my mind being completely blank, so I just spit out the first thing that came to my mind.
"Why do my friends hate you?"
I felt him stiffen under my legs and immediately regretted asking him. I wanted to take it back, to say anything that would cause the mood shift in the cabin to leave, but my mouth chose that moment to stop working on me.
Finally, after what seemed like a decade, but was most likely in all reality only a couple minutes, Adrian broke the silence.
"I'm a Slytherin. They're Gryffindors. There doesn't have to be any other reason," he answered, but his voice no longer had the same carefree tone to it. It sounded like an end to that conversation and I was happy to leave it behind.
Unfortunately, my mouth was not.
"I know about the inter-house feud already. I just don't understand why it's so bad between those two houses. I haven't heard of anything about the other two." My mouth had taken on a mind of its own and just would not shut up.
Adrian didn't say anything for a while. The awkward silence descended again and I was starting to consider just getting up and leaving when he finally spoke.
"I really don't think that I am the person who should be telling you that."
"But-" I persisted, my stupid mouth not wanting to let it go.
"No," Adrian stated, effectively cutting me off. "Ask one of your friends. Brittany would probably give you the least prejudiced version." I saw him look down at our still joined hands and smile. "If you still want to talk to me, or even be friends with me, if that is what we are now, after you talk to her, I'm just an owl away." He stood up, removing my legs from his lap, before pulling me to my feet also. "I should probably be getting you back now, before your friends send out a search party."
I started to laugh at that, before stopping to shoot him a puzzled look. "Why would they do that? I've only be gone, what, half an hour? An hour at max?"
Adrian just smirked down at me. "You have a really terrible sense of time. Look out the window; we've been here for at least two hours. The sun is even starting to set."
I spun around to the window, dropping the hand that I still held, gasping when I saw what he said was true. "Wow. I don't think that I have ever spent that much time talking to one person before," I smiled, turning back to him.
He had the door open for me, gesturing for me to precede him. I left the cabin and turned to face him, seeing him pull the door shut with a sharp click on his way out.
"So," I said, sticking my hands in my pockets. "I guess this is bye for now."
"So it is." All Adrian did was stare down at me, a look I could not begin to describe crossing his face.
"It was really fun, talking and getting to know you," I volunteered, hoping to get some kind of reaction out of him.
"You should get back to your friends, Angie. They are most likely worrying by now." Still that same look, only now he had taken to resting against the door frame.
"Fine. Goodbye Adrian," I muttered. I turned and walked away from him, not even waiting to hear if he would respond. It was clear to me that he wasn't expecting me to want to see him ever again after I talked to Brit. I had to know now what was going on. It couldn't be as bad as Adrian made it seem. Could it?
I managed to find my way back to my original cabin. As soon as I entered, Angelina and Alicia practically jumped down my throat, throwing question after question at me.
"What took you so long?"
"What happened? Tell us everything!"
"He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"If he did, I swear I will shove his broom so far up his-"
"Stop!" I exclaimed, cutting Angelina off before she could finish what I was sure to be a lovely sentiment. "Everything is fine. We just talked."
"If all you did was talk, then why are your eyes so red?" Alicia asked pointedly.
"What?" I asked, my hand coming up to my eyes, only to feel hints of moisture. "I, uh, I don't know. We kind of left off on a sore note. But everything is fine. Don't worry about it."
"Angie, how can we not worry? We saw you walk away with a Slytherin, were gone for nearly 3 hours, and then you come back with tears in your eyes? We're your friends; if anyone hurts you, we will kick the shite out them," Angelina promised me, grabbing my hands in hers.
I chuckled a bit at that before taking one of my hands from her and wiping at my eyes. "Please don't. At least not yet. He hasn't done anything to me. I just think that all my emotions over the past couple weeks have finally taken hold of me. That's all."
"If you're sure…," Alicia stated, doubt creeping into her voice.
"I am. But just promise me that you won't tell the boys about this. I really don't want them to go after Adrian over nothing," I asked.
"Of course. They will never have to know," Alicia replied.
"Unless he does hurt you. Then we will have to tell the boys so they can hex him within a millimeter of his life," Angelina promised.
