Chapter 48 - St Mungo's
He saw the snake. No, he was the snake. He saw Mr Weasley on the floor of the Ministry, bleeding profusely. He felt the hunger, the bloodlust. It felt so real and yet, the visions felt so garbled. Waking up from his bed in the Gryffindor tower in the middle of the night screaming, being sent to Grimmauld Place afterwards, it all felt like a blur to him. Listening to the Weasley siblings argue with Sirius over visiting St Mungo's Hospital to see Mr Weasley, sitting at the dining silently with bottles of butterbeer as everyone calmed down, Harry could still feel a slight pain on his forehead.
A part of him wondered if he truly was the snake, a concern he brought to Sirius. His godfather tried to explain that he was only suffering from the aftereffects of the… he supposed vision was an apt word to describe the experience, but Harry was not reassured. Nonetheless, Sirius was correct when grimly stating that it was a good thing he had that vision, Harry was able to bring news to Dumbledore about Mr Weasley being attacked. The man might have been dead if not for him. Still, he was unable to sleep for the rest of the night.
The next day, they visited St Mungo's. Grimmauld Place had not been connected to the Floo for decades and there were too many people to side-apparate without someone winding up in St Mungo's as patient rather than visitor. Fred and George offered but Mrs Weasley flatly refused. In the end, Mrs Weasley did her best leading them via the Muggle Underground to the hospital, escorted by Tonks and Moody.
St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The place was an eye-opener for Harry, who had never been to a medical facility - both Muggle and wizarding - outside of Hogwarts' Hospital Wing. It had been a relief to see that Mr Weasley was fine, the man seemed nonchalant about being ambushed by Voldemort's snake, Harry could give Mr Weasley credit for that.
However, as the children were promptly shooed out and the adults had their private conversation about the attack. Fred and George decided to give out the Extendable Ears they had made and Harry felt his gut drop as he eavesdropped on the conversation.
"The boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake. Obviously, Potter doesn't realise what that means, but if You-Know-Who's possessing him-"
Sleep evaded him the following night as he tried to process the revelation. The idea of Voldemort taking over his body repulsed him to the core and as he woke up the following day, there were bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep. The holiday break had officially started and Harry could not feel any of the cheer, choosing to lock himself up in his room.
It took an intervention with Hermione - who finally came to Grimmauld Place with the holidays officially starting - and the other Weasleys to bring Harry to the realisation that he was never the snake. Visions, yes, but complete possession by Voldemort, outlandish. With Sirius actively doing his best to decorate Grimmauld Place, Harry slowly felt his spirits rise. It was hard not to be affected by his godfather's infectious joy. When Christmas finally arrived, Harry was happily opening his presents with the other Weasleys.
"Broom Compass, nice one Harry," Ron grinned, lifting up the present Harry gave him. "Chocolate Frogs? Fred, George, you'd better not have given me jinxed sweets."
"No problem," Harry replied, unwrapping an oddly shaped present. "Woah, what is- Sirius, what did you give me?"
"Huh? That's not mine," Sirius raised an eyebrow, sitting comfortably on a couch with eggnog in hand. "Remus and I gave you a Defence book, you just unwrapped that one minutes ago."
Harry looked back at the odd gift sitting on his lap. It was a series of wooden tokens the size of galleons, a hole in the tokens allowed a single cord to link them together. Intricate runes were carved on the tokens, all beyond his understanding. He searched for a note and eventually found one.
In the event you can't cast a Shield Charm -Anya
"That looks odd," said Sirius cautiously. "What is that? Mad-Eye checked all the incoming presents for curses so it's likely safe."
"Oh, it's safe," Harry grinned fondly, running his thumb across the runes.
"She gave you that?" Sirius blinked, deciphering the smile on Harry's face. "Looks handcrafted, that's amazingly thoughtful of her. What's its purpose?"
"Shield Charm substitute, I think," Harry replied.
"Runic defences?" Sirius whistled. "That's DMLE Hit Wizard standard issue when I was in the war."
"Runic defences?" Hermione repeated, her interest piqued as she walked across the room, abandoning her gift unwrapping. "Can I have a look?"
