Before I begin this chapter, I want to make sure that it is clear to all that I only own 3 characters (so far) and they are Anastasia, Meryl, and Lawrence. All other characters belong to Queen Rowling. I tried to make this chapter a bit longer than the last one. I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter Two
The past two days seemed like a dream because of their perfection.
She had spent the 31st of August with Meryl and Lawrence, catching up. She hadn't seen them in almost 300 years, and the two couldn't be more in love.
They told her about how they have traveled the entire world, encountering anything and everything! They had visited every known continent, plus the wizard-created continent off the east coast of the United States, muggles call the area around it the Bermuda Triangle, easily making friends wherever they went.
And she told them about her adventures in America and her friendships with the founders of the Salem Witches Institute, as well as its current leaders. She really enjoyed her time in America because of the anonymity it had given her.
Sarah Goode and Elizabeth Proctor, two of the women persecuted during the infamous Salem Witch Trials who displayed their witchcraft to the Muggles of Salem just so that they could test potions of their own creation, had offered her a teaching position at their institute. She would have accepted their generous offer had it not been for a rumor that hewould soon be visiting America, and she would not deal with that.
So she decided to return to Britain, where she soon befriended Albus Dumbledore, a young man known for his Transfiguration skills. Her friendship with Dumbledore had always been very easy, which juxtaposed nicely with complexity of the rest of her existence.
But today was September 1st, the day the students would be arriving.
She was finishing putting on her robes of scarlet and gold when she heard the familiar sounds of many excited voices traveling up the castle walls and into her tower bedroom.
This was it.
She had already agreed upon meeting Meryl and Lawrence in front of the library before going down to the Great Hall.
She knew she had a good twenty minutes before Dumbledore would be announcing that Hogwarts would be hosting three exchange students from America for the year, and she had been practicing her American accent with her two friends all day.
Looking in the mirror, she studied herself. Her hair was longer now, from the straightening potion, and she had added a few freckles to her spotless face for good measure. She took one look around her room for her pet, Genevieve. She caught her perched on her stand next to the open window.
Her phoenix was gazing at her with large gold eyes, as if to say "You look fine. Now get out of here before you are late."
Genevieve was probably the only thing that had stayed completely loyal to her for her entire existence. She was living an extremely long life, even for a phoenix.
She walked over to stroke Genevieve, grabbed her wand, and approached the wall which shimmered away to let her pass. She walked through the Gryffindor common room, which was eerie to be in without all the noise and warm-crackling fire she was used to, and pushed on the back of the portrait guarding the entrance.
As she began to make her way towards the library, she heard a voice call out to her.
"I am not surprised that you have been so rude as to ignore me. I forgave the earlier encounters, but I must insist that you converse with me before the other students make their ways up here," said the Fat Lady.
Anastasia slowly turned around, and closed the space between her and the portrait.
"I didn't think you would remember me," she replied, keeping her voice steady.
"You arrogant girl! Always assuming, and never living up to the full potential of this house! I still cannot believe that you have returned. You had best be on your knees, thanking me for keeping your dirty little secret," the Fat Lady spat at her.
She had had enough of the old woman. She had received similar lectures in her previous time at Hogwarts.
"How dare you speak to me like that, you ignorant old bat! You don't have the slightest inclination as to what I have done, not only for Gryffindor house but for this school! You best keep your trap shut, because I know for a fact that Dumbledore has specifically asked you to put aside your hatred for me during my time here. And once again I will say that you have no right to speak to anyone, especially me, as if you understand anything. You are a portrait, for Merlin's sake!"
And with that she stomped off, smiling to herself along the way.
She soon reached the library, where Meryl and Lawrence were already waiting for her. She looked at them, knowing that they were just as nervous as she was to be introduced to a room full of their soon-to-be peers. Neither of them would have any trouble becoming accustomed to their situation, with Meryl being a Ravenclaw and Lawrence being a Hufflepuff, they had nothing to worry about.
She, on the other hand, had not felt butterflies like these in her stomach for many years.
They nodded in unison, saying they were ready, and she turned around and lead them to the Great Hall.
He was loathing returning to Hogwarts this year.
He knew that he would be happier dead than to be in his current situation.
He had been branded with the mark over the summer. The Dark Mark.
