Slightly PWP; basically, Sirius explains to Ari what happened (or what everyone believes to have happened!) since that Halloween (which i didn't include, since if you're reading this you hopefully know!). Pettigrew is a slimy coward, Sirius is mysterious, and Ari is curious!

Ari finally gets to step foot inside Hogwarts! Will she finally break away from her summer horrors, or will they haunt her every move at school?

More secrets, an attack on Hogsmeade... but where is Abby?

Quiet murmurs reached Ari's ears, and it took a minute for her brain to process what her eyes were seeing. Sitting between Sirius and Dumbledore were two people she could only recognize from pictures.

Valentine’s Day was all Ari could think about; she had no clue what she was going to get Taylor! The day before, Hogsmeade was still on-limits, and the visit for Third Years and up was still on.

Harry grinned at her; he was sitting up and looked like he felt all right. He rolled his eyes. “They won’t let me out!” he said dramatically. “I feel fine!”

After silently enlarging the blanket and pulling her shoes off, Ari snuggled under the blankets and wriggled into her fiancé’s arms. Taylor woke but didn’t move; Ari had already drifted back to sleep. With a smile, he shifted into a more comfortable position and let himself drop back off to sleep.

Barely biting back her squeal, Ari dragged Taylor into the hallway.  She leaped into his arms, and was rewarded with a kiss.  “They’re coming here,” she said breathlessly.  “They’re really coming here!”

In her panic, all Ari could think was, “Don’t let this kill me,” over and over.

"...This is who we are; this is our legacy. We are hope.  We are faith. We are trust. We are truth.  We are strength.  We are leaders.  We are VICTORY..."