Harry hadn't seen Anna all day and he was getting kind of worried about her. He finally went to find Hermione and he asked her if she had seen Anna at all, and she replied that no, she hadn't.
"Do you think she's alright?" Hermione asked, wringing her hands together nervously.
"I don't know." Harry answered. "Let's get Ron, Cedric, and the twins, get a search party together. If we can't find her then we go to Dumbledore." He put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find her, don't worry." They found the twins in the common room. Quietly, so as not to alert anyone that didn't need to know, Harry whispered to them how they couldn't find Anna.
"Did anyone walk her to her class this morning?" Fred asked and Harry shook his head. "She was running late and dashed out of the Great Hall before anyone could catch up to her." His eyes widened. "You don't think-"
"That Flint may have tried something?" Fred looked grim. "Yeah, I do. We have to find her, right now." The twins jumped up. "We think we know how to find her. You two go and tell Dumbledore." They ran off, and Harry and Hermione exchanged looks before running off to Dumbledore's office. Harry just hoped that the twins knew what they were doing.
Anna was curled up on the ground in the dungeon. She was still bound hand and foot, but Marcus was no longer in the room. She moved her wrists back and forth, trying to loosen the ropes but it was no use, they wouldn't budge. She had to get out of here before Marcus returned. She heard someone enter the room and she froze. The person touched her arm, and she flinched.
"Hey, it's okay!"
She immediately recognized the voice as Fred's and she started to cry in relief. Fred removed her blindfold and he wiped her tears away with his sleeve.
"It's alright, I got you." Fred murmured as he untied her bonds and lifted her into his arms, gently shushing her as she whimpered in pain. George came running in.
"We have to hurry, I can hear someone coming down the hall."
Making sure that Anna was held securely in his arms, Fred scurried down the opposite hallway, George right on his tail. Anna was in such pain that she didn't know where they are going, and frankly, she didn't care. She was just glad to be out of that dungeon.
It got warmer, meaning that they must be in the main part of the castle. Anna could hear people gasp and whisper to each other as Fred pushed past them, trying to get to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey paled when she saw them, and she had Fred lay Anna in a bed. "What in Merlin's name happened?!"
"We don't know." George answered. "But I'll bet you anything that Flint had something to do with it."
Pomfrey started tending to Anna's injuries. "Two broken ribs...chafing on her wrists, she's had the Cruciatus Curse used on her multiple times..."
Fred clenched his hands in anger. Flint was going to pay for what he had done to Anna. That would have to wait though because right now Anna needed him. He sat in a chair beside her bed. Pomfrey had tried to make him leave along with George but Anna started to whimper and she sounded so pitiful that Pomfrey allowed Fred to stay, provided that he be quiet and not disturb Anna and let her rest.
On his way out, George ran into Harry, Hermione, and Professor Dumbledore. "We found her." George said, and Hermione gasped before hugging Harry tightly.
"Can we see her?" Harry asked and George shook his head. "Pomfrey almost didn't even let Fred stay with her. "
"I believe that I shall have a discussion with Madame Pomfrey on Miss Potter's condition." Dumbledore said. "Mr. Potter, Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, please return to your common room, you shall be summoned when you may see her."
Harry wanted to argue against the decision, but Hermione and George pulled him away.
"I know that you want to see her, but you have to wait until the headmaster says that it's alright." Hermione said as they entered the common room.
"But I can't just sit around!" Harry exclaimed. "Mione, she was hurt and I wasn't there to keep her safe!"
"You can't blame yourself for that, mate." George said comfortingly. "We all could have done a better job of keeping her safe."
"I just wish that we could prove that Marcus is to blame." Hermione sighed, and Harry nodded. "Yeah, but we have no proof of that. There has to be some way of getting it though."
Ron joined them then. "I just heard about what happened from Angelina." He was panting as though he had just run a long way.
"What happened to you?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I just ran all the way from Charms."
"Charms isn't even that far away, how are you already out of breath?"
"Ickle Ronniekins has never been very fit, I'm afraid." George piped up with a snigger.
"Oh shut up," Ron grumbled as Hermione giggled.
An hour or two later, McGonagall came to retrieve Harry and Hermione. "Miss Potter is asking for you two, please follow me."
Harry and Hermione quickly followed her,rushing to Anna's side. Anna was sitting up in bed. She looked tired, and she was obviously in pain, but her face brightened considerably when she saw them.
"Anna, I'm so sorry." Harry said. "I should have been there-"
"Harry, don't blame yourself." Anna cut him off. "I shouldn't have run off like that."
"Miss Potter." Professor McGonagall said. "Did you ever get a chance to get a good look at your abductors?"
Anna shook her head. "No Professor, I was blindfolded the entire time."
"What about their voices, could you distinguish them that way?"
"I can't say for sure, but I think that it was Marcus Flint."
"Was he the only one?" McGonagall pressed. "Was there anyone else-"
"Professor McGonagall!" Madame Pomfrey snapped. "I understand that you want to find the ones responsible for this atrocious act, but Miss Potter is already in a stressful state, and I can't have your questions aggravating her even further."
Hermione seemed shocked that Pomfrey would speak to a teacher in that manner. McGonagall frowned, but she seemed to know better than to challenge her. "Very well, I shall return in the morning."
McGonagall left, and Madame Pomfrey turned towards the children.
"We'll be quiet," Harry promised, and Pomfrey looked at them skeptically. "If I hear one peep out of any of you then it's right back to your dorms." She left then, leaving the kids alone in the ward. They talked quietly for a few minutes before Anna's eyes started to droop, and Harry held her hand as she drifted away.
