Author's Note: Originally this was going to be one huge chapter, but I've cut it into two. I will have the other half up tomorrow. The entire thing ended up being around 15,000 words so I cut it into two pieces, otherwise it's too overwhelming... Plus this has something big happen that's alot to take in...

Disclaimer: We've been over this before! No I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's original characters. I do however own Annie. Lyrics to the songs Signal fire by Snow Patrol , Nothing better to do by Leann Rhimes belong to their respective owners, writers, and artists, not me.

Chapter 14: Meet me in St. Louis

The Roast of Lucius Malfoy...

"Tell me Lucius, where are Potter and that insipid girl?" The Dark Lord spoke from his wingback chair in front of a formerly blazing fire, gazing at the embers.

"My Lord, Potter hasn't been seen or heard from since November."

"I believe I was already aware of that Lucius, now let me ask this again, where is he?"

"Were not sure my Lord," Lucius Malfoy bit his tongue in preparation from the coming curse he was about to endure.

"Not sure, Crucio!" The manical laugh filled room, dapening every soul left within it. "Bella, maybe you could be of more help, than our friend here."

"Yes my Lord, we've stationed ourselves outside of Grimmauld Place, the blood traitors Weasley's home, outside of any place he could be. If he's out there, he's not showing himself and I doubt little baby Potter will."

"That is not your call to make Bella. Potter, won't be able to sit and do nothing, eventually he will show himself, and when he does, I will be ready."

Annie Black is Insipid and Insane (Early December)

"Blahh..." Annie had looked through at least one hundred books cover to cover in search of anything whatsoever on the morose topic of Horcruxes. Ninety nine of those one hundred books made her gag, but hey it gave her something to do while Harry attempted to make the place more 'homey' as Annie called it, by ridding the place of the dark, dreary, and depressing, Slytherin influenced crap. They had managed to transfigure the dark and dusty wallpaper in the entry way, to a wall of freshly painted butter cream, and cleaned the chandelier with a couple good "Scourgify's" and it had turned out to be actually quite pretty with it's crystal and emerald green jewels giving the foyer a nice glow.

The kitchen was turned a nice deep red, and the rustic wooden table was given a nice polishing. It almost looked brand new, pardon the knife mark that Fred or was it George made two years ago. But honestly, it was nice to have little reminders of the few good memories made at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. The pothanger, faucet fixtures, and wall sconces had also been scrubbed down to reveal their original pewter selves.

Harry dug into the attic and was able to find all the old christmas decorations from Christmas pasts and he and Annie participated in the Sirius Black Christmas Ritual of putting Santa hats and beards on the heads of the house elves that hung on the stairway wall. They put the Christmas Tree in a corner of the dining area, and lit it with real fairies and topped it with the ugliest angel the pair had ever seen. If you titled your head one way it kind of resembled Snape, without the obvious...hygiene issues.

While the downstairs was easy, the pair didn't have as much success on some of the upstairs rooms. Sirius' old room, Regulus' room, the sitting room adorned with the famous Black Family Tree, and the library were all left untouched.

"Harry?" Annie pulled out a thick, worn, ancient leather book titled The Most Noble And Ancient House of Black.

Harry walked in and casually leaned in on the doorframe, "Yeah,"

"Must you lean like that?" She said, a smile creeping up her face.

"Like what?" he said leaning even more,

"You know, the lean," Harry looked at her completely perplexed, she huffed before saying, "You look too cute when you lean like that, it's distracting…"

"Well in that case, I think I may just stay right here," He grinned at her so cheekily he could've rivaled a young James Potter.

Annie sighed, "Fine, but when Hermione asks me why I didn't get what she asked for done, I'll just blame you." Annie flipped through the pages of the leather book she had picked of the shelf, and stopped dead in her tracks and just started laughing hysterically.

"Okay I think we need to get you out of this house, you're going insane, alright, you were already insane but…." Harry had to duck as various books came plummeting towards his head.

"Yes, getting out of this house would be nice, how dare you, I am not that crazy, and I was laughing at the fact that I didn't think my family could be any more deranged, and then I read this." Annie passed him the book, pointed to a certain page.

Decrees of Arranged Matrimony for the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black 1887-1997

The page went on to list some of the pureblooded families Harry had heard of, he saw the Malfoys, the Lestranges, the Weasleys, and even some Potters.

"That's……just……."

"Sick? Insane? A little disgusting?"

"Someone took the time to write out a century of arranged marriages…." Harry shook his head.

