The Boy Who Lived
Fred and George were wedged in the door of an overstuffed compartment.
“What’s going on?” Belinda asked, she craned her neck to look over the twins shoulders. Her toes cramped and she gave up on trying to see what all of these students were so excited about.
“Lee’s tarantula, remember?”
“This kind will eat small mice, so some of the older years are turning paper into mice.”
“It's disgusting.”
“Our turn Fred.” They crammed into the compartment, and Belinda considered joining them. But when she only saw two gingers in the mix, she realized her time might be better spent making sure her younger brother wasn’t alone.
Belinda dodged the older students patrolling the hallways and compartments and did her best to avoid tripping over the stray toad hopping in and out of compartments. But most of the compartments were full or totally empty. Finally though she came across a familiar shade of hair.
She was surprised that he wasn’t alone.
“Oh, Beevie- there you are. I was wondering if you’d show up.” Ron had Scabbers in his lap. “Harry, this is Bee-” Belinda scowled at Ron and he coughed awkwardly.
“I can introduce myself, Ronald.” Belinda looked at the other boy in the compartment now. He was almost as scrawny as Morrigan had been when she found her on the roof. “I’m Belinda, Belinda Evelyn Weasley. Ron’s big sister.”
Ron groaned.
“You’re only a day older than me.”
“Sometimes I’m two days older, Ron,” Belinda smiled when the boy cocked his head to the side to look at Ron for an explanation.
“We’re sort of twins.” Ron hated saying that. Mum had made sure that Belinda and Ron would introduce themselves as twins to anyone they met.
Why? Belinda, Ron and Ginny had no idea. And Mum had frightened the twins into silence. Which of course was rather impressive, but gave Belinda reason to believe that the secret was bigger than Ron believed.
“I was born on Febuary 28th and he was born on the first of March.” Belinda explained when the boy still looked lost.
“Oh erm, well… I’m Harry, Harry Potter.”
Oh Merlin. She bit back the millions of questions that came to the forefront of her mind. He was already uncomfortably waiting in anticipation.
“Can I sit with you boys then?” Belinda sat next to Ron without waiting for his answer when Harry gave a slight wide-eyed nod.
Ron’s ears blazed and smoked beside her.
She knew when she was unwanted, but Ron might very well have to get over it. Belinda made a point of pulling out “Lockhart’s Guide to Magical Menagerie” and sticking her nose into it.The words swam on the page as she listened to Ron explain what he thought the sorting was going to be and the difference between the houses.
“So what is that?” Harry asked.
“It's a book.” Belinda wondered if Harry needed a new prescription for his glasses.
“I think he’s talking about your bloody bird, Beevie.” Ron pressed his lips together but smirked when he locked eyes with Harry who looked hopelessly embarrassed.
“Oh, come here darling.” Belinda cooed at Morrigan who chirped in response before using her sharp talons to claw her way out of the baby-bird holder and onto Belinda’s shoulder. Harry pried himself off of the back of his seat, and leaned in to look at her.
“Is that a crow?”
Belinda scoffed and Morrigan flapped her wings to show her disapproval.
“Morrigan is a raven.”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to… Insult her?” Harry said earnestly. Morrigan seemed to forgive him and toddled the short distance to land on the seat beside him. He held out his finger for her to sniff and flinched when she nipped it.
“You have an owl, right Harry?” Ron eagerly switched the topic back to Harry.
“Oh yeah, Hedwig. I didn’t know you could bring them into the compartments though. I sort of feel bad for leaving her alone now.”
Harry decided to buy an assortment of sweets when the cart came around. And Belinda found herself floating amongst a sea of wrappers.
“Come on- it's your favorite. He said he wanted to share with us.”
Harry nodded encouragingly and Belinda felt her face flush before she snatched the sweet from Ron. Her favorite was not particularly a fan favorite among young wizards.
“Garden puffs?” Harry opened one and sniffed at it curiously. “It smells like flowers.” His nose scrunched.
“They’re filled with lavender cream and honey. But they just don’t smell edible.” Ron picked up his box of Bertie’s Every Flavor Beans.
“And those are?” Belinda opened her bag and watched as Harry tentatively tried one. The scent of lavender filled the air as he crunched down.
“I’ll eat those.” Belinda said not looking at Ron’s smug face as Harry tried to look as though they weren’t all bad, but his nose was still scrunched from the overpowering smell.
