Right, so here's the next one. Enjoy!
One more thing, there was an anon who said that her whole 'guilt' thing HAD to stop. Well, no. That character trait is not some random weakness I chose so she might seem less like a mary-sue. It's a legitimate part of her personality. Anna is the victim of severe abuse, her whole existence is the result of being seen and treated like a commodity, her whole life until she was eleven she was told -both directly and indirectly- that she was unwanted. Of course, if something goes wrong she'll think that she, the failed commodity, the unwanted child, is to blame, even if all logic dictates otherwise, even if she knows that that's not what she actually is.
And yes, she's matured over the years, learned many things, but she's also suffered more abuse and been forced to do horrible things. Clearly, it's not something she chooses to be, and I believe that writing off this very defining thing that she struggles with would be both unrealistic and disrespectful to who she actually is.
I'm sorry if it annoys you, sometimes I also find it a drag to write, but it's a part of her that can't vanish with the flip of a switch.
Anna sat on her bed, breakfast on a tray beside her where it had remained untouched since it had been brought, several hours ago. It was nearly midday already, but she wasn't hungry. She had to get up, the Dark Lord would want to talk to her soon. About what, Anna didn't know. It wasn't a thought that comforted her but it also didn't frighten her as it once did. Not knowing things is not pleasant for planning one's moves, but it is inevitable. If she couldn't deal with that, she might as well give up altogether.
With a sigh she got to her feet, hand running through her tangled hair, and padded over to the window. There she pulled the curtain to the side, blinking with a hiss as sunlight violently stung her eyes. Anna turned her neck sideways, making it crack, and then moved on to her bathroom.
Later, once she was sitting in front of her vanity mirror, completely dressed and hair already done, it seemed like all the wind that had been carrying her had left her. Anna looked at herself, noticing the way she'd changed over the years. Her skin was paler, from the lack of sunlight, from the sleepless nights, from the days of not eating. The pallor was only made more prominent by the dark circles under her eyes, by her black hair. Without makeup her lips were barely darker than her skin, no colour over her eyelids made the grey of her eyes stand out. She looked… as if she were fading away.
With a finger she poked at her cheeks, gaze traveling down her reflection to settle on the mark on her arm.
"Tch." Anna's eyes narrowed. She was getting paler, sicker, more tired, and that thing was getting darker and more prominent by the day. Typical.
There was a knock at the door and shortly after she could hear Draco's voice calling through the wood.
"D'you mind if I come in?"
"By all means." She answered him, opening her make up kit and getting to work. While she liked make up, theoretically speaking, it as something that she did more out of necessity than anything else. Looking tired gave people two options, lay off you, or crush you. Anna knew exactly what reaction most of the people around her would have.
"You really should eat, you've started to lose weight again." Draco told her from where he'd taken place on her bed. He took one of the scones that lay on a tray and started lathering it in jam. "Mother wanted me to tell you that the Dark Lord is in the garden. He sends for you."
She hummed in response. "I'm not hungry, I'll eat later." Then she paused. "Nervous?"
"Should I be? Does it hurt?" He asked. "I mean, I would be stupid to not be nervous about becoming an official Death Eater, but I don't know about getting the mark itself."
Anna didn't look at him. "Second year was worse, I suppose, but it does hurt. You'll get over it, though, the pain. But the ink will never go away, even after all this is done it will still be on there, to remind you of what you've done. It's your choice, though, I won't try to change your mind."
She heard Draco get on his feet and walk towards her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and his chin on the other side, watching as she painted her lips.
"It is our choice. It's a sacrifice we're willing to make. It's necessary." He frowned. "You're not feeling guilty, are you? Don't tell me-"
"There's no reason for me to feel guilty." She cut him off, fixing her gaze on the finishing the details. "You said it yourself. It's necessary. No way around it."
"Good." He drew back, but from his tone of voice she could tell he didn't completely believe her. "You should go, though, he's waiting. I'll see you later."
Anna smiled at him through her reflection and got to her feet, placing a hand on his cheek as a goodbye. The gardens weren't far off, not really, but they were large and without knowing exactly where he was it might not be the quickest job to find her godfather.
She need not have worried. When she got to the main back door she could see him in the distance, walking on a path amongst the flowerbeds by the fountain. It was easy to see that all the peacocks had fled, wether it was because of Nagini or because they could sense the darkness around him she wasn't sure. Animals were perceptive like that.
She strode towards him, skin prickling in the sun, and slowed down to walk beside him. "You sent for me, godfather?"
"I did, Annabelle. There's a serious matter I wish to talk to you about." He didn't turn to look at her. "Having trustworthy servants is difficult, child. Finding them, keeping them, it's all quite a hassle. It's not something I wish to keep doing, but something I am forced to do time after time. Having just one that will never leave my side, never waver, never vanish, that would be fortunate. Wouldn't it?"
"Yes, godfather, very fortunate indeed." Anna agreed. She looked at him, unsure of where the conversation was going. His tone was impossible to decipher; she didn't know if he referring to her or not, and if he was wether he meant that she was trustworthy or wasn't.
"I was planning on keeping your mother by my side forever. Bella always was… devoted, intelligent, powerful, everything I could wish for in a servant." Then he waved a hand. "You were both her way of cementing that spot and her way of destroying it. When she gave you to me there was no doubt in my mind that she was meant for that role, but when you were taken she became… too unbalanced. There is a right time for everything, but it seems that she forgot that. Azkaban only made it worse."
