"The Phoenix must burn to emerge." - Janet Fitch, White Oleander
Chapter Thirty-Seven – Lessons with Snape
Later that evening, Ankaa knocked on the door to Professor Umbridge's office. Ankaa waited outside for a few seconds, knowing that despite hearing the knock, Umbridge was no doubt making Ankaa suffer more. Immediately, Ankaa's hands found the Puking Pastille in her pocket and turned it over thrice. She had half a mind to just eat the orange chew now, so that the moment she saw Umbridge's face, she could throw up on it.
"Come in."
Steeling herself to face the she-devil, Ankaa walked inside confidently. Umbridge gazed at her, with the same self-satisfied smile she always had on. Smiling contently, the Professor pointed to the chair off to the side. As usual, the parchment and Blood Quill were placed on the table when Ankaa sat down.
"Before we begin detention tonight, Miss Rhyther," began Umbridge as she stood up, "I was hoping to have little chat with you."
Curiously, Ankaa raised a brow, "Is something the matter, Professor?"
Umbridge only took a step closer. Ankaa spotted the extra teacup on her desk, steaming with hot tea. Umbridge took the cup and saucer and placed it in front of Ankaa, on top of the empty piece of parchment.
"Perhaps I could indulge you in some tea, first." Umbridge did not ask, contrary to what her tone suggested. She looked expectantly from the cup to Ankaa, raising her brows when the Slytherin girl did not automatically take a sip of the tea.
Ankaa, on the other hand, was staring at Umbridge unflinchingly. She felt a surge of anger resurface, and did her best to quell the feeling before she did something stupid and lashed out at the lady before her.
With an equally fake smile, Ankaa apologized, "I'm not much of a tea person, Professor."
From the diminished distance between them, Ankaa could see Umbridge's eye twitch in anger. The Professor, however, gave no other indication that she was dissatisfied with Ankaa's retort. Umbridge leaned forward at the waist, smiling sweetly still, and whispered, "You will have the tea, Miss Rhyther, I insist."
The continued staring at each other, unblinking, for another thirty seconds. In that time, Ankaa came to the realization that Umbridge was testing her. Umbridge no doubt wanted to see whether or not Ankaa could be used to gather information about other students. If Ankaa was compliant, Umbridge would no doubt use her to keep tabs on the school. And the closer Ankaa was to Umbridge, the less likely she was to be caught by her.
And though it irked Ankaa beyond belief to give Umbridge the satisfaction of a minor victory, Ankaa reached forward reluctantly and lifted the cup to her lips.
"Good," whispered Umbridge, standing straight once more. As she turned back to return to her desk, Ankaa spilled half of the tea into the dried up plant by the window. Umbridge had made it entirely too sweet. The first spit had sent Ankaa recoiling in horror.
"Tell me, Miss Rhyther," began Umbridge, seated at her desk, "are you close with Harry Potter?"
"I suppose," Ankaa said a little too quickly. She immediately set down the rest of the tea and clutched her robes tightly, underneath the table. Ankaa could feel her skin flushing, and her heart racing in discomfort. She eyed the tea before her, cursing herself for not guessing that Umbridge had spiked it with Veritserum before.
It's okay, she tried to console herself, eyeing the Professor who stood and approached her in curiosity. Veritaserum can be manipulated.
It was the oddest feeling. Being forced to tell the truth was something Ankaa had never thought she would have to do. The moment Umbridge asked her question, Ankaa's breathing would become more laboured until she would say the answer. And she could not say anything except the truth.
Change the truth, said a voice in her head, Veritaserum is unreliable because it depends on the consumer's interpretation of a question, their definition of a truth, to determine what is the truth or not.
"Tell me more," commanded Umbridge.
Ankaa ground her teeth together in an effort to stop spilling everything to the crazed lunatic before her. Slowly, she said, "I think he considers us friends… given that Ceph was in the tournament with him."
"And do you consider yourself a friend to Mister Potter?" asked Umbridge, looking absolutely delighted. She probably thought Ankaa would spill all that she knew now.
"No," said Ankaa, "in fact I don't really know him." Which was true. Ankaa did not really know Mister James Potter. Umbridge hadn't exactly specified who she was talking about, did she? Ankaa watched with smugness as Umbridge's expression fell.
Umbridge stood in front of Ankaa's desk, her fingers tapping the desk slowly. "Tell me what you know of their secret meetings," said Umbridge, watching Ankaa with determination.
