Here's the next chapter! I hope you like it, I've had a long case of writer's block and after that I had a lot of issues uploading this. Eventually I didn't upload it, I took a file I'd already uploaded, wiped it and pasted the new chapter. It's really roundabout but I wasn't going to have time for another week otherwise.
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Harry hurried through the crowd in Diagon Alley, barely making out the three shapes he was following. They kept to the sides and their heads down, the public wasn't too kind to children of known Death Eaters nowadays. And Harry knew that wherever they were going specifically, it had to be in Knockturn Alley. It was a good thing he was wearing his invisibility cloak because he didn't think him being seen going into Knockturn would be all that good for morale.
Finally he managed to squirm his way into they dark alleyway without touching anyone, though he had to stop and blink in the sudden darkness to accommodate his eyes. When he could see properly again he strode forwards, hurrying to find the group of three again. They were rounding the corner, whispering amongst themselves- were they arguing? It sounded that way, they sounded agitated even if he couldn't make out the words.
He hurried closer, in a hurry to catch up, both to not loose them and to hear their words. It was difficult, what with the uneven pebbles, to keep his footsteps quiet, but he managed it. Harry hadn't been skulking around Hogwarts after dark for five years and not learned to keep quiet. But by the time he'd caught up, it seemed most of the important part of the conversation was done.
"Are you absolutely sure about this, Anna? I mean, she might not mean what she says. What if she leads us into a trap?" Nott was asking, head turned slightly backwards as he led the way, making sure no troublemakers or such got near his girlfriend.
"It's not a trap, Theo. I trust that Marcus has everything checked out and explained, all I have to do is meet her." Anna soothed him, though her voice held a tone of authority Harry had never heard her use. "I trust Marcus, ergo I trust her. She knows we are genuine in our purpose, therefor I doubt she'll lead us into a trap."
"But the possibility-"
"Yes, the possibility is still there, Theodore." Malfoy snapped from beside Harry. He was at the end of the three person line, looking much less like the pompous prat Harry knew from school and much more… mature? Sure of himself, but different, not arrogant, just confident. "But Anna is still Anna and she's taken these things into consideration. Right, Anna?"
"I have indeed considered it. And though I doubt it, Marcus has been alerted to such a possibility and whoever he sends will have backup and a planned escape route." Annabelle ran a hand over her boyfriend's back. "I appreciate the concern, but right now I need you to focus on your part. I've got us covered, love, trust me."
"I know it's just…" With a sigh Theodore stopped walking, looking around for a second before pulling Anna into a nook in a wall.
Malfoy sighed but kept his mouth shut, turning his back to them and keeping a lookout. In a way, their cooperation -seamless as it was- reminded Harry of him and his friends. Somehow after finding out her friendship with him had been fake, he'd subconsciously figured that all her friendships had been fake. But no, here was proof. It was just him.
"We're stuck between sides, Anna. And I know we're playing them both but if anything -anything- goes wrong we'll be caught." Theo insisted, grabbing the sides of her arms. "I trust you, but I also know that Lucius is in prison and the rest of us are all younger than twenty-five. We're smart, but in comparison we're very inexperienced."
"Theo, darling, love, please relax." Anna cupped his face. "I've got this under control. It's just a conversation. I'll have our boys check it all out before we make a move. It'll be fine."
They were both silent for a few seconds until Malfoy turned his head partially back. "You know, Anna is the one that usually freaks out and Theo is the calm one. Let's get a move on before we're late and please never turn the universe upside down like this again."
"Ha-fucking-ha." Theo scowled at his friend and shoved past him, continuing on the way they'd been going before.
Anna didn't say anything, sending them both exasperated looks before following along. Seconds later they'd resumed their formation and were once more moving in a brisk pace through Knockturn Alley. Through the dark corridors they went, keeping to the shadows and almost melding with them in their long dark robes. They kept their heads up now, unlike in Diagon Alley where it was best for them to keep their identities a secret, and vagrants and other shoppers kept their distance. Harry didn't understand why at first -they might be known relations of Death Eaters but they were teenagers- until he noticed the fearful glances the other inhabitants of the alley shot first at their faces and then at their covered arms.
Harry frowned. Sure, they had long sleeves but surely… surely they were too young to be marked? He could understand Anna -and that was still a stretch- since she was Bellatrix's daughter and the older woman was a fanatic, but Nott and Malfoy? They were sons of Death Eaters, yes, but he thought that Nott and Malfoy senior were much more… rational in their devotion. They weren't obsessed, hand't ever sounded like that, just power-hungry. Harry couldn't imagine the two boys -his classmates- going that far.
And what had Nott meant by 'stuck between sides'? 'Playing them both'? It made no sense; Annabelle was a Death Eater, she followed Voldemort. …Unless she didn't? But that made no sense. She'd been pulling the strings on all sorts of things for a long time; she was devoted to him.
Mere minutes later, Nott stopped by the closed door to a shop. A wooden sign over the door -old, dirty, faded- showed the barely readable words 'Obscurus Books'. The boy didn't knock though, and he only stepped to the side of the door, Malfoy doing the same on the other side. Anna stepped forwards and knocked firmly.
The door opened to reveal an old woman, wrapped in a thick wooden cloak and hunched over. She was shorter than Anna and she looked up, peeking her wrinkled face through her messy mop of grey hair and the long hood. Her expression was one of fondness and fascination as she recognised the young girl in front of her, bowing seconds later.
