The Gryffindor trio no longer approached Anne to talk about Voldemort. Anne had a feeling Hermione might have had something to do with that, but she didn't bring it up either. Part of her genuinely wanted to avoid the topic, and besides, soon she wouldn't need to keep her identity as Skoll a secret from them much longer anyway.
In April, something else happened that made the Gryffindor trio spend even less time together: Harry and Ginny started dating.
According to Fanny, who claimed her source was absolutely reliable, Anne suspected that "source" was Ginny herself, or possibly Hermione.
In the second-to-last Quidditch match of the school year, Gryffindor lost to Ravenclaw by 30 points, which meant they had no chance of winning the Cup this year.
After the match, Harry was especially gentle in comforting a very upset Ginny. He even told a joke that got her laughing again, and then, just like that, they kissed. And started dating.
"Ginny never really gave up on Harry," Hermione said, plucking a leaf that had landed in Anne's hair. "She's liked him since first year. It's nice that they're finally together."
The midday sun was warm and bright. They sat by the lake beneath a tall beech tree. Hermione leaned back against the trunk while Anne rested her head on Hermione's lap, a thin booklet covering her face.
"Oh?" Anne grinned as she took the booklet off her face and looked up at Hermione. "Are you saying my girlfriend may have had something to do with this?"
"I just told Ginny to focus on living her life," Hermione replied. "To relax a bit around Harry and try connecting with others. You saw her in second year, whenever Harry was around, she couldn't even get a sentence out. But if Ginny had more confidence and sense of self, she'd really shine."
"That makes a lot of sense," Anne said thoughtfully. Then her eyes lit up, and she sat up suddenly, facing Hermione. "So, what about me? What made me stand out to you?"
Hermione's face flushed pink. She turned her head toward the distant castle.
Anne leaned in closer, eyes sparkling. Hermione shifted her gaze toward the mountains in the distance and whispered, "A lot of things."
That answer made Anne chuckle happily. "Same here," she replied. "My answer is also: a lot of things."
Just then, Fanny came running over from a distance, calling out as she approached.
"Hermione too? Great," she said, slightly out of breath. "Actually, maybe I should tell you later, "
Anne glanced at Hermione, then stood up, pulling her up as well. "It's fine. Catch your breath." She fanned Fanny with the booklet and handed her a bottle of water. "Go ahead and tell us now. What is it?"
Fanny took a sip, then smiled mischievously. "Are you sure?"
"Uh, "
Anne quickly replayed every conversation she'd ever had with Fanny, wondering if there was anything she couldn't share with Hermione.
Catching Hermione's subtle lip press, Anne quickly said, "It's fine. Nothing to hide. Go on."
Fanny stopped glancing between the two and cleared her throat. "Okay. Actually, this has a little to do with Hermione too."
Hermione looked surprised. "Me?"
"Yep," Fanny said, eyes gleaming with gossip. "The last match of the school year is the day after tomorrow, right? Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff. Barring any surprises, we're definitely going to win. The Cup will be ours this year."
Anne and Hermione exchanged a glance and both nodded.
"The reason we're doing so well is because we've got a few new players, and Malcolm is by far the best. He's our star, and pretty much the reason we're going to win."
"Malcolm's our Seeker," Anne explained to Hermione. "Same position as Harry."
Hermione nodded, still looking confused about how this involved her.
"Well, here's the juicy part," Fanny grinned at Anne. "I just heard, Malcolm is planning to confess to you publicly when he accepts the Cup."
"What?" Anne looked horrified. "To me?"
Fanny nodded, delighted. "Yep. In front of, oh, 90% of the school? Plus the professors. He just asked me what kind of flowers you like."
"Why does he even like me?" Anne asked, baffled. Hermione gave her a sidelong glance.
"Ahem, Fanny, you didn't tell him anything, right?"
"I did!"
"What?!"
"Well, he didn't say he was going to confess until after he asked me," Fanny replied innocently.
"Besides, he also asked about your favorite candy from Honeydukes."
"You told him that too?"
"Of course not." Fanny rolled her eyes. "You think I have no social sense like you? As soon as he started asking weird questions, I knew something was up. After a bit of digging, I got the truth out of him. Honestly, Malcolm seems like a calm and clever guy. The Doback family's known for that, they've produced several top Ministry officials and respected scholars."
"Ugh, come on," Anne groaned.
"Okay, okay," Fanny said, finally serious. "So, what's the plan?"
Anne scratched her head, looking between Hermione and Fanny.
"Could you maybe… tell him I already like someone?"
