A matter of force

by ContraBardus

Start with Harry Potter, change something, and Harry learns to rock. Irreverent, chaotic, and the more movies you've seen, the funnier you're likely to find it. Expect many cammeos.

25. Chapter 25

A Matter of Force

Part 25

The end of summer.

OooOOooOO

Anna Potter had a frown on her face. It was evening, and she was supposed to be at the Hog's Head with the rest of her family. The sun had vanished below the horizon just moments before, and she'd aparated onto Knockturn Alley. The wrong end of the alley, farthest from the entrance. She growled in frustration and looked around.

It was supposed to be one last show for the band before school started again, and an excuse for the adults to hang about together. It was still early in the evening, but the sky had grown dark.

Several people were looking at her, at first with surprise, then a sort of gleeful cruelty. A few of the shop owners were outside, locking up for the evening and pulling signs and outside displays into the safety of their shops.

An old ugly crone leered at her as she shuffled up to get into her face. "What's the matter little girl? Are you lost?"

Anna arched her eyebrow and looked over at her. "No. I know where I am."

She'd not stopped moving, and pushed aside the old woman as she tried to slow her by moving in front of her. She was thinking the girl was frightened, but found herself flat on her rear, looking up the girl's skirt as she passed over her head. "Eh?"

Anna turned as the alley's populace did as a cold adult voice called out over the alley in a subdued, but well heard tone. "Leave."

Doors closed and locked all around the girl. A few people who didn't own businesses had taken shelter with the shopkeepers. Before ten seconds had passed, the street was clear. The redhead smirked as she found herself looking at about ten black hooded men. They were huddled together in a group and glaring at her behind masks with a familiar symbol embroidered on them. "Well. I find myself wondering if ending up here was an accident. It doesn't seem likely."

"Get her." The one in the middle of the pack pointed at the redhead. Six wizards, and three witches rushed forward, all brandishing wands.

The girl set her feet and balled up her fists. "Well. I wonder what's gotten you so brash? This is an awful lot of trouble to go to over one little girl." She glared at the group as they walked towards her, she wasn't moving and seemed unafraid.

"Crucio!" One of the wizards jumped and flicked his wrist as her hand started to move to her side. She managed to grab her wand, but the spell was too fast at near point blank range. She screamed and fell to the ground, landing on her side. Her hand gripped the metal in her fist as she writhed and cramped up on the ground. Pain was coursing through her body. It intensified as another witch cast the spell again. A short fat wizard was cackling through his mask as he pointed his wand at her and did it again.

The girl was gasping and writhing on the ground. She went still and breathed in heavy shallow breaths with her face down towards the ground.

"No one is going to save you!" One of the witches jumped forward and kicked her over onto her back with a shot to the ribs. She pointed her wand down at her and glared with her face covered by her mask. "Avada..." Her voice trailed off as her face became contorted as she clawed at her own throat.

The girl had a calm expression on her face, and a dim red light had formed in the back of her irises. A flash of red and a low hum sounded. Before any of the group surrounding her could react, she was on her feet and crouched with her weapon cocked back as if finishing a strike. The witch who was standing over him didn't move and seemed frozen.

The teenage girl pushed her palm up to her attacker's face and the woman's head flew off of a clean cut back into the wall. The lifeless form fell to the ground at the redhead's side and she stood upright glaring at them all with a demonic and angry looking glare. She started speaking, keeping her eyes on the leader of the pack. He was standing with his arms crossed and the girl started speaking to him. "The time has come and so have I. I'll laugh last cause you came to die. The damage done, the pain subsides, and I can see the fear clear when I look in your eye."

The group started casting spells. Two stunning curses bounced off her blade as she jumped into the one closest to her. She planted her knee into his face and twisted in mid air as an arcing blade of air passed in front of her. "I never kneel and I'll never rest. You can tear the heart from my chest. I'll make you see what I do best, I'll succeed as you breathe your very last breath." The girl reached towards the witch who had cast the stunning spell while still in the air. The woman screamed as she was lifted off her feet and found her face in the girl's palm. Anna twisted as she hit the ground and planted her face into the ground. The woman went limp and didn't move again. The girl had a crazed looking grin on her face as she back flipped and performed a pair of splits on her hands as one of the wizards tried to cast another stunning spell at point blank range. She clamped down on his arm with her legs and pulled him in the air over herself. He was tossed headfirst into one of the witch's face and both crumpled to the ground.

"Now I know how the angel fell. I know the tale and I know it too well. I'll make you wish you had a soul to sell. When I strike you down and send you straight to hell!" Her wand reflected another stunning spell, taking a short round Death Eater in his chest and sending him on his back. She twisted into a kick that bent the remaining witch over her leg. Anna flipped again, sending her onto her back as she grabbed one of the wizard's arms, flipped over his shoulder, and threw him face first against the wall of one of the shops as she landed behind him. He fell onto an empty rack dripping blood from what was left of his face.

Three wizards were standing with their leader watching in shocked horror. They had her surrounded and two rushed her sides as another cast another cutting spell at her. The girl spun, causing the pair trying to grab her to butt heads. Her blade hit the side of the arc of air, and a few sparks flew as it seemed to grind off her weapon and into the ground at her side. A long line was carved into the street just beside her, just missing the two wizards piled together behind her. With a simple toss the man who cast the cutting spell lost his head, and her wand returned to her palm as she stabbed behind her taking another through the chest. "My army comes from deep within. Beneath my soul, beneath my skin. As you're ending, I'm about to begin. My strength, his bane, and I will never give in." She jumped into the air before the remaining wizard could fire another burst of magic at her. Her hand reached out just before the apex of her jump and he flew into her grip as the witch had. She spun him around in the air and tossed him into a heavy wooden sign over one of the doors. He bounced once on his head on the pavement before coming down face down about ten feet beyond it. A pool of blood began to form under him.

Two of the remaining wizards managed to stand, but the girl hooked them across their faces with a single hooking kick. They flew back as if they'd been hit by someone much larger and stronger than a young teen.

Anna raised her voice to just below a shout as she faced the end of the alley again. "I'll tell you now, I'm the one to survive! You never break my faith or my stride! I'll have you choke on your own demise! I make the angels scream, and the devil cry!" The girl was glaring right at the lead Death Eater as she started walking towards him unobstructed, punching her fist into her palm as she did so.

The girl put her hand over her head, all of her attackers were dead or disabled. A few wands littered the ground about the alley, but those who still had them couldn't pull themselves together enough to use them if they were awake at all. A ball of gray began to form over her palm as she spoke the next part. It looked like she was reciting a spell as the power grew in her hands as she spoke. She was really just using her fireball trick to make a ball of highly compressed air with no real heat in it. "My honored brethren, we come together, to unite as one, against those that are damned. We show no mercy, for we have none. Our enemy shall fall, as we apprise to claim our fate Now and forever. We'll be together in love and in hate." She jumped ten feet into the air over the middle of the Death Eater group.

The lead wizard was standing with his back to a wall. His fellow living death eaters were staggering and confused, holding wounds and trying to figure out where the girl had gone. The redhead came down right in front of him and crouched. A shock wave of heavy air pressure blew dust, and his friends off their feet, and slammed his back into the wall hard. He managed to keep his feet and found the girl's wand pointed square at his throat. It was far too strong for the force of her landing, and all of the adults were stunned and groaning in pain from their injuries on the ground.

The redhead was quite pleased with herself for the use of the opening part of 'Shall Never Surrender' from Devil May Cry 4. She looked at him with a cocky wide eyed and dangerous looking gaze. "It is a mistake to fear him more than me." She hopped up on top of an empty basket, keeping the blade close to his neck and forcing him to turn and fall onto his back. "Best make sure your friends remember!" She raised her weapon over her head with a wild eyed smile that was beyond unpleasant.

A blade of light caught her weapon as it came down at the leader's neck. Anna growled as she turned her eyes.

The blade was red, and Draco Malfoy was giving her a snarling glare. He had come from the roof of one of the shops, and wasn't wearing a costume like his friends. "Potter." The man on the ground kicked at the basket the girl was standing on. She hopped away, keeping her wand together with Draco's. They circled, ignoring the adults.

The blond boy kept his eyes on her as he spoke to the group. "Leave. You've failed miserably."

The only remaining witch spoke up. "Who? You?!" She seemed to recognize the boy and was about the only one with enough wit to speak. Only four had survived. He had the same sort of weapon as the girl and she looked back and fourth between them. "Help us then. You'll be rewarded, your family will be remembered by our Lord!"

Draco snorted and kept his eyes on the redhead. "She mangled you. I suggest you remember this. I'm not strong enough to take her. I can only hope to distract her long enough. Go. Now."

"You'd best listen. There's a group headed this way. It's best if you're not seen." The redhead didn't seem worried and was smiling at the boy. She seemed to be enjoying the surprise of finding him there. "Hello Draco. My, we've learned a bit over the summer have we? I take it you think you'll be leaving your old wand at home next year?" The adults collected their wands, used them to wake their stunned comrade, and sulked into the shadows looking wounded as he helped them. He was the most fortunate of the attackers. The girl unhooked her blade long enough to knock away two last moment stabs in the back. They shot into the walls and did nothing but disperse. Her blade was back against Draco's as he tried to stab and take advantage.

