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SIYE Time:15:29 on 29th March 2024
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Darkness Within
By MollyandArthur

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Category: Pre-OotP, Alternate Universe
Characters:Albus Dumbledore, Draco Malfoy, Dumbledore, Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Minerva McGonagall, Neville Longbottom, Other, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Severus Snape, Sirius Black
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, General
Warnings: Dark Fiction, Death, Disturbing Imagery, Intimate Sexual Situations, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Negative Alcohol Use, Rape, Sexual Situations, Violence
Story is Complete
Rating: R
Reviews: 144
Summary: Tom Riddle opened the Chamber of Secrets while he was a student at Hogwarts. He committed another horrific act that same year. Now decades later, the students of Hogwarts continue to be impacted by his crimes. How will Ginny and her friends handle the darkness within?
Hitcount: Story Total: 148779; Chapter Total: 6860







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Chapter 11
Lessons and Exams

Neville sat with Ginny and Anna during the final game for the Quidditch Cup. It was Gryffindor against Slytherin. The match was the most brutal he had ever seen, and judging from the reactions of those around him, it was the most violent game the vast majority of the spectators had ever witnessed. Madam Hooch awarded numerous penalty shots to the Gryffindor team and frequently yelled at a member of the Slytherin team.

When Harry caught the snitch, Neville shouted himself hoarse as Ginny and Anna screamed, hugged, and laughed beside him. The party that night in Gryffindor tower was nearly overwhelming. Sweets and butter beer had been abundant, as well as a bottle of firewhiskey, which had passed among the older students.

Everyone in Gryffindor had congratulated the members of the Quidditch team numerous times. Harry, in particular, had blushed at the amount of attention and accolades he received. It had been a brilliant weekend! Unfortunately, it was quickly followed by the immense demands of studying for finals.

Neville was honestly not too worried. He only really cared about Herbology, and he knew he would do well in that subject. He hoped he would do okay in his other subjects, but he knew Herbology was his future, the only discipline that was truly important to him. Since he didn’t want to disappoint his grandmother or Remus, he made an effort to study every subject diligently before his exams began.

The fifth and seventh year students, who were studying for OWLs and NEWTs, were particularly stressed and short tempered, but Neville found that all of the students were a bit edgy at this time of year. Hermione was looking especially out of sorts, and even Anna seemed far more stressed than usual.

By the time of the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam on Thursday, he was just pleased that the end of the school year was almost upon them. Professor Lupin’s exam was an obstacle course during which the third year students had to fight off several magical creatures, including a Grindylow, Red Caps, a Hinkypunk, and a Boggart in a magical trunk.

Neville was reasonably satisfied that he performed well enough when facing each creature, though he knew that he was a bit slow in realizing that the Hinkypunk was trying to lead him astray. Anna emerged from the obstacle course in good time; however, she was decidedly pale and shaking after successfully completing the exam.

“Anna!” Remus exclaimed as he grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her over quickly, including a glance at the palms of her hands. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” she gasped. “It was just the Boggart! I’m fine, completely fine.”

Anna moved away from the testing location as quickly as possible with Neville close beside her.

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Neville asked.

“I just want to get back to the tower. Please Neville, I need to lay down for a while,” she said.

Neville put his arm around her protectively and led her back to the Gryffindor dorms.

He still had his Divination exam later that afternoon, but her exams were finished for the day.

******************************** **************************************** *************

Anna laid on her bed shaking, relieved that she was alone in the dorm room. Hermione would be taking her Muggle Studies exam now. Lavender and Parvati would be with Neville taking the Divination exam. She had some time to be alone to get ahold of herself.

Anna groaned angrily. She should have thought, should have realized, what the Boggart would turn into. Remus had been very clear that a Boggart turns into your worst fear. In truth, Anna thought she had many fears and had been relieved during that first class at the beginning of the school year when she had not had a turn with the creature. During the final exam, alone in the trunk with the Boggart, she had seen him. The Boggart had become Tom. She should have known.

Suddenly overwhelmed, Anna waved her wand, murmuring spells to seal and silence the room for just a short time. She allowed herself to become lost in the memory, in the horror of seeing him again. The Boggart had become Tom. He had stood before her, the swaggering proud young Slytherin prefect had walked towards her with malicious glee. He had unzipped his pants, and in terror, Anna had sent a cutting hex at him, before remembering the proper incantation of 'Riddikulus'. Her curse had caused his penis to shrink, before falling off and dropping to the ground. The rest of his body parts had broken off and fallen in bits all around her.

