"You fell in love with a storm. Did you really think you would get out unscathed?" - Nikita Gill
Chapter Forty-One – Mortal Peril
Late one Sunday afternoon, a few weeks after the Quidditch match, Ankaa made her way to the Room of Requirement, securely clutching the copy of Morlan Burke's latest book, Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Gift of Foresight. Although she had given up on the idea of her Death Day, a small feeling in the back of her mind told Ankaa that she should be ready. One of the few times that she had written to Remus, Ankaa had caught onto the fact that he was extremely stressed. And if there was to be a second war, which seemed highly likely now that Voldemort was back, Ankaa needed to be ready.
When Ankaa walked into the Room of Requirement, the sight that greeted her immediately brought a small smile to her face. Fred was sitting on the floor, his back propped up against the wall, and George was sitting beside him pouring over a cauldron and some wrinkled notes. George was the only one that noticed when Ankaa entered, and he gave her a warm smile as she walked over to him.
Ankaa returned his smile and gave him a hug from behind.
"What've you got there, Georgie?"
George held her elbows as he answered, "Freddie and I are working on a new product."
"Full steam ahead, then?" Ankaa marvelled, putting her book aside and sitting down beside him. She glanced behind her and smiled when she noticed Fred was still asleep, his head lolling to the side and the book still in his lap.
"He was trying to finish his readings before you got here," George muttered softly, giving her a smile when she turned back.
"Have you two been staying up all night to finish this new concoction?"
Ankaa moved back to settle herself next to Fred, who was still dozing away happily. She reached over and took the book from his lap, closing it and placing it beside her.
George nodded, looking back at her. "Between detentions with Umbridge, the DA, and NEWTs we've been barely keeping up. Won't have to do that for long though."
"What do you mean?"
George looked back to her and then his sleeping twin next to her. Ankaa got the feeling he had just let something slip that Fred was meant to tell her. To Ankaa, it didn't matter which of the two told her the news, just as long as she knew. Whether it came from Fred or George made no difference; Ankaa knew they were planning something big.
George sighed. He turned and sat so he faced her. Quietly, he admitted, "Fred and I have been thinking of leaving Hogwarts."
Leaving?
It took Ankaa a moment to process the statement. She had known they were serious about starting their joke shop, but she never imagined that they would leave Hogwarts in the middle of their last year to do it. Her first instinct was to tell them to stop, but Ankaa knew how much Fred and George wanted to go off and establish their joke shop.
"Can't you just wait until the end of the school year?"
"Do you really think we'll survive until the end of the school year?"
Ankaa looked down at Fred's hand beside her. He was still blissfully asleep, and his arm was placed on the floor beside her, in the small gap between their thighs. Ankaa reached for his hand, gingerly lifting up his arm and sliding closer to him. She raised the sleeve of his shirt. Gently rubbing her thumb into the inside of his wrist where his skin, following a recent detention with Umbridge, was red and raw.
"Are you leaving because of Umbridge?"
George unconsciously ran his hands down his arm as well, where an identical scar was most likely imprinted into his skin.
"No, but she does provide some great incentive. Fred and I've been looking at some places in Diagon Alley. If it all works out, we'll be leaving before our birthdays sometime."
"So, you two have been planning this for a while then?"
George shook his head immediately. "No!" he amended quickly, "We were going to tell you. We just didn't want to bring it up in case it didn't end up working out."
Ankaa nodded. She didn't buy his excuse, but arguing with him wasn't going to change his mind. If there was one thing Ankaa knew about Fred and George was that once they made up their mind it was almost impossible to change it. Ankaa knew that of the two, George was the one that took the time to think things through, so if he had come to the decision to open up the joke shop, Ankaa knew this was not a spur of the moment thing.
Looking down at Fred's arm, her eyes traced the angry red scarring 'I will not cause a ruckus in class'. Maybe it was better for the two of them to be away from Umbridge, and to be chasing their dreams. After all, how useful was a N.E.W.T grade going to be if they were running their own business? And yet…
"Can't you just stay until the end of the year?" Ankaa asked quietly, moving Fred's hand into her own lap and pulling sleeve down so that she didn't have to see Umbridge's mark on him. Fred's head came down to rest on her shoulder, and his hand tightened in her own. Ankaa wondered how sleep deprived he had been these past few weeks for him to continue sleeping in such an uncomfortable position.
"Mum would probably want us to," said George, stirring the contents of the cauldron three times counter-clockwise. "Mind you, we haven't told her any of this. You, Lee, and Ginny are the only three people at Hogwarts who know. Reckon Harry, Hermione, and Ron will be surprised?"
Ankaa nodded without really hearing him.
"But don't you want to finish the year with the D.A?" Ankaa asked. "I know Umbridge's useless, but you're learning valuable skills from Harry—skills you won't have a chance to practice once you leave school."
"Fred and I are of age," the red head pointed out, "we can practice whenever we want. And besides, it's not like we're going to be busy with the shop twenty-four seven, Ankaa."
"I suppose…"
George turned to look at her over his shoulder then, giving her a sly smirk. "Is this your way of saying you'll miss us?"
Ankaa huffed out a laugh, nodding at the boy. "Of course, Georgie, I just can't live without you two."
George gave her a wide smile. Then, as he looked over her, George's smile dimmed. He was hit by a sense of nostalgia. He would miss this, their regular sessions in the Room of Requirement. Turning off the flame below the cauldron, George stood up and positioned himself so he sat beside Ankaa and held her other hand in his own.
"You won't be alone, Ankaa," he told her quietly, "We'll still be in touch. The best thing about having friends like me and Fred is that you'll never get rid of us, no matter how hard you try. Even though we might not be in this castle, we'll still always be at your beck and call. I promise you."
Ankaa gave his hand a squeeze. George always knew what she was feeling, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Ankaa always knew that she would have to spend her sixth and seventh year without the twins, but she just couldn't imagine school without them. Who would go around pranking Filch? Who would make Snape even angrier than he was already? Who would send her fake howlers in the middle of her lessons?
Fred stirred in his sleep, his grip on Ankaa's hand tightened marginally before he sleepily blinked open his eyes.
"Sleeping Beauty returns to the world of the living," snickered George. "Freddie, you drooled on Ankaa's shoulder."
Ankaa looked down at her shoulder and grimaced at the little dark spot on her blue shirt. Fred, who was wiping furiously at his face, swiped at her shoulder as if it would remove the mark. Ankaa laughed at his embarrassment and swatted his hands away.
"Now that you've had your beauty nap—"
"I don't need beauty naps—"
"—believe me mate, you do."
"George, you and I have the same face," Fred deadpanned.
Ankaa looked down at her watch and stood up with a flourish. "Actually, I disagree," she said, looking from George to Fred, "you two may look similar but you have entirely different faces."
George smiled at her as if he was really proud of her. He nodded at her before turning to his twin, "See that Freddie. We may look similar, but you're ugly."
Fred finally drew his eyes away from Ankaa before smirking at George. "I'm the one with a girlfriend, George—" he began.
"—She could be with you for your personality. Right, Ankaa?"
Ankaa pursed her lips, pretending to be deep in thought. Fred gave her a blank stare before he stood and wrapped his arms around her waist and hauled her up.
