Disclaimer: Sorry if this chapter gets alittle wierd... :) And I don't own Harry Potter...yet. Maybe someday I'll win the lottery and I'll be able to buy the rights to one of the minor characters like Crabbe or Goyle...or maybe Moaning Myrtle... XD ~Stargazer
"THERE YOU ARE!" Boomed the freak of nature. Verity thought for one terrifying second that he might be a teacher, but quickly changed her mind as the man grabbed the back of Lee's shirt collar.
Lee attempted to scramble away but could not escape.
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DID YOU DO TO ME!" The man yelled into Lee's ear, spittle hitting Lee's dreadlocks.
"Nothing! Honest!" Lee lied unconvincingly. It was clear by the fearful look plastered on Lee's face that he had done something to the man.
"What's wrong?" George asked in an unnaturally calm voice for the given circumstance. It sounded almost as if he were politely inquiring the time.
"HE TURNED ME INTO THIS!" The man screamed, enraged. He tossed Lee against the window with a force that created a few cracks to appear in the misty glass.
"And what exactly did you used to be?" Fred asked, scratching his chin perplexedly.
The man waved his arms angrily in response.
"Hm. I see." Fred turned to George. "Apparently he was a bird before Lee dealt with him. Well, nothing a good spell can't fix." Fred said sarcastically as he began to wave his wand randomly, muttering gibberish. The other first years backed away, scared of Fred's magical abilities. But the ugly giant of a man merely roared and took a step towards Verity. He swept her sketchbook up in his gigantic hands and threw it against the window as well so that it landed on Lee's head.
"CHANGE ME BACK! NOW! !" He stamped his foot as if he was a child throwing a tantrum. His face was turning redder and redder.
He took a few more steps towards Lee when a voice reached the compartment from down the hall. "What's all this, then?"
A few seconds later, the first years looking in on the drama quickly scattered into neighboring compartments as a tall and gangly red-haired teenager wearing neatly pressed school robes and horn-rimmed glasses entered the compartment.
"Hey Perce!" called Fred from behind the giant, who was glaring down at him menacingly.
" 'Bout time you showed up! We were getting worried!" George smiled weakly as he helped Lee up.
"What appears to be the problem, sir?" Percy Weasley asked in a confident and stern voice.
"THAT-THAT BOY TURNED ME INTO THIS MONSTER WITH HIS CANDY!"
Fred and George looked at Lee in disbelief.
"You-?"
"No-"
The twins were awestruck. Verity, however, was completely confused. She was still cringing in fear and praying desperately that her sketchbook had not been harmed after its flight.
"You there. What exactly did you do to this man?" Percy directed his attention to Lee.
"I'M ELEVEN!" The man yelled loudly.
"Right-um, what did you do to this eleven-year-old?"
"I-I-" Lee said weakly from the corner, "I took some of my Mum's color changing potion before I left home and I-" Lee sniffled a little, "Put it on my jumping gumdrops…"
"I see…" Percy pointed his wand to the door and said, "Accio Potions Kit!" Instantly, a small bag containing potions ingredients zoomed into Percy's outstretched hand.
"I just happen to have a potion that might help here…bit of frog's eye, tail of a Sherby and a dash of sugar…it's kind of like a reversal potion."
"Like Control-Z on a computer?" Verity piped up.
"What's that?" asked Percy, scrunching up his eyebrows in confusion.
"Never mind."
Percy turned back towards the angry man, who was now a dark shade of purple. He looked like a wild animal about to pounce.
"Here, drink this-" Percy held up the vial and the man thrust the contents into his mouth. Instantly, he began to shudder and to shrink. After about 30 seconds, he was two feet shorter and was rapidly losing his beard. His frame thinned and his hair shortened a bit. Within a minute, a skinny eleven year old boy with dark black hair and pale, sallow skin stood before them. He was no longer purple and was instead a deep embarrassed red.
"Now what is it that you wanted to say to Lee?" Fred asked, raising himself to his full height- a whole head above the boy standing before him. The boy looked back defiantly, yet his light blue eyes reflected a flash of fear.
He threw a dirty look in Lee's direction. "D-d-don't ever go s-s-slipping potions in my food again! Or-or…" The boy paused.
"Or what? You'll stutter us to death?" George winked.
The boy scowled and stormed out of the compartment.
