"You make a move on him and you'll be dead before you hit the ground." - Dean Winchester - Supernatural
Chapter Eighteen - The Ton-Tongue Toffee
It had taken Ankaa a few hours to come to terms with her... interest in Fred Weasley. She was glad the other girls from her dorm were still in class, for she knew that she would not make the best company at this time. Ankaa's temper was even shorter than usual. Normally, she would have packed her bag and high tailed to the library in order to avoid any of her classmates, but she found that she had no more strength left in her.
And of course, Blaise's involvement in this situation didn't help her either.
He had returned from class with the rest of her friends. Draco, who wanted to make sure she was alright, asked Pansy to come back to their dorm and bring Ankaa downstairs so they could all relax in the common room before dinner. As much as she wanted to, Ankaa could not ignore Draco (the Drama Queen would make a big deal and get everyone involved). So she reluctantly let Pansy pull her down the stairs and by the sofas where the fourth years, including Blaise, were seated.
Blaise made no move to acknowledge her, which suited her just fine. Seating herself next to Draco, Ankaa nodded at him.
"How're you feeling?" He asked, examining her up and down.
"I'm alright," She shrugged. "It was just sudden, I think."
Blaise snorted. "I bet," He said softly.
Of course, in the time that Ankaa had to herself, she had wondered what to do with Blaise. Ankaa trusted him, as much as she could trust another Slytherin student. She knew all his weaknesses so that if he ever tried to get in her way she could shut him down in a heartbeat. But at the same time, he was a friend. It would be unfortunate to have to do that to him, but if he told everyone about Fred Weasley, then he was a threat.
Blaise's fate depended entirely on the conversation he instigated in the next few minutes because Ankaa was furiously calculating whether he was a threat or not.
"Excuse me?" Ankaa raised a brow at him.
Blaise gave her an impassive stare right back. "You heard me," He said, "It was rather sudden, wasn't it? Can't help but think that maybe it was something I said."
Draco raised a brow, interested. Ankaa only frowned at him before turning back to Blaise.
"Don't fool yourself, Zabini," She spat nastily. "You're not nearly important enough to me to have an impact on my well-being."
"I might not be," Blaise titled his head mockingly, "But I know someone else who would. A certain red—"
"Let's go," Draco stood up suddenly. "I'm starving."
As everyone around them stood up, Blaise and Ankaa stayed seated, glaring at each other with hatred. Draco motioned for Crabbe, Goyle, and Parkinson to go ahead. The trio walked away from the sofas but stopped close to the door. Draco stood still, staring at Blaise.
"Let's go, Zabini." He commanded, raising his brow when Blaise did not immediately move. With one last sneer in Ankaa's direction, Zabini got up and joined the trio by the door. Ankaa stood as well.
"You might want to pick your friends more carefully next time," Draco advised her, frowning at Zabini's retreating back.
"He's not my friend."
Draco raised a brow, "You certainly had me fooled." He paused. With a quick exhale, he relented, "Look, I don't know what happened between you and Zabini, but he's not someone to take lightly."
"Neither am I."
Ankaa looked from her Draco to Blaise. She had known Draco her entire life, and they were very close when they were growing up. Ever since the whole fiasco with the Marauders Map and Sirius Black, Ankaa had started hanging out with Blaise more. She had never thought about how that might have impacted Draco. But still, he stood by her and protected her.
She knew who her friends were.
"Go on," Ankaa smiled at Draco. "I'll meet you lot in the Great Hall in a bit."
Draco was puzzled. "What are you planning?"
Ankaa gave him a mischievous grin. "You'll see."
Giving her a weary look, Draco nodded and headed out with the rest of the Slytherins. Ankaa raced back to her bedside drawer and pulled it open quickly. She scrambled to find the glass box in which she had stored her candy. Smiling, she clutched it into her hand and ran down to the Great Hall.
