As promised, I have returned with the next chapter! And as always, I hope to hear from you in the reviews. From here on out, chapters will be lengthy, so grab a cup of tea and settle in.
"Face your life, its pain, its pleasure, leave no path untaken." - Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book
Chapter 48 – The Sneak and the Snake
Ankaa clutched the copy of the Quibbler in her hands, her grip on it tightening to the point that the pages began to warp and bend. Every time she looked at the magazine, Potter's face and the accompanying headline would cause a newfound wave of rage to wash over her.
"If I see you step out of line, I'll make sure you suffer a death worse than your fathers."
It was the one memory that had been replaying in her head time after time following her discovery of the article. Her grandmother's furious eyes and her grip on Ankaa's collar felt all too real. While Malfoy's father may have been safe from the Ministry, Ankaa had a feeling that her father was not so safe from the hands of Voldemort, or even her own grandmother.
Ankaa had waited patiently outside the Room of Requirement for the DA meeting to end. She had settled herself at the end of the hallway, out of sight of the people who were exiting, but still close enough so that she could see them. Ankaa knew Potter would have spotted her on the Marauders Map immediately, but given that she was no threat, Potter still let people pass by. Finally, when the last of the extraneous members had left, Ankaa made her way inside.
"Hey, Ankaa!"
Harry's enthusiastic greeting was cut short when Ankaa shot a spell at him without blinking. Harry barely had enough time to throw up a shield when Ankaa shot another at him, and then another and another until she had controlled her rage enough to simply stand before the boy, seething in anger.
"Who's idea was it to print this garbage in The Quibbler?"
Harry blinked at her statement, gripping his wand in his hand steadily. Harry looked from the copy of the Quibbler, which had been torn and bent out of shape, to Hermione, who also stood with her wand at the ready.
"It was mine," answered Harry.
"Don't lie to me," The dangerous edge in Ankaa's voice only grew as she took a step towards him. Her grey eyes were ablaze with fury, and Harry swallowed his momentary fear. "I know you're not smart enough to think of something like this by yourself. So tell me, and do not lie. Who's. Idea. Was. This."
There was a pause. Ginny, who had been standing by the door, did not look the slightest bit concerned. In fact, if anything, she looked amused at the scene, but she did not dare interrupt. When Fred made a move to reach for Ankaa, Ginny and George simply grabbed him by the sweater and stayed back.
"It was me," said Hermione after a moment. Although she still had a steady grip on her wand, she did not hold it up anymore. "Skeeter owed me a favour and I thought this was the best way of getting the truth out."
"The truth," spat Ankaa incredulously. "You Gryffindors have such an obsession with doing what's right that you never consider any other consequences. Did you even consider what would happen once you published this article?"
"We did! We wanted people to know the truth and now they do!" exclaimed Harry. He made to take a step forward but was blown back with a flick of Ankaa's wand.
"And what about all the other people you named in the article? How do you think it's going to affect them?"
"If you're talking about Malfoy, he had it coming," said Harry indignantly as he stood up, irritation flaring up inside him. "He knows what his family is, and soon he'll be one of them too. Everyone deserved to know the truth about what happened in the graveyard."
"You could have told the truth without naming his father."
"That wouldn't have been the truth."
"What were you trying to do Harry?" Ankaa's furious gaze narrowed on him. "Were you trying to tell everyone the truth or were you trying to ostracize Malfoy?"
"I was—"
"being stupid, as usual," Ankaa finished for him. "There was no need for you to name the Death Eaters who were in the graveyard. There was no need for you two to act like heroes and publish the article in the first place."
"People needed to know the truth."
"People needed to know you were the hero," Ankaa retorted hotly. "That's what you always do, isn't it? Act first, think later. And now you've gotten me and Malfoy involved."
"He didn't say anything in the article that wasn't true, Ankaa," Hermione defended. "Harry was just trying to let people know what had actually happened, something that the Daily Prophet had hidden from them for months. Shouldn't you be happy? People now know exactly what happened to your brother."
Ankaa gave her a sarcastic smile, "Of course I should thank you for this article. Thank you so much, because now everyone thinks my family is some sort of twisted joke where my own father sacrificed his son to the Dark Lord. So yes, thank you, Harry, for naming everyone in your article and letting everyone know the truth. You're a real hero."
"Ankaa—"
"And let me ask you this, because obviously, the Golden Trio shares one brain cell collectively—did you ever think about how you'd explain the fact that you somehow happened to know that Henry Rhyther was the one who broke everyone out of Azkaban?"
Harry and Hermione shared a look.
"Not to mentioned you specifically outlined that he had only done so in order to protect his daughter." Ankaa flipped the copy open haphazardly, citing from the article "'I don't think he had a choice in the matter,' says Harry Potter concerning the mass breakout from Azkaban. 'They would have killed his daughter if he hadn't obeyed.'" She then tossed the copy at Harry, who barely caught it in his surprise.
"We were just trying to help," began Hermione uncertainly. "I didn't realize—"
"Of course you didn't realize. You lot have a tendency to create the mess first and then ask questions later. Had you only stopped to think I'm sure your one brain cell wouldn't have failed you."
There was a tense moment of silence. Finally, it was Ginny who dared to step forward. Ever the diplomat, she asked Ankaa quietly, "What do we do now?"
"There's nothing we can do," Ankaa frowned at Harry and Hermione. Although her expression was less severe, her eyes still betrayed the undispersed rage inside her. "The Ministry might not consider this as proof of anything, but it won't stop Voldemort. If Alice gets so much as an inkling that someone let this information slip to you, she'll kill my father without question."
"How can you be sure?" squeaked Ronald, hesitantly voicing his worry.
"I can't," she spat at him. "My visions are only so accurate." She told them of what she had seen, just the one vision with Alice clutching mercilessly at her throat and threatening her. "That vision hasn't yet come to pass, and it doesn't need to be entirely accurate to be true." She then glared at Harry and Hermione. "And thanks to you lot, my father might as well be dead."
