His Daughter- Book 1

by Jessica Lizzeti

Anna Thomas moves from Beauxbatons to Hogwarts after her mothers death, but she bears a huge secret. When a family of beautiful strangers waltz into her orphanage, where will her life lead her? When they suddenly appear at her magical school, things become even more intense.

Chapter 1

Flying was by far the scariest thing I had ever endured. Sure, riding on a broom was fine and I was even good at it! But flying in a big metal container in the sky was a recipe for disaster. Throughout the whole flight from Paris to London, I gripped the armrests tightly, gaining some strange looks from the muggles around me. What the hell was I doing this far off the ground without magic?! I had flown before, to visit mum once a year in England, but I was still scared out of my wits.

The news that my mother had died arrived only yesterday as I was packing my belongings to spend the summer holidays with her. I never thought that I'd be coming home to her funeral rather than her warm hug. Just thinking about her brought tears to my eyes and I still felt numb with shock. It didn't feel real, the whole situation felt like a nightmare I couldn't wake up from. I loved her so much, she was the only person who cared for me throughout my whole childhood. My father's identity died with my mother, so I would never know who he was. My fifteenth birthday was in a month and my mother wouldn't be there to celebrate with me.

"Are you alright, miss?" I turned to see the middle aged man next to me peering at my worriedly. I quickly realised that I had tears streaming down my face.

"I am quite alright, thank you." My speech held both a French and English accent, making it sound a tad strange. He nodded and turned back to the magazine he was reading. I looked out of the window, gazing at the clouds that hung like huge cotton balls below the plane. It was the first of July, the school year had just finished at Beauxbatons, I couldn't wait to go back, the palace was beautiful and it was home for me. I had spent the last four years, learning magic with my fellow students who were more like family. I would miss them over the holidays, most students live in France, and a few live in the surrounding countries, only a few odd students like me, lived in England.

My mother was opposed to the English school, Hogwarts. I didn't know why, she had such an aversion to it. I knew that it was quite bigger than Beauxbatons, though the grounds were smaller. I had never been there though I had read Hogwarts: A history many times so I probably knew more about it than most students who attend it. By my third year at Beauxbatons, I had read their entire library and the teachers provided me with Seventh year advanced magic because they had run out of things to teach me.

An hour of torture later, the plane landed at Heathrow. I gratefully stepped off the metal monstrosity that had held me captive and began to walk from the gate to the baggage carousel. The airport was crowded and I weaved my way through the masses of clueless muggles that constantly got in the way I was tempted to use repelling charms to help me through the crowd, but I couldn't. In England, witches and wizards under seventeen cannot perform magic outside of school without "The Trace" notifying the English Ministry of Magic. You would then get severely punished and possibly even suspended from school. In Paris, we had charms that were classified into categories depending on how powerful they were. Simple charms were only classifies as fifth class charms and were legal for underage wizards and witches to perform. There was only one condition, if a muggle sees you, you would be expelled from your Magical Academy and have your wand seized. That was enough to frighten people out of attempting anything stupid.

I had to wait for half an hour in a crowded are before I finally spotted my luggage. I was to catch a taxi to a place called St Agatha's House for girls. I suppose it was I nice way to tell you it was an orphanage and you were probably going to be stuck there until you turn eighteen. I hopped into the first taxi I could see and gave the driver the address. He nodded and started driving without saying a word. I gazed at the London scenery and a great sadness settled into my heart, I had no family members and I don't know if my mother had any friends. She always seemed to be a keep-to-yourself kind of person. Her house had already been sold and the money that hadn't been used to pay of her remaining debt was in a trust fund at the bank, the wizard one. When I turned sixteen, I would inherit the money. At this point I couldn't care less about money, my only parental figure and family member was dead and I was off to live in and orphanage. Sigh.

The taxi pulled up in front of a beautiful old Tudor-style house. It wasn't small by any measure, the front of the house had a pretty, leafy vine climbing up the white front of the house. It had a wonderful old style but was in an obviously immaculate condition. The lawn and garden that surrounded the huge house was neat wand well kept. A plump old woman was at the door waiting for me to exit the car. She came towards me and pulled me into a hug as soon as I exited the car.

"I know you're probably in shock right now honey, but I want you to know that St Agatha's is happy to have you and that you can trust me, dear. My name is Ms Rowan and you find me whenever you need anything, okay?" She let go of me and I nodded to her, thinking that it should be my mother greeting me with a hug. Tears began to roll lazily down my cheeks once again and I brushed them away hurriedly. A man came out of the front door and walked towards the taxi, he was dressed in worn but cleaned overalls. He lifted my heavy trunk out of the car and began to pull it inside.

"Ted will take your belonging to your room, would you like to come into my parlour and have some tea?" Her voice was like a soothing agent to the ache in my chest. I followed her as she entered the house. Inside, it was clean and the décor, though old, was beautiful and artistic. It just added to the rustic feeling of the building. The walls were painted a white which made the dark brown of the exposed beams stand out. Ms Rowan lead me into a small tea room with two small armchairs front of a small window, a tray with a teapot and two cups was already waiting on a small wooden table between the two armchairs. Ms Rowan indicated for me to sit down on one of the chairs. She bustled about and asked me how I liked my tea.

Once we had our tea in our hands, she began.

"I hope you like it here," I nodded.

"It is a beautiful house, Ms Rowan." She smiled and looked down at her tea cup.

"Your mother's funeral will be held two days from now on Saturday." I nodded once again and stared out the window. A small creek bubbled merrily by the back of the house and green, freshly mowed grass surrounded it, it was such a peaceful spot.

"If you need to talk, love, I'm right here," tears streamed down my face this time but I made no effort to stop them.

"It was such a shock, one moment she was healthy, eager to see me, the next moment, she was dead. It doesn't seem real." I started sobbing into a tissue that Ms Rowan had given me. She nodded understandingly as I said this.

"I understand that you attend a school in France. Am I right?"

"Yes." I thought of Beauxbatons and the beauty of the palace and its surrounding lands. I thought of my three best friends, Adeline, Carolina and Colette, and how they comforted me when the news of my mother's death reached me.

Ms Rowan and I talked for a while longer before she showed me to my room. It wasn't a big room, nor was it very small. It was just right. White lace curtains hung over the window, an armchair sat in the corner along with a few books stacked up in a neat pile in a small table at the side. The bed was a single and had a white duvet with a green vine pattern sewn into it. Ms Rowan left me to explore my room by myself. I sat down in the chair and looked out the window to see Ted busy at work with trimming a hedge. Out in the distance I saw a speck flying towards me. As it got closer I saw it was an owl. Before it hit the glass, I opened the window to let it in.

I detached the letter and tore it open.

Dear Miss Thomas,

I would like to inform you that, after a discussion with Madame Maxime, we decided that it would be beneficial for you to attend Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your transfer forms have already been lodged and your personal belongings have already been moved and set up for the start of year. I am very sorry that you didn't get a chance to voice your opinion on the matter, but the decision was made with your best interests at heart. I offer my deepest condolences for your loss, and I am looking forward to seeing you at the start of the year. Do not worry about the orphanage they have already been notified. I will send someone to help you buy everything you need on August 20th.

Regards,

Professor Dumbledore.

How could my life have gotten so different, so quickly?

. - next photo

.

Chapter 2

Esme's P.O.V

The English climate was becoming a haven for us. The very few sunny days made living in public so much easier. My husband, Carlisle, and I were sitting on the deck relaxing after a day of work, not that we were tired, that wasn't possible for us vampires. We just chatted about little things, things of no consequence, but I did have something on my mind, I just didn't know how to bring it up.

"Esme, just say it." I looked over at my son, Edward, who was the family mind reader.

"What is it Esme?" Carlisle turned to look at me expectantly.

"I was thinking…it's been over twenty years since Renesme was born." I paused and looked at Carlisle once more, still patiently waiting. "I was toying with the idea of adoption again." There, I said it, and surprisingly, Carlisle was actually thinking about it.

"He could hardly say no to you, how many things has he ever denied you?" Edward said with a smirk, I gave him a playful glare.

"Do you want to go to the nearby Girls House on Sunday?" Carlisle suggested, and I practically jumped at the idea so I called a family meeting.

Once Rosalie, Emmet, Jasper, Bella, Edward, Alice, Carlisle, Renesme and Jake were all gathered in the living room, I began the conversation.

"I've been thinking," I started, when I was interrupted by Emmet trying to be funny.

"Did it hurt?" He smirked at me and I glared at him for interrupting the conversation. The glare quickly wiped the smirk of his face.

"As I was saying before being rudely interrupted, I was thinking about how long it's been since have had a kid around the house. Twenty years since Renesme was a child and I think we should consider adopting again, if you guys don't want that's fine, but I'd just like it to be an idea worth considering." I looked at all my children, who I all loved very much. They all nodded their heads in agreement causing me to squeal excitedly. They all chuckled at my girly behaviour but I paid them no mind.

"How old and what gender?" Rosalie asked. I hadn't really thought about the specifics yet. I was really only focused on getting all the others to agree.

"I suppose well have to see on who takes our fancy it'll definitely be a girl because St Agatha's is an all-girls home. We'll all go to St Agatha's on Sunday, that's in three days people so keep your schedules free!" Alice, Rosalie and I all started on preparing a room. We couldn't do much since we didn't know how old our new child would be. Clearing out the spare room which was full of random items belonging to random family members was quite a large job, but we finished it pretty quickly.

~ 2 days later- St Agatha's House for Girls~

We had to drive there in three cars, as we drove I gazed out at the tall green trees that lined both sides of the avenue. St Agatha's was situated on the very outskirts of London, surrounded be beautiful gardens and grassy meadows, it was a lovely place. The gravel driveway crunched underneath the tires of our vehicles. A merry old lady opened the door and rushed out to greet us.

"Welcome to St Agatha's! We are very pleased to meet you." She ushered us inside and sat us down in a large tea room which had a window looking out over a field. Near a small creek at the base of a tree sat a girl. Her hair was platinum blonde and with my excellent vision, I could tell from here that she was stunningly gorgeous. She seemed to be reading a large book, I couldn't see what the title was, but it certainly had her engrossed in it. I felt an elbow lightly nudge me and I looked up.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Carlisle was looking at me strangely probably wondering how a vampire with superhuman hearing could possibly have not heard a question. If I could blush, I would've.

"What age were you thinking, Miss?" The kind woman asked me. I pondered the question. I had no specific age in mind, I just wanted to see if anyone took my fancy, and so far, the blonde headed girl had most of my attention.

"I didn't have any specific age in mind, I just wanted to see if anyone jumped out at me." I looked at the girl reading outside again. Ms Rowan followed my gaze and spotted the girl. Her expression fell into one of sadness and pity. The whole family was now looking at the girl in

"Who is she?" Emmet asked, Ms Rowan sat down and rubbed her forehead tiredly.

"Her name is Anabelle Thomas, you may not have realised this, but this is not an orphanage. Most of these girls have at least one parent and some even have two. They are mostly here because their parents are in jail, rehabilitation or temporarily unable to care for them." I hadn't realised this until she told me and by the looks of the others, they hadn't either.

"Who are her parents?" It was jasper who asked this time. We all looked expectantly at the old lady.

"Her mother's funeral was yesterday. I went with her, she was a right mess. Poor little thing, her father's identity was only known by her mother, who had never told anyone."

"How awful," I heard Rosalie murmur quietly.

"Did she live with her mother?" Carlisle asked. Renesme was nearly in tears as the lady told her story, Jake had his arm around her and rubbing her shoulders lightly.

"No, she went to a school in France, she would only return to England in the summer holidays. Her mother died the day before she was due to return."

"She goes to school in France?" That's an awfully long way to go to school, there must be a reason.

"Not anymore. I received a letter from her old school. She has been enrolled in another school in Scotland. Apparently this school is the same as the French one." That was really strange, why does she have to go to these particular schools?

"How did her mother die?" The old woman frowned again.

"That's the thing sir, someone examined the body, and there was nothing there that could have caused death. It's a total mystery. The police say it was most likely murder." We all looked at each other, something was obviously wrong here.

"Can we please speak to her?" Ms Rowan nodded at Carlisle and exited the room, leaving us by ourselves to talk.

"Why do you think that she has gone to all these schools?" Edward asked us. We all shook our heads and wondered the same question.

"When she comes into the room, can you get a read on her thoughts?" Edward nodded at Alice, Jasper seemed troubled.

"What's wrong Jazz?" He had a frown on his face. He looked out the window, Ms Rowan was walking with Annabelle back towards the house.

"Her emotions are too depressed for a girl her age. She's sad, angry, in shock, relieved, scared and confused." We all frowned in unison, he's right, she's too young to be feeling all that. When she entered the room, all of our eyes snapped towards us. I saw her face pale, as if she was scared.

"Don't be scared, honey. We just wanted to talk." She nodded and moved further into the room. Everyone in the room was looking at her in awe, wondering how a human could look that beautiful without being a vampire, even Rosalie looked a little jealous.

"My name is Esme. This is my husband, Carlisle, and these are my children, Bella, Edward, Emmet, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Renesme and Jake." They all nodded at her and she did the same. The strange thing was, she didn't look surprised by this. They all looked very different to Carlisle and I, most people would ask if they were adopted straight away, but she just nodded as if it were perfectly normal.

"Can you tell us how old you are?" She looked at me and seemed to relax a tiny bit, but she was still tense and wary of us.

"I'm fifteen, soon to be sixteen." I nodded and smiled at her cute French/English accent, we still had our American accents so it was a great contrast. Ms Rowan left the room, leaving us to talk to her in private. "Do you mind if we ask some personal questions?"

"That depends on what they are." I could detect a little bit of sass in her tone and I grinned. I could tell Emmet heard because he smirked at her.

"Do you know who your father is?" Her face went stony and she folded her arms across her chest.

"No one does." She answered me but it didn't escape me that she didn't answer my question exactly.

"What was the name of the school that you attended in France? I have been there and may know of it." She looked at Carlisle as he asked her this.

"You wouldn't have heard of it, trust me." She looked into his eyes and I knew that she was absolutely sure of this. Why was she so positive about that? I looked over at Carlisle and he glanced at me. She was hiding something.

Annabelle's P.O.V

I saw Esme and Carlisle exchange a glance. They knew that I was hiding something. As soon as I walked into the room, I could tell that they were vampires, except one, he was a shape shifter. That was my Dark Arts class kicking in, damn the stupid Trace. Out of all of the times that I actually need magic, I can't use it. When they asked me about my father, I had to do some quick thinking. The truth was, I did know who my father was, everyone in the wizarding world did, and I was feared and hated because of it.

"When did you move to France for school?" This came from the shape shifter sitting with another vampire girl. His skin was really tan and his muscular physique was bulging from beneath his t-shirt. He was pretty easy on the eyes, but so not my type.

"When I was eleven. I have three more years of school left." I looked at each of them. They all had bright amber coloured eyes, which meant they were animal feeders. I wasn't worried about them as soon as I noticed this, lethal vampires would never even dream of living off animal blood. They were all in couples. Esme was obviously with Carlisle, Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmet, Edward and Bella and lastly, Renesme and Jacob. It surprised me when I saw a shape-shifter with a vampire, but then remember Professor Bellaire, my magical creatures teacher, tell me about imprinting, which is like soulmates for all shape-shifters.

Ms Rowan walked back into the room, Carlisle and Esme went off to talk to her while I remained by myself until I heard a deep voice call my name. I looked over at the largest of the vampires, his arms were ninety percent muscle which bulged out from underneath his shirt he looked tough and scary, the only thing that ruined his image was the boyish grin on his face. I smiled at him and made my way over to him. I could tell he was the funny type.

"What was your school like?" The question took me by surprise but I answered anyway.

"It was an all-girls school." The others stopped their talking and turned towards me. Emmet grinned and I wondered what the next question he fired at me would be.

"Did you ever pull any pranks?" I smirked at him and his grinned widened.

"If there was one thing that surprised me above all else at that school, Emmet, was how many pranks you can pull on a school full of girls."

"Your killing me! You've got everything girl! The looks, the brains and the pranking! Whoever you end up with, they're one lucky bastard." I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow.

"Shut up Emmet," I said, a blush rising on my cheeks. The others chuckled at my uneasiness so I shot them all playful glares. I was told that I could be pretty scary when I wanted to.

"Wow that's one hell of a glare," I smiled at Alice as she said this. I'm glad someone though so.

"How long have you guys been living with Esme and Carlisle?" They all exchanged another look and then it struck me that I was behaving like I knew everything. I should probably act a little more clueless. I wonder if they knew about the existence of magic. Probably not, we keep our existence pretty well hidden.

"Um, we've all been living with them for quite a while." I didn't pry Alice for more information because she could hardly say that it's been decades. Esme walked back towards us and we all turned to look at her.

"Honey, I know all of this is very sudden, but we want to know if you'd consider living with us. It's alright if you don't, but we'd all like to be there for you." I blinked back tears at the sincerity in her voice. I was touched.

"Are you sure?" I wanted to make sure that I wasn't any trouble. Their faces brightened at my question.

"Of course! We came here with the intention of adopting anyway!" I looked at them in disbelief, I'd have a family? The only family I had had was mum, it would be so good to have a real family again.

"I'd love that so much, Esme!" I got up and hugged her cool body, she wrapped her small arms around me and hugged me in a very motherly way that nearly made me start crying as it reminded me of my own mother. Emmet walked over to me and crushed me into a bone-crunching hug.

"Emmet…need…breathe…survive," I managed to choke as the air was squeezed from my lungs, he dropped me back down on the ground, and I punched him on the arm as hard as I could. It probably didn't even tickle. He laughed at my childish behaviour.

"Big meanie! I don't like you!"

"Aww did I upset wittle Annabelle?" He cooed in a baby voice as he pinched my cheek. I just crossed my arms over my chest with a raised eyebrow and said, "Really, Emmet?" Jasper started to laugh at my tone. Then I burst into a fit of giggles as Emmet did this stupid looking pout that made him look constipated then everyone started laughing at my laugh.

"I hate you!" I whined at Emmet in between fits of giggles.

"We'll pick you up tomorrow, Annabelle. That way you can take as much time packing your things."

"They're already packed. I didn't unpack from three days ago."

"Well, would you like to come today? We have a spare room that you can make your own."

"Sure, if you're sure it's no trouble. I don't want to be an inconvenience." Carlisle waved a hand at me.

"It'll be fine." Renesme jumped up and gripped my hand.

"Show me to your room so I can help you with your bags." My room was barely touched, my bag was still packed with only a few things pulled out of it.

"So, do you have a boyfriend?" Renesme asked me as she sat down on the bead. I blushed at her question, remembering Adrien.

"Used to, but I caught him with someone else, so that was the end of him."

'Bummer," Renesme commented, I nodded in agreement but it didn't really bother me that much, we weren't really that serious.

"Are you with Jacob?" I raised my eyebrows at her and she blushed as I did. Wait, she blushed? Vampires can't do that. What is she? Is she human?

"Yeh, Jacob and I have been going out for a while." I nodded again and we both made our way downstairs with my luggage. The others were waiting for us in the foyer while Esme and Carlisle were signing papers. I smiled at them and they all smiled back. I already felt like I'm part of the family.

Chapter 3

~~~ Rosalie's P.O.V~~~

"Rose! Come downstairs, we're having a family meeting!" Annabelle had just gone to bed and we were waiting until we were sure that she had

Alice insisted on decorating a room for me, despite my protests that I would be happy in a spare room until I left for school, but Esme insisted.

"Nonsense, this is your house now, you need your own room." I gave up at that point because it was clear I was going to lose this battle. The next day Alice and Esme took me shopping. Rosalie was right when she warned me that I was in for a long, boring and tiring day. Alice shopped like the world was going to end tomorrow, shed literally buy anything that you expressed even tiny liking to. I however was fascinated with the muggle contraptions and money that they used. Things called escalators lifted us up off the floor and carried us up to the next level! I tried not to look too amazed by everything, but it was hard. Alice bought so much stuff! How many things do a family of vampires need? I wondered how their house wasn't filled with junk that Alice had accumulated. Four hours later Alice seemed to have finished.

"There, all done!" She chirped happily while lugging a mountain of bags out of the shopping centre's front doors. The car was full of plastic bags which contained clothes, bedroom decorations and food. I rested my weary head on the window and slowly drifted off.

~~~~ At the house~~~~

"Alice! You killed her!" I heard Emmet shout as Alice and Esme exited the car. My door opened and I felt someone undo my seatbelt and lift me out.

"I'm starting to think that death by shopping is a legitimate way to die, and it's not a happy death." I mumbled with my eyes still closed. I opened my eyes and saw Edward carrying me.

"Thanks Eddie, I don't know if I could have survived the journey from the car to the house."

"It's Edward." He said as Jasper, Emmet and Jacob laughed at my nickname.

"Sorry Eddie." I smirked and Emmet laughed even harder.

My room was finished the next day and I was astounded at how beautiful it was. The bed was a white hardwood and the bedspread was a light purple which contrasted nicely with the white walls of the room.

"Annabelle! Come down for dinner!" Esme called out to me. I never asked why they didn't eat and I think they were a bit suspicious about it, but I couldn't be bothered to act clueless.

I sat at the bar and ate the chicken wrap, it tasted like heaven.

"This is so good Esme!" She smiled at me as everyone else walked into the living room to watch TV. Once I finished dinner, I did the same.

"You guys can call me Anna, all my friends do."

"Anna it is then." I smiled and walked back up to my room. I took out some of my French workbooks and began to revise on all the work I have done. I have never scored below five percent on a test, I probably don't even need to study, but it keeps my mind off my mother, my father and the sudden move away from my friends who are more like my family.

"Anna! Come down!" I heard Edward shout from downstairs, I wondered what it was. Usually they just let me study in peace. I got up and walked down the stairs to see Carlisle holding a letter in his hand.

"This arrived in the post today. We weren't sure if it was misdirected because it doesn't have any of our names on the front, do you recognise it?" Carlisle asked, handing me the folded piece of parchment. I took it from his hand and examined it, as I read the name on the front, I felt my blood run cold. The name on the front was indeed mine. There was only one person that used that name for me.

Miss Riddle

"Anna? Are you alright? You've gone pale." Esme came over to me. I nodded and sat down/collapsed onto the sofa. I flipped the letter over to peel back the seal. It was shaped like the Dark Mark. I began to read, and the words made me feel even worse.

My dear daughter,

We have been separated for far too long. I have risen and I will need you to join me in my quest to overtake the wizarding world. I will not take no for an answer this time. Whether you want to or not, you will be mine. And don't bother to hide, I will always find you. You don't want to get on my bad side like your mother,

You're Father.

I jumped off the couch and ran to the bathroom as I emptied my stomach into the toilet. My hands began to shake and my breathing accelerated. Carlisle rushed to my side and helped me to sit down on the cold tiles.

"Breathe, Anna. Calm down." He instructed me in his doctor voice. I tried to breathe in and out, slowly regaining control over myself. He was coming for me. There was no stopping him, I would either die or join his ranks of Death Eaters. The more I

"Jasper!" I felt someone rush into the room and place their hands on my heaving shoulders. Peace flowed through my body and I felt my heartrate slow and my breathing return to normal. I opened my eyes and saw a pair of amber eyes looking back at me.

"Thanks, Jasper, I needed that." He looked shocked.

"How did you know that I did that?" I decided if I should tell them that I knew about them.

"Well, you are a vampire."

Chapter 5

Every person just stood there with their mouths hanging open and I giggled at their stunned expressions.

"If you keep your mouths open much longer, you're going to catch flies." Carlisle seemed to recover quicker than the others and began firing questions.

"How do you know?"

"That I cannot tell you." I decided that I would tell them as much as I could without breaking the wizarding law, but I wouldn't reveal that I was a witch. "I, like yourselves, are my own separate species. We learn all about the supernatural creatures, as soon as I saw you, I knew what you all were." Everyone looked absolutely gobsmacked. I slowly walked over to the couch and sat down, after my little episode, I was a bit tired. They seemed to forget about that, however, as soon as I revealed what I knew about them.

"What are you?" Jasper asked as everyone followed me into the living room. They all looked at me with extreme curiosity.

"I cannot tell you, I would get arrested by our law enforcement if I did so. I know that you are all vampires except Jacob, who is a shape-shifter. I haven't figured out what Renesme is yet, though I'll take a guess, hybrid?" Renesme nodded at me with wide eyes. The others seemed to be in a state of shock. I decided to just spill everything while I'm at it, it was quite entertaining watching all their facial expressions.

"I also have reason to believe that some of you have talents or abilities." I looked at Edward and Jasper. "Mind reader?" I pinned Edward with my stare, he nodded, seeming amazed.

"How could you tell?" Everyone was dead quiet. Pun intended.

"It was pretty easy, I had heard that vampires were capable of having special abilities and I suspected as much when I first met you. I didn't know who it was so I did a little experiment. I said each name inside my head and the only person that responded was Edward, who whipped around to face me as soon as I said his name in my head. I use a method of thought blocking to stop you reading my mind though, so you can only hear what I'm thinking when I want you to."

"You are an extremely smart girl." Carlisle praised me, and I smiled at me.

"Occlumency?" I whipped my head towards Edward and looked at him in shock.

"What?" I was puzzled that he knew the name of the method of magic that I use to block my thoughts.

"When you first entered the room with Ms Rowan, you paled, probably recognising us as vampires," I nodded and he continued, "I heard one thought before you blocked them off and that was 'I am so glad that I am good at Occlumency' then your thoughts disappeared." I nodded at him and looked down at my feet, I didn't want to give him too much information or he may figure out what I am.

"Occlumency is what I use to shield my thoughts from you. I wish I could tell you all about me, I really do, but I'd be expelled from my school and exiled." They all nodded grimly, understanding.

"So that's why you never asked questions!" Exclaimed Alice, "you never asked why we didn't eat, nor did you ask if we were adopted or pushed the questions that we would have to avoid!" Alice was having a Eureka moment. I chuckled at her wondrous expression, watching as she fit the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Do any of you have other abilities apart from Edward and Jasper the empath?"

"Alice can see visions of the future and Bella is a shield. She can protect people from the influences of other vampire's abilities."

"That is so cool." They all smiled at me, but Carlisles face fell and his smile was replaced with a frown.

"The Volturi." This came from Jake who was sitting next to Renesme on the other side of the couch. I saw all the vampires exchange a worried glance. "They'll kill her for knowing about you."

"You guys don't have to be worried about me, I can take care of myself." They all shook their heads and Esme came up to me.

"Honey, the Volturi are three of the oldest vampires, they are ruthless and will kill you without even blinking." I smiled at her.

"Don't worry Esme, a couple of vampires are no worries for me, no matter how old or wise they are."

"What are you?" I looked at Jasper.

"I cannot tell you, but I will ask the authorities if I can have special permission to." Carlisle seemed distracted as he paced in front of the staircase, his head was bowed and he seemed to be in deep thought. I was just about to ask him what was wrong when he turned towards me and asked the very question I was hoping to avoid.

"What was in that letter, Anna?" I felt myself pale and looked down at the scrunched-up piece of parchment clutched in my fist.

