Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Harry Potter! :(

A/N: flameonurass-trusc, sassyne, and missraellamorgan—thank you all!

Chapter 6

When George arrived home he apparated inside. It was nearly 2 in the morning and he knew that Lana would be asleep. It was dark inside and he went into the kitchen where Lana had left a note that read "dinner." He left the plate on the table and went into the bedroom. Lana was sleeping peacefully wrapped in sheets; she looked beautiful there, in that moment but George couldn't go near her. He didn't love Lana and he was afraid that if she woke up she'd see that in his eyes, the expression on his face, and she'd know everything. George was sure that he couldn't go on living with Lana and fueling this lie when it was someone else that he loved. Someone whom it seemed, was meant to be his and who he wanted to give his whole life to. But she didn't have anywhere else to go, although she was attending uni he didn't want to kick her out on her feet without a proper talk. He didn't want her to see his face and pack all of her things in a hysteria.

But it was time that he admit to himself that he'd loved Angelina Johnson from the start.

/ / /

"Okay, be good boys and please don't play foolish pranks on people!" Called their mother, Mrs. Weasley, to her two boys Fred and George as they got ready to board the train. "Percy and Charlie, please watch over them--especially you Percy, as you're closer to their age."

"We promise to prank everyone mum!" Called out Fred, running between platform 9 and 10 before Mrs. Weasley could reprimand him.

"And I promise to make sure Percy never catches us in action!" Called George, taking Fred's lead as he found himself staring ahead at a magnificent train.

Percy walked the platform with a smooth ease, eying the twins hautily. "Mum's going to send you both a Howler for that display back there. And I will be sure to keep an extra eye on you both for your little comment, George. Carry on, I have to be on train for a special meeting--no doubt making me prefect."

"What a wanker" Said Fred, testing out the newest forbidden word he'd learned and was able to use now that his mother's watchful eye wasn't around.

"I know" said George, half-listening and half in awe of the magnificent sight before him. A black, white, and red train stood before him with puffs of white smoke coming out of it's top like a cumulus cloud. It was like nothing he could've imagined even in his wildest of dreams.

"We better find some good spots" said Fred, lugging his luggage behind him. George followed looking around and wishing he knew a spell to put eyes on each side of his face so he wouldn't miss anything. They found an empty compartment near the back and put their things above them. They sat down excitedly, looking around them and grinning.

Before long they were joined by a boy with dreadlocks named Lee Jordan whom they had met a few weeks before in Diagon Alley.

"Hey!" He said excitedly, stepping into the compartment, "mind if I join you two? I don't know anyone else at all."

"Not at all!" Said the twins at the same time, they were used to speaking at once and didn't seem to notice at all. Lee sat opposite them, asking them how the rest of their summer holidays had went and talking about the announcer slot for the Quidditch matches being open.

"And what makes you think they'll give it to a first year?" Asked Fred in a friendly tone.

"Oh, well my brother did it for the last 4 years and I have a pretty good voice so I'm going to talk to McGonagall about it. And who knows, I might even be in Gryffindor which will make it even easier to chat her up since that's her head of house. Although my brother Ben tells me she's rather no nonsense."

"Good luck with that, then." Said Fred. The boys talked more about what houses they hoped to be in (Gryffindor the only one Fred and George even entertained the idea of, while Lee Jordan confessed he'd be happy with either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, and that he'd settle for Hufflepuff. Slytherin was not mentioned at all.)

After an hour on the train a snack trolley came around led by a round lady with white hair. George became aware of the minimal amount of money he had and that Mrs. Weasley had warned him and Fred to save it up for the whole year.

Lee, however ordered a bit of everything and put it beside him in his seat. He looked at the twins and frowned, "do you expect me to eat it all by myself?" They laughed and dug in, as the train wore on and the sun began to set outside.

When the they arrived at their destination George noticed that everyone around him had a puzzled kind of look. There was no sight of a castle, but only fields of grass, a lake, and the night sky above them.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Asked George.

"Dunno" said Fred equally confused, "Bill and Charlie never mentioned this bit, and god knows I wouldn't ask Percy how to find my way out of a paperbag. Lee, you seem to know a lot about the inner workings of Hogwarts--know what this is called?"

Lee shrugged, "your guess is as good as mine, mate."

The ground shook slightly and George looked for what was causing it. He knew a bit about Muggle definitions for things, mostly because of his father's odd obsession with them. He thought to himself that this must be what an earth quake felt like.

Before long a huge man greeted them and there were gasps of fear all around until the man laugh a booming laugh and introduced himself as Hagrid, gamekeeper of Hogwarts.

"Don't mean ter scare, ya!" He called out. "'M jus here ter make sure ya lot make it ter Hogwarts alright, orders of the headmaster. Follow me!"

The now somewhat less frightened first years followed Hagrid timidly while the upperclassmen chatted amongst one another as if this happened everyday--being greeted by giants.

"Alright first years yer first! Line up, line up close ter yer friends as it five people per boat an' I'll count yer off! 2-7 years, remain behind!"

Fred, George, and Lee all lined up by one another not bothering to check who had gotten behind them in line. There were exactly 10 students in front of them, so they'd be sitting with each other no matter what. When their turn to be seated arrived George stepped into the boat shaking and took his seat next to Fred and Lee. Two girls entered the boat after them and George eyed them with interest. At 11, the only girls he'd been around was his baby sister Ginny who hardly seemed like a girl at all and all of the Weasley family members. But girls who weren't related to him--and pretty girls at that, was somewhat of a foreign concept. They sat on the other side of the boat close together, not paying much attention to the boys but whispering excitedly.

They were both pretty thought George; there was a pretty brunette with hair to her shoulders and side-swept bangs. She looked at him quickly and giggled, talking to the other girl again. What? Was she making fun of him for something? He knew he should've gotten a hair cut. He hated girls.

The other one a girl whom he noted was tall for a girl of 11 looked at all three of the boys calculatingly. She didn't smile but simply looked on with narrowed eyes before twisting her braided hair around her finger. George noticed that although she looked at them with no expression she had a warm, kind face. Her skin was smooth and brown and before he could figure out what he was thinking about Fred nudged him.

"That one is cute" he said.

"What?" Asked George, pretending not to know what Fred was on about although they always knew what the other was thinking or talking about.

"The one who shot daggers at us" said Fred, "she's cute. Hope she's in Gryffindor with us."

"How do you know we're going to be in Gryffindor?" Asked George.

Fred laughed before speaking loudly enough to get the girls attention, "what Weasley hasn't been brave enough for good old Gryffindor?"

And just like that, Fred had placed claim on a girl George wasn't even sure he liked, but now there could be no more thought of her.