The true chosen one

Hogwarts Express

(not me drinking hot chocolate while writing)

"What happened?" I ask Fred as I approach him. "Mr. Malfoy was mocking Dad, so he punched him," Fred begins, with George chiming in, "And then Hagrid dragged them both out of the shop."

"Alright, if everyone's bought their books, shall we head out?" I suggest, already making my way to the door. Mrs. Weasley scans the group, including Harry, Hermione, and myself, and asks, "Does everyone have everything they need?" "Good! Let's all head home," she declares, reaching into her bag for floo powder.

After we return to the Burrow (although I haven't yet called it as my home, having only been here for three months), we gather for lunch. "I'm going down to the lake to finish my DADA homework," I inform Mrs. Weasley after helping with the dishes. Racing downstairs, I spot Cedric and call out excitedly, "Ced!"

"Hey, Maya, how was Diagon Alley?" Cedric asks with a smile. "It was fun, got to catch up with friends and snagged some candy," I reply, tossing him a chocolate frog. "You want one?" I offer, watching his eyes light up as he nods. "I got Helga Hufflepuff," I say cheerfully, revealing my card. "And I got Ignatia Wildsmith, the inventor of floo powder," Cedric responds, showing his own card.

"Need a hand with that?" Cedric offers, pointing to my neglected homework. "Could you please help me with History of Magic? I couldn't care less about goblins and their inventions," I plead, pulling out the assignment. "Sure thing," Cedric chuckles. While he tackles my History homework, I focus on completing my DADA assignment.

"Maya, are you trying out for Quidditch again this year?" Cedric asks, already halfway done in just 20 minutes. "Absolutely! What about you?" I inquire, beaming at the thought.

"Amaya, Mrs. Weasley needs you home, so—" Harry's voice interrupts us, causing Cedric to glance at me for guidance. "Harry, this is Cedric, the Hufflepuff seeker. Ced, meet Harry, I'm sure you know who he is," I introduce, observing the exchange between the two boys. "Hi," Cedric says tentatively, seeking my reassurance. "Ced, I've got to run, but I'll catch up with you later?" I ask, stowing away my homework. "Sure, just give me your number," he requests, pulling out his phone as I share my contact information. "Bye," I wave, allowing my brother to pull me along.

"What was that about?" Harry demands as he pulls me back toward the Weasleys. "Listen, Harry, we may be siblings, but we have different circles of friends. Besides, Cedric's a nice guy," I retort, irritated that Harry keeps questioning my choice of companions. "He's better than your school friends," Harry argues. "And just because we haven't told almost anyone doesn't mean I'm your brother. I'm still going to look out for you," he adds after a pause.

"Maya, there you are! I've been searching everywhere for you," Ginny says, joining us and turning crimson when she sees Harry. "Hello," Harry greets, bewildered as Ginny blushes even deeper before darting away. "What did I do?" he asks, utterly confused. "Boys," I sigh, heading into the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley awaits.

"Amaya, there you are! You need to start packing; we're leaving for Hogwarts in a week," Mrs. Weasley announces with a smile. "Gosh, I forgot," I exclaim before heading upstairs to gather my things.

"FRED, IS MY JUMPER IN YOUR ROOM?" I holler after tidying up my belongings from Ginny's room. "FIND IT YOURSELF!" Fred yells back. "How did I manage to misplace a third of my clothes, my jumper, and my tie?" I mutter, entering the twins' room in search of my belongings. "Why is so much of my stuff in your room?" I inquire, gesturing at the scattered clothes. "Because you practically live here half the time," Fred replies, searching for his books.

"I'm not looking forward to going back to school, especially not History of Magic," I groan, discovering my half-written history homework on the floor. "At least there'll be Quidditch again," Fred remarks, with George chiming in, "And we'll beat you in both the Quidditch matches and the house cup," prompting me to tackle him. "DINNER'S READY!" Mrs. Weasley's voice echoes from the kitchen. I collect my scattered clothes and head downstairs, stopping by Ginny's room to drop off my belongings before joining everyone for dinner.