As he sat down at the Slytherin table between Crabbe and Goyle who were both listening to the old witch rattling off the names of idiotic first years, but he let his mind wander.
What would his life be like if Voldemort had never returned to power? Would his father still treat him like scum? Would his loony aunt still be in Azkaban?
He would never get the chance know.
Dumbledore's voice brought him out of his self-pity. The voice of the man that he was being forced to murder this year.
"We will be hosting three students from the Salem Witches Institute in America this year. They arrived before all of you, are in their sixth year of schooling, and have already been sorted. Please join me in welcoming them!"
And with that, the great golden doors opened and three people practically glided into the Hall.
Even he could not deny that they captured the entire Hall, and they hadn't even walked ten feet yet.
There were two girls and one boy. All relatively attractive. The boy had bouncy blonde curls, was of average height and weight, and had Hufflepuff robes on.
He automatically labeled him as a pushover.
The girl next to him had straight raven-black hair that fell just below her shoulders, was short for most girls their age, and had on robes of Ravenclaw blue.
But it was the girl leading the three of them that had his full attention.
She had long, straight brown hair, and a face that he could only describe as angelic. She walked with such purpose that he couldn't draw his eyes away from her, but when he finally did, he noticed that every other male student in the room had acted the same way.
He concluded that she must be part Veela, although it was strange for someone with Veela ancestry to have darker hair. But he pushed that thought aside, straining his neck to catch a glimpse of, what he hoped, were Slytherin robes. But the trio had already reached where the old man was standing.
Fuck. He bashed himself for sitting at the back of the Hall near the doors. He hated that he couldn't locate the girl without standing up.
Dumbledore began to introduce them:
"Let us please welcome, Meryl McCants, of Ravenclaw house."
Polite clapping came from the Ravenclaw table, obviously more curious that they had a new member of their house than anything else.
"Lawrence Russell, of Hufflepuff house."
It was obvious that many of the Hufflepuff girls were interested in the new boy from their overly enthusiastic clapping. He honestly thought all Hufflepuffs were a waste of space and turned back to the front, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl.
"And Anastasia Hunt, of Gryffindor house."
Typical, he thought to himself. Of course she would be a damn Gryffindor.
But then, why did he care so much about a girl that he didn't even know?
He followed her with his eyes, noticing that she was the only one of the three to look everywhere but at her house table. She was also the only one whose entire house responded joyously too, but from the looks of it, she could have cared less about them.
His eyes followed her like a hawk as she walked back down the middle of the Hall, to take a place near the end of her table. But before she sat down, she caught his gaze.
He was frozen in his seat, hating that he had given a lowly Gryffindor the time of day. But he couldn't stop looking.
As the old man gave his idiotic welcome speech, he continued to study her, Anastasia.
He would dwell upon her name and face later, but it was a ring on the middle finger of her left hand that had caught his attention. The ring was a snake, coiled around her finger twice, ending with the head pointed towards the tip of her finger, and it had two, what appeared to be from his distance, rubies for eyes.
Why the hell would a Gryffindor wear a serpent ring? She had no right to wear the favored animal of Salazar upon her finger.
That ignorant bitch!
She would learn her place, if he had anything to say about it.
With that thought, he turned his attention to the feast in front of him, pushing the girl from his mind.
For now.
She had sat near the people known as "the Golden Trio". The three people she needed on her side.
Ron Weasley was a boy of average intelligence, great height, and was incredibly loyal to his two friends, from her first impression of him.
Hermione Granger was a girl of great intelligence, average height, and a great deal of kindness, considering she was the first of the three to even acknowledge her presence.
"So you are from America?" She asked, wide eyed.
She cracked a smile at the girl, feeling guilty for her rudeness, but she could feel the eyes of one blonde Slytherin piercing her skin. She knew that Hermione was a muggle-born, and though she had never cared what someone's blood status was, she assumed that Draco would have the Pureblood superiority complex.
She could tell that Harry Potter was wary of her and did not try to speak to him throughout the feast, in the hopes of getting to know the trio better in the comfort of the Gryffindor common room.
She repeatedly looked up to make eye contact with Draco, who had yet to peel his eyes away from her since she had walked into the Hall. She made sure that he had taken notice of her ring, probably the only thing that would spark his curiosity enough to give her a chance with him.
