North Star Orphanage
Caretaker: Sabine Wyard
Wizards: knock thrice then twice
Muggles: knock once, twice, and ring the bell
She raised her fist and followed the sign's instructions. She held her one-year-old closer, shivering slightly with the wind. A few minutes later, the old wooden door creaked open and a white haired elderly woman smiled gently at her. "Yes, miss?"
"Hi. Um, I can't-" Elora struggled to find the words she needed. "Circumstances have changed and I'm in no place to raise her."
"Not to worry, dear." She held out her hands and Elora passed her daughter over. "We'll take good care of her."
Elora vanished without another word and Sabine took the sleeping baby inside.
Ten years later
"Alright, dear, here's the station." Sabine stopped right outside King's Cross Station, her smile on her eleven-year-old ward. "You remember what I told you?"
"Walk straight through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, and you'll find the train." Ryan Black repeated. Her eyes were bright and twinkling, but the grip she kept on the handle of her worn trunk betrayed how nervous she was. "Thank you, Miss Sabine."
"Of course, Ryan." She patted her cheek. "Now you go and be good. And have fun."
Ryan nodded, waved goodbye, and walked into the train station, rolling her trunk behind her. Her initials, RAB, were barely visible, but it was the reason she bought this trunk from Diagon Alley. It already had her name on it.
She glanced around when she drew closer to the platform and after not seeing anyone, she closed her eyes and ran. She felt a warmth around her body when she passed through the barrier, stopping just shy of another new student's leg. "Sorry!" She quickly apologized.
He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Pay attention next time, will you?"
"Right." She mumbled, turning away to find somewhere to sit on the train.
"Hey, wait." She stopped, looking up at the man with warm whiskey colored eyes and a kind smile. "Do you need help with your trunk?"
"Um, yes, please."
"Great. Elijah?" He turned to the rude boy. "Help her. And don't be rude again."
"Sorry, Dad." He sighed and followed Ryan to the train.
She found an empty compartment, and together, they got her trunk loaded. "Thanks."
"Yeah, yeah." He said dismissively before heading back to his dad.
Ryan took her seat, waiting. It wasn't long before other students piled onto the train as well. A girl with bushy brown hair popped her head through the cracked door. "May I sit here? The train is filling up fast."
"Yes, please."
"I'm Hermione Granger. You are?"
"Ryan Black." The two girls shook hands.
"Did you come from the wizarding world?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Um, kind of. I grew up in an orphanage in downtown London that's ran by a witch. But the other kids aren't." Ryan answered. "You?"
"I had no idea all the weird things I could do were magic until Professor McGonagall told my parents."
"Oh wow." Ryan smiled. "Are you excited?"
"I've already read Hogwarts, A History four times." Hermione giggled. "So, yes, I'm excited."
"Oh, can I borrow it? I wanted it but I didn't have enough money."
Hermione reached into her knapsack and pulled the book out. "Here."
"Oh, thanks, Hermione!"
"Have either of you seen a toad?" A boy with a very round face had slid the door open, breathing hard. "I've lost him."
"Oh, no." Hermione immediately got to her feet. "I'll help you find him."
"Me too." Ryan followed, going toward the front of the train while Hermione and the boy headed toward the back.
As she kept a lookout for the runaway toad, she soon came face to face with a pale blonde boy. "Who're you?" He asked, somewhat rudely, his pale grey eyes looking her up and down.
"Ryan Black. Who're you?" She matched his attitude, arms crossed.
"Black, huh? I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." He held his hand out, and Ryan shook it. "What are you looking for?"
"Some kid's lost his toad." Ryan explained. "You seen anything?"
Malfoy snickered. "No, we haven't."
"What's going on?" A girl with honey blonde hair poked her head out of the next compartment.
"Some kid's lost his toad." Ryan said again. "Have you seen anything?"
"No, sorry." She smiled sympathetically. "I'm Daphne, by the way."
"I'm Ryan."
"Do you want to come sit with me?"
"Let me go back to see if that boy's found his pet, then I'll come back."
Ryan took off down the corridor, searching for Hermione and the boy. "I found him!" The boy grinned, holding up an ugly, fat toad. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome, Neville." Hermione smiled as Ryan caught up with them as Malfoy and two of his friends past them in the corridor.
"Do you want to go sit with me? There's another girl nearer to the front of the train?"
"No, thank you. I just met Harry Potter." Hermione's brown eyes sparkled. "I'm going back to talk to him."
Ryan cocked her head, confused at why this boy was a big deal. "Okay, have fun."
YOU ARE READING
The Last Maruaders: Year One
FanfictionSequel to A Second Chance. Ryan's starting her first year at Hogwarts. Raised by the caretaker in the orphanage her mother left her at, can she navigate the school's unwritten rules? How will she handle hearing her father's past for the first time...
