"She wasn't exactly sure when it happened. Or even when it started. All she knew for sure was that right here and now, she was falling hard and she could only pray that he was feeling the same way." - Safe Haven, Nicholas Sparks
Chapter Thirty-One - Not So Unrequited
The next morning, tensions between Molly and Sirius were still high. Ankaa watched in mild amusement as she reached up to tie the cloth over her nose and mouth. Sirius and Molly were talking to each other politely, but Sirius was no doubt still remembering argument they had gotten into last night.
Beside her, Fred was jumping on the balls of his feet, itching to get his hands on some Doxies while they were all gathered around the curtains.
"We're going to be experimenting with doxy venom for the Skiving Snackboxes," He leaned over slightly to whisper to Ankaa, who rolled her eyes while smirking.
"You sure that's the best idea?" She asked him just as quietly, leaning over so that Mrs. Weasley would not hear.
"Of course," Fred's chest puffed out in pride, "It'll be a great neutralizer. Especially since we've already got the antidote for it."
"What are Skiving Snackboxes?" Harry asked, coming to stand between the two.
Fred shuffled sideways, glancing at the shorter boy who was wrapping the cloth around his face. George, who moved out of Mrs. Weasley's line of vision, elaborated, "Range of sweets that make you ill."
"Not seriously ill," Ankaa supplied, shooting the two a look, "Just enough to get students out of class. They've been testing them out, on themselves of course—"
"We tried to give one to Ron—" began Fred, grinning slyly.
"But Hermione seemed to think it wasn't appropriate." George finished. "I did the Fainting Fancies, both of us did the Nosebleed Nougat—"
Ankaa turned away, shaking her head. "Mrs. Weasley was a sight to behold," She told Harry as the twins stood behind her, snickering. "She thought they'd gotten into a duel."
The quartet pretended to be scraping under the couch for any fallen Doxies as Mrs. Weasley glanced their way with her eyes narrowed in scrutiny. Dutifully, Ankaa sprayed a Doxy in the face as it surged towards her. Quickly, she reached for it and deposited it in the bucket of doxies to her right. Mrs. Weasley, now satisfied with what she was saying, turned to help Ronald.
"Here," Ankaa passed Fred the latest Doxy she had defeated. With a quick glance towards his mom, Fred reached for the Doxy. His fingers skimmed over the palm of Ankaa's hand slowly as he grasped the creature from her. Pretending to examine the doxy, Fred glanced towards his smiling twin before he pocketed it.
"I'm surprised you haven't said anything about..." Fred trailed off as his mother walked past him, "...about the joke shop."
"You already know what I think about it."
Fred raised a brow, "Well, yes, but I had thought that you would have some snarky remark or two about us testing our products on ourselves."
"I'd rather you test them on yourself than on me," Ankaa mumbled distractedly, laying another unconscious Doxy at Fred's side, "So really, I don't have anything to say."
The two worked silently for a bit, tackling one of the long curtains by themselves as George and Harry worked on the one on the next window.
"Thank you, by the way," Fred whispered to her as they both stepped away from the de-doxied curtain.
Ankaa turned to him with a questioning look. Under the cloth covering his face, she could tell he was smiling. His eyes were crinkled at the side.
"For giving us the money," he told her, "You and Harry... It's all because of you."
Ankaa blinked at him in surprise. "I didn't do anything," She admitted sullenly, pretending to fix the nozzle of her spray so she would not have to look him in the eye. "It was all Ceph, he wanted you to have it."
Fred only nodded. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze as he moved away from her and towards George. On the way, Ankaa could hear Mrs. Weasley interrogating him about his less than full bucket of doxies. And of course, Fred was sassing her right back.
Eventually, Mrs. Weasley decided to break for lunch. She eyed the door when the sound of the clanging doorbell was heard, no doubt annoyed how no one could follow simple directions about not ringing the doorbell.
"Stay here," She told them all firmly, snatching up the bag of rats as Mrs. Black's screeches started up again. "I'll bring up some sandwiches."
The moment she left the room, everyone dashed over to the window that overlooked the doorstep. Ankaa, who was uncomfortably pressed against the glass as Fred and George leaned over her, instantly recognized Mundungus Fletcher.
"What's he brought all those cauldrons for?" asked Hermione.
"Probably looking for a safe place to keep them," said Harry. Glancing over at Ankaa, he asked, "Isn't that what he was doing the night he was supposed to be tailing me? Picking up some dodgy cauldrons?"
"Yeah, you're right!" Fred interrupted before Ankaa could answer. Ankaa turned to the view below her again, watching as Mundungus heaved his cauldrons through the door and disappeared from their sight.
