Chapter 11

Amethyst wasn't the last student to be taken home. Over the next few days, students slowly disappeared from classes. It was mostly students from the other three houses who left, though there were a few more from Slytherin. In one instance, a parent actually showed up in an attempt to force their fifth-year student to return home with them. The Hufflepuff and her father ended up having a full-out screaming match in the corridor outside of the Transfiguration, with her arguing she couldn't possibly leave Hogwarts before taking her O.W.L.'s. An extremely annoyed McGonagall dismissed her class early and took student and parent to continue the discussion in private. Later at dinner, Anya noticed the Hufflepuff girl sitting with her friends, looking quite smug.

It wasn't only Hogwarts students who were being summoned home. A few days after the breakout, the majority of the remaining Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students were gone. Besides the champions, there were now fewer than ten students left from the two schools. The drop in student population levelled off after the first week. And though Hogwarts only lost about fifty students, the absences were noticeable to everyone.

Anya was surprised James hadn't returned to take her and Harry. When she mentioned this to Harry during potions one day, he was stunned by the suggestion. Clearly, he hadn't been worried about being taken home.

"Hogwarts is one of the safest places," he'd said matter-of-factly. "He wouldn't take us out of here unless there was a direct attack. And even then, only if he had a better option."

"That's a relief then," she'd said before Snape swooped over and berated the quality of their potion. And it was. Anya had been worrying for a week that James would show up at any moment and take her from Hogwarts. She had only received a short letter since the day of the breakout and all he had just asked about how she was doing and promised to work out the legal situation with her inheritance, which now included two houses and a dog, and a memorial for her aunt, uncle, and mother. Anya was thankful he was trying to help, though she knew a memorial service would never happen. There was too much going on and not even she could be bothered to be upset about it. It was just too much at once. She asked him to execute their wills as directed and not worry about a service. Anya was better off mourning in private than trying to host a public event for her murdered family.

Kat was having a hard time coping. Not only had Amethyst left, but she had lost a few new friends from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, too. With everything Anya had been going through this year, she hadn't realized how little time she had actually spent with Kat or Amethyst since Christmas. Most of her free time was spent with Cedric these days. With Amethyst and the others gone, Kat's abandonment issues were resurfacing. It didn't help that Amethyst had not responded to any of the letters either of them had sent her. They had all returned, travelworn and unopened. Anya was doing her best to be there for Kat, which was a good distraction from her own grief, but was rather useless when it came to taking care of someone else. Amethyst was the emotional support system for the group and Anya was at a loss for what to do.

Things with Cedric weren't much better at the moment. He'd been irritable since the breakout and was less than thrilled Harry and Dumbledore knew of her abilities. Anya had spent three days reassuring him she hadn't revealed anything about him. Besides, if Dumbledore thought she was a threat, he wouldn't have let her stay. But nothing she said helped relax him. She'd stormed after he snapped at her, calling her gullible for believing Dumbledore didn't suspect anything. Anya hadn't spoken to him in two days.

Given the reason for the argument, Anya hadn't even told Kat what had happened. She kept brushing off Kat's questions regarding Cedric with vague responses like "I need time" or "You need me more right now". Anya didn't want to burden Kat with her boyfriend drama; it wasn't something that really needed to be dealt with anyway. It would work itself out when both she and Cedric stopped being so mad at each other.

"Why don't we go for a walk around the grounds?" Anya suggested. "I think Hagrid is still taking care of the unicorn foal with the hurt leg. We could by and visit."

Kat, who was sitting across from her the library and actually studying for once, gave an obvious eye roll before responding. "Really, you're trying to entice me with a unicorn? What am I? A five-year-old?"

"First, unicorns are cool no matter how old you are," Anya said, playfully defensive. "Second, well, I'm out of ideas. I don't know how to help you or distract you or what. You're just so miserable and I want to help."

Kat sighed, setting her quill down on her paper. She looked tired with her usual styled red locks up in a messy bun and immaculate makeup missing. "I know; I've just felt so out of it lately. Everything happened so fast and, I don't know, so many people were ripped from my life at one time. But they're not dead. Or at least they weren't when they left. That's the thing: I have no idea where or how they are. They're just gone."

"Trust me, I get it," Anya said grimly. "But they're not dead. You've heard from everyone but Amethyst and know they're safe. I'm worried about Amethyst too but, if she and her family really are in danger, then we have to deal with not hearing from her."

"Ugh, I hate it when you're the rational and mature one."

"Well, next time it's your turn."

"That'll be a disaster."

"Definitely."

The burst into a fit of giggles, earning a stern reprimand from Madam Pince and being thrown out of the library when they were unable to quiet down. Neither cared about the lost house points; they felt relieved once they finally regained control. Things weren't fixed but the anxiety and worry had faded for the moment.

"Let's dump our stuff back in the dormitory. I've thought of something to do that's way more than visiting a unicorn."


It turned out Anya and Cedric were too stubborn to be the one to apologize first, causing a minor disagreement to lead to a two-week silent treatment from both to the other. For her part, Anya knew it was a stupid fight and she should get over it. But every time she talked herself into finding him to sort it all out, she remembered him snapping at her and calling her "naïve" and "reckless."

