"Oh Lani, I wish they would get here soon," Annie said as the alpha
female of the forest's resident pack licked her chin, trying to comfort
her.
She had told her Ivee and Craig the whole story of her past, and now she was about to relate it too the teen famous for Voldemort's defeat. She was a little apprehensive about how Harry and Snape were going to take this; she almost stood this little part up, until Malfoy had shown up with his new and only roommate, Ken, both practicaly forcing her out the door.
"Don't worry, we're here now," Harry said, coming round an arm of the forest.
"Yes, what's so important and so secret that we had to come to this edge of the forest?" Snape asked.
"My past. By the way, this is a friend of Lupin's and Black's, the alpha of the local pack, Lani. She will relay the story to them," she said. "Once I start, don't stop me. It will be hard enough to keep going during some parts of this, I haven't had to face this since I was five."
*******(NOW*SWITCHES*TO*ANNIES*POV)*******************************
"When I was little my mom said that I was born without a father, and so our clan elders wanted to throw me out for that. But they couldn't because I was the next clan protectress.
"The clan protectress is born every generation to the McDawson clan, ours being the oldest pure blood clan. My mother was their generation's.
"When I was five me and Mum's powers as protectress were tested. The Dark Lord showd up on family grounds and personaly sought my mum out (Mum was only twenty). I, unfortunately, was the first one to meet him, so when he saw me, well things got a little creepy. Mum came up and asked what the hell he was doing here. He drew her aside and whispered some thing, Mum went palid and screamed for me to run. I did, I ran so fast through the foliage of the pine forest that it all seems like a blur.
"After a few hours I came back. I found my mum dead, and our castle in ruins; luckily my stepfather and Ian were looking after his holdings in northern Scotland.
"I gathered all that I would need, like my wand and a few clothes, and set off to join them there and give them the bad news. Luckily my brother is realy close to me or I wouldn't through the night, as Voldemort came for me there as well.
"When he showed up me and Ian were getting settled in Ian's room. He was telling me a story about the last battle between Fenrir and Odin. There was a scuffle between my stepfather and Voldemort; short, yet with enough noise to alert me and Ian. We fled right into a group of Death Eaters.
"In other words we were trapped. Me and Ian were quickly tied to a nearby column. That's were Voldemort told me how I was conceived. My mom was raped by Voldemort himself. He said that he told my mum that he would be back for me when he deemed I would be ready," When I said this Harry nearly hit the roof, instead he hit the nearest tree. Severus looked shocked and disgusted.
"He said that I was ready now, ready to take over the world with him. I did the only thing that I could think of to save both me and Ian; I agreed to go with him, on the condition that he would let Ian go free and healthy.
"I guess you're also wondering how I know Draco. When I was 'freed' from the bindings that had held me against the column, Voldemort and his crew wisked me away to the Malfoy estate. There I learned that I was to be betrothed to the Malfoys son. My 'father' and his crew celebrated until nightfall; then Voldemort said that he had to secure my future, said something about killing a young boy that was predicted to be his downfall," Harry went pale at this.
"I ran as fast as I could after that, the Death Eaters that had stayed thought I was running to get away to cry for my 'father'. I found a nice muggle couple, and they adopted me as their own. They were obsesed with the parapnormal, so when I got my Hogwarts acceptance letter they were only mildly surprised.
"What I didn't know was that when I stepped foot onto the Hogwarts Express for the first time, Ian would be in suspended animation.
"For three years I endured, until I couldn't take it any more. Being so close to some one who could help, yet not having the courage or even will to tell him is very unnerving. So when I turned thirteen I made a break for a wicca coven I had heard about in Texas. I knew it would be a great place for me to forget my troubles. That's also were I met Ivee and Craig.
"Then I learned that I had to go back to save my brother. I was seventeen by this time.
"And now here I am. My father has risen again, possibly even more powerful than when he first came to power.
***********************************************************************
"That's harsh," Harry said sympatheticaly as he sat down next to Annie "Knowing that if He did come back you were most likly to be in trouble again."
"Severus, I wouldn't blame you if you completely hated me for this," Annie said, stroking Lani's fur.
"Hate you? I think that makes you a stronger woman. I don't blame you for not even telling your best friends the whole truth," he said as he swept her into a hug; she started to cry. "Hush now, everything's going to be all right. After all he's been beaten before, and he can be beaten again," he added, letting her cry.
For the second time that night, Harry hit a tree. "That bastard, tearing families apart like this. Subjecting a girl- part of his own blood!- to her worst fears! He and Skeeter ought to get together, they'd make a great pair," he said punching the tree for emphasis, not noticing the multitude of scratches.
"Calm down Potter. We will defeat this evil. After all we start training next week," Snape said still, keeping an arm around Annie.
"I know. I better get back to the tower. I hope you don't mind me telling Ron and Hermione, Professor McDawson," Harry said, gaining control of his temper.