"Mother is, in her own words, your most devoted servant, godfather. Surely she-"
"Most devoted, I do not know, but not the most useful. She tries but she fails, she is not capable planning things out, not politically or strategically, only of doing. Battles, following instructions, very small and specific assignments, that is what they've reduced her to. I have no need for a servant whose hand I must hold, not eternal need, at least." He dismissed. "The next candidates were Rodolphus and Rabastan. The younger has always been faithful, yes, prepared to do anything, but has no initiative of his own. Rodolphus… whatever part of his mind survived Azkaban was not enough to help him succeed in the Ministry. Your uncle Lucius had not been an option since his cowardice blinded his loyalty. Barty is neither powerful not sane enough. There is only one candidate left."
There was a significant silence afterwards, one which filled Anna with many contradicting emotions. Most of all, though, she was hesitant. One of his words had been eternal. Surely, it must have only been a figure of speech.
"Would that be me, godfather?" She dared to ask.
"Yes." He chuckled darkly. "That would be you. A candidate still, but the only one left. Otherwise I might be forced to keep on looking. A tedious chore, I must emphasise. In order to become that one greatest servant, child, I will give you a challenge. If you succeed, you will win much, if you fail…"
"I will lose much?" Anna ventured. Dread started to fill her stomach.
"Well, much. Let's just say that there are four men who will stay exactly where they are. I daresay they will be missed, but their capabilities can easily be replaced. That, and you will no longer be a candidate."
As he placed a hand on the back of her neck, Anna did her best to appear calm. Draco had told her it wasn't her fault that they landed there, she believed him almost completely. But it would definitely be her fault if they stayed there, right? And did failing also mean that he would trust her less? He didn't seem to trust her mother any less, but that was her mother. Anna was a very different case.
"And if I succeed? I will remain by your side, I will be allowed to accompany you in your glory, until my death?" Anna stopped walking and turned to look at him.
"No, silly girl, not until your death." His uneven nails dug into her neck. "I will never die, what is the point of seeking a permanent servant if they die? You will join me, forever."
She allowed her stupefaction to show on her face. He was going to tell her about the horcruxes if she succeeded. She could use that to weasel more information out of him, like how many there were and where. This was the key. The only thing she needed to do was… gain his trust. His permanent trust… and once his trust was won, she would have to make a horcrux of her own.
Anna swallowed. Whatever was necessary.
"What's the challenge, godfather? Anything, for this immense honour."
"Good girl." His hands moved from her neck to her cheeks, squeezing slightly, and the nails of his thumbs pressed into the soft flesh between her cheekbones and eyeballs. It hurt. "Your challenge is this, child: prove to me that you are the most useful and powerful of my followers, even if you are the youngest. Kill Albus Dumbledore."
Funny he should say that, Anna almost answered. She was planning doing that, eventually, years from now, sometime. Guess that would all have to happen sooner. It ruined the plans she'd already made for it and left her floundering about, falling without a parachute. Kill the greatest wizard of all time, on such short notice?
Anna swallowed and looked down. "As you command, godfather."
He was mocking her. He did not expect her to succeed. She knew it. It was a win-win situation for him, either get rid of the enemy, or get rid of a useless child. Either way, he won. Because not even he, amongst all the people who were supposed to look after her, not even he cared enough to give her a break.
But in the end, she would win.
He did his best to calm his breath as he heard footsteps approaching the room his was in. The thin, summer robes he wore did nothing to quench the heat he felt burning his skin and he pulled his tight collar slightly away from his neck, trying to have enough room to swallow. The screams had only just faded away.
"Draco?" His mother broke through the eerie silence, standing by the open door and looking at him with worried eyes. He knew she didn't want him to do this, but Anna had helped him, requested it before she'd had time to voice her complaints. Nothing could be done now. "It's time, darling."
The boy nodded and got to his feet, straightening his clothing to at least pretend he wasn't perturbed. Anna had said it had hurt, but he'd watched her be marked, he'd watched her not utter a sound. Maybe it had been pure willpower, though, pure spite. Theo had screamed, briefly and only loud enough for him to hear because he was in the chamber directly beside the meeting room. Still, he had to swallow back bile.
Narcissa stopped him just outside the door, cupping his face and looking at her with teary eyes. They had the same height now, but she was wearing heels. When had he become taller than her? At some point in the school year, he'd passed her. At some point, he'd grown.
Grown, yes. He had grown. Draco cleared his throat and pushed away his fear and nerves, kissing his mother's cheek. He hadn't just grown in size. He could do this, he had to do this.
"It'll be fine, mother. Don't worry." He offered her a grim smile before motioning for her to lead the way.
With a final look, Narcissa blinked away whatever tears were left and turned away. It was only a few steps to the next room. The door opened without a sound and beyond it was a brighter room, it had more candles than the one he'd just come from making it seem like brightest place in his house at the moment.
At the other end of the room sat the Dark Lord on his throne. To his right stood Anna, fingers entwined with Theo's. The boy's right hand was clutched around the newly marked skin and his face was composed but still pale. Her eyes, which had been turned upwards to her taller boyfriend, snapped to Draco's face. She nodded at him encouragingly, but quickly turned to look at her master. To the Dark Lord's other side stood Bellatrix and Severus, and his mother quickly walked from standing in front of Draco to her sister's side. The rest of the room was filled with other Death Eaters, cloaked and masked. He knew that some of their old school mates were bound to be amongst them, but at the moment he didn't have the peace of mind necessary to recognise them by only their eyes.
Without wasting any more time, Draco walked forwards until he was only a few metres away from the Dark Lord. He bowed and kept his eyes on the floor.
"My Lord." He greeted.
