Hey guys! I'm so sorry! I know I'm a day late, but don't worry, I'm not completely dropping the ball on you- I plan on keeping with my schedule. I've been a bit bummed out with this story lately, so some nice reviews would be appreciated. In fact, if I get five, maybe I'll post a day early next time as a thank you/apology for being late.

I may be a grown ass adult- no, no I AM a grown ass adult! I am a grown ass adult and I still struggle with so many obvious, childish things; I'm easily swayed by a good argument, I struggle to make friends, and I'm gullible. Worst of all, considering my situation, I hate keeping secrets.

Part of the reason I'm so anxious all the time is that it feels like all these secrets are gonna crush me if I have to keep my mouth shut for one more second. Honestly, I wasn't all that surprised that I flipped out on Dumbledore and said that stuff about his sister. He's the hardest person to keep secrets from since he gives off that whole "I just want to help" vibe and he tries so hard to get me to talk. I hate having to keep this to myself. If it wasn't for grandma I don't know what I would have done to stay sane. The worst part about all these secrets is that they leave me feeling detached from everyone else around me. How can I get close to someone when I know their future hangs in the balance?

These are the thoughts that haunt me as I try to go about my life. Being an adult unfortunately does not lessen my insecurities- it strengthens them. As an adult I should know how to handle tough situations with maturity and poise and the fact that I can't just goes to show how much of a failure I am. Harry spent most of his time just going with the flow and figuring things out as they came at him, but Harry is a child, expecting anything more of him would be ridiculous. More should be expected of me, and I should expect more of myself, because I have years of experience, and yet…

I close my trunk with a loud snap and get up off my knees. This sort of thinking threatens to slow me down but I can't let it. I've got a life to live and I'm not going to let my own mind stop me from enjoying it.

As I hear my books jostle in my trunk, I think back to Theo's expression when I gave him his gift and smile. That is a thought I am happy to hold on to. After I gave him his gift, he told me I would have to wait until Christmas for mine, which is fine with me. I may be childish, but I've always been patient. Wondering what Theo could have gotten for me, I make my way to the Hogwarts Express to head home.

….

As I get on to the train I realize that I have no idea where to find Fred and George to sit with them. Hopefully I'll just run in to them? I wander down the tight hallway, peering into open doors looking for redheads.

Turning away from yet another car filled with upperclassman, I'm startled to find myself face to face with a redhead I wasn't looking for.

"Oh, Percy!"

"Have we met?" he asks, all business. He's less serious than his older self, but not by much.

"No, no. I've just heard such wonderful things about what a great Head Boy you are!" Percy's expression darkens and I realize that I've somehow said the wrong thing. Percy loves to have his ego stroked, how was that not the right thing to say?

"Did my brothers put you up to this? They have been bothering me all term about how hard I've been working to become Head Boy. I am not naive enough to think they would change the rules just for me to become Head Boy early. There are plenty of my seniors who deserve the position too." Percy launches into a tirade and I fight the urge to wince. I see my mistake now. Percy will become Head Boy...in two years . He really didn't become relevant in the books, at least in my memory, until he left the house to work for the ministry, so I'm struggling to remember facts like that. You would think I would remember having been at Hogwarts all year that Head Boy is for seventh years but I tried my best to avoid those sorts like the plague. "...well?" Percy asks, interrupting my train of thought.

"What?" I ask stupidly.

"I can't believe my brothers would stoop so low as to make a poor girl like you say that to me. Do yourself a favor, young lady, avoid those two. They're never up to any good." With a haughty sniff, Percy continues past me. I sigh and roll my eyes at his arrogance, trying to ignore my hurt pride and take another step towards the back of the trolley.

"Charlotte!" The redheads I had actually been looking for stick their heads out of the very next cabin. "We heard everything you said and it was amazing!"

"I like her style." Another head joins the twins', and I recognize the distinct voice of Lee Jordan.

"Thanks," I blush.

