A dark, cold mist blanketed the ground, turning the white snow on the ground to a dull gray. A sprinkling of heavy, wet snow was falling, melting as soon as it hit Annabelle's chilled skin. It was hard to discern what was melted snowflakes on her cheeks, and what was tears.
She watched silently, Aslan propped on her hip, as the two coffins were lowered into the matching graves. She could hear her mum crying softly into Sirius's chest next to her, but her mind was blank with grief, her eyes fixed on the large tombstone that stood at the head of both graves. One side read:
Winthrop Bourke
1918-1997
Loving husband, father, and grandfather
A witness and contributor to the magic in the world
He will be missed
A little bit over, a similar message was etched into the stone:
Ethel Bourke
1920-1997
Loving wife, mother, and grandmother
She brought more love and magic into the world in her life
She will be missed
An arm wrapped around Anna's shoulder, causing her to blink. She noticed that while she'd been spaced out, the graves had been filled in with a fresh patch of dirt. Swallowing, she turned and looked up at her dad. He gave her a sad smile, squeezing her to his side and kissing the side of her head.
They wandered over to where Wren was talking to her sister Kendra. There weren't many people present for the small funeral, just their two families. They couldn't risk inviting too many people, and most people wouldn't have been able to come, anyway. Kendra and Colton had pulled Audra from school for the funeral, which was in mid-December; a week after Ethel and Winthrop had been murdered by Death Eaters.
"We should get going." Kendra was saying as Anna and Sirius approached. She had her arm around Audra's shoulders, her other hand wrapped around ten year old Wilson's chest. Colton had his arm wrapped around his wife's waist.
"Do you know where you'll go?" Wren asked worriedly.
"What do you mean? Where are you going?" Anna asked, her voice hoarse from crying.
"We're going into hiding." Kendra admitted quietly, glancing around in case anyone was listening in on them. However, the graveyard was empty.
"We don't want to send Audra back to Hogwarts." Colton admitted.
"With Dad being a muggle and all, we don't want the Death Eaters taking it out on Audra at school." Kendra admitted, looking down at her daughter, who was staring sadly at her feet.
"If we go into hiding now, it'll be almost a month before the school notices anything, with Christmas holiday coming up." Colton explained. "And I've taken a few weeks off of work, so no one there will get suspicious for a while."
"Good thinking." Sirius agreed.
"It's not fair." Wilson pouted, crossing his arms. "I'm supposed to go to Hogwarts next year. Will we be back in time for that?" he asked, tilting his head to look up at his parents.
Kendra and Colton exchanged a worried glance, clearly unsure how to answer.
"Hogwarts isn't that great, Will." Audra muttered from behind her golden brown hair. "It's not like it used to be."
"But-"
"Anyway," Colton put his hand on his son's head, ruffling his black hair with his hand, "we'd best get going. If we can contact you, we will, but I don't see how that'll be possible."
"Best not to risk it." Wren agreed sadly. "Just be careful and take care of yourselves." she added, stepping forward and hugging her sister tightly.
Hugs and goodbyes were exchanged. Anna even hugged Colton goodbye, and she had no memory of ever doing that before.
The Black family watched as Colton and Kendra Apparated their family out of the graveyard, disappearing with a loud CRACK.
"I'm going to go to the shop." Anna stated suddenly.
"Anna, surely you don't need to work-" Wren started to argue, but Sirius tightened his hold around his wife's shoulders. He was looking at Anna knowingly with a sad smile.
"It's alright, Wren. I think Anna could use the twins' company. Just let us know if you plan on coming home tonight or not, okay?" he looked at his daughter.
Anna smiled slightly in thanks. "Yeah, I will. Thanks Dad. I'll see you later." She passed Aslan to her mum before Apparating with a loud CRACK.
She reappeared in Diagon Alley and hurried down the dark street toward Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, trying to ignore the dreary alley around her. When the joke shop came into view, she picked up her pace until she was just short of running toward the familiar, colorful building. She could see through the windows and doors that it wasn't too busy inside, which was to be expected as it was the early afternoon of a weekday.
