The next week went quickly by, as the guys and Hermione never seemed at a loss for ideas of what to do. Their second day there they had magically enlargened all of the balconies and connected them, so that it was larger than the size of a normal lawn. They built a snowman and had a huge snowball fight. Angela didn't do very well at first, not knowing how to properly make snowballs or how to throw them. Harry tried to show her, only to get showered with snowballs when he wasn't paying attention. Angela had given up doing it by hand and began making them by magic. Soon she was winning, though not for long. Harry tackled her to make her stop, landing on top of her, his face only inches from hers. She laughed and looked at him. He laughed back and kissed her hard before helping her up.
They had spent the afternoon inside playing games and telling stories. Even Draco had a few funny stories to tell, much to everyone's surprise.
"I didn't think you could really laugh, Malfoy." Ron had a look of true surprise as he made this comment.
Malfoy smiled a real smile before saying, "Yeah, neither did I, until I met Angela."
Angela blushed a deep shade of red. "Yeah, well…"
They had all laughed at that.
Another day they had all convinced Dumbledore to let them go to Hogsmeade to shop. Angela had never gotten to Hogsmeade, as the first weekend was not long after she had gone into hiding and Dumbledore agreed that if all five students watched out for each other and if Lupin went with them they could go. Angela would have to stay covered up at all times in case Voldemort had a spy who saw her there with them, and she also did an disguise charm before they left.
Angela was happy about being able to go, as she hadn't had a chance to get Harry anything for Christmas. When they got to Hogsmeade the first place they went was Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Angela recognized many of the things in the shop from samples that Ron had often brought on Thursdays, but there were other things that she had never seen and she walked around inspecting them. Fred came out of the back and saw Ron, Hermione, Sirius, and Harry and said a cheerful hello. He also saw Draco and gave him a dirty look before turning a confused one to Angela. Ron gave him a 'Don't ask' look and said "We'll explain it to you later."
Angela left with a pocketful of things that would help keep her occupied after the holidays and had warmly thanked Fred and George. They didn't recognize her of course, but they gave her a weird look, as if there were something familiar about her that they couldn't place. Next they went to Honeyduke's, which was a trip that Ron was looking forward to more than anyone.
"That boy eats more than anyone I've ever met," Angela commented to Hermione as they watched Ron scoop sweets into a bag. Draco and Harry were also getting some sweets, but not nearly as much as the tall redhead. Angela looked around and finally found something that she thought would come in handy, buying a bag full of white chocolate chunks. This had always been a favorite of hers and she hadn't had it in a while. She was also thinking about melting the chocolate, and…well, lets just say it involved Harry and a bed.
Next the guys took them to Gladrags Wizard Wear. Harry bought Angela a few robes that she liked a lot and Ron did the same for Hermione. Angela watched Draco try some things on and put them back and she purchased one of the sets of robes that she had thought looked particularly good on him. She felt a little bad because she knew he must feel left out, having no one to buy anything for except himself, and Angela also knew that he hated to spend money on himself.
She and Hermione stopped in Dervish and Banges to pick up a few things while the guys ran off to the Quidditch store. Lupin stayed with the girls, though he knew that if trouble came, Angela would get them out of it, and he told her so.
"Thanks, Remus!" Angela beamed at him, happy at the compliment. They looked around the store for a bit before Angela asked Lupin what he thought she should get Harry for Christmas.
"I don't think they sell that here." Lupin looked at her seriously.
"What? At the Quidditch place?" Angela was confused and looked over at Hermione who was looking at quills, blushing like crazy.
Lupin shook his head. "No. I was thinking…hell, I don't even think they sell what I'm thinking in Hogsmeade."
Angela was really confused now. "And, um, where would they sell it?"
"Well, it's unfortunately more of a Muggle thing. Ever hear of a place called Victoria's Secrets?" He had a very serious look on his face, as if asking her where she put a gun or something.
Angela put her face in her hands. "Oh, my, God, I cannot believe that I'm talking to you about this and that I was that slow."
Hermione giggled behind her. Angela turned quickly and asked "What are you giving Ron for Christmas?"
At that Hermione's giggles ceased, and she blushed an even darker shade of pink. "Well, I got him some Chudley Cannon's stuff…and, well, the rest is none of your business."
