A/N: I do not own anything Harry Potter. What is this madness? I told you I would be updating more frequently this summer. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy reading! XO

Chapter 47

Annie was lying on her bed with Bandit lying across her stomach. She was supposed to be packing her things to leave for Hogwarts the next day but she opted for watching Hermione run around the room in a panicked manner.

"Why aren't you packing?" Hermione asked as she stacked her books neatly in her trunk. "We leave tomorrow and you haven't packed a single thing!"

"That's not true," Annie said lazily. "I've got my clothes and a book or two in my trunk."

"And what about the rest of your things, hmm?" said Hermione now standing over her with her hands on her hips. "When are you going to find that stuff?"

Annie scratched behind Bandit's ears. "I'll find it by tomorrow. Don't worry."

"Hogwarts letters finally came," Ginny announced walking into the room. She handed Hermione hers and dropped Annie's on her face.

Annie picked the envelope off her face and opened it up. She scanned the booklist quickly and then placed it behind a third letter from Professor McGonagall.

Dear Annie,

This year I hope to continue with your Animagus lessons. This year we will start to focus on the actual transformation. Along with your other school books, I would like you to purchase an additional book called Animagus Transformations to aid you in your studies. We will speak further as the new term begins.

Sincerely,

Professor McGonagall

"What's that letter for Annie?" Ginny asked looking up from her book list. "You weren't made a prefect were you?"

"Ha! Yeah right!" Annie laughed. She placed her letter aside and sat up on the bed. "No, it was from Professor McGonagall about Animagus training. Hermione, what have got in your hand?"

Hermione looked up from the letter she was reading for the third time. She was clutching something in one of her hands and she looked absolutely stunned.

"I've been made a prefect," she said quietly showing them the badge.

"Oh, congratulations, Hermione!" Ginny said hugging the girl around the neck.

"You're really surprised by this?" Annie asked standing up and walking over to give her friend a hug as well. "You're the best in our year and you are seriously surprised at getting prefect? Congratulations, by the way."

Hermione gaped at the badge in her hand. "Thank you," she said after a while. "But I wonder who the other prefect from Gryffindor is."

"Dean maybe. He always seemed pretty responsible," Annie suggested taking Hermione's letter and reading it.

"I've got some laundry for you girls," Mrs. Weasley said coming in the room with a basket of folded clothes.

"Mum, Hermione's been made a prefect!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Did you, dear?" she asked giving the girl a wide grin and placing some shirts on Ginny's bed. "Congratulations! If you girls give me your book lists, I'll head over to Diagon Alley and get what you need."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Annie said handing over her list. "Oh wait." Annie took the list back and scribbled the name of her animagus book at the bottom. "I need this one as well."

"Right," she said looking over the lists. "I'm going to pop over into the boys' rooms. Annie, please start packing your things. You're leaving tomorrow and you have hardly anything packed."

"I'll come with you," Hermione said following her out of the room

Annie picked up her clean clothes and placed them in her trunk. She sat back down on her bed let Bandit lick her face. She watched Ginny run around the room as she tossed her things into her trunk. A few minutes later Hermione came back in the room beaming.

"Ron's a prefect!" she declared.

"Really?" Annie asked looking at Hermione from her upside down position that she had moved into.

"Ron? A prefect? You're joking!" Ginny said laughing.

Hermione shook her head and made Annie sit upright as she sat down on her friend's bed. "It's not a joke. Hey," she said as Ginny and Annie both laughed. "I think he'll do great."

"Okay sure," Annie said sarcastically. "And I'm Gwenog Jones."

Ginny laughed as Hermione rolled her eyes and got up from the bed. She walked over to her trunk and finished stacking her books. As she placed the last one on top, she looked up to find Annie fast asleep on her bed. Hermione walked over and picked up the book Annie had been reading and dropped it on her stomach. Annie groaned and stared up at her friend.

"What was that for?" she asked rubbing her stomach.

"Pack!"

The party was in full swing when Annie and Harry finally decided to show their faces. They were busy packing when everybody had gone down to a celebratory dinner for Hermione and Ron for making prefect. Annie joined Tonks at the table for some food.

