Chapter 18: Charmingly Gone

Argh! I'm sorry it's taken a little while to update but I've been really busy. Well...hmmm can't really think of anythign to say except thanks for the reviews and I hope you like this chapter (I don't!). Oh yeah to Iamsiriusgrl's question no, Anna will not get together withNott...his intentions for them becoming 'friends'are completely well ummm...one sided. Don't take anything at face value. ciao!

The June sun blazed in the cloudless sky lighting the rich trees and all it touched. The summer brought with it it's happy, carefree nature contagiously affecting the students of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. To Anna the air felt heavy and stifling, as she trailed through the grounds to the spot underneath the tree. The spot overlooked the cool lake where the squid floated lazily on the surface as if sunbathing.

She seated herself beside Pansy who raised her eyebrows in response to the state of her. Anna snorted and brushed aside the stare; recently Pansy had become nothing but infuriating and tiresome. Fidgeting slightly, Anna looked around at them all sprawled and lolling on the lush grass. She felt unable to relax as she cleared her throat and asked tentatively as to not break the peaceful mood,

"What have we got next?"

Pansy rolled her eyes, slowly calculating aloud. "Hmmm well its Wednesday and after break on a Wednesday we have…errrr…charms! That's it!" Each groaned in turn as they realised (as per usual) that they hadn't done the homework. They lethargically traipsed up to the castle trying to miss as much of the lesson as possible.

She took her usual seat next to Pansy and slumped onto the desk as Professor Flitwick began to explain the lesson's objectives. As usual Pansy's attention was soon lost amidst lack of knowledge and sheer tedium but was reimbursed in a new activity; poking Anna.

After the fiftieth poke Anna finally lost her temper. "Oh for god's sake, will you just bloody stop it!" Pansy snorted irritatingly,

"Oooh someone's getting stressed!" in exasperation Anna let out a small squeal of frustration,

"Will you ever effing shut up! I'm trying to concentrate and do you think I can with you? All you do is hover over my shoulder and be bloody incompetent! Just effing leave me alone!" A shocked silence ensued as people's attention was drawn away from the task and to Anna's livid outburst.

She stormed to the back of the room and sat down, shaking slightly as the captive audience slowly returned to work. The kindly concerned face of the professor appeared beside her, "Is there anything wrong?" she shook her head violently.

"Well, why don't you go outside for ten minutes, then I'll send someone out to collect you." She drew her eyes away from his pleasant face shamefully appreciating the kindness she was shown but didn't deserve. Anna strolled outside ignoring the enquiring stares she received as she watched the floor beneath her.

She rested her head against the cool stone in front of her, trying to bring clarity to her thoughts. To calm herself down she began to count theminutes out of time, before she could reach the tenth she had decided on another course of action; to leave.

Leaping off the wall with renewed vigour she ran down the hall to the slytherin common room, her wand outstretched to blast open the doors in front of her. Just as she neared the steps and was about to descend an arm pulled her back not viciously but roughly enough to let her know she was in trouble.

"And where do you think you are going, Miss Safire?" looking up at the stony faced transfiguration teacher she found herself blushing and stuttering an excuse.

"Charms…I w w was just getting m m my books." Professor Mcgonagall raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"I see well as you have used magic in the corridor, five points from Slytherin." Anna looked up aghast.

"You can't do that!" she almost shrieked indignantly.

"Oh yes I can and I will and for that little outburst two more points from slytherin." Anna watched outraged as the emeralds in the slytherin jar receded to the top, only increasing her sense of failure.

The professor escorted the subdued Anna back to her charms lesson where she was greeted with an icy reception.

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As the lesson drew to a close she hastily packed her stuff away ready to flee. As the old bell rang she raced out the door all but hanging onto her composure, eager to reach solitude. She drew a ragged, scared breath as she felt a cold hard hand grasp her wrist pulling her back into the shadows. She swung around, all guns blazing until she faltered. She eyed him, wary of the expression on Theodore Nott's face.

He leered as he realised that he had silenced her, "Here, I thought that this might interest you. Come see me later." He roughly thrust a battered piece of parchment into her closed hand. Before she could answer he had entered the throng of hungry students, keen for lunch.

