Chapter Six – Humiliation Nation
A/N: Okay, a short A/N. Sorry for the cliffhanger (Didn't I say that last chapter,) …but this is the next one, it's kind of a joint thing. This chapter may be boring, but in my opinion, and in Hermione and Ginny's it's funny, also, it holds some significance. Anna might feel something for Remus but she's confused and since you know that she doesn't know what any feeling means except depression, then she takes it out on him the wrong way. So yeah… Onto the chapter.
…"So now we know who Anna is talking about," Hermione said, in a serious voice…
Anna ate the scoop of chocolate ice-cream smiling inside at the yummy food but still in distress and disgrace, as instructed by Hermione, 'since you needed to name the boy as the first scoop of the problem' she mimicked in her mind, using Hermione's voice. "So it's Remus, now, for the second scoop," Hermione took the spoon and took out another scoop of chocolate, "Is to tell us, where it was and what the beginning is, talk like it is a story."
She took a deep breath and turned to the other girls, "Okay, You remember how Remus asked to speak alone, well, he lead me out of the room and asked me where was the most comfortable place for us to talk. So I-" She paused and looked at them with a slight smile, "-On a previous experience, the one with you two and becoming friends and all. Lead him up to the bathroom."
To her surprise, neither laughed, she was slightly relieved, since she didn't like laughing with them all the time, or worse, them laughing at her. She liked laughing in general though, just sometimes it got too much.
Hermione nodded and Anna swallowed the chocolate ice-cream, she told more of the story, "Then we walked in, and- do I include details?" She asked as Hermione pulled out another scoop. Ginny nodded and Hermione did as well. "-I sat down, I asked him to sit down, and then he sit opposing me, then I rephrased myself and told him to sit beside me, now I wished I would have just left it." She didn't need Hermione's nod to know, she shoved the ice-cream down her throat, no one objected to her. She remembered what Ginny had said earlier, 'when you feel you need the ice-cream then you get it, that is the point of this.'
Anna scooped another tablespoon of chocolate and continued, "Then he sat and I asked him what he called me for, I could remember his exact words…he said it a little shaky but he said, 'I wanted to tell you, that you don't have to go to Hogwarts, I can always send you to some other school like Durmstrang or something.' But I was relieved that he had taken all that time just to tell me that, because I thought he was going to force me into enrolling at Hogwarts against my will," She flushed, "And then, that's when the situation changed." She swallowed the ice-cream and immediately needed more.
It was very sudden that the door flew open, Hermione and Ginny took out their wands and saw that no one was there, Anna was just sitting there in shock of what ad just happened, who opened the door? Hermione grumbled and Ginny rolled her eyes, she walked out through the door and stuck her middle finger in the air. "Most probably Harry and Ron with their pranks."
Anna was relieved, "Now back to the story, As I was saying, this is when the situation changed," she gulped but didn't need the ice-cream yet. They waited for her to tell them, she sighed and then smiled slightly, "I-I-"
"Spit it out!" Ginny said with a hint of force, She looked at Ginny taken aback but then Gin replied with a small, "Jokes."
Hermione then edged her on, "We didn't promise that we wouldn't laugh, but we did promise to secrecy, so there is no one in the room that can tell everyone about your problem."
"Okay," Anna swallowed the ice-cream, smearing some on her face, she giggled and wiped it off. "I-I kind of sorta…checked him out…" With that, the three, including a positively humiliated Anna, started to burst up into giggles, she took two more spoons and shoved some chocolate ice-cream into their mouths. "Looks like you need it more than I do." They all laughed.
"This is so not obeying the tradition," Hermione admitted, Ginny however had a different theory.
"Tradition sucks, let's make up a new one!" Ginny said, "Ice-cream for all!" They all laughed again.
Anna tried her luck, "Does that mean I'm off the hook, can I go now?" Hermione and Ginny looked at her.
"Nope girl," Ginny said grinning, "You have to totally SPILL!"
Anna sighed dramatically, "So much for luck…" Then she continued once again with her disgracing tale. "It was exactly how Hermione told me it was, first the clothes, then the face and then the…mental images." With that she cringed, they all giggled again. Anna realized that even though she was humiliated it was funny. That made her even happier.
