A/N: I do not own anything Harry Potter. Hope you enjoy the chapter. Happy reading! XO

Chapter 23

Harry's prediction about Rita Skeeter came true when the Owl Post came swooping through the window at breakfast the next morning. An owl came dropped in front of Hermione and held out two copies of the Daily Prophet. Hermione paid the owl and handed one to Annie who was busy taking a letter out of Oscar's beak. Hermione unfurled the paper and gasped at the day's headline, Harry Potter Enters the Triwizard Tournament.

"I told you it didn't go well," Harry groaned as he took a letter from Hedwig's beak and gave her some of his bacon.

"Hey you don't know that," said Annie turning to the cross-word in her own paper. "You haven't even read the article."

Hermione started to read the article out loud and with every sentence Harry's face grew redder and redder as he placed his head in his hands. The entire article was about how Harry had defeated Lord Voldemort and apparently how he sometimes cries himself to sleep knowing that he and his family almost died. The only mention of the other school champions came at the very end in the last sentence but Cedric, it seemed, was conveniently left out. When Hermione had finished reading the front page, she buried her face in the rest of the paper. Harry looked up and ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"You were right, Harry," Annie said scratching the word 'manticore' into the boxes of her cross-word. "That article was awful. There was no mention of how I lived you for twelve years."

Harry shook his head and laughed. "Thanks for that. Here I was just sitting here, angry at Rita Skeeter for writing that I cry myself to sleep, when I really should be angry at how she forgot to mention you. Should I write to her and ask her to do a follow-up?"

"Hey, all I'm saying is that you had the daughter of a convicted murderer and Azkaban escapee who was really innocent living in your house. It wouldn't hurt to mention that small little fact," Annie said shoving eggs into her mouth as Harry laughed. "See, the article wasn't so bad was it?"

"Just you wait," Harry answered starting on his breakfast. "The story will be around school soon enough and I'll have to hide my face. Might as well see what mum and dad have to say about the article." Harry picked up the letter from his parents and started to read.

Annie, remembering she had a letter herself, set aside the Daily Prophet and opened the envelop up that was sitting in front of her. Two sheets of parchment and a picture fell out which she grabbed curiously. The first letter was her usual letter from Sirius with the occasional comments from Remus, and the other, to her surprise, was from Lydia. She set the letter from Lydia and the picture aside and started to read Sirius's letter first.

Hey kiddo,

First I'd like you to tell Harry not to worry about Rita's article. She's a twat and really ought to mind her own business. (Really nice language you're teaching your daughter, Padfoot. –Remus) Remember those articles she wrote about me last year? Not one mention about how good-looking I am! (Annie, now you see where you get your conceitedness from. –Remus) Ignore him. Anyway, I hope school is going well. I would assume that tutoring is going well and it's keeping you out of trouble because I'm receiving fewer letters from Professor McGonagall about you getting detention. That or you've gotten better at not getting caught. (Please let it be the first one. –Remus) Bandit still misses you and sleeps in your bed. He's gotten so big as you can see in the picture I sent.

Annie picked up the picture and laughed. It was a picture of Bandit and Sirius in his animagus form chasing each other around the backyard. It was true that her small little puppy had grown a lot since she left home in September. Annie put the picture back on the table and continued the letter.

Just the other day, when Lydia, James, Lily and Remus came over, he attacked James as he walked in the door and knocked him over and would let him up until someone gave him a treat. (Basically, Padfoot is saying that he's you in dog form, pup. –Remus) Moony's not kidding; there were a lot of times when you were a baby that I said you were like a puppy. Well, I guess that's all I wanted to say unless Remus wants to add something. (Yes I do. I wanted to know whether you finished the Canterbury Tales yet. I know you don't like to read that much but I figured since you've always liked The Tales of Beedle the Bard I figured you might give these a shot. –Remus) Leave it Remus to talk about books. Anyway, write back soon. Or get a detention. Or both. Anything to reassure me that you're still alive. (Please just write a letter. –Remus)

Love,

Dad, Bandit, and Remus

P.S. Lydia asked if it would be alright if she sent you a letter and I said that you probably wouldn't mind. I hope that's okay.