They put the book down, but failed to look at the arranged marriage for 1997, one year from now

"Weird, hm?" Harry took her hand and pulled her up, with surprisingly little effort.

"Thanks, and...I have a feeling today is going to be a weird day. So that offer about getting out of the house…. Can I still take you up on it?"

"May I ask you, how is this not attracting attention?" Annie looked at herself in the mirror, Harry had given her a billowy black robe, and asked her to pull the hood up. It did have the desired affect, she was completely, and totally hidden. "We look like Deatheaters, without the masks. People are going to scream run and flee and they'll um..run and uh... flee ."

"I'm guessing you haven't been to Diagon Alley in a while?" He looked at Annie for confimation as she gave him a curt nod, "Well, this is kind of how everyone dresses there now that the war's started and all. No one really wants to be seen well, with each other."

"You know that's just silly, why should we all run in fear...?"

"Because there's a madman who wants to kill us all,"

"You know that is mean, and unkind, and completely...true. We could at least where colorful robes."

"So we could be what? Rainbow Deatheaters?" Harry said as he pulled his hood up, and Annie stuffed something in the inside pocket of hers, that looked like two envelopes.

"Touche boyfriend, Touche. Let's go."

Hermione Granger is Waiting

Hermione Granger was a smart girl. Everyone knew it. She wasn't known for her beauty, although she was beautiful, she was known for her wits. So why couldn't the brightest witch in a century find one thing on Horcruxes, anywhere!? Bland, she felt bland, she needed a sign, something to tell her to trudge on. Something to give her a bit of freakin hope.

And for the first time in her short life, she, Hermione Jean Granger, needed a break from books. It was the apocolypse, that she was sure of. Armagedon was about to occur, any moment now...

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

Still waiting...

Feeling my shoes slowly going out of style, but still waiting.

Maybe it wasn't going to happen, maybe this all was just a big mista...

"CRASH!" Hermione leaped for her wand and stood her ground, waiting, just waiting for something to pounce, to attack.

"Pig?" Hermione opened the window to the small but pretty bedroom she was residing in while at The Tonks Family Cottage. The not so young owl, that still acted like it, fluttered around the room proudly, as Hermione attempted to untie the parcel. It appeared to be a lumpy, squishy item wrapped in brown paper and a string. She carefully lifted back the paper to reveal a worn black hooded robe.

'Hm... do the Deatheater's want mudblood's to join them now? Or am I merely a torture device to them?' Hermione thought as she picked up the cloak and a letter fell out.

Mia,

Meet Blue at Flourish and Blotts 11:00 sharp.

Love,

Snitch

Well, there was only one person in the world who had called her Mia and he certainly wasn't a Deatheater... She had a feeling this was a very bad idea.

Roonil Wazlib is a terrible name...

If someone had told the eleven year old Ron, that his last year at Hogwarts was going to be spent helping Harry Potter destroy Horcruxes, and defeat You Know Who, he probably would've put them in St. Mungo's... Ron moaned and groaned as he was handed yet another piece of Prewett Family silverware to shine and clean. He didn't know why his mother and Muriel were making him do this, considering the silver had developed mold and and unidentifiable smell since it hadn't been used in at least fifty years. They were slowly torturing him, that he was sure of. Slow, painful... ooo an owl...

Roonil Wazlib,

Meet Me at Flourish and Blotts at 11:00 sharp,

Snitch.

Ron unwrapped the parcel to reveal a long dark cloak, and it struck him who the package was from when he saw the note. And all he had to say was that Roonil Wazlib was a terrible name...

He had a feeling this was a very bad idea.

What would you do? If you had a second chance, another shot at life? How would you want to spend it, but more importantly, who would you want to spend it with? And how...how would you make things right... So he followed a familiar scent...
Big things come in small envelopes...

"So this is what's happened to our world...?" Harry looked around the bare and almost gray streets of Diagon Alley, it was no longer the vibrant bustle of wizards and witches, the colors of the magical stores and people that inhabited them seemed to have drained, to a dark, and glumy gray.

"Hey..." She turned towards him and took his hand, "Do you want to go?"

"No... we'll be fine. Off to Flourish and Blotts m'lady..." He offered his cloaked arm and off they were, through the snow trodden, depressing streets of what was left of the wizarding world...

"Yes to meet Mia and uh...Roonil Wazlib...? Roonil Wazlib? Do I want to know?" She spoke unsurely as the came nearer to the door of the bookstore. "Hey we have time before we have to meet them right?"

