Six pairs of footsteps walked in the same pace past the crowd of people who were giving them looks of surprise and amazement.
" Woah, aren't those three Malfoys? "
" Yeah, and the three other kids must be purebloods too. Parkinson, Nott, and Glasswater. I heard from my children that those kids are always together in Hogwarts. "
" Hold on, Glasswater? As in the child of Glasswater that was just found? "
Lucius even urged them to walk faster, glaring at the whispering crowd and smiling smugly once they flinched under his stare.
Finally arriving at one of the train's entrances, the children bid the Malfoy couple goodbye.
" Don't forget to study well. Do not slack off. ", Lucius reminded them.
" Thank you for dropping us off, Mr. Malfoy! ", Anastasia thanked the older man before finally walking away with her friends.
" Ana, let's sit together! ", said Pansy, earning an agreement from Draco.
Anastasia's bright face suddenly dimmed for a bit. " Umm.. About that... "
Theodore gave the blue-eyed girl a glance before letting out a huff and walking away from the group. The three children watched him as he made his way further than them before entering a cabin.
" Ah... He left... ", Anastasia whispered.
Anastasia jolted in surprise when she felt two hands on both sides of her shoulders. She turned around and found that it was just Lee. Perhaps the Weasley twins have been attempting to surprise her multiple times already that she expected them to be the one who surprised her this time.
" Lee! ", Anastasia greeted as they both hugged each other.
" Hello Ana! What are you still standing here for? Let's go! ", Said Lee as he held her hand and began pulling her away from the stunned Slytherins.
" H-hey! Wait! "
Upon noticing their friend getting dragged off by the Quidditch Commentator, Pansy and Draco finally snapped out of their frozen state.
" Hey! What do you think you're doing?! ", Draco exclaimed.
Lee Jordan paused on their steps, causing the young girl to stop too. He then turned around and gave a mischievous smirk at the two. " Why I'm taking her with me of course. She'll be sitting with me. "
Draco looked even more enraged. " Who says you can?! She'll sit with us! "
" Ohhh? Is that so? ", Lee turned his attention to the girl beside him. " Who are you sitting with, Ana? "
Anastasia looked troubled. She was going to suggest all of them to sit together but with what's happening now, it won't be possible. But if she sat with Draco and Pansy, the other Slytherins and Gryffindors might get angered. Besides, Fred and George aren't here to keep him company.
" Sorry guys... ", She said as she turned to her Slytherin friends. " I'll be sitting with him. You two should go with Crabbe and Goyle, they must be waiting for you. "
" But- ", Draco was about to refute but then stopped when he saw the blue-eyed girl's pleading look. " Tch. Fine. We'll just see you in school. Let's go, Pansy. ", He said before walking off with an equally annoyed Pansy.
Anastasia let out a sigh of relief. She hopes they can understand what she's doing. After all, their peers might be the same as Theodore's. She doesn't want them to feel burdened by her. Finally, she looked back at her friend. " Let's go? "
He nodded and led her to their cabin where it felt strangely empty without the company of two people.
" So you finally decided to send those two away? Were they bothering you? ", Lee asked.
" I didn't send them away. ", said Anastasia. " It's better this way. Theo changed and started avoiding me after I got sorted into Gryffindor just so his friends in Slytherin won't talk bad about him. I fear that Draco and Pansy might get isolated from the rest of the Slytherins if they hang out with me too much. "
It's true. Even now, she has started to notice the way some Slytherins look at her whenever they spot her together with Draco and Pansy. It wasn't a good one.
He gave an understanding nod.
" I noticed that too actually. ", said Lee as he passed her a chocolate frog. " Every time I see you hanging out with them, their fellow Slytherins would glare behind your back. I didn't think you noticed it though. "
Anastasia merely smiled painfully at that.
I know. I've always noticed it.
" Well, it's good that you made the right decision. ", He said. " Anyway, sorry for surprising you back there. Fre- I mean- The twins told me to ' protect ' you while they're away.
