Lillian 'Anna' Potter || Goblet of Fire

Chapter Fourteen: Saying Goodbye

Mrs. Weasley was still at the dining table when Anna finally returned from her late run into the woods, the moon at its highest peak in the night sky.

“What are you doing awake, Mrs. Weasley?” She asked carefully, trying not to make her suspicious as Anna hung her sweater on her designated hook, discreetly fluffing up her cherry curls in an attempt to get most of the twigs out of the tangles.

But Mrs. Weasley simply patted the area of the table across from her, and Anna complied with her unspoken order, sliding into the rickety chair.

She sighed. “I know....I wasn’t at my best when you all returned from the World Cup, but when I finally returned to my senses to look for you, your brother told me you had gone for a walk.” She took a sharp breath. “Are you okay, Anna? I know you say you finally are, and you seem to be getting better, but it’s like...it’s like there’s still a part of you missing.” Her lower lip trembled as her hazel eyes met persian emerald.

Anna’s mind was recoiling in confusion. She had thought Mrs. Weasley was referring to the Quidditch World Cup - but Mrs. Weasley’s thoughts had definitely thrown her off.

She simply smiled, leaning back into her chair as she crossed her arms. “I’m okay, Mrs. Weasley. Really. I mean, I still miss them, but I’m not....I’m fine.” Anna amended her statement. Mrs. Weasley raised an eyebrow, but sighed, deciding that it was better to deal with that matter later and to return to the task at hand. “What about the thing with you and You-Know-Who?” She said in a hushed tone.

Anna stiffened, but she didn’t do anything else. “What about the thing with me and You-Know-Who?” She asked suspiciously. Mrs. Weasley frowned. “Don’t you think it’s time to tell your brother? This isn’t something you should keep secret, Anna. Sooner or later-”

“I’ll choose later.” She answered quickly. Mrs. Weasley’s brows furrowed - unsatisfied with Anna’s answer. “He’s your brother - and he has to be the one to kill you in order to make sure You-Know-Who is gone forever. We know that one day - whether it will be next week or in the next 50 years, You-Know-Who may come back. Harry’s going to need that time to think and prepare himself for the inevitable. What you are doing is unfair to him, and unfair to you-”

“Don’t.” Anna interrupted, her eyes downcast. Her hands were formed into tight fists - her body needing to do something to channel the red-hot anger flowing through her. “Everything I do, everything, I do it for the people I love and care for.” She looked back up at Mrs. Weasley. “Do you know how it feels to know that the most evil wizard in the world is connected to whether you live or die? How it feels to know that one day, I’m going to have to stand and let my brother murder me for the greater good? To know that whatever happens to me, he’s going to live with that guilt until the end of his days?” Her voice rose in volume with every word.

“No.” Mrs. Weasley said, but her voice was weak. She swallowed. “No.” She repeated firmly. “But I do know how it feels like to care for people more than my own life. I also know how it feels like to deal with hurt, and pain, and sorrow, and the consequences that happen when you allow it to overcome you. You need to tell other people. You cannot carry this burden alone.”

There was a long silence, and Anna stared down at her lap, her eyes welling up with tears as she’s realized what she’s done.

Not only has she made this wonderful woman lie to her own family, she’s made Mrs. Weasley worry and suffer for a girl who wasn’t even her own blood. A girl who was causing all of this strife just because she was too weak and cowardly to accept the truth herself. It was only then she realized what she had to do.

“Yes.” She whispered quietly, looking up as she slid her wand out from her jeans pocket. “It’s exactly what I have to do.” Mrs. Weasley only had the time to widen her eyes as Anna pointed her wand to her forehead. “Obliviate.”

Mrs. Weasley’s eyes fluttered shut as she slumped against the table, regaining her bearings only a few seconds later. But she would never be the same person she was a few seconds ago - that one person who Anna confided her everything to. The one who was Anna's mother when Andrea and Lily couldn't.

“An-Anna?” She asked in confusion as Anna nodded, giving her a tight smile as she left her seat to help Mrs. Weasley sit up.

“When I returned from my walk you had fallen asleep at the table.” She lied, trying not to tear up. Anna let out a small cough. “How about you head to bed, Mrs. Weasley? It’s been a long night.”

She simply nodded, letting out a loud yawn as she stood up. “I suppose you’re right. Goodnight, dear.” Mrs. Weasley called back to her sweetly before shuffling away to her bedroom.

A small tear fell from Anna’s eye as the kind-hearted woman walked away. “Goodbye, Mrs. Weasley.” She whispered faintly, but the only reply was the quiet ticking of the clock.

And all at once, once again, she was alone.