"Sure," Harry chuckled, humouring his friend's academic curiosity as he passed the trinket.
"Did you get her anything?" Sirius asked.
"I sent Hedwig," Harry replied softly. "Hope she manages to find wherever Anne's living."
"Harry, these runes are way beyond what we learned in Hogwarts," Hermione exclaimed.
"With her Triwizard performance, I'd expected so," Ron commented, looking over Hermione's shoulder. "That's cool, loads better than Percy, he sent mum's sweater back, the tosser."
Receiving Anne's present back from Hermione, Harry immediately tied it to his belt like an accessory, deeming it the most practical way of wearing it. After opening their presents, they had their Christmas lunch before Mrs Weasley organised another trip to St Mungo's to visit Mr Weasley. With their presents for Mr Weasley loaded into a car that Mundungus Fletcher had obtained, Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys set off for St Mungo's, this time escorted by Lupin and Tonks.
Mr Weasley had been ecstatic, graciously accepting his guests and presents with smiles. However, matters quickly escalated once Mrs Weasley found out that her husband had been 'dabbling in Muggle remedies'. Harry could not have been more glad to find an exit from that mess.
"Stitches, absolutely mental," Ron shook his head as they tried to find the tearoom, climbing up the steps. "Then again, that's dad."
"I wouldn't fault someone for trying alternatives," said Hermione thoughtfully. "Mind you, those do work well on Muggle wounds but I guess there's some magic in the snake venom that melts away the stitches."
"Hold it," Harry pointed at the sign 'SPELL DAMAGE' as they left the staircases. "We still have one more floor."
"Yeah," Ron nodded, pointing his finger at a figure in the corridor. "It would explain that nutter wandering over there."
"Ron!" Hermione said reproachfully. "That's Professor Lockhart."
"I'm not wrong," Ron defended himself, his ears reddening slightly with guilt. "Yeah, he's here because of my wand - and Merlin, do I feel bad about that - but in my defence, he was trying to wipe my memories and Harry's too."
The blonde ex-professor stumbled his way over to the trio, smiling goofily and he flourished a quill in his hand.
"Hello there, are you my fans?" Lockhart asked happily. "I guess you'll all be wanting my signed photos, here you go."
"Even without his memories, he's still a nutter," Ron muttered, begrudgingly accepting the signed photograph of Lockhart on his hospital bed. "Guess it's in his base instinct."
Harry suppressed his laughter as he accepted a signed photograph while Hermione jabbed Ron's side, causing the redhead to wince slightly. Behind Lockhart came a motherly looking Healer, hurrying over to the group.
"Oh, Lockhart you naughty boy," she admonished gently. "You know you shouldn't be leaving the ward. Come on, back to your bed, your visitors will be right behind you."
Lockhart nodded dumbly before returning to one of the rooms along the long corridors. Sighing to herself, the Healer turned to face the trio with a gentle smile.
"He hardly gets any visitors nowadays. It's awfully sweet of you three to visit on Christmas," said the Healer. "Come on, I'll lead you to his bed."
Sharing looks of hesitance, Harry and his friends reluctantly followed the Healer, choosing to avoid an awkward explanation. As they entered the hospital ward, they were greeted with various patients on beds, most of them unresponsive.
"We'll give Lockhart a minute or two of our time and then we'll leave immediately, yeah?" Ron muttered.
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "I don't fancy spending my time here."
They sat beside Lockhart's bed as the man himself began spouting various anecdotes about himself. Ron's judgement had not been wrong, even without his memories, Lockhart was still quite the same. Looking around, Lockhart was the most lucid patient. Many of the beds were empty, with just a handful of patients in the wards. An old lady sat on her bed upright, looking around and occasionally barking. A middle aged man laid on his bed, his face scarred by what Harry could only guess to be a potions accident. The man was drooling, his eyes bearing a hazy look, but at least he had guests sitting beside them, doing their best to communicate with the addled man.
"Broderick, your Christmas gifts, a lovely pot plant and a new calendar. Why, these ought to brighten up the place," the Healer said, presenting the gifts to a patient opposite of Lockhart. "And you, miss, I'm sorry but he's not too responsive at the moment. He has a long way to go before full recovery."