"I wasn't a part of that," said Ankaa quickly, and bit her tongue from saying any more. While she technically had not been a part of the meeting, Ankaa knew exactly who was involved. She wasn't just about to hand Fred and his friends to Umbridge on a silver platter because she couldn't work around the Veritaserum.
"Is Mister Potter involved?"
"No." James Potter was indeed not involved with Harry Potter's secret group.
Umbridge stared at Ankaa for a moment, trying to discern whether or not she was still telling the truth. Ankaa stared at her for a moment before looking away, for she could not let the Professor spot the look of victory in her eyes. Umbridge glanced down at Ankaa's half-finished cup of tea before looking back at the girl.
"Now, Miss Rhyther, let us try one more time," she said, reverting back to her sweet and sinister smile, "Tell me the names of all those who are involved in the secret organization."
The familiar tightness in her chest resurfaced, compelling her to say something—anything. But Ankaa tightened her hands in her lap, clutching the Puking Pastille.
The secret organization.
The secret organization.
First off, Umbridge could have been referring to any secret organization around the globe. And second, was Harry's little organization even a secret given that he had discussed it in the Hogs Head? And last, whatever ragtag group of friends Harry had assembled, they were hardly an organization. Organization implies order. Ankaa seriously doubted that there was any order in whatever Harry's little group of friends were doing.
After her breakdown of Umbridge's request, Ankaa felt the tightness in her chest vanish. And so, carefully, she said, "I don't know who's involved in that secret organization." That secret organization… referring to the Illuminati.
Umbridge frowned. She stood straight, holding her head up high as she turned to her desk once more and reached for the teapot. Immediately, Ankaa brought the puking Pastille to her lips and bit down on the orange end. If she had to endure any more of that horrendous tea, Ankaa knew she would have ended up throwing up anyway. She chewed on the Pastille quickly, swallowing before Umbridge turned.
"Professor," Ankaa began meekly, "I don't feel too well."
Umbridge turned to her with a raised brow. Ankaa stood as well, with one hand over her mouth and another clutching her gurgling stomach.
Not even a second later, Ankaa vomited all over the Blood Quill and blank parchment, even into the tea. When her first bout of vomiting finished, she looked up just long enough to spot the look of alarm intermingled with disgust on Umbridge's face. Standing quickly, Ankaa took a step closer to Umbridge. Ankaa would have laughed if she could when Umbridge took a step back in horror.
"Stay away!"
"Professor—" And that's when another bout of vomiting hit her. It was a horrible feeling, and she hated every second of it, but Ankaa would have relived this torture a million times if it meant that she could vomit on Umbridge's shoes again and again.
"Hospital Wing, Miss Rhyther!" Umbridge was screeching, standing on her chair to avoid the stream of vomit that almost hit her. "Go! GO!"
Ankaa, wanting to milk it for all it was worth, placed a hand over her mouth once more. Knowing she only had seconds before she had to vomit again, she stood tall and asked, "What about my detention, Professor?"
"IT'S OVER! GET OUT!"
Ankaa only nodded before grabbing her things and running to the door. Once she clutched the handle, she paused one more time for good measure. Bending at the knees, she retched again.
"DO IT OUTSIDE!"
Serves you right, Umbitch, thought Ankaa as she jumped over her vomit in Umbridge's doorway. She shoved the purple end of the Pastille in her mouth, keeping a hand over her mouth to force herself to chew the little candy. She ran from Umbridge's office, continuing to pretend as if she was going to throw up even though her stomach did not feel as it was somersaulting anymore.
Ankaa grimaced at the taste in her mouth and opted first to head down to the dormitory before she had to head to Snape's classroom. She noticed her friends were missing from the common room, which was odd since they always set up camp by the fireplace and did their homework together. With an inquisitive quirk of her brow, Ankaa headed up to her room and began brushing her teeth. While brushing, she checked her roommates' beds, frowning around the toothbrush when she found them empty.
Where could they have gone?
Shrugging, Ankaa rinsed her mouth. Checking her watch, she noticed she only had a few more minutes to get to Snape's classroom and begin her lesson. As she headed to his classroom, Ankaa wondered if Snape would teach her a little bit before getting straight into the lesson. Although, knowing his past track record it was quite likely that he would just start to go through her mind the moment she sat down before him.
