e d i t e d
Anna and Harry were sat in the common room that evening. It was almost midnight, but Anna couldn't stop crying. Her heart was broken and her normalcy was destroyed.
All because of one simple letter. A hurtful one, at that.
The girl had no clue what to do next. Did Hogwarts have summer stay options? Maybe she could sneak in with the Dursley's...that cupboard had enough room for two, right?
Many thoughts swirled through her head as Harry held her. He was at a loss for words too. He felt bad after complaining about the Dursley's all of these years. Were they awful? Yes, but he knew they would never go as far to kick him out...at least at 11 years old.
"I'm so sorry, Anna, I can't believe they would do this to you," said Harry softly, causing her to cry even more.
She shook her head. "This is so awful. I'm never going to see them again. Why do they hate me so much? I didn't do anything wrong, I can't help that I'm different!"
Leah, who sat on the table near the fire, scampered up to Anna. She nudged her cheek, wiping the tears away. Anna gave a soft laugh, hugging the cat and Harry as she said, "At least I have you guys."
"Of course, you'll always have us," said Harry and Leah purred in agreement. "Well, you may have more family too, right? Didn't you say that Mafloy is your cousin?"
"I don't want to live with him-"
"No, I mean maybe you don't know...you could have cousins? Or extended family?"
Anna's eyes widened for a second. "Actually, Hagrid said my dad was still alive."
"W-what?" Harry asked, shocked. He felt a small pang of jealousy but immediately pushed it aside.
She shook her head, "I don't know anything else though. He may be wrong. All I know is that Hagrid said he didn't die. But if he hasn't done anything all of these years he's either dead by now or doesn't love me."
Harry was at a loss for words. All he could say was, "I know this is hard, but at least you have a few months to figure it out, right? You should just try to enjoy your time here. I'm sure someone will help out. Maybe you could talk to Hagrid or even Dumbledore."
"Thank you," said Anna, hugging him tighter.
They all stayed silent for a few minutes, just enjoying the company. Anna was so grateful for Harry and even Leah. She made a mental note to thoroughly thank Hagrid for her new feline companion.
She felt as if that Siamese kitten understood her perfectly. Even though it had only been a few days, she loved that cat almost as much as Harry. She had never had a pet since her uncle was so against animals. He claimed to have allergies, but she had a feeling it was something deeper than that.
He especially hated cats.
She smiled, enjoying the indirect defiance of having something her uncle hated. Not only that, but he probably wouldn't have let her bring the cat home anyway.
"Hey, why are you guys still up? It's almost the bloody morning!" hissed a voice behind them. They turned to see Ron Weasley, hair messy and plaid pajamas nearly too small.
"I could ask the same for you," muttered Anna, her usual sass coming back.
"I woke up because I was hungry. Then I saw Harry hadn't gone to bed yet. Now what's going on?"
Harry spoke up against Anna's silent pleas. "Anna's family wrote her a letter saying that she's never allowed to go back."
"You got kicked out?! Bloody hell! What did you do to get in that much trouble?!" exclaimed Ron.
"You don't have to be so harsh about it," muttered Anna with a sniffle. "I didn't 'do' anything. They just hate that I'm magical. They said I'm 'less human' than them. Now I don't have anywhere to live."
"Oh Merlin, that's rough," said Ron awkwardly, standing behind them. He looked as if he was thinking harder than ever before. Then, he gasped. "Bloody hell, I should've thought of this earlier!"
"What?"
"You can live with me and my family," he suggested.
Anna shook her head immediately. "No, I couldn't do that. You guys already have a big family and I don't want to be a burden-"
Ron laughed. "No, my mum would be fine with it. She's always wanted a daughter anyway. We'll make space, we could just make a sixth floor! Or we could even share a room I bet."
"So it's like a sleepover everyday?" joked Anna. "Also you have five floors already? Do you live in a mansion or something?"
"Oh, definitely not, I've never seen a mansion before," said Ron, his cheeks dusting red as he remembered how humble his family had to be. "Anyway, do you wanna live with me?"
"Of course! Thank you, Ron, you're honestly the best!" squealed the girl, getting up and giving him a huge hug. The boy's face became even redder, but he said nothing as he hugged her back.
Harry looked at them, feeling a bit dejected. Of course he was happy for his best friend to have found a way out of homelessness, and even better, he was beginning to realize how genuine Ron was. Still, he wished he could have an escape from the Dursley's. Sometimes he would hope they would kick him out just so he didn't have to deal with them.
As if she could read his thoughts, Leah hopped up next to him, nudging his hand and rumbling with purrs, as if she was letting him know that he was understood and allowed to feel this way.
His eyes caught onto the clock, noticing it was almost one in the morning. "Hey guys, I'm gonna go to bed. I'm happy you got this figured out."
Anna gave a slight frown upon seeing the smile not quite reach his eyes. She gave him a hug, saying, "Thanks so much for always being there for me, I don't know what I'd do without you."
When they let go, Harry just gave a small smile and wave before heading up to the boys' dorm.
Anna and Ron talked about more about what to expect living at the Burrow. Then they followed suit, heading to bed for the night. They both fell easily into a peaceful sleep, excited for what was to come.
