It's a Twin Thing:
Chapter Three
"Ah, wittle firsties getting ready for the sorting! I wonder what kind of spells you'll need, eh? After all, that troll won't fall to the ground itself!" cackled Peeves. The poltergist was the first ghost that the children ever met, and for the muggleborns- and even some of the others- he wasn't much of a help.
A chorus of worried voices sounded in the entrance hall. It was just like Peeves to make up something like that.
"Hope you all know a good drying spell!" he grinned as he began tossing water balloons at them. One managed to hit Katie right on the head. A surprised gasp came out of her lips as she put her hands over her head to try and shield herself.
It was to no avail, for the balloon burst open and drenched her from head to toe. She crossed her arms over her chest to try and keep warm.
Two boys in the back of the crowd laughed at her dripping form and tangled blonde hair as Peeves sailed away into the ceiling.
Her face grew a red tinge, and a tear leaked out of the corner of her eye. Alicia put a comforting arm around Katie's shoulder's, and Angelina offered her the warm, dry cloak she was wearing in exchange for her soggy, wet one.
Lee, however, was not as calm. He spun around to give the boys a piece of his mind, but when his mouth opened, no words came out. His lips slowly turned from a frown into an amused smile.
He tapped George on the arm, and the twins turned to see what had stopped their friend dead in his tracks.
The boys that had laughed had been none other than the victims of Fred and George Weasley's fragrent prank.
Lee shouted out, loud enough for everyone in the crowd to hear, "What did you two do? Dump a bag of plant food on your heads and sit in the sun for a while? Maybe drink a glass of water now and then?"
It was a natural reaction for the whole crowd to turn their attention to the colorful boys in the back row, and away from the soaking wet girl up front.
The first years didn't even try to hold back their laughter at the sight. It wasn't long before Katie had calmed down and began laughing as well.
What a scene this was for an unsuspecting Professor McGonagal. Nearly every first year, including a dripping wet Katie and two identical red-headed boys, laughing at two boys in the back of the crowd with flowers on their head instead of hair.
"Ahem!" she made herself known. "If you all are quite finished, I would like for you to follow me."
And with her mouth in a thin line, she turned around and marched purposefully toward the great hall.
Fred and George shared a look, identical evil smiles plastered on their faces. Alicia sighed and shook her head, knowing that they were most likely planning on a way to prank the strict professor.
The first years followed Professor McGonagal into the Great Hall, where they found themselves walking to the front of the room between two long wooden tables with an open, cloudless night sky above them.
At the table to their left sat the Gryffindors, which included a head full of red Weasley hair and both of Alicia's siblings as well. Alicia saw Angelina wave to a girl who must have been her sister, and Alicia waved as well to Charlie and Bill, who were talking to each other at the far end of the table. Percy gave her a curt nod of greeting and she smiled back at him. He had always been a bit strange to her, with his formalities and all.
The table at the head of the room was obviously reserved for professors. In the middle of the table, in a rather large, comfortable looking chair was an old man with long hair as white as snow and half moon glasses that sat on his nose in front of twinkling blue eyes. He was none other than Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts.
Katie was well aware of the chuckles and giggles that went around the room, and the amused murmurs that were exchanged. She smiled, knowing that it wasn't her dripping wet self that set off the laughter, but the flower-haired boys in the back.
She was so busy looking around the majestic castle that she didn't realize the group of children had stopped until she ran into Alicia, who was in front of her.
"Sorry," she whispered, so that she wouldn't be heard by McGonagal, who was explaining the sorting process. Alicia smiled and nodded to show her acnowledgement before turning and listening to the Professor, who had just begun calling names.
"Lisa Abbot!"
A short, plump blonde girl stumbled up to the stool and sat down nervously. The hat was placed on her head, and it was only a moment before the hat shouted out "Hufflepuff!"
The table on the far right side of the room cheered, and the girl walked over to them and sat down.
"Katie Bell!"
Katie took a deep breath and walked slowly up to the stool, not seen by many until she was in front because of her shortness.
"Gryffindor!" shouted the hat.
A huge smile broke out on the girl's face. She jumped off the stool and ran quickly to the Gryffindor table, whose residents were cheering like mad. She sat down and looked back up at the front excitedly.
As it turned out, the others were placed in Gryffindor as well. Happily, when the hat announced her house, Alicia came and sat between Angelina and George.
"Congrats, Leesh," Charlie said across the table.
"Yeah," chimed in Bill. "Glad you're here."
Fred looked at his brothers and said, "Sure, congratulate her, but leave us to do nothing but sit here and wallow in the fact that our brothers like our friend more than us."
Angelina sent an annoyed look towards the twin and said, "George, shut it."
"That's Fred, Angelina," Alicia told her helpfully.
The girl sighed, "Same thing."
Katie giggled and looked towards the Headmaster when he stood up.
"First years, welcome, and the rest of you, welcome back. I am Professor Dumbledore. I would like to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is indeed forbidden to all students, and our caretaker, Mr. Filch, wished for me to let it be known to all students that anyone wandering the halls after curfew has immediate detention." The man's eyes twinkled. "If they are caught, that is. Now, I am not sure about you, but I am very hungry. So let the feast begin."
He raised his arms and food instantly appeared on the plates, which was quite a shock to those muggleborns such as Katie. She gasped when it formed out of thin air.
Fred and George very much resembled a garbage disposal at that very moment, shoving every ounce of food they could into their mouths. Alicia was used to it, but a disgusted look formed on Angelina's face when she saw. "Do you two have to do that?"
George looked up and through a mouthful of food, said, "ooh wha?"
"Fred!" she shouted. "Stop that!"
"Ee's ot Fwed. I om!" Fred shouted back.
"OOHHH!" she growled. "I don't really care which of you is which. Just swallow the stupid food!"
Fred sighed, and swollowed his food, as did George. "There. Happy now?"
"Very," she replied, turning again to talk to Katie.
Alicia just shook her head and finished up her supper in peace... or at least in as much peace as she could with Fred and George sitting next to her. When the feast was over, a Gryffindor prefect led them to the common room. Alica marvelled at the castle, loving every inch of it from the magestic ceilings to the moving staircases.
They reached a picture of a rather plump woman with a pink dress on. "Password?" she asked.
The prefect turned around and announced, "This is the Fat Lady. She is the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. The password to enter is Fortuna Major."
Upon hearing the password, the portrait swung open to reveal a cosy room colored in gold and scarlet. A couch and two armchairs sat in front of a warm, roaring fireplace, and in a far corner were wooden tables and chairs that could be used for homework or studying.To both the right and the left were staircases that led to the girls or boys dormitries.
Alicia walked in and turned to Fred and George. "Can you believe we're finally here? That we're finally at Hogwarts? It's brilliant, isn't it?"
"Yeah, Leesh, I know what you mean. George and I need to get a good nights sleep tonight."
She looked at them curiously. "Why's that?"
"Well, we have to go explore the castle, of course!"
Before she could get a word in, they bounded up the stairs leading to the boys' dormitories.
"Night Leesh!" they called down the stairs.
Katie looked at her and asked, "They aren't really going to break curfew, are they?"
When Alicia didn't answer, she asked again. "Alicia? Were they telling the truth?"
Without responding, Alicia crossed her arms with a humph and mumbled, "They better let me come, or they're dead!"
I'm back! I'm really sorry about the wait, and the short chapter. I wanted this one to be longer, but my computer crashed and I lost nearly everything, including this story. It took forever to get it fixed andI had to start from scratch on this chapter. Hope you like it though. I myself think it's kind of boring, but It'll get better. Just getting back into writing again, lol. R&R!
CC57