People Like Them Are an Endangered Species

I’d never seen a house like this one at all. It looked rather unstable, but it had a home-like air to it. There must’ve been a good six or seven floors. Standing not too far in front of it, I felt miniscule in size. I just couldn’t understand how a house like this even existed. It looked as though it’d started off a one story house, and then other floors were simply built on top of it.
From somewhere nearby, I heard laughing. That was when I began to panic. I’d trespassed on someone else’s property, and they probably didn’t want me there. So, I did the only thing that came to mind at that very moment. I hid in a bush.
Not too long afterwards, peeking through my shrubbery shield, three figures emerged out of the semi darkness, carrying what looked like brooms over their shoulders.
‘’Why can’t I go to Hogwarts with you?’’ the shortest one whined, trying to keep up. When the light from inside the house fell on them, I realized they all had red hair.
‘’You’re too young, Ron,’’ one of the taller ones replied.
‘’Yeah, but don’t worry,’’ the third person said, ‘’we’ll be sure to send you a memento of some sort.’’
They disappeared inside of a large storing shed not too far behind the house. I didn’t know what they were talking about when they said ‘Hogwarts’, I just knew that my little adventure was over and I wanted to go home. I tried crawling out from behind the bush, but instead, the hem of my dress decided to catch onto one of the brambles. I yanked and yanked, but no matter how hard I pulled, I couldn’t get free.
By the time I looked up again, standing in front of me were the three red headed boys. The two taller ones looked vaguely amused, while the shorter one looked a little scared.
‘’MUGGLES! MUGGLES! WE’VE BEEN DISCOVERED! MUMMY!’’ he yelled, running and hopping into another bush a few feet away. The people who I assumed were his brothers didn’t look alarmed. I’d stopped pulling on my dress.
‘’Don’t mind him,’’ one of them said. ‘’He’s just-‘’
‘’-A bit shy,’’ the other finished, ‘’he’s only nine, after all.’’
I looked at their faces a bit closer. They couldn’t be much older than me. ‘’You two are identical, I’m assuming?’’
Both of them nodded.
‘’We’re as identical as identical can get,’’ the one in the red sweater said.
‘’Yeah, but I still think I’m better looking than you,’’ the one in the blue sweater said to his twin.
That was when they started bickering back and forth about things I didn’t understand.
‘’Um, excuse me?’’ I tapped the one in the blue on his shoulder. The fighting subsided for a second and he looked at me.
‘’I’m not sure if you two realized this or not, but I’m stuck in a bush.’’
‘’Oh, right,’’ he said, flushing slightly, ‘’sorry about that.’’ He and his brother struggled for a moment with the bush, but before I knew it, I was free.
‘’Thanks,’’ I smiled, smoothing out my dress. ‘’Do…do you live here?’’ I asked, looking over at the house in question.
The two brothers looked at each other with a look that greatly resembled one of shock.
‘’You can see our house?’’ they asked at the same time.
I didn’t really know how to answer. ‘’Well, yes, it’s not exactly a subtle dwelling, is it?’’
‘’You don’t happen to be related to the Lovegoods, do you? Or the Diggorys? The Fawcetts?’’ the one in red asked.
I shook my head. ‘’My name is Cassiopeia Bains. Well, Cassie for short. Personally I like Cassie better.’’
They stuck out their hands for me to shake.
‘’Fred Weasley, at your service,’’ the one in blue introduced. I shook his hand.
‘’Pleasure. And you are…?’’
‘’George Weasley,’’ the one in red smiled, shaking my hand. He jerked his thumb to the bush their younger brother was hiding in. ‘’And that’s Ron.’’
‘’How come I haven’t seen you at my school before?’’ I asked, crossing my arms. They exchanged looks again.
‘’We, uh…we haven’t exactly started school yet,’’ said Fred, scratching the back of his head.
‘’We’ll be going to a…private school, though, as of September,’’ George stated.
‘’You mean Hogwarts?’’
Ron’s head appeared from within the bush. ‘’Were you eavesdropping?!’’ he exclaimed. I just shrugged in response.
‘’I wasn’t doing it intentionally,’’ I replied, ‘’I mean, you were talking rather loud, and I did happen to be in the area. So tell me, where is this ‘Hogwarts’?’’
‘’Well, you see,’’ Fred began, ‘’only certain people know its exact location.’’
‘’Technically, it’s unplottable,’’ George said. I was going to ask what he meant by ‘’unplottable’’, when the front door opened, and out stepped a short, red haired women, who I could only assume was their mother.
‘’Fred! George! Dinner’s ready.’’ She looked from the twins to myself, causing me to shift my bare feet around a bit uncomfortably. ‘’Oh, hello dear. Boys? Who’s this?’’ she smiled.
‘’Cassie, nice to meet you,’’ I answered before them, shaking her hand gently. She had a kind, round face and bright brown eyes that matched her sons’. Over what looked like a hand-knit sweater, she wore a shawl.
‘’Lovely to meet you, Cassie. Have they invited you inside?’’ She shot looks at Fred and George, who were mumbling apologies.
‘’Oh no, it’s fine, thank you, really,’’ I declined politely, smiling sincerely, ‘’I need to get home anyway, my Mum is probably worried.’’
‘’No worries, you can come by anytime you like, dear.’’ She gave me another smile before turning to her sons again. ‘’Where’s your brother?’’
‘’Which one?’’ Fred and George asked at the same time.
‘’I’m here!’’ Ron piped up, hopping out of the bush and running behind his mother. She brushed off his clothing.
‘’Ronald, why were you hiding?’’ she asked, wiping a smudge of dirt from his nose. He shot me a look.
‘’Long story, Mum. Anyway, I’m hungry. Can we go eat now?’’ he whined, running inside the house.
Mrs. Weasley just shook her head. ‘’Come on, boys. Your father should be getting home soon. It was nice to meet you, Cassie.’’ Her motherly face smiled once more before she turned and walked back inside.
Fred and George just looked at me.
‘’Your Mum seems really sweet,’’ I said, trying to break the awkward silence.
‘’Yeah, just be careful, though,’’ George warned.
‘’Next time you come over, you’ll go home having gained a good ten pounds,’’ Fred replied.
‘’The woman is a fantastic cook, but she insists on feeding everyone until their feet are no longer visible,’’ George shuddered.
I raised an eyebrow. ‘’Then how are you two like a pair of string beans?’’
They shrugged in unison. ‘’We have fast metabolisms.’’
I looked at them skeptically. ‘’If I come back tomorrow, can you tell me more about Hogwarts?’’
They exchanged looks before nodding.
‘’We’ll have to run a few tests first,’’ George said, scratching his nose.
‘’We’re really not supposed to tell anyone about it unless they’re…well, see you tomorrow, then!’’ Fred finished quickly,
And with that, he and his brother waved, disappearing into the magnificent, lopsided house.
‘’What do you mean, ‘you’re not supposed to tell anyone unless they’re...’ …unless they’re what?!’’ I yelled.
They didn’t come out of the house again, so, sighing in frustration, I walked back home, alone in the dark.
They said they’d see me tomorrow, and they did. I returned the next day, and just like they’d said, their mother fed me until I could barely walk. After some persuasion, I’d gotten their younger brother Ron to stop fleeing every time I came into the room.
The twins took me outside and performed these ‘’tests’’. At first, I thought they were off their rocker. They were trying to get me mad at them to see what I’d do, and when they’d actually pissed me off, a branch from the tree we were near literally came to life and knocked them over.
At first, I was panicking. It’d scared me so much that I wanted to go home. That is, until the twins sat me down and told me about Hogwarts.
‘’Have you ever been able to do things…abnormal? Like what you just did with the branch?’’ Fred asked calmly, seeing the state I was in. I had to think for a minute.
‘’Well…this one time, when I was eight, this girl in my class spilt apple juice all over my skirt…and...her teddy bear started ripping off its own limbs. But I couldn’t have done that, could I?’’
George nodded. ‘’Underage witches and wizards, like us, don’t know how to control our emotions yet. So sometimes, when we’re really mad or sad, we can do things...without wands.’’
I stared at both of them in disbelief. ‘’Witches? Wizards? Wands? What are you telling me?’’ They didn’t answer. ‘’Are you saying that I’m a witch?!’’
‘’Yes, ma’am.’’ The looks on their faces were completely and utterly serious. I had to let it sink in.
‘’That’s…actually pretty cool. So, wait, do I get a wand too?’’
‘’You do right before you start school,’’ said Fred. ‘’When a witch or wizard turns eleven, they can start going to school at Hogwarts. You get a wand and everything. We’ll be starting this September.’’
‘’I’m eleven!’’ I exclaimed. I was starting to get excited. ‘’Do I get to go with you?’’
‘’Well, you said your parents are muggles, right?’’ George asked.
‘’What’s a muggle?’’ I asked.
‘’Non-magical people,’’ they said at the same time.
‘’Oh…well, I think so, yes. They’re muggles. Go on.’’
‘’So, I think someone from the school will show up sometime soon and explain what Hogwarts is about,’’ Fred continued. ‘’At least, that’s what happened to our older brother Charlie’s friend before he started. Oh, and they also send a letter to your house.’’
And just like they’d said, less than a week later, a letter showed up on our doorstep, informing my parents that I was eligible to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My brother Devon, though he wouldn’t admit it at the time, was jealous, and spent even more time out of the house than usual. Dad believed it to be rubbish, until Mum revealed the fact that her mother was a witch, too.
The letter itself read:

