Chapter 6

Snuffles and Cigarettes


November 3rd, 1993

Hufflepuff Common Room - Fifth Year Girls Dormitories

Dear Miss Cloud,

I hope this letter finds you well, I'm quite well and well hidden; also, I'm glad that you saw reason and didn't hex my bollocks off when you had the chance. It would be nice to have you come visit me where I'm hidden, I'll send Crookshanks with the location; but ask that you keep the information of my whereabouts to yourself; for not only my safety, but your own as well.

Sincerely, Snuffles

Anna snorted at the name that he had signed in place of his actual one, Vixen recognized the handwriting very well, and had told the blue eyed witch that it was Sirius. It had been Vixen's idea to make Sirius use an alias, in case their owl was intercepted during delivery.

After the events of Halloween night, where Sirius had thrown caution to the wind and had—not only—shown himself to the Fat Lady, but had attacked her as well; her portrait was still being mended from the damage Sirius had caused.

She was still hiding in the portraits on the third floor, so her portrait had been replaced with the portait of a knight and his fat steed, who were both as stupid as could be. When Hermione had retold the tale to Anna, Anna burst out laughing.

The entirety of Hogwarts was still on edge; even days later. It took some time for Anna to get her Housemates to calm down over the fact, hoping that she wasn't too suspicious in the fact that she was doing her best to help Sirius stay hidden and also keep him—somewhat—fed at the same time. Luckily, Anna had Crookshanks on her side, Hermione's bowlegged, fluffy ginger cat; who's face looked like it had run headlong into a brick wall and it had remained stuck that way.

When Crookshanks had found Anna in the library the day after Halloween, the pair had had a nice, long chat over the topic of Sirius, Vixen even came out to smile at Crookshanks and the feline had thanked her for something that had obviously happened in the past.

Vixen had simply winked and said, "I told you, you'd find her." with a bright, beaming smile.

Anna and Crookshanks had agreed that Sirius needed to be taken care of while he was in hiding, they couldn't risk another mass panic throughout the school. They had agreed that Crookshanks would be in charge of the food—that Anna nicked from the Kitchens—and relaying important information, which the feline had then reported back to Sirius with the plan and he had happily accepted after he congratulated them on their ability to fabricate a proper, rather well thought out plan on a whim.

It was difficult to keep her friends and Housemates in check when they were still in a mild panic over what had transpired on Halloween, even James had no idea why Anna was suddenly indifferent to the fact that Sirius Black, the infamous mass murderer who had been the first to ever break out of Azkaban, and not only break into Hogwarts, but attack the Fat Lady as well. She wanted so very badly to explain to him that Sirius was innocent, but Vixen urged her not to divulge the information until—she deemed—it was time.

Anna cast one of her Mirror Charms that hung midair above her bed, hanging in front of her and Spirit, as they sat on Anna's four-poster. "Why can't I tell James about Sirius, Vix? Why do I have to wait for a later time?"

Her reflection sighed. "Because, Hopper, if he knew you were helping Sirius, he'd go mental. You saw what happened after the fact." Anna sighed, as much as she hated to admit it; Vixen had a point.

The morning after Halloween, Dumbledore had suspended all classes for students—namely the Prefects—who had been up most of the night guarding the doors, to catch up on sleep. James had ultimately refused to let Anna sleep alone having asked her to join him in his dormitory. Anna tried to explain that she was fine, but James was having none of it, he all but insisted that she join him and when she finally agreed, James had refused to leave her side for the better part of the day when they had finally awoken, hours later, to head to the Great Hall for something to eat.

"What about Remus? I'm sure he'll understand."

Vixen sighed, scrubbing a hand down her face before she stared at Anna incredulously. "I wonder what Remus would think about you talking to Sirius, let alone talking about Sirius in the first place. Remus and Sirius haven't seen each other for twelve years, Hopper, he'd go mental, just like James would."

Anna sighed heavily and leant back, Spirit nuzzled in her lap and began purring softly. "I suppose you're right, Vix." Her eyes lit up. "What about Severus?"

Vixen rolled over and began laughing, only laughing harder when Anna glared at her, her nose twitching in irritation. "Severus and Sirius hate each other, Hopper, if Severus knew we were helping Sirius, he'd Avada us."

Anna sighed once more. "I suppose you're right, Vix."

Vixen grinned broadly before she winked as she said, "Bloody right I am."

Anna rolled and closed her eyes, letting out a frustrated huff. "So, we can't tell anyone that we're helping an innocent man, not only taking care of him, but also making sure he doesn't die of bloody starvation."

Vixen huffed. "I don't like it anymore than you do, Hopps, but it's absolutely necessary. However, I feel that he, at least, deserves something for today." Vixen said before she added with a smirk, "Now that I no longer want to throttle him."

Anna snorted a laugh before she opened her eyes and sat up, tilting her head to the side as she regarded Vixen with an air of confusion. "What do you mean, Vix?"

"It's Padfoot's birthday." The older witch in the mirror said, with a silent duh in her tone.

Anna jumped up, startled. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me sooner?!" She cried, searching the room for something to give Sirius for his birthday, doubting that he had gotten anything over the years while he was in Azkaban; she frantically dug through her trunk for something, anything, that she could give him, but she was drawing a blank.

What do you give a wizard who hasn't received anything for his birthday for twelve years? Anna thought to herself as she searched. It had to be worth it, but also simple and good at the same time.

"You have no idea what he'd like, do you?" Vixen asked as the suspended mirror turned to watch Anna frantically dig through her trunk. "You could always ask me, you know, after all; Sirius is family."

Anna mentally slapped herself as Vixen words cut through her, sinking in deep. She halted her frantic search and looked up at Vixen's reflection, smiling softly. "What do you think he'd enjoy, Vix?" She looked back into her trunk before she softly added, "I doubt anyone has given him a gift in the last twelve years, I want to give him something he'd appreciate."

Vixen smiled. "How about a carton of Muggle cigarettes?" She suggested before she cheekily added, "Or a bottle of Firewhiskey?" with a smirk.

"Where the fuck am I supposed to get those, Vix?" Anna snapped, halting her frantic searching once more to gaze up at the reflection with a light scowl.

"Well, your trunk for starters," Vixen said sarcastically watching with mild amusement as Anna paled. "We're the same person, love. I know you've started smoking, I know it helps. I'm surprised no one has noticed it yet, you sneaking off."

"I-it h-helps w-with m-my n-nerves." Anna stammered.

She was so stressed out now that she needed one.

