Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: beta read

Summary: A continuation of Complexities of the Heart,

Things Between People

By katemary77

Chapter Four:

Call me on your way back home, dear
Because I miss you
And I just want to die without you
Oh, I just want to die without you

Yeah, I just want to die without you
Honey, ain't nothing new.

Ryan Adams, Call Me On Your Way Back Home

"Focus, Harry! Visualise! Are you visualising?"

"Yes," Harry muttered, a tad impatiently.

"Well, obviously not enough," she snapped back, impatient as well. Harry was taken aback a moment: rarely did Anna lose her temper. She took a breath. "I'm sorry, Harry."

"That's okay. I don't understand why I can't get this either."

They were in the room they usually used for Occlumency training. After being satisfied that Harry's first mind-wall was solidly built, Anna had begun attacking him with Legilimancy. Unfortunately, his wall wasn't holding at all.

"We just need to keep practising. Prepare yourself." She gave him a few moments before shouting, "Legilimins!"

It was his eighth birthday and Dudley was gifting him by chasing him around the school with his pack of friends and with a crack he was on the school roof, bewildered… Uncle Vernon was shaking a report card at him, reprimanding him angrily for academically outstripping his cousin… It was his first year at Hogwarts and his eyes were prickling with tears; he had presents! Real presents, and Mrs. Weasley, a woman he'd hardly met, had sent him a warm, thick jumper like nothing else he owned… He was soaring through the clouds, glancing around for the slightest glint of gold and there it was! He'd caught the Snitch and won the cup, Ron and Hermione were applauding, running towards him, hugging him fiercely…

Harry let out a gasping breath as the images faded. Getting up off the floor, he looked to Anna. She was frowning and fingering her wand thoughtfully.

"I have an idea."

"I think I'd do about anything right now," Harry admitted.

She looked at him shrewdly.

"Cast the spell on me."

Well, that'd been the last thing he'd expected her to say.

"What? Why?"

She sighed. "I think it might help, give you an idea of what your defences should look like. I'll lower mine to the first wall. Are you ready?"

"Okay," he answered nervously.

"Use my wand. It should be compatible enough and the Ministry won't be able to track it. Legilimins, on three. Ready? One… two… three!"

"Legilimins!"

Harry pushed out with his mind.

Nothing happened. He let out a frustrated growl.

"Again, Harry," Anna commanded. "You need more power!"

Raising the wand, he cried: "Legilimins!"

There wasn't a chink in her amour. Anna's wall was completely smooth; faultless and flawless like obsidian. He concentrated as hard as he could, but there was no weakness, no point at which he could push through. And then slowly, perhaps even a little deliberately, Harry thought, a tiny crack appeared.

Harry pushed forward and with Anna's recommendation of more power in mind, poured everything he had into it. The stronghold was breached.

A young girl was holding a midnight black wand in her little hand, pointing it uncertainly at a dishevelled man. "Like this?" she was saying, and received a nod in return. A pale hand covered her own and directed the wand movements. "Avada Kedavra!"… Older now, she was cowering in the corner of a dark and dank room while shadows of a horrifically intimate dance rippled across the stone walls, grunts, groans and cries for mercy puncturing the still air… a young, hook-nosed man was attending to a woman's vicious wounds with gentle hands, while the girl looked on apprehensively… A pale, golden haired young man had her pinned against the wall and was cutting at her soft skin with a sharp knife, counting as he went…

Harry pulled back. Anna was on all fours on the floor, panting for breath. He hurried over.

"Are you okay?"

She accepted his hand up and brushed her hair back from her face.

"Yeah; yeah, I'm okay."

"You let me in, didn't you?"

She smiled a bit.

"Yes. The exercise wasn't to expand your Legilimency. Just to show you what it's like. I didn't expect you to be so strong though."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she smiled again. "It was exactly what I wanted you to do. You're a very powerful wizard, Harry."

Harry looked down. He was itching to ask her about what he'd seen, but wasn't sure if it was his place.

"Go ahead," she said gently.

"Was it – was it really like that?" he asked eventually.

"That and worse."

"Eight years. For eight years, you said."

"Yes."

"How did you survive?"

Anna frowned.