As soon as she reached the door, she hurried inside and stopped, taking a deep breath. She took in the bright colors, and whirls, clicks, and flashes of all the products, feeling the tension leave her muscles.
"Anna?"
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she looked up to see George had appeared from around one of the shelves of products, looking at her in confusion.
"What're you doing here? I thought today was your grandparents' funeral?" he asked, approaching her with a worried expression.
Anna swallowed. "It was-I mean, yeah, it just got over." she stuttered.
George stopped in front of her, looking down at her with a worried, confused expression. "Okay. And not that I'm not thrilled to see you, but why are you here? I would've thought you'd want to stay at home with your family."
Anna looked around, trying to come up with a response. Her eyes caught movement as the door to the backroom swung open. Fred looked out at them and instantly looked worried when he saw her.
"I'm fine." she told him before he could repeat George's question.
"Then why don't I believe you?" Fred retorted, approaching them.
Anna wrapped her arms around her stomach. "I-I-" she stopped, looking around the shop again, letting the warmth and cheerfulness of the room soak into her very bones.
Fred sighed, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around her waist. "You okay to watch the shop for a while, Georgie?"
"Yeah. I'll see you guys later." George agreed easily, walking away to the other end of the shop.
"Fred-" Anna tried to argue.
"Come on." Fred ignored her protest, pulling her toward the backroom. "Head upstairs. I'll follow you up in a moment."
Anna rolled her eyes, giving in and going up the stairs to the flat. She sat on the couch and waited, staring at the empty fireplace.
When Fred entered the flat, he was carrying a cardboard box.
"What's that?" Anna asked curiously as he set it on the coffee table.
"A surprise. Don't look at it yet." Fred ordered. "Now, stand up and move over here, please."
Anna eyed him curiously for a moment before standing up and moving toward the door of the flat. Fred waved his wand, causing the couch and coffee table to move back, leaving a large space in front of the fireplace. He flicked his wand twice more, causing a fire to burst to life in the fireplace, and dozens of pillows to appear in a comfy pile on the floor in front of the fireplace.
"There. Sit." Fred ordered simply. Anna gazed at him for a moment, mildly amused, before sitting on the pile of pillows and reclining comfortably. Fred then lifted the box and carefully dumped the contents onto Anna's lap. She couldn't help laughing as a dozen tiny, baby Pygmy Puffs smaller than a fist rolled onto her lap.
"Seriously?" she giggled, scooping a few up and snuggling them into her face.
"I'm not done yet." Fred told her, grinning at her happier demeanor. "Stay there." he called as he hurried to the kitchen.
"Where, exactly, do you think I'll go?" Anna asked, not planning on going anywhere anytime soon.
Fred didn't respond and didn't return for about ten minutes. When he did, two steaming mugs were floating along behind him. He rounded the couch and sat on the pile of pillows next to Anna, nudging a few stray Puffs over to avoid squishing them. Then he plucked a mug from the air and motioned for Anna to do the same.
Reaching up, Anna smelled the rich, familiar scent before she looked into the mug. She smiled softly, looking over at her fiancé. "Hot chocolate." she murmured.
"It seemed appropriate." Fred answered, shifting his arm to wrap it around her shoulders. Anna leaned into him before taking a sip of her drink.
They sat in the warm, comfy silence for a few minutes, just sipping their drinks and petting the Pygmy Puffs.
"So, why'd you decide to come here, of all places, after your grandparents' funeral?" Fred asked, finally breaking the silence.
Anna took a deep breath through her nose, breathing in the warm, chocolaty scent and letting it fill her lungs.
"It's just…I needed happy." she whispered. "The funeral, the graveyard,…the whole atmosphere everywhere. It's dark, cold, foggy. And I needed to come here. This is one of the only places left in the world that makes me happy. And, in the moment, I just needed to come here."
Fred tightened his hold on her, kissing her forehead.
"The shop in general, or your amazing fiancé?" Fred asked playfully.
Anna lightly bumped her elbow into his ribs, making him chuckle.
"Both." she admitted. "The shop, you, and George. Being here just makes me feel better."
"Happy to hear it. So, was there more information on how…you know, how they were killed?" Fred asked hesitantly.
