AN: I am SO SORRY for how short this chapter is and how late it is. I simply couldn't find a good place to stop without going into the next main event, which would make this the length of two chapters and take even longer to post.

I posted the pic of Anna's new kitten, Holly! Isn't she cute?

At last, the winter holidays passed and school went back to how it had always been and Harry was very excited because, soon enough, Remus would begin teaching him off to fight Dementors. However, the first day back, Remus was still feeling a little sick. He and Anna had had to endure the shrieking shack again. He had no recollection of what had happened but he knew Mooney didn't like the shack very much at all, though his wife assured him he was getting much better. He told Harry he'd get around to his lesson at 8 o'clock on Thursday.

And the Professor kept his word because exactly at that time he and Remus were in the room with their wands ready for practice. Anna had wanted to stay and support Harry, but neither Harry, nor Remus would allow it. They both knew that the Dementors affected Anna as well and they saw no sense in putting her in that situation when it made her nearly pass out. So, to occupy her time, she decided to visit Severus. After all, she hadn't talked to him in quite a while.

So, with her new knew cat, Holly, tucked safely in her arms, she went all the way to the potion's classroom where he spent the majority of his time.

She found him leaning over a cauldron, stirring the concoction with a spoon very carefully as his furry black companion, Loki, eyed the spoon as it swirled in the pot. After a moment of admiring the adorable scene, the witch made her presence known, "You're not busy are you? I can come back later if you want..."

The potions master looked up, smiled ever so slightly and shook his head, "No, it's fine. You can help me if you wish. It's a very difficult potion to make, I could use the help. Can you guess what I'm making?" The witch took a moment to look over the ingredients on the table. She grinned when she figured it out, "You're making Draught of the Living Dead?"

She and Severus were the only students at Hogwarts (as far as she knew) to master it. At first they had been paired up but after they completed it Slughorn had challenged them to try doing it alone which they both succeeded at, although her's hadn't been nearly as good as Snape's. Now, they could both do it perfectly.

"It's for my advanced class. I normally make it by myself, but it's much faster with a partner," he paused with a teasing smirk, "That is, if you think you can keep up." She returned his smirk, "With you? Piece of cake. I've been your potions partner since year one. I think I can handle it."

Severus passed her an apron, "Then let's get busy."

Anna set Holly her cat down to play with Loki causing Severus to notice the little mammal for the first time. He raised an eyebrow, "When did you get that?" She smiled a little at the memory as she put her hair in ponytail, "She was a Christmas gift from Remus."

Snape snorted, "The mutt gave you a feline? How ironic." The witch took the apron from his outstretched and elbowed him once she can beside him to begin helping with the potion, "Hey! You agreed to play nice with Remy. That means no name calling." The head of Slytherin merely rolled his eyes, "Just pass me the sloth brain, Anna."

She giggled slightly and complied, suddenly getting serious as they got into making the draught. If anyone else had been there to witness the scene, they would've found it strangely beautiful and captivating the way they moved and worked so efficiently and fluently like a well oiled machine or a choreographed dance. Their hands never stopped moving and neither of them lost focus for even a second.

But even though they didn't talk much, they enjoyed working together again. It brought back memories.

Meanwhile, on the floor next to them, the pair of felines got acquainted by playing with and grooming each other as their owners worked.

An hour later (give or take a few minutes), the witch set down the ladle she had use to stir the concoction for the last time, bringing it to perfection. She smiled as she admired their creation, "I think this is the best batch we've ever made. I'm impressed. You didn't even have to pause to look at the instructions. You have every step of this process memorized, don't you?" He smirked slightly, "Yes, well they don't call me the 'potions master' for nothing."

She snorted, "Oh please, it's just a glorified name for 'potion's geek.' Besides, if I had as much practice as you, I'd kick your arse. At least I was actually able to keep up. Would you trust anyone else to be your partner?" She smirked at the end of her sentence but, to the Gryffindor's surprise, he just sent her a sad twinge of a smile, "Only one."