Anna laughed hysterically as she lived the moment again in her mind. Her crazed laughter turned to screams and then sobs. She felt as though she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t get control.

It was the first time she had seen Tom, other than in a nightmare, since that day with the Pensieve at her grandmother’s house in Virginia.

“Grandma,” she moaned desperately, as her mind went back to that cold December day over a year ago. Her father had just left their house after declaring that Anna would be attending Hogwarts beginning the following school year.

Her grandmother had called her into the living room and removed her precious Pensieve from its locked box with slightly shaking hands. Over the years, Anna had frequently been allowed to view memories in her grandmother’s Pensieve. They had always been fun, happy moments of time. Her favorite memories were of her mother when she was a child.

“Anna,” Grandma began, a tear sliding down her cheek, as she took an unsteady breath. “There is a…a memory I must show you. It’s not going to be pleasant, and I’m so…” she shuddered slightly. “I’m so sorry, my dear, but you’ve got to know!”

“Why?” she asked fearfully, gripping her hands tightly. “What do I have to see?”

Her grandmother cut open her thumb with her wand allowing a drop of blood to fall on a closed wooden box Anna had never seen before. The box opened, and she removed a marked vial, dropping the contents into the Pensieve, stirring slowly.

“Your father insists that you attend Hogwarts. I must teach you how to protect and defend yourself, and before those lessons begin, you must know why they are necessary,” she replied in a hollow voice. “Please go into the memory. You know how, and we will talk when you…when you come back out.”

Anna’s mouth opened in shock. “You’re not coming in with me?”

“No,” Grandma said, shaking her head violently and sinking into the nearest armchair. She twisted a handkerchief in her fingers. “I’m sorry. Go in. You must see.”

Anna had gone into the memory, had seen the dark corridors of Hogwarts, had witnessed the horror of Tom’s vicious attack on Katherine so long ago. By the time she exited the memory, tears were streaming down her pale cheeks. Her grandmother had held her tightly in her arms, comforted her, dried her eyes, and helped her understand the horrible truth.

“Is he still there?” she asked in a small voice. “Is that man living in Britain now?”

Grandma shook her head slightly. “I don’t believe so. I made some quiet inquiries a couple of years ago, and his name had not appeared in the Daily Prophet, that’s the newspaper there. The young man I had look into it was only able to look back at the previous dozen years or so, but there was no mention of his name at all.” She sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly. “Hopefully, he is long deceased. If he is still alive and living in Britain, he can’t possibly be anyone of importance or his name would have been in the paper at some point, for a birth, marriage, Ministry event, promotion…something. Wizarding society in Britain is rather small.”

Anna sniffled and rubbed at her gritty eyes, still trying to process all that she had just learned. “I’m so sorry, Grandma,” she said helplessly. “Did my mother know?”

“No, dear,” she replied, smoothing back her granddaughter’s hair from her face. “I never had to tell her. She was safe here in Virginia. I hoped you would be too, but now….now you understand, of course, that you must never speak of this,” her grandmother said seriously. “No one must ever know the truth. Your grandfathers were both healers. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Grandma,” she promised.

Katherine nodded, satisfied. Her granddaughter was a strong, intelligent girl, and she showed signs of being magically powerful.

“I will teach you how to protect and defend yourself,” she said. “What I am going to teach you is not taught at Hogwarts. It is advanced magic, and some of it is not pleasant. You will learn Occlumency to protect your mind. It will enable you to always be in control and to keep your secrets. The spells that I will teach you, well, the good news is that you’ve already learned quite a few healing charms and potions.”

Her grandmother had trained her relentlessly during those last few months of her life, thus Anna had learned how to survive.

Now, in her dorm room in Gryffindor tower, Anna took a slow, deep breath. Control, she thought forcefully. You must stay in control. She closed her eyes, taking refuge in her Occlumency skills to compartmentalize her mind. She felt herself becoming more centered, more calm as the minutes passed.

******************************** **************************************** *************

That evening after dinner, Ginny sat with Anna and Neville in the Gryffindor common room.