She hated that the houses had so much hate between them. When she was at Hogwarts, the houses were incredibly united, and the Slytherins did not throw every Gryffindor they looked at loathing glares.
But she ate her meal in silence, knowing that she would really fill her stomach once she returned to her room.
Once the feast had ended, and the Gryffindors were well out of the sight of the Slytherins, she asked Hermione various vague questions that seemed sincere, and easily answered the inquisitive girl's many questions about America and the Salem Witches Institute.
In the common room Hermione invited her to join the trio near the fire, which she accepted since she couldn't go to her room until the common room had cleared out anyway.
"I honestly cannot wait until we start classes tomorrow. Since this is our N.E.W.T. year, you two really must start following the study schedules I make," Hermione was telling the boys. "Which classes do you plan on taking, Anastasia?" Hermione politely asked.
"I was planning on Transfiguration, Herbology, Potions, Charms, Ancient Runes, Astronomy, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and History of Magic," she causally responded.
"Merlin's beard! You are almost as bad as Hermione!" Ron exclaimed.
"For goodness sake, Ron. Just because you don't care about school, doesn't mean everyone feels the same way," Hermione scolded him.
She could already tell that there was something going on between the two. But whether they were aware of it, she could not tell.
Harry suddenly interrupted their conversation, speaking for the first time since she had been with the trio. "Why did you come to Hogwarts this year, Anastasia?" He asked, clearly skeptical of her intentions.
She had, of course, a back story to cover this, but decided to tell a partial truth.
"My parents are dead. I have no family at all, and was invited by Dumbledore to attend. He is an old family friend, you see, and probably one of the few people that would have reached out to an orphan." She knew she had struck a nerve with Harry.
Everyone in their world knew his story. The boy who lived, the temporary conqueror of the Dark Lord, and an orphan.
She could tell that her response had definitely not been what he was expecting, but he recovered quickly.
"Oh. Well, er, I am sorry for your loss," he responded awkwardly. But she could see in his green eyes that he still did not know whether to trust her or not.
She supposed that his attitude would change once his lessons with Dumbledore began, because Dumbledore planned on telling Harry a tale when it came to his three new peers. Dumbledore hadn't told her what lie he would feed Harry, but she trusted him enough to go along with whatever story her old friend invented.
She continued polite chit-chat with the three of them, until they decided to go onto bed. Once she heard the distant door shut, she walked to the span of wall that had a beautiful phoenix tapestry on it, and quietly murmured "Phoenixes," to it.
The wall shimmered away, as it had before, and she stepped in to her circular bedroom. It was not small, but a comfortable size. With a fireplace to the west, windows flanking each side of it, her bed on the north side, and a small sitting area to the east that had a window so large it went from the floor to her twelve-foot ceiling, and was a good six feet wide. It was a very open room, which she was quite thankful for.
Genevieve was still in the same spot from before the feast, but there was a small bird in her mouth. She walked over and closed the window to the right of the fire place that had been left open so that Genevieve could come and go as she pleased.
Anastasia took off her robes and changed into a comfortable sleep shirt. She then walked to the truck that stood to the left of her fireplace. With a tap of her wand several locks opened, and the truck's lid cracked.
She lifted the lid to find exactly what she was craving, and filled her belly until she was content.
My own personal feast, she thought to herself.
Once she had cleaned herself up, she snuggled into her four poster bed, which was identical to the beds of the other Gryffindor students, and fell asleep hoping that she would have some luck gaining the trust of a certain blonde Slytherin.
He was lying in bed, incapable of sleep.
That girl kept dancing her way into his thoughts.
Her arrogant stride. Her audacity to wear a serpent ring. Her continuous glances at him throughout the feast.
Who the hell did she think she was?
As he continued to analyze her in his mind, he noticed that her traits, the ones that he assumed he knew from observing her, screamed Slytherin.
So what the hell was she doing in Gryffindor?
He hated not knowing and not understanding.
He finally decided that the only way he would be able to get any sleep this year would be to get to know the girl.
It was obvious that she was a Pureblood, and not a fucking blood-traitor like that Weasel.
It wouldn't be so bad if he…got to know her.
He would need some type of distraction from his horrid task this year anyway. And what better thing to keep your mind off something important, than a beautifully mysterious woman?