Ankaa wanted to slap herself for not reading about Occlumency and Legilimency before. Harry's nature of procrastinating really seemed to be rubbing off on her.
Ankaa knocked on the door at exactly nine o'clock (knowing Snape would appreciate her punctuality, deep, deep down). She didn't hear a response from the Professor, but she could hear him shuffling inside. Ankaa opened the door and stepped inside.
"Shut the door behind you, Miss Rhyther."
Ankaa did so and stood obediently by his table as he finished reading another students essay. Ankaa glanced at the parchment that was riddled with crossed out lines and question marks and crosses. When Snape looked up at her and raised a brow, Ankaa looked away.
"I assume you are familiar with the art of Occlumency."
"Not entirely," Ankaa relented, "I wanted to brush up on it, but I didn't get the chance to."
"And your detentions with Professor Umbridge?" Snape's lip curled into a sneer as if even addressing Umbridge as a Professor was the same as saying Voldemort's name out loud.
"They are at an end, sir." Ankaa smiled indulgently, "I don't think she will be too excited to see me after what I did today."
Snape regarded her quietly for a moment, the tip of his quill hovering over the parchment before he gave her a slight nod and stood up.
"Occlumency is the branch of magic that seals a witch or a wizard against magical intrusion and influence," said Snape, pointing to the chair he had moved aside for Ankaa to sit on. "In the case of both you and your mother, it is imperative that you understand and perfect how to shield your mind from the Dark Lord."
"My mother's taking lessons too?"
Raising a brow, Snape asked, "Have you forgotten that your mother has already had to face the Dark Lord during her time at Hogwarts? You would not be here today if she hadn't been able to keep him at bay."
Ankaa only stared back at the Professor. She had known her mother had talked to the Dark Lord, but she had not assumed that Maya had stayed with him for an extended period of time. Come to think of it, Ankaa did not know a lot about her mother's life. Granted, Ankaa was not particularly interested in knowing Maya and Sirius' relationship, but with the way everyone went around parading about her mother's abilities as a Seer, Ankaa had hoped her mother would have at least opened up to her about it.
It's no surprise then why you're so cold, is it? Ankaa wondered.
For a split second, her mind thought to the relationship she had seen between Sirius and Maya. From the outside looking in, it must have seemed so cold. Sirius was the bubbly, rambunctious, loudmouth whereas Maya was the silent, slightly judgemental, stoic partner. How did those two ever end up together? Or better yet, how were those two still together?
That's you and Fred, a small voice in her mind said. To Ankaa's horror, her fatigue-addled brain conjured up an image of what the domestic life with Fred would be like… far, far into the future. In the nanosecond that she imagined the picture, Ankaa could see her and Fred living in their own apartment. Him laughing at one of his own jokes, while Ankaa stared at him fondly.
No. She shook her head.
"If this is not of interest to you, Miss Rhyther," Snape's drawl cut her out of her reverie, "perhaps I can let you go mingle with Mister Weasley since that's who you're so preoccupied with."
Ankaa straightened in her chair, flushing in embarrassment. She knew Snape wouldn't say anything, as he wasn't particularly fond of what students did outside the classroom anyway, but Ankaa did not like the fact that it was so easy for him to snoop around her head. And she especially did not like the fact that she had not detected his presence in her head at all.
Snape only glared at her, no doubt picking up on what she was thinking. With a sigh, Ankaa stood with her wand at the ready.
"Your immediate reaction will be to try and disarm me, but I strongly suggest—" at this, Snape gave her a cool stare, as if he was demanding instead of suggesting, "—that you do not, as you will not have that luxury when facing the Dark Lord—"
"You say that as if you're sure I'll actually face him," Ankaa pointed out skeptically. She noticed Snape's demeanour change slightly. His head tilted to the side ever so slightly, enough that Ankaa would not even have noticed had she not been staring right at him.
"We will train under the pretense that you will." Snape pointed his own wand at the girl, who stood staring at him defiantly still, not the least bit unnerved by being on the other end of his wand. "I have been told of your aptitude for resisting the Imperius Curse. You will do well to apply the same principles here… Brace yourself… Legilimens!"
There was no warning, no light that surged towards Ankaa that would signal the spell heading her way. For a brief moment, it terrified her. The only warning she had was of Snape uttering the spell. Ankaa was sure that if she stood before Voldemort, he would not even need to pull out his wand to be able to sift through her memories like a collection of books in the library.
