The excited shouts and laughs of children and teenagers, and the warnings of their parents with expectations of good behaviour filled your ears as you stepped off of Platform 9¾ and boarded the Hogwarts Express for the very first time. You'd shared a teary goodbye with your parents and now you were on your own, so you took a deep breath and made your way through the bustling corridor of the train's carriages, looking everywhere for an empty compartment, but they were all full. You were growing increasingly overwhelmed with everything going on around you, so you hurriedly shouldered your way past other students and gripped the strap of your school bag on one shoulder. You also held on tightly to the handle of your owl, Lyra's, cage with your other hand, being careful not to jostle her too much.
You finally found what looked like an empty compartment and, letting your bag hang from your shoulder, you reached out and flung open the sliding doors. You stepped in and you were immediately met with a number of mini fireworks exploding in front of your face which made you gasp in shock and your owl squawked in fright, flapping her wings indignantly. The fireworks fizzled out after a few moments of zigzagging around in the air and using the hand not holding Lyra's cage you fanned the smoke away from your face and coughed as the air cleared.
Immediately a red headed boy appeared right in front of you and peered into your face, "you're not Charlie."
Before you could even begin to form a coherent thought, an identical face appeared beside the first one, also with red hair, "nope, not Percy either."
You finally found your voice, "um excuse me?"
"It's okay, no need to apologise. We'll just have to get more, at least we know they work," the boy on the left said with a nonchalant shrug.
"Oh, well I wasn't actually apologising," you were feeling exasperated now. You had just experienced an extremely stressful morning of running around with your bewildered Muggle parents, a huge trunk and an owl, while also trying to find where you were supposed to go in King's Cross Station. Your mother had decided to ask for help and quickly walked towards another woman who was surrounded by several children with trolleys like yours. She came back over to you and your dad looking a lot less panicked, having gotten instructions from the nice witch explaining where to go and how to get there. The last thing you needed right now was cheekiness from some boys you had just met.
You took a deep breath and bit back any rude retort that threatened to come out, you were not about to make any enemies before you even left the train station.
At this point the smoke and sparks had completely cleared from the air, and you were able to look at the boys properly. They weren't much taller than you, but looked to be around the same age. They both had light coppery red hair, almost identical faces and of course to make things easier for you, wore matching blue jumpers. They weren't even paying attention to you, and were instead debating about something you didn't even understand, clearly forgetting that you were standing there.
Then, as if reading your thoughts, the boy on the left turned to look at you, "hey I know you! You're that Muggleborn girl who was running around King's Cross! Your eyes were so wide and scared, you looked a bit like a Mooncalf."
The other one nodded in realisation, "oh yeah! Your mum asked our mum for directions!"
You looked between the two of them, your thoughts racing to catch up with their excitable chatter that was now directed at you, "um, yeah, that's me?" and then the train suddenly lurched forward causing you all to stumble slightly where you stood.
After you regained your balance, the slightly quieter and less cheeky twin who stood on the right spoke "you're sharing with us then?"
You looked out at the bustling corridor and watched as students ran back to their compartments, eager to get to their seats before the train started moving properly, "I guess so?" But you still stood rooted to the spot by the door of the compartment, making no move to sit down. The boys looked at each other and shrugged and then sat on the bench on your left, leaving you to awkwardly shuffle to the window seat on the other bench.
"What's your name?" the boy who compared you to a Mooncalf asked.
"I'm Y/N Y/L/N," you answered shyly.
"Hi Y/N Y/L/N, I'm Fred Weasley, this is George", he replied with a wide grin, and then he propped his feet up onto the bench beside you and gave you a smirk as if daring you to say something, but you didn't rise to the bait. Instead you turned to look out the window as the train left the station.
The other boy sitting opposite you, George, smiled at you apologetically, "sorry about the fireworks Y/N, we were expecting one of our brothers to come in. Mum made them promise to come check on us once we boarded since this is our first year too. Charlie's a prefect this year so it would've been funny to see his face if our plan had actually worked."
Fred nodded, "yeah but our backup plan was Percy, which probably would've been funnier to be honest."
"Is Percy a Prefect too?" you asked them.
