Chapter Text
ethereal (adjective): extremely delicate and light in a way that seems not to be of this world.
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"It's the same every year - packed with muggles, of course. Come on, platform nine-and-three-quarters this way," Mom pushed her way through crowds of muggles who were giving us weird glances. It was September 1st, 1991, the day Ron and I would be going to Hogwarts for the first time.
I looked at my twin brother and reached out to grab his hand, looking for comfort. He gave me a weird look before he shrugged my hand from his and returned both hands to the trolley. A sense of dread filled me as I focused on my feet. I went to return my hand to my own trolley but paused as Ginny appeared beside me and grabbed my hand, enveloping it in hers.
A smile formed on my lips as I gave her hand a thankful squeeze as we both navigated the busy station. As we arrived at the entrance of the platform, she pulled me away from everyone.
"I'm going to miss you so much, Am," she wailed as she shoved her face against my chest. I lowered my head to rest my cheek on her hair. I gave her a slight squeeze, about to open my mouth, before she was ripped away into mom's arms. Looking at the platform, I saw a rush of brown hair vanish before Ron went through the bricks.
Mom and Ginny rushed behind Ron, leaving me alone. I gulped, trying to ignore the feeling that was starting to form in the pit of my stomach, before pushing my trolley towards the wall and closing my eyes. A cold shiver went over my body, making all the hairs on my arms stand before I opened my eyes to reveal that I was surrounded by young witches and wizards with their families.
A smile grew on my face as the loud whistle of the train filled my ears. Maybe I'll finally feel like I belong somewhere. I looked around, trying to find my twin, only to see his back while he boarded the train.
I found my mother, chasing after Ron with his rat. I laughed softly before I went to mom, "Here, let me take him."
"Oh, thank you Ginny, dear," She handed me Scabbers before pausing, "Sorry love, I meant Amber. My head has been clouded all day."
"It's okay Mummy," I leaned up to kiss her cheek, "I'll write to you when I settle in."
I hugged Ginny tightly before turning around and boarding the train. I made my way down the aisle looking for the compartment Ron was in. I saw a glimpse of red hair, causing me to roll my eyes before I approached my twin.
"Oh, there you are," I huffed as I opened the cart door.
"Scabbers!" Ron cheered when he saw me holding his dumb, fat rat.
"Take him, you know I can't stand rats," I basically tossed him into Ron's lap. I moved my eyes over to the boy sitting across from Ron.
"Blimey," I gasped, "You're Harry Potter." I sat beside Ron and offered my hand, "I'm Amber Weasley, the better-looking twin."
Harry laughed, an unknown twinkle in his eye, as he offered me his hand. The second our hands touched, he jerked his back and grabbed his scar with a hiss. I widened my eyes.
"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" The words spilled out of my lips as our car door opened again. All three of our heads turned to face the young girl who was looking around the ground.
"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one." she looked up.
All three of us shook our heads no, before she sighed, "I'm Hermione Granger."
We took turns before introducing ourselves. When it got to Harry, she gasped, eagerness in her voice, "Harry Potter, are you really? I know all about you, of course. I got a few extra books, for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century."
I glanced out the window, her voice blending in with the hum of the wheels on the train tracks. I'm nervous for Hogwarts, I know I'll be sorted into the Gryffindor house. There has never been a Weasley sorted into another house. My thoughts were put on pause as the train began to slow.
Hogwarts.
We were all rushed out of the train, freshly dressed in a sea of grays and blacks before we were met by the largest man I've ever seen. Harry greeted him as an old friend when we approached, but I couldn't tear my eyes from his overgrown beard and the slight odor coming off him that made my nose wrinkle.
"'M name's Hagrid, " he introduced. How unique, I thought before I softly scolded myself.
"Alright, load up into the boats," Hagrid instructed as he climbed into one himself. A flash of horror filled my face as I looked at him expecting this to be a joke. I turned to Ron, only to see him climbing in behind Harry and Hermione, who was still talking about every wizard book that mentioned Harry. I rolled my eyes before I climbed into the nearest available boat.
"Uh..hello," the young boy looked at me, his round face tinted red, either from the cold or a blush; I wasn’t sure. A small smile filled my face as I deemed this boy harmless.
"Hi, my name's Amber," I reached out, offering him my hand.
"Neville," he mumbled back, ears illuminated by the lantern on the boat.
"Did you find your toad," what was his name, "Trevor?" Worry filled Neville's face before shaking his head. I sighed before offering him a smile, "I'm sure he will show up. It's Hogwarts, my father always says things have a way of working out."
Our boat slowly stopped as it arrived at a boathouse. Neville got out first before offering me his hand. I smiled before looking up at the castle, losing it instantly.
"There's so many stairs," I huffed looking at Neville.
"Blimey," he agreed, eyes raking over all the steps we were about to take.
I grabbed his arm before pulling him with the mass of students about to be sorted, "Let's not fall behind, yeah?"