"I-I-It's nothing." I stuttered, wishing that he hadn't asked.

"That wasn't nothing, you were in a full-blown panic attack." Jasper said and I gave him a glare.

"Stupid vampires and their abilities," I muttered under my breath, knowing they would still hear me. Carlisle spoke again, still trying to force information out of me.

"Who was that letter from?"

"Can we just not talk about it? I want to go to bed, someone from my new school is coming in the morning to pick me up and go shopping for school supplies."

"Who is coming?" I wish Carlisle would just leave me alone.

"I don't know, they'll send someone to come and pick me up."

"Do they know where you live?"

"No."

"Then how will they find you?"

"They have their ways." I knew that someone from the school would know how to find me.

"You are so mysterious." Edward wore a puzzled expression, I guess he wasn't used to not being able to read a person's mind.

"Anna, you didn't answer our question from before, who was that letter from?" I couldn't avoid it, Jasper would know if I tried to lie.

"My father."

Chapter 5

The next day I completely ignored everyone and stayed up in my room. The questioning session last night had me pissed off at the others. They brought back memories that I was hoping to never see again. I was again grateful that I had taken extra DA classes in third year to master Occlumency or Edward would have seen everything.

Someone was coming from Hogwarts to take me to buy my school supplies today. I didn't really need someone to come with me, I had been to Diagon Alley before, my mother would come with me every year during the beak to help me buy what I needed before sending me back to France. I spent the early morning in my room reading my copy of Magical Theory Grade 7, it had far more advanced magic than my soon-to-be fifth year level, but I had always been a bit of a nerd. Perks of having no friends because your father is the most feared and hated wizard of all time.

I heard the doorbell ring and I flung my book onto my bed and sped downstairs. As soon as I rounded the corner, my attention was on the old man that was talking pleasantly to Esme. I slowly walked up to them while taking in the man's appearance. He had a long, midnight blue gown that flowed down to his feet, half-moon glasses were perched on his slightly crooked nose and his face was both wise and old. The rest of my family was in the adjacent room giving the man some questioning looks. I suppose that he would look a bit strange for people who knew nothing about magic, must be the robes that the man was wearing and the huge white beard.

"You must be Miss Thomas. I am Professor Dumbledore." He held out his hand and I lightly shook it.

"It's nice to meet you, sir." I had heard and read many books about this wizard. He was thought to be the greatest wizard of all time, he was a great mystery in many aspects. None new how old he was or why he was as powerful as he was. All I was sure of was that he was respected and admired throughout the entire wizarding world.

"How long will you be out?" Esme asked being the overprotective parent she is.

"We will return in three hours since Miss Thomas has most of the essentials already." I knew he was talking about my wand, cauldron, basic potion ingredient kit, though it needed a refill.

"Are you ready to go? We have many things to buy and places to go." I nodded at him and shyly smiled, I was greatly intimidated at his reputation and power. I knew he was at the top of my father's hit-list.

"See ya later, guys!" I waved to everyone in the living room and the waved and said goodbye as well. I stepped out the door where Dumbledore was waiting for me.

"Then follow me Miss Thomas." We started walking down the driveway and I felt the confused stares of my family on our backs probably wondering if we planned on walking there, when we were really only waiting until we were out of sight so we could apparate. Even though I was able to apparate on my own, I was restricted by doing so in England due to the fact that I had the Trace on me.

Dumbledore held out him arm and gestured for me to link my arm through his. As soon as I did so, the feeling of being squeezed through a small tube while being spun around so fast that you felt as if your brains would be forced to liquefy and run out of your ears came over me. It was by far one of the worst sensations to be felt and it left you nauseated, breathless and dizzy for quite a while afterwards. It didn't affect me as much because I had done is many times before and grown accustomed to it. We appeared at the dirty front of the 'Leaky Cauldron'. It was charmed to look uninviting to anyone who did not know what was really inside. The only people who went in there were wizards or had their memory erased so that they wouldn't ever enter the pub again. We walked into the crowded bar which was full of patrons shouting and talking loudly while drinking mugs of beer. The bartender look tired and worn out, I looked at a poster on the wall advertising the English Wizarding News Paper The Daily Prophet. The poster had a large picture of a teenage boy on the front and the caption read: Harry Potter: "DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS!"

I knew that rumors had been circling throughout the holidays that Harry Potter, claiming that Voldemort has returned, was faking it to get attention. I knew for a fact that he wasn't but I wasn't about to publicly support him, I needed no more attention than I already got from the media and the students at school. I felt sorry for Harry, dealing with the bad media and the hatred of others was pretty depressing, I should know. The things that were written about him would be enough to make most people want to hide in a dark corner and never come out. The worst thing was that nearly all of the wizarding world read the paper and they believed every little thing that the press published.

"Here is the book list that is required for your fifth year, I have heard from Madame Maxime that you are a very advanced witch for your age." I looked down at my feet and blushed while nodding my head slightly, I hated being singled out all the time.

"Knowledge is not something that should make you ashamed, Anna, it is something to treasure and be proud of." I looked into his twinkling blue eyes and nodded my head more confidently and then look down at my book list.

Fifth year students will require:

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5 by Miranda Goshawk

Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard

Magical Botany by Liara Pott

Wizarding history by Geoffrey Sileney

The Muggle World by J. Theodore

Brewing for the Intermediate by Lara Morganstern

I was taking as many subjects as could fit into my timetable. What? And after Dumbledore's little speech, I'm a nerd and proud of it.

We walked through the pub, earning many stares and disgusted looks, I bet they're secretly quivering in their seats, The Dark Lords Daughter and the most powerful wizard of all time who supports Harry Potter. Harry wasn't the only one that was copping the hate from the Prophet, Dumbledore was being hated just because he believes and supports Harry's claims.

Dumbledore lead me down the staircase at the back of the pub and into the little courtyard. A brick wall surrounded the small space and I knew that the wall was the entry. Tapping a sequence into the right bricks of the wall, they started to quiver and shift to the side opening up to form a neat archway. The sight that greeted me never failed to amaze me.

Diagon alley was a huge blast of color and activity. Families bustled from shop to shop with armfuls of packages and children trailing behind and stopping frequently to admire the amazing storefronts. Dumbledore and I waked straight ahead to find Gringotts Wizard bank. The building was a huge marble structure that towered over the shoppers. Inside, goblins walked around the place doing jobs, counting precious gems and huge golden coins. We took the wild cart ride to my mother's vault which was now mine. After extracting enough money to but what I needed, we headed back to the crowded Diagon alley and bought the rest of my school supplies like parchment, quills and potion ingredients.

Madam Malkin took my measurements so that my new school uniform could be sewn and fitted to the right size. Dumbledore disappeared somewhere, telling me that he would meet me at the front of the shop when I was finished. Miss Malkin talked about random things until she had finished the fitting. After I had paid and stepped out of the shop, I found Dumbledore standing at the font.

"Would you like to have lunch before we return to the Cullens?" Dumbledore asked and I nodded.

"That would be great, eating by yourself every meal and pretending to be a clueless human in a household of vampires gets a tad tiring." He chuckled at my comment and nodded.

"I imagine it would get a little repetitive. I must confess, I did not expect that your adoptees were going to be vampires."

We talked about little things at lunch and after we had finished he had immediately returned me home.

Standing in the doorway of our house as he was about to leave Dumbledore said this:

"No matter what people say about you, you are a good person and nothing anyone says is going to change that. I know that school this year will be difficult, but you must remain true to yourself." With that last piece of advice, he walked down the driveway and disappeared.

Chapter 6

The rest of the holidays passed in a blur of baseball games and video game tournaments with Jasper and Emmet and family game nights of Monopoly, Scrabble and various other card games. We all had our own special activity that we liked to do with each sibling, Edward taught me how to play the piano, Emmet would play video games with me, Jasper taught me fighting techniques and self-defense, Rosalie and I would experiment with different kinds of makeup and color schemes while I would play the role of Alice's mannequin. Renesme, Bella and Jacob hung out by themselves mostly, they were in their own little world's most of the time.

"Anabelle! Wakey wakey." I felt a hand lightly shake my shoulder and I instantly recognized the voice to be Emmet.

"Shut up and go away, Emmet." I grumbled and pulled my blanket over my head.

"Come on, Annie time to wake up!" He sounded like a whining baby,

"Piss off!" It was Sunday morning! I was not getting out of bed unless they had an exceptionally good reason.

"Fine! You don't get and chocolate pancakes, then. I'll just eat them all and leave none for you," he exclaimed dramatically in a high-pitched voice as he playfully stormed out of the room.
"I would believe you except for the fact that you don't eat!" I yelled at his retreating back but jumped up anyway. You see, chocolate and I have a very special relationship, I couldn't live without it and Esme's cooking was not something to miss out on. I threw my hair up into a messy bun and put a bra on under my pajamas. I looked like a total slob but I couldn't care less. Tomorrow I would be leaving to go to school so I needed my energy.

"Good morning Anna."

"Morning, Esme." I yawned and perched on a stool at the bar. A plate with two large chocolate pancakes and a glass of milk sat in front of me and I dug in hungrily, man this shit was so good, pardon my French.

"You cook so well for a vampire, I think you should enter MasterChef. You could use you vampire charm." I suggested, winking at her.

"Well I'm flattered that you think so highly of my cooking but I think I'll pass on the MasterChef idea, I don't know what excuse I could come up with when they ask why I don't try my own cooking." I giggle as I thought about it.

"Where are my dear siblings on this fine morning?" I asked, using a posh and formal voice because I was feeling random today.

"Edward, Bella and Renesme are at their cottage, Rosalie, Emmet, Jasper and Alice are all on a hunt and Carlisle is at work." I nodded and continued eating.

"This came in the post this morning," Esme said, handing me a thick parchment envelope sealed with the Hogwarts crest. I took out the letter and a slip of paper that looked like a ticket.

Dear Miss Thomas,

Enclosed is a ticket which you will need for the Hogwarts Express. On the train, you must change into your school robes. Do not attempt to remove your luggage from the compartment, it will be transported separately. Once the train reaches Hogsmede, you must then disembark and follow the older students towards the carriages. You will be asked to wait outside the great hall so that you may be sorted into a house. We would appreciate that you make sure your family does not see you enter the platform, due to the secrecy of magic. I hope you have a pleasant journey,

Prof. M. McGonagall.

"Is everything alright?" Esme asked peering at me worriedly due to my previous performance from an unexplained letter.

"Yes, it's just from my school with some instructions and my train ticket, nothing to worry about." I knew what they meant about not letting the Cullens see me walk through the brick wall to platform 9 ¾. I had read about the secret entrance in Hogwarts, A History, it was designed so that no muggles would be able to accidentally stumble upon the magical platform.

~~~~~ Next day ~~~~~~~

"Anna! Come here and try this outfit on!" I heard Alice shout from her room.

"Really Alice? Must we play dress ups today?" I shouted back.

"It's not dress ups! I'm just making sure you look good at your first day of school, first impressions are very important!"

"They'll hate me anyway." I say under my breath.

"Why would they hate you?" I jumped in fright as Alice appeared behind me.

"Alice! You scared the crap out of me! Pardon my French."

"Why would they hate you, Anna?" Alice asked me again, ignoring my reprimand. What was I supposed to say? My father was a ruthless wizard who had just been resurrected? He had killed so many of my classmate's parents and family members.

"My father has a rather bad reputation amongst my family, it reflects badly upon me as a coincidence." Putting it mildly.

"Oh. Well I'm sure they'll realize that you are actually a good person and they'll love you!" Yeh right, I thought, Alice was an optimist at heart. She got to work designing my outfit for the train and actually came up with a nice combination. She gave me some denim shorts to put on, I also wore a black tank top with a red cardigan and red leather boots with gray knee-high socks. It was a really cute outfit. She applied a makeup but also applied it in a natural style so that I wasn't overly decorated but my bright blue eyes shone out against the pale blonde of my hair, she had painted my lips a soft cherry red. I looked amazing. Lastly, she put my hair up in a simple but stylish ponytail. (Pi of outfit up top)

"There, you look beautiful." I turned around and gave Alice a hug.

"Thank you so much, Alice! You are an awesome sister!" I took my pink iPhone 5c that Carlisle and Esme bought me, out of my pocket to check the time. I had an hour till the train left so we would be leaving soon. I was so amazed when I first saw the phone, it was strange not having to use an owl to deliver a message. Why did wizards not use this technology? It was better and far more efficient than owls, the television was also something that I fallen in love with. Though I was excited about going back to my own world, I was a little sad to leave this one. I promised Esme that I'd come home at Christmas. At that moment, Emmet knocked on the door.

"Are you guys ready? We have to go if we want to make it to the station in time. The whole family was coming to see me off, I tried to convince them that it wasn't necessary but they insisted, so the whole family drove off in four separate cars.

~~~~~~~At Kings Cross Station~~~~~~~~

Emmet helped get all my luggage from the car and onto a trolley. I managed to convince them that I would be alright to enter the station alone and that they needn't come in with me. Esme was dry crying and so was Alice.

"Oh honey, I'll miss you so much. It's been so nice having a human in the house. Promise that you'll be home for the Christmas holidays?" She said as venom pooled in her eyes, though it never spilled over due to her inability to cry, perks of being a vampire.

"Don't worry Esme, I'll be there, I just need you to pick me up at the station, but I'll send you the details when it gets closer."

"Okay baby, have fun."

"I will, mum, thanks." She looked stared at what I had said, I hadn't worked up the nerve to call her that yet, I was waiting for the right time. She broke into another round of sobs and I awkwardly patted her back.

I pride myself out of Esme's steel-like hug and made my way to my other siblings who were all waiting patiently for her to finish. Emmet came up to me first and squeezed me into a huge hug so tight I could feel my ribs creaking from pressure.

"Emmet! You're hurting her!" Jasper reprimanded his brother, obviously feeling my emotions. I gave an appreciative look at Jasper, silently thanking him for his help.

"Sorry sis, I just need to give you an extra-large hug to make up for all the ones that you'll miss while you're at school!" He said with childish logic.

"It's alright, Em," I groaned wincing and rubbing my bruised rib-cage. "Just a little softer next time, that would be appreciated." He nodded and grinned sheepishly and I grinned back, telling him that I wasn't angry.

"Have fun at school, sis. See you at Christmas." Jasper gave me a soft hug, being careful not to squeeze too tight. He was the quieter sibling and didn't say much, but what he did say, he meant.

"See you too, Jazz. I'll miss our self-defense lessons." He smiled at me and stepped back just as Esme marched up to us looking confused and cranky.

"You were teaching her fighting?!" Everyone but Esme knew. We didn't tell her because she would make us stop, Jasper and I shared a look that said 'we knew this would happen'. "She could have been seriously hurt!"

"Don't worry Esme, my bro would never hurt me and now no one else can either, well not physically." The family gave me strange looks but I ignored them and continued with my goodbyes. Physical strength training wouldn't help against flying spells.

"See ya Alice! I hope you go well in your designer course." Alice was now at college studying clothing design and fashion, she had me modeling many of her creations in front of the family.

"You too Anna, be good and don't get into trouble!"

"Won't make any promises." I said winking at my short pixie-like sister who was smiling broadly at me.

"Farewell Eddie! Thank you for teaching me piano!" I give him a hug as he scowls at the nickname I had taken to using just to annoy him and give Emmet a laugh, and sure enough, I hear loud booming laughter behind me.

"Bye Bella, Ness and Jake, I'll miss you guys." They all came up and hugged me lightly before I stepped back waved slightly and turned to Carlisle.

"I'll miss you dad." He walked up to me with a small smile on his kind face and enveloped me into a big hug. His eyes had venom pooling at the corners and he looked so happy at my new name for him.

"I'll miss you too, my daughter. I want you to be careful and try your hardest. Make good decisions and if you ever feel that you need help, you can always come to us." All the others nodded their heads in agreement. I gave the family one last smile before I pushed the trolley towards the station. I had a bad feeling about this year but as soon as I thought of my family, the worry dissipated a bit and I felt as though I would struggle through the best I could.

Chapter7

I wheeled my trolley through the throngs of muggles boarding various intercity trains and made my way over to platform nine. There were less people about due to the absence of trains at platforms nine and ten, but I still looked around discreetly to check if I was being watched by anyone, and once I was satisfied that the coast was clear, I walked through the seemingly solid brick wall that separated platforms nine and ten.

I seemed to melt through the bricks until I found myself on a platform full of children and parents hugging and saying their goodbyes in haste before the train left. Parked beside the platform was a majestic blood-red and black steam engine. The famous Hogwarts express. I had read about it many books and it had been used to transport students from Hogwarts for countless generations. I had always wanted to ride the famous train, pulling myself out of my thoughts, I continued on, weaving in and out of the people with my head down to avoid recognition.

"Nice dog harry!" I heard someone shout from behind me and another voice reply.

"Thanks Lee!" I made my way to find an empty compartment for myself and I had to walk to the very end of the train where the crowd seemed to turn into a smattering of people to find one. I lifted my trunk onto the train and began to walk down the carriage to find the empty compartment I had spotted through the window.

The train lurched slightly and began to crawl forward as I walked up the narrow hall. I stopped and looked out the window at the platform, I saw people laugh at a shaggy black dog that seemed to be trying to race the train, I giggled slightly as I picked up my bags and resumed my search for a place to sit. Looking into some of the compartments, I saw kids reading the paper and chatting casually. About halfway down the carriage I found an empty compartment and sat down, stowing away my luggage. I sat there for a few minutes, thinking to myself, when the door slid open and a girl with dirty-blonde hair and huge round eyes came in.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" she looked odd and aloof, like she was in a day dream.

"No, not at all." I watched as she put her things away and sat down, staring at me vacantly.

"You're very pretty." She stated simply and I felt myself flush at her evaluation.

"Thank you," I responded a little awkwardly as she continued to study me with her absent expression.

"My name's Luna Lovegood."

"I'm Annabelle Thomas." Her eyes widened even more, if that was even possible and her face held recognition but, to my immense surprise, no hostility.

"Pleased to meet you, Annabelle." She said simply and returned to her examination of my face. The door opened again and a boy with messy raven hair entered with a red headed girl closely following him.

"Can we sit here? Everywhere else is full." The boy asked while staring at me intensely. I blushed, feeling uncomfortable at the attention.

"That's fine, you can sit here." He finally broke his stare and helped the red-head put her luggage away.

"Hey, I'm Ginny and this is Harry," the red-head said, gesturing to herself and then to the boy who was looking at me curiously. I immediately knew who he was. Harry Potter. The boy whose parents my father killed. "Are you new here?"

"Uh…yes, I moved here from Beauxbatons, my name is Anna." Referring to myself with my abbreviated name so they wouldn't judge me too hastily.

"Nice to meet you. That would explain your French accent." I smiled slightly at harry and nodded.

"Hello Luna, How was your holidays?" Luna looked over at Ginny with the same strange expression and answered her in an airy voice.

"It was very pleasant, thank you Ginny." They all seemed to know each other and seemed used to Luna's odd nature.

"What year are you going to be in?" Harry asked.

"I'll be a fifth year."

"So will me! Ginny is going into her fourth year this year." I nodded and smiled at them both.

"Why did you move to Hogwarts?"

"Um… my mother died so I had to stay in England because of my adoptive family." Ginny looked down at her lap, her ears turning a light shade of pink.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry." I smiled at her and shook my head.

"It doesn't matter. We all get curious. Do you have any other siblings?" I asked.

"Well I have six brothers and I'm the only girl, I'm also the youngest."

"Wow that must be hard, how do you cope?" I asked, imagining six teenage boys in one house and me being the only girl. I thought I had it bad with Jasper, Emmet, Jake and Edward.

"I'm still wondering that myself, Anna." She said, giggling at my horrified expression. "You mentioned that you live with an adopted family?"

"Yes," I said smiling as I thought of them, "I have three brothers and four sisters."

"Wow! At least you have some female company."

"You have me." Came a voice from the doorway and we all turned to face a girl with mid-length brown hair who was already dressed in her uniform. Behind her was another red-head who I assumed to be one of Ginny's brothers. They both looked about the same age as me.

"Of course, sorry Hermione." Ginny amended. The two teens came in and sat down, not seeming to notice my presence yet.

"Guys, this is Anna, Anna, this is Ron, my best friend, and this is Hermione, my other best friend." Harry introduced me. Ron and Hermione whipped their heads and saw me. Ron's mouth dropped open and Hermione looked at me with suspicion, I could tell that she was trying to place where she knew me from.

"Hi." I smiled and greeted them shyly as they did the same. Hermione elbowed Ron in the ribs so he would stop gaping at me and looked annoyed. Ron quickly recovered but a reddish tinge stayed on his face.

"How was the meeting?" As Harry asked this, Hermione's and Ron's expressions soured.

"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each House," said Hermione, looking thoroughly disgruntled as she took her seat. "Boy and girl from each."

"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" said Ron.

"Malfoy," replied Harry at once.

I knew that name. Lucius Malfoy was a death eater who worked for my father. Ron must be talking about his son. I could understand the dark expressions on everyone's faces. I saw the badges on both Ron's and Hermione's chests, telling me that they were prefects as well.

"'Course," said Ron bitterly.

"And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson," said Hermione viciously. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll . . ." I snorted in a very unladylike manner at her description of Pansy. Everyone looked at me in amusement.

"What? That was funny!" I said in defense of my behavior. Ginny and Hermione grinned at me.

"Who's Hufflepuff?" Harry asked.

"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott," said Ron answered.

"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," said Hermione.

"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil," said a vague voice.

Everyone turned to look at Luna Lovegood, who was gazing unblinkingly at Ron.

"Yeah, I know I did," he said, looking mildly surprised.

"She didn't enjoy it very much," Luna informed him. "She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded," she added thoughtfully, "I don't like dancing very much." After her speech, she went back to her mindless staring at random things in the compartment. I looked at her like she was an alien and marveled at how weird she was. Ginny had her fist in her mouth, trying to smother her fit of giggles from looking at the expression on my face.

"We'd better change," said Hermione. I got up and pulled out my change of clothes. Ginny, Hermione and I all exited the compartment and headed to the bathrooms to change. There was a small line up, but it was moving fairly quickly. Once we had all changed, we made it back to the compartment just as the train began to slow.

"There you guys are! We were just about to come looking for you," said Ron.

"C'mon, Ron, we have to help the students off the train and direct the first years to the boats."

Ron grumbled about the 'prefect duties' and followed morosely behind Hermione.

"Are you coming in the carriages with us, Anna?" I turned to see Harry looking at me a tad hopefully.

"Yeh, but I have to wait behind in the entrance hall instead of going in with you guys."

"Well come with us then," I smiled at him and nodded, following Ginny, Luna and Harry through the crowd of students. I saw many people glare at Harry and give him dirty looks. I could tell that Harry noticed because his expression became instantly uneasy. We walked up a path towards a long procession of carriages. I looked at what was pulling them, and looked again.

There were creatures standing between the carriage shafts; if I had had to give them a name, I would have called them horses, though there was something reptilian about them, too. They were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each side. They were vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. Standing still and quiet in the gloom, the creatures looked eerie and sinister. They were Thestrals.

"Those things are so much scarier in real life in real life." I said, staring at the beasts that were stationed in front of each coach.

"You can see them? Who was it?" I knew what harry was asking. Thestrals could only be seen by people who had witnessed death. I thought back to the day I first saw my father murder someone. He seemed to do it without a shred of remorse. I was only a small baby and this was just before he fell from power. I could still remember it, even though I was a baby.

"My uncle, he had cancer." I answered Harry quickly, not wanting to dwell upon the horrible memories that were beginning to resurface. We all climbed into a carriage which immediately began to trundle its way up a cobbled road towards the castle. The group just chatted as they carriage bumped along, trying to include me as much as they could. When the castle came into view, my mouth dropped in awe. The Beauxbatons palace beautiful and big, but Hogwarts was imposing yet still retained a friendly feel.

Chapter 8

"It's amazing isn't it?" I nodded at Luna, still staring at the school. The lights from the windows made the walls glow in a warm yellow light. I suddenly felt nervous about the sorting. Both my mother and father were in Slytherin and given their reputations, I would be too. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn't want to be in Slytherin, judging by what I've heard, they were not generally like or well respected. I worried about what my new friends would think about me if I got sorted into the green house. I felt someone take my hand and squeeze it gently. I looked up into a pair of green eyes.

"Stop worrying, well still like you no matter what house you're in." I looked into Harry's eyes and saw nothing but honesty.

"Thank you." I said with a smile grateful of his kind reassurance. The carriages rolled to a stop and we disembarked. A huge marble staircase lead to the huge and imposing front doors of the school and students began to eagerly climb up to the entrance hall. Harry, Ginny, Luna and I all made our way up and into the hall, not seeing Ron or Hermione anywhere amongst the crowd.

"Miss Thomas! You must wait here." I turned and saw a strict elderly witch standing at the entrance of the Great Hall. I her robes were made of a deep green satin and her hair was pulled up into a tight bun. I smiled and waved goodbye to my friends and made my way over to join her. I saw her narrow her gaze suspiciously at me, probably running my formidable history in her mind.

"I'm just letting you know in advance, Miss Thomas. We will not tolerate any misbehavior at Hogwarts. If you put one toe out of line, you will be out faster than you can say 'transfiguration.'" I was baffled at how quickly she seemed to dislike me, but nodded my head anyway. By this time, the first years were arriving from the row across the lake and they all looked happy and excited. Many looked nervous and I was a tiny bit relieved that I wasn't the only one.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said the stern witch, addressing all of the first-years and myself. "My name is Professor McGonagall. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school." The small kids began whispering excitedly but most of them were pointing and staring at me. I shifted uncomfortably under their intense scrutiny.

"Follow me." I sighed with relief as Professor McGonagall returned and diverted the attention away from me. The heavy wooden doors opened and I saw shocked me.

The huge hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, were ghosts who shone a misty silver color. In front of us was placed a simple wooden stool and a battered old hat. I saw all the first years cast confused glances at the hat but I knew what it was. Then it opened its mouth and began to sing.

In times of old when I was new And Hogwarts barely started

The founders of our noble school thought never to be parted:

United by a common goal, They had the selfsame yearning,

To make the world's best magic school And pass along their learning.

"Together we will build and teach!" The four good friends decided

And never did they dream that they Might someday be divided,

For were there such friends anywhere As Slytherin and Gryffndor?

Unless it was the second pair Of Huffepuff and Ravenclaw?

So how could it have gone so wrong? How could such friendships fail?

Why, I was there and so can tell The whole sad, sorry tale.

Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those Whose ancestry is purest."

Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose Intelligence is surest."

Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those With brave deeds to their name,"

Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot, And treat them just the same."

These differences caused little strife

When first they came to light,

For each of the four founders had A House in which they might

Take only those they wanted, so,

For instance, Slytherin Took only pure-blood wizards Of great cunning, just like him,

And only those of sharpest mind

Were taught by Ravenclaw

While the bravest and the boldest Went to daring Gryffindor.

Good Hufflepuff she took the rest,

And taught them all she knew,

Thus the Houses and their founders

Retained friendships firm and true.

