The Last Maruaders: Year One

Chapter 5: Halloween (Ryan's POV)

Halloween morning arrived, bringing colder weather and a letter for Ryan. "Hey, this came for you." Daphne handed her a letter when she sat down at the table for breakfast. "Malfoy tried to open it."

"What? I'm just curious."

"Why? You just found out she's your cousin. Give the girl a break."

He rolled his eyes, going back to his conversation with Crabbe and Goyle about Harry. Ryan carefully opened the letter, seeing her caretaker's wobbly handwriting.

Dear Ryan,

I'm sure you weren't planning on coming back for the holiday, but I must ask you to reconsider. A nice young man is claiming to be your godfather and wants to meet you. I think he might want to adopt you. Isn't that exciting?

Sabine

Daphne, who was reading it over her shoulder, squealed. "Oh Merlin, Ryan, that's wonderful!"

"Yeah, I guess." Ryan folded up the letter and stood up. "I've got to grab my essay for Snape before class. Save me a seat?"

"I'll try."

She managed to walk into class just as Snape was leaving his office. He paid her no attention as she sat down between Daphne and Harry. "Essays on your desks." He said, waiting for everyone to rummage through their bags to find them before he summoned them to his desk in a neat pile. "Instructions for the Wiggenweld Potion are on the board."

Ryan and Daphne went to their assigned table to start brewing. Ryan gathered all the ingredients she'd need first, placing the pile between her cauldron and Daphne's. She'd quickly learned to be quiet in Snape's class and he usually left her alone. As the students worked, he sat at his desk, grading their essays.

She kept checking the board, dutifully following the directions, and her potion was the exact shade of red it should be. She grabbed her five lionfish spines and added them, heating up her cauldron. Snape was walking around, peering into everyone's cauldrons. He said nothing to her as he passed. "It's supposed to be yellow at this point, Mr. Potter. Does that look yellow to you?"

"No, Professor, but I haven't added the lionfish yet."

"Two points from Gryffindor for your attitude."

Ryan and Harry made eye contact and she offered him a sympathetic smile. "What are you smiling about, Black?" Snape turned to her.

"Nothing, Professor Snape."

"Two points from Slytherin."

"For what?" Ryan asked in disbelief.

Snape didn't answer her. Instead, he went back to his desk to finish grading.

At the end of class, she carefully bottled her bright turquoise Wiggenweld Potion and placed it on his desk. As she turned to clean her desk off, she noticed Harry with his. It was a little darker than it should have been. "How'd yours turn out?" She asked.

"Not too bad. Don't know what I did wrong but it didn't go to the right color." He shrugged. "Oh well."

"Better luck next time, yeah?"

"Yeah." They ended up walking out of class together, as both of their friends were still finishing up the potions. "So, you live in an orphanage?"

"North Star in Tottenham. It's not too bad; Sabine's the caretaker and she's very nice." Ryan explained. "And you ended up with-"

"My aunt and uncle, both Muggles. I had no idea I was a wizard until Hagrid told me."

"Wow. I mean, I'm the only witch at the orphanage right now, but Sabine's a witch too, so I knew."