She almost collapsed as she read the small article titled Headmaster Murder. Miss Celeste Safire was detained earlier today by aurors. She is thought to the major suspect in connection with the murder and disappearance of Igor Karkaroff the previous headmaster of Durmstrang. She is due to appear in court on June 25th.

Anna could not force her self to read the rest, her stomach was somersaulting and she felt dizzyingly sick. She scrambled to her feet unsure of where to go if the article was right then that meant…

"Her trial's today." Swinging round she came face to face with a deadly serious Malfoy. Anna could not find it within her to answer. Her mouth had become dry and her throat had closed up.

"What are you going to do about it?" still dizzy she swayed on the spot; he stepped forward reluctantly to support her. "You could always go to Professor Mcgonagall's office it's the nearest and you could floo yourself to the ministry." He stated bluntly as if this was been the most obvious thing to do.

Anna regarded him shrewdly as she looked into his emotionless grey eyes. She strode off in the general direction of Mcgonagall's office barely giving him a backward glance. Cautiously she pushed open the door, shocked at what it revealed.

Henry watched in the shadows of a statue as Anna entered the office, disgust and fear wormed its way into his heart. He'd followed her from her lesson unsure of what was going on. Until he'd seen the article Nott had given to her as she'd brandished it before Malfoy. What she was playing at he couldn't be certain; although he knew one thing and that was he was going to make sure she wasn't going to do anything remotely stupid.

Nott sat sprawled over the chair behind the desk as if in waiting. As she'd entered he'd sprung up animatedly and grabbed an envelope from his inner robe, sniggering all the while. She leapt and reached out to grab it knowing what it contained. He pulled it up and out of her reach wagging a finger at her as he did so. From behind him the door burst open and Malfoy entered (flanked by Crabbe and Goyle) reaching out for the envelope.

"The floos in the envelope all you have to do is get into the fire, drop the floo and say ministry of magic clearly." He stated arrogantly. She looked into his eyes once more unsure of his intentions.

"Why do you want to help me?" she croaked, wincing at the sound of her cracked voice. He shrugged and sneered,

"The question is do you want to help yourself?" her gaze flickered between him and Nott before relaxing; deep down she believed that she trusted them slightly. She snatched the envelope and walked over to the grate before changing her mind.

"You're coming with me." She stated clearly unsure of why she'd decided to make that decision. They regarded her incredulously; they clearly thought her quite mad. Malfoy shook his head vigorously.

"No. You've got to go and you're stupidly wasting your time."

She rolled her eyes grabbed his sleeve and pulled he toppled forward before becoming rigid. A scuffle outside the door startled them as they all raced to get into the only hiding place; the hearth.

Henry sprinted into the great hall he'd just seen Malfoy enter and hadn't liked it at all. He raced over to the gryffindor table and furiously tapped Harry on the shoulder.

"She's…she's," he paused to catch his breath as his pulse quickened, "Going!" he added quickly.

Harry silenced him with a look, "she's gone to rescue her mother."

He stated before getting up, shocking him and Ron into silence. Henry watched as they walked out and turned down a deserted corridor and Harry pulled out a dusty, little square mirror. Harry looked up at Henry and said in explanation, "Hermione's in the library."

Silence ensued as their ears strained for any sign of life, their breathing low and ragged with fear. Anna fidgeted to get loose she was squashed into the back behind Nott (Her, Nott and Malfoy were the only people small enough to squeeze into the hearth as Goyle and Crabbe took up guard duty like trolls), a cunning smile alighted across her features as she opened the envelope and threw the contents onto the floor and whispered, "The ministry of magic."

Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville and a dumbstruck Henry piled into the room (they'd managed to pick up Ginny and Neville along the way) to see a startled Crabbe and Goyle. "She's gone." Harry said to them all.

"They've used all the floo powder. We'll have to go by broom." Hermione stated one step before any of them. Henry gazed disbelievingly at them all and shook his head.

"I'm not going I'll just hinder you." He hung his head low.

"The rest of you should stay with him," Harry said they looked up at him questioningly, "It's too dangerous for you!" he snapped angrily. Ginny looked up and shook her head,

"We've come with you before so we'll come again there is no doubt about it." Harry shook his head but walked out with them in tail anyway.