The American. (George Weasley)

Seventeen.

About a week after Harry arrived he had his hearing. He was gone when us kids woke up. He had left with Mr. Weasley early this morning to the Ministry early for Harry's hearing to see if he was going to be expelled from Hogwarts. I kept myself busy with cleaning all day.
   
When they got back, we all rushed Harry. He wasn't going to be expelled, and cleared of all charges. Most of the people agreed it was nothing more than a life threatening situation. I hugged him so tight, so proud of him and so happy for him. Fred, George, and Ginny started dancing in a circle around him chanting,"He got off! He got off! He got off!" This annoyed Mrs. Weasley so much, she yelled at them to stop, but they didn't.
   
Everyone was so happy for Harry, but Sirius seemed to get kind of cold. Probably because Harry had asked him that if he did get expelled if he could stay here with Sirius, and even though Sirius didn't tell Harry yes, we think that he liked that idea and even got used to it. I felt bad for Sirius for this, but also I didn't. Did he really think he and Harry were going to live together as outcasts or something? We all knew it was self defense and Harry wasn't really going to get expelled.
   
Over the next few days, Harry was actually excited to get out of here and get back to Hogwarts. Our school letters came a few days after Harry's hearing. A fourth year letter for Ginny, seventh year letters for the twins, fifth year letters for Ron, Harry, and Hermione, a sixth year letter for my brother, my sister, and I.
   
Ron and Hermione found out that day that they were made Gryffindor Prefects this year, and Mrs. Weasley threw an impromptu party for the new Prefects where everyone else here that was a Prefect in their time at Hogwarts, like Bill and Lupin, shared stories about how great it was. Tonks made Harry feel better by saying she was never a Prefect, because she lacked the ability to control herself. This whole Prefect thing seemed to be bothering Harry more than he was letting people think it was. I guess he really thought he would be a Prefect this year.
   
Fred and George were actually kind of rude to their brother, making fun of him every chance they got. Usually I don't mind them teasing Ron, because usually he deserves it, but this time Ron hadn't done anything to deserve it. I didn't like it. I brought this up when I heard them making fun of Ron yet again at the party. They assured me that Ron knew that they were just playing with him and they didn't really mean it at all.
   
That night my mom brought a letter for my sister. She's been writing to someone this entire summer and I didn't know who. She wouldn't tell me who, but I had an idea who. It was either Neville or Dean. I was certain of it. I didn't know why she wouldn't tell me who it was when I told her everything about George right when it happened. But she would when she was ready to I guess.
   
I told George about it, and he said I should find her letters and look through them if I wanted to know so bad. I wouldn't do that, of course, because that was a total violation of her privacy. She would tell me when she was ready. I was just anxious to know is all.
   
That night, I had gone up to our room to grab my newest drawings to show Tonks when I saw that the letter was opened and just laying there on the desk on her bed.
   
Oh that was a rookie move.
   
Before I could stop myself the letter was in my hands. My eyes darted to the bottom to see if they had written their name on it. They didn't. I guess that's what I got for snooping through my sister's business.
   
It kind of made me feel like a bad sister for multiple reasons. Of course Irina had to have had her reasons for not telling me who she's been writing to all summer. But I wanted to know why she wouldn't tell me? Does she not trust me? Does she think I'll tell everyone what I knew as soon as I found out? I wouldn't do that to her. I just didn't know why she didn't want to tell me.
   
Oh well, I had to let it go. I couldn't force her to talk to me. As much as I wanted to know I would still have to wait.
   
It was about two weeks later when the Order insisted on taking us to King's Cross Station. My parents took my brother, my sister, and I together. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley along with Lupin took all the Weasley kids and Hermione. And the real Mad-Eye Moody and Tonks took Harry.
   
Sirius, in his Animagus form a big balck dog, tagged along with Harry. I saw Fred was hugging Genevieve tightly. After my dad had put our things into the undercarriage of the train and hugged us all and said goodbye we disbursed.
   
William went to find Luna, and I stayed with Fred and George and we went to find Lee and then find a compartment to sit in. My sister said she was going to find some of her Hufflepuff friends. I didn't believe her. She was going to find whoever it was she had been writing to all summer.
   
We saw Katie, Leanne, and Devon and said hi to them before we found our own compartment. There wouldn't be enough room for all of us in one compartment. As we were walking to the compartment I saw my sister walking with not her Hufflepuff friends, but with Harry, Ginny, and Neville Longbottom of all people too.
   