"You may," Annie replied, her eyes still closed.
**********************************************************************
"Thanks, Severus," Annie said an hour later, gazing up at the stars.
"For what?" he asked, looking at her.
"Just for letting me cry, and holding me while I cried. I haven't done that in a long time," she said, still not looking at him.
"Well, you're welcome, I think," he said jokingly.
"When I turned fifteen, I used to do this a lot. Just lying on the temple roofs under the full moon, watching the stars go silently past," Annie said, sighing. "I used to sit there, thinking what my life would be like if He did come back. Now that he has, I know that my musings were completly off. I always dreamt that he would come back and be an angel, completely sorry for what he did. But the thing that's the worst is that I'm single." she said, blushing to a soft pink in the moonlight.
"Don't think that all dreams die that easily. After all you're only twenty," he replied, making Annie look at him incredulously.
"True," she said with a smile.
"Very true," he said just before he kissed her.
"Funny; if my father had survived, I would be married to a guy that's five years younger than me; instead here I am with a guy that's fifteen years older than me," Annie said when they released. "Funnier still if you notice that he's my old fate's Head of House."
Snape laughed and kissed her again.
***********************************************************************
"Potter, you just don't get it do you?" Malfoy asked as Ken just sat there preparing to stop a fight he felt was coming on.
Harry gave up hating Malfoy at this moment and asked "What don't I get? Make sure I get the point."
"What you don't get is that Fate delivers us in strange ways. I was betrothed to her before I left my father and the Malfoy fortune. I am now staying with the very same couple Annie stayed with when He died! She is still in the forest after two hours with Professor Snape, doing Lord knows what!" Malfoy yelled at him.
As Hermione wasn't paying attention she had completely missed that last part. In the silence that had settled after Malfoy's out burst; she said "I feel like I'm only holding a few pieces of the puzzle, but what pieces?"
"Duh, Miss Granger. But keep trying, you'll get it in time," Annie said as she and Snape walked in.
"How old are you exactly?" Ron asked, speaking for the first time since Harry had retold Annie's story.
"Twenty," Annie and Draco said at the same time, smiling at each other.
"So how do you know her history?" Snape asked Malfoy.
"Two reasons. One, I'm staying with the same couple that she stayed with. Two, my father told me the half she never told any one. That's the reason I left," Malfoy replied, a look of disgust and contempt crossing his face.
"You don't like rape aparently." Hermione said, Draco and Annie shivered.
She had told her Ivee and Craig the whole story of her past, and now she was about to relate it too the teen famous for Voldemort's defeat. She was a little apprehensive about how Harry and Snape were going to take this; she almost stood this little part up, until Malfoy had shown up with his new and only roommate, Ken, both practicaly forcing her out the door.
"Don't worry, we're here now," Harry said, coming round an arm of the forest.
"Yes, what's so important and so secret that we had to come to this edge of the forest?" Snape asked.
"My past. By the way, this is a friend of Lupin's and Black's, the alpha of the local pack, Lani. She will relay the story to them," she said. "Once I start, don't stop me. It will be hard enough to keep going during some parts of this, I haven't had to face this since I was five."
*******(NOW*SWITCHES*TO*ANNIES*POV)*******************************
"When I was little my mom said that I was born without a father, and so our clan elders wanted to throw me out for that. But they couldn't because I was the next clan protectress.
"The clan protectress is born every generation to the McDawson clan, ours being the oldest pure blood clan. My mother was their generation's.
"When I was five me and Mum's powers as protectress were tested. The Dark Lord showd up on family grounds and personaly sought my mum out (Mum was only twenty). I, unfortunately, was the first one to meet him, so when he saw me, well things got a little creepy. Mum came up and asked what the hell he was doing here. He drew her aside and whispered some thing, Mum went palid and screamed for me to run. I did, I ran so fast through the foliage of the pine forest that it all seems like a blur.
"After a few hours I came back. I found my mum dead, and our castle in ruins; luckily my stepfather and Ian were looking after his holdings in northern Scotland.
"I gathered all that I would need, like my wand and a few clothes, and set off to join them there and give them the bad news. Luckily my brother is realy close to me or I wouldn't through the night, as Voldemort came for me there as well.
"When he showed up me and Ian were getting settled in Ian's room. He was telling me a story about the last battle between Fenrir and Odin. There was a scuffle between my stepfather and Voldemort; short, yet with enough noise to alert me and Ian. We fled right into a group of Death Eaters.
"In other words we were trapped. Me and Ian were quickly tied to a nearby column. That's were Voldemort told me how I was conceived. My mom was raped by Voldemort himself. He said that he told my mum that he would be back for me when he deemed I would be ready," When I said this Harry nearly hit the roof, instead he hit the nearest tree. Severus looked shocked and disgusted.
