The girls woke early the following morning to the flutter and hoots of owls. On the kitchen counter was a stack of mail. They both squealed in excitement as they opened and read their respective school acceptance letters.
"We'll go and get your school supplies later today." Aderyn's dad told her before she even asked.
"I need to go. My parents will want to see this!" Charlotte ran upstairs to change and gather her things. When she came back down, she bounced a little, making the second stair from the bottom squeak.
"Bye Rinni!" She called, sticking her head in the dining area quickly.
The fireplace was in the den, unnecessarily large by muggle standards, but for accommodating travel, it was perfect. On the hearth was a small ceramic jar with Floo powder. Taking a handful, Char stepped into the brickwork, tossed the powder and yelled her street. There was a momentary burst of green flames, and the young witch was gone.
Her mother set her coffee cup down on the counter stiffly, "I'm off to work. See you two later tonight." With a 'pop' she was gone.
Aderyn turned her gaze to a second letter. This one had no fancy seal, just her name on the envelope in a tight, messy script. She picked it up and turned it over with a shrug.
"I imagine it's from that young Mister Wood." her dad teased as she removed the letter.
She couldn't help rolling her eyes, "Yeah, I bet he just wants to know if I plan on trying out for the Quidditch team."
He chuckled, "Even though you can't try out until you're a second year?"
"It's Oliver. All the thinks about is Quidditch."
"Apparently he thinks about you quite a bit, too." he said, sliding the QuikQuill he had been using on the crossword across the table so she could write her reply.
"So, do you plan to try out when you can?"
She handed the letter to one of the family owls, "Of course I do! I mean, I haven't been suffering violin lessons for nothing!"
Taking a blueberry muffin from the plate in the center of the table, she practically inhaled it.
"That was nice of that boy to write you though..."her dad mused.
Taking a sip of tea, Ryn flinched when it burned her tongue. "Da-ad!" she groaned.
"Alright, alright. Now, go change your clothes. Unless you're planning on going to Diagon Alley in your pajamas."
Diagon Alley was busy, bustling with new and returning Hogwarts students and their families. They picked up her school books, along with a copy of Quidditch Through the Ages. From there, it was cauldrons, measuring and astronomy equipment, and school robes. Caddy-corner form Madame Malkin's was Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"I could use a new pair of practice gloves...?" she said, questioningly looking up at her dad.
With a laugh, he shook his head, "No, not today. Wait until Christmas. I've got a real surprise in store for you."
Walking up to the pet shop, Ryn spotted a black and white kitten asleep on a box in front of the shop window. It woke and mewled at them as they walked in.
"Dad? Please?" she asked with pleading eyes as she picked up the kitten.
He paid for the cat, turning to his daughter, "So, what are you going to name him?"
"I think Shadow fits, don't you?"
The kitten had perched himself on her shoulder, purring and looking perfectly content.
That night, Shadow slept on the pillow while his owner dreamed of the castle she had seen on her few trips to Hogsmeade.
She was now officially a first year Hogwarts student. She was finally going to learn magic!
Aderyn could hardly contain her excitement the following morning.
"Do you have your things packed?" her mother asked, spreading jam on a piece of wheat toast.
"Mmhmm." she mumbled around her own bite of toast.
At the train station her dad pushed the cart of luggage and her mother looked nervously at the large station clock.
"Don't worry. As soon as we get her stuff loaded and know that she's alright, you can get off to work." her husband reassured.
She simply narrowed her eyes, not the least bit amused.
"Oh, look, there's the luggage car..."
Ryn stood on the platform awkwardly as her mom lectured her, "...and no dangerous activities. If I hear one word about you ending up in the hospital wing I'll..."
"Relax dear. Kids will be kids." her dad came back, draping an arm casually around her mom's shoulders.
"Aderyn!" a familiar voice called.
She started and turned around quickly to see none other than Oliver Wood making his way through the crowd. When she looked over her shoulder again, her parents were gone.
'Darn you dad...' she thought.
