Hey y'all! I hope you're all ready to follow Maggie Leigh on her journey through Hogwarts. I should mention, this is an OC/Oliver W. story though it will be an extremely slow-burn, but don't worry that doesn't mean there won't be tons of fluff until then!
Read and review please! And enjoy!
The day was finally here. The one I had been waiting for for years.
11 years, exactly.
Sitting in my hand, was my letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Silver lettering and all.
My name is Maggie Leigh Weasley. I am 11 years old, and I am a witch.
I was adopted when I was one year old, I was given to my parents when St. Mungo's hospital found me sitting in a bin, not knowing who I was or where I had come from.
Why my parents decided to take me in, I have no idea. They already had five sons, two of which were causing absolute chaos as one year old firecrackers, and yet they saw this tiny child who needed a home and decided that they needed to care for her themselves.
And then they went on to have two more.
In broad terms, no one would ever guess that I was related to my siblings. Everyone had the same dark freckles and bright flaming hair. I had their pale complexion, but stark black hair that seems to come out of nowhere. But this didn't make me any less their sibling, and I never felt out of place when I was with my family.
And today was the day I, along with my twin brothers got our very first letter to join two of our older brothers at school to learn the hidden ways of magic and more importantly, mischief.
And as we gazed over the long list of books and items we needed to be prepared I felt a pang of dred reading over the robe list.
We would get new robes when we got there.
When we were sorted into our houses.
Now this was a moment I was not looking forward to.
You see, my entire family has been in Gryffindor for centuries. My mum, dad, grandparents, great-grandparents, and all three of my older brothers were all Gryffindors.
But I wasn't so sure.
Now, I wanted to be a Gryffindor, so badly that I could scream about it. I wanted to wear the beautiful scarlett robes and put on red face paint to cheer on the quidditch team until I was old enough to play.
But, I wasn't so sure.
How could I know if I would be sorted along with my family? If what I was told by Charlie was true, which I wasn't sure of, we would need to wrestle a troll, and, I mean, how do you do that bravely? I couldn't find anything in any of the books I had read up on over the summer.
So who knows.
I do know one thing. The professors there will probably be so excited.
Three new mini Bills and Charlies and Percys.
Oh the shock that was waiting for them when the three of us arrived. Fred and George were already preparing all the pranks they would be able to play now that they would have the opportunity to use magic in them. Yes, I was more like Bill or Charlie, I did like to work, but I really like to play.
More specifically I like to play quidditch. Wait, let me amend that. I love quidditch. Of course I grew up with my amazing family of quidditch players and I was of course thrown into the ring to try and defend myself against my older brothers. So I now consider myself to be, and of course, call myself in my head, and on the pitch, The Greatest Chaser in the World.
I wasn't concerned that I wouldn't ever make the team, and I know that next year a position will open up on the Gryffindor team. My brother Charlie is captain, you see, so he lets us in on the details. Fred and George are hoping to make beaters next year too, as both positions will open up. I have no doubts they will, and I just hope I will end up playing for their team and not against them, just because I know how good they are.
"Are you ready to go?"
My mum's voice broke me out of my thoughts. And with a quick nod I went off to grab my cloak and one by one we went through the floo system to Diagon Alley.
I loved the Alley. Full of life, buselling full of people going to work, shopping around, and just living life, and walking down the street made me desire for a day when I might be able to go off and wander the streets alone just thinking through life. Even Charlie saw a few of his mates and walked right up yelling to mum that he would meet up with us later.
I, on the other hand, was made to hold Percy's hand when Dad saw that I was practically buzzing out of my robes with excitement.
And it seemed as if each shop was more exciting than the previous. Books piling up that seemed teeming with possibility, with past life breathing through their worn pages, robes that were soft and not scratchy like I had imagined them, and cauldrons and dragonhide gloves that were dinked and worn, but were still the most beautiful things I have ever seen since they would allow me to use the magic I had been excited to learn about since I could comprehend life.
But then we got to the most amazing shop of all. The wand shop.
Mum has been worried about this all summer, but Fred George and I had a surprise for her. We had worked for the last year to make money to buy our own wands. Simple things, de-gnoming the Diggory's garden, selling cheap tricks to their friends in primary school, and giving broom riding lessons to the younger kids at school. It had all worked, and we each had enough money to buy our own wands.