"I don't think Mrs. Weasley will like that," Ankaa muttered. George nodded beside her.
Fred and George made their way over to the door and stood beside it, listening intently now that Mrs. Black's screeching had stopped.
"He's talking to Sirius and Kingsley," Fred muttered, frowning with concentration. "Can't hear properly... d'you reckon we can risk the Extendable Ears?"
"I can get them," Ankaa volunteered, "Where—"
Just then, however, there was another explosion of sound from downstairs. A woman was screeching, though it certainly was not Mrs. Black.
"WE ARE NOT RUNNING A HIDEOUT FOR STOLEN GOODS!"
Ankaa snickered, glancing at the twins. "Told you she wouldn't be happy."
Fred gave her a satisfied smile as he opened the door an inch or so to allow Mrs. Weasley's voice to permeate the room. "I love hearing Mum shouting at someone else. It makes such a nice change."
"—COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE, AS IF WE HAVEN'T GOT ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT WITHOUT YOU DRAGGING STOLEN CAULDRONS INTO THE HOUSE—"
Fred pulled the door open wider as Maya stepped through with a tray of sandwiches floating above her. She gave a careless smile as she waved her wand slightly and the tray settled on the table in the middle of the room.
"They're really letting your mother rampage down there," Maya commented, shooting a look to Ronald, who was scarfing down a sandwich already.
George nodded, "You've got to head her off early, otherwise she builds up a head of steam and goes on for hours."
Maya smiled. She went to close the door behind her when Kreacher wedged his way through the small gap. As usual, he acted as if he could not see them. Kreacher continued muttering under his breath as he made his way into the room.
"... Smells like a drain and a criminal to boot, but she's no better, nasty blood traitor with her brats messing up my Mistress's house, oh my poor Mistress—"
"Kreacher," Maya interrupted him sternly, "Isn't it too early in the morning for you to start?"
Kreacher froze in his tracks, and his mumbling stopped abruptly. His eyes remained on the dirty carpet but he gave an unconvincing apology. "Kreacher did not see Mistress," he bowed lowly. "Filthy blood traitor Mistress."
"Sorry?" said Ankaa, smirking down at the House-Elf. "Didn't catch that last bit."
"Kreacher said nothing," said the elf, with a second bow to Ankaa, while adding in a clear undertone, "and there's its daughter, unnatural little being."
Ankaa rolled his eyes at his jibe as she made her way over to the plate of sandwiches on the table. By now, Ronald had inhaled most of it, and so Ankaa grabbed the only piece that was left and sat herself down in the dusty chair.
"He's not in his right mind, he doesn't know what he's—"
"Don't kid yourself, Hermione, he knows exactly what he's saying," said Fred, eyeing Kreacher with great dislike as he came to rest on the arm of the chair Ankaa was sitting in.
Ankaa shifted away from him slightly, hoping he wouldn't notice. Luckily, his attention (along with the others) was still on Kreacher and his fascination with Harry.
"Is it true? Is it Harry Potter? Harry can see the scar, it must be true, that's the boy who stopped the Dark Lord, Kreacher wonders how he did it—"
"Don't we all, Kreacher?" said Fred.
"What do you want anyway?" George asked.
Kreacher's huge eyes darted onto George.
"Kreacher is cleaning," he said evasively.
"A likely story," said a voice behind Harry.
Sirius was standing beside Maya, glowering down at the elf from the doorway. For the first time, Ankaa noticed how much more tired her mother looked in comparison to Sirius; dark circles, hollowed cheekbones, and a slumped posture. Maya had been busy the moment she got to Grimmauld Place; trying to sort everything out with the order, reconnecting with her long-lost husband, and most of all, grieving her dead son.
"Stand up straight," said Sirius, with the usual tone of impatience and irritation as Kreacher bowed low enough to skim the tip of his nose on the grimy floor. "Now, what are you up to?"
"Kreacher is cleaning," the elf repeated. "Kreacher lives to serve the noble house of Black—"
"—and it's getting blacker every day, it's filthy," said Sirius.
"Master always liked his little joke," said Kreacher, bowing again, and continuing in an undertone, "Master was a nasty ungrateful swine who broke his mother's heart—"
"My mother didn't have a heart, Kreacher," Sirius snapped. "She kept herself alive out of pure spite."
Beside him, Maya snorted. "Even now that she's gone, she won't leave us alone," She gestured with her head to the outside, where Mrs. Black's portrait was usually making noise.
Kreacher gave Sirius a look as he shuffled past him to exit the room. Ankaa knew he wouldn't obey a direct order, especially given that the chain of command came to a rest with Sirius Black. Of course, Maya and Ankaa were included in there too. As the last living descendants of the House of Black, Kreacher was bound to them.