"Ah, yes, Draco." The man got to his feet. "Dear, dear Draco. What happened to you father was… unfortunate. I am sure you'll do better, yes? My goddaughter assures me that you will."
"I will do anything and everything in my power to please you, my Lord. I offer everything I have and am to you, if you'll accept it." Draco pledged. He was lying, but he couldn't show it. No sweating, no skipping of heartbeats, Nagini could tell. But he knew how to lie, if nothing else.
"I do indeed." Voldemort got to his feet. "Come, give me your arm."
As Draco stepped forwards he rolled back the sleeve of his cloak and unbuttoned the sleeve of his dress shirt. With a few movements of his fingers he'd unhooked the watch around his wrist and slipped it into a pocket. Then he held his limb out to the imposing figure in front of him.
The fingers that took his hand and twisted his arm were long and cold, pulling his arm slightly forwards as well. The Dark Lord's other hand moved upwards, flourishing his pale wand only a bit before pressing the tip to the centre of Draco's left forearm.
Before he knew it, blinding pain burst on his skin and he closed his eyes as he let out a loud scream. It felt as if the Dark Lord were both carving and burning the mark into his skin, into his flesh and into his bone. For a second the pain was the only thing he could think of, but as the seconds ticked by he started to remember what was happening around him. Everyone was was watching.
With an immense effort he managed to close his mouth, to bite back the screams of pain fighting to erupt from him. He opened his eyes, trying to get his scrambled mind together long enough to figure out if it was almost over. The white patch of skin was red, but through that he could see the mark beginning to take form. Still grey, but slowly turning darker. Eventually, the details grew more prominent and it started to take form, too slowly for his tastes but it was over a minute later.
Once it was done, the Dark Lord let go of his arm and Draco wasted no time in pulling it back to his heaving chest, reeling from the pain. With his other hand he pressed it even tighter to himself, somehow under the delusion that more pressure would make the stinging, burning sensation fade away. It didn't, obviously.
"Oh, wonderful, Draco. Simply wonderful." The Dark Lord suddenly turned him around and pressed him to his side with an awkward, single armed hug. His other arm pulled Anna -and by extension Theo- closer. The others around them watched the strange sight in silence. "With these marks, young Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott have joined my inner circle. They will be taking their fathers' places."
The cheers that erupted around them did nothing to distract him from the nausea and pain he felt, in fact, feeling his mother's eyes burning the side of his head only made it worse. But he paid it no mind, only concentrating enough to seem glad and grateful.
Dinner was… pleasant for some, horrible for others. For his part, Theo was stuck between both. On the one hand, he was having dinner with Anna practically pampering him -which, yes, he was taking slight advantage off, no judging- and Bellatrix didn't look like she wanted to make him the Longbottoms' new ward mate. On the other hand, his arm really hurt and he'd just gotten a dark mark and sworn his loyalty to the man who had made his grandfather and father even more horrible people than they would've already been. The man who was causing him and his pain now technically owned him. It was messed up.
Across the table from him, Draco was doing his best to eat while moving his left arm as little as possible. His mother and aunt, both beside him, paid him varying amounts of attention. Bellatrix only looked at him to ask average questions about school, Narcissa stopped eating every other minute to check his arm and make sure the mobility was all right.
At seeing that happen once more, Theo put down his eating utensils and held up his left hand a bit. He clenched and unclenched his hand, studying the way the mark moved over the tensing and loosening muscles. It was slightly mesmerising, but his mark stood out less than Anna's or Draco's. His skin wasn't pale bordering on unhealthy.
The movement pulled Anna's attention towards him and looked at him with a questioning expression. He shook his head, smiling slightly, and she relaxed. She took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers, and moved forwards to kiss his cheek.
As she came closer, he considered the movement. Not three days ago, Anna would have kissed him properly, but she'd been walking on eggshells around him lately. She knew he was sore and confused about his father, so she let him be. Clearly, the way he'd acted during their arrival the day before had forced her to put more distance between them. Distance that wasn't necessary. He was upset at the time, and while he wasn't truly all right now, he loved her and wasn't sore at her.
So he moved his face to catch her lips with his. He felt her smile against him, and even if they both quickly drew back -for propriety as such nonsense- he could tell she was happy. That was good. Sometimes he almost forgot why he did what he did. Amongst the dozens of logical reasons he had for trying to bring down the Dark Lord, none would have been important enough to let his house be invaded by mud- muggleborns. But she was, she was the most important thing in his life. He never wanted to forget that.
He watched as Anna pushed around the food on her plate until they were done. As soon as the Dark Lord put down his utensils and leaned back, quiet fell over the table as the Death Eaters that had been requested to stay for dinner watched their master.
"Well. I thank you all for a pleasant evening but I believe I will retire. I do, however, hope that you will continue without me… and also without Gibbon and Severus. Severus, please accompany me before you depart. Best of luck, Gibbon, I trust you will not fail me. Goodnight to you all."
As he stood, Theo and everyone else in the room got to their feet. He watched as his head of house strode around the table to hurriedly join him, face pinched in either confusion or concern. Then Theo turned back to Anna, but she wasn't looking at him.
"As godfather just said, we are very grateful for your company. Draco, please escort Gibbon to the entrance hall." She motioned with a hand to a man who stepped back from the table. He gave her a grateful nod and waited as Draco walked towards him. "I invite the rest of you to enjoy some desert before the evening is over."
Theo then drifted away from the conversation, absently starting to eat the pastry that appeared before him and joining into the conversations around him. In his opinion, Anna should have sent him and not Draco, but her cousin would attract less attention. He was the new 'man' of the house, after all. It was his place to take care of the guests. But Draco had less conviction than him. If he messed up, if he couldn't get Gibbon, then they were all done for. All of them but particularly madam Bones.
