Annabelle stood just behind the twins, listening with half an ear as Fred and George discussed business with Mr. Zonko, the owner of Zonko's Joke Shop. Her distracted eyes kept traveling around the shop and out the window to the street outside. She could see people moving about from shop to shop, but it wasn't nearly as crowded as she was used to seeing on Hogsmeade weekends. Of course, she already knew why that was.
Fred, George, and Anna had arrived at Hogsmeade around three that afternoon. They'd immediately noticed the smaller crowds and lack of school-aged customers in the wizarding village. They headed straight for Zonko's and asked the owner where all the Hogwarts students were, only to receive a disappointing answer. Apparently Hogwarts students were no longer allowed off school grounds on weekends, especially not to visit Hogsmeade. This was most likely due to the possible danger of Death Eaters.
Anna was dragged back to the conversation as Fred and George each shook Mr. Zonko's hand and wished him a good day. Anna smiled and waved goodbye to the shop owner before heading out to the lane. The cool breeze of early spring felt nice on her skin, brushing her hair to one side.
"So?" Anna asked as the door clicked shut behind them.
"Well, I don't think we're going to bother buying Zonko's. At least not right now." Fred admitted.
"No point if kids aren't allowed to go there." George added, sighing disappointedly. "So, what do we do now?" he asked, glancing at Fred. "We can't meet up with Ron and everyone if they can't come down here. Should we head back to the shop?"
Fred glanced down the lane toward the post office. "I suppose we could owl Ron his present."
"Well, we don't have to waste a trip, do we?" Anna asked. "We haven't been here in ages, especially all three of us. We could go to Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks."
"Yeah, let's do it." George agreed eagerly, already heading for Honeydukes. Fred and Anna laughed, holding hands and following George down the lane.
They spent the next few hours hanging out in several different shops in Hogsmeade, even stopping in a few of the shops they hadn't really bothered with during their school years. They made the typical stops in Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks, but also stopped in Dogweed and Deathcap, Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop to buy some new quills for the shop, The Magic Neep so Anna could buy some fruits and vegetables to try cooking with, Tomes and Scrolls, though Fred and George got bored while Anna skimmed through some books, and they also stopped at the Wizarding Wireless Network Headquarters to see what running a radio station was like.
Night had already fallen when Anna decided they should probably head home. So, Fred gripped Anna's hand before the three of them Disapparated, appearing with a Crack in Diagon Alley. They headed up to the flat above their shop, Anna tagging along mostly because she didn't feel ready to go home just yet.
"Well, I'll put these groceries in the kitchen." Fred announced, releasing Anna's hand and carrying the bag of food into the kitchen.
Anna sighed, heading toward the couch to relax. However, she paused when her ears caught a light, quick tapping sound. Looking over her shoulder, Anna saw a barn owl tapping almost frantically at the glass of the window.
Hurrying over, Anna threw the window open and let the owl inside. It swooped in just as George returned from the bathroom.
"Whoa!" he ducked slightly, but the owl didn't attack his face, it just landed on his shoulder. It held its leg out patiently, letting George untie the small note before it swooped back out the window.
Anna's eyes followed the owl before she turned back to George, who was reading the note. His brow creased worriedly before he snapped his head up.
"Fred! We need to get back to Hogwarts! Ron's been poisoned!"
Anna's mouth fell open and there was a moment of silence before something landed with a loud thud in the kitchen. Fred appeared from around the corner of the kitchen.
"What?!"
"McGonagall wrote us! Ron's been poisoned, he's in the hospital wing!" George exclaimed, waving the letter around frantically.
"Well, let's go then!" Anna exclaimed.
Fred nodded, grabbing Anna's hand. They disappeared and reappeared with a Crack in Hogsmeade once again, George appearing half a second after them. They all ran as fast as they could toward the castle, huffing and puffing after a while. Without regular Quidditch practices, they weren't as in shape as they once were.
McGonagall greeted them at the gate, letting them in and telling them Molly and Arthur were already there, and that Ron was in the hospital wing. They all nodded and continued on their way to the castle, though at a much slower pace.
Finally, they reached the hospital wing and hesitantly pushed the large double doors open.
The lamps were lit around the room, and the windows were curtained, as it was night outside. All the beds were empty apart from Ron's, which was currently surrounded by Harry, Ginny, and Hermione.