"You can't stop me from growing stronger." The boy snarled at her. He didn't look sure of himself, the glow in the back of her eyes, and the look on her face was throwing him off. Her fake looking grin was gone, and she looked quite serious.

The girl shook her head. "Well, I couldn't, before you gave me this opportunity to be rid of you. Imagine, a group of hoodlums, murdering a little girl, and the boy who died in the act." Her hand shot forward and bolts of electrical power slammed into the boy's chest. He grunted in pain and landed on the ground.

The adults were scattering, only the leader remained as he backed away with wide eyes. He gripped his wand but fumbled with it in an impotent manner. The boy was on the ground, and he turned and started staggering away to escape the alley's confinement. There were lots of small passages and cracks to slip away into along Knockturn Alley, but he found himself cornered and forced to stagger around them towards the main road.

Anna walked up to Draco with a small ball of orange light forming in her hand pointed down at the boy.

Draco rolled as she released it, his wand coming on as he knocked it away. A large hole was blown into the pavement behind the lead member of the Death Eater gang throwing him down onto his face as he tried to run in terror while watching the scene behind him over his shoulder.

The blond rolled and staggered to his feet in a crouch with his wand gripped in his hand. He was panting and looking nervous as he tried to back away. He didn't stumble, and moved past anything that might trip him up without looking. He kept his wand between himself and the girl in a defensive manner.

Anna simply stood watching him and shut her wand down as she looked on. Voices called her name from the other end of the alley, carrying over the silence. "Another time then. I'll find your master soon enough. I don't really need you to do it. You should think well on who you fear more. Go on, get out of here." She waved him away.

The boy rushed away into the shadows. All of the girl's surviving attackers had managed to slip into the darkness. She snorted an amused chuckle as she turned and started jogging towards the voices.

As she started towards them she glanced over her shoulder. "Why target me? What's going on here? This is more than I expected. They're too bold for this early on." She frowned a little and shook her head. "I doubt this was Draco's idea." She growled and clenched her fist as she saw her brother jogging around the corner on the other end of the alley.

"Anna!" The boy was gasping as he rushed up. He looked relieved as she smiled at him and jogged to meet him half way. "What happened?" His pace slowed as he drew near, there was something off about her eyes. It seemed to fade as she stared towards him in a calm stroll.

The girl shrugged. "I dunno. I ended up here instead of Hog's Head. Then a bunch of Death Eaters attacked me. There's some dead back there."

Harry's face fell. There were men standing around the both of them all of a sudden. He turned his head back to see his family rounding the corner. Worry was replaced by confusion as the group grew larger behind their parents. "What?"

Anna was looking up at the men. "Hi. I take it you're investigating something here?" The man she was looking at frowned a little, but another walked up. "I'm Captain Barker. There was an illegal interruption of..."

"Yes. Some jerks..." The girl started to speak, but was interrupted by one of the men behind them.

Harry was looking confused and worried. His parents were trying to get by the Aurors and were learning the details of the investigation. "Bodies! Sir!"

"They tried to kill me. Wasn't such a good idea." The girl looked like she wanted to say more. She bent forward clutching her belly as blood flew from between her lips. She felt someone grab her, but took a moment to realize it was her brother. She'd lost her breath, and a painful stabbing pain was coursing through her body. She heard her brother call out her name as the world faded in and out. The girl wasn't sure how she ended up on her back, but she could feel her body shaking in a painful series of cramps and waves of pain. The world went black and silent.

OooOOooOO

Harry smiled at his sister as her eyes cracked open. "I suppose it's my turn next then? Welcome back."

Anna frowned, she was still groggy. "One can only hope. The hospital again?"

The boy nodded. "Afraid so. Mum and Dad are sleeping." He glanced over his shoulder. There was a couch on the wall opposite the bed, and both adults were covered and leaning against each other.

"How long?" She scratched her skull and pushed herself onto her back. It made her head swim a bit, but it faded.

"About two days. I'd wake up Mum and Dad, but they've not gotten any sleep. We kind of figured out what happened. The Aurors were able to use their wands to find out what sort of spells they were casting. They weren't trying to catch you." The boy hung his head and frowned.

"I noticed. I wonder what brought it about?" The redhead didn't want to think and it showed. "I'll worry about it later."

"Well, you killed six of them. I assume you can't identify any of them? The Aurors will be by later to ask about it."

She frowned at him and nodded. "Yeah. There were ten. I can't say who they were. Masks and all that. I could venture a guess, but I couldn't prove anything."

The boy smirked at her. "There's something you're not telling."

The redhead gave a small sigh. "We'll talk about that later. What happened to me?"

Harry sat down on the bed. "You got hit with quite a nasty spell. More than once. It messed you up pretty bad, a little internal bleeding, sprained muscles. Nothing that would kill you, but it had to hurt. Everyone seemed surprised you were able to move at all with all that. You moving about while under it made it worse they think." He scrunched his face up and didn't look pleased to be thinking about it. "They knew we were going to be there. Probably because of those posters we put up on the walls in the bar."

She nodded and looked up as the door opened. The wizard tending her recovery smiled as he walked in, and the two adults on the couch woke up at the sound of his entrance. "Well, hello Miss Potter."

OooOOooOO

Anna Potter's face was a firm frown as she sat at a table in a well lit, small, and featureless room. She was glaring at the wall opposite her, and hadn't seen her family since she'd left the hospital. The Aurors had come for her no more than two hours after she'd woken up.

A man walked into the room. He had a mane of blond hair and a heavy beard. He had a firm frown on his face, and looked to be angry and Scottish. "Miss Potter."

"Mr. Scrimgeor I presume?" She gave him a nod and frowned back at him in a passive manner. She wasn't pleased, but seemed to be taking the affair in stride.

"I'm getting tired of cleaning up after you." He slapped a folder onto the table. "First vampires, then drow, now this. Six people are dead."

"I'd noticed." She nodded and shrugged. "Ten people kidnapped and tortured an adorable young girl. Four are left."

He growled a bit and flipped open the folder. "I've a feeling there's something you're not telling us." He didn't look up as he perused it's contents. It was thick with pages and he flipped about them. "Things would go easier if you cooperate."

"I am cooperating. Any word on what those drow wanted?" The girl turned her eyes towards the door and kicked her legs a bit.

The man turned his eyes up to look at her. She was smiling at him. "We're still gathering information, and cave elves don't associate with wizards much. I do hope you realize that you could be in serious trouble."

"For what? Not rolling over to die?" She scrunched her face up and looked to be irate with him. "You've got nothing to threaten me with. I've been a good little witch, and you've got people who weren't being very honest about how often the Imperius curse was used. I'm betting what you found will tell you that much. I bet you've known it for years though. Must be annoying."

"Well, you are the studious one. Been reading up a bit?" The man snorted. He was a little impressed, but seemed to loom over her in an intimidating way.

"I do hope you're smart enough to realize you can't puff yourself up big enough to scare me." The girl rubbed under her eye with her finger as she said it as if scratching an itch. "Of course I've looked up a bit. I don't care if the stupid prophecy is true or not. That doesn't stop idiots from trying to kill me." She crossed her arms and looked towards the door again. "Stop glaring at me that way. I'm not beyond control you know. You just have to keep people who might want to kill me for no good reason out of my hair."

"I suggest you share that with Kate Delane. You cut off her mother's head, and you'll be attending Hogwarts with her next year. You probably know her, she's to be a sixth year. A Prefect at that." The man tossed a photo onto the table with the girl sitting with her mother. "I'm sure you'll be getting to know her rather well."

Anna glared down at it and her eyes twitched. "Thanks for the warning. I hope she's smart enough not to let her mother's mistakes ruin her life."

"Yes. Quite a group you've collected." Five more photos were laid out across the table in front of her. Each with a family. Most weren't old enough for Hogwarts yet. "I imagine you'll be meeting some of them. Though, not all of them will be able to afford Hogwarts any longer. Thanks to you." The man put his palms onto the table and set his glare into her eyes.

She nodded at him and spoke, returning his stare. "I will not be killed by a cult of lunatics. I am sorry for their loss, I doubt they want to kill me any less now, but I hope they are afraid enough to not try something so stupid again. They will learn to fear me, if they continue to hunt me."

"You're going to get yourself killed." The man snorted and shook his head. "Bull headed brat." He had expected her to burst into tears as she looked at the photos. She was looking at them, her features twitching in what almost looked like anger. It had gotten to her, but in a much more subdued manner than he'd expected. "Do you feel anything at all?" He stood up and left the folder, letting her stare at the families. Her eyes were cool, and she shifted them a bit to get a better look.

"Pity, that someone would throw all this away, just to kill a child they don't know." She turned her nose up and watched him walk towards the door.

"We found no evidence of the Killing Curse in any of the wands we found at the scene." He glanced back at her with his hand on the knob.

"I cut off her head before she finished saying it. I've seen Avada Kedavra before, and I still remember it." The girl frowned at him and narrowed her eyes. "I notice you didn't mention any other, supposed, fabricated spells in those wands. You've got no grounds to prosecute me, in fact, I'm the victim. Why bother with trying to intimidate me? A curious position to take." She was looking at the photo of the older girl. There was no grief or remorse in her eyes, but she was thinking hard about something as she looked at the pictures.

He turned and spoke with the door still open. "Cut her loose. We have everything we need."

