Vincent sat in the train compartment, looking deep in thought. The story he heard yesterday still shocked him, although not as much now.

"Your move," said Arnya as she took a black prawn with her white knight. The two of them decided to play a game of chess on the way home to pa.s.s the time. "You ok?"

"Harry"s probably taking it worse than me," said Vincent, thinking of his next move. He made his move and sat back. "I feel like, no, I know that I"m missing something important. It"s driving me crazy!"

"Check. Your move," Arnya looked up at Vincent. "So how are you going to react around Sister An now that you know her past."

Vincent sighed as he moved out of check. "Well, to be honest, I thought about confronting her about it, but then again, after thinking about it, I"ve decided on my answer."

"..." Arnya moved her piece. "What kind of answer?"

"I don"t really give a d.a.m.n about what her past was like," Vincent said with a smile. Arnya raised her eyebrows. "Man, never thought I"d say those words, sounds just like him."

"Him?" Arnya thought, but didn"t press.

"No matter what she was like, the Sister An that I know now is someone I love," Vincent looked thoughtful before moving a rook. "She took me in and looked after me, just like a mother. If I were to look at her differently just because I heard she did something bad, it"d be insulting to whatever she had done for me."

"What about me?" Arnya asked. "What if I had done something bad in the past?"

"...Depends on what it is," Vincent replied honestly. "But I think, I"d still look at you the same."

"...What if I do something bad in the future?"

"I"d tell you off," Vincent answered. "I"ll keep doing it until you take responsibility for your own actions."

Arnya stayed silent as she moved her queen. "Checkmate."

Vincent"s brow twitched as he looked at the board. "You"d give Ron a run for his money. This is like what, your sixth win?"

"Ten to me, eight to you," said Arnya.

Vincent glared at the chess board before resetting it. "Again."

...

"Annie Pettigrew, oh what a pleasant surprise!" a beautiful black-haired woman gave a crazed smile as woman dressed in brown robes appeared in front of her.

The two of them were under an old building in a chamber with concrete pillars surrounding them. They both stood some distance away from each other.

"Bellatrix," Annie muttered. "Wheres Frank and Alice?"

"Oh," Bellatrix took on a mocking look of surprise. "Those two lovebirds? Haven"t seen them since a couple of days ago, you just missed them."

The corners of her mouth then twitched into a smile. "Oh, but they did leave some of their belongings behind. Shall I go fetch them for you?"

Bellatrix clapped her hands as a men in masks, resembling a skull of some sort, walked out from behind the pillars, surrounding her from all sides. Two of them carried bodies that levitated towards Annie. Not carefully handled, the bodies were roughly dropped at Annie"s feet, lifeless. She quickly pulled out her wand, slowing their fall right before they hit the ground.


"Alice?" she said shakily as she got down to look at a woman"s body who, despite breathing, looked no better from a corpse. Her eyes were blank as they stared at Annie, but not seeming to register anything. The other body, a man"s, was in a similar condition. "Frank?"

"I didn"t lie, their souls were long gone a few days ago," a sick smile was plastered on Bellatrix. "But their bodies were left behind."

"...You destroyed them," Annie said silently.

"Thought you"d be moping after losing dear old Lily and that little rat of a brother," Bellatrix cackled. "Never thought my brother had it in him. Oh, how he"s made the Black family proud!"

"Shut up," Annie said as her right hand moved to a pouch at her side.

"Or what Annie?" Bellatrix looked triumphant as she indicated to the ma.s.s of Death Eaters in the surrounding. "Or what? Oh, maybe you"ll kill me?"

Several chuckles were heard at Bellatrix"s sick antics. Bellatrix smiled, confident in her victory. "Oh Annie, face it, your outmatched. Even if your dueling skills were outstanding, fighting off this many...well, let"s just say not everyone is as powerful as our Dark Lord."

"Your Dark Lord is gone Bellatrix."

The smile faded from Bellatrix"s face. "That"s what those two lovebirds kept saying before breaking. I don"t believe it, the Dark Lord is never gone."

"..." Annie kept her right hand in the bag while her left hand holding the wand was on guard.

"...I"m growing weary of this conversation, kill her." Bellatrix turned as she started walking away.

"Avada Kevadra!!" Voices echoed out as green bolts fired from the ma.s.s amount of Wizards shot towards Annie.

However, as Bellatrix was walking away, she felt as if time slowed down. She felt like time stopped, as she heard the mutterings of Annie.

"...heart is of...."

"Broken...brittle."

"...loved and lost..."

"...the end...my world..."

"Cormeum!"

Bellatrix turned back and felt her heart drain cold. The countless green bolts flying towards Annie were seemingly dispelled by a glow that protected Annie. Death Eaters all around couldn"t speak due to the pressure and fear brought on by her as Annie Pettigrew drew a sword from the pouch on her waist.

