"Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly." - Caroline Thompson + Larry Wilson (Morticia Addams: The Addams Family)

Chapter Fifteen - A Deal is Struck

"Are you sure you don't want to go?" Maya leaned against the doorframe to Ankaa's room. She was dressed in her usual impeccable style. "I think it would be a great way to unwind before school starts again."

With a sigh, Ankaa stuffed the letter she had been writing to Remus into the envelope and thrust it towards Zeus. She also gave him another envelope, addressed to the Ginger Twins.

"No, mom," She muttered, "I'm not feeling too well. Ceph and I will just sit this one out."

Maya raised a worried brow but nodded. Ankaa watched her mother leave before she turned back to Zeus, who was still perched on the windowsill with a haughty look. Sighing in irritation, Ankaa passed him a few treats and cajoled him into taking one more letter. He was no doubt frustrated with all the letters he had to deliver this summer.

Ankaa had received letters from the Weasley Twins, who had been telling her about their intent to start their own joke shop in Diagon Alley. Ankaa had offered them some of her opinions with the potions and spells they used, but for the most part, Fred and George were busy on their own. Even Granger had started writing to her, making small talk and asking about class material for the following year.

As she watched Zeus fly away, Ankaa's eyes turned to the unopened envelope sitting on the top of her desk once more. It had been a month almost since she got it. Her name had been elegantly scrawled atop the envelope in Sirius Black's cursive writing. He had written to Ceph as well, and her brother had wasted no time in writing back.

She ran her fingertips over the writing softly. Ankaa just wanted things to be the same as they were last year. She had been dreading returning to school this year because she knew friendship with the Golden Trio would likely be the death of her. Not to mention that her Inner Eye had started going completely crazy on her.

"You really should write back to him, you know."

Ankaa turned her chair to find her father standing by the door with a sheepish smile on his face. Henry slowly walked forward so that he was standing by one of the large windows in her room, a few paces away from her desk.

"He's probably waiting for you to write back," Henry spoke softly, nodding at the envelope.

"He's got Ceph."

"Ceph's not you," Henry raised a brow, "Why are you so afraid to open it?"

Ankaa quickly averted her eyes from her father's. She should have known better than to assume he did not suspect anything. Henry had always been the more observant of parents. From her peripheral vision, Ankaa could tell he was still looking at her. She also knew there was no way he would leave unless she told him.

"I just thought that if I ignored it, things would go back to normal," Ankaa muttered sullenly. As she said the words, she realized how incredibly stupid they sounded.

Henry just gave her a smile and nodded, as if he understood. "I know change can be alarming, especially with everything you and your brother have had to go through. But there is always a good in every situation. We fail to see it at first, but there is always a bigger picture."

"I don't want to be a part of it," Ankaa whispered, her eyes still fixed on the trees outside her window. She watched as the sun dipped down and the sky started to turn a shade between orange and pink. "I don't want things to change either, because I've spent so long trying to perfect myself so I can survive these conditions."

"You must adapt then." Henry, too, glanced out at the evening sky. "Life has this uncanny ability to force us into situations we would never want to face, but it's for the best. You're dreading change now because you've become accustomed to living the way you have, but you're a strong girl Ankaa, you'll make it through this."

Ankaa just nodded. They were both quiet for a few moments before Henry let out a quiet sigh. He placed a soft kiss on her temple and ruffled her hair as he bid her farewell.

"Remember, be careful while we're gone."

Ankaa smiled, "I won't do anything reckless."

Henry narrowed his eyes playfully, "Every time you say that your mother and I return to you and your brother having a duel."

Ankaa gave him a cheeky smile, "Competition is healthy for the soul."

Henry gave her a mocking smile in return and retorted, "Not this time. Maya and I have removed the Undetectable Location Charm from your rooms, so remember, no underage magic."

Ankaa huffed and crossed her arms. She heard her father laughing down the hall as she left for the Quidditch World Cup. A few minutes later, Ankaa left her room to go visit her brother. Just as he had been the entire summer, Ceph was laying on his bed ruffling through his textbooks for the coming school year.

"Why're you going through these already?" Ankaa jumped onto his bed. "You normally don't start until we get on the train."

With an irritated glare, Ceph swatted her hand away as she tried to reach for his textbook. "If you must know, I'm planning to enter the Triwizard Tournament."

Ankaa scowled, "The Triwizard—why in Merlin's name would you want that? Haven't you got 1000 galleons lying around?"

Ceph rolled his eyes as he sat up. "It's not about the money, you idiot. It's about glory."

Ankaa rolled her eyes mockingly as well, "Oh yeah, the glory of the cup, how wonderful. You've got enough glory as the Golden Boy of Hogwarts, don't you think? Why go through all the trouble?"

