Hello again! This is more of a filler chapter, we'll start to see more Ana and Slytherin development in the near future :)

Enjoy

Letter/Thoughts/Memories

Thoughts in memories

Please refer to previous chapters for disclaimer.

Chapter 24 – Happy Ending?

Longbottom,

Before term broke for the Christmas holidays you mentioned knowing something about me. You seemed odd when you said this, scared even. I don't want whatever you think you know to cloud your judgment about me. I want us to meet; maybe in the Leaky Cauldron? I know that I'm a Slytherin and that I hang out with Black and her lot, but believe me when I say that isn't my choice. I'm as fond of Slytherins as you are. Just please, give me a chance. I'm sure once we've talked, everything will be cleared up. You don't need to respond, just meet me at the Leaky Cauldron at 10am on the 23rd December.

Anastasia Harrow

Re-reading the short letter, Ana pursed her lips as her eyes glided over the words. I can't believe I haven't sorted this out yet Ana scolded in her mind, before rolling the scroll up and sending it off with a non-descript brown barn owl. I just hope he turns up she thought, as she watched the owl fade into the distance. Glancing down, Ana smoothed her plain grey top down nervously, the front of it tucked into the top of her jeans haphazardly. Making her way slowly down the dimly lit hallway, she paused to look at a seemingly normal painting; a painting easily overlooked yet those in her family knew that it depicted an ancient battle that had shaped her family's future ever since. Hidden in that painting was the day, that one of Ana's ancestors was granted the ability to see the future; an ability that she had revered and cursed until her death. The ability was passed down from generation to generation, sometimes revealed to the whole wizarding world, other times hidden for fear of persecution. Tracing the edges of the painting frame, she moved on, finally stopping at an open window to breathe in the fresh air.

"You ok?" a soft voice suddenly asked from behind her. Sighing harshly, her breath fogging up the windowpane; Ana leant further out of the open window, gazing at the land that surrounded her family castle.

"I'm fine Leonardo" she answered with little interest, her blonde hair blowing gently in the wind. The air was frigid and icy, but at that moment she didn't feel a thing.

"Who were you writing too?" he prodded, moving closer so he could gently brush her hair over her shoulder.

"Were you watching me?" she snapped, jerking sharply away from his touch. Not waiting for a reply she stormed down the hallway. Passing the old and priceless tapestries that fell from floor to ceiling of her ancestral home, Ana didn't stop until Leo grabbed her arm, forcing her to face him.

"I ju-" he started.

"Don't! Just stop" she hissed, ripping her arm from his grasp.

"Stop what?" he said, irritation leaking into his voice as he swiped his dark blonde hair out of his face.

"Stop questioning me" she said forcefully, stepping closer with every word until she was staring him hard in the eye. "Stop asking if I'm ok. Stop acting like I'm made of glass, I'm not! I've been through more than you can ever imagine and despite being my so called 'best friend' you don't know the half of it."

"I'm just worried, you haven't been yourself since you got back from Hogwarts" he said softly, trying to wrap his arms around her.

"You don't think I'm not worried?" she shouted, batting his arms away fiercely. "You don't think I'm not worried that he'll find me; that the plan won't work; that he might be too powerful for even me to bring down." Crumpling to the floor, Ana hugged herself as she let the despair and pressure she had been feeling for months take over her.

"Sshhh" Leo whispered soothing in her ear, having tucked her against his chest as soon as her knees hit the floor.

"I'm scared Leo" she mumbled into his shirt collar. "I keep seeing him; in my dreams. What if there's no escaping him? I see everyone; Mai, Cass, Tom, Eva, even you, looking at me with so much doubt. I've dragged you all into this and if I lose you go down too. I've asked too much from all of you. You guys don't trust me to bring him down and why would you? I'm just his broken puppet."

"Hey" he said seriously, tilting her chin up until they were staring into each other's eyes. "You're no puppet and you're not broken. We don't look at you with doubt, we look at you with concern because believe it or not, we care for you and we can see how this is wearing you down. You've put all this pressure on yourself to bring Grindelwald down, but it's not just your responsibility. You're a victim of his madness just like anyone else who's been affected by this war."

"But not all his victim then go out and torture other people" she muttered tiredly, rubbing her wet eyes.