Ginny looked from a still seething Ankaa to an apologetic Harry. Although Ginny had been quite happy with the article, even she had to admit she had not considered the impact one single line would have on Ankaa.
"Ankaa—"
"Shut it, Potter," Ankaa turned to exit the room. "If my father is hurt because of this article, Voldemort will be the least of your concerns, do you understand?"
And as she left the Room of Requirement and slammed the door behind her, none of the Gryffindors left behind doubted her statement.
The last time Ankaa had been in the Portrait Room was in December when she had taken a potion and forced a set of visions on herself. It seemed a lot of time had elapsed since. Especially given all that had happened, it felt wrong to be considering her own death. She had not had the opportunity to speak with her mother about her Death Day, given that she had been whisked away to Rhyther Manor, and then Malfoy Manor, soon after.
"Is he usually gone for such a long time at stretch?"
Eleanora's portrait glanced away from yet another book she had found. The woman only gave her a placating smile, "It is hard to have to spend century after century in a portrait with hardly any visitors."
"Does Mopsus not have many visitors?"
"You are the first I have seen. And my dear, I have been here for quite a while." Eleanora glanced at the Old Seer's portrait with a worried frown. "Unlike the rest of us, he does not have a portrait to travel to and from. Neither can he simply amuse himself with passing follies," Eleanora held up her book of the week. "He has been cursed to live a lonely life."
"Cursed? What for?"
Eleanora looked to the girl. "I am afraid it is not my story to tell, young one. You must ask him for yourself."
Ankaa sighed and settled back onto the floor where she patiently sat and read through Ceph's spellbook. She had slowly been advancing through the spells, patiently telling herself that once she finished going through this book, she would finally begin to practice some wandless magic. And though she found herself constantly getting distracted, either by thoughts of her father or by the thoughts of her own Death Day, she told herself that she needed to keep practicing. Perhaps, now more than ever.
Ankaa was broken out of her thoughts when she saw Eleanora get up from her portrait. Ankaa looked up at her, nodding to her in farewell when the woman slipped from her portrait and into another one.
"She likes to change her scenery sometimes," a voice above her head provided. Ankaa looked up to find Mopsus had returned to his portrait, looking as regal as always. "How are you, young one? I have not seen you in quite some time."
"Yeah," Ankaa moved to sit so that she was facing him. Crossing her legs so that she could be comfortable, the girl cast aside her book. "I'm sorry about that. Eleanora was telling me that you don't get many visitors."
"Indeed, I do not," Mopsus' smile remained as genuine and caring. Ankaa felt almost sorry for him.
"Why is that? Does… does it have something to do with your curse?"
Mopsus chuckled good-naturedly, but there was something in his eye that made Ankaa pause. "I suppose Eleanora told you about it?"
"She only told me that it was your story to tell." Hesitantly, Ankaa asked, "What happened?"
Mopsus examined the golden staff in his hand. "I was cursed by Death to stand as a reminder of what happens to those who try to cheat it of its rightful victims." His brown eyes finally looked to her once more, "I tried to prolong my life after I had seen my own Death, and I was too selfish to let anyone else stand in my stead. Hence, feeling cheated, Death decided to curse me. I was sent into a half-life of sorts, alive only in this portrait, but wiped from history. Now I serve as an example to all other Seers, should they try to defy Death, they know the consequences."
Ankaa regarded him carefully. There was no sadness in him, and Ankaa credited it to the fact that he had had about a thousand or so years to wait and reflect on his actions.
"That's awful," Ankaa finally murmured. Mopsus only continued to regard her. "Is this why you're so adamant to remind me that Death will always have death."
"Of course," Mopsus said. "I do not mean to dampen your spirits, but life is rarely as happy as we wish for it to be. And though I wish nothing but the best for you, it is my job as your mentor to keep you on the right path, no matter how painful it must be."
"Is that what's going to happen to me?"
Mopsus gave her a smile, shaking his head. "You have not tried to cheat Death, Ankaa. What I did… My death was to come in a duel against my brother. You see, I had grown rather fond of this woman, Ildaria, and I wished to marry her. However, as the older of the siblings, my brother had first right to pick a wife. Unbeknownst to me, he had his heart set on Ildaria as well. Against tradition, I challenged him to a duel.
I had seen, of course, that my end would be in the duel. But I could not accept that my brother would win Ildaria's love, and so I hatched a plan to have him stand in my stead so that upon his death I could marry Ildaria. After a few days, I had devised a spell that I thought would let me live. It involved an enchanted object, one that would absorb the effects of an enemy's spell and leave me to win against my brother.
On the day of the duel, I wore my circlet—my enchanted object. When my brother finally launched the killing curse, it seemed that I had won once and for all. My enchantment had worked to absorb the killing curse, but my own killing curse had gone awry. Only too late did my brother and I realize that Ildaria had been the unfortunate victim of my spell. I was overcome with grief, and thus when my brother shot another killing curse in his rage, I had finally met my death.
When I finally encountered Death in the halls of my father, I was told I could not enter eternal life to be reunited with Ildaria once more. As punishment for trying to cheat Death of its victims, I was to be made an example. Hence, robbing me of some of my most precious memories, Death sent me back to live in a single portrait. Never to die, never to truly live, but forever to be stuck in a state of unfortunate limbo."
Ankaa did not know what to say. She did not think there even existed the words that she could string together to explain just how sorry she was for Mopsus.
"When you say Death took your memories—"
"I cannot remember my childhood, nor the faces of my mother or father, or my brother, or my dear Ildaria. All I remember is that they existed, and they brought me great joy. Yet, when I try to think of them, they evade my grasp. Like a fleeting dream of sorts, always they remain on the margin of my thoughts, but forever out of sight." There was a moment of silence before Mopsus gave her a sad smile, "A generous punishment, I suppose, for a murderer."
"You're not a murderer, Mopsus," Ankaa told him quietly. "You made a mistake."
