Her Chosen Family

Hello! I am Harper Cedrella Weasley. I am the triplet of Fred and George Weasley. You’ve probably heard of them. After all, who hasn’t? Anyways, Fred is older than George, and they’re both older than me.

I love my family to pieces, especially Charlie. He’s my favorite brother (but don’t tell anyone else that.) We get along the best, to be honest. The whole family is rambunctious except for me. I am quiet and hate talking to people. Most of the family think I’m weird, but Charlie thinks it’s okay for me to be quiet. Thank Merlin for him.

I also favorite my little sister. She is quiet too, although a bit more outspoken than I am. I don’t care though. As the only two daughters in the house, we are good friends as well as sisters.

Another weird thing about me is that I look nothing like my family. I have dirty blond hair and no freckles whatsoever. Just another reason for me to be singled out. Dad says I look like Grandma Weasley, who I am also named after. Her name is Cedrella. Honestly, I feel kinda bad for her. What kind of name is Cedrella?

This summer, I’m going to get my Hogwarts letter. I’m super excited!

“Fred, George, and Harper!” Mum shouts up the stairs. I poke my head out from my room and scamper down the stairs.

“Yes, Mum?” I ask her. She turns to me with a big smile and hands me a letter. Fred and George appear behind me and she hands them theirs. I share a smile with them, and we tear into our letters at the same time.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, GRand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards.)

Dear Miss Harper Weasley,

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 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

“We’re going to Hogwarts!” Fred and George say at the same time. I grin widely and give them a big hug.

“We’re going to Hogwarts!” I agree. They ruffle my hair, and we all hand our supply lists to Mum.

“Charlie!” I shout, banging on my older brother’s door after I run up the very many flights of stairs.

“Come in!” He yells in response. I throw open my door and jump onto his bed gleefully. “What’s got you so hyped up?” He asks.

“I got my letter!” I exclaim, throwing the said paper in his face. I pull it back and get off of his bed. I start to dance around and he laughs at my enthusiasm.

Two pairs of feet thunder up the stairs and barge into the room. I look up to see Fred and George who are grinning broadly.

“We’re going to Diagon Alley,” they chorus. I smile and bolt through the door, running to my room that neighbors Fred and George’s. I throw on a white tank top and black shorts. I slip my tennis shoes onto my feet and gallop down the stairs as I tie my crazy hair into a ponytail.

“Are you ready?” Mum asks. I nod and the rest of the family comes down the stairs. We all step by the fireplace and grab a small scoop of Floo Powder. I step into the fireplace first and throw down the powder.

“Diagon Alley!” I shout. The green flames whirl me away from the Burrow and spit me out. I stumble but catch myself before I can fall. The rest of the family comes one by one until we’re all crowded around the fireplace.

“Let’s go to Madam Malkin’s first. While you are there, your father and I can pick up your books. Bill and Harper are the only ones who need robes, so if the rest of you want to go look around, you may. Just be by the fireplace by no later than three thirty,” Mum tells us. I nod and Bill and I head off to Madam Malkins.

“Are you excited?” Bill asks me.

“Beyond. I’ve heard so many awesome stories from you guys that I absolutely cannot wait to go!” I tell him. He smiles at me and ruffles my hair.

“I am excited for you to go, too. You never shut up about it,” he jokes. I huff and cross my arms.

“I do shut up about it! It’s just I can never stand your presence, so whenever you come around, I start talking about it so you can go,” I lie. He chuckles and opens the door to Madam Malkin’s shop.

“Ah, hello, Bill,” an old lady who I assume is Madam Malkin says. “Who is this young lady?” She asks. Oh, right. My hair isn’t red.

“This, Madam Malkin, is my little sister, Harper,” Bill says. I smile shyly at her and wave a little bit.

“Oh, I am sorry. You don’t have the signature red hair, so I didn’t realize,” she says.

“It’s fine. I get that a lot,” I assure her. She smiles and ushers me to a stool where she starts measuring me, shouting measurements to her assistants.

When we leave, I have a bag of folded robes. They are all plain black and tiny so they fit me. Yes, most of my family is tall, but I got Mum’s genes, and I’m short. I’m sure I’ll hit a growth spurt soon.

“Wanna go explore?” He asks me. I smile and nod. We start walking around, just looking into store windows.

“I see my friends. Do you mind if I go?” Bill asks me.

“Of course. I’ll scream if I’m being murdered,” I joke. He rolls his eyes at me and scampers off. I keep walking, not really paying attention to where I’m going until it’s too late.

“Sorry!” I exclaim when I run into someone. I fall backwards, being the small person I am, and the other stays upright. I scramble off of the ground and brush the dirt off.

“No, I’m sorry,” the person says. I look up (only a couple inches; he seems my height) to see a boy with golden brown hair and a bright smile. “Cedric Diggory,” the boy says, sticking out his hand.

“Harper Weasley,” I tell him, shaking his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Harper,” he grins brighter.

“You too, Cedric,” I say.

“How old are you?” He asks me.

“I’m eleven. I’m going to Hogwarts this year,” I tell him, holding up my bag as if to give him a bit of proof.

“Me too, but I'll be returning as a second year!” He says brightly. “What House do you want to get in?”

“Everyone in my family has been a Gryffindor, but I don’t really know. Maybe Ravenclaw; I really like reading,” I tell him. “What House are you?”

“I'm in Hufflepuff,” he confides. Suddenly, I feel the presence of none other than my triplets behind me.

“Oh, hi!” I say to them.

“Who is this?” They ask, keeping their eyes trained on Cedric.

“I’m Cedric Diggory,” he tells them, holding out his hand.

“Fred-”

“And George-”

“Weasley,” they finish together.

“Cedric, these two are my triplets,” I tell him. He nods and turns back to my brothers.

“So, how do I tell which is which?” He asks them.

“You don’t,” they say simply.

“Harper, it’s time to go,” Fred says suddenly.

“But it’s not th-”

“Come on, Harper!” George exclaims. What is up with them?

“Bye, Cedric,” I sigh. “See you at Hogwarts!” Fred and George drag me off until we reach Charlie who looks amused by the situation.

“We found her talking to a boy!” Fred declares. Ah, so that’s what this is about.

“Hm? And what is this boy’s name?” Charlie asks.

“I don’t remember,” they grumble.

“Cedric Diggory,” I answer. “And anyways, I was just talking to him. Do you want me to be lonely at Hogwarts?” I demand.

“You won’t! You’ll have us, and we’ll be the only boys you can talk to, excluding our other brothers,” they tell me.

“No way! I’ll have zilch friends. And for your information, I don’t want a boyfriend!” I exclaim.

“So then you should be okay with hanging out with us!” George tells me.

“No. I want other boy friends,” I say, making sure to leave a large space between the words “boy” and “friend.”

“Whatever,” Fred huffs. I smile at them both and check the time.

“We should probably get going,” I tell them.

“Okay,” all three of them agree. I follow Charlie out to the fireplace in the middle of Diagon Alley where Mum and Dad wait for us.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: