7
Anna sat at her house table, barely paying attention to the Sorting Ceremony. It was the same thing every year: nervous first-years getting sorted into their houses, then Dumbledore’s usual speech—riddled with strange jokes and cryptic advice—before dinner was finally served. She knew the routine by heart and, like many older students, found herself zoning out halfway through.
Her mind wandered to Quidditch practice, her heart quickening at the thought of being back on the pitch. She couldn’t wait to feel the cool breeze whipping through her hair as she soared through the sky, her hands gripping the broomstick. The season promised to be a tough one, but Anna thrived on competition. Her mind flitted to strategies and plays, wondering how their new lineup would succeed.
"Anna," Marlene whispered, leaning behind Mary. Anna looked over, leaning behind the third year beside her.
"What's up?" Anna whispered.
"You look like your head's in the clouds," Marlene cracked a smile at Anna's flushing face.
"Sorry, I was thinking of Quidditch," Anna sheepishly responded, looking over as the food appeared on the tables.
Regulus glanced across the Great Hall, his gaze settling on the Gryffindor table. Even with the boisterous clamour and laughter of excited students filling the dining room, the Gryffindor table was by far the loudest. The animated conversations and bursts of laughter carried over to his side of the hall in a constant, irritating wave.
James Potter and Sirius were at the centre of it all, laughing and joking with their house. They were impossible to miss, their boisterous personalities drawing attention like magnets. Regulus’s frown deepened as he watched them pestering the redheaded Muggle-born witch—Lily Evans, he remembered—who sat a few places down from Anna Longbottom. The two boys laughed obnoxiously, seemingly finding great amusement in whatever teasing remark James had just made.
But it wasn’tLily’s discomfort that caught Regulus’s attention. It was the way Anna reacted to Sirius’s antics. She tried to push him away, shaking her head in mild exasperation, but a laugh escaped her despite her clear attempt to seem annoyed. Regulus's frown deepened even further as he watched Sirius sling an arm around her shoulders, grinning as if he hadn’t a care in the world. His brother’s easy laughter rang through the hall, a sharp contrast to the quiet intensity Regulus had always tried to maintain.
The sight bothered him more than he cared to admit. Something about Anna lured him closer, no matter how hard he acted as if he hated her. He hated her for her house- the same house that was starting to tear apart his family. No member of the Noble House of Black should've been a Gryffindor.
“What’s wrong, Black?” Dorcas asked, snapping Regulus from his thoughts.
“Nothing, just wish my bloody brother and his house would learn to quiet down,” Regulus answered.
Once Dorcas and their friends went back to their conversations about the summer, Regulus turned his attention back to Anna. Sirius had finally gotten away from her and gone back to his friends.
After all, no lions would have a fighting chance at surviving an ancient family snake pit. The youngest snake knew that all too well. The Noble House of Black wasn’t a place for the brave and reckless, the ones who charged in with their hearts on their sleeves like so many lions. No, lions didn’t survive in the shadows of power, secrets, and manipulation. They'd be swallowed whole before they even knew what happened. Yet, the young snake knew that not all snakes survived either. They could eat themselves alive if they so pleased. The snake pit was its own worst enemy for it held the power to destroy itself. Perhaps the lion wasn't the only doomed creature in the pit, and maybe the snakes themselves didn't know how they were to constrict themselves.
Anna felt a cold, sharp gaze on her. She looked around, catching the calculated, cold grey stare of Regulus Black. She held it, her head turned slightly towards her friends. How long had the younger Black brother been staring her down?
“You sure you're alright, Annie?” Mary asked, eyeing Anna's half-picked plate.
“Yeah, you've barely touched your plate,” Marlene commented.
“I think my body forgot how filling the welcoming feast can get. So I'm heading to the common room,” Anna answered as she rose.
Remus got up to join her, not bothering to excuse himself from dinner. Both truly wanted a break from the chaos that surrounded their friend groups. The fourth year fell into step with his friend.
“I saw him staring,” Remus whispered, a teasing grin spreading across his cheeks as they stepped into the corridor.
“Who? Black from my year?” Anna quizzed. Remus hummed and nodded.
“Idon't know why he was. He's refused to talk to me since first year,” Anna shrugged.
“He looked jealous with Sirius around you. Maybe he likes you?” Remus suggested, gently bumping his elbow into her arm. Anna rolled her eyes, a small, embarrassed smile spreading on her face as they walked the main corridors.
