When Raynie woke up, she was moving, and it sounded like a game of exploding snap was going on. Sitting up, she discovered she was on the train. The twins, Katie and Lee Jordan were in the compartment with her. Morty, whom was curled up in the crook of her arm, protested her movement.
"Aw… Shut up Morty," Raynie said. Her friends looked at her, "Where are we?" she asked.
"A few hours from King's Cross Station;" Katie said, "You were out for a long time."
"Did I?" Raynie asked, "I don't even remember getting on the train."
"That's because we carried you on," Fred said, "By the way, you are too light, you should eat more."
Raynie responded by throwing her cat at him. Morty dug his claws into Fred's clothes. Fred yelped in surprised and tried to pry the cat off of him, but the cat swatted his hands away while the others laughed. After a few minutes Fred had successfully removed Morty from him, with only a few minor injuries. The rest of the train ride consisted of playing exploding snap, eating sweets and seeing how long it took Raynie to pee her pants when tickled.
When the train pulled into Platform 9 3/4 the five children pulled on their muggle winter gear and hulled their trunks off the train. Slowly they exited the platform. All around parents were embracing their children. Katie rushed to hug her dad; Lee Jordan's cheeks were being pinched by a grandmother, the twins and their brothers pattered over to greet their mother, along with two other red-haired kids.
Raynie's parents were nowhere to be seen, but this was to be expected. She bubbled with excitement and began to head towards the exit.
"Hey Raynie," a snide voice called, "Where's your mum and dad?" Raynie froze.
"Hey Byrd, just because your mum won't let you out of your cage, doesn't mean all parents think we will die if given a bit of responsibility." George called. It was a stupid comeback, but the perpetrator didn't reply.
"Raynie, are you alright?" Charlie asked placing a hand on her shoulder. Raynie thawed at that moment, then grew red about her freeze-up. It was not her fault her extended family had come to pick her up. In fact if made her feel quite loved. It was not her fault that the ministry had disallowed her extended family of knowing that she and her parents had magic. Both her parents were Muggle-born and both parents were at least ten years younger than any of their siblings. Both sets of Grandparents were now dead, so there was nothing Raynie could do about it.
"I'm fine, thanks," Raynie said, "My family is… waiting for me at the station entrance. I shouldn't keep them waiting."
"Well dear let us walk you," The boys' mother said, "I'm Molly Weasley by the way."
Raynie smiled a t the woman. She was pleasantly plump, making Raynie feel welcomed, with hair as red as any of her children. Mrs. Weasley began to usher her children away from the platform. As they neared the appointed meeting spot, Raynie saw a group of people. Most were engaged in conversation, but a few were searching the crowd eagerly, including the person Raynie missed most.
"Kylee!" Raynie cried before she dashed towards her friend, her belongings, as well as the Weasleys, forgotten. The girl turned to see Raynie running towards her and began sprinting to her friend. They greeted each other in a hug. Not slowing until they collided. The twins could not help but feel enlightened.
"I missed you so much" Kylee said squeezing her friend fiercely.
"I missed you too!" Raynie replied, her embrace just as firm.
"Raynie dear, who are these people?" Raynie's mother asked. Raynie pulled away and looked. The Weasleys were standing closely with Rayine's luggage in hand. "Now I know I've told you this before, people are not pets, you just can't take them home with you."
"Mum, not in front of my friends." Raynie said as she turned red. Kylee giggled at her sided, "These are the Weaselys, They came to make sure I didn't get lost. The twins are Fred n' George, They're a year above me and my closet mates at school, The big one's Charlie, he helps me study sometimes, he's in his last year. Percy is in his fourth year, he's kind-of conceited."
"Raynie!" Her mother yelled.
"Sorry," Raynie replied automaticly. "This their mum, and I really have no clue who the last two are, but I bet they are as wonderful as the others."
"Hello, I'm Molly Weasley," Mrs. Weasley said, "I've heard so much about your daughter, she seem quite polite, unlike my boys."
"I'm Posy Day," Raynie's mother replied eyeing the twins, "I've heard quite a bit about your boys too."
The mothers began a conversation as Raynie's cousins greeted her one by one, ruffling her hair, kissing her cheek as well as a few punches in the arm. The whole time Raynie's hand never left Kylee's.
The twins looked at Kylee, and decided that she was just like Cedric, there to take Raynie away from them.