"About an hour why?" Harry looked at her quizzically.

"I need to stop and see Fred and George..." Annie lead the way to the only source of light and fun, Weasley's Wizard's Wheezes. A bell chimed above their heads, as the young pair walked into the famous joke shop. The walls were stocked full of all the favorites of Hogwarts students; Extendable Ears, Peruvian Darkness Powder, Filibuster's Fireworks, Pygmy Puffs, and much more. Annie and Harry peered around the store in search of their favorite Gred and Forge, but said twins were no where to be found.

"Fred...? George...?" Harry and Annie called out simaltaneously. They walked around a bit more, until suddenly they each had a wand tip on their chest.

"Bloody hell, it's just us..." Harry spoke nervously as he slowly pulled down his hood, as did Annie.

"Prove it!" George spoke in a voice that could've scared the living bejesus out of Voldie himself.

"Uhm... Harry James Potter, Gryffindor Seeker, uhm... born July Thirty First..."

"Harry anyone knows that, give them something only you know..."

"Okay, in my third year, I couldn't go to Hogsmeade, so I put on the invisibility cloak, and tried to sneak off, but you two caught me and gave me the Marauder's Map and told me of the one eyed witch passage." Harry jotted off quickly.

"And you..." Fred shot a look at Annie as he spoke.

"Oh right, uh..." Annie was wracking her brains for anything... "In your fifth year you got suspended from school on the insistence of Snape, for blowing up nine girls loos, I was staying at your house that year, because Moony was teaching at Hogwarts." Harry looked a little shocked as he heard this, "I know that you're not really Fred and you're not really George, you just liked each other's names so you switched, you told me that after I didn't sell you out to your mum about turning Bill's hair Umbridge pink..."

"Sorry Booger, Harry..." Fred and George said at the same time, "We just wanted to be sure."

"That's okay, and Booger?" He smiled cheekily at Annie.

"Yes that is their nickname for me, that I 'earned,' that year..." She shot disapproving looks at Fred and George, "And wait a second, you have the Marauder's Map?"

"Er.. yeah why?" Harry glanced at Fred and George unsurely and oddly at Annie.

"Oh it's nothing, I've just heard stories, from Moony about that thing, it's just odd he didn't mention someone actually had it. That's all."

"You two aren't supposed to be here are you?" George asked knowingly.

"Techinically no, but we thought it might be nice to get out of the Ancient House of Filth for a while..." Harry answered.

"So how may we help you today?" Fred and George spoke at the same time giving mock bows, making Harry and Annie smile for the first time since they entered Diagon Alley.

"I have something to give you fine gentleman, actually." Annie pulled two identical looking cream envelopes out of her robe pocket, one labled Fred, and the other labled George in Annie's neat cursive writing. "Don't read them until we leave, and I need an answer by Christmas..." She spoke firmly.

"You're being,"

"Very,"

"Cryptic,"

"It's not like,"

"We have super,"

"Secret decoder,"

"Rings."

"Oh and two packages of extendable ears, never know when you'll need one. "Annie brought two packages to the counter and got out her coin bag.

George haulted her, "No, my treat."

"I insist, this is a business, and I will pay." Annie put her hands on her hips, rivaling Mrs. Weasley for a second. After Annie hugging the boys, and Harry shaking their hands, the pair pulled up their cloaks and exited the shop (neither knew they were being tracked by two parties...), and hoping to see George and Fred at Christmas... While Fred and George tore open their letters eager to find out exactly what was inside, and they weren't exactly shocked when they found what was written inside.

"Hey what was that about?"

"Oh you'll see soon enough," Man, she was being cryptic today...

Hermione was looking at a book on Artifacts of the Dark Arts when she heard someone whisper, "Mia?" Hermione cautiously turned around brandishing her wand, ready to attack anyone who deserved it.

"Hey hey, It's just me," Annie let her hood slip enough for Hermione to see her face. The older girl of the two, noticed slight changes in her companion. Her eyes had lost a little of their mysterious sparkle, and there was something, something very different in the way she walked... It was odd but there was something different. Maybe the stresses of being Harry's girlfriend or whatever she was, was starting to wear on her.

Before Annie could think of anything to say, she was engulfed into a bone crushing, breath taking, famous Hermione hug, which she returned back.

"So what are we doing here?" Could be heard on both sides of deserted bookstore, the whispers of Hermione and Ron barely audible.

"We, are going Christmas shopping..."