After countless steps and a couple pauses to catch my breath, we made it outside a set of double doors.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," An older witch with a posh Scottish accent stood proud at the top of the stairs. I glanced at her in awe, I knew at that moment I wanted to be exactly like her as I grew up. She met my eye, sending me a small wink before beginning to speak.
"Welcome to Hogwarts. I'm Professor McGonagall. The start-of-term feast will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. There are four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin," The old witch said the last one with a bite to her voice, causing the pit in my stomach to grow even stronger, "Each hou-"
I spotted a toad sitting in front of her. I tapped Neville's arm before pointing.
"TREVOR!"
McGonagall paused; her voice cut off as she lowered her eyes to the boy clutching the toad at her feet.
"Please wait here," with that, she turned around and disappeared behind the doors.
I grabbed Neville's cloak, laughing softly at my new friend.
"So, it's true then, Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts," a pasty blond boy worked his way over to us, "this is Crabbe, and this is Goyle," he pointed at the two goons behind him, "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."
Ron slightly sniggered, causing the silver eyes to shift to him instead, "Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford." The goons behind him started to laugh, causing a proud smile to fill Draco's face.
His eyes passed mine as he turned back to Harry. My ears began to burn red in anger. I shoved in front of Harry, my eyes lowering to meet Draco as I was taller than him.
"Another Weasley," Draco muttered, laughing softly.
"At least we end up with siblings and values, so we don't end up spoiled snobs like the lot of you."
Gasps echoed through the small crowd. Draco was about to retaliate before a hand placed itself on his shoulder. McGonagall had returned. She gave me another soft wink before demanding the crowd make a single file line.
We all approached the dining hall, and I glanced over at Percy and the twins, giving them a wave when we passed where they were sitting. In the front of the room was a tall wooden stool with a brown hat on top of it.
I zoned out, before Draco made his way up to the stool. The hat didn't even get a chance to touch his head before it screeched 'Slytherin' to the entire room. The green table at the end sprang to life.
After a few minutes of sorting, Ron was next. The hat almost immediately sorted him into Gryffindor. Roars of clapping ensured.
"Amber Weasley," McGonagall's voice grounded me, bringing me back to the present. I slowly made my way up to the stool, almost tripping as I sat on it.
"Hmm, another Weasley. This decision should be easy. Gryffindors have made up your families for years, but you're different, aren't you, Amber. You have a part of you that you don't want the world to see. You can be great you know, standing out from the crowd of Weasleys."
I closed my eyes as I listened to the Sorting Hat. I took a deep breath, the pit in my stomach getting so intense that I had to wrap my arms around myself.
"This hidden part of you holds many great things. I expect surprising things from you," the Hat suddenly spoke aloud, "Let it be..Slytherin."
Nobody applauded.
I met my brothers' faces at the Gryffindor table, all of them had their jaws dropped. I glanced at McGonagall, who looked gravely pale as she slowly gestured for me to join the green table at the end of the hall.
I hesitantly stood up from the stool. I was desperate to grab the hat and shove it back on my head, demanding that it place me anywhere else. I took small steps towards the table decorated in silver snakes, all their faces gaping in shock as I approached.
A young girl rolled her eyes before standing up and grabbing my arm. She pulled me over to where she was sitting and yanked me down to sit beside her, "Relax. You're one of us now."
I hesitantly smiled at the raven-haired girl. Her face was slightly twisted in confusion, but seemingly pleased, nonetheless.
"I'm Pansy Parkinson," she went around the group introducing me to the small group, "This is Crabbe and Goyle, Blaise, Theo, and Draco."
I nodded at each one before my eyes met Draco's. My ears turned red in embarrassment as I remembered what I said to him in the hall.
"Just wait until my father hears about the Weaselette who got sorted into Slytherin," he sneered, "Hogwarts has really gone to the dogs."
My heart dropped at his words before Pansy kicked him from under the table.
"She was sorted here for a reason, and she's a Pureblood. Let's just remind her who she really is." Draco rolled his eyes at the comment but didn't make any snide comments back.
I offered Pansy a small smile before I slowly turned around to face the Gryffindor table, except this time Ron wouldn't meet my eyes. I glanced over at Neville. He looked absolutely crushed. My heart broke as I jerked my head back to my own table.
This isn’t right.
The meal went by quickly, I was spacing in and out for most of it. I don't think I ate much as I listened to Theo ramble about his summer, my fork pushing food around on my plate. Little did I know that a pair of silver eyes was tracking my every move.
Dumbledore stood at his podium and made a few announcements before a prefect made his way to the end of our table.
"First-years, this way."
We all slowly got up and followed him towards our common room. My distaste for my new house grew even stronger as I saw we were making our way into the dungeons. Please don't let there be any spiders.
We approached a blank wall before the prefect hissed 'pureblood'. A dark snake, made from stone appeared. It slithered its way around the wall making an arch. A door suddenly formed, and we all crowded into the common room.