"What's this?" Blaise asked, holding up the toffee Ankaa had just placed in front of him. Ankaa had taken a seat right beside him and gave him a dazzling smile.
"A peace offering." Ankaa shrugged nonchalantly. "Look, I know you were only looking out for me. It was wrong of me to take my anger out on you, Blaise. You were only being a good friend." She shuddered mentally. Even the thought made her want to vomit.
Blaise raised a brow and turned the Toffee over in his fingers, carefully examining it for any signs of tampering.
"It's not poisoned, Blaise." Ankaa rolled her eyes, pretending to smile once again as if she was terribly amused by his suspicious nature. "It's just a toffee."
Blaise nodded and unwrapped the toffee, popping it into his mouth. Ankaa's smile slowly turned maniacal as she stared at him. He was squirming in mild discomfort, lightly scratching at his neck as his tongue started to swell up in size.
Ankaa leaned closer to him, gripping his collar in her hand. "Listen to me, and listen well Zabini because I will not repeat myself." She hissed, glaring at him with so much hatred, it made him tremble slightly. "If you so much as mention Weasley and I in the same sentence, no matter the context, I will bring you and your family to their knees until you beg me for forgiveness, do you understand?" Zabini was only staring at her wide-eyed, with obvious fear. She shook him hard, and he nodded.
"Good," Ankaa let go of his collar and pushed him back. "Now get to the Hospital Wing, I doubt you'll be eating dinner now anyway."
Blaise gave her a murderous glare before getting up and running away from the table and Hall as fast as he possibly could.
"What the hell was that?" Draco whispered in her ear, noticing they had attracted the attention of some other students throughout the hall.
"Nothing," Ankaa shrugged nonchalantly. "It was like I said, a peace offering. I've made my peace with Blaise because he has paid for what he has done."
Draco and Pansy regarded her silently for a moment. Pansy turned away, choosing to focus on her food.
Draco let out a huff of laughter. "What was that anyway? How'd you make that?"
Ankaa shook her head. "I didn't make it," She confessed. "It was given to me by some... friends." She glanced slyly at the Gryffindor Table. The twins, having noticed all the commotion, were staring right at her. George was laughing, giving her a thumbs up. Fred, who also looked highly impressed, was nodding his head in approval (though Ankaa could see it killed him on the inside to do it).
"You lied about the toffee being poisoned then?" Pansy asked.
"No," Ankaa smiled. "It's not poisoned, it's just got a surprising side-effect. Besides, as harsh as it may seem Zabini needed to learn his lesson."
Draco snorted. "Yeah, he's learned not to mess with you."
"A lesson everyone has yet to learn, Malfoy."
There was darkness. Ankaa took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind of thoughts to the best of her abilities. Her pupils flickered about behind her eyelids. Her breath came out in a rush when out of the blue, her brain decided to show her a picture of a laughing Fred Weasley. He was evidently happy, with his eyes crinkled and lips parted in a delighted laugh.
Ankaa heard the person behind her give an irritated sigh before she felt an impact on the back of her head. Opening her eyes, Ankaa glared at the practiced Seer. Vablatsky stood before the young girl, a disapproving frown on her face. She used the rolled up copy of the Daily Prophet to smack the top of Ankaa's head once more.
"Your mind is too pre-occupied." Cassandra scowled, "Empty it."
"I'm doing the best I can," Ankaa growled, batting Vablatsky's hand away when she tried to strike her once more. She wanted to tell Cassandra that this process would have been infinitely faster if she had a better teacher, but Ankaa knew the Seer would only hit her on the head again. Besides, it's not like she wasn't trying. Every time she tried, she would see Fred smiling and laughing with Angelina Johnson, and her chest would tighten in jealousy or sadness she could not tell.
Cassandra wasn't listening to her though, which annoyed Ankaa. The Seer was pacing the room with her chin clasped between her forefinger and thumb. Ankaa watched her pace, before looking out of the window and out at the grounds. It was almost October, and everyone was excited for the arrival of the other students for the Triwizard Tournament. And even though the duo had been training for three weeks already, Ankaa had not been able to see anything.
