"I'm so excited!" I squeal hugging McGonagall once more. I look around Dumbledore's office once more at the face around me. Molly Weasley, her husband Arthur, Dumbledore, McGonagall and me. "I know you are Miss Keystone but we need to go over the rules while you are away. You are our reasonability." I nod and smile at Dumbledore. "Now our house is quite little I'm afraid so you won't get your own room. You'll be bunking in with our youngest, Ginny." I smile at Mr Weasley. Dumbledore settle into his chair and his glasses tilt down his nose. "Now Minnie will be checking in every now and again and she'll be there for Christmas day. Now you will follow Molly and Arthur's house rules. Do you two wanna go further on that?" I turn back to the Weasley's. They nod and move a little closer. "Now dear, you aren't expected to do anything but we would like if you helped out with the chores. The twins do the garden once a week, we take turns washing up and everyone does their own laundry but if you want you'll do nothing at all." I shake my head too quickly. "Honestly Mrs Weasley, I would love to help out. Make myself useful you know?" I smile at the group of adults around me. "Wonderful, why don't you go and fetch your bags dear. We're just going to do the boring bit now." I nod brightly and head back to my room.
I round the corner and see my door. I see Fred scrubbing away at red marker. I run up too him. "What happened?" he looks petrified. "I tried to get rid of it before you came back." He bows his head. I smile at him and he looks back guilty. "Well I can't read it so I guess you did you job." I hug him tightly. "Nothing could ruin my mood right now anyway!" I laugh. He smiles awkwardly. "Does this mean you spending Christmas with us?" I nod. "Yup, just gotta grab my bag and I'm off. They want me to get settled before you and your brother's come home." he nods. "I'll meet you there then." I open my door and grab my duffle bag from under my bed. I turn back out the door and shut the door behide me. "See you in a few days." He smiles and hugs me again. "Sound's awesome."
I arrive at the Weasley house though the floo network. Molly went first and showed me how to do it "The Burrow." She had thrown the green dust into the fireplace and had disappeared. I threw the dust down and close my eyes. "The Burrow." I open my eyes to molly's smile. She lets out a sigh "wonderful." She helps me out of the fire place. "Ginny! Ron!" she shouts. Two bright haired children poke their heads around the door way. "Ginny, Ron, this is Allison. She'll be staying with us over Christmas?" I smile at the two. The both look at each other and shrug. "So this is George's girlfriend?" I laugh and look at molly's horrified face. "Ronald!" they both come away from the door and take a seat at the table in front of me. "You'll have to excuse them, any chance they get to make joke at the expense of one of there siblings." They both look at each other evilly and smile up at their mother. Ginny eyes me up over the table. "So what's Hogwarts like?" I shake my head. "It's amazing. You'll love it I'm sure!" she looks at my bag with its colourless crest. "What house are you in?" I nod realising were her eyes had fallen. "I don't have a house. I have a room by myself. It's pretty cool." They look at each other confused. "So what happened at the sorting ceremony?" I smile. "I got sorted Slytherin but a I was bulled by my house mates. They wouldn't let me join the quidditch team, they tore up my clothes. I was really lonely." They both look at me and listen looking more and more saddened. "What do your parents think about it?" I look down. "Ginny that's enough questions." Molly looks down at her sternly but she's smiling. "Why don't you show Allison to your room and let her get settled in. After that come down and set the table." The red haired girl nods "do you need help with your bag?" I shake my head and her walks ahead and up the stairs. "I tried to get mum to use an extension charm on my room so you'd have more room but she said no. So I moved all my clothes outta the dresser so you could put your stuff in there if you'd like. It's not nice to live out of a bag." As we climb the stairs, I notice lots of doors on different levels, pictures of different red haired children. One photo catches my eye and I stop, it's a photo of all of them together sat around the table, a big Christmas tree in the back. "That was a great Christmas, just before Fred and George went to Hogwarts. After the twins left it was so boring around here." I smile. "One Christmas my dad brought me a training quidditch broom. He wrapped it up so me and my brother could have little matches in the garden, only when mum was out. She wanted me to be 'normal.' She was fine when my brother got his letter but when I got mine. She couldn't wait for me to get gone." Ginny puts her hand on my shoulder. "Well you seem like a great person. She lucked out on getting too know you." I smile at her. "Come on I'm done feeling sorry for myself!" I push her up the stairs lightly. She opens a orangey brown door to a little room. On her side a can see quidditch posters and little fairy lights around her bed posts and all over the ceiling. "This is amazing!" I squeal. Ginny chuckles "I didn't know what stuff you liked so I had to ask mom what stuff you liked." She points to my side of the room that she'd separated with a room divided. I gasp a little as a take it all the work she's done for me. Ginny had made the bed up with dark purple sheets with little stars on them, she had scattered fairy lights around my bed posts the same as hers, and left an empty wall space and an empty frame the she'd left on top of the dresser. "Ginny this is amazing! Thank you!" she smiles. "I just wanted you to too feel at home. Anyway get comfy and come down stairs when you're ready too." I nod and she skip's away. "Hey, Ginny!" I hear light footsteps and her head swings around the door way. "Yep?" I wave her over and pull my camera outta my bag. "This is a moment." I pop my camera on the dresser and pull the girl close. "Smile!" the flash goes off and I jump for the camera. I turn the screen around and show her the picture. Ginny laughs. "That's amazing!" I smile. "You better go your mom will be wondering why her table isn't set." Her eyes widen and she darts off. I laugh too myself. I open my bag on the bed and fold my clothes into the draws. I pop the orb McGonagall gave me and put in under my t-shirts. I put a few book on the top of the dresser and use a magic printer to bring my photo of me and Ginny too life. The device is a small ink printer, the ink is enchanted to bring the image too life. The print falls out of the bottom and it pop it into the frame on the side. Me pulling her towards me and Ginny's bright smile really starting to make me feel at home. I throw the last of my stuff away. I look around and head down the stairs.