As she did so, the ground beneath her started glowing, spreading all around the chamber until it encased it all.

What happened next could only be described as a ma.s.sacre as Annie sliced apart every single Death Eater there. Her eyes cold, she cut each and every one of them apart. Bellatrix tried multiple times to apparate, only to find that she couldn"t much to her dismay. Her eyes, seeing only the world that Annie has created, the world that obeyed only Annie Pettigrew.

In the end, Annie held her sword at Bellatrix"s throat. Bellatrix sat there on the ground in disbelief. The chamber returned to normal after whatever Annie did. Blood and corpses littered the area, giving off a putrid smell, but Bellatrix paid no attention to that. Fear clouded her face as she stared into Annie"s cold eyes.

"Annie," she gulped. "It was just a joke, I didn"t mean for any of this to happen..."

"Bellatrix," Annie said as she raised her sword. "Die..."

Just before her sword stabbed into Bellatrix"s chest, a rope rose from the ground, wrapping around her arm and pulling to the side, making the sword stab into Bellatrix"s shoulder. Annie didn"t pay attention to the screams of pain as she turned to see a group of wizards that had just entered the chamber. The corpses that littered the ground made several wizards kneel down and vomit. Dumbledore stood at the front looking grave as he approached Annie with his wand out.

"Did you do this Annie?" he asked quietly to which she nodded. "Calm down, we"ll take it from here."

Annie stayed silent as Dumbledore moved closer. "Calm down, she"ll be sent to Azkaban where she belongs..."

"She deserves to die," Annie muttered as she pulled out her sword, initiating another scream of pain.

"Dumbledore, help!" Bellatrix pleaded making several of the wizards widen their eyes. The Bellatrix, begging for her life.

Dumbledore stopped walking as he reached a completely dry spot where two bodies lay. His eyes were filled with tears as he recognised the Longbottom"s.

"After seeing that, do you think she deserves to live?" Annie asked as she prepared for another stab to the sobbing Bellatrix.

"Annie Pettigrew, I beg of you, stop!" Dumbledore"s voice echoed loudly around the chamber, his voice pleading. "I know your in pain, but don"t lose yourself! If you continue going further down this path of killing and violence, you"ll never come out of it."

"...Don"t stop me Dumbledore," Annie"s sword hand went limp at her side as she turned to face the Greatest Wizard. "I don"t want to have to fight you."

"...Neither do I," Dumbledore waved his wand, sending the bodies of the Longbottom"s towards the other wizards. Annie Pettigrew knocked out Bellatrix, bringing her hilt down on her. Annie knew that that was the only move that Dumbledore would allow for her to do without interfering.

Dumbledore and Annie Pettigrew stood facing each other, wand"s and sword ready, they prepared themselves for their duel. They both raised their wands.

"Final warning," Dumbledore advised.

"Not taking it," said Annie.

They both shouted out their spells, and thus the duel had begun.

...

Sister An opened her eyes and sighed. "Some dream."

She moved to a sitting position on her bed and sat there in silence. Ever since her meeting with Sirius Black, she kept thinking back to those moments. Sirius being imprisoned, her friends funeral, her brothers funeral, and her mother"s funeral. All one after the other. Then came the night that she decided to disappear. The duel with Dumbledore.

"He is the Greatest Wizard alright," she thought as she got dressed and started making breakfast for the kids. She then heard a knock on the door. "Coming!"

"Hey Sister An!" Vincent gave her a warm loving hug that she returned with a smile. "I"m back."

"Welcome home Vince," she said before seeing Arnya watching them. She let go of Vincent and wrapped her arms around a surprised Arnya. "Good to see you too Arnya."

"...I guess, me too," Arnya answered in a whisper of sorts, making Sister An smile.

"Why don"t you come in, I"m making breakfast," Sister An gestured to them.

"I"ll help out," Vincent offered as he took his shoes off and made his way into the kitchen.

"Thanks Vince," Sister An turned to Arnya. "Can you help set the table up?"

Arnya nodded as she wheeled herself to the dining hall. Sister An entered the kitchen to see Vincent preparing various toppings to go on pancakes and had a faint nostalgia, remembering a time when she once taught Vincent how to cook. She shook off the thoughts as she went up to make the pancakes.

"When did you come back?" she asked.

"Just last night," Vincent answered as he opened the fridge. "Walked around during the night with Arnya and returned before morning rose. It was pretty cold. Did you go back early? I didn"t see you."

"Some kids had just been orphaned, so I didn"t spend that long out last night," she explained. "Had to get back early and make sure that they had someone to talk to if they were afraid during the night."

"...So more of them huh?" Vincent said with a sad smile.

Sister An smiled as she place her hand on his shoulder. "That"s why this place exists, to help children like that."

"Yeah," Vincent agreed as he cut up some strawberries. "You hear about Hogwarts?"