"You coming or what?" The three heads disappear into the cabin.

"Yeah, yeah." My mind flashes back to my morbid thoughts from earlier today, but I brush them aside yet again; I refuse to let my insecurities hold me back.

When I step inside the cabin, I'm immediately stopped by a hand thrust out in front of me.

"Lee Jordan." I reach for the outstretched hand and shake it.

"Charlotte Campbell."

"A pleasure," he uses our handshake to pull me closer and kiss my hand. I immediately turn what I assume is a scarlet shade of red and pull my hand back at lightning speed. Something about this feels vaguely familiar...I think I knew Lee was a bit of a playboy.

"Isn't Charlotte a bit young for you?" One of the twins leans over me protectively, asking in a voice I would almost call scathing. I turn my head to look at him curiously but as soon as I try the moment has passed and he throws himself jovially back on to his seat. I take the seat next to him as his brother shuts the door to give the four of us some privacy.

"My dad taught me to always be polite to a lady," Lee sounds like he is both joking and serious as he takes his own seat.

"Charlotte's not a lady!" the other twin argues.

"Hey!" I perk up, indignant.

"I mean, she's not a woman-"

"I still take offense to that!"

"She's not an adult?" he tries again.

"Close enough." I love dramatic irony. "But you should still be polite to girls, regardless of their age."

"She's right you know. Girls are always right," Lee agrees.

"Man, you really know your stuff!" I jokingly lean over to the twin beside me and point a thumb at Lee. "He's a keeper, this one. Are you taking notes?"

"Taking notes? Where do you think Lee learned it all from?"

"His dad?" I assume.

"You weren't seriously about to say you-" Lee begins.

"That's right! He learned it from us!" The twins miraculously say in unison. Seriously, how do they do that?

"What are you on about?" Lee looks indignant, causing my giggles to become hysterical laughter as this ridiculous scene unfolds before me.

"Everyone knows-" the twin beside Lee starts.

"-the way to a woman's heart-" the twin beside me says seductively.

"-is to make her laugh," they both finish with a flourish, procuring joy buzzers from nowhere and high fiving in the middle of the cabin. As the two are electrocuting each other, I continue to laugh and clap madly at their little show.

"So who won your heart?" the twin beside me asks. I seriously need to figure out which twin is which at some point. I cock my head to the side as all three boys in the cabin wait with baited breath for my answer.

"Well, Fred and George owe me a Christmas present, so I'm going to have to choose them."

"So does that mean you would normally have chosen me?" Lee asks hopefully.

"I guess you'll have to wait until I'm a bit older." I wink. Oh god, I'm doing it again! Why do I keep getting caught up in flirting with thirteen year olds? I'm so gross!

"Oh she's right, George!" The redhead beside Lee says, not noticing my distress.

Yes! I finally have their names!

"We almost forgot her present, Fred!"

"Wait, I thought you were Fred and you were George?" Lee points to the two in confusion.

Ah shit.

Fred(?) throws a hand up to his mouth in mock distress.

"Have I forgotten who I am?"

"You're Gred, aren't you?" his twin asks.

"Oh geez, look what you've started," I complain to Lee despairingly. Now I'll never know which is which.

"Were you hoping to know who is who?" Gred asks tauntingly. "If you don't know by now how can we expect you to ever be able to tell us apart?"

"That's not fair! We haven't known each other that long! Shouldn't you be more mad at Lee for that?"

"We're not mad-"

"-we are trying to trick you, after all."

"If anything we didn't know you would be so upset-"

"-that you can't tell us apart."

I look back and forth between the Weasley twins in awe. How do they keep doing that? They're both grinning widely and I don't know what to say.

"I still feel like I should know who is who since I'm your friend. Lee seems like he usually knows." Lee nods in agreement.

"I think I do! When they're not switching around to confuse me."

"He's usually right. Though we don't admit it." The twin beside me whispers in my ear and winks.

"How can you tell?" I ask.