Oliver sighed in relief when he spotted Aderyn. The boys he'd been talking to had been the same ones he'd grown up playing Quidditch with. However, they liked the game. He was passionate about it.
A passion she seemed to share. Sure, these guys were teammates and one or two maybe even tentative friends, but Ryn was more a friend than a teammate. Unlike these boys, she was just easy to be around, easy to talk to. They had spent many summer afternoons playing one on one, or just practicing flight maneuvers.
Right now she looked upset that her parents had left so soon.
"It's nice to see someone I know." She said with a sigh.
"Me too. I had no idea there were so many students at Hogwarts." he observed.
The kitten on her shoulder mewed at him, gazing up through sleepy eyes. "Shadow's gotta let you know he's here too." Ryn laughed, giving the kitten a scratch under the chin. Seemingly content with the attention, he went back to sleep.
The platform started to clear out, and they made their way onto the train. For the most part the ride was uneventful. The compartment was shared with one other student, another first year girl by the name of Brianne Parks. She was a muggle born who had never heard of Quidditch.
"...and then there's the Golden Snitch. It's a little gold ball with wings about the size of a walnut. Lightning fast and near impossible to see..."
"Oh, so it's kind of like a flying golf ball?" Brianne asked.
Oliver and Aderyn exchanged a confused look. "What's a golf ball?" they asked simultaneously.
"Uh...never mind."
She had a working understanding of the game by the time they reached Hogwarts.
As is tradition for first years, they loaded the small boats that took them across the Black Lake and up to the castle. The sight was breathtaking and a collective "Aaaahh" sounded from the new students. When the boats reached the castle the students were ushered into a room where they had been told to wait. Aderyn tugged at her robes while nervously chattering with Brianne who finger combed her hair. Tensions were high as the students waited to be sorted.
"Parks, Brianne" was sorted into Hufflepuff, and Aderyn was put into Gryffindor.
She sighed as she took a seat at the table, nodding and shaking hands with the people around her. Her attention was on getting her heart rate back to normal and her hands to stop shaking until "Wood, Oliver" drew her attention to the front of the Great Hall.
When he, too, was sorted into Gryffindor she clapped until her hands were numb. At least she would have someone to talk to who she was already comfortable with.
Sleep came easy that night, and Ryn was looking forward to the formal start of classes tomorrow.
"Ugh...Astronomy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, History of Magic, Potions and Transfiguration? When do they expect us to sleep or to do homework?" Aderyn complained on the way to Potions.
"I think that's what History of Magic is for."
They laughed and made their way to the dungeons and the first lesson.
Professor Snape had them brewing a simple swelling solution, at least, simple by his standards. Oliver was grateful to have Ryn for a partner, what with her father working in an Apothecary and her mother being a Healer, she was already slightly familiar with the task.
"No, like this...You don't want there to be chunks of puffer fish eyes..." she'd said, grinding the ingredients in a practiced manner.
"Mr. Wood, do you think that you can pass this course by having your seemingly more adept partner do all the work?" Snape sneered.
"No, Professor." he said through gritted teeth.
Ryn rolled her eyes as the greasy-haired man stalked away, no doubt to harass another Gryffindor student.
"Here." she passed him the mortar, "Put two measures of that in the cauldron."
Herbology was next, with the Hufflepuffs. When they cleared the castle, and sure that Snape wouldn't overhear them, they made light of what happened in class.
"Do you think you can pass this course by having your partner do all the work?" Oliver mocked.
"You're just upset because he caught you."
He faked hurt, "Ouch, Ryn." he grinned, "Was I really that obvious?"
The brunette from the train was there and she waved at the two.
"Hello! You can't imagine how relieved I am to be in here with Gryffindor." she sighed.
"Oh, why?" Aderyn asked, cocking her head to the side.
Brianne looked sheepish, "Well, Ravenclaws and Slytherins...they intimidate me...Just a bit though!"
"To be completely honest..." she took the Hufflepuff to the side, out of earshot of her friend, "they intimidate me a little too."