So Hogwarts worked in harmony

For several happy years,

But then discord crept among us

Feeding on our faults and fears.

The Houses that, like pillars four,

Had once held up our school,

Now turned upon each other and, Divided, sought to rule.

And for a while it seemed the school

Must meet an early end,

What with dueling and with fighting

And the clash of friend on friend

And at last there came a morning

When old Slytherin departed

And though the fighting then died out

He left us quite downhearted.

And never since the founders four were whittled down to three

Have the Houses been united

As they once were meant to be.

And now the Sorting Hat is here

And you all know the score:

I sort you into Houses

Because that is what I'm for,

But this year I'll go further,

Listen closely to my song:

Though condemned I am to split you

Still I worry that it's wrong,

Though I must fulfill my duty

And must quarter every year Still I wonder whether sorting

May not bring the end I fear.

Oh, know the perils, read the signs,

The warning history shows,

For our Hogwarts is in danger

From external, deadly foes

And we must unite inside her

Or we'll crumble from within.

I have told you,

I have warned you. . . . Let the Sorting now begin."

It went quiet but many of the students began whispering, I heard the double meaning in the song. The hat was warning us of a danger. I was so absorbed in my own thoughts that I barley heard my name called. What was worse, they used my fathers name.

"Annabelle Riddle!"

Chapter 9

Complete silence engulfed the Great hall as I awkwardly walked up to the rickety old wooden stool that sat raised up on the dais. I could feel the eyes of students and teachers burning into me as I sat down. I looked around at the crowd and gathered a diverse array of emotions. Some held curiosity while others held hatred and lust from many of the older boys. I felt the hat being paced on my head and the brim came down to cover my eyes. An annoying raspy voice began to talk and I knew it was the hat making its judgement.

Ahhhh…I wasn't expecting this… Very much like your father… I clenched my fists at the mention of him… You were born for Slytherin, yet you are different to them… You are cunning, but I sense that you are also loyal… you are indeed brave…and smart like a Ravenclaw…Where to put you? Your mother was a Slytherin, am I right? I nodded stiffly.

"Can you just hurry up and make a decision?" I whispered to the hat. What? I was hungry and I just wanted to get this over with. I hadn't put much thought into the house I would be placed in. I naturally assumed it would be Slytherin, but it was obvious that the hat hadn't jump to that conclusion as quickly as I did.

Impatient one you are…Well I think I must make a decision…

GRYFFINDOR!

I felt the hat being tugged off my head and I saw the surprise, confusion and suspicion on many of the teacher's and student's faces. I was in Gryffindor? What was that hat on? I should be in Slytherin like my father and mother were. Though, did I want to be in Slytherin? I thought about it for a while before I came up with an answer. No, I didn't, I'd much rather be in Gryffindor.

Soft clapping rose from the Gryffindor table brought me out of my shock and surprise. I didn't smile as I walked over and sat down and sat next to some random chick that looked about my age. People were all staring at me and I felt my inner bad girl rise up. I crossed my arms and looked them strait in the eye.

"What?" I snapped at them and they all turned around. I examined the people at the table and my eyes fell on Harry. He was looking at me with anger, hatred and betrayal. He glared at me and turned around to face his equally angry looking friends who were glaring at me as well. I sighed and turned to face the golden plate in front of me. I knew this would happen, I knew they would jump to conclusions as soon as they knew who I was. Letting my gaze wander to the teachers table, I saw a few of them looking at me. Dumbledore seemed to have a small smile while McGonagall looked at me with skepticism and mistrust. Another lady was also seated at the table, she had horrible pink blouse that came down to her waist and was trimmed with hot pink fluff. Her mousy brown hair was adorned with a disgusting fuchsia bow and her face was frog-like. All-in-all, she looked like a sunburnt toad.

I was brought out of my thoughts when Dumbledore rose from his chair and walked over to a lectern that was placed in the middle of the raised stage. The whole school went quiet in a matter of seconds and people stopped staring at me, bringing their attention to him

"To our newcomers," said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips, "welcome! To our old hands — welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

All sorts of food appeared on our plates and we dug in. There were bowls and plates full of potatoes, peas, salad, chicken legs, pork, beef, lamb, sauce and flagons of an orange colored juice appeared on the table. I was in awe of the food and by the looks upon the other first year faces, they were too. I caught many people glancing and whispering about me. I just shrugged it off and continued to eat while studying the people around me. I could see two red-heads sitting next to a kid in dreadlocks and I knew that the must be Ron's siblings. They looked pretty cool, Harry, Hermione and Ron a had their heads close together in conversation while the girl next to me was talking to an Indian girl that was seated next to her. I looked at the table next to us and saw that it was the Ravenclaw table. One person there caught my eye and I just had to stop and stare for a moment. He was sitting next to another good looking guy and a girl with long light brown hair. His hair was a light golden color mixed with a chocolatey brown. His high cheekbones and perfect features could lure any girl in. I couldn't see very much because I was seated so far away but I could tell his features were perfection, judging by the looks on the group of girls surrounding him and the self-satisfied smirk on his face, his whole demeanor shouted PLAYER. The girl next to him was looking straight at me with an intense gaze, when I made eye contact with her, she tilted her head ever so slightly to the side, as if she was trying to figure me out. I couldn't deny that she was a very pretty girl, her stormy blue eyes bore into me and I knew that she wasn't one of the fan girls that surrounded the really hot guy.

I decided to keep studying the rest of the hall, and my eyes landed on the Slytherin table. I saw a boy with white-blonde hair looking at me, his hair was neatly slicked back and he had a permanent sneer etched on his face. Draco Malfoy. I knew his father as one of my father's closest supporters. Draco seemed to be trying to gauge if I was a threat or not. Seated either side of him were two burly boys who looked thicker than the Great Wall of China, both mentally and physically. Most of the Slytherin house was staring at me and I glared at them. I was happy that the hat put me in Gryffindor, I hope it proves that I'm not destined for evil and that I can be a good person. I'm not a big people person, but it would be nicer if everyone didn't hate me. My thoughts drifted back to the guy at the Ravenclaw table. I knew that he was a player, he possessed everything that a player needed, and he was really good looking. I wonder what was up with his friend. She seemed to be trying to figure out something. The chatter stopped and I looked up at Dumbledore who once again had returned to talk to the school.

Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," said Dumbledore.

"First years ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students — and a few of our older students ought to know by now too." The headmaster settled his gaze upon Harry and his friends.

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door.

"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." There was a round of polite but fairly unenthusiastic applause. Dumbledore continued,

"Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the —" He broke off, looking inquiringly at Professor Umbridge. As she was not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge said, "Hem, hem," and it became clear that she had got to her feet and was intending to make a speech. Dumbledore only looked taken aback for a moment, then he sat back down smartly and looked alertly at Professor Umbridge as though he desired nothing better than to listen to her talk. Other members of staff were not as adept at hiding their surprise. A teacher with wild hair's eyebrows had disappeared into her flyaway hair, and Professor McGonagall's mouth was pressed into a thin line. Judging be the looks of astonishment on the faces of the people in the hall, no new teacher had ever interrupted Dumbledore before. Many of the students were smirking; this woman obviously did not know how things were done at Hogwarts.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome."

Her voice was high-pitched, breathy, and a little girlish. She gave another little throat clearing cough ("Hem, hem") and continued:

"Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. "And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!" I glanced around. None of the faces he could see looked happy; on the contrary, they all looked rather taken aback at being addressed as though they were five years old. "I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!" Students exchanged looks at this; some of them were barely concealing grins. Professor Umbridge cleared her throat again ("Hem, hem"), but when she continued, some of the breathiness had vanished from her voice. She sounded much more businesslike and now her words had a dull learned-by-heart sound to them.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching." Professor Umbridge paused here and made a little bow to her fellow staff members, none of whom bowed back. Professor McGonagall's dark eyebrows had contracted so that she looked positively hawk like, and I distinctly saw her exchange a significant glance with the messy-haired witch as Umbridge gave another little "Hem, hem" and went on with her speech. "Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation . . ." I took this time to observe the reaction of the people. Most of the kids were glassy-eyes with boredom while the teachers were listening with rapt attention. ". . . because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited." She sat down. Dumbledore clapped. The staff followed his lead, though I noticed that several of them brought their hands together only once or twice before stopping. A few students joined in, but most had been taken unawares by the end of the speech, not having listened to more than a few words of it, and before they could start applauding properly, Dumbledore had stood up again.

"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating," he said, bowing to her, though most of the students were unaware of the hidden message in Umbridge's speech, I saw it. It was a warning, that the ministry were going to take control of Hogwarts. What were they planning? "Now — as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held in two weeks, first years may not participate, I am sorry." Should I try out? I was easily the best flyer at Beauxbatons, I could do well. I got up with the rest of Gryffindor and followed them through a labyrinth of stone corridors until we reached a portrait of a seriously obese woman. Ron pushed his way to the front and said to the painting: "Grindylow."

The portrait swung open to reveal a large room filled with red, orange and yellow couches. Desks lined the walls and Gryffindor banners and tapestries hung on the wall. A fireplace sat in the middle of the biggest wall which was cracking merrily and casting a comfortable warmth around the room. There were stone staircases set in the wall that I knew belonged to the dormitories. I walked straight to my four poster bed and sat down. This was going to be a big year.

Chapter 10

I groaned as muttering and whispering woke me from my much needed beauty sleep. I had completely forgotten that I had roommates, in my haste to get to bed last night, it slipped my mind. I decided to keep my eyes closed for a little bit longer so that I could hear what they say. I could tell that they were gossiping, so I tuned in secretly to the gossip session being hosted by my classmates.

"He's just so hot! The summer just seemed to make him even better looking." Typical girl talk.

"Lavender! He's a total man-whore!"

"I know, Parvati! But he's still hot!" I heard 'Lavender' say.

Who were they talking about? I just feigned sleep while the whispers continued.

"Did you see the way he stared at the new girl? It was so weird." This came from 'Parvati'.

I knew they were talking about me. Who was staring at me?

"Do you think Jezebel was jealous?" Was Jezebel the girl I caught staring at me before? This was giving me more questions than inside info. I bet it was

"What? No! They are best friends! Anyway, Alex is with Liana Edgeworth."

"She's such a bitch, I wish he'd just come to his senses and dump her."

"I know right?! He's sooo good looking, Liana totally doesn't deserve someone so scrumptious. What do you think about his friend?"

"He's totally hot too, but Alex is way hotter."

This was getting boring so I rolled over and got up and my roommates quickly stopped talking stared at me, I had a feeling I would be on the receiving a lot of attention today, and most of it would probably be bad. Grabbing my uniform and bathroom supplies, I walked to the showers.

~~~~~~~~In dorm after shower~~~~~~~~

After my exceedingly relaxing shower, I made my way to the great hall for breakfast. The four tables were only about half full and bacon (Yum), eggs, toast, cereal, milk, hot chocolate and pastries were spread out down the hall. I looked around and saw that a few students were sitting at a different houses table than their own. No Gryffindor's were seated at the Slytherin table and no Slytherins were sitting at the Gryffindor table. I really had no wish to sit at my table today, they were all avoiding me and shooting me hostile looks.

"Good morning, Annabelle." I turned around and, to my relief, I saw Luna. She had her dirty-blonde hair flowing down her back, little sparrow-looking things dangling from her ears and around her neck was a chain of macaroni. It was weird but I wasn't going to complain, she was my only friend at the moment.

"Can I sit with you today, Luna?"

"Of course, follow me." She began to walk over to the Ravenclaw table, people started whispering and pointing.

"Look, here comes Loony with Dark-lord junior."

"How did she get into Gryffindor?"

"She probably bewitched the hat."

"She is so hot." I smirked at the guy who whispered this and winked at him causing a blush to rise on his cheeks. Sometimes girls just got to have fun.

"She sits here because Gryffindor doesn't want her."

"Is this a table for rejects now?"

"Look its Loony Luna Lovegood!"

"Just ignore them." I nodded at Luna and sat down next to her.

"Do you get that every day?" I asked, listening to the students ripping off Luna's quirky personality.

"Most days, but I know they're just insecure about themselves. They tease me just to make themselves feel better so I don't take it to heart." I looked at her in awe, she had it all worked out. "Look, here comes Professor McGonagall." I looked up from my bacon sandwich to see the cranky witch striding towards me with a piece of paper in her hand and a sour expression on her face. What had I done this time?

"Thomas, here is your class schedule, I trust that you'll be able to find your way around." Without waiting for an answer, she walked away. Okay then… at least she used my mother's name. I shook the thoughts out of my head and looked down at my class timetable.

Period:

Mon/Wed/Fri

Period 1- History of Magic R

Period 2- Potions S

Period 3-Potions S

Period 4-Ancient Runes H

Period 5-DADA (Defense Against the Dark Arts) R

Tue/Thurs

Period 1- Charms H

Period 2-Tranfiguration S

Period 3- DADA R

Period 4-Herbology H

Period 5- CoMC (Care of Magical Creatures) R

The letters next to each lesson were the first letter of the house that would also be in the class, too bad I had Slytherin for potions. I had studies all of these subjects at Beauxbatons, so I wasn't worried about how I would keep up. I heard the noise in the great hall suddenly reduce and I looked towards the door to see why. Harry Potter and his gang were coming through the big double doors. I looked around and saw people giving searing looks of hatred, suspicion and fright at him. It must be depressing to be him, but then again, I'm not much better. He and his friends stopped briefly and gazed at the staring students before quickly glaring at them then scuttling towards the Gryffindor table. Talk rose up again as they went back to their breakfasts. I just talked casually to Luna.

The noise again died down so I looked to see who was coming in. Sex-god and his two friends walked into the now silent hall with confidence but, surprisingly, no superiority. Sex-god seemed to be looking for something as his eyes scanned the students and I turned back to Luna before he caught me checking him out.

"Who are they?" I had to stop calling him Sex-god or I might get into a habit and say it out loud. That would be interesting…

"The boy in the middle is Alexander Eastman, the other boy is Jace Whitmore and the girl to Alexander's right is Jezebel Torres. They are very popular, fortunately for me, they are also very nice people, but they don't really socialize outside of their three person group." I nodded and saw many of the girls shamelessly staring at Alex and his friends as they sat down at the center of the Ravenclaw table. I glanced down the table again and I caught Jezebel's eye, she gave me a friendly smile and I returned it before I got up and made my way to History of Magic with Professor Binns.

"Come on, Luna, we have first period together." We walked together through the stone corridors until we reached a plain classroom which contained plain desks in neat rows and a teacher's desk at the front. Luna and I made our way to a desk in the middle of the classroom and sat down. People began to slowly trickle in and so did the Popular Trio (my official name for Alex, Jace and Jezebel.) who came in and sat at the back, quietly talking amongst themselves. The whole lesson had to be the most boring class in the history of magic, pun intended. Professor Binns stood up the front and droned on a monotone voice about goblin uprisings and witch burnings. I was one of the only students who managed enough self-control to keep up with the lesson and take notes. I looked around and saw most of the students asleep or totally zoned out. Luna was also taking notes beside me. When the bell rang, the kids bolted out the door as quickly as they could, I couldn't blame them. The hallway was full of students now and it was quickly become noisy and loud. All of a sudden, someone pushes me backwards into a wall and surrounded me, preventing my escape. I saw a typical "Mean Girls" scene about to unfold. The pretty girl in the middle I recognized as Liana, Alexander Eastman's girlfriend.

"Who are you?" She asked in a really annoying typical bitch voice. People had stopped in the corridor to watch what was about to unfold.

"I think we both know the answer to that question." I saw the Popular Trio turn around from halfway down the hall and look back, it was obvious that Liana did too because she stepped back quickly and faked a sweet smile which looked about as nice as a pug in a tu-tu.

"I'd watch yourself if I were you." She spat at me, turned around and strutted down the hallway towards her boyfriend, wrapping her skinny arms around his waist. I saw Jezebel shoot a disgusted look at her and sped up her walking.

My next class was potions which I had with Slytherin. This was one of the first times that I was alone with the Gryffindors. They weren't throwing me glares or muttering hateful words at me, they were simply ignoring me. I usually wouldn't care less but seeing Harry, Ron and Hermione treat me like this did sting a little bit. The door to the dungeon, swung open dramatically to reveal one of the most horrid teachers I had seen so far in Hogwarts and Beauxbatons. His greasy jet-black hair hung lifeless down to his shoulders, his nose was hooked and the sneer on his face made him look cruel and even more disgusting. His eyes raked over the crowd and his scowl deepened as he saw Harry.

"Get in. You will sit quietly and pay attention."

The class filed in silently and I was forced to sit next to a mildly chubby boy who looked petrified as he watched Snape walk to the front of the class. Professor Snape began a monolog about the expectations of O. which we were due to sit this year.

We spent half the double period brewing a complex sleeping draught that many students were failing to make. Neville, the pudgy boy next to me, was copping the worst from Snape. He was brutal in torturing Neville even though many other Slytherins were doing worse. I felt really bad for him and anyone could tell that he was being unfair. After the potion was done, we began theory and I zoned out as I thought over things.

What did Liana mean when she warned me to watch myself? The gossiping girls this morning were right, she was a complete and utter bitch, and I was tempted to call her Regina George Jnr. However, Alexander Eastman was seriously one of the hottest guys eve-

"Miss Riddle!" I was jolted out of my mini internal monologue by Professor Snape. I visibly winced at my last name.

"If you think you're so smart that don't need to listen to my teaching, what would you need to add to a growth potion after you have stirred the beetle wings counter clockwise four times?" Wow, he really didn't think I could answer this and he was right, for any kid in this classroom except me.

"A dragonfly thorax and a pinch of moonseed, Sir." He glared at me as the class stared open mouthed at me.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for being an inattentive, lazy student." I glared right back again.

Dick. I thought. I heard the class gasp loudly and my head whipped up.

"What was that Miss Riddle?" Did I say that out loud? Whoops… oh well, my as well keep going if I'm already in the shit.

"I said you were a dick, sir. You treat Neville very unfairly while some of your Slytherins are thicker than prison walls. If you actually noticed that it was you who were giving Neville the wrong direction causing him to stuff up the potion." I answered, everyone looked on, shocked at my bravery. Needless to say, Snape was furious.

"You are an insolent girl! You do not treat your teachers that way!"

Snape strode towards me, his face going an unnatural shade of red. The Gryffindor's were laughing their heads off and even some of the Slytherins were cracking smiles.

"I will not tolerate this behavior in my class! GET OUT!" He roared in my face. I rolled my eyes and smirked.

"Sorry, just calling it as I saw it." Holding my hands up defensively.

"OUT!" He screamed murderously he looked beyond furious now, he looked livid. I suddenly had an idea. Under my breath I muttered a spell and grinned like a Cheshire cat when it worked. Steam began pouring from his ears and the class now resembled a horde of monkeys in a tickle machine. I was going to get in so much trouble for this. Before he could do anything else, I grabbed my bag, slung it over my shoulder, spun on my heal and walked out, throwing a wink at the stunned faces of Harry, Ron and Hermione who were all gaping like goldfish.

~~~~~~~~~~~Lunch~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the great potions lesson, I walked to the dormitory and finished my History of Magic homework. The lunch bell rang but I wanted to complete my assignment before I headed down to eat. As I walked into the hall, all the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs let out a cheer at me and began clapping. Why were they cheering for me? I walked towards the Gryffindor table while shouts of praise assaulted me.

"Amazing!"

"Bloody Brilliant!"
"WOW!"

"So cool!"

People jumped out of their seats and patted me on the back. I was shocked to say the least. I felt many hands wrap themselves around my arms and pull me towards the Gryffindor table. I let myself be lead to the table. People asked me all sorts of questions about how I did it. I found out that all of the houses other than Slytherin, severely disliked Snape and were thrilled that someone finally plucked up the courage to stand up for themselves. The rest of lunch was spent talking and people included me in the conversations.

"Miss Thomas, follow me." I turned to find Professor McGonagall staring at me but it wasn't judgmental, a chorus of 'good lucks' were said to me as I trailed after the witch and we walked into what looked like her office.

"Sit." She gestured to a hard-backed wooden chair in front of her desk. "Professor Snape came and visited me after the double potions lesson he had just taught. He came to me complaining about some rather unfavorable behavior that you apparently displayed in his class." I wasn't going to argue and say it didn't happen, because it did and I have no regrets.

"Luckily for you, Neville Longbottom anticipated what would happen and came straight to me, explaining what happened and why you acted the way you did." Neville did that? That was nice.

"I must say, I'm proud that you stood up for your house members," she briefly smiled at me. "However, hexing a teacher," referring to the steam charm, "is against the rules and I have no other choice but to punish you some way. You will have a week of detention starting tomorrow." I nodded, happy it was a light sentence.

"May I go now, Professor?" She looked at me and nodded.
"Next time you decide to mouth off to a teacher, don't hex them." I smiled and nodded before exiting the room. What an excellent first day.

Chapter 11

That night, the Gryffindor students seemed to have warmed up a tiny bit towards me. They now no longer glared at me and made snide remarks, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff also had a new respect for me, unfortunately, Snape couldn't say the same. He seemed to glare at me with pure animosity whenever he laid eyes on me. I tried to tug my lips down but an amused smile broke out anyway. Serves you right, dick. That night, after dinner, I sat in the common room, completing some homework when a loud ring echoed through the room. Looked up confused and saw the other kids doing the same. I felt something move in my pocket and the loud ring sound again. When I dug into my pocket and pulled out what was moving, our question was answered. My iPhone was blasting out its factory set ring-tone and the students stared at the device in wonder, like they had never seen anything like it. I looked at the screen which read: "Esme Cullen". How do I answer it? Someone came up behind me and I turned to see Harry.

"Here, let me help you." He reached out and pressed the screen a few times before stepping back.

~~~~ Esme's P.O.V ~~~~~

The family had just come back from a hunt and we were all in the living room talking amongst ourselves when Alice piped up.

"We can call her now, she's not busy." I jumped up at the thought of calling my newest daughter. The family had been a bit down without Anna's mischievous smile and funny personality. She was always so happy and the house didn't feel as alive as it did when she was here, literally. I raced to the kitchen and grabbed my IPhone 6 off the smooth marble counter. Everyone was waiting as I came back in and I set the phone down on the coffee table, putting the call on speaker, which wasn't necessary because of our acute hearing. Everyone was looking eagerly at the phone as it rang. On the third ring the call connected and we heard Anna on the sounding confused.

"Is this bloody thing even on? Hello? Anyone there?" Anna was shouting on the other end of the line. I saw Alice burst into a fit giggles and Emmet was laughing outright. I glared at them for being mean to their sister and looked back at the phone.

"You don't have to yell, they'll hear you." We heard a boy's voice tell our very puzzled sounding Anna. I cracked a grin at her lack of common knowledge. I was a tad confused about her inexperience and fascination with the most common things. Even though she tried to hide it, I still saw her staring at the dishwasher as I loaded it up with dishes and when we went shopping with Alice, she seemed in awe of the escalators. Was it something to do with what she was? I saw Edward glance at me with the same curious expression as me.

"Hey, sis. How ya doing?"

"EMMET! Is that you?" She sounded happy and cheerful so that was good.

"It's me, Anna."

"This phoney-thingy is so cool!" We all exchanged a puzzled glance. Hasn't she used a phone before? Edward seemed to hear me again and asked her if she had ever seen one before.

"Um… not one that you can touch the screen of… it's kind of weird." She replied awkwardly, what was she hiding?

"How's school?" Carlisle asked.

"I've only been here for a day, dad. But it's really good so far." She sounded like she was about to laugh.

"Have you got into trouble yet?" Emmet asked her. She didn't respond strait away and we heard laughing in the background and many people shouting yes. What did she do now?

"Anna, what did you do?" Carlisle asked her after she didn't reply.

~~~~~~~~~~Anna's P.O.V~~~~~~~~~~

I had the phone on speaker and Ron, Hermione and Ginny had come over to join Harry and me, listening to my conversation with fascination. They laughed out loud when Emmet asked if I had gotten into trouble yet, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all shouted 'Yes!'

Traitors, I'll have to get them back for this.

"Anna, what did you do?" I heard Carlisle ask cautiously from the phone.

"I only talked back to a teacher. It was really nothing." The guys around me began laughing their heads off at me feeble lie. I glared at them, trying to stop them from giving me away, but I was too late, the Cullen's had already heard and were firing off questions.

"C'mon Anna, you have to tell us! I need to know what kind of mischief my little sis can do!"

"You're not helping, Emmet!" I shouted at him, frustrated. "All I did was talk back to a teacher, it wasn't that dramatic." Right when I thought I couldn't get in deeper shit, I did, because Ron decided to throw his two, worthless cents in. Way to go, Ron.

"Wasn't that dramatic?! You got a week of detention for hex-" I reacted as quick as I could, pulling my wand out of my pocket and throwing a spell at Ron's mouth to silence him. His eyes widened at me and he began to panic, trying to pry his lips open.

"Look guys, I'm sorry but I have to go now, I'll call you tomorrow."

"Anna-" Edward began but I cut him off, knowing what he was going to say.

"Tomorrow, Eddie, I promise."

"Fine then, talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye guys." After we had said our goodbyes I ended the call and faced Ron, pointing my wand at him. He flinched, thinking I was going to cast a spell on him. I rolled my eyes and released the bind on his mouth.

"Relishio!" He immediately opened his mouth and began his expected angry tirade.

"What the hell, Annabelle?! Why did you do that?!" The common room went silent and all eyes turned to us.

"They can't know about us!" I answered him in exasperation. All four of them frowned in confusion and I could tell that they were only just realizing what I was talking about.

"Wait, what? They don't know that you're a witch?" I turned to Hermione who asked this. She looked at me, obviously not understanding why hadn't told my 'parents' about what I was.

"Are they muggles? Who do you live with?"

"No, they're not magical, well, not our kind of magical. I live with my adoptive family, Ginny knows the story." I saw people still looking at us, if I was going to tell Harry and the others what the Cullen's were, I wanted privacy. "There's nothing to see here, people. Turn around and go back to what you were doing." The students took one last look at us before reluctantly turning back to their previous activities. Nosy bastards.

"What do you mean, 'not our kind of magical'?"

"They're vampires." At once, all four of them had their mouths hanging open in surprise.

"You live in a house full of vampires!?" Ginny gasped in shock, her eyes as wide as saucers. Ron then began to laugh and I stared at him like he was a madman.

"You live with vampires! Nice try, Anna!" I continued to stare at him with a deadpan expression. As soon as he saw how I was looking at him, he slowly realized that I was serious. "You weren't pulling my wand? You were actually serious?" I nodded and his face turned every shade of pink in embarrassment at his idiotic episode. "Oh." I rolled my eyes at his stupidity and he went an even deeper shade of pink.

"How is that possible? They would have killed you!" Hermione was looking totally lost, obviously her extensive book knowledge only went so far.