Ceph shrugged. "I might not even get chosen, but I'd like to be known as a Champion. Besides with you at my side, my brilliant Seer of a sister, I'll be sure to win."

"No way." Ankaa stood up, glaring viciously at him as she did. "There's no way."

Ceph raised an amused brow. "It's not cheating, not that you would care, but it would really give me the upper hand."

"I'm sure it would, but I haven't even been trained as a Seer." Ankaa said, "My visions are erratic, and half the time they don't even make sense. It really wouldn't be much help to you."

Ceph waved his hand in dismissal as he turned his attention back to his book once more, "That's alright. We have until October for when Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrive, and a few weeks after that, I assume. You've got time."

"What do you think I am?" Ankaa growled.

"Look, I know you'll do this for me," Ceph glanced at her then, and Ankaa noticed the glint in his eyes. He meant business, and he had something to offer her. That's how he knew she'd end up helping him. "I'll teach you to Apparate."

Ankaa opened her mouth to retort but he stood up towered over her with a smirk.

"Don't lie to me, Little Sister," Ceph gave her a charming smile, "I know you've figured out that the Trace is off both of us. That's why you didn't put up a fuss when Mom and Dad took away the Undetectable Location Charm from our rooms. Besides, I find it hard to believe that someone of your calibre would make a trip years into the past without completely knowing its repercussions."

Ankaa paused. She had assumed that Ceph had completely brushed over the incident. She had figured it out the moment she had researched the Time Turner when Snape had first given it to her. She had found out about a Witch named Eloise Mintumble who had time travelled to the year 1402 from 1899. She had been stuck in the past for five days, and upon her return, her body aged 500 years. Ankaa figured if she went back a few years, her biological clock would age enough to get the trace off her.

Ankaa scowled at her brother's knowing look. He chose the worst times to show how eerily Slytherin he was.

"So," Ceph smiled, "How about this? When we return to Hogwarts next week, I want you to do to Dumbledore and tell him you want to practice with Vablatsky to become a full fledged Seer. In return, I will teach you how to Apparate."

Ankaa surveyed him. His coy smile was still fixed upon his face, and his haughtily raised eyebrow told her that he knew he had won. So when she nodded, he laughed and ruffled her hair.

A few hours later, the siblings were both still sitting in Ceph's room. Ceph had taken a break from reading through the various textbooks and was instead helping Ankaa to use Nonverbal spells. The girl in question was glaring at a piece of parchment a few feet away from her with narrowed eyes. Her wand was clutched tightly in her hands, and she was grinding her teeth profusely.

Ceph was leaning on the table behind her, his arms crossed over his chest and watching carefully. Shaking his head, he muttered softly, "Relax and take a deep breath. Say the spell clearly in your mind, and strongly. Your wand will not obey unless its sure you want it to happen as well."

Ankaa grunted. "This is stupid." She threw her wand on the ottoman in front of her and settled back in her chair. She heard Ceph move away from the table and settle into the chair in front of her. With a wave of his wand, the parchment came soaring through the air and into his hand. Gently, Ceph placed it next to her wand.

"It takes time," He smiled. "You can't seriously expect yourself to become good at this overnight. Mental strength is often more taxing than physical strength."

Ankaa nodded. "What about you? How long did it take you?"

There was a brief pause before he answered. "Years, actually," he said, "But I think if you really concentrate you can master it in a couple of months." He glanced down at the parchment before holding his hand over it. Ankaa watched quietly as the parchment on the ottoman shift slightly, as if it was being tugged by an invisible string and into Ceph's hand.

"You're—"

"It hasn't worked so far," Ceph sighed, pulling his hand back to rest on the arm of the chair, "I've been trying to perfect wandless magic so far. I've done a few spells, but that's probably because they were originated from cultures that don't use wands. I'm trying to use them for spells that I've learned at Hogwarts now. I think that'll take me a while though."

"I guess you'll really enter the Tournament then," Ankaa muttered. "I doubt anyone at Hogwarts is as advanced at magic as you are—any student I mean."

Ceph only gave her a gentle smile. "Don't worry. With you at my side, I'm sure I'll come out unscathed."

That night, Henry and Maya had returned in a flurry. They had quickly relayed what happened at the Quidditch World Cup to the siblings.

"The Dark Mark was there," Maya muttered. "The last time I saw that mark, my best friend and her husband had been murdered."

Ankaa pursed her lips as she handed a cup of warm tea to her mother. Henry was sitting beside her on the couch in the living room, holding onto her shoulders in an effort to calm her down. Ceph was standing beside Ankaa, watching solemnly.

He turned to one of the houselves and commanded, "Go light the fireplace in the master bedroom." With a squeak, the house elf vanished. Ceph then turned back to his parents, "Who do you think cast it?"

