Prisoner of Azkaban pt1
They looked over to see Professor Snape standing, his wand pointing outward and up the stairs where the black creature was skulking away from the light. Once it was gone he turned back to the girls.
“And where is your third appendage?” He asked, refuting no doubt to Ginny.
“W-what… what was that thing?” Ryleigh asked, hand still clapped tightly with Lunas.
“A dementor, Azkaban prison guard. Come along.” He said and then led them down stairs where a group of teachers had gathered.
“Ms Walsh, Ms Lovegood, are you alright?” Dumbledore asked kindly.
“The dementors need to be told to stay away from the castle Albus.” McGonagall said and Snape nodded.
“These girls were just sitting in the tower and it approached them.” Snape explained.
“The dementors were doing a preliminary sweep of the school before the students arrival. They will be forbidden from school grounds as soon as the train arrives.” Dumbledore explained. “I’m very sorry that they startled you girls, I wasn’t aware that you would be here.”
“I… I’m sorry if we weren’t supposed to be up in the tower sir, we couldn’t find anyone so we just thought we’d wait..” Ryleigh explained and the man just held up his hands to silence her.
“No harm was done Ms Walsh. The dementors have already swept the main wing of the castle so you girls stay there until they are finished.” And they nodded.
Snape raised a brow watching the interaction.
“Ms. Walsh, if you would come with me.” Snape said and she nodded. Watching as Luna hung back and waited for her.
“Did you make your improved list for our meeting?” He asked.
She nodded.
“Tomorrow at 3 you have no class I believe.”
She nodded again.
“My office then.”
And she nodded a final time then he walked away. Luna approached.
“You know you’re the only Gryffindor he likes.”
“He doesn’t like me, he tolerates me, there’s a difference.”
“That’s true.”
They decided to go and wait in the courtyard, but under the coverings not in the greens as the rain was still pouring down.
“What classes will we have together?” Ryleigh asked and Luna pulled out her schedule.
“Looks like we transfiguration and defense against the dark arts together.” Luna said
“Do you know who will be the professor this year?” Ryleigh asked and it was met with a shrug.
They spend the rest of the day getting a jump on their unpacking. First in Ravenclaw with Luna’s things and then in Gryffindor once she’d gotten a password for the year from Professor McGonagall. They changed into their school robes and went to wait in the great hall for the rest of the students. They arrived in scattered groups as they exited the thestral pulled carriages, which Luna and Ryleigh could both see clearly, and made their way to their house tables. When enough people started filing in Luna took her leave to Ravenclaw table and Ryleigh waited for Ginny. Students gathered at their tables and watched as the choir group stood to sing.
Ginny finally found her way to Ryleigh after entering behind Harry Ron and Hermione.
“Sorry!” Ginny whispered as she sat down.
Ryleigh laughed, “how was Egypt big shot?”
Ginny rolled her eyes, “how’d you see that? You mum doesn’t get the daily prophet.”
“Luna brought it when she came to stay.”
Ginny looked at her and wiggled her eyebrows. Ryleigh blushed and shoved her away.
They watched as the new first years were sorted into their houses then a choir stood at the end and sang.
When the choir was finished with the song Dumbledore stood in front of the crowd at his podium.
“Welcome welcome, to another year at Hogwarts. Now, I’d like to say a few words before we all become to befuddled by our excellent feast. First, I’m please to welcome Professor R.J. Lupin, who’s kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Good luck Professor.”
They clapped for the man that stood, he was scraggly looking, when Ryleigh saw him, especially sitting next to Snape who was so well dressed, this new professor looked like a kind librarian man that perhaps lived in his library.
She could hear Draco whispering something to Harry further down the table and looked to Ginny who shrugged. Dumbledore went on, announcing Hagrid as the new care of magical creatures Professor.
“Finally, on a more disquieting note, at the request of the ministry for magic, Hogwarts will, until further notice, play host to the dementors of Azkaban, until such a time as Sirius Black is captured. The dementors have been stationed at every entrance of the ground. Now, whilst I’ve been assured that their presence will not disrupt our day to day activities…a word of caution. Dementors are vicious creatures, they will not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one who gets in their way. Therefore I must warn each and every one of you, give them no reason to harm you. It is not in the nature of a dementor to be forgiving. But you know, happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on a light.”
