CHAPTER ONE: A New Adventure

SEPTEMBER 1ST, 1989

Tansy Fawley sighed, holding onto her father's hand tightly, weaving through the mass of people gathered at the train station. Today would be the day that she finally embarked on her new adventure at Hogwarts and, although excited, the eleven-year-old had some reservations.

"Come, Tansy, don't be like that. This is exciting! A new adventure for you," her father reasoned, "You won't be stuck at home with your mum and me - you'll finally be able to do some of your reading in peace." He spoke as he dodged a stout looking woman who was determinedly pushing a trolley through the throng of witches and wizards - Oswald, Tansy's new tawny owl, squawked at the sudden movement.

Tansy sighed yet again. "But what if I like being bothered by you? I'll miss you all so much." she pouted. "I'm worried Dad - what if I don't like it?" she questioned her father.

"Tans, you'll be fine. Hogwarts is a brilliant place, you'll be in great hands - Dumbledore is an excellent headmaster, always has been - and you'll make friends in an instant, I know it. It's an important chapter in any young witch or wizards' life, going to Hogwarts, and remember, there are loads of other people who are feeling the same way you are." Her father reassured, "Your brother was so nervous his first year of Hogwarts but look at him now, starting his third year with a load of new friends, and he's a chaser on the house quidditch team. You'll-"

"-But I'm nothing like Bryn!" Tansy exclaimed. Her brother was far more sociable than she, less interested in reading and learning which were Tansy's preferred pastimes. "Oh, Dad." she sighed. She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her father. Linden Fawley could see the worry in his middle child's face, her chocolate brown eyes swimming with trepidation. He reached out his hand, placing it onto her shoulder and giving it a light squeeze - some semblance of reassurance for his young daughter.

"Trust me Tans - You'll be ok. When you're finally sat by the fireplace in the Ravenclaw common room, halfway through one of your magical history textbooks, you'll be questioning why you were nervous in the first place. Believe me, I know - I was once in the same position that you are in now, as was your mother. It all turns out ok." he comforted. Once again taking his daughters hand and leading her through the crowd of magical folk, he spoke again, "Come, we better find your mother and siblings or they'll think we've gone missing."

Irina Fawley was stood by one of the doors of the Hogwarts Express searching for the mass of brown curls both her husband and middle child possessed. At her side was her youngest daughter, Cicely, who, despite not being old enough, was more eager than her sister to board the nearby train, and her oldest child, Bryn, who was desperate to leave his mother's side to find his friends.

"Bryn, Cicely, my dears. Keep an eye out for your sister and father, I want to say goodbye to Tansy before she boards the train," she instructed, looking around the mass of people gathered on the platform.

"Irina! Irina, my love!" came a booming voice.

Irina turned at the sound of her name being called and spotted her husband in his olive coloured cloak pushing through a rather emotional crowd of wizards waving farewell to their children. In tow was her daughter Tansy, looking a little unsure, her wavy brown hair dishevelled from the pair's clear struggle through the horde. Irina's face split into a sparkling smile as her husband and daughter appeared at her side. Letting go of her youngest daughters' hand, she held her arms open for Tansy and enclosed her in a hug.

"Oh, Tans, it's going to be so strange without you at home," she whispered into her daughters' ear, "Your father will have driven me mad by the time you come home for Christmas!" She broke apart from her daughter, laughing at her little exclamation. "Come on, we better get you on the train before it departs."

"Mum, Dan's over there! I'm going to join him before he starts annoying Hattie without me." Bryn announced, going to leave in the direction of his friend. Turning to look at his sister before leaving he added, "I might see you on the train, Tans." Disappearing into the crowd of magical folk to find his friends, with his luggage in tow, Irina and Linden waved their oldest child goodbye until the winter holiday.

Linden turned once again to his oldest daughter, reaching for her luggage to help her onto the train. "Remember to write to us, let us know everything – it's why we bought Oswald for you. Oh! and make sure you owl us tonight as soon as possible after you've been sorted! I have no doubt you'll join the rest of us Fawley's in Ravenclaw but you'll have to write to us to confirm it." he rambled.

Tansy looked around at the remaining members of her family - her father who was busy arranging her luggage in a manageable heap, arguing with Oswald who didn't like being moved around so vigorously, her mother who had tears brimming in her eyes as she looked at her eldest daughter, and her eight-year-old sister who looked incredibly jealous at the sight of both of her older siblings leaving for Hogwarts. Giving her mother and sister a quick hug and a weak smile, she turned to board the train, reaching out to her father for her luggage.

"I guess I'll see you at Christmas then." Tansy lamented as she stepped onto the train.