Annie placed the letter aside. "Dad wants me to tell you that you shouldn't worry about that article and that Rita Skeeter is a twat." Annie downed her pumpkin juice before picking up Lydia's letter.

"Yeah dad pretty much said the same thing," said Harry finishing his letter and folding it up. He nodded at the letter in Annie's hand and asked, "What's that?"

"It's a letter from Lydia."

"Lydia? Sirius's girlfriend? What did she write to you about?" Hermione asked finally emerging from her paper.

"No idea," Annie shrugged. "Suppose I should read it shouldn't I?"

Dear Annie,

I know it must be weird that I'm all of a sudden writing to you but I just wanted to say that it was a real pleasure meeting you a couple weeks ago. Really, Sirius, well I guess I should say your dad, goes on about how great you are all the time. And I guess that brings me to the reason that I'm writing to you. I was wondering if you would like to meet up for a Butterbeer and get to know each other a little better at the Three Broomsticks on your next Hogsmeade weekend. Just send me a note back with the date of your next weekend if you like. Hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Lydia

"Huh." Annie said scanning the letter one more time. She folded it up and placed it on top of Sirius's and continued to eat her breakfast. Harry and Hermione watched her with impatient faces.

"Well what did it say?" asked Hermione after Annie said nothing.

"What?" Annie asked looking up from her eggs and giving them a skeptical look. "Oh yeah, the letter. She wants to meet with me for a Butterbeer or something."

"Really?" Harry said taken aback. "Did she give you any reason?"

"Er," Annie looked back at the letter. "She said she wants us to get to know each other."

"Wow, things must be going really well between she and Sirius then if she wants to meet you," Hermione observed.

"I hope so. I mean the only thing she really knows about me is that I like Quidditch."

"I think 'like' is an understatement," Harry said as they all got up from the table. They walked back up to Gryffindor Tower and each took a chair by the fire. Hermione pulled out her homework and Harry practiced his Summoning Charms. Annie sat on the floor and leaned on the table in front of her and started on her letters home.

Dear Dad and Remus,

Everything is fine here at school. Professor McGonagall is keeping me busy with tutoring so I haven't really been able to get detention but that hasn't stopped me from doing anything. Just the other night George, Fred, Lee and I gave the library a long over-due make-over. (That was you? I should have known! –Hermione) I guess Hermione says hello. And, Remus, I did finish The Canterbury Tales and I did love them. (She's actually not lying. George and I dragged her all the way down to the Hospital Wing when we caught her reading. We thought she was sick. –Harry) And Harry says hello as well. Anyway, poor Bandit. I miss my little guy and thanks for sending that picture. Well, I guess that's all I really have to say. And Remus, I'm perfectly fine with being conceited. There's no harm in knowing that we Blacks are extremely good-looking.

Love,

Annie (and Harry and Hermione)

Annie set her letter to her father and uncle aside and picked up a new piece of parchment to start a new letter.

Dear Lydia,

I won't lie, I was a little shocked when I saw your letter, but I'm glad you wrote to me. It was really nice meeting you a couple weeks ago and I would like to get to know you better. There's a Hogsmeade weekend next Saturday the 21st. We could meet at the Three Broomsticks around one? See you soon.

Cheers,

Annie

Annie read her letter aloud to Harry and Hermione and looked back up at them for some approval. "Sound okay?" Hermione nodded without looking up from the essay she was currently writing. "Right then, I'm going to go for a walk. Any of you want to come?" When neither Hermione nor Harry answered, Annie shrugged and stalked off to the portrait hole but stopped when she heard her name being called from behind her.

"Annie! Hey Annie!" Emily was running up to her, her ponytail flying behind her. "Wait up!"

Annie smiled as she the first-year stopped in front of her and panted slightly. "What's up, Emily?" she asked crossing her arms across her chest.

"Well me and Nathan-"

"Nathan and I."

"Right. Nathan and I were wondering if you could look over our Transfiguration essays. We're having a little trouble describing the effects of the Switching Spell on large objects," Emily said looking up at Annie hopefully.

"Sure thing, sweetheart," she answered as Emily beamed. "Just let me mail these letters and I'll be back, alright?"

