Chapter 60 - Promises

Anna woke up the next morning feeling, if possible, worse than yesterday. She could hardly talk and sounded like she was choking up internal organs when she had a coughing fit. The sun was not out when she opened her eyes, which she was thankful for. Even though it was dark in the Hospital Wing she had trouble opening her eyes.

She spent the day in the Hospital Wing sleeping. When she woke up later that day and looked over on the bedside table beside it was a card and a white rose lying on top of it. She smiled and picked up the card. On the front it was simply a heart with curly writing underneath saying: "You'll always have mine." She opened the card and read Lupin's messy script.

Dear Anna,

Happy Valentine's Day. I have to ask you something tonight.

Love you for always

Lupin

She put the card down and saw a bottle sitting next to the rose. It was a bottle that had a note attached to it. She picked it up and laughed hoarsely at the message. It was a potion that suppressed coughing. She drank some and her throat immediately felt less scratchy.

She fell asleep again and slept until she woke up with the very creepy feeling someone was watching her.

"Get enough sleep?" Lupin asked. She turned over and smiled at him.

"Hi," she whispered not being able to say anything louder.

"Feeling better?"

"Better now, I am," she said.

"Good because I brought dinner," he said and pushed everything on the bedside table to one side and laid out a napkin and took some food from his bag.

"Eww," she said when he started taking the food out of his bag.

"It's been wrapped up." He said rolling his eyes. "You're the one who takes a walk outside in the snow knowing you'll get ill. But you complain about things like food being in my bag wrapped up."

"Leave me alone," she croaked. He put the food out on the table and stared eating it. Anna tried to eat something but she didn't feel like it so she just ended up watching Lupin devour his food. When he had finished he rummaged in his bag once more. Anna looked curiously at what he was doing.

He pulled out a little box. Anna's heart was beating a million miles per hour. She felt a sweat break out on her forehead that had nothing to do with the fever. He didn't look at her as he examined the box in his hands. He seemed to be contemplating something. Anna was looking at the top of his head waiting for him to look up.

"Hey," she said as loudly as she could. He shook his head and looked up grinning, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously. However, there was sort of unknown fear in them as well, Anna could see it, she had looked into those eyes enough times. She never tired of them though. He held up the box, and handed it to her. Anna opened it breathing quickly. With trembling fingers she opened the box. Inside was a gold band with five small diamonds next to each other. She looked up at him for an explanation.

"It's a promise ring. We're only 16 and wizards and witches live for a long time so we have our whole lives ahead of us, but this ring promises you will be with me forever. I know I have told you this before but you mean everything to me. Will you wear it?"

Anna stared at the ring… she was going to have to break his heart.

"Lupin," she began. "I can't—"

"Why? Because of the war? And your involvement in it?"

"Well yeah," she said.

"You don't think I thought about all that? You don't think I think about that all the time whenever I am near you even more when I am not?"

"But—" she began.

"No listen to me for once," Lupin said sharply. "You are not going to die. I won't let you."

"Ok," she said shocked at his outburst. "Then can I have the ring back?"

"Why?"

"To put it on stupid."

Anna was drowning in her blood, her mother was looking at her speaking words Anna could not hear. She could feel the sword in her; it was going deeper and deeper. She couldn't breathe. She looked up and Snape was staring at her, he stepped aside and Ginny was standing behind him, tears running down her face, she was holding her large bump, James stood grinning at her next to him Lupin was staring at her.

"You couldn't save me, could you," Snape said his voice sounded as though he was right next to her. "You knew and you didn't do a thing about it.

"You knew I was going to die too," James said. "And you didn't do anything about it."

"I didn't know," Anna sobbed. "I didn't I swear."

"Don't swear, the baby will pick up bad habits. If you let it come into this world," Ginny said. "You'll let it be born won't you? You won't kill it like you killed me."

"How could you let me die? I loved you," Lupin said.