"I had my mother. And I had Severus. Never underestimate the strength that the people you love give you, Harry."

"I won't."

-------------------------

"That was delicious, Anna."

"Thank you, Remus," Anna replied with a smile as Remus gathered their dishes from the table to place in the sink. "Lasagne has always been my favourite food."

"Mine too, now," Harry grinned.

She stuck her tongue out playfully. Harry, drinking butterbeer, was seated across from Anna and Remus at the dinner table. It'd been a few days since Harry had succeeded in invading Anna's mind and since he had made significant headway in blocking his own thoughts.

"There's an Order meeting tomorrow night, Harry," Remus commented as he sat back in his chair. He glanced sidelong at Anna.

"Remus and I were thinking about talking to the Order. About you," Anna continued.

"We both think it's about time you were allowed to be more involved."

Harry straightened.

"Are you serious?"

"Very," Anna responded. "Your age should no longer be an issue. You've proven yourself capable of dealing with adult situations maturely. You've grown up a lot in the last year. Regardless of what everybody else thinks, you're going to be heavily involved in this war. Now, not when you're of age; Voldemort isn't going to wait."

"What do you think, Harry?" Remus asked.

"I think it's a brilliant idea," Harry said. "Do you think it will work?"

"We'll see."

-------------------------

"Are there any other matters that need to be brought to our attention?"

There was general silence throughout the room. Remus looked to Anna and she nodded. He cleared his throat.

"Yes, Remus?"

"Anna and I have something to say," he began. "About Harry."

Dumbledore sighed.

"What about Harry?"

"We think he should be more included," Anna said. "Perhaps even be allowed to sit in on Order meetings. It's time he took a more active role in this war."

There was a general outburst of voices, a few in agreement but most in protest, which lasted until Dumbledore quieted the group.

"Harry is just a child," Molly said firmly, the obvious leader for the anti-involvement camp. "He should not have to deal with this kind of responsibility so young."

"Harry has been dealing with responsibility like this since he was eleven years old," Remus countered, "And whether we allow him into the Order or not, he's going to be dealing with it. Why not let him become more involved, know what's going on? He's matured greatly in the past year and is able to make sound, adult decisions."

"Adult decisions like blundering in to the Ministry of Magic and getting his godfather killed?" Mad-Eye Moody barked. There was a sudden chill in the room.

"Harry has no blame in that," Remus said very coldly. "We are entirely to blame. If we had included Harry and let him know what was going on earlier, that never would've happened and you all know it!"

"Anna, we have already been very liberal in allowing Harry – " Dumbledore began, but Anna interrupted.

"In what, bringing Harry to a place where people actually care for him?" she snapped.

"Now, Anna, while I realise the Dursleys may've been negligent in taking care of Harry, I'm sure it's not as bad as you make out."

"Negligent doesn't begin to cover it, Albus. Perhaps abusive is a better term."

Some Order members, at least, looked a little guilty at that.

"We agree with Remus and Anna," the twins spoke up.

"So do I. Sorry, Mum," Bill added.

"He's too young. He shouldn't have to deal with this. He has plenty of time to grow up," Molly insisted.

Anna sighed impatiently.

"Do you really think Voldemort cares about Harry's age? He wants him dead, Molly, and I hardly think he's going to wait for Harry to grow up before killing him," she spoke very sharply, deciding that to soften the words would be only a detriment to their argument. "Harry needs experience, he needs to learn; to fight; to be treated like the adult that he is. This war rests entirely on his shoulders and it is unfair on him and on all of us to continue pretending that it doesn't."

"He's not a child anymore," Remus said quietly, "And being able to fight might be the deciding factor in whether or not he gets any older at all."

-------------------------

"Severus."

"Anna."

The darkly intimidating man took her hand and squeezed gently.

"Thank you for continuing to send the nutrient potions."

"Not at all, Anna; it's the least I can do." He paused and led her over to the corner of the kitchen. The meeting had ended and members had either left Grimmauld Place or had stayed to chat. Remus was talking with the Weasleys, perhaps mollifying Molly after their argument. Anna looked up at Severus, whose dark eyes were concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. No. Yes," she decided eventually. Anna sighed, "I'm managing."

