WILDEST DREAM ➛ʜ.ᴘᴏᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡɪɴ ꜱɪꜱᴛᴇʀ

004

The station was crowded with families saying their goodbyes as they sent their children off to Hogwarts, but I could barely focus on the usual buzz of excitement. My mind was still stuck on that night at the Quidditch World Cup, replaying everything over and over again.

We'd found Harry after what felt like hours of chaos. When we finally reached him, he was pale and shaken, telling us how he had seen a man cast the Dark Mark into the sky. The fear in his voice had made my chest tighten with worry. The Ministry had immediately begun their frantic search for the culprit, and while I was relieved we had found Harry safe and sound, I couldn't shake the unease that settled deep in my bones.

The dark lord's symbol had been in the sky. That image alone made my stomach churn.

Now, standing on Platform 9¾, the whole world felt different. There was a heaviness in the air, like the laughter and cheer that usually accompanied the start of the school year was somehow muted. Harry and I stood beside each other, our trunks ready to be loaded onto the train, while the Weasleys and Hermione chattered around us.

"You okay?" I asked, nudging Harry gently with my elbow.

He glanced at me and nodded, though his eyes still looked distant. "Yeah, just... thinking."

I squeezed his arm reassuringly, knowing we both had a lot on our minds after that night. I opened my mouth to say something more, but before I could, a pair of strong hands grabbed my forearms.

"What the—?" I yelped as Fred and George grinned at me mischievously and lifted me off the ground.

"Oh no, you don't!" Fred teased, pulling me back toward them. "You're not getting out of sitting with us this time, Madeline."

"Let me go!" I squirmed, trying to free myself from their grip. "I was going to sit with Harry, Ron, and Hermione!"

But my protests were ignored as George chuckled beside his twin. "Sorry, Mads. You're needed elsewhere."

Realizing I wasn't going to win this fight, I sighed dramatically and let them drag me along. I glanced over my shoulder, catching Harry's amused smile and a wave from Hermione before I was pulled further away. Finally, the twins set me down in one of the compartments at the back of the train, where Lee Jordan was lounging casually.

"Madeline!" Lee greeted me with a wide grin, standing up to give me a hug. "How was the rest of your holiday?"

I hugged him back, smiling despite myself. "It was alright... though the twins here made me lie to Mrs. Weasley more times than I'd like to admit."

Fred and George exchanged mock-innocent looks as they sat down across from us. "We had to, didn't we?" Fred said with a smirk. "You're just too good at it."

"Not that I wanted to," I retorted, rolling my eyes before turning back to Lee. "How was your summer? Spent time with your cousins?"

Lee leaned back with a grin. "Yeah, it was great! My cousins came over, and we had a blast. Although, it was a bit chaotic. Mum nearly lost her mind with all of us in one house."

I laughed, imagining the mayhem. "Sounds like fun."

George leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees as he joined in. "Yeah, but not as fun as convincing Madeline to help us with our 'experiments.' You wouldn't believe the look on Mum's face when—"

"Don't even remind me!" I groaned, cutting him off. "I swear, if you two drag me into one more of your schemes..."

"Oh come on," Fred teased. "You love it!"

I couldn't help but smile as we all fell into an easy conversation, the tension from the World Cup slowly melting away. We laughed, joked, and even playfully bickered, as we usually did. It was moments like these that made me feel a little lighter, a little more normal, despite everything that had happened.

The compartment was filled with laughter and banter as we joked around, Lee throwing in one of his animated stories about how he and his cousins had accidentally set fire to their garden over the summer. The twins were teasing him mercilessly, and I couldn't help but join in. It was easy, being with them—everything felt lighter, the weight of the Quidditch World Cup fading into the background.

But there was something else on my mind, something—or rather, someone—I needed to meet with.

I sighed quietly to myself before standing up. "I've got to go meet someone," I said, hoping I could slip away without too many questions.

Fred and George looked up at me, their playful expressions immediately turning curious.

"Oh? And who's this 'someone'?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

I hesitated. There it was—the inevitable moment I dreaded. I shifted slightly, trying to brush it off casually. "Uh... Draco."

Their faces fell instantly. Fred's playful smirk twisted into something more bitter, and George's expression turned cold, almost disgusted. He muttered, "Oh... Draco. Of course, of course. Go meet him," with a roll of his eyes.

I scoffed in disbelief. "Are you seriously still not over this? I'm friends with Draco, get used to it."

Fred looked at me like I'd just said the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard. "Because he's Draco," he stated flatly, as if that explained everything.

"So?" I shot back. "He's still my friend. Why can't you two just be normal about it for once?"

Fred sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Because he's a Malfoy. And he hates us."

I could feel the frustration bubbling up inside me. "I know what you think of him, but he's not like that when we're together."

George scoffed, crossing his arms. "Yeah, right. As if we'd believe that."

I stood there, clenching my fists as the tension between us grew. They always did this—turned cold and dismissive the moment Draco was mentioned. It wasn't like I hadn't tried to explain it to them before. But every time, they acted like I was crazy for even giving Draco a chance.

I wanted to argue with them, wanted to tell them that they were being ridiculous and that Draco was more than what they assumed him to be. But I knew it wouldn't change anything. Not today, at least.

I inhaled deeply, trying to calm myself down before I said something I might regret. "Fine," I said tightly, grabbing my bag. "Believe what you want. I'm still going."

Without waiting for a response, I turned and made my way out of the compartment. I could feel their eyes on me, Fred and George probably exchanging looks of exasperation behind my back. It hurt more than I wanted to admit—that they couldn't just accept that Draco and I were friends, that they couldn't see past their grudges.

As I walked down the train corridor, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Being friends with both the twins and Draco felt like constantly walking a tightrope, and some days... some days it was just exhausting.

I couldn't help but wonder if it would ever change.