Anna sighed, the familiar lump forming in her throat.
"Well, there wasn't much evidence. But it was obviously Death Eaters, or Death Eater supporters. Dad thinks that…that they were tortured for a while before they were killed." she muttered, feeling sick.
Fred squeezed her to his side. "I'm sorry, Anna. I shouldn't have asked."
"It's fine." Anna assured him, turning slightly to curl into his side. "I appreciate all this more than you could ever imagine."
XXX
"Anna!" Ginny screamed excitedly, running out the Burrow's front door the moment Anna and her family appeared on the Weasleys' property with Arthur leading them through the wards.
Anna hurried past her parents and Arthur, meeting Ginny halfway up the walkway. The redhead slammed into her, almost carrying her off her feet, and hugged her enthusiastically. Anna squeezed her back just as hard, having missed the youngest Weasley.
"I'm so happy you could come! Writing sucks!" Ginny exclaimed, finally pulling back and bouncing slightly. Unlike last year, Ginny and Anna's letters had been few and far between. They didn't want too many people suspecting their close relationship, or the closeness of their families, anymore than the Death Eaters already did.
"You have to tell me everything about Hogwarts." Anna insisted as the two turned and headed back toward the front door, which Ginny had left open in her haste to get outside.
"It's awful." Ginny groaned. "But, well, it's not completely." she glanced around as they passed the threshold to ensure no one was listening. "Me, Neville, and Luna rebuilt the D.A.." she whispered in Anna's ear.
Anna widened her eyes and smiled slightly. "You did? That's brilliant, Ginny."
"Ginevra Weasley!" Molly snapped, appearing in the doorway to the kitchen. "You can't just leave the front door open! You're letting the cold in."
"But Anna's here!" Ginny argued, grabbing Anna's shoulders and shoving her in front of her to show her mum. "And her family, too, of course, but Anna's here!"
Anna laughed while Molly rolled her eyes, unable to hide a smile.
"Hi Molly. Happy Christmas." Anna told her future mother-in-law, stepping forward and giving the warm woman a hug.
"Happy Christmas, dear. Fred and George should be along in a couple hours or less. Of course, why they had to have their shop open on Christmas Eve, I'll never know." she ended in a grumble after pulling away.
"Last minute Christmas shoppers." Anna explained with a smile. With it being Christmas Eve, the twins were, indeed, still working in the shop, but they were closing an hour early. And they wouldn't be open at all on Christmas Day.
Anna took a mug of eggnog Molly offered and curled up on an armchair with Ginny. It was a tight fit, but Anna was fine with that. Molly and Wren worked in the kitchen to make dinner. Arthur and Sirius chatted in the living room while Aslan played with a toy flying car that floated around his head.
"So, catch me up. Exactly how horrible is school?" Anna asked.
Ginny sighed. "Well, me and the others aren't taking the Carrows' crap lying down. We're causing them as much trouble as we can. We got banned from Hogsmeade." Ginny explained casually.
Anna gave her a doubtful look. "I seriously doubt that's the worst they've done to you."
"Oh, of course not. I just don't want to give any gory details. Mum's already half tempted to pull me out of school as it is." Ginny admitted. "Speaking of, Luna got taken off the train on the way home."
"By who?" Anna demanded worriedly.
Ginny met her eyes, worry and fear swirling in the brown eyes she got from her mother. "Death Eaters." she admitted quietly.
Anna felt like a stone dropped in her stomach. "What?" she breathed in horror. Then, a thought occurred to her. "Her dad owns the Quibbler, right? Well, the Quibbler's about the only place people can get honest information and stories supporting Harry. Maybe that's why they took her."
"Probably." Ginny agreed sadly with a nod. "I just hope she's okay."
Anna wrapped her free arm around Ginny's shoulder, and the two girls snuggled close, sharing in their worry.
"So, are Bill and Fleur going to come tomorrow or something?" Anna asked after a few moments.
Ginny shook her head. "Bill said they wanted to spend their first Christmas as a married couple together. And Charlie's not coming, either."