The next two days fly past. Ginny and I are closer than two peas in a pod. I feel like I've known her my whole life. She opened up to me about feeling worried about when Ron goes to Hogwarts next year. "It's always been the two of us. Now he's going to have this wonderful adventure and I'm stuck here. " I had given her a hug. "And the year after you'll join him and me, you'll make your own adventure." She'd nodded understanding what I meant but part of me knew she still felt left out. "Every year one of my brothers come back and tells me all these amazing stories. Bill was head boy! Charlie was called Gryffindors one time Seeker, if he'd stuck too it he could've gone professional. Percy was a Prefect and he still could get head boy too. Fred and George are the two most popular guys at the school, I know that and it's their first year! The amount of mail they got over summer was stupid and Percy said that they'd made friends with a Ghost! I'm just worried Ron will go and do something else amazing and then I'll go and be... nothing." I shake my head at I reflect on the memory. I look over to molly checking her watch for the third time. I had agreed to go with her and Ginny to pick up the twins, Charlie and Percy from the train. "You ok, Mrs Weasley." She looks up at me with a smile. "I am dear and I told you too call me Molly." I nod. "Of course, is the train usually late?" she shakes her head. "If those twins have done anything... I swear." She huffs. "I'm sure it'll be alright Molly." As if by magic the train turns the corner and is in sight. "Ah here they are!" Ginny shouts. She jumps excitedly. "Ginny dear, stand here with Allison! I don't want you getting lost." She nods and stands next to me. "Isn't it magical, watching the train pull in. I've come to drop them off and pick them up every year just to see it!" I nod. "I never got too come when my mom and dad dropped my brother off." I looked down. "Does he go to Hogwarts?" I shake my head. "My brother is a lot older than me and after a year he got a place at Ilvermorny. He was a Gryffindor though." She nods. The train pulls in and slows to a halt. I feel so weird being here before the rest of my year has got off the train. The doors open and I meet eyes with Jinx. "Oh Girls look its little miss special treatment. I love that you got to go home two day early to bum of someone else's family. It's a shame we was right about your family not wanting you." She walks up to me and Molly steps in front. "One more word young lady. I'll have the headmaster here before you can leave the platform." I've never seen her so angry. "See you next term, Alice." I nod as she walks off with her friends. "Don't worry about that little brat. Let's find our boys." I nod and follow her down the train. I see two blurs of red dive towards Molly. "Mom, Ginny!" the family wrap themselves around each other, jumping for hugs from their mother. George look over his mom's shoulder and fly towards me. "Alice!" he throws his arms around me. He pulls away nervous. "Nice to see you too." Fred nudges past him and pulls me in for a hug. "We missed you on the train ride home." I laugh. "I bet your the reason the train was late." They shake their head. "Not this time I'm afraid." I see molly counting heads and had Ginny's hand in hers. Fred turns and smiles. "She never lets go of Ginny on the platform. Not after the one time she almost sunk onto the train will Percy because she thought she'd get away with joining the first years." I laugh. "Your little sister great, honestly I'm so happy to share her room." they both look at me wide eyed. "Ginny never shares her room with anyone." I shake my head. "She hung up fairy lights around my bed. She seemed excited to have me there." We start walking off the platform and out off the station. "Where are we going?" Ginny loops her arm though mine. "We are going to Diagon Ally." I remember my first time down the cobblestoned street. My mother refusing to go until the last week before I left but now I guess she just wanted me to stay 'normal' for as long as she could. We got everything as quick as we could and that was it. My mother wasn't keen on me having magical items. My photo printer was a birthday present from my brother.
Once we're down the street we grab ice cream and have a look through the windows. We stroll around for a while. Then I see the pet shop and seeing a pair of yellow eyes though the doorway and without thinking head inside, leaving the weasley family outside. I walk through the small store, Owls, cats, rats, mice and toads line walls. I continue walking towards the eyes "hey there." A small black cat emerges from the back of the cage. He lets out a low meow. "Aren't you a sweetie?" I poke my fingers through the cage and he rubs his head across my fingers. "Excuse me?" I look up to find a tall woman leaning over me. She points at the sigh. 'Pets may bite.' I move away from the cat. "Sorry. I saw him from outside and I was really drawn to him." she looks out the door and back to the cat. "You saw him?" I nod. I look down to find the cat with his paws up on the bars. "I'll be honest he's usually unfriendly. He seems to really like you though." Without warning her waves her wand and lets him out. The cat jumps out and jumps up at my feet. "Take him if you like." I turn and see molly. "Oh I couldn't put that on you molly." She puts her hand up and shakes her head. "You know you're allowed pets at Hogwarts right?" I lean down and pick up the cat. I pull him into my chest. "Really?" she nods. "We'll take him please." I snuggle the little cutie. Molly throws some gallons on the desk. "He can be you're Christmas present." I smile brightly. "Thank you molly, really I can't thank you enough." I pick him out a collar. The woman shakes her head. "Have it, you've done me a favour taking him." I nod and thank her. I tuck my new friend into my hood at we leave the store and I feel him getting comfortable leaning into the back of my neck. "Where did you two go?" Fred says looking awkward. "We was getting Alice's Christmas present." I point to my hood and they see his furry black tail hanging out. "We best be getting back. Did we get everything we needed?" everyone nods. "wonderful." We all head into the leaky cauldron and one by one floo back. I pull my furry friend out of my hood and zip him into my hoodie. "It's ok, we'll be home soon." I whisper too him. I drop the green powder. "The Burrow."