"Well there's no point trying to tell them apart by looks- you'll never win if you do that. I use their personalities." He points at the boy beside me. "That's Fred. He doesn't always think before he talks but he means well." He turns to George. "And this is George. He's always looking out for people's feelings and likes to let Fred take the lead."

Both twins are looking at Lee in total awe.

"Hey! I take offense to that!" Fred finally whines after a long silence.

"Who knew you were so analytical," George says quietly.

"I've got a brain too you know!"

"I think everyone has managed to offend each other today," I laugh.

"I think that's a pretty usual day," Lee deadpans.

"Anyway, here is your gift!" Fred procures a small box seemingly from nowhere and hands it to me.

"We only got you one gift too."

"I didn't really expect a gift, to be honest." I say quietly as I stare at the box in my lap. Slowly I open the top, the other occupants of the room leaning closer to see what's inside just as I do. It takes me a moment for my brain to register what I've come face to face with, but as soon as I do, the reaction isn't pleasant.

"Ahh!" I scream bloody murder, throwing the box at George and jumping out of my seat with a speed I hadn't known I was capable of. The tarantula inside the box flies out and hits George square in the face. The other two boys are laughing loudly, but I barely notice as panic sends me to the door as quickly as possible. Without a word I'm out and flying down the hallway to the bathroom; fortunately, it's unoccupied so I can slam the door shut and burst into tears.

As I cry quietly and my panic subsides, I realize that I am getting more and more angry at the same time. I'm not only angry with the twins but myself as well. How silly am I to be a full grown adult and still have a phobia of spiders? This is kids stuff! And yet, seeing that tarantula so suddenly… A harsh shiver runs down my spine. Thank goodness I didn't touch it. That would have given me nightmares for weeks. At least this I can hopefully forget about rather easily.

That being said, I'm still pretty mad at the twins. Obviously they didn't know I have a phobia of spiders, but that doesn't mean they should use my Christmas present as a prank! I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less and it's not like they assumed I was going to be that afraid…

After making my tear soaked face respectable (I definitely plan on consulting mom on how to do that with magic soon) I return to the cabin without any resentment. I assume the twins are going to laugh about their prank and I'll probably laugh with them, and then I'll probably try to figure out a way to get them back for it (lovingly, of course). What I am not expecting when I open the door again is three anxious looking boys looking back at me.

"Charlotte!" they all chorus. I look back at them with shock and confusion.

"Yes?" But instead of answering my question, the three jump up and surround me in a hug. "What's going on?" My voice is muffled up against them, but I think I'm heard. The three pull away from me and start talking all at once.

"You came back!"

"We're so sorry about what happened!"

"We didn't think you would be that scared of spiders!"

"I mean it was a pretty good prank-"

"Shut up, George!" Fred elbows his brother roughly.

"It was a pretty good prank," I agree. The boys stop their chattering to look at me oddly.

"You think so?" Fred asks slowly.

"Yeah! I mean, it made you guys laugh, right? Then it was good!"

"You're not mad?" Lee wonders.

"Nah. Not like these two would care anyway," I thumb the twins. "Besides, it's not like you guys did that knowing I had a spider phobia. If you did, then I would be mad. That being said, it wasn't your best work. Not very inventive of you."

"In our defense," the boys start sitting down one by one and I follow suit "it wasn't planned far in advance. We had the idea pretty last minute," George explains.

"You kept complaining that you haven't seen any of our pranks and when you said you were sitting with us on the train the opportunity presented itself and we took it," Fred finishes.

"Way to capitalize on that opportunity!" I congratulate. "But uh, no more spider related pranks, please?"

"Can do!" The twins salute teasingly.

"Thanks."

The rest of the train ride goes quickly and I've all but forgotten that the twins didn't actually give me a Christmas present. It's not until I'm home that I find the small box in my jacket pocket.

"What's that?" Mum asks.

"A Christmas present." I look it over but there's no name on it.

"Is it from those cute boys who saw you off at the platform?"

