Chapter 48 - A Step Closer

When the meeting was over Harry walked slowly back to Hermione's office. He was trying to think of how to make sure his daughter was aware with out telling her something was going on. As he pushed the door open the first thing he saw was a thin girl with dark circles under her eyes, like she needed a long sleep. She looked terrible.

"Anna," Harry said tentatively.

"Hi dad," she said, she put the book she had been reading down and looked up at him.

"What were you reading?" He asked and Anna gave him a confused look.

"Just something for class, what did you want to speak to me about?"

"I just wanted to see how you were,"

"You came all this way to see how I was?"

"Well I had a meeting with Dumbledore, and I wanted to tell you what happened to Ginny," at this Anna went even paler than she had been.

"What happened? Is she ok? Oh Merlin it's all my fault I should have told someone, should have told you," she said quickly. It was Harry's turn to look confused now.

"What did you know?"

"I—I had a dream last night, it was about mum, but I woke up saying Ginny's name, I had a feeling she wasn't going to be ok,"

"What was the dream about?"

Anna told her father about the dream ever last detail, and then what she felt when she woke up. Harry sat in silence as she spoke, his mind going back to the day Katie had told him what had happened that day. When Anna finished it took Harry a moment to figure out how to answer.

"You know about your mother right?"

"She was an aborigine, yeah"

"Yes, but her grandmother, your great grandmother, married an outsider, who turned out to be a wizard, they were kicked out of the tribe but when he died she went back. This meant that Katie's mother had powers, she, however, didn't show them, but she did have the sight. Her mother used the sight to predict things for them, they just thought she was gifted but when her mother married an outsider, and had Katie. The powers Katie inherited from her mother grew and showed. When Katie was old enough she was asked to leave. The day you dreamed about was when they realized they needed Katie's powers. I have no idea why you were worried about Ginny though," Harry said.

"Ginny's not in trouble?"

"No not in trouble she just had a complication with the pregnancy, but everything will be fine."

"What happened?" Anna asked and Harry told her as he did he remembered Anna was supposed to go for a check up. When he mentioned this to her, her face fell.

"I wasn't going to go," she replied quietly.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to, I'm fine," she said as she rubbed her stomach.

"Anna please go, I need you to I want you to be well… and … I need you to be out of the castle as much as possible," Harry said trying to make Anna realize that something was going to happen at Hogwarts.

"Why?"

"Because I do," he said pointedly. It took her a moment but she seemed to understand.

"Something's going to happen at Hogwarts?" She asked shocked. Harry didn't say anything he just looked at her.

"An attack?" Harry nodded and looked pointedly at her. "On me?" She laughed, and said to herself. "What else is new?"

"I never said anything like that, but I am not going to say no," Harry said. "Just be watchful," he added. Anna nodded in understanding, and then let out a yawn. Harry looked at his watch it was 12am already.

"You should be in bed," he said standing up.

"Yeah, right. I am not going to bed for a while, I have so much homework to do," Anna said picking up the book she had been reading.

"You need sleep Anna."

"Dad even when I am asleep I can't stop dreaming about what happened. I'd rather be awake if that is what awaits me in my dreams."

"Oh, Anna," Harry said and went over to his daughter and hugged her. "You know what; I will send a letter to Madam Pomfrey and tell her to give you some dreamless sleep potion."

Anna nodded and Harry kissed her head, and then walked her back to the common room in silence.

"Remember to go to your check up next week," Harry said. Anna rolled her eyes but nodded, and gave her father one last hug before going there separate ways.

"Why are you doing Ancient Runes?" James asked, as he and Sirius sat down next to Anna in the library.

"Because I am," Anna said not looking up. She had just finished her own homework and she was starting on Malfoy and Nott's now. They would be there soon.

"But you don't take that class," Sirius pointed out.

"No I don't."

"Then why—"

"Just because I want to, ok please stop asking," she said.

James and Sirius went silent and after a few seconds Anna got very aware of the silence. She looked up at the pair who was staring at her. She looked between the two and when neither of them seemed to look like they would tell her why they were there she asked.

"What?" She asked.

"James."

"Sirius."

"Guys."

"What?"

"Tell me."

With a deep breath and a sigh James started. "We come on behalf of one R. Lupin, who is very sorry for shouting at you and hope you will forgive him."

"He would have come himself but he knows he couldn't have gotten in 50 feet before you took of in the other direction."

"That's true."

"So?"

"So what?"

"Anna."

"James."

"Anna."

"Sirius."

"Do you forgive him?"

"For that yes."

"Ok that's our part done see you later Anna."

"Yeah don't work too hard."

"You know she will."

"I know but it was worth saying anyway."

"She won't listen, it's not worth it anymore. It's not like she's friends with us anymore."

"I can hear you."

"That's the point."

"I don't know why you bother anymore James."

"Sentimental value really."

Anna rolled her eyes as they left, she knew they were joking. She could hear it in their voices and she didn't not see the wink Sirius gave her as they left, like she had pretended she had. But the words "it's not worth it anymore", left an empty feeling inside her, a hole that needed to be filled again. But she didn't know how to make it up to them.

"I miss you guys," she said quietly to the backs of their heads as they left.

"We miss you too," James whispered not turning around as he closed the door.

That Sunday night Anna was sitting in the common room reading the new book she was researching through. She had done all her homework and she was progressing on the Ancient Runes. She had to translate an old language using various different dialects and the text varied depending on which dialect you used. It was very complicated but not as hard as she thought it would be. So far she had "The dark," or "The dog," she wasn't quite sure. Either way it didn't make sense yet.

Almost everyone had gone to bed and the only people left were Remus, Nicky and Lupin. It was about midnight when Nicky and Remus decided to go to bed leaving Anna and Lupin alone. Anna didn't even realize they were the only ones left until Lupin came and sat down opposite her.

"Can we talk?" he said putting a hand over the book. She put it down and raised her eyes to look at him.

"What," she sighed. The past few days they had been awkward around each other, they would look at each other then quickly look away when the other realized they were looking, it was getting tiring. She knew that James and Sirius had passed her answer on to Lupin. That's why it was so awkward now he had gotten their friends involved it became that way. She just wanted it over. Although, she didn't know what "it" was quiet yet. Could she ever forgive him, she dammed her father stubbornness it was a curse.

"Look, I know you don't want to go out with me, but I miss you and if we can't go out I don't want to throw away a friendship that came to mean so much to me," he said looking like he was on the verge of tears. Just the look on his face was enough for her heart to melt. She wished it was that simple, but like everything in her life, it wasn't.

"I want to be friends, I don't like not talking to you, and I miss it. But we can't be more than that. For the moment, because I have too much to do we would never get to see each other."

"I can live with that," he laughed. "I knew anything else wouldn't happen."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Don't be… I didn't think we would even get this far."

"I mean for everything I have put you through, pushing you away, and for being an absolute prat, actually."

"Don't be," he said again sitting down next to her. "It has to be hard and if this is what you need to do to get over it then so be it."

"But it's not fair on you… on anyone… Y- you … you should find someone else, really."

"I don't want anyone else, I want you."

There was silence.

"We can't,"

"Why not?"

"I have to go to bed," she said and got up, went to her dormitory not looking back if she did she wouldn't have been able to move. Anna got into her bed but it was a long time before she fell asleep, even with the Dreamless sleep potion.