Vilandra checked every room in the house at least twice before finally hurrying down to the entrance with her trunk. She was always worried she would forget about something, or leave something on. It was her nervous habit, and she did it every year, even on the one year her mother had been home.
Hermione hadn't been able to return the night before to see them off but the two had received letters from her early that same morning. So, with parting words from their mother, the two of them stood outside on their front porch with their trunks, Vilandra locking the door behind them.
"They better show up on time." Chaim muttered as he sat on his trunk. Vilandra rolled her eyes, hating her brother more and more with each passing day. She severely hoped he would end up in Slytherin, that way at least she could confirm that he was evil like she believed he was. The two waited on the porch, the time passing slowly, when a car finally pulled up at the bottom of a long driveway-like path. Without a word, Vilandra hauled up her trunk and headed for the car as Chaim stared at her amazed.
"Lonnie, there's four of us, and four trunks. That's got to be the tiniest car I've ever seen!" Vilandra ignored him. For someone who teased Sterling about always being a Squib, he didn't really think very magically, always commenting on what he saw instead of what he knew. Because he saw a normal Muggle car, it never occurred to him that there may be something magical about it. How he had missed that was beyond her comprehension since he'd gone to his grandparents every year in their various flying cars. Fred climbed out of the car, smiling.
"Come on, you two! No time to dilly dally, let's get a move on!" He clapped his hands twice as Vilandra went around to the back, Chaim grumbling behind her about having to carry his own trunk. George popped open the back and helped Vilandra get her trunk into the back of the car. She then went around and got into the car, jumping in beside Leroux. Chaim finally reached the car and waited for George to grab the other side of his trunk, but George merely shook his head.
"You're a man, Chaim! Do it yourself, it'll help you become disciplined." Alca poked her head out the back window, looking at her father.
"Since when do you know anything about discipline?"
"Quiet you." George insisted, but he was smirking. Chaim didn't move so George finally rolled his eyes and helped Chaim get his trunk into the back. Once they'd gotten it in, Chaim was stunned to see the four trunks fitting comfortably, with more room to spare. He cursed himself silently for not having figured they'd used magic to increase the size of the interior of the car. "And off we go!" George slammed the trunk closed and went back around the car to the passenger's seat. Chaim got in on the other side of the car, sitting beside Alca. Neither were too happy about this and both immediately turned away from one another, crossing their arms grouchily.
"Come on, gang! Let's sing!" Fred hollered.
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, here they come! Back to claim all that they've done. Welcome back the troublesome four, the menaces are back once more!" Fred and George cheered as they finished the song they'd invented and then began singing it again from the beginning. Leroux and Vilandra shared a smirk. 'They're mad' Leroux mouthed to Vilandra. She merely smiled, shaking her head. As if her cousin ever had a doubt that the two before them were mad.
Chaim seemed to be getting angrier and angrier as the Weasley twins repeated the song, but nobody else in the car minded too much. Leroux and Vilandra had been hearing it for four years, and Alca's mood had improved as she bobbed her head along to the song, ignoring Chaim completely.
The car finally stopped and they all piled out, Alicia already waiting for them with trolleys. She always came in advance with Leroux's owl, knowing that Fred and George drove the poor thing bonkers when it was in the same car as them. Ginny also stood with her, the Potter twins playing on their Game boys, frantically trying to beat some kind of game before they'd have to give up their battery-powered best friends for another school year.
The four Fifth years and two First years made their way through the station with Fred, George, Alicia and Ginny. Leroux and Vilandra didn't even stop as they talked animatedly, walking straight through the wall between platforms nine and ten to their own magical platform: Platform nine and three-quarters. As they continued walking and talking, someone suddenly appeared in between them, one arm around each of their shoulders.
"I know it's difficult to remember that Muggles don't know about this platform, but generally, one looks around before casually walking through a wall." Ginny stated matter-of-factly. The two blushed and mumbled apologies as they made their way to the baggage compartment. As the six of them dropped off their trunks and the ones with pets retrieved them from their parents, the six said goodbye to their relatives—Chaim doing so very reluctantly—and headed onto the train. As they began to climb aboard, Chaim stopped Alca. She turned to him annoyed.