"Oh no, it's quite alright," an auburn haired lady sitting beside the patient smiled gently. "I would be surprised if he's already capable of speech, his accident was quite nasty. Here, I'll help place the plant."
"Thank you. And yes, it was quite the nasty accident, happened in the Department of Mysteries," the Healer nodded sympathetically. "Well, I'll leave you be then."
The lady gave a quiet reply before turning to face the mumbling patient while the Healer left the room. At the door, three men entered the room, their eyes scanning the beds.
"Can all visitors kindly leave the room," the tallest of the three spoke,
"What?" one of the visiting wizards replied. "It's not even close to closing hours."
"Magical Law Enforcement Patrol," the man pulled out a badge from his robes. "We have Ministry business to do."
One by one, the visitors left the room. Harry felt his shirt being tugged, he turned to face Hermione.
"Come on," said Hermione. "We should get going."
"Alright," Harry followed his friends. "But why would the MLEP be here?"
"I highly doubt that's our concern," Hermione replied, stepping out of the room as the door to the ward behind them closed shut.
They eventually found the tearoom where the rest of the Weasley siblings were, all of them taking refuge from Mrs Weasley's yells. Soon, Mrs Weasley collected them, having vented her ire at her husband. As Harry tailed the Weasley family back to the car, a familiar face grabbed his attention. He nearly missed it, her face seemed like a blur, a tug in the back of his mind pushing him to ignore her presence. However, there was not a chance he would ever fail to notice his sister.
"Anne?" Harry asked in disbelief, lagging behind from the Weasley family.
"Merry Christmas," Anya smiled lazily, her hands placed snugly in the pockets of her jacket. "Never thought I'd see you here."
Slowly, Anya's figure became more solid and his mind could finally register her presence properly. Harry approached his sister and gave her a hug, receiving an amused snort in response.
"Merry Christmas," Harry replied softly, silently thanking the good fortune which managed to bring Anne here.
"Is this why you weren't on the train to King's Cross?" Anya asked.
"Yeah, there was an incident with Mr Weasley. I got to leave Hogwarts before the holidays proper," said Harry as he slowly frowned in confusion. "But why are you here?"
"Errands," Anya shrugged.
Harry took a step and looked at Anya's face, checking for any sign of tension and exhaustion, he found none. Still, Harry felt his gut twisting, hoping that her errands were not a euphemism for something more sinister. Already, he could feel the beat of his heart slowly raise.
"Oh… are you still busy?"
"Nope," Anya shook her head, turning as she began walking down the corridor to the exit of St Mungo's where the Weasleys were. "Just got it done minutes ago. Come on, I'm leaving this place as well."
Harry silently heaved a sigh of relief, the building tension in his body dissipating as he matched his sister's steps. He took another look at Anya, she certainly did look relaxed, her eyes were watchful of the surroundings but she always was. It was a familiar semblance to the time they spent together in the summer. An idea passed through his mind as he thought about the summer holidays.
"Uh… Anne."
"Hmm?"
"You… do you want to come along?" Harry rubbed the back of his neck as he asked. "I'm spending the holidays with Sirius."
For once, Anya looked slightly unsure, the smallest bite of her lower lip barely noticeable. She met Harry's eyes for a second for averting them to the side, a tiny sigh of her own escaping through her lips.
"Come on," Harry urged gently, hoping Anya would not flatly refuse the offer. "It could be just for a day, Merlin knows I would enjoy spending a Christmas with you. Heck, I'm sure Sirius would be glad to see you."
"I don't know Sirius that well to brave a meeting with him," Anya grinned humourlessly.
"True, why would you even know Sirius?" said another voice.
Anya paused in her steps, coming to a stop as she stood completely still. Harry turned around and his eyes widened in shock. For all the clumsiness that seemed to embody her, Harry did not even notice Tonks sneaking up behind them. It was a stark contrast from the young woman content with amusing them on the dining table with her Metamorphmagus abilities. Here, her countenance was stone cold, her wand aimed firmly on Anya's back.