"So, all in all, not one of Ron's better birthdays?" Fred guessed, announcing their arrival as the three younger students glanced over at them. Anna glanced at a clock on the wall as they approached the bed. It was ten past eight.
"This isn't how we imagined handing over our present." George admitted grimly as he put their large present on Ron's bedside table and sat next to Ginny.
"Yeah, when we pictured the scene he was conscious." Fred agreed.
"There we were in Hogsmeade, waiting to surprise him-"
"You were in Hogsmeade?" Ginny interrupted George, looking up from her unconscious brother.
"We were thinking of buying Zonko's." Fred answered sullenly. "A Hogsmeade branch, you know, but a fat lot of good it'll do us if you lot aren't allowed out at weekends to buy our stuff anymore…But never mind that now."
Fred drew up a couple chairs beside Harry to sit, Anna sitting next to him. Anna followed everyone's gazes to Ron's pale face. He looked half dead apart from his chest slowly rising and falling as he breathed.
"How exactly did it happen, Harry?" Fred asked, his eyes not leaving his brother's face.
"Well, Ron had eaten some chocolate from Romilda Vane that'd been spiked with a love potion. I tricked him into coming with me to Slughorn's office to get an antidote. After Slughorn cured Ron, he offered us all some mead to drink. Ron drank some before either of us had the chance, and…the mead was poisoned. Slughorn kinda froze, he didn't seem to know what to do, and then I got the bezoar down Ron's throat and his breathing eased up a bit. Slughorn ran for help, McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey turned up, and they brought Ron up here. They reckon he'll be alright. Madam Pomfrey says he'll have to stay here a week or so…keep taking essence of rue…"
"Blimey, it was lucky you thought of a bezoar." George muttered.
"Lucky there was one in the room." Harry countered.
Hermione gave a quiet sniff from her seat across from Anna over Ron's bed. Anna glanced over at her, noting that her face was about as pale as Ron's. From Ginny and Harry's letters, she'd been told Hermione and Ron weren't exactly on speaking terms, given Ron's choice in girlfriend. It was clear, though, that Hermione still cared about Ron very deeply, or she wouldn't be this affected.
"Do Mum and Dad know?" Fred asked, looking across the bed at Ginny.
"They've already seen him, they arrived an hour ago-they're in Dumbledore's office now, but they'll be back soon…"
Ginny trailed off and everyone watched Ron as he mumbled in his sleep.
"So the poison was in the drink?" Fred mused when Ron had quieted.
"Yes." Harry answered instantly, sounding eager to discuss it. "Slughorn poured it out-"
"Would he have been able to slip something into Ron's glass without you seeing?" Fred asked sharply.
"Probably," Harry admitted, "but why would Slughorn want to poison Ron?"
"No idea." Fred admitted, frowning. He subconsciously grabbed Anna's hand, resting their entwined hands on his knees and running his thumb over her knuckles. "You don't think he could have mixed up the glasses by mistake? Meaning to get you?"
Anna's breath caught in her throat as she glanced among the others.
"Why would Slughorn want to poison Harry?" Ginny asked.
"I dunno," Fred admitted, "but there must be loads of people who'd like to poison Harry, mustn't there? 'The Chosen One' and all that?"
"So you think Slughorn's a Death Eater?" Ginny asked.
"Anything's possible." Fred muttered darkly.
Anna squeezed his hand and leaned her shoulder against his.
"He could be under the Imperius Curse." Anna suggested carefully.
"Or he could be innocent." Ginny countered. "The poison could have been in the bottle, in which case it was probably meant for Slughorn himself."
Anna nodded slightly, seeing Ginny's point.
"Who'd want to kill Slughorn?" George asked.
"Dumbledore reckons Voldemort wanted Slughorn on his side." Harry announced. "Slughorn was in hiding for a year before he came to Hogwarts. And…and maybe Voldemort wants him out of the way, maybe he thinks he could be valuable to Dumbledore."
"But you said Slughorn had been planning to give that bottle to Dumbledore for Christmas." Ginny reminded him. "So the poisoner could just as easily have been after Dumbledore."
"Then the poisoner didn't know Slughorn very well." Hermione rasped, speaking for the first time since Anna had gotten there. She sounded as if her nose was stuffed up. "Anyone who knew Slughorn would have known there was a good chance he'd keep something that tasty for himself."