"Come," Cassandra called to the girl as she walked out of the room. Ankaa followed after her curiously. The Seer walked through the halls expertly, leading the way to the dungeons. Ankaa wondered why she would want to go there of all places, seeing as there wasn't much that Vablatsky seemed to like there. Ankaa was careful to avoid stepping on Cassandra's billowing cloak as she opened the door to a room filled with portraits.
It was a small room. Every inch of the walls was covered by a portrait or another, all in various sizes. There was one portrait on the far side of the room of a man dressed in a Toga. It was the only portrait that spanned half the wall. The man in the portrait spotted Vablatsky and bowed his head slowly. Then his brown eyes drifted over Ankaa and he studied her quietly, a small frown on his face. Ankaa examined him as well. He held a golden staff in his hand, and a gold circlet was placed upon his head.
"This is Mopsus," Cassandra motioned to him. Hearing his name, Mopsus bowed his head in a greeting. "He was a widely celebrated Seer from ancient Greece. I am sure you have heard of his triumph over Calchas?" Cassandra did not wait for a response from Ankaa, and continued, "We are here to retrieve a potion that will, hopefully, help you with your visions."
"A potion?"
"Yes." It was Mopsus who had spoken. He had a deep voice, a little rough as well as if he hadn't spoken in a while. "It is a potion that will help you gain Seer like qualities for a short period of time."
"But I'm a Seer," Ankaa frowned. "Why do I need a potion?"
Mopsus looked from Vablatsky to Ankaa and gave her a smile. "Perhaps your lessons have not been entirely fruitful?"
Vablatsky gave an uncharacteristic snort. "We've been working for weeks on end and not one vision!"
The Great Seer shook his head. He stroked his chin in contemplation, looking Ankaa up and down once. "Her mind is not clear," He concluded. "You are much too burdened, young one. Cassandra has brought you here because she believes my Potion will help in giving your Inner Eye a jumpstart."
Cassandra nodded. "Forsooth," She mumbled. Mopsus smiled, and his portrait swung forward.
Behind it was small room lined with shelves from the floor to the ceiling. Ankaa watched as Cassandra took a step forward into the closet, and examining the many different vials lined along the shelves. She opened some boxes, digging through them and pulling out vials only to throw them back in with a scowl. Leaning forward, Ankaa took note that almost all potions imaginable were present in the closet. Ankaa picked up a vial labelled Maximum Turbo Farts Potion. Raising a skeptical brow, she turned to Cassandra.
"Is this real?"
Cassandra turned away from the box she was looking through with a frown. When she noticed the vial in the young girl's hands, she smiled. "Indeed it is," Cassandra took it from her hands, "Although as amusing as Maximum Turbo Farts are, we are not here for this potion." Cassandra put the potion away after noticing how the Slytherin girl was eyeing it with interest.
As Ankaa examined the rest of the potions with great interest, Cassandra looked over at the girl. She had certainly been improving in the last few weeks, but Cassandra had hoped everything would go a lot faster.
Cassandra pulled out a vial and stepped out of the room. Mopsus' portrait swung closed and he regarded the two ladies with a keen interest.
Cassandra explained, "I believe the reason you have not yet been able to tap into your Inner Eye is because you have forgotten the feeling of it being used. Hopefully, once this potion takes effect and you have a vision, you will be able to recall that information and use it again without the Potion's aid."
Ankaa raised a brow, "So if a Potion lets people see the future, then why doesn't the Ministry use to predict future events? Why do they employ Seers? Isn't this much more cost efficient?"
Cassandra nodded. "It is indeed. Why would I employ thirty new workers when I could create a batch of Mopsus' Potion and use it on already existing employees? A good question; one that I knew you would ask. The Ministry does not use this particular Potion because it has a detrimental effect on the user's state of mind should it be composed in large quantities."
