The Flower and the Badger

Chapter 13

"What?!" Anna gasped. She could feel her face pale. "Hermione's been petrified?"
Harry merely tugged on her arm. "Just come on!" He led her to the hospital wing, and sure enough, there Hermione laid. Anna rushed to her side, almost not believing it. "No..." She whispered. She had just been in the library with Hermione hours before this had happened. "I shouldn't have left her..."
"Anna, you couldn't have known." Harry consoled her. "Besides, if you hadn't, you might have been petrified too."
Anna shook her head. "Whoever's doing this, they've been going after Muggle-borns."
"Miss Potter." Madame Pomfrey said firmly. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"I can't leave her!" Anna protested.
"Anna..." Harry said gently. "Just come on..." He took her hand, tugging her out of the wing. When they were in the hallway she broke down, and Harry gathered her into his arms.
"T-this is all m-my fault!" Anna sobbed, and Harry shook his head.
"None of what happened is your fault."
"N-none of this would have h-happened if I had just s-stayed in the library with her!"
Harry shushed her as she sobbed into his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around his sister's shaking frame. He kissed her head, sighing softly as he tried to think of a way to calm her down. Then it came to him. "Let's go and see Cedric, okay?"
Anna silently nodded, and he kept an arm wrapped tightly around her as they made their way to the Hufflepuff common room. He knocked on the door to the entrance, and a fourth year girl answered. "Yes?"
"Is Cedric in there?" Harry asked, to which the girl nodded. "Can you get him please? It's rather important. Tell him that Anna needs him."
The girl disappeared back into the room, soon returning with Cedric, who took one look at Anna before pulling her into a warm embrace. "What happened?" He whispered to Harry.
"Hermione." Harry whispered back. "She's been petrified. Anna's really taken it hard, she blames herself for it."
Cedric nodded slowly. "I'll take care of her from here, is it alright if I bring her back to Gryffindor Tower later?"
Harry nodded. "You seem to really be the only one that can calm her down."
Cedric didn't bring Anna into the common room, rather, he brought her to his dorm, which was empty of other boys. He sat on his bed, pulling her into his chest. "None of what happened is your fault Anna. You couldn't have known that she would be petrified. I'm sure that if you had known you would have stayed with her." He continued to comfort her until her sobs had ceased, and she used her robe sleeve to wipe at her tear-stained cheek.
"Thank you Cedric." Anna murmured quietly, and Cedric smiled at her. "You needed help, and I was only too happy to give it to you."
"I should get back, they're probably going to be worried about me."
"I'll walk back with you."
"You don't have to-"
"Anna." Cedric said in a playfully stern voice. "I'm walking you back and that's final."
Anna rolled her eyes. "You're so stubborn, you should have been a bloody Gryffindor."
"No thanks. I fall victim to Fred and George's pranks enough as it is."
"You and everybody else. Except Malfoy. They can never prank him enough in my opinion."
"Too true." Cedric chuckled.
"Potter!"
Anna groaned. Speak of the devil. She turned to face the blonde and his two bodyguards. "What the hell do you want Malfoy? I'm really not in the mood."
"Word's going around that your little Mudblood friend Granger got petrified."
Anna wondered how they found out, then remembered that Ron had a really hard time keeping his mouth shut. "What about it?"
"I'm willing to bet that whoever opened the Chamber is going to go after blood traitors next. You'll be the first to go."
"You know Malfoy, from the way that you're talking, it almost sounds like you were the one who opened the Chamber."
Draco scoffed. "I wish. No, it wasn't me. If it was, Granger would have been the first to go."
"Malfoy, I hexed you once, I can do it again. Or I might just punch you in that pretty little nose of yours."
"I'd like to see you try-"
Wham!
Anna's fist made direct contact with Draco's nose, and he went sprawling to the ground. Crabbe and Goyle went to attack Anna, but Cedric had his wand out in a flash. "If I were you I would be less focused on getting revenge and more focused on getting your friend there to the hospital wing. His nose is bleeding pretty badly." He smirked before continuing to walk down the hall with Anna.
"Anna, I'm starting to think that you have a death wish."
Anna smiled innocently. "Why, whatever do you mean Cedric?"
"Always the innocent one aren't you?"
"Everyone knows that I'm a perfect angel."
Cedric shook his head as he laughed. "You're impossible."
"And yet you love this impossible girl."
"How, I can't see why."
"Oi!" Anna protested, looking a bit put out, and Cedric chuckled as he ruffled her hair, yelping as she swatted his hand away. "That hurt, you know!"
"Good. That's what you get for messing up my hair."
"It's all unruly anyways."
"Which is exactly why I don't need you messing it up even more than it already is." She stuck her tongue out at him as they reached Gryffindor Tower. "Thanks again Ced."
"Sure thing Annie. I'll see you tomorrow."
Anna waved to him before entering her common room and collapsing on the couch. Alicia Spinnet raised an eyebrow. "That was a rather dramatic flop."
"I deserve to be dramatic after punching Malfoy in the nose."
"Since I'm older, I suppose that I should reprimand you, but there's no way in Godric that's happening. The little git had it coming to him."
Anna grinned at Alicia. "Alicia, this is why you're one of my favorite Gryffindors. Honestly, Percy could learn a thing or two from you."
"Just don't tell him that." Alicia giggled. "He would be appalled that you thought someone would make a better prefect than him."
Anna pretended to zip her lips. "Your secret is safe with me." She then stood up. "I'm heading to bed, so I'll see you tomorrow."
"Night Potter."
Anna was so exhausted that she didn't even bother changing out of her robes before collapsing onto her bed and falling into a deep sleep.