Chapter 58 – All I Want For Christmas

The train ride back to platform 9 and ¾ was uneventful. As soon as Anna, Lupin, Remus, Sirius, and Nicky got on the train and found a compartment to themselves. Anna put her head on Lupin's shoulder and fell fast asleep. The first peaceful sleep she had had in a long time. They arrived at the platform sometime in the afternoon. They went through the barrier in three's. When Anna went through with Lupin and Sirius she squeezed Lupin's hand tightly. She hated coming back to the platform, where she had been taken. Lupin pulled her hand up and kissed it. She knew he was there for her, protecting her. She loosened up a little bit.

Anna was looking around for her dad or Ginny but a hand tapped her on the shoulder and made her jump.

"Sorry," Chris said.

"It's ok," Anna replied. "Can you give us a sec?" she said to Lupin. He hung his head slightly and wouldn't look Chris in the eyes but he went to find his parents.

"Have a good Christmas," Chris said.

"You too, are you going to be ok? With everything that's going on?"

"Well it will be hard to pretend I didn't sell out my dad, but I need to do this," Chris said.

"You'll be fine if you're anything like you are at school at home you have nothing to worry about," Anna said and leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled at her and walked off to find his mother.

Anna spotted Ginny waiting for her and went over to her.

"Your dad had to work today," Ginny said.

"He got the Auror job?"

"You have to ask?"

"I did wonder why they made him go through the training and tests," Anna said and she and Ginny Apparated back to the house, but not before saying goodbye to everyone. That day Anna and Ginny spent the day Christmas shopping. Ginny noticed the change in Anna immediately after she got off the train. She was happy Anna was sort of back to normal. She knew Harry would be very relieved.

That evening Harry, Ginny and Anna stayed up late in the night talking, Anna told them what happened to her. They gasped in the right places and Ginny even threw up some. It was becoming something she could almost deal with now, at least every time she closed her eyes she didn't see an advancing sword.

Wormtail was closing in on Anna with the sword. He poured the blue potion on it and came nearer to her. She backed away the wall was pushing back on her, she couldn't move, couldn't avert her eyes she had no choice but to watch Wormtail come closer to her with the sword. She felt the cold blade on her skin as it pierced her, blood trickled down stomach and fell in droplets on the floor. She looked up Wormtail changed to Voldemort, the blood was pouring out now, then to Bellatrix Lestrange, then to Draco Malfoy and finally as the blood came up to her mouth, she couldn't breath, a woman with blond hair a warm smile on her face, Katie was standing in front of her. Anna was choking, her mother's mouth was moving she tried to hear what she was saying.

"Use it well… keep your faith… it will work… believe in yourself," her mother said. Anna couldn't breathe the blood was drowning her.

Anna sat up gasping for breath, her breathing was rapid and erratic it took a while for her to calm down. It was 4am when she was calm enough to notice the time. It was Christmas day, she looked down at the end of her bed and there was a pile of presents there. She went to get out of her bed; her stomach gave a painful throb. She looked down and saw there was a patch of blood on her night shirt. She lit the candles in her room and went to the mirror. She lifted her shirt up and saw a gash the same size of the sword. Blood was oozing from it, she was not let this going to ruin Christmas day for her. She would deal with it tomorrow; today she was going to have a good time. She would figure out why she had a great wound on her stomach after a dream later. She went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, she had never realized how pale she was. She pointed her wand at her stomach and said the spell that Healer Daggles taught her. She went back to her room changed her shirt and sat on the bed and picked up the first present. She opened the card on top and read it.

Anna,

Merry Christmas! Can't wait to see you this afternoon, lunch better be very good. I hope you like the present. You asked me on the train what I wanted for Christmas and I couldn't think of anything, but then when I got back to my house I figured it out. I want you. I don't ever want to be away from you again. I am so glad you gave me another chance and we are back together again. I swear I won't break your heart again. I want to protect it with my life. I missed you so much when we were apart. I know it took maybe never seeing you again for me to realize how much I love you but I am an idiot everyone knows that, I mean look at my track record. Also just so you know, that day on the train at the end of last year I never went back out with Alison you have been the only person I have thought about since you came into my life. I didn't think it was possible to love two people I think that's why I freaked out when I found out who you were. But I came to realize you were the same person. I love every bit of you, Anna Fischer/Potter what ever it's only a name.