Sister An paused for a split moment before taking the finished pancake out of the pan. "Yes, I heard of it. So Sirius managed to infiltrate Hogwarts after all."

"...You don"t sound so surprised," Vincent noted.

Sister An glanced at Vincent before letting out a breath. "So, detective, what have you figured out so far?"

"Haha! With my deductive powers, nothing can escape me!" Vincent said dramatically. He then coughed. "Um, well, I feel like I"m pretty close. I mean I"m extremely close, so close that I feel like I"m going crazy. It"s like losing a piece from a thousand piece puzzle. It"s so frustrating knowing that all you need is just one more, but you don"t know where to look!"

Vincent then looked at Sister An. "But, maybe you know something?"

Sister An had a wry smile. She knew that Vincent was perceptive, but he always manages to dish out one surprise after another. She didn"t know why he thought she knew something, but after some thought, she decided that talking things out would do them both some good.

"Let"s talk after dinner," Sister An proposed. "Looking after the children takes priority."

"Sounds good to me," Vincent agreed. "I sent something to someone in Diagon Alley, I should probably check on them today."

"Big bro Vince!" Vincent felt someone tackle his back, causing him to let out a breath of pain. He turned around to see Nim. "Welcome back!"

Vincent flicked her forehead, causing her to recoil and hold her head in agony. She looked up at Vincent with small tears in her eyes. "What was that for?!"

"I"m holding a knife, don"t just tackle me out of nowhere!" Vincent scolded Nim who looked wronged. She then felt a hand pat her head. "It"s good to be back Nim."

"Heh," Nim smiled. "Is big sis Arnya here?"

"She"s setting up in the dining hall, why don"t you help?" Sister An suggested. Nim nodded as she ran off.

"I"ll head off after breakfast and come back by dinner," Vincent said as he finished up.

"Sure, well might as well have breakfast since your here."

After some playful chatter with all the children, mainly Nim, and a delicious breakfast, Vincent and Arnya left to visit Diagon Alley.

"Sister An," Nim asked as they cleaned up. "Will I be able to go to the same school as Vince? It"s extremely lonely now that he"s gone most of the year."

Sister An sighed. "...The school that Vincent got into is special, it"s a miracle that he"s even allowed to attend."

She then looked at Nim who looked dejected. "But...maybe one day you"ll see it."

"..." Nim then smacked her cheeks, psyching herself up. "Since big bro Vince is working so hard, I have to try my best too!"

Sister An watched as Nim rushed around cleaning and smiled to herself.

...

The walk through London was incredibly chilly. Along the way, Vincent brought coats for both him and Arnya. A grey coat for him and a red and black coat for Arnya.

"What"s this for?" She asked.

"It"s cold out," Said Vincent.

"My blood keeps me warm, clothing is merely for looks."

"So instead of cold blooded, your warm blooded?" Arnya nodded. "What can"t your blood do? Well, just consider that coat a gift from me. I think it suits you."

Arnya looked at her coat and touched it, feeling the clothings smooth material. It wasn"t by any means magical, but it gave her a surprisingly warm feeling. Both inside and out.

"...This feels nice," she thought. "But why though?"

As soon as Vincent entered Diagon Alley, he turned to Arnya. "Not going to ask me where we"re going?"

"Should I?" She asked. "I mean, I"m going to find out anyway."

"Well...good point," Vincent and Arnya walked along the street till they found themselves in front of a shop with mannequins wearing different robes. "Here we are, Madam Malkin"s Robes for All Occasions."

"Welcome—oh, Vincent," a squat women with white hair and spectacles stopped adjusting one of the mannequins and trotted over to Vincent. "How lovely to see you again. That sleep potion of yours has made this old lady feel rejuvenated and youthful again."

"Happy to help Madam Malkin," Vincent smiled.

"So, what brings you to my shop," Madam Malkin said before noticing Arnya. "My, who"s this lovely lady?"

"My names Arnya, daugh—I"m Vincent"s friend," Arnya caught Vincent"s shake of the head before fixing her sentence.

"Arnya, that"s a lovely name," Madam Malkin went up and took Arnya"s hands, surprising her. "That"s a wonderful coat, it fits so well on you. Such smooth skin, ah, but I feel a sense of strength in them—"

"*cough*" Madam Malkin was brought back to attention at Vincent"s cough. She laughed as she released Arnya"s hands.

"Sorry, I have a habit of measuring people due to my profession," she explained. Arnya just had a weird look as she observed the somewhat kind lady in front of her. Madam Malkin turned to Vincent and folded her arms. "Are you here to see the end product of the gem you sent over?"

"That and something else," Vincent brought out the Dementors cloak, making Madam Malkin frown as she came up to observe it.

"A Dementors cloak I presume?" She stated. She then grabbed the cloak, taking Vincent by surprise.

