The alarm rang, it was time for class. Anne slowly climbed out of bed, still groggy, and dressed herself at a leisurely pace. Only after she was fully dressed did she realize it was Sunday. Last night's long chat with Fanny had made her forget to turn off the alarm.
That conversation had ended with a single line from Fanny:
"Well, it's up to you. It's between the two of you anyway. But Anne, I just hope you won't do something you'll regret."
Anne's only response had been a nod and a quiet "mm," before she hung up.
Still, that conversation had helped clarify her thoughts. At least now she knew what direction she needed to go. All that was left was to find the right moment to say what needed to be said. Fanny had a point, whatever she did, she needed to do it in a way she wouldn't regret later.
But first things first, breakfast.
When Anne went downstairs, Aaron was already at the table, flipping through the Daily Prophet while having breakfast. He'd gotten home late last night, Anne had already been asleep by then.
Seeing Anne up this early on a Sunday was unusual. Aaron immediately stood up from his chair, concerned.
"Good morning, Anne. Is everything alright? Why are you up so early today?"
"Uh… good morning, Aaron," Anne said from the stairs, hesitating. She wasn't sure if she should tell him what was on her mind.
At that moment, Or came out of the kitchen holding a spoon.
"Miss Reeve is awake? I'll start on breakfast right away. What would Miss Reeve like to eat? Oh, Young Master Aaron, I forgot to mention last night. Miss Reeve didn't look too happy when she came back. I don't know why, though…"
"Anne?" Aaron looked at her.
"I wasn't upset… just a bit troubled," she explained, descending the last few steps and heading toward the table. She gave Or a quick answer about what she wanted for breakfast.
She pulled out a chair and sat down, hesitating again before speaking.
"Uh… I…" Anne fiddled with a fork in her hand. "I…"
Aaron straightened up, signaling that he was listening intently.
"Aaron, have you ever liked someone?" she finally asked.
His eyes twitched with amusement as he turned slightly toward her.
"So that's what's troubling you… Love problems, huh? Well, I suppose you're at that age now."
Anne twirled the fork silently, her ears burning red.
Aaron didn't tease her further, instead diving into the story seriously.
"I have liked someone before. In fact, your Uncle Aaron was quite the popular guy back at school…"
"You're not even pretending to be modest…" Anne muttered.
"Haha," Aaron chuckled. "I'm not making this up. I was a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and later became both a prefect and team captain. We didn't have Yule Balls back then, but I did get quite a few Valentine's Day letters. Your dad wrote his first love letter to your mom with my help, you know. Hard to believe a stiff guy like him ended up with someone like your mother."
"I met your dad during a Quidditch match. He was a worthy opponent. We even had a lot of classes together, and once teamed up to knock someone out, another story for another time."
He smiled. "As for the person I liked, she was a Hufflepuff."
"Hufflepuff?" Anne looked surprised. She had imagined other houses, but Hufflepuff hadn't crossed her mind.
"What kind of girl was she?"
Aaron's smile turned nostalgic.
"She was short, with golden hair and blue eyes. Honestly, I hadn't noticed her at all before third year. But one day in Care of Magical Creatures, the professor asked a tough question, something just meant to stump us. I'd only seen the answer in one book, and back then, I didn't like reading much outside of creature guides. But she answered it perfectly. That moment stuck with me.
"Then I started noticing her more and more. She liked staying after class to help take care of the animals. She'd often sit alone by the lake, talking to the merfolk. She always chose the sunniest window seat in the library. And she never missed a Quidditch match."
Anne listened intently, ignoring the food Or had just brought.
"As time passed, I found myself watching her more and more. After our first year, I finally spoke to her. We'd sometimes meet in the library and talk about magical creatures from around the world. At the lake, she'd tell me what the mermaids were saying, I even started learning Mermish because of her. But she was shy, introverted."