Harry joined Ron’s little game of guessing the flavor of bean before they bite into it. Belinda found herself more interested in watching their faces turn sour whenever they found a particularly nasty flavor.
She turned her attention to the compartment’s sliding glass door, when a boy tapped on it, Belinda waved her wand at the door’s handle;
“Apertua” The latch slammed up and the door rattled before it finally slid open. The force shocked the boy and he jumped back into the open door of a compartment behind him. “Sorry! Sorry! I’d never gotten to try that charm out before!” Belinda’s book was thrown haphazardly at Ron and she rushed out the door to check on the boy.
“Th-that’s alright…” He was frozen to the far window of the compartment with one leg stuck on the bench. She pressed her lips together when Ron let a laugh slip.
“Here, let me help you up.” Belinda stuck out both of her hands and the boy took one, and used the other to help himself scramble up.
“Sorry… Erm I’m quite clumsy…” His face was flushed.
“No! I should’ve just opened the door-”
“Oh but-”
“We get it, you’re both sorry.” Ron said from behind Belinda. “Did you need something?”
“Oh! Have any of you seen a toad at all?”
“I did! Right when I got on the train- tripped over it really.” Belinda pointed towards the front of the train and the boy nodded his head but he didn’t look surprised.
“I know, but I’ve looked there already and can’t find him anywhere!”
“You ought to find him before an owl does mate.”Ron chimed in and Belinda rolled her eyes.
“Familiars won’t eat another wizards familiar if they’ve been charmed properly, Ron.”
“He’ll turn up then,” Harry said in a falsely cheery way. He did seem the type to try and smooth things over.
The boy muttered some form of thanks to Harry and Belinda and awkwardly scooted past Ron before dashing off in the direction Belinda had pointed to. The trio went back into their compartment, Belinda picked up her book and tried to smooth out the pages. The illustrations of owls tried to nip her fingers through the page.
“If I’d brought a toad I'd lose it as quick as I could. Course, I brought Scabbers, so I can't talk.” Ron looked at Scabbers who was snoozing in a patch of sunlight streaming through the trees. “I tried to turn him yellow yesterday- y’know, to make him a bit more interesting… Here I'll show you!”
“Not that it worked.” Belinda whispered to Harry as she settled in beside him to let Ron rummage through his things and search amongst the wrappers.
“I haven't seen much magic yet- is it normal for stuff to… go wrong?” Harry asked, now looking at Ron as he let golden wrappers fall to the floor.
“Oh, I suppose so. Mum has charms backfire all the time. Mostly when she's cross though-”
“There we are- the unicorn hairs almost poking out.” His face went a little red when he saw Belinda sitting next to Harry. “Why're you over there now?”
“I don't fancy getting to school with yellow hair.”
Ron's face twisted into the beginning of a retort when the compartment door slid open. His face fell when he saw it was a girl.
“Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one.”
“He's already been here, and he went up to look at the front of the train.”
“Again?” The girl sighed, revealing two rather large front teeth. “Oh,” She looked at Ron who was still pointing his wand at Scabber’s, “Are you doing magic?”
“Er, yeah?”
“Go on, let's see it then.” Belinda found this new girl to be a little too big for her britches. Only she could boss around her little brother- Ron looked helplessly at Belinda who shrugged and gestured at him with her book.
Ron cleared his throat, and started to recite the spell that the twins had given him.
“Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid fat rat yellow!” There was a slight spark of yellow, but Scabbers seemed unbothered by it.
“Are you sure that’s a real spell?” The girl started babbling. “I’m Hermione Granger by the way, who are you?” Hermione finally stopped to catch her breath. Belinda closed her book.
“I’m Belinda, and that there is my brother Ron. We’re first years like you.” Belinda watched her brother sink into his seat when Hermione looked between Belinda and him.
“Harry Potter.” Harry said simply. He certainly lacked some showmanship for someone so famous.
“Are you really?” Oh dear, Hermione had done her homework hadn’t she? Belinda did her best not to roll her eyes as she made Harry feel more and more uncomfortable.
“Am I?”
Hermione didn’t seem to hear him as she launched into a short explanation of which house she’d like to be in. Maybe she was just nervous. Belinda was nervous as well, after all she was likely to be the first Weasley in generations not to be put in Gryffindor.
“You should probably change, you know, I expect we’ll be arriving soon.” And with that she left, revealing that the boy from before had been cowering behind her.
“Hullo again, still no luck?”
“‘’Fraid not… I’m Neville by the way, Neville Longbottom. I-I’ll see you then.” And he rushed out and down the hall.