Emily nodded and walked back to where she and the other first-years were sitting working on their homework. Annie smiled and shook her head and wondered why anybody would want to waste their time doing homework on a Saturday. She turned to the portrait hole once more and climbed out and made her way to the owlery.

Annie and Hermione were walking down the path into Hogsmeade clutching their cloaks around them. Harry had taken the secret passage behind the one-eyed witch statue into Honeydukes and would be meeting them there under the guise of his invisibility cloak. The two girls walked into the little town arm-in-arm and made their way over to the sweet shop. As they were browsing the shelves, someone had come up behind them and tickled them both on their sides making them shriek.

"It's only me," Harry whispered from under his cloak and laughing quietly.

They continued walking around the store, Harry whispering to Annie the kinds of sweets he wanted. Annie and Hermione paid for their purchases and left the store.

"What time is it anyway?" Annie asked as they walked down the curving road toward Zonko's.

Hermione looked at her watch. "You've got a half-hour."

"Excellent!" Annie said clapping her hands and rubbing them together. "Just enough time to pick up some dungbombs and Dr. Filibuster's."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You go ahead. I'm going to Scrivenshaft's and I'll meet you outside here in twenty minutes." She waved goodbye to Annie and the invisible Harry and continued down the path.

Annie and Harry walked into Zonko's and made their way over to the display of Dr. Filibuster's Wet-Start Fireworks. She felt Harry standing next to her as she looked up on the top shelf to find the latest line of Catherine Wheels.

"I wish I wasn't so short," she said standing on tip-toe and just barely missing the shelf. She looked around to the shop to see if anybody was paying attention and smiled in the direction of Harry. "Could you?" Out of nowhere a hand appeared reaching up to the top shelf and taking down two boxes of the fireworks. Harry handed the boxes to Annie and suddenly went invisible once more. They walked along the shelves as Harry would tug on the back of Annie's robes and whisper his orders into her ear. Twenty minutes later the pair left the store and found Hermione walking up the path toward them carrying a bag of brand new quills.

"Ready to go?" she asked as she reached them. Annie nodded and they made their way over to The Three Broomsticks.

When they approached the pub, Annie started to hear barking ahead of them and she turned to smile at Hermione. She ran toward the barking and was knocked backwards by a big furball that started licking her face.

Annie giggled as she sat up and rubbed the dog's face with hers. "Bandit!" she hugged the dog around the neck and stood up. Lydia was walking toward them beaming and holding Bandit's leash.

"Hi, Annie!" she said cheerily scratching the dog behind the ears and giving the leash to Annie. "How are you? Your dad suggested I take Bandit along with me."

"I'm so glad he did," Annie said kneeling back down and fixing the leash around Bandit's neck as he sat down and wagged his tail. "And I'm great. By the way, this is my best friend Hermione. Harry's here too he's just invisible."

Lydia shook Hermione's hand. "It's nice to meet you. Are you joining us?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, Harry and I were just going to have a Butterbeer and then leave. You have Annie all to yourself."

"Oh well, next time then? Care to go inside? I'm a little cold."

Annie stood up and followed Lydia and Hermione inside holding tight to Bandit's leash. They walked up to the bar and Hermione ordered two Butterbeers and walked off to a table far in the back where she couldn't be noticed. Lydia and Annie set off through the crowded pub and found a table for themselves and Bandit. They sat across from each other, Bandit resting his head in Annie's lap, and they sipped their drinks in an awkward silence taking in each other's appearance. Lydia was very pretty with waist-length blonde hair and brown eyes and a small spackle of freckles across her nose. Annie could tell why Sirius would like her.

"So what has my dad told you about me?" she finally asked placing her Butterbeer on the table and wiping her mouth on her sleeve. She reached down and scratched Bandit behind his ears.

Lydia placed her drink on the table as well and set her elbows on the table. "Well, he said that you were very smart, you like Quidditch and you're very hyperactive. Is he wrong?"

Annie laughed. "True on all accounts. Harry keeps threatening to put me on a leash if I don't sit still and stop running every around everywhere." Lydia laughed this time. "So what about you? I don't know anything really about you except that you work with Quidditch and that you're pretty."

