Annabella The Sidekick (Sequal To Defiance)

Chapter 41

    Those few days at Remus' house were perfect. I see my parents at the station and hug and kiss them goodbye. Harry looks at me warily while I kiss Remus on the cheek.
    "Everything okay Bell?" He asks. "Everything is fine Harry," I assure him as we get on the train. I see Draco walking towards a compartment and give him a wave, which he returns with a smile.
    I'm pretty far from having a perfect life, but I'm in a good mood today. Spending time with my godfather always puts my mind at ease since he gets me so well.
    I see the twins in a compartment, and while my mood falters for a moment, I decide not to let it ruin my day and lug my bag into the compartment. I only take a bag home for the holidays, as I don't need my trunk.
    "Bells!" Fred exclaims, seeming surprised at my appearence in their compartment. "Hey!" I reply, trying to lift my bag onto the rack. I'm short and it's not. Finally, a pair of hands takes it from me and pushes it onto the rack. "Up you go," George says.
    I can feel my heart beating so fast I'm sure he can hear it, but he says nothing else as he sits down quietly. "How was the rest of your break?" Fred asks. Smiling I pull a chocolate bar out of my coat pocket. "You know Remus loaded me down with chocolate before I left," I laugh, and break it into three parts. I hand one to Fred and turn towards George. "Want a piece?" I ask. He nods and takes it from me with a quiet "Thanks."
    I will admit, his letter made me a bit less upset. However, I am not inclined to forgive him today. I just want things to be normal. "Remus gave you that necklace?" Fred asks. I nod happily and lean forward so he can see it. "That's sweet," Fred says, munching down on chocolate. "Has he found a job?"
    Sadly, I shake my head. "I told him not to buy me anything for Christmas buy he didn't listen," I say. Fred shakes his head. "That's too bad," he replies. "Mum has been hiding money around his house for him to find when we visit. I know she has, although I'm not supposed to," I reply.
    "So my dear Freddie and Georgie," I say seriously. "How are you going to get the toad?" They both just smile. "Don't leave me in the dark! I want to help!" Fred pulls some papers from a knapsack to show me. "We've found a shop in Diagon Alley. It's got an apartment above it. Two bedrooms, too," Fred tells me.
    "Our master plan involves fireworks, swamps, and getting our brooms back from that toad," he says. "I can't believe she took away our last year of Quidditch." George nods in agreement.
    A while later, we all go to put on our robes. I'm the first back, followed by George. I sit there, hoping he won't say anything. Today is a good day, I can't deal with this.
    "Bells," George says finally. "I got your letter," I tell him, pulling it from my bag. "I really don't know what you were expecting. I wouldn't be sitting here had Remus not told me something about my parents," I say. "You had every right to say what you did," George tells me. "Tell me what I can do to make it better."
    I look up and see pain reflected in his brown eyes. It hurt when he slapped me, it really did. Not just physically either. "We can be friends," I tell him as Fred walks in. The smile on George's face is huge.
    The next few months are okay. I get detention a few more times because Umbridge hates me, so I have a few sentences going across different parts of my hand. It was hard to hide from my parents when I had one, so this will be difficult.
    I have no idea what's going on with George and me. Without realizing it, I've forgiven him. I meant to stay upset, but the way he acts reminds me why I fell in love with him in the first place.
    One day in late March, Fred's sick. George and I are sitting on the edge of the astronomy tower, watching others enjoy their weekend. I look at the ground so far away and swing my feet in the open air. "This scares me honestly," I tell him. "What?" He asks. "Being so close to the edge, knowing I could fall at any moment," I say, looking at him. "You're describing more than the tower aren't you?" He asks.
    "I was never talking about the tower," I say. Then I kiss him. I put all my emotion behind it, willing him to feel what I feel, only for him to push me away. I feel the sharp pain of rejection and frown. "Whether or not you are, I'm terrified of the edge," George tells me. I wonder to myself whether or not he's talking about the tower.
    We get up to leave, but neither of us take a step. "I miss you," I tell him honestly. He chuckles. "Just when I bloody well thought I could get over you," he says. He takes two strides forward and before I know what's happening he's got me in a kiss. I stiffen up in surprise for a moment before kissing him back. "I love you and I'm so sorry Bells. I'm an idiot," he tells me.
    "Be my idiot and I'd be more inclined to forgive you," I tell him. He chuckles. "Let's make a deal," he says. "You go put your promise ring back where it belongs and I'll be your idiot," he tells me. "Deal," I reply.
    Honestly, sitting on the couch after the DA meeting that night is incredible. Why you may ask? Because I'm on George's lap with his arms around me. He's playing with the promise ring on my finger and I'm pretty happy.
    This happiness is short lived however, when Umbridge appears. Livid, she has members of the inquisitoral squad march us to her office forcefully. Draco headed towards me, but Blaise Zabini reaches me first.
    "You're in for it now," he smirks. "Oi! Get your hands off her you git!" George yells. Blaise tightens his hands on me, making me cry out. "I got it Blaise. Honestly! Family betrayal," Draco tuts. He takes hold of my arms. "Annabella Black, you cause me so much trouble." He whispers. "Just pretend I'm hurting you and we should be fine." I grimace and "try" to jerk out of his arms.
    "Get off!" I yell. "Stop fighting! You'll only make it worse!" He sneers angrily. George looks confused and glances at Draco's hold on me. He must see that I'm okay because he goes back to fighting against Theodore Nott.