"Young Madam Lestrange, good day." Her voice was hoarse and soft and it made chills crawl down harry's spine. "Your friends await you inside; mister Pucey and mister Flint seem to be quite anxious for your arrival."
Anna smiled. "Thank you for accommodating us, Agatha. I will go and calm them right away."
The girl passed the threshold, the two boys following close behind, and the old woman took a second to look around cautiously before shutting the door. Harry couldn't manage to slip in, and after the door was closed no sound escaped through the cracks. There were protective enchantments over the shop, it seemed, keeping its secrets locked inside. It was to be expected and Harry made no attempt to get past them. Annabelle, Nott, Malfoy, Pucey, Montague, and the old woman who seemed capable of performing strong enchantments… Harry didn't want to test his luck. He'd learned enough as it was.
With a resigned last look at the sign, Harry turned around and hurried back to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. No doubt his friends had already noticed his absence; he didn't want to know what they were making of it.
Anna landed gently on her feet, Marcus having put an arm around her to help her keep the balance despite the hassle of travelling by portkey. He immediately let go, though, offering her a polite smile and shrinking the bottle in their hands before putting in one of his robe pockets.
The girl looked around the entrance hall of Nott Manor. She'd been there before, but that was over a year go and it had been very different. For one, all the decorations made of precious metals and all the paintings had been taken away. They had been replaced with vases filled with flowers, smaller paintings made by the new inhabitants, and other small works of art that Anna had no idea they were providing the materials to make.
She looked up at the only space that had been left vacant; the rectangle of the painting of Josephine Nott. Anna had talked to Theo about having to take that down. It'd been painful for him, he'd loved her dearly and this place -as torturous as it must have been for her to hang there- was her final resting place. Seeing the hole made even Anna, who was one of the last people in the world to promote love for a mother, quite uncomfortable.
"It's fine." Theo's voice sounded behind her.
Anna turned to look at him, where he had just landed with another portkey. His clothes and hair were a bit ruffled, so she walked towards him to fix it. He looked at her calmly as she ran her fingers through his hair and her hands over his chest to smooth down the robe. When she was done he placed a hand on the side of her neck and kissed her cheek on the other side, resting his cheek against hers afterwards.
"Yes, it's all very sad. Now, I believe someone awaits us." Draco hurried them, stepping beside them with a huff.
"That is correct. Marcus, Adrian, lead the way." Anna stepped back, stroking Theo's cheek before turning away and looking at their older friends expectantly.
Adrian gave them a charming smile, and even if they trusted him deeply they knew that smile had every chance of being fake. He was playful like that, enjoyed toying with everyone, and one never knew if the expressions he showed were real ones. Adrian was one of the best at pretending, which was why Pansy had thrown a fit when they'd decided to include him in -for lack of a better term- Anna's inner circle. He was not to be trusted, she said, but Marcus and him had been friends since childhood. Marcus understood Adrian and trusted him with his life. He and Pansy had advised her opposite courses of action when it came to him.
For her part, Anna trusted Adrian too. He was a good actor with little sense of when he should act and when he should be honest but that didn't mean that he would betray them.
They walked with Marcus and Adrian leading the way, Anna behind and between them, and Draco and Theo behind her on either side. It wasn't that they were in a hurry, but they did their best to avoid being seen by the other muggleborns. Their reactions at finding out that their safety rested on the shoulders of a sixteen year old girl would be hesitant in a best case scenario, scared and horrified worst case, and they'd end up having to hold them there against their will as letting them go would put them all at risk.
Eventually they arrived by the door to the small drawing room and Marcus knocked. At a muffled call to enter, he opened the door and stepped inside, holding the door ajar behind him.
"Madam Bones, good day to you." He greeted.
"Mr Flint, hello." Anna heard a voice answer him. "I presume the Death Eater is with you now?"
"Yes, indeed. Madam Lestrange, if you will." He held the door open for Anna, ignoring the shocked exclamation that the girl's name had earned him.
Anna stepped inside, followed closely by the other three, and stood in front of a staring Amelia Bones for a few seconds. She knew it would be… surprising to see her, to know she was behind everything. So, in order to give the older woman some time to adjust, Anna moved to one of the armchairs and took off her long sleeved robe, revealing a sleeveless dress that laid her Dark Mark bare. On her hand on the other arm, the ring of the Lestrange family glinted in the candle light. She took a seat and motioned for Madam Bones to do the same.
"Madam Bones, you requested my presence and here I am." She smiled. "I do hope we can put… my ancestry behind us. I'm afraid I'm not too proud of it."
The woman looked her over a few times, her gaze changing from stunned to suspicious. It was a natural reaction, particularly with the mistrust that had been reported by both the twins and Blaise. Susan had told him about her doubts, of course she had. She was a sweet and brave girl who wanted to keep her family safe. Keeping Blaise Zabini -the one providing the safety- aware of everything that went on was a given. Her father had been reported to be devastated at Amelia's 'death', but he hadn't acted out and so was not in any imminent danger.
"Your name is Lestrange, but you are not Bellatrix." The woman said, taking a seat across from her. "Why?"
