Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of its names, places, ideas, etc. They belong to JK Rowling.
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The rest of Ana's first day of school passed by fairly quickly.
She found Divination to be…interesting. Though apparently not nearly as much as Lavender and Parvati did, who seemed so intensely focused on the class and on what Professor Trelawney was saying Ana would have thought they were in a trance or something.
Harry and Ana had grabbed a table together in the dusky, heavily perfumed room, sitting among a few stares and whispers, though Ana wasn't certain if they were directed at her or Harry. Probably a mixture of both, she thought.
Harry had stiffened slightly when Ron came walking through the door, and Ana couldn't help noticing that Ron himself seemed extremely uncomfortable by the situation. He looked torn for a moment as he stood near the doorway, shooting an uncertain glance at Harry as if looking for some sign. Harry, however, resolutely kept his eyes fixed on Professor Trelawney, who was telling everyone to settle down and take a seat.
Ana felt a surge of guilt as she watched Ron morosely make his way over to the front of the room, where Neville was seated. This was all her fault. If it weren't for her, Harry would be sitting with Ron right now. His best friend.
The guilt ate away at her throughout the rest of the lesson, and because of this she remained distracted, though she had a feeling she wasn't missing much. Professor Trelawney struck her as being slightly loony, anyway. Half the things coming out of her mouth didn't seem remotely relevant or important.
The art of Augury was the topic of the lesson, and Ana gleaned that it meant the divining of the future through the study of birds. She hadn't the slightest clue what birds had to do with the future and was slightly nervous when Trelawney gave them homework in which they had to observe the flight of several birds in their free time and see if they could see any signs or omens.
"Don't worry," Harry said to her as they filed out of the classroom. "Just predict some horrible event and she'll eat it up. The more gruesome the better. That's what me and R—"
He stopped abruptly, and Ana knew immediately that he had been about to say "Ron."
"Harry, I can't take this. Would you please talk to him? Really, I want you to. I won't care. You can still be his friend, you know…" she trailed off pleadingly. She really didn't mind. Just because his friends didn't want anything to do with her didn't mean that Harry couldn't still at least talk to them.
Harry's eyes hardened, and he kept his stare forward as they walked through the halls together, his jaw clenching slightly. "No. He needs to know that I'm not okay with this. The stupid git would probably jump off a bridge if Hermione told him to. Wonder if she put him under the Imperious Curse…" he mumbled agitatedly.
"Harry! Don't say that!" Ana gasped. "Listen, I know you're upset, but they're still your friends. I'm fine with it, trust me," she said.
"Fine?" he turned to her in disbelief. "How can you be fine with it Ana? My "friends" are refusing to give you a chance!"
Ana fidgeted and shifted her bag a little on her shoulder. "Okay, so maybe I'm not fine with it," she conceded after a moment, frowning slightly. "But that doesn't matter. Really, Harry, you can still be friends with them and me at the same time. It is possible…" she said.
"No," he shook his head stubbornly. "Until they apologize to you, I'm not talking to either of them."
Ana bit back the urge to argue with him further, knowing he wouldn't budge no matter what she said. Instead, she just sighed. "Well, I wish you'd at least consider it. I've got to go to my lesson. I'll see you later?" she asked, stopping as they neared the Fat Lady's portrait.
Harry turned to her in surprise. He'd forgotten she still had to go to her lessons every day. "Oh…yeah. Yeah, I'll definitely see you later," he smiled at her. The irritation that had come over him with the mention of Ron and Hermione had dissipated, and a playful glint appeared in his eyes as he looked at her. "Say hi to Shrubbery for me, would you?"
Ana sent him a reproachful look. "Goodbye, Harry," she said amidst his laughter and began making her way to her classroom.
"What?" Harry called out to her, still laughing. Ana sighed and shook her head, though she couldn't help chuckling as well as she turned the corner.
Such a prat…
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The rest if the week seemed to fly by. Ana began to feel more and more comfortable about her classes, though they weren't completely without awkwardness.
Hermione was still refusing to talk to either her or Harry, choosing to ignore them everywhere, whether it was in lessons or in the common room. Ron hadn't spoken to Harry at all, though he seemed far more reluctant about this than Hermione. He would shoot covert glances at him every so often during lessons, but Harry didn't see them or simply chose not to notice. It seemed that all three of them were too stubborn to try and mend the situation.
Ana still felt awful about everything, but she couldn't force Harry to talk to his friends, so there was really no helping it. She couldn't help feeling a little hurt that Hermione seemed so against even trying to get to know her, but at least she had Harry. And the other Gryffindors were slowly warming up to her as well.
Lavender and Parvati continued to be very talkative and friendly with her, though Ana had a feeling that this would be the case with any new girl that arrived at Hogwarts. The urge to gossip was apparently too great for those two.