"Because of her personality, I didn't want to rush things," Aaron said. "I thought I'd wait until after our OWLs at the end of fifth year to confess. That exam is a big deal, Anne. You'll understand when you get there. All the teachers pile on the pressure. I didn't want to distract her with my feelings during that time."
He gave a small, bitter laugh.
"In hindsight, I should've done it sooner. Halfway through the summer after fifth year, she sent me a letter. It was a goodbye. She wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts, her family was moving to America. She said it was wonderful having a friend like me, but she knew she'd cry if she said goodbye in person, so she didn't tell me when she was leaving.
"When I tried to write back, her family had already moved. I tried everything to get a letter to her, but the American Ministry wasn't as organized as ours back then. Records were sketchy."
"So Anne, if you like someone… don't miss your chance," Aaron said with a sigh. "Otherwise, you'll regret it, and your best friend will laugh at you forever."
"…My dad was that cruel?" Anne asked.
"Don't remind me. He said he was comforting me, but come on, who says that to someone who just got their heart broken?" Aaron said. "Then again, I gave him a hard time when he was dating, too. Fair's fair."
"…You two are unbelievable," Anne muttered through a mouthful of whole-wheat toast.
"Looking back, those were good days," Aaron smiled. "So Anne, what's really bothering you?"
Anne swallowed a large bite of toast.
"Actually… what you just told me already answered my question. I think I know what to do now. Anyway, it's getting late. Shouldn't you be heading to work?"
Aaron glanced at his watch, she was right. He stood up, but not before adding,
"If anything else is troubling you, talk to Diana, alright?"
"Don't worry, I will," Anne nodded.
After breakfast, she brought the Daily Prophet back to her room. The front page featured a large photo of Harry during the Triwizard Tournament, with the headline:
"The Real Reason Behind Harry Potter's Lies: A Hunger for Fame?"
She flipped through the pages, mostly fluff and nonsense. Aside from a few scattered lines about the Dark Lord, there was hardly a mention of Voldemort at all.
Fudge was clearly doing his best with public relations. With articles like these, it was likely that most students' parents wouldn't believe Harry or Dumbledore.
Anne set the paper aside and stood at her window, staring at the trees in the yard before sitting down with a potions notebook.
She knew Voldemort was back. Now was the time to sharpen her skills, to make sure she could protect herself, and to find the right moment to warn Aaron and Diana.
She already knew Diana's stance.
Diana was a staunch supporter of the Ministry and fiercely loyal to the Roland family's interests. She didn't quite believe Voldemort had returned.
"Unless I see hard evidence, I can't believe it. As much as I respect Dumbledore, I trust facts more. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm unprepared, our core assets and safehouses are ready to move at any moment."
That's what she had told Anne once.
As for Aaron, Anne still couldn't pin him down. He never directly addressed the topic, always dodged it when she brought it up.
Still, there was time. Anne believed she had enough of it to prepare, to ensure she could protect herself.
She wasn't worried about Diana. As far as she knew, Ministry high-ups weren't being targeted directly. Voldemort would eventually take control of the Ministry, but not by wiping it clean, he needed people to run the place.
Aaron, too, unless he joined Dumbledore's faction, he probably wouldn't be affected.
Fanny didn't need any worry either. Her family had always remained neutral through every shift in power. They held influence in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds. Unless Voldemort lost his mind, he wouldn't target them.
Anne thought about everyone she cared for, and they all seemed safe enough. Except maybe herself. She was at risk, but with caution and quick thinking, she could stay alive. After all, the Golden Trio would defeat Voldemort in their seventh year.
As for Hermione… Anne's mind stalled.
Hermione should be fine, right? She's one of the main characters, top of the class, a future champion for house-elf rights, and would rise to the top of the Ministry.
Yes. That's how it should go. As for someone like me, just a minor character, I should avoid getting involved in the chaos at the end.
It was a good thought. But Anne's heartbeat betrayed her, and more and more memories of Hermione came flooding back.
On a blank sheet of paper, Anne carefully wrote out the name, stroke by stroke. She reminded herself, adventure always comes with a cost.
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