Chapter: The Boy-Who-Lived.
Harry excuses himself from the group. He feels a little bit overwhelmed by all the attention Hermione and Ron's parents give him. Grown ups don't usually give Harry much attention. He's long made peace with it and prefers it that way. He doesn't try to say goodbye to Ron's siblings either. The older boys make him nervous and the youngest red head had completely ignored him.
"I'll see you on the train, Harry," Ron grumbles as he tries to get Ginny to loosen her grip around his torso.
"Uh, yeah? I-I mean, we're both going to Hogwarts...?" Harry awkwardly responds.
Ron looks at him like he's said something funny, but Harry has no clue what it could have been. Ron huffs out another laugh and shakes his head at Harry.
"Well of course, mate. Just go save us some seats while I deal with this one. I'm fairly sure Hermione will be done before me at this rate."
The casual ease in Ron's tone has Harry's tummy flipping with budding hope. He can't help but desperately wish this means Ron wants to sit with him. Harry had been nervous about Hogwarts and just a little bit afraid he'd make no friends. Dudley certainly hadn't helped this morning by musing how funny it would be if Harry were too 'normal' to go to his freak school.
Harry hurried onto the train and found an empty compartment. He stared out the window anxiously and just a little bit excited. He found his eyes glued to where the Grangers and Weasleys stood. The longer he watched them the darker his mood seemed to shift. He pressed closer against the glass and strained his ears to listen.
"You take extra good care of yourself, darling. Don't go getting too lost in those books of yours again," Mr Granger warned with a fond smile.
"It's Hermione, dearest. Don't go getting all hopeful on a lost cause," Mrs Granger giggled with a teasing roll of her eyes.
Hermione mimicked her mother but wore an impatient frown instead.
"I'll be fine. I'll be sure to write every week at the least. But it's magic school so don't get too mad if I forget," Hermione sighs.
Mr and Mrs Granger smile lovingly at their daughter, not upset in the slightest. It was obvious to anyone watching that the two were proud of their rather strange daughter. In her own way, Hermione must share a similar fondness. Although it was rather hard to tell with her dull stares and snippy tone.
Harry turned to watch the Weasleys next, his chest growing uncomfortably tight.
Mrs Weasley was fussing over the older more pompous looking boy. Mr Weasley was giving a cheerful warning to the twins, but all five were subtly watching the younger duo.
"Ginny, you're going to have to let me go at some point!" Ron huffed as he fruitlessly tried to free himself from his sister's octopus grip.
"No! I don't want to. If you're going to Hogwarts then I'm coming too," Ginny passionately declared.
"Ginerva Weasley, you stop this tantrum of yours right now!" Mrs Weasley scolded with an embarrassed blush to her cheeks.
Ginny ignored her mother and clung tighter to her brother. The teary glaze to her eyes seemed to soften her Mother's ire. Oddly, the rest of her older brothers made no move to help Ron free himself. They looked rather happy to leave Ginny to her dramatics.
"Ginny…" Ron sighed before lowering his left hand on top of her head.
Harry pressed closer to hear Ron's whispered words to his sister.
"I know you don't want to wait another year, but that's how things are. It might feel like it'll take ages, but I bet you won't even notice I'm gone by next week."
Ginny growled but pulled back from Ron to glare at him.
"Of course, I'll notice. How could I not! Who's gonna play chess with me or cut the crusts of my sandwiches the way I like it? Who's gonna play quidditch with me and throw mud in my face?" Ginny whined.
"Why is Ron the only one you let throw mud at you?" George interrupted with mock outrage.
"There, there Gin. I'll throw mud at you if you want," Fred offered with a smirk.
Ron glared at them as Ginny let out another agonised cry and clung to him tightly once again. He gave Percy a grateful nod for scolding Fred and George which made the prefect preen smugly. Ignoring his brothers once again, Ron sighed and pushed Ginny back to stare her deep in the eyes.
"What's bugging you really Gin? You weren't like this when Bill, Charlie or the other three went."
Ginny scowled and mumbled her words into his shirt. There was a shaky tremble in her words when she spoke, but everyone still heard her clearly.
"I don't want you to forget about me. You're gonna go to Hogwarts and have all kinds of fun. You'll make loads of friends and I'll be stuck at home helping Mum with chores and knitting! It's not fair at all! I could say goodbye to everyone else because you'd always be staying home with me, but this time you're not."
"Oh sweetheart…." Mrs Weasley whispered with sympathy.