"We don't know," Henry said softly as he smoothed his fingers over Maya's hair. "The Ministry officials found Harry at the scene, but it turns out it was Crouch's house elf that held the wand."

"A house elf?" Ceph and Ankaa spoke at the same time.

Henry shook his head tiredly, "It wasn't her, at least I don't think so. No one else from the Ministry believes it either, but Crouch has no other leads to go on. The Ministry's on full alert, what with the dark mark and the Death Eaters—"

"Death Eaters?" Ankaa raised a brow, "They were there too?"

There was a pregnant pause. If the Death Eaters had decided to make an appearance, everyone knew that this meant things were starting to heat up. An affiliation with Voldemort was not so openly flaunted, especially not after his downfall. Ankaa knew why her father kept his arm covered.

"What's going to happen now?" Ceph questioned softly, glancing from his parents to his little sister.

"We don't know," Henry said, glancing up at his children. "But I suspect things are going to change."

That night, Ankaa found herself sitting by her window once more. Only this time, instead of watching the sun set, she was watching it rise. The news of the happenings at the World Cup had left her unable to sleep. And by the time she started to feel drowsy, harsh rays of sunlight were peeking over the trees and into her room.

She got ready to leave for Kings Cross in a daze. She said goodbye to her parents in a haze and stepped onto the train without knowing. She followed Ceph, ahead of Draco (whom she did not recall meeting at the platform). Only when they settled into their seats in the cabin, and when Blaise placed his hand over hers did she snap out of her trance.

"Everything alright?" Blaise asked, raising his brows in concern.

Ankaa only nodded. She got out of her seat and reached for her robes. "I'm going to go change," She called over her shoulder.

"Already?"

Ignoring Blaise, she walked away from her compartment. The Trolley was ahead of her, and she reached into her pocket to fetch some money.

"Two chocolate frogs please," Ankaa said. When she passed the money to the Lady, she noticed Harry Potter was standing out of his cabin staring at her. Ankaa raised a brow when Potter stuttered at the Trolley Witch and blushed slightly. She rolled her eyes with a small smirk. Once the Trolley Witch had moved on Ankaa made her way to Potter's cabin, where he stepped aside to let her in.

"Oh," Ronald deflated immediately, "You're here, are you? I was hoping to get by without one of you Slytherins—" With a flick of Ankaa's wrist, a chocolate frog had smacked him right in the middle of the forehead.

"Shut your trap Weasley," Ankaa scowled, "I'm here on civil terms."

Ronald only grumbled.

"What happened at the World Cup?" Ankaa turned her attention to the other two people in the cabin.

"Why didn't you come?" Potter asked quickly. He paused, "I mean, your parents were there—I just, I thought you would be too. You and Ceph, I mean."

Ankaa looked to a smirking Granger before raising her brow. "Sorry Potter, if I had known you were waiting to see me, I wouldn't have disappointed you."

"I wasn't… disappointed." Much like his friend, Harry deflated a bit and sank back in his seat.

"Besides, I thought with all the letters you and my mother write to each other, she would have told you."

"Told me what?"

"That Ceph and I wouldn't be coming." Ankaa said, "We were busy with our textbooks and all."

"But it was the World Cup!" Ronald sounded like he was in physical pain, as if the idea that people preferred other things to Quidditch was inconceivable.

Ankaa rolled her eyes, "Exactly. Not very interesting either, especially if that stupid Krum caught—"

"Krum!" Ronald launched off his seat and started spewing some nonsense about how he was the youngest player on the team, and he deserved to be there. All the while, Granger tried to calm him down (maybe because she saw the murderous glare Ankaa was sending her redheaded friend), and Potter seemed oddly distracted.

"Can I ask you something?" Potter turned to her and spoke softly, glancing at an arguing Ron and Hermione.

Ankaa only shrugged.

"When you have visions…" Harry began slowly, swallowing when she turned her cautious grey gaze on him. "What does it feel like?"

Ankaa did not answer immediately. Her narrowed eyes widened when she came to a realization, "You have visions too?"

"I'm not sure if they are visions." Harry mumbled, scratching the back of his neck self-consciously. "I had one this summer, where I was in a manner and Wormtail was there and… another man but I don't know him. And he killed someone."

"Listen, Harry," Harry looked away from the window when she used his name (she had only ever referred to him as Potter or Scarhead). "I'm really not sure about these visions myself. When I last had one, I was a third party spectator to a scene. I could see everything, but no one could see me. That's really all I can tell you at this point. Besides, maybe you're just having dreams because you overthink things."

Harry raised a skeptical brow. "Highly unlikely."

"It's was also highly unlikely that Ronald would have passed second year with a broken wand, and yet here he is in front of us in all his glory." Ankaa gestured to the redhead who was stuffing his face with some chocolate cake. Rolling her eyes, Ankaa turned to Granger, "What happened at the World Cup?"