"Wait! It"ll—?" Vincent noticed that Madam Malkin held the cloak without any signs of discomfort and paused.

"What? Don"t think I can take care off myself because I"m old? Haah, children these days," she scolded as she ran her hand through the cloak. "It"s not the first time I seen one of these, gave me the chills when I first laid eyes on it, now that I"m older, and wiser, I won"t easily be scared off by one of these things."

"I"d like you to make me a robe out of that," Arnya and Madam Malkin looked at him as if he was a lunatic.

"A—are you mad?!" Madam Malkin said paling. "Even though I"m not terribly affected by it, putting on such a dark object without knowing the consequences is extremely dangerous!"

"Can you pa.s.s it to me?" Vincent asked. Madam Malkin gave a questioning look as she handed it over.

Vincent wrapped the cloak around his arm and walked to the doorway. He swung his arm back, making Madam Malkin"s widen in realisation.

"Stop! You"ll break you—!"

Too late, Vincent"s arm smashed against the edge of door frame with such force, creating a large dent.

"Let me see your arm, quick—?" Madam Malkin felt stunned as Vincent"s arm was unwrapped, looking perfectly fine.

"Shock absorption, a useful ability," Arnya said. She looked at Vincent with a questioning gaze. "How did you find this out?"

"Dropped a gla.s.s bottle on it, end result, it didn"t break," Vincent explained as he turned to Madam Malkin. "I also suspect that this cloak has some magic resistance, coming from a Dementor and all."

"...and why do you think that I"m the right person for this job?" Madam Malkin gave Vincent her usual stern look that is known to her customers.

Vincent already prepared his answer. He put on an innocent smile. "Because your one of, if not the best robe maker in all of London—"

"Oh, stop it with the flattery," Madam Malkin smiled happily at the praise. "I"m happy for the praise, even if it was just empty words. Very well, I"d best not let my customer down now."

"Thank you," Vincent smiled. "How much do I pay you?"

"For this? Five thousand Galleons at least."

Vincent paled at the price, even though he was in no way poor, that amount of money spent would definitely make him so.

"Oh, I"m just kidding," Madam Malkin laughed as she slapped Vincent"s back. "You always look too mature for your age. That expression on your face would make Boggarts laugh! Don"t you think Arnya?"

Vincent turned to Arnya and noticed her looking at him with a hint of a smile.

"It"s, refreshing to say the least," Arnya states.
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Vincent coughed in embarra.s.sment and turned away, only to see Madam Malkin grinning at him.

"Well, to be honest, the cost wouldn"t be much lower, and I can"t give it to you for free. How about this, thirty sleep potions, grape flavoured."

"Grape...flavoured?" Vincent thought about it a bit before nodding. "Well, if that"s all, then I accept."

"Although it"s less expensive to make, thirty will still eat up money and time," Vincent sighed in his head.

"Oh, and before I forget," Madam Malkin walked to the back and came back out, carrying glowing green ball of string. "Turning such a rare gem into string was a very tiring job mind you."

"Here"s the promised payment," Vincent took out a bag of galleons and placed it on the counter. "It was nice seeing you Madam Malkin, stay healthy."

"Don"t go jinxing me now boy," she snorted before smiling. "But it was nice to see you, you too Arnya, both off you take care."

After letting them out, she looked at the dent in her doorway made by Vincent and waved her wand. It quickly started to repair itself until it was good as new.

"That boy"s strong."

Arnya looked back at the shop and thought to herself. "That lady"s nice."

Vincent looked at the sky which was still bright. "We still have time before going back, want to go anywhere?"

"Me?" Arnya looked confused. "I go wherever you go."

Vincent winced making Arnya even further confused. "Are you hurt?"

"...no, well, I felt like my emotions took a hit," Vincent saw that Arnya had no idea what he meant by that and continued pressing on. "Anywhere you want to go right now, where would it be?"

People walked by as Arnya thought to herself, hard. Vincent also waited at the side looking at the string ball made of the green healing gem that he got from the Walking Willow.

"I hope I have enough," Vincent thought.

"Home," Vincent looked to Arnya who had answered. "I want to go home."

Vincent smiled wryly. "It"s not like we can go to your home right now, I"m kinda afraid your dad will kidnap me—"

Arnya gave him an odd look. "I"m not talking about that place."

"What place are you talking about?" Vincent asked, his turn to be confused.

"The place I"m living now, where else?" Arnya said, as if the answer was obvious.

Later, they found themselves in front of a familiar abandoned house. Arnya wheeler up and opened the door.

"This is the home I want to go back to," Arnya said as Nim and Blimp flew to greet them. She patted them. "I"m home."

Vincent stood there in silence as he observed the two of them.

"Vincent?"

Vincent just smiled as he entered the house. "It"s nothing."

With all that"s been happening, he felt that it was nice to take a break every now and then.

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