Complicated (A Remus Lupin love story)

Summer Before 5th Year II

Sirius was lead over to his seat next to Anna, where he offered a small smile. His parents were keeping a tight eye on him, always flickering back to where the duo sat. More people filled in, taking their seats. Anna was sat close to the head of the table along with her parents and brother. Her grandmother sat next to the head, with her husband directly across from her.

It was rather strange, for normally her Grandfather sat at the head and welcomed all guest. Formally at the very least. The room was also much more shadowy than normal. The lights dimmed low. The room itself was rather beautiful in the natural lighting of the manor, however, with the curtains drawn and the room dark; it felt as though something was amiss.

Soon, there was only one chair left at the head of the table, and Anna's grandfather stood up, smiling brightly to the guest that had gathered. Anna could clearly make out Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy and their son Lucious. The Lestranges', though Anna was sure they were only here because Rodolphus Lestrange was engaged to Bellatrix Black. Speaking of the Blacks, there were Orion and Walburga, Regulus, Narcissa, Bellatrix, and of course, Sirius. Then there was Anna's large family of De'Claires. Her mother, Mélodie. Her father, Thomas, and Austin. Her grandparents, Théophile and Orianne. Then came her Aunt Alexandrine and Uncle Ernest. Then came her cousins Lucienne, Mathias, Dylan, and Zoé. It wasn't the largest gathering they had had, but a decent size. Which is why it was so strange that Sirius was sat so close to the head of the table next to her, instead of next to his father, here the heirs normally sat.

There was small chatter around the table, so Anna wasn't worried about when she turned to Sirius and asked him a question, "Doesn't this seem a little strange to you? It seems as though only the family with the largest Slytherin counts are here."

Sirius took a quick look at the table before nodding. "They were saying earlier that 'he would be pleased with all the young faces'. Whatever that means." As he said that, something registered in Annalise's mind. He, who else could it be. The room was dark, many supporters of him were here. Her own parents supported his ways. Had she been taken to a Death Eater Meeting? Honestly, it wouldn't surprise her.

However, it did scare her. He might be here. That would explain the reason her grandfather wasn't in his normal seat. That the curtains were drawn and there was an unexplained chill in the room. Why some there looked terrified while others didn't.

"I would like you all to welcome, our guest of honor. The Dark Lord himself, Lord Voldemort." Her grandfather smiled as an older man entered the room. From the stories told, she expected him to look like a snake. With beady red eyes and no nose, however, this man looked to be rather good looking. There were a few things that struck question to his appearance but he looked like any normal wizard. If it wasn't for the dangerous smirk playing on his lips. He took the seat at the head and smiled at the group among him. His eyes lingering on the veela's of the group for a second longer.

Anna snatched Sirius's hand and held it tightly in her own. Seeking some sort of comfort from the terror in front of her. Sirius gripped her hand back and slowly started drawing circles over the top of it. Her skin was smooth like it had always been, but now it was slightly slicker, with sweat from fear. He also noticed that her fingernails were slightly chipped as if she had been picking at them for a few days. Her hand was trembling in actuality.

Voldemort then crossed his arms in front of himself, carefully sitting on the seat. "Welcome, to this little meeting. I thank Mr. De'Claire for allowing me, the wonderful pleasure of being in his family home. I would also like to converse during supper, so please, dig in. We shall talk after we have eaten." He spoke with a strangely soft, but commanding tone. Food was served then, and Anna was forced to relinquish Sirius's hand. She was still breathing deeply, seeing as she was sat only 2 seats down from the head of the table. She held a forced smile on her face, hoping it looked believable.

Sirius was confused on how she was able to smile like a princess on her wedding day with Voldemort right there. He carefully ate, ignoring most of the conversations until he heard Voldemorts voice once more, "These must be the twins. Austin and Annalise, correct?"

"Yes, My Lord," Austin nodded at him, "It is a pleasure to meet you. I know my dear sister feels the same way." Austin spoke carefully, taking a quick look at his mostly petrified sister.

"Yes, it truly is. To meet a family of Veela's. However, I am most curious about the 2 Gryffindors. Brave, aren't you. To betray your own house," Voldemort mused. "And to hear about the mateship between the two of you."

That explained why Sirius was sat next to her. Her whole family must have thought that they were mates. How foolish was she? "Gryffindor's aren't all brave, some can be loyal. Only to the right cause, of course." Anna spoke carefully, praying that all those times of playing in summer plays with Lily had paid off. Improv lessons and classes she took had helped her at home when trying to get out of things, but there was no telling how it would work on Voldemort. He gave a chuckle.

"You rightfully belong in Slytherin, my dear. To be so evil." He claimed, smiling at her. He did another once over, taking in her appearance. She was smaller, with pale skin and silvery white hair, common for veela/wizard breeds. Her eyes a shimmering blue. She was dressed in navy robes with her family's crest upon her chest. Her hair was pulled back into a braid of sorts. clips and such keeping her bangs away from her face. No doubt that many pureblooded families wanted her to marry into theirs.

"Slytherin isn't for the evil though. It is for those who are willing to do what it must to get what they want. After all, Merlin was a great wizard, who was known for being so good, and he was a Slytherin. It's all about how the mind perceives one such thing. As Gryffindor is known for having the courage to take leaps and face challenges, Slytherin is known for ambition, for doing what they please to obtain what they want. It's simple logic really." She silently thanked Lily for all of those lectures on how Severus wasn't a bad person and how he was sorted into Slytherin for his ambition.

"Yes, I suppose you are right, Annalise. Now please, tell me some about yours and your mates-" he paused for a moment, eyes flickering to Sirius, "relationship."