Later they were drowsing in bed, wrapped in each other's arms. Anna was on the verge of falling deeply asleep when a bright light flared in the room. She shot straight up, clutching Draco's arm as he sat up beside her.
"What is it?" she asked, shading hey eyes with her hand.
"It's a Patronus" he said. As her eyes adjusted to the bright glare in the dark room, she saw an ephemeral rabbit dancing in the air.
She tried to duck behind him and whispered, "Can it see us?"
He chuckled. "No, it can't see us!" he assured her.
"Who's Patronus is it?" she asked.
"Luna's" he told her.
The Patronus spoke with Luna's voice. "Draco, please bring Anna back to Hogwarts right away." And then the rabbit melted away into the shadows in the room, leaving a glowing after-image in Anna's eyes.
Anna felt a small tickle of worry in her stomach. As she considered what the rabbit said, and a piece of information popped into her head.
"Draco? Why would Luna send her Patronus? Aren't they used for emergency communication?" She felt the blood draining from her face as the pieces started to fall together. "Aunt Minerva" was all she could say. She couldn't even think any further.
"Hey" Draco said, hugging her tightly, "No, it's not that. I'm sure everything is fine."
"Then why send a Patronus? Something went wrong! We need to leave now!" she said and jumped out of bed, and gathered her clothes. Draco did the same.
As soon as they were dressed, he found the return portkey, a large skeleton key wrapped in green velvet. He and Anna grasped it at the same time and they instantly returned to the school courtyard they had left just four days earlier. It was just as dark as it had been the night they fled to France.
"Aunt Minerva's office" Anna said as soon as they landed. They ran into the castle and sped for the classroom wing. As they approached the portrait door of the headmistress' office, Draco barked the password. The portrait opened and they stepped onto the spiral staircase. The stairs rotated, carrying them upward and Anna's fear grew with every turn. When the stairs stopped she rushed into the office. She saw Minerva McGonagall, calmly sitting behind her desk, her night clothes covered by her robes. Anna's knees went weak with relief. Luna and Neville were also in the room, but she barely noticed. She ran across the office and threw her arms around the older woman.
"Oh thank heavens, Aunt Minerva, you're alright!"
Professor McGonagall patted Anna's hand, looking slightly embarrassed by her niece's outburst of emotion. "Of course I am, dear!" she said.
"When we got Luna's Patronus, I thought that something had happened to you!" Anna explained.
"Oh no, dear, I am fine. I simply asked Professor Lovegood to send the message, because I was busy contacting Ministry officials. Anna, we apprehended a suspect in the attacks." Professor McGonagall explained.
Draco had already noticed. Almost the moment he entered the office, he saw the man magically bound to a chair.
"You!" he growled and leapt towards the man. "WHY?" he shouted furiously. "What did she EVER do to you?" He reached for his wand and Professor McGonagall stopped him with a mild knock-back jinx.
"That will be quite enough Professor Malfoy" she said firmly. "There are officials from Ministry law enforcement on their way now to deal with him."
Anna stared in shock. In the chair sat Argus Filch, the school caretaker. She was confused. Mr. Filch seemed harmless enough, if maybe a little cranky. She knew that, although he was born into a magical family, he had no magical powers himself. Squib, was the word she understood was used, although to her that term seemed offensive and she never said it.
"Mr. Filch?" she asked, in disbelief. "But…why?"
"You stupid Muggle" he sneered. "Squib, they call me! I got magical blood in my veins, an honorable wizarding family line traced back five hundred years! And I'm the 'caretaker'? Glorified janitor is what it is, cleaning up after these snot-nosed brats, them that looks down on me! And you – they make you a professor! You gets respect, for what? You're nothing! You got not one drop of wizard blood in you, not one! You're even lower than a mud-blood!"
Draco pounced towards Filch. "DON'T YOU EVER.." he roared. Professor McGonagall knocked him back yet again.
"Professor Malfoy!" she said harshly. "Must I restrain you as well?" Draco just scowled and took a seat near the fire.
"Why did you try to kill me? Do you really hate me that much?" Anna asked.
Flich grunted. "I didn't want to kill ya" he insisted. "I just wanted to scare ya off. Show that ya don't belong here."
"That vampire you let in the castle wasn't just for show!" Draco yelled. "It could have done more than scare her! It could have killed her! Others too!"
"Bah!" Filch said with a jerk of his head. "I knew there's too many clever witches and wizards 'round here, it'd never happen!"
"Well, Mr. Filch" Professor McGonagall said. "It's a lucky thing you were right. Thank goodness you can only be charged with attempted murder. Am I correct Mr. Potter?"
"Yes, Professor McGonagall, you are correct" came the reply from the door. Three people had entered the office, two men and a woman. The woman was dressed in a plain black robe with an emblem embroidered on the left front and her thick, curly brown hair was tied back neatly. The men were dressed alike; high collared, thick leather vests over deep burgundy shirts; black trousers tucked into high leather boots; long burgundy cloaks lined with black satin. Anna recognized Harry Potter from their previous meeting. The other man had bright red hair and freckles. So, Anna realized, that must make him….
