We arrived in Hogsmeade just as the sun was setting in the distance. I got off the train following the twins and looked towards the horizon, thinking of the hills that surround my house. The views there are pretty spectacular, and I love how the sun typically sets over the pond to the west.

It seemed impossible that I had only woken up this morning to see the first break of sun from my bedroom window in England and was now looking at it set in where I suspected was Northern Scotland. It was probably the most eventful day of my life, but despite all of the things that happened I was still full of excitement.

The five of us went to collect our trunks and followed the crowd of older students who obviously knew the way to go. Amongst the commotion I started to get separated, probably because my legs were not as long as Angelina's or the others'. Moments later the beacon of red hair from the twins faded from my view and I started to feel slightly anxious. This was only the second time in my life I had been in a group this size and everyone was all fairly bunched together. Most students were keeping up with their own groups or crossing distances to meet up with others. I started to feel sweat on the back of my neck and my breathing elevated before I felt a hand on my arm. I looked up to see one of the twins and instantly felt relieved. I couldn't understand my reaction to the crowd of students; it seemed odd. But then again, I had never been in any similar situation, so I didn't know what to expect.

I was fairly sure that the twin who had grabbed my arm was George. I spent a large portion of the train ride trying to decipher differing characteristics between the twins and noticed that George has a faded scar on his brow line which is almost imperceptible. Fred on the other hand has slightly different eyes which are a shade bluer than George's. This is also aside from their varying personalities. George is more mild mannered compared to Fred who seems to enter every situation like a blazing force.

I looked up at the twin in front of me and found the slight scar over his right eye.

"Didn't think you could get away from us that easily did you?" George asked with a wink.

The red-headed boy then started to pull my arm through the crowd until we soon met up with the group.

Fred looked over at the two of us once we arrived and dramatically wiped the back of his hand across his forehead.

"I thought you had been lost to us forever, trampled by all of the ogre-like Hogwarts students," he sighed even more dramatically with a wink.

Instead of blushing or feeling embarrassed in response to Fred's exaggerated display, I met his bright blue eyes with a determined grin.

"Well wasn't it your job to keep me safe and away from the danger of the ogre-like Hogwarts students?" I looked at Fred with a challenge in my eyes.

I figured if I was going to keep up with their antics I would have to fight back. "If I succumb to any danger, you will have to surrender to the wrath of my father," I retorted with satisfaction.

Fred looked taken aback as the others laughed.

"We have a fiery one here Freddie, I think she's a keeper!" George exclaimed proudly.

Before Fred could fire a retort, Angelina interrupted the competition of wits.

"Hey, you never mentioned your father on the train," Angelina said thoughtfully. "What house was he sorted into?"

I paused briefly at the change of subject. Dad had warned me that his status may upset some children who come from pure blood or prejudicial families. But that was a crazy insinuation for these four, they had been nothing but friendly to me, so I ignored the warning in my head.

"Umm, actually he's a squib," I said casually, still slightly monitoring for any negative reactions.

But I couldn't see any. Angelina looked thoughtful of my answer while the others looked like they didn't really have an opinion on the matter. I felt my chest fill up with relief. I wasn't embarrassed by my father, he was my best friend, and I would choose loyalty for my father over anyone else's opinion, even those who treated me with kindness.

After assessing the almost uninterested reactions from my new friends towards my father's blood status, I turned back to look at Fred. He held my gaze, and I knew he was forming a rebuttal to my former quip on his character and duty to protect me, when I heard a sneer from behind me.

"Your dad is a squib, what a joke! I can't believe they actually sent you an acceptance letter to Hogwarts, that's just pathetic." I cringed at the hateful words coming from behind my back. We were almost on the other side of the Hogsmeade platform where I could see the blackened lake in front of us.

The five of us all stopped and I turned around to see a brutish boy who was even taller than the twins looking down at me with hateful contempt. I felt my heart split between cowering away from this obvious bully and giving him a piece of my mind for insulting a man he did not know. But, before I could decide what I wanted to do, Fred stepped right in front of the boy with a look of utter rage.

"Yea, well I'm surprised they're still extending invitations to families as nasty and bigoted as yours!" Fred shouted, inching closer to the boy.

However, before anything could get anymore heated or dangerous, an extremely large man approached our group and looked down at us with worry in his eyes.

"Wha's goin' on 'ere?" The giant man stepped closer to me as if sensing the two boys posed a threat. He had it half right.

Fred was the first to stand down only after staring at the hulking boy for a few more moments. He then swung around and took my arm to direct me away from the bully in the opposite direction.

"Just protecting my friend from bullies, sir" Fred stated with rage still in his eyes as he continued to size up the other boy.

The giant man seemed taken aback at this information and looked at the large boy wearily before standing in between him and us.

"Well le's move along. Firs' years follow me!" he hollered and I gladly obliged.

"You can't hide behind weasels forever squib! You don't belong here!" the bully added from somewhere behind the giant man.

I looked over at Fred who still had a tight grip on my arm and anger in his eyes. I was a little surprised that he didn't turned around at the other boy's taunt but was glad he decided to stay by my side instead. Maybe he was too angry to hear the last comment. He was also murmuring under his breath saying things like "unbelievable" and "I should'a". It was only when we approached the end of the lake, where the giant man had led us, that Fred finally released my arm. He looked down at me pointedly and stared directly into my eyes.

"Now you can't tell your father I don't keep you from danger," he said seriously as he continued to stare at me.

After a moment of silence, I broke it by quietly laughing at the seriousness of Fred's face and the relief that these are the people I luckily sat with on the train. I continued to laugh and saw Fred's features soften as he started to chuckle along as well. The others soon joined in as we all shared a moment knowing that we all had each other's back from here on out. It was obvious that the others shared Fred's feelings towards the other boy and would be there for me in any similar situation.

Before entering the boat, Fred took my hand to help me into it. I sat down beside him and looked over at him inquisitively. I had just met this boy but he had decidedly stood up in my honour without being asked or even knowing me very well. Maybe it was that Gryffindor bravery the others had all been on about, but I couldn't help but be in awe of what Fred had done for me. I also glanced down to see that Fred still hadn't released my hand from when he helped me onto the boat. Fred had a comforting presence about him that made me feel more secure in this almost foreign realm.

The group was all immersed in excited whispers about almost being able to see the school when I looked at Fred's face. I had only been joking about him protecting me but I had a slight suspicion that even though we had both been joking around, Fred had immediately taken my words seriously. I didn't know what incentive he could possibly have in wanting to protect me but I was almost relieved that I wouldn't have to navigate my first year alone.

Little did I know that when I briefly looked over at Fred, George watched the two of us inquisitively. George felt relieved that Fred seemed to like the new girl as much as he did. It was like one of their many shared twin moments when they had the same feeling without having to communicate it to each other. Marnie seemed to illicit a shared reaction from him and his brother that was protective and genuine. George kept thinking to himself that Marnie must be a Gryffindor, she just doesn't see it yet. Maybe that was a job for him and Fred…