"I'm sure he'll need one too, love. Go out and have one, Crookshanks will find you and take you to him, I'm sure he'll appreciate it. The firewhiskey that you hide at the bottom of your trunk will help calm his nerves the most." Anna growled, huffing as she blew a curly strand of blackberry hair from her eyes as she glared at Vixen's reflection, her eyes flashed a menacing blood red. Vixen sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "C'mon, Hopper, it's his birthday."

Anna sighed heavily, her blue eyes returning. "Fine."

She grabbed her carton of Muggle cigarettes and the stashed bottle of Firewhiskey that she kept at the bottom of her trunk, pocketing both before she flicked her wand to the suspended mirror that promptly vanished as she made her way out of the dormitory to go sneak a fag outside the back of the Greenhouses, Spirit going off to hunt with Mrs Norris.

Just as Vixen had said, Crookshanks coiled himself around her leg as she leant against the stone wall of the castle, one foot on the wall, exhaling the tobacco in her lungs as her frazzled nerves slowly calmed themselves.

She had picked up the habit when she had been spending the summer with James and his family. She hated being dependent on something so addictive, but it definitely helped calm her nerves and an addiction had grown rather quickly. Hell, she wasn't even old enough to buy the bloody things, let alone smoke them, but she didn't care. It was better than drinking herself stupid. Weaver and Holly knew about her stash of Firewhiskey and were trying their best to get Anna to slow down on the alcohol before their bonded sister drunk herself into a coma.

Anna turned and smiled down at the ginger feline, the cigarette hanging from her lip. "Hello, love." She smirked as she added, "I assume you're going to take me to Snuffles."

Crookshanks sneezed, though it sounded an awful lot like a laugh. "Yes, love. I'm going to bring you to him. Also, don't let my beloved Hermione catch you smoking those, she'd hex you." He replied as her back left the stone wall and she followed him to where Sirius had hidden himself.

Anna laughed as she killed the last of her fag in the soft dirt, crushing the last of the embers with the heel of her flats. "I know she will, but I have my reasons." The ginger cat took a sharp turn and Anna followed swiftly behind him.

"I know you do, love, but it's not healthy."

"At least I'm not drinking myself stupid anymore." The witch muttered under her breath.

"I'm glad you aren't, but smoking is worse." The feline said as they approached a cave near the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest.

"They'll both eventually kill you, Crookshanks."

"What will?" A voice said and Anna looked up to smile at Sirius as he led her inside the cave.

"Smoking and drinking." Anna replied as they sat down on the hard stone floor. There were discarded copies of the Daily Prophet everywhere on the floor.

Crookshanks began meowing. "Anna started smoking and from what I heard, she's been drinking too."

Anna winced, screwing her eyes tightly shut before she opened them to glare at Crookshanks. "Thanks for that." She said through clenched teeth. She turned to Sirius and sighed, taking out her fags. "But he's right, I've been stressed out a lot, they help calm my nerves." She looked like she was mentally preparing herself to be scolded by the wizard.

Sirius simply smiled, although there was concern in his slate grey eyes. "You remind me a lot of myself when I was younger, Anna."

Her eyes flashed violet as Vixen playfully glared at him. "Anna is nothing like you, Padfoot. The drinking and smoking, sure, but still quite far from being like you were."

Sirius beamed at her and winked. "Like you were any better, my dear sister-in-law."

"I drank and smoked for different reasons, Sirius." Vixen said sharply, narrowing her violet eyes, her nose twitching in irritation.

"I know, it's okay, Vix. I'm just teasing." Vixen sighed and opened the carton of cigarettes, pulling out two sticks. She passed him one, which he took after a moment of staring at it with wide eyes.

Vixen smiled when he wandlessly cast a hovering bluebell flame in his palm, lighting the fag and inhaling the tobacco with a sigh of what sounded like relief. She copied his movements, smirking when his jaw slightly dropped when she cast the wandless bluebell flame with her index finger. She exhaled the tobacco with a soft smile, gazing at her brother-in-law. "Happy birthday, Sirius."

Sirius stared at her, nearly dropping his fag in slight surprise. "Y-you remembered?"

Vixen let out a barking laugh. "Of course I did, you dolt. How could I ever forget my brother-in-law's birthday? Regulus practically drilled it into my head, not to mention my brother and sister did too. Remus included. Mia would've cursed me if I had forgotten." Sirius frowned at Remus's name, a look of shame and slight guilt crossing his sharp features, which did not go unnoticed by the violet eyed witch. "Why the look of shame, Padfoot?"

"I'm sorry, Vix. After everything you and Mia drilled into our heads, I should've believed it was Peter who was the traitor, not Remus."

Vixen flicked the ash from her fag and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, grounding him. "You probably thought Mia and I were mental when we drilled it into your heads that Peter couldn't be trusted, but I don't hold that against you, Sirius. However, Mia might."

Sirius sighed, scrubbing his free hand down his face as he flicked the ash from his fag with the other. "I know. She's gonna hate me, Vix."

Vixen smiled. "I know for a fact that my sister could never hate you, Sirius, she'll be pissed at you, yeah, but she could never hate you. You made a mistake, and I know a thing or two about those, just like you do." She nudged his side with her own, smirking at him when he turned to gaze at her with furrowed brows.

Sirius gave her a soft, genuine smile. "Thanks, Vix. I missed having you around, you were always the voice of reason."

Vixen grinned mischievously, her violet eyes flashing in amusement. "Not always."

Sirius barked a laugh. "No, not always, but often enough. Especially if we ever did anything stupid, I remember you'd yell at us for hours if we ever fucked up."

"Which you often did," Vixen interjected with a smug grin as she brought the fag to her lips for another drag.

He narrowed his eyes at her momentarily before he grinned. "Yeah, we did fuck up quite often, and then you'd yell at us for it."

Vixen grinned, giggling when she said, "Mia did too, if you don't remember."

Sirius laughed. "I remember, I still have the scar from her stray hex." He bent over to show the burn scar on the back of his neck. "Bloody witch burned me when we fought Regulus and them in your first year after they called Lily a you-know-what."

Vixen cleared her throat, her cheeks turning slightly pink as she averted her gaze. "Actually, you got that scar from me." She mumbled under her breath.

"Wait, I got it from you?" Sirius asked, turning to stare at her as though to find out if she were lying.

Vixen simply smiled and shrugged, a nervous laugh bubbling up in her throat. "Sorry about that, accidental magic. That was after I punched Reg in the face."

Sirius barked yet another laugh. "That was a fun day, although I nearly broke my hand on the fucking train because of you."