"A friend of yours?" Anya asked Harry neutrally.
"Y-yeah," Harry nodded, turning to Tonks. "Hey, Tonks, you don't need to draw your wand."
"Who are you?" Tonks ignored Harry, eyes locked on Anya's back with her eyebrows furrowed, looking as though she was trying to solve a puzzle.
"Anya Seryy, Hogwarts student," Anya replied calmly. "If it means anything, a friend of Harry."
Tonks slowly circled to the front, Harry looked between Anya and Tonks, trying to think of a way to diffuse the situation. Already, the Weasley were coming over. Mrs Weasley was busy holding back the youngest of her children while Lupin had surreptitiously drawn his wand, assessing the situation.
"Name doesn't sound British," Tonks commented coolly, locking eyes with Anya.
"It's not," Anya replied.
Harry could detect a slight twitch in one of Tonk's eyes as the Metamorphmagus took in the new information. Tonks looked at Anya with a small grimace before giving another comment.
"Have I seen you before?"
Harry felt his heart nearly skip a beat in the mounting panic. He knew well that Anya went well beyond the unlawful line of the world, but if she somehow ended up on the opposite side of the Order, Harry could only imagine the slew of problems. However, she was not on Voldemort's side, so it should be fine. But then again, what side was she on?
Anya simply answered the question with a tilt of her head and a shrug.
"Not sure if wands should be drawn in open public," said Anya, eyeing the wand in Tonk's hand.
"If you happen to know anything about Sirius Black," Tonks replied coldly. "Then it warrants a drawn wand."
By then, the others had arrived, now standing behind Tonks who had placed herself firmly between Anya and Harry.
"What's going on here?" Bill, the eldest of the Weasley siblings, asked with his wand hand in pocket. "Tonks?"
"She happens to know about Sirius," Tonks replied with a whisper.
Bill's eyes widened in recognition as he took in Anya's features, having been present with the rest of the Weasley family when Sirius revealed Anne in the Hospital Wing after the Triwizard Tournament.
"Tonks, please," Harry reached forward in an attempt to pull her wand arm away. "It's fine, seriously. Sirius knows her personally."
Tonks' eyes narrowed with doubt as she pulled her gaze off Anya, her eyes flicking to the other Order members for a second opinion.
"Uhh… Harry's… right," Bill gave a slight sigh of exasperation. "Sirius knows her."
"How is it that you know this and I don't?"
Bill's eyes met Harry before cursing softly under his breath.
"Go ask Sirius yourself about this," Bill muttered awkwardly. "I'm not allowed."
Tonks looked at the others. Lupin seemed just as confused as her. The Weasleys had all decided to avert their eyes, suddenly finding the floor and ceiling very interesting. It warmed Harry to know that the Weasleys stuck to the promise Sirius gave them after the Triwizard Tournament.
Finding herself at a complete deadend, Tonks scrunched her face in annoyance. She looked at Harry evenly, as though weighing the decisions in her mind.
"You sure about this?"
Harry's immediate nod prompted Tonks to sigh, pocketing her wand as she backed off. Despite the situation having de-escalated, Tonks still held a look of suspicion, constantly observing Anya.
"I'm not too sure about coming along," Anya commented idly before dropping her voice to a whisper. "Especially if that's the reception I'm receiving."
"Come on," Harry nudged his sister. "Give it a shot, Sirius will want to see you and I want to spend some of Christmas with you as well."
"Fine," Anya relented. "Lead the way, I guess."
"It'll be fine with her coming over, right?" Harry turned to the adults.
"Well… the place belongs to Sirius," Lupin replied neutrally. "If he's supposedly fine with it, then I see no problem with this young lady coming along."
"Sweet," Harry grinned, tugging Anya along as everyone resumed their path to the exit.
The older Weasleys were glancing at Anya with a mix of weariness and curiosity. The younger Weasleys, who had seen her enough times during the occasional DA meetings she attended, were not bothered with her presence. Hermione, on the other hand, seemed more than fine with Anya.
"I saw the present you sent Harry," said Hermione. "Did you make that yourself?"