Fred answered by shaking his head, "no Percy's just a prat, but he acts like he's a Prefect alright."
"Besides," George continued, "there's only one boy Prefect and one girl Prefect from each house, and they're always fifth years."
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry, I don't really know how things work around here, this is all very new to me," you admitted sheepishly, gesturing vaguely around you.
Their faces visibly softened at your admission, "that's okay Y/N, stick with us and we'll show you how things work around here," George said reassuringly.
Fred nodded in agreement, "yeah I suppose we take all this for granted, we grew up around magic and stuff, so we know everything," he said proudly as he crossed his legs that were still on the bench beside you, and something about the boastfulness of his statement and his uncaring attitude made you retort without thinking.
"I guess that explains why you're such a brat, Fred."
The moment the words left your lips, you clapped your hand over your mouth feeling your cheeks flush, but before you could even form an apology, the twins shared a brief wide-eyed look and then burst out laughing. Fred even took his feet off the bench and doubled over with laughter, and then he sat up and wiped tears from the corners of his eyes. He looked at you directly, still grinning madly, "oh I think we're going to get along just fine Y/N Y/L/N."
You smiled back at him then, feeling yourself relax for the first time all day. Maybe this new school wouldn't be so bad after all? The three of you chatted easily after that and they answered all your questions relating to the Wizarding World, such as the way Hogwarts works according to their brothers, and the four different Houses. They told you that they'd be put in Gryffindor like the rest of their family.
They told you about the Ministry of Magic, their dad's keen interest in the Muggle World, their favourite shops in Diagon Alley and their love of Quidditch. They also spoke of their obvious fondness for making mischief, which you had figured out yourself by this point.
You learned about their very large family, "seven children in one family!? Bloody hell, your parents must've had their hands full," you exclaimed in shock, seeing as you had no siblings yourself. You even told them about your Muggle life before getting your Hogwarts letter, "you went to a school with no magic? How boring!" George said, horrified at the prospect. You found yourself laughing more than you had in years, and it was all because of the two redheads sitting in front of you.
The compartment door slid open about an hour into the train journey, and a tall, lanky redheaded boy with glasses and a seemingly permanent scowl on his face looked in at the boys, "Mum made me check on you."
"Hello to you too, dear brother," George said with a mocking salute towards his older brother while Fred looked at you and noticed your confused expression, "Percy," he mouthed at you in explanation.
Percy sighed dramatically, "don't get expelled or embarrass me, or get killed, that's all I ask," he said to them and then looked at you as if noticing you for the first time, he stepped fully into the compartment then and held out his hand, "Percy Weasley, third-year Gryffindor." You saw Fred and George pulling faces at each other from the corner of your eye, imitating the older boy.
You stifled a laugh and shook his hand, "Y/N Y/L/N, it's nice to meet you, Percy." He nodded in acknowledgement and walked to the compartment door again, momentarily pausing to turn to his brothers once more, "be good or I'm telling Mum." With that he slammed the doors shut and walked off. A momentary silence followed which you broke, "nice bloke, now I understand why you wanted to explode those fireworks in his face," which made the twins erupt into loud, roaring laughter.
When a woman with a trolley filled with an odd assortment of treats stopped by the compartment a while later, Fred immediately jumped up and asked for a number of items with strange names. After paying, he sat down and handed you a small purple box that said 'Chocolate Frog' on the top, "for you Y/N, as an apology for nearly burning your hair off earlier with the fireworks," he gave you a genuine smile, with no ounce of the cheekiness you'd seen before.
"Thanks Fred," you said gratefully, subconsciously reaching up to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear. While you all tore into your sweets, you reached into your bag to take out some of the owl treats you'd bought in Diagon Alley, giving some to Lyra who had been sitting quietly in the cage at your feet.
The easily flowing conversation with the twins was interrupted by the compartment door opening suddenly. A small boy with dark skin and long curly black hair threw himself into the compartment and slammed the doors shut behind him, he then crouched down underneath the doors' windows. The three of you stared silently at the new arrival, who had yet to acknowledge any of you. He ducked down even further as a group of four angry-looking students ran past the door, and then he peeked through the window and sighed with relief before standing and turning awkwardly to face you, brushing off his pants.