OooOOooOO

"I'm not sure what worries me more, the fact that someone tried to kill her, or that she killed six of them. James, some of them looked beat to death!" Lily was sitting in a hallway, her husband's coat over her shoulders, and a handkerchief gripped in her palm. She was in tears and leaning against his chest. The man looked very serious and looked over at his son.

The boy was kicking his feet and looking at the ground. He didn't seem bothered by his surroundings, or the events that had transpired. "Are you all right son?"

"I guess. Could have been me just as easily. Anna was right though, once we came back into the wizarding world, things got messy right away." He shrugged and looked at them. He didn't look worried. "I can't say one way or another whether more might have lived if it had been me. I'm kind of surprised, it was like something kept me from noticing it. I didn't realize that there had been a fight until we got there. That's strange." He seemed to think about it for a moment. His parents didn't push the matter, and he was relieved. He had no desire to spring the fact that someone else was trying to kill him on top of the Death Eaters. He should have known she was in danger. The Sith were involved somehow.

The man looked at his son with confused and a bit of wonder. "Harry. You do realize that your sister could be in a lot of trouble. There are people dead."

"For what?" The boy seemed confused. He sat up and adjusted his glasses. "They kidnapped her and tried to kill her. She gave them a rather nasty thrashing. I'm just glad she was able to shake that curse off long enough to fight them off. I'm not so sure I'd have done any better in that position." He frowned and shook his head. "We prefer peaceful solutions."

The adults were looking at him and huddled a little closer together.

"He's right. I doubt they'll do more than scare her a bit." The man shook his wife's arm.

"Not likely." Harry shrugged at that.

Lily sat up a bit more. "Somebody took her and hurt her, James." She still looked frightened and distraught. "We've got to do something!? We can't...what can we do?"

The boy hung his head and looked at his hands as he clasped them together between his knees. He felt his father's hand on his head and slumped down against his side as he pulled him closer. "I hope you're right, son."

"I'm pretty sure." The boy nodded.

OooOOooOO

It was dark, the moon hung high over Malfoy Manor. Draco was standing on the front porch of his home. He was sweating and panting for breath, his eye was black and swollen, and he was leaning against the railing and looking out over the lawn, frowning at his aching body. He didn't look upset, but calm and thoughtful.

Lucius strolled out on the porch. "What in the Dark Lord's name are you doing out here?" He didn't sound upset, but his tone worsened as the boy glanced over his shoulder and he noticed his injuries. "Where have you been? How did you get like this?" The man grabbed the boy's cheek to have a better look at his eye.

The boy grabbed his father's arm and shoved it aside. "What? How dare you speak to me that way you worm!"

The older man fell to his knees and the boy kicked him in the face and onto his back. Draco's stare leveled on him and he stalked forward stepping on the man's chest. His father was turning red, spit flying from his lips as he grasped at his throat.

The boy snarled at him. "Don't forget which of us ran screaming from that brat. I won't be saving your skin again if you're stupid enough to try again. She's far beyond your pathetic magic power." The older man's head relaxed and he sucked in his breath, the boy pushed down with his foot enough to make it more of a struggle. "I've not forgotten, see that you don't either, Father. I will not cower before that dog you call a master. I've seen what's left of him, and I'm less than impressed. My Master is far stronger than even Voldemort can imagine. Ruling a planet is nothing to a Sith, our kind is destined to hold the fate of Galaxies within their grip! You don't need to ask any more questions, or worry about what I'm doing again." The boy walked back into the house and turned his head back to speak without showing the man his face. "I saved you once because I care. Stay out of this, I'm no concern of yours any more. I have moved beyond mere Wizarding. You'll get killed, my Master isn't very forgiving. I belong to my Master, for now."

Lucius Malfoy had a shocked expression on his face. His hands were shaking and tears streamed down his cheeks, he whimpered as he realized that his crotch was fast becoming cooler as the air cooled the area he'd wet himself in. He staggered to his rear and sat on the porch looking at the door with wide eyes. He put his hand up to his neck and felt the rough skin on the long thin burn mark just under his chin. "What in Merlin's name...?"

OooOOooOO

"Are you all right?" Melvin shook Harry's shoulder. He was sitting on the couch with the boy with the mirror in front of them on a gardening tips show. They were visiting Sirius, and the girls were in Pansy's room together. Harry wasn't really watching the show, and Melvin was half reading a magazine.

"Yeah. I'm just worried about Anna. Mum and Dad won't let us out of the house without them." The boy shifted a bit and seemed to shake out of a zone. "I dunno. I felt something off when I found her. She looked strange for a moment."

The dark haired boy shrugged. "I dunno. They did torture her a bit."

Harry sat back and adjusted his glasses. "I guess. She's pretty upset with herself for being so slow with her wand. She got cocky and caught off guard." He paused and noticed what his friend was reading. "Is that..."

"Yeah. Vague. There's an article about your sister." He moved their shoulders together and showed him. "She's this big feminine Icon it seems. All sorts of women's groups are going nuts. Something about 'Girl Power' and not acting like a man accessory. It doesn't say Quidditch, but it mentions she plays sports at school, writes all the songs, and such. Look, 'Anna Potter, as young and new to the scene as she is, is probably one of the biggest voices for feminine empowerment and women's rights today. Not just in her songs, but also in her words, and I'm beautiful without spandex and a push up bra attitude."Melvin looked up to see Harry holding his stomach and laughing himself to tears beside him. "What?" He seemed confused. "Look, there's a whole stack of magazines with stuff like that in it."

"Wow! This is great!" Harry jumped up and took an armload. "Come on! We're going to annoy her!"

Melvin was pleased. "Excellent!"

OooOOooOO

Anna's cheeks were red and she looked both horrified and stunned. Melvin and Harry were snickering at the expression she had. The girl didn't seem to notice.

"What? You didn't notice?" Pansy seemed surprised as she sat down next to the girl. "All sorts of people talk about us that way. You especially. It's awesome!"

Margaret shook her shoulders and wrinkled her nose as she grinned at them both. "Did she notice? Are you kidding? The only thing she reads is Guitar World, Rock Today, and Metal Magazine. She doesn't even watch Entertainment Talk, or Wizarding Gossip Today."

Pansy looked shocked. "You don't read Sorceress Teen Beat, Young Witch, or anything?" It was as if she didn't comprehend such a thing.

"No." Anna frowned at her and sighed. "I don't want to be bothered with crap like this. I am not a feminine Icon! I just want to rock."

"Well, you've figured out the secret formula then." Harry shrugged and shook his head. It was obvious he was pleased and amused.

"Great. I hate thinking about stuff like that." The redhead hung her head and tossed the magazine over her shoulder. A bunny caught it mid air and zipped out the room.

Melvin turned and went after it. "Hey! I'm not done with that!"

The redhead fell flat on her back and put her arms up. "Ugh. I'm sick of being stuck inside already! It's only been two days!"

"Sorry you got grounded." Pansy shuffled her feet.

Harry shook his head. "People died. It's for the best, and she knows it."

The girl's stare turned into a small glare at the ceiling. "Speak for yourself. I'd love the chance to thin the ranks with legal impunity. I'm not stupid enough to go looking for trouble. I'm not going to pass up an opportune moment though."

The boy shook his head. "I don't share your enthusiasm." He'd lost a bit of his cheer, but didn't seem angry. "Careful what you wish for."

"I agree." Pansy nodded. "It's best to avoid trouble."

Anna nodded and scrunched up her face a bit. "I know. I know it's coming anyway though."

"I don't think she did anything wrong." Margaret frowned at Harry and the brunette girl.

"Tell that to their children and family and see what it gets you." The redhead rubbed at her eyes. "Can we talk about something else? That wasn't something I enjoyed you know. It hurt quite a bit."

Pansy frowned at the redhead. "We aren't really going to try and squeeze in another album before we go back are we? I think my head is getting full, I can't remember half the songs on our first album without hearing them first."

Harry shook his head. "Naw. I already talked to her about slowing down a bit. Two or three a year is plenty."

Margaret fell onto the mattress. "Thank Merlin!"

"Rock pussies." Anna crossed her arms and grumbled. She'd caved pretty easily on the matter. They'd eat through it all before they graduated Hogwarts at the rate they were going.

"Hey. After 'cock push ups' you've got no right to say that to me." The boy narrowed his eyes and jabbed his finger in a comical manner.

"What? What good is that?" Pansy looked confused. "Cock push ups? Like a chicken?"

"Just let it go." Margaret put her hand on the girl's shoulder and shook her head.

"Yeah. You'll find out when you're older." Anna chuckled and lifted one of the magazine's up to flip through it.

"We're the same age!" Pansy turned her nose up and seemed a bit miffed.

"I wonder if Melvin caught that bunny?" Harry decided it was a good time to leave.

Margaret laid flat next to Anna. "So. I've heard Cedric has been hanging about over your house."

Pansy laid down on the opposite side. "Right. Your Mum mentioned it."

"He's been hanging around my brother." The redhead moved the magazine she was holding open over her down a bit. "We're both stuck inside. The whole neighborhood hangs around there."

"That's not what Harry said. He says he spends most of his time sitting with you and those two girls." The raven haired girl was inspecting her nails.

The magazine was almost covering her face. "I hate you both. Look, neither one of us trust Lee Jordan. The Weasley boys have it out for both of us. They found out he helped me turn the whites of their eyes purple. I had to get Mom to brew up a cure for a hiccups curse last week. I am not dating him. I don't like him that much. What is it with you two and this odd fixation? I talk to other boys you know."