"I didn't let you die I didn't I love you, I love—"

Anna woke up with a start, sweating and her t-shirt covered in blood. She got out of bed and stood up. She fell back on the bed feeling light-headed. She shook her head and got back up grabbed her wand. She healed her self and went down to the common room.

It was still dark outside it was 4:30 am. She had no idea what dream meant, she made herself think she knew Ginny was still alive and so was Lupin but she never knew James or Snape were going to die. If she did she would have done something about it. She wiped away her tears but it was no good, all she needed to do now was cry. She sat alone on the armchair until Lupin, Sirius, Remus, Nicky, Chris and Kayle came down and they all went to the Quidditch pitch.

"Alright team, this is our last practice before the final game tomorrow," Remus started his speech. It was the last game of the season. Anna was hardly listening as Remus started his speech, she was still light-headed she was leaning heavily on Lupin his arm around her waist holding her up. She was trying to pay attention to what Remus was saying. But she was falling into an uneasy doze…

…She was watching Wormtail come at her with the sword he plunged it into her. She couldn't breathe; she was choking on her blood. Someone was saying her name. Over and over again she wanted to respond but she couldn't breathe…

"Anna! Anna…" Anna woke with a start. She looked around. Remus was glaring at her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep, I'm really sorry," she said putting her hand to her stomach and his face softened.

"I know my speeches can be boring but please try to stay awake for them," he said smiling slightly. They went out into the dark Quidditch pitch, the sun hadn't risen yet but there was a pale light in the sky. Remus had told Anna it would do her good to be hardly able to see the snitch. She was flying high in the air the wind was cold. It was getting too cold, she could hardly keep her eyes open. She was slowly losing consciousness. Anna was falling she through the air, helplessly unable to stop herself.

Anna woke up in the Hospital wing a few hours later. The sun was pouring in through the window. Madam Pomfrey was no where to be seen. Anna sat up and as though her movement had signaled the Matron she came in and over to Anna.

"How are you feeling dear?" she asked.

"Err—ok I guess… What happened?" She asked all she could remember was falling through the air.

"I am not entirely sure what I deciphered from Mr. Lupin's ramblings you fell of your broom," she replied and forced a potion into her hands. "Why didn't you come to me about your cuts on your stomach?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"I… how—I don't know," Anna said resigning to the worst. "I don't know why I have them and I don't know how to stop them."

"Well I don't know either but I think the reason you fainted this morning was because of loss of blood, tiredness, and pushing yourself to do too much. You need to relax, don't do as much," Madam Pomfrey said smiling kindly at her. Anna nodded but she knew there was no way she was going to do anything of the sort.

Later that day at lunch the rest of the team came in, Anna found out that she had fallen off her broom but Lupin caught her before she hit the ground. He had then ran to the hospital wing and stayed until Madam Pomfrey had kicked him out because classes were starting. He stayed all lunch and left only when Madam Pomfrey kicked him out again. A little while after that Hermione Weasley came in and sat in the chair next to her bed. It was during their conversation Anna realized she had found someone to help with the potion. But it was asking her that was the problem.

"Professor," Anna started.

"Anna, call me Hermione, we're not in class," she said.

"Ok Hermione, could you do me a big favor?" Anna asked.

"It depends what it is," she said smiling.

"Before Christmas Professor Snape was helping me make a potion do you think you could help me finish it?"

"Sure I could," Hermione said. "What is it for?"

"Well um… could we do it with out you knowing?" Anna asked hopefully. Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"No I think you need to tell me exactly what it is for," she said.

"Alright, it will bind Voldemorts soul to a pure one and then that person has to be killed and both souls will destroyed," Anna said.

Hermione was silent for a while, "Do you have an idea who the pure soul would be?" Hermione asked.

"Well I have an idea but I am not sure, they have to go fighting for the side of good. They have to have a pure and gentle hearted and things like that,"

"Ok so that rules out a few people, who do you think this would be?"

"I don't know," Anna lied. Hermione nodded seeming to size her up.

"Alright I have to go and report to your father. He is pelting me with letters every half an hour," Hermione said getting up and leaving.