Course, Ana reminded herself, Hermione knows the truth about me. Wouldn't all of these people treat me exactly the same as her if they knew who I really was?
She pushed the thought to the back of her mind each time it sprang up. It wasn't a very pleasant one, and she didn't want to make things seem worse than they already were.
By the time the weekend rolled around, most of the students were groaning with the amount of homework they'd been assigned. Ana had even more than most people because of her extra lessons, but she didn't really mind. It was exciting to her to be learning real magic, and she was adamant about completing their assignments thoroughly.
Harry, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as thrilled about their work overload as Ana. As usual, he had let it pile up to a ridiculous level by Friday, and just didn't seem to have the heart to begin it quite yet.
He was still feeling a little glum about Ron and Hermione…especially about Ron, though. He couldn't help feeling a bit betrayed. Ana's words kept echoing in his head, but he refused to be the one to break first. They were the ones who were wrong, after all…not him.
But, as horrible as not being on speaking terms with Ron and Hermione was, it did give Harry and Ana the chance to spend loads of time together. When they weren't in class, they were either having meals in the Great Hall or spending time lounging out on the grounds near the lake. The summer was nearing an end, and they wanted to take advantage of the nice, warm weather while it lasted.
Harry had managed to convince Ana to put off their Divination and Herbology homework until Sunday, but now that it was Sunday she'd badgered him until he agreed to come to the library with her to get it done, as the common room was much too noisy at the moment.
"Ugh, we have so much to write! I can't believe I let you convince me not to do it until now," she said exasperatedly as they walked through the library's doors.
Harry grimaced. "You sound like Hermione," he grumbled as they found a table and sat down. "I can't believe we've got so much homework already. And I thought fifth year was bad…" he trailed off in disbelief.
Ana sat and began pulling books and parchment out of her bag. "Really? I know there's a lot of it, but I don't mind it too much. It's sort of fun, actually," she said as she flipped open their Herbology book, completely oblivious to Harry's look of horror.
"Fun?" he said finally, overcoming his shock. "Give it a few weeks and you'll be singing a different tune, love," he chuckled, unceremoniously pouring his bags contents out onto the table.
Ana felt her cheeks redden slightly at what Harry had just called her. Love? Where had that come from?
But as she shot a surreptitious glance at him, she saw that he had hardly noticed and nothing in his demeanor had changed in the slightest. She then figured that it was probably nothing and that she had reacted too quickly, yet again.
She really needed to get those damn butterflies in her stomach under control. They'd been fluttering like crazy all week, and she found that they caused her to grin stupidly every time Harry so much as looked at her. It was utterly embarrassing, but Harry hadn't seemed to notice her increasingly odd behavior around him yet, which she was very grateful for.
She was still trying to sort all of these thoughts out in her mind when her eyes caught an unfamiliar book lying open on the table, half hidden beneath piles of Harry's parchment and quills. She stared at it curiously, brushing the papers off it with her hand. She realized immediately that it was not a book at all. It appeared to be a photo album, in fact.
"Harry, what's this?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the album, the people in the photos staring back up at her with smiling faces.
"Hmm?" he said distractedly as he tried mending a quill he had just broken. He looked up at her and only then noticed what she was looking at. His eyes fell on the album, and he furrowed his brows at it in confusion, surprise filling him when he realized what it was.
"How'd that get in there?" he said, more to himself than to Ana. He looked up to find Ana waiting for him to answer, and he cleared his throat quietly. "It's…it's my photo album. Must've thrown it in with my other books on accident," he said, staring down into the faces of his mother and father, a heavy sadness filling him as it always did when he gazed at them.
Ana returned her eyes to the pictures on the page. "These are your parents…aren't they?" she asked quietly, never taking her eyes from the pictures.
Harry swallowed. "Yeah. Hagrid gave me this my first year at Hogwarts."
Ana studied the grinning couple in the photo, smiling slightly as she did. Harry's mother was a beautiful, red-haired woman, and his father could be Harry's replica they were so similar. They looked so happy…
"You look just like him," she said, directing a small smile at him.
Harry grinned too. "Yeah, I guess I do. Sirius tells me that all the time."
"Is that Sirius?" Ana asked, astonished as her eyes fell on the Potter's wedding photo, the familiar dark-haired figure of Harry's godfather catching her eye immediately.
"Yeah," he said, smiling a little as he looked down at his laughing godfather. The picture always made him smile. They were all beaming with joy and happiness. His heart panged at the sight, and he felt the sadness return. He hadn't looked at these in a long time…
Ana glanced over and saw that the pictures seemed to be upsetting him, and she felt a little guilty at the sight of his troubled face. "I'm sorry, Harry. I shouldn't have pried…" she trailed off uncertainly.