"A mistake that not only cost me my life but the life of a most beloved." Mopsus took the circlet off of his head, examining it carefully. "I have had to carry this burden ever since, a solemn reminder of my idiocy. Had I only accepted my fate, I would have lived to see Ildaria have a most beautiful life, even if it was not with me."
"I'm sorry…" The words seemed paltry and meagre in comparison to how she actually felt.
"Do not be," Mopsus gave her a warm smile, placing the circlet upon his head once more. "I have had time to think, and I believe this is where I am meant to be. I am ashamed of what I have done and not a day goes by where I do not repent for my actions, but I stand here to make sure no one else repeats the same mistake."
Ankaa could only nod. "I'm glad to have you here with me Mopsus, but I wish it was under better circumstances."
"All who see such times wish for happier ones, but that is not left for us to decide." The wistfulness in his eyes turned hard when the Great Seer looked upon her once more, "The future is not for us to decide. We are simply the chosen few who can glimpse into the future and hope to see happier days. Our duty is to prepare for the good, and the bad. It is a rather solemn gift, that of a Seer."
"I know," Ankaa sighed, readjusting her legs and switching positions. "Sometimes I wish that Ceph was around to help me deal with all this. I know I've got others but it's just not the same. I can't even imagine what you must be feeling, being all alone."
"But I am not," Mopsus smiled, looking down at her. "I have you to visit me, to be my mentee. And I have all the portraits in this very room. Eleanora sometimes speaks to me of what she has learned in one of her many books."
"Can you travel to her painting?" Ankaa had seen some of the other paintings in the main halls do that.
Mopsus shook his head. "No, unfortunately for me there is only this painting. When I step away, it is into darkness." At Ankaa's knowing look, Mopsus agreed, "Yes, I sometimes feel the need to step away. It is an odd feeling to constantly be on display, even when I have no one to entertain. Being in the darkness gives me time alone with my thoughts, although I am not sure if that is for the better."
Sensing that the mood was growing much too somber for either of them, Ankaa decided to change the topic. While she wanted to sit down with Mopsus and talk to him about it, Ankaa did not think she was in the best position to console him about his circumstances. After all, how could she? He was eternally trapped in this painting with nowhere else to go, all but abandoned in the spare storage room in the dungeons.
"Did you hear about what Harry Potter did?"
Mopsus had not heard, and so Ankaa sat with him for a while, recounting everything that had happened with her and Harry recently. She told him of how she felt betrayed, somewhere along the way she had assumed that Potter would at least not be so foolish and act before thinking.
"But I guess that's my own fault," she said afterwards, "I should've remembered just how stupid they all were."
Mopsus nodded slowly. "Perhaps they are not as resourceful as you, but I do think they were making an effort to help. I believe for Harry, staying true to himself and to Cepheus was more important than protecting Draco or yourself." Then, a moment later, he added, "Much like you, Harry Potter has lost a lot. I think it was honourable of him to defend your brother, as he knew that Cepheus was unable to do that himself."
"He didn't need to do anything," Ankaa shook her head. "I understand that Harry feels that he's indebted to my brother, but Ceph… he would have known when to open his mouth and when to keep it shut."
"Ankaa, you cannot presume to know your brother entirely. After all, if he was as you think, if self-preservation was his only motivation, he would not have stepped forth to defend Harry in the graveyard. Sometimes, our emotions take charge of guiding our actions. For some, that breach is easier to control, and you are one of those lucky few. But for others like Harry, it is easier to rely on emotion."
Would Ceph had done the same? If it was Ankaa who had been in his place, if she had died in the graveyard that day, would Ceph had thrown caution to the wind and decided to publish the truth no matter the circumstances? Or if Harry had been the one who had died, and Ceph had remained alive, would he have done the same for the Gryffindor boy?
"It's not just him though, is it?" Ankaa paused, "Ceph's gone, and as much as I wish people knew the truth about what happened, it's no good getting everyone else dead along the way. My father... he could be in great danger, Mopsus."
"I understand, little one," came the soothing answer. "But your father understood what he was becoming a part of. I am sure he is more than able to fend off your grandmother or Voldemort long enough to get to safety."
"But the vision—"
"The Inner Eye is showing you what the future holds, Ankaa. It does not necessarily mean it must come to pass the same way. And besides, what if your grandmother is lying?"
"Why would she?" questioned Ankaa. "If she realizes my father is a traitor to her cause, she'd have no use to keep him around, and therefore, no use to lie to me about it. Mopsus, please. I know you try to see the good in everyone but the bottom line is that Harry Potter and his idiotic friends were wrong. And now my father might pay the price."
Mopsus sighed. "Perhaps you are right," he finally said. "I do hope to see the best in people, and forgive their follies as some have done for me."
Ankaa wished she could agree with him. Yes, it was easy to forgive some mistakes, but one like this that put her family at risk... It was not so easily done. In her mind, there was nothing Harry Potter could do to redeem himself, especially if her father was harmed in any way.
"Have you tried to get in touch with your father?"
"No," answered Ankaa. "I'm not sure how I can. My locket is gone, and I can't send a letter. They're being inspected and I'm sure Alice will read it on the other end too."
"Have faith," said Mopsus. "Your father is a lot stronger than you may believe, especially if he has lasted this long. Until then, I implore you to think about this matter, truly think about it."
Ankaa sighed. "If you're trying to get me to forgive Potter—"
"The guilt you feel for your brother's death, it is the same that Harry feels," said Mopsus, almost as if he could read her mind. "Do not let petty things divide you. You are only as strong as you are united. In tumultuous times like these, our friends are our only allies."
"I'm sorry," Harry had said to her that night when she had visited him in the Infirmary. "I'm sorry he had to die for me."
