The Untold Tale

Chapter 2: The One with Yeats

Once the door had slid shut, an awkward silence fell into the compartment as if the wood had formed a barrier between the world of sound and their own. Morgan stubbornly ignored the company, reckoning there were amoebae in Antarctica that could have been of more interest, and lazily turned a yellowish page. The quiet rustling, accompanied by the rattling rain and slightly muted breathing, was the only noise the small booth seemed to bring forth. Despite her here unknown hoyden reputation, she most certainly didn't like strange boys - especially if they were boys with a worse reputation than her own. Equally reluctant to speak, it seemed, the lad's remained silent as well. Lowering her book slightly and barely noticeable, the witch's eyes drifted from the somewhat depressing "When You Are Old" to the lad straight in front of her.

The one called Remus appeared to be buried deeply in a book of his own, paying no attention to the lack of conversation, or pretending exceptionally well. From her angle, still lurking behind her poetry, it was rather hard to see what exactly he was studying, though the leather-bound cover and tattered corners gave away that - though it may not have been made by muggles - it was at least as second-hand as her own Yeats. Lupin brushed away a thick, curly lock of light-brown hair and the eyes that had been behind it visibly hurried from right to left; it was evident that he was not going to talk anytime soon. Meanwhile, the blonde chap who had placed himself in between Bookworm and Girl-Magnet - as the girl would call them for a long while when she talked to Lily - was watching his own nervously twiddling feet, as if they were the two most interesting objects in the entire universe. Obviously, he felt uncomfortable with the silence. When Morgan's discreet exploration ended by the remaining wizard, she found herself staring into grey eyes filled with arrogant amusement. Though she would have loved to immediately pierce her eyes into the poems again, it seemed like Sirius was the only one whom she would be looking at that very moment. His eyes were as sharp as they were haughty and Morgan couldn't but blink her own in embarrassment a few times for being caught.

"So you are Morgan, are you?" his voice was drawling and filled with the same mocking glee she had seen in his eyes. If she hadn't been so judgemental to distrust him right away, she would have shivered instead of repressing any sudden urge to show how she felt or what she was thinking. That very moment, she might have even felt just as uneasy as Peter, if that was possible.

"Ahem, correction: me friends call me Morgan, but it's Morrigan for you lot."

She had put on a wry expression and looked out of the window, pretending there was something interesting prancing trough the grassy landscape. Perhaps that would have been the case if any of the animals hadn't been wise enough to seek cover under the stately crowns of the trees or ascended to their granite thrones. Morgan was surprised by the poetic value of her thoughts, but quickly indicated her literature to be responsible for that.

"Ah, but of course... So, Morrigan, if you are a witch, how come you haven't studied in Hogwarts before? You don't really look like those pretty girls I've heard of, but are you a student of Beauxbatons?"

"I don't see how that is any of yer business" Morgan muttered and tried to make it blatantly clear she valued her book more than her company, especially after such a foul and offensive remark. Surely enough, she knew she wasn't exactly the best-looking witch of the isles and she would have tested all her newly invented potions on herself rather than to be compared to a shallow Beauxbatons student, but a git such as Black was not in the position to point that out. Snapping might not have been the best way to keep them from asking any more, but Morgan couldn't help herself. The fact she was a witch without barely any education in magic whatsoever, wasn't something she liked to parade about.

"Sirius, could it be possible for you to be civil to others for a change?." Remus had spoke calmly to his friend and, though the droning tone indicated he knew he couldn't do much about his friend's behaviour, the witch was glad he tried nonetheless. Stretching his lean arms behind his head as a butterfly-shaped pillow, the black-haired wizard snorted and looked up to the ceiling, as if to find something remarkable there.

"I was just being social like you always preach me to be..." the twitching corner of his mouth indicated he wanted to sigh deeply and dramatically, but he appeared to be waiting for a better moment to cross the line further than before, "Besides it's boring in here."

"It wouldn't hurt you to take a look in your books," the tone was as telling as before, giving away that Remus found the superfluous comment a waste of oxygen. At first sight, Morgan had to admit that Black indeed

didn't look like the kind who studied a lot - if at all.
"Studying you say? Already? I don't think so," Sirius slouched further in his seat and took, if possible, an even more languid pose. Although it wasn't hard to tell Sirius had never in his life had to work for anything, he acted as if he hadn't gotten a break for two long summer months and needed school to relax. To Morgan, it was no surprise she detested ever single bit of his attitude, remembering all the long hours in the pub that had been needed to pay for a bunch of mere second-hand books and the like. However, Lupin - who didn't seem remarkably wealthy either - didn't look like he was bothered by any of it. The witch could only find his ability to pay no attention to it admirable... or maybe Remus was just a better person than she was. She considered that idea, but rapidly decided that couldn't be the case; it must be habituation.

"Well, you asked for something to do..." Lupin's curls bobbed slightly when he shrugged and turned his head around to look at Black in a brave attempt to dare him to disagree. Sirius snorted at his friend again, but the more he did so, the more Morgan found it to sound like a puppy-like yelp.