"Are you – are you sure you're doing the right thing? No one would begrudge you if – "

"No," she said with a firm shake of her head. "I thought about that for a long time, Severus, but I know I'm making the right choice in having this child. It's what my mother would've done, too." She shook her head. "It's what she did do. A child was forced upon her in the most terrible circumstances. I know she told you about coming close to aborting me… or killing herself while I was still in her womb."

"She had no idea what or who you would be, Anna," Severus said sharply. "She knew that she might be giving birth to the child that would solidify the Dark Lord's power. You must stop governing your choices by what she would've done."

Anna's face crumpled a little as she looked at him.

"Please, Severus, can't you just be there for me? Support me? It's what I need right now."

He sighed and took her hand again, pressing it to his lips. The Potions Master reached into the folds of his black robes and brought out a small box, tied with a pretty blue bow. Taking it wordlessly, Anna opened it to find he had given her a delicate silver baby rattle.

"Congratulations."

Teary-eyed, Anna grabbed him into a hug.

"Thank you, Severus."

They stood together and looked out over the basement kitchen.

"Have you told the boy yet?"

"Harry?" He nodded. "Yes," Anna said. "He took it quite well."

"You've become quite the champion for him."

Anna huffed angrily.

"If no one will let him fight, somebody has to fight for him."

Remus walked over at that point.

"Should we go and tell him, then?"

Anna nodded.

"Yes, lets. I'll see you soon, Severus."

The Potions Master nodded and headed off in the direction of Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore.

"Shall we?"

Anna accepted Remus' arm and together they climbed the stairs to find Harry. He was pacing in his room, running his hand through his hair nervously. When they arrived at the door he looked to them expectantly.

"Well?"

Remus nodded.

"You're in."

-------------------------

Harry couldn't sleep. It was well past midnight but he was up, wandering the gloomy halls of Grimmauld Place. It wasn't a bad thing to do at night, when you want to sleep but can't. The halls were dark and long and seemingly endless, leaving much room for reflection and thought. Harry trailed his fingers along the dusty wall as he contemplated the past weeks he had spent at Grimmauld Place – a month now – and all that had happened; learning Occlumency, staying with Remus and Anna in her cabin in Wales, Anna being pregnant.

When Harry reached the third landing of the house, however, all thoughts fled from his mind. There was a light trickling into the hallway from under the door of the bathroom. At first, Harry simply dismissed it as Remus or Anna taking a late night trip to the toilet, but when he heard a soft, strangled sob, Harry knew something was wrong.

"Anna? Is that you in there?" Harry asked, pressing his ear close to the door.

There was no response but the sobbing increased, breathless and throaty.

"Anna, I'm going to come in now, okay?"

He twisted the doorknob and entered.

Anna was standing in the bath. Her pale nightgown was clinging to her legs, sticky with blood, and a hand was clenched to her abdomen.

"H-Harry," she said, her face terrible with pain and grief, "You need to g-get Remus."

Harry nodded, his eyes still wide with shock, and backed out of the bathroom, hurrying into the slumbering werewolf's room.

"Remus, wake up!" he shouted, shaking the man's shoulders. Remus woke in an instant.

"What? What's wrong?"

"It's Anna," Harry explained hurriedly, "She's in the bathroom – there's blood."

Remus was out of bed in the blink of an eye and Harry followed him back to the bathroom. The older man cursed when he saw Anna.

"R-Remus," Anna managed through hiccuping sobs, "It's the baby."

"Harry, get to the kitchen – the fireplace. We need to Floo to Hogwarts."

Harry nodded and hurried downstairs, grabbing a handful of Floo Powder from the mantle and tossing it into the dying flames of the kitchen fire. Remus came down not a moment later, holding Anna tightly in his arms.

"I'm taking her to Madame Pomfrey," Remus said, "Harry, you need to stay here."

"No! Please, let me come!" Harry begged. "Please, Remus."

"Alright," Remus said, not bothering to fight. "You go first, run to the Hospital Wing and get Poppy up."

Harry nodded and moved to the fireplace.

"What should I tell her?" he asked, moments before shouting his destination.

Remus looked at Anna.

"Tell her – tell her I think she's had a miscarriage."