Anna sighed. As she had stated before, she had hoped to get past that. She knew very well that this conversation was inevitable. "My parents are Bellatrix and Rudolphus Lestrange. I'm afraid they didn't have much time to fill out a birth certificate during the previous war; they were criminals and I was stolen after four days. However, as you can see, they managed to rope me into their troubles even when I was living as an orphan in muggle London. My life changed quite drastically a few years ago, but I grew tired of being subjected my parents' and my godfather's will."
"So this is your form of rebellion? Saving lives just as a way to stand up to them without really caring about the results?" Amelia frowned. "And who is your godfather anyway, girl?"
Anna heard an indignant huff sound somewhere behind her, but paid it little mind. She was not insulted.
"My godfather is Lord Voldemort. You can see how that provides me both with more risk and more security." Anna shrugged. "But no, I do care about the results. It's true I am rebelling against them, but I could easily have stood up to them without saving lives. I just believe that -even without me being in control of myself in the situation- seeing as the Dark Lord came back with my help… well, I should do something about the people that suffer for it. Right?"
"You're a child."
"Harry Potter is a child, doesn't stop anyone from expecting him to save the wizarding world, now does it?" Anna countered. "Children are much more capable than you think. Of course it goes without saying that with your helping hand we might be capable of more."
"The register? Why do you want it?" Amelia asked.
"I believe Marcus has-"
"Yes, but it's your turn, miss…?"
"Anna, my name is Anna." She told Amelia. She was quite enjoying the conversation. It was truly a breath of fresh hair to speak with an adult in a frank manner. The only grown ups she talked to were her mother, her aunt, her uncle, and her professors. She didn't speak without flourish or tricks to any of them. "You see, Amelia -may I call you Amelia?- I happen to know that the Dark Lord is planning to… find and get rid of muggleborns. Not just by kidnapping them as he did before, but systematically, by taking over the Ministry and using them to do so. The muggleborn registry will provide us with an opportunity to… warn them all ahead of his schedule. Particularly muggleborn children that aren't eleven yet. If they have nowhere to go, well, they'll end up here."
Amelia Bones, who had nodded nearly imperceptibly at her request to call her by her first name, watched her in silence for a while. Her face was stern, but not unkind, as she studied the girl before her and considered all the possibilities. Anna gave her time. This was not an easy or straightforward decision. It was a good thing that madam Bones was so hesitant; that meant that she cared.
Half an hour had passed, in which Anna had leaned back and Theo had come to sit on the arm of her armchair. He had wrapped an arm around her shoulders and Anna had taken his hand, resting them both on one of her shoulders. Every once in a while she turned to answer a question whirled at her by a pacing madam Bones. Of course, she only answered to the point that she could, or wanted to. She was not about the ministry takeover or about how she was planning to get rid of her godfather or anything of such a sensitive nature. But Amelia was surprisingly accommodating when it came to that.
"I wish to speak to you alone, Anna." Amelia suddenly stopped moving and turned to them.
"Absolutely no-"
"Theo." Anna cut him off. "Please leave us. Draco, Marcus, Adrian, you as well."
He turned to look at Anna with an indignant expression, eyes easy for her to read. He was her right hand man, her boyfriend, he didn't trust Amelia Bones to behave herself, he wanted to stay for her and to also be involved, and many more thoughts could easily be seen. But this wasn't his place to be, Anna was sure of it.
After a second of holding her gaze he relented, holding in a huff and leaving the room in long strides. He was far from happy, she knew, but she'd make it up to him. It wasn't like anyone else, who had to follow her instructions and accept it once she made her mind. Theo was hers, their relationship shouldn't be strained by orders and disagreements over a course of action.
"Your boyfriend seems upset. The Nott boy, yes? This is his house." The older woman commented as soon as they were alone.
"It is, he offered it to us." Anna answered, refusing to acknowledge the comment about his emotional state. That was none of her business.
Of course, Amelia noticed, very clearly raising an eyebrow, but she let it be. She motioned for Anna to come forwards, which Anna did after a few moments of deliberation. She leaned against a smaller table, only a few feet away from Amelia, and crossed her arms across her chest.
"Well, we're in private, Amelia. Ask away." Anna told her.
"You're a child, Anna." Amelia frowned. "Now, from what I've seen and heard from you and Marcus so far, you seem to be doing a good job. However-" She held up her hand . "However. The reason as to why children are considered children is because they shouldn't be expected to do everything without guidance no matter how capable they are."
"Well, I haven't ever had much of a choice, have I?" Anna glared, feeling oddly comfortable with the woman's upfront personality even if she was slightly miffed at her words. "It's not like my parents or godfather will be too willing to help out. Uncle Lucius is gone and Aunt Narcissa is busy keeping track of mother. Who else is going to help out? Snape? Hell no. And the old classmates I know are followers, I can't afford to hand over such influence to them."
"You don't trust your friends?" The woman cast a glance at the door. "One would think you'd think twice when taking such risks with them, then."
"It's not that I don't trust them." Anna scoffed. "But they're not all that much older than I am and I can't afford to let them believe they have any more authority over my actions than they do. They have to do as I say or mistakes will be made, we can't afford that. I am in charge, there can't be any confusion over that fact."
Amelia Bones watched her with a critical look for a while, monocle glinting in the dim light. Now that Anna really took her in, she saw a mature, capable, professional woman. Worthy of respect and admiration. She would have been a marvellous minister, one Anna would have been glad to have. From what Pansy had told her of her reputation, policies and work ethic, she was a force to be reckoned with. Fair, strong, believer in equality and justice and supporter of peace and prosperity for their society.
