Novus Orbis | Fred Weasley x Insert

Chapter 3 - Here We Are

The group arrives at King's Cross at about 10:45 on the morning of September 1st, leaving them just 15 minutes to get onto Platform 9¾ and board the train to Hogwarts.

"Well, here we are, dearies." Molly announces. "Let's just get through the barrier now." Waving at them to hurry, she steps through with Arthur, and Percy, Fred, George and Y/n (who was perched atop George's cart as Arthur offered to take hers) followed through. Y/n smiles as wide as she can when they arrive on the platform. Platform 9¾. Here at last. Hopping off of the cart, she goes over to Arthur to take back her own.

"Thanks."

"No problem at all, Y/n." He smiles down at her and she heads to the train to unload everything, where the twins proceed to force their help upon her (again).

"You might as well accept it," Fred says, as they set her belongings next to theirs in the overhead compartment. "By the time you got all this by yourself, the train would be gone–with all your stuff and without you." Laughing, he lays across the seat.

"Hey, move over!" Y/n says, as Lee Jordan enters the compartment. "There's no room!" Fred merely closes his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest in a nonchalant manner.

"Make me." Huffing, the girl attempts to move his legs off, before giving up and sitting on them. Fred doesn't bat an eye. Lee and George exchange an unseen look. "Hey," he says suddenly, "Has anyone seen Harry or Ron?"

"No, who did they come after?"

"I think they were supposed to come after Mum and Dad," Fred says.

"They're bound to be around here somewhere," Y/n says. "We got on the train pretty much immediately, remember?" Fred seems satisfied and leaves it at that, but Y/n can tell there's a small big-brotherly part of his heart that wants to go search the train.

"Anybody up for exploding snap?" Jordan offers, holding up a deck of pentagon-shaped cards. Fred declines, and so the others begin a game, and soon the compartment is filled with shouting, laughing and the occasional groan as the games unfold and cards spill continuously and eventually Y/n sits back, stretching her arms.

"I'll take a break," she says. "9 games and I haven't won a single one." The boys exchange a second look. Y/n sees this and raises an eyebrow. "Right. I'm taking a nap." She lays down so that her feet are up towards Fred's head (though really they only reach to his neck), her head nestled by his shins, and closes her eyes. Lee looks over at George.

"Right." He says. "How long have you known this girl again?"

-

"Fred, Y/n, wake up." George shakes Y/n and rolls Fred off of the bench. "We're getting close, and you need to change into your robes." The blurred vision of George appears as Y/n opens her eyes. She looks down to see Fred getting up from the floor. Lee is gone. George is already in his uniform, holding up two others. "Took the liberty of getting yours for you." He thrusts it at Y/n, tossing the other to Fred.

Y/n examines herself in the mirror, turning this way and that to fix the wrinkles and smooth the creases in her robes. Finally, she sighs and leans on the counter.

"You'll be fine," she assures herself. "It's just the sorting." Walking out of the bathroom, she finds the compartment empty except for her belongings. Remembering that their luggage gets taken, she looks for Fred and George but to no avail.

"'Ey there," a voice says. Hagrid. "Are yeh Y/n?"

"Yes, I am." Hagrid waves her along.

"Good, yeh'll need 'teh follow me. Yeh are 'teh one Dumbledore said needs to be sorted, righ'?" Nodding, Y/n stands at the back of the group in silence as they walk towards the boats. I almost wish I had come here sooner, she thinks. But maybe it wouldn't have been the same– I don't know. Keeping her thoughts to herself, one of the first years startles her as they slow down, almost bumping into her.