"Good." I smiled before sitting down next to Brittany, completely ignoring Katie just like she was completely ignoring me. Angelina and Alicia took that as an end to the conversation and sat down next to Katie and started talking about the Quidditch line-ups for the year.
"So did you have fun?" Brit asked, putting her book down in her lap before looking up at me.
"I did," I said, my smile widening. "I really did." I looked over to see a wide smile claiming her lips.
"I'm glad." At my incredulous look, she let out a low laugh. "I really don't have anything against Pucey. I only don't like the Slytherins that don't like me. But am I going to go out of my way to spend time with them? Hell no. But I see no reason that you shouldn't have a good time with him if you really want to."
"Thank you for being so understanding," I whispered, pulling her into a tight hug. We had just released each other when Fred, George, and Lee came back into the cabin. They had just collapsed onto the benches, Lee next to Katie and Fred and George next to me, when Alicia looked up towards the window.
"Shite. We need to get changed. We should be arriving any moment now," she exclaimed, jumping up and reaching for her trunk.
"Okay boys," Angelina started, standing up to also search through her trunk. "Time to leave."
"Uh. But Ang, we just got back," George whined.
"Yeah. We don't want to move just yet," Fred chimed in.
"But you know-" George added, a glint entering his eyes.
"-We could always stay in here-" Fred continued.
"-While you girls change-"
"-And we promise not to peek."
"We swear," the boys concluded together, wicked smirks on both their faces.
Angelina, Alicia, and Katie all turned to face them, fire practically burning through their eyeballs. I could almost hear the boys audibly gulp before all three jumped up and rushed out of the cabin, sliding the door shut firmly.
The five of us girls changed quickly before Angelina leaned out the cabin door to let the boys back in. They were now somehow in their robes, but I didn't question it. Neither did any of the others.
I returned to my previous spot, with Brittany on my right, next to the door, and the twins on my left. Alicia and Angelina were sitting across from the twins on the other bench while Katie and Lee sat with their heads together. "So, are you excited or nervous?"
I jumped, not expecting the question from Brit. "Nervous. I'm just afraid of what would happen if I get sorted into Slytherin," I whispered, looking up at her. "Would I be able to stay friends with any of you? Will you all turn your backs on me? I don't want to lose the only friends I have just because of a stupid house difference."
"Angie, stop worrying. Everything is going to be fine. Even if you get sorted into Slytherin. I would walk down into those disgusting dungeons everyday to meet you for breakfast, dragging Angelina, Alicia, and the boys with me. I wouldn't leave you to deal with those prats by yourself," Brit promised, giving my hand a squeeze. "And I doubt we have to worry about that. You are way too nice to be in Slytherin. If anything, I think the only house we might even have to worry about you being sorted into is Hufflepuff. And you are way too interesting to ever be sorted into that tosser of a house." Both of us started laughing, even though I had no idea what 'tosser' meant.
It was only a few minutes later that Angelina announced that she could see the castle from the window. Everyone in the cabin started to get their things together for when the train stopped. When it finally did, we all made our way out of the cabin and off the train, with Fred and George in front, moving the younger students out of the way.
I was in the back of the group with Brit when we finally managed to get off the train. I was gawking up at the gorgeous castle in the distance when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning around, I saw that it was Gin and one of the girls from her compartment, Luna maybe?
"Hey Angie. I just ran into Hagrid, he's the Gameskeeper here. I asked him about you and he said you're supposed to go with him when he takes the first years to the castle. He's the tall man over there with the large beard. Trust me, you can't miss him. Well, I've got to run, but I'll see you at the feast," Gin added before running off with the girl.
"Well, I guess I'll go meet up with this Hagrid then. Bye guys. Wish me luck," I said, waving before I turned around and noticed the very large man with the equally large beard. Bit intimidating to be completely honest. Figuring he had to be Hagrid, I made my way over to him, slowly making my way through the other students. When I got closer, I heard him calling all the first years over to him. I walked right up to him and was about to ask if he was Hagrid when he beat me to it.