Ankaa's memories played before her, and she stood entranced for a moment, watching as a spectator. Her own life surged by, as Snape went through her memories, one by one.
Ankaa could see the first time she had met Remus, in the Hogwarts Express, during her third year. Beside her stood Ceph. Her heart clenched at the sight. He looked so healthy, so alive, that for a moment Ankaa forgot that she was watching her own memories as opposed to really standing with her brother and godfather.
Stop him, a part of Ankaa yelled at her, trying to resist the spell so that Snape could not torture her with more with memories of Ceph.
Perhaps Snape took pity on her then, because he made sure not to bring about any memories with Ceph in them. Though, that did not mean that Ankaa's agitation vanished. He was still shuffling through her memories. Ankaa watched helplessly as her innermost thoughts, her cherished memories, were displayed in front of her one after the other. Her talk with Sirius in Grimmauld Place… Ceph's grave… Her mother's diary… Ceph's spell book… Fred's confession on the Astronomy tower…
STOP!
Abruptly, it all came to an end. Snape was still standing before her, as cool and composed as always. Ankaa, on the other hand, was leaning against the table, clutching at the surface furiously to try and keep upright.
"I told you not to disarm me."
Ankaa looked down at her feet. Snape's wand lay against the leg of the table. She stared at it for a moment before hesitantly reaching down to grip the wand. She debated returning it to the Professor, dreading the fact that once he had ownership of his wand once more, he would hit her with the same spell again.
"You can stare at it all you want, Miss Rhyther," Snape's cool drawl interrupted Ankaa's reverie, "but it will not help you master Spell Resistance."
Ankaa's grip on tightened on Snape's wand. She quelled the urge to launch it at him like a dart. In the back of her mind, she knew that Snape was only trying to teach her. It was his own way of teaching, and though she was not overly fond of it, she knew he was a good teacher who would not rest until she had perfected the art. Therefore, Ankaa gingerly held out her hand and passed the Professor his wand.
"I understand it is an unwelcome intrusion," Snape said after a moment of regarding her, "but it is something you must learn to face, Ankaa. You cannot survive if you are weak."
It was the first time he had said her name. Ankaa looked to the Professor, noticing a small flicker of sympathy in his eyes. Ankaa knew he understood, better than most, what she might be going through. Ankaa did not know anything about his life, nor did she want to, for it would only make things overly emotional, but she knew that the Professor's motives were genuine.
Steeling herself and her resolve, Ankaa stood straight once more. Holding her head high, she clutched her wand tighter.
"Alright, Professor. I am ready."
Later that night, after another hour or so of working with Snape, Ankaa left his classroom and trudged towards the Common Rooms further down the hall. Just as she rounded the corner, the necklace she was wearing began to glow a bright white from beneath her robes. With a tired sigh, Ankaa pulled out the locket. She glanced around the hallway once before flicking it open.
"Hi," said the little person in the square. Sirius' picture in the locket had been replaced by his face, which was now grinning at Ankaa widely.
Before Ankaa could reply, she noticed one of the portraits along the wall eyeing the locket in great interest. Not wanting the lady in the portrait to know who she was talking to, Ankaa clasped her hand around the locket, blocking her view of Sirius, before turning and heading towards the Portrait Room.
"Busy, are you?" asked Sirius once she entered the Portrait Room and settled herself down next to the portrait of Mopsus, which was currently empty. The rest of the portraits were either empty or were dozing happily.
"I just finished my lessons with Snape," supplied Ankaa, "I was heading to bed."
"How was it?" asked another voice. Sirius was joined by Maya in the little square. Ankaa muttered a quick spell, enlarging the locket so that it was about the size of her palm so that she could see her parents properly.
"Not too great," muttered Ankaa, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion. "It was horrible, really. I couldn't even stop him."
Maya gave her a sympathetic look. "I know it's hard sweetheart, but practice makes perfect. We're fortunate to have someone like him teach you before you have to face—" Maya trailed off.
Ankaa noticed her mother and father exchange a glance. They both looked solemn. Ankaa noticed they both looked tired as if they had not slept properly in a few days. Their eyes were not as lively, which was something rather odd.
"Have to face?" Ankaa questioned quietly. She was reluctant to know the answer, but she asked anyway, "Mom, am I going to face him soon?"
