Aberforth's thoughts
I love her so much. She's a sweet, thoughtful little thing most of the time. Even when she loses control, the goodness in her shows through. Because she has got a good heart, even in her uncontrollable angers. And when she's angry, I can usually calm her down. I stroke her forehead and her rosy cheeks until she quietens down. When she's quiet, she lies down, exhausted, with her head in my lap. I hold her close. My poor little baby sister: Ariana. Those boys destroyed her and her magic is like a curse to her. She can't use it but she can't get rid of it either and it bursts out of her when she's angry or upset. She can't control it and her outbursts always leave her red-faced, panting and exhausted. Always either battling against herself or roaming wild with me. She sets such a contrast with my elder brother.
My elder brother: Albus. Prize- winner and bright- shiner. He's off being brilliant in the outer wizarding world while I'm living in my own world, my own world with Ariana. Our world consists of rages and phases of calm and sweetness. Albus' world consists of prizes, award-winning essays and tea with 'most notable wizarding names of the day', a bunch of high-minded, ridiculously clever idiots, who like my brother, dedicate their lives to magical discoveries, prizes and fame, without recognising the suffering that one particular member of one particular wizarding family was going through. It wasn't poverty or famine or illness. It was simply neglect.
After my mother's death, Ariana has been neglected by everyone except me. But as my elder brother forces me to attend Hogwarts, she is alone in the house with her internal anger and fragility. She's set fire to the house twice this past term. And Albus, who graduated recently, simply ignores her, as he runs off with Bathilda's crazy nephew: Grindelwald.
At the moment, Ariana's safe from herself, because I'm home for the summer holidays. When she loses control, I calm her down. She sleeps with her head in my lap and I stroke her hair back from her peaceful face. The only time she's truly safe is when she's asleep with me. She says I chase the nightmares away. I wish I could, along with everything that's ever threatened or hurt her. And I do, I chase away all the external dangers, like nosy muggle neighbours and healers who don't know what they're doing. The only thing I can't protect her from is herself.