The Difference in Reality [A Harry Potter Fanfiction]

Year 1: Chapter 3

"Psst, Willow!" a voice whispered.

"What?" Willow hissed sleepily.

"Wake up!"

Willow sat up, rubbing her eyes. She glanced at the clock, which read four thirty. Willow returned her gaze to the two figures in her door frame.

"What could you possibly want to do at four thirty?"

"Just get dressed! Come on!"

The twins shut the door. Willow, not at all bothered by the time, obeyed. She stepped out of her and Ginny's bedroom, noiselessly closing the door.

"You needed me for something?"

"We're going to prank Ron," Fred whispered.

"On the day we go off to Hogwarts?"

"Why not?" George grinned.

"I suppose it would be funny..."

"That's the spirit, Willow!"

"Let's get it done!"

The three went into the twins' bedroom to discuss.

"Alright, we're going to make Ron think he's late," Fred began.

"We need to cover up his windows-"

"Steal his trunk-"

"And change his alarm clock."

"Then, he'll wake up-"

"And be presented with a lovely spider."

Willow smiled. "Afraid of spiders, is he?"

Fred and George nodded. "Deathly."

Willow smirked. "I'll change the clock and take the spider. You guys go ahead and do whatever you need to do first."

"Perfect."

Fred handed Willow the fake spider, enchanted to be life-like. Even Willow thought she would mistake it for a real one if she hadn't any prior knowledge that it wasn't real. After a few minutes, the twins returned.

"Your turn."

Willow tiptoed into the hallway, then quietly opened Ron's door. She found his alarm clock, changed its time forward a few hours, and hung the spider from the ceiling. Its legs moved so realistically that Willow had to do a double take. When it was all set and done, Willow returned to the twins' room.

"All done," Willow concluded.

"Great!"

"Now, we wait for him to wake up."

"In the meantime, George forgot to pack his bags-"

"No I did no- !"

"- so I'm going for a walk before we're whisked away for several months. Care to join me, Willow?"

"Sure!"

George groaned and began gathering things from all corners of his room while Willow followed Fred outside. They headed for the woods. The dew in the grass soaked Willow's bare feet, but she didn't care. Willow loved getting dirty outside. A cloud of steam rose from the ditch nearby, giving the morning a wonderful serene atmosphere. Willow wondered if every morning could be like this if she lived in the country.

"Are you ready for Hogwarts?" Fred asked, his voice quiet in the stillness of the morning.

"Yes, I think so, thanks to you," Willow replied curtly. "Without you guys, I would probably have starved to death in my mom's dungeon."