"Alright, everybody settle down. I'd like you all to pair up for today's lesson." Professor Sprout called over the echo of plants and students.
Bri and Ryn latched onto each other with a shared smile and a glare from Oliver.
"Today we'll be learning the basics of trimming the tamer of the plants here in the greenhouses. Each station will have three plants. You will have to identify them properly in order to keep from being bitten or stung."
"And...If one of the plants isn't in the right stage or season to be trimmed?" Brianne asked shyly.
Sprout's eyes sparkled," Ah, well, then identify which one it is and don't trim it."
"Somebody's been reading their Herbology book." Ryn teased the Hufflepuff, making her blush.
"I'd just never seen or heard of any of these plants before, and I couldn't put it down..."
"When you have completed the assignment and I have Okayed your plants, you are free to go." Professor Sprout finished.
Fortunately Bri recalled the names of their plants, making it easy to find them in their books. They took turns taming and trimming the plants, after the third was identified as not being ready for pruning, they called the Professor over who dismissed them.
Halfway back to the castle, Brianne asked, "You're not going to wait for your friend?"
"Nope. Ollie can't tell Knotgrass from Fluxweed to save his broomstick. Unless his partner can, they'll be in there forever."
"Oh. How do you know so much about plants?"
"My dad works in an Apothecary. Herbology is directly related, and he has a greenhouse he tends to. You should come over this summer and see it. It's really quite impressive."
Lunch brought about a very disgruntled looking Oliver, his left hand bandaged.
"I can't believe you didn't wait for me." he grumbled, sitting down and picking up a roll.
"It's not my fault you can't identify plants. What happened to your hand?"
"One of them stung me."
"Which one?" she asked, taking a drink of her pumpkin juice.
"I don't know...the one with the purple flowers."
Flying was probably the single most exciting thing that they could take as first years, at least as far as Aderyn and Oliver were concerned. What better class for two people who had spent so much of their spare time on a broomstick?
On one of the side lawns of the school, just past the greenhouses, there were two rows of brooms lined up side by side, Madame Hooch in the middle, waiting for the first years.
"Alright, everyone, stand to the left of a broom. Come on now, we haven't got all day." Hooch directed.
"Now, hold your right arm out over the broom, and say 'up.'"
A chorus of 'up's came from the group. As both Oliver and Aderyn's brooms came to them their first try, they shared a 'this is too easy' smile. After several more minutes, everyone else had their brooms in hand.
"Very well. Everyone mount your brooms, and on my whistle, I want you to kick off the ground, hover in the air for a moment, then tilt the broom forward and set back down. One Two..."Madame Hooch sounded her whistle, and a handful of people were now successfully hovering a few feet off the ground. For some, the maneuvering had come easier than for others, and the more skilled Slytherins took the opportunity to push the less adept Gryffindors off their brooms.
"Everyone, down. No one is to leave the ground, or you will be expelled!" Hooch warned as she helped an injured Slytherin girl to the hospital wing.
Aderyn looked up and momentarily locked eyes with one of the Slytherin bullies, Marcus Flint.
"Need something, Rivers?" he sneered, smirking along with some of his compatriots.
"No, I was simply wondering which of your parents the troll was." she snapped back quickly.
A few of the Gryffindors snickered, most trying to hide a smile. Flint narrowed his eyes.
"You're making dangerous enemies, Rivers."
Head held high, she smirked," Mmhmm... We'll see."
Their classes were what they had come to expect, most of them mundane. History of Magic was spent talking and whispering about the oncoming Quidditch season, until Professor Binns threatened them with detention, then they switched to passing notes. The Hufflepuff girl Brianne, was regularly sighted with the pair of Gryffindors. She would ask them about things that they had grown up with (they mostly talked about Quidditch, though) and they found some of the muggle things that she was familiar with absolutely fascinating.
When October rolled around, however, Aderyn and Oliver talked about little else than the upcoming Quidditch match.
"Yeah, and I heard Charlie's the best Seeker the team's had in years!"