I Love you for always and ever

Lupin

Anna put down the letter, tears in her eyes, but a smile on her face. She reached for the present and opened it and a book fell out entitled "Evil Sprits and Pure Souls". There was a note attached to the book saying. "We had this at our house and I know there are only a few in circulation. I thought it might help."Anna smiled she had been looking for this book it would help immensely.

She reached for the other presents and opened them: from Remus she got a book of seeker moves; from Sirius she got variety of sweets and jokes; from Nicky she got 'Worlds best seeker' mug; from Lily she got a few souvenirs from her travels. She picked up the present from Ginny and opened it, it was a cookbook, Anna smiled, Ginny knew her well. Anna loved to cook. She reached for the final present from her father. The letter on top seemed quite thick. She opened it and read the letter.

Anna,

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I am so glad your back. I was so scared I would never see you again. I know this may be horrible to say but I knew your mother wouldn't be around for long. I told her before we got married but she said she already knew. Her mother told her she wouldn't live to see you grow into a woman. You have grown into a beautiful woman. I don't know why I never told this before. I give you this present in memory of your mum. So you will never forget her. They were hers.

Love Dad.

Anna reached for the present and opened it; it was a set of dress robes. It looked like wedding dress robes she pulled them out and another letter fell out. The robes were made of light silk a dazzling white with sliver trim. The top was made like a corset and had embroidered stars on the top. The bottom fanned out slightly they shimmered in the light. Anna put them down reached for the letter she was about to open it when there was a knock on the door. She looked over at the clock it was 7am already. She looked up and Harry had his head poking around the door.

"Merry Christmas," he said and Anna returned the greeting and thanked him for the present.

"How long have you been up?" He asked glancing around at the wrapping on the floor. While he was looking at her presents Anna noticed her blood stained shirt was sitting in plain view on the floor, she quickly moved her foot and kicked it under her bed.

"About half an hour," she said crossing her arms over her stomach subconsciously.

"Are you ok you seem kind of pale?"

"I'm always pale dad."

"Well paler than usual then."

"I'm fine dad, really."

"Well you told me to wake you up now so you could start lunch," Harry said.

"Yeah ok, I'm just going to get dressed and I will start," she said getting up.

"Ok I will back in about 3 hours, I just have to finish those 4 reports and I will be done. Ginny is still asleep, I don't know what you want her to do but I think it would be safer for everyone if she stays away from the kitchen. The hormones were bad last night. She was jinxing all my clothes to flash yellow, and wail, because I bumped into her in the living room," Harry said grinning. Anna laughed.

That morning Anna spent it preparing the food and setting the table, she, Harry and Ginny had decorated the house a few days before. Anna set the tables she was cooking for 40 people. She was amazed that were able to fit enough chairs in the dining room let alone 40 people but she had faith in her father. At 11 am Ginny came down the stairs, she took one look at the food in the kitchen and ran back up the stairs.

"Merry Christmas," Anna called up the stairs after her. Anna sighed and sat down, the turkey was cooking, the vegetables were cut up and the potatoes were in water, everything was set. She had nothing to do now. As she sat down she felt something in her pocket, it was the letter she hadn't opened yet. She put a finger under the lip of the envelope and pulled it out. Suddenly there was tapping on the window she looked up. There was an owl hovering outside waiting to be let in. She went over to the window opened it and the owl flew in followed by a whirlwind of snow. The owl flew onto the counter and stuck out its leg while Anna took the very heavy looking letter off it. As soon as she did it took off again. She went and sat back down. She opened the letter and read the short message inside.

Ms. Potter,

Here are some of my thoughts about the potion compare them to yours and send yours back to me. That way we can finish it sooner.

Professor Snape

Snape wasn't that stupid to send something like this through the post was he? She looked out the window and swear she saw a black figure disappear into thin air. Anna put the letter down and started to look through his notes. If Anna didn't know better she thought Snape gave her a Christmas present. He had made quite a bit of progress, Anna hadn't done as much. She spent the next half an hour looking through the notes. The other letter was all but forgotten about. The cooker shot sparks at her and she went back to making the preparations. Ginny finally came back downstairs looking slightly healthier. Ginny sat reading directions out of the cookbook for the desert while Anna walked around the kitchen making the desert. When Harry got back he joined in helping cook, or tried to.