"What do you think? Too green?" Annie held up a beautiful dark bottle green, plush mens cloak, with pure silver decorative stitching. It was a beautiful cloak, but it was a special cloak too.

"I think it's perfect. Just perfect, really." Hermione said reassuringly as she took the item out of Annie's hands and put it on the counter, not giving Annie time to rebuddle.

"Alright if you think so, it is pretty amazing... We'll take it."

Not to far away, an almost identical conversation was going on, only it concerned jewelry.

"What do you think, it's too...ya know..."

"Perfect? She'll love it mate." Harry looked at the perfect saphire drop necklace, that had a small band around the jewel. He knew how to make it special. If she ever needed him, all she'd have to do was ask...

"Excuse me, sir? Can I also get this engraved...and is it possible to um put charms on necklaces?"

"So how are things going with you and...uh Roonil...?" Annie and Hermione walked out of Madam Malkins, Annie with two bags in her hands and Hermione with one. Annie had bought Harry's gift, the beautiful green cloak, and bought herself a sapphire blue one, with real goblin made silver stitching that reduced fraying and held together much longer than regular thread. The clasp was made of pure crystal and had a vineish design. Harry's was similars to her's only there were some certain charms...to it.

Hermione liking Annie and Harry's new cloaks so much bought one for herself. Her's was a dusty mauve, rose color. A color Annie wouldn't have expected of Hermione, but then again... how much did they really know about each other?

"Really well actually. I'm starting to think, well, maybe... things could get... serious."Hermione turned about eight shades of red in one second...

"You're blushing, you are so totally blushing. Aw..I think it's good, Ron's a good man. Just remember that, even if he drives you insane half the time." Hermione chuckled at this.

"You know I think we all needed this, to get out, to feel free. I feel like I've been a prisoner for the past month..." Hermione took a deep breath of the clean crisp air.

"I get that. I definitely get that. Do you know Harry and I have been so bored we've redecorated...well where were staying...?" Annie didn't want to give too much away, even though she was pretty sure it was just Hermione, herself, Ron, and Harry in Diagon Alley that day, you could never know if someone was listening.

"No...!" Hermione gasped as a smile appeared on her rosy cheeks,"Someone actually made the hellhole pretty?"

"Hmmm Hell hole, didn't think to call it that, I'll add that to the list." Annie joked, "But yes, slowly but surely. I don't know why were doing it, I mean, it'll probably just get ransacked by Death Munchers any day now."

"You're trying to make it home, there's no shame in that."

"No I guess there's not. So where to?"

"I actually need to go to the Quidditch store for Ron's gift." The two girls meandeared their way to the Quality Quidditch Supplies Store. Hermione looked lost, as much as the girl had tried to pay attention during Harry and Ron's many hour long talks of the game, she just couldn't force herself to pay attention. Quidditch had the same affect on her as Binns did on the boys.

Annie however seemed to know what she was looking at, she stroked each broom handle as she passed it, she smiled at the displays. She noticed Hermione's prediciment...

She casually put down the Quidditch Weekly magazine she was paroozing and glided over to Hermione.

"Harry told me you weren't particularly fond of brooms and quidditch. Do you want some help?"

"Yes Please!" Hermione said eagerly.

"Okay, first off, what position does he play?"

"Keeper,"

"And I'm assuming it needs to be functional for er... for what you all are going to be doing, right?"

"It would probably be useful to have a good broom. He mentioned his cleansweep was wearing out."

"Alright he's a keeper, so he needs something sturdy..." She paused and picked up a broom off the wall, "But maneuverable," she quickly discarded the broom for another, "He needs some decent speed, but not so much that he zooms past the quaffle." Annie silently roamed the store, with Hermione entently following her. Annie would pick up a broom and study it, while Hermione looked hopeful this would be the one, only to be disappointed when Annie would claim it to be, "Too springy," or, "Too Oaky," or "Too Blahhh..." Until finally she picked one up, and proclaimed it to be, "Perfect. This is it, this is your broom."

Hermione gently took it out of Annie's hands and clasped it in her own. It was beautiful, a nice red wood of some kind which specific kind, she wasn't sure. It just looked like Ron to her.

"Alright, we'll take this," Hermione placed the broom on the counter and pulled out her coin bag. "Annie, thank you. So you know about quidditch?" She gave her a smile and turned back around to pay for the broom.

"I may have played a few pick up games once or twice...and you're welcome, I think he'll like it."