"Muuuum!" I whine. "Quit being so nosy!"

"I haven't seen my daughter in months and now you won't even talk to me! What a cruel world this is!"

"Mum you're so dramatic. Besides, aren't I a bit young to be dating?" Seriously, sometimes it feels like I'm the mom these days.

"Oh honey I just want you to know that you can talk to me about these things. You've hit puberty now so it's important that you know-"

"I'm going to go unpack!" I levitate my trolley up to my room, not bothering to wait for a response.

"You're not allowed to magic outside of school!" Dad suddenly appears to admonish me. He's clearly proud for remembering that rule.

"It's not like they'll catch me. Unless you're going to tell on me?" I ask coyly.

"Where did she learn to be so blase about authority?" Dad asks Mum worriedly.

I'm giggling as I start unpacking my things. It feels so good to be home. My parents may not know my secret but the difference in wariness that I have to exhibit around them is huge. Having to be around extremely astute adults all day at school is so exhausting; my mental shields have to always be up and even though it's unlikely I'll make a life altering mistake, making a series of small ones could make teachers look my way. Even though my parents don't know my secret, they're also used to my strange behaviors so they won't question me the way a stranger would.

"Mum!" I shout downstairs.

"Yes, sweetie."

"When is Grandma coming?"

"She'll be here for dinner."

"K."

I wonder what she's so busy with that she couldn't meet us at the station? Oh well. I'll just have to ask her tonight. In the meantime, it's time to open my present. I sit quietly on the floor of my room, wondering if I should wait until Christmas to open it. I eventually decide against it since I don't want to open it in front of my parents. This is from the twins, after all. If it's another prank I don't want to have to explain that away.

Without any further ado, I rip open the wrapping surrounding the box. I wince for a moment, but when nothing jumps out at me I slowly open the lid of the box. Another wince, and again there is nothing. Finally I dare to look inside and find myself eyeing a folded up piece of paper. I start to unfold it carefully, never quite letting my guard down, until I read this:

WE OWE YOU ONE BOX OF ASSORTED WEASLEY PRANK GOODS

MUCH LOVE, FRED and George

The paper was clearly written by Fred and signed afterwards by George, if the handwriting has anything to say about it. Apparently they haven't come up with the name Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes yet. All in due time.

I'm about to put the paper down when I notice more ink leaking through it on the back of one of the folds and flip it over. It's then that I realize how odd it is that the twins used paper instead of parchment. How did they get a hold of paper? Maybe they need it for a prank. It is useful in this situation, where it's easier to fold and hide extra information within a single page.

I finish unfolding to find an extra note:

I NOTICED YOU'VE BEEN HAVING A BIT OF A HARD TIME WITH YOUR FELLOW FIRST YEARS LATELY. I HOPE HAVING A FEW PRANKS UNDER YOUR BELT MAKES THINGS EASIER FOR YOU.

This part of the note is unsigned, but is the same handwriting as Fred's earlier note, if that is to be believed. I wonder why he wrote this part by himself and why not sign it?

I end up thinking about the note for a long while as I finish unpacking my trunk. Ironically I can almost do more magic at home, since I'm not worried about getting caught doing wandless magic here. I practice sending my clothes around the room, my wand tucked safely in my top dresser drawer should I need it.

"Time for dinner!" Mum calls. Grandma is already sitting at the table when I arrive but she gets up when she sees me so we can throw ourselves in to each other's arms. "I swear you two are closer than me and my best friend."

"Grandma is my best friend!" I retort seriously.

"And that's great honey, but shouldn't you also have friends your own age?"

"I do!"

"Really?"

"You just saw us getting off the train together!"

"Oh, right!" We all start eating and silence reigns for a few minutes as we enjoy the food.

Your shields are down, Grandma is looking at me as she enters my mind.

I needed a break.

Is that wise?

If it means I'll be stronger when I get back.

I know you're always careful. I've missed you.

"I missed you," I reply aloud. "What's kept you so busy today?"