"They don't drink human blood, they only feed off animals." We spent the rest of the night sharing life details and things about our families.

~~~~~~~~~~~Next Day~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up at seven the next morning to find my roommates already gone for breakfast, so I got dressed and did the same, putting a little bit of make-up on, making me look flawless but still natural, . I decided that I needed a little more self-confidence, I needed people to warm up to me, I couldn't live off Luna forever. The hall was full of chattering students and guys staring at me with lust-filled eyes. I will never get used to this reaction, even though it was somewhat flattering. I walked into the great hall and the chatter immediately died down and people starred at me, I shifted uncomfortably before walking stiffly towards Luna at the Ravenclaw table. I felt a pair of eyes burning into me and I looked up. Alexander Eastman was sitting there with, his face expressionless but staring at me. I looked back at him for a few seconds before sitting down next to Luna who was eating cereal while reading a magazine called 'The Quibbler' upside down. I didn't ask her anything, I just grabbed two slices of toast and spread strawberry jam and vegemite on them. (A/N I'm Australian)

A clatter and loud screeching halted all conversation in the hall as the post arrived. Students looked expectantly at the cloud of owls but I didn't, who would send me a letter via owl? All of a sudden, an envelope was dropped in front of me, narrowly missing my toast. I grabbed and looked up to see a midnight black owl soaring out of the hall. Curiosity got the better of me and I tore the letter open, forgetting to look at the seal. A heavy piece of parchment fell onto the table and I opened it. On it was writing written in a crimson ink. I knew immediately what it was. Blood. It wrote:

My dear daughter,

I must say that I am quiet unhappy of your placement in the filthy house of Gryffindor. It is a disgrace to our family's name. However, you will still be useful to me so don't worry. I will be unable to write for a little while, I am a very busy man, but don't be upset, I will contact you again.

Your father,

The Dark Lord

Was I scared? No. I was more puzzled. Notes written in blood were no doubt meant to be threatening and symbolize pain, but it struck me as a bit cliché and immature. I would probably wet my pants if I ever came face to face with him, though. Deep down, I knew that I would face him one day, he was a huge threat. I had mastered every spell in the Beauxbatons DADA library section and I was renowned for my prowess on the dueling stage, but would any of that help against my father? Whatever message he was trying to convey, I would keep it to myself. The bell rang and the food disappeared off the tables and students rose and began walking to class.

The first two lessons went rather smoothly, potions was conducted in tense silence, Snape always trying to trip me up but not having any success, thankfully, he left Neville alone. After the incident the day before, we both formed a small attachment. In class I would give him small tips and he decided to help me in Herbology seeing as it was my weakest subject, though I had never gotten bellow an Exceeds Expectations on a test. Second period was History of Magic in which I tried to take notes and not doze off. I was walking to DADA when a rough hand pushed me into a wall for the second time in two days.

"What is it Liana?" I snapped, not in a mood to toy with her today.

"Is someone cranky today?" Her voice was already weighing heavily on my nerves.

"What do you want? I have to get to class." She stepped closer trying to look menacing but it looked really pathetic in my frustrated mind.

"I want you to stop acting like you own the place." I looked at her in astonishment. Was this what she interrupted me for?

"I'm sorry, I forgot that it was your job to do that." I bit back.

"You're right! It is my job, so you stay out of it." She pointed at me threateningly her eyes narrowing. "I see the way my boyfriend looks at you! I want you to stay right away from us!" Alexander looks at me? I knew he was this morning but everyone else was too. This small piece of knowledge sent a tiny bubble of excitement stir in my stomach. I shoved past the pathetic bitch and continued my way to class.

The Gryffindors had DADA with the Ravenclaws so when I sat down, a Ravenclaw girl sat next to me. With a jolt, I recognized her as Jezebel Torres. She turned and shone a stunning smile at me, I returned it with hesitation, why was she sitting with me?

"Hey, my names Jezebel." Her voice was strong and clear, obviously used for intimidation.

"My names Annabelle, nice to meet you." I looked back down at the desk as Umbridge walked in. I had an instant dislike for the squat toad-like witch. She walked up to the front of the classroom and turned to face us.

"Well, good afternoon!" she said, looking at all of us.

A few people mumbled "Good afternoon," in reply.

"Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge. "That won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they chanted back at her.

"There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."

I knew this meant that we were having a theory lesson. A few groans were heard throughout the classroom as students brought their books out. On the blackboard up the front, she began to write.

Defense Against the Dark Arts A Return to Basic Principles.

She then went on to comment about how disjointed their learning had been in this subject and that the problem was now rectified with a ministry-approved book. She then began to write down more information on the board.

Course aims: 1. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic.

2. Learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used.

3. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.

The lesson then became much like History of Magic. Dull and boring, writing notes from a book of theory. I was quickly becoming bored with the process, and by the look of Jezebels face, she thought so too. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hermione raise her hand.

"Yes, Miss…" Umbridge looked at Hermione who realized what she was asking.

"Granger."

"Do you have a question?" No duh, it's not like she raised her hand. Stupid woman. Jezebel giggled slightly as if she heard what I thought.

"I did, you kind of said it out loud." She said, her eyes still shining with amusement.

"Damn, that's becoming a nasty habit of mine." She was about to reply when Hermione continued.

"You haven't said anything about using defensive spells." I looked up, and so did everyone else at her question.

"Well, dear, at your tender age, you wouldn't understand such matters all you need to know is that the ministry has your best interests at heart and that you shouldn't worry." I frowned in confusion, they weren't going to let us practice the spells? Ron seemed to be thinking along the same lines as me when he piped up.

"We're not going to use magic?" Umbridge merely smiled and turned her back on him. Gryffindor turned into uproar, everyone arguing a point, I zoned out of the arguing and caught Alexander's eyes from across the classroom. We just looked at each other before I blushed slightly and looked away, he had a strange effect on me, I just couldn't pinpoint it. I zoned back into the conversation but not before I saw a satisfied smirk on Jezebels face. What was that about? I gathered from what I missed that Harry was still fighting about the use of no spells.

"Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?" Inquired Professor Umbridge in a horribly honeyed voice.

"Hmm, let's think . . ." said Harry in a mock thoughtful voice, "maybe Lord Voldemort?" Everyone in the class went silent and all eyes turned to me. I just sat there, shocked. This was my chance. Even though the name of him had me literally shaking, I had to use this as an opportunity.

"He's right. If the Dark Lord really is out there, we need to be prepared." I stated with an expressionless face. Everyone was openly gaping at me now and I had enough of it. I kicked back my chair and picked up my bag and stood up. I walked towards the door but stopped. Turning around I glared at Umbridge.

"By the way, your teaching sucks." With that final statement, I exited the classroom. That was the second dramatic exit in two days and I was feeling proud of myself. When Harry had said his name, all the fear and panic flowed into me again as I relived the horrors of my past. Could feel my hands begin to shake so I ran outside towards the lake and sat underneath a tall pine tree. I just sat there, thinking about my past, present and future. I thought of Alexander, and how I reacted to him, did I like him? Liana seemed to think so, but that was good. Well, that was a good second day.

Chapter 12

I was just making my way to breakfast the next morning when someone called out my name from behind me.

"Hey, Anna!" I turned and saw Jezebel running towards me, looking behind her, I saw that she was by herself. What did she want from me? Not that I didn't like her, she seemed really nice, but I was kind of a freak amongst the school.

"Hey, Jezebel, what's up?" She caught up to me, panting slightly while catching her breath.

"Oh, just the roof." I frowned at her, confused slightly, but quickly worked out it was a joke and rolled my eyes.

"Wow, and I thought I had a bad sense of humor." I said, smiling slightly. She giggled and turned to me and eager expression plastered on her face.

"Hey, I was going to ask if you wanted to sit with us for breakfast, I need a break from all the testosterone." She started giving me puppy eyes when I hesitated and that killed me, she looked so damn cute. I looked into her eyes and I saw something, something we both and in common. Loneliness.

"Sure." I said with a smile at which she beamed and began dragging me by the arm towards the great hall.

"So, do you listen to muggle music?" Jezebel asked as we settled down where she usually sat, thankfully, Alex and Jace were nowhere to be seen. That would be a tad awkward.

"Yeh I do, I thought you wouldn't really listen to muggle stuff."

"That's true for most of the kids here, but they have no idea what they're missing out on. Who's your favorite artists?" I sat there and though for a minute.

"I got through phases, like I have a week of Katy Perry a week of Lindsey Sterling but I think I'd have to say, over all, Maroon 5." Her face lit up and she squealed, catching the attention of half the hall.

"Whoops," she said looking around at the staring faces but then turned back to me with a huge smile on her face. "They are the best! What song is your favorite? Mines Moves like Jagger, best song ever!" I smiled at her overexcited face.

"Agreed. But I really like all their songs especially the V album." She nodded approvingly and her face suddenly turned serious.

"Now, girl talk. Has anyone caught your eye? Or have you got a French beau waiting for you already?" I laughed at her wording and shook my head.

"Nope, I'm single. How about you?" I asked, dodging her question and raising an eyebrow at her. Red flooded her cheeks and she looked down at her plate. Ha, I knew it.

"No, I'm single too." I looked at her closely as she intently studies the grains in the oak wood tabletop.

"Let me guess, Jace?" I knew immediately that I was right when her head snapped up and her eyes were as wide as dinner plates. I could never explain how I knew these things, I would just get a feeling and when I saw Jace and Jezebel together, I got that feeling.

"H-how did y-you know?" Jezebel stuttered, shocked.

"Just a felling." I shrugged and grinned at her stunned-mullet expression. The rest of breakfast passed by with girl talk and no sign of Jace or Alexander.

Classes passed by in a boring blur and I walked towards the great hall for lunch after a particularly boring double lesson of potions in which I was being intensely glared at for about ninety-five percent of the time. As I walked down the hall, people pointed and whispered. After my dick stunt with Snape, I had earned a small amount of respect and for a while, I was just ignored, but an attack on a wizarding family last night had people higher strung and I gained a few more haters overnight. In some ways, I understood where they were coming from, but they shouldn't be so quick to judge and frankly, it hurt to say the least.

~~~~~~~~~~At breakfast the next morning~~~~~~~~~

I plopped down next to Jez, my new nickname for Jezebel, and grabbed some toast. Be began chatting but stopped when two people plopped either side of us. I turned and saw Alexander and Jace seated on either side of us, Jace next to Jez and Alexander next to me.

"Anna, this is Alex and Jace, my two bestest friends." Introduces Jez who was beaming at the two boys, who beamed back at us.

"Hey, nice to meet you." I said, smiling at them and trying to avoid the intense stair that Alex was shooting at me.

"Finally, Jezzy found a girl she likes! Maybe she can use you to vent on instead of us, I can tell the only thing stopping her from tearing Liana's throat out is Alex." Exclaimed Jace, throwing a wink at Jez who then blushed. Aw, she really liked him. Alex cleared his throat awkwardly and changed the subject.

"It's nice to finally meet you, I have heard many things about you." I turned towards Alex, examining his sincere expression. His looks captivated me, his strong jawline and slightly tussled just-out-of-bed look made him look casual but sexy at the same time, and his skin was not tan but not pale either, just right. I felt a soft blush begin to spread on my cheeks and shook my head slightly to clear my train of thought.

"The majority of it bad, most likely?" I half asked half stated. I knew that people wouldn't have much good to say about me and the way Alex dipped his head looking caught proved what I thought.

"Anyway, are you guys trying out for the quidditch team?" Jez asked.

"Yeh, ours are trials are tomorrow." I said and the guys said the same. We lapsed back into a comfortable silence, just eating our breakfast in peace.

The lessons past in agonizing silence, the only good part was when Alex next to me in DADA. His smile was soft but a slightly tortured look rested in his eyes whenever he looked at me, which made me wonder why he would look at me like that. News was spreading around the school body that I was starting to hang out with the 'in-crowd', which earned me yet more haters but Jez was always quick to stand up for me.

One person who definitely wasn't happy to see me near Alex was Liana, every time I saw her, she would be glaring heatedly at me, I would just shoot her a sugary sweet smile and return to my business. Another problem was the lack of teaching going on in DADA. Even some of the students were beginning to suspect that something was up with the ministry, not once had we ever touched our wands in DADA and a few of us were getting worried. I wasn't too worried about myself having been able to master these spells in third year but I was afraid that the rest of the kids would be practically defenseless if it ever came to a war.

"Anna?" I surfaced from my thoughts, forgetting that I as just sitting at the Ravenclaw table with Jez, Alex and Jace eating dinner. I looked at Jez who said my name.

"What?"

"You just zoned out and stopped responding, are you ok?" I nodded.

"Yeh I was just thinking about stuff…" Jez smiled at me and began talking from where she left off.

"Anyway, as I was saying, there is a hogsmede trip on the weekend, do you want to come with us?" I looked over at Jace and Alex to see what their reaction was and both looked hopeful at me, so I shrugged and agreed.

"Sure."

"Yay! Well meet at the courtyard at nine o'clock." I nodded and excused myself from the table as most of the students had already left for bed. When I entered the Gryffindor common room, small groups of people were dotted about, socializing. I just trudged upstairs, changed into my sleep shorts, tank top and went to bed.

I was in a graveyard. Pillars of white, grey and black stone surrounded me. Then I turned and saw people standing little way behind me and heard a man speak.

"You will kill, you will stand by my side, a war is coming and you must fight by me." I surveyed the scene before me and saw a ghostly pale man in dark green robes standing in front of about fifty masked people in black cloaks. The pale man seemed to be the leader of the group, his terrifying face was sculpted into a fierce expression and it was obvious that he was followed out of fear.

"Yes my Lord." They all echoed at once, the master seemed happy at his response and waved his hands, dismissing the terror-ridden crowd, but one remained. The crowd disappeared in billows of black smoke. One man stayed, and he looked like her was dared to wake a sleeping Hungarian horntail. I could not see the persons face, but I could tell they were shaking in fear. I edged closer, it was obvious they could neither see nor hear me.

"My lord?"

"What is it?" His face twisting in disgust as he looked down at the fearful follower, shaking in his boots.

"Are you sure this is wise?" Immediately, the scary man stepped forward and picked up the man by his neck, lifting him up off the ground.

"Are you questioning me?" The mere sound of his voice sent shivers down my spine.

"N-no my L-lord." The man gritted out as best he could while the long-fingered pale hand was wrapped around his neck.

"Then why would you say such a thing as you just said?" The slit-like eyes piercing into the mask of the man he held.

"I was merely worried that you may come to harm if this occurs." He was digging himself a deeper hole.

"So you are saying that I am incompetent of defending myself." Uh oh, even I knew what was coming and it seemed that the hanging man realized it too as he began to wriggly himself out of the strong grip that held him. "Well, I see that your loyalty has wavered, and not to my favor. You know what happens now don't you? Yes, well we had better get it over with shall we?" He dropped the man to the ground and took out his wand.

"N-no master! I beg of you! Please, please don't kill me!" the man raised his hand in front of his face and shook there, crying pathetically. He had given up trying to escape and the master just watched the man convulse in terror.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

A bright flash of green obscured my vision and then it all went black.

Chapter 13

I woke up, breathing heavily and cold sweat droplets were running from my brow to my jaw. The green flash of light seemed to have temporarily imprinted itself inside my mind as I replayed over and over again the dream. I had no doubt that I had just seen my "father" in action and to say that it terrified me would be an understatement. The way his face looked reptilian and the emotionless facial expression as he fired the worst curse imaginable at someone without a hint of remorse was a wake-up call to say the least. I vaguely remember him when he still had midnight black hair and handsome features, the things that drew Mum in, it was a stark contrast to his present state, and it was terrifying.

Looking at the clock on my bedside table, I saw that it was only twelve o'clock and I knew that trying to go back to sleep was futile so I picked up 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott off my bedside table and headed down to the common room and read for a bit by the fire. Walking down the staircase, I heard a murmur of voices coming from the common room so I stopped and listened. Who would be up this late at night?

"What are you getting at Hermione?" I heard a boy say. It must be Harry and his friends, no one else has a name like Hermione. I edged further forward but kept behind the stone wall separating us.

"We need a proper teacher, Umbridge isn't teaching us anything and if we don't learn to defend ourselves, we practically sign our own death warrants." What was she getting at? That we go and teach ourselves behind Umbridge back?

"Yeh but how do you plan to do that and who would teach?" Harry asked.

"Hermione! That's a brilliant idea!" Ron jumped in as he cottoned on to what Hermione was suggesting. I finally realized that she wanted Harry to teach people, I had to give it to her, she came up with some good ideas sometimes. Should I tell them about my dream or go back upstairs? I opted for revealing myself as Harry spoke again.

"I still don't get what you're insinuating, Hermione." He was incredible slow so I just stepped out from behind the staircase wall and stood in front of them, giving him the answer and saving Hermione the trouble.

"She means that you should teach us." I stated plainly and the expression on Harry's face was priceless.

"What? You can't really expect me to teach people! They hate me, remember?" He had a point, there were few people who actually held him in their good graces at the moment. We all looked at Hermione who seemed to be the master mind of the entire plan and she was currently looking down at the floor and shifting uneasily, Harry seemed to have noticed her awkward stance as well. They didn't even question me as to why I was hiding behind a wall so I just stood there and listened in.

"What did you do, Hermione?" She looked up at us with wide eyes.

"Well, I kind of already gathered a small group…"

"What?!" Harry exclaimed, Ron didn't look all that surprised at what she said so I knew that he must have been in on it too.

"I just think that when people hear your whole side of the story, they'll open up to the idea a bit more."

"Hermione, how many people is there?"

"Just a few, Harry, I told them to meet at the Hogs Head this coming Hogsmede trip, will you please do it." The depth of sincerity in Hermione's eyes made us know that she was truly not going to back down in this regard.

"Fine…" I yawned and realized that I was still very tired so I decided to wrap up this conversation.

"Do you mind if I come?" I asked. Hermione, Harry and Ron all cast a look at each other and Harry nodded very slightly, indicated that he was okay with it.

"Sure, we'll see you tomorrow." I nodded and smiled, wishing them goodnight and then walked back to bed.

~~~ At breakfast- 8:30am ~~~

I sat at the Gryffindor table by myself and munched on some vegemite toast, god this stuff was good. () The meeting was going to be at 9:30 in the Hog's Head which meant that I had just enough time to grab Jez, Jace and Alex and drag them along with me. All of the students who were planning to head out today all had their school-colored scarves pulled up to their ears and large black coats tightly wound around their bodies to keep out as much of the cold as they could.

At 8:50, I began to pack up my stuff and head to the entrance hall to wait for my friends. At eight they all appeared at the top of the staircase and came down smiling and laughing, but the only thing I noticed was how hot Alex looked with his hair sexily tousled in a messy yet purposeful way and then he looked up and saw me… damn he looked fine... and I found that everything bad disappeared out of my mind as soon as he came into view. I noticed that he was still looking at me and I flushed, turning my gaze away towards Jezebel and Jace laughing. They looked so good together and she was clearly enjoying the attention he was giving her.

~~~~~~~ Alex's P.O.V (Yay!) ~~~~~~~~~~~

Today was supposed to be freezing so I made sure that I had my warmest coat on and a warming charm placed upon my pockets to keep my hands warm. Jace and I were really happy that Jezzy had finally found a girl that she got along with. It wasn't like she wasn't a nice person, but Jez could be a bit of a bitch sometimes which put off some people, well…most people. What I wasn't expecting was Jez's friend to be Annabelle Riddle, daughter of the Dark Lord, of course she would go for someone potentially dangerouse. At first, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to hang out with her but seeing Jez so happy was too much of a good opportunity to pass. Us three friends had been together since we were in first year, we had instantly clicked and the love we shared for each other was one that had us all bound like siblings.

Annabelle was a different thing altogether, her golden blonde hair was utterly mesmerizing and her perfect facial features had me spell-bound (not literally) as soon as I laid eyes on her. Many of the boys had been commenting on her appearance before I saw her and I thought that they must have been severely over exaggerating but as soon as soon as I saw her, I stood corrected, their words of praise barely did her justice. I was strangely excited when Jez suggested that Anna should come with us to Hogsmede with us today.

Coming down the staircase, the icy winds blew through the open heavy oak double doors and I shivered slightly, Jezzy and Jace were talking about Gandalynne Freyer, chaser for the Holy head Harpies and how she thought that a bludger was a balloon and tried to catch it in the middle of a game, we were laughing but I stopped as soon as I spotted Anna standing by the entrance. Her hair was had her naturally curled blonde locks flowing down her back, her cheeks were slightly pink from the cold air and her lips were a perfect red from her constantly biting them in the frigid air. She looked so cute as she bounced on the balls of her feet trying to warm herself up. Then she looked at me and I did the same to her. After a few seconds, she realized that she was still staring and a beautiful blush appeared on her cheeks. Wait what? Beautiful? No, you should only be calling Liana that, you need to stop thinking about Anna like that. I internally berated myself.

"Alex? Hello? Are you ready to go?" Jez waved her gloved hand in front of my face and I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Yeh, let's go."

Chapter 14

Honeydukes was a place that even people on a diet would be unable to resist. Lollies and chocolate of all shapes, sizes, colours and types were heavenly displayed on the walls and in bottomless tubs. This was a huge hotspot for students to come and refill their secret stash, and today was no exception with children squeezed tightly in the small sweet shop all trying to grab their favourite confection.

I felt someone come up and turn towards me, I looked and saw it was Alex.

"What's your favorite?" He leaned down and said close to my ear so he wouldn't have to shout over the racket in the shop. A shiver slithered it's way up my back at his close proximity and I nearly fainted as his minty breath blew across my cheek as he spoke.

Stop it Anna! He has a GIRLFRIEND! Out of the corner of my eye I could see him scanning the crowd with his emerald eyes.

"Um, I really like sugar quills but liquorice wands are also one of my favorites. What about you?" He grinned down at me and I could have sworn that I felt a fluttering in my stomach. God, I was such a girl...

"Much the same as you but instead of quills, I'd probably go for every flavor beans."

I looked at him and he glanced down at me. He was just so perfect with his messily styled hair and strong jawline, but I had to stop thinking about him this way, it was wrong and unfair. As much as I disliked Liana, she had the rights to him and I wasn't about to start world war three by getting in the middle if something. Not that he's noticed me anyway.

"Are you guys ready to go? Jace and I want to he'd to the three broomsticks before we return to the castle." Jez asked with Jace appearing beside her. Their hands were both full of bags filled with chocolate enough to feed the whole school. Jezzy's face was flushed and she looked like she was enjoying a little time with Jace. Jace was the fun one of the group, he'd often just crack random corny jokes which mostly made us cringe at their lameness. But they were actually so lame it was funny so we all ended up laughing anyway. Whenever there was tension or someone was feeling out of sorts, Jace would lift them up without fail and everyone appreciated him for it.

"Sure, let's go." We all exited the store and began our way down the snow-covered cobble path towards the Three Broomsticks.

A small robe boutique seemed to have caught Jezzy's eye and she pulled me away from the boys telling them that we would meet them at the pub in fifteen minutes. The shop was only small but the displays of multicolored fabrics and beautiful pieces of clothing drew the eye towards it, beckoning you to enter and take a look, little did we know that Liana the dragon was also there.

"Well, if it isn't Jezebel and her new best friend!" I slowly turned around to see the face of an ugly cow.

Just kidding but I couldn't say that Liana's face gave me pleasure.

"Liana, what a pleasure to see you here!" I had my bitch-mode on so I drenched my words with sarcasm.

"Well I can't say the same for you, but I think we need to talk." Liana's sugary-sweet zero-percent-sugar voice was starting to impact heavily on my poor nerves. I could tell that Jezzy sensed my annoyance as she took over the verbal battle.

"I can't imagine what you'd need to us about, but whatever it is, make it quick sweetie." The sassy mocking Jezebel was also surfacing and by the unattractive way that Liana's face was scrunched up, she wasn't appreciating it. she stepped forward closer to us with two of her sheep flanking her, trying to look intimidating.

" I just wanted to warn you. Alex is out of bounds and if you go near him, I'll make sure that nobody will glance your way again. Understand?" I merely raised an eyebrow at her attempt at dominance.

"Feeling insecure are we? Worried that Anna's going to replace you? Well, you should be because she's a better person than you'll ever be." After Jezzy's presidency speech, which I was really grateful for, the small spat had taken itself from the small shop to the street outside, luckily there were no students around or we would have gathered quite a crowd.

"How can you think that? She came into this school like she already owned the place! And you say she's a better person?! Alex chose me and he will stay with me whether he wants to or not."

Well that took psycho-girlfriend to a new level...

"Yeh? We'll see about that ugly slut." Jez spat and the Pig's face turned into a nice piggy pink.

"You bitch!" Just as Liana screeched this, she raised her wand and aimed it at Jezebel. Acting purely on instinct, I ran and jumped in front (cliche, I know) as the spell hit me in the chests sending me flying backwards and depositing me roughly on the ground, knocking the wind out of me. My whole body was aching and I was slightly dizzy, strands of hair were stuck up everywhere.

"Oh my god! Anna, are you alright?" Running up to me, Jez pulled me upright into a sitting position and looked at me worriedly, while I was still in a daze.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." I was still seeing double but that was quickly disappearing to be replaced with complete disbelief. What the flying wombat just happened here?

"Let's head back to the castle. I can't believe that ugly bitch would do that!" We continued bad mouthing Liana as we walked to the Broomsticks where we said we'd meet the boys ten minutes ago. they were waiting out front with worried expressions and relief crossed their faces as we approached them.

"Jez, Anna! Where were you we've been waiting for nearly half an hour!" Jez was too busy swooning at Jace's concern to reply so I did.

"Sorry Jace, we were just held up for a little bit, but Jez here thought it would be better just to head back now, it's getting late." Both boys looked at us and nodded slowly, they knew that something was up, but thankfully they didn't ask. Jezzy was still quiet so I gently nudged her out of her reverie towards Jace, signaling that they walk together. Alex came up beside me and gestured for me to lead behind Jace and Jez who were already side-by-side and talking about random things in their own little bubble.

"So, did you enjoy today?" Alex's deep voice came from beside me.

"Some parts were great, I think that these self-defence classes are a really good idea." I stated, trying to start a conversation.

"It will be interesting, I personally can't wait to see wall the all-amazing Miss Thomas can do, I've heard that she was one of the best at Beauxbatons." Smirked Alex and I blushed at that.

We were just walking up the castle steps and into the entrance hall, preparing to part ways when a hand caught my arm and gently spun me around, warmth flowed through the arm that his hand held and it was all I could do to stop my face turning fire-engine red.

"I just wanted to say that I had fun today, and that...we should maybe do if another time...as friends...yeh...as friends." I half smiled at him as he stumbled over his words.

"That would be good." I stated dumbly and mentally face-palming at my lame answer, but by the crooked grin on his face, he looked appeased. Ever so slowly his other hand reached up and gently tucked a flyaway strand of hair that Jezzy had missed as we scurried back to the Three Broomsticks after my "fall".

We looked at each other for a few moments before I averted my eyes away with flaming cheeks and my heart racing. Alex dropped his hand and coughed awkwardly.

"Um...see you around." he said and spun around, walking away leaving me flustered and hot.

Houston, we have a problem.