Those things were easier said than done, Ankaa realized. For Mopsus, who had unwillingly been handed all of eternity to gain his wisdom, it was much too easy to understand these things. But Ankaa had no qualms holding Harry Potter and his gaggle of friends responsible for the ridiculous article. Draco, although he had once been extremely upset about it, had grown accustomed to its existence and calmed down significantly. His father was alright, and the Ministry gave no indication that it would be going after him, or Henry, any time soon.
As the group sat at dinner later that night, they were discussing Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad meetings.
"She's really serious about it, isn't she?" remarked Daphne as she scooped some more roasted potatoes into her plate. "She was talking about how she wants us to double the rounds—apparently she's seen a lot of the Gryffindor students out and about after curfew."
Pansy nodded. "She thinks they're a part of some secret organization. Daphne and I caught some Hufflepuff kids out after curfew and instead of giving them detention we were to bring them to her."
"Did they say anything?" asked Ankaa, feigning disinterest as she filled up her goblet with juice.
Daphne shook her head, "Nothing. Apparently, they were studying and lost track of time."
"Yeah, I bet Umbridge bought that excuse," snorted Blaise. "Some of those kids are really bad at lying. You should hear the excuses they give me sometimes, trying to get out detention."
"What about you Draco?" asked Pansy, "Any interesting run-ins from your rounds?"
"Not really," Draco answered expertly, waving his fork in dismissal. "The most I've seen is a couple of first-years who got lost, but nothing more than that. Not much action on the upper halls."
Pansy opened her mouth when there was a series of loud shrieks emanating from the courtyard that drew everyone's attention. In a flurry, all the students were out of their seats and heading towards the noise, pushing past one another to see what was going on. Ankaa spotted Warrington, who was expertly dodging people and leading the way. Quickly, she took Draco by the arm and dragged him behind the older, imposing Slytherin student.
It was Professor Trelawney, standing in the middle of the entrance hall. In one hand, she held her wand, and the other was tightly gripped an empty bottle of sherry. Her hair was sticking up, and her glasses were lopsided, making her look crazier than usual. There were two large trunks by her feet as if they had been haphazardly thrown after her from the stairs.
"No!" she shrieked, "NO! This cannot be happening… It cannot… I refuse to accept it!"
"You didn't realize this was coming?" said a high girlish voice, sounding far too amused than what the situation at hand should elicit. "Incapable though you are of predicting even tomorrow's weather, you must surely have realized that your pitiful performance during my inspections, and lack of any improvement, would make it inevitable you would be sacked?"
"Sacked?" Draco mumbled from beside Ankaa, tiptoeing so he could see the scene better. Ankaa tried to as well, but when she realized she was far too short, she pushed past Draco and Warrington, who shrugged and let her be, as they could see over her head anyway.
"Can she even sack people?"
"You can't do this," Trelawney's voice was barely above a whisper, but in the silence of the entrance hall, every soul could hear it clearly. The woman was shaking like a leaf, tightly gripping one of the many shawls she had wrapped around herself as tears were flowing down her face. "Hogwarts is m-my h-home!"
"It was your home," came the callous reply, "until an hour ago, when the Minister of Magic countersigned the order for your dismissal. Now kindly remove yourself from this hall. You are embarrassing us."
And though they may not have been fond of her subject, many students felt a great sense of sympathy for the teacher. She did not deserve to be treated like this, to be humiliated like this and made a joke of. No one did. Ankaa could see it in the faces of all those who were standing as spectators, some too afraid to say anything, and some too surprised to. In fact, no one even so much as shuffled until Professor McGonagall broke through the crowd and headed towards Trelawney.
"There, there, Sibyll… Calm down… Blow your nose on this… It's not as bad as you think, now… You are not going to have to leave Hogwarts…"
"Oh really, Professor McGonagall?" said Umbridge in a deadly voice, taking a few steps forward. "And your authority for that statement is…?
"That would be mine," said a deep voice.
The deep oak doors swung open effortlessly, as Professor Dumbledore strode forward the parting crowd. The sight in front of him could not have been welcoming, with the glaring toad-woman and the crying Trelawney. And yet, Professor Dumbledore's stride did not falter, and neither did the courteous smile on his face.
"I'm afraid you do not understand the position. I have here—" Umbridge pulled a scroll of parchment from her robes, "—an Order of Dismissal signed by myself and the Minister of Magic. Under the terms of Educational decree Number Twenty-three—"
"You have the right to dismiss my teachers," came the strong assertion from Dumbledore, "you do not, however, have the authority to banish them from the grounds. That power remains with the headmaster."
"For now."
Draco and Ankaa exchanged a look. It seemed that Umbridge was growing stronger and stronger every day, and her open defiance of the Headmaster was an assertion of said power. It seemed evident now that Umbridge was truly here to clean up the school, so to say, and that she would stop at nothing in her quest for the ultimate seat of power. Dumbledore, it seemed, was not the slightest bit concerned. He only gave her a smile.
In the next few days, it became apparent that Dumbledore had indeed got the upper-hand over Umbridge. Before she had even had the chance to think upon it, Dumbledore had appointed a centaur named Firenze to the post of Divination.
Firenze, although an imposing figure, was a much better teacher than Trelawney when it came to Divination. He did not seem the slightest bit concerned when the class could not spot certain messages in the smoke of the burning sage, citing the fact that even for trained centaurs, some things were fleeting. Ankaa had the strangest feeling that he knew of her status us a Seer, but Firenze gave no indication of it other than the subtle glances her way when he asked the class to look for something.
And for that, Ankaa was extremely happy. Trelawney had often tried to press upon her the importance of being a Seer, or of divination in general, and she often would pick on Ankaa in class to ask her if she had seen something or not. Firenze, it seemed, had a completely opposite policy. For him, Trelawney's method was nothing more than 'human nonsense' and Ankaa could get on board with that.
However, the happiness of Firenze's lessons soon evaporated. March rolled on without any events and brought on an equally dull April. Ankaa had been dutifully keeping up with her notes for her O.W.L's and avoiding the Golden Trio to the best of her abilities. Unfortunately for her, it seemed that Ginny, George, and Fred had taken it upon themselves to try and reconcile the lost friends.