Fanny shook her head. "Bad idea. If he gets upset and plays poorly, we could lose. Hufflepuff may be third right now, but if they beat us by 200 points, they'll win the Cup."
"Anne?" Hermione spoke gently, seeing how troubled she looked.
"Why not take this chance to go public?" Fanny cut in. "It's the perfect setup! Malcolm confesses, you make a bold declaration, Slytherin gets its own shock-the-school moment!"
"No!" Anne's voice was firm and final.
Both Hermione and Fanny froze.
"Sorry," Anne said quickly, stepping forward to hug Hermione. "It's not that I don't want people to know about us. I just… not right now. When this term ends, I plan to tell Aaron and Diana officially. They won't object."
"There's a reason for this, I promise," she added. "When the time is right, I'll tell you everything."
Hermione nodded.
"Anyway," Anne said, shifting the mood, "I've got snacks in my bag from last night. Let's sit and eat. I'll figure out a way to handle this."
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That evening, back in the Slytherin dormitory, Fanny pulled a chair over and sat next to Anne, who was reading.
"We need to talk."
"What is it?" Anne didn't even look up.
"You and Hermione, you're not having problems, right?"
"Nope."
"Then I don't get it," Fanny said, tapping the desk. "Why is your relationship so complicated? I'm starting to question my own emotional intelligence. First, Hermione didn't want to go public, which I get. But now you don't want to either?"
Anne sighed and set her book down.
"It's not that our relationship is complicated," she said, turning to Fanny. "It's the world around us that is."
Fanny raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
Anne looked around. No one else was in the dorm yet, but she still pulled out her wand and cast a Muffliato charm.
A shimmering ring of light passed briefly around them.
"What's that?"
"A charm to keep others from hearing us. Called Muffliato."
Fanny sat straighter. "Wow, this is serious. You're finally telling me something! I was starting to wonder if you actually thought of me as a real friend."
Anne rubbed her nose awkwardly. "I didn't know how to explain it. But yes, what I'm about to say is important. Your family might want to take precautions too…"
"You mean about the Dark Lord?" Fanny whispered. "The Ministry's been busy lately, haven't they? I heard they caught a Death Eater who started that fire…"
Anne's eyes darkened. "They did. But they're too slow. Too inefficient. The Death Eaters are growing stronger, and they're hiding, while the Ministry is exposed. It's hard to find them."
"I heard," Fanny said, "Dumbledore has a secret group fighting him."
"The Order of the Phoenix," Anne confirmed.
"You know about it?" Fanny looked stunned. "So it's real? I knew Dumbledore would never just sit by."
Anne had always known Fanny leaned toward recklessness. But seeing the admiration and excitement in her eyes, Anne couldn't help asking, "Fanny, how did you end up in Slytherin?"
"The Sorting Hat debated," Fanny said. "But I chose Slytherin. My grandma said I'd make good friends here. She was right, look at you."
Anne couldn't help but laugh.
"So, what exactly does the Order do?" Fanny asked. "My grandma always said Dumbledore was the fiercest fighter against the Dark Lord. She says today's magical world is worse than before. That the Dark Lord's actions are selfish and evil, yet people still follow him. Purebloods hardly even exist anymore, most wizards are mixed-blood, and Muggle-borns have helped the magical world grow in so many ways."
"Your grandma sounds amazing," Anne said sincerely.
Fanny beamed. "She is."
"As for the Order, they exist solely to fight the Dark Lord."
Fanny nodded, prompting her to go on.
"I'm a member," Anne said.
Fanny clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes gleaming with I knew it. "Hermione doesn't know, does she?"
"No."
"I won't tell her," Fanny promised. Then added, excitedly, "Can I join too?"
Anne shook her head.
"Okay, fine… but what do you do in the Order? Most nights when you're out late, you're either with Slughorn or Dumbledore. Where's he been lately anyway?"
"I just help out with little things," Anne replied. "As for Dumbledore, he's been traveling, looking for allies to help us fight Voldemort."
"Sounds simple. Why not just work with the Ministry?"
"That's what I wanted to tell you. The Ministry might be compromised. Tell your parents not to talk about any of this at work. And never, ever, send letters about it by owl."
Fanny nodded seriously. "Got it."
"There's one more thing," Anne said, a little uneasy. "I may need your help sometime."
"I'm in," Fanny said without hesitation. "We're best friends. I don't care if it's dangerous, I care more if you shut me out just because I'm a Slytherin."
Anne blinked, then smiled brightly.
"Alright then. I won't hold back."
Fanny grinned back and pulled her into a hug.
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The complete release can be accessed through Patreon.com/Crimson_Lore