"Er-my-nee." Ron suddenly croaked, causing everyone to fall silent and look at him anxiously, hoping he'd wake up. But after a few moments of incomprehensible muttering, he fell silent.
The doors suddenly banged open, causing everyone to jump. They all turned to see Hagrid hurrying into the room. Drops of rain glittered from his hair and beard, his bearskin coat flapped behind him as he strode toward them, his crossbow was in his hand, and he left muddy sled-sized footprints in his wake.
"Bin in the forest all day!" he panted. "Arogog's worse, I bin readin' to him-didn' get up ter dinner till jus' now an' then Professor Sprout told me abou' Ron! How is he?"
"Not bad." Harry answered. "They say he'll be okay."
"I don' believe this." Hagrid croaked, shaking his large head as he stared down at Ron. "Jus' don' believe it…Look at him lyin' there…Who'd want ter hurt him, eh?"
"That's just what we were discussing." Harry answered as Anna quickly stood up to hug Hagrid. "We don't know."
"Someone couldn' have a grudge against the Gryffindor Quidditch team, could they?" Hagrid asked anxiously. "Firs' Katie, now Ron…"
"I can't see anyone trying to bump off a Quidditch team." George commented.
"Wood might've done the Slytherins if he could've got away with it." Fred pointed out fairly. He'd re-gripped Anna's hand on his leg when she returned to her seat.
"Well, I don't think it's Quidditch, but I think there's a connection between the attacks." Hermione pointed out quietly.
"How d'you work that out?" Fred asked curiously, looking across at her.
"Well, for one thing, they both ought to have been fatal and weren't, although that was pure luck. And for another, neither the poison nor the necklace seems to have reached the person who was supposed to be killed. Of course, that makes the person behind this even more dangerous in a way, because they don't seem to care how many people they finish off before they actually reach their victim."
Anna shivered slightly at Hermione's point, which was a good one, but before anyone could comment, the doors opened again and Molly and Arthur hurried into the room. Molly made a beeline straight for Harry and pulled him up into a tight hug.
"Dumbledore's told us how you saved him with the bezoar." she sobbed into his shoulder. "Oh, Harry, what can we say? You saved Ginny…you saved Arthur…now you've saved Ron…"
"Don't be…I didn't…" Harry mumbled awkwardly.
"Half our family does seem to owe you their lives, now I stop and think about it." Arthur agreed in a thick voice. "Well, all I can say is that it was a lucky day for the Weasleys when Ron decided to sit in your compartment on the Hogwarts Express, Harry."
Harry seemed to look very uncomfortable. Luckily for him, Madam Pomfrey left her office to remind them all that only six visitors were permitted around Ron's bed at a time. Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid volunteered to leave, saying family should stay around Ron. Molly and Arthur sat in Harry and Hermione's empty chairs.
"I'll leave, too." Anna whispered, starting to stand up. "I don't want to intrude-"
But Fred tightened his hold on her hand, looking up at her with tired, pleading eyes, silently begging her not to leave yet.
"You don't have to leave, Anna." Ginny pointed out. "You make six, so you're fine. And you're practically family, anyway." she added with a tired smirk.
Anna smiled softly back, returning her butt to the chair and leaning her head on Fred's shoulder. She pulled their entwined hands from Fred's leg to her lap, holding his hand between both of hers and drawing random patterns on the back of his hand with her fingers.
Molly began fussing with Ron's hair and sheets, brushing the ginger locks from his forehead and smoothing the wrinkles out of the white sheets.
"So, what'd you talk to Dumbledore about?" George asked his parents after several moments of silence.
"Just what happened and some possibilities on how this could have happened." Arthur answered lowly.
"Any ideas?" Fred asked, turning to his dad, who was sitting next to him.
Arthur glanced at his wife before turning to Fred, George, and Anna. "Well,…Slughorn said that the mead that was poisoned had been intended to be a Christmas gift for Dumbledore."
"Do you think Dumbledore was the intended target?" Fred asked seriously.
"There's no way to be sure unless we find out who the poisoner was." Arthur pointed out warily, leaning his elbows forward on his knees.