Vixen grinned, mischief flashing in her violet eyes as she looked up at him through dark lashes. "What can I say, my dear brother-in-law, you were too slow."

"I have a question," Sirius blurted after their laughter died down. "Is your Animagus form still the same?" Vixen grinned, killing the last of her cigarette on the stone before she shifted her position and transformed, the blackberry furred timber wolf sat before him. He grinned. "I guess that answers my question. Why did you become an Animagus in the first place, Anna?"

She shifted to human form once more and Anna's blue eyes were bright as she smiled at him. "Because of my friend."

"You mean the boy you grabbed when we were hiding on Halloween?" Anna nodded. "What about him?"

"He has the same condition Remus has." Anna answered matter-of-factly.

"He's a werewolf?" Anna nodded before she checked her watch, she sucked in a sharp breath and jumped to her feet.

"Shit! I'm late for class with Mum! She's gonna Avada me!"

Sirius quirked a brow, his grey eyes flashing in confusion. "Mum?"

"Minerva, she adopted me." Anna explained quickly as Sirius stood with her, after he killing his own fag on the unfinished stone.

"Minnie McGonagall is your mum?" Sirius asked before he let out a laugh.

Anna grinned, her eyes flashing in amusement. "I didn't think anyone else called her Minnie, besides me."

"She used to hate it when I called her that." Sirius said with a smug grin.

Anna's blue eyes flashed violet as Vixen grinned. "I remember that." Sirius and Vixen shared a laugh.

Anna's blue eyes returned, with a heavy sigh, she reached into her pocket and held out the bottle of Firewhiskey for him to take. "Here, I want you to have it. Consider it my birthday gift to you."

Sirius stared at the bottle held out to him and he took it after he hesitated for a moment, surprising her when he pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you." He whispered.

She hugged him back, whispering, "Happy birthday, Sirius." in his ear with a smile. "We didn't want you spending another birthday alone."

"Thank you, little witch."

Anna smirked as they pulled away from one another. "Not so little anymore, if we're being honest." She said as she turned on her heel and left the cave, the sound of Sirius laughing in her wake. The sound made her smile.


November 11th, 1993

Great Hall

It had taken a while for the school to calm down in regards to Sirius Black breaking in, but soon enough the usual routine continued and the Lot were busy with a surprise for one of their own.

It was Irys's 15th birthday and the Lot were currently planning a surprise party for their white-haired friend.

The boys—with Peter in charge, as Irys was his girlfriend—took care of the gifts, while the girls—save for Anna—took care of decorating the Common Room. Tilly was busy in the kitchens, baking a cake for Irys after Anna had asked her. When she told her House-elf friend that it was Irys's 15th birthday, Tilly had responded by widening her big, tennis ball blue eyes and then proceeded to swat Anna's arse out of the kitchens, reprimanding the witch for not telling her sooner before she got to work on baking.

It was Anna's job to keep Irys distracted until the Common Room was ready. However, it was hard to keep Irys distracted. Vixen huffed that Irys was most definitely like her father, although she had quite a few of her mothers loving qualities.

Vixen's eyes lit up before she worried her lip, while Irys was a wonderful Secret Keeper, she loved to gossip just like her mother, Cecilia, did. After all, Cecilia worked for the Daily Prophet with a short gossip column of her own, just as Vixen suspected she would have. However, in order for Irys to be surprised, Anna took over with a gentle smile as she spotted Irys's star-white hair immediately when she entered the Great Hall. The rest of the Lot were getting things ready, Anna had nearly searched the entire castle, but was relieved when she found Irys at the Hufflepuff Table, having second helpings of pudding.

Anna smiled as she sat down next to her friend. "Hey, Snow. Second helpings?" She asked, quirking a brow and letting out a giggle when Irys glared at her momentarily, her nose twitching. Anna reached over for a napkin and wiped a bit of frosting from Irys's nose and the corner of her mouth.

"I deserve it, Hopper." Irys said, irritable.

"You okay, Snow? You look upset." Anna said, placing a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder.

Irys sighed and her usually bright blue eyes turned sad. "You guys forgot, didn't you? None of you mentioned it today."

Anna frowned, the guilt began to eat at her. Irys was right, they hadn'teven wished Irys a happy birthday at all that day. The girls usually woke Irys on her birthday by attacking her with pillows and shouting about her birthday. However, she had a part to play and if she wished Irys a happy birthday now, it would ruin the surprise. She needed to change the subject, quickly so Irys didn't linger on her sadness. Anna suddenly gasped as realization flooded her. "Irys! Are you stress eating again?"

Irys looked like a first year caught out after curfew. "Yes. Sorry, Hopper."

The blackberry haired witch frowned, squeezing her friend's shoulder. "Don't apologize, Snow. However, I do have something to tell you. However, you have to swear to keep it a secret. Finish your pudding and we'll go for a stroll."

Irys's eyes lit up in slight hope as she nodded and finished her treacle tart. Anna almost laughed at Irys's haste to finish eating before the pair stood and left the Great Hall, walking out into the Courtyard. "What did you want to tell me, Hopper?"

"You have to swear not to say anything about it." Anna said with a tone of seriousness.

Irys grinned and held up her wand. "I, Irys Ishstar Bones, swear upon my wand and my magic as a witch to never reveal what I learn in the next few minutes without your permission." She tapped the wand to her shoulder and the tip shone red momentarily, sealing the oath. Anna nearly burst into tears at the fact that her friend had so willingly took a Wizard's Oath to keep her secret, even if it wasn't that big.

"I know you and Peter have been shagging, but I wanted to tell you privately that I know why you were embarrassed. I would've been embarrassed too." Irys flushed an interesting shade of crimson. Anna took a deep breath before she blurted out, "I had sex with James."

"WHAT?!" Irys shouted, Anna slapped a hand over her mouth quickly to silence her.

"Merlin, do you want the entire bloody castle to know?!" Anna hissed, relasing Irys's mouth after a moment. They continued walking as they made their way to the Greenhouses. Anna took out her fags.

Irys, Weaver and Holly knew that Anna had begun smoking, they had caught the witch one day after Herbology, sneaking a fag. Weaver had been able to smell the tobacco with her Animagus sense of smell and had investigated, finding Anna leaning against the stone wall, trying to hide the cigarette as she covertly blew out the smoke in her lungs. Weaver and Holly both understood why Anna had started, Irys had needed to have things explained a bit before she understood.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me sooner, Hopper?" Irys held out her hand as Anna passed her a stick. Irys, Holly and Weaver had begun smoking because of Anna, after they had caught her; they had promised not to say a word to the others if Anna passed them one, which Anna had begrudgingly agreed.

