Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
In Arabella's Mind
By: ChoCedric
Albus Dumbledore has always been a great friend to Arabella; he has always accepted her despite her being a squib. But sometimes, she seriously has to question his judgment. What was he thinking when he placed Harry Potter with the Dursleys?
Potter is the savior of the wizarding world, and wizards and squibs alike are all thankful to him for defeating Voldemort. It's horrible and cruel that Lily and James, his loving parents, had to die. Arabella knew them from the Order, and always thought they were wonderful people, very self-sacrificing and noble. She knows that they'd definitely have agreed to give their lives for their son if they had to. It's a shame that it did have to come to that.
As she sees Harry growing up through the years, she realizes how unhappy he is with those awful Muggles. She has been explicitly told by Albus not to interfere, but sometimes it is extremely difficult not to say something. She knows how manipulative Albus can be, and his reassurances do calm her a little, but not much. When she babysits Harry when Dudley and his parents go out, she sees how subdued he is. She's been told by Petunia not to be nice to the boy, so all she does is sit and tell him about her cats, boring the poor kid to tears. She gives him cups of tea and books to read, but Harry is restless and wants nothing more than to leave.
As Harry's eleventh birthday approaches, Arabella sees all the Hogwarts letters beginning to arrive. As they keep coming, she realizes Harry is not opening them, so the owls keep swooping in in hordes. It is absolutely amazing how many of them show up, and eventually, she sees the Dursleys zooming off in the car, doing everything they can to get away. She knows that Harry's curiosity is piqued, and can practically feel the negative energy in the air from Petunia and Vernon.
She learns from Albus later that Hagrid arrived to give Harry his letter, and pretty soon the boy is on his way to Hogwarts. She is grateful for that, but whenever she brings up the Dursleys to her old friend, he just dismisses her with a soft smile and an "Everything will be fine, Arabella. I assure you of that." But the old woman is not so sure. She doesn't appreciate the fact that the Headmaster is setting him up to be a pawn, a weapon against You-Know-Who. He deserves a childhood, and she knows the Dursleys are the worst possible family he could ever live with.
When Harry's fifth year rolls around and the scene with the dementors occurs, she prays even harder for Harry's safety. She wants to bodily strangle Mundungus Fletcher until he cannot breathe, for he neglected his duties and failed to watch out for Harry. She sees the fury on Albus's face when he finds this out, and during the hearing, she tries her best to clear Harry's name. As the remaining years until You-Know-Who's final defeat go on, she hopes to Merlin that her faith in Albus doesn't shatter any more than it has already done.
When the Dark Lord finally goes down and Harry goes on to live a happy life, Arabella Figg feels as though she has done her duty. With Albus dead now, she thinks of all the times they shared and the friendship that blossomed between them. She is grateful for all that he did for her, but still wonders about the decisions he made regarding Harry. Every night before she goes to sleep, her cats spread out all over her house, her mind wanders back to the scrawny, messy-haired boy, and she hopes that wherever he is, he won't be negatively affected by his childhood anymore.