"I'll go and see if other compartments are less dead than this one," he hoisted himself up and headed to the door, "Peter, you coming mate?"

The blonde boy stumbled up and hurried after his friend who had already stalked away to the corridor. A couple of Asian-looking girls passed the open compartment, their long skirts fluttering around their legs almost friskily. Judging by their giggling and the way they moved their hand to their mouth with a blush, Sirius had honoured them with either a compliment or a charming wink. Morgan felt quite in contrast with them and, perhaps subconsciously to emphasize that truth, she gracelessly grossed her legs and hereby left a muddy trail on her long trousers. The door rolled close automatically before the witch could see how the girly students reacted or if they had actually seen her physical respond at all. As a matter of fact, she wasn't sure whether anyone but she herself had noticed her move or if they had sought any deeper meaning behind it. The bookworm looked too busy expanding his knowledge to see her subtle statement and she suddenly felt rather silly for doing that. Quietly, she put her feet next to each other again, her knees pointed to the window she was looking through. It was still sprinkled with few persistent drops that hadn't been washed away or rolled to the thin metal frame around the glass because of the train's speed. Somehow, the question if anything could break the glass arose in her, but she shook her head as to shake off the thought too. She wasn't going to test whether or not the train was self-mending any time soon, at least not when there was someone else around.
Silence fell over the compartment again, but the Irish noticed it was quite a bit different than before; she couldn't speak for Remus, but she at least was more comfortable, far less tense. Generally, only the clatter of the train on the tracks made a rhythmic sound and the slight rocking felt pleasant to Morgan. No matter how much she could enjoy a good novel, she no longer felt like reading and rather concentrated on the rapidly passing hills and small ponds that might have started of as mere puddles this morning. Her book was turned over in her lap, her hands folded and draped over its back, and - if she had been able to look at herself from Remus' position - she might have thought to herself she was trying to cover up a piece of trash. The view didn't change much; rolling green hills, many sheep, an occasional tree or distant woods. Everything looked quite comparable to her own home.

Perhaps it won't be so different here in Britain after all, Morgan pondered as she granted herself the wish of relaxing slightly by following Black's example and slouching very slightly. It wasn't amazing that seeing familiar sceneries made her feel at home, but the witch had had no idea how alike it all would be. Being the outdoor person she was, adapting Hogwarts itself wouldn't bring too much trouble along. Then she tensed again; that still doesn't remove the fact I'm lousy with actual magic.

Now, Morgan wasn't a squib, mind you! She had all the potential to be a wonderful witch even, if she had been able to receive the training appropriate for someone her age and talent. However, since she hadn't been as lucky as Lily, she definitely needed more practice. A lot of practise. As her parents had never accepted what they called her ‘abnormality', it had taken her a lot of time and effort to learn to control her abilities in order to avoid being scowled at. Naturally, things hadn't always gone smoothly, as they never do. A few incidents, such as a rather awkward one involving quite a bunch of carrots, would still bring a faint blush to Morgan's cheeks. Thankfully there lived a kind witch in the same village, together with her two sons. Eileen MacBrady, she was called; a woman who had taken young Morgan under her motherly wing and taught her what she could, without causing too much of a havoc in town as well as at the ministry. Deeply sunk in her musings, the witch didn't hear how a calm voice had been talking to her. Only when her glazed eyes were rerouted back to the realm of the compartment, she noticed the questioning look on the face of the wizard sitting opposite her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What did you say?" she said apologetically, putting a dog-ear on the page she had reached so she could close her book, "I don't think I was paying enough attention."

"That's quite alright, I was just trying to apologise for my friend. He can be quite..." Remus stopped to search for the right expression. Given that he was probably searching for a neutral or even romanticized word for "irritating", it could have taken him quite a while.

"Annoying?" Morgan cut in, blurting out the first clean word that had come to her mind. It wouldn't have been of any use to her to insult the only new person she appreciated by calling Sirius names, which she realised was a privilege amongst friends. A bit absent-minded, she wondered which would be the greatest challenge of all: learning to flick her wand and not make a mess or keep herself from slurring the Girl-Magnet and the Head Boy.

"Yes, that's the word," Morgan was surprised to hear the young sorcerer agree so quickly, "But, he's not really that bad. I hope you didn't get a completely horrible picture of us because of him."

"Oh I've heard a lot from Lily already and so far everything is just like she has described to me," the witch shook her head lightly, but couldn't help but to grin.

"Oh, my... Sounds like Lily has been quite open about her opinions. I don't even dare to ask," Remus countered, the look on his face played concern astonishingly well. Though Lily hadn't exactly told her a lot about this boy, it seemed like she had missed a valuable link in the quartet. The wizard may have appeared somewhat ordinary, but there certainly was something amusing and even intriguing about him.

"Don't worry," Morgan's grin widened when she realised the boy wasn't quite as insecure or geeky as his friends made him look, "Mainly she just concentrates on calling the Potter-boy names. I didn't even know she knew that many foul words, come to think of it."

"Well, James can be quite-" Lupin wondered how to defend his other friend for a moment, but again got interrupted by the witch's repetition:

"Annoying?"

"Was just going to say that."