It was the Saturday before Halloween, and the day of the first match, Griffindor vs. Slytherin. The pair had woken far earlier than the rest of their house, dressed and chattering excitedly in the common room. For them it was as if Christmas had come early. Even the team looked at them oddly as they made their way out of the Great Hall to the pitch for a warm up.
"I don't know what's going on..."Brianne whined as the game began.
"Don't worry; you'll get the hang of it. I'll loan you Quidditch Through the Ages." Ryn called over the crowd.
"FOUL! THAT WAS A FOUL!" she suddenly screamed, followed by a groan from the rest of the crowd as Slytherin's Seeker proudly displayed the Snitch.
"Those cheats! Next year, I'll give 'em a taste of their own medicine..."
"I've never known you to be so competitive Ryn."
"Oh shut it Oliver."
As they bantered over the loss and taking shots at each other, Brianne had her nose buried in Aderyn's copy of Quidditch Through the Ages.
"I've seen this bird before! But where...?" she exclaimed, the other two looking at her confused.
Looking over the other girl's shoulder, Aderyn smilied, "The Snidget? I think I know where..." turning the book's cover over, there, in the middle of a blue wax seal, was a Snidget. "It's on the seal my dad gave me to mark letters and books."
"Why a Snidget? It looks like it wouldn't be all that flattering." Bri asked, nose back in the book.
"He always calls me his little Snidget, because I'm unique and hard to catch. It has more to do with the traits of the bird, than its appearance."
"What's this? Two Gryffindors and their pet Huffly-puff?" A voice sneered.
Oliver's lips pressed into a thin line and Ryn's eyes narrowed as they turned to the voice.
"What do you want, Flint? "Oliver snapped.
"Just wanted to ask how you enjoyed the game. But when I heard you're pet here asking about Snidgets, I simply had to come and enlighten her." Marcus Flint turned to Brianne, "You reach the part where they were always killed during the games? I imagine you'd look a lot like one in your yellow robes."
"Was that a threat, Flint?" Ryn glared, pointing her wand at the offending Slytherin.
"Is there a problem here?" a woman's voice said, making them all freeze.
Flint smirked, "No Professor, no problem at all."
The trio watched him strut off, and Professor McGonagall eyed them disapprovingly.
"Put your wand away Miss Rivers. I hope you will exercise some restraint next time." Professor McGonagall scolded the young witch and disappeared into the castle.
"Marcus Flint! Him and all of those Slytherins...no good TROLLS!" Ryn spat, and she would sulk for the remainder of the weekend, upset that McGonagall had interrupted them before she could hex him.
When Aderyn left for Christmas, she had barely set foot out of Hogwarts when she started missing her friends. But that was forgotten when she remembered she would see them in a week and that her dad had promised her a surprise. It was his smiling face that greeted her at the end of the walk leading up to the school.
"Ready to go?" he asked, offering her his arm.
"You bet." she took his arm, and they apparated home.
"So where's mom?"
"Working. She got the late shift this year."
Setting her duffel bag on one of the armchairs in the house, she sighed. The house smelled like peppermint and chocolate, a large spruce tree decorated in the corner glittered brightly.
"So how do you like your first year? Made any new friends?" her father asked, handing her a cup of hot chocolate which she took happily.
Ryn took a sip of her drink before answering, "Yeah, I met this Hufflepuff girl named Brianne Parks. She's great with Herbology and plants. I invited her over this summer to see the greenhouse, I hope you don't mind?"
"No, of course not. It's always nice to get someone else's opinions on my plants. Well now, since it's just the two of us, how about I show you the surprise I promised when you started school?" he winked, as if to say 'don't tell your mother'.
With a wave of his wand, a large polished wood chest appeared with a large gold and scarlet bow on top. "Go on, open it." he encouraged her.
Flipping open the catches, she slowly lifted the heavy lid. Her eyes went wide at the assortment of new Quidditch equipment inside.
"Dad...how...how can you afford this?" she breathed, awed.
"I've been saving for it since you were very little. Somehow I knew you would be a great Chaser." he laughed, picking up a ball from the chest and tossing it to her.
