A tall, thin, fair-faced boy of sixteen stepped out of a shining black car in King's Cross Station. His navy blue eyes scanned the plaza. Finding everything safe, he stooped to look into the car. He nodded after a moment and walked around to the other side. Opening the back door, he took the small, thin hand that was extended.

The girl who rose from the car was also tall and thin. She was very nearly an exact image of the boy next to her. Both had light frames and pale, softly defined features, and wore the same solemnly anxious expression. The only differences were their height and the girl's hazel eyes.

The boy put his arm around the girl, twirling in his fingers the wispy, white-blonde hair that matched his own.

"Moving to a new school's always hard, Luce," he said. The girl, Lucinda, looked up at him and smiled tiredly.

"I'll be fine as long as I have you, Lee," she replied. Lee smiled down at her and rubbed her shoulders.

"That's right. We'll be fine if we stick together."

Together they unloaded two large trunks from the car and retrieved a smoky grey cat and a white rat from the front seat. Lucinda cradled the rat, Mordred, while Lee settled the cat, Abigail, around his shoulders.

Once situated, the procured trolleys and made their way onto Platform 9 and ¾, following instructions given them in their letters from Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of their new school.

The platform was packed with students of all ages and it was hard to take even the smallest step without bumping into someone.

They were stared at quite a bit, one because they were twins and two, because they were new and obviously too old to be first years.

They had gone to the Magical Academy of Madrid prior to their father's return to London. Many years ago, their father, Richard, had been working with the Department of International Cooperation as a foreign representative. A conference had been held in Madrid, Spain prior to the twins' birth, and there had been many delegates from several countries.

Richard had fallen in love with Aaralyn Blauvelt, the German representative. After a short courtship they were married and settled down in Madrid, where their twin children Leroy and Lucinda were born and raised speaking English at home and Spanish everywhere else.

Over the summer, Richard had received a letter from Fudge, the Minister of Magic, saying that it was time to come back to England. Not wanting to refuse an order from the Minister, Richard packed up his family and moved to his home country without bothering to tell his children why it was required that he return.

Mordred wriggled slightly in Lucinda's grip, and as she removed one hand to start pushing her trolley again he leapt from the other. She shrieked and dove after him. Mordred, however, scurried over to a tall, lanky red-haired boy. Lucinda raced after him, bent over to better see the ground. She grabbed her rat, but her momentum carried her right into the boy's midriff. He toppled over, with Lucinda on top of him.

"Oy! What the-" the boy muttered as Lucinda stared at him in horror, to stunned to think to move.

Behind them, Lee ran up, struggling with the two trolleys as a black-haired boy and a girl with bushy brown hair helped Lucinda up.

"I'm so sorry!" Lucinda muttered ashamedly as the boy and girl pulled the red-head up.

"Don't worry about it," the boy said, dusting off his bottom and looking quite red about the ears. The other boy gave the twins an appraising, green-eyed look.

"You're too old to be first years," he said blatantly. "Who're you?"

"We're sixth year transfers," Lee said, pushing Lucinda's trolley over to her. "Dad's in the Ministry."

"Oh, welcome!" the girl said. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"Ron Weasley," said the red-head.

"Harry Potter," said the black-haired boy. Lee and Lucinda did a double take, and then grinned.

"A pleasure," Lee said, shaking Harry's hand and flashing a smile at Hermione. "I'm Lee Simington, and this is my sister, Lucinda."

"Call me Luce," she said quietly, her pale cheeks flushed a brilliant red.

"H-hi L-Luce," Ron stuttered. Harry started to snicker while Lee looked the boy up and down sharply.

He better not think...just because Luce fell on top of him doesn't mean-

His thoughts were interrupted when the prefect in Hermione spoke up.

"We should get on the train, don't you think?" she said. Harry and Ron nodded and unloaded their trolleys. As they stepped onto the train, Harry turned around and grinned at the twins.

"Come with us!" he said. Lee and Lucinda grinned and quickly complied.

Draco sauntered lazily around the train looking for something to do. He'd already frightened all the first years, and he hadn't even gotten any food from the prefect snack bar. Crabbe and Goyle had decided to visit him and had dived mercilessly on it. To free himself from the frenzy he'd left.

He approached a compartment and heard the - unfortunately - familiar voices of his three least favorite people. He scowled but decided to go badger them, since he heard two unfamiliar voices as well.

He opened the door and was met by three scowls and two blank looks. The blank looks belonged to the two unfamiliar voices. Obviously twins, the boy and girl possessed the same light bone structure, same hair...only the eyes were different. His gray-green eyes met the girl's hazel and he sneered at her, ignoring Harry's, "Bugger off, Malfoy."

"Well, aren't you just a pretty little darling," Draco drawled. The boy's expression immediately hardened and he sat up higher in his seat so as to seem more intimidating.

"And you are?" Lee asked, noticing Lucinda blush.

"Draco Malfoy, Git Extraordinaire," Ron snarled. "Leave Luce alone, you sod."

"Luce, eh?" Draco said, smirking. "As in Luscious?"

At that, Lee and Ron stood up, glaring at Draco while Harry and Hermione shook their heads and started to discuss O.W.L. results. Ron and Lee towered over Draco, as the boys were both at least six feet tall, and Draco found himself wishing he hadn't left Crabbe and Goyle in the prefect car.

"You want to repeat that, Malfoy?" Ron growled, reaching for his wand. He was stopped before he could reach it by Lucinda's hand on his. He looked down at her, surprised by his own courage and the fact that she was stopping him.

"Luce! What are you doing?" Lee hissed. "Do you want him to disrespect you like that?"

"No," she said quietly. "I just don't think hexing a prefect is a good way to start the year."

"Good little Luscious," Draco cooed, reaching out to pinch her cheek. Lee grabbed his wrist and held it, vice-like.

"Touch her and die," he said fiercely. Draco glared and attempted to pull his arm from the strong grip, failing miserably. He made to reach for his wand, but Ron stopped him.

"Hey Malfoy, I'm a prefect too," he said. "So sod off."

"How about no, Weasel? I'll leave when I like," Draco snapped. "Besides, I'm rather detained at the moment. Won't you let go, you're going to bruise me," he added to Lee, who looked quite reluctant to let go.

"Lee," Lucinda said pleadingly. Lee sighed heavily and released him. Draco glared daggers at Lee and Ron before smirking at Lucinda.

"Be seeing you, Luscious," he said before dashing down the aisle.

Ron, Lee and Lucinda sat back down, Ron and Lee shaking their heads. Hermione tutted.

"You'll get used to him- the whole of Slytherin is like that. No respect for anyone but themselves," she said.

"He's disgusting," Lee spat.

"A-are you ok-kay?" Ron asked Lucinda, his courage gone. Lucinda blushed and nodded.

"Guess that growth spurt came in handy!" Harry said brightly, clapping Ron on the shoulder. Hermione rolled her eyes and made an exasperated but affectionate cough-like sound.

"Guess yours didn't come at all," Ron replied, laughing.

Lee was still watching the door with a repulsed look on his face.

"I never thought I'd meet someone like that," he muttered. "He had better stay away from Luce."

"I can take care of myself, Lee," Lucinda said quietly. Lee looked at her.

"I know, hermancita," he said. "But I like taking care of you. That's what big brothers do."