"Oh nothing important. Being retired you're always more busy than you expected to be."

"You never miss sending me off somewhere! It must have been important." I eye Grandma seriously. She's never busy- that's how she could take care of me and teach me for years as a child. Are you hiding something from them?

"Yeah, Grandma has been really busy lately! She's barely been around here since you went to school," Dad adds. I look from him to Grandma, trying to hide my confusion.

You lied to me? I distinctly remember her letter from the beginning of the year, when she told me that she was constantly at my parent's house because they were so distraught that I wasn't home anymore.

Why don't we talk later?

Before I get too up in arms, I decide to give her the benefit of the doubt. Grandma is my greatest ally and my best friend. There's no reason at all for her to betray me and her lie was probably justified.

Alright.

The rest of dinner goes smoothly and I enjoy my family's company. Afterwards, Grandma says she wants to take me on a walk and the two of us wander down the quiet street in my neighborhood. We walk in silence for a time, the two of us not bothering to enter each other's minds.

"Yes, I did lie to you," Grandma finally begins.

"Why?"

"You trust me, don't you, sweetie?"

"Of course I do! Though I don't know why you would try to betray that trust by lying to me."

"Then you know I wouldn't lie unless it was important."

"I figured as much."

"Can you wait a while before I tell you what's going on?"

"You know, for someone trying to keep secrets from me, you didn't do a very good job. My parents ousted you the minute I got home."

"...my mind has been on other things," Grandma admits quietly.

"I feel like I should be worried."

"Let me worry about this. You worry about school and making friends and being safe."

"I know I'm your granddaughter, but I'm not a child. I can help you."

"You may be an adult, but you're not an adult witch. You still need years of practice and study to be ready for a real fight."

"So you are in danger."

"That's not what I meant."

"It sounds like it was."

"Please, let's not talk about this anymore. I want you to be able to enjoy your Christmas break. It's your favorite time of year and I don't want to ruin it for you."

"Can we practice spellcasting while I'm here?" I decide to concede the point- for now. Grandma can be as stubborn as I am, so I know pushing her won't get me any more information today.

"Of course."

The days leading up to Christmas pass quickly and happily. I finish my classwork for the break with ease and spend the rest of my time learning new spells. Mum and I take a day together for her to teach me how to do my makeup magically. She's over the moon that I'm interested in her daily routine and we have a blast trying to get my eyeliner just right.

Dad watches me fly every day, giving me pointers from what he's seen in quidditch matches. He's convinced I'll be joining the Ravenclaw team next year- I can't bring myself to correct him that I won't be.

Grandma has me show her all the spells I've learned this years so she can critique them as needed. Once that's done we start working on more spells that are outside the curriculum that I might need.

With all this outside studying, I find it amusing that mum still expects me to keep neighborhood friends. Every evening she hounds me that I should be spending time with kids my own age.

"Mum, I spend time with kids my own age every day at school. Can't I just enjoy your company when I'm here? Most parents would die to have their kids want to hang out with them."

"Well, I suppose. I just worry about you."

"I know. But I'm happy. Isn't that what's important?"

"You're always such a smartie-pants," she pats my head fondly and she doesn't pester me about it again.

….

"Hey sleepy-head, it's Christmas!"

"Wah?" I ask dully. I stayed up way too late reading.

"Come on, Charlotte! Or I'm going to drink all the hot cocoa without you!" I blearily open my eyes to find my dad leaning over me. "I'm going to open all your presents for you."

"It's Christmas!" I bound out of my bed, my sleepiness forgotten.

Dad and I race each other down the stairs and we end up sprawled on the couch in front of the tree.

"Merry Christmas, you two!" Mom brings us hot cocoa and the day begins perfectly, as every Christmas should.

We're about halfway through our presents when there is a tapping on the window. I volunteer to go see what it is and find an unfamiliar owl on the other side. I open the window to let him in, and start untying the box tied to his leg.