"'Knew you'd lose your shit, I suppose." Anna muttered as she mumbled a spell and a tiny hovering bluebell flame started up in her palm, which Anna used to light her fag before she held it out to Irys, who did the same.

"Who else knows?" Irys asked as she exhaled the tobacco.

"Pads. 'Blurted it out by accident one night while we were chatting in the Common Room." Anna said with a laugh.

"How did she react?" Irys asked, quirking a brow as she brought the fag to her upturned lips once more.

"She wasn't exactly shocked, more excited. 'Said she knew that James and I had been shagging." Anna said with a laugh.

There was a long, comfortable silence that had fallen between the pair as they gazed out into the approaching evening, the dying sunset cast a bright orange glow over the Greenhouses that brought a sense of tranquillity and peace over the pair. The view was beautiful and Anna knew she would never tire of it.

Irys broke the silence after a while of silence. "I think we all figured it out at one point, Hopper." She said, Anna turned to glance at her in confusion. "I just didn't expect you to be so forward about it, if I'm being honest." Irys added as she took a drag.

Anna laughed as she took a drag of her own cigarette. "I didn't know how else to tell you, Snow."

"Say, why did you tell me?" Irys asked, turning to look at the blackberry haired witch, after she flicked the ash from her fag.

"At that point, I was just trying to cheer you up." Anna grinned, casting a sideways glance at Irys, who momentarily glared. Anna shrugged and added, "It worked." with a sly grin.

"Fuck off, Hopper." Irys laughed as she killed the last of her fag in the soft dirt, Anna followed suit before the pair cast an Air Filtering Charm on themselves to rid themselves of the smell and they returned inside.

Anna caught the familiar scent in the air as they approached the Entrance Hall doors. She turned slightly and caught sight of James, giving her a thumbs up and a cheeky grin before he vanished; Anna grinned. "Let's head back to the Common Room," Anna said cheerfully, linking her arm with Irys, who laughed and followed after the witch.

They entered the kitchens where Tilly was working on some pastries, although it wasn't Irys's cake, which meant that it was ready and waiting in the Common Room. Tilly caught Anna's eye and smiled, Anna's eyes flashed violet in silent appreciation and Tilly bowed her head in reply.

They approached the portrait of Helga Hufflepuff, who was beaming with barely contained excitement. "Puffapod." Anna said with a bright grin. Helga beamed and nodded, swinging inwards to allow them entrance.

When they entered, the entire Common Room was dark, which was odd since the hearth was always going and there were fairy lights that always floated, making the room always look romantic and magical. Anna was impressed, whatever the girls did to get the fairies to extinguish their lights for a brief period of time, she needed the secret to that and told Vixen to remind her about it later.

Suddenly, the hearth roared to life, the fairy lights returning to bounce around Anna and Irys. "SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY IRYS!" Everyone shouted when the lights came on. Irys's eyes were wide and her smile kept growing, she looked on the verge of tears.

Anna took the chance to look around the Common Room; she grinned, the girls had done well. There were white, black and yellow streamers strung all around the room and Anna recognized Holly's beautiful script on the large yellow banner that hung above the stairs that lead to the dormitories.

The girls had outdone themselves with the decorations and Anna found them in the large crowd of Hufflepuffs who were rushing Irys with words of praise and happiness. She nodded her head to them in approval in regards to the decorations, Holly, Mia and Clover grinned happily, glad that she approved, while Weaver looked smug as she turned her eyes to James.

James approached Anna and engulfed her in his arms. Suddenly, Anna was glad that Irys had suggested the Air Filtering Charm, otherwise James would smell the tobacco that clung to her robes without a problem. Anna spotted a large table of gifts to the far side of the Common Room and she smiled. "You guys really outdid yourselves." She said into her boyfriend's chest. "Please, tell me you guys got her reaction on camera? This is well worth a spot in the photo album."

James simply grinned, kissing her temple softly.

Anna turned when she caught sight of slight movement that was running to Irys, it was Peter. Anna watched with a soft smile as Peter engulfed his witch in his arms, picking her up and spinning her around before he kissed her sweetly.

Irys looked at a loss for words as she took in the room once more. "Y-you guys," Irys stammered, she looked so happy. "I-I don't know w-what to say." She placed her hand over her heart as Peter released her, she turned to Anna who was grinning, her eyes flashing violet in amusement to Irys's reaction. "You knew about this, didn't you?"

Anna laughed as her blue eyes returned, letting go of James to link her arm with Irys's once more. "We'd never forget your birthday, Snow. It was my job to distract you while they set everything up," she said before she added, "which I have to say, I'm impressed." with a sideways glance to their friends. Irys threw her head back and laughed before she threw her arms around Anna's neck, giving the blackberry haired witch the biggest hug she'd ever received from her white-haired friend.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Anna smiled thoughtfully and hugged her back, just as tight. "Happy birthday, Snow."


November 13th, 1993

Hufflepuff Common Room

Anna was pouring over her Charms homework in the empty Common Room. Everyone was already in bed, it was well passed midnight but Anna wasn't worried; after all, it was the weekend. The night of the new moon, which meant that James would be down to join her soon. In the weeks following her initial visit to Sirius's hideout, she had visited him more often; bringing him food and clean water, courtesy of Tilly and the House-elves. Thankfully, Tilly never asked questions and the House-elves usually followed her lead. They knew Anna had a hard time when she was asked far too many questions; it would lead to a panic attack.

On the days that she couldn't visit, she sent Crookshanks to bring him food and a letter offering her apologies for her absence. They grew into a simple routine of letters and visitations that worked around Anna's already busy schedule of classes, Quidditch Practice and her Prefect duties.

Anna could hear someone moving around in the dormitories and she smirked as she recognized the familiar female footsteps. Sure enough, Anna smirked at the sight of Mia sneaking down the stairs to nick a snack from the Kitchens.

"Hungry?" Anna asked calmly.

Mia nearly tripped over the Aztec rug in front of the fireplace with a silently shouted, "Jesus Christ!"

Anna threw her head back and barked a laugh as Mia caught her balance with the fireplace mantel.

The Aztec rug had always been an issue with the female part of the Mischiefous Lot ever since Tonks had graduated. Tonks had always tripped over the rug by accident, after she graduated; Holly had continued the tradition. She had begun by purposefully tripping over the rug until she began tripping over it without even trying. The rest of the girls had begun tripping over it by accident at one point or another as well. Anna had begun the joke that Holly had cursed the rug into tripping them, which the redhead had adamantly denied. Even Anna had tripped over the rug by accident on occasion, however, it made her smile to hear the first-years laughing at her clumsiness.

