The rest of the Hogsmeade trip was quite uneventful, and it was early in the evening by the time the four Gryffindors got back. Anna still felt butterflies from her "date" with Caspar, whom she was undoubtedly falling for.

Speak of the devil, she would've stayed with him if it weren't for the mandatory meeting with Dumbledore she had to attend with Harry.

She still despised of the headmaster for more reasons than one, but the fact that the mentor was finally stepping up in the two's mission was a bit relieving. Yes, Anna knew Dumbledore was working behind the scenes, but it upset her that he wasn't there for Harry when he needed him most.

Not only that, but the headmaster let multiple evil people under the radar, which resulted in death of the good.

Regardless, she made herself comply with Dumbledore for Harry's sake.

It wasn't far from the time of the meeting when the quartet sat together in the Common Room, all huddled near the fire except for Anna, who was facing away from it and sat across from them. She still couldn't bear to look at that hearth and probably would never be able to as long as Sirius was gone.

"We heard Dean talking about you...did something happen?" asked Hermione carefully.

Anna fiddled a bit with her necklace and shrugged. "Not really, he just tried getting into business that wasn't his to know. And besides, I had to meet up with Jack anyway."

"So how'd you end up with Caspar?" Ron questioned as he opened a box of fudge flies.

Harry's attention sparked at the mention of the blue-eyed boy's name and he stared intently at Anna, waiting for an answer. She looked down and smiled, the warm glow of the firelight bringing out the blush on her cheeks. "I'm not sure...it just kinda happened. I mean, I'm not complaining, really, but it was just random. Jack's idiocy was too much and Caspar must've noticed, so he came up with an excuse to take me to the Three Broomsticks."

"So Mundy's idiocy was tolerable?" muttered Harry.

"He's no idiot, he's a Ravenclaw-"

"Luna's a Ravenclaw and she isn't the brightest," said the ginger, causing Hermione to snicker.

Anna glared at them, her irises turning red. "Luna's great, and if you say anything against her again I swear to Merlin I'll take your wands and shove them up your-"

"I don't trust Mundy," Harry cut in. "His mother's a Nott...doesn't that bother you?!"

"Screw off, I'm a Black. That's about ten times worse, right? I'm related to fucking Bellatrix! She's one of the worst death eaters!" exclaimed Anna.

Hermione sighed and looked at Harry. "She's right...you can't judge someone from where they come from. That's like saying Sirius-" She cut herself off, eyeing Anna, whose jaw was clenched and eyes were locked onto the floor. With a nod from her, she continued, "It's like saying Sirius was a pureblood supremacist."

"I agree. Mate, just because someone has ties doesn't mean they're using them," said Ron with a shrug. The clock chimed. "Shouldn't you be heading to Dumbledore's?"

"Unfortunately," murmured Anna, getting up a with a groan. Harry followed suit and they bid Ron and Hermione goodbye before heading to the headmaster's office.

They walked in a tense silence for most of the way. They didn't dare look at or argue with each other, and it drove them both mad.

It wasn't until they stood outside of the gargoyle in front of Dumbledore's office that they spoke. Harry said the password - which was "acid pops" - and they went onto the moving staircase.

When out of earshot of the gargoyle, Anna's voice was small as she spoke. "Can you do most of the talking?"

He gave her a surprised looked, which she returned with a sheepish one. "Erm, sure...why though?"

"I don't know what to say and you're better at-" she was cut off by the staircase coming to an abrupt halt in front of the door. "Nevermind...let's just go."

Harry nodded and knocked on a door. From within, Dumbledore said, "Come in!". They obliged and were greeted with the sight of Dumbledore sitting at his desk, his hands clasped in front of him as he wore a placid expression.

Both children felt a bit uncomfortable, as their last times in the office were full of angst. For Anna, she had last been in Dumbledore's abode while yelling at Ministry officials, and the time before yelling at the headmaster himself about Cedric before having a mental breakdown. Harry had been in there at the end of the previous year, breaking the man's belongings and blaming him for Sirius' death.

In short, the office didn't hold many good memories...none, actually.

"Ah, Mr. Potter and Miss Black, I'm glad to see you," said Dumbledore, mellow as could be. He rose from his seat and walked towards them, giving a small smile.

"Glad to see you too, Professor," said Harry. There was a bit of silence. "Erm, why'd you-"

"I thought it was about time we learned about Voldemort's past...don't you agree?"

"Yes, sir-"

"But before that, I must ask...are you two...?" he questioned, his twinkling blue eyes flitting between the two teenagers.