"Didn't they say Katie was trying to get that cursed necklace to Dumbledore, too?" Anna asked, directing the question at the twins.
George nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I think so."
Arthur looked worried. "I'll have to mention that to the Order." he whispered.
Anna swallowed thickly as an idea occurred to her. "I just thought of something…" she whispered, causing the others to look at her. "A while back, Dumbledore gave me a mission. He asked me to look around Knockturn Alley for some…objects. In Borgin and Burkes there was this necklace that I looked at. There was a sign on it warning people not to touch it, because it's cursed. I looked into buying it, like Dumbledore asked, but someone had already bought it. What if it's the same necklace?"
The twins looked anxiously over at their father, who looked just as concerned.
"I'll mention that to Dumbledore. He still has the necklace somewhere, maybe he can show it to you to find out if it's the same one."
They fell into silence for a few moments.
"Do Bill and Charlie know?" Anna asked quietly, glancing down at Ron again.
"I wrote to them while we were in Dumbledore's office." Molly answered, her eyes not leaving Ron's sleeping face. "I told them what happened and assured them both that Ron's fine now."
Anna nodded silently before leaning her head on Fred's shoulder.
They all stayed like that for another hour or so, making small talk, before Fred sighed and glanced around.
"We'll probably get going. There's not much else we can do for him." he commented, glancing at Ron's still-pale face.
"Of course, dear." Molly agreed. "We'll keep you all updated."
Fred, George, and Anna all stood up quietly. Molly stood up and gave them all tight hugs.
"You'll all be at Sunday dinner, won't you?" Molly asked as she hugged Anna last. "And you Anna, of course. And invite your parents and Aslan, as well."
"Of course, Molly." Anna agreed with a smile. "I wouldn't miss it."
"It's only tomorrow." George reminded them with a chuckle. "It's less than twenty-four hours away."
"Hush." Molly swatted him lightly.
"Bye Mum. Bye Dad." Fred and George chorused as the three headed out the hospital wing doors.
"I'll Apparate to your guys' flat with you, and then Floo home from there if that's okay." Anna told them as they were leaving the castle, heading for Hogsmeade so they could Apparate.
"No." George stated bluntly. "That's not okay in the slightest."
Anna scrunched her nose up at him, knowing he was joking. He grinned at her and winked.
Once they stepped off Hogwarts grounds, Fred took Anna's hand, and they Apparated into Diagon Alley, hurrying up the lane to number 93.
"Well, I'm bushed." George mumbled, stretching his arms over his head as they entered the flat. "I'll see you two tomorrow." He turned and looked at Fred for a long moment, and Anna watched as they shared a long look. Then, George stepped toward his twin and they hugged. Anna smiled sadly, seeing Fred and George holding each tightly for several long, silent seconds.
Then, they pulled away and grinned briefly at each other. George kissed Anna's head before turning down the short hallway toward his bedroom.
Fred sighed, plopping down on the couch and kicking his shoes off. Anna watched him for a moment before sitting next to him, watching his face.
Fred finally turned and looked at her, giving her a tired smile. "I'm fine, Anna. Don't look so worried."
"Are you sure?" Anna asked him doubtfully.
Fred sighed heavily, wrapping an arm around Anna and pulling her into his side. She pulled her feet up under herself, snuggling under his arm. "Okay, when George read that letter, I'll admit, I was…terrified." he admitted quietly. "I mean, all it said was that Ron had been poisoned. We didn't know anything. For all we knew, he could've been…" Fred trailed off and pressed his face into the top of Anna's hair. He didn't have to finish his sentence, she knew what he left unsaid. She wrapped her arm around his middle and hugged him tightly. He sighed, his warm breath brushing her hair.
"I'm fine, Anna, really. You heard what they said. Ron's going to be fine, thanks to Harry and Pomfrey. It was just at first that things were…"
"Yeah, I know." Anna whispered. "I hope they catch whoever did it."
"Same here."
"I suppose it's only going to get worse." Anna murmured, her hand subconsciously running up and down Fred's ribs. "People we know and care about are going to get hurt…or killed."
"Yeah. I mean, we knew that a long time ago, but it seems more real than it did before." Fred whispered, his free hand lightly grabbing Anna's forearm and running his fingers up and down it from her elbow to her wrist.