Later that day people started to arrive, surprisingly everyone did manage to fit in the dining room. When Lupin arrived Anna took him up to her bedroom.

"Thank you for your present and the letter," she said putting her arms around his neck and kissing him lightly on the lips.

"I meant every single word," he said as he cupped her face and he deepened the kiss. Sliding his hands from her face on to her shoulders and down her back. His he lifted her shirt up slightly and went to run his hands over her stomach. He pulled away.

"What the hell—" he began. She looked down at her stomach the wound was starting to ooze blood, she looked up at Lupin's scared face. "Anna what happened?"

"I don't know," she said.

"What the hell do you mean you don't know. How can you not," he shouted. Anna looked up tears forming in her eyes.

"Don't yell at me," she said the hurt in her voice so clear Lupin looked ashamed at himself. "I had a dream last night, it was when Wormtail was going to stab me with the sword and then he kept changing into different people. The blood was pouring out of me and I was drowning in it. Finally my mum was there and she was speaking to me. Then I woke up and I found I had a cut the same size as the sword was. So no, I don't know how it happened," she said, while she had been speaking, Lupin had put his arms around her again. He wiped away the tears now rolling down her face.

"Ok, ok, don't worry, we will figure out why this is happening. It will be ok. I am here for you. I'm not going anywhere," he said trying his hardest to comfort her.

"I know, but can we wait until after Christmas day please?" She asked.

"Sure, whatever you want," he replied smiling down at her and kissing her forehead, then her nose then resting his lips on hers.

Lunch later was the first time everyone felt happy and relaxed. Everyone complemented Anna's cooking. She didn't know why she felt quite sick herself and hardly ate much. Maybe she had got what Ginny had, not that she was pregnant or anything. She just sat listening to the laughter and merriment something that was becoming rarer and harder to come by these days. People were having doubts Harry would manage to ever get rid of Voldemort. Which Anna was all too aware of. She knew she had to do more than help her father defeat Voldemort she had to help restore people's faith in good. After lunch when the men were clearing the dishes away, the women were sitting in the living room gossiping. Anna was catching up with Lily as she hadn't seen her in a while now she finished at Hogwarts.

When the little children started falling asleep on the floor people started to leave. Ron and Hermione, the Blacks and the Lupin's were among the last to leave. Ron and Hermione were about to put their children in the fireplace when a head suddenly appeared. It was Mr. Weasley.

"I just got news and was told by Dumbledore to pass the information on the all. Professor Snape has been killed." Mr. Weasley paused while everyone took this information in. "By a Death Eater. He apparently was being followed by one of the Death Eaters as some of them were unsure where his loyalties lay. There was an argument between them a while ago and it seems that the same argument came up again this morning and Snape was killed."

Anna stood in shock this couldn't be happening. Snape had never been nice to her but she felt a sense of loss. He was helping her fight. He was trying to help, to do some good in the world. She was going to have to do everything all by herself now. She needed the Professor. She looked around at everyone, Harry, Ron, Sirius Black and a few of the children, Lupin, Remus, Sirius, and Lily were looking as thought this news didn't mean anything to them.

"Oh Merlin," Anna said quietly looking back the spot where Mr. Weasleys face had been.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked her.

"Snape's died," she said looking at him incredulously.

"So?"

"So? Someone's has been taken from this world. Someone contrary to popular belief was actually on the side of good. Someone who was doing good in this world and all you have to say is so?" She shouted at them all and walked off up the stairs and sat fuming on her bed. It was true Snape was horrible to everyone, but he was helping Anna bring back peace to the Wizarding world. Anna sat in her room staring at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity. Until there was knock on her door did she even move. She turned her head and saw Harry his head sticking in the door. He had a pile of parchment in his hand. He put them on the bed by her feet and sat down next to her.

"Sorry about earlier but Snape was only ever horrible to us. It's hard to feel sorry for someone who hates you," he said. "It's not that we aren't upset he is dead, it's just that nobody was close to him."

"I know but I guess I saw him differently than everyone else. He was helping me, I got a letter from him this morning. He died a few hours after he wrote that," she said tears starting to form in her eyes. They sat talking and hugging for a long time that evening. It was 2 am when Anna went to sleep, exhausted from the days events. So much had happened in one day.