With a deep sigh, Maya smiled at her daughter. "Honey, we tried to keep you away from him as long as we possibly could," she said, her eyes beginning to water, "but you staying away from Rhyther Manor is drawing too much attention to Henry."
"So…?"
This time, it was Sirius who spoke. Equally as sympathetic, Sirius uttered softly, "You're going to be going back there for Christmas, Ankaa. He wants to meet you."
There was a spark of anger in Sirius' eyes, one that Ankaa knew was not directed at her but rather at the situation at hand. She knew that if it had come to this, her parents had tried their absolute hardest to keep her from going back. This might be their last resort.
Ankaa bit her lip as a wave of consternation washed over her. It was imperative, now more than ever, that she should master control over her mind. It was not a matter of if, but when.
"Sweetheart," her mother's voice drew her out of her racing thoughts, and Ankaa's eyes found her mother's form. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."
"What do you mean?"
"You don't have to play both sides, Ankaa," said Sirius quickly, "No one expects it of you. You can come back home, back here, and stay with us. You don't have to associate with those Death Eaters—"
"No."
Sirius looked taken aback by her blatant refusal. Although he had known that Ankaa would not be happy about openly defying Voldemort, given her strong need for self-preservation, he had not assumed that she would outright refuse his idea. Maya had suggested that Ankaa would have seen the girl's future interactions with Voldemort, but Sirius had not believed her (at least, not entirely).
"This isn't about that," continued Ankaa, "people like him… they won't stop. It'll be hard, I know, but I'm not ready to abandon my friends here. Draco… Blaise… their families are all involved, aren't they? My friends don't know any better. I need to stay—if not for me, then for them. Because if someone doesn't stay with them, they won't know that they're not alone."
Sirius was still scowling at her. Maya, on the other hand, was giving her a soft, strange sort of smile. Maya muttered something to Sirius before he nodded and passed off the locket to her.
"He'll be back," Maya assured her daughter. "I just wanted to speak to you alone, for a moment."
"Of course. What's wrong?"
Maya regarded her quietly for a moment. "You know I love you, don't you?"
Ankaa nodded slowly, waiting for her mother to continue.
"I know I haven't been the greatest mother to you, Ankaa," Maya spoke softly, looking over her the locket at something Ankaa could not see. "I want you to know that I really tried. When I met your father, I wasn't the nicest of people. But love changes you, the same way it changed me—and him. We might not be the greatest parents a child could have, but we love you with all our heart."
"Why are you saying this now?"
"Because life's short," Maya's eyes turned back to her daughter, giving her a small smile filled with an emotion Ankaa could not completely decipher. "Life's short and Sirius and I know that better than anyone. If something happens, I don't want to regret not telling you that you, and Ceph, are my greatest gifts—"
"Our greatest gifts," said Sirius, joining Maya once more. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and placing a gentle kiss on her temple.
Ankaa had always thought her parents were a miraculous couple. They were not very well suited for one another, at first glance. But the more she saw them together, the more Ankaa understood that Maya and Sirius were actually just meant to be. Together, they had reached a sort of harmony Ankaa hoped to have with her future husband, a balance that was absolutely vital in the success of any relationship.
It was amazing to her, that broken people could find solace after all. Perhaps there was hope for her after all. Her family had been dealt blow after blow, and yet they remained strong in the face of it all. Her mother had lost her husband, her son… and yet she remained strong so that Ankaa did not have to suffer alone.
Ankaa did not understand the concept of unconditional love. To put the needs of someone else before yours, to put their well being, their happiness, their life before yours was absolutely barbaric to her. But Maya had done that. For her children. Perhaps Ankaa had to wait until she became a mother to completely understand unconditional love.
But she felt like she was starting to understand now, staring at Sirius and Maya who were chatting about lighter topics now. Ankaa was barely listening, only nodding along with her mother looked at her.
She was a lucky girl, Ankaa realized, to have a mother and father who loved her, to have had a brother who left her with such fond memories that made her heart swell, to have friends like Fred and George, who could bring her back from the darkest parts of her own mind and leave her breathless with laughter. She was lucky to not be alone in such dark, terrible times.
"—almost caught me she did—"
"I love you, too." Ankaa interrupted Sirius' story, looking intently to bother her parents, who sat shell-shocked before her. During the silence that stretched on, Ankaa debated closing the locket and throwing it away, but she decided to continue. "I don't say it enough either, but I love you… both of you."