"Look, I don't like you, and you don't like me, but we're both First years, and we both know each other, so I'm going to suck it up and pretend I like you until I meet someone else to hang out with." Alca rolled her eyes.
"Whatever, you git." She climbed onto the train and Chaim pulled angrily on her light brown hair. "Ow!" She turned back to him angrily. "Immature prat!" She kicked him in the shin and he cried out, hopping on one foot as he clutched his shin. He heard clapping and turned to see Fred and George cheering.
"That's my girl!" George called after Alca, still clapping. Ginny regarded her brothers disapprovingly, looking surprisingly similar to Molly Weasley when she told the twins off—which she still often did. No matter how old those two got, everyone suspected they would never grow up. As the Fifth years settled into an empty compartment, they waved out at their family until the train began moving, and their conversation turned to more important things—namely, what pranks they were going to pull on their least favourite teacher, Severus Snape, that year.
"D'you reckon we can slip some more of those Ton Tongue Toffees into his meal like last year?" Leroux asked frowning. The others all shook their heads.
"Are you mad? After we pulled that one off, He checks his food with a magnifying glass." Talak reminded them. The four chuckled as they remembered their Potions professor at the end of year feast, sifting through the food on his plate and checking every bite with a magnifying glass—literally—before putting the bite into his mouth.
"I think we should use one of your dad's Portable Swamps in his office." Vilandra insisted, rubbing her hands together viciously. "I've brought a few." Leroux snorted and they high-fived, the pleasant image of their Potions professor screaming and ripping out his greasy hair.
"Ah, that sight alone would be well worth the expulsion." Leroux sighed, his eyes closed as he continued to imagine Snape trying to get to his desk. Talak was the one to burst that happy bubble as he shook his head and said why it wouldn't work.
"No, it'd be impossible. Ever since he realized we enjoyed pulling most of our pranks on him, he's been locking his office door. Remember the trouble we went through last time just trying to slip something under his door? The man is paranoid."
"Well, with us around, I would be, too." Rhett grinned and the other four laughed. "I agree with Lonnie, though. I'm all for the swamp idea."
"Why thank you, Mr. Potter." She batted her eyelashes stupidly, then stood and took a deep bow. "Thank you, thank you, you're too kind. Oh, please, no more applause." The boys laughed, shaking their heads.
"You know, you surprise me, Lonnie." Talak admitted as she sat back down beside Leroux. She raised an eyebrow, a mischievous grin on her face.
"Really? How so?" She crossed her legs and held out her hand before her, pretending to be holding a pen in the other so she could 'write' down everything he said. He shook his head at her. Her insanity actually scared him sometimes.
"At home, you're this pure, angelic little girl…" Talak trailed off, leaving the sentence open for his twin to finish.
"Mix us three into the batch and you're the spawn of Satan." Rhett continued for his brother, grinning roguishly.
"But of course, dear cousins." Vilandra reassured, smirking at them. "You don't think I'm evil all on my own, do you? It's your brain waves. They claw into my mind and corrupt me into being evil." Leroux grinned.
"Hey, all right! I'm liking this whole 'us getting all the credit' thing." He high-fived with Talak as the two of them laughed. Rhett was tapping his chin lightly with his index finger, as if deep in thought.
"Come to think of it, I've always wanted to take credit for the time Snape's office was completely filled up with snow." At this, Vilandra turned to him sharply, pointing her finger at him.
"Excuse me, no." She pointed back at herself. "That was my idea, and I refuse for you to take credit for that when I served a month of detention over it." Talak frowned, as if trying to remember something.
"How did the old git find out about that, anyway?"
"Salai. How else?" Leroux grumbled, looking out the window.
"You know, I really hope our children don't have to go through a generation of Malfoys. D'you think there's a way we can make them all die off?" Rhett asked the other three. Vilandra shook her head.
"No, the world would be too perfect without them. We need to have a bit of evil in this world." She insisted.