It was a blue leather Quaffle, a golden Snidget, about the size of a Galleon, etched into one side.
"Oh this is so going back to school with me." she laughed, testing its weight.
"I had your broom taken in and tuned up a bit. We'll have it done before you start second year, too, since you'll be getting quite a bit of use out of it this summer."
They woke up late the next morning, sitting around the kitchen table at around 10 when her mom returned home.
"Merry Christmas." Ryn greeted, earning a tired smile.
"I made tea." she invited, her mom taking a seat and pouring a cup.
Oliver stepped into the Common Room. It felt good being back. The portrait had barely closed behind him when someone called "Wood!" and a blue ball was sailing at his face. With a practiced motion he caught it and smiled when he saw the Snidget in gold.
"Nice to see you too Ryn." he grinned at the blonde witch smiling merrily at the other side of the room.
Together they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch. It was still somewhat empty, students not having to return until tomorrow. Brianne had come back a day early as well and took the liberty of sitting with them. No one objected.
Shadow leapt onto the table about halfway through one of Bri's stories of her brother's attempt at eating a whole pie. The cat meowed angrily at Aderyn, clearly demanding attention.
"Oh you silly boy. I got you something, don't worry." she said, fishing a braided gold and scarlet collar from her pocket.
She clasped it around the cat's neck, gave him a scratch behind the ear, and he hoped off the table and slunk off, no doubt to find lunch in one of the castle mice.
"You know, I came up with an idea for how we could put a perfect end to our first year." Brianne chirped up.
When the other two looked at her expectantly, she continued, "We should write down what we want to do after we graduate, hide it, and at the end of seventh year, go back and read them and see if it's changed, and why."
"Tch...You're such girls. "Oliver grumbled, getting up and leaving, probably to talk Quidditch with some of the other Gryffindor boys.
Aderyn rolled her eyes, "Well I think it's a wonderful idea. Today would be a perfect time to do it, too because most people won't be back until tomorrow."
"I was hoping you'd say that." the other girl smiled wider.
The two girls made for the library, having made a brief stopover at Gryffindor Tower to grab a few things. Madame Pince eyed them suspiciously as they walked in. Ryn popped a stick of gum in her mouth and chewed loudly, earning a stern 'shh!' from the stuffy librarian. Bri pulled a piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink from the pocket of her jacket. Tearing the parchment into two equal pieces, she proceeded to write something quickly, then folding her paper and passing the quill to Ryn.
The Common Room was almost completely empty save for a group of boys huddled over a newspaper and arguing over the scores. Oliver joined them, the talk eventually segwayed from teams in the running for the World Cup, to the last Hogwarts game.
"But Charlie's the best Seeker and Captain we've had in ages!"
"He may be the best so far, but not good enough..."
Ryn raced through the common room and up to the girls' dorms, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
'I wonder what she's up to.' he thought for a moment, then returning to the argument at hand.
"We just need better Chasers! I mean, we won't ever win a game if we can't score!"
Coming back down the stairs, walking instead of running, Aderyn turned to the boys, "Doesn't matter how good your Chasers are. If your Keeper's no good, team's doomed." she interjected on her way out.
One of the guys glared at her retreating back, "Who asked you Rivers?"
'And I'm sitting here with these guys who've never played or ridden a broom until Hogwarts?' That thought was enough to send him to his own dorm, jot something on a slip of parchment, and dash after his friend.
'I want to play professional Quidditch' she scrawled, and then folded her own paper.
Ryn took an envelope from the back pocket of her pants and the blue seal she used on everything. "So we know it's ours." she explained when her friend raised an eyebrow in question.
"How did I know I'd find you two here?" a male voice teased.
The girls smiled as Oliver walked over.
"Am I too late?" he asked, a folded slip of parchment in his hand.
Once they had put their slips in the envelope and sealed it, they looked at each other.
"Now where do we hide it?"
They searched the library for a while, until, in a desolate corner near the restricted section, there was a desk piled high with books and drawers that stuck horribly.
