Chapter 7) Taunting

Selected Listening: Phantom Limb- The Shins

Anastasia went back to sitting with her friends but didn't speak as she reflected on Draco's reaction and the book he almost bought. He had been so defensive about what she heard she knew it must be true that the Malfoys were fighting.

"Something wrong?" Hermione asked as Anastasia slumped against the side wall of the compartment.

"No, it's nothing," she said, not wanting to divulge Draco's family drama to the others. Harry's eyes flickered to her briefly, but he didn't say anything.

The castle soon came into view, and they arrived at the station. As their group descended the steps, the Slytherins passed them, and Draco and friends began to make jeering ghost sounds at Harry and waving their fingers at him.

"How did they find out?!" Ron asked as they walked. "It was just us in the compartment."

Harry spun around to look at Anastasia, face fuming.

"You talked to him, didn't you?" he accused, "I thought you said you weren't friends with him anymore."

"It-it was an accident…" she tried, knowing it was hopeless, "I needed to talk to him about something else, but then it all slipped out."

"Anastasia…" Hermione whined at her.

"Why the bloody hell would you need to talk to Malfoy?" Ron chastised as they followed the crowd down the cobbled lane to the carriages. "Now Harry will never hear the end of this!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, really," she said genuinely.

Harry took a stilted breath.

"It's fine," he said shortly. "…not that I don't get made fun of enough."

"It's not fine. She's lied to us for years!" Ron shouted. "Lied about who she is, about what she knows, about who she's friends with! Honestly, who cares if she's Dumbledore's kid? I don't have any reason to trust her. Come on, Harry." Ron put his arm around Harry's shoulder and pushed him on. Harry glanced back to her guiltily. Hermione gave her a similar guilt-filled, pity-glance and walked on.

It was a satisfying feast and jovial sorting, but Anastasia could hardly enjoy them. That night, she lay in bed fending off nightmares. The vision of Albus, trembling. News Reports. Draco's words. Her friends disappointed expressions. They all plagued her.

In the morning, they gathered in the Great Hall for breakfast. Hermione insisted she sit with them even after Ron's comments the previous night. The Slytherins were still on about bullying Harry. Making cartoon ghost sounds and stupid expressions.

"Be quiet!" Anastasia called. "You're all awful." They laughed at her. Pansy smirked.

"Not sure why Potter's so scared of dementors when there's a real monster sitting right next to him," she remarked. Anastasia turned bright red. Draco's laugh stopped short.

"Anastasia's not a monster!" Harry yelled back.

"She's been healed," Hermione added. "That was the whole point of Newt's article."

"I wonder if you'll keep saying that when she gets angry and destroys the entire Gryffindor tower," Pansy wondered smartly.

Anastasia sunk down onto the bench. She hadn't failed to notice that Ron wasn't saying anything to defend her.

"I'm going to class," Draco said forcefully and shoved off. Pansy immediately gathered her things and ran after him. Crabbe and Goyle grabbed their pastries and straggled behind.

Anastasia sat down and covered her face in her hands. She couldn't remember the first obscurus, but the second never fully manifested. She wished she could remember how she was healed the first time, so at least she had some sort of evidence when people came asking.

Minerva came around to sort out their schedules. Third years had their choice of three electives beyond the core curricula. Anastasia chose care of magical creatures, arithmancy, and ancient runes, the two latter were needed for advanced alchemy studies. Ron and Harry chose care of magical creatures and divination. And Hermione, well, she chose everything.

"I couldn't pick between them!" Hermione said. "They're all intriguing."

"Yeah, but Hermione, the sessions overlap. Your timetable won't allow for it," Anastasia tried to let her down gently. Ron remarked that she would have to be in two places at once.

"But how will I ever know enough about the magical world to decide on a career if I don't at least try everything?" Hermione asked.

Anastasia smiled and shook her head.

"Here's your schedule, Dumbledore," Minerva said and handed her the parchment with a smile. Anastasia grinned. "Granger, I need to meet with you for a moment about your choices. Could you come with me please?"

