The Last Maruaders: Year One

Chapter Eleven: Something's Starting (Ryan's POV)

Dear Mr. James,

Hello, sorry for not writing you sooner. I've been busy with homework and hanging out with my friends. I was just wondering if you are still wanting me to live with you? I would like to, if it's still okay. But if not, that's also okay. Sabine takes very good care of all of us.

Ryan

She sealed the letter and took it to the owlery to send it a week before final exams were scheduled. As she passed a classroom up ahead, she heard someone whimpering. She stopped to see if she should check on them or not. "No -- no -- not again, please --" Professor Quirrell's voice was full of fear. Ryan moved a little closer to the halfway open door. "All right -- all right --" She heard Quirrell sob. It sounded almost like someone was threatening him.

His footsteps drew closer to the door and Ryan shrank against the wall right before the professor ran out, straightening his turban. As soon as he was out of sight, she looked into the classroom, and hit her head. "Ow!" Harry drew back, rubbing the side of his head.

"Oh, sorry!" Ryan apologized, wincing and rubbing her head.

"Did you hear that?" He asked.

"Yes! Who was threatening our poor professor?"

"Snape probably." Harry said bitterly, entering the classroom, and heading for the open door on the other side of the room before he stopped. "I better not."

"Don't want to lose any more points?" Ryan joked, her laugh dying in her throat at the look on his face. "Sorry."

"It's okay." He sighed. "I gotta go back to the library. Want to come?"

"Sure." She walked alongside him. "What are you doing for the summer?"

"Going back to the Dursleys, unfortunately." He frowned. "You?"

"Apparently I have a godfather. And I think he wants me to live with him."

"That would be awesome." He smiled. "Wish I had a godfather to rescue me."

"Yeah." Ryan's chest hurt at the thought she couldn't tell Harry who she thought her godfather was. "Maybe you'll be free soon."

"Yeah."

They found Hermione testing Ron on Astronomy. "I just overheard Quirrell being threatened by someone. Probably Snape."

"What?"

"Yeah." Ryan added, sitting down by Ron. "I overheard it too."

"Snape's done it, then!" Ron exclaimed. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell --"

"There's still Fluffy, though," Hermione whispered, trying to keep from drawing any attention to the foursome..

"Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," Ron continued as if he didn't hear his friend, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?"

The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could.

"Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure."

"But we've got no proof!" said Harry. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor -- who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining."

Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't.

"If we just do a bit of poking around --"

"No," said Harry flatly, "we've done enough poking around."

"Wait." Ryan interjected finally. "Fill me in. I'm confused."

Harry pointedly ignored her, pulling a map of Jupiter to him to study.

Hermione turned to her, forgetting about Ron for a minute. "We found a three-headed dog on the third floor near the beginning of the term. And when Harry went to Gringotts to get his money out for school, Hagrid picked something up for Dumbledore there, as well, which happened to be the philosopher's stone."

"And then, Snape tried to get past the dog on Halloween. He let the troll in. And he failed." Ron added.

"Is that why he was limping for a bit?" Ryan asked curiously, leaning forward. "And he has been threatening Quirrell. Harry and I overheard them in the forest a few weeks ago."

"Exactly." Ron smacked his hand on the table. "We've got to do something."

"Ron, we can't." Hermione argued. "We'll get expelled."

"But I can." Ryan's blue eyes twinkled. "If the school's in danger, I want to help."

"No." Harry said sharply. "Whatever's going on, Dumbledore can handle it."

Ryan scoffed, getting to her feet, and left the library, her mind racing.

At dinner that evening, she plopped herself down at the Hufflepuff table, right across from Elijah. "Can I help you?" He asked, staring at her.

"Maybe. Can you meet me in the library tonight?"

"Why?"

"Because, the school's in danger. And we need to help Harry."

"With what? Losing more points for Gryffindor and Hufflepuff? No thanks."

"No, not that." She said dismissively. "I can't explain it here. Just meet me in the library. And get Oscar too."

She returned to the library after everyone had begun to clear out, finding both boys waiting for her. "What's going on, amiga?" Oscar asked quietly.

Ryan sat down before telling them everything she knew. "So we've got to help. They can't do much right now."

"You know, I overheard them in the library talking with Hagrid about the stone." Elijah spoke up. "But why should we help?"

"Because, Elijah, someone's got to do something."