Once Anna was on the rushing Hogwarts Express, she shut herself up in a compartment with Lavinia and Gertrude, and the three of them sat talking while the train sped on, carrying them towards their final year at school, which promised to be very different from what they had imagined.
"At least you two will be together," Anna said gloomily, "I will be all on my own in Gryffindor."
"Oh, but you'll be with your boyfriend," Gertrude retorted with an evil smile.
"Stop it, Gertie," chided Anna, "James Potter isn't my boyfriend, we're just childhood friends, we grew up together. But seriously, I will be sharing a room with girls I hardly know. This is just so unfair..."
Lavinia and Gertrude exchanged glances, and then Lavinia cleared her throat.
"There is something we must tell you, Anna. We got together with some people from our year the other day – you know, Avery, Macnair, Davenport, the usual gang. And we aren't planning to take this lying down."
"Really?" Anna leaned forward to listen better, "Do you have some sort of a plan?"
"Well, for now we are just determined not to forget that we are Slytherins," said Gertrude, "we thought of simply sabotaging the new regime, while supporting the Headmaster – we know your father was against this, Anna, but the governors threatened to procure a Ministry decree if he doesn't go along with them. But I don't think it will be enough."
"We haven't thought of anything definite yet," said Lavinia, "but together, I think we might be able to do something. We are meeting up on the Astronomy tower tomorrow night, at ten. I think we can count on you to be there, can't we, Anna?"
For a flicker of a second, Anna hesitated. The meeting sounded like a gathering of people who were determined to break school rules, and if they were caught, they would most certainly be punished for being out of bed after curfew. As Head Girl, she knew she was not supposed to participate in something like this. Her father would be furious if he found out. But Lavinia and Gertrude were looking at her expectantly, and Anna wasn't used to disappointing her friends.
"Of course I'll come," she said.
… It felt very strange and sad for Anna to walk past the green and silver banner, underneath which she had been eating, celebrating, talking to her friends, receiving owl post and exchanging news for the past six years, and instead proceed to sit at the scarlet-draped Gryffindor table. She spotted her brother Septimus with his best friend Albus Potter, and waved at the pair of them briefly, but the benches next to them were too full. Instead, she sat next to a group of chattering fifth-years she didn't know.
"Anna!"
It was James Potter; she beamed at him. It was a relief to see a friendly, thoroughly familiar face. James was smiling from ear to ear.
"Anna – I didn't catch up with you on the train, Sep told me you are going to be in Gryffindor this year – that's brilliant! I always thought you belonged here, you know..."
"Thanks, James," smiled Anna, deciding not to comment on his last remark. She didn't think she could be happier in another house than she had been in Slytherin.
James's eyes traveled eagerly over her face, taking in every feature. They had seen each other, of course, several times during the summer, but somehow every time he seemed to forget just how dazzlingly blue her eyes were, how her luxurious chestnut hair tumbled in silky waves down her shoulders.
If Anna Snape had always been a beautiful girl, now, at seventeen, she was a stunning young woman, surpassing even Dominique Weasley, the most widely acknowledged beauty of their year. She was tall and willowy, and walked with a graceful elegance that turned heads whenever she passed the school corridors.
"You have a leaf behind your ear, Anna," remarked James, striving to keep her attention to himself.
"What?" frowned Anna, "Oh, that. It's nothing, I'll have it removed in a jiffy," and she pulled a mirror out of her bag.
While other teenage girls got pimples when they were nervous or upset, Anna sometimes erupted in leaves or blossoms. Her mother told her not to worry – she was just the same. That was their dryad blood playing tricks.
The Sorting was painful to watch. The new Slytherin first-years made their way to the green table wearing expressions of deepest gloom. The house being now so small, it meant there will be no Slytherin Quidditch team this year, and their chances to win the House Cup would be virtually nil.
Professor Snape got up to his feet to make his usual start-of-term speech, and Anna perked up to listen. Her father spoke about the change in the inter-house dynamics, but of course everyone, from the staff members to the tiniest first-year, already knew that.
It was announced that the Hogwarts staff is welcoming a new addition to their number – Professor Eugene Collins, who will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Anna scoffed. She knew Professor Moore, last year's teacher, would not last. Her father had not been able to find sufficiently competent Potions teachers since her fourth year, either.
When Professor Collins slid out of the shadows and waved at the students, Anna looked at him with disbelief. She didn't know what her father was playing at; did he want another drama such as happened with Professor Hawthorn, for whom her sister Fiona had fallen head over heels nearly three years earlier? Eugene Collins, though not as young as boyish Professor Hawthorn – Anna estimated he was nearing forty – was exceedingly handsome, with a pale face, dark hair and eyes. Anna noticed many of the girls were staring at him with great interest, and a gale of giggles and whispers broke out over the Great Hall.
When the feast was over, there was a loud scraping of benches. Anna got up with everyone else. With a jolt of sadness, she reminded herself that she won't be heading to the dungeon room which had become a second home to her in the past six years.
"I'll show you the way to the common room, Anna," volunteered James. And so they went, James leading the way and chattering happily, Anna nodding and replying from time to time. Their walk to Gryffindor tower took a surprisingly long time, considering that James wasn't only a seventh-year, but also one of the school's most promising mischief-makers, and knew all of the castle's secret shortcuts.
When Anna climbed up to the dormitory that was to host the seventh-year girls, she saw that her four-poster bed was crammed between the window and the bed next to it, which, as Anna noticed with dismay, belonged to Molly Weasley. Molly was already under the covers, wearing flannel pajamas and reading a thick textbook by the light of an oil lamp. Without exchanging a word with her neighbor, who shot her a look that was none too warm, Anna disappeared into the bathroom and reappeared a couple of minutes later, wearing loose silk pants and a matching top. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun at the base of her neck.
It was then that Anna saw something to lift her mood. On her bedside table, something gleamed silver. It was a badge bearing the Hogwarts crest, and on it were engraved the words, "Anna Celena Snape, Head Girl".
A triumphant smile spread across Anna's face. Here, at least, she had got exactly what she wanted.