Triplets (George Weasley)

Pt. 9

Foreword: Originally, this chapter and the one before it contained Luna Lovegood, but this was substituted with Lavender Brown since a lovely reader pointed out Luna was not in Harry's class. Much love to my readers, constructive criticism is needed and appreciated always! I just wanted to point this out to avoid any confusion. I hope you continue to enjoy!

    The door swings open, and I see a woman who can only be Professor McGonagall, exactly the way the twins described her. She looks awfully stern, coarse black hair and brilliant green robes, a face covered in wrinkles that make her look wise. Yet, her eyes glimmer brightly and reconfirm what the twins have already told me. Though this woman looks stern, she is kind and good-humored, caring about students immensely. This is the kind of teacher I have always enjoyed.
    Quickly, the woman pulls us inside the entrance hall and across the echoing stone floor to a small, empty little room. In a fast talking voice, she gives us a quick rundown, but I tune her out. Fred and George have been over this with me a million times. While the other students are nervous, I'm suddenly confident, already fully aware of what's ahead. They told me that they weren't supposed to reveal how we are sorted, but they informed me anyway when they saw how nervous I was. Many of the students in the little room with me are giving me nervous glances, noticing my poise and confidence, which is something the rest of them are lacking.
    The only part of McGonagall's speech I heed is her telling us to smarten ourselves up. I smooth my new robes and retie my ponytail, running my long fingers through my thick auburn hair a few times. I turn quickly to the girl I rode on the boat with.
    "Do I look okay?" I ask in a quiet, quick voice.
    "Yes, of course. Me?" she asks, seeming shocked to hear me speak. It was probably rude of me not to have spoken to her much earlier, but I was just so eager to get inside the castle and feeling so queasy.
    "Yes, you look very pretty," I give her what I hope is a reassuring smile in an attempt to make up for my previous rudeness.
    That's when a few figures join us in the room. Ghosts. Fred warned me about this. While the other students jump and scream, I just watch them. Most of my classmates are terrified, but, aware they're harmless, I find them fascinating.
    I'm just about to start up a conversation with a particularly interesting ghost woman wearing a small tiara on her head when McGonagall shoos the ghosts off. It's time for the sorting.
    Quickly, we line up. I stand in front of Lavender and behind Ronald, whom I haven't seen since the train. Then, we proceed into the Great Hall.
    I take in my surroundings: a ceiling bewitched to look like the night sky, thousands of floating candles, and four long tables. That's when I spot them. My boys. We've only been separated about an hour, but I've missed them more than I thought possible. Maybe I'm clingy, maybe I'm pathetic, but I don't really care. I've never had true friends before them, so I think I kind of have a right.
    The two of them look up from their conversation with Lee and find me immediately. We lock eyes and I give them a grin and a cheeky wink. They grin back and hold two thumbs up. I giggle a bit as we reach the front of the Great Hall.
    McGonagall places the hat in front of us, and it's as filthy and worn as I had imagined, if not worse. Then, suddenly, the hat breaks out into a funny little song, and I join the rest of the Great Hall in applause. Now all that's left is to wait to be sorted.
    When McGonagall starts calling out names in alphabetical order, I know that I'm going to have to wait a long time with a last name like "Tyler".
    I wait, and I wait, and I wait. Yet, all I can think is a steady hum in the back of my mind. Gryffindor, Gryffindor, Gryffindor.
    Soon, Harry Potter is called. This must be a big deal, because, when he's sorted into Gryffindor, the Gryffindor table launches into the loudest applause I've ever seen. I can hear the twins' voices above the rest, and that relaxes my nerves just a bit.
    Too soon, though, the only ones left are Ron, a dark-skinned boy named Blaise, and I. I know it's my turn.
    "Tyler, Audrey," McGonagall calls out. I move nervously to sit on the wooden stool. The last thing I see before the hat drops over my eyes is the twins craning their necks to get a glimpse of my sorting.
    I wait, silently, absorbing the dank quiet inside the hat.
    "My, well, so many houses you could go. Ambitious, driven, and hardworking. A bit of a manipulative streak too... Ah, but you are quite loyal and kind, always willing to lend a helping hand. And wise, so wise, too mature for your age. Probably forced to grow up too fast. And reckless. Oh my. Quite the thirst for rebellion. Very brave. I don't know. You could be placed anywhere..." the hat contemplates.
    Gryffindor, Gryffindor, I shout in my mind. It echoes through my bones, through my soul, the longing to be in the House of Scarlet and Gold.
    "Ah, yes. I suppose you could help make the choice for me. If that's what you really want, than it has to be... GRYFFINDOR!" he shouts it to the rest of the Great Hall.
    My applause is almost as big as Harry's. Fred and George jump up from their places at the Gryffindor table, and, though McGonagall tries to intercept them and send them back to the table, they envelop me in a hug, shouting and whooping in my ear the entire time. They appear to have commissioned the rest of the table to join in as well.