A few weeks had passed, and the days seemed to blur together as Anna’s birthday approached. With each passing day, a small part of her dreaded the looming celebration. To her, it was just another reminder of growing older, another year of expectations and responsibilities. But to the Marauders and most of Gryffindor House, her birthday was a prime excuse to throw a party.
James and Sirius, ever the masterminds of chaos, were adamant about inviting all the houses, determined to make it a night to remember. Frank, naturally, backed them up with his own enthusiasm, eager to celebrate his little sister in grand style. Meanwhile, Remus, Peter, and Alice tried to steer the conversation towards something more manageable—just a small gathering with a few close friends, limited to Gryffindor and the few Slytherins Anna befriended.
Today, though, the thought of her birthday felt particularly burdensome, and Anna craved peace. She slipped away from the common room, leaving behind the noise and endless banter about the party. Her brother and friends could argue about it all they wanted; shecouldn't care less now. She was only turning fourteen and fourteen wasn't as grand as seventeen, the age Frank was turning this winter. She just needed space to clear her head. The cool, quiet allure of the Astronomy Tower called to her, promising solitude and a brief escape from the world below.
For it being before dinner, Anna figured more students would be roaming the halls and ascending the Astronomy staircase. Yet, the number was solemn. The higher she rose on the spiral staircase, the more tension fell from her shoulders.
Step by step, the tight knot in her chest loosened. The constant pressure to keep her marks above Regulus’s in class, a silent competition she wasn’t sure why she still engaged in, faded into the background. She had been pushing herself harder than ever this term, always trying to stay ahead of him in Potions, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Something about the silent competition clung to her like a (Insert magical animal), with a need to prove herself not only to the youngest of the Black family but to her family. She needed to prove she was as smart as her older brother.
And then, of course, there was the looming dread of her birthday. The excitement her friends felt was almost suffocating, especially when all she wanted was for it to pass quietly. But up here, away from the noise, she could almost forget about the plans being made on her behalf, the pressure to enjoy something that felt more like an obligation than a celebration.
Anna pushed open the heavy wooden door, and a cool breeze rushed past her, swirling down the staircase. She stepped forward but froze mid-step, her eyes locking onto the figure standing by the tower's edge. Of course, it had to be him.
Regulus Black, the last person she wanted to see right now, was standing with his back to her, seemingly lost in his thoughts. His dark, curly hair stirred slightly in the wind, and as if sensing her presence, he turned his head to see who had joined him. His sharp grey eyes met hers, and for a moment, there was an unreadable flicker of recognition.
"Longbottom."
"Black," Anna greeted back just as curtly, silently willing her body to head towards the railing.
Regulus watched her as she stood beside him, leaning against the stone railing, the wind catching strands of her hair. Another flicker of something unrecognizable passed across his face, though it was gone as quickly as it appeared. He shifted his gaze away from her, choosing instead to focus on the shimmering reflection of the setting sun on the Black Lake far below.
"What'd you come here for?" He asked, his voice cool, though his curiosity was apparent, "Get tired of my idiot brother?"
Anna let out a half-hearted laugh, the sound both resigned and amused.
"I needed a break from them," Anna mumbled. They're constantly fighting over what they're planning, and they even looped Frank and Alice in on it."
"Your birthday?" Regulus asked.
Anna snapped her head toward him, her brow furrowed slightly. For as long as she could remember, Regulus Black had been distant, aloof, and seemingly full of disdain whenever they crossed paths. He wasn’t rude, but he’d never been this… civil, either. And yet here he was, not only making casual conversation but somehow knowing about her birthday.
"How do you know?" She asked cautiously, still thrown by his sudden civility.
"Dorcas and Pandora won't stop talking about it," Regulus answered casually as if it were common knowledge, "Apparently, they’re determined to give you a better gift than Frank and Sirius."
Anna turned back toward the lake, nodding slowly. She wasn’t sure what surprised her more—how easily Regulus seemed to know the gossip surrounding her birthday, or how relaxed this conversation was as if they weren’t supposed to be rivals in the classroom and on the Quidditch pitch.
"Everyone's excited about it," Anna whispered, a pain tugging at her heart as she realised. Regulus glanced at her.
"Are you not excited?"
"It's just another birthday," Anna shrugged.
"Is it or have people just made you feel that way?"