"That is a good leadership mentality." The woman allowed. "But the fact remains that you are sixteen and you need an advisor that is not a sixteen year old boy -influenced by his primary need to keep you safe and happy- or a Death Eater doing things out of a want to support you and not an honest belief in what you're doing."
"What I'm doing?" Anna repeated, amused. "What am I doing, Amelia?"
"You are helping bring down one of the most powerful dark wizards in our history. Not only out of self preservation and a need for petty revenge -as you will have me believe- but because you are honestly angered by what he and your parents have done, are doing, and will do." Amelia goaded her.
"Angered, me? This behaviour is in my blood." Anna denied. "I may not approve, but if I wanted to I could join them-"
"You could, but you don't want to. You have a different mindset, Anna, you made that quite clear when you said… what was it? I'm afraid I'm not too proud of it. Those are not the words of someone who would follow in their mother's footsteps. And you're saving muggleborns without the actual obligation to, taking a risk many consider unnecessary. I know your kind of person, and reckless is not one of your traits. You don't take unnecessary risks, thus, to you, this is all necessary. What did you tell Flint was the reason for all this? He seemed quite unwilling at first, though he's calmed down since he started interacting more with the inhabitants."
"I told him that saving innocent lives would be a good way to get his sentence reduced later on, and that killing just because some half-blood says to is pathetic and insulting to our lineage." Anna huffed. "I'm glad to hear he's warming up."
"There." The woman stressed, pointing at her with an accusatory finger. "You actually care about these people. To you it's not some ploy-"
"Of course it's not!" Anna snapped. "Someone had to do something for them and as things were Dumbledore wouldn't have done shit! He was too busy trying to change Cornelius Fudge's mind!"
A tense silence reigned, at least on Anna's part. Amelia looked rather amused.
"Well then, I've heard all I wanted to hear." The woman chuckled. "You need an advisor, Anna, and I have nothing much to do here. How would you feel about confiding in me?"
The girl looked at the woman with an unreadable expression for several minutes before nodding jerkily. The woman was intelligent. She wanted this to work because it was the right thing to do. Maybe it would balance out the selfish edge to their rebellion. Anna couldn't handle everything by herself, but this wouldn't be sharing control. It would be having someone else that could brainstorm like her, someone with more experience and knowledge. Someone that could handle the responsibility and had no other duties to distract her.
"I'll be back alone tomorrow. For now, I'll send Marcus to get the details from the register." Turning on her heel, she took her robe and left the room.
Pansy sat by the foot of a tree in the far back of her garden. It was hot out and she wasn't the type of person to go out and enjoy the heat, but it wasn't too unbearable under the shade. Waiting out there wasn't all that bad, if she was being honest. But she refused to go out in the direct sunlight, she knew very well how burnt people with her complexion tended to become and she refused to do so.
She was going to rip Fred a new one when he showed up. Face to face meetings were once a week, they'd already seen each other just days ago! This was way too risky and forward, not only on her end but on theirs too. People would start wondering if one of the owners just up an left in the middle of the day in the summer. Particularly the owner of a newly opened joke shop when all the teenagers in the country were doing their shopping.
Suddenly there was rustling behind her, making her turn immediately with her wand raised. By the time she registered that is was only the twins the tip of her wand was already pointing directly between Fred's eyes. He was in front, George right behind him. Both looking rather stunned at her quick reflexes but not completely unprepared either. Their hands were up in defensive stances, wands not pointed at her, but raised. Good, that.
"You scared me." She snapped, getting to her feet and stepping closer to the fence. "Don't touch the metal, father's put protective enchantments. Dying a horrible death is not on your to-do list, I take it?"
"Nah." George snickered, getting closer and pulling his brother -who was looking at her with a slightly stunned expression- along. "Good to see you've got your guard up. Expecting an attack?"
Pansy snorted and shook her head, showing a casual emotion for the first time since they started working together. "My parents may only be in the lower circles of the Dark Lord's rank, but I'm his goddaughter's best friend. Nobody's attacking me. It's just good to be prepared, I refuse to be the reason this all falls apart."
Then she frowned. "Now, why are you here? My mother is home, if she notices anything she'll pack up and drag my father and I to America."
"We thought we should tell you in person. You said it's a touchy subject and we want to know what's behind it before we give you the news." Fred scowled at her, getting almost too close to the fence. "Why does Anna want Tonks' father so badly?"
"If she wanted you to know-"
"Pansy, I swear to Merlin we will apparate out of here right this second-"
Said girl caught the surprised look George sent his brother when he addressed her by her first name, clearly not aware of the development. She paid it no mind, though, it wasn't her business what the twins did or didn't tell each other. Right now, she didn't want to say anything. They wouldn't really leave, right? A single second of meeting Fred's eyes told her that yes, he would leave and he'd take his brother with him.
"Fine." She snapped. "Anna is very family oriented. It's not just Draco she's overly protective of. She wants to make sure Ted Tonks -Nymphadora's father- is safe because he's a muggleborn and he's her uncle. She also wants to make sure Andromeda knows she has a safe place in case Bellatrix gets any ideas about pruning the family tree any further."
