Nice Knowing You, Weasleys
"Whoaa--"
Although she has received a fair bit of warning about the busy scenes on back-to-school day, the 11-year-old Lilianna Mysti was still awestruck when she mustered the courage to dive across what seemed to be a perfectly sturdy wall partway between platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross Station.
The platform was bustling. Luggage and suitcases that were all too big to be true floated in an orderly fashion as the uniformed attendants waved them into respective cargo cabins. During the excruciating wait for departure, students in lower years half-heartedly nodded along to their parents' last-minute concerns, straining their necks every now and then to catch a glimpse of their friends. Groups of upper-year students already dressed in their Hogwarts ensemble clustered against the platform's pillars, sharing details about their exciting summer. Of course, just like any other year, there are those curious eyes that stare at the nervous faces of what the muggles call "new blood" and whisper among themselves, betting on the odds of each youngster being sorted.
Filtering out the steam that was practically pouring from the engine and the attendants' exhausted calls in a desperate attempt to maintain order, Lilianna slowly wrapped her head around the sight she sees before her: this is the famous platform nine-and-three-quarters. This is the magical world of Great Britain.
"Lili, sweetie, come on. The train's about to leave. If we miss it you're gonna stay home for the rest of the year!" Dad's voice was mixed with a hint of chuckle and it pulled Lilianna out of her little trance. Dad's probably joking -- even if she did miss the train, Lili knows her family could figure out an alternative way to get her to school -- but she'd rather not risk it. After all, the last thing Lilianna wanted was to make a scene on her very first day. Holding onto dad's arm for balance, she tip-toed and raised her head as high as she could possibly go, looking for a certain blue-haired girl.
"Where's Abby? I want to sit with her."
"Lili----!" Lilianna barely finished her sentence before a joyful cry cut through the air and was followed by a tiny blue head wriggling through the sea of taller students who are now boarding the train.
"Excuse me! Sorry-coming through!" The young girl chirped until she finally made it across the platform. "You're late! I've gotten us a compartment already! Oh right! You want candy? Here, have a chocolate frog!" As the string of syllables spilled out of the girl's mouth, she extended her hands to Lilianna. Judging by the lightly clamped hands, Lilianna figures that her dear friend, Abyss Years, must have accidentally lost the frog's package box again. After carefully passing the jumpy dessert to Lilianna with both hands, only then did Abyss notice Mr. Mysti's towering figure and suddenly froze. Although Abyss is by nature, a bubbly person, she's known to be fidgety and shy around adults. The young girl shifted nervously and straightened her posture. "Oh! Hello Mr. Mysti! Um, is Lili ready? If-if it would be alright, may I take Lili on board.....please?" Abyss bit her lower lip and her voice trailed off as she tried her best to maintain a composed yet earnest look. Lilianna also looks up at her father eagerly, wishing that he would give permission for her to go with her friend. Mr. Mysti simply could not say no to the two girls. With a sigh, he makes a few reminders, and ushers the children to head on board before all the compartments are taken.
"Remember, you'll need to change into your robes before the train pulls into the terminal station. It's alright if the robes are grey, they'll only show colour once you've been sorted into your house. Luggage will be delivered to your rooms by house-elves, so don't go looking for them and just follow the older students when you get off. Lastly, be good in school, make lots of friends, and make sure you look out for each other! I've heard attending Hogwarts can be quite the thrill!"
After waving her dad goodbye, Lilianna linked arms with Abyss and thought to herself while they boarded the Hogwarts Express. Hogwarts is only a school, after all. Surely there will be magical properties, but how dangerous can a school be? Soon enough, Lilianna stopped worrying and urged Abyss to show her to their compartment. Abyss gladly tugged on Lilianna's sleeve, after barging past quite a few upper years, they halted in front of a glass door through which she sees assorted sweets wrappers scattered on the seats. Sure enough, that's Abyss's way of saying "occupied."