"One of those would work." Bri suggested.
Oliver tried to pull it open, and with a little force, he managed it. Of course, several books had fallen of the table making quite a bit of noise. Hearing Pince's footsteps headed their way, Ryn tossed the envelope in, and forced it shut, more books falling.
"What are you hooligans doing?!" Pince scolded, closer now.
Laughing like mad, the trio dashed out of the library, only stopping when they were in front of the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room.
"I think the Sorting Hat made a mistake. You should have been a Gryffindor." Ryn breathed, trying to recover from her laughter.
"She's only in a different house for everyone else's sake. Just the thought of you two wreaking havoc in the Common Room gives me chills."
Both girls crossed their arms, "You'd be right there with us."
The months leading up to exams passed by too quickly, homework demands became greater and Quidditch season had ended dismally for Gryffindor. Second day of exams left the trio frustrated and in poor spirits.
"I know I failed my Transfiguration exam..." Brianne groaned, burying her head in her hands. Poor girl had spent weeks studying, trying her best to transfigure everything she could find, with only mild success.
At the moment, they had this particular courtyard to themselves, and they enjoyed the momentary peace and quiet.
"It couldn't have been that bad. Besides, you'll get top marks tomorrow in Herbology." Ryn tried to comfort her, an arm around her friend's shoulders.
"Are you two still complaining about your exams?" Oliver teased as he approached a familiar blue ball in his hands.
"Found this on my bed." he tossed it to Aderyn, "Along with all my missing left socks."
Bri couldn't help but grin at that, "Why only the left ones?"
"Ask her." he nodded his head in the blonde's direction.
She shrugged, "Figured you'd think you had gone mad. Or gnomes were taking them when you were sleeping."
To take their minds off of the rest of the day, they began to toss the Quaffle back and forth, and moods started to improve. Bri made a hard chest pass at Oliver, which missed by a few feet, flying into one of the nearby corridors and pelting none other than Charlie Weasley.
He took it well, laughing, "Ha ha, nice shot! Who's is this?" he held up the ball.
Aderyn stepped towards him shyly, a pink tint to her cheeks, "It's mine. Sorry 'bout that."
"No worries. I've never seen a blue Quaffle before." Charlie tossed her the ball.
"It was a gift..." she said meekly.
"You planning on trying out for the team next year?" When the sixth year smiled, Ryn turned red.
"Of course!" she sounded more enthusiastic than was necessary.
"Great. See you next year then."
Oliver stared at her, mouth agape, "What was that, Ryn? You got a thing for the Quidditch Captain?"
Tossing the ball at him with as much force as she could muster, she smiled when the boy gave a startled 'oof' as he caught it.
"He is very attractive; I can see why you fancy him." Brianne said, blushing slightly.
"BRI!" Ryn scolded.
A devious grin spread across Oliver's face; Ryn was not going to live this down anytime soon.
The next morning brought on a final round of exams, and in the evening, the awarding of the House Cup. At dinner, the Great Hall was decorated in blue and bronze, Ravenclaw's colors. Despite the overall excitement, Aderyn wasn't enjoying herself as much as the rest of her house. Tomorrow, everyone would load up onto the train and be on their way home, meaning she would be saying goodbye to her friends.
"You all right, Ryn?" Oliver asked on the way back to the Common Room.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm just going to miss it, you know?" she sighed.
"We'll be back in a few months. Besides, you and me, we're going to spend the summer preparing for tryouts."
"Promise me you'll write and visit." Ryn said sternly, arms wrapped around the brunette girl who she had become so close with.
"I will, Rinni, promise." Brianne replied, giving the blonde an affectionate squeeze.
After letting the witch go, she turned to her childhood friend, "And you, I don't really need to say much to, considering I know I'll be seeing you before the end of the week."
Giving the boy a quick hug, she then headed over to her father who had been waiting since the train arrived. The black and white cat sitting atop the cart of luggage jumped off and perched himself on her shoulder, purring in her ear.