"Hey Red," Anna grinned at her short-haired friend.

"You scared the fucking shit out of me, Hopper!" The witch exclaimed quietly.

Anna grinned broadly, a hint of a smirk playing in her features. "Nicking food from the kitchens again, are we?"

Mia scoffed as she plopped into the armchair across from the blackberry haired witch, tossing her short raven hair over her shoulder. "You do it too, Hopper."

Anna snorted. "I know, but it's not stealing if Tilly and the House-elves know that I get hungry when I'm studying."

"Charms homework?" Mia asked as she looked over the table at the work Anna had completed in the past couple hours; Anna nodded with a nervous laugh. "You aren't usually one to fall behind, Anna; Weaver, sure, but you? Never."

"I forgot," Anna said as she scratched the back of her neck, making her already messy mane look a touch worse. "'Have a lot on my mind lately with Quidditch Practice, classes and my Prefect duties."

"I know, Hopper. You should know that I'm not as naive as everyone else, which means that I know you've been smoking." Mia said as she took Anna's hand and gave it a squeeze in silent support. Anna sucked in a sharp breath.

"H-How did you—"

Mia grinned and tapped her nose. "Fox." Anna huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she leant back in her seat. "Don't worry, I won't tell the others, but you owe me a fag."

Anna turned to glance at Mia with hard blue eyes that flashed violet. "You don't smoke, Red."

Mia sighed as she watched Anna's eyes return to their ocean blue hue. "Not until recently," she said, silently adding. "Al's fault." Anna snorted a laugh.

"I wondered how long it would take for you to get into the habit with Al as a boyfriend." Mia grinned and shrugged. "How about we both nick some food from the kitchens? All this studying has made me hungry anyways." Mia laughed and stood, Anna following swiftly as the pair of witches linked arms and left through the portrait hole, waking Helga's portrait.

"Really, you two? Snacks at half past midnight?" Helga grumbled, her eyes were bleary and full of sleep.

Anna giggled. "Sorry, Helga, I was studying and you know how Mia is." Helga smiled as she rubbed her eyes, nodding thoughtfully. "We won't be long."

"Alright, dears."

They grabbed their snacks quickly with Tilly's help to find them, after she lightly scolded them for being out of bed after hours. Fred and George Weasley snuck into the Kitchens from the corridor, Anna suspected that they had snuck down from the Gryffindor Common Room, they were doing the same as Anna and Mia. Tilly went off to lightly scold them afterwards, much to Anna and Mia's amusement. The pair returned to the Common Room with their snacks in hand to find a silhouette sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace. Judging by the state of his messy honey-brown hair and the fact that he was looking at Anna's discarded homework; it was James.

At the sound of the portrait hole closing behind them, he turned and smiled at them. "Moony!" Mia exclaimed, nearly dropping the snacks in her arms. "What are you doing awake?"

Anna smiled. "Jamie has trouble sleeping on nights like tonight, nights of the new moon, I mean." James nodded at Anna's explanation. "I brought you a couple snacks, love. I figured you'd be awake when we got back." She moved to sit next to him and handed him a chocolate covered pastry, which he happily accepted, kissing her cheek gratefully. Mia took the end of the sofa, turning towards them before she crossed her legs and tucked into her own pastries.

Anna began eating and the Common Room grew into a comfortable silence as the three ate.

"Were you working on Charms?" James asked after he swallowed his final bite of chocolate, breaking the silence.

Anna nodded as she chewed, she held up a finger as she swallowed. "Yes, I was. Charms homework, I forgot about it with the quick change in the Prefect duties the other day."

James smiled and kissed her temple, pulling her into his lap and adjusting her so she was seated comfortably. She smiled and went on to another pastry. "Studying really does make you hungry, doesn't it, Hopper?" Anna laughed quietly and nodded as she chewed.

She swallowed once more and smiled at her boyfriend, pinching his cheek affectionately. "Always."

The three shared a laugh as Mia finished eating her pastries and bid the pair goodnight before she made her way up the stairs to bed. Anna and James stayed up a little while longer, snuggling on the sofa after Anna returned her homework to her dormitory. She was laying on his chest, staring into the flames as they danced around, listening to the steady and strong beating of his heart.

"You okay?" He asked, moving the hair from her face as she craned her neck up to look at him, his other hand rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"Yeah, I'm okay, just been stressed out lately, is all." He kissed her temple affectionately.

"I love you, you know that, right?" Anna smiled, placing a gentle kiss above his heart.

"I know, love. I love you too." She could feel his smile as he kissed her forehead tenderly, his lips lingered on her forehead for a while. Anna felt safe, at home in his arms.

She snuggled further into his warmth and promptly fell asleep.

James chuckled at the small puffs of breath coming from her, indicating sleep and he let her rest, knowing she needed it. He buried his nose into her curls and breathed in deep, the scent of orchids, Sugar Quills, parchment made him sigh in content.

However, the lingering scent of tobacco that he picked up caught him briefly off guard.

It hadn't been there before, that lingering scent and it mildly worried him, but he had caught the tail end of her conversation with Mia before the pair had went to the Kitchens. His worry dissipated to concern, he had no idea that she was struggling so much that she had begun smoking, he knew from Weaver and Holly before they had joined him at the Manor that Anna had nearly drunk herself into a coma one night when the pain of knowing what happened to her parents became too much.

It was his job to take care of her, and he was failing.


November 15th, 1993

Fifth Year Girl's Dormitories

Anna yawned as she stood and stretched from her seat near the window, she was nervous about the hearing before the Wizengamot, a little over a week away. She'd been waiting nearly nine months for the hearing. She made her way to her four-poster and climbed in, tucking herself in as Spirit jumped up and approached Anna, tucking safely into her side before she yawned and fell swiftly asleep. Anna's blue eyes slowly closed as she fell into an uneasy slumber.

Late into the night, the screaming Anna was causing startled most of the girls awake. Anna's screaming had startled not only Irys, but Weaver as well—who was used to Anna's screams—the pair had been so badly scared that they had tumbled from their four-posters. Holly and Mia jumped to their feet at the ruckus with their wands drawn on one another before Holly realized what was happening.

