Four days before Christmas, in the Slytherin common room, Fanny was enthusiastically telling Anne about her ski trip to the Swiss Alps during last year's holiday break. Anne, sitting beside her, listened intently.
In her previous life, Anne had never been abroad. Even after arriving in Britain, she hadn't had the chance to explore much. She had only been to London three times, twice to Diagon Alley and once to visit Jill's secondary school. Now that she had the means, Anne was determined to travel and see more of Europe whenever the opportunity arose.
"Anne, where will you be spending Christmas?" Fanny asked suddenly, pausing in her story. "I saw your name on the departure list."
"At my uncle's. He wrote yesterday to say he's received the necessary documents from the Muggle world. So officially speaking, he's my guardian now. I'll be moving into his house, or rather, I should say our house now," Anne replied with a natural smile.
"That's wonderful! Congratulations, Anne," Fanny said sincerely. Then she added, "Give me your address! That way, we can write to each other during the holidays."
"It's 12 Shaftesbury Avenue, West End, London."
"Shaftesbury Avenue in the West End? That's in the inner city, it must be an old, historic house. Anne, I just realized I never asked, what's your uncle's surname?"
"His full name is Aaron Hall."
"Hall? Anne, don't tell me you've never heard of the Hall family…"
Anne blinked in surprise. She genuinely didn't know what was so special about that name. Aaron had always told her he was just an employee in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. "I really don't know," she said honestly.
"It's in The Comprehensive Guide to European Wizarding Families. The Hall family is an old French wizarding family based in Paris, though they have branches all over Europe. I guess your uncle must be from the British branch. That also explains why he owns a house on Shaftesbury Avenue. You should definitely look up that book."
"Yeah… I think I really should." Anne realized she'd overlooked something important. In the wizarding world, especially in Europe, a person's surname carried weight. Cultural differences had made her ignore that fact.
Then, suddenly, a new thought struck her: her parents' surnames. She had long suspected that they, like Harry's, had been killed by Voldemort. But what about the rest of her family? Her father's side was likely a Muggle, after all, his brother, Garnet Reeve, was a Muggle. But her mother… Aaron had said her mother was a pure-blood witch, meaning she came from a wizarding family. Yet Anne had never even thought to ask about her mother's background.
"Fanny, have you ever heard of the Roland family?" she asked abruptly.
"The Roland family? Of course. They're quite unique among British wizarding families."
"Unique? How so?"
"I remember reading about them. They're a relatively new family, only about a hundred years old, and they have very few members. The book said they were a branch that split off from a much older, pure-blood reclusive wizarding family. But it didn't mention which family, just that the Rolands emerged in 1873 from such a lineage."
"Do you know if there are any living members?"
Fanny frowned. "Not really. That book barely mentioned the Rolands. I only remembered them because the idea of a reclusive pure-blood family intrigued me. Why are you asking about them, Anne?"
"No particular reason. I just came across the name and got curious. Also, the idea that there are hidden wizarding families still out there, it's fascinating."
Anne forced herself to calm down. Perhaps Aaron didn't want her to know about this yet. Maybe it was something she wasn't supposed to find out too early. She trusted that if he wanted to tell her, he would, when the time was right.
"I asked my parents about those hidden families too, but they wouldn't tell me anything," Fanny said, a bit deflated.
"Well, that's the nature of secrets. If they can be told, they're no longer secrets. Anyway, it's getting late. Time to sleep."
"Mm, tomorrow morning I'm going home for Christmas!" Fanny beamed and went back to her dorm.
The next morning, Fanny had already changed out of her school uniform and robes into a cozy set of winter clothes. She didn't forget to wake Anne either.
"Anne! Get up, you've got a train to catch!"
"Mmph... alright, alright. I'm getting up…"
Anne changed out of her uniform and long robes into casual clothes. It felt strange, like she'd been yanked out of the Middle Ages and into the modern world.
When she was done changing, Fanny gave her a once-over and commented, "Wow… I'm not used to seeing you like this. Ever since we met, you've always been in uniform or robes."
"Yeah, even I'm not used to it. But I guess everyone feels that way," Anne said, while packing up her things. "Aren't you bringing anything home? The train leaves at ten, right?"
"I'm not taking the train, Anne."
"Then how are you getting home?"
"I'm using Floo Powder. That's how I came to Hogwarts, too. My family's fireplace is connected to the Floo Network. I'll just use the one in Professor Dumbledore's office."
Anne looked at her in admiration. "It must be nice having privileges! Too bad we won't get to chat on the train."
Fanny blushed. "Maybe next time. My grandmother just worries that I'm too young to travel alone by train."
After finishing her packing, Anne slung her bag over her shoulder and gave Fanny a bright smile. "Well then, Miss Fanny, Merry Christmas in advance~ See you after the holiday!"