But Mr Weasley held her back from trying to comfort their daughter. They all watched as Ron gave another heavy sigh with a frown on his lips. He thumped Ginny on the head hard enough to be felt but not to hurt. He ignored the cry she gave and levelled an unimpressed glare at her.
"Enough of that. You're no cry baby Gin. You're going to be fine. I'll write you almost every day, often enough you'll get sick of hearing from me. Forget you? How the bloody hell will I just forget I have a little sister? Merlin, Gin must you be so dramatic?"
Ginny shoved Ron feeling embarrassed and petulant as the twins teased her. Percy even seemed amused. She felt her cheeks flush a hot red and folded her arms with a glare.
"Fine! Go on then. Hurry up and get on the train and go."
Ron sighed rather sullenly before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
"You can be such a brat sometimes, you know that? Here."
Once again, Ron had the attention of all his family. Ginny reached for the offered paper and looked to him for an explanation.
"I was gonna leave you to miss me for the first night and send it tomorrow. But I'll just give it to you now if it'll stop your sulking."
"What is it?" the twins nosily pestered as they attempted to snatch it from Ginny's hands.
Ginny was quicker to keep it from them and protectively cradled it to her chest. She didn't anticipate Percy being just as curious. Before she could throw another fit, Ron snatched it from Percy and glared at his older brothers warningly.
"Oi! It's not for any of you prats. It's for Ginny alone."
"Unfair! Why is only Ginny getting a gift?" Fred demanded.
"She's already a spoiled little imp!" George added.
"Ahem, we were only curious Ronald. You're hardly the type to give gifts without reason," Percy rationalised.
"Boys. It's Ron's gift to Ginny if he doesn't want to share then he won't." Mr Weasley sternly warned.
Ron rolled his eyes at how annoyingly overzealous his brothers could get. They loved to complain about Ginny but all of them were equally obnoxious when given the opportunity. Bill and Charlie were the worse.
"It's nothing big. I just figured Ginny would get kind of bored this year, seeing as we'll be at Hogwarts. I got the idea from a Muggle book Percy bought me. I tried to make it as difficult as possible so it could last the whole year. Although, if you get too stuck you can always owl me for hints or clues."
Ginny unfolded the paper and her eyes brightened with excitement.
"It's a treasure map! Oh Ron, you made me a treasure hunt! You're the best brother ever!"
Suddenly the youngest red head seemed manic with excitement and wouldn't stop bouncing in place. She ambushed Ron with another tight squeeze before turning to her other brothers and smugly flaunting her treasure map in their faces. While his siblings argued and bickered with each other, Mr Weasley and Mrs Weasley squished Ron between them in a tight hug.
"Mum! Dad! Please, this is humiliating!" he protested but they only hugged him tighter.
"You make us so proud Ron. So, so proud," Mrs Weasley near wept.
Harry forced himself to look away, unable to watch the scene any longer. The tightness in his chest was unbearable and his stomach twisted with heavy discomfort. Oh, how Harry envied the red-haired boy so obviously loved by his parents. He tried to imagine his red-haired mother cuddling him close and whispering similar words, but the fantasy hurt.
Harry envied the Weasley and Grangers for their obvious deep love for one another. Especially so when he remembered Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's pointed ignorance of his existence. To them Harry was invisible. Only Dudley ever bothered to acknowledge him and even then, their conversations were short whispered sentences in the dead of night.
Harry leaned back into his seat, closed his eyes, and desperately tried to pretend he didn't exist.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
The train had finally left the station and was chugging along the tracks. Harry had fallen victim to the lull of the train's motions and resigned himself to a lonely ride.
"Finally! There you are Harry, you won't believe how busy the train is," Ron exclaimed as he slid the compartment door open.
Harry startled at the unexpected sound, looking wide eyed and squirrely. Ron tripped forward as Hermione shoved him so she could enter as well.
"Did you have to block the entire entry? Goodness. Hello Harry," she huffed while sending a dull glare in response to Ron's cheeky smirk.
"Oh? I-I, sorry?" Harry awkwardly responded having thought they'd forgotten about him.
"s'alright mate. Took us awhile to get through the crowd. Everybody's going crazy trying to be the first to meet the boy-who-lived."
"Who?" Harry asked with a confused scrunch of his brows.
He did not expect to be stared at intently with alarmed expressions by the two other children.
