CHAPTER 1 Wake Up!
Disclaimer - All Harry Potter characters, places, etc. are creations of J.K. Rowling. I'm not claiming them!
"Shut up, Fred. You're going to wake her," a red-headed, freckled boy whispered to his giggling twin. The two young boys continued to slowly tip-toe along the second-floor hallway of their neighbor's house, their hands clutching large, fluffy, red and gold pillows.
"Isn't that the point, George?" his brother asked.
"Not yet, though," George replied hastily, hitting his brother lightly in the face with his pillow. "You know she's going to kill us, right?"
"Ha. That's only if she can catch us, oh wary brother-of-mine," Fred grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
Passing an old photograph of a man carrying a petite, curly-haired blonde on his shoulders, the boys finally reached a doorway on their right. The room glowed a bright yellow as the eastern sun shone through the room.
"Okay, on the count of three," Fred whispered. "One…"
"Two…"
"Chaaaaarge!" The brothers sprinted into the golden room, screaming random battles cries.
A lean figure jolted up in bed and emitted a scream moments before two pillows collided with it. A muffled cry emerged from beneath the pillows as the two boys erupted into giggles at the foot of the bed, releasing the pillows from their grasp.
"I really hate you two at this moment," a strawberry-blonde girl of fifteen groaned as she slowly sat up, her hair tousled by the pillow attack. "What d'ya want?" The sun now shined directly onto her tanned, sporty physique and accentuating the red in her golden locks.
"Awww. C'mon Hal. Don't be such a sour puss," provoked George.
"It's seven o'clock in the morning, and I've just been attacked by two teenage boys armed with pillows. I have a right to be grumpy," she bitterly replied. "Oh, and did I mention that it's my last week of summer, meaning my last week to sleep in?"
"Obviously not a morning person," Fred mumbled to his brother.
"You think?" their friend's emerald green eyes twinkled at them. "I would have thought you guys would have learned that after fifteen years of being my neighbors, but I guess not."
Her attempts to try to remain serious and unamused were weakening as her best friends snickered at the edge of her bed.
"C'mon Hallie," George pleaded. "It's the last day before we head off to Diagon Alley. Don't you want to enjoy every possible moment of it? And with us? Your two favoritest people in the entire world!"
"Because then it's off to hoggy hoggy Hogwarts," Fred jumped in.
"Yeah, I know," Hallie replied. "And I had hoped to spend my last few days in bed," she groaned, falling back on her pillow and covering her face with her blanket.
"Okay. Fine. I can take a hint," Fred said, throwing his hands up in defeat. "We just thought you would want to play a round of Quidditch with us." He and George rose from her bed and proceeded toward the door.
"But I guess not." George added. "Come on Fred. Let's leave her to her sleep."
Hallie's eyes widened and her brows raised at the sound of the word "Quidditch." She slowly pulled the covers down revealing her brilliant green eyes. The boys grinned as they took a few more steps toward the door, knowing they had said the magic word. As if on cue, they heard the shuffling of sheets behind them.
"Evil," Hallie spurted out as she stared at the backs of two flaming red heads. They slowly turned around with grins stretched from ear to ear. She pointed her finger at the twins. "I see your tricks, and I know what you're doing. Any other day, I wouldn't stand for it, but I'll be nice today and give in."
Fred and George immediately linked arms and skipped around in circles whooping and hollering as they did their victory dance.
"All right, all right," Hallie laughed at her crazy friends. "Just let me change first."
The young girl jumped out of her bed and ran into her bathroom. Fred and George high-fived each other as their friend retreated from the room. They had won, yet again.
A few moments passed before Hallie emerged from her bathroom in a pair of black sweatpants and a Puddlemere United sweatshirt. Her glowing hair was slicked back into a high ponytail, accentuating her high cheekbones and slender neck.
"Let's do this," she clapped her hands and headed for the door, her friends close behind her.
"Mom," Hallie called out as she skipped down the stairs two at a time. "I'm gonna play Quidditch with Fred and George out back."
"Okay, honey," her mother yelled from the kitchen. "Have fun. Lunch will be at noon. You, too, boys. You're more than welcome."
"Thanks Mrs. Wyndham," the boys replied as they landed on the first floor.
The twins ran out the back door as Hallie paused to grab her broom that leaned against the wall on their back porch. After many years of playing around in their backyards, it was finally enough to persuade their parents to set up Quidditch hoops adjoining portions of their backyards to form a practice field for their kids.
As she approached their make-shift Quidditch pitch, Hallie saw another figure standing out there, waiting on them. She soon recognized tall figure to be Oliver Wood, the seventh year keeper and captain of his Quidditch team at Hogwarts and one of the heartthrobs of the Gryffindor House. Fred and George were also Gryffindors and claimed the two beaters positions on the house team.
"Oh yeah," George remarked. "We invited Oliver to play with us."
"That's fine," Hallie responded, shrugging her shoulders. "Hey Oliver!" she cried as she bounded forward and gave the seventeen-year-old a quick hug. He then shook hands with the twins as they began questioning him about their Quidditch training schedule once school began.
Hallie felt a repressed twinge of jealousy listening to the boys discuss their schedule because, sadly, she wasn't in their house. She knew the twins would always be her friends, but Hallie still couldn't help the slight feeling of being an outsider when they were around other Gryffindors.
……………………………………………………
Walking into the Great Hall, 11-year-old Hallie was very nervous as she observed four long tables filled with students stretching the length of the hall. She was also worried about being sorted, bur her best friends, and neighbors, Fred and George, assured her she would be placed in the right house. More specifically, it would be the same house into which they would be sorted. The twins' three older brothers were all Gryffindors, and they were all sure the twins would be sorted there as well; but what about Hallie? Sure enough, with the last name of Weasley, Fred and George were sorted just before her and both placed into Gryffindor House.
Being the twins' best friend all their lives, they just assumed Hallie would be sorted into Gryffindor as well. Her father and brother were both Gryffindors, her mother a Ravenclaw. Basically, she had been surrounded by Gryffindors her whole life, especially if you include the rest of the Weasley clan.
Now Hallie was left alone on the large stage in front of the entire school. She was alphabetically the last first year to be sorted. Of course my name would be the very last one on the list. Just my luck.
"Wyndham, Hallie," an old, crabby-looking witch called out.
Hallie slowly and shakily approached the wooden stool she was to sit on. She sat down, and the professor placed the antiquated Sorting Hat on her head. It fidgeted in her mind, trying to decide where she would best fit.
"Ahhh…a friend of the Weasley twins, eh? Mischievous and cunning just like them, I see," the hat spoke to her. "I see loyalty to your friends but also a keen mind and thirst for learning, yes? And very energetic. Oh yes, especially about Quidditch. You plan on playing on the house team one day. Very good."
Hallie just sat there, staring out at everyone, and yet, at no one. She listened very closely to all the hat had to say, hoping to predict what house she would be in.
Please Gryffindor. Please Gryffindor, she thought to herself.
"Gryffindor, eh?" the hat remarked. "Yes, I'm sure you would do fine there. However," Hallie's face dropped, "I think you would do best in…"