"Ta-da! Isn't this place great? When the train starts moving, we get to see the view from both sides!" Abyss proudly threw her arms open and gestured at the scope of their sight, her exaggerations in body language always made Lilianna giggle in response. "Yeah, I guess we'll be sitting here then!" As she announced the obvious, Lilianna reached out to open the compartment door, only to have her actions stopped in mid-air by a- no, two voices so similar that Lilianna initially thought of as one.
"Dear Misses, word of advice. If I were you, I wouldn't sit there."
"That's right. Smart girls would find themselves listening to our advice."
Lilianna and Abyss turned their head to search for the owners of the voices. In front of them were two identical boys similar to their height. Red hair, freckles, and the lopsided grins plastered across their faces all looked like they have been coordinated as mirror images. For a brief moment, Lilianna even suspected that this was some sort of magical illusion.
"Wow! It's crazy how much you look alike!" Abyss always had a tendency to blurt out the exact things on her mind.
"Thanks," fortunately, the boys didn't seem to mind. "We're twins. I'm Fred --"
"--and I'm George."
"Like we said, there are better places for you to sit rather than in this particular compartment." The boys spoke in turn, but the rhythm of their words flowed naturally. The uncanny synchronization along with the similarity in their voices made it sound like only one person is speaking. They showed no embarrassment or guilt of any kind as they made their way into the compartment, gathered all unopen treats from the seat, snatched Abyss's purse that she had originally put as an alternative "occupied" sign as if the candy wrappers weren't obvious enough, and made their way back out into the narrow corridor. Fred and George held out their arms, and declared in unison. "Here."
"Hey!" Abyss was a bit frustrated at the boys for fiddling with her personal possessions without even asking. Abyss's eyebrows furrowed and she was ready to complain. Knowing her friend's temper, Lilianna quickly took the purse off Fred's hand and shoved a bite-sized pumpkin pie in Abyss's gaping mouth just in time before the situation can further escalate. "Why can't we sit here? If you two also have eyes on the compartment, we'd be okay with sharing?"
"Oh no no no, we most definitely do not want to sit here."
"Especially when we know what's going to happen to it once the train pulls out of the station--"
"But you're not wrong about us having our eyes on it, though. I'll give you that."
The boys shared a knowing look and laughed.
"What? What's going to happen to it?" Lilianna asked pressingly.
"If you wanna know, come over here and join us in watching then." George slid open the compartment door just opposite of the one they were standing by, sat down and patted the space beside him.
"Or, if you really wanna know, keep the spot and you can find out." Fred made a dramatic bowing gesture before following his brother into the opposite door.
Looking around, students were beginning to fill neighbouring compartments as the train whistled for departure. Quickly analyzing the situation, Lilianna thought that it was better safe than sorry. She made up her mind and pulled an unwilling Abyss into the same compartment as the twins. "Wise choice." Again, it was like Fred and George rehearsed their speech to speak at the exact same time. Just then, a shadow quickly passed by, looming over the children's compartment door.
"Fred! George! What are you doing here! Mom and Dad looked all over the platform for you and they thought you two got lost in the crowd!" Looking through the glass, an older redheaded boy with an annoyed look pounded on the compartment door. "Stop pestering those poor girls and get your sorry butts back to our compartment. Charlie's waiting."
"Percy, not that you're not a good nanny -- you've definitely got the flair for it --"
"--but we don't need your babysitting anymore."
"Besides, Charlie doesn't care. He's almost graduating. And unlike you, he understands the importance of having fun in life."
Lilianna and Abyss watched the twins juggle words back and forth. In the short exchange of conversation, they deduced that the older boy, Percy, and the other name they mention, Charlie, are the twin's brothers. Four boys in the house. Hm. How nice. Lilianna thought as she tried to dissociate herself from the chaos that is happening right in front of her.
"We are not going to go sit with you."
"Not even for the sake of Merlin, still not gonna happen."
"And we've already made friends! Surely even Perfect Percy knows what a cruel thing it is to separate newly-attained friendship?"
Two against one, Percy was obviously outnumbered and overpowered by the twins who came up with new witty comebacks like shooting fish in a barrel. Percy's eyebrows twitched and twisted, his facial expression a mixture of annoyance and frustration. "Friends, huh? Is that so? Alright then, what are their names?"
