The Miraculous Effects of Darkness

Chapter Fourteen

"How was your school year?" Mr Burke asked Anika as they walked into the shop after Anika returned home for the summer.

"Good," Anika replied. She didn't really want to talk to the man and was very unwilling to discuss the topic that she knew would come up eventually- the custody battle. In order to avoid this, she hurried behind the counter, up the stairs and into the apartment above the shop. She didn't stop to greet Mr Borgin as she breezed through the living space and into the small back room that served as her bedroom

She shut the door behind her and sat on her bed, staring out of the window that gave her a view of Knockturn Alley, which was bustling with activity. Barley seconds after she had sat down the bedroom door was flung open and Mr Burke walked in.

"Who taught you to be so rude young lady because it certainly wasn't me." His voice held badly suppressed anger, "if your behaviour continues to be this abysmal we will be forced to remove you from Hogwarts and continue your schooling ourself next year."

"You can't," Anika replied, "I have been reading the Daily Prophet. Whilst the trial is happening I'm to continue my education at Hogwarts."

"What is happening in court is no business of-"

"Isn't it?" Anika asked, "I would have thought it would be, but no one has actually asked me what I want to happen."

"You are a child, we decide what is best for you," Mr Burke seethed. "Do not talk back to me, because I assure you I will not tolerate it."

Anika said nothing, but stared back at the man.

Mr Burke took two steadying breaths before he spoke again, "whilst you are in residence in this shop, you will cease contact with the Flamels and I would like you not to contact them at all in the future."

"What?" Anika demanded, "you can't-"

"Anika, if you have a problem with my rules, you can leave," said Mr Burke.

Each day Mr Burke added more and more rules to his list. Anika could not wait to go back to Hogwarts and regain some modicum of the freedom that she had enjoyed there the previous year. Mr Burke eventually found it fit to ban her from conversing with her friends from school and confiscated her owl, Stanley. Anika was able to find ways around this, by sending letters back to her friends with their owls. She only sent the Flamels one letter, telling them that Mr Burke had banned her from talking to them and they assured her that they didn't mind and would try and sort out the situation themselves.

It seemed that the custody trial was not going the way of the shop owners as Mr Borgin and Mr Burke grew angrier and angrier with Anika every day. She had been forced to cancel her subscription to the Daily Prophet, so was unaware of any developments that may have happened to make the men so angry.

On the 2nd of September, both Mr Borgin and Mr Burke accompanied her to Kings Cross where she would board the Hogwarts Express and return to Hogwarts for the year. The triad got a large number of sidelong looks from those gathered on Platform 9 and 3/4 and a good amount of muttering. This was nothing that Anika wasn't used to, but both men seemed very uncomfortable about it.

They came to a stop near the scarlet steam engine. Mr Burke passed Anika the cadge which held her owl and opened his mouth to say something before being cut off by a loud carrying voice.

"Goodness Sirius I do hope you're not associating yourself with her type, she's just as bad as mudbloods or halfbreeds in my eyes."

"Give it a rest." Sirius Black's voice was almost as loud as the woman's, "no one here cares what you think."

Anika's eyes searched the surrounding crowd and rested on Sirius, who was stood close by with his parents and a younger boy who must have been his brother. The whole family of four was staring directly at Anika. The beady eyes of the woman made Anika especially uncomfortable as there was a look of utter disgust on the woman's face.

"Do not speak to me like that," Sirius' mother smacked him across the head.

"Anika there is no need to listen to what others say," said Mr Borgin, drawing her attention back to him. "you are far more unique and valuable than most of the wizarding world."

"Make sure you write to us weekly," said Mr Burke, "and we expect you to return home for Christmas this year. Now go and get on the train."

Confused about the outburst from Sirius' mother, Anika heaved her trunk onto the train and set out to find her friends. She came across their compartment and Marlene helped her stow her trunk on the luggage rack.

"Have you seen the papers, Anika?" Marlene asked, "is it true?"

"Is what true?" Anika frowned.

"She had to cancel her Daily Prophet subscription," said Mary as Anika and Marlene took their seats, "This is what Marlene is talking about." Mary handed Anika a rolled-up copy of the Daily Prophet.

On unrolling the paper, it became immediately clear what Marlene was talking about as Anika once again saw her own face plastered on the front page. The headline made it evident what was happening, meaning that Anika had no need to read the rest of the article

How had the prophet fount out? Who had told them?

The Daily Prophet had revealed to the whole of the wizarding world that Anika had been created by the elixir of life and the prophet seemed to believe that this made her less than human. They argued that she was in the same league as Centaurs and Vampires and should receive the same rights as them.

"So is it true?" Marlene asked again.

"Which part?" Anika asked, "that I was created by the elixir of life or that I should have fewer rights than everyone else?"

"The first part obviously," Marlene rolled her eyes.

"Yeah that's true," Anika replied, looking back down at the prophet and beginning to read the whole article. "But I have no idea how the prophet found out."