Chapter 48: New popularity

Ryan opened his eyes slowly. The faint light of dawn barely filtered through the canopy curtains of his bed, casting soft shadows across the wrinkled sheets.

He could hear the steady rhythm of his roommates’ breathing in the dormitory: Gideon and Fabian Prewett, Callum, and Jamie. All of them were still asleep, wrapped in the warm silence of the last stretch of night.

He stretched an arm, lazily pushing aside the red velvet curtain. It had been five days since that improvised trial in the Great Hall… and everything had been madness ever since.

A madness that, to be fair, had turned out quite well for him.

He took advantage of the moment when McGonagall called him out during dinner that night, saying there was a complaint, he had allegedly stolen two wands and attacked Mulciber and Rosier without provocation.

And Ryan, with a mix of calm and cunning, knew exactly how to turn it to his favor.

He made the accusation public. Turned the trial into a stage. Exposed the aggressors, letting them defend themselves or give their side of the story, insulting them with measured elegance. With the support of the entire Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables behind him, they couldn’t touch him, only sit and listen.

The outcome was devastating.

Rosier and Mulciber lost 100 points for Slytherin, a colossal number so early in the school year, and were punished for a full month, no special permissions, excluded from any clubs, social gatherings, or Hogsmeade visits.

Ryan, on the other hand, was awarded 20 points for bravery and honesty.

Gryffindor now had 135 points, 55 of which bore his name—over a third. And with that, he had pushed Slytherin to the bottom of the rankings.

The aftermath had been greater than he ever expected.

He had made enemies. Many. Especially among the Slytherins. To the purists, his words were a betrayal, a public humiliation of their entire house. And although Ryan hadn’t completely generalized, having only targeted Rosier and Mulciber with refined disdain, the extremes always found a way to twist the facts as they pleased.

But Ryan… didn’t care.

In terms of sales, it wouldn’t hurt him much. His numbers among Slytherins had never been high. Most of the quills in that house had been bought before the start of term, when no one yet knew he was their creator. Only a few direct sales had been made inside the castle to students from that house. Very few.

With one big, surprising exception:

Andromeda Black.

Ryan leaned back against the headboard and let the memory wash over him. It still amazed him.

The day after the trial, when the whole castle was still buzzing about what had happened, she stood up in front of everyone. Walked toward him with steady steps, crossing the Great Hall. She asked for a quill. And not only that, she accepted his invitation to sit with him. At the Gryffindor table.

While he playfully tried to guess her favorite color.

He hadn’t seen it coming. At least not that fast. Not after everything that had happened. It was clear that Andromeda Black had openly defied her own house. And although Ryan didn’t know exactly what kind of burdens she carried on her shoulders, he had some ideas.

After all, he had knowledge from the Harry Potter books and films.

She wasn’t a major character, but he knew she would one day marry Ted Tonks, a Muggle-born from Hufflepuff. For that act, she would be disowned, erased from the family tree. Like Sirius, she didn’t share the Blacks’ pure-blood ideals.

Though she hadn’t been as rebellious early on at Hogwarts as Sirius had.

But all of that was supposed to happen in her later years at Hogwarts, if not after. Not now. Not in fifth year.

He had observed her often since then and noticed she was an outcast. Sitting alone, though she carried herself with the kind of aura that said she couldn’t care less, and she certainly didn’t seem like the kind of girl who let herself be intimidated, not after buying an enchanted quill from him in front of everyone.

She had ordered one, teasingly declaring pink as her favorite color, throwing him completely off guard. A bold move and a subtle mockery. Unexpected.

Since then… he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her.

Not just because of her face, though it was undeniably beautiful, but because of what she represented. That quiet fire that seemed to have awakened right after the trial. Had he caused it? Or had he simply arrived at the perfect moment, like the final spark in a blaze that had been building for years?

He remembered perfectly when he handed her the quill the next day. Gray, just as she requested. They had a short chat. And that was when she admitted, in her usual calm yet firm tone, that she had been one of his first customers. That she had bought one of the enchanted quills he sold at Mr. Perks’ shop. One from the very first batch of ten.

The fourth customer, technically.

First had been his grandfather, Garrick, who paid him fifteen Galleons. Then the father and daughter to whom he sold one for ten, and finally Mr. Perks, who bought ten quills to resell in his shop.

That’s why Ryan gave him a discount. He sold Andromeda the gray quill for only seven Galleons, even though the letters it produced in the air had an extended duration.

She accepted without question.

And he couldn’t stop watching her as she walked away.

Her dark brown hair, her features, her straight posture, there was something magnetic about her. Something that, without meaning to, drew him in more and more.

He got up faster than usual.

It was barely 6:45 a.m. when Ryan left his dorm in the Gryffindor Tower. In the common room, a few early risers greeted him.