Mum looked worried just looking at the door of the shop. No wizard could just, not, have a wand, of course. And I could only assume the food that we could purchase with the money Fred, George and I had in our pockets. At least now she didn't have to worry about it.
I didn't know when we would tell her, maybe when we went to check out. But for now Percy, Fred, George and I went into the shop with Mum while Dad and Ron and Ginny went to go to the bathroom and get an ice cream cone, the younger two of my siblings feeling quite left out of the whole day.
"Ah, Mrs. Weasley, and younger Weasleys. I wondered when I would see you in here today."
"Good day, Mr. Ollivander, business going well?" Percy asked, ever the gentleman to elders, as though every Hogwarts student didn't get their wands from the only wandmaker in London.
"Oh but of course, Mr. Wealsey, a few interesting cases too. Ms. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, you are in for a few interesting classmates, me thinks."
I started giggling and I heard Fred and George laugh from my sides before the old wizard disappeared into the depths of his shop.
When he reappeared he had two boxes in his hand.
"You boys have very distinct personalities, these two called to me almost immediately."
Fred and George stepped right up to the counter and looked as Ollivander unboxed the wands.
"This one, 14" Dogwood, Phoenix feather core, quite bendy. And this one," he pointed to the second, "14" Fir wood, Dragon Heartstring Core, Swishy."
At first I looked on as Fred picked up the Dogwood wand and George the Fir. But after a moment of holding the wands they looked at each other, nodded, and switched wands. Consequently leading to a bright smile on each of their faces and just a feeling through the room that felt like a rush of magic.
Now Mum had a bright smile on her face, and I was glad.
"Now, Ms. Weasley, what shall we do for you?"
I stepped up to the podium as he looked cautiously over the high desk. I couldn't pinpoint a moment where his mind clicked because all of a sudden he started murmuring to himself and walked up and down the random aisles of the shop, seemingly looking for something in the chaos.
And as soon as he set off, he had come back with many boxes in hand.
"Here we are, 12 ½" sycamore wood, unicorn hair core, pliant."
I picked up the wand, expecting something magical to happen, energy to flow, light to fill the room and my mind. But nothing happened.
Nothing at all.
"No, most certainly not. Next, here we go, 11" maple wood, unicorn hair, surprisingly swishy."
I picked this wand up and even worse than the first, boxes in the aisle behind the wandmaker started jumping off the shelves. I hurried to put the wand back on the counter and backed away from it.
"No, definitely not," And running his hands over the remaining boxes he paused over one box and looked back at me, "just maybe."
I watched as he pulled the top off of this box. The wand was pretty, it was pale brown with what seemed to be waves carved into it all the way up to the subtle point at the top.
"12 inches, willow wood, dragon heartstring core, whippy."
I knew as soon as I picked it up that this was my wand. It was as though the magic had found its other half. And I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my mouth.
"Well now. Looks like my job is done, unless you're hiding any other children, Mrs. Weasley?"
Mum giggled before shaking her head and spoke with a more solemn voice, "And how much do we owe you, Mr. Ollivander? 21, is it?"
Mr. Ollivander nodded at her, but I could sense that he knew something by the clear glint in his eye and the look my way.
And before Mum could even look to her purse Fred, George and I reached into our pockets to pull out each of our seven galleons and put them on the counter.
"That should be good, right, Mr. Ollivander." I ask with a smirk on my face I know is also on my brothers', and with a quick glance over the coins he nodded and made himself busy as we pulled our wands off the counter and set to walking out the door past Mum and Percy's shocked faces.
We barely made it outside before Mum was behind us lecturing us, which led to some mighty confused faces from Dad, Ron, Ginny and Charlie who had at some point appeared outside the wand shop.
"Are you three quite mad!" At those first words out of her mouth Dad put on a stern face read to back up our mother for whatever unacceptable behaviour the three wild Weasleys had decided to get up to now.
"No, in fact I figure we are quite sane," Fred began.
"I mean, unless you have some other evidence we have yet to see," George continued.
"Which would be quite rude, I would, for one, appreciate being told I was mad." I said, a smile grazing my features.
Before Mum could continue with her lecture Dad stepped between us, "What have they done, dear. Have they insulted Mr. Ollivander."