"On his orders" Leo countered.

"Not always" she snapped quietly. "Stop trying to make me out to be some sort of hero. I tried to say to myself that I wasn't like him; that I would never hurt this person or murder that person. I would convince myself that when I finally got rid of him, I would be the hero; finally I would be the good guy, like the ones in the stories that always got their happy endings. But it's not true, none of it. I'm just as much as a monster as he is. There's no happy ending for me. I'm the villain in this story Leo."

"Really?" Leo said incredulously, "First of all in this story you're not the villain. Think of yourself as more of an anti-hero type character; gorgeous and powerful with a hint of danger." Electing a tired chuckle from her, he continued "Secondly, you're being silly. You're not a monster; some dark ogre coming to kill everyone. You're never going to be angel, but that's the way we like you. So no more pity party" he finished, hoisting them up off the floor. "I won't hear this nonsense anymore; we're going to do this. We will be the catalyst to Grindelwald's doom, ok?"

Nodding her head gently, Ana suddenly grabbed him and squeezed him tightly. Smiling softly and closing his eyes, he rested his head on top of hers remembering the first time he met her.

"Hello?" he called, ignoring the way his voice shook nervously. His Mother had told him not to ever go near the dungeons when they were staying at the Dark Lord's manor, but the young boy could only follow the rules for so long. He had always been good at finding out other people's secrets and longed to know why he was banned from going down there. It wasn't like his Mother had shielded him from the torturous acts she conducted on a daily basis; he was only 12 but he had seen his fair share of gruesome scenes. Creeping slowly down the wet stone steps he paused, shocked at the sheer number of cells hidden under the Dark Lord's home. The stairs descended into a large, cavernous room, which had corridors of cells leading away from it, like some kind of secret labyrinth. This is huge! The dungeons must go on for ages, probably under the entire manor he thought in amazement, moving further into the large central room. Obviously, this is where they have their group 'fun' he thought frowning as he looked around, unsure as to how he should feel about that fact. His Mother undoubtedly participated in these horrific acts, but she treated him well enough and she damn near worshiped the ground the Dark Lord walked on. Pushing those troublesome thoughts away as he always did, he crept as quietly as he could, eager to explore more of this secret labyrinth before his Mother realised he was missing. His hand covering his nose to try to block out the stale stench of blood and faeces, he almost missed the soft whimper that came from his right. Heart clenching in his chest, he spun slowly in the direction of where he thought the sound came from. Squinting his light brown eyes, trying and failing to see where the sound came from, he tiptoed forward a little.

"Is someone there?" he whispered, readying to bolt up the stairs at the first sign of danger. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea he thought worriedly. Flinching when the whimpering became louder at the sound of his voice, he could finally make out a small shape huddled in the corner of the room where the shadows ruled. Moving closer still, his curiosity overcoming his cautious side, he crouched near the shape, finally able to make out the small girl curled up in the corner. Shaken by the cuts and bruises that covered her petite body, he forced the sick that had risen to his throat down. She's got to be younger than me he thought, his stomach clenching painfully.

"Do you need help? Can you understand me?" he asked, mentally slapping himself at his stupid questions, of course she needed help.

"Don't touch me," she rasped curling further into herself "Leave me."

"I-I'll go get someone" he stuttered, backing away from her "I'll get Mother! She'll know what do. She'll get you out, you shouldn't be down here. She's super close to the Dark Lord you see, so-"

"No!" the girl shouted, her body jerking towards him; the effort nearly causing her to pass out. "Please don't. Who do you think did this to me?"

"B-but…" he faltered, uncertain about the whole situation. "My Mother, she can-"

"Your Mother is one of the worst, she's sick in the head" the girl snapped, her breath catching, causing her to clutch her chest and cough up blood.

"I don't believe you! My Mother's no saint, but she never hurts children" he insisted, averting his eyes from the small wheezing form "Besides you don't even know who my Mother is"

"You know nothing about your own family, about your Mother!" the girl muttered angrily, her eyes scrunched together. "And your Mother is Adanna Silva, right hand witch to the Dark Lord."

"H-how?"

"It's not like it was hard, you're a spitting image of her," she said sighing tiredly, her body sagging with an invisible weight that should never be carried by those as young as her.