But he didn't say anything. He loved Anna, but he also recognised that she was in charge when it came to these things. So when she placed a hand on his and leaned closer, all he did was place a kiss on the top of her head.
"I'll be fine, really. Mother'll be there just in case, but I don't think he'll be too much trouble. He's a politician, not an auror." Anna rolled her eyes as Theo refused to let go of her, wrapping his arms around her middle even more tightly. "You're just jealous because I'm not taking you."
"And what if I am?" He huffed.
"If you are, then I promise I'll make it up to you. If you're not, then I don't care." She turned her head a bit a scraped her teeth over his jaw, causing him to shiver. "You have to let go now, love."
Theo sighed and stepped back, walking backwards until he fell on the bed on his back. He turned on his side and watched her as she got ready. Dinner had been a couple of hours ago and he'd chosen to spend the night in Malfoy Manor. Narcissa had offered him the room across the hall from Anna's, but both he and Anna knew that he'd be sleeping with her. It was the comfort he'd need after that night's events. It really was a pity that she had to go, but she'd promised him she'd be as quick as she could.
Anna stepped behind the folding screen to one side of the room, putting the dress in her hands down on a small table before taking off the one she had on. Then she picked up the one on the table and stepped into it. It was long and dark but not thick enough for it to be too warm in the summer heat. Then again, it had elbow length sleeves so it might become too hot eventually. She came back out, holding her hair up as she looked for a hair tie to fix it in place.
Just then there was a knock, but before she could answer her mother had barged inside. The woman came to a halt once her eyes landed on Theo. Then she looked at Anna, who -while she had a dress on- was not completely one hundred percent decent.
"Yes, mother?" Anna prodded.
"I just came to tell you to hurry up." For a second she stood still before straightening up even further. "Annabelle, do you think it is appropriate for Theodore to be in here at this time of night?"
"Well-" Anna sat down, trying her hair. "Darling, could you pass me those shoes over there? Yes, mother, I don't see the problem." She took the heels from Theo's extended hands and started putting them on. "There's nothing inappropriate going on, we're just talking."
When she was done she got to her feet and took her wand. After a second's consideration of the cracked white wood she sheathed it in the slender holster in her left sleeve. She cast a last glance at her reflection in the mirror and then back to her mother, the only difference between them -beside the obvious two or three decades- was their eyes. Other than that, it'd be a miracle if Neville didn't attack her at first sight next year. Simply fantastic.
"Well, I'm done. Shall we, mother?" She motioned towards the door for the woman to leave, even as Theo walked towards her again.
In plain sight of her mother, the boy who had tried to be polite and proper since he'd arrived placed a hand on her waist and pulled her towards him. With his other hand he tilted her face upwards and kissed her hard, to which she could only respond by digging her nails into his chest for support. Then he drew back, and from the glint in his eyes she could tell that it had been just as much about marking his territory as it had been about saying goodbye. Really, no adult had ever really told them to back off from each other, and he hadn't really heard her parents complain about him before. Maybe it bothered him more than he wanted to let on.
"We'll be back soon, darling, an hour or two I suppose." Anna assured him, taking a step back and leading her astounded mother out of the room.
"I'll be here." She heard him say before the door closed.
In silence they walked together to the entrance hall, Anna expectant of what Bella was about to say and her mother… clearly not completely sure about what she wanted to say. It was an amusing thought, having rendered her mother speechless merely by kissing her boyfriend.
"He's rather forward, isn't he?" Bellatrix ventured, just as they were about to arrive. "And was he in there when you were getting dressed?"
Anna chuckled. "Well, yes, but I believe you put him on edge. Your protests about him the last time you saw each other may have caused him to want to reassure himself. And yes, he was in there but I always get changed behind the screen. We've been together for a while but we haven't gotten quite that far yet. No need, plus Hogwarts isn't exactly the place, no?"
When they got down the stairs, her mother offered her her arm. "No, indeed it is not the place. And dear girl, concerning the reassurance… men always have had fragile egos. Can you believe your father at some point thought I was having an affaire? A stupid notion, really. If I had been having one, I would have told him just to spite him."
Anna raised her eyebrows just as they apparated away, her surprise persisting even as they arrived in front of a quaint house in the country. Marcus might have said it was somewhere between Farnham and Milford, but she truly neither cared nor remembered. Her mother did, though. After all, it was her job to get them there.
The house was made of tan coloured stone and had accents of dark wood. There was a fence around the grounds, and the path amongst the plants was barely visible in the dark. But the fence was the least of the protections. The man was of average power, but not average intelligence. There were bound to be wards and breaking them would be difficult and about as subtle throwing a brick through a glass window.
"Mother, please go to the other side of the premises so that he doesn't get out through the back. As soon as the wards fall, please enter the house." Anna told the woman.
"Now, you listen to me, Annabelle." Bellatrix snapped. "The only reason I follow your lead is because the Dark Lord wants this to be your new pet project. I am still your mother, however, and all this ordering ends as soon as we are done. Understood?"
"Completely." Anna nodded. "Now, if you will."
With an indignant huff the woman turned around and strode off amongst the trees, picking up a branch and dragging it over the glass-like dome that hung over the building in order to be able to follow it. It was merely contact with something that was not living; wards were created to not react at mere non-human contact, otherwise one'd never be able to used them without being alerted every other minute.