"He really doesn't stop, does he?" Fred shook his head in amazement as he turned to look at Ankaa.
The girl only smirked in amusement, "He's a House-Elf for the Black household. When have they ever been known to stop?"
Fred said something that Ankaa did not catch. Her eyes were focused on the trio that walked across the room and stopped in front of the tapestry tracing the lineage of the Black Family Tree. Sirius, Maya, and Harry all stood before it, talking lowly amongst themselves.
"You look like you want to set him on fire," Fred remarked slowly. "What's Harry done to you to make you mad?"
"He hasn't," Ankaa admitted reluctantly, drawing her eyes away from the seemingly intimate bonding session her parents were having with their godson. "It's just weird seeing them all together."
Fred glanced at the trio as well. He was not oblivious to the point where he did not notice Ankaa was upset at the fact that her own father was more keen on spending time with Harry than her. Especially given the circumstances, even Maya was finding it tough to take time off and be with Ankaa.
"I don't think he's replaced you," Fred muttered quietly, turning his head to look at Ankaa. "You're his daughter, and Harry could never replace you. I think Sirius just thinks he's found his old friend in him."
"Incredibly insightful, Fred." Ankaa got up with a roll of her eyes, smiling at him.
"I'm serious—don't give me that smile, it's not the right time for puns—Sirius wouldn't ever replace you." Fred took her elbow as she tried to walk away from him, pulling her closer slightly so he could talk low enough for other people not to hear, almost to the point where she stood between his legs. "I think he's just getting used to this all again. He's excited to have his family back, but he's also lost Ceph... Plus, you're not exactly the most inviting person—ow, okay, I'll rephrase, sorry—" he laughed and gave her wrist as squeeze as he held it in his hand, just so she would not try to hit him again, "—but it took you a year to warm up to George and me. You need to give him time too."
There was an odd moment of connection after his words. In the two years she had known him, Ankaa had not once guessed that Fred Weasley was observant enough to notice the little details that might upset her. And even if he had, she had told herself that she was not important enough for him to consider speaking about the details. But now, she kept her eyes on his; watching intently as numerous emotions flickered behind them as his hand slipped down her wrist slowly, and gently grasped at her fingers.
Fred, who had also noticed the connection, gingerly intertwined his fingers with hers. His eyes left hers and trailed down her arm to rest on their joined hands. His brow furrowed in confusion and concentration. He did not know why he had said the things he had—they seemed to have made sense, he knew she was upset about Harry's place in her family. But why was he still holding her hand?
Because he had seen how hurt she had looked. By a twist of fate, he had somehow been able to place the flicker of jealousy and pain in her eyes when she had glanced away from her family. He could not even begin to imagine what she must have been feeling, or the magnitude of her feelings if she had allowed them to slip through her carefully constructed concrete facade.
"Lunch," said Mrs. Weasley's voice.
Ankaa stepped back quickly and harshly shook her hand free from Fred's grip. She did not even look up at him, or anyone else for that matter, as she rushed out of the room. The only thing she could feel was the tingling sensation in her hand, and the only thing she could hear was the loud and accelerated heartbeat flooding her ears.
"Join me."
Ankaa's head whipped around as she tried to find the source of the voice. It was too dark to see. The hair on the back of her neck rose as if she could feel someone was staring right at her from the depths. Automatically, her hand reached for her wand.
"Lumos." Instantly, the tip glowed a bright white. There was no one in front of her. She turned.
"Join me."
With a shriek, Ankaa stumbled back from Lord Voldemort's form. He stood less than a foot away from her, his dead, red eyes fixed on her in fascination. Ankaa noticed he held his wand in his hand, in the same peculiar fashion she had seen in the Graveyard.
"Join me, Ankaa."
"No." She whispered. The dark seemed to swallow up her words. Voldemort's expression did not change, as if he knew that she would deny his offer all along.
"Join me... or die."
The fear that had got a hold of her instantly dissipated. She remembered how this man had murdered her brother. Ceph died protecting his family, his friends. If he had been given the choice, and if he stood in her shoes now, Ankaa knew that Ceph would make the same decision. And so, with renewed courage, she loudly proclaimed her answer.
"Death it is, then."
Voldemort's lips curled in a cruel smirk. "So be it, Ankaa Rhyther," He whispered as he raised his wand, "Like your brother... AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Thursday morning, a couple of days after de-doxying the living room, and a couple of hours after the dream/vision, Ankaa was sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea in front of her. Surprisingly, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were already up, along with Sirius, Maya, Lupin and Tonks. They looked like they were waiting for someone—most likely Harry, given that he had his hearing at the Ministry of Magic that morning.
