Chapter Two: All Aboard the Hogwarts Express

"You ready for this?" James asked, messing up his hair once more.

Ryan grinned up at her godfather. "I was born ready, Uncle James."

"Well, I'm not." He kissed her forehead. "What am I going to do without you, kid?"

"Um, get a job?"

He laughed, throwing his head back. "You're a real comedian."

"I know." She dragged her trunk into the living room, staring into the fireplace. "I'm going to miss you." She said quietly.

"Hey." He knelt down eye-level with her. "You're a brilliant, funny, charming witch. You are going to do amazing things at Hogwarts, okay?"

"Right." She nodded, throwing her arms around him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Ry." He squeezed her tighter. "I have one last present for you before you leave." He handed her a small square package wrapped in shiny silver paper.

Carefully pulling it apart at the taped seams, Ryan found a thin gold chain with a locket hanging from it. A crest was engraved on the front and when she opened it up, two pictures were inside. The left photo was of a handsome man with braided jet black hair and twinkling ice blue eyes, smiling widely. On the other side was a beautiful woman with long emerald green hair and bright turquoise eyes, a half smile across her lips. "Mum and Dad?" She asked, staring at the photos.

James nodded, swallowing hard. "That way you have someone with you. I know Narcissa said she would wait for you on the platform but-"

Ryan kissed his cheek, hugging him again. "Thank you, Uncle James. I love it."

"You're welcome, kid. Now go. I'll see you for Christmas."

She threw a handful of glittering green powder into the fireplace. "Platform Nine and Three Quarters!"

She emerged from a fireplace at King's Cross Station, wiping soot off her robes as she set off in search of an empty corridor. "Hey Black!"

Ryan turned, her smile widening. "Malfoy!" She greeted her cousin with a hug. "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy."

"Hello, Ryan." Narcissa smiled warmly at her. "Are you ready for your first year?"

"I think so. I'm a bit nervous, though."

"Don't be." Draco swung his arm around her shoulder. "Bye Mum, bye Dad. I'll owl you later."

Lucius nodded coolly, offering his son a brief smile before he and Narcissa disappeared. "Shall we?"

"Yeah." He helped her with her trunk. "Come on, let's go find a place to sit."

Draco managed to find a compartment with two of his friends inside: big, mean looking boys, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. "Who's this?"

"My cousin, Ryan. Mum's been all excited for us to finally meet. We've been writing letters back and forth for a while." Draco explained after introducing them. "She's all right."

Ryan took the window seat, watching as the train pulled out of the station. Soon the city disappeared and fields of tall grass and bright wildflowers, dotted with cows took its place. She tuned out the boys' conversation, content to watch the ever-changing landscape outside.

"Apparently the Harry Potter is on the train!" Someone had opened the compartment door.

Ryan turned, looking at the pug nosed brunette girl. "Really?" Draco asked, already getting to his feet. "Where?"

"At the end." She said, sitting down in his vacated spot. "Are you going to talk to him?"

"Yeah. You coming, Ry?"

"No, I'll stay."

"Suit yourself." Draco shrugged, leading Crabbe and Goyle out of their compartment.

She leaned back and decided to take a nap before they got to the school.

Sometime later, the door slammed open, startling her awake. "Bloody git!" Draco swore, his face pink.

"The damn rat bit my finger!" Goyle whined.

"What on earth happened?" Ryan interjected. "You lot look awful."

"Potter's a fool." Draco spat. "He's friends with a Weasley."

"They're not that bad." Ryan said. "Just poor."

"Then you go be with the blood traitors, Black." He snapped.

"Fine."

She made her way to Harry's compartment, getting there just after another young girl with big bushy brown hair and large front teeth. "-nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!"

"I don't think it was them." Ryan smiled. "Hi, I'm Ryan."

"Hermione Granger."

Ryan offered a friendly smile to the two boys. "Mind if I join you? My compartment's gotten a bit too crowded."

"I don't mind." Harry said quickly. Ryan slid past Hermione, helping pick up the sweets scattered on the floor. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Scabbers has been fighting, not us." The Weasley boy said harshly, looking at Hermione."Would you mind leaving so we can change?"

"All right- I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors." She said haughtily. "And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?"

Ron glared at her as she disappeared. Ryan straightened up, brushing her hands off on her robes. "I'll let you know when we're dressed." Harry offered.

"Right. Thanks." She followed the bushy haired girl. "Are you nervous?"

"No. I'm excited." Hermione grinned. "I'm going back to my compartment, I guess."

"Alright."

As Hermione walked off, a voice echoed through the train. "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately."

Harry slid the door open. "We're dressed, Ryan."

She walked back in, noticing Ron's robes were too short for him. She said nothing though, choosing to sit down. Harry kept bouncing his leg, staring at his hands. "You okay?" She asked.

"Nervous." He admitted. "What if they made a mistake?"

"They didn't." Ryan assured him. "Hogwarts won't accept anyone who can't do magic."

The train slowed suddenly and Ryan swallowed hard. This was the longest she would be away from her godfather and she didn't know if she could handle it.

She followed suit as Ron and Harry stood up, joining the crowd as the train stopped. Slowly, students stepped out of the train and onto a tiny platform. She got shuffled away from Harry, instead finding herself beside a girl with long, light brown hair. "Firs- years this way!" A booming voice sounded over the chatter.

The girl jumped and grabbed Ryan's arm. "Oh, sorry!"

"He scared me too, don't worry."

The girl sighed with relief. "May I stay with you?"

"Sure! I'm Ryan."

"Daphne."

"C-mon, follow me!" The voice boomed again. Ryan caught a glimpse of a giant man with a shaggy black beard, leading them down a slippery, narrow path. "Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec!"

"Oh!" The collective gasp from the front of the group came as soon as they skidded to a halt.

The eleven-year-olds were on the edge of a large lake in the shadow of a cliff. And perched on that cliff was a huge castle with lights shining out windows and towers touching the stars. "It's so beautiful." Daphne whispered.

"I know!" Ryan agreed, staring up at the castle. "This is amazing."

"No more'n four to a boat!" The giant man in front of the group yelled, stepping in one boat himself.

Ryan and Daphne scrambled into one boat, followed by another girl and one boy. No one talked and Ryan was watching the inky black lake, looking for any sign of the giant squid James told her about. She couldn't make anything out though, not even her reflection on the smooth surface.

"Are you scared?"Daphne whispered, leaning closer to Ryan.

"Terrified." Ryan whispered back, half-laughing.

The boats went through a curtain of ivy just then, and Daphne grabbed Ryan's hand. It got almost too dark and just for a second, Ryan wished that James was there with her. The boats suddenly stopped at a harbor under the cliff and torches illuminated the rocks and pebbles.

The girls scrambled out of their boat, hands still clasped. As the giant man checked the boats, he found some boy's toad. Daphne snorted quietly. "Who'd bring a toad?"

"Who knows?" Ryan replied, following the other first years up a passageway to the castle grounds.

"Alright, you lot. Everyone still here?" The giant asked loudly before he knocked three times on the castle doors.