The Hogwarts Kitchen

"Looks like Remus isn't here either."

James Potter glanced around the kitchen. Anna and Snape were in a secluded corner, so the three of them didn't spot the pair right away.

"He's looked a bit unwell since this morning. Maybe we should have asked Madam Pomfrey instead of coming to the kitchen."

Sirius offered his assessment from beside him.

Lupin had intended to use feeling unwell and needing to go home for a few days of rest as an excuse to hide the fact that he transformed into a Werewolf every month. But before he could say anything to his roommates that day, Madam Pomfrey had hurriedly found him and taken him to the Shrieking Shack, leaving only a short note telling them not to worry.

That led the other three to believe he had gone to the Hospital Wing.

"But we didn't find Madam Pomfrey."

Peter Pettigrew spoke in a trembling voice.

They had actually already been to the Hospital Wing, intending to visit him, but the three had found neither Lupin nor Head Nurse Pomfrey.

"Never mind. I'm hungry anyway, so we might as well have a late-night snack."

James Potter spoke breezily. Lupin had said in his note that he would be back in a couple of days, so there was no need for them to worry too much.

"Let's go back, Severus."

Ignoring the three newcomers, Anna tugged at Snape's robes, wanting to leave. If those boys, especially James Potter and Sirius Black, held them up, their plan to get back to the dormitory before curfew might fall through.

Those two enjoyed the challenge of breaking Hogwarts' rules, but she had no interest in that.

Wasn't it better to go back to the dormitory and laze around in bed? Staying up late could make your hair fall out!

When the two stood up, the secluded corner could no longer hide them from view, and all three boys immediately fixed their eyes on Anna.

Her magic had gone out of control on the first day of class, and the headmaster had personally carried her to the Hospital Wing. That experience and treatment had made Anna even more famous, and even the older Gryffindor students had begun discussing the girl at their long table.

The innocent new students had also learned what delicious gossip lay hidden behind her surname.

But what shocked them even more was that Grindelwald's descendant was firmly opposed to pure-blood ideology and had clashed with the future Death Eaters of Slytherin over it!

Didn't that mean she was openly opposing Voldemort?

James Potter didn't care about any of that; he was still thinking about his revenge plan.

Sirius had been born into the Black family, who were extreme pure-blood supremacists. Anna's remarks that day had undoubtedly come as a great shock to him, and he had very complicated feelings about her.

Pettigrew silently shrank back, looking curious but unwilling to provoke her.

"Wait, Miss G-Grindelwald."

The two sides had already passed each other when James Potter seemed to remember something and called out to Anna just as she was about to leave the kitchen.

"Is something the matter, Mr. Potter?"

With people she was close to or respected, or when she wanted to deliberately provoke an opponent like Lucius, Anna was quite happy to let them call her by her given name.

But there was no need for that with an unruly child she barely knew and found rather exasperating.

Perhaps James Potter and Sirius would one day become brave men who truly embodied Gryffindor's spirit of integrity, just as they had been described in the original story from her previous life. But as for their immature, prank-loving selves now, all Anna wanted to say was that they really didn't know each other that well.

"Er, did you happen to see Remus in the Hospital Wing? He was sitting next to Sirius the other morning. His full name is Remus Lupin."

Remembering that today should have been Anna's last day in the Hospital Wing, James Potter thought she might have seen Remus and asked her about him.

"I didn't see any other first-years in the Hospital Wing.

It's late, and curfew is almost here. We should get back to the dormitory. Goodbye."

After quickly answering James Potter's question, the two turned and left without pausing for a moment.

Anna naturally wouldn't tell them where Lupin had gone. The school year had only just begun, and their friendship wasn't yet as strong as it would become. If these little kids found out that Lupin was a Werewolf and accidentally let it slip, it would cause Daddy a great deal of trouble.

When it was time for Flying Class the next day, Lupin was nowhere to be seen among the Gryffindors.

James Potter showed considerable talent for flying, drawing close attention from Madam Hooch, who went straight to Professor McGonagall's office after class to tell her about it.

With Anna's vivid analogies to guide him the day before, Snape could finally control his broom smoothly and hover in midair like the other ordinary students, although his face was still a little pale when he came down.

He watched the two flying side by side in the air. Anna stayed close to Lily, one hand resting lightly near the broom handle. To an outsider, it looked like a relaxed posture, and she even had the leisure to talk to Lily.

But Snape knew she was keeping an eye on Lily. He had noticed it when the two landed over the slope the night before: it was actually a position that would let her take control of Lily's broom at any moment.

Lily had been a little nervous when she first got on a broom, but with Anna's attentive company, she steadily got the hang of flying and slowly came to enjoy the feeling of the wind against her face in the air.

Only when she saw that Lily had practiced enough did Anna land smoothly beside Snape.

She had no intention of showing off like James Potter, although she had now become famous in a different way.

"There are still thirty minutes until class ends, Severus. Let's go rest over there."

Anna pointed to the corner of the wall. The weather was nice today, and the sunlight was intense, especially in the afternoon. The only patch of shade on the flying grounds lay in that corner, and some students had already gone there to rest after practicing.

Snape didn't refuse. The two leaned against the wall in an empty spot and looked up at Lily in the sky.

Because Anna was there, the other students tactfully stayed away from them, leaving the two with no one else nearby.

"Severus, when are you going to start courting Lily?"

Out of the blue, Anna suddenly said those words, startling him so badly that his heart nearly leaped out of his chest.

"Miss Anna, I advise you not to talk nonsense here!"

Snape immediately looked away. He straightened up, his expression turning extremely ugly.

"What's wrong with talking about it? We all know each other well. I just wanted to ask if you needed my help."

Anna looked up at the sky, feeling that she had the potential to be a matchmaker.

"No need. And I must remind you that Lily is only eleven right now!

"Would you have such fantasies about a young child?

"That's a crime, Miss Anna!"

"But Severus, we're all eleven right now."

"Shut up!"

P.S. The male lead is currently just touched by the trust the female lead has placed in him and is gradually accepting her as an important friend. The female lead is currently afraid that if she invests too much emotion, she won't be able to extricate herself later (the part in Chapter 26 where she was lying in bed). The two haven't reached that stage yet; after all, true feelings reveal themselves over time.