"But, you do like boys then yes?" Pansy was looking pleased as she leaned on her elbow and kicked her legs a bit.

"Yes." Anna grumbled it from under her magazine. It was just laid out across her face.

"He is a cute one isn't he?" Margaret was doing the same thing.

"There's nothing wrong with him. No. Look, I'm more worried about the people trying to kill my family than who I'd like to have tea with. I do understand and all, but I've got priorities." She took the magazine off her face and looked back and fourth between them.

"So, you would like to have tea with him then?" Pansy leaned in and pushed her shoulder a little.

"I'm not admitting anything." Anna looked annoyed and flipped through the pages.

"Hmm, but you're not denying it either." Margaret nodded and looked at Pansy.

"Yeah. She's totally into him. Though, that guy Brian wasn't too bad either." The other girl agreed and they both sat up and talked as if the redhead wasn't laid out between them.

"He's as dumb as a rock. Nice guy though." Anna commented.

Pansy gave a small sigh. "Not for me then. I've got to be able to talk to someone."

Margaret nodded. "I suppose. I think obedience is more important. I could get by without listening to sports stories and the latest in action adventure entertainment."

"Well, you're just going to have to learn to deal with it. Most boys are like that. Have you seen the look Harry and Melvin get when we even walk towards a shoe store?" Pansy gave a small snort as she giggled about it for a moment.

"Why do I have so many shoes anyway?" Anna propped herself up with her elbows and looked at her feet. "I've got like thirty pairs. I only use a few of them."

Pansy furrowed her brow and looked amazed. "Are you kidding? You'll be glad you've got them when you find the perfect outfit to go with them!"

Anna fell back again. "Whatever."

Margaret chuckled and shook her knee. "You shouldn't pose. Your brother is no better than mine about shoe stores."

Anna almost mentioned that it was probably her mother's fault, but shrugged and said nothing.

OooOOooOO

Harry was sitting in a large ring of neighborhood kids on the floor to his home. He was playing a wizarding card game with the boys, and the girls were sitting about watching and talking with them.

"Are you sure you don't want to try?" Harry's dragon was dealing damage to some sort of ogre in the center of the circle. It was something akin to 'Yugi Oh' or 'Magic: The Gathering' for wizarding youth.

Anna scrunched her face up a bit. "No. I've enough trouble with the deck I've already got."

Marci leaned in with her finger on her bottom lip. She looked a bit nervous. "Um, deck?" She was sitting furthest away from the redhead next to Lee Jordan. Noriko was between Cedric and Harry looking on at the game.

The asian girl turned and grinned at her. "You play something else then?"

"She's talking about the Tarot deck she keeps in her pocket." Harry slapped another card down and some sort of meteor took out a small section of the carpet.

Cedric shifted a bit in his seat and looked back and fourth between the twins. He didn't say anything and countered with something that froze a patch of the carpet, and Harry's dragon over.

"I heard there's a rumor going about that someone attacked you in London." Lee spoke up and grinned at them. "Way I heard it, some people got killed." He seemed to find the idea amusing and interesting.

"Don't be silly. That was just that Skeeter running her mouth again." Mark furrowed his eyebrows. "Mum doesn't care much for her. She ruined a friendship for her a while back."

"I heard about that. It sounded scary!" Marci shifted and looked over at the girl.

Both Potter twins had gone silent. Harry slapped another card down as the group looked at the two of them in a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Well, you won't be hearing about it here." Anna looked at the group and shrugged as she realized it was going to last until one of them spoke up.

"What about those cards then?" Nori stood up and walked over to her side. "You can do readings then? They don't teach it in London. You've got to go to Manchester Sorcery Academy if you want to take Divination."

Marci looked interested as well. "Right. So, um...you can see the future?"

Nori grinned. "I had a great aunt who was said to be a great psychic in Japan. She used to do fire readings, and told fortunes at New Years."

Anna shrugged. "I'm pretty good at it."

"Will you give us readings then?" The asian girl looked pleased and excited.

"I-I suppose it can't hurt." Marci had managed to shuffle over a bit closer. She seemed flushed and quiet, but had come by as much as any of the others had.

"Yeah. It's still early, you could do it for all of us right?" Nori was hanging off her arm.

Cedric slapped a card down. "Count me out. Once was enough for me."

The redhead hung her head for a moment and frowned. "Maybe some other time. I don't like doing it very often. Readings can get a bit strange sometimes. It's better if I do it one on one anyway. I only give private readings."

OooOOooOO

Harry Potter was walking by the bathroom with a letter in his hand. Anna had just stepped out and closed the door behind herself. She was wearing a pair of pajamas and had a towel wrapped over her hair."Hey. Hermione and Ron's family are going to meet..." The boy paused and followed her as she seemed to ignore him and go into her room. She was sitting on the end of her bed staring at the floor with a somewhat dazed expression on her face. "Um. Are you all right?"

The girl looked up and seemed to notice him. "Oh. Sorry. Just answered one of the great questions of the universe."

"Great. Um, anyway. We're going to the Alley tomorrow, to get our stuff from school." The boy nodded. "Ron and Hermione are going to meet us with their families."

Anna nodded. "Oh. We'll meet Mr. Lockheart then I expect. We'll be needing to buy all of his books at least. He'll be teaching Defense of Dark Arts next year. Totally unqualified. He's kind of a glory stealing jerk. The only thing he can cast is a memory charm, but he doesn't seem to realize it. He's a bumbling idiot, and I'm left wondering why Dumbledore hired him in the first place. He's not even very good at lying. He's a con artist and a criminal."

Her brother's face fell. "Oh. That's, um, great I guess. What's this about some great question? I thought Hermione answered that."

The girl was rubbing her hair dry with a towel and frowned at him. "Not that one."

"What then?"

She shrugged. "It's better for girls."

"What?" He looked irate and confused.

"Sorry, but it is." She seemed to frown a bit as she said it and looked away towards the corner of her room near the floor.

"Whatever. We'll be leaving around ten. Just wanted to let you know." The boy sighed and shook his head. "What's with her anyway? What's better for girls?"

The redhead smiled to herself, wondering how long it would take him to figure out what she was talking about. She found herself hoping she'd be around to witness it.

OooOOooOO

A rather large group of children walked down Diagon Alley amongst a crowd. The whole alley was dead quiet, and everyone turned to watch the group pass as they moved by. The Granger parents seemed very aware of this fact and huddled over their daughter, grabbing her shoulders. The girl glanced up at them, but seemed unsure. She almost pulled her parents closer to Harry.

The boy was looking about observing the crowd. All around them the wizards parted, some looking on with wide eyes, others looking away and shuffling aside. Not everyone looked horrified, but everyone was interested and watching what they were doing. The boy looked over to her. "Something happened a few nights ago. A group of Death Eaters pulled my sister out of the Floo Network. Some people died."

The girl's eyes went wide. "What?"

The boy didn't look comfortable. "We're trying to avoid talking about it. Anna got attacked, and she killed a few of them."

Ron was at the boy's side listening in. He arched his eyebrow a little. "Really? It's good that she's not hurt."

Harry nodded. "It'll be nice to be at Hogwarts again. We won't have to worry about angry mobs attacking us quite as much. It's been twice this summer."

Ron nodded. "Being famous is more dangerous than I'd thought." He tipped his hat up a little and looked very casual. "They don't like me much either. I've not done anything to them."

Anna glanced back over her shoulder. "How do you think we feel?"

"We don't care much for him either. He's not the kindest man." Melvin shrugged. His sister rolled her eyes as she almost asked her guardian what he thought of the matter. He seemed to be interested in the inside of Lissa Parkinson's top. Pansy's mother didn't seem to mind much.

Pansy had a rather subdued smile. "She won't talk about it. Neither one of them will." She looked back at Hermione and shrugged.

"Y-you're not famous...are you?" Hermione's father was looking at her with a rather blank expression.

The girl's eyes went wide. "N-no. Not like them anyway." She looked down, and found herself wondering about the answer to that question. She'd never been recognized, but solving the ultimate question had made her famous to some people.

Fred leaned in towards them. "We're not famous either. Don't worry."

Ron looked back. "I am."

"We noticed that Ronald. The rest of us aren't." Percy frowned at his youngest brother a little.

Hermione was still a bit put off by the new Ron Weasley. He was quiet, and seemed agreeable and thoughtful. He also slouched a little more, he wasn't brooding, but seemed relaxed in excess. It was different than the vibe she got from Harry. Ron seemed to swagger a bit more and seemed less interested and afraid about the world around him. "I'm looking forward to Hogwarts, we'll be safe there. Just ask Anna. She can see the future after all."

The girl gave her a small frown. "You'll live."

The frazzle haired girl seemed pleased. "See? I'll be fine." It seemed to settle her parents a bit more. It hadn't escaped their attention that the Potter girl was being very quiet and seemed to be the focus of attention. The Potter parents were looming over her more than her brother. Pansy and Margaret were relatively silent as a result.

Ron looked over at Melvin. "My sister is attending this year. You'd better leave her alone."

The boy looked surprised. "Huh? Nah, I'm aiming higher. She's just a first year, nothing to worry about. Not from me anyway."