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, you may take Mr. Filch into custody" said Professor McGonagall. The two men approached Filch and each grabbed an arm. As Professor McGonagall released him from his magical bonds, they yanked him to his feet. Ron then pulled Filch's hands behind his back and restrained him with what looked to Anna to be a handcuff charm.
The witch in the black robe approached prisoner and read from a small piece of parchment. "Argus Filch. You are being charged with the attempted murder of a Muggle under Section 10, Subsection 32, Paragraph F of the Ministry of Magic legal code. You are hereby ordered into the custody of these Aurors to be taken to the Ministry of Magic for imprisonment, trial, judgment, and sentencing if necessary. You may take him away." Potter and Weasley pulled Filch out of the office.
Her official business taken care of, the witch then approached Anna and extended her hand. "Hermione Granger, Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Professor Jacobs, I am so pleased to meet you! I certainly hope this incident in no way deters you from the wonderful job I understand you are doing here!"
Hermione, Anna thought. I owe so much to her and has no idea. She couldn't help herself. She ignored the offered hand and pulled the witch into a tight hug. "Please call me Anna. Oh, thank you so much!" she whispered ardently into Hermione's ear. Hermione pulled away, a slightly puzzled look on her face.
"Yes, well, it's Luna who managed to catch Filch" she said. "I'm just going to prosecute his trial. We'll need you to come to the Ministry to make an official statement."
"Yes, of course" Anna answered, wiping away a tear that managed to slip down her cheek.
"Alright, then" Hermione said, clearing her throat and looking very uncomfortable, "I'd best be off. Lots of paperwork to get started on." She turned to leave, warmly hugging Luna and Neville on her way out. When she reached Draco, he stood and she offered her hand.
He shook it respectfully, politely saying, "Miss Granger. Thank you for your assistance this evening."
Hermione replied, professionally,"You're welcome, Professor Malfoy. Good Evening." Then she left to return to the Ministry.
Once the excitement was over, Anna sat on the sofa and Draco sat beside her, holding her hand, as Luna and Professor McGonagall explained how they caught Filch.
Since it had been made clear to the entire school that no magic could be performed in Anna's chamber, Luna thought that was where they most likely to catch the attacker. That day, whenever she was in Anna's chamber, she had cast several revealing spells, looking for anything out of the ordinary or dangerous. Luna had also asked the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower, Helena Ravenclaw, to hide in Anna's chambers and keep watch when she was out. Helena Ravenclaw was very fond of Luna Lovegood and agreed to help.
That night after dinner, Luna went to the library to read. When she returned to Anna's chamber, the revealing spell showed that there had already been an intruder. Further examination found a bag containing three Flesh Eating Slugs suspended above her bathtub. The bag was designed to burst open when the steam from the shower rose and dissolved the string holding it closed. Luna conferred with Helena Ravenclaw and she said that she had seen Filch in the room. Helena also revealed that he had used the house elf tunnel to gain entry.
"Why was that entrance not secured?" Draco asked pointedly.
Professor McGonagall explained. "The house elf tunnel was not secured for many reasons, Professor Malfoy. The service doors are constant use by the elves, although they usually go unseen or unnoticed. Someone would always have to be available to open the door for the elves servicing Anna's chamber. I simply did not have the resources. Also, l believed that only the house elves knew the locations of the tunnels and that the passageways were so small that only a house elf could fit through them."
"And remember, until the vampire attack, we all believed the prior incidents to be nothing more than harmless pranks. No one saw a need to increase the security around her chamber."
"So he must have used the tunnel to fill my chamber with slime" Anna guessed. "But how could he change my portrait password and lock me out?" she asked.
Draco answered this, shaking his head. "Since he was caretaker, he also had the ability to change portrait passwords." He couldn't believe no one had considered that fact earlier.
Luna picked up the story . "Professor McGonagall, Neville, and I confronted Mr. Filch in his office. As soon as he realized we had proof he was the one behind the incidents, he confessed."
"No one ever accused Filch of bravery" Draco muttered, disgusted.
"No, it wasn't cowardice that made him confess" said Luna. "He knew the Ministry was going take him into custody, regardless if he confessed or not. He offered a confession only on the condition that Professor McGonagall would take care of Mrs. Norris while he was gone."
At the mention of her name, the rather ugly feline made her appearance, jumping on Professor McGonagall's desk and curling up for a nap. The headmistress looked disdainfully at her new charge.
"So are 'Flesh Eating Slugs' as bad as they sound?" Anna asked.
"Their mucous can cause a fairly painful but superficial burn on the skin" Luna answered. "There are potions to cure the burns in the infirmary. Definitely not fatal. I believe Mr. Filch. It doesn't seem like he was trying to kill you."
"No accomplices?" Draco asked, wanting to ensure that Anna was now truly safe at Hogwarts.
"No evidence of an accomplice, nor did Mr. Filch confess to any" Professor McGonagall confirmed.
Anna breathed a sigh of relief and felt tension draining from her shoulders.
"So it is really over" she declared.
"Yes, Anna" said her aunt, "It is over."