Anastasia didn't know if she wanted to laugh. " Ehem. ", She fake coughed. " Enough of that. Let's talk about all the interesting things that happened in Hogwarts this holiday. "
And so, the peaceful atmosphere returned in the two Gryffindors' cabin. Lee talked about his holiday with his parents and the plans that the twins have done in Hogwarts.
" I do think Harry and Ron are up to something though. Maybe Hermione too. ", He said so suddenly.
Anastasia felt excited. That scenario is starting. As much as she wants to witness the scene with her own eyes, she'd rather not. She prefers staying alive than coming back with injuries or worse, dead.
" How so? ", She asked innocently.
" The twins have told me that they've seen Potter and Ron sneaking out of the dorms once. Especially Potter, he's been acting strange they say. "
Now Anastasia is definitely sure that the climax of this year is happening soon.
" Well, as long as they're safe. They should mature enough to know what's dangerous and what's not. ", Anastasia said, even though fully knowing it's a lie. Harry Potter would run into danger like the hero he is.
Lee hummed in agreement.
Finally, they've arrived at Hogwarts. All the students stepped off from the train and walked towards their boats. This time, Anastasia was able to urge Pansy and Draco to sit with them. It's already night time, some Slytherin students probably won't notice their little leader hanging out with a Gryffindor.
Lee only nodded at the two in greetings before going back to his conversation with Anastasia. Throughout the conversation, Anastasia made sure to talk to the two once in a while to not make them feel secluded. And it seems like it worked, seeing how they also began talking to Lee, though their conversations were rather short and cold.
After their short boat ride, the four climbed out of the boat ride, they made it to the Great Hall where the student who stayed behind are already on their tables, now only waiting for food to arrive.
Anastasia bid her Slytherin friends goodbye before they went to their respective houses. She and Lee walked towards the Weasley twins who stood waving their hands at them.
The twins playfully pushed Lee's shoulder lightly as they greeted him with Lee returning the gesture after. Just as Anastasia was about to sit down, she felt herself getting enveloped into an embrace.
George had wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulder while Fred had completely hugged her. Anastasia momentarily froze at the sudden action before returning the hug. " It's nice to see you guys again. ", she said as they broke off the hug.
" Nice to see you again too. ", said Fred with a bright smile Anastasia could feel her eye lids resisting to close.
" Heh, well someone missed you a lot. ", George said with a teasing voice before laughing out loud with Lee. Their laughs were loud enough to attract the attention of the people from other tables.
Anastasia looked at them in confusion, even more when she felt herself getting gently pushed down on her seat beside the twins by Fred who looked quite annoyed.
" Ignore them. ", said Fred.
Soon after, it was time for them to go to their common rooms. The four sat down on the couches and began talking about their upcoming lessons.
" Most of them are easy though, you just need to pay attention in order to follow. ", Lee adviced to the Anastasia.
" Thank you for telling me. I'll start advance reading tomorrow in order to be ahead for a bit. ", said Ana.
" What you need to worry about is Transfiguration. Merlin, Transfiguration is hard no matter what year you're in. ", Fred whined.
" Anastasia Glasswater. ", A voice called out, causing the four to look over at the Common Room's entrance.
It was Percy Weasley. " Professor Snape's looking for you. He's at the Potions Room. ", He said before leaving to get back to his duties.
The three looked over to the girl in confusion. " What could he possibly want? ", asked Fred.
" It's already night time too. ", said George.
" I'll be back. Don't wait for me if I ended up returning late. ", said Anastasia as she stood up and walked out of the common room.
Anastasia walked through the castle's dark hallways towards the dungeons, meeting two prefects on her way who questioned her on why she was up so late before leaving her alone.
Finally, she has arrived in Potions Room. She knocked on the door before letting herself in once she heard a quiet ' come in '.
" Professor? You called for me? ", Anastasia called out to the man who was busy looking through his drawers.
Snape signaled her to come closer in which she did. He brought out an empty document box before filling it with multiple documents then took out a quite a few letters. He placed them all inside a cased bag. He closed the bag before handing it to her along with a parchment and a pouch of galleons.
" I assume you already know your way around Hogsmeade? ", He asked.