"What are you doing up so early?" Maya asked, gesturing for her daughter to sit down between her and Remus.
"Couldn't sleep," Ankaa mumbled, sighing as she rested her head on her mother's shoulder in an uncharacteristic display. Her actions seemed to have surprised everyone else at the table too, except Tonks who just nodded as if she understood. Unperturbed, Maya wrapped an arm around Ankaa's shoulders and pulled her closer.
"Would you like something to eat?" Maya asked her daughter softly, "You didn't come down for dinner last night either."
"No, I'm ok." Ankaa shook her head.
"Go ahead, Tonks," Remus said softly from her other side, "What are you saying about Scrimgeour?"
"Oh... yeah... well, we need to be a bit more careful. He's been asking Kingsley and me funny questions..."
Just then, Harry walked into the kitchen, dressed to go. Ankaa did not bother leaving her mother's side. It was very warm and oddly comforting. She remembered she used to do this with Ceph sometimes. The first year he had been at Hogwarts, by himself... He had come back and the siblings had curled up by the fire as he told her everything he could remember about Hogwarts.
She missed him.
Ankaa sleepily glanced at Harry, who gave her a tight smile. She watched as he slowly ate one piece of toast, grimacing as he swallowed.
"How are you feeling?" asked Mr. Weasley.
Harry shrugged.
"It'll all be over soon," Mr. Weasley said bracingly. "In a few hours' time, you'll be cleared."
Again, Harry said nothing.
Ankaa watched as everyone tried to reassure him about the hearing. Harry seemed to be uninterested, however. With a smirk, Ankaa pulled away from her mother when they got up to help clear the table. The adults were off to the side, talking amongst themselves as they (namely just Mr. Weasley) got ready to depart for the Ministry.
"You're lucky," Ankaa told Harry as she came to stand beside him. "Mrs. Weasley had a comb for you too. She wanted to get your hair to lie flat, I think."
"That's never going to happen," Harry mumbled back, shooting her a small smile. "Do you think it'll be okay? At the hearing?"
"Of course... Did I tell you, Ceph and I got in trouble once for using Underage Magic at home?"
Harry shook his head but gave her an amused look.
"Yeah," Ankaa rolled her eyes, "We thought it would be better to try and levitate down the stairs instead of just walking... It's a good thing Dad was friends with Mafalda Hopkirk and she let us off the hook... Point is that you'll be fine."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I'm a Seer, remember?" She ruffled his hair as she left the kitchen. "I've seen it. You'll be fine."
"You're lying," Ronald said to her the moment she sat down at the kitchen table later that day for lunch. "You didn't see anything, did you? You just said that so he wouldn't be worried. You don't actually know everything."
"I certainly know more than you, Ronald," Ankaa replied haughtily, "And so what if I lied to him? He was needlessly concerned and I just gave him a little bit of reassurance—nothing different than what everyone else said to him."
"Oh yeah?" Ronald crossed his arms and raised a smug brow, "And since when have you decided to help us?"
"Since when have you decided it's your duty to stick your abnormally large nose in my business?"
"Calm down, you two," Hermione sighed, placing a bookmark between the pages of her latest reading and carefully closing it. "Harry'll be back in a bit, Ron, you can wait to hear about it yourself."
Ankaa rolled her eyes and got back to writing a letter to Draco.
Dear Draco,
Sorry I haven't written in so long. I expect you've been fine though, given that Parkinson is probably writing to you non stop. Speaking of other writing pals, I've heard you started talking to Astoria Greengrass. Isn't she Daphne's little sister? I had no idea you two were even friends, much less friendly enough to write to each other over the summer.
I've been a bit busy this summer, so I haven't had the chance to get practice in for Quidditch. That being said, don't you dare think about cutting me from the team. I'll start practicing the moment I get back to Hogwarts.
Love, Ankaa
True to her word, Harry had returned from the hearing with good news. Ronald, true to his word, had been completely overjoyed. As had everyone else. Except for Sirius, perhaps.
"He just seems surlier than before," Harry confided to her quietly as the two of them worked together to clear out a mouldy cupboard on the third floor a few days later. "He was definitely happy before, when he found out I'd be going back, but now... He spends all his time with Buckbeak and hardly even talks to me."
"You know how I feel then," Ankaa replied bitterly. Seeing the guilt flicker across Harry's face, Ankaa rolled her eyes, "It's nothing for you to feel bad about. Sirius is just being selfish."
"That's a bit harsh, isn't it?" said Ronald, frowning as he attempted to wrench off a bit of mould that had attached itself firmly to his finger, "You wouldn't want to be stuck inside this house without company."
