October 8th.

The next morning, Anna continues her avoidance of the Gryffindors. Not permanently, she just needs time to think.

First thing on her agenda: finding and making up with Andromeda.

"Andy! I need to talk to you," she says, without a joking note in her tone.

"Go ahead," Andromeda nods her head and clutches her notebooks close to her chest.

"I just wanted to say I'm so sorry. I understand that hearing me say that I didn't have a choice would feel like saying you made the wrong decision. And I'm really sorry for that. And you were right and wrong simultaneously. I don't have a choice right now. I have to take it myself. I'm not marrying someone I don't love. Not in this lifetime or the next. Thank you for helping me see that," Anna declares solemnly.

Andy beams, "I knew you'd come around. I forgive you, you're welcome, and if you ever need anything, Ted and I will help you out. If your parents go on a rampage like mine this Summer, you're welcome to stay with us."

"Thank you, Andy," Anna says, her voice thick. "I'm probably going to have to take you up on that. I have to go, but I'll talk to you tonight, alright?"

"Where are you going?"

"I have to go break up with my fiancee who I've talked to once before," Anna says, then barks out a laugh.

Without another word, Annalee Fawley takes off back to the Slytherin common room.

But waiting outside of it is Lily Evans and Sirius Black.

"Why are you ignoring us?" Lily asks.

"And why'd you go on a date with Evan?" Sirius adds.

"Can't talk now," Anna says quickly and darts into the common room.

Then she starts on the second thing on her agenda, breaking off her engagement.

"Evan!" she calls upon seeing him reading on the couch. "Can I talk to you?"

With that same conniving smile as yesterday, he nods his head and slams his book shut. 

They go into a broom closet attached to the common room.

"What can I do for you, Anna?" he asks patiently.

"We need to break off our engagement. I don't want to marry someone I don't love. No offense," she quickly adds.

Instead of being angry like she expects, he glances at his wrist watch. "20 hours and 17 minutes. I'm impressed. I thought it'd take you at least a day."

"Wait, what?"

"I don't want to marry you either. But I appreciate my life of luxury and my family a lot more than marrying someone who will most likely run away a day in. So here's what going to happen next, my friend-" Evan begins.

"We're friends?" Anna interrupts.

With a look, he says, "Yes, we're friends. Now, tell me exactly what it is you're plotting. I want in."

"I can do that. I'm going to write to my parents, tell them I want none of it. We'll go from there. I'll take full fault for the engagement, you don't have to worry about that," she explains.

"Good. I'm gay, anyways," he adds nonchalantly.

Anna laughs humorlessly, "That makes sense. Not like, you seem gay or any stereotypes or anything. Like that feels pretty fucking poetic."

He whistles, "So the girl's got a mouth on her, huh?"

"I'd curtsy, but I don't care," she remarks dryly. "Are we done? And thank you. For not freaking out, I mean."

"No problem, Anna. I hope we can be friends after this. You seem like a person I look forward to getting to know."

"You as well, Ev. Now I have to go break my parents cold, dead hearts," she says with such a cheerful tone, she could've been mind-controlled and it would've made more sense.

He wiggles his fingers in a wave and she departs from the closet, starting on the third part of her agenda:

Skip classes and write her parents a letter.

It takes her the better part of three hours, but she finally winds up with the below:

Dear mother and father,

I regret to inform you I will not be marrying Evan Rosier. Though he's a perfectly nice person, I simply do not feel a connection with him. I do not wish to be forced to love him. I will find love all by my lonesome. Whether or not the two of you stand by me in such endeavors, those are the facts.

Additionally, I think you can shove your stupid pureblood mania up your arses. (She scratches that part out.)

Additionally, you can not convince me that I am superior to my friends. I may have more money than them, but money is not everything. Strength of character is all that matters. With that in mind, please know that anything you do will not work. Whatever the consequences are for that, I will accept with a smile.

Thank you,
Annalee H. Fawley

And so Annalee seals her fate shut and ties it to her owl, Miriam, who flies away.