"She won't be forever. I'd pay attention now, so it doesn't come up later." Harry nodded and glanced at him. The soon to be second year boys were keeping their voices down. The girl was at her mother's side, and looked like she'd rather be walking with the older girls not far away.

Ron arched his eyebrow a bit and looked a little insulted. "Aiming higher?"

The dark haired boy shrugged at him. "I like older women."

"He did promise to leave her be." The boy who lived rolled his eyes a little. "He's a pervert, but not a liar."

"Fine. Whatever." The raven haired boy looked a bit annoyed as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Anna seems to like her anyway. Don't worry about it. I'm not stupid enough to piss her off that way."

"Ginny is always talking about your sister." Ron nodded and frowned a bit. "Lots of girls like her from what I've heard. Not much, I've only heard a bit while I was here with my family. She says she's been very nice to her."

"Well, I'm sure she can find a better influence once we get to, Hogwarts." Hermione stuck her nose up a little. "I'll look after her. She's bound to end up with us anyway. Everyone else in your family has after all."

Ron's eyes went a little wide. "Hey. You could say the same thing about him."

Harry seemed to realize it. "He's right."

The girl flushed a bit. "She'll be fine Ron. I'll look after her. Even if it is another house, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff. I'm sure I know someone who will help her a bit here and there."

Anna was looking a bit flushed as she looked around. They were still the object of attention of course, but business had started up again, and people while staring, were moving about to do what they had come for.

Pansy noticed and leaned in towards the girl. "What is it?"

"Every girl here is dressed like me." Anna turned a bit more red and both of her girlfriends realized that her eyes were very wide and surprised. She shifted behind them and ducked her head down into her shoulders. "It's kind of creepy." There were variations on different outfits that she'd worn on album covers and in concert, but it was everywhere. There were a few boys wearing jackets and jeans like her brother's, but it was only a few. Almost every girl within sight under the age of sixteen was dressed like her. Skirts, leather jackets, jeans, bike gloves, lacy gloves, large earrings, several beaded necklaces, ponytails, multiple bracelets, and large sweatbands.

"I suppose she does live out in the country." Margaret looked at Pansy and shrugged.

The brunette girl nodded and shrugged. "It's like this everywhere."

"I'm not dressed like her. Neither is that girl over there!" Hermione put her nose up and pointed at someone standing by one of the doors.

"Yeah. Thanks for that." Anna grinned at her and moved back to shake her shoulder.

Harry was about to speak, but they were nearing a large crowd around the entrance to Flourish and Blotts. His once optimistic hope that his sister might be wrong about something shattered before him in one surprising jolt of a moment. "Uh oh."

Anna Potter had a smirk on her face as the crowd around him seemed to notice them and part. Gilderoy walked right down the middle of the part. He was a tall man, with long blond hair and a huge grin on his face. He had noticed the streets crawl to a dead stop and strolled out to see what was going on. "Ah! You must be the Potter twins, and this must be your band. My, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger!" The man leaned in towards Anna, Hermione, Margaret, and Pansy. All of the girls were looking up at the man in a group. Lily flushed a bit, and most of the women seemed impressed. The little redhead was sure she saw a glint of light shine off his teeth.

Anna was the first of the girls to speak up. The rest swallowed in unison. "How did you do that thing with your teeth?" She looked somewhat spaced out and shook her head a bit. "Cool. Can you teach me? It was all tingly and whatnot!" She grabbed his lips and pulled them apart to peer at his teeth a bit closer.

The man was surprised and pulled away, wiping his face a bit. He smiled at her and did it again. Her knees buckled a little, the rest of the girls seemed to follow suit. Her face hardened a bit. "I'll figure it out!"

The man seemed pleased. "How charming! Well, it's nice to meet you all here." Harry was looking at his sister with a small frown on his face. He gave the man a limp handshake. Ron's grip was a bit firmer and he seemed a bit pleased to meet the man.

Anna was grinning at him behind his back, the girls around her were looking amazed at the announcement and most of the adults looked impressed. Harry was taking glances as Gilderoy started trying to herd them into a photo opportunity. He didn't take his eyes off the girl during the shoot. She was watching the tall blond man with a look he didn't like one bit.

The girl's thoughts were devious enough and she didn't quite realize the vibe she was putting off. "Heh. I'll own him next year. With all I've got on this asshole, heh, he'll be eating out of the palm of my hand! It'll be great. Maybe I can use him to get around Snape a bit. Not too much, he's got no backbone." Her dark looking grin grew ever more sinister. She didn't seem to notice some of the photographers were starting to grow a little nervous.

After the photo shoot passed, a minute or so. Gilderoy was about to use the children to start a sales pitch and announce to the crowd his lauded new position in the administration of Hogwarts. Harry pulled on his cloak and waved him down.

"Yes. What can I do for you my boy?" The man grinned and seemed patient and cheerful. The boy could tell he was annoyed at the interruption.

The boy who lived put his hand on the man's shoulders, looked him dead in the eyes and whispered. "Think about what you're about to do. Perhaps it would be best if you just went home, and rethought your life."

A glaze covered the man's eyes, his features fell. His nose scrunched up as he gave the boy a horrified looking stare. "I...wha? He staggered back a bit, the crowd gasped in confusion and shock, all eyes turning on the man. He was whipping his head about, looking at all of them. They all looked confused and concerned as tears began to fall from his ears. "Yes...yes...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I've got to..." He pulled his cloak tight and rushed away with his head down. "I can't...I just can't..."

The Potter boy looked over at his sister with his eyebrow arched. He gave her a small grin and nodded as her jaw dropped. The girl was watching the man leave with wide eyes. She turned her head and looked at her brother, working her jaw a little.

He gave her a small wave and tugged on Ron's arm.

The red haired boy was wondering the same thing as everyone else. The entire crowd of people was looking at the boy now. He was the first to blurt it out. "What did you say to him?"

"I'm sure it will come out sooner or later." The boy shrugged and looked uncomfortable. He was berating himself for not anticipating such a reaction. He could hear whispered murmurs in the crowd.

Hermione was insistent. "Come on now, Harry! You just scared off the new Defense Against Dark Arts teacher! It's got to be...well..."

Harry's brain wracked for a moment. Finally his head fell a bit. "I just reminded him he'd forgotten something really important, and it would be a good idea to find it. That's all."

More of the crowd relaxed, a few looked dissatisfied, and a couple more seemed to flat out not believe him. Anna was at the boy's side by that point with a frown on her face and her arms crossed. "Oh, was that all it was?" She seemed steamed, but didn't look like she was going to talk about it either.

Pansy and Margaret seemed irate with him. They spoke up and the redhead's head dropped as her arms went lax. "Why did you do that?" Margaret had her nose up.

"Yeah! He was really hot!" Pansy had a disappointed pout on her face.

Melvin shook his head. "Trust me. When you're twenty five and he's sixty, it will matter."

Pansy flashed him an angry glare as her cheeks flushed. "There's more to love than looks you know."

Margaret blinked in surprise and seemed less annoyed. "What? We've already got money. I certainly don't need someone to take care of me anymore. Maybe to help out with the children later I suppose."

Anna ignored all this and gripped her brother's shoulders to shake him. "Do you have any idea how hard it will be to figure out how he does that thing with his teeth if he's not around?!"

"I've a feeling that wasn't the biggest of your plans for him." The boy shook his head and smiled at her despite it. "If you don't stop being such a brat I'm going to get in your way a lot more."

"What's he talking about?" James walked up with a grin on his face behind his son. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Yes. Please share it with all of us." Sirius seemed pleased. The group of children realized they were in the middle of a large crowd, surrounded by parents and family members.

Anna was shifting her foot about in the dirt and wishing she could smack the living hell out of the side of her brother's head. "Nothing. He's just being paranoid for no good reason."

The boy shrugged. "She's not being honest." A sharp pain ran through his toes as her heel crushed them in a quick strike. "Ouch."

"Cut it out you jerk!" She slapped his chest and the crowd seemed to be starting to lose direct interest in them. Most of the people there had business to attend.

OooOOooOO

"Potter." Draco Malfoy was standing before the Potter twins, Ron, and Ginny as they went about buying their books inside the Flourish and Blotts. "I can see you can't even seem to go into a book store without making the front page?"

"Yes, being famous does that for some odd reason." Anna answered, he was looking at her as he said it.

"Oh. It's you." Ron frowned a little and nodded at Draco as he tipped his hat in a surprising gesture of politeness. "Have a good summer then?"

The blond boy shook his head and smiled at the redhead, and then her brother. "Not really. I did a lot of work over the summer."

"Hmm, evil or not, you've learned to be more polite at least." Anna nodded and smirked. "Or are you just stumped because you can't use jokes about his family's income on him anymore?"

The blond boy snorted. "It won't last, they'll keep having children until they're poor again. It will be awful having to deal with so many."

"What? You rotten bastard!" Ginny flushed and shrank back as she hid behind Anna's back.

Ron frowned at her and grabbed her shoulder. "Come on. It's getting crowded."

"Ron!" Arthur Weasley pushed through the crowd as he took note of who the children were speaking too. The boy looked up at his father as the man took his youngest daughter's cauldron and shoved her towards the door in a gentle manner. "Come on, we've still got more to do before we leave." The man looked down at Harry and Anna. "Your friends are at the counter. Don't take too long." He turned and almost walked into Lucius Malfoy's chest.

