The Weasley Eight

Hermione Alice Weasley; Childhood

Hermione;
I was born September 10th of 1979, the first girl born into the Weasley family in over a hundred years. My parents had welcomed five little boys into the world previous to my debut: Bill, who was seven (almost eight) at the time of my birth, Charlie, who was six (almost seven) when I was born, Percy, who was almost four, and Fred and George, who were a little over a year old when I was welcomed into the world. Due to a rare medical condition my Mum has, which gives her two uterus, seven months after I was born my youngest brother Ron was welcomed into the world... and then a year later Mum and Dad brought their eighth and final child into our home and suddenly I had a younger sister. Up until his departure to Hogwarts in September of 1982, my oldest brother spent his days watching over Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, and I... then when he left for Hogwarts we became Charlie's responsibility. Percy was never one to play with his younger siblings, instead of going out to play in the yard with us when Charlie took us, he preferred to stay locked away in his room reading...

Which was fine until Charlie began attending Hogwarts in September of 83' and suddenly Percy was thrust into the role of responsible older brother until the winter and summer holidays when Bill and Charlie would return and save their five youngest siblings from days of sitting indoors reading instead of being allowed to roam about the garden and chase the chickens. The years leading up to Percy's departure to Hogwarts went by torturously slow, as bad as it sounds to say the twins, Ron, Ginny, and I were counting down the days until Percy left for school... because then Fred and George would be the oldest, even if only by a year, and wed once again be allowed to roam about the gardens and chase the chickens in peace. Three years to the day after Charlie's departure on the Hogwarts our family saw Percy off alongside Bill and Charlie. Just as Mum had predicted, Percy was sorted into Gryffindor alongside Bill and Charlie. The next two years were spent under the rule of Fred and George, who could never take anything seriously. I learned more about the art of pranking those two years than I ever thought I needed to know.

The twins were sent to Hogwarts, and surprisingly sorted into Slytherin, and it became my turn to rule over Ron and Ginny. The year leading up to my departure on the Hogwarts Express was a tense one. Mum was getting upset that her first little girl was growing up so quickly, and when it came time for school shopping I ended up going with Charlie while Bill took the twins. To make sure I got new things for school, Bill and Charlie picked up summer jobs and bought me everything I needed new so none of the little 'arseholes' from school would have anything to say about their baby sister... my wand ended up being Yew Wood, fifteen inches long, with a unicorn hair core. When Mum and Dad saw five of their oldest children off on the train my first year, Mum looked ready to cry. On the train I crammed into a compartment with Fred and George, and one of their friends from a different house, Lee Jordan I think his name was? My brothers eventually sent me off with some other first year named Adrian Pucey and before I knew it I was at Hogwarts riding the boats to the sorting ceremony.

When my name was called, I remember walking up to the hat, half scared it would tell me I belonged in Gryffindor and half scared it wouldn't... but the hat, as always, knew just what to do with my scared arse. "SLYTHERIN!" The hat had called, and I joined Fred, George, and Adrian at the Slytherin house table. It turned out that my first year would be the only year of peace I'd see at Hogwarts, because the very moment Ron arrived to school with Harry Potter in tow my life went from simplistic to vastly complicated. I joined the Slytherin Quidditch team, alongside Fred and George, and became one of the best Chasers my house had seen for centuries... the very same year Harry Potter broke several school rules and somehow instead of being punished he was made the Seeker of the Gryffindor quidditch team. I didn't like the idea of Ron hanging around Harry, especially not after the troll incident and the almost murder by giant chess set... but Ron's never listened to me anyway. By the end of my second year I was sure of two things; My brother had a death wish and I had an extremely embarrassing crush on Oliver Wood.