When her mother was out of sight, Anna picked up a few pebbles and started tossing them with one hand, as he held her lit wand up with the other. With the added light she could see the very specific colours the barrier had, and it's reaction to contact. The pebbles bounced off, they weren't turned into dust or smoke or anything like that. They were merely repelled. And the contact spots shone white for a second after the pebble bounced away, only for green ripples to spread afterwards, as if it were the surface of still water. It wasn't made with dark magic.
So… repellant, light magic, did not make the space inside invisible or unplottable, and did not seem to have any averse effects on her unless -she supposed- it was touched. It wasn't like a repelling charm, that made one forget one's purpose or think about something else upon approach. It did not seem to be a particularly powerful ward, did not seem to be made up of multiple layers or of a combination of different wards. Clearly, Thicknesse only had an average knowledge of warding. Not that she could do much better, but that was not a for lack of knowledge, rather a lack of the fine tuning of power. As far as magical delicacies wenr, warding was one of the most fragile arts, right up there with memory and mind magic. Draco was far more suited for such spells.
"Well, whoever said blunt force was always bad." She reasoned aloud. Breaking the wards would wake him, but by the time he realised what was happening and got his wand and wits about him -or at least enough to apparate without getting splinched- she would already be by the door.
That wasn't far enough. She needed to make sure he didn't apparate away. Anti-apparition charm? She'd never used one before. First time for everything, then.
With a sigh she pointed her wand forwards, letting darkness once again swallow her as the lumos faded away, and got as close to the ward as she could. There were several ways to break a ward, one was pouring pure magic onto it until it either collapsed or faded away, another was to pour dark magic into it until it shattered. In that last way it took less magic, it took less time, but it needed more concentration and much more negative energy. Luckily for her, she had enough of that.
Anna closed her eyes, concentrating to feel her magic churning inside her, feeling it move with her breathing, feeling it swirl at her instruction. "Profligo." She muttered, opening her eyes again.
It was simultaneously a horrible and beautiful sight. The dark magic that her wand emitted only became visible once coming into contact with the barrier, turning the white glow into a dark blue and as the green ripples spread so did the blue energy. The ward started shattering like glass, the slivers that fell away vanishing like dust in a breeze that she couldn't feel. The blue did not vanish as the rippled did, however, and it spread through the air, following the dome, and lit everything up, giving the building and the stones and her face a morbid appearance.
As soon as the gap was large enough to walk through, she stepped inside and pointed her wand at the house.
"Maneo." She ordered and she felt the charm wrap around the building.
The girl walked closer, blasting the door off it's hinges and paying no mind to how the resounding crash echoed over the fields around them. Witches and wizards had the bad habit of living in very desolated places, nobody would hear it.
The inside of the house was cosy, if a bit impersonal. There were wooden floors and rugs, old furniture and books, a few pictures, a pair of slippers… the ceilings were low, which was something she wasn't used to. From above her she heard a crash. There he was. She smirked as she looked up, heading confidently towards the stairs.
"You will not hurt master!"
Anna was forced to duck as a brass pan flew over her head. Then another followed and a pot and a wooden chair. Hurriedly she put up a shield and looked confusedly at her attacker. It was a small house elf, standing in her rags by the door to what Anna assumed to be the kitchen.
"I'm not going to hurt him. I just want to talk to him." Anna argued. She really didn't want to hurt a house eld, those little creatures only ever did their damnedest to keep everyone happy and comfortable. "Honest!"
"No!" What appeared to be the kitchen table was thrown at her next.
Anna suddenly heard a crash somewhere else on the first floor. That would be her mother. Bellatrix would quite obviously not have any difficulties with hurting the little thing. She had to act.
Swallowing the unpleasant feeling in her stomach, she dropped the shield and sent a quick stunner at the elf. As soon as she had dropped to the ground, Bellatrix poked her head through another door to the side. The woman spared the creature not even a single glance as she motioned for her daughter to climb the stairs. Anna wasn't surprised.
Anna walked up the dark staircase, keeping a shield up before herself lest Pius -what kind of a name was that anyway?- decided to be a hero. She was doubtful that he would. From what Marcus had told her she figured he was the prudent type that didn't meat attackers head on, but one could never be too careful in situation such as the one she was in. Which was… breaking an entering, assault and… mind-control? Not a common situation for her, but that was only the breaking and entering part. The rest… eh.
The second floor hallway was empty, and the floor was silent. He was probably hiding, having figured out that he couldn't apparate away. Not everyone could make a portkey, and while everyone learned to fly during first year, not everyone bought their own brooms. Particularly politicians that apparated to and from from the office and nothing else. Particularly politicians named Pius.
Disillusionment charms and wards. Those were things he could definitely and probably would use.
"Homenum reveleo." Anna muttered, dropping the shield and feeling only too aware of her mother's breath down her neck. The woman was watching her every move, evaluating her. After all, Anna had proven herself capable in tactics, now she had to prove herself capable in magic.
The silhouette of a thin man lit up against the wall of one of the far rooms.
"Why didn't he just jump out the window?" Anna whispered to her mother.
"Because I fixed your little loophole, darling. Thatis why you still need adult supervision, here in the outside world. You've still got some tricks to learn." The sugary voice answered behind her. "I put a ward on the house once I heard you enter. A barricading one, don't worry about him losing a limb when coming into contact with it."
She sounded disappointed.
Anna didn't answer and walked towards the door of Pius' room. Her hand stopped just short of the doorknob, ready to grab it, but she thought better of it. She took one of the small ornaments that lay on a nearby table and tossed it at the wood. It made no contact, ended up incinerated before it truly struck. That was close.