"No! W-we're not," Harry cut in quickly, feeling Anna's burning gaze on him.

"How about you and Miss Granger?"

"She's brilliant but-"

Anna narrowed her eyes. "Oh, so you're quick to compliment her but with me it's taboo?"

"N-no, I just...it's different, okay?"

"Ah, young love," said Dumbledore with a thoughtful smile.

"If only he were capable," muttered Anna bitterly. After a sceptical look from the two of them, she cleared her throat and spoke up. "You need to get your priorities in order, Professor."

"My apologies, sometimes I become interested in student affairs...especially when I wish certain things would come about," he said with a wink, causing Anna to mentally facepalm and Harry to blush.

"So, about Voldemort's past...?"

"Yes. Well, I thought we could go back to him as a young child?" offered Dumbledore, walking towards a cabinet with many vials, each of which contained a silvery liquid. He picked out a certain one and handed it to Harry. "This memory in particular...I would like the two of you to see it."

Harry and Anna understood and without another word, they went to the Pensive. With a nod from Dumbledore, Harry poured the contents of the vial in and they were transported into the memory.

They landed outside a dull brick building with a rusting, broken metal sign that said "Wool's Orphanage". Few people were on the streets, but one, in particular, stood out.

A man with an umbrella, a purple velvet suit, and a bright daisy-patterned scarf was walking quickly to the building. It was obvious he was on the older side, and his greyish-auburn hair was cut shorter, along with his beard.

"That's Dumbledore," whispered Anna as he walked by.

He nodded at her and they followed him in. They had missed a bit of the conversation, but Dumbledore had spoken to - what they assumed was - the owner of the orphanage. She was a stout, weathered woman with a worried expression.

"...in all the years Tom's been here, he's never had a visitor. There's been some nasty incidents with him and the other children, I must say..." the woman said in a hushed whisper. She led Dumbledore to a door before knocking and opening it. She leaned her head in and said, "Tom, you have a visitor!"

Dumbledore thanked the woman before walking in. Harry and Anna slipped into the room right before he closed the door.

Anna gasped at the sight. There was a young boy sitting on the bed, his eyes holding something dark within. Tom wasn't staring at her, but he was looking in her direction and she felt as if she'd pass out on the spot.

"H-he's so young...he's just a kid," she whispered, lightly grabbing onto Harry's arm - as she'd always done when she was scared - as her heart hammered in her chest.

He could almost feel the fear radiating off her and he took her hand in his.

"Hello Tom," said Dumbledore, snapping them back to attention.

The boy merely glared at him. "Who are you?"

There was a pause before the headmaster leaned forward and clasped his hands. "I am Professor Dumbledore-"

"'Professor'? Like a doctor?!" exclaimed the boy, rising abruptly. "I bet that old hag's sent you to check me out. Well, guess what, I'm not going to an asylum! I didn't bully any of those kids, and you can ask them too!"

The man merely looked at him, a smile still forced on his face. "I am no doctor. I'm a professor at a school-"

"Don't fool me!"

"A school for people different. I'm like you, Tom. I'm different too," said Dumbledore kindly.

"Prove it," was all the boy said.

Silence filled the room for a few seconds then was replaced by the loud cackling of a large fire around the wardrobe in the corner of the room. Chills went up Anna's spine as they always did when she saw that element.

Tom didn't even look surprised, only slightly pleased. "Why are you here?"

Dumbledore smiled and leaned towards the boy, fingers laced in front of him. "There's a special place for people like you, Tom. It's called Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a school where you'll learn to grow and control your powers. You'll make friends and fit into the magical community. Do you understand?"

Something malovent sparked in the boy's eyes at the words 'grow your powers'. He leaned forward a bit too and asked, "So it's normal? What I can do? I always knew I was special, you know."

"What can you do, Tom?"

"I can make things move without touching them. I can make animals do what I want without training them. I can make bad things happen to people who are bother me. I can make them hurt badly...if I want," said Tom, seemingly proud of his ability. His eyes flitted to the fire that was still alive on his wardrobe. "Can you make it stop?"

"I believe there is something that's trying to escape," suggested Dumbledore, eyeing the boy carefully. Tom got up and walked to the wardrobe, slowly opening it. There was a rattling box, which he removed and opened. It contained toys from the other children. He spun to face the man, his eyes sparkling with something that edged on surprise. "Thievery is not tolerated at Hogwarts."

Tom looked at him with slight distaste but forced a nod. "Okay."