"Do you want me to stay tonight?" Anna asked quietly, turning her head to look up at him. Fred smiled softly, kissing her forehead.
"I always want you to stay. But I'm fine, love. You should probably be getting home soon before your parents worry too much."
Anna sighed. "You're right. I'll see you tomorrow for dinner anyway."
XXX
"But shouldn't we at least have someone look into the case? To ensure we're being fair? I have plenty of time, I could look into it." Anna insisted, the tiny white lie slipping easily into her plea. She was already drowning under her workload with all the cases she was researching, but she had to at least try. It was her duty to the Order of the Phoenix.
But her boss, Mr. Johansson, shook his head firmly at her. "I'm sorry, Annabelle. The Minister's made it clear. Mundungus Fletcher is guilty of impersonating an Inferius. Several witnesses say he did it. He's going to Azkaban. No investigation required."
Anna briefly considered pushing the issue more, but she didn't want to draw attention to herself and have people wonder why she wanted to fight Dung's case so bad. So, she nodded quickly and returned to her cubicle. She spent the next couple hours going through some cases, but it was very hard to focus.
When it was almost time for lunch, Anna got up and decided to ask someone for some help. She left the Investigation Department office and headed down a corridor. She soon came to another room labeled 'Auror Department'. She stepped into the room, noting it wasn't nearly as full as it was the few times she visited her cousin. She assumed most Aurors were out trying to actually catch criminals and other Dark wizards.
She scanned the room, noting her cousin wasn't anywhere to be seen. Probably in Hogsmeade, guarding Hogwarts. Luckily, she saw another familiar face. She walked past a few cubicles until she reached the man she was looking for.
"Um, excuse me? Are you Mr. Shacklebolt?" she asked, making her voice sound a bit uncertain.
Kingsley turned and looked up at her from his seat. They knew each other fairly well from being in the Order, but they needed to keep up appearances. As far as anyone in the Ministry knew, they had no idea who each other was.
"Yes. May I help you, Miss?"
"Do you know anything about the case against Mundungus Fletcher?" she asked as if the name meant nothing to her, passing the file she had on Dung over to the large man sitting before her.
"Ah, yes, I looked into it just this morning." Kingsley noted, flipping through the file anyway. "Unfortunately, the case against him is solid. There's nothing that can be done within legal bounds."
Kingsley quickly jotted a note down on a scrap piece of parchment and pushed it across the desk for Anna to read quickly.
'Wasn't Order job. He screwed up.
Leave it alone.'
Anna nodded once to show she understood. "That's what I figured, but I thought I'd get a second opinion. Thanks anyway, sir."
"No problem." Kingsley handed her the file, giving her a quick wink. He then flicked his wand at the note, causing it to catch fire, shrivel up, and turn into a pile of ash on his desk. He made it vanish with another wave of his wand before Anna left and returned to her cubicle.
After work, Anna picked up dinner and headed for St. Mungo's, wanting to visit Katie and get her some food that tasted better than hospital food.
"Hi." Katie beamed when she walked in. "Ooh! You brought food." she sat up, looking like her old self as Anna passed her one dish and sat with the other on her lap.
"Yep. So, how've you been?"
Katie sighed. "Well, I tried walking today. It went alright, I suppose. But I couldn't get very far, and the Healers had to help me."
Anna grimaced sympathetically. "Well, you'll get better. It takes time, Katie."
"Yeah, I know. Anyway, do you know how the last Quidditch match went? I haven't heard anything and it's driving me crazy!"
Anna grimaced again, but for a different reason. "I'm not sure you wanna hear about it."
"That bad?" Katie asked uncertainly.
Anna groaned, rubbing her face with her hands. "Possibly the worst match Gryffindor has ever played, to be honest."
"Well, let's hear it. How bad?" Katie asked in a resigned tone.
"They lost 320 to 60." Anna started, making Katie groan. "Cormac McLaggen was the Keeper while Ron was out, and Harry and Ginny say he's a pain in the backside. Apparently what went really wrong was that he stole Peake's bat and accidentally hit Harry over the head with a Bludger, cracking Harry's skull."
Katie gasped in horror. "Why in the bleeding hell would he steal Peake's bat?" she demanded.
Anna shrugged. "No idea. I think he just got it in his head that only he can do anything. He's a bit full of himself from what I've heard. Ginny wrote to me while Harry was in the hospital wing. The whole team is pissed at McLaggen."