Tansy had managed to find herself an uninhabited compartment towards the back end of the train after a few minutes of searching. The train had left the station and she'd been able to take one last glimpse at her family before the next few months without them. Tansy considered herself close to her family - they were tight-knit and, sure, they had the occasional argument but she knew she was going to miss them incredibly whilst she was at Hogwarts. However, she was still enthusiastic to start at the famous school. Knowledge was Tansy's passion and she was raging to be able to learn as much as she could at her new school. She looked up at her owl who currently looked as though he was trying his best to have a quick sleep, "Looks like it's you and me now, Oz."

The blurring green of the countryside served as a nice distraction to Tansy as she tried not to think about the daunting challenge of having to settle into her new school. Tansy reached into the muggle backpack she'd taken to carrying around with her, searching for the gift that her youngest sibling had handed her as they were leaving Fawley Manor earlier that morning. Carefully tearing the navy-blue wrapping paper of the gift, Tansy was pleasantly surprised to find that her sister had gotten her a muggle book, a copy of Pride and Prejudice, that she'd been meaning to read. Opening the book, Tansy saw that her sister had written an inscription in the cover:

My favourite sister, I'm so incredibly jealous that you're heading off to Hogwarts and that I am not. I hope you have an amazing time, if not (for some strange reason) here's one of those muggle books I know you find such solace in. - Cicely xx

Cicely always knew how to cheer up Tansy, the sisters were undeniably close. There were 3 years between each Fawley sibling, but as the two daughters, Tansy and Cicely had a special bond. Leaving Cicely was difficult for Tansy, especially because of the uncertainty of her making new friends at Hogwarts, as she considered her sister her closest friend. Tansy's bottom lip quivered and she felt a few tears escape her eyes at the thought. It wasn't long until Tansy was curled up on the train seat, gently sobbing as she clutched the already cherished, new book from her sister.

Tansy's moment of sorrow was disrupted by a loud bang, not dissimilar to the sound of someone, or something, running into a door. The door to her compartment slid open and Tansy leapt up, quickly wiping the tears that glistened on her cheeks, as someone entered.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to disturb. Bloody doors everywhere!"

It was a redheaded boy, roughly the same age as Tansy. He looked awkward as he took in Tansy's dishevelled appearance but went to sit down opposite her anyway. Hot on his heels was another boy, exactly alike in appearance. Twins! Tansy thought.

"Hi!" the twin sat on the right grinned. He looked over at Tansy, taking in her appearance, "You alright?" he nodded towards her damp cheeks.

Tansy sat up, drying her hand on the trouser leg, reaching out towards the boys in front of her, blushing. "Yeah, sorry, leaving home is a bit difficult for me," she explained, "Hi, I'm Tansy. Tansy Fawley, first year."

The boy on the left took her hand, shaking it vigorously. "Fawley? You're a Pureblood then. I'm Fred. Fred Weasley. Also a first-year" he smiled at her. He turned towards his companion, "This is my brother, George. Nice to meet you, Tansy!"

"Our apologies for crashing your pity party, we were sort of, er, kicked out of the compartment we were in. Something about being a bit too loud." George explained, taking Tansy's hand and giving it a quick squeeze. Tansy smiled back at the twins.

"Our brother Percy's in his third year and we thought we'd go and introduce ourselves to some of his friends, y'know, let them know a few things about him" Fred elaborated, grinning mischievously.

"My brother's in his third year too!" Tansy exclaimed, "He's a Ravenclaw, and he's on the house quidditch team."

Fred raised his eyebrows. "Our Perce is a Gryffindor, we reckon we'll join him there. Not too keen on quidditch is he, our brother, prefers his books-"

"-Rules, more like. Bit of a bloody know-it-all. Love him dearly though, obviously." George finished. "So, you hoping to join your brother in Ravenclaw?" he questioned Tansy.

Tansy sighed. "Hopefully, every single member of the Fawley family has been in Ravenclaw and I don't fancy being the exception. Mum was a Slytherin, most of her family were, but I'm not sure if I'd like to be." She explained, smiling at the twins.

"Everyone who's ever been in Slytherin has turned out evil-" Fred started

George elbowed his brother sharply. "Well, except your mum, by the sounds of it." He grinned at Tansy, slowly moving to stand. "Lovely meeting you, Miss Fawley, but we're off now. We'll leave you to your," he strained to read the title of the book that Tansy had placed at her side, "Pride and Prejudice. See you at the Sorting!"

"See you at the Sorting!" his twin echoed, as he followed his brother out of the compartment.

Tansy was once again left in silence after the twins' departure, well, aside from Oswald's gentle snoring. The owl had obviously slept through the twin's disturbance. Deciding it was a good time to start the book that Cicely had gifted her, Tansy made herself comfortable on the worn train seat, preparing for the long journey to Scotland that was ahead of her.

Hogwarts Castle was a beautiful place, Tansy was in awe as she stood in one of the many corridors, lost in a crowd of first years. The train journey had been long but to finally see Hogwarts lit up as they approached made it all worth it. The large group of first years that Tansy was stood amongst were all anticipating the upcoming Sorting Ceremony. Tansy herself was terrified - what if she wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw? What would her family think? She tried to shake the thought from her head, looking around at the horde of people she was stood with. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of ginger, one of the twins - was it Fred? George? She couldn't tell. Whoever it was flashed a reassuring smile in her direction which Tansy kindly reciprocated.

