Dusk Till Dawn: A Fred And George Story

Part One

------April 9, 1997------

There I sat on my bed, in despair and anguish.

Why, I tried to reason with myself. Why let this get you down? You have a wonderful job...

Yeah. Employed by my grandfather.

That you won't ever be fired from! There must be some assurance there.

He's family! He won't fire me because he knows I'm suffering! I could be terrible at the apprenticeship and he wouldn't tell me, afraid to hurt my feelings.

Oh, shut up. You graduated with a N.E.W.T. in Potions...

Yeah? Well, this is all beside the point.

No, it's not! It's because you wish you were...

Yes, I wish things were different. We've already established that. So stop. It's no use. Stop trying to cheer me up.

But...

"Isabella! Dinner."

I groaned aloud in frustration, dragging my cheeks downward, exposing the bottom of my eyeballs to the cold air. I leaped off my bed to join my family for dinner.

"Potatoes, Isabella?" I shook my head from my thoughts to see my grandmother holding the spoon out to me.

"Oh. Yes, thank you, Grandma."

I didn't join in as she engaged my grandfather and mother in conversation. All of them must have sensed something was wrong, but they didn't pester me, for which I was grateful. I excused myself from the table as soon as I cleared my plate and went back upstairs.

Only when I was in the safety of my bedroom, door shut behind me, did I cry out.

The one thing I had tried to prevent all day from happening was occurring. I fell to my knees and put my head in my hands. I could escape the memory no longer.

I had been walking along Gregory the Smarmy's hallway with Lee Jordan and, to my dismay, Angelina Johnson. Lee separated me from her, knowing of our mutual dislike. She never really tried to be nice to me, and I couldn't ever figure out what I'd done to deserve her hatred. Still, I never stopped acting like I enjoyed her presence and never showed my true feelings.

Spotting the twins ahead, I jogged forward to meet them.

"Isabella, no!" They shouted as I ran across the stone floor that was quickly turning into a marsh. By the time I reached them, I was waist-high in thick gooey muck. I stared up at the twins, exasperated.

Fred laughed and pulled me out of the marsh and onto the solid ground beside him. "You're cute even when you're angry and covered in swamp, Love." He hadn't let go of my hand.

"Scourgify," George said, pointing his wand at me. I was instantly clean. "There you go."

"Thanks, George." I turned to Fred and smiled. He grinned back.

"What on Earth has happened here?" Fred's smile faded. I turned to see a short and stout woman standing at the foot of the swamp across the corridor, looking outraged.

"C'mon, let's go." Fred dragged me out and down to the entrance hall.

"What are we doing h..." I began.

"Just wait." Students began streaming in. They all came running towards us, seventh years and first years alike.

"Amazing!"