Anna nodded slowly. "I know. He wrote to me a couple days ago, and sent me a present."
The sound of the front door opening interrupted all conversation, and two identical, playful voices called through the house; "Honey, we're home!"
Ginny put her eggnog on the coffee table as she raced through the living room. The twins barely came into the sight of the living room before Ginny threw herself at them, wrapping an arm around each of them. Fred and George playfully staggered back under her weight, but wrapped her in a group hug that held her up off the ground.
Anna smiled warmly at the sight, slowly standing up after placing her cup on the end table by the chair.
After finishing their hugs and greetings, the twins released their sister so she could return to her seat. Anna moved past her and gave George a hug before greeting Fred.
"Hi." she breathed, snuggling into his chest while he wrapped his arms around her.
"Hi. How's your week been?" Fred asked quietly, his voice muffled by her hair as he kissed the top of her head.
Anna sighed. "Gloomy." she admitted. It'd only been a couple weeks since her grandparents were murdered. She didn't cry at the mere thought of them as much anymore, but with it being Christmas, one of the few times a year she used to see them…it was hard for the whole family. Anna suspected that was why Molly invited the Black family to spend Christmas with them at the Burrow.
Fred's arms tightened around her in a brief squeeze before he released her and leaned back enough to look down at her face. He smiled sadly at her, reaching a hand up and brushing his thumb across her cheek. Anna instantly held his palm to her cheek with her own hand, nuzzling her face into the warm touch. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath of his warm, familiar scent.
She felt his lips brush her forehead and opened her eyes as Fred pulled away. He pulled his hand from her cheek, holding her hand instead as he lead her into the living room where almost everyone else was gathered. Anna returned to her seat in the armchair with Ginny, and Fred sat on the floor in front of her. While she held her cup of eggnog in one hand, she used her other hand to run her fingers through Fred's short hair.
Anna had suspected this Christmas would be spent feeling sad and guilty, especially for her mum. They'd chosen not to spend last Christmas with Wren's parents, and now they'd never spend Christmas with them again. Anna knew the guilt of that decision would be eating away at her mum for years.
And while Anna was still sad, and would be for a long time, she couldn't help feeling a small warmth in the pit of her stomach that Christmas Eve. Sitting in that comfy armchair, nestled against Ginny's side as they talked about things and drank multiple cups of eggnog. Fred and George were sitting on the floor in front of them, entertaining Aslan with colorful sparks erupting from their wands and flying around the room. Molly and Wren sat by the fire, talking with Arthur and Sirius; all four seeming to at least try to keep up the Christmas spirit.
"Mum?" George called across the room. Anna tensed slightly. His voice sounded tight, as if he were in pain or something. She glanced between him and Fred, but she could only see the backs and tops of their heads.
"What is it, dear?" Molly asked worriedly, turning down the wireless sitting next to her that had been playing Celestina Warbeck.
"My ear's hurting a bit." George told her in a very pitiful voice.
"What do you mean it's hurting?" Molly demanded worriedly, on her feet and across the room in a second. "It's been healed for months! What's the matter?"
"It's that awful Celestina Warbeck, Mum." George whined pitifully. "Please, just put me out of my misery!"
Molly whacked George on the back of the head while several people around the room burst out laughing. Ginny almost spilled her drink from laughing so hard, and Fred offered his twin a high-five. Arthur's face was red as he tried to fight his laughter, while Sirius didn't bother being quiet.
Molly stomped back over to her seat, where Wren was covering her mouth to hide her laughter, but when Molly turned back around, Anna saw that she was trying not to smile, as well.
Leave it to Fred and George to ensure the holidays remained cheerful.
XXX
The following months went much the same way. Most days were gloomy and depressing, and Anna struggled through her work days trying not to break down and helping people where she could, which unfortunately wasn't often. She visited Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes whenever she could, which was every Saturday and Sunday, and at least once or twice during the week. The lively, cheerful environment of the joke shop lifted her spirits in ways nothing else could. Of course, Fred and George might have had something to do with that.
