"Maybe in the future we won't follow random men into bars…" Jacob said as they four headed back up to the castle. Annie rolled her eyes,
"I knew what I was doing."
"Yeah, tell that to your mother and see what her reaction is." Max joked. Olivia laughed and Annie just rolled her eyes again.
They made their way into the castle to head to the Great Hall for lunch. Annie wasn't very hungry so she just sat with them. Her mind was still on the fight that her father and uncle had. What could have been so bad that resulted in the death of her aunt? Her train of thought was broken when two Ravenclaw girls approached the table,
"Jacob, Professor Slughorn is looking for you. He asked for you to meet him in his office." One girl said before walking off. The other quickly followed. Jacob bit his lip,
"Yeah I knew I didn't do wonders on that paper. I'll see you guys later." He said and excused himself from the table. Max frowned at one of the girls as they whispered and headed back.
"To quickly tell you the blonde one is Jacob's ex…" he began to tell Olivia and Annie when the girls came back over. "Molly you're back so soon."
The girl sat down in front of Annie and crossed her arms. "Listen, I know you think you're such a big shot around her now because you're a champion and our professor is your mother, but back away from Jacob. Our parents intend for us to marry when we graduate."
Annie sighed. "Why every aspect of my life is becoming a drama…" she mumbled under her breath before looking at Molly. "I'm sorry you feel that way, but if you wanted a relationship then you shouldn't have broken up."
"He only is hanging out with you because you're famous. When my father became the head of the international magical cooperation he decided to agree to his parents' wishes to date me." Molly snapped.
"You're full of it Molly…" Max sneered back. "Besides we started hanging out with them before any of tournament and other events happened so sod off."
Annie stood up, "Ok well you can continue your hissy fit but I have other things to do."
"Fine then I'll everyone about your cozy conversation in Hogs Head with daddy…" Molly said and stood up. "Yeah I saw you go in there after that old geezer."
Annie turned around and remembered her father's words telling her to breathe. However, Molly's eyes went wide and she took a small step back.
"Yeah well you're not the only one who saw her follow my old geezer arse in there," said the man behind her. Annie turned around to see Aberforth standing there. "Never mind this barmy girl right here let's go."
Annie quickly followed and ignored the many people watching them. This always seemed to be the place where drama happened. "What's wrong? Who saw me?"
Once they were out of earshot by students Aberforth turned, "Let's find your parents and discuss then."
"They're in my mother's corridor I believe. This way."
Annie lead Aberforth up to her mother's corridor. He let her go in first. She saw her parents were seated by the fireplace grading papers.
"That was quite a trip to Hogsmeade…" Minerva began when she saw Aberforth come in. "Aberforth!"
Albus' head shot up and looked at his brother. He motioned for the papers to leave his lap as he stood up. Minerva could sense an argument brewing as did Annie.
"Save the argument for later," Aberforth grumbled as he moved into the room. "What is the matter of this Durmstrang high master?"
Minerva stood and crossed her arms, "Vladimir? What has he done?" she asked and motioned for Annie to sit with her on the couch. Annie sat next to her mother, but Albus and Aberforth remained standing.
"Besides your nosy friends…" Aberforth began and looked at Annie and then at Albus. "I noticed him appear out of the shadows outside as you and your friends left. So I kept my distance and followed him. Once you made your way to the castle he took off in the opposite direction."
Minerva shook his head, "He has been digging around for answers. He questioned me yesterday as to Albus' whereabouts."
Aberforth looked at Albus, who was still silent, before sitting in an armchair. "It isn't the first time I've seen him snooping around Hogsmeade in the shadows. He goes for walks down towards that old shack with another man. Umm…" he says as he digs through the papers. "This man." he states and points to the judge from China.
"That's where they found Jacob when he was… well…" Minerva stated. "How long have you noticed them?"