" Yes. "
" Then I'll be needing you to go to three places. The first is the post office in Hogsmeade. Look at the addresses of the letters and put them on their male boxes. The second is Hogsmeade's Head Inn. Just wait in their lounge until a man surnamed Lestrange introduces himself, then give him the book. The last one is Borgin and Burke's at Knockturn Alley. Ask the keeper to take the suitcase, he'll understand it. I'm sure you've already been there with that Lexter Rosier a few times already. "
Anastasia nodded and remembered the instructions. He doesn't know why she's allowed to do errands outside Hogwarts but whatever. At least Snape seems to trust her enough to deliver these seemingly important stuffs.
Snape then handed her a badge. " Wear this. It's a protective badge. It should be able to keep you away from danger. And do not take a look at what's inside the box and the letters' contents. Understood? ", He asked sternly.
" Yes sir. ", Anastasia responded mischievously.
He sighed at the girl's respond before gesturing her to get going. " Now go. If anyone asks for a permission slip, show them the parchment. And be careful at flying, I can't let you use the floo yet. "
" Be careful... ", He whispered which went unheard by the girl.
And with that, Anastasia happily skipped outside of the dungeons. On her way out of the castle, she spotted a familiar brunette walking down the halls.
" Harry? Is that you? ", Anastasia called out to the brunette.
Harry looked up in shock before calming down upon noticing it was just her. " Hello Ana. "
" What are you doing out here so late? A prefect might spot you. "
" It was nothing... I just needed to go on a walk. ", said Harry. " What about you? Why are you out so late? "
" Oh, I'm doing errands! ", She said, tapping at the cased bag in her hands. " I'm on my way to retrieve my broomstick. "
" An errand? "
" Yeah! It was Professor Snape's request. "
Harry frowned at the mention of the name before looking at the cased bag in suspicion. " What's his errand for you? "
" He just told me to visit some places in Hogsmeade. "
Harry got even more suspicious. Not at the girl, but at the strange errand. " What places? "
Anastasia was getting confused at the boy's questions. " Um.. The Post Office, Hogsmeade's Head Inn, and... Yeah. That's all. ", She decided not to tell about Borgin and Burke's for now as it was quite a suspicious place.
" Well, I'll be going now, Harry. Good night! ", Anastasia didn't wait for the boy's reply and immediately dashed away.
After escaping Harry and acquiring her broomstick, Anastasia fled outside of Hogwarts, towards Hogsmeade. The cold wind touched her cheeks rather harshly. She was grateful that she was already wearing her coat while she talked with the twins and Lee.
Finally arriving at the entrance of Hogsmeade, Anastasia got off her broom and and held it before walking over to her first destination. The Post Office. After walking for a few minutes, she was able to find it.
The door's bell rang as she entered the building. The man who looked in his mid 20s at the registration desk stood up and walked towards the newcomer.
" Good evening, little miss. Would like some assistance? ", he asked. The name badge on his uniform wrote ' Athanasius '.
" Good evening, Sir Athanasius. ", She said as she read the badge. " Um. Can you lead me to the mail boxes? I have a few letters with me. "
" Follow me, miss. " Athanasius lead Anastasia further inside the Post Office. There were huge shelves of drawers lined up with surnames carved in each box.
" The surnames are in alphabetical order. If you need something, I'll be at the registration desk. You can pay once you're done. ", Athanasius said before heading back to his desk.
Anastasia brought out the letters and was thankful that Snape has already arranged them in alphabetical order. The first one was Avery. So she headed to the drawers with a letter a and searched for the surname. After a minute, she found it and placed the letter inside.
The next one was Carrow. She pent around two to three minutes trying to find it. Then next was surprisingly Malfoy. Maybe they kept in touch to check up on Draco. Finally, the next one is Pettigrew. She took some time before finding it.
After placing all the letters in their boxes, she walked over to the registration desk and payed.
" Come again. ", said Athanasius.
Anastasia merely smiled at him before thanking him.
Her next location is Hogsmeade's Head Inn. It was located one or two streets off of the High Street. Once entering the building, she followed Snape's instructions and waited patiently at the lounge. A few minutes later, an elderly man approached her. He was obviously old, yet he still carried an aura that can only be described as pureblood.