Ankaa sat in the cabin listening to Granger tell her about everything that had happened. Ankaa rolled her eyes when she went off on a tangent about running into Draco, and him being a 'prat'. Then, before she could launch into a tirade about how unjust the employment of houselves was, Ankaa rolled her eyes and stopped her.

"Thanks, but that's not a concern of mine," Ankaa said as she stood with a raised hand.

"How can it not be?" Granger was scandalized. "They're being overworked and underpaid! It's horrible!"

Ankaa rolled her eyes, "You're being dramatic as usual. They like working, it gives them a purpose in life. Without it, they would be lost. Besides, you can't base a race off of one sample. Dobby was an outlier, it's best if you ignore him entirely."

"There you are!"

Ankaa turned to find the Weasley Twins standing at the entrance of the cabin. They wore identical smiles on their faces as the surged forwards. George got to her first, wrapping her in a hug and squeezing her tight once before stepping aside. Fred's hug was a lot more enthusiastic and he picked her up off the ground and squeezed her tightly for a few seconds before letting her down once more.

"Thanks for your tip!" Fred and George gave her wide, ecstatic smiles.

"Tip?" Harry asked, raising a brow at the three. He glared at Hermione when she coughed slightly.

"Yeah," George smiled at him as he took a seat between Ron and Hermione. Fred sat next to Harry and pulled Ankaa down next to him so she was closest to the door.

"Ankaa told us that Ireland would win, but Dumb Krum would catch the snitch." Fred beamed.

"He's not—"

"He is." Fred and George cut him off.

"And anyway," George smiled at Ankaa, "We just wanted to thank you. Bagman was right surprised."

"Surprised is an understatement," Fred snickered, with his hands behind his head.

"Ludo Bagman, huh?" Ankaa mused. "Might want to be careful with him. He's a little shady if you ask me."

"That's alright," Fred and George said, "He's already given us the money."

"Besides, that's not why we're here," Fred said. "We have something for you."

Ankaa perked up slightly. She watched as Fred reached into his pocket and rummaged around a bit before holding his hand in front of her. She glanced at the closed fist and looked to the smiling boy next to her.

"What is it?" She asked.

"You'll have to open it." Fred shrugged. "If you dare."

Ankaa rolled her eyes, though there was a slight curve at the corner of her lips. She reached for his hand and carefully pried his fingers apart one by one and reached for the neatly wrapped toffee. Raising a brow, Ankaa looked from Fred to George, "I really hope there's a good story behind this."

"It's a gift," Fred shrugged.

"You gave us those Stickers—"

"Snickers," Granger and Ankaa corrected at the same time.

"Besides, you already gave me something in return for those."

"—which were very tasty by the way." George continued as if Ankaa had never spoken, "And so we decided that you deserve something in return as well."

"Mind you," Fred pulled his hand back when Ankaa reached for the toffee, "This is not for you to eat."

"Then what do I do with it?"

"Feed it to your enemies," The twins spoke together. "You're sure to have a lot of those."

"I'll start with you then," Ankaa mumbled and bumped her shoulder into Fred's as she inspected the toffee. "What exactly is this thing?"

"Ton-tongue toffee," Fred said. His chest puffed out in pride but deflated a bit when he noticed the absolutely blank look Ankaa was giving him, as if she wasn't the least bit impressed. "Oh come on!" He exclaimed, "At least give us some credit for the alliteration."

Ankaa only shrugged.

"Whoever you give it to, their tongue will swell up and weigh—" George started.

"—a ton." Ankaa mused, "Not a bad idea, you two. I have to admit; I was starting to lose faith in you but it seems my faith was not misplaced."

"What!" Granger seemed scandalized, "You can't give that to another student!"

"We can," The twins spoke in unison. "And we did."

"Yeah, we've tried it on Harry's Pig Cousin." Fred clapped Harry on the back and continued, "Wasn't it amazing Harry?"

Harry glanced away from Fred and Ankaa's inquisitive stare uneasily, instead focusing on an enraged Hermione. "It was pretty great, Hermione," He gave her a sheepish smile, "And I'm sure it won't be that bad. Fred and George wouldn't hurt anyone."

Ankaa snorted. "Yeah, sure. Ow!" She jumped up when Fred pinched her arm. Throwing him a dirty glare, she said, "It was nice to see you… some of you at least," She glared at Ronald once more, "See you around." Before leaving, she turned around and gave the twins a taunting smile, "Thanks! I'm surprised there wasn't a Slytherin pun with this."

"None of them were appropriate." Fred shrugged.

"That's okay," Ankaa waved her hand as she turned her back to them, "I always have Gryffin—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!"

The only response to Fred's exclamation was the bell-like laughter of the Slytherin girl that floated around them as she walked down the train.

Notes:

Review!