“Whatever house I’m in, I hope they’re not in it.” Ron threw his wand back in his trunk and Belinda grimaced. She couldn’t blame him for not feeling a connection to the wand, but it might be more willing to cooperate with him if he treated it with more kindness.
“Good luck Beevie. You’ll probably wind up with her.” Belinda rationalized to herself that if someone as studious as Percy was in Gryffindor, her fondness for old school books might not play as big of a part as she initially thought. There was still the chance that she really would wind up in Slytherin though. She shuddered at the thought. “Though I s’pose Ravenclaw isn’t all bad.”
“What house are your brother’s in?” asked Harry, who was casting a sideways glance at Belinda who was sure she’d gone green to match her future house.
“Gryffindor.”
“Our family has been in for generations.” Belinda paused as she remembered some passage she’d read about Harry in that same book Hermione had mentioned. “Actually, I think most of your family has been too.”
“So I’ll probably be in Gryffindor then?” Harry looked hopeful.
“Not exactly, Fred and George reckon she’ll be in Ravenclaw or Slytherin-” Ron looked at Belinda with pity. “Not that you’re bad- Dad says not all Slytherins are bad.” But he looked skeptical.
“That’s the house that Vol-” Harry coughed to cover his mistake, “You-know-who, was in?”
“Yeah.” There was an awkward silence before Harry was kind enough to change the subject. But Belinda couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person Harry thought she was- if he was so quick to connect Slytherin to You-know-who.
She reopened her book, but found it impossible to concentrate on with the boys jabbering about the recent Gringotts heist. Some dark wizard had wasted their time breaking into an empty vault. She wondered if Dad would have been privy to any more information than the Daily Prophet and made a mental note to write to him tomorrow.
The door opened and she jumped- having been too engrossed in trying to surmise how the wizard had pulled it off and how they must have felt when the vault was frustratingly empty. Three boys came in, with the smallest of them in the center and each of his friends larger than the other.
“Is it true?” The boy that spoke looked vaguely familiar. His platinum blonde hair rang a bell, but Belinda couldn’t put a name to his face. “They’re saying Harry Potter is in this compartment. So it’s you, is it?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle. And my name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.” He looked around the compartment smartly. Until Ron sniggered. “You think my name is funny do you? Red hair, and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a Weasley.”
Ron went purple. And Belinda slammed her book shut.
“Lucius Malfoy’s son. How could I have forgotten?” She resisted the urge to shudder at the way her voice went honey-sweet. Ice ran through her veins and boiled her blood when Draco smiled smartly.
“Have we met before?” Draco, yes you have.
“Once, I went to the ministry with my father. And you happened to be there as well.” Mum had always taught her to kill her enemies with kindness.
“Oh, your father works for the Ministry as well-”
“Yes, he’s the Head of-” Belinda couldn’t help but smile sweetly when the boys all listened keenly to her. No doubt their father’s had told them to make connections for them while at school. “The Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, he’s just recently passed some laws that will land your father in hot water if they can catch him with your family tree book that blinds muggles and squibs if they try to read or write in it.” Belinda reopened her book.
“Why you-!”
“Belinda Weasley, at your service.” She turned the page with a deadpan expression.
“It seems I forgot about the black sheep of the Weasley family.” Malfoy dusted himself off.
“You also forgot your manners back in your compartment, I suggest you go and find them. I know your Mother worked diligently to teach you how to pretend to be a decent wizard.”
“You see Potter- some wizarding families are better than others.” He looked at Belinda with distaste. “I can help you there,” He stuck out his hand to Harry.
“I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself thanks.”
Belinda gawked at Harry, and felt respect taking the place of pity for him. Mum had taught her better than to feel pity for other people- it was one thing to feel sorry for their situation, so it was rather relieving that he was quite funny and respectable. If he had been cowering in fear or a self-serving prat like Malfoy; well she might have just pitied the boy anyway.
“I’d be careful if I were you Potter.” Draco all but spat Harry’s name at him. “Unless you’re a bit politer, you’ll go the same way as your parents-!”
“Indarrumbo!” Her charm forced the boys to squash themselves out the compartment door and fall on their behinds. “Claurditua!” The door slammed closed and latched itself closed. Draco was red-faced and yelling, but Belinda pretended she couldn’t hear him and gestured for him to speak up. He finally left in a huff with his goons in tow- his oily blonde hair plastered to his forehead.