"But does it have to look so terrible?" Talak demanded, pretending to gag. The other three smiled, shaking their heads. Soon thereafter, their conversation about the Malfoys ended, and they began to talk about the King of Darkness. He was told to be like the new Voldemort, an old wizard insanely obsessed with ultimate power. A few minutes after they'd started talking about it, two of their classmates—Ziad Bryce and Rivel Adams—entered their compartment with some of the articles they'd collected about him from the Daily Prophet.
"It says here that he's been attacking sporadically." Ziad informed, pointing to a paragraph. "He's attacked Muggles and Purebloods alike. Everyone's worried. They haven't had a threat like this since that old wizard, Voldemort."
"I'm sure the other two weren't a problem." Talak grinned. Rhett laughed jovially.
"I heard uncle Harry took down the 'mighty Lord Malfoy' in three days!" Leroux agreed.
"Actually," They all turned to the door, stunned. "It was twelve." Salai Malfoy stood in the doorway of their compartment, flanked on either side by his two cronies—Vawn Gregson and Dryden Rogers. It seemed every Malfoy was doomed to be an arrogant prat always flanked by two strong—but dense—cronies.
The only reason the Malfoys were still allowed at Hogwarts was for the sole purpose that their father, Draco, had taken no part in his father's attempt to dominate the British Isles. He knew Harry Potter personally, and he'd figured that if that boy had taken down Voldemort, his father didn't stand a chance. So now, years later, his son Salai and daughter Sharka were both proud students of Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And like every other Malfoy in the family, they were easily distinguishable from the rest due to the fact that they both had platinum-blonde hair. Draco Malfoy had married some French girl called Fleur Delacour—they'd apparently met years beforehand at a school event. The fact that both retained the white-blonde hair gene made it seem like the Malfoy family would never lose their unusually light hair. And as the six within the compartment glared out at the platinum-haired boy, he merely smirked at them.
"Excuse me, did you want something?" Rivel finally asked, beginning to become impatient with the arrogant prat at the door. Malfoy merely smirked at them before walking off, laughing at them down the corridor. The six Fifth year Gryffindors shared confused glances.
"Well, that was idiotic of him." Ziad insisted as he looked back down at the Daily Prophet and continued speaking. "It says the King of Darkness' Death Eaters are flying all over the UK, killing people at will." Rivel rolled his eyes.
"Honestly. Someone with that much power should've been able to, one, come up with a better name than that, and two, he should've been able to make up a new name for his followers, as opposed to just taking the same name as all the old wizard's followers."
"I hear their Dark Mark is similar, too." Rhett commented. "I heard it's just a skull. The old one used to be a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth." Leroux scoffed.
"Some big, new, evil lord. Bloke can't even come up with anything original." That was when Rhett noticed something glinting on Ziad's robe. He frowned as he leaned closer, trying to get a better look from his position.
"Blimey, Ziad! You haven't been made prefect, have you?" He demanded. All eyes immediately went to his robes where a shiny Prefect badge shone. Ziad smirked and nodded, seemingly quite pleased with his accomplishment.
"Does anybody else find it weird that none of us are Prefects?" Talak asked thoughtfully. Rivel snorted at this question.
"No." The four cousins grinned at each other, silently agreeing. None of them would've wanted to be Prefects, anyway. It would've taken all the fun out of breaking rules, because one of them would always have to stop and think about it for a whole second before continuing on. That was one second they all felt they couldn't afford to lose.
Suddenly, the train came to a screeching halt. The three that were facing forward in the compartment flew off their seats, slamming painfully into the three across from them.
"Your foot is crushing my wrist!" "Get your hand out of my eyes!" "Rhett, get your knee away from there!" Angered shouts came from the three who'd gotten crushed. Vilandra finally pushed Talak off herself, helping Rhett untangle himself from Leroux as Rivel fell back onto his seat, having been pushed off by Ziad.
"I hate it when they do that." Vilandra muttered as she blew a stray piece of hair out of her face. The six of them sighed, waiting impatiently as they heard some compartment doors open. They knew it was only the First years, for everyone else knew what was happening. Their compartment door opened and all saw Alca and Chaim standing there, looking slightly worried.