"He'll have company!" said Hermione, agreeing with Ankaa's point. "It's headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix, isn't it? And he's got his wife here, Ron. He just got his hopes up that Harry would be coming to live here with him."
"I don't think that's true," said Harry, wringing out his cloth, "He wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked him if I could."
Ankaa rolled her eyes. "It's Sirius," She said, "He's conflicted about a lot of things. He'd want you to stay, of course, but he probably felt guilty that you'd have to leave Hogwarts behind to do it. Besides, haven't you always told him that Hogwarts was your home?"
"Come off it!" said Harry and Ron together, but Ankaa just rolled her eyes.
"I'm serious," Ankaa scrubbed violently at the shelf in front of her, scraping away the mould. "I think sometimes he gets confused about who you are, Harry. He sees James in you, and he's probably worried he's losing his best friend all over again."
"So you think he's touched in the head?" said Harry heatedly.
"No," Ankaa answered slowly as if speaking to a raging infant, "I just think he's been very alone for a very long time. Isolation can do things to people."
Harry looked like he was getting ready to argue. But at that moment, Mrs. Weasley entered the room.
"Still not finished?" she said, poking her head into the cupboard.
"I am," Ankaa muttered, stepping away and sliding off her gloves. "I'm going to head upstairs and see if Ginny's free."
"She's in Fred and George's room," Mrs. Weasley informed her. "And Ankaa? Make sure they're not up to anything illegal."
Ankaa just smirked at Mrs. Weasley. "Of course."
The moment she Apparated into Fred and George's room, there was a loud crash.
"Blimey woman!" Fred coughed as the cauldron in front of him began smoking heavily. "Give us a warning!"
"You mean like you two always warn people before you Apparate into their rooms?" asked Ankaa, jumping up on his bed and getting comfortable. "I don't think so."
George and Fred tried to frantically clean up the bits of potion that had spilled out. George threw some more ingredients in the cauldron and watched as it stopped bubbling furiously and calmed down.
"Done cleaning already?"
George nodded. "We used magic when Mom wasn't looking," He admitted sheepishly, "Ginny wanted to get done quickly so she could catch up on her reading."
"What are you working on?"
"Fever Fudge," Fred mumbled distractedly, "For the Skiving Snackboxes."
"How much work do you have to do?" Ankaa grunted lightly as she rolled over so that she was on the edge of the bed, leaning over to where Fred was flipping through the pages of his book.
"Just about done actually. This is one of the last ones we're working on." George answered.
"I'm surprised you're doing all this without Lee," Ankaa muttered, sitting up. "I thought he wanted to be a part of this too—thought you lot were tied at the hip."
Fred looked up at her, giving her a cheeky smile, "He helps us come up with some of the ideas."
"Seems like you two are doing all the work."
Just then, Ginny entered the twins' room. Fred and George snapped their head over to her, relaxing when they noticed it was her and not Mrs. Weasley. With a smile, Ginny passed them each an envelope.
"Booklists have arrived." Ginny settled into the spot beside Ankaa, "About time, I thought they'd forgotten... They usually come earlier than this, don't they?"
Ankaa nodded.
"Slinkhard?" Fred mumbled, glancing over his list quickly, "Who assigned this one?"
"Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," said George. "Who d'you reckon it is this time?"
Fred just looked to his brother. The both of them then shrugged.
"Let's ask the others," They spoke in unison, turning on the spot and Disapparating without a care in the world.
Ginny and Ankaa looked to each other with tired expressions.
"Let's go."
On the way to Harry and Ronald's room, Ankaa stopped by to knock on the door to their own room. Inside, Hermione was sitting on her bed with a flabbergasted expression on her face.
"What's wrong?" asked Ginny, moving over to the other girl quickly.
Hermione only opened her palm to showcase the shining Gryffindor Prefect badge in her palm.
"Oh wow," Ginny stepped back to marvel at the small pin. "Congratulations Hermione! Come on, we've got to go rub it in Ron's face."
Immediately, Ginny and Hermione ran off to the boys' room. Rolling her eyes in mild amusement, Ankaa turned on the spot and Apparated.
"... ickle Ronnie, the prefect..."
"What?" Ankaa asked from behind Fred and George, who stood with their arms crossed glaring at their younger brother. "He's your prefect?"
"Mum's going to be revolting," groaned George, thrusting the prefect badge back at Ronald as if holding it would contaminate him.
"Please don't tell me you're a prefect too," Fred mumbled down to her, glancing at her unopened letter. "George, if she's a prefect, we need to make new friends."
Ankaa laughed. "You're not going anywhere, and we all know that."
"Go on then, open it," George told her, eyeing the envelope with a mock frown. "Let's see if our friendship can withstand this test."