"Anna!" Weaver exclaimed, jumping to her feet only to fall back face first onto the floor once more at the first step; her foot was trapped in the tangle of sheets. "Fuck! Hols, wake her up!" She cried as she tried to free her leg. "Gently!" She exclaimed as an afterthought, remembering how Holly had panicked the first time this had happened.

Holly nodded firmly and ran to Anna's side, after abandoning her wand on her four-poster. She reached over and gently shook the crying witch. "Anna! Wake up!"

"Is Hopper okay?" Mia asked, she looked horrified.

"How long has this been going on?" Irys asked, though her tone was slightly demanding. She was as white as her hair, her blue eyes wide with fright.

"She has nightmares," Weaver said as she approached them, her leg finally free from the confines of her sheets. "She's been getting them for a while."

"Guys?" A soft voice spoke and the girls turned their attention to Anna, who's eyes were softly opening to reveal stormy grey depths. Holly smiled at Anna softly, gripping her hand tightly as the tears started spilling over Anna's cheeks. Weaver went around Anna's four-poster and encased the witch after she slowly sat up.

"It's alright, love. You're safe. We're here." The ebony haired witch whispered as Anna turned and buried her face into the crook of Weaver's neck.

"It was bad," Anna whispered as she sobbed into Weaver's shoulder, holding onto the witch tightly as though she were her lifeline.

"I'll say," Mia said with a slight smirk and a hand on her hip before she sat down at the end of Anna's four-poster, Irys joined her with a grin as the pair tried to lighten the mood. "You scared Pads and Snow so badly that they fell out of bed." All the girls laughed and gave silent sighs of relief when Anna cracked a smile.

"I'm sorry, I frightened you all." Anna whispered after a moment, her eyes turning downwards.

"You don't need to apologise, Hopper." Irys said with a smile.

"We understand," Mia said, a knowing look in her green eyes.

Anna smiled as her eyes shifted back to their bright blue hue, the girls all visibly relaxed at the sight.

In that moment; all was well.


November 18th, 1993

Fourth Floor Corridor - Near the Charms Classroom

Anna was walking down the corridor on her way to the Great Hall for lunch, Charms had just finished and the corridor had quickly emptied, leaving Anna alone. She sighed to herself before she felt Spirit jump on her shoulders. She smiled. "Hello, love. Catch anything?"

Spirit meowed in response. "Yeah! I caught two mice, Mrs Norris caught a rat and Crookshanks caught a beetle that was running away!" She said excitedly and Anna grinned.

"Good for you, sweetheart." She said before she caught a familiar scent in the air that made her stomach turn violently and she paled. Vixen growled, Anna could feel Vixen's magic gliding over her skin like protective armour. That could only mean one thing. . .

Travis.

"Anna, we need to talk." She heard a male voice say and resisted the urge to whip around and throttle him.

"Go away, Bloodwell." She said sharply, not even bothering to look at him as she felt him approach further. If she turned to look at him, she would most definitely slap him.

Hard.

"Please, just hear me out." She could hear the begging tone in his voice, but she wasn't falling for his shit this time around.

"I don't want to hear what you have to say, Bloodwell. You shouldn't even be anywhere near me right now." She snapped and began walking faster, but growled when he caught he wrist and held firm, ignoring the way she winced.

"For fuck sakes, Cloud. Just bloody listen!" He snapped and spun her to face him. She snarled at him, her Animagus instincts taking over, she could feel when her eyes shifted to red.

"What do you want, Bloodwell?!" She growled, her eyes flashing violet. Merlin, how she wanted to throttle him right now.

How dare he put his hands on her after everything he did to her!

"I know the hearing is soon, but please, can you be lenient?" Anna was caught off guard by his request, her blood began to boil at his audacity.

She freed her wrist from his grasp with a sharp twist and slapped him hard across the face, turning his head to the side at the mere strength of it. "Why the fuck would I be lenient with you after what you did to me?!" She shrieked. "You turned my friends against me, you assaulted me, you ruin everything Bloodwell! Why the fuck should I be lenient?!"

"Please, A—"

"No!" She screeched. "I will not let you get away with what you did to me, Travis! People like you deserve to rot in Hell!"

He growled at her and drew his wand, but she was just as quick on the draw, she knew full well that this could get ugly and fast. "Fine!" He shouted. "I've tried to be nice to you, but if you want to be an annoying little Mudblood bitch, than I can gladly help you with that!"

Anna growled. "I'd like to see you fucking try, Bloodwell." She snapped, her eyes flashing to a menacing blood red.

She heard loud gasps from the end of the corridor and caught the familiar scents of her girl friends.

"Anna!" She heard Mia shout.

"You want to see me fucking try?!" He shouted. "Fine! Sacare!" Anna yelped and ducked as a jet of red light flew past her head, narrowly missing her.

"You have shit aim, Bloodwell!" She heard Weaver shout from down the corridor, a barking laugh in her tone. She was mocking him, which wasn't the best idea if Anna and Travis had one another at wand point.

"Leave her alone, Bloodwell!" Holly screeched, Anna could hear her fiery dark red hair sparking in fury, she could already see Holly's emerald eyes blazing in a rage.

"Livor!" Travis shouted, his wand aimed at Anna's heart.

"Look out!" Clover screamed, the sound of rushing footsteps weren't fast enough as Anna screamed and red painted the corridor floors.


Hospital Wing

"Where is she?!" James shouted as he entered the Hospital Wing with the boy half of the Lot in tow. The doors banged against the walls violently in his wake, his eyes flashing gold in an absolute rage.

"Mister Summers!" Minerva shouted, her tone scolding. "I expect you to have a proper tone of voice when you enter the Hospital Wing!" She snapped at him as he approached the older witch.

James took a deep breath as his golden eyes subsided to show frightened soft green irises. "My apologies, Professor, but please, where's Anna? The girls told me Bloodwell attacked her."

Minerva frowned. "Anna is resting, Madam Pomfrey is doing everything she can to heal Anna's wounds. The girls told me what happened after they brought her here." James noticed the lines of worry on Minerva's face, the witch looked much older now than she had during Transfiguration earlier that morning when Anna was fine. "My own daughter, attacked by the very same Slytherin in the castle corridors. Had the girls not arrived with Anna when they did, I fear . . . Anna may not have made it."

Poppy stepped out from behind a closed curtain, her hands were covered in blood. Peter, Cedric, Amos and Thomas turned green at the sight, knowing perfectly well who the blood belonged to. Al looked furious at the sight of Anna's blood, he'd seen it before, but not like this. James could smell it, the scent on her hands from where he stood, not just the blood but a familiar scent. Anna.