"Ladies, your dorms will be on the left, and gentleman, yours will be on the right. It's bewitched so the ladies’ dorms are off limits for the men," he gave a pointed eye at the boys before turning around again, "My dorm is on the bottom floor. If you need me, don't."
His voice droned on as I took the common room in. The once warm lighting I grew up with at the Burrow was gone. There was giant floor to ceiling windows that showcased the inside of the Black Lake. It appears our common room was under it. The room gave off threatening vibes, and yet, I couldn't help but fall in love as I glanced around at the black couches in front of the lit fireplace and the emerald green bookshelves designed so it looked like snakes were encasing it.
"Welcome to the snake pit, Amber," Pansy interlocked my arm before pulling me towards our dorm. We entered a room surrounded by five four-post beds.
There were three other girls in our room when we entered. They stared slightly at me before offering me half-smirks.
"I'm Daphne Greengrass," the one introduced as she climbed onto the bed she had already claimed.
Another looked up from her trunk at the end of her bed, "I'm Millicent Bulstrode."
The last girl held my gaze a second longer than the others, but I refused to look away. Finally, she sighed, "Tracey Davis."
"So," It was Daphne's voice that cut through the silence, "How exactly did you get sorted into Slytherin."
My face burned hot. "Um, I'm not exactly sure. He said that I was different and had a 'hidden part of me' whatever that means," I huffed slightly, still irritated at the dumb, old hat.
"I'm sure we'll figure it out," Pansy nodded her head.
We talked amongst ourselves for the rest of the night. I decided that I quite liked Pansy, the sarcastic girl was quite fun when she wasn't checking out Daphne.
We decided to call it a night once the room turned black, the sun no longer reflecting through the lake. Once the silence was filled with soft snores, I drew the curtains on my bed shut. I pulled out my wand, casting Muffliato. It was the only actual charm I knew, watching my mom cast it constantly when she needed to have a conversation with Dad without any of us hearing.
Knowing that the girls can't hear me, I let the thoughts of the day fill my mind. Hot tears began to leak out of my eyes as I pulled my knees to my chest. I eventually fell asleep, pillow in my arms while I cried.
"Rise and shine, Goldie," Pansy's voice woke me as she pulled my bed’s curtains back.
"Goldie?" I mumbled with my face in the pillow.
"It was either that or Freckleface. Get up, or else the boys will eat all the breakfast."
"I'll take Goldie," I groaned as I rolled out of bed, landing on the floor with a thud.
I walked over to the mirror, casting silent spells to remove any wrinkles from my hand-me-down robes. Pansy wrinkled her nose before walking over to her trunk.
"Here, take an extra set of mine," she smiled, "That way you have a new set."
Before I could refuse her, she plugged her ears and walked out of the room. I sighed before getting dressed again, this time in my new uniform. I added the Slytherin tie and the matching robe before casting a spell to remove any frizz from my hair.
I looked at myself in the mirror. The green from the robes seemed to highlight my red hair. A small smile filled my face before I made my way to the bedroom door.
I walked out of the dorm, my arm immediately yanked by Pansy as we made our way to the Great Hall.
I pulled away as I saw a head of red, "Hold on a minute, Pans." I took off after my twin.
"Ron," I pleaded. He paused at the sound of my voice before shaking his head and continuing to walk, never even turning around to look at me. My heart cracked as I watched him walk away.
Pansy, who saw the whole thing, walked up to me. "He's not worth it," she paused, "You didn't do anything wrong. C'mon, Theo saved us a seat."
My arse barely touched the seat before the sky turned into a sea of owls. Letters dropped around us filled with words from parents who were congratulating their children on being sorted into their respective houses. Errol swooped towards our table, a bright red envelope in his beak. He dropped it in front of me before turning and heading to Ron's table. A crash ensured, as I looked over to see Errol climbing out of a bowl of porridge.
"That owl needs put down," I harshly mumbled before looking at the letter, "oh no." My face paled as I realized what type of letter this is.
"Weasley's got a howler," Draco smirked, leaning back and crossing his arms.
I gulped as I looked at Pansy, her wide eyes meeting my own. I slowly opened it before the letter came to life, my mother's voice filling the Great Hall. Even Snape paused, his spoon halfway to his mouth, as he stared at us.
"AMBER CRESSIDA WEASLEY. HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US. YOU HAVE TARNISHED GENERATIONS OF WEASLEYS. YOUR FATHER IS TOO MORTIFIED TO EVEN LEAVE THE HOUSE FOR WORK. A SNAKE IN MY OWN HOME, WHY I NEVER. YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD EXPLANATION FOR THIS WHEN YOU COME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS. I CAN'T BEL-"
Her voice was cut off by the letter being ripped in half by Draco. "That's enough of that," he scowled, throwing the discarded red letter onto the table. The silence of the hall was interrupted by Ron snickering.
Draco's eyes were livid as he met Ron's. "Got something to say, Weasley?"
Ron's eyes widened as he turned to Harry. I just put my head down on the Slytherin table.
"Why me?" I mumbled softly as I thought about everything I've lost in the past day.