“You’re brilliant.” Harry breathed after leaning on the door to look out the window to make sure they’d left.
“You’ve been practicing all summer haven’t you!”
“Just since I got my wand-” Belinda twirled her wand in her hand and did her best to not look smug. Harry jumped back from the door when it opened again.
“What are you doing? Have you lot been fighting already!” Hermione’s eyes went wide when she saw Belinda’s wand. “The term hasn’t even started yet!”
“Oh don’t worry, I doubt they’ll be telling anyone about it.” Belinda tucked her wand into the sleeve of her jumper.
“That’s hardly the point I was trying to make-”
Belinda glanced out the window while she scolded the boys. The sun had already set, meaning the train had to be nearing Hogwarts by now.
“Here why don’t you tell me then-” Belinda gestured for Hermione to follow her as she headed to the girls toilet on the train. Where she listened to her listing all of the ways she could get into trouble. “Hermione.” Belinda had finished changing, now in her gray sweater vest with a smart plain skirt that covered her knees. They almost matched, but Hermione had opted for black tights instead of Belinda’s nude and floral embroidered ones.
“I- you! Those aren’t!” She seemed speechless. Belinda felt a little put off, nude tights were acceptable but boring, so her mother had allowed her to dress them up a little.
“They’re fine.” She ushered the girl out of the toilet. “Hermione, you don’t have anything to worry about, I promise.”
Hermione sniffed.
“I suppose you will be facing the consequences, not me.”
“Exactly.”
Hermione was a little tense, but eventually left to make sure that Neville made it to the Castle alright as the train slowed to a crawl. Belinda went back to the compartment and was relieved to find the boys had changed while she was gone.
“I thought I’d have to write to Mum and Dad to pay your ransom-” Ron was sulking across from Harry, who looked thoroughly entertained by all of this.
“She’s just nervous.”
With that the train stopped, lurching them all back and then forward.
The prefects ushered them off the train, and Percy held out his hand for the smaller first years to take as they jumped off the train and onto the platform.
“Firs’ years!” A giant man called for all of the first years to rally around him. “Yeh alrigh’ there Harry?” He greeted Harry, apparently they met before this- and then Hagrid guided them all to some rowboats at the edge of a giant lake. Hermione climbed into the boat next to Belinda, apparently deeming that Belinda wasn’t too much of a troublemaker. Or maybe deciding that she had to keep an eye on her. Though secretly, she would have rather sat next to her brother or Harry.
Belinda didn’t mind her informative tour guide prattle, telling her that they were currently gliding over the black lake and what kinds of potions used hanging ivy as an ingredient. But then Hogwarts in all of its magnificence came into view as they came out of the small ivy covered tunnel, and a hush fell over the first years.
Lights flickered in the castle, and Belinda could already see why Mum gushed over the first time she’d ever seen it. The lights reflected on the water rippled when she let her hand glide over the water. Another tunnel led them directly into a small covered bay, something more like a cave than a dock.
It was a shame the trip ended relatively quickly Belinda thought inwardly as the other first years started climbing out of their boats. Some skidded on the pebbles underfoot, Neville being one of them didn’t surprise Belinda.
“Oy! Is this yer toad?” Hagrid’s deep voice echoed around the cave. Trevor- the toad, had apparently been a good enough familiar that he had wound up in the boats and not stuck on the train. It did leave much to wonder about for Belinda who held Morrigan a little closer as she followed Ron up a stone passageway. Morrigan would soon be big enough to start delivering letters for her- and turning into teacups and the like, but a part of Belinda felt a little squeamish about transfiguring her.
They emerged from the passageway in silence, nerves had gotten the best of nearly everyone at this point. But Belinda still looked at the castle in quiet awe as they got closer.
And to think she thought the muggle office buildings in London were tall. They were the only thing she could compare Hogwarts to- other than a mountain perhaps. Though she was quite certain Hogwarts had been transfigured out of the top of the mountain it sat on.
Hermione would probably know- if she didn’t McGonagall would. As the Head of Gryffindor House, the transfigurations professor and the Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall had already written to Mum several times last year. Between the letters and stories her family told, she felt as though she already knew the woman.
She was not a woman to trifle with. Though the twins rather liked to push their luck.
They were already at a door that dwarfed Hagrid, who had also been in the numerous letters home about the twins now that Belinda thought about it. As he was the one chasing the twins around the school grounds and out of the forbidden forest.
Hagrid knocked smartly on the door three times.