"Started a few weeks ago, but I didn't make the connection until I saw him follow her and her friends. And it made me wonder if he had been following them all day. So I went to the Three Broomsticks and asked the innkeeper if she had seen him and that man in there before…" Aberforth saw Albus was about to protest. "Save it she owes me a favor and vowed not to tell the press otherwise I… well that's not important. That high master was in there this morning and has been coming in during the quiet hours with that judge."
"I was in there this morning too…" Annie said. "And that judge was the first person to call me Miss. McGonagall."
"It can just be a coincidence." Albus said. Minerva rolled her eyes and looked at him,
"Good of you to join…" she mumbled. "I don't think it is."
"You said yourself Annie that your kidnappers didn't know you would sneak away…" Albus began.
"Come off it!" Aberforth snapped. "You're just angry I put things together. You and I both know we couldn't find all the sleeper wizards."
Annie frowned, "Sleeper wizard?"
"It's a wizard committed to a cause that stays in hiding until enacted." Aberforth replied.
"We have suspected the judge for a while." Minerva stated. Albus bit his lip and nodded.
"Very well I will find Vladimir first," Albus said and made for the door. "As much as I've enjoyed this family reunion I have matters to attend to…" Albus said. Aberforth shook his head and moved in Albus' path.
"What are you going to do? Storm down there and demand answers like you did Gilbert? Look how that ended up." Aberforth spat. Albus stepped back and glared at his brother.
"And I am supposed to believe all of a sudden you care!" Albus yelled. "Where were you when we thought we our daughter died in the hospital?"
"I wanted to be there and you shut me out! I came up to the castle and you wanted nothing to do with me!" Aberforth yelled back. "But I'll be damned if you let the name sake of our sister die, too!"
Albus made a move at Aberforth but Minerva quickly stood up and put herself between them. "Enough both of you!" she snapped and pushed Albus back towards a chair while Aberforth backed up. "Tonight is the headmaster dinner with the judges, minister, and other masters. Afterwards you will pull Vladimir, the minister, and Judge Yung aside. Maybe Madame Maxime should she want to be a party witness. However, both of you will not go storming out of this room and create more gossip than there already is."
Aberforth nodded and Albus made a grunt of a yes. Annie just sat there not knowing what to say. She was a little amazed to see her mother put them in place so quickly. It made her think to the life she might have had as a child. Minerva would never let anything slide with Annie behavior wise.
"They are no longer letting any spectators besides students for the final task," The man grunted to the woman who raised Annie, Ginger. Ginger didn't look up from her map of the Forbidden Forest. "There is no way into the castle. Even our help on the inside cannot damage the shield Dumbledore has put up."
Ginger rolled her eyes as she folded the map. "And when did I say enter the grounds was our plan you bloody old fool. The intention is to remain on the outskirts. If I see one friend of Annie's then my cover would be completely blown and then our master wouldn't be the first person to fear."
"Well when is going to snatch the girl!" the man nearly yelled. Ginger shot him a look that made him lower his voice. "It has been months and all we have done is prove the necklaces are what they are. And how is taking Annie supposed to help us get those and the girl?"
"You ask too many questions."
"Well it seems to me we have too many objectives! But you're the one insisting we keep her alive when it isn't the intention! All because you think the master would want to kill her himself when he never said that to us. No, now we turn to my plan!"
Ginger whipped around and faced him, "You said…"
"I said that when our deadline wasn't coming up!" he argued. "We have four days until our deadline or we die! I made the unbreakable vow!"
Ginger wrinkled her nose, "That is your own foolish fault!"
The man grabbed Ginger by the shoulders, "I am going to get here and get what we came for! You do whatever you want. I will no longer work with you."
And with that he took off into the forest. Ginger kicked the dirt and threw her map. She continued through the forest until she reached the guard statues at an entrance of Hogsmeade. Several wizards rushed over and held up their wands.
"Identify yourself!" one yelled.
Ginger went to her knees with her hands up, "I am Annie's mother."