Pansy ran her hands over her face in exasperation. "Normally we would try to talk her out of the risk of having you approach anyone so close to Dumbledore but… family is her weak point. Theodore aside, she would throw everything away to keep them safe, even if she doesn't know them. We think it's a side effect of not having a family for so long. If they are out there something might happen to them and we do not want to deal with Anna if it does."
"You make her sound like a kid." Fred muttered.
"No, I make her sound like someone whose temper we don't want to trigger. Remember Karkaroff? He betrayed her parents, sent them to Azkaban. Now Anna knows that they were rightfully convicted, but she doesn't forgive rats. Particularly if they cause her family pain."
"What did she do to him?" George piped up.
"Well, he's dead. Who did you think did that?" Pansy rolled her eyes. "And you can rest assured that she was merciful about it. Now, what do you have for me?"
For a few seconds they were quiet, looking slightly taken aback with the casualness she told them about Anna killing someone. Then again… the first time they'd been in private with her they'd intended to kill her, and they'd become quite sure of the fact that she could and would kill them if she'd had to. Back then. Now… well, now they were quite sure they were in the same position as her friends were when it came to protection. But she could have. She had before; Karkaroff's body had been found the summer before they started talking.
"Tonks is very preoccupied with something else. We asked mum, she says it's about Lupin but wouldn't tell us what exactly. Going through her to get to Andromeda and Tonks' dad would have taken too long, from how impatient you sounded." George started grinning. "So we blew ourselves up!"
"What?" Pansy nearly yelled, turning her widened eyes from George to Fred.
"We only got slightly hurt! And it was for a good cause!" Fred placated her hurriedly, though from the way he bit his lip, she must still have looked pretty angry. "We asked Flint to do a background check on Andromeda and find out where she works -there are tax reports from everyone in the Ministry, right?- and he told us she was a Healer!"
"All we had to do was skulk around in disguise for a few days to find out her hours and Emergency Room duties and then get admitted into the hospital for a non-life threatening wound." George continued dismissively, either unaware of or unconcerned by his brother's need to calm their handler down.
"It better have had some bloody wonderful results. I am not about to let you two run rampant and get hurt, I hope you know that." Pansy scolded through gritted teeth. "The next time, you tell me about it before you decide to run the risk of ridding us of our muggleborn transportation!"
Fred rolled his eyes. "Yes, because it's that difficult to replace us. Don't pretend you're not going to stop us from doing it another time. That's because, like it or not, you've become fond of us." He smirked at her.
"Definitely, like one becomes fond of a toddler one babysits." She scowled.
George snickered, prompting his brother to elbow him, which he narrowly dodged.
"So? Results?" Pansy insisted.
"Yeah, results, that." Fred sighed. "Well, we spoke to her. Told her we knew her daughter, knew about their ties to Bellatrix. Asked wether they were worried about their safety, what with all their actions being something she's opposed to."
"And?"
"And… she glared at us, told us we didn't know what we were talking about, said we shouldn't be getting into other people's business-"
"To which we answered that since Tonks is our friend, it is our business. And that we thought we should mention that we'd heard about a muggleborn sanctuary. That she shouldn't spread it around but that we'd be more than willing to find out more about it for her if she wanted us to." George nodded. "She was quiet until she finished the treatment, told us we could go. We went, but before we got out the exit she came after us and asked us where we lived."
"To contact you, just in case." Pansy nodded, still irritated but not about to deny that it'd gotten the necessary turn out. "That's good, keep me updated. Don't plan to get hurt without telling me again."
George snickered. "Sure, sure… Pansy. We'll tell you as soon as we hear something from them."
"If you don't hear from them before the summer is done, we'll be forced to accelerate things." Pansy scowled. "At least to make them consider it."
"Force things how?" Fred scoffed. "You can't have them attacked, Andromeda would never forgive Anna."
"Not them, not outright." Pansy shook her head. "But I'm sure that Ted Tonks is friends with at least some muggleborns, we can get them out and do the same as with Amelia Bones. There are so many new recruits, no one will question one of them getting overzealous."
"You're-" Fred was about to put his face closer to the bars but George quickly grabbed him. "Thats' borderline evil, Pansy. You'd be manipulating them out of their home!"
"Bordeline." The girl emphasised. "If it gets them out, I won't hesitate to have Draco put it in motion."
"And not tell Anna?" The twins chorussed, confused.
"She delegates. I can deal with this however I like."
"He wants me to kill Dumbledore." Anna told Amelia, stretching out on the lounger in the third study, nicely removed from the rest of Nott Manor. "I'm going to do it."
"Excuse me, what? Are you insane?" The woman snapped. "You can't kill Dumbledore!"
"Can and will! I have to find a way to do it!" Anna glared. "So help me figure one out. I got the assignment at the beginning of summer and so far I have no idea on how to do it."
"No, I refuse. I am not helping you murder the leader of the light side. It'd leave all of them helpless." Amelia shook her head, a fierce glare directed towards Anna. "That is not why I said I'd advice you-"
"I have no choice." Anna bit out. "Sure, I want revenge on the old man. I'll admit it. I want revenge for taking me away even if I know it was the best choice he could have made for his side. I want revenge for putting me in an orphanage when I know it's probable that I was raised with much more liberty to make up my own mind than I would have if I'd been raised by my parents or aunt and uncle. I want revenge for the fact that I almost died because he didn't let my godfather finish a ceremony to manipulate my magical core, thereby making magical saturation rip me to shreds from the inside in my first year. I want revenge for him putting my mother in Azkaban once and my father and uncle twice even though I know that Azkaban is where they deserve to be for what they've done. I want revenge for all of that, but this isn't about that."