Ankaa pursed her lips. "And you're giving this to me?"
"It is a small quantity." Cassandra shrugged. "And I do not think it will affect you the same way it would others. Seers like you and I understand that the future cannot be changed."
"But the future isn't concrete," Ankaa shook her head with a frown. "If it's not concrete, doesn't that mean it can be changed?"
Mopsus shook his head, "It's not entirely concrete." When he saw the young girl's confused expression, he elaborated. "For example, you have a vision of a conversation taking place between your friends. The next day, when the event takes place you try to change the words you use in hopes that the vision that you had is proved false. While the sentences of your conversation changed, the subject matter remains the same no matter how hard you tried. Therefore, while the vision you had was not concrete, it still came true. The entire future cannot be changed. Do you understand?"
"So let's say I have a vision of someone dying," She began, weighing the vial of Mopsus Potion in her hand, "and I try to save them when the time comes. You're saying they're still going to die?"
Mopsus just smiled sagely. "We all must die at one time or another."
Ankaa narrowed her eyes with a frown, "I feel like you've just contradicted everything you said."
Mopsus looked to Cassandra. Something flickered in his eyes too quickly for Ankaa to know what it was. Beside the young girl, Cassandra bowed her head solemnly. When Mopsus turned back to Ankaa, he spoke softly. "In our world, Death operates with a very delicate balance. You might be able to cheat fate momentarily and save those you love, but Death must have Death." He looked to Cassandra then, "We have, the both of us, attempted to cheat Death of its rightful victims."
Mopsus turned back to Ankaa then, and all traces of the smile she had seen previously had vanished. When he looked down at her seriously, she instinctually understood that being a Seer was not a responsibility she should take lightly. He said, "We have tried to save those we love, but Death has taken another in their stead. Know this Ankaa, that should you try to save one from the clutches of Death, you must be prepared to lose another."
Ankaa blinked. Her instincts told her that she would come to face this dilemma sooner than expected. Regardless, she nodded at the Master Seer. Mopsus bowed his head to her in the same way he had bowed to Vablatsky.
"Should you ever need counsel, young Ankaa," Mopsus placed a hand over his heart, "Know that I will always be here."
Ankaa smiled cheekily and held up the vial of his potion. "You're just saying that because you have nowhere to go from your portrait," She smirked.
Mopsus smiled, "Perhaps. But it is always nice to meet another Seer. There are so few of us."
Ankaa nodded. Vablatsky bid farewell to Mopsus and led the way out of the room. The other portraits watched them leave in fascination, and some waved. Ankaa waved back before quickly following after her mentor. Ankaa was beyond excited to try the Potion and know the relative future. Ceph had been persistent in asking her about her visions concerning the Tournament.
"Go on then," Cassandra sat back in her plush chair with a slight exhale. Ankaa pulled the cork out of the vial and took an experimental whiff. It smelled sweet, like flowers. Glancing at Vablatsky, she put the vial to her lips and swallowed the liquid as quickly as she could.
She was sitting in the Great Hall next to Draco, watching in fascination as the delegates from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Oddly enough, Ankaa found her attention wandering to the Gryffindor table. Fred and George were sitting side by side, watching enraptured as the girls from Beauxbatons walk by. This time though, Ankaa did not feel jealous because Fred's eyes soon found hers and he sent her a conspiratory wink, nodding his head towards the girls. Ankaa could only roll her eyes with a smile.
She was in the Great Hall again. This time, however, she was sitting next to Ceph, clutching his hand tightly under the table. Ceph's eyes were trained to the front of the hall, where a magnificent Goblet had been placed. It flared blue for a moment before a piece of paper shot into the sky. Ankaa saw Dumbledore's hand reach up to pull it out of the air. He opened it slowly, and his eyes raked over the name before he announced the name of the Hogwarts' Champion.
"Cepheus Rhyther!"