“Did you hear about the hippogriff, Buckbeak?” Ginny asked them. “It’s supposed to be executed at sunset.”

Anna nodded grimly as she looked out the window. The sun would be setting soon.

“I notice Harry, Ron, and Hermione are not in the common room this evening,” Neville said quietly as he glanced around. “Do you think they went to visit Hagrid?”

“I don’t know,” Ginny replied. “They may have. Hopefully, if they did go to visit him, they won’t be caught. Hagrid could get into even more trouble.”

“Not to mention Sirius Black is still on the loose, and no one is supposed to be wandering the grounds in the evening,” Neville added.

Ginny caught Anna’s gaze, and they looked at each other guiltily for a moment.

Seamus came over to propose a game of exploding snap, and Neville accepted. Ginny and Anna watched the game, while surreptitiously glancing around the room periodically for their missing friends.

“Will you be going to the Quidditch World Cup this August?” Seamus asked. “It’s being held right here in Britain, and I like Ireland’s chances!”

Anna smiled. “It would be fun to see a professional Quidditch match of that caliber.” She turned to Neville. “We should ask Aunt Augusta if we can go.”

Her cousin grinned at her as he shook his head slightly. “You ask Gran,” he declared. “She’ll say ‘yes’ to you far more easily than if I ask her.”

“All right then,” Anna agreed. She gazed over at her friend. “Do you think you’ll be going, Ginny?”

Ginny thought for a moment and bit the side of her bottom lip. “Dad can usually get tickets for things through his Ministry contacts, but I don’t really know for sure. It would be wonderful to go to the World Cup,” she said longingly.

Anna reached over to squeeze her hand. “Hopefully, we’ll all be able to go.”

Seamus gave his opinion about the strengths of the Irish team and the weaknesses of every other professional team. Dean walked over to listen, although he had little to contribute as his knowledge of Quidditch was rather limited. Lavender and Parvati soon joined them, but they had no interest in sports and wanted to talk about the latest trends in dress robes.

Anna lost interest quickly and stood up. “I’m exhausted. I think I’ll turn in,” she whispered to Neville as she kissed him on the cheek. “Good night, everyone,” she said to their little group.

“Oi,” Seamus exclaimed. “I’d like a ‘good night’ kiss as well.”

Anna raised her eyebrows in surprise as she looked from Neville to Seamus. Then, she smirked. “Good night, Seamus,” she murmured as she kissed his cheek.

Seamus grinned broadly, as Anna walked away towards the dorms.

******************************** **************************************** *************

The next morning at breakfast, Neville tried to hide his shock at learning that Remus Lupin was a werewolf. The news spread rapidly from Professor Snape to the Slytherin House and to the other students at Hogwarts. When his wide eyes met Anna’s, he realized he had missed something she already knew and accepted.

“What will happen now?” Ginny asked nervously.

Anna sighed. “He will probably have to resign his teaching position. Wizarding Britain is not ready for a werewolf teacher at Hogwarts.”

Neville blinked. “Does Gran know?” he whispered in her ear.

“Of course, she knows,” Anna replied. “He always took his days off during the full moon. It wasn’t really difficult to figure out.”

“Do you think he will still be our tutor this summer?” he asked quietly.

“Yes,” she confirmed. “He is only ever dangerous one night a month. The prejudice against werewolves is outrageous. I’m quite sure he will still be our tutor, and I’m going to confirm it right now.”

Anna rose swiftly and walked out of the Great Hall, heading directly towards Professor Lupin’s quarters. Neville got up and hurried after her. She climbed the stairs rapidly, and her cousin was panting slightly by the time he caught up with her in Remus’s office.

Neville stopped just inside the open doorway, behind Anna. “Remus,” she said.

He turned to them. “Hello, Anna, Neville.” He looked far more haggard than they were used to seeing him.

“We heard the news that you’re a werewolf,” Anna remarked sardonically.

Remus chuckled and met her eyes. “I’m sure you were shocked.”

Anna smirked, and then became serious. “You will still be our tutor, won’t you? I need you Remus, more than even you know. Please tell me you will be at Longbottom Manor this summer.”

He studied her seriously for a moment. He had never known her to sound so desperate. “Are you sure you both still want me to be your tutor?” he inquired, looking from Anna to Neville.