"She'll be alright, she just needs to rest." Poppy said to Minerva, who let out a loud sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Poppy." She said, making to grip the matrons hands in gratitude but the sight of Anna's blood on Poppy's hands made her turn slightly green.

"Can we see her?" Al asked quietly, everyone turned to the Storm Heir.

"Are you sure, dear? She doesn't look to great at the moment." Poppy said, a look of uncertainty crossing her features as she glanced at Minerva.

"We're sure," the boys said together and Minerva nodded to Poppy, offering silent confirmation.

Poppy nodded solemnly. "Alright, dears, but let her rest. She needs it. Poor dear has been through a lot."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey." James said, a look of slight fear crossing his features.

The mediwitch took a deep breath and opened the curtain. The boys collectively gasped at the sight of Anna's torso covered in bloody bandages, large purplish black bruises marred the otherwise perfect flesh of her face and most of her neck, vanishing beneath the bandages. Her blue eyes were closed and her breathing was ragged and shallow as she slept, a look of uncomfortable pain crossing her features.

"She was badly cursed," Minerva spoke up as she placed a hand on the werewolf's shoulder after she noticed the silent tears running down his cheeks that he quickly swiped away with the sleeve of his uniform. "She's very lucky to be alive."

"Fuck," Al whispered as he took a seat next to Anna, taking her hand but quickly pulling away when she flinched in pain.

"How long will it take her to recover?" Cedric asked, looking to Minerva and Poppy with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Poppy frowned. "I can't be too sure that she'll ever fully recover or ever be the same after today," she said solemnly. " Slytherin tried to kill a Hufflepuff today, and not just any Hufflepuff, but one we're all rather fond of. She's very lucky to have survived this long. She'll be spending the evening in the Hospital Wing so I can keep an eye on her progress."

James growled as his eyes flashed gold and he turned away from the sight of Anna's marred and unconscious form. "I'll be right back."


Entrance Hall

"Bloodwell!" James shouted as he spotted the Slytherin in the Entrance Hall. "You fucking prick!" Travis turned around just in time for James's first to connect with the side of his already reddened face when Anna slapped him, the power of the punch knocked him back as he clutched his jaw tightly before he licked the blood from his lip, his eyes flashing in anger when he tasted copper. "What the fuck did she do to deserve nearly fucking dying?!" The werewolf shouted.

"What the fuck, Summers?!" Travis shouted.

"Don't play fucking stupid, Bloodwell! I know what you did to Anna!" James was furious, his witch was currently in the Hospital Wing, fighting to survive after what Travis had done to her.

Travis growled. "I taught the little Mudblood bitch a lesson!" The Slytherin shouted. "That little cunt ruined my life!"

"I'm about to make it a lot fucking worse!" James growled as he launched himself at Travis, throwing as many punches as he could, hitting every part of Travis that he could reach. Travis was throwing punches of his own, trying to get the Hufflepuff off of him.

"Mister Summers! Mister Bloodwell! What is the meaning of this?!" A Professor shouted, James and Travis stopped brawling to look at Professor Snape, with no shame in their eyes to what they were doing.

"He put Anna in the fucking Hospital Wing! He almost fucking killed her!" James shouted, he was still furious and he wanted to punch the prick some more, this little arsehole had nearly killed Anna; his Beta, his best friend.

"I'd advise you to lower your voice with me, Mister Summers." Snape said, although James caught the slight look of fear that briefly flashed in Snape's eyes.

James heard someone gasp and turned to spot Weaver and Holly staring at him with identical wide green eyes. He could only imagine what he looked like at that moment, he probably looked crazed with quite the amount of bruises to go with it.

"Brawling like common thugs in the Entrance Hall, both of you should be ashamed of yourselves, let alone someone from my own House." Snape drawled, glaring at Travis, who shrunk under Snape's gaze. Snape had never been quite fond of James or Travis, he believed Anna deserved better than a werewolf. He wasn't fond of Travis either for what he had done to Anna to begin with. "Both of you are banned from Hogsmeade and detention for the pair of you. Mister Bloodwell, go wait for me in my office while I escort Mister Summers to the kitchens." Travis stood and glared at James before he left for the dungeons. "Mister Summers, follow me."

James stood and sighed, following after Snape. "He almost killed her, Professor. She's fighting for her life right now." James said, he turned to look at Holly and Weaver, but was surprised to see that the Sprout Twins had vanished.

"I will visit Miss Cloud later on, I'm sure Poppy is doing everything she can to make sure Anna survives." Snape said, he looked worried, but he quickly masked it after a mere moment.

"He needed his arse kicked for what he did to her," James muttered under his breath.

"While I agree that Mister Bloodwell deserved to be punished for his actions towards Miss Cloud, I'd advise that it was unwise to handle the situation yourself."

"His cheek was already red before I punched him, I think Anna slapped him." James muttered, albeit smugly and he brightened up dramatically when Snape cracked a smile. "He could've killed her and you heard what he called her." James added as the tears that had threatened to flow freely since he left the Hospital Wing began to sting his eyes. He swiped his eyes violently with his sleeve.

"I heard everything, Mister Summers, and I swear that Mister Bloodwell will be punished severely for what he has done."

"It's so close to the hearing, the girls told me that he wanted her to be lenient about her testimony, but she refused and he attacked her for it." James said as the tears began to slowly slide down his cheeks.

"James," Snape said, halting the boy in the corridor in front of the kitchens. "It is not your job to punish those who deserve it, while I understand that you were making him pay for what he did to Anna, it is not your job to defend her."

"Of course it's my job, Professor!" James exclaimed, his eyes flashing gold as he momentarily glared at Severus. "She's my witch, and Vixen is like my sister! Both of them are suffering right now because of him!"

At the mention of Vixen, Severus winced. His best friend had nearly died today and if James had not told him, he probably never would've known about it.

"I'm sure they'll survive this ordeal, Mister Summers."

"They're family, Severus. I-I don't know what I would've done if I had lost them both." James sobbed as he covered his face with his face.

Severus put his hand on James's shoulder, unsure what else to do in calming down an overly protective who had nearly lost his best friend. "They're my family too, James. Both of them. I promise you that Mister Bloodwell will be severely punished for what he has done today and I will be taking this matter up with the Wizengamot when I speak to Miss Cloud." James looked up at him through his hands, sniffling quietly and Severus felt bad for James at the brief sight of his watery gold eyes that looked so saddened by grief, fear and the inevitable. "I swear on my magic." James cracked a small smile that made Severus return it.


