Someday, I will own something of great value. This will not be Harry Potter, as J K Rowling already owns it.
The New Teacher
Ryua sat back in her seat, utterly astounded. "Loony? Or whatever your name is? Where does your father get his information?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"This article. The one with the curse about turning your enemy's ears into kumquats. It's one of the most potent transformation spells I've ever seen. You can alter it to turn any part of the body into any citrus fruit of your choice. I've read the original spell, but it's not exactly in a book you could buy in Flourish and Blotts."
"Oh. Well, he just gets it from friends, and books, and stuff."
"Stuff? Which books? Who are his friends?"
"You know... stuff. Books. Friends."
Shaking her head, Ryua turned to face Harry, who looked utterly bored. "Well, Harry, I'll see you in class, I'm sure, but I have to get to a Slytherin compartment before we stop."
"Yeah, bye." Harry said, pulling himself out of a near-nap.
Ryua had no trouble getting back to the Slytherin end, slipping into a compartment containing Ashley Snape and Cassie Darkwind. "There you two are!" she said, sitting down on the seat as if she'd been spending the entire ride looking for them and was now thoroughly exhausted.
"Hi, Ryua." Cassie said, cramming a few chocolate frogs into already full pockets.
"What's up?" Ashley said, from her bench where she was cursing flies off the ceiling.
"Well, I seem to remember you both being interested in quidditch, yes?" The two girls stopped their previous activities and swung around to watch her. "I'll take that as a yes, then. It turns out that the quidditch team is short three chasers."
"Really?"
"Who's the captain? Will he let us on?"
"Yes. Me. And, yes. That is, if you do well enough at tryouts..." she was interrupted by a chorus of excited squeals. Before, it hadn't mattered how good a girl was, she wasn't getting on that team. If Ryua hadn't smuggled her way on, it'd still be that way. Now, though, she smiled and said, "Well, I guess I'll just have to let you know when tryouts are, won't I?"
"Yeah. This is so cool!"
Ashley leaned back on her bench and said, "I'm surprised Dumbledore let you have the position."
"Why? What'd she do?" Cassie asked, whipping around to face her friend.
"Don't you read the Daily Prophet?"
"Just the cartoons."
"You'll never learn anything that way. Ryua got in a bit of trouble with the Ministry."
"Really? Doing what?" Cassie asked, spinning around to face Ryua again.
She sighed. "I was attacked by Blaise Zabini. When he... was really getting dangerous, I killed him. By accident."
"Ohh..." her eyes got very wide, and she edged down the seat.
"Oh, Cassie, unless you actually try to attack me down a side street in Knockturn Alley, you're perfectly safe."
"Knockturn Alley?" Ashley asked, "What were you doing there?"
"What do you think I was doing there?"
"Probably the worst I can think of."
"Actually, I was shopping for potion ingredients. Really." Ryua said, noticing the doubtful look on Ashley's face.
"Anyway... we're here!" Cassie said, looking out the window.
"Good, I'm starving." Ryua said, getting up.
Outside, it was dark, but dry at least. As Ryua walked over to the carriages, rubbing at her wrists, which still itched, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She glanced up, and stared. There were very, very eerie looking beasts standing there, harnessed to the previously horseless carriages. Black and scaly, with huge, powerful wings and gleaming white eyes, they stood perfectly still in line. At least, until she got closer to the carriages.
In a wave, the creature's heads swiveled around to look at her, blank eyes staring, nostrils dilating. Ryua pulled her wand and kept it hidden in her sleeve as she moved behind Cassie towards a carriage. The creature harnessed to it craned its neck around, but couldn't quite reach her. "Do either of you see anything pulling the carriages?"
"Pulling the carriages? No."
"There's something there?"
"Yes." Said a new voice. The three girls whirled around to see Millicent Bulstrode climbing on the carriage. Ryua noticed the creature didn't even flick its ear.
"What are they, Millicent?"
"Don't know. Thought I was crazy."
"Because no one else could see them." Ryua moved over on the seat to make room for the much larger Millicent.
"Yeah."
"How long have you seen them for?"
"First year."
"So, they aren't dangerous, or anything?"
"Don't know."
"Can anyone else see them?"
"You can."
Ryua sighed. It was good to know she wasn't insane, but she wished there was someone a bit, well, brighter to talk about it with. "I mean, anyone other than you and I."
"Don't know."
"Have you asked the teachers? No, no, dumb question." Millicent never talked to anyone unless she really had to. "I guess I'll just have to start asking around, then."
"Just don't forget about letting us on the quidditch team, okay?" Cassie piped up.
Ryua smiled, shaking her head and trying her hardest not to think about the creature just in front of her pulling the carriage up to the school.
Ryua's confused thoughts did fly right out of her head as soon as she saw who was seated at the teacher's table, to be replaced by horror. "What's Delores Umbrage doing here?"
"Who?"
"That woman, beside Dumbledore in that awful pink sweater. She works for the Ministry."
"How should I know?" Ashley said as she sat down at the Slytherin table.
"Ashley, you're acting different this year. What happened to you over the summer?"
"Uncle Sev's been in some serious trouble. He keeps coming home exhausted and hurt, and he won't tell me why. Not that I can't guess," she added darkly.
"I'm sorry. My father's been acing odd too. Some days he's elated, you couldn't make him angry if you tried. And then others, he... well, the resurrection is certainly changing the world around, isn't it?"
"Shh!" Cassie said, as McGonnagall set the hat down on its customary stool. It launched off into not it's usual explanation of the four houses, but a much longer song about how they would need to unify the school, mend the rifts between the houses. It was met with silence, followed quickly by whispers among the students. This didn't seem to perturb McGonnagall much, as she started reading off the list of first years as if nothing had happened. Ryua could see her hands held the parchment just a little tighter than usual, however.
And that wasn't the most unusual thing at the feast. Dumbledore stood up and started in on his usual speech, and just when he was about to announce times for quidditch tryouts, Professor Umbrage stood up and gave a little cough, which Ryua thought sounded rather like a kneazle with a hairball. And much to everyone's surprise, Dumbledore sat down and looked up at her with an intent listening expression.
And then, she started talking. About three sentences in, Ryua zoned out, barely catching the general gist of it. It was much more interesting to watch the reactions of everyone else. Most people started talking, although Hermionie was paying attention, along with the teachers. Ryua caught just enough of the speech to get a sense of worry starting deep in her gut. Umbrage was talking about changes, and pruning things down. For most of Slytherin house, this would have no effect. The ministry was in denial about The Dark Lord, so the Death Eater families were safe. And, a lot of them were rich, and were not going to be in the pruning.
Ryua on the other hand, had already been singled out by Umbrage as a troublemaker. Of the worst kind, for that matter, a murderer. Never mind that she hadn't actually meant to do it, she had. And, more to the point, she hadn't been the least bit regretful, and would do it again. Delores Umbrage couldn't prove that, but she knew it, knew it as well as Ryua. Well, she thought grimly, I've faced down my father loads of times. Even if she legally could touch me, she has nowhere near the imagination he does. We'll just have to see, won't we?