She got to her feet, kicking off her shoes and striding to the woman. Anna was a full head shorter than her.
"I wanted to kill him, yes, still want to. I was planning on killing him anyway, for all he'd done to me and mine. It was a matter of principle." She poked Amelia in the chest. "The only things holding me back… probably until the war was well underway, were the facts that he is the most powerful wizard in the world and that without him the Order of the Phoenix is crippled. I can't take Voldemort down myself, Harry's got to give the final blow. If the Order falls, not only will a lot of people who I care about be in danger, but so will Harry and everything will be lost."
Anna groaned turning around again, away from Amelia. "You're my advisor, so advise me! Be the grown up you claim I can't be and tell me what you think is a viable option. Because I have to kill him now. He won't hurt me if I fail, but if I do it-"
"Then what?" Amelia questioned. "You said he'll make you official second in command as soon as you're of age. What have you got to gain?"
Anna turned and stared at her. Should she tell her? Maybe she should, maybe she shouldn't. How far should she trust Amelia Bones? Sure, she wanted what was best for the wizarding world, but that wasn't necessarily what was best for Anna right now. And later on? What would she do with the knowledge of horcuxes? With the knowledge behind Lord Voldemort's not dying and her and Harry's connection to him? There was no guarantee she'd keep it to herself, and that wasn't something that should become public knowledge. Nobody would truly ever trust her or Harry, not knowing that they'd had part of his soul inside them.
But she had to tell Amelia something now. Otherwise she'd put a stop to the advising thing, which Anna needed, and the whole staying here quietly and helping Marcus, which Anna needed even more. Anna had known that. As soon as the idea of telling Amelia about Dumbledore popped into her head she'd known she'd have to tell her everything. Was that why she'd gone through with it anyway? She needed someone to know the truth, someone beyond Harry, who she was planning on telling everything to.
Anna needed someone to tell her to do what needed to be done, otherwise she'd back out of it. She needed someone to tell her to kill herself, if there was no other way. And she knew there probably wouldn't be.
"He's immortal at the moment." She admitted with a whisper. "If I do this… I'll prove myself to be the greatest follower, worthy of being by his side forever. I know how he's done it but I need more information in order to fix this."
"Immortal?" Amelia's eyes bulged as she leaned back against the desk, taking in the information. "How?"
Anna didn't speak.
"How?"
"H- he made… horcuxes. I don't know how many, two at least." She closed her eyes. "I need to find out how many there are, and where. If… if he teaches me how to make one then I can find out more about his and start having them destroyed."
"Why not start by the ones you already know of?" Amelia shook her head. "That way you give the Order a bit more time to-"
"Because I don't know how many he has. Depending on the number, he'll start feeling the destruction. After two fifths of the soul are gone then he should- and the two horcruxes would make three quarters if it's just those. And if it's not… even then, we can't."
"Why?"
"Because… because Harry and I are the horcuxes. I haven't found a way to get rid of them without killing us just yet." Anna shook her head. "I need to start with the others."
Amelia sighed, cursing under her breath. "Alright. Alright, you should go. Come back next week, I'll ponder over things until then. We'll figure it out."
Anna swallowed and nodded. "That sounds fine, I should go anyway. Need to check over the progress with Blaise and Daphne."
She got ready to leave again, putting on her shoes and tidying herself up a bit before heading over to the fireplace. Before she could leave she heard Amelia call back to her.
"And don't think I didn't hear that bit about your magical core. If you want me to advise you properly, you have to give me all the details. If you don't trust me, don't come back."
Theo was enjoying what was probably the first moment he'd had alone with his girlfriend in… weeks. He was lounging on one of the sofas in the greenhouses, shoes off, coat off, tie off, top buttons unbuttoned, smiling. It was a rare thing for them to have a moment to themselves in which they weren't plotting or arguing about something they were plotting.
"Theo?"
"Hm?" He turned his eyes from the blank stare on the roof to Anna, who had come to stand beside the sofa. "Yes, love?"
She seemed to hesitate, making him push himself up on his elbows to look at her properly. Anna was looking him up and down, biting her lip with a pensive look on her face. There had been a gap between them lately, there was something that she wasn't telling him. He could tell, even if she seemed to think that he didn't. Even if she sought a different advisor -Merlin knew why, but she was the boss and he respected her wishes for an adult opinion- he didn't think things had been getting this bad. But there was pause with every move she made towards him.
"Darling, love, talk to me." He urged her, grabbing her hand and pulling her on top of him.
The girl straddled him, pressing down on his chest so that he would stay lying down. For a short while she watched him, studied his reactions as she moved her hands from his chest up to his shoulders, to his neck, into his hair, and back down to his abdomen. Then she leaned forwards, placing her elbows on the headrest on each side of his head. Her face was now almost close enough for him to kiss and their bodies were flushed together, their body heat almost too high to bear. In that position she stayed, though, and he made no attempt to move either.
"Anna? Not that I mind- in fact, I'm of a mind to request we have all our conversations in this position- but is something wrong?" He asked her.