"Well thank you," she said taking a sip of her Butterbeer. "Let's see, I grew up here in Hogsmeade and I live just down the street now and I went to Hogwarts but I didn't I didn't know Sirius back then. I was two years below him."

"So I'm guessing you weren't in Gryffindor either," Annie said.

"Sorry to disappoint you but no, I was in Ravenclaw."

"Oh no, I'm not disappointed. I would be disappointed if he started going out with any filth from Slytherin. I'm actually fine with the other two houses. So did you play Quidditch while you were at Hogwarts?" Annie asked tracing her finger around the brim of her mug.

Lydia placed her now empty mug on the table. "I did. I played Seeker. When I finished Hogwarts I actually played for the Chudley Cannons as a reserve for about five years then I started working at the Ministry."

"Wow! The Cannons? Oh my friend Ron would love you!"

"Ron Weasley?" Lydia asked and Annie nodded. "I know Arthur from work. And your boyfriend, George, is his brother then?"

Annie downed the rest of her drink and placed the mug down on the table. "Yes but I'm not speaking to Ron right now. And George also has a twin brother, Fred, and three older brothers and Ginny is their younger sister," she finished as Madame Rosmerta brought over the new Butterbeer. She dipped her fingers into the foam and held them out for Bandit to lick.

Lydia laughed and tipped her mug toward Annie before taking a sip. "So how about the Potters and Remus, what about them?"

"Well, James, dad and Remus are all like brothers and I grew up calling James and Lily Uncle James and Aunt Lily so that would make Harry like my cousin but we're pretty close like brother and sister. Remus has always been around and I consider him my uncle but I always just call him Remus," Annie answered. She picked up her mug, took a sip and then continued. "Remus keeps dad and I sane, I'm not even lying."

"Oh I believe that. Remus is always talking James and Sirius out of their hair-brained ideas. He and Lily are a tag-team," Lydia folded her arms across each other and placed them on the table. "So how about Hermione? What's she like?"

"Hermione is very smart and believes that every answer can be found in a book."

"I like her already."

"She's pretty much my sister even though we only met three years ago we're that close. She's like Remus in the way that she tries to keep me from going out of control."

Lydia laughed again. "Well it seems that you have some very nice friends."

"I do. So what about your family? Tell me about them."

"My family, let's see," she began. "I come from a long line of Ravenclaws. My parents own the Hogsmeade Post Office and my little brother, Greg, is a Healer in the Spell Damage ward at St. Mungo's."

"A Healer, huh? Do you think he knows my Aunt Lily or Jacob Michaels?"

"He does know Lily and if you're talking about the very good-looking Healer in the Artifacts Accidents Ward then yes, they do know each other and they are actually best friends," Lydia said smiling.

Annie and Lydia continued their conversation until they realized it was getting pretty late in the afternoon. They paid Madame Rosmerta for the Butterbeers they drank and left the pub. When they were outside Annie handed Bandit's leash over to Lydia and bent down to say goodbye to him.

"I hope I see you again soon, my little guy," she said as he licked her face. She scratched him behind his ears one last time and stood up.

"Well thank you for meeting with me, Annie. I had a lovely time," she said leaning forward and giving Annie a hug.

Annie hugged Lydia back. "It was fun. And I'm really glad we got to know each other. Will you tell dad I say hi and I'll write him sometime this week?"

"Of course. He's actually coming over later tonight to pick up Bandit. Do you need me to walk you back up to Hogwarts?" Lydia asked looking around as if she was expecting someone to jump out from behind the trashcans.

"No I'll be fine," Annie said spotting Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick walking out of the pub. "I'll just walk with them."

"Okay then," Lydia nodded. "Well, have a nice night and I'll make sure to tell your dad your message."

"Bye!" Annie waved goodbye to Lydia and started up the path toward Hogwarts. "Hey, Professors! Wait up!"

A/N: So I realized while writing this that it seems like Remus lives with Sirius and Annie when in fact he does not. He does, however, live in the same village as they do and is a frequent guest at Black Barn. I'm starting to really like Lydia, are you? Special thanks to those who have reviewed and have added me to their Favorites/Alerts. You guys are great! Until next time! XO