Sirius looked like his brain had shut down completely. The ability to form sentences had left him, and he sat there dumbfounded for a moment. Maya, on the other hand, had no such qualms. She gave Ankaa a wide smile, before telling her she loved her too.
Sirius cleared his throat. "Er—okay, unexpected, but totally okay," he said. Then, he gave Ankaa a gentle smile as well, "I love you too, kiddo. Now get to bed, you've got class tomorrow."
Ankaa bid her parents good night, feeling a lightness about her. The cold, dark cloud that had been hanging over her head recently had lessened a bit. Being back did not feel nearly as daunting anymore, knowing that she had good friends and loving parents to help her through it.
"Wasn't that heartfelt?"
Ankaa glanced up at Mopsus' portrait, as the old Seer stood smiling down at her. With a smile, Ankaa stood and greeted him.
"When did you get back?"
"Right around the time of your confession," Mopsus smiled, "I did not want to pry. Are you well?"
"Yes," Ankaa nodded. At least, for the moment, she was. "I had been meaning to come down and talk to you."
"Of course. How may I be of assistance?"
"I've been having trouble with my visions lately," began Ankaa, shuffling on her feet. "I can't tell the difference between my dreams and visions anymore. They're both starting to feel very real, and I'm not sure if my mind is just making things up because of what I think, or whether or not I'm really seeing the future anymore."
Mopsus did not look the slightest bit alarmed. Instead, he gave her a cordial smile before saying, "It is quite common among young Seers to confuse their dreams with visions. Your brain is, after all, susceptible to fatigue. You have been working yourself too hard, my pupil, I think it is time you give yourself a respite from forcing visions and concentrate on your lessons with Professor Snape."
"But I need my visions!" Ankaa stepped closer to the Mopsus' portrait when she noticed some of the other portraits stir at her exclamation. "Mopsus, I need to see what's going to happen. It's serious!"
Mopsus sighed. "It is not good to force the Inner Eye to see, Ankaa. Much like your body will not function if you bring it to the point of exhaustion, your intuition will not let you see the future if you do not rest." At Ankaa's agitated look, Mopsus smiled. His portrait swung open slowly, and as it did, Mopsus said, "I will let you take one phial—just one—of the potion. Use it when you see fit. Perhaps using it to see the future will allow you to rest your mind."
Ankaa gave him a wide, excited smile before bounding inside and taking one phial of the potion. She placed it securely in her robes before thanking Mopsus and wishing him a good night.
Ankaa rushed to the Common Rooms and ran up the stairs quickly. She got ready for bed and pulled the emerald green curtains over her bed before casting a silencing charm around her. Once in the warmth of her covers, Ankaa carefully uncorked the phial and tipped the liquid between her lips.
Finally, as she lay down, a vision overtook her.
Ankaa could see herself standing in the dining room of Malfoy Manor, a setting she had frequented a lot since she had been born. This time, however, it did not seem the least bit inviting. The curtains had been drawn back, leaving the moonlight to stream through the large windows to cast an intimidating shadow upon the wizard sitting before her.
"Your father speaks very highly of your abilities as a witch."
There was the hiss of a snake. Ankaa looked to her side, watching fearfully as a large snake slithered from between the legs of her chair, winding its way around her feet, before settling at the feet of the man before her.
"Your grandparents are most excited to meet you," said Voldemort, "Once I free them from Alcatraz, I am sure they will be overjoyed to see the prodigy you have become."
"Yes, My Lord."
Ankaa took great notice of how he presented himself. Sitting regally in his chair, poised, and confident, the man oozed an aura of danger. Ankaa was not sure if she was more unnerved by his empty, calculating look, or the fact that his nose was missing.
"You have not spoken of your brother," said Voldemort softly, his heading titling to the side as he gazed at her calculatingly. "I was saddened to hear of his passing."
"So was I, My Lord."
A lady stood before her, clutching at her collar mercilessly, choking the base of her neck in a tight grip. Ankaa clawed at the lady's hand desperately, though it did nothing to stop the woman. Her graying hair was in an immaculate updo, not even the least bit disturbed by the manhandling she was doing.
Snarling at her, the lady's brown eyes bore into Ankaa's steel grey ones, as she threatened, "I know what you are, filth, and I will not let you ruin the Dark Lord's rise to glory. My daughter may have slipped through my hands, but I will not let my granddaughter become a pathetic little witch. If I see you step out of line, I'll make sure you suffer a death worse than your fathers."
