The Flower and the Badger

Year 5: Chapter 1

Summer came and went. When everyone went back to school everyone saw Anna's change in appearance and personality. She was more sullen, and had taken to hanging out with people like Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy. She had also dyed her hair a jet black and had it cropped short. Remus had no idea what had brought about this change, and he didn't like it. Everyone seemed just as confused as he was, especially when Hermione had tried to talk to Anna and Anna snapped, calling her a Mudblood.

"I don't know what's gotten into her." Harry said in a letter to Cedric. Now that Cedric had graduated, he and Harry kept in touch via owl, and Harry kept Cedric updated on his sister's increasingly odd behavior.

She didn't even seem to care about Cody anymore, she hadn't even brought him to school with her, he had remained with Remus.

"Something definitely happened to her when they were restoring her memory." Hermione said as she sat with Ron and Harry in the library. "Blaise told me that she's been studying dark spells."

Blaise didn't like Anna's change of behavior either, so he kept the others in the loop on what Anna was doing when he could.

"Maybe they messed up when they brought her memories back." Ron suggested. "She's definitely off. I mean, she'd getting along with Umbridge."

Their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge, absolutely adored Anna, and the two seemed to be getting along splendidly, much to the shock of everyone around them.

"Or maybe she's being mind-controlled or something." Harry added. "Because there's no way that she would just suddenly change in personality like that, something is up, and we have to find out what it is."

"If we can even get close to her." Hermione grumbled. "She won't let us get within five feet of her, not to mention that Pansy and Millicent follow her wherever she goes."

Pansy and Millicent loved the change in Anna's personality, and the three were almost always together.

"She hasn't even written Cedric once." Harry continued. "It's like she doesn't even care about him anymore."

"I've been hearing rumours as well." Hermione said. "People are saying that she's accepted the Dark Mark."

"No way." Harry shook his head. "I know that she seems different, but there's no way that she would become a follower of Voldemort."

"I don't know mate." Ron said. "She's been doing all sorts of stuff that she wouldn't otherwise do. I mean, she called Hermione a Mudblood."

"We need to get to the bottom of this." Hermione said firmly. "We have to figure out exactly what happened to her and how we can change it."

Hary only hoped that Anna wasn't too far gone.

Anna sighed as she flopped down onto Pansy's bed. "Granger tried to talk to me again. Honestly, why can't she just take a hint and leave me alone?"

"Because she's a nosy busybody." Pansy responded as she rolled her eyes. "Always trying to get into everybody else's business."

"Well she's going to wind up getting herself hexed one of these days."

"Professor Umbridge would turn a blind eye to it as well. She absolutely loves you."

"I know." Anna grinned. "If I wasn't in Gryffindor, I probably would have racked up loads of points by now."

"People are saying that you got the Dark Mark, is it true?"

Anna gave her a small smirk as she rolled up her sleeve, revealing the black ink. "See for yourself."

Pansy looked incredibly jealous. "My parents won't let me get mine until I graduate."

"I guess being an orphan has its perks after all. No one to tell me what to do. And if Lupin thinks that he can tell me what to do, he has another thing coming. Not to mention that Diggory keeps on sending me letter after letter, even though I ignore each and every one."

"We need to find you a new boyfriend." Pansy said. "That would make him back off. I can set you up with somebody."

"Just make sure that it's someone cute, no one like Crabbe or Goyle."

"Just leave it to me." Pansy smirked. "It may not be someone as hot as Draco, but I'll do my best."

"So are you and Draco a thing?" Anna asked, and Pansy huffed in annoyance. "I wish. But it seems like recently the only girl that he seems to even look at is Astoria Greengrass."

"Poor dear." Anna patted her on the back, and Pansy stuck her tongue out at her. "The sarcasm is practically dripping off of your tongue."

Anna laughed as an owl appeared with a letter for her. "Oh, it's from Kate!" Anna and Kate frequently wrote each other, they had become extremely close, with Kate frequently calling Anna her protegee. Kate said that if Anna continued to show promise she would quickly rise in the Death Eater ranks, and maybe even be able to join Lord Voldemort's inner circle.

"What are you going to do if Granger continues to bug you?" Pansy asked, and Anna shrugged her shoulders. "Do something to make sure that the thought of talking to me won't ever cross her mind again."

Luckily for Hermione, she had decided against trying to talk any more sense into Anna, and left her alone for the most part. One day Anna was summoned to Umbridge's office.

"Yes, Professor?" Anna asked as she walked in, inwardly grimacing at how pink it was. But naturally she didn't say anything, she wanted to stay on her good side after all.

"Miss Potter." Umbridge smiled at her. "Please, have a seat."

Anna sat down, smiling at her. "Is everything all right Professor?"

"Yes, I just wanted to have a little chat with you. Tea?"

"Oh yes please."

Umbridge poured Anna a cup of tea and added a bit of cream and sugar to it before handing it to Anna, who slowly sipped it.

"I wanted to talk to you about your current...housing." Umbridge continued. "You are in Gryffindor, correct?"

"That's right." Anna said as she wrinkled her nose. "Unfortunately."

"Well, I thought that we could use the...rather unfortunate circumstances to our favor."

"What do you mean Professor?"

"You know what a rowdy and unruly bunch they can be, they're always breaking the rules. If you ever see one of them breaking one of my educational decrees, I want you to report them to me. Do you think that you can do that?"

"Of course." Anna said immediately. "They go against everything that I stand for. Mudbloods and blood traitors, the lot of them."

Umbridge smiled widely at her. "Thank you, you shall be rewarded handsomely for being so eager to help me, I can assure you of that."

"No need Professor,I'm happy to help my favorite teacher here."

Umbridge giggled at this compliment. "Thank you dear, you may  go now."

Anna nodded and she stood and left, and Umbridge smiled at her retreating back. The other Gryffindors would be in for a world of hurt now, she would have to make sure that she had enough quills at the ready.