"Wrong… sort of. Theo- Theo, we need to talk." Anna told him, not meeting his eyes.
His stomach dropped.
"W- what?" Theo hurriedly straightened up, taking her with him. His eyes were wide and he knew for sure his face had lost its colour. This couldn't be- no, there were disagreements but what they had- he loved-
"Theo, darling, no, no!" Anna started shaking her head, nervously running her hands up and down his chest again. "No, it's- not that. Never that. It's- mother is planning something."
Relief washed over him, though the expression on her face made him think it shouldn't. "Well, what is it then?"
"Marcus told me something… and you're going to be pretty angry. I've been trying to figure out how to fix it but with everything that's going on I haven't had time." She ran a hand over her face tiredly. "Marcus says mother's been fishing for someone more acceptable to engage me to. To marry as soon as I become of age."
"Force you into a marriage?" Theo scoffed, voice rising. "Because of what? Because I'm not up to her standards? Are you shi- are we back in the fourteenth century again?"
"I don't know, love." She dropped her head into her hands. "I don't know what to do. I don't study wizarding law or pureblood arranged marriages. Somehow I didn't think she'd go this far! And with everything- I'd drop it all right now but keeping us alive is-"
"Keeping us alive is your job right now." Theo rubbed her back, anger still simmering. "Let me worry about your mother. I'll take care of it."
"Soon." Anna insisted. "Just find a way. We don't have the whole next year or I'll be coming back to a planned wedding."
With a bitter laugh, Theo hooked an arm under her legs and flipped them over. He placed a hand on the sofa on each side of her head and pressed his body against hers, lightly so as not to crush. She had wrapped her arms around his waist and hooked her fingers on his belt loops, pulling him tighter against herself.
"Let me worry about your mother." Theo muttered against her lips. "The only thing we'll be getting back to is a war. Always better than a wedding, eh?"
She laughed before kissing him.
Blaise rolled his eyes and dismissed the complaints of the students he'd been meeting with. No, he did not know why Anna wanted to know Dumbledore's schedule during the school year. He also didn't want to know. All he was sure of was that he had the first two months of the school year to get her a schedule and it could not possibly be used for anything good. And he wasn't about to tell them that.
"Well you know what, McLaggen?" He hissed, looking at the boy he'd assigned to be in charge of his Gryffindor spies. "If you don't like it, I can always find someone to replace you. But if you want us to get your mummy and daddy out in time to escape Voldemort if they say something stupid, you'll have to put up with it."
Technically, Anna would have his bollocks cut off if she found out he was threatening to deny anyone protection. But it wasn't like he'd actually do it. McLaggen thought he would, which was what mattered. Blaise ate another scoop of his ice cream and turned to Marietta and Herbert, his Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff representatives respectively. There was no way either of them would argue, but he gave them questioning looks anyway.
"Either of you got anything to say?"
"No, Blaise." Marietta shook her head while Herbert quietly continued to eat his own ice cream. He hadn't even raised an eyebrow at the instructions, pleasantly obedient.
"Well, then." He checked his watch and winced. He had to be with Theo in half an hour and he still wasn't done. "Next round of business. Who have you got, what do you need?"
"I've already talked to all the muggleborns in Ravenclaw, though I suppose I'll have to handle the new first years." Marietta shot Blaise a nervous look before calming down. "We lost a lot of people since most of ours were seventh years. You said Flint was going to get them?"
Blaise nodded. "They're… clean. For lack of a better term. They haven't been in Slytherin, they're not related to known or suspected Death Eaters. They're valuable, the alumni from all three houses. He'll take care of them from now on." Then he pursed his lips. "So you need new people? How will you go about recruiting?"
"Well… I was hoping you might offer their families a way out, if it came to that? Most won't do anything worthy of being gotten rid of, but if they did… I thought maybe you could give them a place in the Manor?"
That was what they called the safe haven. They didn't know where it was or that it was Theo's house, but they sort of knew who were involved. For one, they knew which Slytherins were in charge, which were involved -by now that was most of them- and to which they should go to if they couldn't get to Blaise in time. He took care of his spies; if he didn't, they wouldn't be very inclined to work for him.
Blaise sighed. They all wanted the same thing, so he told them all the same. "If it comes to that, yes. But don't let them go around taking unnecessary risks. We don't protect idiots."
"I've got the same issue." Herbert Fleet piped up. "The whole Bones situation was handled very well, I was impressed. I know you'll take care of our more important families like the Smiths, the MacMillans, and so on, in the same manner. I'll get new kids, though most of our people are in your year. I'll get new ones, sure, but I don't need all that many. Insurance for families is good, don't think we'll make use of it though."
"That would be best, thank you." Blaise nodded at him with a smile. It made the older boy preen, Blaise knew that. He had learned from his mother how to make people want his approval, how to make the people he had to control want to be controlled. It wasn't like Voldemort, it was much more… intimate. "How about you, McLaggen?"
Cormac moved his jaw, looking Blaise up and down. The dark skinned boy had to admit that the elder was his type, blond, green eyes, pretty features. Like a masculine and less delicate Daphne. Don't get him wrong, she was the only one for him. But if she hadn't been, he wouldn't have been opposed to spending some time on the bloke. He knew for a fact that McLaggen, like him, liked anything that was pleasing to the eye. And Blaise was pleasing, all right.