"No, I think he'll love it." Hermione shrunk the package and put it in the same bag as her new cloak, so Ron wouldn't automatically know what his gift was when they met up again.

"Let's go find the boys..."

"Lets..." They walked out of the store arm into the street and ran smack dab into the boys.

"Ouch..." Annie rubbed her forehead and that was when she realized it...

There's an art to being able to keep a hood up, especially when you're being crashed into...

"Oh bugger..."

He could sense he was getting closer, closer to the scent, closer to all he was searching for. All he wanted, but little did he know, he would find a whole lot more... but he had to wonder, why the hell was Harry in diagon alley right now?
Why this wasn't a good idea...

"We really need to teach you different swear words...Oh bugger..." Harry's voice drifted off as he saw what had happened, more like why he was suddenly surrounded by hooded figures, with masks. Harry withdrew his wand from his pocket in a second flat, and noticed Hermione and Ron doing the same. Meanwhile Annie was slowly raising her hands... Harry had to wonder what she had planned. With a quick wave of both her hands Annie had petrified the four deatheater's surrounding them.

"Nice." Harry staired in admiration.

"Thanks."

"Does anyone have a plan?"Ron asked all too eagerly.

"Um..." Annie paused as she got up quickly

"Today is not the day for Um.. Anne." Harry remarked.

Annie shot a dirty look at him and spoke calmly, "Let's just apparate to Grimmauld Place before more come..." they seemed to agree, and just as they turned on the spot they were halted, and found themselves face down in the dirt.

"Apparation Wards," Hermione muttered... "Smart... I knew this would be a bad idea."

"That it was you filthy mudblood," An all too familiar, shrill female voice sounded from behind them.

"Shite." Annie said plainly as she felt herself being pulled up and a wand being prodded into her bare kneck.

"That's more like it Annie." Harry grunted.

For a second the entire world seemed to freeze, to literally stop moving. Harry held a breath he didn't know he was holding, and braced himself to give one surge of power. But he didn't need it. The little deathmuncher who captured Annie was stupid enough to ignore the fact she could use her hands... She shot a clean reducto directly at Harry's attacker, carefully to avoid hitting Harry himself. Unfortunately this only gave the foursome a short amount of time to retreat before the brunt of the attacking could occur, without apparation and without a portkey, they were going to have to fight their way to the Leaky Cauldron and hope for the best that the floo wasn't blocked. And so it began...

"Expelliarmus!" Harry called through the yells of incantations, in the hopes of taking at least one person down. But his dueling partner was too quick and put up a shield before Harry's spell finished. A voice played back through his head from earlier in the day, "Anyone would know that...you have to do something only you know..." This was war, and in the words of Barbara Bush, 'War is not nice...' "Sectumsempra!' Harry wanted to vomit as the vile spell came out of his mouth, a spell he swore he would never use again, but again... this was a war.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Who the hell would use that spell in a duel, Harry thought to himself, and then he realized there was one person crazy enough to make it work. Annie had levitated a man straight into brickbuilding and let him drop the rest of the way down. The man slumped over, unconscious and bleeding from the head. As soon as Annie turned around she was faced by another, and was able to take him down with a single spell, this was when her haven powers came in handy, unlike the others she didnt' have to think about defense as much, even though she did just to keep up appearances...

As he trotted down the side streets of Diagon Alley he heard the sounds of distress. Unfortunately his godson's scent was coming from the same direction as the chaos...
Who knew Pygmy Puffs could be so violent?

Hermione was being tripled teamed by four of Voldemort's cronies, all she could think about was defense, at least until one of them made a mistake. She heard a low growl and foot steps coming from behind her...

"Three blokes against one bird? Do you have no shame?" Hermione never thought she'd hear that destinct voice ever again...

"Sirius...?"

"Hermione duck!" Annie ran as fast as she could, and to as close to Hermione as she could and sent a reducto curse at the chest of one of the deatheaters, but she couldn't reach the other three without grazing Hermione and her... wait a second, who was that? But she didn't have time to ask, as Hermione seemed relatively distracted by the newcomer, and wasnt' paying attention to the fact that the noble and honorable cowards were cursing her behind her back. She rushed to the girls side and cast a harbor (Annie's haven shields) around herself and Hermione, and the guy she was so distracted with by standing in the middle of them and talking hold of both of their hands in her own.

It was an undescribable state, knowing you just saved someone's life. It was such a high, knowing that that was simply your purpose in life. To save others from a terrible defeat...

"I like her," Sirius panted.