"'Ello there. Yeh must be Ms. Westermann, eh?" At my nod, he reached out and took my trunk from me, holding it easily in one hand. "Well, all o' the firs' years be 'ere an now yeh be 'ere too, so everyone follow meh," Hagrid said, before turning and making his way away from the castle.
I was confused at first, thinking we were supposed to be going to the castle, but then I noticed the lake in front of us and the dozen boats on the bank. Hagrid told everyone to split up into boats, with no more than four in each. Hagrid took one all by himself, and I wound up sharing mine with a little red-haired girl who was too scared to say much of anything, except that her name was Jessica.
After everyone was settled into their boats, they took off by themselves across the lake. It was such a gorgeous view of the castle that I almost wish that it had never ended. But it did, and Hagrid left us to make our way into the castle via the long and winding stone staircase up the side of the mountain. I was automatically shoved to the front of the group, since I was oldest, or the tallest, or maybe because they were all scared of having me stand behind them. Leading the first years in, I entered the castle through a large pair of doors at the far end of the courtyard, being greeted by an equally large set across from us, along with a stern looking woman in a set of green tartan robes.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall, Professor of Transfiguration and Deputy Headmistress," the woman stated, her eyes skimming over all of us. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. Please follow me."* With that, Professor McGonagall turned and made her way through the doors behind her and into, what I assumed to be, the Great Hall.
The Great Hall really lived up to its name in my opinion. The space was huge, with four different rows of tables for the students to sit at, probably in their houses, and a large faculty table at the front of the Hall. The ceiling was even enchanted to look like the night sky, with thousands of candles floating above the heads of the students and faculty. I saw Brit and everyone else at the table to my far left and sent a little wave in their direction. It wasn't long before Professor McGonagall had us stopped at the front of the Hall, facing a hat that was placed upon a small three-legged stool. The first years fanned out around me, all of us looking at this beaten up old hat.
I chanced a look around and saw that not only were the first years and I looking at it, but everyone in the Great Hall seemed to be staring at the hat, almost as if they expected to start singing and dancing or something. Suddenly, what I thought was a fold in the fabric of the hat opened and the hat actually started to sing.
"In times of old, when I was new,
And Hogwarts barely started,
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted.
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
'Together we will build and teach'
The four good friends decided.
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be divided.
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw,
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there, so I can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, 'We'll teach just those
Whose ancestry's purest.'
Said Ravenclaw, 'We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest'
Said Gryffindor, 'We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name.'
Said Hufflepuff, 'I'll teach the lot
And treat them just the same.'
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light.
For each of the four founders had
A house in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning just like him.
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest
and taught them all she knew,
Thus, the Houses and their founders
Maintained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
for several happy years,
but then discord crept among us
feeding on our faults and fears.
The Houses that, like pillars four
had once held up our school
now turned upon each other and
divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
must meet an early end.
what with dueling and with fighting
and the clash of friend on friend.
And at last there came a morning
when old Slytherin departed
and though the fighting then died out
he left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
were whittled down to three
have the Houses been united
as they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
and you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses
because that is what I'm for.
But this year I'll go further,
listen closely to my song:
though condemned I am to split you
still I worry that it's wrong,
though I must fulfill my duty
and must quarter every year
still I wonder whether sorting
may not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
the warning history shows,
for our Hogwarts is in danger
from external, deadly foes
and we must unite inside her
or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you...
let the Sorting now begin."*
I wasn't sure whether to clap or just let my mouth hang open in shock. I had never heard of an actually singing hat before, especially one that handed out words of wisdom and warning. But then everyone else in the Great Hall, besides the first years, started clapping and so the group of us joined in. Once it had calmed down, Professor McGonagall approached the stool and hat with a scroll of parchment.
"I am going to start out the Sorting Ceremony in a special way this term. We have a new student with us who has transferred here for her seventh year. So, will Ms. Angie Westermann please come forward," McGonagall announced to the Hall, picking the hat up off the stool.
I stepped forward and sat down on the stool, as she motioned for me to do. I saw the entire school stare at me before I closed my eyes as she placed the hat on my head. I suddenly heard the same voice that the hat sang in ringing in my head.