He shook his head. "No. No, it's all right…I just…I just haven't seen these in a while, is all," he said softly, still staring down at his laughing parents. "I don't remember them at all. My parents, I mean. These pictures are all I have, really…"
Ana turned pained eyes in his direction, feeling so deeply for him at that moment it almost overwhelmed her.
"They loved you, though," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. She turned her head back to the books in front of her. "That's more than I can say about my parents." She smiled humorlessly.
Harry said nothing, simply choosing to stare at her with sad, green eyes. Ana refused to meet that stare, knowing it would bring to the surface emotions she didn't want to deal with right now. It was easier to ignore them. To pretend like nothing was wrong or had ever been wrong. She shouldn't have said it at all, she thought, and so she quickly made a show of smoothing out the parchment in front of her as though nothing had happened.
She was aware that Harry's stare was still on her, but she focused on the blank page in front of her, her quill clutched in her hand. She turned her eyes to stare at the open page of her Herbology book, but the words might as well have been written in a foreign language. None of them came close to registering in her mind.
"Ana."
His voice was soft and gentle with just the right hint of question. Any other tone, and she probably would have ignored him. But he said her name with such care that she had no choice but to look up from her book.
"It's okay to talk about it, you know," he said softly. "I…I know what it's like keeping my feelings to myself, and it's not always the best thing to do. Not when you have someone who'll listen to you if you ever need it. A…a friend," he clarified, his voice still as gentle and caring as before.
Ana stared at him silently for a moment, and then gave a small smile. "You're too astute for your own good, you know that?" she said finally with a small laugh.
Harry smirked, saying nothing. Ana continued to smile and sighed. "Man, I'm really good at ruining a perfectly fine conversation, aren't I?" she asked with a shake of her head.
"No," he said truthfully, giving her a reassuring smile. "But you are pretty good at blowing things up," he joked, all seriousness abandoned.
"Hey!" she laughed, hitting him in the arm. "I'll have you know that I haven't blown anything up in a week," she said indignantly, glad that he had changed the subject.
Harry laughed too, and they both fell back to discussing their homework, the sadness of the moment before forgotten. But Ana didn't forget what Harry had told her, and even if she wasn't quite ready to talk about her feelings quite yet, it made her feel better knowing that Harry would be there for her when she was.
His best friends disapproved of her, yes, and her parents were still out there somewhere…But despite all of this, as they sat there quietly discussing the properties of the Gurdyroot, she found herself marveling once more at how she had ever gotten to be so lucky…
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By the time the second week of school rolled around, nearly every single kid at Hogwarts was seen with a Trick Tumbler firmly grasped in their hands. The post on Monday morning consisted almost entirely of owls with brown parcels in tow, and shouts of glee and laughter filled the Great Hall as a sea of orange boxes were uncovered by eager hands.
Dumbledore pretended not to notice the contraption and the sensation it was creating, but Filch had confiscated twelve of them within the first hour of their arrival. People were much more careful about their excitement after that and tried their best to keep the Tumbler's hidden, but the glimmer of gold could be seen shining from more than a few pockets if one were to look carefully.
Harry looked on proudly, silently commending the twins for their smashing success. They must be ecstatic about it, he thought with a smile. He'd have to remind himself to send them a congratulations letter and thank them for his own Tumbler, which now sat safely hidden in his school trunk.
For Harry, however, this week was exciting for an entirely different reason. Friday marked the Gryffindor Quidditch Team's first practice of the season, and Harry was Team Captain. He could hardly contain his elated anticipation and found himself unconsciously working out strategies in his head during class, making mental notes about what he felt the team needed to work on.
Ana watched him furiously scribble diagrams of different plays on his History of Magic notes as they sat in class and smiled. He looked so focused. She couldn't wait to see him in action on Friday. He'd asked her if she wanted to come watch, and she jumped at the chance. Besides, it was important to him. She had a feeling he needed a little support anyway, seeing as how he was Captain for the first time. It was a lot of responsibility.
The bell rang and Harry looked up, surprised. Was class over already?
"Welcome back to Earth," Ana laughed next to him.
Harry grinned at her and gathered up his notes hurriedly. Class was over for the day, so they began making their way to the common room. On the way, they passed Dean Thomas in the hall, and Harry stopped to speak to him.
"Practice on Friday, Dean. Don't forget!" Harry said.
Dean looked at Harry a little strangely and gave a small laugh. "Er…right, Harry. I'll be there."
Harry watched him walk off with a confused frown, which only deepened when he heard Ana giggling slightly.
"What was that about?" he asked her. "And what is so funny?"
Ana only laughed harder at this. "Harry, that's the third time this week you've told him about practice. You've been doing it to half the team practically," she said, another small laugh escaping her. She found it to be almost unbearably cute.
Harry reddened instantly. "I have?"
He looked extremely embarrassed, and they began walking once again. "Guess I'm a little excited," he grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his hair.