"Yes, you probably learn it during your NEWTs," Anya replied nonchalantly as Hermione began her attempt to dissect the inner workings of Anya's mind regarding the runic trinket which now hung on Harry's belt.
"Did you get my present?" Harry asked softly, trying not to get in the way of Hermione's rambling.
"Yeah," the corner of Anya's lips twitched upwards. "It was nice."
"Remind me to give Hedwig some extra owl treats," Harry smiled, satisfied with himself as they left St Mungo's.
It surprised everyone to find Mad-Eye Moody leaning against the car Mundungus had provided them. He was as still as a statue, though his eyes - both magical and mundane - were darting around as if expecting an ambush.
"Mad-Eye?" Tonks asked her old Auror mentor. "What are you doing here?"
"Securing the area," Moody growled, jerking his head towards the car. "Get the rest in, quickly. Something bad's afoot."
"What do you mean?" Tonks asked, now surveying her surroundings as well.
"I was patrolling the area and my pocket sneakoscope, along with one of my dark detectors, went off," Moody grunted. "Quickly, Remus, get them in. I'll take the rear guard and run interference if need be."
"What's going on?" Ginny asked, looking at the adults.
"Nevermind that, Ginny," Mrs Weasley said hurriedly. "Come on, get in. You too, Harry."
Harry found his sister and himself pushed into the magical expanded car by a worried Mrs Weasley. Ron and Hermione soon followed, as did the rest of the Weasley siblings.
"Merlin, you think something bad happened?" Ron asked, trying to get a view of the adult.
"Obviously," said Hermione. "Remember back then? With Professor Lockhart? The MLEP chased us out of the room."
"Shoot, we should let them know," Ron muttered. "Oy! Fred, you heard Hermione?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll pass it on. Hey, Tonks!"
"Did you see anything while you were in St Mungo's?" Harry quietly asked his sister.
He did not like her response one bit. Although he knew that was a defining part of Anne, he hated it when his question was met with that enigmatic look. Knowing more about Anne sometimes made him wish he knew less, or that Anne grew up the way she was supposed to.
"Are you sure you don't need a second man?" Harry heard Tonks ask the retired Auror.
"No, just get in the car," Moody jerked his thumb. "Also, I don't have time to ask about the lass you brought along, so keep an eye on her."
"I will."
"Constant vigilance."
The trip back to Grimmauld Place was tense. Lupin, who was driving the car, constantly looked at the rear mirror. Tonks, who sat at the back with Harry, had her wand drawn the entire time. Even Bill and Charlie were on edge, looking out the windows. Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when they finally reached Grimmauld Place.
"Come on," Mrs Weasley hurried her children out of the car. "Quickly enter the house. Harry, you'll need to grab her so that she can enter."
Harry nodded, moving over to hold Anya's wrist as they approached Grimmauld Place. As they crossed the threshold and into the house itself, they found Sirius sitting in the dining room, casually reading a copy of the Daily Prophet. The bustle of the small crowd pulled his attention as he looked at the Weasleys.
"How was Arthur?" Sirius asked as he noticed the expression on nearly everyone's faces. "Did something happen?"
"Mad-Eye picked up a bad scent," Lupin answered. "You've got a guest as well, Harry says you know her."
Seeing the slightly confused look on Sirius' face, the crowd parted ways to reveal Anya standing beside Harry. Sirius stared at the girl in surprise, blinking several times in disbelief. Finally, he got up for his seat, making his way towards Anya.
"How have you been?" Sirius asked.
"Fine."
"I'm sorry I haven't been keeping in touch with you," Sirius smiled apologetically.
"It's alright," Anya brushed off the apology. "There isn't really any need to."
"Still, I'm glad you're here, for Christmas too," Sirius gave his goddaughter a quick hug before doing the same for his godson. "How in Merlin's name did you even find her, Harry?"
"Saw her in St Mungo's," Harry grinned sheepishly.
"Why were you in St Mungo's?" Sirius frowned, looking at Anya.
"That's a private matter," Anya replied evenly.