It didn't help that Cedric didn't appear all that interested in fixing things, either. At least Kat was doing a little better these days, except she now her attention was focused on the situation with Cedric.

"If you don't tell me what's going on, I'll just go to him," Kat threatened one day when they were studying in the common room.

"Leave it, Kat. It's nothing; we just need some space."

"Whatever. I told you he was weird."

Anya ignored her, focusing on the potions assignment instead. Kat didn't give up though and kept questioning Anya. Finally, Anya packed up her things, saying she needed a book from the library to finish her paper. Kat didn't buy it but let her go anyway, probably reassessing her interrogation technique and planning a fresh attack for later.

Lost in her thoughts, she wasn't paying attention as she rounded the corner and bumped into someone. Books and scrolls of parchment fell to the ground. Bending down to retrieve her things, Anya started to apologize without looking to see who she'd run into.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"It's all — Oh, it's you."

Pausing, Anya glanced up to see an irritated Cho Chang collecting her own things. Anya ignored the haughty tone and picked up her last book. "Again, I'm sorry."

Anya made to walk around Cho, who was still crouching on the floor, when the other girl stood up and blocked her path. Surprised, Anya took a few steps back.

"Did you need something?" Anya asked, affecting an indifferent tone. She really didn't have the energy to deal with whatever drama Cho wanted to start. It never ended well.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said with a fake sweetness, "I've just noticed you and Cedric haven't spent much time together lately. I was wondering if everything was all right?"

"Even if it wasn't, it's not something I would discuss with you. If you don't mind," Anya said, forcing a fake smile of her own, "I really need to get to the library before it closes."

Cho was disappointed. Clearly, she was expecting to get more of a raise out of Anya, who walked around Cho feeling smug about stumping the other girl. However, Cho recovered quickly.

"He did the same to me, you know," Cho taunted. "Disappearing all the time; distancing himself. And do you know who he was with?"

Anya whipped around; her façade of pleasantness gone. She was tired of these accusations. "I didn't take him from you," she snapped. "You drove him away with all your drama and cheating!"

Now it was Cho's turn to look smug, having gotten her desired reaction from Anya. Temper rising, Anya was quickly losing control of her words and her powers. She could feel her magic growing more intense, looking for an outlet. She needed to calm down, be in control.

But she couldn't.

"Maybe I should just tell Harry what kind of person you really are," Anya threatened. "Unless he's figured it out already."

Cho's smug demeanor fell into immediate anger. Her face contorting in such a way no one would believe she was capable of — not even Anya if she hadn't seen it.

"You manipulative bitch!" Cho snapped. "Everyone thinks you're so perfect but you're really just a —"

Anya didn't find out what she really was as Cho was suddenly flying across the corridor. She hit the opposite wall and slid to the floor, looking dazed. Anya was beyond caring about being in control or exposing her secret, such was her rage. She walked toward Cho, power surging through her. As she reached the other girl, she knelt down beside her with an outstretched hand. Cho watched with fear and then confusion as Anya placed her hand on Cho's exposed forearm.

"What are you doing?" Cho asked, her voice quiet and shaking.

Anya ignored her, already feeling Cho's life force flowing into her. The experience was different than drawing energy from nature; it was better. She felt stronger, more powerful in than she ever had. Anya was so caught up in the sensation she didn't notice how it was affecting Cho until the thud of her head hitting the ground broke the spell.

Anya slowly came down from her high; panic settling over her as she realized what she had done. Thinking fast, she checked Cho's pulse and breathing. Both were present, though the other's breathing seemed shallow. The corridor was still clear, but she couldn't count on that for long. Someone was bound to come out of the library soon. As she surveyed the corridor, she spotted a broom cupboard a few feet away. Springing into action, she gathered Cho's belongings and cast a spell to levitate Cho's bodies, without a wand. Cedric hadn't been lying about the benefits of feeding off of humans. After ensuring Cho was secure in the broom cupboard, she went back to retrieve her own belongings.

She needed to find Cedric, now. Unfortunately, she had no idea where he would be and her heightened powers were of no help.

She settled on trying the Hufflepuff common room. She didn't have clue what she would do once she got there. Perhaps, if she were lucky, she'd run into another Hufflepuff on her way and get them to send him a message. But with the way the night was going so far, she doubted she'd be that lucky. It was almost curfew; she needed to move fast.

Taking the steps two at a time, she rushed down the main staircase. The magical boost from Cho's life force made the endeavor easy; she was almost graceful as ran. If she wasn't worried about making sure Cho didn't expose her — and that she was all right — it would have been fun. She was almost to the main entry when she the doors opening. Caution prevailing, she stopped abruptly, causing her to stumble down the last couple of stairs. So much for being graceful. Thankfully, the person entering the castle turned out to be Cedric.

"Cedric!"

Startled, he turned in the direction of her voice, surprise growing as he watched her right herself. "Are we speaking now?" he asked, trying to look nonchalant but sounded petulant nonetheless.

"No, yes, just listen," she started, irritated and flustered. "I messed up. I ran into Cho, lost control, and now she's passed out in a broom cupboard near the library."