Chapter 15

"What have we here?" A voice came from the darkness. The room I was in was lit be a few oil lamps that were situated on top of a fire mantelpiece. The walls were wood-paneled and in from of the ancient fireplace was a high-backed chair facing away from me. Where was I? This house sent chills up my spine, cobwebs netted every corner of the room and the antique chandelier hanging from the dusty ceiling was chipped and looked like a family of termites had moved in. When I heard the voice, I spun around quickly, terrified of what I would see.

A man in black robes stood in front of me with his back the only part of him I could see. His long cloak looked as if it was made of a swirling shadows. Alarm bells went off in my head and I knew this man was dangerous, the aura of evil and malevolence that surrounded him proved that. I looked around for an exit but the only doorway I saw was to the right of the man and I would have to run past him to get away and somehow, I didn't think that that would end well.

"Now my dear, as much as I would like to stay here with you and talk, I am a busy man so listen closely: Very soon you will be joining me and my army to rise up against the silly ministry and its pathetic cohort of half-breeds and mudbloods. You, my daughter, will stand by my side and support me. You have no choice, but, remember this. When the time comes, you will come to me whether you like it or not."

The dream was permanently on replay in my head throughout the whole day. Jez kept giving me strange looks and asking me why I would just completely zone out frequently.

"Annabelle? Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Jez asked for the fiftieth time today, and it was only third period!

"I'm fine! Can you please stop asking that?" I snapped angrily at her, and she shrank back a little, looking at the ground. Quickly realized what I had done and immediately felt bad for my outburst. I reached out gently and placed my hand on her arm.

"Look, I'm sorry for snapping at you. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just not feeling good today, I didn't get much sleep last night." Jez looked up and gave me a small understanding smile, pulling me towards the great hall for lunch.

"That's ok, I get cranky when I don't get enough sleep too." She then started talking casually but I zoned out again, wondering if last night's dream was somehow connected to the one before it. I just sat down at my usual spot with Alex, Jace and Jezzy at the Ravenclaw table. Ever since we got back from Hogsmede yesterday, Alex had been quiet and hanging around with Jace, leaving Jez and I alone, I could tell that Jez noticed and was a bit down about it but we all had something else on our minds at the moment. Quidditch trials.

The Gryffindor trials were at three o'clock this afternoon and Ravenclaw were after us. Jez was trying out for keeper and I was going for chaser with Katie who is a very good flyer. There was only one problem, the weather decided to throw a hissy-fit and pelt down bullet-sized water drops since five this morning. At least it will be easier to tell who is actually interested in the team or just there to muck around or go because Angelina is captain and they think that a girl will go soft on them.

Just then the bell rang for morning classes to start, but all throughout the day teachers were constantly having to reprimand students for daydreaming and not paying attention in class.

~~~ At the trials ~~~

"Ok! I want everyone to get into groups! Keepers over here." Katie shouts over the chattering students, pointing over to a spot on the lawn below the quidditch field. The grass was completely soggy and like walking through a marsh, but, thankfully, the rain had receded and it was only slightly spitty now. A huge pile of Gryffindors had come to the try-outs, around half, and the other half were sitting on the stands to watch. Jez, Alex and Jace came to watch me and were sitting with Luna, who also came to watch, on the stands. I looked over at the gathered Keepers and saw Ron among them looking a little panicked and green. About fifteen students also going for keeper.

"Chasers, stand there," instructed Katie again pointing to a spot on the grass and I shuffled over, along with twenty other students, only a few looking actually serious to be on the team. "Seekers, I want you beside the chasers and beaters beside the seekers." There were only about ten people trying out for the seeker position and twenty kids going for the beaters." I felt confident that I would be among the top five people trying out for the chasers.

The beaters went first and Angelina had them batting bludgers this way and that, testing who was strong and who were weak. By the end of that, Fred and George were the obvious choices for the two vacant positions. Next were the seekers which Harry excelled at and everyone knew he was the immediate pick. The keepers and Chasers were then instructed to take flight, the keepers lined up in front of the goal posts while us chasers hovered in front of them in the middle of the field. The chasers were split up into groups of three while each keeper was trialed individually by one group of chasers each. After a few groups, who I heard Angelina deem rubbish, it was my group against Cormac McLaggen. I knew that he and Ron were competing against each other for the position and, form the way Cormac strutted around with his ever-presents self-satisfied smirk on his face, I was rooting for Ron on this one. So I knew what I had to do.

As Angelina blew the whistle, the three of us chasers all surged forward towards Cormac who was perched on his broom, waiting eagerly for us to reach him. The two others in my group seemed to be fairly serious about the two vacant chaser position, but the thing that I appreciated the most was the fierce glares they were throwing at McLaggen so I knew they weren't going to take it easy on him.

Chapter 16

Angelina blew her whistle again, signaling for us to start our drill. The first person in my group started with the Quaffle and flew swiftly towards Cormac who was watching the incoming student with eyes narrowed in concentration. The kid raised his arm and pelted the large red Quaffle towards the ring at the right and it looked like a fairly good throw. Until Cormac threw an impressive turn and caught the Quaffle just give centimeters from the targeted goal hoop.

It was my turn to narrow my eyes, I could see he would be a challenge to beat. It was now the other person in my teams go to shoot. This guy looked only slightly taller than me and his grip on his broom was delicate yet he had a firm grace to his flying style which told me that he was quite an experienced flyer. The kid had now lined up for his shot but his aiming was so predictable that I knew he had no chance of getting it in, and once again, I was right. McLaggen flew straight towards the direction the kid was aiming and caught the Quaffle with no trouble. The small kid on the broom turned around and flew down to the grass, storming off angry and red-faced. Really kid? You weren't even that good! Ok, now I'm just sounding like a self-conceited bitch.

Angelina threw me the Quaffle and I stared Cormac in the eye and, being the self-assured player he was, he winked at me pouting his lips in what I guessed was supposed to resemble a sexy "smolder" when he really only looked like a drowning fish. Is it even possible for a fish to drown? No? Well let's pretend, for the sake of my lame sense of humor, that it is possible.

I just sat there for a split second and planned what I was going to do. Making up my mind, I surged forward, going and taking aim clearly for the right hoop, Cormac, being the fool he is, dived immediately over to the right just as I abruptly switched direction and pelted the Quaffle through the middle hoop. I smiled in victory and looked over to Cormac who now looked more like a constipated toddler who has lost some candy. I threw him a sweet smile, at which his cheeks promptly turned red. I guess losing to a girl was a bit of a wound to his manly pride. Oh well... someone had to show him.

I turned my head over to the clapping stand and saw Jezzy and Jace smiling and clapping for me. Happiness surged through me at the support of my close friends but my smile fell as I spotted Liana and Alex tangled together next to Jace sucking each other's faces off. The she-witch's skirt was hiked up to a highly indiscreet length and her shirt was literally a second skin. A surge of jealousy tore through me but I suppressed it, it wasn't as if I was his girlfriend.

But you wouldn't mind it if you were. My annoying subconscious told me, and as always, I had to agree. The main thing that I felt was anger that such a horrible girl got her claws into someone as nice as Alex. Not able to stand the sight of the writhing couple I tore my eyes away from the grotesque display and flew down to the ground where the next group were preparing to go. Angelina came up to me smiling.

"That was a good maneuver Thomas. It's hard to get past McLaggen. Congrats." She said and patted me on the back before returning to her position in the air to judge the next group. I walked over to the change room and removed my fairly clean quidditch gear and replaced them with my school uniform. Walking out, I see the keeper being tested get hit in the face with the Quaffle. I snorted with laughter but reprimanded myself that it wasn't nice to laugh at other peoples misfortunes. Hearing someone come up behind me, I spun around.

"That was a nice goal Annie." I rolled my eyes at the stupid nickname Jace insisted on giving me.

"Thanks Jacie." I say and he chuckles at my equally stupid name and throws his arm casually around my shoulder.

"Where's Jez?" I ask Jace who throws my sport bag over his shoulder and leads me back towards the castle since we were instructed to leave after we had been trialed.

"She had to leave and see McGonagall about some assignment and who knows where Alex is." Hmph. I know exactly where he is.

"Well it's nearly dinner time so I'll head back to my room and get cleaned up." I said and Jace gave me a curious look at my abrupt comment before retracting the arm around my shoulders.

"See you soon." I nodded and smiled at him before going the separate way towards my dorm.

~~~~~ That Night ~~~~

"Ah, my dear daughter, we meet again." My surroundings clear and I find myself in the same dark and musty room as before. My father stood in the center of the room, the very definition of evil. His face still the same repulsive reptilian nature.

"Today I have brought you here for another reason and I am sure you, being the curious little thing you are, are just dying to know why. Well, as you already know that you will be joining me, I won't repeat that particular lecture again, but I have something to give to you. Something that will help you." Why would he of all people be interested in helping someone? I gazed warily as he drew a small black box from what I assumed to be a hidden pocket in his robes. The box was lined with black velvet and the color contrasted greatly with the stark white complexion of his hand.

"What is it?" Even though I possessed not one shred of trust for him, I still had a small amount of curiosity left in me.

"Open it." The box levitated towards me and I slowly reached out and took it. Slowly and with slightly trembling hands, I opened the lid. Inside was a small necklace. A black pointed crystal held on to a delicate sterling chain by a silver fastener. I felt rather than saw the darkness within the stone's depth. Something about it, however dangerous I knew it was, drew me in and I found myself placing it around my neck, contrary to the blasting of warning bells in my mind going off at that moment.

But when the clip had attached itself together and the necklace was on, I felt a change in me. Like a switch being flicked. And from that moment on, I knew I would never be the same.

Chapter 17

I woke up the next morning feeling like absolute shit. Pardon my French. I got up out of bed and glared at the golden sun rays that had infiltrated my window, waking me up to endure another crappy day of boring lessons full off useless teachers and even more useless students. Yeh, I really am feeling that bad. Getting ready was practically infuriating as I was forced to listen to my annoying roommates giggle and chatter about each other's superficial problems and stupid boy fantasies, I mean, really? Nobody cares about how hot Roger Davies is!

Because I still had half an hour until breakfast, I decided to get ahead on an ancient runes assignment that was due next week and took a quill and some parchment before sitting down at the desk beside my bed, and getting started on some boring-as-hell essay.

"I know right! He just looked so hot at the Ravenclaw practice the other day!"

"Totally! His hair was, like, perfect! A little messy but it still looked so sexy on him!"

"Hm… Do you reckon that he's better than Alex Eastman?"

"God no! That guy is, like, the definition of perfection!" Ugh, I so had enough of this!

"Would you guys just shut-up?" The two gossiping girls whirled around to face me, their faces masks of shock.

"Excuse me?" the Indian one said.

"I said shut up! Your constant chatter is more annoying than the sound effects of Flappy Bird!" Ok, maybe not the best analogy, but whenever Adeline, who had a serious addiction to the game, played it, it would nearly drive me insane with that continues ding! Sound.

"Well someone got up out of the wrong side of the room this morning!" I rolled my eyes at her stupidity.

"It's the wrong side of the bed you dimwit." Wow, that even sounded mean to me, but I couldn't help it, I just felt so pissed off at the moment and their infantile behavior was not beneficial for my very shitty mood.

"Humph." Both girls gave me a searing look before turning around and leaving the room, whispering amongst themselves, no doubt about my awful attitude.

Finally a little peace and quiet.

~~~ At breakfast ~~~

I took a bite out of my vegemite toast and chewed grumpily. Why did children have to be so noisy? The whole hall was filled with laughing, chatting and just general happiness, making my mood even worse.

"Hey Annie." Jace said, plopping down next to me on the Gryffindor table and ruffling my hair, messing it up completely. I scowled at him and tried to fix the mess he made.

"Piss off!" I snapped and turned back to my toast, not bothering to apologize for my outburst.

"Good morning." A deep voice came from my other side and I turned to see Alex sitting there in all his god-like glory but, for the first time, his presence didn't raise my mood further. If anything, my scowl deepened and I ducked my head a little further, wallowing in my bad mood.

"Hey man! You ready to find out who's in the quidditch team this year?" Jace asked Alex, talking across me. This comment piqued a little of my interest and I tuned into the conversation, but I didn't look up from my self-isolating position.

"Yeh, I hope Greenfield makes it this year, I heard that his parents promised him a new Cleensweep if he got in the team." Alex answered and my mind tuned out again, thinking about the quidditch trials. I didn't do too badly so I still had hopes that I would get in, and judging from the comment from Angelina, I knew I had a chance.

The bell for classes rang and the loud screech of the wooden benches echoed around the school as everyone got up to head to class. Looking at my schedule, I sighed as I read Charms as my first period. It wasn't like I disliked charms, it was the annoying squeak of Professor Flitwick's voice that got on my already frayed nerves.

The bell for third period rang and I felt like shooting myself in the head when I realised that I had DADA next. Ugh, great, Umbitch again. Dragging my reluctant feet along the stone floor, I grumbled about the injustice of life.

Being a tiny bit late, I swung open the door and slouched in, not wanting to make an effort for her. Just as I sat down, the high-pitched voice of the woman I had come to dread, entered my ears.

"You're late Miss Riddle." I release a frustrated breath as she used my father's name. The one I most hated.

"Really, I had no idea." Her cheeks flushed at my obvious rudeness. I knew that I was going to get hell from that comment but today, I just couldn't find the strength to care.

"Excuse me?" Umbitch asked, her tone dripping with acid, her head tilted slightly to the side and her lips pursed in barley restrained frustration. The rest of the class were just looking at both of us all looking amused and shocked at my attitude. "Are you being disrespectful in my class?"

"Only if you think I am." I answered smartly back at her and I swear I saw her eyes start to blaze fire at me.

"Detention! I will not tolerate such rudeness in my class!" she screeched all red-faced and angry. Shrugging, I looked down at my desk and sighed, I didn't care. I mean, how bad can detention be?

"Have you nothing to say for rude and intolerable behaviour?" I snorted unattractively and gave her a 'really?' look.

"I do but I'm afraid that speaking what is on my mind at the moment may get me in even deeper shit." Some students gasped at my unrestrained use of vulgar muggle language and their heads whipped back and forth, mot missing out on a single second of the battle between us witches.

"A week of detention! Get out now and meet me at my office at three o clock! If you are one minute later than that, it will be two weeks of detention." Froggy fumed and pointed towards the doorway. I packed up my bag and left the classroom feeling a dark victoriousness. No one can tell me what to do, and if they try, they'll regret it.

∞∞∞ 2:30pm after classes finish in the common room. ∞∞∞

I sat with my back to the crowd of students in the common room as I finished some homework. My strange dark mood had passed and I felt a bit horrified at my display in DADA today. Granted, I didn't like Umbridge that much, but I took that way too far. Just as I was about to pack my things and head towards my detention, someone tapped me on the shoulder. Turning around I saw it was Hermione looking like she wasnup to something.

"Hey, what's up?" she looked around to make sure no one was looking or listening to us before responding.

"The first defence meeting is today and I just came to tell you that it's at five o'clock in the room of requirement." I nodded but then realised I had detention.

"I don't know if I'll make it, Umbridge will probably keep me in for as long as she can."

"Well if you can't make them you can't, but if you do get out in time, then you know where to find us." I nodded again and she turned around to look for other DA members.

I remembered the words of warning from Uxbridge about being late so I picked up my pace and got to her office and knocked at just the right time.

"Come in." pushing open the heavy wooden door, I nearly gagged at her interior decorations. The walls of the room were painted a strong light pink and plates with images of kittens adorned nearly every inch of space. It was horrific and I nearly picked up my bag and ran for it.

"I'm so pleased you could make it Miss Riddle." Like I had much choice. I thought to myself, but didn't sat it out loud, in fear of being in this room for longer than necessary. She gestured for me to sit at a small plain desk that sat in front of her own. On it was a blank sheet of parchment with a large red quill next to it. Lines, really? Is that the best she could do?

"Now, I would like you to write out lines for me. I want you to copy down the words, 'I must not be rude and disrespectful' out." I rolled my eyes at her but didn't complain.

"How many times?"

"However long it takes for the message to … sink in." I heard a slight double meaning behind her phrase but let it go.

"I need ink."

"Actually, you'll find that you don't." I looked at her strangely before shrugging and began writing.

At first, I felt nothing, but after a few seconds, a searing burn began to take place on the back of my hand. I looked at the writing, was was a crimson red, and then unlocked at my hand which now bore the words, 'I must not be disrespectful or rude.' I looked up at her in horror, wasn't this illegal?

"Something the matter dear?" Uxbridge asked sweetly, but her words dripped with acid.

"No, nothing at all." And I continued to write, and I felt the escaped blood lazily drip down my hand, creating a warm and sticky mess between my fingers. I winced but tried to keep my reactions to the minimum, not wanting to give her the satisfaction. She just continued to smile a self-satisfied grin and watched as the quill savaged the skin of my wrist. I knew the woman was evil, but I had no idea that she was as sadistic as this. Then I felt something come over me as the pain of the quill reached its peak, a dark feeling riding up, one much like in the classroom today, and a thought bounced around in my head.

Someone was going to pay for this.

Chapter 18

Three more weeks passed slowly with a few DA lessons and my increasingly bad mood. People just seemed to piss me off even more these days, and I'd often find myself in unexplained bouts of rage. I could tell that Jezebel, Alex and Jace noticed. Heck, the whole school noticed and all the staring was what set me off most of the time. The teachers now looked at me more frequently, as if examining an insect, which also made me angry. I guess they were just trying to figure out what caused my sudden change of attitude from sweet girl to angry teenager. My nights were increasingly filled with nightmares and I would wake up shaking and in a cold sweat. This was also not a good way to improve my mood.

The detentions with Umbitch were gruelling and the scars now went up my arms because there was no more room left on my hand. I would rub Essence of Dittany after every torture session, but it did very little to help the atrocious scarring that wound its way up to my elbow and criss-crossed all over my hand. Basically, my arm, from my elbow to finger tips, was a mass of white lines and nearly illegible letters. The only thing I was proud of was the fact that I never uttered a word of complaint or gave Umbitch any sign that I was suffering. This pissed her off a bit and I noticed that she kept me in a little longer after every session. By wearing long sleeves for two weeks and continuing to rub ointment on the wounds, I managed to reduce most of the redness and swelling but the scars would never go away.

Last week was the only spot of true happiness that I found when I received word that I had made it in for chaser in the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Training was great because it gave me the chance to take my mind off school. Angelina seemed impressed with my flying and I was promoted to centre chaser, which was considered to be the number one position. The Cullens also contacted me, asking that I come home for the Christmas break, which I accepted. Maybe I could tell them what I am? Nah, I'd probably be expelled, and as much as I hate this hell-hole, I want to finish my education.

~~~ The first Quidditch match of the year ~~~

The team huddled together, all bouncing on the balls of our feet in anticipation of the first match against Slytherin. Angelina came out of the captains part of the tent and walked up to us, her jaw clenched and a determined gleam rested in her eyes. I was a tiny bit nervous but I pushed it aside to focus on the tactics that I'd have to use.

"Right. Everyone gather round." Angelina barked in a no-nonsense voice, even the Weasley twins were giving her their attention without cracking anything so much as a grin. This must be serious.

"This game is the first and that game until after the Christmas break, which means that if we lose, everyone will have all holidays to think about how crap we are. If we win, well, then they'd be thinking about ways to beat us, but that's better than being thought of as crap so what option should we take?"

"To win!" The team shouted in unison, and Angelina smiled proudly at us.

"We have a strong team this year, and we need to win this Cup! We need to make Oliver proud!" I frowned, who is Oliver and why would we need to make him proud?" Harry must have noticed my confused expression because he leaned over and said:

"Oliver was captain for years before Angelina and it was his dream to win the Quidditch Cup, unfortunately, we didn't due to some difficulties but were going to try this year for him." He looked away as he mentioned the word 'difficulties' so I assumed that it had something to do with the Triwizard Tournament, or the Quadwizard Tournament in his case. I didn't ask further but merely nodded my head, indicating that I heard him. By now most of the students had filed into their respective house stands and were chatting noisily creating loud buzz around the pitch, the day was sunny but the weather was freezing cold, getting prepared for a snowy Christmas. (A/N Since I'm Australian, we don't have snow for Christmas, so I'm sorry if my timing's a little wrong.) Thankfully the red and gold robes we wore were thick and very effective at keeping out the biting wind. Then we heard the Red-head twins' best friend, Lee Jordan, step up to the microphone.

"Welcome ladies, gentlemen and Slytherins! Today we will be watching the first Quidditch match of this season starring the two ancient enemies of Hogwarts: Gryffindor and the monkeys! *Cough* I mean Slytherins!" The hisses and boos from the Slytherins were drowned out by the laughs and clapping from the rest of the school.

"Lee." The twins said together and grinned at their friend's introduction while we only heard the commentary from inside our tent.

"I will be your magnificent commentator for today, and I hope you all have a fantastic match. Except the Slytherins." Again the Slytherins anger was ignored as everyone clapped.

"Mr Jordan! This is supposed to be unbiased commentary!" McGonagall's voice filled the air, putting emphasis on unbiased.

"Well if you wanted unbiased then why would you pick a Gryffindor?"

"Hmph." Was all Mak (My new nickname for McGonagall) said.

"Ok everybody, I want you all on our brooms and when Lee announces us, get ready to fly out and do a lap in our planned formation." Angelina said and turned to face the door as the rest of the team got behind her. At the front was Angelina, behind her was me and Alicia, behind us were the twins and behind them was Harry and Ron, who looked strangely confidant, quite a difference to when he was at the trials.

"Anyway, would you please give it up for the one and only GRYFFINDOR!" Everyone (besides the Slytherins) cheered. Angelina turned and gave us a brief smile before turning and taking off into the golden sunlight of the early afternoon. Mounting my broom, I shot of after her and the sight that greeted me was fueled with energy and excitement as kids and adults jumped up and down with smiles on their faces while waving garlands of gold and red. Then we rode passed Slytherin who were booing and shouting profanities at us. Baptized in lemon juice.

"Looking magnificent I must say! Now be prepared to cover your eyes in horror, we have the SLYTHERINS!" The team swung out form their positions with ever-present scowls gracing their not-so-lovely faces.

"Teams ready?" Madam Hooch shouted, when both captains shook hands and nodded, a shrill whistle started what was the beginning of a fast and dirty game.

The Quaffle was released up into the air and I darted forth without hesitation, catching it and tucking it against my chest. The Slytherin chasers weren't far behind me however and were soon in quick per suit. Out of the corner of eye I saw a green beater lining up a shot straight for me, just as the bludger was about to make contact with the side of my head, I ducked, narrowly missing a heavy blow to my temple.

"And that was a close call there by Thomas, but she's still got the Quaffle and heading towards the goal posts. GO GRYFFINDOR!" I charged straight to the right ring which Marcus Flint was rushing towards. At the last minute, my inspiration coming from the trials, I abruptly switched paths and headed for the left ring, releasing the Quaffle just as Flint had realized what I had done and started to race over to save the goal. Time seemed to slow as the bright red ball (lol) arched across the ten meter space from my hands to the pearly-whit goal post. It felt as if everyone in the stands held their breath in anticipation.

Time sped up as the sphere entered the hoop, followed by raucous applause and cheering. I smiled brightly, my mood lifting slightly for the first time in two weeks. Flint pulled out of his desperate attempt at a save, leering unpleasantly at me, but the dirty looks being thrown at me by everyone wearing green wasn't even enough to dampen the first good mood to surrounded me in two weeks.

"AND SHE SCORES! THE FIRST GOAL OF THE ENTIRE YEAR GOES TO GRYFFINDOR!" Lee shouts excitedly and the student roar their support.

The next twenty minutes were filled with hope and happiness as Gryffindor scored eleven more goals, six of which were scored by me and only four goals were scored against us. Fred raised his bat and gave an incoming bludger a mighty whack, sending it pelting into a Slytherin chaser, knocking him off his broom. Boos were again heard from the Slytherin side but the body of the student was slowed down and lowered gently to the ground as he clutched his arm where the bludger connected with it, in quidditch, bludger were only to be aimed at below the shoulders, if a bludger was intentionally shot towards the head, the team in the wrong would be disqualified from the match.

The Quaffle fell from the chasers hand and I immediately shot under it, catching it in the crook of my arm. The two beaters immediately advanced towards me, aiming two bludgers at me, which I ducked and flew onwards, quickly swerving around the two remaining chasers who tried to block my path.

Flint was just ahead of me, a nasty sneer on his face. His buck-teeth protruding unattractively as he hovered in front of the middle hoop. What hoop should I target? Just as that thought passed through my mind, two large weights settled on either side of me, my head whipped around to see what they were. Avery and Nott, the two chasers of the Slytherin team (I don't remember all the names of the fifth year quidditch team so I got kids from the Death Eater's names) were nearly twice the size of me and their totaled weight pushing against me from both sides was unnerving and unsteadying. In front of me I saw Crabbe raise his beaters bat and hit a bludger straight for me. What the heck do they think they're doing?

Then it hit me with horror. Avery and Nott were just there to keep me in place, the real damage would be the dark red bludger screaming towards my face. A massive pain spread throughout my entire body and my consciousness only lasted as the enraged shouting of the crowd reached my ears.