Harry did not miss Tonks narrowing her eyes in suspicion at Anya's calm and evasive response. Sirius, on the other hand, allowed the matter to drop.
"Well, I suppose a tour of this dark, miserable place is in order," Sirius clapped. "Come along, Harry and I will show you around. You could stay for dinner as well, unless you've other places to be."
Anya looked around, silently considering her choices.
"It's no trouble staying here, dear," Mrs Weasley chimed in. "I can easily cook for one additional person."
"If it's not too inconvenient, thank you," Anya nodded stiffly.
Harry smiled brightly, watching as Sirius began leading Anya around the house. He felt a nudge on his shoulder and turned around, receiving a warm smile from Mrs Weasley.
"Go on, I'm sure it'll do all three of you some good to spend time together," Mrs Weasley said encouragingly. "It'd be much better than having her be stuck with her foster family during Christmas, Merlin knows if they even treat her right. In the meantime, I'll have a meal to prepare. Ron, be a dear and help skin the potatoes."
"What!?"
XXXXX
"Cleaned?"
"Did you really have to ask me?"
"With you, yes," Jen replied.
"Don't be such an ass," Dimitri smirked, giving Jen a light punch on the shoulder.
Having regrouped, Jen led the way as the two of them blended into the crowd of Muggles. They changed their disguises with each detour and double back, throwing off any possible tails. Jen was more than sure the old man with a tilted bowler cap was following them. However, he and Dimitri had long thrown him off their tracks. Even now, passing by the floating museum which was HMS Belfast, Jen could spot the old man on the wrong side of River Thames.
"Where's Crow?" Jen asked, giving his partner a sideways glance.
"Well… after she cleaned her part, she happened to run into Harry Potter," Dimitri answered, taking out his pack of cigarettes. "Decided to follow him to somewhere. Granted, both of us suspected St Mungo's of being a danger zone so I wouldn't fault her for making sure Potter got out safely. You know… sibling obligation… if that's a thing."
"But to follow him all the way instead of standard exfiltration," Jen stated blandly, catching onto Dimitri's line of thought.
"Yeah… scratch Aleks, she'd better come back by the end of the day," Dimitri placed a cigarette between his lips, lighting it with a snap of his fingers. "Grey himself will be pissed."
The two teenagers looked at one another, both waiting for the other to speak. For seconds, it was only the soft patter of their footsteps which filled the air.
"You'd normally have a comment to make here," Dimitri remarked.
"Hmm… not really," Jen shrugged. "I trust her judgement."
"You always do."
"True," Jen chuckled. "But honestly, having her spend time with Potter's alright. From the looks of it, he seems intent on taking care of her, and the two of us haven't really done that since Kiel."
"Nowadays, I sometimes forget she's the youngest among us," Dimitri admitted. "Not that she ever needs taking care of."
Another length of silence filled the air and the two teenagers reached an unspoken agreement. It was an agreement the two frequently had, to speak the brighter lies aloud, to leave the darker truths in silence.
"I suppose it's time for us to 'throw a smokescreen' for Anya?"Jen asked.
"What do you know?" Dimitri grinned, raising up a fist. "We are still taking care of Anya."
"When you put it that way," Jen sighed amusedly, bumping his own fist against Dimitri's.
XXXXX
A loud bang caused nearly everyone to jump. It certainly pulled Sirius away from giving Anya the story behind each burnt mark on the Black family tapestry. Harry turned to the direction of the sound, having only given half of his attention to Sirius as he had heard the same when he first arrived at Grimmauld Place.
"That sounded like the front door," Sirius remarked.
The dreadful voice belonging to the portrait of Walburga Black filled the air, confirming Sirius' observation. More voices filled the air and Harry turned to face Sirius and Anya. A silent agreement was made between the three as they left the room, heading in the direction of the dining where the voices seemed to be coming from.
"-there were people from MLEP?"
Harry heard the tail end of Moody's sentence. As he entered the dining room, he could see that Moody's question was directed at Ron and Hermione.
"Yes, three of them," Hermione answered, Ron nodding in confirmation.
"That's another loose end," Moody growled.
"What's the situation?" Sirius asked, pulling a chair for himself.