"I was never a prefect," Tonks said popping a carrot in her mouth. "I was too much trouble."

Annie laughed as Lydia came up beside her.

"That sounds familiar," she said winking and elbowing Annie. "I wasn't a prefect either."

"You're kidding?" Tonks said stunned.

"Nope," Lydia said shaking her head. "Never was. One of my friends was though. I honestly didn't care that I didn't make prefect."

"Hey, well with Hermione and Ron as prefects I have a fifty/fifty chance of getting away with things this year," Annie whispered. "Ron won't really care but Hermione would lecture me until my eyes bleed."

"That's a pleasant image," a voice said behind Annie making her jump. She turned around and found Sirius standing behind her.

"Don't do that," Annie said hitting him on the arm.

"Sorry, kiddo," he said ruffling her hair. "I came over to tell you that I found your Connolly book on the bed stand in my room."

"So that's where I put it," she said snapping her fingers.

"Yeah, that's where you put it," Sirius said laughing. "I put it on your bed so you can pack it later."

"Thanks, dad," she said looking across the room at George who winked. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll talk to you guys later. I just saw someone more interesting to talk to." Annie moved past Sirius and made her way over to George.

"Those two are an item then?" Tonks asked before taking a sip of her butterbeer.

"Since September," Sirius answered placing his arm around Lydia. "James, Remus, and I kind of walked in on their first date when they snuck out to Hogsmeade."

"You're kidding?" Tonks said. She looked astonished.

"Nope," he replied as he watched Remus haul Annie and George back into the room by their elbows. Sirius nodded in their direction and said, "Remind me to thank him later."

Lydia and Tonks laughed.

"Oh, come on," Lydia said. "They're young. Let them have their fun."

"Yeah, Sirius," Tonks chimed in her gaze lingering on Remus. "They're adorable together. They remind me of when I was young and still in school."

"Well, Annie reminds me of myself when I was still in school. Young and stupid. And if I know those two, they were not sneaking off to go look at the Black Family tapestry," Sirius said sipping his firewhiskey.

After the party had died down and the guests had left, and everybody had gone to bed, Annie found herself with her hand entwined with George's as they sat on the stairs leading into the kitchen. They had an empty six-pack of firewhiskey sitting between them and were trying their best to keep quiet as they finished off their last bottles. It was late and they really should be in bed because they had to get up early in the morning but they didn't care. They finally had some time to themselves and that's all they wanted. When they were finished with their drinks, they took their trash back down to the kitchen and stumbled back up the stairs to their rooms. George gave Annie a sloppy kiss on the cheek before she crept back into her room giggling quietly to herself. She threw herself into her bed and fell asleep immediately.

In the morning Annie was woken up by Hermione and Ginny's fierce shaking. Annie groaned and placed a hand over her eyes as she sat up.

"Come on," Hermione demanded. "You need to get up. Mrs. Weasley said we're on a really tight schedule this morning."

Annie did nothing as she held her head in her hands. It wasn't until she felt a sudden lurching sensation in her stomach did she swing her feet off the bed and run to the bathroom. She knelt down in front of the toilet and puked up everything she had drunk the night before. When she was finished, she wiped her mouth and walked back to her room on shaky legs. She sat down on the bed and leaned over and placed her head between her knees, trying to let the nausea pass.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked coming over and placing her hand on Annie's back. She looked over at Ginny and they shared a wary expression.

"Do I look it?" Annie asked without lifting her head. "I'll be okay. Just leave me here for a bit."

"Alright," Hermione said rubbing her back a few times before going back over to her trunk.

Annie sat with her head between her knees for a few minutes more. Finally she sat up looking a little pale and a bit sweaty. As she stood up, she winced at the bright sunlight that shone through the window. She walked over to her open trunk and started rummaging around until she found the sunglasses she was looking for. She sat down in front of her trunk and pushed them up her nose.

"My head hurts," she said quietly, her brows disappearing behind her sunglasses as she scrunched them together.

"You were fine last night," Ginny said as she pulled her socks on. "What happened between then and now?"