"No, they've, they've gone and, and" and just when I believed that she would go on some grand rant she instead pulled the three of us in and started blubbering in a distinctly Mum way.
"What have they done, Percy?" Dad's voice was purely confused now, I could tell, just the way he spoke about muggle things.
"They paid for their own wands." Percy's voice was full of disbelief.
"They've done what?" Just as I managed to escape from Mum's vice-like grip I saw Charlie's face, the only one who knew what we had planned and he was smiling and his voice was full of sarcasm.
"We just thought it would be a nice thing to do."
"We know it's not easy to have three children the same age."
"Especially when you have two others that also need books and things."
"And wands are pretty expensive."
"So we just did some work to make the money."
"It wasn't that difficult, and it was something we wanted to do."
Mum hadn't stopped crying, in fact, it had gotten worse as we tried to explain ourselves
"You worked for the money yourselves?" Dad questioned us.
"Yes." At this point George's voice was soft, as though he couldn't decide if we were in trouble or not.
Dad's face got very serious at this point, and the thought ran through my head that maybe we really were in trouble.
But that couldn't be. We are always told to do nice things.
"You guys know you never have to worry about money, right? We'll always have enough for what we need." Dad's voice was solemn and told us everything. Yes, we had just been trying to do a nice thing, but we might have embarrassed them. Made it look like we thought we couldn't have nice things or that they didn't work hard enough to get us good things.
"We know that Dad. Of course we do." I tried to match his soft voice, failing and falling into what seemed to me like a rushed and worried tone, "But we see how hard you and Mum work, how much you do for us. Why should you be the only ones who work for our things. So we decided we would do what you do and work hard for something that we need. We didn't mean to offend you or anything." My statements set off another round of blubbering from Mum, who at this point seemed incapable of real words, and was drawing a little bit of attention to our already quite noticeable group.
"And we're proud of you for that, we really are. And we are proud that you worked hard, seven galleons each, that's no small feat at eleven years old. Certainly a feat none of our other children seem capable of." With a pointed smirk at my two older brothers he ushered us forward and wrapped his hand around Mum to guide her, "Now Weasley's back to the Burrow for supper."
And we were off. And I did feel really happy to have bought something for myself. It seemed like putting in the work to get a reward, especially one as awesome as my first wand, was really worth it.
Though during the de-gnoming process it really didn't seem like it.
The rest of the summer passed by in a blur.
August was always a month of sweaty days on the makeshift quidditch pitch, lunch in the hills and perfecting pranks with Fred and George.
Days of adventure and nights of reading with Ginny who was just getting the handle of it. I even let her read some of my textbooks to me, and she really only messed up the hard words, she really was a great reader. And it was an interesting way to start my studies early.
If only I could start working on potions, which for some reason intrigued me the most, even though I was warned by Charlie that the potion master was the hardest professor I would have the upcoming year. Somehow it just seems so intricate. Like any little mistake could lead to a completely different outcome or even, if you were lucky, an explosion.
Fred and George thought I was crazy, of course. Though their plan was to get through school taking as few classes as possible and getting only just passing marks until they could open a joke shop when they left school.
It truly was the perfect scheme for them, one of which I promised to help with, only on the off chance that they would give at least a little care about their grades. The, of course, thought this was treason and pretended not to speak to me for three days.
But this summer was different. Every night I added more and more to the trunk that I kept at the base of my bed. Ginny was annoyed by it saying it took up too much of the room. But every night she still insisted on watching me take everything out of the container and put it back in, making sure everything was in its correct place and nothing was missing. And this routine, while keeping me sane, also made the nights drag on, and I often found myself staring at my ceiling, where of course my picture of a young Hamish MacFarlan resided. It was hard to believe how attractive the Head of Magical Games and Sports was when he was still playing for the best quidditch team in the British and Irish League.
Which is, of course, the Montrose Magpies.
Almost all of my brothers keep trying to tell me differently, but the Magpies are simply the best team out there. And Ron supports the Cannons, literally the laughing stock of professional quidditch, so he really shouldn't have a say.
Anyway, all these long nights where I found myself staring at the captain I imagined my life at Hogwarts. I thought about stories Mum and Dad, my brothers, and family friends had told me about the school. And this was also the time I thought about how to break it to my family if I was not sorted into Gryffindor.
Would Mum and Dad be upset?
Would they kick me out, like Slytherin families are known to do?
