((I apologize for the lateness, college and a new job has been keeping me busy and exhausted. But! Today is officially the first day of Hogwarts(or at least it was when I finished this and wanted to post it, but fanfiction wasn't letting me), so I thought it would be cool to release this chapter today in celebration. Sorry it's shorter than others. Remember to review if you have any thoughts!))
The following morning Josie had to nearly drag herself out of bed, Catherine's chipper humming rousing the three other girls from their rest with whines of frustration. Josie had been dreaming of lying in a field of flowers, laughter from recognizable but unseen voices surrounding her as fireworks burst in the dim light of the evening sky when she was bounced from her sleep buried beneath her sheets by Marina throwing herself on the bed. "Why?" the girl beneath the fabric whined, poking tousled hair out from under the linen to playfully glare at the animagus. "Because you have to get up and get ready, I want to eat something before we have to leave." She said, tugging the sheets down as Josie sat up and stretched. The loud gasp nearly caused Josie to jump out of her skin as she whipped her head towards Alicia, who was staring wide eyed at her with a mix of shock and utter amusement. "What?" Josie asked, her voice panicked as she smoothed down her hair. It was only when she lifted her arms that she realized her shirt was askew, her stomach revealed and her straps falling off her shoulders. Quickly realizing what was wrong she moved to fix it, but her friends were faster than she was.
Marina pounced on her, pulling her hands away from the fabric of her tank and tugging the fabric to show her skin again. "Oh my Merlin you did have fun last night!" she exclaimed, Josie's eyes following the gaze that was tracing the skin of her abdomen. Marks were littered around her skin, across the swell of her breast and down the line of her ribcage in shades of purple. Feeling her skin grow hot, Josie jerked the fabric from Marina's hands to cover up the evidence from last night's escapades as she stood up to change into her uniform. "I don't want to know, they're my team mates!" Alicia exclaimed, throwing her hands up as she began to pack up her nightclothes. "If you don't write me all the details in your first letter I will send you the howler of all howlers." Marina joked, moving to change into her clothes. The girls were packed and dressed soon enough despite Catherine and Marina's constant joking about Josie's marks; all four of them looking around the small room they had come to call home in the last few months one last time before they disappeared down the staircase for the summer.
As soon as they set foot on the platform to board the Hogwarts express Josie went looking for the twins, having been placed in a separate carriage than them on the ride there. During her search she ran into Bijous older brother Henri clinging to the large boy he had brought to their studying session, Arya the Hufflepuff Quidditch team's Beater, in front of one of the doors onto the train. The smaller boy was hanging from the other with his arms around his neck, the towering height of his darker skinned companion causing him to hover above the ground. "I don't want to leave!" Henri was whining, an adorable pout set into his face and sandy hair ruffled in the breeze. "We'll see each other next semester." Arya sighed, the amused smile on his face lightening the frustration in his words. Josie thought the two of them were adorable, having been told they were dating by Henri when she questioned who he was after telling him she didn't fail her Astronomy O.W.L. They were an odd pair, but an adorable one. Edging her way around the pair she made her way onto the train, walking down the corridor until she heard a loud call of her name from the rear end of the car.
"Josie!" She spun around to find Fred and George poking their heads out from an empty car, a smile breaking her face as she headed back to slip into the car before the onslaught of first years filed in. As usual Lee sat on one side of the car, legs taking up the rest of the seat and a mouth full of sweets muffling his hello. Josie was immediately pulled down across Georges lap, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist as Fred slid the door closed and muffled their laughter. The train began to move minutes later, jerking the four forward with a loud laugh as Lee's trunk fell off from its place unsecured above his head. Josie unfolded herself from the twins as her shock faded, her body pressed against the seat by George and her feet in Fred's lap from the large jump back away from the falling luggage. "Bloody hell Lee, it's been five years!" George exclaimed, still laughing at the wide-eyed Lee who had curled into a ball in the back corner of his seat. "Hey! I'm not the one who still has one sock he can't find the match too in our room from first year!" Lee yelled back. "Because that's the same thing." Josie said with a smile, sticking her tongue out at Lee in return for the one he stuck at her.