"Tell me I'm pretty!"
Ankaa was laughing too hard to be able to say anything. She was finally able to squirm her way out of his grip. Holding her hands up, Ankaa kept Fred at an arm's length.
"I'd love to boost your ego, Gred, but I've actually got a surprise for you two. And if we don't get to outside in the next five minutes, we're going to miss it."
George stood quickly. "No way," he breathed in awe, "Did you do something? Is it the prank of the century?"
Ankaa turned on her heel and slowly walked over to the door. She grabbed their jackets off the hooks by the door and threw it at them. Seeing as the twins still looked bewildered, Ankaa smiled, "I wouldn't call it the prank of the century, but it'd still be interesting. Do you want to see it or not?"
Ankaa led the twins down towards Umbridge's Office. Ankaa wanted to talk to Fred about his decision to leave but now wasn't the right time. It would undoubtedly put him in an argumentative mood, and Ankaa's anger would flare up too. Perhaps another day, when the two of them were alone it would be better to bring it up.
Ankaa gently pulled open the door to the DADA classroom and walked inside. At the bottom of the stairs stood Lee Jordan, patiently waiting for the trio. In his hands was a medium sized black box, which jiggled in his hands every so often.
"He's getting a little restless," Lee commented.
"What is?"
"What did you get?" Fred asked Ankaa as he turned down to look at her. Ankaa just gestured over to the box.
Fred and George gently lifted the lid. Inside, curled around itself was a Niffler. The Niffler blinked its eyes open at the light flooding into its box. Ankaa stepped forward and gently scooped it up into her hands.
"Where'd you get it from?"
"Classified," Ankaa gave the twins a cheeky smile. "Kidding, I know a guy."
Fred and George looked like they didn't believe her. Instead, they turned to Lee, who nodded.
"She asked me to go pick the little guy up and told me to wait here."
"Exactly," Ankaa smirked. "Umbridge has a security charm on her door, so we can't unlock it."
"How do you know that?" asked Fred, looking behind Ankaa to Umbridge's office a few feet away.
"I tried it last Tuesday, remember. I asked you two to distract her, and you pelted her with all those dungbombs. Anyway, I unlocked it but she was here in the next fifteen seconds." Ankaa turned away from the door and started walking down the hall. "However, I know of another way we can sneak in the Niffler."
"Which is?"
Ankaa gave Lee a cheeky smile. "I asked Remus," she shrugged, "He told me the window latch doesn't work properly and seeing as Umbridge has never opened that window she has no idea of its existence. All we have to do is levitate the little guy in through the window."
When they got outside and stood below Umbridge's window, Fred took the Niffler form Ankaa. Fred held the Niffler, who was jumping excitedly in his arms at the prospect of being free.
"Well then, little one," Fred smiled down at the Niffler, "It's time to make us proud."
"And remember," began George, "If you're caught, try and take a chunk of Umbridge's leg, will you?"
The Niffler only turned its head and sniffed around. Ankaa gently waved her wand and levitated the Niffler up so that it was right by the window. The Niffler was paddling its legs as if it was taking a casual swim in the Black Lake. Its little claws came to grab the ledge, it hauled itself closer to the window and wiggled inside.
There was a moment of silence when the four students waited under the window, trying to listen to what was happening in the room. Ankaa turned back to the three boys, uncertain. Just as she was about to suggest that maybe it hadn't worked, there was a loud crash from the office.
"Well, that's all I've got," Ankaa shrugged, "I thought we could let the Niffler work its magic until Umbridge got back, she'll no doubt have fun trying to catch it."
"I'd pay to see that," Lee commented, turning to head back to the courtyard. The other three followed after him.
"I can't wait to see her reaction," laughed Fred, heading out of the DADA classroom. "On another note, however, the snow looks crisp outside. What say you we annoy Ron?"
"Are you thinking—"
"Of course," nodded Fred, slinging his arm around George and Lee's shoulders. "We'll go back and get our coats. Ankaa, will you meet us in the courtyard in five minutes?"
"Sure," Ankaa shrugged. She wasn't in the mood to work anyway, and there was no better way to pass time than to annoy Ronald on his day off.
"You're doing it wrong," said Ankaa, reaching forward and wrapping her hand around the fourth year's wrist. "Hold the wand tightly, and it's a simple flourish like this," Ankaa imitated the movements and watched as the girl's opponent was thrown a few feet away into the wall of cushions behind her.
"It only works when you do it," the girl frowned.
"That's because you're overthinking things. Try again."
Ankaa stepped away, watching the girl try again. It took a few more attempts before she finally got the spell right. Giving the girl a nod of approval, Ankaa moved away to where Draco was resting.
"Are you not going to help at all?" Ankaa frowned at him, kicking his feet lightly to get his attention. "I already apologized for missing the last lesson."
"Yes, and while I heard that apology it was useless to me, wasn't it?" sassed Draco. He did not even bother to look away from the book he was pretending to read.
"You didn't have nearly as many people to teach as I do," Ankaa crossed her arms over her chest and stood leaning against the wall. She watched the students practice before her.
Ankaa supposed one of the good things about teaching Slytherins as opposed to teaching the DA was at least the Slytherin students weren't entirely hopeless. Their self-sufficiency had paid off, and they were at least able to attempt the simplest of spells. She had yet to meet a student who could not perform a simple disarming spell. The fourth years were all currently working on learning offensive spells, and the fifth years had moved on to duelling. Their rudimentary duelling might have been slow, but it would at least mimic the tension and uncertainty that they might face in a real duel.
Ankaa was brought out of her reverie when a second year Slytherin came and stood before her. The boy handed her a note and scurried away.
"Got an admirer, do you?" Draco smirked, watching the boy run off to where his friends were sitting on the sidelines watching the older students practice.
Ankaa gave him a sideways look before opening the parchment.
Miss Rhyther,
Please see to it that you and Mr. Malfoy come to my office before dinner. There are some things I wish to discuss with you two.
Professor Dolores Jane Umbridge
Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic
With a scowl, Ankaa passed the note off to Draco. The boy took it from her with great amusement before his face fell, and he rolled his eyes. With a stretch, he stood up nonchalantly.
"Speaking of rounds," he began, "I was going to ask you if you could cover for me today."
"Maybe I would have if you had helped me out today."
Draco glared at her.
Ankaa smiled, "Of course I'll cover for you. Just make sure you come to Umbridge's office with me though, I don't want to deal with the hag alone."
Draco nodded, "Of course."
The students continued practicing in the common room for another hour. Ankaa stood with her arms crossed, critically analyzing the moves of the pair of students in front of her.
"No, listen," she said, stepping forward as she corrected the girl's posture. "Lower your shoulder, keep your wrist loose. You're going to have to move your arm about a lot when you duel, and if you keep it stiff like that you won't be very effective at throwing spells about."
The girl nodded, taking a moment to relax before she threw another curse towards her partner. Ankaa nodded slightly.
"Well, it's a little stiff still, but we'll work on it."
