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"Brother?"
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In the previous two years, the preparations to board the Hogwarts train had always been a quiet and subdued affair for Betelgeuse.
Nothing more different than what she was experiencing right now.
"PERCY IF YOU ARE NOT DOWN HERE IN THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES, WE ARE LEAVING WITHOUT YOU! CHARLES LEAVE THE POOR RAT ALONE!"
Betelgeuse heard Molly shout, while she was making her way downstairs. Molly smiled at the girl, then proceeded to confiscate some joke products from the twins.
Betelgeuse smiled; she would miss this chaos. Fortunately, at least some of it would follow the twins at school. She saw Fred argue with Ron about something she could not hear over the confusion. George sat with Ginny reading her the Daily Prefect. She approached them sitting on the sofa, listening to the excited voice of the boy. They had already packed their trunks. They were all waiting for Percy.
"PERCY! WE DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR CAULDRONS!" Molly continued, shouting.
The said boy came storming into the room. "YOU! YOU TWO DID THIS!" He yelled, pointing an accusatory finger to the twins. He was sporting long jet-black hair, resembling a combination between the hairdo of Betelgeuse and Professor Snape.
Betelgeuse regarded him with raised eyebrows, "Brother?" She asked with mock surprise. Everyone laughed, even Arthur looked like he was going to choke back a laugh.
Percy did not find funny the ordeal at all, neither her mockery. He began ranting about how he did not receive any respect in the house and how tiresome it was.
"Percy enough! It is not that bad; you are quite handsome. You can tie your hair like Bill now. We need to go," Molly tried to reason, only to push the room in another fit of laughter.
☆☆☆
Betelgeuse was rushing behind a frantic Mrs Weasley. "You are going to miss the train if you do not hurry up!" She yelled at her sons. Betelgeuse laughed.
Talk about the impossible.
"Do not lose that rat, Percy!" Molly screeched, handing him the ugly fat rat.
If he loses it, I am not complaining. Good riddance!
Betelgeuse hated the blasted thing; Castor had even tried to eat the browny rat once.
"It's hideous," Betelgeuse whispered to George. He only nodded.
The trio caught up with Molly quickly, dodging the busy muggles, stopping in front of the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Ginny was grumbling about not being able to join Betelgeuse at Hogwarts. "Be quiet Ginny, you are too young," Molly interjected.
Betelgeuse watched as Percy, who had also been granted Prefect, suddenly run through the barrier. Molly watched the spot where he had been a few seconds ago, "Oh, well. Fred, you are next!"
"He's not Fred. I am!" George shook his head, glancing at his twin. Betelgeuse bit her lips, trying not to laugh.
Fred signed, aghast, "Honestly woman, and you call yourself our mother?"
"Oh. Sorry George," Molly motioned to the platform. Fred sent Betelgeuse a wink, stopping right before he went in. "I'm just pulling your leg. I am Fred!"
The twins rushed in after each other to escape the wrath of their mother. They loved to tease her at the fact she mixed up her own sons quite often. It was really entertaining.
Betelgeuse was about to do the same when she noticed a scrawny boy with spectacles approach Molly. "Excuse me," he called out with a squeaky voice.
"Hello, dear. First time at Hogwarts? Ron's new, too," Molly replied kindly.
"Yes. The thing is — the thing is, I don't know how to —"
He must be a Muggle-born, then.
"How to get onto the platform? Not to worry. Walk straight at the barrier between the platforms. Don't stop, and don't be scared. The best way is to run if you're nervous. Here, Betelgeuse will let you see how to."
That is my cue.
Betelgeuse made eye contact with the boy briefly, then she ran through the barrier, reaching the twins.
"You two are incorrigible," she said, smiling at the boys. They helped each other put their things on the train. Betelgeuse nudged the twins toward the lone boy in a compartment they passed. He was struggling with his trunk.
"Need help?" George asked the boy.
"Oh, yes, yes. Thanks," the boy responded, pushing his hair out of his bright green eyes.
Betelgeuse stared bewildered.
It cannot be.
Fred was less subtle. "What's that?" He asked, pointing to the scar on the forehead of the boy.
"Merlin's beard!" George exclaimed. "Are you—"
"He is," Fred stated. Betelgeuse could not utter a word.
"What?" The younger boy asked, confused.
"Harry bloody Potter," the twins exclaimed at once.
"Oh, him," Harry Potter said, "I mean, yes. I am."
The twins continued to gawk at him, and Betelgeuse had to drag them out. They needed to bid Molly and Ginny goodbye. She saw Molly try to rub dirt off Ron's nose. "Mum, stop!" He complained.
"Oh? Has ickle Ronniekins got somefink on his little nosie?" Fred teased, using his baby voice.
Betelgeuse could not hold back a laugh at the scowling boy.
"Where is Percy?" Molly asked. They saw him approaching them already in his uniform with his Prefect pin on.
"Can't stay longer, Mother," he began. "I'm upfront, the Prefects have got two compartments to themselves —"
"Oh, you are a Prefect?" Fred asked feigning surprise.
"You should have said something, Perce. We had no idea!"
"Wait," Betelgeuse interjected quietly. "I clearly remember him saying something about it," she pretended to ponder.
"Once —," George piped in.
"— Twice —," Fred added.
"— All summer."
"Oh, shut it!" Percy snapped. Molly fixed his uniform, kissed Percy on the cheek and then turned to the twins.
"Now, you two — this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you've— you've blown up a toilet or —,"
Fred looked intrigued. "Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet."
"Great idea though, thanks, mum," George grinned, looking at both Fred and Betelgeuse.
"It's not funny!" Molly snapped. "Please, Betelgeuse, dear, look after these two. Fred, George look after your brother!"
"Of course, Mrs Weasley," drawled the girl, smirking.
"Don't worry, mum. Ickle Ronniekins is safe with us," Fred jested, making the younger boy scowl. Ron boarded the train without looking back.
Poor Ronniekins.
Fred laughed. "Mum, guess who we just met on the train?"
"Who?"
"Harry Potter!"
Ginny's eyes widened. "Poor boy. No wonder he was all alone on the platform," Molly said with a sad tone in her voice.
"Do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?" Fred asked callously.
Betelgeuse turned to look at the boy with wide eyes. "Fred," she warned softly.
"I forbid you to ask him such a thing, Fred! Don't you dare!" Molly practically shouted.
"All right, keep your hair on," Fred said, rolling his eyes.
The train whistle shrieked; Molly ushered them all inside. Ginny began to cry.
"Do not weep, Ginny," Betelgeuse told the girl from the window.
"Yeah, don't cry. We will send you loads of owls!" Fred exclaimed to his sister.
George added, "We will send you a Hogwarts toilet seat!"
"George!"
"Only joking, mum!"
The train began to move as the three of them waved goodbye to Molly and a now grinning Ginny.
"Let us find Lee and our compartment," Betelgeuse proposed. They stopped by Ron, who was now seated with Harry.
"Oi, Ron! We are going down to the middle of the train. Lee Jordan's got a huge tarantula!" Fred said. Betelgeuse wrinkled her nose. Ron visibly paled.
George called out, "Hey Harry! Did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley, this is our best mate Betelgeuse Black."
Betelgeuse observed the boy with a neutral stare, tilting her head imperceptibly.
Harry found her stare compelling and unnerving at the same time.
The twins closed the compartment door and followed Betelgeuse down the train corridor. She saw an irate Alicia barking to Lee to keep 'that thing' away from her, and Lee arguing back that she was hurting his new pet's feelings.
It ought to be a stimulating year, yes.
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