Cho Chang blinked, staring into the glossy black eyes of the small horse. There was sothing familiar about those eyes. "But he's still Nolan! Nolan wouldn't hurt !"
"Oh no, Miss Chang, please step back!" Professor McGonagall called out in alarm. But Cho remained undeterred. She carefully approached the horse, extending her hand toward its head.
"Snort—!" The horse let out a sharp whinny, startling Cho into pulling her hand back montarily. Yet, she didn't retreat for long. Gathering her courage, she reached out again and finally touched the horse's head.
"Oh my goodness, such bravery! Are you sure she's not a Gryffindor?" McGonagall murmured in admiration.
The Weasley twins whispered in unison, "Couldn't have said it better ourselves."
anwhile, Marietta was on the verge of fainting. Seeing her friend reach out to a seemingly dangerous creature left her utterly panicked. "Oh, co back, Cho! Don't do sothing so reckless! You don't know when it might attack you!"
"It's not dangerous at all!" Cho said excitedly. Taking another small step forward, she wrapped her arms gently around the horse's neck. "See? It's actually very gentle. Nolan has always been harmless!" She rubbed her cheek against the horse's head and whispered, "Hey, Nolan, can I ride you?"
Everyone held their breath. No one had expected what happened next. The black horse let out two soft snorts and gradually cald down. Then, in an almost deliberate gesture, it lowered its body slightly, inviting Cho to climb on.
"Mr. Von Draugr has regained control! Well done, Miss Chang!" McGonagall exclaid joyfully. "Ravenclaw earns five points for your bravery... Oh, this is incredible—Mr. Von Draugr has truly learnt Animagus transformation at just eleven years old!"
Marietta muttered irritably, "What's so special about that, Professor?"
McGonagall shot her a sharp look. "It's extraordinarily special. Mr. Von Draugr may very well be the youngest wizard in history to learn Animagus transformation. I have no doubt he will achieve extraordinary things in the field of Transfiguration!"
Marietta froze, her face falling. She hadn't expected McGonagall to praise Nolan so highly.
anwhile, Cho, now perched on the black horse's back, let out a cheerful whoop. "Haha! Hey! Whoa! Nolan, you're amazing! Let's try slowing down a bit, though—no galloping, please!"
The corridor echoed with the sound of clopping hooves as Cho guided the horse at a steady trot.
The Weasley twins watched in awe, deeply impressed by the sight. Riding a horse through Hogwarts? That was undeniably cool. They couldn't help but envy Cho and berate themselves for not coming out of the secret passage earlier to calm Nolan down.
"Hey, don't be ridiculous, George!" Fred said. "You know it wouldn't have worked. Nolan only cald down because it was Cho. After all, no one would want to hurt the girl they fancy!"
That day, many students caught sight of Cho riding a small black horse through the hallways of Hogwarts. Before long, rumors of Nolan mastering Animagus transformation spread like wildfire across the school.
As for poor Filch, he no longer had ti to assist Snape in the hunt for the Weasley twins. Instead, he spent an entire week scrubbing away the hoofprints left all over the castle floors.
…
One Weekend..
It was a quiet day in the Slytherin common room, as Nolan was conspicuously absent. However, the younger Slytherins didn't find it unusual. Nolan's whereabouts were often a mystery, as he rarely spent much ti in the common room. If anyone was determined to find him, they would sotis succeed by checking the Transfiguration classroom, where he often worked with Professor McGonagall on advanced studies. Other tis, he could be found in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, as everyone knew Nolan had an excellent relationship with his sister, Professor Felicia Von Draugr.
So, when Nolan finally appeared in the Great Hall that evening, nobody thought much of it.
"Hey, Nolan! Where have you been all day?" asked Miles Bletchley, who was midway through devouring a grilled elephant at burger. Seeing Nolan, dressed impeccably as always, sit beside him, Miles couldn't help but ask.
Nolan carefully selected a slice of pie and placed it onto his plate. Without looking up, he replied, "I had the pleasure of spending the day with Professor Babbling. She's a highly knowledgeable lady, and I'm glad we reached a consensus on a few topics."
Miles looked puzzled. "Professor Babbling? Who's that? What does she teach?"
"Ancient Runes," ca a sudden answer from behind. The voice belonged to Marcus Flint, the burly fifth-year Quidditch captain for Slytherin. With a grin, Marcus shoved Nolan's shoulders playfully, forcing the younger students to shuffle aside as he plopped himself down in the middle. While doing so, he explained to Miles, "It's an elective class. When you hit third year, you'll have to choose electives. Oh, it's a nightmare. To the left, you've got hell; to the right, more hell. And no, you can't just not pick anything. Trust , don't even think about suggesting that to Professor Snape—unless you want to endure a sester of his sarcastic ridicule."
Miles grimaced, muttering, "You an we're not even taking all the classes yet? Ancient Runes… just hearing about it makes my head hurt. I bet most people will stress about the electives. Well, maybe not Nolan."
Nolan arched a brow. "I'd recomnd taking Ancient Runes. It's the most valuable class Hogwarts offers. It will change your understanding of magic and open up an entirely new world."
The first- and second-years were imdiately intrigued, wondering just how fascinating Ancient Runes could be. The older students who had taken the class, however, exchanged skeptical looks.
"Is it really that interesting?"
"Who knows..."
Marcus gave Nolan a hearty pat on the shoulder, laughing. "Looks like our little prince has already made up his mind. Hey, listen up, everyone," he addressed the first-years. "Any of you interested in Quidditch? You know, next year, as second-years, you'll be eligible to join the team. I want you to sign up now so I can assess your skills at the end of this term. If you're good enough, you'll start training imdiately. This year, Slytherin's obviously taking the cup, and I don't plan on letting it slip next year either!"
"Really? I have to join, Marcus!" Miles exclaid enthusiastically. A passionate fan of Quidditch, he could hardly contain his excitent.
"Good, Miles Bletchley," Marcus said approvingly as he jotted down the na in his notebook. "You've got a sturdy build, and you're going to grow taller—I'll train you as a Keeper. Anyone else interested?"
He looked around, pen poised, ready to take down more nas.
~~~----------------------
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