A stern-looking witch in velvet robes soon appeared in front of the new students. 'Welcome students," she glanced over the eleven-year-olds surrounding her, "I'm Professor Minerva McGonagall, teacher of Transfiguration and Head of Gryffindor house. Follow me into the Hall and we can begin your Sorting." McGonagall turned, her emerald cloaks swirling with her. Tansy joined the group of first years as they headed into the Great Hall.

The colourful garden at Fawley Manor, which Tansy had considered the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen before tonight, paled in comparison to the splendour of the Great Hall. It wasn't conventionally beautiful but Tansy thought it was magnificent. The group of first years all appeared captivated by their environment and Tansy wasn't alone in her enchantment as the group moved to the front of the room. Tansy looked around, searching for her brother and spotted him, midway down the Ravenclaw table. He shot her a wink, and he and his group of fellow third-year Ravenclaws all waved.

The group of first years came to a halt a few feet away from a stool, on which sat an old, worn hat, which had been placed in front of the teacher's table that Tansy presumed was to be used for the Sorting ceremony. McGonagall turned back towards the students and explained, "First Headmaster Dumbledore will say a few words and then we will begin the ceremony."

Dumbledore, whom Tansy had only ever heard tales of, was as eccentric as she had imagined. He rose from his seat at the centre of the grand table at the end of the hall. "Good evening students! I will keep this short and sweet. Welcome to those of you who are joining us for the first time," his hand swept over the large group that Tansy was stood amongst, "and to those of you who are returning, I hope you had a delightful summer. Best of luck for this year." Dumbledore clapped his hands and returned to his seat. "Now, let the sorting begin!" he beamed. Tansy looked on in amazement as the scruffy hat on the stool before them burst into song.

Tansy was hit with a sudden wave of nerves - everything felt so real now. She was going to be sorted and she'd be a member of the Hogwarts family. This was to be her home away from home for the next few years. Tansy watched on in anticipation as she saw the first few students begin to be sorted – an anxious-looking blond, something Anderson, who was placed in Slytherin, a kind-looking girl called Angelica who was placed into Gryffindor. Tansy had almost spaced out until she heard "Fawley, Tansy" being announced by McGonagall. Slowly pushing herself through the crowd of remaining first years, Tansy made her way to the front of the hall and sat herself on the slightly wonky stool. McGonagall placed the hat onto her head.

Another Fawley, eh? spoke a voice in her head. Tansy jumped in surprise. Hoping to join the rest of the family in Ravenclaw, I see. Hmm, yes, could be a good fit for you. There's a spark in you though, I wonder, perhaps Gryffindor would be a better fit. Tansy frowned. No? Hm, in that case, I guess it will have to be...

"RAVENCLAW!"

The blue and bronze table in front of Tansy erupted into cheers, which made her beam. Tansy hopped off the chair and made her way to an empty seat at the nearer end of the Ravenclaw table. As she sat down she was clapped on the back by an older student who introduced himself as Anthony who welcomed her to her new house.

'You're Bryn's sister, aren't you?" a voice called from a little further down the table. Tansy looked up and saw a black-haired girl, with deep brown eyes looking at her curiously. She nodded her head, answering the girl who then turned back to the group of friends she was sat with, blushing a little, and resumed her conversation. The chatter in the Great Hall died down somewhat when the next student was sorted and Tansy looked on fascination as more of her peers were sorted. Tansy's interest was piqued as she heard Fred and George's names being called and she watched on as both brothers were sorted in Gryffindor. Just like they wanted, she mused.

When the Sorting had finally concluded, the tables of the Great Hall were filled with a variety of foods. Tansy was in heaven! Just as she was about to dig into her plate of sausages and mashed potato, she made eye contact with a redheaded boy, one of the twins, on the Gryffindor table next to hers who, in turn, broke out into a huge smile aimed in Tansy's direction. Tansy blushed and smiled down into her mashed potatoes. Looking around at her new peers, Tansy was finally excited for her new adventure.

As the chatter grew increasingly louder with the forging of new friendships, Tansy found herself among those bonding with their new housemates. She'd made three new friends already - two who were also in their first year and an incredibly chatty second year. Throughout the evening, Tansy continually made eye contact with the twin who had smiled at her before and he seemed friendly enough.

Maybe Hogwarts would be fun after all, Tansy determined.

Hello! Welcome to my first Harry Potter fic on (the title of which may change soon!) As a distraction from the unfortunate current state of the world, I've decided to re-enter the world of fanfiction writing. I hope this chapter, and upcoming story are enjoyable! Any feedback on my work is much appreciated. Happy reading :) (this work is also on ao3)