After helping Lee return his trunk to the storage above his head the four settled in as they watched the world zip by them, talking about the year and listening to the tracks vibrate below. Soon enough they broke into the left over sweets from their last few visits to Hogsmead, something that had seemed to become a tradition on the train rides to and from Hogwarts. It wasn't until Lee popped a sweet into his mouth that Josie didn't recognize that the ride became more exciting than the crinkling of wrappers again, Lee Jordan floating a few feet off the cushion. "What the hell are those?" she exclaimed, leaning over to inspect the bag as Lee returned to his seat. "Fizzing Whizzbees." Fred clarified, taking the bag from her hand to turn one out into his palm before tossing it back to Lee. "Want one?" the darker boy asked, unwrapping another for himself. "No, thank you. I prefer myself on the ground." She answered, digging through her bag to try and find the Chocolate Frog that had disappeared between her notebooks. "Oh right, you're afraid of flying." Lee teased, placing the bright package back into the bag of sweets they shared and sitting upright for the first time since she boarded.
"I am not. I'm just not very good at it." Josie corrected, sighing softly before giving up her search for the missing frog. "Would be nice if you were." Fred pulled her legs across his lap as he spoke, fingers absentmindedly playing with the hem of her skirt as he thought. "We could teach you how to play Quidditch." "I would rather watch you two play and not take the chance of being badly broken." She replied, moving to lean back against George. He leaned back just as she moved, causing her to miss and fall to lay across his lap with a loud squeak. She sat up again when the twins stopped laughing at her, looking out the window and standing. "I'm going to go change." She said as she slung her bag over her shoulder, the movement and open top causing the long lost Chocolate Frog to fly out and hit Lee right in the middle of the forehead.
The twins fell into hysterics as Lee swatted away the chocolate amphibian. Covering her mouth to stifle her laughter, Josie slipped out the sliding door so she could change out of her uniform and into her regular clothes. She returned minutes later to find Marina sitting across Lee's lap, the three boys and the newcomer all dressed in normal clothes as well. The whistle Marina sent in Josie's direction along with the twin's grins sent a deep flush up through her cheeks. "You look nice." Marina said with a smile as Josie sat down. "We're going out to dinner with Paxton and my Aunt and Uncle, since it was his last year and all." Was her answer, crossing her thighs as she leaned against the window. "I was hoping it was for me." George joked, pulling her closer until she lay against his side instead of the cold glass. The twins soon fell into a conversation about the Quidditch world cup, George's arm wrapped tightly around her waist to keep her close enough to kiss the top of her head between sentences.
Marina's words began to come back to Joise as she listened to the three boys talk excitedly about the match between Bulgaria and Ireland. She did have an interest in Quidditch, its fast pace and loud crowds at games just kept her from catching on as quickly as she would like. The basics she knew from watching Gryffindor team practice, but besides that she was completely lost in the vast and complex art that was playing Quidditch. Perhaps she would ask Paxton or her father to teach her about it, since both of them played excessively when they were younger. She only hoped the girls on the team wouldn't judge her for coming back from summer with knowledge of the game after she started a relationship with the twins; it would most likely be suspicious to some. The thoughts drifted from her mind as the train rumbled to a stop, Marina and Lee standing and grabbing their things before leaving Josie alone with the twins in the car. Josie had them in her arms in a second; fingers gripping at the back of their necks as they wrapped their arms around her to hold her close. "I'm going to miss you." she muttered softly, her face buried in the sleeves of their shirts. Fred placed a kiss on her temple, his smile pressing into her skin. "Don't worry-" "-you'll see us soon." "Maybe even too soon." They joked, nudging at her chin with prying fingers until her head tilted upwards into their kisses. Fred lingered on her lips, pressing his against hers again and again until they broke apart into laughter. George kissed her softly, pressing his lips fully to hers with a smirk before pulling back to kiss her nose. Despite their affection being different, both of them left her aching for more.