“Yes,” Neville said, as Anna nodded and smiled.

Remus exhaled slowly. “Then I will see you both at the manor in a little over a week.”

Anna hugged him and tried to blink back the tears in her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“Perhaps you’ll confide in me more soon,” he murmured.

“I’ll try,” she promised.

He shook hands with Neville and clapped him on the shoulder. “I need to pack and leave in a few hours, but I will see you both at the manor. Enjoy your last week here.”

“We will,” Neville replied.

They soon parted, leaving Remus to pack his belongings before the owls from disgruntled parents could arrive at Hogwarts.

******************************** **************************************** *************

The final exam results came out, and Neville was relieved to see he had passed every subject, even potions. It was no surprise at all that Anna had passed all her tests. As he spoke with his roommates and friends in Gryffindor tower, it soon became apparent that everyone had done well. They had also heard the good news from Hagrid that Buckbeak had somehow escaped just prior to his scheduled execution.

Spirits were high as students packed their belongings and discussed plans for the summer holidays. The Hogwarts Express would be leaving soon to take them to King’s Cross station. He checked his trunk three times to be sure he had all of his belongings and put his toad, Trevor, in a cage for the journey home. Anna was stroking her owl, Mista, as he walked down to the common room.

“Are you all packed and ready to go?” he asked his cousin.

Anna nodded. “Yes, I’m just trying to decide if Mista would be happier in her cage with us, or flying and meeting us at home.”

Neville grinned. “Flying, definitely. She hates her cage,” he observed.

“You’re right,” Anna sighed, as she walked her owl over to an open window and talked to it briefly before letting it fly out of view.

Soon they were all loaded on the Hogwarts Express. As the train pulled out of the station, Hermione announced that she was dropping Muggle Studies.

“I thought you liked that class,” Ginny asked in confusion.

Hermione nodded and shrugged. “I do like it, but I was far too busy trying to keep up with my classes this year. Now that I’ve dropped Divination and Muggle Studies, I’ll be able to keep up better next year.”

“So, we’ll be taking the exact same classes then,” Anna smiled.

The girls talked about electives and their plans for the summer, while Ron and Neville got in one last game of wizard’s chess. Harry was watching the game, curious to see if someone could finally beat Ron, when he saw an owl outside the window. Opening it quickly, he grabbed the small owl and removed the attached letter. A wide grin spread across his face as he scanned the note.

Harry glanced around at his friends and took an audible breath. “There’s something I’d like to tell you all,” he said looking at Neville, Ginny, and Anna. “You know about the danger from Sirius Black, right?”

Hermione was peering at Harry with wide eyes.

Her gaze seemed to sober him slightly. “Look, I can’t tell you too much, and I’m sorry for that, but I want you to know that Sirius Black is innocent of all the charges against him. Unfortunately, only a few people are aware of it, and we can’t actually prove it right now.”

Ginny stared from Harry to Ron and back again. “Well, that’s great,” she said slowly. “Does Professor Dumbledore know?”

“Yes,” Harry quickly responded. “He knows. The brilliant bit is that Sirius is on the run and safe right now.”

Neville’s eyes went from Harry’s excited face to the letter in his hand. “Is that a note from Sirius Black?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, and he’s my godfather. So, we’ll be trying to keep in touch now. And, look at this!” Harry held up a piece of parchment with a single sentence on it. The note gave Harry formal permission from his godfather to visit Hogsmeade on scheduled weekends.

Neville grinned. “That’s brilliant, mate.”

“Oh, and Ron,” Harry continued. “Sirius says the owl is a gift for you.”

“For me,” Ron asked in astonishment looking at the owl carefully.

Ginny smiled as she reached over to stroke the small owl’s soft chest feathers. “What will you name it Ron?”

“Don’t know?” he murmured still looking at the owl in shock.

“How about Pigwidgeon?” Ginny suggested.

“That’s a very creative idea,” Hermione responded diplomatically.

“Do you all think you’ll be going to the World Cup in August?” Neville asked.

They spent the remainder of the trip in a spirited discussion about Quidditch, and the teams that would be participating in the World Cup. As the train pulled into the station at King’s Cross, they gathered their belongings and said their goodbyes, eager to begin the summer holiday.

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