With a smile, Ankaa opened the envelope just as the door to their room flew open with a loud bang. Hermione rushed in, right towards Harry.
"I knew it!" she said excitedly, brandishing her letter. "Me too, Harry, me too!"
From beside Ankaa, Fred let out a snort of amusement, leaning back against the side of the bed as he marvelled at the awkward scene in front of him. He turned to Ankaa, gesturing with his head to open the letter already. With a frown, Ankaa turned the envelope upside down and out tumbled a green prefect badge.
Both Fred and George groaned loudly.
"Another one," mumbled Fred. "Another one bites the dust."
Ankaa just smiled up at him, far too happy with the badge in her hand to retort. She was vaguely aware that Mrs. Weasley had entered the room. Ankaa's fingers trailed over the embossed surface of the pin. She was roughly pushed aside as Mrs. Weasley made her way over to hug Ron.
"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"
"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbours?" said George indignantly.
"More like the trashcans the muggles place outside their houses at night—completely irrelevant," Ankaa muttered, shooting them each a smile.
"Hilarious," George deadpanned. "You get so funny after dark."
"It's light out," commented Hermione.
"Exactly," said Fred, "Why don't you leave the jokes to us? They're our forté after all."
"Didn't know you had any fortes," Ankaa retorted, "Except for being a pain in peoples arse."
"That's just one specialty," said Fred. "We're also quite accomplished at being a pain in the neck. We're slowly starting to become a pain everywhere."
Ankaa snorted. "Wonderful. Your mother will be so proud."
"Not as proud as she is of Ron." Fred turned to his younger brother, a devious smirk on his face, "You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?"
"We could curtsy if you like," said George.
"Oh, shut up," said Ron, scowling at them.
"Or what?" said Fred, grinning at him, "Going to put us in detention?"
"I'd love to see him try," sniggered George, turning to his twin.
"He could if you don't watch out!" said Hermione angrily, at which Fred, George, and Ankaa all burst out in loud laughter.
"You're going to have to watch your step," Ankaa said to the twins, "With these two on your cause..."
"It looks like our law-breaking days are finally over," said George, shaking his head.
"At least we've got one prefect on our side, don't we?" Fred slung an arm around Ankaa's shoulder and pulled her close. "You'll always warn us when there's trouble, won't you, love?"
"She can't do that!" Hermione cried, "That's not fair!"
"If I get something in return, of course."
"That's the spirit!" The twins cried in unison, "Good luck, Prefect Ron!"
With that, the two of them Disapparated. Ankaa did not stay with the other Gryffindors for long either. She, too, Disapparated and went to her own room. She plopped down on her bed with a ridiculously giddy smile on her face.
"You'll always warn us when there's trouble, won't you, love?"
Yes. She would.
Ankaa had started packing later that night, knowing that in all the rush the next morning, she would inevitably end up forgetting something important. Besides, she was supposed to leave before anyone else tomorrow. Dumbledore had decided that it was probably better for her, at least for the time being, to not openly associate with Harry and his friends for the moment.
Fred, who had been helping her collect the various books she had left scattered all around the house, was now seated on the edge of her bed, overlooking the grounds outside.
"They don't even know we're here," Fred gestured to the muggle kids playing outside, enjoying their last day of freedom before they, too, would be returning to school. "It must be so nice for them, not knowing anything that's going on."
"I think that's what makes it worse," Ankaa uttered softly, slowly moving to stand behind him to see the happy children down below. "They're in danger too. I would rather know what I was up against than be completely blindsided."
Fred smirked over at her, "Spoken like a true Slytherin."
Ankaa smiled back at him before closing her trunk and setting it aside.
"All packed?"
"Yeah," Ankaa turned to find her mother standing in the doorway.
"Could I have a moment with her, Fred?"
Fred nodded with a smile as he left the door, gently closing the door behind him. Maya sat down on her daughter's bed, patting the spot next to her. Without hesitation, Ankaa took the spot next to her mom.
"Are you all ready for school?"
"Yeah, I've got all my things."
"That's not what I meant..." Maya surveyed her intensely. "When you go back, people will ask you questions. Blaise and Draco... They'll want to know what you've been up to. They'll want to talk about Ceph..."
"I know how to handle people, Mom." Ankaa stood with a grimace. "You don't have to worry about me. What about you? You're going to be trapped here in this wretched house with Sirius."
Maya gave her a smirk, "Actually, alone time doesn't sound too bad."
"Ew." Ankaa shuddered, "I'd rather not think about what you and him get up to when everyone is gone, please. I just meant that he's become a little bit more intolerable ever since we've all started packing up to go back."
Maya nodded with a little sigh. "I think he's upset. He always did feel emotions more on either spectrum. If he's mad, he's very mad. If he's happy, he's very happy—"
"Sounds bipolar to me."