"Why is it that every time I come to spend time with you, you lot start to talk to me about Potter and the gang?"
"That's a nice name, isn't it?" mused Fred.
"Maybe we can rename the DA," laughed Ginny. But then, she frowned, "Though, I'm not sure if I can resign myself to just being a gang. It's not very inclusive, you know?"
Ankaa raised a brow. "And Dumbledore's Army is?"
"It's better than only being known as Potter's gang member, I think."
Ankaa smiled. "I like you, Ginny," she said, "You'll go very far in life. You're the only other person I've met, maybe except Granger, who doesn't go falling at his feet."
"It's not a good look for me," retorted Ginny, "I've got better things to do."
"Evidently," said George, pointing at the open notebook before her. "You better get that essay finished, it's due tomorrow isn't it? Don't want a howler from Mum for failing a class, do you?"
"I'm not going to fall a class because of one incomplete essay."
"If it's Umbridge's class there's a pretty good chance you might," said Fred.
From her position beside Ginny, Ankaa watched the twins work on yet another invention for their joke shop. The two had almost completely abandoned their school work, only half-heartedly keeping up with it so they could avoid a letter home and get yelled at by their mother, who unfortunately was still none the wiser to their antics.
"Have you two decided when it is that you'll be leaving?"
The two boys shook their heads. "Not sure yet," said Fred, "We're kind of hoping to make a grand exit."
"Leave the future generations to marvel, you know?"
Ginny rolled her eyes and turned back to work, extremely used to her brothers. Ankaa on the other hand only gave them a smile before turning back to her book. There were a few moments of silence, where Ginny was concentrating on her work and Ankaa could hear the hushed whispers of the twins as they poured over this new creation.
Finally, it was Ginny who spoke. "You know, at next week's DA meeting, we're going to be trying to produce our patronuses?"
"Oh really?" Ankaa did not bother looking away from her book. She found that the history of the Goblin Rebellion was far more interesting than Ginny's rather blatant attempt at convincing Ankaa to come to the next DA meeting.
"You should come," it was George who said it, trying to seem as if he was just throwing it out there. But the way his eyes kept flickering from Fred to Ginny made it clear that the three of them had planned this as a way of ganging up on her and trying to make her feel guilty.
"No thanks," answered Ankaa. When Fred frowned at her, trying to play it cute, Ankaa shook her head even more, "Not going to work on me. I don't want to be anywhere near your gaggle of DA friends, and nor do I want to be near the Disastrous Trio. You guys go and have fun learning, but please stop trying to get me to talk to Harry."
"But it's been three weeks," Ginny frowned. "How long are you both going to keep this up? Are you just going to ignore him for the rest of your life?"
"Maybe," Ankaa retorted, "Because thanks to your friend, the rest of my lifespan could have just been exponentially shortened."
Ginny sighed. "You're both too stubborn for your own good. You both made a mistake—if you knew how stupid Harry was, you should've never told him those things."
"I told him because I thought he was my friend, I didn't think he'd go around blathering that information to others, much less publishing it in an article."
"And as your friend, he tried to stand up for you by saying that your father's involvement was not his own choice. What do you think the students would have done to you if they had found out that your father willingly broke all those Death Eaters out of prison?"
"They're still going to do that to Draco."
"Have they?" Ginny retorted immediately. "I don't see them doing anything. Yes, Harry's an idiot for spilling everything in his attempt to get the truth out but you can't deny that he was trying to be a good friend—by telling the true story of what happened to your brother."
"Ginny, it's not that simple," Ankaa sighed, "I don't care what other people think of me honestly, they hated me a few years ago, and they could hate me tomorrow—I don't care. What I do care about is the fact that my dad is trapped in that Manor as a spy for the Order, and now Harry's let out information that he shouldn't have known in the first place. It puts my father in danger, and if he's alone with my grandparents, that's not to be taken lightly."
Ginny opened her mouth to retort, but one sharp cough from Fred had her reconsidering. Fred and Ginny shared a look, and the girl narrowed her eyes at him before turning back to her DADA essay.
Fred then turned to Ankaa with a smile, one that did not quite reach his eyes but it conveyed sympathy nonetheless. "You're more than welcome to come to the next DA meeting if you want, it's up to you."
That was the last they spoke of it. Ginny seemed miffed still, but she came around soon enough. The four of them sat together, occasionally talking and teasing one another. It was nice to be surrounded by people again. While Ankaa had friends in Slytherin, interactions with them were hardly this effortless. In part, it must have been her doing. She had never shown any interest in learning about Daphne or Pansy, much less any of the others around her. So, Ankaa could not exactly blame them for not including her. She was quite happy to have Draco around, and now even Blaise, Ankaa supposed.
Ginny was the first to get up to leave.
"I have to get some rest," she told them. "We've got Quidditch practice tomorrow and... well, I don't think Angelina will let us have a break."
"Still no good, huh?"
"That's putting it lightly," Ginny answered Fred. "Kirke knocked himself out with his own bat. I wouldn't be surprised if he had to take him to the Hospital Wing someday."
Ankaa shook her head. Talking about Quidditch in front of Fred and George after their 'permanent' ban from the sport was not very welcome. She had tried once or twice to bring it up, but it seemed that once the twins were forcefully retired from the team, they made more of an effort to avoid learning about what their team was up to. It was only when Ginny or Ronald brought it up in passing did Ankaa actually hear about what had been happening.
"Yeah, we've stopped paying attention to your practices," Ankaa admitted. "Nothing much to see. Matches against Gryffindor are too easy. No offence."
"None taken."
"Some taken," frowned George. Ginny only shook her head with a smile before leaving. George continued, "So we've got three—ok four mediocre players on the team."
"You're forgetting that those mediocre players are in some very vital positions."
