The Last Marauders: Year Two

“We’ve got nothing until after lunch.” Ryan noted as Professor Snape was handing out course schedules at breakfast the next morning. “Brilliant. I need to practice.”
“For?” Daphne asked, tucking her schedule in her cloak.
“Quidditch. Tryouts are next week, Daph.”
She heard a snort from down the table. Marcus Flint, tall, broad, and rather unintelligent, shook his head at her. “Only open spot I’ve got is Seeker and I’ve already got someone in mind.”
“That’s not fair.” Ryan retorted. “I can fly.”
“So can a hippogriff, Black. I said no.”
“Ry, you don’t even have a broom.” Daphne said gently.
Ryan blinked back tears. “Yeah. I was hoping I could talk my godfather into getting me a used one, though, if I made the team.”
“What a baby.” Flint snorted again, laughing at her. “Can’t be a crybaby if you wanna play.”
Ryan left breakfast early and headed to the library. She wiped her eyes after she got out of the Great Hall and found a seat at her favorite table, overlooking the lake. Scouring the books on Transfiguration, she found one from last year she’d wanted to read and took it to the table. Skimming through the pages, she found the chapter on animagi.
It wasn’t long before she forgot all about Flint’s bad attitude and started taking notes on how to become an animagus, although, reading through the book, not everything was written down for students. She closed the book, frowning. Who could she ask though? Her eyes drifted to the restricted section and she suddenly smiled. She grabbed her parchment, re-shelved the book, and rushed out to find Harry, still at breakfast. “Hi, I have a question.” She said without greeting him.
Smoke rose up from a red envelope in front of Ron and both boys’ faces were slightly pink. “Okay?”
Ryan leaned closer. “I heard that you managed to sneak into the restricted section last year. How?”
Harry’s eyes flickered to Ron and Hermione for a minute. “Um-”
“Look, I’m not going to tell anyone. I want to get in there too.” She said. “Please, Harry.”
“Fine.” He dropped his voice down to a whisper. “I have an invisibility cloak. You can borrow it Wednesday night after Astronomy.”
“Really? Thank you!” She grinned happily. “Good, because you owe me for ignoring my letters this summer.”
“I didn’t get anyone’s letters. There was a complication from a house-elf and then the barrier didn’t let Ron and I through.”
“That’s why you weren’t on the train. Malfoy was giddy, thinking you’d died or something. How did you not get expelled?”
“No idea, probably just lucky. What are you wanting that’s in the restricted section, anyways?”
“Just looking up transfiguration things. I want to get better at it.”
“Well, now you’ll owe me. And don’t lose the cloak.”
“I won’t, I promise.”
“And don’t tell anyone about it.”
“Harry, relax.” She smiled. “You can trust me.”
“Right.” He finished the last of his breakfast. “I’m going to the pitch. Wanna come?”
Ryan, Hermione, and Ron all followed him outside. Hermione sat on the ground and opened a book to read while the others ran to the broom shed. Harry grabbed his Nimbus 2000 while Ron and Ryan grabbed one of the old Cleansweeps. They took to the air, flying high. Ron and Ryan were trying to catch up to Harry, but as their brooms were years older, it wasn’t working.
Ron eventually gave up first, touching back down by Hermione. Ryan steadily climbed higher in the air, finally flying alongside Harry. “You trying out for Quidditch this year?” He asked as they hovered above the pitch.
She scowled. “Flint’s a git. Told me he’s not doing tryouts even though we need a Seeker because he’s already got someone.”
“Really? That’s dumb.”
“Wouldn’t do me any good, anyways, not on this broom.” She sighed. “Oh well. Maybe I can ask for a better one for Christmas.”
“You’re a pretty good flier, though, even on the school broom.”
Ryan’s face flushed. “Thanks, Harry.”
He grinned at her. “Wanna race?”
Even knowing he would win, she grinned back. “You’re on, Potter.”
With that, they took off, lapping the pitch. Harry landed in front of their friends seconds before she did. “Whoo!” He cheered. “That was fun!”
“If I get a broom for Christmas, we’ve got a rematch.” She stated as they walked back to the broom shed.
The two shook hands. “Deal.” Harry agreed. “Even though I’ll win again.”
“If you do, I’ll do your Potions essay for you.” Ryan said. “But if I win, you have to wear a Slytherin tie all day.”
“Better get ready to write two essays.” He smirked. “I’m not going to lose.”
“It’s time for lunch, you two.” Hermione called, her book under her arm.
Ryan left her friends at their table, going to sit by Daphne. “Where were you all morning?” Her roommate asked.
“Flying around. Tried to race Harry on the school brooms. He won, obviously.”
Daphne giggled. “I’m sure once you get your own broom, you’ll win.”
“That’s what I told him.”
The two girls ate, and after heading back to their dorm to grab their bags, they headed to Professor Binns’ classroom, taking the seats from their previous year. As students filed in, Malfoy took the seat directly behind Ryan. Elijah slid into the seat in front of her, talking to some of his housemates. “Good summer?” She asked him, tapping his shoulder.
“Yeah, you?”
“Yeah, it was fun.”
When Professor Binns floated through the wall, he immediately began droning on about the long lasting effects from the Werewolf Code of Conduct and how it shaped modern laws. Ryan started taking notes; the scratching of the quills and the professor’s dry voice were soon the only things heard in the classroom.
Elijah caught up with Ryan and Daphne on their way to Transfiguration. “I spent a week in Barcelona this summer.” He bragged. “Hopefully I’ll get to go back.”
Daphne shared a smirk with Ryan before she spoke. “That’s really cool, Holmes. All I did was spend a couple months in my family’s Grecian home. Barcelona’s much cooler.”
Ryan snorted quietly at Elijah’s deflation. “I just moved in with my godfather, so the only travelling I did was to Diagon Alley, if that makes you feel better.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Sorry.” Daphne giggled. “I’ve never been to Spain. Is it pretty?”
“Oh, yeah.” He perked up with Daphne’s apology. “I’ve never been to Greece. How’s that?”
“Amazing. I’m going to see if Mum and Dad will let me bring a few friends this summer.” She paused in their conversation to address the brunette Slytherin that had just passed them. “Tor, the defense classroom is the other way.”
“Thanks, Daph.” The girl beamed, turning around and continuing down the hallway.
“Sister?” Elijah asked.
“Yeah, that’s Astoria.”
They slid into their seats for Transfiguration, Ryan taking a seat up front like last year. She was excited; this was one of her favorite classes. Professor McGonagall tapped the board, revealing instructions for their first lesson, and handed them all one beetle. “Today, you will turn this beetle into a button. The incantation and wand movement is on the board.”
Ryan glanced down at her yellow and black beetle, covering it with her hand, as she looked back up to the board, practicing the movement. When she thought she’d gotten it down, she moved her hand. Holding her wand, she said the spell, and the beetle froze mid-scurry, and there was a nice little button on her desk. “Well done, Ms. Black. Ten points to Slytherin.”