"Hmmm, Ms. Westermann. You are a tricky one. Very loyal to your friends I see. A very sharp mind as well. Not to mention more than an ounce of courage, along with a healthy amount of cunning. A perfect match for each of the houses here. Now where to put you?
"Gryffindor would be a strong match, with plenty of challenge for you. You have courage, yes, but do you have enough? You seem to act tough to cover up your insecurities, but how much longer will you be able to keep up that appearance?
"Yet, Slytherin would also challenge you, force you to choose between doing what you want and what others want for you. You have to cunning to succeed there, but do you have the mind set to look out for yourself before all others, like true Slytherins?
"Ravenclaw is another good choice. Full of knowledge, with other students similar to you. It would test your brain, letting you reach for your greatest potential in that effect, but could it possibly be too tame for a free spirit like yourself?
"And what about Hufflepuff? Loyalty is one of the foundations of that house and it seems to be a major part of you as well. You could possibly bring Hufflepuff out of the slump it seems to have fallen into, bring it some honour. Or would that be too much to place on your shoulders? Or would you even want to take up that mantle?
"I can also see that you have already made quite a few friends, surprisingly all from the same house. That has to factor in for something. Or does it? Speaking of which, they have been waiting long enough. Time to let them know that you are going into GRYFFINDOR!" The hat screamed out the last word and my eyes opened to see the Gryffindor tables going wild. With a smile on my face, I handed the hat back to Professor McGonagall and made my way to my group of friends.
I was snatched up in a hug by Brit, Angelina, and Alicia as soon as I got back to their, I mean our, table. As soon as they let me go, Fred and George both ruffled my hair before making me the cheese in a Weasley sandwich and welcomed me to the house before all of us sat down. I was still smiling, realizing that I wouldn't have to give up any of the friends that I had made just because of a stupid hat.
I then looked up and saw that across the Great Hall, at what appeared to be the Slytherin table, Adrian was just staring at me, a sad smile apparent on his face.
The feast was delicious. I had never had so much variety to choose from for a single meal. I also doubt that I had ever eaten so much. When I had finally finished with my third helping of treacle tart for dessert, I felt like I was going to explode.
Professor Dumbledore had gotten up before the feast to introduce a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. She looked like a frilly pink toad and I could tell that she would not be one of my favorite Professors. And really, once you reach a certain age, baby pink is just not acceptable to wear for any reason.
After the feast was over and Dumbledore had sent us all to bed, Angelina, Alicia, and Brit showed me a little bit of the castle before showing me where the common room was. I don't know why, but some evil, evil person decided that our common room was going to be on the seventh floor. I was definitely not looking forward to all those stairs, even if some of them moved for me. I really didn't care at that point how cool it was that we had an entire tower to ourselves; it mattered more the numerous flights of stairs up there just so I could relax after class. Why couldn't we have had a common room on the main floor?
When we finally got to the seventh floor, there was a portrait guarding the common room, who Brit told me was lovingly referred to as the 'Fat Lady'. I was just curious if she knew about the nickname or not. I know if anyone called me 'Fat Lady', I wouldn't even think twice about smacking the person upside their head. But who knows? Maybe the British like to be called 'fat'. Highly unlikely, but maybe.
Once inside the common room, Angelina and Alicia collapsed on one of the couches by the fireplace while Brit showed me up to the seventh year girl's dorm. Which also turned out to be at the very top of the tower, which meant even more stairs. I was so beyond thrilled. Except not at all.
It was in one of the turrets of the castle, since the room was circular. There were five beds spaced around the room, along with a door off to the side that Brit told me was to the wash room, which I assumed meant bathroom. I noticed my trunk in front of the bed straight across from the door. I saw Brit out of the corner of my eye go to the bed on the right side of the door, most likely hers, while I went to my trunk and pulled out my sweatpants. The robes that I was wearing were getting uncomfortably hot to me and curling up next to a fire in my sweats just sounded like heaven. Once I was changed, I saw that Brit had had the same idea as me and was also in a pair of maroon sweats with a lion design on the left leg.