Once again, Ankaa found herself in the Great Hall once more. It was decorated this time. There was a Christmas Tree placed where the High Table usually was. There was a slight snowfall from the ceiling, but it dissipated as soon as it reached the tops of the student's heads. There were hardly any students around. She was dancing. With Fred Weasley.
"So, are you going to tell me or not?" He asked, giving her a wide, excited smile.
"Tell you what?"
"Who you like!" Fred exclaimed. "Come on! I've been trying to guess this entire week!"
"You." She breathed as if she could not control herself. "I like you."
Ankaa resurfaced with a gasp. She launched herself out of her seat as quickly as she could and took a deep breath. She was feeling queasy.
"Ah, so that's him, then?" Cassandra leaned back in her chair with a teasing smirk. "He's quite the charming, young man, I must say."
Ankaa glared at Vablatsky, "How do you know—"
"Legilimency." Cassandra waved her hand carelessly as she stood. "Despite what I had thought, your mind was disappointingly easy to wade through. I really had thought you would have set up some perimeters."
Ankaa scowled, "It's not a daily ritual for me, to have my mind invaded."
"It's hardly an invasion," Cassandra rolled her eyes at the young girl's theatrics. "I needed to see your visions to know what to do next in our lessons."
"So... what's next then?"
"I'm afraid there's not much I can do for you." Cassandra placed her hand on the girl's head, "I'm afraid you're at battle with yourself. The reason why your Inner Eye has shown you visions pertaining to your brother and Fred Weasley is that your mind is far too concerned. You are worried about your brother's safety, but you are also worried about your friendship with Fred. Until you come to terms with your feelings—completely come to terms, I mean—there is little I can do."
"I am at terms with my feelings!" Ankaa exclaimed, "I've accepted that I like Fred, don't I?"
Cassandra pursed her lips and looked away from the girl, mumbling something about not having signed up to be her therapist. Nonetheless, she turned back to the girl and motioned for her to sit down. Waving her hand, she summoned forward two teacups and had poured some tea.
"You're conflicted about liking him," Cassandra guessed. "You know you like him, but you are unsure of what to do. You want to be with him, but at the same time, you are terrified of the consequences of being with him. It is the same case with Cepheus. You want him to participate, to have his chance at glory. At the same time, you do not want to see him hurt, and you do not want to assume the responsibility that comes with being the Seer."
Ankaa turned the warm teacup over in her hand, examining the fine china. She traced her fingers over the intricate blue pattern delicately. She knew Cassandra was right.
"So, that's it then?" Ankaa whispered solemnly. "I can't do anything else?"
"I can't do anything," Cassandra titled her head, "But that does not mean you can't. I understand your position quite well, as odd as it may sound. I, too, have been forced to take sides in the long years that I have lived." Cassandra did not meet her eyes, and Ankaa watched her swallow lightly before continuing, "You have to understand that the burden of having to bear the consequences is not solely upon your shoulders. Talk to your family, your friends, and they will help."
Ankaa raised a brow mockingly. "Really?" She mused, "Because that went so marvellously well with Zabini."
Cassandra cracked a smile. "Ah, yes." She nodded in approval, "I saw what you did to that boy. I must say, you are a force to be reckoned with. However, that isolated incident does not mean that Blaise is not your friend."
"I think it does."
Cassandra shrugged. "I will not impose a decision upon you," she said. "Try to understand that Blaise was troubled, and he found anger to be the best route to convey what he was feeling." Cassandra paused then. She glanced down at her teacup, examining the leaves before putting it upside down in front of her. When she glanced up at the young girl, she gave her a tight smile, and said, "These coming few months will test you. You are a strong girl, no doubt, but mental endurance is just as important as the physical strength you seem to value. You will need your friends and family now more than ever, do you understand?"
Ankaa was quick to register the tone of desperation, but she did not point it out. In the short time, she had known Cassandra, Ankaa had come to think of her as a highly skilled witch. She was her mentor, and Ankaa respected her.