"Really? I hadn't noticed," Ana smiled mischievously at him, laughing once more when he gave her a look.
They came upon the Fat Lady's portrait finally, and Harry stopped in front of it to say goodbye to Ana, who had to get to her lesson. She walked off, books in arms, and Harry smiled as he watched her go.
He gave the Fat Lady the password and was granted access to the common room. There was a sprinkling of people here and there. Some doing homework, others just idly chatting or playing with their Trick Tumblers.
Harry walked forward, intent on grabbing his favorite spot by the window so he could work out some more plays, but halted abruptly when he saw that someone was already sitting there.
That someone was Ron.
Harry grimaced and turned to just make his way to his dorm instead when he realized with a jolt that he hadn't told Ron about the practice on Friday. He was certain of that. He would definitely remember talking to him, since they hadn't spoken since their argument.
But he had a duty as Captain to inform all the players about it, and Ron was Keeper. Best to get it over with quickly, he thought.
He walked up to Ron, who looked as though he was working on their Divination homework, and cleared his throat to get his attention, feeling decidedly uncomfortable.
Ron looked up with a start and gave another start when he saw whom it was. "Harry," he said surprised, and even looking a little hopeful.
Harry kept his face blank and stared at the window. "Practice on Friday. Thought you should know," he said gruffly.
Ron's face fell slightly at this. "Oh…yeah, I know. Dean told me."
"Oh…right," Harry said awkwardly. A pause. "Er…well, that's it. Night then," he said stiffly, turning around. He then felt stupid, since it wasn't even dark outside yet.
"Harry, wait," he heard Ron say. He stopped and turned, waiting.
Ron had risen from his seat at the window and was now looking as though he was struggling with something.
"Well?" Harry asked finally, his voice curt.
Ron looked up at him with uncertainty. Then, he averted his eyes to stare at the floor. "She's all right?" he asked finally, shifting from one foot to the other.
Harry knew immediately that Ron was referring to Ana. He didn't quite know what to make of the question, but answered anyway. "Yeah," he said, furrowing his brows at him. It had caught him off guard.
Ron looked up, his head still hanging slightly. "You trust her?"
Harry's mouth formed a determined line. "I trust her. Why though? I thought you and Hermione had already made up your minds about her," he said bitingly.
Ron looked down again with a grimace. "Well, Hermione has…" he said finally.
Harry felt a stirring of surprise. "And you?" he asked cautiously.
Ron shrugged. "Dunno. Haven't exactly gotten the chance to know her yet."
Harry frowned. "Gee, wonder why?" he asked sarcastically.
Ron sighed. "Look, Harry, I know I was being a git. I'm sorry, okay? I thought about it and realized it was wrong to say you should stay away from her. You obviously aren't going to listen anyway…" he said, a grin creeping across his face.
Harry shifted slightly, not really knowing what to make of what Ron was saying. He was apologizing?
"What about Hermione?" he asked. "Won't she be mad at you for talking to me again? I'm being thick for being Ana's friend, after all," he said, the sarcasm creeping back into his voice.
Ron frowned slightly. "Hermione doesn't control me Harry—"
"Could've fooled me," Harry mumbled.
Ron chose to ignore this, however. "Look, she has her own thoughts about it, and I have mine, okay? I…I just think I should give her a chance, I guess," he shrugged and paused. He seemed to think for a moment before speaking once more. "And it's me who was being thick, not you," he said with a reluctant grin.
Harry felt a grin come across his face as well at this. "You? Thick? Never…"
Ron laughed and shook his head. "So…truce?" he said finally, holding out his hand to Harry.
Harry stared at it for a moment. "You'll apologize to Ana?" he asked finally.
Ron hesitated, but nodded immediately when Harry gave him a hard look. "Yes. Course I will," he said, his hand still outstretched.
Harry studied him for a second…two…three…and then smiled. "Truce," he said, shaking the proffered hand.
They both felt immediately as though a weight had been lifted off their shoulders and fell into a conversation as if it were the most familiar thing in the world. They grabbed a table and did some catching up, talking about everything from their summers to Trelawney's homework, to Quidditch.
It felt good to talk to Ron again. Harry hadn't realized how much he'd missed it until now.
After a while, they both pulled out their Divination homework, ready to fall into their usual routine of just making it up as they went along. Ron was drawing a few pictures of some rather demented looking birds on a section of his parchment. His tongue stuck out slightly from the side of his mouth as he tried getting the wings right.
"Bugger all, what the hell have birds got to do with my future anyway!" he exclaimed suddenly, throwing down his quill in a fit of frustration. "Trelawney's really outdone herself this time," he mumbled agitatedly as he stared down at his pitiful representations of birds in flight.
Harry laughed and looked down at his own less-than-marvelous drawings. "It is pretty bad. I'd take the crystal ball over this stuff any day."
