Bloodstains

The weather was overcast, and the light around her grew dim.

Thick, dark clouds gathered overhead. Before long, great drops of water raced down from the sky, like long threads connecting heaven and earth, joining into a torrential downpour that filled the world.

Rain fell in an unbroken stream at her feet, splashing muddy water into the air.

A new grave stood before her. The people in the two photographs wore warm smiles, yet held none of the warmth of life. Washed by the rain, they looked especially cold.

They were her parents from her previous life.

As if remembering something, the girl holding a black umbrella suddenly looked up.

Through the pouring rain, a god in black robes stood at a distance, facing her, his face concealed beneath the wide brim of his hood.

Anna remembered. This was the scene of her first meeting with that god of death.

It had happened when she was five years old in her previous life.

Even now, Anna could still clearly remember their conversation.

"I'll live a good life."

The girl answered softly, making a promise to the god who presided over death.

On the hospital bed, the girl's fine, soft eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. As if waking from a long dream, she slowly opened her eyes.

Perhaps because of the distant memory she had just recalled, she stared blankly at the ceiling for quite a while before coming back to herself.

Anna felt sore all over. It was an aftereffect of the magical outburst, a sensation she hadn't experienced in six years.

She struggled to sit up in bed. It had grown dark outside, and it was probably evening.

She lowered her head, and silver hair spilled in front of her. A patch of dried brown blood stood out starkly among the strands.

Whose blood was this?

The taste of the Soul Stabilizing Potion still lingered in her mouth. The few bottles in her storage ring were untouched, and Hogwarts' Hospital Wing certainly wouldn't have such an expensive potion.

Anna picked up the small clump of bloodstained hair and took a pair of scissors from her storage ring. With a snip, she cut it off and placed it in a crystal vial.

Thinking that North might have spoken to Snape about something at King's Cross Station yesterday, Anna tightened her grip on the vial containing the bloodstained silver hair. She had a vague guess at the truth.

She had realized how dangerous the magical outburst she caused could be several years ago, when she had nearly destroyed everything in Nurmengard's basement.

Even though Grindelwald had used all his magic to suppress it back then, he had been badly injured while feeding her the stabilizing potion.

Could this blood be...

Anna returned the vial to her storage ring and rubbed her aching, stinging eyes, letting out a long sigh in her heart.

The empty Hospital Wing was silent. Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, approaching from a distance. Accompanied by hushed voices, their owners entered the room.

The first thing Snape saw when he entered was Anna awake and about to get out of bed.

His brow twitched, but before he could say anything, Lily rushed forward.

"Anna! You still need to rest properly. You can't get out of bed!"

Seeing the red-haired girl rush to her bedside with anger and worry on her face, then plant her hands on her hips like a fierce little lion cub, Anna couldn't help laughing softly.

"All right, cough, cough, cough..."

Her throat was dry and hoarse, and after that one short sentence, she couldn't stop herself from coughing.

The anger on Lily's face immediately turned to alarm. She hurriedly picked up the kettle by the bed, poured a cup of water, and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Lily. I feel much better."

After drinking the water, she breathed a sigh of relief and reassured the girl beside her.

"By the way, where's Headmaster Dumbledore? I must have given him a terrible fright earlier."

Anna understood that seeing her magical outburst would surely remind him of an unpleasant past, but she looked all around and couldn't find the old man.

"Miss Anna, instead of worrying about that old bumblebee, I think you'd be better off worrying a little more about yourself!

"You got yourself into this state on the very first day of classes. At this rate, even a hundred bottles of Soul Stabilizing Potion wouldn't be enough for you to squander."

Standing nearby with his arms crossed, Snape spoke coldly.

"Severus!"

Lily turned and glared at him, then continued talking to Anna.

"He's worried about you, Anna. When he heard about your magical outburst, Severus was the first to rush into the Hospital Wing. I ran after him, but I couldn't catch up no matter how hard I tried."

Lily sold out a certain old professor without hesitation. Her words made Anna burst out laughing, and she only gradually managed to rein it in under the direct glare of a death stare.

Her gaze swept over Snape, but because he had tucked his hands under his arms, she couldn't see the back of his hand, where the wound had healed but a trace of the injury remained.

"Sorry for making you worry."

She sat in bed with several soft, comfortable pillows behind her. Her face was still a little pale, but she looked much better than she had at noon.

At least she no longer looked so lifeless.

The students had already begun eating dinner in the Great Hall on the first floor. The two had brought some food that was easier to eat. After all, she hadn't even eaten lunch, and she had gone through a magical outburst. Her body was very weak now, and she certainly needed to eat well to regain her strength.

The two brought chairs over and sat by her bed, and Lily told her about some of the things that had happened that day.

"Headmaster Dumbledore came out not long after Severus went in. He hurried back to the Headmaster's Office and was away from school all afternoon. He still hasn't come back, and nobody knows where he went.

"A lot of Slytherin students stood outside the door and wouldn't leave until it was almost time for afternoon classes.

"Oh, right, we had Potions Class this afternoon. We made the Cure for Boils, and it was quite simple. Don't worry, Anna, you'll definitely get it as soon as you learn it. But several Gryffindor students actually managed to blow up their cauldrons.

..."

Eating the food the two had brought in small bites, with Lily's chatter in her ears, Anna felt her mood return to its usual calm.

"Oh, right, Severus, explain your Potions Class notes to Anna later.

"Anna, let me tell you, Professor Slughorn singled out the potion he made in class today for praise. With him explaining things to you, I guarantee you won't fall too far behind in class.

"All right, I'll head back to the dormitory first. Get some good rest, and I'll come see you again tomorrow."

Lily slipped over to the head of the bed and blinked, as though giving her a hint.

???

Anna was a little baffled by her close friend's subtle hint, but smiled and said goodbye.

The Hospital Wing door was thoughtfully closed, leaving only the two of them in the room.

"Severus, where are the notes Lily mentioned?"

"Miss Anna, I don't think someone who has received instruction from the Prince family needs something so basic."

"All right, Professor, I was only joking."