In another world, Harry Potter would've learned of his fame thanks to an honest and well-meaning half giant. This was not the case in this reality. Harry had learned of his mother and father's murder at the hand of a mad wizard from his Aunt and nothing more. When shopping for his school needs no one had dared to approach or whisper about the boy-who-lived. All were too scared and intimidated by Professor McGonagall's stern glares and protective guard around the boy.
"How could you possibly not know?" Hermione blurted with visible shock.
"Is he someone famous?" Harry hesitantly guessed.
Ron's mouth dropped open with shock and he quickly locked their compartment door with a sharp click. Hermione settled across from Harry with a steely expression on her young face. Ron stayed close by the door, almost as if he were guarding it. As Harry listened to Hermione's impromptu lecture on all she knew about Voldemort and the boy-who-lived, Ron studied his two new acquaintances.
Ron did not expect this much excitement on his first day. He'd not even made it to Hogwarts yet. He also didn't expect to make his first set of friends so quickly. Hermione was a bit much with her intense staring and pretentious lectures, but Ron lived with Percy, so he didn't mind. He couldn't make sense of the thrill he felt every time she grew annoyed at him. However, there was something about Harry that triggered something in Ron; An extreme urge to care for the boy and guard him like he would Ginny.
The red head didn't care about the boy-who-lived and from the way Hermione spoke she was more interested in the history of his moniker than the boy himself. But neither of them expected Harry to know nothing about his fame or magical heritage.
"Are you sure nobody had told you?" Hermione curiously inquired.
Ron saw Harry's left brow tick and his lips twist into an angry scowl.
"Of course, I didn't know. Do I look like someone who knew he was famous?" Harry snapped.
Ron couldn't help but grin at the fiery ire in Harry's eyes. It was the most lively the boys been since they'd first met. To Hermione's credit, she didn't flinch or cower under Harry's sharp words and rather ungrateful response. She stared at Harry with her dull eyes and drearily retorted.
"Well don't get snippy with me for your own ignorance. If you'd bothered to do a bit of research on Hogwarts at the least, you would have come across it eventually."
Harry glared at the girl and sarcastically gave his response.
"Oh, I'm sorry, my mistake. Obviously after finding out I have magic and my parents were murdered my first thought should have been 'wow I wonder if I'm famous'."
Hermione's expression grew pinched, but Ron couldn't stop himself from barking out a laugh. It earned him glares from both, but he felt little guilt.
"Come on, Hermione. He's got a point you know."
Hermione huffed and folded her arms grumpily while Harry straightened with validation. Ron shook his head and settled down next to Harry with a friendly grin.
"I guess we both just assumed you knew. Harry Potter's not a name you casually hear being thrown about. He's a big deal in this world and I'm sorry to tell you mate but that's a fact of wizarding life. Hell, Dad told Gin and I bedtime stories about you for as long as I can remember."
Harry scowled looking both upset and desperate.
"I don't even know how I survived that night!"
Ron nudged Harry sympathetically and hoped it gave the boy some form of comfort.
"It sucks but what can you do," he shrugged.
Hermione snorted and piped up with that haughty tone of hers once more.
"In my opinion the reason for your fame is totally ridiculous. I mean, honestly, praising a baby as a hero just because he survived a killing curse. You don't see much mention given to Lily Potter's sacrifice or James Potter's valiant attempt to protect his family."
Ron squinted at the girl doubtfully and warily voiced his question.
"How'd you hear about that? I don't remember any book mentioning a sacrifice or anything else other than Voldemort dying because of a baby."
Hermione blinked and tilted her head at him, almost daringly and drawled out her response.
"It's written in the subtext, obviously."
Harry snorted and rolled his eyes with a glower.
"Oh yeah, obviously."
Ron grinned at the glasses wearing boy and nudged him once again.
"Who cares anyway, right? It's not like anyone knows what you look like. If you don't want anyone to know just introduce yourself as Harry."
Harry still looked rather glum which bothered Ron. Ron looked over to Hermione for a bit of help, but the girl just stared back at him. Now it was Ron's turn to roll his eyes. Merlin, did these two have any people skills at all? He wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders and gave his best smile.
"I don't want to be famous," Harry confessed.
"But you are," Hermione helpfully reminded prompting a groan from Ron.
"Honestly can't you read the room?" Ron scowled at the girl, but she didn't apologise.
Hermione leaned forward and ensured Harry was paying attention to her before speaking.
"You're Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, but that's not all you are."
Harry snorted clearly not assured in the slightest.
"Then who am I?" he almost sneered.