Ron folded his arms across his chest, frowning. "Maybe we can just get Hermione to do it for us," he said without thinking. When he realized what he'd done, however, he sunk a little in his chair. Harry's hand had tightened slightly around his quill, but his face remained otherwise devoid of emotion.
"Where is Hermione anyway?" Harry asked in the tense silence that followed Ron's words. His voice had just a hint of bitterness to it.
"Er…I think she said she had to go to the library for her Arithmancy homework," Ron replied, rather uncomfortably. The moment had immediately turned quite awkward, and both boys sat there stiffly for a moment before the sound of the portrait hole opening interrupted them.
Ana walked into the now nearly deserted common room, her eyes scanning it for Harry's familiar face. When she saw him in the corner near the window, she smiled and started making her way towards him. It was only until she was halfway there that she noticed Ron sitting at the table as well. Surprised, she slowed to a stop.
"Oh. Hi," she said awkwardly.
Harry smiled at her, and Ron straightened a little in his seat, glancing from Ana to Harry unsurely. Ana saw this and took it to mean that she wasn't welcome. At least not by Ron. He seemed a little uncomfortable, and from the looks of it, he and Harry had actually been speaking to one another. She didn't want to mess that up.
"Erm…I'll just be going then, I guess," she said finally, turning towards the stairs.
"Ana wait!" Harry said quickly, standing up. "It's okay," he smiled as she turned back to him.
Ana stared from Harry to Ron uncertainly. "It is?" she asked hesitantly, her eyes now trailing to the latter of them.
"Yeah. Come on," Harry said to her before moving back to the table. He pulled up a chair for Ana and sat down again.
Ana sat, her books still in her arms and smiled nervously at Ron. Ron just sat there silently for a moment until Harry gave him an expectant look. Ron then cleared his throat and fiddled with his quill.
"Er…look, Ana, I…I wanted to…erm…to—"
Ana smiled warmly at him and cut him off. "It's okay," she said kindly, knowing he was trying to apologize. "I probably would have done the same thing if it were my best friend."
"Er…right," Ron said with a smile, looking very much relieved.
Harry grinned at her as she set her books down and took out her own quill and parchment.
"So what are we doing, Divination homework?" she asked as she opened her book. It was almost as if nothing had happened at all, and things had never been awkward between them.
Harry looked at her fondly, marveling at how resilient she was. How she could forgive so easily. He realized then and there that he could probably learn a lot from her. They all could.
"Yeah," he said, shaking himself out of his daze. "Like my drawings?" he asked her, pretending to be serious.
Ana glanced over at them. "Oh…uh, well," she started, trying to determine if she should tell him the truth or not.
Harry immediately started laughing, and Ana grinned in relief, realizing he'd been joking around, as usual. Ron laughed too and pushed his own drawings forward.
"How bout mine? Personally I think I've never drawn better," he said smugly, a grin creeping across his face.
Ana laughed even harder when she saw Ron's birds and had to hold her stomach from the effort.
"Do us a favor, Ron. Never ever show us any of your other works of art," Harry said, chuckling.
"Come on. They're not that bad, are they?" Ron said, studying his drawings again.
"That one has a wing growing out if its head, Ron," Harry said, pointing to the offending bird.
"So?" Ron said, peering down at the bird. "Maybe it's off to join the circus. You don't know."
A peal of bright laughter rang from Ana yet again, and this time Harry and Ron both joined in. Their fun was interrupted, however, when the portrait hole opened yet again, and Hermione came walking in. She halted abruptly when she saw them, her eyes traveling from Ron, to Ana, to Harry, and then back to Ron. She looked shocked for a moment, but quickly recovered and sent Ron a steely glare, ignoring completely Harry and Ana.
"Sorry to spoil your fun, but we have Prefect duty Ron," she said, a hint of bitterness in her voice as she said the word "fun."
Ron looked like a kid who'd just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Ana shifted in her seat uncomfortably, and Harry had stiffened slightly at Hermione's entrance.
With a gulp, Ron gathered up his things and quickly mumbled the two of them goodnight before going to join Hermione, who had just whipped back around towards the portrait hole. He followed her out into the hallway where they walked in tense silence for a while. Finally, Ron couldn't take it anymore and turned to her.
"Listen, Hermione, I'm sorry, okay? I know you think Harry's being an idiot, but that doesn't mean I have to—"
"I'm not stopping you from speaking to him, Ron," she interrupted testily, quickening her steps. "You're perfectly capable of making your own decisions and if you don't have a problem with Harry putting his life in even more danger than it's already in, then that's just fine with me. I could care less," she said huffily.
"Hermione," Ron said impatiently, hurrying to keep up with her. "Hermione, stop!" he said finally, grabbing her arm and bringing her furious pace to a halt.