Lupin chuckled at that. "Well, you could always get him some Quidditch something. He does need something to unwrap, from under the tree that is." He gave her a sly smile, which she was reluctant to return.
Angela laughed and then told him to come closer. "Don't worry about your poor Harry. Let's just say I won't be eating that chocolate from my hand." Now it was her turn to smile at Lupin while he looked surprised for a moment before booming out his laughter.
Angela bought a few school things that she needed and slipped out the door. She saw the guys heading towards the Three Broomsticks. They were all going to meet there at 12:30 and Angela saw that she still had twenty minutes, so she went quickly to the Quidditch shop alone. She picked out some things that she thought that Harry would like and was on her way to the Three Broomsticks when she felt the familiar tingle in her fingers. She dropped her purchases and turned quickly around. The sight made her gasp.
There were at least thirty robed and hooded men led by Voldemort walking towards her. She forgot momentarily that they couldn't recognize her and a shiver of fear ran down her back before she came to her senses and calmly turned around, picked up her packages and began to head back into town. The Quidditch shop was the furthest one down the street, right on the edge of town, and she was trying to walk as inconspicuously back into the main part of town while screaming for help in her mind. She had left all of her robes on and had her own face covered, so she knew that they hadn't recognized her when she had turned, nor had they seen the look of terror on her face.
She felt her hands explode in pain yet again and she had a hard time keeping hold of her packages. She was about to drop them all and do the pain relief spell when Draco came running out of the Three Broomsticks, followed closely by the rest of her friends. She breathed for the first time since she had seen the Deatheaters when she saw Draco running out of the pub. They stopped dead about fifty feet from her, looks of pure fear on their faces. Angela kept walking, though she was sure she wouldn't be able to hold her things very much longer. She saw Ron run into the twin's shop and came back out with Fred and George in tow.
Grimacing at the pain she could see Harry clutching his scar hard and tears pouring down his face. "Fuck this," she thought to herself, dropping her things and turning around. She quickly muttered the pain relief spell on her hands, and heard Hermione muttering the same, hopefully on Harry. She had stopped about ten feet from them and turned, looking Draco in the eye. She had never seen someone more afraid in her life and she followed his line of sight to one Deatheater in particular. "That must be Lucius," she thought, noting that he was right next to Voldemort. She turned around and faced the oncoming people, if one could call them that. She felt two hands, one on each of her shoulders and she looked up to see Harry and Lupin on either side of her. She could also see Draco, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George lining up on her left.
"Dear God, what have I brought these people into?" She took a step forward and looked at Voldemort. The group had stopped and was looking at them now, well Angela figured they were. The black masks that they wore hid their faces. Voldemort, however, was focused on her.
"What do you want?" She asked, surprised to hear someone else's voice coming from her. Voldemort looked surprised for a moment too, before glaring at her again.
"We've come for the girl. Harte."
"There's no Harte here." Angela looked him in the eye as she said it. "I knew this whole lying thing would come in handy someday," she thought as she watched him.
"I don't believe you. And we are prepared to burn the town to the ground to find her. Dead or alive."
Angela knew that he meant it. She wanted to stall a few more minutes, hoping to convince him that she wasn't here after all. "What makes you think she's here?"
"I know a great deal more that you think, hag. Now stand aside, or tell me where she is."
"Let me think…nope, I don't think I will." And with that Angela pulled off her head coverings while muttering the reverse for the disguise charm.
All of the Deatheaters gasped as she did it, but Voldemort just smiled. "So, Harte, we meet again. And I know your dirty little secret now."
"Dirty my ass. Why the fuck don't you just leave us the hell alone?"
"Tut tut, such language from a lady. I can't do that. My plans are too important to leave you be."
"Right. And I care about your stupid fucking plans because…?" She sneered at him.
Voldemort leaned his head back and laughed. "You have nerve Harte. You speak to me as even my followers fear to do."
"That's because your followers are spineless bastards, and bitches, who don't know any better than to kiss the hem of your shitty robe and call you 'Master.'"
This obviously angered the Deatheaters as quite a few wands pointed her way. Angela was fairly sure they would have all tried to kill her if Voldemort hadn't lifted his hand to tell them not to.
"Really, now. There is no reason to insult my followers, or me. I was simply making an observation on your courage, a compliment if you will."
"I see every reason to insult you. You know, it's funny how you seem much 'braver' around these assholes that I'm sure would stab you in the back the first chance they had than you are when it's just me and you. Of course, then it's usually right down to business. Why haven't you tried to kill me yet?"