Would my brothers talk to me?
Would Ginny still look up to me?
What would holidays be like?
But then the other questions came. Ones that I would never ask out loud.
What if the people don't like me?
What if I like someone? Who would I talk to about it?
What if I don't make the quidditch team?
What if I fail at magic?
What if the teachers don't like me?
And around and around these thoughts would go, until I either fell asleep to troubled nightmares or stood up with the dawn ready to fight through a day with no sleep at all.
Today was one of those days.
I had given up on sleep a long time ago, written a note to Ginny and set about going on a walk with the sunrise.
I deemed my flannel shorts and t-shirt acceptable and slipped on my trainers then padded down the many stairs trying not to awaken any members of my family.
And it worked, and I could just see the sun rising over the hills as I set off walking towards the thick tree line into the familiar path along the stream.
The small whimpering of the trees against the wind and the babbling stream grounded my thoughts in the moment. And the dewy sticky air seemingly sat in my lungs with each intake and set to waking my mind up with each breath.
And then I heard a rustle.
As I spun around I caught a familiar face.
"Morning Cedric."
"Morning Maggie Leigh, can't sleep again."
Cedric Diggory, my neighbor one year older than myself was probably my closest friend outside of my own family. My only one really, not that I didn't like the people in my school, they just didn't really like me. He was in Hufflepuff and that was something I had always known about him, no matter his doubt almost everyone who knew him knew he would be sorted into Hufflepuff.
And he was someone I often encountered on my morning walks, always claiming that he wanted to start his day as early as possible, but I have the feeling he may have a similar problem to myself.
"Yep. How about you, early start again?"
"As always. How did the game turn out yesterday."
Cedric was always our sixth quidditch player. Since Ginny is so young Mum doesn't like her playing with us in real games though she does play with us when we are just practicing. It's odd though because she could probably hold her own better than Ron does, she takes after me, when you learn to play against boys who are much older than you, you learn to be tough when you play. Yesterday, in the middle of our game Cedric had been called away by his parents to say hello to some guest that was at his house. Since we play without a snitch we just play to whatever team reaches 150 points first. Yesterday our teams were Me, Cedric and Fred against Charlie, George and Ron.
Of course, without our keeper Fred and I had a hard time keeping it up but with Ron as the other teams keeper it was kind of like they didn't have one either. I'm not saying he's bad but let's say he needs some practice.
Especially against me, The Greatest Chaser in the World.
"We were able to keep up. Fred is great at being beater and keeper at the same time. Especially when we have Charlie playing chaser, he's not exactly the best with strength is he?"
"Lucky he doesn't need it. You'll see, I know you don't believe me when I tell you he's the best thing Gryffindor's seen in a long time, or at least since Bill, but he really is. And you should hear the talk about the 'blip' in the Weasley dynasty. You better make the team next year or the whole house will be lamenting."
"You better make it this year. Hufflepuff needs a new seeker, don't they? You'll be a shoo in."
Cedric let out a huffy laugh, looking down at the stream between us, "You'll be surprised, I know a lot of upperclassmen will be going after that position, what's a second year to a bunch of sixth and sevenths?"
"Trust me, Ced, I know you'll make the team. You're always the one to say I have great intuition, right?" at his subtle nod I keep speaking, "And I have a good feeling you'll do it. And hey, if I do get into Gryffindor Charlie told me they'll have two chaser positions open my second year. And of course no sixth or seventh year will hold a candle to The Greatest Chaser in the World."
Cedric laughed at this, fully, before I spoke up again, "So who came to your house last night?"
At this I couldn't help but notice a blush covering Cedric's face, and he opened his mouth and shut it again as though he didn't know what to say.
"What's that look for?" I laughed as I said it, a teasing tone of voice that would normally take too much effort this early in the morning, but when it came to teasing Cedric came easy.
"Alright I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone, even the twins, okay?" Ced looked really serious about this, but the blush now taking over his face gave him away, but I could make that promise so I nodded very seriously when he continued, "do you know the Bell family?"
I couldn't help but laugh as I realised what he meant, "This is over a girl, Ced?"
"Shhhh" he said, lunging at my face, "Don't say it out loud!"
"What do you mean don't say it out loud?" I laughed, "Ced I think it's cute. You and Katie Bell. I can see it now. And I can see why. She has pretty eyes, Cedric."