Harry opted to stand to the side of the dining room, his sister next to him.
"If I were to guess, Death Eaters," Moody grunted, taking a swig from his hip flask. "At least one of them was incognito in St Mungo's."
"Were they there for Harry?" Sirius asked immediately.
Harry froze, the idea that danger had been so near him was unsettling. Hermione and Ron shared the same look as him, the three of them exchanging glances.
"Doubt so," Moody replied. "Remus and Tonks would have noticed something."
"Then what was their target?"
"That's the problem. I sweeped St Mungo's once Remus and Tonks were in the clear, and not a single clue turned up."
"They could have hid their tracks," Ron suggested.
"No Ron, it doesn't work like that," Bill shook his head. "You wouldn't really learn it in Hogwarts but magic always leaves traces. Obscuring magical traces is a very esoteric branch of magic, not many people bother with it."
"You-Know-Who could have taught them," Fred suggested.
"That's not the Death Eater's style," Moody shook his head. "I've been hunting them back in the first war. Since most of them are high in society, they prefer to use plausible deniability. Saves them the trouble of learning how to obscure their magical traces."
"Sounds like a third party, what about her?" Tonks jerked her head. "Do you happen to know anything?"
Her question had been directed at Anya and the attention of the room now turned to the corner here the twins stood. Anya shook her head naturally, her expression unreadable to the point even Harry had difficulty deciphering.
"Who is she, anyway?" Moody asked suspiciously.
"Sirius?" Tonks asked her cousin.
"It's private," said Sirius, shaking his head. "Let's just say she was a responsibility of mine before I got thrown to Azkaban."
Moody snorted, walking over to Anya. Anya remained still, allowing the retired Auror to approach her. Harry felt his breath hitch in his throat as the two stared at each other, neither breaking eye contact.
"You've got guts, lass," Moody remarked, summoning a chair with a flick of his wand. "Take a seat. Everyone else, leave the room. Tonks, you can stay if you want."
Cries of surprise echoed throughout the room. The Weasleys looked appalled, Hermione gave her Runes classmate a worried look and Tonks gave her old mentor a grim nod. Anya merely gave a muted nod before complying to Moody's order. Harry's jaw dropped, turning to Sirius for support.
"Alastor," said Mrs Weasley sympathetically. "Maybe you're being a little harsh on the poor girl."
"I agree, there's no point," Sirius interjected. "I already said I know her, so there's no need to interrogate her."
"And you've known her for how long?" Moody replied. "I'm not going to intrude on your personal business but you've been thrown into Azkaban for too long. There's too many unknowns with your responsibility that even you don't know, anything could happen in the years you've spent in Azkaban."
Sirius paused, glancing at Anya. As much as Harry did not care, he knew Moody had a point, there were more unknowns to his sister than he enjoyed. Looking at Anya, who was casually seated without a trace of worry and fear despite the circumstance, it was clear the girl was not normal.
"Sirius, I'm just making sure she's safe," said Moody
"She is."
"I will have to bring this to Dumbledore if I can't verify anything. You served in the DMLE, you know how important security is."
Sirius flinched visibly at the mention of Dumbledore, his face souring.
"Fine, ask her whatever it is you want, I don't need Dumbledore to know about this," Sirius nodded jerkily, crossing his arms. "But I'm staying to make sure you don't go too far."
"Alright, as I've said the rest of you, out," Moody grunted.
One by one, they began leaving the room. Harry opened his mouth, a protest at the tip of his tongue. Sirius placed his hand on his shoulder and shook his head.
"Go on. I'll make sure she's alright."
Harry nodded numbly, giving Anya a reassuring nod as he followed the Weasleys out of the room. Being the last one out of the room, he was met with worried looks as he entered the hallway.
"Will she be alright?" Hermione asked anxiously.
"She'll be fine," Harry muttered in reply, speaking more so to himself.
Mrs Weasley led them to the living room before heading to the kitchens, muttering about preparing dinner. An awkward silence filled the air for the remaining people in the living room. It was until Remus left, along with Bill and Charlie, that Harry noticed a shift in the air.