"Me too," Hermione smiled at Annie, but all was lost as Annie looked the man in the face, seeing many of her own features in the man she was gazing at. He staired back, and the two shared a look of understanding, a knowing look. But a cold voice pulled them out of their short lived reverie...

"CRUCIO!" Voldemort's presence, no matter where he was, always ended up in tragedy. Harry writhed on the ground, but slowly he felt that he could do this, he didn't want to allow the pain to control his body, he didn't want to give up. Slowly but surely he rose to his knees and grasped his wand tighter as he stood up fully. He, Harry Potter, shook off the Cruciatus Curse... and he almost smiled at the look of horror on Tom's face...

At this point, Ron, Hermione, Annie, and Sirius had rushed out into the open and were immediately attacked by the remaining deatheaters... Little did they know that Fred and George had a few tricks pulled up their sleeves. While other shop owners retreated in their shops, Fred and George Weasley, knowing who was causing the trouble, did what they did best...

They ran through the streets, carrying...purple and pink pygmy puffs... Laugh as you may, but these pygmy puffs weren't just any pygmy puffs. They were the ones that uhm... somehow were inbred, (really Fred and George just wanted to see the effects of what sharing the same genes did to you, but were they going to tell anyone that? Nah... Unecessary...)

"Sirius?" Ron saw the man out of the corner of his eye while he was dueling a large cloaked man.

"Ron?"

"Harry?"

"Sirius?" Harry threw his head over his shoulder as he fended off two death eaters at the same time, he could tell they were starting to tire, and he couldn't believe his eyes as he stared at his godfather, the godfather he had thought to be dead...

"Okay I respect the family reunion here, but we need to leave! What the...?" Hermione looked down to the ground to see an army of pink fluffy things, that she now recognized to be pygmy puffs heading towards Bellatrix Lestrange...

"New product Granger, attacking pygmy puffs..." This allowed enough of a distraction for Sirius to injure two masked men with powerful stunnning cursese. Then all seven (Fred, George, Annie, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Sirius) of them to make a run for it down a side street. Each of them sending reductos and stunners behind them at the following deatheaters. Luckily (at least in Annie's mind) this was the street they all dropped their Christmas gifts at, it'd be a shame to have lost those... As both girls ran they were able to drop down and pick up the bags without stopping,

"Smooth..." Harry called back breathlessly

"We know, we're awesome and you are so jealous..." Annie chided back as they all slowed down and ducked behind a rubbish bin...

"Hello Sirius," At this point nothing surprised Harry anymore...

"Hey pup..."

"Hello," Sirius looked at his daughter, and recognized the same twinkle in her eyes...

"Erm...guys..." Hermione jerked her head in the direction of the oncoming deatheaters...

"We'll talk..."

"We just have to make it outside the Leaky Cauldron, right?" Hermione aimed her question towards

"I hope so," Harry said optimistically, although he wasn't feeling very optimistic.

"And it's how far?" Annie asked, slightly panting.

"About a mile," Fred started.

"You know, give or take..." George guessed.

"A mile? A mile! Who in bloody hell knew Diagon Alley was this big?"

"Well, I don't mean to be the downer here, but not all of us are going to make it a mile, not without getting ambushed at least..." Ron solemnly added to the debate.

"Which means we need a distraction..."Sirius jumped into the conversation for the first time...

"I'll do it..." Annie was the only one who spoke up and the assembled group looked at her like she needed to institutionalized...

"No...!" Harry and Sirius whispered fiercely at the same time.

"Listen- to- me, I have a plan..."

"You have a plan?" Harry leaned closer to her and she whispered in his ear. "Alright, let's go. I don't like it, but it's all we've got. we'll meet you, in ten minutes?" Harry cupped the back of her head, and pulled her in close to him, and slowly touched his lips to hers. He breathed in her peppermint hair, and touched his tongue to her lips begging for entrance... So much for that thought, many throat clearings interuppted that thought. Harry and Annie gave apologetic looks to their er.. audience, they stood up and just before Harry and crew were about to run for their lives... literally, Harry leaned close to Annie's ear, so only they could hear, and said, "Be safe, stay strong, have hope. I love you." Before Harry left, Annie grabbed her blue cloak out of the bag and stripped off the black one, and donned her, what would someday be famous, sapphire cloak. And with that the six ran as fast as they could as Annie slowly stepped into the street. Slowly, but surely, she walked into the center of Diagon Alley, where she knew they were all hiding like cowards.