"Nor is anything of that sort. When you join our world, you must abide by our rules. No hurting others, stealing, or abusing your powers. Expulsion is a possible punishment or even incarceration. We don't tolerate such things. And since I will be your professor, I believe it's appropriate to address me as so, or 'sir'."

"Yes...sir," said the boy blankly.

Dumbledore smiled and rose, holding his hand out for the boy to shake. "I must be going, it was nice meeting you, Tom."

He took it and nodded again. The man handed him his Hogwarts letter before starting towards the door. 

"I can speak to snakes...they find me and whisper things...is that normal?"

Dumbledore stopped dead in his tracks and a chill went up Harry's spine at the boy's words. Silence filled the room and, all of a sudden, the two teenagers were pushed back into reality.

The scene morphed back into Dumbledore's office, where the man himself was looking at them expectantly. Anna was shaking and Harry stood wide eyed, trying to process what just happened.

"Did you know...y'know...that he was..?" Harry trailed off.

"One of the darkest wizards to ever exist? No, and if I did, I would've...well, that's beside the point-"

"Why didn't you help him?" whispered Anna shakily, her eyes full of tears. "It was obvious he had problems, that he had darkness inside him. Why-"

Dumbledore smiled weakly. "Your sympathy for such a troubled child is heartwarming."

"I'm not trying to be 'heartwarming', I just...he was just a kid!"

"Why did you show this to us?" asked Harry.

Anna piped up. "You want something from us...don't you?"

"I'm afraid so," admitted Dumbledore. "During Tom's time at Hogwarts, he became close with a certain professor in particular...care to take a guess?"

"Mavis." 

Dumbledore looked surprised at Anna's answer. "Why?"

"Because she's evil! I can't stand that rude, awful bit-"

"Anna," said Harry sharply. "It's Slughorn. Professor Mavis had a reason to be here; History Of Magic is deemed necessary and Binns was a god awful teacher. Professor Slughorn, on the other hand, was unnecessary. Snape didn't need to be replaced."

"Good, Harry," encouraged Dumbledore with a smile. His blue eyes flitted down to their still intertwined hands as he said, "You always have a way of keeping her in check."

The two teenagers blushed before letting go and stepping a bit away from each other, the two of them secretly missing the contact.

"I don't need to be 'kept in check', and even if I did, he doesn't control me!"

"Of course," said the man patiently. "Now, as you said earlier, you were correct. I am in need of your assistance. Actually, I had planned to meet with the two of you over the summer to discuss Horace and his potential relationship with your two, but some...complications...came up."

Anna's face turned redder as she crossed her arms and looked down. "There's no need to be condescending."

Dumbledore continued as if he didn't hear her. "Every year, Professor Slughorn forms a group of students that could be of use to him. From family fame to smarts, he sees potential in certain students and tries to befriend them. He liked your mothers and they were some of his best students. On top of that, the two of you are famous and intelligent, so Slughorn has an interest in you.

"What I need you two to do is to let him collect you as his favourites. He might hold some of the answers to Voldemort's abilities. I believe he would've confided in Slughorn for a specific reason, which I have yet to show you. For now, I'm asking you to do your best to have him like you two and be his favourites. Understood?"

"Yes sir," said Harry quickly before Anna could protest, giving her a hard look. She sighed and nodded in agreement.

"Thank you. Well, it's getting late, so you're dismissed, Anna. Harry, could you stay behind for a bit?" asked Dumbledore kindly. 

Harry's eyes widened a bit. "Erm, sure."

Anna gave Dumbledore a warning look before silently leaving the room.

Just as the door shut, the man said, "Ah, Harry, I have to admit, I'm quite happy the two of you have stayed close throughout the years."

"We aren't together-"

"I'm aware, as you've made it quite clear...although, I find it a bit comical that you feel the need to defend yourself so much," said Dumbledore with a chuckle. "I don't see why you do so. She's quite a catch, I must say, and she seems very fond of you."

Harry stayed silent, unable to look at the headmaster. Every time someone said anything retaining to Anna's feelings towards him, guilt and regret filled his gut. He wished things were normal, that there wasn't a dark overlord trying to ruin every good thing in their lives. He wished that she was okay, but she wasn't in the slightest. She had serious problems, and he didn't want to be one of them. "We're just friends."

"Of course," hummed Dumbledore. "Quite close friends, I must admit-"

"If this is what you wanted to talk about then I should be going-"

"My apologies, I really do get carried away with my ships sometimes."

Harry gave him a confused look. "Um...ships?"

