Someday, I will own something of great value. This will not be Harry Potter, as J K Rowling already owns it.
School
Ryua and Draco were being extra careful trying to get back into Platform 9 ¾. Since they were both supposed to be off with a distant family member, which meant a witch or wizard, there was no reason for them to be coming in from the muggle side. Luckily, paying taxi drivers and giving directions to the train station weren't too complicated, although neither of them had ever had to get through the barrier before. "We could just ask," Ryua said.
"Oh, come on," Draco scoffed. "That's a muggle if I ever saw one. Do you know what would happen if we came up and asked for Platform 9 ¾?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right… So now what?"
"I have no idea." Ryua sat down on a bench and racked her thoughts for any tidbits she'd ever heard from any muggleborns or middle class wizards. "I know it's a barrier to keep out muggles, but it's not like we should have to pull out our wands and charm anything…"
"Naw, someone would have noticed that by now. I mean, how long has Hogwarts been around?" Draco sat down beside her, looking out over the crowd. "Wait! That's a Weasley!"
"What? Where?" Ryua stood back up, scanning the people.
"Over there… with a huge black dog. I think its Ron, the freakishly tall one."
"That would make sense… yes, it's them. Let's just back up a bit and follow them in." They stepped back behind a pillar, keeping an eye on them. "What're Potter and Granger doing there?"
"And isn't that Mad-Eye Moody?"
"Uh huh. Wonder whose the dog is?" Ryua asked, watching as they all stepped right through a section of wall. "Looks pretty simple."
"Yeah. We've only got five minutes though, let's go."
Once through the platform, they both made their way quietly through the crowds, carefully not attracting attention. Although they both knew it would have to happen eventually, they really didn't want to be asked about a lot of stuff just yet. "Okay… let's try and find someone who might have done our homework, write up what we missed. I'll have to get Arithmancy from Granger, I'll see you later." Ryua slid into an empty compartment as Draco walked down the train looking for Pansy.
She waited until she saw Ron's lanky frame go by and snagged him in. Naturally, Harry and Hermione followed, and smiled when they saw her. Ryua carefully avoided looking too closely at Harry, worried (rightfully so) that she'd probably go beet red if she made eye contact. "So, have a good Christmas, Ryua?" Ron asked.
She snorted. "About as good as it ever is. You?"
"Not bad," Hermione said, carefully.
So, something did happen to drag them out of Hogwarts. Fine. They don't ask, I won't. I'm just glad they don't read the Prophet that closely. "Hermione, could I have a copy of that Arithmancy assignment?"
"Sure. Why?" she asked as she pulled out the complicated charts.
"I lost mine."
"You? Lost your homework?" Ron asked.
Harry glanced back in, as he'd been looking out the window. "Really?"
"Yes." Ryua replied, pulling out a quill.
"Don't you usually write it down in like, five places?" Hermione asked, leafing through her various sheets of homework.
"Only two or three. And I lost my books, and all the assignment sheets to boot. So, I bought new books and tried to make it up. Transfiguration, Potions, and Care of Magical Creatures I got, screw the DADA and Charms, I'm already failing, but Arithmancy actually requires the assignment…"
"Well, you'd better just copy out mine then. And Ron, could she copy out your Charms work?"
"I guess. Why don't you let us copy out your work, 'Mione?" Ron whined, pulling out a slightly rumpled piece of parchment.
"Because Ryua actually does her homework given a choice, unlike you."
"Not Charms," Harry said quietly, grinning.
"I do so!" Ryua snapped, not quite smudging a line of numbers. "… well, maybe not that well… but I do it!"
There was silence in the compartment for about three seconds when Ron leaned forward. "Are you blushing?"
Aargh! "No."
"You are so."
"I'm not, Weasley."
"You are so, Malfoy."
"Drop it, or I curse you."
"As if you would on the trai-urk!" Ron was rather rudely cut off by Ryua's wand digging into his throat, while she serenely continued writing with her other hand.
"I've had a rather… frustrating holiday, Ron. Don't push me, I'm really, really close to a breaking point." Ryua said in a dangerous whisper.
"Okay… okay. Yeesh, sorry." Ron leaned back again, although he kept smirking off and on when he thought she wasn't looking. Hermione set up a scribing charm for Ryua to copy out Ron's work, and Harry stared fixedly out the window, ignoring Ron's occasional nudges.
Maybe I was a little hard on him. It's not his fault I had a bad holiday… But he had no reason to keep on me like that! Ah, but you were actually blushing. Shut up. That doesn't give him any reason to bug me. So, you finally get friends and now they aren't allowed to treat you like one of the group. Not about stuff like that. See! You admit it! I admit nothing. Yes you did, you like him, you like Harry and you were blushing over it. Shut up. Go away. You know, most little voices in people's heads don't have full-blown conversations with them. You're the one holding the conversation…
Ryua turned a growl into a cough, and concentrated on writing out Hermione's chart, ignoring her and Ron chattering cheerfully about Christmas dinner. Stupid little voice… may you drown in these long, dull lists of Arithmancy numbers… Which it appeared to do, as she was able to finish her homework and change into school robes by the time they got to Hogwarts.