"It's not the King of Darkness, is it?" Chaim asked worriedly. The Potters smirked at each other, then turned back to Chaim.
"Yeah, it is." Talak said, his lower lip quivering violently. Vilandra had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing as she saw all the colour drain from her brother's face. "He's—he's come for us. He's come for us all!"
"Hey!" Chaim and Alca screamed as they heard the voice behind them and jumped into the compartment, Alca jumping onto Talak as Chaim jumped onto his sister. Vilandra shoved him off her knees disgusted as he turned to look at the door, almost in tears.
"Please don't kill me! I'll—Tonks?" Nymphadora Tonks, an Auror from the Ministry of Magic, laughed excitedly as she noticed the students crowded in the compartment before her.
"Hey! It's you! Oy, Moody! Look who I've found! The Weasleys and Potters!" She called down the corridor to another Auror. He grumbled as he came forward, still looking into compartments as he made his way to theirs. He looked in at them all, his rotating eye stopping on Chaim, who was still on the floor.
"Yes, Tonks." He said in a tired voice, as if exasperated to be stuck with such a hyper and friendly person. "As we do every year, can we proceed?" He continued down the corridor as Tonks stuck her tongue out after him, acting very much like the child she thought of herself as.
"He's called Moody for a reason, inne?" Alca grumbled as she got off her cousin, who was still laughing at how scared the two First years had been. Tonks merely smiled at them before Moody called to her again, his voice sharp. She sighed and waved.
"I'll probably see you all during the year. Take care!" She disappeared from the doorway and continued down the train. Every year when the train was on its way to Hogwarts, it stopped at different places so that Aurors could come onto the train and check it for any unusual happenings, or for any followers of the new Dark Lord. The Fifth years had become accustomed to it, but it didn't stop them from flying into each other every time it happened. Leroux and Vilandra were always the ones who got crushed, since the twins got motion sickness if they weren't facing forward.
Soon after Tonks had left from their compartment, the two First years left as well, grumbling about evil cousins and some type of revenge. As the train began moving again, Rivel and Ziad bid their dorm mates farewell and disappeared from the compartment to head back to their own. Night began to fall, and the four troublemakers couldn't help but grin.
"Hogwarts school, here we come." Talak grinned as he rubbed his hands together evilly.
-----
"Bloody hell, you'd think the First years could hurry it up a little bit. I'm starving." Leroux complained, burying his head in his arms as they lay crossed on the table. Vilandra flicked him playfully in the back of the head and he sat bolt upright again, turning to her. She was grinning while staring at someone who'd just walked into the Great Hall. Leroux followed her gaze and immediately lowered it, blushing furiously, his reddish-brown hair seeming only mildly red compared to the colour of his face.
"Well lookie who it is." Rhett grinned as he and Talak noticed why Leroux had suddenly gone tomato-red. "Your girlfriend's coming, Leroux." He teased as Jase Bell made her way up the Gryffindor table with her best friend, Lexa Johnson.
"She's not my girlfriend, act your age." Leroux grumbled as he spun his fork to avoid looking up while the two girls passed.
"But I am acting my age." Rhett insisted as he batted his eyelashes, looking just as stupid as Vilandra when she did it.
"I said your age, not your maturity." Leroux shot back, a small grin forming on his face. They continued to tease and poke Leroux as Jase and Lexa sat down at their table, both in the same year as the four cousins.
The doors at the back of the Great Hall finally opened, and Professor McGonnagall led all the terrified First years into the Great Hall. None were shaking as badly as Chaim, for he was the only person who 'knew' what the sorting consisted of. Vilandra had tipped him off and told him about having to battle the four most dangerous magical creatures. Depending on which one you managed to kill first, it would determine your house. Perhaps that was why Chaim began shooting daggers at his older sister when McGonnagall pulled out a small stool and placed a battered old hat atop it. There was silence for a long while, the First years looking around confused. Finally, the brim of the hat opened, and the Sorting Hat began its yearly song.