With a sigh she pointed her wand at the wood, leaving enough space for her wand to remain intact. This ward was more vicious, but didn't have any more magic than the other. It lacked subtlety, too.
"Profligo." She repeated and as soon as the magic left her, she erected a shield. Splinters of wood shot her way and bounced off of it. That was what happened when you put a ward inside something. Broken is broken.
It was a good thing he'd done that too, because if she hadn't put up a shield so quickly she wouldn't have reacted in time to his barrage of hexes. As it was, she took a few steps forwards into the room, face alight with the colours of the spells and the shadows around them moving and dancing with the lights. She waited patiently, getting closer, until she could clearly see the sallow man's face. He was terrified and he looked even worse once his eyes landed on her mother behind her.
Two Bellatrixes? It wasn't possible. And truly, it wasn't. Anna wasn't her mother.
"Please calm yourself, Pius. We're here to talk." Anna told him, trying to reach him through the desperation of his non-verbal casting.
It didn't help, but Anna put up her free hand so that her mother wouldn't act. She needed Pius alive and completely unharmed. It had to look like nothing had happened whatsoever. Nobody could get suspicious. Ever.
"Mother." Anna spoke, barely turning her head. The spells didn't stop. "Why don't you leave us? Please go downstairs and modify the elf's memory and repair whatever damage we did."
"The house elf, Annabelle? I have better things to do-" The harsh voice began but Anna cut her off.
"Please do as I say. Really, we can't have him suspiciously losing his house elf… or the house elf blabbing its mouth, or wanting to blab its mouth. Best for it to not remember anything at all, yes?" Anna countered. "After that, please wait outside. I'm afraid our appearance has startled our future Minister for Magic."
That gave the man pause, but only for a fraction of a second. Not long enough to do anything without being hit. None of the spells whirled at her were dark, or nearly as unpleasant as the ones she'd been taught by uncle Lucius.
As soon as her mother was gone, the blind terror of the man seemed to subside a bit, but only a bit. Truly, it made him easier to talk to but it also made his spells more potent. When things get dangerous cowardly people let fear blur their vision and dull their reasoning. It made them less responsive.
"Pius, truly, this is starting to get bothersome. You're not going to break down this shield." Anna sighed. "I am accustomed to practicing against my uncle, I'm sure you know that he's quite powerful."
"He's Death Eater." The man hissed, the first words he spoke were scathing.
Anna laughed. "You caught me. I was trying to fool you into thinking that we weren't Death Eaters. That's why this is so well hidden." She held up her left arm, showing her dark mark.
He faltered, surprised at seeing the mark of the Dark Lord so blatantly displayed on the arm of a young girl. That was his first and last mistake. As soon as his wand lowered a fraction of an inch and the lights stopped coming for a second, her shield vanished.
"Imperio."
Albus quietly waited for the raised voices to subside. It was difficult for anyone to remain calm, particularly after the disastrous events of the last few weeks. Even if quite a few crucial Death Eaters had been arrested, even if Tom's return was now public knowledge, things were far from looking up. The Ministry was in chaos without a permanent Minister, the aurors didn't know where to start, the previously known Death Eaters were good at covering their tracks and their advocates -more suspected Death Eaters- were proficient in making up valid reasons for why they and their clients 'couldn't' take veritaserum. Rounding up suspects was easier said than done.
And now Annabelle Lestrange had had two other underage students marked, she had gotten a secret assignment, Gibbon had been sent to do something, and Severus had no way of knowing what or why. The only thing the man knew was that he himself had been assigned with protecting Annabelle during her time at school and watching her actions. He was assigned with scrutinising her loyalty.
Wether Tom had a valid reason to question her devotion was something else entirely. If he did then that was something to consider. But whatever her assignment was, it could not be good. That girl had played Harry and himself out of the school. So far, nobody had managed to get him to leave the castle against his will. She was rapidly becoming more and more effective, which was quite troubling.
This made Tom's distrust even more alarming. If he was right, and she wasn't on his side, then she was on her own side, because she definitely wasn't on Albus' side. An unknown side made things all the more unpredictable. Such things are never good in war.
"We should have gotten rid of her when we had the chance! Not only is she dangerous, she's a wild card!" Alastor was saying. "Look at what she's done, gotten Sirius killed, helped Voldemort destabilise the Ministry, after making it a laughing stock mind you, and now! Now, we don't even know what she actually wants! And we can't get rid of her because if we do, Snape goes down with her."
"Alastor, think of what you're saying." Minerva chided him. "Anna may be a Death Eater, but she's still a child. I doubt she's doing anything more than what she's ordered to do."
"You've been teaching her for years, Minerva." Kingsley countered. "You've known this girl since she was eleven, you got her her letter. She fooled you. You of all people should realise how dangerous she is."
"I'm not saying she isn't dangerous! But she's not- she's not like her parents. She's still only a girl." Minerva attempted.
"A girl pressured by the adults that should have kept her out of things, that's what she is." Molly interrupted, coming to stand beside the professor. "Children see, children do. I agree with Minerva. What child doesn't do as they're told? Particularly in such a dangerous situation, particularly by people her imagination once put on a pedestal."
"I never met 'er during my stay, but I asked Viktor about 'er. 'E says she was polite but cold to ze guest students." Fleur chimed in from between Bill and Molly. The older woman seemed to consider the blonde for a moment before deciding that her allegiance was valued.
"Cold enough to let her own cousin be killed?" Tonks suddenly muttered, hair mousy and droopy as she still had not completely recovered. The room fell silent at her first contribution of the night. "She-"
"Tonks, I also taught Anna. She was polite. She was pleasant -maybe even kind- to Neville Longbottom." Remus tried to placate her. "Sirius spoke to her, I doubt he would have protected her as he did if he doubted her character. I think you're letting grief colour your judgement of her."