Anastasia, Harry, and Ron all turned to Hermione to give her a teasing look. Hermione turned pale.

"Yes, Professor," she replied and scampered off.

Anastasia's first course was arithmancy. She said a swift goodbye to Harry and Ron, who were going to divination, and journeyed to Professor Vector's classroom on the seventh floor, which was close to Ravenclaw tower. She was surprised to find Hermione already sitting at a desk. Anastasia took the spot beside her.

"That was quick," Anastasia commented, "did Minerva make you choose something?"

"Um, yes," Hermione replied hesitantly, pulling out her parchment for notes.

"So?" Anastasia asked, "which classes are you taking?"

"Same as you," Hermione said.

"Oh, fantastic," Anastasia said delightedly. Hermione gave a small smile but said nothing.

They spent the hour listening to Professor Vector talk about how ancient mages determined the magical properties of numbers, and when the hour was up, it was time for them to go to transfiguration.

But when Anastasia looked up, Hermione had run off without her.

At first, she thought Hermione really needed the washroom, but when she exited the class and walked down the stairs from the seventh floor, she saw Hermione up ahead with Ron and Harry.

Anastasia didn't know how to feel. She supposed they didn't want to speak with her. And how could she blame them? She had lied to the boys for years and betrayed Harry by accident. How could they possibly trust her? When she arrived at transfiguration, there was still an open seat next to Hermione. Anastasia hesitantly walked over and stopped for a moment waiting for Hermione's reaction.

"Oh, hey Anastasia," Hermione said glumly and removed her bag so she could sit. It was as if they hadn't been sitting with each other the past hour. In fact, the three others looked like someone had killed their puppy, and the other Gryffindors were nervously jumpy, with Lavender and Parvati whispering rapidly.

"Hi…" Anastasia said slowly, side-eyeing her friend, "where'd you run off—"

"Did you hear what happened in divination?" Hermione asked.

"Well no, because we—"

"Trelawney predicted Harry's death, right there in class," Ron said, shooting her a glare as if it were an insult.

"The grim," Harry said stalely.

"Oh." Anastasia said. Her grandad didn't believe in those kinds of superstitions, but she had read enough about them to know it meant bad news.

"Yeah, so you better keep your distance unless you want to be the cause," Ron said bitterly.

"Ron what is your—" Hermione started.

"I'm not dangerous!" Anastasia told him. "I don't even know how to attack anyone. To be honest, I don't think I'd be very good at it."

Harry turned to Anastasia morosely and then to Ron, unsure of who to agree with, but they didn't have time to discuss further, because at that time, a tabby cat jumped onto the desk, launched herself towards the class and transformed into a fully formed Professor McGonagall.

The class stared at her without much enthusiasm. She had done it for them before, on their very first day of first year, but based on her disgruntled expression she didn't seem to remember.

"Honestly…usually that invites a little applause," the professor grumbled.

When the other Gryffindors explained what happened in divination, Minerva told them as tactfully as possible that Trelawny was known for theatrics, and Harry didn't have anything to worry about.

"See," Harry told Ron as they collected their things after class, "you're overreacting. Nothing's going to kill me…especially not Anastasia."

Anastasia passed him a grateful smile. Hermione patted her on the shoulder.

"Well, maybe not, but that doesn't rule out Sirius Black, and he's definitely after you!" Ron countered as they left for the Great Hall, now chatting as if things were normal again.

The rest of their lunch conversation involved what to do about Sirius Black. Harry told them that his uncle hadn't signed the permission slip to go to Hogsmeade, so that wouldn't make things any more complicated, but it was obvious that Harry was itching to go.

"It's safer this way," Hermione said. "You really can't take the chance."

"I'll stay back with you if you want," Anastasia offered. "I live here anyway. I can go whenever I want now."

Ron and Hermione also offered to stay behind, but Harry shook his head.

"No, no, you lot go have fun. Don't let me ruin it for you."

"Third years! Over here! Time for class!" Hagrid yelled, carrying a string of dead ferrets as a flag out the door.