Maya laughed, "That's just Sirius. He wasn't allowed to show emotion as a child, his parents were very strict about that. I think he tries to compensate with extreme emotions now. Nevertheless, don't worry about him. I can take care of him."
"I hope so—"
"—Its you and Fred that I'm worried about."
Ankaa froze as her mother sat back, smirking at her.
"Oh yeah," Maya shrugged nonchalantly, "I know about you and Fred."
"There's nothing between me and Fred—"
"And that's what I want to talk about." Maya took her hand and pulled her down next to her once more. "I know you wanted something to be there last year, I could tell. And I know that he might have said no to you—don't look at me like that, I'm very resourceful—but I think he's starting to change his mind."
"Oh so now I'm supposed to want him just because it's convenient for him?" Ankaa spat heatedly, crossing her arms in defiance.
"No," Maya laughed in amusement, "It's not about that. I just think that you two are being stubborn. It's obvious that he likes you too."
"He doesn't—"
"He does." Maya squeezed her hand, "I don't think he knows it yet."
"Stop." Ankaa pulled away from her mother abruptly. "Stop putting thoughts into my head. I'm in this mess because Madam Vablatsky started it all, made me think of him as more than a friend. And now that I'm finally starting to get over it, you're not making it any better."
"I just wanted you to be happy."
"I can be happy without him."
"If you're sure."
Fred eyed the scarlet banner that hung above the dinner table.
CONGRATULATIONS RON AND HERMIONE — NEW PREFECTS
He pursed his lips as he came to a stop beside George, in front of the table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed after Ginny, eyeing the banner as they entered the room as well.
"I thought we'd have a little party, not a sit-down dinner," Mrs. Weasley said. "Your father and Bill are on their way, Ron, I've sent them both owls and they're thrilled."
Fred rolled his eyes. "I bet they are," he mumbled.
Just then, Maya walked in, Ankaa trailing behind her. George glanced at her, taking in her reaction. Ankaa's eyes found the banner and she hesitated in the doorway for a split second. George would have thought he imagined it if it wasn't for Fred's reaction to seeing her hesitate.
Fred quickly turned to his mother, and whispered, "Mom, Ankaa's prefect too."
Mrs. Weasley glanced confusedly from Fred to Ankaa, and then to the banner.
"Oh!" Mrs. Weasley fumbled with her wand, "Let me just... let me see, how should we change this."
"It's okay, Mrs. Weasley," Ankaa stood between Fred and George, smiling genuinely at the woman. "You don't have to change it. I think adding green would just complicate things."
Fred turned away from his mother when she moved over to Alastor Moody.
"Are you sure you don't want a banner for yourself?" George asked Ankaa, looking down at her, his brows furrowed in worry.
Ankaa smiled at him. "Yeah, it's ok," She said, "Wouldn't want to steal Ronald's thunder. He seems to get so little of it anyway."
Fred snorted. "Can't get much thunder as a prefect either, can he?"
Ankaa shrugged, "I'm surprised he was chosen, to be honest. Dumbledore must really not want Harry involved."
"At least you're prefect—"
"At least?" Ankaa rounded on Fred as he spoke, "Just three hours ago, you two were ready to disown me."
George smiled, "We've re-evaluated our priorities. Being friends with you is more important."
"I thought so." Ankaa smiled, nudging his shoulder lightly with his own as she moved away from the twins.
Fred and George watched her go with identical, fond smiles. Fred watched as she accepted a goblet of butterbeer from his mother and stood beside her godfather, Remus. She smiled at something Remus said to her, nodding along with what he was saying.
"Well, I think a toast is in order," said Mr. Weasley, when everyone held a drink. He raised his goblet. "To Ron, Hermione, and Ankaa, the new prefects!"
Ron and Hermione beamed as everyone drank to them. Ankaa gracefully raised her goblet in a toast before taking a small sip.
"I was never prefect myself," said Tonks brightly from in front of Fred, drawing his attention away from Ankaa. "My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities."
"Like what?" asked Ginny, who was choosing a baked potato.
"Like the ability to behave myself," said Tonks.
Fred smiled as Ginny laughed.
"What about you, Sirius?" Asked Ginny, who was choking on a large sip of her butterbeer.
"No one would have made him a prefect," Maya shot her husband a smirk, "He spent far too much time in detention with James. Remus was the prefect."
Remus nodded sagely from beside Ankaa. "I think Dumbledore might have hoped that I would be able to exercise some control over my best friends," he said. "I need scarcely say that I failed dismally."
Ankaa shot her godfather a fond smile. She saw Fred motioning her over, next to Mundungus and George and she shot him a confused look.