The Rise of The Blue Angel

The ground crunched beneath her as she stepped on glass bits from the shop windows, or what were the shop windows. She breathed in the crisp winter's air and stopped to get her feet grounded. It was actually quite relaxing if you excused the whole impending death thing happening. She turned around cautiously and heard...

"Did little, bitty, baby Potter leave his girlfriend to fight his battles? Tut, tut, a woman of the Noble House of Black wouldn't stand for that... But of course, a filthy halfbreed like you would, wouldn't she? Oh yes, I know your secret dear cousin, a haven... how noble..." Bellatrix chasted.

Annie felt as long as Bella was talking, it would distract her long enough for the others to get to the Leaky Cauldron. Then she and the deatheaters would play a lovely game of chase the filty halfbreed haven down the street...

"You're just jealous..." She couldn't think of anything else to say, but it worked, Bella continued on with her insanity of pureblood propaganda.

"Enough with the small talk, let's just get on with it already..." Annie could sense more cloaked figures surrounding her from behind.

"Oh I was waiting for you to say that. Crucio!"

"Expelliarmus...!" Of course Annie won that one, Bella didnt' stand a chance... Annie twiddled the wand between her fingers before breaking it in half with her knee, she smirked as she saw Bellatrix physically shudder. "Poor, little, Bella, without her wand. What will she do. Oh don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. A simple, loathsome, halfbreed like myself... just wouldn't have the guts. But I'm sure Neville Longbottom will be pleased to hear he has a fair shot at you. I recommend one thing Bella, run and hide. Run-and-Hide... You're dispicable." Annie bound her in magic ropes and let her fall to the ground, "Oh and my father says hello." Annie walked away from Bella and stood again in the center of the street, "Anyone else want to have a go, you worthless cowards?" Black twirled around her small form and she couldn't help but smile as her natural safe harbor surrounded her effortlessly, forcing the floating black wisps back into the brick buildings surely crushing them. She wondered how they did that, floating through the air like that, that is. Harry had told her something similar that the Order of the Phoenix did in the Department of Mysteries.

The perfect words never crossed my mind,
'cause there was nothing in there but you,
I felt ounce of me screaming out,
But the sound was trapped deep in me,

She began to run, feeling the cold wind wipping her porcelain face. She prepared herself for something, anything to just jump out and grab her, but they didn't, she wasn't confronted until she came to the end of the street, exactly where she needed to be, a corner away from the leaky cauldron. But she paused, a figure was standing in the street, and it seemed to be waiting for something.

All I wanted just sped right past me,
While I was rooted fast to the earth,
I could be stuck here for a thousand years,
Without your arms to drag me out,

She slowed to a walk, cautiously avoiding any pieces of debris that her feet could step on that would betray her position. The person pivoted, almost floating, and turned towards her. It's snakelike face almost daring her to move. She walked patiently in the direction of Tom, giving him a good amount of time to curse her... But strangely enough, he didn't. She gave him a look that clearly stated, 'Go ahead'

"Now is not your time..." Was all he said in that voice that made shivers dart your spine like knives, and he vanished...

"Merry Christmas to you too..."

She turned the corner and broke into a run and she saw someone else waiting for her at the end of the street at the Leaky Cauldron (which was looking worse for wear...) But she wasn't exactly paying attention to the person at the end of the street and ran directly into their waiting arms...

There you are standing right in front of me
All this fear falls away to leave me naked,
Hold me close cause I need you to guide me to safety

"You did good..." She looked up and saw the eyes of her father... Someone she thought was dead all this time... He held her closer, his fingers stroking her hair.

"This has been a weird day..." They began to walk towards the dismantled door of the Leaky Cauldron.

"That is has... So may I ask how you four found yourselves in this situation..."

"Oh well, we had nothing better to do...So where are the others..."

"Breaking into a car..."

"Oh because that makes sense...Shit! Run." Being followed by a mob of angry deatheaters...well it's not good...

Riding along in my automobile...

"So what were you planning on doing after you broke into the car? No keys, Hermione...do you know how to drive?" She waited for Hermione to shake her head in a no..Why would you live in both worlds and not learn how to drive? "Ron get out of my seat!" Annie pulled Ron out of the driver's seat, sat down and adjusted the mirror as Harry and Sirius assembled into the roomy front, while Hermione, Ron, Fred and George scruched into the back. "Not only did you steal a car, punching out the front window, you stole a station wagon! A station wagon is our getaway car, geniuses you are." Annie fiddled with something by the steering wheel that looked like wires, sparks began to erupt from some of them and a cracking sound filled the air.