They boys took her stuff for her before should could even reach for it, grinning at her over their shoulders as they walked the now empty hallway off the train and onto the now crowded platform. Josie immediately spotted both her own family as well as the Weasley's. Her father and their own were talking about something while Mrs. Weasley and bustled about rounding up the many, many ginger haired children that made up their family. Paxton and her uncle, Emmanuel, stood above most of the crowd due to their height, green eyes darting through unfamiliar faces until Emmanuel's landed on her own and the large man moved towards her and the twins through the sea of students. Josie became quickly engulfed in her uncle's arms, limbs wrapped around her shoulders tightly until she felt slim wrists slip their way between them to pry them apart moments later. With a swirl of blonde locks she was embraced and spun in circles, her head spinning as her aunt set her back onto her feet.
"It's so good to see you!" Andrea cries, fingers softly brushing the hair back from Josie's face to kiss her forehead. "It's good to see you too." Josie replied, smiling widely as she took in the draping fabric and chunky beads that hung from her figure. Her aunt barely started her reply before her attention was drawn somewhere over Josie's shoulder. Blue eyes traced the gaze to land on Fred and George, both standing a few feet away with amused expressions. "Is that them?" Andrea questioned quietly, her intrigue not masked by her hushed tone. "Is who what?" Josie responded, thick brows furrowed in confusion. She hadn't told anyone but her mother about the twin's, unless- "Your mother told me." Josie's question was answered before it was even asked, a deep flush rising through her cheeks as Andrea pushed past her. Blue nails glinted in the light as she shook each of their hands, a wide grin on her face. "Hello! I'm Andrea, Josie's aunt. Its nice to meet you." Josie inwardly cringed at her excitement, joy oozing from every pore.
The twins loved it, wide grins breaking their face as they held in laughter at Josie's embarrassment. They had barely responded with polite introductions before a voice called their names over the crowd. All heads turned towards the slightly shrill tone, a short stout woman with wild red hair waving through the rest of the cluster of Weasley children. Setting her trunks besides shuffling feet, the twins each hugged Josie tightly before sighing loudly in unison. "That's mum." "We've got to go." Heart sinking, Josie chewed at her lip before quietly humming in dissatisfaction. "Write soon?" she asked softly. She didn't think they heard her until their lips quirked up in matching smirks. "Of course." "You'll get so many letters you could wrap our Christmas presents with them." "For the next ten years." They joked, hugging her tightly one last time before waving good bye with a wink."They're cute." Were the first words out of Andrea's mouth, Josie's flush turning darker as the brunette whipped around to join her mother and father as the Weasleys and the Desmarais/Lefays parted ways.
After loading their trunks onto a cart, Paxton and Josie fell behind the adults as the group made their way through the station and down diagon alley. "Going to miss being at Hogwarts?" Josie asked, breaking the silence. "Of course I will, but I know theres so much more for me to do than just be in school. I will miss seeing Lana everyday, when ever I want though." He responded with a grin, throwing a thick arm over her shoulder to pull her closer. She smiled as they walked in unison, shoe heels clunking against the uneven cobble of the street. "You could always marry them, then they'd be forced to deal with you constantly." Josie teased, nudging her shoulder into his ribcage. "I'm working on it." He replied with a smile, winking playfully when she turned up her head to look at him with wide eyes. "If you don't invite me I will be very upset." "Of course, you can be a flower girl." Paxton laughed as she elbowed him in the side, ruffling her hair before turning himself to walk backwards behind his father. Josie's eyes turned to the storefronts they passed by, her eyes lingering on the joke shop lit with color and the laughter of young witches and wizards. She didn't realize she had slowed down, her heart aching slightly at the thought of Fred and George and their antics. It wasn't until Paxton took her arm that she pulled her eyes away, her cousin grinning down at her with a still healing lip from a fight days before. "Yours can do better." He said with a smile. The wetness in Josie's eyes broke and fell down her cheeks as she grinned. "Much better." With her response the two threw their arms around the others sides, walking quickly through the crowd to catch up with the parents that had gotten away from them.