Fanny ignored the "Miss" and replied, "Merry Christmas, Anne! See you after the break~"
On the lawn in front of Hogwarts Castle, a group of students in regular winter clothes were gathered, chatting and laughing. Hermione had taken off her usual Gryffindor uniform and was wearing a jacket over a high-necked sweater, chatting with Pavarti Patil. Pavarti, a Gryffindor, had a twin sister named Padma in Ravenclaw.
Anne stood on the castle steps, gazing out at the group. For a moment, she felt a little dazed. Then, spotting Hermione walking toward her with purpose, she quickly moved off the steps to blend into the crowd.
Too late. Hermione caught up and beamed at her. "Hey! Anne, I was just looking for you! I thought you'd be staying at school. You're going home for Christmas too?"
Anne had braced herself to fend off more questions, but relaxed upon hearing it was just small talk.
"Yup! It's going to be a great Christmas, I'm going home!"
"Home? So, your uncle…"
"Yes! He got the Muggle paperwork done, so I'm moving in with him over the holiday." The thought made Anne smile again.
"I'm really happy for you, Anne," Hermione said sincerely.
Anne's ears turned pink. She looked away and asked, "What about Ron and Harry? Are they staying?"
"Harry didn't want to go back, and Ron's parents are away."
At that moment, Hagrid's booming voice rang out across the lawn. "First years, follow me! We've got to take the boats back the way we came!"
Anne turned to Hermione. "Hear that? Time to go!"
Hermione seemed like she wanted to say more, but followed Anne with a smile. "We can talk more on the train!"
Anne nearly tripped. Note to self, say nothing. Don't spoil the plot. No adventures with the trio. Stay quiet.
By the time the first-years reached the platform, the upper-year students had already boarded. Remembering Aaron's advice, Anne headed straight for the rear carriages of the Hogwarts Express, those were usually the least crowded.
Sure enough, the last carriage was completely empty. She picked a compartment and sat down, with Hermione following her in.
"Why did we walk all the way to the last carriage?" Hermione asked curiously.
As Anne set her bag down, heavy despite the Undetectable Extension Charm, she explained, "Uncle Aaron told me the rear cars are usually emptier. I didn't want to fight through the crowd to find a spot."
"But this is the Christmas break," Hermione said. "A lot of people stayed behind. The last two cars are probably completely empty."
"...Oh." Anne froze, ears going red again. "Well…"
Hermione burst into laughter. It was rare to see Anne flustered like this, she was usually so calm and reserved. "Anne, you're adorable when you're like this."
Anne bristled at the word adorable but couldn't think of a proper retort, so she just turned away and tried to stay calm. She's just a kid. Just a kid...
Hermione stifled another giggle and decided to keep the conversation light. "So, Anne, what are you planning to do over the twenty-day break?"
Anne turned back toward her. "Honestly, I haven't thought too much about it. But I do want to decorate my room and set up my greenhouse. That should take a lot of time."
"You have a greenhouse?! Wow! Your new place must be huge!"
"It's a small one, really. Nothing like the school's greenhouses. I think it can hold about twenty pots of magical plants. And of course, I'll need to work on my homework. Every professor assigned something."
"I've already finished my History of Magic homework," Hermione said. "It required so many reference books, I couldn't possibly take them all home. I also borrowed a few books I'm interested in. My suitcase is already full."
Anne glanced at Hermione's bulging suitcase. Yep. A true overachiever. "So, you're spending the whole holiday with your homework and books?"
"Mostly, yeah. There's still so much I don't know about the wizarding world. I'll also visit some relatives, my parents always do that over the holidays. Oh! Anne, I don't think I asked for your address yet!"
"12 Shaftesbury Avenue, West End, London."
"Got it! Brilliant! Now I can write to you over the break! I'll definitely have questions about Herbology!"
"...Sure." At least she's not asking about dangerous adventures, Anne thought. "Maybe I'll have a few Transfiguration questions for you too…"
"Oh, and my Herbology assignment has this part where, "
The rest of the train ride was filled with animated discussion about schoolwork. By the time they arrived, Anne was utterly drained. Hermione's enthusiasm for studying far exceeded any bookworm she'd met in her past life.
When they parted ways at the station, Hermione hugged Anne tightly. Anne didn't even have the energy to resist, she just wanted to get home and sleep.
"Anne, it was so great talking to you! Merry Christmas! See you after the holiday!" Hermione said brightly.
Anne gave a tired nod and walked out of the station.
Outside, Aaron was waiting by a small car. When he spotted Anne, he jogged over and ruffled her hair. This time, Anne didn't resist.
He looked concerned. "Little Anne, what's wrong? Did someone bully you?"
Anne shook her head. "No, Uncle Aaron. I'm just really glad to see you. It's just… someone talked my ear off about homework for the entire train ride…"
"Oh, that's hours of studying!" Aaron laughed. "You're working too hard~" He took her bag and placed it in the car. "Come on, let's take you back to the orphanage. You need rest. I'll come pick you up around four tomorrow afternoon. Does that work?"
"Yeah, that's perfect, Uncle Aaron."
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