Hermione was looking slightly disapproving while Ron and Ginny were glancing at the Weasley twins expectantly. Fred and George looked around before pulling out the familiar flesh-coloured strings which were the Extendable Ears. The remaining Weasley siblings exchanged nods before heading sneakily in the direction of the living room.
"Honestly," Hermione sighed, eventually getting up and following the rest.
"Come on Harry," said Fred. "I think you of all people would want to listen in on this."
"Yeah, you can have one of it all to yourself," George tossed an Extendable Ear.
Harry nodded in thanks before following the rest in something he assumed had been the norm in the summer before he arrived at Grimmauld Place. Fred and George made sure the hallways were clear before giving everyone a thumbs up. They began sliding the Extendable Ears beneath the door, holding up one end to their ears.
"No, Mad-Eye, that's too much," Harry could hear Sirius' flat refusal. "Legilimency is already one thing, Veritaserum is overkill."
"And how many fifteen year-olds can perform Occlumency?" came Moody's counter. "And how many remain this calm? She's better than half the scum I've arrested, she did not give up a single thing in her mind."
"It doesn't imply guilt," Sirius snapped. "It just means she has her own secrets and her rights."
"I wouldn't mind Veritaserum," said Anya. "One question only. 'Did I come here bearing any malicious intent towards Harry Potter and those around him'."
A pause came, as though Moody was considering her words.
"I suppose that will do," Moody replied gruffly.
"Wait! Is that it?" Tonks exclaimed. "Remember what I said back then?"
The Metamorphmagus' voice dropped to a whisper that Harry could not discern.
"Mad-Eye, please! Hill died because of that," Tonks pressed. "If we can get-"
"Tonks, how many times have I said back in Basic? Don't let personal feelings cloud your judgement, gut feeling becomes mixed with personal bias and you'd make stupid decisions."
"Sirius-"
"I don't know," Sirius replied doubtfully. "I don't see how she could ever be linked to that, you've never even seen their faces and isn't she supposed to be in Hogwarts during that?."
A loud thump of fist against wood startled the eavesdroppers.
"Fine," Tonks bit out. "She allowed the Veritaserum, just get on with it."
Seconds of silence ticked by, Harry could imagine the drops of potion entering Anya's mouth.
"Did you come here bearing any malicious intent towards Harry Potter and those around him?"
"No."
Anya's reply was sharp and confident, not a hint of hesitance in her voice. Harry unconsciously gave a small sigh of relief.
"Were you involved in any incident related to the wizarding battle which took place in Edinburgh on the 5th November, 1995?"
"Tonks!"
"No."
Seconds of silence ticked by.
"I suppose that's enough for the both of you?" Sirius said heatedly.
"If you trust her that much," Moody grumbled. "This is your house after all, I'm just making sure it's safe. And you lot can stop eavesdropping."
Ron gave an undignified yelp as the door was opened magically. Sirius, despite being angry, still gave an amused snort at the sight of the teenagers piled up on the doorway.
"My job's done," Moody grunted, leaving the dining room. "I'll need to tell Dumbledore about Death Eaters lurking in St Mungo's."
"Not a word about Anya," said Sirius.
Moody gave him a steady gaze, his countenance impassive.
"Your personal business is all yours, I don't even want to know what you got up to before Azkaban," Moody turned, continuing his steps. "As long as it does not affect the war, I see no reason to bring it to Dumbledore."
"I'm coming along, Mad-Eye," Tonks pushed herself off the wall she had been leaning against, moving to catch up with her old mentor.
"I thought you would prefer Molly's dinner over giving a report."
"Forget both of those," Tonks muttered darkly. "I need alcohol."
The Auror and ex-Auror both left swiftly, leaving the rest to absorb the situation. Harry made a beeline for Anya, taking the opportunity to look over his sister.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked worriedly. "I'm sorry, I didn't really expect all this when I invited you here."
"It's alright," Anya replied, shaking her head.
"Come on," Harry extended his hand. "It'll be awhile til dinner, how about we get back to exploring this house with Sirius."
"Sure," Anya gave a slight grin, taking his hand.