Warrington came about then, as he usually did to check up on everyone's progress. Cassius had naturally assumed the title of leader, and Ankaa had no problem with that. She knew that when it came down to it, Cassius was a much better leader than Montague would be. Cassius took the time to listen to suggestions and genuinely wanted to see people succeed.
"Everything alright?" he asked Ankaa. After the girl nodded, Cassius said, "Let's end here then. We've been at it for three hours now."
Ankaa watched as he stood on the coffee table and commanded everyone's attention. Slowly, all students fell silent and turned towards the boy, closing in on where he stood so that they could hear him better.
"That's all for today," began Cassius, smiling when some people whined in disappointment, "I know we were all enjoying ourselves, but we'll have to cut things short for now. We won't be having any more practices until after Christmas since most of us have work to catch up on. Until then, remember to keep practicing and ask us if you have any questions. Great work everyone!"
Everyone fanned out, chatting excitedly amongst themselves about what they hoped would happen in the next session. Cassius stepped down and motioned to Hamada and Montague who stood off to the side.
"You two will be in charge of letting them out, alright?" He said, motioning towards the students.
Hamada and Montague stood by the entrance to the common room. They let people out in groups, making sure that all of Slytherin house did not leave at once. Although they were not open about their doings, the Slytherin students took extra care to ensure that no teacher would suspect them of illicit activities. If all of Slytherin house left the common room at once and reached the Great Hall at the same time, Umbridge would no doubt suspect something.
Ankaa and Draco split off from the rest of their friends as they headed up to Umbridge's office as opposed to the Great Hall. She didn't bother asking Draco about what Umbridge might talk of, because he seemed lost in his thoughts as well. Draco strutted ahead of her, confidently throwing open the door to the classroom and walking up the steps to Umbridge's office. He waited until Ankaa stood beside him to knock on the door.
"Come in," Umbridge's sickly sweet voice called from the inside. When the Professor spotted the two students, she gave them a tight smile. "Have a seat," she commanded shortly.
Draco and Ankaa gave each other brief glances before taking a seat before Umbridge. The short, stout woman stood from her desk and walked towards one of the cabinets behind her.
"Mr. Filch has informed me that, as of late, there was been an increase in the number of students who are up and about the castle after hours." Umbridge turned back to the two students, clutching a piece of parchment in her hand. "I have questioned the other prefects, but none of them seem to have an answer."
Ankaa eyed the parchment in her hand. For a moment, her heart dropped. What if Umbridge had somehow gotten her grubby hands on the DA's list, and she knew that Ankaa was a part of it.
"Neither do we, Professor," Draco answered her assumption, his voice steady. "Ankaa and I haven't noticed any students where we patrol. If they're out and about, it's most likely in other parts of the castle."
Umbridge turned her beady eyes to Ankaa then. "And you, Miss Rhyther? Have you noticed anything?"
"No, Professor," said Ankaa, keeping her eyes on Umbridge as she spoke. "Draco and I have been assigned patrol in the lower corridors, and we haven't noticed any of the Slytherin students break rules. Perhaps Mr. Filch noticed this discrepancy on the upper floors?"
Umbridge looked between the two for a brief moment before she moved away from the cabinet and sat back down. She unravelled the piece of parchment and held it out.
"As you are aware, my position as High Inquisitor enables me to instate Educational Decrees for the betterment of this school," Umbridge held out her latest decree to Draco. "I do not believe the other prefects have been doing a satisfactory job—in fact, I think they are involved in whatever rabble Mr. Potter and his friends have concocted."
Draco passed the Decree to Ankaa then. It was the twenty-fifth Educational Decree, which stated that students who wished to join the Inquisitorial Squad would receive an extra credit.
"I would like you two to make a list of people who you think would be well suited for the Inquisitorial Squad," said Umbridge.
"What's the Inquisitorial Squad for exactly, ma'am?" asked Ankaa as she rolled up the parchment gingerly and placed it upon Umbridge's desk.
"They will do what Dumbledore's Prefects fail to, Miss Rhyther," said Umbridge giving her a small malicious smile. "You see, it is my belief that Mr. Potter and his friends have formed an illegal organization under Dumbledore's nose. But seeing as I have no proof of the organization as of yet, there is nothing I can do to punish Mr. Potter."
"And you'd like our help?"
"Of course, Mr. Malfoy. Yourself and Miss Rhyther, I think, shall prove to be extremely useful. You have classes with Mr. Potter and his friends. I am sure that two exceptionally talented and resourceful students as yourself will have no trouble." Umbridge reached into the drawer by her side and pulled out two silver I's.
Draco immediately reached for one, turning it over in his hands. Ankaa reached for it as well, taking it between her fingers carefully. Umbridge sat there smiling as she told them to put the badges on. Ankaa noticed Draco hesitated, giving her a look before nodding at her. Together, the two of them placed the silver I's right next to their Prefect badges.
Once Umbridge dismissed them, the two exited her office and left the DADA room as quickly as they could. Ankaa noticed that Draco was tenser now, compared to the calm and collectedness he had displayed when he first walked into her office.
"Are you heading down for dinner?" asked Ankaa quietly.
Draco startled. Blinking out of his reverie, he turned to focus on her. "Er—no," he said, "I've got to—you go ahead."
"I know you can lie better," Ankaa huffed, "At least try or just tell me the truth. What happened to you?"
Draco scowled at her in irritation. "Me? What happened to you?"
Ankaa shrugged, "I thought she knew something." Giving Draco a look, she said, "Look, we're both obviously hiding something. I know neither of us wants to talk about it, but I know you know what I've been up to, and I think I have hinted about you too."
Draco narrowed his eyes at her.
"Obviously, I won't say anything," Ankaa rolled her eyes. Then, she gave him a teasing smile. "It's that Ravenclaw girl, isn't it? What was her name again? Zoya? Zeena?"
"Zara Holloway."
Ankaa smiled in victory as they both rounded the corner to the entrance of the Great Hall. Just before they could enter, Ankaa took Draco's hand and pulled him back slightly.
"Draco, I know you know about me and Fred. You've kept my secret for this long, and I want you to know that I'll do the same for you. You're my best friend and you've looked out for me when I was all alone… and I need you to know that I'll do the same for you."
The worry in Draco's eyes dissipated. The war that was raging inside him quelled for a moment before the usual sassy expression resurfaced.
"Are you done being melodramatic?" He asked, flourishing his free hand about. "Can I have my hand back, or have you got another speech planned? Merlin, this is what starts to happen when you hang around sappy dolts all day." With that, Draco turned and walked away. Before he entered the Great Hall, he turned, "Are you coming or has your brain shut down completely?"
Ankaa just shook her head with a small smile. "I love you too, bestie," she murmured before falling in step beside him as they headed to dinner.
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"No."
"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"
"No."
"Pretty please with a cherry on top, and a Freddie on top?"
"No."
Ankaa turned the page in her textbook and scribbled down some notes for her History of Magic essay as Fred continued to pester her about attending the last D.A. meeting with him. George, who was smiling as he finished his own essay, shook his head. Fred, on the other hand, had no such qualms about his essay. The empty parchment sat before him, with just his name and title on it. The man in question sat beside Ankaa, leaning back in his chair and continuing to annoy her.