"What's that about?" Remus asked her, sly glancing towards the conspiring trio.
"Whatever it is, can't be good." Ankaa rolled her eyes, "I'll be back in a minute."
As Ankaa made her way over to the trio, Fred got up and met her about halfway. Quickly, he shushed her when she opened her mouth.
"Dung's helping us get some ingredients—"
"—Illegal."
"—and I think it's good networking—"
"—illegal networking—"
"—and we need your help—"
"—with said illegal work?" Ankaa turned around quickly, "No thanks."
"Please!" Fred grabbed her hand and pulled her around once more, as quick as lightning. "We need someone who can keep him in line. We don't want another repeat of Bagman from the World Cup."
Ankaa examined him through narrowed eyes. Finally, she nodded reluctantly and let him lead her over to where George and Mundungus were waiting for them.
"Look what Dung's gotten us," said George, holding out his hand. The familiar black pods were emitting a rattling sound, but they remained completely still in George's hands.
"Venomous Tenatcula seeds," Ankaa muttered in wonder, "Aren't they Class C Non-Tradeable—"
"Yeah," Fred grinned at her, "We've been having a bit of trouble getting a hold of them. Ten Galleons for the lot, then, Dung?"
"Wiv all the trouble I to get 'em?" said Mundungus, his saggy, bloodshot eyes stretching even wider. "I'm sorry, lads, but I'm not taking a Knut under twenty."
"Dung likes his little joke," Fred mumbled to her.
"Yeah, his best one so far has been six Sickles for a bag of knarl quills," said George.
"I'm surprised you're still here, Mundungus," Ankaa said conversationally, giving him a sweet smile. "With the stunt you pulled in July, I would have thought Moody would have his eye on you... Or rather, I suppose he still does."
Mundungus looked nervously over his shoulder.
"Good point, that," he grunted. "All right, lads, ten it is, if you'll take 'em quick."
Fred grinned widely at her as he leaned over to grab the seeds from the crook. "Come on," he told her as they got up, "Let's get these upstairs."
"Thanks for your help tonight," George told Ankaa as they exited the dining room a few minutes later. "Dung would have kept at it if you hadn't scared him."
"I didn't do anything. I figured you two already knew how to deal with him."
"We do," said Fred, "But I've never seen him give up so quickly."
"Not me he's really afraid of. It's Moody."
"You're just as scary." Ankaa hit George over the head with a small laugh.
"Well, I'm off to bed then."
"It's not even eleven yet," Fred looked away from the clock in the hallway with confusion. "You never go to bed before two, at least."
"Yes, but I've got to be up early tomorrow. Before you lot, even."
"You're leaving early?"
Ankaa nodded, "Dad's going to come pick me up in the morning. I'm going to Blaise's as usual and head to Kings Cross with him. I'll see you on the train next, most likely."
"Alright," George shrugged. Giving her a cheeky smile, he (as usual) ruffled her hair and pinched her cheek. "See you tomorrow!"
George moved past her, easily dodging her when she tried to swat at him. He gave a wink to his twin over his shoulder as Fred lingered behind for a moment.
Fred rolled his eyes at George before turning to look at Ankaa. The girl was pouting as she massaged her now red cheeks.
With a laugh, Fred pulled her hands away from her face.
"I don't understand why he does that every time." Ankaa grumbled, "And I why I don't just curse him for it."
"Because, admit it, you're starting to warm up to us."
"Yes," Ankaa rolled her eyes, giving him a deadpan look, "I'm only just starting to warm up to you now, about two years after we've met... and two months of us living in the same house—of course, Fred."
Fred just smiled. It was hard to believe that he had known her for two years now. They had all been through so much together, especially her. He was glad he had been there with her for it all.
Fred's hand scratched the back of his neck, a nervous habit, as he said, "We probably won't be up by the time you leave tomorrow—"
"—of course not—"
"—so I'll just see you on the platform then?"
Ankaa nodded, taking a step back towards her room. She watched as Fred had a moment of reconsideration as his hand fell away from his neck and he stepped towards her determinedly.
"In case I actually don't see you tomorrow," He said, as his arms wrapped around her shoulders and he pulled her into a warm hug.
Out of reflex, Ankaa's arms wrapped around him as well, holding onto his shirt at the waist. She breathed in his scent, hyperaware of the fact that she was enjoying this far too much. But he smelled so nice, so comforting. And he was so warm.
Finally, after what seemed like a long while, Ankaa unravelled her arms and stepped back. Fred, who was suspiciously red in the face, gave her a slight grin.
"See you tomorrow, Ankaa."
With that, he turned away and headed up to his room with a slight spring in his step.
Notes
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