"What should I do then?" he begged quietly, his mind swimming with thoughts of his Mother.

"Nothing" the girl whispered, "Just leave me alone." Ignoring the girl's wants, he sat down leaning against the wall next to her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, a spasm of pain crossing her face when she moved to look at him.

"If I can't get you out, I'll stay with you for a while," he said confidently, nodding to himself. The girl just turned her back to him, content to ignore him until he got bored.

"What's your name? I'm Leonardo" he asked, intrigued by her. She didn't seem that scared considering she was trapped in the Dark Lord's dungeon.

"Thalia. My name is Thalia" he heard her muttered softly.

Standing in the doorway, Ana observed the people she trusted most in the world. Tom, Leo and Mai were pouring over a blown up map of Europe that was pinned to the far wall whilst Cass and Eva were surrounded by different books and parchment, with titles such as The Intricacies of the British Ministry and Dark Rituals. The room they were held up in was aptly dubbed the War Room. From this room, they planned their next strategic move against the War they had personally raged on Grindelwald, not that he knew he was under attack. But he would she thought darkly, soon. The room was quite small, just one of the many hidden and underused rooms that were dotted around the Castle. The stone walls were covered by dark tapestries, except for the wall that was dominated by the map of Europe. In the centre of the room was a large dark acacia wood table, which they conducted meetings and discussions over. In between the tapestries were bookcases that were stuffed with scrolls, rare books and occasionally artefacts. She smiled softly when she spotted Kaia stretched lazily beneath the wooden table taking a quick catnap; her golden strips shifting hypnotically with every breath she took.

Clearing her throat loudly, everyone abruptly stopped their conversations and focused on her. Stepping further into the room, she leaned her hands on the back of her chair that rested at the head of the table.

"I think I have some apologies to make" she began, rubbing her eyes wearily. "No, let me" she insisted, cutting off Eva before she had time to speak. "I know I've been a bit erm…different since I've come back from Hogwarts, hell since I decided to go after Grindelwald. I haven't been the witch you pledged yourselves to and for that I am sorry. When I asked if you wanted to be involved in this War, you all agreed despite the danger that you'd all be placed in and I failed you." Pausing, she sighed heavily, glancing in the eyes of everyone in the room. "The stress and hatred I felt changed me and I became more than a leader, I became a tyrant, someone that you all sought to escape from at one point in your lives and for that I am again, so sorry. You are my friends, my closest friends and I have doubted each and every one of you. I have questioned your motives, your loyalty, your usefulness and I'm sick to my stomach at what I've done. I understand if any of you guys want to get out. No hard feelings, I promise" she said smiling weakly. "I'm going to carry on with the mission regardless, but I don't want any of you to feel like you have to carry on with me. I don't really care what happens to me at the end just as long as I take him down with me."

The five friends glanced around, silently communicating with each other. For the first time Ana couldn't read their expressions and her heart clenched painfully at the thought of them leaving. I couldn't blame them she thought to herself, wincing internally I basically turned them into followers.

"I know, I've already told her this" Leo suddenly said out loud, causing Ana to jump slightly. Biting her lip she looked at them, a hint of desperation leaking into her green eyes.

"We're not leaving you" Cass stated firmly.

"Yeah, you went a bit Dark Lady on us" Tom said carrying on from his sister, "But it didn't really bother us. We all have our roles and as you become more powerful so do we."

"We are all connected. You are our leader and we accepted that a long time ago. As we support you, you support us and as one, we are more powerful than we could ever be alone" Eva continued.

"What you need from us we will deliver" Mai said. "And when we need you, you don't hesitate, there's no weighing of options, no strategic decisions that need to made."

"You see us as people, not pawns" Leo finished.

"B-but I don't want that" she stuttered in shock, "You are my friends not followers."

"We're both. When you need a follower you will have one and when you need a friend, one shall appear" Mai replied, her amber eyes lighting up as she smiled.

"We'll be looking out for you because you won't be looking out for yourself" Tom said, his grey eyes piercing her green eyes deeply.

"What do you mean, not looking out for myself?" she questioned.

"All this talk about not caring about what's going to happen to you after the mission" Tom answered, shaking his head "If you're not going to care, we will."