    Long story short, we all got detention for the rest of they year. It could be worse I suppose. We didn't get expelled. I get a letter from my parents. They have no idea whether to be angry or proud.
    One night after detention, I'm hastily wiping the tears from my eyes. Nobody but Draco knows that I cry. He only knows because I sit in the front, where he stands.
    "Bells?" George asks. I then realize that he's standing directly in front of me. "These darn allergies huh?" I ask. "We're inside Bells," George says. "What is it?" Fred asks, walking up to us. "Bells says she has allergies but we're inside," George replies. "I wasn't crying," I say weakly. George wraps an arm around me. "I know Love," he says.
    George and I sneak out of the school that night and follow a secret passage to Hogsmede. "Are we crazy?" I ask him. "What do you mean?" He asks. "Georgie, you're about to turn eighteen. I'm fourteen," I say. "You're the age I was when we first kissed," he says. "You'll be twenty-one when I graduate," I say.
    "Annabella Black! I may be an adult but I will always be a kid at heart and I will never push you to do anything you're uncomfortable with or you don't want to," he says. "I know George," I say. "The age gap just kind of scares me sometimes," I say. He gives me a kiss in response. Just a whisper of a kiss, with his lips barely brushing over mine.
    The twins' birthday is the next day. They're content to spend it in the common room, tricking as many people with their candies as they can. That night when the common room is empty besides George and I, I give him his present.
    It's a silver ring with "property of Annabella Black" engraved into it. George laughs and so do I. I'd already given him his real present earlier. To my surprise, he slips it onto his finger. "You don't have to wear it," I tell him. "I know."
    The next week, Fred and George are leaving. I've been instructed to set up portable swamps in the hallways while Harry tries to contact Sirius.
    George and I spent the night with a silencing charm around his bed, just talking. "I will miss you every day," he says to me. "Do you promise this won't just be some stupid teenage relationship?" I ask him. "I promise," he replies. We kiss a bit too, but nothing inappropriate.
    The next day, I'm setting up the third or fourth swamp when I'm grabbed roughly. I turn my head and see Theodore Nott. "I think Umbridge will be glad to see you," he says. I'm reminded of that time he helped Pansy beat me up and left me in the dark my second year.
     He drags me to where Umbridge is standing with George and Fred. I try to get away, but he twists my arm and I cry out. "Bells!" The twins cry. "I found her setting up those swamps Professor," Nott says. "Hold her. I'm going to finish with these two while Mr. Filch gets the cane," she says.
    Fear courses through me. Did something go wrong? Why don't they have their brooms? "I'm trying to decide whether Annabella should get a few lashes or not," Umbridge says. The twins' face drain of color and I'm sure mine has as well.
    "Do you know who my parents are?" I ask finally. "They both have quite an influence in the ministry. My mother is Skylar Black, formerly known as Skylar Potter. My father is Regulus Black," I say. Her expression falters for a moment but she composes herself.
    "Perhaps more detention then," she says. "No!" George shouts, but Umbridge ignores him. "Fine," I reply nonchalantly, but I'm actually terrified. George and Fred finally summon their brooms. George scoops me up and does a lap around the school before setting me down with a kiss.
    When I'm put on the ground, I see that Harry looks terrified. "What is it?" I ask him. "Voldemort has Sirius," he replies.
    The DA assembles quickly and although Harty wants us to stay, we insist on going. We have no idea how to get to the ministry until Luna suggests threstrals. I'm one of the lucky ones who can see them. We climb on and take off. Riding on a threstrals might have been fun had we not been going to save Sirius.
    In the Department of Mysteries, Harry leads us to where he saw Sirius in his vision. He's not there. Something feels off, that's for sure. We're about to leave when Neville points out something with Harry's name on it. As soon as Harry picks it up, I know what's wrong.
    Death Eaters appear. They come closer and closer. One stops in front of Harry and I recognize the platinum blonde hair. Throwing myself forward, I begin to scream. "You traitor!" I shout. "I hate you!" I feel a paid of hands pull me back but I keep fighting to get to him. I will claw his eyes out.
    "Annabella." Lucius seems surprised. "We trusted you," I spit. "Annabella, a mere child wouldn't understand. Ask your father what it is like to be one of us." That draws the like. "You coward!" I shout, ripping free of Ginny's arms and spitting right in his face.
    He wipes his face and gives me a murderous look. "I'm going to let that go because I truly care about you Annabella," he says. "Now give me the prophecy!" We run, casting jinxes and hexes as we go.
    Finally, we all fall into a room with a veil hanging on an empty doorway. "Who's whispering?" I ask. "Nobody is whispering Bella," Ginny replies. Soon, the order members arrive. I keep fighting the death eater in front of me until Remus arrives.
    "Messing with my god-daugter was a mistake," Remus says angrily and begins to duel. Desperately trying to get to the others, I see Sirius and Bellatrix dueling. I stop to watch. Sirius is going to win, I can tell. Suddenly, a red light hits him and he falls into the veil. I wait for him to come out the other side, but he doesn't. I then see my parents.
    I start to head towards them, and my father sees me. He's crying. That's when I know that Sirius will not be coming through the other side. I have never seen my father cry. I go to comfort him, but a pair of arms close around my waist. "Daddy!" I cry as we spin away.