Anya's Past

Studies continued and Harry grew increasingly nervous. The Hogsmeade visit seemed too far away to comprehend, yet, on that very day, Harry could have done with another week. He dressed in nice jeans and a black shirt and covered it with his Slytherin robes.

"Nervous about your date, Harry?" Draco taunted.

"I don't see you with a date, Draco," Harry shot back. Draco smiled.

"Whatever you think, Harry."

"So, do you have a date?" Harry asked, confused.

"Actually, I do. But don't get excited. It's just Leslie Vineyard."

"That know-it-all with the brown hair?" Harry questioned. He was surprised. Usually Draco went after the girls who usually covered themselves with Muggle makeup. The ones that all the boys at Hogwarts went after. Harry never really appreciated Draco's past girlfriends. They all shunned Harry because of his obvious lack of. something. Harry never would tell Draco, but he liked Leslie. She wasn't a know-it-all, but she was intelligent. She had a natural beauty that was only won over by.Anya! Harry had forgotten all about meeting her! He said a hasty good-bye to Draco and ran down the stairs. Harry could see her midnight hair flowing over a chair by the fire.

"Anya," Harry announced, trying not to sound eager. She turned round and smiled.

"Harry! It's about time you showed up!" she cried and ran to Harry, wrapping him in a hug. Red-faced, Harry hugged her back.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked, already walking out of the common room. Anya followed.

"Yeah! The teachers are already waiting for us. Did you get your permission form? Remember, Snape told us to give them to him before we entered Hogsmeade," Anya reminded him. Harry nodded and fingered the note in his pocket.

"Yep, got it right here. Father signed it right before we left." Anya looked at him funny as they walked outside of the castle.

"I thought your father was killed, Harry," Anya asked cautiously. Harry laughed.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you. Lucius Malfoy, Draco's dad, adopted me this summer. So now I actually have a family," Harry announced proudly.

"And you already call him father?" Anya looked appalled.

"What else would I call him?" Harry asked, serious. "He's the only father I have now."

"At least you had one at one point," she told Harry sadly. It was then that Harry realized that she had never spoken of her family until that moment. He didn't want to push her, but he was dying to know.

"So where is your father?"

"Oh.he's around. He just never really cared for my mum or me. He was really involved with his." she stopped and waited for Harry to give Snape his permission slip at the gates to Hogsmeade.

"Don't you have to give your permission slip to him?" Harry asked. She dismissed it and continued her conversation in a softer voice.

"He knows my father. Anyway, he was really involved with his job. But his boss decided to up his hours working and my father rebelled. So his boss got mad it ended up that my father's boss got so mad that he.killed my mum. She would've killed me, but my father finally relented. Secretly, he was in was in league with his boss's enemy, but I still haven't forgiven him for killing my mother," she explained and laughed. "It sounds like a story, doesn't it?" Harry couldn't bring himself to laugh.

"I'm sorry. Who do you live with now? Your father?" This caused her to laugh harder.

"Hardly. My father lives in Wales and I live in York with my mother's sister and brother-in-law. My father lives alone. But it doesn't matter. It's in the past now. But as long as we're here, Harry, you can buy me some butterbeer, it's cold out here." Harry laughed and led her into the pub. He needed to sort out the story that Anya had told him.