"We don't think Anna could do that." George cut through. This was the first meeting they were allowed to attend. After all, they were now of age. Bill had vouched for their attendance. "We met her a couple of times at school too. She's always been very protective of those who help her in any way. If she found out through Snape that Sirius protected her, then she wouldn't want to hurt him. Besides, Sirius wasn't even supposed to be there. Why are you all blaming her for that?"
"And another thing." Fred stood. "If Voldemort doubts her, then that's good, right? If she is loyal then his distrust might alienate her enough to change sides, if she isn't loyal then that means another enemy for him. If she's his enemy then it's only a matter of time before she makes herself known. All we need to do is find out what her assignment is."
"That's easier said than done, though, Fred." Dedalus Diggle argued. "This girl is- is-"
"Yeah, while you're coming up with a fitting adjective we'll leave." George cut him off, holding up his pocket-watch for Fred to see. It was eleven. "We only just opened the shop and while Lee didn't mind closing up today, he needs us there to place all the enchantments. Can't keep him there all night. I'm sure Bill can catch us up, but I don't think we'll be coming to any sort of conclusion on this matter any time soon."
The twins saluted the rest of the order members, nodding respectfully at those who had been their teachers, and kissed their parents goodbye. Once they were gone, silence reigned and Albus kept watching the spots they had vacated. While it was not strange for the Weasley boys to take their family's side, he knew what Severus had reported of their movements after he'd left. There was the possibility of him being mistaken, of course, but Severus believed that the twins had at least had some contact with her. Wether good or bad, he couldn't tell.
At the moment, however, Annabelle Lestrange was but one of the many issues that demanded his attention. It was time to move on to the last topic of the evening.
"Severus, how would you like to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts?"
Fred pursed his lips as he paced up and down impatiently. It was so dark he could barely see where he was walking, but since he knew their new showroom like the back of his hand, he had no trouble avoiding collision with the many boxes they still had to empty. He was agitated though, it was almost midnight and there really wasn't any time or space to make mistakes. If they didn't show up soon, he'd have to send a message through the tube, which would end up with Pansy and she'd have to forward to Anna because- because he had insisted that it was safer if their contact was less direct.
That had been his reasoning, mostly. It had been sound, but right now it could cost them precious time, should things go south.
The young man's blue eyes trailed to his brother, who was sitting on the steps of the stairs with Lee. George seemed as nervous as he was, but not anxious. It wasn't the first time they'd waited after hours for a 'client', but since this was Amelia Bones they were talking about there was a slight reason for tension. Lee, on the other hand, was practically vibrating with anticipation, gaze fixed on his feet. It had been their idea to pull him in, mainly because they knew he wanted to do something too but also because they'd felt bad about leaving him out last year. They had almost always done things as a team, this was something they wanted to share even if it was dangerous. Pan- Parkinson had said it was fine, that she would cover him too. Fred didn't know where she got the accommodating streak from, but he was grateful.
All three of them jumped as there was a sudden rapping on the windows. While the other two drew their wands to cover him, Fred stepped towards the door and put his hand on the handle. With a finger he pulled aside the thin blinds that covered the glass and stared out into the empty streets. There stood Susan, with a woman slightly in front of him.
"What did we learn in the last DA meeting?" He asked, voice hushed and low but not enough for her not to hear. He had to make sure it was really her, right?
"The Patronus Charm. I couldn't get it to take form." The girl answered with a huff, though the tension in her shoulders didn't disappear. "How did we communicate?"
"Charmed galleons." Fred told her and pulled away from the window. He nodded to the two behind him and as soon as they were on their feet he opened the door to let their old schoolmate and her aunt inside. Once they were in, he closed the door again, locking it firmly and putting protection charms over the door again. When he turned back he could dimly make out madam Bones being greeted by his brother and friend.
"It was really strange." Susan started recounting. "We watched from the bushes as a Death Eater showed up, mask and all. He broke past the wards, went inside, trashed the house, lit it on fire, waited a while before putting it out again, cast the Dark Mark over the house and left again. What d'you-"
"Fiendfyre, Susan. Fire made with dark magic, wipes away anything. It could consume a body, turn it to ash." Madam Bones hushed her. "And that Death Eater was under the influence of the imperius curse. I don't know which Death Eater you're working with, but they seem to work efficiently, if completely immorally."
"Yeah, well, that immoral Death Eater saved your life." George huffed, taking out a piece of parchment. "Read this, madam."
Not seeming to pay any mind to the bitterness in his brother's tone, the woman grabbed the paper and read it under the light of Lee's wand. Her face scrunched up in suspicion.
"You must be joking. This place-"
"Is under the Fidelius charm, we'll be apparating." George offered the woman an arm. "The current owner of the place is also with us in this. Might be a bit much to believe, but believing is up to you. As long as you come along, we don't mind."
There was tension as the woman raised her wand. But the only thing she did was burn the paper. Once it was gone she vanished the ashes on the ground.
"I'll go. I'm here already, my house is taken care of. Apparently." She placed a hand on her niece's shoulder. "What about Susan?"
"I'll be taking her to…?" Lee began.
"Hannah Abbot's house." Susan told her. "I wrote to her and she said her parents were alright with it. They went out to dinner and they would think we were already asleep when they came in so they wouldn't 'bother us'. If you drop me off behind the house she'll let me in through the back door. The address is number seven Marigold Walk, Birmingham."