Here I sit upon this stool
To tell you all the tale once more,
Many, many years ago
There lived the Founders Four.
A school for teaching they would build
They had all decided,
But none could agree with the rest,
And so they were divided.
Each Founder had their own ideals
On what they thought was best
So they would take the ones they wanted
And leave the others to the rest.
First brave Lord Gryffindor
Brought the sorting to a start
He would have the bravest
As well as the purest of heart.
Next wise Dame Ravenclaw
Decided on her kind.
She favoured those of learning
Those who were strong of mind.
Cunning Sir Slytherin had a set idea
On who he thought should be taught.
Welcomed were the purebloods,
But the Muggleborns were not.
Lady Hufflepuff did not mind,
All were welcome to be with her.
Whether you were pureblood or not,
It really didn't matter.
She did not care how brave you were,
Nor whether you were cunning or smart,
She just wanted to teach the school,
So the magical times could start.
I wish to follow Hufflepuff's way,
I know that dividing you will make us fall
And I know division is not what she wanted,
But still I must sort you all.
I know there is no way for me
To stop from sorting any of you
Just know that as the years go by
Soon, the sorting, I shall refuse to do.
One day soon I shall be no more,
And the houses shall no longer stand.
And finally Her wish will come true,
And into one you all will band.
There was clapping all around as the hat finished its song, but Vilandra heard Talak snort.
"Please." He yelled to his brother and two cousins over the clapping. "Slytherins and Gryffindors putting up with each other? That'll be the day." Vilandra couldn't help but smirk, as well. It was rather ridiculous to even think about it. The two houses could hardly stand each other now, separated across the room. They would absolutely tear each other apart if they found out they'd all be sharing the same common room. McGonnagall pulled out a long list and Leroux groaned, slamming his head onto the table. He wasn't keen on waiting to eat, but now he had no choice.
And so, the long and boring sorting began, various houses being shouted here and there, the Slytherins among the group easily distinguishable with their smug looks and arrogant postures. Finally, the list reached the end, only two names remaining. Alca's, and Chaim's.
"Weasley, Alca." The eleven-year-old Weasley girl wrung her hands nervously as she made her way to the stool, McGonnagall noticing that the Weasley's famous red hair was really dying out. The only two she knew of in the entire Weasley family with pure red hair were Chaim, and Sterling. All of the others had different varieties of colours, Alca having light brown hair. Due to her mother's origin, she also had a fairly dark complexion, but it was that which made her eyes seem all the more beautiful, the blue darting out at people so forcefully that it was even noticeable from the back of the Great Hall. Alca took a deep breath as McGonnagall placed the Sorting hat on her head. Her older sister Kei gripped the table tightly, Vilandra biting her bottom lip.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The Weasleys and two Potters jumped out of their seats, cheering excitedly as the rest of Gryffindor clapped and cheered along to welcome their newest addition. Alca ran from the front of the room and into her sister's outstretched arms, hugging her tightly.
"Way to go, Alca!" Leroux held out his hand and she high-fived him. She then sat down and the hall became still once again so that Chaim could finally be sorted.
"Weasley, Chaim." He walked arrogantly up to the stool and sat down, the Sorting Hat falling onto his head.
"Anywhere but Gryffindor. Anywhere but Gryffindor. Anywhere but Gryffindor." Vilandra repeated over and over again as she crossed all her fingers and closed her eyes tightly. There was silence for some time as she continued chanting her little prayer, and finally, the Sorting Hat made its decision.
"GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table broke out into cheering and applause, all save for one. Vilandra pouted as she leaned against her left hand, her elbow propped on the table.
"Blast. I was severely hoping he would end up in Slytherin." She muttered.
"That's not very nice." Kei insisted to her cousin. Vilandra sighed.
"I know." Chaim made his way to his family, not looking too pleased, but everyone hugged him nonetheless. Vilandra even sacrificed what little dignity she had left to hug him. He was, after all, her brother. And whether she liked it or not, she'd be sharing a common room with him for the next three years. After Chaim had been sorted, chatter broke out in the Great Hall, everyone talking at once about anything and everything. They all quietened down as the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, stood to give his beginning of year speech.