Anna left out the fact that Ginny had also mentioned getting in a fight with her boyfriend, Dean, because he'd laughed at Harry when he was hit.
"Well, I sure hope Ron's better in time for the next match." Katie mumbled. "I mean, of course, I want him to be better in general. He had a close call. But I'm sure he's itching to be back on the pitch. I know I am."
"Well, here's hoping you're both better and back on the pitch soon." Anna agreed, taking a bite of her beef and potatoes.
XXX
Anna stood up from her seat on the couch when she heard someone knock on the front door. She patted her hip to ensure her English Oak wand was in her pocket before reaching the door.
"Who is it?" she called, resting her hand on the doorknob.
"It's your cousin Tonks who hates her bloody first name and wants some answers, so answer the bloody door!" Dora's voice called from the other side of the wooden door.
Anna's eyes widened slightly as she quickly opened the door. Dora swept into the room, her traveling cloak billowing behind her. Anna closed the door with a click and turned to look at her cousin. Tonks's hair was dull, her skin pale with purple bags under her eyes.
"Dora, are you okay?" Anna asked worriedly, noting her cousin's expression. It looked like a combination of angry, worried, and impatient.
"Have you heard anything?" Dora demanded.
"Um-"
"About the Order. Anything at all?" she demanded a bit more desperately.
Anna thought quickly. "Um, well, Dung was arrested a few days ago-"
"Not that. I already know about that." Tonks waved her hand impatiently. "What about Remus? I've been in Hogsmeade and haven't been hearing anything. I tried asking Dumbledore at Hogwarts, but he wasn't there. But Remus practically lives here when he's not with the pack, you must know something, right?"
Anna sighed. "I'm sorry, I haven't. Remus hasn't been here in a few weeks or so. All I really know is that he's with the pack, but I have no clue what he's doing. I'm sorry, Dora, I wish I knew more."
Tonks's shoulders slumped in defeat, her eyes glistening slightly before she dropped her head so Anna couldn't see. Anna watched her cousin for a moment before stepping forward and hugging her tightly. Tonks remained still for a moment before hugging Anna back, burying her face in Anna's shoulder.
"How about I brew us some tea, and then you can help me bake a batch of biscuits?" Anna suggested quietly. "Any kind you want."
Tonks sniffed slightly before chuckling and pulling away from the hug. "Chocolate?" she suggested, giving Anna a small smile while Anna ignored the fact that her eyes were red and watery.
"Sounds perfect." Anna nodded once before leading her cousin into the kitchen.
XXX
Anna hurried down the dreary, cobblestone lane until she reached the familiar, colorful joke shop. She pushed the door open and peaked inside, seeing George stocking some empty shelves. He glanced over at her, looking surprised. There was another hour before they closed for the day.
"Hi, can I quick write and mail a letter in here?" she asked, breathing a bit heavily since she'd practically ran there from Knockturn Alley.
"Um, yeah, sure. There're some owls in the backroom." George told her in a perplexed tone.
"'Kay, thanks, George." Anna called, hurrying past him and into the backroom, barely hearing Fred ask if Anna was here before the door swung shut behind her.
She set her shoulder bag on the worktable and pulled parchment and a quill and inkwell toward her. She stayed standing, bending over the parchment to write.
'Dear Hagrid,
I'm so sorry about Aragog, and I'm sorry my letter took a bit longer to get to you. I had work today and wanted to send a gift for his burial, since I won't be able to make it. I remember you mentioning that the other Acromantulas tried to eat Aragog's body when he died, so I thought of something that may help to keep them from approaching his grave and trying to dig him up. It's a snakeskin bag, and inside it is a vial of Basilisk venom. That should keep the spiders away. You can bury it with him or put it near his grave, whatever you'd like.
I wish I could be there for the funeral. I truly am sorry, Hagrid.
Best wishes,
Love, Anna'
Anna quickly skimmed the letter before deciding it was fine. She fold it up, tied it to the small snakeskin bag she'd mentioned, and approached a nearby Barn Owl to tie it to the bird's leg.
"I need you to take this to Rubeus Hagrid at Hogwarts school." Anna told the owl as she opened the backdoor to the outside. "Please get it to him as fast as you can."
