keeper → g. weasley [EDITING]

↝three

He nodded, his eyes on the toad her still at her feet. Mallie smiled at him, and went to pick up the large frog, "And who might this be?"

Neville visibly relaxed at her easy tone, "His name is Trevor, I'm so sorry about him."

Mallie shook her head and placed Trevor into Neville's hands,

"Don't fret, these things happen."

He smiled gratefully and scurried off back to what she assumed was his compartment.

Mallie looked back down at her things and to the cage that lay open on the carpeted train floor, but the bird was nowhere to be seen.

"Shark?" She glanced around.

He couldn't have flown out the window, could he?

"I don't know about a shark, but we've got an owl here."

A tall red headed boy emerged from the nearest compartment with Shark seated comfortably on the his shoulder,
pecking under his wing.

An identical looking boy followed him from within the compartment, also grinning.

Mallie's face turned red, it was the boys she'd seen at Honeydukes the day before.

Of course everyone knew of the infamous Weasley twins.

"Oh thanks guys," she took Shark from them bashfully and the moment she clicked the latch on his cage closed, him and all Mallie's things disappeared off to Hogwarts.

"What are you still doing in the hallway?" One of them asked, she didn't know how to tell them apart.

"I was late, jumped last minute." She said sheepishly.

"Well, all the other compartments are full-" the one nearest to her started,

"So you're welcome to come join us in ours?" The other finished for him.

Mallie leaned forward to peak into their compartment, she could identify Lee Jordan and a few other Gryffindors in it.

"Don't worry, we don't bite." He assured.

"Unless you want us to?" The other smirked.

Mallie laughed and agreed to go.

She was introduced to Lee, two other Gryffindor girls (Katie and Angelina), Lee's bird: Kai, and of course Fred and George. Mallie was also introduced and they welcomed her warmly.

She had never had too many Gryffindor friends and was starting to wonder why.

She found them endlessly entertaining and the twins were even more humorous than they'd been described.

They were about a third of the way from Hogwarts and Mallie sat looking at the two twins,

"Take a picture, it will last longer." Fred smiled.

"We'd give you one, but we've handed all our printouts away." George finished.

She shook her head, "Don't flatter yourselves, I'm just trying to find a means to tell you two apart."

"Find any, did you?" The two looked at each other and squinted.

"Yeah actually." Lee and the girls were in a conversation all their own and didn't notice the three of them in the slightest.

The twins looked back at her curiously, "Yeah?" They spoke in sync.

"George," she looked into his hazel eyes and he stared back, "You've got a perfect line of three freckles under your left eye while Fred doesn't."

Fred looked at George, he hadn't broken eye contact with Mallie yet.

He leaned over and studied Georges left eye, "She's right! Just there." He poked George's face and then went to look at his own reflection in the window of the train.

George, realizing he had to say something, looked away to Fred.

"I guess so, well spotted Miss Johanson."

He sent a small smile Mallie's way and she returned it shyly.

The rest of the ride was just as enjoyable and had almost made her forget about her own friends.

But Mallie was quickly reminded when, ten minutes off from Hogwarts, Scarlette rolled up at the compartment door.

She was hand in hand with who Mallie assumed was Scar's new boyfriend.

She flipped her long dirty blonde hair over her left shoulder as she announced her entrance, "There you are, Mal! I wanted to show you.."

Scarlette's blue eyes scanned over the rest of the compartment in flirtatious interest, "And ... who are your friends?"

Mallie rolled her eyes and introduced Scarlette to the Gryffindors, and she sent Lee a heavy wink who blushed furiously. They greeted her and the thin straw hair colored boy beside her.

"Seamus." The twins greeted casually.

"Lads," He replied, his accent spread thicker than marmalade, "enjoy the summer?"

The boys fell into light conversation and Scarlette sat pecking at Seamus' cheek as he tried to hold his voice with Fred, who was eyeing her with unfavorable interest.

Mallie's eyes were following the green hills rolling by when she felt the cushion next to her sink, she looked over to be met with curious brown eyes.

"Yeah, ride by Hoggie Express is always a view." He commented glancing over her shoulder to watch the scenery himself.

"Cannot deny that." She agreed with a smile, which unexpectedly slipped into a yawn.

George laughed, "That boring, am I?"

Mallie protested, "No, No! It's not that at all. Just a bit tired."

George nodded, "Well then, we've still got ten minutes until Hogwarts. You can snatch a small nap if you try."

She nodded, "I guess so."

George sat up quietly and moved towards the rest of the group, falling quickly back into the conversation.

Mallie leaned against the window, she took a few more moments watching the birds as they swept past the train window before shutting her eyes and letting the sounds of the compartment fade into nothing.

××××

chapter three!
we're introduced to our faves!
so it begins ...

much love,
-mel