Neville was holding a weird plant, and it looked like he was telling my sister all about it as they walked. I smiled, seeing them talking. They were cute. Neville was a sweet boy, and a good kid. He would certainly treat her right. I could be wrong, they could just be friends, but if they did like each other I was fully supportive of it.
   
On the ride to Hogwarts we caught up on each other's summers. Genevieve went to the countryside to visit her grandparents for most of the summer, and Lee has been working hard to start up a radio show when he finished school in June. That made perfect sense to me because he was the commentator for the school Quidditch games and he really enjoys it.
   
I knew that I probably didn't have a chance at making Chaser until next year, with all of the good chasers still at school. I would probably be kept as a reserve again until next year when Angelina and Alicia were gone. It didn't mean I wasn't going to try out again, because I was. Fred and George were certainly going to keep their spots as beaters.
   
When we got back to Hogwarts we got into a carriage and the one in front of us held my brother, my sister, Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Neville. Ginny came over to us and joined us on the ride from Hogsmeade station to Hogwarts.
   
"I think your sister likes Neville, Daisy," said Ginny as the carriage started rolling.
   
"Yeah," I agree, nodding, "I've thought that for a while now. I think that's who she was writing all summer."
   
"Oh it was, he said he was very surprised to receive her first letter. So it sounds like she made the first move."
   
"Good for her," said Genevieve. 
   
"Yeah, go Irina," I agree, smiling. "I like Neville. He's a sweet boy."
   
"Sweet is one word I'd use to describe him," says Fred under his breath but lord enough that I heard him.
   
"Yeah he's also a bit shy, but have you met my siblings?" I ask but I'm not really looking for an answer. He knows what I mean. "Irina is the shoestring and the most emotional out of the three of us. Someone like Neville would be perfect for her. They'd be so cute together."
   
"She is a Hufflepuff after all," said George.
   
"That she is," I say, nodding.
   
When we reached school, we headed into the Great Hall where I noticed Hagrid wasn't sitting at his usual seat at the high table with the other teachers in the Great Hall. Instead Professor Grubbly-Plank was in his seat. We knew her from last year when Hagrid refused to work after news of his mother being a giant was leaked to the public.
   
The first years were sorted into their houses and then Dumbledore began his beginning of the year speech, but he was rudely interrupted by the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Professor Umbridge, and she spoke about how she was so excited to be our new Professor and how she was certain that we were all going to be great friends. Fred and George exchanged a look of disgust.
   
“Not likely,” George says, staring off at her, that disgusted look still on his face.
   
Once the speeches were over and the feast began Harry said that she was at his hearing, and that she voted to have him convicted of all charges and have him expelled from school. I could already tell she was going to get on my last nerve, and I knew that I wasn't the only one, either. Hermione jumped to the conclusion that Umbridge was only here because the Ministry was trying to infiltrate Hogwarts. She was probably right, none of us disagreed with her about this.
   
When dinner was over, Dumbledore sent us off to bed. When we arrived at Gryffindor Tower, we were met by hard stares because we were with Harry. Fred and George went straight to the bulletin board to post a flyer for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes onto it. I watched as Harry walked over to Seamus Finnigan, who was a boy in his year that he shared a dorm with. Harry greeted him and another fifth year boy, Dean Thomas, and asked them how their summer went. Dean was polite, and he said his summer was boring.
   
Seamus, however, was not polite. He told Harry that his mum didn't want him to come back to Hogwarts this year, and it was because of Harry, and what the Daily Prophet had been printing about him and Dumbledore. She believed the lies. Harry got rather angry at this. Ron came over, saying that he believed Harry, and he threatened Seamus to watch his mouth about Harry or he'd use his power as a Prefect against him.
   
Ron announced, "If anyone else has a problem with Harry,  you will have me to deal with. I promise you it won't be pleasant."
   
I've heard stories about Ron's fierce loyalty towards Harry, but I've never truly seen it in action like that before. It reminded me of how Fred and George are with each other. Neville let Harry know that he believed him, and he and his Grandmother supported him, and that his Grandmother actually canceled her subscription to the Daily Prophet because of the lies they were spreading. I shot him a proud smile when he said that, but I don't think that he saw me.

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Here's part 17!

Neville and Irina?

William and Luna?

Daisy and George?

I ship them all so much.

-Emily Winchester.