"I no longer want you dead. I'll settle for your friends." He nodded his head curtly and soon there was a wand or more on each of the people behind her. "Simply come with me, and they won't be hurt." He extended his hand to her.
Angela looked at it for a moment and then laughed, a cold mirthless laugh that could have rivaled Voldemort's any day. "You should know by now, Tom, that I'm not stupid. Nor am I a simple witch. I'm not going to fall for the oldest trick in the 'evil' book. Come with me and I won't hurt your friends' my ass."
With that she raised both of her arms and said "Caterva attollo!" Suddenly all of the Deatheaters rose off of the ground. Many began squirming and Angela laughed coldly again. "It's not too fun up there, is it? Iacio longe!" The entire group flew about two hundred feet through the air before landing. Only a few got up and they seemed to be nursing broken limbs.
She then pointed her hand at Voldemort. "Everbero!" He didn't have time to block the curse as he was looking in shock at his followers behind him and it knocked him back ten feet from where he was standing. Angela walked quickly over to him, shaking off Lupin's hand as he tried to hold her back. "Let her go," she heard Harry say.
She kicked Voldemort as she got to him, her anger taking over her actions. She saw him wince as her foot met his side, but didn't care. "You're never going to learn, are you? You're no longer the biggest kid on the playground, and that irks the hell out of you, doesn't it?"
Voldemort gave her a look of pure hatred that Angela was sure would have sent most people running away. She simply returned it with one of her own. "Harte, I will get you. Some day, when you least expect it and with your back turned if I have to." With that and a small pop he Disapparated, leaving behind all of his followers and a very pissed Angela Harte.
Angela screamed in frustration, causing Harry to run to her. "Angela! Angela, are you ok?"
"Damn it, Harry, I'm fine!" She shook his hand off of her arm, wanting very much to hit something right then. The others soon joined Harry right by Angela and she wanted to scream at them, tell them to leave her alone. But she knew that she didn't want that. What she wanted was for Voldemort to leave her alone, but she knew that it wouldn't happen until he was dead. The more she thought about it the madder she got and soon she was crying. It was how she often let out her anger, even when she was small. Being angry was one of the few ways that she would cry.
She turned from the group, embarrassed for them to see her cry. She was shaking all over as the hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She felt Harry's arms on hers again, and this time she didn't shake them off. She leaned back onto him and accepted his comfort. Soon she was crying onto his shoulder, making his shirt wet with her tears. Not long after she composed herself enough to look up. Lupin, Fred, George, and Ron had gone over to where the Deatheaters were and had bound them, taking their wands. The majority had been knocked out, though several were conscious with broken arms or legs. Angela noticed that there was one missing, the one that Draco had been looking at and she turned and looked at him, questioningly.
"Draco, your father was one of them, wasn't he?"
Draco nodded. "He disapparated before you threw them all. Fucking pussy."
Angela could see Draco was angry too and looked at Harry before walking over and giving Draco a hug. He stiffened in surprise for a moment before returning the affection that she gave him. "You deserve better than that asshole for a father, Draco."
"Yeah, well, I couldn't exactly pick him out, could I?"
Just then Lupin came over said, "I think one of us should go back to the school and get Dumbledore. Hermione, why don't you go?"
"You can use our fireplace and Floo there," George volunteered, leading the way. Hermione nodded and followed close behind.
Lupin looked at Angela with something akin to reverence before he spoke again. "Angela, I…I don't know what to say. That was amazing!"
"Yeah, well, he's not dead, so it wasn't good enough."
"Angela, you captured thirty-two Deatheaters. That's a lot of cells in Azkaban that are going to be full tonight because of you. I'd say that's pretty good."
Angela looked at him fiercely before she said, "It's bloody well not fucking good enough for me."
Lupin looked stunned as she turned and walked back down the street and picked up her things that she bought. They seemed so mundane now, the holidays and all. She didn't know why she had let Voldemort get to her this time but it bugged her that she had. "Leave it to God damned Voldemort to ruin my holidays." She turned and walked in the direction of the Weasley's shop, intending to use their fireplace and Floo back to her room where she could sulk properly when she ran right into Dumbledore.
She looked up at him, concern etched on his face and shining in his eyes. "Are you all right, Angela? Hermione said you were…crying."
