Chapter 1

The natural sunlight glowed a soft colour of yellow of the early morning sunrise, peaking over the horizon with the dully lit glows of the natural colours of the sky, clouds floating on by without a care in the world as the moon said it's goodbye for the day ahead, and in came the sun, greeting this specific part of earth like a close friend begging to lighten the mood.

One apartment stood out to the sun, a perfect spot it was in for the soft glow to creep through the window, illuminating the young girl atop of an old wooden stool that she may - or may not - have stolen from a car boot sale.

The warmth on her back sent her slightly aching muscles into a simpler state as she hunched, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, her tongue poking out of the small gap in her lip, her breath hitching with every stroke on the easel that she made, and without breaking any concentration what so ever, did the girl grab the mug from the small table beside her.

Lifting it to her lips, a breath tumbling to the ground as she sipped on her morning tea, but soon, in her sipping, did she realise her mistake, "ah, shit!" she shrieked, breaking the calmness of the morning whilst she spat the paint water from her mouth, fanning her tongue as her paintbrush fell to the ground, splattering some soft blues onto the sheet she had spread out.

"Now, now, Ryan," tutted her best friend as he entered her small apartment, it was rather surprising to see a young girl with so much responsibility, living in a small apartment on her own, only at fifteen, it was entirely unrealistic, but with her father in Azkaban, and her mother in the ground, she would never be put into an orphanage.

"Ah, the lovely Vinnie, here to wake me for another adventure, I assume?" asked Ryan as she fixed herself, picking up the paintbrush on the floor, and with her knitted socks, did she jump around the splatter.

"Well, my dear young friend," Vinnie smirked, "your favourite boy has just gotten his driving licence, and I'll be damned if you go back to that school of yours without going for at least one drive."

"Vinnie," Ryan sighed, "what is the point of an adventure if we have something reliable with us?"

"Reliability, that's what the point is, Ry!" Vinnie exclaimed, taking the girls wand that was keeping the bun atop of her head in place and examining it in hand, completely ignorant to the long, dark brown hair that went tumbling down her back, "y'know I've never noticed before, but this to a muggle could be taken a completely different way."

"Ha!" Ryan snorted, shaking her head, "you are technically a muggle, Vin."

"In theory, possibly," Vinnie shrugged, "in my heart, no."

"I don't like the word squib," Ryan sighed, thinking of the countless times she had witnessed Vinnie's family call him just that, "it's just as bad as mud blood!"

"A word is made up of letters, Ry, it's not that bad," Vinnie shrugged, "who really minds."

"Me, I mind, I do," Ryan nodded, picking her canvas off of the easel, "I drawed you."

"You drew me, Ryan," Vinnie rolled his eyes, correcting her poor vocabulary, "drawed is not a word."

"Well it's made up of letters, Vinnie," Ryan smirked, turning to face her best friend, "shouldn't that make it a word?"

"Oh, you think you're smart, huh?" Vinnie asked, shaking his head as he reached for a mug from the cupboard in Ryan's kitchen, flipping the switch to the kettle which soon roared to life with the bubbling water.

"Well I try my best," Ryan nodded, slipping onto the seat at the kitchen counter of her home, eyeing the mug of what should be tea in front of her suspiciously before bracing herself as she took a sip, feeling her shoulders slumping with relief when the mug actually did contain her tea.

"So, tell me, my child," Ryan couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Vinnie, well, Vincent, had been her best friend since she could remember, even before the tragedy that struck her family, he was the one to go to, with anything, they had been inseparable, so it wasn't surprising that the boy was fully on board with Ryan's plan to up and leave.

And if he was honest, she was a much better person because of it.

He was a full two years older than she was, seventeen, and she, fifteen, both met in the park one day, a two-year-old, too smart for her own good as she stole his toys, and the four year old would search frantically for them, becoming much too agitated with the lack of his favourites, and soon did Ryan finally throw them at him, instantly gaining his attention in amusement, and from then on, they clicked.

"Are you still fancying that bloke?" he asked, sipping at the sugary tea, topped with a little too much milk than what was necessary, but, was the way he liked it, "what was his name again?"

"Remus," she gave him a pointed look, unable to suppress her eye-roll, "and I don't like him, I said he was kind for helping me get a book down and that was it-"

"That was not it, Ry, you took every opportunity you could to add him to our conversations!" Vinnie exclaimed, throwing his head back in laughter, "oh, did I tell you about Remus, I overheard him telling his friends a joke just before summer, it was so hilarious!"

"Was that me?" she asked, narrowing her eyes, "did you really try and mimic me, Vincent?"

"Oh, Remus, please oh please father my children!" Vinnie gasped, clutching his hand to his heart, "oh Remus, please marry me, Remus, I'd do anything for you!"

"You have three seconds to run Vincent Brooks before I murder you," she growled, picking up the paint water from the table and throwing it over him, "I do not sound like that you arse!"

"You so do!" Vinnie scoffed, glaring when the water splattered over his clothes, but nonetheless decided to ignore it, "in all seriousness, though, you could always y'know, talk to him?"

"Or I could not and just admire from afar," she shrugged, "both work."

"You are Ryan Tobias, hot as hell Hufflepuff, Remus Lupin should feel honoured that you like him!" Vinnie exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Oh please!" she scoffed, rolling her eyes, "there is more to life than looks!"