"Who is it for?" Grandma asks.

"Me," I find when I've got a hold of the box. Mom gets some leftover bacon from breakfast and gives it to the owl, who hoots happily and makes is way home.

"Who is it from?"

"Oh, it's from Theo!" I had completely forgotten he said he would send his gift today. I wasn't surprised when he said the two of us wouldn't be able to send letters over the break, but it made it easier to forget that he was going to send me something.

"Theo? Is that a boy?" My dad asks, looking menacing.

"He's my best friend."

"You've never mentioned him before!" Mum is totally affronted.

"Well I didn't want to make a big fuss about him."

"What's his last name?" Grandma asks, realizing why I kept this from them.

"...Nott." The room goes silent. Dad is desperately trying to figure out what's going on.

"Maybe it would be better if-" Mum starts.

"He's a good kid!"

"It just doesn't sound very safe-"

"It's not like we're going on playdates to his house!"

My parents and I have discussed Death Eaters before, despite their usual reluctance to do so. They wanted their only daughter to live in a safe world, one where she wouldn't have to worry about things like that. They had hoped by not telling me they could pretend that I did live in a world like that. But I was a grownup from the start, and it was inconvenient for me to pretend I didn't know what was going on, so I forced their hand in telling me everything before I went to school.

Now that's coming to bite me in the ass because Nott senior is a known Death Eater, despite not going to Azkaban for it. Tom might not be around (as far as anyone else knows), but it's logical that my parents wouldn't want me near someone who sees me as worthless.

"Is Nott-?" Dad begins to ask.

"His dad is a Death Eater. We haven't talked about it. He told me we couldn't send each other letters over break, to keep us both safe. Theo has to play the part of a good son, but he's a good person! He doesn't want to live that life."

"Charlotte, I know this is hard to understand, but sometimes people act nice just so that they can hurt us," Mum tries to explain gently.

"I know, mum, but Theo isn't like that. I trust him."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Grandma has yet to say anything, but despite the danger of the situation, I'm pretty sure she trusts my judgement. She probably just wanted to make sure that I had thought this through.

Does he become a death eater? She finally asks.

I...don't remember.

You're willing to take those risks?

I am. You're the one who told me that I can't keep hiding myself away because I'm afraid of what might happen. I'm sick of being too afraid to live my life.

Grandma smiles but doesn't say anything else.

"Well, how about I check her present for any dangerous magic before she opens it? Then we can all breathe a little easier," Grandma offers.

"Sure," I agree, handing the box over to her. She runs her wand over it, muttering a few spells under her breath.

"Looks good."

"Well, let's see what this Theo boy thinks of you," Dad says impatiently.

Everyone leans in close as I open up the box and find…

"Daily Etiquette for a Proper Young Lady?" Mum asks incredulously. I burst out laughing, much to the confusion of everyone else in the room.

"What kind of book is that?" Dad is getting angry on my behalf.

"It's an inside joke," I gasp between fits of laughter. I pick up the book and move it to the side to find another book underneath.

"Potions for Dummies and Why You Should Learn Them." I'm immediately impressed with the perfect choices for his gifts. He's quite good at this.

"I can't tell what sort of relationship you two have at all," Dad whines.

"Well he makes her laugh, that's good enough for me," Mum says, smiling.

"He's a good friend."

….

The rest of Christmas break passes before I know it, and soon I'm saying goodbye on the platform to my little family.

"Promise me you'll let me know what's going on as soon as you can," I tell Grandma seriously. I'm still not pleased that she's keeping something so clearly dangerous from me.

"I promise. When the time comes."

"Please be careful."

"Goodness you do sound like an adult today," she laughs. I glare at her playfully.

"I have every right to be worried!"

"Yes you do. Now get on the train before it leaves you're worrying butt."

"Alright, alright."

After one more quick hug, I'm back on the Hogwarts Express and back to the most dangerous place on Earth for me to be. At least I've got a few friends to make things fun around here.