The four looked at their friend and then each other, silenced.

"Well, here goes nothing," Ron said, and they all followed the crowd of students out the castle door. As they descended the hilly slope, Anastasia looked around.

"Where'd Hermione go?" she asked, whispering to the boys.

"I'm right here," Hermione said reappearing on her left as if she'd been there the whole time, but she looked a bit rattled, as if she'd been running a race all day. Anastasia frowned questioningly at her, but Hermione simply smiled as eagerly as she did whenever they began a new class and walked on.

Hagrid brought them into the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, not so far as he had a few years ago when attempting to find the unicorn killer, far enough so that the branches collected above them and filtered the light of the trees in patches on the ground.

While he went to prepare whatever was waiting for them, someone shouted.

"Dementor, dementor!"

Anastasia's head shot up as she searched the skies, breath hitching in her chest, but when she turned around, she found it had been Draco shouting. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were now laughing at Harry's scowl.

"It's not funny!" Anastasia shot at him. Out of all people, Malfoy shouldn't have been laughing at the situation.

"Ignore them," Harry said, taking her shoulder to shove her the other direction, but Anastasia brushed him off and stepped towards the Slytherin boy. Draco approached her with a glint in his eye.

"Aw, look. Dumblebrat's defending her little hero. What attracted you first? His faint or his shriek of terror?" Draco mocked. Several of the other Slytherins laughed.

Anastasia's face flushed bright red.

"We're-we're not dating, you numbskull," she harped in Draco's face before turning her attention towards the clearing with the rest of the class.

"Could have fooled me," Draco hissed in her ear. She refused to look at him, instead gripping her pendant and pulling the chain taut on the back of her neck so she could feel the metal roll against her skin. She didn't understand why his comment hurt her so badly, or why feeling his breath made her shiver.

Hagrid walked back to them, towing a large animal behind him and wearing his decorative boa of ferrets around his neck.

"Today, I have a real treat for you. Class, meet Buckbeak."

Hagrid brought a large, winged creature into the light on a lead. It had the head and wings of an eagle, and the body structure of a lion. Many students stepped back as Hagrid explained they were proud creatures who attacked if someone insulted them.

"Alright, could I have a volunteer to greet him—" Harry and Anastasia held their ground as the rest of the class backed off. Hagrid looked at the remaining students, "Harry, why not you first? Anastasia, you can go after if you'd like."

The students watched Hagrid talk Harry through bowing to the Hippogriff and waiting for a bow in return before approaching. Soon, Harry was soaring through the skies on the creature, and they couldn't see him at all.

"That's amazing," Anastasia whispered, shielding her eyes to the sun.

"It can't be that hard if Potter did it," scoffed Malfoy, now standing beside her.

"I'd like to see you try," Anastasia jaunted.

"Maybe I will," said Malfoy.

When the creature touched the ground, Hagrid swung Harry off its back and turned to Anastasia, but Draco already strutted forward.

"I'm not afraid of a ruddy chicken," he said.

But it was all wrong. Draco came at Buckbeak far too quickly, far too proudly, and insulted the bird again in a biting tone.

All at once, the hippogriff reared back and dashed down, striking Draco on the right forearm. Searing pain shot through Anastasia's wrist, up her elbow, and she grabbed it reflexively, holding her breath as not to scream.

Draco fell hard and whimpered on the ground in a rather lame fashion.

"It's fine! It's fine," Hagrid tried to say.

Hermione looked back at Anastasia, cradling her arm in shock, and then at the boy on the ground. They could see the blood seeping out of his sleeve.

"He has to go to the hospital wing!" Hermione said.

Anastasia watched in horror as Malfoy was whisked away by the half-giant. All the while, he blubbered about suing. Her eyes followed them worriedly. She pulled up the sleeve of her robe and found her own arm had turned maroon and throbbed faintly. Her friends approached and she tugged her sleeve back down.

"I guess class is over then," Hermione commented frustratedly.