"Three Firewhiskeys and, uh," she pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to remember, "a bit of wine at the party. I feel awful."

"You really need to stop doing this to yourself," Hermione chastised. "I'm really going to put my foot down this year, Annie."

"Yeah, I know."

Annie stood up and began getting dressed. Once she was ready, the three girls made their way downstairs where Mrs. Weasley and Lily had breakfast waiting for them at the table. Annie sat down next to Sirius who was reading the Daily Prophet and laid her head down on the table.

"You, Fred and George are leaving with me and Tonks today, kiddo. No sleeping," he said reaching over and ruffling her hair. When he only received a groan in response, he looked up from his paper and started to push the hair off of his daughter's pale face. "Are you feeling okay? You don't look so good, pup."

"Headache," she responded. "I'll be okay."

"Yeah, sure. And I'm the Minister of Magic," Sirius said chuckling a bit and standing up. He walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a bottled-up potion and a glass. He took the things back to the table and poured some of the potion into a glass and placed it in front of Annie. "Drink this. It'll help with your hangover."

"Got any more of that stuff, Sirius?" George asked quietly as he and Fred sat down across from Annie. He too looked just as pale as Annie.

Sirius got another glass and poured out another dosage of the potion. He shook his head as George raised the glass in thanks and drank deeply. He reached across the table and pulled a plate of toast toward him. He picked up a piece and put it in front of Annie who still had her head on the table.

"You need to eat," he instructed. Annie lifted her head off the table and drank the potion and took a bite of the toast. "Alright, you three, you listen to me." Annie, George, and Fred shared a curious look with each other before turning back to Sirius. "This," he indicated Annie and George in their hungover state, "has to slow down, if not stop, got it?" They all looked back at each other guiltily before nodding. "I know you guys are of age and are in your final year at Hogwarts, but I don't want you two to fuck around the whole time. Use the time to get some final research in for your joke shop plans. But go to class every once in a while. I'm sure there's still some stuff that you could learn that might be of some use," he said to Fred and George who gave him identical grins.

"You know about our plans?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, your dad told me. He said you guys didn't want to work at the Ministry," Sirius replied. "I understand. It's not for everybody. Besides, we could all use a laugh these days."

"Thanks, Sirius," George said taking a bite of some toast.

"No problem. And you," he said turning his attention onto Annie. "You need to cut this out. Don't think Hermione won't rat you out, maybe not to Professor McGonagall but she'll definitely rat you out to me. You've got your O.W.L.S. to focus on this year."

"Aw man. I forgot about those," she groaned. "At this point the only fun I'll be looking forward to this year is Quidditch."

Sirius laughed. "All I ask is for you to do well on your O.W.L.S. and to stay out of trouble. Is that too much?"

Annie shrugged and finished the rest of her potion. "I guess not."

"Good," Sirius said getting up from the table. "Now if you guys are finished, go bring your trunks downstairs. I think Molly and Lily want to leave soon."

An hour later the Weasley children and Mrs. Weasley, the Potters, the Blacks, Tonks and Mad-Eye Moody were standing on Platform 9 ¾ loading the trunks onto the Hogwarts Express. Annie was leaning against George still bothered by a pounding headache and wearing her sunglasses. When the whistle blew to signal the train's departure in a few minutes, the kids rushed their final goodbyes to their parents.

"Have a great term, Annie," Tonks said wrapping her in a big hug. "It was great getting to see you again."

"It was great seeing you too," Annie said smiling as they broke apart. She walked over to Sirius who held her face in both of his hands and smushed her cheeks so she looked like a pig.

"Remember what I told you," he said moving her head up and down. "Don't be too much trouble this year."

"Yeah, I'll try to remember," she answered laughing and pushing his hands away. Sirius hugged her around her head and ruffled her hair.

"Good. Have a good term. I'll see you at Christmas." He kissed her on the top of her head and pushed her toward the Hogwarts Express.

The final whistle blew and everybody rushed to board the train. Annie grabbed George's hand as he helped her up the stairs. They leaned out the window as the train began to move and waved to their parents until they turned a corner and the platform was no longer in sight.