"Ron isn't entirely that bad, is he?" Fred paused, reconsidering his own statement. "Nevermind. I forgot that Quidditch at school is much more different than Quidditch at home."
"Is he any good there?"
"None," answered the twins.
"He tries, bless his heart," said Fred, "but he gets too into his own head."
George nodded. "It's really easy to score against him. Bill and Charlie would just taunt him until he all but let the quaffle sail through."
Ankaa laughed, feeling the slightest bit bad for the boy when she remembered that it was Ronald they were talking about after all. It was not long before Ankaa too got up to leave. Before she left, however, she reached into her bag and pulled out two wrapped gifts. Unlike everyone else, Ankaa never wrapped the twins' gifts in the same wrapping paper. Fred had his wrapped in dark emerald green, while George's gift was wrapped in a deep purple.
"What's this?" asked Fred, though he was already reaching out for one of the gifts.
"Your birthday gifts," answered Ankaa, passing each twin his gift. "Didn't think I'd forgotten did you?"
The twins gave her identical grins before tearing into the wrapped boxes. In one of the boxes was a clear container, housing a single, flickering flame. George held it up, marvelling at the light in the clear container.
"It's Gubrathian fire," Ankaa told him. "I got it for you two since, well—I guessed you'd be busy pouring over a cauldron, creating new things and whatnot. You could use a bit of everlasting fire."
The two looked amazed. "Isn't that rare?" asked Fred.
"Yeah, isn't it something only extremely gifted wizards can accomplish?"
"Well, look at who you're talking to," Ankaa smirked. When the twins looked equally unimpressed with her, she sighed. "You're right, it wasn't me. I found it in Mopsus' cupboard actually. He said I could have it, so I decided to give it to you. It's basically the same thing."
The twins looked unconvinced, but they were far too impressed by the Gobrathian fire to argue. Next, Fred opened his gift. It was a little pouch, and when Fred held it up, Ankaa just smiled.
"It's got an Undetectable Extension Charm on it," she told him. "You both can use it to store supplies for your shop, or anything that you need honestly. You won't feel a thing and everything that you need will always be at hand."
Fred and George looked impressed with the gifts. Usually, both of them always ended up getting something that was either the same, or incredibly similar. IT might be owing to the fact that not many people could tell them apart in the first place, or the fact that they assumed the two of them had the same interests. It was nice to have something different, but still something geared towards the same end goal. Fred was happy to know that Ankaa supported their venture, and her gifts reflected her belief in their ability to deliver as budding entrepreneurs.
"Thanks, Ankaa," it was George who spoke first. "This really means a lot."
Ankaa smiled. "Of course," she returned. "Only the best for my friends."
Fred reached forward, taking her hand in his own and pulling her towards him. He didn't care that George was around, and pulled Ankaa forward to kiss her as a thank you. And while she may have been caught off-guard at first, Ankaa returned the kiss quickly. The two pulled away quickly, and Ankaa flushed a deep red when George let out a series of wolf-whistles to tease his brother (who, quite naturally, was not the slightest bit bothered).
Ankaa only rolled her eyes in mock irritation before hitching the start of her bag higher on her shoulder. "I'll see you around," She told them, her eyes lingering on Fred for just a moment longer.
When the door closed behind her, George turned to his brother with a sly smirk. "You've got no shame, have you?"
"When it comes to her, no."
In the next few days, Ankaa had been patrolling the hallways along with the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad. She had told Fred of what hallways to avoid, and she hoped he had remembered enough to pass the information on. It seemed Umbridge had been creating more and more patrolling routes, and incorporating more and more students in the Inquisitorial Squad. Many of them were Slytherin students, who had made a pact amongst themselves to simply keep what they say a secret. Many times, during her patrol, Ankaa and her patrol partner Darius Montgomery would spot someone sneaking about or returning from a DA practice.
"I didn't see anything, did you?" Montgomery would often jest, peering over his shoulder as he continued forward.
But today, Ankaa had been summoned to Professor Umbridge's office. One of the other members had caught Marietta Edgecombe trying to sneak around after hours a few days ago, and her shoddy excuse had been deemed unworthy. Since then, Umbridge had asked the members of the Inquisitorial Squad to inform her if she was headed anywhere alone.
Montgomery, who stood beside Ankaa, watched the interrogation with slight discomfort.
"Mr. Montgomery, if you would be so kind as to fetch Mr. Malfoy into the office," Umbridge turned away from Edgecombe slightly. "He should be patrolling the sixth floor, I believe. Relieve him of his duties and help his partner, I will send you further instructions."
Montgomery nodded and made his way out of the office. Ankaa stood still with her hands clasped behind her back as she watched Umbridge lean in the seat and fix her gaze upon a trembling Edgecombe. Ankaa hoped the girl was at least smart enough to convey innocence, but her trembling frame gave her away. The constant shifting and nervous glances around the place were obvious.
"Miss Edgecombe, I assure you, you have nothing to fear," Umbridge gave her a smile, which Ankaa supposed was meant to be comforting, but from where she stood it looked rather menacing. "All I wish to know is what Harry Potter and his friends are up to."
Edgecombe made the mistake of looking in Ankaa's direction, recognizing her from some DA meetings in the past. Ankaa could only hope that the Ravenclaw girl would keep her mouth shut until Ankaa came up with a plan to get her out.
"You need not concern yourself with Miss Rhyther, Marietta," came the girlish voice once more. "Miss Rhyther is only here to help me. You see, I have had a few students work under the Inquisitorial Squad, and they have informed me that you were out after curfew without a good reason."
"I—I had left one of my textbooks in the library. I was just going back to get it."
"What textbook?"
"… Defence Against The Dark Arts."
"Where in the library did you leave it?"
There was a pause. Marietta glanced from the Professor to the other student in the room. "It was in the cubicles, in the back."
"What cubicle did you sit in?"
"The second one from the window."
"Ah, the one with the rather garish inscription on the desk, is it not?"