"Pretty please with a cherry on top—"
"If I have to hear that phrase one more time, Fred," Ankaa began in a deadly tone, "I'll make sure you never see the light of day again."
Fred frowned, turning from Ankaa to look at his snickering twin. For the next five minutes, Fred pretended to flip through his textbook and write on his parchment. Every ten seconds or so, he would sigh. Eventually, after ten minutes of pretending to work, Fred threw his quill onto his still empty parchment.
"I'm bored," he proclaimed, putting his elbow on the table and leaning his head on his hand. He watched as his twin continued to work, finishing the last bit of his essay. Fred then turned to Ankaa, who paid him no attention and continued working with a shake of her head.
"There, all done!" smiled George, waving his wand to dry the ink. He then rolled up the parchment and handed it over to Fred, who would later copy it and hand it in.
"Do you two usually do this?" Ankaa asked, frowning as she saw the exchange of homework.
"Of course not," said Fred as he put away the homework. "Believe it or not, we're both actually smart enough to do our own work. We just get lazy sometimes."
"I believe that without a shadow of doubt."
Fred nudged her slightly before letting her get back to the last bit of her essay. He knew this was the last time he would get to see her properly before Christmas, as they would be returning to the Burrow with Harry, and she would spend Christmas with Sirius and Maya and Grimmauld Place.
Finally, after another ten minutes of trying to convince the Slytherin girl, the trio finally headed towards the Room of Requirement. They were all early, as people weren't supposed to meet for another fifteen minutes.
"I want to grab some books before Christmas," Ankaa justified, throwing open the door. She stopped in the doorway abruptly, blinking at the scene before her.
Dobby, the house-elf, was in the midst of decorating the room for Christmas. There were golden baubles hanging from the ceiling, each with Harry's face on them. There was a legend on each bauble, bearing HAVE A VERY HARRY CHRISTMAS in bright red.
"What…"
"Ankaa Rhyther!" Dobby exclaimed, jumping down from his wobbly stool and hobbling over to the girl. Ankaa smiled down at him excitedly, beyond amused at the prospect of Harry and the entire D.A. walking into this scene. "Happy Christmas! Mister Weasley, Mister Weasley," the elf bade a fond hello to George and Fred, who now stood beside Ankaa, "How good it is to see you again!"
"Likewise, Dobby," commented Fred, staring around at the golden baubles. "Need some help?"
"Oh, no, sir! Dobby is almost finished!"
The elf-proudly gestured to the last of the baubles that he had only just finished putting up. As he gathered the stool, he wished them all a Merry Christmas before Apparating out of the room.
"You look very amused at the sight," George snickered, nudging Ankaa. The girl in question still looked at the scene in complete bewilderment.
"I don't think it's enough, do you?" Ankaa turned to the two with a devious smile.
"What are you thinking?" Fred and George asked, giving her identical smiles in return.
A few feet away, the Room of Requirement conjured up a large plain white banner and some paint brushes and paints. Immediately, the three of them jumped towards it. Snickering, they each took a banner and started decorating it.
Soon enough, there were three large banners each with 'HAVE A HARRY CHRISTMAS!' put up on the walls. Fred charmed them so that whenever someone walked under them, they would release small fireworks and sing Christmas songs.
Just then, the door opened. Harry stepped inside, and much like Ankaa had been moments before, he stood in the doorway, frozen in shock. Ankaa turned to give Harry a smirk.
"I like what you've done with the place, Harry," she said, "The baubles are especially my favourite."
Harry blushed red in embarrassment. Immediately, he set out to get the decorations. Ankaa watched him struggle. Instead of helping, she went and sat off to the side, opening her latest read by Morlan Burke and read it intently.
Harry was quick to remove all the decorations. A few minutes later, he was taking down the last of them when the door opened and Luna Lovegood stepped in.
"Hello," she said vaguely, her smart eyes glancing around at what little was left of the golden baubles. "These are nice, did you put them up?"
"No," said Harry, "It was Dobby the house-elf."
"And us!" Fred and George chimed together, puffing their chests in pride.
"We put the banners up. What'd you think of them?"
"They're quite lovely," Luna said as Ankaa came to stand beside the group. "I have Lion like it. I wear to Quidditch games."
Fred nodded in recognition, "It's really loud, isn't it? I can hear it pretty clear."
"Oh, yes," Luna nodded. "What is that in your pocket?"
Ankaa looked down at Fred and George's pockets, which had a few branches of white berries hanging out. Snickering, the twins reached into their pockets and pulled out some branches of mistletoe.
"It's for later," explained George, wiggling his eyebrows. "We're going to hold it over the heads of some unsuspecting people."
Fred nodded sagely. "No better way to spread Christmas cheer."
Luna blinked at the sight. Then, her eyes turned to the spot over Ankaa's head, and she said, "Mistletoe."
Ankaa looked up to see Fred holding a branch of mistletoe over her head, smirking in victory. Behind him, George was having trouble holding in his smile. With a sweet smile, Ankaa reached up to take a hold of the mistletoe and threw it a few feet away from the group. Fred eyed the mistletoe sullenly.
"Good thinking," said Luna very seriously, "It is often infested with nargles."
"So is his head," Ankaa murmured, smiling up at Fred when she noticed he was still pouting about the mistletoe.
Once again, the door was thrown open and to Ankaa's dismay, Angelina Johnson and her posse made their way inside. Angelina, who was the first of her friends to spot Ankaa standing with the twins, had a barely perceptible frown on her face.
"Well," said Angelina dully, pulling off her cloak and throwing it into a corner, "we've replaced you." She looked to Harry, Fred and George.
"We've got another Seeker!" she said impatiently.
Fred, George, and Harry moved closer to Angelina and her group of friends as they discussed the new appointments of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Ankaa and Luna dutifully moved back to give them some space, although Ankaa kept an eye on Angelina. It wasn't because she was jealous, no; she trusted Fred, but it was fun to smirk at Angelina and watch her temper flare up.
"That's an interesting book," commented Luna, glancing down at the book Ankaa was still holding.
"Oh, thank you." Ankaa muttered, "Just some… light reading."
Luna gave her a look, one that seemed blank but was anything but. Ankaa had gathered, from what Ginny had told her of Luna, that the Ravenclaw girl was exceptionally bright. It was a shame that she was belittled for her dreamy tendencies.
"I hear your father writes the Quibbler?"
"Yes, he's the Editor. He recently published an article about the Crumple-Horned—"
Ankaa was spared the details of yet another imaginary creature as the door opened once more and Ronald, Hermione, and Neville walked in. Ginny, who soon joined the group, made her way over to Ankaa and Luna, wishing them a quick hello.
"I'm the Seeker!" she proclaimed excitedly, giving Ankaa's hands a squeeze. "We've got two new beaters too, but they're not nearly as good as Fred and George."
"Careful," warned Ankaa with an amused smile, "don't let your brothers hear that. They hardly need any more reasons to inflate their egos."
Ginny smiled good-naturedly. She turned back to look at where the group of Gryffindors stood, waiting for everyone else to join. Ginny's smile dimmed slightly when she saw Cho Chang enter, and Ankaa followed her gaze to where the Ravenclaw girl stood.