"You know how to hotwire a car?" Harry said.

"You say that like it's a bad thing..." Sirius and Annie turned to Harry and said at the same time.

"Freaky, Freaky day... Sorry Jean Whaler... I also know how to sing the ABC's backwards and I know a full history of the Palopanesian War... and for some reason the fact that I can hotwire a car, surprises you?" There was a stethoscope with a name plate hanging on the rear view mirror. "Everybody buckled? Okay hold on..." Annie swirved the car out of it's parking spot between two cars and zoomed off down the small side street, passing many angry drivers in the process.

Hung my cotton dress on rusted wire
Up there on Pilahatchee Bridge
Just a crazy roughneck's daughter
Jumped head-first into the water
Baptized away my sins

If you looked at the faces in the car you probably would've laughed, Ron looked like he was about to puke, Hermione looked paler than white out but was at least keeping her composure, Fred, George and Sirius looked equally amused, while Harry looked focused.

"We just got flipped off by an old lady..." Fred laughed.

"Well what's life without being flipped off by a couple of old ladies," Sirius laughed...

We slipped in the back of Sunday service
Know them church ladies, they heard us
Bum smoke money from the offering

"Blue, do you see what I see in your rear view mirror?" Harry used his finger to point to three people on broom sticks behind them...

"Oh this is good..." Annie mumbled and turned the car down a country road in hopes of losing the impending deatheaters,

"And here we thougth deathmunchers were lazy..." Hermione said as she looked out the back window to track their foes...

"Oh Hermione, meant to tell you, I couldn't find any books on your topic, but I do however have an idea on how to get information..." Annie checked in the mirror and turned the wheel quickly.

"What exactly does this idea involve, you know just for curiositie's sake."

"Well," Annie paused turning the car again so sharply they all had to hold on to sides of the vehicle to stay upright, "It involves breaking into Hogwarts, making it past Fliches cat, breaking into the Headmaster's office and stealing a painting..."

"Is that all?" Hermione said exasperated...

"Yup." Annie spoke completely unaware...

Mama said, "Idle hands are Devil's handywork"
Oh, the trouble you'll get into
You got nothin' better to do, got nothin' better to do
You got nothin' better to do, got nothin' better to do

"Alright on three, Fred, George apparate back to Shell Cottage... you probably should close down the shop until the war's over guys..."Harry spoke diplomatically.

"Can we uh apparate in a moving car?" Fred spoke nervously...

"I guess you'll find out..." Annie said ominously...

"Thanks,"

"For the vote,"

"Of confidence..."

"Anytime guys, see you..." And with that Fred and George were gone.

Hid deep in the Mississippi backwoods
We danced and played around 'til dark

"Now what?" Ron asked casting some spells out of the broken window at the broom clad flyers...

"Now, you go back to Muriel's, Hermione back to Scottland..." Annie muttered as she avoided hitting another car...

Well I had them wrestlin' for my first kiss
Turned into a fight and they missed
Me speeding off in Tommy's car

"What about you guys?"

"We are going to drive this car, over that bridge and plummet into the water, and we'll see you at Christmas," Harry improvised. They could apparated just in time.

"Why into the water?" Sirius asked...

"Because we can't let a running car go lose on the road without a driver and have it randomly crashing into people."

"Well as long as you have a plan..." Sirius got out his wand...

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked in hopes of convincing them of another plan...

"Yeah, we'll be fine. We've made it this far huh? One, two, three!" Hermione and Ron were gone.

"You ready?" Harry turned to Annie...

"Mmmhmmm... Did I ever tell you I hate water...?"

"You just have to apparate right as the car goes off the bridge..."

"Well now that you put it like that," She said sarcastically, "Here we go, one two,"

Nobody hurt, nobody harmed
Nobody's business but my own

A Collective "AAAAAH!" could be heard through the car as it tipped quickly over the bridge, and the pops of apparation sounded.

Mama said, "Idle hands are Devil's handwork
Oh, the trouble you'll get into!"

All three of them crashed on the doorstep, hitting their heads on the brick of the building...

"Ow... That, we are never doing that again...! Ooof." Harry offered Annie his hand and he pulled her up. "Thank you." The trio walked through the front door and were surprised to say the least...

"Are we in the right house?" Sirius asked looking around at the much improved Ancient House of Black.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER, ANNE ELYSE BLACK!"

"As we English say, you be in some deep shit..." Sirius leaned towards the two...