"You're an excellent painter, and incredible writer-'"

"I'm an amateur painter and a not so bad writer," she chuckled, rolling her eyes, "compliments on my appearance are bound to happen, I can't help that, I'm part Veela because of my mother, I know that I am aesthetically appealing, I just couldn't care less!"

"You need to realise, Ry, that even though appearance isn't a big deal, your talents are, and you have plenty," Vincent gave her a pointed look, "now come on, we're going to get your school supplies."

"Oh no- do we need to?" she groaned, throwing her head back, "that's so boring!"

"We had to at some point!" Vincent sighed, "don't worry, you'll be on the Hogwarts express in no time!"

-

"Did I turn the stove off?!" Ryan asked, looking around the extremely busy platform, her eyebrows knitted together as she stood with Vinnie, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket as he ignored the lingering stares of students around him.

It wasn't really surprising that the gorgeous fifth year had a gorgeous best friend.

"You can't cook!" Vinnie scoffed, rolling his eyes as he opened his arms, and finally did Ryan walk into them, hugging him tightly, "I'll miss you Ry, please remember to write."

"I will, I promise this time," she grinned, patting his cheek, "summer has gone in far too quickly, but during Christmas break, we should do something!"

"Like?"

"Like," Ryan trailed off, pondering for a moment before speaking, "we should go to Edinburgh, I heard that it's rather lovely during Christmas!"

"Or we could stay in London, and your favourite boy could cook you food," Vinnie smirked, "travelling at Christmas is a big no, no, Ry, come on, you know this!"

"I know," she sighed, huffing, "but don't you want to do something exciting?"

"What about the ice skating in the heart of the city?" asked Vinnie, shrugging his shoulders, "you could invite Connie?"

"Oh, yes," Ryan smirked, "my only friend at the wonderful castle, who doesn't like you!"

"She doesn't not like me," Vinnie grumbled, rolling his eyes, scoffing as he did so, "she just doesn't know me."

"Well first impressions are important," Ryan sang, "and well, you didn't make a very good one."

Vinnie chuckled as he threw his arm around his best friend, pulling her into him, "I love you, Ry, write every week, will you?"

"You know it," Ryan smiled softly, throwing her arms around him tightly, "love you, Vinnie!"

"Love you, too, Ryan, don't get into too much trouble!" he called, forcing the smile onto his lips as he waved goodbye, as did she.

"I'll try my best!" she giggled, blowing him an over exaggerated kiss whilst he jumped to catch it, resulting in the both of them laughing as she climbed onto the train, the atmosphere almost instantly changing from the platform illuminated by the dull sky now a bright warm light curtsey of the train filled the air.

Ryan pushed past multiple people, smiling softly as she gripped her bag close to her, a puff of air tumbling from her lips as she stumbled lightly, almost squealing when she almost fell to the ground, only to have someone catch her.

And whilst she had always dreamed of falling into Remus Lupin's arm, she really wasn't ready for the real thing, a laugh falling from his lips as he helped her to her feet, a charming grin - which he thought was rather embarrassing - decorating his face as he stared down at the wide-eyed girl.

"Remus!" she exclaimed, cringing at the loudness of her voice, her cheeks heating up suddenly, "uh h-hi, thank you."

"It's alright," he laughed, almost shielding his face when his laugh came out rather squeaky, "I guess helping you is like a hobby now."

"Wha- oh!" she laughed all the same, her eyes brightening when she thought back to the library last year, something she couldn't seem to get out of her head, "yes, w-well I hope it continues!"

His smile couldn't have possibly widened as he nodded, one hand shoved in his pocket and the other running through his sandy brown hair whilst the girl watched him with a smile of her own, watching his cheeks heat up, which she thought was entirely adorable.

"Um, so, uh," she stuttered slightly, taking a deep breath, "did you have a nice summer, Remus?"

Her voice was like honey to him, her smile wide with happiness, and soon, did he nod, "oh yeah, I spent it with my family mostly, though, I don't think I could eat as much as my mum tried to force feed me!"

Ryan let a giggle tumble from her lips, covering her mouth as she nodded, "I'm sure it wasn't that bad!"

"Oh, it definitely was," Remus nodded enthusiastically, "so how was your summer, did you spend it with your boyfriend?"

She frowned, her head tilted and her eyebrows furrowed, "Boyfriend?"

"U-uh, yeah," Remus nodded, unable to help the slight jealousy that bubbled in his stomach, "the boy who's always at the platform with you, sorry, Ryan, I just assumed he was your boyfriend."

"Oh no," she furiously shook her head, waving her hand, "that's Vinnie, we've been best friends since I was two years old, but just friends, that would just be entirely odd."

"Oh!" Remus exclaimed, suddenly stumbling forward when the train started moving and quickly did Ryan stop him from falling, they were just as clumsy as each other, "well, uh, that's good then."

"Remus!" the two turned at the sight of James Potter, a wide smirk on his lips as he watched Remus talking with the girl he hadn't shut up about, "coming?"

"Uh, yeah, uh," Remus trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck, "it was nice to see you, Ryan."

Ryan nodded softly, her smile decorating her lips once again, "you too, Remus."