The man momentarily froze upon seeing her face before sitting beside her. " Greetings, young lady. I'm an elder of the Lestrange family. I assume you're the one that Snape sent? ", He asked with a raspy voice.
" Greetings, sir Lestrange. And yes, Professor Snape sent me. He told me to give you this. ", Anastasia said as she brought out a book from the cased bag.
" Thank you, Ana. I hope you'll have a great year ahead of you. ", Sir. Lestrange said, voice quite strained. He had a strange expression on his face as he walked away. If you looked closely, his eyes were quite teary.
Only after Anastasia has exited the Inn did she realize something.
How did the man knew her name? Did Snape tell him? Then why did he say it so familiarly?
Anastasia shook her head and decided to just go in her last destination. She was very careful as she walked in the dark alleys of Knockturn Alley. It was much more scarier at night than when Lexter and her visited this place at mornings.
At the corner of her eyes, she could see some people attempting to get closer to her before stopping abruptly and walking away.
" She has that badge... ", She could hear one of them whisper.
Finally, a dusty and rusty shop greeted her. She entered the building and was greeted by an elderly man quietly observing one of the shelves. Upon noticing, her the man turned a round with a dangerous look on his face before turning into a surprised one upon noticing her badge.
Right, every people she passed by earlier were giving her strange looks whenever they noticed her badge. Some she recognized as fear, surprise, and suspicion. What's with the badge anyway? The man knew her from of her visits with Lexter, but he always greeted her with an either annoyed or cold look.
" Greetings, Miss Glasswater. What can I do for you? ", the man asked quite nervously.
" I was asked to give this to you. ", Anastasia said as she brought out the box from her cased bag.
The man's eyes widened in surprise before taking the box. " I- I see. Thank you for lending me your time. "
Anastasia bowed at him respectfully before leaving the building and climbing on her broomstick. She wanted to buy some sweets to bring back but she didn't have any currency with her, only the pouch of galleons that Snape gave her. She didn't want to spend that.
She then made her way back to Hogwarts. The first place she visited was the potions room where Snape was still busily looking over multiple documents.
" Professor, I've done what you said. ", Anastasia said as she handed him the cases bag and the pouch of galleons.
" Good. ", Said Snape as he took back the cases bag, yet stared at the pouch, still filled with galleons. " I thought you've ready spent them. Why is it that it's barely spent? "
Anastasia looked at him in confusion. '' Huh? But it's your money isn't it? "
Snape sighed at the girl's words. " I forgot.. ", He muttered. " Keep it then. The next time I send you on an errand, you can spend the remaining money that I give you. Now go back to your dorms. "
Anastasia nodded at him. Though she was quite confused as to why he'll be sending her into more errand. Well, at least she can get out of Hogwarts.
Upon returning to the common room, she was about to enter to her dorm room when she found the twins sitting on the couches, barely holding themselves awake.
Anastasia didn't know how to react.
She walked over to them from behind the couch and aggressively pushed their shoulders, earning a surprised yell from the two.
Anastasia chuckled at their state before speaking. " What are you two still doing here? "
George groaned. " Ugh. Fred here doesn't want to go to sleep until you've come back, saying something about how Snape must've made you do something dangerous. He insists on waiting so I waited with him. Lee has already gone to sleep. "
Fred rubbed his eyes to see clearly, letting out a sigh of relief once he saw the girl unharmed. " What took you so long? It's been an hour and a half. ", he muttered.
Anastasia was quite surprised. She took that long?
" Professor Snape sent me out of Hogwarts for an errand in Hogsmeade. ", Anastasia explained simply.
" Errand? ", Asked Fred.
" Outside of Hogwarts? ", Asked George.
" At night? "
" At Hogsmeade? "
Anastasia tiredly nodded at their questions. " Let's go to sleep now... We still have classes... And I'm getting quite sleepy. "
The twins were about to refute, wanting to ask more. But seeing her sleepy expression, they decided to hold back. Especially about the badge.
" Good night then. ", Said George.
" Goodnight, Ana. See you tomorrow. ", Said Fred.
And with that, the three departed and went to their respective dorm rooms. The badge on Anastasia's nightdress, unnoticed.