Ron shortly squeezed Harry's shoulder and grinned brightly.
"You're just Harry."
It took Harry a few moments to digest their words. But eventually, a small almost shy smile appeared on his lips. The recently acquainted trio idly chatted about themselves, trying to better know one another.
Hermione spoke of her home-schooling and favourite muggle authors. Harry had gawked when he realised just how advanced she was for her age in the muggle world. Ron obviously had no clue and from the glare Hermione gave him, she didn't want it known. Harry inwardly snorted and wished the girl luck in trying to hide it. With her attitude, everyone would know before the train even made it to the station.
Ron told them about his life as the sixth child of seven. Neither Hermione nor Harry could imagine life with such a huge family. However, it was obvious Ron was proud of his family. He all but bragged about his brother Bill being a curse breaker. He casually recounted to them Charlie's letter about a wicked new scar he'd got while training his first dragon.
"I suppose you've met the others. Percy's a bit of a stick in the mud but he's gonna work for the ministry. Wouldn't be surprised if he tries for Minister seeing as he's already campaigning for Head boy. Fred and George may seem like goofs but they're crazy imaginative! They want to open a joke shop. And, well, you all met Ginny. You've gotta be mental to try and stop her from getting whatever she wants."
It might have been the casual way Ron spoke about his siblings as if his words were simple facts. Maybe it was the obvious pride in his voice or the soft gleam in his eyes. Whatever the case, Hermione, and Harry jealously listened and envied Ron's siblings for having someone so supportive as a brother.
"And what about you?" Hermione pressed
Ron looked at her with a confused expression.
"What about me?"
"What do you want to be? Surely you've given it some thought considering all your siblings?" Hermione elaborated.
With both Harry and Hermione looking at him expectantly, Ron felt like squirming. He felt his scar grow a bit itchy again while his mood started to darken. He mulishly gave a quick reply before hastily changing the subject.
"Dunno, hadn't thought about it. Anyway, my mum packed some lunch for the trip. Do you two want to share? The trolley's supposed to come about soon if you're not interested in leftovers."
Hermione frowned and looked ready to push the subject, but Harry glared at her sharply. She pursed her lips and remained quiet while Harry happily indulged in Ron's offer to share.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
Lee Jordan had long resigned himself to mischief and trouble throughout his Hogwarts years the day he met the Weasley twins. It was an inevitable fate really, as sharing a dorm with the two left him little choice in the matter. Not that he was complaining as life without the Weasley twins would have been unbearably dull. He'd come to love the surprise and chaos the two tended to wrought.
"You two have been suspiciously quiet this trip. Come on then, spill it. What are you planning?" Katie demanded after cooing over his spider.
She wasn't wrong, Fred and George were rather subdued. The two boys were doing their creepy mind reading thing. A talent Lee sometimes envied them for having as twins. Sometimes he wished he were a twin too, only so he could bond so tightly with someone.
"Sorry," they apologised.
"Our little brother's somewhere on the train-"Fred started.
"- and we haven't checked in on him," George finished.
"Another Weasley to join the house of lions. Bless your mother for being so strong." Angelina mused prompting giggles from the rest of them.
"Wouldn't bet on that if I were you," George countered with an amused grin on his lips.
"Yeah, little Ronnie is full of surprises. If you ask me, he could probably get into any house he wanted." Fred snickered.
His comment inspired interest from everyone in their compartment.
"Even Slytherin? Blimey, imagine Snape's face if that happened," Alicia joked.
But Lee could very much imagine it. The rest of Hogwarts loved to gossip and complain all they liked about the Weasley family. They enjoyed snickering and mocking the family for their poverty and second-hand robes. But no one gave any real attention to their talent.
It's like they forget Bill Weasley had earned himself an apprenticeship with the Goblins for curse breaking. As if Charlie Weasley hadn't been immediately pulled from Hogwarts for an internship in Romania at the largest dragon reserve in Wizarding Europe. Everyone knew Percy Weasley was a strait-laced ruler who never gave an inch of lee way when it came to guidelines and laws. But no one wondered why Fred and George, notorious pranksters, never got caught or suspended. Lee knew the twins were sneaky and cunning, but if Percy really wanted to, he would have ended their nonsense years ago.
From his own personal experience, Hogwarts seriously underestimated just how terrifying Percy Weasley could be when he wanted. Seriously, being friends with Fred and George was not a decision Lee had made lightly.
Now another Weasley was soon to grace Hogwarts and Lee leaned forward with curious anticipation.