    "WE GOT AUDREY! WE GOT AUDREY!" they jump up and down, grinning wildly. Too soon though, we're shooed away by McGonagall.
    I laugh at the cheering Gryffindor table.
    "What would you've done if I hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor," I giggle.
    "We still would've cheered for you," Fred grins.
    "Yeah. We'd have cheered the loudest," George joins in.
    "Now, come on. We saved a seat for you just in case," Fred gestures to the three empty seats at the Gryffindor table. Quickly, we take our seats when we notice the disapproving looks McGonagall's giving us.
    From out of his robe pocket, George pulls out a badge and pins it carefully to the front of my robe for me. Looking down at it, I see the Gryffindor crest.
    "What's this?" I ask, seeing that it matches everyone else's.
    "One of Charlie's old badges. I snatched it for you. You'll be issued some tomorrow, but I wanted you to fit in tonight," he smiles lopsidedly at me.
    "But you didn't even know I was gonna be a Gryffindor," I blush.
    "Had a feeling," he winks at me.
    "Oh! And there's this," he pulls out a matching Gryffindor tie. "Turn your collar up."
    I obey the demand quickly, and George carefully ties it for me.
    "I'm assuming you've never had to tie a tie before, so I'll teach you to do it yourself sometime," he promises me as he finishes with it.
    "Sounds like a plan," I wink at the boy as I turn my collar back down.
    Before the conversation can be continued farther, though, the headmaster, Dumbledore, stands to give a speech.
    I see the glimmer and the kindness in Dumbledore's soft, bright blue eyes as he stands and spreads his arms toward all of us. I can see that he is very old and also very wise, brilliant even, but probably also a bit mad after hearing his speech, made up of an assortment of made-up words.
    When he sits down, though, everyone applauds, and I join in. What's more worthy of applause, though, is the feast that appears on the table shortly afterwards. I pile my plate, and barely manage to eat at a proper rate, withstraining from stuffing my face in a rather rude manner. As we eat, everyone talks. The boys, Lee, Angelina, Katie. All of us. They're really quite welcoming, especially now that I'm a part of their house.
    "Excited for Quidditch season, Fred? George?" asks Lee, face stuffed with lamb chops.
    "Not as excited as you, Lee," Fred chuckles.
    Fred and George, during the summer, turned me into a big fan of the Chudley Cannons, the Weasley family's favorite Quidditch team.
    "I know Fred and George are Beaters, but what do you play, Lee?" I ask after swallowing a mouthful of bacon.
    "Oh, he doesn't play," Fred smirks.
    "Shut up. I'm an important part of the team," Lee whines.
    "Oh, you're not even on the team. You're not on any team!" George chuckles, shoving Lee playfully.
    "What do you do?" I whine to Lee, stabbing my fork into my piece of steak.
    "I'm the school's Quidditch commentator," Lee tells me importantly, puffing out his chest.
    "Stop making fun of Lee, you guys. I wish I had that job!" I exclaim.
    "Sure you do, Rey. You're just too nice," George sticks his tongue out at me.
    "You didn't think that when I was pranking the socks off of you two during the summer," I bring up the pranking war that started our friendship.
    "Hey! I thought we agreed to forget about that!" Fred cries out.
    "Fine, fine," I smirk, going back to my food.
    When I'm well and completely stuffed, dessert appears. Suddenly, I'm not so full anymore.
    I grab myself a heaping mound of peppermint bark ice cream. It's a seasonal flavor, so I haven't had it since last December, except in Diagon Alley, and it's like heaven in my mouth.
    "So, Rey, I know why you came to stay with the Weasleys, but what's your family like?" Katie asks between bites of apple pie.
"Oh, well, I don't know if you knew this, but my mom, Lorelai Tyler, was editor of the Daily Prophet," I start.
"Oh my God, seriously? That's huge!" Angelina exclaims through a mouthful of Jell-O, blushing when Fred chuckles at her impoliteness. The two obviously have a thing for each other. George and I exchange a smirk.
"Yeah, well. Voldemort killed her when I was a baby, so I never really knew her," I shrug, digging my spoon into my ice cream.
Both girls coo, and even Lee gives me a sad look, while George rubs circles on my back comfortingly. I appreciate the gesture, but the pity makes me feel a bit awkward.
"It's not a big deal, guys. Seriously. Anyways, my dad was always really great. A bit overprotective, but really loving and kind," I smile at the thought of him. It feels like years since I've seen my dad.
"I wish my dad was like that. He doesn't care what I do. As long as I do my school work and don't watch too much television, he doesn't really pay attention," Katie looks at me longingly, as though wishing we could trade places.
"Uhh, no you don't. Having strict parents is horrible. I mean, I can't get away with anything when I'm home. That's why I have to excercise my rebellious streak all I can here at school," Angelina smirks. Fred's practically drooling.