"John got them for me on my birthday. He knows how much lions mean to me and thought that they would be perfect," Brit explained, a grin shining in her eyes.
We made our way back downstairs to the common room, where we saw that the twins had joined Angelina and Alicia in front of the fire. No one else was in sight, having obviously gone to bed after the long train ride and ginormous feast. Alicia had moved so that George and Angelina could have a couch to themselves, leaving Fred in one of the armchairs and Alicia on the other couch. Brittany claimed the spot next to Alicia while I curled up in the other armchair, which happened to be right next to Fred.
"So, how does it feel to be a Gryffindor?" Fred asked, leaning towards me.
"Not that different. But then again, it's been a long day. Everything will probably hit me when I wake up tomorrow morning," I yawned, letting my head rest on the back of the chair.
"It'll get better tomorrow. The first day is always easy. And besides," Fred added with a smirk. "As seventh years, we have more free periods than actually classes."
"I'm actually really looking forward to those," I murmured, my eyes taking longer and longer to blink.
"You look a bit tired, Angie. Maybe you should head up to bed," Alicia chimed in. I turned my head to look over at her, seeing that all the girls were heading to the stairs. "All of us are heading up now, too. It's been a long night."
"I'll be up in a little bit Alicia," I promised, letting my head fall back against the chair, staring into the fireplace. The girls made their way upstairs, leaving me alone with the twins.
I knew that I should head upstairs, since I could feel myself drifting off, but I just couldn't get myself to move. Suddenly, I heard two identical loud yawns. Dragging my eyes away from the fire, I saw both the twins with huge smiles on their faces.
"I think I'm going to head up bed," George announced, yawning again. "You coming, Fred?"
"Not yet. I'm going to wait to make sure Angie goes up first," Fred replied with a grin. "Don't want our new girl running off on us." The boys shared a quiet laugh while I tried to get up the energy to yell at them.
"Shut it you two," wound up being all that I could get out, which only made them laugh more. George made his way up the boys staircase, leaving me and Fred alone in the common room.
I don't recall how long we sat there in silence, but it was long enough for the fire in the hearth to die down and the room to become quiet chilly. After I had shivered for what was probably the hundredth time, I heard Fred let out a sigh. I heard him get up from his chair and suddenly his bright blue eyes were right in front of me.
"Angie, why don't you just head up to bed? You are obviously freezing down here," he asked, grabbing my hands in his and trying to warm them up.
"Don't want to," I replied, cringing when I heard the slight pout to my voice. "I like it down here." I saw him sigh again.
"Fine, but you are moving over to the couch with me and we are curling up under a cover," Fred declared, leaving no room for discussion. Before I had even tried to get up, Fred scooped me up in his arms, bringing me over to the couch with him. He sat down, leaning back against the armrest and the couch back, settling me down in between his legs, with my head leaning against his chest. If I had been more awake, I probably would not have been in that position with him, let alone any other guy, but I was tired, and he was really warm. And he also smelled like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for some reason, which pretty much turned my brain to jelly.
I felt his chest heave in silent laughter and realized that I had said that last bit out loud.
"Shit," I muttered, burying my head against his chest.
"Don't worry about it, Angie. I don't mind." I could almost hear the smile in his voice. As he pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over us, I relaxed against him, a smile on my face, and let myself be pulled off to sleep.
Author's Note:
I am so beyond sorry that it has been so long. I can honestly say that I lost inspiration for this story. I have it back now, so hopefully I will be able to get some more chapters up in the next couple months.
I really want to thank my two closest friends, Sjxlawson and CrimsonMoon7, so every single piece of criticism and advice, and even the occasional knock over the head, when it came to creating this chapter. They hung in there with me through all 6 versions of this chapter, until I finally found one that fit.
I also want to thank all of the readers who are still reading this story/receiving notifications. I love that you guys have seen something that you liked so far in my story that you want more.
Also, please review. I don't care if all you write is 'nice chapter' or 'update soon!'. Just seeing those emails in my inbox cause me go to whatever chapter I am working on and work even harder to finish it. Also, tell me what you don't like about the story. I want to know so that I can the problems that are there.
Love always,
~Clumsy~