"He said that I was ready now, ready to take over the world with him. I did the only thing that I could think of to save both me and Ian; I agreed to go with him, on the condition that he would let Ian go free and healthy.
"I guess you're also wondering how I know Draco. When I was 'freed' from the bindings that had held me against the column, Voldemort and his crew wisked me away to the Malfoy estate. There I learned that I was to be betrothed to the Malfoys son. My 'father' and his crew celebrated until nightfall; then Voldemort said that he had to secure my future, said something about killing a young boy that was predicted to be his downfall," Harry went pale at this.
"I ran as fast as I could after that, the Death Eaters that had stayed thought I was running to get away to cry for my 'father'. I found a nice muggle couple, and they adopted me as their own. They were obsesed with the parapnormal, so when I got my Hogwarts acceptance letter they were only mildly surprised.
"What I didn't know was that when I stepped foot onto the Hogwarts Express for the first time, Ian would be in suspended animation.
"For three years I endured, until I couldn't take it any more. Being so close to some one who could help, yet not having the courage or even will to tell him is very unnerving. So when I turned thirteen I made a break for a wicca coven I had heard about in Texas. I knew it would be a great place for me to forget my troubles. That's also were I met Ivee and Craig.
"Then I learned that I had to go back to save my brother. I was seventeen by this time.
"And now here I am. My father has risen again, possibly even more powerful than when he first came to power.
***********************************************************************
"That's harsh," Harry said sympatheticaly as he sat down next to Annie "Knowing that if He did come back you were most likly to be in trouble again."
"Severus, I wouldn't blame you if you completely hated me for this," Annie said, stroking Lani's fur.
"Hate you? I think that makes you a stronger woman. I don't blame you for not even telling your best friends the whole truth," he said as he swept her into a hug; she started to cry. "Hush now, everything's going to be all right. After all he's been beaten before, and he can be beaten again," he added, letting her cry.
For the second time that night, Harry hit a tree. "That bastard, tearing families apart like this. Subjecting a girl- part of his own blood!- to her worst fears! He and Skeeter ought to get together, they'd make a great pair," he said punching the tree for emphasis, not noticing the multitude of scratches.
"Calm down Potter. We will defeat this evil. After all we start training next week," Snape said still, keeping an arm around Annie.
"I know. I better get back to the tower. I hope you don't mind me telling Ron and Hermione, Professor McDawson," Harry said, gaining control of his temper.
"You may," Annie replied, her eyes still closed.
**********************************************************************
"Thanks, Severus," Annie said an hour later, gazing up at the stars.
"For what?" he asked, looking at her.
"Just for letting me cry, and holding me while I cried. I haven't done that in a long time," she said, still not looking at him.
"Well, you're welcome, I think," he said jokingly.
"When I turned fifteen, I used to do this a lot. Just lying on the temple roofs under the full moon, watching the stars go silently past," Annie said, sighing. "I used to sit there, thinking what my life would be like if He did come back. Now that he has, I know that my musings were completly off. I always dreamt that he would come back and be an angel, completely sorry for what he did. But the thing that's the worst is that I'm single." she said, blushing to a soft pink in the moonlight.
"Don't think that all dreams die that easily. After all you're only twenty," he replied, making Annie look at him incredulously.
"True," she said with a smile.
"Very true," he said just before he kissed her.
"Funny; if my father had survived, I would be married to a guy that's five years younger than me; instead here I am with a guy that's fifteen years older than me," Annie said when they released. "Funnier still if you notice that he's my old fate's Head of House."
Snape laughed and kissed her again.
***********************************************************************
"Potter, you just don't get it do you?" Malfoy asked as Ken just sat there preparing to stop a fight he felt was coming on.
Harry gave up hating Malfoy at this moment and asked "What don't I get? Make sure I get the point."
"What you don't get is that Fate delivers us in strange ways. I was betrothed to her before I left my father and the Malfoy fortune. I am now staying with the very same couple Annie stayed with when He died! She is still in the forest after two hours with Professor Snape, doing Lord knows what!" Malfoy yelled at him.
As Hermione wasn't paying attention she had completely missed that last part. In the silence that had settled after Malfoy's out burst; she said "I feel like I'm only holding a few pieces of the puzzle, but what pieces?"
"Duh, Miss Granger. But keep trying, you'll get it in time," Annie said as she and Snape walked in.
"How old are you exactly?" Ron asked, speaking for the first time since Harry had retold Annie's story.
"Twenty," Annie and Draco said at the same time, smiling at each other.
"So how do you know her history?" Snape asked Malfoy.
"Two reasons. One, I'm staying with the same couple that she stayed with. Two, my father told me the half she never told any one. That's the reason I left," Malfoy replied, a look of disgust and contempt crossing his face.
"You don't like rape aparently." Hermione said, Draco and Annie shivered.