"I don't know about any of that, but I wouldn't trade my dad for the world. Of course, the overprotectiveness has made me tend toward rebellion the way it does for Angelina," I grin at George, recalling the incident with the broom during the summer. He remembers too and scowls at me, which makes me laugh.
All too soon, though, the feast comes to a close, ending with another speech from Dumbledore. The first thing he mentions is the Forbidden Forest. His eyes find the twins amidst the crowd, and I stifle a giggle. The twins have told me all about the mischief they've caused in this castle, and their adventures in the forest are stories they've told me many times. He also mentions that magic is forbidden in the halls between classes, upcoming Quidditch trials, and the off-limits right-hand side of the third floor corridor. Finally, the gathering is ended with the singing of the school song.
Dumbledore tells us to pick a tune to which we will sing the lyrics, suspended in mid-air by Dumbledore. The twins get me in on their plan to sing to the tune of a slow, familiar funeral-march. I laugh and happily join in, even as we're the last students left singing. Dumbledore acts as conductor while we finish on our own and applauds the loudest when we have completed the song.
The other first years start to follow Percy out of the hall when we've been dismissed, but I linger a bit, not ready to leave.
"Don't follow our brother. He's a bloody tosser. Earlier today he kept showing off his prefect badge and rubbing it in our faces. Come with us. We'll get there faster," Fred grabs my hand, pulling me toward the Great Hall exit. George, Angelina, Katie, and Lee follow closely behind as Fred leads me toward a staircase. And then another, and another, and another.
"Sometimes they change," George comments.
"What?" I ask, not understanding what exactly he's referencing.
"The staircases and passageways. Sometimes they change. It's easy to get lost here. Always walk with someone else until you're used to it," he shares a tip with me.
"Okay. Hopefully, sometimes I can just walk with you guys," I sigh.
"Of course," he grins.
Finally, we reach the portrait of the Fat Lady that the twins told me about.
"Password?" she asks. No one knows.
"Caput Draconis," Angelina pushes ahead to tell the Fat Lady. "I knew you wankers would've already forgotten."
We step inside the common room, a fire lit in the hearth and many comfy-looking couches and chairs surrounding it, all atop a scarlet and gold rug. It looks homey and warm, and I just want to curl up then and there.
However, the twins won't allow it, and they instead show me up to my dorm. This is a difficult maneuver, because, they've told me, the girls' dormitory stairs are enchanted to turn into a slide should a boy set foot on them. So, carefully, they lay across the railing, just tall enough to stretch all the way across, and scoot themselves up the stairs and into the dorm. I have a sort of laughing fit, because they look absolutely ridiculous, scooting along and never touching the floor.
Finally, when we're all at the top, I have a look around. There are four four-poster beds hung with dark red drapes. My trunk, and everyone else's trunks, have already been brought up.
"Turn around," I order the twins.
"What?" they ask, perplexed.
"I'm changing," I sigh.
"Can't you wait till we're gone?" Fred whines.
"No, I'm coming back downstairs with you," I snap.
"Geez, someone's grumpy," George grumbles as they turn around.
Opening my suitcase, I quickly find my Eminem tank top and a pair of shorts and begin to undress.
That's when I hear, "Um, are we interrupting something?" a voice asks.
"Shit," I grumble under my breath, blushing beet red and finishing changing quickly.
"It's not what it looks like, I swear. They came up to show me around and I made them stay while I changed quick so I could go back down with them. We're close friends. It's nothing weird," I'm blushing furiously.
"I-It's okay," a bushy-haired girl replies reluctantly. "Except... how did they get up here? The staircase is supposed to be enchanted," she wonders.
"Scooted up the handrail," Fred confesses.
"Oh, okay. You're the Weasley twins and their friend Audrey, right? You all were at the Burrow this summer?" she asks.
"Yeah, how did you know?" I ask.
"Ronald told me. Said you three were really close friends. I probably should've expected this. I'm Hermione Granger," she holds out a hand for me to shake. I take it.
"Audrey Tyler," I smile softly.
She extends the same hand to both the twins.
"This is Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. I believe we'll be bunking together for the next eight years," she reminds me.
"That doesn't sound at all menacing," George whispers to his twin. I elbow him harshly in the ribs.
"Lavender and I have met. She was quite nice on the boat ride here," I offer her a friendly smile. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you all today, and I'm sure we'll be getting to know each other much better very soon, but the twins and I were just about to head back down, so I'll let you three head to bed," I tell them politely.
"Of course," Parvati smiles at me politely. Her voice is small and she seems like a quiet girl, but nice enough I'm sure.
"Nice seeing you again!" Lavender squeals. She seems loud and outgoing, maybe a bit annoying, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about her yet.
"Yes, goodnight," Hermione yawns sleepily. I don't know what to make of her, but I have a feeling we'll be friends, and I'm not sure why.
I ignore the feeling, though, and instead grab the hands of the two people in the world I'm most sure of, and I pull them downstairs after me.