We accomplished much that morning. We finished three potions and I happily helped. Around seven, we stopped and dad sent me off to get ready for the day. I pulled a pink jumper and jeans from my chest.
I took off the nightgown and looked at myself in the mirror, gaping at what I saw. Bruises were painted over my chest and upper arms, as well as my legs. The way the bruises wrapped around my body made me curious. I didn't understand how I got certain ones just from falling down the stairs.
I brushed off my curiosity and pulled the jumper over my head. I allowed my curls to hang loosely just past my waist. I peered closer into the mirror and noticed a scab on my forehead, running into my hairline. I shook my head and ran out of the loo. I walked back towards the lab. I saw Harry walk through the door with dad and I immediately ran to him.
He trembled under my weight as I hugged him fiercely. Once he realized who I was, he hugged me back tightly. "I missed you! I haven't seen you since Monday. Dad told me you got hurt, but wouldn't let me see you." I backed up and looked curiously towards dad. "Why?"
He stuttered a little, but gained his composure. "You were just a sight after your fall. Bruises all over. I didn't want Harry to see you in such a state." I rolled my eyes.
"Like we haven't seen each other injured before?" He tilted and shook his head. "Whatever. Harry, where were you? Why weren't you here?"
"Oh, I've been with Noah Olga all week, since you got injured. I was with Susan for the first day, but then she disappeared and I stayed with Noah." I nodded, my stomach grumbling loudly in the process. Both Harry and dad chortled.
"Hungry, aren't we? Come along Harry, Anne. Time for breakfast." We happily trailed along behind him. Harry told me all about his week with Noah and his friends. I believe their names were Louis, Rory, and Johnathan. But they went to the lake, played quidditch, and showed Harry spells. I was a tad jealous, but happy that Harry had fun.
We entered the Great Hall through the teachers entrance. Our arrival caused a great amount of whispers to erupt from the students. They all pointed and whispered to each other. I turned to Harry before we sat down, "What are they going on about, do you think?"
He glanced from the students back to me, "Well, the students have been going on about thinking something bad has happened. That's why they think their classes got canceled. They think it had something to do with you. I wouldn't blame them, dad did look a bit put out." I nodded and we seated ourselves.
All the stares and whispers did not go unnoticed. I wouldn't have minded them from the students, but the teachers did the same. I noticed them staring at me and quickly looking away. Something happened, more than what dad told me. The only difference between the teachers' whispers and the students' was that the teachers knew something. They had grave looks upon their faces. They also looked surprised and curious.
I was getting pretty aggravated, but breakfast finally ended and the students wandered out. Harry and I continued to eat our toast. Remus cautiously started walking up to us. I smiled brightly at him and he smiled back, surprised.
"Um, Severus, a word please." Dad stood and followed Remus a few feet away. "What do you think they're talking about Anne?" I shrugged my shoulders, staring intently at them. I noticed every few moments one of the pair's eyes would flicker to me.
Finally they came back over towards us, smiling kindly as if nothing had happened. "How are you feeling, Anne?"
"I'm fine, just a little sore is all." He smiled ruefully at me. "How are you?"
"Oh, I'm alright. It was you I was worried about. That was quite the fall I heard you had."
I looked to dad curiously, "Yes, I guess it was. I don't really remember, it's a bit hazy, you see. It almost . . ." I knew what I needed to say. What would make dad's eyes flicker up in anxiety. " . . . not real. Like it wasn't even a true memory." I was right. His eyes ran up to meet my own. I knew something was up. "But that can't be, can it? I was completely boggled, right?"
Remus laughed nervously, "Yes, yes you were."
"Well, anyway . . . I was wondering if Harry and I could go to the library. Yes? Thank you. Harry, let's go." I grasped Harry's hand tightly and pulled him away before he could protest. He pulled lightly at my grasp on his hand, but I didn't release him till we were far out of the Great Hall.
"Anne, let go . . . oh, thank you. I don't want to go to the library, it's boring." I rolled my eyes at him. "I know you don't enjoy the library, do you really think I'm that daft to expect you to hang out in there. No, I wanted to speak with you. Alone. I thought the library the best place to do that." He nodded in understanding. He followed along behind me.