Then I was falling…

Chapter 19

Pain radiated from my head out to all my extremities making it an excruciating experience to move any part of my body.
"Shit, that was one hard hit." I heard a British accented voice say and a similar one reply.
"Yep, that'll cause one hell of a headache." Well if they were talking about me, they couldn't have made a better prediction for the whole of my skull felt as if two extra large sumo wrestlers were pushing as hard as they could on both sides of my head, the pressure just building up, waiting to burst.
"You bet your huge ginger heads it does." I grumbled, fairly certain it was Fred and George talking about my nasty incident.
"Ah! She's awake and still grumpy as ever!" Fred or George exclaimed for I still couldn't tell their voices apart, my eyes still shut.
"Shut up you idiot." I mumbled. I peeled my eyes open, taking a minute to let them adjust. In front of me I saw the whole Gryffindor Quidditch team looking down at me anxiously.
"Don't look at me like that, I'm fine." I say, blushing at the awkward attention.
"How are you feeling? That was one aggressive swing, and though Crabbe has no brain, he has brawn." I knew that Angelina was referring to the powerful shot at my head with that bludger. A bloody stupid idea if you asked me.
"It hurts, but it'll go away in a few. Don't worry about me, but tell me, what happened in the game? Did we lose?" The others broke out smiling while Harry spoke up, satisfied smirks rested on his and many others lips.
"Well, after you had been taken care of, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff still wouldn't shut up. After screaming in the speaker for a while, Lee managed to gain the audiences attention to make an announcement. Madam Hooch decided that, because of the beyond dirty tactics the Slyrherins used and the bluffer to the head, they were disqualified!" I smiled wide, happy that I had not caused a loss for our team.
"Crabbe, Avery, Nott and Flint also got two weeks detention each with McGonagall." At the word 'detention' my heart raced in fear that someone had seen my scars during the whole Quidditch fall, but to my utter relief, I was a still wearing my Quidditch robes and arm pads which were untouched and strapped to my skin, covering most of my scars.
"Brilliant, I always liked Madam Hooch." Everyone chuckled but before anyone could continue speaking, a voice interrupted us.
"What is this?! We can't have this many people around a patient at once! Three at maximum! Out! Out all of you, you can come and see her later!" Madam Pomfrey shooed them all from the ward and they reluctantly went, wishing me to get better.
"Now, how are we feeling tonight? A little sore?" I nodded and winced slightly as she prodded the tender patch of skull where the ball must have made contact. "Well it should feel much better tomorrow morning, all you need to do now is rest up and I may discharge you early in the morning." The matron instructed, pulling a bottle from a shelf next to my bed.
"But I've got to pack for the holidays tomorrow!" I whined half-heartedly, knowing that I would never sway the strict nurse's decision.
"You'll stay in that bed until I say so, now open up, this should speed things along a little." She poured a pinky-red sparkly goop onto a silver spoon then held it in front of my mouth like I was a toddler to be fed.
"Can I do it myself?" I asked, feeling a little awkward being spoon-fed by an adult.
"No, now open up." I huffed in annoyance but opened my mouth anyway. The freaky goop entered my mouth and the taste of strawberries filled my taste buds deliciously. When the spoon was retracted, I grinned and swallowed the potion, smiling to myself.
"Yummy." I even sounded like a toddler! What did she do to me?
"You've got some visitors to see you before you go to bed, shall I call them to you?" I nodded eagerly, already bored as bat poo in this bed.
"Annnnnnieeeeeee!" I heard a very feminine voice fill the chamber before Jace came skidding in front of me, behaving like more of a toddler than I was.
"Jacie!" I responded and saw Alex and Jez walk normally towards me, both wearing expressions of worry.
"How are you feeling?" Jezzy asks concernedly.
"I feel just fine, honestly, Madam Pomfrey gave me this sparkly pinky-red sloppy goop stuff and it was greeeaaaatt." I smiled stupidly. What has gotten into me? As if by some miracle, The matron came back around the corner.
"If she starts acting a little out of the ordinary, it's the healing potion, it gives a bit of an extra zing for a better mood as well."
"Ahhh that explains it." Jace nodded and turned back to me grinning. "I was wondering why you looked so happy!"
"What are you talking about? I'm aaaaaalwayys happy." I dragged out my words, feeling giddy and excited for some reason.
"Woah happy Anna is a nice change." I smile at Alex as he says this.
"Yep, I'm awesome." I then broke down into a fit of goggles at my self proclamation. Jezzy looked at me funny before bursting in her own bout of laughter.
"Y-your laugh is s-s-so funny!" Jezzy lets out, still in the middle of cracking up. I pouted and crossed my arms in mock anger.
"My laughing is NOT funny! Stop being mean Jezzy!" I said in a baby voice, before letting my own laughter loose again, by now both of us were giggling messes. the boys just stood there and stared at us as we did our best to sound like a group of deranged monkeys who mistook a lemon tree for a banana tree. After a few minutes, Jez and I had finished our giggle-fest and were panting to catch our breath.
A light feeling filled my and I felt bouncy, truly happier than I had in a long while, it also felt great to be able to laugh with my friends again.
"So, what is happening in the holidays?" Jace asked, the mood turning a little more serious.
"I'm going home to the fam."
"Same." I said, still a little light headed from how much I laughed.
"I'm going home as well." Alex filled in and we all just sat there contemplating before Jez spoke up.
"We should do something in the holidays together!" Jezzy announced, and we all perked up at the idea.
"We totally should!" I chirped and the others all agreed.
That night we just sat on my bed, talking about all sorts of random thing and making each other laugh, quite a change to how the days had been.

Was going to stop here, but I'm like, why don't I speed things up and give you a little Cullens early? Will that make you peoples a little happier? Nothing to big but just a little more! Read on...

~~~Alice's P.O.V~~~
The house was in a quiet mood today, Nessie and Jake were cuddling up on the lounge watching TV while Edward and Bella sat the piano playing quietly to themselves. Rosalie and Emmet had gone out to hunt and Carlisle was at work leaving Esme to the food channel in the kitchen, trying out different recipes for the return of Anna for the Christmas break. The family was sad to see her go, especially Esme who had grown particularly attached to her, more so than anyone else. Because I was feeling bored, I decided to do a little future-surfing to see if there was anything interesting coming up in the near future.

~~~Vision~~~

Caius, Marcus and Aro all sat in a bare stone chamber around a large rectangular oak table, each absorbed in their own various activities. Caius appeared to be browsing through some old documents while Marcus worked lazily into a sketch book, the half formed view of the Volterra city sprawled across his page in immense and intricate detail. Aro, however, just sat in his place, finger on chin, deeply immersed in a matter which had cropped up abruptly a few months ago.
It was an odd one, one which they had a similar case of twenty or so years ago, one which had a failed conclusion and Aro did not want to repeat that. To help put his mind at ease, he decided to ask the advice of his brothers, gain their opinion on the matter.
"My dear brothers, we must speak of a matter which has concerned me endlessly from the minute it was brought to our attention." The other two ancient vampires looked up from their works, eyebrows raised.
"You mean the Cullen affair?" Marcus asked mildly. His voice already carrying a hint of boredom, he had never been one for conflict and confrontations, but his opinion was both wise and always to be considered
"Precisely, what think you of this matter?" Marcus furrowed his brow, mulling the question over.
"I think it would do no harm to investigate a little, but we should harbour no violent thoughts prematurely for there must be a reason behind it." The other two nodded, agreeing with their learned brother.
"So think I, how about you dear Caius?" Aro asked.
"You know that I would have gotten rid of that coven long ago, had it not been for both your counsels against it." Aro sighed at his brothers attitude but left it alone, it would do no good to argue over it.
"Well, is it agreed? Shall we pay our little friends in London a visit?"
They both nodded and Aro smiled, he had always loved the amount if extraordinary talent within that family and having a reason to try and convince them to join again was not one he was going to refuse.
~~~ End Vision ~~~
My breath hitched and Edward is sitting ram-rod straight at the piano, no doubt reading my mind through the whole thing. Turning to me he frowns.
"We have to prepare."

The whole family was crowded into the living room as Edward and I explained what had occurred in the vision.
"So you're saying that the Volturi know we adopted Anna?" Emmet asked trying to get the story straight. Edward and I nodded.
"What should we do? Will they harm her?" Esme asked Carlisle who had so far been quiet.
"I'm not sure, Esme. She said herself that she wasn't entirely human, but would that be enough to stop them?"
"It may but we can't be sure, I'd rather not take the risk." Jasper piped up and I turned to him quizzically, always, when it came to Anna, he would stand off to the side and keep his thoughts to himself.
"Many people in this house are all very emotionally attached to that young girl, she had secrets also, ones which I hope to unravel. She also is in need of help, help which I suspect only a loving family can provide. If she dies, depression will swamp the family and an innocent life will be lost. I would wish anything but that on my family." Everyone nodded in agreement. We had to make sure Anna remained safe from the Volturi.

Chapter 20

The ride on the train was a blur as I sat in a compartment with Jez, Jace and Alex. Looking out the window I studied the rolling green hills and spruce forests whipping past my vision. Conversation was short inside the cabin, all of us just sitting in partial silence mulling over the school period which had just finished. I think it went better than I could have hoped, I don't think I was as hated now as I was originally, but I knew not everyone trusted me yet. Though nobody said a word, there was a certain unsaid tension amongst us four friends, something that I have yet to figure out the cause of.

Alex's P.O.V

The silence between us was more than a little awkward. Jace sat next to me reading a batman comic, I was quickly losing hope of him ever maturing… Jezzy sat in front of me flicking through Witch Weekly, while Anna just gazed unblinkingly out the window a blank expression settled deep into her features.

We had all been covertly observing her over the past few weeks, witnessing her sudden change of attitude over that short period of time. Instead of the sweet and cheerful girl who had wormed her way into the hearts of many students and teachers on campus at the start of the year, she had become an angry and - occasionally- slightly aggressive. I knew that we three were not the only ones to notice the abrupt change. Teachers tended to tread lightly around her in class and peer at her questionably when she spoke out rudely to them. Even they knew that this behavior was abnormal, even for her. No one knew what the cause of this moodiness was, but little things just seemed to rub her the wrong way all the time, setting her off and taking a while to calm down.

Apart from Jace and Jez, there was rely nobody else to talk about it with, Liana, for some reason, shut down all conversation as soon as Anna's name was mentioned. I tried asking her about but she would always cut me off by planting her thin lips on mine, but hey, I wasn't going to stop her. I was a guy, sue me. Thinking of my girlfriend reminded me of the hot kiss that she had given me out the front of the castle just before we went our separate ways to the train. She was one fine specimen, just thinking of her body made me nearly drool. Too bad she was such a bitch, oh well, she's good for now. Maybe I can give Anna a try later, she looks the goods, I wonder if she tastes as good as she looks?

~~~~ Jasper's P.O.V ~~~~

The family were rushing about gathering everything they needed before we got into the three cars waiting in the driveway. Emotions were ranged from nervousness- Esme mostly- to excitement, courtesy of Emmet who wanted a rematch with Anna after she inexplicably beat him in The Mario Kart Banana Cup. Alice, of course, was excited to take her shopping again while Edward was looking forward to teaching Anna how to play the piano. It seemed that this holiday break would be pretty eventful compared to the small Christmas' that we usually held.