She took some more chocolate ice-cream and registered that even though they had been at it for what seemed an hour, it still hadn't melted, then she remembered, Hermione had put a freezing spell on it… or maybe it was just stubborn. "Then I did the most stupidest thing…I tried to fix his ultra messy hair!" Hermione looked thoughtful and Ginny looked as if she had been expecting it. Then they said the most reassuring thing.
"True girl." Ginny and Hermione said together.
"Are you eating that ice-cream because you like it or because you are in Humiliation nation?" Hermione asked, standing with hands on hips.
"Uhh…" Anna started. "…Kinda both…" Hermione smiled.
"Don't worry I'm not one to suddenly yell at you." She said with a hint of sarcasm. Anna stood and face her.
"Are you mocking me." She said in a bratty way, hands on hips with extra enthusiasm.
Hermione shot right back, "Like, Ya!" They all laughed.
Something occurred to Ginny then, "Ann, You don't mind if I call you that? Could you sleep with us tonight, Mione can always magic up a bed." Hermione stared mouth open.
"Oh, so now I'm your maid, what did your other slave die of? Overwork?" She laughed and so did Ginny. But they laughed even more at Anna, who didn't get it.
"Lets all have funny nicknames," Anna suggested, "Ginny could be Ginny Gin Ginger, Hermione could be Whiney Mioney and I could be Anna Banana." They all laughed at her thoughtfulness.
"They're wicked, although i'm not sure about the 'Mione' part... doesn't matter. Lets call each other that from now on," Hermione said.
"God, we have so got to get back on track." Anna stated, they all nodded to each other and Anna decided to continue. "Okay, so after I checked him out and fixed his hair, which fell back to messy again, well I assured him that I had decided to go to Hogwarts due to what you two helped me through."
"I'm so very touched." Ginny said putting a hand to her heart and smiling. Her brown eyes full of cheerfulness.
"And then he told me that he thanked me, and then I felt a sudden wave of dizziness, I think maybe due to my period." Hermione nodded at this.
"Yeah, some girls get that, I do, I know that." She said with a touch of tidiness, She tapped her spoon on her lower cheek twice, "It's just a side-effect I think a two second delirium or something… I get myself confused with that. But it does happen. Due to the loss of blood from your body, even though it comes back in seconds."
"Yup, Hermione you got me in that. It was all blurry and I could only see the ceiling, but I had fallen into his lap, well my top half anyway. Here's the part which was I was mortified, As I tried to get up, I forced myself up so hard that…well… I sort of kissed him… but by accident!" She flushed.
They didn't find anything wrong with that, "Well, if it was an accident."
Anna frowned and crossed her arms, "Okaaaay, fine, Half accident half purpose."
Hermione and Ginny bust up laughing.
Anna walked into the kitchen with Hermione and Ginny on either side of her, they linked arms and took seats at their usual spot at the opposing end of the table. They all weren't hungry, they sneaked the ice-cream and now ate it all so they were quite sickened.
When they talked between themselves through dinner, Anna didn't look at Remus at all, but was occupied with talking. She was fine with that really. It seemed as if everyone was listening.
"So, Ginny Gin Ginger." Anna said, smiling slightly, using their new nicknames to tell whether anyone was listening. "Heard any good muggle music?" Ginny nodded.
"We'll hear it later." Hermione said smiling, the other two nodded as they all attacked their boiled potatoes.
"Come here damn potatoes!" Anna said in anger, and surprisingly she dug her fork into three fat potatoes. Harry grinned to Ron and then they said.
"Hey Hermione, I bet you one of you can't eat three potatoes at the same time, and swallow it!" Harry said with a smirk, Hermione glared and then replied him.
"Well, I bet you five sickles that Anna could shove those three potatoes in her mouth!" She said standing up.
"Girls boys stop!" Mrs Weasley said but no one heard her.
"Fine," Harry replied, "Deal."
