Forever Mine: My Time With Fred Weasley

Forever Mine, Rewritten: Chapter 1

Sept. 1, 1994

Beginnings are always hard. They're uncomfortable, unfamiliar, unappealing, and unfortunately necessary.

The carriage stopped abruptly, and I jolt forward slightly in my seat at the unexpectedness of it. I slowly open my eyes. Drizzle is falling lazily around, casting a gloomy atmosphere upon beautiful surroundings; green hills roll into a currently murky, wide lake. Towering above the lake, looming on its rocky hilltop, is the great castle. In this light, the classic ancient architecture is ominous, but glowing windows promise welcoming warmth.

Uncharacteristically, Druscilla was silent beside me, as she had been the entire ride - the nerves were palpable. Immediately crossing my arms over my chest and closing my eyes upon reaching my seat had been enough of a conversation deterrent, but now our journey had reached its end. An eternity seemed to have passed between our Hogwarts Express exodus and subsequent Hogwarts Castle arrival; at the instruction of unknown powers, our carriage had been the last to embark on said journey. Thereupon by the time we reached it, the front lawn was vacant aside from two figures. Both were women; one tall and aged with a pinched mouth, and the other a student, looking vivacious and full of vigor. Upon our exiting the carriage, the elder woman addressed us.

"Persephone, Druscilla," a nod was offered to us both, and we countered with slight bows. Minerva McGonagall and our mother had been corresponding regularly over the last year, meticulously planning our transition into Hogwarts; neither my sister nor I were particularly involved and were therefore generally unfamiliar with the Professor. Fortunately, common sense hinted at the woman's identity, and so I greeted her with (fake) confidence.

"Professor McGonagall, I'm very happy to finally meet you,"

Her gaze fell on me, and it felt intensely scrutinizing, but her voice was authentic when she responded, "Likewise, my dear," then she looked at Druscilla and smiled warmly, a common inadvertent reaction to my sister's sweet charm, "The two of you will surely make very promising additions to Hogwarts," and then she gently clapped her slender hands together and the great doors behind herself and the unintroduced girl slowly swung open. "Let us get out of this rain."

The four of us trudged indoors and as we walked McGonagall introduced the happy-looking, ruddy-cheeked girl as Aggie Hart, Head Girl. Aggie grinned toothily at us, "Pleased to meet-cha!" she exclaimed in a thick Irish accent, "This is my first assignment as head girl, I'm up to high doh!"

Her excitement put me at ease, and she and Druscilla began chatting, their favorable attitudes complimenting each other. My gaze wandered about the Front Hall, which was grand and stately. Countless paintings littered the great stone walls, illuminated by the steady glow of sturdy mounted torches, and a colossal marble staircase offered passage directly ahead. The place creaked in a comforting sort of way, and a steady hum of murmurs flowed from portraits. A mouth-watering aroma wafted from a set of huge doors that stood imposingly to our far-right and, if it hadn't been so full of nerves, my stomach would have grumbled longingly.

Noticing my wandering gaze, Professor McGonagall piped up, "Within lies the Great Hall, our dining and congregation hall, where you shall eat after being sorted." she gave me a tense sort of smile like she wasn't sure whether or not I was likable, and then turned to Aggie, "Miss Hart, please escort Persephone and Druscilla to the Headmaster's Office, where I shall meet you shortly." Then, with a whip of her emerald green robes, she strolled through a comparatively small door near the Great Hall entrance.

The three of us watched her go in silence, and once the door was securely shut, Aggie shrugged nonchalantly and said, "She's always like that."