"Is everybody ready?" Alice's voice rang out throughout the house and I vamp-sped to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist. Everyone stood at the door for a second before exiting the house and jumping into the cars to make our way to King's Cross. For the past few days, all Alice had been able to think about was the Volturi. She would sit on the couch for hours on end watching every decisions the head-vamps made. The date wasn't set but we all knew it would be soon, just how soon was the question.

~~~Anna's P.O.V~~~

What does he see in her? Like seriously! She's a complete b!tch, how does he not see that?

"Anna? You ok?" Jezzy's voice snapped me out of me reverie.

"Huh? Yeh, just thinking about…stuff." I looked around the compartment and saw that both the boys had gone. "Where did they go?" I indicated to the empty seats in front of me.

"They went to change out of their robes. So, now that they're gone, we can girl-talk."

I groaned inwardly. She probably wants to gossip about that disgusting kiss Liana forced onto Alex's perfect lips just before we boarded the train.

Perfect?! Wow, you have really got it bad. My subconscious jeers.

Shut up.

"So, has any English beaus caught your eye? They'd probably be a bit different to the ones you're used to in France." Jez winked mischievously and leaned toward me slightly.

Phew, at least she hasn't worked it out yet, I thought.

"Not really, haven't been looking for anyone lately."

"What rubbish! What teenage girls stops checking out guys? Boyfriend or not we all take a peek."

She had a point there.

"Well, that Rodger Davies is pretty cute." I relented, I had taken a good look at him when Ravenclaw had played against Hufflepuff in the second match of the year.

"I know right? Too bad he's older than us and leaving next year." She huffed and looked out the window, staring off into the distance.

"What about Jace?" I asked, concerned at her crestfallen expression.

"He's… well, he's just Jace." Jez exhaled helplessly. "He doesn't even seem to notice me! I've tried, but perhaps I'm just not his type…"

"Or he's gay." I said.

"Anna!" Exclaimed Jez, eyes wide and her mouth hanging open.

"What? It's a possibility." I reasoned.

"True. I haven't really seen him with any girls before, but nor has he been looking at guys. Not that I was exactly checking if he was…"

The compartment door slid open and we looked up to see the boys re-entering the cabin, dressed in muggle clothes. Just looking at Alex in his button-up shirt and denim shorts was enough to make drool run down my chin.

"Ten minutes until we reach the station." Jace announced as he sat down next to Jezzy, a light blush spreading across her cheeks as his arm brushes hers. That left the only seat next to me which Alex promptly sat down on creating a near-equal redness like Jezzy's to grace my face as well.

"So what's the plan for the summer regarding us catching up?" Alex asked.

"We'll just catch up with our families for a little while and when we get sick of them, send an owl and we'll get together." We all nodded at Jez's plan.

My thoughts then strayed to my new family waiting for me back in England. I had only stayed a short time with them but in that time, I had bonded well with everyone in there, maybe not so much with Jasper since he was always very quiet and reserved, but we all shared a family connection now, I think the fact that none of them are actually related and adoption was the cause of all their strong relationships, helped in my case.

The train's steady thrum of noise began to noticeably drop off slowly and the speed at which things blurred passed the window became lazier.

"The trains stopping, that means that we have another five minutes until we disembark." I stated and began gathering the personal belongings I brought with me on the train and placing them into a carry-on satchel.

The train jolted to a halt and by now we were all lined up in the carriage corridor, all the students around us chatted happily about the cool things their parents had planned for them and what all their friends would be doing. I just stood in line and listened to all the light hearted conversations, reminiscing about how that was me just a few months ago, excited to be home for the summer to my mum. But everything has changed…some for good, but, not all. I miss her. I miss her warm and tight embraces, her quiet and reserved personality. The way she would gently ease into conversation and keep a natural flow of it for hours. I loved how I could just sit with her all day and have a deep and meaningful girl-talk while she just sat there seemingly engaged in every word I said. She was just such a great listener. My confidante, my mother. But all that has changed, I'm heading to my new adoptive family, who are no doubt wonderful people, but they're not my mum.

Even as I stepped off the Hogwarts Express, envisioning a quiet holiday, the reality, which was just around the corner, held more than I even dared imagine

Chapter 21

Edwards P.O.V (Italics for Edward receiving thoughts)

The whole family waited at the main entrance of the station building as per Anna's instruction. The bell tower of a nearby church trilled out a loud tune, signaling that midday had arrived.

"There she is!" Esme squealed in excitement. The family looked up at the platinum-haired beauty walking towards us, a strained smile resting on her worn face. I notice Jasper shift uncomfortably and I looked towards him.

Anger? She doesn't look angry, maybe I'm just picking up someone else's emotions… Hmmm not like me to do that… Her emotional palette is a strange mixture…not entirely genuine emotions…dull…superficially putting on a show… a mask….

Interesting…

Happy, be happy. Smile like there's nothing wrong. Oops, turn the thoughts off Anna, wouldn't want the ministry after me…

Ministry? Turn off her thoughts? I know that she isn't the average human, but the aura of mystery clouding her existence just got thicker as small snippets of information slipped through the cracks of her mind. What was she hiding?

"Anna! How wonderful it is to see you again!" Esme walked up to the girl and pulled her into a maternal hug, and- after a few seconds- Anna reciprocated and put her arms around Esme. Jasper, Emmet, Rosalie and Alice all took their turns giving Anna hugs, while Anna hugged them back, there was an underlying hesitation to her actions that made me wonder where it originated from.

"You too, Esme. Thank you for picking me up… you didn't all have to come." She smiled.

"Don't worry, we wanted to come. How was school?" Carlisle asked as we turned and g=headed to the cars which were parked in the public lot a few hundred meters away.

Hmmm…her emotions dropped at that…obviously not great stories to be told there…

Jaspers mind went on analyzing Anna's down emotions while I tuned back into them talking, intrigued to hear her response.

"It was Ok… I miss my school in France though…" She trailed off, her eyebrows furrowed and she seemed to lose herself in her own thoughts. Ones that I couldn't read.

"Do you have anything planned for the holidays?" Alice asked a still pensive Anna.

"Huh?" The girl looked up from her reverie.

"Alice was just wondering if you'd arranged anything during his break." Rose supplied.

"Oh, sorry, my friends and I planned to do something at the end of the holidays sometime… but we want to spend some time with our families first." I smiled at Esme's next thought and took to perusing the minds of the humans around me.

…I just love it when she says things like that…

..Seriously? I can smell that woman's perfume on him from a mile away! And he tells me that Thursday night is pub night…

Wow! If there was an award for the most beautiful people on the planet, it'd go to them… what are they?

Damn, they sure won the good end of the gene lottery… Celine's new baby sure didn't... poor thing…

Haha lol…who eats goat's cheese with Nutella? So gross…

…mmm… I hope Nathan's free tonight…need to get some…been a while…

I mentally gagged at that last one, you can see why my gift was both a gift and a curse. Being privy to all these private thoughts for so long…Maybe that's why Emmet consistently called me a 'prude' but if he had to listen to pervy thoughts consistently for over one hundred years, constantly dealing with the guilt of intruding on people's private -and often quite graphic- thoughts, you tend to crawl inside your shell and never want to come out.

Anna's P.O.V

"So, pulled any pranks yet?" Oh! Damn! I knew I had forgotten to do something, oh well… that last goodbye surprise Liana will discover when she opens her suitcase will just have to do…

"Hah, maybe…" I smirked at Emmet who grinned evilly back.

"Anna." Carlisle sighed in exasperation, obviously remembering the freakishly big earth worms that had somehow found themselves in Jacobs's breakfast one morning a few month back… Or maybe the time when Emmet and I scraped the cream out of Nessie's favorite Oreos and replaced it with toothpaste- The expression on her face was well worth the brutal lecture from Esme. Jasper started smiling as my humor seeped into his mind.

"I was just thinking about some of the things we got up to before school started." I explained to Jasper so he would know why he was grinning which only made him grin even more and Emmet to erupt in deep chuckles.

"That was hilarious!" Guffawed Emmet while Rennie stuck her bottom lip out.

"It was not! I can't even bring myself to eat my beloved cookies anymore!"

"That's not what I saw last night when I walked by you sneaking into Esme's secret stash." Edward smirked and we all burst into laughter at the redness that began to seep onto Nessie's cheeks.

"I should have known it was you! Sneaky girl." Smiled Esme.

"Well it wasn't as if you were going to eat them." Ren responded, rolling her eyes.

"Hah! Take that you stupid mushroom head!" I screamed as I overtook Jasper who was playing as Toad. Damn I'm totally boss at this game…

"NO! NO! Bloody banana! Why the middle of the path?" Emmet whined, he had Donkey Kong which I thought was fitting considering they kinda resembled each other…lol.

"YES!" I shouted throwing my Wii controller on the ground and started doing my victory dance.

"I DEMAND A REMATCH!" Emmet whined loudly, slouching back in his seat and pouting immaturely.

"You cheated!"

"Yes because my amazing vampire reflexes allow me to do that." I say to the two infantile bloodsuckers who had taken to sulking about being beaten by a measly human. They just stick their tongues out and scowl at me.

I looked at my IPhone and saw that it was already nine o'clock. Usually I would be in bed by now or a least finishing my homework.

Edward?

I looked over at Alice.

The Volturi… They've decided the time they're coming…

I raised my eyebrow and tilted my head as if to ask 'when?' Jasper looked at Alice in alarm, obviously sensing the overwhelming distress that I can see rising in her eyes.

Tomorrow.

Chapter 21

Even as I took the first step into the lounge room, I could immediately sense the tension between the seven vamps currently occupying it. Jasper and Alice sat on the sofa, talking quietly to themselves while Rose and Emmet sat at the dining table, sorting through papers. Carlisle and Esme where nowhere to be seen but Renesme, Edward and Bella all sat on the sectional couch, engaged in a deep discussion. They all looked up at me as I entered the room, then exchanged a glance with each other. Why do I get the feeling I'm missing something here?

"Morning, is everything alright?" I asked, concerned by their behavior. They looked at each other again, before turning back to me…I smell fish…*sniff* yep, definitely something fishy going on here.

"Good morning sleepyhead! Everything's great! Why wouldn't it be?" Alice beamed and leapt gracefully from the couch, gently grabbing my arm and steering me towards the kitchen. Her voice seemed higher than usual, and that was saying something, because she sounds as if her vocal cords are always shorter than everyone else's.

"Umm… I don't know I just thought…never mind, I'm probably still half asleep." I smiled and shook off my worries, I was home now, and I left all the drama back at school, so I can stop worrying here.

"How about some bacon and eggs? Esme gave me a cooking lesson last week and I can't wait to try my awesome chef skills!" Alice beamed excitedly.

"Sure, that sounds great." Alice squealed and sped about the kitchen, gathering ingredients. Oh dear, poor Esme will have one heck of a cleanup when she gets home…

Jaspers P.O.V

We waited until Alice had taken Anna out of the room before we started talking. The whole family's emotions showed their stress and worry, frown lines creased our foreheads and brains were working in overdrive. Poor Edward would be struggling at the moment, and by the way that Eddie looked up at me and nodded, I presumed my guess was right.

"What are we going to do? Anna only just got home, she already knows about what we are! The Volturi are not just going to let that pass!" Renesme stressed as she paced back and forwards along Esme's favorite rug. Jacob tried to get up and calm her but she shrugged his hand from her back.

"There's nothing we can do. We just have to hope for the best in a situation like this." I said, even though I knew my statement would do little to ease the tension.

"So you say we should just sit here and wait? How could you say that?!" Rose barked at me, if she wasn't a vampire, she'd be red with fury. This time it was Emmet who leaped up to calm his mate. We all knew how Rose was if she got fired up.

"What do you suggest we do Rose? If you've got a better idea, then we'd happily take it into consideration." I said and waited for her to retaliate, knowing that she hadn't any better way of fixing this.

"I-I I don't know." She looked down defeated. "I just don't like the idea of sitting and waiting for death!"

"I don't either, but we have no other choice, if we have even a sliver of hope brining Anna out of this alive, then avoiding making the Volturi angry is one step in the right direction." I reasoned, running away would only serve to make them angrier and the consequences harsher. The others though about this for a second and their defeated emotions told me they knew I was right. We were all startled, however, when a small voice rang from behind us.

"Let them come." We spun around in unison to face a smirking Anna.

Anna's P.O.V

Alice seemed so intent on cooking that she didn't give a second glance as I slid from the room and to the doorway of the living room, being careful to hide myself from the vamps within. I knew that something was up and if I could sneak a little extra info, then that would put me one step further to finding the truth. As I tuned into the conversation being carried out inside, I couldn't help wondering how loud vampires were, even with their extra-sensitive hearing.

"-we should just sit here and wait? How could you say that?!" I think it was Rose who shouted that. Was someone coming?

"What do you suggest we do Rose? If you've got a better idea, then we'd happily take it into consideration." Jasper replied and his level of calmness was a stark contrast to the fury and exasperation in Rose's tone.

"I-I I don't know." I heard her sigh. "I just don't like the idea of sitting and waiting for death!"

Me neither bro… wait, she's a girl.

Me neither sis… that's better.

"I don't either, but we have no other choice, if we have even a sliver of hope brining Anna out of this alive, then avoiding making the Volturi angry is one step in the right direction."

The Volturi? What have those mangy bloodsuckers got to do with anything? Then I remember the conversation the family and I had just after I told them I knew what they were.

"Honey, the Volturi are three of the oldest vampires, they are ruthless and will kill you without even blinking." Esme said.

I remember them from Defense Against the Dark Arts in France! My teacher had told us about their high ranking among vampire society and how they control the few very important laws amongst vampires. Too bad our magic is much powerful than their silly single abilities. A simple protego charm would protect me from most of them instantly. I had studied them and their abilities so I knew about Aro's mind reading power, Alec's sense deprivation, Jane's torture power and many of the others. I knew that, if I had to, I could use my magic against them. Granted, it would reveal me to the Cullen's and get me expelled, but that's better than dying. Nah, I could take these grumpy vamps any day. Stepping out from my hiding place, I simply said:

"Let them come." Lol, I felt so badass at that moment. Oh dammit, I thought I left all the drama at school! It just seems to follow me doesn't it?

Chapter 22

I stared out of my window analyzing the willow that sat in outside my window, just thinking about random things. About France and the beautiful grounds of Beauxbatons that I miss dearly, of my best friends I left behind and the occasional letters we used to keep in touch. Lastly I thought of my new adoptive family and the showdown that was due today and that everyone but me was already preparing for, talking strategies and waiting for the Denali clan to arrive, I already had my wand tucked into my pocket. We weren't going to gather a huge crowd like the Cullens did when renesme was born, I think that was partly due to when I pleaded with them not to the night before. I eventually convinced them that if I had to, I could stop the bunch of vamps who are on their time of the month. Though that would be kind of ironic. They were majorly skeptical and they are even more eager to reveal what I am, but I will try to avoid that at all costs.

So I go back to thinking. Would the Volturi drink human blood? Pfft, of course they would, I knew that, but would all of the guard drink it? If so, my magic would be affected because the power of the individual can influence the amount of force I have to put behind my magic. If they do indeed all drink from human blood, I would be severely weakened stopping them. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that.

"Anna!" I hear Esme call from downstairs, standing up and stretching my legs, I head downstairs to see the family.

Everyone was crowded downstairs. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. The Denali clan were there as well as the whole la push pack who most I had yet to meet. As I entered the room, every set of eyes focused on me and I saw most of the guys checking me out, making me more than a little uncomfortable under their scrutiny.

"Anna, this is Kate, Garret, Tanya, Carmen and Eleazar. They live in Alaska and are close family friends." I looked at each vamp and noticed that Kate and garret seemed to be together while Carmen and Eleazar were holding hands and looking at me skeptically. Two of the incredibly beautiful women had natural platinum hair which shone to perfection and their figures could easily get them on the runway. Both guys had chiseled features but Garrett was more attractive than the one with the weird name, no offense dude. The other lady, Carmen, looked a lot like Esme, she gave off a motherly feel and I immediately liked her. All their eyes were a golden honey color. Animal. The all gave me a small smile, and nodded their heads politely. All except Eleazar who stood there with his eyebrow furrowed and a frown deeply set into his features. The others turned to him, obviously puzzled by his actions.

"Are you alright?" Carmen whispered in his ear while her mate continued to stare at me.
"As you have probably just realized, Eleazar, she is no ordinary human."

"Indeed." Said the stunned vamp who still seemed captivated by me. I just shifted awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"What is she?" A harsh voice sounded from behind the Denali's who parted for me to see a shirtless man staring at me gratingly, frankly, he looked scary as hell and the way that the rest of the tan shirtless guys behind him had risen to back their leader had me taking a step back. My family let out an unnatural his, warning for the shapeshifters to back down, which they did, reluctantly.

"We don't need to fight right now. Calm down and well talk about this in a civil manor." Carlisle warned and put his hands up in a peace gesture.

"Then tell us what she is, she could be dangerous and put my pack in jeopardy!" The man started shaking and glaring at me. Jeez, overreaction much.

"We don't know." Edward stated and again all eyes turned to me.

"You don't know?! How could you not know?" The antsy shapeshifter practically roared. If someone doesn't do something about him, shits gonna go down.

"Would you calm ya tits for one sec and let me explain instead of going spaz-wolf on me?" I yell over the ruckus and everyone immediately stops and looks at me for the third time today. Then the pack begin laughing, then the Cullens also start, followed by the Denali's and lastly the guy who I had just screamed at cracked small smile, not wanting to give me the satisfaction of seeing him really laugh.

"There's my fiery little sis." Emmet chuckles and ruffles my hair annoyingly and I scowl at him, trying to smooth my golden tresses back down. Once everyone recovered, we got back down to business, except this time, we had a calmer alpha.

"No, but seriously, what are you?" Everyone looked at me and I winced, not knowing what to do. Should I tell them? Yes or no? Decisions decisions. No, I would probably be expelled and as much as I love my family, I couldn't give up my education and my wand if someone found out I told them.

"Look, I want to tell you, I really do. But if I did, I would be expelled from my school and my whole life would be taken away from me." To say I felt guilty would be an understatement, my family have supported me and protected me as best they could and now the others are putting themselves and their loved ones at risk just for me, all I wanted to do just then was to spill my guts to them, but I couldn't.

"How do we know you're not a danger to us? Carlisle has told us about your claim to be able to defeat the Volturi singlehandedly, which is no small amount of power. If you are telling the truth, you are extremely dangerous." Garret stated.

"Why would I want you dead? You haven't wronged me so I have no reason to kill you, what do you take me for? A cold hearted killer? Just because I have a shitload of tricks up my sleeve, doesn't mean just go around killing people for the hell of it. Do I really look that scary?"

Garret looked down, embarrassed at his stupid question.

"Anyway, we have more important things to talk about than a homicidal sixteen year old girl." I smirk.

"What's the plan of action?" Asks a wolf whose name don't know.

"Well, we hope we don't have to fight, but if there is no way around it, we must. I doubt that we'll win, but we have little choice." Carlisle sighs and I lower my head with guilt. They wouldn't be in this position is it weren't for me.

"It's not your fault, Anna. The Volturi would be coming anyway whether it was you or any other child we decided to adopt. You can be considered a blessing due to the fact you aren't entirely human and are able to support yourself if it comes to a fight. Don't be so hard on yourself." Jasper assured me and the others nodded at his statement. What he said made me feel a little better but a niggling doubt still wormed its way into my stomach.

"He's right, you may not be such a bad thing after all." The alpha wolf half smiled and the rest of the pack did the same.

"If it comes to a fight, everyone must get behind me. Can you promise me that you will let me do the work?" I pleaded, my skill as a duelist is a talent that was legendary amongst my beauxbatons peers, not to blow my own trumpet or talk myself up to much, but when it came to magic, I excelled.

"We can't leave you defenseless. Absolutely not." Esme said, shaking her head.

"But I won't be defenseless! I have my m- my way to deal with this." I cursed myself nearly having spilled the word 'magic' by accident. I noticed my slip didn't go unnoticed as the vamps stared at my trying to piece together wat I had said.

"Your what, Anna?" Carlisle asked and everyone studied me intensely, nearly causing me to break my vow of silence, but I held on.

"I can't tell you, just trust me. Please." I looked each person in the eye, pleading them with my eyes to agree. Everyone shared a glance before Carlisle stepped forward.

"Okay, we'll let you lead, but if, at any time, you looked like you are in need of help, we'll come straight forward. Understand?" Looking deep into the molten honey of his eyes, I slowly bowed my head, agreeing.

"Uh guys?" We all whipped our head toward Alice who looked panicked.

"Crap." Edward muttered.

"Five minutes." Alice stated.

Time to get the show on the road.

Chapter 23

The drive in the car was conducted in an awkward silence, the roar of Emmet's jeep was the only thing that invaded my ears and I sat, tense and pensive while I tried to formulate a plan in my head. These vampires will be powerful. They may not be the most powerful, but they'd put up a hard and well-structured fight if it came to physical combat, which I'm going to try my best to avoid.

"You ok?" I felt a cold hand touch my forearm and I turned to look into Alice's concerned eyes.

"I'm fine, just a little worried." She nodded understandingly and put her arm around me, pulling me into her solid embrace.

"We'll be alright…" She trailed off, her eyes unfocusing.

"Alice? Alice!" I called, then gave up. She must be in a vision. Emmet turns around to glance at us, frowning at Alice's catatonic state.

"Do any of us have an idea of how this is going to pan out?" Emmet asked.

"Alice hasn't been able to see past the mutts. They may be considered useful, but they are a pain as well."

"And they reek." Emmet mumbled.
"Don't be so mean. They are risking their lives for us." I said.

"Still." Emmet grumbled.

"Oh no." The small vampire next to me mutters.

"What is it Alice? What did you see?" Jasper asks urgently, tugging on her arm lightly.

"They're bring him Jasper! Don't you understand?! This could go horribly wrong now that he's here!" I had no idea what the hysterical pixie was saying, but what unsettled me the most was not the urgency of her panicked words, but the fear and horror etched on her ageless porcelain skin.

"Alice! Calm down." Jasper urged, along with his gift, he was able to soothe Alice into coherency.

"Now, are you sure about what you saw?" Jaz asked, calmly looking into his mates eyes.

"I saw him with my own eyes, he was veiled under a cloak so no one could see what he looked like, but it was definitely him." She said, nodding frantically.

"We're here." Emmet alerted, jumping out of his front seat and flashing to my door, throwing it open and quickly unbuckling me from the complicate off-road safety harness. All around us we were surrounded by green trees, the sun, which was odd for this region, shone brightly above sending tendrils of warms to my face. The forest and clearing was like one big deception. On the surface it was a tranquil and serene, while in reality it was a potential murder field. Wow, that was a cheerful thought.

"Follow closely and stay near us at all times." Jasper ordered, his inner Texan Major coming out. The rest of the family had already parked and were waiting for us to join them so we could meet the Volturi who Alice has seen already arrive. I looked at the little vamp who was nestled under Jaspers arm. I still had no idea who this Mysterious 'He' was, Emmet had stopped the car before she got a chance to expand upon the topic. Everyone gathered around me as the thinning of trees ahead of us became pronounced, indicating sparser growth. Their bodies formed a ring of protection around me, one which I didn't need.

"Guys, you promised." I looked everyone in the eye, reminding them of the promise they made at the house.

"You only said if it came to a fight that we'd have to get behind you, so we're staying as we are." Emmet stated, leaving no room for argument. I sighed and continued to walk. Carlisle and Esme were the first to step out from the tree line and advance into the glade. The sight that met me was not unlike a group of death eaters gathered. Each person wore a hooded black cloak and their faces all obscured by heavy red-trimmed midnight hoods. By now all of our company had formed a line opposing the scary-looking vamps. I'd guess there to be around sixty to seventy members of the guard in total.

Looking as if they choreographed the whole thing, the Volturi members lifted their hoods to reveal eerily perfect, sculpted faces. All besides one person who stood just behind the three foremost vampires. I briefly wondered why but my attention was very quickly diverted to the growls behind us as the La Push pack slunk out of the trees, their deadly teeth cared and ready.

"Woah, that's Déjà vu for you." Garrett muttered, surveying the scene around us. Kate nudged him in the ribs.

"We come in peace, Cullens." Soothed the vamp at the front who sported shoulder length dirt-brown hair and a waxy complexion. So this must be Aro, the leader. I knew the blonde one was Caius and Marcus was notoriously the quietest of the trio.

"We would find that more believable if you hadn't brought sixty three members of your coven with you." Sixty three? I was close.

"A necessary precaution." Aro shrugged lightly.

"Against a coven less than a tenth of your size?" Jasper questioned.

"Who's to say you wouldn't bring the small army you had backing you last time? You Cullens seem to have a talent for attracting trouble don't you?" Caius stated and he sneered at me, but I remained impassive. If only they knew what I was and for some unsettling reason, I had a feeling it was all about to be revealed.

"Why would a coven of vampires even think about adopting a human into the family when it is so clearly against our laws?" Aro asked seeming baffled.

"There is no law against the adoption of children." Carlisle stated.

"But there is a clear rule against revealing our existence to humans!" Caius snarled.

"We had no intention of telling her what we are." Said Carlisle.
"And yet she knows. Why is that?" This time it was Marcus who spoke and his face held a spark of interest which looked strange on his placid face.

"Why don't we ask the girl herself?" Suggested Aro who now looked upon me eagerly. I glanced at my family and the nodded me forward. Talking a few steps, I felt people following behind.

"No." I muttered under my breath and the figures stopped. "I can do this myself." Looking up, the person who caught my attention was the strange figure who was still veiled by a hood, his or her features unrecognizable. The person stood just behind and to the left of the three main leaders, like a safety net.

"My my, what a pretty little thing." Aro cooed and I grimaced slightly at the creepy statement. Aro must have noticed because his mouth twisted almost imperceptibly at my less than warm reaction. As I got closer, he inhaled a deep breath.

"Human…but a hint of something else… You are nearly beautiful enough to be one of us. You're not all human are you?" I send him a small head shake, but remain impassive.

"Come closer child." I glance at the other vampires beside him who all stared at me, some with anger but most with lust. At least from the men that was. Slowly and cautiously I spanned the remaining twenty or so meters that still stood between myself and the ancient coven.

"You do not speak. Why is that? Are you mute or just plain dumb?" Caius taunted me with a nasty sneer. I rolled my eyes.

"Sometime silence is the most eloquent reply." I state neutrally letting them know I'm not intimidated, which I am, but they don't have to know that.

"Smart girl. Too bad you won't be lasting long enough to use that brain of yours." Caius snarled. Growls and hisses erupted behind me, but I raised a hand to calm my family.

"You cannot kill me." I state. In my periphery, I see the hooded figure incline its head gently to the side, as if intrigued at what I was saying.

"And why ever not?" Aro asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" I said, raising my hand towards his, a smirk resting on my lips. During my studies of the Volturi, we had been lectured on each member's specific gift. I knew Aro had the ability to access someone's thought and memories by skin-to-skin contact. Aro looks at me intently, along with Marcus and many of the guard.

The spark of cold as the vampires hand came into contact with mine nearly made me jump, but I held my ground. He seemed even colder than all the members in my family combined. His red eyes blurred out of focus, much like Alice's when she's consumed in a vision. I felt a little self-conscious at letting someone access my mind, but the partial Occlumency I had placed on myself blanketed what I wanted to hide and left what I was happy to reveal.

A sharp intake of breath broke me out of my thoughts and my eyes snapped back to Aro who now stood before my completely gob smacked.

"That's not possible.." He muttered.

"Isn't it?" I challenged. He was just unwilling to believe that there is a race out there stronger than vampires.

"Are you really a witch?" Gasps were heard all around us and the shocked expressions that surrounded me were enough to make a hilarious Hallmark Christmas card.

"No I'm a troll." I answered deadpanned.

"Aro! What is this rubbish you speak of?!" Cranky Caius demanded.

"This girl… she-she's amazing! Truly amazing! And your family do not even know it yet!" He honestly looked like a nine year old in a Lego palace. His face was pulled up in an awed and slightly dazed smile. "How many more people are there like you?"

"Some." I answered vaguely. I don't want to reveal all our secrets in one hit. Aro's face then drastically changed. Greed. Lust for power.

"We need you. You would be priceless as one of the guard. No one could stand against us." He murmured and I frowned. I'm not going to join them. Not in a million years.

"You are crazy if you think I'd join you." I spat, not liking the possessive glint in Aro's eye.

"Anna!" I hear Edward call from behind me. Taking slow steps back towards my family, I watch Aro as he appears to be frozen in a state of deep thought, his brothers awaiting his signal for the next move. The hooded figure stared at me. Their eyes not visible under the cloak, but I felt the gaze burn into my chocolate irises.

"GET HER! DO NOT HARM HER AND BRING HER TO ME!" Aro shouted suddenly. The whole guard sprang into action as well as my family who were fast coming up behind me. It all happened in a split second and I barely had time to think as I pulled my wand from my pocket and shouted:

"PROTEGO MAXIMNA!"

A shock wave sent the ensuing tidal wave of undead bodies flying away from me and my family. Screams of panic filled the air.

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS MAXIMA!" I shouted once again, adding the maxima on the end so everybody was petrified at once. I stood there, shocked; my wand still aimed at the pile of motionless corpses. Looking further back, my heart stopped. There the figure stood. Hooded and cloaked, standing away from his paralyzed comrades. It's gaze still burning through my own eyes. Black spots suddenly danced across my vision and a metallic taste filled my mouth. I lifted my hand to my face, touching the area beneath my nose. Bringing my hand back, I registered a crimson liquid soaking the once creamy complexion of the skin. Darkness, even greater than before crept onto the sides of my vision. Looking up again, a flash of emerald eyes was the final thing I saw before I fell into darkness.

Chapter 24

Jaspers P.O.V

Shock.

What the hell just happened? What was that? I watched in a sort of fascinated horror as a force of light exploded from the object in Anna's hand, sending all the members of the Volturi flying in a whirling tornado onto the grassed ground of the clearing. My blood ran cold, figuratively and literally, as the vampires began to rise again. Murderous and rage filled, all set to advance upon us again. Before any of us could even move a muscle, Anna shouted again. The words that tumbled from her panic-filled lips were foreign and unfamiliar to me. Then the most remarkable thing happened. They fell down.

The Volturi.

Unmoving and paralyzed.

Shock was now a gross understatement to describe what we were feeling right now.

We just stood frozen, surveying the scene with growing terror, me bearing the brunt of it due to my 'talent'. Anna just stood there, about thirty meters in front of us, her arm still raised. Unmoving. She seemed focused on something in the distance. Scouring the area with my eyes to find what held her attention, I noticed with alarm that he was standing there. Hidden behind his thick cloak, just watching her. Much like we were doing except he seemed to stare straight ahead. At Anna. This isn't good. If he has taken an interest in the girl, then we're all doomed. Movement from in front of me caught my attention, diverting it from the most dangerous monster in existence.

Anna still stood in the same position, except her previously raised arm hung limply by her side and the other arm lifter towards her head. Confusion swamped me before I smelt it. Fresh blood. Human.

I felt my instincts going crazy. The burning scorch of fire cloaked the inside of my throat and I felt something inside me trying to shift. I stared as Anna's body fell towards the ground.

Push it back. For Anna.

I raced forward as my family were still processing everything that had happened. As soon as they smelt it though, I was too far ahead and their pleas for me to stop were swept away by the wind. She just laid there, blood pouring from her nose and her face paling drastically as nanoseconds slipped by. The monster inside begged to be let out and gorge on the sweet lifeblood seeping alarmingly from the small girl in my arms. But I kept it there. This was my chance to prove myself. I'm not an abomination. I'm a person who is able to get over their flaws. Carefully picking up Anna, I cradled her body to me and stood up just as my family stopped in front of me. Their faces showed shock at my restraint, pride and wonder surged through me as the others sent the encouraging emotions. Even at a time like this, they still appreciated how hard I was struggling at the moment. Their positive emotions only fueled my resolve further. But I had more important things to do. I have a rapidly dying girl in my arms, if we don't do something fast, she'll die.

"Quick. We need to get her to the car and to your office, Carlisle." Business mode was in place. No room for arguments. It took a mere thirty seconds to reach the spacious jeep.

"Jasper, it would be quicker if we just ran her to the house." Emmet shouted as we ran.

"It would jolt her too much." I shook my head.

"It will jolt just as much in the jeep, the suspension isn't that good." I looked down at the girl in my arms frowning at her slowing heartbeat. Deciding Emmet was right, I nodded briefly and sped passed the parked vehicles.

Carlisle's P.O.V

We laid Anna down on my patient table and I began my work.

"Esme, bring me damp towels." Anna's complexion resembled a fresh sheet of paper after ever second that passed. I was by now more than worried, if I couldn't stop the bleeding within the next two minutes, eighty five percent of her blood would have left her body. A fatal amount. A sense of déjà vu swamped me and I was jolted back to the year of Renesmee's birth. Edward had the idea to inject venom into the heart of Bella. It saved her life.

"No Carlisle. She doesn't deserve a fate like ours." I Heard Edward say behind me and sigh.

"She has less than a minute and a half before it's too late." I gestured to the quickly spreading crimson stain on the white towlettes under Anna's nose. "Get the family up here. Quick." I ordered and turned back to Anna.

Jaspers P.O.V

"We have two choices and a minute to make it." Carlisle started.

Fifty-five seconds.

"We can give her a venom injection, which will ultimately kill her and rebirth her into one of us." There were grumbles of indignation and growls from the wolves who had come up as well. Carlisle opened a drawer and pulled out a needle filled with a clear vial of liquid attached. Venom.

Fifty seconds.

"Or we let her bleed out and die." Carlisle reasoned.

Forty-eight seconds.

"We can't turn her Carlisle, she's too young. That's a crueler fate than death." Bawled Rosalie. In some way I could see her point, but letting a sister bleed to death seems pretty cruel as well. The sweet and tangy aroma that tantalized my senses was fogging my mind, and the weight of everyone else's bloodlusts on top of my own had me on edge. What are we to do?

Forty-seconds.

Quick and labored breathing stuttered us out of our thoughts as all our gazes snapped to the small girl struggling to hold onto her life. Her whole body twitched in pain and her heart beat was raising dramatically due to her brisk intakes of breath. Her heart would fail soon if blood loss didn't take her.

Thirty-seven seconds.

"Carlisle! What's happening?" Shrieked Esme. Her hands had risen to her mouth in a look of sheer horror.

"She's going into shock, her organs are shutting down on her. We need to make the decision now."

Twenty-six seconds.

"We will not have her turned into a leech!" Sam bellowed and the wolves behind him nodded fervently.

"So you're just going to let her die!?" Garret shouted back, his face murderous. Even though he hadn't spent much time with Anna, had formed an attachment to her. It may just have been the fatherly instincts that had laid dormant for all those years surfacing for Anna. .

Twenty-two seconds.

"You're wasting time." A smooth voice sounded from the doorway. We all spun around to come face-to-face with him. Everyone jumped in front of Anna. Hisses and grows erupted from the chests of all of us. Carlisle walked forwards, face calm, but his emotions told me otherwise.

"What are you doing here?" asked Carlisle, the hooded man didn't so much as flinch at the sudden hostility. Peace filled his emotional aura, but an underlying darkness halted me from trusting his presence.

"I'm here to help." The man said. His voice sounded young and from the aggravation radiation from Edward, his mind was unreachable. He was a legend among vampire-kind. No one knew who he was, what he was or why he was with the Volturi. All we knew was that his skills at sleuthing and killing were unparalleled. He was a super-efficient killing machine. Dangerous. Agile. Quick thinking.

"Why would we trust you within a mile of Anna? You're a merciless killer." Alice inquired.

"That I am, little vampire. But I have not made a move to kill her so far, and you all know, deep down, you could not stop me if I did."

Fifteen seconds.

"He's telling the truth." I said, and the family turned to me with eyebrows raised.

"I don't trust him!" Esme stated and shifted to block the path to Anna's bed. Coughs startled us and the horrifying sound of choking all made us spin around to face Anna.

Blood was now being forced of her mouth as coughs racked her small body. Is was a nightmarish sight. Her breath intakes now looked fifty times harder to accomplish and the congealing blood within her windpipe was blocking her windpipe. Drowning on her own blood. A terrible way to go.

Five seconds.

Carlisle sped over to her and lifted her forward to help clear her airways. Ruby droplets sprayed from her crimson stained lips, when another violent cough ripped through her. She was nearly gone.

Three.

Two.

As quick as lightning and before any of us could intervene, The Slayer darted around us. He picked up the needle sitting on the top of Carlisle's desk and rushed to Anna's side. By now, her face and body looked like the product of SAW's makeup artists.

One.

None of us could even twitch a muscle as He brought down the long needle, piercing right through the skin and muscle above Anna's heart. Pushing the plunger down, the venom entered her system, changing her forever.

Or so we thought.

"How is she, Carlisle?" Rosalie asked in concern. All of us were just standing in the room, not talking. It was a waiting game now.

After he had injected her with the venom, a small crack! Was heard and he disappeared. The family had rushed to Anna's side. The blood stopped flowing from her nose and mouth and the violent coughing episodes had ceased. Her heart thrummed, slightly accelerated.

The change had begun.

Anna's P.O.V

It burned.

Oh god it burned.

Should I even say God?

Is this Hell?

The ever-burning fire of Satan.

Something inside me fought back, though.

It was fighting, as hard as it could.

Whatever it was, I pray to God it succeeds.

~~~~~~Bit weird I know!~~~~~~~

Jared's P.O.V

We were all anxious as hell. Waiting for what seemed like days, but in reality it had only been about five hours. Everyone looked pretty crushed, even the bloodsuckers. I thought they'd be happy getting another one of them. The wolves had gathered together and were waiting. Leah, usually a pretty big sourpuss, was sitting there, rubbing Seth's shoulder and frowning as if something bothered her.

"Guys, somethings happening!" Alice shouted and we all got up and rushed over. Even from the back of everyone, and over all the wolves' hearts, I could hear a sound that confused me for a second. A fast-pace fluttering that was hard to pin point. Finally it came to me though. The last stage of transformation.

Carlisle's P.O.V

I constantly checked her vitals every five minutes. It was just in between those routine checks that Alice called out. Just like Bella's had done, Anna's heart sped up, fighting with all its mortal power to fight off the venom. The usual two to three days of transition were cut short due to the direct hit to the heart. I'm surprised it wasn't over by now.

"It's still getting faster." Edward said.

The constant thrum was indeed speeding up. Esme was tucked into Rosalie's side while she was tucked into Emmet's. Everyone had their eyes nervously trained on Anna, any time now.

Faster…Faster… Like a frantic beating of drums.

Then it reached its peak, readying itself for the last beat it would ever take.

We listened, expecting that, at any moment, all sound would cease.

But it didn't.

Anna's heart went back to normal.

Chapter 25

Carlisle's P.O.V

The slow and steady thrum of Anna's heart had me perplexed. It should have stopped.

"What's going on?" Alice asked, peering at Anna.

"I don't know…" I answered, still running over the possibilities in my mind.

Anna's chest rose and fell lazily, every indicator told me she was still human, but at the same time, all the evidence was against it.

"You mean she's not a bloodsucker?" Jacob asked, disbelief with a tinge of hope spread across the wolves' faces.

"It appears not, but it's too early to tell." I mumbled. Her blood still ran through her body, but the thermometer showed me her core temperature had dropped about five degrees. Odd.

"Why isn't she waking up then?" It was Leah who asked this and many looked at her in surprise. She was a notoriously moody she-wolf and did not take to people easily, but Anna seems to be cementing a place into everyone's hearts.

"I don't know." I said again. I was growing agitated at my seeming lack of knowledge and also slightly fearful of my daughter's life. Esme had sat for the past six hours beside Anna's bed, holding her hand and gazing at her daughters face. The ruby liquid that had coated her face had been carefully cleaned off and she resembled herself a little more now. The paleness of her complexion had only just gained a fraction of colour, but nowhere near as much as normal. Her face did seem more refined, but she was already inhumanly beautiful before all this, so it probably didn't mean anything.

Anna's P.O.V

F*ck. That hurt like a f*cking bitch. I would ask you to pardon my French at the moment, but I think swearing after what I've been through it's justified.

I found that I could now breathe easier, the fire had calmed down to a slight simmer, like a nettle sting, except spread over all my body. It feels much better than the fury-filled inferno that had cradled my body into infinity an hour ago.

Edward's P.O.V

…I wonder when she'll wake up…

Who was that dude?

She should be awake by now…I wonder what her blood iron percentage is…

What is she?

How did she do that to the Volturi…

…Demon maybe…nah she's too sweet…

These were the sort of thoughts that flew around the room at the moment. All of them were either a question of contained one. The problem was is that we knew practically nothing about her. She knew all our secrets and we knew none of hers. We are a family; families trust each other. I think it was time she told us what she was hiding. Obviously something significant was stopping her from telling us, but it was getting too dangerous to keep it hidden. From what it looked like, she could control some sort of magic. Witchcraft maybe? But nothing of that sort had even been heard of before.

It was time we knew the truth

Carlisle's P.O.V

Anna had been unconscious for five days now, we were starting to worry. Every time we tried to move her and change her clothes, her heartrate would dangerously drop, causing us to jump back. So we just left her how she was. The family and wolf pack had made a temporary home inside Anna's sick room. The waiting was agonizing and I had caught myself more than once wondering what I would do if she didn't wake up. The Denali's only had a week maximum before they had to leave and everyone had to get back to their lives eventually. Her school holidays were also due to end in three days, what would we do if she didn't wake up by then?

Tubes went into Anna's arm, her vital needs being given intravenously. Her right arm had a drip attached, random medicines that I thought may help her condition were being pumped into her. But it didn't seem to be making a difference, her condition remained as it was when her heart rate stabilized. Walking over to her, I studied the tubes in Anna's wrist. The drugs seemed to be pretty ineffective so the needles were turning out to be pretty useless. Clipping out the tubes, I just left the small amounts of connecting tubing still connected to the cannula. Applying slight pressure to her wrist, I eased the long needle out from her skin. I frowned.

(A/N I'm not a doctor so excuse the awful medical descriptions that probably make to sense.)

"What's wrong?" Sam came up behind me and looked at the piece of slender metal in my hand.

"Look." I held the syringe out to him and he took it.

"That's strange." Sam mumbled.

I bobbed my head in agreement.

"What are you guys looking at?" By now, a small crowd had formed around us. Little had happened so far and any new development was worth hearing.

"This needle seems to be corroded, can you see the rough texture of the metal?" I asked everyone, and puzzlement crossed everyone's features.

Just as Jacob opened his mouth, doubtless to ask why this has happened, a gasp and heavy breathing interrupted our conversation. We spun around and surveyed the scene in front of us. Anna was now bolted up in a seated position, her chest heaving, eyes opened as if she just woke up from a nightmare.

"Anna! Oh my God!" Esme rushed to our daughter's side, Anna looked around, confusion evident in her expression. Sweat had matted her air to her forehead and the pallor of her cheeks was slightly reddened. Honestly, she looked like she had just come out of labor.

"How do you feel?" I ask her, she looks at me and I breathe a sigh of relief when I see her chocolate brown eyes staring into mine. Not the crimson, demonic ones of a newborn.

"Fine?" She half asked, half answered.

Anna's P.O.V

What the hell is going on? The whole family, including the wolf pack, seemed to be crowded around the hospital-style bed I was on. When Carlisle asked how I felt, I literally had no idea what to tell him. Then it hit me.

They knew.

How could they not after my display against the Volturi? They hadn't bombarded me with questions yet so I didn't have any idea to what extent they had worked out.

"What happened?" I asked.

Everyone exchanged a glance, then Edward shared the story. As each detail was relieved to me, I became more and more confused. Injected with venom?! And nothing even happened! Ugh, this is so confusing. Will the ministry find out about my underage magic? Will I get expelled?

"Anna?" Someone called my out of my stupor.

"Hm?"

"Do you feel different at all?" Carlisle asked.

I looked around, apart from feeling a little energetic, no not really.

"Nope. I feel pretty much the same." I looked down at my arms and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my arms still covered by my long-sleeved turtleneck. Judging by the placid expressions everyone wore and the absence of horror and worry on their faces, no one had touched my left arm.

Carlisle's P.O.V

I did a few further tests but everything came back normal for a human. She had told us about the burning sensations she experienced, which is perfectly normal for a transformation, so why wasn't she a vampire? She was still a little confused after we told her what happened, but we did leave the part about him out of the story. For some reason, we all thought it would be best if she didn't know.

Anna had gotten up to have a shower and freshen up and Esme was in the kitchen making her some food. The feeder tubes had been extracted from Anna's arm and the Denali clan along with the wolves had all been supportive and helped her to get cleaned up. Though she said she felt energetic, Anna still lacked enough strength to carry her weight adequately. A side effect of being still too long. We planned on having awful family talk after she had recovered enough. Edward had come to me and told me about his doubts and worries, and to a broad extent, I agreed with him. We do need some more information.

