Lillian 'Anna' Potter || Order of the Phoenix

Chapter Ten: Ghosts of the Past

Well at least Anna had been right about one thing: this year was sure to be as doomed as the first.

Anna winced as she clutched at the backside of her writing hand, the stinging making it hard for her to think. I will talk like a lady, were the words etched in crimson. Umbridge had showed her one of her most prized possessions - a 'special' quill.

Let's just say, the special quill had also allowed a whole spool of words that had gotten her into trouble in the first place past her lips, and she now had a detention scheduled for the next day.

Fun.

And by the bandages on her brother's hand just the day before, she could tell that she wasn't the only Potter who'd had a visit with Umbridge. Anna was certain this was no coincidence: the Ministry was keeping a close eye on them.

"Un-bloody-believable," She cursed, despite the scarlet reminder on the backside of her hand to 'speak like a lady'. "The hag can't even treat us to a normal detention without bloodshed?"

Just then, a cough came from the opposite end of the hallway, causing her to pause as a figure came forward. "There's a curfew - whoever you are, you must return to your dorm immediately, where I can have a word with the Head of your House-"

The light of the torches came upon his face, and she could tell he realized who she was just as she did.

"Anna." Snape said quietly, his eyes going from her face and then to her tightly clasped hands, where blood was running down her palms. He sighed, sounding tired. "What have you done this time?"

"It's none of your business." She snapped, crossing her arms to hide the sight of her injury underneath the sleeves of her charcoal dress. "You gave up that right when you literally threatened to kill me."

Snape frowned at her. "I'm still your godfather. Your mother wanted me to be there for you. And obviously you can't handle yourself - let me see your hand."

But she only pulled away from his touch. "Don't touch me." Anna snapped. Her emerald eyes shone with anger as she held his gaze. "You're not my father. The closest thing I've ever had to one was Sirius - and you sent him away."

This was the worst thing she could've ever come up with to say to him, but Snape showed no emotion as he returned her glare. "You're right. I'm not your father. But now, I'm speaking as your teacher, and you need to return to your dormitory before I take points from your house."

Anna's eyes seemed to burn as she scoffed. "Fine with me. I was heading back there anyway."

"Go then."

"Fine."

It was only when she tucked herself into bed she realized that she had been crying.

- - -

"Hey, Potter! Did you and your brother do some weird ritual last night?"

Anna tiredly swiveled her head around to face Draco, who padded up from behind her as he pointed out the bandages around her hand. "He had the same kind of wound in the same place. Don't tell me you did it without me."

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't hold back her smile as she matched him in step. "Sadly, we did not perform a ritual. We had detention. With Umbridge." Anna sneered.

"You've got detention? Already?"

"Don't act so prissy now that you're a prefect, Malfoy." She returned smoothly. "Umbridge is a royal pain - and I'm sure she's just pulling Harry and I in for detention to keep an eye on us. The whole Voldemort thing and whatever."

Anna looked at him, eyebrows raised. "You believe me, don't you?"

Draco shrugged. "Umbridge has never done me wrong so far, but as for the whole...Dark Lord thing, it's kinda hard not to believe you when you've got that." He nodded at her exposed neck area, where a sliver of the thick scar she had received from the graveyard could be seen - despite all her clever layering.

She shifted uncomfortably, closing her cardigan in front of her - obscuring what was left of her scar completely from view. "Yeah, well, not everyone is as easily convinced as you are. The Ministry is probably going to try all they can to hide it - and by the time he returns, no one is going to be ready. Hell, we don't even have a good enough DADA teacher to teach us how to be competent with our wands."

"She's not that bad." He muttered under his breath. "I'm just saying - maybe she's just easier on me because I'm not some toilet-mouth Gryffindor."

Her leveled glare had him laughing all over again. "Oh come on - even you know it's true."

"You say it like it's a bad thing."

She then felt fingers against the opposite side of her face as Draco gently forced her to face him. They were so close, she could smell the woodsy scent of his cologne.

He smirked. "It's not a bad thing at all. After all, you're still my toilet-mouthed Gryffindor, aren't you?"

Her heart pounded in her chest.

My. The word reverberated through her.

Bloody hell, not again.

If there even was a moment, it ended as Anna smacked his hand away from her, shaking her head. "You need better pick-up lines, Malfoy."

Despite her nonchalant words, she still felt her heart racing at 100 miles an hour. It was almost like-

"Sorry," The boy said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Lillian Anna!"

"I love you-"

"Anna?"

She shook her head from her thoughts, looking up to see Draco - his face oddly sober as he looked at her in concern. "You okay? You were so happy and then your face just...fell."

"Y-yeah. I'm fine - it's nothing."

The taste of cinnamon on her lips, little poems overflowing her pockets, warm touches and the way the sun hit his eyes just right, turning them into honeysuckle-

Anna's hands dropped from her hair as she pointed in the opposite direction. "I've got to-got to go to class. Now. I'll uh...I'll see you later."

She left before Draco could say another word.

Didn't you love me, Anna? It was him. That all-too-familiar velvety voice whispered into her ear. It froze her to her core.

"No. I didn't. I never did."

Hmm...interesting. Cedric hummed. So why can't you let me go?

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And we have more angst!

I feel like Snape would definitely be like this - he obviously loves and cares for Anna like his own because he loved Lily, but he's too prideful to say that he made a mistake - and Anna herself is also too stubborn to back down.

So now we have two stubborn people refusing to back down even though they both secretly care. Wooo.

As to clear up any confusion at the end of the chapter, what Anna is 'hearing' in her ear is an illusion of Cedric who's not actually Cedric but Anna's perception of him.