"Well, if anything, your new position on the Quidditch team puts you in prime position to get a few hits in on her," Ankaa muttered to the Gryffindor girl. The two girls shared a small, secretive smile before turning to Harry, who stood by the front once everyone had gathered.
"Okay," he said, calling the meeting to order. "I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far—"
"We're not doing anything new?" said Zacharias Smith, in a disgruntled whisper loud enough to carry through the room. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come…"
"We're all really sorry Harry didn't tell you, then," said Fred loudly.
There were scattered sniggers throughout the room, and Smith flushed red in slight embarrassment and indignation before turning back to the front. Harry, who seemed strengthened by Fred's response continued to lead.
"Let's start with the Impediment Jinx, and then we'll try the Stunning Spell again," said Harry before everyone broke away to practice.
Ankaa started to pair off with Ginny when Harry came her way.
"Sorry Ginny," he apologized, "but I'm going to need Ankaa to work with Neville, today. Can you work with someone else for now?"
Ginny rolled her eyes at him before nodding. She gave a slight wave of her hand before trudging off to find someone else to work with. Ankaa watched her leave with a frown. She had wanted to take a break, and practice with Ginny because duelling with her was actually fun. There were times when the both of them started launching jinxes at one another for the fun of it, just to see who would win.
"You don't mind working with Neville, do you?" asked Harry quietly, as the duo started moving over to where the boy was standing, waiting.
"I doubt you'll give me a choice," Ankaa rolled her eyes. "Although, if you want time to ogle Cho Chang—"
"I don't ogle!"
"—all you have to do is ask," Ankaa shrugged, continuing despite his protest. "I'd suggest you stay away from her, but since you haven't asked for my opinion, I won't say it."
"You just did."
"Did I? Must have slipped out." Ankaa gave him a sly smirk, "Well, now you know. Go on then, ogle to your heart's content. I'll be here, with Longbottom, teaching him like you're supposed to be."
Harry narrowed his eyes at her, his lips twitching into a scowl. "I helped him the last two times you weren't here, so I think you can handle just this once without complaining. But of course," he gave her an obnoxious grin, "if you think you can't I'd be more than happy to."
"Don't you have Chang's behind to smooch?"
"Better than smooching Snape's behind."
"You're a git."
"Takes one to know one."
"Leave. Now."
Harry laughed before making his way to the other side of the room, where Cho Chang and her friends were practicing. Ankaa turned on her heel, a scowl still on her face, when she spotted Neville in the corner. At the sight of her irritated expression, Neville swallowed roughly. Nonetheless, he squared his shoulders and got ready to work with Ankaa, something that surprised her entirely.
"Hi Neville," she greeted him with a nod, for the sake of being polite. "How're you feeling?"
"Uh—I—I'm okay?"
"Great," Ankaa muttered, pulling out her wand. "Let's get started, shall we? You go first."
Neville, much to Ankaa's surprise, had improved greatly since the last time she had helped him. Ankaa suspected that Harry wasn't as bad of a teacher as she had first thought (given that he was constantly distracted by his crush on Chang) if Neville had improved. Then again, Neville also did seem to be gaining a fair bit of confidence, which most likely played a role in his ability to perform magic.
Every time she unfroze from Neville's spell, Ankaa silently shot the Jinx his way and one at Ronald who stood practicing behind Neville, for good measure. By the time Ronald would unfreeze and turn around to see who was messing with him, Neville would shoot the Impediment Jinx at Ankaa, and she would freeze with a little smile on her face. This continued on for the next ten minutes, where Ronald got more and more distressed and irritated, and Ankaa got more and more amused.
Ankaa stood beside Hermione as they waited for the first half of the group to finish performing their Stunning Spells. Fred and George had paired off together, effortlessly shooting Stunning Spells at one another.
"Ready, Neville?"
Ankaa waited for the boy to nod, before she lowered her wand. Neville, bless his soul, tried his best to aim for Ankaa. His spell was directed slightly to the left however, and hit Zacharias Smith in the back. Ankaa, who was too busy laughing to launch her spell at Neville, simply moved away so that Dean could be Neville's partner.
"You're having too much fun at his misfortune," commented Angelina, casting a look at Smith before her eyes turned to Ankaa.
"Not enough, I'd say," laughed Fred. He subtly moved between Ankaa and Angelina, and told her, "George and I have been shooting jinxes at him the entire night."
"Yeah," piped in George, "We froze him just over three times."
"And, if Neville hadn't hit Smith, I was about to do it anyway."
Ankaa smiled up at them. "Good," she said, "I've been messing with Ronald the entire time. I don't think he knows it was me." Ankaa leaned forward slightly to spot Angelina's sour expression, form where she stood on Fred's right-hand side. "Guess Angelina just doesn't know how to have fun."
George grasped the back of her sweater and pulled her back. He gave her a look before smiling in amusement. Fred, on the other hand, snorted. Angelina on the other hand, was not as amused with Ankaa as they were. She gave the Slytherin a fierce glare before leaving to her friends. Ankaa could tell that Angelina told her friends of what had passed, because they all immediately turned to shoot her distasteful looks.
Ankaa rolled her eyes at their immaturity before turning to the twins.
"I've got to head out," she said. "Prefect rounds tonight."
"Will you come back here tonight?" asked Fred. "Should we wait?"
"No, I'm going to head to bed. I've got a headache coming, and I just want to sleep early."
George nodded in understanding, his eyes understanding. He gave her cheek a pinch before wishing her goodnight. Fred lingered behind after his brother had left.
"Are you sure you won't come tonight? Just for a bit."
"I'll be out late, Freddie," Ankaa said quietly, giving him a look. "Don't wait here, okay? Go and sleep. I know you haven't been getting enough."
Fred grinned at her. "I love when you're concerned about me."
Ankaa gave him a blank look. Fred continued grinning at her, but when she did not smile back, he rolled his eyes with a laugh.
"Alright, fine. I'll go back and sleep. But I'm not happy about it."
Ankaa smiled. "Thank you," she whispered, reaching forward to give his hand a squeeze.
Ankaa spotted Hermione watching the duo from a few feet away, a Cheshire grin on her face. Ankaa narrowed her eyes at the girl before turning back to Fred, who was no doubt waiting for some grand goodnight gesture. Instead, all he got was another squeeze of his hand before Ankaa turned and left the room.
There was no hesitation as Ankaa raced towards Dumbledore's office. Her breathing as sharp and laboured as she rounded the corner, jumped over some stairs, and sped past sleeping ghosts to reach the Headmaster's office. Ankaa only hoped that she had not been late in receiving the vision.
Stupid, stupid girl! She cursed herself, If you had recognized the signs sooner—
No. She couldn't think like that. For the sake of her sanity, and for the sake of the Weasley family, Ankaa hoped that she was not too late. She refused to even think of the possibility.
"Sherbert Lemon!"
"Wrong password!" The gargoyle pretended to huff and puff just as Ankaa was doing. "Now go away and don't come back."
"You have to get the headmaster! It's an emergency!"
"No password, no entry."
Ankaa ground her teeth together in frustration. When the gargoyle continued giving her a sassy look, she pulled out her wand.