Good thing his girlfriend was pleasing to the eye and the mind… and had quite the same inclinations as him. It was fun to talk about people, both positively and not.
"It's fine. I'll do the same as Herbert and Marietta." McLaggen rolled his shoulders. "Get the first years, get new snitches, don't keep idiots."
"And I have a special job for you, as well. Beyond the Dumbledore thing, which goes for all of you." Blaise stood, arranging his clothes as they watched him warily. "I want you to keep an eye on Potter and his friends. Not in the distance, get inside."
"Why me?" Cormac growled. "I'm not their friend, we've never even talked!"
"Because our last people in there already graduated." Blaise snapped, making sure to keep his voice down. "So either find a way in, or get us Longbottom. Kindly."
Anna would have his hide if anything happened to Longbottom. She'd gone as far as to publicly scold Draco for upsetting him before, Blaise didn't know how angry she'd be if McLaggen bullied him into anything and he didn't want to find out. Of course it had to do with what her parents had done to his, but the Zabini believed that she was somehow fond of Neville. He didn't care why, his friend could feel and do as she liked.
"Your choice." Blaise insisted, glancing at his watch again. He had to get to muggle London now.
Cormac glared at him, clearly unwilling to compromise. Talking to Longbottom was risky, particularly because he'd never spoken to him before. "Fine. I'll get in with Granger."
He snorted. "Good luck with that; just get it done. See you all in school."
Blaise didn't wait for an answer, instead he turned on his heel and descended from the balcony of Fortescue's. The crowd was still as thick as it had been all summer, but not like it'd been the years before. People were more wary, but there was a certain stubbornness in the air. A refusal to be cowed, is what it was. Who'd have thought that the majority of their magical society possessed that foolish Gryffindor trait that always got on his nerves? Bravery, the knowledge that something was risky and still doing it, recklessness. Unnecessary risk-taking. Openly, challengingly. But, he supposed, it came in useful now. Meeting people out in public was the best for avoiding suspicion. And one couldn't meet people out in public if there was no public out and about.
The Leakey Cauldron was not crowded, but also not empty. About half the tables were occupied with people having a late lunch when he passed through the pub. It was unnatural for him to walk to the entrance though Charing Cross instead of heading to the fireplace, yet it was for the best. Charing Cross was in the centre of London, close to several muggle cafés which -according to Anna- were now the safest places for them to meet. After all, Blaise was not known for hanging around with Death Eaters, and many people he had to talk to were know relations of Death Eaters. It would bring suspicion to him, so it would be best if they weren't seen.
As much as Blaise felt.. off at going to muggle shops, it was necessary. That was why he'd gone to Gringotts a few weeks before and changed galleons to pounds. He'd met up with Marcus and Adrian and several others in such coffee shops. At first they'd all been quite disgusted about it -he was a pureblood wizard who had never in his life done such a thing, the others were no different- but they had been rightfully reprimanded when Anna said that she'd grown up going to such places, insinuating that they'd been disgusted by her. Muggle aren't filth, Blaise, they're different. Grow up. He mentally repeated Anna's words. Because it was right, he'd eventually admitted. It wasn't all that bad, even if it was far from his favourite thing to do. If they were to completely eliminate the enmity that Voldemort could manipulate them with, then he would have no way to worm himself into their admiration. Eliminate the prejudice, eliminate his handholds.
"Well?" He demanded as he took a seat by Theo's table, out in front of a coffee shop. "I had to do everything in a hurry thanks to you."
"Hello, Theo, how have you been? I've been fine, Blaise, thank you for asking." The other boy snarked, taking a sip of his tea. "How have you been, Blaise?"
"Busy." Blaise rolled his eyes, stealing the biscuit by the side of Theo's cup. "McLaggen is a bother."
"A bloody hot bother, according to both you and Daphne." Theo laughed. "I thought you appreciated him?"
"I appreciate his face and his arse, but when he talks I tend to forget about those." He rolled his eyes. "He's too… independent. Has opinions on everything. And usually the wrong ones. It's a hassle to deal with."
"I trust you'll keep him under control." Theo shrugged and pushed up his sunglasses slightly. "No one keeps leashes tight like you do."
Blaise smirked and slipped off his blazer, unbuttoning the second button of his shirt before leaning back on the chair again. He folded his sleeves up, smirking at his friend's jealous scowl. Theo could no longer do that, not with the mark. He had to make do with cooling charms, something Blaise also had. They tended to itch.
"Well, Theo. What do you need?" Blaise demanded.
"I don't need you. I need Aphrodisia."
"What do you need my mother for?" He frowned. "She stays out of everything. I made that very clear before."
Theo snickered. "Just need her to write up a contract for me. I can't tell you just yet, need her to get back to me on this." He took an envelope from his blazer's inner pocket. "Just give her this. Don't try to open it, it's cursed to all but her."
"Joy." The sarcasm was tangible. "I'll make sure it gets to her. I trust you're sure she's not at risk?"
"Of course! Next line of business-" Theo got to his feet and dropped a few pound notes on the table. "I need you to help me with my shopping, here in muggle London."
"Your girlfriend's infecting you-"
"And that's why you picked this place? I'm sure you don't like muggle London enough to have a preferred café, Blaise, though I could be wrong."
"Shut up."