Ryleigh looked to Ginny and they both rolled their eyes.
Xx
That night they could hear the boys in the dorm across laughing and making animal sounds. Ginny was seated in the edge of Ryleighs bed whispering and chatting with a few other girls while Ryleigh herself was sitting in the window sill. Her potions text was open on her lap but she was looking straight out into the stormy night. The floating dementors keeping her attention.
Xx
Ryleigh, Ginny and Luna were seated in the transfiguration class waiting for Professor McGonagall to begin.
“We will start the year off by seeing how much stuck with you over your summer holiday.” She said and looked around for who seemed to be lacking attention.
“Ah yes, mr Creevey. Come on up here then.”
…
Xx
She and Snape were seated in his office, he had a potions base brewing on the table behind him.
“Okay, this is what I have so far. Steel Skin Potion. Makes your skin impenetrable for a number of hours, protects against physical charms and hexes as well as weapons.
Ingredients: belladonna, benzoar, dittany, 3 flitterby, 2 powdered griffin claw, mallowsweet.”
He seemed to think about these for a while before he nodded.
“Next you’ll need practical test.” He said and held out his hand, “your schedule?” She handed him the parchment with her schedule on it and he took a quill, marking something.
“You’re free 4th block.” She nodded.
“You’ll be in the potions lab then. You are only permitted to brew when I am present however.” He said and she beamed.
“Thank you sir!”
“This is extra work not a gift Ms Walsh.”
“I know but—“
“Dismissed”
She stood from her chair and gathered her things.
She looked back at him once before she made her leave.
“Professor?” She asked. “Last year you mentioned having known my Grandmother… I wondered if you would tell me about how you knew her?” She asked.
“Another time.”
Xx
“Did you hear that Draco let himself get attacked by a hippogryph?” Ginny asked as they sat at the great hall table for dinner.
“I heard that he walked himself right up to it even after Hagrid explained why no one should do that.” Ryleigh said with a laugh perhaps a bit louder than necessary. The Slytherin table looked over at her with glaring eyes.
She met them with an indifferent stare.
“Got something to say Walsh?” Pansy said and spun around to face her directly.
“Sure, Draco only got hurt because he didn’t listen. He can complain all he wants but that’s the truth— if he wasn’t an arrogant prick he wouldn’t have gotten his ass beat by an animal Harry Potter had just finished riding.”
Pansy looked her up and down then looked at the pair of boys at her side.
“You don’t know a thing about it.” She finally settled on with a clear menace in her voice. Then she and her minions stood and left.
When she turned around Ginny and a handful of other Gryffindor students were staring at her, eyes wide and mouth open but not speaking.
“I am so glad the hat put you in Gryffindor… you would have been so scary in Slytherin.” Ginny finally said and then broke out laughing.
Ryleigh shoved her and blushed.
Ron looked down the table at them, “right on Walsh, Malfoy is a right prick.”
Hermione slapped his chest gently, “shut it Ron, you’ll get in trouble.”
Ron shrugged.
Xx
Having a competent Professor for Defense Against the dark arts was refreshingly strange. He was just as scraggly and frumpy looking close up as she’d noticed in the great hall, but he looked kind and like he cared about them, quite unlike Lockhart last year.
“Good afternoon everyone, I’m Professor Lupin.” He said as she approached the class. They were all standing around a cabinet that shook almost violently.
“What is it sir?” Someone asked.
“Ah yes, that sir, is a boggart in there. Does anyone know what a boggart is?” He asked the class and they all shook their heads.
“A boggart is a shapeshifter, it will take on the form of your greatest fear as soon as you look at it. No one know what it truly looks like.”
They all shifted slightly.
“Now. You’re my first class so we’re going to take things a bit slow. There is a simple incantation used to stop the boggart. Repeat after me. ‘Riddikulus’”
“Riddikulus” they said back to him.
“Very good, now. What really finishes of a boggart is laughter.”
He turned to the cabinet then back to the crowd. “Can we get a volunteer?” He asked.
No one offered.
“Come on now. Anyone? How about you Ginny?” He asked and Ginny looked around.
“Um…. Alright.” She said and moved closer to him.
