Disclaimer: Not JKR, don't own HP. You know the drill.

Obnoxiously early the next morning, Andi was up and bouncing with excitement before her alarm went off. When it did, she took that as permission to run around waking everyone else up.

"Mum! Dad! Get up, I'm going to Hogwarts!" she yelled delightedly. "We're going to be late, get up!"

"Andi, it is 6:00 in the morning. We are not going to be late. Go back to bed," her mother said grumpily.

"But Mum!"

"Fine, don't, your father and I will be up in an hour. We're leaving at 8:30. There's plenty of time."

Andi decided to run around the house until she collapsed. She was still going, panting and jumping over couches and tables, when her parents and brother trailed downstairs, yawning.

"Andi!" yelled Leo, who seemed to be the most awake of the three. "Do magic for me!"

"I can't yet, Leo. I haven't learned any," laughed Andi. "Besides, I don't think you're supposed to when you're not at school."

"Awwww…pleeease?" he asked sweetly.

"Nope. Can't."

"Why?"

"I've told you that already."

"Awwww….Are you sure?" Leo asked hopefully.

"Yes, Leo, I am most definitely sure."

"Waffles up!" her mother called from the kitchen. "Leo, Andi, come eat!"

Leo and Andi looked up in surprise. While they had been talking, their parents had made breakfast.

Andi picked at her waffle.

"Andi, eat. I realize that you're nervous, but you really do need to eat your waffle," her mother said after several minutes.

Andi ate her waffle reluctantly, hardly tasting it. Afterwards, she ran upstairs to change and repack her trunk (again). Once she was satisfied, she looked at the clock. 8:15. She lugged her trunk downstairs-nearly running over herself, Leo, and their parents in the process-and stowed it into the back of the family car.

Leo, her mother, and her father followed. They pulled out of the driveway at exactly 8:30. Andi started reading One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi again to pass the time. It drew her interest in until she really wasn't aware of minutes and miles ticking by.


When Andi next looked up, they were turning into a crowded parking lot. The time was 10:45. Andi started bouncing in her seat, clutching her ticket to the Hogwarts Express. Eventually, a parking spot was found and Andi eagerly heaved her heavy trunk onto the pavement. Carrying Nutmeg, the ticket, and her trunk was proving to be a bit difficult, but she managed.

"Mum?" she asked, remembering the platform number. "How do you get to a fraction platform?"

"What?"

"It's Platform nine and three quarters on the ticket."

Her mother had no response, so Andi figured that platforms nine and ten would be a start. As they made their way there, Andi noticed a red-headed woman herding a large group of her children-seven in all. Andi got closer. They were all pushing trunks, and two had owls and one had a rat in a cage.

"Oh, why do there have to be so many muggles? Bill, I do with you would let me cut your hair, it's your last year at Hogwarts after all-"

"No, Mum. My hair is fine," said the oldest-looking one, who must be Bill.

"C'mon, Bill, it is a bit long," said the next-to-oldest-looking one.

"Charlie, don't tease your brother. Percy, you first now."

They had arrived at a brick wall by Platform 10. Andi watched carefully as another red-haired boy pushed his trunk ahead of him and ran straight at the platform, disappearing into the wall. I must have seen wrong, thought Andi. You can't just walk through a wall.

"Excuse me," she said, walking up to the red-haired woman. "Could you tell me how to get to the Hogwarts Express?"

"Of course, dear. Muggle-born, first year?"

Andi nodded.

"Well, Muggles can't get onto the platform, so before you go, you should with your parents good-bye. After that, just walk through. Best to run if you're nervous, though," she said. "Good luck, dear."

Andi smiled at the motherly woman and hugged her parents and a sniffling Leo goodbye. "I'll see you later," she said, waving over her shoulder. Then, she gathered her nerves and ran at the barrier, closing her eyes at what should have been the moment of impact.

When she opened them, she was on another platform: 9 ¾. A majestic train was being boarded. Before she could move, however, something slammed into her from behind and she went flying, barely catching herself with instinctive magic and her hands.

"Are you okay?" asked someone, offering a hand. Andi took it gratefully and stood up. It was another red-headed boy.

"Yes, you?"

"Fine. Oi, Fred!" Another boy, identical to the last, came over from where he had been gathering his things.

"Yeah, George?"

"You going to apologize for running into the lovely young lady?" inquired George.

"Right, sorry about that," said Fred, looking a bit mollified.

"It's okay," said Andi. "I'm Andi Kirkwood, by the way."

"Fred-" Wait, wasn't that one George?

"and George-" This was getting quite bewildering for Andi.

"No wait, I'm George, you're Fred-"

"Fred, you're confusing the girl."