"Your brother you say? Is this the grumpy quiet one who always looked like he'd rather be anywhere but waiting for you at the station?"
"Yup, that's our little Ronnie," Fred grinned with obvious delight.
"The family's one and only little grouch." George boasted.
Lee suddenly realised just who they were talking about. There was no mistaking it. As the girls laughed, Lee was far too eager to meet the twins infamous 'little Ronnie'.
"Do you mind if I come with you when you go to check on him?" He eagerly asked.
"Why do you look so excited? He's only a first year," Katie wondered with a shake of her head.
Lee didn't answer just grinned widely.
Of course, they didn't know about 'Little Ronnie Weasley'.
Lee only knew because of the many sleepless nights he suffered due to the twins' late-night inventing and experimenting. Lee had always marvelled at the twins passion for pranking. He was well-aware that it was not just a hobby for them. But he hadn't known, until a messed-up experiment with a truth potion, why they'd dedicated their lives to such a thing.
"Little Ronnie never smiles you know, Lee" Fred had drunkenly slurred.
"He's not broken, just incomplete!" George continued with an uncharacteristic frown.
"We barely ever get to hear him laugh," they had whispered before falling asleep.
Lee might have developed a bit of an obsession with the Weasley family because of this. But he couldn't help it, not when they were so intriguing. How could he ignore them when each of them were so incredibly talented?
So of course, he was eager to meet the infamously grouchy little Ronnie who unknowingly fuelled his twin brothers passionate drive to bring laughter into the world. Lee always wondered just what kind of person could inspire such a thing and hoped to find an answer after meeting him.
Fred and George sized him up briefly before allowing Cheshire grins to appear on their faces.
"Sure, you can," they chirped, and Lee felt equal amounts of excitement and nervousness.
If Percy Weasley had been terrifyingly overprotective regarding the twins; he pitied the brave fools who'd befriend dearest 'little Ronnie'. He just knew Fred & George were going to be vicious little shits.
But Lee supposed that was the price one had to pay to when befriending a Weasley.
~(*)\(*)/(*)~
The trio of first years were in the middle of an intense discussion regarding the best kind of pets. Well, debate really, in the case of Ron and Hermione.
"A rat is nothing compared to a cat Ron Weasley!"
"Of course not, it's a rat! Cats are a whole different species," Ron shrugged causing the girl to near growl with frustration.
"If you agree with me then why are you arguing with me!?"
Harry nibbled on the liquorice wand he bought from the trolley and watched the two argue. Ron smirked and, rather coolly in Harry's opinion, opened his chocolate frog. Before the frog could leap, Ron had snatched it quick and swift.
"Because it's fun," the red head grinned before biting the head of the frog with a loud crunch.
Harry snickered as Hermione's hair frizzed up even more.
"Oh, shut up Harry," Hermione sniped with a roll of her eyes.
Despite her irritation, she easily accepted the cauldron cake Harry shoved her way as a peace offering. Ron had been in the middle of explaining how he got his pet rat when the lock on their compartment door opened with a click and slid open with a loud slam.
"There you are!" the twins sang with Cheshire grins.
The duo gave the compartment a quick scan and were pleased to note the startled shock on Hermione and Harry's faces. Their pleasure dimmed a little at seeing the unhappy glare Ron levelled at them from his protective stance in front of his friends.
"Bloody Hell! Are you two trying to give us a heart attack or what?" Ron demanded.
"But we were looking for you Ronnie!" George simpered while Fred plonked down beside Hermione.
Harry warily scooted closer to the window looking extremely uncomfortable under Fred's intense gaze. George curled his arm around Ron and settled in between Harry and Ron. All of this only caused Ron's scowl to darken further.
"Percy would murder us if he heard we didn't check in on you at least once," George continued.
Fred leaned close to Harry and Hermione comically whispering to them with an unnerving smile.
"Completely butchered. Nobody would ever find our bodies. You know how it is, overprotective brothers and all."
Hermione stiffly twisted her head so she could stare Fred dead in the eye.
"We wouldn't know, Harry and I are only children," she crisply replied.
Harry felt the need to keep one hand on his wand when Fred's rather cool gaze turned back to him.
"Hm… pity that," yet his tone sounded equally mocking as it was sincere.
Harry found himself glaring apprehensively while his temper started to spark again.
"Oi! What are you whispering about over there?" Ron snarled as he fought free from George's fussing.
"Nothing!" Fred chirped but Ron wasn't fooled by his angelic façade.