"Last chance," she warned it, breathing heavily as she pointed her wand at it. "I'm not in the mood to play games, someone's life is in danger. You either let me in right now, or I'll blow you to bits."
The gargoyle looked from her face to the wand she clutched in her hand. It seemed uncertain, before it finally laughed, "You wouldn't dare. You'll get in trouble."
"Bombarda Maxima!"
Ankaa brought up a shielding charm quickly, keeping the debris away from herself. She knew that blowing up the irritating old gargoyle wouldn't actually let her get inside to Dumbledore's office, but Ankaa hoped it would at least create enough commotion to catch his attention. And sure enough, Dumbledore descended the stairs a few seconds later, squinting at the scattered debris.
"Miss. Rhyther?" Dumbledore looked at her form, "What is—?"
"It's Mr. Weasley!" Ankaa told him quickly, stepping closer. "I had a vision," she said quietly, but firmly, "he's been hurt! It was Nagini, I saw it!"
Dumbledore seemed taken aback for a moment before he motioned her inside quickly. Ankaa made her way past him and turned to see him pull out his wand and resurrect the gargoyle.
"SHE BLEW ME UP!" The gargoyle was wailing, "SHE—"
"It's quite alright, Tidus," Dumbledore said consolingly, "Miss. Rhyther was on edge. We will let her be this time, though Miss Rhyther in the future if you could please refrain from—"
"I will if your guard gargoyle does its job properly." Ankaa turned and headed up the stairs, not waiting to hear the gargoyle or Dumbledore's response.
The Slytherin girl paced Dumbledore's office, waiting briefly for him to head inside. A moment later, one that seemed far too long in her mind but one that was only a few seconds later, Dumbledore finally came back into his office and sat down in his chair. Leaning forward, so that the candlelight in which he had been previously working illuminated his face, he asked her what she had seen. And Ankaa recounted the tale.
There was a sharp, throbbing pain in her head when Ankaa opened her eyes. She was sitting in the little nook, bathed in bright moonlight, in the second-floor corridor. Ankaa remembered that she had felt dizzy and lightheaded, and therefore she had elected to sit down before she passed out and split her skull open. Bleeding out and dying at Hogwarts was not something she had planned for herself.
Ankaa's eyes scrunched up in pain when she noticed how bright the moonlight was. She gripped the edge of the stone bench, sitting upright for a moment before she doubled over at the strong and constant throbbing in her skull.
Briefly, a picture of the Ministry of Magic flashed in her mind's eye. Blinking away the image in confusion, Ankaa looked to her watch. It was one in the morning, and no one was around the castle.
Something's wrong, a voice in her said, ever so ominous.
It was as if a switch had been flicked on in her head. With a slight start, Ankaa sat up straight. She had not had a vision in quite a while, and those that she had seen were ones that either came to her in her sleep or were forced by Mopsus' Potion. The last time she had had a seemingly natural vision, it had followed a splitting headache.
"Your Inner Eye will give you signs that a vision is to be shared with you," Vablatsky, her now dead mentor had told her. "Your Inner Eye can force visions it deems important to your fate."
This was it! Her Inner Eye was trying to tell her that there was a vision she needed to see. Ankaa pulled her legs up, folding them before her and placing her hands in her lap. She closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths. Although it was hard to concentrate with a headache constantly sending waves of pain through her system, Ankaa realized her lessons with Snape had proven to be useful if not for Occlumency. It was far easier to concentrate and center herself now.
Immediately, Ankaa was launched into another vision.
She was at the Ministry of Magic, as she immediately recognized the large fountain at the centre. Although the Ministry was entirely empty, there was one elevator off to her right side that had one light shining upon it. Narrowing her eyes at the ominous looking elevator, she made her way over slowly.
It's a vision, remember, she told herself. Whatever it is, it can't hurt you.
Ankaa got into the elevator. She jumped in fright when the doors slammed shut loudly, and she was launched backwards as the elevator pulled away and started downwards at a breakneck speed. Ankaa jumped out of the elevator at once, steadying herself against the black tiled wall. Once she stood upright once more, her eyes boggled at the sight of a large snake, one that had been in her dreams in the past.
"Nagini," Ankaa whispered to herself. The last time she had seen the snake, she had awoken from a nightmare. Ankaa hoped that the sight that awaited her was less nightmarish, but knowing that Nagini was somehow involved made her hope falter. Nevertheless, Ankaa followed after the snake, quietly slipping into the door after the snake.
Although Ankaa had ventured to the Department of Mysteries with her father, she had never been allowed into any of the rooms this far into the Department. Ankaa gawked at the various crystal balls on the high shelves, each with a name scribbled on top of a fraying white tag. Ankaa squinted her eyes at the names but moved away from them once she realized she had strayed from Nagini.
However, the snake had not wandered far. Nagini still slithered slowly on the floor, going further and further into the Hall. Every so often, Nagini would taste the air, no doubt trying to see if anyone else was around. Ankaa spotted a lone soul, a few feet away among the shelves, holding up their wand. At the sight of the man, Nagini also sped up, no doubt intent on striking him down.
But the familiar sight of bright red hair struck fear straight into Ankaa's heart. She broke out into a sprint, hoping to reach Mr. Weasley before Nagini did, to warn him and get him away before Nagini could attack him.
"Mr. Weasley!"
The man turned, not at the sound of her terrified shout, but at the sound of Nagini's hiss. Ankaa watched in complete horror as Nagini reared up, reaching almost as tall as Mr. Weasley, and bared her fangs.
"Reducto!"
But the spell was of no use. Ankaa watched as the jet of light sailed from her wand and straight through Nagini. All Ankaa could do, was stand there completely helpless and watch Mr. Weasley get struck not once, not twice, but three times before Nagini finally decided to draw away.
Ankaa paid the snake no mind, knowing and accepting that there was nothing she could do at the moment. She leaned over Mr. Weasley, trying to hear if he was still breathing, but the moment her knees touched the ground, she was thrown from her vision.
When she finished, Dumbledore stood from his chair and started pacing. There was a strange sort of tension on his face, one that he tried incredibly hard to cover. Ankaa watched him apprehensively, waiting for him to say something. Her leg was bouncing under the table, and her fingers were strumming against the pristine wood of the table.
"Sir, with all due respect," Ankaa finally snapped, "But can you please do something? It's not been—" Ankaa checked her watch, "—fifteen minutes since I had the vision, and if Mr. Weasley really is in danger we can still save him."
"Of course, Miss. Rhyther." He turned to a portrait of a sallow-faced wizard with short, black bangs. "Everard," he commanded shortly, "Arthur Weasley has red hair and glasses. You will need to raise the alarm, make sure he is found by the right people."
The wizard immediately vacated his chair. Once he had left, Dumbledore turned back to Ankaa with a grave look.
"Miss Rhyther, I must ask you to keep everything you have seen a secret." Dumbledore once again sat in his chair, but he seemed anything but relaxed. At Ankaa's hesitant nod, he continued, "You cannot reveal to anyone, most of all not to your friends, that the Order has been involved in guarding the prophecies at the Department of Mysteries—"
"That was the Hall of Prophecies, wasn't it?" Ankaa interrupted him incredulously, her voice rising. When one of the wizards in the portraits jumped and glared at her for interrupting his sleep, Ankaa calmed down. "You're guarding prophecies?"