"Wow…maybe I mixed the wrong potions…I didn't know mum could make such a good anger draught." Lee stared, transfixed at the compartment door as Percy stowed his potion ingredients and vials in his bag with a wave of his wand.
Percy turned to Lee sternly. "You shouldn't have done that! Why-if I were a Prefect-"
But what Percy would have done if he were a Prefect, no one ever knew, for Fred cut him off. "Yeah, Perce. We know you're aspirations to join the ranks of the Prefects in all their Prefectdom, but if you don't mind-"
"We've got some important business to attend to." George finished as they pushed Percy out of the compartment and into the hall.
"But-wait-Just one second-" Percy tried to assert his authority but was not nearly as strong as both of the twins put together.
"See you at dinner!"
"Save us seats at the Gryffindor table!"
"All the best, mate!"
"Cheers!"
The boys called some other things to Percy as they closed and locked the door behind him. Fred closed the curtains and George began to rummage through his bag.
"Ah, don't worry 'bout him." George said, as Percy attempted to force his way through the door without using his wand.
"He's a bit of a nutter. He can be a genius, really, but sometimes he doesn't really think. Take now for instance…he should finally realize that he has a wand in three…two-"
A bang issued from the Percy's side of the door along with some heavy swearing.
"What'd you reckon he used?" Fred turned to George conversationally.
"Probably one of those big 'reducto' or explosion curses that he's always bragging about having the ability to do."
George nodded in agreement.
"How come he can't get back in using magic?" Lee piped up.
"Because…" Verity began, trying to recall her father's exact words, "'the compartment doors are bewitched with an anti-curse charm. They can't be affected by minor spells and such…' But I think that more powerful spells would break that enchantment…Or at least that's what I read in Hogwarts, A History under the train section when I was little…"
"They don't want kids killing each other before they learn to duel." Fred added as they heard Percy stomp back to his own compartment.
"Is Percy in Gryffindor?" Verity asked curiously.
"Yeah, of course! Our whole family had been… Mum, Dad, Bill, Charlie, Percy…" George ticked off his fingers.
"We'll most likely be there as well." Fred said.
"We'll definitely be in Gryffindor as well." George corrected him.
Verity glanced at her watch as she thought about her chances of getting sorted into Slytherin, like her father. "Oh my gosh! We're nearly there!"
"We'd better get our robes on…"
A half hour later, the train began to slow and eventually came to a stop at Hogsmeade Station. A few prefects had come round to direct the youngest students.
"You'll just have to go out the doors and then follow Hagrid." A tall, bookish boy with stormy grey eyes told them as he stopped by their compartment. "He'll get you to where you need to go."
"Who's Hagrid?"
"And when do they sort us?"
Fred and George eagerly asked the grey-eyed boy as he turned to leave.
"Hagrid's the school's gamekeeper. And as for the sorting, that'll take place after you get to the castle, but before the feast. Good luck-hope to see at least one of you in Ravenclaw…" and with that, the boy went on to the next compartment of first years.
"Well…I guess we'd better get going…" The train doors had just been opened by several of the older students. Fred and George began to pull out everyone's trunks as Verity packed up her book and pencils.
As they got out into the compartment, a third year called out through the crowd. "GOOD LUCK FIRST YEARS! HOPE THE GIANT SQUID DOESN'T DROWN YOU!"
"Giant squid! What are we doing-swimming to the castle?" Verity asked discontentedly.
"Dunno."Shrugged Fred, looking equally as distressed. "Percy, Bill and Charlie didn't ever say anything…"
They stepped off the crowded train and followed the mass of other first years scrambling up the road.
"All firs' years this way!" A loud voice carried through the crowd.
"Leave yer things an' follow me!" Verity looked forward to see the biggest person she had ever seen in her life come into view. He was at least the five times taller than Fred and George, wearing a large overcoat and holding one of his huge hands aloft to wave the first-years toward the road, the other holding a lantern. His eyes were barely visible under a mane of wild black hair.
Verity, Lee and the twins dropped their belongings in a pile by the other hundreds of trunks and pet carriers. After a few minutes, the giant had gathered almost all of the first years and began marching up the road. After a few minutes of walking, the giant lead them out of Hogsmeade village and out onto a large dock. It was there that they got their first view of Hogwarts.
"Oh my!" Everyine sighed in awe as they looked across a large lake to see the towering Hogwarts castle.
"It's beautiful!"
"Wicked!"