Hermione puppy pouted at Anna and asked her if she could. "Pwease?" Hermione said, keeping the puppy look. "You don't want the boys to think you a chicken?"
Anna looked weirdly at her friend but while glaring smiled. "Deal." Anna focused on her task, Harry and Ron were looking at her, in fact, everyone was looking at her, even Remus which made Anna think of the humiliation… what if that ever happened again? Her mind told her. You have to prove that you are not a chicken!
With a confidence and a determined glint in her eye, Anna picked up her fork and thought, open up wide. So she did. And put the three potatoes in her mouth, then chewed and swallowed easily. The boys looked at her with wonder, the girls looked at her with contentment and Hermione walked over to Harry. "Cough it up Potter." She said smirking, once she had gotten the money she went back to the opposing side of the rest of the table and back to her friends. They all resumed eating.
"Good one Anna Banana!" Ginny said once swallowing her food after they had won.
"It's okay Ginny Gin Ginger. Anytime!" She said with a mischievous smirk. They all laughed and threw the remainders of their dinner in the bin, then thanked Mrs. Weasley and left fast. They didn't notice that Remus followed Anna a minute after they had gone.
Anna seemed quizzical as they reached the room, "What are you two planning?" She asked. Ginny helped her open the door and then locked it.
Ginny then replied in an evil tone, "We're going to give you a make-over! Part one of your Humiliation Nation resolution."
Anna sighed, "Got any chocolate ice-cream."
Hermione shook her head, "Only strawberry left we ate the vanilla before."
She sighed again and looked miserably at the spoon with Strawberry ice-cream on it, "Damnit."
Remus approached the girls door and knocked once, Hermione opened up and frowned, he asked for Anna rather politely and she said she didn't know where she was. But he was stubborn and he put a foot in front of the door when she tried to close it.
"That won't work again Hermione, I really need to see Anna." He said civilly, Hermione sighed and then called out what seemed to be. 'Anna Banana!' She then disappeared and Anna came out, as she did, his jaw almost dropped.
She looked as if she was going to a dance prom. Her usually straight black hair was tied into two curly ponies at each side of her head, with two curly black bangs on each side of them. She wore bright pink eyeshadow and red lipstick. She wore a simple shoulder exposing but chest covering black t-shirt which said in bold pink letters, 'Screw Queen. I wanna be a princess.' She wore matching black sandals and a layered mini-skirt which was a hot pink to match the words on her shirt she had on.
"Don't ask." Anna said quietly, "Whiney Mioney, Ginny Gin Ginger, and myself are going to a dance off tonight. With permission from Mrs. Weasley."
Remus didn't ask. Instead he told her to follow him into another room where they could talk in private.
"A-about this morning." Remus started, Anna sighed and was suddenly taken aback by his hands over her wrists. "It was an accident."
"An Accident." she replied with a hollowness as if an echo, a breeze blowing through the open window caught her hair. When suddenly, her eyes lost all focus and colour. It was as if she were being possessed. But in a second, they were fine again. Anna didn't notice anything, but Remus had, but it was one of those 'there one second gone another' things. "If that is all. I have to be going now."
"Hold it." Remus said, eyes filled with raw emotion. "I love you Anna," She looked shocked, "As a father daughter relationship and that is all I want. Maybe someday when your older we will become something more, but for now, you are too young and I don't think that me and you will work."
"I said, if that is all, I have to be going now." She said pulling herself out of his grasp, But as she turned the knob to open the door, she turned around again and then embraced him in a quick hug, "That's all I want too." She said this before leaving Remus alone to think about his thoughts. Stumped by a girl that he thought he was in love with, realizing that she might become something more, but he doubted that dearly. She didn't want to become more and neither did he.
But then why was this causing so much commotion between them?
A/N: Another damn cliffhanger, but I just can not end them properly, it turns out worse then before. I did this also so I can skip to the dance off next chapter, or maybe the next. Anna has changed because time has flied in the periods of my chapters, basically, a few evens are at the same time but Anna has been there for two weeks already and is BFF's with Hermione and Ginny. C'ya next chapter. Please R&R! It'll only take two seconds of your time.