Ankaa shook her head, hoping that Marietta would see that she was walking headfirst into a trap. Instead, the girl breathed out a sigh of relief, though barely noticeable. Her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, and she said, "Yes, Professor, that one."
"Remind me Miss Rhyther," Umbridge turned to Ankaa then, giving her a sickly sweet smile, her eyes full of morbid amusement, "What does the inscription on the desk state?"
Ankaa looked from the Professor to Marietta. "Nothing, Ma'am," Ankaa said after a moment, "The desks in the library were replaced three weeks ago, and have been clean since."
"Indeed they have," Umbridge turned back to a terrified Marietta. "Oh my dear, there is no need to cry. Miss Rhyther, why don't you fetch the girl some tea. We don't want her to be uncomfortable."
Ankaa dutifully made her way over to the teapot behind the Professor's desk. As she made the tea for Marietta, there was a knock on the door. Umbridge called for the person to enter, and soon Draco stood in the office as well. Ankaa placed the cup of tea before Marietta, watching as her trembling hands gripped the teacup. Ankaa took her place off the side with Draco, once against standing with her back straight and hands behind her.
Ankaa had no idea if Umbridge was still using Veritaserum to interrogate students, but if she was then Ankaa was sure Umbridge would not let this opportunity pass by. Someone like Marietta, who was Cho's friends and publicly tolerant of Potter, was a viable link to finding the group.
It seemed Harry had warned the DA after all because Marietta brought the teacup back in its saucer and placed it on the desk.
"I'm sorry, Professor," came her shaky voice, "I'm afraid I don't feel like drinking tea. I would much rather get back."
Umbridge could barely contain her scowl. "Of course, Miss Edgecombe. Miss Rhyther, would you be so kind as to escort Miss Edgecombe back to her dormitory."
Ankaa stepped forward with a nod, feeling as if a burden had lifted off her shoulders. She took Marietta by the elbow and pulled her roughly towards the door before the toad-woman could change her mind. However, it seemed that Umbridge had one last card up her sleeve after all.
"One last thing, Miss Edgecombe," Marietta and Ankaa turned at the sound of the amused voice, "Your mother works for the Ministry, doesn't she?"
Marietta glanced from a solemn-looking Ankaa to Draco before finally turning back to the sadistic Professor. "Yes, Professor," she provided in a voice so quiet, even Ankaa had to strain to hear her.
"Ah, I had thought so. She works as a Floo Regulator, does she not?" When Marietta nodded, Umbridge stood from her seat and glanced wistfully at the fireplace in her office, "Yes, she helped me quite a lot in regulating the networks here in Hogwarts. You see, Miss Rhyther and Mister Malfoy also have family in the Ministry, isn't that right? What is it your father does at the Ministry, Miss Rhyther?"
"He's the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Professor."
"You see Miss Edgecombe, everyone in this room has connections. Everyone's parents work secure jobs at the Ministry. Your mother, on the other hand, is easily replaceable, in case you have not noticed. What's one more Floo Regulator at the Ministry worth."
Marietta was trembling once more, and while Ankaa tried to keep a steady grip on her elbow to hold her up, the girl was shaking so much she could barely stand.
"Now, Miss Edgecombe, this is the last time I will ask you. What is going on?"
It seemed the threat of her mother's job was finally too much for Marietta. The girl broke down in severe sobs, crashing right to the floor and crying a river. Umbridge had looked at her distastefully before her usual look of severe amusement took its place when Marietta started reciting all about how Potter had started a club to teach students how to practice Defense Against the Dark Arts by himself.
"They—th—they meet in the R-R-Room of Requirement—" Marietta took a deep and shuddering breath, trying to control her sobs, "—they're me-me-meeting there tonight."
Umbridge's face split into a wide and maniacal grin. "Very good then, Marietta." The demon woman then turned to Draco and Ankaa, "Miss Rhyther, you will take Miss Edgecombe back to her dormitories. Gather any members of the Inquisitorial Squad on your way and meet us at the Room of Requirement."
Ankaa reached for Marietta and hauled her up much more roughly than was needed. Ankaa knew her grip around Marietta was much too tight, but she was already thinking of how to get ahead of Umbridge and warn the DA. The four of them walked together until Ankaa and Marietta had to split up and head towards Ravenclaw Tower.
"Do not dawdle Miss Rhyther, deposit the girl quickly," Umbridge gripped her wand. "Mister Malfoy and I shall gather as many members as we find along the way."
"Yes, Professor." Ankaa shot a look to Draco, who was looking equally as uneasy, but he nodded and followed after Umbridge.
Ankaa dragged Marietta further down the hall until the two were far enough from Umbridge and let her go.
"Go back to your dormitory, you understand?"
"But—I want to help!"
"You've done enough," Ankaa frowned at her before turning away. "Marietta, there's nothing more for you to do here. Go back and let me think."
Marietta nodded and ran for the entrance of the Ravenclaw dormitories. Ankaa stood silently for a moment, her mind rushing to come up with ways in which she could warn the DA. There was no way she could reach the Room of Requirement in timer when Umbridge already had a head start.
Come on, think. Think. THINK!
Fred was glancing around at the various members of the DA around him. They were all in various stages of concentration, some looking like they were hardly concentrating (like Ginny) to those who looked like they might faint from the effort (like Neville). Through the wisps of blue light, Fred could spot many people's patronuses and many more who could only conjure the bright light before it faded away.
"I wish Ankaa were here," George mumbled from next to his twin. "She's done it before, hasn't she? What was her Patronus?"
"A dragon," answered Fred. "I wonder what mine will be."
"You have to actually practice the spell for that, Fred," came Hermione's sarcastic voice from behind him. "They don't just pop up."
"Easy for you to say," Fred pointed to the shining silver otter that was gambolling around Hermione's head, "you've already got yours."
"Yes, and you will too if you will too if you just concentrate." Then she said, "Think of something happy."
"I am," grumbled Fred.
