Love, Corinne

Chapter 1

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.

- Dr. Seuss

Once there was a girl whose life changed at the age of one. Her mother was American, and her father was French, but she is neither. Maybe she would have been, had they not been murdered by a certain dark wizard. But she still lives.

Chapter 1

"Gerroffme!" I struggled under the weight of George Weasley.

"Not until you admit I'm better-looking than Fred!"

"Ugh, fine! You're better!" I shrieked, giving in to escape. Fred and George were identical from height and hair to the freckles splashing their cheeks and the ten toes on their feet.

George stood up with a satisfied nod. "Never forget it."

"Personally, I think the both of you are rather ugly." Ginny said, holding out a hand to help me up.

"We didn't ask your opinion!" George said, walking over to Hermione and shoving snow in her face. "Get her Fred!" Fred knocked Hermione to the ground and sat on her.

"Tell me Hermione, who do you like more?"

"Fred, I will give you to the count of ten to get up." Hermione hissed.

"What's going to happen then?" Fred mocked

"One, two, three—"

"Oh, look Georgie, Hermione is teaching us how to count!"

"Rictusempra!" Hermione cried, and Fred flew up into the air and landed ten feet away in a pile of snow. He started giggling and writhing around like a mad man. With a red face, Hermione looked to George. "That's going to happen." George scurried to help Fred out of the snow, looking nervous. Hermione glanced over at Ron and Harry, who had given up making a snowman and were whispering to each other while staring at a group of Beauxbatons girls. She shot Ron a rather nasty glare and rolled her eyes before walking over to Ginny and me. "They're rather pathetic, aren't they?" She told Ginny and I.

"You'd think girls would be swarming around Harry." Ginny commented, and Hermione and I looked at her with smiles on our faces. "Because he's a champion and all..." She trailed off.

"Whatever you say Gin..." I smiled at her, raising my eyebrow jauntily. "To be fair, girls have been throwing themselves at him, they're all just so young."

"Yes, very true. But what about you Coco, who are you going with?"

"Well, I haven't got a clue, have I? Harry and Ron are so desperate to get dates that they've completely forgotten they have two friends who'd be more than willing to go with them."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that..." Hermione said nervously.

"You've been asked?!" I whisper-laughed, and the flush on Hermione's face gives her away.

"Who asked you?!" Ginny hissed excitedly. Hermione jerked her head to the left, where Viktor Krum was reading a book, and stealing furtive glances towards them.

"No!"

"Yes."

"He didn't!" Ginny bounced up and down slightly.

"He did!"

"Blimey..."

"Well, have you snogged him?" I inquired, the curiosity overpowering my good sense.

"It's none of your business!" Hermione whooped, smacking me. She quickly bent her head to the snow when Harry and Ron looked around at us curiously.

"I'll never be that lucky..." Ginny had abandoned the bouncing and had begun to draw circles in the snow with the tip of her boot.

"Ginny, he might not like you now, but he will one day. And besides, look at him..." I said, and looked over to Harry, whose mouth was gaping open as he watched Cho Chang scurry by, surrounded by her usual entourage.

"You should just stop thinking about him, fancy someone else. If he sees how happy you are when you aren't with him, he'll definitely like you!" Hermione advised.

"Neville asked me to the ball." Ginny whispered, "I told him I'd think about it."

"Oh, Ginny, go with him. You won't be able to go to the ball otherwise, and it would be so much fun!"

"Yes, I think I will." Ginny said, looking marginally more cheerful as she looked around at the grounds.

"And you, what will you do?" Hermione asked me.

"Well, I don't know.... I could always ask Harry. Actually, I'll do that tonight, there's really no way he can say no unless he wants to go alone."

"Shhh." Hermione said, as she noticed a figure behind us. "It's Malfoy..." She said, disgust evident in her tone.

"Well, if it isn't the mudblood and her blood traitor friends..." Came the drawling voice of Draco Malfoy.

"Shut it Malfoy..." I muttered, squeezing Hermione's hand, hoping she understood my meaning. 'Just ignore him.'

"Why should I? Filthy blood traitor..."

"Just go away Malfoy." Ginny spoke up, glaring at the arrogant silver-haired boy.

"You'd better not breathe in my presence. I don't want to get your mudblood germs in my lungs." Malfoy smirked. Hermione surprised both Ginny and I when she leaned forward and coughed in Malfoy's face. "How dare you!" He stammered, wiping at his face and gagging. "I—I—I'll!"

"You'll what, splutter at me?" Hermione laughed metallically.

"You'll regret this Mudblood!" He spat, running back toward the castle.

"I'm impressed..." I told Hermione, and she smiled proudly.

"I'm not a little girl anymore, and Malfoy can't get to me. He's just a bully with an ego the size of his trust fund."

"I couldn't have said it better myself!" Ginny said happily, "Can we please build a snowman already?"

"Sure!" Hermione agreed, and she crouched down in the snow to start rolling a snowball. Ginny and I joined her with gusto, molding the crisp and slightly sticky snow that was perfect for building.