"Just one," Dumbledore conceded. "I am sure you can imagine to whom that prophecy belongs. Nevertheless, Miss Rhyther, it is imperative that Harry Potter does not know of this—"
Just then, there were three distinct knocks on the door. Dumbledore did not stand from his chair, instead, he looked up calmly.
"Oh, it's you, Professor McGonagall…and…ah."
Ankaa turned in her chair to spot Ronald and Harry following behind the haggled looking Professor McGonagall. Each party seemed just as confused to see the other.
"What are you doing here?" Harry was the first to ask.
"Er—" Ankaa hesitated, shooting Dumbledore a look. What was she supposed to tell him?
"Professor Dumbledore, Potter has had a… well, a nightmare," said Professor McGonagall. "He says…"
"It wasn't an ordinary dream… it was real, I saw it happen…" Harry took a deep, shuddering breath, "Ron's dad—Mr. Weasley—has been attacked by a giant snake."
If Ankaa had not seen the vision herself, the world coming from him might have seemed comical. But she knew, Ankaa knew for a fact that Mr. Weasley had been attacked by a giant snake, and while that seemed like a ridiculous idea to comprehend, it was downright terrifying to watch. The memory of it brought a shudder in her, one that Harry noticed.
In the silence that followed his announcement, Harry looked from Dumbledore to Ankaa. It did not escape his notice that there was something odd about her timing. If Ankaa had a vision, it meant that Mr. Weasley had indeed been attacked, and if it was as bad as Harry had seen then it seemed like his life was in grave danger.
"How did you see this?" Dumbledore asked quietly, still not looking at Harry.
"Inside my head, I suppose—"
"You misunderstand me," said Dumbledore, still in the same calm tone. "I mean… can you remember—er—where you were positioned as you watched this attack happen?"
Ankaa turned to Harry, intently waiting on his answer. It had not even occurred to her that someone could see the vision another way. She had always been the outsider.
"I was the snake," Harry said finally, looking between Ankaa and Dumbledore.
Ankaa was conscious that Harry was trying to discern the situation from her expression. Therefore, she maintained as neutral of an expression as she could muster given the circumstances. Ankaa even felt a slight amount of pity for Ronald, who was looking between the three, white-faced and shocked. What would Fred and George say when they found out? What about Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley? At the thought of the rest of the Weasley family, Ankaa's stomach clenched uncomfortably and she gulped.
"But Mr. Weasley could be anywhere!" said Harry when Ankaa finally broke out of her reverie. It occurred to Ankaa then that Harry did not know Mr. Weasley was attached in the Hall of Prophecies, and that's what Dumbledore wanted to keep from him.
Makes sense, a small part of her said. Knowing Harry, he would no doubt try to meddle and find out what was happening in the Hall of Prophecies that the Order needed to guard.
"Dumbledore!" Everard finally returned to his portrait in the office. "We got him! I yelled until someone came running, said I'd heard something moving downstairs—they weren't sure whether to believe me but went to check—Anyway, they carried him up. He was a bit bloody, but he'll be okay."
"Good," said Dumbledore as Ronald made a convulsive movement. He turned back to Professor McGonagall, who was keeping a keen eye on Ronald. "Minerva, I need you to go and wake the other Weasley children."
Professor McGonagall got up and moved swiftly to the door. Dumbledore waved his wand in the air, conjuring up two more chairs for Harry and Ronald. Ankaa moved away from Dumbledore's desk and made to move towards Harry, but Dumbledore called her name.
"If you could fetch Professor Snape for me, please."
Ankaa hesitated, looking between Harry and Dumbledore. Finally, after a moment she nodded and headed out of the office and to find Snape. Even the thought of rousing Professor Snape from his slumber seemed les frightening than facing the Weasley family.
But for the life of her, Ankaa hoped that Mr. Weasley was alright and that she had been on time.
Fred was pulled out of his dream roughly. He couldn't remember what he had been dreaming of, but it had made him very happy. George leaned over him, continuing to shake him awake even after he had opened his eyes.
"Whaz happenin?" Fred sat up groggily, yawning as George moved away from his bed.
"We have to go," said George, quickly pulling on his robe. "Fred!" He threw his pillow when Fred leaned back, intending to go back to sleep. "Fred, its Dad! Something's happened, come on! McGonagall's getting Ginny, let's go!"
Immediately, it felt as if he had been doused with cold water. Fred's eyes were wide as he caught the robe George launched his way. The twins ran out of their dormitory, meeting Ginny and Professor McGonagall downstairs.
"What happened?" Fred asked as he pulled his robe on.
"It's your father," said McGonagall, "Harry had a nightmare. Come, let's get you to Professor Dumbledore's office."
Fred blinked at the witch in confusion. He then turned to George, catching his eye over Ginny's head. The two of them shared a worried look, before looking down at Ginny. Noticing their little sister's worry, they nodded to one another.
"It's okay, Gin," said George, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "I'm sure he's alright. It'll be okay."
"Yeah," piped Fred, "He's a Weasley, he'll pull through. We're made of steel, aren't we?"
Ginny and George gave him a hollow smile, amused but still filled with worry. The trio followed after McGonagall quickly, until they finally made it to Dumbledore's office. Inside, Ron and Harry were already sat and waiting.
"Harry—what's going on?" asked Ginny, looking frightened. "Professor McGonagall says you saw Dad hurt—"
"Your father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix," said Dumbledore before Harry could open his mouth to speak. "He has been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I am sending you to Sirius' house, which is much more convenient for the hospital than the Burrow. You will meet your mother there."
Fred, who felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under him, took a deep breath. He could feel his heart racing as he imagined the state that his father could be in. "How're we going?" he asked, "Floo powder?"
There was a flash of flame in the middle of the office, leaving behind a single golden feather that floated gently to the floor. As Dumbledore caught the feather in his hand, the door to his office opened once more. Ankaa walked in, followed by Professor Snape. Upon spotting Fred in the office, her steps faltered slightly and she looked from Fred to Dumbledore.
"Headmaster," Professor Snape looked between Harry and Dumbledore, "You called for me?"
"Severus," Dumbledore stepped down from his desk, "I'm afraid we can't wait, not even until the morning." Then, he spoke to McGonagall, "Minerva, she knows that people are out of bed. If you could—"
Professor McGonagall nodded and left without waiting for further instructions. Dumbledore explained how everyone, including Ankaa, would be leaving for Sirius' house immediately. All except Harry, who would be joining them a few days later.
"What's going on?" Fred asked Ankaa, tugging on her hand sharply to make her turn to face him.
The girl gave a tired sigh, running her free hand over her face.
"Ankaa," Fred gave her a serious look.
"Come together now, everyone," called Dumbledore, "Quickly, please, before anyone joins us."
Fred watched as Harry and Ankaa shared some sort of look as the young Gryffindor was pulled away by Snape. Fred watched as Ankaa reached over and gave Harry's hand a squeeze, giving him the slightest quirk of her lips as he left. Then she turned over and joined the circle around the blackened tea kettle, which was their Portkey.