~=~
The next morning, although she didn't get much sleep, Anna was as happy and refreshed as she could be. Hermione lightly shook her awake, remembering the girl's attitude the previous night.
She groaned from exhaustion, but quickly smiled. "Goodmorning, Hermione!"
"Oh, um, hi. Are you feeling any better? What even happened?" asked the bushy-haired girl.
"I'll tell you over breakfast. Well, let's get going, we don't want to be late!"
The two girls got ready and met up with the boys in the Great Hall. Ron immediately flashed Anna a smile upon seeing her. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, I feel great!" said Anna cheerfully, piling food onto her plate.
"Well, what happened? You said you'd tell me!"
Anna quickly swallowed her mouthful of food and took a deep breath, recounting the previous night's events. "Okay, so last night I got a letter from my uncle. He basically said that I was weird and not even human. So, he said to never go back home and to figure out somewhere else to live."
"It was awful, really," said Harry quietly.
"Yeah, it was," said Ron with a smirk, "until I offered for her to live with me."
"And then I felt better. Ron's such a great friend, I honestly can't wait for the summer!"
Something flickered in Hermione's eyes as she looked at the two of them. She just gave a scoff, "Oh, honestly Anna, you're happy yet you're forgetting that you just got disowned from your family. It makes no sense."
The girl frowned slightly, unable to hold back the feeling of loss. "Well...it's bad, I understand that. But if they don't want me around then I don't want to be around them. Ron and his family actually seem welcoming and Ron wants me there. Family isn't your blood, it's your friends too. It's who you choose."
Before Hermione could think of a smart remark, owls started swooping in the Great hall. Two big ones dropped massive packages on the table in front of Harry and Anna...it was obvious what they were.
"We'll be back," said Harry discreetly, giving a look to Anna upon reading the letter attached to the packages.
These are for your Quidditch practice tonight...do not open them in the Great Hall
They got up and left quickly, but they weren't the only ones. Draco Malfoy made a beeline for the door as well.
He approached the duo and gave a smirk. "Well, would you look here...you two are breaking the rules two days in a row? I bet all of my father's money that you two will be sent home on the Hogwarts Express tonight."
"Oh, and why's that?" asked Harry, feigning ignorance.
"Well, Potter, you're troublemakers. I'll try to save you, Anna, but I can't promise anything. Potter, you deserve the worst. The wrong sort will land you in a load of trouble here."
"Actually, Draco, I'm happy you're talking to us," said Anna with a smile. "I actually wanted to thank you for what happened yesterday. But we have to go, so if you'll excuse us..."
The Slytherin gave them a puzzled look as they skipped away, anger boiling in his gut. He saw Professor McGonagall walking down the corridor and he ran after her. "Professor!"
The stern woman turned to face him. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"
"I have a complaint," stated the boy. "Potter and Black flew illegally yesterday and now they have brooms! Potter especially should be sent home immediately!"
McGonagall gave a chuckle. "Oh, Mr. Malfoy...I also am aware of your actions yesterday. That reminds me...you have landed yourself a detention with me tonight."
"W-what? But they-"
"Enough," she cut him off, "I have granted them special permission, they are allowed broomsticks. You, on the other hand, caused trouble and are tormenting them. Fvie points from Slytherin."
The boy shook her head angrily. "Wait until my father hears about this!"
"I'll be eagerly awaiting his owl. Now, I suggest you get to class."~
~In which some old sections with inline comments are perserved~
"No problem, that's what friends are for," he said. I let go of him and went to bed. Right when my head touched the pillow, I was out like a light.
^omg we all need a Ron in our lives
"Well, that's good," Harry said. Then, owls started swooping in. Two owls came over to me and Harry, and dropped two large packages. I took mine and untied the little slip of parchment. It read,
^love how Harry doesn't even question her, 'welp, that's cool, aNyWaY'
"These are for your quidditch. Don't open them in the great hall."
^'for your quidditch', what does that even mean. who let me write on this site?
"Actually thank you Draco," I said sweetly and he just looked at me confused. Harry and I went to the common room, and we could hear McGonagall telling Draco how we were allowed broomsticks and we just snickered. When we got there. We quickly unwrapped the broomsticks. They were beautiful, just like the ones we saw in Diagon Alley. On the handle, they said Nimbus 2000.
^haha, I love how people in the comments didn't even know what position she was. my old chapters don't even give any information. it's like i thought less words/depth was the way to go...'so this happened, then this happened, now the chapter's over'
Great chapter, I know. Note the sarcasm in my voice. I'm sorry it wasn't that great, but I had to update. I know I say this every chapter, but please comment! I want to hear your ideas and thoughts on this story! There are over 400 reads (yay!) but I don't see even 10 comments on each chapter. Just even comment something like, I love this story! Or, I hate this story, or even LOL! I'm sorry I'm being pushy, but I love you all so much and that's why I want to know what your opinions are. Just keep reading and keep being amazing!
I love you more than Harry Freaking Potter loves his guitar!
^rip to all of these people who didn't get the hippogriffs I promised last chapter. i was such a fetus...yet i still crave comments/feedback. I really care about what you think! also cute AVPM reference, excuse me while I go back and watch the AVPM series