As we kept walking Cedric continued to try and shush my laughs and giggles and murmurs of 'Cedric and Katie sitting in a tree' by trying to shove his hand over my mouth or push my off balance.
And I would let up, only because I realised the sun was almost completely up and Mum and Dad wouldn't like it if they saw me come in at this time.
"Hate to cut this short but I need to get home before Mum's awake."
"Don't worry I'm not upset to leave you now." With a short laugh Cedric turned around to leave to his own home too, "And please don't mention this to anyone. Please."
"Don't worry Ced, I won't."
And with that we departed, and heading home I let my mind wander back to the sound of the path. Leaves rustling, birds chirping in the new sunshine, and Mum yelling.
I hadn't made it.
"What exactly do you think you are doing!?" The exclamation hadn't been a question, but merely a statement telling me that I had screwed up.
"I'm sorry Mum, my mind wandered again and I was going crazy."
"This early, and alone, you could have gotten lost, someone could have taken you! You know how absentminded you get what if something had happened to you!"
Again, not a question, but I at least tried to respond, "I wasn't alone!"
Apparently this was enough to warrant a response, even if I hadn't gotten the whole sentence out.
"Not alone, are you mad, not only wandering around at the shady hours of the night but with someone! And who exactly have you decided to make random conversation with this time?"
"Cedric, you know he goes for walks by the stream too."
That seemed to calm my mother a little, she liked Cedric.
"As much as I like that boy you shouldn't be going for walks alone with boys, especially older ones." Her volume had calmed down but her tone was still stearn.
"I know Mum, but Cedric's my best friend of course I trust him. And besides, I didn't really mean to walk with him, we just crossed paths."
Mum sighed and I didn't know what was coming. She did trust Cedric, I trusted him, and he was basically my brother.
"I understand that," she sighed, "I just worry, you know at Hogwarts not all of the boys will be like Cedric, right?"
I looked at my mother. I know me going to Hogwarts was a big stress for her. Sure, she had three older boys go through the school, and four of my brothers would be with me there. But I was different. I was a girl, and Mum loved us girls. And what would she do but worry if I was being taken advantage of while at school. Of course she didn't worry about this with the boys, which my rational brain told me was because she believed boys wouldn't get into a situation like that, but something in the small of my thoughts told me it was because she didn't believe I was strong enough like the rest of the 'real' Weasleys.
Now, of course I never thought I was anything else. But apparently she did. I would never let her know but I had overheard her arguing with Dad the other night while going to make some tea to help me sleep. She had told him she was afraid I would try to find my 'real' parents when I had a little freedom. That I would find a new family and would 'easily not be a Weasley' anymore. He wanted to talk to me about it. She didn't.
But I didn't really care. Yes I didn't have Weasley hair or height, but I was made of Weasley stuff. I had proved it in Diagon Alley. I was Weasley through and through and nothing could change that.
"I know Mum. I know, and you need to know I would of course never trust someone who I hadn't known my entire life. I need that much time to trust someone." I cut myself off from babbling with a laugh and leaned over to throw my arms around her. "And I would be surprised if any older boy took interest in me. I at least have a feeling any one of my brothers would set anyone who looked my way straight. Remember that boy, oh what was his name, oh Damian Blackpool, who had written Ginny that love letter last year? Fred and George got him seeing stars real soon."
We both laughed at that as Dad made his way down the stairs with a tired Charlie in tow.
"Morning Weasleys!" He greeted in his usual morning cheerful voice, you would never know he had only gotten in from work three hours ago.
"Morning Dad!" I responded and watched as he set to dancing around the kitchen taking things out and setting them on the table, spinning Mum around him as she stood up to start making breakfast.
I loved watching them like this. Carefree and completely happy. I knew a lot of people didn't have this, and I was really happy that my parents loved each other every single day, even when they were mad at each other.
Charlie had an easy smile set on his face as he too watched our parents, leaning back and sipping from a glass of milk as I poured myself a cup of tea.
Percy and George appeared soon after, making themselves comfortable and immediately picking up Charlie and my conversation about the uses of muggle radio while Fred and Ron pulled up the rear of the group just barely awake and nearly immediately going for the pile of toast set in the middle of the table.
This was it.
This was what Weasleys were made of.