Fred, and sometimes George, did everything they could to cheer Anna up. Fred would frequently cuddle with Anna, drink cocoa, and occasionally dump a pile of Pygmy Puffs on her lap. A couple times, Anna spent the night at the twins' flat, and all three of them would curl up on the couch in front of the fire, because even the twins sometimes needed that reassurance.
Fred went all out on New Years for their third anniversary, and did again on Valentine's Day. Anna appreciated it, and everything Fred and George were doing to keep her spirits up, so whenever she found time, she baked cookies, or made breakfast, and brought those with her on the mornings she worked in the shop with them.
But then March came, and with it, news Anna had been dreading almost as much as Harry being captured.
It was late March, sometime around Easter. Anna, her parents, and Aslan were sitting around the living room, listening to the radio. Sirius had managed to guess the password to find the latest segment of Potterwatch, which was 'Albus'.
The segment was filled with painful news, and a bit of lighthearted humor thanks to Fred and Lee. Of course, Lee started it off with announcing the death of Ted Tonks, Dora's dad who'd been on the run.
Anna almost missed the next couple minutes of Lee's announcements as it hit her. She hadn't been close to Ted, but he was Dora's father, and Andromeda's husband. Dora especially would take this hard, given she was about eight months pregnant. At least she had Remus there to support her.
After the radio was turned off, Anna began getting ready for bed, also helping her mum put Aslan to bed.
It felt like she'd only been asleep for a moment when she woke up. Looking around her bedroom, Anna took in everything to see what might have woken her up. Ariel was perched on her tree in the corner, her eyes glowing in the darkness. The sky outside the window was lightening, showing it was maybe an hour or so before dawn.
Sitting up slowly, Anna glanced toward her bedroom door, which was halfway open. Then, she saw her dad hurry past down the hallway. She straightened in her bed, listening to his footsteps as he hurried down the stairs. Why was he awake at this hour?
Grabbing her wand from the bedside table, Anna got up and hurried down the stairs. She slowed on the last couple steps and peaked around the corner.
Sirius was at the backdoor, his hand on the knob with his wand in his other hand.
"What did you say when I asked you why you love my daughter?" he asked through the closed door. Anna furrowed her brows in confusion.
"Seriously?" Fred's voice called incredulously through the door. "I recited like two paragraphs. Okay-um,…She's been my friend for so long she's like another George, so we know each other better than anyone else. She knows me, I know her. I want to spend the rest of my life making her happy, and making her feel loved and happy. Is that good enough?"
Sirius chuckled quietly before pulling the backdoor open so Fred could step into the house. "I suppose so."
"Fred?" Anna called quietly, stepping onto the main floor.
"Anna." Fred grinned, though it didn't completely reach his eyes. He looked worried and unhappy about something.
"What's wrong?" Anna asked, putting her wand in her waistband and approaching the two men.
"Um, well, I've got some bad news. Well, kinda bad, but it could've been worse." Fred admitted, glancing between Sirius and Anna. "I figured I should tell you guys myself."
"What is it?" Sirius demanded.
"Well, apparently Harry, Ron, and Hermione were captured-no, wait, let me finish-" he added when Sirius and Anna opened their mouths with panicked expressions. "They escaped. They're safe now, with Bill and Fleur. I don't know the details of how they got captured, or what happened to them, all I know if they had been taken to Malfoy Manor, but they escaped and made it to Bill's place. Right now, Bill's at the Burrow helping them pack up."
"Pack up?" Anna repeated in confusion. "What do you mean, 'pack up'?"
Fred smiled sadly at her. "Well, the Death Eaters had been under the impression Ron was sick at home with spattergroit, remember? But since he was captured with the others, they all know it was a lie. The Death Eaters know now that Ron was with Harry Potter the whole time. We've got to go into hiding. That's why I came here. I'll need to leave soon, but I wanted to tell you that myself."
Seeing that Fred was talking mostly to his daughter, Sirius excused himself, "I'll go tell Wren what's happened."
Anna glanced at the floor as her father moved past her and towards the stairs. She looked up only when Fred stepped in front of her, his hands gently rubbing her upper arms. He was smiling sadly down at her.
