The tension in the Headmaster's office was high as one of his former students was now a weathered, middle-aged woman, staring the old man down with a great deal of distaste.

Anger bubbled in her, but it was understandable after what he had done to her all those years.

Speaking of Dumbledore, he smiled softly and forced a passive expression in contrast to her cold one. "Ah, Miss-"

"Don't," she spat, her light eyes narrowing even more. "Just tell me why I'm here."

"Because you chose to accept my invitation."

"Okay, smartass, I don't need this." The woman started pacing angrily. "Give me a reason."

"I would like to offer a job opportunity to you...a new shot at life-"

"YOU TOOK MY OLD LIFE AWAY!" she exclaimed, jabbing a slender finger at him and her body shook with pure anger. "YOU...you...have the audacity to get me to come here to do your bidding, and then-"

"You were always such a bright witch. Even I believed you would become a Ravenclaw...but alas, I see more and more of a lioness within you with every glimpse. I believe Miss Kendricks had an influence over you?"

This only angered the woman more. "Don't you dare speak her name-"

"You've always had a knack for history as well," he easily changed the topic, a slight smirk tugging at his lips when seeing her pained and confused expression. "Even more so than the professor. Another thing you have over him is that you never fail to surprise."

"Get to the damn point."

"There are many students who are either failing or dropping History Of Magic. In times of darkness like these, the students need to know history, how to stop it from repeating and the impact that it has. We need a class about war in times of war. And you..." Dumbledore stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't meet his eyes. "You need to make them care."

"I don't even care myself."

"You may think you have lost everything, but you still-"

"You know nothing about me."

"Miss Kendricks would-"

"S-SHUT IT!" she stuttered. Her light orbs of grey and green and blue started pooling with tears and a lump of grief filled her throat. "You...know...nothing. She's dead because of you...all of them are! And Voldemort's back for the same reason. You're just as useless as you are irritating."

Dumbledore smiled sadly and sighed. "I was afraid you would react like this...she's here, my dear. I know you want to care for her, and you being here gives you that chance to at least get a glimpse."

"I..." The woman trailed off, hanging her head in defeat. Her springy chocolate curls fell in her face. "On one condition."

"Yes?"

"Don't speak to me. Don't ever call me to your office unless it's on my terms. Don't ever try taking over my life again. Leave me be."

"Of course." the man held out his unscathed left hand for her to shake. She reluctantly shook it and he smiled, saying, "Welcome back, Miss Mavis."

~=~

A week passed since Remus Lupin had visited 12 Grimmauld Place, and confliction muddled Anna's mind. She knew she should've stayed mad, but - for the most part - she had always hated holding grudges. Regardless, she didn't completely forgive him and made sure to let him know. He simply nodded and said he understood and that he hoped things would work out.

Harry heard every word shared between the two and felt a flicker of jealousy. His godfather was dead and he didn't have anyone anymore. At the same time, he was happy Anna had an adult - and hopefully a father figure - in her life again.

He pretended to not know anything regarding Lupin's visit and didn't bombard her with too many questions, leaving the topic be. She would tell him when she was ready.

But what he didn't know was that Anna felt guilty about the fact that she had a living godfather. She didn't want him to feel left out, and on top of it, she didn't have the patience or information to explain Lupin's absence.

So they let it go without a word and instead worked on getting their lives together. Harry continued to train Anna in regards of magic and they also cleaned the house completely. It got their minds off stuff, let them find memories and artifacts, and was another step towards Anna getting better.

One day, though, more letters came, but they weren't from the werewolf.

"Anna!" Harry called out, hearing a groan of tiredness from the bedroom. "Come on, it's noon!" When he didn't hear her light footsteps down the hall, he rolled his eyes and went to her. She was curled up in the big bed, covers over her head in a feeble attempt to hide.

"Hmmm, I wonder where you are."

"Screw off," she muttered, stifling a laugh when he pulled the blankets back.

"Get up~!"

"No, leave me be, argh, go awayy," whined Anna when Harry tried pulling her out of bed. He started tickling her when she wouldn't move. She burst into hysterics and begged him to stop in between giggles. The girl tried wrestling him but Harry won easily, pinning her down on the bed, his face only inches from hers.

Her breath hitched as she stared into his vibrant green eyes and he did the same. His heart did a flip with she gave a genuine smile and whispered, "Well, I didn't expect to wake up to this."

