A Sleepless Night

"Why..."

Why had she trusted him so much from the very beginning?

His voice was hoarse. Realizing that his emotions seemed to be slipping beyond his control, Snape had to use Occlumency to force them down.

"Because I've never thought you would break your promise. Whether or not there was that contract or that mark, I believed in you.

"More importantly, we're the same. We both carry the burden of a fate we know and want to change everything about the future.

"I think the bond between us is stronger than the most powerful magical contract in the world."

From the moment they first learned the secrets buried deepest in each other's souls, their fates had become intertwined.

Everything she had done since had woven a great web called "trust," binding the reborn him within it little by little.

The web was soft and comfortable, dazzling and enchanting. Even he found it hard to break free.

"Tomorrow's the first day of classes, and I don't want to be late. Let's get to bed early."

Anna covered her mouth, gave another small yawn, and stood up.

"Good night, Severus."

She walked to the entrance to the girls' dormitories, then turned and spoke softly to the boy standing by the fireplace.

"Good night..."

With his back to the firelight, Snape's face was shrouded in shadow, his expression unreadable.

There were plenty of dormitory rooms in Slytherin. Riley had made some arrangements in advance, and Anna was assigned a spacious single room. So was Snape, who had stayed by her side the whole time.

The House-elves had moved the suitcase she had left on the train onto the table in her room. She didn't open it; her daily necessities were all in her storage ring, where they were more convenient than in the suitcase.

After a quick wash, Anna changed into her pajamas and set the alarm clock she had adjusted by her bed. Then she flopped onto the mattress, raised her right hand, and stared at the black contract that only she could see.

"I mustn't indulge myself, Anna.

"That's something I can't touch..."

Only after a long while did she lower her hand and slowly close her eyes.

Meanwhile, in the Headmaster's Office, an elderly man who couldn't sleep was pacing about.

"Albus, can't you sleep again tonight?"

The Sorting Hat, perched high on a cabinet, watched Dumbledore pace back and forth and couldn't help asking.

"Don't worry, old friend. I'll go to bed in a little while."

He wore a purple dressing gown embroidered with sparkling stars that twinkled rather prettily.

"If you want to know who that girl really is, why don't you ask her yourself?"

The Sorting Hat couldn't bear watching any longer. Over the past few years, few things besides Tom Riddle had caused the headmaster so much worry.

"Oh, perhaps you're right. I'll have a talk with her.

"Before that, I'd like to ask, old friend: what exactly did you see in her mind?

"I've never seen you so shaken before."

He went over to the cabinet, took the Sorting Hat down from its high perch, and placed it on the desk.

"No, I can't speak of that.

"Albus, there are many secrets in this world that can't be spoken of. You know that.

"But aside from that, I did see many other things in her mind.

"And why don't you take a closer look at her full name? You might be in for a surprise."

At the Sorting Hat's words, Dumbledore first frowned, then looked puzzled. He promptly fetched Anna's enrollment file.

All the School Governors had the right to examine the file, including Abraxas Malfoy.

For that reason, Riley's father, Lamb Charles, the new School Governor who had been installed a few years earlier, had used his position to make some adjustments to both Anna's and Snape's records.

On the first page, her name was listed as Anna Grindelwald.

But both her parents were listed as unknown. Her current guardian was provisionally recorded as North's father, Balk Nagel, the man who had first brought Anna out of Nurmengard.

Her usual residence was also listed as the house in central London, rather than Grindelwald Manor.

Further in, the file contained scattered records of Anna's everyday experiences, including a graduation report from a Muggle primary school in the United Kingdom.

Most of the file was falsified, however. After all, handling documents and taking private lessons already filled her days. How could she have had time to attend primary school?

Even the several overseas trips mentioned in it had all been group activities with the Acolytes.

Dumbledore leafed through the file, which contained only a few sheets, twice over, but failed to find the full name the Sorting Hat had mentioned.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he took an already opened letter from a drawer.

It was the reply Anna had written to her acceptance letter.

He unfolded it. The reply was very brief, with nothing unusual about it.

Dumbledore slowly ran his hand over the clean, neat page, stopping at the signature at the end.

"Aparecium."

He murmured the incantation, and the letters of "Anna Grindelwald" on that line slowly shifted and stretched, finally revealing themselves before his eyes.

The conspicuous middle name, making no attempt to conceal its owner's intentions, appeared just before that man's surname.

-Anna Albus Grindelwald.

It was a sort of unrestrained spontaneity that brought to mind that summer in Godric's Hollow.

Bright, dazzling sunlight illuminated everything in the world with a captivating glow. Roses swayed gracefully in the summer breeze, wisps of their fragrance winding through every corner of the valley.

For more than half a century, he had thought this memory had grown hazy.

Yet when he recalled it again, it was unexpectedly vivid and lovely, without the slightest sign of fading. It had grown even clearer and brighter.

His fingers traced the name, but when they reached her given name, he abruptly stopped, as if unexpectedly burned.

The little secret on the letter had to be the girl's handiwork.

"By the way, you said you saw many other things in her mind?"

The old headmaster pushed up the half-moon spectacles on his nose. Something else the Sorting Hat had said had aroused his curiosity.

"Yes, she possesses many fine qualities.

"She believes that everyone's soul in this world is the same, with none superior or inferior to another, and she is willing to give everything she has to help those in need.

"She also has lofty ideals and goals. She hopes for world peace and wishes for everyone to have a good ending.

"To be honest, during the Sorting today, I kept wondering which house would suit her best.

"In a thousand years, I've never met a young witch like her."

"You rarely think so highly of a young witch or wizard."

Dumbledore sounded somewhat surprised.

"But she also has a very serious flaw.

"If I were to make a comparison, she's like the moon in the night sky.

"Inside, she's barren, cold, and utterly silent."