"Well, if it isn't Arthur Weasley." His voice was tight and he looked over at his son with a small frown.

The red haired man frowned and nodded back. "Lucius."

"Busy time at the Ministry I hear. All those raids, it must be hard to enjoy your son's money with all that overtime." He reached into Ginny's cauldron and pulled out a new copy of 'A beginner's guide to Transfiguration'...

"I'm proud of my son." Arthur puffed out his chest.

"Yes, but if you don't learn to keep better friends, it won't matter much in the end. Try not to breed your own son's fortune away Weasley. Who knows, he might be something someday?" Lucius glanced over at the Granger parents, who were both watching nearby hovering over their worried daughter.

"As if he's not worth something now? I didn't see him killing any vampires," commented Harry. Neither of the adults seemed to notice, but Draco frowned at the pair.

Anna stepped between, put her hand up to Mr. Weasley's chest, and snatched the book from Lucius Malfoy's hand. The red haired man looked confused as he realized he'd not jumped forward as planned, and couldn't drop his daughter's cauldron.

"You li..." Lucius started to scold her with a scowl on his face, but she spoke up and interrupted.

"That's a nasty mark. You should pick up something from the Potion's shop to take care of it. Who knows what it might lead too." The girl smiled up at him as he sputtered at her lack of respect. "It's probably why you're in such an awful mood. You really shouldn't take it out on other people." The girl was smiling, but her eyes went narrow. "It doesn't make you look good if you run about starting trouble you know."

The older man snarled down at her. "You'll get what's coming to you yet, brat."

"Shut up would you? I hate her guts, but she's right. You're making us look bad, everyone is staring." Draco nodded at the man as he walked by and frowned up at him. Lucius watched this, and realized that the boy wasn't planning on backing him up. "Just come on. I'll have enough of them at school. You're attracting the rest."

Lucius growled as he realized that Sirius Black, and James Potter were standing behind him. "Try to enjoy your son's money. It won't save you in the end." He strolled away, letting his cape flutter in a dramatic way.

Arthur looked down at the redhead. "You shouldn't have done that."

The girl frowned at him and nodded. "Sorry. Next time I'll just let you both beat on each other in public and embarrass the rest of us."

"Wouldn't have been so embarrassing." Sirius snorted in amusement as he glanced over his shoulder towards where Lucius had gone.

"It's worth a pint later anyway. Come on Arthur, we'll let the kids go about. Lily wants to go to shopping with Lissa, and Molly anyway." James shook the man's shoulder and his anger faded a bit.

"Well, I'm jus glad I didn have ter step in. Got a bit worried for a moment." Hagrid looked down at the group and grinned from behind them. 'Malfoy's not worth listenin ter, bad blood it is. Rotten to the core, the whole family, everyone knows it."

Anna frowned up at the half giant. "It's got nothing to do with blood. Someone taught him to be a jerk."

Molly puffed her chest out and frowned at her husband. "Well, I for one am grateful my dear, you don't listen to those meat headed males. Honestly Aurthur, I saw you try and jump! Trying to start a fight in public? What kind of example is that?!" She put her hand on the Potter girl's shoulder and shook it as they left. "I'm glad you're all right. My husband is right though, you shouldn't do things like that. You could have been hurt. Still, it's no excuse for him."

Harry walked up beside her with a subdued expression as they moved to meet the rest of their friends outside. "You've met his dad before? Why do I get the feeling there's more to what just happened than you're letting on, yet again?"

The girl frowned at him, but her features softened. "Nothing I can prove." Her eyes were hard, and she was focused on another problem. Lucius Malfoy hadn't slipped Ginny Weasley Tom Riddle's diary. She'd been very careful, and took a peek for herself when no one was paying attention. Something else had changed.

"What's with you?" the boy decided to push a bit and seemed amused with her mood. "First Lockheart makes you all screwy, now this."

"It's nothing, really. Just...forget it." She shook her head and sighed as she relaxed a bit more. "I'll tell you when it comes up. Hopefully it never will, but I doubt it. No point in worrying about it now."

"Anna, Harry!" Pansy rushed up to the pair and gave a sunny smile. "Come on. Our parents are letting us off on our own for a bit!"

OooOOooOO

Ginny Weasley was sitting in the seat just behind her brother and the Potter twins. The seats in that compartment were all taken. Neville Longbottom sat across from the two girls with a cheerful, if somewhat dumb looking grin. "You're Marci right? You were at the Potter birthday."

"Um, yes." The girl had curly blond hair and looked to be sulking into the corner, trying not to be seen. "It's nice to see you again."

"Wow. Sounds like you had a better summer than I did. I was stuck inside most of the time, with my Gran." Neville scrunched his face up a bit. "It wasn't bad." He seemed to realize neither looked interested in hearing about it.

Ginny felt a little bad, but wasn't sure if she'd regret asking him a question. "What house are you in?"

The boy shrugged. "Griffindor."

"Mum and Dad say I'll be in Slytherin." Marci nodded and shrugged.

"My brothers all say that would be awful. I guess you'll get to hang around with Anna." The redhead seemed pleased. "I'll likely be in Gryffindor, all of my family was."

"Sometimes it goes like that." Neville shrugged. "Slytherin and Gryffindor are especially bad about it. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff not so much."

Marci furrowed her brow and put her finger up to her lip. "Um, why?"

The boy shrugged. He seemed pleased that someone wanted to speak with him.

Another boy sat down next to Neville. He was slim, with sandy blond hair. Another boy came in with him. They nodded at the rest of the car. "Hi." The other boy spoke up first, he was a slim black boy with short hair and a wide grin. He seemed to regard the girls a bit more than his friend.

"Hello, Seamus, Dean." Neville seemed pleased to see them and shifted a bit to make more room.

"Hey. How are things Neville?" The black boy seemed to notice he was sitting there.

"Not bad, pretty boring though. I spent most of my time helping Gran out this summer." He didn't elaborate and flushed a bit.

"You're Ron Weasley's sister? Ginny?" The slim white boy had an Irish accent and looked over at the redhead.

The girl shrugged. "Yeah."

"Cool." Dean nodded and seemed a little more interested. "I got turned into a Vampire last year."

Finnigan nodded. "Yeah. Both of us. We both hang around with Harry and Ron sometimes. We were just wondering."

"There you are! What are you doing in here?" A rather shrill and obnoxious tone filled the car and all the children's heads whipped to face it. A second year girl with her hand on her hip was frowning as she looked into the seats. "We've been looking for you."

Marci's eyes had gone wide and she shrank back a bit looking nervous and frightened. "Oh, hi Melissa, I...I I...um..." She cowered back a bit and started shaking. "I um...kind of can't.."

"What? Why not? Surely you don't want to sit here with yet another Weasley, the biggest clutz in the whole school, and two drooling fanboys?" The girl whipped her brown hair over her shoulder and put her nose up.

"Well, um..." The blond girl hopped up and looked frantic. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think I remember something about being friends with Anna Potter. I'm pretty sure Mum said something like that." Marci didn't look very certain at all and looked towards the ground while playing with her feet. "Um...heh?"

The brunette girl's eyes went wide. "What? Friends with that brat? Marci, you idiot! Why would your Mum of all people tell you to do that?"

The blond girl's curls bounced as she grinned at her friend. "Oh! That's right! That's it!" She slapped her fist into her palm. "I'm supposed to spy on her for Mum and Dad! Fearless Leader will be pleased with us, once he comes back to destroy the...um...what's the word again? I forgot." The blond girl teared up a little as she tried to make her brain work.

"Mud Bloods. Like the people infesting this car." Melissa growled and grabbed the girl by the front of her shirt.

"Hey! You brat! I'm gonna tell her what you're doing! I don't believe this! She invited you to her birthday party!" Ginny's eyes went stern as she glared at the blond girl.

Von Camp shrugged, "I'm pretty sure she knows already." She scratched the side of her head. "It's not been so bad really. She's so nice!" The girl's grin returned.

"Oh. I don't believe you!" Melissa growled and tugged on the girl's robes and pulled her out of the seats.

"I thought I heard stupid." She ran right into Anna Potter, who was standing with her arms crossed just behind her. "Leave her alone. She's got orders, don't you Marci?"

"Um, right." The blond girl nodded and ducked back into her seat again. Everyone was looking at her with an odd and somewhat horrified expression.

Melissa put her nose into the redhead's face. "You think I'm going to let you make her sit with this Muggle born filth." She pointed at Dean Thomas and snarled as she made a grab at Marci's arm.

"He's a Half Blood. If you're going to insult someone at least get your facts straight. You should move on." The other second year girl didn't seem bothered or phased and blocked her attempt to grab the other girl.

Melissa hissed angrily as she stormed away. "Don't speak to me again, you traitor!" She jabbed her finger at the blond girl and spit on the ground.

"Wait! Lissa! I um...oh no. What should I?" Marci seemed to be at a loss and stumbled, uncertain of whether or not she should follow.

Ginny was glaring at her with her arms crossed, and the two boys didn't seem pleased with either of the two Slytherin girls.

Anna frowned at the group. "Hey. Be excellent to each other."

"Easy for you to say." Seamus snorted and looked out the window. Neville was scratching the back of his head.

Dean jumped up in her face. "Both my parents are muggles." He pointed his finger in her face and looked upset.