"I...erm, didn't either," he murmured, looking down at her. She lay on her back, her dark hair perfectly and messily spread out. She had on a small, strappy nightgown that left her legs and collarbones exposed and made her slightly nervous breathing obvious. Her cheeks were rosy and her steely blue eyes were slightly squinted from the sheepish, toothy smile she wore, along with a dazed and pleased expression.

She was ridiculously and utterly cute.

'For the love of Merlin, end me. She's so beautiful,' Harry thought as he looked at her. As much as he wanted to, as much as he knew he could, he didn't make a move. 'No, she's vulnerable still. She doesn't love me.'

So, with a sigh, the boy got to his feet and Anna frowned, missing the hovering heat. For some reason, she felt desire in her heart for just some contact with him. She couldn't quite explain the feeling when they touched, but she knew that she wanted more.

Actually, she'd felt this since last year the second after they broke up, but there was no way she'd ever admit it.

As he turned to leave, she asked, "Harry?" He stopped in the doorway and turned, his eyes locking onto hers. She let her gaze fall and shook her head, forcing a smile. "I...forgot."

"Right." Awkward silence. "Well, erm, there's some post here for us so...you should, yanno-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there in a few, no need to nag," joked Anna. He gave a slight smile and nodded, reluctantly leaving.

She flopped back onto the bed with a groan, face palming. Of course he wouldn't make a move...she was definitely the more dominant of the two. It drove her crazy having confused feelings. The more time they spent together, it was as if she saw more and more good in him. She knew him for over a decade and the butterflies from the smallest things never ceased to exist. Harry had always felt like this with her and Anna wondered why it taken so long to realize it. Her stubbornness, she supposed.

'No, I'm just Anna, his best friend, and a shit one at that,' she thought, frowning. 'I've done nothing for him except be a hassle...a chore. Ha, no wonder why Ron dumped me.'

Just as she thought her day was going to be good and smile-filled, doubts about everyone and everything flooded her mind. She hated it. She was being so unfair to Harry and she knew it. All year, she had been horrible to him and for what? He made some mistakes and was genuinely sorry, but Anna was too filled with grief and stubbornness to listen. All she wanted was to feel good for her and Harry. Life would be so much easier.

Guilt filled her heart and made her feel even worse.

Anna ignored the urge to go back to sleep and pulled a robe on her exposed figure, shuffling down the hall and to the kitchen. She smiled when she saw him making coffee and humming a bit to himself. "You'd make a good housewife."

"Oh really?" he asked with a chuckle.

"Better than me, at least. I mean, I'd marry you," said Anna with a wink. Harry just stared at her but turned away when he could feel his cheeks heating up.

"There's a letter for you."

Anna frowned a bit but nodded, walking towards the table where an ivory letter lay. Her frown deepened when she realized where it was from.

Hogwarts.

She slowly opened it and read it over. In short, term started September 1st, N.E.W.T's were a thing, they needed supplies, and she and Harry were co-captains for the Quidditch team. Oh, and Dumbledore was yet again headmaster.

"So, when do you wanna go to Diagon Alley?" asked Harry, setting a steaming cup of coffee in front of her, not meeting her gaze.

Anna really didn't know how to come out with this as she felt dread in the pit of her stomach, so she decided to just say it. "I...Harry, I can't go to Hogwarts."

Harry looked at her blankly, confusion evident in his green eyes. "What?"

"I'm not going. I'm not ready-"

Harry wasn't listening to this and taking this for an excuse. Anna had been making a lot of progress and she was not throwing it all away by getting scared now.

"I've been here with you all summer, Anna," he started, lightly putting his hands on her shoulders, his eyes flitting to hers and catching on her lips before looking down. "Please."

Anna didn't know how to make Harry understand that the thought filled her with complete dread and for the first time, fear. The thought of people knowing what she did was too much and there was also the issue of her mental health. The shame and dirty looks people would give her... "This is different-"

Harry didn't know how he was going to try and get through to her so he decided there was perhaps only one way he could. "Sirius wouldn't have wanted-"

"You don't know what he wants! Hell, you actually believe he's dead!"

The boy's heart churned at her words. He hadn't heard her speak of his apparent life for a while...he finally thought she was getting over it somehow.

"He..." One cold glare from Anna made him decide against speaking of her deceased father. "I just really think you should go back."

"Look at me," she ordered quietly, her eyes slightly filled with tears. He obliged. "I killed a student. I. Killed. Evie. I can't go back...they know." **

"You didn't-"

"I hit her with some spell! It was me! And something shady's going on...I know it...it's best if I don't go. You can, but not me."