“Now then, take out your wand. When I release it you’ll say the incantation, and we will all laugh with you? Got it?” She nodded and he flicked his own wand, opening the cabinet.
The cabinet was dark and still as soon as it opened, from the ground a black leather diary began floating up, it’s pages flying open and ink appearing.
“Go on then Ginny, say the incantation.”
“Riddikulus” she said with a pointed action.
The diary transformed then into a tiny fly pig flapping about. They all laughed together at the sight.
“Very good very good. Now, let’s have you go next then Luna.” He suggested and the girl stepped forward. Ryleigh watched closely as she stood in front of the pig and it began to transform.
In front of her stood her father, a scraggly blonde man. As soon as he was stood before her though he fell to his knees and crumbled to the ground, presumably dead.
Luna gasped loudly and Ryleigh was at her side instantaneously, blocking her view. The boggart transformed again then to an image of Ryleighs house, there was fire shooting from the windows and she could hear her mother and siblings screaming from inside.
She clenched her jaw tight and whipped out her wand, “riddikulus” she said.
From the side Lupin had been just about to step in when she transformed the burning house into a birthday cake with sparkler candles.
She stared ahead at it with not a single ounce of laughter. The group behind her though laughed and Lupin cast a wordless spell pushing the boggart back into the wardrobe.
“W-well done girls—“ he started and Ryleigh ignored him, she turned back around to Luna and looked her in the eye.
“Are you okay?” She asked and Luna nodded.
“Loony Luna ruining class again.” Someone said behind them and she looked around protectively for who said it.
“Come on, let’s go—“ Ryleigh said, taking Lunas hand and leading her through the crowd.
Lupin watched them go, he looked at Ginny who was looking back at him for permission to follow them and he nodded. Ginny jogged after her friends catching up quickly and closing the door to DADA behind them.
“That’s enough of that i think for today.” He said awkwardly.
Xx
Ryleigh, Luna and Ginny all sat on a bench in the courtyard.
“Listen… I’ll apologize to Professor Lupin so you guys don’t get in trouble for skipping okay?” Ryleigh said and the other girls shook their heads.
“Don’t be daft, you haven’t anything to apologize for Ry, it wasn’t right how he did that.” Ginny said.
“How was he supposed to know what they’d turn into?” Luna asked.
“Well he wasn’t, and isn’t that the point? We’re just kids…” Ryleigh said.
“but we’ll need to learn it eventually…” Luna said.
“I suppose.” Ryleigh replied. “I still don’t think it was appropriate.”
“Yeah but you handled it like a pro Ry.” Ginny said, “birthday candles and all.”
Ryleigh smiled, “I didn’t even picture anything for my fear it just… came out that way.” She said and shivered thinking about her family again.
“Loosing my dad would make me all alone.” Luna said, “that’s why mine was him.. dead.”
Ryleigh nodded, “mine too, mam, Ro and Quinn are all I have and…”
“And mine was just that stupid diary!” Ginny said, trying to lighten the mood. They laughed.
“Makes sense though doesn’t it? After last year?” Ryleigh asked and Ginny shrugged, “guess so.”
They sat together for a few minutes longer.
“You’ve got to go Ry, you have extra potions with Professor miserable.” Ginny said.
Ryleigh rolled her eyes and stood.
“I left my thing in defense, see you guys later?” She said and both girls nodded.
She rushed off back to the DADA classroom where all the students had already filed out. Remus was left in the room cleaning up.
“Excuse me Professor..” she said and he looked up.
“I’m sorry about before, if I was rude or..”
“No apologies Ryleigh, you were right, the second years are perhaps a bit young for this lesson, but it is an important one to learn non-the-less.”
She nodded.
“You handled it quite well.” He said and she smiled, “thanks… I couldn’t laugh at it though.”
“No, but you will learn.” He leaned forward, “and that’s why your friends helped you, like you helped Luna when she needed it.”
She smiled again and looked at the clock.
“I’ve got to go, I have a potions workshop—“ she said and grabbed her things then rushed out.
She made it to the potions room only 5 minutes late but he looked as irritated as ever.
“So sorry professor, I was talking with Professor Lupin and —“
“I don’t care.” Snape said although Ryleigh would beg to differ based on his voice.
“Let’s begin.” He said and she took out her things.