"Yeah, well, I was a bit miffed at…" she wanted to add a list of cuss words to his name, but refrained, "Voldemort. All of the Deatheaters are over there. Well, most of them. Lucius Malfoy disapparated just before I threw the rest of them over there. In the words of his son, 'Fucking pussy.'"
Dumbledore raised his eyebrow at this, a slight smile in his eyes. "If you don't mind, Angela, could you come over there with me?"
Angela sighed and set her things down again. She didn't say anything, she just turned and walked in the direction of the Deatheaters where Lupin, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and the twins were now working on waking the unconscious ones and trying to get the hurt ones to stop moaning in pain. Angela reached them and she saw several heads turn her way. She was still angry and it annoyed her that she couldn't see their faces so she flicked her hand and all of the masks flew off of them. She looked around at all of them with disgust.
"How can you cowards call yourselves human? What the fuck do you get out of following an ass like Tom Riddle?" She no longer cared what Dumbledore thought of her language as her anger returned, looking around at all the faces scowling at her.
An impish man near her answered, "It is better to be the right hand of the devil than in his path. As long as we serve him we are immune."
"HA! You're trying to tell me that he never did the Cruciatus curse on you if he wasn't happy? Or that he's never threatened to kill you if you displeased or failed him?" The man looked at the ground, shaking his head. "That's what I thought. Perhaps you should think things through before you blindly follow the next guy. Actually, now that I think about it, your next guy should be a Dementor. That'll be fun to follow. See how much your beloved 'Master' cares now?"
Angela resisted the urge to spit on the already degraded man and instead looked around at the faces, memorizing each one. A few she recognized from her dreams and a few resembled students at Hogwarts, mostly Slytherins of course. They were all awake now, and the others were making sure that their ropes were tight around them.
"How're they going to go anywhere, Albus?" Angela didn't see anyone coming to take them off, though she doubted that a huge police van would show up to cart them all off.
"Well, the ministry will be here. They will take care of it."
Just then fifty ministry officials Apparated a few feet from where all of the Deatheaters lay. They walked over and thanked Harry and the others for tying them up. Arthur Weasley walked over and thanked Angela. Angela still had the nagging feeling that it wasn't good enough, but she didn't tell this to Arthur as she had to Lupin. She simply nodded and shook his hand. The Ministry officials soon had all of them rounded up and Disapparated with them in tow.
Everyone looked exhausted and Angela felt a wave of guilt as she thought about how she had acted earlier. She looked at Lupin and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said earlier. No, I take that back. I meant it, but I shouldn't have said it like I did."
Lupin gave her a lopsided smile. "That's alright, I understand."
Angela smiled back at him before turning to Harry. "I'm sorry I yelled at you too."
Harry pulled her into a hug, saying, "Don't even worry about it, honey. You were mad. I understand completely."
"How did I get so lucky with this bunch?" she wondered to herself yet again. She turned to the rest and said "I'm sorry I dragged you all into this. You shouldn't have to deal with my Voldemort problems."
The others let out sounds of protest.
"You didn't drag us here!"
"It's not your fault!"
"He's the bastard who should be apologizing!"
"We're here to help. That's what friends are for."
Angela smiled at them all. "I'll try not to almost get you killed every time we go somewhere."
"Aw, what's the fun in that?" Fred quipped, getting laughter from all around.
"Don't worry so much, Angela. You're worth it." Ron's comment brought murmurs of assent from the whole group. Angela couldn't help but blush at this, feeling almost as if she would cry again. "Why am I so worth it?" she thought to herself.
"Well, it's because you're a great person," she heard Draco say. She looked up at him, surprised. Everyone else looked at him confused.
"What-how did you…?" Angela stammered.
"Um, I heard you ask a question, just thought I would answer it." Draco looked around sheepishly.
"I didn't…didn't say it out loud, did I?"
The rest of the group shook their heads, still looking at Draco. Suddenly it occurred to Angela what had happened. "Draco, can you read my mind?" she thought. She was looking right at him as his eyes got wide. "Holy shit. We're gonna have to talk about this later."
Draco nodded but Angela could have sworn she heard him say, "Talk? What the hell is there to talk about?"
"The fact that you can read my fucking mind for one, Draco Malfoy."
He looked surprised again, but she didn't hear any snide comments this time.