“Is it true?”
The tone of her voice made heads turn as Anna panted at the doorway of the kitchen - hair in a rat’s nest and half-dressed in a blouse and pajama pants.
“Was Harry really attacked - by the dementors?”
The adults shared that annoying parental glance before turning their gazes back at her.
“We’re getting him now, Anna.” Mrs. Weasley said reassuringly. “Why else do you think Tonks has been gone? You two have been connected at the hip all summer, haven’t you?”
“No.” Anna retorted - but immediately flushed. It wasn’t her fault Tonks was so cool. Though the two had only met that summer, they had immediately clicked - she was like the cool big sister Anna had never had.
But it was still embarassing to get caught trailing behind someone like a mindless baby duck nonetheless.
She then huffed, stomping into the kitchen as she grabbed a piece of toast. “You couldn’t have told me they were going? I could’ve gone too.” Anna sniffed, taking a large bite.
“Well, I heard that they were using broomsticks to get Harry out of there.” Ginny said wryly as she blinked innocently up at her best friend. “I mean, we could’ve dug around for one of Charlie’s old brooms if you really wanted-”
“No.” Anna harshly took another bite of her toast - roughly grabbing a piece of raw meat as she threw it in a metal pan and placed it on the floor by Boudica’s waiting clutches.
“Hey! Rude!” Boudica sniffed as the pan clattered on the ground.
“Sorry.” She said airily, turning her attention to Mr. Weasley. “Doesn’t he have a hearing? Are you going to go with him?”
“Yes and yes. I’ll be escorting him to the Ministry. Don’t worry - I’m sure everything will go smoothly.” He reassured her before turning back to his paper.
Anna wrinkled her nose as she poked at the plate in front of her. Easier said than done. She thought sourly.
It wasn’t Mr. Weasley’s fault, but Anna had always had a tendency of worrying over things she shouldn’t have to worry about - such as the fate of the wizarding world, her own demise, etcetera, etcetera.
“Hey - we’re worried about him too, Anna.” Hermione said softly - practically reading her mind. “I’m sure he’ll be just fine.”
Ron scoffed, sending the youngest Potter a wry grin. “I mean - what hasn’t he managed to last? Surely a little hearing isn’t going to be the thing to do him in.”
Anna ignored Ron’s shout of pain and Hermione’s disapproving stare as she held back a smile of her own. But as far as his statement went, Ron wasn’t entirely true. In all the life threatening events her brother had been through - excluding the thing with Quirrell that had happened in his first year - Anna had always been behind the scenes, protecting him. Albeit, she hadn’t been doing a great job. Cedric’s death was evidence enough.
Cedric.
Her shoulders sagged, and her fists tightened as his face came into mind.
“Hey,” Ginny’s nudge interrupted her dark train of thoughts - and from the sympathy in her eyes, Anna could tell she knew what she had been thinking about. “No one is going to bring him up to you, Anna. I mean, they’ve had all summer. Surely they’ll have something else to talk about.”
“Yeah.” Her hands relaxed. No one would bring up a dead man to his old girlfriend right?
She took a deep breath - trying to exhale all her problems with it.
That year was over. While Anna wasn’t naive enough anymore to believe the coming year would be any different, she held out hope that her title of ‘grieving lover’ would have been forgotten over the summer break.
“I’m going to go paint.” She finally decided - hopping down from her chair as she began her way to her room. “Tell me when Harry finally gets here.”
“Anna, is there something-”
“No - I’m good. I just have that ‘artist’s inspiration’ or whatever.”
“You sure you don’t want to-”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s nothing. I just - he’s in the past, right? I...I don’t feel like bringing him up all the time, you know?”
Ginny made a face. “Anna, he was your boyfriend. For almost 2 years. You haven’t opened up at all. I just...don’t want you to bottle anything up again. It’s not good for you.”
Trust me. The only emotion I’m bottling up is my rage.
But she only nodded, mustering a small smile. “I understand, Gin. You’re just trying to be a good friend. But I’m telling you - I’m not that upset about it. I mean, he’s dead. Nothing’s going to bring him back right?”
“Anna-”
She was gone before Ginny had finished.
Because Anna was right. He wasn’t coming back. Cedric Diggory was dead. It was only fair her grudge with him be dead too. He was nothing more than just a random boy from her past.
Just an insignificant boy who meant nothing to her.
YOU ARE READING
Lillian 'Anna' Potter || Order of the Phoenix
Fanfiction"SOMETIMES, IT'S EASIER TO FORGIVE THAN IT IS TO FORGET." It was revealed by J.K Rowling that when Lily Potter originally died, she was with child. What if Lily had her second child before Voldemort showed up at their house in Little Whinging? H...
