Anna Potter and the order of the phoenix

Chapter 9

GREAT HALL–DAY
[Rose opens her edition of the Daily Prophet and sits up in alarm.]
Rose: I cannot believe it! [Anna glances at her. She slaps the paper down on the table.]
Rose: (reading headline) "Ministry Passes Educational Decree Number Twenty-Three: Dolores Umbridge Appointed Hogwarts High Inquisitor"?
"Fuck." Said Sirius.
"What is that?" Asked Lily.
Anna: What's that mean?
Rose: It says here that the High Inquisitor has the power to all of the teachers.
Anna: You're kidding!
Rose: That's not all. The High Inquisitor also has the power to sack teachers as well. [Fred and George march by.]
Fred: So, seen the news have you?
George: Umbridge is inspecting McGonagall.
"No one will sack Minnie!" Said James and Sirius.
George: Personally, I envy you two.
Rose: Why is that?
Fred: In your period. That old toad won't know what hit her. [She looks at Fred wistfully.]
George: Oh, to be a youth again, to experience the innocent glee of watching Umbridge be destroyed by the greatest Head of Gryffindor this century.
"This century? Minnie is the best. Always." Said James. Sirius nodded.
Fred: Well, we'll expect a full report after.
George: Complete with facial expressions. [And they wander off.]
DIVINATION CLASS - DAY
[Professor Trelawney stands before her class.]
Trelawney: Greetings my children. I sense even now that many of you have already made the transition into the beyond! [Umbridge smiles, toad-like.]
Trelawney: Today we will be
continuing our interpretation of prophetic dreams. Please divide into your groups and discuss your recent night time visions using the text as a guide. [Rose and Anna open their books, while listening to Trelawney and Umbridge.]
Umbridge: And how long have you been at this post?
Trelawney: Near to sixteen years I have been the guide to young seers possessed of the Inner sight. [Umbridge makes a note.]
Umbridge: I understand you are the descendent of the famous Seer Cassandra Trelawney?
Trelawney: I am.
Umbridge: And you are the first since Cassandra to have the second sight?
Trelawney: These things tend to skip... several... generations.
Umbridge: Of course. [She makes another note.]
Umbridge: Now, if you would kindly make a prediction for me? [Trelawney seems to swell with indignation.]
"That's not how it works." Said Regulus.
Trelawney: The Inner Eye does not see upon command! [Umbridge smiles unpleasantly and makes an extensive note. Trelawney becomes agitated and looks around wildly. She steps up to Anna, who recoils slightly.]
Trwlawney: My dear girl, your dream diary, if you please! [Anna nervously hands her diary to her. She takes it with trembling fingers and gazes at it for only a moment. She drops it back to the table and gives a little scream.]
Trelawney: My dear girl! My poor girl! These dreams are evil portends! [Anna looks at the page.]
Anna: (reading) "Dreamt I was at breakfast eating oatmeal"? [Trelawney stares at her for a moment. Umbridge smirks background, making more notes.]
"She will be sacked." Said Barty.
Trelawney: Yes, yes, oatmeal! Are you telling me you cannot see the signa? The foretelling of suffering and death? Perhaps you are not as in the beyond as the others. [She sweeps from Anna's table.]
Umbridge: Well, if that's the best you can do, Professor, I will be going.
ASTRONOMY TOWER–DAY
[Anna walks toward Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia is painiting Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy dancing, while eight year old Cassie is playing the piano. All of them are smilling and seem very happy.]
Narcissa and Lucius smile.
"She is very talented." Said Regulus.
[Cassiopeia feels Anna's gaze and turns around.]
Cassiopeia: Do you like it?
Anna: It's good.
Cassie: It's a gift.
Anna: For who?
Cassie: My father. He has birthday next week.
"She painted for me." Said excited Lucius. Narcissa smiles at him.
[Anna tears her gaze from painting and looks at Cassiopeia.]
Anna: Why did you call me here?
Cassie: I came up what i want for favour. [Anna stiffens at that.]
Gryffindors and Barty look at Anna worried.
Anna: What?
Cassie: I want you to tell me your secret. Something no one knows about you. Not even Weaslette.
Anna: Secret for a secret. Makes sense.
Slytherins agreed.
Cassie: (smirking) You understand.
Anna: I know you don't have to, but please, don't tell anyone about it. [Anna takes a deep breath.]
Anna: Remember when i said my aunt doesn't like me? [Cassie nods]
Anna: It was understatement. Petunia, her husband and her child hate me.
Cassie: Why?
Anna: Because i have magic.
Cassie: They hate magic? [Anna nodded.]
"Muggles." Sneered Lucius.
Anna: They treated me like slave. Till i got Hogwarts letter i lived in a cupboard under the stairs. They made me do chores, like cleaning, cooking, taking care of garden and so on. If i didn't do what they wanted, they would give me punishment. Sometimes it was just being locked in cupboard without food and water for weeks, sometimes they would hit me.
"What?!" Shouted angry Sirius. James, Barty, Lily and Remus shook with anger.
Cassie: (angry) What?!
Anna: It wasn't that bad. Only few slaps. Most of the time they just ignored me.
"It's still bad!" Said Lily.
Cassie: But how did you survive weeks without food?!
Anna: I started pickpocketing and bought food with stolen money, but i stopped after i got my father's money. I swear.
"It's your money, sweetheart." Said James.
Cassie: Does Dumbledore know about them?
Anna: He knows they hate magic and me, but i don't know if he knows how they treated me. I mean.. I didn't tell him, but recently i found out he had spy in my neighborhood, so he might know. Not everything, but enough.
Gryffindors, Evan and Barty look very angry.
Cassie: Then why didn't he help you?
[Cassie has hard time containing her anger.]
Anna: There is some kind of blood protection which forces me to live with my mother's relative aka her sister.
Cassie: There has to be other way.
Anna: Carefull, Malfoy or i might think you care. [Cassie scrowls at her.]
Anna: Seriously, don't worry. Now they are scared of me because of my magic, so they are for themselves and i am for myself. I don't even notice them most of the time.
"Good. They should be scared." Said angry James.
[Cassie looked at her differently.]
Cassie: I promise, your secret is safe with me. [Anna looked at her surprised.]
"Whole point of finding out about her secret is to use it when necessary! Not to keep it!" Said angry Lucius.
"Leave the children be, Lucius." Said Narcissa. Lucius scrowls.
Cassie: And Anna, You did a terrible thing, it doesn't mean you are a terrible person. You did what you had to do to survive. There is nothing to be ashamed of in that. You aren't a bad person. [Anna looks at her mesmerised, than snaps out of it.]
Anna: You called me Anna. [Cassie blushes.]
Lucius glared at screen.
Cassie: It's your name, isn't it?
Anna: You have never called me Anna.
Cassie: (blushing) I take it back, Potter.
Anna: No. Call me Anna... Please.
Canna shippers(including Remus now) are excited.
[Cassiopeia looks at her surprised.]
Cassie: Ok, Anna. [Anna smiles to ear to ear. Cassie blush doesn't go away.] You can call me Cassie, too.
Anna: Thank you, Cassie. [Cassie smiles.]
"They are so cute." Squeled Lily.
"I can't take this cuteness." Said Barty, clunching his chest dramatically. Lucius, James and Sirius glared protectivly. Surprisingly, Regulus didn't this time. Narcissa noticed and smiled.
"You like Anna, too. Admit it." Said Narcissa.
"She isn't bad... For Gryffindor." Said Regulus. Narcissa smiled.