The redhead's eyes went a little wide. She spoke before she thought about it. "No, your father wasn't. The Death Eaters tried to recruit him, but murdered him when he refused. They'd have killed all of you if they'd stumbled across his family." Her hand slapped over her mouth and she rushed away.

Dean's eyes went wide and he stood there. "What? You...you..." He had his fist clenched and was breathing heavily through his nose. He stormed after her and threw the door open.

She looked very nervous, and everyone else was had stopped what they were doing to face the new intrusion. The redhead was standing with her arms behind her back, her legs crossed, and looking at the floor with a flush on her face.

"How dare you! Who the hell do you think you are?" Dean Thomas was pissed.

The girl's head shrank a little more. "Sorry. I didn't mean..."

"You don't tell me who my parents were! Both of my parents were Muggles. I don't need you..." The boy turned about and pulled at his hair in frustration.

The girl looked irate and interrupted. "So what? Her's are, and she solved the ultimate question!" She turned and crossed her arms. "I'm not wrong, write your Mum and ask her yourself!"

It didn't help the boy's temper. "What?!"

"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. Check your facts before you lash out at me. If I'm wrong, I'll give you a million Galleons." The redhead turned her nose up. She felt horrible turning it around on him that way, but wasn't about to try and explain that she couldn't have not told him. "You know I'm good for it. You also can't mention the money when you ask. Just tell her you've found someone who says they know what happened to him." She stuck out her hand. "Do you want me to swear to it?" She pulled out her wand and held it up.

The boy's face fell. "I...what?" He still looked upset and was glaring at her with his head down a little. "Fine. Go ahead."

A small charm later and the pair clasped hands. The girl looked at him with a stern frown on his face.

"What was that about?" Harry turned his head towards his sister and frowned. He was going trading chocolate frog cards with Ron. Dean had left with a frown on his face while wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"Don't worry about it. I just said something I should have kept to myself." The girl snorted and pulled her ball cap onto her head and down over her eyes.

"A million Galleons?" Hermione's eyes went wide. "Are you crazy?"

"I'll match it." Melvin smirked and looked over his magazine. He was talking with the other boys, but had no interest in the cards. "She wouldn't have done it if she thought she was wrong."

Pansy and Margaret both seemed annoyed at the entrance. The redhead had been in a good mood until she'd come back from dealing with Melissa.

OooOOooOO

Anna was sitting at her house table with her usual crowd around her. It was a bit different though. A great number of first year girls were watching her. More than anyone else at the table. They were trickling in one at a time, but most were very interested in where she was sitting. She was enjoying it for the most part, she didn't do it for every sorting, but was throwing out accurate predictions on what house the first years were ending up in.

There were a few wide eyes, but for the most part, just uncomfortable shifting amongst the older students.

"It's Lovegood. She's got to end up in Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. She's too stupid for us or Ravenclaw." One of the third year girls a little way down the table cackled with her friends over it. Dumbledore glanced in that direction as the girl moved up to the hat with a small frown.

Anna sipped on a cup and spoke up. "Ravenclaw actually." She said it loud enough for the group to hear it, and they all turned to give her dirty looks. The hat agreed with her and she moved off towards her table. None of the older girls seemed pleased and continued to give her mean looking stares. No one noticed Dumbledore's subdued smile return as he continued to oversee the sorting.

A short time later, the sortings were nearly done. Anna grabbed Marci's arm as she walked by and gave her a small tug to pull her down next to her. "You can sit here. Not going to have much to report if you sit all the way down there are you?"

Marci grinned and seemed pleased. "Um, thank you. You're really nice! What with me spying on you and all. I kind of feel bad." The girl scrunched her face up a bit.

Anna shrugged. "Whatever." The girl seemed as dumb as a rock, and was easily twice as air headed as Pansy probably more. She was almost certain it wasn't some sort of clever act either. "Who knows, maybe I can make a decent double agent out of you?"

"Wow! Really?" The blond girl seemed amazed.

"Hey. It's Ron's sister!" Pansy pulled on Anna's shirt. "I bet even I can guess where she'll end up!"

Before anyone else could answer, the sorting hat's deep bellow filled the hall. "Slytherin!" The young redhead pumped her arm and started walking over looking pleased.

Everyone at Gryffindor's table was looking at the nearest Weasley. Percy, Fred, and George had dropped their arms out of an expected cheer and watched in stunned silence, just like their little brother.

Anna was very aware of this, and looked rather surprised. She watched the girl walk over and almost jerked her down beside her as soon as the younger girl was close enough, Pansy shifted a bit and seemed confused.

"Hey. I can sit with you then?" Ginny was overjoyed at being forced down next to her.

Anna worked her jaw a little and looked at her with wide eyes. "Um, yes." She nodded and looked at her friends and shrugged. The younger redhead looked over at the cheerful blond. "Hi. I guess we'll be together this year then?"

The blond nodded and seemed pleased. "Looks like it. I think it's kind of neat."

OooOOooOO

Ron, Percy, Fred and George were all standing around their sister. Each looked shocked, horrified, and downright unsure of what to say or do.

Anna was holding the younger girl's shoulder just away from the end of the house table as they approached. "Hi. Don't worry. I'll look after her."

Percy spoke up first. "This is your fault!" He glared at Anna, the other boys seemed to agree.

"I knew her interest was a bit more than healthy. All she's done since she met you was talk about you." Fred and George passed the idea between them and looked irate.

Ron hung his head a little and sighed. "You? Look after my sister?" Everyone looked at the boy. It was the first time he'd shown even the slightest worry since he'd returned from Romania. "No! Leave her alone! Please!"

Anna narrowed her eyes at them and patted the rather dumbstruck and flustered Ginny on her shoulder. "Well, you can't really stop me from looking after her. You're not going to do it from the dorms in Gryffindor, are you?" She turned away with her nose up, leaving them to have a moment with their sister alone.

"What happened?" Percy grabbed her shoulders and looked mortified. "Where did we go wrong?"

The girl kicked him in the shins. "That's where the stupid hat put me!"

"Oh. That must be it," Fred shrugged.

"I wish I could see the looks on Mum and Dad's face when they find out." George seemed to relax a bit and grinned about imagining it.

"Man, won't that be something?" His twin seemed to agree and smiled along with him.

"Well. Good luck I guess." Ron put his hand on her shoulder and turned away. He shook his head and smirked to himself. "Now I know how Harry felt last year."

Percy hung his head and gave a heavy sigh. "Just don't do anything stupid."

OooOOooOO

As soon as the students headed from the Great Hall to the dorms, Anna received a note from one of the prefects. It was from Professor Snape, and told her to meet with him on a balcony near the top floor of the school. She knew the location, as it was between two of the classes she had last year. The note mentioned something about 'discussing a few details regarding her apprenticeship in the coming year'. She'd just arrived and steeled herself for her first confrontation with the man. He had his back to her and was looking out over the grounds.

"Potter, you have a small problem." Severus Snape looked very angry at the girl standing in front of her.

The redhead wasn't pleased to be speaking with him, and found herself wondering why they were standing on the balcony behind Hogwarts instead of a less conspicuous location. The meeting was expected at some point, the location was a bit confusing. "Problem?"

"Yes. You'll be suffering for such an unbelievable blunder for the rest of the year under my thumb." He hissed and turned towards her, he looked very angry as he leaned in shaking his finger at her. He pointed down over the edge of the balcony after.

The girl's eyes went wide as she noticed what he was talking about. There were bunnies rushing about the grounds. Dozens of them. Their white fur made them easy to pick out, even in the dark, and her eyes only made it easier. "Me? I specifically told you to use a male rabbit! It was written into the directions, I took special care to mention it...you didn't read the warnings at the top of the page did you? You just skipped right down to the recipe part and ignored the rest?" She looked surprised and shocked. "You, of all people..." The girl looked stunned and leaned against the railing. "Always make sure you read everything. Even if it means reading a bit of the potion above, and below. Even if it means turning the page to make sure you don't miss one detail." She was quoting him back at his face.

The man was enraged. "Potter, perhaps you should reevaluate your position."

"I'm not letting you pin this one on me. Not after you made us write that a thousand times as a class because of Longbottom." The girl was more than irate with him. "Look. Neither one of us has to take the blame for this."

The man growled as he hung his head and leaned against the railing in frustration. "Don't be stupid, the problem is worse than you think," he muttered . "Have a look."

This time her eyes went even wider. Rows of house elves, armored in washboards, carrying knives, hammers, torches, and bows and arrows, were marching on the position of the bunnies. The dim witted fluffy creatures seemed unaware, and rather looked like passed out drunks.

The elves formed ranks and beat on the pot lids and washing boards they used as armor and shields. The archers drew back their bows. The redhead cringed as hoots and high pitched screams as hundreds of bunnies sprang up from the tall grass as the house elves began firing arrows. The shafts stuck into the fluffy creatures, but never went in very far. Bunnies were screaming, running around holding their rears , heads, and flailing arms as the deluge of sharp missiles poured down upon them. A moment later the offending object was pulled out and the crazed minions forgot about them. Almost all at once they seemed to notice the elves, the House Elves seemed very nervous, and a few rattles from shaking armor could be heard. The rodents' ears were up, their eyes wide, and all of the bunnies froze for a long moment. Finally, one gave out a battle cry, a pot and ladle were pulled from his mouth and waved about as he charged forward. Almost as one, the rest followed the charge.