"Her name is --"
The twin sitting next to Lilianna - might have been Fred - lightly but suddenly elbowed her hip and caught her by surprise. Her upper body jerked up from the relaxing slouch and before she knew it, words blurted out of her. "Lilianna! Uh, Lilianna Mysti. Nice to meet you, sir-um, no, I meant....Percy...." Blood rushed to her cheeks and she quickly lowered her head to avoid seeing Percy's reaction. Fortunately, no one noticed her embarrassment and that the twins were too busy holding their stomachs from her calling Percy "sir." Even Abyss who was munching on a cookie made a stifled "pftt" noise. Some cookie crumbs made their way onto George's lap, but he didn't even seem to notice.
"Oh, Percy, Sir, you really should get going. This compartment belongs to us younger kids. You're too ancient to follow our conversations!" Laughing hysterically, the twins still had the good sense to borrow Lilianna's slip of the tongue to poke fun at their brother. Percy's face was reasonably flushed. He gave each of his wheezing prankster brothers an angry glare, warned the girls against touching or consuming anything that the twins give them, and grudgingly slid open the compartment door across the corridor.
"You two better keep your hands to yourself. I'll be right here watching your every move so don't even think about pulling any shenanigans." Percy spat out before sitting himself down on the velvety seat.
"Didn't you say that no one should be sitting in that compartment?" After Percy left, Lilianna whispered as she gently tugged on Fred's sleeve.
"Oh no, we never said that no one should be sitting there--"
"--it's just that you girls shouldn't be sitting there."
"After all, for cute girls like you, what's gonna happen later in there can be seen as a tad bit....cruel." The boy next to her turned around and gave her a wink.
"So what's gonna happen?" Abyss wiped her mouth clean as she swallowed her last piece of pumpkin pie. The girl's anger has long dissipated and her eyes were wide with curiosity.
"Be patient and you'll see." The twins' eyes practically gleamed with mischief.
The first half of the trip went by smoothly. Fred and George were surprisingly courteous. They even offered to trade spots with the girls like little gentlemen so that Lilianna and Abyss could have a better view out the window. After that, the four children made proper introductions and both girls were equally surprised to find out the headcount in the twins' family. As it turns out, Fred and George Weasley have not two, but five other siblings. And so far, all have been Gryffindors.
"And that is why we'll also be Gryffindors!" George patted his chest triumphantly. They seemed to be more than certain of the Sorting Hat's decision.
"You two seem rather happy about that." Abyss remarked. After half the ride, Abyss's bubbly personality really started to resonate will the twins who radiate similar energies.
"Of course! Gryffindor is the best house!" George sat up straighter, beaming a proud grin at the girls. "It'll be awesome if you two could be in Gryffindor too! We'll be able to hang out often!"
"But if it's not Gryffindor, it's fine either." Fred chimed in before pausing abruptly. "The other houses are great too...except Slytherin."
"Ohhh no, you would not want to end up in Slytherin."
"Only dark wizards get sorted into Slytherin."
"Their common room is in the dungeons! Merlin! can you believe it? It's the bloody dungeons!"
Speaking of Slytherin and its many stories, the twins blabbed all over the place like the Pandora's Box has been opened. Except, instead of curses at mankind, it's rumours, gossip, and over-the-top stories dedicated to generating entertainment at Slytherin's expense. Lilianna was beginning to grow uncomfortable with some of the groundless accusations. "Don't you think it's not fair and a bit judgemental to speak like this? I believe Hogwarts is an inclusive space and every house has its merits and shortcomings. There are good and bad wizards in every house, right?" The boy next to her simply pursed his lips and shrugged. "Trust me, Slytherin is not where you'd want to be."
Lilianna wanted to say something else, but her thoughts were disrupted by the deafening boom that came from across the corridor. Moments after, curses began to fly out of the small smoke-filled compartment. "Bloody hell! I swear on Merlin's beard I'M GOING TO HEX THOSE LITTLE GITS! FRED! GEORGE!"