"So you're all really staying?" she asked, her voice small.

"Yes! Now stop being dramatic and help us plan the next move in this War" Cass said, laughing lightly. Feeling a weight lift from her shoulders, Ana smiled brightly before plonking herself in her chair ungracefully.

"Right" Ana started, her voice taking on a more serious tone "Where is he at the moment?"

"He's on his way back" Mai answered, "I'm not sure if he's going back to Germany or making his move to Britain. All we know is that he's stop travelling East." Hissing in displeasure at the news, Ana bite her lip worriedly.

"He wasn't best pleased with the trouble he had acquiring the artefact in Singapore. We're worried if we do something like that again, he'll start to figure out that it's us stalling him. It might make him put all his resources into finding you" Tom continued.

"What's the artefact he was after in Singapore?" she asked, her green eyes focused on the map which showed his all movements across Europe in the past three months.

"A crystal of some sort" Mai answered, "We think it's probable he'll use it in a ritual."

"A ritual to locate me?" Ana deduced, her eyes sharp as she focused her stare on Mai's face.

"Most likely" the petite girl replied.

"Damn it!" Ana swore, her mind flittering through hundreds of scenarios. "The potion I made for the ritual that will hide me; it's at its strongest if done at midnight on Yule. If I do it earlier I risk him being able to break the enchantment, and I don't get a second chance at this. It can only be cast once per person."

"But Grindelwald, he's not blood-related to you is he? You didn't do a blood adoption ritual did you?" Eva asked.

"No, we never" she answered, "I think he actually deluded himself into thinking I was his real daughter."

"Well since he's not a blood relative and doesn't have a direct connection to you, he'll have to do the ritual on Yule as well to get the best results. Right now, being behind powerful wards will be enough to scrabble whatever locating rituals he might have already done, but if he does it on Yule then no wards will be able to hide you" Eva said, consulting the Dark Rituals book as she talked.

"That's what he'll be going for" Ana said, staring into space "He'll like the fact that I would have nowhere to hide."

"So we'll potentially have a situation where you'll be doing a ritual to hide yourself and he'll being doing a ritual to find you, at the same time?" Leo clarified, his face screwed up in disbelief.

"Looks like it" she said, chewing the inside of her mouth as her foot rubbed the soft fur of Kaia's coat.

"Well what will that do? What will happen?" he questioned, eyes jumping from face to face.

"We don't know" Cass replied. "We've looked through hundreds of different sources and we can't find anything."

"We also have the problem of me being with the Black's for Yule" Ana added, "I'm going to have to find a way to get away from them for long enough to do the ritual."

"Do you need us to create a distraction?" Tom asked, his grey eyes reflecting brightly in the candlelight.

"No, I think that will just make things harder" she replied, "I'll think of something. I'll have to assess the situation when I'm there."

The group of teens continued planning through the night, they only had a couple of days to sort everything out before Ana had to once again don her mask and pretend to enjoy the company of the Black's.

Somewhere on the edge of a small town stood an old and decrepit hotel; there seemed to be no life moving within its walls, all was dark and quiet. One room however, was a little different from the others that were dotted around the hotel. This room was encased in shadows; the walls seemed to ooze a darkness that permeated every inch of the bedroom suite. Every inch of the room, except for the small table facing the small balcony that overlooked the back of the property. On the small table was a lamp, its weak light warring with the darkness that tried to suffocate it. Sitting at this small table was a man; his body indistinguishable in the lack of light, except for the arm that rested next to the pitiful light source. The man held a small tattered photo in his hand, his thumb rhythmically caressing the face of the young blonde girl that the photo showed. A sharp knock on the door made the man pause his actions for a brief second before resuming.

"Enter" he said lowly, his voice deep and commanding.

"You asked for me, My Lord?" the man that entered asked cautiously.

"Yes, it is time" he answered, suddenly crushing the photo in his fist as his blue eyes flashed in the darkness. "It is time to infiltrate Britain."

What did you think? I'm not best pleased with how this chapter turned out but i wanted to be able to move forward in the story so i just decided to go with it. Thanks for putting up with the ridiculously long wait in between chapters :)

Reviews?

Seph x