"I wish I didn't have to go into hiding, love. I wish I didn't have to leave you behind." he told her gently, pulling her into his chest. Anna wrapped her arms around his back while he did the same.
"It could've been worse. Harry and the others got away safely, and Bill was able to contact the rest of your family so you can get out safely." Anna pointed out quietly. Then, her breath caught and she pulled away to look up at him. "Ginny?"
"It's okay. Ginny was home for Easter holidays, so she's going into hiding with us. Just another reason we're lucky, I guess. If she'd been at Hogwarts when this happened…"
Anna hugged him again, snuggling her head into his chest.
"I wish I didn't have to leave you." Fred whispered, burying his face in her hair. He seemed unwilling to let her go anytime soon. "This is so much worse than when I had to leave you at Hogwarts."
"I know." Anna whispered. "But it could be worse, too. I'll be fine, Fred. I'll be safe with my family, and you'll be safe with yours."
Fred nodded against her head, though neither pointed out that it wasn't completely true. No one was truly safe anymore.
The stairs creaked behind them as Sirius returned. Anna pulled back slightly to glance back at her father. He smiled sadly at her before looking at Fred.
"Tell your family that if you ever need anything, that you're free to come to us, as long as you're careful." Sirius told him.
Fred nodded, standing straight even though he still held Anna close to his chest. "Thanks, Sirius. And if any of you need something from us,…well, I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to reveal about our location. But Remus knows how to get in touch with Bill, and Bill knows where we're going."
Sirius nodded in understanding. "We'll keep that in mind. Thank you, and be safe."
Fred nodded before looking back down at Anna. He tightened his hold around her back, pulling her up onto her tiptoes against his chest. He leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to her lips for several seconds. Anna found herself fisting the fabric of his shirt on his chest, not wanting to let him go.
When he pulled away, he leaned to the side to kiss her cheek, his breath warm in her ear.
"I love you so much, Annabelle Esme Black." he whispered in her ear. "I love you, and I will see you soon."
Anna nodded quickly, one hand going up to rest against the side of his neck. "I love you, too, Fred. More than anyone could imagine."
Fred pulled back enough to kiss her forehead before finally, slowly releasing her. He smiled tensely at her before shaking Sirius's hand and walking back out the backdoor. The loud CRACK as he Apparated away left Anna feeling cold.
Sirius wrapped his daughter in a tight hug, kissing the top of her head. "You okay, Belle?"
Anna swallowed thickly. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." she answered, though it wasn't convincing.
Sirius rubbed her back comfortingly. "You should get to bed. You could get in another hour or two before work. Unless you want to call in sick?"
Anna honestly considered it before shaking her head. "No. If I call in sick after everything that happened last night, people will get suspicious, think we were in on it. I'll be fine, Dad."
She leaned up and kissed her dad on the cheek before going back upstairs to her room.
She ended up laying awake in her bed until it was time for her to get ready for work. She just couldn't fall asleep with everything that'd been dumped on her. So she eventually dragged herself out of bed to go down for breakfast and get ready for work.
When she eventually got to work, she was still drinking her second strong cup of tea. She figured she wouldn't look any different from normal, thanks to her metamorphic abilities. But when she arrived on her floor, the first thing her coworker Audrey said was:
"Are you okay? You look exhausted."
Anna smiled tensely. "Just a bit. I didn't sleep well last night." she admitted vaguely as she sat in her cubicle. Audrey stood just in the entryway, looking down at her.
"Have you heard?" she asked quietly after several moments of silence.
Anna tensed, glancing warily up at her. "Heard what?" she asked slowly.
Audrey glanced around briefly. "Well, it hasn't been officially announced to the public, but everyone in the Ministry's talking about it. Apparently, Harry Potter almost got captured last night. Some people were going to go arrest the Weasley family, something about aiding Potter's escape. But most of the Weasley family have vanished. Probably gone into hiding."
Anna nodded slowly, unsure how to react. Should she pretend this was news to her? She'd never told Audrey about her connection to the Weasley family, but Audrey was dating Percy, so maybe she already knew.
Audrey seemed to guess what she was thinking. "I know you're close with the Weasleys." she whispered. "My boyfriend, Percy, told me."