Her grin instantly dropped and her voice went soft as spoke, "Lily."

He nodded simply and they both quieted as the memories of Anna's twin crashed into them like a tidle wave, driving the pair of friends to retreat into their minds and just remember.

~Anna's Flashback~

"Lily, if you want to stay up way past curfew, that's fine. In fact, I encourage it. But I should inform you that you're doing it completely wrong."

Lily rolled her eyes as she turned to the next page in her text book. Finally, she looked up at her sister, amusement dancing in her blue-green eyes, "There's nothing wrong with a little late night studying, Ann."

Anna flopped onto her bed with her belly up before rolling over to look at her fraternal twin with an eyebrow raised in disbelief, "A little? Hate to break it to you, Lils, but you're practically obsessed! You are at the top of almost every class you have! Take a break! Do something wild! I mean, come on, you're killing me here!"

Lily shook her head at her sister's antics, "You've been hanging out with Potter and Black way too much. Is the tendency to be overdramatic and reckless contagious?"

Anna paused before smirking and raising her eyebrows suggestively, "If anyone has caught anything from James, it's you."

The star student put a book mark in her text book and looked at the other girl quizzically, "I act nothing like James. What could I have caught?"

The marauder hung upside down on her bed with a wide grin on her face, "The loooovvve bug." She replied cheerfully with a little singsong mixed in her teasing tone. Lily blushed and threw a pillow at her sister with as she huffed, "Shut up!" She buried her face in her other pillow

The pillow caused the other girl to fall from her bed. She stood up with a smirk and folded her arms over her chest triumphantly, "Now who's being dramatic?"

Lily groaned.

~Flashback end~

"Anna? Can you hear me?"

The redhead snapped out of the memory and looked at her friend distractedly, "Yeah?"

"I've been trying to get your attention, We need to put up the potions supplies." Snape told her, trying to hide his concern.

She sighed in relief at having something to do to get her mind off her memories, "Yeah, okay. Uhhh, where do you want me to put the leftover sloth brain?"

-With Harry and Remus-

Harry had underestimated how hard the lesson was going to be. He certainly didn't imagine his uncle managing to find such an accurate substitute for a Dementor. The boggart was almost as terrifying as the real thing.

But the wizard had been more surprised to find it was his father's voice and screams he heard in his unconscious state this time, not his mums's. He woke on the dusty room floor with Remus hovering over him. Sweat covered his face and tears joined them as he told Remus what he'd heard.

When Remus spoke next, his voice was strangled and heavy with guilt, "You heard James?" The teen grasped his father's necklace that hung around his neck, "Yeah."

The werewolf put a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Harry, we don't have to go through with this. It was foolish of me to try to teach you such a ridiculously advanced charm and put you through all of this." Harry shook his head stubbornly and stood up, "No! I'll have one more go. I just need to find a happier thought."

He sifted through his memories. Obviously anything from before he went to Hogwarts was out. He thought for several minutes before he settled on the moment he first found out he was a wizard and that his whole life was going to change for the better.

Of course, he could have chosen one his memories of Anna, but this one seemed more fitting. After all, it was the foundation for every happy memory he had after that point. It just made sense.

He indicated to his uncle that he was ready and the Dementor was released. Harry panicked a little but eventually, he had managed to get something that resembled a patronus. However, he obvious hadn't mastered the charm yet because Lupin still had to step in and defeat it himself, "Ridikulus!"

The Boggart retreated to it's container and Remus hurried to latch it shut. He looked at Harry, astounded, before breaking into a grin, "Brilliant Harry! Same time tomorrow?"

AN: Sorry about the crappy ending, you don't understand how hard finding an ending for this chapter! Hopefully I'm just being paranoid and this chapter isn't as terrible as I think it is.

ATTTENTION! I just wanted to say that if you have any questions about Anna and her past or relationships or preferences, I'd be glad to answer them unless I decide it would spoil future chapters. In which case, I just wouldn't answer. Someone private messaged me about it, so I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that I love to talk to you guys and read your comments! It's the highlight of day :)