Draco's Mudblood - Draco Malfoy Fan Fiction - *Year One*

The Twins and the American

Closing her eyes was impossible.

The ride itself is mesmerising. The rolling hills of the English countryside out her window, littered with trees and flowers and patches of tall grass, shimmering in the fading afternoon light, every shade of green you could imagine. Dotted here and there are splashes of brown and white and black, the forms of cows and sheep only barely distinguishable to the eye before zipping past. The sky seemed to turn bluer, as if that were even possible, as the train pulled the load of students off to Hogwarts.

Isobel sat with her back to the rest of the booth, completely entranced. The booth was packed, even with two of its former occupants off on some adventure. The other three girls in the booth were squished together, one of them pushing against Isobel to get away from one of the other boys, the one who stayed behind when the others left, who was messing with a small box in front of him and threatening the girls with mischievous looks.

"C'mon you lot, it's just a spider," he grinned.

"Just a spider? Just a spider? Please, Lee, get that thing away from me," the girl next to Isobel pushed her braids over her shoulder, looking repulsed yet slightly intrigued. She smiled apologetically to Isobel before turning back to the others and getting back to their previous gossip on teachers and Quidditch and new charms they learned over the summer for their hair.

Isobel tried to immerse herself back into watching the scenery but found it strangely difficult. When she was a girl in the States, people had always claimed she must be too shy or anxious to talk, because she rarely ever did. It wasn't true, though. Isobel wasn't shy, she was actually quite bold when given the chance, but she much preferred to listen. She learned a lot more that way, listening to others rather than talking herself, just as she quickly learned that all four of the others in the cart were third year Gryffindors, minus a girl named Katie who was a second year Gryffindor, and they were horribly obsessed with Quidditch.

She'd been listening to them talk about the Gryffindor captain Oliver when the booth shook, the door banging open, causing everyone to jump in their seats. Two boys, the ones who left earlier, ran through the door and banged it shut behind them, ducking down frantically. One of the boys put a finger to his lips, hushing the compartment. As if on cue a group of angry looking kids stormed past the window. Time seemed to slow, eyes wide with confusion and a hint of fear, before the same group of boys went back the way they had come, defeated.

"Merlin, that was close."

"But worth it."

"So worth it."

Now the boys stand in unison, lifting their sweaters up to release a waterfall of candies and sweets. Striped boxes that rattled like maracas as they fell, orange pastries wrapped in plastic, dark purple and silver metal tins, packages of thin black candies, little red balls with the design of a wizard breathing fire on the front, cakes in the shape of grey cauldrons, lollies the size of Isobel's face, and so much more. The boys held up their hands, each holding small cans of 'Exploda Soda'.

Lee cheered victoriously as he reached for a pastry to rip open. "I was craving a Pumpkin Pasty! Thanks guys."

"Not a problem," the boys said, and sat, in unison. Everything they did was in sync, like a mirror reflection of the other.

Everything about them was identical, too. Their fiery red hair, the dark freckles scattered over their cheeks, their height and the length of their lanky legs. They even wore identical outfits, this saggy grey and black knitted sweater that was trying (and failing, it seemed) to be a turtleneck. Their brown eyes held the same, mischievous glint.

They offered the rest of the compartment the Exploda Sofas they'd been holding, and one of them twisted to look at Isobel. "Catch."

"NO FRED!" One of the girls shrieked.

Fred jumped and lowered his hand. "Geez, woman, I'm just trying to be nice." He handed the soda to Isobel instead, then smiled and winked at her. "Cheers, mate."

"Oh, uh, thank you."

The other boy turned to Isobel at the sound of her voice. "Ooh, an American?"

Isobel noded. It was strange being the centre of their fascination.

She didn't have a chance to say anything else anyway. The other boy had stood up, leaning over the legs of Lee and the girl beside him, and he stuck out his hand to Isobel. "George Weasley."

Fred mimicked his brother and stuck his own hand out. "George Weasley."

"Here we go again," Lee whispered to the other girls in the cart.

"What? No, no no no, I'm George," George, or Fred?, retracted his hand and stared at his brother.

"No you're not,"

"Yes I am. We agreed on that this morning, remember? I get to be George today."

"No, it's my turn to be George,"

"Then who am I supposed to be?"

"George,"

"So you're Fred and I'm George?"

"No you're George and I'm Fred,"

"That's what I've just-"

The other boy huffed out his chest. "I'm the real Fred."

"No, I'm the real Fred."

"Then who am I?"

"Not Fred, that's for sure. I'm better looking."

"Oh now you've taken it too far, you twat-"

"Boys!" The girl next to Isobel interrupted them with a swipe of her leg to their shins.

"What?" They shouted back in unison.

She rolled her eyes. "Would you two knock it off? Look at the poor girl, you're confusing her." She turned to Isobel. Her brown eyes swam with amusement. "Boys, amiright?"

Isobel couldn't help but laugh too. "Boys."

Fred and George sat down again and sassily crossed their legs (in unison, of course), huffing now that their fun is over. The girl across from Isobel in the booth giggled and looked to Isobel. "Now we know neither of those idiots know their own names," she stuck out her hand, and Isobel took it. "I'm Katie Bell." She pointed to the girl beside Isobel. "That's Angelina Johnson, that's Lee Jordan," she turned to her half of the compartment. "This is Alicia Spinnet, and, well, the twins."

"Don't bother trying to tell them apart, either, they're right nightmares about that," Angelina nudged Isobel's shoulder, smirking.

Isobel laughed as they gawked at Angelina. "I'm Isobel Anderson."

"Wait, nightmare? Who are you calling a nightmare?" One of the twins scowled.

Angelina shrugged, smiling to herself.

A rush of confidence buzzed its way through Isobel's veins. She drew her shoulders back. It was a fifty fifty shot, after all. "It's nice to meet all of you," she addressed the whole booth, then to the twins specifically. "Fred," she said to one, "and George," she said to the other.

She wasn't sure if she got it right, there was no physical way to tell them apart, but she just kind of knew.

The Weasley twins looked between each other, then back to her. "Wrong."

She smiled. She had the Weasley Twins nailed. "No, I'm not."

Matching grins of approval broke out over their faces. "We like you already, American."