Dear Ms. Bains,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

With it came a train ticket that read:
London to Hogwarts
For One Way Travel
Platform 9 ¾
Another paper arrived with the letter, listing the clothing necessary for the school uniform, course books, and other equipment, such as a wand, cauldron, and a telescope. First years, such as the twins and myself, weren’t allowed to own a broomstick. We could, however, own an owl, a cat or a toad.
Immediately, I wanted to get an owl.
My Mum met Mrs. Weasley a week before term started. She kindly offered to take me with her, Fred, George, and their older brothers, Percy and Charlie, to Diagon Alley to get our school supplies. It took some effort, but eventually, I was allowed to go.
It’s amazing how much your life can change in just a matter of weeks. In one moment, you’re helping your Mum cook supper, or feeding the fish in your backyard pond. But in the blink of an eye, you’re shopping for your first wand, or naming your new tawny owl Nestor.
Fred, George and I developed a close bond that even now, in our final year at Hogwarts, remains good and strong. But if there’s one thing that I wish I could’ve seen earlier, it’d be their uncanny ability to prank everyone in sight, myself included.
Nonetheless, I’ve learned to love them, faults and all. In times like these, though, one really does need to remember who their friends are. In the end, we are our own greatest weapon. And when the world’s most dangerous dark wizard returns to power, weapons are an extreme necessity.