Anna's P.O.V

The relaxing flow of deliciously warm water calmed my senses, the sweet aroma of my strawberry shampoo was also a welcome scent after the sting body odor and coppery blood which had assaulted my nostrils for the past week. Getting out of the shower, I wrapped a fluffy aqua towel around me and savored the comfy feel of the cotton. All of this just relaxed me.

Walking out of my bathroom, I padded to my chest of draws to choose an outfit. Some simple jean-shorts and a t-shirt was my selected outfit. My muscles ached from the sudden effort and I collapsed onto my bed in exhaustion, the energy leaving me abruptly. I was startled out of my thoughts by a crunch beneath my back, reaching underneath me, I pulled out a letter that chased all threads of relaxation from my mind.

A large 'M' was printed on the front and the words; 'Ministry of magic dept. of law enforcement' on the front. Opening the letter with trembling hands, I read the words with growing trepidation.

Dear Miss Thomas,

We have received intelligence that you performed the Protego Charm and the Petrificus Totalus curse at thirty-two minutes past five this evening in a Muggle-inhabited area. The severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 11 a.m. on December 27th.

Hoping you are well,

Yours sincerely,

Mafalda Hopkirk.

Oh shit.

Chapter 26

Well I suppose it's safe to say that the letter had me shaken up a bit. Christmas day is tomorrow which means that the hearing is scheduled two days after that. Three days. Three days to figure out what the hell I was going to do. And right now, the family was probably waiting for me downstairs to spill my guts. Even I knew that I had unfairly kept them in the dark. I felt like a mauled sea otter being circled by sharks. This whole situation was a mess, and I had no idea how to get out of it. Hogwarts is also an impossibility. Sadness crept into me as I pictured the tranquil grounds of Hogwarts and my comfy four-poster bed that was practically my haven after a day of painfully boring classes. My thoughts then automatically turn to Jezebel, Alex and Jace. Would I see them again? Would I see Harry, Hermione or Ron? I wonder what Alex is doing right at this moment… I still find myself frequently looking at him while we're in class. It's kind of pathetic, but I can't help it.

"Anna! Food's ready!" I hear Esme shout from downstairs. Groaning at the soreness in my limbs, I lift myself off the bed and

Chapter 28

You know how I said that there would be two more chapters to this book? Well, it may be a little more than that…not too many more though.

The hand that had my arm in a firm hold, loosened slightly as the strange squeezing sensation disappeared. It was unmistakably the feeling of dissaparating. My head spun and I swayed slightly as I tried to regaining my equilibrium. I looked around me in a panic. The room I was in was musty and dirty. A worn and uncomfortable looking couch was situated against a tapestry covered wall. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was a huge family tree, though charred spots on some faces made me doubt it. Cobwebs and dust coated nearly every surface in an inch-thick layer. The colours were all either green, silver, grey or black. It gave me the creeps to be honest. A tug at my arm brought my attention back to my abductor. Spinning around, I came face to face with a rugged looking man with mousy brown hair that swept slightly into his tired-looking eyes. He seemed to be in his mid-forties but the bags under his eyes and exhausted pallid expression made him seem older. Snapping out of my judgement of the dude, I swung my arm around, twisting it around so the man had no choice but to let go of my arm. He took a second to regain his composure which gave me time to swipe his legs out from beneath him. He fell to the floor with more noise than I would have liked, even though a house like this would most likely be derelict, I still couldn't be sure. Trapping the man under my body, I whipped out my wand and placed it against his throat. The odd thing was, he wasn't struggling against me like a normal person would, but he just laid still in defeat. I mentally thanked Jaspers self-defense lessons. As grueling as they were, they certainly turned out to be surprisingly useful.

"Who are you and why did you take me?" I demanded, my platinum hair falling across my face slightly and my cheeks flaring with anger. What kind of creep snatches young girls in alleyways?! He man sighed.

"My name is Remus Lupin and I was charged with bringing you to the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix."
"What?" I asked, confused as all hell. Before he could answer, however, frantic footsteps of many people thundered outside the room, and the door was lung open. Another man with a mane of shaggy-brown hair ran into the room, followed by a great many people. Unfortunately for me, the man who came in was a lot stronger and more alert than my kidnapper, and I was dragged off and flung against a wall. Ouch.

My head took the brunt of the impact, but my back also hit the wall fairly hard. Tumbling to the floor, I clutched my wand to my chest. I didn't want to break it.

"Oh my goodness!" I heard a girl exclaim.

"Sirius! How could you do that to the poor girl?!" A woman's voice shouted at who I assumed was the man who threw me into the wall.

"She was about to hurt Remus!" The guy shouted in his defense.

"I would have too if he'd just abducted me!" Through my blurry vision I could make out a range of people all gathered around. Some stared at me-mainly two red-heads that looked identical- and others had their wands drawn, aimed at me. I groaned and winced as a fierce pulsing began behind my eyelids.

"Come on dear, I'll get you cleaned up. Put your wands away! She can barely see straight as it is." The woman hissed. Hands brought me up to a standing position and the person held me up straight as my body swayed with dizziness. It had been a while since I had last apparated, so I had to get re-used to the strange sensation. In our third year we were given an introduction on the basics of dissapparation, so I had only transported small distances and not very often. I was brought into a cleaner-looking and more homely part of the house. On the middle of the stone room, a large wooden table stretched across the majority of the space and at one end, a fire crackled merrily inside the hearth. The person-who I had now identified as a plump, kindly woman- led me to a chair at the table and gently sat me down. The others began to trail into the room behind us and I surveyed everyone who came in. First came in the man who had thrown me into the wall. His shoulder length brown shaggy hair, paired with his waxy features gave him a formidable and rather unsettling image. Next came in five people that I knew well from school. Ron, Harry, Hermione, George and Fred all entered the room, looking rather puzzled themselves. I guess they know about as much as I do. Behind them, Remus Lupin came in followed by a balding man with wispy orange hair decorating his sparse scalp. Obviously a Weasley.

A cup of tea was placed in front of me with a small jug of milk and plate of sugar cubes as well.

"Thankyou." I smiled warmly at the woman, but soon turned to the others, hoping to clear the confusion. By the way they've been treating me –apart from the wall incident- I was obviously not here to be harmed, tortured or raped, which made up the majority of my concerns.

"What is going on here?" I ask, thoroughly bewildered.

"Why don't we all sit and explain?" Balding guy says, everyone sits down immediately, wanting information.

Once we were all seated, me in the middle of one of the sides and everyone else sitting around me.

"We were under instructions from headmaster Dumbledore to retrieve you from your home in Forks, Washington." Remus Lupin stated, as if this should make all the sense in the world to me.

"Aaand why would he ask that?" I drew out the first word in frustration.

"Well, he heard about your little…upset at the ministry."

"You know about me being expelled?"

"WHAT?! YOU WERE EXPELLED?!" The two idiot twins exclaimed in sync. I just huffed and rolled my eyes.

"That means we'll be a chaser down on the team." Fred lamented.

"Boys! We have much more important matters to discuss than a blasted quidditch team!" Mr. Weasley reprimanded the twins.

"Sorry." They muttered together.

"Anyway, you'll need an escort to the trial since I doubt that you have been there before, much less know your way around."

"You're going to help me?" I asked, stunned.

"Why wouldn't we?" Lupin inquired.

"Well… my father being who he is and all…" I mumble.

"Why should it matter who your father is, dear?" I just shrugged at Mrs. Weasley.

"That's an interesting necklace you've got there." A dark voice came from the head of the table. I looked and saw Wall-thrower sitting there, eyeing my black-crystal jewel.

"Thanks, I got it from…my d-mum." I just barely saved myself from saying 'dad'. I honestly don't know why I was still wearing it, every time I would go to take it off, something stopped me and I eventually forgot about it being there. Since it hung below my neckline, people tended not to notice it, so I just left it.

"Hmm." The man merely hummed while still staring intently at the charm. He still seemed suspicious of me after the while threatening Lupin thing and the rather abrupt wall-throw. I cleared my throat and turned back to Lupin and Mr. Weasley.

"Why did you use magic in the first place?" Ron asked. I sighed, tired and not bothered to repeat the story.

"Yes, why did you?" Lupin backed up. Damn it, I'll have to explain.

So I sat there for half an hour, telling them about my vampire adoptees, the Volturi (Which excited Hermione immensely because she kept asking me questions based on a book she'd read on magical species.) and the amount of magic I had to perform because of it.

"So that clears the question up then." I let out a deep breath.

"Now, you must be tired after that huge explanation. Why don't you go with Hermione and the others and they'll show you where you'll be sleeping."

"Can't I go back to my family until the hearing?" I asked.

"No, we need to be able to keep you under our watch, to keep you safe." Lupin said.

"But my parents will be worried about me." I said, thinking sadly about how worried Esme must be at the moment.

"Sorry, but you have to remain here. Boys, Hermione, would you show Anna around?" The trio seemed to get the dismissal message because they all scrambled out of their seats beckoning me to follow them.

Why can I not just have a little peace?

Chapter 30

Christmas day was festive and bright. Everyone was in the mood to celebrate after the seemingly endless dark times but my mind often clouded with guilt whenever my thoughts turned to my family. They were probably frantic with worry as soon as they had realized that I was gone. Just the heartbroken expression on Esme's face made my heart sink horribly. I had asked to make contact with them, but Dumbledore had forbade it because it may have been intercepted.

Laying in my bed, far into the night, my belly filled with the amazing cooking of Mrs. Weasley, my mind replays the bright memories of the night. The house was unusually bright and happy, quite a difference from the usual dreary silence. The heavy shroud of depression that had well and truly sunk into everybody's minds was thankfully lifted for an afternoon as we enjoyed various light hearted games and festive foods that made me immediately drool at the sight of them.

Surprisingly, people had opened up to me, contrary to my expectations that I would be cold-shouldered because of who I was. Tomorrow an order meeting was scheduled to take place, and -to the children's displeasure- I was asked to attend, I can only assume that it was to talk about my upcoming trial the day after. Harry had the others had filled me in on what to expect based on his experience at the beginning of the term, and to say I was worried would be an understatement. The fact that I was already disliked due to my surname did not help my case at all. I flipped off the lamp and closed my eyes.

Darkness inhibited my senses and my surroundings were shrouded in pitch black, making them unidentifiable. Looking all around me, my eyes failed to pick up any shapes, colors or object at all. My heartrate began to rise and panic bubbled inside my chest, my harsh breathing was the only thing that I could hear. I had no ground underneath my feet, yet I wasn't falling. Fright. Tears blurred in my eyes and I waved my hands around desperately to feel anything, but I couldn't. I had heard of this sort of thing being used as a torture method before. Complete sensory deprivation. I had seen it done in movies, thinking that it surely couldn't be as bad as they make it out. Yet as I stood there in the complete darkness, not being able to see a single thing, nothing to touch, nothing to smell, pure terror wound itself around my lungs quickly causing me to hyperventilate, I completely understood what the

"Anna." A deep and smooth voice male voice came from the darkness. I whipped my head around, desperately trying to find the source of the voice. Anything that would relieve me form the torture of the silence.

"Anna, stop panicking. You need to calm down." The voice said gently and comfortingly. Pressure on my shoulder startled me and nearly gave me a heart attack. My head spun around so quickly that I felt my muscles strain dangerously. In front of me, a hooded man stood in front of me, surrounded by a greyish-yellow light. His face was effectively obscured by a heavy woolen cloak, trimmed with red ribbon. A lock of blond hair fell from his forehead, but that was all I could distinguish. He removed his hands that had rested gently on my shoulders in an attempt to calm me down.

"W-who are you?" I stuttered, my brain not working properly due to the overwhelming tide of emotions still coursing through my veins. The man inclined his head slightly.

"A friend. But I've come here for a reason and you must listen carefully." I backed away a few steps, still not entirely trusting a strange man in a strange place.

"W-what?" I silently cursed myself and the fear that wound its way into my words.

"Don't be scared of me, Anna." His smooth voice slightly relaxed me against my better judgment. One thing that puzzled me was the familiarity in the mysterious man's tone and how he spoke to me like he knew me. "Anna, you have to hear what I have to say, we don't have long. Things are about to get very complicated and will get much worse before it gets any better." The words that tumbled from his lips in did nothing for my muddled brain as I tried to comprehend his hurried words.

"I know you're very confused, but remember, even in the darkest of times ahead, remember who the real enemy is."

"How do you know all this?" I ask, peering at the guy to get a closer look at his face, but I still couldn't discern any features.

"I just do, trust me." By now I was getting less scared and angrier by the second. Who was this man to freak me out and then tell me to trust him when he won't even tell me who he is?

"Why would I trust you? I don't even know you!" I state.

"Then don't trust me, but remember what I said. Never forget who the real enemy is." He placed his hands again on my shoulder protectively which weirded me out. Stepping back, he let his hands slide off my shoulders.

"Who are you?" I asked again.

"Someone who cares about you." Raw honesty lacing his words.

"What's your name?" I was desperate for information. Any that would clue me in to figuring out who he was. Strange feelings of trust and comfort surrounded me which was frankly unnerving. I was feeling attached to a complete stranger.

"Kai. Kai is my name."

He lifted his head and I got a flash of emerald eyes before the darkness fades around me and I return to consciousness.

~~~ December 27th ~~~

"Don't worry dear, I'm sure you'll be fine." Mrs. Weasley soothed as she patted down the pleats of my dress. I had been fidgeting non-stop all morning, the hearing was today and tension had been noticeably building for the last day and a half.

"How do you know?" I grumble unhappily.

"If you explain the situation exactly how it happened, then they'll see that you did nothing illegal." I thought about that for a moment, but just the mere thought of them reading my last name, I knew that the pre-judgment would blind them.

"When will Remus be here?" I ask.

"In half an hour, darling. So let's get you fed before he arrives." My stomach twisted so much that I doubt I would be able to eat very much.

We walked down to the kitchen and I was greeted by the smell of toast and eggs. The others looked at me as I entered and I saw a few pitying glances shot my way. I plopped down on one of the hard-wood chairs and slowly nibbled on the plate of food Mrs. Weasley placed in front of me.

"You alright?" Hermione asked and placed a hand comfortingly on my arm, which only brought back memories of the dream about Kai two nights ago. I find myself frequently drifting my thoughts to my strange dream in which I met him. I remember the warmth that seeped through my skin as his hand rested on it. Even though I knew it was a dream, it felt so real.

"Anna?" My arm was lightly shaken and I was jolted back to reality.

"I'm fine, Hermione." I mumble, and take another bite of food, much to the protesting of my stomach.

"I know you're not, but it will be alright, ok?" I just nodded numbly and continued to eat. I was too nervous to talk. My whole future rode on this one hearing. If I got off, I would be able to go back to Hogwarts and complete my education. But I could already feel like the battle was lost. I couldn't help it.

"Anna, Remus is here." I looked up and nodded at Mrs. Weasley.

The biting wind chilled me to the bone as Remus and I walked down the quite London road toward the visitor's entrance to the Ministry of Magic.

"Stay calm, Anna." My Fiddling with my hair ceased.

"I can't help it"

"I know you're scared, but there's nothing to be afraid of. Amelia Bones is a fair woman. She'll hear you out." I nodded again. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"Here we are." We came up to a red old-fashioned phone box and stepped in.

"We have to dial a code…Let's see…six …" he dialed the number, "two…four…and another four…and another two…" Remus read from a slip of paper in his pocket. After he had finished, a cool, feminine voice filled the booth.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Annabelle Thomas and Remus Lupin for a disciplinary hearing."

"Thank you," said the cool female voice. "Visitor, please take the badge and attach it to the front of your robes."

The machine whirred and two small badges were ejected from the coin change slots in the phone, they read 'Court Hearing.'

"Alright then." I mumble and brace myself against the wall as the floor began to sink into the ground. Like a clear-glass elevator, we made our way down a tube-like thing into the Atrium of the Ministry.

Hearths of green fire lined a tiled grand hallway and every few second a wizard or witch would appear and walk out into the Atrium going their own respective directions. We walked with the majority of the crowd down the hall and into a row of elevators. People piled in with us, barely sparing us a glance in the chaotic throng of busy people. Remus reached around the jam-packed bodies and pressed the button for the Department of Mysteries. The elevator slowly emptied as the elevator made its way down the levels of the Ministry. The Department of Mysteries was on the lowest floor, and by the time the elevator door opened, we were the last to vacate it.

We stepped out into a dimly-lit hallway, completely tiled in black and grey tiles. A chilly feeling settled into my bones as we started to walk down the hall.

"Is it just me or is there a really bad feeling about this place?" I state, a terrible sensation filling me with dread.

"Look, there is no need to be worried, you will get a fair trial." I stopped, really not liking the feeling that the Hall was giving me. Shadows danced across the pearly tiles, the air felt heavy and stale. I felt like eyes were watching me as we walked.

"No, I'm not talking about that. I really have a bad feeling that something terrible is about to happen." My voice trembles. Remus glanced at me and must have seen my true fear because he stopped as well.

"There's nothing there."

Just as he finished the sentence, a hand clamped roughly on my arm and I was suddenly tugged forcefully away from Remus. I let out a loud yelp, and started struggling against the black covered arm. My arms were pinned to the sides of my body, and my neck was painfully prodded by the end of a wand.

"Let me go!" I scream and fight with all my strength trying to free myself. My wand was deep in my back pocket, which was impossible to reach in my current position.

"Anna! Anna!" I heard Remus shout from behind the gathering crowd of masked and black-cloaked men.

"Remus!" I shouted back, trying to catch a glimpse of him.

In a great flurry of movement, the Death Eaters pulled apart and formed a semi-circle. Remus and I stopped struggling when a black tornado type magic appeared in front of us. I felt all the color drain from my face. Every fiber of my being was turning to ice. My breathing now skyrocketed. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I didn't want to. I never wanted to be experiencing what I was right now. My heart was ripping itself apart, and my insides turned to mush. This couldn't be happening. My worst nightmare had now become reality and I felt my body start to shut down.

"Annabelle."

Dad.

Chapter 28

"Take her." His cold voice ordered to the Death Eater that was holding me. My ears barely registered what he said, my mind was just stuck registering the man in front of me. He was my father. Eleven years had passed and the physical differences where glaringly apparent. His once healthy and vibrant skin color had transformed into an awful pasty white pallor. His once thick, black silky hair had been replaced with a stark baldness, but what shocked me the most was the reptilian-like nostrils that eliminated any resemblance to his old self. When I looked at old pictures of him, I could see why my mother had been attracted my father, but any shred of whatever mum saw in him, was long gone.

They began to roughly push me towards the elevator in which Remus and I had just come down. In front of me, Lupin was being pushed the same direction as well. The ride up in the lift was tense and nobody said a word. My brain was frantically running through escape options, but I came up empty. An arm was still tightly wound around my body, effectively incapacitating any movement.

When the doors opened, we stopped and the Death Eaters, along with my father, stopped and waited for the other half of the group that had Lupin captive. I swept my gaze around the room. It was circular and tiled from floor to ceiling, seven lifts were placed around the room to help move the masses of people who work here every day.

A section of the room was a doorway that opened up into the Atrium which was still bustling with people. A spell must have been cast on the door because people just walked by the doorways without a second glance towards our direction. My father stood at the front of the crowd, his back facing us and he looked out at the crowd. He just stood there staring out, seemingly deep in thought.

The elevator behind us chimed and Remus was shoved into the room with the others piling in behind him. Lupin looked up into my eyes. He must have seen my despair and confusion because he merely shook his head, indicating that he couldn't do anything

"It is time." My 'father' announced lowly. He raised his wand, and pointed down at the floor here all the witches and wizards bustles not five meters in front. It took me a few seconds to discern what was happening, but as the people began to look down at the floor and falter in their steps, I spotted the two straight misty-black lines about a meter apart creating a path to the middle of the atrium.

Why did get the feeling we were about to create a scene?

I looked over at Lupin with the question in my eyes, he looked just as confused as I did. By now all the bustling people had stopped and were staring at the path created by the smoky parallel lines. The crowd looked utterly confused and ministry officials were approaching the scene to see what's going on.

"My lord, it's ready." A man at the left and slightly behind of Voldemort muttered. His head was bowed slightly in fear and wariness.

"Forward." Then he stepped forward past the boundary of the room. Screams and chaos erupted as they laid eyes on him. Pure terror washed over every person's features. I began to struggle again in the person's arms, but I soon found it was no use whatsoever. The heavy band of muscle tightened around me and restricted my breathing.

"Anna." A voice warned me softly, and I glanced at Lupin to see him shaking his head at me to stop. Then I was being pulled forward out into the atrium where everything was at a standstill. Ministry officials began to fire curses at him, but they all just bounced of an invisible wall created by the two black misted lines.

When I was pulled out for everyone to see, many gasps were heard throughout the crowed. The only comfort I took was that I was obviously being brought with him by force, though some faces of hatred told me that not everyone believed what they see. Voldemort stopped in the very center of the Atrium were he could soak up the most terror. The procession of Death Eaters trailed behind and created a circle around Tom.

"Get rid of the wolf. We have no need for him." The follower who was restraining Remus roughly shoved him past the mists and into the crowd. I breathed a sigh of relief when they didn't kill him. A stirring at the very back of the large gathered crowd caught my attention and I nearly screamed when I saw nearly the whole Order spilling out of the fireplaces where Remus and I had arrived earlier. Their faces filled with horror when the saw the scene in front of them, but what was worse was the absolute dread and shock when they saw me being held there.

"ANNA!" A shout from Harry tore through the room. The look of pure hatred and anger escalated when he laid eyes on my father.

"YOU! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?! SHE IS YOUR DAUGHTER!" He screamed and pulled out his wand, shooting off spells in rapid succession. But they were useless.

"Time to make our exit. We have made our point." Tom called out in his smooth and cold voice.

Then he turned to me and my stomach turned to ice when his reptilian features came into view. Pointing his was at me, panic swirled and I began squirming around to escape whatever was about to happen. In the background I distantly heard the shouts of anger from everyone who knew me. But my fighting was no use and I could do nothing as he muttered:

"Stupefy."

The screams immediately stopped and the world went dark.

My eyelids felt weighty as I struggled to regain consciousness. I attempted to lift my hand and rub them to get rid of the heavy feeling, but a clinking sound and pressure around my wrist stopped me. Looking down I saw the cuffs on my hands and felt another pair around my ankle. By now I was wide awake and looking around the high-ceilinged room in confusion. Where was I? The floor resembled a chess board of black and white tiles, no natural lighted penetrated the draped windows. The uncomfortable high-backed chair I was sitting on was pushed up against the back wall of the huge empty rectangular room I was in. A door from the far end of the space creaked loudly as someone came through. It was him. My father in the flesh. He walked towards me and I took the time to study him. He walked with a deadly predatory gait and his greenish-black gown swished around his ankles giving the impression he was floating rather that walking. Quite frankly, he was terrifying.

"My daughter. How…lovely, it is to dee you again." He breathed.

"Can't say the same for you." I muttered and stared at him, trying my hardest to remain strong. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of thinking I was afraid.

"Now now, is that any way to speak to your father?" He tutted.

"You are no father." I spat. He seemed unaffected by my words.

"Well, you see, since you are my daughter, we need to support each other. And we can't do that if you're running off with those awful blood-traitors."

"Why would I ever help you?" He stared at me for a moment, deliberating, before taking a breath and explaining.

"Well, you see, I have a little potion that will hopefully change your mind in that regard. I have a little task for you to complete when your views are…changed, then we can fight together like a real family would." His lips quirked up in some imitation of a smile, but it only managed to make him look even more deranged.

My face must have resembled a blanket of snow when I heard this. A potion?

"What?" My voice came out raspy. Panic clawed at my chest and I was really starting to worry. No task could ever be good. Nothing to do with him could be good. Period.

"Lucius." Tom called quietly, and almost immediately the door opened again to reveal a man with pale blonde hair, carrying a stone goblet.

"My lord." The man inclined his head in respect and offered the cup to Voldemort, who took it was turned back to me.

"Now, I ask in futility, drink." I shook my head as he brought the foul-smelling substance to my lips, but I closed them tightly and shook my head in defiance.

"Very well. Imperio."

My mind suddenly felt like a floaty mess, jumbled thoughts and actions rolled around my brain, but only one thing truly registered.

Drink the potion.

My eyes sought out the cup against my lips once more and allowed the liquid to pour down my throat. The taste was vial and my gag reflexes activated making me choke on the awful potion.

Swallow the potion.

It slid down uneasily and I cringed. Small tears leaked from the corners on my eyes. Every fiber of my being was screaming at me to reject the potion, but I just couldn't. Something was stopping me.

Lucius' P.O.V

The girl convulsed grotesquely, her knuckled turning white as she gripped the arms of the chair. Her eyes squeezed shut in agony. Her head was thrown back in pain and the black diamond on her chest glowed, unleashing the darkness it contained.

It was working.

Then she opened her eyes and I gasped audibly. Blood red irises stared creepily from their sockets. The potion's side effects were already taking place. She looked absolutely terrifying. Like her father.

Anna's P.O.V

My vision cleared from the potion-induced haze. My brain cleared and I looked over to the man in front of me. My father. The future and rightful leader of the wizarding world.

"Annabelle. How do you feel?"

"Fine, father." My voice is cool and emotionless. No trace of any memories before my awakening could be found, I forgot everything. Nothing but my father mattered anymore.

"Come, we have a small task for you to complete before you are considered worthy." I nodded and felt a weight fall off my hands and ankles. Father gestured for me to follow and I did so. Through the door and out into a long hallway. Plain black doors occasionally dotted the green and silver wallpaper, when we were approaching a large oak door, we stopped. Lucius flung it open and Father ushered me inside where I saw Death Eaters line the sides of a hue hall. Everything about this house was large and extravagant. I felt strange as well, like I had no emotions whatsoever.

At the end of the room, something was quivering and making strange whimpering noises. Father made a gesture for me to approach and I cautiously stepped forward. At first I thought it was a dirty pile of blanket, but upon closer inspection, I saw it was a person. They looked frail, filthy and homeless. My lips curled in disgust when I looked at the pitiful creature.

"What is this?" I ask. I turn and see every Death Eater, around fifty of them, looking at me, but mainly my eyes.

"Your next task, daughter."

"What do you want me to do with… it?"

"Kill it."

Kill someone?

"What use is that?" I ask, unsure.

"Prove your loyalty to me. Kill the filthy muggle." My father spat. I looked at the poor woman quivering on the floor, her ocean blue eyes pleading with me to spare her. She looked to be about my age with dirty blond hair. I took a deep breath and raised my wand, aimed right at the woman's chest.

A sentence runs through my mind briefly, catching me off-guard.

Know who the real enemy is.

I don't know where it came from, but it was gone as fast as it came. I steeled myself, and uttered the most unforgivable curse, One I never dreamed to utter,

"Avada Kedavra."

THE BOOK IS DONE! YAY! Not that I didn't like writing it but it a huge weight off my shoulders. Yes there will be a sequel (obviously) called 'His servant.' But it will be a little while before it goes up. I want to have a break for a month or so, so it will be up soonish.

Anyway:

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