"How do we get across the lake?"
The giant quieted the onslaught of excited whispers with a wave of his hand.
"I'm Rebus Hargid, Gamekeeper here at Hogwarts. I'm goin' ter take you across in those boats to the castle. After that you'll be sorted and then off to the start 'o term feast."
The first years all turned to look below the dock. A thin, rickety ladder extended down from the dock and onto another platform to which about 20 or so old row boats were tied, each bearing a blazing lantern.
"Five per boat! Quickly, now! We have a schedule to stick to! Professor McGonagall'll have my head if yer late!" Hagrid the Gamekeeper called as Fred scampered down the ladder, followed by George.
" Come on Verity!" Fred called as he and George hopped into a boat. It rocked violently for a moment but gradulally retuned to its resting position. Verity looked down, unsure.
"Are these…safe?" She asked Lee nervously. He shrugged.
"It's Hogwarts. There are bound to be some risks. But, hey, its all been done before, right? We'd of heard if any of the students had been snuffed off by the staff on their first day. It would be in the Prophet, wouldn't it?" Lee smiled reassuringly as Verity clambered down the ladder and walked over the the twins' boat. She stepped shakily into the boat as Fred and George grabbed her hands to hold her steady. Lee stepped into the boat as well.
A few minutes later, every boat was filled and the stragglers were being filed into the open seats. A tall, brown haired boy came to step into the twins' boat.
"Mind if I sit here?" He asked them all, but his eyes were only on Verity. He spoke with a thick Australian accent.
"Sure." She blushed as he sat down next to her.
"I'm Will." He said, reaching out to shake her hand.
"Verity." She shook back. Will went onto shake the twins' hands and then Lee's before the boat gave lurch and began to move rapidly away from the dock. Verity, startled by the sudden movement, fell onto the boat's floor. There was a scramble as the four boys each tried to help her up at once.
"Th-Thanks." She dusted off her robes as the lanterns illuminated her face.
Fred, George and Lee began a "quiet" game of exploding snap to break the silence as the boats cut cleanly through the glassy water of the lake.
She glanced at Will, who was now staring up at the sky contently. Verity looked up herself, and saw that the night sky was ablaze with stars. She had never seen so many before.
"It's a clear night, perfect for stargazing." Will whispered softly.
Verity turned back to stare at him.
"uh…sure."
"Look, there's the big dipper…and there's Orion's Belt…and Polaris…" He pointed, tracing the constellations with his fingers. He looked back at he and then dropped his hand to his side.
"Sorry…" He grimaced, embarrassed. "Stars are kind of my thing…I can be kind of a weirdo sometimes. I grew up in Australia when my parents were part of the Ministry's International Buisness office. We used to live out on this isolated farm…only way around was to apparate… But it was great! We could see every single star around the Southern Hemisphere since there wasn't any light pollution! We only moved back last year so I could come to school…"
"No, don't apologize." Verity laughed. "That's really cool! Besides…I'm an art freak." She leaned in and whispered, as if to love art was a scandalous activity.
Will smiled.
"So, are your parents still working for the Ministry?"
"Oh, yeah. They're moving to China for the next year. But we're going back to Aussie next summer holiday."
"Were your parents muggle born?" Verity asked, leaning her head forward to rest her chin on her palm.
"My Mum was. My Dad's a half-blood, though. You?"
"My parents are both pure bloods, but my mother works in a muggle business, so I know how to use computers and stuff like that." Verity shrugged.
Will broke her gaze and looked towards the castle shore. "I think we're almost there!" He said, and everyone looked up in anticipation.
The boats drew nearer to the shore, rocking slightly as it did so.
"What house do you think you'll be sorted into, Will?" Verity asked apprehensively, suddenly nervous as she remembered the sorting that loomed ahead. It seemed that the sorting would not only decide her House, but the rest of her life.
"Ugh…" Will made a face, signifying that the sorting made him nervous as well.
"Well, my mum was in Gryffindor…but my dad was in Hufflepuff. So, I'm not totally sure. Hopefully I won't be in Slytherin though. There are some bad blokes there from what I've heard…"
Verity was tempted to defend Slyhterin for a moment, but then thought the better of it. She feared her answer to the question if Will asked about her parents' Houses.
"What Houses were your paren-" But Will's sentence was cut short as the boat suddenly lurched sideways to the right and threw the five of its occupants into the icy September water.