She wrenched her arm out of his grasp and folded them in front of her, giving Ron a hard look of expectancy.
Ron sighed. "Hermione, this is ridiculous. Why are you acting like this? Harry's our friend—"
"Yes. Yes he is, Ron," she cut in. "That's why he needs to stop being so selfish. That girl is going to get him into trouble!"
"Selfish? Saving someone's life and being their friend is selfish?" Ron asked incredulously.
"When it's 'The Boy Who Lived' that we're talking about, yes, it's selfish," she said, clenching her jaw.
Ron's look hardened at this. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Hermione sighed, dropping her arms in frustration. "Don't you get it, Ron? Voldemort's back. And Harry…" she trailed off as if searching for the right words to say. Finally she dropped her shoulders, abandoning her rigid stance in a defeated manner. "Harry's the only one who can stop him," she whispered sadly. "Not me, not you, not even Dumbledore, Ron. Harry."
Ron softened, not really knowing what to say to this. A part of him knew Hermione was right, but another part of him didn't want to believe it.
"Look…I don't mind you talking to Harry, Ron. Really, I don't. I just…I just can't. I can't pretend like everything is okay, and that being friends with Ana, no matter how nice she is, is a smart thing. There's too much at stake now. Harry needs to realize that," Hermione said softly, but with a conviction that told Ron she wouldn't budge from her opinions.
"But…" Ron began, looking a little lost. "But Hogwarts is safe. There's no harm in Harry being friends with Ana here. They were in Diagon Alley when they almost got killed," Ron said.
Hermione gave him a small, humorless smile. "Normally I would agree with you, Ron, but the past five years here haven't exactly been danger free for us, have they? Anything but, in fact," she added grimly.
Ron opened his mouth as if to argue with her, but immediately closed it again. As much as he didn't want to admit it, she was right. Danger had found its way across their paths here at Hogwarts numerous times in the past. He couldn't deny that.
Hermione smiled at him, genuinely this time and took his hand in her own. "Come on," she said softly, tugging him forward. "Let's just try to get through one thing at a time, all right? I don't want to fight with you, too," she said, looking at him sadly.
Ron warmed at the look and squeezed her hand tighter in his own. "Me neither, Hermione."
She smiled at him again, and they walked down the dark hallways in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
Ron understood why Hermione felt the way she did. He was scared for Harry too, after all. He was scared for all of them. But he also knew that Harry needed him. He needed support to help him bear the burden of being the one wizard on Earth that could stop Voldemort.
And Ron needed him, too. Harry was his best mate in the entire world besides Hermione, and he couldn't cut it off so easily. He'd done that in the past and it had been some of the worst times of his life.
He'd just have to hope that Hermione was wrong about the situation somehow. That nothing would come of Harry's new friendship with Ana. That this year would be an uneventful one.
But as they passed by the windows in the hallway that gave views of the still, dark night beyond, he somehow felt that there was no way they could ever be so lucky.
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Ana watched as Ron and Hermione disappeared out through the portrait hole and then turned her attention back to Harry. He sat there staring blankly at his parchment, a pensive look on his face.
"I take it Hermione isn't as keen as Ron is to associate with me, then?" she said finally in a small, quiet voice, trying to smile but failing miserably at it.
Harry broke from his trance, and his green eyes softened as they looked at her. "It's not you, Ana. It's me," he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "At least Ron's come to his senses."
"I'm glad you two made up, Harry," Ana said, smiling genuinely now. "I can't tell you what a relief that is."
Harry grinned. "You and me both. It'll definitely make Quidditch practice a lot less awkward, that's for sure."
Ana laughed. "Everything's Quidditch with you, isn't it Potter?" she said in a joking manner.
Harry flashed her a charming smile and winked. "Course it is, love. I am Captain, after all. Did I mention that?" he asked in mock arrogance, still grinning like an idiot.
"Only about thirty-seven times," Ana said with a laugh.
Harry frowned. "Only thirty-seven? Well, I'll have to amend that immediately…"
Ana rolled her eyes and chuckled. "You are the world's biggest prat," she shook her head, a grin still plastered on her face. She picked up her quill and thrust Harry's own one into his hands.
"Homework time," she commanded with smiling eyes.
Harry groaned. "But—"
"No buts, Harry," Ana said firmly. "This is due tomorrow."
Harry pouted and watched as Ana began writing on her parchment. He threw a reluctant glance at his own parchment and sighed. Suddenly his eyes caught on a book that was among the many now strewn across the table, and he grinned mischievously.
"Hey look! It's my copy of Quidditch Through The Ages! Speaking of Quidditch, did I mention that I'm Team Cap—"
"Harry!" Ana said, cutting him off exasperatedly.
Harry grinned at her before turning back to his homework. "Thirty-eight," he murmured triumphantly, but Ana heard him all the same. She threw him a tiresome glance, but found it very difficult to keep the small smile from springing to her face.
