Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the HP universe.

Chapter Nine

Voldemort stalked down the corridors of the Halls of Hogwarts with Anne struggling to keep up with him. He stopped suddenly.

"Where's Shashwat?" he asked as if he had only just remembered the existence of such an animal.

"Oh, he's down in the dungeons hunting," explained Anne. "If he knew you were coming—" she paused and a silly grin exploded on her face before she burst into song. "— he'd a baked a cake! Baked a cake! If he knew you were coming he'd a baked a cake, how'd you do? How'd you do? How'd you do? If you'd a dropped him a letter he'd a—"

"Enough!" bellowed Voldemort looking apocalyptic. Then he deflated and sighed. "Whatever shall I do with you?" he asked. "On the one hand, I'm immensely proud of you for being sorted into Ravenclaw—" his face darkened, "and on the other hand, I want to crucio you silly for your ridiculous behavior! Singing in the halls?! What's the matter with you?"

"I'm sorry, Daddy," said Anne. Her lower lip quivered.

"Never mind," said Voldemort. "I have something important to discuss with you."

"What's that, Daddy?"

Voldemort pursed his lips—a great feat indeed, considering he didn't have any—and continued down the hall. Anne followed him.

"Your hygiene," he said.

"Oh," said Anne, eyes wide.

"Need I say more?" asked Voldemort, raising a non-existent eyebrow.

"No," said Anne with a sigh. "But I was so sure no one had noticed."

Voldemort rolled his eyes, holding them in his left hand. He gave them a nonchalant toss in the air before catching them and replacing them in the holes behind his dark frames. Finally they had reached the entrance hall and the last class before lunch was just getting out.

"I'll see you at Christmas," said Voldemort. He glanced around the hall once last time before slipping out the double doors.

"Is he gone?"

Anne turned around and grinned at her double. "Yes, he's gone."

"Good. The polyjuice is just starting to wear off."

"Oh, I know," said Anne, lifting one of her locks into the air meditatively. "Do you think he suspected?"

"How would I know, Luna? I wasn't the one talking to him," said Anne.

The pair linked arms and began walking to their next class.

"So, did you get me sorted into Ravenclaw?" asked Anne.

"Of course," said Luna.

All of a sudden, screams could be heard from out on the grounds. Anne and Luna glanced at each other worriedly before turning and running out the doors. A crowd was gathered on the lawn around a writhing Harry.

"MY SCAR! AHH! MY SCAR!"

"Hermione!" yelled Ron. "What's the matter with him?"

"I don't know!" Hermione yelled back wringing her hands. "I think it's his scar!"

Luna and Anne were unable to force their way through the crowd and stood on the edge, Anne with a concerned look on her face.

"What do you think is going on?" Anne asked Luna.

"Well," said Luna, "if it's not an extreme case of Flaming Humalumapit, then Harry is most likely suffering from Voldemort exposure."

"What do you mean?"

"It's Potter!" McGonagall, who had just pushed her way through the crowd, announced to the Professors behind her. "Clear the way," McGonagall snapped at the surrounding students and they obediently widened the circle to allow their teachers through.

Anne looked as if she had seen a ghost or been splashed with a bucket of ice water as she watched McGonagall tow Harry into the castle on a stretcher.

"Did she say Potter?" asked Anne. She giggled nervously. "I mean," she said, "I thought Snape was pulling my leg—"

"Don't be ridiculous," sneered Draco, who had apparently been standing nearby when Harry collapsed and stuck around to watch the show. "Snape doesn't pull legs, he pulls rank," he said matter-of-factly.

"But Harry just can't be, well, that Harry," said Anne.

"There's only one Harry in school, Anne," said Luna.

"Yes," said Draco, "and he's a Potter."

"But it's such a common name!" wailed Anne. "There should be at least a dozen Harry's in the school!"

Draco gave her a strange look as if he had only just discovered a new level of ludicrous right beneath his nose.

"Anne," said Luna gently, "why name a child Harry when there are such wonderful names like Albus or Dedalus? It just isn't done!"

"She's right, for once," said Draco.

Anne burst into tears and Draco shuffled his feet uncomfortably not know what to do while Luna took Anne's hand and began to hum a soothing song.

"There, there, it's all right," said Luna.

"But it's not!" sobbed Anne. "You just don't know! None of you know! This is the worst day of my life! And I was going to marry him, but now he's Harry Potter and it would be impossible because Daddy would just kill me and him and a half dozen muggles before he let me marry him! I can't stand living!"

Anne tore her hand out of Luna's grasp and ran into the castle.

A/N: I'm starting school, so updates won't be as frequent, but never fear; I am not abandoning the story.