Hospital Wing

Anna's eyes slowly opened to reveal a violent shade of turquoise, she looked around as Weaver, Holly and Irys gasped at the sight of her eyes, hands flying to their mouths and sadness creeping up on their features.

The last time her eyes were that colour was when she awoke in the Hospital Wing in their second year when Anna fell through the ice on the Black Lake. When she had nearly drowned.

It had been Travis who had saved her life back then, and now she was back in the Hospital Wing because he had tried to kill her. She tried to remember the curses he had used, but her memory was still fuzzy as she groaned from thinking too hard. Merlin, her head was pounding.

It was evening if the darkening of the windows were any indication. The entire Lot, except for James, surrounded her. Anna had thought that James would've been at her side immediately, especially if she was wounded. However, she saw no sight of him, but she did faintly catch his scent in the air, meaning he had been there at one point. The smells in the air were quite dominating, mainly the smell of copper; a lot of it by the overpowering smell that overcame her overly sensitized nose.

"Merlin, Hopper, we didn't think you'd wake up." Weaver said, gently taking Anna's hand from the seat on her right. Anna flinched slightly, but Weaver held on, refusing to let go.

"What happened?" She asked, her memory was still quite fuzzy and it hurt to think too much.

"Bloodwell nearly fucking well did you in, kitten." Al said through clenched teeth.

"Where's James?" Anna asked, crying out in pain when she tried to sit up.

"James is still in detention right now." Holly said, her expression hard and full of hatred, though Anna figured she was pissed about what Travis had done to her. Amos was massaging her shoulders to try and ease the tension. He did this whenever Holly was upset, trying to silently calm down his witch before she blew up in an uncontrollable rage.

Anna gaped at her in astonishment. James was in detention? What on earth for?

At her look of surprise, they explained. "Moony beat the shit out of Bloodwell and Snape caught them brawling Muggle-style in the Entrance Hall." Weaver said, she was tense. "Holly and I saw the whole thing."

Anna gasped at the news and winced as her torso spasmed.

"Try not to move, Anna." Peter squeaked from behind Irys, who was sitting in the chair on Anna's left, his hands were on her shoulders, one of Irys's hands was holding one of his. "Madam Pomfrey said she had to do a lot of work in order to make sure you survived."

"McGonagall was furious last we saw her." Clover chimed in, hugging a book tightly to her chest.

"Moony and Bloodwell are banned from Hogsmeade, we'll let James know that you're awake. When we came to visit you, he was mumbling and pacing the corridors on his way to detention. He looked like all hell broke loose." Amos said, his hawk-like yellow eyes showed worry.

Weaver grinned. "Bloodwell looked worse than James, trust me." Everyone laughed.

"What colour were his eyes, Pads?" Anna asked, a tone of utter seriousness in her voice as she looked to Weaver.

"They were gold, Hopper." Weaver said, gently rubbing the pad of her thumb over Anna's knuckles.

Anna's stare hardened. "Warn him that I'm gonna throttle him when he comes to visit." The Lot laughed as Anna tried to smile.

"We will."

"Someone should let Madam Pomfrey know that she's awake," Irys said, looking to the rest of the Lot.

"I'll do it," Clover said as she tightened her grip on her book and made her way to Madam Pomfrey's office at the end of the Hospital Wing.

"Please tell me that James won the fight." Anna said after Clover was out of earshot. Clover would've throttled her had she said that in front of her.

Weaver, Cedric, Thomas, Al and Mia laughed. "Moony beat the crap out of Bloodwell, last we saw him; he had a black eye, a split lip and a bunch of other bruises. Moony didn't look twice as bad as Bloodwell did." Thomas said with a grin as he wrapped his arms around Weaver's waist. Anna had barely noticed the fact that Weaver was sitting on his lap in the chair to her right.

"Bloodwell had a large red mark on his cheek when he ran from you." Weaver said and Anna grinned, but winced. "It looks like a bruise now."

"I slapped him hard before we drew wands." Anna said, her eyes flashing violet mischievously and the Lot laughed loudly at the revelation.

When Clover returned with Madam Pomfrey, the matron ushered the Lot to leave the Hospital Wing for the evening as it was well past curfew and they all obeyed. Weaver and Holly gave Anna's hands a gentle squeeze beforr they left for the evening.

Poppy spent the better part of an hour, redressing Anna's wounds and ushering her to try and sit up, which Anna couldn't without crying out in pain. "Get some rest, dear. You're very lucky to have survived." She left to return to her office after that.

When Anna knew Poppy was out of earshot, she closed her eyes.

You okay, Vix? Vixen came into view in her mind and Anna repressed the urge to gasp in shock at how Vixen looked. Holy shit, Vixen! You look like—

Shit? Yeah, I know. Don't remind me. She laughed dryly before she coughed and rubbed a hand down her face as she plopped down on the ground, Anna joined her, having a feeling that her own injuries would match Vixen's identically. I'm fine, we're alive, aren't we?

We nearly died, Vix. Anna said, solemnly.

Vixen frowned. I know, Hopps. But we didn't, we survived.

Anna let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her neck and blowing her bangs out of her eyes. I suppose I look like shit too? Vixen let out a barking laugh, nodding in confirmation. I guess you were right when you said what happens to one of us, happens to all of us. Vixen frowned once more and nodded.

I tried to protect you, Anna. Vixen said as she drew her knees to her chest and hugged them tightly.

Anna frowned as she put a hand on Vixen's shoulder. We're alive, you did protect me, Vix. I'm probably still alive because of you. Vixen sighed as she gripped her head tightly with both hands.

I wasn't fast enough to protect you completely, Anna. We could've died! Anna growled and swatted Vixen upside the head, both wincing at the light sting. Vixen grinned. What happens to one of us, Anna growled and began to pout petulantly before both girls began laughing. Anna sighed as the laughter died down. Are you really going to throttle James? Vixen asked, turning to glance at the witch next to her.

Anna ground her teeth together irritably. Yes. Yes, I am. As much as she hated Travis, it wasn't Jamie's job to take care of her. Now we can't have our usual date in Hogsmeade this weekend, since the sorry sod got banned from the village. She added, pouting petulantly and Vixen grinned.

I'm sure one of the guys will bring you in his place, Hopper. Anna grinned.

Perhaps Vixen was right, the entire Lot knew that James and Anna spent the Hogsmeade weekends in the village and with James banned from the village, either one of the guys would take her, or the girls would make a girls weekend out of it.

Either way, she was definitely going to throttle her boyfriend for getting himself into trouble, or better yet, throttle him for getting himself caught.