Beside him, George laughed. "Yeah, for Fred thinking of something happy means thinking of Ankaa, and I think that's where the problem lies, isn't it Freddie?"
Fred frowned at the boy, but he had to admit his brother was right. His happiest memory was when he and Ankaa had confessed to Ankaa at the Astronomy Tower, seeing the surprise and happiness on her face had filled him with an indescribable warmth. And yet, what good was that warmth when he could not even bring about his Patronus.
He closed his eyes and thought of his happiest memory again, seeing a jumble of some of his favourite memories with his family and friends flash by his eyes, that same feeling of warmth filled him. But before he could wave his wand and utter the spell, there was a large pop as someone Apparated right into the middle of the room.
Ankaa stood there, holding Dobby's hand, both of them looking wide-eyed and worried.
"Ankaa?" Fred took a step towards her, "Is everything okay?"
"Umbridge!" She gasped, looking from Fred to Harry. "She knows you're here, and she's coming for you all."
There was a moment of terrified silence. All the members were exchanging looks of horror amongst themselves, before looking to Ankaa.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Harry bellowed. "RUN!"
Everyone pelted towards the exit at once, forming a scrum at the door. Ankaa took Fred's hand in her own, giving it a squeeze, "Don't try and run all the way to your dormitories, you'll never make it. Get to the Owlery or the Library, and try to blend in."
Fred nodded, frantically looking for George and Ginny in the throng of people. "What about you?"
"I'll have Dobby Apparate me a few floors below. That way I can try and let as many people go from the outside as possible." Fred nodded, surging forward to press a quick and intense kiss against her lips before he, too, turned and followed the rest of them out.
Dobby held hands with Ankaa once more, Disapparating and appearing next to the painting of a dog a floor below.
"Great work Dobby," Ankaa gave his hand a reassuring pat. "This is an order—get down to the kitchen with the other elves, and if Umbridge asks you whether you warned, or helped to warn, Harry, lie and say no. And I forbid you to hurt yourself!"
"Thank you, Ankaa Rhyther!" squeaked Dobby as he Disapparated once more.
Ankaa ran as fast as she could up to the Room of Requirement, on her way she ran past many of its members, urging them to be quiet and continue along quickly. She finally rounded the hallway, spotting Harry at the far end trying to make his way to the boys bathroom. On the other side was Zara Holloway, trying to help a friend get up and run. Just then, Draco rounded the corner as well, and behind him was Umbridge.
Ankaa knew that if Umbridge had not been right around the corner, Draco would have let Potter go without a question. But, it was either Harry or Zara, and it seemed that Draco had made his decision.
"AARGH!"
The trip jinx caught Harry just before he was going to turn into the boys bathroom.
"Excellent work, Mister Malfoy!" Umbridge hauled Harry up. "Miss Rhyther, after those two girls, if you will! I'd like as many conspirators as possible."
Ankaa only gave the Gryffindor a fleeting look before nodding and running down the hallway. She waited a few moments before turning back and heading to the same hallway. While there, she ran into Pansy who was making her way out of the Room of Requirement.
"What're you doing here?" asked Pansy, "Shouldn't you be helping catch more rats?"
Ankaa raised a brow. "I could say the same for you."
Pansy gave the other girl a self-satisfied smile before waving a rolled up piece of parchment in her face. "I found their attendance list," she laughed. "Can you imagine, these morons actually had a list of everyone's names. If you're that stupid, you deserve to get caught."
Ankaa could not help but agree. But last she had checked, her name was on that list, and she could not risk Pansy Parkinson, of all people, finding out exactly what it is she was up to. Ankaa extended her hand.
"Pass it over then," she said, "Professor Umbridge wanted me to bring it up to Dumbledore's office for proof."
"I can take it up to her," Pansy pulled the piece of parchment away. "She asked me to search the room, after all."
Someone cleared their throats behind the duo. Ankaa turned to find her patrol partner, Montgomery staring down at the two of them. He looked to Pansy and asked, "Did you find anything?"
Pansy held up the scroll of parchment.
"Go on then give it to Ankaa. Umbridge wants her to hurry along."
Pansy's smiled fell away, and she reluctantly passed the parchment over to the girl. Grumbling she left the hallway, complaining about how this was her moment. Montgomery looked from the parchment to Ankaa.
"Whatever's on there that you want to hide, you'd better do it quickly. Umbridge wants to see what we've found and I need to turn that in."
Ankaa quickly wiped her name away with a wave of her wand and handed the parchment back to Montgomery.
"A double agent, eh?" He smirked at her. "A real snake you turned out to be. Go on, I'll get this to Umbridge, and don't worry your secret is safe with me."
With that, Montgomery turned and disappeared down the hallway, taking that single piece of parchment with the names of all her friends to the she-demon herself. Ankaa had no idea what had gone on in Dumbledore's office that night. All she knew was that the next day, when she awoke, Dolores Jane Umbridge had declared herself Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Monkeybaby: Thank you for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
CrackHeadBlonde: Here's the update, and I hope you like it! Can't wait to hear from you again, thank you so much for your review!
breaker99: I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter, especially after Ankaa confronts Harry about his stupidity. You picked up on a lot of things in the last chapter that I was hoping people would discuss. For instance, we'll definitely be hearing more from Zara, and how exactly she became friends with Draco and what was behind her initial statement about those who are lonely. She's definitely going to be playing a much bigger role when we get to the Half-Blood Prince. Thank you for your review! I hope I hear from you again!
Jess: I agree! I'd definitely like to see more of Zara too, and especially to have her function as a sort of foil to Ankaa's character. I'd originally thought of keeping Zara at the sidelines, given that I was PERHAPS considering writing a story for her and Draco, but I think to keep her away would not do her justice at all. You'll definitely get to see what her story is and what her relationship is with Draco in the coming chapters. She's got a part to play, after all.
As usual, a big thank you to all of you who have favourited/followed and put the story on your alerts. It means a great deal to me, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
Thanks!