Anna nodded, looking down at her hands, her eyes instinctively landing on her engagement ring. She didn't bother informing her coworker that her and Fred were engaged.
"I'm sure they're all fine." Audrey assured her, assuming Anna was just worried about her friends. Which, of course, was partially true.
"Yeah. I-"
"Black!" a familiar voice called across the room. Anna stood up to see over the walls of her cubicle. Her boss, Fergus Johansson, was heading toward her.
"Mr. Johansson, is something wrong?" Anna asked worriedly. Her boss rarely called on her, especially first thing in the morning.
"Dolores Umbridge on level 1 wants to speak with you." Johansson answered resentfully. "Right now, if you please." he added before turning away. Anna barely caught him muttering to himself, "Don't why that hag can't handle her own department…"
Anna exchanged a confused glance with Audrey.
"What would Umbridge want with you? She's Senior Under-Secretary to the Minister. Surely she's got more important things to worry about."
Anna shrugged. "I could make a guess." she admitted before leaving, not bothering to explain any further. She left the room and headed down the hallway toward the nearest lift. She briefly debated ditching and going home, because she suspected Umbridge planned to interrogate her about Harry and the Weasleys. The thought nearly made her panic. How was she supposed to handle those kinds of questions? She wasn't an expert liar like the twins.
She reached the lift a second before the doors slid open. She froze for a moment when she found herself face-to-face with Percy Weasley. She hesitated for a second before stepping into the lift and turning to face the door as it slid shut. A second later the lift shook and began moving down.
It was tensely silent for a moment before Percy spoke in a quiet voice.
"Good morning, Annabelle."
"Morning, Percy. How've you been?" Anna asked quietly.
"Fine." he answered simply, but Anna guessed he was lying. He was paler than usual and he had purple bags under his eyes. "Have you…do you know if my family is safe?" he finally asked.
Anna swallowed thickly, unsure what to say. "What makes you think I know?" she finally asked guardedly.
"If anyone would know something, it'll be you." he answered as if it was obvious.
Anna sighed quietly. "They were all fine the last time I saw any of them. As far as I know, they all got away safely."
Percy nodded, and Anna practically felt the tension leave his shoulders. "So, where are you off to?" he asked, changing the subject. "Bit early in the day to be going on break."
"I've been summoned by Madam Umbridge." Anna answered dryly.
"What for?" Percy asked in confusion.
"If I had to guess," Anna admitted, "she probably wants to interrogate me on the whereabouts of Harry or your family."
Percy nodded slowly, not seeming surprised. When the lift stopped and the doors slid open, both Anna and Percy stepped out onto level 1.
"Well,…good luck Anna. Have a good day." Percy told her, for once seeming more sincere and less tense.
"Thanks. You have a good day, too." Anna told him with a small smile. With that, the two went their separate ways and Anna went down an isle of doors. She eventually came to a room filled with witches and wizards writing out pamphlets on desks that looked very similar to a classroom. In front of them was a mahogany door, which Anna approached to read the plaques on it.
Dolores Umbridge
Senior Undersecretary to the Minister
Just below that one a second plaque read:
Head of the Muggle-born
Registration Commission
Taking a deep breath, Anna lifted her fist and knocked on the door, ignoring the burn of several stares on her back.
"Come in!" a familiar, girlish voice called form inside.
Anna swallowed before steeling her features and opening the door. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her before looking up. For a brief moment, she was in her seventh year, stepping into Umbridge's office for detention. This office looked exactly the same as her Hogwarts office.
Lace everywhere, dried flowers on every surface, ornamental plates with pictures of kittens on the walls, and a flowered cloth covered the desk. Sitting behind that desk, smiling her sickeningly sweet smile with her hands folded together on the desk, sat the pink devil herself: Dolores Umbridge.
"Hello Ms. Black. It's been a while since I last had you in my office." Umbridge greeted her with a slight giggle that Anna hadn't missed in the slightest.
"Good morning, Ma'am." Anna greeted her politely, staying by the door. "You wanted to see me?"
Umbridge giggled again. "Have a seat, Ms. Black."