She was in the middle of a battle. Ankaa was crouched low, besides Sirius and behind a boulder, as spells flew all around them. Ankaa ducked further down as another spell hit the boulder she was behind, and pieces of rock came raining down on her and her father.
"You have to get out of here," said Remus before peeking over the boulder and throwing a curse, hitting one of the Death Eaters directly in the chest. "The Order can handle it from here."
"Come out, come out!" A voice taunted from the other end of the chamber. "What's the matter, little girl? Don't you want to play with your grandmother!"
Remus squatted down so that he was facing Ankaa. Taking a hold of her arm, he whispered, "Please, Ankaa, you have to leave."
"Hiding again, are you?" Her grandmother called, sounding a lot closer than she had before. "I suppose that's all you can do. That's all your scum brother did too, didn't he? Hide behind a rock before he died."
"Ankaa—"
It was too late. Ankaa watched from behind the boulder, as her future form stood resolutely and turned to face her grandmother. The graying woman, who Ankaa now knew as her grandmother, wasted no time in throwing a curse towards the young girl.
It was like watching the scene in the graveyard all over again. Only, this time, Ankaa stood on the other side. She watched as the bright jets of light met in the middle, in a flash so blinding that all movement stopped around the duo for a moment. Ankaa spotted Fred and George huddling behind a rock a few feet away, behind held back by Maya and Tonks.
Finally, the bright light faded away. Both grandmother and granddaughter stood rooted to their spots, wands still raised at the ready.
"Still alive then, are you, you old hag?" Ankaa taunted, raising a brow.
But her grandmother did nothing but smile. "I am," she said with a saccharine smile, "But you won't be."
Just then, another voice behind Ankaa cried out the final curse.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Ankaa watched helplessly as the green light soared towards her form, and hit her square in the back. Bellatrix Lestrange, who Ankaa could pinpoint from Draco's family tree, was looking oddly pleased with herself as she turned and fled the chamber, not even staying long enough to watch Ankaa's body hit the floor.
But Ankaa, the real Ankaa, stood frozen at her spot. It was surreal, watching her own lifeless body hit the floor with a dull, resounding thud. It was a horrible feeling. Ankaa had always thought that her death would be the end. But to see life continue, after she had died, was just cruel.
Fred was the first to reach her body. He immediately scooped her up in his arms and held her lifeless form close to his chest. He was screaming something, over and over again, but Ankaa could not discern what he was saying. Everyone was standing around her now. Watching Fred hold her.
She kneeled before him, watching in horror at the pain flickering across his face. Ankaa reached out to touch him, to brush away one of the many tears that were rolling down his red cheeks, but her hand went right through him, almost as if she was a ghost.
She woke up in her own bed, gasping and sweating profusely. Ankaa took a moment to sit up, feeling her raging pulse by her neck to make sure she really was alive. She waited for her raging heartbeat to slow down, but it did not.
I'm going to die.
I'm going to die.
I'm going to throw up.
Ankaa locked herself in the bathroom and vomited into the toilet only after she had placed a silencing charm on the door. Tears sprang from her eyes as she convulsed over the toilet, throwing up all that she had eaten. She didn't even realize when her bout of vomiting had slipped away to simply become bouts of uncontrollable sobbing. But she sat there, for Merlin knows how long, sobbing into her hands at the realization that she was going to die.
Eventually, her sobs quieted down, but in her fatigued state, she could not bother to get up and make her way to her bed. Instead, Ankaa curled into a ball on the bathroom floor, and with her mind filled with the gruesome pictures of her own death, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Before unconsciousness took her, however, her cruel, cruel mind reminded her of the pain she would be leaving Fred in.
You can't do that to him, a small part of her whispered. You can't leave him broken. You can't be with him if you're just going to leave him.
Yes, she could not be with him now, could she? She was going to die soon. And he would be alone.
He was better off with Angelina.
Indeed, he was. She would not have caused him this much pain, Ankaa wondered idly, as her eyes started to drift shut.
Ankaa wanted to be with him, more than anything in the world. But as much as she wanted a life with Fred, Ankaa did not want to see that look of utter loss and pain on him ever again. She did not want to be the cause of that look either.
But Death must have Death.
NOTES:
Review review!
P.S: Wanna talk? Hmu on tumblr