He really was a prat.
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Friday couldn't come soon enough for Harry, and when it did, he was nearly giddy with excitement. Ana watched in amusement as he fidgeted in every class, sitting so close to the edge of his seat she was surprised he didn't fall off. When the final bell finally rang, he had nearly sprinted out the door of their class before realizing he'd left Ana behind.
She walked out of the door, laughing. "Go on Harry. I'll catch up with you at the field."
Harry hesitated. "You sure?"
Ana gave him a smile. "Yes, I'm sure. Now go! You're Team Captain after all…" she said with a wink.
Harry beamed at her. "That's right, I am, aren't I?"
Ana gave him a shove and laughed again. "Go!"
He didn't need to be told again, and Ana watched as he ran down the hallways to go get the equipment for the practice. She walked out into the sunshine soaked grounds, slowly making her way to the Quidditch stands where she'd sit and watch Harry's first practice. She was very glad that she'd been able to convince Professor Shrublock to postpone her private lesson until later that night. She didn't want to miss this.
When she got to the pitch, she climbed the stairs and took a seat on one of the stands. She noticed that Harry was already on the field setting up (how he'd managed that she had no idea), and she gave him a smile and a wave when he looked her way. He returned it and went back to taking the balls out of the case. Ron appeared shortly after, and the rest of the team quickly followed.
She watched as Harry gave them all orders about what to do, and the team soared up into their positions. They played a practice game, with Harry blowing the whistle every now and then to correct something. Ana watched in fascination as they played, marveling at the skill the game required.
When it was over, she descended the stairs to meet Harry on the field. He was with Ron and was saying goodbye to the other players as they made their way back to the castle.
"Good practice, everyone! I expect to see more of that next time!" he called to their retreating backs. Ana didn't think his smile could be any bigger.
"Great job, guys," she smiled as she walked up to them both.
"Thanks!" Ron said, smiling too. He'd managed to block almost every goal at his Keeper position.
Harry grinned at her, feeling very proud of himself. "Aw…thanks Ana! Want to give me a hug?" he asked, grinning evilly. He was drenched in sweat.
"No way, Harry! Stay away from me," she warned, backing up slightly.
Harry's grin just grew at this as he neared her slowly. "What's the matter, Ana? I thought I did a good job. Surely that merits a hug, at least, right?"
Ana threw him a murderous look and backed up more. "Harry, I swear, if you—"
She shrieked as Harry lunged for her. She dove behind Ron in an attempt to hide herself. Ron was laughing hysterically, and Harry still had that predatory grin on his face.
"You might as well just let him do it, Ana. He's gonna get you eventually, anyway, trust me," Ron said through his laughter.
"Better listen to him, Ana," Harry said as he circled Ron. "Come and get it…"
Ana was now laughing too and determinedly keeping Ron between her and Harry. "I'll never surrender, Potter!" she cried with mock bravery.
Harry faked to the right, making Ana go left and grabbed her around the waist as she screamed in surprise. He hugged her tight in his unrelenting hold as Ana laughed and tried unsuccessfully to pry his arms from her.
"Told you," Ron said with a shake of his head.
"Harry! Ewww…so gross," she said as he finally let go of her. Her robes were now wet as well. "I hate you…" she grumbled as they began walking towards the castle.
Harry grinned and slung an arm over her shoulders playfully. "Liar. You know you love me," he laughed.
She felt her cheeks burn slightly and turned her face away, smiling a little. "Whatever…"
They all made their way up to the common room, Harry and Ron going to shower, and Ana going to change before her lesson now that her current clothes were soaked. When they were done, they all met back in the common room, which was fairly empty due to the fact most students were down at dinner.
They stepped through the portrait hole, and Ron turned to them to say goodbye.
"Hermione's meeting me in the Great Hall," he explained, looking a little sheepish. He was still trying to get used to the fact that his two best friends in the whole world weren't speaking to each other. The situation definitely wasn't without its awkwardness.
Harry was just about to wave him goodbye so he could walk Ana to her lesson when he felt a sudden and searing pain in his scar.
"Ahh…" he hissed, his hand instinctively moving to his forehead. The pain was immense, almost bringing him to his knees. Everything went black, and he could hear an angry, snakelike voice in his head…it was yelling something…
Ana looked at him in alarm and grabbed his arm to steady him. "Harry? Oh my god, what's wrong?" she asked franticly.
Ron rushed to Harry's side and held him up too. "Harry!" he said in a fearful tone.
But all Harry heard was a buzzing in his ear and the persistent voice laced with fury, his surroundings hazy before him. He slumped helplessly against the two of them. Ana looked terrified.
"Harry!" she said urgently. When he didn't respond, she looked to Ron. "What's wrong with him?" she asked. Her hands were shaking.