The twins shared a look again, grinning ear to ear. "It worked!"
"What worked?" Abyss seemed genuinely interested in the twins' little prank.
"Timed dung bombs" was the answer.
"Alright girls, we've got to run for our lives. You probably won't fancy a stinky Percy pounding on your compartment door. Aside from that, make sure to cover your nose when exiting and you should be alright. See you in Hogwarts!" Fred and George opened a crease in the sliding door and swiftly slid out of the compartment. Not so long after, Percy staggered out of the opposite compartment and went after the twins, still muttering curses under his breath.
"That was....kind of mean." Lilianna took a deep breath -- thank Merlin that the compartments themselves are tightly sealed once doors are closed. But Abyss took on a different perspective. "I thought they were quite interesting. And it was their brother that they pranked, too. If I were him, I would have known that they were up to something before I even sat down! It's kind of Percy's fault, too, really. For making it sooooo easy." Abyss deliberately prolonged her comment.
"Sure, sure, you're the only smart one around." Lilianna reached over and patted down the cookie crumbs in Abyss's hair. How the crumbs even got there in the first place.....is a phenomenon with no clear explanation but occurs regularly when Abyss decides to snack.
"We're almost there, we should probably change into our uniforms now." For a brief second, when Lilianna pulled her arm through the grey sleeve of her robe, Fred's words echoed in her mind.
"Trust me, Slytherin is not where you'd want to be."
Although Lilianna has no idea where she will be placed by the end of the day, she truly believed that she would lead a happy school life no matter which house she joins. And her upheld her faith throughout the rest of the ride, all the way until she entered Hogwarts' candle-filled Great Hall.
When the stern-looking witch who identified as Professor McGonagall placed the wrinkly old hat on top of her head, Lilianna heard voices radiating into her mind.
"Oh? Seems like we've got another typical studious type....not so much of a rule-breaker, I see....You would do well in Ravenclaw, there they have tons of studious wizards and witches just like you...."
"Or maybe Hufflepuff.....integrity and compassion would fit you nicely....."
But what about Slytherin? This is probably not a good time to explore the rationale behind house prejudice, but Lilianna couldn't help herself.
"......"
"......Wait a minute, that's not right.....my dear child, I am sensing, rebellion. There is a strong will that yearns to prove an earlier point you've made, perhaps one.....concerning the houses? "
Yes. Lilianna's stubbornness chose to show itself at one of the less convenient times.
"Well then, dear, let's not delay the ceremony any longer.......you belong in.....SLYTHERIN!"
The Slytherin bench exploded into a sea of cheers, but contrastingly, a couple of booing sounds flew from the first-year lineup that has yet been sorted. Although they are quiet in comparison to Slytherin's cheers, it created a rather odd ambiance, and the cheers died down. Hogwarts has not been home to pranksters this bold in quite a while now, and every student paused, not knowing what to do in situations like this except to stare at the new kid at the front that caused all the commotion. Lilianna froze in place. She had barely got off the high-legged stool when the booing started and now that the cheer died down, the booing sounds bounced off walls, sounding even more ominous than before. She failed to understand why the nice boys on the train suddenly had a turn of attitude. Moreover, there have been other first years sorted into Slytherin before she did, and all those times they've kept their mouths shut.
Was she being targeted?
While Lilianna stumbled to figure out her next moves, another voice shouted across the hall.
"ZIP IT YOU REDHEADED GITS!"
As people's eyes turned to search for the new voice, Lilianna scurried off the front of the room and quickly sat herself down at the Slytherin table. She, too, looked around for the voice that saved her from further embarrassment, and her gaze was met by another first-year girl with jet-black hair. The girl winked before returning her attention back to Professor McGonagall's list of names. Lilianna smiled back at her and made a mental reminder to thank the girl when the ceremony is over. Lilianna patted her robes to get rid of the creases from earlier, and combed her hand through her slightly ruffled silver hair. She closed her eyes and whispered to herself.
"It's....going to be alright."