The owl hooted before taking flight out the open door.
"So what was that about?" Fred's voice asked curiously, causing Anna to turn and look at him where he was standing just inside the room.
"Hagrid's Acromantula Aragog died last night, and he's burying him tonight, so I tried to get a response and a gift posted to him as fast as possible." Anna explained, not mentioning where she got the gifts. Her dad gave her the snakeskin bag, as they had one at Grimmauld Place, but she had to buy the venom in Knockturn Alley. She'd worked through her lunch break so she could leave work an hour early, buy the venom, and post it. With luck, Hagrid would get it by eight that night.
"Oh, okay." Fred nodded. "He doing okay?"
Anna shrugged, crossing the room toward him. "He's upset, but he'll be okay eventually. Sorry for barging in here, I was in Diagon Alley and really needed to post it."
"No, that's fine. I always enjoy you stopping in." Fred assured her, closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her close. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Please, barge in all you want."
Anna laughed, wrapping her arms around his lower back in return and laying her head on his chest. "Whatever you say, Freddie."
"Wanna stay for dinner?"
"I should get home for dinner, actually." Anna admitted. "But I can eat dinner with you guys on Saturday, if you want."
"Sure." Fred grinned, leaning down again to kiss her on the lips.
XXX
"Hey." Anna greeted Fred when she walked in the backroom of the shop the morning of the last Saturday of May.
"Hey." Fred greeted her distractedly, pouring over a book on the worktable. A moment later, his head snapped up and he stared at her. "Heeeeyy." he repeated, drawing the word out in a suspicious tone.
Anna paused before slowly setting her bag on the ground, her eyes fixed warily on him. "Um, are you okay?" she asked slowly.
"Did you know?" he asked simply, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Know what?" Anna asked, completely confused.
Fred was silent for a few moments as he surveyed her. Then, he finally answered, "About Harry Potter…and my sister."
Anna blushed and instantly turned to whatever was on the worktable, though she ended up just fiddling with empty vials and shredded leaves.
"You did!" Fred exclaimed, his tone accusing, though not really angry. "You knew Harry and Ginny were dating and you never told me!"
Ginny had broken up with her boyfriend Dean the night of Aragog's funeral. Ironically, Ron broke up with Lavender Brown that same night, too. Since the breakup, Anna noticed that Ginny seemed more like her old firecracker self. It also seemed to improve her Quidditch playing, not that she needed much improvement to begin with. It also may have had something to do with Dean not being on the team anymore, with Katie's return to Hogwarts about a month ago, the day after Aragog's funeral.
With Katie back, the team had been better than ever. Unfortunately, Harry managed to snag a detention for every Saturday, including the day of the final Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. With him out, Ginny took his spot as Seeker, and Dean returned as a Chaser. Even without Harry, Gryffindor managed to win the match and the Quidditch Cup.
Ginny wrote to Anna late the night of the match to tell her how it went, and of course she mentioned how Harry kissed her in front of the whole Gryffindor common room. Now they were officially dating. However, Ginny had asked Anna not to tell anyone, so she didn't know how Fred found out.
"How'd you hear about it?" Anna asked, glancing over at him.
"How'd you find out about it?" Fred countered, smirking slightly.
"I asked first."
"Fine. Ron wrote to everyone in the family earlier this week."
"…Ginny told me…" Anna admitted slowly.
"When?" Fred asked knowingly.
Anna sighed. "I got the letter…the morning after it happened." she finally admitted sheepishly.
"Traitor." he stated, pointing a finger at her.
"Oh, shush." Anna rolled her eyes. "Ginny asked me not to tell. It's not my fault Ron can't keep his mouth shut."
"Harry snogged my sister in front of the whole common room." Fred pointed out. "And are you more loyal to Ginny than me, now?"
"Oh, be quiet!" Anna laughed, chucking a balled up piece of parchment at him. "We didn't tell our families we were dating for months."
"And whose fault was that?" Fred teased, standing up and approaching her. She waited warily, but he merely reached over her head to grab a quill off the table. She then felt him kiss the top of her head. "I'll forgive you this time. But expect a Howler from Charlie. After all, you did promise to keep him updated on stuff like that."
Anna sighed, rolling her eyes skyward. "You Weasleys are a handful."
"Why, thank you."