"On the count of three then… one… two…three."
Fred closed his eyes tightly, his stomach twisting at the familiar sensation of being pulled through the air. His hand clutched the kettle as he was roughly tossed around, banging into others. There was a rush of wind before finally, his feet hit the ground so hard that his knees buckled. Everyone's grip on the kettle slackened, and the kettle was tossed somewhere into the room with the momentum of the landing.
"Back again," a voice welcomed them maliciously. Fred looked up to see Kreacher mulling about. As usual, he continued grumbling, "The blood traitor brats, is it true their father's dying…?"
Fred's eyes bulged at the question. He looked to Ankaa since she was the only one who seemed to know what was going on. The girl only glared at Kreacher before she was pulled to her feet by Sirius, who looked anxious.
"OUT!" Sirius roared, directing his anger towards the house-elf. Once Kreacher disappeared from the room, Sirius turned to everyone. "What's going on?" He asked, "Phineas Nigellus said Arthur's been badly injured—"
"Ask Ankaa," said Fred, crossing his arms and looking down at her.
"Yeah, I want to hear this for myself."
The twins, and Ginny, who had now gathered herself and was standing between her brothers, were all staring at Ankaa.
"It was—" Ankaa looked away from them and to Sirius, who seemed far less angered by her than the other three. Although Ankaa recognized that their anger probably was not directed at her, rather at the circumstances, it was still unnerving being on the other end of the Weasley stare down.
Sirius nodded encouragingly at her. "Go on," he said.
And Ankaa told them. She told them all that she had seen, but she refrained from telling them about Harry's vision. Ronald, surprisingly, was the only one who did not seem at all angered. Ankaa supposed it was because he had heard it all about three times now, and had had the time to digest the news.
It unnerved Ankaa that the rest of the Weasley children continued giving her silent, and somewhat accusatory looks. She had known that Fred would be upset since he always did seem to misdirect his anger, but Ankaa had hoped that he was past that.
"Is Mum here?" asked Fred, completely ignoring Ankaa and turning to Sirius.
"She probably doesn't even know what's happened yet," said Sirius. "The important thing was to get you all away before Umbridge could interfere. I expect Dumbledore's letting Molly know now. Maya's with her, she'll be okay."
"We've got to go to St. Mungo's," said Ginny urgently. Looking around at everyone in their pyjamas, she turned to Sirius, "Can you lend us some cloaks?"
"Hang on, you can't go tearing off to St. Mungo's!" said Sirius.
"'Course we can go to St. Mungo's if we want," said Fred, with an air of stubbornness. And immediately, Ankaa knew that there was going to be a great argument brewing between Sirius and the Weasley children.
"And how are you going to explain how you knew Arthur was attacked before the hospital even let his wife know?"
"What does that matter?" said George hotly.
"It matters because we don't want to draw attention to the fact that Ankaa is a Seer," Sirius returned just as hotly, "Have you any idea what the Ministry would make of that? There are Death Eater spies all over, and if they were to get confirmation of her abilities, she has a great old target on her back!"
Fred and George hardly seemed concerned. Ronald was still white-faced and shaken, and Ankaa felt that he wasn't even listening to the conversation. Of the three, only Ginny seemed to understand the point.
"We could have gotten the information from someone else," Ginny suggested.
"Like who?" Ankaa piped up now. "Harry? Because that'll go over really well with the Ministry, won't it?"
Sirius nodded. "Look, your dad was hurt while on duty for the Order, and the circumstances are fishy enough without a bunch of kids barging in—"
Sensing a fight was brewing, Ankaa stepped in. "Look, why don't we all just get some sleep—"
"We don't care about the dumb Order!" shouted Fred.
"It's our dad dying we're talking about!" yelled George.
Before Ankaa had a chance to tell him that his father would be alright, Sirius got all worked up and argued with the twins.
"Your father knew what he was getting into! This is how it is—this is why you're not in the Order—you don't understand—there are things worth dying for!"
"Easy for you to say, stuck here!" bellowed Fred. "I don't see you risking your neck!"
Ankaa clenched her jaw as she stepped in front of him. "Don't talk to him like that," she said. "He's seen things you haven't. Your dad's fine, but Sirius has a point. I know you want to see him but you'd be risking your life as well as his by exposing yourself like that."
Fred gave her a cruel smile. "Right, I forgot," he snorted, "Of course you'd say that. You didn't even want to join the Order—save your neck above everything else, isn't that right?"
Ankaa bristled at his comment. Behind him, George was looking between the two, but he made no move to stop his brother. Perhaps he was tired and did not think it was his place to step into their argument. Or perhaps he agreed with what Fred was saying.
"Get some sleep Fred—"
"I'm not sleeping until I know my dad is alright," Fred returned vehemently, "You may have two, but I've only got one."
Ankaa was sure that if the main door hadn't been thrown open just then, Sirius would have pummeled Fred into the ground, irrespective of the circumstances they were all facing. Ankaa barely held him back as he took a threatening step forward. Maya, immediately noticing the tension, stepped in and took Sirius' arm.
"What's going on?" she asked, looking between Sirius and Fred, who were locked in a heated glaring contest.
"Nothing," Ankaa said immediately. "What's happening with Mr. Weasley?"
Maya cast one more look towards the Weasley children, who intently waited for her reply. Maya took off her scarf with a great sigh of relief. "He'll be alright," she said, "We got to him just in time, thanks to you. If you hadn't warned Dumbledore before Harry's vision, I think it would have been a lot worse."
Ankaa nodded.
"I suggest you all get some sleep," said Maya. "Molly will be here in the morning with some more news, but you have nothing to worry about."
Ginny collapsed into a chair. Fred and George soon followed on either side of her. Fred was purposely avoiding her because he lay his head back against the arm of the chair and stared hard at the ceiling. Ankaa followed her parents as they exited the room, intent on avoiding Fred the same way he was avoiding her.
"Are you alright?" her mother asked her softly, placing a comforting hand on her head. "Sirius was just telling me about what happened with Fred."
Ankaa shrugged. "It's fine," she said, her voice cracking despite her best efforts. Clearing her throat, she asked, "Did you see this happen?"
Maya exchanged a look with Sirius. "No," she said eventually, a hard look on her face. "I was preoccupied with seeing my daughter die."
Right. Her Death Day.
Ankaa ran a hand over her face, suddenly feeling extremely fatigued. For the first time, she wished that Harry was here with her. At least then she would not have to endure all the assault from the Weasley family alone. As if that wasn't enough, there was still the pressing matter of her Death Day.
Ankaa opened her mouth to say something, but she had no idea what she wanted to say. Would it be okay? Would she even survive this?
As if her parents could sense her inner turmoil, they pulled her into a hug. Somewhat taken aback by the group hug, Ankaa stumbled into her mother's arms, before finally her arms came up and wrapped around her mother and father. She could feel one of them stroking her hair and muttering some words of comfort, but they went unheard.
"Get some sleep, sweetheart," said her mother, gently. "We'll deal with this in the morning."
NOTES:
Review? PLease? thanks