This time Harry wasn't listening. He was determined to get through to Anna. It was so important, in his opinion, for her to go back to school as part of her recovery. Anna has only had him and - barely - Remus for human contact since Sirius' passing, and the lack of human contact Anna had experienced was slightly worrying for Harry. He felt her interacting with people again would be good for her.

"You're going, Anna, even if I have to drug you and carry you all the way there," he said with a slight laugh, but she didn't return it. "If things get bad, we'll leave, okay?"

Anna gave him a look of slight fear. However, she felt a slight bit of hope also as if holding onto the last sentiment of the statement. "Promise me."

"I...I promise."

"Can you promise something else?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't let me drag you down, ever...okay?" she whispered.

Harry gave her a smile. She really was something else. Anna had always been a selfless person, but since her suicide attempt, that trait was amplified tenfold, and Harry was as proud as could be.

He pulled her into a hug, saying, "You don't, I promise. You've done so much for me...this is nothing compared to the many times you saved my ass."

Anna laughed and shook her head, smiling. "If only that were true."

~=~

The girl was ordered to pack.

Of course, she didn't bother. Instead, she sat in the attic going through her father's stuff. From pictures to old uniforms and textbooks, she was determined to look at everything. He had shown her his things before, but her mind had made it a point to block out many memories with him.

And besides, she was gonna procrastinate on packing, so why not use the time to reminisce about her parents' memories?

'They were so cute together...' thought Anna as she admired a picture of Leah and Sirius rollerskating. She was dressed in bellbottoms and a tight band shirt while he wore a leather jacket. It was funny though, because he was trying to pull off a tough demeanor but couldn't even keep his balance on the skates, and Leah had to constantly help him, laughing all the while.

Another showed them on the pier of the Black Lake. They were about to kiss when Leah smirked and pushed Sirius into the water, and at the last second, he pulled her in with him. They surfaced, cursing and laughing. Leah's smile was contagious and so was her obvious love for Sirius.

"Anna?" asked Harry from behind her. 

She flinched and turned around, surprised she hadn't heard him come up. "Heh, I was just...erm-"

"I know, packing's tedious...I finished for you."

Anna stared at him and* truly appreciated the fact that she had someone like Harry in her life. "Thanks," she said with a sheepish smile. He took a seat next to her and picked a picture from the box.

It showed Leah holding a beat-up guitar and singing while Sirius and a few others watched. They seemed to be moving into a house, as there were oddly painted walls and cardboard boxes stacked. She had her eyes closed and was natural as could be. Her hair was in a messy bun, her face makeup-free, and she wore sweatpants and a sweatshirt.

Yet Sirius looked at her as if she were a goddess. His stormy grey eyes were wide with glee and love, and it was as if she were the only thing there, the most perfect thing in the whole world.

"Your parents really loved each other...it's funny, Sirius never told me much about her," Harry pondered, handing the picture to Anna.

She took it and smiled softly, watching the scene play over and over. "You know..." she started, "he loved her more than anything... I mean, just...the way he looks at her. Anyone could tell."

Harry's eyes locked onto her as she stared at the picture in awe. He didn't realize he was looking at her the same way Sirius had done with Leah.

Hell, the boy did it whenever he looked at Anna. The admiration was always evident in his gaze. She was so perfect to him and always had been. Unfortunately for him though, the feeling had not always seemed mutual.

She caught his emerald eyes and smiled unknowingly. "Their relationship seemed so real and uncaring of anyone else...gosh, I wish-" she cut herself off, shaking her head. "Never mind. Let's get back to work, yeah?"

He gave a nod.'I wish we could have that too,' thought Harry as he watched her pack up the box, a slight feeling of hope rising in his chest.

~=~

Hey there peeps! Hope you liked that chapter. It was a bit of a filler but I really liked writing it for some reason. Maybe it was the bit of mystery in the beginning. Or possibly the slight "Hanna" cameo? Idk, regardless, I think this is gonna be a good book, and hopefully you all agree.

Also, sorry it's late, from my procrastination to the whack time zones with the editor, it makes it hard to be on time. I'm confident it won't happen again anytime soon, as I think I'll be less busy in the next few weeks.

Oh, also, if you didn't know, I'm posting some edited chapters here and there for the first book, so you should totally add it to your library for updates. It's like new and I'm honestly proud of my progress and growth in writing :)

Question of the chapter...
~What do you expect/want to happen this year at Hogwarts? Anything you're wondering about?~
Personally, I'm excited to include some Marauder's era shiz, as I have it all planned out and it's kinda unique :)

Thanks so much for reading!
Love to all,
~Lumos