Fourth on her agenda, finding Professor Albus Dumbledore.

She talks to Gary (the gargoyle guarding the stairs) for a bit until she eventually tells him the password and he lets her in.

She knocks on the doorway to the office.

"Ms. Fawley, it's a pleasure to see you," he says in the same calm and soothing voice as the norm. "What can I do to help you?"

"I want to join the Order of the Phoenix. I can help. I want to. There are so many people like me, and I want to help them."

With a serene smile, Dumbledore says, "Good. Tomorrow evening after the dueling association, please come to my office and we can discuss further. I expect your situation to have drastically changed by tomorrow evening."

"Meaning?" Anna pushes.

"Your good friend, Ms. Evans, came to me earlier today out of concern for you. I put two and two together and am assuming that you're backing out of an arranged marriage."

"Yes, sir," she answers. "And speaking of Lily, I need to go talk to her. I appreciate your indulgence of my various endeavors and I look forward to pursuing them with you."

He smiles and his eyes twinkle beneath his half-moon glasses.

Anna leaves the office to begin the fifth item on her agenda.

She loiters outside of the portrait until a first year comes along at around 4 p.m.

"Hello. Do you think you could find Lily Evans for me?" she asks politely.

The first year nods and goes into the common room, ideally to find Lily.

Minutes later, a concerned-looking redhead protrudes from the room.

"Annalee, I want you to tell me what's going on," she commands.

Anna gives her a serious look, "My parents tried to force me into an arranged marriage with Rosier and I spent last night debating my future. I spent today enacting it. I have written my parents and they and Evan's have been notified that I am not marrying him. Evan didn't want to marry me either, so it all worked out. He doesn't lean my way, apparently. Questions, comments, concerns?"

"Are you okay?" Lily asks after a minute of processing.

Anna shrugs, "I will be. Eventually. I hope so, at least. It was an easy choice to make, I just wasn't sure if the repercussions - whatever they may be - will be worth it. I am now."

"Good. And should anything happen, you can always live with my family. Even if Tuney is a bloody buffoon," Lily jokes.

"Thanks, Lils. What'd I miss during classes today?"

The two talk for another five hours, being joined by Marlene, Alice, and Dorcas part way through.

Finally, it's time for dueling association. Yay!

Lily and Anna take their leave and head up to the seventh floor.

James and Sirius are nowhere to be seen a half hour later, so Lily and Anna work on a new spell: incarcerous.

"Incarcerous!" Lily says, mostly to her wand. Nothing happens.

"Innn-car-sare-us!" Anna tries. Nothing.

"Inca-sorcerous!" Lilt attempts. The both laugh when, once again, nothing happens.

"That wasn't even the spell!" Anna wheezes.

"Oh, shush!" Lily says. She turns back to the task, "INCARCEROUS!"

Ropes spill from the tip of the wand and tie around Anna's wrists and mouth, causing her to yelp.

"You did it!" she exclaims, though her voice is muffled. "Take it off now, please."

A smooth voice from behind her says, "I don't know, I like you better like this."

She narrows her eyes at him and mutters, "Incendio."

The ropes burn up and she throws the charred remains off of her. Then high-fives Lily, of course.

"Where've you two been for the past forty-five minutes, then?" Lily asks with her eyes narrowed at the bespectacled one of the duo. The other one is locked in a staring contest with Anna, of course.

"Quidditch practice ran late," Sirius says nonchalantly, not tearing his eyes away from Anna.

Anna scoffs, "Gryffindors don't practice at 9. Or on Tuesdays. What were you really doing?"

"Detention with stupid Filch," James mutters. "But you're one to talk. You went on a date with Rosier and then ditched us last night."

Anna rolls her eyes, "My personal stuff is none of your business."

"Fine then!" Sirius scoffs. "You should just go."

"Gladly," she sneers. She stalks out of the room.

As she leaves, she could swear she heard Lily whisper furiously, "What'd you do that for? I told you to be there for her, not push her away!"

But Anna can't promise anything, so she ignores it and chalks it up to hallucinations.