"Anyway, I wanted to extend onto the topic of Professor Slughorn," Dumbledore said, ignoring him. "As I said earlier, he was fond of your mothers... Harry, your mother Lily was one of the brightest witches I had ever met, and Slughorn would agree. Don't take this to offense, but, he favoured Anna's mother, Leah, over yours. Leah Kendricks was one of the most useful witches to him."

"How so?"

"Well, I believe that is his story to tell. In short, she was quite an amazing potioneer. She worked closely with him in her later years at Hogwarts. It got to the point where she took Remedial Potions every evening, learning everything she could about theory, ingredients, uses, etcetera."

"She seemed dedicated," said Harry, his brows knit. He found it hard to believe someone was so fascinated with such a dull subject. 

Although, he'd learned five years under Snape, whom he resented deeply.

"She was. It wasn't because she enjoyed the subject so much as she wanted an end result. She had a goal she wanted to reach. And luckily, she did reach that goal. It was one of her most defining moments that gave Slughorn a bit of fame.

"Now that you know how fond of Leah Slughorn was, this request will make much more sense. Harry, I need you to make Anna the one that Slughorn favours the most. You are more likeable and kind at first glance, but you need to make her like so. Slughorn will be more willing if she's the one requesting things. He likes you, yes, but she means more to him," explained Dumbledore.

"Okay...should she tell him about her powers? He might-"

"No...not yet. For now, just make sure she is overly kind to him, okay?" asked the man. Harry hesitated and he noticed. "Harry...Anna would do anything for you, you just need to ask. She cares a great deal about you and does respect you."

"I...she shouldn't. Professor, I haven't been the kindest to her-"

"You saved her life and brought back her will to live and fight. Anything you've said to her has a reason," he reassured him. "Do you understand my request?"

"Yes sir...but I have one question."

"And that is?"

"Is Anna like her mother?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore gave a sad smile at this. "She's much more like her father. Leah was a daring person with a quick tongue, but she knew when to tone it down. Sirius, on the other hand...he was much more impulsive and unable to suppress his emotions. why do you ask?"

"Just wondering. I saw how close Anna was with him and..." he trailed off, a lump forming in his throat. 

The man put a hand on his shoulder. "It hurts, I understand. I'm deeply sorry for your loss, and I'm sorry I didn't stop it."

"Professor-"

"Anna was right about many things she's said about me," said the man quietly, dropping his hand. "Anyway, I think that is enough thought for the evening. Good night, Harry."

"Night, Professor," said Harry quickly before leaving. 

As the staircase descended, he gasped a bit when he was Anna at the bottom, her eyes brimming with tears that she was trying to hide. "What are you doing down here?"

"Waiting for you, of course."

"Why?"

"Why wouldn't I...?" asked Anna carefully. He didn't respond and was a bit taken aback when the girl lunged forward, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her head into his shoulder. 

Harry tensed a bit as she started crying, but slowly wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back. He didn't question her sudden burst of emotion.

But regardless, she choked out, "He was j-just a kid! Why d-didn't Dumbledore h-help him?"

"I don't know, Anna."

"I can't d-do this anymore. I-I'm so t-tired," she said. "I just w-wish we could run away from all this."

"Me too...but we can't," said Harry with a slight chuckle.

"I j-just don't want to lose you."

At this, the boy's eyes widened. He moved her back a bit and she looked up, giving him the chance to wipe away her tears. "Anna...I will never leave you. No matter what, I'll always be there."

"But you have. I-I just wish we were close like before. I can't stand us not being best friends. This tension is so stupid," she whispered, looking down. "I didn't mean for it to happen. I just wanted something more for us but...that didn't have to ruin our friendship."

"Anna, look at me," pleaded Harry softly, causing her grey eyes to lock with his emerald ones. "I don't care what happens, you'll always be my best friend. I'll always be there for you...I do love you." He gently kissed her forehead and gave her a  tight hug.

"Thank you...I really needed to hear that."

~=~

Hope you liked the chapter. I've been saying this a lot lately, but this is actually a filler and I'm sorry! It's necessary, though.

There are interesting things to come, I promise. ;)

Oh, and by the way, I just wanted to say that I'm using both the movies and books as loose references, so sorry if it's a bit different from what you expect or know.

Hidden In Plain Sight will be updated either later tonight or tomorrow.

Question of the chapter
~If you could control any element, what would it be?~
(I would choose fire bc it's badass asf)

Thanks for reading, and pls vote, comment, and follow.

Love to all,
~Lumos