"All right, then. We'll leave first." Lee nodded and offered her a hand. "Ready Susan?"
The girl kissed her aunt's cheek, whispering something in her ear as she did, before facing Lee completely. Lee, for his part, nodded at Fred and gave George a last lingering look before grabbing the girl's hand tightly and apparating away. The silence after the loud crack was nearly deafening. None of them spoke for a few seconds until George cleared his throat.
"Well then, madam, I believe it's our turn." He extended an arm.
She didn't move, her eyes had fixed themselves on Fred and he felt himself close to cowering. The woman was pretty intimidating. "What about you, boy?"
"I have to close up here. Put up all the protective enchantments and such. Plus I have to report that you're safe." He cleared his throat. "Actually, I have to be there at quarter past so, if you'd hurry this up-"
Amelia Bones hesitated but a second before taking George's arm. Then they vanished, and Fred was left alone in the dark shop. He took a few seconds to calm his racing heart, which had at no point slowed down ever since they left the Order meeting. It was nerve-wrecking, waiting for the people they were supposed to protect, knowing they might be followed or they might not show up at all. In a way, he wanted to do more, wanted to do something that would make it so that these people didn't have to leave their homes at all. He wanted to fight Voldemort more directly.
But Anna was right. At the moment, this was one of the most important things. While there would be a fight eventually, the people they were hiding now were so unimportant that while they were being targeted for their blood by Death Eaters, they wouldn't be perceived as needing protection by the Ministry until it was too late. This was important.
And how could he deal with more, if just hearing about Anna being spied on made his heart beat way too fast to be healthy?
With a bitter huff he got to his feet and started placing the protective enchantments. That wasn't a good way to think. His reaction had been completely normal and justified for a person who just found out that the root, the head, of the escape plan they had was being targeted. It didn't mean that he was a coward or incapable or anything of the sort. It just meant he had a brain.
By the time he was done, it was already thirteen past. He was going to be late.
Fred bit his lip and turned on the spot, promptly arriving at the edge of dark forest. He didn't know exactly where he was, but Parkinson had given him the name of that place, so he supposed he was at the right spot. The instructions were; apparate to the edge of MacFives' forest, walk along the edge towards the east until you get to a fence, follow the fence into the forest until you get to where there is a clearing on both sides.
Shrugging, he placed his wand flat on the palm of his hand. "Point me, east."
The wood swivelled around a few times before settling on one direction, from there following the instructions was easy enough and though it took a while for him to get to his destination, he made it to the clearing. He was late, of course, and in the darkness he could tell by what little he could see that Parkinson was irritated, but she wasn't all that intimidating. It was hard for her to be, at the moment, since without her heels he was a tiny bit more than a head taller than her.
"You're late." She hissed once her eyes landed on him, her hands clenching on the bars of the fence.
He shrugged, looking over her to the large lit up mansion in the distance. "Bones took longer, she stayed to watch the show."
"That went well then?" Pansy motioned for him to get closer. "What about your friend? Jordan, was it?"
"Yeah." Fred nodded, standing close to fence too and looking down at her. "He did fine. He was nervous but he did fine. How're you planning on fixing everything else? I mean, fiendfyre was a good touch but-"
"The auror department will call for a healer to find whatever human remains are left." Parkinson told him. "We have enough healers in our pocket but the aurors will ask specifically for Healer Munroe. He's specialised not in healing itself but in autopsies and dead bodies and such. They always call him."
"And?" He insisted.
"And?" Parkinson laughed. "What do you think I've been doing with the press all last year? Having tea parties? Rita Skeeter is very useful for a lot of things. I've found so much dirt on her that I can use her to both write dirt and find dirt on people. She practically gifted me with evidence of Healer Munroe's many affairs and an address to find his partner in. And after that, Rita will write a very moving article or our dearly departed madam Bones."
For a second Fred only stared at her. In the dark he could see her blue eyes looking up at him with a challenging air and though he could barely make out the details of her face, he'd seen her often enough to picture her expression perfectly. In the heat and with the slight breeze the smell of her flowery shampoo wafted over him.
"Well, you sound like you know what you're doing." He told her. "Was this the only reason why you wanted to meet up?"
"No." She shook her head. "While I'm out of school, I handle you directly instead of through Marcus. It's good to meet up once every week or every other week to make sure you and George are all right. You'll be doing that with Marcus too. If we communicate only through written messages it could get hard to gauge your actual state. Might even be an impostor with a skill of copying handwriting for all I know, or you could be imperiused or something."
"Sounds legit." He taunted. She was such a liar. Even with a proper excuse there was no doubt in his mind that she'd just been worried about them. "But I actually have something that you might want to pass on."
"What's that?" Parkinson frowned.
"We just got back from an Order meeting. Snape reported to Dumbledore that Anna was given an assignment from Voldemort and Snape was given the assignment of both protecting and watching her. Watching her as in monitor her obedience. Dumbledore thinks it might be because Voldemort either suspects foul play, or he doesn't directly suspect something so much as wants to be absolutely sure." Fred bent down to get closer. "You need to make sure she knows as soon as possible, but don't do it by messaging. Face to face is safer. And safer still is face to face here in your-" He motioned awkwardly. "-house. He's living in the Malfoys', right?"
"Yes… Yes, you're right." Parkinson's voice trembled slightly as she looked away. "I'll get that to her as soon as I can. Thank you for telling me."
"Yeah, it's important. I'll let you know if something else happens, if not then see you next week, Parkinson." He nodded at her, eyes boring into hers for a second before trudging back the way he came.
Fred could have swore he heard her mutter quietly. "It's Pansy."