She did leave to find Draco as they pulled into Hogwarts, just because she really had no excuse for riding in a carriage with the Gryffindors. The Thestrals were there, looking just as creepy as ever in the full daylight. Oh, wait, the Thestrals… Draco had ground to a halt at the bottom of the ramp. Ryua slipped through the crowds and pushed him out of the queue. "What… what're those?"
"Thestrals," Ryua said, pushing him gently to an empty carriage. "Those things Hagrid showed us a few months back, remember?"
"Where did they come from?"
"They've always been there."
"No, no, they haven't. I've never seen them before."
Ryua sighed. "Draco, don't you pay attention in class? The only people who can see Thestrals are those who have seen death. So, keep quiet, or people are going to wonder just what we got up to this Christmas." To his credit, Draco managed to not stare at them too much on the way to the castle. He did, however, move as quickly as possible into the warm, welcoming Great Hall once they got there, Ryua following eagerly behind.
She was entirely too excited about supper; the Leaky Cauldron had decent food, but not the quality of Hogwarts. Cassie was thrilled to have someone else enthusiastic about food for a change, and together with Draco, they put away enough food for three times as many people. Ryua walked up to Hagrid before he left after supper and took back Parsyl. She'd been less and less inclined to bring her home lately, and Hagrid loved her anyways. Good thing I left her here after all.
The next day looked likely to continue her good mood, with Transfiguration and double Potions all morning long. Luckily, McGonnagall seemed to not mind the slightly off-topic paper Ryua had written. Not my fault I didn't remember the actual question and had to make it up… Ah, it's well researched, good enough.
When she reached the dungeons for Potions, however, she got an odd little lurch. Where am I supposed to sit? She didn't want to act like Pansy; hanging off Draco's arm like some desperate little cat in heat. But, she didn't want to snub her friends either… And then, fate decided for her as Draco sat between Crabbe and Goyle, leaving her just the seats on the Gryffindor side. Oookay…
It was much easier to deal with Harry when she had the role of arrogant Pureblood Slytherin to play. She acted thoroughly tired of having to help him through what should be a little baby potion, blah, blah, blah, although she really enjoyed the banter they got to keep up. And as long as she kept getting the better word in, Snape didn't interfere. "Honestly, Potter, Weasley's potion looks better than yours. Why do you always seem to have so much trouble?"
"Maybe it's the instructions." Harry grunted, hiding a grin behind a jar of pickled kelp.
"My instructions are perfectly clear. You just appear to be too incompetent to comprehend them."
"Incompetent? Just wait till I get you on the quidditch pitch, Malfoy."
"You wish. I could beat you with my eyes closed. And Potter, the kelp is supposed to be dried, not pickled."
"You could have told me earlier… except that you want me to make a fool of myself, right?" Harry said, gratefully exchanging the jar for a different one.
"Maybe. Not that it requires too much effort." And so it continued for the entire class, insults going back and forth, Ryua making sure he at least got a passing grade while Harry just concentrated on getting a passing grade. Her own potion was simmering gently in her own cauldron, with enough left over to at least dilute some of the worst mistakes to a low pass. Neville and Seamus took the extra today, although she privately thought Neville's was beyond help.
At the end of the class, beakers all bottled up and on his desk, Ryua was just about to pick up her books and leave when Harry tripped over one of Ron's legs (which appeared to have grown another inch or two), sending three bags flying. "Ouch, watch where you're going mate," Ron said, rubbing his ankle.
"Your feet were under my chair. How was I supposed to know they were under my chair?"
"They grew. I don't know how long they are anymore."
"Potter! Weasley!" came Snape's voice from the desk at the front. "Stay and clean up that mess!"
Ron picked up his empty bag, dropped his tattered quills and half empty inkbottle into it, and pushed in his chair. "Sometimes it's good to be poor and own nothing after all!" he whispered as he leaned over to pick up his one scroll of parchment. "See you later, Harry," he said in a normal tone.
"Yes, bye Harry," Hermione said, "See you at lunch!"
Harry looked over at Ryua hopefully as they took off. In fact, everyone took off, not wanting to be the last one in a room with an angry Snape. "As if I'd let you touch my books, Potter," she snarled, kneeling down and picking up her own stuff. "Wonderful friends, leaving you alone to clean up with Snape…" she said quietly.
"Yeah. So… um… I… yeah."
What an odd picture. Huddled behind the desk, Snape back in his office, no one else in the room… nnnng…bad little voice with evil ideas… "So… have a good Christmas?" Ugh, how lame can you get…
"Yeah… yeah. You?"
"Yeah." Both of them had picked up their books by now, so Ryua just sat all the way down with a sigh. "This is stupid."
"Yeah. Man, I have to stop saying that…" Harry looped his bag over a chair and sat down too. "So, about… you know…"
"Yeah, I know." Ryua smiled. Couldn't stop thinking about it, more like…
"I… I'm sorry about it, I really should have asked first… or something… I didn't mean to offend you, or whatever."
