AN: This chapter has been edited :) Enjoy!!
Recasting: Emeraude Toubia as Ariella Tonks
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A couple of days later my dad took me to my uncle's house - my dad's older brother who I never knew existed until the day that letter arrived. The conversation, or lack thereof, between the two brothers was strained at best. Clearly there was a great deal of hate from my father towards his brother.
After my father left me sobbing in the entrance way of a stranger's home - my whole world turned upside down and I was thrown headfirst into the wizarding world. I still couldn't grasp that it was all real.
"So Ariella... what do you know about magic?" My cousin asked me awkwardly as I sniffled my way into their house which quickly became my home.
A couple of weeks later on September the first we arrived at Kings Cross station where I would be getting the train to school.
"So you just run at the wall between platforms nine and ten, then on the other side is platform nine and three quarters." My uncle explained to me for the tenth time.
"Oh I'm so excited for you, I wonder what house you'll be sorted into." My cousin grinned. Nymphadora Tonks - although she preferred to be called Dora by her family and just Tonks by her friends, was Ted's daughter. During her time at Hogwarts, which she had only just left, she was sorted into Hufflepuff house just like Ted, even though her mother's house was Slytherin. "Would you like me to come through with you?" Dora asked. "I know the first time can be a bit daunting." She explained as I looked at the wall I was supposed to run through. I nodded weakly, not quite trusting my own voice. "Okay." She smiled as she stood next to me - her hands on the luggage trolley. "On three. One. Two. Three." On three we both ran full speed at the wall, I pinched my eyes closed, waiting for the impact of the wall. When it never came, my eyes snapped open to see a scarlet steam train with the words the Hogwarts Express written over it, the platform sign of nine and three quarters hanging on the wall next to it. I looked over my shoulder at the wall just as Ted came walking through.
"Wow." I gasped.
"That wasn't so bad now was it?" Dora asked as she laughed at my face.
"Well I'm not a heap on the floor so no it wasn't so bad." I giggled.
"You better hurry and find a compartment before it gets too busy." Ted said, his hand resting on my shoulder. "Don't forget to write to us, Dora especially." He said, nodding his head towards Jannah, my new eagle owl that I bought when we were in Diagon Alley collecting my school supplies.
"I can't wait to see you at Christmas." Dora smiled as she pulled me into a tight hug.
"Thank you." I sighed. "Thank you for everything." I said, directing my thanks to both of them - for helping me adjust to my new life and more importantly, their kindness.
As I quickly pulled away from them, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to escape, I noticed people giving their luggage to the baggage handlers, I hastily followed suit. I searched through the train, looking for an empty compartment - which seemed an impossible task. I finally found one, right at the very end of the train. Hopefully this meant I wouldn't be disturbed. I sighed as I reached into my bag and pulled out a book, entitled 'Hogwarts, a History', determined to find out as much about this world as I possibly could in the short amount of time it would take for us to get there... all things considering.
I had just read the first chapter on the four-founding people; Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin, when the compartment door slid open and two identical ginger heads poked their way into my compartment.
"Hi, do you mind if we sit with you... It's just..." One of them said before his twin interrupted him. Completing his brother's sentence.
"Everywhere else is full." He said as he and his brother moved into the compartment after I shook my head to show them that I had no objection to their company. "I'm Fred, Fred Weasley." The one with slightly lighter hair said. They were pretty much identical, so I had to find some way of identifying them from each other.
"And I'm George." The other brother said as they moved into the compartment choosing to sit on the bench opposite me, George taking the seat by the window, opposite me and Fred next to him.
"Ariella Tonks." I said, offering my hand to Fred first, waiting for him to shake it before offering it to George. I noticed the little looks that Fred shot at George, presumably having a silent conversation, as George's face flooded with a red blush making his face a very similar colour as his hair.
"So Miss Tonks... are you the first person in your family to go to Hogwarts?" Fred asked me, breaking the comfortable silence that had enveloped us.
"Umm no actually, my cousin came here... she was in Hufflepuff. And my aunt and uncle did, my uncle was in Hufflepuff as well, but my aunt was a Slytherin." I said, slightly embarrassed at the little knowledge I had. "What about you two?" I asked, curious to know a little bit more about their lives and whether they were like me or whether they had grown up knowing about all this magic.
"Well we'll be the fourth and fifth people from the Weasley family - well this generation anyway - to attend Hogwarts." George said grinning.
"Wow five children, that must be a handful." I said, with slight sympathy for their parents.
"Actually there's seven of us, six of us being boys." Fred informed me. I stand corrected... I feel incredibly sorry for their sister!
"Wow." I breathed out, letting out a low whistle. They just laughed at my reaction and we fell into an easy conversation about what mischief they had gotten into during their holidays.
The train journey seemed to fly by with the twins providing me with hours of entertainment, retelling all their tales of tricks that they had pulled on their families. Before I knew it, the train was grinding to a halt and there was a rush of people heading for the doors.
"Right, then! First years! This way, please! Come on, now, don't be shy! Come on now, hurry up!" A big gruff, hairy man shouted.
"Come on, that's us!" George grinned, tugging me along by my robes.
The whole gaggle of first years hurried to keep up with the large man as he led us down towards a lake where boats lay waiting for us.