"Uh- hi, sorry, I set a girl's cloak on fire by accident while trying to change its colour so I had to run and hide before she shoved her entire fist down my throat," he explained in one breath and then shrugged nonchalantly as if it was a common occurrence. The twins stared at him as huge grins grew on their faces and you couldn't help but mirror them, you were quickly realising how contagious their smiles were.
The boy held out his hand to each of you in turn, "I'm Lee, Lee Jordan." The twins invited him to stay in the compartment with you all and he happily obliged and flopped down onto the bench next to you. Later, you all climbed off the train and the four of you sat together in a small rowboat as it glided across a vast lake. You were still getting used to the feeling of your new uniform and robes and adjusted them uncomfortably as you sat in the boat, but that thought soon fell to the wayside once the castle came into view.
You all gasped in awe while other students in the boats around you pointed excitedly. You all marvelled at how beautiful it was, with its stunning architecture that was unlike anything you'd ever seen before, the endless towers and spires that rose impressively into the sky, and the glittering orange candlelight that shone from every window.
The three boys began to converse excitedly about the different Houses, and while they were certain they would be put in Gryffindor, you had no idea where you would end up, and you suddenly became really nervous about being separated from your new friends. The feeling didn't disappear, even as you sat on the stool in front of the whole school with the old Sorting Hat being placed on your head by Professor McGonagall.
You heard its disembodied voice in your mind, debating on where to put you, "hmm I sense great potential in you Y/N Y/L/N. You have the loyalty and kindness of a Hufflepuff, but the ambition and determination of a Slytherin. I can also see your courage and bravery, strong Gryffindor traits, and hmm what's this? Ah yes, your wisdom and wit would make you a great addition to Ravenclaw. So where to put you? You would thrive in any of our houses, but where would fit you best? Hmm yes, yes, I know where to put you...GRYFFINDOR."
The hall erupted into applause as Professor McGonagall lifted the hat from your head. She smiled kindly down at you "welcome to Gryffindor, Miss Y/L/N," you smiled happily and thanked her as you hopped down from the stool. You made your way to the Gryffindor table as your fellow first-years clapped and patted you on the back as you walked past them.
A tall boy stood to greet you as you reached the table, he smiled at you warmly and shook your hand, inviting you to sit next to him, "Charlie Weasley, Gryffindor Prefect," he grinned down at you. His kind face was covered in freckles and his shoulder-length red hair was pulled into a small knot at the back of his head, "welcome to Gryffindor, Y/L/N." You smiled back at him as you sat, when you looked up you noticed Percy sitting across the table from you, he gave you a nod of acknowledgement which you returned before turning back to face the front of the Great Hall.
Soon enough, you were presented with an astonishing amount of food and you watched in shock as Fred, George, and Lee piled their plates high with a bit of everything. Fred, who was sitting on your left, noticed you staring, "I'm a growing boy okay! If I want to be as tall as Bill and Charlie, and grow a head as big as Percy's, I'll need to eat like a grown man," you laughed at this while Percy glared across the table at his younger brother.
"It's not that Fred," you tell him, "I just have no idea where to start! I've never seen so many different dishes in one place."
Fred swallowed whatever he'd just shovelled into his face and pointed out some pies and casseroles, "Mum's casserole is much nicer I think, you'll have to come visit the Burrow and try it sometime," he turned to grin at you and you flushed slightly at the invitation, since you'd just met the boys that day, but if you were honest with yourself it already felt like you'd known the twins for far longer than that.
"I would really like that," you answered and you reached up to squeeze his shoulder gratefully. Fred smiled happily before turning to throw a spoonful of his peas at George who was sitting on his other side and who retaliated by leaning over and sticking a baby carrot into his twin's ear.
You chuckled to yourself, shaking your head in slight disbelief at how much had happened in one day. This place was already starting to feel like home, and while you loved and missed your parents, you'd always felt like something was missing from your life, and now you finally felt a sense of belonging. You weren't sure if it was because of the magical castle you now lived in or if it was the people you were sitting with, but you secretly suspected it was the latter.
And as you sat there smiling and laughing until your stomach hurt, you had no idea just how important those twins would become to you.