We trailed through the relaxing corridors. They were dimly lit like always, releasing an eerie glow. As we walked into the library I smiled brightly at Madam Pince. She smiled sadly back to me and I frowned at that. I yanked Harry behind me to the farthest corner of the library I could find.
I stopped short and Harry walked right into me. "Alright then, you've got me here. What did you need to talk about?"
"I think they're lying to me, to us. There is something off about the way they have been acting. They've been acting strange around me. Pitifully . . . like they pity me. I don't understand it. You say the students said something happened, what?"
He shrugged his shoulders, unhelpfully. "I'm not quite sure Anne. I'm sorry. It had something to do with a boy named Burton. Reginald, I believe was his first name. And that girl, Macilyn that we ate with. And then Susan as well." I was deep in thought.
"Burton, Burton, Burton. I've heard that name before, I know . . . that boy! The one who was slipped a love potion, his name was Reggie Burton. Susan and I were bringing him an antidote when I . . . when they say I fell."
"When they say you fell? Do you not believe fell or something?" He laughed at me, chortling. I nodded and his laughing stopped immediately. "Wait, you're serious." I tilted my head, shrugging my shoulders.
"I remember it happening, but there is something really odd about the memory. Plus, the way Poppy and Severus kept glancing at each other when they talked about it. I know they are lying about something. I want to know what really happened to me, because the bruises . . . they . . . well they are . . . I don't think I'd have gotten some of the bruises where I did from falling down the stairs." Harry nodded at me.
"I did find it a bit curious that they wouldn't let me see you."
"What do you think happened to me?" Harry looked a tad nervous. "Harry, what is it? What do you know?" He gulped and raised his eyes to meet mine.
"Well, I sort of saw something. I'm not really sure what it was. But remember how sometimes if one of us was asleep and the other awake we could see what the other was doing." I nodded my head, excited for the information. "Well, I think it happened again. I didn't see you, but it was like I was seeing through your eyes. I didn't tell dad this, I didn't want him to think me mental. But I saw a form, the person was pacing. You were in a dark room. A classroom I believe. You were bleeding from your forehead and arms. You hurt all over. You were terrified, I could feel it. Then Noah woke me up, told me I went rigid. It was odd. Then Noah and Thomas went off and I don't know where, but . . . yeah. It was probably just my imagination though right. You fell on the stairs, not in a classroom."
I shook my head at him. "No, Harry. I think this is real. You said I was bleeding from my arms. You haven't even seen the cuts on my arms, you wouldn't have known that otherwise." I yanked up my sleeve, revealing the bandages. Then I pointed to my forehead where the scab was. Harry gaped at me, terrified. He nodded at me.
We eventually dropped the subject, but we agreed to look into it further. We sat in the library all day talking to each other. I was happy to spend the day with Harry. We even skipped lunch, but no one came looking for us. It was nearing dinner when I spotted Susan reading only feet away from us. I pointed to her and told Harry where I was going. He nodded and continued looking at the quidditch magazine we found.
"Susan! Susan, where have you been? Are you alright, my dad told me you had a bit of a scare." Susan looked up to me, utterly confused.
"Um, I'm not Susan. I'm her sister, Rosalyn. That's my formal name at least, all my friends call me by my middle name. You can call me Cape. Su left the school. I don't know why. You said she had a scare, what do you mean?"
"Well, I don't particularly know. My dad just said she had a bit of a scare. You see, one of her friends got slipped a potion and my dad said seeing him like that terrified her." Rosalyn looked intrigued.
"Do you know who her friend was? Or even just what potion?" I nodded.
"It was a love potion I believe. Susan informed my dad it was a nastily strong one. They needed help. Her friend's name was Reginald, I believe. Don't quote me on that, it was a few days ago that I heard the name." She nodded, almost giddy.
"That explains it! Everyone was wondering what happened and Macilyn must have been the one that slipped it to him. But why did they cancel classes then?" She looked deep in thought, but turned her attention back to me. "Where were you all week? I haven't seen you or your father at any meals since Monday. I saw your brother though."
"Oh, I've been in the Hospital Wing. Apparently I had a great fall down the stairs. I don't really think that's what happened, the memory has a fuzz about it."