"That's Hagrid, he's the gamekeeper here at Hogwarts." Fred whispered in my ear as us George, Fred and I climbed into one of the boats, another boy joining us. The boats started magically moving across the obsidian water until we rounded the corner and the magnificent castle came into view, lighting up the night sky. I felt my jaw go slack as I stared up in awe.
Once we had made it safely across the lake, Hagrid led us up some stairs and pushed open a large door and indicated for us to climb the stairs where at the top a rather stern looking woman waited for us.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. Now, in a few moments, you will pass through these doors and join your classmates. But before you can take your seats you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Now, while you are here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you house points. Any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup." The woman explained. "The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily." She said before indicating for us to wait as she entered a hall.
"So which house do you think you'll be in?" George asked as he turned to me, his brother introducing himself to the boy who shared our boat.
"Oh, I don't really know - they all sound pretty great to me." I shrugged, not really knowing much about any house.
"Well, you seem pretty nice so I hope to merlin that you don't end up in Slytherin." He said. I looked at him quizzically. "All the bad, evil wizards were in Slytherin." He explained.
"We're ready for you now." The stern lady said as she returned. She pushed open the door and beckoned for us to follow her. "When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into the houses. Hannah Lawrence!" The lady called and a small mousy girl ascended the steps. The teacher placed a scraggly, old hat on her head.
"Hufflepuff!" The hat called, causing me to jump at the sudden outburst from an inanimate object.
"Ariella Tonks!" Finally it was my turn. As I ascended the stairs, I suddenly felt nervous. George's words of bad wizards ringing in my head. What if I was a bad wizard?
After what felt like an eternity the ancient hat was placed on my head where it slipped slightly below my eyes.
"Let me see, very intelligent indeed. Ravenclaw would be a good fit for you, but it's not your perfect match. Hmm Hufflepuff like your family could work but no... better be..." The hat mumbled in my ear, low enough so that only I could hear. "Gryffindor!"
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"Ari-Ella." Someone sang in my ear, or should I say some people, snapping me back to the present time. I turned my head, my still long brown hair falling from behind my ear, as I saw two troublesome gingers grinning at me.
"I was just thinking about the day we first time we met." I said grinning at the twins, knowing full well that they were thinking back to that day.
"Oh you mean the day that you fell in love with George and I and we became inseparable? Mainly because we couldn't get rid of you, a task made harder when we were sorted into the same house." Fred asked cheekily as he grabbed my waist and tugged me gently into his side as we walked towards the Hogsmeade Station to catch the Hogwarts express to take us back home from the end of our fifth year at Hogwarts. George, not liking being left out, wrapped his arm around my shoulder creating an Ariella sandwich.
"We are so glad that you're coming to stay with us over the summer Ari." George whispered in my ear as he let his hand rest on my bare arm. I was staying at the Weasley's house, The Burrow, for the whole summer because Uncle Ted and Aunt Dromeda had a family engagement with her side. A side that was not very welcoming to muggle borns. At least Ted was a Hufflepuff - they tolerated him for the sake of Andromeda. A Gryffindor on the other hand... completely out of the question. Not that it bothered me, I was used to tension and Dromeda's family were pretty horrible.
I hadn't seen my parents since Christmas in my second year which ended horrifically and not wanting to burden Ted I normally tried to spend as many nights as I could out with Fred and George.
"As am I Georgie." I said, smiling at the twin on the right side of me. The three of us continued our way down towards Hogsmeade Station where we waited along with the other eager students for the train to pull up. Once the red, steam train came to a stop, a rush of people moved towards the doors, presumably going to bag the best compartments and we were three of those people. "Come on Freddie!" I yelled as George dragged me onto the train.
We were still searching for a compartment when the train lurched forward, as it started moving towards our destination. This caused me to crash into the back of George as Fred crashed into the back of me. George, not being able to balance the weight of three people, crumbled to the floor, Fred and myself following his lead. We were lying on the floor of the corridor groaning with the impact of the fall when a white, greasy haired boy poked his head out of the compartment next to us.
"Ah look here. We got ourselves a couple of blood traitors and a filthy little mudblood." Draco Malfoy, an egotistical, arrogant Slytherin. He also happened to be Andromeda's nephew.
"Shut up Malfoy." Fred and George sneered at the short third year, as they jumped up and stood in front of me.
"A little defensive I see. " Draco asked mockingly. I watched, astonished, as both of the ginger haired twins flushed a salmon pink. "I'll give my best to Andromeda when I see her." He sneered at me before he closed the compartment door on us.
"Ruddy git." Fred muttered.
"He has no idea what he's talking about." George concurred.
"I should go in there and wash his mouth out with soap for what he just said." Fred all but growled, his fists clenching in rage.
"Come on guys, he's not worth it! It's only Malfoy, you know what he's like." I groaned, the last thing these two needed was detentions waiting for them to start next year. "Let's go, there has to be an empty compartment on this train somewhere." I said as I tugged them both along by their jumpers behind me, occasionally looking through the windows of the compartment. Finally we found a compartment right near the end of the train that was completely deserted, Lee Jordan, our boatmate from our boat ride was soon to join us. Once we put our stuff away in the overhead luggage holders, we settled in for the five-hour train journey back to London, Kings Cross.