"Wha…" Don't you dare say you regret it. Don't you dare, don't you dare don't you dare…
"You're probably mad at me, I shouldn't have done it… I'm lucky you didn't curse me right then and there…"
"Wha… Harry, slow down, okay? What gave you that idea?"
"Um… well…"
"She told you." Ryua said, a wave of fury coming up way, way to easily. "After she swore she'd never tell…"
"No! No, we kind of dug it out. She tried really hard not to say anything, actually. I just came back looking kind of, well…"
"Yeah…"
"Right. And Ron guessed what had happened, and Hermione jumped and started checking me for curses, and I eventually wormed it out… I'm really sorry."
"Not your fault." Ryua crossed her arms, sitting with her knees tucked up to her chest. Not exactly the direction I wanted the conversation to go…
"I know. But I'm sorry for just… doing that to you, no questions asked. I shouldn't have. Maybe we shouldn't… maybe we should just pretend it didn't happen."
No… "Is… is that what you want? Really?"
"I…"
"What? You get me all… all emotional, and the moment you find out… find out I'm spoiled goods, that's it? You want to pretend it didn't happen?" Ryua had thought she was good with pain, could ignore just about anything… How could something so small get me so… worked up? I'm so close to killing him…
"No! No, that's not it at all! Really, I just thought you were mad at me…"
"No. Now, I'm mad at you." Ryua was concentrating very, very hard on keeping her hand away from her wand and her magic in check. "For… for the first time I can remember, I actually liked someone touching me. I couldn't stop thinking about it all Christmas… even when it was really, really the last thing that should have been on my mind. And now I get here, I finally get a chance to talk to you, and I discover you'd rather it never happened…" Damn! Why can't I shut up?
"You… Wait, no, I don't mean that, honest! Listen… could we just… er, start the conversation over? This really didn't come out how I wanted it to…" He smiled nervously, running his fingers through his hair. "Okay, let's try this again. I apologize for kissing you without permission. I should have asked you first. And… I'm not saying I wish it never happened."
"Oh." Ryua stared at her feet for a moment. "Well then," she said brightly, "Thanks for the help with picking up my books, Harry, you'd best be getting off to lunch."
"Huh?" Harry blinked bemusedly as she hauled him to his feet.
"Lunch. You know, the meal after breakfast and before supper? Hermione and Ron will be waiting."
"Okay…" Halfway out the door, he stopped and turned around. "So, you're not mad at me?"
For a moment, Ryua seriously considered making him squirm for a few days. But, he was really, really good at the confused, sad puppy eyes. So instead, she walked up to him, kissed him, turned away so he wouldn't see her blush, and said, "No, I guess not. Now go on, people are going to start talking."
She was just on her way back to her bag, still sitting on the floor, when she heard a voice come out of nowhere. "You should be more careful."
Ryua, being Ryua, spun around and pointed her wand at throat level into the shadows in the corner. "Oh… um, hi Professor…" she said, pocketing her wand as Snape stepped into the light.
"Although I would have preferred nearly anyone else on the face of the earth as a partner for you, I'm not about to ruin it. However, I will strongly caution you in the direction of secrecy. While I am simply disgusted by your taste, there are many who would think you both deserve to die for it."
"Ohhhh, right…" Ryua said, clapping a hand to her forehead. "I am going to be in so much trouble…"
"Only if anyone finds out. I'm sure I can trust you to avoid that issue." He was just about to leave when he turned back around, a pained expression on his face. "Potter? Are you absolutely positive it had to be Potter?"
Ryua giggled and ducked her head, pretending to pick up her already picked up books. Snape made a rather loud noise of disgust and left, giving her some time to compose herself before she went up to lunch. He likes me, he likes me… Oh, I am so pathetic. Smarten up!
…he likes me…
Author's Note: Wow, new reviewer… that's two in two chapters, I must be getting good! anss123, yes, I'm just finishing off the fifth book, and then I have to make it all up on my own. I know it's not the most original way to write a fan fiction, but it's perfect if you've never written one before. So just hang in there until summer break, and then it'll be all made up out of my own head. (shudder So much work!)
Cool, thanks Kerry Bo Berry, it's good to know someone thinks I don't exist entirely for your pleasure. Although I do like to please my reviewers, so if anyone has anything they want in the story, let me know. This is also because I'm running into some serious gaps in my future plot...
And Harry Potter Freak 139, and all the rest of you reading this and not reviewing, you should always review. You'd be surprised how nice it is just to know someone read the chapter. If I had unlimited money and credit cards, I might pay for the advanced support, or whatever this site calls it. This would give me a hit count, but since I don't, the only way I know if any of you are even still alive is with a review.
So, that's it for now, thanks for all the reviews, those of you who've done it... hopefully with the better chapters, I'll get more feedback... now all I have to do is write good chapters!
And she's finally back at school… I am going to have so much fun!