The Elves were crushed by numbers. The bunnies pelted them with small stones, climbed all over them, beating them with small blunt objects. After several moments, the house elves crawled away towards the school looking tired and beaten. They'd managed to knock around quite a few of the creatures, but they were up and about a moment later as good as new. The house elves weren't so lucky.

One unfortunate house elf was left inside the mass of bunnies, surrounded and huddling as they all looked at him with their calm dumb stare. He was on his rear, shaking, licking his lips, looking about in every direction, seeing only pink twitching noses, and dull glassy eyes. They all screamed at once around him, he fell flat on his back and passed out. The creatures lifted him up and passed him over their hands, tossing him towards his compatriots. He woke up after his landing and scrambled towards the rest. One other house elf was waving him towards the door with a worried expression. He was using a pot lid to shield himself from rocks and sticks, though none had come close to striking him where he was.

The bunnies were leering and taunting them, middle fingers raised, rears being slapped, and small sticks and stones being tossed towards them. It didn't take the house elves long to make it back to the school, all managed to stumble to their feet as they escaped the swarm, and vanished into the school. Cries of "Nyaaaa! Nyaaaaaah!" from the crowd of bunnies could be heard from below the two humans who watched the exchange.

"Holy shit!" Anna was stunned.

"Yes. It's not just Hogwarts. The countryside is infested with them. We're just fortunate Muggles can't see them. It seems they've developed a taste for keys, something called credit cards, spectacles, pens, and left socks."

The girl couldn't take here eyes off the scene. "So, you're telling me that..."

The teacher nodded once and didn't look at her. "Yes. The house elves have declared war on you, and your little army."

The girl's face fell again. "I...wha...how did...no way...this is..."

"I said you would suffer this year. I never said I would be punishing you over this. Don't expect someone else to do your laundry this year. I'd be careful what I ate as well. They aren't allowed to harm you at Hogwarts. That doesn't mean they aren't willing to try and find someone who might. The elven elders have more power and influence than you might imagine," he snarled at her.

The girl's glare went hard. "Then you'd best hope they don't discover who supplied the female."

The man straightened his back and turned to leave. "Don't over estimate the value of a little leverage. Playing that game could be more dangerous than you think."

She frowned at him. "I'll remember that."

OooOOooOO

Anna was sitting and being adored by Ginny Weasley. They were in a corner of the common area, Pansy and Margaret were amusing themselves with talking to Marci close by. It was making her kind of uncomfortable. "So. Ginny. Any idea how you ended up here? Usually, only certain kinds of people do."

The younger girl seemed to think about it. "I want to be like you." She turned red and looked down in her lap with her hands folded there.

Anna snorted. "That's a terrible idea. I'm the last person you want to be like. I got attacked twice this summer, my parents were dead for eleven years, and the people they stuck us with weren't very nice. It's only been a bit more comfortable since we came to Hogwarts and got rid of those muggle toads." The older girl flushed at the surprise that registered on the younger girl's face. "Not because they're muggles mind you. They would have been toads if they were wizards too."

Ginny calmed a little and nodded. "You're still my hero though."

"I'm only two years older than you." Anna sighed and hung her head a bit. "I'm not the best role model. Besides, I couldn't teach you the whole Jedi thing anyway. You should be you. Your talents probably won't be the same as mine."

"Jedi?" The younger girl seemed confused. "Ron's said something about that."

"It's a long story." The redhead rolled her eyes. "Something I remember from a past life. It's was a very strange place, quite different from this one."

"I don't mind." The younger girl was almost bouncing in her seat.

Anna shrugged. "Well, a long long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."

OooOOooOO

The redhead ended the story just as she always had. Just up to the death of Darth Vader, and no farther. "That's about the best I can do to explain what a Jedi is." Two hours had passed and she paused and looked around. "Huh?"

"A past life huh?" She had about half the room looking on in half amused confusion. One of the girls behind her spoke up. The girl was leaning against the back of the chair and looking lazy and unimpressed. "Not bad, Potter."

"She's always been good at amusing people." A sixth year Asian boy with a ponytail chuckled. "Too bad she's not much use for anything else."

Melvin was as white as a sheet and looked uncomfortable. Margaret noticed, and was looking over at the redhead. Neither one of them had ever heard the story before. "Wow."

Pansy was chuckling. "I don't think she noticed everyone else had started listening."

"A past life? Who were you? That whiny prat that died, or the uptight prat of a daughter?" Melissa started cackling with a group of girls being ignored by the older boys in the middle of the room.

The redhead growled but said nothing. She looked over at Margaret and Melvin, and they seemed to be the only ones in the room who believed her.

"Maybe she was both." A raven haired fifth year girl with a crooked hooked nose.

The room filled with laughter. It only lasted a moment. Ginny looked angry, and there were a few other silent and uncomfortable looking first years.

After the laughter died down a voice no one was expecting to speak up. Crabbe and Goyle looked on in shock as Draco stood up with a grin on his face. "What's the matter Potter? Don't want them to know?" A familiar snap and hiss sounded in the room as everyone turned towards the new red light in Malfoy's hand.

The older redhead glared at him and stood up. She didn't speak, and smiled a bit. Ginny jumped up to try and say something, but the older girl pushed her back into her seat with a gentle but firm shove.

Everyone was looking at the second year boy as he walked up to within two meters and leveled his eyes on her. "She was telling the truth, and her name was Anakin Skywalker." You could have heard a pin drop if the hum from Malfoy's new wand wasn't radiating through the room.

"Been dying to show that off have you?" Anna's lips turned up in a cool looking smirk.

He waved it about at wand length. "Someday I'm going to kill you with it. I think I'll let you kill 'You Know Who' first if you can though. He'll be in the way later. I've a feeling you already know what to do. Odd that." He looked about the room over his shoulder at the rather quiet room. "This isn't a wand, it's a light saber. Interesting. I was wondering how you learned about this. My master will be pleased to hear about it." The blade extended to sword length. "Quite deadly as well, we've all heard about that I'm sure." He glanced back over his shoulder.

The redhead arched her eyebrow a bit. "You were wondering? Don't you mean 'he' was wondering? Someone in your position isn't rewarded for having thoughts of his own."

"Like I'd give you a hint." Draco looked smug as he put away his new wand. Without another word he walked up the stairs to the dorms.

"Dumbest thing I've ever heard." A heavy set fifth year boy with a shaggy mop of blond hair snorted and shook his head. There was a lot of agreement, but it wasn't universal. No one seemed to trust the story much, but some of them were uncomfortable and giving her glances. She sat down again and turned to Ginny. "I can handle myself. Don't go jumping in front of me that way. It might get you killed one day."

The younger girl flushed. "Sorry."

"Look, your brother is Harry's best friend. I like you too, so I'll help show you the ropes and whatnot. Don't worry." The older girl's face scrunched up. "And don't try to be me. You'd fail and end up miserable. You'll figure out your own thing. That's how it works, trust me."

"Good advice. Potter. I'll be keeping my eye on you." The older redhead looked up and got a rather surprised expression.

It was Kate Delane, she had her arms crossed over her chest and was glaring down at her with a stern looking frown. Her prefect patch was visible and it was obvious that exactly what the older girl wanted. Her eyes fell as she realized the younger girl hadn't flinched.

Anna's jaw went tight as she looked the older girl up and down. "Should I bother with offering my..."

"Shut up. I don't want your pity." The older girl's eyes went wide and she led her head up higher to glare down at her more easily. "I've got you under my thumb now, Potter. I'm going to enjoy it."

"Why are you talking to me? I'd think I'm the last person you'd want to meet." Anna growled and frowned at her. "I don't trust you, and I won't be intimidated. You should understand why. You seem to be trying to scare or make me feel guilty. Probably both. I'm not going to apologize for not letting her murder me. She shouldn't have been out trying to murder some child she didn't know, and got what she deserves for trying it."

The older girl didn't react and kept her firm frown and her nose high. "I'll always remember what you've done."

"I'm hopeful you remember how I deal with that kind of threat. I'll be no kinder to you should you try. One way or another, Voldemort will be destroyed. Human power has evolved beyond him, and I have already begun to destroy him."

The older girl turned her back to the redheads. Ginny was silent and looked nervous, she was almost curled up in the back of her chair. Anna was glaring at the back of the older girl's head. "This has nothing to do with him."

"Who do you think sent her to kill me in the first place? Why don't you ask Draco? After all, he stepped in to save one of them. Odd that he would ignore the others dying, and only step in to help out one. Voldemort may still be without his body, but he still has agents here. You should ask yourself, who really killed your mother. The one she was sent to murder, or the one who sent her, even knowing how dangerous it would be?"

"You're not shifting the blame elsewhere, Potter. I'll be watching you like I had a charm on my eyes." Kate snarled and walked away at a brisk pace.

Ginny moved close to Anna as soon as she slumped down in her seat and sighed. "Who was that?"

"The perfect example of how 'being like me' isn't a good idea." The older girl rubbed at her temples. "Sorry, I don't mean to sound like I'm picking on you or anything. It just sounds like a bad idea to me."

The younger girl nodded. "I guess I understand. I get what you mean though. You're still really cool."

"You'll be fine." Anna nodded and gave her hair a small ruff.

OooOOooOO

TBC...

Next time: The new teacher...