"Serves Malfoy right for acting like he did…" Harry added.

"Freaking Malfoy, always ruining things. Why'd you have to dare him, Stasia?" Ron asked as they made their way back up the hill.

"I didn't dare him. He decided to do that himself," she said, keeping her sore arm pressed firmly to her stomach.

"Your words were, exactly, 'I'd like to see you try,' and then he did it," Hermione said with a half-smirk.

"I meant that sarcastically. I didn't think he'd actually do it," Anastasia defended. Hermione shook her head.

"Well, he did, now Lucius Malfoy is going to make sure Hagrid gets sacked," Harry jabbed.

"He won't. He can't." Anastasia said sharply. "I'll make sure grandad knows what happened. Leave it to me."

Anastasia ran up to her father's office immediately, using the front stairway this time. She burst open the front office door and ran up to the desk to find the surprised faces of Albus and Professor Lupin staring back ag her.

They were examining astronomical calendars and marking things here and there. Anastasia caught a notes section entitled "Days Snape Subs for DADA" along with snippets of October and November 30th.

The professors rolled them up rather quickly.

"Anastasia?" Albus asked. "We're in the middle of something…"

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, grandad, but Hagrid was trying to teach us about hippogriffs and Harry got to fly on one, but Malfoy was so rude it attacked him, and his arm got hurt, and Hagrid had to carry him to the hospital wing, but Malfoy is threatening to sue, and I don't think his injury is that bad, and it's all Malfoy's fault, so you can't fire Hagrid!"

She said it all at once in one great exhale, so that Albus and Lupin both smiled and began laughing.

"It's not funny. It was horrible," she said, tired of the adults not taking things seriously.

"I will not fire Hagrid, no matter what the Malfoys have to say about it. You told me what happened, and it sounds like there are other witnesses, so there isn't a worry there," Albus explained gently. "You say he's in the hospital wing?"

Anastasia nodded.

"I better watch out for this young Malfoy," Lupin said. "See you in class, Miss Dumbledore. We'll continue our conversation about our calendars later, Professor."

As soon as Lupin exited the office, Albus faced his daughter and embraced her as tightly as humanly possible

"Hey, hey grandad—Merlin, you're strong," she admitted. He loosened his grip but didn't let go.

"How is your arm?" the ancient man asked again as he pulled away. "Are you alright?"

Anastasia lifted her robe sleeve again, revealing her swollen wrist. Albus reached out and touched it gently. She winced and pulled her sleeve back down.

"I'm fine. It'll be fine. What's got you so worried?" she asked.

"It's just, I haven't seen you since…Skeeter's article…" he said thoughtfully. A doleful sadness twinkled in his eyes.

"Oh, grandad…" she started, "…she exaggerated, you know. Nothing she wrote in her article was how I actually meant it. It all came out so wrong."

Albus nodded, "good to hear." he said, patting her arm gently. He walked to his desk and collapsed into the chair, sighing heavily.

"What's wrong? You look so tired," she said.

"Read it." Albus handed her a separate sheet of parchment. She took it and unrolled it.

To: Headmaster Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore

From: The Law Offices of Archibald and Crane

This letter is written to inform you that you have been formally charged with child abuse and neglect by Tamara and Eli Cambridge. The maternal grandparents of Anastasia Holly Dumbledore are suing for full custody. You are to appear in court on December 1st. You have the right to a defense…

It continued with a myriad of legal terminology she couldn't understand.

"No!" Anastasia gasped. "They can't do this. Can they? I don't even know them."

Albus's head drooped.

"They are your closest living relatives after me. They can."

"But Narcissa's my godmother, can't she say something about it?" Anastasia asked. Albus looked up at her with a gentle smile from behind his glasses.

"She might, but with her reputation in the gutter right now, she's not in the position to properly defend me as a guardian. It doesn't help that she was the one who asked me to keep you in hiding all those years," he said honestly.

Anastasia took a breath in.

"They can't take me, grandad. This is my home, with you, here."

"Then…you might want to prepare to make that statement formally."