"Are you sure you haven't been obliviated? It's a way to take people's memories from them. It's real interesting. A hard charm to perform though. I wouldn't have even thought of it had I not just read the chapter out of my charms book." My breathing spiked a little, but I brought it back to normal.
"But why would they do that? What are they trying to hide from me?" She shrugged her shoulders, "Where were you? You know, where they said you fell."
"Oh, I was on a staircase with Susan. We were walking to a Slytherin dorm room, to bring Reginald Burton his antidote. I remember falling back even though there was nothing wrong with my balance and nothing to trip me. I don't know, the whole situation was rather odd, wasn't it?" She nodded.
"I wish I could find Burton, to ask him, but I haven't seen him since you, Su, and Macilyn disappeared. Well, I best be off to dinner now. Close to that time, innit? Well, it was a pleasure meeting you. What did you say your name was again?"
"I didn't, but I'm Anne." She smiled kindly at me and waved farewell. I went back to Harry, prepared to share with him my newfound information, but I decided to wait when his stomach started grumbling. We had skipped lunch after all.
He looked to me, a competitive streak flashed across his face, "Race ya'!" With that he sprinted off and out the library. Madam Pince was turned away, so she couldn't yell at us. Mr. Filch didn't really care that we ran in the halls. He waved at us, suppressing a smile as we passed.
We darted in and out of corridors till we came upon the room that led to the Great Hall. We read each of the labels and found the one we were looking for. Harry looked to me once more and took off.
We were out of breath and smiling happily once we reached the table. Dad grinned at us, knowing what we had done. Harry and I ate dinner talking animatedly. Once we completed our meal, dad directed us out of the Hall. He didn't have monitoring duties on Fridays, so we went directly to our home.
He told us to head on to bed, but I stayed behind.
"Yes, Anne?" He peered at me nervously. "Dad, I know something is going on, something you're not telling me. I've seen it. Written over everyone's faces. Heard rumors from students. Please just tell, why do I not remember what happened to me. I know you did something to make me forget. I was speaking to an older student about my memory and she showed me a chapter on a charm called obliviating. The symptoms I have are the same to the ones an obliviated person would have. Don't try and tell me otherwise, I know. But just tell me, is there a good reason for me to have lost those memories."
He looked horrified, "I never knew you were so intuitive. But yes. Something . . . awful happened because you knew. I know it's hard not knowing something that concerns you, but I don't think you should know."
I was disappointed. I was hoping for him to give me a better explanation. I knew I would have to wait for Susan to return before I got any true answers. I nodded and quickly left him standing there in shock. I changed into my nightwear and climbed into my bed, burrowing into the blankets, thinking of what could have been so awful that he wouldn't tell me.
Two Days Later-
(Dinner on Sunday)
Once I finished my meal, I searched the Ravenclaw table for Rosalyn. I soon found her, the spitting image of Susan. Light brown curls, bright and happy face, and striking blue eyes. I saw a form walk into the Hall shyly, a girl identical to Rosalyn. It was Susan. She peeked into the Hall, but left immediately.
I turned to my father. "Dad? Could I go back to the library before dinner is finished? I want to grab a book I saw before curfew. Please." He looked apprehensive, but nodded and sent me off. I hopped off my chair and bolted past the Slytherin table, many eyes looking up to me as I passed. I looked around outside the Hall, trying to spot the brown haired girl. I caught sight of her walking the opposite direction, towards the library.
"Susan! Hey, Susan! Wait up." I ran forward to her and she looked shocked and horrified. "Anne? You're alright! Oh, how are you? I'm so sorry!" I had no idea what she was talking about, but I decided to play dumb. I allowed tears to pool in my eyes and nodded. "I'm . . . alright, I guess. Can I speak with you?" She nodded, cautiously. "Where . . .?"
"How about the library? That's normally private." She nodded and took my hand gently. I followed her to our wanted destination. She pulled me close to the area where Harry and I spent most of our day.
"What did you want to . . . to talk about? I understand it may be a tricky subject for you. You seem rather unfazed, though. Or is that all a facade?" I nodded trying to play along.
"I want you to tell me what you saw. I want to see it from a different viewpoint. Please. I need to know."