He replied with a nod, a brief smile. His popularity had skyrocketed since the trial. Sometimes it felt like he was walking through the corridors as if they were runways.

Today he had a reason to leave a few minutes earlier. He had Transfiguration, shared with Slytherin. Which meant he’d see her again.

The Great Hall was nearly empty when he pushed open its massive doors at 7:04. The echo of his footsteps barely carried, as if even the castle knew it was too early for noise.

He walked to the Gryffindor table and ordered his usual breakfast, which appeared with a small pop. No one from his group was there yet, Gideon and his roommates were still sleeping like angels. Neither were Emmeline, Marlene, nor the rest of the girls. Good.

And then he saw her, just as he’d hoped.

Across the hall, at the Slytherin table.

Andromeda. Sitting alone. She ate calmly, a half-finished plate of fruit before her. She held a small book in one hand while the other idly toyed with her cup.

She was seated slightly away from the center of the table, as if she’d chosen that spot to avoid people.

Ryan lowered his cup slowly. Watched her for a moment, careful not to be obvious.

She wore that focused expression he liked so much: serenity with a hidden edge.

And for an instant… she looked up. Their eyes met. Only for a second. But it was enough to make his heart skip.

She didn’t react. Just looked at him, then returned to her book.

At 7:25, just as the hall began to fill, Ryan saw her close the book with calm precision, set the cup aside, rise gracefully, and leave without looking back. It didn’t seem like she intended to cross paths with the rest of her house, or her sister Bellatrix, probably. She simply… left.

Ryan finished his breakfast a few minutes later. He stood, murmured a greeting to those now sitting nearby, and exited the hall, still thinking about her.

Where was she going?

The first class, Transfiguration, wasn’t until 8:00. There were still over thirty minutes left.

If she wants to read in peace, away from those purists, she’ll go to the classroom early to get a good seat, Ryan thought, deciding to take a chance.

Turning a corner on the third-floor corridor, just a few meters from the Transfiguration classroom, he stopped dead.

Andromeda was there.

Standing calmly against the wall, arms crossed. She didn’t seem surprised to see him.

In fact, one eyebrow was raised.

“Are you following me?” she asked, her gaze never leaving his.

Ryan froze for a moment, then smiled, as if he’d been caught red-handed and found the whole thing amusing.

“Mm? What do you mean, Prefect Black?” he said with feigned innocence. “I’m simply walking through the authorized corridors of the castle on my way to class. I have Transfiguration today.”

Andromeda tilted her head slightly, as if assessing his performance. “Down this corridor? Right now? Right behind me?”

Ryan shrugged, the picture of helpless charm. “I’m a firm believer in coincidences. Hogwarts is a place full of mysteries… who am I to argue with fate?”

She regarded him with a dangerously balanced mix of amusement and skepticism. “You say that as if you weren’t just watching me a few minutes ago in the Great Hall.”

Ryan opened his mouth to make an excuse, but she went on,

“And don’t bother denying it. I looked up from my book and saw you staring. There were fewer than twenty people at your table, and you were sitting alone. And since there was no one near me, the only logical conclusion is that you were looking at me. And now, this.”

Ryan, caught with all the evidence against him, kept smiling… but his tone softened a little.

“Fair point, Prefect Black. You got me.”

“Anything to say in your defense?” Andromeda asked.

“Only what’s fair,” Ryan replied, his voice carrying just a hint of sincerity beneath the humor. “I wanted to make sure the gray quill lived up to expectations. You know… inventor things. Client feedback from Slytherin’s most important customer, the only one who, despite everyone in her house looking at me like I’m the Antichrist with a wand, still decided to order one.”

Andromeda narrowed her eyes slightly, weighing whether it was a graceful excuse or a polished truth.

“So you were observing me for professional reasons?”

“Of course,” Ryan said, feigning dignity. “There’s no greater pride for a creator than knowing his work was well received. Did the letters last six hours?”

Andromeda let a few seconds of silence pass, then nodded slowly.

“Six hours exactly. Not a minute more,” she added, with a teasing edge.

“Perfect,” said Ryan, as if he’d just won a design award. “Then I can rest easy… knowing I didn’t disappoint the most elegant, intimidating, and surprisingly amusing client I’ve had so far.”

She didn’t reply immediately, but this time it was her turn to smile.

“Don’t use charm to get your way, Ollivander. It won’t always work.”

With that, Andromeda resumed her walk toward the Transfiguration classroom.

“I know,” Ryan said, walking beside her. “But with you… I’m willing to keep trying.”

Andromeda glanced sideways at him without slowing her pace.

Was that flirting?

Or was that just how he was?

It was hard to tell. Ryan Ollivander had that irritating knack for saying everything halfway between a joke and the truth.

And yet… there was something different in the way he said things when he spoke to her.

Or maybe she just wanted to believe that.

They reached the Transfiguration classroom. It was empty.