"Fred? George? Merlin, it's a circus out there. I always forget how crowded the train can get each year. Oh? Hello, we've never properly met before. Lee Jordan."
Ron narrowed his eyes at the older boy and the frown on his lips tugged lower. It gave the twins the perfect distraction to turn their attention to the two ickle firsties their little Ronnie seemed so enamoured by.
Neither twin were mighty impressed. The girl looked like a stiff priss and the boy a scrawny runt, but for whatever reason their little Ronnie had claimed them as friends. Why? What could have caught their grouchy little brother's favour?
"So, Harry, was it? Looking forward to Hogwarts? Never got to ask you earlier," George inquired with a friendly smile.
Fred couldn't see Harry's left hand and inwardly praised the kid for being on guard. He doubted the first year knew a lick of magic but still, at least he could identify a threat when he saw one. Even the girl seemed to understand the situation at hand. Fred begrudgingly had to credit Ron for choosing a suspicious lot.
The real question would be how loyal they'd be to their little Ronnie. He supposed only time would tell.
"Who wouldn't be excited!? Everyone's talking about it you know. The great boy-who-lived starts Hogwarts this year. He's somewhere on this train, even." Fred enthusiastically cried.
Harry visibly tensed and Fred knew George's eyes shared the same gleam of amusement as his own.
"You'll be sharing classes with him. Wow, lucky bunch you are," George continued looking rather jealous.
"Do you think he remembers what You-know-who's face looked like?" Fred curiously added.
Harry started to squirm, but George and Fred pretended not to see.
"Better yet, do you think he'd say yes to a picture?"
"Or even an autograph?"
Fred's right hand was sneaking into his pocket for their special little gift only to stiffen with surprise. He felt the telling tip of a wand press into his skin and met the rather cold glare of the girl beside him. Fred stared into those eyes and felt as if his soul was being stripped to it's bare bones.
"I'm sure the three of us will decide on our own what to think about the boy-who-lived."
Fred couldn't help but be impressed by the balls of this little firstie. He looked over to George and found his twin suffering under a piercing green glare just as frosty. Suddenly, Fred and George understood their little Ronnie's interest a little bit more.
"Well then, this year is sure to be interesting. Don't you think Forge?"
"Oh yes, very interesting Gred."
"Great!" a very irritated voice sneered from behind the twins.
Fred and George wore their best pouts and puppy eyes when they turned. Unfortunately for them, Ron wasn't in the slightest affected. The younger redhead glared angrily at his brothers while Lee watched with a mix of awe and laughter.
"Now, if you bloody gits are right done threatening my friends, could you bugger off?"
"But Ronnie-"Fred whined
"It's tradition!" George finished.
Ron only rolled his eyes and started tugging George and Fred out. Over the Weasley's dramatics, Lee managed to have a quick word with Harry and Hermione.
"Don't let them get to you. It really is a Weasley tradition. Percy was just as bad when I met him. So long as you take care of your Weasley, they'll take care of you."
Hermione and Harry didn't relax in the slightest. Lee inwardly grinned. Oh, these two were extremely smart, Fred, George and Percy were going to hate it. This year was going to be amazing. Little Ronnie sure knew how to pick them.
"Come on Lee, lets go before little Ronnie starts to roar," Fred laughed.
But before Ron could shut the compartment door and lock it, George forced it open to say one last thing.
"Oh, and Potter?"
The three first years tensed immediately while Fred's laughter sang out behind his twin. Harry had never once given his last name to Ron's siblings at the station. George's smile looked both sinister and wicked with glee.
"There's a little blond ferret going door to door searching for you. Thought you'd like a bit of a warning before introductions are made. Be seeing you."
With one last laugh, the Weasley twins disappeared.
Ron let out suffering groan and fell back into his seat with a sulky expression.
"Merlin they can be such insufferable prats."
Harry and Hermione didn't say anything to that, but Ron didn't let it get to him. Their earlier comfortable atmosphere now felt awkward and stiff. Ron made a mental note to get back at the twins later. For now, he focused his attention on his two friends.
"Forget about them. Either of you still want to meet Scabbers?"
Harry took a deep breath and nodded while Hermione scowled before snootily mumbling her words.
"I still think Rats are disgusting."
Just for the hell of it, Ron started another debate with the girl. He didn't smile again until he heard Harry give quiet snicker while Hermione's eyes grew just a little bit brighter.
Soo...thoughts about the changes so far?