"I can understand why Lily finds him annoying... But if you think the same, why are you still friends with them?" Morgan looked up to the wizard inquisitively and for a moment another silence followed. Cat meowed in her carriage, obviously wanting out, but Morgan didn't trust it among strangers; not even the ones she liked. After biting his lower lip anxiously for a while, Remus cleared his throat.

"They aren't really that bad once you get to know them. I have never a met more loyal bunch and they are quite smart, even if they don't always look the part. They just sometimes appear to be conceited gits."

"From what I've heard from Lily, they are conceited gits," though she liked Remus, there was no getting around that fact and Morgan considered too late such a remark might end the conversation they were having quite abruptly and far sooner than she'd want to. A one way ticket back to that peculiar and boring stillness of before was not exactly on her wish list.

"I suppose Lily has a rather different view on them than I do. James just turns into a show-off clown whenever she comes near. Can't really blame her for disliking him," Remus tried to explain; his tone sounded even more earnest than before. The Irish was slightly taken aback by the calm reply, knowing how fiercely she would have fiercely snapped if anyone dared to point out Lily's flaws so persistently.

"Aye... That's pretty much what I've heard meself," she uttered, before both fell into silence again. Not knowing what else to do, the students both reached for their books almost in chorus and resumed their reading.
"And he saw how the reeds grew dark," she spied, but when she looked outside she noticed the thick, grey clouds had indeed made the skies grow dim already. Morgan sneezed.

"Bless you," Remus murmured, still in a friendly voice, but without once lifting his head or pausing his speeding eyes. With the little bit of insight into the human nature she had, she realised how odd it must seem for people such as his friends to understand how anyone could be amused by random marks of ink on paper. How a boy such as Lupin ended up with James and Co was a disturbing enigma.

"Thanks," the witch shook an old-fashioned plaid handkerchief the size of a small tea towel from her sleeve and carefully unfolded it, "School allergies, I guess."

Remus smiled warmly when he decided it was okay to look her into the eye again, but the curl around his pale lips gave Morgan the feeling he might have been genuinely happy to see the first of September. Whether or not is was because he would be with his friends again, she didn't know, but since she had not seen one sad face on Platform 9 and ¾, it was more or less clear to her nearly every student seemed to love Hogwarts. Perhaps she would learn to like it, too, she thought. Anything would be better than a mediocre house in Cork where her parents roamed, especially if it was a mediaeval castle where she'd learn all about magic with her friend.

"Say, which classes you are taking?" he posed, genuinely interested. A couple of parchment papers escaped the back and were muffled back into their place untidily before Remus decided to put it away. With a fluent flick of his wand and a couple of muttered spells, the book - which, Morgan now saw, was called "Hairy Snout, Human Heart" - restored itself and shrunk to a size that would easily fit in his breast pocket. Though she found all those little magic tricks amazing, she couldn't help but to recall her anxiousness again. Everyone was more experienced than she was and it didn't appear like she would get very far without all those handy spells at Hogwarts.

"I don't know how the procedure goes here... But I did sign up for Potions, Herbology, History, Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures the moment my parents agreed on sending me here," the witch summed up the courses and hoped the headmaster would put her in these classes only, since they were the only ones she knew she could handle for sure. If she would end up in an advanced Transfiguration or Defence Against the Dark Arts class, she wouldn't even know how to properly hold her wand. Morgan felt rather ill at the thought.

"I don't think you'll have any problems with those classes. They're very interesting, to be honest. Well, except History... Binns is as ancient as the stuff he's teaching. I think we might even have that course together," the hinted smile veiled whether he was happy for that or was just trying to make Morgan feel welcome. In a way, it bothered her she had no more clue how to read people outside her village, "I'll try to help you find your way. Don't worry about that too much."
Taken aback, she stared at the boy and wondered how on earth it was possible her thoughts could be deciphered so easily. Was that another magic trick?

"Don't look so flabbergasted, I'm not an Legilimens or anything," he was rather amused by the look on the witch's face. At that moment, it appeared some of his friends' attitude had rubbed off on him. She found that side, whether she had only imagined it or not, a lot less kind than the one she had seen when they had been talking about James.

"What's a Legilimens?" her curiosity dominated the feeling Remus was mocking her. Though she could more or less already figure out what it was, she would rather hear it from the wizard's mouth. As she was not familiar with this whole new world, Morgan found it smarter to ask questions rather than draw conclusions.

"It's hard to explain... You could simply call it mind-reading, but that's not really right. I'll show you one of my books, if you like," the offer came out eager, but the young man covered it up by continuing in the same fast speak, "It's not really that important though. They don't teach it at Hogwarts, though there are... some people who would like that."

"I can only imagine... It would be so handy to help me remember how to get around on the grounds," the girl sniggered, sheepishly for admitting her inability to find her way anywhere, "Are there any spells that could help me with that?"

"Maybe," he replied mysteriously; a tone that rather suit him. "Either way, I'm sure you'll find Hogwarts to be the best thing that ever happened to you. I do, at least."

Morgan wasn't quite sure about that... but her confidence grew slightly as the train rocked her further through the Highlands.