"I understand."
"Good girl," Cassandra smiled. "Now, I think you have to make some apologies, don't you?"
Cassandra had drilled it into Ankaa's head that intuition, for a Seer, was more important than water itself. Ankaa had known all along that she would have to apologize to either Blaise or the twins at some point. Though she felt no guilt whatsoever at giving Blaise the Ton-Tongue Toffee, she felt an insurmountable amount of guilt for arguing with Fred.
That night, as she made her way around the castle so she could have some hot chocolate in the kitchens, she had a gut feeling that told her she would be running into Fred soon. And lo and behold, the moment the portrait of the Pear swung open, the Weasley Twins looked up from the table they were sat at in the kitchens. George offered her a smile and a lazy wave. Fred looked away from her, choosing to focus on his pudding instead.
Swallowing quickly, she made her way over to them. Apologies were so much harder than committing a sin.
"Look," she got right to the point, "I'm not good at apologizing, alright? But anyway, here I am, apologizing." She sat down next to George and in front of Fred, who by now had slowed his pudding intake and was listening to her (although he was trying to make it seem like he wasn't listening).
Scratching her cheek, Ankaa continued awkwardly, "What I said in the library, I hadn't meant it that way. I think you're great at magic—and George as well, of course," She added quickly, so it wouldn't seem like she was favouring Fred (because let's be honest, she was all about Fred). "I really do regret what I said, and I want to say that I'm sorry."
There was a deafening silence after that. Fred wasn't eating anymore, but neither was he accepting her apology. George was staring imploringly at Fred, and Ankaa was watching him with a slight frown. To apologize to someone and not have it be accepted was embarrassing, to say the least, but Ankaa was ready to do anything it took to make sure Fred forgave her. Luckily for her, he did.
"Ah," Fred reached over the table with a smile and ruffled her hair, "You're forgiven. While we're in the mood, can you also admit that I'm the greatest wizard of all time?"
"Me too!" George piped in, "I want to milk it for all it's worth too, mate."
Fred nodded at his twin, "Alright then. Can you please say, 'Fred and George Weasley are two of the greatest most amazing blokes I have ever—'"
"I was thinking more along the lines of an apology present." Ankaa interrupted, holding up a small vial for the twins to see. "You see, I recently found this Maximum Turbo Farts Potion, and I thought you two would love to have it. But if you'd rather have me say that you're the greatest, I'll do that and keep this potion to myself."
The twins looked at each other briefly before smirking. "We'll take it," They spoke in unison. Smiling, Ankaa placed the vial in Fred's hand as he examined it. She pulled out another vial of the same Potion and placed it in George's hand.
"Another one?" He asked, raising an inquisitive brow.
Ankaa smiled, "It's for the Ton-Tongue Toffee. I owed you."
Fred laughed, "That was amazing, wasn't it, what you did to Zabini?"
George nodded along, "Yeah, never thought you'd use it on him though."
"Never," Fred agreed. "Aren't you two the best of friends?"
Ankaa shrugged, "He said something about someone. I warned him not to."
"About who?" Fred asked.
Ankaa hesitated, but then waved her hand in dismissal. "No need to concern yourself with it," She said. "Besides, I should be asking you what you have in mind for this Potion."
Fred and George gave her identical grins. "We're gonna save it," They said.
"You never know when flatulence comes in handy," Fred winked.
Ankaa laughed. "Test it though," She advised. "I haven't used it before, so I don't know how much of a dosage would be effective."
The twins looked at each other once more. "Ron, it is." They snickered.
The three sat in the kitchens for hours that night, just talking and joking around with one another. Ankaa found herself looking at Fred more times than usual, and she had to start being careful because she was sure George would catch on quickly. Regardless of whether or not she had told Fred of her feelings, she was glad that he was back. Even if it was just as a friend.
Notes:
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