The Flower and the Badger

Chapter 16

Early the next morning, Anna awoke to Hermione shaking her.
"Mione, it's too early," Anna groaned and attempted to pull her blankets over her head, whining when Hermione yanked them back. "Do you know what your brother did?" Hermione hissed.
"No, but I have a feeling that you're not going to let me go back to sleep until you tell me." Anna sat up, resigned to the fact that she wouldn't be getting any peace and quiet until Hermione had finished complaining about Harry. Apparently Draco had challenged Harry to a midnight wizard's duel, and Harry had accepted. "Of course he did." Anna muttered. "I swear, sometimes it's like he has no brains."
Hermione went on to say that Draco had never showed up to the duel, and that they had almost gotten caught by Filch. Anna wondered why Hermione had been with Harry and Ron; she never hung out with those two.
"Wait, so you guys accidentally found yourselves in the forbidden corridor?" Anna asked incredulously, and Hermione nodded. "Yes, and there was this ginormous dog. Why Dumbledore lets them keep it in the castle, I have no idea. The only thing that I could possibly think of is that it must be guarding something."
A thought struck Anna. "That day Hagrid took Harry and I to Gringotts, Hagrid took something out of a vault, said that it was for Dumbledore. Maybe that's what the dog had been guarding."
"Do you know what it was that he took out of the vault?"
"No, it was wrapped in brown paper and Hagrid wouldn't show us what it was." The gears in Anna's head had started to turn, and thoughts of sleep were now pushed far from Anna's mind. What could be so important to Dumbledore that he would keep a large, vicious dog inside the castle? Anna didn't know but she definitely intended to find out.

Later on that morning Anna ran into Draco and his goons. Draco sneered at her. "Your brother certainly thinks he's something, doesn't he, Potter?"
Anna rolled her eyes as Crabbe and Goyle snickered. "At least he's not a pompous ass like you." Draco glared at her. "I'd watch your mouth if I were you."
Anna scoffed in annoyance. "What are you gonna do, Malfoy? Run and cry to Daddy?" Draco whipped his wand. "Listen here, you little-"
"You should watch it, Malfoy." Cedric came striding up to them, glaring slightly at the blonde. "You're lucky that I'm not telling one of your prefects, Malfoy. Now I suggest that you run along before I change my mind."
"This isn't over, Potter." Draco growled before storming off, Crabbe and Goyle on his tail.
"I had that handled." Anna said, and Cedric chuckled softly. "I could see that, I just figured that you wouldn't want McGonagall, or heaven forbid, Snape, to see you and Malfoy about to get into a wizards duel."
Anna supposed that he had a fair point. The last thing that she wanted was to spend an entire detention period with Snape. "I suppose that I owe you some thanks then."
"Don't mention it." Cedric assured her, smiling softly. "Can't have you getting into trouble now, can we?" Anna flushed a bit. "Harry's the troublemaker, not me." Cedric laughed lightly. "That's true, he just can't seem to stay out of it, can he?"
Anna shook her head as she began to laugh too. "He really can't. Him and Weasley are quite a pair."
"If Ron's anything like his brothers, I feel bad for their mother."
"Oh trust me, Fred and George are way worse."
Cedric started walking down the hall with Anna. "So..." Anna waggled her eyebrows at him. "When were you going to tell me that you're considered the Heartthrob of Hogwarts?" Cedric groaned loudly, and Anna laughed. "I was hoping that you would never find out about it," he admitted. "I just didn't want you thinking that I was some sort of stuck-up snob."
"I already think that about Draco. You're ten times better than I could ever hope of being."
"That's true. The whole Malfoy family is snobby, in my opinion."
Anna nodded. "From the things that I've heard about them, you're probably right." Penelope Clearwater had been all too happy to tell Anna about the Malfoy family. "They were followers of you-know-who." Penelope had said. "After the war, when you-know-who had disappeared, Lucius had claimed they had been under the Imperious Curse, but everyone knows that he's lying. Lucius didn't need any convincing to become a Death Eater."
Anna tuned back in to Cedric. "I have a feeling that they're a family to be avoided."
"You'd be wise to do that." Cedric said gravely. "Don't mess with the Malfoys, Anna, I don't want to see you get hurt. Lucius is very powerful, and very dangerous." Anna suddenly felt a pang of fear. Surely Lucius Malfoy wouldn't hurt a child...would he? Cedric seemed to be able to sense her fear, because he wrapped an arm around her. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."
"My hero." Anna said sarcastically, and he laughed as they stopped in front of the Charms classroom. "Looks like this is where I leave you." Cedric said, and Anna nodded. "Thanks for walking me back."
"No problem. Let me know if Malfoy gives you any more trouble, alright?" He smiled and gave her a quick hug before walking off.
"Why are you so red?" Hermione asked Anna as she sat down, and Anna frowned. "I'm not red-" she put a hand to her cheek and sure enough, she could feel the heat radiating off her cheeks.
"It's because of Cedric," Lavender giggled, and Anna stared at her like she was crazy. "Lavender, what are you talking about?" She asked incredulously. "There's nothing going on between me and Cedric."
"That's not what everyone's been saying," Lavender. "They're saying that you and Cedric are an item."
"We are not an item!" Anna had to fight to keep her voice down. "First of all, I'm only eleven years old, I'm not nearly old enough to be in a relationship, nor do I want to be in one."
"If you say so," Lavender giggled, and Anna rolled her eyes. Of all the ridiculous things for Lavender to say. She was not in love with Cedric; she wasn't in love with anyone. She refused to talk to Lavender about the subject any longer, and instead focused on her Charms work. In love with Cedric Diggory, honestly.