"Welcome back to all returning students, and welcome to Hogwarts to all our new First years." He said in his old voice, smiling warmly at everyone before him. "I shall keep my speech short, as I'm sure a lot of you wish to tuck in to our wonderful feast."
"Hear hear!" Leroux yelled across the hall. A few people laughed, and Dumbledore chuckled.
"Yes, yes, I shall make this brief. A rule to all new students, and a reminder to a particular group of Fifth years." His eyes fell on the two Weasleys and two Potters. They stared back innocently, as if they had no idea what he could mean. "The Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students. It is a dangerous place, and I do not want to see any of you get hurt. Next—although I strongly disagree with this one—our caretaker, Mr. Filch," He motioned Filch, "would like to remind everyone, for the tenth year in a row, that anything bought at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes as well as Zonko's Joke shop is not permitted anywhere outside the house dormitories." The four smiled wickedly at one another. Nobody followed that rule, anyway. Filch knew not to try and ban the merchandise altogether, it would make everyone go out and buy it. "Sad, really. I rather enjoy a lot of the Weasley products." Dumbledore said thoughtfully, almost as if he were speaking to himself. There was a long silence that followed, and someone coughed uncomfortably. Dumbledore shook his head slightly, and realized he hadn't finished his speech. "Oh, yes. Of course." He turned back to the students. "Finally, I would like to thank Rhett and Talak Potter for their wonderful gift over the summer holidays. I must admit, I was quite surprised when my socks grew wings and attempted to fly me around the room." The twins high-fived as Leroux and Vilandra stared at them stunned.
"You did a prank without us!" Leroux asked.
"For shame!" Vilandra narrowed her eyes at the two black haired boys before her. They both grinned, shrugging innocently. The four of them always pulled pranks during the summer, but they'd all agreed never to pull pranks on any of the professors without the others involved. They'd obviously decided to break that rule, and now the other two were going to make them pay dearly for it.
"And now, without further ado, welcome to a new school year. Tuck in." Leroux turned away from his cousins as the food appeared on the table. He immediately began piling as much as he possibly could onto his plate, the other three smirking at him. He was like that every year due to the fact that his mother was a terrible cook. Poor thing practically starved himself when he was at home, and depended on a lot of Muggle junk food to keep him going during the summer. One would think that waving a wand and muttering the ingredients needed would be enough to make a good meal, but it was not as simple as that. Just like when Muggles cooked, there was always something different about the way food tasted when different people made the same thing. It was rather weird, really, but Leroux didn't seem to be thinking much about his mother's cooking at that present moment in time. He was too focussed on the food that sat on his plate.
"So you're a Weasley, eh?" A chubby, mouse-like boy asked Chaim. He was also in First year, and seemed rather nervous to be talking at all. "I'm Kian Gracely."
"Chaim." Chaim replied simply, but Vilandra could tell he was happy someone was finally talking to him.
"So, is it true what they say about the Weasleys? Are they really all pranksters?" He asked Chaim interested.
"Not all of us are pains in the arse." Kei said from across the table, casting a glance at her four cousins. They all grinned. "But seeing as how Chaim lives in the same household as Vilandra, I would suggest you check your bed."
"And shoes." Alca shot in. "Trust us."
"Aw, you ruined all the fun!" Rhett exclaimed, throwing both hands in the air.
"Now poor Chaim can't do anything!" Talak agreed, motioning their cousin. "Look at the poor thing! Close to tears, he is!" Chaim rolled his eyes annoyed, wondering why he'd bothered coming to sit with his family when he knew he'd spend the whole time hating it.
"S'all right, he can always short-sheet the beds." Vilandra grinned evilly.
"Thanks Lonnie, I'll be sure to check my sheets tonight." Jase called from two seats away. She and Lexa laughed as they saw the look of horror on Vilandra's face.
"Dammit! Now I need to think of something else! Quick, what can we come up with in five minutes?" She demanded her cousins. The four of them sat in silence as they ate, pondering what kind of chaos they could cause on the first night back.