"It's his scar," Ron explained quickly, grabbing Harry by the shoulders and shaking him a little. "Harry! Come on, mate, snap out of it," he commanded.
Harry's hand dug into his damp hair and his surroundings slowly came into focus once more. He was aware that both Ron and Ana had a hold of him, and that there was a dull throbbing in his scar. He blinked a few times and swallowed. His throat was dry and his forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat.
"What happened?" he asked hoarsely, straightening against the wall of the corridor, feeling tired and weak.
Ron let go of him, but Ana's grip on his arm never lessened. "Y-you almost collapsed," she said, the fear evident in her voice.
Ron was looking at him grimly. "Your…your scar," he trailed off.
Harry looked to both of them and was brought back to what he had felt. He nodded, casting his eyes downward in deep thought. "It's never been that bad before…at least not here it hasn't," he said quietly, frowning deeply.
"Hogwarts you mean?" Ron asked.
Harry nodded again. His thoughts returned to that night in the graveyard when Voldemort had touched his scar. The unbearable agony that coursed through him. This time wasn't quite as bad, but it was close enough to cause him serious worry. Then, with a start, he remembered the voice he had heard…
"Voldemort," he whispered, almost to himself.
Ron flinched and Ana looked even more alarmed than before. "What?" she asked him.
Harry looked up at her. "I…I heard him. His voice…in my head," he said slowly, as if trying to remember exactly. "He was angry about something. It…it sounded like he was yelling at someone…"
"Who?" Ron asked with a gulp.
Harry tore his eyes from Ana's worried ones to meet Ron's. "Dunno," he whispered. "But whoever they are, I'm glad I'm not them right now," he said darkly.
A silence fell over the three of them. Ron shuddered. Ana continued to stare at Harry, who was gazing blankly at the stone wall before him. A cold feeling of discomfort overcame her, though she didn't know why…
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But there was a very good reason for Ana's discomfort. A very good reason indeed.
Far away, at an undisclosed location, Alecto Carrows was cowering in fear and humiliation before the Darkest wizard that ever lived. His wife, Andromeda, stood erect beside him, her head bowed in respect.
The man known by the name of Lord Voldemort, the name that struck fear into the hearts of even the bravest of men, was seething with anger.
"Fools!" he hissed toward the couple, clenching his fists in rage. "How could you allow this to happen?"
"My Lord," Alecto began, his voice shaking, but only slightly. "We have been searching everywhere—"
"Yes, and wasting precious time for nothing! She could ruin everything," the Dark Lord raged, his red eyes flashing dangerously. "We have more important matters to worry about than a girl. You, both of you, are integral in my plans. If you are taken out it will destroy everything! They've found the cabin, already—"
"But," Alecto cut in. "My Lord, that is impossible. She could hardly have led them to it—"
With a flick of his hand, Voldemort had Alecto writhing on the floor in pain before he could even finish the sentence.
"Of course they've found the cabin you fool! Have you learned nothing in the years under my service? Have I taught you nothing!" he yelled, causing both of the Carrows to flinch. "Both of you have been faithful to me for many years now. For that, you are lucky. I say this once, and once only," he neared them both, his voice lowering to a dangerous level.
"Find her and kill her. Or I'll kill you."
Alecto and Andromeda both looked up in alarm at this. "But, My Lord, surely—" Andromeda began, but she was cut off sharply by Voldemort.
"You have brought shame to us. To me. It would be a serious and difficult task to replace you, but do not think for a moment that I am incapable of doing so. If you cannot undo this…this…humiliation, then I will see no wrong in finishing you both for good. This girl is a trifle! I should not even have to waste my time worrying about such matters! It's despicable," he seethed. "She is a liability now thanks to your incompetence, and I cannot afford any weaknesses! Not one! Do you understand me?" he yelled.
"Yes, My Lord," the Carrows said in unison, their heads bowed. A thick and terrifying silence fell over them all as the couple awaited their orders.
"Get out of my sight," the Dark Lord said in a quiet voice laced with hatred.
The Carrows didn't need to be told twice.
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AN: Gah! I know, I know. You can throw things if you want to! I deserve it for my atrocious lack of update skills lately. I'm so sorry guys! School has been kicking my butt lately. At least this chapters fairly long, though, right?
Anyways, I have a couple of questions for you. Is this story getting boring? What about Harry and Ana's relationship? Is it too fast? Too slow? Are you aching for some romance? Really, any insight you guys can give me would be immensely helpful and not to mention appreciated.
I would love to hear your feedback. Reviews keep me going! Okay, done now. Thanks guys for reading (and putting up with me :) ). Sorry again for the late update. I'll try and do better next time. Check my profile page for news and stuff. I'll post my progress there so you guys won't be in the dark completely. All right, I'm really done now. Have a great day!