His blank stare was far from reassuring. Surely, he wouldn't leave her to sort all this out by herself. Finally, in complete disbelief, he spoke. "You did what! How?"

"Does it matter?" she snapped. He crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation. Groaning, she said, "Fine. She pissed me off, went flying backwards, and I accidentally fed from her. Will you help me."

Rubbing his hand over his eyes, he mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "for fuck's sake" and walked past her up the stairs. She turned around to follow him, with noticeably less speed than on her way down.

"I can't believe you did this, especially now that Dumbledore knows what you are. Are you trying to get found out?"

"I didn't do it on purpose," she started to say but stopped when she realized he wasn't listening.

"I can't believe after three weeks of not speaking to me that you're coming to me with this. It just proves my point, by the way. I don't really understand how you did it. I doubt you've fed in all this time; you shouldn't have been able to throw her across the hall."

"Maybe I'm not as week and pathetic as you think," she said, her tone biting. "If you're going to be such a prick about it, just go back to hiding out in your common room.! I'll figure it out myself."

He spun around; anger etched into his features. "What do you mean 'hiding out'? I haven't been hiding."

Anya rolled her eyes, pushing past him with a huff. "You've been avoiding me, too. To the point Cho felt the need to comment on it."

"Bloody hell, Anya, this is ridiculous." He stormed after her, both fuming at the other as she led them toward the broom cupboard. "

"She's in there," Anya said, stopping outside the door. Cedric glared but opened the door without comment. Anya watched as he checked Cho's vitals and began transferring energy from himself to her, much like he had done months ago for Anya. She ignored the pang of jealousy, focusing on keeping an eye for anyone coming down the corridor. Her luck was holding as no one came into the corridor while Cedric helped Cho.

Cho finally came to after a couple of minutes. She was groggy and not all there but still managed to flirt with Cedric once she realized he was there. She wasn't even curious as to why she was in a broom cupboard. Anya should be grateful for the girl's stupidity, but it only served to annoy her further. Anya watched as Cedric used his power of suggestion to have her forget the whole ordeal and return to the Ravenclaw dormitory. Cho complied with such ease that Anya couldn't help but wonder how often Cedric had done this to her in the past. For the first time that night, she felt a little bad for Cho.

After watching Cho turn the corner, Cedric turned back to Anya. He was clearly still pissed, if the tension in his shoulders was anything to go by, but was making an effort to keep his face neutral.

"Can we talk? Please?"

"Why?" Anya asked, avoiding his gaze by pretending to see if her books would fit in her bag. "Do you have more character flaws you'd like to discuss?"

"Not at the moment," he joked, attempting to lighten the mood. Unamused, Anya met his gaze. "Sorry," he muttered. "And I'm sorry for avoiding you. I wasn't really, not completely. I was trying to figure something out and it just kind of took over."

Anya felt her stomach sink, wondering if he had been figuring out if their relationship was worth it. Afraid of the answer, she asked, "What were you figuring out?"

"Well, the tournament for one," he replied cheekily. "I don't know if you remember, but the final task is coming up."

"I hadn't. Harry's been pointedly not discussing it."

"There wasn't much to discuss before tonight. The final task is going to be some kind of magical maze. They're destroying the quidditch pitch with hedges."

The sincere pain in his voice over the stupid pitch was enough to draw out a small smile from Anya. However, it disappeared quickly as she remembered he hadn't answered the question. "What else?" she prompted "What else were you figuring out?"

Embarrassed, it was his turn to avoid her gaze. "I was trying to figure out how to be close by next year, in case you need me."

A beat passed with Anya trying to figure out an appropriate response to that.

"No offense, but why would I need you to be close by next year?"

"I don't know, Anya," he said defensively. "In case you need help with your powers or cleaning up an accident like tonight?"

"Whatever," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Like you said, it was an accident. The only real one since learning of my powers, by the way," she added pointedly. "Besides, you can't just lurk around the castle all year. It's a waste of your time."

"Keeping you safe is a waste of your time?"

"No, treating me like a child is a waste of your time," she countered. "You should be figuring out your career or traveling or something."

Cedric shook his head in amused disbelief. "I don't think there's going to be a point to doing any of that soon — not with all the death eater breakouts. Something is happening."

"Fair enough," she ceded. She kneeled down, gathering the bag and books she'd stashed in the cupboard with Cho. "It's late, we should get back to our dorms."

He offered a hand, which she accepted. "So, are we done fighting?"

"I don't know," she teased. "Are you done being an ass?"

"I'm taking that as a yes."

Still holding his hand, she stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Let's go weirdo. Snape's been in rare form lately when it comes to punishments, and I do not want another two weeks of detention."


AN: Um...I'm sorry. I didn't realize it had been so long between updates until I got a review/note the other asking that I please continue this story. I'm a full-time student and work part-time at a fairly demanding job. Once homework is done, I'm pretty tired. I'll work on updating more regularly, but I can't promise anything. Life happens, ya know?

Hopefully, this chapter was worth the wait. Plot-wise, things will start picking up again next chapter. Thanks to those who have reviewed and those who have stuck around. :)