Kylee smiled at the boys, a pleasant welcoming smile, but deep inside Kylee was worried. They were better than Raynie had described. Their smiles, their laugh, the way the hung on each other, even the fact that they just seemed lazy. They were so charismatic, even Kylee wanted to jump in their arms and have them take her home with them, and she hated them. Kylee was afraid. Raynie was her best friend in the whole world, but she had a feeling, Raynie was moving into a place where Kylee couldn't follow, and Raynie wanted to go there. Kylee knew Raynie was special, but she knew that people their age had trouble getting along with her. That little bit of knowledge alone had kept her content that Raynie would never leave her.
Kylee had to go the school before Raynie, to get some paperwork done. Raynie was going to fly in a week later. Kylee waited at the airport the whole day waiting for her friend, but she never showed. Then the letters arrived. Begging for forgiveness, but she had to stay in England. She sounded so upset. Then the next letter came. It was full of missing Kylee and asking about America, and Kylee was pleased. Raynie regretted her choice. Kylee could convince her to transfer. Then the next letter was different. It was full of funny stories and photos, photos of not only these two, but of others, a girl, whom looked like she could be an athlete if she wanted, and a handsome boy who had been working out. Kylee had hopped Raynie wouldn't make any friends, and she felt horrible for wishing that. Now Kylee could practically feel Raynie slipping through her fingers. Raynie was moving out of reach into the hands of the red-haired devils. Well, Kylee had three weeks. Three weeks of Raynie all to herself, three weeks to convince Raynie that she did not want to go back to her school in England.
"Bye Fred, George," Raynie said.
"Can't we at least get a hug?" George asked.'
"Without the baggage," Fred added looking at Kylee.
Raynie shot him a dirty look. Then she pulled her fingers out of Kylee's grasp. The twins scooped Raynie up and hugged her fiercely. Actually, it was more like they hugged each other with Raynie stuck in the middle. Raynie giggled while Kylee fumed. The old Raynie never put Kylee second, not to anyone.
"See you on the Train," Fred said "We'll fix your hair then." Then the Weasleys left. Leaving Raynie and her family to get into their cars and drive home.
Raynie and Kylee spent every day together. They went sledding; they shopped and even had a lazy day. Raynie was so relaxed. She could wake up late, read a muggle book without getting weird looks, she didn't have to be dressed before breakfast. Heck she could stay in her pajamas all day if she felt like it. Being with Kylee was the best thing about the Christmas Holiday. Raynie missed Kylee, and it was great to have some girl time. At school she had Katie, but they usually spent their time studying, or with the twins around, so there was no real girl time. There was only one problem. Kylee would not stop talking about her new school. It was all Raynie could manage not to shove her sock into the girl's mouth. It was fun at first, but after a while, she just felt guilty about not going.
When Christmas came around, Raynie rolled about of bed and turned off her heated blanket. Christmas was a magical time for Raynie, she always woke up early, no matter how late she went to sleep. Slowly she went to wake her cousins, and Kylee, one by one. The lot of them crept down the stairs and began their Ritual of cooking breakfast.
Raynie's family had a rule, no opening presents without everyone there. The children, all of whom loved getting up early on Christmas day, needed a way to occupy themselves, found their answer with food. It started with eight-year-old Mika making hungry three-year-old Raynie a bowl of cereal. The next year it was oatmeal, the year after that bacon and eggs. Each year more kids joined in and they meals got more elaborate. After time, it just made sense to fix a large meal for the whole family. Doing that, the parents didn't have to cook in the morning and the children were able to open their presents the second all the parents were awake.
Being the youngest, Raynie was given the task of making sure the coffee didn't burn, as well as boiling water for tea. She was only twelve, he cousins didn't think she could do anything better so they gave her a tedious task that really didn't need to be done. That was when she saw the owls. Three of them, perched on the window sill. Each had at least one package with her name written clearly on it. Raynie tried to shoo hem through the glass, but to no avail.
Sighing, Raynie left the kitchen and climbed the stairs to her bedroom. She opened her window and called to the birds. Quickly they flew in and dropped the packages on her bed. Raynie looked at the birds; she could see they were freezing.
"Huddle close," she said, wrapping them in a blanket when they obeyed, "And don't poop." She flicked the switch that would send heat into the blanket, then she filled the cup that she kept her toothbrush in to the brim with water.
"Did you come all this way here to deliver gifts?" Raynie asked as the put the glass on the nightstand and inspected the gifts. An owl cooed. There were several packages from the Weasleys, two from Katie and one from Cedric. Raynie felt a pang of guilt, she had been meaning to send her gifts, but with no owl, it just didn't happen.
"Would you take my gifts back with you?" Raynie asked, the owls cooed again, "Ok I'll be back in a few hours to let you out. If you have to poop do it in one spot, and not on any of the beds."