Anna slowly crossed the room and sat in the chair in front of the desk, remaining tense and vigilant.
Umbridge poured some tea in a cup, adding several scoops of sugar. "Would you care for some tea?"
"No thank you, Ma'am. I've already had some this morning." Anna declined politely, not trusting any food or drink from the psycho in front of her. It would probably have a truth potion or something much worse in it. Anna needed to keep her wits about her.
"Very well." Umbridge took a sip of her tea, sighing as if it was the best drink in the world. After several seconds of silence, and another sip of tea on Umbridge's part, she finally spoke again. "Now, I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you in here."
"Yes, Ma'am." Anna answered quietly.
"Well, I'm not sure if you heard, but Undesirable Number 1, otherwise known as Harry Potter, was apprehended last night. Of course, he managed to escape. I called you in here, because I remember you and your family are very close to Mr. Potter. In fact, your father, Sirius Black, was named Mr. Potter's Godfather. Is that correct?"
Anna nodded hesitantly. "Yes, that's correct."
"So, it would seem logical that a small group of children, such as Mr. Potter and his friends, would seek the safety of family and friends after such a scary experience as last night. Did he come to your house, perhaps?"
"No, I haven't seen him in ages." Anna answered honestly. She guessed it would be one of the few honest comments she would be making in their conversation. "I didn't even know he'd been captured until this morning." This was also technically true. Fred had told her very early that morning.
"But you must have some idea where Mr. Potter would go." Umbridge urged. "Another friend or family member's? What about Ms. Granger or Mr. Weasley, who is traveling with him? Any idea where any of them might go?"
Anna shook her head. "No idea. Sorry."
She could see the sweet, patient façade slipping from Umbridge's features. "Not even a guess? Nothing at all? Helping or hiding a criminal is a crime, Ms. Black. Surely you don't want to go to Azkaban for someone like Harry Potter."
"I'm not helping or hiding him. I truly have no idea where he is."
Umbridge took a deep breath and another sip of her tea. "Very well. What about the Weasley family? Aurors went to multiple homes of the Weasley family to interrogate them, but it seems they've all gone into hiding. I remember you were even closer to them than you were Potter."
"I wouldn't say I'm that close." Anna lied.
"No? I remember you were nearly attached to those twins by the hip. Even dating one of them. And I've been informed that you've been wearing an engagement ring for a while now. Going to tell me that's not from one of those bloodtraitors?"
Anna instinctively covered her engagement ring with her right hand in her lap, even though Umbridge wasn't even looking at it.
"Just because I know the family, doesn't mean I know where they went." Anna informed her firmly. Then, her mouth got ahead of her brain and she added aggressively, "And even if I did know where they are, I wouldn't tell you a bloody thing."
Umbridge sighed heavily, standing from her seat and moving around her desk. Anna tensed, eyeing her warily, but the squat, pink woman moved past her. Turning around in the seat, she watched as Umbridge seemingly wandered aimlessly around the room for a moment. When she turned again, Anna noticed she was fiddling with her short wand in her fingers, causing Anna to tense slightly.
Reaching subtly toward the waistline of her work skirt, Anna's fingers barely brushed her wand-
"Expelliarmus." Umbridge said casually with a flick of her wand. Anna's own wand flew from her skirt and landed in Umbridge's fat hand. Anna instantly felt her blood go cold. Umbridge then turned to her office door. Anna stood up as she watched Umbridge lock the door and put up a silencing charm.
"Why don't you have a seat?" Umbridge suggested. "Incarcerous."
With yet another flick of her wand, thick ropes wrapped tightly around Anna, and then forced her back into the seat where more ropes tied her arms to the chair arms. When she was firmly bound in the chair, it flew back and slammed into a wall.
Anna looked around frantically before looking up, her eyes wide with fear as Umbridge stood over her, eyes gleaming maniacally.
"Now," she started, all girlish giggles gone from her voice, "you're going to give me some answers. Or I'll make you."
XXX
Dun dun duuun! Another cliff hanger!
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Especially the fluffy parts in the beginning!
Pretty please review and let me know what you all thought!