"Fine. I'm Fred Weasley, and this is my brother, George," Fred-at least she assumed that was Fred-said with a mock bow.

"Nice to meet you," they said together. Andi couldn't help laughing.

"Pleasure."

Just then, the train's whistle blew. Fred and George looked at each other.

"We'd best be finding seats then," said Fred.

"Share a compartment?" George offered.

"Sure," Andi said, happy that she had made two friends before even getting to Hogwarts.

On the train, once they were settled in, Fred broke the silence.

"So, what house d'you want to be in, Andi?"

"I don't know. What are they?"

"Gryffindor, for the brave, Ravenclaw, for the smart, Hufflepuff, for-erm-I don't know about Hufflepuff, actually-and Slytherin, where all dark wizards go," George finished.

"Gryffindor, I guess. Though Ravenclaw doesn't sound bad," Andi said.

"We're going to be in Gryffindor. Our whole family has been," said one twin.

"For generations," said the other.

"Forever."

"And ever."

By the time they had finished speaking, Andi had lost track of which twin was which. It's going to be a long year.

After a few minutes, another boy came into the compartment.

"Hi, I'm Lee Jordan. Can I sit with you?" he asked.

"Sure," Fred and George replied, looking at Andi.

"Fine by me," she added, scooting over-the twins had taken one side of the compartment and she the other.

"So, Lee, what house're you going to be in?"

"Dunno. Gryffindor, maybe. I was in a compartment of Slytherins earlier, I just had to get out. Any of you play Quidditch?"

"Of course," said Fred and George.

At the same time, Andi asked, "What's Quidditch?"

Fred, George, and Lee turned to stare at her like she was from Mars.

"What? I'm muggle-born."

"Quidditch," began Fred.

"Is the best sport-"

"Of all time-"

"And you are going to learn about it if it's the last thing we do," said George.

"Okay. Teach away," Andi said.

"Well, it's played on broomsticks," Lee said, clearly unsure of how to start. "There are seven players. Three chasers, two beaters, a keeper, and a seeker. Chasers try to score with the Quaffle. Beaters keep the Bludgers-which are nasty metal balls that try to hit you off your broom-away from their side and try to hit the other team. Keepers block the Quaffle from scoring in the three goalposts on each side of the pitch. Seekers try to catch a little gold ball, the Snitch, and end the game. Catching the Snitch earns your team 150 points, scoring by Quaffle gets you ten." Andi was completely thrown off by this torrent of information.

"So… why is it so great exactly?"

"It's wickedly fun! Besides, you can win the House Cup if you win all your matches," Fred said-or was that George?

"Against whom?"

"The other houses," George said. "Each house has a team, and usually it ends up being Slytherin verses Gryffindor, according to Bill and Charlie. Our older brothers," he added at Lee's confused look.

"Aren't Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw any good?" Andi asked.

"They're okay, but Slytherin uses dirty tactics and Gryffindor makes daring plays, so they beat out Hufflepuff with no real strategy and the Ravenclaws with their brilliant tactics but no strength plays," Fred said.

For the rest of the train ride, they chatted amiably. When they were nearly there, Andi went to the bathroom to change into her robes while the boys changed into theirs in the compartment.

As she knocked on the door, Fred said, "Come in, we're dressed." Andi went in and, to her relief, found all three boys in their robes and seated.


Finally, the train screeched to a halt and the doors opened. Andi stuck close to Fred, George, and Lee as the crowd moved along.

"Firs' years, this way! Firs' years over here!" said a booming voice. Andi looked around and found that the source of the voice was an enormously tall man holding a lantern. Their group made their way over to him. Fred and George grinned.

"Hello Hagrid," they said.

"You must be t'Weasley twins. Heard a lot about you from Charlie, I have. Troublemakers, eh?"

"Yeah, when do we get to explore the Forest?" George asked eagerly.

"Never! T'Forest is forbidden for a reason. Yeh aren't allowed t'go in there!" exclaimed Hagrid. "Anyway, this looks like the lot. Firs' years, follow me! No more'n four to a boat!" he called as he led the group of 11-year-olds to a dock with a bunch of boats, bobbing in the darkness, each with a lantern.

Andi climbed in one with Fred, George, and Lee. She held the lantern up as the boats moved by themselves across the lake.

A/N: Enter Gred and Forge! This story just got infinitely better.

Before I post the next chapter, I will wait for one (1) review. Just one, and I solemnly swear the chapter will be up within 24 hours of that review being sent.

If you don't review, who will? Tell me anything. Good, bad, fair writing? Yay, Fred and George are in the story now? Review and tell me so.